Discussions about the COVID-19 pandemic are already appearing in online child sexual exploitation forums on the dark web, as child safety experts warn children are more vulnerable than ever. Law enforcement around the world is poised to target a growing incidence of child exploitation at a time when vulnerable young people face home lockdowns with potential abusers. Child safety advocates say the outbreak of coronavirus has created a "perfect storm". Credit:John Donegan "Users indicate their anticipation that children are going to be spending an increased amount of time online, with references made to Omegle [an online chat application]," Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle said in a briefing note earlier this month. "Other users indicate they will have more time to download available material." As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. 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The family attacked after finding out that they were not allowed to visit the patient, says an article. The event happened on Wednesday after the patient, whose name was not revealed, had died after contracting COVID-19. The patient was admitted to the hospital since last Monday. Recording the Attack on Video A staff member at the San Pedro Xalpa Zone 48 General Hospital took the video of the horrific incident. The family of the deceased was caught on video after pouncing staff in the hospital. In the video, one of the family members was seen shouting and asking to get through to see the patient. As some staff of the hospital tried to control the situation, a lot of the workers in the hospital hurriedly locked themselves inside a room in the hospital. A Message from a Victim of the Incident One of the victims, a nurse named Daniel Zamorano, used social media to share his experience with the attack. In his Facebook post, he showed his badly bruised face. On the post, he said that four men and two women attacked him while he was at the hospital because of the death of their loved one from COVID-19. According to Zamorano, the family was not allowed to see the patient because, according to their protocol, the patient needed to be isolated. Unlike a patient of a different condition, the dead COVID-19 patient needs to be cremated first before his family could see him, as explained by Zamorano. Check these out: The nurse shared his frustration with some of his fellow citizens who are dismissive of COVID-19's global impact. The disease had already caused more than 115,000 deaths and more than 1.8 million confirmed cases as of Monday night. The Pandemic is Just Starting According to Zamorano, the pandemic had just started in Mexico, a third world country, where the people have yet to accept the reality of the virus's existence. The medical worker shared how a lot of people in the country criticize medical work. He also says that if the government does not do what the citizens want, they will get physically attacked. Apology after Social Media Post Zamorano released an apology after his social media post. He exclaimed that his experience could be used as an example of the stress brought to everyone, especially those directly affected by the pandemic. He also said that the current security system of hospitals will not be sufficient in the future. There is still enough time to take action against the COVID-19 crisis, he added. CCP Virus Outbreak at Virginia Nursing Home, 42 DeadMore Expected Forty-two residents of a Virginia nursing home near Richmond have died from the COVID-19 disease pandemic in one of the worst clusters of the new coronavirus in the United States, and officials expect more deaths to come. At least 127 elderly people out of the 163 residents of the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Henrico County have tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus in recent weeks, said its medical director Dr. James Wright. News reports say the latest two people died in the last three days. Its been tough, Wright, 56, said in an interview with Reuters. We were surprised by how quickly this went through, he said. Wright told media at a recent news conference: Its a battle that at times we feel like were losing. Its a battle that we have to fight every day and night, seven days a week. At least 35 members of Canterburys staff have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday, but Wright said he did not know how many have fallen ill. But he said the virus has exacerbated an existing staffing shortage, with some staffers refusing to come to work for fear of getting ill. We did the best we could, he said. The situation was made even worse by a severe shortage of personal protective equipment such as medical masks and gowns, he said. We were prepared as we could be, he said, What this virus tends to do is find a susceptible population and spread rapidly without being detected. Of the 97 known coronavirus outbreaks in Virginia, 53 are in long-term care facilities such as Canterbury, state health officials said during a press briefing Monday with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Nationally, more than 23,000 people have died from COVID-19 disease and more than 577,000 U.S. residents have tested positive for the CCP virus that causes COVID-19 disease as of Monday afternoon. One thing Wright blamed was the underfunding of publicly supported nursing homes, which tend to have few private rooms, chronic staff shortages and residents living in tighter quarters. Wright said he hoped the situation at Canterbury would spur a national come to Jesus moment, where the public would demand more tax dollars be spent on care for the elderly. By Rich McKay Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Bengaluru, April 14 : Taking serious view of reports of alleged layoffs in this tech city, the Karnataka government on Tuesday warned IT firms against firing its techies due to lockdown, now extended up to May 3 to contain the coronavirus spread. "As the lockdown since March 25 has been applicable to all sectors of the economy except essential services, all companies, including IT firms, were ordered to shut their offices to fight the virus and ask their employees to work from home," an official of the state Labour Department told IANS here. As India's tech hub, generating two-thirds of software export revenue, Bengaluru is home to about 2,000 global IT firms, including multinationals from the world over, employing about 20-lakh to write software codes or design chips. "As extraordinary situations demand extraordinary measures, especially when survival of the people is at stake, a nationwide lockdown was imposed since March 25 to break the virus chain and extended it till May 3 from April 15 for minimising the loss of life and business," said the official. Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationwide addressed earlier in the day, extending the lockdown by 19 days, state Deputy Chief Minister J.C. Ashwath Narayan met 100 honchos of the IT firms and advised them to pay full salaries to their employees. "As ICT enables most tech firms, especially in software services to operate from anywhere 24x7, the minister told the IT firms to pay salary to its staff for March and April as technology enables them to work from home to maintain social distance," said the official. The state government is hoping the Centre's guidelines to follow the lockdown from April 15 will also apply to the IT sector as its one of the largest sectors giving direct and indirect jobs. State Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar also warned companies across sectors against sacking their employees as they were staying home in compliance with the lockdown guidelines of the Central and state governments to fight Covid-19. State Labour Secretary P. Mannivaan also mailed an order to all companies in services and manufacturing sectors, directing them not to cut salaries of their employees or fire them from jobs for abstaining from work due to lockdown, the official added. Hundreds of employees in the manufacturing sector in diverse verticals are at home due to lockdown and suspension of public transport service. By IANS NEW DELHI: On the last day of the lockdown, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi thanked people for adhering to the lockdown despite problems. She also said that the Congress party workers are ready to help those in distress. Just ahead of Prime Minister's address to the nation, Sonia Gandhi in her video message released by the party said that she hopes everyone is adhering to the lockdown, staying inside their homes and observing social distancing while she also reprimanded people for the attacks on health workers and medics. She said, "Stay at homes, wash your hands regularly and only go out from in exigencies while covering your mouth with mask, stole or cloth. This could be the best example of patriotism and cooperation against the fight with the virus." I have no words to say thank you to the families and elders for the sacrifices they made despite all odds, she said. She also thanked the frontline workers including doctors, government officials and sanitation workers who are working day and night to contain the virus spread despite being ill-equipped. Reprimanding people for attacks on doctors, she said this is bad as our culture and civilization doesn't teaches us this. We should cooperate and support each other. However, she praised the people for helping out those in need and said the party is also trying to help out the people in need. She said anyone who is in need of anything can contact Congress control room. On Monday, she has also written to Prime Minister demanding extension of free food till September even for non ration card holders. A statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his dog, Fala, are seen at the FDR Memorial in Washington on Sept. 20, 2012. (Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images) Remembering Franklin D. Roosevelt After 75 Years Commentary Almost unnoticed on Easter Sunday was the 75th anniversary of the death of the greatest American president since Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt. By the left, he is manipulated like prayer beads, to legitimize everything they wish to accomplish, from universal government-operated (free) medical care to open borders, (both of which he would have militantly opposed). On the right, he is still mindlessly lambasted as the creator of every aspect of government that is overweening, oppressive, and extravagant. To the historically knowledgeable members of the centrist majority, he is the man who brought the country out of the Great Depression while preserving 95 per cent of the economic and political system that was in extremis on the day he was inaugurated (March 4, 1933); and as the leader who conducted America to victory in Western Europe and across the Pacific. Workfare He was not a leftist by contemporary standards. He opposed cash payments to the unemployed if they were capable of participating in his vast workfare programs, which produced drought control, flood control, rural electrification, immense works of reforestation, establishment of national parks, roads, public works, and much of what remains, in its now bedraggled state, of the infrastructure of America, (such as the Lincoln Tunnel and the Triborough Bridge). He has suffered historically in comparison with contemporary regimes in Europe and Japan for having high unemployment rates in the late thirties. But that is because the huge numbers of unemployed absorbed in the military and in defense production work in Germany, Japan, France, Italy and Great Britain are counted as employed, while the many millions (more usefully) employed in Roosevelts public works and conservation projects are considered unemployed. All of Roosevelts sympathetic biographers prior to Jean Edward Smith and myself, fell for this. (Comparatives with the Soviet Union are difficult, both because its published figures cannot be trusted, and because of Stalins liquidations and imprisonment of millions of productive members of the workforce.) European Diplomacy The ancient myth that Roosevelt gave away Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union is rebutted by all official accounts of the proceedings of the relevant conferences at Teheran and Yalta. It was explicitly agreed that all liberated countries would be governed by those chosen in absolutely free elections to do so. The Western Allies abided by that in France, Italy, West Germany and the rest of the countries they liberated, and Stalin ignored it in Eastern Europe, precipitating the Cold War which was won by the containment strategy devised by the strategic team Roosevelt bequeathed, (Truman, Marshall, Acheson, Kennan, and Bohlen). Roosevelt wanted no demarcation of zones of occupation in Germany because he believed (correctly) that once the Western Allies were across the Rhine, Germany would see it was defeated and would continue to fight like tigers in the east but would fold quickly in the west to get most of their country into the hands of comparatively civilized occupiers. Churchill agreed with Stalin on pre-set zones because he was afraid that with only 16 divisions in and near Germany, (to 75 American and about 160 Russian), Britain would end up with an embarrassingly small zone. Roosevelts plan was to wait for the development of (an American monopoly of) atomic weapons to use that and a very large reconstruction aid package as the stick and carrot in persuading Stalin to adhere to his commitments. Even though Dwight Eisenhower and the Republicans were elected in 1952 partly to be more assertive in relations with the Soviet Union, Eisenhower opened the first post-war summit conference at Geneva in 1955 by demanding that the USSR honor its Teheran and Yalta commitments. Benign Genius After these 75 years, Roosevelt should be recognized for several acts of benign genius. In leading the country out of the Great Depression, he ascribed all blame to non-existent categories of public enemies: monopolists, war-profiteers, economic royalists, and the malefactors of great wealth. There were no such people but it was against this fiction that he mobilized public anger; if he had ever said something like The Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, will pay for this, their homes would have been burned down with the occupants in them. He got the country out of the Depression as unrancorously as possible. He gradually shifted his base of support through his astonishing four presidential election victories: from the progressives who liked the New Deal but were isolationists, and as war clouds darkened, to the southern Democrats, who didnt like the equal treatment in welfare terms of the African-Americans (though they remained segregated) but who supported strong armed forces and were traditionally favorable to Britain and France. He realized that if the United States did not become engaged in Western Europe and the Far East, both those critical regions could be overrun by anti-democratic powers that would isolate and threaten the Americas, and democratic civilization could be at risk every generation. He did the necessary to maintain Britain and Canada in the war through Lend-Lease, which gave them everything they needed for the lease of bases in the Americas and deferred payment, while enacting the greatest arms build-up in world history and impeding the aggressions of Germany and Japan as much as he could without actually initiating war on them. When he cut off oil to Japan, (which imported 85 per cent of its oil from the U.S.), unless Japan desisted from its aggression in China and Indochina, he reasoned correctly that eventually Japan would attack the United States. Thus did he bring a united nation into the war, which could not have been won without the United States. He ultimately defeated the domestic isolationists by inventing the United Nations as a way of making internationalism less threatening while somewhat disguising from the rest of the world, in collective action, the overwhelming post-war ascendancy of the United States, which in addition to its atomic monopoly, had half the economic product of the entire war-ravaged world. Invading Normandy Like all Western statesmen starting with Richelieu, he saw that the winner of the war was whoever controlled Germany. And he saw that to be sure that that was the Anglo-Americans, he had to prevail over Churchills preference for continuation in Italy and the Balkans and up the Adriatic and resistance to a cross-Channel attack. To gain approval of the Normandy invasion, he stayed in the Russian legation in Teheran in November 1943, though he knew the rooms would be bugged, rather than the British embassy, (the U.S. legation was outside the city and there were security risks in moving between them). He did so to concert in advance with Stalin that he would prefer a cross-channel operation to anything in southern Europe, and Stalin was by now entitled to a major western invasion of Hitlers Europethe Italian campaign was too easily contained to qualify. The British thought they would likely be defeated on the beaches by the Germans and thought Stalin believed the same thing and had swindled Roosevelt. FDR agreed with them about Stalins motives but was confident the invasion would succeed and that Germany would be unable to stall the allied offensive in northern France as they had in World War I. Thus Roosevelt gained adoption of the best policy for Britain and least favorable to Russia, by persuading the Russian leader to assure its adoption over British objections. The Western Allies regained France, Italy, and Germany, and added Japan, and Russia had only temporary and illicit occupation of eastern Europe after absorbing, as between the Big Three, 95 per cent of the casualties in subduing Nazi Germany, and ending up with just a fifth of Germany. It was the greatest triumph of American diplomacy since Franklin persuaded the French to go to war for republican democracy and secession from empire. In domestic and international politics, and in personal relations, (even with his wife and his mother), Roosevelt was an artistic maneuverer. He was impersonal, ruthless, and enigmatic, behind his over-powering charm and appearance of joviality. As his distinguished chosen successor, Harry Truman said: He was the coldest man I ever knew; he didnt give a damn about you or me or anyone else, but he was a great leader. That he achieved what he did while as heavily handicapped by polio as he was, made his life somewhat miraculous. Americans should bury the polarized memories and myths about FDR, and recognize him with his faults, for what he achieved, as they have Lincoln and Washington. And if the space and talent can be found to do it, FDR (and Ronald Reagan) should be added to Mount Rushmore. Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. He is the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. When TriMet decided last month to temporarily stop accepting cash payments on buses during the coronavirus pandemic, it violated state law and its own rules and procedures by reaching that decision in secret. Thats according to a lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court last week by attorney and government transparency advocate Alan Kessler. Kessler argued that TriMets decision March 26 to temporarily stop accepting cash payments on buses should have been made in public and therefore violated state public meetings law. According to the lawsuit, because TriMet is a public body, the decision to suspend cash payments should have been made in public. Instead, Kesslers lawsuit states, the transit agency decided to stop receiving cash at a private meeting of agency officials. TriMet did not notify the public, interested persons, or the news media that the private meeting would occur, or that the question of a cash ban would be discussed, he wrote. Kessler, who stated he is a transit user who occasionally pays with cash, also argued that banning cash was not a valid administrative or legislative act sufficient to change its codes or policies. TriMet declined a request for comment on the lawsuit through a spokeswoman, stating it does not comment on pending litigation. Last month, TriMet explained that the cash ban was a safety decision. This is a temporary measure to help with social distancing and to minimize the time riders spend near our bus operators, the agency said at the time. Instead, youll need to pay with Hop: a plastic Hop card, your phone using a mobile wallet or virtual card, or a Hop ticket purchased at a ticket machine at a MAX or WES station. Other transit agencies have stopped enforcing fares in any form during the pandemic, including C-Tran, which operates in Clark County. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, which represents workers at both Portland area agencies, had called for similar action at TriMet. TriMet has declined to follow suit, noting that passenger fares accounted for 18% of the agencys revenue last year. Kessler is asking for the court to determine that TriMet violated state law, its own code and policies and that it enjoins the transit service from charging fares for all riders while it is out of compliance with its code. He also is requesting that any fines charged to riders for lack of payment during the period be nullified. -- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 04:17:57|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Police officers stop a bus to check in Rome, Italy, on April 13, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed 20,465 lives in locked-down Italy as of Monday, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 159,516, according to latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department. (Photo by Augusto Casasoli/Xinhua) ROME, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 20,465 lives in locked-down Italy as of Monday, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 159,516, according to latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department. Addressing a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli explained that there were 566 new fatalities, compared with 431 registered on Sunday. Active infections increased by 1,363 from Sunday to a tally of 103,616. Meanwhile, there were 1,224 new recoveries, bringing the total of recoveries to 35,435 since the pandemic broke out in the northern regions on Feb. 21. Of those infected, 28,023 people are currently hospitalized, 176 more from the previous day; 3,260 are in intensive care, down by 83; and 72,333, or about 70 percent, are isolated at home. It was the tenth consecutive day that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units showed a decreasing trend, according to Borrelli. This trend helped alleviating the pressure on Italy's hospitals, and especially on the most affected regions, which remained northern Lombardy, with 31,935 active infections; Emilia Romagna, with 13,818; Piedmont, with 12,765; Veneto, with 10,766; and central Tuscany, with 6,257, according to latest data. After days on a similar downward trend, Sunday's number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in normal wards rose again. RESTRICTIONS WIDELY RESPECTED IN HOLIDAYS Meanwhile, strengthened police controls ordered for Easter holidays continued through Monday, "also with police using helicopters and drones," the Ministry of Interior said in a statement. Restrictions seemed to have been mostly respected. On Easter Sunday, some 213,565 people and 60,435 business activities were checked. 13,756 people were fined for not observing restrictive rules, including 19 coronavirus positive people who defied the absolute ban on leaving their home isolation, according to official data. Still on Easter, some 121 commercial activities were sanctioned, while another 47 were shut down for major breaches. Overall, law enforcement forces have checked 6,976,423 people and 2,831,550 activities between March 11, the day after the nationwide lockdown effectively entered into force, and April 12, the data found. PUBLIC TRANSPORT MOVEMENTS MAY CHANGE On Monday, in an interview with state-run RAI Radio 1 broadcaster, Transport Minister Paola De Micheli said the possible shift to the "Phase 2" of emergency -- meaning a gradual and partial restoration of economic and social activities -- would imply "a different way for people to use public transport." "We will have to imagine a society where not everyone goes to work and back at the same time, but rather at flexible hours, and especially for public offices," De Micheli said. The minister also explained that a little less than 15 percent of Italy's regional and high-speed trains are currently running, while the percentage is higher for flights since the government chose "to leave open some air traffic routes in order to bring home Italians studying abroad or those who had a job but have lost it." Any decision on whether to shift to this second phase would be up to the central government, on the base of the recommendations of a technical and scientific committee of experts. Italy has declared a six-month national state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic on Jan. 31. The government imposed a nationwide lockdown that went into effect on March 10. One month later, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the lockdown would continue until May 3. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Background Globally, countries are hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and most are devastated by the shocking effects. From a virus that affected public health, the meteoric spread of the pandemic is now a global socio-economic and political threat for which no nation is spared. In a short space of time, nations all over the world have had to quickly assess and understand the situation, respond swiftly to save lives and their economies from crumbling. A recession is declared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF); either as bad as 2009 or even worse. On the macro-economic front, revenue shortfalls, reduced production and consumption, rising unemployment, projected growth now expected to plummet are some implications of the COVID-19 crisis, altogether magnifying the vulnerabilities of developing economies during and post corona. What does this mean to small and growing businesses (SGB)? The disruption of the pandemic on businesses manifests in closed borders, value chain effects, truncated business investments due to heightened uncertainties. The situation leaves many SGB the pain of dealing with increased operational costs with unmatched productivity which translates into losses either in the short and even long term. This exposition is a product of virtual individual and group discussions with hub managers across various regions in Ghana, hence offers an appreciable practical insight of the situation at firsthand. Objectives Highlight the current effects of the COVID-19 crisis and projected impact on innovations hub Explore possibilities and how hubs can position themselves to optimise the opportunities Identify relevant support to cushion hubs against the risks Outline how potential partners could collaborate with hubs for a stronger ecosystem support Challenges and Impact Hubs act as focal points and physical spaces that nurture and refine ideas in developing innovative products to foster innovations and promote entrepreneurship. One of the pillars of innovation hubs lies in their strength of building networks of innovators creating solutions to societies' pressing problems. By this, the physical convergence of startups to iterate ideas, tinker prototypes and develop market-ready products thus provides a supportive environment for experimenting. However, this very core selling proposition of hubs has been destabilized by the COVID-19 crisis as citizens comply with social distancing by way of adhering to precautionary measures such as the imposition of a lockdown in selected areas to flatten the curve. Revenues from trainings, events and use of co-working space as the main income-generating avenues for hubs have been tremendously affected in the past few months and expected to worsen in the coming months, unfortunately. As it is with many organisations and programmes following lockdown directives and containment measures of the crisis, almost all trainings, events and meetings generally at hubs have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely. The responsiveness of hubs to switch and run online sessions though presents an opportunity to engage startups remotely, the practicality of pricing such digital services or converting into an income-earning model for hubs' sustenance is to be navigated. Due to underlying geographical, infrastructural and socio-cultural barriers, the adoption rate of digital services itself is limiting with unrealistic possibility of converting to paid services. For example, startups or users in Kumasi or Tamale are less likely to pay for digital services compared to users in Accra. Investment thrives where there is stability. Amidst uncertainties in the global economy and business in general, hubs are experiencing stalled partnership agreements and investments with a bleak outlook. For most hubs that attract funding from international partners, this trajectory is worrying with the current near-halt in programme implementation. With unmatched productivity, increased operational expenses is another headache of hubs having to incur fixed costs such as rent, internet and general staff salaries as hubs figure out how to deal with the dicey situation of being sensitive by not laying off staff and economical as at the same by cutting costs. For some hubs, considerations are ongoing to reduce staff salaries for the current month and subsequently if the situation remains the same or worsens. But the reality remains that whether halved or slashed to a quarter or even less, payment of some fraction of salaries against zero revenue for a couple of months is not financially healthy for the survival of hubs. One post-corona phenomenon expected is the behavioural change that is likely to affect the 'normal' way of doing business even several months after the crisis. For hubs, this means a lot of people will exercise restraint or be extra careful in attending social and business gatherings before fully adjusting to participating in meetings and networking events. Patronage of hubs' services physically, therefore, remains threatened. Opportunities Clearly the swiftness with which startups are responding to the crisis by innovating products and services to reduce spread, mitigate effects and monitor progress among others has been encouraging. From fabricating tech-enabled devices to bots and developing of digital tools and platforms, startups have heeded to the call for joint action by governments and development partners in the fight against the crisis. This puts startups in the limelight as rapid actors when locally- sourced innovations are required, thereby boosting the relevance of startups and hubs accordingly as innovators and enablers. More than before, the use of virtual spaces in learning and working has become prominent as organisations adapt to home office, schools using digital classrooms and meetings transitioning to tech spaces. Opportunities exist for hubs to expand their reach by routing events through digital spaces while creating content to intensify digital skills training for organisations as new markets openings, and re-strategise to be more resilient. Amidst the crisis, hubs have the chance to develop close connection with their communities. The new community is virtual. As hubs take stock of their operations as businesses, they are presented with the opportunity to take introspection of their activities and invent ways of staying connected to its customers even without making sales. Responses from Hubs and Government To disperse experiences and share ideas on how hubs and entrepreneurs are coping with the impact of the crisis, the Ghana Hubs Network organized a virtual knowledge sharing and event that focused on women-led entrepreneurs under the Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana's wing. Additionally, the network launched a virtual mentoring programme; an initiative for hub members to connect, at the same develop innovative strategies to remain productive for hubs' adaptability and business continuity. Hubs are also taking individual actions to engage partners on possibilities of remodelling programmes to suit the current needs and adopting workable approaches on what is feasible and new ways of implementing programmes. It is incumbent for hubs to explore partnerships with variety of organisations in addition to identifying new business models to cushion revenue streams. Government of Ghana's GHC 1 billion (USD 173 million) Corona Alleviation Programme is an example of direct stimulus package to relieve small businesses, alongside Bank of Ghana's reduction of policy rate from 16 to 14.5% with other monetary and fiscal policies to mitigate the economic effects of the crisis on small businesses generally for which hubs qualify. However, questions about the framework, eligibility and mechanism for accessing the funds linger on the minds of hub managers. As the Ghana Hubs Network researches into the necessary steps to access the fund, it is prudent for hubs to analyse strategies to utilize and repay loans in anticipation of acquiring debt relief from the government and other investors. Possible Measures to Support Hubs Cash Relief Hubs are in dire need of financial support to serve as a buffer to cushion increased overhead expenses during and after the period. Cash is king, say hub managers. Fixed and running costs such as rent, staff salaries, internet are wrung off hubs' account even though most activities have been closed during the crisis. Hubs will still have to incur some expenses due to the nature of cost and becomes difficult to avoid. Basic survival at this point is cash injection at least for short term relief and stability as hubs navigate the nuances of more lasting solutions. Non- cash support like tax waivers and annulment or deferment of statutory obligations are necessary form of support to hubs as indirect cash saving interventions. Support Partners: Government, Development Organisations, Investors Capacity Development There is the need for hubs to improve their capacity in creating and delivering curated contents and tailor-made training to meet the needs of startups and communities remotely. The digital space is flooded with loads of information which may be distracting to users. For this reason, it is critical for managers to transmit knowledge into engaging and developing contextualised contents by sharpening their competencies in functional areas for relatable content delivery. As experiences of hubs are not the same, this will require a design thinking approach to help hubs re-centre and focus on market-driven services for startups and partners. Support Partners: Training Developers & Facilitators, Development Organisations Digital Support Providing access to digital devices and internet services for most startups that had to use computers and internet at the hubs is needed. Whereas the provision of hardware devices may seem unrealistic in the short term, negotiating with telecommunication companies and other services providers for heavily discounted internet packages is a much-needed relief to significantly save cost of data for hub managers and staff to stay connected and work remotely. Support Partners: Telcos, Digital Service Providers, Development Organisations, Corporates Inst. Skilled Human Resources Resources with specialised skills and expertise in remodelling and developing products and services either directly for hubs or startups by extension as consultants or mentors could be helpful for hubs at this point. Without limit on the kind of services such external resources could offer hubs, a great deal of benefits exists to harness the knowledge of experienced human resources especially for hubs that struggle to pay for highly skilled resources. Support Partners: Institutional Mentors, Corporate Institutions. Development Organisations Plans for Further Digitalization There is a drastic fundamental change in the way we work, study and live. But this also presents enormous opportunities for the use of digital tools to thrive. A key discovery during the pandemic is the embrace of digital tools of platforms. The message of harnessing the potentials of digitalization couldn't have been clearer and more relatable. Hubs are considering online and offline alternatives as hybrid options for training to address the connectivity challenges in delivering services to targets. About Ghana Hubs Network (GHN)s The GHN is the umbrella organisation with the mandate of hubs in Ghana to develop and coordinate activities, build their capacities, develop and implement entrepreneurship programmes in areas of tech, business and creative arts. Registered in 2017, the GHN is a strategic organisation setup to promote and amplify the work of innovation hubs that are providing support to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The network is founded around three main pillars: a) Advocacy b) Capacity building; c) Diversity and Inclusion. With a current membership of about 30 hubs, its key role is to bring together different stakeholders ranging from academia, private sector, policy makers, NGOs, investors, foundations and the media to build new networks and promote collaboration to help empower entrepreneurs, build startups and propel innovations and job creation. Over the years, the network has been a key actor supporting Government of Ghana's entrepreneurship programmes such as delivering trainings nationwide under the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) and looking forward to further collaborations for inclusive growth. Conclusion Hubs are critical nodes of innovation and promote entrepreneurship by nurturing startups. In these rough times, the ability of hubs to adapt to the harsh effects and inherent risks of COVID-19 transcends their own survival to continuously supporting startups as important enablers of innovation, skills development and job creation is crucial. To move past the distressing effects of the crisis, a mix of internal and external measures by hubs and ecosystem players are much needed in optimizing the full potentials of the situation and safeguarding hubs' sustainability. Hubs will have to re-examine their business models and strategies to explore emerging needs and offer suitable services to startups and new market segments and do so as a race against time. Government, development partners and private sector institutions could leverage on the speed, energy and ingenuity of hubs to collaborate by developing and implementing responsive programmes that reach a broad spectrum of sectors and target groups for value and improve the quality of lives ultimately. Contact Paulina Adjei Advisor, GIZ [email protected] Acknowledgement (Hubs Engaged) Ispace Hapaspace Impact Hub Accra Hopin Academy Centre for Social Innovations Tentmaker Ashesi D Lab Yison Tech Hub Tentmaker Stanbic Bank Incubator Ho Node Fab Hub Women's Haven [April 14, 2020] Trinity Capital Inc. Provides Quarterly Update Trinity Capital Inc. ("Trinity," "Company," "we" or "our"), a leading specialty lending company that provides debt and equipment financing to growth stage companies backed by technology banks, venture capital and private equity firms, today announced a business update amid the coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic. "We felt it was important to provide an update to our stakeholders in light of the extensive impact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is continuing to have on global capital markets and economy. Foremost, we hope that you are safe and healthy in these extraordinary times. We at Trinity are fortunate that our entire team is safe and healthy while continuing to work daily and remain focused on credit quality as well as short and long-term cash and investment planning. The contingency plans we put into place are proving to be effective and provide us with the communication capabilities that allow us to maintain normal operating functionality," said Steve Brown (News - Alert), Chairman and CEO of Trinity. The following are specific action steps in progress: Business Continuity From a health and safety perspective, we have implemented corporate policies in line with guidelines from the CDC and local authorities for our various office locations. We have indefinitely postponed non-essential travel and implemented a policy of working remotely to reduce social contact. We recognize that the outbreak of COVID-19 is continually evolving and we will adjust our continuity plans to maintain an effective and efficient operational environment. Proactively Monitoring our Portfolio and New Investments We have been actively engaged in assessing all our portfolio companies and the impact that both COVID-19 and an economic downturn may have on their respective businesses. Our current primary focus is portfolio credit strength and quality. In the near term, the efforts of our management, investment and portfolio teams has been directed toward vigilantly supporting our existing portfolio companies while we continue to look to the future and evaluate new investment opportunities. As of December 31, 2019, our investments were comprised of approximately $317.2 million in debt investments, $60.8 million in equipment financing investments, and $41.3 million in equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, across 78 portfolio companies. "Trinity will continue to selectively look at new opportunities with the same stringent underwriting criteria we've always applied, adding a new layer of scrutiny tied to the impact of COVID-19 and the negative economic impacts currently playing out in the economy. Consistent with our investment objective, we will continue to provide loans and equipment financings to growth stage companies who ned a non-dilutive extension of runway. We seek to complement the equity these companies have raised to provide the necessary capital to achieve defined milestones and build their valuations heading towards a fundraise or liquidity event. We are active and looking for new opportunities," said Kyle Brown, President of Trinity. During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, Trinity funded investments to six new portfolio companies and ten existing portfolio companies totaling approximately $47.7 million. Liquidity We understand that in these times liquidity is key to financial success. To that end, we believe we have positioned Trinity to have both cash on-hand as well as capital resources through our credit facility for operations, support of our portfolio companies and continued strategic investing. The Company's $300.0 million credit facility matures on January 8, 2022 unless extended and, at March 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $130.0 million of outstanding borrowings under the credit facility with approximately $55.0 million of available capacity, subject to certain borrowing requirements. The Company also has $125 million of unsecured debt which matures in January 2025. At March 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $63.4 million in unrestricted cash on its balance sheet. The combination of cash on hand and available borrowing capacity under the credit facility provided approximately $118.4 million of liquidity at March 31, 2020. Dividend The Company anticipates paying a dividend to shareholders from earnings for the period January 16, 2020 (inception of the BDC) to March 31, 2020 in mid to late May 2020. The amount of the dividend distribution will be determined upon completion of the Company's financial statements for the period ending March 31, 2020 and is subject to approval by the Board of Directors. Investor Communication The Company's website, https://trincapinvestment.com, has a news section for your reference to our news releases and a link to our SEC (News - Alert) filings. We are currently anticipating that we will conduct an investor call, after the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to discuss results for the stub first quarter period, provide a general update on the business and answer investor questions. More specific details for each of these topics will be provided in May. Steve Brown, Chairman and CEO of Trinity, said, "We continue to work extremely hard and remain focused in these unprecedented times, and look forward to continued dialogue and communication. We hope that you and your families are safe and healthy." About Trinity Capital Inc. Trinity, an internally managed specialty lending company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, is a leading provider of debt and equipment financing to growth stage companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. Trinity's investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through investments consisting primarily of term debt and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans, equity and equity-related investments. Trinity believes it is one of only a select group of specialty lenders that has the depth of knowledge, experience, and track record in lending to growth stage companies. For more information, please visit https://trincapinvestment.com/. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking statements" that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Trinity, its current and prospective portfolio investments, its industry, its beliefs and opinions, and its assumptions. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "will," "may," "continue," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "would," "could," "should," "targets," "projects," "outlook," "potential," "predicts" and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Trinity's control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Trinity's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date on which Trinity makes them. Trinity does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or any other information contained herein, except as required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414006029/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] SPRINGFIELD Public schools nurses will assist the citys Department of Health and Human Services in tracking down people who may have come in contact with COVID-19. Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said nearly 60 school nurses will lend a hand in the effort. We have the finest nurses anywhere, he said. They serve our students well under difficult circumstances, they know our community, they are experienced and learned. Director of Nursing Jeanne Clancy said the district has 58 nurses serving 26,000 students daily. In addition to responding to unexpected illnesses students may experience in school, nurses also administer daily medications, monitor immunization compliance and complete mandated health screening. The nurses also work closely with local pediatricians to case manage students with chronic conditions so they can attend classes and be ready to learn, Clancy said. Some of the school nurses have already started working with the city with more joining them the coming weeks. Gov. Charlie Baker announced on April 3 that the state would be setting up a tracing collaborative to better track down people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 the first state to launch such a project in the U.S. When a person tests positive, public health officials ask the patient about who they came in contact with and reach out to those people. But the tracing collaborative involves a more formal infrastructure to track down people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus, Baker said. The nurses have also distributed 2,000 N95 masks donated by the school district. Students at Putnam Vocational Technical Academy use the masks in vocation classes that produce dust, fumes, sprays or vapors. There was not a moment of hesitation, said George Johnson, principal at the academy. When we heard the plea for the personal protective equipment that we were in possession of, we knew immediately we would act. Community service is a focal point of our work here at Putnam and theres never been a more important or pressing cause than this. Related content: Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (28) There is no doubt that the most devastating consequence of COVID-19 will be the cost in human lives. The financial ramifications of the pandemic are also dire. The heartbreaking sight of thousands of jobless Australians in Centrelink queues around the country paint a disturbing picture. The owner of a local bakery that has operated for 15 years and never missed a rent payment can't pay the bills. Credit:Louie Douvis Those in the gig economy also have had months of work vanish and the creative industries have lost an estimated $200 million of work, according to the I Lost My Gig website. In my own household, the business losses we have already seen are substantial. CBSs Paula Reid was on fire during Mondays Presidential task force press conference about COVID-19. She started by demeaning Dr. Fauci by asking him a question that implied hes either hostage to or a puppet of President Trump. That was just a warm-up. Later in the press conference, she started shrieking at President Trump that a video he had shown earlier in the press conference misrepresented his affirmative response to COVID-19 because it implied that he was on top of things in February. A visibly irritated Trump answered that, in fact, he had taken many steps during February to respond to COVID-19, but CBS's disrespectful little harridan wouldnt let up. Aside from being a disgraceful way to talk to the leader of the most powerful nation on earth (if you dont respect the man, at least respect the office), Reid was completely wrong in her assertion. In other words, she wasnt a powerful woman taking on a tyrant, she was a shrill Karen being disrespectful to a President of the United States whos been working hard to protect the American people: WATCH: CBS New White House Reporter Paula Reid Grandstands, Gets The Facts Wrong. pic.twitter.com/5rwywVS6D9 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 3: The CDC had a team ready to travel to China to obtain critical information on the novel coronavirus, but were in the U.S. awaiting permission to enter by the Chinese government. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 6: The CDC began shipping CDC-Developed test kits for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to U.S. and international labs. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 11: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded a partnership with Janssen Research & Development to expedite the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 14: The CDC began working with five labs to conduct community-based influenza surveillance to study and detect the spread of coronavirus. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 22: A WHO team of international experts arrives in Wuhan, China. February 24: The Trump Administration sent a letter to Congress requesting at least $2.5 billion to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 29: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed certified labs to develop and begin testing coronavirus testing kits while reviewing pending applications. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 February 29: The Trump Administration: Announced a level 4 travel advisory to areas of Italy and South Korea. Barred all travel to Iran. Barred the entry of foreign citizens who visited Iran in the last 14 days. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020 For more about the Trump administrations proactive response to COVID-19 beginning in January, you can view a timeline here. This is not Reids first fake news moment when it comes to Trump. She was also one of the reporters who promoted the medias claim that violence in Charlottesville was all about white supremacists attacking innocent people. An honest reporter would have acknowledged that it was a clash between combatants white supremacists on one side; Black Lives Matter and Antifa on the other. You can see her here, the perfect Karen, attacking Trump for daring to say that there was ugliness on both sides, even as she worked hard to downplay Antifa's and BLM's role. Anti-Trumpers, of course, didnt care about the facts nor about respect for the office. They simply liked seeing a shrieking leftist shrew hurling lies at the Republican President of the United States: @PaulaReidCBS Ms. Reid, you are one heck of a reporter. Thank you for what you do. And keep doing it. Keep pushing this ignorant fuck living in the peoples house. Teach (@EdTeach12) April 14, 2020 The impeccable @PaulaReidCBS is a bad ass. The Orange Menace is an imbecile. For the record, Ms. Reid was the reporter on the ground at #Charlottesville when the racist #riots riots broke out. She held the imbecile's feet to the fire then too. His orange face broke red. https://t.co/EqTZYJ3oIG Charles Alexander (@musiccharles) April 14, 2020 Ms Reid, your journalism today should be a benchmark for all reporters to meet, and exceed. I was SO glad when someone finally just put pressure on him, not let him wriggle out, but answer the question as asked. I am sorry he needlessly bullied you, or anyone.@PaulaReidCBS Woody Guthrie's Guitar (@cgt465) April 14, 2020 For leftists, the truth is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the narrative and here, the narrative is that a brave young reporter held the Presidents feet to the fire, exposing his many lies. A reporter from Pravda or the Chinese Peoples Daily couldnt have done a better job. Parents have been warned of the possibility that children could be at greater risk to online threats such as cyberbullying and sexting during the Covid-19 pandemic. With children and young people out of school and effectively on lockdown in their homes, there is a growing reliance on smartphones and other digital devices for communication. Children are also missing out on normal supervision, controls and advice around digital activity offered in the school environment, which parents may find hard to replicate. Internet safety experts are urging parents to guard against children becoming victims of cyberbullying. This can take the form of exclusion, bullying through reaction videos on platforms such as TikTok, sexting, grooming, breaches of privacy and exposure to harmful content. Tijana Milosevic of the Anti- Bullying Centre at Dublin City University (DCU) said that with all socialisation taking place online via Skype, Zoom, Instagram, Houseparty, WhatsApp, it was vital to remember the dangers that children could encounter. In an example of the risk of exclusion as a form of cyberbullying, she spoke about how a group of girls could meet on Skype for a coffee chat and take a photo of the group and post it to Instagram, tagging another girl to draw attention to the fact that she had been excluded. Ms Milosevic also said a girl might post a video on Tik Tok or YouTube, dancing to her favourite tune, with someone posting a reply video mocking her. While there is no Covid-19 related research on it yet, Ms Milosevic said many people feared it would rise. However, she added: "We should not automatically ass-ume there is a greater incidence of cyberbullying just because there is an increasing reliance on technology during the Covid epidemic." As well as some of the other well-publicised dangers, she drew attention to the less known issue of self-victimisation online. Pretending This is where children post hurtful messages to themselves while pretending to be someone else. Ms Milosevic said that while parents can use technology to control their children's online activity, "what works better is to try to talk to them and establish a relationship of trust". She said parents should look out for different eating patterns, or if they became more withdrawn or show visible signs of anxiety. Covid-19 has also prompted the Department of Education's internet safety website, Webwise, to update its advice to parents, including an explainer about how Zoom works, reflecting the growing popularity of the video-conferencing app. MIAMI-DADE-COUNTY (dpa-AFX) - Burger King is offering free Whoppers to students if they answer certain questions online as schools across the country are closed amid coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic. The restaurant chain, owned by Restaurant Brands International, announced that the students can find the questions on its social media pages, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, from April 13 through April 20. The students aged 18 and above can download the BK App. The offer is also available for students aged 13 through 18 with parental permission. The participants can use their answer on the BK app as the promo code to get a coupon for a free Whopper sandwich with any purchase. The offer is limited as one free Whopper per student, and the free Whopper coupon on the app has to be used within 24 hours. The initial question was in Maths to solve an algebraic equation. Questions will also cover different subjects including science and literature. Burger King reportedly said it wants to reward students who are continuing to study hard through the worldwide pandemic. In the United States, majority of states have ordered or recommended school closures to fight against the spread of Covid-19, and opt for online classes. The closure impacted around 124,000 schools with around 55.1 million students, as well as at least 3,278 colleges and universities with more than 22 million students. As of now, President Donald Trump has set the deadline as April 30 to continue with the social distancing guidelines. He said the country 'will be well on our way to recovery' by June. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The Defence Forces is to spend 130,000 on random drug testing of its members and involve tests through hair samples from defence force members for the first time. This follows the Defence Forces entering a deal with a UK based company, Alere Toxicology to carry out the work over the next two years. Each year, the Defence Forces carries out 20 to 30 workplace tests on around 2,000 defence force personnel. The compulsory random workplace drug tests test for cocaine, LSD, heroin, ecstasy, cannabis and other banned drugs. The current Defence Forces requirements for drug testing are solely for urine testing however under the new contract, it is envisioned that a requirement for hair testing may arise. Urine testing has a very short window of detection and can only pick up drug use that occurred in the last few days. However, hair samples as part of drug tests can show that drugs have been in the system over the past 90 days. As part of the tender, the Oxfordshire based Alere Toxicology had to demonstrate a current ability to conduct work place hair testing including on site collection and laboratory analysis. Alere Toxicology beat off a tender from one competitor to secure the two year contract. The most recent Defence Forces statistics show that in 2019, 16 defence force members recorded a positive drug test - 1.52% of the 1,053 tests carried out. A spokesman for the Defence Forces states that only limited drug testing is currently taking place in the Defence Forces due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The spokesman stated: The duration of limited activity will depend on the pandemic developments. It is hoped that on resumption of Compulsory Random Drug Testing Operations, the Defence Forces can achieve the appropriate testing rate for 2020. In 2018, 19 defence force members tested positive for drugs from 1,101 random tests. The 19 positive tests for 2018 include 17 positive results and two failure to report. Each year, over 10% of Defence Forces personnel are drug tested annually by having their names selected at random at unannounced dates and locations. The random selection includes installations nationwide and also a small number of overseas locations where Irish Military personnel are deployed. The 2018 total compare to 15 positive tests for 2017, 12 for 2016, 17 for 2015, five for 2014 and 13 for 2013. The breakdown of the 2018 results are made up of six in the naval service, two in air corps, two at the Defence Forces training centre, one in 2 Brigade and eight in 1 Brigade including the two failure to report. Those who test positive can be the subject of subsequent targeted drug testing and four personnel were in the targeted drug testing programme at the start of 2018, while an additional four personnel joined the programme during the year. Of the eight personnel, three completed the process and were retained in service, two tested positive for controlled drugs substances and re-entered the administrative process and at the end of December 2018, there were three people in the targeted drugs testing process. According to the Defence Forces, the testing operations may be conducted during or outside of normal working hours including evenings and weekends. The Defence Forces spokesman stated: The unlawful possession, supply, or use, of a controlled drug is incompatible with membership of the Defence Forces. He stated: "The primary objective of Compulsory Random Drugs Testing is deterrence. In order to provide a credible deterrent, the random draw is designed to ensure that all Defence Forces personnel are eligible to be randomly selected for testing in all locations and throughout all routine and operational duties conducted. All personnel randomly selected irrespective of rank will be tested. Despite the current executive order for nursing homes by Gov. Lamont, which restricts visitors from seeing their loved ones at nursing facilities across the state, one Connecticut woman is determined to see her stepfather under one of the most unusual means. Lacey Lizzi, of Riverton, rented a bucket truck in order to visit her stepfather at the Cherry Brook Health Care Center in Canton, according to NBC Connecticut. Jenelle Evans solidified her reunion with her husband David Eason over the weekend by spending Easter with him. The former Teen Mom 2 star, 28, shared some sweet photos of their children to her Instagram on Sunday. The once-estranged couple also seemed to be getting along well with Jenelle's mother Barbara, who joined them for a meal. Family bonding: Jenelle Evans, 28, and her once-estranged husband David Eason, 31, spent Easter together with their children and her mother Barbara Jenelle shared a cute photo from an Easter egg hunt on the lawn featuring her children Jace, 10, and Kaiser, five, as well as her youngest daughter Ensley, whom she shares with David, 31. The reality star shares Jace with her ex Andrew Lewis from her 16 And Pregnant days, while she shares Kaiser with her ex-boyfriend Nathan Griffin. David's 12-year-old daughter Maryssa, from a previous relationship, also looked as if she were having a great time in the family portrait. '#HappyEaster from our family to yours! #StaySafe and hope everyone had a great day,' Jenelle wrote. Happy family: Jenelle shared a cute photo from an Easter egg hunt on the lawn featuring her children Jace, 10, and Kaiser, five, as well as her youngest daughter Ensley, whom she shares with David, 31 Beaming: David's 12-year-old daughter Maryssa, from a previous relationship, also looked as if she were having a great time in the family portrait The children also posed with with the cute baby goat that Jenelle and David recently got. 'I cannot begin to say how happy I am that everyone got along today! If youve been following my story since I was 16, you would think this day would never come!' Jenelle captioned a second photo. 'Home cooked meal by my mom, David having normal conversations with my mom, dyed some eggs with the kiddos, and hunted for more eggs. Today couldnt have went any better. Heres to new beginnings! Again #HappyEaster to all of you!' Ensley looked overjoyed as she blew bubbles in the yard, while Barb painted Easter eggs with the children in the house. Having a blast: Ensley looked overjoyed as she blew bubbles in the yard Activities: Barb painted Easter eggs with Jace back in the house Beautiful day: 'I cannot begin to say how happy I am that everyone got along today! If youve been following my story since I was 16, you would think this day would never come!' Jenelle wrote Healing: 'Home cooked meal by my mom, David having normal conversations with my mom, dyed some eggs with the kiddos, and hunted for more eggs. Today couldnt have went any better. Heres to new beginnings! Again #HappyEaster to all of you!' Jenelle revealed last month that she had reunited with David after separating and moving away for five months. She filed for divorce during that time and even received a temporary restraining order in November in response to threats of violence and his firearms stockpile. But now the two seem to be trying to repair their relationship and find a healthier way to parent their blended family. 'Me and him are deciding to work things out right now and were taking it slowly,' she said in March in a YouTube Q&A. 'Yes, I know I came back to North Carolina. Yes, Im living here permanently now.' Cozying up: Jenelle and David reunited last month. She previously said it wasn't a romantic pairing, but David suggested otherwise in a PDA-packed beach photo from late March The two seem to have reunited their romantic feelings lately, though. In late March, David posted a PDA-packed beach photo of himself holding Jenelle, who was dressed in a skimpy black bikini. 'You will always be the love of my life @j_evans1219 I'm so happy that we have become so close and bonded recently,' he wrote. A schism originally developed last April between Jenelle and David after he fatally shot the family's French bulldog Nugget, claiming the canine had behaved aggressively toward Ensley. Jenelle lost custody of her kids for two months in the wake of the violent incident, and was also terminated by MTV the month after. Photo: Glacier Media An online petition seeking to limit access to Vancouver Island during the COVID-19 outbreak continues to gain momentum, despite a dramatic drop in B.C. Ferries traffic over the long weekend. By Monday afternoon, more than 38,000 people had signed the change.org document that calls for tougher restrictions on travel. B.C. Ferries should be limited to essential services and implement restricted access for residents who are trying to return home to their families, the petition says. This needs to work both ways residents from Vancouver Island shouldnt be travelling to the mainland if its not essential. The petition picked up steam over the Easter long weekend amid a flurry of social-media posts and news reports raising concerns about ferry traffic. Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Paul Manly of the Green Party joined the fray by calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to restrict all non-essential travel on B.C. Ferries routes. This can no longer just be a request for people to stay home, he said. The government needs to restrict travel and enforce that restriction. B.C. Ferries, however, reported Monday that the number of passengers was down 92 per cent on major routes from Thursday to Sunday compared to Easter 2019. Vehicle traffic declined 82 per cent. Health Minister Adrian Dix said there were undoubtedly some cases of people travelling unnecessarily. But he said instances of people skirting the rules may receive more attention these days, because most people are obeying the health directives to stay home and practice social distancing. And of course, its not perfect, and maybe it cant be perfect. At least its not perfect yet, he said. A liberal challenger defeated the conservative incumbent for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a key race at the heart of Democratic accusations that Republicans risked voters' health and safety by going forward with last week's elections amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jill Karofsky defeated Daniel Kelly, whom then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, appointed to the state's high court in 2016. Trump endorsed Kelly, and on Tuesday urged Wisconsin voters "to get out and vote NOW" for the justice. With 84% of returns counted, Karofsky led Kelly by about 91,000 votes, about 7 percentage points. The contest prompted a rancorous partisan debate over whether to proceed with in-person voting Tuesday, which Democrats opposed and Republicans supported. The race may have implications in the November presidential elections, with a judicial decision about whether to purge the state's voter rolls hanging in the partisan balance of the court. Gov. Tony Evers, state health officials and local election officials had urged the Republican-led state legislature to postpone the election, but lawmakers refused, citing the risk of confusion and widespread vacancies in thousands of municipal seats on the ballot with terms due to expire in April. Democrats accused Republicans of trying to take advantage of the likely low turnout resulting from fear of infection and closed polling locations. The election featured snaking lines in Milwaukee and Green Bay, the result of mass cancellations by poll workers and the closure of polling locations. In Milwaukee, election officials opened five voting locations instead of the typical 180. "Tonight, not just Jill Zarofsky but democracy prevailed over a politically cynical strategy to weaponize the coronavirus pandemic as a tool of voter supression," said Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Kelly conceded the race shortly after 8:30 p.m. "It has been the highest honor of my career to serve the people of WI on their Supreme Court these past four years," Kelly said in a statement. "Obviously I had hoped my service would continue for another decade, but tonight's results make clear that God has a different plan for my future." Democrats took Republican lawmakers to court to postpone the election and allow ballots to be mailed after electon day, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the effort. Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order postponing the election, only to be struck down by the conservative-majority state Supreme Court. One lower-court ruling did stand, however, mandating that the results would not be issued until Monday, after local election officials had time to receive and count the surge of absentee ballots mailed this year. Scott Fitzgerald, the Republican majority leader in the Wisconsin Senate, told reporters last year that Kelly would have a "better chance" of winning a new term with lower turnout - a statement that fueled accusations from Democrats as to why Republicans wanted to go forward with Tuesday's elections. But heavy mail-in balloting may have upended assumptions about relative advantage; according to statistics issued Monday by the state's elections commission, nearly 1.1 million Wisconsites cast ballots that way, nearly as many as total turnout in last year's Supreme Court race - and more than total turnout in the court races in each of the previous two years. Wikler said GOP maneuvering could prove to be a miscalculation, especially if a spike in coronavirus infections becomes apparent in the coming days that can be attributed to in-person voting last week. "In the months to come, most Americans might know someone who is hospitalized or has died of covid 19," he said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. "What seems like a cynically clever gambit to win election before a wave of deaths will feel morally bankrupt to most Americans by the time we arrive at November." Republicans entered the election with a 5-2 majority on the state Supreme Court, meaning a Democratic victory still leaves liberals in the minority until 2023, the next time a conservative justice will face voters. But an ongoing legal battle over a voter roll purge raised the stakes of this year's election, with implications for the November election. Kelly recused himself, and conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with voting-rights groups to halt the purge. That left the court deadlocked 3-3, and gave Democrats a shot at stopping the purge, one of their top priorities ahead of the 2020 election. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement that Kelly suffered from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., still being on the ballot and from Evers' late-breaking decision to try to postpone the election. "In November against hapless Joe Biden, President Trump will win Wisconsin again, as he did in 2016," Murtaugh said. The Republican National Committee congratulated the president for winning the state's uncontested Republican presidential primary, but it made no mention of the court race. Top Democratic strategists, meanwhile, said the chaos in Wisconsin highlighted the need for additional voter protections before November's vote. "Last week, Republicans did everything they could to prevent Wisconsin voters from participating in the election," said Marc Elias, a District of Columbia-based Democratic elections lawyer. "The RNC literally went to the U.S. Supreme Court to try to stop the counting of mailed ballots. If they were willing to do this to win a state supreme court seat, imagine what they will do in November." Former vice president Joe Biden is projected to defeat Sanders in the Wisconsin Democratic primary, according to Edison Media Research. Sanders dropped out of the race the day after the Wisconsin vote and endorsed Biden on Monday. In 2016, Sanders decisively won the Wisconsin primary, carrying seven of the state's eight congressional districts. He also scored an upset victory in Michigan and a landslide win in Minnesota's caucuses. Sanders' strength in those states in 2016 became part of his argument that he could defeat President Donald Trump. But Sanders had been struggling in Midwest primaries this year, and a looming loss in Wisconsin helped him decide to end his campaign. Also on Monday, 14 voters from the Milwaukee area filed a federal lawsuit seeking a "partial revote" in last week's elections, claiming they were unable to vote as a result of the pandemic. According to the class-action suit, the plaintiffs and many others in Wisconsin were prevented from voting either because of concerns about covid-19, or because they did not receive requested absentee ballots in time to vote or submitted ballots that were not counted. More legal challenges are possible. On Monday, the Milwaukee County Election Commission decided to count nearly 400 ballots received after last Tuesday but with either no postmark or an illegible one. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that only ballots postmarked by last April 7 and received by Monday could be counted. Senator Bernie Sanderss (I., Vt.) campaign manager and other top advisers are urging him to consider dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Campaign manager Faiz Shakir and Sanders ally Representative Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.) have reportedly come out in favor of exiting the race. Political stragetist Jeff Weaver, a longtime Sanders ally, has also made the case for dropping out, saying an exit now would leave the Vermont senator on friendlier terms with rival Joe Biden and secure more leverage for negotiations over the Democrats political platform. Sanders said he was taking a hard look at the campaigns future in a Friday MSNBC interview. The senator is reportedly waiting to make a decision until after the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday, which Sanders won in 2016 but where Biden now has an average 18-point lead according to RealClearPolitics. While Sanders won the popular vote in the first three Democratic primaries, Biden rode to victory in South Carolina and again in most Super Tuesday states, boosted by moderate and African-American voters. Sanders has so far refused to drop out despite Bidens 1,217-914 delegate lead, and several states have rescheduled their primaries and mandated voting by mail during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. More from National Review Australia Post has warned of delays of as long as a week because of the widespread grounding of Qantas' fleet during the coronavirus pandemic. The national postal service relies on Qantas for express postage and time-sensitive deliveries like vital medical supplies. Australia Post agreed terms on a $1bn seven-year freight deal with Qantas only last August - which gave the postal service access to eight air freight planes. But the grounding of much of the airline's passenger aircraft means 100 tonnes a day of Australia Post deliveries cannot be transported through the air. Pictured: Australia Post boss Christine Holgate with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. The national postal service has warned of delays of up to a week because of the widespread grounding of the Qantas fleet 'Australia Post regrets to inform customers that due to reductions in air freight capacity, there may be delays on the letters and parcels network that Australia Post operates around the country, particularly to regional and rural communities,' a spokeswoman said. Qantas and Virgin have already cancelled most of their international routes during the coronavirus pandemics, and Virgin last week announced an almost total shutdown of its domestic operation. It comes as residents queued to collect parcels in Melbourne on Tuesday in an online shopping boom during the coronavirus shutdown. One man was seen picking up boxes of books in his dressing gown and sandals while others wore masks to help prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Those who had to queue to collect their parcels were careful to observe social distancing rules by staying 1.5 metres apart from one another. According to the Covid-19 Commerce Insight initiative, online orders in Australia over the past seven days are double what they were during the same week last year. A report by KMPG said online sales are booming and will continue to do so over the coming months and years. Australia Post had agreed terms on a $1bn freight deal with Qantas only last August, but the grounding of much of the airline's fleet will now lead to delays in postage Today I don't feel like doing anything: One man was seen picking up boxes of books in his dressing gown It read: 'The people who normally fill malls and shopping centres havent disappeared. 'They may be more conscious of expenditure and buying different products, but they are still shopping. 'The queues are invisible but theyre crashing servers and online fulfillment processes around the country.' Several residents observed social distancing as they queued apart to collect their parcels Left: A man in a mask collects a parcel. Right: A woman walks away from the parcel collection centre with a box New Treasury figures meanwhile predict unemployment in the June quarter will double from 5.1 per cent to 10 per cent. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that figure would've been about 5 per cent higher had the government not introduced the JobKeeper stimulus package, worth about $130 billion. At least 1.37 million people will be out of work by June according to the projections, but that number could have soared to 2.05 million had workplaces not been offered an incentive to keep staff on the books. Unemployment has not reached double digits in Australia since April 1994, 26 years ago. Australia's peak unemployment rate of 11.2 per cent was in 1992. Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the predicted figures as 'heartbreaking' during an interview with the Today Show on Tuesday morning. 'It's a heartbreaking number. Unemployment at that rate, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs. It is just absolutely heartbreaking,' he said. This graph shows how Australia's unemployment rate will likely nearly double to peak at 10 per cent for the June quarter as a direct result of the coronavirus crisis - but it could have been far worse if the government hadn't introduced JobKeeper Mr Morrison said he wanted Australians to know 'we came into this dual health and economic crisis' in a strong financial position, but that it has nonetheless been a 'big blow'. 'I don't want do lessen that in terms of how we speak of it. It's seriously impacting on our economy. It's impacting people's livelihoods. It's heartbreaking,' he said again. In February, before the pandemic led to major shutdowns and mass stand downs of workers, the jobless rate was 5.1 per cent. Economists feared that number would triple - or worse - in the months to follow after the government restricted all unnecessary travel and told people to stay home to slow the spread of the virus. The little one just likes to kind of run laps around the house, which is great because that kind of wears him out a little bit. I think, generally, were settling into a routine. I mean, that first two weeks was rough. Why? Just having a hard time accepting that, Oh, my God, all three of my kids are going to be home all the time and Im going to be pretty much by myself with them the entire time. And, Oh, my God, how am I going to handle this? Because Ive never had to do this. Right now theyre used to being at home, theyre used to this, whatever this is. Well, theres not really a choice at this point. Yep. Were all condemned to be with each other, basically. Thats it for this briefing. See you next time. Isabella Thank you To Melissa Clark for the recipe, and to Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. P.S. Were listening to The Daily. Our latest episode is about life in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic. Heres todays Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: make laugh (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. The Times translated its examination of how common pandemic terms are used to mean different things in different countries into Spanish, Italian, French, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol March 25, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images) Senators Call on WHO to Release Information About Chinese Regimes Handling of Outbreak A group of Republican senators have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide information on the bodys failed and delayed response to the CCP virus outbreak. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and six other senators, in a letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus dated April 14, requested information relating to the bodys role in helping the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] cover up information regarding the threat of the Coronavirus. The request was made ahead of a congressional hearing by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to investigate the WHOs handling of the outbreak. The move came amid growing calls by U.S. lawmakers to defund the international body over its role in aiding the Chinese regime to downplay the severity of the outbreak. President Donald Trump announced today he instructed his administration to halt funding of the WHO, while a review is conducted to assess the bodys role in mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus. For around three weeks after the WHO was notified of the outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019, the body repeated statements from Chinese officials that there was no evidence or a low risk of the virus being contagious. Research on initial Wuhan cases, however, show that the Chinese regime was aware the virus was spreading between humans well before it publicly confirmed human-to-human transmission on Jan. 20. Meanwhile, WHO official Dr. Maria Van Kerkhov, a specialist on respiratory diseases, said on Monday that she suspected there may have been human-to-human transmission of the disease right from the start when the organization was first notified. The senators asked the WHO to provide records relating to the pandemic, including data requested and received from the Chinese Communist Party relating to the virus. American taxpayers deserve answers about how their taxpayer dollars are spent, and whether Congress should continue to spend millions of dollars every year to fund the WHO, the letter said. The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO. In 2019, it contributed more than $400 million, almost double the second largest member state contribution. We cant trust communist China, weve learned we cant trust the WHO because they lie to us, Scott told Politico on Monday. Lets create a new organization if this is important to us because it clearly didnt work. Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. Healthcare professionals are expressing concerns about a portion of the 1.2 million medical masks that were obtained by Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker from China with Patriots owner Robert Kraft's help and shipped to the United States aboard the team plane because some may not be suitable for use against the COVID-19 outbreak. The shipment, referred to as a 'godsend' by Massachusetts General Hospital President Peter L. Slavin, was originally reported to contain N95 masks, which are approved for medical use by a number of organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, as the Boston Globe reports, the shipment also contained KN95 masks, which are a Chinese-regulated version of the N95 mask. That in itself does not make them unsuitable, so long as they meet certain criteria and are proven not to be counterfeit. But as the New York Times reported on April 3, even genuine KN95 masks differ from the N95 masks in the amount of pressure they can withstand as a person inhales or exhales - a problem that could risk exposing healthy nurses, doctors, and hospital workers to the coronavirus. Healthcare professionals are expressing concerns about a portion of the 1.2 million medical masks that were obtained by Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker from China with Patriots owner Robert Kraft's help and shipped to the United States aboard the team plane (pictured) because a some may not be suitable for use against the COVID-19 outbreak The shipment, referred to as a 'godsend' by Massachusetts General Hospital President Peter L. Slavin, was originally reported to contain N95 masks (right), which are approved for medical use by a number of organizations. However, as the Boston Globe reports, the shipment also contained KN95 masks (left), which are a Chinese-regulated version of the N95 mask. That in itself does not make them unsuitable, so long as they meet certain criteria and are proven not to be counterfeit. But as the New York Times reported on April 3, even genuine KN95 masks differ from the N95 masks in the amount of pressure they can withstand as a person inhales or exhales - a problem that could risk exposing healthy hospital workers to the coronavirus Patriots owner Robert Kraft split the $2million cost on the 1.2 million medical masks with the state of Massachusetts, helped to lift some red tape, allowed the team plane to be used for the shipment, and provided around $500,000 in flying expenses, such as fuel, for the journey 'It is not the gold standard,' Maryanne Bombaugh, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, told the Globe about the KN95 masks. 'We know the N95 masks. We know how well they work, and what they filter, and the safety profile around them.' In an emergency order earlier this month, the KN95 masks were approved by the FDA amid a national shortage of medical personal protective equipment (PPE). However, the KN95 masks are not approved by NIOSH. The CDC includes the KN95 makes on a list of suitable alternatives if and when N95 masks are unavailable. Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center are not currently using the KN95 masks, their spokespeople told the Globe. 'We are assessing the masks, and determining how best to utilize them moving forward,' Tufts spokesperson Jeremy Lechan told the Globe. Massachusetts Department of Public health spokeswoman Ann Scales told the Globe that both the N95 masks and KN95 masks were inspected upon their arrival in the United States and are authorized by the FDA for healthcare workers.' Baker also made that that point on Monday. 'All those masks are FDA-approved, all of them were inspected,' the Massachusetts Governor said, adding that they are being used by 'hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare providers.' 'We're grateful for everybody who was involved in that effort,' he said. Not everyone is in agreement, though. A New England Patriots Boeing 767-300 jet with a shipment of over one million N95 masks from China, which will be used in Boston and New York to help fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), arrives at Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker welcomes a shipment of 1.2million medical masks Shuhan He, an emergency medicine doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital who founded the website GetUsPPE to help medical workers acquire personal protective equipment, told the Globe that KN95 masks are fine for personal use but wouldn't wear them in a hospital. The masks have been in short supply amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as states along with the federal government have been trying to outbid each other for the sorely needed medical supplies. On Thursday the Wall Street Journal first reported the shipment, which was flown in Shenzen, China and cost Kraft and the state of Massachusetts around $2million apiece. Originally they ordered 1.7 million masks, but only 1.2 million could fit on the plane, which was obviously built for passenger use and not shipping. The remaining masks will come in a second shipment, according to the Journal. In a separate transaction, Kraft acquired 300,000 masks for New York, which were included in the shipment from China, a spokesman told the Daily Mail. In addition to providing the plane, cutting through China's red tape, and splitting the cost of the masks, a Kraft spokesman told the Daily Mail, the billionaire also paid the shipping costs, which totaled around $500,000. As detailed in the Journal's piece, the effort began weeks earlier when Baker and his staff tracked down the necessary N95 manufacturers in China. The problem was shipping them out of Shenzen amid the global pandemic and the subsequent shipping regulations. Robert Kraft's son Jonathan (left), the Patriots president and a board member at Massachusetts General Hospital, suggested using one of the team planes for the masks There was even a chance that any potential flight crew could get quarantined in China, where the COVID-19 outbreak began. 'I just have to get them here,' he reportedly told Kraft's son Jonathan, who serves as Patriots president and as chairman of the board at Massachusetts General Hospital. It was Jonathan Kraft who suggested using one of the team's two planes. Robert Kraft, the US State Department and Baker all followed with letters to China's counsel general in New York to acquire the special permits, request waivers, and explain that every member of the crew would remain on board while the plane was loaded. When the order was complete, the Tencent team ushered the masks through customs and onto the waiting Patriots team plane. 'The Krafts were terrific,' Baker said at his daily news conference Thursday. 'They were a phone call away, and immediately went to work on the logistics associated with this, and did not stop until they could make it happen.' Independent Rep. Justin Amash Exploring Presidential Bid Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) said hes looking into running for president. Amash, 39, was part of the Republican Party until last year, when he left over disagreements with Republican President Donald Trump. A federal lawmaker since 2011, Amash would face a Republican and Democrat if he remains in the race for Michigans 3rd Congressional District. But the representative on Monday signaled he may jump into the presidential race, reacting to Trumps assertion that only the president has the authority to reopen the economy. Some governors are making plans to reopen the economy on their timelines, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo. Amash said on Twitter that Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option, referring to the 2020 presidential race. At the moment, only Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democrat nominee, are in the field. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 12, 2020. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, April 13, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) A supporter of Amash told Amash that the option should be him, prompting the lawmaker to reply: Thanks. Im looking at it closely this week. Amash, who describes himself as believing in limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty, has frequently criticized Trump, and joined Democrats in voting to impeach the president last year. Amash was best known for helping found the House Freedom Caucus but also left the group in 2019 as most members proved loyal to Trump. The Michigan lawmaker has been rumored to be mulling a presidential run since May 2019. Trump faced three challengers in the primary race but all three ultimately dropped out after earning little support. He has maintained support of around 90 percent within the Republican Party, according to polls, but the 2020 election will likely hinge on the votes he draws among Independents and Democrats. 14 Apr Following the footsteps of Marian Rivera, Kapamilya star Bea Alonzo recently revealed that she has also cooked meals specifically for COVID-19 medical frontliners. As reported on Push, the actress shared a series of photos and video of her preparing meals for 98 people, and admitted light-heartedly that she tried to do it for 100 but failed. She wrote, "Given the circumstances, I decided not to be hard on myself because the core reason why I cooked in the first place is to give a little joy to our frontliners, and just by doing that, I already felt fulfilled." At the same time, Alonzo also thanked her friends and other brands that also donated and contributed to the cause. The said meal boxes had since been sent out to various hospitals across the city, including Fatima Hospital in Valenzuela, East Avenue Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. (Photo Source: Bea Alonzo Instagram) San Antonio's Barbacoa & Big Red Festival will not happen this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rather than postponing, organizers are gearing up for 2021. READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio "With things rapidly changing, we're making the right decision to cancel the festival based on the facts coming from our leaders and health officials," the festival's team said in a news release Monday. "We want to keep our community safe as well as our sponsors, vendors and staff." The festival was planned for The Greenline, a park inside Brooks (formerly Brooks City Base) on May 16 and 17. This year was going to be the first two-day event in the festival's history. Tickets for the event had not been sold. Last year, the event reported more than 30,000 attendees. Other large events, like St. Mary University's Oyster Bake also decided to cancel the 2020 date altogether instead of postponing. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Eleven foreign nationals owing allegiance to Tablighi Jamaat have been arrested for violating visa terms by visiting this north Bihar district without informing the local police and carrying out religious preaching, a senior official said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said an FIR was registered late Monday against 10 Indonesians and a Malaysian whose samples had been sent for a coronavirus test on March 31 and results of which came negative four days later. The state government had received inputs from the Centre about many attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, which has been blamed for hundreds of COVID-19 cases across the country, having entered Bihar. These included local residents as well as foreign nationals. Although Bihar has reported 66 COVID-19 cases till date, including a death, none has been said to be linked with the Delhi congregation, that emerged as a hostspot of COVID-19. Moreover, no one has so far tested positive from Kishanganj, where Muslims are in a majority and which borders Nepal and is situated less than 30 kilometers from the India-Bangladesh border. "The foreigners were kept in quarantine at a mosque as a precautionary measure. They had failed to inform the local police about their visit to Kishanganj. They also carried out religious preaching. "This is a violation of their visa terms. Consequently, FIR was lodged against them under the Foreigners Act. They have been sent to jail", the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held a phone discussion with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday regarding the two countries' joint efforts in the fight against novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the enhancement of their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Society -- Three new COVID-19 cases were confirmed by the Ministry of Health on Monday evening, raising Vietnams tally to 265, while doctors are expected to announce nine recovery cases on Tuesday. -- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting on Monday that the government will decide whether or not to extend the nationwide social distancing period on Wednesday, April 15. -- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City and seven other Vietnamese localities have requested that the social distancing period be extended to the end of April. -- A 74-year-old British man who became Vietnams COVID-19 patient No. 28 in March was discharged from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi on Monday evening and boarded a flight arranged by the UK government back to his home country on the same night. He was previously in bad health and required breathing support from a ventilator. -- A 60-year-old Briton, who had recovered from COVID-19 after his treatment in the central city of Da Nang, has recently tested positive again for the novel coronavirus, according to health authorities Ho Chi Minh City. He had returned to the UK before his test results came out. -- A 24-year-old Vietnamese man wanted for assault was arrested at a quarantine camp in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa on Monday after he had recently returned to Vietnam from Thailand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. -- Police in Ho Chi Minh City have launched an investigation after the body of an unidentified man was found inside a sack along Phan Van Tri Street in Go Vap District on Monday night. World News -- The novel coronavirus has infected over 1.92 million people and killed more than 119,500 others around the world, according to statistics. More than 443,800 patients have recovered worldwide. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! T he chief executive of BT today ramped up his attack on misguided celebrities spreading nonsense fake news that 5G spreads Covid-19 after more than 20 attacks on London phone masts, equipment and engineers jeopardising emergency calls and homeworking. TV star Amanda Holden appears to have triggered a wave of attacks on BT masts and abuse of staff by tweeting nonsense claims about 5G. Since then, BT staff in London and across the UK have been abused and attacked. Barbed wire has been erected around masts, making their jobs more dangerous and arson attacks have damaged equipment in Ealing, Rainham and Upminster. Holden deleted the tweet and says she accidentally shared the petition. Chief executive Philip Jansen said: Celebrities like Amanda Holden are hugely influential and need to be very careful what they share on social media. "People listen to them and willdo so even more in such uncertain times. "Spreading misinformation about 5G is potentially very damaging, is causing real issues for my people and has got to stop. He said in most cases the vandalism was mistakenly damaging the conventional network, meaning 999 calls might not be able to get through from peoples homes. These idiots are attacking and abusing my staff who are doing critical work to keep the network going in this difficult time, he said. Jansen paid tribute to his incredible 30,000-strong workforce which had been working 24-7, manning the emergency 999 phone lines, kitting out the Nightingale Covid emergency centres and servicing the network to allow people to work and entertain themselves at home. Many staff have had to be redeployed to frontline roles such as the 999 operation where BT call centres take the initial call and divert them to the relevant rescue services. The lines are massively busy. Its like New Years Eve every day. And we have 20% of staff off because of the virus. "It can be very stressful work, dealing with people who are dying, he said. BT has also collaborated with numerous tech companies to install bedside screens in hospitals intensive care units allowing covid patients in isolation to talk to relatives. The project, known as Lifeline, is running already at St Thomass, where Boris Johnson was treated, and is set to be deployed to other hospitals. The company has also worked on a system allowing GPs to make diagnoses from home over virtual private network lines to guarantee patient confidentiality. Jansen said the scale of attacks on BT staff and infrastructure over the 5G fake news has stunned him. Across the UK, 42 incidents have so far been reported. BT has yet to decide what to do about paying its dividend this year, he said, adding that the board will discuss the issue soon. BT has an AGM vote of shareholders in July. The majority of big companies have suspended their dividends in the light of the coronavirus crisis. BTs dividend has long been a topic of debate as the company is going to have to spend billions of pounds rolling out 5G infrastructure and fibre to the home in the coming years. Prior to the covid-19 outbreak it was awaiting final details from regulator Ofcom before asking shareholders to accept a freeze or cut in dividends to pay for the investment needed. Analysts at Barclays have said BT could use Covid as a cover to reduce the dividend. While telecoms companies are more immune than most from the impact of the lockdown, a recession would hit customers ability to pay their bills and buy new services. Japan's population suffered its largest one-year drop last year, government estimates released Tuesday show, with the country's working-age labor force falling to a new low. The population stood at about 126,167,000 people on October 2019, down 0.22% from a year earlier. The change marks the biggest percentage contraction since comparable records started being kept in 1950. The population count, which includes foreigners, has dropped for nine straight years. The decrease of 276,000 people last year amounts to a loss of a mid-sized city. The rapidly graying population risks overtaxing the country's social insurance system. Those 65 and older number 35,885,000, accounting for a record 28.4% of the population. At the same time, the share of the population between the traditional prime working years of 15 and 64 has slipped to an all-time low of 59.5%, or 75,072,000 people as of October. A shrinking labor force contributes to negative economic growth. Currents demographic trends will also undermine the tax base needed to sustain government services for the elderly, such as pensions and medical care. To avoid such an outcome, the government has urged the business community to accommodate workers as old as 70. Policymakers have also opened doors wider for foreign workers. For foreign nationals, the number arrivals to Japan in the year to October exceeded the number of departures by 209,000, marking the seventh straight year of growth. A planning application is to be lodged to relocate Goulding fertiliser facility from Cork's south docklands to the former Irish Fertiliser Industries (IFI) site at Marino Point in Cork Harbour. Goulding and Belvelly Marino Development Company (BMDC) have announced their intention to submit a joint planning application in May to Cork County Council for the proposed development. If the development proceeds, it will free up large sections of land in the Cork docklands for future redevelopment. This is the first joint planning application for the site and relates to the relocation of the fertiliser facility and also additional BMDC port operational use of the existing jetty to facilitate general dry cargo vessels at Belvelly Port Facility. The former IFI site was acquired by BMDC in 2017. BMDC is a public-private partnership between Lanber Holdings and the Port of Cork Company. Brendan Kent, COO of Gouldings said: "Gouldings association with Cork extends as far back as 1856 when the company was formed. It has operated from its current City Docklands site since 1955. The proposed relocation is in accordance with Cork City Councils Local Area Plan for Docklands." "This relocation will be a key enabler for the development of Cork Docklands. It is also consistent with the Port of Corks plans to consolidate its activities downstream, which includes delivering on the potential of Belvelly Port Facility as an integral part of the development of Cork Harbour," he said. Goulding was founded in 1856 in Cork and has operated from Centre Park Road since 1955. Their proposal for Marino Point will include the importation of bulk granular fertiliser at the existing jetty, a storage warehouse and a bagging and palletising facility. The additional port operational use of the jetty will include timber logs, woodchip, machinery parts, deep-sea maintenance and exploratory vessels. It is projected that the average number of ships using the existing jetty will be approximately 90 per year made up of 50 ships for Goulding operations and 40 ships for BMDC operations. It had been both companies aim to hold public meetings to discuss the proposed development, however, the current Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings mean all information is now being made available online. The plans can be viewed at: http://www.portofcork.ie/belvelly-port-facility. Were going to get back to living life, even if it kills us GRAND RAPIDS, MI Pharmaceutical company Perrigo is the latest company donating hand sanitizer to hospitals and frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, April 14, the company announced its providing 500,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, produced at its New York facility, to hospitals in New York and West Michigan, and the Michigan State Police. About half the supply has already been delivered, with the remainder expected to be doled out over the next few months. Given our close ties in the communities where we work and live, we were made aware of the shortage and critical need for hand sanitizers in local area hospitals, Perrigo President and CEO Murray Kessler said in a statement. Our team in New York sprang into action and were able to develop a formula, get it into production and ready initial shipments to hospitals within an extraordinarily compressed timeframe. Perrigo was founded in Allegan but is now headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It joins a host of companies throughout the state, ranging from large manufacturers such as Amway to an array of distilleries, that have begun making the product because of a shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. Perrigo was not, until now, manufacturing hand sanitizer. In West Michigan, the hand sanitizer is being provided to Allegan General Hospital and Spectrum Health Hospitals. Michigan State Police is also receiving some for first responders. Additionally, the product is also going to organization in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A Perrigo spokesperson was not immediately able to say what percentage of the 500,000 bottles would go to Michigan but added that the sanitizer was being distributed equitably. I am extremely proud of our front-line manufacturing employees, who have been working around the clock to support consumers, patients and hospitals at this imperative time, Kessler said. The supply of hand sanitizer Perrigo is donating is valued at $500,000, the company says. PREVENTION TIPS Read more: 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Recently expired drivers licenses, plate tabs OK in Michigan during coronavirus pandemic 1 dead and 10 residents, 4 staff sick in COVID-19 outbreak at Ann Arbor senior home Rosario Mederos teaches several pupils who are residing in nearby camps their alphabet and numbers. She has raised her voice to respectfully speak about the uproar at the United States border of a vibrant refugee camp. She had informed a news website with a breath previously this year that a lot of children in the camp can hardly read and write. Mederos is not an instructor by profession. Eight months ago, she came intending to transfer to the United States, just like anybody else. Today she helps to give young children simple lessons to preserve their essential education as they wait for the US officials to address asylum requests for their families. Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, and five other teachers, sit on the ground as they are surrounded by nearly 100 children writing, reading from their workbooks, and eating snacks that have been brought by locals and activists who ensure all of this is made possible. The teachers of the makeshift school For ages, she had worked in a religious community that was attended by refugees and asylum seekers. She stated that early last summer, the influx almost stopped as the United States Department of Homeland Security introduced the latest Migration Protection Protocols famously known as the Remain in Mexico policy, ceasing the asylum seeker's application for months during months of processing. Rangel-Samponaro, the organizer of the academy, claimed that over 500 children in the migration limbo had been in a similar position. In order to bring in more donations, Rangel-Sammonaro began to cross the border. However, the conditions had shifted. She has seen the same faces day after day rather than the flow of the people. Every time she showed up, the children from the rapidly increasing camp started to embrace her. She crossed the border and began the makeshift school last August. Check these out! 'We're here for a dream' She has invested everything that she has in this initiative; however, the children in this camp do not appear to be moving on soon. The school organizes lectures to understand complex laws of migration to camp adults. She assists her teachers in directing their asylum case proceedings and to around 500 children she has provided supplies. With her palm on the cheek, as she watched over the children crowded on a pavement just before sunset, she told a news website: "The school has to keep going, so many people who have no other option depend on it." The school now looks completely different from the dread of the latest coronavirus. Rangel-Samponaro lately posted on Facebook that the school has launched virtual lessons and provided tablets for some pupils to pursue their education. The school also includes lunch and school supplies. The US immigration proceedings have also been put off, causing many others to wait for further time to determine the results of their asylum cases as well as to give importance to makeshift schools such as Rangel-Samponaro's. Armenians from all walks of life, ranging from keyboard warriors and pundits of dubious credentials to commentators of some repute and politicians, appear to enjoy schadenfreude at the topsy-turvy state of affairs entrapping Kazakhstan. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. NASHVILLE, MI While many farmers and small businesses are struggling to keep afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic, Moo-ville Dairy Creamery has thus far bucked that trend, offering up a bit of a feel-good story to go with gallons upon gallons of ice cream and bottled milk. Were struggling to keep up," Troy Westendorp of Moo-ville said. "Weve been pushed to our limits this past month. We feel blessed to be able to provide a product that people are not only buying as much of, but more of, during these times. Not all in the dairy business are so fortunate right now, but as Westendorp points out, Moo-ville is sort of a niche business. It is also among about only 10% of dairy farms in the state that do not belong to a large dairy co-op, he said. RELATED: Michigan dairy farms struggle as coronavirus hits milk prices The Nashville creamery, which also has stores in Zeeland and Ionia, has 200 cows to go with about 200 wholesale accounts across the state, Westendorp said. But while many of the businesses the creamery normally delivers to are temporarily shut down, demand for their product has risen elsewhere and the family-owned business is having trouble meeting that demand, he said. A good percentage of the coffee shops we deliver to are shut down and the restaurants as well, but a good percentage of our sales are generated by grocery stores and farm stands like us and they are probably doing double or triple what they normally do. Its a unique time. We feel fortunate to be in the position we are at, to not be shut down and to be excelling and kind of taking another step. We are making about four times the amount of ice cream right now as we were. People usually come in to our stores and grab one or two half gallons, now they come in and grab seven or eight." In an average week before the pandemic hit, the creamery would deliver to about 50 coffee shops, Westendorp said. They also have a distributor who delivers their product to restaurants, and that distributors order has been cut in half, he said. If we were just selling to restaurants and coffee shops wed be hurting just like everybody else, but its really the grocery stores and our own three stores that have kind of excelled during these times, Westendorp said. The losses from the coffee shops have been absorbed by the grocery stores and theres actually been a couple days where weve run short of milk for deliveries. When that happens its kind of tough to pick and choose which stores get their whole orders and which ones dont as people are relying on them for their products. Where Moo-ville has been able to excel is through the sale of primarily bottled milk and ice cream. Many farms that belong to co-ops are delivering the base product to the co-op, which then tries to find a buyer for the product, much of which is turned into butter, cheese, sour cream or cottage cheese for restaurants, for example. Agriculture leaders in Michigan warn that farmers here may soon be forced to start dumping milk, as some farms in Indiana, Wisconsin, Vermont and California have already done. The co-ops are having trouble finding the need right now, Westendorp said. Their plants arent set up to bottle milk which is where the need is, so the product is being turned away and it goes bad and then theyve put all this work in and have to dump it. And while the farmers still get paid for their milk from the co-ops that price has dropped considerably. Fred Vliestra, who owns Vliestra Dairy Farm near Kalamazoo, is a member of the White Eagle Cooperative Association. He told MLive this past week that prices have dropped from $17-$18 per hundred pounds to around $9-$10 per hundredweight" as a result of decreased demand. We usually sell milk by the tanker loads and they just dont know where to go with it, Vliestra said. The silos are backing up on us. Its just really day to day right now. Westendorp feels for the Fred Vliestras of the business, and said he hopes to see them back on their feet sooner than later, but he also hopes the new customers his business has gained over the past month-plus will continue to come back. Were seeing a lot of faces that we have never seen in the past at our three stores, and hopefully they recognize, going forward, that these small farm stands are the backbone of our food source and they will be return customers in the future, Westendorp said. Also on MLive: Coronavirus deaths surge again during Michigans second-deadliest day Michigan dairy farms struggle as coronavirus hits milk prices Without coronavirus aid, point of no return looms for Michigan small businesses 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Worst may be over: Michigan doctors, others cite glimmers of hope in Michigans coronavirus crisis FP Trending Motorola, which has remained away from the mainstream flagship smartphone market for some time, is now making a comeback. The company has tweeted an official teaser video confirming that it will host an online launch event on 22 April. Motorola has, however, not revealed what is in store for the launch next week. According to a six-second teaser shared by the company, the smartphone that it will launch may have a curved, waterfall display. Its arriving. Join us for the Motorola Flagship Launch E-vent, April 22nd, 11AM CDT. pic.twitter.com/FNqbOskRxg Motorola (@Moto) April 13, 2020 According to a report by Android Central, Motorola may unveil the Edge Plus during its 22 April online launch event. Motorola Edge Plus is expected to come with a 6.67-inch 90-HZ 2340x1080 curved display. The smartphone is likely to be powered by the flagship Snapdragon 865 processor. As for memory, the Edge Plus is likely to have up to 12 GB of RAM. The device is also expected to carry a 5,170 mAh battery and run Android 10 out-of-the-box. The camera of the phone will possibly be a 108-MP unit. The Motorola Edge Plus will very likely support 5G networks. The smartphone is rumoured to have a punch-hole camera on the top left corner of the display, and the rear is expected to feature a triple-camera setup and dual-led flash. The phone should have a headphone jack. We believe the law indicated that the (direct aid) funding was to be only in grants which is considerably more effective for our employees and not a combination of grants and loans, a spokeswoman for the trade group Airlines for America said in a statement. This federal relief is critical to getting our employees paid and preventing furloughs right now, especially as our country is experiencing historically high unemployment claims. Amit Shah to visit Ram Lalla, Hanumangarhi temple today, to address 3 public rallies in UP Targeting Akhilesh, Shah asks why Lord Ram had to live in a tent HM Shah seeks suggestions of MPs, other stakeholders on move to amend IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act Amit Shah speaks to Uddhav over Mumbai protest, expresses concern India pti-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of a large number of people in Mumbai's Bandra area in defiance of the ongoing lockdown, officials said. Shah stressed that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. Shah also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, the official said. Thousands of migrants defy lockdown in Mumbai's Bandra; lathicharged by police About 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. A police official said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. In viral videos, police personnel were seen using mild cane-charge to disperse the migrants, who had gathered near the Bandra railway station in suburban Mumbai. Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their lives a constant struggle. SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OFA barrage of North Korean missiles fired from both the ground and fighter jets splashed down on the waters off the countrys east coast on Tuesday, South Koreas military said, a show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary in the North and parliamentary elections in the rival South. The back-to-back launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests that North Korea has conducted in recent weeks amid stalled nuclear talks and outside worries about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country. North Korean troops based in the eastern coastal city of Munchon first launched several projectiles presumed to be cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The weapons flew more than 150 kilometres at a low altitude off the Norths east coast, a South Korean defence official said. If confirmed, it would be the Norths first cruise missile launch in about three years, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. Later Tuesday, North Korea launched several Sukhoi-class fighter jets that fired an unspecified number of air-to-surface missiles toward the Norths eastern waters, the defence official said. The official said North Korea has recently appeared to be resuming its military drills that it had scaled back due to concerns about the cornovirus pandemic. He said other North Korean fighter jets also flew on patrol near the border with China on Tuesday. All the recently tested missiles were short-range and didnt pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. A test of a missile capable of reaching the U.S. homeland would end North Koreas self-imposed moratorium on major weapons tests and likely completely derail nuclear diplomacy with the United States. Some experts say North Korea likely used the latest weapons launches to bolster its striking capability against South Korea, which has been introducing U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets and other sophisticated conventional weapons systems in recent years. Others say the latest weapons tests were also aimed at shoring up internal unity in the face of U.S.-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. Go Myong-Hyun, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy, said North Korea also wants to maintain tensions to secure leverage over the U.S. in future negotiations. North Korea wants to create and maintain tensions, but still aims to prevent those tensions from growing too much and pressuring the U.S. a lot, Go said. Nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington has made little headway since the breakdown of a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Vietnam in early 2019. That summit collapsed after Trump rejected Kims demands for broad sanctions relief in return for a limited denuclearization step. Most of the weapons North Korea had tested recently were ballistic missiles or artillery shells with a ballistic trajectory. The Norths last known cruise missile test occurred in June 2017, when it said it had test-launched a new type of cruise missile capable of striking U.S. and South Korean warships at will. Cruise missiles fly at a lower altitude and slower speed than ballistic missiles, making them easier to intercept, but they are still considered more accurate. UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from engaging in any ballistic activities, but not cruise missile tests. If the cruise missiles tested on Tuesday were newly developed weapons, they would still present a challenge to the South Korean and U.S. militaries, Go said. South Koreas military said it was analyzing details of the launches. The launches came a day before North Korea marks the 108th birthday of the countrys late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. They also came a day ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections. In the South Korean elections, President Moon Jae-ins liberal ruling party, which espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, is expected to defeat the main conservative opposition amid a slowdown in the number of new coronavirus infections in South Korea, according to pre-election surveys. North Korea has repeatedly said there has been no coronavirus outbreak on its soil. But many foreign experts are skeptical of that claim and have warned that an outbreak in the North could become a humanitarian disaster because of the countrys chronic lack of medical supplies and fragile health-care infrastructure. Read more about: Residents at Avenor, a suburb of Accra, have expressed joy following the provision of free water services announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently. Many of the residents, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said it was a laudable idea as the previous price of 50 pesewas a bucket was unbearable. Mr Alfred Asiedu Adjei, Presiding Member of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and Assemblyman for the area, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, lauded Ghana Water Company for responding to the plight of the people. He called on residents of the area to support AMA in its efforts at ensuring a clean environment at all times. He also appealed to the people to maintain the prevailing peace and unity in the area as this would encourage more to invest in the area. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A mother-of-three who was homeless at the beginning of lockdown has said people stuck in quarantine should be grateful to have a roof over their head. Diane Birkby, from Leeds, ended up in a one room B&B which was paid for by a charity before she was eventually temporarily housed by the city council. Speaking to Sky News, she told how emotions were 'up and down' when she and her brood were cramped in a small bedroom. Her daughter, who is three, has a condition which means she is 'at risk' of catching Covid-19, meaning the family-of-four had to remain indoors to prevent infection. Diane Birkby, from Leeds, was homeless at the beginning of lockdown and says people stuck in quarantine should be grateful to have a roof over their head 'My oldest boy had already been through a lot, so obviously this on top, they were just unsettled, they were constantly arguing,' Diane said. 'You can't keep a three-year-old in a one room for, what, 48 hours. You can't, and it's too risky for her to go out, and you're trying to keep the noise down all the time in case the owners wanted you out because of the noise levels. 'It was horrible, it felt like I couldn't be a proper mum to them. I was stressing, that I was being short with them, they were being short with me, it was just constant arguments, that ain't how it should be.' Diane said she struggled with the guilt that she wasn't able to provide for her children, but did the best she could. Diane said she struggled with the guilt that she wasn't able to provide for her children, but did the best she could 'I couldn't provide them a roof, I couldn't provide them stability, but at the end of the day, I tried. I was trying to do the best I could for them,' she said. Diane added that people across the country who are currently stuck in their homes shouldn't complain about the lockdown. 'They should just be grateful because there are a lot of people out there who are on the streets, who can't get homed, that are needing a roof over their head,' she said. 'Fair enough, you're in quarantine, but you've got a roof over your head, you've got your own homely belongings. 'People take that for granted, it shouldn't be took for granted.' Diane pointed out that there are still many people who are living on the streets 'freezing at night', adding: 'Just be grateful and thankful for what they've got.' Diane's daughter, who is three, has a condition which means she is 'at risk' of catching Covid-19, meaning the family-of-four had to remain indoors to prevent infection when they were temporarily put up in a one room B&B, funded by a charity Diane's comments follows the news that the UK government is set to extend the UK lockdown for another three weeks. Earlier today we reported how more than 1,000 homeless people in London are now safely self-isolating in hotels after being taken off the streets. Rough sleepers are more likely to have underlying health conditions, particularly respiratory ones, than the rest of the population. They also have little access to handwashing or hygiene facilities. So the Intercontinental Hotel Group, Travelodge, Best Western and Accor are all giving up rooms across the capital to make sure homeless Londoners are protected from the deadly virus. The scheme is being run by homeless charity St Mungo's and funded by a 10.55million grant from the Mayor of London and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Speaking to Sky News, Diane told how emotions were 'up and down' when she and her brood were cramped in a small bedroom Black cab drivers, who are suffering a chronic lack of jobs amid the shutdown, have also volunteered to drive rough sleepers to their new accommodation. A catering company called Red Radish is providing all those signed up to the scheme with three meals a day. From this week anyone who is homeless and develops symptoms of COVID-19 will be taken to a special care facility at a hotel in east London where their symptoms can be monitored properly. The 11,329 coronavirus deaths across Britain does not include rough sleepers unless they were picked up by ambulances on patrol by chance and taken to hospital. A homeless man is pictured on the streets of central London today amid the coronavirus lockdown This makes it near impossible to decipher the scale of the virus crisis among the homeless population. As well as London, homeless people in other cities are also being offered greater protection from the deadly bug with the help of the Mungo's scheme. In Bournemouth, so far 55 people have been given spaces, with more to still to be housed. Everyone in isolation is being supported with phone calls and food deliveries. In Bristol 150 people who were on the streets are now safely in accommodation and 50 people who were staying in St Mungo's services in communal sleeping spaces have also been given alternative accommodation to self-isolate safely. Rough sleepers in Oxford, Reading and Brighton are also being assisted. Staff in St Mungo's accommodation services are following guidance from the Government and Public Health England to keep clients and staff safe, and together with sector partners, pushing for more from Government for our keyworkers and clients over coming months. The Federal Government on Tuesday blamed poor communication between the Chinese authorities and African consulates in Guangzhou, China, ... The Federal Government on Tuesday blamed poor communication between the Chinese authorities and African consulates in Guangzhou, China, for the maltreatment of Nigerians in China. Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja in the company of the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Zhou Pingjian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said lack of communication made a lot of Nigerians and Africans misunderstand what was happening in China. According to him, if there was effective communication, African consulates would have assisted the Chinese authorities in the action it was taking. Onyeama said the viral video in circulation which showed the maltreatment of some Nigerians was not entirely true. He explained that the Chinese authorities were trying to contain some Africans including a Nigerian restaurant owner, who came into China and tested positive for the virus. And so, automatically demanded and insisted that they all be quarantined, with nobody allowed to come out in 14 days and if anybody came out from that quarantine, that they should not be allowed in if it was a hotel, back into that hotel or that residence. So, they put in very, very strict measures to try to contain this outbreak which to them at that time, clearly seemed to have been within that community. And so, they put in place these very strict measures. Now, it was misinterpreted, it appeared, by some of the Nigerians and Africans who could not understand why it seemed to be selective and targeting only themselves. Onyeama further stated after seeing the new video which had a different narrative, he immediately alerted the Nigerian Embassy and officials in Guangzhou at the consulate, particularly the acting consul-general. He added that the consulate confirmed that the narrative was true, that the Chinese authorities were trying to quarantine a set of Africans who came into China and tested positive. But what our officials in China made clear was that the communication could and should have been better. If the authorities in Guangzhou had informed the African Consulates in Guangzhou that this was the situation and this was the measures they were putting in place, it could have become a joint effort. That mutual suspicion would not be there. That was not done and it led to counter-narrative and it exacerbated the situation,NAN quoted him as saying. Onyeama reiterates that Nigeria and Chinese authorities were working closely to resolve the issue. He stressed that the Nigerian Government took very seriously, the issue of the human rights and wellbeing of Nigerians anywhere and everywhere in the world adding that wherever there might be any issues in that regard, the Nigerian Government considered it an absolute obligation to intervene to ensure the rights and dignity of Nigerians are protected anywhere in the world. OTTAWACanadas health minister gave the approval to donating personal protective equipment from the national emergency stockpile that was on the verge of expiry to China, a newly released email shows. A Jan. 31 email written by Public Health Agency of Canada chief of staff Marnie Johnstone indicates Health Minister Patty Hajdu had offered notional agreement to donate supplies that were due to expire in February and March. The Conservatives have lambasted the Liberal government for its donation, contending it left Canadian hospitals and health-care workers short of critical supplies. The memo says officials were in a rush to nail down that decision so the supplies could be shipped via a flight chartered to repatriate Canadians stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the viral outbreak. It also says the donation would not compromise Canadian supplies. At the time, Canada had only four confirmed cases of COVID-19, while China had more than 14,000 cases and the virus had spread to 26 countries. The World Health Organization had declared a global public health emergency, but had not yet designated it as a pandemic. In the memo, Johnstone wrote, We have some stock in national emergency stockpile (incl stuff that is expiring in feb and March) that we are able to donate without compromising Cdn supply. Urgency around this one is related to getting this supply on the repatriation plane that is departing for China. Looking for concurrence as soon as possible that the Minister is in agreement with donation approach in memo. The email with the subject line Re Urgent: personal protective equipment is contained in thousands of pages of documents given to the health committee. It was sent to individuals whose names and email addresses are redacted, and to a policy analyst. Its not clear from the documents whether the final donation of 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment did indeed contain items that were about to pass their best-before date. But they were clearly in play, and time was of the essence. According to the memo, PHAC president Tina Namiesniowski spoke to Hajdu earlier in the day on Jan. 31. The Canadian Red Cross, which was working with Ottawa to co-ordinate the shipment to China, wanted to pick up the supplies the next day, by noon at the latest. Nine days later, the federal government announced that it shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China between Feb. 4 and Feb. 9 items such as clothing, face shields, masks, goggles and gloves in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross. A Health Canada spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday that it could not respond to the Stars request for clarification due to the statutory holiday. I still think sending supplies to China, whether they were set to expire or not, are certainly a terrible message to our front-line workers, Conservative health critic Matt Jeneroux told the Star Monday. I imagine some of these supplies could certainly have been useful on the front lines, certainly at the very beginning of this crisis. What does an expired mask or expired gown looks like? Is it no longer protective to the extent that it was? While Jeneroux said thats a question best answered by experts, he added, I would think its better than having no mask and no gown at all. At the end of the day knowing that its coming here and wed already seen cases here then why were we not preparing to use every piece of PPE possibly available to protect our front-line workers? Ottawa has defended its donation to China since it was publicly announced Feb. 9, saying the WHO and many countries were trying to help China contain the outbreak. The federal government insists the federal stockpile was never intended as a go-to default source for provinces, but rather that provinces and territories are responsible for keeping their own supplies of necessary gear. Last week, the government acknowledged the national stockpile was likely inadequate to meet all the needs anyway. Hajdu said the exact numbers of medical equipment in the stockpile being distributed to provinces changes day to day as we dispense equipment across the country. However, she acknowledged that we likely did not have enough. I think federal governments for decades have been underfunding things like public health preparedness and I would say governments all across the world are in the same situation. Correction - April 14, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that included an incorrect reference to 16 million tonnes of personal protective equipment. As stated correctly elsewhere in the article, it is 16 tonnes. Read more about: A 74-year-old British man has been discharged from a hospital in Hanoi after overcoming bad health and recovering from novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Dixong John Garth, who became Vietnams 28th COVID-19 patient in early March, was released from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District, Hanoi on Monday night. He was among six patients most seriously sickened by COVID-19 in Vietnam. Garths wife, who had also contracted the virus and recovered before him, extended her gratitude toward Vietnamese doctors for saving their lives. The married couple boarded a flight back to their home country on the same night. The flight was arranged by the UK government to bring home British citizens in Vietnam. Garth and his wife arrived in Vietnam on vacation on March 2 on the same flight as many other who were later diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country. After landing in Hanoi, they traveled to Ha Long, a popular tourist city in the northern province of Quang Ninh. After Vietnams patient No. 17 was confirmed on March 6 the first among the countrys second batch of COVID-19 patients authorities began looking for all passengers on the London-Hanoi flight for quarantine and screening. Dixong John Garth and his wife are pictured at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam in this photo supplied by the infirmary. The British couple were brought to a quarantine camp in Quang Ninh on March 6 and admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on March 13 after testing positive for COVID-19. Garths wife was in good health conditions and made a swift recovery from the disease. Meanwhile, Garths health turned bad on March 22. He started receiving support from a ventilator on March 27 as his condition worsened. His health eventually improved and a ventilator was no longer required as of April 5. By April 13, he had tested negative for COVID-19 four times since receiving treatment. Doctors in Vietnam are still exerting their best efforts to treat the five remaining patients who are in critical health conditions, including a 43-year-old British pilot in Ho Chi Minh City. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.92 million people and killed more than 119,600 globally as of Tuesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has confirmed 265 COVID-19 cases in total, with 151 having recovered. The country has yet to record a death from the disease. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! States decide whether to allow drive-in church services on Easter Sunday Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As many churches plan to host drive-in services, which do not violate social distancing rules, on Easter Sunday, some states appear to be in a conundrum over whether such gatherings could spread the new coronavirus and should be banned. Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky, has prohibited churches from having drive-in services, but the religious liberty law film First Liberty Institute has written to him on behalf of On Fire Christian Church urging him to reverse the decision, according to Fox Wilmington. The prohibition of drive-in church services goes beyond those guidelines and unlawfully targets houses of worship, First Libertys senior counsel Roger Byron was quoted as saying. Many churches across the nation are holding drive-in services to balance the spiritual and physical health of their communities. The mayor responded in a video message, saying, Its not really practical or safe to accommodate drive-up services taking place in our community. Think about this on Sunday morning: There would be hundreds of thousands of people driving around our community. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, is backing the ban, according to Louisville Courier-Journal. In response to the possibility of some Kentucky churches holding in-person services, the governor warned that if people attend those services, authorities will record their license plate numbers and they will be turned in to local health departments. Residents would then be ordered to quarantine for 14 days. Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul denounced the plan to record and turn in Christians' license plate numbers. In a post on Twitter he wrote, Taking license plates at church? Quarantining someone for being Christian on Easter Sunday? Someone needs to take a step back here. In North Carolina, the Wilmington Police Department has acknowledged that drive-in services are not a violation of social distancing rules, but only after Coastal Legal Counsel challenged the polices interpretation of the law. The Wilmington Police Department had earlier said in a statement: With Easter Sunday just three days away, some area Pastors are asking whether or not drive-in services are allowed under current Governors Executive Orders and local Declarations. These Orders and Declarations prohibit any event or convening that brings together more than 10 individuals in one place (indoor or outdoor) at one time. This prohibition includes drive-in services, according to Port City Daily. The department has now changed its stance but continues to encourage online services, citing local health officials concerns that drive-in services could be unnecessarily risky. While the Governor has advised local municipalities to follow the advice of local health officials, it is the Governors interpretation of his own order that drive-in worship services should be allowed if sufficient safety precautions are met, it said. In Mississippi, Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons has banned drive-in services. However, First Liberty is representing King James Bible Baptist Church in the city to ask Simmons to lift the ban. Governor Tate Reeves Shelter In Place Order and the Mississippi Department of Health guideline state, Because of recent COVID-19 cases specifically linked to church gatherings, it is vital that Mississippians not attend in-person church services at any church or other type of facility. Services, weddings, and funerals are leading to greater COVID-19 transmission. Your recent order prohibiting drive-in services leaves him in reasonable fear that he and his church members will be fined and criminally prosecuted for merely engaging in drive-in church services that fall well within the CDC guidelines, the law firm said in a letter to Simmons, according to Washington Examiner. We require Greenville, Mississippi, to withdraw the unconstitutional order that, disturbingly, targets religious exercise. The church said its congregation remained in their cars during services and pastor Charleston Hamilton also maintained the proper 6-foot social distancing requirements while preaching. The church says it will hold a drive-in service on Easter Sunday even if the ban is not lifted. Three weeks ago, about 600 people in 300 cars attended drive-in church services hosted by Genoa Church of Westerville, Ohio. The church had a raised platform for speakers, with attendees remaining in their parked cars to listen to the music and preaching through an FM transmitter. Pastor Frank Carl told The Christian Post in an interview that this was the first time that his congregation had held such a service, having been inspired by the famed Crystal Cathedral of California offering a similar worship experience years earlier. We decided to do this as an alternative way to allow people to worship collectively in a safe environment of their own car and to honor the guidelines of our governor, explained Carl. As of early Saturday, there were more than 1.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world with 103,257 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, the case count was 501,615 with 18,777 deaths. Marcus R. Mumford, the Utah attorney who successfully represented Ammon Bundy in federal court in Portland, was found dead in his home Monday morning. A colleague and friend who had stopped by Mumfords home in Salt Lake City to bring him breakfast and discuss a case found Mumford, said Mumfords sister-in-law, Katie Mumford. Mumford, 46, lived alone. Family members dont know what caused his death. He was a divorced father of seven children ranging in age from 5 to 17. His ex-wife and children lived nearby in Salt Lake City, Katie Mumford told The Oregonian/OregonLive. He wasnt ill with the coronavirus, and there were no signs of foul play, according to relatives. Theyre awaiting the results of an autopsy. His father and mother both suffered serious ailments at a young age; his father had a heart attack around age 40, according to Katie Mumford. Marcus Mumford represented Bundy when he was acquitted on all charges stemming from the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in January 2016. Mumford was tackled and stunned with a Taser by federal marshals moments after the acquittal. He had shouted at the judge, argued for Bundys release and demanded to see a detention order from Nevada following the October 2016 announcement of not guilty verdicts for Bundy and six co-defendants. Mumford later agreed to voluntarily give up his standing to practice in federal court in Oregon, putting an end to U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosmans attempt to officially ban him in Oregons federal district. Mosman pursued the sanction against Mumford, citing repeated instances of Mumfords arguing with U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown during the refuge occupation trial, inappropriate commentary on a witness in the presence of a jury and failures or refusals to observe court rulings. Mumford previously told The Oregonian/OregonLive that Mosman was being vindictive. At the time, another defense attorney in the refuge occupation trial praised Mumford. Defense lawyer Matthew Schindler, who was defendant Kenneth Medenbachs standby lawyer during the trial, said Mumford represented Bundy zealously and successfully. What we need far more of in our legal community are Marcus Mumfords, Schindler told The Oregonian/OregonLive then. We have plenty of people who are polite. We need people who give everything they have to give.'' Angie Bundy, wife of Ammon Bundys brother and co-defendant Ryan Bundy, wrote on Mumfords Facebook page Monday: "Marcus Mumford was fearless in defending Ammon and the other men in the trial in Portland. He also became a friend to the family and he will be greatly missed. He was the one who felt that the case could be won, and helped make it happen. Our hearts are broken, Rest in Peace.'' Mumford grew up on an Idaho dairy farm and told students at his alma mater, Utah State University, in 2010 that he had to be audacious enough to enter the field of law with a significant stuttering condition that he had struggled with since age 4 because the world wasnt prepared for a stuttering lawyer. Mumford went on to graduate from Brigham Young Universitys law school. He clerked for a federal appellate judge and worked eight years for one of the countrys biggest law firms, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, before returning to Utah to open his own practice. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Subscribe to Facebook page Yosemite Village is normally a crush of humanity and traffic congestion. On Saturday, it was peaceful like few times before the only sounds coming from the wind and the few local residents. A young bobcat ambled by the nearly abandoned administrative buildings, while ravens prattled and danced in the empty parking lots, and coyotes trotted along the valley's empty roads and walkways. Tourists aren't allowed in California's most popular national park, but if they could visit, they might feel as if they had been transported to another time. Either to a previous era, before millions of people started motoring into the valley every year, or to a possible future one, where the artifacts of civilization remain, with fewer humans in the mix. On March 20, the national park was closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus leaving the 7.5-mile-long valley to only a skeleton crew of 100 to 200 park service employees and an unknown number of concessionaire workers. This month is typically a busy month in Yosemite: Of the almost 4.6 million tourists that visited the valley in 2019, about 308,000 came during April. But on this spring day, the air was crystal clear not a hint of diesel or exhaust tainted the sweet, spring breeze. And the valley was nearly silent, except for the rushing waters of the Merced River and the wind blowing through the ponderosa pines. Yosemite Half Dome dusted with snow and clouds in Yosemite National Park is closed to visitors due to the coronavirus. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) You couldnt ask for a better place to be isolated, said Warren McClain, a saucier at the Ahwahnee Hotel who has worked in the park since 2017. He and his co-workers, Dane Peterson and Billy Sanchez, were skateboarding and cycling along Northside Drive, just east of Horsetail Fall, soaking in the bright, warm sun. Wildlife is coming out of hiding now, they said, as it did during previous government shutdowns of the park in 1990, 1995, 2013 and 2019. The difference is that this park closure is expected to be the longest on record. The bear population has quadrupled, said Peterson, noting a surge of large megafauna into the fields, thoroughfares and open spaces of the park. Story continues Its not like they arent usually here, he said of the bears, bobcats and coyotes that he and other employees now see congregating outside their cabins and apartments. Its that they usually hang back at the edges, or move in the shadows. Just three days after a snowstorm blanketed the region, spring has come to the valley. The sun was bright, the air clear, and fronds and green sprouts of vegetation burst through the dirt. A healthy-looking coyote, still adorned in her winter coat, stalked and then captured a fat gray squirrel outside the entrance of Camp Curry. She grabbed the rodent by the neck, shook it and then proceeded to eat it whole, saving the tail for last. The few employees sheltering in place are taking advantage of the valley's unimpeded natural amenities. Some are hiking to Mirror Lake and the falls, enjoying trails that are empty aside from the critters. As of Saturday, the valley was completely free of the virus. Nobody was wearing masks. And social distancing didnt seem to be happening except at the Village Market. A coyote wanders around Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Only 10 people at a time are allowed in the small grocery store, and three wash stations are outside the entrance. Customers are required to scrub and disinfect their hands before entering. If the virus comes into the valley, its going to come through here, said Ken Concroft, a market employee who was managing the wash stations out front. He said the biggest risk comes from visitors who own property in places such as Foresta and The Redwoods, which are inside the park boundaries. He and other employees fear "people who are from the city" visiting their second homes and inadvertently bringing the virus with them. He said three visitors had come in that morning. A young bobcat hunts for a meal in Yosemite Valley. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Entry at the park gates is permitted only to employees, essential workers and those who can show the deeds to their houses. The wash stations, social distancing measures and newly installed plexiglass sheets that separate customers from cashiers are all steps the market has taken to prevent the spread of virus in the valley. Concroft was interested to hear that many stores outside the park are now prohibiting the use of cloth bags, eyeing them as sources of viral transfer. Well have to consider that, too, he said. Were doing everything we can to keep it out. For gateway towns such as Oakhurst, Mariposa and Groveland, Yosemite's shutdown has hobbled numerous businesses, as it has in communities near other closed national parks. Outside of California, some of those closures have come recently and followed weeks of controversy, in which town leaders accused the Interior Department of being slow to close parks as a protective measure. Deer feed in Yosemite Valley. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) Char Miller, a historian at Pomona College, said the park probably was very similar today to how it appeared to visitors in the 19th century. He referred to journal entries, written by early visitors, such as Alice Ives Van Schaack, who visited Yosemite in 1871 and marveled over its natural wonders and majesty. Upon seeing Yosemite Valley for the first time, she later wrote, "I felt Heaven itself could not be much lovelier." Miller said that geological marvels such as El Capitan and Half Dome "remind us of how short our time is here. One thing we can know for sure is that Yosemite is enduring," he added. "It was here before us, and will remain after we leave. Los Angeles Times reporter Susanne Rust and photographer Carolyn Cole are embarking on a road journey throughout California. They aim to give voice to those in remote parts of California as they grapple with the worst health and economic calamity of our lifetimes. A deadly pathogen that is infecting olive trees in Europe could end up costing 17.5billion, according to a new report. Researchers have modelled the worst possible impacts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen which has already killed hordes of trees in Italy. The bacteria, spread by insects called spittlebugs, is now also threatening olive plantations in Spain and Greece. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the devastating effects of the disease could also see prices of olive oil shoot up in supermarkets. A deadly pathogen that is infecting olive trees in Europe could end up costing 17.5billion, according to a new report. Pictured are workers burning part of an infected olive tree Xylella is one of the most deadly for plants all over the world and there is currently no cure. As well as olive trees, it can also infect cherry, almond and plum trees but is mainly associated with olives after a strain was discovered in 2013 in Puglia, Italy. Once the infection enters the tree, it limits its ability to move water causing it to eventually die. Since the first discovery of the disease in olive trees in Italy in 2013, the infection has seen roughly a 60 per cent decline in crop yields. Dr Maria Saponari, from the CNR Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Italy, told the BBC: 'The damage to the olives also causes a depreciation of the value of the land, and to the touristic attractiveness of this region. 'It's had a severe impact on the local economy and jobs connected with agriculture.' Researchers have modelled the worst possible impacts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen which has already killed hordes of trees in Italy. Pictured are workers burning part of an infected olive tree In order to combat the disease, infected trees have to be chopped down and officials are trying to clamp down on the movement of plant material. The researchers made projections for Italy, Spain and Greece, which between them account for 95 per cent of European olive oil production. If the majority of olive trees in Spain become infected then the costs could rocket to 14.8billion over the next 50 years. A similar scenario in Italy would amount to four billion, while in Greece, the losses would be under two billion. Researchers predict that these costs could be significantly reduced if the rate of infection is slowed. The bacteria, spread by insects called spittlebugs, is now also threatening olive plantations in Spain and Greece However they still believe that the disease will end up impacting consumers. Lead author Kevin Schneider, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said: 'I would expect that if prices go up, consumers will be worse off.' The authors also touched on the potential for large tourism and cultural losses caused by the disease. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the devastating effects of the disease could also see prices of olive oil shoot up Scientists are currently developing methods to curb the rate of infection, including insect repellent sprays, barriers and genetic analysis to find why some plants are more susceptible than others. In the end, they believe the most efficient way to combat the disease will require trees that are immune to it. While two varieties of olive tree have been found to have some resistance, the authors are calling for more research in this area. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 04:57:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close "We've got to make Trump a one-term president," Sanders said. "I will do all that I can to make that happen." WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders announced on Monday that he is endorsing former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden for the White House. "I'm asking all Americans... to come together in this campaign, to support your candidacy which I endorse," said Sanders, a 78-year-old progressive, during a virtual event hosted by Biden. "I want to thank you for that," Biden, a 77-year-old moderate political veteran, responded. "Your endorsement means a great deal, a great deal to me." U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders gestures during his first presidential campaign rally in Brooklyn College, New York, the United States, March 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) The endorsement came less than a week after Sanders dropped out of the race seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, making Biden the presumptive nominee. Sanders said on Monday that "it's no great secret" that he and Biden have differed on policy, while pointing out that their biggest priority is to defeat sitting President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "We've got to make Trump a one-term president," Sanders said. "I will do all that I can to make that happen." Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a rally in Philadelphia May 18, 2019. Joe Biden on Saturday kicked off his running campaign for the 2020 presidential election in Philadelphia. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Brad Parscale, manager of Trump's re-election campaign, said "no one is excited about a Biden candidacy." "President Trump remains the disruptor candidate who has brought change to Washington," Parscale said in a statement on Monday. "President Trump's supporters will run through a brick wall to vote for him. Nobody is running through a brick wall for Joe Biden." (Article by Xinhua Reporter Sun Ding) To aid India's ongoing fight against the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, several Bollywood stars have come forward and contributed in whichever way possible. The latest we hear is, Shah Rukh Khan has provided 25,000 PPE kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Rajesh Tope, Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare of Maharashtra, thanked King Khan for his contribution and said that it will help the healthcare workers immensely. Tope tweeted, "Many thanks Mr Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra." To this, the superstar replied that everyone is united in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. He wrote on his Twitter page, "Thank you sir for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family and team be safe and healthy." Earlier, it was announced that Shah Rukh's NGO Meer Foundation will work with the Maharashtra and West Bengal governments for the supply of 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the healthcare professionals. The actor had also announced various initiatives to help the nation during these trying times and also contributed to PM-CARES Fund for COVID-19 relief. His NGO, Meer Foundation also tied up with Ek Saath - The Earth to provide daily food requirements to over 5500 families for at least a month in Mumbai. The NGO, in association with Roti Foundation, will provide 3 lakh meal kits to 10,000 underprivileged people and daily wage labourers for at least a month in Mumbai and will support 100 acid attack victims in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand. In addition to this, Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan also offered their four-storeyed personal office to BMC for quarantine facility. COVID-19: Shah Rukh Khan Tells Maharashtra CM 'We Are A Family' When Thanked For Contributions Janta Curfew: Shah Rukh Khan Comes Up With An Innovative And A Filmy Way To Spread Awareness Paul and Jeremy Garavel at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital Whats most remarkable to me is that not once have they ever asked for anything in return. Garavel Subaru has selflessly supported Michael Mikey Friedmans vision of how to help kids cope with cancer for the last six years, never once asking for anything in return. Garavel Subarus Share The Love Events have raised more than $200,000 for Mikeys Way Foundation since 2014. Mikeys story: At the age of 15, Michael Mikey Friedman was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. After undergoing equally aggressive treatment he was offered a Make-A-Wish to go anywhere or buy anything. Rather than buy something for himself, Mikey selflessly chose to give away his wish to other young cancer patients, starting Mikeys Way Foundation in 2005. The Foundation gives laptop computers, tablets, and other Wi-Fi ready electronics to kids undergoing long-term, debilitating treatment. The gifts provide a strong diversion and connection with the outside world to patients isolated by their treatment. The Garavel connection: Jeremy Garavel attended the same high school as Mikey and witnessed first-hand Mikeys determination to make a difference for kids in treatment like him. Many years later, when Garavel Subaru was looking for a hometown charity for their Share the Love Event, Mikeys Way Foundation seemed the perfect fit. One selfless act of giving inspires others: Ever since hearing Mikeys story, Garavel Subaru employees from Sales to Service to Accounting and the front office have worked to share Mikeys vision with their customers and the broader community. For the 2019 Share The Love Event, Subaru of America made a $250 donation for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at Garavel Subaru in Norwalk. In addition, every time Mikeys Way Foundation was chosen as the charity of choice, Garavel Subaru donated an additional amount to Mikeys Way. Over the years, Garavel Subarus support has translated into more than 1,000 brand new electronic gifts for pediatric cancer patients in treatment. With Garavels support, Mikeys Way was also able to outfit each in-patient pediatric hematology/oncology room at Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital with an iPad for use during prolonged stays. Its difficult to put into words just how special the Garavel Subaru team is and how they have positively impacted the lives of so many young cancer patients struggling through treatment. Whats most remarkable to me is that not once have they ever asked for anything in return, reports Les Friedman, Mikeys Way Foundation CEO and Mikeys Dad. Some corporate philanthropy programs want to know whats in it for them. All Garavel Subaru has ever wanted is to make a difference in the lives of kids with cancer. Mikeys story is inspiring it brings out the best in all of us and we are honored to be a part of it, said Paul Garavel, owner of Garavel Subaru. Mikeys Way Foundation gives laptop computers, tablets, and other Wi-Fi ready electronics to kids affected by the emotional and physical hardships of long-term debilitating treatment. They distribute these electronic gifts via their Mikeys Way Day and Mikeys Wish List programs to children all over the country with an emphasis in Connecticut and New York. The gifts provide diversion and connection with family and friends, helping them to cope with cancer Mikeys Way. Garavel Subaru is located at 10 Tindall Avenue in Norwalk, CT. Everyday Garavel Subaru holds true to their motto: "Selling cars is what we do. Helping the community is who we are." For more information about Garavel Subaru visit http://www.garavelsubaru.com. For more information about Mikeys Way Foundation, visit http://www.mikeysway.org and follow Mikeys Way on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Michigan had a trust fund worth about $4.6 billion before the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic caused more than 1 million workers to file for unemployment. The state has since paid out about $350 million in unemployment benefits to more than 600,000 residents, according to Jeff Donofrio, director of the states Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Another 100,000 claimants have been approved, and the state estimates that almost one in four workers have filed for unemployment as of Tuesday, April 14. Last week, about $240 million was paid out in unemployment between the state and federal benefits. Donofrio expects this weeks number to be much higher." Conservative projections suggest the fund will last through late July, when federal assistance is slated to expire under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to state officials. More middle ground estimates suggest the state could expend half of the trust fund by the end of July, Donofrio said. The projections depend largely on how many more people file for unemployment and how long they remain out of work. Well be looking at what the federal government might provide in additional resources and I think every federal dollar that comes in from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, certainly the $600 extra for the newly eligible (workers), is going to help us preserve the trust fund and be able to extend it," Donofrio said. Donofrio said Michigans trust fund was one of the most well-funded of its kind for a state our size," prior to the current health crisis. Additionally, he said Michigan has had the third-most unemployment claims across the country, behind California and Pennsylvania. Almost a quarter of our workforce have filed for unemployment benefits so far," he said. Were committed to making sure every Michigander who is eligible for unemployment benefits, receives them. Weve seen historic increases in the need and, of course in the filing for unemployment benefits as well, because of COVID-19. Michigans unemployment system, like others across the country, has struggled to cope with the historic number of claims being filed. The system was back to fully functioning Tuesday after it struggled to accept claims for about six hours on Monday. The state added four new servers before the state of emergency and has since added more. It has hired hundreds of new staff to assist with taking calls and helping claimants through the unemployment process. Employees have also been shifted from other departments as the state has quadrupled the number of staff handling customer issues. Donofrio said the state understands frustrations over the delays and reassured residents, as state officials have for weeks, that all eligible workers will receive their benefits. As of Tuesday, about 70 percent of people who applied for unemployment were approved. The majority of those who were previously denied are now eligible, Donofrio said, since self-employed workers, gig workers, 1099-independent contractors and low-wage workers were given the green light Monday, April 13, to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits. During a virtual press conference Tuesday, Donofrio and Steve Gray, director of the states Unemployment Insurance Agency, took unemployment-related questions from reporters. Below are some of their answers. Are employees with COVID-19 concerns eligible for unemployment if they dont go to work over those concerns? Donofrio said individuals who are sick, who need to take care of family who are sick, who are quarantined or are immunocompromised, are eligible for unemployment at this point. Individuals are not eligible if they are taking paid time off, are teleworking from home with pay, or who quit their jobs without cause to claim unemployment benefits. If individuals believe their work is nonessential but their employer tells them they have to work, can they receive unemployment benefits? Individuals who believe they work for a non-essential business and are being told they have to work can file a complaint at Michigan.gov/miosha, Gray said. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is taking complaints from workers who believe their employer isnt following the CDC guidelines or their company isnt in an essential industry as defined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive order. MIOSHA will make contact with that business to try to gain compliance before potentially issuing a fine if they do not comply. Has the state considered waiving the requirement that claimants log onto the unemployment system every two weeks to claim their benefits? No, state officials said the federal guidelines require that claimants continue to certify every two weeks to ensure that they are still eligible to receive unemployment benefits. If a claimant elects to have income tax withheld from their state unemployment benefits, do they have to do anything further to have income tax withheld from their federal unemployment benefits? No, workers who choose to have income tax withheld from their state benefits will also have income tax withheld from their federal unemployment benefits without needing to take additional action, according to Gray. Can people get their unemployment benefits if they go back to work before receiving? Yes. Because you certify for the prior two weeks, youd still get the benefits you qualified for even if you went back to work before receiving those payments. Do underemployed workers qualify for federal benefits under the CARES Act? Individuals whose employer has reduced their hours due to the pandemic can receive the extra $600 a week in pandemic unemployment assistance from the federal government. Their employer can apply for the Michigan Work Share program, in which the government will subsidize their payroll. Employees arent paid their full amount but can then qualify for the additional federal benefits. With Work Share, companies can maintain operational productivity and hang on to their skilled workers. Employers can apply through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), or by calling 1-844-967-5747. Are there other options, besides calling the customer service line, for people who need help with their unemployment claim if theyre having trouble getting through the system? The state offers an online chat feature during phone hours, which are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There is also a web notice online feature that sends an email directly to unemployment system staff for those who are having trouble getting logged into the MiWAM system. A team that deals strictly with log-in issues will then reach back out to the claimant to resolve those issues. Officials encourage applicants to use off-peak times between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. to file claims online at Michigan.gov/UIA. People with last names beginning with letters A-L should file claims Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. People with last names that start with M-Z are asked to file claims on Sundays, Tuesday and Thursdays. 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: Michigan health care system launches study testing for coronavirus antibodies Whitmer responds to frustrations over Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order: We will get through this' New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up Michigan begins sending $600 payments, sets date for expanded unemployment eligibility The metal additive manufacturing market is expected to grow by USD 4.42 billion during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact can be expected to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on the full-year economic growth, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. Request a free sample report This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005439/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Metal Additive Manufacturing Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Metal additive manufacturing is increasingly becoming popular among automobile manufacturers across the world. This is because additive manufacturing helps automakers to build stronger and lighter parts within a short period. The technology is now widely adopted by various formula 1 teams, including Scuderia Ferrari, Williams Martini Racing, and Mercedes-AMG Petronas to produce lighter components such as rear wings, gearbox assemblies, and bodywork to improve the performance of their cars. Many supercar manufacturers are also adopting metal additive manufacturing to reduce overall cost, lead time, and weight. Therefore, the rising adoption of metal additive manufacturing in the automobile industry is expected to fuel the growth of the market during the forecast period. 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=IRTNTR41666 As per Technavio, the rise in R&D activities 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. Metal Additive Manufacturing Market: Rise in R&D Activities The rising competition in the market is compelling market vendors to increase their R&D efforts to introduce new and innovative products. For instance, in October 2019, Stratasys launched durable temperature and chemical-resistant FDM thermoplastics. The company introduced new materials for use in the metal additive manufacturing process such as Antero 840CN03 for the Stratasys Fortus F900 3D printer and Diran 410MF07 and ABS-ESD7 for the Stratasys F370 3D printer. Such developments are expected to boost the growth of the global metal additive manufacturing market during the forecast period. "Shift in preference for vertical integration and the increase in strategic alliances 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 Metal Additive Manufacturing Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the metal additive manufacturing market by application (aerospace, healthcare, tools and mold, automobile, and others) and geographic landscape (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). The North America region led the metal additive manufacturing market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the rising demand for dental implants in the healthcare industry 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 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/20200414005439/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/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on April 14 where they discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. PM Modi also conveyed the greetings for the forthcoming holy month of Ramadan to Abbas and the people of Palestine. During the phone call, both leaders agreed to remain in touch at the appropriate level to explore the avenues of cooperation as the pandemic has caused a major public health crisis. They also exchanged details on the steps taken by the respective countries to control the spread of the virus. PM Modi appreciated the efforts of Palestinian authorities and assured all possible support from India to contain the deadly virus. Palestine has reported over 300 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths so far while India has over 10,500 COVID-19 cases with 31 deaths reported in the last 24 hours taking the overall death toll to 358. Read: PM Modi Discusses COVID-19 Challenges With Uganda President Over Phone, Assures Support Discussion with world leaders The Prime Minister has been holding a series of discussion with foreign leaders over phone calls to ensure close coordination on the ongoing pandemic. Last week, PM Modi spoke to his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli to discuss the prevailing COVID-29 situation and expressed solidarity with the neighbouring country in the fight against COVID-19. Spoke today with Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri @kpsharmaoli. We discussed the prevailing situation due to COVID-19. I appreciate the determination of people of Nepal to fight this challenge. We stand in solidarity with Nepal in our common fight against COVID-19. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 10, 2020 Read: PM Modi Dials Nepal PM Oli, Discusses COVID-19 Crisis & Supply Of Essential Commodities The two leaders exchanged their views on the ongoing crisis and the challenges it poses to the health and safety of the citizens. They agreed to continue close coordination and consultation among the experts and officials of the two countries on all the issues arising out from COVID-19, including the issue of cross-border supplies of essential commodities. PM Modi reiterated Indias commitment to ensure all possible support and assistance for Nepal's efforts in fighting the pandemic. He also appreciated the response and crisis management by the Government on Nepal under PM Olis leadership Read: 'Decision Backed By Good Reason', Says Hardeep Singh Puri After PM Modi Extends Lockdown Read: Following PM Modi's Announcement, Punjab Government Extends Lockdown Till May 3 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / The COVID-19 pandemic has all but disrupted every aspect of life, from "stay at home" orders to social distancing, and school closures, there is no doubt that the community at large is experiencing an unprecedented event like none faced before. During these challenging times, having access to high-quality medical care is paramount. UrgentMED's expansive network is open, prepared, and ready to assist those in need. They are now offering expanded telemedicine, Coronavirus health evaluations, and testing at select locations. Telemedicine According to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care, leveraging remote health interventions such as telemedicine can improve medical outcomes while reducing patient costs. As a leader in innovative healthcare, UrgentMED was quick to pivot to provide high-quality, reliable, and effective medical evaluations through Telemedicine. This is critically important during a time when social distancing is so vital for the prevention of infection and the spread of COVID-19. Coronavirus Evaluations and Testing All currently open UrgentMED locations now offer Coronavirus evaluations for those who suspect exposure or who are exhibiting or experiencing symptoms associated with the virus. If deemed necessary, those patients who meet the medically mandated criteria are able to have access to two forms of testing. Depending on your severity and duration of symptoms or suspected exposure, UrgentMED Providers will determine what type of testing is most appropriate. Testing may be conducted by way of nasal swabs or by a rapid serological test performed through a finger prick. Patients of the UrgentMED Network are encouraged to contact their provider at the first sign of symptoms or concern and to ask about the expansion of any testing locations available in their area. UrgentMED Open Locations UrgentMED is dedicated to helping support the community through this difficult time, providing accessible, convenient, reliable, and affordable medical diagnostics, diagnosis, and care throughout their network. Story continues The following locations are currently open for business: Anaheim Urgent Care - State College Blvd, Advanced Urgent Care of Beverly Hills, Culver City Urgent Care, Downtown Urgent Care, Hollywood Urgent Care, Santa Monica Urgent Care, Torrance Urgent Care, UrgentMED -Pasadena, West Hollywood Urgent Care, West Los Angeles Urgent Care. Common Services Provided Include: Routine examinations Diagnostic testing (EKG, Lab tests, X-ray, etc.) Minor surgical procedures (laceration, biopsy, abscess/cyst, etc.) Flu, Mono, and Strep Testing Immunizations/vaccinations School physicals Gynecological and PAP smears Injections Breathing treatments Ear wax removal Splinting of injuries Travel medicine and vaccinations In-house pharmacy And more About UrgentMED Founded in 2007, UrgentMED Network entered the healthcare industry with the goal of revolutionizing patient care. In less than two decades, they have grown to become the largest urgent care network in all of Southern California. Their dedication and commitment to providing accessible and exceptional patient care is at the forefront of their expansion efforts, propelling growth and opening up the opportunity for new clinics in markets that can truly benefit from their services. Features and Benefits of UrgentMED Locations: No appointment necessary for service Affordable treatment Fast, efficient care that can be handled on lunch breaks from work Accepts the majority of insurance plans Free parking Extended hours of operation On-site labs and medication A strong track record of exemplary care and service Assistance with worker's compensation Treatment for the majority of non-life-threatening conditions Community Focused Affordable Healthcare UrgentMED understands the growing challenges local area residents face with regards to taking care of their families. From accessibility to affordability, UrgentMED has made it their mission to fill the void and help everyone in the community stay and keep healthy. Their approach to care offers a broad range of diagnostic, care, and treatment options under one roof, leveraging state of the art equipment and cutting-edge best practices performed by a talented team of physicians and medical personnel. Those interested in learning more are encouraged to visit their official website at UrgentMED.com or call any of their clinics today. CONTACT: UrgentMED.com SOURCE: UrgentMED Network View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/585132/UrgentMED-Network-Now-Offering-Telemedicine-and-Coronavirus-Evaluations-and-Testing-at-Select-Locations The 2012 Kollywood action thriller, Thuppakki was undoubtedly one of the most celebrated movies of Vijay. Directed by A R Murugadoss, the movie turned out to be a hit. But did you know, a top Bollywood actress was the first choice to pair opposite Thalapathy? Yes, and it's none other than the charming diva, Deepika Padukone. The actress, who was just a few movies old then, was approached by the makers. But unfortunately, she turned down the offer as she was already committed to Desi Boyz. It is said that the Bangalore beauty was impressed with the script of the movie. AR Murugadoss wanted her dates around November 2011 while she was busy shooting Desi Boyz along with Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. During a chit-chat with an online news channel, she had revealed her love to work in South films and also mentioned Vijay in her list of favourites. Also, the role of the female lead for the Hindi remake was also offered to Deepika, but later, it went Sonakshi Sinha's kitty. The remake, Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty had Akshay Kumar reprising the role of Vijay in the thriller. Well, we just hope that the actress makes another blockbuster entry into Kollywood with Vijay and impresses the audience to the fullest. Deepika Padukone made her Tamil debut alongside Rajinikanth in the 2024 movie Kochadaiiyaan, which turned out to be a flop. Vijay Is Worried For Son Sanjay: Is The Star Kid Stranded In Canada? COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio woman has been cleared to run for a Southeast Ohio legislative seat, following a Tuesday ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court. In a 6-1 decision, justices ruled the Athens County Board of Elections abused its discretion when it disqualified Katie ONeill from running as a Democrat for Ohios 94th House District, which includes Athens, Meigs, Washington and Vinton counties. Justice Pat Fischer, a Republican, dissented. The decision paves the way for ONeill to challenge incumbent state Rep. Jay Edwards, a Republican member of Ohio House leadership who is one of the states top political fundraisers. Even though she was previously disqualified, her name still appears on 94th District ballots, since the decision from local elections officials to disqualify her came after a candidate filing deadline. The Athens County Board of Elections in February ruled that ONeill hadnt met a state requirement that legislative candidates live in the district they intend to run in for at least one year prior to the election. That means she was required to live in the district by at least Nov. 3, 2019. Board of elections officials were presented with evidence collected by a private investigator that she moved into an Athens County apartment on Nov. 4. But the Ohio Supreme Court ruled there was uncontested evidence that ONeill had moved back to Athens County on Oct. 14, staying with a friend until she found a permanent place to live. ONeill is a 2013 graduate of Ohio University who received her masters degree and law degree from Vermont Law School. Her father is Bill ONeill, a former Democratic Ohio Supreme Court justice who resigned from the court in 2018 to pursue an unsuccessful run for governor. Read recent coverage from cleveland.com: Ohio Supreme Court: State must present voting access ballot measure as single issue Path cleared for top GOP state lawmakers re-election after Democratic opponent disqualified NATO countries need to learn lessons from the coronavirus crisis by looking at boosting national stocks of medical equipment to avoid over-reliance on outside suppliers, the alliance's chief said Tuesday. "We have to look into the issues of the supply of medical equipment and protective suits, medicines and all that kind of stuff. And also ask questions like: are we too dependent on production coming from outside?" Jens Stoltenberg said in a videolink media conference. "National resilience in NATO's responsibility," he said. "All of these issues -- resilience, national resilience including ensuring we have the necessary medical equipment -- will be part of the lesson-learning process after this crisis." Stoltenberg spoke a day before NATO defence ministers were to hold a videoconference focused on the consequences of the pandemic. He said the talks would aim to boost support between member states, particularly by identifying spare capacity in supplies and in military transport to get medical gear to where it was needed. He also touched upon the likely impact the coronavirus crisis would have on defence spending among the alliance's member states whose economies were projected to shrink, but said it was "too soon" to tally the fallout. In any case, he insisted, the challenges NATO faced before the crisis had not gone away and still needed to confronted. "There is still a terrorist threat out there. There are threats in cyberspace. And we see the global power shift with the rise of China, and we see a more assertive Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Footage has emerged of an Indian policeman's hand being lopped off in a terrifying sword attack as officers stood at a coronavirus road checkpoint. Harjit Singh, an assistant sub inspector with the Punjab Police, was patrolling outside a vegetable market in Patiala when seven men belonging to the Nihang Sikh warrior sect turned violent. Footage shows a truck ramming through the barricades before the warriors leap from their vehicle and attack with traditional Sikh blades. Singh's left hand is cut from his wrist and he can be seen writhing on the floor in agony, screaming as he tries to stem the flow of blood with a handkerchief. Harjit Singh, an assistant sub inspector with the Punjab Police, was patrolling the barricade outside a vegetable market in Patiala when seven men belonging to the Nihang Sikh warrior sect turned violent Singh writhes around on the floor as his hand lies in the road after it was lopped off by a Sikh sword warrior A Sikh warrior wearing an orange turban hacks at the police officer's arm, removing his left hand from his wrist Singh can be seen reeling away from his attacker after his left hand has been chopped off his wrist The assailants were arrested and brought into custody, but Singh and six fellow officers suffered injuries and were rushed to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, according to CNN. After more than seven hours of 'painstaking' surgery, doctors managed to reattach Singh's severed limb to his left wrist. Captain Amarinder Singh of the Punjab Police tweeted: 'Police Party on Naka duty was attacked today in which one ASI's hand was cut off and six were injured. 'Police cornered the culprits and have taken them into custody.' India has been put under a blanket lockdown, effectively quarantining its 1.3billion citizens. But still the country's number of cases continues to climb, with around 10,000 cases and 339 deaths. The Sikh warrior clan known as Nihang carry two types of sword, either the curved talwar or the straight-edged khanda The violence erupted after the men tries to ram through the police barricades with a truck Police officers armed with rattan canes attempted to subdue the men who were armed with lethal weaponry The truck is seen to become stuck on one of the metal barricades which has crashed into The Sikh warriors wearing their traditional gowns and carrying swords are seen swaggering around belligerently Some experts say India has not conducted enough tests and that the true number of infections is much higher. And with some of the most crowded cities on the planet, there are fears that numbers could take off and overwhelm the shaky healthcare system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the 21-day lockdown imposed on March 25 is to be extended to May 3. 'From the economic angle, we have paid a big price,' Modi said in a televised address. 'But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable.' 'From the experiences of the last few days it is clear that the path we have chosen is correct.' Pictured: The cop whose hand was severed by Sikhs armed with traditional swords is taken into hospital in northern India Pictured: Surgeons work to reattach the police officer's hand in Chandigarh city, Punjab, northern India Pictured: Doctors during the seven-and-a-half hour surgery to reattach the hand chopped off by a group of Sikhs who defied lockdown in northern India Captain Amarinder Singh of the Punjab Police tweeted: 'Police Party on Naka duty was attacked today in which one ASI's hand was cut off and six were injured' India's current three-week-old lockdown, in force since March 25, had been scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday. Modi said there would be 'limited relaxations' from April 20 for districts with no cases, and new guidelines for industry and agriculture would be released on Wednesday. The announcement comes as debate rages around the world on how to lift restrictions so that the economic carnage of the pandemic can be eased without a new spike in infections. Pictured: The medical team who attached the police officer's hand stand at his bedside in Punjab, northern India Several states including Maharashtra - home to Mumbai and with the highest number of cases - Tamil Nadu and Odisha have already announced lockdown extensions. The World Health Organisation Tuesday praised India's decision to extend the lockdown, saying 'it would go a long way in arresting the virus spread'. 'Despite huge and multiple challenges, India has been displaying unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic,' WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement. Pictured: The Sikhs attack police with weapons after being stopped in northern India The shutdown, with strict limits on activity, has been devastating for the economy - and in particular for India's poor. Millions of daily wage labourers suddenly lost their jobs, forcing hundreds of thousands to travel hundreds of kilometres (miles) back to their home villages, often on foot. Some died on the way, while others were shunned by locals when they made it back. One clip that went viral on social media showed a group of migrants being hosed down with chemicals by local officials. Others have been stranded in cities in cramped, unsanitary conditions where the virus could spread quickly. New Delhi alone is providing hundreds of thousands of free meals. Farmers have complained of a lack of workers to harvest crops while snarl-ups of thousands of trucks not allowed to move because of the lockdown have hampered food transport. 'We have tried to keep the interests of the poor and the daily wage workers in mind while making these new guidelines,' Modi said in his 24-minute address. 'The central and state governments are working together to ensure that the farmers don't face any problems.' Chandigarh Police personnel stand guard near barricades on day nineteen of the 21 day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus An Indian paramilitary soldier stops people on a scooter during lockdown in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das has called the coronavirus an 'invisible assassin' that could wreak havoc on the economy. A restaurant industry group, a sector that employs millions of people nationwide, warned Monday there could be 'social unrest' if it did not receive financial relief. The commerce ministry has also reportedly urged the government to consider opening more activities 'with reasonable safeguards' even if the lockdown is extended. Even before the pandemic, the Indian economy was stuttering, with the highest unemployment for decades. Growth had slowed to about 5.0 percent before the pandemic and some analysts say it could slump to 1.5-2.0 percent this year - way below the level needed to provide jobs for the millions coming into the labour market each month. Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City on Tuesday announced that midfielder Raynier Fernandes has extended his stay with the club until May 2023 with a three-year contract extension. Fernandes plied his trade with Air India and Mohun Bagan before making the switch to his hometown club in the summer of 2018. In his two seasons with the Islanders, Raynier made 34 appearances, notched up three goals and three assists. "I've been fortunate to learn so much and be surrounded with fantastic people here. I believe we have a lot more to achieve and I hope we can create some great memories together here at Mumbai City," Fernandes said. Bimal Parekh, co-owner of Mumbai City FC, said: "He has his best years ahead of him and we're confident he can go on to become a very important player, not just for Mumbai City but for the Indian team as well. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Raab 'to announce three-week coronavirus lockdown extension' Dominic Raab is expected to extend the UK's coronavirus lockdown until at least May 7, it has been reported. The Foreign Secretary showed some cautious optimism as he revealed the latest data suggested the UK was "starting to win this struggle," three weeks after restrictions were imposed. But Mr Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while he recovers after falling ill with Covid-19, insisted the virus was not yet past its peak and that it was "far too early" to talk about relaxing the measures. And according to the Times, Mr Raab will on Thursday tell the nation that the stay-at-home orders will not be lifted for at least another three weeks. Trump claims he has 'total' power to lift US lockdown Donald Trump has claimed he has total power to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in the US despite state governors planning their own reopenings. Legal experts said the presidents power on the issue is limited under the US Constitution. But pressed on the question of whether governors or federal government would make the decision to re-open schools and businesses, the US leader insisted he had ultimate authority. "The president of the United States calls the shots," Mr Trump told a White House briefing last night. Sanders endorses former rival Biden for president Bernie Sanders has endorsed his former Democratic rival Joe Biden for the US presidency in a joint online appearance. The backing is a crucial development for former Vice President Mr Biden, who must bridge the Democratic Party's ideological divide to unify voters against Republican leader Donald Trump. Mr Biden and Mr Sanders, a leading progressive, clashed throughout the primary over policy issues such as the "Medicare for All" universal health care plan. Labour leader Starmer launches probe into leak of anti-Semitism report Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has launched an inquiry into an apparent leak of a report into allegations of anti-Semitism in the party. The move comes after revelations that a party investigation claimed to have found "no evidence" of anti-Semitism complaints being handled differently to other forms of complaint. Former leader Jeremy Corbyn's allies were accused of using the report to "smear whistleblowers" in a bid to "discredit allegations" of anti-Semitism during his tenure. Scientists discover 'brightest ever' supernova Astronomers have discovered what is believed to be a supernova brighter and more energetic than any other previously recorded. An international team of scientists said two massive stars could have merged before exploding to create the "the most light we have ever seen emitted by a supernova". The findings about the supernova have been published by a team led by experts from the University of Birmingham in Nature Astronomy. On this day... 1471: The Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Barnet, in the War of the Roses. 1828: Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language. 1865: Abraham Lincoln, America's 16th president, was shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, dying the next day. 1894: Thomas Edison publicly demonstrated his "kinetoscope" moving picture machine in New York. 1929: The Monaco Grand Prix was first run - 78 laps round the narrow streets and harbour of Monte Carlo. 1931: The Ministry of Transport issued the first Highway Code. 1983: The first cordless telephone, capable of operating up to 600ft from base, was introduced. German Marshall Fund: It Is not too early to think about political change in Turkey Armenian Foreign Ministry: We call on Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocations Armenia's Geghamasar community head: The situation is stable now Queen Elizabeth II's favorite fast food revealed Human Rights Defender: Azerbaijani troops open fire on Armenian sovereign territory World Economic Forum: Cybersecurity and space pose new risks to the global economy Defense Ministry confirms Armenian side has 2 victims Satanovsky on sending Armenian servicemen to Kazakhstan Unofficial data: 2 servicemen killed as a result of Azerbaijan provocation CSTO and Kazakh Defense Ministry developing plan WHO thinks it's too early to consider COVID-19 pandemic European Commission to require Poland to pay fine of nearly EUR 70 million White House announces $308 million humanitarian aid for Afghanistan Erdogan angry at minister after efforts to strengthen lira failed Armenian FM has phone call with US Assistant Secretary of State India imposes one-week quarantine even for vaccinated tourists Armenian ex-president expresses condolences on poet Razmik Davoyan's death Traction Programme to showcase 8 startups during the Digital Demo Day Azerbaijan uses artillery and UAVs, 3 Armenian soldiers wounded NEWS.am daily digest: 11.01.22 Austrian Chancellor confirms plan for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in February Armen Sarkissian and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discuss situation in Kazakhstan Gulf, Iran and Turkey FMs to visit China 20 pregnant women with COVID-19 die in Azerbaijan in year Armenia hands over wanted US citizen to United States Economy ministry: Organizing of accommodation and public catering increased by 61.1% in Armenia Armenia parliament speaker expresses condolences on European Parliament President death Azerbaijan opens fire toward Armenia village sector, one soldier wounded Shoigu: CSTO peacekeepers deployed in Kazakhstan thanks to Syrian and Karabakh experience Azerbaijan official pledges to remove Armenian toponyms from Google Maps UN offers two plans to help Afghans totaling $ 5 billion in 2022 Armenia attorney general travels to Moscow on working visit Azerbaijan MOD blames Armenian side for soldiers death Dollar drops in Armenia Shirak Province captives families hold protest outside Armenia government building Rolls-Royce sales rise to record high in 2021 Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis directed gun at Armenia residents car in which his wife, 3-year-old child were ANCA urges President Biden and Congress to hold Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable for war crimes Serbia's Orthodox Patriarch tests positive for COVID-19 Brothers, sisters of 2020 Artsakh war military casualties to get compensation in lieu of their deceased parents Turkish authorities sanction arrest of 33 suspected FETO ties Copper rises in price Erdogan's spokesman, Biden's adviser discuss Armenian-Turkish relations Armenia deputy defense minister: No one can rule out border tension at any moment New commander elected of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia official: Those 100 soldiers absence will not assume any change in terms of border tension Millionaire Robert Durst dies aged 78 Reuters: Over 1.13 million cases of COVID-19 detected in US per day Great Armenian poet Razmik Davoyan dies 2 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh Deputy PM Matevosyan: About 1,190 subvention programs implemented in Armenia from 2018 to 2021 243 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia MP: It would be right to put pressure on Azerbaijanis to remove their firing positions Oil is getting more expensive Nearly 10,000 people detained in Kazakhstan in connection with riots Tokayev: CSTO peacekeepers will pull out from Kazakhstan within 10 days Newspaper: Armenia businessmen pay customs duties to Azerbaijanis to go to Iran European Parliament speaker David Sassoli dies Alikhan Smailov appointed Kazakhstan Prime Minister Newspaper: Health minister makes decision full of contradictions in terms of Covid-related restrictions in Armenia Newspaper: Armenia authorities once again showed their being unprincipled, worthless, opposition MP says Germany teacher who had cannibalism fantasies is sentenced to life in prison Israel's military and other security services undergo largest rearmament in years Spain PM calls for a debate to consider COVID-19 endemic disease Flyone Armenia and Pegasus receive permission for Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights Pope condemns "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19 US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22 Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms Internet cut off in Kazakhstan Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights Armenia, Russia defense ministers discuss Kazakhstan Turkey defense minister meets with their envoy in process of normalization of Armenia relations Iranian Foreign Ministry reports progress in Vienna negotiations Dollar continues going up in Armenia New attempt by migrants in Belarus to storm Poland border Skat Airlines resumes Yerevan-Aktau and Aktau-Yerevan flights New Covid-related restrictions to be introduced in Armenia Karabakh police: Firefighters also targeted by Azerbaijan shooting (PHOTOS) Artsakh Defense Army has not fired on Azerbaijan positions Azerbaijani military are protesting amid military awards deprivation Azerbaijanis open fire in Nagorno-Karabakh Karabakh MFA: Events in Kazakhstan are result of actions planned by Turkey Armenia army General Staff has new deputy chief Australia to buy US $ 2.5 billion of armored vehicles Artsakh emergency service: Search for soldiers remains continued during holidays Kazakh Colonel Nazanov dies after heart attack NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, with new information on the extent of the pandemic emerging daily. Designated a global emergency by the World Health Organization, the outbreak has had far-reaching effects, especially in medicine and education. Laidlaw Venture Partners portfolio companies are responding to this global threat with potentially life-saving vaccines and innovative solutions and services that support patients, providers, researchers, students, and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Founders across the Laidlaw Venture Partner's portfolio are moving quickly in the development of vaccines designed to protect patients at risk of COVID-19 infection as well as to AI-driven solutions that improve clinical decision-making. As the spread of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the global education system, Laidlaw Venture Partners companies are also helping learning institutions of all sizes transition to online education and training to ensure efforts are not disrupted. Matthew Eitner, Chief Executive Officer, Laidlaw & Company (UK), Ltd., said: "As fast as the COVID-19 crisis is unfolding, we are proud that our companies and partners are responding with thoughtful, targeted and potentially life-saving solutions and offerings during this time. By definition, there is no universal playbook for the pandemic. The outbreak affects every facet of our lives and our companies are working together to bring needed solutions to the public, while at the same time offering guidance and online learning services to ensure students' education is not disrupted. We are proud and humbled by the work our companies are undertaking and look forward to working closely in service of those affected by the pandemic." As the world continues to cope with this devastating pandemic, Laidlaw Venture Partners will continue to support the initiatives of these companies and pursue opportunities to drive awareness and solutions to any obstacles. The following Laidlaw Venture Partners companies are collaborating with the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center (VIC) of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to develop a new vaccine to aid during the pandemic: Voltron Therapeutics , Inc. and its subsidiary HaloVax are developing a new vaccine designed to protect patients at risk of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, leveraging the Self-Assembling Vaccine (SAV) platform developed by the VIC and licensed exclusively to Voltron. are developing a new vaccine designed to protect patients at risk of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, leveraging the Self-Assembling Vaccine (SAV) platform developed by the VIC and licensed exclusively to Voltron. HaloVax is spearheading development, in conjunction with Hoth Therapeutics, Inc., another LVP supported biotechnology company. is spearheading development, in conjunction with Hoth Therapeutics, Inc., another LVP supported biotechnology company. Pat Gallagher , Chief Executive Officer, Voltron Therapeutics, said : "This is a global pandemic, which requires partnerships and the strength of the leading minds in this space. We endeavor to be a part of the solution to develop a vaccine to bring the spread of COVID-19 to a halt. I am extremely proud of the research and execution of the Voltron vaccine portfolio and we are confident that the tireless innovation and partnerships developed could lead to accessible treatment and relief to those affected during this moment in history." : "This is a global pandemic, which requires partnerships and the strength of the leading minds in this space. We endeavor to be a part of the solution to develop a vaccine to bring the spread of COVID-19 to a halt. I am extremely proud of the research and execution of the Voltron vaccine portfolio and we are confident that the tireless innovation and partnerships developed could lead to accessible treatment and relief to those affected during this moment in history." Robb Knie , Chief Executive Officer, Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. continued: "Today's pandemic is truly a moment where innovation through our collective unity will hopefully bring a discovery to halt the spread of COVID-19. Biotechnology has had an extraordinary impact on health care during the past thirty years and we continue our belief that nothing is impossible, and no malady should be a death sentence for any citizen. Public, private and government investment will give pioneers the tools needed to mobilize research and development that will generate novel treatments and vaccines." The following Laidlaw Venture Partners companies are serving the public during the pandemic with offerings across education, clinical decision-making and mental health treatment: Amesite is an artificial intelligence (AI) driven software company providing fully managed, customized, online learning ecosystems for the enterprise and higher education. Amesite is helping higher education institutions and K-12 schools transition to online learning infrastructure with fresh and always-updated content during the pandemic. Amesite is also providing free training portals to companies producing goods and services (hospital administration training, ventilators, and face mask development and deployment) to fight COVID-19. Dr. Ann Marie Sastry , Chief Executive Officer, Amesite, said: "The coronavirus pandemic isn't just changing how we live, it is also changing how we learn. More than 300 million students worldwide are currently not attending school physically, and hospitals and healthcare facilities are finding themselves unprepared to meet the needs of the growing number of patients affected by the pandemic. Amesite is proud to offer assistance by providing help to all those affected by this crisis to transition quickly and easily to an online learning platform that will help students continue learning and essential workers and aid providers to be trained on COVID-19 protocols." PD Theranostics, Inc. is providing AI-driven tools to improve clinical decision-making that may be helpful in treating the chronic sequela of severe COVID-19 infection. Matthew P. Duffy , Director, PD Theranostics, said: "Our goal is to design and deploy decision-support tools using AI capabilities to potentially identify clinical coronavirus severity and or sequala. This is particularly important in a novel and accelerating outbreak when critical care resources and hospital beds are limited, and clinicians are forced to make difficult decisions without past specific experience. Further, the long-term impact of severe coronavirus disease is, as yet, unknown, but could be very serious." Relmada Therapeutics , previously a Laidlaw Venture Partners company, addresses areas of highly unmet needs in depression, chronic nervous system (CNS), and ophthalmological disorders. In addition to treating CNS, Relmada is developing products to support mental health functionality exacerbated by the current pandemic. , previously a Laidlaw Venture Partners company, addresses areas of highly unmet needs in depression, chronic nervous system (CNS), and ophthalmological disorders. In addition to treating CNS, Relmada is developing products to support mental health functionality exacerbated by the current pandemic. Dr. Sergio Traversa , Chief Executive Officer, Relmada Therapeutics said: "The pandemic has put an incredible amount of strain on our physical as well as mental well-being leading to increased levels of fear and anxiety. Just as we are moving rapidly to safeguard our physical health, we must act with equal urgency to preserve our mental health and make solutions readily available to those affected." About Laidlaw & Company Laidlaw & Company is a full-service investment banking and brokerage firm offering personalized investment advice and skillful execution to private institutions, public institutions, and high net worth individual investors. Laidlaw & Company (U.K.) Ltd., a broker-dealer registered with FINRA in the United States, clears on a fully-disclosed basis through INTL FCStone Financial Inc., a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Laidlaw & Company International Limited, is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom. Laidlaw Wealth Management is an affiliate of, and Laidlaw Venture Partners is a DBA, of Laidlaw & Company. For more information, please visit: https://laidlawltd.com/ For disclosure purposes, please note Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. ("Laidlaw") does and seeks to do business with companies covered in this article. As a result, investors should be aware that Laidlaw may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this information. In addition, Laidlaw has received compensation from Amesite, Voltron Therapeutic ("Voltron"), PD Theranostics ("PDTX") and Hoth Therapeutics ("HOTH") for investment banking services in the past 12 months and expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from these companies in the next three months. Laidlaw and/or its affiliated investment advisor and/or associated persons of Laidlaw maintain a position in Hoth of more than 1% of the outstanding equity securities. Laidlaw and/or its affiliated investment advisor and/or associated persons of Laidlaw & Co (UK) Ltd. are founders of Voltron and PDTX and continue to be affiliated with each of these companies. Lastly, please note that Patrick Gallagher, CEO of Voltron and Matthew Duffy, CEO of PDTX are Registered Representatives of Laidlaw. Investors should consider this article as only a single factor in making their investment decision. Media Contact: Matt Pennacchio 516-851-4766 [email protected] Investor Contact: Matt Duffy, Managing Partner 646-335-5923 [email protected] SOURCE Laidlaw Venture Partners Sorry! This content is not available in your region The official number of fatalities in Spain related to the coronavirus in the last 24 hours was 567 on Tuesday, a slight rise on yesterdays figure. The data was supplied by the Spanish Health Ministry. The number of daily deaths came in at 517 on Monday, 619 on Sunday and 510 on Saturday. It should be noted that figures from around Spain have tended to be underreported around weekends and national holidays. Recent days have seen both, due to the Easter break. As such, in recent weeks an uptick in the figures has been expected on Tuesdays. A total of 26,672 health workers have contracted the coronavirus since the beginning of the crisis The number of coronavirus deaths in Spain peaked on April 2, when 950 were registered. New infections came in at 3,045 on Tuesday, which is a 1.8% rise on the total. This is the lowest new contagion rate seen so far in Spain during the coronavirus crisis. According to the Health Ministry, there have been a total of 18,065 Covid-19-related deaths in Spain since the epidemic began, with 172,541 registered infections and 67,504 patients who have recovered and have been discharged from hospital. Speaking at the daily press conference on the coronavirus crisis on Tuesday, Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, who appeared in person for the first time since overcoming the coronavirus himself, said that the latest figures confirmed the downward trend of the outbreak. The evolution [of the outbreak] is heading in a very good direction, said Simon. But, he warned: We continue to have a not negligible number of cases, with 3,000 new infections. Most are in isolation, but we dont know whether or not the level of transmission is in line with the [overall] fall. According to the health expert, intensive care units are better than they were last week, but remain under a high level of stress. Simon said that 26,672 health workers have contracted the coronavirus since the beginning of the crisis, but most have returned to work. On Tuesday, the Spanish government decided to strengthen the public health system by putting any clinical diagnostic service, center or establishment at the disposition of Spains regional governments, thus speeding up the coronavirus testing process and also avoiding abusive prices for the diagnostic process. Minister recovers One of Spains deputy prime ministers, Carmen Calvo, announced via Twitter that she had recovered from the Covid-19 disease and that she would be returning to work. He superado al #COVID19 y tras la convalecencia me incorporare a mi trabajo de manera presencial. Gracias a los que me habeis acompanado de una u otra manera. Mi apoyo y solidaridad a todos los que estan pasando por estos dificiles momentos porque #EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos Carmen Calvo (@carmencalvo_) April 14, 2020 Calvo was one of a number of high-profile Spanish politicians to confirm that they had been infected with the coronavirus, including Equality Minister Irene Montero and the head of far-right Vox, Santiago Abascal. Minimum basic income Speaking on Spanish TV channel Antena 3 this morning, Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva discussed the governments plans to introduce a minimum basic income scheme. The idea had been mooted for a while by Spains coalition government, and was being planned in particular to help low-income families. The plan is now being prepared in the context of the coronavirus crisis, which has seen many people lose their jobs and sources of household income. We are talking about approximately a million households, but we cant give a figure yet because it is unknown, he said with regard to who would benefit from the payments. I would rather not commit to a date either, he added. The priority of the government is to protect the income of those affected, he said. Calls for official mourning The leader of the opposition Popular Party (PP), Pablo Casado, on Monday called on the central government to declare an official state of mourning. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for one for the 130 victims of the Islamists in [the terror attacks in] France in 2015, the conservative politician wrote on Twitter. Pido a Sanchez que decrete luto oficial por los fallecidos por coronavirus. Lo defendio para las 130 victimas de los islamistas en Francia en 2015. Hoy han fallecido otros 517 espanoles, y ya son 17.489 en total. Sus familias no han podido ni despedirles y merecen este homenaje. Pablo Casado Blanco (@pablocasado_) April 13, 2020 Today another 517 Spaniards died, a total of 17,489. Their families havent been able to say goodbye to them and they deserve this tribute. Masks for workers A Red Cross volunteer hands out masks in a Metro station in Barcelona on Tuesday. Marta Perez (efe) Nine Spanish regions, including Catalonia and Valencia, returned to work today after a holiday on Monday for Easter. In these areas, the authorities began to distribute masks for those employees who were traveling to their place of work. The two-week hibernation of the economy introduced by the Spanish government came to an end this week, sending many non-essential workers who cannot perform their duties from home back to their workplace. The government started the handouts of masks on Monday in those regions, such as Madrid, that had an Easter holiday on Thursday rather than yesterday. Playing with history Catalan Interior Minister Miquel Buch on Monday accused the central government of playing with the history of Catalans, after it sent 1,714,000 masks to the northeastern Spanish region to be distributed among workers who returned to their jobs on Tuesday. For the minister, the number 1714 is a disastrous figure, given that the year 1714 was when Barcelona was under siege by Borbon troops. Despite the coincidence, the central government delegation denied there was any hidden message. A spokesperson from the Health Ministry explained that the figure was based on calculations according to population levels and epidemiological reasons, but did not go into further detail about the final number. I want to send a message to the Spanish government, Buch said on Monday. Not like this. If whoever comes up with the next figure for masks, tests or whatever, and it is related to 1939 [the year the Spanish Civil War ended and the Franco dictatorship began], we will not allow it. You cannot play with the history of the Catalans. He also stated that in politics there are no coincidences. The region of Catalonia has been immersed in recent years in an independence drive and its government has so far viewed with hostility the central governments management of the coronavirus crisis. English version by Simon Hunter. Amid Covid-19 lockdown, Keralites celebrated a low key "Vishu" ,the Malayalam new year, on Tuesday, hoping that days of plenty, prosperity and peace will return. People woke up in the early hours to see the auspicious "Vishu kani", symbolising hope, promise and fine prospects they wish to have in the year ahead. The ritual comprises arranging on platters auspicious articles like seasonal fruits, vegetables, flower, gold and clothes which together form the first sight when the family members wake up on the Vishu day. Normally, Keralites dressed in their traditional attire throng temples across the state. However, this year due to the lockdown restrictions, temple visits were given a go by. The famed Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur and the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush of devotees during the vishu day. But pilgrims were not allowed inside and only temple officials and security personnel were present for the"Vishu kani". Rehaman, a small time trader, said very few people have come out for vishu purchases due to the restricitons. It is fine as it is for a good cause, while Radha, a young woman said she could not celebrate the festival. "We have no money, no job. With whatever little we have, we are celebrating the festival", she said. 87-year-old Vilasini Nambiar, a retired college professor, said vishu has visited the state during a most bewildering time. "It should however remind us that every mountain must have its valley, desert its oasis, every storm cloud its rainbow, every night its day. We are prepared to believe that we will overcome this misfortune", she told PTI. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Home minister, Amit Shah, Kerala Governor, Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, were among those who greeted people on the occasion of Vishu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party's Versova unit under the leadership of general secretary Vijay Pathak on Tuesday distributed food among migrant wagers and other needy people in the city's Andheri slums. "With the help and support of BJP MLA of Versova, Bharati Lavekar, we are distributing food among 700-800 migrant workers and other needy people in slums of Andheri. We give them food twice a day while maintaining social distancing," Pathak told ANI. "Our party workers are also distributing food packets to the houses of those who can not come here to take food," he added. A migrant worker Dilip Sahu said that he receives food daily. "I receive food daily here but I am facing some financial hardships. If lockdown was not imposed, I would have gone to my village. We are stuck here in Mumbai," he said. With 121 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Maharashtra, the total number of positive cases in the State now stands at 2,455. While 92 positive cases have been reported in Mumbai, 13 were reported in Navi Mumbai, 10 in Thane, five in Vasai Virar and one in Raigad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Today we'll look at China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd (SGX:G92) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise, we'll consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. First up, we'll look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. Then we'll compare its ROCE to similar companies. And finally, we'll look at how its current liabilities are impacting its ROCE. What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)? ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that 'one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar'. So, How Do We Calculate ROCE? The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) Or for China Aviation Oil (Singapore): 0.045 = US$38m (US$1.9b - US$1.0b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019.) Therefore, China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has an ROCE of 4.5%. View our latest analysis for China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Does China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Have A Good ROCE? When making comparisons between similar businesses, investors may find ROCE useful. Using our data, China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s ROCE appears to be significantly below the 12% average in the Oil and Gas industry. This performance is not ideal, as it suggests the company may not be deploying its capital as effectively as some competitors. Regardless of how China Aviation Oil (Singapore) stacks up against its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms is quite low (especially compared to a bank account). It is likely that there are more attractive prospects out there. Story continues You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s past growth compares to other companies. SGX:G92 Past Revenue and Net Income April 14th 2020 When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is only a point-in-time measure. We note China Aviation Oil (Singapore) could be considered a cyclical business. Since the future is so important for investors, you should check out our free report on analyst forecasts for China Aviation Oil (Singapore). Do China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s Current Liabilities Skew Its ROCE? Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. The ROCE equation subtracts current liabilities from capital employed, so a company with a lot of current liabilities appears to have less capital employed, and a higher ROCE than otherwise. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. China Aviation Oil (Singapore) has current liabilities of US$1.0b and total assets of US$1.9b. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 54% of its total assets. Current liabilities of this level result in a meaningful boost to China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s ROCE. The Bottom Line On China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s ROCE China Aviation Oil (Singapore)'s ROCE is also pretty low (in absolute terms), making the stock look unattractive on this analysis. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Monday, April 13, 2020 at 10:20PM Photo by Roberto Nickson from Unsplash Samsung Canada has announced its "Door to Door" service to support their customers and their service needs as COVID-19 self-isolation recommendations continue. Customers that require service support for their Samsung phone, tablet or wearable, can arrange convenient pick up through FedEx to collect the device and bring it back once any needed repairs have been madewith all shipping costs covered by Samsung Canada. Canadians looking to take advantage of this service can simply call 1-800-SAMSUNG, Live Chat, or text to WECARE (932273) to arrange for device pick-up. Following repair, each device will be returned to the initial pick up location within approximately three business days following receipt at the Samsung Authorized Service Centre. As part of the service, Samsung will disinfect each device under UV-C light, providing additional peace of mind. Alongside the Door to Door service, Samsung is also offering remote support to assist in device setup and to help diagnose any performance issues users may have during this time. Samsung Remote Service enables Samsung Canadas specially trained technicians to remotely view and control consumers Samsung TV and smartphone to directly help with product needs. At Samsung, the health and safety of employees, customers and partners is a top priority and the rollout of Door to Door service ensures Canadians receive the device support they need while providing the tools to stay safe and #StayHome. For more information on Samsungs Door to Door service, please visit HERE. Leon Valley Mayor Chris Riley, the suburbs top elected official for the past 16 years, remains the only candidate for mayor in the fall, despite a recent finding by the citys ethics review board that she violated the city charter last year. After holding a 45-minute executive session Monday night, the City Council took no action to sanction Riley, who contested the review boards finding. The council was set to discuss and possibly take action on the boards ruling, under a provision of a charter that requires the mayor and council members not be in violation of any provision of this charter. The review board found, after weighing 18 grievances filed by City Councilor Donna Charles, that the mayor likely violated the citys home-rule charter by revealing attorney-client privileged information. Riley had released invoices submitted to the city by attorney Ryan Henry, who served as special counsel during a forfeiture hearing last summer that resulted in the removal of Councilor Benny Martinez from office. Henry was paid by the city. On ExpressNews.com: Leon Valley city manager to stay through Sept. 30 The review board noted in its March 12 final report that Riley stated that she did not know that there might be privileged and confidential information in the invoices. Because the proper process for the release of the invoices in question was not followed, the board has no choice but to accept the testimony of the author of the invoices, attorney Ryan Henry, that they did in fact contain privileged and confidential information, review board chairman David Smith wrote in the opinion, which was approved in a 4-0 vote of the panel. The board recommended no remedial action be taken against Riley, concluding that its opinion constituted a sufficient reprimand. But Councilor Catherine Rodriguez said at a special council meeting held via teleconference Monday that it was the councils prerogative to consider further action. Residents weighed in on both sides of the issue via telephone, with some supporting Riley, and others saying she should not be allowed to run unopposed for another term. Riley said she released the invoices because she was trying to respond to questions in the community during the contentious forfeiture hearing, and still doesnt believe she divulged privileged information. People have a right to know how much their hard-earned taxpayer dollars goes toward attorney fees in removing a City Council member, she said. After the closed session, City Attorney Charles Zech said the mayor could be declared ineligible as a candidate only by a judicial action, or under limited ineligibility provisions of the Texas Elections Code. On ExpressNews.com: Suburbs city manager resigns A city council does not have the authority to interfere with an individual being on the ballot up to the election process. Councils could have some authority after the election is over, if the individual is elected to office, based on any charter provision they have that gives them that authority, Zech said. Im not willing to take any questions on that because it all deals with legal advice, he added. City Councilor Charles and Councilor Monica Alcocer have been targeted for recall in the city election, through a citizen petition drive authorized in the charter. The election, which also includes proposed charter revisions and two contested council races, recently was postponed from May 2 to Nov. 3 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA Washington Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden's presidential campaign on Monday, encouraging his progressive supporters to rally behind the presumptive Democratic nominee in an urgent bid to defeat President Donald Trump. "I am asking all Americans, I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every Independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse," the Vermont senator said in a virtual event with Biden. The backing came less than a week after Sanders ended his presidential campaign, which was centered around progressive policies such as universal health care. There were early signs that some leading progressives weren't ready to fully follow Sanders' lead. And Trump's campaign was eager to use the endorsement to tie Biden more closely to Sanders, whose identity as a democratic socialist is objectionable to Republicans and some Democrats. Still, Sanders' embrace of Biden was crucial for someone who is tasked with bridging the Democratic Party's entrenched ideological divides. Democratic disunity helped contribute to Hillary Clinton's loss to Trump in 2016. Perhaps eager to avoid a repeat of that bruising election year, Sanders offered his endorsement much earlier in the 2020 campaign. Sanders backed Clinton four years ago, but only after the end of a drawn-out nomination fight and a bitter dispute over the Democratic platform that extended to the summer convention. Biden and Sanders differed throughout the primary, particularly over whether a government-run system should replace private health insurance. Biden has resisted Sanders' "Medicare for All" plan and has pushed instead a public option that would operate alongside private coverage. Sanders said there's "no great secret out there that you and I have our differences." But Sanders said the greater priority for Democrats of all political persuasions should be defeating Trump. "We've got to make Trump a one-term president," he said. "I will do all that I can to make that happen." The coronavirus prevented Biden and Sanders from appearing together in person. But they made clear they would continue working together, announcing the formation of six "task forces" made up of representatives from both campaigns to work on policy agreements addressing health care, the economy, education, criminal justice, climate change and immigration. Biden, 77, has already made some overtures to progressives by embracing aspects of Sanders' and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's policies. The day after Sanders exited the race, Biden came out in support of lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 while pledging to cancel student debt for many low- and middle-income borrowers. He's also previously embraced Warren's bankruptcy reform plan. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Sanders, 78, is sure to remain a force throughout the campaign. When he ended his candidacy, he said he would keep his name on the ballot in states that have not yet voted in order to collect more delegates that could be used to influence the party's platform. He didn't say Monday whether he would continue to fight for those delegates. Still, Sanders and Biden emphasized their mutual respect. Sanders referred to the former vice president as "Joe." Biden answered him repeatedly as "pal." The two men asked the other to give regards to their wives, Jill Biden and Jane Sanders. Biden told Sanders: "I really need you, not just to win the campaign but to govern." While Sanders campaigned for Clinton dozens of times after the 2016 primary, the rapport on display with Biden on Monday was far lighter than anything voters saw four years ago. "This endorsement shows that everyone wants to beat Trump," said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Committee that originally supported Warren. A special police officer (SPO) was killed and another injured on Monday when suspected militants attacked them with axes in hilly Kishtwar district of Jammu region. A police spokesperson said that at around 3:30 pm, two SPOs identified as Basit Iqbal and Vishal were attacked by assailants with axes and seriously injured in remote Tandan village of Kishtwar. A police party rushed to the spot and evacuated the injured to hospital. However, Basit succumbed to his injuries, he said. The suspected militants also took away two weapons from the SPOs; the spokesperson said and added a massive manhunt has been launched to nab the attackers. Kishtwar district had been declared free of militancy over a decade ago but since November 2018 has been rocked by several targeted killings of BJP and RSS leaders. On 1 November 2018, J&K secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were gunned down in the firing by militants in a lane leading to their house in Kishtwar town. Last year in April militants killed an RSS leader as well as his personal security officer after snatching his weapon in a hospital in Kishtwar town. On September 28 last year security forces killed three militants, including the mastermind behind these killings, Osama Bin Javed, in the neighbouring Ramban district. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month had announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for next three months to run their households and deal with the hardships caused by the nation-wide lockdown New Delhi: Money transferred to women Jan Dhan accounts is safe and an account holder can withdraw it any time, the Finance Ministry said on Monday while rubbishing rumours that it will be taken back if not withdrawn immediately. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month had announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for next three months to run their households and deal with the hardships caused by the nation-wide lockdown. "We would like to assure that money deposited under the Jan Dhan accounts are safe. The account holder can withdraw the money from the bank branch or ATM at any time. Don't believe any rumour about the safety of the money," the Financial Services Secretary said in a late night tweet. The rumour that money will not be taken back from accounts if not withdrawn immediately is completely baseless, the Finance Ministry said. Due to this rumour, some part of the country witnessed serpentine queue outside bank branches for withdrawal of the first installment under the relief package. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nico Grant (Bloomberg) Tue, April 14, 2020 14:05 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1c8ebd 2 Science & Tech zoom,privacy,video-calls,video-chat,technology,united-states Free Zoom Video Communications Inc. will let paying customers decide which countries their virtual meetings get routed through, a move to assuage clients worried they may be vulnerable to possible Chinese snooping. The ability to select preferred data center locations will be available beginning April 18, Brendan Ittelson, Zoom chief technology officer, said Monday in a blog post. Paid users can also opt out of certain locations. Free users will be locked into data centers in their region, which will mean a US-based data center for many users. Read also: Zoom hires ex-Facebook security chief as Google bans desktop app Zoom has gone from being used by 10 million office workers a day to more than 200 million people, including many consumers. The new uses have exposed security flaws with the apps default privacy settings, thrusting the company into controversy and spurring Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan to focus on the safety concerns. Researchers from the University of Toronto found that some Zoom calls had been routed through data centers in China despite none of the users being based in the country, raising the specter that the data might be accessible to the Chinese government. The company said it would stop routing calls through China unless one of the participants was based there. Zoom has 19 data centers, which are shared with other tenants, and also uses cloud-computing services from Amazon.com Inc. and Oracle Corp. Falling asleep on the first day at work is a big no-no. But for an adorable K-9 puppy in Rhode Island, no one seems to mind that he enjoyed the now-viral nap time during his first official day on the job. Brody, a chocolate-brown English Labrador Retriever, was sworn in as a member of the Bristol Police Department on April 6, 2020. In a Facebook Live video, the adorable K-9 puppy can be seen sprawled on a desk as his handler, Officer Keith Medeiros, took the oath on his behalf. The little pups name is a mix of two words, B from Bristol and Rody from Rhode Island. Were very excited for Brody to meet the people in our community and were very excited for him to meet the students in the Bristol-Warren Regional School District, Medeiros, a school resource officer, said after the swearing-in. The 12-week-old puppy was gifted by Boonefield Labradors, a breeder in New Hampshire that is known for breeding comfort dogs. With Brody being the departments first comfort and therapy K-9 dog, they said Brody has an important task ahead of him: providing a soothing environment to people during investigations. The cute dog will also be visiting the senior center and veterans home in the community and will be involved in school activities with Medeiros. Medeiros told EastBayRI that his new partner can help deal with the mental health issues in schools by calming down the students during a crisis and also assist them in continuing their learning in class. Thats a huge part of his duties and job as a therapy dog, Medeiros said. Though Brody had been with Medeiros since mid-March, the dog had not been able to get as much exposure as Medeiros had wanted due to the social distancing rules amid the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. However, Medeiros soon discovered that Brodys arrival was a blessing for the police force. People are really stressed, especially in law enforcement, Medeiros told The Dodo, but when Brody appears in the police department, his presence instantly brightens up everyones day. They want to pet him, want to hug him and its just a really good thing, Medeiros said. It seems like Brody is already used to being around everyone in the office, including the police chief Kevin Lynch, so much so that the pup slept comfortably through the ceremony on the chiefs desk. We put him down on the desk and he was just so comfortable that he lay down and fell asleep, Medeiros said. However, he also explained that the K-9 plays really hard and sleeps really hard, thus he didnt mind taking the oath for his partner. Despite the adorable K-9 officially sleeping through the whole ceremony, Lynch has high hopes for the puppy. Lynch said that before he joined as the towns new chief, he had already thought of introducing a canine officer to the town. Thus, when Medeiros suggested bringing in a therapy dog, Lynch was all for it. I knew we had a winning formula for the town, Lynch said at the ceremony. Im extremely proud. This is a very big day for the Bristol Police Department. He is going to be a superstar in the Town of Bristol, I guarantee it, he added. Watch the video: (Video courtesy of Bristol, R.I. Police Department) Challenging times like these are momentous and so must our support be, to each other. Dr. Clinton Lee APWASI today launched over 20 online wine and spirit certification courses in 26 languages. The newly released programs include the worlds first certified courses in Icewine, Wines of China, Caviar and Truffles. APWASI (Asia Pacific Wine and Spirit Institute) board unanimously agreed to move the launch forward to offer support to those in the airline, cruise-line, hotel and hospitality industry who are facing uncertain, challenging and life-changing situations because of the global pandemic. APWASI will be making the important Wine Essentials 1 Course complimentary and other courses qualify for special pricing. The program goals are to allow people to be more productive, acquire new knowledge and get certified during this period at home that many are experiencing. Further information is available at http://www.apwasi.com. In 2018/2019 there were over 100,000 wine and spirit students globally undertaking courses from various wine bodies. The wine and spirits market is explosively dynamic and experiencing generational, global and dramatic taste changes. APWASIs mission when developing these career courses, was to combine required fundamental theory and practical skills required for the workplace. Fellow industry experts were consulted to ensure APWASI courses had the impact and relevance to enable course graduates to be seamlessly and more easily absorbed into new career positions. APWASI courses are highly affordable and competitive for the market, ensuring accessibility for individuals looking to advance their knowledge. As a non-profit organization, APWASI wants ensure the courses can be delivered globally and at scale. Dr Clinton Lee, Executive Director APWASI said, It is imperative students have the choice now of a condensed route to attaining new skills with the flexibility to further upgrade those skills during their career. Not only are work skills important but so are cultural awareness levels. I was adamant that APWASI courses incorporate cultural awareness and we have done that. As a lifelong student myself, I can share through my own experience, that lifelong learning is the only way forward. APWASI developed a holistic approach for their students, from start to career, by developing strong strategic alliances with pivotal partners in the field. APWASI strategic alliances include Quini (http://www.quiniwine.com), a respected, established online wine tasting software company. Students can taste wine and record professional grade tasting notes with ease, anywhere, anytime and recall them at the touch of a button. Students can also take online language study components through APWASIs strategic partnership with Rosetta Stone Language. Studying Italian wine and language just became much easier, said Dr. Lee. APWASI students will also be able to keep up to-date online with the wine industry through our highly valued APWASI strategic partner, Wine Spectator magazine. Within weeks, students will be able to access additional APWASI strategic partners, including global recruitment agencies geared to focus on APWASI graduates, to help with placement in meaningful careers during and after their course completion. Roger Noujem, CEO of Quini, said, Global industry requires talent that is digitally savvy in cross functional areas of business. Going well beyond being personally knowledgeable about wine, for example. It is skills related to bringing automation ideas to the workplace that have now become more important than ever in the wine and hospitality sectors. With the new depth of education, certifications, virtual environment and partnerships that APWASI has crafted, we see a paradigm shift that QUINI is exceptionally proud to help advance and stand shoulder to shoulder with APWASI on. About APWASI Asia Pacific Wine and Spirit Institute, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was established in 2015 as a non-profit organization. APWASI co-operates globally with wine organizations, councils, industry, airlines, hotel groups and restaurants. The Institute is committed to providing practical world class, online wine and spirits classes that meet the skilled needs of the hospitality industry, wine professionals and wine enthusiasts. Currently, APWASI offers over 20 courses. Contact Information: Dr. Clinton Lee - info@apwasi.com 1-833-279-2748 http://www.facebook.com/apwasi http://www.twitter.com/apwasi1 https://instagram.com/apwasi__institute?igshid=1wvlbzctbg0la The local arm of Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi has boosted efforts of local government in its place of business. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) extended its assistance to the local government of Santa Rosa City, Laguna by lending two L300 units. The L300 vehicleswhich will be utilized as shuttle service for the frontlinerswere personally handed over to Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas. The L200 will ferry frontliners to and from their respective destinations within the boundaries of Santa Rosa City during the enhanced community quarantine period. L300 Sta. Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas with Lestie Lanceta, MMPC Senior Manager for Production who facilitated the turnover According to MMPC, Each unit will be allowed to carry a maximum of 10 passengers, including the driver, to observe the social/physical distancing rule. Aside from that the said units are being used to shuttle goods to be distributed to those who are home quarantined in Sta Rosa City. For their part, Arcillas expressed gratitude over the help additional extended to them. The City of Santa Rosa would like to thank Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation for lending us two Mitsubishi L300 units to be used during this time of need, when all the resources not only of the LGUs, of the national government but of the private groups as well are really very important,"she said. "We truly appreciate all the help and support of MMPC to the City of Santa Rosa not only now but ever since the Corporation has chosen the City to be their home. Again, to MMPC, maraming, maraming salamat po! Meanwhile, MMPC President and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, was also elated over the help for the frontliners of the city. L300 Covid-19 Mitsubishi Motors Philippines is one with the city government of Santa Rosa in the fight against this virus. We our deeply thankful and grateful for all the sacrifice being done by our frontliners to keep this wonderful city safe. We will remain your partner in these trying times," Oshikiri added. Story continues Also read: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its nod to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC&H), Ludhiana, to carrying out COVID-19 tests. Earlier, the samples from the city had to be sent to Government Medical College, Patiala, for testing. Christian Medical College and Hospital is also expected to get the facility soon. The state earlier had only three other testing facilities, which include Government Medical College, Amritsar, Government Medical College, Patiala, and Guru Gobind Singh Medical University, Faridkot. When Los Angeles County schools closed last month in an effort to halt the spread of conroavirus, Matthew Lee was among those laid off. Lee, who graduated from UC Santa Barbara last June, worked about 20 hours a week as a substitute teacher while completing online classes needed for a teaching degree. He currently lives with his parents, and he used his teaching income to cover his portion of the rent and his car payments. So with bills coming due, Lee checked out the unemployment portal offered through California's Employment Development Department. But he didn't get very far. "I did actually check out the unemployment website for EDD California, but it was pretty overwhelming to have to go through that. It gave me flashbacks of the DMV website it was too much," Lee says, so he simply put off filing. That is, until he saw a push notification from the DoNotPay app. "It was awesome that they reminded me to [file for unemployment], and that I was able to do it so quickly," he says. Lee, who has been a subscriber to the legal robo service app for about a year, was one of the early beta testers for DoNotPay's newest feature: a chatbot that will help you complete and submit unemployment claims. That help couldn't come at a better time. With roughly 22 million Americans filing for unemployment over the past three weeks, many states have struggled to keep up with the overwhelming number of people seeking support. The landing page for DoNotPay's new tool to help users file for unemployment. Hundreds of workers across the country have taken to social media over the past weeks to denounce the construction union for enforcing continued production in the sector, despite the health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU) has responded with censorship. Supporters of the union bureaucracy have also crudely denounced workers critical of the CFMMEU and downplayed the dangers of COVID-19, demonstrating their contempt for workers health and safety. Yesterday, the Age revealed that administrators of a Victorian CFMMEU Facebook page were mass deleting comments by union members demanding an industry shutdown and condemning the corporatist character of the organisation. Indicating the scale of the censorship, the newspaper stated that it had received over 100 screenshots of comments that had been removed. Union officials responded to the revelation by citing their social media policy, which bans abusive posts, along with content that is unlawful or misleading or totally irrelevant. In other words, criticism of the union and its well-paid officials is not allowed. The posts quoted by the Age were clearly relevant to the conditions confronting workers. One deleted comment stated: At the end of the day we are a commodity which is easily replaced. We are economic fodder. Another said: I work in construction and really think its unsafe for sites to be open. The CFMEU closes sites when there is two drops of rain but yet a killer virus seems to be OK. One simply stated: Worker dues before health, its disgusting. A worker who spoke to the Age, explained: I wrote on one of the posts I would rather be at home and that comment got deleted. I dont see anything wrong with that comment, its probably how 90 percent of CFMEU members feel. In an indication that the anger is not limited to the state of Victoria, the national CFMMEU construction Facebook page has also been inundated with workers condemning the union. In response to a video of CFMMEU national construction secretary Dave Noonan declaring last month that we are all in this together, and the union is with you, one worker wrote: You dont look after us in the best of times lol boys in Melbourne getting sacked by the hundreds months ago and you didnt do a thing. As long as we pay our dues you are happy. We will remember this! Another wrote: It should be up to the workers to decide if we want to be at work or not. Can the CFMMEU guarantee that we are safe? No, you cant because this is unknown. The worker stated that union officials had instructed members that they would be safe if they were only in closely-confined quarters together for 15 minutes or less. He noted that this contradicted the statements of medical experts and doctors. Another wrote: No soap no hand sanitizer over crowded alimaks. Who are you trying to kid??? Social distancing just cannot work on a building site. The administrators of the CFMMEU national page have not carried out the same blatant censorship as their Victorian colleagues. Instead, the union has simply stopped posting content to the page, in a bid to prevent it becoming a centre for further discussion. The comments, and the anti-democratic response of the CFMMEU, give expression to an emerging rebellion against the union, which, like its counterparts across every industry, has functioned as an industrial police force of the corporations for decades. The union has taken this role to a new level since widespread coronavirus infections began in Australia last February. Working closely with state and federal governments and industry associations, it has insisted that construction is an essential sector of the economy and must continue regardless of the spread of the virus. This claim is clearly bogus. The vast bulk of construction activity involves the development of residential properties along with buildings to be used by corporations and big business. The sole concern of the union is that the boom in the industry, which generates an annual revenue of around $360 billion, continues at all costs. Workers have widely reported that they are unable to practice social distancing on most construction sites. They have stated that they have been provided with little or no additional protective equipment, such as face masks. Many have said that they have been kept in the dark and provided with no information by companies or the unions about the risks that they confront. Already, there have been at least two confirmed cases of coronavirus on major building sites in Melbourne. The sites were temporarily closed after a worker at each of them received the diagnosis. They were reopened, however. In one of the cases, at Multiplexs $2.8 billion Melbourne Square development, workers were forced back onto the job without any indication of whether the virus was still present on the site, or if other colleagues were infected. Earlier this month, the Age published part of the transcript of a meeting between a number of the workers and a CFMMEU representative. The union official professed ignorance, declaring that, he had been told nothing by health authorities. Signalling the unions support for an unsafe resumption of work, he said that individuals could go home if they wished, but that they would not be paid. When the details of the exchange were revealed, Noonan blithely repeated the claim that construction was essential and must proceed. The Melbourne Square development, however, does not involve the construction of hospitals or other publicly-necessary facilities. Instead, its purpose is to create a massive high-end retail complex and hundreds of upmarket apartments. The CFMMEU and its predecessors have for decades jeopardised the safety of its members to ensure corporate profits. This has resulted in the sector being listed as the third most dangerous in the country. In 2019, there were 22 deaths on the job. This followed 110 fatalities over the previous three years. In many instances, union safety officials had been warned by workers that conditions were unsafe, but had done nothing and had enforced continued production. The union has also overseen the destruction of tens of thousands of jobs, which has facilitated the ever-greater use of casual and contract labour. As the 2015 Royal Commission into union corruption revealed, the CFMMEU has the closest of ties with property developers and construction companies, including those that have laid-off workers and withheld their entitlements. The role of the CFMMEU in the present crisis is replicated across the board. Unions all over the country are tearing up existing inadequate conditions and instituting even more draconian work regimes. Sally McManus, the head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is collaborating with the federal Coalition government on a daily basis as it hands billions of dollars to the very corporations that are sacking workers amid the slump. This demonstrates that to defend their social rights, including to protect their health and lives from the pandemic, workers must break with the unions and form new organisations of struggle, including independent rank-and-file committees. Such organisations would be tasked with coordinating a genuine industrial and political campaign for the immediate closure of the construction industry and all other non-essential sectors. They would be confronted with the necessity of fighting for a workers government to place the major corporations that dominate the sector under public ownership and democratic workers control. We invite all construction workers looking for a way forward politically, or seeking to share their experiences, to contact the Socialist Equality Party at sep@sep.org.au After three weeks of Remote Learning, Zayed University (ZU) announced the implementation of a special grading model for courses of the Spring 2020 semester, to ensure students GPA wont get effected due to current circumstances. The Pass/No Pass (P/NP) model, which has been adopted by several reputable higher education institutions regionally and globally, will apply to all undergraduate and graduate students of ZU. To express alignment with Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the P/NP model is considered as an appropriate way forward for the Spring 2020 semester. However, further clarity will be provided on the Summer Semester in due course. We recognise that students are concerned about their grades during this remote learning phase. The decision, of the Pass/No-Pass grading model, was done after consultation and benchmarking with international standards. We are offering this flexibility because COVID-19 has forced such massive adjustments in all of our lives, said Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, Acting Vice-President of Zayed University. Zayed University is ready for all the eventualities that can affect the learning process and has developed plans and actions that will assist in making the E-learning journey smooth. Come what may, the external challenges do not steer us away from our promise to our students and that is to continue to deliver the highest academic standards and practices. It is our obligation to persist in honouring the Universitys values and to ensure continuity so as to enable our students towards long-term success and to thrive as the future of contributors of the UAE, Al Yousuf Added. The P/NP model will be based on faculty assigned final grades, which they produce on regular course bases, according to the Universitys Grading System. The Students Registrars Office will inform students to review their grades and to decide if they want to accept the grade of each course as posted or to have some, all or none converted to a P/NP grade, Al Yousuf said. Students will be given a deadline of 7 calendar days to decide and indicate their choices for grade conversion, if any. And Those who elect to opt to the P/NP option, a note is added to his/her record/transcript indicating that. A special grading option was adopted by the institution for this semester due to the academic disruption by COVID-19 pandemic. The (P) grade is assigned when a students overall academic performance in the course is Satisfactory, which is 60 or better for undergraduate courses and 70 or better for graduate courses. This grade will give students credits without impacting their GPA. The (NP) grade is assigned when a students overall academic performance is Unsatisfactory, and this grade will neither earn credits nor impact the GPA. The Pass/No-Pass grading model allows students to focus on their learning outcomes and growth while having more opportunities to improve and ease the pressure on the fear that a students GPA could get affected due to the current circumstances. Delivering practical sessions remotely is certainly more challenging and relevant colleges are approaching instructional delivery innovatively and are continuously exploring new techniques, ZU Acting Vice-President said. Majors that require lab work have been modified by converting laboratory sessions into theoretical assignments that require critical thinking skills and creativity while still meeting the required learning outcomes. We are also experimenting with the use of virtual laboratories, where students can experience a virtual version of a particular experiment through their computer or device. Current assessment and quality assurance measures have been modified, and we are currently incorporating new methods suitable for e-learning such as open-book exams; active collaborative assignments, projects, and research papers. Al Yousuf encouraged the Zayed University community to be patient, flexible, and to continue to kindly provide constructive feedback into how the learning experience could be improved. -- Tradearabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 09:24:16|Editor: zyl Video Player Close HANOI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on the COVID-19 Response kicked off Tuesday morning in videoconferencing format to affirm their commitment to combating the global pandemic, ensuring peaceful life of people and sustainable development of countries in the region. In his capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the virtual summit, which was attended by the heads of state or government of the 10 ASEAN members, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and the ASEAN secretary-general. The leaders are expected to focus their discussions on containing and preventing the spread of COVID-19, supporting people in the countries hit by the disease, including providing consular assistance to ASEAN citizens living, working and studying in other ASEAN nations or a third country, and minimizing socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. They are also expected to adopt a joint statement on COVID-19 response reaffirming their commitment and determination in eliminating the pandemic's risks which threaten people's lives and socio-economic stabilization of the nations. On Tuesday afternoon, the virtual Special ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN Plus Three) Summit on COVID-19 Response will be held, touching upon measures to respond to and repel the global pandemic. At the summit, the heads of state or government of the 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan and South Korea, the ASEAN secretary-general and the World Health Organization director-general are poised to elaborate actions and initiatives to bolster cooperation on winning the war against COVID-19, and ensure the region's dynamic and sustainable development in the long run. They are expected to adopt a joint statement on COVID-19 response after sharing relevant practical experiences and discussing potential cooperation among ASEAN countries, as well as between the block and its three dialogue partners, especially cooperation on preventing and containing the global pandemic. The two summits are taking place at a time when COVID-19 continues striking many countries around the world, including ASEAN nations, posing a grave threat to the human health and safety, while fueling worries about its huge impact on economy regionally and globally. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has tested positive for Covid-19. The Dublin Central TD says that she received her diagnosis yesterday, having been tested on March 28. Ms McDonald had tweeted two weeks ago that she had awoken with a head cold and would be staying home. Ms McDonald's children had previously been forced to isolate after a case was found at their Glasnevin school last month. In a statement today, Ms McDonald said that she had recovered from the illness, but had developed pleurisy in her right lung. "The Public Health Doctor informs me that I am no longer infected or infectious, and this is a great relief after weeks of being very unwell. I had a setback in my recovery at the weekend and developed post-viral pleurisy in my right lung. I am on medication and responding very well, and I fully expect to be back at work next Monday. My thoughts and solidarity are with everyone who is sick at this time, and my gratitude is with our Doctors, nurses, carers and everyone who looks after us. My sympathy is with every bereaved family. I am heartbroken for you. My appeal to everyone is to stay safe, stay home and stay apart. You do not want to get this virus." She sued Celebrity on Tuesday, the first plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of failing to protect crew members by not distributing masks and implementing social distancing measures. The company released her four days early from quarantine and sent her on a 20-hour bus and plane ride back to Bulgaria where she is self-isolating at an Airbnb she had to pay for herself, she said. Nobody cares about the little people, if they get sick, or dont get sick, she said. Royal Caribbean, which owns Celebrity Cruises, declined to comment, saying the company does not discuss pending litigation. Cruise companies suspended operations in mid-March. But when that decision was made, dozens of ships were still at sea. Many of them departed even after the high-profile outbreak of the virus on the Diamond Princess; at least 700 people fell ill and nine died during the ships voyage off the coast of Japan. People aboard the remaining ships have continued to get sick. Several passengers have died at sea. Turned away at a number of international ports, several of the ships have been evacuated at ports in Florida and California but generally only the passengers. MELBOURNE, Australia, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global hospitality learning platform Typsy today announced the launch of a new plan to support the worldwide hospitality industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The Typsy COVID Support Plan offers unrestricted, free online access to its industry-leading platform and Netflix-style library of 650+ hospitality video lessons. The COVID Support Plan will be available for individuals, businesses, and schools until Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. With venues across the world being forced to downsize or close in response to the pandemic, this support plan will help businesses stay engaged and connected with their workforce. It will also enable members to freely develop their hospitality skills, empowering those who have been affected by COVID-19 to access online learning opportunities and re-enter the workforce with confidence. In a statement released today, Typsy CEO Jonathan Plowright described the initiative as crucial, saying, "The negative impacts on hospitality and tourism are devastating, however, a stronger community is building. People are rallying to provide initiatives that give the industry the best chance at a strong rebound in the future. Being able to offer free access to Typsy at this time allows us to support not only our existing customers, but we can also help many more people whose lives and businesses have been disrupted by the effects of COVID-19. Community has never been more important than it is now, and providing online learning is a positive and accessible way to help people stay productive, connected and engaged with their employers and the hospitality industry. We all need to do what we can to ensure the industry comes through this." Typsy is backed by the world's leading hotel school and Swiss-based education group Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL) and counts dozens of global groups, including Radisson, Delaware North, Wyndham and Hyatt, as clients. "Our clients have been impacted enormously both commercially and operationally, which has had a ripple effect on all suppliers. Whilst our revenue has taken a major hit, we are incredibly fortunate to have strong backing from our partner, EHL, who is steadfast in their resolve to help support the industry. This puts us in a fortunate position whereby we can invest in the increased computing and other costs necessary to provide free access to the platform during this difficult period." Over the past month, Typsy usage has increased over 1,600%, and it's expected that up to one million new learners will join the platform to learn and earn micro-credentials over the next six months. Typsy is the world's fastest-growing online hospitality learning platform. Typsy courses are led by world-class instructors and designed for hotel and restaurant chains, learning institutions, small businesses, as well as individuals looking to upskill and improve their resume and job opportunities. The Typsy course library consists of lessons in a variety of categories including leadership, beverage, service, hotel and culinary. Endorsed certificates are earned for every course completed on Typsy. Typsy recognizes that it is essential to address ways in which hospitality practices can evolve and adapt to deal with the impact of COVID-19. The company today also released a COVID-19 course which includes topics useful to many operators right now, such as how to serve guests safely during take away service. As this is a uniquely stressful situation for hospitality staff and businesses, a Health and Wellbeing for Hospitality course is also being released this month, covering topics including the effects of stress, stress management, common myths about mental health, and substance use in hospitality. Press contact: Felicity Thomlinson 0429 448 217 [email protected] Related Links Typsy's COVID Support Plan Typsy Related Links http://typsy.com SOURCE Typsy State government-sponsored programs designed to feed Florida's most vulnerable Program will aim to assist the state's population of elderly adults GetSwift Limited (ASX: GSW) ('GetSwift' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of SaaS logistics technology, is proud to support the State of Florida with a crisis-response program designed to sustain daily meal delivery during the coronavirus pandemic. Starting Monday, April 13, GetSwift will provide order management, delivery and routing support to help reach senior Floridians and others in need who depend on daily meal service. GetSwift will partner with Feed The Need of Florida and Meals of Love, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) and restaurant partners such as the 4R Restaurant Group, operator of 4 Rivers Smokehouse restaurants which will provide fresh-cooked meals seven days a week. "We are honored to be working with the State of Florida, Meals of Love, Feed the Need of Florida and 4R Restaurant Group on such a critical initiative to reach vulnerable Floridians in this extraordinary time of need. We are looking forward to supporting all of other States that are in the process of implementing similar measures. Now is the time to stand united as we meet one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation" said Bane Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of GetSwift. GetSwift, based in New York City, provides delivery logistics and staff management services to clients across the United States and around the world. In addition to restaurants, GetSwift serves companies across industries ranging from billiard table manufacturers to propane-tank services to government infrastructure services. The emergency service will reach up to all 67 counties in Florida. The total value of the agreement cannot be determined due the unpredictability of the total number of meals that will be delivered on a daily basis. 4 Rivers Smokehouse locations along with other Florida restaurants will reconfigure its food production facilities to produce daily meals in a cost-efficient manner. "Our entire team looks forward to working with Florida restaurants to meet the challenge and opportunity to deliver nutritious meals to our fellow Floridians," said Skip Kimpel, Chief Information Officer at 4R Restaurant Group. "This ambitious endeavor would not be possible without the technology GetSwift will provide to organize orders, schedule drivers, and provide logistics to ensure timely, accurate deliveries." 4 Rivers is involved as part of its participation in Feed The Need, a program created out of 4Roots, a nonprofit whose mission is to build a better food future in Central Florida. This announcement was approved, and authorised for release by, the GetSwift Board of Directors. About GetSwift Limited Technology to Optimise Global Delivery Logistics GetSwift is a worldwide leader in delivery management automation. From enterprise to hyper-local, businesses across dozens of industries around the globe depend on our SaaS platform to bring visibility, accountability, efficiency and savings to their supply chain and "Last Mile" operations. GetSwift is headquartered in New York City and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:GSW). For further background, please visit GetSwift.co GetSwift is an emerging growth company and is subject to a variety of risks. The Company is not yet profitable, and there can be no assurance that it will achieve profitability. The Company's business and a variety of investment considerations are discussed in more detail in the Company's filings with the Australia Securities Exchange (ASX). Investors are encouraged to review the more complete information contained in such filings. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005614/en/ Contacts: Media enquiries: James Richardson, Public Affairs Advisor james.richardson@dentons.com +1 202-408-9160 Investor enquiries: investors@getswift.co Company Secretary: julian.rockett@boardroomlimited.com.au +61 2 8016 2841 ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will impose a fresh lockdown next weekend as part of measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, after a 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces that ended at midnight. The curfew covered all Turkey's major cities including its commercial hub Istanbul, which is home to 16 million residents. People had rushed to shops to stock up on supplies on Friday, when the weekened lockdown was announced at short notice ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will impose a fresh lockdown next weekend as part of measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, after a 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces that ended at midnight. The curfew covered all Turkey's major cities including its commercial hub Istanbul, which is home to 16 million residents. People had rushed to shops to stock up on supplies on Friday, when the weekened lockdown was announced at short notice. Erdogan said another lockdown would be imposed next weekend and more may be in store for Turkey and that measures would be taken to ensure that a similar scramble is not repeated. "In our cabinet meeting, we have decided to continue the weekend lockdowns when deemed necessary," he said. Confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Turkey rose to 61,049 on Monday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, while the death toll reached 1,296. Erdogan rejected the resignation on Sunday of Interior Minsiter Suleyman Soylu, who said he was stepping down in the wake of the short-notice lockdown. In addition to the weekend lockdown, Ankara has closed schools, bars and cafes, halted mass prayers, restricted domestic travel and imposed stay-at-home orders on those over 65 years of age and below 20 to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Ankara has considered funding options to cushion the economic impact of the outbreak, but has ruled out seeking support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Erdogan said that Turkey would not "bow down to any imposition", including a deal with the IMF. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Ezgi Erkoyun and Alexander Smith) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Citibank Korea CEO Park Jin-hei, right, poses with YWCA of Korea President Han Young-soo at the bank's main branch in Seoul, Tuesday. The bank donated 360 million won ($300,000) to the association to continue the "Think Money" financial education program designed for teenagers. / Courtesy of Citibank Korea Under fire from the Opposition for running a one-man show without a cabinet, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the decision was taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chouhan further said that he would consult the party in this regard after the first phase of lockdown is over on Tuesday. When I took over as the CM, corona was the biggest challenge. Hence, the party decided against formation of the cabinet, he said in a video clipping released to the media on Monday evening. Chouhan took oath as the chief minister on March 23. Notably, former chief minister Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha in the past couple of days questioned the propriety behind the CM not forming his cabinet for such a long time and running a one-man show. In a letter to President of India on Saturday, Tankha even demanded imposition of Presidents Rule in the state if the chief minister is unable to form his cabinet. Tankha said in the letter, Alternatively, if the chief minister is unable to form his cabinet because of issues beyond his control, then a case of breakdown of constitutional machinery will be self-evident in the state of Madhya Pradesh, warranting the Union to consider the imposition of Presidents Rule in the state. On his part, while citing the reason behind not forming his cabinet, Chouhan attacked former chief minister Kamal Nath for doing nothing on his part to fight coronavirus. Chouhan said, Kamal Nath in his press conference said Rahul Gandhi had warned the government against the threat of corona on February 12. Kamal Nath remained the chief minister till March 23 but he did nothing. Chouhan asked, Can we be so selfish to stop work right now if there is no chance of continuation in the chair of CM after some time? The fact remains, he said, No preparation was done in time. The problem was overlooked. The necessary arrangements were not made. There was no concern over safety of people. It was all because there was no compassion for people. The CM said, I called up Kamal Nath between February 20 and 23 and requested him to take necessary steps as pandemic of Covid-19 was looming large. But the then government did nothing. Who is responsible for the situation in Indore and Bhopal? Chouhan said, When I took over only 7 tests were being conducted in a laboratory but today the number of laboratories has gone up to 7. We are conducting 1080 tests in our labs. But we are not dependent on only our labs. We are getting tests done in other labs in the country too. Then, the number of testing kits and PPE kits was insignificant. Now, we are manufacturing 5,000 PPE kits daily on our own and we have 63,000 PPE kits right now. There was no facility for isolation in hospitals but today there are 23 hospitals only for Covid-19 patients. There are 4,000 beds for these patients. Kamal Naths media coordinator Narendra Saluja, meanwhile, said, Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should also tell people as to what he and the central government were doing when Covid-19 was spreading in the country. Is it not true that the Central government was waiting for toppling of the elected Congress government in Madhya Pradesh and this was the reason even parliament session was not adjourned? The moment BJP toppled the Congress government lockdown restrictions were imposed in the entire country. Saluja said, Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should come out with all the facts and documents as to when he issued ordered for PPE and testing kits and what are the measures he undertook and also when to protect the state and also Indore and Bhopal. He should also make it clear as to why Madhya Pradesh under his leadership became one of five worst affected states in the country and why Indore became one of the worst affected cities in the country as far as Covid-19 positive cases and death of such patients are concerned. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In India, where more than 250 million children have been affected by school closures, Worldreader is working with educational agencies and telecommunications companies to alert parents to its free e-reading service through WhatsApp and SMS group messages. The evidence is so overwhelming that without a literate and reading population, you cant have a self-reliant, healthy population, Mr. Risher said. Other literacy organizations, nonprofits and subscription services have also opened up their e-book collections for children who are out of school. The digital reading platform Epic, which has more than 40,000 childrens e-books, has made its library available at no charge, allowing schoolteachers to give their students access to its e-books through June 30. Since the start of the pandemic, the nonprofit First Book has distributed more than a million print editions of childrens books, and has made downloadable e-books available to teachers to distribute to their students. In the past six weeks, teachers have used 724,000 download codes to access e-books for their students, surpassing the number of downloads for all of 2019, according to a spokeswoman for First Book. Scribd, an e-book and audiobook subscription service that includes 150,000 childrens and young adult titles, is offering free access to its digital library for 30 days. (One of the recommended reading lists is titled Keeping kids busy at home. Weve put together a list of kids books to help your household stay sane and even enjoy this time of forced family togetherness, the description says.) Worldreader remains focused on reaching children in the developing world, though theyve discussed expanding to Europe and North America in the wake of school closures across those continents, Mr. Risher said, and the groups BookSmart app is accessible in the United States and Britain. Worldreader started with a trial program with e-readers in Africa in 2009, but a few years later the group shifted its focus to a mobile reading app for cellphones. Through partnerships with 426 different publishers, Worldreader built up a library of more than 12,000 e-books in more than 50 languages, including classics like The Chronicles of Narnia and contemporary best sellers like Mary Osbornes Magic Tree House series and several of Neil Gaimans books for young readers. Penguin Random House has provided some 450 e-books for Worldreaders library; Simon & Schuster has made 100 of its titles available, and plans to add another 100 books for the BookSmart app. They have been very assiduous about identifying the communities that need these books, said Carolyn Reidy, the president and chief executive of Simon & Schuster. Everyones at home, and everybody does not have the ability to do distance learning. Alice Friend is a visiting research professor at the U.S. Army War College and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. (Twitter: @ahfdc) Jim Golby is an Army officer serving as a defense policy adviser at the U.S. mission to NATO and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. (Twitter: @jimgolby) Starting in June, Alice and Jim will co-host the Center for Strategic and International Studies' 'Thank You For Your Service' podcast. Is it time to put a military officer in charge of the federal government's response to COVID-19? Some people think so. Since the outbreak in the United States began, myriad public officials have called for the military to contribute to the response. More recently, some voices have demanded a military official takeover. One such commenter advocated for an officer to be empowered to "commandeer resources from any agency," including "HHS, CDC, FDA, DHS, FEMA, and the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and State." Although we share the desire to find a swift way to minimize the immense suffering resulting from this tragic pandemic, we disagree that a military institution or active duty officer ought to take over the federal response. The military should support civil authorities in the COVID-19 response, not lead them. Reflexive calls for the military to assume a leadership role in what is a nonmilitary crisis are consistent with the public's almost-complete faith in the military as an institution. The average American believes that the military works and that most other government institutions don't. And in a crisis, it is better to be practical than doctrinaire about who is in charge. This argument, however, assumes a military officer would be better at coordinating the federal response than a civilian with relevant leadership and epidemiological or disaster relief expertise. She wouldn't. Although the federal government itself has at times faltered and sent mixed messages about the appropriate response to the pandemic, many state and local officials are acquitting themselves well in difficult circumstances. Americans have also looked to civilian public health experts and scientists who are demonstrating their competence in uncertain times. Moreover, the chaos at the federal level is a result of politics, not a dearth of competent officials. Doctors Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx are being limited by the need to navigate political constraints, not by their capacity to organize and apply their expertise. Perhaps a military officer would be able to sidestep political tensions, but the experiences of both active and retired general officers who recently have served in high-profile positions belie that hope. As one of us recently tweeted, giving leadership to someone in uniform won't "drain the crisis of politics, but it may very well politicize the uniform." To be sure, members of the military are stepping up to play an important role in our national pandemic response. Nearly 30,000 members of the National Guard have been mobilized; more than 4,600 active duty service members are contributing specialized expertise; and thousands of reservists are likely on the way to do the same. But service members are not the only ones who are serving. Selfless and patriotic public servants, all of them civilians, have exposed themselves to risks and demonstrated noble leadership. Healthcare workers and scientists are stepping into the breach. Public and private sector leaders are making expensive decisions to protect their employees. College professors and preschool teachers alike are educating our nation online, managing their own family and health commitments as they strive to ensure students don't miss a beat. Service industry workers are risking their health to keep American citizens fed. And diplomats overseas are working to bring stranded Americans home as quickly as possible. All of them are showing the kind of valor, sacrifice and leadership many in the country believed were the special purview of the armed services just a few weeks ago. Yet schoolteachers, firefighters, police, doctors, nurses, librarians, social workers and even government technocrats have been here the whole time. After 9/11, and through Afghanistan and Iraq. Through the financial crisis and the opioid crisis. Service and leadership have been everywhere, not just in military uniforms. This moment is therefore a possible turning point, one where Americans will either recalibrate how they think about shared duty and civic obligation or where we will only fall deeper into our tendency to over-rely on the military and under-resource other civic institutions. None of this is to claim that service members should not play a large role in the COVID-19 response. The military can -- and likely will -- do more as the crisis deepens. But its efforts should be in the background and support of civil authorities, as they are now. Establishing a joint task force led by a three-star general to coordinate military efforts in support of civil authorities may be prudent. But that military officer should answer to the Secretary of Defense, not be able to task him -- or any other civilian cabinet official. The federal response to the pandemic has been slow and uneven. And it is true that our civic institutions will sometimes let us down and fail to deliver on what Americans need. But, when they do, it is to other civilians -- not the military -- that we must turn. The military can't save us from COVID-19, and we shouldn't ask it to. -- The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Army War College, the Department of the Army, the U.S. Mission to NATO or the Department of Defense. -- 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. Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, has dismissed reports and videos circulating on social media about the kind of food that the organization is sharing to the homeless and vulnerable in society. As part of measures to provide relief to underprivileged Ghanaians affected by the partial lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the NADMO to distribute relief items, both cooked and non-cooked food items, to this category of people. Following the President's directive to feed over 400,000 people in these trying times, there have been viral videos on social media showing some people expressing their dissatisfaction and resentments over the nature of the food given them. Some have complained that the food doesn't meet any nutritious standard and wondered why they would be given such food to consume. Addressing the issue on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' program on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the NADMO Boss asked the general public to ignore such videos. To him, the circulation of those video are all part of grand propaganda against the government. He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the President is very concerned about the condition of the people and so has directed the NADMO to give hygienic food to the beneficiaries. He noted that the NADMO will not give anything that doesn't add hygienic value to the receivers and so, is using the services of trained school feeding caterers to prepare the food. ''The President's instruction to us was that apart from the fact that we giving food to the people, we should look at the hygienic aspect of it so that we don't give someone food and later on record cases of cholera and other related diseases. So, we're using the trained school feeding caterers," he stressed. Listen to Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi 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 Jammu, April 14 : It is the peak marigold flower harvesting season in J&K, but instead of taking the yield of the cash crop to Jammu markets, farmers are wasting it by throwing it into canals. Many farmers with small landholdings at R.S. Pura near Indo-Pak border in Jammu had turned to flower cultivation to reap more benefits rather than following the traditional wheat-paddy cycle, but a lockdown in the wake of coronavirus has resulted in losses for them. "Some farmers took to marigold cultivation lately, but due to the lockdown has resulted in farmers wasting the rich flower yield," said Rohit a farmer at RS Pura. "All the mandis and markets have closed so we can't sell our flowers and are facing daily losses." RS Pura is said to be the rice bowl of Jammu and Kashmir and is famous for basmati rice, but farmers who diversified for more gains are in a fix now. The farmers are now pinning hopes on the government to announce a farmer specific package to help them tide over the crisis. "Farmers have supported the lockdown call given by the government, but it is the duty of the government to think about farmers and to ensure that they don't lose their livelihood," said Jasbeer Chowdhury, a farmer. Farmers say they need help even as the lockdown period has been extended. Banks have enough cash to meet any demand in view of nationwide lockdown and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) commitments under Rs 1.7 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana package New Delhi: Banks have enough cash to meet any demand in view of nationwide lockdown and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) commitments under Rs 1.7 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana package. There is absolutely no dearth of cash and demands are being met on an immediate basis, bankers said. Clear instructions were given in this regard by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a virtual meeting with heads of both public and private sector banks on 28 March, a Finance Ministry official said. She had asked heads of banks to make sure there was adequate money in ATMs, branches and with banking correspondents, the official said. Anticipating spurt in demand due to salary withdrawal and DBT transfer, banks enhanced their cash holding limit upto three times than the usual with the permission of RBI, bankers said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak However, demand for cash has almost peaked and it is getting normal now, said a senior official of Bank of Maharashtra. According to a senior official of Punjab National Bank, the bank had to stock nearly three times of daily demand for the initial two weeks as the Oriental Bank of Commerce and the United Bank of India were merged leading to an increase in customers base. Besides, the official said, there were events like salary day and DBT transfer under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Now, the demand has stabilised but the bank is prepared to meet any spurt. A senior official of Union Bank of India said the bank was keeping more than double of daily demand to meet cash withdrawal pressure from various outlets, including banking correspondents. Over 2 lakh ATMs alone require about Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore per day during the lockdown period, said an official from a private sector bank. "The ATM channels of all the banks in India have daily cash availability of Rs 40,000 crore per day. The RBI has been very supportive and kind during this time and it has been providing with cash which is more than required," the official said. There are nearly 2.25 lakh ATMs spread across the country and most of them were working barring a few exceptions. Sources at HDFC Bank said whereas its ATMs used to have daily cash availability of roughly around Rs 2,000 crore across bank's 13,000 plus ATMs, it has been now maintaining cash worth Rs 3,000 crore per day at all its automated teller machines (ATMs). "We have increased cash in our ATMs by around 45-50 percent (since the lockdown). In a normal situation, our ATMs used to have roughly around Rs 2,000 crore of cash everyday, now we are maintaining it at around Rs 3,000 crore everyday," the sources said. The ATMs transactions per day have now increased to nearly Rs 400 crore, earlier it used to be around Rs 300-325 crore per day. At the same time, cash logistics companies kept ATMs running by feeding the cash at regular intervals. "We have received tremendous support from the government, which has helped us make more trips and ensure that ATMs don't run dry," said SIS Group managing director Rituraj Sinha. As part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, Rs 9,930 crore was disbursed to women Jan Dhan account holders while Rs 1,405 crore were provided as ex-gratia to about 2.82 crore old-age person, widow and disabled person under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). Under PM-KISAN, Rs 14,946 crore has gone towards payment of the first installment of PM-KISAN. Under the scheme, nearly 7.47 crore out of 8 crore identified beneficiaries got Rs 2,000 directly in their account Gov. Tom Wolf spoke about the coronavirus and its impact on Pennsylvania in a conference call with reporters. More than 25,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus and nearly 600 have died. Earlier today, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the curve is flattening in Pennsylvania. The governor fielded questions on a wide array of topics. Opening businesses Wolf was asked if hed sign bills to reopen businesses; some measures are being debated in the General Assembly. The governor deferred on a decision, saying the legislation is still being refined. But Wolf said he doesnt want to widely reopen businesses until it is safe to do so. If we dont do this right, the economy is going to be in even worse shape than it is now, Wolf said. Consumers wont go to stores if they dont feel safe, Wolf said. Wolf said he spoke with legislative leaders earlier today and they have some differences of opinion when it comes to reopening businesses. Wolf said hed be working with other neighboring states on developing plans to reopen businesses. He said the states would aim for consistency but it would not be a one-size-fits-all plan. The virus does not know state borders, Wolf said. The federal role on reopening Pa. Wolf was asked about the federal governments role in reopening the state of Pennsylvania. President Trump said hed decide when states would reopen, saying he would talk with governors for their input. Wolf said the federal government has given states the responsibility to take action on key decisions through the crisis. He credited the federal government with being as responsive as possible, given the scarcity of resources. The governor said the state had to make the call on closing schools and businesses. We also have the responsibility ... to figure out how were going to reopen, Wolf said. On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized Trumps remarks and said reopening states was a decision for the governors. The primary Some counties have said theyd prefer to see all voting in the June 2 primary done by mail. The primary, initially slated for April 28, was postponed due to the coronavirus. Wolf said he hasnt decided about what it would take to shift to a mail-in primary. But he said it is a possibility he is considering. Wolf said he doesnt want a repeat of what happened in Wisconsin, with long lines. The governor encouraged voters to take advantage of voting by mail. My goal is to keep Pennsylvanians safe, Wolf said. Wolf said he hasnt heard anyone talk about delaying the primary yet again. State budget concerns The governor was asked if there would be a significant tax increase due to budget concerns. Wolf said the state is waiting to see how much federal aid arrives. Wolf said the budget is taking a hit due to the virus. The governor has taken some steps to cut state spending. Earlier this month, the Wolf administration announced it would freeze paychecks for 9,000 state workers. The governor said he is fairly confident the federal government will provide the resources for states to continue providing essential services. Wolf was asked about a plan to tap $200 million from the states horse racing development fund to pay for college scholarships. He said he hasnt abandoned that plan yet. Graduations Wolf closed schools for the rest of the academic year. He was asked about schools allowing graduation ceremonies. He said schools can use their best judgment but they are going to have to consider social distancing guidelines. They cant mass a lot of people together, Wolf said. He said the virus isnt going to go away by the time graduations would typically occur. The graduation is going to happen, Wolf said. How people celebrate that passage, that right of passage, is going to be decided at the local levels. But he said if schools dont prepare ceremonies with safety in mind, people wont attend. Theres a real vested interest in doing this right," Wolf said. Rural areas Wolf was asked why rural counties with fewer cases must follow the same statewide stay-at-home area. The governor said the goal is to keep the rest of the state from facing the same crisis in the same magnitude as other areas. He said the fact that some areas arent seeing many cases is actually a reflection that the states tough measures are working. He pointed that at one point, there were no cases in Philadelphia. Today, there are more than 7,000 cases in the city, according to state figures. We have some comfort we have bent the curve, Wolf said. Hospital supplies The governor said hospitals are faring well in terms of available bed space and most supplies. He said there is a modest concern of having enough gowns. About 2,300 patients who have been diagnosed with the virus are being treated in hospitals. About 70 percent of the states ventilators remain available, Levine said earlier today. Domestic violence Wolf was asked about relaxing restrictions on renting and real estate to allow victims of domestic abuse an option of escape. The governor said he didnt think that would be the right way to go. Im not sure thats the solution but the problem is real, Wolf said. Wolf did note that fewer calls are coming into the states domestic abuse hotline, which could reflect fewer people feel they are safe to make a call. More from PennLive Gaps in Pa.s coronavirus testing procedures led to failure to collect critical data Pa. doesnt have racial data on most coronavirus cases, health secretary says Central Pa. grocery stores: Meat counters stocked, but too early to predict possible shortages Where are Pennsylvanias 25,345 coronavirus cases? April 14 map, details on known cases Vietnam will continue supporting countries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, maintain normal economic activities with them, and provide them with basic necessities, including food, as needed, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said when addressing the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 held online on April 14. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) addresses Special ASEAN Summit The PM spoke highly of ASEAN member states joining hands with Vietnam in responding to the pandemic from the very early days. He appreciated their backing of Vietnams proposals, such as establishing the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, setting up a reserve for medical supplies to meet urgent needs during epidemics, organising an online drill of defence forces, and setting up a task force of senior ASEAN information officials to combat fake news. PM Phuc emphasised the need for ASEAN to support those affected, work together in mitigating the viruss impact on socio-economic development, and propose measures to speed up economic recovery. ASEAN leaders also expressed their political commitment to fighting COVID-19. browser not support iframe. They said joint efforts by the bloc have seen encouraging initial results, with the number of infections in the region being much lower than elsewhere. They also affirmed that the top priority of the bloc at this moment is to control and prevent the spread of the disease, in particular tackling cross-border infections. ASEAN needs to take action to minimise the socio-economic impact, protect local people, and support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The leaders also discussed measures to facilitate economic recovery, including strengthening intra-bloc trade, speeding up negotiations over economic cooperation agreements, and implementing economic stimulus packages. Concluding the teleconference, the leaders adopted the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19. Thailand pushes forward establishment of ASEAN Response Fund to curb COVID-19 Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks at the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 on April 14. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to push ahead with a proposal to set up the ASEAN Response Fund (ARF) as part of a six-point declaration to be endorsed by the ten ASEAN leaders as they join hands to fight COVID-19, Bangkok Post reported. The widely-spreading COVID-19 pandemic has forced the grouping to hold the first ever summit teleconference, chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister and ASEAN Chair Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on April 14. It was the second time ASEAN has discussed the COVID-19 since the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting on Coronavirus Disease held in Vientiane, Laos in February. Prayuts plan is to table a number of important items during the one-day meeting, which will culminate in the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the Thai newspaper said. One of six measures in the declaration is the establishment of the ARF to arm medical personnel with weapons in their ongoing battle against the coronavirus, as well as pave the way for a new "force" to eradicate the disease in the long term. Thailand had earlier proposed setting up a fund to finance the purchase of medicine and medical equipment, as well as research for a COVID-19 vaccine at a recent meeting joined by foreign ministers. The idea was given the greenlight, pending final approval from the 10-nation bloc on April 14. Financing issues will be further discussed between ASEAN and its three partners - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea in the afternoon. VNA Syracuse, N.Y. The state Health Department says coronavirus has infected residents of more than half of New Yorks nursing homes, but it refuses to identify the facilities. At least 16 other state health departments are publicly identifying nursing homes and assisted living facilities in their states with coronavirus infections, according to a report by NBC News. Advocates for nursing home residents say New York should do the same. Not making that information public is not helpful to anyone, said Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit that advocates for older people. It creates more fear and anxiety. Families want this information so they will know if their loved ones in nursing homes are at risk, said Richard Mollot of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a Manhattan-based advocacy group for nursing home residents. He said getting that information is especially important now when families are not allowed to visit their loves ones in nursing homes because of the pandemic. People want some peace of mind, Mollot said. As of Sunday, there were 5,650 coronavirus cases in 340 New York nursing homes and 1,979 deaths among nursing home residents. Frail, elderly nursing home residents are at extremely high risk of catching the potentially deadly infection. One of the nations first big coronavirus outbreaks occurred in February in a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, near Seattle, where the virus spread like wildfire. The outbreak caused at least 40 deaths. New York is withholding the identities of nursing homes with coronavirus cases because of privacy concerns. Dr. Howard Zucker, the states health commissioner, said during a recent coronavirus briefing that his department tracks cases and outbreaks in all New York nursing homes, but we want to protect the privacy of individuals in nursing homes. After being questioned by reporters at a media briefing Monday, the state published nursing home coronavirus fatalities by county later in the day. It reported two in Central New York one in Onondaga County and one in Oneida County, but did not identify the nursing homes. The department has advised nursing homes to inform residents and their families whenever there is a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus in their facilities. Operators are striking a delicate balance between sharing important health information, while still protecting the personal and private health information of residents who call these facilities home, the health department said in a prepared statement. Onondaga County nursing homes have released little public information about positive cases. A notice on the website of the Central Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Syracuse says one resident and two employees have tested positive. A notice posted by the Centers at St. Camillus on its website Monday said it has no confirmed or suspected cases. Last month, Iroquois Nursing Home in Jamesville confirmed in a syracuse.com story that a former resident tested positive. syracuse.com also reported last week that a nurse tested positive at Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Will I have to pay income taxes on my coronavirus relief payment? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Israel's unacknowledged military campaign against Iranian targets in Syria could provide a model for the United States as it struggles to contain Tehran's network of armed proxies across the Middle East, according to a new report. The undeclared "gray zone" campaign Israel has conducted in Syria in recent years, consisting of more than 200 airstrikes on Iranian-affiliated targets, has limited Iran's military power without triggering a significant escalation, Middle East experts at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank, say in an advance version of a report to be released this week. A similar approach, the report asserts, would be more effective than the current U.S. strategy, which has alternated between avoiding kinetic action after Iranian attacks on U.S. and allied targets and launching highly publicized attacks on Iranian-linked targets, including a Jan. 3 drone strike that killed a senior military commander, Qasem Soleimani. "This is a strategy that can push Iran back, achieve some American objectives and dramatically reduce the chance of an all-out war," said Ilan Goldenberg, one of the report's authors who served as a Pentagon and State Department official during the Obama administration. The recommendations come as the Pentagon braces for additional attacks from Iranian-supported militias in Iraq, where the Trump administration's standoff with Iran has been the most starkly visible. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has overseen a "maximum pressure" campaign of punishing sanctions against Iran, which has battered the country's economy. When Iran began what U.S. officials have described as a series of attacks last spring, including the downing of an American drone, Trump initially took no known military steps other than a cyberattack targeting Iran's ability to target shipping vessels. Likewise, the administration decided against a military response when two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, were attacked in September 2019. Iran denied responsibility for that attack. That stance changed after a U.S. contractor was killed in a rocket attack in Iraq in late December. In response, Trump authorized strikes on targets in Iraq linked to Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia that U.S. officials blamed for the assault. After the strikes, which militia leaders said killed at least 25 of their men, militia members tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Several days later, a U.S. drone struck a car in Baghdad carrying Soleimani, who as head of Iran's Quds Force oversaw support for militia groups across the region. Iran responded to the general's death by firing missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq, wounding more than 100 troops in the first ballistic missile attack on American forces since the 1990s. The changing response may reflect internal administration divisions over Iran, in which Pentagon leaders have argued against steps that could intensify the countries' military competition, while some officials at the State Department and White House have advocated more hawkish actions. A better strategy, the report authors argue, would be something akin to Israel's "between the wars" approach. Israeli jets began targeting Iranian targets in neighboring Syria after Iran started taking steps to solidify its military presence there in late 2016, setting up command centers and seeking to install advanced weapons such as precision guided munitions. The campaign slowly intensified as Israeli leaders gauged Iran's reaction, with more than 2,000 Israeli munitions dropped on Iranian targets in Syria in 2018, the report states. Key to the approach has been Israel's efforts to minimize Iranian casualties while refraining from taking official responsibility for the strikes, both part of an attempt to reduce pressure on Iranian leaders to respond with force. While the authors argue that the Israeli campaign has been successful, it has not led Iran to abandon its ally in Damascus. It has also had unintended results. In 2018, Syrian air defenses shot down an Israeli jet; its crew ejected safely within Israeli territory. The same year, Syria shot down a Russian aircraft after an Israeli strike, leading to heightened Israeli-Russian tensions. In contrast, the Trump administration's initial decision not to launch a kinetic response to Iranian attacks in 2019 may have emboldened Iran's leaders. The administration's subsequent embrace of highly publicized strikes after the American contractor's death and its decision to target Soleimani resulted in a major escalation in U.S.-Iranian tensions, without halting militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Trump, meanwhile, has made repeated public threats against Iran. After the Soleimani strike, but before it was officially acknowledged by the U.S. government, Trump tweeted a picture of the American flag. Those facts, the report argues, have made it harder for Iranian or Shiite militia groups "to de-escalate while also putting the Iraqi government in the incredibly difficult position of being publicly stuck between the United States and Iran." "What the Israelis have demonstrated is that the military tool does not need to be taken entirely off the table," the report states. "The risk of every operation needs to be evaluated, but there is certainly some space for maneuvering between doing nearly nothing and killing one of Iran's most important military leaders." The authors acknowledge that some aspects of Israel's shadow campaign may not be possible for the United States. For example, the Israeli operation has been enabled by extensive intelligence on Iranian operations in Syria; the U.S. military has been more focused on the Islamic State. It might also be difficult under the U.S. system to withhold acknowledgment of military strikes. The Israeli government can employ a military censor to keep such news under wraps. The report authors also include Nicholas Heras, a scholar at the Institute for the Study of War who previously served as a Center for a New American Security fellow and has closely tracked events in Syria. KIGALI Rwanda has on Tuesday April 14 confirmed seven new coronavirus infections, bringing its total to 134. The countrys health ministry said in a statement that all the new patients had already been placed under isolation and tracing of their contacts was underway. The ministry also announced that seven patients had recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 49. All patients are under treatment in stable condition in designated health facilities. The majority are asymptomatic, and no patient is in critical condition, said Rwandas health ministry. Rwanda is one of 52 African countries that have recorded COVID-19 cases. The continent has reported close to 11,000 COVID-19 cases, with over 500 deaths. Over 1,000 people have recovered. The health ministry warned Rwandans against withholding useful information relevant for contact tracing, saying such actions were punishable within the countrys laws. It urged Rwandans to adhere to the set guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Related Next re-opened its online store in a 'very limited way.' (PA) Next (NXT.L) has been forced to suspend orders on its online store within hours of re-opening after it was inundated by shoppers. The high street retailers online site was relaunched on Tuesday, with a cap on order numbers and reduced workforce in its warehouses to enable social distancing. Operations will start with support from colleagues who are willing and able to safely return to work, it said in a statement. Its website sets out new warehouse safety measures, including a one-way system in warehouse aisles, new sinks and spread-out seating in staff rest areas. Next resumed trading on Tuesday but many customers visiting the site will be left disappointed. The retailer appeared to have been quickly overwhelmed by demand and had already hit its reduced sales capacity by 9am in London. Next was inundated with shoppers on Tuesday as its online site reopened. (Next/screenshot) No more orders today, were open again tomorrow, read a message on its site. It apologised but said the company had successfully tested opening and taking a limited number of orders today. Next had said in a statement to investors earlier on Tuesday morning that selling in low volumes would ensure it only needed a small number of workers in each warehouse, allowing them to keep their distance. It added that it had implemented very extensive new safety measures in consultation with workers and shopworkers union Usdaw. READ MORE: Britain enters fourth week of lockdown as UK finance firms in bleak mood Only items of most need went on sale, including childrenswear and a limited homeware range. It said other product ranges may be added later. The site and associated warehouse and distribution operations had previously been closed since 26 March, after Next reported it had listened very carefully to its workforce. Some retailers have faced a backlash for continuing to trade, with concerns over the safety of staff and their families. Next said more than 3,000 staff had volunteered to work, however. Anyone vulnerable, required to self-isolate with symptoms or only able to commute by public transport will not be allowed to return to work. Story continues Next shares were trading around 0.2% lower at around 9am in London, though dropped less sharply than the FTSE index (FTSE 100) which was trading 0.5% lower. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK Tash Herz has shown support for sex workers whose trade has been hit hard by the the COVID-19 pandemic. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the Married At First Sight star penned a moving message of hope. The 31-year-old wrote: 'Out here lighting a candle for my queer SW [sex workers] during this time. Support: Tash Herz (pictured) has shown support for sex workers whose trade has been hit hard by the the COVID-19 pandemic. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the Married At First Sight star penned a moving message of hope 'I don't dance anymore but I never forget where I came from and the sisterhood in a change room at midnight is unrivaled. 'The magic in not feeling shame for who you are or your past is that no one has any ammunition when it comes to judging you'. Alongside the caption, Tash shared a photo of her shapely, tattooed legs in a well-worn pair of platform heels, the kind often favoured by exotic dancers. Leggy: Alongside the caption, Tash shared a photo of her shapely, tattooed legs in a well-worn pair of platform heels, the kind often favoured by exotic dancers The 31-year-old wrote: 'Out here lighting a candle for my queer SW [sex workers] during this time. 'I don't dance anymore but I never forget where I came from and the sisterhood in a change room at midnight is unrivaled' Earlier this year, footage resurfaced online of Tash performing a raunchy striptease on stage in front of a handful of people. The Adelaide bartender wore nothing but red and white striped bikini bottoms while covering her nipples with stickers. Tash initially covered up her chest with two vinyl records before her dramatic reveal. She goes off: Earlier this year, footage resurfaced online of Tash performing a raunchy striptease on stage in front of a handful of people For her big finish, she ripped off his hat and threw it across the stage. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Tash said: 'I have absolutely no shame about my work as a dancer. 'I fully support all women working in the sex industry and I don't have time for anyone who judges that, I embrace my sexuality and I am proud of my past.' China, which is currently reeling back to normalcy after the outbreak of COVID-19 is now aiming to revive the auto industry by handing out cash to car buyers. In a normal year, the country records the sale of more than 60 lakh cars, which was reduced to a mere 37 lakh during the lockdown. In comparison to the sales of last years first quarter, the Chinese auto industry suffered a decline of 42 per cent, according to a data released last week by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). This amounts to a whopping 79 per cent plunge in the month of February when the country recorded sales of just 3,10,000 vehicles. The auto industry in China plays a crucial role in the countrys economy where more than 40 million people rely on the sector for jobs. The industry generates more than $1 trillion in revenue each year that amounts roughly 10 per cent of the countrys manufacturing output. At the moment, Chinas economy is still trying to rebound after the government imposed a lockdown on major cities and restricting travel. Car production, at least, has started to resume in China: Even Wuhan, the original epicentre of the virus and a major hub for the global auto industry, ended its 76-day lockdown last week. Mnuchins statement did not include details of the agreement. However, individuals close to the discussions, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said under the terms of the deal 70 percent of the money would be given to the airlines outright and 30 percent would have to be paid back to the government. In addition, the government would be given warrants equal to 10 percent of the amount the carriers receive, these individuals said. Were not saying open the doors. Were saying there needs to be a comprehensive approach that reduces the overall population to the point where everyone who remains is housed safely, Michelman said. Incarceration, even for a very serious crime, should not be a death sentence. When this pandemic is not properly controlled, it is clear that individuals will die from it. And that is something that the Department of Corrections has a responsibility for taking precautions to prevent. WASHINGTON - Canada and the United States should seize the opportunity presented by the global COVID-19 crisis to develop and modernize the way they operate their shared frontier, experts suggested Tuesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that the novel coronavirus would likely keep travel restrictions in place for at least the next few weeks. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The United States border crossing is seen Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in Lacolle, Que. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says travel restrictions along the Canada-U.S. border won't be eased any time soon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz WASHINGTON - Canada and the United States should seize the opportunity presented by the global COVID-19 crisis to develop and modernize the way they operate their shared frontier, experts suggested Tuesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that the novel coronavirus would likely keep travel restrictions in place for at least the next few weeks. Canada is still very much in the control-and-contain phase of its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, and won't be able to consider even a partial return to normality for several more weeks, Trudeau said as the conversation in the U.S. foreshadowed a thorny, acrimonious battle over when states will, as opposed to should, begin opening their doors. "We recognize that people are eager to know when we'll get into the next phase and be able to loosen some of the restrictions on work, on school," Trudeau said. "In regards to the American border, travel restrictions are going to remain extremely important in terms of containing the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, and we're going to continue to work with the Americans and people around the world to ensure that we continue with these restrictions." The federal government, like countless others around the world, has imposed stringent limits on arrivals into Canada, cutting the number of international flights and directing those that remain to major airports where passengers can be screened for signs of infection. In fact, the governing Liberals tightened those restrictions Tuesday, requiring anyone arriving in Canada to self-isolate in a government-funded hotel room if they can't demonstrate they have a safe and suitable plan and venue to do so themselves. But the impossibly intertwined, multibillion-dollar trade and commercial relationship between Canada and the U.S. demanded a different approach at the shared border, where non-essential travel is forbidden in both directions but trucks laden with goods and raw materials, as well as people who live and work on opposite sides, are still able to cross. That display of pandemic diplomacy has emerged as a "bright spot" in an otherwise bleak international landscape, said Alan Bersin, the former chief diplomatic officer in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy office. Unlike during the aftermath of 9/11, which saw the U.S. slam the border shut in an urgent effort to block a nebulous and ill-defined terrorist threat, the two countries instead worked together to reach an arrangement of mutual benefit all the more remarkable, he said, considering an "epidemiological analysis" likely would have argued for a total shutdown. "Essentially what we ended up with was a North American approach to border crossing," Bersin said during a Wilson Center panel discussion evaluating the effectiveness and fallout from the border restrictions. "The way in which the governments have handled it have set the stage for actually going much further." More recent developments, including an agreement to let U.S.-based 3M export medical face masks to Canada and export rules from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that allow pre-existing export arrangement to continue, also augur well. Given that geography has thrust the three countries together, COVID-19 could well be a chance to consider more practical ways of enforcing their national boundaries, Bersin said an idea that has been gaining purchase in recent years in the face of geopolitical realities in China and elsewhere, as well as the newly ratified U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. "I think we want to use the COVID-19 experience as a great platform to think further about how we evolve this vision of North America and North America led by Canada, Mexico and the United States, but involving a much larger region ... a North America that reaches from Colombia to the Arctic and from Bermuda to Hawaii," he said. "That's the future, I think, in which North American leadership can best be maintained." Bersin said he expects the next hurdle for the two countries to clear will be dealing with the small army of health-care professionals who live in border cities like Windsor, Ont., but cross into the U.S. each day to do battle on the front lines against COVID-19 at overwhelmed American hospitals. "There's some pressure from both sides of the border, frankly, in the interests of containing the COVID-19 virus, of not permitting people to go back and forth, particularly health-care workers," he said. "I think the example that was set in the 3M case ... will actually lead to a sensible resolution of this latest issue." The 30-day border agreement is due for renewal before April 21. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. With invisible pathogens now high on world's security-threat hit lists, technology will soon play a key role, predicted Solomon Wong, a management consultant in the aviation and transportation industry. Indeed, that's already happening in China, where recently resumed air travel now requires travellers to submit to a smartphone scan that provides intimate location-based data about where the person has been and whether they have likely been exposed to the virus. The privacy issues inherent in such a system are self-evident, said Wong. "The conversation on individual privacy versus public good those are some things that we're going to go through in terms of both the thirst for solutions, but also some creative ideas that I know folks in Canada and the United States will keep their sharp pencils on in terms of how this actually comes to fruition." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle OTTAWAConservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling for regular in-person meetings of a small number of MPs in the House of Commons as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, while defending his familys flight with unrelated people on a small government jet. Parliament has largely been shuttered since mid-March. The governing Liberals and opposition parties agreed to suspend most House of Commons business until April 20 as part of the national effort to slow the spread of the pandemic. Since then, skeleton crews of MPs from all parties have met twice first to approve the governments emergency economic response to the pandemic, and again last Saturday to amend that aid package. But Scheer, who had been working from Regina for much of the crisis, said Tuesday that he wants those reduced accountability sessions of the House of Commons to continue. If there is no agreement reached, then the House of Commons will return normally on Monday. We can all agree that having 338 members of Parliament come back to the chamber is not optimal, Scheer told a morning news conference in Ottawa. So what were proposing to the government is to have a reduced number of members of Parliament from each party to have regular accountability sessions. Scheer said that the last two meetings of the House of Commons have proven that MPs can continue to meet in a responsible manner while respecting public health advice. But the Conservative leader who has said hell step down as soon as his party concludes its now-suspended leadership contest spent much of the news conference fielding questions about his own adherence to public health advice. CBC News reported Monday that Scheer brought his wife and five children back to Ottawa from their home in Regina on a small government aircraft. Two other MPs Green Party parliamentary leader Elizabeth May and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough were on the nine-seat airplane, in which social distancing would have been a challenge. Scheer deflected the criticism, saying he had two alternatives fly back and forth to Regina every time the House of Commons sat, or relocate his family. The House of Commons travel system would have covered the flights anyway, he said. The choice was either to fly back and forth multiple times, which didnt make sense to me, or travel through multiple airports on other flights. Given those options, Scheer said, sharing the government flight with two other people seemed to be the best decision. Public health officials have warned Canadians against all non-essential travel as COVID-19 continues to spread. Asked why his familys presence in Ottawa was essential, Scheer replied, Feel free to continue to analyze this. Read more about: Book by former PGC officer highlights unusual wildlife encounters Dick Bodenhorn has published a book highlighting some of the unusual encounters he had while working with the Pennsylvania Game Commision. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 (Photo : REUTERS/Joseph Campbell) A researcher works in a lab at the Duke-NUS Medical School, which is developing a way to track genetic changes that speed testing of vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Singapore March 23, 2020. Picture taken March 23, 2020. As the pandemic keeps on raging throughout the globe, one possible remedy researchers are investigating for COVID-19 is the malaria drug chloroquine. However, concerning outcomes from a scientific trial in Brazil now add to the growing suspicion from the silver bullet everyone is looking for. Chloroquine came onto the scene as a possible MERS treatment in 2012. However, the medicine was not further investigated because it failed to show enough development against the virus. Recently, small research has picked up the study again, seeking whether the drug may block coronavirus from infecting healthy cells. ALSO READ: Malaria Drug Could Be Used To Treat Brain Cancer Chloroquine can cause sudden death Chloroquine is known to cause dangerous effects, scientists now claim. Researchers added even its relatively 'safer' cousin, hydroxychloroquine, does not have a fantastic track record. Of particular subject is the danger for sufferers to develop severe heart issues. While the antimalarial remedy is gaining attention for possible COVID-19 treatments, the American Health Association said the medicine has potentially serious implications for people with current cardiovascular sickness. AHA said complications include severe electrical irregularities in the heart - such as irregular heartbeat, and increased risk of sudden death, among others. The latest research to add to these issues is a medical trial from Brazil. The crew released their preliminary results at the pre-print server medRxiv once they stopped the high-dose arm of their research after six days. Researchers said numerous sufferers died - especially within the organization randomized to receive better doses of the drug. The researchers enrolled two groups of COVID-19 sufferers in a public clinic in Manaus. The high-dose group was assigned a total dose of 12 grams of chloroquine over 10 days, while the low-dose group took a full dose of 2.7 grams over five days. All participants additionally obtained the antibiotics ceftriaxone and azithromycin. After 11 patients died across both dosage groups, the crew ended the high-dose arm of the trial on day six. Researchers noted more coronary heartbeat problems in the high-dose group, and "a trend toward higher lethality." "Preliminary findings suggest that the higher chloroquine dosage (10-day regimen) should not be recommended for COVID-19 treatment because of its potential safety hazards. Such results forced us to halt patient recruitment to this arm, prematurely," the team concluded. More deaths in the high-dose group wouldn't mean the low-dose group is safe, either The researchers told CNN that they experienced even more deaths in the high-dose groups than had been documented on day six. They added the result would not mean the low-dose group is safe, either. Vanderbilt University infectious disease researcher William Schaffner, who was not involved in the study, told CNN two patients in the high-dose group had an unusual heart rate before dying. "So, it's clear that the high-dose group was more toxic, but it's not as though the low-dose group was without concern, and in larger studies, you might find some problems with the low-dose group as well." These stressful outcomes come after a hospital in France also stopped hydroxychloroquine clinical trials due to side effects and the chance of coronary heart damage. Similar small studies noted a little distinction in COVID-19 patients handled with the malarial drug and the antibiotic. The latter consists of a risk of unexpected coronary heart beat consequences even by using itself. The research team in Brazil moved all of the closing sufferers to the low-dose arm of the trial in compliance with advice from the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Additionally, they suggest additional; tests to assess the function chloroquine may play in COVID-19 treatment and prevention. "Even if we fail to generate good evidence in time to control the current pandemic, the information will highly impact the way we deal with next coronavirus outbreaks in the future," the team writes in the pre-print. ALSO READ: Coronavirus Cure: Here Are Six Other Drugs Beyond Hydroxychloroquine That Could Possibly Treat COVID-19 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dover (NYSE: DOV) announced today that it will release first quarter 2020 earnings at 6:00 a.m. Central time (7:00 a.m. Eastern time) on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. Later that morning, Dover will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Central time (10:00 a.m. Eastern time) to discuss these results. To participate on the conference call, please dial 1 (866) 882-5865 (domestic) or 1 (678) 894-3017 (international), reservation number 3087705. Due to the expected number of callers, please dial in at least 15 minutes before the conference is to begin and ask to be connected to the Dover teleconference. A link to the live audio webcast will also be available on the company website at dovercorporation.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available from 12:00 p.m. Central time, April 21, until 10:59 p.m. Central time, May 12, by dialing 1 (800) 585-8367 (domestic) or 1 (404) 537-3406 (international). The access code is 3087705. Additionally, a replay link of the webcast will be archived on Dover's website for 90 days. About Dover: Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of approximately $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions, and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover leverages global scale, operational agility, world-class engineering capability and customer intimacy to lead in the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 60 years, our team of approximately 24,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com. Investor Contact: Media Contact: Andrey Galiuk Adrian Sakowicz Vice President Corporate Development Vice President Communications and Investor Relations (630) 743-5039 (630) 743-5131 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Dover South African police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets and teargas in clashes with Cape Town township residents protesting over access to food aid during a coronavirus lockdown. Hundreds of angry people fought running battles with the police, hurling rocks and setting up barricades on the streets with burning tyres in Mitchells Plain over undelivered food parcels. "We have small children. We want to eat. They must also eat," said resident and mother Nazile Bobbs. "They said we are going to get parcels, where (are) the parcels? How long are we (going to be) in the lockdown?" South Africa is currently in the middle of a five-week lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus which has so far infected more than 2,400 people. President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to provide basics such as water and food supplies to the poorest South Africans. Many people, especially those working in the informal economy, are unable to ply their trade and have lost income due to the lockdown which came into effect on March 27. Community leader Liezl Manual said people came out of their homes "frustrated wanting to know" where the food parcels were. "I don't think Ramaphosa is doing something," said another resident Denise Martin, adding that people would "rather die of coronavirus than to die in our homes of hunger". Some government officials were starting to become overwhelmed by the surging needs in a country ranked among one of the world's most unequal. "People are so desperate for aid such that even those people that would not be provided by us think they can get support from us," Busisiwe Memela-Khambula CEO of SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), a government department responsible for distributing food aid. The department normally helps people with disability, those who failed to access their social security grants or those generally experiencing hardships, she said. "But unfortunately now everybody is experiencing hardships," she said on local television. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Automakers in China sold 56,410 locally-produced new energy PVs (NEPVs) in March, a year-on-year slump of 49%, while posting a stupendous growth over that of February, which was hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Among NEPVs sold in March, 47,199 units were BEVs, a year-on-year plunge of 47%. The wholesale volume of PHEVs tumbled 58% to 9,211 units. Compared to the year-ago period, the SUV sector posted decline in market share for both all-electric and PHEV units. The wholesales of pure electric SUVs and plug-in SUVs reached 11,274 units (-55%) and 3,589 units (-60%) in March. (Photo source: BYD) During the same month, cars took up 76% and 54% market shares in all-electric and plug-in PV units respectively. One of major driving forces to the all-electric PV sales comes from the A00-segment (mini-sized) vehicles. However, with 5,909 units sold, the segment only accounted for 13% of BEV totals in March. In BEV unit, the A-segment (compact) saw its March wholesales halved over the previous year to 24,739 units, occupying 52% of whole BEV sales. Besides, the B-segment (mid-sized) sales amounted to 12,499 units, tremendously surging from 36 units sold in the prior-year period. As for PHEV unit, the A-segment took up 37% share with 3,397 units sold in March. In addition, the wholesales of the B segment fell 64% from a year earlier to 3,226 units, while the C segment (full-sized) jumped 22% to 2,568 units. (Photo source: Tesla China's WeChat account) In terms of the wholesale volume in March, the China-built Model 3 outsold other locally-produced NEPV models. The U.S. EV manufacturer Tesla kicked off the presale of the China-made Model 3 Long Range RWD and the Performance AWD a few days ago, which are expected to further boost its sales in the world's largest auto market. The runner-up and second runner-up were taken by the BAIC EU Series and the BYD Qin EV. The other models failed to surpass the wholesale volume of 3,000 units. Even as the celebratory events related to the Indian New Year like Vaisakhi have been cancelled throughout Canada in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the countrys leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have recognised the contribution of the Indo-Canadian community in countering the impact of the crisis. Sikhs in Canada, numbering nearly 6,00,000, observe Vaisakhi with large events like Khalsa Day parades and nagar kirtans. In his greeting to the community to mark the festival, Trudeau said, In years past, families and friends would celebrate Vaisakhi by gathering at their local Gurdwaras to pray, read from the sacred scripture, and take part in vibrant parades and processions known as Nagar Kirtans. This year, as we continue to feel the impacts of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the Sikh community is celebrating differently, following the recommendations of our public health experts. Earlier, Trudeau, during a regular media briefing, had also welcomed the service being provided by the community during the crisis, as he said, Right now, when people need help most, youre stepping up once again. In Regina, youre delivering supplies to your neighbours, while in Mississauga youre donating to the Seva Food Bank. Among the major Vaisakhi events are those in Toronto and Vancouver. The latter staged by Canadas most historic gurdwara, the Khalsa Diwan Society, was scheduled for April 18. However, the organisers cancelled the parade, which witnessed the participation of Trudeau last year, keeping in mind public health and safety. Similarly, the event in Toronto attracts nearly 50,000 people each year and this too has been cancelled, as the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council, noted this was done keeping in mind the best interest of communities and safety of people which were of utmost importance. The premier of Ontario, Canadas most populous province, Doug Ford, also recognised the role the Indo-Canadians has played during the crisis. He thanked the Canada India Foundation and the Hindu Federation for using their networks to bring together volunteers and resources to help the vulnerable and those most in need during Covid-19, whether its delivering groceries, donating cooked food, providing medical supplies, or transportation. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, meanwhile, has donated 13,000 medical-grade protective face masks to hospitals in the country. These were originally acquired by BAPS Charities for their health drives and blood donation camps. But, Shirish Shah, President of BAPS Charities, Canada, said, We feel that the healthcare professionals are vital to our community and with the level of risk they are undertaking, they need to be well protected. If they are safe, we are safer. The sleepy town of Colebrook has no traffic lights, no police department, no public sewer or water system and no confirmed cases of COVID-19. Knock on wood, said Colebrook Board of Finance Chairman James Millar. I think were lucky. I wouldnt say that we are doing anything thats not being done by the rest of the state. On the Massachusetts border in Litchfield County, Colebrook is among eight small towns in the western and eastern portions of Connecticut that so far have not had a resident test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. Litchfield County had 446 confirmed cases and 24 deaths as of Monday afternoon. Norfolk, the town to the west of Colebrook, has four confirmed cases. Winchester, including the city of Winsted, to the south, has 19 cases. Connecticut has 13,381 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 602 deaths, state data show. So far, Colebrook, with 1,450 year-round residents, has been removed from the pandemic, said First Selectman Thomas McKeon. A lot of people who live here do so because they want to be isolated, said McKeon, who is in his seventh term as the head of the towns government. People are being respectful. If one person goes into the post office, the next one waits in their car until they can go. Town Hall, which is attached to the post office and the senior and community center, is open by appointment for emergency business only. The Colebrook Store, the towns only eatery, is offering takeout fare and, for a few customers at a time, the chance to buy milk, eggs and bread. Im trying to keep the number of customers inside at one time low, said owner Jodi Marinelli. Were the only place in town. Im selling a lot of deli meat because the deli at the Stop & Shop in Winsted isnt open. Nestled in the northwestern hills bordering the Berkshires, Colebrook swells by the thousands in the summer when New Yorkers come to stay at their second homes. The invasion came early this year as people fled New York as the number of positive tests and deaths began to skyrocket in one of the nations hotspots for COVID-19. It was about the time that they started shutting everything down, Marinelli said. I know my regular customers. On the first day, it was quiet. On the second, I started seeing all kinds of new faces. The New York residents who own summer homes in Colebrook have been good at quarantining for two weeks after they arrive, McKeon said. In general, people are hunkered down, he said. The town will hold a public hearing on the budget on Zoom on Thursday, but its not expected to be well attended, said Millar, who is also assistant town treasurer and a member of the local Planning and Zoning Commission. The mill rate hasnt changed, so there might not be a lot of interest, he said. In fact, the tax rate of 30.9 mills hasnt changed in four years, McKeon said. Were one of the last in the dying breed small Connecticut towns, Millar said. When I moved here, there wasnt even an elevator in town. Thanks to ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act], we now have one in town hall. As of April 13, Canaan, Hampton, Hartland, North Stonington, Scotland, Union and Warren also had no reported cases of COVID-19. To see the states daily report click here. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team ( c-hit.org ), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. Dublin Airport has hit out at people who peddle untruths about its service. In a series of tweets today, it responded to claims that it is business as usual and that there is no testing or quarantining at the airport. Wed like to correct errors, the airport told its 328,700 Twitter followers, pointing out that far from it being business as usual, the airport had fewer than 900 arriving and departing passengers on Monday. This compared with a normal Easter Monday, when there would be more than 100,000 passengers. Figures for Cork Airport are also down, from 70,000 passengers over four days last year to just 400 now. Only two flights between Cork and London, four days a week, are operating. Thats not business as usual, said Dublin Airport, which last week that announced it was moving most staff to a four-day working week, from April 25 to June 20, and cut pay by 20%. Were open because Irish Government policy is that were open as an essential business to allow for the operation of vital cargo flights, such as medical supplies, and the repatriation of Irish citizens. The HSE isnt screening, as isnt recommended by the World Health Organisation or by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. It said that, for several weeks, HSE staff at the airport have informed all arriving passengers that they need to restrict their movements for 14 days. The Irish Governments general movement restrictions also apply, it said. At all times since the outbreak of this public health crisis Dublin Airport has followed the health and travel guidelines that have been set out by the Irish State. Like other airports throughout the world, we adhere to policies set by our respective national governments. Hundreds of tonne of perishable food products and COVID-19 related items and medicines have arrived at different terminal stations of South Eastern Railway since the countrywide lockdown commenced over the novel coronavirus pandemic, an official said. Terminal stations hof SER ave so far handled around 809 tonne of goods traffic, which includes 129 tonne of eggs, 343 tonne of milk, 30 tonne of ghee, 20 tonne of fish, 79 tonne of vegetables and fruits and 12 tonne of medicines and COVID-19 related items, SER spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said on Tuesday. In addition to these, mushroom, garlic and grocery items were also brought to meet the demands of every segment of the society, he said. These items mainly arrived in West Bengal from Secunderabad, Yeshvantpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Khurda Road, Ahmedabad, Anand, Mumbai, Nagpur and Bilaspur, he said. On the other hand, since the beginning of the lockdown, approximately 60 tonne of material have been transported from West Bengal through railway parcel and cargo trains to places like Bilaspur, Nagpur, Vijayawada and Bengaluru. These outgoing cargo mainly consisted of 22 tonne of betel leaves, seven tonne of fish, three tonne of COVID-19 related items and hard parcels weighing 29 tonne, Ghosh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- Chinas top agency overseeing Hong Kong said lawmakers blocking action by the local legislature were potentially violating their oaths, in a signal that Beijing was losing patience with the months-long legislative logjam. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office urged the citys Legislative Council in a statement released Monday to end the stalemate and resume normal operations. Opposition lawmakers led by Civic Party member Dennis Kwok have prevented the bodys agenda-setting House Committee from electing a chairman since October, barring the panel from conducting business, it said. Some opposition lawmakers have resorted to sleazy tactics to paralyze the legislature for political gain at the expense of the public, which is tantamount to political mutual destruction, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said. They could have violated their oath, which could mean misconduct in public office. The remarks represent an unusually direct intervention in Hong Kongs local legislative procedures by a central agency in Beijing. The 70-seat Legislative Council is vested with the power to pass laws under a one country, two systems framework set up before the former British colonys return to Chinese rule in 1997. The ability to stall the government legislative initiatives has been one the few levers of political power available to the governments elected opponents. In recent years, the Chinese government and its appointed local leaders have sought to set limits on the bodys power, successfully getting several activists removed for violating their oaths of office. Hong Kong Edge Over Singapore Shows Early Social Distance Works Both the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and Chinas Liaison Office in the city have no power or right to influence or comment on how Legco and its subcommittees operate and how Legco members fulfill their responsibilities, Kwok said in an emailed statement from his office Monday. The Hong Kong governments response to the virus isnt required to be vetted by the House Committee. Hence, aid to Hong Kong citizens hasnt been delayed because of the House Committee, he added. Any delay would be because the government has been too slow in their roll out and/or they are marred by bureaucracy. Story continues Political Gridlock The Legislative Council has accomplished little since protesters stormed and ransacked the chamber last year as part of a series of demonstrations that began in opposition to a bill that would allow extraditions to China. The full chamber is up for election in September. China Official Who Tore Down Church Crosses to Oversee Hong Kong The statement was the first from Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office since Xia Baolong -- a former close aide to President Xi Jinping -- was installed as its director on Feb. 13. The Hong Kong-based Liaison Office issued a similar statement Monday. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressed concern last month that the House Committee gridlock could delay the installation of a new chief judge next year. All top judicial appointments require the Legislative Councils approval. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office urged city residents to recognize the serious consequences that could result from the oppositions actions. The legislative council must resume normal operations as soon as possible, it said. (Updates with Dennis Kwok statement from sixth paragraph.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Tom Decosimo, who had planned to run a write-in campaign for County School Board after incumbent Kathy Lennon withdrew shortly after qualifying, said Tuesday his name will now be on the ballot under the provisions in Tennessees Anti Skullduggery Act (ASA) of 1991. After Ms. Lennon withdrew, that left only newcomer Marco Perez on the ballot. Mr. Decosimo said, If what the incumbent and her lieutenant did to try to manipulate the process is not skullduggery, I dont know what is. Kerry Steelman, election administrator, said, "The extension of the qualifying deadline for the District 2 school board race is statutory and may be cited as the Anti-Skullduggery Act of 1991. "TCA 2-5-101(h) permits additional candidates to qualify for an office no later than 12 noon, prevailing time, on the seventh day after the original withdrawal deadline if an incumbent for such office is a candidate for a primary or a nonpartisan general election and if such incumbent dies or properly withdraws on the last day of the qualifying deadline or prior to 12 noon, prevailing time, on the seventh day after the qualifying deadline. "In this specific case, the incumbent withdrew her candidacy on the seventh day after the qualifying deadline." Mr. Decosimo said, I am very proud of the Tennessee General Assembly for having the foresight to address this type of situation to level the playing field a bit. Incumbency is a powerful tool for politicians to get re-elected. The ASA provides an opportunity for more candidates to break the chain of long term incumbency by allowing others a chance to serve. His campaign said, "Under the provisions of the ASA, if an incumbent elected official, who has filed proper paperwork for re-election and then withdraws his/her candidacy on the last day of qualifying, the qualifying deadline is then extended for another seven days. This provision was enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly specifically to prevent unscrupulous behavior by incumbent elected officials trying to manipulate the process to pave the way for a selected successor. This practice is unethical and is addressed by the ASA." Mr. Decosimo was filing his qualifying papers today with the Hamilton County Election Commission for his name to be placed on the ballot for the District 2 seat. He said, My family has been deeply involved with this community for generations, it is time for me to give back and serve where I think I can be of most value, educating future generations of our children. It is also important that we are diligent and responsible with managing a budget that is approaching a half a billion dollars a year. I believe my experience in business and finance will be helpful in planning for our future at several levels. I look forward to running for this position and I ask for the help and support of those who live in District 2. I would appreciate your vote. South Korea reported on April 13 that 116 people who were initially cleared of the coronavirus had tested positive again. The country reported only 25 new cases on Monday, but the rise in reactivated patients has raised concerns from the public. Officials are investigating the cause of the relapses. But the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or KCDC, Jeong Eun-Kyeong, stated that the virus may have been reactivated rather than the patients being re-infected. Some experts said that faulty tests may have played a role while others suggest that remnants of the virus may still be in the systems of the patients, but it is not infectious nor does it pose danger to the host or others. South Korea infected patients test positive again A Seoul official told Reuters that South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States on April 14, following a request from U.S President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, government leaders called on South Koreans to continue to follow guidelines and restrictions on social gatherings but hinted that the measures could soon be eased. South Korea's guidelines are supposed to end on April 19, but as cases have dropped and the weather has improved, more and more South Koreans have been flouting the guidelines. Also Read: New Jersey Students Donate 3D Printed Face Masks for Health Care Workers At a meeting on disaster management, Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun said that the government would soon be looking to loosen the guidelines, which call for people to stay at home, avoid social gatherings of any type and only go out for essential reasons. The Prime Minister stated that they plan to review the intensive social distancing campaign that they have carried out so far and discuss whether they will switch to routine safety measures. Some local governments have imposed stricter measures and that included closing nightclubs and bars, banning large demonstrations and limiting church services. Chung Sye-Kyun stated that they need a cautious approach because any premature easing of social distancing could bring irreversible consequences, and they have to ponder deeply about when and how they switch to the new system. Being reinfected with COVID-19 Experts believe having the virus once does not mean you can't get sick from it again. According to the director of pneumonia prevention and treatment at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, Li QinGyuan, those who have been infected with COVID-19 develop a protective antibody, but it is not clear how long the protection lasts. An assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Dr. Peter Jung, told The Huffington Post that just as the flu can mutate, so could COVID-19, which would make an individual susceptible to reacquiring the infection. However, according to an infectious disease physician, Dr. Stephen Gluckman, it seems likely that having the disease once results in immunity in most people, as seen with other viruses. This means that those who initially recovered from COVID-19 are more likely to relapse rather than get reinfected with the virus. As for the 116 coronavirus patients who tested positive again, they are under close monitoring. Related Article: New Zealand Sees Decline on Coronavirus Cases @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Berejiklian government has delayed plans to redevelop an ageing housing estate in Sydney and will instead patch up the units to make them liveable for urgent COVID-19 accommodation. Only 13 tenants remain in the Arncliffe Estate but rather than the planned redevelopment, the NSW government will use coronavirus stimulus funding to repair all 142 social housing units. The NSW government will hit pause on plans to redevelop the Arncliffe Estate and will repair the ageing units instead. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The work includes urgent electrical, kitchen and bathroom repairs to make the units habitable and will be cheaper than finding emergency accommodation for people impacted by coronavirus. As part of the state government's initial $2.3 billion coronavirus package, $60.5 million was set aside for maintenance works and upgrades to public housing properties, including in regional NSW. A group of conservatives, including an influential Texas activist, penned an open letter to President Donald Trump this week, asking him to restart the economy and let Americans manage their own risks, while decrying expanded government benefits as a step toward socialism. Sadly, many state and local governments are not following the personal responsibility approach you advocated, they wrote. They are using wrong and confusing data to strip Americans of basic liberties, and to advance tyranny at an alarming rate. The letter was written by Tim Dunn, the chair of the Tea Party-aligned activist group Empower Texans whose political action committee has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Texas conservatives as well as Darrell Scott and Kareem Lanier, co-founders of the Urban Revitalization Coalition and board members of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. The letter comes amid growing pressure on Trump from members of the Republican Party to lift virus restrictions despite warnings from epidemiologists and public health officials who predict the number of Texans infected with COVID-19 will peak in late April or May. WORDS OF CAUTION: Texas pandemic expert says coronavirus will have 5 stages. Were in stage 2. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, was one of the earliest proponents of a quick reopening of the economy and on Monday commended Dunns letter as well said on Twitter. He expanded on that comment in a statement Tuesday. Its critical for the health and well-being of our state and nation that we restart our economy, Roy said. Our supply chains, health care resources, food channels, energy sources all of these depend on restart. We can do it in ways to protect the elderly, the most vulnerable, and with precautions for everyone to minimize spread of the virus. Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots who has since resigned from the group and now runs a group called Citizens for Self-Governance, and state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, also applauded the letter on social media. The Texas Houses Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Briscoe Cain and Mayes Middleton, who represent Houston-area districts, also wrote a letter to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday that called for restoring health care and business activity while keeping some protections in place for vulnerable Texans. We respectfully ask that you loosen your statewide executive order to the greatest extent possible while giving local jurisdictions the flexibility to respond to local conditions, they wrote. Dunns letter to Trump says vulnerable populations should be able to continue to quarantine with the support of their communities but that economic activity should also be allowed to resume. The letter alludes to how the hit to the economy has caused joblessness to skyrocket with a record 16.8 million Americans applying for unemployment in the past three weeks. The lockdown, the letter writers said, has incentivized this dependence on the government, rather than personal responsibility, and is all part of Democrats political agenda. Your political opponents are advocating an indefinite shutdown, ignoring the models, the letter read. They do so because our national crisis is an opportunity to steer the country toward socialism. Abbott has said he will lay out his plans this week for restarting the economy in Texas and on Monday said he will convene a group of consultants to help him make decisions about which businesses can safely reopen and when. Abbott has given few details about how that might play out. This is not going to be a rush-to-the-gates, everybody-will-be-open-all-at-once (situation), he said. We have to reopen in a way in which we are able to stimulate the economy while ensuring we can contain the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday that testing capacity must increase and hospitals will need to have an adequate stock of medical supplies and beds before local officials can consider lifting restrictions on shuttered businesses. But I dont think anyone can make that decision unilaterally, Turner said. The mayor said he has already begun discussing with other officials how to lift coronavirus-related restrictions, though he did not provide any details about the talks. He said it remains too early to pinpoint when those restrictions will begin to ease. Jasper Scherer contributed reporting. taylor.goldenstein @chron.com Will he? Wont he? These are the two questions that 1.3 billion Indians are asking amid expectations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may announce a restricted withdrawal of the nationwide lockdown. The 21-day lockdown announced on March 24 to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has brought economic activity to a screeching halt, affecting livelihoods of millions, ends on April 14. There's widespread anticipation that the restrictions could first be rolled back in a phased manner in those areas where there are fewer instances of COVID-19 positive cases. Also Read: PM Modi to address nation at 10 am tomorrow, decision on lockdown extension likely 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 In his meeting with Chief Ministers on April 11, Modi had announced a nuanced change in the government's approach, with a renewed focus on 'jaan' (life) and 'jahaan; (livelihood). "Our mantra earlier was 'jaan hai to jahaan hai' (if there's a life, there's a world) but now is 'jaan bhi, jahaan bhi', (we need a life, we need the world too) the PM told state CMs, perhaps obliquely hinting that the government's strategy would now not just be focusing on saving lives but also kickstarting the economy. Many states such as Punjab, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka and Maharashtra have already announced an extension of lockdown till April 30. During the weekend, the Union home ministry has been asked to look into the possibility of letting a few sectors restart operations to revive economic activity, as India battles to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Track this blog for latest updates on coronavirus outbreak The recommendations made by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) came on April 12, two days before the 21-day nationwide ends. All eyes are on Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the next course of action. Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown | India plans to resume some manufacturing after April 15: Sources Here's what may happen: (Disclaimer: This is a scenario mapping, not a definitive information matrix) Some work is better than no work The DPIIT suggests that industrial units could begin work with only 20 percent to 25 percent capacity in a single shift. For work to resume, industries must ensure single entry points for workers, sufficient space for ensuring social distancing, use of separate transport for ferrying workers or provide stay arrangements in factory premises, and high quality regular sanitisation of the premises. The list of industries to resume work, according to DPIIT, include: cement, textiles, automobiles, seed, fertilisers and plastic among others. You can read the full list here. Beginning work with limited workforce would allow companies to initiate production. Economic activities would resume, which would gradually improve the macro indicators. India was already in the middle of an economic slowdown. Small is where the action is Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the lifeblood of Indias manufacturing sector, with export commitments could be first off the block with restricted operations. The sector's ability to repay debt with zero production is a concern that has been plaguing the sector. Though the Reserve Bank of India announced a moratorium on loan repayments for three months, there have been complains of lack of clarity on the interest payments of term loans. Resumption of economic activities would provide the sector with a lease of life Roads and houses Housing and construction sectors need to be allowed if the labourers stay at the sites with all facilities and safeguards. These activities are essential to improve the economic situation and provide liquidity in the hands of the people. After the Prime Minister's announcement of a complete lockdown, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers fled cities and crowded state borders to head home. If construction activities are allowed to resume, out-of-work labourers would find employment. This could somewhat mitigate concerns over survival of informal workers and feeding themselves. Bring back the gig workers The lockdown has affected the income of tens of thousands that function on daily errands and work in towns and cities. From cobblers to plumbers, to AC repair mechanics to electricians, from the neighbourhood presswalla (dhobi) to the car and cycle repair mechanics to the neighbourhood vegetable and fruit sellers, have found themselves out of job for weeks at a stretch. The DPIIT is in favour of lifting restrictions on such people, including online aggregators offering such services. Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus and the vast increase in the amount of people working from home, network operators have had to deal with unprecedented demands on home networks as the lines between the office and home blur to being non-existent good news in the Nokia survey looking at the situation on networks in the week up to 9 April 2020, was that that the predicted mass strains on infrastructures from extra home usage appears so far to be under control by and large.Nokia revealed that immediately after lockdown in the weeks ending 20 and 27 March as well as 2 April, there were weekday peak traffic increases of over 45% and in some cases even over 50%, with weekend evening peak traffic increases of over 20%-40% compared with pre-lockdown levels. Yet Nokia revealed that it has now seen this growth flattening, with most networks in lockdown displaying modest or no growth over the previous week.Nokia attributed flattening traffic curves in Europe as likely to be due to a combination of peak video consumption reaching practical maximum levels and subscription video-on-demand services making quality of experience reductions to reduce network strain. Netflix was the first service to do this followed by YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video. While it said that overall consistent video streaming rates indicated sufficient network capacity, Nokia noted that by 9 April 2020, most recent weekend peak traffic volumes are still at least 20%-30% over pre-pandemic values. The bulk of network traffic at these peak hours, that is 21:00-23:00 Friday to Sunday, was down to SVOD services.As an exemplar of this trend, Nokia recorded what it called an interesting streaming video moment in Spain on Friday 4 April when SVOD traffic eclipsed its Saturday and Sunday peak levels which are typically higher. This came on the back of the 3 April launch of the fourth season of Netflixs hugely popular Spanish original series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist). Comparing total (daily) peak traffic on Friday 4 April to Friday March 27, all traffic was up 47% while the number of Netflix streams increased by 36%. Nokia also found that the quality of Netflix streams measured in terms of average bit rate, or streaming speed - increased by 11%. This it said was a positive sign but still below the speeds before Netflixs voluntary reduction in streaming speeds, which started on 20 March.The Nokia study came on the back of a study from the Reelgood film and TV streaming search engine service, based on playback/streams initiated from 16 March to 5 April, finding that Netflix was currentl y the most popular streaming service among consumers social distancing, snagging a share of almost 42% of all total playback for the past three weeks. She's a veteran nurse at a Winnipeg hospital who has seen her fair share of medical emergencies. But nothing in her past could have prepared her for what's unfolding on health care's front lines amid the novel coronavirus crisis. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. She's a veteran nurse at a Winnipeg hospital who has seen her fair share of medical emergencies. But nothing in her past could have prepared her for what's unfolding on health care's front lines amid the novel coronavirus crisis. The woman, who has requested anonymity, first shared her first-person account with Free Press columnist Dan Lett last week, after back-to-back ER shifts. One week later, and the calm before the COVID-19 storm remains in place. However, the last seven days have brought new observations. More time preparing, wondering It's a very interesting time in my hospital, right now. It's still not like New York or even Toronto. We're not overrun with patients, we're coping and we still have equipment and supplies. But we still live with the constant threat that it could change. There are also rumblings in the background we're close to running out of PPE. On the front lines, it's hard for nurses to figure out the situation with what we have in stock. We're still getting supplies in my ER and when we run low, we order more and its provided. But another nurse told me she had heard there are only about 11 days of stuff left. At the hospital, we're still preparing for the big wave. We've been told if it doesn't arrive by the third week in April, we might not see a big surge at all. But they're still making preparations and bringing in new policies all the time. We're not allowed to order pizza anymore because it's in a paper box, and we can't bring in coffee in paper or Styrofoam cups anymore. You can't clean any of these things with disinfecting wipes, so now, the security guards stop you at the door if you try to bring in a paper cup of coffee. Waves of appreciation People, in general, have been great with us. The general public appreciates what we're doing now, more than ever. I still get called names and stuff like that but now, random people on the street, when they see you in your uniform, are coming over and saying, 'Thank you.' Right now, everyone is running away from this invisible enemy and we are running towards it. And it's not just nurses; support staff, the support staff, everyone who is part of the health-care team. Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A lot of people are making surgical caps for us, the ones with the buttons on the side to hold mask straps. A couple of my co-workers have neighbours who make this stuff on their own and just drop it off at houses where they know a nurse lives. Those caps are pretty important for covering our hair. If we are not touching our hair as much, then it helps stop the spread of the virus. We're all trying to get five or six of them, so we can wash them and always have a clean one on hand for when we go into work. Unsung heroes of the pandemic I'm pretty worried about people like grocery store clerks and the people working at gas stations. We need them to be at work now, and a lot of them didn't sign up for something like this. There's quite a debate among nurses that people like store clerks are getting danger pay and we're not. I try to remind them we are already pretty well-paid and have all of our benefits and things like that. But also, we did sign up for stuff like this. We have the training and the equipment. At a store, these people have no idea what to do and there are people yelling at them because there are no more Lysol wipes. We all need to be more supportive and understanding for everyone who is out doing their jobs right now. Misusing masks, gloves To be honest, I'm more scared now at the grocery store than I am at the hospital. In the stores, I see people touching their faces, then touching boxes and other surfaces. I've watched store clerks put on gloves and then touch their faces and hair. I've seen lots of people wearing gloves, but I saw one person put their fingers in their mouth to pull a glove off. I just want to tell them that they are going to hurt themselves if they keep doing stuff like that. I saw a little boy wearing a N95 mask. He was probably three years old, and it was so big it practically covered his whole face; it was doing nothing for him. These masks can only protect you if they're property fitted. People need to know it doesn't matter what you're wearing, as soon as you touch your face, it's garbage. But most aren't receptive to that message, they don't want to hear your advice. All those masks and gloves, it's all a false sense of security if you're not using them correctly. If I could say anything to people right now, it's: just stay home Manitoba. I don't want to do this for another two years. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca This recipe originally appeared on Food52. Where Im from in New Jersey, a cheeseburger means one thing and one thing onlycheese melted on top of a burgerand such seems to be the consensus everywhere else. As Merriam-Webster defines it, a cheeseburger is a hamburger topped with a slice of cheese. My dad likes to call his a cheddar-burger, so theres no room for confusion, while others call it a quarter-pounder with cheese or a Royale with cheese. But in any case, the technique is the same. Advertisement If you head midwest, youll meet another sort of cheeseburger, though it goes by a different name: Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy, depending on who you ask). According to FoodStoned: Theres an amazing thing that happens when the cheese is set inside the beef instead of on top. The hot beef fat dripping onto a highly meltable cheese (American being the optimal choice here) results in a molten concoction that brings danger onto unsuspecting mouths, but immense amounts of joy to those who display patience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, well be making a cheeseburger, but not with cheese on top, or stuffed inside. Instead, the cheese will be anywhere and everywhereand, really, why havent we been doing this all along? Heres the gist: Mix ground beef with grated cheese. Roll into meatballs (cheeseballs? cheese-meatballs?). Get a cast-iron skillet roaring hot, add the balls, and smash them into oblivion with a sturdy spatula. Wait two shakes of a lambs tail, flip, and crack open a beer. You might recognize this as the Genius smashburger method a la J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. As our Genius captain Kristen Miglore explains it, If you smash your burger as soon as it hits the skilletwhile the meat and fat are still coldthere wont be any juices (yet) to lose. Youll maximize the points of contact with the raging hot pan, so it all sears into a salty, beefy crust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this case, that turns into a salty, beefy, cheesy crust. As the patty cooks in the skillet, the cheese starts to brown and crisp, forming a crackly, frico-like exterior, while the inside turns melty and gooey. I like cheddar best, though this can certainly be swapped for another semi-firm variety, depending on what you have in stock. Think: Gruyere, provolone, young gouda or asiago. Advertisement Advertisement As with any burger, the bread and toppings are totally up to you. Im usually partial to a chewy English muffin, mustard-mayo, bread-and-butter pickles, and a tuft of iceberg. But these days, Im partial to whatever is in my kitchen. And if theres a forgotten bag of French fries somewhere in the freezer to go with? Even better. Serves 1 Advertisement Advertisement 4 ounces ground beef 1 and 1/2 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (about cup) 1 English muffin, potato bun, or brioche roll Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Your pick of condiments and toppings See the full recipe on Food52. More from Food52 Inside Ina Gartens Quarantine Pantry Heres Why All the Yeast Is Sold Out Right Now 3 Ways to Support the Hospitality IndustryFrom Your Phone How To Buy Wine in the Coronavirus Era 5 Vegetables You Can Regrow Indoors With Just Water and Sunlight 10 Ways to Stay Active at HomeWithout Breaking Something In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC is recommending that people wear a cloth face covering in instances when regular social distancing isn't enough. However, as masks at big box stores across America are mostly sold out, people are relying on their ingenuity to find ways to create their own instead. Below are instructions from the CDC on how to make your own masks - no matter your proficiency with a sewing machine. While you're reading about face masks, scroll through the slideshow above to see some of the more ridiculous (and unsafe) alternatives that people are using for masks. (Do not attempt some of these - instead, follow CDC guidelines below). SEWN-CLOTH FACE COVERING What you'll need: Two 10x6 rectangles of cotton fabric Two 6 pieces of elastic (or rubber bands, string, cloth strips, or hair ties) Needle and thread (or bobby pin) Scissors Sewing machine Directions: 1. Cut out two 10"x6" pieces of cotton fabric. This can be anything from a T-shirt to cotton sheets. Make sure you cut the two pieces together so they are aligned with one another. 2. Fold the long-way horizontally a 1/4 inch. Fold the short way vertically a 1/2 inch. Stitch down the vertical fold you just made. 3. Use either an elastic or a cut-up hair tie, and feed the elastic through the wide hem on each side of the mask. These will need to be long enough to be tied to go around your ears. 4. Once the elastic is fed through, tie the elastic so that it sits securely around your ear. 5. Stitch the elastic in place, and you're good to go! T-SHIRT FACE COVERING (NO STITCHING INVOLVED) What you'll need: T-shirt Scissors Directions: 1. Cut 7 to 8 inches from the bottom of your shirt. 2. Taking that cut-up piece of clothing, cut up a 6-7 inch long open square. 3. With that cut-up piece of cloth, cut the tie strings so that you have four loose ends. 4. Tie strings around your neck and the back of your head, and ta-da, you have a mask. BANDANA FACE COVERING (NO STITCHING INVOLVED) What you'll need: Bandana Rubber bands or hair ties Directions: 1. Fold you bandana in half. Proceed to then fold from the top down and from the bottom up. 2. Slide the rubber bands on the bandana approximately 6 inches apart from one another. 3. Fold from the sides to the middle, and tuck in your ends. That's all you need to have your own bandana face covering. Lado Suleja, a member of the house of representatives from Niger state, says lawmakers were forced to donate their salaries of two m... Lado Suleja, a member of the house of representatives from Niger state, says lawmakers were forced to donate their salaries of two months to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Suleja, while speaking to journalists in Niger recently, said most of his colleagues were not happy about the donation. Benjamin Kalu, spokesman of the house, did not immediately respond to TheCables enquiries for comment. Femi Gbajabiamila, the speaker, had announced that the green chamber agreed to contribute their salaries for March and April to support the federal governments efforts amid the pandemic. We have in the house of representatives jointly committed to contributing one hundred per cent of our salaries for the next two months to the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria, Gbajabiamila had said. Starting from March salary, the lawmakers donation will be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against COVID-19. But Suleja, who represents Guevara/Suleja/Tafa federal constituency of Niger, said the deductions were made without some of the lawmakers consent. Even though we were forced to donate our two months salary, we still help the poor with the little that we have and we will continue doing it till the end of this virus, he said. The lawmaker added that though the donation was for the progress of Nigeria, most of us were not happy about it. He likened the manner which the donations were done to how workers are not happy about deducting their salary without their consent. Senators and ministers also donated parts of their salaries to fund the fight against the coronavirus. [April 13, 2020] Huobi Launches On-chain Analytics Tool to Monitor Illicit Cryptocurrency Activities SINGAPORE, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huobi Group today announced the launch of Star Atlas, a proprietary on-chain analytics tool to monitor on-chain cryptocurrency transactions for illicit activities. The new tool aims to create a safer trading environment and ease regulator concerns that cryptocurrencies are easily manipulated by criminals. As a matter of policy, Huobi aligns itself with the requirements of global financial watchdogs, making all efforts to work closely with regulators to attain necessary licenses and comply with local KYC and AML requirements in every market it operates. The launch of Star Atlas underscores Huobi's efforts to expand its security measures beyond local requirements and contribute to the fight against nefarious uses of cryptocurrencies on a global scale. "It's estimated that only a small percentage of cryptocurrency transactions are illicit, but any incidentregardless of sizeis a stain on the entire industry," said Ciara Sun, VP of Global Business of Huobi Group. "As one of the most active crypto exchanges on the market, we see it as our responsibility to take a leading role in preventing the minority of bad actors from ruining it for the vast majority that follows the rules." Protecting the Blockchain Star Atlas is a new security tool that introduces a new level of ransparency to help monitor cryptocurrency transactions to identify high risk behaviors and detect crimes like fraud, money laundering, and other illicit activities. Star Atlas monitors and analyzes on-chain cryptocurrency activities in real time to identify and flag suspicious or problematic transactions for further investigation. Anonymity is still preserved as a core value of blockchain to ensure a high degree of financial privacy for traders, but Star Atlas utilizes various on-chain monitoring techniques, such as monitoring on-chain flow of assets, event correlation analysis, identity authentication, and malicious address labeling, to single out and track illicit activities. Star Atlas also provides a visual user interface so Huobi administrators can easily trace the transaction paths of illicit activities. Additionally, Star Atlas maintains a large address library with tens of millions of tags and tens of thousands of blacklisted addresses, which is updated and expanded automatically to allow Huobi to more efficiently detect malicious accounts and even dark web transactions among numerous complex transactions. The system also automatically monitors every on-chain transaction for markers of high-risk activity. When combined with pertinent information like user identity, Star Atlas is able to enhance the overall capability in identifying abnormal behaviors in real time to effectively mitigate potential risks posed to Huobi or its users. Accounts flagged by the system for suspicious activities will be temporarily restricted from withdrawing assets until additional verification requirements are satisfied. The proprietary technology behind Star Atlas has been in development for over a year and is based on years of intelligence gathered by the crypto industry's leading security experts. Sun added, "Star Atlas is a tool we are very proud of as it encapsulates and maintains the most important core values at Huobi. We have robust security on our platforms, we put safety first for our users, and our platform always makes our best efforts to provide a safe, secure trading experience for our users." About Huobi Group Consisting of numerous upstream and downstream enterprises, Huobi Group is a leading global blockchain company. Established by Leon Li in 2013, the company's Huobi Global exchange accumulative turnover exceeds US $3 trillion. Huobi proudly provides safe, secure, and convenient cryptocurrency trading and asset management services to millions of users in 170+ countries. For more information: www.huobi.com . Contact: Betty Xu, +86 188 1065 4852, [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154450/Star_Atlas.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 19:06 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e112b 1 World France,lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19,Indonesian-Embassy,Foreign-Ministry Free Citizen protection is now the main focus of the Indonesian Embassy in Paris as the French government extended its confinement rules until next month to slow the spread of COVID-19. The nationwide lockdown to limit people's mobility, in place since last month, has been extended until May 11 as France looks to build on the progress it has made in slowing down the virus spread. Indonesian Ambassador to France Arrmanatha Nasir said on Tuesday that protecting Indonesian citizens had been the main focus of the mission since the early outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. He said the Indonesian Embassy in Paris continued to operate even when other foreign missions had shut their offices, as it wanted to ensure that Indonesians in France get all the assistance they needed. As per the direction from the Indonesian Foreign Minister [Retno LP Marsudi], protecting citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Frances confinement policy have been the main focus of Indonesian diplomats in Paris, Arrmanatha said in a statement on Tuesday. The embassy has been intensifying its coordination and communication with the Indonesian diaspora through multiple channels, such as Indonesian communities and the Indonesian Students Association (PPI) in France. Arrmanatha said he had been leading the coordination every day through various mechanisms, aside from providing updates about COVID-19. The embassys hotline, website and social media are being fully utilized. We have also intensified our communication by using video conference platforms to monitor their condition and accommodate their needs, Arrmanatha said. The embassy collaborating with the PPI has delivered personal protective equipment to those in need amid a scarcity of such equipment in Paris. It has also tried to obtain supplies of such equipment from outside France. The envoys also intensified their coordination with other groups of Indonesians, especially the elderly and other vulnerable citizens. So far, the embassy had helped 151 Indonesian crewmen get home after the cruise ships they had been working on stopped operations in France, the statement said. As of Tuesday, France has reported 137,877 cases of coronavirus with 14,967 deaths, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University. The Indonesian embassy said France's containment rules had improved the situation. Although the tally of confirmed cases was still increasing, the growth rate had slowed down. Indonesia has reported no deaths of citizens in France. According to the embassy, Indonesians who have tested positive in France are currently in good condition, and some are starting self-quarantine and individual treatment. At least 373 Indonesians have tested positive abroad, with 15 cases ending in death, according to Foreign Ministry data from Tuesday. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Across Canada, the coronavirus pandemic is increasing the demand for already scarce critical care resources. In the coming weeks, there is a very real chance that there won't be enough ventilators and critical care beds for everyone who needs them. Difficult decisions will have to be made about who gets what. Sick individuals who might survive if put on a ventilator may be denied access to one, or even removed from one they were already on, in order to save someone else. In anticipation of this, provincial and territorial governments now face the challenge of authorizing triage protocols: documents that spell out the nature and process of allocation decisions. The normal rules for allocating resources just don't work during a pandemic. When critical care units can no longer admit everyone who wants and might benefit from critical care, new rules must be set. Who lives and who dies? Who decides? Triage protocols vs. standards of care The best case scenario is that these protocols will not need to be introduced, and it will be possible to meet all clinical needs through mobilization, management and sharing of resources. However, given the uncertainty about the future spread of the virus, we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Which means provincial and territorial governments should prepare critical care triage protocols, as Ontario has done. However, for these protocols to work and not add more stress to our already over-stressed health-care providers, the authoritiesincluding governments, prosecutorial services and professional regulatory bodiesmust take steps to protect health-care providers. Authorities must ensure that health-care providers who follow these protocols will not face criminal or civil liability, or discipline by regulatory colleges, and ensure that health-care providers are aware of this. The problem is that critical care triage protocols direct health-care providers to deviate from their normal duties and standards of care. They may direct providers to prioritize based on survival of the most people, or first-come-first-served or lottery. Furthermore, protocols may direct providers to discriminate based on grounds that are usually prohibited such as age. Liability risks Normally, if a physician removes a ventilator from a patient who might survive, with neither the patient's nor their substitute decision-maker's consent, they might be charged with criminal negligence causing death. The patient's family might sue for negligence or claim a breach of provincial consent legislation. The province's college of physicians and surgeons might discipline the physician for violating their duties to the patient and standards of practice. However, a critical care triage protocol may direct a physician to do just that. It's possible that a court would not convict a health-care provider on criminal charges or find them civilly liable. It's possible that a regulatory college would not find that a health-care provider breached professional standards. On the other hand, it's possible that there could be criminal charges, civil lawsuits and disciplinary hearings. It's possible there could be liability and sanctions. Thus, these triage protocols can create both real and perceived risks for health-care providers. Protection and reassurance for providers Fortunately, the authorities can protect providers from both liability and regulatory sanction, which can reassure providers. I will take Nova Scotia as an example; however, it is worth noting that the same or similar steps are available in other provinces and territories. For criminal liability, the Nova Scotia director of public prosecutions could issue a directive indicating that criminal charges will not be prosecuted if health-care providers comply with the triage protocol and professional standards of their regulatory body. There are precedents for this; the attorney general of British Columbia and the Nova Scotia director of public prosecutions have previously issued such directives about end-of-life care. Furthermore, the federal government could publish a guidance document indicating its endorsement of a particular triage protocol or of triage protocols in general. While this would not have the force of law, it could be used in court should there be a need to defend against criminal charges laid against a practitioner for complying with their provincial or territorial triage protocol. For civil liability, the minister of municipal affairs could approve a Nova Scotia critical care triage protocol as an emergency management plan under the Emergency Management Act. This would ensure, under the liability provisions of that act, that health-care providers are protected from any civil liability for actions taken that comply with the protocol. For professional sanction, the regulatory bodies (such as colleges of physicians and surgeons) could issue professional standards stating that health-care providers must follow a triggered protocol and that health-care providers will not be subject to sanction if they do so. If these steps are both taken and publicized by authorities and insurers alike, health-care providers will be able to move forward without fear, safe in the knowledge that they are protected. This will allow health-care providers to follow triage protocols, which are established in accordance with the values and goals that society believes should guide the allocation of scarce resources during the present crisis. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. While the demand for hydroxychloroquine tablets keeps on rising worldwide, small pharmaceutical manufacturers in Haridwar have stopped producing the drug due to the sharp increase in the cost of raw materials, according to Anil Sharma, President of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association in Haridwar. "Many companies in Uttarakhand have the license for manufacturing hydroxychloroquine in Uttarakhand. However, the problem for us is that raw materials have become too costly. The raw materials which earlier used to cost Rs 9,000 per kilogram are now being sold at Rs 55,000-75,000. It is because the demand for raw materials is too high and the supply is low in the market, due to which the traders who have them are charging high prices," Sharma told ANI here. "Further, the maximum selling price of the drug is controlled and it can be sold only at Rs 5.61, therefore, it is not possible for small companies in the MSME sector to manufacture it as our manufacturing price is working out to be more than the MRP," he added. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Association President further said that the MSME sector is willing to manufacture the drug if the issue of raw materials is sorted out. "Our Drug Controller has written to the Centre to ensure the availability of raw materials to our MSME sector pharma companies. If those raw materials arrive then we will definitely manufacture the drug and release it in the market," Sharma said. Meanwhile, speaking on the issue, Uttarakhand Drug Controller Tajbar Singh said that he has requested the Drug Controller General of India to ensure the supply of raw material. "Over 60 companies have been approved for the production of hydroxychloroquine here. But there is a shortage in the supply of raw materials. Production will begin as soon as raw material reaches. Have written to Drug Controller General of India on it," Singh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The meeting also tackled the army's efforts to secure strategic regions and protect national security Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed the military's efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus during a meeting with top army leaders on Tuesday, a presidential spokesman said. El-Sisi met with Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki and Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid, as well as military intelligence and reconnaissance and other senior leaders. The officials discussed efforts by the armed forces to assist all state bodies in the implementation of necessary measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, spokesman Bassam Rady said. They also looked at the army's efforts to secure strategic areas to "protect national security and safeguard" the country. Egypt has so far recorded 2,190 confirmed coronavirus cases and 164 deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: Representative Image. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 announced an extension of the national lockdown period by another 19 days, until May 3. In an address to the nation, the prime minister said a common consensus has emerged between the central government and the states that it is imperative to extend the lockdown. However, it isn't just India that is under a lockdown. Perhaps for the first time in over a century, more than a third of the human population is under some form of restriction. Countries in Europe, including Italy, Spain and Britain to the United States, Japan and Singapore, among other nations across the globe, have imposed lockdowns, curfews or shut schools and offices and not just for days, some of them having been shut for at least a month since the coronavirus outbreak. Also Read: India Inc stands by lockdown extension call; seeks stimulus package to rebuild economy 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 Although not all of them have been calling it that, here are some of the countries that are under what can be called a national lockdown: Note that these countries are not ranked according to the number of cases or deaths that they have reported, but by the number of people that they have put in lockdown, according to a Statista chart. India The largest lockdown anywhere in the world with over 1.3 billion people staying at home and, hopefully, staying safe, concerns have been raised about what it will do to the country's economy and livelihood. PM Modi did not address that particular aspect of the lockdown during today's address, but he did mention, during his interaction earlier with chief ministers, that the government will also focus on the livelihood part. During his address today, he said the lockdown could be relaxed in some places after April 20. China China, where the virus first emerged, was naturally the first country to go under a lockdown due to it. First, the district of Wuhan was sealed off on January 23, after which, once it was clear that the virus has begun to spread, it quarantined over 20 other provinces. Then, China's lockdown was the largest in human history as it began to shut down cities and impose strict restrictions on movement; according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it has helped the country in containing the spread of infection. Recently, it also eased restrictions in Wuhan, where it all started. Also Read: Why May 3? Centre may have factored in these conditions while extending lockdown United States Criticism has been levied against the Donald Trump administration for its slow response to the threat of the virus for the longest time. Now that the most number of cases anywhere in the world are coming out of the country, it has put over 297 million of its people under a lockdown. While the shutdown in the US is partial, some of the states have declared complete lockdown particularly those that have been affected more by the outbreak. Meanwhile, reports have suggested that Trump is considering easing of lockdown and restrictions. Bangladesh India's friendly neighbor to the east, Bangladesh, extended its lockdown by 11 days on April 12. The country has also called in its military to enforce social distancing measures as the number of cases in the country rose to 482 and 30 deaths. Bangladeshs Ministry of Public Administration said that nobody would be allowed out of their homes from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., adding that legal action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the orders. Follow our LIVE coverage here Russia Russia has put over 142 million people under strict movement restrictions, and reports have suggested that it might also bring in the military to help tackle the outbreak as cases in the country surged to over 18,000 a number of them coming out of Moscow. "We see that the situation is changing almost daily and, unfortunately, it is not changing for the better," BBC reported Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying in a video message to top officials. "The number of sick people is increasing, including more and more cases specifically of the severe form of the disease. The next few weeks will be decisive in many respects," Putin added. There are other countries, too, such as France, United Kingdom and Italy some of the countries worst-hit by the pandemic that have imposed severe lockdowns. All of these countries, except China, according to the chart, are places where the pandemic is currently 'ongoing'; China, the chart suggests, had imposed restrictions at the 'height of the outbreak' but has started to ease them. Teachers are willing to return to the classroom where possible to meet students ahead of the postponed Leaving Cert exams in July or August, the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) has confirmed. ASTI said it will support Education Minister Joe McHughs decision to postpone the Leaving Cert exams, notwithstanding a number of serious concerns. These concerns revolve mainly around ensuring fairness for students, as well as the logistics associated with the practical exams. The unions stance followed extensive consultation with members in the wake of the ministers announcement last Friday, said Deirdre MacDonald, ASTI president. Second-level teachers have given us a strong message of overwhelming support for their students, she said. ASTI members indicated their willingness to be available where possible to help with student preparation and face-to-face engagement prior to the exams. We look forward to engaging constructively with the minister and the department, said Ms McDonald. We are very cognisant of the wellbeing implications posed by this pandemic to everyone, especially our students. Acknowledging the ministers decision to cancel this years Junior Certificate exams in June, Ms MacDonald called on the minister to award a state certificate to all this years Junior Cycle candidates. This would be in recognition of their participation in and completion of the three years of Junior Cycle in June 2020. She also acknowledged the efforts of teachers and students in continuing teaching and learning under the current circumstances. Meanwhile, the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) also asked members to engage in the process of returning to the classroom for two weeks ahead of the exams, even if it is during the holiday term. The union has members in approximately 350 post-primary, community, and comprehensive schools. The minister has stated that the hope is, public health advice permitting, that schools will reopen for a period of two weeks, so our position is in relation to this time period, said a TUI spokesman. The union is particularly concerned that efforts are put in place for students with underlying health issues, with special educational needs, or those who are already victims of educational disadvantage. What we are currently experiencing is unprecedented and, unfortunately, there are no perfect solutions to any of the challenges that our society faces, said Seamus Lahart, president of the TUI. We are acutely aware of the stress that the situation is causing for students, particularly those due to sit the Leaving Certificate. However, we would like to reassure the families of those students who, for a variety of reasons, are in vulnerable situations at the moment that we will be working with the relevant bodies to ensure that every reasonable accommodation is made for them in terms of the rescheduled Leaving Certificate exams. Mr McHugh has committed to engaging comprehensively with unions in the coming weeks, and the union will do everything it can to address concerns of students and their families, he added. Teachers around the country are going above and beyond the call of duty to support their students at this challenging time, as has been demonstrated in recent weeks, said Mr Lahart. All plans for the postponed exams are subject to public health advice, said a spokesman for the Department of Education. The final arrangements will be determined by the SEC [State Examinations Commission] when they receive the latest advice in early June, he said. [April 14, 2020] Lazard to Host Virtual Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2020 Lazard Ltd (NYSE: LAZ) announced today that in light of the public health impact of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, our Annual General Meeting of Shareholders will be changed to a virtual-only meeting for the health and safety of our stakeholders and employees. As previously announced, our Annual General Meeting will be held Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 4:30pm Eastern Daylight Time. The meeting will be webcast and can be accessed by shareholders at http://www.meetingcenter.io/219633717. To login to the virtual meeting, shareholders will be required to provide a control number and password. The password for the meeting is LAZ2020. Registered shareholders can find the control number on the proxy card, notice, or email previously provided in connection with the Annual General Meeting. If shares are held through an intermediary, such as a bank or broker, the shareholder must register in advance to attend the Annual General Meeting. To register, the shareholder must submit proof of their proxy power (legal proxy) reflecting their holdings in Lazard as of the close of business on March 3, 2020, along with their name and email address to Computershare. Shareholders should forward the email from their broker, or attach an iage of their legal proxy to an email, to [email protected]. Requests for registration must be labeled as "Legal Proxy" and be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 23, 2020. Shareholders will receive a confirmation of their registration, together with a control number required to log in, by email from Computershare after Computershare receives the necessary registration materials. Lazard has designed the format of the Annual General Meeting to ensure that, in accordance with Lazard's Bye-laws, shareholders are afforded the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would at an in-person meeting, using online tools to ensure shareholder access and participation. Shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 3, 2020 who have their control number may vote during the Annual General Meeting by following the instructions available on the meeting website. Lazard encourages all shareholders to vote in advance of the Annual General Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders may continue to use the proxy card or voting instruction form previously distributed to vote shares in connection with the Annual General Meeting. Lazard's Notice of Meeting, Proxy Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K are available free of charge at www.lazard.com/investorrelations/. About Lazard Lazard, one of the world's preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from more than 40 cities across 25 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. For more information, please visit www.lazard.com. Follow Lazard at @Lazard. LAZ-EPE LAZ-CPE View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005747/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] GSK and Sanofi will collaborate on a coronavirus vaccine. (HATIM KAGHAT/Belga/Sipa USA) Two of Europes leading pharmaceutical firms have announced they will work together in a bid to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 by next year. British drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and its French rival Sanofi (SAN.PA) announced the rare collaboration on Tuesday as global efforts intensify to tackle the pandemic. The two companies said any vaccine depended on successful trials and regulator approval, and would not be ready until mid-2021 at the earliest. The companies have signed a letter of intent to enter a collaboration, and said each would bring different aspects of their innovative technology to the partnership. Sanofi has already produced an exact genetic match to proteins found on the surface of the virus, while GSK will contribute its adjuvant technology. The latter makes higher production possible by reducing the amount of vaccine protein needed per dose. READ MORE: AstraZeneca to start COVID-19 drug trial Two of the worlds largest #vaccine manufacturers are joining forces to develop a vaccine for #COVID19. Hear from Emma, our CEO, on todays announcement with @Sanofi. Find out more: https://t.co/Wf68P7zxlp #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/2nemNK18ar GSK (@GSK) April 14, 2020 Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi, said: As the world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no one company can go it alone. That is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources with our peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient quantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus. Story continues Emma Walmsley, his counterpart at GSK, added: This collaboration brings two of the worlds largest vaccines companies together. By combining our science and our technologies, we believe we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19. The companies plan to begin first-phase clinical trials in the second half of 2020. They said they would aim to make the vaccine available from the second half of 2021 if the trials were successful and approved by regulators. GSK shares were trading 1.7% higher and Sanofi shares 2.1% higher on Tuesday. It comes after AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Tuesday it would start a new clinical trial of Calquence, aimed at assessing it as a treatment for COVID-19. The company said it hopes the drug will treat the exaggerated immune response associated with COVID-19 infections. Calquence is currently used to treat certain types of blood cancers. AstraZeneca said early clinical data suggests Calquence appears to reduce the severity of COVID-19-induced respiratory distress. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Together and by inaction, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have been the most notorious adversaries of the 2020 Census. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are right beyond them. Theyve led a politically motivated effort to ensure an undercount. The governor has not allocated a single dollar to support the Census Bureaus work, while other governors, Democrats specifically, have financially supported outreach efforts for their hard-to-count residents. That includes people of color, the poor and immigrants, whether theyre in the country legally or illegally. The Constitution calls for all people living in the country to be counted regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, political party or immigration status. Demographers and other experts expect the data will get Texans more national representation, allowing for their voices to be heard in the form of three more congressional seats. The 2020 census data will have a long shelf life. The information the census provides will be used to determine the amount of federal dollars that will come to Texas children, businesses, roads, hospitals and schools. But Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick are willing to risk losing all that to keep Texas in Republican hands. If Abbott or Patrick have promoted a complete count, theyve been hard to hear. Perhaps they need to speak louder, like they have about limiting voting rights or the right of women over their own bodies. On the census, what weve heard from them is absolutely nada. You can fight back by self-responding to the census without having an enumerator endanger themselves during the coronavirus pandemic by knocking on your door. If you received written instructions from the census in the mail, it included a code that will allow you to respond online at https://my2020census.gov, or by phone. For English, call 844-330-2020; for Spanish, dial 844-468-2020. Those who have yet to receive written census instructions by mail probably because you dont have a physical address will have to wait until the bureau resumes operations. Such is the plight of people who live in rural areas and colonias. The Census Bureaus operations were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it announced Monday plans to resume work June 1. The bureau also announced it has begun to mail paper questionnaires to households that have not self-responded. Thats when enumerators could be on the ground, wearing protective gear. In Bexar County, the bureau had planned to hire about 2,000 enumerators, said local census spokeswoman Ximena Alvarez. As of Monday, that number was still good. The bureau also on Monday extended the self-response date to Oct. 31. It was originally July 31 and had already been extended to Aug. 14. That gives us a lot more time to self-respond, and for local governments to work on their self-response rates. The city of San Antonio invested nearly $400,000 to the effort, and the county another $100,000. The Complete Count Committee reports that census video ads are already appearing on screens at 130 gas pumps in or near hard-to-count census tracts. Later this month, census ads will appear on the back of receipts at Family Dollar and Dollar General stores. The latest figures show 48.1 percent of households nationally self-responded, according to the most current figures available as of April 12. In Texas, 43.7 percent had self-responded, most online. Bexar Countys self-response rate came in higher than the states at 46.8 percent, with the majority doing so online. In the 2010 Census, the countys self-response rate was 67 percent. But that may not be a good comparison, as the 2020 census started with an online and phone response campaign, and mail-in questionnaires will be sent later, officials say. Thatll likely to improve the countys response. As families continue to #StayHome and #StaySafe, responding to the census can serve as a family activity and a civics lesson, much like taking your children with you to the voting booth. Families might allow their home-bound teens or even younger children to respond to the census questions for you, with some supervision. For the Census Bureau, m ore adjustments lie ahead. The Census Bureaus new timeline is likely to require congressional statutory relief. The bureau is required to deliver apportionment and redistricting numbers to Congress in December. Given the new timelines, that deadline looks impossible. Whether Washington will be in the mood to give the bureau more time in an election year is anyones guess. Whenever its delivered, the data will be used to determine how many additional congressional seats Texas, and all states, will get. That process always has been complicated and political. Its been unfair to people of color, too. The next Texas Legislature is supposed to convene in January 2021. But no matter the date, it wont take kindly to data giving more congressional representation to its citizens, especially if that growth is in Latino areas. With so much up in the air, one of the only actions that Texans can take for the moment is to self-respond to the census. Just do it. Do it now. Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Elaine, become a subscriber. eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala A New York City man has been arrested on charges of making terroristic threats and weapons possession after police say he threatened to kill his parents and an ex-girlfriend, and blow up the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. According to a statement from the New York City Police Department, Kevin Fallon, 30, was taken into custody on Saturday night after officers conducted a welfare check at his apartment in the 120 block of West 82nd Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side and discovered suspected explosive devices, ammunition and multiple knives. During an investigation, detectives learned that two days earlier, Fallon allegedly sent a group text message to friends and family, laying out a plan to detonate the beloved Manhattan landmark celebrating Lewis Carroll's whimsical childhood classic. Kevin Fallon has been arrested after allegedly texting loved ones threatening to blow up the Alice in Wonderland statue in Manhattan with a pipe bomb The next day, Fallon sent a message through the networking site LinkedIn to a friend, which featured a picture of what appeared to be a pipe bomb, according to a criminal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Fallon was quoted as writing that the device in the photo is a replica alarm clock pipe bomb 'that really works.' The following morning, Fallon sent another person a picture of what looked like a pipe bomb with a wristwatch wrapped around it. He then followed up with a group text containing an image of a pipe bomb and rifle ammunition, according to the complaint, which was accompanied by a rambling message. 'See you at the wedding,' Fallon was quoted as writing. 'Catch me if you can. Look both ways before you cross the street. This is going to hurt. None of you are safe. I am lethal . . . said this character I'm writing. Would be what a p***y would say.' A police search of Fallon's apartment on West 82nd Street in Manhattan (pictured) yielded three inert pipe bombs, rifle ammunition and multiple knives taped together Fallon later sent yet another missive, saying that it was a loved one's birthday, and that he was planning to present the 'alarm clock bomb' to him as a gift. 'When I give it to him it will be filled with powder and ready to detonate,' Fallon wrote, according to the complaint. While the document from the district attorney's office does not include any identifying information on Fallon's alleged targets, who are referred to only as 'informants,' it has been reported that he had threatened to kill his parents and ex-girlfriend. A search of Fallon's apartment on Saturday turned up three pipe bombs, which 'ended being empty,' according to the complaint, along with rifle ammunition and several knives taped together. The 30-year-old suspect was not home when officers arrived to perform a welfare check at his mother's request, reported the New York Post citing unnamed sources. At 6pm that evening, Fallon was discovered inside a hotel in the Theater District in Manhattan and arrested. Fallon was booked into the Rikers Island jail on six counts of making a terroristic threat, two counts of falsely reporting an incident, and one count of possession of a weapon. During his arraignment on Monday, a judge ordered that Fallon undergo a psychiatric evaluation and set his bond at $300,000. He is due back in court on July 13. New Delhi: Maharashtra Police on Tuesday (April 14) said that it has registered 196 cases against fake news, rumours and hate speech over social media in the state from the lockdown to till date. Issuing a statement, it said, "From the lockdown to till date, total 196 Cases registered regarding fake news, rumours and hate speech over social media in Maharashtra. Out of that 188 are (FIR) cognizable cases and 8 are Non-Cognizable." In total 37 accused are arrested and 114 are identified, it said, adding that out of total arrested, preventive action was carried out against 12 accused as per section 107 CrPC. According to the Maharashtra Police, which noticed a rising trend in hate speech cases in the last seven days, out of total registered cases, 104 cases are about hate speech over social media. The other major category belongs to rumours/ fake news about corona with 68 cases and there are 27 other cases of misinformation, it said, adding that this includes WhatsApp (93 cases), Facebook (61 cases), Tiktok (3 cases) and twitter (2). The Police also stated to have issued takedown notices to all concerned platforms of social media. "Still, so far 32 posts are removed. Out of total cases, 93 are of WhatsApp and due to the nature of technology and encryption posts over WhatsApp can be removed. Remaining 80 cases, notices are issued to platforms and removal process is in progress, it said, adding that "32 notices have are been issued under 149 crpc as a preventive measure." In the last 24 hours, 13 cases have been registered, out of that 10 are of hate speech over social media, it said. Notably, Maharashtra's cyber cell with a team 25 member is keeping a continuous eye on social media posts which are in pic domain. "We appeal to the public not to forward and create fake and hate messages. Make admin only provision in your WhatsApp groups to avoid unwanted messages which are spreading hate in society," it said. An advisory about WhatsApp and other crimes has been issued on Monday. Maharashtra Police's Cyber cell is making coordinated awareness efforts to reach out to common citizens to sensitize them about fake news, rumours and hate speech through social media handles of each district. The advisory contains the following points: 1. Dont forward the fake news/rumours Break the chain of rumors 2. Spot the creators and super spreaders and inform nearest police station or report 3. Verify and fact check before sharing or forwarding any news or information. 4. Always follow and rely on official sources at such time 5. Dont act on fake news or rumors first verify from official sources PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 17:33:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 473 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / The Directors of World High Life PLC are pleased to announce that the resolution to approve the sub-division of the Company's issued and outstanding ordinary shares (the "Sub-Division"), was duly passed at the General Meeting of the Company held today.As a result, every existing ordinary share with a nominal value of 0.10 (10p) will be sub-divided into 10 new ordinary shares with a nominal value of 0.01 (1p) each. The record date for the Sub-Division is 18.00 today, 14 April 2020. On completion of the Sub-Division, the Company will have 142,409,080 ordinary shares of 0.01 each in issue ("New Ordinary Shares"). The ISIN for the New Ordinary Shares is GB00BMDY1P48.Application has been made for the New Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on the AQSE Growth Market and admission is expected to become effective, and dealings in the New Ordinary Shares are expected to commence, on 15 April 2020.Following the Sub-Division, shareholders will still hold the same proportion of the Company's ordinary share capital as before the Sub-Division. In the case of uncertificated holders, Euroclear UK and Ireland Limited will be instructed to credit the relevant CREST participant's account with New Ordinary Shares on 15 April 2020; share certificates in respect of New Ordinary Shares will be issued in the week commencing 20 April 2020 .For the purposes of the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, the figure of 142,409,080 New Ordinary Shares referred to above should be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.For further information please contact:David StadnykFounder & CEOWorld High Life PLC+44 (0) 7926 397 675info@ worldhighlife.uk AQSE Corporate AdviserMark Anwyl/Allie FeuerleinPeterhouse Capital Limited+44 (0) 20 7469 0930ma@ peterhousecap.com af@ peterhousecap.com Financial PRCamilla Horsfall/Megan RayBlytheweigh+44 (0) 20 7138 3224For more information on World High Life please visit: www.worldhighlife.uk Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) DisclosureThe information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: World High Life PLC Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra, has time and again shown us that action speaks louder than words. A man who is not only idealistic, but also knows how to walk the talk, Anand Mahindra has yet again stepped up to help India put up a strong front in its fight against coronavirus. As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to rock the nation to its core, Anand Mahindra is doing his bit to aid Indias efforts to lower the blow and save millions of lives that are at risk. Much like the rest of the world, the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases in India implies that there will be a growing need for not only doctors and healthcare professionals, but also PPEs, care facilities, hand-sanitisers and ventilators, apart from the requirement of food, goods and services. Twitter Keeping these urgent needs in mind, Anand Mahindra has ensured that the Mahindra Group comes together as one and contributes in every possible way to defeat the enemy. In keeping with that Anand Mahindra has undertaken numerous initiatives and delivered some incredible support to help frontline workers and those affected by the pandemic and lockdown. Check out these 9 + 1 (bonus) ways how Anand Mahindra is leading Indias fight against the coronavirus outbreak. 1. Designed Low-Cost Ventilator Prototype In 48-Hours Twitter This one is perhaps one of the biggest news that the Mahindra Group Chairman delivered last month. Mahindra Groups R&D team in Igatpuri and Kandivali successfully managed to design the prototype for indegenous ventilators which was developed in just 48-hours. Whats more, Manhindras life-saving ventilators are expected to cost one-fourth the price of regular ones at just Rs 7,500 approximately. As @GoenkaPk tweeted, we are simultaneously working with an indigenous maker of ICU ventilators. These are sophisticated machines costing between 5 to 10 lakhs. This device is an interim lifesaver & the team estimates it will cost below 7,500 https://t.co/3rz1FBkPF0 anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 26, 2020 2. Launched Free Emergency Cab Service For Senior Citizens Twitter Logistics arm of Mahindra Group recently announced that its mobility enterprise Alyte will be providing free emergency cab services for senior citizens, specially-abled individuals, and single mothers who do not have the means of transportation for essential needs. These include, going to the market to buy essentials and medication, visits to banks, post offices and periodic medical visits. Doctors, nurses and paramedics will also be able to use the service which has already been launched in Hyderabad and Dwarka Subcity, Delhi. Mobility is more important than ever during a lockdown...especially for critical needs and for special segments of the population... https://t.co/6JxWhdWBF2 anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 13, 2020 3. Produced Life-Saving Face Shields Twitter The Mahindra Group has been one of the front runners when it comes to innovation during this time of crisis, and true to its promise, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) recently started the production of Face Shields for health workers for the added protection they need on the frontlines. Mahindras Pithampur plant had taken up the initial manufacturing of the face shields, which has now been expanded to eight other of their plants. All hands on deck! Thank you, M&M, Pitampur! Im glad the home of the Jawa bike is displaying such character & commitment. https://t.co/jQlvIt2rtT anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 9, 2020 And another of our teams that is walking the talk on our philosophy of Rise. Haridwar is where the Amrit fell... Time to repay the city for its blessings... https://t.co/1pvAbXozyr anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 12, 2020 4. Manufactured Hand-Sanitizers In Record Time Twitter Yesterday, Anand Mahindra announced that Mahindra Rise has successfully managed to formulate, license and test hand-sanitisers in record time, which can be used by people as the first line of defence to fight the deadly virus. The production of these hand-sanitisers have also been expanded to multiple Mahindra plants across the country to boost manufacturing volumes needed amid the coronavirus crisis. I join in to congratulate you and your team. You have shown you know how to Rise to the occasion... https://t.co/SxbgdG7fIW anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 12, 2020 5. Mass Producing Quality Packaged Meals For Distribution Twitter Anand Mahindra didnt just stop at producing PPEs but also extended the good work to providing relief to the poor and needy. Apart from manufacturing face shields in its Pithampur plant, its kitchen is also mass producing over 1,000 quality meal packages for the needy. All hands on deck! Thank you, M&M, Pitampur! Im glad the home of the Jawa bike is displaying such character & commitment. https://t.co/jQlvIt2rtT anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 9, 2020 The Mahindra Group has opened its kitchens in over 10 other locations to produce packaged meals and have been managing to supply 50,000 meals and 10,000 ration a week. Thats not all, they are also opening their kitchen infrastructure to anybody else who wishes to produce up to 10,000 meals a day. To our team: You have opened up not only our kitchens, but our hearts. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart... https://t.co/ewX7z4FI8L anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 5, 2020 6. Collaborated With Smaller Start-Ups To Fast Pace Face Mask Production Twitter The Mahindra Group has also collaborated with smaller, homegrown start-ups such as Saral Designs who wished to use their sanitary pad machines to produce surgical masks. Saral Designs co-founders Suhani Mohan and Kartik Mehta were able to get things going and start production within 100 hours of alliance and earned Anand Mahindras appreciation and gratitude for their contribution. Young, idealistic entrepreneurs, who wanted to speedily convert their sanitary pad machine to surgical mask production ally with an auto company & succeed just 100 hours after the 1st correspondence. The future of business might be paved with such win-win alliances... https://t.co/mb8B0Y3Rsl anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 3, 2020 7. Donated 100 Percent Salary To Fund Small Businesses & Self-Employed Twitter Anand Mahindra has been doing everything in his power to help every section of the society that has been affected by the pandemic. Talking about the need to help the worst-hit within the ecosystem, namely the small businesses and self-employed people, Mr Mahindra announced that he would donate 100 percent of his salary to kickstart a fund with an aim to provide financial aid to such individuals. He also urged others to make voluntary donations for the cause. We will encourage associates to voluntarily contribute to the Fund. I will contribute 100% of my salary to it & will add more over the next few months. I urge all our various businesses to also set aside contributions for those who are the hardest hit in their ecosystems (5/5) anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020 8. Helped In Rolling Out Of Curfew Passes Twitter In order to ensure that essential services and personnel continue to access smooth movement amid the lockdown, Delhi Police introduced an online curfew pass system. Delhi Police had appreciated Tech Mahindra's efforts in enabling the setting up of the online system for the Coronavirus Online Movement Pass System (COMPASS) in record time. 9. Offered To Convert Mahindra Resorts Into Temporary Care Facilities Twitter Apart from all this, Mr Mahindra also offered to turn the Mahindra resorts into temporary care facilities to treat COVID-19 patients and also help with quarantine facilities for doctors and healthcare workers. To help in the response to this unprecedented threat, we at the Mahindra Group will immediately begin work on how our manufacturing facilities can make ventilators. At Mahindra Holidays, we stand ready to offer our resorts as temporary care facilities. (3/5) anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 22, 2020 BONUS: Helped Banana Farmers By Pushing For The Use Of Banana Leaves They Couldnt Sell Amid Lockdown Twitter Recently, people began wondering why a conglomerate like the Mahindra Group was using banana leaves to serve food in its canteens, and this is what Anand Mahindra had to say. A retired journalist, Padma Ramnath mailed me out of the blue & suggested that if our canteens used banana leaves as plates, it would help struggling banana farmers who were having trouble selling their produce. Our proactive factory teams acted instantly on the idea...Thank you! pic.twitter.com/ouUx7xfMdK anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 9, 2020 The University of Pennsylvanias Lia Thomas competes in a swim meet against Dartmouth and Yale on Saturday. (Kylie Cooper) After undergoing hormone replacement therapy, Thomas has posted fast times for the University of Pennsylvania's women's team, sparking debates from the starting blocks to online message boards to cable news networks. A man who wore military attire to a central Pennsylvania truck stop to ask for money is facing charges for pretending to be a veteran, authorities said. Middlesex Township police found Mark Miller, 56, at the Pilot Flying J on the 1500 block of the Harrisburg Pike, sitting in a wheelchair wearing military clothing and holding a cardboard sign asking for donations for a veteran. Miller was arrested on Sunday after police discovered he was never enlisted in the military. The money he collected was confiscated, and Miller was charged with misrepresentation of military service or honors. Some have said the failure of Americas medical system to handle the surge in demand caused by COVID-19 is proof that the country needs Medicare for All. They couldnt be more wrong. Many countries with nationalized, single-payer schemes, including England, France, Italy, and Spain, have seen their health-care systems stretched past the breaking point by the pandemic. More importantly, the responsibility for Americas lack of preparedness lies squarely with our dysfunctional government. The real lesson to be learned from our botched response to COVID-19 is that giving the government control of the entire health-care system would be an enormous mistake. No system that is sensibly designed to meet our normal needs for goods and services can respond instantly to a massive surge in demand. Thats why stores ran out of toilet paper, bottled water, face masks, antibacterial wipes, and other items when panicked shoppers went on buying sprees after the pandemic first hit. To increase production, manufacturers must acquire additional supplies, hire more workers, add shifts, expand facilities, make shipping arrangements, and so forth. Because doing these things takes time, in the short run supply is fixed. The health-care system also faces short-term supply constraints. It takes years to produce the thousands of new doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and EMTs that are needed when a crisis hits. It takes time to make more hospital beds, ventilators, ambulances, and personal protective equipment too. That we ran short of these resources when the coronavirus reached our shores is not a sign of a poorly run system, but of one governed by basic economic imperatives: Health-care businesses sensibly kept only enough resources on hand to deal with expected demand, because maintaining excess capacity was not worth the expense. The pandemic caused demand to skyrocket past expected levels, so, as typically happens with mass disasters, weve faced shortages. Some can be eased by importing goods and workers from outside the affected region think of New York, which is now asking for help from doctors in other states. But others can only be addressed by ramping up production, which can take weeks, months, or even years. Story continues Since markets discourage businesses from maintaining too much excess capacity, how should we prepare for catastrophes like COVID-19? The usual answer is that government must do the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, the governments record of preparing for disasters is poor. The response to the COVID-19 crisis is a case study in governmental ineptness. In 2006, the federal government estimated that 70,000 ventilator machines would be needed in a moderate influenza epidemic. Instead of going with a large, established device maker, in 2010 HHS hired Newport Medical Instruments, a small one, to build a fleet of inexpensive portable devices. Before production started, however, NMI was purchased by Covidien, a larger device maker. Eventually, Covidien backed out of the contract, no ventilators were delivered, and the government enlisted a new vendor in 2019. The government also allowed a contract dispute to interfere with the maintenance of the ventilators it already had. Consequently, when COVID-19 hit, the federal supply of ventilators was far too small and thousands of the machines the government did have didnt work. Fourteen years after the call for ventilators went out, the federal government is just starting to fill the need. What about drugs? Scientists are now studying whether Remdesivir may be effective in fighting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Remdesivir was developed six years ago to combat various viruses, including dengue fever, the West Nile virus, Zika, MERS, SARS, and Ebola. But it was never approved for use apparently because Gilead Sciences (the patent holder) saw too little financial gain to warrant the cost of the FDAs approval process. The result is that we are effectively starting from scratch in the search for a COVID-19 treatment. The federal government also botched the process for creating and administering coronavirus tests. Because SARS-CoV-2 is a new variant, a new test was needed to track its spread. German researchers developed one in mid-January, but the CDC decided not to use it, instead pressing ahead with the development of a separate test. When that test was released in late January, it proved faulty, and the FDA prevented private laboratories from developing tests of their own. The CDC also distributed its few test kits equally to labs across the country, without regard to the size of local populations. The result was a dramatic shortage of valid tests in populous areas, which created the false impression that the number of cases in the U.S. was low. In early March, facilities in the U.S. had administered 3,099 tests. By comparison, South Korea, a much smaller country whose epidemic started the same day as ours, had administered more than 188,000. Even after the government-created bottleneck was broken, testing in the U.S. was still stymied by shortages of swabs, transport media, and reagents that are used to wash genetic material out of swabs for examination. Evidently, none of these items were stockpiled in sufficient quantities. Items needed to protect testers and health-care providers, such as N95 face masks, were also in short supply. The federal governments Strategic National Stockpile is supposed to include such personal protective equipment, as well as antibiotics, vaccines, ventilators, and other supplies needed to deal with a pandemic. Since its creation in 1999, the SNS has proven its value in responding to Hurricane Katrina and the 2009 H1N1 swine-flu pandemic, among other disasters. But SNS stockpiles were depleted during the Obama presidency, and hadnt been replenished by the time the current crisis began. Originally, the SNS got caught up in the fight between congressional Republicans and President Obama over spending, with neither side willing to bend enough to ensure that it was fully replenished. After that, Obama wasnt willing to expend the political capital necessary to fix the problem, and President Trump hasnt been willing to do so either. The U.S. spends almost $1 trillion a year on national defense, but it handles our security so poorly that a virus born in a provincial city in China has killed thousands of us, sickened hundreds of thousands more, and sent us into economic freefall in barely a month. With a record like that, no one should want the government to have more responsibility for the health-care system than it already does. Medicare For All wont help the country in ordinary times or in emergencies it will only make things worse. Charles Silver is a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. David A. Hyman is a law professor at Georgetown University. They both serve as adjunct scholars at the Cato Institute and are co-authors of Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care. More from National Review With many of us sheltered-in-place or working from home, its hard not to feel the tug of your passport and the urge to jet set. Opening a bottle of wine offers a brief adventure, a sensory travel experience to areas that you aspire to visit. I have written about small production California wineries, which offer an interesting window into California wine making. Small productions allow for more versatility in the wine making process and allow for greater experimentation. The resulting wines are developed and crafted based on the individual harvests to maximize the flavor and potential from the grapes harvested. Hamel Family Wines has generations tied to the Midwest and is creating inspiring wines with a commitment to quality. Each bottle is adorned with a sketch of a badger, an homage to the familys link to the University of Wisconsin where several family members attended school, and to Sonoma, which has badgers in the wild. While I may need to brace myself for public scorn for including a wine with ties to Bucky Badger here in Hawkeye country, the wines are warranted and should be an exciting adventure. Lucknow: In a big relief to students in Uttar Pradesh, all secondary class batch in 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 will get promoted to the higher class without appearing for the final examinations, in the wake of the nation-wide lockdown. The news of promoting the students is a huge relief as the students have faced the effects of the disruption of their academic year due to the lockdown. The confirmation has been made by Uttar Pradesh State Board. In a letter sent to the Secondary Education Board, principal secretary education (secondary), Aradhana Shukla, has said that all examinations for the above-mentioned classes will not be held due to the corona outbreak and hence, the students in these classes will be considered promoted. Meanwhile, the results of the Uttar Pradesh Board examinations for classes 10 and 12 are also likely to be delayed since the evaluation of copies was stopped due to the lockdown. The Democratic presidential nominating contest did not end with a brokered convention in Milwaukee. Instead, the denouement involved a friendly invitation to play a game of chess. Bernie Sanders, from his house in Vermont, offered a full-throated endorsement of Joe Biden, sitting in his Delaware basement, during a Monday afternoon live stream. After a half-hour colloquy in which they emphasized areas of agreement and presented a unified front, the independent senator jokingly suggested that they play a game of chess for the reporters who had tuned in to watch what they were told would be the former vice president laying out his economic agenda to respond to the recession caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. "I've been playing on my cellphone," Biden said. "I've got a beautiful chessboard upstairs, and I haven't got anybody to play with." Sanders had a chessboard sitting on the table behind him. "We'll bore everybody for a few hours," he told Biden. It was a warm, light-hearted moment, and a marked contrast to the somewhat awkward New Hampshire rally during which Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton in July 2016 after more than a month of negotiations following the California primary. It was also immediately overshadowed by President Donald Trump's off-the-rails coronavirus briefing at the White House, which lasted two hours and 24 minutes. "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total," he declared. With 23,604 deaths in the United States from the coronavirus and 581,000 confirmed cases, the president also falsely claimed that Biden - whom he called "Sleepy Joe" - apologized for calling him xenophobic. Former president Barack Obama reportedly planned to endorse Biden later Tuesday. But Monday captured in miniature his continuing challenges. Trump's reelection committees announced that they raised $212 million in the first three months of the year, meaning that they've now brought in more than $1 billion to support his 2020 bid and have $240 million cash on hand. Biden raised $33 million during the first two weeks of March and $18 million in February, his campaign has said. All told, he's raised about $121 million for the campaign but depleted most of that to win the primaries. He has still not created a joint fundraising operation with the Democratic National Committee. And social distancing makes it harder to build up a traditional finance operation. Postponing the national convention will also delay by a month when he can access the pool of money for the general election. Doug Sosnik, who served as Bill Clinton's White House political director, predicts that Biden will remain a bystander until sometime in May or early June, when the country shifts from facing "a health crisis with unimaginable economic consequences" to "a devastating economic crisis with continued health consequences." "During the lockdown, Trump's organizational advantages will continue to expand - and so will his war chest - without ever leaving the White House," Sosnik said. "Meanwhile, the lockdown has imposed significant obstacles for Biden's campaign, further complicating his efforts to begin building a robust general election political operation." To be sure, there are certain advantages for Biden of a front-porch campaign. And the more this election is a pure referendum on Trump's leadership, the better that could be for Biden. The economy had been Trump's biggest strength until this crisis. The president lashed out at the media on Monday partly because he's on the defensive over revelations about the litany of early warning signs he failed to heed. Sosnik believes those six states will be decisive. "The electoral college math required to win the presidential race hasn't changed," he said. "While the pandemic has turned the world upside down in the last 30 days, some underlying dynamics of the race that were in play prior to the crisis have remained constant. Trump has been consistent about his singular goal of appealing to and maintaining his political base. . . . At the same time Trump has effectively appealed to his supporters, he has also solidified the anti-Trump vote in the process, making this a truly base election." In a base election, which side turns out in greater numbers is obviously everything. "The debate as to whether states should expand voting options will be the single biggest fight that Republicans and Democrats will have in the run-up to the November election," Sosnik predicted. "In an election that will come down to six states, the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus in each of these states, as well as voter turnout, will determine who [wins]." In a promising sign for Democrats on that front, a liberal challenger defeated the conservative incumbent for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in last Tuesday's primary. Ballots were finally tabulated Monday. "Jill Karofsky beat Daniel Kelly, whom then-Gov. Scott Walker, R, appointed to the state's high court in 2016. Trump endorsed Kelly and on Election Day urged Wisconsin voters 'to get out and vote NOW' for the justice," The Washington Post reported. "The contest prompted a rancorous partisan debate over whether to proceed with in-person voting April 7, which Democrats opposed and Republicans supported. It was also hard-fought because of potential implications in the November presidential election, with a judicial decision about whether to purge the state's voter rolls hanging in the partisan balance of the court." In other potentially significant presidential campaign news, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash said Monday that he's looking "closely" at a third-party bid, which could divert votes from Trump. Amash, who quit the Republican Party last July 4 to become an independent after endorsing the president's impeachment, tweeted that "Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option." The Libertarian Party is planning to nominate a candidate for president at its convention in Austin on May 25. So far, no well-known figure has entered the race. But the senator said Trump must be defeated. "We need you in the White House," Sanders told Biden during their joint appearance. "I will do all that I can to see that that happens, Joe." In turn, Biden promised Sanders that he would govern as "one of the most progressive" presidents since Franklin Roosevelt. He also announced that he has agreed to include former Sanders supporters on six new policy working groups he's creating to offer proposals and "creative new ideas" on the economy, education, climate change, criminal justice, immigration and health care. Biden also said he also wants to create a new Cabinet-level position on pandemics. "We're apart on some issues, but we're awfully close on a whole bunch of others," Biden told Sanders. "And you don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves: Have we done enough? And we haven't." Amid the coronavirus epidemic situation, responsible citizens with big hearts have been coming forward and supporting the Center and the state governments. People have been donating lakhs and crores to the PM CARES Fund and Chief Minister Relief Funds. Similarly, some responsible citizens called on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao at Pragati Bhavan on Monday and handed over cheques to power the state government in the battle against COVID-19. Reports said CMRF of Telangana has been receiving funds from almost every industry. Joining the good cause, pharma giants Reddys Labs and MSN Labs have announced to provide medicines and other medical supplies worth Rs 5 crore each. Reddy Labs chairman Satish and MSN Labs chairman M Satyanarayana Reddy gave consent letters separately to the Chief Minister in this regard. Sreenidhi Credit Cooperative Federation Limited of the State Womens Collective donated Rs 1 crore. Dr. Ramesh Kancharla, CMD, Rainbow Hospitals, donated 5,000 PPE Kits, 10,000 N-95 masks and 2,00,000 3-ply masks worth about Rs one crore to the State government. PULSUS group CEO dr. Gedela Srinubabu has donated 25 lakh rupees to the CMRF of Telangana To help the state governments efforts against the coronavirus outbreak even though be belongs to backward region of northern Andhra Pradesh. He says region does not matter when it comes to help during crisis. he says its a small help to tackle the big problem. the Cheque of 25 lakh rupees was presented to the state minister and TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao by me. The minister thanked the industry leader Dr. Gedela Srinubabu for his generous act towards the people of Telangana and supporting the government in fight against Covid -19. PULSUS group is always in the frontline during the time of any crisis. previously I donated food and clothes and other essentials during the TITLI cyclone in Srikakulam district. Telangana Poultry Association and Telangana Breeders Association contributed Rs 1 crore each to the CMRF. Telangana State Cooperative Bank (TSCOB) made Rs 1 crore donation Rs 88 lakh from the bank, Rs 8.5 lakh by employees and Rs 3.5 lakh by TSCOB chairman S Ravinder Rao.Others who donated to the CMRF include SARK Projects India Private Limited Rs 20 lakh, TKR Educational Society Rs 12 lakh, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association, Telangana Rs 11 lakh, SSB Infra Developers Rs 10 lakh, Bishop Dr. Joab Lohara, President AIM ASIA Rs 10 lakh, Shatabdi Townships Pvt Ltd Rs 10 lakh, Binjsaria Ispat Pvt Ltd Rs 10 lakh, All India Telaga Kapu Balija Sangham Rs 5,01,116, M Sagar, artist Rs 5 lakh, Shenoy Hospital, a unit of GSH Pvt. Ltd Rs 5 lakh, Emmanuel Resorts Pvt Ltd Rs 5 lakh. The donars need not come and meet the CM or his minister son to donate money they can donate online too . All the money is used for fighting againt Covid -19. Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao in a series of tweets said, If you would like to contribute, you can also write a cheque in favour of Chief Minister Relief Fund, Telangana State, Account No. 62354157651, IFSC is: SBIN0020077. Even MLAs, MPs, MLCs too donated salaries along with employees salaries. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App By Joanna Plucinska WARSAW (Reuters) - Poles took to social media and their cars on Tuesday to oppose proposals set to be discussed in parliament this week to limit abortion rights and to criminalise sex education in conservative Poland. As restrictions on movement to contain the novel coronavirus prevented street gatherings, protesters driving in their cars blocked off one of Warsaw's main roundabouts, Rondo Dmowskiego. They honked their horns and held up signs in their car windows, footage on social media seen by Reuters showed. Polish women's rights groups also called for Poles to protest on their balconies, in shopping queues and by putting posters in their windows. Police, using loud speakers, warned demonstrators they could be held criminally liable if they flouted lockdown rules. Abortion rights are a contentious issue in Poland, with the conservative ruling Law and Justice (PiS) keen to curb the nation's already restricted access further, despite significant public opposition. Parliament is set to decide later this week whether to debate a proposal submitted for its consideration by anti-abortion activists. It is unclear whether the PiS, which controls the legislature, will back it, however. The party, which campaigns on introducing more religious values into public life, has previously retreated from proposals to nearly ban abortion after a massive public outcry. Campaigners say it would face renewed criticism if it pushed through legislation when restrictions on public life because of the coronavirus pandemic prohibit large-scale demonstrations. "The chaos and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 shouldn't be used as a distraction from harmful attempts to push through dangerous legislation," Hillary Margolis, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, one of the world's largest human rights groupings, said on Tuesday. "The Polish government's focus during the pandemic should be to protect people's health and rights, not diminish them." Story continues WEIGHING SUPPORT For the PiS, a tough stance against abortion could bolster its support among the conservative electorate ahead of a presidential election scheduled for May 10. Its incumbent, Andrzej Duda, is leading in opinion polls. Under current rules, abortion is allowed in Poland in the case of rape, incest and risks to maternal health or if prenatal tests show serious, irreversible damage to the foetus. The new proposal would eliminate foetal health as an exception, which accounts for the vast majority of legal abortions conducted in Poland. "I believe that killing disabled children is simply murder," Duda, a PiS ally, told Catholic news outlet Niedziela, earlier this month when asked about the proposal. "If legislation about this crosses my desk, I will certainly sign it into law," he said. The abortion imitative, alongside a proposal to criminalise sex education in schools, was submitted during parliament's previous term, before the October 2015 general election, which the PiS won. It must be reviewed by May, according to parliamentary rules. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on Tuesday also urged parliament to reject the two bills, saying they could restrict women's rights to safe and legal abortions and children's rights to sex education. A spokesman as well as PiS members of parliament contacted by Reuters did not respond to requests for comment. #RatujmyKobiety, which translates as #Rescue Women, was one of the trending hashtags on Twitter in Poland on Tuesday. (Reporting by Joanna Plucinska and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; editing by Justyna Pawlak and Barbara Lewis) The test taker will rub the swab in each of their nostrils for 15 seconds before placing it in a container that will be refrigerated for the remainder of the day until it can be shipped to a lab for processing. SoftBank Group expects to book a loss of 1.8 trillion yen ($16.7 billion) on the value of its investments at its Vision Fund, the world's largest vehicle for tech startups. The steep loss follows a troubled year when the near-collapse of the WeWork shared office space business, one of the fund's highest-profile investments, cast a shadow over the Japanese tech group and its CEO, Masayoshi Son. The losses announced Monday in effect wipe out the gains that the nearly $100 billion Vision Fund had been building up since its launch in 2017, and likely put its investments at a net negative. The fund, which counts sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates as investors, had stakes in 88 enterprises as of December, including WeWork, ride-hailing company Uber Technologies and Chinese short-video-app owner ByteDance. Son's plans to launch the Vision Fund 2 will be frozen. The sequel technology investment fund had already faced more trouble raising capital than the first after the WeWork flop, and SoftBank had signaled that it would invest its own money. Its strategy of riding the Vision Funds' coattails for growth now heads back to the drawing board. In a statement on Monday, SoftBank said it now projects a net loss of 750 billion yen for the fiscal year ended March, compared with a 1.41 trillion yen profit in the previous year. It will be the company's biggest loss since going public in 1994, and the first annual net loss since the year ended March 2005, according to Capital IQ. The 1.8 trillion yen investment loss at the Vision Fund stemmed "from a decrease in the fair value of investments due to the deteriorating market environment," the company said. SoftBank said the investment losses at the Vision Fund would push the company to a 1.35 trillion yen operating loss. It posted a 2.07 trillion yen operating profit in the previous year, excluding U.S. mobile subsidiary Sprint, which recently merged with rival T-Mobile. SoftBank also said it would book a non-operating loss of 800 billion yen on investments held outside the Vision Fund, including WeWork and OneWeb. Some of the losses will be offset by an increase in income on equity method investments related to Alibaba Group Holding, the Chinese internet group where SoftBank is the largest investor. President Trump on Tuesday announced he would halt U.S. funding to the World Health Organization pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Today Im instructing my administration to halt funding of the WHO while a review is conducted to assess the WHOs role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus, Trump said at a White House press briefing. The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable. It was not immediately clear if the order will cover all or part of U.S. government funding of the organization. The U.S. contributes over $400 million to the WHO every year, or 15 percent of the agencys annual budget. (China funds 0.2 percent of the WHOs budget.) The silence of the WHO on the disappearance of scientific researchers and doctors, and new restrictions on the sharing of research into the origins of COVID-19 in the country of origin is deeply concerning. Especially when we put up by far the largest amount of money, Trump said. Over the weekend China mandated that research papers on the origin of the coronavirus must be approved by the state before publication. Trump further assailed the agencys criticism of travel restrictions the president imposed in January on travelers who had passed through China. The WHOs attack on travel restrictions put political correctness above life-saving measures, Trump said. The president has previously indicated he would consider cutting U.S. funding to the WHO entirely. The agency has also come under fire from U.S. lawmakers for allegedly whitewashing Chinese government mismanagement of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, which has since spread into a pandemic. Taiwan in March accused the WHO of failing to publish early warnings from Taiwanese medical officials that the coronavirus could be spread via human-to-human transmission. China, which does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, does not permit the WHO to accept Taiwan as a member state. More from National Review The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned GHOne television for broadcasting pornographic film on live TV. GHOne television station reportedly broadcast the hardcore pornographic material on Thursday, April 9, 2020, on its late night adult show, Duvet. GJA in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Kofi Yeboah, says it was deeply concerned about the broadcasting of the said pornographic material on live television programme, as it is ethically reprehensible, culturally repulsive and morally repugnant. GHOne, is an Accra-based television station belonging to the EIB Group. Although it is an adult show, broadcasting images of naked sex on live television with wide coverage across the country is offensive to the sensibilities of viewers and totally unacceptable, GJA says. Moreover, the timing of airing the programme to coincide with the Nation Broadcast by the President to give an update on Ghanas fight against the coronavirus pandemic, was absolutely wrong, it added. GJA has therefore urged GHOne and other media outlets to always uphold high ethical standards in line with professional guidelines. In the context of the GHOne case, we wish to particularly draw the attention of media houses to Article 24 of the GJA Code of Ethics, which provides that: A journalist shows good taste, avoids vulgarity and the use of indecent language and images. We further urge media houses to abide by other ethical codes of the profession, including Section 7(e) of the National Media Commission (NMC) Broadcasting Guidelines, which provides that: Actual sexual intercourse between humans should at no time be transmitted'. The GJA has noted the apology rendered by the management of the EIB Group to the NMC and the general public, as well as assurance given by management to sanction the erring staff in that regard and a promise to sin no more, it stated. These proactive steps taken, demonstrate good faith by management to accept blame and mend the trust and credibility damage the station may have suffered in the eyes of the public as a result of such indiscretion. We hope the measures being taken towards ensuring administrative sanction and production sanctity will be thorough and encompassing in order to curb the recurrence of such ethical breaches in the future. 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 (Newser) Early Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused President Trump of behaving more like a "king" than a president in asserting authority over the states on the coronavirus outbreak. Trump himself later floated a different comparison, that of a ship captain. A very specific ship captain. "Tell the Democrat Governors that 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was one of my all time favorite movies," he tweeted. "A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!" Coverage: Another: Trump's tweets came after Cuomo's "king" criticism, and the president directed another rejoinder directly at the governor: "Cuomos been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the states responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc." he wrote. "I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That wont happen!" Trump's tweets came after Cuomo's "king" criticism, and the president directed another rejoinder directly at the governor: "Cuomos been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the states responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc." he wrote. "I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That wont happen!" About that captain: Vanity Fair is among those who found Trump's reference to the movie (there were two, one in 1935 and another in 1962) a little perplexing. That's because the infamous Capt. Bligh was "an arrogant, nasty, paranoid, freakishly obsessive, and brutal man," and things didn't end well for him. story continues below Skeptics: Trump was expected to lay out his arguments on exerting presidential authority, but in the meantime, the skeptics were out and NPR rounds up the opinions of legal experts. "It's so plain and obvious it's not even debatable," says Kathleen Bergin, a professor at Cornell Law School. "Trump has no authority to ease social distancing, or to open schools or private businesses," she adds. "These are matters for states to decide under their power to promote public health and welfare, a power guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution." Trump was expected to lay out his arguments on exerting presidential authority, but in the meantime, the skeptics were out and NPR rounds up the opinions of legal experts. "It's so plain and obvious it's not even debatable," says Kathleen Bergin, a professor at Cornell Law School. "Trump has no authority to ease social distancing, or to open schools or private businesses," she adds. "These are matters for states to decide under their power to promote public health and welfare, a power guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution." Republicans, too: Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Marco Rubio were among prominent Republicans to say that Trump cannot force the states to do his bidding, reports USA Today. "The federal government does not have absolute power," tweeted Cheney, and she included the text of the 10th Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Rubio wrote that federal guidelines "will be very influential," but "the Constitution & common sense dictates these decisions be made at the state level." (Read more President Trump stories.) Ireland's Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has tested positive for coronavirus. The leader of the left-wing Irish nationalist party was given a test on March 28 and got the positive result yesterday after 'weeks of being very unwell'. Last month, Ms McDonald revealed that a pupil in her own children's school contracted the deadly virus that has killed more than 360 people and infected 10,000 in Ireland alone. Ireland's Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (pictured) has tested positive for coronavirus In a statement, Ms McDonald said: 'Yesterday afternoon, I received a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 having been tested on Saturday, 28th March. 'The Public Health Doctor informs me that I am no longer infected or infectious, and this is a great relief after weeks of being very unwell. 'I had a setback in my recovery at the weekend and developed post-viral pleurisy in my right lung. 'I am on medication and responding very well, and I fully expect to be back at work next Monday,' she added. Leader of the left-wing Irish nationalist party Ms McDonald (centre) was given a test on March 28 and got the positive result yesterday after 'weeks of being very unwell' McDonald's party stunned Ireland's establishment in February by winning the most votes in an inconclusive national election. The two centrist parties that have alternated in power throughout Ireland's history both refuse to work with Sinn Fein and are working on a plan for a coalition to govern together. Sinn Fein operates in both British-ruled Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, where its influence was limited for decades by its history of alliance to IRA militants. Caretaker Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's Fine Gael and its historic rivals Fianna Fail refuse to govern with Sinn Fein, and are trying to put together a deal to govern together for the first time, with the support of independent lawmakers or a small party. Theres some good news on the coronavirus front. Were not out of the woods, but maybe were no longer headed deeper in. The CDCs director says were nearing the peak. Daily death counts, after climbing for some time, seem to have leveled off at around 2,000, though these data are often revised as more deaths are reported. The much-watched University of Washington model says were a few days past the peaks of deaths and hospital usage. Estimates of the viruss reproductive number in the U.S. (from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) are headed toward one, the magical threshold beneath which the problem starts to decline rather than spreading further. Nothing much can change immediately, because holding steady isnt great: Its a sign that the severe measures weve put into effect are controlling the virus, not beating it. In the coming week or two, though, well hopefully see deaths decline and the reproductive number go below one. And that means its time to start thinking of the next steps. That situation will put us at a crossroads. Theres a lot of uncertainty about how many COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic and never detected, but with only 550,000 or so known cases in a population of 330 million, we can be pretty confident that a very low percentage of the country has survived the virus and gained some immunity. This means that if we simply go back to life as it was before, the virus will start spreading again. But at the same time, the calculus changes. The longer we try to force the country to stay cooped up, the more damage we do to the economy, the more resistance the lockdowns will provoke, and the worse the cost-benefit calculations will start to look. And subsequent waves of the epidemic might be weaker than the first one, both because some share of the population will probably be immune and because immunity will be concentrated among the people with the most social contacts. My admittedly subjective guess is that mass lockdowns can last at most about month longer, until mid May. If cases and deaths indeed start to decline rapidly, Americans are not going to stay home unemployed while the hospitals are empty and medical staff are furloughed for lack of work. We have to start opening up soon, and we have to do it intelligently. There are numerous plans to do so Ezra Klein has a good rundown over at Vox but they all rely on a fairly straightforward selection of tools. My view is that we should aggressively pursue all of them at once, both federally and at the state level, until its clear which are delivering the most bang for the buck: Story continues Open selectively, and use additional lockdowns only as a last resort. This one is pretty obvious. If a given area hasnt gotten its problem under control, it cant reopen, and highly vulnerable individuals should still stay home when an area first reopens. Scott Gottlieb suggests that a decline in case loads for 14 days, plus adequate hospital capacity, are a practical threshold. On the other side of things, areas that have hardly been affected should be freed up as quickly as possible. And of course, if reopening leads to a fresh explosion of death, new lockdowns in the affected areas might be the only option. Test, test, test. There are many things we can do with tests besides just checking people who are showing symptoms of the disease or who came into contact with known cases. We can conduct surveillance throughout the country to see where new outbreaks are popping up. We can test people and clear them to work if theyre okay. Etc. But we cant do any of this well without a lot more tests than we have right now. There are reasons that testing capacity has been slow to build up, but frankly, screw that: Were the United States of America, dammit, and we excel at making stuff. Lets ramp up capacity as quickly as possible, make the needed investments, and dangle huge incentives in front of everyone who is able to help. Dont take no for an answer. Depending on where we end up, we might be able to pursue any number of testing-based strategies. Creepy phone apps. Everyone hates (but not enough to turn off our cellphones) the fact that Google and Apple track our every movement. But the tech giants are teaming up to put those capabilities to good use. Phone apps could keep track of which users come in contact with one another, and when someone reports an infection, the app could notify everyone theyve been near. Mandating the use of this technology should be out of the question, except perhaps for known cases, but at the same time these apps should be strongly encouraged once they come online. The more we can focus testing and quarantines on people who are actually at risk, the less we have to rely on indiscriminately placing everyone in the country under house arrest. Keep your breath to yourself. Seriously: If youre going to public places where youll repeatedly walk within six feet of other people, cover your face, period. You dont need a fancy mask to do that. A dish towel, bandana, scarf, or other piece of clothing will do wonders by itself. (The higher the thread count, the better.) Businesses, including nonessential ones when they reopen, should among other steps to stop the virus from spreading in the workplace require employees as well as customers to stop openly breathing all over one another. Push for treatments and eventually a vaccine. Theres a lot of work ongoing here, and none of it has come together as quickly as one might hope. But if we can treat severe cases, the risks of opening up will be a lot lower, and the sooner we get a vaccine, the better (though that will probably be in a year or two). I dont know about you all, but Im getting impatient locked up with three kids under the age of six, and I dont want the virus to start spreading again and force us back to Square 1, either. Its time to unleash American ingenuity on all fronts at once. More from National Review The 2020 graduating class of Holyoke Community College will have to wait a year to actually walk the walk that grads covet on commencement day. What they will get, however, is a double treat designed to transform negative circumstances into a positive celebration: two commencements instead of one, including one virtual and one traditional. HCC will recognize the class of 2020 with a virtual celebration in August and also invite graduates to walk across the MassMutual Center stage next year with the Class of 2021. Every year, one of my most anticipated moments is Commencement, president Christina Royal told students by email, when she promised the the next two graduation ceremonies while unconventional, or perhaps because of it would be epic. She said it was the only just way to celebrate the Class of 2020. As a first-generation college student, I remember how significant Commencement was for my family and me," Royal said. "I take great pride in joining you and your families in celebrating your achievements, and in shaking each of your hands as you walk across the stage. That part wont happen until 2021, when the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes share their live commencement. The spread of COVID-19 and social distancing forced cancellation of this years traditional ceremonies, which were scheduled for May 30. We must balance our desire to celebrate your academic achievements in all the ways you were expecting with the need to keep our community healthy, which continues to be our highest priority, Royal said. The college plans to hold a virtual celebration in August, complete with special remarks, honors and recognition of graduates in ways made possible by digital communication. Each member of the Class of 2020 will receive a special surprise package in the mail during the summer, and be invited to host their own celebrations to share through videos and photos using the hashtag #HolyokeCC20. The exact date for the virtual celebration has not yet been determined. The Class of 2020 will have a traditional Commencement in May 2021, where we will celebrate each of you, in person with your loved ones present, along with the Class of 2021, on what will be a truly historic day, Royal said. She added: Your perseverance toward graduation in these unprecedented times deserves to be celebrated in every way possible." Related Content: Teen siblings from San Jose demonstrate human kindness and leadership by hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness and $5,000 to help Unity Care's foster youth who have been impacted by the coronavirus shelter-in-place order. SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Neha, (a 16-year-old junior at Presentation High School) and her brother Eshan (a 13-year-old 8th grader at Challenger School who will be attending Bellarmine College Preparatory this Fall) have already raised over $2,000 for impacted foster youth in our community, and they are working towards a goal of $5,000. Two years ago, Unity Care, a San Jose-based non-profit providing supportive transitional housing to emerging young adult foster youth, partnered with the local students for the first time on a fundraiser to provide bicycles for teen foster youth. Over the past two years, these two students raised $2,682 through a Together We Rise platform, which they then used to build 28 new bicycles at home for foster youth. Neha and Eshan are both active members in their community. The immediate need for masks during this crisis prompted them to sew masks at home to donate to hospitals. In conjunction with the San Jose Public Library System, they have also begun 3D printing face masks and face shields to donate to local hospitals, along with conducting virtual workshops and creating a website and YouTube channel to teach CAD and 3D printing to students at home. Beyond all of these projects, Neha says, "our focus remains on raising awareness for the immense need for foster youth who have been greatly impacted due to the loss of hourly jobs and are at risk of becoming homeless." They reached out and worked with Together We Rise, a non-profit which mobilizes volunteers to donate goods to support foster youth, to set up the organization's first personalized fundraising website for displaced foster youth affected by COVID-19. "We worked to ensure that the funds we raised would go to Unity Care, so that they can use the money to help local foster youth remain safely housed," said Eshan. The student's current goal of $5,000 is larger than any of their previous fundraisers. According to Unity Care of San Jose founder and CEO Andre Chapman, "I'm overwhelmed by the maturity level and generosity of both Neha and Eshan. They aren't sitting around increasing their social media likes, they're setting an example by putting their hands in the soil and paying it forward." While the money they attempt to raise will surely help a number of foster youth, the organization is in greater need of support. Unity Care, like many non-profits on the frontlines providing safety-net services, is experiencing challenges from unplanned expenses associated with the preparations for and addressing the COVID-19 outbreak. The organization provides affordable supportive transitional housing, food, and other basic necessities to over 150 emerging and former foster youth ages 16-24 in Northern California. The agency estimates it will expend an unplanned $270,000 over the next five months and has been working to secure emergency funding through local foundations and individual donations. The organization is also working in partnership with many corporate, community partners and individuals to support the basic needs of the youth in their care. Volunteers have been donating essential items such as toiletries, food, move-in kits, laptops and face masks so that these young people may stay safe during the shelter-in-place order. "Giving back to our community is something that we strongly believe in. We really want all of the youth in our community to have a fair opportunity and we want to help support our community's most vulnerable foster youth during this crisis," said Neha. You can help these students and Unity Care support foster youth by donating to their fundraising site here. About Unity Care: Unity Care was established in 1993 to provide quality youth and family programs designed to create healthier communities through life-long partnerships. Unity Care serves transitional age foster youth in seven northern California counties, including Santa Clara County, delivering trauma-informed, culturally proficient services centered around its five pillars of success, including housing, education, employment, well-being, and unconditional care. Unity Care of San Jose is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation, a leading national accreditation body for human services programs. To learn more about Unity Care, visit https://www.unitycare.org/. CONTACT: Caroline Hunter Web Presence, LLC +1 7865519491 SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584922/San-Jose-Teenagers-Raise-Funds-to-Help-Unity-Cares-Local-Foster-Youth-Impacted-by-the-COVID-19-Crisis Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh on Monday sounded an optimistic tone for the iconic jeans manufacturer post-coronavirus pandemic, given the company's underlying financial condition. "I fundamentally believe, through this crisis, strong brands are going to emerge from this stronger than ever," he said in a "Mad Money" interview. "I like to say that crisis creates an opportunity. ... We've got a lot going on for us." Government response efforts to the global health crisis has caused much economic damage, handicapping businesses across the country. Due to the shutdowns, Levi Strauss is taking steps to prepare for the future by repatriating struggling franchises, upgrading locations and picking up new employees in a hobbled job market. Levi Strauss is also using current consumer habits in China, where the disease originated in the Hubei province, as a model for how to resume business in the United States when given the all-clear. Bergh cited the company's "strong" balance sheet as a reason for his confidence, noting that Levi Strauss had $1.8 billion of liquidity and about $900 million in cash as of the end of its quarter ending February. Just as many of its peers and other businesses, though, Levi will be making efforts to "right size the organization," he said without offering details. "We've taken out costs before," he said, adding "we're going to have to do it again, but we're very, very financially disciplined, and we go get what we need to go get." The Levi Strauss company includes apparel brands like Levi's, Dockers and Denizen, and has a global footprint of about 3,200 locations. The company topped analyst estimates in its first quarter when it reported earnings of 40 cents per share on $1.5 billion in revenues. Analysts are projecting losses of 39 cents per share and sales to fall 50% year-over-year to $654 million in the current quarter ending in May, according to Factset. One thing that Levi Strauss has focused on is building out its direct-to-consumer business, which is vital in a world where department stores are closing down in droves. Levi Strauss' direct-to-consumer operations account for more than 40% of total business, Bergh said, up from 30% five years ago. It's met by other brands like Nike and who have been cutting out the middle man by building their own storefronts and online outfits to reach consumers. Despite the current tough times, Bergh noted that Levi Strauss has a 167-year history. The denim maker has outlived a Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression and the Great Recession, he noted. The only difference is that Levi Strauss will labor through this downturn as a public enterprise. The company began trading on public markets more than a year ago after spending more than the past three decades as a private entity. Levi Strauss initially traded on the public market between 1971 and 1985. "We've been through all of them and we've always managed to come out stronger on the other side," Bergh said, "and we're going to do it again." INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI) Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb says President Trump has Hoosiers' best interest in mind during the coronavirus pandemic. When answering News 18's question Monday on who has jurisdiction to open up states and lift stay at home orders, Holcomb said they're working with the Trump administration. Holcomb said he spoke with Vice President Mike Pence Saturday. He said the same data they're looking at federally is what the state is looking at as well. "I think the president has Hoosiers' best interest in mind. I don't think he wants to, nor do I, act prematurely in getting back to work," said Holcomb. President Trump is expected to announce plans Tuesday to reopen the economy. The president said he has "total authority" to reopen the country despite push-back from some governors. Holcomb also said he plans to announce possible changes to the stay-at-home order Friday. The current order is set to expire April 20. Dr. Kris Box, the state health commissioner, said Monday that Indiana's expected surge will come in late April or early May. The governor will again hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. We will carry that on air and online. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 11:13:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade showed signs of stabilizing in March with export and import both beating bearish market expectations, official data showed Tuesday. Exports dipped 3.5 percent year on year in yuan terms last month while imports climbed 2.4 percent, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed. In March, foreign trade of goods totaled 2.45 trillion yuan (about 348 billion U.S. dollars), down 0.8 percent year on year, compared with a decline of 9.5 percent during the January-February period, the GAC said. In the first quarter, foreign trade of goods fell 6.4 percent year on year to 6.57 trillion yuan. Exports dropped 11.4 percent to 3.33 trillion yuan while imports dipped 0.7 percent to 3.24 trillion yuan during the first three months, resulting in a trade surplus of 98.33 billion yuan, down 80.6 percent year on year, customs data showed. China has rolled out a string of policies to help foreign trade firms resume operation amid further containment of COVID-19, the GAC noted. The West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) organised by WAEC is set as a standardized test. Standardized test are carefully constructed by tests expects with specific directions for administering and scoring the test. Specific instructions are provided for test administration and scoring. Directions are so precise and uniform that procedures are standard for different users of the test at different geographical locations. The test content is determined by curriculum and subject-matter expert and involves extensive investigations of existing syllabi, textbooks and programmes. Therefore the tests are based on agreed (by stakeholders) syllabi where students and teachers alike are aware of areas in a particular subject to expect questions. A test manual is available as a guide for test administration and scoring. The results then should be accepted by all tertiary institutions in West Africa and beyond (not only universities) as evidence of a student having completed a specified period of education and it also shows his/her performance during that period. A certificate is thereby issued to candidates after this. This certificate can be used for job placement and making selection decisions. Some questions that come to mind in considering the University Entrance Exams (UEE) as an alternative to WAEC's WASSCE are; what is the UEE going to be? Are the respective universities going to set it themselves? Are nurses training institutions, university colleges of educations, school of journalism and other tertiary institutions going to set their questions separately? Are they going to be written at the same time all over the country or universities, nursing training and teacher colleges will write at different times? Finally, are candidates going to be issued with a certificate that will be accepted by tertiary institutions all over the world and also to apply for jobs after the exams? Additionally, some students usually buy more than one tertiary admission form, so if two institutions for e.g. nurses training institutions and university colleges of educations or school of journalism and any other tertiary institution decide to write it at the same date what will happen to students mostly will like to buy admission forms from KNUST, UCC, Nursing Training and Teacher training just to try his luck on where he will be admitted or given his preferred programme of study? With WAEC results, a student can apply to any tertiary institution simultaneously and will have the liberty to go to the university that offers him his preferred programme of study. Should students be travelling all over the country writing different exams e.g. from UCC in cape coast to Teacher training college at Abetifi then to Kintampo for Nursing Training entrance exams Regarding the issue of leakage and invigilation, the problem lies with the attitude of Ghanaians. The blame cannot be laid on WAEC alone. It is alleged that some teachers take monies from students to buy questions for them and it is Ghanaians working at WAEC who leak the questions. Recently, the maiden Teacher Promotion Exams allegedly leaked hours before teachers went to take the exams and this was not organised by WAEC. Has university internal exams not leaked before? If proper systems are not put in place to check this and also if the attitude of Ghanaians with examinations does not change, substituting WAECs WASSCE with UEE will not solve the problem of leakage. Finally, WASSCE results are not only for pursuing further studies in Ghana but for the outside world and also for job applications and placements. It is not everyone who wants to or can continue their education after SHS yet such persons need WASSCE certificate to apply for jobs. There are thousands of SHS graduates who are working with their WASSCE certificate and this years batch of students should not be denied that entitlement. By Solomon T. Ansong The author is a teacher with interest in educational and national issues. [April 14, 2020] SDL plc Final Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2019 SDL plc ("SDL" or the "Group"), the intelligent language and content company, announces its full year results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2019. 2019 Financial Highlights Audited Results FY19 FY18 Change 12 months to 31 December m m Revenue 376.3 323.3 +16.4 % Pro forma1 +5.3 % Operating profit 29.7 18.9 +57.1 % Adjusted operating profit2 37.2 29.0 +28.3 % Profit before tax 27.0 18.4 +46.7 % Net cash 26.3 14.4 +82.6 % Basic earnings per share 21.6p 17.2p +25.6 % Diluted earnings per share 21.1p 16.9p +24.9 % Adjusted basic earnings per share3 28.1p 24.7p +13.8 % Adjusted diluted earnings per share 27.4p 24.2p +13.2 % 1 Pro forma is used for illustrative purposes based on unaudited management accounts of the pre-acquisition period of DLS 2 Adjusted operating profit: Operating profit before acquisition related amortisation and exceptional items (as reconciled on the income statement) 3 Adjusted earnings: Profit after tax before the impact of exceptional items and acquisition related amortisation (as reconciled in note 7) Results include maiden full year contribution of the acquisition of Donnelley Language Solutions ("DLS"), completed in July 2018 All business segments delivered growth in revenues and adjusted operating profit Language Services gross margin rose to 42.9% (2018: 42.0%) Before IFRS 16 adjustments, adjusted operating profit was 35.6m Strong cash conversion: adjusted cash flow from operations of 50.5m (2018: 45.6m), representing cash flow to adjusted EBITDA conversion of 98% (2018: 133%) Currently gross cash is in excess of 98.0m with drawn credit facilities of 63.0m (net cash c. 35m) 2019 Operational Highlights Key Performance Indicators: Premium Services revenue increased to 100.5m (2018: 63.5m), equating to 38% of Language Services revenue (2018: 29%) Language Services Repeat Revenue of 96% (2018: 97%) and Annual Recurring Contract Value of 71.9m (2018: 67.5m) 280 cross and upsell deals (2018: 220) Progress with Business Process Automation programme: 90% of addressable Language Services customer accounts on Helix by December 2019, enabling a rise in average Linguistic Productive Utilisation to 67% (2018: 64%) and a reduction in work outsourced to 59% (2018: 62%) Investment in market-leading innovations, including the industry's first end-to-end, AI-enabled translation platform, SDL Language Cloud, which was successfully launched in June 2019 Cost-saving programme delivered in-year savings of 5.9m and annualised savings of 8.5m Post Year-End Update - COVID-19 SDL's Global Business Continuity Plans activated at the end of January 2020 No degradation to date of SDL's delivery capability for clients Large-scale remote working measures in place in all countries and regions subject to public health controls. The majority of staff are either on voluntary or mandatory working from home arrangements Effectiveness of response has been enabled by SDL's investments in Helix (Business Process Automation platform), networking and virtualised cloud storage No material direct impact in the first quarter of 2020 on revenues from the pandemic. However, it is early days for most of SDL's customers and the Group believes it is prudent to anticipate a reduction in constant currency revenues across SDL's Language Services and technology businesses A multi-phased plan is in place to offset some of the impact of any reductions, depending on the severity and length of the crisis. Phase 1, equating to cost reductions of 8m, is being executed now As SDL enters a period of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board considers it prudent not to recommend a final dividend for 2019. SDL will revisit its dividend policy when it has sufficient clarity of outlook The Group is in a strong financial position. The Group has access to a 70m committed RCF financing facility, plus a 50m accordion facility, which matures in July 2023, and has drawn down 63m on the RCF facility to ensure that it has sufficient short-term liquidity. Covenants on the RCF are limited to a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 3:1 and a minimum of 4:1 on EBITDA to interest. The Board acknowledges that the conservation of funds is critical at this time of intensified uncertainty and has therefore taken steps to further strengthen its financial position SDL has modelled a number of different potential scenarios of different durations and severity, and assessed the impact on both profitability and cash flow over the next 12 months. With the actions being taken to preserve cash and the financial resources available, the Group is well placed to withstand an extended period of reduced trading, should it occur Full-year financial guidance remains suspended and SDL will provide further updates as appropriate Adolfo Hernandez (News - Alert), CEO of SDL plc, said: "SDL's 2019 financial results reflect a year of successful execution and the hard work and investments of prior years. We made strong progress against our strategic objectives. We significantly grew our premium services revenues, benefited from systems investment and our business process automation programme, and delivered industry-leading product innovation, most notably with the launch of SDL Language Cloud and our world-class Neural Machine Translation product suite. "In 2020, SDL has responded at speed and scale to the new circumstances imposed by the global public health crisis. We have moved the majority of our employees to home-working and to date have seen no degradation in service delivery. The feedback from customers has been very positive. Although normal revenue performance has persisted to date, it is still too early to assess the potential impact on sales in the coming quarters. However, it is prudent to assume that the disruption to business activity globally could lead to a reduction in sales across Language Services and SDL's technology businesses. We have therefore put a phased set of mitigation plans in place. In the first phase, SDL is taking steps to control variable external costs, discretionary costs and optimise working capital. We are keeping the situation under close review and will take further actions as necessary." To view the full announcement, please visit the investor relations section of our website. About SDL SDL (LSE: SDL) is the intelligent language and content company. Our purpose is to enable global understanding, allowing organizations to communicate with their audiences worldwide, whatever the language, channel or touchpoint. We work with over 4,500 enterprise customers including 90 of the world's top brands and the majority of the largest companies in our target sectors. We help our customers overcome their content challenges of volume, velocity, quality, fragmentation, compliance and understanding through our unique combination of language services, language technologies and content technologies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005531/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] At a Wayne Farms chicken processing plant in Alabama, workers recently had to pay the company 10 cents a day to buy masks to protect themselves from the new coronavirus, according to a meat inspector. In Colorado, nearly a third of the workers at a JBS USA beef plant stayed home amid safety concerns for the last two weeks as a 30-year employee of the facility died following complications from the virus. And since an Olymel pork plant in Quebec shut on March 29, the number of workers who tested positive for the coronavirus quintupled to more than 50, according to their union. The facility and at least 10 others in North America have temporarily closed or reduced production in about the last two weeks because of the pandemic, disrupting food supply chains that have struggled to keep pace with surging demand at grocery stores. According to more than a dozen interviews with US and Canadian plant workers, union leaders and industry analysts, a lack of protective equipment and the nature of "elbow to elbow" work required to debone chickens, chop beef and slice hams are highlighting risks for employees and limiting output as some forego the low-paying work. Companies that added protections, such as enhanced cleaning or spacing out workers, say the moves are further slowing meat production. Smithfield Foods, the world's biggest pork processor, on Sunday said it is indefinitely shutting a pork plant that accounts for about 4% to 5% of US production. It warned that plant shutdowns are pushing the United States "perilously close to the edge" in meat supplies for grocers. Lockdowns that aim to stop the spread of the coronavirus have prevented farmers across the globe from delivering food products to consumers. Millions of laborers also cannot get to the fields for harvesting and planting, and there are too few truckers to keep goods moving. The United States and Canada are among the world's biggest shippers of beef and pork. Food production has continued as governments try to ensure adequate supplies, even as they close broad swathes of the economy. Story continues The closures and increased absenteeism among workers have contributed to drops in the price of livestock, as farmers find fewer places for slaughter. Since March 25, nearby lean hog futures have plunged 35%, and live cattle prices shed 15%, straining the US farm economy. North American meat demand has dropped some 30% in the past month as declining sales of restaurant meats like steaks and chicken wings outweighed a spike in retail demand for ground beef, said Christine McCracken, Rabobank's animal protein analyst. Frozen meats in US cold storage facilities remain plentiful, but supply could be whittled down as exports to protein-hungry China increase after a trade agreement removed obstacles for American meat purchases. "There's a huge risk of additional plant closures," McCracken said. The latest came on Monday when JBS said it will shutter its Greeley, Colorado, beef plant, which accounts for about 5% of the country's production, until April 24. JBS previously had to reduce production at the facility as about 800 to 1,000 workers a day stayed home since the end of March, said Kim Cordova, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union that represents employees. She added that the union knew of at least 50 cases and two deaths among employees as of Friday. Plant worker Saul Sanchez, known affectionately as "grandpa" among some co-workers, tested positive for the virus and died on April 7 at 78 years old, according to his daughter, Beatriz Rangel. She said he only went from home to work before developing symptoms, including a low fever. "I'm heartbroken because my dad was so loyal," Rangel said. Brazilian owned JBS confirmed an employee with three decades of experience died from complications associated with COVID-19, without naming Sanchez. He was never symptomatic while at work and never worked in the facility while sick, according to the company. JBS said it was working with federal and state governments to obtain tests for all plant employees. Weld County, where the plant is located, had the fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases of any county in Colorado on Friday, according to the state. Health officials confirmed cases among JBS workers. JBS said high absenteeism at the plant led the process of cutting carcasses into pieces of beef to fall behind slaughter rates. The company disputed the union's numbers on worker absences but did not provide its own. It took steps including buying masks and putting up plexiglass shields in lunch rooms to protect employees, said Cameron Bruett, spokesman for JBS USA. "MY LIFE IS IN JEOPARDY" At Wayne Farms' chicken plant in Decatur, Alabama, some workers are upset the company recently made employees pay for masks, said Mona Darby, who inspects chicken breasts there and is a local leader of hundreds of poultry workers for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "My life is in jeopardy because we're working elbow to elbow," she said. Wayne Farms, with annual sales exceeding $2 billion, is trying to obtain masks to distribute to employees, though supplies are limited, spokesman Frank Singleton said. He said he did not know of any instances where employees were charged for masks. Workers at a Tyson Foods Inc chicken plant in Shelbyville, Tennessee, bought their own masks when the facility ran out, said Kim Hickerson, who loads chicken on trucks there and is a union leader. Some are talking about quitting because they are scared of getting sick, he said. "I just put it in God's hands," he said. Tyson, the top U.S. meat producer, is working to find more personal protective equipment for employees, spokesman Worth Sparkman said. The company increased cleaning at facilities and sought to space out employees, which can both slow production, according to a statement. Workers have lost their trust in Olymel after an outbreak of the coronavirus closed a plant in Yamachiche, Quebec, according to union spokeswoman Anouk Collet. "They do not feel that the company took all the measures they could have taken to keep them safe," she said. Company spokesman Richard Vigneault said the plant will reopen on Tuesday with new measures in place, such as separating panels, masks and visors. Marc Perrone, international president of the UFCW union, said meat plant workers are increasingly weighing concerns about their own safety and their responsibility to produce food. "If we don't take care of the food supply, the American people are going to panic," he said. A man has been charged after allegedly breaking into a north Queensland home with another person before taking off with its owner's dual-cab ute - with the owner in the tray. Police will allege the pair entered the home, in the Cairns suburb of Kanimbla, about 2.30am on Monday and stole a number of items. CCTV footage captured the moment the man jumps into the back of his ute, allegedly stolen by two people who broke into his home. Credit:Queensland Police The ute was also allegedly taken from the home, but not before the owner woke up and "chased the offenders down his driveway and jumped in the back", police said in a statement. "Police allege the man attempted to negotiate with the pair, however they drove dangerously before dumping the vehicle in Marchant Street, Manoora, and fleeing on foot." Sowmya Mani By Express News Service TIRUCHY: The lockdown has been tough on all migrant workers because of financial issues. Add to it a lack of support from employers and the lockdown becomes unbearable. This is the situation faced by most workers from the Northeast across the country, and Tiruchy is no different. Working in restaurants across the city, these men could not go home when the lockdown was announced. The restaurants where they worked closed during the lockdown period and their bosses switched off their mobiles, leaving these men penniless. We have not received our salaries for March and part of February. We came here to support our families. My wife and parents are in Tripura, worried about me staying here. I do not have any money to support myself, what will I send them, asked Nathan Kaipeng from Tripura, who works in a restaurant. After the lockdown, as their bosses remained untraceable, these men, 12 of whom stay together in a flat, say they did not have anything to eat for almost a week. Every time they would step out to buy groceries or soap, people would stare at them, call them corona. We are afraid to step out. Even our gas connection ran out and we were unable to cook for a week. Anytime we go out, we are abused, they call us corona, Chinese. We are also from this country, said Bomalya, a chef from Tripura. These men work as chefs, in housekeeping and administration at restaurants. After starving for a long time, they called the government helpline two days ago. Police and officials from the district administration came and promised to help them. They are being given breakfast and lunch by good Samaritans. Their boss was called by the administration and he was forced to come meet them. Our boss gave us some rice and dal. He has told us to go home after the lockdown, said Neisai from Mizoram. Nearly a week after Wisconsin voters headed to polls in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vote tally showed Joe Biden overwhelmingly beating Bernie Sanders in the states presidential primary, The Associated Press projected. The contest was not consequential Biden had already won enough delegates to almost certainly win the Democratic nomination by the time the states primary took place Tuesday. Sanders suspended his campaign the following day and endorsed Biden on Monday. But the election took on great scrutiny, unfolding amid the coronavirus crisis that has killed more than 23,000 people in the U.S. and prompted the delay of in-person elections in 16 states and Puerto Rico. Republican leaders in Wisconsin successfully fought Democratic efforts to delay the election, which was marked with voters donning masks to wait in line sometimes for hours and complaining that they did not receive absentee ballots in the mail. Though the Democratic nomination was all but decided, there was a critical judicial state Supreme Court election on the ballot that will impact legal decisions in the state for the next decade. The race between conservative incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly and liberal rival Jill Karofsky was too close to call. The skirmishes over the Wisconsin election also offer a preview for potential battles over the November election. Democrats are pushing for more absentee voting, while President Donald Trump is alleging, without offering any evidence, that expansion of mail balloting would be a breeding ground for election fraud. The only other election to take place in recent days was Alaskas primary on Saturday, which Biden won by 55% to Sanders 45%. Sanders is no longer seeking the nomination, but he is continuing to compete for delegates until the Democratic National Convention. That would give him and his supporters more influence over the partys platform on issues such as Medicare for All and on nominating rules. Honestly, those are important for getting the Democratic Party to say in one place what they stand for, what theyre willing to fight for, said Neil Sroka, a spokesman for Democracy for America, a liberal PAC that backed Sanders. Though the nominee is not bound by the platform its pretty rare that we make progressive moves in a platform and then scale back in the future. Sanders backers also said having a vocal, contingent force could help ensure that Biden doesnt forget about the priorities of the liberal wing of the party and pivot to the center in the general election. Its a core concern among Sanders supporters such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. what I hope does not happen in this process is that everyone just tries to shoo it along and brush real policies that mean the difference of life and death or affording your insulin and not affording your insulin just brush that under the rug as an aesthetic difference of style, she told The New York Times. Biden has tried to court Sanders backers, notably by calling for an expansion of Medicare eligibility and student debt relief on Thursday. Ben Tulchin, Sanders pollster, said such moves do not go far enough. Sanders supporters voices are critical to pressing Biden to embrace more liberal policies, the need for which is thrown into sharp relief by the health care and economic needs caused by the coronavirus, he said. All the major problems Bernies been talking about for many years are just coming to the fore in a harsh, severe way the real consequences of our rigged economy and our corrupt political system, Tulchin said before Sanders endorsed Biden. This isnt just about influencing the platform and some party rules. This is about making sure the Democratic Party is truly advocating for people who are getting hammered by this crisis. Multiple lanes of northbound Interstate Highway 880 in Fremont are currently blocked due to a traffic collision early Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP said the collision was first reported at 4:53 a.m. just south of Thornton Avenue. But heavy mail-in balloting may have upended assumptions about relative advantage; according to statistics issued Monday by the state Elections Commission, nearly 1.1 million Wisconsinites cast ballots that way, nearly as many as total turnout in last years Supreme Court race and more than the total turnout in the court races in each of the previous two years. [April 14, 2020] Taulia Hires Steve Scott as Head of Asia Pacific Taulia, the leader in working capital technology solutions, today announced that Steve Scott has been appointed Head of Asia Pacific and will be based out of the company's Sydney office. Steve will be responsible for growing Taulia's presence in the region and partnering with Taulia's existing APAC customers. Steve joins Taulia with eighteen years of experience working in the Banking industry in Australia as an executive director specialising in Trade Finance, Supply Chain Finance and Commodity Finance. He has previously held leadership roles at Westpac and Commonwealth Bank and holds a Masters in Applied Finance from Kaplan Professional. Steve will utilise his vast knowledge and expertise within Supply Chain Finance to enhance the experience of customers across Taulia's network. "Australia and the APAC region are strategically important to global trade and supply chains. To expand our presence we needed a senior leader with tremendous passion and expertise. Steve joins us at a pivotal moment, where businesss needing cash flow are looking for creative ways to access it. Our mission is to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to thrive by having access to cash in a predictable and cost-effective manner. We are excited for Steve to drive our vision forward and help support businesses navigating through these unforeseen circumstances," states Cedric Bru, CEO, Taulia. Steve Scott, Head of APAC says, "I am thrilled to be joining the Taulia team. While these are certainly challenging times, there are opportunities to utilise technology to innovate and support the working capital needs of businesses. It is our hope that we will help fill the funding gap that slows the growth of small businesses and we want to see all businesses, big and small, benefit from using our market-leading technology that delivers capital where it's needed most." Note for editors: Taulia is a leading provider of working capital solutions headquartered in San Francisco, California. Through a unique combination of its technology platform, people and process, Taulia helps companies access the value tied up in their supply chain by transitioning from inefficient and often manual working capital management practices into technology-led, working capital optimization strategies. Taulia's vision is to create a world where every business thrives by enabling buyers and suppliers to choose when to pay and get paid. A network of 2 million businesses use Taulia's technology and the company processes over $500 billion every year. Taulia is trusted by the world's largest companies with clients including Airbus, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Vodafone (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005345/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An updated proposed fiscal year 2021 budget for Albemarle County will look different than one that was presented in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During its meeting Monday, the county Board of Supervisors voted to postpone a budget public hearing scheduled as part of Mondays meeting to give the public time to review an updated proposed budget due to shutdowns amid the pandemic. Because of the structural changes in the proposed budget that will be coming to the board on April 22, I feel that it would be premature tonight [to hold the public hearing], County Executive Jeff Richardson said. The public has not had an opportunity to look at the upcoming proposed changes in the budget for the board to consider and for the public to comment on. The board also supported an updated schedule for the proposed FY 21 budget process, which includes an updated budget summary posted online on April 22, a budget work session on April 29, a public hearing on May 6 and a possible second work session on May 11. The board would then approve a budget on May 14. Earlier this month, Richardson gave the board an economic update for the current year and the upcoming budget, where he said that, overall, the county will have to reduce spending by about $6.24 million this fiscal year and that about $6.8 million, including about $2.5 million from general government, will need to be cut from the FY 21 proposed budget. On Monday, Richardson said the county is now anticipating to face an approximately $5.7 million shortfall for next year, which equates to almost three cents on the real estate tax rate. I would tell this board that theres no way that this organization, with its size, that were going to be able to absorb this and it not be in some way noticeable to us and to the citizens that we serve, he said. This is a significant shortfall, but Im confident that over the next week to two weeks that were going to be able to close that shortfall and provide a budget thats responsible and sound given our situation. Richardson said to help rebalance the last quarter of the current budget, the county government has frozen 15 positions and is evaluating additional vacant positions, is holding all budgeted reserves and contingencies, is directing departments to hold on to all discretionary funding, has found mid-year health care savings and is looking at lapsed salaries. For the updated FY 21 budget, Richardson said there will be no compensation increases, a proposed minimum wage increase will be postponed, approximately 35 positions could be frozen and department budgets will be reduced by 5% to 10%. He said about 75% to 80% of planned fleet replacements will be put on hold to generate one-time savings to help balance the budget. Approximately 12 new fire-rescue positions to allow for 24/7 staffing of Advanced Life Support ambulances will still be in the proposed budget, Richardson said, as will expenses associated with early voting. Nonprofit funding also might continue. County staff will be reviewing the economy and will revisit options as necessary. That could mean additional structural cuts, or if we see signs of our economy recovering in this community, that could be reconsidering things that weve either had to pause, freeze or suspend, Richardson said. During a public hearing on the calendar year 2020 tax rates, no one from the public spoke or provided comments through the countys online commenting system. In March, the board approved advertising a real estate tax rate with no increase 85.4 cents per $100 of assessed value. The board can lower, but not raise, the rate from what was advertised. Supervisors said they had received emails from members of the public about the tax rate, but did not read any into the record. Supervisor Donna Price said many of the emails were specifically addressing concerns with the current economic situation. I just want to publicly state that I have reviewed those, I have considered them, Price said. I believe that ultimately, however, we must continue to ensure that the county remains a viable entity that can provide the essential services to our constituents, and I support maintaining the tax rate where it is right now. During the boards regular meeting Wednesday, members are scheduled to approve the calendar year 2020 real estate tax rate, among many other items. After approving tax rates, the board is scheduled to vote on potentially authorizing the county executive to execute an agreement for a public-private partnership with the developer of a proposed mixed-use development. The development, Albemarle Business Campus, would receive $100,000 from the Albemarle Economic Development Authority through synthetic tax increment financing. As part of the agreement, the developer would reserve 25,000 square feet of Class A office space for a primary business, which, according to the staff report, is a business that generates more than 50% of its revenues from outside of the region. The agreement is contingent upon the proposed rezoning receiving approval from the Board of Supervisors. Originally, a project called Royal Fern was proposed by developer Kyle Redinger with a maximum of 300 residential units and a maximum of 125,000 square feet of non-residential space near the intersection of Fifth Street and Old Lynchburg Road, which the Planning Commission recommended denial of in October. During a Planning Commission work session in February, Redinger presented an updated proposal for the Albemarle Business Campus, with a maximum of 128 residential units proposed and a maximum of 225,000 square feet of non-residential use. If the agreement is approved, Redinger also will have to provide an enhanced bus shelter and bike racks, multi-use paths, trails and sidewalks in excess of county code requirements, space for for-hire, hailed transport services and a dog park. Another action item is a proposal to move $200,000 from the countys Economic Development Fund to the Economic Development Authority for a microloan program administered by the Community Investment Collaborative in response to the COVID-19 emergency. In March, the board approved removing the general public comment agenda item during the pandemic, which usually allows time for people to speak about items or topics that are not already on the agenda for a public hearing, such as action items. County spokeswoman Emily Kilroy said that it was recommended for removal as one way to streamline the meeting agendas at least through April. We will be evaluating the public hearings tonight and Wednesday night as we continue to refine our process, she said. In the meantime, the board continues to encourage the public to share comments, concerns and questions over email [at] bos@albemarle.org. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said the Virginia Freedom of Information Act doesnt require public comment, but if a locality already does it, it should attempt to keep as many avenues open for public comment as possible. You wouldnt want to take away something that youve been doing before, she said. And I have seen other localities that have provided multiple ways to provide comment from email, to phone calls, to real-time comments through whatever platform theyre using video conferencing or streaming platform that theyre using. Ive seen comments being read into the record. Also Wednesday, the board is also scheduled to hold three public hearings. The first is on a permit for a proposed pavilion at Tandem Friends School and a second is on an application plan for a Sleep Number mattress store along U.S. 29. The Planning Commission recommended both in February. The last public hearing is on an ordinance to ensure continuity of government during the pandemic. The board approved an emergency version of the ordinance in March. More information on how to provide comments during Wednesdays meeting is available at albemarle.org. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The title and conclusion of the April 8 column on the pandemic by George Rodrigue, Our deadly mistakes, were misleading. When comparing Singapore to New York, additional facts would have been that Singapore is an island and that Singapore is not a hub for two international airports. This made it easier to implement travel bans and quarantines. Singapores prime minister implemented the contact tracing of citizens using a phone app and private surveillance-camera footage. Would the United States allow this privacy infringement? The column also made no mention of the World Health Organization and its failures. For instance, WHO tweeted Jan. 14 that, Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China. This was not only inaccurate, but lulled the rest of the world into a false sense of security. Lastly, the column was critical of President Donald Trump for referring to the pandemic as the flu. The Smithsonian magazine, in a 2017 headline, referred to the 1918 pandemic that killed 20 million to 40 million people worldwide as the Horrific 1918 Flu. Phillip Rawlings, Lorain -- Firm hires Katherine Wentrup-Estupinan as SVP, Business Development -- Role is based in London office; Deepens presence across the UK, Europe and Nordic countries CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mesirow Financial ("Mesirow" or the "firm") today announced that Katherine Wentrup-Estupinan has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Business Development. In this role, Ms. Wentrup-Estupinan will focus on growing the alternatives and traditional asset classes for Mesirow Global Investment Management Distribution across the UK, Europe, and Nordic countries. She is based in the firm's London office, alongside David DiMatteo, Managing Director, who joined Mesirow Investment Banking in October 2019. "Europe is a growing and important market for Mesirow Financial," said Dominick Mondi, President and CEO. "We will continue to be opportunistic when it comes to adding seasoned talent like Katherine Wentrup-Estupinan who can help us advance our strategic goals within business lines and across geographic regions." "Katherine is an experienced alternative sales professional with a demonstrated track record of success in the financial services industry," said Steve Swierczewski, CFA, Senior Managing Director, Global Investment Management Distribution. "Our team is excited to add someone of Katherine's caliber to our London office as we look to deepen the inroads of our Investment Management offering in the European market." Prior to joining Mesirow, Ms. Wentrup-Estupinan was Head of Business Development, UK and the Americas for BlueOrchard Finance, a Swiss-based impact investment firm. Before that she was Sales Director - Alternative Sales Europe for BlueBay Asset Management in London. Prior to that, she was Business Development and Investor Relations Director for Strategic Investments Group in London and, before that, worked in senior level positions for Alpha4x Asset Management and HSBC Asset Management in London and New York. About Mesirow Financial Mesirow Financial is an independent, employee-owned firm founded in 1937. With expertise in Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking and Advisory Services, we design differentiated financial strategies that seek to help our institutional, corporate and individual clients prosper over time. As of December 31, 2019, Mesirow Financial had $169 billion in total assets under supervision. To learn more, visit mesirowfinancial.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Mesirow Financial was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by the Chicago Tribune and one of the Top Places to Work by Crain's Chicago Business. Media Michael Herley mediainquiries@mesirowfinancial.com 203-308-1409 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154596/Mesirow_Financial_Estupinan.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154598/Mesirow_Financial_Logo.jpg A few more days are needed to completely liquidate the remaining smoldering areas left after the devastating forest fire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says there is currently no open fire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone and thus there is no threat to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP), a spent fuel storage facility, or other critical infrastructure. "Speaking about the forest fire in the exclusion zone: every day in the past week, the chairman of the State Emergency Service reported on the situation. Six fires were put out yesterday [April 13]. There are no threats to the nuclear power plant, spent fuel storage and other critical facilities," he said in a video address posted on the President's Office page on Facebook on April 14. Read alsoRain helps beat forest fire in Chornobyl exclusion zone "The national police have already detained people who caused the fires they will be held liable for all their actions. I urge all citizens not to panic. We remember the lessons of April 26, 1986 [when the Chornobyl nuclear power plant exploded]. And no one will hide the truth from you," he said. The president emphasized that "the truth is that the situation there is under control, the radiation background in the capital city and Kyiv region is within normal limits." As UNIAN reported earlier, forest fires in the Chornobyl exclusion zone began on April 4, covering 20 hectares then. On April 7, the area affected by the fire expanded to 35 hectares. Director of the Chornobyl Tour operator Yaroslav Yemelianenko, writing on Facebook, described the situation as critical. He said the fire was rapidly expanding and had reached the abandoned town of Pripyat, two kilometers from where "the most highly active radiation waste of the whole Chornobyl zone is located." He called on officials to warn people of the danger. Acting chairman of the State Environmental Inspectorate Yehor Firsov said on April 14 that they had managed to contain the fire in the Chornobyl zone and radiation levels were within normal limits overall. Chairman of the State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin, in turn, said that a few more days were needed to completely liquidate the remaining smoldering areas left after the devastating forest fire in the Chornobyl zone. Police say they have identified a 27-year old local resident who they accuse of deliberately starting the blaze. Karim Morani, known for producing films such as Shah Rukh Khans Ra.One and Chennai Express, has tested positive for coronavirus for the second time. Film producer Karim Morani has tested positive for coronavirus for the second time despite showing no symptoms, reports News18. He first tested positive for the virus on 8 April. According to India Today, Karim, who is over 60 years of age, has had health complications in the past. The Chennai Express producer has survived two heart attacks, and also had a bypass surgery in the past. His daughters, Zoa and Shaza, who had also contracted coronavirus, were released from the hospital on Monday after testing negative twice. Karim is still quarantined, and receiving treatment in Mumbai. While Shaza had returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March, Zoa had come back from Rajasthan around mid-March. Both were quarantined, and kept under medication in separate hospitals from 7 April. Zoa, in a recent live session with Varun Dhawan, spoke about her experience in the hospital. Ever since I came to the hospital, I have definitely felt 40 times better. My breathlessness stopped on the second day. I could feel a little congestion, and a little fever, but its so much better than (what) I was feeling at home, she said. "I am extremely grateful to the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who took care of my health and my spirits everyday. You will be in my prayers forever. No words can describe how does it feel to be home. I'm so grateful, God is great," Zoa told Press Trust of India upon her release from the hospital. "Please stay safe and follow all the rules as a lot of people out there are putting their life at risk to protect us! Lets help them," she added. Both the sisters are under home quarantine as a precautionary measure. In a letter to the White House, the WCC terms the punitive measures imposed by Washington on the Islamic Republic as "illegal and inhuman." The virus is a "common enemy" and requires an "unprecedented" degree of solidarity and cooperation. In Iran some activities reopen, partial easing of restrictive measures. Tehran (AsiaNews) - In a context of growing emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has sent an appeal to US President Donald Trump, calling for the cessation of "illegal and inhuman" sanctions against the Iran. The letter was sent in the days preceding Easter, while the Islamic Republic confirms itself as the Middle East nation most affected by the new coronavirus: the updated data speak of over 73,300 confirmed cases, just over 4,500 victims and over 30 thousand recovered. In the letter addressed to the head of the White House, the ecumenical organization that collects 349 Christian denominations worldwide underlines that "the novel coronavirus is a common enemy of humanity everywhere. An effective response to the pandemic demands an unprecedented degree of global solidarity and cooperation, special care for the most vulnerable, and swift action to mitigate the conditions which create additional vulnerability". For religious leaders, the "impact" on the Iranian population of the punitive measures imposed by the United States is of serious concern. The response of the health authorities of the Islamic Republic, continue Christian leaders, "has been seriously impeded by a strict sanctions regime imposed by a nation unilaterally" since May 2019 and which has led to "a total economic blockade". " Now is not the moment for pursuing grievances belonging to the politics of the world before COVID-19," the letter reads. "Now is the moment for international solidarity and cooperation in controlling the spread of the virus, protecting the most vulnerable, and defeating this common enemy". There have been repeated appeals to the US government to ease its policy of all out confrontation with heavy sanctions against Iran which have caused blockages and restrictions in sending medicines and basic necessities. To stem sanctions, three European nations have used the Instex system for the first time in sending aid. And news of the sending of medical supplies to the United States, also overwhelmed by the pandemic, by groups of Iranian students, was reported in recent days. Meanwhile, yesterday, the government of Tehran lifted the ban on travel between cities in the same province, while restrictions on travel between different provinces will end on April 20. State television showed crowded streets, buses and subways crowded in several cities deemed low-risk. Many shops and businesses are open, with the exception of Tehran where activities will restart from the 18th of the month. Some experts do not hide the danger of a second wave of contagions, but for the government it remains a priority to restart the economy; however, high-risk services including theaters, swimming pools, saunas, beauty salons, schools, shopping malls and restaurants remain closed. Trump says US will suspend payments to the World Health Organization while it reviews virus warnings regarding China. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had instructed his administration to suspend funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, in a move that drew immediate condemnation. Trump, at a White House news conference, claimed the WHO had failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable. He accused the group of promoting Chinas disinformation about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus than otherwise would have occurred. Trump said the US would continue to engage with the WHO in pursuit of what he calls meaningful reforms. He added that the hold on funding would continue while the US reviews the organisations warnings about the coronavirus and China. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was not the time to be reducing funds to the WHO or any other organisation fighting the pandemic. Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences, Guterres said in a statement. The WHO did not immediately comment. Writing on social media, Dr Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases specialist and the medical director of the Special Pathogens Unit at Boston University, said withdrawing funding would be a disaster. Cutting 15 percent (US contribution) of WHO budget during the biggest projected pandemic of the last century is an absolute disaster, she wrote on Twitter. WHO is a global technical partner, the platform through which sovereign countries share data/technology, our eyes on the global scope of this pandemic. Blame game The US president, himself under pressure over his handling of the outbreak, has been feuding with the UN agency as he seeks to apportion blame for the gravity of the crisis. The US has now reported more than 600,000 cases of coronavirus, the highest in the world. Reacting to Trumps previous threats, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that it was not the time for such rhetoric. The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please dont politicise this virus, Tedros said at a press briefing in Geneva last week. 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 We will have many body bags in front of us if we dont behave. This is like suspending firefighters while they are trying to save your house from the flames, pending a review of whether the trucks arrived later than they should. The world needs to focus on fighting #covid19 not each other and it needs @WHO to do that. https://t.co/rI4rVkzADT Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) April 14, 2020 Tedros, a former foreign minister of Ethiopia, also rejected Trumps suggestion that the WHO was China-centric, saying: We are close to every nation, we are colour-blind. MANZINI The newly- formed EFF Swaziland wants Prime Minister (PM) Ambrose Dlamini to be arrested for allegedly breaking the COVID-19 Regulations. This follows the article which was published by our sister publication, the Times of Eswatini Sunday, which was titled; PM Mandvulo breaks COVID-19 Regulations and the political party wants the PM arrested along with the President of the League of Churches, Bishop Samson Hlatjwako and the Minister of Home Affairs, Princess Lindiwe. Morning The Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland (EFFSWA), which is also called EFF Swaziland, through the Central Command Team (CCT) or interim National Executive (NEC) President, Ncamiso Ngcamphalala and 2nd National Spokesperson Bandzile Mngomezulu, went to the Manzini Police Station yesterday morning to open a case against the PM. In fact, the political party made its intention to open the case against the PM for allegedly breaking the COVID-19 Regulations known on Sunday as it issued a statement. In the statement, the political party said their interim president, Ngcamphalala, would open a case at the Manzini Police Station yesterday at 9:30am against the PM for allegedly breaking the COVID-19 lockdown Regulations. However, the interim president, who was accompanied by Mngomezulu, arrived at the Manzini Police Station just after 9am and they went to the reception where they made their intentions known to a female officer who attended to them. According to the interim president, they were met by a situation they had not come across before at the police station. He told this publication that the female officer allegedly refused to take his statement. Instead, he alleged the female officer referred them to the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters where they found the Regional Commissioner, Senior Assistant Commissioner Simon Mlilo. Upon meeting the regional commissioner, Ngcamphalala alleged that the former called police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and senior officers from the regional headquarters. It was a very unfamiliar scene, Ngcamphalala claimed. Thereafter, the interim president alleged that the regional commissioner made telephonic consultations with his superiors, which allegedly lasted for about an hour. Meet Afterwards, we were told that we had to meet the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, William Dlamini, tomorrow (today) at 11am at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters, the interim president claimed. He said they were told this after spending about two hours at both the Manzini Police Station and the regional headquarters. In that regard, the interim president said the situation came as shock to him because he never thought that opening a case needed consultations and even meeting the NATCOM in person. He said he believed that cases could be opened in a short space of time even when done by a police officer who just finished his/her training. Meanwhile, by the time of going to print, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said she had not received information about the matter. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved measures to create a rental assistance program and expand eviction protections at a virtual meeting Tuesday morning. The rent assistance fund will draw on CARES Act dollars from the federal government and will seek out other public and philanthropic sources, supervisors said. It could provide up to $1,000 per month for three months for renters who may be deciding between paying rent or buying food during a pandemic. The effort is designed to cover renters around the county, including in some incorporated cities. It follows the introduction of a separate rent relief program making its way through Los Angeles City Council. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The program was introduced by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis. "Paying back your rent could be an impossible hurdle for many of our low-income families, who frankly were already struggling," Hahn said on Tuesday. A majority of Los Angeles County households are renters. Homeownership rates have been falling in the county in recent years. The supervisors also stressed that the rental assistance would support landlords, many of whom are seeing tenants pay rent late or not at all. The county will start seeking funding for the rental assistance fund, and a report will detail more program specifics in 30 days. RENT FREEZE, EXPANDED EVICTION PROTECTIONS The board also approved new tenant protections for renters in mobile home parks, including a moratorium on evictions of renters who can't pay for the space rental for their mobile homes. "My motion today will ensure that the County's eviction moratorium will include individuals who live in mobile home communities, many of whom are older adults on fixed incomes," Supervisor Hilda Solis said. The supervisor's motion also expands eviction protections to areas of the county that have not enacted their own measures. "Expanding this temporarily to the entire county really will help us prevent people from falling into homelessness for a simple inability to pay rent," Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said at the meeting. The measures will also: Prohibit evictions based on unauthorized residents at a unit, pets, or nuisances related to COVID-19 Place a freeze on rent hikes -- including for mobile home residents and renters in unincorporated areas covered by the county's rent stabilization laws Prohibit late fees and interest on unpaid rent (though it falls short of the rent forgiveness measures some tenant advocates have called for) Evictions are essentially paused across the state, as courts are not allowing these cases to move forward during the governor's emergency. If all this sounds redundant, keep in mind this patchwork of protections has emerged partly in response to tenants whose situations have remained vulnerable: earlier this month, some sheriff's departments in the state were going ahead with evictions in cases not directly related to COVID-19. The new measures remain in effect for the moratorium period. Tenants will have a year to pay back rent after the moratorium lifts. By Associated Press BANGKOK: Australias prime minister has described as unfathomable the World Health Organizations support for the reopening of markets where live animals are butchered in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus pandemic. We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses. Its happened too many times. Im totally puzzled by this decision, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Nine Network television on Tuesday. I think thats unfathomable, frankly. Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was unsettled by the reopening of the wet markets in Wuhan, which has been under a months-long lockdown. Some scientists believe the virus came from a wild animal at a market. There is a very real likelihood that this disease arose from a wet market in Wuhan -- its clear that these are dangerous vectors, Hunt told Australian Broadcasting Corp. I would imagine that around the world, the vast majority of people would have a similar view. ALSO SEE: WHO said in a statement that wet markets should not be allowed to sell illegal wildlife for food and authorities should enforce food safety and hygiene regulations. But it said wet markets and other food markets do not need to be closed down. China temporarily shut wet markets after the outbreak and suspended the sale of wildlife. U PDATE: Soul's release date has been postponed by Pixar from June 19 to November 20 following the coronavirus outbreak. The film industry is in flux at the moment, but theres still plenty of new movies to get excited about on the horizon. Soul, the new animation from Disney Pixar, is shaping up to be one of the most heartwarming family-friendly movies to look out for later this year something we could all use at the moment. Pixar has had a difficult 2020 so far, after releasing the critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful animation Onward. The film has taken more than 81m ($100m) worldwide off the back of a 103m ($135m) budget. But Soul is looking like one of the most original and unorthodox mainstream films of the year, and could be the one to get the studio back on track this is everything you need to know about the new film. What is the new Disney Pixar film about? Soul mates: Characters 22 and Joe Gardner in the new film / Pixar Set in New York, the film follows jaded teacher and musician Joe Gardner, who dreams of playing at the Blue Note jazz club. After falling down a manhole, he becomes a spirit and enters a surreal new world. There, he connects with another lost soul and reevaluates the things important to him in life. The film has been a long time coming. The concept behind the film was first discussed at Pixar more than 23 years ago. Director Pete Docter spoke about being inspired by the birth of his child in the 90s, saying: It started with my sonhes 23 nowbut the instant he was born, he already had a personality it was pretty clear that were all born with a very unique, specific sense of who we are. What did we learn from the trailer? Soul - Trailer While the project was under wraps for a long time, the first clip for the film was released in November, giving fans an intriguing glimpse of the new movie. In the clip, protagonist Joe Gardner moves around a bustling New York City. After suffering an accident, hes transported to the Great Before a place where souls are given their personalities before joining with physical bodies on Earth. Its here that he meets Soul 22, a disenchanted character who takes some convincing to enter the real world. The trailer touches on some of the films heavy themes, and the clip pulls at the heart strings as only Pixar can bring the tissues, this one could get emotional. Whos in the cast? Soul man: Jamie Foxx is on board as the voice of Joe / Getty Images for BET Jamie Foxx is leading the cast, providing the voice for Joe. Its his first vocal performance since voicing the part of Nico in Rio 2 back in 2013. Tina Fey provides the voice for Soul 22, while Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Daveed Diggs also make up the vocal cast. Docter co-directs the movie with Kemp Powers. Docter previously helmed the Pixar classics Monsters, Inc., Up and Inside Out. Jon Batiste has written original music for the film, while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails produce the score. When is Soul released in the UK? It is nearly a month since the Government turned the key on a nationwide lockdown changing the world, almost overnight, for businesses across the UK. Despite being promised support packages, many small businesses fear they will not survive. Figures this week revealed that banks have given vital loans to only 5,000 British firms despite there having been 300,000 inquiries. Helen Forsyth, who runs Find Marketing Ltd with her husband Richard, 46, has been juggling trying to save their business while home-schooling her children and battling the coronavirus Here, in a remarkable account, one small business owner shares the diary that details her companys fight for survival. Helen Forsyth, 45, who runs Find Marketing Ltd with her husband Richard, 46, has been juggling trying to save their business while home-schooling her children, aged 12 and nine and battling the coronavirus. At times the mother of two, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts, had to work from her sick-bed... Friday, March 13 Im not superstitious, thank goodness, and March is going well. As a marketing agency, we employ freelancers to work on specific projects. This year, our sixth in business, is supposed to be about growth. Weve won a place on NatWests Accelerator programme and have hired a new member of staff, Jo, who will join the team on Monday. Restrictions: Boris Johnson at a press conference on Monday 16 Monday 16 A Busy day on site with a client. Get home late and sit with Richard, in the dark, watching Boris Johnson begin nationwide restrictions on travel on social contact. Weve been careful in recent days, but suddenly everything sounds incredibly serious. In a heartbeat we know we could lose everything. Tuesday 17 Car-crash of a day. Every deal in our diary has collapsed. Explanation the same no one wants to spend money on third-party costs. Go to bed in a state of shock. Wednesday 18 Have to let Jo go; its only her second day. I cry. She cries. I cry again. Urgently give notice on our office space. Its owned by the council they make us a counter offer to stay with a big discount. We agree, hoping restrictions might be short-lived. Friday 20 Spend day looking into universal credit. Ive never claimed before but am getting desperate. Dont think I qualify. Heart sinks. Today is my kids last day at school. How can I save the firm and home-school the children? Do an emergency profit and loss forecast. Dont like the look of it. Anxiety is sky-high. Monday 23 By 9.05am my eldest is crying at the idea of a Joe Wicks workout. By 10.30am, I am thinking about drinking wine I dont even drink. Home-schooling is a nightmare. Husband is starting to look ill. Please, no! Try to chase up all late payers to attempt to assess bad debt. But by the end of the day Ive achieved nothing. Feel a total failure. By 9.05am my eldest is crying at the idea of a Joe Wicks workout. By 10.30am, I am thinking about drinking wine I dont even drink. Home-schooling is a nightmare (stock photo) Tuesday 24 Getting lots of calls from our team regular freelancers and contractors we use. Many are desperate following yesterdays lockdown announcement. At the moment I have to focus on trying to save the firm. Look at bank loans, but wed be taking out a business loan to pay our mortgage. Husband is barely able to stand and eventually gives up and goes to bed. Wednesday 25 Rumours are growing that the Government will release a support package that could solve our problems. Feel relieved and hopeful we wont need to take out a business loan. Thursday 26 Government announces package for self-employed workers. As far as I can tell, we dont qualify for any grants. And as directors, if we furlough ourselves we would have to suspend the business. The disappointment is crushing. It always felt brave to be entrepreneurial, taking big risks, but now we feel we have been left high and dry. We hope that at least the freelancers we work with are eligible for more help. Sunday 29 Not sleeping well. But had a business idea in the dark to create a national database, findtasty.co.uk, where you can find food and drink businesses which will deliver to your home. Work all night trying to do the groundwork. After much discussion with Richard whos still feeling ill we decide to go for it. Its going to cost about 1,000 to do. We dont anticipate anything more than surviving right now but this idea could be something for us to build on. Tuesday 31 My backs been aching for several days and today, I feel really grotty. Richard starts the day well, but by 10am, he collapses into bed. By 1pm, Ive gone downhill badly. I record a video for my team, but Im slurring and look like death. By 1pm, Ive gone downhill badly. I record a video for my team, but Im slurring and look like death I take my mobile to bed and my husband takes his and sleeps in the spare room. My temperature goes up to 38.4c and I feel awful, but have no cough. I carry on working despite feeling ill who else is going to do it? Wednesday, April 1 Wake up at 4am, in pain. Cant sleep. Work until 6am. I know friends and family would tell me off, but I couldnt sleep because of worrying. Stay in bed working from my phone for most of the afternoon. Dont see the kids all day. We have an interest-only mortgage at around 750 a month. We do also have a personal loan that we are paying back. Typically, our monthly cost of living is around 2,500. Friday 3 Have an 11am video-conference call with a potential customer on Zoom, praying I wont start coughing mid-session. The call goes nowhere but at least I dont cough. I am wiped out. Start to worry about bad debt, most people have paid us on time this month, but next month is worrying me. We have a very small amount of savings, only enough for about two months worth of the cost of living even if we cut everything right back to the minimum. Monday 6 Kids are now on Easter break I thought it was hard when they were home-schooling, but now they have nothing to do. How can I be a half-decent mother and run a business at the same time? We havent taken a family holiday in years because we run our own company and dont have the time or enough spare cash. The fear is that we will lose the house; its a bigger fear than not being able to take a holiday. My breathing is bad and Ive had to give up on any work whatsoever this week. I pray that the clients we have are patient and will stay with us. Wednesday 8 Call 111 and speak to GP who tells me I need to be assessed immediately and says shes going to call an ambulance. I refuse the ambulance, but agree to go to our local hospital, which has a Respiratory Assessment Unit. Husband drives me there at 9pm. Kids have to wait in the car. Assessment takes two hours the NHS staff are kind, caring and amazing. Am sent home and feel grateful I didnt have to stay in hospital, but surprised I was tested for almost everything but coronavirus since I wasnt admitted. Friday 10 It may be Good Friday, but I must do some work. We have to keep our clients as happy as we can, as we have no other lifeline except the option to take out a business loan, in order to pay our mortgage and put food on the table. We cant end up in serious debt as a result of this coronavirus pandemic, but with no help from the Government, we have no choice but to try to keep our business running. Where might we be in a months time? Ive no idea. Our annual turnover last year was under 200,000, and we predict that this year it will be less than a quarter of that. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk (Reuters) - Carnival Corp-owned Princess Cruises, whose three ships had become hotbeds for coronavirus infections, said on Tuesday it would cancel all voyages until June-end, after a "no sail order" from U.S. health officials. Princess Cruises had previously said it would suspend the voyages of all its 18 ships till May 10, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week extended its "no sail order" for all cruise ships for up to 100 days. Carnival's Chief Executive Officer, Arnold Donald, said the company is "working very hard" at seeking more liquidity options, as the cruise industry gets upended by travel bans and thousands of cancellations driven by the virus crisis. However, the company can get through till the end of 2020 with its current cash reserves, even with no revenues coming in, Donald said in a CNBC interview, adding that bookings for 2021 are strong. Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess ocean liner is currently part of a homicide investigation in Australia as the country's deadliest virus infection source. Two other cruise ships operated by Princess, in California and Japan, have also been in the spotlight as major concentration centers of the virus. (Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath) China's foreign trade fell again in March even as businesses returned to work after the coronavirus outbreak, with the global pandemic weighing on the manufacturing powerhouse's outlook. Exports fell 6.6 percent in March from a year earlier and imports dropped 0.9 percent, according to Customs data released Tuesday. The contraction was less than a Bloomberg economist forecast that predicted a 10 percent or more decline in both figures, and well below the 17.2 plunge in exports seen in the first two months of the year. But analysts warned that a broader recovery would be hamstrung for as long as the viral pandemic ravaged China's trading partners. "The worst is still to come for China's export sector," warned Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics. China's trade surplus with the United States -- a key point of contention in the bruising trade war between the world's top two economies -- narrowed again in March by 25.3 percent on-year to $15.3 billion. January's phase one trade deal between Washington and Beijing had seen "good growth momentum" in some commodities imports from the US such as soybeans and pork, said Customs official Li Kuiwen. But Li also sounded a sombre note on foreign trade forecasts for the rest of the year. "We have noted that the global COVID-19 spread is still accelerating, causing a serious impact on the world's economic development," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Shrinking demand in the international market will inevitably deal a blow to China's exports," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Obviously, the building caught on fire, and because of that stubborn wind, it quickly spread across town. In the end, 28 buildings were destroyed or damaged, and the resulting cloud of smoke was so dense and massive that it appeared on the radar of the National Weather Service. Miraculously, no one was hurt, but a lot of businesses and families were left homeless, so Gomes's neighbors had plenty of reason to be salty. He pled down to a year in jail and more than $620,000 in restitution, so now he really can't afford a sword. 2 A Woman Wanted To "Help" Her "Bored" Firefighter Friends In 2019, Sadie Renee Johnson was a 23-year-old Oregon woman who just wanted to help her friends. They happened to be firefighters, and they were starting to find the long shifts sitting around the firehouse tedious. Johnson interpreted this as "Please start a fire for us." Continue Reading Below Advertisement When she subsequently threw some fireworks out the window of a moving car into the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, she only meant to cause a little fire. You know, just a quick spray job to break up the monotony. But the fireworks lit up the brush along the roadside and expanded northwest, and soon, 51,480 acres of brush and timber were burning. It caused an estimated $7.9 million in damage and took the firefighters more than a month to fully put out the fire. (Their monkey's paw has yet to be located.) Even though her plan hadn't gone quite as she'd hoped, Johnson resolved to look on the blindingly bright side. After two days, she took to Facebook, asking her friends "Like my fire?" because she wasn't just gonna not take credit for getting her brawny hero friends off their lazy asses. Unfortunately, Johnson's foresight isn't as strong as her can-do spirit, and the Facebook post left little room for interpretation to the police. She was ordered to spend 18 months in prison and pay restitution of at least $50 a month until she's paid the full price of the damages, which would take over 13,000 years. Just a lifelong, $50-per-month obnoxiousness tax. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are doing quarantine right! The couple has been spending quality time with each other during the lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. They have also been sharing glimpses of their day-to-day activities on Instagram. On Tuesday, Anushka took to her Instagram stories to share a no make-up selfie with Virat, with an angel filter on their faces. Felt cute, might delete later, her caption read. Anushka Sharmas Instagram stories Earlier this week, Virat shared a picture in which he and Anushka were seen cuddling up with their dog. Knowledge of what truly matters in life is a blessing, he captioned the cute click, which has received more than three million likes on the photo-sharing platform. Anushka, through her posts, has been reminding fans of the silver lining in the current pandemic situation. Last week, she shared a picture of her and Virat playing Monopoly with their family. In the world we inhabit today, there is a lot of uncertainty and Im sure a lot of you have found that solace & sense of familiarity with your families. Stay at home to take care of everyone precious in your lives. And also make the most of these moments ... smile, laugh, share, show affection, clear mis-understandings, develop stronger/healthier bonds, discuss life and dreams and pray for a better tomorrow, she wrote. Also read: Parineeti Chopra is ready to be a bride on new magazine cover, but husband is pending. See pics Virat and Anushka are among the many celebrities who have given back in a big way, during the coronavirus crisis. The couple donated an undisclosed amount to the Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-Cares) fund as well as Maharashtra chief ministers relief fund. A statement shared by Anushka on social media read, Virat and I are pledging our support towards PM-CARES Fund & the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (Maharashtra). Our hearts are breaking looking at the suffering of so many & we hope our contribution, in some way, helps easing the pain of our fellow citizens #IndiaFightsCorona. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Chairman of Interparty Advisory committee (IPAC), Prince Isaac Onuka has described the Obiano administration in Anambra State as Government of the people which should be supported by all and sundry. The IPAC Chairman made the assertion while presenting a cheque of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in support of the Anambra State Covid-19 Fund at the Government House, Awka on Tuesday the 14th day of April, 2020. Prince Onuka stated that IPAC Anambra State has observed the pragmatic approach of the Governor and his team in the handling of the Coronavirus pandemic challenges without exclusion of any group or persons. Said Onuka: " After series of consultations with our stakeholders, and bearing in mind the existential threat of the Coronavirus pandemic, we decided to put aside our political differences and in demonstration of our Corporate Social Responsibility in the promotion of safety in the society, we decided to come and encourage the government in what it is doing well and support the effort in the fight against the deadly virus." According to him IPAC's support of the Anambra State Covid-19 Fund with a token of N500,000.00 is a demonstration of their sincere support for the current challenge being aware of the massive financial involvement. He called on all men and women of goodwill to set aside political differences and support the government's initiative. Receiving the Cheque on behalf of the Anambra Covid-19 Action Committee, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu thanked IPAC for their donation and words of encouragement for the efforts of the government in managing the present health challenge. Prof Chukwulobelu noted that though Anambra has unfortunately recorded the first Covid-19 index case after several weeks of trying to prevent the occurrence, however assured that the State is prepared to manage the situation very well. He explained that one of the measures taken by the government to prevent further spread is the current lockdown. He equally assured that the contributions by donors will be adequately utilized in the fight and will be accounted for. "Barring major outbreak", Chukwulobelu said, "what we received will also be deployed to the State health sector." In his remarks, a member of the Anambra State Covid-19 Action Committee and the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Primus Odili commended IPAC for their gesture and aligned himself with the call by the group on all persons to support the cause without pandering to political interests. He reiterated that the state is doing very well in managing the challenges and will deliver to the satisfaction of the donors and ndi Anambra. Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Interparty Affairs, Chief Ben Obi (Igwe APGA) said that IPAC donation is a symbolic support for the government in this time of health challenges as well as a demonstration of non-partisanship. Interparty Advisory Council Nigeria (IPAC) is the Council for Registered Political Parties in Nigeria, a recognized umbrella body engaged in multi-party advocacy for credible and sustainable electoral environment. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 with conditional relaxation from April 20 Farmers travel in a crowded boat as they carry their vegetables to a wholesale market during the complete lockdown imposed in the wake of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in Patna. PTI photo New Delhi: The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the Covid-19 crisis. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 with conditional relaxation from April 20 in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation. The workers, especially migrant labourers, are the worst among due to the lockdown as a large number of them either faced pay cut or job loss. According to an International Labour Organisation assessment, 40 crore informal sector workers in India could be pushed deeper into poverty due to this lockdown. "The Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up 20 control rooms under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) (C) on pan-India basis due to issues arising in the backdrop of Covid-19," it said in a statement. These control rooms have been set up to address wage related grievances of workers employed in the Central Sphere, the ministry said, adding that it would also work to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through coordination with various state governments. These call centres can be accessed by the workers through phone numbers, Whatsapp and e-mails. The control rooms are being managed by labour enforcement officers, assistant labour commissioners, regional labour commissioners, and deputy chief labour commissioners of the respective regions. The functioning of all 20 call centres is being monitored and supervised by Chief Labour Commissioner (C) of Head Quarter on daily basis, the ministry said. All the concerned officers/officials have been advised to adopt a humane approach to assist the aggrieved workmen to the maximum possible extent and ensure delivery of timely relief to the needy ones, it added. Earlier, the Labour Ministry had also issued an advisory to employers to desist from any retrenchment or pay cuts during the lockdown period. By PTI NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of a large number of people in Mumbai's Bandra area in defiance of the ongoing lockdown, officials said. Shah stressed that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. ALSO READ | They just want to go home: Aaditya Thackeray blames Centre for migrant workers' protest in Mumbai Shah also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, the official said. About 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. A police official said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. In viral videos, police personnel were seen using mild cane-charge to disperse the migrants, who had gathered near the Bandra railway station in suburban Mumbai. Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their lives a constant struggle. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva Azerbaijan will continue to contribute to the process of balancing the oil market by fulfilling its obligations to the OPEC + agreement from May, the Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry and Advisor to Azerbaijani Energy Minister Zamina Aliyeva told local media. She said that OPEC + agreement, supported by countries outside this format of cooperation, will allow removing 20 million barrels of oil per day from the market. Following a videoconference on April 12, OPEC + countries agreed to reduce oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day. In addition, major oil producers such as the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Norway and Brazil, having shown solidarity with OPEC + countries, voluntarily plan to reduce oil by 4-5 million barrels per day, she said. In addition, Aliyeva mentioned that considering that crude oil production in Iran, Venezuela and Libya will fall by 2.8 million barrels per day, the world oil market will receive a total of 20 million barrels less oil per day from May 1 as part of an initiative launched with OPEC + and supported by other countries. According to the advisor, this is a huge contribution to the oil market and oil price stability. She noted that according to the latest amendment to the "Declaration of Cooperation", the quotas for daily oil production in OPEC + countries will be set at 9.7 million barrels per day in May-June, 7.7 million barrels per day from July 1 to the end of the year and 2021 and 5.8 million barrels per day from January 2021 to April 2022. Aliyeva also pointed out that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait will not produce 2.7 million barrels of oil per day, which is planned in April. Following discussions lasting about 11 hours, the new Declaration of Cooperation was adopted at the 9th Ministerial Meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries in a video conference format, on the condition that Mexico will agree to the proposed volumes. It should be noted that the new Declaration of Cooperation envisages a three-stage reduction of daily oil production from the level of October 2018. However, in accordance with the Declaration of Cooperation, Mexico did not agree with the quotas set at these stages in the volume of 400-320-240 thousand barrels, respectively. Other "OPEC plus" countries, except Mexico, have reached an agreement to reduce daily oil production at various times and volumes, the statement posted on the official website of the Energy Ministry said. Addressing in the abovementioned conference Azerbaijani Minister Shahbazov said: It is a fact that we can deal with the existing global problem not separately, but within global cooperation. In a short period of time from March to the present, we once again made sure that sustainable stability in the oil market is impossible beyond the limits of common responsibility, the regulatory process at the global level. The current situation and the uncertainty of the global economy, as well as of the restoration of global oil demand, necessitate further support for the oil market. It is very important to involve countries that are not members of OPEC + in this process. The minister also added that each oil country should demonstrate solidarity in order to stabilize the oil market. Azerbaijan, which plays an active role in the regulatory process within the OPEC +format, has supported the global oil market by taking on new obligations. Finally, at the 10th (Extraordinary) OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting was held via videoconference, on Sunday, 12 April 2020, under the Chairmanship of Saudi Arabias and Russias Ministers of Energy, all participating - 23 oil-producing countries signed the Declaration of Cooperation in order to reduce daily oil production in the world. As reported earlier, no agreement was reached in the 8th ministerial meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries, which took place in Vienna on March 5-6, 2020. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Grocery store clerk Leilani Jordan, 27, died of COVID-19 on April 1, two weeks after her final shift at a Giant Food store in Largo, Maryland. Her family says she earned just $20.64 on her last paycheck A young grocery store clerk who died of COVID-19 after she continued going to work despite the danger of catching the virus made just $20.64 on her final paycheck. Leilani Jordan, 27, passed away on April 1, two weeks after her last shift at the Giant Food store in Largo, Maryland. Jordan's heartbroken parents say that she had chosen to keep working at the store even as the coronavirus outbreak accelerated across the US because she wanted to help elderly customers. In an emotional interview with MSNBC, Jordan's mother Zenobia Shepherd broke down in tears as she described how the Giant Food store was short-staffed and employees were not provided with gloves or hand sanitizer. Shepherd said that her daughter had cerebral palsy and 'cognitive delays', which meant she may not have 'fully understood the potential danger of the coronavirus'. She said the retailer mailed her a certificate marking Jordan's six years of service, along with her last paycheck. 'She would've loved to receive this herself. Leilani's paycheck. I got this paycheck yesterday for $20,' Shepherd said. 'Twenty dollars and sixty four cents. My baby's gone because of $20.64. You know what using the proper PPE [personal protective equipment] could've done for my baby?' In an emotional interview with MSNBC, Jordan's mother Zenobia Shepherd broke down in tears as she described how the Giant Food store was short-staffed and employees were not provided with gloves or hand sanitizer despite the risk they faced due to coronavirus 'My baby's gone because of $20.64,' Shepherd said. 'You know what using the proper PPE [personal protective equipment] could've done for my baby?' Shepherd is seen comforting her daughter while she was hooked up to a ventilator 'What mother wants to lose their baby to a virus that we can't see?' Shepherd continued. 'For $20.64 they could've bought a box of gloves to give them. They could've kept that paycheck. She did this from her heart, not for the money.' In another interview with CNN, Shepherd recounted a conversation she had with her daughter shortly before she fell ill. 'She said: "It's just crazy here at work ... but somebody's got to do it. I've got to help the older people,"' Shepherd recalled. 'She was doing everything for them. Helping them put their groceries in their walkers, to helping them get into lifts.' Jordan's tragic story captured attention on social media as users expressed outrage over how little she had earned during the time she spent working in dangerous conditions. Kashana Cauley, a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, tweeted a link to the story and wrote: 'Nothing says "essential worker" like "her last paycheck before she died was $20.64."' 'I am so sorry for the family. She was too young to give up a lifetime for peanuts they were paying her,' another user tweeted. Several people shared similar experiences working at grocery stores during the pandemic, noting how little employees are paid compared to the risk they are taking. 'I'm a grocery store worker and we're not even getting hazard pay, despite us being extremely stressed with the amount of people that come in,' a woman tweeted. 'My mom's a cashier (used to be part time but her full time job laid her off) and she's only getting a whole 2 dollars extra per hour to work in a PLAGUE,' another wrote. Jordan's tragic story captured attention on social media as users expressed outrage over how little she had earned during the time she spent working in dangerous conditions In response to the Shepherd's MSNBC interview, Giant Food said that at the time of Jordan's last day of work, March 16, the CDC was not yet recommending associates or customers wear masks, so they were not being provided by the stores. 'The CDC has recently updated its recommendations and we have supplied all of our associates with plastic shields to wear if they choose,' the company said in a statement. It noted that stores always had hand sanitizer and/or cleaning products available, and said employees have always been allowed to wear gloves, but are only required to do so if they work as a food service associate. The company also said it has been 'supporting Leilani's family during this difficult time and have been in direct contact with her mother to address her needs'. 'Our Giant Food family is mourning Leilani's passing, along with her family, as she was a valued associate who has been part of our Giant Food family since 2016,' the statement reads. 'Caring for associates in times of need is at the heart of our commitment to our associates. 'We are committed to providing resources and support to Leilani's family during this difficult time.' The Giant Food store in Largo where Jordan worked is shown above. The company has said that it was not providing masks to employees at the time of Jordan's last shift because they had not yet been recommended by the CDC The company further stated that as an essential business, it is 'committed to providing food and essential products to our communities, but we want our team to stay home if they are having any symptoms and feel unwell or are uncomfortable coming to work'. Soon after Jordan's death, Giant Food announced on its website that it was implementing additional social distancing policies in all of its locations, including limiting the number of customers allowed in at a time and making aisles one-way traffic only. Shepherd said customers had been calling to thank her for all the help her daughter gave them. 'No one knew just how much of an impact she made except for the customers,' she said. 'Leadership is not going out of their way to protect the vulnerable class like the seniors who shop there... and the people with disabilities who worked there.' Jordan's family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her medical bills and funeral costs, which has raised more than $161,000 as of Tuesday. Shepherd said that her daughter suffered from cerebral palsy and had 'cognitive delays', which meant she may not have 'fully understood the potential danger of the coronavirus' Jordan worked her last shift at Giant Food on March 16, before she started to have difficulty breathing. A few days later, she was tested for COVID-19 and returned a positive result. Last Wednesday, when her symptoms worsened, Jordan was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator. She died just a few hours later. Despite her cognitive delay, it appears Jordan may have realized that she was going to pass away, as she recorded a video message in her phone for her family. Her stepfather, Charles Shepherd, told CNN: 'She had taken her password off of her phone so it's wasn't locked.' 'She made a video saying goodbye to all us, and wished everybody the best,' he emotionally stated. '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''. It was a particularly gut-wrenching moment as Jordan had been unable to say goodbye in person, as she was intubated and hooked up to a ventilator. Grocery store workers are putting themselves on the front lines amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has spread across the country. As of Tuesday, more than 604,000 Americans had tested positive for the virus and at least 25,289 have died Shepherd is one of a number of grocery store employees who have died from COVID-19. While there is no confirmation that she contracted the disease while working with Giant Food, the fact that supermarket clerks are in close proximity with the general public increases their chances of becoming infected. Earlier this month, a family of a Walmart employee in Illinois who died after contracting coronavirus filed a lawsuit accusing the retail giant of failing to adequately screen and protect workers. The estate of Wando Evans filed the suit on April 6, 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 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 US Department of Labor for maintaining safe workplaces, such as implementing social distancing. Grocery store workers have been calling for better pay and protections amid the COVID-19 outbreak, saying they are risking their lives in order to continue their essential roles. ARKHANGELSK, Russia -- Arsonists have attacked a synagogue in Russia's northwestern city of Arkhangelsk, the latest attack on the property since 2015. Anatoly Obermeister, the leader of the local Jewish community, told RFE/RL that the culprits used car tires and a combustible substance in the attack, which took place during the early hours of April 13. The synagogue, which was extensively damaged by the fire, is inside the building of the Star of the North Jewish Cultural Center in the city. "I hope a thorough investigation will be conducted and that the vandals will be found," Obermeister said, adding that the damage inflicted by the attack is estimated by 1.5 million rubles ($20,400). City police officials told RFE/RL that a probe had been launched into the attack. There were no injuries reported from the incident. It is not the first time the building has been targeted. In 2015, when the synagogue was under construction, unknown assailants opened fire at the building with air guns. In another attack during construction, unknown arsonists attempted to burn it down. New Jersey has barred 123 nursing homes in the state from taking new residents because those nursing homes lack the ability to isolate patients with the coronavirus as the number of facilities with infected people continues to rise, the states top health official said Tuesday. At least 342 of the states 375 long-term care facilities have at least one patient with the virus, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. There are at least 5,945 people of the 60,000 that reside in those homes who have tested positive for COVID-19, she said. It continues to be of greatest concern for us," Persichilli said during the states daily coronavirus press briefing in Trenton. The state is working under the assumption that all of its 375 nursing homes have been affected by the virus, she said. The state has surveyed all the facilities to determine if they can isolate infected residents in rooms with private bathrooms, or group infected patients together in separate wings. That led to the determination that 123 facilities now barred from taking new patients could not meet those requirements, Persichilli said. In addition, residents that leave those facilities to be hospitalized for coronavirus treatment will not return to those facilities when they are discharged. Alternate facilities will be identified, Persichilli said. Some facilities have also gotten inspections from the Department of Health, she said. Twenty-seven of the 365 new deaths reported Tuesday the largest one-day increase in the outbreak were people in long-term care facilities, she said. At least 2,805 New Jersey residents have died from COVID-19, state officials announced Tuesday. The outbreak continues to escalate in the state, with 68,824 total cases reported an increase of 4,059 cases in the last 24 hours. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage There have been 18 orders or guidance put in place for nursing homes since March 6, including new rules on visitation, offering staffing support or enforcing mandatory reporting to patients, staff and family members when people test positive for COVID-19, Persichilli said. On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said the curve of cases in the state is undeniably now flattening" after weeks of strict lockdown orders in calling for residents to stay indoors and the shuttering of many businesses. But he cautioned the house is still on fire and people need to continue to adhere to the unprecedented rules to avoid losing ground. Murphy, along with governors from six other northeast states, said New Jersey joined with them to put a plan together to figure out how to rebound from the virus. 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. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. YouTube channel helps high school, college students with various science, engineering questions WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Electric guitars and science. Supersonic ping pong balls. If youre looking for online content to pass the time, you can see why thousands are following a Purdue University engineer who posts fun experiments and explains the science behind I wonder why ...? questions. Mechanical engineering technology professor Mark French runs a popular YouTube channel called PurdueMET. Hes making science fun in appealing content for students all over the world. A sampling of his 300-plus videos: * Why cranes tip over. * The supersonic ping pong ball gun. Dont worry, it starts with a warning, Dont try this at home. * Why you cant use earbuds to listen to your electric guitar. * Measuring the strength of a guitar string. * Applied optimization series, including method of steepest descent in MATLAB. * Three bar truss homework problem, which features a thumbnail photo of his kitten, Gumbo. The channel also is a resource for high school and college students who need help with engineering, physics and math topics as they study online. Helping students is how French got started. A quick video of Frenchs teaching antics is available at https://purdue.university/3eiDnSY. This Purdue Polytechnic Institute professor, who also teaches a guitar-building class, originally created the YouTube channel to help his own engineering students solve difficult problems. More than 10 years ago, French recorded a sample structures problem on the whiteboard in his office for his undergraduate class. Before too long, that video had 500 views. There were only 72 students in his class and he knew there was no way they had watched it that many times. The first comment he got came from a viewer in Austria, and French discovered this video would not just be useful for his students but for students everywhere. French has covered topics ranging from applied optimization problems to the technical computer language MATLAB to biplane engineering and dynamics and the mathematics of music. On the entertaining side, he uses liquid nitrogen and packing peanuts to show the science behind gas expanding through evaporation and his work with students building a supersonic pingpong gun that can shoot a ball through a paddle was even featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In the decade since the YouTube channels inception, French has filmed 370 videos, garnering more than 7 million views and 42,900 subscribers. The most recent videos are named Brain Waves. He releases videos on a varying schedule. Last week, he made and released five Brain Waves videos: When Im on a roll, he said. I can film one or two a day. Video topics are frequently things he thinks his own students might find useful. Sometimes he gets requests from his students, from other classes or from YouTubes comment section. When he sees that a topic will meet a need, he shoots a video and sends the link to his class. Frenchs videos have hits from almost every country in the world. He has them from such remote locales as Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Arctic islands under the jurisdiction of Norway. In the last year, his largest number of hits has come from India. The United Sates is second, followed by the U.K., Canada, the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Germany, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia. Brain Waves has helped French affect the world beyond boundaries of Purdue, he said. I want to work in service to my students wherever they are, French said. The fact that I can do that is really rewarding. Now that classes have moved online for this semester, his videos may find another new audience still. Most of Frenchs videos are for engineering and engineering technology students, those interested in statics or dynamics in physics, MATLAB, or Mathcad. French tries to make the kinds of things he needed as a student. This would have helped me a lot, he said. I spend a lot of time going over why were doing this and why it matters. He added that if other people want to try to do this, the videos are easy to make. French records by putting his video camera on a shelf pointing at his board. The barrier to entry is very low, he said. Its a great way to reach students everywhere. With intros and outros and Purdue logos, its a way to get Purdue more visibility around the world. Writer: Kelsey Schnieders Lefever, kschnied@purdue.edu Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu Source: Mark French, guitar@purdue.edu As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas continues to grow, we cant help but ask, when? When will the outbreak peak? When will people go back to work? When will things return to normal? This situation is unlike any our country has faced before it combines the fear of a public health emergency with the uncertainty of an economic one. The timeline to resume our routines largely depends on our ability to stop the spread of the virus, and provide our hospitals, health care professionals and first responders with the resources they need on the front lines. But it also involves throwing a lifeline to the people, businesses and institutions that define our own versions of normal so they can open their doors when this crisis ends. Think about your favorite restaurant or the gym you visit a few times a week. Theres the flower shop you call before every wedding anniversary, the bookstore whose aisles you love to browse, and the barbershop you call when you need a haircut. At no fault of their own, these businesses have been forced to close their doors or dramatically shift operations to deal with the current circumstances. As a result, the businesses and employees our communities love and depend on are in jeopardy. In late March, President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act the third bill passed by Congress to bolster our nations response to the novel coronavirus. It provided hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for hospitals and local governments, and took bold steps to protect American jobs. This legislation established the nearly $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program to keep businesses and their employees afloat. It provides loans to small businesses, which they can use to cover not only employee salaries and wages but also health care benefits, retirement contributions and paid sick leave. This assistance can also help with a businesss rent or mortgage payments, supply chain disruptions and utilities. Not only are these loans low interest, but employers can have certain portions of the loan forgiven if they maintain their payroll and dont cut salaries. Over the past several weeks, Ive joined virtual meetings and conference calls with countless small business owners across the state. From San Antonio to El Paso, Longview to the Panhandle, and down to Laredo, small businesses have told me about the challenges theyre up against. Theyve been forced to make tough decisions about the future of their businesses and the livelihood of their employees. But the Paycheck Protection Program has provided a sense of hope and relief. Unlike funding for hospitals and state and local governments, which have taken longer to prepare for distribution, the Paycheck Protection Program was ready to accept and approve applications in only two weeks. The more than 135 existing SBA-certified lenders in Texas including local banks, credit unions and financial institutions, with more being added every day can distribute these loans. Unfortunately, whenever Congress passes substantive legislation this quickly, some things are bound to get overlooked. I have been working with Texans across the state to fill these gaps and get money flowing to all small-business owners in need, regardless of bureaucratic red tape. In the first few days, it became clear that the overwhelming popularity of the program would quickly exceed the amount of money available. Now that weve tossed this lifeline to small businesses, we cannot reel it in until theyve had a chance to grab on. Senate Republicans recently introduced a bill to supplement this fund with more than $250 billion, bringing the total to $600 billion. The bill didnt include any other proposals that could have slowed its passage just money for the Paycheck Protection Program, plain and simple. Unfortunately, the bill didnt pass. Senate Democrats blocked additional funding for this job-saving program because it didnt include money for other relief funds, which are nowhere near being depleted. Returning our country to a sense of normalcy will require a departure from Congress normal behavior, too. Theres no time for partisanship or attempts to gain leverage. We all win, or we all lose. Its time to provide more funding for the Paycheck Protection Program so we can ensure that once life goes back to normal, Texas will be open for business. John Cornyn, a Republican, is the senior U.S. senator from Texas. Former Newbury MP: A bad idea on every level The National Fire Chiefs Council has warned a campaign encouraging the public to light sky lanterns to show solidarity for NHS workers is misguided and former MP and Englefield landowner and farmer Richard Benyon has responded on Twitter to one company calling to support UK NHS with Union Flag night sky lanterns saying it was on every level, a bad idea. We do not believe they should be used under any circumstances particularly at a time when wildfires are likely to be on the increase due to the weather conditions, the statement added. It urges the public to look for alternative ways to show their support to the NHS. Mr Benyon tweeted on Tuesday: Please no! We havent had any rain for weeks, everything is tinder dry, emergency services have enough going on and the wire in these lanterns are dangerous for wildlife and stock if eaten. Oh and they become litter. On every level, a bad idea. Lanterns are a fire hazard; pose a risk to livestock, agriculture, thatched properties and hazardous material sites. Almost 90 local authorities across the UK have banned the use of lanterns. Please no! We havent had any rain for weeks, everything is tinder dry, emergency services have enough going on and the wire in these lanterns are dangerous for wildlife and stock if eaten. Oh, and they become litter. On every level, a bad idea https://t.co/PxBmaNwX0L Richard Benyon (@RichardHRBenyon) April 14, 2020 NFCC chairman Roy Wilsher said: While I fully understand people wanting to show their support to the NHS, I would encourage people to find a different way to do this. All emergency services are currently under unprecedented pressure due to Covid-19, and I am concerned this type of activity could not only put additional pressure on the fire service, but further strain on the NHS. If a sky lantern causes a fire, it could see firefighters spending valuable time dealing with what could be a complex and large-scale incident. Time which could be spent supporting vulnerable people in the community, as part of the fire services response to Covid-19. Last week, there were two major cultural anniversaries. Two hundred and fifty years ago, on April 7, 1770, William Wordsworth was born. Fifty years ago, on April 10, 1970, The Beatles split up. Does anything link these two anniversaries? They seem to belong to different worlds and, in many ways, they do. Yet bizarre though it is, just three handshakes link William Wordsworth to Paul McCartney. By the autumn of 1966, Paul McCartney was one of the most famous people on the planet. Wisely, he took full advantage of his position, realising that it gave him the opportu nity to meet virtually whoever took his fancy. One day, he telephoned the eminent philosopher Bertrand Russell, who was then aged 94, and living in Chelsea. Sir Paul McCartney "Hey Grandude!" book signing at Waterstones Piccadilly in 2019 'Somehow, I got his number and called him up. I figured him as a good speaker, I'd seen him on television, I'd read various bits and pieces and was very impressed by his dignity and the clarity of his thinking,' Paul recalled. 'So when I got a chance I went down and met him.' The elderly philosopher and the 24 -year -old pop star spoke about the iniquities of the Vietnam war. It was, Paul remembered, 'a great little talk. Nothing earth shattering. He just clued me in to the fact that Vietnam was a very bad war, it was an imperialist war and American vested interests were really all it was all about. It was a bad war and we should be against it.' Five years earlier, Russell had been arrested on a peace march for sitting down in the street with fellow protesters. Asked by the magistrate if he promised to be of good behaviour, he had replied, 'No, I do not', and was sentenced to seven days in Brixton prison. Seventy-seven years before his meeting with Paul McCartney, the teenage Bertrand Russell was living with his grandmother when William Gladstone, between stints as prime minister, came calling. Russell was to remember it as 'far the worst experience of my life'. Those who had never met Gladstone, he said, could never know the fear induced by what he called 'the Gladstone eye a terrifying glance he used to give people, and you wanted to sink through the earth'. Alone with the quivering young Russell after the ladies had left the dinner table, Gladstone made just one remark. 'This is a very good port they have given me', he said, 'but why have they given it me in a claret glass?' Russell was lost for words. 'I did not know the answer, and wished the earth would swallow me up. Since then I have never again felt the full agony of terror.' So Paul McCartney shook the hand that shook the hand of William Gladstone. But this remarkable conga-line does not end there. In 1836, when Gladstone himself was a young man, he had a series of meetings with the famous poet William Wordsworth, who was then aged 66. Judging by Gladstone's diary entries, they chatted about everything under the sun.' Mr Wordsworth... to break fast', Gladstone writes in his diary of May 16th. 'Sat till 12 3/4. Conver sation on Shelley, Trench, Tenny son; travelling, copyright, etc.' A month later, the up-and-coming young MP read Wordsworth's poems in the afternoon, then rose to speak in the House of Commons for 45 minutes. How many of today's MPs would spend their time reading poetry before delivering a long speech? The young politician and the elderly poet struck up quite a friend ship. Wordsworth joined in Gladstone's prayers; Gladstone listened as Wordsworth read verse. 'Glory is gathering round his later years on earth, and his later works especially indicate the spiritual ripening of his noble soul,' reflected Gladstone. But Wordsworth was not all sweetness and light. Like most poets, before and since, he could be waspish when discussing his upstart rivals. 'Wordsworth is vehement against Byron', Glad stone noted. 'He saw in Shelley the lowest form of irreligion.' Last week, on Petroc Trelawny's Radio 3 breakfast show the perfect antidote to these stressful times Ralph Fiennes celebrated Wordsworth's 250th anniversary by reading his most famous poem, Daffodils. So we leapfrog from Daffodils to Blackbird in just three meetings and time vanishes. There are about 65,000 nurses registered as active. That's a lot of nurses, right? But, then, we worry about discovering a lump, or we have an accident, or we wake up some morning and there's a deadly pandemic steaming down the tracks at us. We like to think we'll have someone who knows how to help us. We want those medics to be good at what they do. We want them to be confident, at ease with the conditions that come with the job, we want them to be reassuring. On an entirely unrelated point - do you know how many millionaires we have? No fewer than 77,984. Yep, we've got more millionaires than nurses. Between 2013 and 2019 there was an EU-wide surge in the number of millionaires. In the UK, in that period, under those mercilessly wealth-friendly Tories, there was a 12pc increase in millionaires. In the EU as a whole, there was a 14pc surge in millionaires. Here, the millionaire surge was 32pc. This was managed by first a Fine Gael/Labour regime, then a Fine Gael/Fianna Fail regime. So, 77,984 millionaires. And, of them, 1,029 are classified as 'high net worth individuals' - that is, people with at least 30m to their name. In January, an Oxfam report said this country has no fewer than 17 billionaires. Forbes business magazine says 20. Isn't that great? Well, no. Aren't they "wealth creators"? No doubt some are. But we're plagued by wealth skimmers, seeking an outsize cut from the necessary activities of the rest of us. Suppose you want - oh, I dunno - maybe a hospital. Any large, slow-moving target will do. Put your professional gunslingers to work (lawyers, consultants, analysts, lawyers, lobbyists, propagandists and lawyers). Costs rise. And rise. And rise, as folks who provide 'professional services' take their saddlebags full of dough and waddle toward the horizon. Now, to be fair, I haven't done the detailed research, but I'd wager there's not much crossover between the 65,000 nurses and the 78,000 millionaires. Just a guess. But, of course, money isn't everything. And you'll have noticed that in recent days nurses have been garlanded with the title of 'heroes'. We thank them, we applaud them, we promise they'll forever be blessed in our memory. And we also see shop workers and cleaners and bin men and transport workers in a new light. Heroes one and all - secular versions of the sainted nurses and doctors - they're indispensable, they hold this society together through the crisis. And we tell each other that when this is over we must ensure that all this essential work is properly rewarded. No more will they be "low-paid', as though they are some other species - their work will be properly valued. In the meantime, we applaud them all as heroes. Mind you, try renting a flat. And when they ask you for cash, flash your 'I'm a hero' badge, see how far it gets you. And, I'm thinking of October 1999. Because, I believe it was there or thereabouts that this society made an unspoken decision - and there was a significant shift in values. What happened in October 1999? The nurses went on strike - 23,500 of them. Through the 1980s the health system had been battered. Thousands of beds were cut. Nurses offered to take pay cuts, rather than have their numbers reduced. Eventually, the strain was too much - they threatened to strike. Hospital managers and politicians faced them down. Lengthy negotiations won them nothing. The nurses went on strike. Within days, the pros were at work on a pliable media. The former angels of mercy were portrayed as cold, callous people, money-hungry individuals who cared little for our suffering. In their greed, we were assured, they were holding children to ransom. The media quoted anonymous witnesses who told of how the children suffered. We were led to believe that doctors didn't know how to find the sharp end of a hypodermic. The word "stab" was used. We were told how doctors were stabbing children with needles - and the poor kids were screaming. (Leave aside the fact that kids often scream when they see a needle - the depiction of doctors as clumsy incompetents did the profession no favours.) But, the pros swung it. Fear that children weren't being treated made public opinion turn against the nurses, divisions emerged and they quickly settled for whatever was on offer. Simultaneous with the health cuts of the 1980s and 1990s, the rich were carrying out massive organised tax frauds. Household names - bankers, business legends, people whose wealth now lives on through the generations - were at it. A few were caught - and suffered no great penalty. This constituted a huge transfer of wealth, from the tax-compliant many to the tax-dodging few. And that shaped the society that thrived - grabbing and greedy, reckless and unfair. Out of this came the 'Tiger' society, a culture of gambling that within a few years brought the banks and the economy to ruin. We then had a decade of austerity, accompanied by the 32pc rise of the millionaire class. Today, we have foreign vultures descending - to partake in the same feast our home-grown vultures enjoy. They tell us, "Ireland's wealth management sector" is set to make big profits, "and we are keen to be a part of this". You bet they are. Simultaneously, in the Irish Independent, Charlie Weston alerts us to the fact that mortgage rates here are the second highest in the eurozone. He interviews a broker who tells us we're paying 1.56pc over the odds, which on a typical mortgage is 236 a month - on the lifetime of a 300,000 mortgage that's over 85,000. That's one of the ways these people get rich. Escaping tax is one element of 'wealth management', another is getting in on the deals that use such thumb-on-the-scales tactics. Now, in our Covid-19 plight, we look again to the values that allow hard-working medics to put their lives on the line. They truly are our values. Easy example: 'Feed the Heroes', the GoFundMe page that set out to raise 250 to buy pizzas for medics when they end their exhausting shifts. As of lunchtime yesterday, it had hit 826,735, and counting. We know the values that build societies, and we cherish them. For weeks, the political forces that have always represented the values of the millionaire set have been play-acting. They've manoeuvred toward another coalition of the type that saw a 32pc rise in the wealth of millionaires. When the crisis ends, their task will be to praise the hard-working nurses and others, while they seek a return to the old values. Of course, as any 'consultant' will affirm (for a suitable fee), it's not that simple. Perhaps not. But that's the point of departure - do we want a society that reflects the values of the medics, or one that reflects the values of millionaires? Is the 'hero' rhetoric mere cheap sentimentality, or do we truly value these people, and will we make a society in their image? Come out you rich-and-tanned, come out and... Sorry about that, don't mind me - I've been spending too much time indoors... The health condition of former MP of the Armenian National Assembly Manvel Grigoryan sharply deteriorated, his attorney Levon Baghdasaryan said. According to him, Grigoryan was in extremely critical condition, News am reported. The attorney added that the hospital in France where Grigoryan had undergone treatment and surgery, sent a letter stating that the patient immediately needs to be sent to the clinic. Grigoryan was detained in June 2018. Manvel Grigoryan is charged with illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, embezzlement of property, tax evasion, misuse of state funds, and setting up theft of property. His wife Nazik Amiryan is accused of illegally keeping ammunition and explosives in the three houses they own, as well as committing thefts. Shark Tank investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has criticized banks for undermining the just launched small business loan program through their practices. What Happened Appearing on CNBCs Squawk Box on Monday, Cuban accused banks of placing hurdles in the way of small businesses trying to access the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was designed to provide the necessary funding for them to stay afloat amid the pandemic. Pointing the finger at the banks Cuban said on the program, Theyre being banks and theyre trying to determine if the credits are good and thats leading to a lot of small businesses that are left out in the cold. See Also: 'I Am Trying To Get More Cash': Why Mark Cuban Isn't Hopeful On US Market Rally He expressed his frustration with the lenders and referenced the experience of his own Shark Tank companies by saying, Ive tried to call the banks and say, No, thats not the point behind the PPP loan. This is not about that. This is a guarantee by the government and this is supposed to turn into a grant if you retain all your employees. Cuban warned that unless the friction in the lending program was removed there were going to be a lot of issues and theres going to be a lot of people laid off and a lot of companies that go out of business. Why It Matters The $350 billion PPP is an attractive program for small businesses, as terms are more favorable than other short-term financing options. However, banks are being overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of applications. The billionaire investor has been advocating the prioritization of workers in economic stimulus legislation. He has said that any company that receives government assistance should not be allowed to buy back its stock, according to CNBC. Expressing hope that PPP loan distribution would improve over time just like the teething troubles faced by health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, he said, Hopefully it will be the same way here, that well get another tranche of money and the second tranche will have clearer rules and banks will recognize that this is not a typical credit environment where youre supposed to analyze each application as it was a new loan. Story continues Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mark Cuban's Instagram. See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) Parents at Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) are unsatisfied as the school shows no intention of letting fees covering food or its school bus service go. Dantri.vn quoted a parent as saying that they pay VND7.7 million ($335) and VND6.3 million ($275) every 10 weeks for the meals of middle- and grade-schoolers and have just recently been notified that the school expects payments in time. Marcel van Miert, chairman of VAS, wrote in a letter to parents that the VAS system has accrued some expenses that may increase if the epidemic is prolonged. Therefore, the fees will be necessary to materialise its commitment to parents to make up for the lost months. In other words, VAS will not charge additional fees during the epidemic. The school's decision has left many parents dissatisfied. VAS should return what parents have paid for meals for the third term (January 4-March 21)and not charge anything for the fourth term, said a parent. As society in general is undergoing hardships, VAS should not push its additional costs to the next school year and not charge fees for electricity and water. Echoing this, a parent also said, The school should be on the side of parents during the crisis. Sending us these receipts will just make the burden on us heavier. Regarding supporting parents, Miert also wrote that VAS has given a four-week extension for payments in the 2019-2020 school year. Along with VAS, private schools in Hanoi like Everest School or English centres like Amslink have been caught up in a heated dispute with parents over online tuition fees. Everest School in late March informed that it will charge VND650,000 ($28) a week for primary school and VND700,000 ($30) for secondary school students. Many parents expressed dissatisfaction with the fees, claiming they are too steep, while the quality of education is by no means guaranteed. Reacting to the protests of parents, the school adjusted the fees a week later to VND400,000-450,000 ($17-20) for primary and VND520,000 ($23) for secondary school students. If a class is too large and parents request dividing it into two groups, they will have to pay an additional fee of VND120,000 ($5) every week. Amslink English Center, for instance, started online teaching in March but has yet to come to an agreement over tuition fees with parents. In a talk with VIR, Thanh Long, the father of a Pre Starter B student at Amslink, said that the company asked him to pay VND220,000 ($10) per online lesson while direct study cost VND365,000 ($16). Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus would continue till May 3. He said that the fight against Covid-19 could be successful only if the citizens cooperate and maintain the discipline. In view of all suggestions, it has been decided that the nationwide lockdown would be extended until May 3. This means we all will have to stay indoors, in a lockdown, until May 3 with the same discipline and resolve that we have shown so far," said PM Modi in a televised address to the nation at 10 ... (TNS) Health departments, including the Ohio Department of Health and Summit County Public Health , have said they are hesitant to release the number or range of coronavirus cases in ZIP codes because that data could identify patients, thus violating privacy laws.But, is that true?For an answer, cleveland.com reached out to Richard Steiner, a biostatistician at the University of Akron. Here is what he has to say:The short - and a bit naive answer is, No, Steiner said. However, for people who live in ZIP codes with smaller populations and in areas where health departments give out additional information about infected people, the answer is, quite likely. HIPAA privacy rules that allow for the release of public health information indicate that increased de-identification measures need to be taken for patients who live in a ZIP code with fewer than 20,000 people, including possibly grouping them into a new area that has a population greater than 20,000.Fifteen of the 36 ZIP codes located entirely within Summit County and included on the health departments map have populations greater than 20,000, according to census data from 2018, the most recent year available.Simply indicating the number of COVID-19 cases in a ZIP code does not necessarily identify the patients included in the total. But, the chances that a patient could be identified increase as health departments release additional information about cases, including their age, sex and race.Steiner gave an example of a fictitious ZIP code with 20,000 residents, where 51% are males and 49% are females. Each resident was randomly assigned a birthday, an age and a race, so that the demographics had roughly the same distributions as Summit County, Steiner said.By knowing a persons sex, birthday and age, nearly 62% of the residents could be uniquely identified, and another 28% could be narrowed down to just two people, Steiner said. If, in addition to a persons sex, birthday and age, the persons race could be determined, 72% of the residents could be uniquely identified, and another 22% could be narrowed down to just two people.In a ZIP code of about 4,000 residents, three of which exist in Summit County, 90% of residents can be uniquely identified based on sex, birthday and age.Overall, when a health department releases the number of coronavirus cases in a ZIP code, the chances of that number identifying a patient are relatively low. However, with each additional piece of information, including age and race, the chances of identifying patients increase.Summit County has not released racial data about coronavirus cases or birthdays, instead providing only an age range and how many cases are male and female. But Steiner notes that other information about people can be obtained by other sources.Demographics such as sex, age, birthday and possibly race may be easily obtainable, he said. For example, for people on Facebook, sex and birthday are just a few clicks away.Summit County Public Health officials have indicated that they are going to wait until the number of cases across the county increases before they release ZIP code-level data.That, however, is flawed logic. Steiner said an increase in the number of coronavirus cases will also increase the chance of guessing accurately who is a patient.For example, in a ZIP code of 20,000 people and 100 coronavirus cases, there is a .5% chance that anyone you randomly choose will be a COVID-19 patient. But if that same ZIP code reaches 200 cases, the likelihood doubles to a 1% chance that someone is a coronavirus patient.In Summit County, with a total of 235 cases as of Friday, there are likely far fewer than 100 cases in even the largest ZIP codes, making the chances of randomly identifying a patient much less than .5%. So, in order to identify a patient, youd almost certainly have to have some additional information about the person or the cases in general, like if they reported the number of infections by race and gender and age, Steiner said. Autos of Dallas will help car buyers find a more affordable and reliable car during the COVID-19 pandemic with free shipping in Texas and Oklahoma, zero down and no payments for 90 days. Autos of Dallas is a premier pre-owned luxury car dealership located in Plano that will cater to drivers in need during the Coronavirus pandemic with a 100% online experience. To help potential owners find the right fit from the comfort of home, the dealership provides online shoppers with a massive inventory of pre-owned luxury vehicles, online credit approval, deferred monthly payments and free delivery to Texas and Oklahoma car shoppers. The Autos of Dallas online inventory is stocked with pre-owned luxury vehicles that include many favorite luxury brands Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, BMW, Audi, Bentley, Tesla, Acura, Cadillac, Lincoln, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover, Infiniti, MINI, Porsche, Volvo and more. To find the right fit, shoppers will have the ability to sort the inventory search results by price, year, make, model, trim level, body style, mileage, color, engine and more. When potential owners have found the perfect automotive fit, an Autos of Dallas team member will help them navigate the purchase process via email or phone. Online credit approval will help get drivers started with the purchase process and will set the foundation for the Autos of Dallas online experience. With an approved purchase, drivers will have no down payments and no payments to be concerned about for the first 90 days during the Coronavirus pandemic. Free delivery in Texas and Oklahoma will add to the online experience and affordable nationwide shipping with a price that starts at $499 will cater to drivers in the rest of the continental United States. To learn more about the online sales options provided by Autos of Dallas, potential owners can visit the dealership online at http://www.autosofdallas.com. Individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact a member of the dealership sales team directly by calling 972-484-9200. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Willard Cochrane, a renowned agricultural economist and a leading architect of US farm policy in the 1960s, was the first to propose the theory that farmers often found themselves trapped on a market treadmill. He described how the treadmill wears away any profits that might result from farmers constant efforts to improve their productivity. He concluded that agricultural income does not necessarily grow in line with the increase in productivity. He gave the example of the adoption of new technology on a farm. While early adopters would benefit, over time as more and more farmers started to use the new technology, the increase in output would lead to oversupply and depressed prices. Given the nature of this economic Catch 22 outside their control, its easy to see why Irish farmers viewed the abolition of milk quotas five years ago as a way of finally stepping off a market treadmill that had frustrated ambition and progress. For the first time in a generation, Irish dairy farmers would not be restricted by supply controls and could finally capitalise on their competitive advantage of a grass-based production system. The figures speak for themselves. Dairy cow numbers in Ireland have increased by almost 300,000 since 2014, with average herd size rising from 68 to 83. To cater for the extra cows, dairy farms have got bigger at the expense of other enterprises. Dairy farms have become increasingly specialised as their owners reduced or ceased other farm enterprises. In many parts of the country, dairy farmers have become the dominant force in the land-lease market. The quotas abolition also sparked a surge of new entrants to dairying buoyed by hopes of finally making a decent living from their farms. To cater for increased production, farmers have also invested billions in their farms, with many borrowing significant sums to invest in infrastructure such as milking parlours, housing and their grassland. So has all this extra effort and investment paid off for dairy farmers? Looking at the Teagasc National Farm Survey over the past five years, average dairy incomes peaked at 86,000 in 2017, but there have been some tough years, with a milk price slump and a drought seeing average earnings fall to 52,000 and 61,000 in 2016 and 2018 respectively before rising again to a projected 70,000 for 2019. Even allowing for this volatility, dairy incomes have continued to dramatically exceed those from other enterprises. For example, the average milk supplier to Glanbia has seen their farm gate milk value grow from 139,000 in 2014 to 203,000 last year - this level of return is unimaginable to the average beef or sheep farmer. "It is a really positive story," says Pat Dillion, head of the Teagasc animal and grassland, research and innovation programme. He believes the dairy industry is in a much better position today than it was five years ago. Profit "A lot of money has gone in and a lot of good people. Farmers are making a lot more profit and they're applying the best technologies," he says. Addressing volatility, he says the five-year average has remained at "64,000-65,000, which is positive". Another positive is that the industry has maintained the number of dairy farm numbers. "We are still somewhere around 18-20,000 dairy farmers, including those with other enterprises. That is really important," he says. Irish dairy farmers have also managed to maintain their low-cost production system. "To achieve such an increase in milk production, farmers in other countries would have seen increased costs, but we have actually reduced the cost of production. "Food Harvest 2020 targeted an increase in milk production by 50pc, and 2020 came, and no one even spoke about it. That was a pity as milk production increased by 62pc and milk solids by 77pc." Dillion believes that there has been too much negativity around the dairy industry recently, and too little attention paid to the "fabulous" story it has to tell since quotas were abolished. Processing all this extra milk has also required a huge investment in stainless steel. Over 1.5billion, according to Conor Mulvihill, director of Dairy industry Ireland. He says this scale, allied with the quality of the output from grass-fed systems, has seen Irish dairy become a global player. "In the south alone, the industry delivered over 2. 6billion in milk payments in 2019 into parishes around Ireland," he says. Expand Close Glanbia's 185m processing facility at Belview / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Glanbia's 185m processing facility at Belview "Dairy has become the driver of investment in farms and factories 'outside the toll roads' on the island. There is a staggering billion euro more in the pockets of farmers since quotas were abolished five short years ago." And while dairy is currently in choppy waters with Covid-19, the industry is now rural Ireland's largest economic driver, accounting for 11.3 billion of overall economic activity. "The ending of the quota period has allowed Irish dairy deliver on its undoubted potential." Emissions However, the scale of the post-quota dairy expansion has had its fair share of critics. Environmental groups have been among the most vociferous, blaming the dairy sector for agriculture's rising emissions as well as reductions in water quality. In a recent submission to the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency director Dr Matt Crowe cited dairy expansion as a significant problem. "Currently, the principal model for generating sustainable incomes for farmers is intensification, which has been driving the expansion of the dairy herd," he says. Expand Close Brendan Joyce / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brendan Joyce "This expansion is leading to a lack of diversity and resilience in the agri-food sector and the environmental assets on which it is based." The EPA also challenges many of the actions in the roadmap for farmers to reduce emissions. It maintains that many of these actions are based on driving efficiencies on farms, with an inherent assumption that if farms are efficient, they will be environmentally sustainable, which it says is not the case. Dairy expansion has also drawn criticism from farmers in other sectors, with beef farmers in particular critical of the impact the expansion has had on their incomes. The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has been one of the most vocal. Its national vice president Brendan Joyce (pictured inset) says that while dairy expansion provided a real opportunity for dairy farmers, its architects missed one crucial factor: "That more dairy cows meant more dairy calves that would have to come into the beef system." Ireland's beef model has built its reputation on the suckler cow and naturally reared beef. "Our weekly beef kill prior to the abolition of milk quotas was under 30,000; now we are likely to surpass 40,000 per week shortly. It has radically changed the type of animal coming into the food chain," says Joyce. "As the industry is marketing all beef under one Irish label, it effectively means that prices have dropped as our meat grades have kept falling. By continuing to market naturally reared beef from suckler herds in the same basket as beef artificially reared from dairy herds, then effectively the suckler beef farmer is providing a subsidy to the dairy sector. "The blame here is not with the dairy farmer who saw an opportunity for a profitable operation but with the suckler beef sector for not defending their sector and differentiating it as a superior product in the market place." And some in the tillage sector have also claimed the dairy industry lobby is far too strong. "Fair play to them for getting into that position, but it (expansion) is at a cost, both to tillage farmers and the general public," says Bobby Miller of the Grain Growers Association. "By my calculations, the loss of near 60,000 hectares to dairy has alone increased our GHG emissions by nearly half a million tonne." But while the debate will continue about the pros and cons of the push towards dairy in the post-quota years, the principal benefit for farmers seems clear. Dairy incomes are significantly higher than other sectors, and without the restrictions of quotas, more farmers can now get access to those incomes. However, dairy farmers will still have to struggle with the challenges of milk price volatility, weather challenges and rising input costs. Only time will tell if dairy farmers have managed to fully escape from Willard Cochrane's market treadmill, but so far the surge in production hasn't collapsed the market and our post-quota dairy sector has proven resilient to everything that weather extremes, the environmental lobby and global economic trends can fire at it. Revised numbers in New York put death toll at over 10,000 as US officials debate how to reopen the countrys economy. US coronavirus deaths have risen by a single-day record 2,228 to top 28,300, according to a Reuters tally, as officials debated how to reopen the economy without reigniting the outbreak. The United States, with the worlds third-largest population, passed a second milestone late on Tuesday with over 600,000 reported cases, three times more than any other country. The previous single-day record was 2,069, set last Friday. The increase of 2,228 deaths excludes a revision by New York City to include deaths presumed to be due to the novel coronavirus but never tested dating back to March 11. Officials reported 3,778 probable deaths, where doctors were certain enough of the cause of death to list it on the death certificate, and 6,589 confirmed by a lab test. Combined, that would put the total fatalities in the city to over 10,000. As the numbers continue to rise, officials debate over how and when to reopen the US economy and start easing restrictions. The coronavirus restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus have crippled the economy, with businesses forced to close and millions of Americans losing their jobs. President Donald Trump has floated a May 1 target for restarting the economy, which his top infectious disease adviser said on Tuesday was overly optimistic after a battle erupted between Trump and state governors over who had the power to lift restrictions aimed at curbing the coronavirus pandemic. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said public health officials must be able to test for the virus quickly, isolate new cases and track down new infections before social-distancing restrictions can be eased. We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and were not there yet, Fauci told the Associated Press news agency. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr Anthony Fauci speaking during the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House [Leah Millis/Reuters] Trump, a Republican running for re-election in November, lashed out at Democratic state governors, suggesting they were mutineers after New Yorks Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would refuse any order by the president to reopen the economy too soon. If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldnt do it, Cuomo told CNN earlier on Tuesday, referring to Trump. Spoiling for a fight At a news conference later, Cuomo said Trump was clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue and that he did not want a partisan battle, but added, We dont have a king in this country, we have a constitution and we elect the president. Offering an expansive assessment of the powers of the presidency, Trump on Monday asserted he has total authority to decide on reopening the economy even though he earlier had deferred to the governors in putting social distancing orders in place. Cuomo, a Democrat whose state has been the epicentre of the US outbreak, and governors of six other northeastern states have announced plans to formulate a regional plan to gradually lift restrictions. On the Pacific Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington state announced a similar regional approach. Trump, whose attacks on Democrats appeal to his conservative political base, posted tweets attacking Cuomo individually and Democratic governors in general. Trump rejected the idea that governors should determine when and how to reopen state economies, insisting the president of the United States calls the shots. The governors know that, Trump told a Monday briefing. US President Donald Trump listening during a meeting with healthcare executives in the Cabinet Room at the White House [Leah Millis/Reuters] But governors were moving forward with their planning. Oregon Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, on Tuesday offered her own framework for eventually restarting public life and business in the state. Some Republicans, including the governors of Ohio, Maryland and New Hampshire, also said states have the right to decide when and how to reopen. The political posturing coincided with fresh signs the pandemic has been slowing in New York and other early hot spots even as the death toll mounts. New York hospitalisations have fallen for the first time since the pandemics onset, Cuomo said, adding, We think we are at the apex on the plateau. Cuomo said 778 New Yorkers died in the past day, up from 671 a day earlier, which had marked the lowest daily toll since April 5. A total of 10,834 New Yorkers have died due to COVID-19. David Reich, president of New Yorks Mount Sinai Hospital, said even if hospital admissions there had levelled off, it still remained an extraordinary time of strain for staff and resources. The plateau is not a very comfortable place to live, Reich said in a telephone interview. So I dont think people should be celebrating prematurely. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has expanded a key offering in New Zealand. EIS Group and employee benefits company Wellfleet are teaming on the development of a next-generation insurance administration platform. *** Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company has expanded its Executive & Professional Lines offerings in New Zealand through the introduction of Management Liability and Association Liability Insurance policies. BHSIs Management Liability policy is designed to address the wide range of claims private companies can face. Brokers and Insureds can customize coverage to include Directors & Officers Liability, General Liability, Statutory Liability, Employers Liability, Employment Practices Liability and/or Fidelity Insurance. The Association Liability policy offers non-profit organizations similar flexibility and coverage tailored to their needs, with the addition of Professional Indemnity protection. *** EIS Group, an insurance software company, is pairing with Wellfleet to built a next-generation insurance administration platform designed to meet the evolving demands of the employee benefits market. Wellfleet is a Berkshire Hathaway-owned company focused on accident and health insurance. In the complex voluntary benefits landscape, brokers and their clients commonly work with multiple systems, fighting to integrate with carriers patchworked legacy systems, the companies said. Wellfleet Workplace entered the voluntary market last year seeking to stand out, and it said a partnership with EIS Group helps drive this differentiation by jointly creating an open-architecture and cloud-based software system designed to support the full broker and customer lifecycle., EIS Groups cloud-based platform supports broker and customer lifecycles from rating and quoting, policy issuance and administration, to billing and claims management. Multi-channel touchpoints are easily created and managed through EIS Groups digital experience platform. Sources: BHSI, EIS Group/Wellfleet Actor Joaquin Phoenix says he doesn't like to rehearse and because of this habit he had a clash with Joker co-star Robert De Niro, who prefers having a read-through while working on a film. In a lengthy profile piece with GQ, Phoenix said the anxiety of not knowing helps him perform better and hence he was unwilling to join De Niro and rest of the cast for a read-through. The 45-year-old actor, who won this year's best actor Oscar for his performance in the movie, revealed that De Niro even called director Todd Phillips to make sure he turns up. Tell him he's an actor and he's got to be there. I like to hear the whole movie and we're going to all get in a room and just read it, De Niro told Phillips. Phoenix said he was adamant to give read-through a miss and told Phillips, There's no f****** way I'm doing a read-through. However, the actor, who is also a huge fan of DeNiro, attended the meeting at veteran star's production office. He murmured his way through the script and after the meeting De Niro invited him to his office to talk where the two eventually cleared the air. The actor said De Niro took his face into his hands and kissed him on the cheek. It's going to be OK, bubbeleh, said De Niro, who played talk show host Murray Franklin in the film. Pheonix made a clean sweep winning all the major awards this year for his portrayal of DC supervillain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A heartwarming video shows a coronavirus survivor being given a guard of honour when leaving a hospital and walking into the arms of her family yesterday. Johty Kesavan spent three weeks in intensive care at Croydon University Hospital in London battling the virus. But the 51-year-old became the first patient to be discharged from the unit at the weekend and staff filmed her walking out on her own to a round of applause. Johty Kesavan, 51, became the first coronavirus survivor to leave intensive care at Croydon University Hospital She was applauded by staff as she left the hospital and was embraced by her family at the exit in a heartwarming moment Mrs Kesavan was admitted on March 17 after struggling with symptoms. She was applauded as she left the hospital in south London on Sunday, shown in video Tweeted by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. She is seen clutching her dressing gown and is too overwhelmed to speak, simply smiling at the nurses as she walks by. The trust Tweeted: 'Today we celebrate as local resident Mrs Kesavan heads home after recovering from #COVID19 - the first patient with #coronavirus to be discharged from our ICU. Nurses and hospital staff applaud Johty as she leaves the intensive care unit at Croydon University Hospital She appears overwhelmed by the occasion, unable to speak and holding her dressing gown as she soaks in the applause She was given a guard of honour in celebration of her miraculous recovery as staff appear thrilled 'We're thrilled to see her return home to her loved ones and SO proud of the work of #TeamCroydon.' Elaine Clancy, Chief Nurse for Croydon, who is leading the Trust's response to coronavirus described her recovery as 'incredible'. She said: 'We're delighted to see Mrs Kesavan return home to her loved ones today and wish her all the best in her continued recovery. 'Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, both in our intensive care units and on our wards, are working around the clock to ensure that all of our patients get the best possible care and I'm very proud of all of their efforts. 'Mrs Kesavan's incredible recovery, alongside the hundreds of other patients with Covid-19 that we have already successfully discharged, reinforces our continued hope for all of those affected.' Elaine Clancy, Chief Nurse for Croydon, says she is 'delighted to see Mrs Kesavan return home to her loved ones today and wish her all the best in her continued recovery' Lee McPhail, chief operating officer, says he think 'it's a fantastic testament to the efforts of all our staff at Croydon Health Services, the result that we've had today' She added: 'From our doctors and nurses to our radiographers and therapists, right through to our estates and IT teams, every area of the Trust is going above and beyond to ensure that we are able to continue to care for both our patients with Covid-19 and those with other illnesses. 'I'm incredibly inspired by the work of Team Croydon as we continue to respond to these unprecedented challenges.' More than 300 patients have been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment for coronavirus. Lee McPhail, chief operating officer, said: 'I think it's a fantastic testament to the efforts of all our staff at Croydon Health Services, the result that we've had today.' The International Monetary Fund issued a stark warning about economic damage from the coronavirus, saying on Tuesday that the global economy faces its worst downturn since the Great Depression as shuttered factories, quarantines and national lockdowns cause economic output around the world to collapse. In its World Economic Outlook, the I.M.F. projected that the global economy would contract by 3 percent in 2020, an extraordinary reversal from earlier this year, when the fund forecast that the world economy would outpace 2019 and grow by 3.3 percent. This years fall in output would be far more severe than the last recession, when the world economy contracted by less than 1 percent from 2008 to 2009. A 3 percent decline in global output would be the worst since the Great Depression, the I.M.F. said. As countries implement necessary quarantines and social distancing practices to contain the pandemic, the world has been put in a Great Lockdown, said Gita Gopinath, chief economist of the I.M.F. The magnitude and speed of collapse in activity that has followed is unlike anything experienced in our lifetimes. Ms. Gopinath said that the loss of global output would be far worse than the 2008 financial crisis and that policymakers are facing an unusual predicament in that traditional stimulus measures are little match for a pandemic that is being fought with shutdowns and quarantines. If the pandemic persists into the second half of the year, the contraction could be twice as severe and the expected rebound in 2021 could fail to materialize if additional waves of the virus spread later in the year. Over the next two years, the pandemic could shave $9 trillion from global G.D.P. RSIGuard provides remote office workers with behavior-based training and tools on healthy, productive work habits Toronto, ON, April 14, 2020, the leading desktop application for workplace ergonomics, to home-based users. By downloading RSIGuard onto their home computers, remote workers can maintain healthy, productive work habits through behavior-based training, tools, and guidance. While many organizations ensure good ergonomics for employees in their corporate offices, this often isn't the case for remote workers, especially given the sudden shift to telecommuting. RSIGuard can help these workers optimize their health and productivity in their new remote working environment. "Understandably, a lot of people feel stressed out from the mounting pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing," said Ron Goodman, Office Ergonomics Product Manager, Cority Enviance. 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Equipment optimization : Helps users correctly position equipment, such as multiple monitors and height-adjustable desks, to stay productive and avoid injuries. : Helps users correctly position equipment, such as multiple monitors and height-adjustable desks, to stay productive and avoid injuries. Keyboard controls : Limits user injury risk exposure with single-click keyboard actions, automatic mouse clicking, and work limits. : Limits user injury risk exposure with single-click keyboard actions, automatic mouse clicking, and work limits. User insight: Provides analytics to show users how to adjust behaviors to reduce injury risk. RSIGuard is available for immediate download for Windows and Mac users. To try a free six-month RSIGuard license, visit www.cority.com/home-ergo/. About Cority Enviance Cority is the most trusted environmental, health, safety, and quality (EHSQ) software for assuring client success. Cority enables organizations to utilize EHSQ software to advance their journey to sustainability and operational excellence by combining the deepest domain expertise with the most comprehensive and secure true SaaS solutions. With 30+ years of innovation and experience, Cority's team of close to 500 experts serve more than 1200 clients across 30 industries in 100 countries, supporting millions of end users. The company enjoys the industry's highest levels of client satisfaction and has received many awards for its strong employee culture and outstanding business performance. Michael Doran turned many heads when as IFA livestock chairman he ditched his 120-cow suckler herd in favour of a future in dairying. When he spoke to the Farming Independent on his plans in 2014, he said he believed that the tightest margins in dairying are better than the most optimistic returns from beef. Six years on, he has no regrets about his decision. It has surpassed my expectations, he says. We are milking more cows than we thought, we bought land which I never thought we would have the opportunity to in my life, and we are benefiting from the profitability of dairy farming. Michael calved his first dairy heifers in Jan/Feb 2014; he had never milked a cow before and he needed to master the basics of dairy farming. Calf rearing was another big hurdle but it didnt take long to get into the swing of things. Expand Close Targets: Michael plans to increase his herd to 150 cows next year and 200 cows by 2016. The operation will be handled by himself and one full-time employee. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Targets: Michael plans to increase his herd to 150 cows next year and 200 cows by 2016. The operation will be handled by himself and one full-time employee. We had never been used to rearing calves, so trying to get it right was a real challenge, Michael says. After about six weeks when we got our first milk cheque and I saw that I could calf an animal and have a return coming in in just a few weeks, it started to change the focus, and I started to realise the cash-flow that comes with dairying. Michael says that a new entrant training course he undertook with Teagasc was a big help. A number of the students set up a discussion group that is still active today with like-minded people that were facing the same challenges. Michael says he is comfortable keeping his cow numbers at 240 with his milking platform currently stocked at 3cows/ha. Every year, Michael has between five and ten people get in touch for advice on making the switch to dairy. First thing I say to them is that there are massive opportunities there is a good return if you do it right, he says. The most important thing is to do a good business plan. Its important not to over-complicate the system and to keep it simple and keep it grass-based. However, he also warns farmers that they have to be prepared to put in the workload. The spring is going to be an awful lot busier than you would have experienced before, he says. There are times when he misses his former career in sucklers. Expand Close System: Michael has invested in a waste water system that can divert clean water from the yard during dry periods. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp System: Michael has invested in a waste water system that can divert clean water from the yard during dry periods. You miss looking out at a field of Limousin or Charolais animals, he says. Theres nothing nicer, but you have to realistically look at your own family business and whats best for you. Theres clearly a massive opportunity in the dairy industry. Look back to 2014: A belief that the tightest margins in dairying are better than the most optimistic returns from beef has convinced one of the top suckler-to-beef producers in the southeast to switch codes. ormer IFA livestock chairman Michael Doran has already completed the first phase of his planned conversion from beef to dairying. Within months the last of his 120 suckler cows will be gone to make way for a 200-cow dairy herd on his 320ac holding at Duncormack, Co Wexford.. Michael is convinced that the challenge is worth the investment in planning, and hard cash that he has committed to his green field dairy set up. "As livestock chairman in IFA I saw different systems around the world and the one thing I realised was that I could not compete on beef on the world markets, while we are very well positioned on dairying," he explains. "A lot of dairy farmers would have thought that 2009 was a difficult year. I know it was. But I know some people who started in dairying that year and they said it was the first time that they had made money from farming even at 20c/l for milk," says Michael. The Teagasc Beef Monitor farmer, and active member of a beef discussion group, has been producing U grade young bull beef at 16 months from his half- bred Limousin cows. These bulls are 400kg carcass weight and finished at 16 months. He used a Simmental sire and all the progeny not required for herd replacements were finished to beef on the farm. Expand Close Former IFA livestock chairman Michael Doran has already completed the first phase of his planned conversion from beef to dairying. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former IFA livestock chairman Michael Doran has already completed the first phase of his planned conversion from beef to dairying. "I made the decision to get out of beef in June 2013, when I was getting 5/kg for heifers. You could say that it was the top of the beef market, but I found that the cost of keeping the cow was something that I was not able to reduce enough to keep going." The suckler herd was carried on the 200ac home farm. A further 130ac 18 miles away which is rented from his uncle was used for winter cereal production. The barley is retained for farm feeding and some of the wheat retained, with the balance sold as a cash crop. On the Teagasc profit monitor analysis, he had a gross margin of 800-1,000/ha which placed him in the top league of monitor suckler-to-beef farmers."My biggest problem was the cost of keeping the cow and without some reasonable support for the cow it was very difficult to maintain her on land that was suitable for doing something else. "The [partial] flattening of the SFP [single farm payment] was having a big impact on me, as on beef farmers generally. In the past the beef farmer had the Suckler Cow Premium, the 10 and 22 month premiums, and the Slaughter Premium, which formed the basis of keeping the profitability in the system. "When they were taken away we were able to keep going, but it was getting more difficult and then the 'welfare scheme' went. I could see that milk quota was being abolished. A number of things were coming together at the same time." So what would have been necessary to influence him to continue as a beef producer? "I would need to be getting 300/cow. I had seen the situation in France where the suckler farmers were looking at the same figure which would have brought me back to the older situation of 220 plus 80 on extensification. That was there and it was not that I was looking to reinvent the wheel. "If I was getting that level of support I could have survived at a beef price above 4.50/kg. There is a lot of talk now about the volatility in dairying, but the volatility in beef was killing and the uncertainty on price. There may be only a few sale days in the year on beef and the price could either rise or collapse between sale days. "That killed me with the 16 month beef because they were all coming in at the same time. This spring if they were over 16 months there was even more interest in them because they [the factories] were getting them for nothing. I could not see a future in it. "I view myself as a grass farmer basically and the challenge for me is to find the best system that will convert grass into income for me." 'The yearly dairy figures really opened my eyes' Martin Ryan Expand Close Targets: Michael plans to increase his herd to 150 cows next year and 200 cows by 2016. The operation will be handled by himself and one full-time employee. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Targets: Michael plans to increase his herd to 150 cows next year and 200 cows by 2016. The operation will be handled by himself and one full-time employee. During the early months of 2013, Michael Doran took a hard look at his farming enterprise, his options and alternatives. He came to the conclusion that it was time for a change. "Looking at the profit monitors over the last few years for beef and dairy I could see that what I was trying to achieve on a gross margin dairy farmers were achieving in net margin for their enterprises. "The dairy figures over a few years really opened my eyes. With the abolition of the milk quota I realised that the opportunity was going to be there." He applied for milk quota as a new entrant in 2013 and got 200,000 litres. Pressure The pressure was then on to get grant approval for the dairy unit and the first cows were in the parlour before the end of January last. "I bought 80 Jersey cross Friesian in-calf heifers, all by AI. I had a very fertile suckler herd and I did not want to go into a situation where fertility could be a problem in dairying, "On the board of ICBF I saw the benefits of the EBI. I visited Moorepark and looked at a few farm situations which convinced me that it was the right thing to do," he recalls. But why Jersey given the poor market value for male offspring? "I would have been opposed to Jersey as a beef farmer, but I was looking at what was fit for purpose for the enterprise that I was going into. "I did not feel that I owed the beef industry anything in so far as I believed that they had not worked with us to ensure the viability of the sector "When you look at the overall profitability of the system I am going into, the calf value plays a very minor role in a successful grass-based dairy system and has very little impact on the bottom line. "So whether I get 20/hd or 120/hd, the most important thing for me will be to get them off the farm ASAP," he believes. The 80 cows milking in the herd this year will increase to 150 in 2015 as milk quota is abolished. "I have another 80 heifer calves from this year so I would be looking at 180-200 cows in the herd in 2016, which is what I estimate that the farm can carry," he explains. Solids Although the milk quota for 2014 is filled and milking has been reduced to once-a-day since July, the experience of dairying to date has been good. The herd has produced 300kg of solids on 150kg concentrates. The 6pc butterfat and 4.6pc protein is now returning a premium over base of 11c/l on once-a-day milking. His target for the herd in 2015 is 450kgs solids on 400kgs concentrates at a stocking rate of 3.5Lu/ha. The changeover from the of routine of suckler farming to dairying has also gone very smoothly; although he admits that any thought of ever becoming a dairy farmer was very far from his mind in the past. "I never milked a full herd of cows until I started this year. There were some little teething problems, but it is gone very smoothly," he says. "I went through Rockwell College for a year and never milked a cow there. "I was proud of myself at the time that I managed to get through the year without having to milk a cow, but in hindsight it might not have been a good idea if I knew at that time where the future was going to take me." Any intention to enter dairying was very quickly killed during his college days. "When I was in college I remember writing to a co-op about the prospect of producing milk. "They told me that I would have to apply in writing and 1,500 gallons of a quota is what would have been available. That was not a foundation to base a living on and I closed it off as an option. His intention is that the planned 200 cows can be handled by himself and a full-time employee who has been with him since his time as IFA livestock chairman when he was missing from home a lot. When extra help is need a neighbour will help out. A 750-800 investment per cow Expand Close System: Michael has invested in a waste water system that can divert clean water from the yard during dry periods. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp System: Michael has invested in a waste water system that can divert clean water from the yard during dry periods. The facilities to handle 200 cows are being established from a green field base on the Doran farm with the emphasis on practical requirements and value for money. Michael hopes to have carefully planned, excellent facilities in operation for an investment of 750-800 per cow, in addition to his own input in plumbing and some of the concrete work. The cubicles used for the suckler herd will convert for the dairy cows, with further conversions of existing housing as necessary. Sixteen units are in operation in the Dairymaster milking parlour, with a further eight to be added in 2015, and provision in place to extend the parlour by a further six units with the minimum of additions. "Every shed that I ever built was thought to be big enough, but turned out to be too small over time. I am not making that mistake again. I am leaving enough room for expansion," he insists. The unit has been planned as a straight through with a circular collection yard with the motorised backing gate fitted with washing jets. There is no front wall to maximise the use of natural lighting in the parlour which should be sufficient throughout most of the year. The breast rail is adjustable by up to 13 inches - operated by a very simple mechanism - and cluster removers fitted, but no meal feeding bins or milk meters. "I went for a very simple parlour without bells and jingles - installing as many units as I could afford. I could have spent the same money on 10 units with all the mod cons, but it is planned that they can be added later. "I did not put in meters. I can pay for milk recording for 10 for less than the meters would cost me and I can install meal bins later if I want to," he maintains. "We did not put in a dump line as it can be easy to end up with dumped milk ending up in the tank with the wrong flick of a switch." A standard cattle crush and a batch crush is being built beside the parlour and the 3,000 spent on sewer pipes includes an arrangement to divert clean water from the yard during the dry period. Water is supplied from two wells on the farm. Minerals will be fed through the water system. Water heating is provided by an oil-fired system as the most cost efficient with recycling of heated water. The heavy demand on electricity would have justified three-phase supply, but the 30,000 price tag ruled it out. However, a three-phase control board - at a cost of 15,000 - was installed, because reports of burn-out in single phase board were a concern. Because of the proximity to the coast, all steel has been galvanised. The refrigerated milk storage tanks has 16,500 litre capacity to facilitate every third day collection and allow for further increase in herd size or production without additional capacity being required. "The cost of changes - at a later stage - is always greater than making provision initially," Michael says. Everything has been fitted, as far as possible, under the one roof. Apart from the milking facilities, the central control for pumps, heating, power supply, medicine store and office are conveniently linked. - Ethiopia and the United Nations (UN) opened a humanitarian transport hub at Addis Ababa airport on Tuesday, April 14 - The arrangement relies on cargo services provided by Ethiopian Airlines and could partially offset heavy losses Africa's largest carrier was sustaining because of COVID-19 - Ethiopia's national carrier also bagged a deal to fly COVID-19 medical supplies across Africa Ethiopian Airlines has bagged a lucrative deal to fly cargo across Africa in the wake of coronavirus pandemic even as Kenya Airways (KQ) cried foul over the deal. This came after Ethiopia and the United Nations (UN) opened a humanitarian transport hub at Addis Ababa airport on Tuesday, April 14, to move supplies and aid workers across Africa to fight COVID-19. READ ALSO: Do not eat monkeys, they are your relatives - President Museveni An Ethiopian cargo plane on air. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Scare as 32 people disappear from Mandera quarantine facility The arrangement, which relies on cargo services provided by Ethiopian Airlines, could partially offset heavy losses Africa's largest carrier is sustaining because of the pandemic that has halted most of its operations especially transport of passengers. "The UN World Food Programme chooses Addis Ababa as a humanitarian shipment hub for Africa to distribute medical supplies with the Ethiopian. We are pleased to serve amidst this challenging time," the airline tweeted. Ethiopia's country director for the WFP Steven Were Omamo said an initial shipment of 3,000 cubic metres of supplies most of it personal protective equipment for health workers would be distributed within the next week. "This is a really important platform in the response to COVID-19, because what it does is it allows us to move with speed and efficiency to respond to the needs as they are unfolding," Omamo said. Kenya Airways has made billions of losses in recent years. Photo: Kenya Airways. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: COVID- 19: Mbunge Bobi Wine kuwarejesha makwao Waafrika wanaodhulumiwa Uchina The loss-making KQ earlier protested the move by the government to hand a cargo deal to its rival the Ethiopian Airlines. We have objected the move to have Ethiopian Airlines use their passenger flights for cargo business in Kenya because we were not consulted on the impact that this would have on our business," KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka told Business Daily. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Ottawa is advising provinces not to claw back Canada Emergency Response Benefits from people on social assistance who have lost low-wage work due to the COVID-19 crisis. Carla Qualtrough, the federal minister for employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, has raised with her counterparts the importance of ensuring the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and provincial and territorial social assistance programs work together to support Canadians and that those Canadians who are receiving the CERB are not penalized, a spokesperson for the minister said Monday. Our government believes the CERB needs to be considered exempt by provinces and territories in the same way as the Canada Child Benefit to ensure vulnerable Canadians do not fall behind, said Marielle Hossack in an emailed statement. The statement comes as some Ontarians on social assistance who have lost their poverty-level jobs are receiving as much as $3,500 in CERB payments to cover wages lost in March and April. Ottawa began issuing CERB payments of $2,000 a month last week for any worker who lost their job due to the pandemic and has earned at least $5,000 in the past 12 months. The payments amount to $500 a week and are retroactive to March 15. They are expected to continue for four months. But many people on social assistance are worried Queens Park is going to claw back the money and kick them off provincial benefits, making them worse off. I dont know how to even report this income, said Elizabeth Tracy, who works full-time while her partner, who is blind, relies on Ontario Disability Support Program benefits. They receive $1,750 a month as a couple on ODSP, minus a percentage of Tracys wages. Due to health issues, Tracy was forced to leave her job at a drugstore March 15 when the province imposed physical distancing requirements to slow the spread of COVID-19. There was no pay or benefit stub (with the CERB payments). Just these deposits into my bank account, said Tracy, 62. I am at a loss with this and dont want to get dinged with having to pay back ODSP or CERB for any overpayment. While Ontario is still reviewing the CERB and considering its impacts on people receiving social assistance, Tracy and others were hoping Ottawa would clear up the confusion and ask provinces to exempt the temporary federal benefit from clawbacks, as Qualtrough did Monday. Qualtroughs statement is very gratifying, said Toronto social policy expert John Stapleton, a former Ontario social services bureaucrat. It is in the spirit of a long tradition of non-partisan requests to provinces from federal ministers going back 40 years. People on social assistance (in Ontario) who dutifully report their income every month dont know what will happen if they report such a large sum of money, he said in an interview. And many of those who do report it, may find themselves kicked off the system next month, without their drug and medical benefits. People on social assistance, whose incomes fall between 40 per cent and 60 per cent below the poverty line, are among the most disadvantaged when it comes to social isolating and the scarcity of social programs such as food banks and other supports due to the pandemic, Stapleton noted. Surely those who have been working to boost their meagre benefits should not be punished, he said. And surely provinces shouldnt be clawing back and pocketing this federal money. More than 960,000 people in Ontario rely on social assistance, either ODSP for people with disabilities, or Ontario Works for those deemed able to work. About 75,000 of them have jobs that pay at least $5,000 a year and would therefore be eligible for the CERB, Stapleton said. Ontario is still working with the federal government to understand the details of how the CERB will be rolled out, said Palmer Lockridge, a spokesperson Ontarios ministry of children, community and social services. As this work is underway, the ministry is considering the impacts this benefit may have on our provinces social assistance clients, and we are speaking with our provincial and territorial counterparts to gain an understanding of how the CERB will be treated across the country, he said in an email. Ontario has specifically asked how Ottawa is collecting and sharing data with the provinces on workers who receive the benefit, Lockridge added. Stapleton said he has a tiny bit of sympathy for ministry bureaucrats scrambling to understand how the taxable CERB will impact other provincial programs. But they should at least be clear with people and tell them not to report the income (to their social assistance worker) until they have a policy, he said. While Ontario considers what to do, the B.C. government on April 2 exempted EI and CERB from social assistance clawbacks while that province struggles to support residents during the pandemic. A coalition of more than 130 health-care workers, community agencies and Ontarians living in poverty wrote an open letter to Social Services Minister Todd Smith April 7 urging Queens Park to boost social assistance rates and not to claw back the CERB from those on OW and ODSP who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. In a statement last week, the NDP also called on the Ford government to stop the clawbacks. Families are feeling anxious during this unprecedented crisis as they worry about their health, their jobs and paying the bills, said MPP Lisa Gretzky, the NDPs community and social services critic. Ontarios policies punish working families and add insult to injury given already abysmally low social assistance rates. Correction April 14, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version to update a quote. The previous version included incorrect information on the frequency at which people on social assistance in Ontario have to report income. A 22-year-old Nigerian student has been arrested in Budapest, the Hungarys capital after a s3x worker accused him of rape. Accord... A 22-year-old Nigerian student has been arrested in Budapest, the Hungarys capital after a s3x worker accused him of rape. According to the police statement, a woman made a complaint on Saturday that she was raped in an apartment in District 7. The woman told the detectives that she had met the man on a website which advertises sexual services. According to the woman, on April 11, at around 3 PM, the man came to her house to have sex with her. When she asked him to pay before having her, he refused and that was when she told him to leave her house. The woman further said the Nigerian man refused to leave her home and instead started choking her, after which he allegedly raped her and then fled the scene. The police officers of the 7th district of Budapest started looking for the perpetrator immediately. They checked out the information the woman could provide about the man as well as footages from nearby security cameras. The accused was identified as an international student of University in Hungary. He was arrested in the 6th district the same day, at 6:40 PM. The police questioned the Nigerian student, who has a valid visa. He denied committing the crime, but is now being held in custody. Watch the video of Josephs arrest below; Mass killer Maurice 'Mo' Robinson was to be paid almost 60,000 for smuggling 39 illegal immigrants into the UK who were found dead in the back of his lorry. In statements to police, detailed for the first time, the 25-year-old Co Armagh man named Co Monaghan haulier Ronan Hughes as having previously paid him to traffick people from mainland Europe. Robinson, who pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter last Wednesday and has admitted assisting unlawful immigration and money laundering, confessed to making tens of thousands of pounds from the shameful arrangement. Detectives believe this is how the trucker was able to afford an impressive detached home in the village of Laurelvale on the outskirts of Portadown despite having only a modest income. Court documents reveal: "Mr Robinson has admitted, at interview, to smuggling migrants into the UK on several occasions, and having been paid, by Ronan Hughes 1,500 per person smuggled." By his own calculations this means that Robinson was set to rake in 58,500 had the 39 Vietnamese nationals, some of whom were children, not suffocated to death last October. Hughes - the suspected smuggling mastermind named by Robinson - has refused repeated requests to cross the border to speak to UK police. Detectives want to question the 40-year-old over allegations the trailer in which the 39 immigrants perished was leased by him. Court documents also confirm that mobile phone records show Hughes was in contact with Mo Robinson "throughout October" - the time of the smuggling scam. These Irish High Court papers relate to another lorry driver, Eamonn Harrison from Mayobrige in Co Down, who is fighting extradition from Ireland to the UK. The 23-year-old faces 39 charges of manslaughter, as well as conspiracy to traffick people and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. He is alleged to have driven the trailer in which the 39 dead immigrants were found to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, before it sailed to Purfleet in England where it was collected by Robinson. The emergency services were contacted shortly after 1.30am on October 23 by a panicked Robinson who reported that there were people inside who were not breathing. The soon to be father was arrested and has been in custody since. Expand Close Police secure the truck in which 39 dead bodies were discovered AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police secure the truck in which 39 dead bodies were discovered Lorry driver Robinson's guilty pleas to 39 counts of manslaughter puts him among the UK's biggest mass killers. He now faces the prospect of years behind bars when he is sentenced. Other details about Mo Robinson's links to Ronan Hughes and people smuggling are outlined in Eamonn Harrison's High Court documents. They explain how both were "recruited" by Hughes into his haulage business, which detectives believe was a front for trafficking poor illegal immigrants seeking work in England. The court papers also show the agonising deaths suffered by the immigrants. The 39 manslaughter victims died of oxygen starvation and hypothermia, with bloody handprints being found by scene of crime officers on the inside of the locked trailer doors. Most are believed to have suffocated while being ferried across the English Channel. This is based on the times of mobile phone messages and audio recordings to family back in Vietnam explaining how they were struggling to breathe. Expand Close Victim Pham Tra My / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victim Pham Tra My The family of Pham Thi Tra My (26), one of the dead, revealed the frightening texts she had sent while crammed inside the trailer and struggling for air. Her dad, Pham Van Thin, said they had paid 30,000 after being assured their beloved daughter would be transported safely. He explained: "The smugglers said that this was a safe route, that people would go by airplane, car, if I had known she would go by this route, I would not have let her go. I've lost both my loved one and my money." Pham Thi Tra My's last message to her parents read: "I'm sorry Dad and Mom. The way I went overseas was not successful. Mom, I love Dad and you so much. I'm dying because I can't breathe." Robinson's smuggling gang knew the deadly risks of cramming dozens of desperate immigrants into refrigerated trailers - but for them the huge profits to be made was worth more than a life. In the multiple killer's statements to police he confessed to first trafficking people into the UK in May 2018. With a payment of 1,500 for every person brought to English shores it was not long before Robinson amassed enough cash to buy an impressive 160,000 home in Co Armagh in which he lived with his pregnant partner. Neighbours were shocked when he was arrested and charged with the mass killings, offering their support as his parents are well-respected. However, those feelings have now changed to anger after Robinson's guilty pleas and the realisation he was leading a disgraceful double life. One local who spoke to Sunday Life said: "He pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. There is still a sense of shock that someone from this area could be involved in the killings of 39 people. "What has really annoyed the community is that after Mo was arrested nearly everyone here came out in support of him. He has deceived us all." Expand Close Court artist sketch of lorry driver Maurice Robinson (Elizabeth Cook/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Court artist sketch of lorry driver Maurice Robinson (Elizabeth Cook/PA) When Robinson entered his guilty pleas to 39 counts of manslaughter he was joined in court by four other co-defendants. Christopher Kennedy (23), of Corkley Road in Darkley, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, denies conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration So too do Romanian nationals Gheorghe Nica (43), Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga (27), and Valentin Calota (37). Nica has also pleaded not guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter. They each face an October trial at the Old Bailey in London lasting up to eight weeks. Bigg Boss 13 contestants are super busy with new projects! Recently, we revealed that that the popular jodis of the controversial reality show - Sidharth Shukla-Shehnaz Gill, Mahira Sharma-Paras Chhabra and Asim Riaz-Himanshi Khurana are offered popular dance reality show, Nach Baliye 10. The latest reports suggest that Sidharth and Shehnaz are offered yet another show, Dance Deewane! Recently, there were reports that Shehnaz and her brother are stranded in a Mumbai hotel. It was also said that Sana is meeting the Colors channel for a new show! Well, we assume it is this reality show! As per the Spotboye report, Sana will be hosting the show alongside Arjun Bijlani. But as per Tellychakkar's report, not Arjun but Sidharth will be seen alongside Shehnaz! Due to lockdown, the show has been delayed. Apparently, the show will be shot after things get back to normal. The actors are yet to confirm the reports. However, The Real Khabri revealed that this is a fake report and tweeted, "FakeNewsBuster There are rumours that ShehnaazGill will Host A Dance Reality show. The news Fake and Nothing is Confirmed Right now. #DilSeSidNaaz." Meanwhile, Sid and Sana's music video, Bhula Dunga has become a big hit. The music video has crossed 50M views. Fans have been trending #DilSeSidNaaz on Twitter. It looks like Sid and Sana's fans united to beat quarantine blues. Since Shehnaz and Paras Chhabra's Mujshe Shaadi Karoge ended abruptly due to low ratings and the Coronavirus outbreak, the channel started re-airing Bigg Boss 13. With this, we are sure that fans are reliving SidNaaz moments. Also Read: Sidharth Shukla-Shehnaz Gill, Asim Riaz-Himanshi Khurana and Mahira-Paras Offered Nach Baliye! Russian Authors Society ex-head to stand $10 million embezzlement trial RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko 10:52 14/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 14 (RAPSI) Moscows Presnensky District Court will consider a 730 million-ruble (about $10 million) embezzlement case against ex-Director General of the Russian Authors Society (RAO) Sergey Fedotov and his alleged accomplices, according to court records. There are five defendands, including Fedotovs mother and ex-employee of the Russian Authors Society Svetlana Temeshova. All of them plead guilty and seek for a special procedure trial, without evidence examination and witness questioning. In December 2018, Moscows Tverskoy District Court ordered the accused persons to be placed in detention. Investigators believe that they transferred the authors royalty payments to the fake accounts and then cashed the money. In June 2017, Fedotov was convicted in his first embezzlement case and sentenced to 1.5 years behind bars. As previously reported, employees of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB) have revealed a fraud scheme over illegal alienation of RAOs property. Damage caused to the RAOs property has been estimated at 500 million rubles (about $7 million at the current exchange rate). The defendant pleaded guilty. In December 2017, he was released on parole. [April 14, 2020] GrafTech Announces First Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE:EAF) plans to host its First Quarter 2020 Conference Call and Webcast on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The call will be hosted by senior management to discuss financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and current business initiatives. These financial results will be released on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 before market open and will be available on our investor relations website at http://ir.graftech.com. To participate in the conference call, please dial +1 (866) 521-4909 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or for overseas calls please dial +1 (647) 427-2311, conference ID: 5548947 at approximately 9:50 a.m. (EDT). ive audio of the conference call will be available via webcast on our website or at https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=9A351A20-561F-4872-B325-628F8F6330CD. A replay of the Conference Call will be available until August 6, 2020 by dialing +1 (800) 585-8367 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or +1 (416) 621-4642 for overseas calls, conference ID: 5548947. A replay of the webcast will be available on our investor relations website until August 6, 2020. About GrafTech GrafTech International Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of high quality graphite electrode products essential to the production of electric arc furnace ("EAF") steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The Company has a competitive portfolio of low cost graphite electrode manufacturing facilities, including three of the highest capacity facilities in the world. We are the only large scale graphite electrode producer that is substantially vertically integrated into petroleum needle coke, a key raw material for graphite electrode manufacturing. This unique position provides competitive advantages in product quality and cost. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005907/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Being sequestered at home gives one the opportunity to reflect on the political actions taken over the past several weeks and the associated praise and criticisms resulting from those actions. President Trump has repeatedly referred to the actions he's taken in terms of military execution, and rightfully so. His team has garnered their resources to get key supplies to combat this viral enemy at the hot spots that arise. There is no politicizing priorities of help. After all, it appears the hardest hit states are run by Democrats. Theres little politicizing the facts about human-to-human transmission of the Chinese virus and its fission-like spreading, either. It makes one wonder when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her ally, Rep. Adam Schiff promote a 9/11-like commission regarding response to the spread of the virus when Pelosi championed Chinese Lunar Year celebrations in San Francisco just weeks earlier. My assumption was that they were referring to the 9/11/01 commission and not the 9/11/12 (Benghazi), but I digress. The reason I ask the question about preparedness is because I wonder how many of us remember or were even aware of the multiple simulated biowarfare attack exercises performed over the past in major urban areas. I have to admit that I was a little surprised that 60 Minutes had uncovered in the 1970s or early 1980s the existence of such exercises. The government used high concentrations of certain bacteria and spores for the simulations. I graduated frpm college in 1972 and thought that I would like to get into biomedical engineering. I was very fortunate to get a job coming out of school then. One of my colleagues in chemical engineering had graduated in 1971 and he was still searching for a job. I finished school on Friday and started the following Monday. One of the programs I worked on was the Partichrome Mark VI. This equipment is used to detect biowarfare agents in the atmosphere. We used simulants such as serratia marscescens, a common soil bacteria, bacillus globigii spores (similar structure to anthrax), and Aspergillus Niger spores. Oddly enough these may have been referenced in the aforementioned 60 Minutes story. As an aside, it was interesting to test the ambient atmosphere outside of the climate-controlled tent that I worked in. We were close to the EPAs Whittier Narrows developmental sewage treatment plant. Let me put it this way, theres a reason why I never wanted to live near another similar plant and it wasnt because of periodic anaerobic releases of reduced sulfur to the atmosphere. The 60 Minutes story mentioned the high incidence of deaths in these cities after the testing. These casualties were often ill elderly folks in nearby hospitals with respiratory conditions such as pneumonia. Have you ever read Michael Crichtons book or seen the movie, The Andromeda Strain? It was published in 1969. The basic story line is that some sheep and cows died mysteriously one day in New Mexico. The Roswell mentality pervades and some think the cause was aliens. Even though this book is fiction, it is based on facts of an occurrence in 1965, I believe it was. You see, the Army has testing grounds in Dugway Utah. They were testing the detection equipment, an earlier version of the aforementioned Partichrome. As it was described to me by my colleagues who were there, the solenoid valve on the canister containing the pressurized anthrax, failed to open over the target area. However, it did open over the non-target area. The result was the killing of ranch animals similar to the books script. The point is, the federal government plans for such attacks, whether they be inflicted intentionally or not. These plans are not simply a paper exercise. There are organizational plans for the military and public health experts to execute, to stabilize and treat the hot spots, and restore the country to normalcy. Why else would there be a strategic stockpile of medical PPE that the Obama administration allowed to deplete and not replenish? The science of biowarfare or rather, production of deadly organisms, has advanced over the past half century. Genetics has proven to be a beneficial science to mankind but there are some evil folks in the world who want to use scientific advances for power and control. Many of us have read books or have seen movies that suggest this theory. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Chinese virus was the brainchild of the Wuhan (biowarfare test) laboratory. I read one American Thinker comment arguing that the Chinese got the transmissivity part of the equation right but failed to advance the desired toxicity levels in genetically engineering the virus. If you do not believe the hypothesis about use of genetics for biowarfare, read Colonel Michael J. Ainscoughs, Next Generation Bioweapons: the Technology of Genetic Engineering Applied to Biowarfare and Bioterrorism. The Russians were into anthrax as a bioweapon when I worked briefly in this arena nearly 50 years ago. They got into the genetic engineering aspect which meant that the U.S. needed to do the same to analyze the effects and determine proper responses and countermeasure plans. This is an apolitical issue. We want to either save lives or not. The Dugway Utah incident occurred during a Democratic (LBJ) presidents watch. Yes, we were in the midst of the Cold War. Convince us that we are not in the midst of an economic war with the most populous country in the world. In 1968, the U.S. population was 200 million when the esteemed professor from Stanford, Paul Ehrlich, advocated in his book, The Population Bomb, to limit population growth due to food shortages. We are currently over 330 million people in the U.S. and we export food around the world. Chinas population was 775 million in 1968 and currently they are at 1.4 billion. They scavenge the world for resources unavailable in their country. Did Chairman Xi Jinping take Ehrlichs book to heart and damn the rest of the world? China may have tossed us this curve but the responsiveness of our President Trump and his team have been phenomenal in my humble opinion. He has improved the playbook via private industry partnering with slow government bureaucrats. His leadership in this crisis is the envy of the world. The globalists are cowering in the shadows but are waiting to strike at a moments notice once he hits the restart button on the economy. Please show our support to not only those who have responded to keep us healthy and provide us the resources to live like our grocers and upstream folks from the farmers on down. Give a shout out to our president, too. Image credit: Vimeo screen shot I looked at those three events in 1979 because they changed the geopolitical, culture and social trajectory of the region. What happened in 1979 was the Iranian revolution, the siege of the Holy Mosque in Mecca and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. These three events are, on the face of it, not connected but they become completely intertwined over the course of time because they did three things: They turned Saudi Arabia and Iran from friendly competitors, twin pillars of US policy in the region, to mortal enemies and in doing that, it launched a competition for regional, cultural and religious supremacy between these two countries, one Sunni and one Shia. Being Sunni or Shia had never been a problem before but it became part of the tools they are using in their battles for supremacy. That had implications over the course of 40 years. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan brings the gun into this battle. The region begins a new trajectory which is not apparent initially but the impact of which becomes clear as time goes on and as we look back today at the last 40 years. You draw a parallel between the events that marked the region and the journey of 15 different people during the same period. How did their experiences help your analysis? The other thing I found interesting was how little Iranians and Saudis know of each other and about each other. Partly because of the language barrier, partly because they are two big countries that are not necessarily turned towards each other when it comes to people. They are however conscious to a certain extent when it comes to their leadership because they are obviously engaged in that battle. But what really struck me is that the people had some of the same questions. In Iran and Saudi Arabia, theyre also asking themselves What happened to us. It is also the question with which I open the book. But more than anyone in the region, both young Iranians and Saudis are asking their parents How could you let this happen? That is the impact of 1979 where you had the rise of the Islamic theocracy in Iran and the sudden increase in conservative values and the power of the more puritanical religious establishment in Saudi Arabia. How did the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran fuel Sunni-Shia tensions? When Khomeini came (to power) and turned out to be as religious, if not more, as the Saudis, their reaction was to give their support to the revolution. Then, they quickly realized that he had designs beyond just Iran: he had his eyes on Mecca and Medina particularly. They realized he was challenging them as leaders of the Muslim world and as the custodians of the two Holy sites in Islam. We can dismiss the Saudis as a bit paranoid, or overly anxious about everything, but its true that Khomeini had his eyes on these cities and he wanted to expand his reach beyond Iran and the Shia community. This is why he used the Palestinian cause as a way to appeal to people in the Sunni world as well. The Saudis decided to try to reduce Khomeini to "nothing but a Shia from Iran" and push back against Shiism with tools that were at their disposal. In Saudi Arabia and within what is described by some as Wahhabism, you have the anti-Shia lexicon. So, they started promoting anti-Shia writings, some really horrific vitriolic books that were published in 1979-1980 -- promoted by Abdelaziz ben Baz who would later become the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia -- and distributed in Pakistan where the Jihadists were fighting the Soviets. That peltry dish then explodes everywhere. It becomes a cultural and violent trend, which led all the way later in 2003 to the explosion of sectarian violence in Iraq and to the lynching of a Shia in Egypt in 2015. We forget that Sunnis and Shias, even in the region, have not always killed each other. Yes, the divide is there, yes there are differences, but the violence that we see today is not the norm. The violence in the Middle East was not about Sunni and Shia, as seen in the civil war in Lebanon. So, its important to understand how it happened, how and why it began, particularly because the first incident of real state-sponsored sectarian violence by a militia in modern times happened in Pakistan, in 1986 under President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Thats when the normalization of Sunni-Shia killings began. To what extent are there strong divisions within the Sunni (Turkey/ Saudi Arabia) and Shiite (Iraq/Iran) poles? Can they reduce tensions between them? Neither bloc is homogeneous, nor purely Sunni or purely Shia. The Turks and the Saudis have a long-standing rivalry when it comes to leadership of the Muslim world. Obviously, the Saudis are the leaders of the Muslim world in the sense that they are custodians of the two Holy sites. The Turks certainly under (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan with neo-Ottoman visions of grandeur would have wanted to lead more and set an example. Also, theres a history there between the Ottoman Empire and the Al-Sauds: in the 1800s, the forefathers of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) were put to death in Constantinople. They were decried as not quite heretics but as being outside the fray of mainstream Islam at the time because of their ultra-orthodox, puritanical, literalist version of Islam which today we refer to as Wahhabism. Also the Saudi-led Sunni bloc is not necessarily divided but not everybody is in synch with Saudi Arabia because the Saudis are actually not very good at forming coalitions and keeping allies in line. They cannot snap their fingers and make Egyptians or Pakistanis show up, no amount of money is going to make that happen anymore. Similarly, on the Iranian side, they have their network of proxy militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But they dont run a coalition of States. Their only ally is Syria but it has almost become a vassal state. Obviously, theyre in competition with Turkey and Russia in this sphere. Does any of this help bring detente? No, not anymore, because the detente and the rapprochement of the 1990s was set about by a very specific set of circumstances, after the Iraq-Iran war when Iran was exhausted and bankrupt, or in deep need of financial assistance. Tehran realized the pragmatic thing was to open up to the world. Saddam Hussein helped them greatly by invading Kuwait. The Saudis suddenly feared Saddam more than they feared Iran, and you had leadership in both countries that saw the benefit of a rapprochement with (Saudi) King Abdallah still Crown Prince at the time, and Hachemi Rafsandjani and then Mohammad Khatami. Today, you dont have that configuration of leaders who I think could make that happen. So, it is up to us, the people, to find our own little islands of peace here and there and see whether we can join them up. I know it sounds idealistic, but you can never give up. How did Iran and Saudi Arabia try to block the Arab Spring? How did their rivalry impact these uprisings? I am not sure I want to go as far as saying that the Arab uprisings have so far been unsuccessful because of the Saudi-Iran rivalry but I think it played a huge role. If you look at Egypt, when the Saudis watched what was happening there and saw an American ally, Hosni Mubarak, challenged in his hold on power and abandoned almost overnight by the Americans; they had flashbacks to 1979 with millions of Iranians in the streets and the Shah, an American ally, abandoned overnight by the USWhat did they get? Khomeini came back to Iran. The Saudis did everything they could to prevent the repeat of the 1979 Iranian scenario. Thats how you get Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. So, with the Emiratis, they did everything they could to undermine President Mohamed Morsi and support the army and its coup against him. Morsi (Egypt's first democratically elected president in 2012) made himself no favors. Im not defending his power grab, his changes to the constitutionbut he was also undermined at every turn. That set the Arab uprisings on a different trajectory. Similarly, and one of the reasons I think the Saudis freaked out, it is because the Iranians were watching the Egyptian uprising and thought it was their chance Khamenei did declare this an Islamic awakening. The irony of ironies is that Hosni Mubarak fell on February 11, which is the anniversary of the Iranian revolution. In Syria, the Saudi-Iran rivalry played out directly and indirectly, where the Iranians thought it was an opportunity for them. We know now that (Iran's Quds Force commander) Qassem Soleimani was already involved very early on in 2011 to help (Syrian President) Bachar Assad. The Saudis were calling early on to arm the rebels, because they saw Assad as part of the Iran camp. I describe ISIS as the rebel child, the progeny, of Saudi Arabia indirectly. You have this competition in Syria between ISIS and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Raqqa. For the last few decades, Raqqa was part of Irans sphere of influence in the region where you have two tombs of Saints that are mostly claimed by Shias but also visited by Sunnis. These two tombs were turned into huge mausoleums, where Shia clerics would speak, members of Hezbollah would go, pilgrims from Iran would comeThen ISIS takes over and they blow them up. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia exploded in a place like Raqqa. Obviously, ISIS is not directed by Saudi Arabia, but it is a byproduct of years of Saudi policy. You have referred to the disenchantment of the new generations with regard to their ancestors, believing that they have not sufficiently opposed the authoritarian regimes. What does that say about the mood of young people across the region? The younger generation, the 20s and 30s, wants a different future. They dont want to be hostages to 1979, to sectarian politics, corruption, mismanagement and so on. They maybe dont have an exact awareness of what 1979 has meant and why it is connected to it. When you look at the opinion polls, the young generation is less and less interested in religion, they think it has too much of an impact with sectarian identities. They want to forge a different path forward and theyre trying very hard to do that in Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, in Sudan Can we forge a future that is different? You have to keep hoping. Does it undo the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia? No. Those are two separate things. I dont think it changes the fact that the rivalry will go on until something changes in the makeup in either country. MBS is there for 50 years and the leadership of the country is there to stay. If its not MBS, itll be someone else. The change will have to come from within Iran. Im not calling for regime change but there might be pressure for change from the people. The regime could also realize it needs to shift, tweak, adapt, otherwise it risks losing everything. Mostly, I think the only thing that could defuse the Saudi angst about Iran is if Iran curbs its regional power play. But I dont see that happening at the moment. (This interview was originally pubished in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 9th of March) WINNIPEG - Premier Brian Pallister wants many of Manitoba's public-sector employees to accept a reduced work week perhaps as short as two days to help provincial coffers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister speaks and answers questions during a COVID-19 press conference at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Thursday, March 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods WINNIPEG - Premier Brian Pallister wants many of Manitoba's public-sector employees to accept a reduced work week perhaps as short as two days to help provincial coffers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government will approach more than a dozen public-sector unions with the pitch that reduced hours for non-frontline workers in the civil service, at Crown corporations and elsewhere is better than job cuts, Pallister said Tuesday. "I say that having the ability to work part-time ... is better than being laid off," he said. "We're not talking about having people lose their jobs. What we're proposing is to work with the public-sector unions to make sure that isn't the case, as much as is possible." Pallister said details remain to be worked out, but gave as an example an employee working two days a week and drawing on employment insurance or other federal benefits for the other three days netting about 75 per cent of their normal wages. The move would free up money for front-line health-care services and other programs, Pallister said, and help cushion the fiscal blow the province is facing from COVID-19. He has estimated the pandemic could cost Manitoba $5 billion this year in extra health-care costs and reduced revenues from a weakened economy. A treasury board document posted online Tuesday listed a number of financial pressures facing the province. Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, which includes casinos that have been closed due to COVID-19, normally pumps $600 million a year into government revenue but could see negative cash flow for some time, the document said. The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union said a meeting with provincial officials left questions unanswered. "We were left very concerned that government will designate many core public services as non-essential, and thereby undermine the services that keep us and our communities safe and healthy," union president Michelle Gawronsky said in a written statement. "We will be hearing from our members in the coming days, and that will determine how we can best stand up for the public services Manitobans rely on." The Manitoba Federation of Labour was also seeking details on how many workers might have to take reduced work weeks. "We think we need to make sure that our public services remain strong and are there for Manitobans and families who need them," federation president Kevin Rebeck said. The Opposition New Democrats said the move would hurt people who already face financial strain. "It will take money out of the pockets of families at a time when they need it most and it will put more pressure on an already strained economy," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said in a written statement. The reduced work week would not apply to politicians, Pallister said. "They are not taking time off. They are working full time." The government did announce some financial aid for health-care workers. Those who are required to self-isolate for 14 days due to possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace even if they show no symptoms will now receive paid administrative leave. Provincial health officials announced no new COVID-19 cases or deaths on Tuesday. There have been 246 cases to date 142 of them remain active, including four people in intensive care. Four people have died since the pandemic began. "The message right now is that ... our low numbers are very likely a reflection of the (social-distancing) efforts that Manitobans have been putting in," said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief public health officer. "We know that if we let up on this now, we could see a reversal in this trend and start seeing these numbers climb." Roussin said the virus will be around for a while, but some restrictions on crowd gatherings and store closings could be loosened in the near future. Health officials will look for a downward trend in the number of active cases and for more days with little or no new cases, he added. "It's really early to make that judgment now, but a week of this, and without any other indicators, then that's going to make us think of what sort of things could we do to ease some of the restrictions without compromising our gains." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020 SAGINAW, MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has suspended in-person instruction for the rest of the school year to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Thats left school districts in mid-Michigan scrambling to find ways to continue classes. Under the executive order, each district has until April 28 to have an academic plan approved by its local intermediate school district. Here is how some of the major districts in Bay, Saginaw and Midland counties plan to operate. Saginaw Public School District Ramont Roberts, Saginaw Public School District superintendent, said that the district will release its plan later this week for instruction through the end of school year, June 12. The plan will discuss how assignments, grading and credits will be handled during the switch to hybrid instruction. Ours will be a hybrid plan, Roberts said. It will have an online option, but we will also have hard copies of materials available for students. Students will either pick up hard copies of their assignments or have them delivered to them, he said. Food distribution for students will continue as planned. A list of distribution locations and hours can be found on the districts Facebook page. Parents are asked to take a survey to indicate whether they have reliable internet and a computer for online learning options. Chromebook distribution for students who have already indicated a need for one is expected to begin Tuesday, April 14. Midland Public Schools Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael Sharrow said the district is moving to online learning for the remainder of the semester, with a soft start to the program being launched this week. They will use Google Classroom, Zoom and other platforms to deliver instruction and office hours. He said students were sent home with their school-issued laptops, and the district is working with students to solve internet connectivity issues. We know there may be a few who may not be able to connect remotely, he said. We had almost 100 students with problems we were able to solve using cable companies or mobile hot spots. Teachers have been instructed to assess students social and emotional well-being during online office hours. They will refer students to counselors or success coordinators for additional help when appropriate, Sharrow said. Grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches will remain available at their six elementary schools and other locations. A full list of hours and locations can be found on the districts website. The district will also offer a remediation plan for students when they return to the classroom, according to Sharrow. This isnt going to replace the classroom, he said. Were only going to get 50 or 60 percent of what we hoped done. Were going to have a remediation plan to get those students back to face-to-face instructional methods. Pinconning Area School District Mike Vieau, Pinconning Area School District superintendent, said the school district will provide hybrid learning going forward. Around 20 percent of their students do not have access to internet because internet is not available where they live or socioeconomic factors, so they will tentatively begin delivering packets to students on April 20. Were going to be delivering packets through buses that will go out to our homes, he said. Well see how that goes the first week and go from there. The plan needs to be approved by the Bay-Arenac ISD. Vieau said the district will send in its plan for approval by Tuesday. The district has also given over 200 Chromebooks to students and will continue to offer them to students who need them. The district is also still offering grab-and-go food options and will explore expanding its food pickup options, Vieau said. A list of pickup times and dates can be found on the district Facebook page. Essexville-Hampton Public Schools District Essexville-Hampton Public Schools District Superintendent Eric Allshouse said the district will offer a combination of online learning and worksheet packets starting Wednesday. He said some grade levels will have more online assignments than worksheet packets, depending on the type of work different age groups are capable of completing. Weve worked very hard to make sure each plan was appropriate for the grade level, such as length of time, so were not overwhelming or stressing anyone out during an already difficult time, he said. Students will be given a date to pick up their packets and anything left in their lockers or desks. They will get their packets at that time, Allshouse said. Students unable to pick up their belongings or packets will have them either mailed or delivered to them using district buses. Allshouse said the district will continue offering food to students using the Garber High School parking lot. Food will be available Tuesdays through Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon. The district has passed out around 200 Chromebooks so far and will continue to make them available to students who need it. Parents are invited to contact the district if their student has technological needs. Bay City Public Schools Stephen Bigelow, Bay City Public Schools superintendent, stated in a letter sent out April 3 that staff will be working on the districts Continuity of Learning and COVID-19 Response Plan, the week of April 13. Parents and students can expect minimal outreach until Friday as the district plans to launch a new online learning program, which will tentatively launch April 20, it states. In the meantime, teachers and other staff will be given professional development and training on how to rapidly transition into the new online learning environment. Bigelow stated that the district will continue working with families with limited internet access on a case-by-case basis. For those who dont have internet, teacher-developed paper packet distribution will begin the week of April 27th. Families are encouraged to give their feedback on the switch to online learning through a survey or by emailing remotelearning@bcschools.net. The district also is allowing students to sign out Chromebooks. Students can pick up the Chromebook at one of the districts emergency food distribution centers, which are listed on the coronavirus page. Hours and locations for food pickup are available on the districts website. The district is encouraging families to prepare a designated learning space for their children and let children know the school district is excited to reconnect with them. Saginaw Township Community Schools Saginaw Township Community Schools Superintendent Bruce Martin stated in a letter sent out April 5 that the district would submit its Continuity of Learning Plan to the Saginaw ISD for approval April 10. Under the plan, teachers are expected to provide remote instruction and hold virtual office hours for students and parents. Martin stated that the district understands that not all students have access to internet or electronic devices and that the district kept this is mind while creating the plan. The plan is expected to take effect April 20. Between the plan being improved and April 20, teachers will receive professional development related to online teaching the week of April 13 to April 18. They will be given time to prepare lessons. The district will continue food distribution 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at White Pine Middle School and Heritage High School on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Read More Bay City schools buying 500 Chromebooks for its teachers to help with online instruction Whos the best Bay City-area softball player well miss seeing this season? Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame postpones 2020 inductee announcement Saginaw nurses video about spreading germs gets 1.6 million views and international attention Delhi Police women personnel are busy safeguarding those around them- this time from coronavirus by stitching masks and making sanitisers. With the crime rate dipping during the lockdown period, Delhi Police women personnel have some time at hand and have pitched in to make the protective gear. While the women staff at Najafgarh police station are stitching masks, those in Greater Kailash police station are making masks and sanitisers. "The crime rate has gone down during this time and women staff usually have free time on their hands. A policewoman from Greater Kailash police station suggested that she could make masks," a senior police officer from the south district said. The SHO of the police station provided her conveyance to bring the sewing machine to the police station where other women personnel also joined her. One women officer cuts the cloth, one stitches it and the third one sanitises it. The officer said these masks are distributed to police personnel and even to those who cannot afford them. The police station has also procured sodium hypochorite for making sanitiser. "At pickets, we offer water to drivers and others who cross them. Instead of throwing away the bottles, we reuse them and fill them with sanitiser that we make at the police station," the officer said. At the Najafgarh police station,12 lady police personnel -- one sub-inspector, one assistant sub-inspector, four head constables and six constables -- are voluntarily devoting three hours from their eight hour shifts on a daily basis to stitching masks, a senior officer from Dwarka district said. "It has been noticed that cloth masks can be used multiple times after washing and sanitizing. The Najafgarh staff got the idea and they approached a sewing machine centre, where the lady staff is voluntarily working for around three hours as per the situation. In case of any emergency, they can be immediately rushed to the area," he added. They are preparing around 1000 masks in a day, he said, adding that in the last four days they have prepared around 4000 cloth masks. "Presently, these masks are being distributed among the police staff as with the use of cloth masks the consumption of one time usablemasks will go down.We are planning that later we can distribute these masks among the public also," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A federal judge ordered the immediate release of an Oakland man being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Yuba County Jail in Marysville, saying the jail conditions put him at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler ordered the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday to release the man so that he can shelter in place with his wife in Oakland, according to the Alameda County public defenders office. The mans attorneys argued in a filing that the government failed to provide safe detention conditions to ICE detainees at the jail. Beeler agreed, saying the man could not meaningfully protect himself while in custody. His risk is heightened because detainees at Yuba County jail live in close quarters, cannot practice social distancing, do not have masks, and do not have access to adequate disinfecting and cleaning supplies, Beeler said in a 20-page ruling. Attorneys for the man, who has underlying respiratory and mental health conditions, said they were not naming him or releasing details about his case because they feared it would put him at risk of torture if he were returned to his birth country. The man, in his 30s, was convicted of an aggravated felony in 2011, which cost him his green card and put him on a path to deportation, according to court documents. His wife, a U.S. citizen, attempted to sponsor him for a new green card, but he lost his bid for relief from deportation this year, his attorneys said. The man is appealing the decision. ICE officials said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. The mans release comes amid growing calls for ICE to free detainees who do not pose a threat to public safety, in particular immigrants with health complications who are most at risk of contracting the virus. Our clients should not have to contract COVID-19 or die before they can get protection from our court system, said attorney Raha Jorjani, who leads the public defenders immigration unit. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California filed a class-action lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court demanding a reduction in the number of detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Southern California. The lawsuit argues that conditions inside the facility, including bunk beds that are 3 feet apart and cramped cells occupied by four to eight people, put detainees at risk of exposure to the virus and violates their Fifth Amendment rights. Health officials have advised people during the outbreak to maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet. Thirteen immigrants detained by ICE at the Yuba County Jail and Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield (Kern County) filed a lawsuit last month in federal district court demanding to be released. Theyre arguing that their health conditions put them at risk of dying if they get infected with the coronavirus. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez. The challenges posed by the coronavirus disease make the time unusual for everyone, including children and adolescents. Parents and guardians are, therefore, required to be very careful by themselves and extend an above normal supervision over their children and wards to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19. The Daily Graphic has been reviewing some advice offered by experts on how parents can go about ensuring improved supervision. In the search, it was discovered that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has proffered some elaborate advice on a stream on things parents can do to protect themselves and children amidst an outbreak and the resulting movement restrictions. Parental supervision Supervising children during coronavirus outbreak would require playing and reading to them, while supporting them with homework. When children study online, it is important that parents stay around to monitor them closely to ensure that they do not stray to unsafe sites. All adolescents, especially girls, can be vulnerable at this time. There is evidence to show that during the Ebola outbreak, for instance, the rate of teenage pregnancy increased. Parents and caregivers need to constantly watch their children's movements to ensure that they feel protected and are safe always. One-on-one time School shutdown at this time can also give families a chance to build better relationships with children and teenagers. Making time for each of your children can bring loads of fun at home, and this is totally free. This obviously will make children feel loved and secure. It also shows them that they are important. This helps them to build their confidence in the long run. Keeping it positive All children misbehave. It is normal when children are tired, hungry, afraid or learning independence. Such behaviour can be difficult to cope with when they are stuck at home. It is challenging to feel positive when children or teenagers are always around arguing and making demands on parents day after day. Obviously, this can be stressful as time and again the parents have to keep saying: "Stop that!", "Don't fight" or "Just let it go." But, according to the experts, children are much more likely to do what parents ask of them if they receive positive instructions and lots of praise for what they do right. Similarly, it is true that COVID-19 has taken away our daily work, home and school routines, making it challenging for children, teenagers and for parents. It is the advice of UNICEF that making new routines can help. Keep calm, manage stress These are stressful times for all so it is crucial for adults and parents to take care of themselves to be able to support the children. "Millions of people have the same fears as us. Find someone who you can talk to about how you are feeling. Listen to them. Avoid social media that makes you panic," the experts advise. Other safety threats Other forms of threat to the safety and wellbeing of children include mistreatment, sexual and gender-based violence, exploitation, social exclusion and potential separation from caregivers due to temporary isolation, quarantine, illness or death. Evidence from other emergencies indicate that child abuse and domestic/interpersonal violence increases with the lockdowns and curfews. Campaign against abuse In Ghana, there is a national campaign to protect children against abuse, known as Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA). The campaign seeks to mobilise communities, parents, traditional rulers, families and individuals across the country to stand against all forms of child abuse. During disease outbreaks, it is more important than ever to spread kindness and support each other. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Wojciech Strojek said he did not remember what happened A builder allegedly lacerated his partner's wrist with a kitchen knife before threatening: "I'll cut your throat in five seconds." Wojciech Strojek (36) told gardai he could not remember the alleged domestic assault because he was intoxicated, a court heard. Judge Colin Daly refused to grant him bail following garda objections and remanded him in custody for the directions of the DPP. Mr Strojek, of Barnwell Place, Hansfield, Dublin 15, is charged with possession of a knife and assault causing harm. The offence is alleged to have happened at Barnwell Lane on April 4. Objecting to bail, the prosecuting garda told Dublin District Court that it was alleged the woman was at home with her two children when the accused attacked her. When she tried to call for help, he punched her several times in the head. It was further alleged he threatened to kill her, and grabbed a large kitchen knife which he used to make a laceration on her wrist. Fear The prosecution said the acc-used threatened to "cut your throat in five seconds if you don't leave", and the woman was "in fear for her life". She maintained that he continued to threaten her. As well as the laceration, the woman had bruising to her forehead, the garda said. When gardai arrived at the scene and gained entry, they found the woman in distress and the knife in close proximity to Mr Strojek in the bathroom. It was alleged that during interview he made certain admissions but said he did not remember what happened as he was intoxicated at the time. He accepted "if anything did happen, it was him", the garda said. Applying for bail, defence solicitor Simon Fleming said the accused was now living with a friend at Harold's Cross Road. He had been working in construction before the coronavirus emergency, he said. Mr Strojek and the woman had been together for seven months, so it was "not exactly the longest of relationships" and they had no children together. Spending months in space without gravity can cause the brain to swell and increase the risk of astronauts developing dementia, a new study revealed. Researchers from the University of Texas studied brain scans of astronauts a year after they returned from the International Space Station for signs of damage. The lack of gravity experienced by humans in space redirects blood away from arms and legs to the brain - causing a build up of pressure inside the skull. It was already known that extended spells in space causes vision problems in astronauts but this new study shows that the impact 'could be far worse'. Researchers are studying ways to counter the effects of microgravity - something that will be needed before humans make the nine month or more journey to Mars. This image shows an astronauts brain before (left) and after (right) spaceflight with the dark arrows in picture b pointing to an expansion of parts of the brain The Texas researchers believe that the process of blood being redirected to the brain could cause its volume to balloon and the pituitary gland to shrink down. The pituitary gland is part of the body's endocrine system, releasing hormones into the blood and the damage could be irreparable. The team suspect this could cause difficulty walking, problems with bladder control and an increase risk of developing dementia if an astronaut spends too long outside Earth's gravity. One option being considered to counter the impact of microgravity on the human body is the creation of artificial gravity using a large centrifuge to spin people. They are also looking at using negative pressure on the lower limbs to counteract the shift of blood to the brain. Researchers compared the brains of astronauts before and after their stay on the ISS as well as at several points up to a year following their journey. They found a number of changes, including an expansion of parts of the brain Study lead author Dr Larry Kramer, from the University of Texas, said when you're in microgravity fluid no longer pools towards lower extremities. 'That movement of fluid toward your head may be one of the mechanisms causing changes we are observing in the eye and intracranial compartment,' he said. To find out more, Dr Kramer's team took MRI scans of 11 astronauts' brains, including 10 men and one woman. The scans were taken before and directly after their trips to the International Space Station, and then at several points during the following year. The results showed that long periods of exposure to weak gravity caused the volume of astronauts' brain and cerebrospinal fluids to expand. 'What we identified that no one has really identified before is that there is a significant increase of volume in the brain's white matter from preflight to postflight. 'White matter expansion in fact is responsible for the largest increase in combined brain and cerebrospinal fluid volumes postflight,' said Kramer. MRI also showed alterations to the pituitary gland, a pea-sized 'master gland' at the base of the skull that governs vital bodily functions from growth to temperature. Dr Kramer added: 'We found that the pituitary gland loses height and is smaller postflight than it was preflight. 'In addition, the dome of the pituitary gland is predominantly convex in astronauts without prior exposure to microgravity but showed evidence of flattening or concavity postflight. 'This type of deformation is consistent with exposure to elevated intracranial pressures,' said Kramer. The researchers also observed that cerebrospinal fluids flowed through the brain faster than before the space flight. They linked the result to hydrocephalus, a condition also affecting earth dwellers in which the ventricles in the brain are abnormally enlarged. The names of astronauts involved in the study haven't been revealed and it isn't clear whether it included Scott Kelly - pictured. Mission Commander Kelly held the record for the longest stay on the ISS So far hydrocephalus' symptoms, which include a decline in brain function, have not been observed in astronauts. The researchers are now studying ways to counter the impact of microgravity. One option they are probing is artificial gravity, which they could create using a large centrifuge that can spin people in either a sitting or prone position. They are also investigating applying negative pressure to the lower extremities to counteract the headward flow of fluid in space. Dr Kramer hopes the research could be applied to non-astronauts to better understand the way the body changes under different conditions. 'If we can better understand the mechanisms that cause ventricles to enlarge in astronauts and develop suitable countermeasures,' he said. 'Then maybe some of these discoveries could benefit patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus and other related conditions.' The study was published in the journal Radiology. Greater availability of African genomic data could lead to medical breakthroughs for the continent's 1.2 billion people. That's the driving proposition of 54gene a U.S. and Nigeria-based startup that collects African genetic code for use in health research and drug development. The company has closed a $15 million Series A round, in part, to address a deficiency in these processes. "As of the time we launched, less then 3% of all genome wide association studies globally had been conducted in Africa. There was a lack of data coming from Africans... and the diaspora," 54gene founder and CEO Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong said. "We are trying to address the gap that currently exists in precision medicine for people of the African continent," he told TechCrunch on a call from Lagos. New York-based Adjuvant Capital led the round 54gene will now deploy toward that goal. Founded in 2019 by Ene-Obong, the company is headquartered in Washington, DC with a biobank facility in Lagos that holds capacity for 60,000 samples. The startup has an engineering team and a proprietary platform to catalog and analyze the genetic data. Image Credits: 54gene 54gene also has over 300 researchers, clinicians and geneticists across the continent and a research lab in Nigeria. With the $15 million which brings total VC to $19.5 million the startup will expand its biobank capabilities to 200,000 samples, with a longer term goal to manage up to 500,000. 54gene is also boosting its lab capabilities. "With this funding we are about to expand that lab so we can process actual genetic data for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people," said Ene-Obong. 54gene plans to hire across the organization, from seeking a new VP of finance to adding additional scientists. The company recruits research participants in Africa through studies at venues, such as hospitals, to take genetic samples via swab or blood tests. "Participants have to give us their informed consent before any testing," explained Ene-Obong. Story continues Adjuvant Capital Managing Partner Jenny Yip confirmed the VC firm's lead on the $15 million investment. In addition to funds from Adjuvant which itself is backed by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Novartis 54gene is a 2019 Y Combinator alum and received follow on funding from the Silicon Valley accelerator. The company has a longer time horizon to income, but the primary path to revenues is paid co-development of drugs and medicine working with pharmaceutical companies. "When the drug is in the market...and approved medicine, [54gene] and the pharma company will share revenues," said Ene-Obong. When it comes to life-saving treatments in Africa, big pharma has faced criticism going back decades. The primary point of friction: the industry's insistence on strict IP enforcement and high-margin prices for HIV/AIDS related treatments on the continent. This has led to legal battles between pharma companies and the government of South Africa over that country allowing production of cheaper generic versions of those drugs. On the value of Africa's pharmaceutical industry, McKinsey and Company research estimates it at roughly $14 billion, and grossly under its potential given an addressable market of some percentage of 1.2 billion people for new drugs. For its part, 54gene's CEO Abasi Ene-Obong is clear the company is a for-profit entity, but aims to balance money-making motives (and those of pharma partners) with advancing health in Africa. The startup plans to exert leverage over the pricing process through its practice of co-developing drugs. Dr Abasi Ene Obong, Image Credits: 54gene "When you are a service provider to big pharma, you can't really make such a request. But when you are a development partner you co-own a significant stake of what's being developed and have more of a say," said Ene-Obong. The startup is unable to disclose any current big pharma partners or which health issues in Africa it's aiming genetic research toward tackling. "I can say we will prioritize diseases that affect Africans disproportionately," Ene-Obong said. One obvious ailment in need of more effective prevention and treatment is malaria with 92% of the world's 219 million cases occurring in Africa, according to WHO data. 54gene has also turned its capabilities to COVID-19, which has spiked in Africa since mid-March. The company has re-positioned itself to do testing for the virus in Nigeria's public health facilities and plans to offer coronavirus screening in its Lagos lab soon. "We hope that when given approval, we can do more than 3,000 tests a day," said Ene-Obong Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:18:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three countries or 10+3) on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday proposed opening a "fast-track lane" for essential personnel on urgent visits in the fields of commerce, logistics, production and technological services among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) on COVID-19 via video link. The fast-track lane should be opened with all the necessary control measures in place, said Li, noting that this will be conducive to maintaining the necessary flow of people and goods and stabilizing the industrial and supply chains. Li pointed out that the APT countries need to leverage their strengths in economic complementarity and strong business ties to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, in an effort to restore growth in East Asia as quickly as possible. Representative image Recently, a group of steel traders approached the Mumbai High Court, seeking relief from a contract. They had sourced steel from a South Korean steelmaker. But even before the steel reached Indian shores, COVID-19 had struck. The traders had an agreement with their auto clients, who however had now shut production and were refusing to take the orders. The traders were in a fix. Though the South Korean company had invoked the Letter of Credit, the traders wanted to cancel the contract. They asked the court about possible legal recourses. The steel traders are not alone. There are many more who want to have a re-look at contracts, after COVID-19 disrupted economic activity and brought businesses to a halt. 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 Acquisition deals A private equity major, which had signed the deal papers to buy equity of a company, is having second thoughts. "Can we use the Material Change clause to not go ahead with the deal?" a senior executive from the PE firm asked his lawyer. The clause relieves one party from performing the terms of the agreement. Also Read | Private equity players, real estate firms may permit deferral of rent: Report "All kinds of agreements are now being questioned. Contracts, rental or lease agreements, deals, suppliers contracts...increasingly clients are calling to know if a contract can be re-looked," said Zulfiqar Memon, founder of MLM Legal. It includes a client who wanted to send four notices to his tenants, asking them to pay up, and two notices to his landlords, asking for more time! "People are giving all kinds of excuses to delay a contract. Some say staff is not there, others say traveling is a risk, or that they are unwell, and some even say they are not emotionally fine to honour the contract...all because of COVID-19," said Memon. The clause But is it possible to use COVID-19 as an excuse to not honour a contract or an agreement? In the steel traders case, the Bombay High Court was clear that the South Korean company had honoured its part of the agreement. And that the steel traders have no option but to make the payment, even though the auto companies refused to take the material. Track this blog for latest updates on coronavirus outbreak Wasn't there a Force Majeure clause that the traders could have used? The clause can be used if one of the parties is unable to fulfil a contract due to unforeseen circumstances. "The clause was there in the contract. But the contract was framed in such a manner that the Force Majeure clause was for the benefit of the South Korean company, and not for the purchaser," said Narendra Dingankar, Partner, Pioneer Legal. Thus it matters, added Dingankar, how the contract is framed and even if the clause is there, how it is defined. Similar to the force majeure clause is that of Frustration of Contract. This clause kicks in when circumstances around a contract change and the parties are incapable of performing their part of the deal. Unfortunately, there will be few cases where both the sides agree on these clauses. But the last thing, say legal experts, the two aides would want to do would be to go for litigation. "This is the time to get a bit creative in agreements. For instance, can the landlord take into consideration the changed economic environment and give extra time to the tenant to pay the rent," pointed out Memon. Nevertheless it is clear, added Dingankar, once the lockdown is lifted, there could be a flood of litigation cases. Darius Swann grew up in the racially segregated American South but only read about the civil rights advances of the 1950s and early 60s from half a world away, in Allahabad, India. Mr. Swann and his wife, Vera, were Presbyterian missionaries in India, relying on Time magazine and letters from friends for news from back home. When the couple returned to the United States in 1964, settling in Charlotte, N.C., they expected to see that progress had been made. But the Swanns, who were black, instead soon found themselves as lead plaintiffs in a landmark 1971 Supreme Court case, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, which upheld busing as a means of integrating the countrys schools. Mr. Swann died on March 8 at 95. The cause was pneumonia. The Rev. David Ensign, interim pastor at Burke Presbyterian Church in Burke, Va., where the Swanns worshiped, confirmed the death in an email. A childcare centre has been shut down after a person infected with coronavirus attended four times within the last fortnight. Families from the Early Birds Jimboomba Education and Childcare in Logan, south of Brisbane have been informed of the temporary closure after the patient attended the centre on April 1, 2, 8 and 9, unaware they had the virus. While Queensland Health refused to provide more details, Seven News has reported the infected patient was a child. A woman wearing a full hazmat suit and gas mask was seen inspecting the centre on Tuesday morning. An inspector dressed in a full hazmat suit and mask outside Early Birds Jimboomba Education and Childcare on Tuesday after the facility was shut down Queensland Health informed those affected by the centre closure on Saturday. 'The Metro South Public Health Unit is working closely with the centre to identify all children and staff who were potentially exposed,' the health service said in a letter to staff, parents and carers. 'All staff and children who have been identified as close contacts are required to be in quarantine for 14 days from the last date attended.' A health department spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia it's unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality. 'Anyone identified as a close contact of the identified case has been notified directly to quarantine for 14 days by Queensland Health,' they added. Early Birds Jimboomba Education and Childcare took to its Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon to thank the community. The patient visited the child care centre (pictured) four times in the last two weeks, unaware they had contracted the virus 'A very big thank you to everyone who has left so many messages, emails, Facebook posts etc with their kind words of support,' the post read. 'How reassuring it is to know we not only have our Jimboomba Community support, but we also have support from outside of our local community too.' 'The Jimboomba Early Birds family is so grateful and appreciative, especially during this time!' The childcare facility is across the road from Jimboomba Central shopping centre, which has since reassured the community it wasn't affected. The child care centre that was temporary shut down took to social media on Tuesday 'Firstly, our thoughts are with all affected families / employees and wish for those affected a speedy and safe recovery. Secondly, we wish to confirm that there is no affect to Jimboomba Central,' centre manager Liz Huig said. 'Jimboomba Central remains open and trading and have an increased, vigorous and detailed cleaning regime incorporating the disinfection of high touch surfaces in the common area three times per day using a special chemical.' 'We look forward to welcoming you to the centre and encourage everyone to buy locally, adhering to social distancing protocols, to support our retailers through this distressing time.' Queensland has 998 confirmed cases of the virus which has claimed 61 lives nationwide. Schools across the state will reopen for term two next week for students unable to stay home at home due to working parents. Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer After a long weekend, several days of testing brought Montgomery Countys total COVID-19 cases to 308, up 42 from Monday. Health officials said the jump is not a spike in cases but is due to several labs being closed for the Easter weekend. More recoveries were recorded bringing that number to 94. Mission Medium Institution in British Columbia is reporting more than three dozen positive COVID-19 cases in its inmate population in what has become by far Canadas worst prison outbreak, and the union representing guards is sounding alarm bells. As of late Monday evening, the union representing federal correctional officers was reporting 41 positive inmate tests at the medium-security prison in the Fraser Valley town of Mission, B.C., almost triple the 14 cases reported as of April 8. Correctional officers are also increasingly testing positive at Mission, and at a minority of federal prisons. Of 63 total tests on inmates at the Mission prison, six have come back negative, and results were pending for 16 others, according to Correctional Service Canada numbers updated Tuesday. The prison has a capacity of 216 inmates. A total of eight inmates are currently receiving treatment at an outside hospital and another has been discharged and returned to the prison, Corrections Canada spokesperson Esther Mailhot said in an email Monday. We have dedicated health services and operational staff on site with the equipment needed to monitor and treat inmates, including the necessary personal protective equipment, she wrote, adding the federal agency has implemented measures to increase cleaning and disinfection, and to modify routines to limit physical contact. No cases have been reported at a neighbouring minimum-security institution. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, which represents over 7,300 members, issued a statement late Monday, calling on management to put an immediate stop to the movement of staff between institutions and reduce movement between posts within the institution, as has been done elsewhere. Management must also make sure that proper cleaning is done on a regular and ongoing basis by a professional cleaning company, said Derek Chin, regional president of the unions Pacific Region. A professional cleaning company came and disinfected the (Mission) Institution a few days ago, but since then, no proper follow-up has been done, said Chin. The Mission Medium outbreak is the largest in Canadian prisons, and not unexpected. Jail and prison populations are vulnerable to the spread of any illness, and many inmates have compromised immune systems and diseases that make them particularly at risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. Guards and staff are also vulnerable. Six correctional officers at Mission Medium had tested positive for the virus as of Monday, according to the union. According to Corrections Canadas latest testing data, a total of 82 inmates in federal prisons have tested positive so far, with 205 tests coming back negative and 26 pending. Positive cases have nearly doubled since April 8, when 42s were reported. A total of eight cases have been found among inmates at Grand Valley Institution for women in Kitchener. One correctional officer at the federal prison has also tested positive. Ottawa and the provinces have announced steps to reduce jail and prison populations as much as possible, through discretionary policing, Crown and judicial powers, temporary absence passes and early releases. Hard data is hard to come by, but Ontario says the provincial jail population is down by more than 2,000. Elsewhere, according to figures from the service and the correctional officers union, 18 guards and 10 inmates at Quebecs Port-Cartier Institution have tested positive, as have 38 officers and 17 inmates at Joliette Institution for women, northeast of Montreal. Two officers at Donaconna Institution in Quebec have also tested positive. In its emailed statement late Monday, the federal corrections officer union said it was told by senior Correctional Service of Canada management that our health and safety come first. We dont understand why management at Mission Institution are putting money before us. It is completely unacceptable that our members who were exposed to the coronavirus are being pressured to return to work prior to receiving their test results or finishing their 14 days isolation. In an earlier statement, the correctional officers union said it knows that personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, are a huge concern for our members. At the moment, PPE are available to our members that need to interact with the infected inmates but supplies are running low. PPE requirements to perform our work safely continue to be a source of anxiety among the membership. The union is also reiterating a request to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair to provide each federal penitentiary with a sufficient stock of test kits to be able to test essential staff members who were deemed at risk, as a result of the contact tracing process. The Palestinian Archbishop has called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted, so that the country can better fight the spread of the coronavirus writes Al-Masdar. The Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, Atallah Hanna, on Monday called for the lifting of the Western coercive economic measures imposed on Syria in light of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Hanna, in a solidarity message with Syria said, From the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem), I send this appeal and this message, perhaps it reaches people who still have conscience in the world. Lift the sanctions imposed on Syria in light of the spread of coronavirus, In a statement to SAN), he emphasized that the continuation of these sanctions is a crime against humanity. From al-Quds city, we send the message of solidarity, fraternity, love and loyalty to Syrias president, army and people, and we say that Syria, which triumphed over its enemies who conspired against it, will also triumph over the coronavirus epidemic. Hanna concluded. In addition to the archbishop, Pope Francis called on the countries imposing sanctions against developing and war-torn nations to halt this blockade, as they attempt to combat the coronavirus outbreak. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Bloomberg) Beijing, China Tue, April 14, 2020 11:17 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1bd47a 2 World COVID-19,Africa,China,Racism Free China pledged to ease health measures on Africans in the southern city of Guangzhou, as the country sought to resolve a dispute that could set back Beijings diplomatic outreach during the coronavirus pandemic. The government has treated foreigners equally and attaches great importance to their life and health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a statement posted late Sunday. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination, Zhao said. African leaders alleged discrimination against their citizens by city authorities in measures to stem the spread of imported coronavirus cases, saying Africans were mistreated, evicted from hotels, and forcefully tested for the virus. Meanwhile, McDonalds China apologized Monday after one of the chains Guangzhou restaurants refused to serve black customers. African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed extreme concern to Chinese Ambassador Liu Yuxi about allegations of maltreatment of Africans in Guangzhou. In a tweet Saturday, he said the African Group in Beijing was engaging with the Chinese government. South Africa, the current African Union chair, separately expressed concern about alleged ill-treatment of African nationals in China, including the forceful testing, quarantining for COVID-19, and other inhuman treatment. The country called for an investigation into the matter, according to a statement from the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation. McDonalds China said that it had closed a restaurant in Guangzhou for a half day of diversity and inclusion training Sunday after an investigation confirmed social media reports that it was barring black customers. We apologize unreservedly to the individual and our customers. The restaurant has been ordered to stop immediately such actions, McDonalds China said Monday. The episode underscores the complexity of Beijings challenge to manage the fallout from a disease first discovered in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. China has dispatched medical supplies and shared expert advice to assist Africa, where Beijings fiscal and infrastructure support has long been a source of both praise and criticism. Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong told more than 20 ambassadors from African countries Monday that authorities in Guangdong would ease health management measures -- an apparent reference to quarantines -- of Africans. The province planned to gradually remove the restrictions, except for confirmed patients, suspected patients and others with close contacts, Chen said, according to a statement posted on the ministrys website late Monday. Zhao, the foreign ministry spokesman, separately hit back Monday at the U.S. State Department for a statement Saturday saying that the incidents involving Africans in China were a sad reminder of how hollow Beijings ties to the continent were. The U.S. is immoral and irresponsible to sensationalize the situation and it wont succeed in sabotaging China-Africa relations, Zhao told a regular briefing Monday in Beijing. Guangzhou has confirmed a total of 119 imported cases of Covid-19, with 25 being foreign nationals, Mayor Wen Guohui told a news conference Sunday. Wen said the Guangzhou government has treated all foreigners equally. Guangzhou is an open-minded metropolis, he said. Its our consistent principle to have zero tolerance for discriminatory comments and behavior. Heres a look at whats new or notable in home video. Many recent movies are arriving on digital platforms sooner than expected since social distancing measures in response to the coronavirus have shut down theaters. Movies are available on streaming sites such as iTunes, Amazon and Vudu unless otherwise noted. New Buy it now The Rhythm Section: Blake Lively gets grimy in this downbeat thriller about a young woman out to avenge her parents, who died when a terrorist blew up a commercial flight. Before tracking down bad guys in Tangiers, New York and Marseilles, she trains with a former British spy who has an agenda of his own. With the right clothes and gadgets, this could have been a John Wick knockoff. Instead, everything is hard and everything hurts, from the training to the killing. Previously released and now available to buy on streaming services. Also: Fantasy Island New Rent it now Underwater: Post-Twilight, Kristen Stewart has excelled in arthouse films such as Clouds of Sils Maria. She keeps making popcorn movies, too, which is cool. In addition to Charlies Angels, theres Underwater, which is basically an outer-space horror movie plunged into the ocean. Shes part of the crew of an underwater drilling rig fighting to survive mechanical failures, natural disasters and possibly a kraken. Previously released and now available to rent on streaming services; also on Blu-ray. Also: Just Mercy Notable Rewatch The Young and the Damned: If you spend some time digging on the popular streaming sites, you might find something unexpected, like this 1950 classic by director Luis Bunuel. Also known as Los Olvidados, the movie takes a bleak look at predatory street kids in Mexico City. Bunuel won the best director prize at Cannes for the movie, which reportedly was less well-received in Mexico. Free with Amazon Prime subscription; $1.99-$2.99 to rent without Related: Watch at Home: Bad Boys for Life Notable Binge watch Kroll Show: TV can be terrible, a point comedian Nick Kroll hammered home on his sketch comedy show by making it perversely worse. Kroll Show, which ran from 2013 to 2015 on Comedy Central, featured rude parodies such as Sex and the City for Dudes and Ghost Bouncers, and amusingly awful recurring characters like Dr. Armond, a plastic surgeon for dogs. It also introduced Gil Faison (Kroll) and George St. Geegland (John Mulaney), two decrepit weirdos on the fringes of the New York theater scene, and their public access TV prank show Too Much Tuna. They would go on to Broadway. All three seasons on the Comedy Central app (cable or satellite subscription required) or Comedy Central Now, $3.99 a month via Amazon Prime. Jim Kiest is the arts and entertainment editor for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Jim, become a subscriber. jkiest@express-news.net | Twitter: @jimik64 The head of a charity that trains dogs to be able to detect serious illness using their hyper-sensitive sense of smell says medical dogs could be used to help find new cases of coronavirus at airport and train stations in the future. Dr Claire Guest, of charity Medical Detection Dogs, appeared on This Morning today to discuss how dogs could be trained to sniff out Covid-19 and potentially help with 'rapid-screening' of commuters when lockdown eases. The charity is currently working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to test whether the dogs can be re-trained in the next six weeks to provide a rapid, non-invasive diagnosis of the coronavirus. Dr Claire Guest, of charity Medical Detection Dogs, appeared on This Morning today alongside her dog Tala to discuss how medical dogs could be an ally in the fight against coron It could take around six weeks to train medical dogs to detect coronavirus from volatiles emitted from skin, said Dr Guest (Pictured: a medical dog training to detect illness) Trying to raise funding to train dogs to specifically be able to smell the 'volatiles' of the virus causing the pandemic, she said the medical world had been skeptical about using animals in such a way - but said that research had proved they could be useful allies to healthcare workers. Dr Guest, appearing with her Labrador Tala, told This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: 'These dogs have 350 billion sensor receptors, us poor humans have got five billion. 'We believe that dogs would be able to do the work in areas like airports. What we want to do is support the NHS, what the dogs can do is rapid screening. 'When lockdown is reduced, you can imagine 500 people coming off a plane, dogs can detect quickly which of those people need the test. A dog can work very, very rapidly. It only needs a sniff of 0.5 of a second.' She explained that a dogs sense of smell is equatable to them being able to detect one teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools, compared to humans being only able to smell that amount of sugar in water amounting to a cup of tea. Speaking to This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, Dr Guest said a trained dog needed only a sniff of 0.5 of a second to detect an illness Cynicism: The charity head said that research had proved trained dogs could be useful allies to healthcare workers. Referencing a study in 2019 with the London School of Hygiene (LSHTM), she said that dogs are very good at spotting asymptomatic diseases, which Covid-19 is, and said tests against malaria, also asymptomatic, had proven how valuable the animals could be. She said that it wouldn't take long for dogs to be taught how to pick up the volatiles of the virus but that the response from the healthcare world is sometimes cynical: 'We have to get samples from patients who are well and those who have the virus so the dogs can learn the comparisons. 'Freya' correctly detects a sample of malaria from a row of sample pots at the "Medical Detection Dogs" charity headquarters on March 27, 2020 in Milton Keynes, England. 'Freya' correctly detects a sample of malaria from a row of sample pots at the 'Medical Detection Dogs' charity headquarters today in Milton Keynes, England 'As you can imagine there's been a huge amount of skepticism over the years which is why we've worked really hard to get robust evidence. 'This isn't science fiction, this is the detection of disease through volatiles - eg If you're wearing aftershave the odours coming from your skin are volatiles. When we're unwell, diseases produce different volatiles in the body.' Medical Detection Dogs will now work with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University in northeast England to determine whether canines could help diagnoses. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - April 14, 2020 - In an effort to better fight COVID-19 in multiple regions of the country, Wake Forest Baptist Health has joined forces with Javara Inc. - a leading integrated clinical research organization headquartered in Winston-Salem - to conduct a community-based research study of the novel coronavirus. As part of that effort, Wake Forest Baptist and Javara have collaborated with Oracle to develop its Patient Monitoring System, a web portal designed to collect daily information across a large population of participants. Atrium Health, one of the largest health systems in the Southeast, and MedStar Health, the largest health care system in the Maryland and Washington, D.C. region, have joined the project. Plans are under way to extend this research study to additional health systems across the country. The goal of the study - which will employ online data-gathering and at-home rapid diagnostic kits -- is to help the medical community better understand the pandemic and regional infection patterns to develop strategies and treatments to contain and possibly eliminate this novel coronavirus in defined communities. The North Carolina General Assembly is providing $100,000 in immediate funding to allow researchers to purchase and mail at-home test kits to participants in a subgroup of the study. "This study should rapidly allow us to define the epidemic on a regional basis and establish the framework to both track the disease in real time and answer critical secondary research questions," said John W. Sanders, M.D., principal investigator of the study and chief of infectious diseases at Wake Forest Baptist. All data will be shared in real time with appropriate government agencies such as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and state and local public health departments, Sanders said. "We're humbled to contribute to such an urgent study as it illustrates clearly the connection between community partnerships and global public health," said Jennifer Byrne, CEO of Javara Inc. "Right now, information is our most valuable weapon, and by integrating community-based clinical care with remote-enabled clinical research, this project will contribute vital information to the fight against coronavirus." ### The study began the process of enrolling participants last week. It is a difficult time for many public-facing industries. And the unforeseen circumstance also calls for innovative hardware and software solutions. - Geoffry Fang, CEO at Kuusoft Corp. In response to the escalating situation regarding COVID-19, Kuusoft has put tremendous effort into inventing auto hand sanitizer kiosks with NexSigns Digital Signage features. These new kiosk prototypes are made for public settings, such as hospitals, pharmacies, supermarkets, transport stations. The product series will launch on April 14, 2020. The new Digital Hand Sanitizer Dispenser product line has taken public health, educational values, and smart technology into consideration. Kuusoft will release two prototypes on sale in two weeks, with floor standing and wall mounting options. Here are some unique features of the next generations hand sanitizer dispenser: 1. Touchscreen Display. The kiosk uses a digital display that is capable of touchscreen functions. The interactive display pairs up perfectly with a hand sanitizer dispenser. 2. Touchless Dispenser with Sensors. With built-in sensors, the kiosk can automatically dispense gel, foam, and/or other liquid for sanitization. 3. Cloud Content Management Systems (CMS). Powered by NexSigns Digital Signage solutions, the digital display can be updated easily through a simple web browser portal. As Kuusofts CEO Geoffry Fang says, Kuusoft acknowledges the social responsibility to serve the public with new solutions. With its timely invention, Kuusoft continues to serve clients and contributes to slowing down the spread of pandemic COVID-19. About Kuusoft Corp.: Kuusoft Corp. is a digital menu board and digital signage total solution provider based in Burnaby, BC. Founded in 2002, Kuusoft is dedicated to developing cutting-edge digital signage software solutions and digital signage hardware for all business sectors around the world. For more information, please contact Anita Sun at anita.sun@kuusoft.com or +1 866-546-8838. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Fit India Mission have joined hands to offer live classes on basic exercises, nutrition, yoga and meditation. The CBSE posted about the development on Twitter The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Fit India Mission have joined hands to offer live classes on basic exercises, nutrition, yoga and meditation. The CBSE posted about the development on Twitter. Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has also shared a tweet in this regard. To ensure #fitness among the children, I have spoken to @KirenRijiju for collaboration between @cbseindia29 and @FitIndiaOff & provide live sessions by experts covering topics like Basic Exercises, Nutrition, Yoga & Meditation, boosting immunity etc. pic.twitter.com/wb0YDoU7td Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) April 14, 2020 The fitness classes will begin from 15 April at 9.30 am. The classes will continue for a month. CBSE has released a notification saying that the objective of the fitness classes is to help children stay fit and healthy while pursuing online classes. "Research shows that doing exercise influences the release and uptake of feel-good chemicals called endorphins in the brain. Even a short burst of 10 minutes physical activities positively increases mental alertness, energy and mood," read the notification. Students can access these classes on social media sites YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The Board had also sent a letter to principals of schools affiliated to the CBSE. The letter asked the heads of the schools to take appropriate measures so that childrens studies dont get hampered. It had earlier this month put out a brochure informing about the immunity boosting measures for self-care during the coronavirus outbreak. The brochure contained Ayush ministry's guidelines on preventive measures to boost immunity amid the Covid-19 crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how doctors provide health care. This public health crisis has shifted the paradigm on how Canadians access medical care and has ushered in the new era of telemedicine. Almost overnight, patients have stopped walking into their doctors offices and are instead receiving medical care through online platforms. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how doctors provide health care. This public health crisis has shifted the paradigm on how Canadians access medical care and has ushered in the new era of telemedicine. Almost overnight, patients have stopped walking into their doctors offices and are instead receiving medical care through online platforms. Telemedicine is the delivery of medical care and information through communications technologies. This can be as simple as a telephone call, or can extend into the digital world with email, text messaging and videoconferencing. But doctors, and the health-care system at large, are often criticized for their limited use of technology to interact with their patients. Emails, text messaging and virtual visits between patients and physicians have been the exception, not the rule. A lack of support for technological infrastructure, poor compensation for telemedicine and concerns for patient privacy have been major barriers to implementing widespread telehealth options. Telemedicine represented just 0.15 per cent of all billable services in the Canadian health-care system in 2014 (the most recent data). However, with the critical need for physical distancing measures, doctors and provincial health-care systems have been forced to innovate and restructure how they deliver medical care using technological tools. In simple terms, health care has sprinted into the 21st century. Physical distancing Dr. Brenda Hardie is a family physician in Vancouver, B.C., and the medical director of a multi-physician primary care office. When it became apparent that the province was starting to see community transmission of COVID-19 in early March, her team worked overtime to adjust to the changing public health recommendations. Initially, this meant screening each patient for recent travel and cold-like symptoms over the phone before they came into clinic. By the second week of March, it became apparent that physical distancing was the critical piece in mitigating the escalating pandemic. Hardie says "it was crystal clear" that examining patients and having face-to-face conversations, the very foundation of what is considered excellent medical care, posed a very serious risk to both physicians and patients. Yet Hardie, like the majority of Canadian physicians, had no access to a video conferencing platform that protected patient privacy. Finding the tools Hardies challenge is one that almost all Canadian physicians have faced over the last month: the limited number of health technology tools have been primarily allocated to rural locations with limited health-care resources. Community, office-based physicians dont have access to virtual health technology. As such, Canadian physicians have been scrambling over the last month to re-invent how they provide care. Hardie describes crowd-sourcing information on social media liaising with colleagues through Facebook and Twitter to understand what digital platforms others were using. Zoom, Doxy.me and GoToMeeting have all been popular options. E-faxing capabilities have also been critical to ensure prescriptions and requisitions can be sent out. Yet these platforms are not embedded into electronic medical records (EMRs). As a result, physicians find themselves toggling between their EMR holding important lab results and consultation notes and their video screens. The time spent moving between two separate programs adds up and places an extra layer of effort to an already exhausting overhaul. For Hardie, who has switched to seeing 99 per cent of her patients via telemedicine in the span of 10 days, the sudden adoption of telemedicine has been a massive change in her workflow and limits the number of patients she can see daily. Outmoded payment models Tied into the lack of infrastructure is the poor payment models for telemedicine across the country. Fee-for-service payment models have been slow to adapt to the new technology. With poor compensation, physicians dont have the time or financial means to invest in the new technology. Instead, the innovation is primarily occurring through large corporations and focused on the private, non-insured sector. The way large companies are employing their technology has created concern that health-care apps encourage fragmented and episodic health care instead of the ongoing doctor-patient relationships that are the backbone of a strong health-care system. With COVID-19 gripping B.C., the province has fortunately responded with changes to payment models. Phone calls can now be billed to the equivalent of an in-person visit a 70 per cent increase to $34 from $20. Video conferencing fees are also available. For Dr. Billy Lin, a family physician and clinic owner in Burnaby, the changes are a relief. The fee increases have allowed him to keep his clinic open for now during the pandemic. Now, the rest of the country needs to follow suit. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Keeping patients out of emergency departments The need to keep physician offices open and functioning with telemedicine is critical during this pandemic. Otherwise, patients with flare-ups of chronic diseases, such as heart failure and asthma, will also end up in emergency rooms right next to critically ill patients with COVID-19. This is a recipe for an overwhelmed and collapsing health-care system. Streamlined and effective telemedicine will also allow for the screening of mild respiratory symptoms, be conducive to encouraging self-quarantine and protect health-care workers and the community from unnecessary exposure. A major challenge with virtual health care is the barrier it creates in examining patients. Prenatal visits and back pain, for example, necessitate a clinical exam. And while doctors are donning personal protective equipment while its still available to see patients in these instances, telemedicine will remain the mainstay of health care for the months to come. With no end in sight of the physical distancing measures, rapid and thoughtful investment in telemedicine infrastructure is critical. Perhaps once the pandemic is over, our Canadian health-care system can capitalize on the momentum made in telemedicine. By then, the majority of Canadian physicians will have experience with telemedicine knowing when it is appropriate to use and when a face-to-face visit is required. That knowledge, and a new set of virtual health tools, will give the public health system further options to reduce barriers to care and improve health-care accessibility. Inderveer Mahal is a family physician and Global Journalism Fellow at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. Large companies are not recruiting workers, while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are laying off workers as they cannot maintain a big staff during the Covid-19 crisis. Passing the final interview round for the position of production manager of an electronics manufacturing company half a month ago, Hoang still has no job offer letter. Labor market freezes due to Covid-19 Hoang and the headhunting company, which linked Hoang and the Japanese electronics company, understand that it is not easy to find a job when Covid-19 has had a negative impact on all aspects of the national economy. Nhung, from a well-known head hunting company, said never before has the job market become so frozen. Real estate and tourism firms stopped recruiting high ranking officers in the beginning of January. Large companies are not recruiting workers, while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are laying off workers as they cannot maintain a big staff during the Covid-19 crisis. Nhung and her team were seeking candidates for the post of communication director for an education company when the partner told her to stop some days ago. The demand for untrained workers has also dropped dramatically. According to Vu Quang Thanh, deputy director of the Hanoi Job Service Center, demand surges in the months after Tet when businesses begin gearing up for their business plan implementation and workers want to change jobs. However, things have been different this year. The recruitment demand has decreased by 20 percent compared with the months before the epidemic. The labor market is gloomier than ever, Thanh said. Nguyen Phuong Mai, CEO of Navigos Search from Navigos Group, said the epidemic has had a big impact on some business fields. Many SMEs have laid off workers to cut operation costs. Large companies can maintain normal operation for the next six months, but they will have to restructure staff and cut welfare policies. In the medium- and high-end recruitment market, challenges have come from both manpower demand and supply. Employers are postponing recruitment for some key positions because of changes in the business plan implementation. Many enterprises have decided to develop existing staff instead of finding new workers. Meanwhile, workers are more cautious when considering new job opportunities. In many cases, recruitment plans have been canceled because foreign candidates cannot come to Vietnam because of policies on travel restrictions. The situation about layoffs remains unclear. The center reported that 7,000 workers received unemployment benefits in the first two months of the year, a slight increase of 5 percent compared with the same period last year. However, analysts believe that with the epidemic escalation, widespread layoffs are unavoidable. According to VietnamWorks, the number of jobs offered has decreased in some fields, such as aviation/tourism (- 28 percent), restaurants/hotels (- 21 percent) and education (- 11 percent). Mai Lan Labor Code: Protection of workers is the most important The Labor Code is a comprehensive legal document, specifying many contents such as labor contracts, the ability of workers to negotiate with employers, and minimum standards on working conditions, among others. The uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic can take its toll on employees. For the 10,000 or so who work at Activision Blizzard around the world, one person they can call is CEO Bobby Kotick. "About a month ago, we sent out an email from my email address with my phone number and we encouraged every single employee that has a concern that relates to their health care to just contact me directly," Kotick told CNBC's Becky Quick on "Squawk Box." Kotick said "a few hundred" employees have reached out to him since that email. "But we're fortunate. Very few actually tested positive so far for Covid-19." He also complimented the work of Activision Blizzard's human resources department as the maker of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft responded to the global outbreak. "The team has been working 24/7 since we started work from home in our offices in China and our offices in Europe to really make sure that they were available for the benefit of the employees and their families," he said. Kotick, who has been CEO since 1991, said the Santa Monica, California-based company has taken additional steps to fortify health-care options for employees during the pandemic. "In countries where there are national health-care programs, we also have private doctors helping to assist and navigate through what can be a very complex process getting into national health care." Activision Blizzard also partnered with organizations for additional mental-health care and for licensed child care, said Kotick, noting the company has made investments to support research on treatments for Covid-19. "We've always been a pioneer in these kinds of benefits, but some of the things we're doing now, like supporting these clinical trials at important health institutions, these are things that are unprecedented for us as a company," he said. "But we're definitely feeling from our employees that the extra investment, the extra attention, is appreciated," Kotick added. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg is in mourning for her uncle after he died from coronavirus. Victor Batista Falla, 87, passed away in his native Cuba after contracting the virus, the Grand Ducale palace announced on Easter Monday on Instagram. The publisher, who lived in Madrid, was the last living brother of the Grand Duchess' mother, and died during his first visit to the country in 60 years. The statement was shared on social media, alongside pictures of Victor Batista Falla. The Grand Ducale family of Luxembourg announced the painful loss of the uncle of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (pictured) on Easter Monday 'It is with great sadness that their Royal Highnesses, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, report the passing of Mr Victor Batista, Falla, the Duchess' uncle and last living brother of her mother,' it read. 'Mr Victor Batista Falla, who lived in Madrid, had gone to visit his native country, Cuba, where he had not returned for 60 years. 'He died there on Easter Sunday at the age of 87 from COVID-19. Victor Batista Falla was a recognised publisher and one of the greatest patrons of Cuban literature in exile. His death is a great loss for the whole family of HRH the Grand Duchess,' it added. Victor Batista Falla had been admitted to the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute, in Havana, over a week before his death after contracting the virus. Victor Batista Falla, (pictured) 87, lived in Madrid and died during a visit to Cuba. He was a known patron of Cuban literature Born in 1933, he cultivated a taste for publishing and literature and financed and edited the mazagine Exilo from 1965 to 1973, which published essays and stories by exiled Cuban writers. From the late 70s to the mid-1980s, he financed the Scandalous magazine, which was edited by the poet Octavio Armand. In Madrid, he established the Colibri publishing house, which he managed until its closure in 2013. Victor left Cuba aged 27 and moved to New York, before settling in Madrid. His sister, the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa was born in Cuba before the family moved to New York. The Grand Ducale Court of Luxembourg paid homage to the Grand Duchess' uncle (pictured) in an Instagram statement On her wedding day to Grand Duke Henri on 14 February 1981, she received a bouquet of red roses from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Luxembourg has so far recorded 3,292 cases of coronavirus, which led to 69 deaths. The country is currently on strict lockdown in order to limit the spread of the disease, which reached Luxembourg in late February after locals returned from winter holidays. On March 17, Luxembourg's head of state, Xavier Bettel declared the pandemic a state emergency for at least three months. The Grand Duchess shared on the Grand Ducale Instagram account that she was working from home from tje Berg palace. Victor (pictured) was the last living brother of the Grand Duchess's mother, who passed in 1988 She has been keeping in touch with charities of which she is president and patron, such as Luxembourg's Red Cross and Luxembourg's National Association of Nurses. She also is supporting organisations helping the homeless, the elderly and victims of abusive relationship through conference calls. A statement from the palace, said the Grand Duchess was continuing to work from home amid the coronavirus crisis. 'In these difficult times where each move, each thought counts, the Grand Duchess maintains her close support to all who fight [the disease[ each day on the field with great dedication. New Delhi, April 14 : The Prime Minister on Tuesday announced the extension of the lockdown till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. While the PM in his address listed seven points, the Congress has raised seven questions and has said that the public wants seven road maps from the government. Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the government that from February 1 till April 13 only 217,553 tests have been done. This works out to 3021 tests a day and asked when the government is going to start testing more people. The Congress also asked the government why the PPE and other personal kit are not being provided to frontline workers and what is the strategy of the government on migrant labourers who are struggling to make ends meet. "Lakhs of acres of Rabi crop is standing there as there are no arrangements for harvesting. What about the purchase of the crops on MSP and is there no responsibility of the government towards the farmers," questioned Surjewala. There is mass unemployment and people are being retrenched from jobs. Where is the economic recovery taskforce, where will the youth go for employment and what is the government roadmap to streamline the economy, mainly the support system for farmers, small shopkeepers and marginalized workers, he asked. "In comparison the the world the government is at the bottom in providing economic relief in the pandemic," said Surjewala. The Prime Minister in his address to the nation, had listed '7 Mantras' to help as India is going through a difficult phase where it has to choose between life and livelihood. Firstly, the Prime Minister advised, take special care of the elderly, especially those with pre-existing illnesses. Secondly, he asked for strict adherence to social distancing norms that have been so far effective in combating coronavirus. Next he asked to follow the guidelines given by the Ayush Department. Fourthly, he appealed to every citizen to download and use the Aarogya Setu App. This app has been developed especially to track coronavirus cases. Fifthly, he appealed to the people to help the poor and needy especially by providing food and protective gear such as face masks. Sixthly, Modi asked employers to have compassion at this time of crisis and not to resort to layoffs of their employees. Seventhly, he asked to show respect to health workers who are in the forefront in the battle against Covid-19. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston Midland Public Schools is moving forward with plans to schedule the 2020 Dow High and Midland High graduation ceremonies for either late July or early August, Superintendent Michael Sharrow announced in a communique emailed on Monday afternoon. Dow and Midland were originally scheduled to have two separate ceremonies at Dow Diamond on June 2, but they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sharrow indicated that out of 1,778 people who responded to a survey sent out last week, 86.8% chose the option of a formal graduation ceremony in late July or early August, 6.5 % preferred an earlier date with a virtual graduation and student recognition, and 6.6 % said that either of the two previous option was OK with them. "The results gave us a great feel for the type of graduation celebration the vast majority of our graduates and their families would prefer," the communique stated. "Based on these results, we will begin to make plans for a late July/early August graduation ceremony to celebrate our 2020 graduates. Stay tuned for further graduation information in the coming weeks." Sharrow did point out, though, that any rescheduled date will depend on the public health situation at the time. "Please keep in mind that as decisions/plans are made, the health situation at the time will be an important component of 2020 graduation arrangements," he wrote. In the same communique, Sharrow urged more MPS families to respond to another survey that was sent out last week in regard to having Internet access at home the MPS Student/Family Remote Learning Readiness Survey. A little over 2,700 people have responded to the survey, but MPS has about 7,700 students. "It is important that every family respond to this short survey about your homes on-line connectivity so that MPS personnel can determine how to proceed in the coming weeks in order to best support your child(ren)," Sharrow wrote. "This survey only needs to be done one time per family (unless shared custody arrangements would result in different responses)." The survey is at https://forms.gle/bvLKCuPfbxxrqfJc6. Among other notices, the communique also announced the annual MPS Gerstacker Teacher Proficiency Awards ceremony, scheduled for April 30, has been canceled. The 2020 Gerstacker Award recipients will be announced and celebrated at the 2020-21 MPS opening staff meeting the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Central Auditorium. Closed businesses line Winston Street in the wholesale district of Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom and others are beginning to talk about how the economy could restart. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) California could find itself again at odds with the Trump administration, this time on when and how to lift the unprecedented social distancing restrictions that many credit with helping contain the spread of the coronavirus in the state. California has seen markedly fewer deaths than other hot spots like New York and New Jersey, and officials have said its early embrace of stay-at-home rules is one reason why. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom and others are beginning to talk about how the economy could restart. But President Trump on Monday claimed that he has that power, rather than local and state officials. Trump's claims When somebodys the president of the United States, the authority is total , Trump said at Mondays coronavirus briefing. Its total. And the governors know that. Trump also tweeted that reopening the economy is the decision of the President, and not local or state officials, who shouldered the responsibility of closing most schools, shops and nonessential services. Asked during the briefing which provisions would authorize him to override local authorities, Trump was vague. Numerous provisions, he said. Well give you a legal brief if you want. On Tuesday, Trump doubled down in a tweet, insinuating that local governors need too much from the federal government to go their own way. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020 Trump's assertion about authority has been disputed by experts. And there are concerns that lifting restrictions too early could be a disaster for the economy if a new wave of illness were to require another shutdown. Story continues States collaborate On Monday, Newsom and his counterparts in Washington and Oregon announced a regional pact to recovery from the coronavirus crisis and agreed to work together to develop a plan to lift restrictions on daily life and reopen economies along the West Coast. COVID-19 doesnt follow state or national boundaries, Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. It will take every level of government, working together, and a full picture of whats happening on the ground. The governors broadly described a few basic principles they agreed to follow in developing strategies to return some level of normalcy to their states: Use data Prioritize health over politics Work in coordination with other states and local communities Protect vulnerable populations Ensure the states have enough equipment and hospital workers to provide adequate care Develop a strategy to test, track and isolate cases We need to see a decline in the rate of spread of the virus before large-scale reopening, and we will be working in coordination to identify the best metrics to guide this, the governors said. More details will be released Tuesday. Flash points ahead A shared regional strategy is more difficult for Trump to override than individual state plans, said Dana Williamson, a Democratic political strategist and former Cabinet secretary to Gov. Jerry Brown. It makes it harder for the president to upend something that is already in place when several states are in agreement with it, Williamson said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already pushed back against Trump deciding when states can reopen. We dont have a king, Cuomo said on NBC's "Today. We have a president. That was a big decision. We ran away from having a king, and George Washington was president, not King Washington. So the president doesnt have total authority. If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldnt do it. And we would have a constitutional challenge between the state and the federal government, and that would go into the courts and that would be the worst possible thing he could do at this moment," the governor told CNN on Tuesday. California already has clashed with Trump on a variety of issues including immigration, the environment, wildfire policy and homelessness. On Monday, Newsom said he believed the cooperative approach would be successful. I have all the confidence in the world moving forward that we will maintain that collaborative spirit in terms of the decision-making that we make here within the state of California as it relates to a road map for recovery and a road map to get back to some semblance of normalcy, Newsom said. Reopening slowly Life is still a long way from returning to pre-pandemic norms, but some scientists believe parts of the economy could return in the coming months under the right circumstances, public health experts said. Is it wearing masks? Probably. Is it continuing to restrict large gatherings? Yeah, probably, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. Is it continuing to have older people stay home more than they would otherwise? Yeah, probably. When we return to work, do we all go back on the same day, or do we stagger that? Rutherford asked. A vaccine is not expected for 12 to 18 months, at the earliest. But widespread testing could be up and running in the next couple of months both for the virus and for antibodies to show whether a person has been infected and now has some immunity. Perhaps factories stagger shifts to prevent too many workers mixing with one another. Maybe manufacturing and construction are opened up first, Rutherford said, and then nonessential retail stores and, sometime after that, restaurants. If youre going to open the bars, youre going to have to take out every other stool I mean, I dont know what the governor is going to decide, Rutherford said. And then maybe everybody who can telecommute would just sit tight for a while. Big concerts, sporting events and festivals are likely even further off. As restrictions are eased, officials will need to monitor cases to see if coronavirus cases start to dramatically flare up again. Promising signs California has recorded more than 24,000 confirmed cases and more than 730 deaths. Still, the number of new coronavirus cases reported daily across California shows signs of flattening. And even hard-hit Los Angeles County , which saw 25 new deaths on Monday, reported only 239 new cases of the virus Monday, the lowest daily number since March 26. Thats a good thing, said Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County Department of Public Health. Los Angeles County has recorded more than 9,400 coronavirus cases and more than 320 deaths. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services agency, said Monday the stay-at-home order and social distancing had slowed the spread of the virus, resulting in fewer hospitalizations than estimates predicted. Persistence is perserverance says Sonia Gandhi while thanking COVID-19 fighters India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: Congress president, Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday thanked all those who are fighting against the coronavirus pandemic from the frontline. She also urged the people to follow the lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms. In a video message posted today, she spoke about the sanitation workers, doctors and those in the health sector. She had a word of praise for the police personnel, NGOs who are doing an excellent job at this hour of crisis. Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine: Will these drugs help in fight against coronavirus outbreak? I hope that you are staying safe at your homes during this hour of coronavirus pandemic. At the very beginning, I want to extent a heartfelt thank you to all the citizens for maintaining peace and keeping patience during this time. There is no greater patriotism than persistence, she also said. We will defeat corona with a sense of unity, discipline and confidence, the Congress leader also added. I cannot forget the sacrifice of your family members, wife, husbands, children. Despite the dangers, it is only because of your cooperation and support that we are able to fight this war. I do not have the words to thank them, she also said. Dear citizens, these warriors are helping us win this war despite the lack of personal security. Our doctors, health workers, non-government organisations are treating people despite the lack of personal protection and equipment, she said. We have to support and honour them, she also added. On reports of people misbehaving with doctors, she said this is quite wrong because this is against our culture. We have to help and support them she further added. Two-time Emmy-winning TV writer Loring Mandel has passed away at the age of 91 on March 24, it was revealed on Monday. The writer's son Alan Mandel confirmed his father passed from cancer at his home in Lenox, Massachusetts, according to Variety. Mandel's two Emmy wins come more than 40 years apart, his first in 1968 for Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night on CBS Playhouse and his second in 2001 for his HBO/BBC WWII film Conspiracy. R.I.P.: Two-time Emmy-winning TV writer Loring Mandel has passed away at the age of 91 on March 24, it was revealed on Monday Mandel was born in Chicago, and he attended the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1949. He married his wife Dorothy in 1950 and moved back to Chicago after school, where he got a job as a music arranger for ABC's house orchestra. He also landed a side job writing trailers for movies and content for television variety shows, along with radio shows such as Jack Benny and more. Chicago: Mandel was born in Chicago, and he attended the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1949 After serving in the Korean War, Mandel re-located to New York City to start his writing career in earnest. Among his first writing gigs were for shows such as Studio One in Hollywood, The Seven Lively Arts and Playhouse 90 in the last few years of the 1950s. One of his Playhouse 90 scripts earned him his first Emmy nomination, and he would move on to The DuPont Show of the Week and The Bing Crosby Show in the 1960s. Writing career: After serving in the Korean War, Mandel re-located to New York City to start his writing career in earnest He made his feature film writing debut with the 1967 Robert Altman movie Countdown, which starred James Caan and Robert Duvall. After winning his Emmy for Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night, Mandel became the head writer for the CBS daytime series Love of Life, which earned him a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Writing In a Daytime Serial in 1973. He continued to work steadily throughout the 1970s with the 1974 miniseries The Lives of Benjamin Franklin, TV movies Tom & Joann, Breaking Up and the feature film Promises In the Dark starring Ned Beatty. Feature debut: He made his feature film writing debut with the 1967 Robert Altman movie Countdown, which starred James Caan and Robert Duvall He only worked sparingly since then, though with the TV movie The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck and The Little Drummer Girl starring Diane Keaton, both released in 1984. His final project was the 2001 TV movie Conspiracy, which Kenneth Branagh won an Emmy for and Stanley Tucci won a Golden Globe for. The writer is survived by his wife Dorothy and their two children, sons Alan and Joshua. Sparingly: He only worked sparingly since then, though with the TV movie The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck and The Little Drummer Girl starring Diane Keaton, both released in 1984 Organization honors three SIU School of Health Sciences students by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Three students in Southern Illinois University Carbondales School of Health Sciences are being honored by the Mid-America Healthcare Executives Forum for their academic excellence, volunteerism and leadership. Akmal Asoev, a Fulbright graduate student pursuing his masters degree in Health Administration (MHA), Puja Jha, a graduate student pursuing a masters degree in Health Informatics (MHI) and Hannah Kohrs, a senior in Health Care Management (HCM) are the 2020 recipients representing the School of Health Sciences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards will be mailed to each recipient. Faculty in health care management, administration and informatics selected the recipients. Longstanding award honoring SIU students This is the 10th year that Mid-America Healthcare Executives Forum has presented an undergraduate award and the second year for a graduate student award, said Sandra Collins, professor and program director. The organizations involvement in educating and developing future healthcare leaders positively impacts students lives and careers, she said. Students from our HCM, MHA, and MHI programs benefit greatly from MAHCEFs support, Collins said. With MAHCEFs ongoing contributions through these awards and their inclusion of our students in their leadership conferences, students continue to accomplishment great things both academically and in their careers after graduation. Students have various goals Asoev, who is from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, lives in Carbondale and plans to graduate with his MHA degree in August 2021. He then plans to complete his post-academic internship/residency of 18 months in one of the best internationally known hospitals in the United States to gain more field experience before returning home. Asoev earned a bachelors degree in finance from Bellevue University and a bachelor of laws degree from Tajik State National University in Dushanbe. Asoev is the CEO and co-founder of the NURAFZO MEDICAL GROUP, a chain of innovative medical centers in Tajikistan and co-founder of Sharayon Varid Cardiac Cath Lab Centers. He was working on a multi-specialty American hospital project in Dushanbe when he decided to update his academic background and earn an MHA. The projects aim is regional cooperation and connectivity in greater central Asia through healthcare, he said. The knowledge I gained here will help me to work better on my project and lead my team more efficiently, he said. The network which I have become part of here in the U.S. will be used for my future collaborations and partnerships. Jha, who is from Mahottari, Nepal, lives in Carbondale, and is in her second semester in the MHI program and will graduate in summer 2021. She earned a masters degree in environmental science from Tribhuvan University in Nepal prior to starting classes at SIU in fall 2019. Before moving to the United States Jha worked for several national and international organizations in the environmental health, sanitation and environmental managements fields in Nepal. That included working as an environmental monitoring expert for a Finnish project in Nepal where she dealt with data in reporting environmental conditions and its impact on health and surrounding areas to assist local authorities in developing preventative and mitigation strategies for an environmentally safe community. The SIU program enabled Jha to follow her interest and passions for translating data into meaningful results to serve the health care industry, she said. Jha is an on-campus student and graduate assistant and had taken two online courses previously, so the transition to an online format for the remainder of this semester has been smooth. Jha notes that professors are very supportive with clear instructions and easily reached by email but that she misses the live interactions with her classmates. Getting this award is very encouraging; it came like a morale booster to me, she said. It brought some recognition to the hard work I have been doing and motivated me to work harder. Kohrs, who lives in Marseilles, Illinois, is originally from Moline. She will graduate with her bachelors degree in Healthcare Management in August and plans to begin work on a masters degree in Health Administration in January. She will work as an intern at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton this summer. Kohrs said her experience in the online HCM program has been nothing short of excellent and as a non-traditional student provided the flexibility needed to complete her degree. She added that the instruction and resources provided by faculty has always assured me that the education Im receiving is undoubtedly preparing me for success in the healthcare field. The Healthcare Management program has sparked my interest in many potential careers in the health care industry, but Im most interested in the areas of physician practice management, risk management and healthcare human resources, she said. Im excited to explore different areas of healthcare during my internship to help guide me into the right path after graduation. Surge in demand for fuel-efficient, high-performance, and low-emission vehicles along with stringent regulations of governments regarding vehicle emissions propel the growth of the global electric vehicle market PORTLAND, Oregon, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Electric Vehicle Market by Type (Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)), Vehicle Class (Mid-Priced and Luxury), and Vehicle Type (Two-wheelers, Passenger Cars, and Commercial Vehicles): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027." According to the report, the global electric vehicle industry generated $162.34 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $802.81 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 22.6% from 2020 to 2027. Download Sample Report (256 Pages PDF with Insights) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2404 Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Rise in demand for high-performance, fuel-efficient, and low-emission vehicles along with strict government regulations toward vehicle emissions drive the growth of the global electric vehicle market. However, high cost of manufacturing and less fuel economy & serviceability hinder the market growth. On the other hand, advancements in technologies and supportive government initiatives create new opportunities in the coming years. The HEV segment to maintain its dominant share throughout the forecast period Based on type, the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) segment accounted for the highest market share in 2019, contributing to nearly half of the global electric vehicle market, and is expected to maintain its dominant share throughout the forecast period. This is due to wide availability of hybrid electric vehicles worldwide with advancements in technology. However, the battery electric vehicle (BEV) segment is estimated to portray the highest CAGR of 23.3% from 2020 to 2027, owing to increase in demand for battery electric vehicles across the globe with stringent government regulations. Interested to Procure The Data? Enquire Here @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2404 The passenger car segment to continue its leadership position during the forecast period Based on vehicle type, the passenger car segment contributed to nearly three-fourths of the global electric vehicle market in 2019, and is estimated to continue its leadership position during the forecast period. This is due to the emergence of battery operated vehicles by different automobile manufacturers across the world. However, the commercial vehicle segment would register the largest CAGR of 30.0% from 2020 to 2027, owing to demand for emission free commercial vehicles. North America to grow at the fastest CAGR Based on region, North America is expected to contribute the fastest CAGR of 27.5% from 2020 to 2027. This is due to wide adoption of electric operated vehicles in the region for complying with the emission norms. However, Asia-Pacific held more than half of the global electric vehicle market in 2019, and is expected to maintain its lion's share throughout the forecast period. This is due to the developed automotive industry in the region and the novel developments by different manufacturers. Request for Customization @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2404 Leading market players Tesla BMW Group Nissan Motor Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation Volkswagen AG General Motors Daimler AG Energica Motor Company S.p.A BYD Company Motors Ford Motor Company Schedule a Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/2404 Avenue | The Market Research Library Access Avenue, a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. Avenue is a premium subscription-based model that serves as an informative solution on which the world-leading companies can rely on. Avenue is a premium subscription-based model that serves as an informative solution on which the world-leading companies can rely on. Sign up and start using your 14-day free trial: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenueTrial Similar Reports: Electric Bike Market Luxury Car Market Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market Autonomous Vehicle Market Pre-book Offer 12% Discount: Electric Mobility Scooter Market Low Emission Vehicle Market About us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact us: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free (USA/Canada): 1-800-792-5285, 1-503-894-6022, 1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-855-550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow us on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allied-market-research Allied Market Research Blog: blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg NAJAF, Iraq The doctor paused before banging on the front gate, gesturing to companions who were wearing full hazmat suits, masks, goggles and gloves to stand back so they would not be the first thing the homes occupants saw. This is very sensitive, very difficult for our society, said Dr. Wissam Cona, who works with the provincial Health Department in the city of Najaf in southern Iraq. He now spends his days checking on families recently returned from Iran, which has suffered one of the worlds most severe outbreaks of the coronavirus. He said that the father of the family at this home had begged him not to come with a retinue of health workers, saying, Please dont park in front of our house. I feel ashamed in front of the neighbors. This is so difficult for my reputation. For Iraq, one of the biggest obstacles for public health officials fighting the coronavirus is the stigma associated with illness and quarantine. It runs so deep that people avoid being tested, prevent family members who want tests from having them and delay seeking medical help until they are catastrophically ill. Over 50 water-related projects in Anambra State, facilitated by federal lawmakers as constituency projects, have either been abandoned or have not even started years after funds were released by the government, investigations by Udeme have revealed. The projects, under the supervision of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRDBA), were nominated by the lawmakers between 2017 and 2019. In 2019, Udeme had also found a number of projects under the supervision of the same agency in similar conditions in Abia State. In Nigeria, contaminated water leads to diseases such as diarrhoea, which annually kills more than 70,000 children below the age of five, according to UNICEF. Millions of naira spent annually by the government have failed to provide safe drinking water for many Nigerians. PREMIUM TIMESs partner organisation, UDEME, has examined Zonal Intervention Projects from 2015 to 2019, and has found that about 99 projects worth over N5 billion in Anambra State were either abandoned, poorly executed or not executed at all by AIRDBA. Twenty-seven of those projects are water-related. The projects include the construction of solar-powered boreholes, rehabilitation of classrooms, erosion control, and supply of beverages, among other projects. Searching for water Most communities visited by UDEME have difficulty in accessing potable water. They get water from rivers, buy from water tankers or from neighbours who have boreholes in their homes. This reporter set out to locate an N8 million solar-powered borehole with an overhead tank nominated for construction in 2018 for Urum community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra. The project was facilitated by Victor Umeh, the senator representing the area in the National Assembly. The journey seemed endless as the motorcyclist and fixer took this reporter through Isuaniocha, the neighbouring community to Urum. Most roads in Nigerian rural communities are only motorbike-friendly. At Urum, the reporter asked residents about the borehole under construction by the federal government in the community, but no one had any idea of its location. Every resident approached advised the reporter to ask another person. Finally, the reporter found a water project, but in Umuife village, not Urum. It had no signage, so it was impossible to tell whose project it is. In any event, it is in a deplorable state and people around it claimed not to know anything about it. They directed this reporter to the president-general of the village association. But at his family house, the reporter was told that the official does not live in the village. Unnamed water project in Umuife, Urum community in deplorable state Another N8 million water project was nominated in 2018 by Mr Umeh for Isuaniocha, the neighbouring community to Umuife. Again, no one in the community knew where the borehole was located. Two boreholes seen in the village turned out to have been funded by the state government. Frank Mkpume, the president-general of Isuaniocha Development Union, was angry when the reporter arrived at his house to ask him about the federal project. I am tired of attending to you NGO people. A lot of people have come here claiming they want to inspect this same project and hear what our problems are, but at the end of the day, nothing happens, he said. He told UDEME that the water project was started in 2019 but has remained at the same preliminary stage. He appealed to the government to trace the contractor and bring them back to site. We are pleading with the government to always keep the community leaders in the know each time there is a project to be executed so we can know the contractors and follow up to make sure that the project is executed. Any incomplete project is useless, he said. Mr Mkpume assigned someone to guide the reporter to Central School, Umuelom, where the project is located. At the school, the reporter found that the concrete for the overhead tank had been done, the borehole drilled but that was all there was to the project. Signpost at community primary school Umuelom,Isuaniocha where borehole project is located Aside from the lack of potable water, Mr Mkpume also lamented the bad state of the roads in the community. In 2017, the senator for the district, Andy Uba, nominated the construction of a borehole with an overhead tank at Ezinifite police station in Nnewi South LGA for which N9 million was budgeted. Current state of borehole project at Isuaniocha community, Awka North It was less difficult this time to locate the police station. There, the reporter noticed two men sitting across the road. One of them has been an officer at the station since 2014, the other is a resident of the area. The officer initially refused to speak to the reporter, but later opened up. He said the project started in 2014 when the borehole was dug. It is not part of my duty but someday I will leave this village. They dug this borehole in 2014 saying it was from Azubuogu. Later in the year they returned to install the sumo, which they did not test. They came back in 2016 again with a different name, Anambra-Imo; they removed the old sumo and replaced it with a new one, he said. Advertisements Ezinifite police station Nnewi South This time they tested it, we saw water. We saw them again in 2018 when they came to mount this overhead tank and that was the last time we saw them. There has been no improvement. The other man, who identified himself simply as Okey, said the community depends on commercial borehole operators for water supply, otherwise, it would be in a dire situation. Current state of borehole project Mr Okey wondered why the contractor had refused to come back to complete the project. If the government has not paid him, please they should and if they have and he does not want to continue, they should please revoke the contract and give it to someone who will come and finish it, he said. Execution not visible The road leading to Adazi Ani in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra proved to be the best so far as the motorcyclist rode through Obeledu to Adazi Ani without running into potholes. In a short while the reporter and her fixer were right in front of what could be mistaken to be a personal project or even a farm as they had passed that building twice in search of the centre. READ ALSO: The solar-powered borehole project at the skill acquisition centre in Adazi Ani was nominated by the member of the House of Representatives for Anaocha/Dunukofia/Njikoka federal constituency, Dozie Nwankwo, at N15 million. In January 2020 when UDEME visited the project, the skill acquisition centre where the borehole is to be located was under lock and key, wild grass overtaking the fenced building. Skill acquisition centre covered by tall grasses A passerby said the building had been locked from the very first day. The person with the key is not here, the place has always been locked, he said. The traditional leader, Igwe of the community, owns two houses close to the project site. But he was not in when the reporter looked for him. A solar-powered borehole with overhead tank and reticulation was also nominated by Mr Nwankwo in 2019 budgeted for Aguluzigbo community at a project cost of N20 million. But the project was yet to take off when the reporter visited. Everyone asked had no idea where it was located. The last person who was asked directed this reporter to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) party chairperson in the community, Ibeabuchi Justice. Signage with skill acquisition centre description Mr Justice told UDEME that a team from Mr Nwankwo came to the community the week before the reporter arrived to ask for a site to execute the project. Dozie Nwankwos people were here last Saturday to ask for a place to execute this project you are talking about. We took them to the Community High School where we gave them a portion to do the work, the party leader said. Mkpasaku Enugwu Agidi is located on a hill. The reporter and the motorcyclist narrowly escaped a crash while riding up the hill as the motorcycle suddenly started moving backward. In 2018, N15 million was budgeted for the construction of a box culvert for flood control at Hospital Road, Mkpasaku Enugwu Agidi. This project was nominated by the senator, Victor Umeh. But there was no sign of a culvert built or being built, no signage and there was no one to speak to as the area looked deserted. At Mkpasaku school, there was no one around as it was past school hours. Lawmaker, Agency react Mr Umeh, the senator for Anambra Central District between 2015 and 2019, in his response to enquiries by UDEME, said he was helpless over the execution of the projects that he nominated. He confirmed the release of funds but said the agency supervising the execution of the projects was responsible for the failure or slow progress of the projects. Go to Anambra/Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA) in Owerri and ask them questions about the projects, he said. There is another pavilion at Nnobi. The River Basin handled the procurement and award of the contracts and the supervision of the execution of the contracts. The Director Of Procurement is Mrs Freedom Madu, I had queried her over the status of the contracts last year, but she did not provide satisfactory answers. Please, help to get hold of them and ascertain what they did with the 70 per cent of the appropriated funds in the budget released to them by the Federal Ministry Of Finance in two tranches Of 50 per cent and 20 per cent. For Enugwu-Agidi, the project was actually construction of a culvert that will connect two parts of the community. But surprisingly, I heard about flood control works! I raised questions, but again, they had no explanation. Check the budget for 2018 and confirm for yourself. The other lawmakers whose constituency projects this report covers did not respond to calls or text messages from the reporter. The Director of Procurement at AIRBDA, Mrs Madu, was not forthcoming when UDEME reached her. That I am the procurement officer does not mean I have all this information at the top of my head. If you have enquiries to make, I suggest you send a letter, she said. UDEME told her that a freedom of information request had been sent to her agency since January 31 without a response and that attempts to reach the managing director had failed. I cannot speak for the managing director. I have not seen any letter. Maybe the letter has been forwarded to the Engineering Department, she said. Ongoing and Completed The construction of a town hall and an erosion control project were slated for Enugwu Ukwu. Both projects were sited at Enuagu village, Njikoka Local Government Area of Enugu State at N31 million and N40 million respectively in 2018 and 2019. Ongoing Enuagu Town Hall, Enugwu Ukwu The town hall project was nominated by Mr Nwankwo. A tall edifice stood to the left of the road with signage. Edwin Ejike, the vice-chairman of Enuagu Development Union, said the community was happy over the town hall on which he said work is still ongoing. We are happy about it, he told the reporter. We have a number of challenges in our community, people have come on a number of occasions to take pictures, promising us a change. The erosion control project was nominated by Mr Nwankwo in 2017 and has a budget of N40 million, he said. Mr Ejike told UDEME that the village faces the problem of erosion. He said Mr Nwankwo who represents the federal constituency at the National Assembly is also affected by the erosion. Erosion affected area in Enuagu village, Enugwu Ukwu (2) Honourable Dozies house is also affected by the erosion, which is threatening to pull down the house. he is currently trying to reclaim his own part first. Right in front of my house here, the erosion is also approaching this part, it has already divided the road one kilometre from here, he said. State of Irukalita erosion control project as at 2018 At the erosion site, the reporter saw workers at Mr Nwankwos house. The erosion control project at Irukalita/Ngwulu-Agu village Enugwu Agidi has been completed. During UDEMEs last visit in 2018, the project was still ongoing. During the latest visit in January, the reporter noticed that the project has been completed with drainage and a tarred road. Current state of Irukalita erosion control project as at January 2020 Mich. gov. clarifies school closing order after complaints from homeschool groups Governor's office: outdoor activities protected by First Amendment are permitted Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has clarified that an executive order issued earlier this month suspending all in-person schooling for the remainder of the school year does not ban homeschooling. Following backlash from the Great Lakes Justice Center, Whitmers office published guidance on her April 2 order banning all face-to-face instruction at K-12 schools for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. The nonprofit legal organization warned that the language in Whitmers order could be interpreted as a ban on homeschooling because the order also applied to all nonpublic schools in the state. The EO, therefore, bars parents from directly teaching their children at home, the group warned in a fact sheet published last Thursday. While this may be an unintended consequence of faulty drafting, the EOs plain language bans all in-person instruction of all children for the rest of this school year. The group went on to state that parents have a fundamental constitutional right to raise and educate their children as guaranteed by the First and Fourth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution as well as the Michigan state Constitution. The center called on Whitmer to correct this unconstitutional action. The Home School Legal Defense Association agreed with the Great Lakes Justice Centers interpretation that Whitmers order could have been interpreted as applying to families homeschooling as a nonpublic school. On Monday, the new guidance from the governors office declared that homeschooling can continue in Michigan under her order. Does the orders suspension of in-person instruction prohibit homeschooling? the guidance asked. It provided a straight answer of No. While concerns were raised about the language in Whitmers order, HSLDA Senior Counsel Mike Donnelly said in a statement that he was not aware of any enforcement actions taken to prohibit or otherwise interfere with families homeschooling. HSLDA does not believe that the governor ever had any authority to suspend or otherwise interfere with non-public schools in Michigan and, to the extent her order sought to do so, was ... invalid to begin with, Donnelly said. Whitmers order also clarified that the executive order does not apply to schools that operate 100 percent online. These schools should continue to educate students in the manner the schools had been operating before the public health emergency, the guidance explained. Additionally, the guidance clarified that school districts can resume in-person instruction if the state of emergency is lifted before the end of the scheduled 2019-2020 school year. Last week, Whitmers office released a clarification on her stay-at-home order after a man who was issued a ticket for protesting outside of a Detroit abortion clinic filed a lawsuit against Whitmer and the city, arguing that the order appeared to criminalize free speech activity. In an online blurb published last week, the governors office said the stay-at-home order does not prohibit persons from engaging in outdoor activities that are protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Persons may engage in expressive activities protected by the First Amendment within the State of Michigan, but must adhere to social distancing measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including remaining at least six feet from people from outside the persons household, the blurb reads. NBC News reported that Michiganders from more conservative areas of the state believe Whitmers stay-at-home order is infringing on their constitutional freedoms. Residents in the state are banned from traveling to their other in-state residences, such as vacation homes. They are also not allowed to use their own motorboats, or even buy seeds to grow vegetables or buy paint for their homes. But residents can still purchase lottery tickets. One petition online calling for Whitmer to be recalled has amassed over 200,000 supporters. The Facebook page "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" has amassed over 300,000 followers. "The reason we started this group wasn't that we were against the quarantine. We're not," the Facebook groups founder, Garrett Soldano, said in a Facebook video on Monday. "We were against our very constitutional rights taken away from us. No governor should ever have that power. Soldano assured the groups followers that their voices have been heard. We have been in contact with the state of Michigan in Lansing this morning, he said in the video. Know and understand that there is legislation being made right now to get us back to work as safe and as fast as possible by or before May 4. UPDATE April 15: In a news release a day after this post first appeared, United announced: "This weekend, we'll load a revamped schedule that will further reduce our capacity to about 10 percent of what had been planned for May at the beginning of this year. We expect to announce similar reductions to the June schedule in the next few weeks. We have now essentially redesigned our network to be down 90 percent while complying with the CARES Act and maintaining connectivity among nearly all our domestic destinations." (Read our post about the announcement here.) Original post starts here: Although the future course of the global coronavirus pandemic is far from certain, airlines nonetheless have to make forward-looking operational plans, and United appears to have tentative plans for a gradual resumption of its international network including a number of routes from San Francisco International starting next month. During April, faced with massive cancellations and new entry restrictions imposed by several nations, United downsized to a skeletal operation for its overseas routes. For example, it is operating no transatlantic flights from San Francisco this month. United says that its current international schedule (through May 19th) includes, according to an United statement, "continued service between the U.S. and London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. United is the only airline operating daily service between New York/Newark and London, San Francisco and Sydney and between Houston and Sao Paulo. We are also operating daily service between Chicago and London, New York/Newark and Amsterdam, Washington, D.C. and Frankfurt beginning May 4 and three-times weekly service between Houston and Buenos Aires, beginning May 5." But what about beyond May 19th? A spokespserson said, "Additional schedule changes, those beyond May 19, will be systematically loaded as this crisis continues and demand remains variable." According to Routesonline.com, which tracks all schedule adjustments worldwide based on public filings by the airlines, United is looking at a resumption of some international service beginning in late May. The United spokesperson noted that the information in Routesonline is subject to change: "As we review demand across the international network, our schedule will evolve." RoutesOnline reports United's filings for its upcoming San Francisco schedule effective May 20th or 21st includes a revival of transpacific service to Auckland (three flights a week); Beijing Capital (daily service); Chengdu, China (three flights a week); Delhi (three a week); Hong Kong (twice-daily 777-200ER flights); Melbourne (three times a week); Papeete, Tahiti (three a week), Shanghai Pudong (two daily 787-9 flights), Taipei (daily), and daily flights to both Tokyo airports. On the same dates the filings show that the airline plans to increase SFO-Singapore service to twice-daily flights, SFO-Seoul to 12 flights a week, and SFO-Osaka to daily frequencies. OAG Across the Atlantic, United is looking to revive San Francisco-Frankfurt route on May 20 with twice-daily 777-300ER flights, SFO-Paris CDG with a daily 777-200ER roundtrip, and SFO-Tel Aviv with a daily 777-300ER flight. Uniteds new SFO-Dublin route, previously scheduled to launch on June 5, is now slated to begin July 1 with a daily 787-8 roundtrip. Also on July 1, the filings show that United is set to resume daily SFO-Amsterdam and daily SFO-Zurich service. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. A similar increase in international operations is planned from Uniteds other hubs, including Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles. Heres the full list from Airlinesroutes.com. However, the schedule tracking website also noted that United has decided to cancel 11 transatlantic routes through the summer season. That includes service from Chicago to Rome and Zurich; Newark to Naples, Palermo, Prague, Reykjavik and Stockholm; and Washington Dulles to Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Tel Aviv. OAG, the U.K.-based schedule data giant, said global airline capacity has plunged by more than 70 percent from mid-January to mid-April, but it sees some positive indications in the weeks ahead. For example, it noted that it has recently seen a slight bump in capacity in northeast Asia as Chinas airlines start to resume some service. For many airlines, the middle to end of May appears the latest thinking in terms of bringing back some capacity but the situation remains extremely fluid, OAG said this week. Our expectation is that next weeks data will take us below the 30 million weekly seats mark from which point we look forward to seeing capacity growth return. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE weekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Kortney Williams was on a roll. A senior in her last semester at Xavier University, shed been working part-time for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for the third year. Then the bottom fell out. No Jazz Fest. No job. The annual festival attracts thousands. It employs a lot of people, and not just during the April-May festival. Normally, Williams works about eight months of the year to help ensure the festival lives up to its reputation. When the festival was postponed as a part of the public health emergency protections, her job evaporated. As a single mother taking care of three-year-old Karter on a $10-an-hour festival production salary, Williams counted on that money to support the two of them. During her third walk of the day with her curious, outgoing and rambunctious child, she told me shes receiving unemployment, but she really hopes she gets the $1,200 federal jobless benefit approved for some workers when Congress passed the CARES Act. I was working up until March 31, and now Im not working at all, she said as her daughter walked with her, playing with a bubble blower. The job was an important part of her time management and structure. She did her schoolwork and festival work while Karter was attending Educare on St. Bernard Avenue. When she lost her job, Karters school closed, at least temporarily, for the same reason she lost her job: to flatten the curve. Now shes struggling to balance school and all-day parenting in their one-bedroom apartment near the old Winn-Dixie in the Iberville area of New Orleans. Right now I cant focus. Its hard for me. Williams is one of thousands of Louisianans who lost jobs as nonessential business operations shut down to save lives. She knows unemployment is meant to be temporary relief. She needs a job, and she has a big concern. How long is this going to last? Williams wonders. Its very uneasy, unsettling. How am I going to provide for my daughter? COVID-19 is hitting black people hard in Louisiana, and in several metro areas across the nation. More than 70% of the coronavirus deaths in Louisiana were black fatalities as of last week. I worry about our first responders on the front lines in hospitals, pharmacies, stores and other essential businesses. I worry about people like Williams, too. Williams, who picked up a temporary U.S. Census internship with the Urban League of Louisiana, will be listening when the league and the Louisiana Public Health Initiative co-host a virtual town hall about the coronavirus impact on African Americans Tuesday at 5 p.m. Williams and others want to know more about why this coronavirus is affecting so many black people. One important factor is poverty. The United States poverty line is $11,770 a year, as defined in 2015 for a single person under 65. In 2018, the census showed the national average was 11.8% of the nations population living below that line. In Louisiana, in 2019, the average was 18.6%. We have the dubious distinction of having the third-highest poverty level, behind only Mississippi and New Mexico. Why do I share this? Numerous academic and government studies show that poor people are less likely to have adequate health care access. There is a direct connection between a persons ability to pay and decisions not to seek health care. Generally, poor people pay out of pocket. They dont have health plans. They dont have copays. They dont have flexible spending accounts. In buildings not far from where Williams used to attend classes, Daniel F. Sarpong, Ph.D., and Kathleen B. Kennedy, Pharm.D., study disparities with the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education at Xavier University. There wouldnt be such a center if there werent disparities to study. Sarpong directs the center. Kennedy is the dean of Xaviers College of Pharmacy. They know disparities exist, and they see a socio-economic connection. Fortunately, Williams has health coverage for herself and her daughter. But with no income and an uncertain unemployment stretch ahead, however, shes concerned and so is Karter. It has taken a toll on her, her mom said. Every morning she asks, Am I going to school today? It breaks Williams heart to tell her no, and to know that she doesnt know when Karter will return to school, or when mom will be returning to work. Visit Farmers.com or Foremost.com. Call their agent. Use the Farmers Mobile App through their smartphone or tablet. Text REPORTCLAIM to 29141. Call the 24-hour claims center: Farmers Claims Contact number: 1-800-435-7764. Foremost customers can also use the 1-800-435-7764 number for assistance. Bristol West customers can call 1-800-274-7865 for assistance. Spanish-language claims assistance is available to Farmers customers by calling 1-877-RECLAMO (877-732-5266). To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, and to make the process easier for customers, Farmers Insurance is offering a number of technological solutions for processing claims. Customers who file a claim will be able to work directly with a specially trained claims professional to guide them through the claims process. For more information about how Farmers is responding to COVID-19 and processing claims during this time, visit https://www.farmers.com/covid-19-notice/. About Farmers Insurance "Farmers Insurance" and "Farmers" are tradenames for a group of insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services and products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 5 million households with over 15 million individual policies nationally, through the efforts of more than 45,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 19,000 employees. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three primary insurers that make up Farmers Insurance, is recognized as one of the largest U.S. companies on the 2019 Fortune 500 list. For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, follow on Twitter @WeAreFarmers, Instagram @ThisIsFarmers or follow on Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance. Contact: External Communications Farmers Insurance 818-965-0007 [email protected] SOURCE Farmers Insurance Related Links https://www.farmers.com The state government of New South Wales has announced a $440m package to help both landlords and tenants affected by the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The package will provide a range of support to both residential and commercial landlords and tenants who are affected by the outbreak. This includes financial support via land tax waivers and rebates. "The announcement provides a 25% rebate or waiver for landlords who pass on an equivalent amount of rental relief for their tenants. We are also deferring land tax for the next three months for those who get to pay their land tax bill for this year," said NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Tenants who have suffered a loss of income equal to or greater than 25% are encouraged to speak with their landlords and enter negotiations. Perrottet said the more the landlords and tenants work with each other, the better off both would be during this pandemic. "For those tenants whose circumstances have not changed, their obligations have not changed as well they are required to pay rent during this period of time," he said. The Tenants' Union of NSW said the announcement provides people with greater certainty about their living situation and their ability to stay home during the outbreak. "Implementing a process to focus negotiations before eviction can occur will avoid some of the issues people have been facing and give us all breathing space," said Leo Patterson Ross, CEO of the Tenants' Union. However, Patterson said it is crucial for the government to define pertinent details in the policy to prevent possible loopholes. "The risk of not providing a comprehensive moratorium and rent relief package is that it can open up loopholes. We look forward to examining the detail and will continue to engage with the minister for innovation and better regulation and the NSW government, including drawing attention to the actual experience of people who rent their homes in the state," he said. The support for residential tenancies came after some groups called out the federal governments mandatory code, which only covers commercial leases. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said residential tenancies will be dealt directly by state and territory jurisdictions. "We have a moratorium on evictions, and then individual measures beyond that they believe are best addressed within each individual jurisdiction," he said. Adrian Kelly, president at the Real Estate Institute of Australia, said this could lead to Australians being treated differently depending on where they reside. "This will add to the confusion and most likely there will be the misinterpretation of messaging," he said. "I am disappointed that a uniform approach could not have been agreed to for all Australians." Ravindra Rao The sharp slump in crude oil price this year has forced producers to iron out their differences and take unprecedented and severe measures to reduce the glut in global markets. As per OPEC's communique released after Friday's report, OPEC and allies will cut production by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) starting on May 1, 2020, for an initial period of two months that concludes on June 30, 2020. For the subsequent period of 6 months, from July 1 to December 31, the total cut agreed will be 7.7 million bpd. It will be followed by a 5.8 million bpd adjustment for a period of 16 months, from January 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022. The group will meet on June 10, 2020 via videoconference, to determine further actions, as needed to balance the market. Additionally, other oil producers like Canada, Norway and US are also expected to cut output but there is no formal announcement. Reuters quoted OPEC sources stating that other producers may cut production by about 4 to 5 million bpd. Apart from the sharp slump in price, the historic deal took shape also because US pointed towards lower output. US EIA, in its monthly outlook, cut its 2020 crude oil output estimate from 12.99 million bpd to 11.76 million bpd and a further drop next year. However, the price reaction shows that the deal has failed to achieve its purpose. WTI crude rose as high as $24.74 per barrel on Monday as market reacted to the deal but has failed to hold to the gains and traded little changed near $22.7 a barrel as of this writing. Market players remained unconvinced as they counter deep production cuts against sharp demand destruction. Global virus cases have continued to rise and most countries are forced to extend shutdowns and this is likely to keep demand low. Additionally market players are also worried about the huge stock overhang. US crude stocks are already at June 2019 highs. Also there is lack of conviction that other producers may be able to cut as effectively. On the whole, the deal is a significant step and will help provide a floor to crude oil price. However a sharp upside move may come in only once we see some significant containment in the virus spread as it will help demand recover. We have already seen slowdown in death rates in Italy and New York while some countries like Spain have begun discussion to lift lockdown however it is still a long journey to kick-start the global economy again. Another aspect is possible treatment for the virus infection. World Health Organization has noted that 70 coronavirus vaccines are in development but there is no certainty as to how soon a treatment will be found. The author is VP - Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Facilitating Indias imports of Covid-19-related critical medical equipment and keeping the drug production supply chain open by China is the best signal for bilateral ties, Indian ambassador Vikram Misri said on Tuesday. Chinese companies have been contracted for nearly 15 million personal protective equipment (PPE) kits comprising gowns, gloves, masks and goggles, and 1.5 million rapid testing kits for Covid-19 by the Indian government and private companies. Some of this equipment has already reached India, he said. India has now asked China to speed up the export of a large quantity of quality-checked medical equipment such as protective clothing, ventilators and testing kits from Chinese companies, Misri told a virtual news conference with Beijing-based Indian journalists and representatives of Chinas official media. Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage New Delhi is also in communication with Beijing on keeping the supply line of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) open for manufacturing generic drugs. And at this time, I think facilitation of our needs and our requirements in a timely manner, in a smooth manner, on a predictable timeline at prices that are stable and orderly would be the best signal possible to send for the India-China relationship, Misri said. So, I think, thismay have started out as a crisis but it is definitely an opportunity for us to send out a very good message, generally a good signal about India-China cooperation. Misri said both countries trade in medicine ingredients such as APIs. We importa considerable amount of APIs from China to manufacture pharmaceuticals that we export to the rest of the world. And in certain cases, Chinese companies import APIs from India to manufacture certain pharmaceuticals that they need for domestic consumption as well as export, he said. So, its important at this time when not just the two countries but the rest of the world needs medicines and pharmaceuticals, for us to keep this product line open. The figure for medical equipment and other materials being supplied by China to India is enormously dynamic because there are flights taking off on almost a daily basis from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen for India, Misri said. The numbers are significantWe are in the process of, or have already completed, contracting for nearly 15 million PPE kits, for instance, consisting of gowns, masks, gloves, goggles, he said. Misri added: Given our size, our position, I think there is considerable space for India and China to cooperate in controlling the spread of this pandemic and there are immediate short-term as well as medium- and long-term aspects to our cooperation. The immediate aspect is cooperating in procuring much-needed medical equipment and products in India, as our healthcare community and our healthcare fraternity, which is at the frontlines of facing this challenge, battles this outbreak, he said. Misri noted that when China was dealing with the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, India had provided medical assistance. Now, we are in the process of commercially procuring a large number of these supplies. China happens to be one of the largest producers, has a number of these products. So, this offers us an opportunity of cooperating in a smooth manner by facilitating the procurement of medical assistance and medical equipment and products from China, he said. Some of the orders were placed before China imposed regulations that limited and restricted the number of Chinese companies that can export to India, he noted. Given (these) products are licenced for import to India, it will be a welcome step for Chinese authorities to expedite the registration of these products, he said. The pandemic first emerged as a local outbreak in Wuhan city in central China late last year, before spreading across the country and beyond over the next three-and-half months. The pandemic has so far killed nearly 120,000 people and infected more than 1.8 million. In India, the confirmed cases have doubled in about a week to 10,000. China itself suffered from a serious shortage of medical equipment in the first stages of the outbreak in Wuhan. The peak has since passed in China and local manufacturers have ramped up production of medical equipment as demand surged across the world. The two governments have been in touch to ensure stable and orderly purchase and procurement of these items, (focusing) on issues such as identifying bona fide suppliers of these products and entering into agreements with them, Misri said. It is important to ensure the quality of products and make purchases at reasonable prices, he said. A number of European governments had rejected Chinese-made medical equipment designed for use to prevent and control the spread of the Coronavirus. Thousands of testing kits and medical masks were found to be below standard or defective, according to authorities in Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands. Beijing has since tightened monitoring and inspection of medical equipment that is exported. India and China are currently observing the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties though various commemorative events have been put off because of the Covid-19 outbreak. URBANA, Ill. - Soybean production in Africa and other developing regions has the potential to alleviate hunger and boost local economies. But the transition from traditional crops such as cowpea or cassava to a major commercial crop such as soybean is fraught with challenges. The Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), housed in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, is funded by USAID's Feed the Future initiative to help bring research-based innovation and technology to develop soybean production in Sub-Saharan Africa. "The challenge is to feed the world and strengthen agriculture in developing countries," says Peter Goldsmith, director of SIL and professor of agricultural and consumer economics at U of I. "We conduct research that provides the answers to real questions facing practitioners working along the value chain, thereby helping to inform smart development and sustainable policies," he adds. Goldsmith explains that SIL's economics team supplies critical information that can be put into practice by organizations working directly with farmers. In one study, SIL researchers investigated the viability of soybean production for smallholder farmers in Ghana, especially women. The data originated with a donor organization that wanted to bring soybean production to hundreds of women farmers. The sponsor assumed that using a standard rollout of training and market linkages could make soybean a successful smallholder crop. Goldsmith and study co-author Courtney Tamimie analyzed soybean adoption and performance data from the project for 453 smallholder farmers in northwestern Ghana from 2013-2015. Their research documented a steep learning curve for adopting soybeans as a commercial crop. This makes soybean a "long-jump" technology that requires significant shifts in production and marketing practices; a greater dependence on production credit; and different forms of commercial risk not found when producing traditional staple crops. "Smallholder farmers face severe challenges with a broad commercial crop like soybeans; it's very different from a typical smallholder crop such as traditional staples," Goldsmith says. "Bringing in a crop that is management heavy and requires new technology is very difficult for farmers who are not part of a system." For a transition to soybean to be economically feasible, the authors say, smallholder farmers need to be part of a larger system that can provide guidance and support, because the technical load of soybean production is high. "There are many successful outgrower models whereby the system provides the technology, services, credit, and extension support throughout the crop year, in exchange for grain at harvest," Goldsmith says. Systems such as cooperatives, outgrower networks, or commercial input/seed companies give farmers access to knowledge that boosts yields and income. Through the system, the farmer receives bundles that include all the components for high soybean yields and a profitable crop, such as certified seed, key inputs, and management support. Much like U.S. farmers, who operate within a rich support network of technology suppliers and advisors, smallholders in Africa also need to be part of a commercial crop system in order to stay competitive. "In developing countries, the typical model is the independent, smallholder farmer. But that is not viable for a technology- and management-heavy commercial crop like soybean," Goldsmith says. "That's the nature of soybean in a developing country, and this was not known before SIL's research." A second recent study from the economics team at SIL addressed whether soybean prices are abnormally low, thus making profitable soybean production difficult. Edward Martey, economist at the Savanna Agricultural Institute in northern Ghana, led a team to analyze soybean prices across six marketing regions in Ghana. The researchers note that common thinking among practitioners and their farmers was that low prices, not low yields, were to blame for poor profitability from soybean production in Ghana. Martey and co-authors Goldsmith and Nicolas Gatti show that this is not the case. Soybean prices in Ghana compare quite favorably to international prices and are consistent with supply and demand factors in the country. The researchers did note that there is significant seasonality due to insufficient storage, poor road infrastructure, and challenging logistics during the harvest period. "The price is very low at harvest and very high the week before harvest, because the country has very little storage capacity," Goldsmith explains. However, prices overall were comparable to world prices, and sometimes they were even higher. The researchers conclude that it's not low prices that prevent adoption and profitability of soybean among smallholder famers in Ghana. "The prices are fair; it's that yields are too low, averaging about 10 bushels per acre for the average farmer, who applies few inputs and uses saved seed," Goldsmith says. "So the question becomes, how can we help farmers increase yield?" The SIL economics team also released a third study, looking at soybean grain and seed quality, in the series on soybean economics in Ghana. "The price is not just a function of the world price or supply and demand. It's also a function of the quality of the grain," Goldsmith notes. In the developed world, pricing based on grain quality is well understood and transparent. "In the U.S., when you take your grain to the elevator, there's a posted price and then there's a discount schedule for a set of attributes, including foreign matter, moisture, cracks and breaks," Goldsmith explains. However, developing countries do not have a reliable system of evaluating discounts, which can vary from buyer to buyer, and across the crop year. Poor information on quality hurts farmers who may be overly penalized, but also may not receive proper information to encourage delivery of quality grain and seed. To better understand the relationship between grain quality and prices, Martey and Goldsmith conducted an experiment to understand the buying process of 227 traders in Ghana. That included three classes of traders: those who buy from farmers and sell in the local marketplace; those who buy grain and then sell it to the processors in the central part of the country; and those who are agents buying for processors. The study examined trader preferences and reasons for price discounts. Results indicated traders discount for attributes such as off color, small grain size, low oil levels, and high contamination with foreign materials. While differences across trader types exist, discounts are consistent with hypothesized behavior and are not overly aggressive. Poor and variable grain and seed quality hurt farmers as they seek clear signals about market needs, as well as processors who struggle to operate efficiently. Greater transparency and the adoption and enforcement of national grades and standards would go a long way in supporting the development of the soybean industry in Ghana, the researchers say. "These and other studies from SIL provide research-based information about the challenges facing soybean development in Africa by supplying practitioners and their organizations with critical knowledge that can better inform their policies and practices," Goldsmith says. ### The following articles are available online: "Determinants of Soybean Adoption and Performance in Northern Ghana," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Authors: Courtney Tamimie and Peter Goldsmith, Soybean Innovation Lab, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois. "Assessing the performance of regional soybean prices in Ghana," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Authors: Edward Martey, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana; Peter Goldsmith and Nicolas Gatti, University of Illinois. [doi.org/10.22434/IFAMR2019.0138] "Heterogeneous Demand for Soybean Quality," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Authors: Edward Martey, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana, and Peter Goldsmith, University of Illinois. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 02:54:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close While attending a special summit of the ASEAN Plus Three on COVID-19 via video link, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said: - The battle against COVID-19 has made people more aware that all humanbeings are in a community with a shared future; - China will provide another 100 million face masks, 10 million protective suits and other urgently needed medical supplies to ASEAN countries as grant assistance and via commercial channels; - ASEAN Plus Three countries need to act with greater synergy and common purpose and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance to secure an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) to pool efforts in clinching an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three countries or 10+3) on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of the ASEAN Plus Three on COVID-19 via video link. Noting that with more than 200 countries and regions affected to date, Li said COVID-19 is gravely threatening the health, safety and life of people around the world and is putting the global economy under severe strain. He called on APT countries to act with greater synergy and common purpose and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance to secure an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. "The battle against COVID-19 has made us more aware that we are in a community with a shared future," Li said. ENHANCE PUBLIC HEALTH CAPACITY Li called on APT countries to enhance all-round epidemic cooperation to jointly curb the spread of COVID-19 and build up public health capacity. China will provide another 100 million face masks, 10 million protective suits and other urgently needed medical supplies to ASEAN countries as grant assistance and via commercial channels, he said. Customs officers check medical supplies donated to Japan in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) China supports ASEAN in setting up a COVID-19 ASEAN response fund, and will provide necessary support through the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund and APT Cooperation Fund, said Li, noting that China suggests an APT reserve of essential medical supplies be established to make responses faster and emergency supplies more readily available. The premier said APT countries also need to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in playing a leading role, and work together to safeguard regional and global public health security. The special summit, chaired by Vietnam in its capacity as ASEAN chair for 2020, is a key get-together for the East Asian region's COVID-19 response taking place after the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 on March 26. Leaders of the ten ASEAN countries, ROK President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi also attended meeting. The participating leaders shared the view that in the face of the unprecedented challenge posed by COVID-19, APT countries should carry forward the tradition of cooperation, demonstrate solidarity and join hands in tackling this challenge. It is important to enhance experience and information sharing, conduct joint research and development of drugs and vaccines, and build up regional mechanisms for epidemic control, they said. Airport workers unload cargos of Chinese medical supplies at the Yangon International Airport in Myanmar, April 8, 2020. (Xinhua/U Aung) RESTORE ECONOMIC VITALITY APT countries, representing the bulk of Asia's economy, have a total trade volume of over 10 trillion U.S. dollars, almost half of which is intra-regional trade. As close neighbors, the APT countries have developed a full-fledged industrial chain and a mutually complementary specialization structure, said Li. He called on the APT countries to demonstrate their positive and special role in fighting the epidemic and revitalizing the economy. APT countries need to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, said Li. He proposed opening a "fast-track lane" for essential personnel on urgent visits in the fields of commerce, logistics, production and technological services among APT countries. Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque (L) talks to members of a Chinese medical team in Manila, the Philippines, on April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) APT countries also need to work toward signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement within this year as agreed and endeavor to take regional economic integration to a higher level, Li said. He also suggested making full use of mechanisms such as the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization and leveraging the APT Macroeconomic Research Office to strengthen crisis preparedness. APT countries should also strive to ensure regional grain supply and market security, he added. The participating leaders said APT countries need to enhance macro economic policy coordination, ensure the smooth functioning of the industrial and supply chains, gradually restore social and economic order, and anchor market confidence. They agreed that APT countries should make the best effort toward signing the RCEP agreement within this year. A joint statement of the summit was released after the meeting. Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Global Security Cooperation Center at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said the COVID-19 response reflects the importance of building a "community with a shared future for humanity." It is an urgent need for East Asia not only to build "an epidemic prevention community" to contain the outbreak, but also "an economic community" to address the impact on economy, said Hwang. Geographically close, APT countries have close contacts and a good foundation for cooperation, said Hwang, adding that the outcome of this online summit shows the cohesion of the APT countries in coping with the crisis. A Lao Health Ministry official (R) says goodbye to a Chinese anti-epidemic medical expert at the Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, April 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Jianhua) The APT cooperation mechanism was set up in response to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and then emerged even stronger from the international financial crisis in 2008. Wu Jianghao, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday's meeting strengthened APT countries' will to coordinate, boosted their confidence and identified the direction of cooperation. "China is encouraged to see the outcomes of the summit," Wu said at a press briefing after the summit, adding that China stands ready to stay in close cooperation with all parties to act on the consensus reached by the leaders, take effective measures and work together to overcome the pandemic and restore economic vitality in the region at an early date. (Video reporters: Guo Wei, Tian Ming, Wang Jingqiang, Huang Shuo, Liang Shun, Mao Pengfei, Zhang Jianhua, Outhai, Hai Yue; video editor: Li Ziwei, Zheng Xin) New Zealand appears to be over the worst of its coronavirus outbreak but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she still will not lift strict lockdown measures. The country has seen its infection rate fall since imposing a full-scale lockdown on March 26, with fewer than 60 new cases recorded over the past three days. Despite the huge decrease in new cases of infections, New Zealand suffered its deadliest day to date on Tuesday with four deaths. Three people from the Rosewood Rest Home and Hospital in Christchurch died and one man in his 70s died in Wellington, taking the national death toll to nine. Ms Ardern described it as a 'sad and sobering reminder of the need to stay the course'. New Zealand appears to be over the worst of its coronavirus outbreak but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) says she's hesitant to lift the strict lockdown measures The country has seen its infection rate fall since going into strict lockdown nearly three weeks ago, with fewer than 20 new cases recorded each day over the past three days 'I have seen some commentary, that is not unexpected, that reflects our success today in stamping out the virus, as reason enough to take our foot off the pedal. It is not,' Ms Ardern said on Tuesday. 'As the Director-General said, we are successfully 'over the peak' - but that is not the same thing as being out of the woods.' A decision on whether to extend the nationwide shutdown and state of national emergency will be made on April 20. If the level four lockdown continues, hundreds of thousands of people will remain out of work, as only essential services, including supermarkets and hospitals, are open. Adelaide Road in Wellington, New Zealand is left empty during lockdown for the COVID-19 lockdown People practice social distancing while entering a supermarket in Wellington, New Zealand on April 11 'Just remember, one case can lead to a massive outbreak. What matters is not just the numbers but what they tell us,' Ms Ardern told Newstalk ZB. 'If we have cases where we don't know where they came from, we have to make sure there's no iceberg underneath.' The New Zealand government had tried to to offset job losses by spending $NZ22 billion ($A21 billion) in stimulus measures such as wage subsidies, increased welfare payments, tax subsidies, and injections into the health system. The Treasury modelling suggests that a further $NZ20 billion ($A19 billion) of spending would see NZ's unemployment figure peak at 8.5 per cent in the June quarter of this year, then fall back to 5.5 per cent next year. The official unemployment rate prior to the lockdown was 4.0 per cent. 'We are working towards making sure we keep unemployment as low as possible,' finance minister Grant Robertson said. 'We now want ... to establish more economic activity, have people coming back into work and at the same time, work on those recovery plans that start to redeploy people to different industries, retrain people.' The best-case forecast relies on New Zealand loosening the screws of its severe lockdown next week, before spending another month at a Level 3 alert. That scenario relies on borders being closed to foreign visitors 'for up to 12 months'. New Zealand COVID-19 alert levels Level 1: Prepare Border entry measures to minimise risk of importing COVID-19 cases applied Contact tracing Stringent self-isolation and quarantine Intensive testing for COVID-19 Physical distancing encouraged Mass gatherings over 500 cancelled Stay home if you're sick, report flu-like symptoms Wash and dry hands, cough into elbow, don't touch your face Level 3: Restrict Travel in areas with clusters or community transmission limited Affected educational facilities closed Mass gatherings cancelled Public venues closed (e.g. libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, amusement parks) Alternative ways of working required and some non-essential businesses should close Non face-to-face primary care consultations Non acute (elective) services and procedures in hospitals deferred and healthcare staff reprioritised Level 2: Reduce Entry border measures maximised Further restrictions on mass gatherings Physical distancing on public transport Limit non-essential travel around New Zealand Employers start alternative ways of working if possible Business continuity plans activated High-risk people advised to remain at home (e.g. those over 70 or those with other existing medical conditions) Level 4: Eliminate People instructed to stay at home Educational facilities closed Businesses closed except for essential services (e.g. supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics) and lifeline utilities Rationing of supplies and requisitioning of facilities Travel severely limited Major reprioritisation of healthcare services Advertisement PORTAGE COUNTY, Ohio -- Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge Becky Doherty will not lose her law license as a result of a drunken-driving crash that happened last year, an opinion from the Ohio Supreme Court says. The higher court ruled that a public reprimand is appropriate for the 57-year-old judge, according to the opinion released Tuesday morning. The judges ruled Doherty does not have a substance abuse problem, an emotional disorder, a psychological disorder and has shown remorse. She spent three days in Portage County Jail after pleading guilty Feb. 15, 2019 to operating a vehicle while under the influence after Portage County Judge Kevin T. Poland sentenced her to 180 days in jail, but suspended 177 of those days, records show. She paid a $1,075 fine, but Poland suspended $700 of that fine on the condition that Doherty does not get another alcohol or drug-related conviction within two years. She also completed a driver-intervention program. The crash at the heart of the state Supreme Courts decision happened about 9 p.m. on the snowy on-ramp to Interstate 76 east in Brimfield Township, police said. Police received a call about a car in a ditch off the side of the highway. Police found Doherty inside of her car and crying, according to a Brimfield police report. A police officer who responded noticed vomit in the car and smelled alcohol when he approached, the report says. She told the officer she drove her car off the side of the road and was drinking alcohol before the crash, the report says. She also told the officer several times that she was a judge in Portage County. Doherty was unsteady and almost fell multiple times while walking up the embankment to the side of the road, the opinion says. And after being placed in the back of the cruiser, she exclaimed, I am so intoxicated[!] An officer took pictures of the scene while she sat in the back of the police cruiser. She repeatedly knocked on the cruiser door to get the officers attention. When Doherty learned what the officer was doing, she yelled, Are you kidding me? I am absolutely out of my mind, the report says. She asked the officers when they arrived at the police station to take her home or to call her sheriffs deputy friend, the opinion says. It notes that Doherty did apologize during her first court appearance to the court and the public. She also made a statement to media outlets and apologized. The board recognized that a judges operation of a vehicle while intoxicated imperils public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, the opinion says. It also stated that a judges repeated nonresponsive statements about being a judge during the judges arrest is an abuse of the prestige of the officeeven when they are borne of the lip-loosening effects of alcohol. Read more crime stories at cleveland.com: Man arrested in roommates stabbing death in Clevelands Edgewater neighborhood, police say Fourth inmate dies at sole federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus spreads among inmates, staff Ohio AG files price-gouging lawsuit against Chagrin Falls man accused of hoarding N95 masks needed for coronavirus response Akron Walgreens robbery suspect returns to store to shoplift, gets arrested, police say Three cited in Cleveland Heights for violating Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home order after three dozen found house party, police say Anyone with mild symptoms of COVID-19 can now get tested for the disease, state officials announced Tuesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says anyone with symptoms of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus -- such as fever, cough or shortness of breath -- should contact their healthcare provider, a nurse hotline or telehealth program to evaluate whether they should be tested for the disease.. Testing was previously limited to hospitalized patients and symptomatic people in at-risk groups such as the elderly or those with immuno-compromising diseases. First responders, health care workers and critical infrastructure workers with symptoms were also able to get a test, according to a news release from the state. 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Joneigh Khaldun, the states chief medical executive, said additional testing will help officials better understand the states outbreak. Expanded testing is needed to learn more about how COVID-19 is spreading in our state, Khaldun said in a statement. We want to make sure people know that if they have symptoms, they should work with their medical provider to be tested. Each coronavirus test provider will determine if testing is appropriate based on symptoms and test availability in their area, according to the release. Some drive-up testing sites across the state have not required doctors referrals for testing. Instead, many health systems pre-screened individuals to determine if their symptoms met the perimeters for testing. Drive-thru coronavirus testing coming to Oakland County this week, no prescription required Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. The state saw its second-deadliest day of the outbreak Tuesday, April 14, with 166 additional deaths reported. Michigan now has more than 27,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, one of the largest statewide outbreaks in the United States. Coronavirus deaths surge again during Michigans second-deadliest day 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 Tuesday, April 14: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Recently expired drivers licenses, plate tabs OK in Michigan during coronavirus pandemic Whitmer initiates liquor buyback program for Michigan bars impacted by coronavirus pandemic NEW DELHI: BJP's parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has joined the government's efforts to spread awareness about checking the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 and help people stranded during the lockdown. According to the Zee Media sources, the Sangh Parivar has launched a new helpline App - Utkarsh - to help those who are facing problems during the lockdown in Delhi and other parts of the country. The App was launched by senior RSS leader Dr. Krishna Gopal in the national capital. While launching the App, RSS 'Sah Sar Karyawah' Dr Krishna Gopal informed that the outfit had recently aunched four Apps and its call centers are working round-the-clock to help people during the lockdown. The right-wing Hindu outfit had recently launched a helpline number 9650530531 for the people of the northeast who are currently residing in Delhi. The helpline, which is operated entirely by the RSS volunteers from the northeast, has been receiving calls from people of the northeast asking help for their relatives stranded in Delhi amidst the nationwide lockdown period. The RSS had last week launched medicos helpline for public welfare in J&K. Swayamsevaks had been helping the poor and needy without differentiating the caste, creed, culture, and religion. From the very first day of the lockdown, the Sangh Parivar launched the relief distribution drive among the people who were most affected in J&K and other pats of the country. The senior RSS leader also expressed the hope that the country would soon tide over the coronavirus crisis and urged the countrymen to follow social distancing and other measures suggested by the Centre and their respective state government to curb its spread. RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi had earlier asked the Sangh volunteers to carry out awareness drives about health and cleanliness and also make arrangements to provide food to those in need during the lockdown. It may be noted that PM Modi on Tuesday (April 14, 2020) announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. In a nearly 25-minute televised address to the nation, PM Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in its second phase and detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday to ensure that outbreak does not spread to new areas. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots, the PM said. "Follow the rules of lockdown with full devotion till May 3, stay where you are, stay safe," the Prime Minister told citizens. PM Modi said that India has managed to contain the pandemic well compared to many developed countries due to its holistic approach in dealing with the crisis and sacrifices made by people of the country in the fight produced tangible results. The PM sought the support of the people in seven areas, including taking care of elderly people, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor and downtrodden. "If India would not have adopted a holistic approach if an integrated approach was not initiated, India's situation would have been different (compared to many developed countries). It is clear from the experiences of the past few days that the path we have chosen is right," the PM said. India, he said, received huge benefits from the 21-day lockdown in checking the pandemic, adding that the country has dealt with the situation better with "limited resources". The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire at midnight on April 14. The Prime Minister said some relaxation may be allowed in some areas and the scope of coronavirus testing will be expanded significantly. "Till April 20, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be tested on how much they are adhering to the lockdown; how much the areas have protected themselves from coronavirus. It will be observed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:34:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The global economy is on track to contract "sharply" by 3 percent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, much worse than during the 2008-09 financial crisis, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s World Economic Outlook released Tuesday. The government's chief scientific adviser has finally admitted that the UK failed to ramp up coronavirus testing fast enough. Sir Patrick Vallance conceded that while Public Health England got off to a 'good start' during the containment phase, checks had not 'scaled up' quickly since then. The government has been facing a mounting backlash over the lack of mass testing. The UK effectively abandoned efforts to screen everyone with symptoms last month when the response moved from 'containment' to the 'delay' phase. Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured at the Downing Street briefing last night) conceded that while Public Health England got off to a 'good start' during the containment phase, checks had not 'scaled up' quickly since then Military personnel carry out coronavirus tests on NHS staff at the centre at Chessington today Instead tests were largely restricted to those in hospital, while those who suspected they were mildly infected were urged to self-isolate. However, ministers have been stung by comparisons with countries like Germany and South Korea, which are doing huge scale testing and appear to have much lower death rates. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has launched a drive to get private laboratories to help conducting tests, amid complaints about shortages of swabs and chemicals. He has pledged that the UK will be carrying out 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month, but there seems little prospect of the goal being achieved with numbers barely reaching 20,000. In an interview on ITV News last night, Sir Patrick said: 'I think the testing at the beginning was at the right level. 'At the beginning, Public Health England got off to a good start in terms of testing to try and make sure they caught people coming in to the country with it. 'I then think it's not scaled as fast as it needs to scale and that's being done now. 'But I do think testing is an incredibly important bit of this. It needs to be done at scale, and it needs to be able to be done rapidly enough to look at outbreaks and isolate.' A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The government has been very clear on the need to rapidly scale up our testing capacity and that is what we are doing.' The spokesman said it was on course to meet the 100,000 daily target, with the new 'mega-lab' near Manchester now in operation - carrying out 500 tests - to join the Milton Keynes facility. The Glasgow laboratory is due to begin work at the end of this week. The Prime Minister's spokesman said a new lab, being set up by AstraZeneca, GSK and the University of Cambridge 'aims to carry out 30,000 tests a day'. Number 10 said that 505 social care workers were included in the testing programme over the weekend. Apex exporters body FIEO on Tuesday said the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) do not have adequate liquidity to pay wages to their employess for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) reiterated that the government should immediately announce an incentive package and give permisssion for partial resumption of operations in manufacturing units. "The exporters, particularly MSME exporters, have no liquidity to pay wages for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown," FIEO President Sharad Kumar Saraf said in a statement. He also expressed disappointment on deferment of the decision to allow selective opening of the manufacturing sector, particularly export units. "We were expecting some announcement in this regard in the Prime Minister's address to the nation this morning. Non-adherence to the delivery schedule for exports will result in cancellation, penalties and market loss, besides the business loss to enterprises, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Saraf also said that the shifting of the goalpost will not help in avoiding the stark realities which exporters have to face whenever "we open". The start of selective manufacturing units will be a long drawn battle due to the unavailability of labour, raw material, transport, Saraf said adding that even countries such as Spain, one of the worst affected nations, have started opening the economy to bring it on track. The president demanded that a comprehensive economic package may be announced to help the economy, with interest free credit to cover six months of wages, rental and utilities along with a moratorium to repay in installments after six months. "Without such support, the government should not expect the industry to pay wages during the lockdown and any coercive action to bring about the same will only be counterproductive," he said. Saraf said that export community, despite facing loss, is providing groceries, mask and medical help to needy people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following a cyclone that struck the region last week, the United Nations is offering humanitarian assistance to Vanuatu and other southern Pacific countries. By Vatican News The United Nations has released $2.5 million from its emergency humanitarian fund on Monday to help thousands of people in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu affected by Cyclone Harold. The UN has also offered support to other countries hit by the storm. Cyclone Harold made landfall on the largest island in Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, on April 6 before hitting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga. Deep solidarity UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep solidarity with the people of the Pacific as they face the impact of this cyclone along with other climate-related challenges, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, which adds a worrying new dimension to existing vulnerabilities. Urgent needs The release of emergency funds was announced by Mark Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He said, Thousands of people urgently need shelter, water and food to survive. He praised the government and first responders for ensuring people were safe before the storm and meeting immediate needs immediately after. But Lowcock said: As the extent of the destruction becomes clear, this U.N. funding will ensure aid supplies are maintained and reach the people who need it. Vanuatu is an island nation of almost 300,000 people. The archipelago is located in the South Pacific, about 1700 kilometres east of northern Australia. SF New Deal We are operating with an all-volunteer staff of 25 and have very little overhead, so we've been able to effectively support local small food businesses with every dollar contributed, while simultaneously feeding many thousands of people each week. Still, there is more to do." On Sunday, SF New Deal (SFND) Executive Director Lenore Estrada reported the latest service figures for their volunteer-led relief effort, showing tremendous growth over three weeks. In an unprecedented show of solidarity with many of San Franciscos most vital and long-serving community-based organizations, SF New Deal now has over 50 restaurant partners, and in its third week of operation increased capacity by 27 percent, to deliver 23,547 meals and disperse $250,000. These groups have been hard at work for years, bringing help to underserved communities here in SF, said Estrada. The Covid-19 crisis has been a wake up call for our city, and I'm moved by the way our community has come together to respond to these current circumstances in the spirit of collective care. SFND is pairing restaurants with existing City and Community Organizations to cook and distribute food to churches, clinics, public housing sites, SROs, and through outreach to homebound neighbors. Distribution partnerships are in place with: Asian Pacific Fund Community Foundation Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) City of San Francisco's Human Rights Commission (SFHRC) Korean Community Center Larkin Street Youth Services SF African American Faith-Based Coalition (SFAAFBC) San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) Tenderloin Housing Clinic UCSF Citywide Case Management (CCM) & SF Pretrial Diversion ZSF General Hospital Department of Psychiatry "This [SF New Deal] resource has been literally life saving, says ZSF General Chief of Psychiatry, Lisa Fortuna, MD, MPH. Staff are able to go out with food outreach and provide clinical care to patients, including at our supportive housing sites. This is helping patients to not have to go out seeking food, thus limiting their risk of being infected. We are operating with an all-volunteer staff of 25 and have very little overhead, so we've been able to effectively support local small food businesses with every dollar contributed, while simultaneously feeding many thousands of people each week. Estrada elaborates, Still, there is more to do. We are serving more than 23,000 meals a week right now, but have demand for 11,000 more. And that's just on our current waiting list. We need to raise additional funds to help our neighbors stay healthy - their wellbeing affects all of us. SF New Deal mobilized on March 23, 2020 to provide immediate relief to small businesses while they await government aid in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. SF New Deal is here to help our neighbors stay safe. Addressing their needs is: CRITICAL to flattening the curve and preserving the capacity of local medical systems to address acute needs. COMPASSIONATE by keeping our communities nourished, food secure, and connected. PREVENTATIVE by providing community based, restorative care to chronically underserved communities, especially those who lack mobility, are housing insecure, or are justice-involved. THE RIGHT THING TO DO. No one should go hungry during this time. The shelter-in-place order is causing severe disruption to small businesses. An estimated 30 percent of restaurants will permanently close as a result of this shutdown. Approximately 25 percent of restaurant workers are immigrants and/or undocumented and thus not eligible for many government programs. Supporting local small restaurants to fill this community need serves as a vital lifeline for employers and those looking to work. SF New Deal launched with a personal commitment of $1,000,000 from Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. Says Shear, "We know that our local economies will take time to recover, but we cannot let our neighbors go hungry. Local businesses and organizations are ready to do the work to make food and to help organize delivery to those in need, but they need support from ALL of us. Join us in helping support them." The Timeline On March 23rd, SFND started by delivering 100 bagged lunches each day to a clinic on Mission Street for caseworkers to hand out to their patients as they delivered daily care. One week later, SFND expanded to 30 restaurants and launched delivery of more than 18,000 meals. Two weeks later, SFND recruited 42 restaurants to provide services to 28 SROs, 20 public housing sites, 18 churches, 3 shelters for women and children, and the ZSF General Hospital Psychiatry Department. In the coming week SFND is poised to offer nearly 30,000 meals while continuing to grow the number of small businesses receiving financial support. SFND is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. Personal donations can be made via SFnewdeal.org. Any individuals interested in making larger gifts from donor-advised funds, trusts, corporate sponsorship, or employer match programs can contact SF New Deal at hi@sfnewdeal.org or by calling 415-967-8247. We are working closely with our partners to support the public good - many hands make work light and together we are healing our City of St. Francis. Join us. On March 2, Michel Vounatsos, Chief Executive of the drug company Biogen, appeared in good spirits. The companys new Alzheimers drug was showing promise after years of setbacks. Revenues had never been higher. Onstage at an elite health care conference in Boston, Vounatsos touted the drugs remarkable journey. Asked if the coronavirus that was ravaging China would disrupt supply chains and upend the companys big plans, Vounatsos said no. So far, so good, he said. To track all live updates from the coronavirus pandemic, click here But even as he spoke, the virus was already silently spreading among Biogens senior executives, who did not know they had been infected days earlier at the companys annual leadership meeting. 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 Biogen employees, most feeling healthy, boarded planes full of passengers. They drove home to their families. And they carried the virus to at least six states, the District of Columbia and three countries, outstripping the ability of local public health officials to trace the spread. The Biogen meeting was one of the earliest examples in the US of what epidemiologists call superspreading events of COVID-19, where a small gathering of people leads to a huge number of infections. Unlike the most infamous clusters of cases stemming from a nursing home outside Seattle or a 40th birthday party in Connecticut, the Biogen cluster happened at a meeting of top health care professionals whose job it was to fight disease, not spread it. The smartest people in health care and drug development and they were completely oblivious to the biggest thing that was about to shatter their world, said John Carroll, editor of Endpoints News, which covers the biotech industry. The official count of those sickened 99, including employees and their contacts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health includes only those who live in that state. The true number across the United States is certainly higher. The first two cases in Indiana were Biogen executives. So was the first known case in Tennessee, and six of the earliest cases in North Carolina. All the people outside Massachusetts that The New York Times has connected to the cluster have recovered. But its impossible to say for certain whether anyone became gravely ill or died from the spread out of the conference. In hindsight, many people have criticised Biogens decision to continue with its leadership meeting in late February, which was attended by vice presidents from European countries already hit by the virus. Others in the industry fault Biogen for being too tight-lipped about the outbreak. The company has defended its handling of the leadership meeting and its aftermath, saying it made the best decisions it could with the information available at the time. For a company whose mission is to save lives, it was very difficult to see our colleagues and community directly affected by this disease, Vounatsos said in his first public comments about what happened at Biogen. We would never have knowingly put anyone at risk. Founded in 1978 and based near Boston, Biogen helped pioneer the biotechnology industry, specialising in multiple sclerosis drugs. The company is best known now for its work on a promising treatment for Alzheimers. By the time of Biogens annual leadership meeting on February 26 and 27, spirits were high. So was the pressure to deliver. Although some other companies cancelled international meetings around that time, Biogen never discussed doing so. The outbreak was raging in China but had not yet been declared a worldwide pandemic. As of February 21, the Friday before the meeting, the United States had only 30 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by The Times. Biogen executives in Germany, Switzerland and Italy where there were just 20 known cases packed their bags. On the first night, about 175 executives gathered for a buffet dinner and cocktails at the Marriott Long Wharf overlooking Boston Harbour. Colleagues who hadnt seen one another in a year shook hands and vied for face time with bosses. Europeans gave customary kisses on both cheeks. Its unfortunately the perfect breeding ground for a virus, said one former vice president, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of his ties to Biogen. Two days later, the senior executives returned to their offices. One drove to a manufacturing centre in North Carolina. Others flew back to Europe. Peter Bergethon, the Head of Digital and Quantitative Medicine at Biogen, went home to his wife, an infectious-disease doctor. A Biogen Vice President in the Alzheimers franchise and her husband attended a party the following Saturday night at a friends home in Princeton, New Jersey, with about 45 other people. They celebrated a holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar, the end of the Carnival season, with special sweets and traditional dances that involved holding hands in a circle. Although celebrations in Greece had been cancelled, the party in New Jersey went forward, since White House officials had just pronounced the virus in the United States to be under control. That night, Allana Taranto, a photographer who covered the leadership meeting for Biogen, celebrated her 42nd birthday with her boyfriend and another couple. Over that weekend, though, some people in the company had already started feeling sick. Jie Li, a 37-year-old biostatistician who worked on the Alzheimers drug team, had chills, a cough and aches. She was too junior to attend the companys leadership conference, but her boss went, and showed up at the office afterward. On March 2, the following Monday, the companys Chief Medical Officer sent an email informing everyone who attended the leadership meeting that some people had fallen ill and telling them to contact a health care provider if they felt sick. We moved quickly, Caouette said. Still, that same day, the companys four top executives attended a huge health care conference hosted by the investment firm Cowen. At another Marriott in Boston, they held meetings in hotel rooms with potential investors. Another attendee who met some of the same investors said he heard that members of the Biogen team looked sick. At the conference, concern about the coronavirus mounted as word spread that some companies, including Vertex and Seattle Genetics, had cancelled their appearances. By Tuesday, the second day of the conference, many attendees had stopped shaking hands. Later, investors were informed that two of the four Biogen executives at the conference tested positive for the virus. In defence of his companys decision to attend the event, Vounatsos said, When we learned a number of our colleagues were ill, we did not know the cause was COVID-19. That Tuesday, Biogen contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and reported that about 50 employees in the Boston area and overseas had flulike symptoms. Biogen employees began showing up at the emergency room of Massachusetts General Hospital, demanding tests. They were told their cases didnt satisfy the testing criteria at the time, since none had travelled to a hot spot or had known exposure to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. The next day, confirmation of the worst arrived. Two Biogen executives who had returned home to Germany and Switzerland, where tests were more widely available, had tested positive. On Thursday, the company held a call with its staff and shared the news. All office-based employees were directed to work from home. Yet on that same day, a Biogen executive visited the Washington office of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, the industrys top lobbying group. Soon after, that executive tested positive, prompting the group to close its headquarters for deep cleaning. The next few weeks turned into a blur of Biogen employees leaving casseroles on one anothers doorsteps and trading news about who had fallen ill. Bergethon infected his wife, the infectious-disease specialist. While their symptoms were manageable, the scariest part was the uncertainty, Bergethon recalled recently at a virtual event hosted by the University of Rochester. We didnt know we were going to recover, he said. We didnt know what was coming next. Taranto, the photographer who had been at Biogens leadership conference, unknowingly gave the illness to a friend at her birthday dinner. She had felt healthy at the time. Of the four dozen people who attended the party in New Jersey, at least 15 later tested positive, according to public health authorities. A Biogen executive, Chris Baumgartner, became the first COVID case in Tennessee. I was patient zero, he wrote on Facebook. He added: Imagine having to confront a virus so feared, it now has the entire world on the brink of mass hysteria. The earliest cases in Indiana and North Carolina were tied to the company. One Biogen employee even carried the virus back to China. After falling ill with flulike symptoms, Li called an ambulance and was given a coronavirus test, according to a public health official in Belmont, the upscale Boston suburb where she lived. But before she received the results, she booked a flight to Beijing, boarding a plane with her husband and son, leaving behind their house, a white BMW and other trappings of the life they had built in the United States over 15 years. They must have been desperate, said Dr. William Q. Meeker, a statistics professor at Iowa State University who had worked closely with Lis husband, Yili Hong, also a statistician. The couple worried most about their 2-year-old, who would be far from relatives if they both fell ill, according to a former graduate school classmate. Li took medicine to conceal her symptoms, and revealed her health condition to flight attendants on board the flight, Air China and Beijing disease control officials said last month. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here After she landed in China, authorities placed her under investigation for obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases, a crime that reportedly carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison. In Beijing, the couple suffered from high fevers and lung infections and were hospitalised, Meeker said. He recently received an email from Hong that said they were recuperating, but that their lives will be different in the future. It appears that all of Biogens employees who fell ill have recovered. Aside from Li, who was fired, all have returned to work, Caouette said. Biogen has since joined the fight against the virus. The company donated $10 million to expand access to testing and to provide emergency food and protective gear for hospital workers. Company officials said its struggle against the pandemic is just beginning: Biogen, for instance, has also entered into talks with Vir Technology about manufacturing a potential treatment for COVID-19, another pharmaceutical holy grail that could make untold amounts of money. c.2020 The New York Times Company Novel Coronavirus has brought out many people's creativity. During the lockdown, celebrities have been doing various activities at home and sharing it on their social media handles. However, some celebs are also keeping their fitness enthusiasm alive, and Arav Nafeez is one of them. Arav Nafeez has recently shared a shirtless selfie of himself on his Instagram handle. The actor captioned the picture, "Look in the Mirror, That's your Competition Effects of Quarantine? Dont give an excuse..Go Workout #arav #workout #homeworkout #quarantine."(sic) After seeing this picture, one can easily admit that Arav is a true fitness freak. He is indeed sweating it out after a hard workout session at home. His chiselled body and abs are indeed setting the internet on fire. Through the caption, he is challenging himself to improve his physique in future. Well, Arav is not the first Tamil actor to show his fitness routine on Instagram during this quarantine period. A few days ago, actor Nakkhul shared a video of himself while doing a Tom Holland challenge. He was seen in a shirtless avatar, raising the temperature. Also Read : Nakkhul Completes Tom Holland Challenge In First Attempt, Fans Can't Stop Praising Him On a related note, Arav made his debut in Tamil film industry with the Vijay Antony-starrer, Saithan in 2016. However, the actor rose to fame after winning the first season of Bigg Boss Tamil, hosted by Kamal Haasan. Arav will next be seen in Raja Bheema, which is under post-production. He is also a part of Meendum Vaa Arugil Vaa. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 16:35 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1d8e5e 1 Business poverty,unemployment,layoffs,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,COVID-19,economic-growth,GDP-growth Free The government has projected that millions of people will fall into poverty and unemployment as the COVID-19 pandemic batters the Indonesian economy, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said. Under the bad scenario, 1.1 million new poor and 2.9 million new unemployed people would be added. The worst-case scenario projected 3.78 million people would fall into poverty and 5.2 million would lose their jobs. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data showed that the countrys unemployment stood at 7.05 million out of the workforce of 133.56 million last year. Meanwhile, 24.79 million people lived in poverty 9.22 percent of the population a decline of about 880,000 compared to the year before. Read also: Red tape stymies social aid In a severe situation, it is possible that our growth will fall to a negative level, Sri Mulyani said during a livestreamed briefing after a limited Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. This situation will definitely affect our social and development conditions. The government has projected that Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP) growth will fall to a 21-year low of 2.3 percent this year under the baseline scenario, and the economy could even contract 0.4 percent under the worst-case scenario. The World Bank recently slashed Indonesias economic growth projection from 5.1 percent to 2.1 percent this year as a result of the pandemic. It also projected more than 11 million people could fall into poverty in the East Asia-Pacific region, a stark contrast to its earlier forecast that economic growth would be enough to lift 35 million people out of poverty this year. World Bank lead economist for Indonesia Frederico Gil Sander warned that millions of Indonesians, including those from poor families and informal workers, were lacking economic security and that the situation would expose them to shocks caused by the pandemic. As many as 2.8 million people had lost their jobs as of Monday, according to data from the Manpower Ministry and the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). More than half were furloughed and placed on paid or unpaid leave. Read also: Govt introduces new social benefits as 2.8 million lose jobs In addition, about 70 million informal workers were at risk, as they had lost their incomes as a result of the call for social distancing. Sri Mulyani said that the second quarter would be the hardest quarter this year as economic growth could fall to 0.3 percent and could even contract by 2.6 percent during the period before slightly recovering to 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent in the third quarter. If the hard situation lasts long enough, there is a possibility of recession in which Indonesias GDP contracts for two consecutive quarters. This is what were trying to avoid, she said, adding that the growth scenarios were dependent on the pandemics progression. She added that the government had prepared measures to address and solve such challenges, including measures that had been outlined several times by President Joko Jokowi Widodo. Read also: Five more months to business as usual: Business players We will use the state budget to focus on the healthcare sector which includes measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak on the social safety net and on support for informal businesses, micro, small and medium enterprises and formal businesses as the outbreaks impacts include layoffs that will affect social development, Sri Mulyani said. The government has set aside Rp 436.1 trillion (US$26.36 billion) in funding, equivalent to 2.5 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP), for stimulus packages focusing on healthcare spending, social protection and economic recovery programs. (prm) Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes High-profile public relations business owner Roxy Jacenko has joined the big crowds outside a Sydney bike shop as Australian families look for ways to exercise together during the coronavirus lockdown. Roxy, 40, was spotted waiting in line for almost two hours outside 99 Bikes as she shopped for scooters for daughter Pixie, eight, and son Hunter, five. A report in The Australian Financial Review said 99 Bikes has seen a spike in sales in the past four weeks due to the lockdown, which forces families to share their outside exercise time. 'There's been about a 50 per cent increase across our stores, but in our city stores it would be more, so around inner Sydney, inner Melbourne, inner Brisbane,' Matt Turner, managing director of store owner Pedal Group, told the AFR. Salesman Nick Johns said 'we've also had a lot of people spending time with their family which is really good to see, buying kids bikes.' Sick of lockdown? Roxy Jacenko waited in line for almost TWO HOURS on Tuesday at a bicycle store in Bondi with her children Pixie and Hunter... as bike sales jump amid the COVID-19 crisis Roxy cut a casual figure on the outing in black leggings, a black Alexander Wang T-shirt which retails for approximately $452, and black sneakers. She teamed the outfit with a nylon Prada bag, which is estimated between $1,000 - $2,000. The family, joined by a female friend on the day, looking upbeat despite waiting in line for so long. Designer on the go! Roxy cut a casual figure on the outing in black leggings, a black Alexander Wang T-shirt which retails for approximately $452, and black sneakers. She teamed the look with a nylon Prada bag, which is estimated between $1,000 - $2,000 Ready to buy something? They appeared to be joined by a female friend on the day, looking upbeat despite waiting in line for so long Everyone's got the same idea! According to The Australian Financial Review, 99 Bikes has seen a huge increase in sales in the last four weeks due to coronavirus Success! Roxy picked up two new scooters for her children Get out of her way! Roxy had a go on Hunter's Scooter and happily rolled down the street Business is booming: The managing director of Pedal Group, which owns the store, told the publication they've seen a '50 per cent increase' in sales in their stores Roxy Jacenko revealed earlier this month that her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, lost 85 per cent of its clients in three days as many businesses were forced to shut their doors as part of the lockdown designed to slow the spread of coronavirus. Roxy says her three other media agencies are continuing to serve different areas of the communications sector while her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, struggles. 'Fortunately, we diversified and added other arms to my group of companies well before COVID-19 hit,' Roxy told marketing website B&T earlier this month. Struggles: It comes after Roxy Jacenko revealed earlier this month that her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, lost 85 per cent of its clients in three days due to coronavirus One of Roxy's companies is 18Communications, which facilitates communication between Australian businesses and Chinese consumers through popular messaging app WeChat and social media app Weibo. She also has an online influencer agency (The Ministry of Talent) and a social media content creation agency (Social Union). She's a busy woman: She also has an online influencer agency (The Ministry of Talent) and a social media content creation agency (Social Union) Focused: 'Now the focus is to make sure we continue to grow these companies whilst we look at options for Sweaty Betty PR in the short term,' she said Too cute: Roxy doted on her children on the outing 'Now the focus is to make sure we continue to grow these companies whilst we look at options for Sweaty Betty PR in the short term,' she said. As well as her media ventures, Roxy sells hair accessories and hosts sponsored content on Instagram. Her children, Pixie and Hunter, are also influencers. It comes after Roxy revealed she was prepared to sell her Hermes Birkin collection and Aston Martin just to make ends meet. Click here to read the full article. In an episode of Mrs. America, a new FX on Hulu miniseries about the Seventies political battle over the Equal Rights Amendment, liberal firebrand Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale) suggests her side may have an easier time if they focus their argument on a single issue, like women receiving equal pay for equal work. Quoting her fathers advice, she says, Make it about everything, it winds up being about nothing. Thats a bit of wisdom that Mad Men alum Dahvi Waller might have considered while creating Mrs. America. The sprawl of the story is both impressive and overwhelming. The series features one great performance after another from an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly and Rose Byrne and Tracey Ullman as feminist icons Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, respectively and is as packed with fun moments as it is with thought-provoking political analysis. But it tries to cover so many aspects of a very complicated issue that many of them feel undertold, while the decision to split the story between Schlafly and her opponents winds up leaving the whole thing feeling unbalanced. More from Rolling Stone Most of the episodes are named for their main character, though the only one to get an hour all to herself is Schlafly, a neocon national defense expert who helped Barry Goldwater get the Republican presidential nomination in 1964. Wallers take on this story begins in 1971, with Schlafly pondering another run for the congressional seat she lost two decades earlier. We first meet her at a conservative fundraising dinner, where she parades for the crowd in a star-spangled bikini, and is introduced as Mrs. J. Fred Schlafly in deference to her lawyer husband (played by John Slattery as a less amused Roger Sterling). Republican politicians, as well as her friend Alice (Sarah Paulson), encourage her to speak out against the ERA, but she insists, Im not interested in running on womens issues. When she appears on a talk show hosted by Illinois congressman Phil Crane (James Marsden) to discuss her opposition to President Nixons foreign policy, hes impressed to realize that she knows more about the SALT treaty than he does. But when she meets with Goldwater (Peter MacNeill) and his staff to discuss SALT, shes asked to take notes on the meeting like a glorified secretary, even though her command of the subject dwarfs theirs. She takes up the anti-ERA cause not because she genuinely cares about it, but because its her only way to carve out an influential niche for herself in a power structure that otherwise has no respect for her intelligence or tactical savvy. Story continues With her lacquered hair and omnipresent smirk, Schlafly could easily come across as a caricature. But Blanchett, Waller, and lead directors Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck go to great lengths to help us understand her, even if they clearly dont empathize with a woman who almost single-handedly wrote the conservative media playbook thats still in use today, and largely orchestrated the religious fundamentalist takeover of the Republican party. Shes the villain of this story, but shes a human one, at least at the start. Its a great, charismatic performance that makes it easy to understand how Schlafly was able to win over so many converts to oppose what had to that point been a broadly bipartisan issue. (Even Nixon supported the ERA!) The problem is that Waller says all she has to say about Schlafly as a person within that opening hour really, within that scene in Goldwaters office. But where all of the womens liberation leaders including Abzug, Steinem, Friedan, pioneering congresswoman and presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), Republican feminist activist Jill Ruckelshaus (Elizabeth Banks), and attorney Brenda Feigen-Fasteau (Ari Graynor) get intermittent spotlights, Schlafly is prominent in all the remaining chapters. We get to know members of her burgeoning organization like Alice and Rosemary Thomson (Melanie Lynskey), but until very late in the series, they exist largely as her approving minions. Strong as Blanchett is, it becomes exhausting spending that much time in her presence, especially when so many of her co-stars feel shortchanged. The third episode, set at the 1972 Democratic National Convention as Chisholm struggles to hold onto whatever influence her flagging presidential campaign has left, is dynamite, and suggests Waller could have very easily written an entire parallel series about her. But then Aduba (in the best performance of her career to date) largely vanishes from this one. The same fate befalls Ullman, Graynor, and Banks after their respective showcase episodes. (And they still do better than Niecy Nash, in a glorified cameo as Flo Kennedy.) Byrne and Martindale are a bit more prominent throughout, but Blanchetts presence is the only constant of Mrs. America, and theres ultimately much too much of her, since the character grows more predictable and less complex as the story moves along. Theres briefly an attempt to suggest some inner conflict, as Phyllis realizes that bigots and religious extremists are supporting her cause, but by that point her relentless pursuit of power is so clear that the nuance doesnt really stick. In many ways, nuance versus power is the whole point of the story. Phyllis Schlafly will align with anyone who makes her basic goal attainable, where the womens libbers keep embodying the maxim of the perfect being the enemy of the good. Schlaflys coalition largely speaks with one voice, while her opponents are constantly fighting among themselves about intersectionality: Friedan doesnt want gay rights being part of their platform; Chisholm is accused of favoring womens issues over black ones (and vice versa); Ruckelshaus strongly disagrees with her colleagues on many issues, and so on. At different points of the decade, the libbers wind up with seemingly influential positions in the White House, but an inability to agree on priorities, or even a spokesperson, keeps hamstringing them, even as Schlafly is championing a minority point of view while painting them as the lunatic fringe. Theyre a circular firing squad, while Schlafly and her followers are shooting at them in unison. The infighting proved the Achilles heel of the movement, but its where Mrs. America tends to be strongest. Theres a great deal of generational tension, for instance, between Friedan and Steinem, even as Steinem is reluctant to assume all the burdens her celebrity places on her. When Abzug argues that they need a pretty face out front, Steinem replies, Is that my only value to the movement? Looking supremely cool behind Steinems trademark tinted aviator glasses, Byrne gets to channel both the dramatic and comic halves of her career; one of the best things the miniseries does is to illustrate just how funny these allegedly humorless feminists could be. And Ullman is superb as a trailblazer powerless to stall her own obsolescence in favor of a more glamorous new model. (At one point, she and a friend watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Betty identifies with earthy sidekick Rhoda, and ruefully laughs while pointing out that Rhoda is always visiting Marys apartment, and never the other way around.) And anytime the larger cause comes into conflict with matters of race or sexuality, the series moves to a higher emotional level. But then we inevitably go back to what Schlafly is up to, and Mrs. America begins to feel like the same note being struck repeatedly. Throughout the series, Steinem refuses to share a stage with Schlafly to debate her on the issues, because she fears elevating her opponent by association. Mrs. America cant similarly dismiss her, if for no other reason than that she won, and more convincingly than even she could have imagined at the start. But Schlafly isnt made just the narrative equal of the other characters, but their superior, and this dramatized version of her is ultimately not up to such a heavy burden. The penultimate episode, set at the 1977 National Womens Conference in Houston, is told from the point of view of Alice. Its intended to illustrate how Schlaflys force of will could blind her followers to the true implications of the anti-ERA movement, which had repercussions far beyond this one issue, and played a huge role in creating the deeply stratified state of modern American politics. The problem is that Alice is a composite character invented for the miniseries, and feels like one, despite the usual genius of FX MVP Sarah Paulson. Where theres a specificity to all the historical characters even the ones who get far less screen time Alice largely comes across as a rhetorical device, which undercuts the points shes being used to make. On the whole, Mrs. America seems either much too long or much too brief. Schlafly would hold up better as a character in a feature film-length telling of the story, where too many of the other players and issues get short shrift even in this nine-hour treatment. The links and parallels to the rise of our current administration become harder to ignore the longer you watch. Schlafly displays an uncanny knack for rewriting reality to suit her own needs, or ego. And many of the rhetorical tools she and her cadre of allies deploy against the libbers are still in use today. As a result, Mrs. America plays like a slow-motion tragedy, and is perhaps more depressing than is ideal for the very fragile moment in our history in which it will debut. But like the movement whose high ideals and unfortunate failures it chronicles, the miniseries cant help feeling like a missed opportunity. The first three episodes of Mrs. America premiere April 15th on Hulu, with installments releasing weekly after. Ive seen all nine episodes. Best of Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. FILE - This combination of Nov. 19, 2019 file photos shows Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky, left, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, during a candidate's forum for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Clerks will begin counting ballots Monday, April 13, 2020, nearly a week after votes were cast in Wisconsin's contentious Supreme Court race. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) Read more MADISON, Wis. (AP) A liberal challenger on Monday ousted a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice endorsed by President Donald Trump, overcoming a successful push by Republicans to forge ahead with last week's election even as numerous other states postponed theirs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Joe Biden also emerged victorious, as expected, in the state's Democratic presidential primary. Bidens easy victory became academic when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out, one day after Wisconsin held in-person voting. But the absentee-ballot-fueled victory by liberal Supreme Court candidate Jill Karofsky was a huge win for Democrats. It reduced conservative control of the court to 4-3, giving liberals a chance to take control in 2023. Karofsky will now be on the court when the Republican-controlled Legislature tackles redistricting next year, a fight many expect to be decided by the state Supreme Court. Her win will also certainly be seen as a bellwether in battleground Wisconsin ahead of the November presidential election. Trump barely carried the state four years ago, and both parties see it as critical this year. Justice Dan Kelly was an early underdog in the Supreme Court race, given the expected higher Democratic turnout since the election was on the same day as the presidential primary. But the Supreme Court outcome became more uncertain as Biden emerged as the presumptive nominee in March and the coronavirus pandemic led to fears of in-person voting and closure of polling locations. With so much riding on turnout, the Republican push to proceed with the election was viewed by Democrats as a bid to suppress Democratic votes, particularly among minorities in Milwaukee. Karofsky credited her win to voters rising up and rejecting Republican efforts to suppress turnout. People were willing to do that because they wanted their voices to be heard in this election, she said. A lot of times on election day were wringing our hands because were so upset about voter apathy. That wasnt the problem on Tuesday. People wanted their voices heard. Karofsky voter Caleb Andersen, of Milwaukee, worked the polls on election day and thought the hurdles put up to voting in person motivated some people to come out who wouldnt have otherwise. Im sure theres some level of vindication, Anderson said of the Karofsky win. I do feel there was a lot of voter activity by people who were angered by the entire thing, the lack of availability of absentee ballots. Trump last week broke from health experts and called on his supporters to get out and vote NOW for Kelly. He later said Democrats were playing politics by trying to postpone the election. As soon as I endorsed him, the Wisconsin Democrats said, Oh, lets move the election two months later, Trump said. Now they talk about, Oh, safety, safety. Trump first voiced support for Kelly at a rally in January, far before concerns over the coronavirus led to calls for a delay in the election. After Democratic Gov. Tony Evers ordered the election postponed, the highly politicized Wisconsin Supreme Court backed Republicans in proceeding with in-person voting in a ruling issued the day before the April 7 election. Thousands of voters congregated for hours in long lines on April 7, defying social-distancing guidelines that led to the postponement of primaries in several other states. Milwaukee opened just five of 180 polling places due to a shortage of workers. Karofsky surged to victory behind a record-high number of absentee ballots nearly as many as all the votes cast in a state Supreme Court race last year. The Wisconsin election crystallized whats expected to be a high-stakes, state-by-state legal fight over how citizens can safely cast their ballots if the coronavirus outbreak persists into the November election. Democrats are arguing for states to be ready to shift to much greater use of absentee and mailed ballots, while Republicans are raising the specter that such elections could lead to increased fraud. Karofksys win is likely to only add fuel to Democrats call for more mail-in elections and toughen GOP opposition. Democrats earlier Monday called for moving a May 12 special congressional election in Wisconsin to mail-in only. Returns werent allowed to be reported until Monday due to a quirk in the court battle over the election. Even before the counting began, a group of Milwaukee-area voters filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force a partial revote to protect the thousands of voters who they argue were disenfranchised by the turbulent election. Many voters complained that they had requested absentee ballots that never arrived, forcing them to choose between sitting out the election or risking infection by voting in person. City officials in Milwaukee, as well as Wisconsins two U.S. senators, called on the U.S. Postal Service to investigate the complaints. Evers said on Monday that the election was a mess that could have been avoided. She dotes on her cute white pup Elvis. And on Monday, Lucy Hale took him for a walk around her LA neighborhood. The Pretty Little Liars alum, 30, abided by guidelines to wear a face mask in public due to coronavirus. Fresh air: Lucy Hale stepped out for a walk around her LA neighborhood with her dog Elvis on Monday Hale stepped out in a dark gray t-shirt knotted above her belly button and dark green skintight leggings. The actress added a pale blue zipper jacket which she left undone and a pair of silver gray trainers. Her shoulder-length hair was styled with a center parting and she sported sunglasses. She walked her dog on a red extendable leash attached to his harness. Covered up: The Pretty Little Liars alum wore a face mask in accordance with local guidelines about self-distancing and precautions during the coronavirus crisis Sporty: Hale stepped out in a gray t-shirt knotted above her belly button and green skintight leggings. She added a pale blue zipper jacket which she left undone and silver gray trainers Exercise: Her shoulder-length hair was styled with a center parting and she sported sunglasses. She walked her dog on a red extendable leash attached to his harness The Tennessee native has been acting professionally since her teen years but is best known for her role on the ABC Family/Freeform series Pretty Little Liars that ran for seven seasons from 2010 to 2017. She went on to headline the 2018 CW dramedy Life Sentence but the show was canceled after just on season. In February, she returned to the small screen in The CW's Katy Keene, in which she stars as the character from the Archie Comics. A local Congress MLA, who attended a meeting called by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday morning, tested positive for coronavirus in the evening, said a civic official. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday evening, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Om Prakash Machra. The MLA from the Khadia-Jamalpur seat of Ahmedabad will be admitted to a designated COVID-19 hospital soon, he said. Khedawala, along with some other Congress MLAs, was present in the meeting with Rupani held at the CM's official residence in Gandhinagar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In its endeavour to assist the government in its efforts to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, real estate firm Embassy Group has invested over Rs 1 crore through its community outreach programme. Under the Embassy Cares programme, around 2,50,000 meals have been distributed to daily wage workers and migrant families across several locations in Bengaluru, the company said in a statement. Through their CSR initiatives, Embassy has supported government schools in and around the city with educational and infrastructure interventions. As the lockdown was extended, Embassy is supporting 3,500 families of students of these Government Schools with vital food rations, amounting to 1, 47,000 meals. Jeevan Bheemanagar and C V Raman Nagar Embassy Leisure, a subsidiary of Embassy Group that operates restaurants in Bengaluru, has prepared and distributed 3,900 meals till date since April 1 for people who earn daily wages. They will continue to serve meals as the lockdown continues. As part of these interventions, daily wage and migrant workers in the areas of Ulsoor, Mahadevpura and Koramangala have benefitted through the distribution of food rations, the company 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 Track this blog for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak With so many underprivileged members of our communities, daily wage and migrant workers trying to make ends meet during this crisis, its important that we all step up to do our part. We believe that this pandemic can only be contained if we all stay at home and provide for those who need basic food and other necessities to survive. We are grateful to our corporate tenants, our employees and customers who have extensively supported our efforts, said Aditya Virwani, Chief Operating Officer, Embassy Group. In addition to providing rations and meals to those in need across Bangalore, Embassy has initiated a project to support the entire personnel of Bengaluru City Traffic Police Force as they work night and day to contain the spread of the virus and enforce the nation-wide lock-down. The Group set up four hydration stations around the city in Hebbal, Whitefield, Infantry road and the Outer Ring road, where drinking water, refreshments, first aid and toilet facilities are provided for all police personnel. Embassy Group also provided 30,400 protein-rich nutrition bars, protective masks and hand sanitizers each to the traffic headquarter, for distribution to the 44 stations and the entire 3,800-strong force. Embassy Office Parks, a joint venture of Embassy and Blackstone, launched the country's first real estate investment trust (REIT) in April last year. Amanda Kloots teared up on Monday while sharing an update on her husband of two years, Tony nominee Nick Cordero, who's battling COVID-19 at the ICU in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. 'He's doing okay guys. He's fighting,' the 38-year-old fitness trainer said via Instastory from their Laurel Canyon home. 'FaceTiming him has been wonderful, for me at least. Me and his mom have gotten to FaceTime him now a couple times. It's very special and I can see him fighting [while unconscious]. Today is a big day and we really need some heart and lung strength to come through...so keep sending up those prayers, guys.' 'He's doing okay guys. He's fighting': Amanda Kloots teared up on Monday while sharing an update on her husband of two years, Tony nominee Nick Cordero, who's battling COVID-19 at the ICU in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Amanda then recalled a romantic story from when they started dating in 2014 about how the Canadian 41-year-old secretly mastered jumping rope in her honor while he was visiting his sick father in Ontario. 'He told me, "When I was taking care of my dad, I would go to the gym every morning and I taught myself to jump rope so I could win you back,"' Kloots smiled. 'I love this story, obviously because it's about jumping rope, but just a cute story to give you a little insight into what a special guy he is and who he is and the kind of heart he has.' Nick is on a ventilator, a dialysis machine, and he had to be resuscitated on Saturday after undergoing emergency surgery to alleviate a blockage of blood flow to his leg. The 38-year-old fitness trainer said via Instastory from their Laurel Canyon home: 'FaceTiming him has been wonderful...I can see him fighting [while unconscious]. Today is a big day and we really need some heart and lung strength to come through' (pictured March 19) 'Keep sending up those prayers, guys!' Amanda then recalled a romantic story from when they started dating in 2014 about how the Canadian 41-year-old secretly mastered jumping rope in her honor while he was visiting his sick father in Ontario Kloots smiled: 'I love this story, obviously because it's about jumping rope, but a cute story to give you a little insight into what a special guy he is and who he is and the kind of heart he has' 'I got to FaceTime with him today it was the first time I'd seen him since dropping him off at the ER 12 days ago,' The Irishman dancer revealed on Sunday. 'I told him he had to fight. I told him he is strong and can do this...The doctors are still concerned about his right leg and we need him to start making small responses off sedation. These are the next two goals that need to happen.' Amanda and Cordero - who are parents to 10-month-old son Elvis - originally met while performing in the musical Bullets Over Broadway together at the St. James Theatre in Manhattan. Kloots has urged her 98K Instagram followers to 'keep playing and dancing' to Elvis Presley's 1957 song Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do in honor of the Mob Town star. 'The doctors are still concerned about his right leg': Nick is on a ventilator, a dialysis machine, and he had to be resuscitated on Saturday after undergoing emergency surgery to alleviate a blockage of blood flow to his leg (pictured February 14) Castmates: Amanda and Cordero originally met while performing in the musical Bullets Over Broadway together at the St. James Theatre in Manhattan Show business couple: The Inside Game actor and The Irishman dancer are parents to 10-month-old son Elvis (pictured February 1) Oscar nominee Florence Pugh took note and shared a video on Monday of herself dancing up a storm to Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do and asking her 1.4M followers to do the same. 'I was wondering if I could ask a huge, huge favor of you all,' the British 24-year-old said via Instastory. 'Our good friends Nick Cordero and Amanda Kloots are suffering at the moment. Nick has been battling coronavirus for the past two weeks and he's been in critical condition for the past week and he's in hospital every day fighting for his life. And it's really f***ing scary.' The Ohio native - who used to be a Radio City Rockette - has launched a $9.99/month subscription service for her workout videos via her website as a way to make money. Going viral: Kloots has urged her 98K Instagram followers to 'keep playing and dancing' to Elvis Presley's 1957 song Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do in honor of the Mob Town star 'I was wondering if I could ask a huge, huge favor of you all!' Oscar nominee Florence Pugh took note and shared a video of herself on Monday dancing up a storm to Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do and asking her 1.4M followers to do the same Space-focused organizations around the U.S. are now looking to manufacture ventilators and other much-needed health equipment to aid the pandemic relief effort. Why it matters: With high-minded ideals centered on delivering humanity to orbit, the space industry can feel removed from the machinations of everyday life. The coronavirus crisis is bringing it down to Earth. What's happening: Virgin Orbit has started manufacturing bridge ventilators in its Long Beach, California, facility for use in the U.S. if it receives regulatory clearance. The company is now producing its first 100 units with plans to eventually make more than 200 per week at the facility after receiving clearance. "We started with a quite small team ... and ramped that up to maybe two or three dozen," Virgin Orbit's Will Pomerantz told Axios via email. "Small teams can move quickly, and keeping the team small helped us keep the device extremely simple and, at the request of the medical community, we were aiming specifically for the simplest, safest, soonest design." Virgin Orbit is mostly using people who were working on future rockets for the company to manufacture these ventilators, and the company successfully staged a major test of its launch system this week. The big picture: NASA is also looking into ways to help with ventilator production, according to SpaceNews. SpaceX plans to donate hand sanitizer and face shields made by the company to hospitals in need. Blue Origin is also manufacturing face shields for medical personnel. "Ive always felt lucky to genuinely admire so many of our peers, our competitors, and our customers," Pomerantz said. "I know that huge numbers of them are thinking about ways they can help." Go deeper: How America's ventilator shortage became GM's problem J. Peter Donald J. Peter Donald, a former communications director at the New York Police Dept. and assistant police commissioner, has joined Reevemark, the strategic communications shop launched in 2018 by Sard Verbinnen & Co. veterans. At the NYPD, Donald handled public affairs and advised mayor Bill de Blasio and then-commissioner James O'Neill on the perceptions and reputation of the department. He worked initiatives such as the new use of force policy, drone program and body-worn cameras as well as leading communications for the city during the Chelsea bombing in 2016. Prior to the NYPD, Donald was spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York office. At the FBI's largest field office, Donald shaped the Bureau's image around the search for Etan Patz and 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Most recently, Donald headed communications for Citizen global safety network and previously worked on John McCain's presidential run. Brandy Bergman, Reevemark CEO, said Donald's "unique experience navigating complex reputational issues for the FBI and the NYPD, as well as for private sector clients, will serve our firm, and our clients, well. Prior to joining SV&C, she was senior assistant district attorney in the Kings County (Brooklyn) DA's Office. Reevemark recently advised Simon Property Group on its $10B acquisition of Taubman Centers, Payless Shoesource on its bankruptcy filing, Gulfport energy company on activist defense, and BauschHealth on positioning. US Restaurants Turn to Grocery Sales to Help Offset Losses OFALLON, Mo.Charlene Gulliford at the Gandy Dancer never figured there would come a day when the Michigan restaurant, which is known for its steaks and seafood, would sell toilet paper and cartons of eggs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has restaurants in survival mode. The popular restaurant in Ann Arbor now doubles as a grocery store, offering staples such as milk and bread, in addition to meats and fish from its own pantryand yes, even paper towels and the ever-elusive toilet paper. Sales began two weeks ago and the Gandy Dancer has found an income source to make up for some of its lost dine-in business, while also filling a need since traditional grocers are struggling to keep up with demand. A lot of people are saying theyre happy to support us, but a lot of people are saying, Thank you for helping us, said Gulliford, the restaurants general manager. The idea is catching on nationwide. Stay-at-home and social distancing orders meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 have put restaurant dining on hold, forcing many to close and leaving others barely surviving. From large chains to mom-and-pop eateries, restaurants are increasingly turning to grocery sales. Panera this week launched Panera Grocery, offering not only the St. Louis-based chains popular breads, bagels, and sweets but items such as milk, eggs, and fresh produce that its 2,100 U.S. stores normally use to make meals. Grocery items can be delivered or picked up. Subway is selling groceries at 250 of its stores in five statesCalifornia, Connecticut, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. Potbelly Sandwich Shop franchises launched Potbelly Pantry, offering mostly foods that the chain uses to make its sandwiches, such as meats, cheeses, and breads. Paneras vice president of wellness and food policy, Sara Burnett, said the decision to sell groceries is a reaction to the unprecedented crisis our countrys going through right now. She wouldnt disclose how much the pandemic has cost Panera, but she said 30 percent of its business typically comes from in-restaurant dining, and that obviously is completely gone. The National Restaurant Association says the industry has lost 3 million jobs and $25 billion in sales since March 1. Spokeswoman Vanessa Sink said 3 percent of restaurants have closed permanently and another 11% expect to do so by the end of the month. The move to grocery sales has been swift. Panera would typically spend months on a new business proposal, doing research, conducting surveys and opening test markets, but not this time. Panera Grocery went from an idea to launch in two weeks, Burnett said. Grocery items sold by restaurants vary greatly. Some offer mostly the types of things already in their pantries, such as meats, vegetables, fruit, cheese, milk, and eggs. Others, like the Gandy Dancer, offer a much broader selection. Union Loafers in St. Louis is opting for quality, even if it means a higher price. The restaurant began selling locally produced goods such as eggs, milk, jams, and meats on March 31. Co-owner Sean Netzer said patrons dont mind the higher pricemost items are selling out daily. The chain restaurants, which buy in extraordinary bulk, can afford to sell at a lower cost. Subway and Panera Grocery prices are comparable to grocery store prices, the companies said. Gulliford said the Gandy Dancers prices are more than competitive and can even be cheaper than the grocery store. For example, six lemons sell for $1 and potatoes are $1 per pound, she said. Many of the restaurants-turned-grocery stores are offering contact-free service in which the customer place orders by phone or online and the goods are delivered straight to the trunk or backseat of the car. Gulliford said the elderly, who are at a higher risk of serious illness or death from the coronavirus, are especially appreciative of being able to avoid going into stores. Restaurant operators arent sure if grocery sales will continue once the pandemic passes. Panera sees this as kind of a tipping point to see what our customers need, Burnett said. Gulliford said the future is especially difficult to predict during this unprecedented time. It just really depends on what the new normal is, she said. By Jim Salter T he pastor of a Virginia church who defied social distancing while claiming "God is larger than this virus" has died after contracting Covid-19. Bishop Gerald Glenn, the pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church and his wife Marcietia Glenn had both tested positive for coronavirus. The church announced during Easter Sunday service that the pastor died on Saturday. Bishop Glenn had publicly rejected official guidelines to avoid large religious gatherings and promised to keep preaching "unless I'm in jail or the hospital". He said in a sermon on March 22: "I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus". Loading.... This was despite Virgina Governor Ralph Northam urging people to avoid "non-essential gatherings". The day after the sermon, an executive order banning all public and private gatherings of ten people or more was issued. Bishop Glenn's daughter, Mar-Gerie Crawley, told WTVR-TV news that the family noticed he was having health issues and within a week his symptoms had worsened. She said: "He has diverticulitis, so it's not uncommon for him to get fevers or you know virus or sinus infection." Friends of the pastor have paid tribute. Senator Tim Kaine took to Twitter to express his condolences for his friend and "pillar or Richmond faith community". Pastor Joe Ellison Jr told CBS 6 that Bishop Glenn was his mentor. A new report has it that at least 17 people have been killed after a Fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force bombed Sakotoku village in Damboa local government area of Borno state. According to TheCable who spoke with residents of the village, women, and children who were said to be playing under mango trees were amongst those killed. Military sources said the air force had been informed that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering around the village on Thursday afternoon. Read Also: Boko Haram: Buratai Relocates To North East A source claimed that the supposed target was an area in Korongilum, a neighboring village 12 kilometers away from where suspected Boko Haram insurgents had gathered earlier. We dont know if they didnt communicate well with the land troops as the air force jet fired that bomb on the village, one of the sources said. Seventeen people were killed, mostly women and their children playing under mango trees. Many were also injured and have been taken to the 25 army brigade in Damboa, and those with critical injuries were taken to Maiduguri. Some of the villagers whose houses were destroyed have found their way to Damboa. Ibikunle Daramola, NAF spokesperson, speaking on the issue said: Its a matter of operation and the defence headquarters would be in a better position to speak on the matter. A Red Cross volunteeer delivers mask to commuters at Diagonal station on the first working day in Cataluna after Easter holidays and the reactivation of non-essential work activity in companies whose employees cannot telework during the coronavirus crisis, on April 14, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. The World Health Organization has identified six criteria for countries looking to slowly lift coronavirus lockdown measures, warning the way down from the peak of the outbreak is "much slower" than the way up. A global public health crisis has meant countries around the world have effectively had to shut down, with many governments imposing draconian measures on the lives of billions of people. The social and economic restrictions, which range from school closures to social distancing and bans on public gatherings, were brought in to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday, nearly 2 million people had contracted Covid-19 worldwide, with 119,818 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Some European countries have laid out plans to emerge from lockdown as soon as this month after enduring several weeks of stringent social and economic restrictions. The U.S., the global epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has signaled May 1 as a potential date for easing restrictive measures. The major general had been gathering intelligence and could even be involved in plotting terrorist acts, the investigation says. Counterintelligence operatives with the SBU Security Service of Ukraine have exposed and detained SBU Major General Valery Shaitanov on charges of high treason and terrorism. "The SBU collected a sufficient amount of evidence that convincingly testifies to Shaitanov being an asset of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation," the SBU press service reported, adding that it has at its disposal audio and video evidence backing the charges pressed. On FSB instructions, Shaitanov had been gathering and transmitting intelligence on certain covert operations carried out in the Donbas warzone, on Ukrainian security agencies' international cooperation on issues of national security and defense, etc. The investigation has videos of the turncoat's repeated meetings with his handler, held on the territory of third states, including Germany, France, and Croatia. The investigation also has irrefutable evidence that, on the instructions of the Russian security agencies, Major General Shaitanov plotted to carry out terrorist acts in Ukraine. To this end, his FSB handler promised a $200,000 reward and a Russian passport. To execute acts of terror, Shaitanov has specifically picked a person from among former special operations forces troops. Searches are being carried out at locations where Shaitanov is known to have been living, as well as homes of other Ukrainian citizens suspected of being part of a human asset network led by FSB operative Colonel Igor Yegorov. The SBU states that, using his powers in office, Shaitanov had been gathering intelligence from senior and top SBU operatives. It is also reported that the FSB handler had managed to recruit the SBU general during regular official visits to Ukraine before the outbreak of war in 2014 as part of interagency cooperation. South Dakota reports highest active case count since pandemic started Tuesday's report included testing conducted over the weekend. Another 4,110 people tested positive for the disease. More than 1 million people - over a quarter of Michigans workforce - have filed for unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the states top labor official said Monday. Last week, Michigan reported more than 828,800 unemployment claims filed in the state from March 8 to April 4. Michigans pre-coronavirus record for new unemployment claims occurred during the Great Recession in January 2009, when there were 77,000 claims in a week. The states official count will be updated later this week. But during a Monday press conference, Jeff Donofrio, director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Opportunity, said the total now tops 1 million, breaking previous records for the largest overall increase and the largest total number of individuals filing for unemployment insurance in state history. We are committed to making sure that every eligible Michigander who needs unemployment insurance benefits will get them, he said. The heavy volume of people seeking unemployment benefits has caused ongoing issues for the states unemployment agency. Earlier Monday, the Unemployment Insurance Agencys website crashed as self-employed workers, gig workers, 1099-independent contractors and low-wage workers affected by COVID-19 began applying for federal unemployment benefits. The states online unemployment system previously crashed on March 31 as it was inundated with residents filing claims amid mass layoffs due to the coronavirus. Days later, the system was purposely taken offline for upgrades to the website. There have been numerous reports over the past few weeks that the system has been slow and at times difficult to access. Michigan isnt alone in experiencing these issues, Donofrio said, noting Michigans numbers are the third highest in the nation after California and Pennsylvania. He said the agency has expanded the number of staff available to take claims in Michigan and said everyone is working around the clock to make sure that you can file your claim, and we wont rest until everyone has done so. Donofrio said $350 million has been paid out to almost 600,000 Michigan residents so far. Most individuals who are eligible to file claims have done so, he added. He said he understands the frustration of those who have not yet been able to file, and asked residents filing claims to follow the guidance of filing on different days based on their last name or try filing during off-peak hours, such as after 8 p.m. We ask for your grace and patience as we work to get benefits to those in need, he said. Were adding capacity, were increasing eligibility and benefits and making sure that we work hard to provide that emergency relief thats needed to weather this economic crisis. The state reported its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 10, which triggered a state of emergency declaration by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor recently extended the states stay-at-home order, which bars non-essential in-person business and activity across the state, through April 30 in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The best way to file a claim is online at Michigan.gov/UIA, though residents can also call 866-500-0017. Residents with a last name that starts with A-L are asked to file claims online Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and those with a last name that starts with M-Z should file claims Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Officials recommend trying to access the server outside peak hours, like between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. daily. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Related coverage: Michigan unemployment website crashes as eligibility expansion causes very heavy volume Michigan begins sending $600 payments, sets date for expanded unemployment eligibility Michigan sees another 26 percent increase in unemployment claims amid coronavirus crisis 4K apply for Michigan hospitality employee relief fund in first 24 hours Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more Michigan senator calls for state employee layoffs to balance budget New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up With Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order extended, frustration builds over whats been deemed non-essential Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 14:14 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1c9e76 1 City COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,Gojek,Grab,ojek-driver,ojol,passenger,delivery,tanpa-penumpang Free The regional administrations in the Greater Jakarta area have decided to prohibit app-based ride-hailing ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers from transporting passengers during a partial lockdown despite a new ministerial regulation saying otherwise. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had announced earlier that ride-hailing ojek were not allowed to transport passengers and were only permitted to transport goods while large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were in effect in the capital, in accordance with Health Ministry Regulation No. 9/2020 on PSBB implementation guidelines. However, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who is also the acting transportation minister, then issued Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 18/2020 on transportation management to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The regulation stipulates that ride-hailing ojek were permitted to transport passengers, in direct opposition to the health ministers decision. Read also: App-based motorcycle taxis can take passengers if regional government allows The policy has created confusion among the public and prompted the Transportation Ministry to relax the regulation to allow individual regional governments to make adjustments. Other than Jakarta, the Health Ministry has also granted PSBB status to Bogor, Bekasi and Depok in West Java and Tangerang and South Tangerang in Banten. Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) chairperson Polana B. Pramesti said in a statement that all regional heads who attended a virtual meeting with the agency on Monday had agreed with the Health Ministrys policy. She said that those present at the meeting had also agreed to synchronize their regions' transportation policies to avoid further confusion. Each region would formulate a policy that catered to their unique needs, Polana added. Under the PSBB, public transportation in Greater Jakarta will operate daily from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., with all services adhering to the COVID-19 health protocol to prevent the further spread of the infectious disease. The bottom line is that we are not suspending public transportation, but limiting its operational hours and [passenger capacity], Polana said. Editor's note: The article has been updated for clarity. US coronavirus cases surpass 572,000 The US is the country with the highest number of cases and deaths worldwide, followed by Italy and Spain in both tallies. Over 23,000 people in the US have died from the novel coronavirus, according to the data of Johns Hopkins University on Monday. The running tally counted 23,070 fatalities and 572,169 confirmed infections, while 42,324 people have recovered from the disease. "THE DEATH NUMBER A LOT FEWER THAN WE WERE ORIGINALLY THINKING" The state of New York has the highest number of deaths with a tally surpassing the 10,000 mark. US President Donald Trump said Friday the country would record fewer deaths compared to the 100,000 that was previously projected. "The minimum number was 100,000 lives, and I think well be substantially under that number," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Hard to believe that if you had 60,000, you could never be happy, but that's a lot fewer than we were originally thinking. We're seeing clear signs that our aggressive strategy is saving countless lives," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 16:50:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong police made their biggest seizure of cannabis plants ever in a raid on a drug-storing parking lot in Kwai Chung in small hours on Monday. The cannabis plants, totaling 580 kg, were found in plastic plates inside a container at the parking lot and were about to be trafficked in Hong Kong after being shipped from Canada, the police said Tuesday afternoon at a press briefing, adding that three men were arrested and will likely be prosecuted for drug trafficking. The police warned of a shift in the main drug source from Southeast Asia to Canada in recent months as another 70 kg of cannabis from Canada were seized by the airport customs in January, which will pose a serious challenge to Hong Kong's anti-drug efforts. There has also been a worrying increase in marijuana smokers in Hong Kong as the number of those under 21 years old surged nearly 50 percent from a year ago in 2019, the police said, urging parents to pay more attention to their children amid class suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic. President Trump said he wasn't going to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, but said he did know he had retweeted a tweet that recommended he fire Fauci, saying it was just 'somebody's opinion.' 'Today I walk in, I hear I'm going to fire him. I'm not firing him, I think he's a wonderful guy,' Trump said during Monday's coronavirus taskforce briefing, with Fauci standing several feet to his side. When a reporter pointed out the tweet, Trump shrugged it off. President Trump said Monday that he wasn't going to fire Anthony Fauci, but said he did see a tweet he retweeted said '#FireFauci,' but said he merely repeated it because it was 'somebody's opinion' Monday's White House briefing featured Dr. Anthony Fauci (left) saying remarks he made Sunday were misinterpreted and President Trump (right) telling reporters he had no plans to fire the medical expert amid a pandemic 'I retweeted somebody, I don't know, they said fire him, doesn't matter,' the president replied. He pushed back when asked if he read what the tweet said. 'I notice everything,' Trump said. 'That's somebody's opinion,' the president said. He said after the retweet the press office had called the president to find out his thinking on Fauci, one of the president's top medical experts on the taskforce. 'And I said no I like him I think he's terrific,' Trump said, again saying he merely reweeted it to offer 'a person's view.' 'Not everybody's happy with Anthony, not everybody's happy with everybody,' Trump added. He also echoed his spokesman who had said earlier that Fauci's job wasn't in jeopardy. White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement Monday that Fauci will stay on the coronavirus task force as one of Trump's 'trusted advisors.' 'This media chatter is ridiculousPresident Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci,' Gidley said. 'Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump,' he continued. Rumors of Fauci's potential ouster came after he appeared on CNN Sunday morning suggesting that the president should have invoked lockdown and social distancing guidelines sooner than mid-March. At the top of the Monday briefing, Fauci revised his comments. 'I had an interview yesterday that I was asked a hypothetical question and hypothetical questions can sometimes get you into some difficulty,' Fauci said at the podium. Trump had spent Easter weekend calling advisers and close allies to ask their opinion of Fauci and boasted that he made the doctor a 'star' by putting him at the forefront of the White House press briefings. Donald Trump will not fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House revealed Monday 'This media chatter is ridiculous President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci,' White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said. 'Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump' The comments come after Fauci said Sunday that the federal government 'could have saved more lives' if Trump ordered a nationwide lockdown sooner Fauci regularly appears at the nearly-daily briefings and also engages in several network television interviews every week. The 79-year-old immunologist is the top infectious diseases expert at the National Institute of health and he was brought on to help lead the White House charge in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci told CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning that the federal government 'could have saved more lives' if it had moved sooner to impose social-distancing restrictions like limiting gatherings to 10 people maximum. 'Obviously you could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier you could've saved lives, obviously,' Fauci told CNN's State of the Union. 'No-one is going to deny that,' he continued, but added 'there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then.' On Monday Fauci said 'pushback' was the wrong term. 'That was the wrong choice of words,' the medical expert said. Following his CNN appearance, and several media reports circulating the comments, Trump retweeted a message from a former Republican congressional candidate criticizing Fauci and calling for his firing. Trump didn't use the words 'fire Fauci' but shared DeAnna Lorraine's message in a string of Easter Sunday Twitter posts. Lorraine challenged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in California's 12 district, which includes San Francisco. As of Monday morning, more than 22,000 people died from coronavirus in the U.S. This sparked Trump to repost a tweet that utilized the hashtag 'fireFauci.' 'Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could've saved more lives. Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large. Time to #FireFauci' the tweet from Lorraine read. Trump reposted the tweet to his page on Sunday with the comment: 'Sorry Fake News, it's all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up. Thank you @OANN' Fauci (right, on CNN's State of the Union) said Sunday morning that if lockdowns and social distancing guidelines were implemented by the president sooner, less people would have died Trump ally, and his former senior communications adviser for the 2016 campaign, Jason Miller voiced his criticism of Fauci, claiming the immunologist should 'be more careful choosing his words on coronavirus' and suggested he take more responsibility This prompted Trump to retweet a post calling for Fauci's ouster from the White House coronavirus task force. He did not use the term himself, but the reposted tweet used the hashtag 'fire Fauci' CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN TIMELINE CDC Director Robert Redfield said Monday he recommended certain states issue lockdown orders in February, but was widely ignored until later in the outbreak. 'CDC sent recommendations to Washington, to California, to New York and to Florida recommending that they expand mitigation in those areas,' Redfield told NBC's Today. Here is a timeline of those states' lockdown orders: MARCH 11: Washington Governor Jay Inslee bans all social gatherings over 250 people MARCH 13: Donald Trump declares national emergency over COVID-19 MARCH 16: The six San Francisco Bay counties, including San Francisco, announce 'shelter-in-place' orders MARCH 17: New York City mayor Bill de Blasio says city should follow San Francisco with a shelter-in-place order; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says it will be statewide: 'As a matter of fact, I'm going so far that I don't even think you can do a statewide policy.' MARCH 19: California Governor Gavin Newsom issues first statewide lockdown order MARCH 22: Cuomo signs statewide stay-at-home order MARCH 23: Inslee extends his lockdown to include all of Washington state MARCH 24: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issues statewide stay-at-home order APRIL 3: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' statewide lockdown goes into effect Advertisement The president's allies have also taken to slamming Fauci over his Sunday comments. Trump's 2016 campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller said Fauci should 'be more careful' during interviews, quoting the CNN headline: 'Dr. Anthony Fauci admits earlier Covid-19 mitigation efforts would have saved more American lives.' 'Dr. Fauci needs to be more careful choosing his words on #Coronavirus, & if he's going to be critical, make clear what he personally could've done better,' Miller tweeted. He suggested the Fauci take more responsibility for what he could have done better to mitigate the coronavirus threat early on. Although lockdowns and social distancing guidelines were not implemented by the White House until mid-March, several governors and local governments began taking matters into their own hands to mitigate the spread. Washington Governor Jay Inslee was the first to do so on March 11, after becoming the first state with deaths from coronavirus. He started by banning all social gatherings over 250 people. Two days later, Trump declared a national emergency. On March 16, the San Francisco Bay area, which includes six counties, issued the first real lockdown where all residents were ordered to shelter-in-place and only venture outside of their homes for essential reasons. These were limited to reasons like shopping for food or going to the doctor. While criticism emerged over the timing of national and state-wide lockdowns, Trump has often boasted his decision to ban travel from China early on in the outbreak. The White House announced a 15 days to slow the spread plan in mid-March where the Trump administration implemented social distancing guidelines. This included staying home except for necessary reasons like grocery shopping or going to the doctor maintaining a 6-foot distance from people in public and limiting gatherings to 10 people or less. On Monday, Fauci said he made the recommendation for this plan and the president listened. At the end of March, when the 15 days were up, Trump ended up expanding the guidelines for another 30 days. Fauci said the president listened to him on the extension as well. 'Nonetheless at that time, the president went with the health recommendations and we extended it another 30 days,' Fauci said. The new end date for the guidelines is April 30, and the president says he plans to have the country back open and operating by May 1 a self-imposed deadline many experts claim is optimistic and 'too soon' to implement. Technology firms and telcos are believed to be doing well thanks to the higher demand for technological solutions to organize the work-from-home regime. However, they also have to struggle to survive during this difficult period. Software engineers at FPT Group, the largest Vietnamese IT corporation, said the epidemic has not affected their income, but they have had to work harder. FPT has made every effort to ensure jobs for its 36,000 workers. FPT president Truong Gia Binh swore that no worker of the group would lose jobs during Covid-19. Binh made the statement after commenting that Vietnam has been doing very well in the prevention and fighting against Covid-19. While India and China, the two largest software export centers of the world, are meeting difficulties in their efforts to control the epidemic, FPT will try to find more clients and take more orders to get money to pay workers. Viettel has also been hit by Covid-19, but it hassnt thought of laying off workers. President of CMC Group Nguyen Trung Chinh also said despite the epidemic, the group wont sack workers. Viettel has also been hit by Covid-19, but it hassnt thought of laying off workers. President of CMC Group Nguyen Trung Chinh also said despite the epidemic, the group wont sack workers. In the context of the epidemic escalation, MobiFone, one of the three largest mobile network operators, predicted a decrease of VND6.684 trillion in revenue and VND1.526 trillion in profit compared with the plan. To Manh Cuong, CEO of MobiFone, also affirmed that MobiFone will not lay off workers, though it may have to think of cutting salaries if the epidemic lasts a long time. In principle, salaries for workers are defined based on their business results. As for VNPT, the corporation estimated the decrease of VND6.161 trillion in revenue and VND817 billion in profit. Like MobiFone, it will maintain the current staff, according to VNPTs deputy CEO Do Dung Thai. Some analysts believe that technology firms and telcos will make fat profits in Covid-19 because many enterprises have shifted to the work-from-home regime. Thid has led to higher demand for fixed internet, telephone contact, 3G and 4G services. However, the firms have denied this, affirming that their revenue has decreased. The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has requested that telcos make contributions to the fight against Covid-19 by reserving internet bandwidth for online learning and distance working. Since early April, Viettel has increased the bandwidth by two times for all FTTH subscribers, and it hasnt chargef higher service fee. As for those people in concentrated quarantine areas, the telco offers a preferential service package for 14 days. VNPT and MobiFone have also taken similar moves. As such, telcos have to pay more for bandwidth rents and transmission capacity, while the revenue is expected to decrease because of many sale promotion programs. Linh Ha Vietnamese telcos target 5G chipsets and devices Experts and leading IT and telecom firms shared experience and discussed the possibility of co-operation in manufacturing 5G chipsets and network infrastructure devices during a seminar in Hanoi on Wednesday. - Ancent Mutua and Zipporah Wambui Mwangi made the tough decision to continue with their wedding despite their families missing the event - The wedding was held on Friday, April 10, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church - The couple had issued an apology to their families who would miss out on their big day - Their budget was also cut down from an initial KSh 430,000 to about KSh 70,000 Many have been affected by the ban on social gatherings and the introduction of restriction of movement in Kenya due to the impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Ancent Mutua, a web designer, and Zipporah Wambui Mwangi, an engineering surveyor, made the tough decision to continue with their wedding even after restriction of movement into the Nairobi metropolitan were enforced. READ ALSO: Akothee hilariously cries when elderly baby daddy forgets to wish her happy birthday Ancent Mutua and Zipporah Wambui Mwangi got married with a list of 10 people in attendance Photo: Ancent Mutua Source: UGC READ ALSO: Okonkwo Utawezana is shallow and bizarre - Ezekiel Mutua rubbishes viral song Having already planned everything, they saw no reason to call it off but tried their best to enjoy the moment. The wedding was held on Friday, April 10, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church as both dressed perfectly as earlier planned for the occasion. It was attended by only 10 guests after their number was cut from an initial 400. During an interview with Citizen TV, Zipporah disclosed that she attended the event with only four friends, all in masks. "I went to the event with my four friends armed with marks that I will indeed keep for my children to see," she said. Ancent talked about watching his wife walk down the aisle alone with no parents escorting her. "The biggest difference was having no parents and as usual on wedding day parents escort their daughter but this time she came on her own, but the moment I looked at her gown, I was at peace," he said. READ ALSO: Go die: Pastor Ng'ang'a curses French doctors who wanted COVID-19 vaccine tested in Africa READ ALSO: Wagonjwa 14 wapya wathibitishwa Tanzania kuwa na virus vya COVID- 19 The couple had issued an apology to their families who would eventually miss out on their big day. The parents gave them their blessings and wished the best for the couple and they printed out the messages to remember the big day. The two had planned the wedding since June 2019 on an initial budget of KSh 430,000 which was cut down to about KSh 70,000. Meanwhile, NTV's news anchor Zeynab Ismail and Citizen TV's Ahmed Faizal are newlyweds. The two tied the knot in a low key wedding witnessed by a few friends and family on Sunday, April 12. The news was shared by a Twitter user named Ahmed Asmali Mohamed who congratulated the two for their union. Zeynab also shared her joy on her Instagram as she posted a cryptic photo of herself and captioned it: "Alhamdulilah (God is great)." These two events displayed how lovers have taken the bold step to be together forever even in the midst of a global crisis. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Syracuse, N.Y. Onondaga County reached a point this week in which the total number of recoveries is now higher than the number of current known coronavirus infections. As of Tuesday, the total number of recoveries stood at 268, while the number of people currently known to be battling the virus stood at 258. Recoveries first outpaced infections on Monday, and widened a bit overnight. The number of current known infections called active cases has remained virtually flat for two weeks now. It reached a high of 281 current cases last Thursday; its been trending slightly downward since then. Onondaga County's line chart of total coronavirus cases (red), active infections (yellow) and recoveries (green). The bad news? Its still unclear how many people actually have the virus, because testing is limited by state and federal guidelines to only the sick with symptoms. Its been widely known that a silent number of people carry the virus without showing symptoms. Officials have said that there will need to be much more testing including of those without symptoms before it can really be known whether the virus has been starved out. The No. 1 plan for a restart or forget a restart, just for identifying would be to test everybody, County Executive Ryan McMahon said Tuesday. And we could do that within three or four days. You could identify everything, then have your two-week pause, then were through. But McMahon said that there wont be enough tests anytime soon to check everyone. Testing could play a role in a restart, when the data merits it, but it cant be the restart, or were going to be sitting around for a very long time. Theres no way youre going to see a test kit available for every American in 2020, in my opinion, he continued. Maybe Im wrong. Hopefully, I am. Related: What the encouraging numbers in CNY tell us and what they dont The number of critically ill patients increased by one overnight to 21. There remain 49 people hospitalized, the same number as a day ago. There were no deaths overnight; that number remains at 11. County Executive Ryan McMahon noted that 19% of people currently battling the virus are in the hospital, and 8% are fighting for their lives. This has been something weve seen a trend in, he said. Overall, there were 17 infections identified overnight, bringing the total known cases to 537 since the pandemic began locally. Those new infections were identified from 162 test results returned in the past day. The 537 total infections were identified from 7,041 test results; an infection rate of 7.6%. That rate of infections per total tests has remained relatively steady for weeks now. There were 1,084 people in isolation (after a confirmed case) or in quarantine (after being in contact with an infected person). That number has remained relatively steady for days now. I think the data shows that things are turning for us, McMahon said. "What we cant do is get complacent in the process. If we get complacent, then well go the other way and well be right back where we were a week and a half ago. Social distancing complaints Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said that police have responded to 237 complaints regarding social distancing or non-essential businesses opening when they shouldnt. Of those, police have not issued any tickets to people for failing to socially distance instead, officers educate and inform to break up the gatherings. Walsh said that issuing anything more than a warning could pose a risk to police and first responders, who then have to personally interact with those ignoring the orders. Under law, police have to issue a warning before issuing a ticket, anyway. In addition, the penalty for the ticket is a $1,000 fine. In lower-income neighborhoods, ordering someone to pay $1,000 they dont have doesnt accomplish a lot, the mayor noted. It probably doesnt even change their behavior, he said. On the other hand, police will enforce the penalties against business owners who remain defiant of the rules. So far, four businesses have been ordered to close, Walsh said. If they reopen, they will be issued tickets with a $1,000 penalty. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said that his office has not handled any arrests or tickets due to social distancing complaints so far. Total cases by gender and age: 287 cases are women, 250 are men 14 are under 19, 111 are in their 20s, 76 in their 30s, 84 in their 40s, 98 in their 50s, 78 in their 60s, 42 in their 70s 24 in their 80s 10 in their 90s Total cases by municipality: Syracuse: 210 (14.7 cases per 10,000) Clay: 61 (10.3 cases per 10,000) Manlius: 38 (11.9 cases per 10,000) Camillus: 32 (13.2 cases per 10,000) DeWitt: 32 (14.3 cases per 10,000) Salina: 30 (9.1 cases per 10,000) Cicero: 26 (8.4 cases per 10,000) Onondaga: 26 (11.4 cases per 10,000) Geddes: 18 (10.8 cases per 10,000) Lysander: 18 (7.9 cases per 10,000) Pompey: 16 (21.9 cases per 10,000) Skaneateles: 10 (13.9 cases per 10,000) Marcellus: 4 (6.5 cases per 10,000) Otisco: 4 (15.8 cases per 10,000) Van Buren: 4 (3.0 cases per 10,000) LaFayette: 3 (6.2 cases per 10,000) Fabius: 2 (8.8 cases per 10,000) Tully: 2 (7.4 cases per 10,000) Spafford: 1 (6.0 cases per 10,000) Elbridge: 0 (0.0 cases per 10,000) Onondaga Nation: 0 (0.0 cases per 10,000) MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources NY refuses to identify nursing homes with coronavirus as pandemic hits many facilities Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Will I have to pay income taxes on my coronavirus relief payment? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. Paul McCartney talked with Howard Stern about his thoughts on the pandemic. (Mary McCartney / MPL ) Paul McCartney has some thoughts on the health crisis that has upended the entire world. The former Beatle called Howard Stern on Tuesday from Sussex, England, to update the Sirius XM radio host on his well-being during the coronavirus pandemic. McCartney explained that he was "locked down" with his daughter Mary and her family and said "the only bad" thing about being quarantined there was that his wife, Nancy, was in New York. "Can you believe what's going on? Did you ever think in your lifetime you'd see something like this?" Stern asked McCartney. "It's so crazy," McCartney said. "We've seen various forms of crisis before, but nothing that's affecting everyone in the world at the same time.... It's scary." Howard had so many questions for Paul McCartney today he could barely sleep last night. If YOU could ask your favorite artist anything, who and what would it be? Tune into the #WrapUpShow at 1 p.m. to hear how @jonhein, @robertAbooey, and @RahsaanSalaam would answer! pic.twitter.com/odAQ4MHBxQ Stern Show (@sternshow) April 14, 2020 The two discussed the wet markets in China that sell fresh meats and fish, which some have blamed for the global health crisis. "I really hope that this will mean that the Chinese government will say, 'OK, guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here.' Let's face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats," said McCartney, a longtime animal-rights activist. Story continues Stern said it was "mind boggling" that the Chinese government hasn't shut down the markets. (In February, China banned wildlife trade and consumption but allowed the continued use of wildlife for traditional Chinese medicine.) McCartney then suggested that celebrities speak out in support of shuttering them. "It's not a stupid idea, it is a very good idea," McCartney said. "They don't need all the people dying. And what's it for? For these medieval practices. They just need to clean up their act.... This may lead to it. If this doesn't, I don't know what will." "...They might as well be letting off atomic bombs, because this is affecting the whole world," added McCartney. "Whoever is responsible for this is at war with the world and itself." Though he recognized that could be challenging since the markets have existed for a long time, he added: "They did slavery forever too. You gotta change things at some point." Earlier in the show, the musician told Stern that the collective spirit he's witnessing across the world reminded him of post-World War II. "A lot of people are pulling together, and in a way it's a great thing because if we don't, we're finished.... It is good to see that. It's inspiring. "People are realizing that there's so much good in humanity, and thank God it seems to be showing itself," said McCartney. "There's a lot of good spirit, and I'm seeing it here in England." The Rowdy of Tollywood is known for his unconventional roles and style. Starting off the career with one of the most misogynistic movies, Arjun Reddy, the actor didn't take much time to grab the eyeballs. Within a very short span of time, Vijay Deverakonda gained equal support and opposition from the masses. Recently, the actor was criticized for not donating for the central and state government COVID 19 relief funds while the Tollywood stars stood united. Well, now Vijay is being targeted for interaction with the Hyderabad City Police along with Commissioner Anjani Kumar. Netizens have also trolled the Police for being biased towards the actor who didn't wear a mask amid the pandemic. The police have posted a tweet in which he is seen interacting with them through video conferencing. Vijay Deverakonda thanked the Telangana police in the video and also said that they are the real heroes. Well, looks like the actor is trying to calm down the trolls which have been his companion since his entry in the film industry. Earlier, talking about such trolls, Vijay Deverakonda in an interview had said that if someone is putting a lot of effort into trolling him, it is evident that how much impact he has created on them. Well, looks like it is high time for the actor to address the same and embrace his fans for all good. Talking about his last venture, the movie World Famous Lover turned out to be an utter disaster at the theatres. Vijay Deverakonda Refrains From Donating Towards Any Relief Funds Amid Coronavirus Pandemic? Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 12:11 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1c0f82 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,President-Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,non-natural-national-disaster,bencana-nasional-non-alam,BNPB,covid-19-task-force,satgas-covid-19 Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has declared the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia a non-natural national disaster in a Presidential Decree. [This decree] declares the non-natural disaster caused by the spread of COVID-19 a national disaster, states the decree, which was issued on Monday. The decree also states that efforts to mitigate the outbreak are to be led by the COVID-19 Task Force with the cooperation of regional administrations, ministries and national agencies. Governor, regents and mayors, as the leaders of the COVID-19 task force [in their respective regions], have to mind the central governments policies when making any policy, states the decree. Some regions with a high number of cases have declared large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). They are Jakarta; the municipalities of Bogor, Depok and Bekasi; Bogor and Bekasi regencies; the municipalities of Tangerang and South Tangerang; and Tangerang regency and Pekanbaru municipality. Nationally, the government has advised the public to stay at home and maintain distance in social interactions. Passengers wait for a commuter train to arrive at Depok station in West Java on Monday, April 13. Under the large-scale social restrictions (PSSB) policy, the commuter train has limited its operational hours. (JP/PJ Leo) The government will remain consistent with the PSBB policy, but the COVID-19 task force will have broader authority, National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Doni Monardo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. He added that the expanded authority would include ease of access to human resources, equipment and logistics mobilization, immigration, customs and quarantine, permits, goods and services procurement, rescue, sector and agency command and money and goods management and accountability. Achmad Yurianto, the governments spokesperson for COVID-19-related matters, told the Post on Tuesday that the declaration of a national emergency would not result in a shift of policy, adding that the government would strengthen its existing measures instead. As of Monday, the pneumonia-like illness had infected 4,557 people in Indonesia and killed 399, with 380 recovering from the disease. Jakarta has become the epicenter of the outbreak, recording 2,186 cases with 204 fatalities and 142 recoveries. American healthcare and medical device company Abbott Laboratories has just unveiled a portable test for the novel coronavirus. Not only is it unique for being the size of a mere toaster, but even more significantly, it can deliver results in as little as five minutes. Because of the state of emergency that the United States is facing in light of the pandemic, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to have the new test available for hospitals, urgent care clinics, and physicians offices right away. Abbott Laboratories' Ultra-Portable ID NOW COVID-19 detector. The US has struggled to supply hospitals and other patient-care facilities with an adequate number of tests since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. As little as one month ago, testing was restricted to high-risk travelers who had recently returned from journeys to and from China. Unfortunately, too many people were allowed to spread the disease back then, making the situation much worse and forcing healthcare facilities to start testing a much larger chunk of the public. And even though calls for testing expanded, the pivot created a major logistical challenge. As US Surgeon General Jerome Adams explained on Fox News, its important for people to know..the CDC was never designed to provide hundreds of millions of tests. It was designed to respond to outbreaks. Two Abbott employees work hard to process hundreds of COVID-19 tests at once. Interestingly, The Atlantic highlighted another key factor affecting the detection of COVID-19, that of the new coronavirus-testing crisis. Its main cause is not the federal government, nor state public-health labs, but the private companies that now dominate the countrys testing capacity. Testing backlogs have ballooned, slowing efficient patient care and delivering a heavily lagged view of the outbreak to decision makers. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), similarly urges, We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. All countries should be able to test all suspected cases. They cannot fight this pandemic blindfolded; they should know where the cases are. Story continues Informational graphic explaining Abbott's coronavirus testing process. COVID-19s appearance has upended the status quo of the healthcare landscape, requiring numerous changes in protocol. One of the measures passed to speed things along through the crisis was the invocation of emergency use authorization (EUA), detailed on the FDAs website. On top of that, section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) permits the FDA Commissioner to allow unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear] threat agents when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House coronavirus task force, stated to NPR, in the beginning, it was a slow start. But right now that the commercial firms have gotten involved, we really have caught up. And we will be were seeing a much more improved system with regard to the availability and the implementation of testing. Abbott Laboratories' ultra-portable ID NOW COVID-19 testing device. Abbott explains that their new test runs on Abbotts ID NOW TM platforma lightweight box (6.6 pounds and the size of a small toaster) that can sit in a variety of locations, adding that because of its small size, it can be used in more non-traditional places where people can have their results in a matter of minutes, bringing an alternate testing technology to combat the novel coronavirus. Were ramping up production to deliver 50,000 ID NOW COVID-19 tests per day, beginning next week, to the U.S. healthcare system. Quickly identifying COVID-19 cases helps immensely in the administration of quick treatment, and its the only real way to curb the spread of the disease sooner rather than later. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, testing of any communicable disease is of paramount concern. Why? Its crucial, of course, to help treat, isolate, or hospitalize people who are infected. Testing also is important in the bigger public health picture on mitigation efforts, helping investigators characterize the prevalence, spread, and contagiousness of the disease. How does the Abbott Laboratories portable detector work? First, a sample specimen is drawn from a patient. Abbott Laboratories has not disclosed on its website what type of specimen is drawn, but its believed to come via swabs from the nasal passages or back of the throat, or even respiratory specimens, as the CDC says. The drawn sample is then fed into the detector, where a chemical is combined with it to determine the genetic material of any viruses present and compare them to those found in a large database. If any fragments of the novel coronaviruss genome are present, the test will yield a positive result in about five to 13 minutes. With this faster testing system now in play, mitigation measures can be hastened to contain the pandemic. Not only will lives be saved, but the data from all these tests will better inform both public health authorities and government officials of COVID-19s prevalence and the ways its evolving. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:44:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three countries or 10+3) on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) to pool efforts in clinching an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of the ASEAN Plus Three on COVID-19 via video link. Saying that the spread of COVID-19 is life-threatening and puts the global economy under severe strain, Li called on APT countries to act with greater synergy and common purpose and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance among East Asian countries to work for an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. "The battle against COVID-19 has made us more aware that we are in a community with a shared future," Li said. He called on APT countries to make all-out efforts to jointly curb the spread of COVID-19. China will provide another 100 million face masks, 10 million protective suits and other urgently needed medical supplies to ASEAN countries as grant assistance and via commercial channels, he said. Li said China proposes leveraging the complementarity in medical supplies and industrial chains of APT countries to more effectively tackle emergencies. China supports ASEAN in setting up a COVID-19 ASEAN response fund, and will provide necessary support through the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund and APT Cooperation Fund, said Li, noting that China suggests an APT reserve of essential medical supplies be established to make responses faster and emergency supplies more readily available. APT countries should support the World Health Organization playing a leading role and work together to safeguard regional and global public health, Li said. On restoring economic development, Li proposed opening a "fast-track lane" for essential personnel on urgent visits in the fields of commerce, logistics, production and technological services among APT countries. The fast-track lane should be opened with all the necessary control measures in place, said Li, noting that this will be conducive to maintaining the necessary flow of people and goods and stabilizing the industrial and supply chains. Li pointed out that the APT countries need to leverage their strengths in economic complementarity and strong business ties to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, in an effort to restore growth in East Asia as quickly as possible. He also suggested making full use of mechanisms such as the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization and leveraging the APT Macroeconomic Research Office to strengthen crisis preparedness. APT countries support the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other multilateral financial institutions in taking prompt actions to ensure adequate liquidity, he said. "We welcome the AIIB's proposal of a COVID-19 Recovery Facility with an initial capitalization of 5 billion U.S. dollars," Li said. Leaders attended the summit agreed that APT countries should show solidarity, coordinate response, enhance exchanges of experience and information and conduct cooperation on medication and vaccine research and development. They also called for enhanced macro-economic policy coordination to stabilize industrial and supply chains and restore social and economic order gradually. After the meeting, APT countries issued a joint statement of the summit. The APT cooperation mechanism was set up in response to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and then emerged even stronger from the international financial crisis in 2008. The special summit, chaired by Vietnam in its capacity as ASEAN chair for 2020, is a key get-together for the East Asian region's COVID-19 response taking place after the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 on March 26. Wu Jianghao, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday's meeting strengthened APT countries' will to coordinate, boosted their confidence in cooperation and identified the direction of cooperation. "China is encouraged to see the outcomes of the summit," Wu said at a press briefing after the summit, adding that China stands ready to stay in close cooperation with all parties to act on the consensus reached by the leaders, take effective measures and work together to overcome the pandemic and restore economic vitality in the region at an early date. If you happened to be scrolling through your preferred delivery app on Friday, you might have been in for a surprise. Fuku, celebrity chef David Changs fast-casual fried chicken chain, had suddenly appeared on Doordash, Grubhub and Postmates, available for delivery from a half dozen locations throughout Portland. More curious? As of last week, Fuku had no locations in the Pacific Northwest, and had made no mention of a Portland expansion on its social media accounts or in the press. The restaurant, which currently has stand-alone locations in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, has mostly been focused on concessions of late, green-lighting kiosks at stadiums in Washington D.C., Miami and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Heres what we know so far: Nick Nanpei -- Big Burger Brand on Twitter -- brought Fukus presence to our attention on Friday, noting that delivery on Grubhub appeared to be available from multiple locations. @tdmrussell did I miss something or when did we get a Fuku? Its showing up with different addresses pic.twitter.com/pIB7HBCvnW BIG BURGER BRAND (@NNanpei) April 10, 2020 Others soon spotted Fuku listings on Postmates ... No idea what's going on but here's Postmates listing for my Laurelhurst address. pic.twitter.com/gEmqXAX4KF Andy (@Aestro) April 10, 2020 ... and Doordash. Im doin it for dinner. Lets all report back pic.twitter.com/8LjoT0LXYy Cabel (@cabel) April 10, 2020 Noted Simpsons writer and fast-food aficionado Bill Oakley wanted answers: one of of needs to order and see what happens BILL OAKLEY (@thatbilloakley) April 10, 2020 People started pulling the trigger and ordering what they hoped was real-deal Fuku. The results were mixed. They didn't include the nuggets I ordered but I got two extra sets of fries. No spicy sauce on the sandwich either, but I like the use of dark meat. pic.twitter.com/sm4K2xu485 Andy (@Aestro) April 11, 2020 UPDATE. Food eventually arrived. Fries/chicken were cold/chewy. Dipping sauces missing and there was one more tenders-sandwich than ordered (the checklist lied!!) Packaging legit. Flavor so-so? Can't recommend overall. If genuine, feels like a misstep to go with REEF KITCHENS. pic.twitter.com/0LhbYlXgoy Cabel (@cabel) April 11, 2020 Before that order arrived, Cabel Sasser, co-founder of Portland-based software and video game developer Panic, hopped on his bike and headed to the Fuku location listed on Doordash. Sasser found a pair of trailers branded by Reef Kitchens, a Miami-based company that runs ghost kitchens -- virtual restaurants run exclusively through delivery apps -- at sites throughout Portland. Ok, so, I placed and order then hopped on my bike to do some recon!!! I can confirm, as I suspected, this food is coming from one of these two REEF KITCHEN white label food trucks!?! pic.twitter.com/IIvDvKbi4m Cabel (@cabel) April 11, 2020 The foil sleeves and other branding looked legit, but was this really Fuku? Reef Kitchens, an offshoot of a parking lot company, had already gotten in hot water after one of their generic Thai concepts appeared on delivery apps as Kin Khao, a Michelin-starred San Francisco Thai restaurant. (Update: Reef Kitchens says the misrepresentation was on the delivery apps end, not theirs.) And then, a clue. Eater PDX spotted a comment buried on one of Fukus Instagram posts. Responding to a question asking, Is this real?, the chain replied with three emojis: a wink, sunglasses and fried chicken. So far, those emojis are the closest weve come to an official confirmation. But that coy comment would seem to indicate that Fuku has indeed come to Portland Fuku and its Momofuku restaurant group have not responded to emails sent from The Oregonian Friday and Monday. And the next comment down brings up another worthwhile question, with @emmam32 wondering if opening up, now, in a city driven by local restaurants that are currently in a heap of trouble is the right approach. Have you tried ordering Fuku yet? Shoot us a message and let us know how it went. -- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz have been given 48 hours to form an emergency coalition government following the country's stalemate elections. The two politicians are 'very close' to reaching a deal on forming a national government to battle the coronavirus crisis and end the country's unprecedented political deadlock, it is understood. Gantz's 28-day mandate to put together a ruling coalition after last month's inconclusive election was due to expire at midnight, but President Reuven Rivlin, who is overseeing the coalition talks, extended it for two days. Rivlin did so, his office said, 'on the understanding that they are very close to reaching an agreement.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) and his rival Benny Gantz have been given 48 hours to form an emergency coalition government following the country's stalemate elections Gantz and Netanyahu met overnight in a last-ditch effort to settle their differences. Afterwards they issued a joint statement saying they had made 'significant progress.' The two are set to meet again with their negotiating teams later in the morning. The impasse, after national elections in April and September 2019 and again last month, raised the prospect of a fourth ballot, complicating any plans for economic recovery once the coronavirus outbreak eases. Without a deal, it will be up to parliament to pick a candidate who would then have 14 days to form a government. Failure to do so would automatically trigger a snap election. 'Netanyahu, this is our moment of truth. It's either a national emergency government or, God forbid, a fourth election which would be expensive and, in this crisis period, gratuitous,' Gantz said late on Monday in broadcast remarks. Gantz said the enormity of the coronavirus emergency had caused him to break a campaign promise not to sit in a government with Netanyahu, who has been indicted on corruption charges. Benny Gantz (pictured) and Netanyahu met overnight in a last-ditch effort to settle their differences. Afterwards they issued a joint statement saying they had made 'significant progress.' The two are set to meet again with their negotiating teams later in the morning. Netanyahu, who has headed successive caretaker administrations during the political stalemate, denies the charges. In his own televised statement, the veteran premier imposed a ban on inter-city travel for the final days of the Passover holiday this week to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions already in place have confined most Israelis to their homes for weeks, forcing many businesses to close and sending unemployment soaring to more than 25%. Netanyahu said his cabinet could formulate an 'exit strategy' as soon as this weekend, though he cautioned restrictions on the economy and education would be eased gradually and that there would be no full return to routine before a coronavirus vaccine is discovered. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch, Jeffrey Heller and Dan Williams; Editing by Tom Brown and Rosalba O'Brien) NASA TV to air landing of NASA astronauts Meir, Morgan, crewmate Skripochka NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, KI5AAA who has spent nine months living and working on the International Space Station, will join fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and Oleg Skripochka, RN3FU of the Russian space agency Roscosmos for a scheduled return to Earth on Friday, April 17. NASA Flight Engineers Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir flank Expedition 62 Commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos for a playful portrait in the weightless environment of the International Space Station. Credits: NASA Live coverage of their Soyuz MS-15 spacecrafts undocking and station departure will begin at 6 p.m. EDT Thursday, April 16, on NASA Television and the agencys website. Coverage of the deorbit burn and landing will begin at 12 a.m. Friday, April 17. Soyuz and station hatches will be closed at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, and the trio will undock from the aft port of the stations Zvezda service module at 9:53 p.m. A deorbit burn at 12:22 a.m. Friday, April 17, will put the Soyuz on course for a parachute-assisted landing at 1:17 a.m. (11:17 a.m. Kazakhstan time) on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan. A change of command ceremony, which will see newly arrived astronaut Chris Cassidy, KD5KDR of NASA accept station command from Skripochka, will air live at 4:55 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, on NASA TV and the agencys website. At the time of undocking, Expedition 63 will begin aboard the station, with Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner comprising a three-person crew until the planned arrival of NASAs Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon on the Demo-2 flight test, becoming the first astronauts to launch from American soil to the space station since 2011. Morgans 272-day mission began on July 20, 2019, with launch aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft, along with Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) and Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos. His flight spanned Expeditions 60-62, a total of 4,352 Earth orbits and a journey of 115.3 million miles. During his first spaceflight, he contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development. He also conducted seven spacewalks, totaling 45 hours and 48 minutes, four of which were to improve and extend the life of the stations Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer as it looks for evidence of dark matter in the universe. Meir and Skripochka, who launched on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft on Sept. 25, 2019, will land with Morgan after 205 days in space, 3,280 orbits of Earth and a trip of 86.9 million miles. During her first spaceflight, Meir conducted the first three all-woman spacewalks with crewmate Christina Koch of NASA, totaling 21 hours and 44 minutes. Skripochka is completing his third spaceflight for a cumulative 536 days in orbit. After landing, the crew will return by Russian helicopters to the recovery staging city in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, where they will split up. Morgan and Meir will board a NASA plane located in the adjacent city of Kyzlorda, Kazakhstan, for a flight back to Houston. Skripochka will board a Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center aircraft in Baikonur to return to his home in Star City, Russia. Full NASA TV coverage is as follows (all times EDT): Wednesday, April 15: 4:55 p.m.: Space station change of command ceremony, during which Chris Cassidy will accept command from crewmate Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos. Thursday, April 16: 6 p.m.: Farewell and Soyuz hatch closure coverage (hatch closure at 6:30 p.m.) 9:30 p.m.: Soyuz undocking coverage (undocking scheduled for 9:53 p.m.) Friday, April 17: 12 a.m.: Soyuz deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn at 12:22 a.m. and landing at 1:17 a.m.) Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Mindful of an audience not steeped in Persian history, Sofer goes out of her way to provide historical orientation sometimes deftly, in old news clippings, and sometimes more heavily, in expository dialogue. He got his start in the Constitutional Revolution in 1906, Hamids father tells the narrator in a childhood scene, referring to the exiled prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh. As prime minister he introduced social security and land reforms, and his downfall, as everyone knows, was his nationalization of the oil industry, which until then had been controlled by the British. While helpful for an uninformed reader, its perhaps a bit much for a chat with a child on the way home from the dentist. Similarly, the Persian phrases, usually idiomatic ones, that pepper the dialogue are translated for the reader throughout the book often, puzzlingly, by the person who just spoke them. Sofer manages this naturally at times (Youre back to your khorous jangi ways. My son, the fighting cock), and a bit more nonsensically at others (Shab-bekheyr have a good night). All of this raises the question not of whom the book is for but to whom its being narrated. To whom is Hamid Mozaffarian telling this story? To whom is he, in theory, explaining himself? The self-examination he puts himself through in New York and then back in Tehran would suggest that the voice is an inward one, directed at the self. Or perhaps the audience he holds in his head is his family, his deceased father, whose legacy Hamid, in his role as destroyer, both reveres and obliterates. Yet the books exposition is angled toward an outsiders gaze and theres real discord between the narratives commitment to interiority and the sacrifices it makes in explaining itself. This is the perennial struggle faced by any writer whose imagined narrative audience and likely actual audience dont fully align, but there are solutions more elegant than these. The arc of Hamids life is finely wrought, a master class in the layering of time and contradiction that gives us a deeply imagined, and deeply human, soul an enviable skill always, but essential for attaching us to a character who, despite his attempts at self-betterment, is essentially unforgivable. But forgiveness isnt the point, says Hamids daughter, Golnaz, who is struggling to come to terms with him. The best I can do is try to understand. I wont be alone in finding the dichotomy personal. My own father, after Hungarys failed 1956 student revolt, arrived in the United States as a refugee. In the same week that I read about Hamids journey home with his fathers ashes, I was coming to accept that, quarantined in Chicago amid a pandemic, I would not make it back this spring for the interment of my fathers ashes in Budapest, where hed repatriated at the age of 80. Like so many children whose parents were formed by histories wildly different from our own and like both Golnaz and Hamid Ive sometimes found both forgiveness and understanding elusive. While Sofer is part of a notable generation of Iranian-American writers who write, in part, about divided families, divided worlds and divided selves, she is also, more broadly, part of an enduring American tradition: the writer who lives, creatively, both here and in the imaginative territory of another time and place, a point of familial or personal origin that looms large. The beating heart of American literature has always been the contributions of those looking both forward and back, both at America and at the world. Members not of skipped generations, necessarily, but of Janus-headed ones, writing toward something more difficult than forgiveness. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 10:02:02 This is a joint press release by PAI Partners SAS (PAI) and various entities (indirectly) controlled by or affiliated to Charles Jobson and/or his family members (Charles Jobson), acting jointly through Best of Nature Bidco B.V. (Bidco, and together with PAI and Charles Jobson, the Consortium) and Wessanen B.V. (previously named: Koninklijke Wessanen N.V.) (Wessanen). Wessanen shareholders can voluntarily transfer their shares to Bidco before 7 May 2020 Judgment rendered by the Enterprise Chamber in the squeeze-out proceedings on Wessanen shares Price per share equal to offer price of EUR 11.36 plus statutory interest as of 30 September 2019 Voluntary transfer of shares to Bidco possible between 14 April 2020 and 7 May 2020, at 15:00 hours CET Transfer by operation of law into consignment for shares not voluntary transferred will occur on or about 11 May 2020 Paris, France / Boston Massachusetts, the U.S. / Amsterdam, the Netherlands 14 April 2020 Squeeze-out proceedings On 31 March 2020, the Enterprise Chamber of the court of Appeal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, rendered its judgement in the squeeze-out proceedings (uitkoopprocedure) initiated by Bidco in order to acquire any shares of Wessanen not already acquired by Bidco in connection with its successfully completed public offer for all issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the share capital of Wessanen (the Shares). The Enterprise Chamber ordered all remaining shareholders in Wessanen to transfer the unencumbered right to their Shares to Bidco. It determined that EUR 11.36, the same price paid by Bidco to shareholders in connection with the public offer, is the fair price per Share, subject to statutory interest calculated from 30 September 2019 until the date of transfer of the Shares. Bidco was ordered to pay this price plus interest in exchange for the transfer of the unencumbered right to the Shares. Voluntary transfer Bidco calls upon the Wessanen shareholders to effect the voluntary transfer to Bidco of the unencumbered right to the Shares between 14 April 2020 and 7 May 2020, at 15:00 hours CET, by instructing their bank, broker or other financial intermediary to have their shares transferred to ABN AMRO Bank N.V. i.f.o. Euroclear Nederland account 28001 NDC 106 (NECIABNANL2AAGS106L10), for further credit to Bidcos securities account 85.74.20.658. On or around 8 May 2020, Bidco will pay the price set by the Enterprise Chamber of EUR 11.50 (existing of EUR 11.36 plus statutory interest) to those Wessanen shareholders that have voluntarily transferred their Shares before 7 May 2020, at 15:00 hours CET. No brokerage or bank fees or costs incurred by such Wessanen shareholders will be reimbursed by Bidco. Wessanen shareholders who have no securities account should contact Wessanen(corporate.communications@wessanen.com) for additional information on how they can transfer their Shares to Bidco. Transfer by operation of law On or around 11 May 2020, Bidco shall, in respect of all Shares that are not voluntarily transferred in the above-mentioned manner, pay the price set by the Enterprise Chamber of EUR 11.50 (existing of EUR 11.36 plus statutory interest) into consignment with the consignment fund of the Dutch Ministry of Finance (Consignatiekas van het Ministerie van Financien). Upon such payment, the unencumbered title to such Shares will transfer to Bidco by operation of law. Wessanen shareholders may request the Dutch consignment office for payment of the price plus interest for their Shares. Attachment [April 14, 2020] Silicon Valley Icons Jim Clark and Tom Jermoluk Launch "Beyond Identity" NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the foundations of online identity hopelessly compromised, two of the World Wide Webs earliest innovators have come back to fix one of securitys most longstanding and intractable issues passwords. Having founded and led iconic companies including Netscape, Silicon Graphics, and @Home Network, Jim Clark and Tom (TJ) Jermoluk today publicly launched Beyond Identity and announced $30 million in Series A funding from co-leads Koch Disruptive Technologies, LLC (KDT) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). The company is delivering, for the first time, a fundamentally secure solution (based on industry-standard certificate chains) for passwordless identity management that requires no changes to security infrastructures, completely removes login friction for end users, and provides consumers with a much more secure alternative to password managers. In a separate release today, the company announced the availability of its groundbreaking cloud-native passwordless identity management platform in the release Beyond Identity Delivers the End of Passwords. Founded in 2017, KDT is a corporate venture capital arm of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in America with more than $110 billion in annual revenues. Founded in 1977, NEA remains one of the worlds largest and most active venture capital firms with more than $23 billion in committed capital. Both companies are also early customers of Beyond Identity. The Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report found that 80 percent of hacking-related breaches still involve compromised and weak credentials. Multiple analyst firms tracking the market to defend against these attacks size the identity and access management (IAM) market in excess of $20 billion, and growing furiously. Behind those numbers, however, are a range of markets for compensating controls that backstop the collapse of identity foundations from password managers to multi-factor authentication (MFA) that endeavor to reduce the massive and unstable attack surface represented by fundamentally flawed password-based authentication. Unfortunately, these additional layers dont solve the core issue, but instead add complexity, and require extra steps for end users. The result is reduced employee productivity and revenue as consumers just give up when adding new accounts or abandon online transactions. Innovation should disrupt markets, not businesses. Disruptive innovation needs to advance security without introducing friction or complexity, said Forest Baskett, General Partner at NEA. Netscape accidentally created markets in access and authentication for aspects of identity that werent addressed at the time. By going back to fundamentals and extending the Chain of Trust, Jim, TJ, and team have creaed a truly disruptive innovation that advances both security and usability equally. From Unlocking the Web to Locking Down Identity With a partnership that began in the halls of 3D graphics and visual effects pioneer Silicon Graphics, and continued at the dawn of the World Wide Web when Clark gave rise to Netscape and TJ launched broadband pioneer @Home Network, the two have collectively and individually been integral in some of the technology industrys defining moments. Clark is most well known for founding Netscape with Marc Andreessen and delivering what would be the market-leading Netscape Navigator browser and SSL, the precursor to Transport Layer Security (TLS, the lock in the browser). He also founded Healtheon, which merged with WebMD, and he was the original investor and Chairman of digital photo sharing and storage website Shutterfly. A Bell Labs Engineer, TJ served as the CEO of At Home Corporation (or by more familiar names @Home Network and [email protected]), where he was responsible for the massive growth and cable partnerships that created the worlds largest broadband footprint of its time. He also served as Silicon Graphics President and COO, in its early days, and personally designed and led teams that created many of Silicon Graphics breakthrough products. The successful and innovative history and continued collaboration in the present day between the two helped them revisit inherent identity weaknesses that existed from the early days of the Web, and drove them to go back to the core foundation to reboot primary authentication. The resulting effort Beyond Identity introduces the elegantly simple concept of the personal certificate authority and self-signed certificates. The solution leverages existing secure communications infrastructure and crypto standards to extend the trust boundary beyond server-to-server communications to include users and their devices. By doing so, it completely removes the need for shared secret password-based authentication approaches, and dependence on friction-laden compensating controls. The cloud-native platform provides a secure method of authenticating users and devices without passwords, by using the same secure and scalable approach X.509 certificates and TLS protocol that is already universally deployed and underpins billions of dollars in online transactions annually. The solution creates a Chain of Trust that includes user and device identity and a real-time snapshot of a devices security posture, all in an immutable package that is signed by a provably secure certificate. Initially targeted at businesses with an acute need to dramatically improve workforce and customer authentication and eliminate the risk of central password databases, Beyond Identity will also target individual consumers who hate passwords, struggle with password vault usability and security, and dont trust the login with solutions offered by companies who monetize user data. For too long weve pushed the burden of trust to centralized aggregation points from enterprise directories to cloud services to website servers each with varying levels of trustworthiness and a massively broad set of security postures and platforms, said Clark, Co-Founder and Chairman of Beyond Identity. While rational, it created more centralized risk and attractive targets, which attackers feasted on. New devices with biometrics and secure enclaves have given us a much stronger level of security that allows us to establish trust in, and with, each user. By decentralizing to the perimeter, it supports the principles of Zero Trust and destroys attacker economics. Beyond Identitys board of directors will expand from Clark (Chairman) and TJ (CEO) to include: Forest Baskett (General Partner at NEA) Prior to joining NEA, Baskett was Senior Vice President of R&D and Chief Technology Officer at Silicon Graphics. Before that, he founded and directed the Western Research Laboratory of Digital Equipment Corporation. Byron Knight (Managing Director at KDT) Prior to joining KDT, Knight was Vice President of eCommerce at Georgia-Pacific. He started his career at TechDiscovery (acquired by Harvey Nash). Hilarie Koplow-McAdams Koplow-McAdams served as President at New Relic as well as at Salesforce. She started her career at Oracle Corporation, where she held a variety of roles over the course of 18 years, including Senior Vice President of Oracle Direct. Koplow-McAdams currently serves on the board of directors of BloomReach, DataRobot, HackerOne, Knotch, and Zendesk Corporation, among others. About Beyond Identity Headquartered in New York City, Beyond Identity was founded by industry legends Jim Clark and Tom Jermoluk to eliminate passwords and radically change the way the world logs in, without requiring organizations to radically change their technology stack or processes. Funded by leading investors, including Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Beyond Identitys mission is to empower the next generation of secure digital business by replacing passwords with fundamentally secure X.509-based certificates. This patents-pending approach creates an extended Chain of Trust that includes user and device identity and a real-time snapshot of the devices security posture for adaptive risk-based authentication and authorization. Beyond Identitys cloud-native solution enables customers to increase business velocity, implement new business models, reduce operating costs, and achieve complete passwordless identity management. Visit www.beyondidentity.com for more information. All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. ?Contact: Doug De Orchis CHEN PR for Beyond Identity 781-672-3147 [email protected] Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d818f742-4f17-4708-8b25-bea778258bb5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17e76e87-4ae0-49f3-9897-365af115d1b4 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mad Men ended its timeline in late 1970, with the advertising patriarch Don Draper peaced out at a yoga retreat, om-ing his way to the inspiration for the classic 1971 Coca-Cola Hilltop ad. Since then, fans have dreamed about a follow-up, one focused not on the Don Drapers of the world, but on the women whose limitations and liberations were the through-line of the series. FX on Hulus breathtaking Mrs. America, from the Mad Men writer Dahvi Waller, picks up in 1971, raising a throaty howl just as Don is teaching the world to sing. The story of the fight for and against the Equal Rights Amendment, its not a sequel, either literally or in format: Its a nine-part series following real historical figures. But it is a kind of spiritual successor, a meticulously created and observed mural that finds the germ of contemporary America in the striving of righteously mad women. Like Mad Men, Mrs. America finds a fresh angle on a much-observed age of revolution by focusing, first, on a counterrevolutionary: Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett), the cold warrior who, in Wallers telling, seized on the culture war over womens rights to raise her political profile and advance a broader conservative agenda. The US government has approved the sale of air-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles and torpedoes to India for a combined cost of USD 155 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in two separate releases informed that the "State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale" to the government of India of ten AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 92 million and sixteen MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes (LWT), three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 63 million. "The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today," the DSCA statements read. About the sale of Harpoon air-launched missiles, the DSCA release said: "Also included are containers, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, Specialized Assignment Airlift Missions (SAAM), US Government and contractor representatives technical assistance, engineering, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support." The proposed sale, DSCA said, will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. "The Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defense of critical sea lanes while enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allied forces. India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense." On the sale of torpedoes, the DSCA informed that the Government of India had requested to buy sixteen MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes (LWT) and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes (MK 54 LWT Kit procurement required). "Also included are MK 54 spare parts; torpedo containers; two (2) Recoverable Exercise Torpedoes (REXTORP) with containers; Fleet Exercise Section (FES) and fuel tanks built into MK 54 LWT Kits (above); air launch accessories for fixed wing; spare parts; training, publications; support and test equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics support," the agency said. "The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft," DSCA added. The organisation also said that the proposed sale will not "alter the basic military balance in the region." "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region," the releases from the DSCA read. The P-8I aircraft is equipped for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of the broad area, maritime and littoral operations. Its communication and sensor suite includes indigenous equipment developed by defence PSUs and private manufacturers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A storm system that caused the deaths of at least 32 people and ripped apart homes in the South, and downed trees and power lines along much of the East Coast was largely a fresh and scary memory Monday night. From Texas to South Carolina, reports of at least 40 tornadoes spanned more than 1,200 miles, the National Weather Service said Monday. Radar data from the weather service suggests some tornadoes in Mississippi were on the ground for more than an hour and might have tracked at least 100 miles. The system tore the roofs off many houses and killed people in six states before lashing other homes as it moved up the East Coast knocking trees onto roads and knocking out power to many. In the South there was extensive damage in some areas. In Mississippi, at least 11 people were killed, the state's Department of Emergency Management said. At least nine people were killed in storm-related incidents in South Carolina, the state's governor Henry McMaster announced Monday. One of those killed was a security guard at a BorgWarner plant in Seneca. Five people in South Carolina's Hampton County were killed in the early morning hours Monday, according to a Susanne Peeples, director of the county's emergency management department. In Georgia, eight people were killed -- including five people in Murray County and one man in Cartersville, local officials said. At least one house in Upson County, Georgia, was picked up and moved by the storm, CNN affiliate WSB reported Monday. And in Arkansas, one person was killed after a tree fell on a home in Jefferson County, county emergency management director Karen Blevins said. North Carolina also reported one death. Gov. Roy Cooper said a Davidson County woman died when a tree fell on her home. There were two deaths in Tennessee, according to officials. Now states already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic are trying to recover from this outbreak of storms. Emergency officials told residents that sheltering from the storms takes priority over the social distancing guidelines in place to slow the spread of coronavirus. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency emphasized that people should have a safe place to go -- and if that's a public shelter, to continue practicing social distancing. "If you go to a public shelter please wear a mask, bandana, or scarf around your nose and mouth," MEMA tweeted. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards went to see tornado damage in Ouachita Parish. He wore a mask and kept his distance from the people who were dealing with damaged or destroyed homes. "And it's always a delicate balance because I saw people who were out working hard already to get past the tornado damage and I saw some people in some homes that were obviously not going to be habitable tonight, or anytime soon," but he couldn't talk to them, the governor said. Track the storms here Trees down throughout New York metro In New York, the state hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, some areas saw more than 2 inches of rain and some had wind gusts of up to 68 mph. The New Jersey city of Ridgewood had 3.06 inches of rain in 24 hours. There were dozens of reports of trees or wires blocking streets in the New York metropolitan area, according to the local office of the National Weather Service. There were also many trees and wires down in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Eversource, New England's largest energy delivery company, has hundreds of crews working in the two states to restore power, officials said. At one point at least 70,000 homes and businesses were without power. According to the company, crews will continue working until power is restored to all customers affected by the storm. The company also noted that their crews are working "while complying with the energy company's stringent Covid-19 pandemic protocols to safeguard the health and well-being of employees and customers." How the storms unfolded The storm system first pummeled Texas with severe weather Saturday and headed east to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. In Louisiana, the governor issued a state of emergency due to "devastating damage." At least 200 to 300 structures were damaged in just the city of Monroe alone, Mayor Jamie Mayo said. No deaths were reported from the city, but some residents were injured. Monroe is still recovering from flooding a few years ago, resident Jared Moore told CNN affiliate KNOE. He said neighbors worked together to rescue two women and four infants in the area. "We actually band together and kind of canvassed the neighborhood to see who needed help. And thank God nobody was injured," Charlie Collins told KNOE. "All of this stuff can be replaced, but life can't." Aerial video from CNN affiliate WYFF showed one home in Seneca, South Carolina, with no roof. Inside one end of the house, there were two trucks in the pile. Outside the home, a line of debris covered the front yard, apparently indicating the direction of the storm. A tree fell on a home in Sanford, North Carolina, sending a family of 10 scrambling to find each other, CNN affiliate WRAL reported. One child, a 12-year-old boy, was trapped in his bed by a fallen tree. "When I heard a crackle and I heard the thunder, the boom, I just ran through the house, just thinking the thunder scared the kids. But then, when I got upstairs, you could see the dust and hear my baby hollering," Tammy Marsh said. "When I opened the door, you could see his neck sticking out up under the debris," she said. "There was a beam over his head that I had to lift up and pull him away from under." Brandon Ocotree said he was dreaming when the roof came down on him. "At first, I was just trying to pull everything off me, and I couldn't, so I called for help," he said. The boy was taken to the hospital and treated for some scrapes and scratches, WRAL reported. Newly homeless storm victims look for shelter In the South, displaced residents are looking for shelter as coronavirus concerns loom. In Louisiana, Mayo has asked hotels in Monroe to provide rooms for the newly homeless because the coronavirus outbreak has made opening an emergency shelter potentially dangerous. Hotlines have been established to find housing for those who don't have a safe place to stay. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency and suspended coronavirus orders where life could be endangered. "Shelters and community safe rooms should remain open and accessible to all individuals seeking refuge from this severe weather, while implementing reasonable practices and procedures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among those seeking shelter," Ivey said. And in Mississippi, officials said most county safe rooms were equipped with hand sanitizer. Residents were advised to wear masks in the rooms. Correction: This story has been updated with the correct death toll for Hampton County, South Carolina. Wall Street loves mergers and acquisitions. They feed the egos of CEOs by increasing their empires and garner big fees for the bankers that help put big deals together. They can also result in a big payday for investor of the firm that gets bought out. But, sadly, for these reasons, most mergers destroy shareholder value over the long haul. For investors, the track record indicates that it can be more lucrative to bet on deals where firms break themselves apart. One such deal that became final less than two weeks ago found two giant defense and aerospace-focused firms merge, but also spin out two global titans into their own separate entities. I just picked on mergers for being bad for shareholders, but last Junes merger between United Technologies and Raytheon was very unique in that it was a merger of equals. That means there wasnt a large premium built into the deal to entice one set of shareholders to sell out. This sizeable premium is a key reason that mergers are bad over the long term. The newly formed Raytheon Technologies creates one of the largest aerospace and defense firms in the world. And part of the deal called for two of United Techs divisions Otis Elevator and Carrier Inc, to be spun out to their own independence. Independence can really motivate management teams and employees, which can be great for business, and shareholders One other benefit of spinoffs is it can take investors and analysts awhile to get comfortable with the newly formed entities. It also takes a while for the financials to be released and understood. Therefore, those that study them carefully can gain an information advantage. On a related note, investors that see these new positions in their portfolio tend to sell them off because they arent that familiar and the position sizes can be pretty small. This puts near-term selling pressure on the shares. Using TipRanks database, I was able to evaluate these 3 Buy-rated stocks to get a good feel for what the analyst community has to say as these firms get going on their own. Apparently, all three have appealing long-term upside potential. Let's take a closer look. Story continues Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX) The newly formed Raytheon is the crown jewel of this transaction. Raytheon and United Tech didnt have a ton of overlapping businesses and therefore didnt have a lot of regulatory obstacles to overcome in merging. Its four units consist of Pratt & Whitney military and civil aircraft divisions, Collins aerospace systems and components, intelligence and airborne systems, and defense and missile systems. Breadth and scale are important when negotiating with national governments (the U.S. and its allies) and giant airlines. And while commercial airline demand is going to dip in the current recession, it will recover. Raytheon Tech is in a strong position because 54% of its business now comes from defense, which isnt nearly as economically sensitive. And 45% of sales come from overseas, which provides diversification in any market environment and is important now that the U.S. has the highest number of covid-19 cases in the world. Bank of America's Ronald Epstein really likes Raytheons steady defense cash that will protect the aerospace business until it recovers, and expects $1 billion in cost synergies from the combination. Epstein estimates $64.5 billion in sales this year and a substantial 12.5% jump to $72.6 billion in 2021. He sees another 11% increase to as much as $81 billion the following year. He estimates around $4 in EPS this year and next, with a boost to $5 in 2021. Better yet, management projects double-digit cash flow growthby 2021). Safety, cash flow, and growth are compelling characteristics for investors in any business cycle. Epstein reiterated a Buy rating on Raytheon shares along with $95 price target. That is a very healthy premium of 47% above the current share price of $64.22. (To watch Epstein's track record, click here) We can see from TipRanks that Raytheon has regained its Strong Buy rating. In the last three months, the stock has received 11 "buy" ratings and only 3 "hold" ratings. Based on these ratings, the average $92 price target on RTX stock translates into upside of over 40% from the current share price. (See Raytheon stock analysis on TipRanks) Otis Worldwide Corp (OTIS) Otis Worldwide is one of the largest elevator firms in the world. Construction trends might slow for the foreseeable future, but elevators must always be maintained and kept safely running regardless of the economy. Service is one of the key appeals of Otis as an investment. JPMorgan recently detailed that 57% of Otis sales (the rest are new equipment) stem from services, which tend to be stable along with higher margins. 82% of the service business stems from routine maintenance and repair, while the rest is from modernization. 16% of Otis sales come from China, which is already getting back to business as its coronavirus containment efforts appear to be working. The U.S. is only 27% of sales the rest comes from the rest of the world. Like Raytheon, Otis is diversified across the world and among many customers. JPMorgan analyst Stephen Tusa cited these strengths as a reason for his overweight rating and $53 price target. (To watch Tusa's track record, click here) One other reason spinoffs tend to do well over time is that the parent company may have neglected its smaller units. This appears to have happened at Otis Tusa cited a compression in Otis profit margins over the past few years. This is reflected in the fact that rivals, including Kone and Schindler are more profitable. They are also trading at higher P/E multiples, which Otis management hopes to remedy. Tusa concluded, "We are OW on Otis Worldwide Corp, as we see a strong franchise in a fundamentally attractive global elevator industry, poised to move beyond a decade-long margin reversion, for which earnings should hold up relatively well vs others through the downturn. Coming out the other side, we see potential for tailwinds around (1) China modernization, (2) a turn in the tide on investment/price/mix (3) with opportunities around tax rate and de-leveraging to set the company up well to accelerate its EPS/FCF growth." Overall, there is little action on the Street heading Otis' way right now, with only one other analyst chiming in with a view on the elevator maker's prospects. An additional Buy rating means Oti qualifies as a Moderate Buy. The average price target, though, is $53, and implies an upside potential of nearly 18%. (See Otis stock analysis on TipRanks) Carrier Global Corporation (CARR) United Techs last spinoff is Carrier Global Corp. Carrier has the highest risk/return of the bunch. It has some leading businesses, including air conditioning, HVAC and related products, refrigeration and shipping storage and transportation, fire, safety and security products, and building controls and automation. Its HVAC products are among the largest operators in both residential and commercial divisions. The tradeoff is that these units are economically sensitive. Carrier was also saddled with a somewhat sizable debt position when United Tech spun it out. And, just like Otis, its margins have fallen as United Tech focused on its larger and more lucrative aerospace units. These characteristics arent ideal, but is a key reason that Wolfe Research has initiated an outperform rating on Carrier shares with a $26 price target. Thats nearly double the current share price just below $14 per share. Lead analyst Nigel Coe advises investors to keep calm and Carrier on when it comes to the stock. Coe sees risks in the current downturn in the HVAC and fire units. But these should be manageable, and the fire unit could be earmarked for sale, which would reduce the current debt load of about $11 billion by as much as $3 billion. Margins should improve with managements renewed focus. But "these are quality franchises with scope for operational improvement. We see potential for significant appreciation, once the market is ready to accept more risk, with limited downside. What do other analysts say about the HVAC maker? TipRanks analytics shows out of 4 analysts, 1 is bullish on Carrier Global stock, while 3 are sidelined. That said, the consensus price target of $20.50 shows a potential upside of nearly 47%. (See Carrier Global stock analysis on TipRanks) Disclosure: The author has a Long position in RTX, OTIS, CARR To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has said it will work to support the decision to postpone the Leaving Cert exams this year. The union said its members had given a strong message of overwhelming support for their students in an extensive consultation process in recent days. Education Minister Joe McHugh has announced that the exams have been rescheduled from June to the end of July/August, but that timing is also subject to public health advice. Teachers are being asked to make themselves available to return to the classroom for at least two weeks before the exams to support candidates, and also to maintain contact with their students in the period before that. The ASTI executive body met today and confirmed its support for the Ministers Leaving Cert exams announcement, notwithstanding a number of serious concerns raised by teachers all over the country. The executive reported that members had indicated a willingness to be available where possible to assist with student preparation and face-to-face engagement prior to the examinations. Among the concerns raised by the ASTI leadership are provision for students with special needs, the need for social spacing at practical exams and the requirement for candidates to finish projects that are locked in schools. Over the weekend, the ASTI also issued a clarification in response to what it described as a considerable amount of confusion on social media, stating that contrary to misinformation that is circulating, no teacher will be required to do anything. The proposal from the Department of Education and Skills cannot be enforced. After todays meeting, ASTI president Deirdre Mac Donald said the ASTI would meet with the Department of Education and Skills and other relevant agencies in order to seek to resolve issues raised by its members. We look forward to engaging constructively with the Minister and the Department. We are very cognisant of the wellbeing implications posed by this pandemic to everyone, especially our students. The ASTI also acknowledged the decision to cancel this years Junior Cert June exams and to replace them with in-school assessments and tests early in the next school year. Ms McDonald called for the awarding of a State Certificate to all this years Junior Cycle candidates in recognition of their participation in and completion of the three years of Junior Cycle in June 2020. The issue of who supervises and marks the in-school assessments has yet to be decided and the ASIT has traditionally opposed the awarding of a State certificate unless the marking is done by State-appointed, rather than students own teachers. Ms McDonald also acknowledged the Trojan efforts of teachers and students in continuing teaching and learning in these most challenging circumstances. Fianna Fail Education spokesperson Thomas Byrne, has called for 116 exam fee for the Leaving Cert to be waived for pupils who are living in a house where a parent is unemployed or receiving a COVID-19 related payment. Labour Education spokesperson Aodhan ORiordan has called for the fee to be waived in recognition of the additional burden facing students and their families at this time, while he also believes the number of subjects eligible for CAO points should be reduced to five. Bangkok: Thailand recorded first incident of the deadly coronavirus being transmitted from a dead body to a medical professional, a development that exposes crematorium workers to greater risks during the pandemic. The finding was reported by BuzzFeed News, citing the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine study, which was released on Sunday. This is the first report on Covid-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit, revealed the study. The authors of the study Won Sriwijitalai of Bangkoks RVT Medical Center and Viroj from Chinas Wiwanitkit of Hainan Medical University said that forensic medicine personnel have a lesser chance of coming into contact with infected patients. But added that there is a probability that they can come in contact with biological samples and corpses. However, still not much is known about how long the novel coronavirus can live in dead bodies. Anyone coming into contact with a Covid-19 positive body, alive or dead, should be using personal protective equipment to prevent exposure, health policy expert Summer Johnson McGee of the University of New Haven told BuzzFeed News. Autopsies and the ensuing investigations pose real risks for coroners to get infected by Covid-19, she added. Given how there is a surge in mass burials of the deceased, medical professionals managing the remains of the patients need to be provided with protective equipment, said Angelique Corthals, a professor of pathology at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. We need to take care of the people who take care of the dead, Corthals added. Thailand on Tuesday reported 34 fresh coronavirus cases and the death of a 52-year-old female bus driver in Bangkok, reported Reuters. Thailand has so far recorded 2,613 cases and 41 deaths since the outbreak intensified in January. About 1,405 patients have recovered and returned to their homes. After news of temples denying to carry out funeral services emerged, the head of Thailands Department of Medical Services had on March 25, said that the corpses of coronavirus patients were not contagious. But a few morgue workers across the world had raised alarm as more and more hurriedly constructed facilities were being set up to manage excessive deaths, the BuzzFeed News report added. Ebola, which kills around half of the patients who contract the illness, is a virus known to present transmission risks from dead bodies. Guidelines issued by the World Health Organization also acknowledge that the workers who deal with dead bodies of victims of diseases like hepatitis, tuberculosis, and cholera are also prone to risks. But given a chance to respond at his daily news briefing later Tuesday morning, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, held back, repeatedly saying that he did not want to argue with Mr. Trump. The president was clearly unhappy, Mr. Cuomo said, noting the Mutiny on the Bounty tweet and other remarks by Mr. Trump, who he said was clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue. But Mr. Cuomo said he would not engage further, saying the coronavirus crisis should be a no-politics zone. The president will have no fight with me, he said. The governor said that he still needed the federal governments help, particularly as the response begins to shift to restoring economic and social activity. In this reopening, we could lose all the progress we made in one week, he said. On Tuesday evening, Mr. Trump appeared to reverse course on his claims of absolute authority, saying during a White House news conference that he would allow states to implement their own protocols to reopen the economy. Addressing Mr. Cuomo directly, he said, I want him to take his time, do it right and then open New York. Im not putting any pressure on the governors. Historian and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has found a historical comparison for President Trump. During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Monday, Gingrich said there are a lot of similarities between Trump and former President Theodore Roosevelt. That's because, in Gingrich's view, they both defy the mainstream "model of the presidency" thanks to a kindred "aggressive" and "entrepreneurial" spirit that often baffles (or baffled in Roosevelt's case) the media or academic experts. Among the accomplishments of Roosevelt that Gingrich cited in an attempt to illustrate the similarities between the two presidents were the creation of the Rough Riders fighting force during the Spanish-American War, his conservation efforts, the naval histories he wrote in his 20s, the Nobel Peace Prize he won for brokering peace between Russia and Japan in 1906, and the construction of the Panama Canal. It's questionable whether Trump can match that acumen for instance, he famously avoided the draft during the Vietnam War because of bone spurs, and while he has published books, including the well-known Trump: The Art of the Deal, Gingrich described Roosevelt's tome on the naval war of 1812 as the "classic study" on the topic. A Nobel prize has also so far eluded Trump, though he's made little secret of the fact he desires one. Newt Gingrich: Trump "reminds me a lot of Theodore Roosevelt." pic.twitter.com/8kIyMrJ2Ff Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 13, 2020 More stories from theweek.com CNN's Chris Cuomo openly rants about hating his job: 'I don't think it's worth my time' More than half of voters under 45 say they'd lost jobs or hours to coronavirus, report finds Obama endorses Biden, says pandemic is a reminder that 'good government matters' live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The 21-day lockdown triggered by the spread of the coronavirus has entered into the last 10 days and entrepreneurs, the original hustlers, have had to make a plenty of changes to their daily routine to adapt to working from home (WFH). Their daily schedules have been disrupted and their long drawn out usual meetings have been replaced by video calls. Not to mention the stress of a looming economic slowdown and pressure from investors. Moneycontrol looks at how a scrum of business leaders is dealing with these fast changing times. In todays edition of Virtual Leaders Rakesh Khar spoke to Keki Mistry, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Housing Development Corporation Bank (HDFC). You can read other editions of Virtual Leaders here. Edited excerpts: Q: How does your average work from home day look like in the lockdown period? 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 A: My average day is as packed as before. Physical meetings have been replaced by virtual meetings. I have calls on strategy, operations, HR, and then we have global investor calls at various time zones. The time I save traveling to the office has by and large been taken by calls through the day. A: Primarily, it is about strategy. This has been an unprecedented challenge. We have various groups to engage with during the day. We have created a special new initiatives team which looks at a greater degree of digitisation. This is an altogether new scenario. This is a new style of working. There are more investor calls to attend than during the pre-COVID-19 era not necessarily about the company - but about the overall business sentiment. A: Yes, I have not stayed home for such a long time. I get to spend more time with my family. I have daily morning tea with my family and spend time with the family over dinner. On Sundays, there is a greater window to spend time with family. I get to spend about 30 minutes in the morning and one hour in the evening with the family during weekdays. A: There has been no travel for some time now. I used to travel quite a lot during pre-COVID-19 times. Earlier, on an average, it (travel) used to take up to about 10 to 12 days of a month. I am completely at home now. There is obviously more time at hand. A: There are new ways to work that we have learnt. One has to go back (as and when the lockdown is lifted) to work and see what best to take and endure from the work from home experience. A: Key management lesson is that we have to be prepared for every kind of contingency. I have seen many upturns and downturns in my professional career. Obviously, what is happening now is unprecedented. There is learning. From August of 2008 and continued up to 2009, there was a downturn. But, from May 2009, the business started to grow and markets were up and up to March 2010 we had a boom period, like we had never seen before. In my view, once COVID-19 is over, a similar thing would happen. Let us hope and pray that, once COVID-19 is over (end April or end May or whenever), we get down to normalcy. It may take a couple of quarters or three quarters to settle down, but we will experience that the pent-up demand that got created due to the crisis will ultimately unfurl. We have seen that in every crisis. I presume and believe in the current crisis something similar will happen. CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-and the worldwide reaction to it-has compelled companies to radically rethink their strategies and the way they operate. We salute the industry experts helping companies survive and sustain in this pandemic. At MarketsandMarkets, analysts are undertaking continuous efforts to provide analysis of the COVID-19 impact on the Pet Food Packaging Market. We are working diligently to help companies take rapid decisions by studying: The impact of COVID-19 on the Pet Food Packaging Market, including growth/decline in product type/use cases due to the cascaded impact of COVID-19 on the extended ecosystem of the market The rapid shifts in the strategies of the Top 50 companies in the Pet Food Packaging Market The shifting short-term priorities of the top 50 companies' clients and their client's clients You can request an in-depth analysis detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the Pet Food Packaging Market: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=150550375 According to the new market research report "Pet Food Packaging Market by Material Type (Paper & Paperboard, Plastic, Metal), Packaging Form (Bags, Cans, Pouches, Boxes/Cartons), Food Type (Dry Food, Wet Food, Pet Treats), Animal Type (Dog, Cat, Fish, Bird), Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Pet Food Packaging Market size is projected to grow from USD 10.2 billion in 2020 to USD 12.5 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2020 to 2025. Browse in-depth TOC on"Pet Food Packaging Market" 148 - Tables 49 - Figures 177 - Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=150550375 The market is expected to grow in tandem with the growth of the pet food industry across the globe. An increase in the number of pet adoptions is resulting in higher consumption of pet food. Innovations in packaging, simple and convenient packaging designs, innovation in packaging will boost the demand for pet food packaging. In terms of value and volume, bags is estimated to lead the pet food packaging market in 2019. Bags, by packaging form, led the pet food packaging industry in 2019, in terms of value and volume. The application of bags in pet food packaging is largest due to ease of handling and low cost of production. Multiple applications of bags made from different materials like paper, plastic, and others offer a wide range of applications in the pet food packaging market. In terms of value and volume, dry food is estimated to lead the pet food packaging industry in 2019. Dry food, by food type, led the pet food packaging market in 2019, in terms of value and volume. It is the most prominent type of feed consumed. Dry food causes fewer spillages and can be cleared easily. It is easier to handle dry food than wet food, which has a strong smell. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=150550375 In terms of value and volume, dog food is estimated to lead the pet food packaging industry in 2019. Dog food, by animal type, led the pet food packaging market in 2019, in terms of value and volume. Dog food consumption is rising due to the higher adoption of dogs. The dog food industry is a huge market with pet food manufacturers spending a significant amount on advertising trying to convince consumers by offering the best products. North America is projected to account for the largest share in the pet food packaging industry during the forecast period. The North America region is projected to lead the pet food packaging market, in terms of both value and volume from 2020 to 2025. Increase in demand for pet food due to factors such as convenient and straightforward design, innovations in the packaging designs, and boost in demand for pet food due to growing affection for pets are expected to drive the market for pet food packaging in the North America region. Amcor Plc (Australia), Mondi Plc (South Africa), Sonoco Products Company (U.S.), Constantia Flexibles (Austria), and Huhtamaki OYJ (Finland) are the key players operating in the pet food packaging market. Expansions, acquisitions, and new product developments are some of the major strategies adopted by these key players to enhance their positions in the pet food packaging industry. Browse Adjacent Markets: Packaging Market Research Reports & Consulting About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Sanjay Gupta MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg My father was an ace fighter pilot in the air force. When I was five years old, he was transferred to work far from home. From age five to sixteen, my memories about him have always been his standing on the platform of the railway station in uniform. I will never forget the moment that he rushed toward me when I eagerly waited for him outside the exit of the station. My father seldom talked about the emergencies he encountered in flight missions and the medals he won in those years. Later, I was enlisted in a military academy and also became a military member. On the night before my deployment after graduation, my father showed me an iron box filled with all the military insignias, epaulets and collar ornaments he used to wear. That night, for the first time in my life, he had a serious conversation on the meaning of the military career with me. When I was a child, I witnessed my father saying goodbye to mother and me again and again; while from that moment on, it changed to be me saying goodbye to my parents. For military families, separation for work is one of the most common things in life. I. Bravery is a virtue for ordinary people, but a code of professional ethics for service members. After I began to work at the former PLA Air Force General Hospital, I witnessed how heartbreaking it could be to say farewell to a pilot. One day, the fighter jet of Uncle Xu, who was also a pilot in the same military unit with my father, crashed in a flight drill. He was sent to my hospital. Uncle Xu is an intimate friend of my father and lives next door to my parents apartment. The moment I heard the accident on the phone, I couldnt help but burst into tears. When I saw him lying in the ICU ward, buried in various kinds of life support equipment, I felt an indescribable pain. In the eyes of others, Uncle Xu is a hero. But in my view, he is just an ordinary man and a service member who has no time to take care of his family, just like my father. The night before the accident, he had dinner with his family and fell into a quarrel with his daughter on her study. When his daughter went to have a night class later, she totally had no idea that the quarrel had been within an ace of the last quarrel in her life with her father. On another occasion, Pilot Zhao Quanxin and his co-pilot encountered a rare low-altitude bird impaction during a night flight. The accident damaged the engine of their plane, making a normal landing impossible. At the time, their jet fighter was only 90 meters above the ground. Instead of escaping through parachuting, the two brave pilots risked their lives to perform a crash landing. It took only 16 seconds for them to land the plane from the time when they found the engine was damaged. That day, Pilot Zhao Quanxins wife, who was then in the eighth month of her pregnancy, felt unexplainable anxiety at home. For the first time, she called the regiment during the flight training time to inquire about the situation. As Zhao called his wife when he was in an ambulance, he lied, I have completed the flight mission, but I need to work extra time. At that moment, he didn't know that his wife had been informed of the accident. Out of the deep concern for each other, Zhao and his wife kept acting. His wife replied, Just do your work, and I'm going to sleep. Later, I asked Zhao what was in his mind when the plane was about to crash. The first thing I thought of is that I had to brief on the accident in face of the entire regiment, he replied. The two pilots were granted the Second-Class Merit Citations for their outstanding performance in handling the emergency. Zhao became a hero in the regiment. Even so, he continued to participate in regular training every day, and he would also be criticized by his superiors when he didnt perform well. II. Service members' love is always deep and eternal, whether they are to break through bramble and thistle, or being trapped in solitude. Some pilots' stories of bidding farewell to the families may not be so breathtaking, but their untold love would tug on people's heartstrings deeper. The story that a female medic told about the homesickness of a group of airmen is the most heartbreaking tale I have heard. In 1997, my colleague, 34-year-old Liao Jingli, served as a military medic at an Air Force hospital in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. One time, she conducted a medical mission to a grassroots airbase. Located in a deserted place, the airbase was garrisoned by a group of airmen. The day she arrived at the airbase, a pilot murmured to her, Doctor Liao, come on please. I want to show you something. With curiosity, Liao followed him upstairs and found a dozen airmen watching through a window of the building. What were they looking at? Liao looked afar too. There was nothing but the vast desert extending to the horizon. One of them pointed at a section of railway in the distance and said slowly, Running along the tracks is the only train heading outside. Every time we think about home, we will come here to watch the passing train. Even if there was no train passing, we will feel better by just watching the empty railroad. When a military train actually passed, these airmen leaned against the wall, quietly watching the railway extending from west to east. At that moment, no one talked. Later, I joined a medical team to the desert. Shouldering a heavy backpack and standing at the railway station on the south edge of the Badain Jaran Desert, I experienced what Liao had experienced then. Deep in the desert of northwestern China, we met pilots Li Hao and Lu Donghui. Over the past 30 years, Li Hao has been transferred to different garrisons, with living conditions more and more arduous. Lu Donghui once won the Golden Helmet award in the Freestyle Air Combat Competition of the Chinese PLA Air Force. In the eyes of ordinary people, they are elite pilots. In this newly established military unit, each of them lives in a small room without a private toilet. The room is only furnished by a bed, a desk and a chair. These are all what they have. There, I also met many other young pilots and had a glance at their daily lives. They thought about their cruel, strict training, their dreams for career development, and their brainstorming of various issues. No one ever complained about hardship and solitude. They are young and confident, in high spirits and fearless to try, despite the obstacles ahead. III. Im not a hero. Im a soldier. A movie line once impressed me deeply: It is an unbearable burden to be called a hero. Im not a hero. Im just a soldier. At a graduate paper conference at a flight academy, the instructor asked the last question: how many missiles does a J-5 fighter jet carry? The cadet answered according to the textbook, but the instructor told him seriously that the actual payloads were always one more than the standard answer, that is, once your missiles are used up and the enemy remains a threat to your motherland and its people, you and your plane would be the last missile. It is natural for one to seek benefits and avoid dangers. Everyone has the right to avoid dangers in the face of emergencies, but service members usually choose to confront the danger. What are their drives behind the dedication and sacrifice? It is not impulse. Border guards stay in the high-altitude areas with extremely cold and anoxic conditions for decades. It is not money. Holding the strong belief, true soldiers will not sacrifice their lives for money. It is not purely the honor. Many nameless martyrs never expected their names to be remembered in history when they sacrificed their lives. Behind their dedication and sacrifice, is the power of faith. WASHINGTON - In the time of the novel coronavirus, Canada and the United States seem to be playing to type: the friendly apologizers of the Great White North coming together against a common enemy, America's combative revolutionaries threatening to tear each other apart. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canadian and American flags fly near the Ambassador Bridge at the Canada-USA border crossing in Windsor, Ont. on Saturday, March 21, 2020. In the time of the novel coronavirus, Canada and the United States seem to be playing to type: the friendly apologists of the Great White North coming together against a common enemy, America's combative revolutionaries threatening to tear each other apart.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rob Gurdebeke WASHINGTON - In the time of the novel coronavirus, Canada and the United States seem to be playing to type: the friendly apologizers of the Great White North coming together against a common enemy, America's combative revolutionaries threatening to tear each other apart. While state governors and federal authorities outbid each other for precious protective gear, Alberta has promised its surplus masks, gloves and ventilators to provinces like B.C. and Quebec, two of Premier Jason Kenney's favourite political targets. Ontario's Doug Ford, leader of a province where fed-bashing is like political oxygen, has been getting moral support from the unlikeliest of sources: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who insists the feeling is mutual. Then there's those White House briefings, as much like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's doorstep chats as chalk and cheese. "I've never liked the term 'political culture,' but it does say something to me about the vast cultural difference between the United States and Canada from this perspective," said Richard Schultz, an expert on federalism and a 40-year veteran of teaching politics at McGill University before retiring last summer. "There is this culture (in Canada) of ... more deeply rooted community and social services. We fight about the size of government, we fight about deficits but when push came to shove, we said, 'Look, there's no one fighting this.' " Political scholars have long seen Canada as one of the world's most decentralized federations a place where Ottawa yields much to the provinces and territories, which manage key services like health and education. Schultz has never shared that view, citing Elections Canada and employment insurance as evidence. COVID-19 has undermined his argument, he acknowledged. "The traditional image that the Americans are much more centralized and top-down from the federal government, compared to Canada, I think is overstated," Schultz said. "And yet, I think this is a highly exceptional case that we're dealing with. We have the 10 provinces and the federal government in a way that I haven't witnessed in the 56 years I've been studying it working relatively collaboratively, co-operatively together on this issue." Stateside, meanwhile, governors on both the east and west coasts, each hit hard by COVID-19, got together Monday to strategize the best way to reopen their shuttered economies, openly if not explicitly defying Trump's insistence that when the time comes, "sooner rather than later," it will be the U.S. president's decision to make. He made that argument again Monday, in breathtaking fashion. "The president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's got to be," Trump said during a brazen, unrestrained news conference so drenched in partisanship that it even included a campaign-ad sizzle reel, assembled by White House staffers, meant to defend his administration's response. "That being said, we're getting along very well with the governors and I feel very certain that there won't be a problem." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned that reopening his state, which has seen 10,000 of America's 23,000 COVID-19 deaths to date, will be an intricate, interstate process that demands gradually starting up systems like schools, transit and key businesses in tandem, all the while carefully monitoring the infection rate to ensure it remains under control. "The federal government has to be realistic about this you can't just wish it and then it is so," Cuomo said Tuesday on CNN, warning of a protracted and divisive constitutional fight in the courts if states find their hands forced. "We don't have King Trump. We have President Trump." In an election year, Oval Office patience is clearly running short. Trump's new "Council to Reopen America" task force is a panel of loyalists, including daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner; Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer and Mark Meadows, Trump's new chief of staff, round out the lineup. Presidential wild cards, cultural stereotypes and pandemic-fuelled pandemonium in the U.S. aside, though, why has Canada's response to COVID-19 seemed so orderly by comparison? Katherine Fierlbeck, a political theory professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, traces it to the SARS outbreak of 2003, a deadly viral outbreak that hit Toronto in particular and exposed some of the failings of Canadian federalism when it came to public health. While the provinces and territories do maintain jurisdiction over health care, public health is one of the exceptions, Fierlbeck said. And the Constitution gives Ottawa the power to exercise its judgment and step in "when things get really bad." But it didn't do that in 2003, when Toronto and Ontario were leading the offensive against SARS and the World Health Organization was looking for a federal response to travel advisories around the world urging tourists to avoid Canada's most populous city. The WHO responded with a crippling advisory of its own that lasted a week and dealt a billion-dollar blow to the city's economy. "It was because of this international humiliation that Canada really changed the ways that it designed its federal-provincial relationship when it came to public health and especially infectious diseases," a process that spawned the Public Health Agency of Canada, Fierlbeck said. The idea was to integrate federal governance into the public health sphere, both in terms of day-to-day surveillance as well as responding to a crisis, embedding federal officials into provincial agencies to better ensure effective lines of communication and a mutual grasp of how the two levels of government operated. "It was trying to facilitate communication and understanding so that when something happened, there was an understanding, and there's also personal connections with various provinces, and there was an understanding about how resources would be distributed." 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 agency has also been tested: in 2009, the virulent H1N1 outbreak exposed not federal-provincial breakdowns, but a patchwork of regional health authorities that made it hard for the provinces to co-ordinate efforts. "Chief public health officers across the whole country have become this generation's rock stars," and remain a central pillar of the government's strategy, said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. The other, she said, is careful collaboration between Ottawa and the provinces. "That's essential always, but it is particularly important when we face a shared health crisis a crisis where provinces deliver front-line health care and where the federal government needs to play an essential role as well. Our approach is going to be to continue to build up and use those two core strengths of Canada's response." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version referred to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms instead of the Constitution. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 07:05:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LIMA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Peru detected 2,265 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people who have tested positive to 9,784, President Martin Vizcarra said on Monday. According to Vizcarra, the high number of new cases is due to a significant increase in testing among the population. "Last Monday, I said we had taken 21,414 samples, that's to say that in three weeks we had taken samples from 20,000 people. Now, in a single week, we have taken samples from 60,000 people," Vizcarra said at a press conference. To date, the Health Ministry has carried out 87,166 tests to detect the novel coronavirus, and 77,382 of the results came back negative, he said. Of the total infected, 901 people have required hospitalization, 143 of whom are in intensive care. The statistics show Peru is actually seeing a drop in the number of new infections and the rate of hospitalization, down from 22 percent to 14 percent, said Vizcarra. Lockdown and social distancing measures will remain in place until April 26, and authorities will fine those who violate the quarantine or curfew, which runs from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., the president said. Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday described as "unfathomable" the World Health Organisation's support for the reopening of China's notorious wet markets after the deadly coronavirus originated in one of them and went on to infect almost two million people globally. A wet market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is believed to be the source of the coronavirus pandemic that began in December last year, crossing from animals to humans. Morrison lashed out at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for supporting the reopening of wet markets in China. The prime minister said it was "unfathomable" to back live animal markets, which were likely the cause of the killer coronavirus. "I'm totally puzzled by this decision," Morrison told a local TV channel. "We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses," Morrison said, adding "It has happened too many times." On Monday, Morrison said that Australia and the globe would be looking to international organisations like the WHO to ensure lessons have been learned from the pandemic. "There must be transparency in understanding how it began in Wuhan and how it was transmitted. We also need to fully understand and protect against the global health threat posed by places like wet markets," Morrison was quoted by 'The Australian'. A wet market sells fresh meat, fish, produce, and other perishable goods as distinguished from "dry markets". It gets its name from the floors being constantly wet from the spraying of fresh produce and cleaning of meat and seafood stalls. The coronavirus is believed to have originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was unsettled by China's plans to reopen the markets. "There is a very real likelihood that this disease arose from a wet market in Wuhan - it's clear that these are dangerous vectors," Hunt was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Global leaders have urged China to ban the "deadly and diseased" food markets, but the WHO disagrees. The WHO said wet markets are crucial sources of food and should be allowed to continue trading, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) reported. But it is necessary to regulate them and introduce measures to decrease the risk of transmission of diseases at them, the WHO told SBS in a statement. "With adequate facilities, proper regulation and good hygiene practices it is possible to have safe food sold in wet markets," the UN organisation told The Australian. Meanwhile, the Australian death toll from COVID-19 reached 61. The positive cases of infection in the country reached 6,400. The country's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said that social distancing measures in place could not be relaxed until a vaccine was developed. "If you go hard late, as the UK has done, you can just see what carnage you suffer on the way through," Murphy said, adding "It's hard for me to envisage reopening nightclubs and big music festivals in the foreseeable future." Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Bank froze my business account without explanation and won't tell me when it plans to give me back access. I have been unable to use the account for more than four months. I contacted the Financial Ombudsman Service, which has so far failed to look into my case. I discovered the problem when direct debits began failing. I phoned to be told my account had been suspended 'pending a review' and that the bank would contact me to ask for further details 'in due course'. Despite my repeated calls and a letter to its chief executive, it was almost a month before the bank wrote back asking for proof of my UK address and details of my personal travel for the past six months. One reader has been frozen out of his Metro Bank business account - which has 30,000 deposited in it - for four months My wife is Ukrainian and we had been to visit her family in Crimea. This led to further questions about which cities I had visited. It has been three months since I provided this information and nothing has changed. I opened an account with another bank to avoid going into debt with my VAT. As things stand the account holds, in effect, my entire company profit for the previous financial year, which is the money I use to support my family. A. H., London. You tell me you had 30,000 tied up in this account, which Metro Bank arbitrarily froze. It is one thing for a bank to have security concerns, but quite another to freeze an account for several months. This appears to be happening with some of the challenger banks. Perhaps their fraud detection is not as sophisticated as that of the larger, older banks. Metro Bank unfroze your account when I made contact, but it has not offered a sensible explanation of why it was locked for so long. You suspect the Metro Bank app tracked your holiday. That might sound a bit James Bond-esque, but a bank spokesman confirms it uses 'opt-in location services to help distinguish between trusted and fraudulent behaviours'. The spokesman adds: 'Customer location (available when the app is in use) forms part of our fraud prevention controls and is used purely for these purposes.' I told the bank that you should be paid a considerable sum in compensation and have cited guidelines laid down by the Financial Ombudsman Service. The bank offered 750 but you decided to take legal advice. I have warned you to be sure the cost of your solicitor does not outweigh any benefits of compensation. You have your money back and are closing your Metro Bank account. A Metro Bank spokesman says: 'We're really sorry about what has happened. We never take a decision to suspend a customer's account lightly but we appreciate Mr H's frustration at the time [the bank] has needed to take to review the situation. The service he received wasn't up to the usual standard.' You have YOUR say Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some about our article on how small businesses are adapting to survive the coronavirus crisis. I really hope that everyone benefiting from these shops will remember to keep visiting them when this is all over. They may not be as cheap as supermarkets, but they do what they can for their customers in a crisis. M. N., Gosport, Hants. I'm very impressed by these firms. I know a lady who has kept her Zumba business going by putting her classes online. She is still making a decent amount of money from clients taking part in her sessions remotely. T. P., Manchester. My local shops in Ryedale have been amazing. The greengrocer, farm shop and bakery all deliver for free. By contrast, I haven't been able to get a supermarket delivery for a month. F. O., Ryedale, N Yorks. We have an active village WhatsApp chat which has coordinated group purchasing and delivery from local suppliers. It's effective. I'm happy to help out the firms in these dire times. M. C., Bucks. It's good to see people adapting and being creative. However, I am worried about what long-term effects this pandemic could have on our economy and livelihoods. If there are mass redundancies then a lot of us won't be able to afford to buy much. J. J., Dunstable, Beds. I applaud these business owners. They are not whingeing and are thinking of new ways to make an income. Some may never go back to their original set-up as they may find these new methods work better. Good luck to them all, and stay safe. L. S., by email. I have been trying to shop locally for a while now. I use the baker, butcher and greengrocer. I've even bought people gift cards for these small businesses. It would be such a shame to lose them. M. Y., Luton, Beds. I was told I cannot file my tax return on paper from this year and it must be submitted online. I do not own a computer so do not know what to do. My return is a simple one. My pensions are taxed at source. Apart from registering my charitable donations, which differ each year, the only other detail I have to report is a small amount of taxable money received from some building society accounts. S. N., Rochester, Kent. Whoever told you that you must file your tax return online is wrong. I checked with HMRC which confirms: 'Mrs N does not need to file online, and nor does anyone else. Everyone is free to file on paper if they wish.' If your tax affairs are simple you may not need to file a return. If you are a basic-rate taxpayer there is no benefit to registering your charity donations, as basic-rate tax relief is claimed by the good cause under the Gift Aid scheme. However, extra tax relief is available to higher-rate taxpayers. Basic-rate taxpayers can also receive up to 1,000 interest a year from taxable building society accounts without paying tax. Higher-rate taxpayers can receive 500. Cash Isas do not need to be declared. If you think you no longer need to file a return, call HMRC on 0300 200 3310. Straight to the point I am a builder working for myself, but all jobs are frozen due to the virus. I am eligible for a government grant, but it won't cover all my bills. Am I allowed to get a temporary delivery job, or will I lose my self-employment grant? C. M., by email. If you are self-employed and find part-time work with a different employer, it shouldn't affect your grant. If, however, you tried to start your own delivery service you could lose it. ** My tariff with EDF Energy is due to expire in April, so I called to see what deals it was offering. I received a long explanation about how it is protecting staff and vulnerable customers, but this did not answer my question. I am 91 and do not want to end up on a more expensive tariff. J. Q., Tunbridge Wells. After contacting EDF Energy on your behalf it has now promised to return your call to talk you through the new deals available. *** Thomas Cook discontinued its pre-paid Euro Cash Passport debit card this month. Mine expired last July with 135 still on it and a new card could not be issued. I have provided Mastercard with my bank details but it has still not refunded the outstanding amount. A. J., Sutton. Mastercard has now returned your balance and has also sent you a 100 cheque as a goodwill gesture to apologise for the delay. *** I have underlying health conditions and am almost 70, so cannot make the 30-mile round trip to my nearest M&S, yet it refuses to extend the expiry date of my 46.62 credit note. R. O., by email. M&S has apologised and issued your credit note as a gift card so you can use it online any time in the next two years. I overcame my fears and at 85 decided to have broadband installed. I chose Shell Energy Broadband for 18.99 a month. My neighbour helped me to set up the box, which was supplied on December 27, but my iPad could not connect. I complained, and in the meantime paid 40 for two SIM cards for my iPad and mobile to tide me over. I heard no more so on January 13 rang again. I was offered 15 and told leaving would be expensive. L. A., Croydon. Yours is one of those cases where I have to say: how can you expect a company to help you if you won't speak to them? I asked Shell Energy Broadband to resolve your issues, but you did not want to speak to the resolution agents on the phone. I appreciate that dealings by phone can be difficult as you get older, but you should give companies a chance. A spokesman told me: 'This made the situation harder to resolve but we got there. 'From what we could tell, there was a small drop in service when she first made the complaint, which we quickly resolved at our end. From what we could tell, the issue was with her devices, but we helped her with that.' You have been credited for the time you had no service. Credit: Francisco Farias Jr/public domain Our unprecedented stay-home orders to check the deadly coronavirus' spread are showing signs of success, but they can't last forever, and health officials are scrambling to figure out when and how they might ease the restrictions without unleashing a surge of new infections. When they let us go out again, will we still be expected to wear masks? Will they be checking our temperatures at schools or our COVID-19 status to enter restaurants, stores and workplaces? Will there still be sneeze shields and six-foot spacing markers at the grocery checkouts? Bay Area health officials are just starting to build consensus around what sorts of benchmarks might signal it's safe to begin lifting rigid social-distancing restrictions and how to go about it. They are keeping an eye overseas, as China just lifted its strict quarantine of Wuhan, the city where the outbreak originated, after 76 days. "There's a lot to consider if we're going to make this work and not fall backwards and have to do this all over again," said former California Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith, who has been a lead adviser to Santa Clara County's health officer. "As far as I know nobody has a plan. A lot of people have ideas." Since the Bay Area announced the nation's first stay-home orders March 16and Gov. Gavin Newsom soon followed with a similar statewide decreethe rate of new infections has slowed, a sign of what epidemiologists call "flattening the curve" of new cases. But the virus has ravaged states that acted later like New York. Now, whether the Bay Area leads the way in reversing the lockdown remains to be seen. Local officials and Newsom have made clear it won't happen soon. "We're working really hard thinking about what would the signals be in order to relax a little bit," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said. "It's going to take a while to figure that out." Only a few things will truly end the COVID-19 pandemic that has sickened more than 1.6 million people and killed more than 97,000 worldwide: an effective cure for the disease, a vaccine to shield people from it, or enough people catching it to build up "herd immunity" in the population. None of those are close. "The timelines tend to be longer than we'd like," said Dr. Stephen Luby, an epidemiologist and professor of medicine at Stanford University who is researching vaccines. "There's only one time a vaccine was developed fast enough to interrupt an outbreak and that was in Hollywood in the movie "Contagion.'" Only about 0.14% of the U.S. population is confirmed so far to have caught the disease, and although more people likely have been infected than tested, it is assumed the vast majority of people remain at risk of the illness when restrictions lift. So health experts expect any lifting of restrictions will unleash new waves of infections. That, in fact, just happened this week in Singapore, a city-state whose early social distancing and aggressive testing and case monitoring were hailed as a model for containing the outbreak. It has since ordered schools and nonessential workplaces to close temporarily. "One thing we know is when we start backing off of social distancing," Smith said, "there will be new transmissions because they will occur." The key, Smith said, is to get to a point where the health system can effectively manage new spikes in cases without having to reimpose widespread lockdowns. One key that epidemiologists agree will be needed is far more extensive testing to identify who has already been infected and when people become sick so they can be isolated and others who have come in contact with them can be tracked down and monitored. A "roadmap to reopening" by the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, said we'll need the capability to test 750,000 people a week. There have been 2.4 million tested in the U.S. to date, according to the COVID Tracking project. Aggressive testing, tracing and monitoring of people who were in contact with the infected is what helped Asian countries hit earlier in the outbreak tamp down infection rates and limit public restrictions. Before we get to that next phase, Smith said local officials will be looking to see that new hospitalization admissionswhich they consider a more reliable indicator of both the extent and impact of infectionssubside for at least two weeks to a level where hospitals have the capacity to handle new case clusters. That will vary from place to place. "We want to first and foremost be sure to have adequate hospital capacity," Smith said. "And we have to test. We won't find cases if we're not testing and able to identify outbreaks." Widespread availability of tests that could confirm that someone has unknowingly been infected and recovered from the diseasemany get only mild symptoms more like a cold or influenza and don't get testedwill also be helpful. "If you're immune, you can go back to work," Luby said. "Maybe that's who you can have as a front line health worker, a waiter at your table. We're not there, but that's much sooner, likely in weeks or months." Luby said it would make sense to start lifting restrictions for people by age group because the disease hits harder with age. "We are going to have to go back to workthe first thing we could do is let young people go back," Luby said. "The data are so clear it is older people who are more at risk." That, too, would come with a major trade-off: Infected people without symptoms are still capable of spreading the virus. Smith envisions a gradual reversal of the stay-home orders, likely starting at the statewide level and then regionally as local health officials gain confidence that sustained levels of new cases have dropped to a level where they can handle a new cluster of infections. "Each community is going to have to respond to their local conditions," said Smith, who expects the Bay Area to act together as one community. Shelter-in-place will gradually give way to allowing more types of businesses to open and permission for progressively larger public gatherings, with concerts, parades and sporting events the last to come back, Smith said. Experts envision repeated, smaller infection spikes along the way. "It will come in waves, maybe three waves, four waves," said Dr. Robyn Gershon, clinical professor at New York University School of Global Public Health. And many of the markers of life with the coronaviruskeeping six feet apart from each other, wearing face masks in publicare likely to continue as restrictions ease. "I think people will get used to masking in public," Smith said. With health departments already stretched thin, they will need help to effectively monitor the newly infected and their close contacts when restrictions lift, Smith said. Health officials are looking at increasing staffing, perhaps with trained volunteers to do case monitoring, and using technology like cellphone applications to help. The technology wouldn't be used to enforce restrictions like in China and some other Asian countries, Smith said, but more as a means of staying in contact with the infected or exposed. "We just want to be continuously in contact with people, find out each day how they're doing, what symptoms they have," Smith said. But while health officials are wary of removing restrictions too soon, they also worry the public will lose patience. "The longer this goes on," Smith said. "the harder it is to tell people you have to keep interrupting your life." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Meghalaya government has imposed 48 hours curfew in Shillong with the first case of coronavirus being detected in the State capital on April 12, according to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. "Meghalaya has detected its first COVID-19 case in Shillong. This situation has come despite all the measures being taken by the government. In light of this, I urge citizens not to panic. We are closely monitoring the situation and we are prepared to deal with it. We have imposed complete curfew in Shillong for the next 48 hours," Sangma said on Monday. The Meghalaya CM appealed to the public to abide by the curfew and not venture out of their houses. He added that the hospital (Bethany hospital) in which the case has been found has been sealed and urged all citizens "who visited the institution on and after March 22 to report to the State authorities by calling on 108." Earlier, the Meghalaya government had decided to extend the coronavirus lockdown till April 30. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held here on Monday evening. The Cabinet further approved a proposal of the Labour Department according to which over 1,20,000 beneficiaries or workers who work in the unorganised sector will be paid Rs 700 each for three weeks. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that there are over 3000 students and workers from the State stranded in other parts of the country and each of them will be given a one-time financial benefit of Rs 3000. He also said that as far as government employees are concerned the cabinet has decided the attendance should not be more than 50 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The last day of the first phase of 21-day-long national lockdown proved to be a significant landmark for Indias coronavirus containment efforts with the single largest growth in positive cases registered within a day amid a glimmer of hope from states like Goa and Kerala where active Covid-19 cases remained less than the number of recoveries. Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday also reported more recoveries than positive cases. The contrasting nature of the developments was aptly summed up in Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation which, while recognising the important role played by the three-week-long national lockdown in preventing the contagious disease from exploding in India-- like it has done in the westalso underlined its insufficiency in ensuring a decisive victory against the pandemic, making the prime minister order the second phase of 19-day-long national lockdown. In nutshell, the day was marked with assessments that the gains made so far by making hard choices could easily be frittered away by any complacent view favouring relaxation for an immediate resumption in economic activities, when the world was being served a grim reminder with nearly two million infections and almost 125,000 fatalities. The total number of infections in India stood at 10,815 and the death toll was at 353, as per the latest health ministry data. Prime Minister Modi made it clear that India was not out of the woods yet for anyone to hope for business as usual, which he said could only be allowed to resume post April 20, that too in a graded manner after establishing beyond doubt that it did not pose the threat of a rise in Covid-19 infections. The prime minister acknowledged the huge economic cost and suffering to people due to the lockdown but reminded all that it was still the right path if the country hoped to avoid the horror seen unfolding in many countries. Soon after PMs address, a crisis built up in Mumbai when about a thousand-strong crowd of migrant labourers gathered at a bus stop near Bandra railway station demanding the resumption of transport services to take them to their respective home states. It was controlled with police action and political assurances to take care of their immediate needs till May 3. A similar build-up of migrant workers eager to return home was also seen in Thane district and in Surat in Gujarat in a grim reminder of the dangers of letting the situation slip out of the hand. Prime Minister said that an extensive guideline governing the rules in the second phase of lockdown will be released tomorrow. It was followed by an official release by the home ministry announcing the continuation of the regulations that were enforced during the first phase. The extension of suspension of passenger train services and international and domestic commercial passenger flights till May 3 has already been announced. In his nearly 30-minute-long address, PM Modi asked people to follow the seven steps including taking care of the elderly, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 PTI reported that Agriculture, fishing activities and pharma industries are likely to get relaxation from April 20 if there is no dramatic increase in the number of cases till then, while curbs in 370 districts affected by coronavirus out of the 725 districts will continue. Congress termed PMs address as rhetoric and alleged that it was hollow on specifics. The party said there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. DMK President M K Stalin and Kerala finance minister and CPI-M leader Thomas Isaac seemed to echo the sentiment by asking the prime minister to offer concrete financial help to the states instead of just praise. For Coronavirus Live Updates Shutterstock/The Daily Beaset A federal appeals court has denied relief to victims of Jeffrey Epstein under the Crime Victims Rights Act, refusing their requests for remedies such as the release of FBI documents and a public hearing on Epsteins criminal case in Florida. The opinion comes as part of a 12-year legal battle between Courtney Wild, who was underage when Epstein sexually abused her, and the federal government. After Epstein secured a controversial plea deal in 2008, Wild was one of two Jane Does to sue the feds, alleging the U.S. Attorneys Office in Miami violated the Crime Victims Rights Act (CVRA) by keeping more than 30 victims in the dark about Epsteins non-prosecution agreement. In May of 2007, Epstein was facing a 53-page indictment for trafficking underage girls and could have spent life behind bars, if charged and convicted. But Epsteins lawyers secretly negotiated with federal prosecutors to scrap the drafted indictment, and the perverted financier pleaded guilty to lesser state charges instead. (Epstein served 13 months in a private wing of the Palm Beach County jail. The money-manager was permitted to spend 12 hours a day, six days a week, on work release, and during that time, he continued to abuse young women.) On Tuesday, the appeals court ruled the CVRA does not apply to Wilds case because the government never filed charges or otherwise commenced criminal proceedings against Epstein and thus the CVRA was never triggered. Jeffrey Epsteins Hollywood Pipeline Ran Straight to Harvey Weinstein Despite our sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epsteins hands, only to be left in the darkand, so it seems, affirmatively misledby government lawyers, we find ourselves constrained to deny her petition, wrote the panel, which included judges Kevin C. Newsom, Gerald Bard Tjoflat and Frank M. Hull. (The decision was written by Newsom, with Tjoflat concurring. Judge Hull dissented.) Story continues We hold that at least as matters currently standwhich is to say at least as the CVRA is currently writtenrights under the Act do not attach until criminal proceedings have been initiated against a defendant, either by complaint, information, or indictment, the judges decision continued. Because the government never filed charges or otherwise commenced criminal proceedings against Epstein, the CVRA was never triggered. Its not a result we like, but its the result we think the law requires. Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the victims, told The Daily Beast he would request a hearing before the full Eleventh Circuit court to reconsider the panels decision. It is clear that even the majority detested the governments treatment of the victims but apparently felt there was a loophole in the CVRA that the prosecutors and Epstein successfully exploited, Edwards said in an email. For all the reasons given in the 60-page dissenting opinion, we strongly disagree with todays rulingwhich leaves victims like Ms. Wild without any remedy, even for victims like her who have been affirmatively misled by federal prosecutors. In February of 2019, U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled federal prosecutors in Miami violated the CVRA by secretly negotiating with Epsteins lawyers to downgrade his charges to state court. Petitioners and the other victims should have been notified of the Governments intention to take that course of action before it bound itself under a plea agreement, Marra wrote in his decision. But in September, Marra rejected victims requests for remedies, which included voiding the plea deals immunity provisions that protected Epstein and his alleged accomplices. The alleged co-conspirators, according to the agreement, include Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff, or Nadia Marcinkova. Wild petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reverse Marras decision and order the district court to grant victims all appropriate remedies, including rolling back the NPAs immunity provisions, holding a public hearing on the case, release of documents, and an award of attorneys fees. The appeals courts decision suggests the CVRA doesnt apply to Epsteins victims at all. According to the federal law, crime victims have rightswhich include the right to timely notice of any public court proceeding involving the crime; the right to be heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving pleas or sentencing; and the right to confer with the attorney for the government in the case. The interpretation of the CVRA that petitioner advances, and that the district court adopted, is not implausible; the CVRA could be read to apply pre-charge, the panel stated. We conclude, thoughreluctantly, especially given the mistreatment that petitioner seems to have suffered at the hands of federal prosecutorsthat the Act is neither best nor most naturally read that way. On balance, we conclude that the Acts termsincluding the provisions on which petitioner reliesdemonstrate that its protections apply only after the commencement of criminal proceedings. The panel majority adds, Again, must prosecutors consult with victims before law-enforcement officers conduct a raid, seek a warrant, or conduct an interrogation? That seems exceedingly unlikely. In a dissenting opinion, Judge Hull said the panel majority patently errs in holding, as a matter of law, that the crime victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators had no statutory rights whatsoever under the CVRA. Instead, our Court should enforce the plain and unambiguous text of the CVRA and hold that the victims had two CVRA rightsthe right to confer with the governments attorney and the right to be treated fairlythat were repeatedly violated by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Florida, Hull wrote. The dissenting judge warned that the majoritys pre-charge rule will deny victims CVRA rights to confer and fairness in cases involving white-collar and other wealthy defendants who commonly engage in pre-charge plea negotiations. Jeffrey Epsteins case illustrates my point, Hull added. Hull pushed back on the majoritys claim that pre-charge CVRA rights would result in prosecutors having to consult with victims before authorities conduct a raid, seek a warrant, or conduct an interrogation. The Majority is more afraid of a future crime victim potentially asking a readily identifiable government attorney to confer reasonably with her pre-charge, than it is of secret pre-charge plea deals for wealthy defendants, even though its now common practice for them to seek the best plea deal in advance of indictment, Hull continued. The Majoritys new blanket restriction eviscerates crime victims CVRA rights and makes the Epstein case a poster-child for an entirely different justice system for crime victims of wealthy defendants. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Malta is calling for a 100 million euro ($110 million) European Union aid package to avert a humanitarian disaster among people fleeing Libya, where rising violence is worsening the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Malta's Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo has written to the EU's external relations representative Josep Borrell warning that the situation is becoming unsustainable, days after the Mediterranean island closed its ports to migrant boats. "Migrant detention camps are overflowing, and according to a number of credible reports, thousands of migrants are either escaping from, or being allowed to leave these camps," he said in a televised address on Tuesday. "In this horrific context, there are all the ingredients for a major humanitarian disaster waiting to happen, as desperate people look to the Mediterranean Sea as their only escape." Both Italy and Malta, the two EU countries at the frontline of the migrant crisis from North Africa, closed off their ports to new arrivals last week saying the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to deal with them safely. However, there has been concern that unrest in Libya, combined with the dire conditions in its detention centres, could push many refugees to attempt the dangerous sea voyage. The most recent figures from UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, show Italy has seen 3,229 arrivals this year, while 1,135 have arrived in Malta. Bartolo said Malta was calling for an EU package of at least 100 million euros in food, aid, medical supplies and equipment. "Alleviating or at least minimising the difficult circumstances that migrants are living in will be an incentive for them to stay, rather than risk their lives in the Mediterranean Sea at a time of crisis, and with very limited rescue options," he said. ($1 = 0.9131 euros) Search Keywords: Short link: In the ongoing drive against those stepping out of their houses amid curfew to contain the spread of coronavirus, the police on Tuesday rounded up 17 people and arrested one in Manimajra. The police also arrested six persons for not wearing masks. The 17 were those chatting in groups and loitering around inside gated societies including Uppal Marble Arc Apartments, Modern Housing Complex (MHC) and Gobindpura. The one person arrested was out for a morning walk. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale said, The directions to not step out of the house applies to housing societies as well. A single case can put the life of entire society at risk. MHC residents welfare association (RWA) president Col Gursewak Singh said, Societies and RWAs have banned the entry of domestic help, delivery boys and other vendors. We are personally contacting block presidents to make sure people dont step out of their houses, even in societies. Patrolling policemen also used public announcement system to inform people that no one is supposed to step out of their houses, not even for a chat with the neighbours. President of Guru Nanak Vihar in Sector 48, Rajwant Singh, said, Today, police entered PUSHPAC Society to pick up people who are flouting norms. We have been told by the police to ensure that people do not gather in societies. In all, the police rounded up 356 people on Tuesday for various violations. Earlier on Monday, police arrested 150 people out for their morning walk despite curfew orders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 32 others were arrested for venturing out without masks and 18 FIRs registered. A number of Punjab and Haryana bureaucrats were among 466 rounded up and let off with a warning. The special drive to nab walkers was carried out in 120 parks across the city. BLURB: SSP says directions to not step out of the house applies to housing societies as well Corporate and private equity buyers were active across the metals value chain before the market dislocation, illustrated in Q1 2020 transaction activity. Notably, acquisitions by Acerinox, S.A. (VDM Metals), Cleveland-Cliffs (AK Steel), and SFS Group AG (Truelove & Maclean) indicate strong corporate appetite for deal-making. In addition, private equity funds continued to pursue growth platforms and add-on acquisitions, with Palladium Equity Partners (Reading Alloys), The Jordan Company (Arundel Machine Tool), Wynnchurch Capital (Pennsylvania Machine Works), AEA Investors (Texas Metal Printing), and Audax Group (Rockford Fastener) among the deals completed during the quarter. M&A will continue to be a primary lever to achieve growth targets, with some investors seeing the current environment as a buying opportunity to acquire capabilities and enter new markets. Well-capitalized buyers will continue to be opportunistic at the "tuck-in" level, seeking capabilities that fit into forward strategies. Also anchoring the M&A market is the significant volume of dry powder on the sidelines that will need to be deployed into growth acquisitions. Asset selectivity is higher, but the credit markets are open. Pricing and leverage reflect greater downside protection for lenders to compensate for market risk. However, bank balance sheets are healthy, and private debt funds are plentiful and eager to invest capital. Private equity funds are coming off years of record fund raising. Sponsors will be creative in how they deploy capital in the current market, with more seeking minority equity stakes and looking at sharing risk opportunistically. About Brown Gibbons Lang & Company Brown Gibbons Lang & Company is a leading independent investment bank and financial advisory firm focused on the global middle market. The firm advises private and public corporations and private equity groups on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, capital markets, financial restructurings, valuations and opinions, and other strategic matters. BGL has investment banking offices in Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, and real estate offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, San Antonio, and San Diego. The firm is also a founding member of Global M&A Partners, enabling BGL to service clients in more than 30 countries around the world. Securities transactions are conducted through Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company Securities, Inc., an affiliate of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company LLC and a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com. SOURCE Brown Gibbons Lang & Company Related Links www.bglco.com International Monetary Fund expects India's GDP to fall by 1.9 per cent in FY21 instead of growing at 5.8 per cent, as estimated in January, amid the ongoing lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has come up with instructions and clarifications in situations arising out of cancellation of business orders. Tech giants Apple and Google have tied up to build a new technology that will alert people if they have recently come in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy: 1. IMF cuts India's GDP growth to 1.9%; global economy to see worst recession since 1930s The Indian economy may grow at 4.2 per cent in FY20 as against 5 per cent estimated by the statistics department, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also said in its bi-annual World Economic Outlook. 2. GST laws relaxed! Tax paid on cancelled order to be adjusted in returns In a circular issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has come up with instructions and clarifications in situations arising out of cancellation of business orders. 3. Govt pushes for agri exports as domestic markets shut amid lockdown Agriculture ministry secretary Sanjay Agarwal held talks with the exporters of agri and allied commodities to enhance exports during COVID-19 crisis. 4. Google, Apple join hands to develop coronavirus contact tracing system Coronavirus update: Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes APIs and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. 5. How coronavirus is forcing businesses to think out-of-box While cab aggregators and delivery platforms such as Uber, Swiggy and Zomato have partnered with FMCG companies and retailers to deliver essentials, gifting platforms such as Ferns N Petals have launched 'contactless' ways of sending messages to loved ones on their special days. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 09:28 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1ade1e 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,East-Java,Madiun,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19-joblessness Free A community unit in Madiun, East Java, has set up an open kitchen so that people in the area whose incomes have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will not need to go hungry. Residents of community unit (RT) 37 in neighborhood unit (RW) 09 of Mojorejo, a subdistrict of Taman district in Madiun, have built a kitchen accessible to the public in the yard of a house. The RT chief, Syamsul Hadi, 43, said the kitchen was opened two weeks ago. Syamsul said most people in the neighborhood worked in the informal sector as street vendors, parking attendants and pedicab drivers and the like and their daily income had been devastated because of the coronavirus outbreak. Some residents also had to temporarily shut down their small businesses to comply with the governments physical distancing policy to curb the spread of the disease. Syamsul and some residents launched the initiative to help their neighbors upon learning about their situation. I started here with three other people. We donated our money Rp 100,000 [US$6.35] each so that we could collect at least Rp 400,000 to start, Syamsul said on Thursday last week while he was cooking with the other residents in the kitchen. With the money, they bought food supplies to start operating the kitchen. In the beginning, the open kitchen could provide around 90 food packages in the morning and another 90 packages in the evening. After running for a couple of days, the initiative caught the attention of other residents who also donated food supplies, cooked food, cash and human resources. The open kitchen can now produce 220 packages of food per day, of which 110 are distributed in the morning and 110 in the evening. In order to produce 110 packages, Syamsul said, the kitchen needed around Rp 500,000 per production. The open kitchen distributes the meals directly to each house to avoid crowds. Syamsul said he hoped such an initiative could help people whose livelihoods were disrupted by the pandemic. Many people have raised their concerns [about the pandemic]. We just want to play our small part in helping those in need, he said as quoted by kompas.com. As of Monday afternoon, East Java had recorded 440 confirmed COVID-19 cases, making the province -- which has recorded 30 fatalities so far -- the third-hardest hit nationwide, after Jakarta and West Java, respectively. Indonesia recorded at least 4,557 positive cases and 399 deaths linked to the disease, according to the government's official count on Monday. (asp) Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor A doctor inside a protective chamber before collecting a swab sample at a newly installed Walk-In Sample Kiosk (WISK) for COVID-19 test at a government-run hospital during the nationwide lockdown. PTI photo Ahmedabad: People in Gujarat have been consuming and stocking up hydroxychloroquine, being touted as 'game changer' in the fight against coronavirus, prompting the state government to issue a warning against its health hazards and a directive to chemists not to sell it over the counter. India is the world's largest manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine, which is used in the treatment of malaria. But, its demand has now increased after US President Donald Trump requested the Indian government to allow its export to America to treat COVID-19 patients. "We have come to know that people were rushing to medical stores to buy hydroxychloroquine after it came in news and was also mentioned as an effective medicine by US President Trump for those infected by COVID-19," Gujarat Food and Drug Control Authority Commissioner H G Koshia told PTI. It has come to light that many people are taking the medicine or stocking it due to the coronavirus fear, he said. "This is a scheduled H drug, which can be sold by chemist on a prescription of a registered medical practitioner. It is not in the interest of normal people to take the scheduled H drug if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms, he said. This type of self-medication can cause harm and side effects if not taken under proper care of doctors, he warned. "Therefore, we have advised people not to take the medicine without the prescription of doctors. We have also asked chemists not to sell the drug to patients coming without the doctors' prescription," the official said. Chemists have been asked to maintain a register of purchase and sale of the drug, which they have to do for all the scheduled H drugs, he said. A chemist in Bopal area of Ahmedabad said many people come to his store asking for hydroxychloroquine in a day, but he sells it only to those who have proper prescription. Koshia said the Gujarat government has enough stock of the medicine, but an advisory has been issued so that there is no shortage of the drug in the open market. "If everybody starts stocking or consuming the drug, it will create shortage in the market. This advisory is issued so that this anti-malarial drug is available for patients who need it, he said. The Gujarat government stockpiled over one crore shots of the medicine as it became clear that this can be a useful medicine against coronavirus, he said, adding that the drug is manufactured in a large quantity in the state. "The Food and Drug Control Authority of Gujarat has given approval to 28 companies to produce hydroxychloroquine. Of these, three companies produce active drug ingredients, which are raw material for production of the medicine, he said, adding that Gujarat will not face its shortage. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani recently said three companies from the state have been asked to produce hydroxychloroquine to export it to the US, after President Trump asked the Indian government for its supply. On the effectiveness of the drug in the fight against coronavirus, Koshia said some studies, especially in France, say that it works. "The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended that this drug should be given to frontline health workers who are involved in treating those suffering from COVID-19, he said. Earlier, India had banned the drug's export after it was found that it can be key to the treatment of COVID-19. However, after requests of US President Trump and from other countries, the export curbs were partially lifted. Gujarat has so far reported over 570 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths. The internet and social media, in general, is often filled with unverified stories. While some stories are uploaded as a matter of joke for people to have lighthearted fun, some stories take it a little further and provide completely fabricated news to people. These stories, when gone viral, can make people believe in false claims as share it ahead without having prior evidence to prove them wrong. One such story has now come forward. Also read: Fact Check: Money under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana to be taken back if not withdrawn? Claim - A viral social media post was recently claiming that the image of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been issued on Sri Lankan stamps. An image of the stamp was also circulated on social media. The fake social media post claimed that the Sri Lankan government has done this to honour Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Also read: Fact Check: Did NASA issue an alert about the earthquake in Delhi beforehand? Rating - False The Pinarayi Vijayan stamp was not visible on the official website of Sri Lankan post. In the photo above, it is noted that the stamp was actually released in 2017, but after going through a catalogue of official stamps, it is concluded that the Pinarayi Vijayan stamp was not released at all and the claim is indeed false. Besides, one detailed look at the stamp can also give away that it is indeed a photoshopped image. Also read: AP FACT CHECK: Trump attacks govt watchdogs on false grounds Origin - The viral photo first started doing rounds on Facebook where it was shared in abundance. After this, the photo was shared on a number of social media platforms including Twitter where people started sharing the news. As seen earlier, social media platforms can prove notorious in making unverified posts viral. Sri Lanka Issues Postage Stamp With Kerala CM Vijayan's Photo @fly_fake_bot Ashutosh Kushwaha (@Ashutos55396551) April 14, 2020 Google Trends analysis - As the post about Sri Lanka issuing a stamp to honour Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan started going around on the internet, people searched to find whether the story is true. This resulted in a surge of search results for the same. CHeck it out below - Also read: Fact Check: Are Himalayas visible from Jalandhar after 30 years? Also read: Fact check: Is EPFO processing COVID-19 claims on high priority? In this episode of Motley Fool Answers, Alison Southwick and Motley Fool personal finance expert Robert Brokamp chat about unemployment rates and markets in general. Also, Robert covers the most important provisions of the recently passed CARES Act. Learn about the benefits and different ways you can access the funds and much more. Finally, Alison, Robert, and Rick Engdahl share some fun recommendations during these times of physical distancing. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. To get started investing, check out our quick-start guide to investing in stocks. A full transcript follows the video. This video was recorded on April 3, 2020. Alison Southwick: This is Motley Fool Answers, I'm Alison Southwick, and I'm joined, as always, by Robert Brokamp. [laughs] I didn't have anything clever today. I'm sorry. What a letdown. Robert Brokamp, personal finance expert here at The Motley Fool. Robert Brokamp: Hi, everybody. Southwick: Bro, read it so you don't have to, and he's going to share eight highlights from the CARES Act. Wait, did you really read it or did you skim it? Brokamp: I tell you I tried. I tried my best, but, man, if you read an actual Act of Congress, it is brutal. Absolutely brutal. I couldn't do it. Southwick: OK. Bro tried, so you don't have to. He's here to share eight highlights from the CARES Act, all that and more on this week's episode of Motley Fool Answers. Well, dear listeners, again we're coming to you from the past. Right now, it is Friday afternoon, so where you are in time, the future, I'm sure the sun is shining and we're all just running around outside and hugging each other willy-nilly. I can hope, right, Bro? Brokamp: Absolutely. Southwick: If only. All right. Well, let's talk about the week that was. And I'm just basically going to talk about how everyone is out of a job. According to The Wall Street Journal, about 6% of the U.S. labor force has filed for jobless benefits in the last two weeks. That's up from 0.3% at the end of February. The three states that have the largest share of jobless claims are -- do you want to guess, Bro? Brokamp: Nevada is definitely one of them. Southwick: Hmm... Brokamp: It's not? Oh, maybe not. Southwick: Not from The Wall Street Journal article I saw. Brokamp: Florida and New York. I don't know. Southwick: Hawaii, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Brokamp: Of course. Southwick: Yeah. And then, at the bottom of the list for the smallest share of jobless claims. It's South Dakota, Wyoming, and Connecticut. Brokamp: Anyways, I read an article that had Nevada as first, but what's even more frightening was an article on CNBC that said the job losses we've experienced over the last two weeks wiped out 40% of the job gains we have seen since 2009. Southwick: Ugh! let's just let that sit there for a while, huh? Well, perhaps not surprisingly, small businesses are the hardest hit. Twenty-four percent of small businesses say they will close permanently within two months or less due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. That's according to a poll from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife they released on Friday. University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School estimated that up to 6.6 million small business employees were immediately laid off when governments in March began mandating closing doors. Back in mid-May, the Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, said that unemployment could hit 20%, but an economist with the St. Louis Fed is now projecting the coronavirus impact on jobs could cost 47 million Americans their jobs, resulting in a 32.1% unemployment rate. And, Bro, because you're so good with numbers, do you remember the record for unemployment in America, what percent it was? Brokamp: It was 25% during the Great Depression. Southwick: Yes, it was. Look at you, 24.9% in 1933. All right. Let's move on to the stock market. So, I have a hard time giving any sort of stock market report, because again, today is Friday and by the time this airs, things could be totally different. So, instead of a numbers breakdown, I'm going to give my market report based on feelings. So, it's going to be a feelings-based market report. And I feel less confused. So, in late March I was very confused, because we were all being told to stay at home, unemployment everywhere you turn, the rest of us are trying to work from home with kids asking for snacks every five minutes. I mean, the economy felt like it was grinding to a halt, and what did the markets do in the late March? They went up for a bit, they were rallying. And this is going to sound weird, but after a few big days in late March where we had, like, 11% rallies, the news was still getting worse. I was just oddly pleased this week to see the market start to tumble. Isn't that horrible? But I was so confused. Because I was like, why is the market still going up? And so then, when the market started to tumble again, I was like, OK, all right, that makes sense. OK, now there's some sort of order to the world. Ugh, isn't that awful?! Brokamp: Just in case it explains it, and it might not, but they think one of the reasons that the market did go up toward the end of March... March was the end of the first quarter, and every quarter a lot of institutions have to rebalance their portfolios. So, target-date funds, pensions, endowments, places like that. And if you're rebalancing your portfolio at the end of March, you're basically selling bonds and cash to buy stocks. So, that might be why the market went up there toward the end. And now that we're in April, why the market is drifting down again. Southwick: Yeah. I mean, and also, if you read the articles, it would have been, the market is up on hopes of the stimulus package, which obviously we're going to get into later. I even saw an article that was, like, the market was going up because of selling fatigue. [laughs] Which I don't quite understand. Brokamp: My finger on my mouse button, it hurts. [laughs] Southwick: Ugh! I'm just so tired of selling, but apparently that's a thing. I mean, I feel for reporters who, it's their job to tell you why the market went up or down on any given day, like, I really feel for them. So, anyway, it's all horrible news on top of the fact that more than 1 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and there are over 50,000 deaths worldwide. So, before I stop talking and let Bro take over to talk about the CARES Act, I did want to take a moment for a PSA. Last week, instead of our usual April Fool's joke, The Motley Fool announced that we are donating $1 million to help the frontline efforts in New York to fight the spread of COVID-19. Obviously, we don't all have extra money to donate right now, but if you would like to donate alongside us, we reached out to the State of New York and we were, like, where can we help, where will our money be put to work? And they told us to donate to Health Research Incorporated. It's who the State of New York has partnered with to receive donations and then they parse out the money to purchase medical supplies and support medical staff and volunteers, again, on the frontlines in the State of New York. So, again, if you would like to donate alongside us, you can head to Donate.Fool.com. That's Donate.Fool.com. It'll redirect you to HRI's website where you can donate from there. And for those of you who can't donate, that's great, too. I feel like I should just say that our heart is going out to every one of our listeners -- even if you are in retirement, this is a scary time for you, if you have lost your job, it's a scary time for you. Even if you haven't lost your job, it's just, it's a scary time for everyone. So, I don't have anything [laughs] nicer thought to make it all better, but my heart really is just breaking for everyone and all of our listeners out there. So, anyway, with that, Bro, you're going to talk about how a little bit help is on the way for people out there. Brokamp: Yeah, and it might be more than a little bit. So, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act [sic] or the CARES Act was passed by Congress signed by the President. If you read about it in the media, you'll see that it's worth $2.2 trillion. It could actually be worth more, it really depends on how many businesses and people end up taking advantage of it, but there's a lot of aid in there. It does span hundreds of pages, and I didn't read every page, but I did read an awful lot of articles. So, what we're going to just discuss today are eight of what I would say are the most relevant provisions to most of our listeners. Are you ready? Southwick: I am ready. What's No. 1? Brokamp: No. 1, so, money in the bank for most people. And these are those recovery rebates that you may have heard about: $1,200 per adult, $500 for each kid aged 16 and younger. But not everyone will get it. About 90% of Americans will, 10% won't. Who won't get it? Well, you probably make too much money, because there are income limitations on how much you'll get. So, you start by figuring out how much you'll get. Again, $1,200 per adult, $500 per kid 16 and under. But then, that amount gets reduced $5 for every $100 you earn over a certain adjusted gross income limit. That's $75,000 if you're single, $112,500 if you file head of household, $150,000 if you are married and you file jointly. Where do you go to find that number? Well, they're going to base it on your 2019 tax return, if you filed it. If you filed the regular 1040, just look at line 8b. If you haven't filed that tax return, they're going to go back and look at 2018's tax return, and on that one, it's line 7. So, you can think a little bit about these AGI limits. And if you haven't filed your taxes, if you're eligible in 2018, but you wouldn't be eligible in 2019, you might want to hold off on filing your taxes, because now we do have until July 15th to do it. Otherwise, if you were not eligible based on 2018, but you would be in 2019, you might want to get your taxes done as soon as possible. Interestingly, this is actually not a payment necessarily as it's considered a rebate on 2020 taxes. So, first of all, the good news is, that's not income, so it won't be taxed to you. But also, if you weren't eligible, based on your past years tax returns, but you would be based on 2020, you actually will get the rebate but you won't get it until you file your taxes in 2021. That said, there is some talk about the government sort of finding ways to accelerate payments, because you could think of people who made decent amounts of money in 2018-2019, but this year are hard up, they could use that money. So, the government is trying to come up with some ways to maybe accelerate that. Southwick: How do people actually get their money? Is it a physical check in the mail or is that still being worked out? Brokamp: That's a great question. So, if the IRS has a bank account on record for you, maybe you've had refunds in the past automatically deposited into a bank account, that's where it'll go, and those will get paid first, as early as April 15th. Otherwise, the check will be sent to an address the IRS has on file for you, but those payments are going to take a while, they're going to start with the lowest-income Americans and then gradually move through it. But there's reports that came out yesterday that said it could take as long as five months to do all of that. So, the Treasury has said that it's going to set up a website for you to either provide banking information or to provide an updated address if the IRS' address that they have for you is out of date. So, it will take some people many, many months to get the payment. In the end, it won't be necessarily a life-changer, but when you look at the average American household, their average rent or mortgage is between $1,000 and $2,000. So, you could think of these payments as a way to cover that for at least a month. Although, as we'll talk about later, there are other ways to take care of your mortgage or rent during the downturn. So, that's No. 1. No. 2. Enhanced unemployment benefits. So, this is obviously the biggest concern as far as I'm concerned during this downturn. What's going to happen to all these people who are losing their jobs? Normally, unemployment benefits are administered by the state, and every state has their own rules and their own amounts. The average in the country is a little under $400 a week. Ranging from $275 in Alabama to $713 in New Jersey. What the CARES Act is going to do is the federal government is going to add up to $600 on top of that amount and they're going to pay benefits longer than usual. So, up to 39 weeks. Also, normally for unemployment, you don't get paid that first week of being out of a job, but now you will get paid immediately, at least theoretically. And anyone who's experienced this, has gotten laid off and has tried to apply for unemployment benefits, has probably experienced how the unemployment offices in their cities, states their websites they are overloaded, absolutely overloaded. So, the government is both state, local, and federal, they're doing everything they can to boost up capacity so that people can get these checks as soon as possible. The other thing about this is that unemployment benefits are usually not paid to people who are self-employed or gig workers or freelancers, but that won't be the case here. Many people will be eligible for these, including people who can't work because they have to stay at home and watch their kids, because their day care or their school has been canceled. So, the government is really trying to get a lot of money into people's hands who otherwise won't be able to earn an income. So, that's No. 2. No. 3. Easier access to retirement account money, if you need it. Now, I am going to just kick this off by saying, hopefully, you do not tap your retirement accounts, but if you need to, you can, and here are the rules. First of all, you can take out up to $100,000 from your 401(k)s or IRAs. And if you're 59.5 or younger, you don't have to pay that 10% penalty that you normally would. You can only do it, if for some reason your finances are affected by the virus, you caught it, someone in your family caught it, you were laid-off because of it, your office no longer operates because of it. But the rules are pretty liberal, so the consensus is, generally, the IRS isn't going to look too closely at this. Besides being able to take out the money, you actually have up to three years to put it back if you want to. So, you took out some money this year because you needed it, a year from now you decided, "You know what, I want to get that back into my 401(k) or IRA," you can do that. The penalty is waived, but not taxes. You do have to pay taxes on the money you take out. But another good thing is, you could pay it all this year or you can spread it out over three years, if that's better for you. So, you can spread out that tax liability. What if, say, you took out some money this year, because you needed it. A year from now, you say, "Oh, I'm in better shape, I want to put that money back." Because you took money out this year, you will have to pay taxes on it. If a year or two or three later, you put that money back in, file amended return and you'll get those taxes back that you paid on the distribution. And another way you can tap your retirement accounts earlier, if you need it, is taking a loan from your 401(k). Normally, the amount you can take out is the lesser of half your vested balance or $50,000, now you can borrow up to $100,000 from your 401(k) and you can put off initial payments for a year. Again, you have to prove that for some reason you are experiencing hardship due to the virus, but it looks like they are going to be pretty liberal on that. And finally, when it comes to retirement accounts, no required minimum distributions in 2020. So, if you're in your 70s or older, or if you have an inherited IRA or 401(k), you do not need to take any money out in 2020. No. 4. A recess for student loans. So, if you have a student loan with the federal government, this applies to about 90% of them, you do not have to pay payments or interest until September 30th of this year. From what I've read, I've seen mixed reports in terms of whether this is automatic or whether you have to go into the website of your loan processor and suspend payments, either way this is a great break for people who are paying student loans, it doesn't apply to private loans, it doesn't apply to some Perkins loans, but many private banks are offering their own, sort of, relief. And if you are participating in any kind of public service loan program. So, they are these programs that if you, for example, are a teacher for 10 years, after 10 years, your payment, the rest of your debt is written off. This period still counts toward those 10 years, even though you're not making payments, so that's good news for those folks. No. 5. Increased ability to deduct charitable contributions. So, a lot of people are very generous with their money, trying to help out people these days. Because of the tax act that passed at the end of 2017, most people couldn't deduct charitable contributions because you had to itemize, but now thanks to the CARES Act, if you don't itemize, you can still deduct up to $300 as an above the line deduction. Not a big break, but still could save you $20, $30, $40, you just have to make sure that the contribution is in cash and it has to be to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization. So, donations to, like, a donor advised fund, don't count, or a supporting organization. That's more of, like, a think tank type of place. If you do itemize, you can deduct even more. Usually, you can only deduct up to 60% of your AGI, now you can deduct up to 100% of your AGI, if you itemize. One thing I'll just say that applies to all of this, but particular to this provision. Definitely consult a tax pro on this one, because the rules on some of this are changing. So, make sure you check in with a tax pro before you donate, just to get the tax benefits. No. 6. More expenses eligible for health-related accounts. So, if you have a health savings account or a flexible spending account, previously, many over-the-counter expenses weren't eligible. Now they are, including, many feminine hygiene products. So, for the first time ever, as far as I can remember. So, if you are having any sort of over-the-counter medicines, you're sick, anything like that, go ahead and submit those receipts. And the interesting thing about flexible spending accounts, at least the medical flexible spending accounts is, you can submit your receipts for the amount you chose to defer for the whole year, even before you've put all that money in that account. So, if you are hurting for cash, get as many receipts in as you can, even if your account doesn't have that much money in it yet. Southwick: Do we think that will -- I realize that with some of these things, they might go away once the economy gets stronger, do you get a sense that any of these might stay put? Like, that one sounds like one that could easily just stay put. Brokamp: It could easily stay put, but the language in the bill, from what I've read about it, is that most of these are time-limited, majority of them expire at the end of this year, and some others are good for 90 days to a 120 days, so we'll definitely have to stay on top of it. Southwick: Yeah. What's next? No. 7. Brokamp: No. 7. Loans to small businesses. So, actually, there's lots of aid for all kinds of businesses in the bill. But I think what's probably most applicable to our listeners is loans to small businesses. And a small business, by the way, is a business that has less than 500 employees, although there are some exceptions. The bottom line is -- Southwick: That's us at The Motley Fool. Brokamp: -- that we're a small business. Southwick: We are. I never thought about that. OK. Brokamp: The main benefit is that you can take out loans and some or all of those loans will be forgiven, so they'll turn out to be grants, if you follow several criteria that boil down to (a) all the money you're spending on stuff is required spending. So, lease, rent healthcare for your employees and payroll. And (b) the other requirement is you don't fire anybody. So, the whole point of this is to keep businesses afloat and to encourage businesses to maintain their payroll. Again, a lot of details about this and it's my personal experience that most business owners have an accountant, definitely call up your accountant to find out all the criteria for this. But this could be huge, a good way for people to maintain their businesses instead of laying a bunch of people off or even just closing business forever. Hopefully getting us through this crisis. And then No. 8. The last one. Some foreclosure and eviction protection. We've talked before on the show on how the No. 1 expense for most people is housing rent, mortgage. First of all, if you're in a position where you're going to have trouble paying, you should reach out to your bank or your landlord to see if they can help. But the bill specifically puts a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures and provides some forbearance on mortgage payments to loans that are backed by the federal government. So, we're talking about Fannie Mae loans, Freddie Mac loans, VHA loans, VA loans. Also, when it comes to the rent. Renters can't be evicted from places that have been paid for by federal loans and those landlords or companies that own those buildings can get up to 90 days to delay the payments on those loans, if they can prove they're suffering some kind of hardship. So, basically, again, lots of resources federal and private are coming together to help people with their mortgages and rents. So, even if the CARES Act doesn't cover that, reach out to people, and I should also add, some local and state resources are becoming available as well, so check in with your city, your county and your state to see what else is available. Because I think of all the things that people are most concerned about when it comes to their personal finances, it's losing their house or being evicted and not having a place to live. Southwick: Yeah. In all of your research that you did, was there anything that stood out or surprised you about the CARES Act? Brokamp: Well, I would say the comprehensiveness of it. So, you may recall, back in the Great Recession, 2007-2008, particularly in 2008. There was so much debate about what the government will do. And Congress couldn't agree. And in this case, it's just not happening, everyone, for the most part, is onboard with this. It covers business, it covers personal finances. And I don't think anyone believes that this is the last of it. Hopefully, we don't need much more, but I think it goes a long way in giving people confidence that we will get through this. And again, these are just the highlights, there's much more to the CARES Act. If you want to learn more, there are a couple of really good resources. The New York Times has a really helpful Q&A written by Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard. And it's in front of the paywall, so you don't have to be a subscriber of New York Times to read that. And for a more technical write-up visit, Kitces.com. That's the website of Financial Planning Expert, Michael Kitces and his team. Someone on his team, Jeff Levine, wrote an excellent write-up of it. It's a little technical, because it's written for Financial Advisors, but it's very skim-able, so you can go through it and look for things that might apply to you. I would say that, like, my final take on the CARES Act and all the other initiatives that the government is taking, is that a lot of people are expressing it as like a stimulus, but it's really like this lifeboat, it's this lifeboat that just needs to help people get to the other end of what this is. And hopefully, hopefully we're only two three months away from mitigating the fallout from this virus, and we can sort of get back to normal; I'm not making any predictions. But the economy was fundamentally sound when we went into this, and we just have to get to the other end of it. But in the meantime, literally tens of millions of Americans are going to be walloped by this, and hopefully, something like this will help them, basically provide just enough to keep them afloat for the next two or three months. Southwick: Yeah, I guess, I mean, you said the economy was really strong, but as we've talked about on the show, like, individuals are actually shouldering a lot of debt. And so, we're kind of, on an individual level, maybe people aren't doing so hot and they're just able to keep pushing the problem farther ahead in time. And this kind of makes things a little bit more immediate and a little bit more terrifying, how much debt you actually could be shouldering. But, I guess, if credit card companies, student loans, all of that are being a little bit more lenient, that's maybe the breathing room that people need to get through this. Brokamp: Yeah, it's a good point. Janet Yellen, the former Chair of the Federal Reserve said, her concern is that the recovery won't be so sharp because of debt, and not only personal debt, but corporate debt. So, many corporations took on a lot of debt. And as you probably know, a lot of that debt was not put to great use, it was to buy back stocks that are now down 30%. So, that's her concern. So, I think that's a good point. I also think, though, that once we somehow figure out a way to keep the spread of the virus down, there will be so much pent-up demand for people to get out of the house and to spend some money, that I think the brunt of this will be over in two to three months. But certainly, that the longer-term fallout could be with us for a while. Southwick: Yeah. And I mean, also, I'm a general optimist person, unlike you, Bro. [laughs] I mean, I believe in the resourcefulness and hardworking-ness of Americans and I know that we will get through this, because that's what we do. We just buck-up and get on with our lives eventually, as do most people throughout the world, but as an American speaking to mostly Americans, to quote the start of The Godfather, "I believe in America." All right, should we stick around and share our recommendations. Brokamp: Sure. Southwick: As we've been doing for the past few weeks, we've been closing our show with some sort of recommendation of something that will hopefully make you happy or at least distract you for a little bit from everything that's awful around you. And who's going to go first today, Rick, how about you? Rick Engdahl: Well, first I just want to say thank you to Vicky Hoffman and Brent Robinson, who both sent photo postcards, things they took, in one case in, looks like a backyard or something with Vicky's case, and then, Brent took a beautiful portrait of his -- I assume it's his cat sitting by a window, this rain, it's really beautiful black-and-white portrait. So, yeah, people are getting creative with photography, it's awesome. Southwick: I love that Rick asks once for people to take pictures and he gets two responses, whereas Bro asks every few months for people to send him Christmas traditions and he gets nothing. Although, that's not true, you did get a tweet on the Twitters, Bro, so. Brokamp: Oh, I did? Southwick: Yeah. Brokamp: Oh, good. I'm lousy on Twitter. Southwick: I'm so glad we set up that Twitter account. Yeah, Lee Whiteman. He said that, it's not Christmas, but him and his family had a little Thanksgiving meal to just give them something to be thankful for. So, there you go. Lou heard your call, so. Brokamp: Barry Williams of Greg Brady fame, put up an Easter tree instead of a Christmas tree, which I thought was just a fine idea. Southwick: Yeah. All right, Rick, so what's your recommendation for this week? Engdahl: Well, it's not a big thing and it may already have occurred to people, it kind of ties in with people on their balconies. And it's a little bit dependent on where you live and it's a little dependent on nice weather, but it can tie in with the music and the photography, because you can take your camera with you and you can take your guitar with you, if you want, or ukulele. And it's just the simple idea that, at least, I've noticed that our tendency is to, you know, we all want to get outside when we can and it's usually in the backyard and you know playing -- but take your Adirondack chair or your lawn chair, whatever you have, put it in the front yard. Sit out there in the front yard and watch the world go by. Because you'll see people riding their bikes or walking, you end up having conversations with people that you know or don't know, as they come through your town, and you know, at least 10 or 20 feet apart. In my neighborhood, I went for a walk and I found that we had neighbors kind of up in this -- we have a tight neighborhood, it's a great neighborhood, everybody knows each other, but there were neighbors, they all were sitting in their front lawns having happy hour, all of them at safe distances apart but being very social. So, it's just reinforcing the idea of physical distancing not social distancing, just be in your front yard, be there when people walk by. Southwick: There you go. Rick bringing back the front porch. All right, Bro, do you want to go next or you want me to go next? Brokamp: Sure. So, following up on my previous recommendation of getting outside. I am walking or running one to two hours a day, it's like the highlight of my day and I need to get outside. And of course, while I'm doing that, what am I doing, I'm listening to podcasts. Engdahl: If you run by my house, I'll say, "Hi!" to you. I'll be in the front yard. Brokamp: OK. I think I'll do that. Southwick: It's only 20 miles away. Brokamp: [laughs] So, a couple of series that I've listened to over the past year that I really liked, where one was a recommendation from Rick, Dolly Parton's America, which is just a charming, uplifting series. If you like political history, Rachel Maddow did one called Bag Man about Spiro Agnew. So, it's related to Watergate. And most of us think of Watergate when it comes to that time, but, boy, that dude was a character. That guy was pulling off all kinds of shenanigans, so that's one I recommend. But what I really have been doing is, instead of looking for specific episodes, like, as they show up in my feed, I've been thinking about, what do I want to learn about today, and then I just look for a podcast about it. So, for example, we've been talking a lot about the Spanish Flu of 1918. I haven't heard that much about it, so I just sort of looked on my podcast provider, did some googling, came up with a great episode from the Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast. So, I've been doing more of that, just thinking like, all right, what's something I need to learn more about? I will say, a lot of podcasts out there, quality very significantly. So, I have a rule that I give it like five minutes, because you know a lot of these podcasts are, you know, the quintessential dude in his basement just riffing on something that he knows something about. So, I've spent too much time listening to really bad podcasts to give it more than five minutes anymore. Engdahl: Hey, you know, Dolly Parton -- speaking of Dolly Parton -- she started a new thing where she's reading bedtime stories every night. So, you can tune into Dolly Parton online and she'll read you a bedtime story. She's famous for many things, but one of the things she's done charitably is provided books to kids. She has this great program providing books to kids. So, now she's actually reading them every night. So, you can tune in with your kids and listen to Dolly read. Brokamp: That is awesome. Southwick: That's awesome. All right. So, I have a sad recommendation today and a happy one. So, my sad one -- and mine are pretty simple. My sad one is that Bill Withers died of heart complications. Did you know that? Engdahl: I just saw that, yeah. Southwick: So, he wrote and performed "Lean On Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," "Use Me," and many other great songs. So, my sad recommendation this week is to go listen to some Bill Withers and feel sad that he died, but happy that he lived, and left behind a lot of beautiful songs. And then my happy recommendation for this week is, I'm not sure if someone just forwarded or maybe someone just shared it on their Facebook page, so you'll just have to go Google it and find it. But my happy rec this week is a compilation video of Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, on CNN with his brother, Chris Cuomo. Have you seen this? They are dear brothers who love each other, but they also bicker like brothers. And so, it's pretty hilarious to see one interview the other on CNN. And so, if you Google it, you'll find there's a compilation video of them of Chris interviewing Andrew and bickering and talking about their mom, and Andrew calls Chris a meatball and it's just, it's great. So, I recommend that -- it's a short video. Well, that's the show. It's edited socially by Rick Engdahl. Our email is Answers@Fool.com, please reach out with all of your Christmas traditions and even more photos for Rick Engdahl. We love to hear from you. Unfortunately, we can't get your postcards, because the office is locked up. We love hearing from you guys, even though we are not in Fool HQ at the moment. So, for Robert Brokamp, I'm Alison Southwick. Stay Foolish, everybody! WASHINGTON - One of the most celebrated pieces of the massive $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief package that's just over 2 weeks old is on life support with no deal in sight to resuscitate it. According to the latest projections, the Small Business Administration's $349 billion appropriation for loans to eligible firms, which are forgiven if they use the money to keep workers on their payrolls, will run out of money by Friday. The White House and Republican leaders want to boost that amount to $600 billion to give more small businesses an opportunity to get relief before the funding dries up. But Democrats see an opportunity to fix flaws in the so-called Paycheck Protection Program that have become apparent since its April 3 rollout, as well as tack on hundreds of billions of dollars more for state and local governments and hospitals that are still bleeding cash. Their case has been bolstered by groups like the National Restaurant Association, which wants changes to the SBA program in addition to more funding, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supports a related small-business loan fund that's also short of cash. ADVERTISEMENT And on Saturday, the bipartisan leadership of the National Governors Association - including Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, from Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer's home state of New York - asked for as much as $500 billion in federal aid for states. That's far in excess even of what Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have proposed so far, and doesn't include additional direct aid to local jurisdictions. But Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said in a statement that without the added funds, "states will have to confront the prospect of significant reductions to critically important services all across this country." Talks between top Democratic leaders and their favorite GOP negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, got off to a seemingly positive start Friday. Schumer said a phone call with Mnuchin had been "constructive" and added that a bipartisan deal was possible "early next week." But sources familiar with the discussions say not much progress was made over the weekend, due in part to the Easter holiday. After it became clear that the small-business lending fund had burned through roughly half its money in one week, with the daily "burn rate" only ramping up, GOP leaders on Saturday appeared to undercut attempts at a compromise. They released a blistering statement calling on Democrats to drop their objections to their two-page bill that would provide the additional money and nothing else. "All we want to do is put more money into a popular job-saving policy which both parties designed together," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said in a joint statement. "American workers are in crisis. Nobody except Washington Democrats seems to be unclear on this fact or confused about the urgency." Senate Finance Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, piled on in a television appearance Saturday, telling Fox News' Neil Cavuto that with the loan program dwindling, Democratic leaders "don't have a leg to stand on." The initial $349 billion in the huge relief bill President Donald Trump signed March 27 was intended to cover payroll, rent, mortgage interest and utility costs for eligible firms that apply before June 30. ADVERTISEMENT Loan amounts can be for up to 250 percent of monthly payroll expenses, and eight weeks' worth of debt is forgiven if loan recipients use the money for intended purposes and spend at least three-fourths of the money on payroll. On Friday, White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow projected that the small-business loan program will run out of money April 17. "That's why we would like the Congress to help us with an additional $250 billion," he told Fox Business' Lou Dobbs. Kudlow said at the time the government had approved 661,000 small-business loans, valued at $168 billion. Others said the money could run out before Friday. A Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee aide said the panel's model shows the average daily amount of loans approved continues to rise. "The committee is not publicizing a date because the situation is fluid," the aide said. But if the SBA burned through about half its money by the end of the week, a rising burn rate implies it could end up completely dry even before April 17. To Democrats, the answer is simple: a negotiated solution that pumps more money into the SBA loan fund, but also moves in their direction in three chief areas. According to Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill, the speaker told Mnuchin in their call Friday that the SBA cash infusion "must not solidify the disparity in access to capital faced by many small businesses in underserved areas." She also said hospitals and states and localities need more money. ADVERTISEMENT The Democrats' alternative to the Republicans' two-page bill adding $251 billion to the small-business fund would set aside only half of the money for the existing program. Instead, an extra $125 billion would be allocated differently, including $60 billion for smaller financial institutions that specialize in lending to minority-owned businesses and those without established relationships with the big banks that dominate the existing SBA program. An additional $50 billion would replenish funding for disaster loans of up to $2 million each available to businesses for "economic injury." According to Democrats, the $50 billion appropriation would subsidize some $300 billion in additional loans. The disaster loan program got $1 billion in an earlier aid package to support some $7 billion in loans, but the program has over $370 billion worth of demand, according to Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., the ranking member on the Small Business Committee. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a letter to lawmakers Friday that far from the maximum $2 million, or even the average request of $200,000, the best the SBA has been able to do is ration the disaster loans down to $15,000 per applicant due to lack of money. "Such limited economic relief will be insufficient for a great many main street employers," wrote Chamber president Suzanne Clark. The Democratic proposal would also pump in an extra $15 billion to provide $10,000 cash advances on their disaster loans that wouldn't have to be repaid. The most recent aid package had $10 billion for that purpose, but that money is also already gone, Cardin said on the Senate floor April 9. On state and local aid, it seems unlikely governors will get the full $500 billion they want. The Democrats proposed another $150 billion, which would double amounts already provided and fix problems with the earlier funding round cited by critics. Cuomo, for instance, blasted the estimated $4 billion allocated to New York state under the initial formula. The Democrats' new proposal would add perhaps $10 billion more for New York at the state level, given a new set-aside according to each state's share of the nationwide COVID-19 infection rate, plus billions of dollars more for municipalities. The measure would also allocate substantially more for the District of Columbia than the first $150 billion funding round did last month, addressing another Democratic demand that the nation's capital get at least as much as states with small populations like Wyoming and Idaho. Finally, the entire $300 billion provided in both rounds of aid would be fungible for states and localities, meaning they could use it to fill steep budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic and associated economic shutdown. The first batch of aid stipulated that it could only be used for costs associated directly with COVID-19. Hospitals in New York and elsewhere have complained of getting shortchanged in the Department of Health and Human Services' distribution of the first $30 billion in direct aid appropriated in last month's massive aid package. The agency says the remaining $70 billion is forthcoming, including more for rural and underserved hospitals, but Democrats want an additional $100 billion. McConnell could opt to try to pass the clean SBA cash infusion Monday when the Senate convenes for a pro forma session. But Democrats' objection on April 9 diminishes the odds he'd try again, a move Schumer and others derided as "a political stunt." Similarly, there's no current path to passing the Democrats' proposal without changes. And even if there's a midweek deal, the White House and congressional leadership still would have to confront Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has made clear he'll require lawmakers to return to Washington to vote on any proposal, unless remote voting procedures are instituted. All of this drama means some small businesses that have not been approved yet for assistance may have to wait longer for relief. --- (c)2020 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved Visit CQ Roll Call at www.rollcall.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Demand for Ukrainian labor migrants in the neighboring countries is so high given the onset of seasonal works that the governments are ready to pay for charter flights and preparation of documents for them. Now we indeed witness the huge demand for Ukrainian labor migrants in neighboring countries. There are already cases when the foreign ministers of certain countries call me and tell: "Our country is ready to pay for charter flights, is ready to pay for everything, and documents also" right now as spring has come, seasonal works begin and workers are needed now. We are currently reviewing these requests, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said on the air of 1+1 TV channel, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. According to him, the problem is that the purpose of returning compatriots to Ukraine was environmental safety. At the same time, seasonal works are very short they last about a month and then the migrant workers will have to go back again. In this context, Kuleba noted that no one in the world could accurately predict the development of the epidemiological situation, so first and foremost, the point was not the work but the safety of the workers themselves. When asked whether the requests of countries to allow seasonal workers leaving Ukraine would be denied, the Foreign Minister said that the issue was being pondered over. ol Millennials have been dealt two very bad economic hands during their lifetimes. First, they weathered the 2008 financial crisis brought about by reckless risk-taking in the financial sector. Now, they confront a much more severe economic calamity caused not by Wall Street's misbehavior but by a malicious virus. Yet in both situations, the burden is disproportionately falling on working families, many of them millennials who are just now starting to accumulate some wealth and security. And while Washington has responded aggressively with early commitments to help Main Street, as stimulus programs unfold it's becoming apparent that Wall Street (again) is going to come out on top. The primary reason for this is that our elected officials have ceded too much responsibility for the economy to the Federal Reserve. But the Fed is not well equipped for this role. It is essentially a big bank, primarily configured to lend to other big banks. More from Invest in You: SBA, small business disaster loans never faced test like coronavirus Coronavirus quarantine: Missing work could be financially 'crushing' Don't let panic drive your investment decisions. How to get a grip When an economic crisis hits, its instinctive response is to pump money into them. It can do this easily because, unlike us, big banks are allowed to have reserve accounts where the Fed can directly credit funds. When the Fed wants to stimulate the economy, it can make loans to big banks at very low rates or buy assets from them outright. The Fed used these kinds of tools during the 2008 financial crisis to help stabilize the banking system, but it's not clear those tools did much for the rest of the economy. To Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell's credit, this time around the Fed has promised to help Main Street by supporting lending to small and medium-sized businesses. But the Fed is finding that hard to do because there are so many of them. The programs the Fed is trying to launch are administratively more cumbersome and have more conditions than the programs supporting large institutions. And the Fed must still rely on banks as intermediaries. Meanwhile, trillions have already been lent out to Wall Street firms to support their "repo" operations (short-term funding markets), and trillions more will be dispersed to support commercial paper (short-term debt), money market funds (also bailed out in 2008), asset-backed securities, corporate debt and municipal bonds. The Fed is even propping up corporate junk bonds. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday evening confirmed that a total of 26,351 samples of the coronavirus COVID-19 were tested till 9 pm (IST) taking the total samples tested so far to 2,44,893. A total of 853 of the samples tested on Tuesday were positive. An official statement read, "A total of 2,44,893 samples from 2,29,426 individuals have been tested as on April 14, 9 pm IST. 10,307 individuals have been confirmed positive among suspected cases and contacts of known positive cases in India. Today, on April 14, till 9 PM IST, 26,351 samples have been reported. Of these, 853 were positive for SARS-CoV-2." Earlier, in a press briefing, a senior ICMR official had said, "ICMR has 166 labs and 70 other labs are private. We have enough kits to cover for six weeks." ICMR had also added, "We have received another installment for RT-PCR kits which are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time. Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 Lakh kits for RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) & 37 Lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time." The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday asserted that the government can confirm a break in the chain of transmission if no case is reported for 28 days from a specific area. Addressing a press brief, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal replied to a question regarding 40-day lockdown, "We have to break the chain. If no coronavirus COVID-19 case is reported for 28 days from a specific area, we can say we have been able to break the chain of transmission." A total of 602 hospitals have been earmarked as dedicated COVID-19 facilities in coordination with a capacity of 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds reserved for such patients in the country, said Agarwal. He added that 1,211 fresh coronavirus cases and 31 new deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the number of cases to 10,363 and deaths to 339 in the country. Aggarwal stated that the positive cases have infected the youths but the death cases are seen in older people. He asked people, residing in rural or urban areas, to inform frontline workers if they develop symptoms. WASHINGTONInmates at New Jerseys only state prison for women were regularly sexually assaulted by guards and sometimes forced to engage in sex acts with other prisoners while staff members looked on, according to a Justice Department report released on Monday detailing widespread, pervasive sexual abuse at the facility. In one instance at the prison, the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, N.J., one woman was forced to act as a lookout for the guard assaulting her, the report said. Assault and coercion were so prevalent that the Justice Department concluded that the New Jersey Department of Corrections and the prison had violated the inmates constitutional protections from cruel and unusual punishment. Sexual abuse should not be a part of any prisoners punishment, Eric S. Dreiband, the head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said in a statement accompanying the report, the result of an investigation by the division and the U.S. attorneys office in New Jersey. Women prisoners at Edna Mahan are at substantial risk of sexual abuse by staff because systemic deficiencies discourage prisoners from reporting sexual abuse and allow sexual abuse to occur undetected and undeterred. The Justice Department said it could sue the department in 49 days if officials did not address the problems laid out in the report. A spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Matthew Schuman, said the agency had already formed a task force to implement some of the recommendations the Justice Department announced Monday, including gender restrictions for some posts, more cameras and an early warning system to identify problematic behaviour. It has re-established a board of women to advocate on behalf of inmates at Edna Mahan, and officers now undergo more training on gender issues. The Corrections Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of all those in its care, Schuman said. The damning report was the latest instance of a Justice Department effort to crack down on abuses at state prisons across the nation. The department has pledged to investigate Mississippis notoriously violent state prisons and found last year that Alabamas prisons were so dysfunctional, unsafe and gruesome that they also violated constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Sexual assaults are particularly pervasive at Edna Mahan, a 700-person facility where inmates have complained for decades that sexual assault is an open secret, the department found. As the Supreme Court has held, sexual abuse is not part of any persons punishment, the department said in its report. Our society requires prisoners to give up their liberty, but that surrender does not encompass the basic right to be free from severe unwanted sexual contact. At least 16 women said they were beaten or sexually abused between 2008 and 2010 by a single officer, according to the report. He never faced criminal charges, but he did settle a lawsuit with six former prisoners for $75,000. In 2010 and 2011, three corrections officers were fired after several women accused them of abuse. The Justice Departments investigation began in April 2018, after New Jersey Advance Media published a detailed article about the culture of rampant sexual violence against inmates at the prison. Even after officers were informed that the Justice Department was investigating the prison, sexual assault and coercion continued largely unabated, federal investigators found. Between October 2016 and April 2019 a full year after the prison had been under investigation seven correction officers and one civilian employee were arrested, indicted, convicted or pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges, including senior officers. The Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office is still pursuing sexual assault cases related to Edna Mahan. Investigators reviewing the files of state corrections officials found scores of substantiated instances dating back years when guards preyed on inmates for sexual gratification. Inmates were forced to perform sex acts on guards or with other prisoners. In one case, the guards held viewing parties of a mentally ill inmate who was on suicide watch. They coerced her to dance naked for them. Staff members and guards regularly referred to inmates in vulgar, homophobic and demeaning terms, the department found. They also regularly commented on the physical appearance and perceived sexual inclinations of the inmates. This environment emboldens Edna Mahan staff to seek out opportunities for sexual abuse, the report said. Women kept quiet, living in fear of retaliation, violence or loss of privileges, the department found. And when they did speak up, the prison was often indifferent to complaints. When the prison instituted a hotline in 2018 for inmates to report sexual assault allegations, the number was not posted in inmate housing units or common areas, the department found. The staff called the hotline the snitch line and used the term to display the number on the prisons caller ID system. It is both problematic and emblematic of the problems with the reporting systems at Edna Mahan, the report said. The Justice Department demanded that the prison implement 19 remedial measures to address systemic sexual assault and harassment, including compliance with national standards on reporting allegations and installing more cameras. The department said the prison should also stop transferring prisoners who report sexual abuses to segregated housing, provide a way for inmates to anonymously and confidentially report sexual abuse and harassment, and inform prisoners of their rights to do so. After a late response to the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan will be hoping the damage is minimised as much as possible, as cases continue to mount. While Imran Khan-led government has maintained its measures to tackle the virus have been swift, opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto feels Pakistan risks sleep walking into a coronavirus catastrophe as crises deepens. Reuters Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, told news agency AFP that the country's response to the pandemic so far had been characterised by federal foot-dragging over a comprehensive lockdown and an unwillingness to divert cash to the buckling health care system. Pakistan so far has recorded a total of 5,230 cases, while 93 have died because of the disease. There is a worry that a country with a population of 215 million people - many of whom live in impoverished conditions, the crises could put lakhs of people at risk. Reuters "There is definitely a false sense of security that we've seen from the start of this crisis," Bhutto told AFP in a video call. "We have seen a desire to ignore science and facts and the examples of what has been happening around us internationally, which has hampered us taking the timely and necessary action." Prime Minister Imran Khan has faced particular criticism after saying Pakistan could not afford a country-wide lockdown, citing the economic damage that would be unleashed. Reuters Pakistan now has a de facto lockdown after provinces acted independently to shutter schools and companies, but officials are under pressure to loosen restrictions as the economy suffers. Bilawal Bhutto also said that the situation in Pakistan could be worse than the US or western Europe given the country's shortage of protective gear for medical staff, a lack of critical care beds and other problems with the underfunded health care system. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (April 14) announced to extends lockdown in the country till May 3, to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic, but hours after that a large number of migrant workers gathered in Mumbai's suburban Bandra (West) bus depot near the railway station in the afternoon, demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places. Thousands of people are said to be labourers from other states, assembled at Bandra (West) bus depot on the last day of the 21-day lockdown to go to their native cities and villages. The question arises how as to so many people assembled at Bandra railway station when the whole country is aware that no train services are running during the lockdown. The Prime Minister's announcement was made 10 o'clock in the morning to extend the lockdown till May 3, but after six hours, thousands gathered in a city like Mumbai. Notably, the highest number of coronavirus cases are in Maharashtra, and Mumbai has already lost over 100 lives due to coronavirus and is among COVID-19 hotspot. When pictures of the crowd at Bandra railway station were seen everywhere, the Mumbai Police resorted to taking action against these people and the station was cleared after lathicharge. Although Bandra railway station has now been evacuated, political statements started coming in. In a series of tweets, Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray said the situation in Bandra is a result of the central government is unable to take a call on arranging a way back home from the migrant labourers. Thackeray said, "They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," adding that a mutual roadmap drawn up with the Union government will help migrant labourers travel from one state to another during the lockdown and reach their homes. Thackeray said feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar - that they want to go back to their native places. "Many are refusing to eat or stay in these camps," he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over gathering in Bandra. He said that such events would weaken the country's fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Amit Shah said the state administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents, while offering his full support to the Maharashtra government. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also told people that they need not panic, as the state government is doing its best to solve their problems. Most of these people, who reached Bandra station today, were labourers and poor people. They should understand that their one mistake can hit the whole country. This is the first time in the history of Indian Railways that its services are closed all over the country. Railways is bearing a loss of Rs 2500 crore every day. During the last 40 days, it has already lost revenue of Rs one lakh crore, but this being done to save the lives of the people of this country. One infected person in a Railway compartment can infect the whole train. This infected person can affect people at the station. He can further infect people at the bus stop, and then his family as well as his entire village. Currently, the Disaster Management Act has been promulgated in the country. Under this Act, non-compliance of the government orders is considered a serious offence and for this violation, one can face a punishment of one-year imprisonment. The question arises who misled these people to assemble at the Bandra railway station. Zee News has received a video of one Vinay Dubey from Mumbai. Dubey, who describes him as the leader of labourers in Mumbai, openly threatens the government and provokes migrant workers not to sit in their houses but to gather at the Bandra Railways station to stage a dharna. Reports coming in say that Vinay Dubey was later in the evening arrested for provoking migrant workers to assemble. Similar pictures of lockdown violations are also reported from Surat in Gujarat where hundreds of people were seen sitting on the streets to go to their homes. Surat is known for the business of Diamond and cloth industry where a large number of workers from different parts of the country live. By PTI LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh reported 102 fresh coronavirus cases and three fatalities on Tuesday, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients to 660 and the death toll due to the pandemic to eight in the state, an official said. Among the latest deaths, two were reported from Agra and one in Moradabad, he said. Agra has reported the maximum fatalities in the state with three people succumbing to the infection in the district till now. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES State Surveillance Officer Dr Vikasendu said the remaining five deaths were reported from Basti, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Varnasi and Moradabad. An official release of the state health department said 102 fresh cases were reported on Tuesday, of which 70 cases are of people who had attended a large religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. Among the total 660 cases, 375 are the attendees of the religious congregation, it said, adding that the coronavirus positive cases have been reported from 44 districts of the state. About the rise in cases, Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said those who died of coronavirus were suffering from other health problems too. "They are mostly elderly or had some medical condition," he said. The official further said the number of positive cases is high at present as the reports of many samples were pending and with an increase in testing facilities their results have started coming now. Cruise Industry Defies New 100-Day No Sail Order The cruise industry received another blow on April 9, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its initial No Sail Order a further 100 days, pushing the potential resumption of the cruise industrys operations until late July. But the cruise industry seems to think this rule doesnt yet apply to them just yet. Instead, the three major lines are continuing to advertise their intent to resume cruising well before late July. Furthermore, the industrys trade group CLIA argued in a statement on Friday that the CDC is unfairly singling out the cruise industry, which has been proactive in its escalation of health and sanitation protocols and was one of the first industries to announce a voluntary suspension of operations. The CDCs No Sail Order which was an extension of its initial order on March 14 could end sooner than the 100-day timeline, but only if the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares that Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency before then. The order reiterated the CDC directors belief that cruise ship travel exacerbates the global spread of COVID-19 and that the scope of this pandemic has not been controlled sufficiently by the cruise ship industry. USA Today reported on Monday that the terms of the no sail order were actually softened from sailings resuming in August to July after White House interference. The White House denied the claim. Get the Latest on Coronavirus and the Travel Industry on Skifts Liveblog And yet, the cruise industry is so far continuing to advertise cruising ahead of that July date. Carnival Cruise Line tweeted on Monday that it would resume cruising on June 27. When asked by Skift to account for the roughly one month discrepancy between its new proposed date and the CDCs timeline, Carnival said it is continuing our discussions with federal officials, including the CDC. If we are required to extend the pause into July, we will notify our guests. Story continues Important update regarding all North America sailings through June 26, 2020. pic.twitter.com/Y5UUHLkVFo Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) April 13, 2020 Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line told Skift it plans to resume sailing on May 15. It was asked twice by Skift to explain its own more than two month discrepancy with the CDCs timeline, and declined to provide an answer both times. Royal Caribbean told Skift, we are aware of the CDC order and are studying how best to respond to its provisions. Our global sailings are currently suspended through May 11, 2020. On Monday, its Twitter account reiterated the May 11 date to a passenger on Twitter. It similarly did not account for this two month discrepancy when asked by Skift. Hi, Nicholas. We are aware of the CDC order and are studying how best to respond to its provisions. Our global sailings are currently suspended through May 11, 2020. We'll provide updates as they become available. JT Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 13, 2020 Why the cruise industry thinks it would be able to operate itineraries from U.S. ports and sail in U.S. territorial waters during a period when the CDC is expressly prohibiting it for 100 days is unclear. Richard Caddell, a senior lecturer in maritime law at Cardiff University, told Skift there is no legal mechanism that would allow them to disobey the CDC order. It would appear to be either a means of drumming up future business and reminding customers that they still have a market presence, an attempt to pressurise decision-makers to reopen port access at the earliest possible opportunity, or a response to conflicting presidential statements about economic restrictions possibly being eased in the near future in the U.S. Caddell told Skift. At the moment, however, there does not appear to be a legal avenue through which they would be able to operate in their intended business as usual manner. The CDC also expressed its dissatisfaction with the steps the cruise industry has outlined thus far to ensure it does not continue to burden the U.S. health system during a global pandemic. According to the order, there are roughly 80,000 crew members currently aboard 95 vessels idling at sea. Many of them are not essential to operations. In addition, there are currently 15 ships at port or anchoring in US territorial waters with known or suspected cases of Covid-19 on board, and two more ships with passengers trying to return to port. The cruise industry issued a plan on April 3 outlining how it will ensure adequate medical care for these crew members without relying on U.S. government and shoreside resources. The CDC was not satisfied with this plan, and has asked the industry to re-submit it along with other provisions regarding containing Covid-19s spread on board ships within seven days. There are several public health concerns when crew members become ill while onboard these ships and the cruise lines seek the aid of the United States in disembarking them, as has already occurred on numerous occasions, the order read. As operators of non-U.S. flagged vessels sailing in international waters, it is imperative that the cruise ship industry and cruise lines themselves take responsibility for the care of their crew and do not further tax limited U.S. resources during a public health emergency. Meanwhile, the cruise industry argues that its unfortunate, high profile position in the Covid-19 pandemic has little to do with the foreign-flagged business model of the industry itself, or the deaths and numerous cases that have occurred onboard its ships, but rather its reporting requirements. While its easy to focus on cruising because of its high profile, the fact is cruising is neither the source or cause of the virus or its spread, CLIAs statement read. What is different about the cruise industry is the very stringent reporting requirements applicable to vessels that do not apply to comparable venues on land where the spread of communicable disease is just as prevalent. It would be a false assumption to connect higher frequency and visibility in reporting to a higher frequency of infection. UPDATED: This post was updated to include comments from Richard Caddell of Cardiff University. Subscribe to Skift newsletters for essential news about the business of travel. Representative Image Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 14, extended the country-wide lockdown unil till May 3 with more stringent measures. The previously-announced 21-day lockdown was supposed to end on April 14 but was extended by the PM after consultations with state chief ministers who had expressed the need for another 10-15 days to combat spread of the coronavirus pandemic. After PM Modis announcement, the reactions from corporate India came fast and quick. We have collated most of them for you here. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the CMD of Biocon, told CNBC-TV18 that, as the cases were rising, this was an important and right decision taken by the prime minister. She added that people did not realise the importance of stopping the spread (of COVID-19). 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 I am sure a difficult decision to extend lockdown to May 3rd but I believe the right decision. It is up to all of us to ensure that the PM does not have to extend it further. Please follow all the rules and discipline of lockdown. Stay Safe. @PMOIndia @MahindraRise Pawan K Goenka (@GoenkaPk) April 14, 2020 Pawan K Goenka, Managing Director - Mahindra & Mahindra, took to twitter to laud the move. "I am sure a difficult decision to extend lockdown to May 3rd but I believe the right decision. It is up to all of us to ensure that the PM does not have to extend it further. Please follow all the rules and discipline of lockdown. Stay Safe." (sic) Others, however, pointed to the economy and peoples livelihood, with Harsh Mariwala - the founder-chairman of Marico - noting the government had given preference to live over livelihood. He told CNBC-TV18: We are not operating anywhere near full capacity and need to have a strong economic relief package. There are shortages as far as consumers are concerned and unless supply issues improve, shortages will continue. Sectors such as aviation, hospitality, and MSMEs are in bad shape. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here Underlining the IT sector perspective, Debjani Ghosh - the president of NASSCOM - said that 90 percent of the employees were working from home. She added that global clients gave feedback appreciating how the sector had responded to the challenges. The key worry is that there is enough infra support like broadband speeds and power supply. It has not been easy for the IT sector and we need to see how quickly the global economy can recover, she said. Ghosh added that, within the IT sector, small IT companies and technology companies are the most vulnerable. We have asked for Rs 3,600 crore tech SMEs where the pain is the most, she said. Deepak Shenoy, the founder of CapitalMind, also pointed out the need for stimulus. He tweeted: "I hope we get some details of a stimulus package tomorrow. Telling industry not to lay off is fine in speeches, but the government has to pay for it." (sic) I hope we get some details of a stimulus package tomorrow. Telling industry not to lay off is fine in speeches, but the government has to pay for it. Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) April 14, 2020 The Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) was scathing in its response, stating: We expected the PM to come out with some economic measures. We are disappointed that a calibrated approach on opening of economy not announced. (sic) Pointing to Spain, which has suffered huge loss to life due to COVID-19, the FIEO added: Even Spain has opened its economy in a calibrated manner. MSMEs will not be start even if there is some relaxation. How can workers be paid when there is no money? (sic) Also Read: PM Modi says would consider relaxations from April 20 in areas with no cases TV Mohandas Pai was also unimpressed. He told CNBC-TV18: The poor are the first priority for India; lack of liquidity for MSMEs is the other big issue. Liquidity needs to last till business comes back or 25 percent of the MSMEs will have to wind up operations if no financial assistance. He added that one lakh crore of refunds were due to the people and the government needed to give the money back to people. Layoffs will create a human catastrophe. The government must open up infrastructure; strengthen roads, ports at this time. The government is exploiting the situation; holding on to people money and paying 6 percent interest while industry has to pay 10-12 percent, Pai said. Speaking about the PMs request to not lay off people, Pai said that eight crore people are on the payroll of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and PFI. The PM may have appealed to not lay off people, but where is the cash? Companies need money if they are to heed the PM and not lay-off people. The United States is providing companies with money to keep people on the payroll. We cannot expect a person to live on Rs 500-2,000 a month and some rations and a gas stove, he noted. The 19-day extension till May 3 brings the total period of lockdown to 40 days. Interestingly, the term quarantine literally means for 40 days/40 days period in Italian as was the isolation period employed in Italy during the outbreak of the bubonic plague. Quarantine literally means 40 days isolation. Sachin Bansal (@_sachinbansal) April 14, 2020 Noting this Sachin Bansal tweeted: "Quarantine literally means 40 days isolation." (sic) Notably, the May 3 date has been given keeping in mind the public holidays of May 1 (workers day), May 2 (Saturday) and May 3 (Sunday). Also Read: Coronavirus state-wise tally April 14 Besides corporate India, former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram also reacted to the lockdown extension with: We understand the compulsions for a lockdown, but beyond that what? He further said that he understood and supported the decision of the lockdown, adding: Number one priority should be to put cash in the hands of the poor. Number two priority must be to revive the economy. Disappointed with the PMs address is that there was not a word about how the poor are supposed to survive or about the economy. A French senator wants to allow Taiwan to join the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). He says the Chinese regimes influence over the agency facilitated the global outbreak. With only 6 dead and under 400 infected, Taiwan and its 23 million people remain relatively safe from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. The island put in place protective measureswithout extending measures to confinement or a lockdownback in December. French Senator Andre Gattolin says Taiwans example should be followed. On Dec. 31 last year, Taiwan echoed Chinas whistleblower doctors and warned the WHO that there was human-to-human transmission of the virus, despite the Chinese regime saying otherwise. But the WHO chose not to listen to Taiwan, Gattolin said. [The] WHO didnt take in consideration the threat of human-to-human transmission, so many governments lost precious time, he said. Despite the agency having no mandatory-enforcement power over countries, many governments abide by its policies. As the virus began to spread from China, the WHO took until Jan. 27 to issue a warning that the CCP virus presented a high risk at the global level. In several public hearings, the agency often praised the CCP for what it characterized were so-called timely responses to the health crisis. But Gattolin, who is close to French President Emmanuel Macron, said the WHOs policies should be called into question. It seems to me that WHO is under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party. We know that China is a major player in WHO due to the money they invested, he said. Taiwan was excluded from the WHO in 2016, the same time a new president who opposed the communist regime was elected. We need to address the WHOs governance issues. And we need an independent investigation to understand how the virus came out of China, Gattolin said. Gattolin hopes the WHO will examine Taiwans call for membership at the next World Health Assembly which is scheduled to take place on May 17 to 21. He is also coordinating a Europe-wide effort from parliamentarians to urge the WHO to adopt Taiwan as the best model for containing the CCP virus. Former President John Mahama, in a Facebook live broadcast, has urged the government of Ghana to diligently use the $1 billion recently approved for the country by the International Monetary Fund. The Executive Board of the Fund, on Monday, April 13, 2020, approved the disbursement of SDR 738 million (about US$1 billion) to be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) by the government of Ghana. It will help address the urgent fiscal and balance of payments needs that Ghana is facing, improve confidence, and catalyse support from other development partners. The COVID-19 pandemic is already impacting Ghana severely, the IMF said in a statement, explaining: Growth is slowing down, financial conditions have tightened, and the exchange rate is under pressure. This has resulted in large government and external financing needs. The authorities have timely and proactively responded to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana and support affected households and firms. The IMF said it continues to monitor Ghanas situation closely and stands ready to provide policy advice and further support as needed. Following the Executive Boards discussion of Ghana, Mrs Zhang, Deputy Managing Director and Chair, said: The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Ghana severely. Growth is projected to slow down, financial conditions have tightened, and the exchange rate is under pressure. The budget deficit is projected to widen this year given expected lower government revenues and higher spending needs related to the pandemic. The Funds emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Credit Facility will help address the countrys urgent financing needs, improve confidence, and catalyse support from other international partners. The authorities response has been timely, targeted, and proactive, focused on increasing health and social spending to support affected households and firms. The central bank has recently taken steps to ensure adequate liquidity, preserve financial stability, and mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, while allowing for exchange rate flexibility to preserve external buffers. The uncertain dynamics of the pandemic creates significant risks to the macroeconomic outlook. Ghana continues to be classified at high risk of debt distress. The authorities remain committed to policies consistent with strong growth, rapid poverty reduction, and macroeconomic stability over the medium-term. Additional support from other development partners will be required and critical to close the remaining external financing gap and ease budget constraints. Commenting on the money at a ceremony where he distributed food to some twenty thousand households in the locked-down areas, the flag bearer of the NDC said: The fast-track approval by the IMF of the highly concessional Rapid Credit Facility is, therefore, timely and very welcome. This will help cushion the economy from the dangers of recession. Our economy has revealed from this COVID-19 stress test that it is still fragile and we need to be prudent in how we manage going forward. We must also be diligent in how we apply the $1 billion facility as the various tranches are released. Ghana has, so far, recorded eight deaths out of the six hundred and thirty-six confirmed cases with seventeen full recoveries. 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 14.04.2020 LISTEN The governing New Patriotic Party's National Executive Council (NEC) is expected to meet today Tuesday, April 14 to decide on the way forward with the party's presidential and parliamentary primaries. The NPP had planned to hold parliamentary primaries in areas where it has sitting Members of Parliament on April 25, 2020. The presidential primary was also scheduled to take place on the same day. But following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus which is fast spreading in Ghana and all over the globe, all public gatherings have been banned in the country by President Nana Akufo-Addo as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Due to this, the decision to hold the partys primaries in a few weekss time is shaky. The NPP has 169 sitting Members of Parliament out of the total 275 seats in parliament. The party has already held primaries for orphan constituencies; areas that did not have sitting Members of Parliament. Nomination fee for the parliamentary primaries was pegged at GH20,000 and an additional GH200,000 for filing of forms. The leadership of the party also charged all aspiring parliamentary candidates other than the sitting Members of Parliament a Party Development Fee of GH30,000. Nominations were opened on January 20, 2020 and closed on Thursday, February 20. President Akufo-Addo also filed his nomination forms to contest in the NPPs presidential elections. He is expected to contest unopposed as he was the only one to have picked forms and submitted same as at Thursday, February 20, the deadline for filing of nominations. Difficulty in picking forms During the period for nominations, some aspirants faced difficulty in picking up forms. Even barely two days to the closure of nominations for the primaries, some aspirants still faced challenges in getting access to the forms. Some complained that efforts to pick up nomination forms at the constituency and regional levels had been futile. In the Ashanti Region for instance, information circulating showed that regional executives of the NPP were deliberately hoarding nomination forms to protect sitting MPs in the region, a situation the Regional Executives denied. The Suame constituency was one of the few in the region who faced this problem. This even led to the protest by the Suame Home Support Movement against executives of the party in the constituency. But the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu urged parliamentary aspirants who were struggling to pick nomination forms at the constituency level to do so at the national level. Mr. Boadu on the Citi Breakfast Show acknowledged that there had been a few hitches with the picking of nomination forms in a few regions but was quick to add that the affected aspirants could resort to the national headquarters to pick their forms. We have stated that anybody who is desirous of contesting on our ticket, who goes to the constituency and he is denied of having access to the forms should appeal to the region. If he is unable to get the forms at the region, he should appeal to the national [leadership] to have it. Date for primaries won't affect us in general elections NPP The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) had earlier downplayed suggestions that the timing and organization of its parliamentary primaries in April 2020 may negatively affect its fortunes in the general elections. This was on the back of a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) predicting an NPP victory in election 2020 but warned that the party's decision to organize outstanding parliamentary primaries in its strongholds in April will allow it less time than the NDC to calm the ructions often associated with such internal contests. But the party's Director of Communication, Yaw Buaben Asamoa explained that a lot of planning and considerations were done before settling on the April date. ---citinewsroom Pornpak Khunatorn/iStock(NEW YORK) -- When Dr. Beth Oller sees the newborns in her care, theyre usually cooing and crying in her office. But in a pandemic, it might be safer for her to go to them. Oller does not quite fit the image of a black bag-toting doctor making house calls, but as the COVID-19 pandemic puts an unprecedented strain on the healthcare system across the country, some physicians are adapting to new ways to protect their patients and themselves. Oller and her husband, Dr. Michael Oller, both Stockton, Kansas-based family physicians, told ABC News they've both expanded their home visits and amid the outbreak. I can wear a gown and gloves and a mask and take my own stethoscope and my newborn baby scale and have all my equipment with me and expose them to much less risk than I would bringing the newborn into my office, Beth told ABC News. Dr. Michael Oller said he has done three home visits in the last two weeks compared to just one per month before the outbreak. "The patients that we routinely do home visits for frequently do have chronic diseases or are elderly and they are more vulnerable to COVID than our average patient would be," Michael said. "By doing a home visit, the patient doesn't have to expose themselves to door knobs and table tops at at hospital. It keeps them in their environment." The pandemic has put both a practical and a financial strain on independent medical practitioners, many of whom are simultaneously scrambling to adjust to new ways of seeing patients while struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Dr. Richard Harris, a Chicago-based urologist and president of independent physician trade association, LUGPA, said independent practices are down by roughly 50 to 70 percent across the board, and many have already had to take extreme measures of laying off many of their staff members. "These are exceptionally trying times," Harris said. "The COVID-crisis is devastating for all, but especially devastating to those of us in the healthcare business, especially independent practitioners." Dr. Mark Martindale, a pediatrician who has been leading a family-run practice based in Benton, Arizona, said his facilities went through a complete overhaul of their operations, expanding their telemedicine capabilities and even setting up a multi-stop, drive-thru care system in the parking lot. "We approach a car with the patient in it like a police officer would approach someone they arrest," Martindale said. "Normally, we want them comfortable right away. We want them at ease. Now, my first line is a wall to make sure you're safe first and then we'll deal with the patient." Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, a Philadelphia-based skin cancer specialist who is also an ABC News medical contributor, said he performed a biopsy in a patient's car in the parking lot of his office because the patient's autoimmune condition increased her risk if exposed to the virus. "She was very appreciative of the consideration and care and of course most medical procedures can't be performed in a car, Abdelmalek said, but a skin biopsy in this case in a non-sensitive area and in an area that was not at high-risk for bleeding made sense balancing the risks and benefits. Dr. Thomas Cornwell, on the other hand, a Chicago-based family physician and founder of Northwestern Medicine HomeCare Physicians, normally does about 40 house calls a month, but he told ABC News that hes cutting back amid the outbreak and expanding his use of telemedicine. "These are not healthy 80- to 85-year-olds. These are the highest of highest risk patients for COVID," Cornwell said. "And to me it would be devastating if you expose them to COVID and so were doing whatever we can to avoid that." Other doctors are playing their part to fill in the gaps for bigger hospitals as they struggle with COVID-19 response. Dr. Anthony Buglino, for example, a prominent plastic surgeon on Long Island, said he has been tending to other kinds of patients in the office in an effort to keep them from an overwhelmed emergency room. "Parents arent used to having their kids 24/7," Buglino said. "Its unstructured. The kids are running around and getting hurt. I see more lacerations during holidays. This is like an extended holiday." Dr. Joseph Valenti, an independent OB/GYN based in north Texas and a board member of the Physicians Foundation, has been seeing chronic pain patients who are awaiting surgery amid the moratorium on elective procedures. But hes still struggling to make ends meet. Federal relief programs are expected to help independent practitioners stay afloat, but the closure small independent practices, Valenti warned, could put even more strain on the healthcare system. "If we have to close practices and we can't see patients either in the office or by a telehealth visit, Valenti said, those patients will go to already overburdened emergency rooms for care. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed 1,146 new coronavirus cases today, raising the statewide total to 25,345. At least 584 have died due to the virus, including 60 new fatalities reported today. The health department released new numbers today. Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has said the growth of the virus has slowed in recent days. The number of new cases today is well below the one-day high of nearly 2,000 last week. And the number of new cases is down from the number reported Monday (1,366). At least 42 people have died due to the virus in the Harrisburg area, including four new deaths reported today by the health department. Two of the newly reported deaths are in Lancaster County; the others are in Cumberland and Dauphin counties. There are 108,286 patients who have tested negative, the health department said. Cases have been found in all of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. Health officials have said they are particularly concerned about the high number of infected patients in the Philadelphia area, the Lehigh Valley and northeastern Pennsylvania. The city of Philadelphia leads the state with 7,121 cases and 131 deaths. Neighboring Montgomery County is second with 2,354 cases and 76 deaths. Lehigh County has 1,803 cases and 23 patients have died. In northeastern Pennsylvania, Luzerne County has 1,523 cases and 26 deaths. In central Pennsylvania, Lancaster County leads the midstate with 865 cases and 26 deaths. York County has 371 cases and 3 deaths. Heres a look at the cases in the other counties in the midstate: Lebanon (328 cases and 2 deaths); Dauphin (249 cases and 5 deaths); Cumberland (124 cases and 4 deaths); Franklin (69 cases); Adams (63 cases and 1 death); and Perry (17 cases and 1 death). Battle over businesses Even as the rate of new cases has slowed, Levine has said its critical for social distancing measures to continue. The state remains under a stay-at-home order until April 30 to curb the spread of the virus. Gov. Tom Wolf has directed all Pennsylvanians to stay home, except for essential trips. Theres growing debate about when businesses can reopen in Pennsylvania. Republican lawmakers are pushing measures that would allow more businesses to open their doors. More than 1.1 million people have filed unemployment claims. Lawmakers and trade groups said the governor has closed some businesses providing critical services. Some businesses also contend they can operate and still protect their employees and consumers. Levine has said a wide-scale reopening of businesses could cost lives. To do any kind of a mass opening now would be a very big mistake, Levine said. Wolf is teaming with the governors of other northeastern states to develop strategies for reopening businesses and resuming some kind of normalcy. The governor said Monday night restrictions could be eased when the state sees a sustained decline in new cases and better and wider testing. We need to recognize the fact that we will get through this, and therein lies our hope, Wolf said. Hospitalizations Across Pennsylvania, 2,306 patients with the coronavirus are being treated in hospitals, according to the health department. That represents about 9 percent of those who have been diagnosed with the virus. Most of the patients who have been hospitalized are 65 and older. However, about half of all patients who have contracted the virus are under the age of 50. Health care experts urge people of all ages to take the coronavirus seriously. The state health department does not release figures on how many have recovered from the virus. Most people recover without requiring hospital care and hospitals that are treating patients dont inform the state when patients are discharged, the health department has said. Some systems, including Penn State Health, have begun releasing data on those who have recovered. More from PennLive Gaps in Pa.s coronavirus testing procedures led to failure to collect critical data Real estate shutdown in Pa. wreaks havoc: Some face two mortgages, others have no home Giant, Walmart, more: Which businesses are limiting the number of customers in their stores and offices? Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 are beginning to help others who are severely ill from the disease. The recovered patients are donating their blood plasma, which contains antibodies that bring at least short-term immunity to the coronavirus, and the recipients are patients who are suffering most. Yale New Haven Hospital is participating in a nationwide clinical trial overseen by the Mayo Clinic, which was designated the lead investigative institution by the federal government. Stamford Hospital, on the other hand, is doing a trial based on its own protocol, according to Suzanne Rose, director of Stamford Healths Office of Research. So far, weve treated two patients, Rose said Monday. They were treated Friday. Really the delay has been in finding donors. We hope to treat six to eight more patients this week, she said. As more patients recover from COVID-19, the number of donors will increase and so will the number of patients who can be treated. We are cautiously optimistic, Rose said. Both patients are still on ventilators, but their ventilator status has improved. She said there have been some pretty dramatic changes in the patients conditions. Theyre starting to do a little bit of the breathing initiation, she said. Stamford is recruiting its own donors, whom it sends to a New York state blood bank to donate plasma the liquid part of the blood, without the blood cells and platelets, Rose said. The nearest site is in Elmsford, N.Y. The donors that we send, we get all of that plasma back, she said. We find all of our donors. We have so many people who are interested in donating. Yale New Haven Health is joining Stamford Health and Nuvance Health in Danbury and Norwalk, which is collecting the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients for a similar study later this month. Vincent Petrini, a spokesman for Yale New Haven Health, said Tuesday seven patients have been enrolled at the systems participating hospitals. Nationwide, there were 855 sites nationwide enrolled as of Monday in the expanded access program, and 64 patients who had received the plasma transfusion, according to the central website. Patients must be enrolled by their doctor to be eligible for the program and meet the criteria: They must be at least 18 years old, hospitalized and suffer from severe or life-threatening COVID-19, according to the website. The patients or their families also must give informed consent. Using plasma to treat disease is not new. The idea has been around for about 100 years, Rose said. But as drugs were developed to cure diseases, the treatment became less common. Neither Yale New Haven nor Stamford hospital is collecting plasma. The blood suppliers here at Yale are the American Red Cross, the Rhode Island Blood Center or the New York Blood Center, said Dr. Jeanne Hendrickson, a professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. Stamford has been using the New York center because, Rose said, the Red Cross is still gearing up to take plasma donors. We wanted to get up and running as quickly as we could, she said. Its unknown how long the immunity will last, Rose said. We hope that short-term immunization lasts long enoughto let the body catch up and overcome this illness, she said. If it confers help further out, we really dont know. Its been used before but right now the information out there is five patients here and five patients there. COVID-19 provides an opportunity to study plasmas value in fighting disease, she said. Hendrickson said two medical journals, PNAS and JAMA, have published articles based on Chinese research, but were based on 10 and five patients. Neither of these were randomized studies but the patients had a decreased viral load over time, she said. As more patients recover from the illness, they will become eligible to donate their antibody-rich blood plasma. Its really going to pick up and Im entirely hopeful that by the end of April, we will have treated everyone that needs it, Rose said. What were trying to do is treat our patients who are on ventilators and give them a fighting chance. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 Editors note: This story has been edited to clarify that Stamford Health is not involved in the Mayo Clinics nationwide clinical trial. Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Bern, 14.04.2020 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has filed an indictment against an Iraqi citizen in the Federal Criminal Court. He is accused of being a member of and carrying out various activities for the Islamic State terrorist organisation (IS) while operating from Switzerland. The suspect held a position of authority in relation to other IS members, some also in high-ranking positions. The OAG alleges that the suspect violated the Federal Act on the Proscription of the Groups Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and Associated Organisations (SR 122). He is also accused of participation in IS as a criminal organisation (Art. 260ter no 1 Swiss Criminal Code (SCC)), commercial fraud (Art. 146 para. 1 and 2 SCC) and multiple counts of producing and storing representations of acts of violence (Art. 135 para. 1 SCC). The OAG opened criminal proceedings in the case in November 2016. The suspect was arrested in May 2017 and has since been in pre-trial detention. On filing the indictment, the OAG requested the competent compulsory measures court to order the suspect to be held in preventive detention. Membership of the proscribed terrorist organisation IS The OAG alleges that the suspect, from around 2014, but at the latest from mid-2016 and until his arrest in May 2017, was a member of terrorist organisation IS, operating from Switzerland. Investigations in this connection uncovered an extensive transnational network involving the suspect and over 20 other IS members in Switzerland, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Finland and in another location as yet unidentified. The suspect held a position of authority in relation to other IS members, some also high-ranking, and functioned as a recruiter, trafficker, cash-provider and as the recipient of instructions from leading IS members. The suspect is alleged to have carried out numerous activities for IS. He is accused of attempting in April 2017 to incite an IS member living in Lebanon to carry out a suicide attack in Lebanon on behalf of IS. The attack was prevented in time. The suspect is also alleged to have agreed to carry out orders from a high-ranking IS member to prepare for attacks in Switzerland. In addition, according to the indictment, he provided IS with financial support, recruited several persons for the IS and assisted them in travelling to join IS and instructed an IS member living in Syria to set up IS sleeper cells. The investigations did not reveal any indication that an actual attack was imminent in Switzerland. The persons named in the indictment as having been recruited for or sent to IS by the suspect did not include anyone resident in Switzerland or any Swiss citizens. Commercial fraud According to the indictment, in the period from February 2017 until his arrest in May 2017, the suspect provided false information with regard to his financial circumstances to the social services department in his commune in the canton of Thurgau on more than a dozen occasions when requested and thus obtained social assistance benefits to which he was not entitled. Multiple counts of producing and storing representations of acts of violence The OAG also alleges that in the period from 2016 until his arrest in May 2017, the suspect downloaded numerous representations of acts of violence from the internet to his data carriers and stored them there for his own consumption and in order to pass them on to others. Most cases involved propaganda material showing various forms of brutal executions. The complex investigations in this case were carried out under the OAGs leadership by a joint investigation team involving fedpol and the Zurich Cantonal Police. In addition, the OAG worked through international mutual assistance channels with several other countries. The OAG would like to thank fedpol, the Zurich Cantonal Police and its other national and international partners for their excellent cooperation in this case, which has now made it possible to bring the matter to court. As is customary, the OAG will make its proposals for the disposal of the case at the main hearing before the Federal Criminal Court. With the filing of the indictment, the Federal Criminal Court becomes responsible for procedural matters and media communications. This also applies with regard to the suspects detention. The presumption of innocence applies until a legally binding conviction has been secured. Address for enquiries Communication Service of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, T +41 58 464 32 40, info@ba.admin.ch Publisher Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ba.admin.ch/ New Delhi, April 14 : In Lockdown 2.0 beginning Wednesday, Ministers as well as states will now combat the COVID-19 crisis by marking the areas as Red, Orange and Green zones. These zones will be declared as per the number of coronavirus-affected persons. Sources indicated that a consolidated report submitted to the Prime Minister's Office from the Home Ministry on Monday, based on assessments, had mentioned the implementation of earlier guidelines as well as a zone-specific plan to fight the pandemic. The government would start a mammoth exercise from next Monday (April 20) to categorise the country in zones. A new set of exemptions in services and essential items is expected to be released as per the reports prepared by the Joint Secretary and above officials from different ministries following the countrywide exercise. In this exercise, the Aarogya Setu App would play a major role, an official told IANS, adding it would help in categorising area-specific COVID-19 cases. Here's an explainer on the zones: Red: Areas with substantial numbers of positive cases would fall under this zone where there will be complete restriction. The government will try to provide door-to-door facilities in these areas. Orange: The areas with a limited number of cases in the past and with no surge in positive cases recently would be included under the orange zone. Only restricted activities such as limited public transport and farm product harvesting is expected to be allowed in the coronavirus orange zone. Green: The districts with no coronavirus positive cases would fall under the green zone. Exemptions may be given in these sectors as per the government's plan. Limited movement of people linked to essential services and business may be given extension. Opening of liquor shops and other essential items that play a major role in generating state revenue may get extension in this zone. Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in manufacturing of essential items like wheat four (atta), pulse (dal) and edible oils would be allowed to function freely in orange and green zones with strict maintenance of social distancing. Agricultural activities are also likely to be allowed in these zones. Warehouse, cold storage will be allowed to freely function with allowance for to and fro movement of trucks and without regard to the nature of the goods whether essential or otherwise. Warehouses of companies should also be allowed to operate. Movement of persons and vehicles, however, will have to follow the strict adherence to norms of hygienic and social distancing as it is required in the COVID-19 context. It is strictly mentioned that the state and field authorities will implement the guideline related to trucks with "letter and spirit". As per this "intra-state and inter-state movement of all trucks and other goods or carrier vehicles with one driver and one additional person is allowed as long as the driver is carrying a valid driver's licence. "This is irrespective of the nature of the cargo, whether essential or otherwise. No further permit or approval would be required." The guideline issued by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on April 12 clearly directs the states and Union Territories (UTs) that "empty trucks or good carriers should also be allowed to operate while on way to pick up goods or returning after completing a delivery. Hence, there is no cause to stop empty trucks provided they have valid documents such as driving license and road permit". The government's focus would be to ensure that railways, airports, seaports, and customs authorities issue passes to their staff and contractual labour. Similar steps would be taken by states and UTs so that they expedite issuing passes to workers engaged in manufacturing units. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted on rajnish.s@ians.in) LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline plc announced Tuesday the signing of a letter of intent to develop an adjuvanted vaccine for COVID-19. Sanofi will contribute its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on recombinant DNA technology. It has produced an exact genetic match to proteins found on the surface of the virus. According to the company, the DNA sequence encoding this antigen has been combined into the DNA of the baculovirus expression platform, the basis of Sanofi's licensed recombinant influenza product in the US. Further, GSK will contribute its proven pandemic adjuvant technology. The use of an adjuvant may reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced. The companies plan to initiate phase I clinical trials in the second half of 2020. If successful, they aim to complete the development required for availability by the second half of 2021 subject to regulatory considerations. Sanofi is already in collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority or BARDA, which funds the development of the recombinant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate. BARDA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The companies plan to discuss funding support with other governments and global institutions prioritising global access. In late March, Sanofi announced that its vaccines global business unit Sanofi Pasteur and Translate Bio, a clinical-stage messenger RNA or mRNA therapeutics company, plan to collaborate to develop a novel mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de New Delhi, April 14 : The Bar Council of Delhi on Tuesday said that court should be made functional with restrictive entry in order to curtail the difficulties being faced by the litigants. Speaking to IANS, BCD Chairman K.C. Mittal said, "Some courts shall be made functional with restrictive entry so that more work can take place inside the court." Mittal also said that the litigants are being affected largely because of the current status of functioning of the courts. "Lawyers are not able to move courts for bail. There are so many matters where urgent hearing is required but all that is not happening," he said. "Initially the HC started a system to hear matters through video conferencing but it wasn't really effective as many lawyers are not tech savy, but we know that the HC is considering the same and something would be done," the BCD Chairman told IANS. The BCD is also taking unanimous decision on how financial help can be provided to the lawyers since the lockdown has affected their working. - Lani Mercado celebrated her 52nd birthday on April 13 and her husband, Sen. Bong Revilla took the time to prepare something nice for her - He got some flowers and surprised Lani who was working at a table in their home - She was elated and apologized for calling the pandemic "COVID-14" - Lani asked "sorry" from those who got angry because of her statement PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Lani Mercado went viral recently when she called the pandemic as "COVID-14" instead of "COVID-19." On her birthday, when Sen. Bong Revilla recorded a video on FB to document the surprise that he had for her amid quarantine, the Bacoor Mayor grabbed the chance to apologize. She said "sorry" for saying COVID-14. She apologized to those who got angry at her. The mayor was doing this while holding the bouquet of sunflowers close to her heart. After Lani was able to express her thoughts, Sen. Revilla went on taking a video of himself, talking to Filipinos, while walking around their home. He said that sometimes he doesn't know what to do anymore for his countrymen. "Pero ang importante ay gawin mo kung ano ang dapat para sa kanila," said the Senator. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In a previous report by KAMI, the Bacoor Mayor called the pandemic as "COVID-14." Because of this, her video went viral, garnering a lot of views and reactions. 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. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Are you also wondering how you can render help to frontliners? One Filipino, Pio, was able to find ways to help them out. You will see his unique and effective means in the video we created especially for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh [April 14, 2020] Cloud ERP Provides a Path to Recovery in the Aftermath of COVID-19, According to ERP Advisors Group DENVER, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, April 9, 2020, ERP Advisors Group hosted a conference call to examine how cloud ERP solutions could help businesses and non-profit organizations recover in the aftermath of COVID-19. A video of the entire call is available at erpadvisorsgroup.com. Shawn Windle, the Founder and Managing Principal of ERP Advisors Group, took the lead in examining the options that are currently available to small and midsized businesses and organizations. "When COVID-19 hit, the first impacts we saw were that organizations were figuring out how to keep employees safe while keeping the doors open the virtual doors, so to speak," said Windle. "Cloud ERP answers the question of how an organization can keep people in a position where they're able to be productive, but more importantly, healthy, without resorting to downsizing." Watch the full video here: https://erpadvisorsgroup.com/post/special-report-on-cloud-erp-in-the-aftermath-of-covid-19 Windle cautioned that it is important to consider the big picture with enterprise software, without limiting it to "letting people work from home." "Those problems have mostly been solved," he said. "There aren't a lot of organizations now that are worried about WFH. Cloud ERP extends the business beyond te four walls of brick and mortar. We are seeing organizations recognize that moving to a cloud solution is something that they're going to have to do, no matter what. And not just if something like this happens in the future because cloud ERP helps reduce the risks that your business or organization faces on a daily basis. One of our clients even said that their migration to a cloud ERP was a godsend that he saved his business by moving to the cloud." For organizations that are unable to upgrade in the immediate future, Windle says that now is the time for them to get their houses in order. "Software is a virtual representation of your organization," he said. "And if that virtual representation is a mess, it's not going to run very well. So that is one opportunity you have right now, is to clean your data and absolutely scrub it. If you're looking at an enterprise software solution in the future, your biggest risk is that your data is a nightmare." To watch the entire interview with Shawn Windle, visit https://erpadvisorsgroup.com/post/special-report-on-cloud-erp-in-the-aftermath-of-covid-19 ERP Advisors Group is one of the world's most trusted enterprise software advisory firms. Helping hundreds of organizations find the right solutions to meet their unique needs, ERP Advisors Group is technology independent, with a proven track record of successful software selections that lead to successful go-lives. Media Contact: Shaun Orthmann 720-542-7801 [email protected] Related Images erp-advisors-group-shawn-windle.jpg ERP Advisors Group - Shawn Windle - Juliette Welch Screenshot of Conference Call on Cloud ERP in the Aftermath of COVID-19 Related Links ERP News Full Interview View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cloud-erp-provides-a-path-to-recovery-in-the-aftermath-of-covid-19-according-to-erp-advisors-group-301040540.html SOURCE ERP Advisors Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Riverside County medical personnel help one another with personal protective equipment at a drive-though coronavirus testing facility in March. A new site opened Tuesday in the county. (Gina Ferazzi / Los AngelesTimes) Nine more people died Monday in Riverside County of complications from the coronavirus, the largest number of deaths reported in a single day in the county since the pandemic began, health officials said. An additional 132 people tested positive for COVID-19, a day after the county recorded the biggest jump in its number of confirmed cases. The new deaths bring the county's toll to 50. Two of the victims were from Palm Desert, two from Riverside, two from Moreno Valley and one each from Cherry Valley, Wildomar and Hemet, according to Brooke Federico, the countys public information officer. Riverside County has 1,751 people who have tested positive for the illness, including 297 who have recovered. The county now has the third-largest number of COVID-19 cases in the state , behind San Diego (1,847) and Los Angeles (9,480), records show. Last week, Riverside County ranked fourth. More than 18,000 people have been tested at three county facilities, officials said. That figure does not include tests conducted by private physicians or labs. In an effort to boost the number of those being tested, health officials opened a fourth drive-through testing site Tuesday at the Perris Fairgrounds. The facility will be open 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Like other testing locations, an appointment is required. To schedule one, call (800) 945-6171. As this pandemic progresses, knowledge is power. The more testing and data we have, the quicker we can get control of this virus and get back to business, said Jeff Hewitt, the supervisor of the county's fifth district. This gives us a crucial mid-county location, and I am very happy to see it open up. Also beginning Tuesday, four specialized teams will begin visiting licensed care facilities, including nursing homes, throughout the county. The teams consist of members from the American Medical Response and other healthcare partners who could be involved in patient care, officials said. Story continues The teams will ensure that medical workers have the equipment and resources they need to do their job safely. Officials said they want to prevent situations like the one that occurred at the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center last week, where several employees stopped showing up for work and the facility had be to be evacuated. There has been so much incorrect information that has spread that many employees in these facilities are scared to show up for work, said Kim Saruwatari, the county's director of public health. By providing these employees with accurate information about how COVID-19 is and is not spread, they will be confident when they report to work. The teams will target specific regions in the county and work with staff at each facility to "demonstrate proper safety techniques, provide proper safety gear and educate them about COVID-19 to dispel rumors and correct erroneous information," officials said. Nearly 2,000 people have volunteered with the county's COVID-19 response, with about half assisting with medical duties. Opportunities vary, with some paid openings available, officials said. For more information on volunteer opportunities, visit the county's website or call (951) 955-9227. THOMASVILLE, Ga., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO), producer of Nature's Own, Wonder, Tastykake, Dave's Killer Bread, and other bakery foods, today announced that it has temporarily stopped production at its bakery in Tucker, Georgia to safeguard the wellness of its 255 team members. The bakery, which produces primarily frozen, non-retail specialty and foodservice bread and bun items, is expected to resume production on or around April 27, 2020. The company made the decision, out of an abundance of caution, following an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the bakery as well as self-quarantining over the past few days. This increase occurred despite precautionary measures already in place, including wellness and recently-implemented temperature screenings for everyone entering the facility, enhanced daily sanitation and cleaning of commonly used areas and frequently touched surfaces, and required self-quarantining for those having close contact with a confirmed case or otherwise exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. The bakery is located in DeKalb County, which currently has the third-most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The action does not reflect on the quality or safety of the products baked at the facility. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with COVID-19 transmission. Flowers will pay furloughed production employees and ask those employees to shelter-in-place until the bakery resumes production. The bakery will maintain a small crew for sanitation and operation of a cross dock. Those team members will continue to be required to pass wellness and temperature screenings and wear personal protective equipment at all times. The bakery also will maintain its enhanced sanitation schedule. The company anticipates the closure will have only a limited impact on its ability to service the market as other bakeries in Flowers' network are expected to to offset most of the lost production in the near term. About Flowers Foods Headquartered in Thomasville, Ga., Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States with 2019 sales of $4.1 billion. Flowers operates bakeries across the country that produce a wide range of bakery products. Among the company's top brands are Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread, Wonder, and Tastykake. Learn more at www.flowersfoods.com. FLO-CORP Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to current expectations regarding our future financial condition, performance and results of operations and the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our business, profitability or results of operations and are often identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," "is likely to," "is expected to" or "will continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those projected. Other factors that may cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements contained in this release and that may affect the company's prospects in general include, but are not limited to, (a) the effects of global, political, market, health and other conditions, including the impact of COVID-19 and measures or voluntary actions, including social distancing, shelter-in-place, shutdowns of nonessential or other businesses, such as any of our production or warehouse facilities, and similar measures imposed by governmental or regulatory authorities or undertaken by us in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19; (b) general economic and business conditions and the competitive conditions in the baked foods industry, including promotional and price competition, (c) changes in consumer demand for our products, including changes in consumer behavior, trends and preferences, including health and whole grain trends, and the movement toward more inexpensive store-branded products, (d) the success of productivity improvements and new product introductions, (e) a significant reduction in business with any of our major customers including a reduction from adverse developments in any of our customer's business, (f) fluctuations in commodity pricing, (g) energy and raw material costs and availability and hedging and counterparty risk, (h) our ability to fully integrate recent acquisitions into our business, (i) our ability to achieve cash flow from capital expenditures and acquisitions and the availability of new acquisitions that build shareholder value, (j) our ability to successfully implement our business strategies, including those strategies the company has initiated under Project Centennial, which may involve, among other things, the integration of recent acquisitions or the acquisition or disposition of assets at presently targeted values, the deployment of new systems and technology and an enhanced organizational structure, (k) consolidation within the baking industry and related industries, (l) disruptions in our direct-store delivery system, including litigation or an adverse ruling from a court or regulatory or government body that could affect the independent contractor classification of our independent distributors, (m) increasing legal complexity and legal proceedings that we are or may become subject to, (n) product recalls or safety concerns related to our products, and (o) the failure of our information technology systems to perform adequately, including any interruptions, intrusions or security breaches of such systems. The foregoing list of important factors does not include all such factors, nor necessarily present them in order of importance. In addition, you should consult other public disclosures made by the company, including the risk factors included in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and disclosures made in other filings with the SEC and company press releases, for other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected by the company. We caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as they speak only as of the date made and are inherently uncertain. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update such statements, except as required by law. SOURCE Flowers Foods, Inc. Related Links http://www.flowersfoods.com BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic has revived the acrimonious debate between euro zone countries about jointly issuing debt to meet healthcare needs and address the deep economic downturn that is set to follow. Nine of the 19 countries that use the single currency called on March 25 for a common debt instrument issued by a European institution to fight the outbreak and its effects. The idea of such debt, called "coronabonds", was rejected by Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Austria, fiscally "frugal" northern states wary of pooling liabilities with what they see as more spendthrift countries in southern Europe. The idea of joint debt issuance was previously raised by Italy, during the 2009 global financial crisis, and by France and Italy in 2012, at the peak of the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis, and dismissed by Berlin and its allies. But ideas are likely to evolve and deepen as the current crisis prompts more discussion. Outlined below are various options for mutualisation, from what exists now to the most ambitious proposals. EXISTING POSSIBILITY OF EURO ZONE JOINTLY ISSUED DEBT The euro zone jointly issues debt through its bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, which borrows on the market against the security of its paid-in and callable capital provided by euro zone governments. The fund, together with its predecessor EFSF, issued such debt to bail out Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain during the sovereign debt crisis. It can and probably will now offer standby credit lines, called ECCL, of up to 2% of a country's gross domestic product or 240 billion euros in total, to all euro zone countries. EXISTING POSSIBILITY OF EUROPEAN UNION JOINTLY ISSUED DEBT The European Commission issued debt through the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) to help fund the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal and give balance of payments help to Latvia, Hungary and Romania. Story continues EFSM debt is backed by all 27 European Union countries through the bloc's joint long-term budget. It can, and probably will, issue 100 billion euros of debt backed by 25 billion euros of guarantees from member states, to finance wage subsidies in all EU countries as part of a short-time work scheme modelled on the German "Kurzarbeit" plan. EXISTING EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK (EIB) BORROWING The EIB, the investment arm of the EU, is owned by EU governments and issues around 60 billion euros of debt every year to lend for various projects in the bloc. It has offered to provide an extra 40 billion euros in lending this year and can provide 200 billion euros more in loans if governments give it an additional 25 billion euros in guarantees. FRENCH PROPOSAL FOR A ONE-OFF RECOVERY FUND France proposed last week to create a fund for five to 10 years only, of as-yet undetermined size, to finance the recovery of Europe's economy from the recession the pandemic will cause. The fund would conduct a one-off borrowing programme in the name of all European countries, using funds raised to provide cheap credit to help all the bloc's economies rebuild after the shock of the new coronavirus and measures to stop its spread. The limited life-span of the fund is to persuade Germany and the Netherlands that it would not be a step towards permanent debt mutualisation. But officials say divisions are deep even over mutualising debt for a single purpose. EURO ZONE SAFE ASSET The European Commission proposed in 2017 what it called a European Safe Asset -- a class of bonds denominated in euros that could become a benchmark for European financial markets. Among the several options mooted was one that would not mutualise debt. Instead, a synthetic instrument would be created whereby a private bank would buy bonds of euro zone governments and issue its own bond, the safe asset, backed by that portfolio. The idea was shot down by Germany, which feared it would be the first step towards debt mutualisation. PARTIAL DEBT MUTUALISATION Several top think-tanks, including the German Council of Economic Experts, proposed during the sovereign debt crisis to partially mutualise euro zone government debt. One idea was for the euro zone to be jointly responsible for a country's debt up to 60% of GDP -- the EU limit on government borrowing -- with individual governments taking responsibility for whatever excess they have above that value. Another idea was for governments to pool debt above 60% of GDP into a European Redemption Fund for which all euro zone members would be liable. But each country would have to commit to a binding consolidation path, under which it would be obliged to repay the transferred debt over a period of 20 to 25 years. German Chancellor Angel Merkel said the idea would face constitutional problems and require changes of EU treaties. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Catherine Evans) Manila (CNN Philippines Life) As the enhanced community quarantine deployed men in uniform to guard our checkpoints, stories of women harassed and raped came along with it. There was rightful outrage. However, these stories are only deemed unfortunate, but not less than normal. These stories have been happening even before uniformed personnel took full control of our streets; stories that have too often been treated like words inside parentheses. With all of our attention captured by the universal resolve to beat this global pandemic no matter the cost, the issues of women tend to be further driven into oblivion. Elizabeth Angsioco, the national chair of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, said that for the country to truly beat the pandemic, initiatives and projects should be aware of the womans perspective, especially the disadvantaged: women in unequal relationships, the LGBT, the elderly, young mothers, solo mothers, indigenous women, and the unemployed, among others. However, she hasnt seen this to be the case. The interventions done by the local government have been blind to womens needs as we are lumped with all other beneficiaries, she said. Given this administration, this is unlikely to change. She emphasized that, as more programs are put in place, any national plan or civil society action should also be conscious of womens vulnerabilities prior to COVID-19. She cited a womans multiple roles in the family, the vulnerability to abuse and violence, and the various reproductive health concerns. Domestic violence, for instance, has been known to increase during the start of lockdowns and quarantine measures in different countries. For many women who live with abusive partners, the global battle cry stay at home becomes an imminent threat rather than a source of comfort. In the Philippines, there are no official reports on the state of domestic abuse cases during this time, but it is known that one in four women, between the ages of 15 to 49, have experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse from a husband or partner. The Commission on Human rights has already urged the government to protect vulnerable sectors against domestic abuse. In fact, during the start of the lockdown in Cavite, nonprofit organization Likhaan was made aware of a woman from the province who was seen sleeping outside of their house to get away from her abusive husband. The team has now been coordinating with the LGU to allow them to rescue this woman. Likhaan have also raised concerns about the lockdowns impact on their family planning program. Keep in mind that the organization caters to women mostly in urban poor communities, where one household often has more than three children. With the quarantine measures in strict order, there are fewer women who have been able to go to the clinic and consult about family planning approaches that may be needed, making it logical to deduce that unplanned pregnancies can spike while the lockdown is in place. There are many gaps in the COVID-19 response. Theres the discrimination against many older women who are homeless or have low income. How about those who are living alone? Groceries and pharmacies have been told to prioritize but not all do that. Taking this into consideration, Roots of Health, a nonprofit organization based in Palawan that seeks to help improve the health of women and girls, has spearheaded an initiative in Puerto Princesa, where their nurses went to different barangays to distribute contraceptive pills to women who need them. There have also been online initiatives like Lunas Collective, a volunteer-operated messenger helpline, where survivors of harassment and violence can report, and those who are in need of contraceptive products can seek support. Efforts such as these are crucial during a pandemic. If there is a surge in unplanned or teenage pregnancies, especially in urban and rural poor areas, these will all the more compromise womens health and finances, on top of the risk posed by a COVID-19 exposure. Besides pregnant women, the elderly are also often told to take extra precautions against COVID-19. According to the Coalition of Services for the Elderly (COSE), women comprise 55% of those aged 65 or over, and older women also form most of the informal sector, whose jobs and livelihoods were abruptly halted in a bid to contain the virus. There are many gaps in the COVID-19 response," said Rochelle Agualin, the community development officer of COSE. "Theres the discrimination against many older women who are homeless or have low income. How about those who are living alone? Groceries and pharmacies have been told to prioritize but not all do that. Two days after the enhanced quarantine, a 69-year-old female street dweller was arrested and brought to the Malate Police Station where she was detained. According to Manilas City Ordinance No. 8616, violators such as the elderly woman would need to pay a fine of 5,000 or face imprisonment. This kind of story is also exacerbated by the fact that over 900,000 indigent senior citizens received their pension late. Add to the delay of payments is the pensioners exclusion from the governments subsidy COVID-19 emergency program that aims to help 18 million low-income Filipinos. For the elderly, low-income women who have been dependent on the pension that is meant for them in the first place, COVID-19 puts them at an even more hapless position. Despite all these circumstances, women have still been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. The World Health Organization states that women make up 70% of the health and social workforce. Barangay health workers are also mostly made up of women who have, even before the pandemic, ensured that the health of their communities are checked, monitored, and kept strong. A study conducted by the Womens Legal and Human Rights Bureau (WLB), with respondents from Samar, Zambales, Negros, and Quezon, showed that majority of the women are indeed in the frontlines, as the barangays have tasked them to monitor the checkpoints as well as the arrival of OFWs in their areas. The WLB, however, states that, like many other health workers across the country, they have not been provided with proper personal protective equipment. All of these are blindspots that need to be continually recognized. Womens issues should not be put by the wayside to service more urgent or more important matters; they should be embedded in our response and in our actions. As the country trudges through the socioeconomic implications of this lockdown, the government, the private sector, civil society organizations, and the entire citizenry must take steps that err toward the side of social justice, while also acknowledging the persistent vulnerability and invisibility of women. As the countrys fight against COVID-19 continues, so does the womens fight to be seen. Three more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 27 in the state, an official said. Of the three fresh cases, two are from Ranchi's Hindpiri locality, which has become "a COVID-19 hotspot", while the other is from Simdega, the first case of the district, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) director Dr D K Singh said. Till date, the number of cases in Ranchi has gone up to 13, all from the Hindpiri locality. Bokaro district has reported nine positive cases, Hazaribagh two and one each has been reported from Simdega, Koderma, and Giridih districts. Two persons - one from Ranchi and another from Bokaro - have died of the disease in the state. Jharkhand had registered its first positive case on March 31, when a 22-year-old Malaysian woman tested positive for the virus. She was staying at the Hindpiri area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion Article 14 April 2020 What are the effects of the recent political turmoil in Latin America on the region's tourism demand? Relying on a simple microeconomics principle, the concept of externalities, this analysis helps to explain why there is so much unrest in South America and its impact on the tourism sector. Advertisements For those of you who may be feeling lost already, let's begin with a brief summary of recent events in Latin America from a specifically political viewpoint. In Bolivia, former president Evo Morales fled to Mexico last November after calls for his resignation just prior to a coup. Chile is facing widespread protest following an increase in public transport fees, which was simply an excuse for demonstrating against a long-felt repression. Mexico has a new government and a continuing drug trafficking problem - in 2019 there were over 28,000 murders and the authorities were forced to release drug-trafficker Ovidio Guzman, son of El Chapo. While the Brazilian Amazon is burning, protests are also on the rise against hardliner Jair Bolsonaro. In September 2019, the Peruvian President dissolved Parliament thereby starting a constitutional crisis. On 21st November 2019, Colombia started the so-called 'cacerolazo' (angry demonstrations that involve hitting a cazuela pot) due to reactions against the labor, tax, health, educational policies and the consolidation of the peace process. Meanwhile in Venezuela, Maduro's government is still in deep social crisis, resulting in the largest migration without precedent in the region, (more than 1,400,000 Venezuelan migrants arrived in Colombia alone in 2019, of which about 30% remain in irregular and poor conditions). Every day, thousands of Venezuelans are trying to reach the frontier with Colombia, which in turn is attempting to escape economic and institutional crises. It's easy to think of much of Latin America as being up in arms. It almost seems a joke, but as a matter of fact, it's not. To explain it, we should rely on the concept of negative 'externalities'. A negative externality occurs when a person is negatively affected by the behavior of someone else. Externalities carry not one but two problems. The first problem is clear: someone is suffering a cost (we can call it a direct cost). The second problem concerns the fact that the activity that generated this cost is over the optimal level (indirect cost). For example, consider a firm that pollutes and spreads a disease among the nearby population. The cost that the population sustains for treating itself it is a clear and visible cost (direct cost). However, because the firm does not account for the health costs generated by its action (which are paid by the population), it does not include them in its analysis. What follows is that the firm accounts for a lower cost than what it actually should be sustaining. Hence, it will produce more than it should (indirect cost). The economic concept of externalities can help us understand what is going on in Latin America in two ways. Firstly, it helps us see why social political unrest is so widespread and 'contagious' all over the continent. Secondly, it shows how tourism demand is affected in the short run. To understand the first outcome, consider a country that goes on strike. The protest does not simply impose a cost (or a benefit, depending on which side you are on) only on that country (direct cost/benefit), but also on nearby countries (indirect effect). To understand this, we need to recall Macchiavelli's The Prince: if a population obtains something by protesting, then other populations will see fit to rebel against their prince, as long as something can be obtained. This explains why less stable regions face waves of protests rather than just isolated cases. When a protest rises up in Latin America, there's the chance that it will spread over the whole South American continent. The externality concept highlights why Latin American hoteliers and tourism-related businesses should be extremely worried. While it is easy to see that a protest is bad for business (direct effect), the indirect effect (the externality) is less clear cut. If a Latin American country goes on strike, then it signals that there is turmoil in the whole region. In other words, a protest in Chile or in Colombia discourages tourism demand not only in Chile but all across South America. For the tourist considering Latin America as a possible destination, Latin America is an entire destination with few differences. While it is clear that Italy is not France, it is less clear to a tourist that Colombia is not Venezuela and vice versa. According to the UNWTO Barometer (2019), the Latin American and Caribbean region received 62.7 million visitors in the last year, despite its participation in the global context being quite low (4.5%) [1]. Although the region is diverse and fragmented, it has commonly acknowledged attractive features: huge cultural wealth, exuberance of its nature and recognized hospitality of its locals. On the downside, the security problems - whether real or perceived - significantly affect the tourist image of the region and detract from its enormous potential. Poor regional differentiation tarnishes the continent as a whole in the eyes of the travel market. Co-author of this article, Professor Manuel Leguizamon, recently pointed out in his report Colombia 2019 [2] that "in this context, the seizure scenario in which some countries of the continent have been immersed () may undermine the increasingly entrenched reputation of the territory as a national destination, it is difficult for a European, an Asian or an American to clearly differentiate between the context of Colombia or that of Bolivia or Ecuador or Chile, as the traveler takes the region into consideration. This affects the travel decision." There are two main reasons behind this lack of differentiation among Latin American countries. On one hand, regional tourism in many Latin American countries is a developing market: infrastructures are still missing, workers are not yet fully trained, destinations are still not completed or ready to host guests and schools are just beginning to invest more in hospitality education. On the other hand, tourist offices are lacking in clear communication, their marketing strategies are not fully defined and a targeted tourism market segment is missing. A lot more could also be done in terms of coordination among tourist offices in the region. The problem that South American countries have to address in order to avoid this type of negative externality, is to better define their differences. There is a need for more precise marketing and communication. Regional tourist offices should better target their customers, define a clear market niche and convey a more effective message. As things stand now, Europeans, Asians and North Americans consider South America one destination without making the proper distinctions. As for their marketing strategy, these countries must propose highly differentiated destinations and products to the tourism market. For now, Venezuelan arepas and Colombian arepas might as well be the same thing when in fact they are quite distinct! References: [1] UWTO, Barometro del Turismo Mundial. Noviembre, 2019 [2] Recovered from : http://online.anyflip.com/cyto/mobile Drivers in the Mesa area interested in a brand-new Toyota or automotive repairs and service during the COVID-19 outbreak will benefit from No Bull Express online sales and service at Earnhardt Toyota. The COVID-19 pandemic has made consumers and businesses put more focus on the online experience. Mesa-area drivers who need a more reliable vehicle to get to and from essential jobs, medical appointments or the grocery store can purchase a vehicle online at Earnhardt Toyota or get the necessary service and repairs at the Earnhardt Toyota Service Department with No Bull Express online services. To help keep Earnhardt Toyota customers safe, the dealership team is following health and hygiene recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health departments. Individuals who prefer to shop online can find their dream car online at Earnhardt Toyota with No Bull Express. The No Bull Express experience starts in the Earnhardt Toyota online inventory where potential owners can search by price, year, make, model, trim level and more. Drivers who find their dream car online can schedule an at-home test drive where the Earnhardt Toyota team brings the vehicle to the customers home. The Earnhardt Toyota sales team will help customers navigate the sales process online or via phone and when the process is complete, will deliver the vehicle to its new owners home with all of the necessary paperwork. The Earnhardt Toyota Service Department will cater to owners who need maintenance and repairs during the Coronavirus pandemic. To minimize person-to-person contact and any risk, the Earnhardt Toyota Service Department provides drivers with the chance to schedule curbside pick-up and drop-off services. Schedule a service appointment and the Earnhardt Toyota team will provide an online appraisal and pick it up at the customers home. When repairs are complete, the vehicle will be returned, cleaned, sanitized and disinfected. Mesa-area residents who would like to learn more about No Bull Express and the services provided by Earnhardt Toyota during the COVID-19 quarantine can visit the dealership online at http://www.earnhardttoyota.com or contact a member of the dealership team directly by calling 480-807-9700. Before they were asked to make cloth masks for Floridas prison guards to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, some inmates were told not to wear them. One was handcuffed for doing so. According to a disciplinary report provided to the Miami Herald, an inmate at Martin Correctional Institution in Martin County was cited March 27 after he returned to his dorm early one morning wearing a face mask. When questioned by a corrections officer, the 37-year-old inmate said he received the mask at his last institution. The man didnt take off the mask when the officer told him to, and said F--- that, take me to confinement. Confinement is an extra restrictive form of incarceration loathed by inmates, who call it being put in jail. He was then handcuffed and escorted to confinement pending his charge of disrespect to officials or staff. According to a disciplinary report provided to the Miami Herald, an inmate at Martin Correctional Institution in Martin County was cited after he returned to his dorm early one morning wearing a face mask. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Michelle Glady said in a statement that masks are currently provided to inmates when indicated in accordance with infectious disease protocols. She did not elaborate or respond to a request to comment specifically on the inmates citation. As of Monday evening, 35 inmates and 45 staff across Floridas prison system had tested positive for COVID-19. The Department of Corrections, which employs 24,000 people statewide and incarcerates around 95,000, has thus far ignored requests for information on how many inmates across the state prison system have been tested. Thirty-three of the sick inmates are at Blackwater River Correctional Facility near Pensacola, which is run by a private contractor. The Department of Corrections provides the inmates. Despite the ongoing pandemic, which also has infected six Blackwater staffers, inmates there were not allowed to cover their faces even with the front of their shirts, family members said. Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch is shown speaking with corrections officers during a prison visit in 2019. One mother of a 30-year-old at Blackwater said her son was eventually given a mask for the first time last Friday, days after cases at Blackwater soared from four to 30. Story continues A staffer at an unidentified Florida prison told the Miami Herald last week that supervisors at prisons run by the Florida Department of Corrections, which is the vast majority, have refused to let employees wear protective masks. An inmate at an unidentified South Florida work camp wrote in a text that inmates havent gotten masks, but some staff wear them. He wonders what will happen on the inmates weekly trip to a Palm Beach Walmart Thursday, where a mandatory mask rule has been put in place. I might just put on a bandanna to see what happens, he said. Rep. Dianne Hart, an inmate advocate and Tampa Democrat, said shes been asking the Department of Corrections for more protection for officers and inmates alike. Shes also asked for the state to provide hand sanitizer sheets to inmates, since gel disinfectant is considered contraband. She says everybody should be wearing masks at this point and that inmates are way too close to each other for them to be unprotected. Hart isnt satisfied with what shes heard in response. Theyre telling me they have it under control. Im not feeling that control, she said. The moment it peaks inside these prisons, well be in a world of trouble. Queensland's Health Minister Steven Miles has promised to provide more detailed information on locations of COVID-19 infections as some communities get nervous and spread rumours about infections. Redland City mayor Karen Williams on Monday asked Queensland Health for a greater breakdown of figures rather than simply providing a block COVID-19 infections figure for Brisbane's large Metro South and Metro North region. Cr Williams said she had recently written to Mr Miles about what she described as a "void in information". "What happens is that our communities start to create their own information," Cr Williams said. "I had lots of rumours floating around that people had COVID-19, or people did not have COVID-19, that people were self-isolating." This weekend's 11th hour decision to cut OPEC oil output by 23% was supposed to end the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and the rest of OPEC+, but it appears Saudi Arabia did not get the memo. While oil production may (or may not) be cut by 9.7mmb/d on May 1, Riyadh remembered that to capture market share one can manipulate volumes, which are now set as per this weekend's OPEC+ agreement or one can adjust price discounts, which are not. And as the kingdom faces stiff competition from rival suppliers for market share in the prized Asian market (or at least what's left of it after India cut demand by 70%), the OPEC leader slashed its official selling prices to Asian customers for May by larger-than-expected margins this week, while keeping prices flat for Europe and raising them for the United States. On Monday, Saudi Arabias oil giant Aramco set the May price for its Arab light crude oil to Asia at a discount of $7.3 to the Oman/Dubai average, down $4.2 a barrel from April, according to a document seen by Reuters. Asian refiners had called on Saudi Arabia to slash its crude OSPs for a third straight month in May after Middle East benchmarks and refining margins dropped amid ample supplies and lower demand due to the coronavirus. Overnight, Chinas customs bureau reported that overseas energy purchases weakened in March as demand from the top importer took a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Crude oil imports fell to the equivalent of about 9.72 million barrels a day, the least since July. While Aramco cut Asian prices in hopes of beating Russia, Iran and other producers to the punch, it raised the May OSP of its Arab light crude oil to the United States to a discount of $0.75 per barrel versus the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI), up $3 a barrel from April, according to the document. Aramco left its OSP for Arab light crude oil to Northwestern Europe unchanged from April at a discount of $10.25 per barrel to ICE Brent. Premium: A Global Oil Cartel? The cut in prices to Asia reflect weak demand, while OSPs to Europe and the United States reflect oil market fundamentals and the global supply cut pact, an industry source familiar with the pricing process told Reuters. Then on Tuesday morning, Saudi Aramco again cut official selling prices of all four grades to new record lows from Egyptian port of Sidi Kerir for May, in line with big cuts in prices for other customer regions, with some grades sold at a discount of as much as $10.95/bbl: Arab Light OSP set at $9.85 discount to ICE Brent, vs -$8.40 for April Arab Extra Light also at -$9.85/bbl vs -$5.60/bbl Arab Medium -$10.95/bbl vs -$10.20/bbl Arab Heavy -$10.95/bbl vs - $10.50/bbl Prices of all four crude grades from Sidi Kerir are 45c higher than those shipped from Ras Tanura in Persian Gulf for customers in Mediterranean, compared with 20c higher in Aprils price list. And so, between the IMF's warning earlier today, and Saudi Arabia's quiet restart of the oil price war, Brent tumbled by over 5.5% this morning, sliding below $30, after hitting a high over $36 just two trading days ago as the unprecedented chaos in the energy market continues. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 14.04.2020 LISTEN Introduction In Episode-1, we began the discussion with reference to the Supreme Courts decision in J.H. Mensah v Attorney-General (1996-97) SCGLR. The Courts decision was that the ministerial tenure of office under the 1992 Constitution is conterminous with the presidential tenure under the same Constitution. In other words, the term of office of the President of Ghana (4 years) is the same term of office of those who constitute the executive arm of government, that is the Vice-President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers. In effect, after expiration of his tenure, the President goes home with his Vice President and ministerial appointees. In episode 1, we equally provided a justified ground for this discussion. In this episode (Episode 2), we will further the discussion as follows until we reach the concluding parts. Enjoy the reading. Is There Any Overt Constitutional Provision Relating To The Covid-19 Situation? As it stands, there is no straightforward constitutional provision relating to the Covid-19 situation with regard to the subject matter of this piece (i.e. if election 2020 is not held due to social distancing practice, what happens?). The following provisions may however be examined subject to a Supreme Court Interpretation in future. In finding a cure for the scenario painted (if Covid-19 prevents the holding of the 2020 general elections before 6th January 2021), one can only turn to the Constitution, 1992. This is because the Constitution is the Supreme law of Ghana [article 1 (2)]. It is also the overall or apex source of law in Ghana [article 11(1) (a)]. If 2020 elections are not held before 6th January 2021, the 7th (the current) Parliament will still be dissolved at the midnight of 6th January 2021. As such, the current MPs will cease to hold themselves as MPs [article 97 (1) (a)]. Article 113 (1) touches on the dissolution of Parliament itself. It states, Subject to clause (2) of this article, Parliament shall continue for four years from the date of its first sitting and shall then stand dissolved. Clause 2 of article 113 of the Constitution relates to what Parliament should do in a war situation. It states, At any time when Ghana is actually engaged in war, Parliament may, from time to time by resolution supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, extend the period of four years specified in clause (1) of this article for not more than twelve months at a time, except that the life of Parliament shall not be extended under this clause for more than four years. Covid-19 is not a war situation so article 113 (2) is not the appropriate constitutional provision for Parliament to fall on in a situation where election 2020 is not held because of the pandemic. Simply put, article 113 (2) will not be applicable under the circumstance foreseen. Article 113 (3) may be tested if election 2020 is not held before 6th and 7th January 2021. The article states, Where, after a dissolution of Parliament but before the holding of a general election, the President is satisfied that owing to the existence of a state of war or of a state of public emergency in Ghana or any part of Ghana, it is necessary to recall Parliament, the President shall cause to be summoned the Parliament that has been dissolved to meet. Is article 113 (3) an erroneous clause? Or in practice should we have chosen an electoral calendar in tune with article 113 (3)? I ask this question because the rendition of 113 (3) dictates that Parliament should be dissolved before a general election. Where, after a dissolution of Parliament but before the holding of a general election In my considered view, the application of article 113 (3) will be almost impossible in a situation whereby election 2020 is not held due to Covid-19 social distancing. This is because the tenures of the President, the Vice President and the Parliament of Ghana have been conterminous since 7th January 1993. The President and the Vice President usually leave office almost the same time that Parliament is dissolved. In that case, the President ceases to be President so he lacks the constitutional power to recall Parliament. However, should the President recall the dissolved Parliament, then the Speaker of Parliament will now act as the President of Ghana [article 60 (11)]. But which President will the Speaker be acting for? Does the absence of the President as stated in the Constitution the same as when a President is not elected at all? The conventional practice from 1992 to 2016 is that Parliament has always been dissolved after and not before the general elections as article 113 (3) stipulates. Also, the dissolution of Parliament and the swearing in of a new Parliament also precede the presidential inauguration so how can a President possibly recall Parliament owing to the existence of a state of war or of a state of public emergency in Ghana as article 113 (3) mandates? Interpretation of article 113 (3) is therefore a necessity for the Supreme Court. Perhaps we need to examine our electoral calendar and its related processes after this Covid-19 situation. If article 113 (3) will not be the solution under the imagined circumstance, then its corresponding article 113 (4) will also not be appropriate because Covid-19 is a pandemic and not a war situation. Should Covid-19 and its social distancing mar the 2020 general elections, another possible constitutional article to examine will be article 298. Article 298 states that where the Constitution makes no provision (expressed or by necessary implication) for a situation (e.g. Covid-19), Parliament shall pass an Act of Parliament to deal with the situation. However, the Act so passed must be subject to Chapter 25 of the Constitution and it should not be inconsistent with any provision of the Constitution. It must be noted that the caption of Chapter 25 of the Constitution (1992) reads, Amendment of the Constitution. Now, the logical questions to ask based on article 298 referenced ut supra are that: If article 113 (3) applies to the possible Covid-19 and social distancing blows to election 2020, then must Parliament fall on article 298? If Parliament is to pass an Act inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution as article 298 stipulates, which provisions did the framers of the Constitution had in mind which must not be breached by passing that Act? It is settled in case law [J.H.Mensah v Attorney-General (1996-97) SCGLR] that a better approach to interpretation of a provision of the 1992 Constitution is to interpret that provision in relation to the other provisions of the Constitution so as to render that interpretation consistent with the other provisions and the overall tenor or spirit of the Constitution. Will Parliament act on article 298 and pass a resolution or an Act that the President and his Ministers should continue in office indefinitely or with a stipulated ultimatum? Based on the dictates of case law that it is important to construe an enactment as a whole, it will be legally wise to equally consider article 31 (1) of the Constitution in case social distancing prevents the holding of the 2020 elections slated for 7th December, 2020. Article 31 (1) clothes the President with power to declare a state of emergency in Ghana in accordance with laid down constitutional procedures. The relevant question is that does Covid-19 with social distancing constitute the ground for the presidential declaration of a state of emergency? If it does then why has the President rather declared a lockdown of some cities affected by the pandemic rather than declaring a state of emergency at those places? Will the President declare a state of emergency to continue in office if the election is not held before 6th and 7th January 2021? Considering the possible options in case election 2020 is not held before 6th and 7th January 2021, the apparent most difficult option is article 31 because 31 (5) even mandates a state of emergency to last for only a period of 3 months or less and it is one of the executive duties subject to parliamentary approval. After the expiration of the 3 months period, the state of emergency resolution is to be extended for not more than 1 month at a time article 31 (6). Per article 31 (7) however, Parliament can revoke a declaration of a state of emergency approved by a majority of members of Parliament. Constitutional Grounds For Declaration Of State Of Emergency In Ghana The grounds on which a state of emergency will be declared in Ghana are well stipulated in article 31 (9) to be a natural disaster and any situation in which any action is taken or is immediately threatened to be taken by any person or body of persons which: is calculated or likely to deprive the community of the essentials of life; or renders necessary the taking of measures which are required for securing the public safety, the defence of Ghana and the maintenance of public order and of supplies and services essential to the life of the community. Conclusion The discussions so far point to the fact that there is no overt or clearly expressed constitutional provision touching on the situation whereby Covid-19 prevents the holding of the 2020 elections. Even though the scenario is imaginative in the interim, it is possible, mindful of the current pandemic happenings around the globe. A discussion like this should therefore prick the thoughts of constitutional luminaries in Ghana to start thinking ahead of time. I thus invite all readers to the discussion table. I would love to read your comments as always in the comments section of the online portal that publishes my articles ( www.modernghana.com ). Until then, I say: ~Asante Sana ~ Author: Philip Afeti Korto Email: [email protected] Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 01:14:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China will stand together with Kyrgyzstan in the fight against COVID-19 and continue to offer as much assistance as its capacity allows. He made the remarks in a phone conversation with Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. Xi pointed out that the coronavirus disease is spreading around the world, posing a huge threat to the safety and health of people in all countries. He recalled that at the most challenging moment in China's COVID-19 prevention and control, the Kyrgyz government overcame difficulties to provide China with timely assistance in medical supplies, and various sections of Kyrgyz society expressed support for China's fight in various forms, leaving many heartwarming stories. The Chinese people hold a brotherly friendship with the Kyrgyz people, and China empathizes with Kyrgyzstan's current difficulties, said the Chinese president. China, he added, is ready to continue sharing containment experience as well as diagnostic and treatment plans with Kyrgyzstan, and will dispatch medical experts to the neighboring country as soon as possible. He said he believes that under the leadership of Jeenbekov, Kyrgyzstan will certainly be able to defeat the epidemic at an early date. Meanwhile, Xi stressed that China and Kyrgyzstan are friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners linked by mountains and rivers. China, he said, is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to uphold the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, strengthen solidarity, coordination and cooperation both at the bilateral level and within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. That will allow the two countries to stick together, help each other and make positive contributions to safeguarding public health security and restoring global economic growth, added the Chinese president. He also suggested that the two sides increase mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests, promote joint development of the Belt and Road, deepen cooperation in various fields, and continuously lift their comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels. For his part, Jeenbekov said China has achieved significant results at this stage in its fight against COVID-19, and is providing enormous support for and playing a leading role in the global battle, which the Kyrgyz side sincerely admires. This outbreak, he added, has once again highlighted the urgent, realistic and epochal need to implementing Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. He thanked the Chinese side for caring for the Kyrgyz citizens in China and providing valuable support and assistance for Kyrgyzstan's fight against the epidemic in a timely manner. Kyrgyzstan will always be the most reliable good friend and good partner of the Chinese people, he said, adding that his country is ready to deepen cooperation with China in agriculture and other fields, promote joint development of the Belt and Road, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Data security firm SecurityMetrics has opened a free 24-hour cybersecurity advice hotline. The hotline is available to any company that needs guidance on COVID-19-related cyber threats and attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on businesses around the world, SecurityMetrics said in a news release. Whether a business has shut down operations for the time being or is attempting to continue work remotely, suffering a cyberattack right now will only kick business owners while theyre down. The bedlam of a successful cyberattack may well serve as a tipping point, sending an already struggling business over the edge to bankruptcy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 04:01:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RABAT, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan King Mohammed VI proposed on Monday the launch of an African initiative to combat COVID-19 pandemic. King Mohammed VI made the proposal during telephone conversations with Cote d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara and Senegalese President Macky Sall, official news agency MAP reported. The initiative aims to establish an operational framework for African countries to curb the pandemic, MAP said. This pragmatic and action-oriented initiative will enable the sharing of experience and best practices to address the health, economic and social impact of the pandemic, it added. Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday lauded healthcare personnel, police and sanitation workers who are on the forefront in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. She also urged people to follow lockdown rules and said that a sense of unity, discipline and self-confidence will defeat the virus. "What can be more patriotic than all of us fighting the pandemic together. Our coronavirus warriors are fighting this war despite lack of basic safety gear. Our doctors, health workers and social service organisations are providing treatment despite the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). Police and jawans are enforcing lockdown rules. Sanitation workers are constantly cleaning to prevent the spread of infection even in the difficult times," Gandhi said. She also praised government officials who were working hard to control the virus and providing facilities to people round the clock. The Congress chief condemned the "misbehaviour" with doctors and said this is against our culture. "There are reports of misbehaviour with doctors in many places. This is wrong because our civilization and culture are not like this," she said. "Many of you are fighting this war at the individual level by distributing sanitisers and ration. All of you deserve to be praises. All Congress workers are with you in this fight, whether we are in opposition or ruling a state," she added. Today is the last day of the 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister last month. Prime Minister Modi will address the nation at 10 AM today. Prior to this, the Prime Minister had on Saturday held consultations with Chief Ministers through video-conferencing, during which talks were held over the need for extending the lockdown further after taking into consideration the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the nationwide lockdown for another 19 days till May 3, and proposed certain relaxations after April 20 in places with no hotspots as also which have less likelihood to turn into a hotspot. In a 25-minute televised address on the last day of the ongoing three-week lockdown, he said extensive guidelines on the second phase of the lockdown will be issued on Wednesday, asserting that his biggest priority is to save lives and minimise the hardships being faced by daily wagers and farmers. Admitting that the lockdown has come at a huge economic cost, Modi, however, asserted that India has chosen the correct path, and managed to avert to a large extent the damage caused by the pandemic in many countries. He also noted that most of the state governments, experts and other stakeholders recommended the extension of the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. There are 10,363 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 339 deaths due to COVID-19 so far in India, as per the Union health ministry data. At least eight states --Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal and Karnataka-- have already extended the lockdown till April 30, and Union government sources pointed out that it has been stretched till May 3 as May 1 is a public holiday, and May 2 and 3 is a weekend. Just a thought of how much harm could have been caused to the country if his government had not followed a "holistic and integrated" approach gives him "goosebumps", he added. Amid demands from certain quarters that economic activities be allowed to start, Modi said the lockdown will be strictly implemented for a week, and every area will be evaluated before a decision on allowing some "select necessary activities" will be taken. "Areas that will succeed in this litmus test, which will not be in the hot-spot category, and will have less likelihood to turn into a hot-spot maybe allowed to open up select necessary activities from 20 April. However, keep in mind, this permission will be conditional, and the rules for going out will be very strict. Permission will be withdrawn immediately if lockdown rules are broken, and spread of coronavirus risked," he asserted. Noting that India is in a much better position in terms of the loss of lives than several developed nations, Modi said,"our experience makes it clear that the path we have chosen is the right way," While BJP president J P Nadda and Union ministers urged people to support government's decision, Modi's address drew strong criticism from the Congress, which termed it as "rhetoric and hollow on specifics", saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked where is the country's roadmap to fight coronavirus while his senior party colleague P Chidambaram tweeted "the poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country." After Modi's address, the civil aviation ministry also announced that all international and domestic commercial passenger flights will remain suspended till midnight of May 3. Domestic and international commercial passenger flights were earlier suspended from March 25 to April 14. The railways also extended suspension of all its passenger services till May 3 while movement of goods and parcel trains will remain operational to ensure essential supplies in various parts of the country. The railways also said that all counters for booking of rail journey tickets for reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises shall remain closed till May 3 midnight. Modi appeared on television with his face covered with a 'gamcha' (Indian stole for men) which he removed at the start of his address. His personal Twitter handle also posted the photograph of him wearing a face cover. Asserting that India's fight against the coronavirus has been moving ahead with great strength and resolve, the prime minister lauded citizens for their "restraint and sacrifice" to "save your India". "During this time (till May 3), we must continue maintaining discipline in the same way we have been doing so far. A single new patient anywhere, should be a matter of concern for us... Any new hot spot will pose a new challenge," Modi said. With critics, including opposition leaders, often questioning his government's alleged delay and lack of preparedness in tackling the crisis, Modi strongly defended its approach, noting that India began screening travellers from corona-affected countries even before it has reported any case of its own. "When we had only 550 Corona cases, then itself India had taken the big step of a 21-day complete lockdown. India did not wait for the problem to aggravate. Rather, we attempted to nip the problem in the bud by taking quick decisions," he asserted. The prime minister said several countries were at par with India in terms of the number of corona infections but the cases in those countries are 25 to 30 times more now compared to it. He also sought the support of the people in seven areas, including taking care of the elderly people, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor. Stressing on the need to follow lockdown guidelines, he said every town, every police station, every district, every state will be tested on how much they are adhering to them before being allowed certain relaxations. Modi assured citizens that there is adequate stock of medicines and rations in the country, and it has also ramped up its health infrastructure to deal with the crisis. Noting that global experience shows that 1500-1600 beds are required for every 10,000 patients, he said India has already made arrangements for over 1 Lakh beds, with over 600 hospitals dedicated for coronavirus treatment. The catastrophic effect of the lockdown on the country's economy and livelihoods of migrants and daily wage workers has triggered concerns, with a number of chief ministers in their video conference with Modi on Saturday seeking relaxation for a number of sectors. Meanwhile, India Inc supported the nationwide lockdown extension, saying it was necessary to avert a humanitarian crisis, but insisted on the need for a stimulus package to rebuild the economy hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Late last month, the government announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore package aimed at providing relief to those hit hard by the lockdown. Acknowledging the pain it has inflicted on people, especially the poor, Moidi said, "I am well aware of the problems you have faced, some for food, some for movement from place to place and some due to staying away from their homes and families. However, for the sake of your country, you are fulfilling your duties like a disciplined soldier." Invoking B R Ambedkar, the architect of India's constitution whose birth anniversary falls on Tuesday, the prime minister said the nation has paid true tribute to him by displaying its collective strength. This is the power of "We, the People of India" that our constitution talks about, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Special Police Officer who was killed in an attack by suspected terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar was laid to rest in his native village in the hilly district on Tuesday. SPO Pasid Iqbal was on patrol duty in the high-altitude Tander village of Dachhan when he was attacked with axes by the suspected terrorists around 1.30 pm on Monday. Only a few close relatives of the slain SPO attended the funeral in view of the coronavirus lockdown. Before Iqbal was laid to rest in a graveyard in Palmar village, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the district police lines wherein senior civil and police officers, among others, paid rich tributes to him, officials said. District Development Commissioner Rajinder Singh Tara, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range, Abdul Jabbar, and officers of Army and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) paid their last respects to the slain SPO, they said. From the police lines, his mortal remains were taken to his village with full honours, they added. Iqbal's colleague SPO Vishal Singh, who was on duty with him on Monday, was critically injured in the attack and is battling for life at a hospital here. The attackers fled with service rifles of the two SPOs. A senior police officer said a massive search operation is underway to nab Iqbal's killers. "The operation is going on and the culprits will be brought to book," the officer said. Police have identified two of the attackers as Ashiq Hussain, a rape accused who was released on bail from central jail, Kishtwar about 20 days ago, and Basharat Hussain, both local residents. The two are believed to have joined the terrorist ranks and carried out the attack to lay their hands on the weapons, according to police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyderabad, April 14 : Around 150 migrant workers, who were trying to go to Andhra Pradesh on foot, were persuaded by a Telangana Minister to stay back, here on Tuesday. The daily wagers from Maredpally in Secunderabad had gathered with their wives and children at Habsiguda to leave for their villages in the Srikakulam district, over 700 km from here, in Andhra Pradesh. With the lockdown extended till May 3, they wanted to return to their villages. "How can we survive here. We have no money to pay the rent. By going back to our homes, we will survive somehow," said a woman. When the officials told them that on reaching Andhra Pradesh they would be kept in 14-day isolation, the labourers said they were ready for that. Local legislator B. Subhash Reddy and Telangana Minister T. Srinivas Yadav succeeded in convincing them to stay in Hyderabad. Vehicles were arranged to take them to their rented places in the city. They were promised to be given Rs 500 each and 12 kg rice per head, as announced by the state government. The Minister said the homeowners would be asked to defer the rent. The incident occurred a few hours after Yadav said the government was extending all help to 1.80 lakh migrant workers in Greater Hyderabad. He also claimed that 95,000 workers were being provided free meals daily through Annapurna canteens. However, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) said on Tuesday rice and cash were being distributed among nearly 40,000 migrants. Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, which The Epoch Times refers to as the CCP virus, isolated from a patient. (NIAID) Wyoming Becomes Last State With a Death From CCP Virus Wyoming became the last state to confirm a death from the CCP virus this week. All 50 states now have at least one death. Wyomings first confirmed death from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, was a Johnson County man with underlying health conditions, Gov. Mark Gordon said. This one was close to home and sadly serves as a grim reminder of the importance of following public health orders and guidance so we can reduce the number of serious illnesses and deaths in our state, the governor said, expressing condolences from him and his wife to the mans family and friends. This is a sad development we hoped we wouldnt see in Wyoming, and we want this persons family to know they have our sympathy, Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with the Wyoming Department of Health, said in a statement. The advice weve been offering and actions weve taken ultimately come down to preventing as many serious illnesses and deaths connected to this disease as we can. The Johnson County mans age wasnt given, and his identity hasnt been disclosed. Johnson County Healthcare Center, where he was treated, described him as an older male. The patient was hospitalized for one day prior to his death. Doctors test hospital staff with flu-like symptoms for COVID-19 in set-up tents to triage possible COVID-19 patients outside before they enter the main emergency department area at St. Barnabas hospital in the Bronx on March 24, 2020. (Misha Friedman/Getty Images) Johnson County Emergency Management reported the first positive case in the county on March 26, describing the patient as an adult male who was told to isolate at home along with his immediate companions. Another case was confirmed later in the day. One was described as a Buffalo resident who was tested in Sheridan. As of April 13, the county had 11 confirmed cases, two probable cases, and 10 recoveries, according to the department. Its medical liaison, Dr. Dozier Tabb, said in a message to residents that they should continue conscientious social distancing, handwashing, and isolating if one feels ill. Research suggests that the COVID-19 peak in our community will not occur until mid-May, the message read. Wyoming as a whole has 275 confirmed cases and 98 probable cases along with 138 recoveries. Anyone can get sick and has a chance of getting seriously ill with COVID-19, Harrist said. While weve learned most people who are infected are able to recover at home without medical care, we also know people who are aged 65 and older and people who have medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and weak immune systems are more likely to experience complications and become severely ill, she said in the statement. Wyoming, which has the lowest population in the United States, hasnt issued a stay-at-home order, but Gordon has issued a number of other orders. Gordon earlier this month said anyone entering the state for a purpose other than work would have to self-quarantine for two weeks. Earlier this year, he mandated the closure of some businesses, ordered no public gatherings of 10 or more people, and required the closing of all schools in the state. Speciality chemicals manufacturer Vinati Organics on Tuesday said it will contribute Rs 1 crore to the PM-CARES Fund to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Vinati Organics Ltd (VOL) has also spent around Rs 40 lakh in providing food kits, ventilators and sanitizers, the company said in a release here. To offer immediate food relief and help affected people, VOL made the provision of a sustenance ration kit including groceries and toiletries, it added. VOL has tied up with the Rotary District Welfare Fund to identify potential beneficiaries and aid in transporting and distributing these kits to slums across Mumbai. The company has provided ventilators to speed up treatment for Covid-19 patients near its factory in Ratnagiri. It has also distributed sanitizers in Birwadi Grampanchayat of Raigad district and to villagers in the Asanpoi Grampanchayat and Kalij village in Mahad, Nadgaon, MIDC police station and the fire station. VOL has also distributed face masks to prevent the community spread of the virus. "Vulnerable communities and lower income populations have been severely hit with health and economic challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. "These are hard times for them and as responsible citizens we need to assist them in having sustained access to food and other essential rations," VOL Founder and Executive Chairman Vinod Saraf said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is a clear element of eugenics in the proposals to pursue herd immunity as a strategy against the pandemic. Despite the dramatic rise in the number of COVID-19-related deaths around the world, governments of several countries heavily affected by the pandemic continue to send mixed messages about their responses. Many are reluctant to adopt the suppression measures that China, South Korea and Singapore have successfully employed to bring down the number of new infections to a minimum and halt the exponential growth in deaths measures such as mass testing, isolation, wide-ranging lockdowns, thorough medical follow-ups for infected people and hospitalisation. One message that health authorities across Europe keep on emphasising even in countries with heavy death tolls such as Spain and Italy is that mortality rates remain low, and those at risk are few. Younger people without underlying health conditions should not worry too much, according to these messages. All around the world, we hear experts and government officials including, strangely, public health specialists reminding us that the economic costs of implementing strict measures to contain COVID-19 need to be weighed seriously against the public health costs of not being able to stop the spread of the virus. It has become increasingly difficult to disentangle objective medical opinions about the best way to fight the pandemic, from neoliberal views that see prolonged stoppages and lockdowns as existential threats to profit. Herd immunity Some public health officials and scientists claim in disagreement with many others that suppression is not an option, and that all we can do is to ease the pressure on the health system by slowing down contagion, so that everybody can get the best care possible in hospital if needed. As more people get infected, this would build herd immunity, meaning that once a large proportion of the population gets infected (more than 50 percent), then this would protect the rest from infection. While UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his advisers sparked an uproar when they bluntly proposed this approach and later, at least formally, backtracked this is actually something approved by politicians and public health experts in Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway as well. As we are not public health experts or epidemiologists, we cannot comment on the details of the epidemiological debate. It is clear that there are many epidemiologists who strongly disagree with the recent use of herd immunity in the COVID-19 context and who argue that herd immunity is usually associated with the effects of vaccines, and is thus not appropriate in the current situation, when there is no vaccine available. As anthropologists and experts of discourse and ideology, we do however want to throw some light on the social and political implications of implementing herd immunity approaches. Let us assume for now that this response is scientifically sound, and that within a certain prolonged period of time experts talk about several months herd immunity is built. Even with the best care in place, and without the kind of health system collapse that we are witnessing in Lombardy, Madrid and New York City, we know that COVID-19 kills significantly more than influenza. As a recent study by Imperial College shows, widespread contagion would also lead to a large number of deaths. So why would a public health policy be acceptable simply because, as far as we know, the virus kills primarily old people and people with underlying conditions? What does this say about a society that accepts that the elderly and the sick can die in numbers, as an alternative to widespread economic damage caused by more stringent suppression measures? Markets and eugenics It is hard not to read eugenic implications in this kind of thinking: the herd will survive, but for that to happen, other weaker members of society need to be sacrificed. And while Johnsons right-wing political milieu is associated with the recent revival of racial science, there are no hints of a far-right conspiracy in Sweden, for example, where the centre-left government has confidently stood by the advice of the Public Health Agency, firmly opposing suppression measures. In Norway, where the government has reluctantly embarked on several weeks of lockdown, a Norwegian Institute of Public Health director has recently said the epidemic cannot be stopped, and between 40 and 60 percent of Norways population might be infected. Once many people build immunity, they can spend time with the sick without getting infected, and with people in high-risk groups without risking infecting them. The Norwegian and Swedish states have a long history of adopting policies based on eugenics that continued well after World War II. Eugenics was deployed throughout the 20th century as a branch of scientific state management, part of a social engineering project that envisioned a society made of physically healthy and socially fit individuals. It was closely associated with the development of the welfare state, and resulted in cruel practices, such as the forced sterilisation of mentally ill people. Setting aside the long shadow of the past, it is the very argument that the economy is more important than peoples health that is based on a eugenic logic. Instead of the ethnos and the nation, we have the market that rules supreme over peoples lives, and is given the power of life and death over its subjects. We cannot interfere with the market, these arguments seem to suggest, or else we will be punished. This is also what US President Donald Trump recently tried to convey when he said the deaths caused by an economic crisis due to lockdowns and stoppages will be far higher than the mortality of COVID-19 itself. He suggested, without any evidence, that, by favouring the markets over public health, he is in fact rescuing the United States from an even bigger catastrophe. In the perverse eugenics of the market, the elderly and the sick have become the others of the pandemic. In symbolic terms, this is akin to how refugees and migrants are portrayed in debates about freedom of movement and migration. The COVID-19 public health messaging across the West is largely directed at the healthy population: the you here is a healthy person that not only is not likely to die, but in the large majority of cases might only experience light symptoms, if any at all. This effectively reassures the public that identifies with that you, that COVID-19 is a problem really only for the others. And if you want to be charitable, just apply a modicum of social distancing to reduce contagion so that they do not all become severely ill or die. Of course, increasing reports about COVID-19 deaths among younger people with no underlying conditions are already suggesting a different picture. You might be one of them, perhaps you just do not know it. Going back to normal Yet, many people seem to buy this messaging and are embracing the idea that, after all, if the herd will eventually emerge victorious and stronger without the burden of weaker members then COVID-19 cannot be that bad. It is just a matter of slowing down contagion a bit, so that we can all move on to business as usual as soon as possible, and go back to running around town dining and consuming with other survivors. There is no doubt that implementing similar measures to those adopted in China, South Korea and Singapore, even when modified to suit specific national contexts, would take a tremendous effort and significant sacrifice. But it is hard to see herd immunity, or other similar calls to favour the economy above all else, as viable alternatives. How can widespread suffering, death and trauma be justified for the sake of the economy? If market advocates will have it their way, what will survive after the pandemic is an economy that favours the abstraction of markets and the very concrete profits of capitalists and the privileges of the upper-middle classes over peoples health and lives. The ambiguity of messaging and ambivalence in responses shown by so many public officials around the world is only likely to create more fear, anxiety and instability, and possibly drag the structural damage to the economy for much longer than in East Asia. As talk about reopening the economy gains prominence in most countries where lockdowns have been imposed, it remains unclear how many governments are committed to implementing an effective mix of measures to contain the outbreak until a vaccine or treatment is available. Protective equipment is scarce, and workplaces would have to implement drastic changes to their operational and spatial arrangements to minimise the chances of contagion. The capacity for mass testing is still low in most places. And discussions over privacy about digital solutions for contact tracing have not yet been settled. So while there is talk about safety, there is little evidence that most countries intend to take serious steps to contain the outbreak, or that they have the capacity to do so in the immediate future. The prospect that states and markets might just let people get sick, albeit perhaps at a slower pace, is a very real one. Governments would be better off learning from countries that effectively contained the virus. They need to prioritise peoples health over free-market economics. In the end, there can be no prosperous human economy when people are ill, dead or traumatised. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Ash Bowen M.D., a urologist with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Edmond, started rescheduling patients' appointments on March 18. To slow the spread of coronavirus, the university said that essential procedures could still be carried out in person, but any other appointments had to be put off until June or conducted remotely. We got about a week heads-up, Bowen says. The university has a contract with a telemedicine service called Amwell to let doctors video-chat with patients. The software is built to protect medical privacy and security, but some patients ran into difficulties using it. Bowen felt compelled to turn to other services, even if they weren't set up for healthcare. "For those who had trouble," he says, "we had to use Skype and Zoom." Doctors attached to a large hospital, like Bowen, are likely to already have an arrangement with a telemedicine provider. These services meet strict privacy and security guidelines laid out by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. But small medical practices may not have a telemedicine provider in place. To encourage the use of telehealth during the pandemic, the government has temporarily stopped enforcing some HIPAA rules, letting doctors turn to familiar video-chat providers such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, and the free consumer versions of apps like Skype and Zoom. None of these services have to follow HIPAA guidelines, but they're easy to use and often more familiar to patients and doctors. Setting up a new relationship with a HIPAA-compliant service can take time, money, and technical effort that some providers can't spare in a crisis. Obviously, there's tremendous value in being able to talk to a doctor remotelyespecially right now, says Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology policy at Consumer Reports. But with the HIPAA waiver, the tech companies that connect you to your doctor aren't bound by any privacy and security rules. Connecting despite that risk may well be worth it to you, but it's important to know that the normal safeguards aren't in place." Story continues Heres a rundown on which apps are built to protect your health data, and what the privacy and security trade-offs are if you use a service not covered by HIPAA. Services That Comply With HIPAA The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR)thats the agency charged with enforcing health privacy rulesprovides a short list of video conferencing services that say theyre HIPAA-compliant. The list may not include every service: Amazon Chime Cisco Webex Meetings and Webex Teams Doxy.me Google G Suite Hangouts Meet GoToMeeting Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams Spruce Health Care Messenger Updox VSee Zoom for Healthcare To follow HIPAA, a teleconferencing service needs to sign a Business Associate Agreement, or a BAA, with the healthcare provider who wants to use it. The service needs to guarantee that it will follow the same kinds of privacy rules a doctor would. Personal health information, whether it's videos or electronic medical records, needs to be encrypted to limit access to only the patient, the healthcare provider, and other authorized people. A teleconferencing company can't share any identifiable patient data for purposes healthcare providers haven't approved, and it needs to undertake security audits to make sure their data is well protected. HIPAA ensures a level of accountability, says James Koons, a founding partner at the consulting firm Data Privacy & Security Advisors. Businesses that sign BAAs and then break the rules can be liable for civil and criminal penalties. Businesses also need to report significant data breaches and make information about their practices available to the Department of Health and Human Services. The rules don't apply to typical video conferencing services meant for consumer or corporate communications. The priority at this moment, with this crisis, is to make it as easy as possible for people to get to healthcare where they are on the devices that they have, says Roger Severino, director of the OCR, in discussing the agency's decision to relax the rules. We're taking these steps to be as flexible and nimble as possible. But the agency says services designed for shared broadcastslike Twitch, Facebook Live, and TikTokstill arent allowed or appropriate for telemedicine. What You Can Do Your doctor should be able to tell you whether a service he or she is suggesting is HIPAA compliant, but Koons says a quick visit to a companys website can help clear things up as well. Koons says services that make the effort to comply with HIPAA usually go out of their way to explain the procedures they follow. For instance, a long document on GoToMeetings telehealth services website provides details about technical safeguards like encryption and how the app is configured to keep calls private. On the other hand, Koons says you shouldn't rest easy just because you see the word "HIPAA" somewhere on a website. Some companies that aren't legally obligated to follow health privacy guidelines use the phrase "HIPAA compliant" for marketing purposes. Technically, such a company might be complying with HIPAA; that's easy if they aren't covered by the law at all. Imagine a bag of apples labeled "gluten free" and you get the idea. Adding a layer of confusion, some companies offer some products that are HIPAA-compliant and others that aren't. Examples include Google, GoToMeeting, Skype, and Zoom. (The consumer version of Zoom has been beset by privacy concerns, but a Zoom spokesperson says the HIPAA-compliant product has much stricter protections.) Bowen, the Oklahoma urologist, eventually found a work-around that was both HIPAA-compliant and easy for patients to figure out. Doxy.me, a service built for telehealth communications, offers a free version that doctors can set up in a matter of minutes, and patients dont need to download special software. You can ask your provider to set up Doxy.me or another HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing service, but that's not always possible. But if you and your doctor don't need to see each other during a consultation, a spokesperson at the American Medical Association offers a simpler solution: Patients can speak to their physicians via telephone." It's old-fashionedand private. 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. Last week, the Trump administration announced that it was distributing an initial $30 billion in payments to hospitals and other health care providers, which is part of $100 billion set aside in the bill for them. The administration is providing the initial $30 billion in payments to health care providers based on their past Medicare revenues not based on how many coronavirus patients they have treated. As a result, New York is receiving far less money per coronavirus case than other states, a disparity that Mr. Cuomo highlighted last weekend. At his daily briefing in Albany on Sunday, Mr. Cuomo pointed to a report last week by Kaiser Health News that examined how much of the $30 billion in payments would go to each state. The report estimated that New York would get about $12,000 per coronavirus case and New Jersey would get about $18,000, while West Virginia would receive about $471,000 per case and Minnesota would get about $380,000. In a memo last week, Kenneth E. Raske, the president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, wrote that the funding formula was woefully insufficient to address the financial challenges facing hospitals at this time, especially those located in hot spot areas such as the New York City region. It was as if everybody was treated the same, and of course under this crisis that we have, that is entirely not the case, he said on Tuesday. Weve been making the case that Covid dollars should follow Covid patients. How simple is that? Mr. Raske said he spoke last week with Jared Kushner, President Trumps son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, about hospital funding. 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 Ghana was blessed with a donation from the Republic of China some days ago as part of the countrys resolve to support Ghana in the fight against the deadly coronavirus. The items given to Ghana were Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to support health workers who are at the frontline of the fight against the deadly virus. The President during his sixth update on measures the country has put in place to ensure coronavirus is contained in Ghana used the opportunity to thank the Chinese government for the aid and called for more support and collaboration during the period. But reacting to this, Yvonne Nelson who has been advocating for an Independent Africa and especially Ghana believes Ghana and Africa will pay for the aid from China because they do not give things for free anywhere. In a tweet, the only Ghanaian actress who has been critical of governments said The Aid africa is getting isnt for free..we will pay for it later.they will come and mine and mine and mine and mine and leave us hollow!!! For now give way to our new colonial masters to save the day! Check my old tweets about our new masters!. Ghana is currently battling COVID-19 and several measures have been put in place to protect the citizenry and also prevent the numbers from escalating. Ghanas current positive cases stand at 566 whiles deaths due to the virus are 8 in number. 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 University of Manitoba international students who remain on campus are feeling the crunch as the school's residence move-out date nears and Canadas borders remain closed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. University of Manitoba international students who remain on campus are feeling the crunch as the school's residence move-out date nears and Canadas borders remain closed. The U of M will require international students who have not yet been able to return home to leave its residence facilities by April 30; they are expected to move out within 48 hours of their last assignments. Domestic residents had been asked to move by March 25. While most have since left the country and are finishing the term online, some remain on campus. Ishaanee Didwania is an international student from Oman studying criminology, and acts as a residence adviser. She was also in the same position for a time, but was able to find a roommate off-campus. "I know the other students are all looking for places to move out because living on campus is so isolating right now, were all just in our tiny dorm rooms," she said. In a statement Tuesday, the University of Manitoba Students Union said those with a need to stay longer than April 30 can apply for an extension online. "Right now, there is a process in place for people to apply for an extended stay, and I would recommend that those who wish to attempt that option first," UMSU president Jakob Sanderson told the Free Press. "If thats unsuccessful, I would welcome them to come to us and well do everything we can for them." U of M student residences director Barry Stone said the school is "in the process of responding to all of our extension requests and some additional spaces will be made available for both short and long term." "Some need a few extra days, and others are asking to stay for the entire summer. Given this, we are going to attempt to support as many of these students by being as flexible as possible in terms of occupancy after April 30," Stone told the Free Press in an email Tuesday. "Ultimately, we are attempting to balance student support and the need to mitigate the numbers of students in a community living environment-like residence where social distancing and isolation requirements can be very challenging." 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. In the meantime, impacted students wait for the final word. "I can sum the whole thing up with the word uncertainty," said Melika Zamani, a second-year international student from Iran who is studying business. "Because nothing is for sure. "Since the classes moved online, I really wanted to go back home and study there, but the borders are closed so I can not go back home for at least a month," she said. "I havent found a place yet because the places are either the rent is high, or it requires you to go see the place and because of the coronavirus situation, its not possible." malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ Nurse Assistant (Clinical) Students of Health Concern Ghana has resorted to online learning after suspension of in-person lectures by President Akufo-Addo as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus. The Principal, Mrs. Mary Aboagye indicated that the school Management has taken steps to ensure classes were as practical as possible even as it has moved to undertake academic activities online. The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 15th, 2020 suspended all in-person lectures in schools in educational institutions. This came after Ghana recorded its first cases of the novel Coronavirus. Following the directive, the school Management directed all lecturers to resort to distant learning modules to teach students for the remaining 2019/2020 academic year till further notice. They quickly migrated to online lessons using social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube. Mrs. Aboagye further stated that long before the announcement, as far back as January 2020, the Health Concern Ghana had already directed lecturers to sensitizing it's staff and students on the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). This is because nurses are frontline workers and must therefore always be abreast with international best practices. Thus, lectures are going on and the students are on track. Indeed, the students, many of whom feared that the suspension of classroom lectures will impede their studies, have expressed satisfaction and gratitude to the school for the prompt adjustment to the challenging times. The SRC President, Obed Ngongor affirmed that the students are benefiting immensely from the online classes. Health Concern Ghana assures students and guardians the school will continue to utilize modern trends to enhance teaching and learning. We have also conscientized our students to be ready to step in at anytime if the Ghana Health Service calls for additional support. This is a global pandemic and we must all play our part to ensure that its spread is contained and eventually eliminated", she said. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A man whose son has been quarantined on suspicion of having Covid-19 symptoms assaulted a junior resident doctor at state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) in Hyderabad on Tuesday, the hospital said. The assault once again raised questions about the security of medical professionals battling the coronavirus pandemic. People with symptoms of Covid-19 are currently being kept at OGH and if any of them test positive for the virus, they are shifted immediately to Gandhi Hospital, the designated facility for treatment of the positive cases. On Tuesday, two of those quarantined at OGH tested positive for Covid-19 and they were taken to Gandhi Hospital immediately. Follow coronavirus latest updates here. On coming to know about it, the father of a young man who has been under quarantine in the adjacent bed of one of the patients who tested positive, became furious. He rushed to the hospital and started abusing the doctors ask why his son was kept close to a Covid-19 patient. He demanded that his son be discharged from the hospital and sent home as it was risky for him to be there in the ward. We tried to convince him and tell him that the ward comprises only quarantined persons and as soon as anyone of them tested positive, he would be shifted to Gandhi Hospital. But he did not listen and assaulted me, Dr Nikhil, one of the junior doctors attending on the quarantined people, told reporters. The junior doctors complained that more than one attendant was entering the isolation wards despite restrictions and behaving aggressively with doctors and nurses. They appealed to the government to provide sufficient protection to doctors and paramedics. Following a complaint from OGH superintendent Dr B Nagender, the police reached the hospital and pacified the father, who later apologised to the doctors for his aggressive behaviour. Health minister Eatala Rajender condemned the incident and asked the hospital authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur. He assured of adequate police protection to the doctors at the hospital. Last week, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) in a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah demanded that assaults on doctors be treated as non-bailable offences and that the Centre brings in a law for the medical fraternity amid rising incident s of violence at a time when they are in the frontline of the fight against Covid-19. On April 1, a Covid-19 positive patient at Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad attacked doctors after his brother was declared dead due to coronavirus. Telangana Junior Doctors Association had protested against the incident and threatened to boycott their duties if such attacks continue. They demanded that the government deploy Central Reserve Police Force on each floor of the hospital. Following their protests, the Hyderabad police booked a case against the assaulters under various sections of the IPC. A team of special police guards was deployed at the hospital later. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON EAST HAVEN With the original town budget schedule suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, officials are working to come up with a new schedule of virtual Town Council budget meetings via Zoom that will provide opportunities for public input, Mayor Joe Carfora said Tuesday. A Town Council vote on the budget, previously scheduled to take place by April 28, has been postponed until May 28 as a result of Gov. Ned Lamonts executive orders, said Carfora and Town Council Chairman Joe Deko, D-2. An original plan to present a modified budget to the Town Council in a virtual Zoom special meeting on April 21 at 7 p.m. may be end up being delayed slightly, said Carfora. A conference call to hash out the details was to have taken place this Tuesday, but was delayed, he said. The budget doesnt have to be (adopted) until May 28, Carfora said. The meeting next week is just to set up a resolution on all of the public hearings, the special meetings the Board of Education part, my part. As of Tuesday, the April 21 meeting still was scheduled to take place. Asked whether the town likely would have to raise taxes, Carfora said, Were certainly getting inundated with extra costs for the town because of this COVID crisis, but were going to do everything we can to come in with a good budget. Really cant tell you for sure, he said, because were still working on it. The mayor normally would have presented the budget and given the State of the Town address in late March. Deko said hes still waiting for clarification on this years process. I did meet with the mayor this morning to discuss it, Deko said. As far as the process goes, I dont know yet. But he said it goes without saying that the meetings will be accessible to anyone with an internet connection via online meeting software at Zoom.us. Of course, theyll be on Zoom and yhere will be public hearings, Deko said. Deko said he had yet to see a draft of the budget. I do know that the mayor put some long hours in tweaking the budget, but as far as final numbers, I dont know, he said. He hasnt given me a hard copy or even a peek at his recommended budget yet. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com Libyas internationally recognised govt makes gains, capturing seven towns from Haftars control in the past two days. Libyas internationally recognised government has made significant gains, capturing seven towns from renegade military commander Khalifa Haftars control in the past two days. Sabratha, Surman, al-Ajaylat, Regdalin, al-Jumayl, Zelten and al-Essa, located northwest to the capital Tripoli, are now under the control of forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA), according to Al Jazeera sources. The GNA said on Monday its troops had seized control of three strategic coastal cities Sabratha, Surman, al-Ajaylat located between Tripoli and the Tunisian border. Sabratha and Surman lie 60km (37 miles) and 70km (43 miles) west of Tripoli, respectively, nearly halfway to the Tunisian border. The loss is a major blow to the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to Haftar and backed by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt. Experts say the capture of these cities means the GNA has changed its strategy from defensive to offensive mode as the Tripoli-based government battles Haftars forces for the past one year. Revenge attack Haftars forces, which have since pulled back to an airbase in the war-torn countrys southwest, early on Tuesday fired rockets on Tripoli after suffering a string of defeats. Salvo after salvo of rockets caused loud explosions throughout the night, correspondents of AFP news agency reported. Sabratha, Surman, al-Ajaylat, Regdalin, al-Jumayl, Zelten and al-Essa are now under the control of forces loyal to the GNA [Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency] Several homes were hit around Mitiga airbase in the eastern suburbs, the capitals sole if intermittently functioning airport. Al Jazeeras Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said the rockets caused fear and panic among the civilian population. There is a mode of panic yet defiant in the capital, he said. There was no immediate word on any casualties. The GNA, which has been battling an offensive against the capital for more than a year, accused the LNA of taking revenge against Tripolis civilian population following their losses on Monday. The criminal militia and mercenaries have taken out their anger on residential neighbourhoods of Tripoli to avenge their defeat, firing dozens of rockets and missiles on the capital indiscriminately, spokesman Mohamad Gnounou said. Earlier on Monday, Colonel Muhammad Qanunu said the GNAs air defences intercepted planes belonging to Haftar in the Abu Grain area and shot down the two Chinese-made Wing Loong aircraft and one Russian Mi-35 helicopter. Sources told Al Jazeera the clashes killed nine soldiers from the GNA and more than 30 fighters loyal to Haftar, including a number of Sudanese and Chadian fighters. The sources added the GNA used drones provided by Turkey to launch raids on Haftars forces and the LNA. Military commanders say the latest advance by GNA forces can mainly be attributed to Turkish air support. Control of the skies has recently shifted in favour of the GNA, thanks to the Turkish air force, said Abdelwahed. Ceasing of hostilities Libya, a large oil producer, has been engulfed in chaos since 2011 when longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising. It is now split between two rival administrations: the Tripoli-based GNA, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the House of Representatives allied to Haftar and the LNA. The United Nations says hundreds of people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since Haftar launched his campaign to capture Tripoli. On March 17, the UN and nine countries called on Libyas warring parties to cease hostilities to allow health authorities to fight against the new coronavirus. Repeated UN efforts to mediate a ceasefire have not yielded a permanent result and have been on hold since envoy Ghassan Salame quit in early March, citing health reasons. Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said the world governing body is concerned continued fighting will hamper the countrys efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. We, as you know, have been asking the parties to cease fighting we need to make sure that they can set aside [their differences] and work together to allow us to deal with the pandemic. Those who are familiar with the Duggars certainly know all about Derick Dillard. Jill Duggar and Derick have been married since 2014, and they now have two sons together. While they were once featured on Counting On, Dericks unsavory activity on Twitter got the both of them removed from the show. And now, Derick is divulging even more secrets and revealing a family rift between Jill and her father. Derick is certainly one of the most outspoken of the family. And now, were seeing a bit about his childhood stomping grounds in a video Jill put together of him and his kids fishing. Heres what we saw thanks to Jills glimpse into Dericks past. Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard recorded their sons fishing Jill Duggar Dillard (L) and husband Derick Dillard visit Extra | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra Jill and Derick are taking social distancing seriously, so theyre not getting close to friends or family. Instead, they decided to go on an outing of their own and they brought their sons, Samuel and Israel, fishing for the first time. We are getting ready to leave our house. Still practicing social distancing. The boys have been begging to go fishing, Jill explained to the camera. I doubt well catch anything today. Its just more for the fun of it to get out of the house but still practice our social distancing. Israel, the couples 5-year-old son, was jumping up and down in the kitchen in excitement. And Jill also mentioned that theyll be fishing in a lake near where Derick grew up. Were gonna stop by Dericks moms house. He grew up on the lake and stuff, so, well not get too close to her, but pick up some stuff from her. They briefly got to see Dericks mother, Cathy Social distancing means Jill, Derick, and the kids cant get too close to Dericks mom, but they did stop by her home prior to fishing. Israel and Samuel ate their picnic lunch with at least six feet of distance between themselves and Cathy Dillard. And Cathy sat in a chair and waved to the camera. We know Jill has a great relationship with Cathy. While the Duggars always have huge celebrations for the holidays, Jill frequently posts photos and videos that show shes actually with her in-laws instead of with the other Duggars. And shes also posted many photos of Cathy with Israel and Samuel to her Instagram to show how much the grandmother enjoys getting involved in her grandkids lives. Cathy is no stranger to media attention, too. In Touch Weekly reminds us she had stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and shes since written a book about her experience. Now, shes allegedly cancer-free and able to get much more involved in her familys life. The video shows a bit of where he grew up Not only does the video show off Jill and Derick taking their sons fishing for the day, but it also gives Jills followers a clearer indication of where Derick grew up as a child. We know Jill and Derick met in Nepal, and he also grew up in Arkansas. But its not every day that fans get video footage of the area around his childhood home. Down to the lake. Where I grew up, Derick tells Jills camera as theyre riding down from his mothers home to the open water. When they finally arrive at the dock after a drive through the woods, theres a wood bridge that the family walks over to gain access to the water. And there doesnt appear to be anyone else around. After fishing, Israel and Samuel then opted to get their feet wet in the lake water at another location. And its clear Derick knows the area well, as he appears to know exactly where to go for the perfect fishing spot and splashing around. Coronavirus doesnt mean you have to stop having fun, Jill added at the end of the video. Were hoping she and Derick will go on more adventures with their kids and, of course, we loved getting to see bits and pieces of where Derick grew up. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! In response to the federal governments latest refusal to financially rescue Australias coronavirus-hit public universities, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has stepped up negotiations with the employers to inflict the disasters devastating burden on university workers. NTEU members were stunned and outraged last Wednesday to receive an email from the unions general secretary Matthew McGowan announcing that it was in discussions, behind their backs, with Vice Chancellors, Universities Australia, and the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association (the employers body) about undisclosed measures that we would never normally consider. To relieve financial pressure on institutions, this may include deferral of pay rises, providing the ability to direct taking of leave, or other cost-saving measures. The negotiations were happening quickly and cooperatively, McGowan said. As an indication of members fury, a NTEU branch meeting at Sydney University last Thursday voted by 117 to 2 to censure the NTEU national executive for commencing negotiations on significant concessions. While McGowan depicted the closed-door talks as a move to protect jobs, the email only said job cuts would be a last resort. In reality, the deals being struck by the union will assist the managements to eliminate thousands of full-time and casual jobs. Universities Australia chairperson Deborah Terry declared on Sunday that an estimated 21,000 jobs would go in the next six months. Terry said a government relief package announced that day would be nowhere near enough to cover a revenue decline of up to $4.6 billion this year. Universities already have begun shutting down courses, while exploiting the shift to on-line teaching in order to enlarge classes, expand workloads and slash jobs. The hardest hit are the approximately 90,000 casual staff who do much of the teaching, research and administrative support work on the campuses. After voicing disappointment at the governments package, NTEU national president Alison Barnes immediately indicated that the union would continue its discussions with employers. While the mass graves, overrun hospitals and other horrors of the pandemic internationally have laid bare the underlying rot and failure of capitalism, so it has exposed the role of the trade unions, which are everywhere helping to try to bail out the ruling elite at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of workers. As ACTU secretary Sally McManus declared on national television last week, the unions are telling employers you can get everything you want through co-operation. This includes cutting the working hours, wage penalty rates and leave entitlements of millions of workers. The NTEUs response is not an aberration but an escalation of its record of collaboration with university managements. The union just recently completed a national round of enterprise agreements with individual universities, each tailored to satisfying their cost-cutting requirements. Now, it is rushing to tear up any provisions in these agreements that stand in the way of a much deeper assault on jobs and conditions. University workers face a political fight against the corporate elite and all its political servants. The Liberal-National governments supposed relief package, unveiled last Sunday by Education Minister Dan Tehan, provides the universities nothing to cover their heavy losses, overwhelmingly caused by dramatic falls in fee revenue from international students, especially from China. Instead, the government will simply maintain its $18 billion funding for domestic students this year. It will pressure the universities to try to make up some of their near $5 billion shortfall by competing with profit-driven private providers to produce and sell 20,000 six-month online vocational courses. Tehan said these new courses would be in nursing, teaching, counselling, allied health or other areas considered national priorities. He did not explain how nurses or teachers, for example, could be trained in six months. The package is blatantly designed to force universities to reduce their reliance on Chinese and other international students, while further transforming them into vocational training colleges directly serving the interests of the government and big business. These reforms will help universities pivot towards a closer alignment of domestic industry and student demands through innovative micro-credentials delivered flexibly online, he stated. This is anathema to the very concept of universities as institutions of higher learning and critical inquiry, enabling people to develop deeper understanding of history, society, the earths environment and the universe. Over the past decade since the global financial crisis, cuts exceeding $7 billion, initiated by the Greens-backed Gillard Labor government and intensified by the Coalition, have driven universities to exploit international students as cash cows, charging them up to $30,000 a year in fees. By 2018, these fees made up 26 percent of total university revenues, and much more at some universities. Throughout this assault, the NTEU has kept staff members straitjacketed by union-negotiated enterprise agreements, which have prevented a unified fight back. Now, in line with the reactionary nationalist response of governments around the world to the pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told international students to go home. Most have lost their part-time jobs and many are now destitute, relying on university-provided food vouchers, but the government has refused to assist them. As a result, thousands of students will no longer be able to continue their courses, even if they remain in the country, trapped by travel restrictions. Many thousands more will no longer enrol in Australian universities. In response, university workers must reject the regressive measures being proposed by the NTEU. The crisis provoked by COVID-19 cannot be resolved by just censuring the union, however. It shows the necessity for university workers to break from the NTEU entirely and build new rank-and-file organisations based on a fight against the corporate profit-driven capitalist system itself. All the resources exist to fund first-class universities providing free education to all, but this wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. The fortunes accumulated by Australias 250 wealthiest people soared to $377.77 billion last year, according to the recent Australian Rich List published by the Australian. While crippling the universities, governments are handing billions more dollars to the corporate elite via bailout packages, and spending hundreds of billions more on military hardware. Instead, resources must be urgently poured into healthcare to protect the population from the pandemic as well as into other essential social services, including education and research, and providing full income support for all those thrown out of work. Of course, that is incompatible with the wealthy elites monopoly grip over society. What is required therefore is the fight for workers governments based on a socialist program, aimed at the complete reorganisation of society in the interests of all, not private profit. Workers governments would expropriate the major banks and corporate giantsincluding the private education conglomeratesand place them under public ownership and the democratic control of the working class. We urge all educators who want to discuss this socialist perspective to contact the Socialist Equality Party and its Committee for Public Education. Governments battling a virus that has crossed borders with breathtaking swiftness pinned their hopes Tuesday on tests, technology and a coordinated approach to ease the tight social-distancing restrictions that have slowed the pandemic but strangled the global economy. While the European Union looked into creating a COVID-19 smartphone app that could function across the bloc, governors on both U.S. coasts pledged to work together as they planned an end to the confinement of millions. The main concern is to avoid new coronavirus hot spots and flare-ups of infections. But trying to build such infrastructure while still in mid-crisis during the pandemic is proving difficult. In India, the government on Tuesday extended the world's largest lockdown on 1.3 billion people for two more weeks, until May 3 for most of the country, as its caseload crossed 10,000. China faced a new flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the original epicenter of Wuhan, which has all but declared victory in its battle against the pandemic. That vast border has been sealed and emergency medical units have rushed to the area to prevent travelers from bringing the virus back from overseas. New infections appear to have leveled off in much of Asia and Europe, including Italy, France, Spain and Germany, said Dr. Sebastian Johnston, a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London. Even in New York where reported coronavirus deaths passed 10,000 on Monday Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared the worst is over if we can continue to be smart. More than 23,000 people have died of the virus in the United States overall, with 582,000 confirmed infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. ________ See Massachusetts coronavirus cases, charts and resources ________ With social distancing and lockdowns in place across a large portion of the world, grim projections that the virus that would spread with equal ferocity to other corners have yet to materialize. But without widespread antibody tests to determine how many people are immune to the virus, governments fear that relaxing social distancing could lead to new outbreaks. Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, called Tuesday for a single smartphone app to be used across the 27-nation EU to help countries coordinate when and how to relax their pandemic lockdown measures. Its important we dont end up with a patchwork of 27 corona apps and 27 data protection regimes, but coordinate as best as possible, he told Germany's Funke media group. Maas said a contract tracing app already being jointly developed by several countries showed that the EU doesnt have to copy the Big Brother methods of authoritarian states but can instead safeguard personal privacy and public health at the same time. The head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germanys disease control center, said exchanging information between countries and institutions is key to combating the pandemic. Lothar Wieler said Tuesday his group is in constant contact with others to share which measures are effective in preventing the virus from spreading, how to test for infection, which vaccine studies to fund and how best to protect vulnerable populations. Apple and Google last week announced a separate joint effort to help public health agencies worldwide leverage smartphones by using Bluetooth wireless technology to trace the contacts of those infected so as to slow the spread of the virus. That will run on iPhones and Android phones alike. The apps would gather a record of other phones when they came into close proximity. In China, where new reported virus cases have dwindled, life is ruled by a green symbol on a smartphone screen that says a user is symptom-free and can board a subway, check into a hotel or just enter Wuhan, the city of 11 million people where the pandemic began in December. South Korea and Israel have both aggressively used smartphone data to track the movements of virus carriers. But in general, epidemiologists say contact tracing can only be effective with widely available testing, which has been difficult even in wealthy countries such as the United States and Britain. Experts say the infection rate still remains relatively low in areas of the developing world that have poor or nonexistent health care infrastructure and far fewer resources to trace the contacts of coronavirus patients. The rapid spread of the coronavirus beyond cities to more rural areas often depends on travel and social connections, said Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organizations emergency chief. That could explain why Germany and Switzerland, with their world-class train systems, have over 155,000 infections between them. But he noted that rural areas often have less sophisticated health surveillance systems to pick up potential disease clusters. Is it that its not there, or is it that were not detecting the disease when it is there? he asked. Johnston, the Imperial College professor, said he worried the virus might take off across Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. He also expressed concern about Russia. Despite the absence of a coordinated exit strategy, in some European countries, officials pointed to positive signs as they began prepping to reopen largely shuttered economies and industries. Italys day-to-day increase in infections was one of the lowest in weeks, bolstering a generally downward trend. Slightly eased restrictions were about to take effect in some sectors of the country, such as allowing stores selling baby necessities to reopen. In hard-hit Spain, workers returned Monday to some factory and construction jobs. Retail stores and services were still closed and the government required office workers to keep working from home. In the United States, governors in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to coordinate reopenings. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would announce a detailed plan Tuesday for lifting virus restrictions. He cautioned it would use science to guide our decision-making and not political pressure. The house is still on fire, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. We still have to put the fire out ... (but we need) to make sure this doesnt reignite. His state is in a coalition with Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island while the governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar plan. President Donald Trump pushed back against the governors, claiming the federal government has absolute power over easing the restrictions if it chooses. The Constitution, however, largely gives states the authority to regulate their own affairs. More than 1.9 million infections have been reported and over 119,000 people have died worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The figures understates the true size of the pandemic, due to limited testing, uneven counting of the dead and unreliable figures from some governments. ___ Hinnant reported from Paris while Blake contributed from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report. Related Content: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Tuesday at least 36,000 transport drivers may claim their cash aid under the government's Social Amelioration Program. The drivers are part of the LTFRB's initial list that was verified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). LTFRB National Capital Regional Director Zona Tamayo told CNN Philippines that they are working closely with the DSWD to ensure all public utility drivers are able to avail of the cash assistance. "Around 200,000 na rin po yung list of names na finorward natin sa DSWD for cross verification, ongoing po yan and that covers drivers nationwide," Tamayo said in an interview on CNN Philippines. [Translation: We have endorsed a list of around 200,000 [drivers] to DSWD for cross verification, that is ongoing and that covers drivers nationwide.] Tamayo said the cash assistance program covers all public utility drivers, including those who operate buses, jeepneys, taxis, and UV express units. She clarified that TNVS drivers and motorcycle taxi drivers can also receive cash aid under the LTFRB, but tricycle drivers are under the jurisdiction of their local governments. Tamayo advised drivers to make sure they are part of the LTFRB's verified list before going to the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines to claim the cash aid. The drivers may submit their information to the agency if their names have not yet been included in the LTFRB's list. Tamayo said the list of beneficiaries is constantly being updated on the agency's social media accounts, including Facebook page. "Nakikita natin na nagdagsaan po ang mga tao sa mga Landbank branches," she said. "Hindi naman ho natin sila masisisi dahil sa panahon ngayon nangangailangan din sila ng assistance." [Translation: We can see that the number of people going to Landbank branches is increasing. We can't blame them because they also need help at this time.] Tamayo said they coordinated with the police to ensure social distancing among those lining up for cash aid at Landbank branches. Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said he asked Land Bank to open its branches in Metro Manila on Saturdays so that the cash aid could be distributed to target beneficiaries even on weekends. The DSWD earlier clarified that under the Social Amelioration Program, affected workers will receive a one-time financial assistance worth P5,000 to P8,000, depending on the minimum wage in their region. WASHINGTON The agreement among the worlds major oil producers to collectively cut output by nearly 10 million barrels a day may have put a floor under plunging oil prices, but the deal showed little sign of quelling anxiety in Texas oil fields amid an unprecedented global oil glut. While the deal brokered by Saudi Arabia and Russia with the aid of President Donald Trump was hailed as historic because of the size of production cuts, it still pales in comparison to estimates that global oil demand is falling by as much as 35 million barrels a day as the coronavirus pandemic shuts down national economies. Analysts say the agreement that was finalized Sunday by the OPEC+ coalition would not be enough to raise prices to where companies in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford could ramp up drilling again. West Texas Intermediate fell 35 cents Monday to settle at $22.41 a barrel. That is not enough, not even close, to re-balancing the market in the near future, said Pavel Molchanov, an oil analyst at Raymond James in Houston. Every oil producer around the world, whether its Texas or Russia or Mexico and everywhere else, is struggling in these conditions. ECONOMIC RISK: Coronavirus shutdowns pose grave economic risk, raising difficult questions Already, the number of oil rigs operating in the United States has dropped to about 600, a decline of more than 40 percent from a year ago. And thats just the beginning. By the end of the year some analysts expect the rig count to plunge to around 200, a level not seen since 2009, when the U.S. was still recovering from the global financial crisis and the shale drilling boom was still in its infancy. Already some oil drillers in Texas are saying they are thinking about shutting down their wells, waiting until prices rise to start pumping again. By the end of the year, U.S. oil production is expected to fall to 10 million barrels a day from about 13 million barrels a day, a decline of more than 20 percent, research firm IHS Markit said. Were seeing production shut in already. The number (of wells) that have been publicly announced are not a lot, but theres going to be more and more coming, said Jim Burkhard, head of oil market research at IHS Markit. In the U.S., we think the downturn is going to last the next year and half, so through much of 2021. Research firm Rystad Energy said in a note to investors that prices were unlikely to recover until G20 countries such as the U.S. and Canada come up with an additional 10 million barrels a day of cuts. The market has sobered up to the demand deficit, the note read. Still, the announcement by OPEC on Sunday represented something of a victory by the simple fact of not being bad news. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com Without the cuts, oil prices likely would have fallen to $10 a barrel, Burkhard said. This ends the price war, he said. It sets the stage for more cuts later this year with all three energy superpowers (the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia) working together. They have a common interest in saying prices below $30 are too low. As countries begin to reopen their economies, as China and South Korea have already done and parts of Europe are starting to do, analysts expected energy demand to rise. Whether oil companies in Houston and beyond can ride it out until energy demand starts rising again remains an open question. Generally speaking, oil producers in Texas lowest-cost region, the Permian Basin, need prices between $30 and $50 a barrel just to break even. And for now, expectations are that oil prices are likely to stay below $50 a barrel through next fall. If that holds out, many producers in Texas and the rest of the U.S. will be filing for bankruptcy, Molchanov said. Those generally smaller players that have balance sheet problems will struggle in the next six months, and some of them will not make it, he said. This is the result of the fact close to 3 billion people (around the world) are currently living under a lockdown. It will get better when the pandemic subsidies and the lockdowns are lifted or at least lessened. james.osborne@chron.com twitter.com/osborneja ALBANY The effort to keep the novel and highly contagious coronavirus out of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities has become increasingly difficult, with at least seven facilities in the Capital Region reporting new cases in the last week alone. The largest known local outbreak has been at the Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the Columbia County town of Philmont, where 23 residents have tested positive and six have died, county public health director Jack Mabb confirmed Monday. In the past week, clusters have also been reported at Diamond Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation in Schaghticoke, where three residents had died as of Monday, as well as The Pines nursing and rehabilitation centers in Catskill and Glens Falls, which are operated by the same private parent company. Other area nursing homes with new or previously unreported cases include the Eliot at Troy Senior Living, the county-run Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Colonie, and the Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Columbia County. Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Looking for good news or stories of helping others during the pandemic? Join our Facebook group. Local and state health officials are racing to tamp down on clusters as they arise and, ideally, prevent introduction of the virus at all into nursing homes and residential facilities, which house the elderly and the sick two populations at high risk for severe symptoms of COVID-19, including death. All visitors, with a few compassionate exceptions, were banned from nursing homes on March 7, and all communal dining and group activities were canceled March 20. Health screenings of both residents and staff were implemented, with the state urging homes to conduct them at least once every eight hours. Still, the virus has made its way in. As of Sunday, 340 nursing homes statewide had 5,650 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,979 deaths attributed to the disease it causes, according to the state Department of Health. Adult care facilities that dont rise to the level of skilled nursing facilities had 459 known deaths from the virus. That means that as of Sunday, 26 percent of all deaths in New York were residents of a nursing home or adult care facility. We've said from the start that protecting our most vulnerable populations including people in nursing homes is our top priority and that's why the state acted quickly and aggressively to issue guidance specifically for these facilities on testing, infection control, environmental cleaning, staffing, visitation, admission, readmission, and outreach to residents and families, DOH spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said. The department will continue to work with administrators of private and county nursing homes to do everything possible to protect the health, well-being and privacy of the residents who call these facilities home. In the 17 days after Columbia County reported that four Pine Haven residents had tested positive, confirmed cases at the home increased nearly six-fold to 23 and had affected all three wings of the 120-bed facility. The first death was reported March 28 in an elderly individual who had multiple underlying medical conditions. The county has attempted to prioritize a limited supply of test kits for staff and residents of the home and other long-term care facilities, Mabb said Monday. Last week, it received 100 kits from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and made them available to Pine Haven and other area homes. Its been a tough situation for them, but theyve been aggressive and up front about whats going on there, he said of Pine Haven. On Monday, the county was informed that a resident of the Livingston Hills Nursing & Rehabilitation Center had tested positive, marking that facilitys first confirmed case. In Rensselaer County, officials are working with the state to contain a cluster of cases that has turned deadly at the Diamond Hill nursing home in Schaghticoke. The 120-bed facility has had seven confirmed cases to date, with the first case reported to county officials on April 4. The state was notified the next day and asked to conduct widespread testing at the facility, Rich Crist, the countys director of operations said. On April 7, a 77-year-old man who was exhibiting symptoms of the virus died. The county conducted testing on him afterward and learned he had been infected with COVID-19. Two more deaths have occurred since. The most recent a 95-year-old woman was reported Monday. Still, Crist said the outbreak appears to be coming under control. It is not at this point getting worse, he said Monday. Any other resident of the facility who dies but does not have a known case of COVID-19 will be tested anyway to confirm, he said. The county also learned Monday that a second resident of the Eliot at Troy Senior Living had tested positive. The first known case at the facility was confirmed March 20. The person was hospitalized and has since recovered and returned to the home, Crist said. A receptionist who answered the phone at the Eliot on Monday said she was told not to release details to the media, and referred questions to the facility's corporate headquarters, whose voice mailbox was full. In Albany County, three staff members and two residents of the county-run Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Colonie have tested positive for COVID-19, county spokeswoman Mary Rozak confirmed Monday. The county reported the first known case affiliated with the home on March 27, saying that a staff member who was sent home with a high fever following a temperature check had tested positive. Officials did not reveal the four other cases until Monday when asked, and said the three staff who tested positive did so in unrelated incidents. The two residents, who both lived on the same floor, were being treated in the hospital in unknown conditions Monday. Our protocols that have been in place continue to protect our most vulnerable population and we have healthcare workers taking care around the clock to provide physical, psychological and compassionate care to our residents during normal times and now, during an incredibly stressful situation, Rozak said. She didnt know if any other long-term care facilities in the county had confirmed cases, she said Monday. Clusters of unknown size and scope have also been confirmed at The Pines nursing homes in Catskill and Glens Falls, which are operated by National Health Care Associates, a private chain. Greene County public health officials reported Sunday that a huge increase in confirmed cases (from 41 to 67) in the county was the result of new test results that had come in from area nursing homes, employees and patients. The county was only seeing a few new cases each day in recent weeks but, along with Columbia County, received a shipment of 100 test kits from the state in the last week. The county said it was unable to report the exact number of cases from the Pines because it was a private facility. In exchanges with people on social media, however, it said both residents and staff have tested positive at The Pines. An epidemiologist from the state Health Department was sent to the site to help control the spread, it said. A call to the facility Monday was referred to an administrator, who did not respond to a message from the Times Union seeking more details. Further north, The Pines in Glens Falls is also dealing with a cluster of cases among residents. Again, the facility itself did not publicize this. Rather, Warren County officials announced Sunday they were monitoring confirmed cases at the 120-bed facility, along with state and federal health officials. The county did not say how many residents had tested positive. The Post-Star reported that Fort Hudson, a nursing home in Fort Edward, was brought in to help test the homes entire third floor. On Monday, Warren County reported its first known death due to COVID-19, but would only confirm that it was a resident from the northern part of the county. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with senior government officials involved in the battle against COVID-19 via teleconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, on April 13, 2020. Russia may resort to its military resources in the fight against COVID-19 if the situation in the country continues to worsen, Putin said Monday. (Sputnik via Xinhua) MOSCOW, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia may resort to its military resources in the fight against COVID-19 if the situation in the country continues to worsen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday. "The Defense Ministry is working, I repeat, quite efficiently, but it is using only a fraction of what it has, and it is involved abroad, while the main resources are still in reserve," Putin said at a meeting with senior government officials involved in the battle against COVID-19. The situation in Russia is worsening, with a rising number of infections, he said. Russia has registered a total of 18,328 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, with the number of infected rising by a new daily record of 2,558, and the death toll reaching 148. Russia has sent medical military specialists, testing devices and protection gear to Italy and Serbia to help these countries combat the disease. Putin also said that the government has allocated additional funds to the Defense Ministry to build new infectious disease hospitals in various regions across the country, which could be used to treat civilians. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that the ministry had received 8.8 billion rubles (around 120 million U.S. dollars) from the state budget to build 16 multifunctional medical centers, which will be commissioned between April 20 and May 15. People play instruments as other dance on their balconies in support of the medical staff that are working on the COVID-19 virus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain, on April 5. Read more Even as Americans debate who has the authority to restart the economy, Spain let nonessential workers return to work this week. This is a bold some say foolhardy move by the Spanish government, given that Spain has the third-largest coronavirus death toll, a terrible figure of 18,000, lagging only behind the United States and Italy. But, as President Donald Trump wrongly proclaims he has total authority to reopen the country, perhaps by May 1, and as several state governors contemplate how to do so, the Spanish experiment deserves our attention. All the more so because Spain recognizes something Trump has not: a successful reopening depends on organized, scientific testing at a national level, to determine what is safe and what is not. Like the U.S. government, Spain was slow to shut down, finally putting shelter-in-place requirements in place on March 14. However, a hibernation decree for nonessential workers was put in place only two weeks before Easter. Now the government is letting hundreds of thousands return to work. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez insists Spain isnt yet at the de-escalation phase. Schools, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues remain shuttered, and police are handing out masks at metro stations. Our reporting shows that there is a general sense of unease among a lot of people, I was told by Simon Hunter, editor of the English edition of leading Spanish daily El Pais. On public transport, it is very difficult to keep a safe distance, and they are concerned about their workplaces. Still, the economic pressures on Spain are forcing government officials to measure the risks of reopening against those of keeping the country shut down. The International Monetary Fund forecast is devastating for Spain, with 8% shrinkage of economy in 2020 and a 20% unemployment rate, says Hunter. So the government is seeking a balance between containing the crisis and seeing the economy tank. Yet, in order to truly return to normalcy, Spain confronts a problem similar to that faced by our country. There is a lack of widespread, coordinated testing for the virus, without which the government does not know how many people are infected, including those with no symptoms. According to the Spanish Health Ministry, more than 90% of cases are going undetected. That raises red flags if stay-at-home orders are lifted. So now the Spanish government has to get up to speed to do mass testing, says Hunter. The plan is for the Health Ministry to test around 62,000 people, according to a scientific plan that takes into account gender, location, and hardest-hit areas. Once the testing has been carried out, the government will decide which confinement measures can be lifted and how, El Pais reports. READ MORE: Question for Trump: Where is the testing data we need to go back to work? | Trudy Rubin We dont know how well the Spanish Health Ministrys testing efforts will turn out. But the point is that they do have a testing plan on which they hope to base any decisions about returning to normalcy. Such a plan, at the national level, is exactly what the United States still lacks. We are operating in a fog because we never got the data, says David Katz, founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. READ MORE: How Germany got fatalities down and South Korea got masks | Trudy Rubin Although the number of tests done in the United States has risen dramatically, the number of tests done per capita the crucial figure still lags dramatically behind many countries. And, astonishingly, the number of coronavirus tests analyzed each day by commercial labs in the U.S. reportedly plummeted by more than 30 percent over the past week. Moreover, there has been no coordinated national testing strategy that would reveal the true infection rate, the percentage of asymptomatic cases, and the actual death rate. That would help determine who could go safely back to work. And, contrary to President Trumps claims, tests are not available to everyone who needs one. Far from it. The backlog in New Jersey is getting worse, not better, according to the New York Times. Test scarcity may slow Pennsylvanias reopening, according to an investigation by Spotlight PA. New York is still desperately short, says Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He urged on Tuesday that the federal government work with states to get testing up to scale in a matter of weeks so that nonessential workers could go back to their offices and work sites. But even before getting to mass testing, Katz would like to see the CDC organize a random, scientific sample testing of 5,000 to 10,000 people based on zip code, age, sex, health status, and populations of special interest. That would give a picture of the overall situation in the country. Wed be able to say whos at risk, and who can safely go back to work. We could map the risk deferential and phase people back to normalcy. Im appalled we dont have the data in making life and death decisions, Katz says. I dont know if Spain is doing it right or wrong, but we could know. We know how to do this. The United States of America should be capable of assembling data. Lets get to the endgame in a rational, data-based, informed way. [April 14, 2020] 3D Printed ACTIVAT3D Copper Proven to Kill SARS-Cov-2 Virus on Contact Surfaces DARWIN, Australia, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian company SPEE3D has successfully developed and tested a fast and affordable way to 3D print anti-microbial copper onto metal surfaces. Laboratory tests have shown that touch surfaces modified by this process 'contact kills' 96% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in just two hours. The process, known as ACTIVAT3D copper, has been developed by modifying SPEE3D's world-leading 3D printing technology, using new algorithms for controlling their metal printers to allow existing metal parts to be coated with copper. Copper parts are difficult to produce using traditional methods and thus 3D printing may be the only tool available to rapidly deploy copper. SPEE3D technology makes it fast and affordable. Australian NATA accredited clinical trial speciality laboratory, 360Biolabs, tested the effect of ACTIVAT3D copper on live SARS-CoV-2 in their Physical Containment 3 (PC3) laboratory. The results showed that 96% of the virus is killed in two hours and 99.2% of the virus killed in 5 hours, while stainless steel showed no reduction in the same time frame. Stainless steel is currently the material typically used in hygiene environments. With laboratory testing complete, it is hoped the Australian-developed breakthrough can be applied to common touch items like door handles, rails and touch plates in hospitals, schools and other public places. SPEE3D CEO, Byron Kennedy said the company has focused on developing a solution that can be rapidly deployed and is more efficient than printing solid copper parts from scratch. "The lab results show ACTIVAT3D copper surfaces behave much better than traditional stainless, which may offer a promising solution to a global problem. The technology can be used globally addressing local requirements, be they in hospitals, schools, on ships or shopping centres." SPEE3D developed the unique technique to harness copper's proven abilities to eradicate bacteria, yeasts and viruses rapidly on contact by breaking down the cell wall and destroying the genome(1). This is compared to traditional surfaces like stainless steel and plastic, with recent studies showing that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on these materials for up to three days(2). Stainless steel and plastic surfaces can be disinfected, however, the problem with these surfaces is that, even with rigorous protocols, it is impossible to clean them onstantly. When surfaces become contaminated between cleans, touching them may contribute to superspreading events. Touching contaminated objects, known as fomite transmission, was suspected during the 2003 SARS-CoV-1 epidemic and analysis of a nosocomial SARS57 CoV-1 superspreading event concluded that touching contaminated objects (fomites) played a significant role(2). To validate its abilities to combat COVID-19, copper samples printed by SPEE3D have been lab tested and shown to kill SARS-CoV-2. The SPEE3D team developed a process to coat a stainless-steel door touch plate and other handles in just 5 minutes. The digital print files were then sent to participating partners around the globe, allowing the simultaneous installation of newly-coated parts in buildings in the USA, Asia and Australia. In a matter of days, copper fixtures were installed in buildings at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in Darwin, Swinburne University in Melbourne, the University of Delaware in the USA and in Japan. Assistant Director of Digital Design and Additive Manufacturing at the University of Delaware, Larry (LJ) Holmes, said "Scientists and engineers at the University of Delaware were honoured to be part of this global research collaboration. We recognized the importance of developing simple, yet highly impactful, solutions that have been proven effective on COVID-19. Recognizing supply chain shortfalls over the last couple of months, it was clear to this team that fabrication speed was a priority. Using this technology, we are able to rapidly transition safe options for high-touch surfaces." SPEE3D has worked in close collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (AMA) at CDU. The initial testing of ACTIVAT3D copper and future studies have been funded and supported by the National Energy Resources Australia (NERA). NERA CEO Miranda Taylor said SPEE3D's ability to successfully adapt their technology and pivot their business model demonstrated the resilience of Australian businesses and their potential to help the world combat COVID-19. "NERA has supported SPEE3D to develop market-leading technologies to help our national energy sector, and we're committed to assisting them leverage their skills and expertise into this important new paradigm to help our country and many others curtail the devastating impact of this global pandemic." For more information on ACTIVAT3D copper, visit www.spee3d.com . About SPEE3D SPEE3D, based in Darwin and Melbourne, Australia, is an innovative supplier of metal-based additive manufacturing technology. SPEE3D developed a metal 3D printer able to rapidly manufacture components in a variety of different metals and alloys including copper. SPEE3D printers leverage a process called cold spray, which involves accelerating powder particles within a supersonic air jet. The particles deform and bond onto a surface, building up a coating, and eventually, a 3D object. The company has recently announced government-funded trials with the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army. Note for Editors: This press release, along with images and videos can be found in the Resources Press Kit section(https://www.spee3d.com/resources/?resource=press-kit) of the SPEE3D website or dropbox.(https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8qtschhqgo77s1k/AAB0kSauUfVTVTbkBpgf8V6Sa?dl=0) 1. Warnes, S.L., Little, Z.R. and Keevil, C.W., 2015. Human coronavirus 229E remains infectious on common touch surface materials. MBio, 6(6), pp.e01697-15. 2. Van Doremalen, N., Bushmaker, T., Morris, D., Holbrook, M., Gamble, A., Williamson, B., Tamin, A., Harcourt, J., Thornburg, N., Gerber, S. and Lloyd-Smith, J., 2020. Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1. medRxiv. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3d-printed-activat3d-copper-proven-to-kill-sars-cov-2-virus-on-contact-surfaces-301040163.html SOURCE SPEE3D [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] "Patient 24," a 69-year-old British man, sits in a wheelchair next to his wife as they pose with the medical staff at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, April 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Chi Le. 17 patients were discharged in Hanoi, five in HCMC and one in the central province of Ha Tinh on Tuesday after recovering from Covid-19, taking the national tally of active cases down to 96. In Ha Tinh, Nguyen Thi Hien, dubbed "Patient 146" was discharged from Cau Treo Border Area General Hospital and will be quarantined at home in the neighboring Nghe An Province for 14 more days. Hien, 17, was quarantined after returning from Thailand on March 20. She was confirmed infected six days later. "Thanks to the support of many doctors and nurses, I was mentally strong and that helped me win the disease," Hien said. In HCMC, three of the discharged cases were linked to Buddha Bar & Grill, the city's largest hotspot. Three men, dubbed patients 124, 127 and 158, had been admitted to the Cu Chi field hospital after being infected. "Patient 124" and "Patient 158" are Brazilians, respectively 52 and 45, living in District 2. The former visited the bar on March 14 and was diagnosed with the disease on March 24, and the latter contracted it from him and was diagnosed on March 27. "Patient 127," 23, of Tan Phu District, worked as a waiter at the bar and tested positive also on March 24. The other two discharged in HCMC, Patients 92 and 143, had contracted the disease outside Vietnam. The former is a 21-year-old man from Da Lat who came from France through Qatar on March 17 and tested positive on March 21. The fifth person is a 58-year-old South African woman living in Tan Phu District in HCMC, who flew in from the U.S. through Taiwan on March 21 and was diagnosed on March 26. Of the 17 patients discharged from Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases two were critical cases. "Patient 24," a 69-year-old British man who arrived in Hanoi on March 2, had suffered a stroke and was put on a ventilator for 14 days before being removed from the intensive care unit. He was confirmed positive on March 8. His wife, who was also infected but recovered earlier, said: "The pandemic has destroyed our trip. But Vietnamese doctors and nurses have saved us. Thank you very much." "Patient 24" with his wife before being discharged in Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Photo by VnExpress/Chi Le. "Patient 50," a 50-year-old Vietnamese man who was found infected on March 14 after returning from France, was also discharged after days on a ventilator. Six other patients, Patients 109, 114, 115, 186, 220 and 232, were also confirmed infected after entering Vietnam from overseas. Six other discharged, Patients 175, 177, 189, 190, 199, 208 and 214 are employees of the Truong Sinh Company, which provided food for several hospitals in Hanoi, including the Bach Mai Hospital, a major outbreak site. The other two are linked to Bach Mai. "Patient 87" is a 32-year-old female nurse workig at the Covid-19 quarantine zone at the hospital. She was confirmed positive on March 20. "Patient 239" is a 71-year-old man in Vinh Phuc Province who came to Bach Mai for a check-up on March 11 and March 18. He was confirmed positive on April 4. Vietnam has had 265 Covid-19 cases so far but no deaths. The pandemic has claimed close to 120,000 lives and spread to 210 countries and territories. The senior health official has called on parishioners to celebrate Easter at home. Crowds in Ukraine's churches during Easter holidays could nullify the gains made in containing the coronavirus spread across the country, says Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Liashko. The health ministry spoke with the Council of Churches and heads of denominations, urging them to ensure that mass crowds be avoided in churches during the religious holiday period, Liashko told a panel show on ICTV, RBC-Ukraine reports. Read alsoKyiv Pechersk Lavra shut down for quarantine as coronavirus hotbed (Photo) "The data we have says that there were not many violations in churches. There were isolated violations when parishioners were allowed into churches, but in most cases Ukrainians gathered in massive crowds outside churches. This leads to the fact that there were close contacts. And this could lead to a surge in the COVID-19 incidence," Liashko said. "The marker point is April 24. This is the date that will show us the real situation, just five to seven days after Easter. We will see if we have a surge following holiday celebrations," he added. Liashko has urged Ukrainians to celebrate Easter from home without violating quarantine. "There won't be enough forces, the police or epidemiologists, to cordon all churches off and lock people down. We are counting on people's good consciousness," he said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv's Oleksandrivska Hospital is now treating 50 COVID-19 patients, while the chief doctor says the threat is growing. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters What a problem. Came out of nowhere. Thats how Donald Trump described the coronavirus pandemic in early March, during a televised visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For weeks he had been giving Americans the same advice: We have it totally under control; USA in great shape!; and, of course, Fake news. But privately, Trump was being warned of a full-blown Covid-19 pandemic and 1-2 million American deaths, according to internal emails, memorandums and other recently unearthed evidence documenting internal deliberations. It turns out that Trump was personally warned, repeatedly, about the growing crisis beginning in mid-January. But he continued to give false assurances to the American public. Heres a timeline of the main notifications Trump received and the disinformation he was simultaneously spreading. 8 January CDC issues alert The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues an alert advising that it is closely monitoring a reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology (PUE) with possible epidemiologic links to a large wholesale fish and live animal market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. 18 January Trump receives briefing The health secretary, Alex Azar, calls Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and briefs him on the coronavirus threat, but Trump spent much of the conversation wanting to talk about vaping, the AP reported. Donald Trump walks from the podium as a White House produced video plays during a briefing about the coronavirus on 13 April. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP 21 January First confirmed US case A man in his 30s who had traveled to China is hospitalized in Everett, Washington, near Seattle. He tests positive for Covid19. 22 January Trump: We have it totally under control While attending the Davos conference in Switzerland, Trump makes his first public comment about coronavirus. We have it totally under control, he tells the US cable channel CNBC. Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. Its going to be just fine. 27 January White House aide raises alarm Joe Grogan, the head of the White House domestic policy council, tells the acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and others in a meeting that the fight against coronavirus would dominate public life for months and the administration needed to take the virus seriously or it could cost the president his re-election, according to a Washington Post report. Story continues 29 January Aide warns of full-blown Covid-19 pandemic Economic adviser Peter Navarro warns the national security council in a memo that coronavirus could kill half a million Americans and deliver a $5.7tn hit to the economy, Axios reports. 30 January Azar warns Trump again As the World Health Organization declares a global health emergency, Azar, the health secretary, again warns Trump about the looming threat. Taking Azars call aboard Air Force One en route to a campaign rally, Trump dismisses him as alarmist, the New York Times reported. Trump: Only 5 people in US Working closely with China and others on Coronavirus outbreak. Only 5 people in U.S., all in good recovery. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2020 31 January US declares public health emergency Azar declares a public health emergency. Trump announces a ban on entry to the US for foreign nationals who had recently visited China. January and February Intelligence warnings US intelligence agencies file classified reports warning about global destabilization from a coronavirus pandemic, according to a Washington Post report. 5 February They arent taking this seriously After a coronavirus briefing with White House officials, senators express concern that the administration is downplaying the threat. No request for ANY emergency funding, notes Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Just left the Administration briefing on Coronavirus. Bottom line: they aren't taking this seriously enough. Notably, no request for ANY emergency funding, which is a big mistake. Local health systems need supplies, training, screening staff etc. And they need it now. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 5, 2020 19 February When we get into April Addressing a group of governors, Trump predicts the virus will disappear. I think its going to work out fine. I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus. 21 February Taskforce concludes social distancing needed Following a mock exercise modeling pandemic response, the White House coronavirus taskforce concludes that aggressive social distancing would be necessary, according to a New York Times report. 23 February Aide warns of full-blown pandemic There is 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, Navarro, the economics adviser, writes in a memo obtained by Axios. 24 February Trump: Very much under control The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2020 25 February I have not heard anything other In a CDC telebriefing, Nancy Messonnier the director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, says: Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country and disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now. At a news conference in New Delhi, Trump says: You may ask about the coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are in all cases, I have not heard anything other. On the way back from India, Trump reportedly called Azar and complained that Messonnier was scaring the stock market. CDC and my Administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus, including the very early closing of our borders to certain areas of the world. It was opposed by the Dems, too soon, but turned out to be the correct decision. No matter how well we do, however, the..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2020 Larry Kudlow, the director of the national economics council, is asked about Messonniers comments on CNBC. We have contained this, he says. I wont say airtight, but its pretty close to airtight. 26 February Fake News The infection seems to have gone down over the last two days, Trump says at a White House news conference. Were going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2020 27 February It will disappear Its going to disappear, Trump says in a White House briefing. One day its like a miracle, it will disappear. 29 February First confirmed US death The US marks its first confirmed coronavirus death, a man in his 50s near Seattle. Almost six weeks after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed, the Food and Drug Administration allows laboratories and hospitals to conduct their own Covid-19 tests to speed up the process. 5 March Trump: Highest rating ever Gallup just gave us the highest rating ever for the way we are handling the CoronaVirus situation. The April 2009-10 Swine Flu, where nearly 13,000 people died in the U.S., was poorly handled. Ask MSDNC & lightweight Washington failure @RonaldKlain, who the President was then? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2020 6 March Trump visits the CDC laboratories and calls the pandemic an unforeseen problem. What a problem, he says. Came out of nowhere. The stock market begins to plunge in earnest, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding more than 20% in next two weeks. 9 March Flu comparison So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2020 9 March 4m tests by the end of the week Former Trump homeland security adviser Tom Bossert publishes an op-ed: Its now or never for the US if it hopes to keep coronavirus from burning out of control. In an evening news conference, White House officials say the United States will have tested 1 million people that week and thereafter perform 4m tests per week. Weve been moving progressively to bring that test closer and closer and closer to the patient, Azar says. The number was false by multiple orders of magnitude. Through 12 March, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had completed 4,000 tests not 4m. 10 March When people need a test, they can get a test When people need a test, they can get a test, Trump says at a White House briefing. When the professionals need a test, when they need tests for people, they can get the test. Its gone really well. 12 March A million tests out now Dr Anthony Fauci tells Congress that the United States does not have sufficient testing. The system is not really geared to what we need right now, he says. That is a failing. Lets admit it. But Trump says at a White House briefing there are a million tests out now and if you go to the right agency, if you go to the right area, you get the test. 13 March I dont take responsibility at all Trump declares a national emergency over coronavirus. Trump announces a supposed Google site under development to help people across the country find testing, but it is a sham. Weve been in discussions with pharmacies and retailers to make drive-through tests available in the critical locations identified by public health professionals, Trump adds, but a month later only a handful had materialized. Says Trump: I dont take responsibility at all. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has introduced two new policies tailored expressly for UK financial institutions: Professional First Financial Institutions Civil Liability Insurance, and Executive First Financial Institutions D&O Liability Insurance. Both policies clearly articulate broad coverage for liability exposures faced by large financial institutions. In an era where managing reputational risk is critical, both policies also include coverage to support crisis management and offer expansive coverage for investigations. "Executives and professionals across Europe face significant liability exposures, and a volatile market for coverage. BHSI is pleased to provide UK financial institutions with the certainty of broad, clearly-written coverage, backed by the financial strength, stability and claims service of BHSI," said Thomas Dilley, Head of Financial Institutions, BHSI, UK Ireland. Professional First Financial Institutions Civil Liability Insurance includes state-of-the-market features such as continuity coverage and express coverage for claims arising from breaches of privacy. Executive First D&O Liability Insurance includes key features designed to ensure the most reliable coverage for individuals, from automatic reinstatement of Side A limits, to an unlimited discovery period for retired executives. Last year, BHSI introduced Professional First Asset Management Liability Insurance in the UK and Ireland. To learn more, contact Tom Dilley at thomas.dilley@bhspecialty.com In Europe, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) trades under Berkshire Hathaway European Insurance DAC (BHEI) and Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL). BHEI is an Irish domiciled Designated Activity Company, Registration Number 636883 and Registered Office at One Grant's Row, Dublin D02 HX96. BHEI is an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSIC), a Nebraska USA domiciled corporation, which provides commercial property, marine, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, surety, travel, programs, accident and health, medical stop loss and homeowners insurance, and is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited (BHIIL), an incorporated England and Wales limited liability company, Registration Number 3230337 and Registered Office at 8 Fenchurch Place, 4th Floor, London EC3M 4AJ, United Kingdom. BHSIC, BHIIL and BHEI are part of Berkshire Hathaway's National Indemnity group of insurance companies, which hold financial strength ratings of A++ from AM Best and AA+ from Standard Poor's. Based in Boston, BHSI has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Ramon, Seattle, Stevens Point, Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cologne, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Macau, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005109/en/ Contacts: JoAnn Lee +1 617 936 2937 Delta, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) FSE: QXR2) (OTC Pink: DAUGF) ("Desert Gold" or "the Company") announces that, subject to exchange approval, it will conduct a non-brokered private placement of up to 6,250,000 units at a price of CAD $0.08 per unit (the "Unit") to raise up to CAD $500,000 (the "Financing"). Each Unit will consist of one common share in the equity of the Company and one half common share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). Each full Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of CAD $0.15 per common share for a period of three (3) years from the closing of the Financing. Desert Gold's CEO Jared Scharf commented, "With the gold market continuing to strengthen, we feel it is time to re-initiate our funding efforts. We chose to competitively price this raise and give priority to those that have supported and followed our evolving story before and during the recent market turmoil. A portion of these funds will be earmarked for auger drilling and continued mapping. Both activities will likely further highlight the potential for the discovery of a material gold deposit at our Senegal Mali Shear Zone Project. The auger drilling, specifically, will test below those laterite covered areas proximal to the east side of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, where regionally, the largest gold deposits have been discovered to date, including Fekola, Gounkoto and Loulo to the south along strike and Sadiola to the north along strike. In addition to the aforementioned activities and subject to funding availability, diamond, air-core and RC drilling is also planned at the known zones Gourbassi East and West, Barani East and Soa where targets have already been defined." The proceeds of the Financing will be used primarily for drilling at the Company's flagship Senegal Mali Shear Zone Project (the "SMSZ Project") in Western Mali (see Figure 1. below) and for general working capital purposes. The Company may pay a finder's fee to qualified individuals in respect to the Financing. Securities issued as a result of the Financing will be subject to a statutory hold period. This press release contains certain scientific and technical information. The Company is solely responsible for the contents and accuracy of any scientific and technical information related to it. Don Dudek, P.Geo a director of Desert Gold and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. Figure 1. Senegal Mali Shear Project Property Scale Compilation Map* To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4954/54415_e328effea496c9b7_001full.jpg *All gold grades over width, with the exception of the Soa prospect, represent drill holes with the true widths, for most holes, ranging from 70 to 95%. **The Soa Prospect true widths are unknown. Estimated true widths for the Berola Prospect are unknown. True widths at the Gourbassi Zones are estimated to range from 60% to 90%. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Jared Scharf" ___________________________ Jared Scharf President & CEO ABOUT DESERT GOLD Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company which holds 2 gold exploration permits in Western Mali (SMSZ Project and Djimbala) and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda. For further information please visit www.SEDAR.com under the company's profile. Website: www.desertgold.ca. CONTACT Jared Scharf, President & CEO Email: jared.scharf@desertgold.ca This news release contains forward-looking statements respecting the Company's ability to successfully complete the Offering. These forward-looking statements entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations, are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such statements, including the inability of the Company to successfully complete the Offering. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the capital markets, the price of gold; operational, funding, and liquidity risks; the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; and the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with mining operations. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com and readers are urged to read these materials. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements unless required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the united states securities act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the united states or to the account or benefit of a U.S. person absent an exemption from the registration requirements of such act. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54415 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (NYSE: FSM) (TSX: FVI) is pleased to report production results for the first quarter of 2020 from its two operating mines in Latin America, the San Jose Mine in Mexico and the Caylloma Mine in Peru. The Company produced 1.8 million ounces of silver and 10,101 ounces of gold, plus base metal by-products. Government-mandated constraints on business to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the countries that host our operations, have resulted in reduced production at the Caylloma Mine during the first quarter of 2020, and subsequent to the end of the quarter, have resulted in the suspension of operations at the San Jose Mine. Due to the uncertainties related to the impact of these constraints on the Company's business and operations, the Company has withdrawn its production and cost guidance for 2020 until further notice (refer to Fortuna news release dated April 2, 2020 (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5217/2020-04-02-fvi-nr.pdf)). First Quarter Production Highlights Silver production of 1,819,312 ounces; 19 percent decrease over Q1 2019 Gold production of 10,101 ounces; 24 percent decrease over Q1 2019 Lead production of 7,722,793 pounds; 8 percent increase over Q1 2019 Zinc production of 11,821,186 pounds; 5 percent increase over Q1 2019 Cash cost 1 for San Jose is US$71.1/t, in line with Q1 2020 budget for San Jose is US$71.1/t, in line with Q1 2020 budget Cash cost1 for Caylloma is US$80.8/t, in line with Q1 2020 budget Consolidated Operating Highlights First Quarter 2020 First Quarter 2019 Caylloma, Peru San Jose, Mexico Consolidated Caylloma, Peru San Jose, Mexico Consolidated Processed Ore Tonnes milled 132,741 246,826 130,150 256,643 Average tpd milled 1,491 2,837 1,479 2,984 Silver2 Grade (g/t) 70 216 66 267 Recovery (%) 83.53 91.66 84.06 90.76 Production (oz) 249,111 1,570,201 1,819,312 233,836 1,999,495 2,233,331 Gold Grade (g/t) 0.24 1.33 0.28 1.71 Recovery (%) 46.39 91.34 48.74 90.14 Production (oz) 471 9,630 10,101 573 12,741 13,314 First Quarter 2020 First Quarter 2019 Caylloma, Peru San Jose, Mexico Consolidated Caylloma, Peru San Jose, Mexico Consolidated Lead Grade (%) 2.96 N/A 2.74 N/A Recovery (%) 89.28 N/A 91.34 N/A Production (lbs) 7,722,793 N/A 7,722,793 7,172,202 N/A 7,172,202 Zinc Grade (%) 4.58 N/A 4.37 N/A Recovery (%) 88.22 N/A 90.07 N/A Production (lbs) 11,821,186 N/A 11,821,186 11,295,244 N/A 11,295,244 Notes: 1. Preliminary estimates of cash operating costs per tonne, subject to modification on final cost consolidation 2. Metallurgical recovery for silver at the Caylloma Mine is calculated based on silver content in lead concentrate 3. Totals may not add due to rounding San Jose Mine, Mexico The San Jose Mine produced 1,570,201 ounces of silver and 9,630 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2020, 11 percent and 16 percent below budget respectively. Average head grades for silver and gold were 216 g/t and 1.33 g/t, 6 percent and 12 percent below budget respectively. Lower silver and gold production in the first quarter was attributed to a decrease in processed tonnes and to a variation in head grades. The decrease in processed tonnes is due to a stoppage in mining and processing operations caused by illegal road blockades in the vicinity of the mine, including access to the mine (refer to Fortuna news releases dated March 24, 2020 (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5195/2020-03-24-nr-fvi.pdf) and March 25, 2020 (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5200/fortuna-announces-resumption-of-operations-atda.pdf)). The variation in head grades is related to a planned modification in the mining sequence to allow preparation work to be conducted for pillar recovery. This restricted access to high-grade material and resulted in mining more variable peripheral stopes during the quarter. The decrease in metal production due to the modification of the mining sequence is planned to be recovered throughout the remainder of the year, once government-imposed restrictions on the mining industry are lifted and production at the mine recommences. Caylloma Mine, Peru The Caylloma Mine produced 249,111 ounces of silver in the first quarter of 2020, 17 percent above budget. Average head grade for silver was 70 g/t, 17 percent above budget. Lead and zinc production for the first quarter of 2020 was 7,722,793 pounds and 11,821,186 pounds, 17 percent and 3 percent above budget respectively. Average head grades for lead and zinc were 2.96 % and 4.58 %, 19 percent and 6 percent above budget respectively. On Sunday, March 15, 2020, the Government of Peru introduced a series of measures to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19. The Company, in compliance with the regulatory framework issued by the Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MINEM) and the Ministerio del Interior (MININTER), proceeded to demobilize non-critical personnel and continued to operate, using essential personnel at Caylloma, by drawing ore from its coarse ore stockpiles (refer to Fortuna news release dated March 17, 2020 (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5190/fortuna-provides-an-update-on-the-status-asda.pdf)). In the first quarter, 86 percent of treated ore was sourced from the Animas vein grading 70 g/t Ag, 2.95% Pb and 4.57 % Zn and 14 percent was sourced from coarse ore stockpiles grading 71 g/t Ag, 2.91% Pb and 4.65 % Zn. Lindero Project, Argentina Mining activity ramped up in the first quarter of 2020 with a total of 718,000 tonnes of mineralized material and 1,766,000 tonnes of waste mined until March 19, 2020, when operations were suspended due to a government declared period of mandatory national social isolation in relation to COVID-19 (refer to Fortuna news release dated April 2, 2020 (https://www.fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/5217/2020-04-02-fvi-nr.pdf)). Prior to the shut-down, the operation had successfully achieved a mining rate of 40,000 tonnes per day which is required to support full production. The table below details material movements from the pit as estimated from the grade control model versus the Mineral Reserve block model for comparable volumes. Grade Control Model1, 3 Mineral Reserve Model2, 3 Difference Stockpile Tonnes 718,000 675,000 6.4 % Au (g/t) 0.51 0.56 -8.9 % Au (oz) 11,700 12,200 -4.1 % Waste Dump Tonnes 1,766,000 1,801,000 -1.9 % Notes: Grade control model numbers are based on estimates from blast holes Mineral Reserve model numbers are based on the updated Mineral Reserve estimates as of March 31, 2019 (refer to Fortuna news release dated April 4, 2019 (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/4690/2019-04-04_nr.pdf)). See also the Technical Report entitled "Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.: Lindero Property, Salta Province, Argentina" (https://fortunasilver.com/site/assets/files/4098/lindero-project-technical-report-effective-date-31-oct-2017.pdf) with an effective date of October 31, 2017 prepared by Eric Chapman, Edwin Gutierrez, Geoff Allard and Denys Parra Murrugarra. The updated Mineral Reserve estimate does not materially change the information presented in the Technical Report. Based on a cut-off grade of 0.26 g/t Au Since the start of pre-production in September 2019, mining has focused on extracting medium to low-grade material for stockpiling and preparing the mine through additional waste stripping, while actively avoiding high-grade zones so that this material will be available as direct feed upon plant commissioning. The main reason for the differences between the two models is related to the focus on extracting low grade mineralized material and waste in the first quarter, as demonstrated by a high strip ratio of 2.46. Mining predominantly in waste areas results in higher levels of dilution than would on average be experienced. This level of dilution is not expected to be observed when mining switches to higher grade areas. Quality Assurance & Quality Control Grade control estimates are based on blast hole chip samples submitted to Lindero's on-site laboratory for preparation and assaying for gold, using fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. The QA-QC program includes the blind insertion of certified reference standards and assay blanks at a frequency of approximately 1 per 20 normal samples as well as the submission of duplicate samples for verification of sampling and assay precision levels by an ISO 9001:2000 certified umpire laboratory. ALS Global Laboratory in Mendoza, Argentina prepared the samples for assaying and then forwarded the samples to ALS Global Laboratory in Lima, Peru for assay by standard fire assay methods. Qualified Person Amri Sinuhaji, Technical Services Director - Mine Planning, for the Company is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Sinuhaji is a Professional Engineer registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia (# 48305) and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Fortuna is a growth oriented, precious metals producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma silver Mine in southern Peru, the San Jose silver-gold Mine in Mexico and the Lindero gold Project, currently under construction, in Argentina. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com (http://www.fortunasilver.com). Jorge A. Ganoza President, CEO and Director Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Trading symbols: NYSE: FSM | TSX: FVI Investor Relations: Carlos Baca T (Peru): +51.1.616.6060, ext. 0 Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward-looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements.The Forward-looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mines and mineral properties; the duration and impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's production, workforce, business, operations and financial condition; the duration of the suspension of operations at the Company's mines and the Lindero Project; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's mines and mineral properties; mineral resource and reserve estimates; production costs; timelines; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "planned", "reflecting", "will", "containing", "remaining", "to be", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward-looking Statements involve 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 results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the duration and impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's production, workforce, business, operations and financial condition, and the risks relating to a global pandemic, which unless contained could cause a slowdown in global economic growth; the duration of the suspension of operations at the Company's mines and the Lindero Project, the impact of the suspension of operations on production and the Company' business operations and financial condition; changes in prices for silver and other metals; technological and operational hazards in Fortuna's mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; changes to current estimates of mineral reserves and resources; changes to production and cost estimates; governmental and other approvals; changes in government, political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to the duration and impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's production, workforce, business, operations and financial condition, and the risks relating to a global pandemic, which unless contained could cause a slowdown in global economic growth; the duration of the suspension of operations at the Company's mines and the Lindero Project, the impact of the suspension of operations on production and the Company' business operations and financial condition; the expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that the reconciliation of mineral reserves at the Lindero Project remains consistent with the mineral reserve model; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any Forward-looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that these Forward-looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward-looking Statements. Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Reserves and Resources Reserve and resource estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for public disclosure by a Canadian company of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Equivalent U.S. reporting requirements are currently governed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Industry Guide 7 ("Industry Guide 7") under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC currently in effect under Industry Guide 7, and reserve and resource information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under the SEC's disclosure standards currently in effect under Industry Guide 7, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. While the SEC recognizes the reporting of mineral deposits which do not meet the Industry Standard Guide 7 definition of "reserve" as of February 25, 2019, the effective adoption of the Modernization of Property Disclosures for Mining Registrants, such rules are not required to be compiled with until the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. As a result, the SEC's disclosure standards currently in effect normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. You are cautioned not to assume that resources will ever be converted into reserves. You should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. You should also not assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. You are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC's disclosure standards currently in effect under Industry Guide 7 normally only permit issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by such standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC's disclosure standards currently in effect under Industry Guide 7, and reserves reported in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under such SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth in this news release may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:52:26|Editor: Liu Video Player Close A medical worker observes installation of beds for COVID-19 patients at a sports hall in Barcelona, Spain, April 13, 2020. Spain on Tuesday reported one of the lowest daily numbers of new coronavirus cases since the country imposed the "state of alarm" on March 15, while its death toll from the virus had surpassed 18,000. Fresh figures, collected by health authorities by 21:00 hours on Monday and made public on Tuesday, showed Spain reported 3,045 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, raising the country's number of total infection cases to 172,541. (Vall d'Hebron Hospital/Handout via Xinhua) MADRID, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Spain on Tuesday reported one of the lowest daily numbers of new coronavirus cases since the country imposed the "state of alarm" on March 15, while its death toll from the virus had surpassed 18,000. Fresh figures, collected by health authorities by 21:00 hours on Monday and made public on Tuesday, showed Spain reported 3,045 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, raising the country's number of total infection cases to 172,541. In the 24-hour span, a further 567 people had died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The daily toll was 50 more than that of Monday, but lower than the 619 deaths from Sunday. "The numbers are good, although this is a different week with several holidays," said Fernando Simon, head of the Center for the Coordination for Health Emergencies at the Spanish Health Ministry. He appeared in public again for the first time after testing positive for the virus in March. Tuesday's figures also showed 7,851 of COVID-19 patients needed intensive care, an increase of 74 from Monday. Simon said the tendency in the numbers of cases in Spain was "descending" and that "gives us hope." He also said that the pressure was easing slightly on Spain's intensive care units. "We have been talking about a reduction of cases in numerical terms for a while now," he said. "That indicates we have been going in the right direction for an important period of time." Simon was also optimistic that the decision to allow some non-essential workers to return to work in Spain since Monday would not see an increase in infection cases. In addition, the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 grew from 64,727 to 67,504, an increase of 2,777 over the past 24 hours. TORONTO, April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YAMANA GOLD INC. (TSX: YRI; NYSE: AUY) (Yamana or the Company) is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement with Stifel GMP and Cormark Securities Inc (collectively, the Dealers) to sell 12,000,000 units (the Units) at a price of C$10.00 per Unit to qualified purchasers, for gross proceeds to Yamana of C$120,000,000 (the Sale Transaction). The Dealers have committed to purchase from Yamana any unsold Units at a price of C$10.00 per Unit on closing, subject to customary conditions for bought deal financings. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of Equinox Gold Inc. (Equinox) owned by Yamana (a Unit Share) and one-half (0.5) of a common share purchase warrant of Yamana (each whole warrant a Warrant). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one (1) additional common share of Equinox owned by Yamana (a Warrant Share) at an exercise price of C$13.50 for a term of 9 months from the date of issue. In the event all Warrants are exercised, the total gross proceeds to Yamana would be C$201,000,000. In Canada, the sale of the Unit Shares will be made through block trades on April 13, 2020 and the sale of the Warrants will be made on a private placement basis. In the United States, the sale of both the Unit Shares and the Warrants will be made on a private placement basis. In Canada, the Warrants will be subject to a four month and one day hold period, in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Warrant Shares will not be subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. Yamana intends to use the net proceeds of the Sale Transaction for general corporate purposes. The Sale Transaction is scheduled to close on or about April 15, 2020, or such other date as agreed between Yamana and the Dealers. The securities to be issued under the Sale Transaction have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Story continues Early Warning Disclosure Upon closing of the Sale Transaction, Yamana will dispose of 12,000,000 common shares of Equinox (the Equinox Shares), as a component of the Units under the Sale Transaction, at an attributed value of C$10.00 per Equinox Share (attributing the full Unit value of C$10.00 to the Equinox Share as the value attributable to the 0.5 Warrant component will be nil), for aggregate gross proceeds to Yamana of C$120 million. The sales of the Equinox Shares will be made by block trades and the sale of the Warrants will be made through private sale agreements with various purchasers. The disposition will result in a 5.56% decrease in Yamanas shareholdings in Equinox, on a non-diluted basis. Upon completion of the Sale Transaction, Yamana will hold 7,236,380 Equinox Shares, representing approximately 3.35% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares, on a non-diluted basis. In the event that all of the Warrants forming part of the Units are exercised in full, Yamana will dispose of an additional 6,000,000 Equinox Shares at a value of C$13.50 per Equinox Share (being the exercise price of the Warrants), for additional gross proceeds to Yamana of C$81,000,000. This further disposition will result in an additional 82.91% decrease in Yamanas shareholdings in Equinox, on a non-diluted basis, and Yamana would then hold 1,236,380 Equinox Shares, representing approximately 0.49% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares, on a non-diluted basis. Yamana also currently holds warrants of Equinox exercisable to acquire an aggregate of 8,345,501 Equinox Shares (the Equinox Warrants), representing approximately 3.86% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares on a non-diluted basis. The Sale Transaction will not result in any change to Yamanas ownership in Equinox Warrants. Each Equinox Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Equinox Share at a price of C$11.18 until May 24, 2020. If all the Equinox Warrants held by Yamana were exercised, Yamana would hold approximately 7.22% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares on a partially-diluted basis, assuming no other convertible securities of Equinox are exercised. Prior to the Sale Transaction, Yamana held 19,236,380 Equinox Shares, representing approximately 8.91% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares, and Equinox Warrants to acquire 8,345,501 Equinox Shares, representing approximately 3.86% of the issued and outstanding Equinox Shares, on a non-diluted basis. The disposition of Equinox Shares was made for investment purposes. While Yamana currently has no other plans or intentions with respect to the Equinox securities, depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, trading prices of Equinoxs securities, Equinoxs business, financial condition and prospects and/or other relevant factors, Yamana may develop such plans or intentions in the future and, at such time, may from time to time acquire additional securities, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional securities or may continue to hold securities of Equinox. Yamana will file an early warning report under National Instrument 62-103 in connection with the closing of the Sale Transaction. A copy of the early warning report filed by Yamana will be available under Equinoxs profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or by contacting Sofia Tsakos, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at 416-815-0220. Yamanas head office is located at Royal Bank Plaza, North Tower, 200 Bay Street, Suite 2200, Toronto, ON, M5J 2J3 and Equinoxs head office is located at Suite 1501 - 700 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1G8. As Yamana has decreased its security holdings in Equinox below 10%, following the above-noted early warning report filing, it will no longer be required to report under the early warning requirements of National Instrument 62-104 Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids, unless its security holdings in Equinox increase to 10% or more in the future. About Yamana Yamana Gold Inc. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer with significant gold and silver production, development stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions throughout the Americas, including Canada, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Yamana plans to continue to build on this base through expansion and optimization initiatives at existing operating mines, development of new mines, the advancement of its exploration properties and, at times, by targeting other consolidation opportunities with a primary focus in the Americas. South Africa: Home Affairs outlines measures to deal with immigration The Department of Home Affairs has outlined temporary measures that have been put in place to address immigration matters during the lockdown period. The temporary measures were introduced after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster on 15 March and subsequently a national lockdown from 27 March, extended until the end of April 2020, to contain the spread of COVID-19. These temporary measures will remain valid until 31 July 2020, unless extended officially by the department. They apply only to foreign nationals, who have been legally admitted into the country. The visa concessions are contained in the Directions, which have been issued by the department in terms of the Disaster Management Act, 2002. Visa concessions listed below apply to those with visas that expired from 15 February 2020, unless a person has proof that he/she had already submitted an application for a visa extension prior to 15 February 2020 and the outcome is pending, the department said. Expiry of visas Holders of temporary residence visas, which expired from mid-February 2020, who did not renew their visas before the lockdown, will not be declared illegal or prohibited persons. Any person whose visa expired before or during the lockdown will not be arrested or detained for holding an expired visa. Those who opt to return to their countries of origin or residence after the lockdown, instead of renewing their visas, will not be declared undesirable upon departure, the department said. During the lockdown, the department is not receiving or adjudicating applications for visas and for permanent residence permits. Foreign nationals, whose visas expired after 15 February 2020, may reapply for their respective visas or relevant visa exemption while in the Republic, immediately after the lockdown has been lifted. They will not be required to apply for authorisation to remain in the country (Good Cause/Form 20), the department said. Foreign nationals, whose visas expired after 15 February 2020, who had scheduled appointments on dates which fall within the lockdown period, should reschedule their appointments to an available date after the lockdown has been lifted. Work, study and business People whose visas expired during the lockdown and those who have submitted their applications before the lockdown but their applications are still pending will be allowed to work, study or conduct business after the lockdown while waiting for the outcome of their applications. Visas issued to nationals of high risk countries, who were outside the Republic on 15 March 2020, were revoked - as per the Directions issued by the department in terms of the Disaster Management Act, 2002. These visas remain revoked, the department said. During the lockdown, except for cases relating to expatriation initiated by another State, all foreign nationals, who are currently in South Africa, may not depart. Holders of the Lesotho Special Permit have up to 15 June 2020 to submit their applications for the Lesotho Exemption Permit. The Lesotho Special Permits, which expired on 31 December 2019, remain valid until 15 June 2020. No new applications will be taken. Any asylum seeker, whose visa expired from 16 March 2020 to the end of the lockdown period, will not be penalised or arrested, provided that they legalise their visa within 30 calendar days of the lockdown being lifted, the department said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 01:40:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three countries or 10+3) on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) to pool efforts in clinching an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of the ASEAN Plus Three on COVID-19 via video link. Noting that with more than 200 countries and regions affected to date, Li said COVID-19 is gravely threatening the health, safety and life of people around the world and is putting the global economy under severe strain. He called on APT countries to act with greater synergy and common purpose and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance to secure an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. "The battle against COVID-19 has made us more aware that we are in a community with a shared future," Li said. ENHANCE PUBLIC HEALTH CAPACITY Li called on APT countries to enhance all-round epidemic cooperation to jointly curb the spread of COVID-19 and build up public health capacity. China will provide another 100 million face masks, 10 million protective suits and other urgently needed medical supplies to ASEAN countries as grant assistance and via commercial channels, he said. China supports ASEAN in setting up a COVID-19 ASEAN response fund, and will provide necessary support through the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund and APT Cooperation Fund, said Li, noting that China suggests an APT reserve of essential medical supplies be established to make responses faster and emergency supplies more readily available. The premier said APT countries also need to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in playing a leading role, and work together to safeguard regional and global public health security. The special summit, chaired by Vietnam in its capacity as ASEAN chair for 2020, is a key get-together for the East Asian region's COVID-19 response taking place after the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 on March 26. Leaders of the ten ASEAN countries, ROK President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi also attended meeting. The participating leaders shared the view that in the face of the unprecedented challenge posed by COVID-19, APT countries should carry forward the tradition of cooperation, demonstrate solidarity and join hands in tackling this challenge. It is important to enhance experience and information sharing, conduct joint research and development of drugs and vaccines, and build up regional mechanisms for epidemic control, they said. RESTORE ECONOMIC VITALITY APT countries, representing the bulk of Asia's economy, have a total trade volume of over 10 trillion U.S. dollars, almost half of which is intra-regional trade. As close neighbors, the APT countries have developed a full-fledged industrial chain and a mutually complementary specialization structure, said Li. He called on the APT countries to demonstrate their positive and special role in fighting the epidemic and revitalizing the economy. APT countries need to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, said Li. He proposed opening a "fast-track lane" for essential personnel on urgent visits in the fields of commerce, logistics, production and technological services among APT countries. APT countries also need to work toward signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement within this year as agreed and endeavor to take regional economic integration to a higher level, Li said. He also suggested making full use of mechanisms such as the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization and leveraging the APT Macroeconomic Research Office to strengthen crisis preparedness. APT countries should also strive to ensure regional grain supply and market security, he added. The participating leaders said APT countries need to enhance macro economic policy coordination, ensure the smooth functioning of the industrial and supply chains, gradually restore social and economic order, and anchor market confidence. They agreed that APT countries should make the best effort toward signing the RCEP agreement within this year. A joint statement of the summit was released after the meeting. Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Global Security Cooperation Center at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said the COVID-19 response reflects the importance of building a "community with a shared future for humanity." It is an urgent need for East Asia not only to build "an epidemic prevention community" to contain the outbreak, but also "an economic community" to address the impact on economy, said Hwang. Geographically close, APT countries have close contacts and a good foundation for cooperation, said Hwang, adding that the outcome of this online summit shows the cohesion of the APT countries in coping with the crisis. The APT cooperation mechanism was set up in response to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and then emerged even stronger from the international financial crisis in 2008. Wu Jianghao, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday's meeting strengthened APT countries' will to coordinate, boosted their confidence and identified the direction of cooperation. "China is encouraged to see the outcomes of the summit," Wu said at a press briefing after the summit, adding that China stands ready to stay in close cooperation with all parties to act on the consensus reached by the leaders, take effective measures and work together to overcome the pandemic and restore economic vitality in the region at an early date. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: The sick who still go to work because they have no paid leave. Families who face ruin from even a temporary layoff. Front-line workers risking infection as they drive buses, bag takeout meals and mop hospital floors. For years, financial inequality has widened in the United States and elsewhere as wealth and income have become increasingly concentrated among the most affluent while millions struggle to get by. Now, the coronavirus outbreak has laid bare the human cost of that inequality, making it more visible and potentially worse. The US Congress, the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve have mounted the largest financial intervention in history a full-scale drive that includes mandating sick leave for some, distributing $1,200 checks to individuals, allocating rescue aid to employers and expanding unemployment benefits to try to help America survive the crisis. Yet those measures are only temporary. And for millions of newly unemployed, they may not be enough. The disaster that is igniting what's likely to be a deep recession also raises the question of what happens once life begins to edge back to normal. Will the US remain an outlier among wealthy countries in providing limited protections for the financially vulnerable? Or will it expand the social safety net, as it did after the Great Depression of the 1930s but largely did not after the Great Recession that ended in 2009? "Maybe there will be a cultural shift," said Elise Gould, senior economist at the progressive Economic Policy Institute. "I see it as a great opening to try to (provide) those labor protections that low-wage workers didn't have before." Gould notes that the government's suddenly expanded role now in distributing relief checks, expanding health benefits and sick leave and supplementing state unemployment aid would make it easier to extend such programs even after a recession has ended. Doing so could have the longer-term effect of reducing financial inequalities. Whether the government ends up adopting any long-lasting policy reforms will depend in part on which party controls the White House and Congress beginning in January. In the meantime, the topic is sure to drive much of the campaign rhetoric as the presidential race moves toward the November election. Alone among advanced economies, the United States doesn't require employers to grant sick leave and paid time off. America's system for providing unemployment aid, a patchwork of state programs, isn't as generous or efficient as European government programs that subsidize wages or provide safeguards to limit layoffs. America's minimum wages also lag far behind those in most of Europe, though many states have raised their minimums in recent years. In 2018, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that the US national minimum wage paid 33 cents for every $1 earned by workers in the middle of the earnings spectrum. That contrasted with 46 cents in Germany, 54 cents in the United Kingdom and 62 cents in France. ALSO SEE: The coronavirus has struck at the most vulnerable. African-Americans account for 42% of the nearly 3,300 COVID-19 deaths that The Associated Press reviewed twice their share of the population in the areas covered by the analysis. Blacks as a group earn less, endure higher rates of unemployment and have less access to health care than other Americans. They also suffer disproportionately from the underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19: Diabetes, obesity, asthma. The financial pain, too, has landed hardest on the neediest as the economy locks down to fight the outbreak. The United States last month lost 713,000 private sector jobs. Jobs in leisure and hospitality (mostly restaurants and hotels) accounted for 64% of the losses. And those workers earn an average of just $16.83 an hour, 41% less than the average American. They are people like Alexi Ajoste, who worked at a Panera Bread shop for three years before being furloughed late last month. Ajoste, a 20-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, has filed for unemployment benefits. "I have a savings account and have money backed up for emergencies, but it scares me," Ajoste said. "I don't know if my savings account is enough for all of this. I feel like the unemployment checks will be enough for the next couple of months....As long as it doesn't last four or five months, I think I'll be good." The US Congress' rescue plans are intended to ease the pain. They require companies with fewer than 500 workers to offer paid sick leave, although employers with fewer than 50 can seek an exemption. The government is sending $1,200 checks to Americans who earn up to $75,000 and smaller checks to many who earn more. The rescue plan extended unemployment benefits for the first time to part-time and gig workers such as Uber drivers. And it added $600 a week to existing state unemployment payments. But states have been swamped by claims for jobless benefits nearly 17 million over the past three weeks and are struggling to deliver the new federal aid. Shamira Chism, for example, who was laid off from her job as a line cook at a Nashville restaurant three weeks ago, says she's getting by on state unemployment benefits of $275 a week. But she's still waiting for Tennessee to upgrade its systems to deliver the additional $600 a week in federally provided benefits. Throughout US history, economic catastrophes have sometimes led to lasting programs to benefit ordinary people and sometimes have not. President Franklin D Roosevelt drove through a series of lasting changes to the economy after the Depression struck, to provide Social Security pensions, for instance, and to make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain for higher wages and better working conditions. President Barack Obama countered the Great Recession with a stimulus package and pushed through legislation that provided health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. But a backlash by conservative critics, decrying what they called meddlesome and costly government programs, stymied further action. The government ended up doing less to help the economy recover from the Great Recession than it had after previous downturns. This time, said Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines of the liberal Center for American Progress, "What we want to see are long-term structural changes,'' including expanding access to health care. In light of the crisis, she said, there may be more willingness, from Republicans and Democrats alike, to better protect the neediest. Gould at the Economic Policy Institute said the country needs to strengthen its social safety so the needy aren't left so vulnerable in the next public health crisis. "This is not the last time this is going to happen," she said. Liverpool, N.Y. A short police chase that started on the New York State Thruway and ended on a residential street in the village of Liverpool early Monday morning has resulted in an Oswego County mans arrest. State Police Capt. Michael TenEyck said troopers attempted to stop 27-year-old Matthew Aumell, of Parish, near Exit 38 in Liverpool around 1:25 a.m. Monday after Aumell was spotted swerving his Chevrolet pickup truck across the highway from one shoulder to the other. But Aumell did not stop for police and instead drove recklessly to evade troopers. Police said he then exited the highway and turned into the village of Liverpool. A short pursuit ensued until Aumell drove off the road near the corner of Fourth and Hickory streets. His truck disabled, Aumell took off on foot, but was quickly apprehended by Onondaga County sheriffs deputies, who aided state police in the case. Aumells blood alcohol content was 0.12%, police said. Aumell was charged with felony driving while intoxicated, third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, reckless driving and resisting arrest. Because Aumell was previously convicted of driving while intoxicated within the last 10 years, the DWI charge was upgraded to a felony. Aumell was released to a sober third party and will appear in Village of Liverpool court at a later date to answer the charges. A India- A Punjab starts rapid testing from two hotspot districts Chandigarh, pril 14 (INS) Taking its battle against Covid-19 to the next level, the Punjab government on Tuesday launched a rapid testing facility from two hotspot districts of the state, with the aim of eventually covering all 17 hotspots in a phased manner. The facility was launched by Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu from Dera Bassi town in Mohali district, with commencement of sampling. dditional Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said the state government had received 1,000 rapid testing kits for COVID-19 testing from the ICMR. The two districts of SS Nagar (Mohali) and Jalandhar have been given 500 kits each to start the testing process, she said, adding that the facility is likely to be extended to other districts, according to the situation of suspected cases and availability of the rapid testing kits. The testing would initially be done for all patients attending 'flu corners' of government health facilities, and having symptoms for more than seven days. The test is simply done with a single prick to take a blood sample and the result is available in 15 minutes. Instructions have been given to the districts to submit daily reports of the tests conducted along with the results. portal has been created by the Department of Health -- www.covid-19punjab.in -- for gathering real-time information on testing and recording the patient's profile. The state government has ordered 10 lakh such rapid testing kits from the ICMR, with inquiries raised for another 10,000 in the open market. With testing the key to controlling the spread of the pandemic, the government is planning to continuously expand its testing facilities, including that of rapid testing, over the next few days. President Trump's re-election campaign is wasting no time touting his role in brokering the new global oil-cutting pact, which featured days of direct talks with leaders from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Reality check: Trump's petro-diplomacy was important, yet just one of many forces that pushed Saudi Arabia and Russia toward reviving their cooperation on supply management, analysts say. Why it matters: Trump's team is seeking a political lift from the deal, which the president himself has repeatedly touted via Twitter and during his press briefings. His campaign yesterday circulated a release boasting that Trump "delivered results" for energy sector workers and is "protecting millions of American oil and gas workers from further harm." Catch up fast: OPEC+ reached a final agreement Sunday to cut production by 9.7 million barrels per day for two months beginning in May, with shrinking but still-large cuts slated to continue through April of 2022 (though they'll be re-assessed along the way). Additional curbs from some OPEC members, combined with declines in the U.S. and elsewhere due to market forces, increase the scope of production curbs by millions of barrels, but there's no precise tally. What they're saying: "Of all the deals [Trump's] done in his life, this has to be the biggest and most complex. He had to be not only dealmaker but also divorce mediator, after the [OPEC+] relationship split up six weeks ago," energy historian Daniel Yergin said in remarks circulated to reporters. But, but, but: Analysis from Yergin and other experts highlight deeper market and geopolitical forces beyond Trump's control that set the stage for the final agreement. "A lot of this deal is making a virtue out of a necessity. Storage was filling up. There werent buyers for this production," said energy consultant David Goldwyn at a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council yesterday. The intrigue: RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft, speaking at the same event, said Trump's intervention "changed the trajectory" of the crisis. But she also noted that the Saudis had wanted to avoid the prior OPEC+ rupture in early March, pointing out it was Russia who balked at additional cuts. Flash forward, after flexing their muscles in the price war, the Saudis wanted a big reduction, so they were willing to tolerate only a loose U.S. commitment. I think the stars aligned because they wanted that cut from the beginning, she said. Between the lines: Another panelist, Russia expert Anders Aslund, pointed to internal power shifts in Russia that helped set the stage, arguing that Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin lost some influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was only Sechin among the oil executives who wanted to have this price war, he said. Another aspect is that Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to U.S. pressure right now, which GOP lawmakers sought to exploit as they also pushed the Saudis to cut. What's happening: In recent days and weeks, these lawmakers have not-so-subtly reminded the Saudis of their military reliance on the United States. Two U.S. senators from oil-producing states even floated legislation in late March to pull U.S. troops from the kingdom. The big picture: I do not know what cards [Trump] played with Saudi Arabia, but he has very very big cards to play," Rapidan Energy Group president Bob McNally said on the new episode of the Platts Capitol Crude podcast. "Trump is Saudi Arabias biggest friend in Washington at a time when Saudi Arabia needs friends in Washington, he said. Meanwhile, at that same Atlantic Council event (I'm getting lots of mileage from it!), Middle East expert Kirsten Fontenrose noted that Saudi Arabia has already lost standing with Democrats due to human rights concerns. Prior to the price war, Republicans in the Senate prevented the passage of legislation intended to punish Saudi [Arabia], drafted by Democrats concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and other things, she said. If Republicans and Democrats agree on the need to teach Saudi [Arabia] a lesson, as it looks like what happened, then that legislation would fly through Congress, Fontenrose said. Quick take: Trump holds a lot of sway over the congressional GOP, so if the White House didn't want to see ongoing threats from lawmakers in recent weeks, they could have put a stop to it, and didn't. An inmate at Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday, the first positive test result at the facility since the crisis began. The inmate, 38, had previously been tested in late March, but the first test came back negative, a press released issued by Santa Fe County states. He was tested again on April 7 after reporting he still did not feel well and the result came back five days later. County spokesperson Carmelina Hart said he was one of nine inmates tested at Christus St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. He has been quarantined since last week. The county called the Department of Health to the facility Monday to test 33 other inmates and eight staff members who had contact with him, the results of which are set to be released sometime in the next couple days. The inmate lived in a dorm-style pod with the 33 other inmates, Hart said. She said the inmate was first booked at the jail July 14, 2019, months before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. However, when asked if another person brought the virus into the facility, Hart said how the inmate contracted the virus is still unclear. We are looking at all possible leads, she wrote via text message. Hart said the county is deep cleaning the facility and all inmates are currently wearing masks. Public Defender Jennifer Burrill, who herself tested positive for the virus last month, said the inmate was being represented by the Law Office of the Public Defender. She said she learned of the positive test from District Court Judge T. Glenn Ellington, who announced during a hearing Monday that the jail had three positive tests. However, Hart said there is still only one positive test so far. Ellingtons office did not return requests for comment by press time. Among the eight staff members tested, Hart said, six of them are county employees and two are food vendors. Burrill said the workers coming in and out of the jail providing services makes it hard to control the spread of the virus. Theres no way to entirely lock down the jail, she said. COVID-19 cases have also been reported at Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center and the Otero County Processing Center, a facility belonging to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Franklin Graham urges pastors to obey authority, save lives while doing Churchs work Graham responds to attacks against him, BGEA and Samaritan's Purse: 'The blowback is not against me, its against God' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Speaking on a show with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, evangelist Franklin Graham encouraged pastors in the United States to obey those in authority to protect themselves and others from the COVID-19 disease while continuing to do what God has called them to do. We dont slow down, said Graham, president and CEO of Samaritans Purse, when Shapiro, the Daily Wire founder, asked how he, his family and organization are doing during the new coronavirus pandemic. Shapiro also asked Graham about his perspective on state and local governments deeming churches to be non-essential and shutting them down due to the social distance rules in place. What are Christians supposed to do, as its Easter Sunday? We need to obey those in authority. Thats what the Bible teaches, responded Graham, son of the late evangelical leader Billy Graham. The churches are not shut down, he continued. I think more people are attending online services than they did when they were meeting in person. Graham emphasized that the Church needs to continue to be the Church. But Id just encourage pastors across the country to obey those that are in authority. And I think thats what the congregations would expect us to do, he said, calling the virus very infectious and deadly. Especially for those who have underlying health issues, this could be a death sentence, he added. Graham cautioned that Christians should not stop the work that God has called us to do. We just need to do things differently, he explained. We need to be careful; practicing social distancing is wise. He shared that Samaritans Purse has sent dozens of healthcare professionals to Italy, which is not receiving help from anywhere in the world. As of early Sunday, there were a little less than 1.8 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 108, 902 deaths around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. In the United States, there were more than 530,000 cases with 20,608 deaths. In Italy, 19,468 deaths from COVID-19 have occurred. Last month, Samaritans Purse opened a 68-bed emergency field hospital in northern Italy to help the medical system as it struggles to deal with the coronavirus. Graham said his organization works in the name of Jesus so that those who are served would know that God cares for them and has not turned His back on them. Graham shared that Samaritans Purse recently set up a team also in New York, where 8,627 people have died from the new coronavirus. Graham added that the group loves and serves everyone, no matter who they are, and provides the best possible medical care. Asked about concerns some people have expressed on social media about Samaritans Purse being a Christian organization which believes in traditional marriage and is pro-life, Graham said his group shows the same love and compassion to gay and transgender people if they have coronavirus and need help. We are Christian; we are not equal opportunity employer, he clarified. The doctors and nurses are all Christians, he added. What motivates us is our faith in Jesus Christ. In February, the Scottish Event Campus and other facilities canceled events planned by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which Graham heads, for a summer visit to the U.K. due to his biblical view on homosexuality. Graham said that the blowback is not against me, its against God. The Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, he explained. Thats what I believe, he said and added that he doesnt compromise with his religious beliefs and will not change them. Earlier this month, Dr. K. Elliott Tenpenny, a medical doctor leading the Samaritan's Purse coronavirus response at a field hospital in Central Park in New York, said Americans need to treat the coronavirus as a serious disease. This is not something to think this is the end of the world, but it is not something thats also to dismiss, Tenpenny told The Christian Post at the site of the field hospital Thursday. 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. The world is now approaching two million COVID-19 cases; at last count, 1.93 million people had been infected, and over 120,000 have died. The world is now approaching two million COVID-19 cases; at last count, 1.93 million people had been infected, and over 120,000 have died. Some countries such as Spain, Austria and Italy are slowly easing lockdowns, but with major caveats; for example, only a few shops and business have opened in Italy, while the harder-hit areas remain on lockdown. Emmanuel Macron, the French president said that restrictions would start being lifted in May provided that the decrease in cases persisted and the public respected physical distancing regulations. Russia saw its second consecutive day with a record rise in cases - this time over 2,000 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, warned the country of testing weeks ahead. New York state now has over 10,000 deaths, however, the mayor Andrew Cuomo said that deaths and cases appear to be plateauing, indicating that the worst may be over. China has begun to report cases from the North part of the country now; Heilongjiang, which shares a border with Russia reported 79 cases on Tuesday. Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak in China, reported no new cases or deaths. China approves two vaccines for clinical trials Two new experimental vaccines, one by Sinovac Biotech and the other by China National Pharmaceutical Group, have been approved for human trials according to local media. According to China Daily, these experimental vaccines are the first inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to be accepted for clinical trials. This takes the total vaccines under trial in China to three; a firm called CanSino Bio, in partnership with the military, had started trials in March, which have now progressed to the second phase. Hydroxychloroquine study halted due to safety concerns A part of a trial to use hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 was withdrawn after patients in the high dosage group developed heart rhythm, or arrhythmia complications. After recruiting just 81 participants, researchers found that those who were being given a 600 mg dose twice daily were more likely to be showing signs of abnormal heart rhythm. Two patients developed severe cardiac problems before dying. While hydroxychloroquine has been touted by various governments as a possible cure, medical experts across the world have expressed caution. The antimalarial drug is largely considered safe but is known to exacerbate cardiac conditions. Sweden has asked hospitals not to use the drug for COVID-19 patients. Taiwan reports no new cases Taiwan, which has been praised for its management of COVID-19 so far, had more positive news today as no new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. This was the first time in over a month since no cases were reported; the last time was on March 9th. The country has 393 cases to date, along with six deaths. Health checks were started as early as the 31st of December on incoming passengers from China; this proactive measure has been credited for keeping the number of cases low. There is no national lockdown in the country, but masks are recommended in public and physical distance is observed. Anyone entering the country is quarantined for 14 days as well. For more information, read our article on Face covers to battle COVID-19. 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. More people die from COVID-19 when they live with polluted air. All over the world, people are shocked at the clear skies. From Vancouver, you can see mountains around Seattle. In China and India, you can see across the street. Pollution levels haven't been so low in decades. That includes levels of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, or PM2.5; a human hair is about 50 microns. PM2.5 was barely regulated until recently; the USA didn't even have a standard until 1997 and last revised it in 2012, lowering it to an average annual limit of 12 micrograms per cubic metre (12 g/m3) with a 24 hour standard of 35g/m3. The EPA says there is little to no risk under 12g/m3 and that between 12 and 35, "unusually sensitive individuals may experience respiratory symptoms." But it turns out that's not true, especially after COVID-19. Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection/Public Domain Nobody used to pay much attention to PM2.5 when we were swimming in pollution of all kinds, like these two smokers in Pittsburgh in 1940. As Damian Carrington of the Guardian wrote, "Dirty air has been with us for centuries previously, we simply lived with it and no one has yet had air pollution as a cause of death on their death certificate." But as smoking levels dropped and the air got cleaner, the thinking about PM2.5 evolved. It's now recognized that PM2.5 goes right through the lungs and into other organs. Prof Dean Schraufnagel tells Carrington that there is so much damage from it because it causes systemic inflammation. Immune cells think a [pollution particle] is a bacteria, go after it and try to kill it by releasing enzymes and acids. Those inflammatory proteins spread into the body, affecting the brain, the kidneys, the pancreas and so forth. In evolutionary terms, the body has evolved to defend itself against infections, not pollution. It turns out that there is really no safe level of pollution, and that it has a significant effect on how patients with COVID-19 react to the disease. A Harvard University study found that "an increase of only 1 g/m3 in PM2.5 is associated with a 15% increase in the COVID-19 death rate." Conclusions: A small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in COVID-19 death rate, with the magnitude of increase 20 times that observed for PM2.5 and all-cause mortality. The study results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Blue sky over Milan/ MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images Another study from the University of Siena looked at the deaths in Italy and concluded that there was a correlation between the death rate and the pollution levels. We provide evidence that people living in an area with high levels of pollutant are more prone to develop chronic respiratory conditions and suitable to any infective agent. Moreover, a prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to a chronic inflammatory stimulus, even in young and healthy subjects. We conclude that the high level of pollution in Northern Italy should be considered an additional co-factor of the high level of lethality recorded in that area. Blue skies in London/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Of course, we all know what we have to do to reduce pollution; you just have to look out the window. Take away the gasoline and diesel-powered cars and trucks, shut down fossil fuel-burning industries, and the pollution levels drop like a stone. Akshat Rathi of Bloomberg Green writes: The good news is that policymakers know what needs to be done: improving access to public transport, electrifying the transport fleet, raising regulations or pricing emissions on power plants and factories, and developing new technology alternatives to polluting industries, such as steel and cement. All of these measures lead to cleaner air (and lower carbon emissions). It's easy! . Waugh Thistleton Waugh Thistleton It's what we have been saying for years! Ban cars, build everything out of wood, build more transit, get a bike, electrify everything. And, since we know there is no safe level of particulate pollution, lower the levels allowed. Except that's not going to happen in the USA. The EPA just announced that it was not changing the standard. According to Gina McCarthy of the NRDC, This administration is passing up an opportunity to make the air cleaner for millions of Americanschoosing instead to do nothing. Thats indefensibleespecially amid a health crisis that is hitting people who live in communities with high levels of air pollution the hardest....This reckless decision is made even more egregious coming on the heels of two big pushes to make our air even dirtier just last weekrolling back vehicle emissions standards and giving industry a dont ask, dont tell' policy for air pollution during the pandemic. Now more than ever, our leaders should be protecting the American people, not the polluters who are making them sick. Meanwhile, in China, Bloomberg excitedly titles a post Car Boom in Wuhan Holds Out Hope for Post-Lockdown Recovery. If the stream of visitors to auto dealerships in Wuhan is any guide, the recovery of the car business in China and perhaps the world could be rapid. Companies in the city of 11 million, the original center of the coronavirus and the first to be sealed off, have been gradually opening their doors; officially, the lockdown there was lifted Wednesday. The strength of pent-up demand took some car dealers by surprise, with daily sales now running at levels seen before the economic freeze. I was pretty shocked, said Zhang Jiaqi, a sales representative at an Audi AG dealer in the Wuchang district of Wuhan, which is now recording purchases matching year-earlier levels. Its like a boom after a two-month dormancy. I thought sales would be frozen. One would hope that there would be a lesson or two to be learned from this worldwide lockdown, that not having all that pollution is really nice. That we don't have to accept the old TINA (There Is No Alternative) line. Global estimates of mortality associated with long-term exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter/CC BY 2.0 We have seen the data,showing 9 million people dying each year from PM2.5 pollution. Another study calculates that there were 103.1 million lost years of healthy life, and other studies showing a huge reduction in intelligence. "For the worst affected category, older men, the damage is equivalent to having spent a few less years in education, possibly due to inflammation of the brain. The average damage across men and women of all ages was one lost year of learning." In the US, they are having a debate about 'how fast can people get back to work?' vs. 'how many people dying is an acceptable number?' According to Jeff Stein in the Washington Post, Conservatives are saying, "We need to open our economy TODAY to prevent a great depression." They want business as usual. Blue skies over Los Angeles/ FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Nobody would be willing to go back to Pittsburgh in 1940. People in China don't want to go back to Beijing in 2019, with some complaining, "We should apply same amount of effort we put in containing the virus into things like promoting environmentally friendly cars, sorting garbage and planting more trees. People have learned that healthy food and clean industries are the most important things, not money. I am hoping that people will look out their windows and say they don't want business as usual. That they have seen clear skies and breathed clean air, and will get behind actions that keep it that way. Pham Van Tuan, country head of HR and GA of Japfa Comfeed Vietnam giving present to the head of the Vinh Phuc province military in charge of managing concentrated isolation areas in the province Specifically, yesterday (April 13), Japfa handed over 1 kg of clean chicken and 10 eggs to every household and every staff or solider who are doing their duty of self isolation in Phuong Lau village, Vinh Phuc province. The gifts have reached 319 households and 1,100 people. The company plans to extend similar support to Ha Loi village, Hanoi, where they will help 3,356 households and nearly 11,000 people in the next few days. Previously, Japfa has already supplied food to 1,100 people and staff, soliders in concentrated isolation areas in Vinh Phuc province, where the company is headquartered in the North. This campaign is expected to last to the end of the month. Phuong Lau and Ha Loi are the two villages have been quarantined after detecting numerous COVID-19 infections, many of whom visited Bach Mai Hospital over the last few weeks. In Vinh Phuc province, there is one case positive for the novel coronavirus, and 577 people who have came in contact with Bach Mai Hospital are isolated in health facilities, concentrated isolation areas, and at their homes. Meanwhile, Ha Loi village has reported 10 coronavirus-positive cases of April 13, and the whole village has already been quarantined. Do Hoang Tri, assistant general affairs manager, representative of Japfa factory in Binh Thuan province, presenting the representative of Dong Ha Village People's Committee with donations In addition to clean foodstuff from the company to meet the essential needs of people during the pandemic, Japfa Comfeed Vietnam also donated funds to the localities next to its factories and farms, including Dong Ha village (Binh Thuan province), Duc Linh District Central Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, An Vinh village (Thai Binh province), Van Luong village (Phu Tho province), and Tam Duong District People's Committee (Vinh Phuc province). As of the end of April, the company will supply a total of five tonnes of clean chicken and more than 40,000 eggs with the value of around VND450 million ($19,570) in these campaigns. In a talk with VIR, Pham Van Tuan, manager of human resources and administration of Japfa said, "We acknowledge that this is a tough time for Vietnam, and that it is necessary to share the burden with the community, especially with regards to the complicated epidemic situation in localities. Japfa wishes to stand side-by-side with citizens across the country and the hospital in dealing with this crisis. We hope that the efforts of Japfa and other businesses, along with the government, will help all of us pull through this crisis as soon and safely as possible." Three foreigners were among five patients allowed to leave a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday afternoon, as they had recovered from novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Out of the 54 cases diagnosed in the city, only nine are active now, according to data collected by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Among the patients undergoing treatment, a British pilot is in a critical condition at the Ho Chi Minh City for Tropical Diseases. The five discharged are patients No. 92, 124, 127, 143, and 158, said Dr. Nguyen Thanh Dung, director of the Cu Chi Makeshift Hospital. The hospital was established in Cu Chi, a suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City, to treat COVID-19 patients. The five will self-isolate at home for 14 more days and will be subject to more testing during this period, according to updated healthcare regulations. Patient No. 92 is a 21-year-old Vietnamese student and resides in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. He tested positive after returning to Vietnam from France. Patient No. 124 is a 52-year-old Brazilian man living in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. He visited the Buddha Bar & Grill in the district on the same day as the British pilot. At least 18 cases have been traced to this bar. Patient No. 127 is a 23-year-old of Vietnamese nationality, residing in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City. He worked as a waiter at the bar. Patient No. 143 is a 58-year-old woman from South Africa, staying in Tan Phu District. She was exposed to a COVID-19 patient before her arrival in Vietnam. Patient No. 158 is a 45-year-old Brazilian, staying in District 2. He was in contact with a confirmed patient at the bar. Vietnam has managed to treat 168 of its 265 patients, with no virus-related death having been recorded, according to the latest statistics. Infection rates have become slower over the past week, as the Southeast Asian country has announced only a few cases daily, apparently thanks to social distancing measures mandated by the central government. The prime minister will decide whether to extend the social distancing period, lasting from April 1 to 15, on Wednesday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We are living in unprecedented days. At such a time as this, I have found myself asking, Lord, in the middle of this global panic, what are You saying to Your people? Theres only one place to go to find an answer, and that is the infallible Word of God. The prophet Joel spoke to Gods people, Israel, during a time of economic crisis. A tiny army of locusts was devouring the land, destroying everything in their path. Today, we are living during the modern-day equivalent of this crisis. COVID-19 is a tiny virus. You cant see it with your eyes, yet it is sweeping across the globe and destroying everything in its path. In this context, the words of the prophet Joel serve as a warning: The crisis we are facing pales in comparison to the coming Day of Judgment. I believe that this crisis is Gods loving wake-up call to our nation and world. It is Gods loving warning. It is Gods gracious invitation. For if we are not prepared to deal with a virus, what will we do when we face the Day of Judgment? Read how God pleads with His people in Joel 2:12-13 how He pleads with us today: "Even now, declares the Lord,return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.Rend your heart and not your garments.Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love. Praise God, Joels prophetic words tell us what to do during times like these. Through this passage, Joel is saying to us, Dont waste this crisis. Dont waste this dress rehearsal. Let this be a reminder of the coming Day of Judgment when God will shake everything that can be shaken. Through this crisis, God is calling us to do things: 1. Tear away the idols from our hearts Ultimately, it is our hearts that need radical change, not our circumstances. It is our hearts that need transformation, not the economy. Have we placed our hope in money, possessions, or safety rather than in God? Is prayer something we only do when we are in trouble? Is worship something we only do when it is convenient? Our greatest need today is to rend our hearts to confess the idols we are clinging to instead of Christ. God wants us to be serious about acknowledging our personal idols and tearing them out of our hearts through repentance. Doing so will allow us to face any crisis, whether COVID-19 or the Day of Judgment, with confidence. Why? Because we are ready. We are prepared. This crisis is an opportunity for us all to turn to God and prepare our hearts to stand before Him before its too late. 2. Lead others to worship and bow down to the living God Now is the time to sound the alarm to every person who will listen. We must remind both the lukewarm and the lost about the shortness of our earthly lives and the endlessness of eternity. Smooth-talking or positive thinking will never adequately prepare people for the day when they will stand before God and give an account . . . for every empty word they have spoken (Matthew 12:36). I encourage believers everywhere to take this time to call your family around you for a time of prayer and repentance. Rededicate yourselves as a family to serving God. I know that as we so humble ourselves before Him, our Lord will respond and bring revival to our land. He longs to show mercy, and He responds to the genuine cries of His children. Let us never forget that. May God bless us, keep us, and draw us closer to Himself during this time of great shaking in our nation and world. Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg arrives for a Cabinet meeting in October. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP) The ambition of Jacob Rees-Moggs investment firm to make super normal returns for its clients from the coronavirus crisis have been criticised as grotesque and as sick as it comes by Labour party MPs. Newly installed Labour leader Keir Starmer said that nobody should be seeking to take advantage of the pandemic. We should all be asking ourselves what we can do for our country and each other, he said. In a note to clients last month, Somerset Capital Management said that the crisis was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to profit from stocks in emerging markets such as Brazil and South Africa. Though Rees-Mogg stepped back from his role at the firm when he became leader of the House of Commons in July 2019, he is still thought to own at least 15% of its shares. Read more: Debenhams to file for administration, putting 22,000 jobs at risk Market dislocations of this magnitude happen rarely, perhaps once or twice in a generation, and have historically provided excellent entry points for investors, a fund manager at Somerset wrote in a note. History has shown us that super normal returns can be made during this type of environment, they said. While fund managers often seek to invest during stock market downturns, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Somersets plans demonstrated the need for a tax on profiteers. This is about as sick as it comes. Profit seeking from suffering is nearly as low as you can get, he said. Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana called it grotesque, arguing that the crisis was a public health emergency, not a business opportunity. We should take any profits they make and invest it in our NHS, she said. In a statement, Oliver Crawley, a partner at Somerset Capital, said that his firms thoughts were with those suffering as a result of these tragic circumstances. Our fund managers investment commentary is focused on the valuations currently seen in the emerging markets, not the appalling human cost of the virus, and we sincerely hope these comments are not misconstrued as being unsympathetic, he said. Story continues As a firm we are supportive investors, that work with emerging market companies, while investing for the long-term future and security of our clients savings and pensions. Pro-remain lawyer Jolyon Maugham, who has often criticised Rees-Mogg for his position on Brexit, said on Sunday that the criticism was a bit silly. Read more: EasyJet founder warns airline 'will run out of money by August' [Somerset Capital] wants to invest in bombed out share prices, he said. This is actually a good thing as higher share prices will make it easier for those businesses to attract fresh capital and survive. Publicly available accounts for Somerset Capital show that it made 26.4m in operating profit in 2019, down from 34.1m in 2018. Members of the firm shared in some 19m of those profits last year, but it is not clear how much Rees-Mogg earned in dividend payments. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to stay at home -- and significantly reducing economic activity -- many businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and will likely continue grappling with the aftermath long after the outbreak ends. As a result, many of these companies will be forced to slash or suspend their dividend payouts as a way to save money, much to the dismay of their shareholders. However, other companies will handle the current economic climate just fine and will continue to reward their shareholders by way of dividend payouts throughout this crisis. Here are two dividend stocks that are unlikely to cut their payouts anytime soon: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW). A dividend you can bank on To income-oriented investors, Johnson & Johnson needs no introduction. The company is a Dividend Aristocrat, having increased its payouts for more than 50 consecutive years. However, Johnson & Johnson's history as a dividend stock isn't the only reason why I think the company is unlikely to slash its dividends anytime soon; let's consider two more reasons. First, the healthcare giant is handling the market crash better than most. Year to date, shares of Johnson & Johnson are down by 4.2%, compared to a 14.5% decline for the S&P 500. And that's not an accident. Johnson & Johnson's business revolves around marketing drugs -- many of them life-saving medicines -- which are one of the last things anyone would choose to cut back on, even in a recession. In short, Johnson & Johnson's revenue and earnings likely won't take a big hit as a result of the current economic climate. Second, Johnson & Johnson is one of the few companies with a AAA rating from Standard & Poor's, which is a sign of financial fortitude. The pharma giant is unlikely to run into serious financial troubles anytime soon. Of course, Johnson & Johnson isn't perfect, and investors should keep a few things in mind when it comes to this company. Most notably, Johnson & Johnson is currently facing scores of lawsuits. For instance, in January, New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson alleging that the company misled customers about the safety of its talcum-based baby powder. There are many more lawsuits Johnson & Johnson is currently handling, but the company has said these lawsuits won't have a significant material effect on its financial results. While I think investors should continue to monitor the development of Johnson & Johnson's legal troubles, the company's dividend will likely be safe despite these obstacles. Johnson & Johnson's current dividend yield is 4.7%, which compares favorably to that of the S&P 500 at 2.31%. Investors can be reasonably confident that the healthcare company won't cut its dividend payouts anytime soon. The ongoing outbreak won't hurt this REIT As a real estate investment trust (REIT), Medical Properties Trust is required to pay at least 90% of its taxable income as dividends. But that's not the only reason why I think this company won't cut its payouts in the near future. Medical Properties -- as its name suggests -- focuses primarily on healthcare facilities. In particular, Medical Properties' portfolio is comprised mostly of acute care hospitals; it includes about 389 facilities in the U.S. and several other countries, including the U.K. Given the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, many hospitals are taking in more patients than they otherwise would have. And while no one wishes for a public health crisis, the fact of the matter is that the current situation will likely result in Medical Properties' bottom line remaining intact. Thus, investors can be confident that Medical Properties' dividend is safe; the company currently offers a 5.7% dividend yield. Medical Properties' forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 16, and while that isn't exactly cheap, the company's valuation is more attractive now than it was at the beginning of the year as a result of the recent market correction. In short, for income-seeking investors looking for companies with dividends they can trust, now may be as good a time as any to consider purchasing shares of Medical Properties. Ukraine's An-225 Mriya, the world's largest transport aircraft, has delivered a record medical cargo from China to Poland - 100 tonnes, the press service of the Antonov Company has reported on Facebook. "On April 14, 2020, the An-225 Mriya plane transported a record amount of medical supplies to Poland's capital, Warsaw, from China as part of the fight against the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic," the report reads. It notes that in China, about 100 tonnes of medicines, laboratory tests, medical masks and other remedies were loaded into the aircraft. The arrival of the Ukrainian plane was broadcast online by the Warsaw airport. op It may sound unbelievable that even at a time when the entire world is in the grip of a pandemic some people still have time for untouchability! Police in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh has filed an FIR against a man who is lodged in a quarantine centre for allegedly refusing to eat food cooked by a Dalit. BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE The man, identified as Seraj Ahmad, a native of Bhujouli Khurd village of the district had returned to the village from Delhi where he used to work in a factory on March 29. Though he had not shown any symptoms of COVID-19, he along with four others were placed in a quarantine facility which was set up in a primary school in the village, PTI has reported. But on April 10, the village head, Lilawati Devi, who is a Dalit, went to the quarantine centre and prepared food for the five people lodged there as the cook was absent. However, Ahmad refused to have the food cooked by her, allegedly for Devi being a Dalit. BCCL The Telegraph reported that two of those housed in the quarantine centre refused to eat the food and went to their homes and came back after having meals there. This is a blatant violation of self-isolation norms under which any person who is under observation for COVID-19 is barred from meeting others, including their family to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. Later, Devi informed Sub-Divisional Magistrate Deshdeepak Singh and Block Development Officer Ramakant about the incident. She lodged a police complaint on Sunday, they added. Station House Officer (SHO) Khadda police station R K Yadav said a case has been filed against Ahmad under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Following the incident, Vijay Dubey the local MLA went to the house of Devi on Sunday evening and asked her to serve him food cooked by her. Untouchability is a social evil that cannot be tolerated at any cost, the MLA said. Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded a total of 558 COVID-19 cases out of which 504 are under treatment. BCCL Following the lockdown which was announced last month, the state saw a massive influx of migrant workers from cities like Delhi, which triggered fears of the infection spreading rapidly. This had forced the state authorities to place everyone who had recently returned to the state in isolation, irrespective of them showing any symptoms. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The state Department of Health this week released the number of nursing home deaths related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, broken down county by county. As of Monday, nursing homes in Richmond County reported 87 deaths, while adult care facilities have reported 18 deaths, for a total of 105 data shows. Ranking at the top of the list is Queens with a total of 603 deaths, followed by the Bronx with 463, Kings County (Brooklyn) with 364, Nassau with 318 and Suffolk with 252. In total, 2,722 deaths have been reported at facilities statewide. Its in every nursing home, said Jon Goldberg, spokesman for Archcare nursing homes in New York. Theres absolutely no way to contain it, no matter how hard they try." State officials said Tuesday the numbers ultimately will be broken down by nursing home after a thorough count of the data submitted by the 600 or so nursing homes in New York. We just want to go through the data and make sure were not releasing any potential personal information and as soon as thats done, it will be made available for people," said Jim Malatras, president of SUNY Empire State College, who was asked about the data at Gov. Andrew Cuomos daily press conference. In terms of the total number of residents infected, a lack of testing has made it impossible to know. The key is testing, Goldberg said. And even then, its an uphill battle to stop the spread after the state in March mandated that nursing homes re-admit residents for self-quarantine after they test positive at a hospital for the virus. Heres our read of the data if we are mistaken please let us know. 30% of Covid deaths on Staten Island have been at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, making Richmond County's fatality percentage the highest borough in NYC. This is as per April 12, 2020 at 5 PM. pic.twitter.com/i9MhEmj0ve Jimmy Oddo (@HeyNowJO) April 14, 2020 Outbreaks occur due to the combination of the behavior of this virus and the unique threat it presents to the people we care for older adults with multiple underlying health conditions," said Stephen Hanse, CEO and president of the New York Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living. Staff at some facilities on Staten Island have expressed concerns recently over inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). One nurse described the conditions as a med-surg unit without the equipment. For most providers, they are shifting to a containment strategy, so they can provide the highest level of protection to their staff and residents," Hanse said. Even with precautions in place, the virus is infecting both residents and staff. 'Meitei Lengyan', a traditional Manipuri scarf, worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on Tuesday grabbed much attention especially in the northeastern state. While announcing that the coronavirus-triggered lockdown has been extended till May 3, the prime minister was wearing the stole, also known as "Leiroom phee" and used mainly by men. Modi also changed the profile picture of his official Twitter handle to one showing him using the Lengyan as a facemask. Presented to guests at ceremonies, the scraf comes in different colours and generally has a wide red border. Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla, Chief Minister N Biren Singh, opposition Congress spokesman Ningombam Bupenda Meitei and common people noted with happiness that the prime minister had donned the Lengyan, considered a cultural symbol of the state. "I was very happy to see it. It shows our prime minister cares for the Northeast," Heptulla said. The chief minister tweeted: "My sincere appreciation and salute to the Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji for using Manipuri Meitei Lengyan which is a traditionally and culturally symbolic one, while addressing the nation today. "It shows how much our PM loves and care for the NE particularly Manipur." Singh also shared a photograph of Modi using the Lengyan as a facemask. Thanking Modi for extending the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to fight against coronavirus, the CM said, "We will follow his will, vision and advice in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19 outbreak. #IndiaFightsCorona #StayHomeStaySafe." State Congress spokesman Ningombam Bupenda Meitei also felt "proud" that the prime minister chose a Manipuri muffler during his address. "Proud to see Prime Minister @narendramodi ji wearing our traditional Meitei muffler while addressing nation today," he said in a tweet. Several people of Manipur also took to Twitter. "People talk about diversity and this man @narendramodi actually practices. He wore the same shawl on Independence Day during his address at the Red Fort too," said Monika Indugam. Some people also wanted to know how to get a Meitei Lengyan, while someone offered to contribute Rs 20,000 in the PM-Cares fund to get the scarf Modi was wearing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On April 13, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged a former executive of a financial services company with orchestrating a bribery scheme to help a client to win a government contract to build and operate an electrical power plant in the Republic of Ghana, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The SEC's complaint filed today alleges that Asante Berko, a former executive of a foreign -based subsidiary of a U.S. bank holding company, arranged for his firm's client, a Turkish energy company, to funnel at least $2.5 million to a Ghana-based intermediary to pay illicit bribes to Ghanaian government officials in order to gain their approval of an electrical power plant project. The complaint further alleges that Berko helped the intermediary pay more than $200,000 in bribes to various other government officials, and that Berko personally paid more than $60,000 to members of the Ghanaian parliament and other government officials. According to the complaint, Berko took deliberate measures to prevent his employer from detecting his bribery scheme, including misleading his employer's compliance personnel about the true role and purpose of the intermediary company. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges Berko with violating Section 30A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the anti-bribery provision of the FCPA. The SEC is seeking monetary penalties against Berko among other remedies. The SEC's case is being handled by Asita Obeyesekere and Paul G. Block of the FCPA Unit and Kathleen Shields, Mark Albers, and Marty Healey of the Boston Regional Office. Americans are starting to receive stimulus payments that Congress hopes will energize the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost three weeks after the $2 trillion stimulus package authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was signed into law, the IRS announced that the process of distributing the $1,200 checks had begun. "The idea is if the economy is down, people don't have as much money in their pockets. They're very likely to spend that (stimulus check) money instead of saving it, so that money is going to help the economy," said Till Von Wachter, a professor of economics and faculty director of the California Policy Lab at UCLA. "The hope is it is not only good for workers and families who may have extra expenses during this crisis, but it may also help to stimulate the economy by increasing demand." Before people can spend that money, however, it has to actually arrive in their bank accounts, and many have been wondering whether they will qualify for the aid package, how much money they might receive, and what steps they need to take to ensure their payments will be processed. Here is a primer on how the stimulus checks will work, and whether you need to do anything to receive one. When will my payment arrive? According to an online post from Michigan democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, the IRS will make its first round of payments beginning this week to people who filed their 2018 or 2019 tax returns with direct deposit information. About 60 million checks are expected to be included in this wave. After that, a second round of payments will be made "hopefully within 10 days," Dingell wrote to Social Security recipients who did not file tax returns but provided direct deposit information in their other benefits forms, which Dingell said should cover nearly 99% of Social Security beneficiaries. As soon as this week, if it is not on file already, Americans will be able to provide the Internal Revenue Service with direct deposit information so they can receive their stimulus checks. On Tuesday, the Get My Payment link to sign up for direct deposit and to track the arrival of the stimulus money was not yet live. Soon after Congress passed the $2 trillion economic stimulus bill last month, the IRS said it was working on an online portal that would allow taxpayers, once verified, to find out the status of their checks and, if necessary, to provide their banking information for direct deposit. Initially, it wasnt expected to be done until the end of April. The payouts of up to $1,200 can be deposited directly within days once the IRS receives the needed bank information, the Treasury has said. A third round of payments will begin the first week of May, when the IRS will start mailing paper checks to those for whom the government does not have direct deposit information. Dingell said the checks will be mailed in reverse adjusted gross income order starting with people with the lowest income first. Reportedly 5 million paper checks will be issued each week. Also, there is still time for those who havent yet filed their taxes or who typically dont have to. The IRS economic impact payments will remain available throughout 2020. Am I eligible, and how much money will I receive? According to the IRS, you must be a U.S. resident with a work-eligible Social Security number to receive the $1,200 payment (or $2,400 to married couples who file joint tax returns). Full payments are distributed to those with an adjusted gross income of up to: $75,000 for individuals. $112,500 for head of household tax filers. $150,000 for married couples who file their taxes together. A reduced payment of varying amounts will be distributed to those with an adjusted gross income between: $75,000 and $99,000 for individuals or married couples who file their taxes separately. $112,500 and $136,500 for head of household filers. $150,000 and $198,000 for married couples who file their taxes together. Anyone who exceeds those upper limits will not be eligible. Also, anyone who was claimed as a dependent on someone's return i.e. children, students, older dependents is not eligible either. A detailed list of eligible recipients can be found on the IRS website. For recipients in the "reduced payment" group, the payment will be reduced by $5 for each $100 of adjusted gross income they report above the $75,000, $112,500 and $150,000 thresholds, according to the IRS website. For example, if an individual has an adjusted gross income of $85,000, their stimulus check will be $700. Do I need to do anything to receive a check? For most people, no. The IRS is determining eligible recipients through 2019 federal tax returns. For people who have not yet filed their 2019 taxes, the government will look at their 2018 returns instead. From there, the stimulus checks will be automatically deposited into the same bank accounts used on the filed return. Once a payment is made, the IRS will also mail a letter of notice to the taxpayer's last known address within 15 days. If your bank account information has changed since your last tax filing, the IRS is expected to have an online portal launched soon that will allow people to update their banking information. People for whom the IRS does not have bank account information will be mailed paper checks to the address used on their tax return. The IRS also launched a new site largely targeted at low-income people, the homeless and others who it is feared may fall through the cracks in distributing the money is for people who: had gross income that did not exceed $12,200 for an individual or $24,400 for married couples for 2019; were not otherwise required to file a federal income tax return for 2019; and didnt plan to, the IRS said. Using the portal, people can submit basic personal information to the IRS, including full names and Social Security numbers for themselves and any spouse or children in the home, mailing address and bank account information for direct deposit. New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank, estimates that 12 million non-filers may fall into that category. The portal is separate from the soon-to-be-launched Get My Payment portal that the IRS is creating for people who filed their taxes but did not get a tax refund through direct deposit. What if Im on Social Security or dont file annual taxes? Some people, such as Social Security recipients or those with little or no income, aren't required to fill out annual tax returns. In those cases, the IRS is using other methods to determine eligible recipients and issue payments. Most won't have to do anything extra. For people who are already receiving Social Security retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, or Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefits, the IRS will use whatever bank account or address was included in those forms to issue the new $1,200 payment. However, people who havent filed taxes in 2018 or 2019 and are also not on Social Security will have to do some work. See above: Last week, the IRS set up a non-filers application to ensure information from that segment of the population is collected and used to distribute the stimulus checks. What if I have kids? If a person is eligible for a stimulus check, they will also receive an additional $500 for each of their qualifying children under the age of 17. For children with divorced or unmarried parents, the additional $500 payment will be sent to the parent who claimed the child as a dependent on their 2019 tax return. These rules have seemingly excluded most of one group from receiving payments: older high school and college students who still count as dependents of their parents. For normal filing tax returns, parents can claim their children as a dependent if they are under 19 years old or a student who is under the age of 24. But under the CARES Act, any dependents between 17 and 24 are too old to qualify for the $500 payment. Is this a one-time payment? For now, yes. If there is to be another wave of similar economic relief payments, Congress will have to pass new legislation. Whether or not direct stimulus checks would be included again is unclear. According to Von Wachter, the CARES Act addresses many short-term needs through expanded unemployment benefits and loan programs for small businesses in addition to the stimulus checks. However, if the economy continues to struggle for an extended period, "a phase two might involve a bit more belt-tightening," Von Wachter said, and require different actions from the government. Does my stimulus check count as taxable income? Some good news here: No, it does not. It's simply a bit of extra money at a time most people can use it. Iran on April 13 reported 111 new fatalities from COVID-19 taking the nationwide toll to 5,485, international media reported citing the Iranian health ministry. Iran, which is the worst affected nation in the middle east has till now reported nearly 73,303 cases of coronavirus out of which 45, 983 have recovered. According to Health Ministry spokesman, Kiannoush Jaanpore, there were 1,617 new cases reported on April 13, 2020. The trend of relatively stable and decreasing new cases of contamination, which has been observed in recent days, has also continued over the past 24 hours, he said in a televised conference. He further said that all people must always continue to avoid unnecessary travel to avoid contracting the deadly COVID-19 infection. 'Iran did it better' This comes as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on April 11 said that while Europe was facing the only coronavirus, Iran has been grappling with both, COVID-19 as well as 'sanctions' imposed on it. Speaking further he said, however, both the viruses have been defeated by solidarity among Iranian people, international media reported. The virus which originated in Wuhan, China has now spiralled to infect 881,110 across Europe and kill 76,768 across the continent. Read: Senior US Diplomat Says Threat To American Troops From Iran Remains significant Read: Rouhani Says Iran Battling COVID-19 Along With Virus Of Sanctions Speaking at the Anti Coronavirus Headquarters meetings, the Iranian leader reportedly compared the death rate in Europe with that of Iran and said that "Iran had done better". The President also announced that low risk activities, after receiving authorization code, would be allowed to resume in the capital city Tehran from April 25 after observing health protocols. On the other hand, US President Donald Trump, which imposed heavy sanctions on Iran had expressed no objection with European countries sending medical aid to Iran. US-Iran relationship became strained after Trump imposed sanctions on the Shiite nation accusing it of developing nuclear weapons. Previously, US' Secretary of States Mike Pompeo had said that they had offered humanitarian assistance" to the Islamist republic adding that he regrets that they had declined the proposal. Read: 44 Indian Evacuees From Iran Successfully Complete Covid Isolation In Mumbai Naval Outpost Read: Rouhani Says Iran Battling COVID-19 Along With Virus Of Sanctions (Image credits: AP) Beginning today, students at St. Albert Catholic Schools will again have required homework. The school system is starting a new at-home learning program that will be required for students. St. Albert Catholic Schools, along with the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Des Moines, will be following a required track for all students prekindergarten through grade 12 so all students will be earning grades and credit for the duration of the closure, St. Albert said in a press release. This determination has been made after recommendations from the Council Bluffs Area Board of Catholic Education, St. Albert Catholic Schools and the Diocese of Des Moines. St. Albert wanted to maintain its academic rigor to provide students with (an) opportunity for continued educational growth and development, said JoAnn Jensen, director of enrollment and school relations. Our school system is known for providing academic opportunities to our students beginning in our early childhood programs, she said. Lessons will draw from various online materials approved by St. Albert, the press released stated. Heartland Christian is also providing for-credit instruction, Executive Director Larry Gray said when the extension was announced. Our distance learning is mandatory K-12th grade for students to receive grades and credits for completed work towards grade advancement and credits toward graduation, he said. The school uses Zoom, Google Hangout and video to reach out to students Gray said. Teachers also prepare packets of materials for parents to pick up. The program is going well with minimal complaints, and we will continue the program as long as we are in the midst of a shutdown, he said. Council Bluffs and Lewis Central Community School Districts are continuing to offer voluntary noncredit distance learning opportunities. In order to be approved for a required participation model, school districts have to support a format that would be equal to what we were offering to all students before we were closed, Lewis Central Superintendent Eric Knost said in a letter to staff and families last week. Lewis Central CSD and the vast majority of other districts in Iowa are simply not capable of emulating our traditional school rigor with all the needed assurances of equal opportunities for student engagement in these current conditions. Additionally, while we have many families capable of focusing on our current enrichment learning opportunities, we are also aware of families who are focused primarily on surviving, he wrote. These are trying times for so many, and for a multitude of reasons there are people who are struggling. The social and emotional needs of many families are paramount right now, and its more than complicated to figure out what school needs to look like in a home setting. Regardless, as we stay the current course, we plan to be there for all students and families to the best of our abilities, and we will do everything imaginable to ensure an effective transition back to normalcy, Knost continued. Also, if our schools were to be closed for the remainder of the year, we hope to fine-tune a plan to provide additional optional learning opportunities for our high school students who may be interested in credit recovery for trimester 3. We have asked for the states blessing on this idea and, if granted, more information and details will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Council Bluffs Superintendent Vickie Murillo encouraged parents to have students take advantage of the materials available for voluntary at-home learning. While student completion of the recommended material is not required at this time, it will keep your child in a routine of learning and prepare them to pick up where they left off before we closed, she said. Our voluntary at-home learning website continues to be updated regularly with new activities for students, so please take time to visit it at cb-schools.org/at-home-learning. Our district curriculum specialists will adjust the curriculum so that students have every opportunity when we return to school to learn the standards required for their grade level and for each subject, Murillo continued. This will allow students to move to the next grade level, even if we are not able to return to school this year. Specific guidance will be provided at the end of the month separately to seniors who are preparing for graduation. Links to information and hotlines can be found on the districts website at cb-schools.org. Hundreds of companies across the United States are reinventing themselves to make equipment that is desperately needed to treat the coronavirus. That so many American manufacturers are rising to meet this pandemic with little coordination from the federal government reveals a deep altruism in our national character. It also reveals something else: Our country is unable to meet an immediate need for critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment in the face of a crisis. The absence of adequate domestic production capacity for things like face shields and respirators, coupled with the frailty of on-demand global supply chains and our utter reliance on them for everything from the ingredients in our medications to parts of breathing machines has left us dangerously exposed during an international health emergency. Mohawk Fine Papers and its United Steelworkers employees are shifting to medical gown and mask production. American Giant and other garment manufacturers are scaling up the production of medical-grade masks. Companies from Budweiser to Ford are churning out hand sanitizer and ventilators. These instances of private sector action are inspiring, but they wont be enough. Our policymaking is still behind the curve. President Trump is starting to selectively use the Defense Production Act, a law from the Korean War era that allows the president not only to order businesses to prioritize the manufacture of items deemed crucial to national security but also to subsidize them. This is something he should have done many weeks ago, and even still hes mostly invoking it haphazardly with companies that draw his ire. SINN Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has confirmed that she has tested positive for coronavirus. She was tested on March 28 and received a positive diagnosis yesterday. Read More Ms McDonald said: "The Public Health Doctor informs me that I am no longer infected or infectious, and this is a great relief after weeks of being very unwell. I had a setback in my recovery at the weekend and developed post-viral pleurisy in my right lung. "I am on medication and responding very well, and I fully expect to be back at work next Monday." Her statement continued: My thoughts and solidarity are with everyone who is sick at this time, and my gratitude is with our Doctors, nurses, carers and everyone who looks after us. My sympathy is with every bereaved family. I am heartbroken for you. My appeal to everyone is to stay safe, stay home and stay apart. You do not want to get this virus." She thanked people for their good wishes saying: "Your kindness is much appreciated and I'll be back next week. There is much work to be done - Ireland must change for the better. It was September 2018, when Benny Gantz announced that he would be entering the political fray. His decision gave new life to the Israeli center-left. Gantz brought with him the aura of a former chief of staff. He was the leader that people were waiting for: someone who could finally end Benjamin Netanyahus long tenure in the prime ministers office. Many compared him to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, another chief of staff who decided to enter politics. Then, in 1999, Barak defeated Netanyahu at the ballot box. Barak made his entry into politics by way of the Labor party. After a brief period as a Knesset member and minister, he was elected head of the party by a huge majority, and levered that position to win the election. By 2018, the polls were hardly flattering for the Labor party. Then Gantz appeared, and it felt as if a new messiah was finally on his way. Netanyahu announced a new election toward the end of that year, so the Labor party leadership sent a slew of messages to Gantz, asking him to join them. It was a tempting offer. He would leapfrog over the other contenders and immediately become party leader. But Gantz chose another path. He preferred to launch a new party, unencumbered by a veteran party establishment, a central committee, and a party membership with inordinate influence. His first original party was called Israel Resilience, later to merge with two other parties and form Blue and White. Labor never became part of Blue and White. Only now does it seem like Gantz and his Blue and White party are about to consolidate with Labor. On April 6, Gantz and Labor party chairman Amir Peretz announced that they were taking the initial steps to merge their two parties. This followed Peretzs announcement that he was dissolving the Labor partys alliance with the left-wing Meretz party, an alliance of convenience made right before the March election. In their joint announcement, Gantz and Peretz said that as a first stage in this merger, their respective parties would cooperate and coordinate all their activities. This would be followed by a period of dialogue, intended to lay the groundwork for what they called political cooperation and preparations for future elections. What this meant in practical terms was that they were contemplating the creation of a new bloc, or perhaps even a full merger of their parties. For many veteran Labor party members, this merger seems like the most natural thing in the world, both in terms of ideology and personnel. Peretz himself said as much: I consider this process to be of the utmost importance. All the many components of the Labor party can be found in the Israel Resilience party. I see Avi Nissenkorn, Hili Tropper, Michael Bitton, Meirav Cohen and Alon Schuster [all Knesset members who were once part of the Labor party or who share a similar ideology]. We will be a large faction, able to respond to the needs of many different sectors of the population. We will have a much greater impact on the Knesset. The move was opposed by Merav Michaeli, member of the Labor party in the current Knesset. She responded to the decision by saying, You dont throw out the party of Ben-Gurion, [Yitzhak] Rabin and [Shimon] Peres just to get two Cabinet portfolios: one for Peretz and another for [Itzik] Shmuli. They are relying on the idea that the members of the Labor party, the vast majority of whom oppose the move, will quit. This move can only mean one thing. There is no more Labor party. The problem is that while the leaders of the Labor party may have led the country at its inception and for many years after that, the party was all but erased in the last three elections. In the first of these, in April 2019, the party won just six seats, after most of its voters abandoned it for Gantzs Blue and White party. Despite its merger with the Gesher list before the September 2019 election, the party continued to shrink, winning just five seats. Shortly before the election lin March, it avoided total obliteration by running as a joint list with Meretz. In the end, even this barely succeeded. Just three Labor party members managed to squeeze into the current Knesset. The current debate within the Labor party is pragmatic. The party is trying to figure out how to save itself. At the same time, however, it is also ideological, wavering between two distinct approaches. The first is the security-oriented Rabin approach. It is more cautious diplomatically, and usually classified as centrist. Then there is the left-wing flank of the Labor party, once represented by Yossi Beilin, one of the people behind the Oslo Accord. As long as the party was led by a security hawk like Rabin or Barak, the balance between these approaches was clear. This granted the party the legitimacy it needed to pursue diplomatic policies associated with the left, like the Oslo Accord or the withdrawal from Lebanon. On the other hand, when the party was led by someone identified with the left such as Shimon Peres in the 1990s, Amram Mitzna in 2003, Amir Peretz himself in 2006 or Shelly Yachimovich in 2013 the party failed to offer an alternative to the government in power. Its greatest achievement in the last decade occurred in the 2015 election, when the party won 24 seats. This can be attributed to Labor running together with Tzipi Livnis centrist Hatnua party. Labors leader at the time was Isaac Herzog, a Rabinist security hawk. Nevertheless, the party remained in the opposition, because of opposition among the partys left-wing flank (headed by Yachimovich) to the prospect of joining Netanyahu in a unity government. Now, the Labor party is engaged in a process of self-flagellation over its past mistakes. Even Yachimovich now supports joining the new coalition. Just five years earlier, she was virulently opposed to any government with Netanyahu. In a letter to Labor party members, Secretary-General Eran Hermoni tried to lay out the practical and ideological grounds for what the party was experiencing. He wrote that as a result of the election, the party lost its historic position as an alternative to the governing party, even if this is only temporary. Israelis need a center-left Zionist alternative to the current government. Cooperation between the Labor and Blue and White parties has the potential to achieve this in the future. Labor must join the coalition together with Gantz in order to boost its strength in the government when contending against the right; to have an impact on the unity governments diplomatic, economic and democratic agendas; and to lay the groundwork for long-term strategic cooperation with Gantz. This offers the Labor party its best chance to return to the forefront of the political map. His letter also mentioned late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, noting how he tipped the scales in favor of unity in the 1980s. One senior member of the Labor party told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that even in the past, the party joined forces with rival camps in order to boost its strength. As he put it, If it is to be a meaningful alternative, the strength of the Labor party must come from the center. The Labor party shifted too far to the left and rejected the notion of consolidation. As a result, it was all but erased. A party that wants to be an alternative to the right-wing government must unite several sectors and groups, such as the kibbutzim and agricultural settlements, professional and labor unions, veteran Labor party supporters from across the generations and the middle class. By moving too far to the left, it lost some of these groups. The only way to mend this is by consolidating with the Blue and White party. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that Labor was once an integral part of the establishment. That all changed in 2011, when it became part of the opposition by choice. The result of this was a state of atrophy and the loss of a cadre of experienced, involved leaders in the corridors of power. It resulted in a loss of experience in government. One senior Labor official pointed out that while Gantz may not be Rabin, he certainly has the personality to unite former Labor supporters and return the party to power. The first step to achieve this would be a unity government, which he pointed out, is not a rude word. Once the party achieves that, it can even consider forming a center-left government. At the same time, the organizational strength of the Labor party could help Blue and White, which lacks local branches and suffers from a dearth of party activists. It can enlist its political experience to provide Gantz with a functioning and well-organized framework with which to run. It may even offer a tradition of internal democracy, which is so lacking in the Blue and White party. A husband accused of bludgeoning his wife to death told police she had asked him to move out because he was suffering from coronavirus, a court heard today. Hussein Egal, 65, allegedly murdered 57-year-old Maryan Ismail at their Plevna Road flat in Edmonton, north London on April 6. Ms Ismail was pronounced dead, having suffered multiple serious injuries. Egal appeared in court via a video link from HMP Belmarsh wearing a light brown top and sat with arms folded throughout the hearing as an interpreter relayed proceedings to him. Hussein Egal, 65, allegedly murdered Maryan Ismail, 57, at their Plevna Road flat in Edmonton, north London on April 6. He appeared in court via a video link from custody in HMP Belmarsh With help from an interpreter, the defendant confirmed his identity to the court. Concerned neighbours contacted police some time after 6pm, the Old Bailey heard. Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said: When police went to the defendants flat, they found his wife. She was dead and had been for some time. She had suffered multiple serious injuries. The defendant was interviewed under caution. He stated his wife had asked him to move out as he was suffering from coronavirus. Egal is charged with murder and has been remanded in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on June 14. Judge Katz set a plea and case management hearing for June 30. Five terrorist associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba were arrested in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Tuesday. Arms and ammunition were recovered based on disclosures made by them, the police said. Security forces nabbed five terrorist associates belonging to LeT on Monday night, a police official said. Incriminating materials, including five hand grenades, one under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) and one UBGL grenade, were recovered at their instance, he said. Further investigation is underway, the police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michael W Smith leads worship in NYC's Central Park: Where are you God in midst of plague? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Legendary worship leader Michael W. Smith co-hosted an Easter worship service alongside Christian evangelist Franklin Graham in New York City's Central Park on Sunday. At the event broadcast nationally on Fox News, Graham and Smith stood at the center of a field hospital Samaritan's Purse built adjacent to Mount Sinai Hospital in Central Parks East Meadow to help care for patients during the city's COVID-19 outbreak. We have patients in this hospital, and some are struggling for every breath that they take. This is a very dangerous virus, Graham stressed. Before introducing Smith, Graham said the musician has been a longtime friend of the family and a close friend of his late father, Billy Graham. Smith kicked off worship with his song, Sovereign Over Us. Following the song he somberly shared a message of encouragement. Here we are America, and everyone watching around the world and here we are, where calamity and hope collide and where your sin and mine collide as well, Smith said. Seated in front of his keyboard, Smith said he was on the ground where the battle is perhaps fiercest against this foe we all face in common. I think about Jesus when He was hanging on the cross, on another collision course, Heaven and Hell, life and death, he said. There was a moment when Jesus cried out 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And I think many of you out there [are] probably asking the same thing. With suffering and death touching everyone alike, you might be saying the same thing. 'Where are you, God? Where are you in the midst of this plague? The Nashville-based musician said while he doesnt have all the answers, he's keeping himself focused on the resurrection of Jesus. Today is a celebration of the greatest love story, the world has ever known. When God Himself gave the Son, He sent to Earth to show the world what love is, only to die on the cross for the sin of all, Smith declared. Jesus endured the suffering of the cross because He knew that it was temporary. Three days later, He would overcome death, and bring hope to all who believe, he added. Taking more measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the otherwise dry state of Bihar has finally banned khaini, a smokeless tobacco meant for chewing, in public places. On April 13, Sanjay Kumar, Bihar's principal secretary health, issued an order outlawing spitting in public places after chewing smokeless tobacco products, paan masala and other tobacco items that increase saliva and trigger a very strong urge to spit. Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are other states that have imposed a ban on tobacco consumption. Representational Image Offenders will be liable to six months of imprisonment. With this order, all spaces in Bihar, private or public, will be declared tobacco-free zones. The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has also appealed to people to refrain from consuming smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also stated that gutkha and khainee are the primary causes of cancer in Bihar. Other states such as Uttar Pradesh had banned tobacco products in March. Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Awanish K Awasthi on March 24 informed that the state government is planning to ban tobacco products including pan masala to restrict people from spitting in public places. Representational Image "Manufacturing, sale and storage of pan masala is being banned in the state till further orders," Food Security Commissioner Ministhy S said in an order. "Spitting pan masala can help in spreading Covid-19." UP had banned "gutkha" on April 1, 2013, she said, adding that those violating orders will be dealt strictly according to the law. Rajasthan has also banned spitting pan and consumption of tobacco in public places in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia submits to oil output cut after US threat Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 7:44 AM OPEC and other large oil producers led by Russia have approved a deal to cut output, after the US threatened to take measures against Saudi Arabia over its crude price war with Moscow. The deal, agreed late Sunday, is aimed at boosting oil prices that have fallen to a more than 18-year low amid the coronavirus pandemic which has destroyed demand for fuel. OPEC+, a grouping including OPEC and allies, said it had agreed to cut output by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) for May and June. According to OPEC+ sources, the total global oil cuts could amount to more than 20 million bpd, or 20 percent of global supply, effective May 1. Total global reductions will include steeper voluntary cuts by some OPEC+ members and strategic stocks purchases by the world's largest consumers. The signing of the deal had been delayed since Thursday after Mexico refused to agree to its share of the reductions proposed by OPEC+. OPEC+ sources said non-members Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Norway and the US would contribute to the cuts. President Donald Trump hailed the deal which he desperately pushed for because low prices have been wreaking a havoc with US shale industry which involves higher costs. Trump took to Twitter to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Salman for the deal. "I just spoke to them... Great deal for all," he wrote. The US president had threatened Riyadh with oil tariffs and other measures if it did not fix the oil market's problem of oversupply. A group of 13 US senators from oil producing states had served Saudi Arabia a portentous warning, saying the kingdom would lose its lifeline on Capitol Hill and face anti-Saudi legislation flourishing if it did not agree to a cut. The senators called Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud last month and said that they would "not only reevaluate, but take actions" regarding relations with the kingdom. Disagreements between Saudi Arabia and Russia led to the collapse of a meeting of OPEC and its allies known as OPEC+ last month aimed at extending oil cuts previously agreed on by OPEC members. "The American oil industry may have dodged a bullet," the New York Times wrote. According to the paper, Russia and Saudi Arabia had hoped to undercut American producers but with the Sunday agreement, they retreated from pushing "the gamble". "Hopefully, the American oil industry has avoided a worst-case scenario," Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy and Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the paper. "There still will be bankruptcies, but for the time being, the fears that there would be a wholesale destruction of the industry can now be put aside, because the worst of the price war has passed," he added. Shale industry directly and indirectly employs nearly 10 million Americans. The surge in US production in recent years has reduced dependence on foreign oil, and lowered prices at the gas pump for consumers. The specter of a complete free-fall of oil prices into the single digits and falling demand for oil around the world had driven Trump into the alarm mode. He is already under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic which put all 50 states under a major disaster declaration for the first time in US history on Saturday. With all doors seemingly shut, the US turned to Saudi Arabia - its most submissive ally in the Middle East -, browbeating it into an output cut. American companies now appear to have avoided a collapse, but they are not out of the woods. The collapse in economic activity caused by the coronavirus has reduced demand by an estimated 30 million to 35 million barrels a day, according to international energy agencies and oil consultants. "Falling demand for oil around the world may cause American oil exports, which reached more than 3 million barrels a day last year, to dry up almost completely," the Times wrote. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China is grappling with increase in imported coronavirus cases after stamping out the disease from its epicentre Wuhan as it has reported 89 new infections and the rise in asymptomatic patients, posing a serious concern for the authorities, health officials said on Tuesday. The COVID-19 cases have been increasing again after China managed to contain the first wave of infections as hundreds of Chinese nationals returned home from various countries, including European nations, the US, Russia and Iran to escape the fallout of the pandemic. China's National Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Tuesday said that 89 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including three local infections, were reported in the country on Monday. All three new locally transmitted cases were reported in Guangdong Province, it said. The officials said 2,000 Chinese nationals were brought home in 16 chartered flights. All of the new arrivals are being screened in different cities other than Beijing. China has banned the entry of foreign nationals by cancelling all existing visas. As of Monday, China has reported a total of 1,464 imported cases of which 905 are still undergoing treatment. Worrying proposition for Chinese health officials are the growing number of asymptomatic cases which climbed to 1,005 with 54 new cases. Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested positive for the novel coronavirus but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. They are infectious and pose a risk of spreading to others. The overall confirmed cases in China had reached 82,249 by Monday, including 3,341 people who died of the disease, 1,170 patients still being treated and 77,738 people discharged after recovery, NHC said. By Monday, 1,009 confirmed cases, including four deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong, 45 confirmed cases in the Macao and 393 in Taiwan, including six deaths, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Considering the increase of the recurring COVID-19 cases, a high-powered committee to control the virus headed by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for stringent measures to control the spread. Noting the recurring sporadic cases in certain localities, the meeting called for keeping up community-level containment, an official statement said. "It required that all control measures be enforced down to each household and individual and applied to Chinese and foreigners in the same way, to avert the further spread of infection," it said. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic Also read: Coronavirus: ADB triples COVID-19 response package size to $20 billion Also read: PM Modi Speech Live Updates: Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0! Prime Minister begins his nationwide address 107-year-old Turkish patient beats coronavirus After receiving treatment for coronavirus, the patient was discharged with applauds from the hospital and taken to her home for isolation A 107-year-old Turkish woman on Tuesday recovered from the novel coronavirus which has claimed thousands of lives worldwide since it emerged in China last December. Havahan Karadeniz was admitted to a hospital last week with symptoms of high fever and cough, and tested positive for the virus. "BEST TREATMENT IS ISOLATION AND SOCIAL DISTANCE" The best treatment for this virus is "isolation, staying at home and maintaining social distance," Dr. Ozgur Yigit, the chief physician of Istanbul Education and Research Hospital, said. 107-year-old patient was discharged with applauds WATCH "Treatment for this disease is possible when you initiate appropriate treatments with the correct diagnoses," Yigit said. He added that the elderly patient was discharged from the hospital but she has to comply with the isolation conditions at home. Karadeniz also expressed her gratitude to the hospital personnel, and said: "The hospital was good and so was the personnel." President Donald Trump's claim that he has 'total' and 'absolute' authority to end state stay-home orders is contradicted by a major Supreme Court case and legal precedents dating back to the 1700s. Trump's unequivocal statement at Monday's White House press briefing drew a rebuke from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo along with legal scholars setting up a potential constitutional clash if the White House tries to demand states lift a range of public safety measures. 'We don't have a king in this country ... It's the colonies that seeded certain responsibility to a federal government. all other power remains with the states,' he said Tuesday. Cuomo was paraphrasing the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which was incorporated into the Bill of Rights. It states: 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.' President Donald Trump has claimed 'total' authority to end state stay-home orders and has referenced precious medical equipment the federal government supplies in recent tweets Powers that the Constitution did not specifically grant to Congress of the executive like the power to declare war or to make treaties were to remain with the states. And the states themselves operated under traditions of British Common law dating back years before they enacted their own constitutions. It is on that bases that states have maintained sweeping 'police powers' dealing with health and safety including to take steps to deal with an outbreak within their borders. At the time, locking people down for quarantine was hardly unusual; after the Revolutionary War yellow fever broke out in Philadelphia. It is for this reason that state governors and mayors issued orders for citizens to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump repeatedly deferred to those powers when questioned at earlier briefings about governors such as Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who resisted pressure to impose their own orders even after Trump put out his own federal 'guidelines' for people to stay at home and avoid large groups. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the president is not a 'king' Said James Madison: 'If the power was not given, Congress could not exercise it' The Signing of the Constitution of the United States, with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. James Madison wrote that Congress 'could not' execute powers not expressly granted to it States derive their quarantine powers from British common law, as well as from the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which was included in the Bill of Rights Southern states often invoked the 10th Amendment during the Jim Crow era. But it guards a number of state authorities in the American system, including police powers dealing with public health Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall used a ruling on interstate commerce in 1824 to make clear that 'police powers' were for the states alone. Quarantine laws 'form a portion of that immense mass of legislation which embraces everything within the territory of a State not surrendered to the General Government,' Marshal wrote in Gibbons v. Ogden, a landmark case dealing with interstate commerce States have quarantine laws on their books. Many of them are between 40 and 100 years old, according to a 2014 Congressional Research Service report on the topic. The feds do have powers to prevent diseases from coming from overseas, and to quarantine individuals. 'While the federal government has authority to authorize quarantine and isolation under certain circumstances, the primary authority for quarantine and isolation exists at the state level as an exercise of the state's police power,' according to the report, referenced in an analysis by the Constitution Center. The report cites the Centers for Disease Control, noting: 'CDC acknowledges this deference to state authority as follows: In general, CDC defers to the state and local health authorities in their primary use of their own separate quarantine powers. Based upon long experience and collaborative working relationships with our state and local partners, CDC continues to anticipate the need to use this federal authority to quarantine an exposed person only in rare situations, such as events at ports of entry or in similar time-sensitive settings.' Clashes over the role of state powers date to the days before the adoption of the Constitution and to the early days of the republic. They continued through the Civil War, when southern states invoked the 10th Amendment to claim the right to continue slavery even as northern states invoked their own right not to be forced to enforce the federal Fugitive Slave Act and the Civil Rights era. Alabama Gov. George Wallace included repeated references to the 10th Amendment in his infamous School House Door speech at the University of Alabama opposing forced integration in 1963. 'This amendment sustains the right of self-government and grants the State of Alabama the right to enforce its laws and regulate its internal affairs,' Wallace said. 'There can be no submission to the theory that the Central Government is anything but a servant of the people. We are a God-fearing people not government-fearing people. We practice today the free heritage bequeathed to us by the Founding Fathers.' 'There can be no submission to the theory that the Central Government is anything but a servant of the people. We are a God-fearing people not government-fearing people. We practice today the free heritage bequeathed to us by the Founding Fathers,' Wallace said, invoking a 'states' rights' mantra that would would continue as an argument by the conservative movement in opposition to federal control. However the courts have ruled it has its limitations, as when it comes in conflict with other Due Process and 14th Amendment rights. In 1997, the Supreme Court reaffirmed states' rights not to be commandeered into serving as an arm of the federal regulatory structure in Printz v. United states. The ruling, which had to do with the Brady handgun law, came on a 5-4 ruling on whether sheriffs could be compelled to conduct background checks. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: 'The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States' officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program.' He added: 'Such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.' Scalia's son, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, has been reported to be a likely member of President Trump's task force on reopening the country. In another opinion, Justice Samuel Alito made similar arguments in Murphy v. NCAA, a case having to do with sports betting in New Jersey in defiance of a federal law. 'The anti-commandeering doctrine may sound arcane, but it is simply the expression of a fundamental structural decision incorporated into the Constitution, i.e., the decision to withhold from Congress the power to issue orders directly to the States,' wrote Alito. 'Conspicuously absent from the list of powers given to Congress is the power to issue direct orders to the governments of the States. The anti-commandeering doctrine simply represents the recognition of this limit on congressional authority,' he added. An Anti-Commandeering doctrine arose that played out in numerous court cases. Conservatives invoked the 10th Amendment to try to bring down Obamacare in 2012. But the Trump administration has departed from a states' rights framework in efforts to end California's 'sanctuary' laws on enforcing laws against illegal immigration. The legal framework for for the federalist structure dates to the first days of the republic. James Madison wrote that Congress 'could not' execute powers not expressly granted to it. 'Interference with the power of the States was no constitutional criterion of the power of Congress. If the power was not given, Congress could not exercise it; if given, they might exercise it, although it should interfere with the laws, or even the Constitutions of the States,' he wrote. In Federalist No 45, he wrote: 'The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.' The CDC does have limited powers to issue to impose quarantines, as law professor Jonathan Turley wrote Tuesday. Turley became one of the most cited experts during impeachment when he made statements criticizing the articles brought by Democrats. But the laws on the books are intended to allow the federal government to step in when states are refusing to protect the public health adequately. Trump appears to be suggesting that the president has the authority to supersede lawful state measures imposed on their citizens to protect their safety. 'Yet the pandemic rules were designed to ensure more protective health measures, not protect against them,' Turley wrote. Questioned by DailyMail.com Monday on how he would overcome the 10th Amendment to impose his will on governors in the event of a stand-off, Trump declined to cite a statute that empowers the president. 'If some states refuse to open, I would like to see that person run for election. They're going to open. They're going to all open. I think that's something that's not going to happen,' he said. Trump has lashed out at groups of governors, mostly Democrats, banding together to make their own joint decisions on when to reopen their economies comparing them to mutineers. 'Tell the Democrat Governors that 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!' he wrote Tuesday, after being rebuked for claiming 'total' authority on reopening the country. It was one of several comments when the president referenced the massive leverage he holds, regardless of whether he has express authority to lift stay-home orders. He accused Cuomo of 'begging' him for relief supplies to assist his state, the hardest hit and the world's leading hot-spot for the coronavirus pandemic. 'Cuomo's been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state's responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won't happen!' Trump wrote. Still to be determined is how the situation might play out if some governors refuse to heed Trump's demands, and other more pro-Trump governors decide to go along. The president could use the division to try to accuse governors of causing the economic hardships which have already left 20 million Americans unemployed with a massive drop in the nation's wealth. Cuomo did not dispute that he had asked for urgently needed supplies, but said Tuesday he would not engage beyond comparing him to a king. 'We don't have a king in this country. We didn't want a king, so we have a Constitution and we elect a president,' Cuomo said. Cuomo also quoted Alexander Hamilton, a New Yorker who was an advocate for strong federal power, who Cuomo said was 'in many ways was representative of this discussion of the balance of power.' 'The State governments possess inherent advantages, which will ever give them an influence and ascendency over the National Government, and will for ever preclude the possibility of federal encroachments. That their liberties, indeed, can be subverted by the federal head, is repugnant to every rule of political calculation.' Cuomo said of Trump: 'The president is clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue,' Cuomo responded. 'The worst thing we can do in all of this is start with political division and start with partisanship. ... This is too important for anyone to play politics.' Adams said New York and New Jersey in the eastern U.S. and the cities of Detroit in the Midwest and New Orleans in the South "appear to be leveling off." "Social distancing and mitigation IS working. There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel," Adams said, as he urged Americans to continue to keep themselves away from others by at least two meters. Top U.S. health experts voiced cautious optimism that the ravaging coronavirus outbreak in the country is slowing. "In the midst of tragedy, there IS hope," Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Twitter. He said the western states of California and Washington "remain stable" in the number of new cases. Trump said, "It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!" While news stories in the U.S. have suggested it would be up to the governors to decide when to lift their own orders for their states, Trump said on Twitter, Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect." In the U.S., 42 of the 50 state governors have imposed stay-at-home edicts as the virus swept through the country. Trump recommended physical distancing between Americans through the end of April but is considering whether to reopen the country fully or partly on May 1. President Donald Trump said Monday that he, not state governors, would soon decide whether to reopen the United States to commerce as health experts voiced optimism that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in the country may soon be over. Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC's "Today" show, "We are nearing the peak right now. Sometime, hopefully this week. You know when you're at the peak when the next day is actually less than the day before. We are stabilizing across the country right now in terms of the state of this outbreak." But Redfield, like other government health officials, voiced concerns about reopening the country to commerce and a sense of normalcy on May 1, the date Trump is considering. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the country's director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday there is "extraordinary risk" of the further spread of the coronavirus if life in the U.S. returns to normalcy too soon. Redfield said, "I think it's important to look at the country as many different separate situations. We're looking at the data county by county by county." "Clearly the things that need to happen for the reopening is what's happening with the numbers of new cases," he said. "We've got to substantially augment our public health capacity to do early case identification, isolation and contact tracing. And obviously make sure we have the medical and hospital capacity. And really start working to build confidence" in communities across the country, so they have "confidence to reopen." "There's no doubt that we have to reopen correctly," to avoid a resurgence in the coronavirus in July and August, Redfield said. "It's going to be a step by step, gradual process. It's got to be data driven." Their assessment came as the U.S. death toll continues to increase, topping 22,000, with 558,000 confirmed cases. Redfield said that the mortality rate, "while sadly still too high, was far less than we anticipated" because of social distancing. Trump in January, February and half of March minimized the severity of the coronavirus threat after the first outbreak in China before declaring a national emergency in mid-March. On several occasions, he said there were few cases in the U.S. and that the disease would quickly dwindle to nothing. Some Trump advisers warned him of the advancing threat, but Sunday on Twitter, Trump appeared peeved at Fauci's assessment in a CNN interview Sunday that "obviously" the country's response could have been better. "It would have been better if we had a head start," Fauci said. "Often the recommendation [of scientists and medical experts] is taken, sometimes it is not." He said the country's high death toll "may have been a little bit different" if the U.S. had moved quicker toward social distancing and stay-at-home edicts. Trump retweeted a supporter's assessment that Fauci should be fired, although Fauci has continued to appear alongside the president at White House coronavirus news conferences. On Monday afternoon, the White House rebuffed talk that Fauci might be ousted. "This media chatter is ridiculous," Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci." Gidley concluded, "Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted adviser to President Trump." The Houston Chronicle has lifted the paywall on this developing coverage to provide critical information to our community. To support our journalists work, consider a digital subscription. 10:35 p.m. More than one in five coronavirus-related deaths in Texas have been linked to skilled nursing homes, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data, reported by the Chronicle's Emily Foxhall. Data shows that 22 percent of deaths related to COVID-19 as of Monday were connected to nursing homes, while another 8 percent were linked to assisted-living facilities, which provide a less-intensive level of care. Read more. 8:37 p.m. Get the latest case counts for the Houston area and Texas, along with the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com in today's "COVID-19 in 60" video. Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle 8:15 p.m. Fort Bend ISD campuses will remain closed for the rest of the school year, Superintendent Charles Dupre said Tuesday, becoming the regions first traditional district to declare its facilities will not re-open this spring. Fort Bend is the regions fourth-largest school district, with an enrollment of 77,800 students. We know that, even if Governor Abbott allows schools to reopen as of May 4, many families and staff members will be reluctant to return to school and work to avoid potential exposure to the virus," Dupre said in a letter to the Fort Bend community. Dupres announcement comes one week after two of the Houston areas largest charter school networks, KIPP Texas Public Schools and YES Prep Public Schools, made the same decision. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he expects to decide this week whether to extend his statewide school closure mandate, which currently lasts until May 4. 7:30 p.m. Since noon, the statewide total of COVID-19 cases rose from 14,394 to 15,165. That's an increase of 771 cases (5.36% increase). Thirty-nine new deaths makes a total of 353 statewide (12.4% increase). The Houston region's count is 5,512, up 272 from yesterday (5.19% increase). Harris County added 160 new cases today (4.27% increase) and is now at 3,907 cases total. There have been 86 deaths in the Houston region, up 11 from yesterday. 6:01 p.m. A federal judge has rejected a request for an injunction that could have allowed thousands of pretrial inmates to be released from the downtown Houston jail in the wake of the pandemic. Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has been hinting for weeks that she was loathe to be the one to untangle the jurisdictional mess created by competing stakeholders in what she called a dizzying array of government actors with different interests, policies, and legal positions." She has spent lengthy telephonic hearings trying to sort out three competing orders -- one from Gov. Greg Abbott, another from Harris County's top executive, Judge Lina Hidalgo, and a third by Judge Herb Ritchie, the administrative jurist over the county's felony division. The judge also rejected a challenge to the governor's order, which made it illegal to release pretrial inmates on bond if they have a prior conviction for or are accused of committing threats or violence. She said the various parties expressed vastly differing views on how functional the process had been to vet potential releases, with "communication breakdowns" between the public defender and district attorney's offices. The case law on handling pandemics also conflicts with itself, the judge wrote. She noted that sorting out facts takes time, citing a previous injunction in the misdemeanor bail case that required an eight-day hearing. "Caution here is required given the complex and dynamic factual situation and uniquely fraught circumstances," she wrote, saying she would stay "out of the fray" for now. Alec Karakatsanis, of Civil Rights Corps in Washington, D.C., one of the lead lawyers for the indigent pretrial defendants in the case, said the ruling revealed a truth thats painful to acknowledge. As the virus spreads like wildfire inside the jail in these uncertain times, one constant remains: our society has ceased seeing the people we lock away in our jails and prisons as human beings. -- Gabrielle Banks 5:24 p.m. A second Texas prisoner with COVID-19 has died, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Leonard Clerkly, 62, was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of April 11 at a Grimes County Hospital, where he was taken because of difficulty breathing. He was serving a life sentence in the Pack Unit in Navasota. An official cause of death has not been released. The preliminary investigation suggests the cause was viral pneumonia due to COVID-19 with other contributing factors, according to TDCJ. Clerkly had served five years and seven months of his sentence. No other inmates or staff at the Pack Unit have tested positive. A total of 236 inmates and 97 TDCJ employees or contractors have tested positive. TDCJ announced the first death of an inmate with COVID-19 on April 8. Bartolo Infante, a prisoner in the Telford Unit in New Boston, died four days after testing positive April 3. He suffered from several pre-existing conditions, according to TDCJ. -- Julian Gill 5:05 p.m. Ninety people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Missouri City, which makes it the city with the largest number of cases in Fort Bend County, according to a news release from the city. The city also has seven cases in the part of the city located in Harris County. As of Tuesday afternoon, Fort Bend County had 577 cases of coronavirus. Fourteen people have died from the illness in the county. Last week, it was reported that 28 residents and staff members at Park Manor Quail Valley, a nursing home, tested positive for the coronavirus. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical experts shows that social distancing, quarantining and public health recommendations have helped contain the spread of the virus and are essential to saving lives at this critical time, said Missouri City Mayor Yolanda Ford in the release. However, our community must become more vigilant, remain steadfast and continue observing safety measures to ensure we flatten the curve. 4:15 p.m. Three additional Metropolitan Transit Authority bus drivers recently tested positive for COVID-19, transit officials said Tuesday, urging riders to monitor themselves. The new drivers infected brings the total number of Metro workers testing positive to 11. The drivers worked a host of different routes and shifts during the days they were on duty, including one who worked on 10 different routes over the course of 10 days between March 21 and April 2. Each time a driver has been confirmed to have tested positively for the new coronavirus, Metro has sent alerts to thousands of riders who registered their email addresses with the agency, in an effort to advise anyone who may have been on the bus with the operator. Dug Begley 3:03 p.m.: The Galveston County Health District announced Tuesday that it will be offering free COVID-19 testing to anyone, regardless of symptoms. The county last week opened its first free drive-thru testing site in Texas City, and is also adding a location in Galveston from Thursday through Saturday by appointment only at Fire Station No. 5, 5728 Ball Street. Testing will continue to be available at the Galveston County Health District in Texas City, 9850 Emmett F. Lowry Expressway. To make an appointment at either site, call 409-978-4080. Those being tested should bring a form of identification, including a driver's license or a bill with their name. The entire testing process from entry to exit takes 30 minutes. Test results are delivered within 48-72 hours. Nick Powell 2:55 p.m.: Its not totally clear how much more at risk immunocompromised individuals are for COVID-19, according to Dr. Eric Bernicker, thoracic medical oncologist for Houston Methodist. It will take more time and data to understand how the virus works and who is most vulnerable, he said. Until then, immunocompromised people will just have to stay inside. What does this mean for colorectal cancer survivor Allison Rosen and her group of Friday night dancers from Wild West? Bringing the dancing to their living rooms. Julie Garcia 2:17 p.m.: The Texas Juvenile Justice Department announced it will temporarily halt all new admissions to its facilities for two weeks, starting Tuesday. The decision is intended as an additional safegaurd to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during a critical moment in Texas response to the pandemic. At this time, no youth in a state facility has tested positive for the virus," said TJJD Executive Director Camille Cain in a statement. Hannah Dellinger 11:35a.m.: Infection rates in the Harris County Jail on Tuesday continued to rise, with 49 inmates and 65 employees in total testing positive for the coronavirus, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office. An additional 56 people have symptoms and are awaiting test results, spokesman Jason Spencer said. Another 1,758 inmates are in observational quarantine but are showing no symptoms. Samantha Ketterer 10:56 a.m.: Houston residents with little Astros fans at home can keep the kids busy during quarantine with new and free kid-friendly activities from the #HoustonStrong team. The Astros have a slew of kid-friendly games and art projects to choose from on their official website. These activities are free to the public and can be downloaded with one click. Rebecca Hennes 10:40 a.m.: CHRISTUS Health is offering a new rapid screening tool that will help identify asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those who carry protective antibodies against the deadly disease, according to a news release. The tests can produce results in approximately ten minutes and are currently being offered at CHRISTUS hospitals across the U.S. and Latin America. Representatives said the tests are currently only being offered at its hospitals but plans are in the works to expand testing to all of its clinics, which include several Houston-area locations. The tests will first be administered to caregivers on the front lines, hospitalized patients and patients scheduled for urgent surgeries. With the availability of an antibody test, we can test anyone who comes in for an urgent surgery, Dr. Sam Bagchi, CHRISTUS Healths EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, said in the release. This will allow us to reliably know if a patient has COVID-19 before they start having symptoms or might normally be tested. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health professor Dr. Harvey Fineberg is quoted in the release saying the tests could be a game-changer in helping battle the pandemic and restart the economy. The Catholic, nonprofit healthcare system has implemented several new policies in response to the pandemic, including limiting visitors inside facilities, screening anyone who enters a facility, isolating COVID-19 patients, conducting random temperature checks on staff and requiring staff to wear face masks. Rebecca Hennes 10:33 a.m.: Houston refining and petrochemical company LyondellBasell is donating $1.3 million to support the COVID-19 response efforts of the Global FoodBanking Network and United States local food banks. LyondellBasell's donation will support food banks in 17 countries and communities where the company has major operations, which includes the Houston area. Sergio Chapa 10:00 a.m.:A federal appeals court has reopened access to early-stage abortions in Texas, reversing part of its own ruling a week ago and further eroding the state's emergency ban, which has become a rallying cause among social conservatives during the coronavirus pandemic. The ruling, by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, allows women to end their pregnancies using pills, known as medication abortions. The court previously ruled that surgical abortions can also proceed for women who are nearing the state's 22-week limit to obtain one. It appeared to be a late but lasting victory for abortion providers in a legal case that has careened for weeks between the Fifth Circuit and a lower court in Austin. Jeremy Blackman 9:10 a.m.: Is it safe to donate blood and plasma during a global pandemic? It is safe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said multiple steps are being taken protect the countrys blood supply from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Gulf Coast is encouraging blood and plasma donation appointments in May and June to promote social distancing. Blood banks are considered essential during stay-at-home orders. Read what you need to know about donating blood during a pandemic here. Julie Garcia 8:46 a.m.: Harris Countys juvenile detention center is no longer isolating teenagers in their cells to prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials confirmed Monday. Starting last Tuesday, all of the countys detained children were held in individual cells and were released into common areas three at a time for 1 hours a day, said Kendall Mayfield of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. A lawsuit filed by the Harris County Public Defenders Office last week alleges all of the detainees were allowed only a half hour a day out of their cells to shower and make supervised phone calls. The lawsuit also claims the practice was implemented two weeks ago when one of the detention centers employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Programming for the kids resumed Sunday, Mayfield said. Now, the doors separating the childrens cells from the space they share with their peers are unlocked at all times, she added. The kids are separated into groups of no more than eight in order to practice social distancing. It was possible to make this change by shifting the children to unused areas of the facility, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos office. The judge said she was unaware of the measure until she read a Houston Chronicle story Friday; she then called administrators and directed them to change the policy. I was profoundly troubled and alarmed, Hidalgo said of learning of the detention centers initial measure to prevent a mass outbreak. I dont even have the words to express how shocked and disappointed I felt. Hannah Dellinger 8:42 a.m.: The Community Outreach Division of the Harris County Precinct One Constable's Office announced Tuesday it will distribute masks and gloves to residents in Acres Homes, one of the zip codes identified by health officials as most impacted by COVID-19. The distribution will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church at 6616 D.S. Bailey Ln. Since many who live in this area may not have access to this protective equipment, the Office of Alan Rosen is collaborating with Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in distributing the items. "We continue to take this pandemic seriously and hope that our residence will continue to fight the spread by staying home. Should they need to venture out of the house these mask and gloves can help protect them," said Constable Alan Rosen in a statement. "When I saw Acres Homes on the list of most cases, I had to act. Doing what I can to protect people in the community." Resident who do not have transportation, can request assistance through Precinct One Community Outreach Director Erica Davis at (832) 286-3876. Hannah Dellinger 8:33 a.m.: Oilfield steel pipe manufacturer Tenaris is temporarily suspending operations at four U.S. plants and plans to layoff workers at others as demand for its products continues to fall under the weight of weakened market conditions. Tenaris has closed plants in Koppel and Ambridge, PA; Brookfield, OH; and Baytown, Texas until market conditions improve, the company reported late Monday. Company officials had previously laid off 900 people at the four plants but now, plan to enact layoffs and adjust production levels at its remaining U.S. plants to be more in line with market demand. Tenaris blamed the temporary plant closures on declining oil and natural gas prices, an unprecedented global supply glut of crude oil and operational restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Sergio Chapa 7:04 a.m.: Houston pipeline and refining company Phillips 66 announced Tuesday that it will contribute $3 million to COVID-19 relief efforts across the United States and in the United Kingdom. Of this, $1 million will be directed to the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund and $500,000 to the Houston Food Bank. The remaining funds will be distributed to frontline organizations that are responding to the pandemic within communities where Phillips 66 operates, providing essential support for first responders, food banks, health care and other critical organizations serving vulnerable populations. Sergio Chapa CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust Between faith and fear: Imams call for suspension of Islamic burial rituals during pandemic Imams, religious scholars and Muslim medical professionals in Canada are divided over whether to suspend the funerary rituals for a Muslim who has died from COVID-19. Under normal circumstances, a deceased Muslim is to be washed, shrouded and a communal prayer performed before a body is interred in a grave in the shortest possible time after death. Muslims are also forbidden to cremate or embalm their deceased. But what happens when a Muslim dies from an infectious disease such as COVID-19? Across Canada, approaches to burying victims of the pandemic vary. In Ontario, because of provincial regulations, the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI) has recommended that the ritual washing and shrouding of the deceased be suspended. As for the communal prayer upon the deceased, the council says the Islamic requirements are fulfilled if just a few people perform it on behalf of the wider community. "That's devastating news for grieving families who aren't allowed to participate in the Islamic rituals of burying their loved ones and who must mourn privately due to social distancing rules," said Zahir Bacchus, a council board member. Ariel Fournier/CBC In northern Alberta, however, the Islamic Funeral Society has modified some of the rituals for COVID-19 victims, while maintaining obligatory ones such as washing and shrouding the deceased. On the morning of March 29, Salwa Kadri's team at the Al-Rashid Mosque in Edmonton was informed by the medical examiner's office that it was about to receive a confirmed COVID-19 death for burial. "It was our first case and to be honest, we panicked at first, but quickly pulled ourselves together," said Kadri, director of the Islamic Funeral Society at Al-Rashid Mosque. Kadri, believed to be the only Muslim licensed funeral director in Canada, has supervised hundreds of burials in Edmonton over the last 12 years. And the morgue at Al-Rashid Mosque has the rare distinction of being licensed by the province of Alberta. By contrast, most Muslim morgues are housed in mosques and function with municipal permits. Story continues 'To serve others' In order to maintain the Islamic rituals and prevent the spread of a disease, Kadri and her team consulted Muslim scholars and medical experts. For the family of Abubakar Notiar, Edmonton's first Muslim COVID-19 victim, the opportunity to have a ritual burial made saying goodbye much easier. WATCH | A son describes the final farewell for his father after he died of COVID-19 "He used to tell us he became a doctor because we're in this world to serve others," said his son, Reza Notiar. Abubakar Notiar, who was 81, was a doctor in Kenya for more than 50 years before he immigrated to Canada in 2015 to live with his son. Reza Notiar described his father as his hero and "a kind and gentle soul." 'Otherwise healthy' "He treated tens of thousands of people for free and helped save thousands of lives of the most vulnerable people in Africa," said Notiar. He said the family is still stunned at the tragic death of his father. "Dad, nor anyone in the family for that matter, had travelled anywhere and although he was diabetic and suffered from hypertension, he was otherwise healthy." On March 23, after his father fell down at home a few times, Notiar called 911. I am the eldest son and in our culture it is my duty to bury my dad. - Reza Notiar An ambulance took him to the University of Alberta Hospital where he was admitted. A few days later, Notiar was notified that his father had tested positive for COVID-19. A few days after that, he died. Still under quarantine and at home, the news of his death left Notiar worried about who would bury his father. "I am the eldest son and in our culture it is my duty to bury my dad," said a tearful Notiar, an optometrist. Suspend fear, not faith After Notiar's death, the medical examiner's office got in touch with Kadri to arrange to pick up the body. "I got on the phone with my team and we reviewed our protocols and our training for such cases and the initial state of panic gave way to confidence," said Kadri. "There is no medical reason to suspend our faith tradition out of fear of this virus." A licensed carrier transported Notiar's body to Al-Rashid's morgue, where it arrived in two sanitized body bags, in accordance with provincial regulations, she said. Submitted by Notiar family The morgue was sanitized and three volunteers donned personal protective equipment (PPE) in preparation. Kadri's staff doubled up on caps, gloves, foot coverings, coveralls and masks, first an N95 and then a surgical mask over it. Submitted by Al-Rashid Mosque Members of her team removed Notiar's body from the bags, gave him a light wash and shrouded him with white cloth, according to Islamic custom, before placing him back into the body bags. "All PPEs were disposed of and the morgue was once again sanitized," said Kadri. Because the mosque is closed as a result of provincial restrictions, Notiar's body was transported by the same licensed carrier to the cemetery where the final prayer janazah was performed in the parking lot with seven family members and close friends spread apart in compliance with social distancing rules. Submitted by Al-Rashid Mosque "It was emotionally difficult not being able to be present for this moment," said Reza Notiar. Notiar's closest family members were under quarantine after he tested positive for COVID-19. The most they could do was watch the funeral virtually at home thanks to a family friend who streamed it live. "For the final stage of the burial, two members of our staff donned hazmat suits, removed the body from the bags and lowered it into the grave without a casket," said Kadri. To avoid the possibility of contamination, the bags were left in the grave before it was covered with earth, according to the Islamic tradition. 'Difficult and surreal' But what if Notiar had died in the Greater Toronto Area? Would he have received a similar burial? It seems unlikely. "It was difficult and surreal to bury a Muslim who died from COVID-19," said Shaykh Alaa Elsayed, imam at ISNA Canada's mosque in Mississauga. On April 5, Elsayed was notified his mosque had a "presumptive" COVID-19 death. Normally, he would lend a hand to ISNA's bereavement team to wash and shroud the deceased at its morgue in preparation for burial. ISNA Canada But the Bereavement Authority of Ontario stipulates that only licensed funeral services can handle COVID-19 victims, essentially eliminating imams from the process. Elsayed said he went directly to the cemetery and waited in his vehicle for the body to be buried before leading a small group of staff members from ISNA Canada for the communal prayer. "The family was appreciative that we were there for them at their time of grief even though some of the important rites associated with burying a Muslim had to be suspended out of necessity," said Elsayed. "It is more important that we do the right thing and not become obsessed over doing things right." Provincial regulations vary All faith communities in Ontario are required to follow guidelines set down by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario when it comes to burying someone who has died from the coronavirus. According to the authority, faith communities have the option of embalming, cremating or hydrolyzing someone who died from the virus provided they safeguard themselves by wearing the right personal protective equipment. For Muslims across Canada, it has been challenging to comply with a myriad of provincial guidelines when burying COVID-19 victims. "The rules of burying a COVID-19 victim keep changing day by day," said Chihab Kaab, chair of the board of directors at ISNA. In March, the Bereavement Authority of Ontario urged the Muslim community to only use licensed professionals to transport and prepare deceased COVID-19 victims for burial. Submitted by Dr. Ikramuddin Syed The BAO's memo said that allowing untrained volunteers to prepare the deceased for burial was risky and that "even if trained, there is a shortage and unavailability of proper personal protective equipment." Kaab said ISNA Canada Mosque and some other Muslim organizations in the GTA are having discussions with the BAO to allow imams a greater degree of participation in burying Muslims who die from COVID-19. Ikramuddin Syed, a family physician who advises GTA imams, is trying to help by making personal protective equipment available to GTA imams and mosques. So far, Syed has prepared and distributed 55 PPE kits. He has also been receiving calls from imams in Niagara and Waterloo asking for them. Kaab said that ISNA's bereavement team is now equipped with the PPE that the BAO recommends and is being trained by Muslim medical professionals. 'Eternally grateful' In Edmonton, Reza Notiar is satisfied with the burial his father was given and hopes others in a similar circumstance receive the same. Submitted by Al-Rashid Mosque "I am eternally grateful to Salwa Kadri and her team at Al-Rashid Mosque for stepping up and giving my father a dignified Islamic burial," Notiar said. "I am confident that my dad would have been happy with the burial he received." Who can begrudge Barham Salih for his Bill Murray-esque world-weariness? If the Baghdad version of Groundhog Day is exhausting for observers, it must be soul-sapping for Iraq's much put-upon president. For the third time since Punxsutawney Phil failed to find his shadow on Feb. 2, Salih is hoping Iraqi parliamentarians can find their sanity and a new prime minister they can support. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, his latest nominee for the job, is now trying to assemble a coalition that will allow the formation of a government. The two previous attempts, by Tawfik Allawi and Adnan Al-Zurfi, were defeated, primarily by acrimony within the dominant sectarian group in parliament, the Shiites. Both men were deemed insufficiently servile toward Iran by the Fatah faction, which takes its orders from Tehran. In the paranoid worldview of the Islamic Republic and its Iraqi marionettes, anybody who doesn't ask, "How high?" when ordered in Persian to jump is automatically deemed an American stooge. Apparently, Allawi failed to pass Iran's loyalty test. Zurfi was doomed from the start: He had dual American and Iraqi nationality. Kadhimi looks to have better luck: Tehran and Washington have signaled support for his candidature. In part, this is because, as the head of the Iraqi intelligence service since 2016, he cultivated good relations with both Iran and the U.S. The Sunni and Kurdish blocks in parliament have also indicated support for Kadhimi. In this, he is the beneficiary of a growing fear within the Iraqi political elite that the country - beset by economic, social and security crises before the coronavirus pandemic arrived - may be near collapse. If the squabbling Shiite factions refused to recognize the danger, a visit to Baghdad by Esmail Ghaani, the successor to the assassinated Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, may have papered over some differences. Not all, though. Kadhimi's role as head of security services makes him anathema to some of Tehran's proxy militias in Iraq. Indeed, some accused him of complicity in the American drone strike that killed Soleimani and his principal Iraqi puppet Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Members of the Kata'ib Hezbollah, for instance, the militia founded by Muhandis, believe the spy chief provided the U.S. with the targeting information. Sure enough, Kata'ib Hezbollah has declared Kadhimi's candidature as a "declaration of war" on the Iraqi people. Iran could order the militia to back the candidate, but the regime in Tehran might want to keep its attack-dogs snapping at his heels as a reminder of its power. Kadhimi knows what Iran expects of him: Important Cabinet positions, security roles and government jobs for its creatures, and free rein for the militias. Tehran also wants increased pressure on the U.S. to withdraw all troops from the country. The new prime minister will also be required to protect Iranian leverage over Iraq's economy, which has become more important as the coronavirus crisis hammers Iran's. Iraq is an important conduit for sanctions-busting trade, and supplies of foreign currency, much coveted by Tehran. The U.S., in turn, will want Kadhimi to allow American troops to remain, and to push back against Iranian influence in Iraq. Finding a balance between these demands would be hard enough at the best of times, but Kadhimi must also deal with a restive population, especially young Iraqis, who want to end all foreign interference in their country. The protest movement that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi last November - which set off the sequence of failed attempts at government formation - is on hiatus because of the pandemic. The sight of Iraq's political class stitching up a new government of old faces, however, will not make it happy. When the lock-down is lifted, the Iraqi public square will once again fill with young people demanding jobs, dignity and clean government. And possibly, Kadhimi's resignation. That assumes, of course, that Kadhimi can form a government - and perhaps finally bring President Salih's Groundhog Day to an end. - - - This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Everywhere there is cholera, everywhere quarantine and terror. In 1890, Anton Chekhov, 30 years old, trained as a physician and coming into fame as a writer, was confronted by the horror of a cholera pandemic ravaging Europe and Asia. There is no time even to think of literature, he wrote to a friend. He began ministering to 25 local villages, refusing all remuneration. In letters, he complained of cholera-loneliness but also confessed: There is a great deal that is interesting in cholera if you look at it from a detached point of view. Saint Anton. To Gorki, he was the only free man. To Tolstoy, he was beautiful, magnificent. The good doctor in the Neil Simon play of the same name and a model for Doctor Zhivago, Chekhov has become the embodiment of humility, patience and decency. He endowed libraries, built schools, treated thousands of patients free of charge in a year; traveled to Siberia to advocate for prison reform, all the while cheerfully supporting his family, including two profligate brothers and the brutish father who had made their childhood a misery. Composure was his creed. Only people with equanimity can see things clearly, be fair and work, he once wrote. We often struggle to reconcile great art and private monstrosity; it can be difficult to appreciate what a particular annoyance Chekhovs radiant, inexplicable goodness has proved for his biographers. Chekhov attracts a kind of sickening piety, Janet Malcolm wrote in a 2003 monograph. You utter the name Chekhov and people arrange their features as if a baby deer had come into the room. The writer we dare to sentimentalize was ruthless not punitive, but pitiless; a writer who cultivated detachment and could find a great deal interesting in cholera, who created a gallery of the most benighted characters this side of the Inferno: idlers, braggarts, homicidal servant girls who smother their infant charges, assorted varieties of the dying and delusional. Specs, one of San Franciscos classic dive bars and a favorite North Beach watering hole of artists, poets and musicians, is struggling to stay afloat, just like its namesake was 51 years ago. About 3:30 a.m. Sept. 22, 1969, Richard Specs Simmons bobbed in frigid waters off the Golden Gate with four other men after their 32-foot sloop sank in rough seas. Had one of the men not brought a flashlight, whose beam was noticed by a someone aboard a passing yacht, they would have certainly been dragged out to sea by the strong tide and perished. Specs' survived and lived for another 47 years. Now its his bar that needs saving. His daughter, Elly Simmons now runs the bar (along with her daughter Maralisa) and says Specs is in serious financial shape because of the COVID-19 shutdown. She has organized a fundraiser in order to pay the rent, mounting essential bills and her employees. Simmons noted in an email that City Lights Bookstore, Specs, Vesuvio (Specs sister bar), Cafe Trieste and the Beat Museum are, in the words of the Beat Museums Jerry Cimino, the cornerstone of the Beat Generation and North Beach, and all are hurting financially. She said the businesses share the same regulars. City Lights, which is directly across Columbus Avenue from Specs', crushed its funding drive goal in a single day last week. The others have not been nearly as successful. "We are struggling as much or more than City Lights, which at least owns their own building," Simmons said. "I am very grateful that the public and media stepped forward to help them out." Tucked in an alley near Broadway and Columbus, Specs official name is Specs 12 Adler Museum Cafe, but most people just call it Specs. Richard Simmons bought the place in 1968. Before that it was a speakeasy and one of San Franciscos first lesbian bars. The Museum appellation is right on the money. Oddities and curios cover nearly every square-inch of wall space. The treasures include a mounted Alaskan king crab, quirky historical posters and other signage, American Indian artifacts, the Examiner story of the Golden Gate rescue, a stuffed mongoose fighting a stuffed cobra, a fake Egyptian sarcophagus of Specs and of course the famous mummified walrus penis. Broke-Ass Stuart, who interviewed Richard Simmons in 2012 for the Bold Italic, described the bar as "like walking into a Tom Waits song" and one of the only places on earth where you can have an 85-year-old Beat poet sitting on your left and a hot young thing on your right. Besides its Beat legacy, union worker roots and the potpourri of tchotchkes, Specs is famously known for not being a pickup joint. If anyone was bothering me, the bartender will shoo them out of here, Specs regular Stellar Cassidy told SFGATE in 2018. Or Im smoking outside and someones bothering me and a regular says Hey buddy, take a walk. That made me feel protected and a part of this big dive bar family. Some of the regulars of Specs include former San Francisco poet laureate Jack Hirschman and his wife, Agneta Falk Hirschman; Mauro ffortissimo of the Flower Piano installation; Salon co-founder Gary Kamiya; and the late folk rock star John Prine, who died last week from COVID-19. John Prine, who just passed away, was a late night regular and friend of my father's and some of our old-time bartenders for years and years, Simmons told SFGATE. The GoFundMe page for Specs can be found here. Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. A man wearing face mask to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walks through deserted Nakamise alley in Asakusa, Tokyo (Koji Sasahara/AP) A senior World Health Organisation (WHO) figure has said facial protection is going to become the norm in the wake of coronavirus. Dr David Nabarro, the WHO's Covid-19 envoy, said people would need to become accustomed to a "new reality". "Some form of facial protection, I'm sure, is going to become the norm, not least to give people reassurance," he said. "But, I would say, don't imagine that you can do what you like when you are wearing a mask." Dr Nabarro added that people's lifestyles would need to change "because this virus isn't going to go away, and we don't know whether people who have had the virus stay immune afterwards and will not get it again, and we don't know when we will have a vaccine. "So, what we are saying is get societies defended. Yes, we will have to wear masks. Yes, there will have to be more physical distancing. Yes, we must protect the vulnerable," he said. "But, most importantly, we must all learn how to interrupt transmission. "It's a revolution, like happened when it was discovered that dirty water bore cholera in 1850. "Or like perhaps 25 years ago we all learned about HIV/Aids and its relationship with sex. We changed, and we adapted and we learned how to live with these new realities." (Philadelphia, PA) - Switching immune cells on is a critical step in combating infection. In the case of T cells, which are key players in immunity, this happens when dormant T cells circulating in the blood encounter a suspicious agent on the surface of specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs). APCs detect and pick up foreign agents they encounter as part of routine immune surveillance. In order for T cells to get a good read on foreign molecules, they must establish a close communication interface with APCs. This interface, known as an immunological synapse, is vital to T-cell activation. Researchers have been doggedly pursuing a greater understanding of what happens during synapse formation and how these events shape immune responses against everything from the common cold to novel infections to cancer. Now, thanks to a new $1.98M grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) are poised to make major headway into the study of immunological synapse formation. "T-cell activation is vital for immunity, for fighting off infectious diseases," said Jonathan Soboloff, PhD, Professor of Medical Genetics and Molecular Biochemistry at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology at LKSOM, and senior investigator on the new grant. "We're living through a pandemic right now, and COVID-19 is showing us why it is so important to develop a deeper knowledge of the mechanisms underlying T-cell activation." A major goal of the research funded by the new NIAID award is to identify the role in immunological synapse formation of a molecule known as STIM1. STIM1 is a calcium sensor located within the endoplasmic reticulum, a continuous membrane system in the cell that functions in part in protein folding and transport. In previously published work within the field, STIM1 was shown to move to the side of the T cell where the immunological synapse forms. Dr. Soboloff and colleagues have found that STIM1 localization to the immunological synapse raises local calcium levels, leading to the loading of calcium into mitochondria - the energy-supplying powerhouses of cells. These observations suggest that STIM1 supports mitochondrial function during T-cell activation. "Using novel STIM1 mutants, we will determine what makes STIM1 move to the immunological synapse during T cell activation," Dr. Soboloff said. "This will also allow us to characterize its impact on cellular metabolism to better define how STIM1 and calcium regulation impact T-cell activation." Under the new grant, Dr. Soboloff also plans to investigate the role of proteins known as septins in immunological synapse formation and the activation of immune cells. Septins provide a sort of scaffolding inside cells that influences protein movement to specific locations and that creates barriers to prevent proteins from leaving cellular compartments. While septins are known to contribute to STIM1 function in some contexts, there are no publications regarding their involvement in protein localization during the formation of the immunological synapse. "Ultimately, through experiments in cell lines and mouse models, we want to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms driving STIM1 translocation and determine the physiological relevance of this process," Dr Soboloff explained. "In addition to extending our understanding of STIM1 in the context of T-cell activation, new knowledge of how these mechanisms are applied could lead to novel insight into the significance of STIM1 regulation in cellular metabolism and its implications more generally in cell biology." ### The NIAID award provides support for Dr. Soboloff's research into STIM1 and T-cell activation through March 2025. Co-investigators on the award include Yi Zhang, MD, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, and John Elrod, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Associate Professor at the Center for Translational Medicine and the Alzheimer's Center at Temple. About Temple Health Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $2.2 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH); TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Jeanes Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center and Affiliates, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices; and Temple Faculty Practice Plan, Inc., TUHS's physician practice plan comprised of more than 500 full-time and part-time academic physicians in 20 clinical departments. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Katz School of Medicine. TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents. It is the policy of Temple University Health System that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment. "CUH Emergency Department staff are delighted to have helped pioneer an innovative 24 hour monitoring device like this," says Professor Stephen Cusack. Credit: University College Cork CREW is being developed in partnership between the College of Medicine and Health at University College Cork (UCC), the Cork based software consultancy 8 West, The ASSERT centre and Tyndall National Institute at UCC. The solution innovatively combines existing technologies to allow early detection of symptoms of the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 Remote Early Warning System (CREW) consists of: A wearable digital thermometer sensor to measure axillary body temperature. A sensor platform e.g. smartphone, smartwatch or wearable IoT device running the CREW app. A cloud-based server running the CREW system which monitors the incoming data and generates automatic alarms if temperature thresholds are breached. CREW is designed and developed by 8 West Consulting based on its SafeTrx tracking and alerting software platform. Trials using frontline staff have been underway since Friday, April 3rdat Cork University Hospital. Five volunteers have been wearing underarm thermometers connected to smart phones, with temperature readings being sent to the monitoring platform on an hourly basis. Where a staff member's temperature shows signs of being elevated above the norm, they are alerted to take appropriate action and self-isolate. Initial results from the trial with volunteers at CUH have shown accurate temperature data being successfully and continually communicated via the phones to the monitoring platform. More volunteers are now to be added and wearable devices introduced to improve the data set and test the accuracy and efficacy of CREW over a longer period of time. Professor Stephen Cusack, Recently retired Prof of Emergency Medicine (EM), UCC, Specialty Expert in EM at UCC Academy, Consultant EM at CUH commented: "CUH Emergency Department staff are delighted to have helped pioneer an innovative 24 hour monitoring device like this. We are 24 hours on the front line of care daily, and it's good to know that efforts like this are being made to support our wellbeing 24 hours a day too." Commenting on the breakthrough, Professor Barry O'Reilly, Director of the ASSERT Centre, UCC and Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at CUMH, explained "This is a novel Internet of Medical Things solution created by the collaboration of the MedTech sector and ASSERT to provide a digital COVID infection screening system for front-line healthcare staff at an extremely challenging time." Dr. Patrick Henn, Director Research and Education at the ASSERT Centre in UCCsaid: "Ten to twenty-five percent of all diagnosed cases of the Coronavirus are among the healthcare community working to halt the spread of the disease. The single common variable in all cases of the COVID-19 virus is a rise in body temperature. CREW is a quarantine management platform that will hopefully allow us identify healthcare staff remotely who may be developing a temperature that may be an early sign of COVID-19 and who therefore should not present to work." John Murphy, CEO of 8 West Consulting who developed the solution says CREW has the potential to help not only individual medics but the wider hospital population, and the general public. "Exceptional times call for an exceptional response. This technology has been developed over the last three weeks through a huge and remarkably open effort on the part of our partners in UCC, CUH, and the team at 8 West, with technical and hardware support from Sony Network Communications Europe, Cambridge Wireless Vodafone Ireland, Huawei,Davra, BlueBridge Technologies and others.When COVID-19 struck we asked ourselveswhat can we do to help protect the wellbeing of healthcare workers who by the nature of their jobs are being exposed to COVID-19 on an ongoing basis? The technical community has the responsibility, and the skills to rapidly evolve and deploy a solution to support Healthcare workers, and that is what we are doing." CREW will available initially on iOS and Android products including phones and wearables, with other operating systems to follow. 8 West's John Murphy says the goal of CREW is to make the solution available to as many frontline staff as possible in Ireland and around the world. Dr. Paul Galvin, Head of ICT for Health Strategic Programmes at the Tyndall National Institute at UCC said: "Tyndall is pleased to support and be part of this multidisciplinary Academic, Business and Clinical ecosystem, collaborating effectively in as a virtual team, to bring an innovative solution for real-time continuous monitoring of healthcare workers and the general population." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Armed men boarded a Hong Kong-flagged tanker ship Tuesday off the coast of Iran near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, holding the ship for a short time before releasing it amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S., authorities said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the seizure, though suspicion fell on Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Iranian officials and state media did not immediately acknowledge the incident and the U.S. Navys Bahrain-based 5th Fleet did not respond to a request for comment. The incident comes after a private maritime intelligence firm warned of suspicious incidents in recent days near the strait, through which a fifth of all oil is traded. Oil tankers previously have been a target during the tensions. The incident happened near Irans Ras al-Kuh coast. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization said in an alert that the vessel had been boarded by armed men while at anchor. All vessels in the vicinity are to stay vigilant and to report any incidents, the warning said, urging ships to exercise caution. The U.K. organization later said the ship had been released and was underway under its captains control, without elaborating. Dryad Global, the private maritime intelligence firm that issued the first warnings about suspicious incidents, identified the ship as the Hong Kong-flagged SC Taipei bound for Saudi Arabia. It said the 22 crew members aboard were Chinese. It did not say how it knew the information. The SC Taipeis satellite tracking beacon showed it off the coast of Iran in the general vicinity of the warning, according to data from the website MarineTraffic.com. The ships owners could not be immediately reached, though a United Nations database listed a mail-forwarding address for the owners associated with Shanghai-based Aoxing Ship Management. In March, the U.S. State Department sanctioned Aoxing Ship Management for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport or marketing of petrochemical products from Iran despite American sanctions. That area of Iran is near the countrys restive Sistan and Baluchistan province, where Islamic militant attacks have happened in the past. However, they are not known to have previously attacked shipping. The ships tracking data suggested the armed men took the vessel to Bandar Jask, which the Guard did last year when it took custody of crew members from a Norwegian-owned oil tanker hit by an explosion the U.S. blamed on an Iranian mine. The quick release of the ship suggests Iran realized only after the fact it had seized a Chinese vessel, rather than a Western one as in previous incidents. Iran has increasingly relied on China amid U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program. At a time when China still buys Iranian oil, and Iran has few international friends, such a move would be highly irregular and would not further Irans interests, Dryad Global said. Even as both face the same invisible enemy in the coronavirus pandemic, Iran and the United States remain locked in retaliatory pressure campaigns that now view the outbreak as just the latest battleground. Online video and Iranian media reports suggest Iran has deployed Fajr-5 missile batteries on beaches along the Strait of Hormuz. Dryad Global previously reported maritime incidents in and around the strait. On March 27, two boats with a raised ladder approached a U.S.-flagged container ship, while Revolutionary Guard vessels approached a ship on April 2, the firm said. The detention of a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz would fit comfortably within previous Iranian intent and capability and would provide an opportune opening salvo in an Iranian attempt to release the pressures the country currently faces, Dryad said Tuesday night. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. Hyderabad: Junior doctors hold an emergency meeting with Osmania General Hospital Superintendent Dr B Nagender in the presence of police personel after a Post Graduate doctor of the hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a susupected coro Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad: Junior doctors hold an emergency meeting with Osmania General Hospital Superintendent Dr B Nagender in the presence of police personel after a Post Graduate doctor of the hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a susupected coro Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad, April 14 : In another case of attack on healthcare professionals on the frontline to combat coronavirus, the father of a patient assaulted a doctor at state-run Osmania General Hospital here on Tuesday. The man, who was also under quarantine at hospital, attacked the junior doctor after his son tested positive for Covid-19 and was shifted to Gandhi Hospital, the designated facility for treatment of positive cases. On learning about this, the patient's father manhandled the junior doctor for keeping his son with a person who had already tested positive. The incident triggered protest by doctors and other healthcare personnel, who sought adequate security. Hospital Superintendent B. Nagender appealed to the police to provide sufficient protection to doctors and paramedics. The staff complained that attendants are entering the isolation wards and creating problems for them. This is the second such incident in the city this month. Earlier, a doctor at Gandhi Hospital was assaulted by two relatives of a man following his death. All the three had tested positive. Greater Hyderabad accounts for 216 out of 472 Covid-19 patients currently undergoing treatment. Ten out of 17 fatalities were also from the city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the way people are following lockdown guidelines and celebrating festivals at their respective homes with simplicity is "motivational" and "praiseworthy". The Prime Minister announced the extension of lockdown till May 3, during his address to the nation. "This is the time for various festivals in different parts of the country. With Baisakhi, Pohela Boishakh, Puthandu, Bohag Bihu, the new year has started in different states. Amid lockdown, the way people of the country are following the guidelines and celebrating the festivals at their homes with simplicity, all this is motivational and praiseworthy," Modi said. He underlined that India's fight against COVID-19 is moving ahead "very strongly" and the country has been able to avert considerable damage due to sacrifice of the countrymen. "India's fight against coronavirus epidemic is moving ahead very strongly. Because of your sacrifice so far, India has been able to avert considerable damage from coronavirus. I know how many problems you had to face. Somebody has trouble getting food, somebody has trouble commuting and someone is away from home," the Prime Minister said. "But for the sake of the country, you are performing your duties like a disciplined soldier. This is the power which is inherent in 'We The People of India' in our Constitution. On the birth anniversary of Babasaheb (Ambedkar), this demonstration of our collective power and this resolution is a true tribute to him," he added. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samuel Mills, farmer and manufacturer of lumber and shingles on section 26, Hope Township, was born in Nova Scotia, Aug. 24, 1820, the son of Peter and Phebe (Williams) Mills.The father was born about 1795 in Nova Scotia, and died in Southwould, Can., Nov 17, 1856.The mother was born in the province of Nova Scotia in 1799,and died also in Southwould, Can. Samuel's grandparents who were of the same surname, but no connection were natives of the State of New York. The subject of this narrative came to Southwould, Ont., in 1870 - one year later than his parents.There he rented a farm, which he cultivated on shares. In 1857 he came to Macomb Co., Mich.,where four years he similarly engaged; and then he came to Midland County, arriving Oct.5, 1864. For a few months he lived in a shanty near his present farm, while he erected a good log house and made a little clearing. There were no regularly laid out roads,and he made his way to his new home over an old lumber trail. He first homesteaded 40 acres; but he has since added by purchase two forties on the east, one on the west and one on the south, making a fine farm of 200 acres, of which 70 are improved. He operates also a saw and shingle mill, with a circular saw, and is able to cut 10,000 feet of lumber and 35,000 to 30,000 shingles per day. He has dealt considerably in real estate at different times. Jan. 9, 1849 in Nova Scotia, he formed a life partnership with Miss Sara Fillmore, daughter of William and Sarah (Hollis) Fillmore. Mr. and Mrs. F. were of English descent, natives of the Province of Nova Scotia and died in Southwould, Ont., the former in November, 1881, and the latter Sept. 12, 1881. Mrs. Mills was born in Nova Scotia, Feb. 26, 1827,and is the mother of 11 children.Three are deceased, and five sons and three daughters survive. Following is the record: Josiah, born Oct. 5, 1849 in Nova Scotia; William, Sept. 27, 1851 in Canada;Stephen, June 20, 1853 in Canada; Wellington, Aug. 20, 1855, in Canada; Burton, April 9, 1857, in Canada; Sarah M, July 8, 1860, in Macomb Co., Mich.; Edwin, Nov.22, 1863, in Lincoln (now Hope)Township; Phebe A., Feb. 22, 1866 in the same township; Priscilla R., May 22, 1871, in Hope Township.Freeman, an infant, died when nine months old, and an unnamed infant died two days after birth. The parents were formerly members of the Christian Church. Mr. Mills is politically a Greenbacker and has been Township Clerk three terms, Justice of the Peace two terms or eight years, Township Treasurer one term and Highway Commissioner two terms. For four or five years after settling in this county, he obtained but few of his supplies at Midland, going to Saginaw for most of them. He would go to Edenville, and then go in a canoe down the Tittabawassee. Loading up with his purchases, he then poled back. When night overtook him, he hitched his boat and camped out. Arrived at Edenville, his supplies were transported in what ever manner was most convenient, over lumber trails, to his home. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Midland County Historical Society is partnering with the Midland Daily News for "A Window to Midland's Past," which will feature historical pieces in print and online at ourmidland.com. This particular piece was taken from The 1884 Portrait and Biographical Album of Midland County. 'She used to call me every day to check whether I was all right. You know how mothers are!' IMAGE: Dr Sudhir Kumar Verma, right, with a member of his medical team. Dr Sudhir Kumar Verma, associate professor at the department of medicine, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, has finished his one-week duty in the coronavirus ward and started his 14-day quarantine at the hospital. "Once you are taking care of the patients, nothing else comes to your mind; only the patient matters," Dr Verma tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier. Continuing our series on Indian heroes at the frontline of the war against coronavirus: I have heard that none of the medical staff at KGMU has gone home since the first coronavirus patient was admitted. Yes, the first patient, a doctor from Canada, was admitted on March 9. Dr Himanshu was in charge then. The whole team was under active quarantine in the hospital in separate rooms for the seven days when they were on duty, and they were not allowed to go home. After a team completes one week of duty, a new team takes over. The previous team will then undergo a quarantine of 14 days. In fact, they were given the option of quarantine at home or in the hospital premises itself. They were given strict instruction to follow isolation at home if they chose to do home quarantine. But most healthcare workers chose to remain in the hospital quarantine area itself. Is it because the virus is highly infectious and they didn't want their family members to be under any risk? Exactly. Most healthcare workers, including me, have elderly parents living with them. I also have a one-and-a-half-year-old child. Nobody wants to put the lives of their family members at risk. Now that my active quarantine of one week is over, I have decided to undergo 14 days of quarantine in the hospital itself. How did your family take the news that you were going to treat coronavirus patients? When my family came to know that I was posted in the coronavirus isolation ward, everybody was very scared, especially my mother. She became less tense only after I explained to her that we went to the ward with proper protective gear. I told her I was doing my duty when the entire nation was passing through this crisis, and that we needed to serve our people and country. Slowly, she realised that this duty was very important to me. She used to call me every day to check whether I was all right. You know how mothers are! It was not possible to take calls when you are on duty as we did not want to contaminate the phone. So, I told everyone in my family and also my friends that I would not be able to receive calls during the day. My mother became normal only when I told her that my active quarantine days were over, and I had no symptoms. Please tell us how the one week in the coronavirus isolation ward was. When we first got posted in the coronavirus isolation ward, what I did first as the team leader was, explain every detail about the virus, how we should avoid getting it, what precautions to take, how to wear and remove the PPE, etc to the entire team of doctors, residents, nurses and ward boys. The protocol was that everybody underwent training which included about the disease and also psychological support, before they went to the ward. I found that after the first day, everybody was relaxed, and I did not see any fear in any of them. Once you are taking care of the patients, nothing else comes to your mind; only the patient matters. Our isolation ward has two areas; one for suspected patients and another for confirmed cases. So, we also divide the team into two groups, and the groups rotate the position every day. What was the mental condition of the patients when they got admitted there? First, they were not ready to accept that they were coronavirus patients. When we explained to them that it was only a mild attack and there was nothing to worry, they relaxed. Our first patient was a doctor who was a Canadian. She had come to Lucknow with her husband, in-laws and child on vacation. Though she was fully aware of the disease, we explained everything to her. She had only very mild symptoms. Among the family, only she tested positive first, and the others tested negative. IMAGE: A medical professional in a protective suit offers advice to a woman visitor at a hospital in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo. What was the condition of the patients when they were brought to the hospital? They came complaining of fever, cough, sore throat, body pain, etc. Most of the patients who have come to our hospital were mild cases and they were young. The oldest patient was 56 years old. He has been cured of the disease and will be discharged very soon. Luckily, we do not have any serious cases with serious pneumonia till now. So, we didn't have to use ventilatory support for anyone. As per ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) guidelines, we have to test all acute respiratory illnesses for coronavirus. We got patients with severe acute respiratory illness, but on testing we found they were all coronavirus negative. They were either community acquired pneumonia or swine flu or H1N1 cases. Out of the 10 cases, we have discharged three. In Lucknow there are 25 cases out of which 12 are who attended the Jamaat in Nizamuddin. The last patient admitted was a two-and a-year-old child who is the son of our first patient, the doctor from Canada. When she was in our hospital, her two-and-a-half-year-old child was taken care of by her in-laws. Then, they also became positive. As the father-in-law was a former army officer, they went to the military hospital. Finally, the husband and child also tested positive. Because she was treated here, she preferred to treat her child here. As she has recovered fully and has antibodies, she is with the child in the hospital. The child has only very mild symptoms and both of them are recovering in our coronavirus isolation ward. What is the most challenging aspect of treating coronavirus patients? As the transmission rate of the virus is very high, it is very important to protest ourselves while taking care of the patients. We had to follow the protocol very carefully, especially how we wear the PPE and remove it. We have been very careful while dealing with the patients. We know that in Wuhan, 3% to 4% of healthcare workers and 10% to 15% of physicians got infected. In a hospital in Mumbai, several doctors and nurses got infected. That was because they performed a procedure on a patient before they found out that he was coronavirus positive. After the operation, the doctors and nurses were tested, and found that all of them got infected. What is the medicine that you are giving patients? The guidelines are changing almost every day. We first started with chloroquine, but later we changed the medication to hydroxychloroquine when it became available. Now, we give hydroxychloroquine 400mg first day, followed by hydroxychloroquine 200mg twice daily for the next four days. Along with this, we give Azithromycin 500mg once a day. This is based on the recent ICMR guidelines. How does hydroxychloroquine work in coronavirus cases? Though hydroxychloroquine is used in malaria cases, it is predominantly used for inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic rheumatoid, etc. Hydroxychloroquine has an immunomodulatory role, that is, it reduces inflammatory response and suppresses cytokine release. Cytokine release is a kind of inflammatory response to the virus, and the main reason for acute respiratory distress syndrome which is the cause of respiratory failure leading to ventilatory support in many patients. This way, you can reduce mortality. Uncontrolled studies -- not randomised controlled studies -- and also laboratory studies have shown that hydroxychloroquine is also able to reduce a significant amount of virus load. Thus, people recover faster. Yes, there were no randomised controlled studies done yet. It means, no authority has recommended this drug for coronavirus, but we are using it based on the uncontrolled studies. ICMR has recommended this drug only for severe cases. According to the ICMR guidelines, the treatment is, hydroxychloroquine 400 mg twice daily on day one followed by 200mg twice daily for the next four days, along with Azithromycin 500mg daily for at least five days in severe cases. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. France has condemned a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin that bans people without Russian citizenship to own land plots on the essential part of Crimea and city of Sevastopol, the Embassy of France in Ukraine reported. France unconditionally condemns decree of Russian President No. 201 of March 20, 2020 that bans people without Russian citizenship to own land plots in a large part of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the embassy said on Twitter on Monday. It is emphasized that two measures the compulsory conscription of Crimean residents into the army of the Russian Federation and the ban on foreigners to own land plots in Crimea adopted by the Russian authorities within a couple of days perfectly illustrate the strategy of forced integration that Russia implements in Crimea, and which completely contradicts international law. After six years of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, France remains firmly committed to the full restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, the embassy said. As reported, the Russian Federation plans to send almost 3,300 people from the territory of the Crimean peninsula this spring to undergo "military service." The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine expressed a strong protest in connection with the implementation by the Russian Federation of another draft for military service in the temporarily occupied part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Putin signed decree No. 201, in which certain areas of the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula are illegally included in the list of territories of the Russian Federation in which foreign citizens, stateless persons and foreign legal entities cannot own land plots. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Thomas Von Essen spent six of his 31 years with the FDNY as the departments commissioner, and was at the helm on 9/11 and in the days that followed, leading a devastated department during one of the most challenging periods in New York Citys history. Nearly 20 years later, Von Essen is playing an integral role in the response to another tragedy impacting New Yorkers: the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has brought all but essential functions to a standstill and, as of Tuesday, killed more than 6,000 people citywide. Since 2017, Von Essen has been the Regional Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMA) Region II, responsible for coordinating the federal emergency response for New York and New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. That places him as the FEMA point person for the national epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, overseeing the acquisition and distribution of critical supplies and partnering with local governments on field hospitals, staffing surges and other emergency needs. "I think it is a much more difficult and complicated disaster, Von Essen said in an interview with the Advance/SILive.com, comparing the COVID-19 response to the aftermath of 9/11. Von Essen said that the narrow geographic impact of the 9/11 attacks meant that recovery resources could be focused on Ground Zero, while other parts of the city operated as normal. Not so for the COVID-19 epidemic. Here you have millions of kids not going to school and thousands of doctors and nurses throughout the whole area just working their butts off for 30 days with no end in sight." FEMA has faced other difficulties; for example, the agency cannot get the supplies they need as fast as they would like because of the high global demand for the same materials like masks and ventilators. The uncertain path of the outbreak, and shifting needs also pose challenges, and mean constant evaluation of plans and priorities. The agency is evaluating, for example, whether the College of Staten Island field hospital is still necessary. I think as the numbers go down in some of the hospitals there is a decision being made on whether or not that alternate site will be necessary. And if they believe it is, well put it together as quickly as possible, and put it to use as quickly as possible, Von Essen said. One element of the current crisis, though, is all-too-familiar to Von Essen after his time as FDNY commissioner during 9/11: grief. The grief is always the same if your mom or dad just died of the virus or your husband or wife that was killed on Sept. 11 thats the worst thing that ever happened to you, he said. CSI FIELD HOSPITAL DECISION TO-COME I dont think we started construction on the [field hospital] on Staten Island yet, said Von Essen. Should the work commence, Von Essen said, it will take less time for the site to be completed than the hospital the federal government constructed at the Javits Center, which was completed in only a week. "I think we are going to make a decision next week on whether or not to go forward with it, Von Essen said. Officials initially said the facility could include 1,000 beds to treat both coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients, but recently said the field hospital could drop down in size to a total of 150 beds, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported. On Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the Army Corps of Engineers plan, told the Advance construction of the CSI site was being halted because the state thinks the additional beds on the Island might not be needed anymore based on its latest hospitalization projections. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** There could be sweet relief coming for health workers worried about supplies of protective equipment to guard against coronavirus, with Queensland researchers perfecting a method to turn sugar cane waste into face masks. The scientists from QUT have spent the past few years perfecting the material, which is a nanocellulose membrane made out of agricultural waste such as sugar cane mulch. Dr Thomas Rainey, left, and Dr Thuy Chu Van have developed a new material for medical-grade masks using sugar cane waste. Credit:QUT QUT process engineer Dr Thomas Rainey said the material is able to filter out particles at the scale of 100 nanometres, which is in the range of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. "We have tested this material thoroughly and found it to be more efficient in its ability to remove virus-size nanoparticles than the high-quality commercially available masks we tested and compared it with," he said. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Covid-19 pandemic has also brought to the forefront many unlikely heroes. Miss England 2019 Bhasha Mukherjee, too, has decided to put her pageant duties aside for a while to pitch in during this crisis. She is putting her two degrees- Bachelor in Medical Science and Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nottingham- to good use by helping patients at Pilgrim Hospital, Eastern England. She tells us, I was in the middle of a humanitarian work in India in March, and was supposed to go to Pakistan, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka after it. My Pakistan visa was not coming through, and then there were travel bans. It was then that my colleagues at the hospital told me how busy grim the situation was, coupled with the news of retired doctors returning to work. I immediately knew that I wanted to join them and share the workload, because every pair of hands counts. Born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh and brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal, she was nine when her family shifted to the UK. Mukherjee says, I was a book nerd at school and didnt think about becoming a doctor. But then, I had an interest in both arts and sciences, and medicine is the best mish-mash of both of them. Thats why I chose to pursue medicine. When I got bored of just studies at the age of 16-17, I wanted to try theatre. Instead, I got into modelling, for about eight years, followed by participating n the pageant. I remember, the very next day after the finale, I had to start work at the hospital, and I was more worried about that than the fact that I won. She joins her duties at the hospital from this week onwards. I was in the self-isolation period after returning from India. From what I heard from my colleagues, its been stressful. But everyone is being so supportive of each other, especially on the frontline. Its a massive team effort, she signs off. Follow @htshowbiz for more A masked man stands for a thermal screening in a compound of a housing society. (Image credit: Shome Basu) The novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.2 lakh people across the world in just a few months, spreads through human contact. One sure-fire way to contain the spread of the disease is to follow strict social distancing, which is being followed in most affected nations, including India. But, in countries like India, strict social distancing becomes difficult to follow in densely populated pockets, particularly slums. The deadly virus is, in fact, spreading rapidly in Mumbais Dharavi, which is also the largest slum in Asia. It is interesting to learn how states like Maharashtra, Bihar, etc. which are densely populated are dealing with the crisis. For live updates on coronavirus, click here Most strategies overlap with those dictated by the Centre as well as several universal ones including social distancing, mandatory quarantine for persons in contact with COVID-19 patients, and coronavirus cluster management. 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 However, each of the five most populated states of India Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal have adopted some unique approaches that have proven to be beneficial too. Lets take a look at them. Maharashtra: The worst-hit state in India got most of its initial cases from people with a history of foreign travel, before secondary sources started surfacing late March. With the ever-increasing number of coronavirus positive cases and deaths in the past two weeks, the government stressed entirely on securing containment zones, Hindustan Times has reported. Most of these containment zones are located in the two major cities of Pune and Mumbai. They are closely monitored, and no resident of these clusters are allowed to step out of the sealed zones until further notice from authorities. Read Also: Lockdown to hit state govt's finances worse than Centre Now, there are above 400 containment zones in the state, of which 381 are in Mumbai alone. Mumbais civic body, BMC, has classified these zones into three categories red, yellow, and green depending on the number of COVID-19 positive patients found in each. Uttar Pradesh: The state focused entirely on identifying hotspots in the worst-affected districts and increasing restrictions in such areas to prevent further spread of the deadly virus. New health facilities were also quickly set up alongside coronavirus testing labs. In addition, 11 committees were set up to monitor the situation in the state, give feedback and suggest ways to help the people accordingly. Uttar Pradesh was the first state to distribute food grains for free among the poor, while also announcing a relief of Rs 1,000 each to all daily wagers and vendors. Madhya Pradesh: The BJP formed the government in MP days before the lockdown was imposed, and still does not have the full Cabinet in place. Despite the lack of a health minister coupled with 72 health department officials testing positive, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been able to contain the spread of the disease to the cities of Indore and Bhopal. The authorities in this state are currently focusing on the basics, i.e., identify, test, isolate, and treat. Besides, all areas visited by foreign nationals or people with respiratory diseases and influenza, have been sealed by authorities. Door-to-door surveys are being conducted to identify symptomatic patients too. Bihar: This is the only state that has opened its outpatient facilities in hospitals, in a show of faith that the situation is gradually getting better. The total number of cases in the state have not crossed 100 either, despite being home to more than 100 million people. Read Also: Top-10 places most responsible for spreading COVID-19 in India Though this could be a result of less aggressive testing, given only 8,000 tests have so far been conducted, Bihar chief secretary Deepak Kumar has claimed that all international passengers and symptomatic cases in the state have been tested. Areas reporting a high number of cases, such as Panjwar village of Siwan district, have been declared red zones or hot spots. These areas were completely sealed, and essential supplies were provided by civic workers to ensure no resident steps out of the containment zone. Places visited by those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi were also sanitised and sealed. West Bengal: This state has also reported less than 100 COVID-19 positive cases, although there have been frequent reports of locals flouting social distancing norms, and the authorities not enforcing the lockdown strictly. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims they have imposed complete clampdown only in the hotspots, which have been sealed by authorities. The other areas have reported a flurry of economic activities, although there is no official record of most. Bengal has roped in Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee and formed task forces and committees to seek guidance on how to tackle the coronavirus crisis. There are, at present, seven testing laboratories, 64 hospitals, and over 580 quarantine centres exclusively for COVID-19 patients in the state. As Haryana battles the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19, the states top official has hailed the spirit of the people. The people of Gurugram have touched our (authorities) hearts with their individual efforts, Varinder Singh Kundu, Additional Chief Secretary of Haryana and CEO, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority said on HT Dialogues on Tuesday. The way people have come out - irrespective of their status - and have helpd everyone, has been heart-warming experience, said Kundu. I am not talking about corporates, individuals have put in their hard work. The event was organised virtually with top officials of Haryana government and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority to deliberate and discuss what the state government has done in tackling Covid-19, and what is the way forward. The participants also include industry representatives and members of the resident welfare associations. Kundu pointed out that the testing percentage in Gurugram has been one of the highest in Haryana. We have tested 1,884 cases till now. We happen to be the only district which has seven private testing facilities. Since the Supreme Court has amended its order, we can expect more testing in the coming days. The ICMR has given a clear protocol on who is to be tested. And that protocol has been followed. Out of 1884 cases, 1598 were found negative and the results of over 250 are still awaited. Thirty two samples have tested positive, added Kundu. With two more positive cases of coronavirus reported on Tuesday, Haryanas Covid-19 count has gone up to 184. Two more cases of Covid-19 were reported from Faridabad today, said the states Health Department in a statement on Tuesday. As per the latest data issued by the Health Department of Haryana, a total of 143 are active cases of Covid-19, 39 have been cured and discharged, while two deaths have been reported so far. U.S. military aircraft fly south of Taiwan after PLA training mission ROC Central News Agency 04/13/2020 01:57 PM Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Two United States military aircraft were reported close to Taiwan's southern airspace on Monday, one day after the Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed a Chinese aircraft carrier battle group sailed east of the country. A U.S. RC-135W Rivet Joint and a Lockheed P-3 Orion were operating in the South China Sea, according to flight charts posted on Twitter Monday morning by Aircraft Spots, a military air movement tracker. Based on the Twitter posts, both planes flew at different intervals, with the RC-135W reconnaissance plane spotted first southwest of Taiwan. Taiwanese military spokesman Shih Shun-wen () did not directly confirm the aircraft sightings, except to say the nation's armed forces are closely monitoring the country's surrounding waters and airspace. According to charts released by Aircraft Spots and Taiwan's own records, the latest operation was the 10th time U.S. aircraft have operated near the country's airspace since March 25. The MND said Sunday evening that the Chinese aircraft carrier the Liaoning, escorted by two destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship, were monitored as they passed through the Miyako Strait on Saturday and moved southward, passing east of Taiwan on Sunday, on a long-range training mission. No unusual activities were detected, the defense ministry said. Su Tzu-yun (), a senior analyst at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research, said Sunday that China has expanded its maritime and air presence in the Indo-Pacific region. "This is probably the main reason U.S. reconnaissance planes have recently been spotted operating near the Bashi Channel, to monitor the movements of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the area," Su said. (By Matt Yu and Ko Lin) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on the issues related to COVID-19 and existing lockdown, in New Delhi on Apr 14, 2020. The PM on Tuesday commended people of the nation for celebrating festivals by staying at home during t Image Source: IANS New Delhi, April 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced Lockdown 2.0 that will extend the present shutdown till May 3. In his address to the nation he offered the states -- a chance -- "you will be monitored till April 20 and conditional reprieve may be given on how well you perform". "The fight against Corona will be more strictly enforced in the next one week. By 20 April, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be evaluated on how well lockdown is being followed or which areas have been able to protect itself from Corona," he told the States through his address to the nation, getting a sense of competition. This assumes significance in the backdrop of multiple videos of violation from across India emerging on social media. In fact, the Home Ministry has already sent two warnings to the West Bengal government for not seriously enforcing the shutdown where it alleged religious congregations to assembly at market places in few areas of Kolkata were being allowed by the Mamata Banerjee government. Modi dangled out the carrot, "Areas that will succeed in this litmus test -- will not be in the hotspots and will be less likely to turn into a hotspot...there can be some necessary activities allowed from April 20." Calling it an "Agni pariksha", the Prime Minister said India has fared way better because of the ongoing shutdown that was scheduled to end on Tuesday night but now stands extended. Modi argued, there is no alternative to strict adherence to social distancing norms which can be attained through staying indoors. He even invoked Ambedkar, Tuesday being his birthday and the iconic phrase of the Indian constitution he wrote - "We the People" to stress that its a common fight and needs to be won together. As of Tuesday morning, India has 8,988 active corona cases and 339 related deaths. The Prime Minister added that by Wednesday, a detailed guideline will be issued by the Centre. Making a case for an unified fight, he added that the Centre and the states are working in tandem to to lessen difficulty. He assured there are enough food grains in stock for India, and there was no need to worry. He asserted while India testing more suspected Corona patients have significantly gone up, it has simultaneously ramped up its corona infrastructure. "We have one lakh beds and there are 6,000 hospitals only for corona-infected patients," claimed the Prime Minister. Making a global comparison to suggest how strict and early measures helped India arrest the surge, Modi said: "India started screening at airports even before we had one one corona positive patient in India.. Even though we had 550 cases, India took a big decision to completely shutdown India. We didn't wait for the problem to erupt." He concluded his address to the nation, which went on predictable lines, with '7 Mantras as India is maneuvering through a difficult phase where it has to choose between life and livelihood. Modi put the debate to rest on Tuesday by saying, saving lives is more important than acknowledging its economic consequences. However, to make the impact bearable, PM Modi urged all to feed the hungry, look after the ailing and old and appealed to employers against pay cuts or laying off during this "difficult time". While he himself appeared wearing a homemade mask, he urged all Indians to wear one as well. As India continues to report bizarre incidents where doctors or police personnel are being targeted, sometimes in the most brutal way, as it recently happened in Punjab, PM appealed to respect the coronawarriors, for whom he earlier had urged Indians to clap and light candles for. As Modi finished his nearly 25 minutes address to the nation, the bottomline was simple - Get rewarded for not creating more hotspots and be empathetic at this hour of economic difficulty. Patients suffering from coronavirus can safely take ibuprofen to ease the symptoms of the infection, a Government panel of experts has concluded. Claims had spread online and among the scientific community that the painkiller could weaken the immune system's attempts to battle the virus. Last month, the NHS even removed advice for people to use the painkilling pills if they felt ill with COVID-19 symptoms. And the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the sensible thing would be to avoid taking ibuprofen while the evidence was scarce. But a review by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) concluded that both paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe to take for COVID-19 symptoms including a fever and headache. The body, which advises ministers on the safety of medicines, said there was 'insufficient evidence' to establish a link between ibuprofen use and the likelihood of getting coronavirus or of having worse symptoms of the disease. Patients suffering from coronavirus can safely take ibuprofen to ease the symptoms of the infection, a Government panel of experts has concluded It reached the same conclusion with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used to relieve pain, which are known as NSAIDs. These include naproxen, diclofenac and high dose aspirin. The CHM said: 'Patients can take paracetamol or ibuprofen when self-medicating for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and headache, and should follow NHS advice if they have any questions or if symptoms get worse. 'Patients who have been prescribed NSAIDs as a treatment for a long-term condition, such as arthritis, should keep taking these medicines as normal.' The Department of Health have been approached for comment. The advice follows a conclusion by scientists at King's College London that there is no evidence that ibuprofen could be harmful for people with COVID-19. The review of 13 scientific studies of the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs, of which ibuprofen is one, found no evidence for or against using it. The researchers said 'contradictory' information was going around about ibuprofen but that medical evidence was 'inconclusive'. Confusion over the use of ibuprofen began in March when French health minister Olivier Veran suggested that anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could 'aggravate the infection'. Other leading medics echoed his concerns, admitting the over-the-counter drug may dampen the immune system and even slow down recovery. In response, the NHS withdrew its advice for people to use ibuprofen to self-medicate, and recommended paracetamol which works in a different way. The move was precautionary while scientists collated more evidence, with drug regulators citing 'a lack' of research into the area. The study by King's College scientists, published in the journal ecancermedicalscience, investigated how NSAIDs affect the body's immune system. WHY DID EXPERTS SAY IBUPROFEN COULD WORSEN CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS? Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by blocking your body's production of certain natural substances that cause inflammation, and is used to decrease pain or a fever. Professor Paul Little, primary care research, University of Southampton, said: 'There is now a sizeable literature from case control studies in several countries that prolonged illness or the complications of respiratory infections may be more common when NSAIDs are used.' Experts say paracetamol should be a first choice because: 1. Ibuprofen may dampen the body's immune response to infection because it is has anti-inflammatory effects. This may slow the recovery process, Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said. 2. He added that it is likely the coronavirus acts in a similar way to SARS, in that it reduces an enzyme which regulates salt and water in the blood. This can lead it pneumonia. Ibuprofen may aggravate this, Professor Jones said. 2. NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation and stress on the kidneys if taken over a long period of time. This could be exacerbated in those who already have kidney or stomach problems brought on by severe illness, such as COVID-19, experts said. Advertisement Cancer and transplant patients have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 complications, especially as they may be treated with drugs that stop their immune system working properly. If these patients catch the deadly new coronavirus, their doctors need to know what medications to stop giving them in order to stop their disease getting severe. Working with Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, the team scoured studies that related to COVID-19. Of those, 13 looked at non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen. The team wrote: 'Since the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 infection, various contradictory information has been circulated regarding the potentially negative effect of treating patients with NSAIDs. 'Our search did not identify any strong evidence for or against the use of ibuprofen for treatment of COVID-19 specifically. 'The current literature does not give conclusive evidence for or against the use of NSAIDs in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.' French health minister Olivier Veran, a qualified doctor and neurologist, raised high profile concerns about anti-inflammatories with a tweet on March 14. He said: 'Taking anti-inflammatory drugs could be an aggravating factor of the infection. If you have a fever, take paracetamol.' Up to that point, the NHS had advised patients with coronavirus symptoms to take both paracetamol and ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is widely taken to relieve pain as well as reduce a fever and aches caused by common colds and flu. Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick also told Britons to avoid ibuprofen. He told the House of Commons's Health and Social Care Select Committee: 'The ibuprofen example - it may or may not be right. 'I don't know, but the sensible thing to do would be to say don't take it at the moment, take something else - paracetamol or something.' A four-year-old girl with suspected COVID-19 became seriously ill after being given the painkiller, according to her step-father, Dan Collins. Amelia Milner was given ibuprofen by her parents after she became ill with a cough and a fever the hallmark symptoms of the deadly infection. But, instead of making her feel better, the drug apparently made her temperature spike and she began shaking, panting, couldn't keep her eyes open and vomited. In a moving Facebook post, Mr Collins shared a photo of Amelia and warned: 'If your child has symptoms of coronavirus, DO NOT give them ibuprofen.' New Delhi, April 14 : In what will be the first Cabinet meeting in the second leg of the shutdown, the Union Cabinet will meet on Wednesday at 5.30 pm. However, it is unclear so far whether the Prime Minister will go for a virtual meeting through video conference or physically meet his unintuitive colleagues. Meanwhile, even as ministers have been asked to join their ministries from this Monday, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari continues to be stuck at Nagpur from where he is operating. Gadkari will join the Cabinet meeting through video conference on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, during his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government would issue detailed guidelines on how to go about the lockdown 2.0 on Wednesday. This may come up during the meeting before the MHA gives out the guidelines to states and union territories. Modi said, till April 20, the shutdown will be enforced even more strictly. All states will be monitored till then. A mechanism for the same is likely to be discussed in the meeting. Meanwhile, it is speculated that the government may announce an economic package after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Almost all industries and sectors in India are struggling with the suspended animation due to the shutdown, which now has been extended to May 3. The speculated package is believed to bring some ease. The coronavirus has now infected more than 200,000 people across New York state as the Covid-19 outbreak begins to slow and the country continues to ramp up its testing capacity. New cases across the state rose by 7,177 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 202,208, according to New York State Department of Health data gathered as of midnight. Some 10,834 people have died so far, including one child under 10 years old and six kids between 10 and 19, according to the data. One of the kids had diabetes, but the rest didn't have any underlying medical conditions, the data shows. The state has tested 499,143 people, according to the data, running 20,786 of those tests on Monday. That means that of those tested, 40.5% have tested positive. On Friday, confirmed cases in New York surpassed 161,807, overtaking that of Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The state has more reported cases than any country outside the U.S., according to Hopkins. The virus now appears to be slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. He pointed to a flattening of the daily death toll, the stabilizing of the net number of hospitalizations and a drop in the number of people on ventilators as evidence that radical measures such as the shuttering of nonessential businesses have helped to contain the virus. "We're controlling the spread," Cuomo said at a press conference in Albany. "The worst can be over, and is over, unless we do something reckless." However, Cuomo later backed off when reporters pressed him on his claim that the worst is over. "I'm not confident that the worst is over," he said. "The numbers suggest a plateauing, slight increase, but a plateauing, which is what the experts have talked about. That's what the numbers say." On Monday, the governors of New York, New Jersey and four other Northeastern states announced a regional working group to coordinate plans to reopen parts of the economy as soon as it's safe to do so. Calling the region the "Covid corridor," the governors said they would carefully weigh the public health risks before allowing companies to resume operations. Prince Harry is finding his new life in Los Angeles a bit challenging after quitting the Royal Family, said his friend Dr Jane Goodall. Speaking to Radio Times, the 86-year-old primatologist and anthropologist said that she has been in touch with Harry after the couple quit the royal duties. Dr Goodall, best known for her studies on chimpanzees, is currently under lockdown in Bournemouth when she opened up about Harry and his new life. Talking about Harrys love for hunting, Goodall opined that he will stop because his wife, Meghan Markle, doesnt like hunting. Read: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle To Hire Brad Pitt & Angelina's Former Bodyguard? 'Progressive new role' In January, Prince Harry and Meghan said that they wanted to take a progressive new role aimed at giving their son a chance to grow up normally with awareness about his royal heritage. The Royal couple, in a statement, said that they intend to become financially independent while extending full support to the Queen. The decision to relinquish royal titles took everyone by surprise and the Queen quickly called a crisis meeting with her heir Charles, William and Harry. In the meeting, it was decided that Harry and Meghan would give up all of their royal titles. After the agreement, the couple has spent most of their time in Canada and returned to London for farewell engagements. Read: 'They Must Pay!': Trump Tells Prince Harry & Meghan Markle To Cough Up For Security In US Though the couple chose not to highlight the problems that forced them to take such a radical step, the rift was evident for a long time. In October, the names of Harry and Meghan were removed from the Royal Foundation website list and their charity projects were also omitted from the projects listed on the site. Meghan was reportedly uncomfortable with the constant spotlight on her personal life and has also spoken about the struggles for being part of the Royal family. In an interview, she said that she had no idea of what she would face after the marriage. The former actress revealed that her friends had warned about the consequences of marrying in a Royal family. Read: Meghan Markle Bags First Gig With Disney Weeks After Royal Exit Along With Prince Harry Read: 'The Simpsons' Makers Wish To Have Prince Harry And Meghan Markle To Voice Characters CLEVELAND, Ohio A new study authored by a Cleveland Clinic doctor gives doctors and scientists around the world a look inside how the coronavirus kills. Before the study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology on Friday, there hadnt been any published autopsy reports of coronavirus patients. That was a problem. An autopsy allows doctors to closely examine and evaluate a body to understand and identify the cause of death. People all over the world were wondering, thousands of people are dying and we have no idea whats really going on at a microscopic level in their lungs, Cleveland Clinic lung pathologist and lead author Dr. Sanjay Mukhopadhyay said in an interview Monday. The study detailed the autopsies of two Oklahoma men: a 77-year-old with a history of hypertension and a 42-year-old man with muscular dystrophy. The doctors who performed the autopsy wore N95 masks, gloves, gowns and other protective gear to protect themselves from the virus. Both men showed coronavirus symptoms, but neither was tested for the illness until after they died. Both tested positive for coronavirus. Doctors believed that many coronavirus patients were dying of acute respiratory distress. But that was a hunch. In the autopsy of the 77-year-old Oklahoma man, they actually got to see the damage: How the inside of the lung air sacs were coated in what doctors say looks like a thick layer of paint, making it difficult for people to breath. Their theory was proven out. Doctors were also able to show that this damage wasnt caused by the use of ventilators, a point of ongoing conversation in the medical community. The man died without being treated. Its actually proof that the virus itself is causing the damage, Mukhopadhyay said. The autopsy of the 42-year-old man was perhaps more interesting. While he had coronavirus, he didnt die from it. He didnt have the paint-like coating inside of his lung air sacs. Instead he died of a bacterial pneumonia. Therefore, this patient likely died with COVID-19, not from COVID-19. These cases illustrate the challenges that pathologists and the medical community at large will face in determining the cause of death in (deceased people) who test positive, for the coronavirus the article says. The autopsies added concrete facts to the medical debate surrounding COVID-19. Doctors in the larger community have wondered whether the coronavirus causes heart inflammation. The answer from these two autopsies showed it didnt. Doctors also have theorized that COVID-19 caused widespread blood clots throughout the body. The autopsies didnt find any evidence of that. Autopsies could allow doctors to see the problems that virus causes and treat these symptoms with therapies that already exist. Theyre looking for any sign of things that can be treatable in these autopsy cases, Mukhopadhyay said. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page San Francisco, April 14 : Enterprise messaging platform Slack's CEO Stewart Butterfield has taken a dig at Microsofts Teams, saying it has just 20 per cent adoption rate among the users. In an interview given to MarketWatch, Butterfield said: "If Microsoft is such a competitive threat to Slack as it says, we would not have grown in sales and $1 million customers. "I mean, 44 million is an impressive number, but that is out of 200 million Office 365 customers. That's about a 20 per cent adoption rate," Butterfield said. Last month, Teams reached 44 million daily active users (DAUs) -- an over 40 per cent jump from 20 million DAUs in November 2019 - as people stayed home and worked. Speaking about Slack's recent coronavirus-related user surge, Butterfield said that the week of March 9 "was the most productive in our company's history". Slack recently launched a new app to integrate its rival Microsoft Teams video call features into its chat app. Alongside the Microsoft Teams integration, Slack is also launching VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) phone integration with Zoom, Cisco Jabber, RingCentral and Dialpad productivity services. Slack has seen nearly 350 per cent growth in calls made or received in its chat app over the past month, as enterprises and SMBs adopt remote working during the new coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft registered a new daily record of 2.7 billion meeting minutes in a single day on March 31 - 200 per cent increase from 900 million on March 16. The number of weekly Teams mobile users grew more than 300 per cent from early February to March 31. EAGLEVILLE Montgomery Countys coronavirus death toll surpassed 100 on Tuesday, and officials revealed that 61 percent of the total deaths were residents of long-term care facilities in the county. Eighteen people, ranging in age from 69 to 97, succumbed to COVID-19 since Monday, bringing the countys death toll to 109, county Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a Tuesday news briefing at the countys Emergency Operation Center. Officials said 48 females and 61 males in the county have died from COVID-19 since the first cases of the virus were reported on March 7. To date, there have been 67 deaths among individuals that resided at long-term care facilities. This is 61 percent of our total deaths, Arkoosh said. Officials did not identify the long-term care facilities where the deaths occurred. Arkoosh said officials continue to monitor coronavirus data from the 75 long-term care facilities in the county that are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as from other congregate care settings that have overnight services in the county, for a total of about 620 facilities. We have 73 facilities that are reporting positive cases of COVID-19, Arkoosh said. We continue to be in daily communication with these locations. We are assisting them with their requests for personal protective equipment. As of Tuesday, officials reported there are 364 COVID-19 cases involving residents of the facilities and 223 cases that involve staff at the facilities, for a total of 587 positive cases. In addition to the 18 deaths in the county, officials reported 99 new positive cases of the virus countywide on Tuesday, bringing the countys total number of cases to 2,123 since March 7. The 99 new positive cases included residents from 30 municipalities. To date, 61 of the countys 62 municipalities have reported coronavirus cases. Bryn Athyn is the only municipality that has not reported a case of COVID-19. The new positive cases in the county included 35 males and 64 females whose ages ranged from 11 to 97. Twenty-two of the individuals are hospitalized, officials said. Meanwhile, county officials announced that a community-based drive-thru COVID-19 testing site will open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Montgomery County Community College campus in Whitpain. Residents can obtain more information about the testing process and begin making appointments for a test at 8 a.m. on Thursday. 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. Individuals who do not have access to the Internet or do not have an email address will be able to call 610-631-3000 to register for a testing appointment. Arkoosh explained the new testing site will use self-swab kits, which will allow people to place a swab into each nostril for about 15 seconds. The person being testing will then place the swab into a tube for transport and testing. A video depicting the testing process is available at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 Its really very simple. Theres nothing to be worried about. The swab is small. We hope people will find this a very, very easy procedure, Arkoosh said. The new testing site replaces one that operated between March 20 and April 9 at Temple Universitys Ambler campus in Upper Dublin. Through April 9, officials said, 4,844 people were tested at that site. Ninety-three-percent of the test results have been returned and revealed that about 16 percent of the individuals tested positive, down from a previous high of 24 percent, according to officials. The countys most recent data indicated that every hospital in Montgomery County does have open beds, said Arkoosh who was joined at the news briefing by fellow commissioners Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and Joseph C. Gale, and Dr. Alvin Wang, regional EMS medical director, and Dr. Brenda Weis, administrator of the Office of Public Health. We do have our surge capacity up and ready to go if needed. But thankfully, for now, we dont need it and thats thanks to your good work at staying home, said Arkoosh, continuing to emphasize to residents the benefits of social distancing, which health experts said can prevent the spread of the virus. I want to encourage everybody to continue doing what you have been doing. Your personal sacrifice has ensured that our hospitals still have beds, that our first responders are still able to respond and meet all the needs in the county. We have been able to reach these goals because you have cooperated and you have stayed home, Arkoosh added. As anxious as we all are to get this thing over with, we are not there yet. A temporary medical facility was established in East Norriton earlier this week to assist hospitals in the region should they reach capacity during the public health crisis. The temporary 35-bed facility located inside Suburban Community Hospital is capable of treating COVID-19 and other patients and will be staffed by volunteer physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Surge Medical Assistance Response Team (SEPA SMART) under the clinical direction of the hospital. The unit will help ensure the county can get through the epidemic with enough hospital beds. You are here: Arts "Hunting," a Chinese TV drama depicting a multi-year-long police manhunt for fugitive criminals fleeing overseas, is set for release Tuesday, April 14. Starring Wang Kai as a police officer who grows to be an outstanding economic crime investigator and helps bring home the boss of a criminal group from overseas, the show will be broadcast on Dragon TV and Beijing TV as well as major online streaming platforms, according to its official Weibo account. The cast also includes popular actress Wang Ou and actor Hu Jun. Much of the shooting took place in foreign countries. The TV drama was co-produced by the economic crime investigation bureau of China's Ministry of Public Security, according to a trailer released for the program. DCPCR's helpline for parents and children has received nearly 19,000 calls within six days, with a majority of them pertaining to procurement of ration and medicine during the lockdown period, according to data shared by the child rights body. The other major reason for distress were financial concern and uncertainty about the future. The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) had launched the helpline number 011-41182977 last week to help children and parents cope with anxiety during the period. Within a week of its launch, the helpline had received 18,900 calls till Monday evening, according to data. On Monday alone, the helpline received 7,900 calls. Buoyed by the response, there are plans to strengthen the helpline by roping in more counsellers. Delhi Minister for Women and Child Development Rajendra Pal Gautam told PTI, "We are planning to rope in more experts. People are getting a platform to talk about their issues and we are addressing them. People have benefitted from them." He said they will publicise about the demand for more counsellors who can talk to people. DCPCR member Anurag Kundu welcomed the minister's suggestions and said on Tuesday alone, they have deputed 57 counsellers in separate shifts and 22 phone lines have been made operational. "We are also working on building operational efficiency. We have taken due note of the minister''s instructions and we are working on it," he said. According to data shared by the DCPCR, 32 per cent of the calls pertained to procuring ration and medicine during the lockdown. "The counsellors shared the link of the ration coupon website for those who do not have ration cards. In some cases, they shared the address of nearest PDS shop for people who had ration cards," he said. The counsellors also help people in filling forms for e-passes for those who need to move for essential purpose such as medical need, etc. Almost 25 per cent of the calls pertained to financial concerns and worries about uncertainty of the future, according to the data. People are worried about jobs, uncertain when their salaries will be released and about finding new jobs, Kundu said. Counsellors hear their concerns, allow them to vent and also suggest some activities to keep themselves productively engaged so as to curb their anxiety levels, he said. The worries of children pertained to concerns about their academics and inability to attend school and almost 18 per cent of the calls were related to this. The counsellors suggested learning activities to them in line with the education department efforts, and parents were counseled about how to engage with their children educationally and emotionally. Counsellors also suggested the PCM technique -- Physical Workout, Cognitive Workout, and Mental Health Workout for children and adults in many instances, he said. Four per cent of the callers wanted to discuss about their past trauma while six per cent called to share about their anxiety about their loved ones who are living alone. Nine per cent of callers were worried about their future while one per cent shared they were experiencing emotional disability and five per cent shared concerns about being displaced from home. Kundu shared that the counsellors work from their homes and as soon as the helpline receives a call, it is redirected to the counseller on duty at that time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Catarina Demony and Sergio Goncalves LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese business leaders, labour unions and doctors joined forces on Monday to pressure the government to reinforce public health measures in order to allow for a gradual loosening of the nationwide lockdown imposed over the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Antonio Costa and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the 167 signatories urged the government to make the use of face masks compulsory and install contactless dispensers with hand sanitiser in public spaces. "The planning for the phasing out of the lockdown will demand additional containment measures to prevent new outbreaks that could lead to intermittent lockdown periods... It is urgent to increase public health containment measures," they wrote. Then the state of emergency should be gradually lifted, allowing the economy to return to normal levels of activity, they said. Portugal has so far reported 16,934 coronavirus cases, with 535 deaths, far below levels seen in neighbouring Spain. The president has said he will propose extending the national lockdown, currently in place till April 17, to May 1. In their letter, the signatories asked the government to test all suspected coronavirus cases within 24 hours of the first symptoms and introduce the widespread use of serological tests across the country to detect disease-fighting antibodies. One of the proposed measures calls for the health authority to request from telecom operators the contact details of users infected with the coronavirus over the last 14 days. Based on geolocation data, authorities will then alert users who have been in the proximity of the infected person about the contagion risk via text message or phone call. "TEST MORE" Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference on Monday that the priority was to "test more", adding that a total of 179,000 coronavirus tests had been conducted since the beginning of March in the country of 10 million people. Story continues "We've had encouraging results in the way we managed the pandemic," Temido said. "Right now we have to take small but safe steps." Authorities said Portugal's low case tally did not mean restrictions could be eased quickly. Jorge Roque da Cunha, head of the Independent Union of Doctors, also questioned the reliability of official figures. "There are failures in the reporting of cases," he told the Observador newspaper. "It is not possible, in one week, that the whole region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo only report 15 new cases." (Reporting by Catarina Demony and Sergio Goncalves, Editing by Andrei Khalip and Gareth Jones) I will not consider myself as one of the apologists of president Muhammadu Buhari All Progressive Congress (APC) government in Nigeria. However, the coming of China to assist Nigeria is one of the best decisions any government in Nigeria has ever taken. For those opposing this, I would like to inform that this is a pandemic. Does the word 'pandemic' mean anything to you? I have to ask this question because no reasonable country will ever dream of fighting a pandemic all by itself. It has never happened in history. Not even in the ancient times. As the Chinese battled the virus in Wuhan, the Germans sent them face masks. In times like this, rational-thinking requires that countries cooperate and share technologies for a common good; in order to save humanity. What is facing the world now is an invisible killer that has the potential to wipe out humanity from the face of the earth. To feeble-minded Nigerians, they might say there is no cause for alarm. To them, it is perfectly okay to keep busy, concentrating our efforts talking down and mocking the Chinese. It is the same way we go on relying on our men of God and prayers to wish the virus away. After all, we believe God will use our African sun to kill it for us. What is even most incomprehensible, is the fact, there are still many people in Africa who do not believe that the Corona virus exists or that it is killing people all over the world. Surprisingly, majority of these people are unfortunately in Nigeria. Well, as we continue to delude ourselves, by putting all our eggs in one basket. I mean, by relying only on our Nigerian doctors and our substandard health care system, the two arch enemies, the US and China, have seen reason for cooperation. They have pushed their bitterness and politics aside. China is now helping America to fight the Covid-19. Now in their fight against the real and powerful common enemy. Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire has announced he is sending half a million masks and one million testing kits to help the US. The Americans also accepted help from Russia. The situation right now is so critical that a highly, technological and rich America has become exhausted. The Americans have become so helpless they are running behind advanced countries like Italy and South Korea in testing capability. More than 17 million people in the US have lost their jobs as a result of this virus and are seeking welfare support. They have also recorded more than half a million infection while over 20,000 have died, the figures are rising. While this is going on, some beneficiary countries of Chinese largesse like Argentina, Serbia, Brazil, etc., are proclaiming that China has saved them and their countries. As we speak, Chinas shipments are heading to 51 countries in the world. They include Brunei, Peru, Thailand and enemy Japan. In the same way, the whole of Western Europe e.g., Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, etc., now rely on Chinese shipments as well as medical professionals and know-how. If these rich and advanced countries of the world can accept China shipment, or, let China into their territories for help, I cannot understand why our medical doctors are feeling intimidated. They should understand that it's all about cooperation and broadening of knowledge. Whether we like it or not, whether in reference to good or low quality of products, whatever derogatory names anyone may choose, or think anything, China has proved to the world what they are capable of. Despite rising from the ashes of a killer pandemic, China has mustered the strength to support the entire world. They have done something no country has ever had the capacity and capability to do. They have stamped their feet on the sands of time. It is such that I am confident that in the aftermath of this crisis China will absolutely emerge as the number one world economic and technological super power. I know that we have good doctors in Nigeria. I know that they are doing their best to keep together what remains of our wobbling health care as a result of decades of neglect and corruption. Boss Mustapha the secretary to the government of the federation, in his recent meeting with the Nigerian National Assembly as the chairman of the presidential task force on Covid-19, lamented that` he never knew our health care infrastructure was in such poor state. Who knows, this might be a good opportunity to bring about reform, and to overhaul the entire machinery of the Nigerin health and social care system. In the same way, the Lagos state commissioner for health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, while stressing the need for nations to collaborate to fight the killer pandemic, remarked that the Lagos state government is in dire need of scientists, molecular biologists and logisticians from China or wherever they may come from. I will suggest that other state governments in Nigeria should also list areas in which they might need support. Therefore, this is not the time to trivialize. Even Europe and America are paying a heavy price, as they regret not acting fast enough in responding to early warnings about the pandemic. Now, it is a common knowledge that instead of taking decisive actions in this unprecedented time, like the Chinese did, most of us have preferred to enjoy arguing in nooks and crannies in the social media, mostly along party, ethnic, religious and ideological lines. But, as this effective killer virus rages as wild fire, as it continues to circle the globe, bringing nations to their knees, let us remember that Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, sharing boarders with many countries. Therefore, any attempt to politicize the fight against the Covid-19 in Nigeria, the failure will have a spillover effect on other countries. The result then might be disastrous for the continent. Therefore, Nigerian doctors opposing the coming of the Chinese professionals, and those supporting them, should wake up from their slumber and wise up. Most importantly,people in the civil service must stop fighting Western-trained professionals. There should be a synergy and concerted efforts to uplift Africa. The two parties can learn from each other through mutual respect and cooperation. I see a correlation with the Nigerian doctors attitude to the coming of the Chinese. The government should find ways to encourage returnee professionals to find their feet back again in their fatherland; so that they will be able to contribute their quota to the benefit of our society. Though, I do know human beings will continue to be what they are, but as this health crisis continues to rage, lessons are being learnt. Sometimes, I wish our African leaders would look to the East. After all, Cuba, Vietnam, etc., would not have existed today without China. When in their time of tribulation, the West, together with their big brother Uncle Sam betrayed and let them down. Silas Ejiofoh is a Health and Social Care professional Based in Germany ( [email protected] ) One officer was killed and three other police personnel were injured during a shootout Egyptian security forces killed seven terrorists in a raid on a hideout in El-Amiriya neighbourhood in eastern Cairo on Tuesday evening. The cell was planning to carry out terrorist operations during the Easter holiday, according to a statement by the interior ministry on Tuesday. The National Security Agency received information about a terrorist cell using shelters in east and south Cairo to launch terrorist operations in conjunction with the Easter holidays, the ministry said. Police found six automatic rifles, four cartridge weapons and a large amount of ammunition in the terrorists possession. A police officer from the National Security Agency was killed during the raid, while one other officer and two security personnel were injured, the ministry added. Police forces also raided a warehouse in El-Matariya neighbourhood where the terrorist cell had hid its weapons and explosives, and they found a number of automatic rifles and some ammunition. Egyptian television displayed footage of the shooting during the hours-long operation in El-Amiriya. The neighbourhood was in complete darkness during the operation, in what appeared to be a power cut. The neighbourhood, like all of Egypt, is under a night-time curfew that begins at 8pm and lifts at 6am. The prosecutor-general has ordered an urgent investigation into the incident, and an inspection team from the state security prosecution office was dispatched to the scene. The cabinet issued a statement on Tuesday mourning the death of Lieutenant-colonel Mohamed El-Houfy, the officer who was killed during the incident. The cabinet also conveyed their condolences to the family of the deceased and to the interior ministry, and wished those injured a speedy recovery. Search Keywords: Short link: The police have arrested a suspect in the murder of a cleric with Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Imole, Agbeni, Ibadan, Grace Ajibola, after days of a manhunt. Abegunde Olaniyi was arrested in Akure, Ondo State, where he allegedly fled after the crime. The police commissioner in Oyo State, Sina Olukolu, on Tuesday, said the suspect allegedly killed Mrs Ajibola and used her ATM card to withdraw money from her bank account. The Commissioner paraded the suspect at the Eleyele Police Command headquarters. He said, on 17th March, 2020 at about 1100hrs, one Mrs Grace Ajibola, an Evangelist with Christ Apostolic Church, (CAC) Oke Imole Agbeni, Ibadan was brutally attacked, robbed and killed in her residence at Oluyole area of Ibadan by one Abegunde Olaniyi. The police boss said the suspect, who had been running errands for the victim, hit her with a wooden object, strangulated her and stole her mobile phone and three ATM cards. He said the suspect had discovered about N2 million in the victims bank account when sent to withdraw money for her with her ATM from a bank in Apata Area, Ibadan. The police commissioner said as soon as the incident was reported at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office, a team of operatives embarked on an investigation and later arrested the suspect in his hideout in Akure, Ondo State. Mr Olukolu said the suspect had confessed to the crime and explained in detail how he had already withdrawn N120, 000 from the victims bank account before he was arrested. He said one Tecno cell phone and two ATM cards belonging to the victims and the wooden object that the suspect used to hit the victim were recovered. The suspect, while speaking with journalists at the event, said he could not explain what came over him on that fateful day. That day, I was sent to withdraw money for her with her ATM card. Having discovered a huge amount of money in her account, I decided to murder her and take possession of the money. The Commissioner of Police said the press briefing was called to announce the arrest of suspected armed robbers, criminal receivers, kidnappers and impersonators operating in the state. Mr Olukolu called on the people of the state to support the police with credible information to assist the security agency in curbing the activities of criminals in the state. Mount St. Marys University will introduce a data science major in the Fall 2020 semester through expansion of a minor degree program. The new Bachelor of Science degree will combine traditional curriculum in mathematics and computer science with newer curriculum related to current data science techniques to prepare graduates for success as data scientists, analysts and managers in a variety of fields from economics to science to mathematics. Since first being offered in 2016-17, the Mount's data science minor has tripled the number of students enrolled in the required sequence of courses and has resulted in graduates who have been highly successful in gaining employment within data-related careers or pursuing graduate studies in data-science-related disciplines. Data science and neuroscience majors were approved by the Mount St. Marys Board of Trustees in January, and then the proposals were sent to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for approval. MHEC approved both programs last week. Demand is growing rapidly for professionals with the aptitude to transform complex data into useful data products. The data science major, to be housed in the Mathematics and Computer Sciences Department, features a curriculum with five critical elements: computational science and data science foundations, data skill development, application area exploration and a demonstration of skills learned within a problem domain through a capstone course. The strength of the Mounts data science major is the combination of the technical skill elements with the university core curriculums focus on habits of the mind, allowing students to solve the complex problems society will face in the coming decades, said Kraig Sheetz, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics. The lines between academic majors are becoming more and more blurred, Sheetz said. The demand that we see globally, which manifests through the needs of our potential employers, is the ability to think critically and creatively in order to solve very challenging problems, and that often requires a very interdisciplinary mindset. The Mathematics and Computer Science department and the School of Natural Science and Mathematics have a longstanding history of placing graduates with top STEM employers in the region. Recent Mathematics and Computer Science graduates have been employed by Northrup Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Johns Hopkins Advanced Physics Laboratory, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, NSA, SAIC, and Booz Allen Hamilton, among many others. The Mounts coursework on ethics is of particular value to employers as well. "A data science program within a university dedicated to the development of ethical leaders enables Mount St. Mary's University to graduate data science practitioners who will evaluate all potential data science applications not only in light of what can be done but also in light of what should be done," said Assistant Professor Rebecca Portier. Several of the courses in the data science major will be taught by current faculty, including Portier. An endowed professor in computational sciences and mathematics, funded through a $1 million grant from the Maryland E-Novation Initiative Fund with matching funds from the university, will teach courses within this major. Through a partnership with the Leidos Advanced Biomedical Computing Center at Frederick National Laboratory, the endowed professor will also hold a visiting scientist appointment at Leidos. - According to ODM party leader Raila Odinga's daughter, Winnie Odinga, art cannot be considered improper or offensive - She was defending the viral Utawezana song after Kenya's moral police, Ezekiel Mutua, termed the song as immoral content -The KFCB boss promised he would take action against artistes promoting immoral content, branding them enemies of the society Barely a week after the Utawezana Challenge went viral, the song by Femi One and Mejja has received both positive and negative reception. The ODM party leader Raila Odinga's daughter, Winnie Odinga, was among those who came out to defend the viral song after Kenya's moral police, Ezekiel Mutua termed it as immoral content. READ ALSO: 30-minute wedding: Kenyan couple wed with only 15 guests, no kissing Winnie Odinga speaking at a past event. Photo: The Star Source: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Nameless's daughter packs her bags ready to leave in search for new family In a tweet seen by TUKO.co.ke on Tuesday, April 14, Winnie told the Kenyan Film and Classification Board (KFCB) CEO that art cannot be considered improper or offensive. "Art cannot be bowdlerized or sterilized. That's why it is art," she wrote. READ ALSO: Maharusi wafunga ndoa kwenye harusi ya kipekee Thika Winnie was responding to Mutua's harsh remarks on Twitter where he shamed those creating the 'Nikikupa Utawezana' challenge. Her answer to the moral police attracted attention online with many praising her for saying the truth while others stood with Mutua. Some asked Mutua to relax and let people enjoy whatever it was during the social distancing period. The song by Mejja and Femi One went viral after Azziad Nasenya started the Utawezana Challenge. The beautiful babe recorded a video of herself dancing to the song on Tiktok, after which the now controversial song gained momentum. In a statement shared on social media pages, Mutua said there was nothing comical or creative about the Okwonko Utawezana song and that even Azziad would be ashamed to sing the song in front of the mother. The KFCB boss promised he would take action against artistes promoting immoral content, branding them enemies of the society who would not benefit from Uhuru's funds. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke A robot called Medibot is created in Malaysia to make the rounds on hospital wards to check on COVID-19 patients. (Photo: AFP) The barrel-shaped, white robot on wheels is 1.5 meter tall and equipped with a camera and screen via which patients can communicate remotely with medics. The invention, made by scientists at the International Islamic University Malaysia, is also fitted with a device to check patients' temperatures remotely. It is aimed at helping nurses and doctors working on the wards with social distancing, said Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, a member of the team behind the invention. It cost about 15,000 ringgit (3,500 USD) to built, and the university plans to trial it soon in their own private hospital, which does not treat virus patients, he said. If that proves a success, the scientists hope it can be used in government hospitals where people with COVID-19 are sent. As of April 13 afternoon, Malaysia had reported 4,683 confirmed cases, including 76 deaths. From Thailand to Israel, robots are being used in the fight against the novel coronavirus, which has killed over 110,000 people worldwide. When the last patient walked out of the isolation ward on April 4, the time came for Guo Xiaoran, a nurse from Beijing Hospital, to leave Wuhan, where she had worked around the clock for two months. At 10 a.m. that day, the horns of ships docked on the Yangtze River in Wuhan were wailing in grief. This salute was part of a national mourning ceremony for martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak and compatriots who had died from the COVID-19 disease. "As people from all walks of life resume work in Wuhan, there are more and more ships sailing on the river. The sound of sirens not only expressed condolences to all the victims but also indicated the revival of the city," Guo wrote in her diary. "In the past 60 days, I imagined completing my task and going home multiple times. But when I'm about to leave, I find myself deeply attached to the city, which now boasts blooming flowers and sparkling waters of the river." Shortly after the outbreak began, Beijing Hospital dispatched a team of 151 medical workers to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and the epicenter of the epidemic in China. The team was responsible for treating severe and critically ill patients at an intensive care unit of the Sino-French New City Branch of Tongji Hospital. As the epidemic situation improved markedly, medical workers from across the country began to depart Wuhan from mid-March. Guo and her colleagues were among the last to leave. On April 5, Tongji Hospital held a simple but solemn send-off for them. While standing outside the main building of the hospital, Guo couldn't help recalling her many frontline experiences: the first time she put on a protective suit and goggles, the first time she drew blood wearing multiple layers of medical gloves, and the first time she wished happy birthday to a patient. "These experiences have been engraved on my heart," she said. On April 6, early in the morning, the medical assistance team set out on their journey back to Beijing. "Local Wuhan residents lined the streets to see us off, waving China's national flags and exclaiming Thank you for your hard work!' and Welcome back anytime!'" Guo described. "I saw a little boy who's about three years old make a heart shape gesture. He kept his head up to watch us until we were very far away. Vehicles along the way stopped to give way to our buses. Traffic police officers at every intersection saluted us," Guo continued. At the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Guo received a special boarding pass, on which the date was printed as "Victory Day of the Fight against COVID-19," and the Gate was called the "Gate of Triumph." "While studying the boarding pass, I received a WeChat message from one of my college classmates, asking whether we had the opportunity to take a group photo," Guo said. "Five classmates, now working for four hospitals in Beijing, joined the fight against the epidemic in Wuhan. Four of us returned to Beijing on the same day." Before boarding the flight, Guo and her college classmates had their photo taken together for the first time since their graduation 18 years ago. "The only classmate still in Wuhan is from Peking Union Medical College Hospital," Guo said. Guo read a post on her classmate's WeChat moment saying: "Although treating patients at the same hospital in Wuhan, I never had the chance to meet my four classmates face-to-face. I can't see you off as I am still at my post. Let's get together in Beijing!" "Upon reading her words, I felt tears well up in my eyes," Guo added. Following the outbreak, more than 42,000 medical staff around the country were sent to aid Hubei. They cooperated with more than 80,000 local medical staff in helping the province tide over unimaginable difficulties. LONDON, April 14, 2020 /CNW/ - Materia Ventures ("Materia" or the "Company"), a medical cannabis and wellness company focused on the European market, today announced an exclusive license and distribution agreement with Feather Company Ltd. ("Feather") to bring its premium CBD brand Hiatus to the United Kingdom. "We're delighted to bring Hiatus to the United Kingdom as we curate a portfolio of some of the most respected brands in the industry," said Deepak Anand, CEO of Materia. "Vape pens are the second largest CBD product segment in the UK1 and consumers are placing their trust in companies that do not compromise on safety and quality. We believe Hiatus, Feather's CBD brand, embodies these principles, making it an ideal addition to our portfolio." Added Nick Pateras, Managing Director, Europe at Materia: "Over a quarter of UK CBD consumers report using vapes as a format, representing a segment worth 80M last year and growing quickly2. In light of the serious health issues reported from some off-label products, consumers need to be vigilant in the products they choose. Hiatus applies best-in-class practices in producing their innovative hardware and Materia's formulations adhere to the highest quality standards for manufacturing and testing - making health and wellness the absolute priority." Hiatus is a premium brand designed to appeal specifically to sophisticated consumers. The vaporizer pen is constructed of the highest quality materials and offers an iconic but discrete consumption experience. Hiatus will be offered in three varieties, targeting the largest need states of Rest, Focus and Revive. The launch will focus on established online distribution channels, subsequently broadening to brick-and-mortar stores as the UK retail environment permits. Under the terms of the agreement, Materia will manufacture and attain exclusive rights to market and distribute Hiatus' CBD disposable pen and cartridge and battery pen technology. "At Feather we believe good design has universal appeal and the opportunity to bring our intuitive product experiences to a broader audience is what drives us," said Patrick Lehoux, CEO of Feather. "Materia shares our passion for quality and customer experience and brings extensive expertise in navigating the competitive and regulatory environment in the UK. We're excited to partner with them to launch Hiatus and bring an elevated CBD consumption experience to all Britons." About Materia Ventures Materia Ventures' vision is to be the enabler of global cannabis access. Materia is developing a robust manufacturing and distribution ecosystem to grow the legal cannabis market across the European continent. With its expert, research driven team and state-of-the-art technology, Materia focuses on the high-margin downstream activities of processing, formulation and distribution into markets wherever there is a patient in need of cannabis medicine or CBD consumers seeking innovative new products. _____________________ 1 New Frontier Data, 2020 2 Materia Ventures CBD Consumer Segmentation Study, 2019 About Feather Company Feather Company Ltd. is a lifestyle design brand. We believe that good design combined with quality cannabis makes for great intuitive experiences. Our mission is simple, we make great products that elevate the everyday, one person and one moment at a time. With offices in Toronto, Sudbury and Ottawa, our multidisciplinary teams include brand, product design, research & development and marketing. Hiatus is a CBD premium brand with a mission to deliver elevated experiences for the sophisticated and educated consumer class. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and legal uncertainties; access to financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Neither Materia Ventures nor Feather assumes any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. Dennis Fong, Investor Relations, Materia, Telephone: 1-416-283-9930, Email: investors@materiaventures.com; Website: http://www.materiaventures.com/; Patrick Lehoux, CEO, Feather, Email: investors@feather.com - President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his gratitude for the support of Chinese President Xi Jinping amid the COVID-19 crisis - President Duterte said that he received a note from the Chinese President about extending his support to the Philippines - The Philippine President also downplayed the reports that the coronavirus was invented in China - Duterte mentioned that China and other foreign companies are developing treatments to fight COVID-19 PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his appreciation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for China's support to the Philippines during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. KAMI learned that President Duterte received a note from the Chinese President extending his support. In a report by GMA News Online, President Duterte also downplayed the speculations that the coronavirus originated in China. I have a sort of a note from President Xi Jinping expressing his full support for us at this time and citing what we did not hurt China and of course to erase, not really to erase, but to counter the malign they were suffering at this stage, Duterte said. Hindi naman nila kasalanan galing yung Who would really want to invent a microbe to kill humankind pati yung iyo? he continued. Id like to thank President Xi Jinping for his support. Kung galing lang sa China, wala kayong problema. I think we can have priority any time, the President added. As reported by ABS-CBN News, Duterte also mentioned that China and other foreign companies are developing treatments or antibodies to combat COVID-19. Its in the other country producing the antibodies, but if China catches up with them, eh 'di okay na. Maybe a miracle will happen and civilization is back on its feet, that is how I see it, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In a previous report by KAMI, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a total of 4,932 COVID-19 cases in the country, as of April 13, 2020. The coronavirus disease or COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China. As of now, there are more than 1.8 million cases of COVID-19 across the globe. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Maricar Reyes participated in a hilarious edition of our Tricky Questions challenge! Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Conagra Brands, Inc. is recalling certain Healthy Choice brand Chicken bowl products citing the presence of small rocks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS said. The recall involves around 130,763 pounds of frozen, not ready-to-eat chicken bowl products. They include 9.5-oz. cartons containing 'Healthy Choice POWER BOWLS Chicken Feta & Farro' with UPC code 072655001800 and 9.5-oz. cartons containing 'Healthy Choice POWER BOWLS Chicken Feta & Farro, BOILS ENERGIE Poulet feta et epeautre' with UPC code 072655003026. The products were produced on January 23 and have a best by date of 10/19/2020 on the label. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide and exported to Canada. The recall was initiated after receiving consumer complaints about rocks being in the products. However, there have been no reports of any adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. The recall is classified as Class I, which indicates 'a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.' In recent recalls, Whole Foods Market, the supermarket chain owned by e-commerce giant Amazon, in early March called back select Green Chile Chicken Tamales due to the presence of undeclared milk, a known allergen. 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. EDWARDSVILLE With schools in Illinois closed since March 17 under an executive order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Edwardsville District 7 is still providing Grab and Go breakfasts and lunches to students who are in need. But the location for picking up those meals has changed. District 7 is now distributing meals from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays at the Glen-Ed Pantry, located at 125 Fifth St. in Edwardsville. Students and their parents can pick up five breakfasts and five lunches. This Monday marked the second week at the new pickup location. Were using Glen-Ed Pantry to distribute our food, but it is still being prepared by District 7 in the high school cafeteria, District 7 Superintendent Jason Henderson said. Were just trying to simplify it as much as we can, with one location to pick up the meals. Approximately 250 families signed up for meal pickup after parents were asked to request meals via a survey by noon on March 16. Previously, those who requested the meals could pick them up from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at one of three locations: Glen Carbon Elementary, Worden Elementary or Edwardsville High School. That delivery schedule ran through the week of March 30 before all meal pickups were moved to Glen-Ed Pantry. We found that people werent coming on Wednesday because we were still allowing them to pick up five meals on Monday, Henderson said. Overall, the response has been really good and last week was the first time we tried it at Glen-Ed Pantry. It was officially our spring break week, so it was a little different. The turnout was a little lighter than usual, but were hoping to have more people this week. For people who cannot get to Glen-Ed Pantry on Monday morning, the pantry is offering pickups for student meals during its regular operating hours, which are 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 3-5:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. The numbers did continue to pick up through the week during our open hours and last week we ended up serving almost 200 students, said Jane Ahasay, director of development for Glen-Ed Pantry. (Monday morning) we had 153 students and we had some people scheduled to pick up (Monday night), so I think we will hit close to the same number for this week. On Monday mornings, Glen-Ed Pantry volunteers are standing at the curb with bags of food to hand out for student meals and putting the bags directly into the trunks of cars. During normal business hours, the pantry is doing curbside delivery only, with clients asked to call ahead at 618-656-7506. For the student meals, if you come during the pantry open hours, it is helpful if you call ahead so we know to expect you, Ahasay said. District 7 is also making meal deliveries for families who are unable to get to the pantry, and Henderson said that about 50 families are currently signed up for delivery. To get on the delivery list for Mondays, families need to notify the school district by Friday of the previous week. For more information about student meals, call Edwardsville High School at 618-656-7100 or go to http://ecusd7.org/covid19/ Ahasay said that Glen-Ed Pantry, which has seen a large increase in the number of its clients during the pandemic, is happy to partner with District 7 to provide students with breakfast and lunch. Were supporting each other on a number of levels and helping to feed the children is a concern for both of us, Ahasay added. Any kind of relationships we can make within the community are important and the school district knows who needs our help. (Natural News) The tensions that have mounted since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic have slowly pushed the U.S. and China closer to a new cold war. The political pressures stemming from the pandemic have strengthened hard-liners while making it harder for leaders to back away from escalation. As the virus has killed thousands and savaged economies around the world, officials in Washington and Beijing have continued to heap blame on each other for the virus. Early on, President Donald Trump often referred to the coronavirus as the Chinese virus. Meanwhile, Chinese state-owned media and political operatives have slammed the statements of Americas political elites as being racist and xenophobic. Beijing has even gone as far as to spin allegations that the epidemic was started by the U.S. military. The outbreak is stirring anger in both countries Officials in Washington have quietly pressed for international censure of Chinas culpability in the ongoing pandemic. At the same time, theyve seized upon the crisis to attack the manufacturing and other economic ties that have been built between the countries over the past 40 years. As the outbreak shut down imports from China, many companies found themselves unable to procure the goods they needed to sell to make money. As a result, many U.S. companies started to rethink their supply chains and make plans to move their manufacturing outside of China before the economy ground to a halt. All the while, the tariffs that President Trump imposed on billions of dollars worth of goods from China and corresponding counter-tariffs from Beijing remain in place. This has added to the cost of trade while many businesses struggle to stay afloat. The economic toll seems to have pushed bipartisan support for President Trumps anti-China message in both Congress and in corporate America. Many in the latter have long been disillusioned with the relationship, especially as Beijing continues to refuse to prevent its companies from appropriating the intellectual property and know-how of American firms. Another factor contributing to the growing disenfranchisement with China has been Beijings continued crackdowns on dissent and human rights, as well as its aggressive military moves in the South China Sea. In China, on the other hand, U.S. criticism of the country, as well as the economic toll inflicted by the tariffs, has also stirred waves of nationalistic resentment toward the latter. This anger, combined with the Communist Party of Chinas (CPC) massive response to fight the epidemic, seems to have strengthened President Xi Jinpings hold on power, making it easier for him to pursue further crackdowns on dissent. People in China also chafe at President Trumps effort to blame the pandemic on the nation, seeing it as both unfair and factually wrong. To them, the CPCs draconian isolation of Hubei province and other hot spots is a model for how to contain and conquer the disease. They also see China as having reached out to other countries to help them as its own crisis has seemingly abated. (Related: Recovered coronavirus patients in China are testing positive a second time.) According to David Bachman, a China specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, the widely accepted narrative within China is that the country is if not the savior of the world at least sort of doing more than its fair share to help the rest of the world. On both sides, public resentment is likely to be intensified by the rising economic cost of the pandemic. Economic pain could make compromise more difficult The economies of both nations are expected to see their sharpest drops in decades, as businesses get crippled, and millions of people lose their jobs. Political leaders face an unprecedented crisis in which conventional stimulus packages and other time-honored economic policies look to be ineffective. According to analysts, the economic pain will likely make it difficult for both sides to make any compromise, even if a de-escalation could benefit both of them. I dont think theres any way in hell things get better from here, said Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. An increasingly authoritarian China, mixed with a global growth downturn, mixed with a domestic recession, mixed with a populist president, mixed with an election year, equals an increasingly factious discourse on China. Chinas economy is expected to suffer its slowest growth in more than 40 years. This could threaten the countrys political stability if the CPC fails to make good on its compact with the masses to continue to improve their economic well-being in exchange for their compliance with an often oppressive authoritarian system. However, there are signs that Chinas economy could fare better than experts in the West are projecting. According to Nicolas Lardy, a China economy expert at the Petersen Institute for International Economics, Chinese factories have resumed their operations, and power usage has returned to 95 percent of what it was this time last year. In addition to this, Beijing hasnt felt the need to spur economic growth with massive credit, nor has it provided anything close to the $2 trillion relief package that Washington passed. Had Beijing thought they were headed to a major economic downturn, Lardy explained, they would have injected a lot more stimulus than it already has. Coronavirus killed the trade deal that could have eased tensions Back in January, there was some hope that tensions would be eased thanks to a large trade deal struck by the two sides. As part of the deal, the Chinese promised to buy millions of dollars more in American farm products and other goods. Thanks to the pandemic, however, that trade deal is already dead in the water, states Backman. Theres no possible way that the targets now are going to be met. And so thats going to be a source of dissatisfaction on the U.S. side. The global pandemic has demonstrated the impossibility of the U.S. and China being coupled closely together, explained Clyde Prestowitz, former counselor to the Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan administration. The notion that free trade and globalization are going to tame China and make it more democratic, etcetera, I think this has shown thats bull. Sources include: Bakersfield.com LATimes.com The Saudi-led Arab Coalition that has been fighting a Houthi insurgency in Yemen for over five years launched a two-week humanitarian truce 9 April in response to UN appeals to focus efforts on the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in the country. The initiative, which also opens a window for a return to the negotiating table, came with a large financial relief package, making Saudi Arabia the first donor nation to offer financial aid to the war-torn country at a time when donor agencies, including UN organisations and USAid, have cut back their assistance. The UN, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League, the US and many European and Arab countries welcomed the coalitions initiative and issued statements urging Yemenis to seize the opportunity to work with the UN mission to resolve the conflict. The Ansarullah (Houthi) Movement has not taken the Saudis up on the initiative, saying they seek, instead, a comprehensive agreement. Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi, a Houthi militia commander, said the other side always sees our proposals as coming from a position of weakness, so they escalate. He held Riyadh accountable for the humanitarian consequences of the air and sea blockade of Yemen. Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khaled Bin Salman announced that Saudi Arabia would reopen Sanaa airport to let in humanitarian aid, and that his country will contribute $500 million to the UN humanitarian relief programme for Yemen in 2020, and an additional $25 million to help combat the pandemic. Since the coalitions unilaterally declared truce went into effect, the two sides have been trading accusations of each violating it. Houthi military communiques claim that pro-government forces violated the truce from the outset and shelled Houthi positions in Hodeida. The communiques enumerated 29 missile and artillery strikes from land and 161 from sea. The forces fighting on the side of the government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi charge that Houthi forces have attacked pro-government positions in Sirwah and Hilan in Mareb and that they are continuing to amass fighters along the fronts in Jawf and Mareb. According to pro-government military communiques, the Houthis have also shelled Jebel Al-Han, Al-Sayahi and Wadi Hathran west of Taiz, while pro-government downed three Houthi drones over Sirwah. Given the current military situation, does the truce initiative stand a chance? As realities of the five-year-old war have shown, neither side has the ability to attain a definitive military edge that will enable it to impose its options on the other, especially in view of the multifaceted complexities involved in this protracted conflict. As the unfolding battleground map shows, the Houthis still have the ability to expand territorially, even if this ability does not primarily stem from a superior military capacity or favourable strategic balance. But it also unlikely that the coalition and the pro-Hadi government front will accept the outcomes on the ground as they currently stand. So, if such military realities have the final say, the current truce does not offer much hope. On the other hand, the magnitude of the Yemeni crisis has acquired a dynamism of its own in its capacity as a compound threat to which have been added the valences of the wars catastrophic humanitarian consequences, on top of which now comes the novel Covid-19 virus. The official announcement of the first coronavirus case in Yemen has raised the alarm that this epidemic could spread like wildfire and wreak a disastrous toll in a country in which 95 per cent of the healthcare system is out of service, according to official Yemeni sources. In this framework, therefore, the coalitions initiative could present an opportunity to all sides to reassess their positions in light of the tolls of an unwinnable war at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Will they seize this opportunity in a sincere and constructive way? Even assuming both sides agreed to the truce, it is difficult to picture it holding. One impediment involves the geopolitical dimension of the Houthi project. The Houthis have been investing the bulk of their resources in a campaign to dominate the Marib-Jawf front. They have recently scored certain advances along this front and, strategically speaking, they could not afford to sacrifice such progress. For example, on 9 April, just as the truce went into effect, Houthi forces staged a counteroffensive against the strategic Al-Khanjar camp which had previously been recaptured from the Houthis by the pro-Hadi army. The camp, in the northern Jawf province, is located near the Saudi border. Observers believe that the Houthis are unlikely to halt escalation in that area until they gain control of the Mareb-Jawf front which is a geopolitical cornerstone in the Houthis irredentist project to revive the Zaydi Mutawakkilite kingdom. This may help explain the current Houthi escalation on a number of fronts in order to diffuse the coalition/pro-government focus, especially in Taiz, a stronghold of the pro-government Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) militia which constitutes the main body of government forces fighting in Marib. However, Marib also has a symbolic value militarily as this is where the coalitions central command is based. From the Houthi perspective, the conquest of Marib would proclaim the defeat of the coalitions project to reinstate the internationally recognised Yemeni government and, simultaneously, their success in expanding the areas under their control. Another major impediment to the truce is that there is no mechanism to monitor the ceasefire in Hodeida. In the past month, Houthi militias have targeted a number of UN ceasefire monitoring stations, forcing monitoring teams to evacuate them. Most recently, Lieutenant General Abhijit Guha, head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA), was forced to withdraw his team from Hodeida due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19. The Houthis so far appear to regard this epidemic as an opportunity rather than a threat. They have taken advantage of international warnings to bolster their military movements. They have ordered students to the front at the end of the school year in order to compensate for human losses on those fronts and they sustain war tax levies to fund their military campaigns. Therefore, the coronavirus pandemic has so far not motivated the Houthis to halt the war that has claimed more than 100,000 dead over five years. Perhaps they believe that this disease will not claim such a high number, or that such predecessors as the cholera epidemic and Dengue fever were not sufficient to galvanise the international community into forcing the warring parties into ending the war, so why should this? On the other side of the equation, the priorities of the coalition command may change as they have changed before. Judging by the history of this conflict, the fight against the Houthis is likely to remain an overriding priority for the coalition even if other concerns have surfaced to monopolise attention for a certain period. For example, currently the Saudis want to focus on the situation in southern Yemen in order to avert a breakdown of the political and security situation there where they have encountered some problems in implementing the power-sharing arrangements reached in the Riyadh agreement. In view of past experiences and the current escalatory trajectory on the ground, it appears Covid-19 will not mark a turning point in the warring parties positions. This applies especially to the Houthis who would be unwilling to sacrifice advances they have achieved on strategic fronts. In response, however, pro-government forces would see no reason to freeze military activities and risk losing further ground. At a diplomatic level, there is definitely a disparity in discourse which could jeopardise this opportunity to end the war in Yemen. The coalition command is reaching out in the name of a humanitarian urgency while the Houthis speak of a deal to end a conflict they believe they are close to resolving in their favour. This makes for an impasse in the foreseeable future. Still, the Covid-19 factor has only begun to weigh in. Perhaps the Houthis think they can absorb the pressures at the moment. But things can change quickly. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The House of Representatives tackled on Tuesday the steps needed to alleviate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in the country. In an online teleconference meeting of the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee Sub-committee on Economic Stimulus Package, Deputy Speaker Rep. Sharon Garin of AAMBIS-OWA Partylist emphasized the need to first help the workers and businesses affected by the pandemic. Garin said there are almost 30 million workers and a million micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who need to recover from their economic losses due to the island-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and other movement restrictions caused by the virus. The mandated Bayanihan to Heal as One Act is only good for three months. We need an economic stimulus in order to help Filipinos secure their sources of income and be able to feed their families, said Garin. Marikina second district Rep. Stella Quimbo presented her P370 billion economic stimulus package proposal to aid these workers and businesses most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Quimbos proposed economic stimulus package, titled as Economy Moving Forward as One bill, offers wage subsidies to MSMEs whose employees were laid off due to the ECQ. She said the government can set aside around P140 billion for interest-free loans for MSMEs and P119 billion grants for the improvement of their operations. The purpose of these grants is to help businesses cope with the new normal after COVID-19 pandemic, said Quimbo. Quimbo stressed the factors of labor retention and business continuity as the driving forces towards bringing the countrys economy in a stable condition after the COVID-19 crisis. Temporarily, the government had to break its cardinal rule of not giving fish to the fishermen. But government cannot do this for a long time. The government fixes the boat and ensures business continuity. In this way, we protect the Filipino worker, Quimbo added. Albay second district Rep. Joey Salceda supported the need to have an economic stimulus response in this crisis, along with having a mass testing and the possible discovery of a vaccine for the disease that affected 5,223 individuals and claimed 335 lives in the country. Laws cannot resurrect the 300 lives lost due to COVID-19. But certainly, we have the instruments and will to bring the economy back to life for the comfort of everyone, Salceda said. Salceda estimated that the proposed total stimulus package will restore the Philippines economic growth into a positive trajectory by 2023. The projected national economic growth with stimulus is pegged at 5.3 percent, compared to four percent without a stimulus. He also highlighted the importance of infrastructure in revitalizing the economy, suggesting the President be given special powers to expedite the Build, Build, Build projects of the government. This is to enable the spillover effects of fully operational infrastructure sooner, added Salceda. Salceda also proposed a credit management program to help MSMEs deal with their lenders and creditors in this time of crisis. House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Martin Romualdez was impressed with the findings presented by Garin, Quimbo, and Salceda in order for the country to have sound economic strategies during and after the crisis. We are very happy. It is a good start. It shows that Congress still works even if we are on break, the lawmaker from Leyte said. The House of Representatives is expected to hold plenary debates for the economic stimulus package bill when they get back from their break on May 4. MCH Group is surprised at the statements made regarding the Baselwolrd cancellations It is with great surprise and equally great regret that the MCH Group takes note of the cancellation of major exhibitors at Baselworld. The new date for the unavoidable postponement of Baselworld 2020 was defined jointly with leading exhibitors. The objective was to find the earliest and best possible date for the industry following the Covid -19 related measures. The companies now "migrating" - including Rolex - spoke out in favour of a postponement to January 2021. They are also represented on the Exhibitors' Committee, where the future vision of Baselworld has been discussed on several occasions and has met with a positive response, as was also evidenced by countless individual discussions. The intention to move to Geneva has never been mentioned. The MCH Group must therefore conclude that the relevant plans have been in preparation for some time and that the discussions concerning the financial arrangements for the cancellation of Baselworld 2020 are now being put forward as an argument. On the basis of the positive and supportive feedback received from exhibitors, especially the small and medium-sized exhibitors from the watch, jewellery, gemstone and supplier industries, the MCH Group decided last year to invest substantial sums in the further development of Baselworld and in the establishment of additional digital platforms. The MCH Group is convinced that, in addition to a physical platform, a connection with the community must be maintained throughout the year. More than ever before, it sees an opportunity to develop a modern platform in the watch and jewellery industry for brands that do not rely primarily on tradition, but above all on innovation. In the next few weeks, the MCH Group will be making a decision on the continuation of Baselworld and on investments in its further development, which is geared to the long term. Media releases Media contact: MCH Group Ltd. Corporate Communications Christian Jecker +41 58 206 22 52 christian.jecker@mch-group.com The MCH Group is a leading international live-marketing company group. It provides physical and digital platforms for a range of industries. And it offers customised solutions in all areas of live marketing throughout the world - from the strategy through to implementation. www.mch-group.com By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has announced its official crude pricing (OSP) for May, selling oil more cheaply to Asia while keeping prices flat for Europe and raising them for the United States, after OPEC and its allies agreed the biggest output cut deal in history. Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco has set the May price for its Arab light crude oil to Asia at a discount of $7.3 to the Oman/Dubai average, down $4.2 a barrel from April, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has announced its official crude pricing (OSP) for May, selling oil more cheaply to Asia while keeping prices flat for Europe and raising them for the United States, after OPEC and its allies agreed the biggest output cut deal in history. Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco has set the May price for its Arab light crude oil to Asia at a discount of $7.3 to the Oman/Dubai average, down $4.2 a barrel from April, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday. The cut to Asia was in line with market expectations. According to a Reuters survey, Asian refiners have called on Saudi Arabia to slash its crude OSPs for a third straight month in May after Middle East benchmarks and refining margins dropped amid ample supplies and lower demand due to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the firm has raised the May OSP of its Arab light crude oil to the United States to a discount of $0.75 per barrel versus the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI), up $3 a barrel from April, according to the document. Aramco left its OSP for Arab light crude oil to Northwestern Europe unchanged from April at a discount of $10.25 per barrel to ICE Brent. The cut in prices to Asia reflect weak demand, while OSPs to Europe and the United States reflect oil market fundamentals and the global supply cut pact, an industry source familiar with the pricing process told Reuters. Aramco has delayed its OSPs announcement several times over the past few days until after finalizing the OPEC+ reduction agreement. Last month, the world's top exporter Saudi Arabia surprised everyone by ramping up supplies and slashing prices for April, sparking a battle for market share globally and causing global oil prices to plunge to 18-year lows. Markets globally are now flooded with cheap oil with storage space filling up fast, while refiners cut output or shut plants following coronavirus lockdowns. On Sunday OPEC and allies led by Russia agreed to a record cut in output to prop up oil prices amid the coronavirus pandemic. The unprecedented deal with fellow oil nations, including the United States, could curb global oil supply by 20%. Saudi crude OSPs set the trend for Iranian, Kuwaiti and Iraqi prices, affecting more than 12 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude bound for Asia. The tables below show the full free on board (FOB) prices for April in U.S. dollars. Saudi term crude supplies to the United States are priced as a differential to the ASCI. UNITED STATES MAY APRIL CHANGE EXTRA LIGHT +0.40 -2.10 +2.50 LIGHT -0.75 -3.75 +3.00 MEDIUM -1.55 -5.55 +4.00 HEAVY -2.10 -6.30 +4.20 Prices at Ras Tanura destined for Northwest Europe are set against ICE Brent: NW EUROPE MAY APRIL CHANGE EXTRA LIGHT -8.90 -8.10 -0.80 LIGHT -10.25 -10.25 0.00 MEDIUM -10.60 -12.60 +2.00 HEAVY -11.00 -13.00 +2.00 Saudi term crude supplies to Asia are priced as a differential to the Oman/Dubai average: ASIA MAY APRIL CHANGE SUPER LIGHT -3.65 +1.85 -5.50 EXTRA LIGHT -7.40 -3.10 -4.30 LIGHT -7.30 -3.10 -4.20 MEDIUM -7.40 -4.05 -3.35 HEAVY -7.40 -4.45 -2.95 Prices at Ras Tanura for Saudi oil destined for the Mediterranean are set against the ICE Brent: MEDITERRANEAN MAY APRIL CHANGE EXTRA LIGHT -10.30 -5.80 -4.50 LIGHT -10.30 -8.60 -1.70 MEDIUM -11.40 -10.40 -1.00 HEAVY -11.40 -10.70 -0.70 (Additional reporting by Dahlia Nehme; Editing by Mark Potter, Kirsten Donovan and Jan Harvey) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Winter beef finishers are facing a prices wipeout as factory quotes hit a 10-year low that could see farmers losing up to 200/hd on cattle. The Covid-19-driven slump in beef prices has raised further question marks over the future viability of the business, which is reeling from successive years of poor returns. The Farming Independent understands that prices are set to tumble further this week - with quotes of 3.35-3.40/kg for bullocks and 3.40/kg for heifers. Those with bulls and out-of-spec stock are said to be the worst hit, with reports of finishers taking flat prices of 2.80-3.00/kg for heavy and out-of-spec bullocks. IFA President Tim Cullinane stressing the entire beef industry is at risk if "the powers at be" don't take action. "Factories need a supply of beef all year round. If all cattle are finished of grass the system won't work. It's not like milk, winter finishing is a critical part of it," he said. He said the response of EU Agriculture commissioner Wojciechowski to date on the disastrous effect Covid 19 is having on agriculture has been abysmal. He said talks of flexibilities changing dates and making payments a bit earlier are all very fine, but the EU markets are in turmoil. "Beef finishers are a critical cog in the industry. They supply beef to factories in spring and purchase store cattle. IFA gave a detailed submission to the EU Commission part in the autumn and of that submission is an Aids to Private Storage scheme and a direct support for beef farmers. The commissioner has to implement these measures immediately to help alleviate losses on beef farms." Press Release April 14, 2020 Gatchalian calls on national government to capacitate LGUs to beat COVID-19 With the incidence of new COVID-19 cases growing by the day, Senator Win Gatchalian said Local Government Units (LGUs) should lead in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19, emphasizing that Test, Quarantine and Treatment (TQT) are the steps that LGUs should take to stem the tide. For one, Gatchalian said LGUs should have more autonomy in procuring testing kits or setting up testing facilities to fast track detection of COVID-19 positive cases from every household living in every street within every barangay. "Naniniwala ako na ang pinakamabisang paraan para labanan ang virus ay dapat mag-umpisa sa local level. Wag na nating paabutin ito sa ospital dahil marami ang mga pasyente at hindi na kakayanin ng ating mga ospital", Gatchalian said. The lawmaker from Valenzuela shared what is being done in the city. Valenzuela has started its localized mass testing last Saturday and resumed Monday, April 13. This, after the city has signed a memorandum of agreement with The Medical City to conduct mass testing, the very first Public Private Partnership for mass testing against COVID-19. In its agreement with the hospital, the TMC processes the tests and reserves 25 tests per day for Valenzuela City but can be expanded to 50 depending on a first-come-first-served availability or if the hospital does not have too much to process in a day. Based on the results, authorities will identify persons that need to be quarantined or isolated. "Sa Valenzuela, ang una naming tine-test ay ang mga may sakit at ang kanilang household, mga kasama nila sa bahay, mga kamag-anak nila, at iba pang nakapaligid sa kanila, pati na mga kapitbahay. Dahil nakita namin na nagkakaroon ng hawaan sa loob pa lang ng bahay hanggang sa kumalat na sa komunidad. Kapag natest agad at nag quarantine ang taong may sakit, sa bahay pa lang hindi na kakalat at hindi na rin aabot sa komunidad," explained Gatchalian. Gatchalian said that LGUs should innovate to save their own constituents from the onslaught of the virus. With mass testing set to be conducted on April 14, Gatchalian said LGUs should already be procuring their testing kits at this point. He, however, said that LGUs should have optimum support from the national government to capacitate them and help flatten the curve. Gatchalian added that LGUs should already be tapping additional sources of funding that they can use in their COVID-19 response, including their 20 percent development fund. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recently issued Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 series of 2020, which gives LGUs more flexibility in utilizing their 20 percent development fund to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Added to 10 years of war, the Covid-19 emergency "has buried us at the bottom of a deep pit". In a context of "abandonment and uncertainty" the risen Christ alleviates "loneliness and darkness". Fear of the virus has "silenced the weapons" that peace talks and world powers have been unable to. In dark times, the rediscovery of faith and the new role of society and social media. Damascus (AsiaNews) - The coronavirus emergency in the middle of Lent "buried us at the bottom of a deep pit" as if "ten years of war." had not already been enough; in this context of "abandonment and profound uncertainty", the light of Christ "rises to alleviate our solitude and the darkness of this long and endless night of hatred and violence". This is how Maronite Archbishop of Damascus Samir Nassar describes the current situation of his church and nation to AsiaNews, recounting the atmosphere of Easter in a country marked by conflicts, extremist violence, sanctions by the United States and Europe and the Covid-19 pandemic. To counter the epidemic, the government ordered a curfew from 6 p.m. to the same time in the morning; on Fridays and Saturdays it comes into effect at noon until 6 the next morning. The only activities open are pharmacies, bakeries, food shops and taxis for city transport. Now that public transport has been interrupted, there are no means of travel between cities and regions, which remain isolated from each other. To date, the official toll is 25 infections and two victims, but the number of tests carried out remains low. "A light of peace - continues the Archbishop of Damascus - illuminates our dark cave. The coronavirus has silenced weapons and violence. A rare calm reigns on all fronts, a calm that all peace talks and world powers have failed to find." This is joined by "a rediscovery of our faith" away from "closed churches and functions celebrated in front of empty altars", where "everyone examines their personal faith and discovers their own spirituality without intermediation". In this context, "a new way to witness the faith emerges". At this stage, says the prelate, we witnessed "a rediscovery of family life, a light that restores its lost values to the domestic Church" in a modern context that exalted self-centeredness, solitude and supremacy of the individual. The emergency has propelled " social communication and social networks" to find a new role, made of bonds kept alive even if at a distance, a rediscovered purpose of "education and information, a new way of knowing life and a tool for excellence of evangelization". The coronavirus - concludes Msgr. Nassar - united the whole world before the fragility of human life and brought us back to the essence of our faith. Should we be thankful for this or continue to be afraid of it? This is a point on which we must reflect and meditate, in the perspective of the Light of salvation that derives from the Risen Christ". Firefighters have extinguished forest fires that were edging towards radioactive dumps in the Chernobyl exclusion zone amid warnings of a 'catastrophic' threat. Ukrainian emergency officials said Tuesday they have extinguished the forest fires in the radiation-contaminated area, but acknowledged that grass is still smouldering in some areas. Hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft have been battling several forest fires around Chernobyl for the past 10 days. They contained the initial blazes, but new fires raged closer to the decommissioned plant. Forest fires burn at night as seen from the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which exploded in a nuclear catastrophe in 1986. Ukrainian emergency officials say they have extinguished the forest fires Emergencies Service chief Mykola Chechetkin reported to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that rain helped firefighters put out the flames, but acknowledged it would take a few more days to extinguish smouldering grass. Mr Chechetkin said emergency workers have prevented the fire from engulfing radioactive waste depots and other facilities in Chernobyl. The emergencies service said radiation levels in the capital Kyiv, about 60 miles south of the plant, are within norms. Images showed smoke blowing over the 'sarcophagus' of reactor number four, which exploded in the world's worst nuclear accident in what was then the USSR in 1986. So-called 'crown fires' - when flames spread at great speed from treetop to treetop - were advancing through the uninhabited 'dead zone' around the plant. One fire came within just three miles from highly radioactive dumps, according to the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. Smoke from wildfires blows over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, amid fears that fire is spreading quickly through the exclusion zone This map shows where two forest fires are burning in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, one of them close to the destroyed power station One fire was burning around Kriva Gora ghost village, on the left bank of the Pripyat River, while another was 16 miles away. Other ground-level flames were reported as being only a mile or so away from the sarcophagus, but have since been extinguished. Deputy interior minister Anton Herashchenko said trees had been cut down around the notorious power station to prevent 'crown fires' reaching it. 'The forest was specially cut down around the storage in order to avoid the threat of fire,' he said. 'The distance to the green is more than 100 metres (330 ft).' He claimed an expert involved in securing radioactive waste at the site told him: 'There would be nothing to burn, even if everything there is filled with napalm.' On Monday, activists warned that the blazes were getting dangerously close to waste storage facilities. Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, a member of the public council under the state agency in charge of the closed zone around the plant, said one fire was raging just over a mile from one of the radioactive waste depots. Last week, officials said they tracked down a man suspected of triggering the blaze by setting dry grass on fire in the area. The 27-year-old said he burned grass 'for fun' and then failed to extinguish the fire when the wind caused it to spread quickly. On Monday, police said another local resident burned waste and accidentally set dry grass ablaze, triggering another devastating forest fire. They said he failed to report the fire to the authorities. Fire and smoke over the skyline of the exclusion zone, with the dome which now covers the destroyed reactor circled on the left The smoke as seen over an office building on the Chernobyl site. The Ukrainian government has insisted there is no danger to the plant Yuhimenko alleged that the fires in Red Forest and near the Vector storage facility could be the work of arsonists. 'There are clear facts - the Chernobyl zone began to burn in different places almost simultaneously. This does not happen by itself,' he claimed. 'First started to burn Polesskoye, then Red Forest and almost immediately the forest adjacent to Vector. 'Sparks cannot be carried so easily by the wind, especially over such hefty distance. Fire there is a danger because radioactive aerosols rise far up through heat fluxes and can go anywhere. ' One arson suspect was reportedly detained. But Yuhimenko said: 'Our state does not react to what is happening at all. 'It seems that in Ukraine nothing happens except coronavirus. And the fact that the entire Chernobyl zone is on fire is of no interest to anyone.' The Ukrainian government has mobilised helicopters and more than 400 firefighters, some of whom are pictured battling the forest fires The view of the smoke from the 'ghost city' of Pripyat, with the dome of the Chernobyl power plant seen in the distance on the far left The destroyed reactor number four was entombed in this 'sarcophagus' along with the initial containment structure Kiev mobilised helicopters and more than 400 firefighters, with planes dropping tonnes of water on the fire in the 11 days since the first fire began. Sergiy Zibtsev, head of the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Centre, told AFP that the fire was 'super-huge' and 'unpredictable'. President Vladimir Zelensky said he was monitoring the Chernobyl fires. The Emergencies Ministry in Russia's Bryansk region is monitoring radiation levels but say so far they are normal. The 1,000 square mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was established after the April 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave. Blazes in the area have been a regular occurrence. They often start when residents set dry grass on fire in the early spring - a widespread practice in Ukraine, Russia and some other ex-Soviet nations that often leads to devastating forest fires. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 14:40 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1cb51a 1 Business Indonesia,COVID-19,social-distancing,Google-mobility-report,lippo-malls,retail,recreation,visit Free Major outdoor activities in Indonesia have declined sharply since the issuance of the governments social distancing policy in mid-March, which encourages people to work from home, among other measures, to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to the latest mobility report issued by Google. Visits to retail and recreational spaces such as restaurants, shopping centers, libraries and movie theaters have dropped 43 percent in the first week of April from January-February, Googles Community Mobility Reports on global movement trends during the pandemic show. One of Indonesias biggest shopping mall chains, Lippo Group Mall, said that all 70 of its malls across the country had been temporarily closed since late March or early April. Prior to the closure, the number of visitors had declined 10 to 20 percent, Lippo Malls corporate public relations and reputation manager Nidia Ichsan told The Jakarta Post on Monday. There was a significant visitor decline in our mall in Depok at the beginning of March because the first two COVID-19 cases had just been found in the city, she said over the phone. Nidia added that visitation rates varied depending on the area. A Lippo mall in Palembang, South Sumatra, for example, was still crowded around mid-March before its temporary closure on April 1. Meanwhile, shopping centers in the capital were seeing lesser visitors, especially since movie theaters had been closed since mid-March. As of now, we plan to close the malls until April 24, but we will comply with governments regulation if further closure is needed, she said, adding that ATMs, food and beverage tenants, as well as supermarkets and pharmacies, were still open for business. Jakarta imposed two-week, large-scale social distancing (PSBB) on Friday, during which schools, workplaces places of worship across Jakarta are closed. The measure, which carries a harsh sanction, was issued as the social distancing appeal earlier imposed by the government was not effective in reducing peoples mobility. The Google report showed that supermarkets and pharmacies saw a 24 percent decline in visitors as they were essentials services during the PSBB. Concurrently, the trend for people staying in residential areas is up by 14 percent. Rini Aisyah, 41, for example, has been in self-quarantine with her family in East Jakarta for 27 days. The last time she went out was to buy groceries on April 9, prior to the Jakarta PSBB imposed the following day. She went on to say that she had to drive to the grocery store alone as her husband had to stay home with their 5-year-old son. The familys nanny had been given time off at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. We wanted to take our son to watch a childrens movie, Trolls 2, but for now, we have to be satisfied with online streaming and watching it on a laptop, she said, adding that she also missed hanging out with her coworkers and joining family dinners at the mall. I used to take the TransJakarta to work, but since early March, Ive been using app-based ojek [motorcycle taxi ] instead because Im afraid public transportation would be crowded, she said, adding that her place of work had allowed employees to work from home. Peoples mobility at transit stations such as bus and train stations saw the biggest change with a 58 percent decline. The Google data showed that most of the decline happened around March 15 when President Joko Jokowi Widodo called for people to study, work and pray from home. The trend for workplaces, however, showed the least change with only a 17 percent drop and the only key activities that showed a fluctuation, meaning that some people still worked from their offices amid the pandemic. I still took the commuter line last week and will have to take it again on Friday to go to work, said 25-years-old Ferdian Pratama, a civil servant in Jakarta. He said he had been going to the office once a week since March 17. Ferdi lives in a kos-kosan (rooming house) in Depok, West Java. He still goes out to buy food and groceries at minimarkets almost daily, but it has been increasingly difficult to find a food vendor that was still open in his neighborhood, he said. He went on to say that he was the only tenant left in the kos-kosan because the others had decided to go back to their respective hometowns. Along with being alone and working from home, the quarantine has driven him into boredom. I miss being on the field for work because I like to be on the move, he told the Post. Also, I want to see a concert or go to a festival after the pandemic is over. I mean, it doesnt seem well advised, or even plausible, that the Democratic nominee who has extremely wobbly support among young people would not have spoken to his partys most popular young politician! But thats what she told Astead Herndon of the New York Times: Is a Biden-A.O.C. unity rally ever in the cards? It could be. I have not talked to the vice president. Ever? Never. Not that I know of, no. Huh. Advertisement The whole interview is recommended; its nice to see a Times reporter subject a lefty politicians arguments to appropriate pushback without employing perspective-constrained pundit cliches in which the only voters who are presumed to exist are #MAGA diner guys and aging white liberals whose only reference point for progressive politics is George McGovern. Its also nice to see a politician with the ability to explain who her voters are and how they might fit into a coalition behind a candidate shes disagreed with. A veteran political figure could probably pick up some useful ideas from talking to her! Good job, the New York Times and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! The Andrews government is under mounting pressure to fast-track planning approvals but to also accept that there will be delays on major civic projects, as the construction industry presses for help through the coronavirus crisis. Developers, builders and building unions have united to warn of the potentially disastrous collapse of an industry that is one of Victorias major economic drivers, and that generates almost half of the state's taxes. Ashley Williams of the Urban Development Institute of Australia. Credit:Arsineh Houspian Economic modelling by consultants Acil-Allen for building lobby group the Master Builders Association of Victoria, provided exclusively to The Age, has found that a complete shutdown of Victorian construction would cost the economy as much as $25.4 billion, with 166,000 jobs lost. Last month the Victorian industry feared the government would close down construction to contain a spread of coronavirus on the states often-crowded building sites. Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, has written to the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe, asking him to immediately engage with the Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) in order to avert a total collapse of its Air Ambulance service. Deputy Nolan went on to say that the urgency of the matter was brought home to her after she was contacted by a member of a kayaking club whose member was airlifted by the ICRR air ambulance but who tragically passed away following complications from the accident. Communities and groups all over this state are being served through the heroic efforts of our air ambulance services. "However, those services will almost certainly collapse if funding deficits are not met and if staffing challenges cannot be addressed. "As I understand it, the ICRR air ambulance service, which aims to bring a rural population of 10,000 square miles south of Galway and Dublin to within 20 minutes of critical medical attention, is facing a fundraising shortfall of 2m because of the Covid-19 emergency. "Some way must be found to extend bridging levels of financial support to the ICRR in order to see it through this immediate crisis. "Without it-there can be little doubt that rural communities and families will suffer an entirely avoidable loss of life. "Maintaining the continuing existence of the Community Response air ambulance service is also important because of the support it offers our Air Corps. "From what the Minister of State has previously said, the Air Corps were not in a position to accept emergency aeromedical requests by the National Ambulance Service for four days per month between November 2019 and the end of February this year. "This is down to severe challenges in retaining and recruiting qualified personnel. "On those four days, the Air Corp were supported by the ICRR. "This only underscores the vital contribution that the Community Response air ambulance service makes, not just to rural communities, but to communities throughout the country, concluded Deputy Nolan. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies during a hearing before House Education and Labor Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 12, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Education Department Settles Lawsuit, Agrees to Process 170,000 Student Loan Forgiveness Claims The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to process student loan forgiveness applications for nearly 170,000 borrowers who claimed they were defrauded by for-profit colleges, as part of a settlement in a long-standing federal lawsuit. If approved by the U.S. District Court in California, the settlement would end a case file June 2019, when consumer groups complained about the Education Departments unwillingness to implement the Obama-era borrower defense rule, which allows students defrauded by for-profit colleges to have their loan debt wiped out. Instead, the Department came up with a new plan that would provide partial relief to most of the borrowers, based on their present-day income. The Department, under the settlement, would begin processing some 170,000 debt cancellation claims by borrowers allegedly misled by for-profit education chains, including the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges, that falsely advertised their ties to employers and the transferability of credits. The borrowers would receive a final decision on their application within 18 months, and if approved, their debt would be canceled within 21 months. Any interest that accrued on student debt for the time period that borrower defense claims were pending would also be wiped out, regardless of the final decision on the loan forgiveness application. It is an enormous relief to know that students will finally have answers on their borrower defense, said Theresa Sweet, a leading plaintiff in the lawsuit. For years, people have been paralyzed with debt and forced to put their education, personal goals and financial plans on hold because we didnt know if or when we might get a decision. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos blamed the Obama administration for creating a massive backlog of claims for the next administration to deal with. We inherited from the Obama administration more than 64,000 borrower defense claims, she said in December 2019 when explaining her sliding-scale debt relief plan before a House Education and Labor Committee. Her plan is based on a complex formula that compares the median salary of graduates from the for-profit colleges to those of graduates from similar non-for-profit schools. The for-profit graduates will receive relief if their earnings are at a deficit. DeVos said that the previous administration had no process in place for verifying that these students had actually been defrauded by their schools. In fact, the prior administration was encouraging claims to be filed knowing full well it lacked the ability to even accurately track them, said DeVos. Rather than deal with the claims, they just walked away and left these tens of thousands [of] claims behind for this administration. When Premier Doug Ford slammed Ontarios low COVID-19 testing rate as unacceptable and directed health units to test as many people as possible last week, Rick Rigby couldnt believe what he was hearing. The 61-year-old Hamilton man in isolation since returning from Indonesia March 29 had come down with a fever the night prior, tossing and turning before launching into persistent coughing fits that spanned minutes and left his chest contracted. These symptoms were precipitated by days of sporadic headaches, fatigue, sweats and shortness of breath, all possible indicators of COVID-19. Rigby said he was referred on three separate occasions by Telehealth Ontario and once by his family doctor to receive testing at one of Hamiltons two COVID-19 assessment centres. He was met with the same response at every try. They said I didnt fit the criteria, to keep monitoring my symptoms, but I had done that and it got worse, he said. Im watching Premier Ford say we should be doing more testing, that people who recently travelled should be tested, and Im saying, Thats exactly me. I dont understand why Im not getting tested. The premiers comments came the day before the Ministry of Health broadened its criteria for coronavirus testing, underscoring priority groups like hospital workers, first responders and long-term care residents. But the prospect of getting a test, at least for Rigby, remains murky. Omitted from the expanded list are returning travellers to Canada harbouring COVID-like symptoms. If the symptoms get worse, a referral from either a physician or public health is required to visit an assessment centre. And thats just getting in the door. Theres no guarantee that a test gets conducted. Not everyone who comes to the assessment centres will be tested, said Kelly Anderson, spokesperson for Hamilton public health. These clinics will assess whether people need more medical care and/or testing based on symptoms, travel history and/or exposure to known cases. More than a quarter of the visits made to the citys two assessment centres have resulted in patients turned away with unsubstantiated referrals. As of Monday, 2,039 tests had been completed since the 690 Main St. W. and 2757 King St. E. testing sites opened March 16, a jump of 167 from the day prior and an average of 72 conducted tests per day. Its an increase that Anderson expects will continue trending upwards. There were some supply issues that have since been resolved, she said, adding assessment centres have reduced their initial test result backlog to one to two days. Planning is also underway to erect an additional drive-through test site in the city. The province hopes to up its testing capacity from 4,000 a day to 16,000 by May 6, with individual health authorities leading the charge. In Hamilton, the citys testing rate stood at 323 per 100,000 residents on Sunday and 352 per 100,000 residents Monday. But an uptick in testing numbers particularly when concentrated in symptomatic individuals runs the risk of missing otherwise asymptomatic and still contagious cases. Widespread testing gives health units a firmer idea of the virus spread in their region, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Lets put it this way. If every test you have is positive, youre not doing enough tests, Bogoch said. The people that are testing more have a better reflection of what the true burden of infection is in their region. A planning application is to be lodged to relocate Goulding fertiliser facility from Corks south docklands to the former Irish Fertiliser Industries (IFI) site at Marino Point in Cork Harbour. Goulding and Belvelly Marino Development Company (BMDC) have announced their intention to submit a joint planning application in May to Cork County Council for the proposed development. If the development proceeds, it will free up large sections of land in the Cork docklands for future redevelopment. This is the first joint planning application for the site and relates to the relocation of the fertiliser facility and also additional BMDC port operational use of the existing jetty to facilitate general dry cargo vessels at Belvelly Port Facility. The former IFI site was acquired by BMDC in 2017. BMDC is a public-private partnership between Lanber Holdings and the Port of Cork Company. Brendan Kent, COO of Goulding, said: Gouldings association with Cork extends as far back as 1856 when the company was formed. It has operated from its current city docklands site since 1955. The proposed relocation is in accordance with Cork City Councils Local Area Plan for Docklands. This relocation will be a key enabler for the development of Cork docklands. It is also consistent with the Port of Corks plans to consolidate its activities downstream, which includes delivering on the potential of Belvelly Port Facility as an integral part of the development of Cork Harbour, he said. Australia is now in the eye of the coronavirus cyclone and a single question haunts everyone staring at the eerily quiet streets from home detention: how the hell do we get out? The bad news is someone has yet to invent the answer. When they do it will be imperfect. A long dark road through winter still lies ahead as we march between the epochs of BC and AC: Before and After Coronavirus. On the other side the world will be a very different place. We live in a democracy and at certain point older people should be free to make their choices. Credit:iStock An exit plan cannot come soon enough. Each extra week Australia lies in a self-induced coma the more it entrenches economic and social damage as life-shattering as any plague. As the same radical cure is being imposed everywhere, misery is ricocheting around the globe. When the International Monetary Fund meets this week it is expected to forecast the deepest contraction for the global economy since the Great Depression. The dire economic equation does not include the probability that this plague will spawn other crises. You dont have to be an epidemiologist to know what prolonged worldwide poverty will bring. War. Famine. Civil unrest. The collapse of regimes. The rise of ultra-nationalist governments and extremist movements on left and right. Murder. Suicide. Domestic violence. Four held in Gujarat, days after 6 workers died due to inhalation of chemical fumes leaked from tanker Hours after meeting CM, Gujarat MLA tests positive for COVID-19 India oi-Deepika S Ahmedabad, Apr 14: Gujarat lawmaker Imran Khedawala on Tuesday tested positive for Covid-19, hours after meeting Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Khedawala represents the Jamalpur-Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad. Along with Gujarat CM Rupani, the Congress MLA also met Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeep Singh Jadeja. Earlier, Rupani welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the lockdown till May 3. "Lockdown will be strictly observed in the entire state till May 3 to defeat coronavirus. I urge people to cooperate with the state administration in the implementation of lockdown as they have done in the first 21 days," he said. "Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases and many of them have come from the Fort area (Old City). We have decided to impose curfew in the Fort and Danilimbda areas from Wednesday morning," Rupani had said in a Facebook video. "These areas have many (infection) hotspots. Nobody should come out of their houses in these two areas for the next few days. Police will ensure strict implementation of the curfew," he added. "Our health department team will work hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in these areas in the next few days and everybody should cooperate with it," he said. People of the two localities will not face any problem in getting essential commodities, the Chief Minister assured. "We will relax curfew from 1 pm to 4 pm every day when essential items such as milk, vegetables, groceries or medicines can be bought. "But only women will be allowed to venture out during the period of relaxation," he said. Gujarat has so far recorded 650 COVID-19 cases, a bulk of them from Ahmedabad city. "Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases and many of them have come from the Fort area (Old City). Veteran stock market investor Radhakishan Damani-led Avenue Supermarts was locked in a lower circuit on Monday after the company, which operates retail chain DMart, said operations of half of its stores are closed following the directions issued by authorities amid the lockdown. The company is retailing only essential items from the operating stores and average footfall is "significantly lower than usual". "Nearly 50 percent of our stores remain closed for operations based on a directive by the local authorities," it said in a statement. D-Mart also commenced e-commerce home delivery and bulk deliveries to large housing complexes across the majority of its stores during the first week of April. 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 stock has rallied about 24 percent so far in 2020 despite steep fall seen in the benchmark indices. Both Sensex and Nifty50 are in a bear market and are trading near crucial support levels. The announcement of the closure of about 50 percent of the D-Mart stores is a near-term shock. Experts feel that it doesnt alter the long-term outlook of the company. The ones who have bought the stock should hold on, while new investors could wait for a dip before accumulating, suggest experts. We expect more than 20 percent growth in D-Mart in the next 2-3 years horizon on strong growth store expansion. The average growth expansion is 24-25 stores per year. But, in the future, management is likely to change the strategy which could lead to additions of 30 stores per year. Strong growth momentum will drive performance, Amarjeet Maurya, AVP Research at Angel Broking Ltd told Moneycontrol. Also, since inception, they have not closed any single story. They also sell the product which is cheaper than e-retail websites. Hence, growth is likely to continue. Natasha Gonzales and her husband, Albert, responded to the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic by getting in gear. They volunteered with Folklores Coffee House, delivering food to the homebound elderly. Last week, Natasha Gonzales helped the San Antonio Food Bank distribute food to thousands of families at Traders Village. But she couldnt shake a heavy feeling that there was more she could do. She had not worked as a registered nurse for more than two years while pursuing a masters degree, and she had three young kids at home. But she felt compelled to be on the front lines of the crisis, and that meant New York City, where hospitals have been almost overwhelmed. She and her husband, a disabled Marine veteran and himself a licensed vocational nurse, discussed how the family might get by without her. Their business, a Fiesta medal design company called Mira Medals, was sidelined. One day last week while they watched the children do homework outside, he told her to go. He would hold down the fort. On Friday, Gonzales signed on with Krucial Staffing, an agency that places medical professionals in emergency and disaster situations, and on Monday morning she flew from San Antonio to New York on a one-way ticket. She will be paid about $10,000 a week after taxes, more like $6,000, she said assigned to a hospital for 21 straight days of 12-hour shifts, at which point her time could get extended. The pay isnt the main motivator, Gonzales said. I feel like Im meant to do this and God is going to put me where I need to be, she said. Im at peace now. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases The hard part was telling friends, her mother and aunt. They were afraid for her health. Some cried, and Gonzales tried to assure them. As any mother would, I feel apprehensive, said her mother, Carmen Borrego. But shes very intelligent and headstrong. On Saturday, Gonzales drove to Rebel Church in Hollywood Park, where she is a member, and the pastor and a few church staffers came out to the car to pray with her. On Sunday, as she was packing and her children Jaiden, 11, Dean 7, and Elora, 3 played with colorful eggs and tore into candy from their Easter baskets, Albert Gonzales took her outside for a surprise. About a dozen friends drove through the Northeast Side neighborhood honking, waving and blasting confetti in a send-off as she stood in her neighbors driveway blinking back tears. Even her mother, who has been extra cautious since being cancer-free for five years, had emerged from home for the first time in a month to say goodbye. Earlier that day, another friend, Vanessa Macias, the longtime girlfriend of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, delivered a suitcase he had traveled with to away games, filled with warm clothes emblazoned with the teams logo, along with a pair of cold weather boots. Gonzales said she has been overwhelmed with the outpouring. Some friends drove back to drop off gifts Clorox wipes, an extra suitcase, a cutout poster of Wonder Woman. It just speaks to her character, said Fernando Medellin, a friend for 11 years. Shes always going above and beyond. But, he admits, this task is scarier. Were sending her to war with a virus. Hopefully she comes back safe, Medellin said. On ExpressNews.com: Shea Serrano tweet spurs $100,000 in donations to San Antonio Food Bank Her friends also worry about her spirits Gonzales will undoubtedly be affected by what she witnesses, they said. They plan to continue rallying to her side on Facebook and Zoom while shes in New York. On Sunday alone, New York saw 671 deaths related to COVID-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, bringing the states death toll to 10,056. About 2,000 people a day are entering hospitals in the state, he said. The governor has been pleading for more health care workers to fill a shortage, including retired nurses and doctors, and asking those who can to come help from other states. New York also has struggled to provide enough personal protective equipment to medical workers. Three nurses from Alabama filed a lawsuit against Krucial Staffing, the company Gonzales is working with, saying they were put to work in situations that didnt match their skills and without protective gear. The company said Monday that it planned to vehemently defend ourselves against these false claims. Gonzales is aware of the lawsuit. She has considered the mental toll of embedding herself in the crisis. But shes confident in her preparation. She worked in the intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital until two years ago, and the masters degree in nursing she is finishing has a focus on psychiatric and mental health. She hopes to be accepted to UT Health San Antonio and start working on a doctorate later this year. Im not scared. Im not sad, Gonzales said. People are like, Why? and I say, Why not? Im a nurse for a reason. When things get rough, shell think about Easter, when she was showered with love from family and friends Thats something I can carry when Im there, she said. Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Krista, become a subscriber. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva LF the food and lifestyle channel from the Essel Group with presence in TV, Digital and Events, is ecstatic by the consistent love and encouragement from its viewers and readers. It has held this mantle of No #1 for 49 consecutive weeks. The channel has attained the viewership for the Food & Lifestyle category, which is 29% of all the categories as per the Broadcast Research Audience Council (BARC). GTVT chart this week has once again shown that viewers vouch for LF for content on food and lifestyle as the channel tops the list with 2675 GTVTs. Proving their mettle again, LF is curating the best of shows and segments to keep their audience informed about the do's and don'ts during this time of pandemic and helping them acquire numerous hobbies like easy and DIY cooking as we are all at home. The channel has something to offer every member of the household, from 15+ year old. The content created is well researched, well presented, local, informative, apt for millennials as well as for all mothers who don the chef's hat at home. Livingfoodz.com, the digital arm of LF has hit the 3. 2 Mn users mark in March 2020. The fastest-growing web portal with over 7.2 Mn page visits according to Google Analytics focuses on food, travel, culture & lifestyle. This has placed livingfoodz.com ahead in lifestyle over many legacy players owing to its unique content, its distinctive focus on trends and TV catch up. Commenting on this milestone, Amit Nair, Business Head, LF said, LF has always been a torchbearer for original content, its milestone moments like this that reinstate our belief in our direction and drive towards our curated content. It is humbling to have the support of our viewers, week on week. And we hope to continue keeping our viewers engaged and invigorated in the months to come. And would love to hear from them on via our social media platforms on the kinds of stories, adventures, experiences and food sojourns they would like to experience. With reputed chefs and hosts of and interesting concept based shows, LF has managed to scale new heights. The channel has adopted offline and online experiences to connect with the people that make us the best in the business. Stay home, stay safe, and let LF be your tutor to bring out those culinary skills that have been simmering in you all for a long time. When the number of coronavirus cases began to skyrocket, several states, including Rhode Island, Delaware, Florida and Texas, took the unprecedented step of setting up border checkpoints to stop nonresidents who might be carrying the virus. In Florida and Texas, state troopers are requiring motorists from out of state and their passengers to sign forms promising to self-quarantine for 14 days. Florida, Rhode Island and Texas also require travelers to provide an address where they plan to shelter - and advise them to be prepared for a follow-up call or unannounced visit from public health officials. At local checkpoints entering the Florida Keys and the Outer Banks, police ask motorists for ID. Only those with a local address or proof of residency, such as a special resident permit or utility bill, are allowed to proceed. While the efforts initially targeted residents of New York, which has the most coronavirus cases, they quickly expanded. Law enforcement experts say such broad use of police - and in some cases the National Guard - roadblocks is extraordinary and unprecedented in the United States. Checkpoints are typically reserved for the occasional drunken driving enforcement crackdown or seat belt checks and in rare searches for an escaped prisoner or particularly dangerous criminal. Singling out motorists with out-of-state license plates as a public health measure is irrational, some legal experts say. Doing so assumes those drivers and passengers are at higher risk of carrying the virus than residents - even if they're coming from the same covid-19 hot spot. It's also unconstitutional, some legal experts say, to impede citizens' travel based on their license plate, even if they're eventually allowed across a border. The checkpoints typically don't apply to drivers of commercial, military or emergency vehicles, officials said. "To stand at the border and refuse entry to another American citizen is something that I would say was unprecedented," said John DeCarlo, a former police chief in Connecticut and director of the master's program in Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven. "Certainly legal scholars will be looking at this [and] asking a lot of questions." In mid-March, with no cases of the coronavirus reported in the Outer Banks, Dare County closed its borders to outsiders hoping to ride out the pandemic in the quiet beach towns of North Carolina. At checkpoints staffed round-the-clock, sheriff's deputies at the barrier islands' entry points turn back anyone lacking proof of residency or essential business there. Closing the county borders, local officials said, was necessary to prevent a covid-19 outbreak from overwhelming its lone 19-bed hospital. "We certainly want to keep the virus from spreading, but as important, if we do get it we want to be sure we can take care of whoever gets sick," County Manager Robert Outten said, noting the barrier islands share 15 ambulances and county's one hospital doesn't have an intensive care unit. "We can't do that with hundreds of thousands of people here." County officials say the checkpoints have kept the population down in a community where the population of 36,000 year-round residents swells to as many as 300,0000 during the summer peak with people drawn to its 100 miles of shoreline. But the restrictions have drawn complaints - and at least one lawsuit - from people who say the rules prevent them from reaching their vacation homes, for which they pay property taxes. Six residents from Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina who say they weren't allowed to use their second homes in the Outer Banks filed a lawsuit against the county last week alleging the closed border is unconstitutional because it discriminates against out-of-state citizens. "Just because you have a state of emergency does not mean that the government can suspend all your constitutional rights," said Chuck Kitchen, a Raleigh lawyer representing the property owners. "You're seeing that across the country. It's pretty straightforward. My clients just want to get to the property they own." Another property owner, Denny Lawver said his family would like to socially distance in their condo in Rodanthe while enjoying the Outer Banks' magnificent sunsets. "It's very frustrating to say that even though I pay taxes that I'm not allowed to go there," Lawver said from his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. "I'm doing everything that I need to do, and I'd be doing the same thing down there. I respect the guidelines. So what's the difference if I do that in Pennsylvania or I do it in Rodanthe?" But Donna Roark, a resident of Kill Devil Hills, said she worries Outer Banks towns aren't equipped for a coronavirus outbreak extending beyond year-round residents. By Easter Sunday, the county had 15 confirmed cases of the virus. "We realize that our lifeline is tourism," Roark said, "but right now protecting our community has to come first." And Delaware State Police recently began checkpoints on roads leading to Rehoboth and Bethany Beach. An emergency order by the governor authorizes all police in the state to stop any vehicle "simply because it is displaying an out-of-state tag," the agency said. The state police also have been seeing and stopping residents from Pennsylvania, which has closed its liquor stores, crossing the state line to buy alcohol. State police in Maryland and Virginia - both states with extensive beaches and stay-at-home orders - said they have no plans for checkpoints. Neither state has quarantine requirements for arriving travelers. Officer Linda Kuehn, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Beach Police Department, said officers are patrolling beaches to ensure people remain at a safe distance while exercising or fishing but have no plans for a checkpoint on motorists. Under the governor's order, Kuehn said, "People can still travel into and out of Virginia. "Eventually this will end. Then we are going to have a bad hangover if we don't protect people's constitutional rights," Kuehn said. But that doesn't mean there haven't been complaints or that these states are throwing open the door to outsiders. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said the Maryland town repeatedly has asked visitors not to come, and the boardwalk and beaches are open only to year-round residents practicing social distancing. But Meehan said police aren't checking the IDs of motorists entering the town; instead, they're fanning across the town as a "very strong police presence" to remind people they see about the need to social distance. By late March, checkpoints had turned the Florida Keys into its own gated community. More than 4,000 cars have been turned around since March 27, when local authorities set up checkpoints on Route 1 and County Route 905 - the only ways into the Keys, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. "Orders are orders," said Adam Linhardt, a spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which is restricting access to the Keys to permanent residents. Anna Kovach, 20, a freshman at the University of South Florida, drove home to Key West just before the checkpoints took effect. Kovach said she agrees with the need to keep out day-trippers and weekend visitors, even those who own second homes in the area, to stop the spread of the virus. Even so, Kovach said: "I never thought I'd live through something like this. These are things you see in the movies, but I guess we're living through it." Of course, where there's a roadblock, there's someone trying to get around it. Monroe County, Florida, authorities said they've caught motorists using counterfeit reentry stickers and they arrested a Wisconsin woman who attempted to drive straight through the checkpoint. In the Outer Banks, deputies have ticketed four people who tried to get around the checkpoints and turned around about three dozen who tried to cross the Currituck Sound by boat. Officers also found one nonresident who tried to sneak in on a tow truck and another hidden in the trunk of a car. Legal experts say state governments and police have broad power in a public health emergency, including the authority to order a quarantine. But some say some checkpoints appear to violate constitutional protections of free travel. Meryl Chertoff, an attorney and law professor leading the Georgetown Project on State and Local Government Policy and Law, said the Constitution prohibits states from discriminating against residents of another unless there is no less restrictive means to accomplish a legitimate goal. "The problem here is that you don't know who is infected," Chertoff said. "If we get to the point where there's rapid testing, then they could set up roadblocks and run a spot test and turn around people who are sick. But in the absence of that, these roadblocks are way overbroad and are interfering with the right to travel." Even some in law enforcement question their effectiveness, saying checkpoints are labor-intensive, inefficient and, amid a deadly pandemic, potentially unsafe for officers. They also can rattle an already anxious public and undo years of efforts to improve police-community relations. "I think it puts police in a very difficult position," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. "We espouse community policing and suddenly we're looking at people because they have a New York license plate." Public health officials say the approach could prove useful by discouraging people from traveling unless absolutely necessary or by convincing them to self-quarantine if they do. But their effectiveness is limited, experts say, now that the virus has taken hold in all 50 states. "If states with police checkpoints think they're going to stop the disease, that's not going to work," said Boris Lushniak, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health. "But what may work is if I get pulled over and someone tells me what the rules are" to self-quarantine. Lushniak said public health officials have long assumed the federal government would coordinate the response to a national health emergency. Most, he said, hadn't anticipated that states would institute their own travel restrictions and use road blocks to enforce them. As for requiring motorists to provide health information or addresses of where they plan to self-quarantine, Lushniak called such paperwork "a waste of time." Health departments are probably too swamped with local cases, he said, to ever follow up. Scott Burris, director of the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University's Beasley School of Law, said states would be better off using variable highway signs, rather than labor-intensive checkpoints, to inform motorists about such orders. Police, he said, should focus instead on patrolling communities to prevent people from congregating and urge them to stay home, regardless of where they come from. "We're all exposed now - that's how we have to think about it," Burris said. "There's no geography to this now. It's a national problem." Up to 16 state troopers guard the borders along Interstates 95 and 10 in Florida. As of late last week, more than 5,500 traveler forms had been collected from out-of state residents entering via those highways. Officials said they have seen a decline in the number of people traveling to the state since the policy was implemented March 27. "It would make it a lot easier if we didn't have folks coming in from hot zones where they very well may be carrying the virus," Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, said after ordering the controversial checkpoints along the state's border with Georgia and Louisiana late last month. Rhode Island was the first state to target motorists with New York license plates; Florida followed - although it had begun asking visiting New Yorkers arriving by plane to self-quarantine much earlier. Drivers entering Rhode Island from Connecticut on Interstate 95 encountered signs saying, "All New York passenger vehicles must stop at rest area." Gov. Gina Raimondo, D, later extended the stops to all out-of-state residents after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, called the policy "unconstitutional" and threatened to sue. "It is consistent with all the guidance we are getting from the federal government and from experts," Raimondo said at a news conference. "And it is what I know to be necessary to keep Rhode Islanders safe." The ACLU of Rhode Island on Thursday served a demand letter to the state warning that the governor's orders targeting out-of-state residents create "irrational, differential and discriminatory restrictions," and is in violation of multiple constitutional protections, and demanding the state immediately clarify and amend its order. Traffic data shows that interstate travel has dropped significantly in recent weeks, as more states have instituted stay-at-home orders, according to wejo, a British mobility analytics firm that collects data from GPS sensors in some passenger vehicles. Beginning in early March, traffic from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut heading across the Georgia-Florida border jumped significantly - as much as 57 percent some days compared to the historical average, wejo spokeswoman Blaire Bauman said. But since mid-March, the number of motorists crossing state lines nationwide has fallen by about half, according to wejo. Traffic headed to Florida from the New York tri-state area has plummeted by 80 percent. It's unclear how much, if any, of the decline can be attributed to the checkpoints or simply people adhering to stay-at-home orders. Esha Bhandari, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the organization is keeping an eye on the checkpoints' legality. "We face a public health crisis, and states are taking a lot of different measures that impinge on liberty in different ways," Bhandari said. "But highway checkpoints are a stop, and they are subject to constitutional limitations." Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning conducts exercises in South China Sea: PLA Navy spokesperson Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/13 18:36:00 The Chinese Navy recently organized the Liaoning aircraft carrier group in a cross-regional mobilization, which saw the flotilla led by the aircraft carrier crossing through the Miyako Strait, Bashi Channel and entering the South China Sea for exercises, the PLA Navy announced on Monday. This is a routine arrangement in accordance with the annual plan and is in line with international law and conventional practice, PLA Navy spokesperson Gao Xiucheng said on Monday. The Chinese Navy will continue to regularly organize similar training and exercises according to its plan to boost the systematic combat capability of its aircraft carrier groups, Gao said. Gao's statement came after the Japanese Defense Ministry and media on the island of Taiwan said on Saturday that a Chinese flotilla, consisting of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, two Type 052D guided missile destroyers, two Type 054A guided missile frigates and one Type 901 auxiliary supply ship, was spotted in the Miyako Strait on Friday evening. The Japanese Defense Ministry said the Liaoning carrier group headed toward the Pacific Ocean. The operation by the Liaoning aircraft carrier group also caused speculations on the island of Taiwan, as some media on the island said the absence of US aircraft carriers due to the COVID-19 may give the Chinese mainland a good chance to reunify Taiwan by force. A Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Monday that the Chinese Navy's statement showed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has no intention to take advantage of the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the military capabilities of some other countries, because the voyage is a scheduled one, likely planned before the pandemic. It also showed that the COVID-19 has had no impact on the Chinese aircraft carrier, so it can carry out the planned exercise, the expert said. Another military expert told the Global Times on Monday under condition of anonymity that it is normal that fear and speculation occurs in Taiwan, and to Taiwan secessionists the training of the Liaoning is also a warning. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Even as the coronavirus pandemic brings the cruise industry to a global standstill, customers are already booking for 2021, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald told CNBC on Tuesday. The coronavirus pandemic has roiled the travel industry across the globe, but perhaps no sector has been hit like the cruise industry. Passengers have fallen ill and died as cruise ships became outbreak sites. In response, ports have denied vessels entry, travelers have canceled trips and most cruise companies in the world have suspended operations. Carnival Corp., the largest cruise company in the world, has been at the center of several high-profile onboard outbreaks. Its Diamond Princess was quarantined at a Japanese port in one of the first major outbreaks outside of China, where the virus emerged in December. Donald said the cruise industry will bounce back along with the rest of the travel industry. "It's been devastating temporarily. ... Travel is going to return, travel and leisure, and when it does, we'll return with it. Social gathering at some point will return, and when it does, people will want to cruise," Donald said on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "We've had substantial bookings. Bookings for 2021 are strong." It remains unclear, however, when ships will be allowed to sail again. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the U.S. "No Sail Order" originally issued on March 14 for up to 100 days. Donald said Tuesday that Carnival, which is incorporated in Panama, has "voluntarily" extended its pause of operation. "If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, infected and exposed cruise ship cases would place healthcare workers at substantial increased risk," the CDC said in extending the order. With Carnival's fleet of more than 100 ships out of operation for the foreseeable future, the company is scrambling for cash along with others in the travel industry. Carnival has completely tapped its $3 billion revolving credit facility and said earlier this month that it was raising about $6 billion by issuing a mix of debt and equity. It could be difficult for Carnival to attract additional financing moving forward as credit rating agencies S&P and Moody's continue to review the company for downgrade, potentially to junk status. However, shares of the company soared after the Saudi sovereign wealth fund disclosed an 8.2% stake in Carnival last week. "We have found a way to secure financing. It was costly," Donald said Tuesday. "It was expensive, but our job is to make sure the company can survive even if there is an extended pause." Donald added that the company, which is not included in the U.S. government's coronavirus stimulus package, continues to seek additional financing from "Germany, the U.K., Italy and elsewhere." Regardless of additional financing, Donald said the company has enough liquidity to last at least through the year with no revenue. Shares of Carnival finished the day up more than 8%. However, shares are down more than 75% since Jan. 1. Of the big three cruise companies, Carnival is best suited to weather a sustained downturn without any revenue, according to UBS Securities analyst Robin Farley. The company could survive for as long as 15 months without making any money, she wrote in a note earlier this month. This piece was originally published as part of The Independents That Summer series. Find out more about it here. Phoo, Misha, phoo! The usual Russian response to irksome animals wasnt working: Misha, a three-month-old bear, looking as cuddly as any self-respecting roly-poly brown cub should (but with a bad case of halitosis), kept trying to play. But her cute paws hid some sharp claws. In the summer of 1995, I was nearing the end of a two-year postgraduate stint in Novosibirsk, the city more or less at the heart of Siberia. The USSR had only recently unravelled, and life in post Soviet Russia was tough. Novosibirsk, the biggest city on the Trans-Siberian line between the Russian capital and the Pacific Ocean, is not known as a tourism hub. Its name translates as new Siberia and it is a metropolis created by the railway. So when Svetlana had suggested organising a back-to-nature journey to the Altai mountains in lieu of payment for translation work with her science journal, I was delighted to accept the barter. But I hadnt bargained on getting quite so close to Russias wildlife. Nor to so many international frontiers. Bearing up: Misha the cub in Siberia (Margaret Campbell) Four giant countries converge in the Altai mountains. The far east of Russia shares a long border with China, but here there is a 20-mile stretch of frontier too between Kazakhstan to the west and Mongolia to the east. Misha notwithstanding, the trip to the Altai was the highlight of my stay in Siberia. Our initial two soon grew to a convivial six, as everyone in the Novosibirsk-based editing team decided that this was too good an opportunity to pass up. We were promised basic, free accommodation at a research station by Lake Teletskoye. Tatyana cooked enough food to last her husband and children through a siege, Natasha pleaded with her daughter not to give birth for another couple of weeks, Denis brought along his wife and, leaving the cares of the city behind us, we headed off bumping along on the floor of an ex-army truck now used as a mobile laboratory. The journey took the better part of a day: four hours south to Barnaul, then a few more hours through Biysk and upwards into the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Republic. It wasnt far from the border to our destination, the village of Artybash, but the road surface was dreadful, and it was dark when we arrived. We woke to blazing sunshine and the shimmering surface of Lake Teletskoye, shaped rather like an upside-down Italy. A group of Belgian geologists was also at the base, examining rock formations along the shoreline: two of them had cadged a lift in our truck from Novosibirsk and returned the favour by letting us join them on a two-day trip. Such cooperation would once have been impossible in this remote corner, but times had changed. The lake is fed from mountain streams and remains virtually unpolluted (I was surprised at first to see the scientists happily brushing their teeth in it). We stopped off several times while the geologists took rock samples and we explored sights such as Korba waterfall. In the evening, the men camped near the mouth of the Chulyshman river, providing the local mosquitoes with rich pickings, while we women tried to find refuge on the boat. After a fireside picnic on the first night, Katya and Svetlana sang Russian songs, the geologists responded with Jacques Brel, and it fell to me to show what Scotland could come up with (an off-key rendition of The Skye Boat Song). Meeting point: Margaret Campbell (far left) close to the frontiers of China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia (Svetlana Leonova) (Margaret Campbell) The next day, we came across three game wardens who had just spent 40 days walking and riding through the huge nature reserve along the eastern shore of the lake, on the lookout for poachers. After the first few days, they had survived on what they could find or trap but, apart from ravenous hunger, they seemed none the worse for wear. Back at the base, we were reminded of the need for such men when someone brought in a bear cub, left behind when poachers had killed its mother for her skin. Misha was being temporarily fed and sheltered by the scientists, but unless they could find her a new home in a zoo or circus, she would have to be shot; she would soon be too dangerous to keep at the base, but incapable of surviving in the wild. Recommended How to visit Venice without leaving home We stayed for another week in Artybash, watching hundreds of white and purple butterflies startle up from the ground as we passed, and swimming in mountain streams. The men carried water up from the lake so that we could use the banya (the Russian sauna) and we cooked and ate in the open air, and drank toasts to everybody and everything imaginable. The Altai mountains are not up there with the Alps, the Rockies and the Himalayas, but by rights they should be. On our return journey, we spent a night sleeping outside by the powerful Katun river, mosquito-free; and our first rainy afternoon, wandering through Gorno-Altaysk waiting for the truck to be repaired. All too soon, we were back outside the publishers office. Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Show all 20 1 /20 Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Edinburgh Festival Fringe Edinburgh Festival Fringe David Monteith Hodge Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Giant's Causeway Giant's Causeway Stuart Stevenson photography/Ge Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Stonehenge Stonehenge William Toti/500px Lonely Planet's UK Travelist British Museum British Museum Chaokai Shen/500px Lonely Planet's UK Travelist St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral Mark Chilvers/Lonely Planet Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Borough Market Borough Market Circle Creative Studio/Shutters Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall Dave Head/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Lake Windermere Lake Windermere Daniel_Kay/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Yorkshire Dales Yorkshire Dales ravellight/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Glencoe Glencoe Helen Hotson/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Punting in Cambridge Punting in Cambridge Premier Photo/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Bath Bath alice-photo/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Tate Modern Tate Modern chrisdorney/Shutterstock Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon Royal Shakespeare Theatre River Festival Lonely Planet's UK Travelist The Scilly Isles The Scilly Isles Julian Love/Lonely Planet Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Glastonbury Glastonbury Jason Bryant Lonely Planet's UK Travelist South Bank South Bank Tony C French/Getty Images Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Michael Roberts/Getty Images Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Pub roast Pub roast Diana Miller/Getty Images Lonely Planet's UK Travelist Arthur's Seat Arthur's Seat Martin McCarthy/Getty Images I left for Moscow two days later, not to return for four years. When finally I did, we sat round Svetlanas table and took stock. Finances for the English-language journal had dried up, but Svetlana finally had a suitable flat. Katya had married an Australian she met through the internet. Natasha had a four-year-old grandson. Denis was an awestruck father. And Misha had found a home in Novosibirsks recently upgraded zoo. In normal times, Novosibirsk is easy to reach: it is approximately halfway between Moscow and Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and has many flight connections via the Russian capital and other hubs. Wild Frontiers organises trips to the Altai mountains. Pharma majors Sanofi and GSK on Tuesday said they have joined hands to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The companies in a joint statement said they have signed a letter of intent to develop an adjuvanted vaccine for COVID-19, using innovative technology from both firms, to help address the ongoing pandemic. As per the partnership, France-based Sanofi will contribute its S-protein COVID-19 antigen, which is based on recombinant DNA technology. The technology has produced an exact genetic match to proteins found on the surface of the virus and is the basis of Sanofi's licensed recombinant influenza product in the US. London-headquartered GSK, on the other hand, will contribute its proven pandemic adjuvant technology. The use of an adjuvant can be of particular importance in a pandemic situation since it may reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose, allowing more vaccine doses to be produced and therefore contributing to protect more people. "As the world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no one company can go it alone," Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said. That is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources with peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient quantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus, he added. "By combining our scientific expertise, technologies and capabilities, we believe that we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many people as possible from Covid-19," GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said. The companies plan to initiate phase one clinical trials in the second half of 2020 and, if successful, subject to regulatory considerations, aim to complete the development required for availability by the second half of 2021. The entities have set up a joint task force, co-chaired by David Loew, Global Head of Vaccines, Sanofi and Roger Connor, President Vaccines, GSK. The taskforce will seek to mobilise resources from both companies to look for every opportunity to accelerate the development of the candidate vaccine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Blue Tears: Chains and Love: a riveting narrative that follows David Savin as he battles for love, freedom, and justice in a dysfunctional society. The Blue Tears is the creation of published author Spirea Geogea, a voracious reader whose passion is boating and fishing. He lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife, their adult children, grandkids, a smart dog, and a crazy cat. Geogea shares, Life is bleak and days are insufferable under the dictatorship of the communist regime, as they condition the minds of their subjects by any means necessary. Within Romanias borders, where you are born is where your fate is decided behind its blackout curtains. However, devoted father and husband, David Savin, is not one to be easily beaten into submission. Craving the American dream and new beginnings, David finds allies in unlikely places as well as among old friends. With his beloved brother and late father waiting for him on American soil, he has nothing to lose and much to gain. David will put everything at risk to ensure that all loose ends are tied before daring the unspeakable. Still, theres much room for error in the cramped quarters of an attic in a bustling railcar. The Blue Tears Chains and Love is a harrowing novel based on a true story set in the 1980s, during the cruel reign of Nicolae Ceausescu. In endeavoring to fight for his freedom, David also learns that love is a fine fight to be won as his heart is tormented by his affections for Katie, the girl who cries sapphire tears. Full of wrenching suspense and thrills, as well as brutal interrogations, heart-stopping betrayal, fierce love, and even greater sacrifice, youll never know whats to come next or who to trust. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Spirea Geogeas new book is a gripping and potent tale of thrill, betrayal, rulings, dreams, and love. Surely this creation will draw readers, young and old, into this 80s-set, autobiography, which is based on a true story. View a synopsis of The Blue Tears: Chains and Love on YouTube. Consumers can purchase The Blue Tears: Chains and Love at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about The Blue Tears: Chains and Love, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Developer contributions and levies will be the subject of a sweeping review as the Berejiklian government steps up attempts to boost Sydney's housing supply and local infrastructure in the face of a severe hit to the state's economy from the coronavirus pandemic. The government has appointed NSW Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat to spearhead the review of infrastructure contributions and make recommendations for a new system by the end of this year. Development contributions will be put under the spotlight. Credit:Wolter Peeters The scope of the review is broad enough for the commissioner to consider caps on council rates and so-called value capture, which is a form of public financing aimed at recovering gains landowners pocket from the construction of public infrastructure. The capping of rates at 2.6 per cent a year has limited what councils can generate in revenue to fund infrastructure, making them more reliant on developer levies. In announcing the review, Planning Minister Rob Stokes said reform of developer contributions and levies had been "stuck in the too-hard basket for too long". Supporting the decision to extend the lockdown, the Congress on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not speak of the government's strategy about testing for coronavirus during his address to the nation and asked if migrants who have completed their quarantine period will be allowed to return to their homes. Addressing a press conference through video conferencing, Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister told the nation during his address what he expects out of the people but "he did not address the concerns of the people or did not talk about what people want to hear that the government is doing." Tewari said that there is a broad agreement between the Centre and states on extending the lockdown. Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown on March 24 and extended till May 3 during his address to the nation on Tuesday morning. Tewari said that going by scientific evidence available, COVID-19 has 14-day incubation cycle and the total lockdown period of 40 days will cover three incubation cycles of the virus. "If that is the epidemiological advice which the Prime Minister has received, that is understandable," he said. Tewari said the Prime Minister did not speak of migrant workers who rushed towards their homes when the first lockdown was announced. He said many were stopped and quarantined on the borders of various states. "They are in camps which are spread out across various parts of the country. Those migrants, most of them have completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine, what are you going to do about them? Are you going to allow them to go back to their homes? Is there a calibrated plan as to permitting them or facilitating their travel?" he asked. He said the only medical treatment available for coronavirus is pre-emption and prevention. "And for pre-emption and prevention, what you require is a proliferation of testing. What we have not heard from the Prime Minister is what is the strategy of the government with regard to testing," he said. Tewari asked if testing will only be confined to hotspots or will there be community-level screening which will be followed with testing. "What is the unified strategy that has been evolved in consultation with the state governments with regard to testing," he asked. Tewari asked about the roadmap for harvesting. "How are you going to allow people from villages to go out into the fields, carry out the harvest? How was that harvest really going to be then collected and taken to procurement centres and how is that procurement going to be facilitated," he asked. Referring to the poor and vulnerable sections of the society, he said MGNREGA jobs were at one per cent of what they were in March and February of 2020. "There are only 1.9 lakh families who have been able to get work under MGNREGA in the month of April 2020, as opposed to 1.6 crore in March and 1.8 crore in February. What is the government's strategy to deal with it," he asked. The Congress leader said the government should give full wages to people who have active job cards under MGNREGA. He also asked about action against employers who are sacking their staff. Tewari said the Ministry of Labour in March had written a letter to all employers across the country, the Prime Minister has appealed twice that no employer should sack his workers at this point in time. "We require compassion, but, all of you are aware of what is happening? What is happening in your industry in the media industry itself? Will the government take action against those employers, who in this time of need and this time of destitution are really looking at their bottom lines rather than at the stomachs of their employees? How is the Government going to deal with those employers?" he asked. He said the government should ensure that every section including internal migrants without ration cards get ration. "How are you going to ensure that food reaches all these people? These are extremely valid concerns beyond the larger question of the revival of the economy that the Prime Minister needed to address. He needed to tell the country that these are the 15 things that the government has done in the last 21 days to protect the country," Tewari said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ignoring lockdown norms, over 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the coronavirus-enforced curbs till May 3. IMAGE: Migrant workers gather outside Bandra west railway station in Mumbai as they defy lockdown norms and request to leave for their native places . Photograph: PTI Photo The gathering in suburban Bandra, in violation of lockdown norms, created a potential law and order situation for an overstretched police force and the men in uniform resorted to mild force to scatter the crowd. A police official said the migrants, who assembled around 3 pm, were dispersed two hours later and have been assured accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. In viral videos, police were seen resorting to mild cane-charge to disperse the migrants, who had gathered at the bus depot near the Bandra railway station in suburban Mumbai. Most of these migrant workers were from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bihar, and they reside in nearby slums and other areas on rent. Union home minister Amit Shah called up Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the situation. Shah stressed that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. Shah also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, the official said. Police authorities heaved a sigh of relief as no untoward incident occurred at the site, where more than 1,000 people were estimated to have been present. The daily wage earners were demanding arrangement of transport facilities so that they can go back to their native towns and villages. The gathering in Mumbai came close on the heels of a violent protest last week by migrant workers in Surat, who, too, were demanding that they be sent back to their native places. Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their life a constant struggle. Though authorities and NGOs have made arrangements for their food, most of them want to go back to their native places to escape the hardship brought by the sweeping curbs on movement of people. Train and bus services were suspended as part of the lockdown exercise. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said the migrant workers who gathered outside Bandra railway station might have expected that the PM would order reopening of state borders. They were told by the police that borders are not going to be opened and the situation was now under control, Deshmukh said. The migrants were assured that the state government will make arrangement of food and accommodation for them, following which the crowds dispersed, the minister said. The gathering triggered a blame-game between the Shiv Sena-led government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Centre for the protest by the migrant workers and sought a road map to facilitate their journey back to their native places. In a series of tweets, Thackeray said, "The current situation in Bandra, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the union government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home migrant labour." "They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," Thackeray said. He said feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar -- that these workers want to go back to their native places. "Many are refusing to eat or stay in these camps," he said. Currently, more than six lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maharashtra, he added. Describing the Bandra gathering as an intelligence failure, former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said the state government should explain how so many people gathered at a spot despite the lockdown. BJP leader and former minister Ashish Shelar said the protest shows failure of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in enforcing lockdown. Lockdown should be made successful because it is for the safety of people, who should be provided with foods and other essential commodities at their doorstep, Shelar said. An FIR has been registered against at least 1000 workers for assembling near Bandra railway station in defiance of the coronavirus lockdown norms, causing a public health scare, police said. No arrests have been made yet and the workers are being identified, a Bandra police station official said. "We have registered an FIR under sections 143 (Whoever is a member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," he said. Besides section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act has also been invoked against them, he said. According to a police official, the daily wage earners assembled at the bus depot and squatted on the road leading to the suburban railway station. Local Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique said this situation arose when people came to know about the lockdown extension. "This is not a government failure, because we are also monitoring the situation from the very beginning. I personally distributed essential commodities to more than 50,000 people. Under such a situation police should talk politely with the common man," Siddique said. One of the labourers, who did not reveal his name, said, NGOs and local residents are providing food to migrant workers, but they want to go back to their native states as the lockdown has affected their source of livelihood. "Now, we don't want food, we want to go back to our native place, we are not happy with the announcement (extending the lockdown)," he said. Asadullah Sheikh, who hails from from Malda in West Bengal, said, "We have spent our savings during the first phase of the lockdown. We have nothing to eat now, we just want to go back at our native place, the government should made arrangements for us." Another labourer, Abdul Kayyun, said, "I am in Mumbai for last many years but have never seen such a situation. The government should start trains to shift us from here to our native place." Hundreds of migrant workers took to the streets of Mumbra town in Thane district on Tuesday, demanding that they be sent to their hometowns in light of the COVID-19 lockdown, which has rendered them jobless. Workers, mostly from Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, who live in rented accommodations, claimed house-owners were demanding rent from them and they were unable to procure essentials. Moscow woman gets suspended sentence for clashing with court bailiffs RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:07 14/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 14 (RAPSI) Moscows Preobrazhensky District Court has passed a 1-year suspended sentence upon a 52-year woman living in Moscow for clashing with bailiffs in the Moscow City Court, according to the website of the city prosecutors office. It was found that on March 22, 2019, Irina Yatsynenko refused to leave a courtroom of the Moscow City Court at the request of a judge. Bailiffs forcibly moved the woman out of the courtroom to a hall; Yatsynenko abrased one of the bailiffs slapped another in the face, and then gave several pushes to one of them. The woman was convicted of using force against a representative of authority on duty. Peapack-Gladstone, a small town in Somerset County, has 23 confirmed coronavirus cases as of early this week. And roughly half of them are connected to one of its special needs hospitals, borough officials said. Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a hospital that is home to 100 residents, has isolated patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and has also banned visitors, including family members, the borough said. Like many hospitals and other organizations across the state and nation, Matheny has had trouble procuring personal protective equipment (PPE), according to borough officials. The clinical staff (at Matheny) is going through large numbers of gowns and similar PPE, said Kingsley W. Hill, coordinator of Peapack-Gladstones Office of Emergency Management. They are being quoted many weeks for orders to be filled, so we have requests in for supplies for them from county, state and federal resources. In recent weeks, the boroughs Office of Emergency Management delivered two pallets of protective equipment to Matheny. Officials said the PPE was supplied by Somerset County and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. The staff there is doing yeomans work to protect the uninfected and to care for the infected, we just need to support them so they can continue that effort, Hill said. The borough also needs large and extra large gloves for its employees and first responders, according to Hill. Iveth Mosquera, a spokesperson for Matheny, said the hospital would not disclose details about individual patient conditions or recovery, due to patient privacy regulations. Our healthcare workers are working around the clock to keep everyone healthy and safe and they are doing a great job, Mosquera said. We are sincerely grateful to all of our supporters for their words of encouragement to our patients and staff. Mosquera said people hoping to donate supplies and equipment to Matheny should do so through the Somerset County Office of Emergency Management. To reach the county Office of Emergency Management, you can call 908-725-5070 or 908-231-7000. You can also send an email to EmergencyMgmt@co.somerset.nj.us. The offices address is 402 Roycefield Road in Hillsborough, but you should reach out before showing up. Tennyson Donnie Coleman may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV. Find him on Facebook. Have a tip? Let us know at nj.com/tips. Louis Vuitton has reopened several of its workshops to create masks and hospital gowns for healthcare workers. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, shortages of PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers has been a top concern across the globe. Earlier this month, it was reported that some NHS staff were being forced to reuse and share masks when treating patients, while a top American official recently warned that hospitals in Washington are running dangerously low on PPE. Several fashion companies have been stepping up to provide support during the health crisis, with designer Christian Siriano manufacturing masks for medical workers and luxury conglomerate LVMH repurposing its perfume factories to create hand sanitiser. Louis Vuitton has now announced it is creating protective gear for workers on the frontline, calling upon hundreds of volunteers to make the equipment. In order to provide protective gear to healthcare workers, Louis Vuitton has repurposed several of the Maisons ateliers across France to produce hundreds of thousands of non-surgical face masks, the French fashion house wrote on Instagram. In partnership with the Mode Grande Ouest textile network, this initiative will donate the much-needed protective gear to frontline healthcare workers. Louis Vuitton thanked the hundreds of artisans who have volunteered to create these masks, in addition to expressing gratitude towards everyone doing their part to fight this global pandemic. Michael Burke, chair and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, told WWD that the fashion label is planning on making more than 100,000 masks per week. Michael Burke, CEO of Louis Vuitton talks to an employee tailoring PPE masks in Paris, France on 10 April 2020 (Reuters) In a subsequent Instagram post, Louis Vuitton announced it was also manufacturing hospital gowns at its reopened French workshops. The label stated that the medical gowns will be provided to frontline staff working within the Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris network. A protective gown is photographed at the Louis Vuitton workshop in Paris France on 10 April 2020 (Reuters) These gowns will be created by volunteers at the Maisons headquarters for six Parisian hospitals in urgent need of protective gear, the fashion house said. Thank you to everyone who is doing their part to fight this global pandemic. Mr Burke informed WWD that currently around 10 per cent of the Louis Vuitton workforce is back working during the pandemic. The chief executive added that nobody was furloughed, nobody was fired, everybodys still on pay, everybodys on call. Thousands of West Australian healthcare workers will take part in a new trial to test whether an existing tuberculosis vaccine will reduce their chance of contracting COVID-19. WA Health Minister Roger Cook announced about 2000 frontline health staff from Fiona Stanley, Charles Gairdner and Perth Children's Hospital would participate in the Australian-run 'BRACE' research trial, which would see half injected with the existing Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. About 2000 frontline health staff from Fiona Stanley, Charles Gairdner and Perth Children's Hospital will participate in the Australian-run 'BRACE' research trial. Credit:Getty It is hoped the vaccine, originally intended to fight tuberculosis, will reduce their chances of contracting coronavirus, lessen the severity of symptoms and boost immunity in the long term. Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation committed $1.5 million to the Telethon Kids Institute for the BRACE trial, which will administer the roll-out over coming weeks. Two political rivals in Israel are seeking to extend the deadline to form a unity government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz have until midnight to come up with a power-sharing deal or they will face elections for the fourth time since April 2019, the New York Times reports. After the midnight deadline passed on Monday night, President Rueven Rivlin granted an extension after he was told the two sides were nearing an agreement. However, friction over the details of a power-sharing deal has left the deal in peril with a new Wednesday deadline looming. If they cannot reach a deal in time, many expect Rivlin to refer the task to Parliament, which would set the stage for new elections. If Rivlin assigns Parliament with the task of forming a government, they would have a three-week deadline. During this time, they would have to find a prime minister who would be approved by a simple majority of the 120 members. Netanyahu and Gantz both say they are ready to compromise in the name of unity, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but still face several sticking points in coming to an agreement. In a speech Monday night, Netanyahu said, We will keep making every effort to achieve the unity that the country so needs these days. He also appealed to Gantz in a recent tweet. He said, Benn, Im waiting for you in the prime ministers residence in Jerusalem. Lets meet and sign even tonight on forming a national emergency government that will save lives and work for the citizens of Israel, the New York Times reports. Gantz replied to Netanyahu in a speech less than an hour later. He said, Netanyahu, we have arrived at the moment of truth. The citizens of Israel expect us both of us to make difficult decisions. The current stalemate came about after last months elections failed to give either of the major parties a majority in the Parliament. Gantzs Blue and White party has a slight advantage when their allies are factored in, but it falls short of a majority. Netanyahus Likud party was also unable to pull together a coalition that would give them a majority. Joining forces to form a government seemed to be their only option, so Gantz reneged on a previous promise that he would refuse to sit in a government with Netanyahu as long as he is still facing corruption charges. Gantz initially agreed to a plan in which Netanyahu would serve as Prime Minister for 18 months and then Gantz would serve for 18 months. However, the rumored deal caused Gantzs party to break up. Gantz defended his earlier commitment to the deal Monday saying, The state of emergency that has been forced upon Israel and the entire world does not allow leaders to close their eyes and ears and remain concerned only with their own egos. If the initiative to form a deal falls to Parliament, there is still a chance that Netanyahu and Gantz could strike a deal to share power. 59 members of Parliament have endorsed Netanyahu, meaning that he only needs a few more to join with him to form a ruling government. Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another. HOUSTON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, today announced that it has scheduled a conference call on Thursday, April 30 at 8:00 a.m. Central time (9:00 a.m. Eastern time) to discuss first quarter 2020 financial and operating results. The company expects to release its first quarter 2020 results after market close on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Kraton invites you to listen to the conference call, which will be broadcast live over the internet, at http://www.Kraton.com by selecting the "Investor Relations" link at the top of the home page and then selecting "Events" under "Company" on the Investor Relations page. Company spokespeople will include Kevin M. Fogarty, President and Chief Executive Officer; Atanas H. Atanasov, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and H. Gene Shiels, Director of Investor Relations. You may also listen to the conference call by telephone by contacting the conference call operator 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and asking for the Kraton Conference Call - Passcode: "Earnings Call." Toll Free dial-in is: 800-857-6511. International dial-in is: 210-839-8886. A replay of the earnings call will be available through 12:00 p.m. Central Time on May 13, 2020. To access the replay on Kraton's website, select the "Investor Relations" link at the top of the Kraton home page; navigate to "Events" under "Company" on the Investor Relations page. Select Past Events, then "Q1 2020 Kraton Corporation Earnings Conference Call." To hear a telephonic replay of the call, dial 888 566-0418 (Toll-Free) or 203 369-3043 (Toll). ABOUT KRATON Kraton Corporation (NYSE "KRA") is a leading global producer of specialty polymers and high-value performance products derived from renewable resources. Kraton's polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving and roofing products. As the largest global provider in the pine chemicals industry, the company's pine-based specialty products are sold into adhesive, road and construction and tire markets, and it produces and sells a broad range of performance chemicals into markets that include fuel additives, oilfield chemicals, coatings, metalworking fluids and lubricants, inks and mining. Kraton offers its products to a diverse customer base in over 70 countries worldwide. Kraton, the Kraton logo and design are all trademarks of Kraton Corporation or its subsidiaries or affiliates. For Further Information: H. Gene Shiels 281-504-4886 SOURCE Kraton Corporation Related Links http://www.kraton.com - with reporting from Vivienne Clarke An Irish person has been interviewed as part of an investigation into a major Covid-19 fraud operation. An inquiry was launched after a fake order was placed for millions of masks destined for Germany. German officials contracted a Germany company to purchase 10 million face masks worth around 15. to help in the fight against Covid 19. This Germany company was put in contact with a Dutch one through an Irish intermediary to place an order for 11 million masks worth up to 7.7m. However this order was made through a fraudulent entity who had cloned the website and email address of the legitimate Dutch company. A 1.5m down payment was made for the delivery of the first million masks to an Irish bank account based in Roscommon. The German company also made a further payment of 880,000 to the fraudulent)Dutch companys bank account. Gardai said 498,000 was transferred to a UK account and onward to a Nigerian account. Due to international co-operation, that money was recalled from the Nigerian bank account. A further 125,000 was transferred into another Dutch account. In late March, reps from the German and Irish companies met in Amsterdam to inspect and oversee the handover of the shipment but it never materialised. An investigation was launched and 1.5m has since been frozen in an Irish bank account. An Irish citizen was interviewed on suspicion of laundering 1.5m last Friday. The person was interviewed by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB). Gardai said it was relating to the suspected laundering of 1.5. in this jurisdiction, contrary to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 to 2018. They said the "serious offence" carries "a maximum term of imprisonment of 14 years after conviction on indictment". Gardai added that documents and electronic devices were obtained and are currently being forensically examined. 'Sophisticated' Chief Supt Pat Lordan, of the GNECB, revealed details of the sophisticated 15million Covid-19 fraud this morning. Speaking on RTE radios Morning Ireland, Chief Supt Lordain explained that the fraud occurred when German health authorities attempted to purchase face masks from a reputable website which was cloned. The purchaser went onto a website which he thought was a genuine website of a genuine company in Spain, but he wasn't on that website at all. He was on a fictitious cloned website which was not real. So, despite the fact that he thought he was purchasing 14.7million worth of face masks, they did not exist on this website, he was never going to get not even one mask. We have identified a bank account in Ireland where 1.5m came into from abroad. Working with the financial institutions here in Ireland, the money has been frozen, and the money will be returned. We are currently working to establish why did this money come into the account, where it came from and what that person knew about the whole scam that was going on. Chief Supt Lordan said that the operation commenced a number of weeks ago and that following a request for assistance from Interpol the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. We are working with police forces in Germany, in Holland and Spain, a number of people were arrested in Holland during the week and further arrests will be anticipated. Joseph, aged 57, was the first patient transferred from the Grand Est region in France to a Luxembourg intensive care unit on 23 March. He has now been discharged after recovering from the virus. The French native said he was feeling well and wanted to thank the "superb team" at Ettelbruck Hospital for the care he had received. According to the Wort, the patient had received artificial respiration and regained consciousness on 1 April, before leaving intensive care on 9 April. 11 patients in total were transferred to hospitals in the Grand Duchy from the Grand Est region. One of these has since passed away due to complications caused by the virus. Economic scenarios released today back the Governments decision to go hard and early in the fight against COVID-19. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the scenarios also back the Government's plans in putting significant measures in place to protect jobs and support businesses through the lockdown. The Treasury has released a range of scenarios for the economy, based on assumptions of different amounts of time under the Alert Levels. The report shows how extra Government spending will cushion the blow by protecting jobs and supporting businesses, says Grant. This global pandemic is dramatically affecting countries and their economies around the world. We are seeing dire forecasts for global growth and unemployment levels rising rapidly in many countries. As an open export-led economy, New Zealand will feel these global effects for some time to come. New Zealand is in a good position to fight COVID-19 due to our strong public health system, low debt and growing economy heading into this situation. "The best way to protect the economy is to fight this virus, which is why weve acted swiftly and decisively to stamp out COVID-19. This will give our businesses and the economy the best chance to get going again on the other side. The scenarios released today were guided by a range of previously released public health modelling. The Treasury has purposefully included scenarios that show what might happen if the lockdown has to be extended, or if the country has to return to Alert Level 4 in the future. These should not be taken as any guide as to the Governments thinking or decision on changing alert levels. That decision will be taken on April 20 as the Prime Minister has foreshadowed. What they do show is how important it is that we continue to unite against COVID-19 and follow the public health guidelines; stay home and save lives we know its working, Grant Robertson said. The scenarios show: That unemployment can be kept below 10 per cent, and return to 5 per cent in 2021 with additional Government support. Work is already well advanced on further fiscal support. Without additional support, unemployment could have hit 13.5 per cent under scenario 1 (four weeks in Level 4), while scenarios requiring more time in Level 4 showed a peak of 17.5 per cent-26 per cent. New Zealands underlying strength means the economy can bounce back to be $70 billion larger by 2024 than in 2019. Work on further significant Government investment to protect jobs, support cashflow, and prepare the economy for recovery is well advanced. The next steps in the Governments plan to support businesses will be released later this week. The Budget is also another important part of the response, and it will include significant support to respond to and recover from COVID-19. "As is usual with the Budget, there may well be pre-announcements, especially where they relate to urgent COVID-19 response activities." The Government has already provided support to businesses including: $9.6 billion through the wage subsidy to protect the jobs of over a million working New Zealanders and keep them connected to their employers during the lockdown. Changes to the business tax system worth $2.8 billion to boost cashflow, encourage investment, and support working from home, including: Allwing businesses to immediately claim tax deductions for low value assets like computers, mobile phones, cameras, microphones, headphones and other equipment required to work from home Raising the threshld for provisional tax to support cashflow Writing ff penalties for late tax payments to take pressure off business owners Restring the ability to depreciate some buildings to support cashflow and investment Working with the banks to deliver a six-month mortgage deferral scheme so Kiwis dont lose their homes as a result of COVID-19, and a $6.25 billion Business Finance Guarantee to encourage bank lending to small and medium-sized businesses. We can do this because we entered this situation with strong Government books and a growing economy. "Net debt at 19.2 per cent of GDP is well below the OECD average around 70 per cent, giving us greater ability than many to protect jobs and incomes with the Governments strong balance sheet." Read the Treasury Report here. As protests are forbidden under lockdown, government accused of trying to pave way for new laws using cover of COVID-19. International human rights groups have accused the Polish government of taking advantage of the coronavirus lockdown to debate new limits on abortion and sexual education. The ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party had abandoned its previous attempts to tighten abortion rules following large public protests. Now, several citizens initiatives are set for a first reading on parliaments agenda for Wednesday and Thursday, including one that could criminalise sexual education activities and another on new rules limiting access to abortion. The chaos and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 shouldnt be used as a distraction from harmful attempts to push through dangerous legislation, Hillary Margolis, senior womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said on Tuesday. The Polish governments focus during the pandemic should be to protect peoples health and rights, not diminish them. As demonstrations are impossible during the coronavirus lockdown, activists plan to hold a virtual protest on social media. Amnesty International also criticised the governments planned debate, saying an abortion ban and regressive sexuality education laws must not be rushed through under cover of COVID-19. Attempting to pass these recklessly retrogressive laws at any time would be shameful, but to rush them through under the cover of the COVID-19 crisis is unconscionable, said Draginja Nadazdin, director of Amnesty International Poland. These laws would fuel fear and ignorance, and further restrict access to abortion for women in a country whose abortion law is already one of the most restrictive in Europe. They would not only endanger the health and lives of women and girls but also obstruct young peoples access to the information that they need for healthy sexual relationships. Staunchly Catholic Poland has some of the toughest abortion rules in Europe, with the procedure allowed only in the case of some foetal abnormalities, rape, incest or a threat to the mothers health. The PiS has also spoken out against sexual education, arguing attempts to teach young people about sexual orientation and gay rights could threaten Polish culture and should be blocked wherever possible. The Stop Abortion project, which proposes banning abortion when prenatal tests show serious, irreversible damage to the foetus, was first submitted to parliament in 2018. I believe that killing disabled children is simply murder. If legislation on this will cross my desk, I will certainly sign it into law, Polands President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, told Polish Catholic news outlet Niedziela earlier this month when asked about the abortion restrictions project. Polands constitution allows citizens to submit legislative proposals if they can gather 100,000 signatures. The proposals on abortion and sexual education were submitted to the parliament during the last term and must be discussed by May, according to parliamentary rules. It is unclear if restrictions on public gatherings will be lifted by May. Polish government officials said on Tuesday that they plan to relax some of the coronavirus limits, likely for shops first, on April 19. [April 14, 2020] Don't Rely on Unverified Information, Hear it From the Experts: SpeakIn NEW DELHI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In these unprecedented times, the world is battling a disease of a scale no one imagined. Amid this pandemic, SpeakIn brings to the audience the top voices across all domains who are a guiding light to navigate through this darkness. Deepshikha Kumar, Managing Partner at SpeakIn, comments on the release of this issue, "Managing change is all about adapting to the new normal. With the changes in both individual and organizational behaviour because of the pandemic, SpeakIn is constantly striving to connect you to the most relevant thought leaders to help you embrace this change." Aditya Ghosh - Adapting to the Downturn in Economy Aditya Ghosh is a Board Member for Oyo Hotels & Homes, which is one of the companies that moved into quick action against coronavirus and leaders such as him can guide the economy during times of duress. Aditya is a veteran with over 21 years of experience, he continues to drive growth while delivering high-quality customer experience and sustained returns. He advises business at this time, "Stick to basics: This is not the time to go experimenting with something new. Focus on what's core to your, your hero product or service." Dr Anil Lamba - Financial Management during Crisis Dr Anil Lamba is a chartered accountant, bestselling author, financial literacy activist and international corporate trainer, and the founder-director of Lamcon School of Management. A well-renowned writer with several books and numerous articles to his credit, his training programs are held internationally with a client spreading across India, the US, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. For investors, he advises in an interview, "Since no one knows when normalcy will return, we should be prepared for the worst and so sit on liquid cash that can last you for a fairly long time." Barkha Dutt - Media and On-ground Reporting One of India's finest journalists and TV anchors, Barkha Dutt has been constantly reporting from ground zero about the state of affairs in India during the lockdown. She was the first to interview the expert epidemiologist, Dr Laxminarayan at the onset of coronavirus. Through her tough reporting skills, she has bagged many honours in her name including the youngest journalist to receive the Padma Shri. In a recent op-ed, she comments, "India's poor will need the government's urgent focus. The security guad at AIIMS, who has to walk two hours to the hospital; the municipal sweeper and rag pickers who will not get one day off; the migrant workers with no roof over their heads; and the small shopkeepers who are keeping supply lines going - they will all need significant economic assistance." Davuluri Sucheth Rao - Leading a Family business Davuluri Sucheth Rao is the Vice-Chairman and CEO of Neuland Laboratories Limited, a leading manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). He led the firm to multi-fold growth under his leadership and made Neuland Laboratories a global name for reliable solutions and services to the pharmaceutical industry. As a second-generation entrepreneur, he is an esteemed speaker for the pharmaceutical industry and how to lead a family business efficiently towards profitability and growth. Lisa Belanger - Mental Health and Wellness Dr Lisa Belanger is an expert researcher and the CEO of ConsciousWorks, a consulting firm that educates people on how small habit adjustments can have a positive effect on one's well-being, productivity, and happiness especially during times of duress. She holds a PhD in behavioural medicine, is a certified exercise physiologist and a published author of the book 'Inspire Me Well: Finding Motivation to Take Control of Your Health'. Explaining the concept of 'Gratitude from Solitude', she says, "Investing your time and energy becomes even more important when we're in solitude and by finding things we are thankful for and recognizing those helps during uncertainty." Dr Naresh Trehan - A Doctor's Perspective on COVID-19 Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Dr Naresh Trehan is an eminent cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon. With more than 50000 surgeries performed by him and over 41 years of professional experience, he is the most sought-after medical professional for advice. In a recent interview he explains, "While SARS was recognised early and hence could be controlled, COVID-19 was recognised late and the rapidity and magnitude of this virus is unprecedented. Every effort must be made now to curb the spread of the virus and urged people to act responsibly." Dr Pradeep Chowbey - The Healthcare Industry Chairman of Max Institute of Minimal Access, Padma Shri Dr Pradeep Chowbey is one of the pioneer laparoscopic surgeons in India. He established the Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery Centre which is also recognized as a Global Centre of Excellence in the field of endo-surgery. In a session with SpeakIn on COVID-19, he explains, "We are equipped at the moment for a reasonable number of patients. If the patients are staggered over a few months, the country would be geared with a large number of medical personnel, PPE and medications. If the curve gets flattened, we can fight this disease and win over it." Saurabh Srivastava - Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Investors Saurabh Srivastava is the Chairman Emeritus of TIE Delhi, is Co-Founder and Director of the Indian Angel Network and Chaired Infinity Ventures, India's first early-stage Venture Fund. He laid the foundation for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India and is revered as the architects of the Indian IT Industry. To entrepreneurs, he advises, "Priority should be to conserve cash and cut down on non-essentials, then you need to focus on your product so that you are in a better position when this end." Shiv Shivakumar - Strategy in the Time of Coronavirus: Shiv Shivakumar is the Group Executive president at Aditya Birla group for Strategy and Business Development. He is known to be among the youngest CEOs in India and has been constant at this position for half his career. He has worked with over 50 brands such as PepsiCo, Nokia and HUL and witnessed numerous business transformations. On the COVID-19 crisis, he comments, "This should teach us that we are interdependent and we need each other to do our best, we are not islands in our homes." Zenobia Rustomfram - Family and Relationships Zenobia Rustomfram is the Consultant Counselor at ISB and Founder Director of Greenfields Centre for Outdoor and Development Programs. With counselling and training are her forte, she has been an advisor to many educational institutions where she set up their Counseling Services and framed School policies. She was awarded the Rotary Award for Excellence in Counselling. For a webinar with SpeakIn, she remarks, "This is a toll bell for everyone to slow down. Be calm, be reassuring, be caring and try to look out for things that bring joy and togetherness to you." About SpeakIn: SpeakIn is India's finest and largest tech-enabled network of speakers and thought leaders, aka. experts. With over 15,000 experts in our network globally, SpeakIn is engaged by business organisations, academic institutions, associations and investment management companies to access curated experts for one-on-one discussions or forum-based knowledge sessions. Similarly, Individuals engage our experts to gain individual guidance and seek mentorship for personal development. SpeakIn has recently launched SpeakIn Webinars as a special product launched in response to the COVID-19 crisis that our personal and professional world today faces. With this non-profit product, SpeakIn ensures organizations and individuals world over stay connected to learning from the best of experts. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/842025/speakin_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New Delhi, April 14 : Leading companies from multiple industries including Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow and Verizon on Tuesday joined forces to launch an employer-to-employer initiative that brings together companies laying off or furloughing people with those companies in urgent need of workers. Called "People + Work Connect", the platform built by Accenture is aimed at keeping people employed during the COVID-19 crisis. "By providing real-time visibility into which companies need people and where, People + Work Connect is designed to lessen the economic and societal impacts of the virus and help us work together to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people," Ellyn Shook, Accenture's Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, said in a statement. From idea to launch in just 14 business days, the initiative is rapidly attracting a range of companies. To date, participating companies include ADM, Baxter, Blue Apron, Cargill, Frito-Lay, Lincoln Financial Group, Marriott, Mondelez International, Nordstrom, ServiceNow, Walmart and Zenefits. Additionally, more than 250 companies are expected to onboard over the next week, and the platform will soon add public sector jobs, Accenture said. The business-to-business platform enables companies that are best positioned to rapidly share the experience and skills of their laid-off or furloughed workforces to connect at no cost with other companies on the platform that are seeking workers. The platform is global and cross-industry to maximise the ability to deploy people with similar skills in one industry into other industries where jobs are being created. Ultimately, this will shorten the complex, often lengthy cycle of unemployment for people. The analytics-driven platform pools non-confidential and aggregated workforce information by categories such as location and experience. The CHROs (Chief Human Resources Officers) who are leading People + Work Connect came together to create a collaborative, inclusive community to help put people back to work quickly in areas of new opportunity. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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For Ahmad Alsheikh, 18, gaining acceptance to Harvard's Class of 2024 was a lifetime in the making. Alsheikh and his family came to the U.S. from Syria, seeking asylum from that country's civil war. Yet in starting school as a high school freshman in southern New Mexico, "it was never in my expectation that I would even come close to applying," he said. Still, Alsheikh worked hard and when he did get accepted early, he not only became the first person in his family to go to college in this country, he was also the first person in his high school to attend the elite Ivy League in nearly three decades. A financial aid package made up mostly of scholarship money made it feasible. "It costs around $80,000 a year, and that was something I couldn't afford," he said. More from Personal Finance: Here's what to do if you suddenly can't pay for college next year Colleges extend decision deadline due to coronavirus Coronavirus may drive high school seniors to in-state colleges Now, Alsheikh says his primary concern is whether classes will be remote rather than on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, amid the global pandemic. "I really hope the fall semester doesn't get canceled or moved online," he said. "It's an experience I don't really want to miss out on." Many students and their parents are arguing that remote learning is just not the same as face-to-face instruction and the tuition tab should reflect that. "There are a lot of added benefits to going to a brick-and-mortar school," said Aaron Rasmussen, CEO of Outlier.org, which works with the University of Pittsburgh to offer for-credit online college courses and "Harvard is the gold standard," he said. Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Amazon Shares of Amazon rose 5.3% to a new all-time high as the e-commerce giant experienced unprecedented demand amid coronavirus-related shutdowns nationwide. The stock climbed nearly 22% this year despite the market sell-off. Tuesday's gain pushed its market capitalization to more than $1.1 trillion. Roku Shares of the television streaming platform jumped 10.3% after the company said it expects its first-quarter streaming hours to be 13.2 billion, a 49% increase year-over-year. Roku said it expects Q1 revenue to be slightly higher than expected in its prior outlook, and still expects strong growth in active accounts and streaming hours as consumers are home amid the coronavirus shutdown. Tesla Shares of the electric automaker soared 9.1% following an upgrade to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse. The firm said Tesla's competitive advantage in the electric vehicle world has increased as the coronavirus disruption forces legacy automakers to make tough decisions about product investment. Still, Credit Suisse hiked its price target to $580 per share from $450 per share, which is below Tesla's current price. JPMorgan Shares of JPMorgan fell 2.7%, erasing earlier gains of more than 3%, as investors digested its first-quarter earnings that came in well below analysts' expectations. The bank on Tuesday posted quarterly per share earnings of 78 cents, missing analysts' $1.84 estimate, according to Refinitiv. However, its revenue proved to be more resilient, slipping 3% from a year earlier to $29.07 billion. JPMorgan's trading division also posted a 32% increase in revenue to a record $7.2 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Shares of cruise lines one of the hardest-hit industries from the coronavirus shutdown rose as the coronavirus outlook appeared to be improving in the U.S. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line jumped 8.7%. Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean rose 8.8% and 13.4%, respectively. Johnson & Johnson The medical supply company's shares rose by 4.5% after it beat Wall Street expectations for the first quarter and hiked its dividend by 6.3%. Revenue growth in the pharmaceutical segment offset declines in the medical-device unit as the coronavirus pandemic forced hospitals to delay elective procedures. The company cut its 2020 earnings outlook, but CFO Joseph Wolk said on "Squawk Box" that "we're in great financial position." Wells Fargo The San Francisco bank dropped 4% after it reported earnings per share of just 1 cent in the first quarter, well below the 33 cents per share analysts had been expecting. Wells Fargo said it set aside an additional $3 billion in reserves to protect it in the event a significant portion of its customers are unable to pay debt owed on credit cards and loans. The results were the first for the bank since the coronavirus outbreak worldwide and the introduction government efforts to keep workers home to slow the spread of the disease. Boeing Shares of Boeing fell 4.3% after its customers cancelled 150 of 737 Max orders last month, deepening the crisis the company faces amid the coronavirus pandemic and the continued grounding of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes. Brazilian airline Gol canceled 34 of the narrow-body planes and leasing firm Avolon scrapped orders for 75 of them. Anheuser-Busch InBev The beverage company's shares dropped 2.7% after it cut its dividend in half. The parent company of Budweiser will now pay 0.5 Euros per share instead of 1 Euro per share. The company also delayed its shareholders meeting that would approve the dividend, originally scheduled for April 29, until June 3. Marriott Shares of the hotel chain gained 5.9% on news of a new credit facility worth $1.5 billion. Marriott also said revenue per available room in the Greater China region was improving, adding group customers were tentatively rebooking for later in 2020. With reporting from CNBC's Yun Li, Jesse Pound Thomas Franck and Fred Imbert. Just 505 care home staff have been tested for coronavirus across Britain, the government has said. The number compares to 47,784 NHS workers and their family members tested over the past fortnight - including 2,489 on Easter Monday - as testing capacity was rapidly stepped up using a network of 23 drive-through centres. Until this week, the centres were not open to social care workers but ministers have now issued instructions that they should be offered any spare capacity left over once NHS staff have been processed. The number tested represents only a tiny fraction of people working in more than 11,000 care homes across the country. It emerged as new figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 217 people died from coronavirus in care homes in the week up to 3 April, leading to claims that the sector was being airbrushed out of the official version of the outbreak. Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Show all 7 1 /7 Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky nursing home Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky nursing home Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky nursing home Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky nursing home Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky nursing home Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucky Nursing home residents share messages to family during coronavirus Masonic Homes Kentucy Daily reports on cases released by Public Health England only detail deaths of people with Covid-19 symptoms in hospital, not in care homes or the community. Shadow care minister Liz Kendall said: It is extremely worrying that only 505 social care workers have so far been tested. Around 1.5 million people work in social care, supporting vulnerable elderly and disabled people in their own homes and in residential care. The Government must act urgently to ensure front line care staff get the testing and PPE they need to keep people safe and avoid even more deaths from this awful virus. The Department of Health today announced that 14,982 tests were completed in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday. This was up on the 14,506 the previous day, but down on the peak of more than 19,000 last week and well adrift from the 100,000 daily tests which health secretary Matt Hancock has promised by the end of April. Downing Street said that a brand-new coronavirus lab in Milton Keynes was now processing thousands of test samples a day, with a second facility in Manchester checking a further 500 and a further lab in Glasgow due to begin operations at the end of the week. The prime ministers official spokesman said that drive-through tests had been extended to social care workers after the Easter weekend. We are now using some of the available capacity to allow social care workers to be tested if they are concerned they may have coronavirus symptoms, said the spokesman. Some 505 social care workers have now been tested. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An early release of a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the coronavirus (COVID-19) might be able to travel approximately 13 feet in the air over double the gap of current social distancing guidelines. The early-release article, which is not considered a final version of the study, shows that samples collected from potentially contaminated objects along with airborne specimens from a hospital in Wuhan, China, between Feb. 19 and March 2, indicate that the virus was widely distributed on various objects and was also detected in the air up to 13 feet from patients. The potential findings exacerbate concerns that six feet of social distancing is not enough to contain the spread of the virus, which the study said still primarily transfers through respiratory droplets and close contact. While the study discovered the virus within the air 13 feet away from contaminated patients, it also said that tests were conducted in a small sample from a hospital with few confirmed cases which might not reflect real conditions within regions where hospitals are operating at full capacity. Whether or not the coronavirus can be transmitted by aerosols remains controversial, the study said; however, the recent findings confirm that aerosol exposure poses risks" at possibly further distances than previously thought. The virus was also present on various surfaces throughout the China hospital, research showed. Furthermore, half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive, the study said. Therefore, the soles of medical staff shoes might function as carriers. Surfaces often touched by medical staff or patients, including computer mice, trash cans, sickbed handrails and doorknobs also had high rates of positivity for the virus, according to the study, which recommended that medical staff should perform hand hygiene practices immediately after patient contact. WHO INVESTIGATING REPORTS OF PATIENTS RE-TESTING POSITIVE Reports from South Korea indicate that some patients previously cleared of the coronavirus later tested positive again, according to the New York Times. The reports further complicate questions regarding the immunity of patients who recover from the virus. Given the novel nature of the virus, theres currently limited research available on the possibility of being reinfected once youve already contracted it, the Advance/SiLive.com previously reported. The CDC says it does not yet know if patients can be reinfected with COVID-19, but patients of a similar coronavirus strain were unlikely to be reinfected, at least in the short-term. The World Health Organization (WHO) said last weekend that it would investigate the reports coming out of South Korea, the New York Times reported. We are aware of these reports of individuals who have tested negative for COVID-19 using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and then after some days testing positive again, the WHO said in a statement to Reuters. We are closely liaising with our clinical experts and working hard to get more information on those individual cases. It is important to make sure that when samples are collected for testing on suspected patients, procedures are followed properly." Although a concrete answer is not yet available regarding immunity, some of the nations leading experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believe patients are likely to develop some level of immunity to the virus. We dont know that for 100% certain because we havent done the study, but I feel really confident that if this virus acts like every other virus that we know, once you get infected, get better, clear the virus, then you will have immunity that will protect you against reinfection, Fauci previously said on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Some scientists say that while it is likely patients develop some level of immunity, its unclear how long that immunity would last. It is reasonable to predict we will have some immunity, Frances Lund, professor and chair of the department of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told NBCNews. "To say you will have lifelong immunity? We just dont know yet. But I think its a reasonable conclusion that you will have immunity for the rest of this season. CHLOROQUINE STUDY HALTED AMID CONCERNS A Brazilian study centered on chloroquine, one of the drugs touted by President Donald Trump as a game changer, alongside hydroxychloroquine a drug used on a compassionate basis in skilled nursing homes on Staten Island has been halted amid concerns that some patients developed irregular heart rates, according to a report by the New York Times. Chloroquine, which is closely related to hydroxychloroquine, was previously granted emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hospitals. Preliminary findings from the small Brazilian study, which is awaiting peer review, suggests that a high-dose 10-day regiment of chloroquine should not be recommended for COVID-19 treatment because of its potential safety hazards." Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which are both used to treat malaria, showed to have significant risk of fatal heart arrhythmia in the study, the report said. According to the study, 11 patients who were taking a higher dose of the drug died within six days of treatment, leading to an immediate end to the high-dose aspect of the test. Such results forced us to prematurely halt patient recruitment to this arm, the study said. In the lower dose segments, researchers said there was not enough patients to determine if chloroquine was effective in treating patients with severe disease, the New York Times reported. More studies evaluating the drug in the early stages of COVID-19 are urgently needed," researchers for the study said. One of America's Sexiest Men Alive (he previously received the honor from People Magazine) is throwing it back to the good old days by reviving his hairstyle from the past. Plenty of significant others have been forced to play barber lately in self-quarantine - but his girlfriend Gwen Stefani took it to the next level when she recreated Shelton's former mullet in all its glory. While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (remotely, of course), from Oklahoma, Shelton talked about how he and the former No Doubt frontwoman are spending their quarantine. He said at the moment he's with "a bunch of Stefanis, I'm talking about a pile of 'em," referring to Gwen and her sons, who she co-parents with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, who recently opened up about missing his children during the coronavirus pandemic. He jokes that the "days go by so fast and a lot of it is because I black out normally around 5:30 or 6," while wearing a hat that proudly proclaims, "I Drank Today." His fellow hosts on The Voice often poke fun at him for his love of imbibing in the judge's chair. Gwen's also started baking sourdough, much like the rest of the world. She's also getting her boyfriend, who she calls the "all-time greatest country star" into ska. As she cuts his hair, Shelton makes sure to ask, "Is the mullet getting long in the back?" Citizens in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, sent postcards to beloved ones of medical workers who came to assist Wuhan people amid the pneumonia outbreak, as a way to express gratitude on April 8. Some teachers in Wuhan show the postcards they wrote for medical workers on March 30. (Photo provided by interviewees) As part of an activity organized by a volunteer team in Wuhan, local people from all walks of life handwrote over 10,000 postcards to the parents, lovers, children or friends of the medical workers. Li Ziyang, a promoter of the activity as well as a volunteer on the team, asked team members to develop a mini program to collect basic information from the medical workers, including the addressees, signatures and blessing words they want for the postcards and soon received responses from over 10,000 people. As post offices and gift shops in Wuhan hadn't resumed operation at the time, Li and his team members asked friends to spread the purchasing information, contacting as many merchants as possible to raise postcards for use. Ordinary people from teachers to police, workers and students, volunteered to handwrite the postcards based on the needs of the medical workers as collected by the mini program. "The reason why we chose April 8 to send the postcards is for the especially designed postmark for that day, which suggests that the lockdown was ended and the city came back to life," said Li. Also on the postcards is a special postmark in memory of March 18, when the city was first reported with no added confirmed cases, according to him. Leading realty firm Embassy Group on Tuesday said it has invested over Rs 1 crore to provide cooked meals and dry rations to daily wage workers affected by the lockdown. Under its Embassy Cares programme, it has distributed around 2,50,000 meals to daily wage workers and migrant families across several locations in Bengaluru, the company said. "The Group has invested over Rs 1 crore to combat the COVID-19 crisis, with significant interventions," it added. In north and central Bengaluru, the company is supporting 3,500 families of students at some of the government schools with food rations, amounting to 1,47,000 meals. Each ration kit contains rice, dal, channa, oil, spices and vegetables. Similar relief measures have been carried out in other parts of the city. Aditya Virwani, Chief Operating Officer, Embassy Group, said, with so many underprivileged members of our communities, daily wage and migrant workers trying to make ends meet during this crisis, it's important that we all step up to do our part." In addition to providing rations and meals to those in need across the city, Embassy has initiated a project to support the entire personnel of Bengaluru City Traffic Police Force. The Group has set up four hydration stations at Hebbal, Whitefield, Infantry road and the Outer Ring road, where drinking water, refreshments, first-aid and toilet facilities are provided for all police personnel. Th firm also provided protective masks and hand sanitizers each to the Traffic Head Quarters, for distribution to the 44 stations and the entire 3,800-strong force. Embassy Group is a leading commercial real estate player in the country. Embassy Office Parks, a joint venture of Embassy and Blackstone, launched the country's first real estate investment trust (REIT) last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the coronavirus pandemic, where empty campuses have resulted in stray dogs going hungry, a group of animal-lover students at the University of Hyderabad have taken it upon themselves to care for the hundreds of stray dogs and wild animals that have made the sprawling varsity campus their home. The sprawling campus of UoH is also the habitat for nearly 200 species of birds, various mammals and reptiles. The food wastage of the hostel messes and garbage used to be the source of food for many stray dogs, wild boars and other wildlife. Following the 21-day lockdown, most of the students left for their home, and the hostel messes too were closed. Some of the dogs began to foray into the wooded areas on campus in search of food, and hunt hares, wild boars and spotted deers. Noticing the hunger pangs of the stray dogs and its impact on the wildlife in campus, a team of 30 students led by Rohit Kumar Bondugula, Research Scholar of School of Computer and Information Sciences at the UoH, joined hands with Pradeep Nair of Animal Warrior Conservation Society, to feed the stray dogs and wild animals inhabiting the university campus. Speaking to IANS, Rohit Kumar said, Normally 5,000 people stay on campus and now there are hardly 200 people here. The stray dogs were not getting food they normally got and started hunting the peacocks and other small animals on campus. We felt that by feeding the stray dogs we can prevent them from hunting the wildlife and thus protect them too. To avert the conflict between the stray dogs and wildlife, Rohit and Pradeep along with their team decided to feed the strays within their territories at different places in the campus. The teams arranged to provide cooked food for the stray dogs, and water bowls for the birds, along with vegetables and grass for the wildlife on campus. The horticulture department, UoH Security and forest guards regularly fill strategically placed concrete tubs on campus, with water for spotted deers, wild boars and other wildlife on campus. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SINGAPOREOn a day when Chinese state media trumpeted more than a dozen reports of Beijing donating aid to battle the coronavirus gloves to Italy, testing kits to Ethiopia, protective medical suits to South Korea a brief news item escaped wide notice. New research stations come into operation on Nansha Islands, read the March 20 report by the official New China News Agency, describing the opening of two civilian labs to study the marine environment in the South China Sea. The announcement, using Chinas name for what is more commonly known as the Spratly Islands, elided the bitter dispute surrounding the archipelago, where the Peoples Liberation Army has reclaimed land to build a series of military outposts, in defiance of international rulings and territorial claims by neighbouring countries. It was a clear indication, experts say, that the coronavirus pandemic has not distracted China from its hard-nosed effort to assert control over Asias most vital waterway. Theres no apparent pause or reduction at all in Chinese activity in the South China Sea, said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It appears to be business as usual for the PLA, and for that matter, the China Coast Guard as well. The tussle in the South China Sea is driving a deeper wedge between China and the U.S., which accuses Beijing of capitalizing on the pandemic by helping countries fight the virus at the same time it attempts to tighten its grip on disputed islands and reefs. But the coronavirus crisis has also highlighted the United States diminishing global leadership. As the America First Trump administration is increasingly isolationist and preoccupied at home with containing the worlds severest outbreak with nearly half a million infected and more than 16,000 dead allies in Asia and around the world are accepting Chinese aid even as they bristle at Chinese violations of international norms. The pandemic confirms their worst fears about us both that the U.S. is withdrawing while China is going to put its own interests above those of its neighbours, said Gregory B. Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Across the resource-rich South China Sea, Beijing has carried out naval drills and China Coast Guard and paramilitary vessels have continued to harass other countries fishing boats, military ships, and oil and gas rigs. The two research stations are located on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef, each claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam, where China has dredged land to build runways, missile emplacements, radar towers and barracks that could house thousands of troops. Last month, a Chinese transport plane landed on Fiery Cross Reef, the sort of routine supply mission that often goes unnoticed in what Poling called Chinas low-level, day-to-day consolidation of the South China Sea. China claims total sovereignty over the waterway, through which more than $3 trillion (U.S.) in goods transits every year. One of the most contested regions of the world, sitting atop large oil and gas reserves, it is the main sticking point in Chinas relations with smaller Southeast Asian countries, including half a dozen that hold competing island claims. Beijings aggressive actions there are at odds with the softer image it has tried to project in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which emerged in central China in late December and raced around the world. China was criticized for initially under-reporting the severity of the outbreak, but has since held itself up as an indispensable power in helping contain the virus global spread. As China reports that the virus is on the wane domestically, it has donated protective equipment to more than 120 countries, fired up factories to meet the global demand for ventilators and deployed medical experts to assist other nations. The Chinese leadership has pushed back against criticism that its assistance is politically motivated, saying it is never on its agenda to make aid a ploy to pursue influence. The U.S. has increased aid as well, contributing an additional $274 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance to countries worldwide, including $18 million to Southeast Asia. In this region, which is battling to get a new wave of infections under control, Chinas humanitarian aid is welcome, Koh said. But governments also recognize that Chinas maritime manoeuvres have continued as rival claimants have their hands full grappling with the coronavirus crisis, he added. Therell be inevitably an impact on trust and how these governments view Beijings intentions, Koh said. China will have to tread water very carefully if it doesnt wish to see its diplomatic gains from this coronavirus outreach offset by what its doing in the South China Sea. The tensions spilled into view after a Chinese military vessel rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat off the disputed Paracel Islands, the second such incident in less than a year. Vietnam lodged a formal protest, and the Trump administration accused China of exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea. Beijing blamed the Vietnamese ship for fishing illegally in Chinese waters. Individually, the claimants can do little to push back against Chinas military might. The U.S. has been unable to alter the status quo in the South China Sea even after a much touted pivot to Asia under the Obama administration and Trumps trade war against Beijing. The most important U.S. ally in the region, the Philippines, has failed to demand China adhere to a 2016 international ruling that denied Beijings sweeping claims over the South China Sea. Although the Philippines sided with Vietnam in the fishing boat incident, President Rodrigo Duterte has generally sought a rapprochement with China and announced plans to cancel a major security pact with the U.S. that could unravel the decades-old alliance. The U.S. militarys ability to project force in the South China Sea usually by conducting port calls and sailing warships on freedom of navigation missions has also been weakened by the virus. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt had just concluded a visit to the Vietnamese port of Da Nang last month when sailors aboard were found to be infected with the virus. The ensuing fiasco which culminated in the acting secretary of the Navy resigning after he criticized the ships commander for speaking out about the risks to his crew has sidelined one of the key U.S. carriers in the region the Pentagon calls the Indo-Pacific. Countries are beginning to worry about Washingtons capacity to fulfil its security commitments as it grapples with the health and economic costs of the pandemic, according to a commentary published last week by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank. Stricken warships, stalled deployments and Washingtons acute preoccupation with its own poorly handled humanitarian crisis will not reassure Indo-Pacific allies, wrote the authors, Ashley Townshend and Jim Golby. For now, the pandemic appears likely to widen the U.S.-China divide while convincing other Asian countries that both powers are unreliable. Malaysia, for example, has been stuck in a months-long confrontation with Chinese military vessels near two offshore blocks where Malaysias state-owned Petronas is drilling for oil and gas. A China Coast Guard ship drew to within 0.3 nautical miles of the Petronas rig in January before pulling away, highlighting what CSIS said is Chinas determination to bully any country that attempts to develop new energy sources in the area. Last month, however, when China delivered a shipment of N95 masks, protective gear and 200 ventilators to Kuala Lumpur to fight the coronavirus, New China News Agency reported that Malaysias foreign minister thanked Beijing by saying, We really, truly know our friends in times of crisis. Southeast Asian countries are getting used to dealing with China in this way having some local skirmishes on territorial issues, but having the larger trade and diplomatic relationship going on at the same time, said Zack Cooper, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. These countries dont have a lot of options on how to contest these claims. The Chinese are confident that the status quo is stable in the South China Sea, and trending in their favour in the long term. Read more about: Today April 14 marks the 6th year since the abduction of the Chibok school girls by members of the Boko Haram sect. The sect members stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state and abducted 276 of them. 57 of them managed to escape when the truck used to convey them broke down. In October 2016, 21 of the girls were freed; and in May 2017, another batch of 82 were released from captivity. 13 of the girls are presumed dead while 112 of the girls are still in captivity. In a statement released by his media aide, Garba Shehu, President Buhari vowed never to forget the remaining girls as his government will do everything it can to ensure they are rescued alive. On the specific issue of the freedom for the remaining girls held by the terrorists, the President noted the ongoing efforts on two fronts. He said the armed forces of the country who are on general operations in the entire region continue in their hope that they would encounter these girls, as they did thousands of other hostages, rescue and bring them back home. The President added that the nations security and intelligence community is reposed in rescuing the abducted girls is making a lot of efforts using backroom channels to get them back to their families. The President added that the crisis within the leadership of the terrorist group has stalled the negotiations for the release of the girls. The issue of the Chibok girls is not a forgotten issue. We cannot go to sleep over this matter. We are optimistic that ongoing efforts will yield something positive. Unfortunately, an ongoing crisis within the Boko Haram leadership, which has led to factions and breakaway groups, brought a number of unforeseen challenges to the process of negotiating with the militants for the young womens release. In the past few years, our armed forces have recorded huge successes in the battle against Boko Haram, but they have also been careful to ensure that as few civilian lives as possible were lost in the process. We would rather the young women still in captivity were freed alive'' he said. President Buhari in his statement, acknowledged the progress being made by the freed Chibok girls, who were sponsored by his administration to study at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, saying that he is proud of what they are doing. He encouraged them to remain focused on their studies and on this unique opportunity that has been given to them by God, following their horrific time in captivity. He also commended Yakubu Nkeki, Lawan Zannah and Yana Galang, the executive officials of the Association of the Parents of the Abducted Girls from Chibok, on their steadfast efforts to advocate for the welfare of the parents, the freed women, and those still in captivity. 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 Joe Biden's campaign is reportedly looking into ways to shore up its left flank. As Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman write at The Washington Post, he is proposing lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 and a means-tested program of student debt forgiveness. Unsurprisingly, these timid ideas were greeted with derisive jeers on the left. But there are other steps Biden could take if he wanted to seriously demonstrate he is not as bad as the left says he is. Bernie Sanders did endorse Biden in a joint conference call on Monday, but that is unlikely to sway many lefties on its own. Organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America refuse to endorse Biden because he was neck-deep in most of the neoliberal policy disasters of the last 40 years, like corporate-biased trade agreements, bankruptcy reform, and the Iraq War. Biden is not a democratic socialist, but he does say he is a committed liberal who wants to help working people. If he is really serious about left outreach, some more aggressive and thoughtful policy, and bringing on some new staffers, would demonstrate he really has pivoted away from his previous politics and towards a more genuine progressivism. Let's cover policy first. The idea of nudging down the Medicare age by years is not terrible on its own merits, but it is extremely weak tea, and baffling in terms of outreach to the left. People from 60-64 are already some of the best-insured people on the private market their rates of uninsurance are less than half that of people in their late twenties. These near-seniors do use a lot of care, but that means putting them on Medicare would therefore be no small gift to private insurance companies, whose remaining pool of beneficiaries would be healthier and cheaper. Moreover, the beneficiary population would be small: Americans from 60-64 are only about 6 percent of the population. A better idea both politically and on the policy merits would be Medicare-for-kids putting everyone under say, 26, on the program (to continue the current rule that children can stay on their parent's coverage until they reach that age). This would directly cover 34 percent of the population, and because younger people use relatively little health care, not cost the government that much. It would also provide a huge benefit to parents who currently have to pay for their kids' insurance despite children being relatively cheaper to insure, in 2019 a family employer-based insurance plan still cost about $13,000 more than one for a single adult. What's more, because people typically have kids when they are young and just starting their careers, that eye-watering cost lands when parents are least able to afford it. Story continues Medicare-for-kids would be well short of my own preferences, but still be a bold enough reform I could wholeheartedly support it. Perhaps most importantly, it would actually give something to the population of people Biden is supposedly trying to win over young people and younger parents. In the primaries it was clear that Bernie Sanders' base is people under 45 years old. Biden already won near-seniors, and that group is much more likely to vote Republican in November in any case. Throwing them and only them on Medicare risks simply expanding the group of people who want to pull up the ladder behind them, but putting kids on it automatically creates a constituency for further expansion. Biden's student loan forgiveness program is better, but still pointlessly limited. He would reportedly rule out forgiveness for people making over $125,000, and worse, he would only include people who attended either public school or particular minority-centered schools. As Alex Pareene points out at The New Republic, that leaves out all the people who got scammed by for-profit colleges into taking on enormous debt who are disproportionately minorities. It would be better and simpler to just include everyone in the student debt relief program which in any case is almost entirely owned by the federal government anyway, and could be unilaterally canceled without costing taxpayers a dime. Biden could also badly stand to boost up his climate plan, which is about 10 percent the size of Sanders'. Doubling that figure and if not endorsing the full Green New Deal program entirely, committing to its key positions like phasing out fossil fuel-based energy, transportation, and manufacturing as fast as humanly possible would help indicate he takes climate seriously, which he manifestly failed to do as part of the previous presidential administration. There are, of course, dozens of other places where Biden extend an olive branch to Sanders Democrats. He could support a modest child allowance of $300 per month, which would cut child poverty in half and overall poverty by a quarter. He could strengthen his public option insurance plan, which by rights ought to be a lot better than Medicare at 60 in any case. He could put forth a worked-out proposal for paid family and sick leave, which he supports in theory but has not outlined in detail. He could simply talk a lot more about his plans to boost union rights and jack up taxes on the rich, which are actually progressive but have gotten almost no media coverage. However, even if Biden were to endorse these policies, he would still face a credibility problem. For decades he has tried over and over to cut Social Security and Medicare, about which he lied through his teeth at the last Democratic debate. This is not helped by the policy staff Biden has hired. They include Bruce Reed, who was one of the key architects of the disastrous welfare reform program of 1996 (which increased extreme poverty in this country by 150 percent), Anita Dunn, a consultant who helped Harvey Weinstein with PR strategy in advance of the New York Times investigation into his sexual misconduct, and Ron Klain, who did well as Obama's Ebola czar but is also an investment banker just three among a trainload of former lobbyists and consultants. As the Washington saying goes, "personnel is policy." Biden could add some credibility to his left outreach by hiring a few genuine Sanders Democrats for his policy staff, and promising to place them (or others) on his transition team and Cabinet should he win. If not folks from Sanders' actual campaign staff, then people like Reps. Ro Khanna (Calif.) or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), or Sen. Jeff Merkley (Ore.), could serve in this role. Frankly I don't believe Biden will do anything like I am proposing. He seems to believe throwing a few crumbs in the general vicinity of the left will do the trick. But if Biden loses for failure to turn out young lefties in November, don't say I didn't warn you. More stories from theweek.com The world's dominant ideology is breaking. What will replace it? Trump's frightening claim of 'total' authority Bernie Sanders says his job now is to 'rally my supporters' for Joe Biden Poverty punished as Philippines gets tough in virus pandemic by Ana P Santos April 14,2020 | Source: Al Jazeera On the day her husband was arrested, Bernadeth Caboboy had 200 Philippine pesos (about $4) in her pocket and her fidgety three-year-old daughter in her arms. The toddler needed milk and they needed food, but had no money to buy either. It had been three weeks since the lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 was declared, and 21 long days since operations at the construction site where her husband worked had stopped. Their neighbourhood of San Roque in Quezon City, the country's largest metropolis, got neither food nor aid from the government. Caboboy's husband, Jek-Jek, decided to meet his foreman to see if he could get his salary. When Jek-Jek went out, he was swept up in a throng of people who were waiting for the rumoured distribution of relief goods. "Someone shouted that a charity was going to give away a half-sack of rice," Jek-Jek recalled. "People started lining up on the side of the road. The next thing I knew, the police came, telling us to get on the ground." Jek-Jek and 20 other residents of San Roque were arrested on April 1 and charged with violating quarantine protocol, disobedience and illegal assembly. Footage of police with riot shields and batons violently dispersing the crowd went viral. Concerned citizens put together 367,500 pesos ($7,350) to bail out the San Roque 21 after five days in detention. Critics warn that the Philippine government's heavy-handed approach to the public health emergency is criminalising the poor for violating quarantine protocols that are impossible for them to follow, quashing their legitimate pleas for food and economic aid, and putting them at risk of infection in cramped detention centres. "While they were in police custody, there was no social distancing. There were no proper hygiene facilities or supplies. Doesn't their arrest defeat the purpose of stopping the spread of the virus?" said Kristina Conti of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) and lawyer for the San Roque 21. Police data shows that 42,826 arrests were made in the first 11 days of the country's enhanced community quarantine Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Bernard Banac confirmed to Al Jazeera that the arrests were due to alleged violation of quarantine policies like curfew, mass gathering and social distancing. 2020 Al Jazeera Media Network Theme(s): Others. "We are going to be absolutely clear; this is a Government that fights corruption , plus it firmly and categorically achieves such objective. If we come across any corruption , in any of the procedures carried out to adequately confront the coronavirus, we will be the first to punish those responsible in an exemplary way," he expressed. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Trican Well Service Ltd. (TSX: TCW) ("Trican") intends to release its First Quarter 2020 results on Thursday, May 14, 2020 before the opening of the market. The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET) to discuss the Company's results for the 2020 First Quarter. To listen to the webcast of the conference call, please enter the following URL in your web browser: http://www.gowebcasting.com/10540. You can also visit the Investors section of our website at www.tricanwellservice.com/investors and click on "Reports". To participate in the Q&A session, please call the conference call operator at 1-800-319-4610 (North America) or 1-403-351-0324 (outside North America) 10 minutes prior to the call's start time and ask for the "Trican Well Service Ltd. First Quarter 2020 Earnings Results Conference Call". The conference call will be archived on Trican's website at www.tricanwellservice.com/investors ABOUT TRICAN Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Trican provides a comprehensive array of specialized products, equipment and services that are used during the exploration and development of oil and gas reserves. Requests for further information should be directed to: Dale Dusterhoft President and Chief Executive Officer E-mail: investors@trican.ca Robert Skilnick Chief Financial Officer E-mail: investors@trican.ca Phone: (403) 266-0202 Fax: (403) 237-7716 2900, 645 - 7th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 4G8 Please visit our website at www.tricanwellservice.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54430 For weeks now, President Jair Bolsonaro has been downplaying the severity of the coronavirus crisis; he dismissed the outbreak as a fantasy, called measures to fight it hysteria and called the illness a measly cold. He spreads dangerous misinformation about an unproven cure, for example and publicly ridicules quarantine measures. He ignores statistics, scientific evidence and specialists recommendations, as if he alone is endowed with a mysterious source of wisdom. He acts with the assuredness of fools. When in mid-March, Brazilian governors and mayors started to enforce lockdown measures, Mr. Bolsonaro accused them of falling into a state of panic. Our lives have to continue, he said, urging everyone to roll back restrictions. Later, he conceded a little ground, saying that we will all die one day. Because that is the sort of statesman he is. Luckily, most of us havent listened to the president. In fact, few are still listening to him. My city, Sao Paulo, has been the place hardest hit by the outbreak in Brazil, and thats enough to keep us on our toes theres no time to pay attention to delirious statements like Mr. Bolsonaros call for a national day of fasting and prayer to free Brazil from this evil. He is becoming more isolated by the day figuratively, I mean: The approval ratings of his minister of health and various state governors are on the rise, while his own have plummeted. Back in the realm of reality, the weekend came and my fever subsided, but I still had a persistent headache. I knew by then that the second week of the disease cycle was the truly critical one, when patients either improve or get sicker. I tried not to have a panic attack, since if I did, I wouldnt know how to know whether it was the disease causing shortness of breath or my intense anxiety. At this point, the country had registered 4,309 confirmed cases and 139 deaths 98 of them in the state of Sao Paulo. On Tuesday, the 31st, I managed to schedule a visit with a health care provider to test me for the coronavirus. (I had to pay $73 for it.) It was the RRT-PCR test, which stands for real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; the test detects bits of viral genetic material present in respiratory secretions. The results would not be ready for a couple of days. By then, my headache had lessened to something more tolerable, and I could once again smell the sweet scent of my daughters full diaper. I recovered my appetite (not while in proximity to her diaper, though). We resumed our mother-and-daughter sessions of crazy tap dancing on the balcony. I felt a vague sense of victory. By Friday, April 3, Brazil had 9,216 confirmed cases and 365 deaths. Then on Saturday, the 4th, my test results came back negative. And the uncertainty came flooding back: Had it been the flu all this time? Or a false negative, perhaps? (A Chinese study has suggested that the false-negative rate of PCR tests may be around 30 percent.) A positive result would have been at least something concrete to deal with, a rare certainty amid all this coronavirus-fueled anxiety. As the days pass, Im left wondering when or if we will get serological tests which detect the presence of antibodies for a specific disease to settle the question. I was back where Id started, only more exhausted this time and with a (slightly improved) headache. Photograph: John Locher/AP Michelle Obama has announced a new attempt to make it easier to vote by mail, register online and expand early voting, as states race to figure out how they can hold elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The former first lady announced the push through When We All Vote, a voter participation group she started in 2018. Related: Trump urges Republicans to 'fight very hard' against voting by mail The group will push lawmakers to give voters more options, including extended deadlines, for requesting and returning mail-in ballots free of charge or with prepaid postage. It will also push states to give voters more flexibility regarding where they can cast a ballot during early voting. Such flexibility could be critical since many jurisdictions have had to significantly scale back in-person voting options as poll workers have dropped out over Covid-19 concerns. We know that barriers to voting existed before this crisis, especially for young people and communities of color, Obama said in a statement. Expanding access to vote-by-mail, online voter registration and early voting are critical steps for this moment and theyre long overdue. There is nothing partisan about striving to live up to the promise of our country; making the democracy we all cherish more accessible; and protecting our neighbors, friends and loved ones as they participate in this cornerstone of American life. Donald Trump has strongly resisted calls to increase vote by mail. The president, who himself voted by mail in March, has falsely said that casting mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud, which is extremely rare. Trump has also said making it easier to vote would mean youd never have a Republican elected in this country again. Republicans in Congress have strongly resisted efforts to expand voting by mail and other efforts to ease voting restrictions. Obamas announcement comes less than a week after a disastrous election in Wisconsin, where voters went to the polls while the state was under a stay-at-home order. Story continues An unprecedented 1.2 million people requested absentee ballots, overwhelming election officials. There were several reports from voters who never received ballots in the mail, prompting an investigation from the Wisconsin elections commission and the United States Postal Service. Without mentioning Trump, Barack Obama indirectly weighed in on his comments last week, tweeting that a pandemic shouldnt be used to compromise our democracy and encouraging Americans to check the facts of vote by mail. Everyone should have the right to vote safely, and we have the power to make that happen, Obama said in another tweet. This shouldnt be a partisan issue. In stark contrast to the general hospital campus in Panchkula which has been wearing a deserted look since the clamping of nationwide lockdown is the situation at Haryanas control room for Covid-19. Adjacent to the office of director general, health services, the centre witnesses intense action day in and day out in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Armed with computers and cell phones, about a dozen doctors and other staff members stay in constant touch with the health workforces of all 22 districts of the state, noting down every detail pertaining to the arrival of Covid-19 suspected as well as positive cases, their samples and results. They also focus on the contact tracing of the suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases, following the same protocol. Though all senior officials are actively involved at the district as well as state level, the control rooms dedicated team has in it senior-most to junior doctors of the integrated diseases surveillance programme (IDSP) wing, which collects all types of Covid-19 related information. It also passes on the governments instructions to the district teams on real-time basis, besides keeping tabs on each case, say doctors of IDSP, which is headed by Dr Usha Gupta. Director general, health services, Dr SB Kamboj says an adequate number of Isolation beds have identified in various government and private facilities besides persons quarantine facilities in rooms and dormitories. According to official information, 11 full or partial covid hospitals and medical colleges including one at Nalhar (Nuh), Mullana (Ambala) and Agroha (Hisar), besides exclusive covid wards in 26 other government and private hospitals and medical colleges in the state. Likewise, top officials say there is an adequate stock of essential protective equipment, including 3-ply masks, hand sanitisers, hydroxychloroquine 200mg tablets, N95 masks, PPE kits and VTM media available in hospitals and medical colleges to effectively combat the novel coronavirus. Also, besides three private labs in Gurugram, five government labs, one each at PGIMS, Rohtak (capacity of testing 120 samples per day) and BPS Khanpur Kalan (80 samples per day), ESIC Medical College, Faridabad (80 samples per day), Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal (80 samples per day) and NRCE Hisar (25 samples per day) are for testing samples for the infection. About his teams, health minister Anil Vij says not only the top officials, even doctors from all faculties were working with dedication. Their efforts were even lauded in the cabinet meeting a few days ago, he adds. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Karnataka Excise Department has decided to extend the closure of liquor shops in the state till the midnight of April 20, with the Centre extending the nation-wide lockdown aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19. It said, the order earlier issued on March 31 for closure has been extended till April 20, as it has been decided to review the lockdown after the said date at certain places by issuing specific guidelines. The order issued by the Excise Commissioner in this regard, also noted that during the period, other than alcohol- based sanitiser manufacturing distilleries, no other manufacturing units can function. Asking deputy excise commissioners to execute the order, it further states action will be taken against shops violating the order by cancellation. "If any fault is noticed, deputy excise commissioner of the region will be held responsible," it added. The department had earlier on March 31 has issued orders for closure of liquor shops in the state till April 14 midnight, aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots, he said. The lockdown came into effect on March 25 and was to expire on the midnight of April 14. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had earlier said that 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. However, the decision will depend on the Central government's decision on lockdown after April 14, he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Italian government had authorised reopening of bookshops from 14 April. Rome bookshops will not reopen as expected on 14 April but will instead be permitted to reopen on 20 April, following an order issued by the Lazio region of Italy, which includes the capital. The delay is to allow time to ensure that bookshops in Lazio have the necessary safety measures in place before they open their doors again. The reopening of Italy's bookshops from 14 April was announced by Italian premier Giuseppe Conte who confirmed that the nationwide quarantine and travel restrictions - in place to combat the country's Coronavirus emergency - would remain in effect until 3 May. Bookshops were among a handful of exceptions - along with stationery stores and shops selling clothes for children and babies - that could reopen early however in several regions they will not reopen on 14 April. Bookshops in the northern region of Lombardy, which includes Milan, and the southern region of Campania, which includes Naples, will not reopen until after 3 May. In the case of Lazio, the regional councillor for economic development Paolo Orneli said: "We want bookstores to reopen, but this must be done with the absolute safety of workers and customers: this is why we are in contact with bookstore associations, both independent and those belonging to large chains, to agree with them, in the coming days, the most appropriate ways to resume public sales activities in our region." There has been mixed reaction from bookshop owners, some of whom believe the timing and conditions may not be right to reopen yet. However Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini welcomed the move, saying it was "not a symbolic gesture" but rather recognition of the "essential" nature of books. Photo credit: Yulia Grigoryeva / Shutterstock.com 14.04.2020 LISTEN A Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani has outlined measures that will help in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. Dr. SF Gyasi, who is also the Head of Department at the Department of Basic Biology and Applied Sciences outlined these measures in his article as described by him, to ''calm'' down nerves and provided effective measures that could help in curbing this novel coronavirus in the wake of exponential cases of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana. Kindly read his full article below; I write to calm down the nerves of the numerous Ghanaians who are in fear and panic as a result of the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in recent times on this Resurrection Easter Sunday; whiles ensuring we keep to control measures required to prevent further community spread. For some 4 months now, the world has been battling with a novel viral infection, known as COVID-19. According to the Ministry of Health, in Ghana as of 10 April 2020, 23:00 HRS, a total of 27,346 persons have been tested with 408 being positive for COVID-19. The breakdown of the 408 positive cases is as follows: four (4) have been treated, discharged and have tested negative, 394 cases have been categorised as mild disease on treatment, 2 moderate to severe cases, none currently on ventilators and (8) have died. Literature from the Chinese COVID-19 episodes suggest that mostly the aged above 65 are the group mostly at a great risk of contracting the virus. However, the Ghanaian episode has shown that, the younger generation are equally at risk of contracting COVID-19 as much as the older generation introducing even more dynamics although these are early days. It can be implied that the virus follows the Kochs Postulate of microbial dose exposure and response mechanism. This simply means that, any group that is exposed to the COVID-19 virus irrespective of age group could be at risk of COVID-19 infection. It is also important to note that, of the 408 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 205 were reported from the routine surveillance, 88 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale. Again, whiles 42.9% of the positive cases were imported from outside Ghana, 57.1% of the remaining acquired the disease from community spread as shown below. This implies a wide community spread. It is true, our current number is high (556), but we ought not to be too alarmed because we have resorted to a scientific approach of a lockdown followed by aggressive testing of the virus in hot spot areas of the community. By this scientific approach, we have collectively decided to go after the virus at the right time, picking up all the 4 possible groups of carriers namely active carriers, convalescent carriers, healthy carriers and incubating carriers. With this method, there is enough time to isolate positive cases and manage same with the few resources we have as a country to deal effectively with the virus. If this scientific approach can be sustained effectively without introducing new cross infections into the Ghanaian population especially from further community spread and from nosocomial infection (Infections from hospitals into the community) then we may be on our way to winning the COVID-19 fight. But this should not fool us into thinking we are out of the woods yet. Other affected countries came to this stage a few weeks ago, but at some point, they thought they were out of the woods and decided to let down their guard thinking all was well. Today, they are bearing the full brunt of this smart virus with some high daily mortality figures. For Ghana to fight COVID-19 differently, the following steps ought to be considered; 1. We should sustain the lock down with the appropriate variations so all the 4 possible types of carriers of COVID-19 in Ghana i.e. active carriers, convalescent carriers, healthy carriers and incubating carriers are mobbed up and isolated. This must be sustained until there are no new infected cases being reported from the community. 2. Continuous testing and isolation of positive cases should continue as much as possible to exhaust all suspected hot spots in Ghana. 3. The Ghanaian boarders should not be opened as long as we have intercity lock downs. 4. Psychosocial and psychosomatic ramification in Ghana as a result of the emergence of COVID-19 and the possible implication of the lock down should be effectively dealt with. 5. Treatment/management site of the 408 COVID-19 positive cases should be located away from our Regional, District and sub district hospitals to prevent new cross infections. 6. We must intensify education to reduce Ro i.e. R not (which is the Reproductive Number of the virus in a naive population) of COVID-19 in Ghana. 7. We must continue to adhere to the washing of our hands with soap and clean running water, the use of alcohol based 70% sanitizers and employing social distancing. With these, I am convinced we shall be out of the wounds sooner than we anticipated Dr. SF Gyasi, a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, University of Energy and Natural Resources - Sunyani. U.S. Envoy Calls Afghan Prisoner Releases 'Important Step' Toward Peace By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan April 13, 2020 U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated a deal with the Taliban, has welcomed a prisoner exchange between the militants and the Afghan government as an "important step" toward peace. "Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the U.S.-Taliban agreement as soon as possible," Khalilzad said on Twitter on April 13, adding that the exchange was more important than ever with prison populations threatened by an outbreak of coronavirus. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Taliban on April 12 released 20 Afghan prisoners in the southern province of Kandahar. The move came after the Afghan government released 100 Taliban prisoners, bringing to 300 the total number of Taliban inmates freed since April 8. A pact signed by the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 29 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 in Afghanistan. The Taliban has vowed to release some 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding. But the Taliban last week recalled a three-member team it had sent to Kabul to try to finalize the swap originally set to happen by March 10. The militants blamed the administration of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for delaying the exchange "under one pretext or another," while Kabul called on the Taliban not to "sabotage the process by making excuses." In return for the start of talks between Kabul and the Taliban and a series of security commitments from the militants, all U.S. troops and other foreign coalition forces are meant to withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months. With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and TOLOnews Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-envoy-calls- afghan-prisoner-releases-important-step -toward-peace/30550078.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alamo Colleges began Zoom classes weeks ago. It was my first experience teaching online and conducting class via videoconferencing, folding class meetings, webinars and mobile capabilities all into one collaborative platform. Ive always taught face-to-face classes, and I couldnt shake off the trepidation in the pit of my stomach. I logged on, opened my Alamo canvas platform, and invited my morning class to join in through a link. With a simple click, my jitters and fears abated. A video camera allowed them to see my towering book-crammed library as I saw their living rooms, kitchens and study areas. We had just finished three Greek plays and the testing of them. Poetry was scheduled after Spring Break. I reassured the students that millions of other students in the United States were engaged in online classes using Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, Uber-conference or dozens of other options. After roll call, I opened with William Blakes The Sick Rose as a teaching poem because I was going to focus on tone, ambiguity, tense and symbolism. I asked them to listen to the words and figure out tone. A student volunteered to read the poem aloud, slowly, carefully allowing the diphthongs to rise and fall with deliberate cadence. The poem had an impact. Students focused on the first lines about Rose being sick because of an invisible worm. We spent time discussing pandemics and how Blake, a 19th-century Romantic poet, felt about Mother Nature and human foibles. A student raised the issue of interpretation, and I replied that it rose from the context of the poem. Reading strategies determine meanings. Another student a psychology major, no doubt pointed out that invisible worm and bed of crimson joy required a Freudian interpretation. While another a nursing major said the invisible worm could be interpreted as a virus invading a host. More students chimed in. The poem was evoking critical analysis, as I had hoped. Could it also be seen as nature being disrupted by sin? a voice asked. This student, like the psych major, always made referential points with theological antecedents. Explain? I asked. The line dark secret love implies something hidden and forbidden, away from the light, she said. Besides, why should love be secret? The poetry session and discussion exceeded my expectations. Before Zoom conferencing, many were reluctant to voice their opinions during face-to-face engagements. I surmised that Zoom had allowed them to talk from the comfort zone at home with a computer screen separating them from me. Some opted for a dark screen, shielding their faces but not their identities. They had virtually many degrees of separation. With social distancing a national priority during these times, San Francisco has announced the National Emergency Library, a digital collection of 1.4 million books, is being opened for free borrowing. That means students anywhere around the globe can check out books gratis. All one has to do is sign up, log on and begin borrowing. The convenience of the internet has made things easier, unless one is not a disciplined learner. But if thats not enough, Open Yale Courses are available to anyone who wants to read, discover new knowledge or partake in the pleasures of learning poetry and writing. Learning has never been as easy as it is now. Online availability may be a perennial problem in rural areas, but Alamo Colleges is working overtime to come up with solutions. Designated Alamo College parking lots have free Wi-Fi for students. Zoom remote learning will continue for all Alamo Colleges until the end of the semester. Although teaching Zoom classes is a temporary joy, I prefer face-to-face anytime. Rafael Castillo, who teaches writing and humanities at Palo Alto College, is a voting member of the National Book Critics Circle, PEN America and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. North Korea fired several suspected cruise missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a slew of weapons launches by the North despite worries about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country. The launches came on the eve of the 108th birthday of North Korea's late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. They also came a day ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the projectiles - presumed to be cruise missiles - were fired from the North's eastern Kangwon province on Tuesday morning before flying toward the country's eastern sea. An image circulated by the North Korean government shows what is said to be a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile firing from Pyongyang, and is the latest in a number of launches South Korea's YTN 24-hour news channel broadcasts an image of North Korea's missile launch. The missiles were fired from the North's eastern Kangwon province on Tuesday morning before flying toward the country's eastern sea The images shared by Pyongyang also showed what appeared to be cruise missiles being fired from ground-to-air defense vehicles It said South Korea's military was monitoring possible additional launches, but gave no further details, such as exactly how many projectile were launched or what type of projectiles they were. In recent weeks, North Korea has carried out a series of short-range missile and other weapons tests amid stalled nuclear talks with the United States. Most of the weapons tested were ballistic missiles or long-range artillery shells, and it's unusual for North Korea to launch a cruise missile. All the tested weapons were still short-range and didn't pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. A test of a missile capable of reaching the U.S. homeland would end North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on major weapons tests and likely completely derail nuclear diplomacy with the United States. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has insisted that there has been no coronavirus outbreak in his county. Experts have said they are skeptical of this claim and have warned of a humanitarian disaster in the country to to it's lack of medical supplies Kim Jong Un inspects an air defense unit in the west of the country in April 12, two days before the display of military strength on April 14 in which a number of missiles were launched Some experts say North Korea likely used the latest weapons launches to bolster its striking capability against South Korea, which has been introducing U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets and other sophisticated conventional weapons systems in recent years. Others say the latest weapons tests were also aimed at shoring up internal unity in the face of U.S.-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. North Korea has repeatedly said there has been no coronavirus outbreak on its territory. But many foreign experts are skeptical of that claim and have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in the North could become a humanitarian disaster because of the country's chronic lack of medical supplies and fragile health care infrastructure. TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2020) A total of 167 new cases of COVID-19 a record high daily increase have been reported in Uzbekistan over the preceding 24 hours as the overall number of positive tests confirmed in the country reaches 1,165, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. "As of April 14, 2020, 23:00 [local time, 18:00 GMT], the number of cases of the coronavirus infection is 1,165 in Uzbekistan," the ministry wrote on Telegram. According to the health authorities, the death toll stands at four, while 99 patients have recovered. In a bid to curb the pandemic, lockdown measures have been in force in the country since April 1. Citizens over 65 years of age are forbidden to leave their homes, and almost 90,000 people are in state-ordered quarantine. The Uzbek government has banned all international travel until April 30, and inter-regional passenger travel has also been suspended. The leftward transformation of Virginia since Donald Trump was elected president crescendoed over the weekend, with the governor signing into law protections for LGBT+ residents, gun background checks, no jail time for simple marijuana possession and early voting. The flurry of new measures enacted by Ralph Northam, a Democrat, came five months after members of his party took control of the legislature back from Republicans for the first time in more than 20 years. Mr Northam had been facing a deadline of midnight Saturday for signing bills into law. In Virginia, Democrats have developed a political advantage in the heavily populated northern suburbs of Washington, where Hispanic and Asian voters make up a growing part of the electorate, as well as in places with a significant African American population like Norfolk. Democrats have used that upper hand to remake a state that was once the seat of the Confederacy and known as a conservative bastion, one that political scientist V O Key Jr described as a political museum piece. He wrote that, by comparison to Virginia, Mississippi was a hotbed of democracy. Its a gigantic change, Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginias Centre for Politics, said in an interview Monday. There really is no precedent. There is no period like this. Virginia has never had a liberal period. The chain of events began Friday when Mr Northam said he had signed a series of gun control measures into law that includes a background check requirement for all firearm sales and a red flag law that supporters said would give law enforcement officers a mechanism to confiscate the weapons of people deemed a danger to themselves or others. The measures drew acclaim from groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy organisation financed and created by Michael R Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City. They go into effect on 1 July. At the same time, the new restrictions were decried by Second Amendment advocates and conservatives, who said they trampled on the constitutional rights of gun owners and vowed to challenge them. Among the laws critics was conservative lawyer and Fox News commentator Gayle Trotter. Hey Virginia, your governor characterised the day he signed away your rights as law-abiding citizens as This is an exciting day for me, Ms Trotter wrote on Twitter. It is hard to win back liberty once it is lost, but this is not over yet. The Republican Party of Virginia did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. Barbara A Perry, the presidential studies director at the University of Virginias Miller Centre, said in an interview Monday that Trumps election was a catalyst for change in the state. This is what people pointed to when Trump came into the office, she said. This is the progressive direction that the Commonwealth of Virginia is taking not only with this governor, but a solidly Democratic Legislature. Gun rights rally in Virginia Show all 32 1 /32 Gun rights rally in Virginia Gun rights rally in Virginia Gun rights advocates and militia members attend a rally organised by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capitol building in Richmond Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia During elections last year, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam promised to enact sweeping gun control laws in 2020, including limiting handgun purchase to one per month, banning military-style weapons and silencers, allowing localities to ban guns in public spaces and enacting a 'red flag' law so authorities can temporarily seize weapons from someone deemed a threat AP Gun rights rally in Virginia While event organisers asked supporters to show up un-armed, militias and other far-right groups from across the country attended the rally with guns to show their support for gun rights AP Gun rights rally in Virginia A man with his face covered joins the rally Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AP Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia AP Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AFP via Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia AP Gun rights rally in Virginia Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AP Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AP Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia EPA Gun rights rally in Virginia Reuters Gun rights rally in Virginia AFP via Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AFP via Getty Gun rights rally in Virginia AP On Saturday, Mr Northam announced that Virginia had become the first state in the South to include language in its anti-discrimination housing and employment laws that protects people on the basis of their sexual orientation. The law, known as the Virginia Values Act, goes into effect 1 July. This legislation sends a strong, clear message Virginia is a place where all people are welcome to live, work, visit, and raise a family, Mr Northam said in a statement. We are building an inclusive Commonwealth where there is opportunity for everyone, and everyone is treated fairly. No longer will LGBT+ Virginians have to fear being fired, evicted, or denied service in public places because of who they are. Also Saturday, Mr Northam signed a law that his office said repealed racist and discriminatory language from Virginias Acts of Assembly and gave cities and towns the ability to remove or alter Confederate monuments in their communities. The measure also set into motion the replacement of Virginias statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee in the US Capitol. Next, Mr Northam announced on Easter that he had signed a series of changes to the states criminal justice laws that included decriminalising the simple possession of marijuana, a measure that takes effect on 1 July. Mr Northam proposed a $25 civil penalty for simple marijuana possession, sealing conviction records and prohibiting employers from asking about a past conviction, which still requires legislative approval. Under current state law, a first-time offender faces up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana, which will no longer be a misdemeanour. On Sunday, Mr Northam announced that he had also signed a law allowing Virginia residents to vote up to 45 days before an election without a stated excuse. To get an absentee ballot under the current system, voters had to have a legitimate reason that included being out of state on business or at school or having an illness. Mr Northam also removed a requirement that Virginia residents must show identification to vote. Local conservative talk radio host John Reid bemoaned the changes to Virginias voting laws on his program Monday, saying it seems to me to set us up for a lot of fraud. New York Times At least46 fresh cases of coronavirus and death of four more COVID-19 patients were reported from Pune district in the last 24 hours, said officials on Tuesday. While this, the total number of cases in Pune district has now reached 359, while the death toll increased to 38. "Four more deaths were reported in the state-run Sassoon Hospital on Tuesday. All the deceased had co-morbid conditions (pre-existing illnesses)," said an official from the health department. According to the Pune Municipal Corporation, of the new cases in the district, 44 were reported from the city, taking the tally in PMC limits to 322. As far as the neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is concerned, the total number of cases there has reached 37. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The fire service found the blaze had started deliberately Expensive farming equipment has been deliberately destroyed in an arson attack at a farm in Claudy, Co Londonderry. Police are investigating the arson attack at a farm building on Carnanreagh Road which occurred at midnight on Sunday April 12. A shed containing the farming equipment was set alight destroying the contents and the building. The fire also extensively damaged three vehicles parked nearby. Assistant group commander Brian Hetherington told the Belfast Telegraph that three appliances and a water tanker were sent to the scene at around 11.20pm on Sunday and remained there until 2.40am. He added that the fire started from a car which spread to the nearby farm shed, completely destroying the shed. At this point the fire service believes it is most likely that the blaze was started deliberately. Sergeant Karen McGuinness appealed to anyone with information about the incident to contact police on 101, quoting reference 2855 12/04/20. Ethna's late husband made most of the furniture in the house Photo: RTE Ethna Dorman was thrilled her house was crowned Home of the Year Photo: RTE The renovation of the carriage house and hay loft was a labour of love for Ethna Photo: RTE Ethna Dorman's Clonsilla property was the winner of RTE's Home of the Year Photo: RTE A 19th century converted carriage-house trotted home with the big prize on Tuesday nights grand finale of RTEs Home of the Year. Ethna Dorman and her exquisite property in Clonsilla, Dublin 15, was the big winner on tonights show, which saw immaculate homes all over the country being whittled down to seven finalists. Expand Close Ethna Dorman was thrilled her house was crowned Home of the Year Photo: RTE / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ethna Dorman was thrilled her house was crowned Home of the Year Photo: RTE Described as just divine by judge Deirdre Whelan, the renovation of the carriage house and hay loft was a labour of love for Ethna after the death of her husband William. She was inspired to create a retirement home for herself after his passing and she wanted it to tell the story of their life together and said it was her sanctuary. William had made much of the furniture in the house and she said he would have been very proud with the accolade and she cited his craftsmanship as one of the reasons she fell for him. They had five children together. My husband, when we were courting, he took me on a tour of his house and he showed me his desk and told me he made it himself, she said. If I had any doubts before that they vanished - he made all of the furniture in the kitchen, he was very handy with his hands. Expand Close Ethna describes her home as her 'sanctuary' Photo: RTE / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ethna describes her home as her 'sanctuary' Photo: RTE For the restoration project, she created a partly-open plan living room and kitchen, separated by the old stable wall screens and retained the original wainscoting on the walls. She lowered the floor upstairs in the hayloft to give enough room for the bedrooms and bathrooms. She said that the standard overall in the sixth series of the contest was extraordinarily high. All of those homes deserve to be a winner today. Im absolutely thrilled that I have won. I cant believe it, she said. My late husband William would be very proud; I feel very fortunate. Im really grateful. Expand Close The renovation of the carriage house and hay loft was a labour of love for Ethna Photo: RTE / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The renovation of the carriage house and hay loft was a labour of love for Ethna Photo: RTE Judge Hugh Wallace described it as such a special home amazing" while fellow judge Peter Crowley said it was highly unique. They visited a total of 21 show-stopper homes for this years competition before whittling entrants down to seven finalists. Finalists included a converted light-house keepers cottage in east Cork which is home to Saoirse Fitzgerald alongside a 200-year-old house in Dublin 4 renovated for Kerry Hiddleston and Patrick O Grady for their family of six. STOCKHOLM, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena RoRo has prepared the design and a project manager has been appointed to convert the large vehicle and passenger ferry Stena Saga into a hospital ship with space for 520 patients. Stena RoRo can convert the ferry within just a few weeks and have it ready to provide additional healthcare capacity in a corona-affected region. Contact has been established with authorities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany. When passenger service on Stena Saga's Oslo - Fredrikshamn route was permanently closed due to the coronavirus (covid-19) and travel restrictions imposed by several countries, Stena Line transferred the ship to sister company Stena RoRo with the objective of finding an alternative use for the vessel. One of Stena RoRo's specialist skills is converting and adapting ships to changing requirements and needs. And the company also has considerable experience in building hospital ships. "At a shipyard in China, we're currently building the world's largest civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy, on behalf of the international charity Mercy Ships," says Per Westling, CEO for Stena RoRo. "Our project manager for the Global Mercy is back in Sweden and will lead any possible conversion of the Stena Saga." Stena Saga has over 590 passenger cabins. According to the design prepared by Stena RoRo to convert the ferry into a hospital ship, there will be space for 520 patients. "To meet the requirements for medical care, we need, among other things, to rebuild the ventilation system, install alarms and communications systems, and also change the interior furnishings," says Stena RoRo project manager Rikard Olsson, who has substantial experience from the design and construction of hospital ships. "In addition, patients and crew must be able to be kept apart. We can do what needs to be done in two to three weeks." However, the converted ferry will not be equipped for intensive care. "The idea is to provide care for corona patients who need hospital care but not intensive care," says Per Westling. "There may also be a need for beds for patients who have left intensive care but still require medical care awhile longer. Probably it's mainly a matter of being able to relieve the load on conventional hospitals." The Stena Saga is now in the port of Uddevalla and Stena RoRo is investigating interest in the care capacity the ferry could provide. In addition to Sweden, where contact has already been established with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, contact is also being prioritized with the authorities in Norway, Denmark and Germany. About the Stena Saga The Stena Saga is a large vehicle and passenger ferry that has operated on the Oslo - Fredrikshamn line since 1994. Service on the line was suspended on March 19 of this year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The ship was first sailed to Gothenburg. Since April 1, she has been at the quay in Uddevalla. Vessel type: Passenger ferry Year built: 1981 (refurbished 1994, 2003, 2005, 2011) Length: 167 m Total passenger cabins: 590 Passenger capacity: 2,230 Auto capacity: 510 For more information, please contact Per Westling, CEO, Stena RoRo AB Tel: +46 31 855154 Email: per.westling@stena.com Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led the development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We specialize in custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax ships. The company leases some twenty vessels to operators worldwide, both other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo applies its technical expertise to design and convert existing ships for delivering tailor-made transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". www.stenaroro.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-offering-stena-saga-as-hospital-ship-with-space-for-520-patients,c3087042 The following files are available for download: A 'cascading series of events' is disrupting the US food supply chain in a way which could impact millions of Americans, a former agriculture secretary warns. Concerns about the future availability of food are mounting amid the coronavirus pandemic as outbreaks force processing plants to close and supply is redirected away from major consumer sources such as restaurants and schools that were shuttered with widespread stay-at-home orders. Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack explained the extent of the supply chain disruptions in a CNN interview on Monday, warning that they will likely worsen as the pandemic rages on. 'You start ending school lunch programs, universities shut down, food service shuts down ... at the end of the day you've basically got a tremendous amount of the overall supply of food having to be redirected,' he said. 'This is] at a time when people are feeling a little bit of a pinch, in terms of the economy. Many unemployed people can't access the grocery store [or] go to a food bank. 'And now you have the cascading event of these facilities not having enough workers, or having sick workers, and having to shut down.' Scroll down for video Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday warned that a 'cascading series of events' disrupting the US food supply chain could impact millions of Americans Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says there is a cascading series of events disrupting the US food chain due to coronavirus. https://t.co/v0RQe751qU pic.twitter.com/bSivmIfUfh CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) April 13, 2020 Concerns about the future availability of food are mounting amid the coronavirus pandemic as infections among food industry workers surge and outbreaks force processing plants to close. Pictured: A shopper peruses the meat section at a Publix Supermarket in Canton, Georgia, where shelves have been ransacked by people panic-buying Vilsack served as agriculture secretary for eight years under President Barack Obama, and prior to that served two terms as governor of Iowa. His comments on the supply chain came just as one of America's largest pork processing plants joined a long list of meat factories that have been forced to close due to a coronavirus outbreak at the plant. Smithfield Foods on Monday announced it is closing its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after 240 of its more than 3,700 workers tested positive for COVID-19. Other major meat processors are now coming up with contingency plans to respond to future outbreaks, as well as potential steps to prevent them from happening. Mississippi-based chicken processor Sanderson Farms, for example, is considering drastically streamlining its meat-packing methods so fewer workers are required on each shift. Under that plan, a reduced staff would package entire birds instead of going through the labor-intensive process of dividing chickens into cuts such as breasts, thighs and wings. Sanderson's Chief Financial Officer Mike Cockrell said that the company has already seen a spike in absences, but not at a level that would significantly disrupt operations. Mississippi-based chicken processor Sanderson Farms is considering drastically streamlining its meat-packing methods so fewer workers are required on each shift (file photo) Smithfield closed its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dokata, on Monday after around 240 of its employees became infected with COVID-19 Thousands of meatpacking workers test positive for coronavirus at massive plants where conditions are ripe for outbreaks There are currently no government agencies tracking COVID-19 infections among food industry workers nationwide - but hundreds of cases have been reported at plants in Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and elsewhere. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCWIU), which represents 1.3 million grocery store, food processing and meat packing employees, said on Monday that at least 3,000 of its members have been directly affected by coronavirus and at least 30 have died. Conditions at plants can be ripe for exploitation by the virus as workers stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the line and crowd into locker rooms to change their clothes before and after shifts. While company owners promise to deep clean their plants and resume operations as quickly as possible, it's difficult to keep workers healthy given how closely they work together. 'There is no social distance that is possible when you are either working on the slaughter line or in a processing assignment,' said Paula Schelling, acting chairwoman for the food inspectors union in the American Federation of Government Employees. Conditions at plants can be ripe for exploitation by the virus as workers stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the line and crowd into locker rooms to change their clothes before and after shifts. A Smithfields Foods plant in Milan, Missouri, is pictured Major meat processing companies have said they are adopting several measures to prevent outbreaks, including taking the temperature of everyone entering plants, adding clear plastic shields between work stations and erecting tents to allow workers to spread out more at lunch. But critics worry that workers too often continue working in close proximity and that measures are being adopted piecemeal. The League of United Latin American Citizens recently asked federal regulators to establish uniform rules after a number of immigrant workers complained to the rights group about tight quarters. Federal health officials do not consider COVID-19 to be a food safety concern, but they recommend that workers maintain a safe distance from one another. Companies also have relaxed attendance and sick leave policies to ensure that workers can receive at least some pay if they have to stay at home after testing positive or coming in contact with someone who has. 'Most of the employers that we deal with right now are really making a solid attempt to try and fix stuff,' said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. 'We're just working as hard as we can to protect as many people as possible right now and make sure that we keep the food supply open.' Coronavirus outbreaks force major meat processing plants to shut down, fueling shortage fears About a dozen meat processing plants have already shut down operations due to coronavirus outbreaks - several of them run by major brands. JBS USA, the world's largest meat processor, ceased its operations for two weeks at its beef plant in Sounderton, Pennsylvania, after several managers called in sick with flu-like symptoms. The plant is slated to reopen on April 16. Fellow meat giant Tyson suspended production at a pork plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa, after more than two dozen workers tested positive for COVID-19. And Cargill Protein closed a beef and pork facility with 900 workers in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, last week. Meat and packing plant closures across North America JBS USA shut a beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, until April 16, after previously cutting production. JBS reduced production a beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, due to high absences among workers, according to the local United Food and Commercial Workers union. The company said high absenteeism led slaughter rates to outpace the process of cutting carcasses into pieces. National Beef Packing Co suspended cattle slaughtering at a beef plant in Tama, Iowa, for a cleaning and planned to resume on April 13. Aurora Packing Company closed a beef plant in Aurora, Illinois, said Brad Lyle, chief financial officer for U.S. commodity firm Kerns and Associates. A security officer at the plant said it was closed due to the pandemic. The company did not respond to requests for comment. Harmony Beef in Alberta, Canada, shut its cattle slaughter operations on March 27 for two days, after a worker tested positive for the new coronavirus, prompting some federal inspectors to stay away from the site. Cargill Inc closed a plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, that produces meat for U.S. grocery stores. Tyson Foods Inc shut a hog slaughterhouse in Columbus Junction, Iowa, the week of April 6 after more than 24 cases of COVID-19 involving employees at the facility. Smithfield Foods, the worlds biggest pork processor, on Sunday said it is shutting a pork plant indefinitely and warned that plant shutdowns are pushing the United States perilously close to the edge in meat supplies for grocers. An Olymel pork plant in Yamachiche, Quebec, shut on March 29 for two weeks, after nine workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Maple Leaf Foods suspended operations on April 8 at its Brampton, Ontario poultry plant, following three COVID cases among workers at that facility. Sanderson Farms Inc reduced chicken production to 1 million birds a week from 1.3 million at a plant in Moultrie, Georgia. Advertisement As the list of closures continues to grow, so do fears that shortages will soon hit consumers. The meat supply chain is especially vulnerable since processing is increasingly done at massive plants that butcher tens of thousands of animals daily, so shutting even a few large ones can have a large impact. For instance, the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls produces roughly five percent of the US pork supply each day. 'The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,' Smithfield's chief executive, Kenneth M Sullivan, said in a statement. The capacity of plants that remain open has also been hurt by workers who are sick or staying home because of fears of illness - though it's not clear by how much. The reduced production so far has been offset by the significant amount of meat that was in cold storage, said Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University. Producers are also working to shift meat that would have gone to now-closed restaurants over to grocery stores. Whether shoppers start to see more empty shelves or higher prices will depend on how many plants close and for how long. 'You could shut multiple plants down for a day or two, and we've got wiggle room to handle that,' said Tonsor. 'But if you took four or five of those big plants ... and they had to be down for two weeks, then you've got a game changer.' Still, the reduced meat processing capacity is already driving down the prices farmers and ranchers receive for cattle, hogs and chickens. 'It's like people on an escalator. Stopping the pork chain at the top of an escalator is just going to cause all sorts of tragedy and disaster all the way back up the system,' said Dermot Hayes, professor of economics and finance at Iowa State University. Farmers are being forced to kill baby pigs because the space in the barns where they were supposed to go is still filled by the pigs that should have been slaughtered last week, Hayes said. The meat from those baby pigs cannot be sold. That has driven prices for those feeder pigs - which generally are fattened over the course of six months - to zero, Hayes said. The value of those big enough for the market is down about 50 percent from a month ago. The value of the meat is down about 30 percent. Lower prices for producers could mean higher prices for consumers eventually, if production falls off, according to Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University. Many essential food items have already become hard to find as consumers panic-buy large quantities to stock up for self-isolation. Pictured: A New York City supermarket USDA prepares to announce $15.5billion plan to bolster the nation's food supply chain against coronavirus The Trump administration began monitoring potential supply chain issues last month as the coronavirus pandemic rapidly picked up speed. President Trump reportedly spoke to top executives from the food service and retail industries about what steps should be taken to avoid major disruptions. On Monday, Reuters reported that the US Department of Agriculture is prepared to spend up to $15.5billion in the initial phase of its plan to bolster the nation's food supply chain against the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump reportedly spoke to top executives from the food service and retail industries about what steps should be taken to avoid major disruptions The initial plan, which was confirmed by three familiar sources, will include direct payments to farmers and ranchers, along with other support measures, using a portion of the $23.5billion approved by Congress to support agriculture in a coronavirus stimulus bill last month, along with some existing USDA funds, according to the sources. The USDA will announce the initial plan as early as this week, and is expected to detail later phases of the support program once more money from the stimulus bill becomes available, potentially in July, they said. 'It's not enough to cover all of agriculture, but we see it as a first step,' said Andrew Walmsley, director of Congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation's largest farmer trade group. 'We expect there will be more aid going forward.' Walmsley expected farmers to start receiving checks within weeks. The other two sources asked not to be named. The USDA declined to comment on the initial phase. Restaurants transform into grocery stores after stay-at-home orders banned dine-in service As stay-at-home orders affecting most of the country force restaurants to limit service to takeaway only, some are getting creative with methods to keep cash flowing. A growing number of eateries are capitalizing on empty dining rooms by transforming into grocery stores. In many cases, these restaurants are dipping into their own pantries for grocery stock, offering items that have become scarce in traditional supermarkets as panic-buying strains supply chains. JP Frossard, a consumer foods analyst at Rabobank, explained that this is possible because restaurants and grocery stores often rely on different supply chains. 'There are some players that sell food only only for restaurants which means they have big bags of food, they don't have a brand,' Frossard told NPR. 'The distribution is different. The type of product may be different.' The difference usually lies in the size of items - with restaurants typically receiving things like eggs and flour in bulk. But that doesn't stop restaurants, which are happy to split shipments into consumer-friendly portions. One successful example of the transformation is The Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which started offering groceries about two weeks ago. The restaurant's general manager, Charlene Gulliford, told Fox News she was surprised by how high the demand has been. 'A lot of people are saying they're happy to support us, but a lot of people are saying, "Thank you for helping us,"' she said. Gulliford said the Gandy Dancer is selling some items at even lower prices than grocery stores - including six lemons for $1 or potatoes at $1 per pound. The Gandy Dancer restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, began selling groceries two weeks ago after coronavirus lockdowns forced it to close to dine-in customers The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced that all students from classes 6 to 9 and class 11 will be promoted amid the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It also said that students from classes 9 to 12 will be taught via e-learning and virtual classes through WhatsApp from April 20. The orders were issued by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who also holds the portfolio of secondary department, at a review meeting here. Sharma, according to an official release, said during the lockdown, Uttar Pradesh board students can be taught with the help of e-content at Diksha portal. "An action plan should be prepared for its implementation as soon as possible so that students of classes 6-8 can be benefited by it," the minister added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Centres claim of proactive action to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in India by wanting to know if it had been effective in preventing the virus entry into the country. The SP leader specifically referred to the claim that screening of international passengers had begun very early, even before the detection of a single positive case, to ask how the country still managed to get its first case of coronavirus. It was claimed that the screening started at different airports when there was not even a single corona case in the country. But then the question is if it was meaningful. If it is true, then it should be told how the country got its first corona case, asked the Samajwadi party president. Indias first three cases of coronavirus were reported in Kerala on January 30, February 2 and 3 respectively. The first case was of a female student in Thrissur district who had returned from Chinas Wuhan, the first epicenter of the disease. The second and third cases were also of students studying in China who had returned home on vacation. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the early measures taken by his government including the screening of international passengers and the national lockdown for the partial success in the containment of Covid-19 outbreak in the country. India had started screening visitors from Corona-infected countries even when we had zero cases of Corona. India had made 14 days of isolation necessary for every foreign visitor even before we had reached 100 patients, PM Modi had said this morning, while announcing a 19-day extension of the national lockdown. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 The prime minister added that the lockdown was announced even when the total number of positive cases hadnt gone beyond 550 in a demonstration of the proactive attitude needed to address the problem before it exploded in our faces. Had India not adopted a holistic approach, an integrated approach and not taken quick decisions, then Indias situation would have been very different (worse) today. But the experience of the past few days makes it clear that we are on the correct path, said the Prime Minister. The health ministry on Tuesday said that the total number of positive cases in the country had reached 10,363, including 1,211 cases detected since yesterday. It added that the total casualties had reached 339, including 31 deaths registered since yesterday. A total of 1,036 people have been cured of Covid-19 including 179 people who have been declared cured in the last 24 hours. For Coronavirus Live Updates Dr Karl Kruszelnicki released his latest podcast on Science with Dr Karl One of Australia's leading science commentators has answered Australians' most pressing questions about the coronavirus pandemic - and revealed why it could easily mutate year after year. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, who has degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, has uploaded a number of COVID-19 related podcasts on Science with Dr Karl, with the latest looking at whether the disease can be spread via patting a dog or inhaling cigarette smoke, and if using hand sanitiser can lead to motorists blowing positive on a roadside blood alcohol test. While many Australians understand that they need to stay indoors and continue to wash their hands during lockdown, what to do in these real-life situations is less clear-cut. Can you get coronavirus from patting a dog that someone with the virus has touched? The virus in general survives better on smooth surfaces like a bench top rather than more porous materials like dog hair. Dog hair tends to absorb material from the virus rather than allowing it to stay on the surface, so at this stage scientists are less concerned about our pets being a source of transmission. However, it is still recommended that anyone petting a strange dog should use hand sanitiser or wash their hands with soap as soon as they can. The virus in general survives better on smooth surfaces like a bench top rather than more porous materials like dog hair (pictured - a woman walks on a Queensland beach with her dogs) If a farmer passed the coronavirus on to his cattle or sheep, could we get it from eating those animals later on? Dr Karl believes the cooking process, which would involve heating the meat to temperatures above 60 degrees, is most likely to kill the virus should it survive in a slaughtered animal. 'At the moment we are seeing humans giving the virus to animals but not the other way around,' he said. There isn't any evidence that people should be cautious around their meats, so long as they heat it up. Should couriers and retail staff wear surgical masks? Couriers and retail staff who wear them need to remember that the usual surgical masks we see are designed to be disposable, so they should only use them once. And anyone who uses a cloth mask should wash it after every single use, and dispose of gloves after every use as well. 'You can get a false sense of security by wearing gloves and thinking you're repelling the virus,' Dr Karl said. In fact, if a supermarket cashier wears the same gloves as they serve several customers they can pick up the virus and pass it to an entire line of shoppers. At present the Australian government isn't recommending healthy people wear masks, only those who are unwell. Dr Karl says couriers and retail staff who wear masks and gloves must make sure they are disposing of them at the right time instead of being lulled into a false sense of security by the protective gear (food delivery drivers stand together in Sydney in April) Can using lots of alcohol-heavy hand sanitiser make you blow positive during a blood alcohol test? At the moment it's not known whether using hand sanitiser containing a lot of alcohol will have an affect on a roadside breath test, but Dr Karl believes it's something the police should look into. An ex-police officer who called in to the podcast was breath tested and blew a positive reading despite not drinking anything in days. She believed it was down to using hand sanitiser. Dr Karl said the police would need a larger sample size in order to determine whether sanitiser can land motorists in trouble. Those who are driving trucks are considered essential workers but they're also using a fair amount of hand sanitiser (NSW police conducting a random breath test) Can coronavirus travel on cigarette smoke particles? While COVID-19 can spread through airborne particles when you cough and sneeze, the likelihood that a positive patient who smokes will pass on the disease through cigarette smoke alone is very unlikely, according to Dr Karl. The amount of particles needed to transfer the virus between is 100,000, and this won't happen through smoke. But if you do smoke you are more susceptible to getting the virus in general because the chemicals within cigarettes work to hamper your respiratory system. So while it's advised that you quit smoking during the pandemic, if you smell smoke while walking around you aren't at a heightened risk of getting coronavirus. Scientists don't believe you're at an increased risk of getting COVID-19 if you breathe in someone else's cigarette smoke (woman smoking in Sydney in March) Could the virus mutate next year, just like the flu does year-on-year? There is potential for that to happen, Dr Karl said. Medical professionals know that COVID-19 is an RNA virus like influenza, and these viruses can easily mutate. 'We know this virus has mutated but it's not doing it at a fast pace,' Dr Karl said. It will likely be treated with a yearly vaccine that we need to monitor and prepare for, just like the flu. Dr Karl has previously answered other questions in relation to COVID-19: Will getting the flu shot increase your chances of getting coronavirus? Medical professionals are recommending Australians get the flu shot this year when it is released in April. It will not increase your chances of getting coronavirus, nor will it decrease it, but it will ease the burden on our hospitals for those who might need emergency care should they get the flu this winter. Dr Karl recommends getting the vaccine, especially since there is none for COVID-19. Medical professionals are highly recommending individuals get the flu shot this year when it is released in April, but it won't protect you against coronavirus Can the virus spread on petrol pumps? If you get infected by the coronavirus you don't start showing symptoms before 5-12 days. It could technically be possible but Dr Karl didn't know of any reliable research that links those two things directly because it's difficult to trace back after five or 12 days. It's best to apply hand sanitiser after using a petrol pump just to be cautious. Should we be disinfecting our phones? Absolutely. The best way to think of a phone is as your 'third hand', Dr Karl revealed. It's very possible that germs you're picking up with your hands can get onto your phone and then touch your face when you answer a call. Wipe your phone down with alcohol wipes once a day to ensure it stays clean. Would COVID-19 survive on paper receipts? 'The closest to paper we have is cardboard and it seems to last on cardboard for 24 hours,' Dr Karl said. If you throw it away, and then go home and wash your hands, the virus will die on the paper within 24 hours and you won't be infected. Scientists believe an infectious dose of the virus requires about 100,000 particles, which means a large surface is needed for transmission. 'The closest to paper we have is cardboard and it seems to last on cardboard for 24 hours,' Dr Karl said How long does coronavirus last on a surface? According to tests the virus lasts the least amount of time on copper and cardboard. On cardboard there is no coronavirus detected after 24 hours, which is different to stainless steel and plastic where it was detected after 72 hours. But Dr Karl said that the 'detections' might only be trace amounts existing on the surfaces and may not be enough to actually infect anyone. It's not yet known how potent these trace amounts have to be to infect a person. How will the vaccine work? At the moment people who catch the virus are waiting up to two weeks for their immune system, or immunoglobulins, to 'kick in' and fight the disease - in which time there is a risk of complications and death. Once people are exposed to a tiny amount of the disease in the form of a vaccine, their bodies will produce immunoglobulins after two weeks that stay in the body - meaning when they encounter coronavirus in the broader world their natural immunoglobulins will kick in within hours - not a fortnight. Dr Karl said this is the ultimate aim of the vaccine scientists are attempting to make within the next 12 to 18 months. Dr Karl said this is the ultimate aim of the vaccine scientists are attempting to make within the next 12 to 18 months (pictured is a vaccine lab in England) Coronavirus symptoms and how it spreads: Symptoms of coronavirus Symptoms can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Some people will recover easily, and others may get very sick very quickly. People with coronavirus may experience: fever flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and fatigue shortness of breath How it spreads There is evidence that the virus spreads from person-to-person. The virus is most likely spread through: close contact with an infectious person contact with droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze touching objects or surfaces (like doorknobs or tables) that have cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face How to prevent it Everyone should practice good hygiene to protect against infections. Good hygiene includes: washing your hands often with soap and water using a tissue and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze avoiding close contact with others, such as touching Advertisement Is surfing a low-risk activity? At the moment Australians can still exercise outside as long as they're 1.5 metres apart. Being out in the ocean to swim or surf is considered low-risk so long as you keep your distance and don't touch anyone out there. 'It's very unlikely that the virus will be able to live in salt water or a very well chlorinated pool,' Dr Karl said, citing the chemicals and expansive nature of the ocean. At the moment Australians can still exercise outside as long as they're 1.5 metres apart (swimmers pictured in Manly, Sydney) Being out in the ocean to swim or surf is considered low-risk so long as you keep your distance and don't touch anyone out there (surfers at Freshwater Beach in Sydney) How does soap get rid of the virus? Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: ribonucleic acid (RNA), proteins and lipids. The fat-like substances in soap 'loosens' the connections between these three building blocks, breaking them down and 'killing' the virus - or rendering it inactive. Just washing with water isn't strong enough to loosen the connections, which is why soap is such a useful protector. Advertisement Can we expect these types of pandemics to come around more often in the future? Dr Karl pointed to the SARS and swine flu outbreaks as evidence that other pandemics are certainly possible. 'These pandemics are just part of nature because we want to live and viruses want to live. We were warned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that were was another one going to come,' he said. 'Australia didn't set up a pandemic team at the time and we need to be ready for it in the future.' It's likely we could see a similar pandemic again in our lifetime, but Australia will be in a better place to deal with it Is coronavirus more severe in a hot summer or cold winter? A lot of the largest outbreaks have happened in countries that have cooler temperatures, so people have suggested that the disease will die off when the weather warms up, but this may not be the case. It's early days so it's too soon to have any firm numbers but the Spanish flu in 1918 peaked in the summer months, despite the flu normally being associated with winter. So it's best not to assume that things will cool off as summer hits the Northern Hemisphere. Is anyone immune to the virus? COVID-19 is a brand new virus, meaning that no one is immune to it the first time they are exposed. If you get it and recover, it's not known yet if people have lasting immunity. There were some reports earlier this year of people contracting it twice, but it's Dr Karl's understanding that these people just weren't fully cured the first time. COVID-19 is a brand new virus, meaning that no one is immune to it the first time they are exposed Are there a lot of cases out in the community that the government doesn't know about? We have not been doing enough testing according to Dr Karl, so there are certainly people who have not been tested that have had the disease. Those that believe they have the virus should try to get tested as much as possible so the numbers recorded are as effective as they can be. Once they have been tested they should remain isolated for at least 14 days. Manitobans could face tougher restrictions on their behaviour later this week to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobans could face tougher restrictions on their behaviour later this week to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday. And at a press conference earlier in the day, the premier wouldn't rule out public-sector job reductions linked to the pandemic. Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin and Shared Health's chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa speak during their daily media briefing at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Monday. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Roussin offered a glimmer of hope to house-bound Manitobans, saying they may be "weeks away" from seeing some physical-distancing measures eased. But first, tougher rules may be necessary, he warned. "We're still early in this outbreak," he said after renewing the 14-day Public Health Act order for non-essential businesses to close. The order, which had been set to expire Tuesday, was extended until April 28. "Likely sometime this week we will be enhancing the public health orders to get that message across," said Roussin, who wouldn't offer any specifics. The short-term pain will be worth the long-term gain, he said. "If we can double our efforts we may be weeks away from being able to scale back some of these restrictions." https://www.youtube.com/watch?rel=0&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> On Monday, Manitoba announced just four new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 246. No new cases were reported Sunday; the average for the past week has been six cases. Roussin said he doesn't expect the current degree of physical distancing will carry on into the summer. "We're going to have some restrictions on group sizes and changes in how we live day to day," he said, but he expects there will be a "gradual rollback" of the measures. A couple of hours earlier, Premier Brian Pallister also hinted there could be some short-term pain, at the very least, for the public service, as the government marshals its resources to battle the pandemic. Asked if he foresees a reduced civil service in the near future due to the financial pressures the province is facing, Pallister acknowledged such discussions have taken place within government. "I'll have more to say on this tomorrow," he said. "There has been some preliminary exchange of views on that issue." The private sector has been bearing the brunt of the job losses so far, the premier noted, referring to a recent report that showed the province had lost 25,300 jobs in March. Pallister said the province doesn't have a money tree, and "we'll be looking for partnership and support from all. Some are directly impacted; others may be indirectly impacted." Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, said the province has not given the MGEU any indication it is considering layoffs. "During these unprecedented times, the critical importance of our public services is more clear than ever," she said in a statement to the Free Press. "Instead of throwing more Manitobans onto (Employment Insurance), our government should focus on a program to top up EI for all Manitobans who have been laid off or had their hours reduced." https://www.youtube.com/watch?rel=0&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said although the city hadn't laid off any civic employees during the pandemic, several dozen have been redeployed. Meanwhile, Manitoba has obtained the Spartan Cube, a new COVID-19 rapid-testing system that was approved by Health Canada but needs to be validated by health officials here first, Roussin said. "Even though it's been approved, we still have to see how it performs," he said. The machine is expected to produce test results within an hour. When ready for use, it is expected to be used to test patients being admitted to hospital, for example, or in remote locations far from lab-testing facilities. On Easter Sunday, just 32 tests were performed at the Cadham Provincial Laboratory. An estimated 17,245 tests have been conducted since early February. 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 province is increasing its lab capacity so it will be able test more categories of people soon, Roussin said, adding he expects the expanded list will include "essential" service workers, such as grocery store clerks. And he made reference to "sentinel surveillance testing," in which everyone with respiratory symptoms at a certain location is tested for the virus. "Those would be the next steps," he said. 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 As authorities in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) send ethnic Uyghurs to other parts of the country to work in factories, a quasi-military organization is luring Han Chinese settlers to the regions south as part of a policy experts say amounts to demographic engineering. Several videos recently posted to Chinese social media platform Douyin show Han migrants arriving by bus and train to cities built by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), or bingtuan, and being ushered to new homes, where they are provided with free utilities and plots of land. In some of the videos, Han migrants say that any single person below the age of 35 who moves to the sub-prefecture-level cities of Aral (in Chinese, Ala'er) in Aksu (Akesu) prefecture or Tumshuk (Tumushuke) in Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture will be provided with a house and a job, while a family of three will receive a two-bedroom home, free utilities for a year, and 40 mu (6.5 acres) of land, tax-free. Those over 45 who migrate to the XUAR with families of between three and five people will be entitled to a three-room home and 70 mu (11.5 acres) of land, according to the videos, and are also eligible for insurance and other benefits, while their children can receive 15 years of free education, as opposed to the state-mandated nine. Other videos, published on public accounts, serve as advertisements by Han agents encouraging other Hans to move to the region. The migration is being facilitated by the XPCC, which has played a central role in attracting Han settlers to the XUAR since the region was first established in 1955. The XPCC has also expanded its presence in southern Xinjiangwhere the population is primarily Uyghursince 2010, when a government policy was set in place to build new cities with populations of more than 500,000 people as part of a Xinjiang Management Plan. The plan led to the creation of such cities as Kurumkash in Hotan (Hetian) prefecture, Bashegim in Bayingholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, Tumshuk, and Aral. Aral was built by the XPCC on an existing Uyghur village beginning in the 1950s and as of 2015, 167,697 of the citys 179,214 residents were Han, while 6,036 were Uyghur, and 5,481 were from other ethnic groups, according to the XUARs Bureau of Statistics. RFAs Uyghur Service recently discovered a job announcement posted to the Tumshuk Communist Party Committee website on March 31 seeking 40 new employees from outside of the XUAR. Li Wei, whose telephone number appears at the bottom of the advertisement, told RFA that the posts are only for people from the interior of China, and that the application period lasts from April 1 to May 1. The salary for civil servants at the regular office management level begins at 5,000 yuan (U.S. $710) [per month], he said. They are provided with a house and dont have to make payments on it for five years, and they can bring their entire family with them. Other preferential policies are explained in the advertisement, Li added. Benefits for Hans Another document on the webpage of the Production and Development Area of the 41st Unit of the 3rd Division of the XPCC in Tumshuk provides further information about what it calls a 2020 Resettlement Policy. In a notice entitled Preferential Policies for Newly Employed Settlers, authorities state clearly that these policies are only for people from outside of the XUAR, including it as the number one item on a list of prerequisites for program participation. The document also says that families should be no smaller than three and that any husband and wife who meet all the criteria for moving to the XUAR will be provided with a 65-square-meter (700-square-foot) home. Those who do not wish to buy the home after one year has passed can rent it for a low monthly fee. It also says that children in these families will be entitled to 12 years of free schooling, while households will receive subsidies for children under the policy of two concessions, one supplement. Migrants who want to buy homes independent of those provided by the XPCC are entitled to 50,000 yuan (U.S. $7,075), as well as 40,000 yuan (U.S. $5,660) for housing-related costs, the notice says, adding that each new employee will receive a monthly bonus of 1,000 yuan (U.S. $140) in addition to a 4,000 yuan (U.S. $565) supplement, and insurance. RFA recently spoke to a Han woman named Yang Jie who has posted videos about the preferential policies on her Douyin account, encouraging other Hans to move to the region. Six of us moved here to Aral city from the northeast last year, and now Im advertising the resettlement policies, Yang said. Its easier to make money in Xinjiang than it is in inner China [but] do you think Id be doing it if the government werent giving me money? Yang said she spent none of her own savings to relocate to the XUAR, and described the ease with which Hans can move therenoting that applicants only need to send images of their required documentation via telephone and the approval process takes a mere two weeks. [Migrants] start benefiting from preferential policies before theyve even arrived in Xinjiang, she said. The government pays their moving and travel fees. Each person is given 1,200 yuan (U.S. $170) for their travel costs and another 500 yuan (U.S. $70) is distributed for move-in costs. The government also provides money for round-trip travel to their home regions to visit family. They havent spent a cent [of their own money] by the time they arrive here. Yang told RFA that she easily makes between 7,000 yuan (U.S. $990) and 9,000 yuan (U.S. $1,275) a month in Aral, where she was also given a 40-mu pear orchard upon her arrival. By comparison, the average monthly wage in Aksu prefecture was 5,274 yuan (U.S. $748) in 2017. Everyone who is coming to Aral is Hanthere are no Uyghurs here and they cant move here even if they want to, she said, adding that its a requirement that [people coming here] are Han. Aral is safe. There are checkpoints every 500 meters (1,640 feet). Additionally, Aral is a place that leader Xi Jinping is specially developing. Safety is good here. If we call the police, they arrive in just one minute. Demographic engineering Rian Thum, a professor of history at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, told RFA Chinas government has been moving Hans to the XUAR as a matter of policy for nearly seven decades, but recently shifted the focus of its resettlement program. Up until, say, the last decade, the vast majority of Han settlers moved to the Northern part of the administrative unit, centers like [XUAR capital] Urumqi and [the sub-prefecture-level city of] Shihezi, and others, he said. But what weve seen more recently is an effort to move Han Chinese people into the southern part of the region, which is the part where historically a vast majority of the population is Uyghur. We see this most notably, I think, in the very large new cities that have been built in the desert by the bingtuan. Thum said the new focus has had a pretty serious effect on the demographic balance in the XUAR, adding that anecdotal evidenceincluding the recent Douyin videossuggests authorities are increasing the number of people and intentionally trying to change the population balance in southern Xinjiang. Meanwhile, he said, Uyghurs are being sent to work in factories in other parts of China under the auspices of an allegedly voluntary poverty alleviation scheme, further shifting the demographics of the XUAR. Of course, we know that the environment in the Uyghur Region today does not really allow for Uyghur consent, Thum said, noting that members of the ethnic group live under the constant threat of being arbitrarily sent to one of the regions vast network of internment camps, where authorities have detained up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since April 2017. So, on the whole, what we see is the continuation of a massive program of demographic engineering through settler policy being connected now to a program of forced migration of Uyghurs out of their homeland, he said. And it looks certainly like over the last 10 years were seeing a shift in those areas that are really a part of the historical heartland of the Uyghur region in favor, or in the direction, of more presence of Han settlers. Stanley Toops, a professor of geography at Miami University of Ohio, said that relocating so many people to the southern XUAR places a tremendous strain on regional resources, such as water, that are in relatively short supply. As people move into southern Xinjiang theres not going to be enough water for [places like] Aksu, he said. To build a new city around Alar or Tumshuk, theres only so much water in the Tarim [River], and if its going to Alar, its not going to Aksu city They will all have to try to get water another way. Toops said that local officials are digging deep wells on a large scale, but theres only so much water there. If they find a lot of water, maybe the water will last 100 years, maybe it will last 50 years, but then its gone, he said. [This is a] big problem along the Tarim Basin [and] the Tarim River. Uyghurs now constitute roughly 45 percent of the XUARs population of 24 million, or around 10.5 million, while the Han component went from 5 percent in 1947 to above 40 percent now. Reported by Gulchehre Hoja for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Republican incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly lost his bid for election to a full ten-year term, as vote-counting continued into Monday night for the election held in Wisconsin last Tuesday, April 7. Efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to rig the vote in Kellys favor appeared to have blown up in their faces. Voters observe social distancing guidelines as they wait in line to cast ballots at Washington High School while ignoring a stay-at-home order over the coronavirus threat to vote in the state's presidential primary election, Tuesday April 7, 2020, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Kelly, who had high-profile support from President Trump and indirect support from the five-member Republican-appointed majority on the US Supreme Court, was trailing Democratic Party-backed challenger Jill Karofsky by nearly 100,000 votes, with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting. Karofskys margin of victory, 53 percent to 47 percent, was a landslide compared to other recent statewide contests. Trump won the state over Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 22,000 votes, while Democratic Governor Tony Evers unseated incumbent Republican Scott Walker by 29,000 votes in 2018. Republican state Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn won his seat in 2019 by only 6,000 votes. About half an hour after the Associated Press called the race in favor of Karofsky, a circuit court judge in Dane County (Madison), Kelly conceded and made a statement of congratulations. Karofsky will replace him on the court September 1, reducing the conservative majority from 5-2 to 4-3. The statewide election coincided with the presidential primary, in which former Vice President Joe Biden defeated Senator Bernie Sanders by better than two-to-one, winning virtually every county in the state. The primary result was made irrelevant by Sanders suspension of his campaign on April 8, the day after in-person voting was carried out. The Wisconsin state Democratic Party was preparing for an adverse result in the state Supreme Court election, as the result of the virtual shutdown of polling places in Milwaukee because of coronavirus fears. The city operated only five of 180 voting stations, causing lengthy lines that frequently violated social distancing rules in place because of the epidemic. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called the decision by the state Supreme Court to authorize in-person voting, based on a lawsuit by the Republican leadership of the state legislature, voter suppression on steroids. State Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said lawsuits would be filed by voters unable to cast absentee ballots, or by defeated candidates in nearly 4,000 local contests that were decided in the election. In the end, however, efforts to promote the casting of absentee ballots before the election appear to have been decisive in the outcome. About one million absentee ballots and early votes were cast, more than half of the total vote, with the biggest percentage of absentee ballots cast in Milwaukee and Madison, the states two largest cities. The effort to drive down the in-person vote did have some success: fewer than 20,000 people cast in-person votes in Milwaukee, compared to 54,000 who voted by mail. More than 160,000 voted in the city in the 2016 primary election. What is not yet known are the public health consequences of more than half a million people turning out to vote on April 7 under conditions of a raging pandemic. While coronavirus has not yet hit Wisconsin as hard as neighboring Illinois and Michigan, the death toll nearly doubled during the week following the April 7 vote, rising from 80 to 154, while the number of reported cases rose by 75 percent. The Republican-led state legislature had initially tried to move the state Supreme Court contest to another date, rather than scheduling it to coincide with the presidential primary, out of fears that a contested Democratic race would attract more voters than the uncontested Republican primary, thus creating an unfavorable arena for Kellys election effort. After this effort failed, the Republican Party leadership sought to use the coronavirus outbreak as a club to reduce the vote in Democratic Party strongholds like Milwaukee and Madison, where most of the COVID-19 cases and deaths have been reported, by insisting on in-person voting in the midst of the pandemic. After Democratic Governor Tony Evers sought to postpone in-person voting until June, and issued an executive order April 6 to do so, the Republican leaders of the state legislature went to court and the Wisconsin state Supreme Court overturned the executive order by a 4-2 party-line vote, with Kelly recusing himself since he was on the ballot. President Trump hailed the state courts intervention, tweeting out his support for Kelly and making repeated statements throughout the week denouncing mail-in votes as a Democratic plot to steal the 2020 presidential election. The Wisconsin experience was widely discussed in the national media as a template for what may happen in November, assuming that the coronavirus epidemic has either not subsided or comes back in a new wave in the fall. The US Supreme Court also weighed in with an election-eve decision overturning a ruling by a lower federal court that would have allowed the state to count mail-in votes that were not postmarked by April 7, the date of the in-person vote. The court did not rule, however, on the treatment of mail-in votes that had no postmark at all, and this turned out to be many tens of thousandsmore than 2,000 just in Dane County, which includes Madison. Republican Party officials opposed counting non-postmarked votes even when they were received on Wednesday, April 8, and therefore must have been put in the mail by the previous day, demonstrating that their main concern was to exclude votes, reduce the turnout, and hope that Kelly could win the election under those conditions. The result appears to demonstrate that many voters were angered by the open attempt to suppress the vote and went to the polls, either to vote in person or to deliver mail ballots by hand, one of the legal methods of casting a ballot. Turnout in Dane County, which includes Madison and the main campus of the University of Wisconsin, was actually substantially higher this year than in 2016, when Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in a hotly contested primary. Karofsky is only the second challenger to defeat a sitting Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin in the past 50 years. She issued a statement thanking her supporters, but adding, Although we were successful in this race, the circumstances under which this election was conducted were simply unacceptable, and raise serious concerns for the future of our democracy Nobody in this state or in this country should have been forced to choose between their safety and participating in an election. South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem on Monday continued to resist calls for a stay-at-home order as the state became one of the nation's largest hot spots for the coronavirus after an outbreak at a meat processing plant. Health officials reported the largest day-to-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday with 138 people testing positive. The state has confirmed a total of 868 cases, with the bulk of those coming from Minnehaha County, which contains Sioux Falls. So far, six people have died. And despite the state now having one of the nation's largest single coronavirus clusters, the Republican governor said: 'I have all the faith in the world of the people of South Dakota.' 'They've been absolute rock stars in working to protect their communities and their families,' Noem said. South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem (pictured in March) on Monday continued to resist calls for a stay-at-home order as the state became one of the nation's largest hot spots for the coronavirus after an outbreak at a meat processing plant Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus - a step the head of the company warned could hurt the nation's meat supply It's unclear if Noem plans on changing her mind about issuing a statewide order, but some local officials have called on her to at least issue a stay-at-home directive for some cities. South Dakota is one of seven states that still has not issued stay-at-home orders. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken asked Noem to give the order for the city as the rate of COVID-19 infections accelerated in recent days. Many of those infections came from an outbreak at a pork processing plant operated by Smithfield Foods. TenHaken said if the current rate of infections continue, the city's healthcare system could be crippled. The only way to get a stay-at-home order immediately is to have the governor issue one, he said. Otherwise, it would take seven days to pass an order through the city council. 'Quite honestly, it's crap that we have to wait that long to act,' he said. Noem said she is evaluating the request, but resisted the notion that a more aggressive approach to get people to stay home is necessary. She said people are voluntarily taking precautions. The governor acknowledged that Sioux Falls could see a peak in infections several weeks before the rest of the state, but continued to stick to her projection that statewide infections will peak in mid-June. Instead, Noem announced her push to test the drug hydroxychloroquine as an 'offense' against the coronavirus. The drug has been championed by President Donald Trump but drawn skepticism from doctors who say it could have severe side effects. There are more than 573,000 confirmed cases in the US with nearly 23,000 deaths 'Its an exciting day,' she said as she spoke about the tests and conversations that she previously had with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Noem said South Dakota will be the first state to run a state-wide trial to test hydroxychloroquine. There are several other trials being conducted elsewhere. She explained that the state's three largest health care providers will conduct a trial with 2,000 people. Every participant can choose if they want to take part. The governor said she pushed the White House last week to provide enough hydroxychloroquine to give it to every hospitalized person, others who are vulnerable to the coronavirus and 'front line' health care workers. She said state funds will be used to sponsor the trial, but did not say how much she plans to pitch in. Allison Suttle, the chief medical officer for Sanford Health, which will be conducting the trial, said the side effects of the treatment could include nausea or fatigue, but did not list anything more severe. A press release from Sanford said there can be serious side effects from the drug, but they are rare. Hundreds of employees test positive for the coronavirus at Smithfield plant in South Dakota Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus - a step the head of the company warned could hurt the nation's meat supply. The announcement came a day after Noem and TenHaken wrote to Smithfield and urged the company to suspend operations for 14 days so that its workers could self-isolate and the plant could be disinfected. The plant, which employs about 3,700 people in the state's largest city, has become a hot spot for infections. Health officials said Sunday that 293 of the 868 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Dakota work at the plant. Health officials said Sunday that 293 of the 868 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Dakota work at the plant 'As a critical infrastructure employer for the nation's food supply chain and a major employer in Sioux Falls, it is crucial that Smithfield have a healthy workforce to ensure the continuity of operations to feed the nation. At the same time, employees need a healthy work environment,' Noem and TenHaken wrote to the plant's operators. Smithfield announced a three-day closure last week so it could sanitize the plant and install physical barriers to enhance social distancing. But on Sunday, it announced the plant's indefinite closure. 'The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,' Smithfield president and CEO Kenneth Sullivan said in a statement. 'It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation's livestock farmers.' The Sioux Falls facility is one of the largest pork processing plants in the US, Smithfield said. It supplies nearly 130 million servings of food per week, or about 18 million servings per day. The Sioux Falls facility (pictured on April 9) is one of the largest pork processing plants in the US, Smithfield said. It supplies nearly 130 million servings of food per week, or about 18 million servings per day There has been no evidence that the coronavirus is being transmitted through food or its packaging, according to the Department of Agriculture. Other meat processing plants have also closed temporarily because of outbreaks of the coronavirus, including a Tyson Foods facility in Columbus Junction, Iowa, where more than two dozen employees tested positive. Sullivan said Smithfield had been operating during the coronavirus crisis because it wanted to sustain the nation's food supply. 'We believe it is our obligation to help feed the country, now more than ever. We have a stark choice as a nation: we are either going to produce food or not, even in the face of COVID-19,' he said. Smithfield said there will be some activity at the plant on Tuesday to process product that's already in inventory. It will resume operations in Sioux Falls after receiving further directions from local, state and federal officials. The company said it will continue to pay its workers for the next two weeks. A New Jersey-based multisite megachurch responds to COVID-19 by distributing approximately 26,000 pounds of relief supplies in Easter Baskets including food, toilet paper, and hygiene kits to those in need on Easter weekend. Liquid Church, one of New Jersey's fastest-growing churches officially launched in 2007 by Lead Pastor Tim Lucas, is working with Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief ministry to get emergency supplies to families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Parsippanyfocus News reported. Those who registered at the church's website by filling out an "Emergency Relief Request" picked up the basket on Saturday morning. Some were delivered to the doorstep for seniors and those quarantined at home. "On Saturday people can drive-up in their car, we'll drop the basket or box of supplies in their trunk, and then they drive-off. No muss, no fuss, and no contact. On Easter, we celebrate how Jesus sacrificed himself to love and serve us, so it's a blessing to serve our community this way," added Lucas. "For senior citizens or those quarantined at home we have a special plan in place. Our team will make doorstep deliveries on Easter Sunday. We want our vulnerable neighbors to know that God sees them, so we'll deliver hope right to their doorstep!" Liquid Church Outreach Director Kristin Hosen told The Christian Post that they had been talking with Convoy of Hope for about a year about how to "serve those on the fringes of our community." "When we saw how COVID-19 was starting to impact our state, we knew Convoy of Hope would be an incredible partner," Hosen said. "Sure enough, they responded with essential relief supplies that would support our community during the pandemic. We are one of many organizations in New Jersey that Convoy of Hope has partnered with to help those most affected by this pandemic." While working to meet the physical needs of the community in coronavirus pandemic with its Easter Weekend Outreach, the Liquid church provided the spiritual needs of its neighbors by livestreaming 13 Easter Services via Church Online on April 10 to April 12. With the vision of "Saturate the State with the Gospel of Jesus Christ," the non-denominational Christian Church has seven campuses in Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset, and Union Counties according to its website(http://liquidchurch.com). Parsippanyfocus reported that over 5,000 people experience Liquid Church's worship services in New Jersey and around the globe through church online each week. [April 14, 2020] Dubb Solves Zoom-Bombing and Video Conference Fails With Actionable Video Platform LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dubb, today announces the launch of Dubb ActionVideos, a unique technology to support business video communication and overcome the limitations of live video. Dubb ActionVideos allows viewers to interact directly with video content through call-to-action buttons. Amidst COVID-19, and much of the country working remotely from home, video communication has become essential to hundreds of millions. However, as video conferencing usage increases, more people are discovering disconcerting issues involving IT, security, and thus, productivity. The world is unpredictable. Zoom-bombing. Dogs barking. Connection issues. Kids' needs. Businesses are realizing that meeting live every time they want to communicate with video quickly becomes unproductive. To avoid the limitations of live video, Dubb allows individuals to create and share pre-recorded, actionable videos of themselves and their screens. Dubb has integrations with over 70 popular tools, including Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn, Hubspot, Slack, Asana, and more. "The world has changed. Now with a near worldwide home quarantine, people are flocking to solutions like Zoom for live video but are finding a new set of challenges involving privacy, connectivity issues, scheduling, and productivity. Pre-recorded video is a convenient solution to many of these problems. After all, sending a Dubb video via the Dubb mobile app, hrome Extension or Desktop recorder is the next best thing to real-life, in real-time. You're getting the benefits of video - building trust and understanding - with the convenience of an email or text," said Dubb CEO and Founder, Ruben Dua. "We are also proud to support the effort of social distancing by offering unlimited storage without video limits on all our paid and free plans to support people working remotely during this difficult time." People interested in learning more are encouraged to visit dubb.com. About Dubb Dubb is one of the fastest-growing software providers within the sales, marketing, and video spaces. Over 20K businesses already use the Dubb platform to communicate with pre-recorded videos via Gmail, LinkedIn, Slack, Asana and 60 more integrations. Dubb was founded in 2018 by marketing veteran, Ruben Dua, who started Dubb out of personal frustration from not being able to communicate visually with ease. Learn more at dubb.com. Media Contact: Darius Santos Phone: (701) 369-3822 Email: [email protected] Related Images founder-son.png Founder & Son Founder, showcasing Dubb while working from home. Related Links Homepage View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dubb-solves-zoom-bombing-and-video-conference-fails-with-actionable-video-platform-301039433.html SOURCE Dubb.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] (TNS) A divided Lincoln, Neb., City Council, against its lawyer's advice, narrowly agreed to meet virtually during the next two weeks rather than in person as state and local health officials brace for escalating transmission of the coronavirus in Nebraska.The four-member majority agreed to follow other local governments under an executive order issued by Gov. Pete Ricketts that waives in-person meeting requirements under state open-meetings laws provided public notice of the meeting is given and access to the meeting remains.Councilwoman Sandra Washington proposed the meeting changes because she believes the technology exists to allow transparency and retain public involvement in the meetings."I believe the essential work of governing continues whether we are working through an emergency or not," she said in proposing the virtual meetings. "And I think it's good sense that we allow ourselves the flexibility to meet at a responsible and safe distance in order to provide ourselves and staff the same precautions we are asking of others."At a Monday afternoon meeting before the main council meeting, an assistant city attorney used a forehead thermometer to screen each of the council members, several of whom wore masks during portions of the meeting."We have an obligation not only to conduct city business but to keep every single person that we come into contact with safe also," Councilman James Michael Bowers said, speaking through a blue surgical mask.He pointed to the Lancaster County commissioners, who held their first County Board meeting via videoconference last week and will hold their second virtual meeting Tuesday.The Omaha City Council held its last meeting March 17 and doesn't plan to meet again until April 21. The Nebraska Legislature has suspended its session and has met only for emergency votes.Lincoln City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick last week asked council members wary of meeting in person during the pandemic to favor suspending meetings and meeting only on an emergency basis in person to vote on measures vital to continued city operations.His office concluded that the governor didn't have authority to waive state law requirements governing meetings of city governments such as Lincoln's.Councilman Richard Meginnis said he felt the council can't continue to meet in person, but meeting virtually jeopardizes the projects the council may approve during such meetings.Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson's office backed the governor's executive order, and Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon said the governor's broad emergency powers to suspend regulations or rules concerning public business would extend to state open-meetings laws that dictate how the business of forming public policy proceeds.Washington, Bowers, Councilwoman Tammy Ward and Council Chair Jane Raybould voted in the majority, while Meginnis and Councilmen Bennie Shobe and Roy Christensen opposed the change.Following the divided vote, the council unanimously agreed to meet in person May 4. It was 4 years back when Theri was released with much celebrations. As expected, the Vijay-starrer turned out to be a big hit. The action thriller marked the first collaboration of the actor with director Atlee. The duo's camaraderie is well-known in the Tamil film industry, thanks to their back to back hits like Mersal (2017) and Bigil (2019). Well, on the occasion of the anniversary of Theri, Atlee took to his social media handle, to thank Vijay and the team for the big opportunity. He also shared the astounding trailer of Theri which has garnered 15 million views till now. He wrote, "#Theri is my favorite film and close to my heart all credits goes to @actorvijay Anna without u nothing would have been possible Na , love u Na thanks for giving me the best opportunity and love my Theri team ,thank u @theVcreationsThanu sir https://youtu.be/ZK4uGLpkAKk." (sic) The director's wife Priya Mohan also extended thanks to Vijay. She wrote, "The one big brother who has stood with us & by us right from the beginning till now & will definitely support us forever @actorvijay anna,thanks so much for ur unconditional luv naRed heartthnx so much @theVcreations sir & kudos to the entire team of TheriRed heart #4YearsOfBlockbusterTHERI."(sic) Bankrolled by Kalaipuli S Thanu, the songs of the movie had also garnered love from many, thanks to GV Prakash Kumar's music composition. Theri had an ensemble cast of Amy Jackson, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Baby Nainika, J Mahendran, Raadhika, Rajendran, and Manobala in pivotal roles. Vijay's Mersal Album Crosses 400 Million Views On YouTube! Bhopal, April 14 : With many companies in the private sector and NGOs stepping forward to help the poor amid the nationwide lockdown, there is also no death of people out to make a quick buck at the expense of the needy, a social activist said on Tuesday. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown from March 24 midnight, there were many big companies which had corporate social responsibility funds. Since the financial year 2019-20 was coming to an end, the companies needed to spend the unutilised money and required go-betweens to ensure it was spend on social welfare projects. Thus came in those who could facilitate the process. Those in the know of things say that there are also many NGOs which get money from the government on their avowed claims that they are experts in their field. They also manage funds from agencies and authorities concerned, but whether that money is spent on intended beneficiaries or not can't be known in the absence of any social audit in the country. "People connected with many non-governmental organisations and those in the government are looking for ways to take advantage of the situation. That is why so many people came forward to help the needy in March, but not in April," said Manish Rajput. Jan Swasthya Sangathan's Amulya Nidhi said: "A crisis is an opportunity for some. Opportunists get a chance to make easy money at the expense of others. The government should not allow certain organisations to play a role which is essentially for it to perform." A recent press statement by Huge Networks and Connection Telecom has unearthed a secret telecoms war between VoIP providers and big telecoms companies. In the statement, Huge Networks technical director Anthony Engelbrecht said call blocking by South Africas biggest network operators is negatively impacting South Africans. Engelbrecht said call blocking means many local telecoms customers cannot always successfully complete phone calls. He said clients of many Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telecoms networks are increasingly finding that calls they place are not reaching the intended user. He lays the blame at the feet of the big operators Vodacom, MTN and Telkom arguing that VoIP providers are a thorn in their side because of the competition they bring. The incumbent telecoms operators seem to be pulling out all the stops to fight back against consumer choice, Engelbrecht said. On an operational level, this is leading to billing disputes where excellent and mutually-beneficial relationships have existed in the recent past. Call termination the root of the problem Engelbrecht said the current issue harks back to a decision made by ICASA regarding call termination. ICASAs Call Termination Amendment Regulations 2017 excluded calls made outside of South Africa from the regulatory framework. This decision, he said, has seen rates charged by operators for terminating internationally-originated voice calls escalating to as high as R3.30 per minute. This is significantly higher than the local regulated termination rate of R0.12 per minute. What is being charged bears no relation to the underlying cost of delivering the service, Engelbrecht said. He said enormous profits can be made when an operator bills a locally-originating call at an international interconnection rate. This can happen, knowingly or unknowingly, because the call has certain hallmarks of being placed or journeying outside South Africas borders. Connection Telecom director Rob Lith added that call blocking related to international call termination rate disputes involves potentially hundreds or thousands of blocked numbers. This, he said, is impacting millions of telecoms users. Interconnect Bypass Fraud Industry insiders told MyBroadband this dispute partly relates to certain South African VoIP providers terminating international calls disguised as local calls. They explained that rogue VoIP providers sign deals with international clients to route their calls via their South African network. Known as Interconnect Bypass Fraud, international traffic that should be routed through a legitimate international gateway is routed to bypass those gateways using VoIP through the Internet. This means the international calls are terminated at local interconnect rates. At R0.12 per minute, these local rates are much lower than the international rates which they should be charged at. Because of the difference in local and international interconnect rates, there are big arbitrage opportunities. A local VoIP provider can route the international calls through its network or a SIM box and only pay local termination rates. It then charges the international client somewhere between the local termination rate and the international termination rate, and pockets the difference. According to an industry source, many South African VoIP providers are engaged in Interconnect Bypass Fraud because it is so lucrative. MTN SA executive for corporate affairs Jacqui OSullivan told MyBroadband that their network is currently inundated with irregular interconnect bypass activities. These activities, which are being carried out by certain MTN interconnect partners, entail international traffic destined for the MTN network being bypassed or refiled. This, OSullivan explained, results in the calling line identification (CLI) that MTN receives being reflected as a domestic number, as opposed to the international number of the originator of the call. The CLI is manipulated so that domestic termination rates, as opposed to international termination rates, are billed in relation to the bypassed call or SMS. The graphic below, courtesy of Mobileum, illustrates how interconnect bypass fraud takes place. Calling Line Identification CLI is used by operators to identify where a call is coming from and to charge the correct interconnect rate. CLI has many other purposes, but in the context of this article, we will focus on it being used to determine the origin of the call. For Interconnect Bypass Fraud to work, a VoIP operator has to hide the true origin of the call by removing or spoofing the CLI. Telkom said the 2016 Numbering Plan Regulation prohibits licensees from transmitting inaccurate CLI. This does not stop rogue VoIP providers from engaging in CLI manipulation. In fact, it is so widespread that it has become an international problem. OSullivan said that in addition to lost revenue and tax in South Africa, spoofing CLIs also pose security risks. She said inaccurate CLIs means telecoms operators are unable to provide accurate details of the originator of a call for legal purposes. It also has an impact on consumers who are not able to identify an international call. The graphic below, courtesy of Latro, illustrates CLI refiling and masking. VoIP providers and CLI Engelbrecht said South Africas VoIP operators are in full agreement for the need to present accurate originating call details. However, there are innumerable instances where international calls are received on a local PBX system and then immediately diverted to an SA mobile phone, he said. The relevant regulations require that the original CLI details are preserved as the call is routed from overseas to the local mobile number. This means the forwarded call is charged at international termination rates by the relevant SA mobile operator, he said. He also accused the operators of adopting creative approaches towards the determination of internationally-originating voice traffic. They know that much traffic which, on the surface, appears to be international traffic is, in fact, local, he said. They know that switching equipment could be located outside of South Africa or that a foreign network subscriber could be roaming on a local network. Call blocking To fight Interconnect Bypass Fraud, companies like Telkom, MTN, and Vodacom often abort calls where the CLI is inaccurate. Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy said they only block calls when they are identified to have bypassed the International Termination Rate (ITR). We take this action to protect our customers who are inundated with calls bearing inaccurate CLIs, he said. He added that interconnection partners are presented with ITR bypass evidence at the latest a month after the event has taken place. OSullivan said given the attack on MTNs network as a result of international bypass activities, they are required to take steps to protect its network. Such steps include call blocking. Telkom also confirmed that it aborts received calls from other licensees when the CLI is inaccurate. Ongoing war At this stage, VoIP providers and incumbent operators are accusing each other of widespread fraud and unlawful practices to profit from arbitrage opportunities. This war is likely to continue at least until local and international interconnect rates are not significantly different. Engelbrecht pins his hope on the regulation of internationally-originating calls by ICASA. He said these regulations may introduce a measure of realism into the determination of international interconnection fees. He also hopes they will clarify what exactly constitutes an internationally-originating phone call. Now read: What you are not told about additional lockdown spectrum The Libertarian Party is planning to nominate a candidate for president on May 25 at its convention in Austin, but no well-known figures have entered the race. Former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, who joined the party last year, abandoned a bid for the nomination this month. Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, the partys 2016 nominee for vice president, returned to the Republican Party this year to run a protest campaign against Trump. Weld ended his campaign last month. The worldwide pandemic that is affecting all of us is having a profound impact not only on our daily lives but also our spiritual lives. Ive certainly noticed an increase in spiritual questions, ideas, quotes, and ponderings on my social media feeds and in real-life, from-a-distance conversations. Have you? It seems only natural. When big things happen, when uncertainty abounds, and when were forced to stop racing through lifeas this situation has certainly imposedwe tend to seek greater understanding, higher wisdom, and fundamental truths. Interestingly, many of the spiritual teachings that have been passed down for thousands of years seem to have similar things to say about major manifestations like this one. Though these traditions originated in separate corners of the world, long before worldwide travel was a thing and communication technology existed, they convey a common message. Both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions have offered perspectives on why disasters like pandemics occur, putting the onus on the individual and the need to look inward in the face of such events. The story of Zhang Daoling, an ancient Taoist who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 B.C.220 A.D.) describes how he guided his disciples to answer plagues with repentance. Zhang asked those who were sick to write down the wrongdoings they had committed throughout their lives, and then vow to the divine that they wouldnt commit bad deeds again. Many who followed his advice recovered and were cured. As word spread, hundreds of thousands of lives were saved. In his seminal book of teachings, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu pointed to the importance of searching for lessons in external occurrences and observations, recognizing ones faults, admitting ones mistakes, and correcting ones behavior. Buddhism has similar lessons. Buddhists believe that life inherently entails suffering and that everything that happens in life is a result of karma. Buddhism fundamentally teaches that good karma or virtue is rewarded and that bad karma or sin is punished, and that being virtuous can protect one from disaster. Western religions also place importance on inner reflection and seeking God amidst disasters. The Blessed Bernardo Tolomeos Intercession for the End of the Plague in Siena by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1735. (Public domain) Recently, for example, Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Aviner said in light of the pandemic: In our days, man thinks he is God, that he is the master and can decide what is good and bad, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network. If this is the case, that mankind is proud, mankind knows everything, understands everything, let us see you fight the smallest of Gods creations. This creation is called corona, a crown, he said, referring to the virus. We must restore the crown to God. Similarly, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman (Sam) Bregman told FoxNews, The Jewish tradition teaches that the most we can do is use these moments as opportunities to reflect, introspect, and improve as human beings. The call of the hour is to bring our lives into conformity with the divine will, and what God desires spiritually proper and ethical human beings to look like. The Bible speaks directly of plagues throughout, describing the importance of self-reflection and reviewing ones sins, repenting, and asking for Gods forgiveness in the face of disasters. This particular pandemic came during the Christian season of Lent, a time of inner reflection and repentance for ones sins, and the Jewish holiday of Passover, likewise a time of inner searching and one that commemorates Gods liberations of the Israelites from Egypt by casting, yes, plagues upon the Egyptians. If were looking for a lesson in all of this, perhaps its that the best response on the part of each of us is to reflect and search within ourselves, admit our mistakes, correct ourselves, turn our attention to God, and ask for forgiveness and guidance. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Disaster Funeral Assistance should be granted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to New Yorkers who lost loved ones to COVID-19, said Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Families in New York, and in particular, in Rep. Ocasio-Cortezs (D-Queens/Bronx) district which includes many low-income families who dont have money for funerals and related costs, have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus, they said. This really seared our hearts, Schumer said. Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez called on FEMA during a socially distant press conference on Tuesday to help ease the burden of funerals by approving special funeral assistance that would take care of the cost. The press conference was held in Corona, Queens, one of the top 10 most impacted zip codes in America. Its bad enough people are losing their jobs and dont have food to eat, are separated from their families and loved ones, but to not be able to give a decent funeral and burial to someone who is near and dear to you is outrageous, Schumer said. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** FEMA paid funeral and burial costs after Hurricane Sandy. Schumer said they are demanding the agency do the same during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only decent and honorable and American to make sure that those afflicted are able to give a decent funeral and burial to a loved one, he said. Schumer said he believes the request will get broad bipartisan support. If not, it will be put into legislation when the Senate returns to Washington and will work retroactively. This crisis is happening in a context of racial and income inequality, which means that our lowest income and our blackest and brownest communities are the hardest hit and experiencing the largest amount of casualties due to COVID-19, Ocasio-Cortez said. In New York City alone and New York State, a funeral can cost anywhere between $11,000 to $13,000 on average, she said, adding that some families are losing multiple members of their families and are being hit with large, unexpected costs. Ocasio-Cortez said the burial coverage would be the least we could do. We will not stop until this gets done, she said. The funeral assistance is currently under review. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. "I WANT TO INFECT DOCTORS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE VIRUS" OAKLAND, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / The Lodestone Covid-19 Global Medical Summit held its first emergency session for OB/GYNs on Thursday, March 26th for thousands of doctors from all around the world on the front lines of the pandemic. Doctors from Wuhan, China, Brescia, Italy, and New York City all compared notes and developed global best practices for front-line medical personnel who treat sick patients every day. The Summit is available to medical practitioners at no charge. Dr. Steven Palter is the director of the Summit. He is the former clinical chief of reproductive medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and is now the CEO of Lodestone Technology, based in the NYC metro area. "Our world is more connected than ever before, which is why the Covid-19 pandemic is such a terrible threat to every one of us," Palter said. "However, that same interconnectedness can help us spread the knowledge virus' even faster, so with best practices and proper equipment we can all beat this virus together." The White House Covid-19 Task Force is participating in this Summit and is fully committed to the mission of protecting physicians and other medical personnel at the front lines of the pandemic. "This is a very important gathering," said Dianne Querbal, the Presidential Appointee to the Covid-19 Task Force, and the White House Liaison to HHS, FEMA and the USTDA. "To talk to the physician community about what is before us. Together, we face a fearsome, gruesome enemy." In addition to the White House Covid-19 Task Force, the NY Dept of Health, Greater NY Hospital Association, NY State Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics, NICHD, NYS Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and NYS American College Ob/Gyn and March of Dimes are all making the Summit available to constituents. By rapidly disseminating information, and coming to a consensus quickly about how to proceed, the global medical community can help to outrace the spread of infection and save lives. Each of these sessions is conducted as a one-hour, interactive, dynamic online, virtual conference. Story continues "What we do now at the forefront will really help our communities to experience less harm in the long run," said Querbal. "This is an important message for us to get across." The Summit uses Lodestone's proprietary, patented Journal Club Live Platform as featured in the premier science journal, Nature. This platform enables full interactivity between speakers and audience, who share cutting edge data and front line experience. Together the speakers and the audience come up with consensus for immediate clinical action. "Articles and committee statements lag by weeks and months," Palter says. "In a crisis of this magnitude, our platform enables clinicians to devise real world solutions in real time. By gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information faster to the right people, we can save lives." For each of these sessions, the top experts debate and explore the most vital controversies and issues facing practitioners today. The most important voices the Summit seeks to amplify are the people who are saving lives on the ground. Past Lodestone fertility events have included participants from over 60 major US academic institutions, 40 nations, and more than 25,000 registrants. Lodestone Technology, Inc., provides medical researchers and practitioners with the tools they need to accelerate new scientific developments. By providing new media platforms, Lodestone helps physicians to quickly understand the implications of new research, create worldwide collaborations, and learn about the clinical realities in their fields. Patented processes and the interactivity of the events makes them more impactful and engaging than other events. The deep discussions allow the analytics to gather unique real-world decision-making data in aggregate from the events to drive real-world-practice change. A second session, on the emergency fertility guidelines recently released by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), was held on Friday March 27th. Additional sessions on PPE, women's health/patient education, and pediatrics are forthcoming in the next days and weeks. Contact: Steven Palter, MD palter@lodestonetechnology.com www.thecovid19summit.com Phone: 516-447-0551 Contact Info: Name: Lee Email: Send Email Organization: Richter Communications & Design Group Address: 4390 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, California 94611, United States Website: http://www.goasklee.com SOURCE: Richter Communications & Design Group View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584976/Emergency-Global-Medical-Summit-Launches-Online-to-Stop-the-Covid-19-Pandemic Spear Security Inc. is a leading Denver-based security firm. Having highly visible uniformed security personnel on the premises of a business or residential complex is often more than enough to deter would-be troublemakers. A March 19 article on MSN reports on some apparently pointless and far from deadly but nevertheless expensive vandalism that occurred at a park in Somers, Connecticut, where a toilet and sink were both destroyed. The suspects, all juveniles, were caught soon after and are now awaiting formal charges. Denver based firm Spear Security Inc. says that the temporary closure of schools and countless other properties across the country have naturally led to an uptick in vandalism. Fortunately, having highly visible uniformed security personnel on the premises of a business or residential complex is often more than enough to deter would-be troublemakers. The general security services firm says that having a highly visible presence deters disruptions, but should never in any way impair the operations of a client. 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Spear Security says all of its team members are well trained for every situation in addition to having access to the best surveillance and communications equipment. The firm explains that by utilizing top of the line equipment, it can monitor and coordinate quick and controlled responses to virtually any incident with minimal risk to the personnel and property of their clients. Spear Security continues, noting that a combination of experienced security team members and cutting edge equipment consistently gives it team members a clear edge against serious threatseven if those situations are exceedingly rare. Spear Security says that after being in the business for nearly three decades, the company has learned to deal with a wide variety of circumstances, giving it a large toolbox to pull from when confronting new threats. Interested readers can learn more about Spear Security Inc. by visiting their website at https://www.spearsecuritydenver.com or by calling (303) 298-8373. Spear Security offers 24/7 response and is open all year long, including holidays. India has extended the current lockdown to 3 May to control the spread of Covid-19. Restrictions could be reviewed for the least affected parts of the country on 20 April. In his address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the current lockdown would continue and restrictions would be extended until 3 May to stem the spread of Covid-19. Furthermore, he added that the lockdown will be enforced even more strictly from here on. The current lockdown which began on 25 March was due to end on 14 April. "Till April 20, each district, each state will be monitored closely to see whether the lockdown is being followed. Then we can decide on relaxing the restriction, Modi said in 25-minute long national address. This is his fourth address to the nation in one month. New guidelines have been developed, Modi said, with details on how to take this forward. The focus of these guidelines will be for the poorer sections of society who have been worst hit by the lockdown. We will issue detailed guidelines tomorrow. We are making attempts so that farmers and the poor are least affected. With patience, we can defeat the coronavirus, he said. Unlike his 24 March address, Modi made a point of adressing issues of food supply and health services. The supply chain will not be harmed at all, he promised, and the government will ensure that the harvest will continue as planned. India has at least 10,363 Covid-19 cases and there have been 339 deaths, according to health ministry data. As of 12 April, Covid-19 cases were reported in at least 354 districts, which is nearly every second district in the country. However, 228 of these 354 districts recorded less than 10 positive cases. However, the Prime Minister did not reveal an economic plan or package for the country despite repeated pleas from chief ministers for urgent measures that could help states tide over the current gloom. This was an issue that opposition parties were quick to pounce on. Several Congress leaders including Abhishek Singhvi and P Chidambaram lashed out against the extension without spelling out a concrete package for migrant laborers who have been forced to flee the big cities. Story continues The Prime Ministers address without specific guidelines is like Hamlet without Prince of Denmark, said Singhvi. The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food, said former finance minister Chidambaram. The exodus of thousands of scared and starving migrant workers from the countrys major cities has become a bigger problem than the virus outbreak itself, according to rights activists. If not the virus, hunger will kill them. This is a huge humanitarian crisis and nothing is being done for them. We will understand the true gravity soon rights activist Harsh Mander told RFI. With construction sites, offices and factories closed to contain the spread of Covid-19, those who have historically flocked to Indias metropolises looking for unskilled work have either fled en masse or have been stopped on highways and put up in relief camps. Tens of thousands of migrant workers have been put up temporarily in schools, political headquarters and existing homeless shelters requisitioned for that purpose. Besides, access to food, medicines and emergency medical care for non-Covid-19 patients has become difficult for the poor. Modi, who held a meeting with chief ministers over the weekend on the continuance of the lockdown, asserted that it was Indias holistic and integrated approach that helped the country fare better than many other nations. CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- With the coronavirus still raging, City Council will be asked on April 20 to extend the preliminary accord for redevelopment of the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook site for another 90 days. The precursor to the formal development agreement, known as a Memorandum of Understanding, is set to expire on April 20, which would in effect void further negotiations between the city and the developers, Cedar Lee Connection. One extension has already been granted for the proposed redevelopment of the city-owned site, most of which consists of the parking lot between the Cedar-Lee Theatre and other businesses fronting Lee Road, the Wendys restaurant on Cedar Road, the Tullamore parking garage and a vacant lot off Meadowbrook Boulevard. The developers counsel has noted that the need for the extension is, largely in part, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, an April 7 City Economic Development Department memo states. The city had been marketing the single-acre Meadowbrook site off and on for years, putting out another request for proposals in 2018. But with the underutilized, 377-space parking garage that could be used for 125 to 175 market-rate apartments, as well as new businesses in a mixed-use district, the city issued a new RFP with the expanded 4.8-acre site about a year ago. There has also been some recent discussion of possibly adding some apartments that would actually wrap around the parking garage. Last summer's initial agreement with Cedar Lee Connection -- a partnership among Sequoia Realty, Snavely Group and LDA architects -- allowed for 180 days to draft and sign a development agreement for a proposed $25 million capital investment. There was also a provision to go another 90 days past the Jan. 20 deadline, which Cedar Lee Connection requested. Last month, city officials twice received proposed revisions to their draft development agreement, as well as the request to consider an additional extension to the "due diligence" deadline. One of the aspects that Cedar Lee Connection has tried to pursue with Future Heights, one of the citys community development corporations, is public engagement with residents and businesses concerning plans for the site. This has been rendered extremely difficult, if not futile, as a result of the national health emergency. While no specific timeframe for the extension was provided, an additional 90 days would extend the deadline out to July 20, the memo from Economic Development Director Tim Boland and Business Development Manager Brian Anderson states. At the same time, the developers legal counsel pointed to the amount of time and money already put into the project and the desire to stick with it in pursuit of reaching a development agreement -- with tax increment financing (TIF) also on the table and requiring approval from the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. Given the uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 crisis, the consensus reached by the citys negotiating team is that an amendment (to the original legislation) is the most effective strategy the city can follow at this time in pursuing redevelopment of this site, the memo to council states. City Council issues update Meanwhile, council on Monday (April 13) issued a joint letter thanking residents for observing the state's stay-at home order, as well as city officials and police, firefighters and public works employees for continuing vital city operations without interruption during extremely challenging times. We have been cautioned by Gov. Mike DeWine and (Ohio Department of Health Director) Dr. Amy Acton that we may be entering the toughest weeks since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the letter notes. Council goes on to remind residents that it is more important than ever to stay at home unless it is essential to go out for activities such as grocery shopping, doctor visits or work in an essential function. Getting outdoors for some fresh air and exercise is also encouraged, although social distancing policies should still be practiced, council noted. Because of the April 20 deadline on the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook agreement, council will be asked to vote for the 90-day extension that day on first reading and taking effect immediately on formal passage. If you have an issue you would like to bring up during the traditional public comment part of official council meetings, please email it to Clevelandheightscouncil@clvhts.com and it will be read into the record on Monday (April 20), the letter states in part. If you need help Although City Hall remains closed to the public, residents experiencing financial hardship and in need of assistance are asked to call 2-1-1 or visit the Help Center, which provides free and confidential 24-hour access for those who need help the most. Cleveland Heights senior citizens can also call the Office on Aging at 216-691-7377. City Manager Tanisha Briley was also commended for assembling a Readiness and Response Team -- consisting of department directors -- very early on. Our staff are working remotely, so you may need to leave a message. But please reach out to us if you are in need, the April 13 letter states. We are your elected officials, but we are also your friends, neighbors and fellow community members. Read more from the Sun Press. Donald Trump has denied that his daughter and son-in-law will sit on a new council to oversee the US's return to normal economic life, despite early reports to the contrary. Fox News initially reported that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner would sit on the Opening Our Country Council, a White House-appointed body that will supposedly also feature Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and the director of the United States National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, among others. However, at his daily press briefing on 13 April, Mr Trump said that the two have not been invited to be on the council after all. The reported makeup of the council has shifted several times over the past week, with Mr Kushner and Ms Trumps appointments proving especially controversial. Mr Trumps latest about-face on who is included only muddies the water further as he continues to insist the country will before long be ready for a return to normal economic life. Mr Kushners role in various of the administrations key priorities has been a bone of contention since the start of Mr Trumps presidency. Most recently, he has been charged with running a coronavirus taskforce of his own despite having no experience in public health or disaster management. Appearing in person at a recent press briefing, Mr Kushner was widely criticised for saying the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment was our stockpile, meaning it existed only as a supplementary resource for the states. The definition of the stockpile on the government site was changed after the press conference to match Mr Kushners words. Ms Trump, meanwhile, has been regularly credited by her father for creating millions of jobs, a claim for which there is no basis. She has also taken on a diplomatic role on several occasions, appearing in her fathers stead at summits including the G20, where she was famously snubbed by European leaders. Mr Trumps worry about the coronavirus lockdowns damage to the US economy has been a running theme of the outbreak. For much of March he reiterated that the country would be reopened by Easter in what he called a beautiful timeline, even as public health experts warned that doing so could result in hundreds of thousands of deaths. The president later rowed back on that plan. The global coronavirus crisis is testing the world's democracies in myriad ways, but one is particularly fundamental: how to hold elections. Driving the news: South Korea is a rare case. Millions of early votes have already been cast ahead of the April 15 election, which will be the first national poll held worldwide since the crisis reached pandemic proportions. During two days of early voting, turnout was high and enforcement was strict. Voters arrived in masks, kept their distance in line, underwent a temperature check and then slipped on disposable gloves before voting. Flashback: President Moon Jae-in had looked vulnerable due to a sputtering economy and unreciprocated outreach to North Korea. But his approval rating soared as South Korea became a global model for how to contain a virus outbreak. Pollsters expect a strong performance. The big picture: Most of the world remains on the other end of the coronavirus curve. Elections have been canceled or postponed in 47 countries or territories due to COVID-19, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. They include Ethiopias general election (originally scheduled for August) and Chiles vote on whether to draft a new constitution (moved from April to October). Vladimir Putin was also forced to delay a constitutional referendum that could grant him the authority to rule Russia through 2036. Hungary didnt have upcoming elections, but that didnt stop Prime Minister Viktor Orban from canceling them as part of the countrys indefinite state of emergency. Poland will turn to postal voting for its presidential election next month, with the ruling Law and Justice party rebuffing calls to postpone. But while Andrzej Duda, the populist and popular incumbent, can make full use of the bully pulpit during the crisis, the strict lockdown makes it impossible for the opposition to campaign, says Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Funds Warsaw office. That clear advantage could lead to a crisis of legitimacy, Baranowski said during a conference call last week. "This is really tearing us apart, it is further polarizing Poland." Bolivias interim government already faces a crisis of legitimacy, with the forced resignation of President Evo Morales last November having thrown the country into political limbo. It will remain there for a while longer, as the general election has been postponed from May 3 until some time between June and September. In Africa, 15 elections are scheduled before the end of the year, says Judd Devermont of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Some leaders may hold elections and bank on low turnout, as in the recent referendum in Guinea, while others might see postponing elections as a way to retain power, Devermont said during an online event Monday. What to watch: Leaders are being judged on a daily basis during this crisis. But if those judgments cant be rendered at the ballot box, they're also unlikely to be expressed on the streets. Just when the entire world suffers from this ongoing pandemic, and almost all people have started to lose hope, here is Gina Dal Colleto, a 97-year-old Brazilian woman breaking all the negativities. Just yesterday, she was reported as the oldest COVID-19 survivor ever recorded in Brazil. On April 1, the older woman was confined at the hospital as she was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Only a few people thought she'd ever survived this deadly infectious disease, and on Sunday, she proved those who thought she wouldn't make it wrong. Here, Dal Colleto was seen being pushed on a wheelchair while going out of the Vila Nova Star Hospital in Sao Paulo, to applause from nurses and doctors considering she's the "oldest known COVID-19 survivor" in this Latin American country hit by the pandemic the hardest. Her unexpected recovery was indeed considered "a ray of hope in Brazil," a nation where the pandemic has prompted an aggressive political debate, not to mention laid bare a comprehensive public health system over how to address the spread of the infection and prop up the economy of the country. What's even more inspiring about Dal Colleto's story is that this only survivor of an Italian family composed of 11 siblings, lived by herself, in the port city of Santos, a Rede D'Or Sao Luiz organization controlled by the Vila Nova Star hospital, according to a statement. The statement also said, even with almost a hundred years of life, Dal Colleto has quite an active everyday routine. She reportedly enjoys walking, cooking, and shopping, too. This COVID-19 survivor has "six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren in all." And, while she was at the hospital, the statement said, Dal Colletto stayed at intensive care and was put on oxygen. The Current State of Brazil As of this writing, based on the report from the Health Ministry of Brazil, 23,430 people are confirmed COVID-19 positive, and 1,328 deaths have been recorded in the country. In relation to this, people experiencing mild symptoms of flu-like illnesses are told to stay at home and undergo quarantine to avoid "putting added pressure on hospitals, and test kits are limited, which point to a much higher unknown infection rate. Amidst the growing concern about this pandemic and the loud call for the public's cooperation, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has ironically scraped social distancing measures, even his very own health officials and the state governors imposed. Indeed, in contrast to the loud call for social distancing measures, the President continued to walk on the street markets and stores where he is frequently asked for some selfies with supporters. Also, on Sunday, President Bolsonaro said, he "thought that COVID-19 was on its way out of the country," but didn't give any explanation. The country leader elaborated that seemingly, the issue on this pandemic is "starting to go away," although further unemployment is on its way, and sadly, it's coming hard. Check these out! A man, who was suffering from tuberculosis, was found hanging inside a quarantine centre of Bihar's Darbhanga district Darbhanga: A 43-year-old man, who was suffering from tuberculosis, was found hanging inside a quarantine centre of Bihar's Darbhanga district on Monday. Authorities said he committed suicide. He was taken to the quarantine centre set up in a school after he somehow managed to reach home in Kumrauli village from Delhi on 10 April. "He committed suicide in a room of a middle school which has been converted to a quarantine centre in Kumrauli," District Magistrate Thyagrajan SM said. Prima facie, the man was under stress because of his disease, tuberculosis, and some family problems, the DM said. A statement issued by the district administration said he was kept separately in a room at the quarantine centre, where he was provided with food and medicine. He hanged himself from a window grill with a gamchha (traditional cotton towel). As he was worried about his disease, doctors who had examined Yadav at the time of his entry to the centre, later counselled him. Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday dialled Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after hundreds of migrant workers in Mumbai turned up at the Bandra West railway station, demanding that railways start trains to take them home. The protest, which was dispersed by police after a mild lathicharge, has triggered a back-and-forth between the Shiv Sena-led ruling alliance in the state and the states opposition BJP. Shah picked up the phone to quell the storm. The Union home minister underscored that events such as the protest weaken Indias fight against coronavirus disease and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. He also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government, according to news agency ANI. Watch | Mumbai: Wave of migrant workers swamp bus stand after lockdown extension Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray had led the Sena attack at the Centre shortly after the police were able to disperse the crowds. He held the Centre responsible for the situation, contending that the railways should have run special trains to take the migrant workers to their hometown as demanded by Sena boss and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. Aaditya Thackerays outburst prompted a sharp comeback from state BJP leaders. Ex-MP Kirit Somaiya asked the Uddhav Thackeray government to explain how a thousand people gathered at Bandra(West) near the station despite prohibitory orders. Somaiya asked the chief minister to explain what the intelligence agencies were doing and how a large number of people could gather when the police did not allow more than four people at one place. How and why today, he asked. The parting shot was seen as a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcement earlier in the day, extending the national lockdown that had kicked in from March 25 to May 3. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told a local news channel that the protest was a fallout of the manner in which lockdown has been extended. People who were stuck in Mumbai were expecting that the lockdown would end and theyll be allowed to go home but they were disappointed with PMs address today and their anger burst out on streets of Bandra, Deshmukh said, according to news agency ANI. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis blamed the state government for making inadequate arrangements for the labourers. That is why we had to face such an embarrassing situation today that labourers in huge numberS came and said that either provide us food or let us go home. That too in Bandra, under the nose of the government, Fadnavis said. Long before PM Modi made the announcement, Uddhav Thackeray had already declared that Maharashtra would remain under a lockdown till April 30; for longer if people dont adhere to it. In his address to people later, Uddhav Thackeray made it clear that he and PM Modi were on the same page on the lockdown extension I thank Prime Minister for it, as I had suggested the same, he said. When Emmett Hardiman transitioned at age 18, he didnt think he would ever have his own child. At the time, doctors told the transgender man that long-term testosterone use would probably ruin his reproductive organs, along with any chance of having kids. It was very much the belief that you could only be on testosterone for so long before you had to get everything removed or you would be very high risk [for cancer] or you were definitely going to be infertile, Hardiman, 29, told NBC News. Now, research is giving fertility experts insight into the true impact of testosterone use on fertility. A recent study from Boston IVF, a fertility clinic and research organization, based on eight years of patient data, revealed that transgender men who stopped taking testosterone for an average of four months had similar egg yields to cisgender (nontransgender) women when undergoing ovarian stimulation. The numbers were very small (about 25 patients in total), but it was very reassuring that even though these transgender men had taken testosterone, when they stopped it and were treated, they responded well and we had good outcomes, said Dr. Samuel Pang, a reproductive endocrinologist and medical director at Boston IVF. Its unclear how many trans men give birth or have their eggs frozen in the U.S. In Australia, where government agencies have tracked both sex and gender in official records since 2013, 54 transgender men gave birth in 2014, according to data from the countrys universal health care system. A Dutch study published in the journal Human Reproduction in 2012 found that a majority of trans men reported wanting families. If possible, trans men who know they want to have children should get their eggs frozen prior to transitioning, according to Pang. For one, its unclear what effect long-term testosterone use might have on eggs and embryos, even if the person goes off hormone treatment prior to fertilization. However, he added, there have been no reports thus far of harmful side effects to children born to those who have taken testosterone. Story continues He added that gender dysphoria is another reason to freeze eggs prior to transition. I have seen a lot of transgender men who come in, theyve already transitioned, theyve already started testosterone, Pang said, but the thought of stopping testosterone or going through hormone treatments is very daunting for them, so they frequently will not pursue it because of that. I had to make a choice Hardiman, an attorney who lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, said he believed that transitioning would prevent him from ever having his own kids. At the same time, the gender dysphoria he suffered since childhood the distress many trans people feel over the mismatch between their gender and sex assigned at birth was severe. Throughout high school, he wore baggy clothes to conceal his developing body, and started to self harm. Though he feared the impact it might have on his fertility, he said he began making plans to transition as soon as he turned 18. I had to make a choice, Hardiman said. Emmett Hardiman with his two daughters. (Courtesy Emmett Hardiman) But his fear turned out to be unwarranted. At age 21, he lost his health insurance when his father died, and was forced to discontinue his hormone treatment. Hardimans period soon returned. By then, he was married, and decided to get his eggs harvested so his wife, Calla, could get pregnant with his child through in vitro fertilization. Now, he is a father to two daughters, ages 3 and 6. I mean there is definitely a hard, difficult choice either way, he said of his decision to undergo fertility treatment. Just having to go off testosterone in order to do IVF was not a great option, but it was to me better than the alternative. According to Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, its not uncommon for young trans men to be unsure about their fertility options, since there has been little data on it until now. I think there is a giant myth that testosterone turns your ovaries into papier-mache, she said, and I think these studies that are coming out are saying thats not true, actually. Actually, they are more like hibernating. Now, when people are making these decisions to either carry their own children or harvest, they will come off of testosterone and their body kicks in, Olson-Kennedy continued. They start ovulating, having menstrual cycles, and then they go through harvesting procedures or whatever they decide to do. Still, many trans men may struggle with dysphoria around having their own children, even if its what they want. It does still seem like there is either a fear that their reproductive systems wont work because of testosterone, or theres that feeling that carrying a child would devalue their existence as a man, said Chris Rehs-Dupin, 36, a parking enforcement officer who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Rehs-Dupin, who is trans, said he made the decision to have his own child before he transitioned. One reason, he said, was because he wasnt sure what impact testosterone might have on his ability to have children later. Another reason, he said, was because his wife was struggling with infertility at the time, and they desperately wanted their own biological child. I realized I could do this; there was nothing keeping my body from doing it, said Rehs-Dupin, who gave birth to a daughter, now 5 years old, through IVF in 2014. Informing trans youth about fertility options As transgender individuals start to transition at younger ages, many questions remain about how hormone blockers may potentially impact their fertility as adults. Hormone blockers, which are used to delay puberty in trans youth, do not cause infertility, experts say their purpose is to buy these teens some time while they decide whether transitioning is right for them. But if a teenager who has been on puberty blockers moves on to cross-sex hormones without first going through an endogenous puberty, the reproductive organs wont have a chance to fully mature. However, if a trans man who takes this path does decide at some point in adulthood to go off testosterone in order to have children, he should, in theory, be able to go through an endogenous puberty, according to Olson-Kennedy. But since hormone blockers are a relatively new treatment, experts can only speculate. We dont know because no one has ever done it, she said. I mean, it stands to reason that somebody would, because your hypothalamus doesnt change youre still secreting the same hormones that you would otherwise, youre just significantly delayed. According to the guidelines from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Fenway Health and the Endocrine Society, among other health organizations, providers should advise trans patients both adults and youth about the potential impact to future fertility that transition-related care might have as part of the informed consent process, and brief them about their reproductive options before treatment. There is little data on how often trans youth and their families seek fertility preservation. While surveys indicate these young individuals receive a wide range of counseling on the matter, one study found that only 13 percent were referred to fertility preservation clinics, and that a disproportionate number of them were transgender girls (assigned male at birth), according to a 2019 report from the journal Pediatrics. According to the same study, transgender youth showed a mix of interest in possible family building options, including both the ability to eventually have their own children and adopt, while other studies found lower rates of interest in having children among these youth. Half of them, however, questioned whether their feelings might change as they got older. Fertility experts usually recommend trans youth who want to undergo fertility preservation temporarily stop treatment in order to freeze eggs or sperm. But a recent case report from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center suggests that going off hormone blockers may not always be necessary. According to the report, published last year, a 16-year-old trans boy was able to have his eggs preserved without stopping hormone blockers. Five of his eggs were harvested, and four were successfully preserved, according to the report, published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine. While it was only one case and the retrieval was small, the findings were significant, considering more people are transitioning earlier in life, according to Dr. Stephanie Rothenberg, the fertility doctor who treated the teen. But she said the procedure still posed challenges for a young person, who was struggling with dysphoria. The teen was unwilling to go off blockers, she said, and required extensive counseling over a period of several months to prepare him for potential side effects. It was a big discussion with a lot of counseling and just making sure that everybody was on the same page about the fact that we just didnt know what was going to happen, said Rothenberg, who is now at Pacific NW Fertility in Seattle. While the teenager remained on hormone blockers, he did experience one period and developed a small amount of breast tissue during the fertility process, she said. And while it was his choice to undergo treatment with his parents support, she said the teen still struggled with dysphoria. He has several mental health care providers, so we were able to coordinate support for him; he also had an extraordinarily supportive family, she said. But I think that he felt prepared that that was going to happen, and then ultimately, it was very challenging for him. In an email to NBC News, Pang said the results of the Pittsburgh case study are new and encouraging information for dysphoric teenagers who wish to preserve eggs, but he said the sparse number of eggs retrieved are unlikely to result in a future baby. Until there are more cases reported, and until cases which ultimately result in successful pregnancy and live births are reported, I continue to have significant concerns about whether fertility preservation can truly be accomplished while these pre-pubertal teens are treated with puberty suppression drugs, he wrote. The bottom line is that fertility preservation isnt just about being able to freeze a few eggs; fertility preservation is the ability to freeze eggs which can ultimately be used successfully to achieve a successful pregnancy and live birth of a healthy baby. Transgender girls may be able to have sperm preserved prior to hormone treatment, depending on the progression of endogenous puberty at the time, according to Rothenberg. In an email, however, she said there have been no reports to date of any attempting to preserve sperm while on hormone blockers, and that success would likely be quite low unless blockers are discontinued. While the impacts of hormone treatment on fertility remains uncertain for these teens, specialists who work closely with trans youth stress the importance of the mental health benefits they offer. Not only do these treatments prevent them from having to undergo unnecessary surgical interventions in the future such as mastectomies and facial feminization surgeries, which cost thousands of dollars they help reduce youth suicide attempts and depression, and give them the ability to function at school free from discrimination and the constant nagging of their own dysphoria. These benefits, experts argue, should not be outweighed by concerns over fertility. Such concerns, according to Olson, are often rooted in the idea that procreation is the most important thing about somebodys life. Thats not true for a lot of trans people, she said. Im not saying its not important Im not certain that it is more important than people have the opportunity that blockers bring them. High out-of-pocket costs for fertility care For trans dads, there are many routes to fatherhood.Some trans men may become pregnant unintentionally, believing that testosterone treatment will prevent pregnancy (testosterone does not completely block ovulation, especially if its not being taken regularly). Others may temporarily halt testosterone to get their eggs frozen in the hope that a female partner or surrogate will someday carry their child through in vitro fertilization. Some may decide to get pregnant intentionally before or after their transition (stopping testosterone temporarily if thats the case). Others may choose to adopt. And many never desire to have children at all. Chris Rehs-Dupin, his wife and their two children. (Courtesy Chris Rehs-Dupin) Rehs-Dupin, who transitioned shortly after his daughter was born, said he decided to get pregnant only because his wife was unable to do so at the time. He said pregnancy did not make him feel dysphoric, but he feared how other people would judge him. I feel like I was put in the position where it was just like this isnt even going to happen because its not whats supposed to happen, he said of his struggle over the decision. Like, this is my wife, she wears dresses, she should carry the babies. I want to be a man, Im going to be a man, I shouldnt do it. It took her not being able to carry for me to be able to have one of the most important and valuable experiences of my life, and I just feel like society doesnt set us up to make that decision. Still, the cost of fertility preservation poses major obstacles for gender dysphoric patients regardless of where they are on their path to parenthood or transition. Only 10 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) have laws that explicitly require health insurance plans to cover fertility preservation for patients who may lose their reproductive capacity due to treatment for a medical condition. While cancer treatment is the most common, these laws typically also apply to treatment for gender dysphoria, according to David Farmer, a spokesman for the National Center for Transgender Equality. Similar bills have been proposed in several other states, and a federal bill the Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act has also been proposed, he said. Introduced in 2018, the federal measure would require private health insurance plans covering obstetrical services to include infertility treatments, and would extend coverage to federal employees, members of the U.S. military and veterans. In addition, federal and state laws prohibit discrimination based on sex (including on the basis of transgender status), disability, and other arbitrary factors. If a health plan covers fertility preservation when treating some medical conditions but not others, that could potentially constitute discrimination, Farmer said in an email. Unfortunately, many health plans still do not cover fertility preservation, including Medicare, military and veterans health systems, and federal employee plans. The Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act, if passed, would change that, he added. As a result, few health insurance policies cover fertility treatments for trans men, and they often pay hefty out-of-pocket costs to have their eggs frozen. A single fertility treatment, on average, costs about $15,000, with an added cost of $275 a year for egg storage. Whats more, there is no guarantee that the treatment will result in pregnancy. Thats the biggest thing, especially when they are paying out of pocket, and were using thousands of dollars worth of medication, Rothenberg said. Thats a big risk that they have to take. Hardiman said he and his wife paid over $20,000 out of pocket for their fertility care, but he said his kids are worth it. Its unreal, Hardiman said of his son and his daughter. Sometimes I look at them and cant even believe it. They are just miracles and both awesome. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram George Nelson believes that many people have been brainwashed by denominational beliefs on religion. He considers himself to be one of those persuaded by misleading teachings until his philosophy changed into wanting truth. In the hope to get more people interested in a true study of the Scriptures, Nelson releases Study: Your Eternity Depends on It! (published by AuthorHouse). I wish that I would have started this new venture 40 years ago. Just look at the time I wasted. Dont do the same thing! Nelson advises. To purchase and learn more about the book, interested parties may visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/784204-Study. Nelson has been studying the Scriptures for over 35 years, but the last 15 he has asked for wisdom. Not the wisdom that comes from a preacher, teacher, evangelist, priest or friend. The hardest thing for him to do was study without being persuaded because he had been guided in a certain direction his whole life. He also took a trip to the Holy Land and his eyes were opened to see things more clearly. He knew that he had to write the book, containing several topics, to help show people the way to that small path with that small gate. To anyone who has a lot of questions that needed answers, Nelson invites them to open their eyes to a new avenue of life, get their minds thinking on their future and embark on a journey of discovery of the true essence of the Word of God. You and only you will be able to hunt, find, and understand your answers, Nelson states. Enjoy the book and your journey! Study: Your Eternity Depends on It! By George Nelson Hardcover | 6x9 in | 322 pages | ISBN 9781546257820 Softcover | 6x9 in | 322 pages | ISBN 9781546257806 E-Book | 322 pages | ISBN 9781546257813 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author George Nelson was raised in a small village in Wisconsin. He had six older brothers. He served in the army for three years. AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. Just when China was showing signs of recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, a renewed threat of imported cases and recurrence has raised its head in the country's Wuhan province, where the pandemic reportedly first started out. It had just been a week since restriction on movements were eased a little in Wuhan, when China started reporting a significant number of imported cases, sparking fear of a second wave of COVID-19. A complete lockdown was imposed in Wuhan, a city with 11 million people, on 23 January, when the deaths reached 26 and the number of confirmed cases was at 830. Public transport, including bus, ferry and subway, were suspended, CNBC reported. The airport and train station in Wuhan were also temporarily closed. During the 76-day lockdown, Wuhan residents were allowed to step out of their homes only to buy food or to attend to other necessary tasks. Some were allowed to leave the city, but only if they had paperwork showing they were not a health risk and a letter attesting to where they were going and why, The Associated Press reported. Even then, authorities could turn a person back on a technicality such as missing a stamp. People were allowed out to shop for food but by mid-February, nobody was allowed to leave their residential compounds, according to BBC. Public facilities, including gyms and exhibition centres, were converted into 16 temporary hospitals that helped quarantine patients with mild symptoms. At the peak of the first wave of the epidemic on 12 February, there were over 15,000 new cases. Residents of other parts of Hubei were only allowed to leave the province starting around late March, as long as they could provide a clean bill of health. Lifting of lockdown In anticipation of the lockdowns lifting, SWAT teams and staff in white hazmat suits patrolled outside the Hankou railway station, tickets for trains out of Wuhan were advertised on billboards and loudspeakers announced pandemic control measures, The Associated Press reported. Measures were also being instituted to get businesses back on track, including $2.8 billion in preferential loans, according to the city government. A day after government figures reported no new cases, the 76-day lockdown was lifted on 8 April. Bridges, tunnels and highway toll booths were opened and flight and train operations resumed. Residents were permitted to travel to other parts of China without special authorisation as long as a mandatory smartphone application powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance showed they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with any confirmed case. Measures like wearing masks, temperature checks and limiting access to residential communities, however, remained in place in the capital of the Hubei province. Restrictions placed in province bordering Russia The daily toll started rising after hitting a low on 12 March. By 8 April, as many as 25 imported cases in Heilongjiang, which shares a land border with Russia, were reported. Suifenhe City in Heilongjiang restricted the movement of its citizens on the day the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan. Residents were to stay in their residential compounds and one person from a family could go out once every three days to buy necessities, state-run CCTV said, according to Reuters. By Sunday, 108 new coronavirus cases were reported in mainland China, up from 99 a day earlier, marking the highest daily tally since 5 March. Imported cases accounted for a record 98, half of them Chinese nationals returning from through border crossings from Russia into Heilongjiang province. As of Tuesday, China had reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. There were no deaths in the past 24 hours. Key takeaways from Wuhan lockdown Wearing masks and mandatory isolation of people with mild symptoms in special centres instead of their homes are essential to contain the spread of the virus, Wang Xinghuan, the head of the Wuhan Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) Hospital, involved in handling the coronavirus crisis, told PTI. He also said that patients with mild symptoms should go to quarantine centres to avoid spreading the infection to family members. The governments early missteps, including a delay to alert the people about coronavirus, point to the importance of timeliness of measures to be taken during an outbreak. Ho-Fung Hung, a lecturer in political economy at Johns Hopkins University said that told The Guardian, People cant easily forget the governments early missteps in causing the crisis, particularly for those who lost their loved ones or have their health severely impaired. Even as the number of confirmed cases in India near the 9,000-mark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May. With inputs from agencies 04/13/2020 Photo (c) traffic_analyzer - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.) Total U.S. confirmed cases: 558,526 (555,313) Total U.S. deaths: 22,146 (22,020) Total global cases: 1,872,073 (1,846,680) Total global deaths: 116,052 (114,090) Smithfield warns of a pork shortage You may have noticed your supermarket meat counter looking a little thin lately. First, it was because of panic buying. Lately, it appears to be a supply issue. South Dakotas largest pork plant, operated by Smithfield, remains closed because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The companys CEO, Ken Sullivan, says thats bad news for both consumers and farmers. We have a stark choice as a nation: we are either going to produce food or not, even in the face of COVID-19, Sullivan said in a statement. It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem ordered the Sioux Falls plant to remain closed after more than 200 employees tested positive for the virus. Hopeful comments from Dr. Fauci Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAD), expressed some hope over the weekend that the coronavirus may be slowing. But on CBS Face the Nation, he warned that the country is still struggling to keep it under control. Fauci also warned that the number of new cases hasnt peaked and that it is likely to get worse before it gets better. He also prepared Americans for the fact that deaths will probably rise as the number of cases falls, calling deaths a lagging indicator. Airlines may sell miles to raise cash The nations airlines have been among the businesses hardest hit by the coronavirus because consumers have abruptly stopped traveling. By some estimates, traffic is down over 90 percent. To raise cash, The Wall Street Journal reports that United and Delta are considering selling future miles to meet todays cash needs. The report says the two airlines are in discussions with JPMorgan Chase and American Express to dump the miles ahead of schedule. If it did, its not clear if it would create bargains for consumers. New York City having a good day New York City, which has seen the worst of the coronavirus illnesses and deaths in the U.S., appears to be on the mend. The citys mayor, Bill de Blasio, says the rate of hospitalizations from the virus has fallen for another day, relieving some of the pressure on health care workers. But the mayor did not let up in his urging of the citys residents to maintain social distancing measures, saying they appear to be helping. De Blasio also said the percentage of people who are testing positive for the virus has declined, along with the number of people in hospital intensive care units. Around the nation President Donald Trump's administration said Monday it would seek new aid for Central America in recognition of efforts to curb emigration, a year after abruptly cutting off assistance. Trump, whose hard line against immigration is one of his signature issues, in March 2019 said he would end all $450 million in assistance El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the three countries in the impoverished, violence-ravaged "Northern Triangle" had worked to address US concerns, with the number of migrants arriving at the US southern border decreasing 76 percent since a peak in May 2019. "To support further progress, additional targeted Department of State and United States Agency for International Development funding will be made available," Pompeo said in a statement. "This funding will support programs to continue our joint efforts to deter illegal immigration to the United States." Pompeo said that money would also back security programs and assist economic development led by the private sector. Pompeo had already said in October that the United States was reopening targeted assistance. His latest statement did not reveal figures but said he had informed Congress of the decision. Critics had questioned the wisdom of cutting off aid to Central America, noting that US assistance aimed to reduce the dire crime and poverty that had led so many migrants to flee. Experts believe the sharp decline in arrivals is largely due to ramped-up enforcement by Mexico, the transit point for virtually all Central American migrants. Facing threats by Trump to impose tariffs that could devastate its economy, Mexico in June agreed to let migrants stay on its soil as the United States processes their asylum claims. Mexico has also deployed its National Guard to deter migrants from crossing, although it has refused to let them seek asylum in Mexico rather than the United States. Advocates for the migrants say that the arrangement violates US international commitments and that the Central Americans often remain at risk in Mexico. The United States apprehended or refused entry to more than 144,000 people on the southern border in May 2019, a number that has steadily gone down, according to the Customs and Border Protection agency. Guatemala in particular has sought to build relations with Trump, including by becoming the only country to follow his lead in moving its embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem. Honduran migrants wait to cross the international border bridge from Ciudad Tecun Uman in Guatemala to Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico in January 2020 NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged more people to get tested for coronavirus as 16 new cases were reported. "It's with a degree of caution that we welcome that low number of new cases," Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday, noting only 1300 tests were conducted on Tuesday. The Premier urged anyone with symptoms in areas where NSW Health had identified cluster outbreaks to get tested. Those areas include Penrith, the inner west, Liverpool, Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra, Blacktown, Cumberland, Westmead, Ryde, Manning and Lake Macquarie. "Last week we peaked on a day at around 4500 tests in a day," Ms Berejiklian said. Germany today saw its smallest rise in coronavirus cases for more than three weeks as the epidemic continues to lose pace. The 2,082 cases added to the tally today are the fewest since March 22 and mark a fourth straight day of decline in new infections. The increase from 123,016 cases to a new total of 125,098 is a jump of only 1.7 per cent, the smallest since the crisis began. However, the daily death toll of 170 is higher than yesterday's 126, bringing the total from 2,799 to 2,969. This graph shows the daily number of cases in Germany, which fell to 2,082 today - the lowest figure since 1,948 were added to the tally on March 22 This chart shows the daily number of deaths in Germany. Today's figure of 170 was up from yesterday's 126 but below Friday's peak of 266 Doctor Mimu Abou Taleb (right) and paramedic Daniel Rowan (left) move a coronavirus tent to a rescue helicopter at an airfield in Giessen, Germany Germany last saw fewer cases on March 22 when 1,948 were added to the tally while the curve was still heading upwards. Cases were spiralling by a regular 15-25 per cent per day at the height of the crisis, but the jump was down to 2.1 per cent yesterday and 1.7 per cent today. The average of 3,696 daily cases in the last week is well below the average of 5,330 in the previous seven days. Bavaria remains the worst-affected state with 33,569 confirmed cases, including more than a quarter of today's new infections. Berlin has seen 4,668 cases and 56 deaths, while Hamburg has also been relatively hard hit. Germany's death rate remains relatively low at 2.4 per cent, meaning that one out of every 42 confirmed patients has died. The low rate is thought to be linked to mass testing, meaning that many people with mild symptoms are counted in official figures but missed in other countries. By contrast, the equivalent rate is 12.8 per cent in Italy, 10.3 per cent in Spain and 12.8 per cent in Britain. Germany's 170 new deaths are higher than the weekend figures of 129 and 126, but still lower than Friday's record high of 266. A team of experts yesterday recommended a gradual lifting of restrictions if infections continue to stabilise at a low level. A woman wearing a mask has her body temperature checked by a health worker in a protective suit after landing at Hahn Airport in Germany yesterday Angela Merkel is due to meet the leaders of Germany's 16 states on Wednesday to discuss the lockdown rules, which are currently due to expire on Sunday. They will draw on advice from the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina which has recommended re-opening primary and middle schools as soon as possible. The Academy, which includes medical researchers and social scientists, said shops and restaurants could re-open with rigorous social distancing measures. Childcare facilities would remain closed under the Academy's scheme, but government offices could re-open. The head of the Academy, Gerald Haug, said people would have to wear masks on public transport to prevent a resurgence in new cases. 'Every citizen should in the future have this type of protection for their mouth and nose and wear it each time social distancing measures can't be respected,' he told Der Spiegel. Over the weekend, Germany's health minister Jens Spahn had already signalled a phased easing of restrictions that may vary by region. He did not specify which sectors in Europe's largest economy could first see loosened restrictions. The economy is projected to contract 9.8 per cent in the second quarter, the biggest decline since records began in 1970. A 9.8 per cent drop would be more than double the decline seen during the global financial crisis in 2009. In this March 8, 2018, file photo wetlands are seen beyond the Shell Norco refinery in Norco, La. The world may be heading into an oversupply of oil, and that possibility is hanging over members of the OPEC cartel, which will meet later this week to decide whether to further cut production to boost prices. Read more Welcome to my first newsletter, an exciting leap forward, but with an element of back to the future. Fifteen years ago, I launched my blog Attytood, back when blogging was the next new thing. A few years ago when I became more of a columnist, I gave up some of what I loved about Attytood: the conversational tone, tidbits that didnt need a full column, occasional rants on pop culture or sports, and more. This newsletter highlights the best of what I do now but stick around until the end for the new doodads (the technical term). First, though, the main event. PS: You can sign up for this newsletter at inquirer.com/bunch. In a mostly black, heavily polluted La. parish, folks are dying as fast as in NYC It was Easter Sunday when I got through on the phone to Robert Taylor, whos 79 and lived all his life in a place called Reserve, Louisiana, that no less an authority than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called one of the most polluted places in America. If this had been a normal Easter, Taylor might have still been in church when I called. But it wasnt a normal Easter, and Taylor didnt mince words when I asked him about his county, St. John the Baptist Parish. Were dying down here, he said bluntly, and it wasnt hyperbole. Back when President Trump was insisting the coronavirus threat in the United States would soon disappear, folks like Taylor were warning the virus would bring death and despair to a town like his. Its dead center in a stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and greater New Orleans lined with so many petrochemical plants that today everyone just calls it Cancer Alley. The dire predictions have come true. Cancer Alleys St. John the Baptist Parish is already one of the deadliest places for COVID-19 in America, with 40 confirmed fatalities (as of Monday) among a population of less than 46,000, and despite the lack of testing 558 confirmed cases. The death rate is almost on a par with New York City. But to the folks who live here, coronavirus isnt a numbers game. Its personal. Taylor knows at least two elderly married couples the Beldens and the Eddingses where both husband and wife succumbed to the virus. And yet in a time when people including journalists are told to stay put the unfolding tragedy in St. John the Baptist Parish has barely dented the national consciousness. We should all be talking about it, though. Communities like Reserve are mostly black, and economically disadvantaged. Theyve been targeted by environmental racism politically powerless to stop the refineries and plastic plants that have enveloped them for decades, or to get action about the all-too-frequent leaks of toxic air pollution. That legacy has left a disproportionate number of folks with respiratory disease or cancer and more likely to die from the coronavirus. For nearly a half century, Taylor and his neighbors in Reserve have breathed poison air from a giant facility long owned by Du Pont, bought by a Japanese firm, Denka making a synthetic plastic called neoprene used in various consumer products. The plant has consistently blasted through recommended safety limits for air pollution from a highly toxic byproduct called chloroprene. In 2015, EPA scientists made an unsurprising finding a census tract next to the plant has the highest cancer rate in the entire United States, some 50 times higher than the national average. In the last couple of years, people like Taylor whos lost close friends to cancer and whose adult daughter suffers from a rare intestinal disease called gastroparesis that he blames on the plant have done something The Establishment didnt count on. Theyve fought back. Taylor and the Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist have marched to close the Denka plant and won over some local politicians. But not only is Denka still churning out plastics but the plant has continued to operate during the pandemic even as the churches and other pillars of daily life in the parish have been closed. Locals are incensed. To continue to combat the coronavirus while still breathing that chemical its inhuman, Taylor told me. On Saturday, he and as many as 70 other activists did the unthinkable in the time of coronavirus: They took it outside at the main parish offices in small, socially distanced groups to demand the Denka plant close for the duration of the crisis. Anything less, theyve argued, is straight-up racism. I agree. The coronavirus is anything but an equal opportunity killer. While the affluent flee to airy vacation homes, folks in Reserve, Louisiana, with their poisoned lungs are sitting ducks. The virus isnt just lethal but an exposer of painful truth: America was tainted by gross inequality, racism, and reckless disregard for our environment long before the pandemic. We can take one small step toward fixing this by closing the Denka plant, not temporarily but for good. The UK has missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE). The EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. Some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EU's procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation. Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said the Government is confident that joining the EU's ventilator schemes 'wouldn't have made any difference to the supply of PPE'. A medical professional in PPE, including gloves, eye protection and a face mask as a precautionary measure against Covid-19, carries a tank as a patient is taken from an ambulance into St Thomas' Hospital in north London Missed opportunities to get more PPE January 31: On the day of Brexit, a UK official attends UK meeting on the emerging virus. Four countries raise the potential need for more PPE - UK is not among them. February 4: UK attends meeting of EU and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials in Luxembourg. February 24: European Commission updates officials on PPE procurement and asks countries to outline their 'exact needs'. The UK was invited but did not attend. February 28: The EU makes its first join procurement of 1.2million of gloves and gowns. The UK is not involved. March 12: The procurement fails because of a shortage of suppliers and is relaunched on March 15, still without UK involvement. March 17: Two more rounds of procurement for masks, goggles and ventilators go forward without the UK March 19. The UK joins the procurement steering committee but does not join a tender sent out to firms the same day for lab supplies. March 23: Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits there have been 'challenges' with PPE supply but was taking the issue 'very seriously'. March 24: No 10 confirms it has not joined EU procurement effort in favour of its own plan. It later claims it did not join because it missed an email invitation. March 25: British officials do not attend a meeting at which countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. March 26: The Government says it has 8,175 ventilators, but asks UK firms to build 30,000 more within weeks. March 29: Two surgeons become the first UK medics to die from coronavirus, putting a spotlight on PPE supplies for the NHS. April 10: Mr Hancock appears to suggest NHS medics are being wasteful of masks and gowns, urging them to 'treat PPE as the precious resource it is'. April 11: Mr Hancock confirms that 19 medics have died from coronavirus, after initially saying it would be 'inappropriate' to reveal the death toll. April 13: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages were and issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. Advertisement Speaking to LBC, Ms Coffey said the UK 'is in a better place now than necessarily we would have been under the EU scheme'. She said: 'The important point is that we have over 700 million pieces of PPE that are being delivered.' On ventilators, Ms Coffey added: 'I think it is fair to say ventilators are being designed at a rapid speed by industry. 'We also have the situation where they have to be tested. The last thing your listeners would want is ventilators that do not work in our wards.' She said: 'We are working at pace and the same is true with testing - we are increasing the capacity, we are increasing it daily. 'But I appreciate we still need to reach that target of 100,000 set by the Government by the end of this month and that's why many laboratories are being opened up so we can reach that target.' But Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised. After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19. However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. The revelations comes as anger grows over PPE shortages in Britain. Yesterday foreign secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages rather than distribution issues only was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: 'We are working round the clock with industry, the NHS, social care providers and the army to ensure the supply of PPE over the coming weeks and months and will give our NHS and the social care sector everything they need to tackle this pandemic including working with countries around the globe.' They added that the department 'will consider participating in future EU joint procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time.' African American's Disproportionately Affected by Virus While NJ and NY Governors Ban or Restrict the Cure? NEWS PROVIDED BY LEARN Northeast April 14, 2020 EAST ORANGE, N.J., April 14, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Rev Dr. Clenard H. Childress Jr.: Rev Dr. Martin L. King said in his sermon, Stride Towards Freedom, "May the problem of race in America soon make hearts burn so that prophets will rise up saying, 'Thus saith the Lord,' and cry out as Amos said, let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." It is said, a crisis reveals the true character of a person and the integrity of a system. The present crisis clearly exposes democrat governor's Andrew Cuomo and Philip Murphy. The callous and inhumane decision to ban or restrict hydroxychloroquine has resulted in great detriment and death to African Americans and Latino's. All African Americans and all Latino's should be asking the question why would our governors ban in Cuomo's case or restrict in Murphy's case the FDA approved drug that has proven to help so many people? Why aren't black and latino clergy, NAACP and National Action Network publicly demanding this clearly racist policy to desist? Why would any governor do such a thing? Why would anyone be silent on such a bigoted response to such a critical crisis? The voices of "prophets" as well as all humanitarians should call these leaders out for their self-serving bigoted acts and demand an apology along with "reparations" for every person denied treatment. The use of hydroxychloroquine has brought about miraculous results, the testimonies abound yet these governors knowing the demographic the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting, choose to ban or restrict its use. This decision is criminal, and both should be held accountable by the families directly affected! President Donald Trump not only has approved its use but has encouraged ravished cities to employ its use in the sake of saving lives. President Trump has repeatedly exhorted the use and Dr. Mehmet OZ, the famous TV doctor, stated in an interview with Sean Hannity that "the success of hydroxychloroquine is no longer anecdotal but now proven to effective" and can't explain why a governor would ban it? Dr. Vladimir Zelenko from New York state also posted a video explaining his success with hydroxychloroquine and Zinc. His treatment resulted in the shortness of breath issue being resolved in 4 to 6 hours. Dr. Zelenko in his study had zero deaths, zero hospitalizations and zero intubations! The preliminary death rate for Hispanic people in New York City city is about 22 people per 100,000; the rate for black people is 20 per 100,000; the rate for white people is 10 per 100,000; and the rate for Asian people is 8 per 100,000. Black people represent 28 percent of deaths but make up 22 percent of the population. In New York City, Latinos represent 34 percent of the people who have died of the coronavirus but make up 29 percent of the city's population. "In New Jersey, African Americans make up 15% of the population but 24% of the deaths" Murphy said, "communities of color are sadly more disproportionately represented in the fatalities. "In peacetime, in normal times, you've got certain communities that are invariably left behind, and invariably they're communities of color." So the fact that African American's are invariably left behind means its ok to keep them behind and keep them from medicinal cures that would save their lives? Despicable! In the state of Michigan, African American Representative Karen Whitsett, a Democrat representing Detroit, thanked President Trump for touting hydroxychloroquine as treatment for the Chinese coronavirus and for saving her life. I looked on her facebook page and saw she has taken pictures with Corey Booker, Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Ms. Karen Whitsett would be considered partisan but apparently objective in praising the President. Crisis brings out the best in us. Interesting she didn't thank her Governor or Mayor but President Donald Trump for his insistence to use hydroxychloroquine to save lives in the cities which are predominantly African American. Democrats are fighting to not use hydroxychloroquine that would save "Black Lives That Matter" and the Republican President is fighting to use hydroxychloroquine that has proven to save "Black Lives That Matter," It's clear and the crisis shows who the racist are. African Americans, when are you going to wake the heaven up? SOURCE LEARN Northeast CONTACT: Rev Dr. Clenard H. Childress Jr., 201-704-9325 Share Tweet Big number: $244, the approximate amount the average Toronto residential tax bill would need to increase each month for every month the COVID-19 response continues, to cover city halls financial hit Its hard to attach a price tag to a pandemic, but, well, Toronto has one. The COVID-19 outbreak and response is costing city hall a whopping $65 million each and every week. Thats a scary number. According to an internal document, its a mixture of lost revenue and increased spending. It includes $23.5 million in forgone weekly TTC fares, plus $3.9 million in revenue from parking fees, that just isnt going to materialize when Torontonians have nowhere to go. Overtime costs and increased spending on child care, shelters and cleaning add to the pile on the expenditure side. A slowdown in the number of real estate sales is also taking a chunk out of Torontos land transfer tax haul. And unlike other levels of government, Toronto is not allowed to dip into debt to balance its operating budget, and isnt allowed to access many taxes, tolls and fees. There are enough surplus and reserve funds to offset these costs until June 1, but after that, city hall will be in the red. These costs will need to be addressed and soon. To put $65 million into context, its about equivalent to the annual revenue raised by a two per cent residential property tax increase. That kind of tax hike would cost the average Toronto homeowner an extra $61 on their property tax bill for every week this pandemic situation continues. Hold onto your wallets: thats $244 a month. OK, but what if they were to spread the pain around a bit, and address the TTCs revenue shortfall with a fare increase? The TTCs recent 10-cent fare increase is projected to raise $31.4 million, so covering a weekly loss of $23.5 million would mean a fare hike of about seven cents for every week this lasts. Trying to balance things by cutting expenditures doesnt work any better. Cutting the Toronto Public Librarys entire $195 million funding envelope would deal with less than a months worth of pandemic cost, for example. And dont give me any guff about a gravy train. Youd need to eliminate the salary and office budget of every member of Toronto council for at least 35 years to address the fiscal impact of 12 weeks of COVID-19 response. Im not doing this math to suggest the city will immediately pursue these kinds of remedies, but because its important to understand the scale of the problem. Toronto is going to need an unprecedented financial bailout from the provincial and federal governments. Its a good idea to lay the groundwork for this bailout now, because history suggests Queens Park and Ottawa will not necessarily be super-eager to come running with enough cash to fully repair the fiscal carnage. The last several decades of intergovernmental relations show a tendency to instead scapegoat and dump on municipal governments especially in Toronto. And this citys finances were already not in awesome shape. The 2020 budget, approved by Toronto council in February, saw some increased long-term stability thanks to Mayor John Torys introduction of an additional 1.5 per cent property tax increase, but the City was still short billions needed to execute council-approved housing and transit plans. Tory had been working to convince Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford to contribute to these costs. Now hell be asking for even more cash. He should be careful not to accept any half-measures. A temporary change to regulations to allow Toronto to run an operating budget deficit might be part of the solution, but it must be accompanied with a whole lot of funding. Tory should also be prepared to embrace more property tax increases to make up some of the difference. While the scale of this challenge is too big to be addressed by Toronto alone, there remains a great deal of wealth in this city. Asking homeowners who can afford to pay more to speed along the recovery makes sense. Theres danger in a scenario where Ford and Trudeau do just enough for Toronto to survive through the 2021 budget process, while city hall refuses to budge on property taxes. Doing that would likely result in years of financial pain, with perpetually cash-strapped budgets that some politicians will inevitably try to paper over with service cuts and increases to TTC fares and other fees. More austerity in a city thats experienced far too much austerity already. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has dispatched health teams to far-flung provinces to confront the coronavirus. In Mexico, drug cartels are offering aid packages to those feeling its economic impact. In Brazil and El Salvador, gangs enforce curfews to prevent its spread. As governments around the world have responded to the coronavirus, so too have armed insurgents and terrorist groups and drug cartels and gangs, a parallel underworld of public health policy and strategic messaging. It is hardly the first time such groups have attempted to fill the role of government. But few crises in modern times have tested the limits of the world's nation-states as the coronavirus has, providing an opening for armed groups to step in where presidents, police forces and parliaments have failed. Some groups have attempted to weave governments' failures to control the virus into their own propaganda narratives. In Somalia, al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab fighters say the pandemic was spread "by the crusader forces who have invaded the country." The Islamic State has told followers to prepare to exploit their enemies while they are overwhelmed by outbreaks. In Yemen, Houthi rebels have accused Saudi Arabia of airdropping masks infected with covid-19. In eastern Afghanistan, where the Afghan government and the Taliban have clashed for nearly two decades, the rivalry over which group has a more effective health policy is now on full display. Esmatullah Asim, a provincial council member from Wardak province, watched the arrival of Taliban forces in medical gear this month and was impressed. Asim said the government quarantines only those who show symptoms at the border, but the Taliban quarantines every person who has returned recently from Iran. "The Taliban quarantine is much better than the government," he said. The group also raises awareness about the virus in the territory it controls, he said. "They stop the vehicles, telling the passengers how to prevent the spread of the virus." Even the U.S. State Department conveyed kudos. "We join the Afghan Ministry of Public Health in welcoming the Taliban's efforts to raise awareness against #COVID19 and their offer of safe passage to health workers & international organizations working to prevent the spread of the virus," the department wrote in a tweet. Analysts who study the organizational structure of armed groups are now cataloguing dozens of instances of rebels and bandits making forays into public health policy. "In some cases, the government just isn't coming to help, so this is a chance for nonstate armed groups to appear to be the responsible, accountable actor," said Sarah Parkinson, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at Johns Hopkins University. "In other cases, it's concern for their own members. And in others, it's an attempt to use a piece of evidence in their own propaganda war." Some governments have acknowledged that armed groups could exploit their weaknesses after the virus fades, seizing on the aftermath of economic dislocation. The mayor of the Italian city of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, warned this month that "a den of Mafia jackals" is poised "to exploit the desperation of the new poor from coronavirus." Other Italian officials have suggested that the mafia could provide its own loans or cash handouts to undermine the government. In Mexico, at least two drug cartels have begun providing aid packages to residents in places partially controlled by armed groups. In Michoacan, a video emerged last week of the Los Viagras cartel handing out plastic bags of food to hundreds of people. In Tamaulipas, a Mexican state that borders southern Texas, photos circulated of boxes full of sugar, oil and other staples distributed in large piles. On the top of each box was plastered the name of the donor: "Gulf Cartel," they said, "in support of Ciudad Victoria," the state capital. Falko Ernst, an analyst with the International Crisis Group in Mexico, said there was an "obvious tension" in the effort. "These groups are trying to be seen as catering materially and providing a notion of security in places where they are also directly preying on the population through extortion and kidnapping and violence," he said. "But in a lot of places, these groups are the least bad solution for populations that don't have anywhere else to turn." In Brazil's favelas, the messages come through WhatsApp. "Whoever is caught on the street will learn how to respect the measure," one gang warned a Rio de Janeiro slum. "We want the best for the population. If the government is unable to manage, organized crime resolves." Last month, as the Salvadoran government was enforcing one of Latin America's earliest and most stringent lockdowns, leaders of MS-13 decided that they would institute their own curfew. It was a rare overlap of policy between the gang and the government, which have fought each other for years. But it also reflected a reality in much of El Salvador: The police have limited access in neighborhoods under criminal control, and in those places, only a gang-enforced curfew would be observed. MS-13 explained its reasoning to the San Salvador newspaper El Faro: The policy was about protecting its own members, who probably wouldn't have access to medical treatment if they were infected. "If there are no respirators left and one of us is gravely ill, all tattooed, and an old woman appears who is in serious condition, they are going to disconnect the gang member and they are going to let him die," one member said. A similar overlap in policy has occurred in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has dispatched teams that distribute gloves, soap and masks in areas under its control. But while the insurgents and the government agree on the need to combat the virus, they continue to fight each other. "We can't completely stop our attacks," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. He blamed the government for "compelling" them. Advocacy groups have encouraged more coordination between the Taliban and the Afghan government to tackle the coronavirus. Human Rights Watch proposed videoconferences with "representatives from the Public Health Ministry, the Taliban's health commission, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and key international humanitarian agencies." In many countries, police have been redeployed from rural to urban areas, giving criminal groups more room to operate with impunity - and to enforce their own health policy as the pandemic spreads. In some cases, "criminal groups will play the role of enforcer with full agreement and even at the request of the state," wrote Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution. "Such deals in which governments outsource the rule of urban and rural peripheries to criminal groups long preceded covid-19." Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the militant group that dominates Syria's northern Idlib province, has used the virus to burnish its credentials as a legitimate governing body, issuing orders restricting gatherings and distributing health information to the public. No cases have been reported in the province. Public health officials and aid workers say the spread of the virus in the crowded refugee camps of Idlib, among a population with little access to health care, would be calamitous. "The large number of our people gathered in a small geographic space, and the monumental population density in the camps, forecasts disastrous results if the epidemic spreads," said Ayman Jibis, the health minister for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-created Salvation Government. - - - Sieff reported from Mexico City. George reported from London. Fahim reported from Istanbul. The Washington Post's Sharif Hassan in Kabul; Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan; and Sarah Dadouch in Beirut contributed to this report. [April 14, 2020] AssistRx Debuts New Website following Record Growth and Enterprise Expansion ORLANDO, Fla., April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AssistRx , the intelligent therapy initiation and patient support solutions provider, today announced the launch of a new website to reflect the organizations exponential growth, added services to its enterprise solution and expanded value proposition to the specialty pharmaceutical market. The new website is part of an updated brand position implemented to encapsulate the 10-year-old companys expanded value to enable its customer to increase patient uptake, gain therapy visibility and improve outcomes. AssistRx has helped more than 52,000 providers better serve their patients, while also helping more than 500,000 patients and their families get the patient started on and stay adherent to life-saving medications. Last year, AssistRx managed more than 100 programs for 45 pharmaceutical clients, including seven out of the 10 largest U.S. biotech companies. The new website addresses the unique needs of each segment of the specialty pharmaceutical industry AssistRx serves, including life sciences organizations, healthcare providers, specialty pharmacies and patient support providers. It also details the organizations key service offerings, including patient access and clinical support services, non-commercial specialty pharmacy services, directve analytics and e-support servicessuch as e-benefit verification, e-prior authorizations, e-prescribing and morethat are integrated into the iAssist specialty therapy initiation platform, branded engagement sites and customers brand websites. In the past two years, AssistRx has experienced explosive growth, bringing the company from 170 employees in one location in south Orlando to more than 500 employees in five locations across the country, including a non-commercial specialty pharmacy in Overland Park, Kansas, newly opened technology-focused locations in Des Moines, Iowa and downtown Orlando, an alternative model cash pharmacy at a third Orlando location, and a national network of more than 225 field nurses across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Our growth is due to our investment in technology and talent solutions that holistically address the evolving needs of our life sciences partners. With all the changes our organization has experienced, it was time we changed our branding to reflect our new positioning in the market, said Edward Hensley, co-founder and chief commercial officer. I am proud to share our enterprise solution valueto leverage an intentional integration of technology and therapy expertise to deliver informed touchpoints, simplifying a complex system to enable better results for todays patientsand the contributions our people make to transform lives through access to therapy. To view the website, and for more information about AssistRx, visit www.assistrx.com About AssistRx AssistRx has engineered the perfect blend of technology and talent to provide manufacturers with an intelligent therapy initiation and patient support solution to improve patient uptake, visibility and outcomes. Our solution integrates technology and therapy expertise to advance patient therapy in a more efficient and effective mannerdelivering informed touchpoints that simplify a complex system to enable better results for todays patients. For more information, visit www.assistrx.com . Media Contact Stacey Little VP, Business Development and Marketing [email protected] 214.471.0652 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Iceland has not seen any volcano erupt during the past 800 years. It suddenly discovers a change in the scenario with the resumption of volcanic activity heralded by umpteen earthquakes. This is an example of how little we know about this world of ours. The volcanoes are in the Reykjanes peninsula located near Reykjavik, the capital. There have been thousands of quakes since 21 January with corresponding land uplift to the extent of about 4 inches (10cm). The Guardian quotes a volcanologist at Lancaster University saying - It seems that after being relatively inactive for many centuries, this region is waking up. Scientists caution that the region would continue to feel the effects for centuries to come. Some areas of the world are prone to volcanoes and those who live in such areas seek out safe shelters during the eruptions. However, the volcanoes in the Reykjanes peninsula of Iceland are in a unique category. The Guardian describes the area. The recent quakes happened near the town of Grindavik. This is the place known as the Blue Lagoon, which is a popular tourist destination. Icelands international airport is not too far away. The region witnessed volcanic eruptions about 800 years ago. There have been a few recent eruptions but they were in the interior. There are five volcanic systems in the area and these become active every 1,000 years. This is a freak of nature and the people of Iceland have to live with it. History of volcanic activity in Iceland The nature of volcanic activity on the peninsula is different from typical Icelandic volcanoes. The former began in the 10th century and continued until the 13th. It seems the eruptions between 1210 and 1240 covered about 19.3 square miles (50 sq km) of land in lava. Winds carried volcanic rock fragments and particles to distant places and endangered the local livestock. Discuss this news on Eunomia However, typical Icelandic volcanoes remain active for a few years and subsequently die down. In the opinion of the Iceland GeoSurvey, similar eruptions today could damage the runways at Keflavik airport with a thick deposit of ash. That would affect flights. The Guardian also cautions about possible damages to other infrastructure. It quotes an official of the Icelandic Meteorological Office saying - The worst-case scenario is if lava flows towards the town of Grindavik. It could damage the geothermal power plant that provides hot and cold water. In short, residents of the Reykjanes peninsula would have to be on guard against the volcanic activity that could spread over generations. Volcanoes in Iceland disrupt travel to Europe According to Daily Mail UK, Iceland has witnessed the results of the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010. The clouds of ash-covered extensive areas of Europe and led to a major upset in global Travel. The international airport Keflavik is not too far away from the volcanic hotspot and the eruptions could give ruse to large-scale disruption in the international travel of the country. The majority of incoming and outgoing flights use the Keflavik route. Moreover, it is the airport used by many flights between Europe and the U.S. as either a halt or a changeover. The Guardian quotes, Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Lancaster University as saying: Wind direction during times of ash production is critical anything with a slight northerly aspect is going to cause problems for the international airport and the metropolitan area of Reykjavik. The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 lasted for about three months. In case the Reykjanes peninsula comes alive again, the extent of miseries would be unpredictable. Tourism in Iceland Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and a popular tourist destination. The Blue Lagoon some distance from the capital is a paradise for those who want to let down their hair. Incidentally, Global warming is giving rise to a state of instability in the ice-bound regions like the Arctic. The rise in temperatures from greenhouse gases is melting the glaciers and raising the sea levels. Iceland lost the Okjokull Glacier due to this factor. It is an example of things to come if global warming is not arrested. Sir, Kindly allow me space in the newspaper to spread awareness among livestock farmers about our most essential and transparent services offered by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Veterinary Department, through the Swaziland Livestock Identification and Traceability System (SLITS). SLITS is known as a system of livestock identification and traceability integrated within an animal health information system. Its focus is centred on making sure that each individual animal in Eswatini is traceable for life. In this system animals are identified using two types of identifiers. The first being brand marks and this identify the animal to the country and to a group with the shield as a country mark on the left foreleg and the dip-tank number as a group mark on the left hind leg. All individual animals are branded as early as six months of age. Designed The second identifier, the ear tags, is designed for individual animal identification. Ear tags are applied by veterinary officials at dip tank level using approved applicators. Ear tags are applied on both ears of an animal. The one attached to the left ear is called the primary ear tag (leaflet like) and the one on the right ear is called the secondary ear tag (button like). They all have the same numbers. All individual animals are tagged as early as four weeks. These identification systems are compulsory to all farmers or kraal owners and they are guided by the Livestock Identification Act of 2001 as amended together with the SLITS Regulations of 2013. Track There is a computer system developed to track all the registration of dip tanks, kraals and kraal owners, tagged animals, ear tag management and distribution as well as all animal movement from one dip tank area to another. Animal health information is also tracked as well as brands. Every farmer should be aware of the benefits of this system which has yielded good results since it was implemented. The system has benefited farmers by improving access to livestock markets, assisting in recovering lost and stolen animals, assisting in reducing stock theft within and across the borders of the country, assisting in disputes over animal ownership among farmers and assisting in production management. It has also played a vital role in assisting government in the containment of diseases during outbreaks as well as improving the efficiency of government controlled movement permits. Farmers are urged to be part and parcel of the system by contributing positively as they are one of the stakeholders; they should report all cases they come across concerning livestock. It should be the responsibility of the kraal owner to ensure that all animals in his/her kraal are registered in a stock card with help from veterinary officials. Farmers should be aware of all conditions written in stock removal permits to avoid confusion. Farmers should be aware of the requirements of veterinary legislation. Farmers should report all incidences as early as possible to their nearest veterinary office before it causes havoc. Thabo Dube Lomahasha Vet A pregnant woman was airlifted from Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti district to a Shimla hospital for treatment on Tuesday, an official spokesperson said. Tenzin Khachit (29) was taken to Kamla Nehru Hospital in Shimla from the Kaza subdivision of Lahaul Spiti district. A resident of Pangmo village, she was initially rushed to a Kaza hospital after her condition suddenly deteriorated on April 13. When her health did not improve, the hospital administration decided to refer her to the Shimla hospital. The Kaza hospital administration informed Additional District Magistrate Gyan Sagar Negi, who contacted Agriculture Minister Dr Ram Lal Markanda for arranging a helicopter facility after which the woman was taken to the Shimla hospital, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian restaurants struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic are signing up to provide free meals for exhausted health workers on the front line. The service has emerged as COVID-19 shuts down the nation and the economy, with thousands of restaurants forced to close their doors to patrons. Food blogger Nagi Maehashi set up 'Shout a meal for healthcare heroes' in early April with the aim of raising $210,000 to fund meals by qualified chefs and other professional food production companies, such as bakeries and catering companies. Struggling restaurants have signed up to provide free food to Sydney healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Staff receiving food at Westmead Hospital Food blogger Nagi Maehashi set up the 'Shout a meal for healthcare heroes' fundraiser in April where donations go towards paying for the restaurant meals and staff provisions (pictured) The goal is, 'to provide delicious, nourishing food to our frontline healthcare workers in Sydney, and support local businesses struggling to stay afloat', Ms Maehashi said. 'With their focus on patients and the long hours they're working, too many healthcare workers are literally too exhausted to cook, and those who try are faced with empty supermarket shelves by the time their shift finishes,' she said on her GoFundMe page. 'Meals are pre-approved by hospitals for food safety and handling requirements.' A week after setting up the service, donors had contributed almost $32,000, with the first batch of meals and snacks sent to workers at Sydney hospitals such as Westmead, RPA and Canterbury. The free meals and snacks will be on offer to all Sydney hospitals with COVID-19 clinics and wards, on an as-available basis and within each hospitals' constraints and policies. Speaking from her home on the northern beaches, the RecipeTinEats blogger said her fundraiser emerged as hospitals became overwhelmed by people offering home-cooked meals they just couldn't accept because of health regulations. 'I was crying every night after talking to doctors and nurses on the front line who had to move out of their homes to protect their families and were surviving on fast foods and tins of soup,' she said. Over $32,000 has been raised to provide the free meals (pictured) to medical staff 'I was talking to hospitals who didn't want to hurt people's feelings by turning away food, so I read up and looked at what was happening around the world and came up with this idea.' Among the restaurants and producers already on board are Baptiste and Wilson, and Bowan Island Bakery, while renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi is supplying meals. Others, including the Prince of York in Sydney's CBD and other eateries in Balmain, are also going through the rigorous health controls to ensure safety in supply. 'All businesses providing the meals or any other food will be required to meet mandatory Australian food safety standards (HACCP and Food Safety Supervisors) as well the higher sanitisation standards plus social distancing requirements required in today's COVID-19 environment'' Ms Maehashi said. 'In addition, the acceptance of food is being vetted by appropriate authorities at each hospital, including an approval process for each food provider.' While she admits the $210,000 goal is 'ambitious' she said 'it's still a goal'. Ms Maehashi says her next move is to approach companies for further support, as she aims to increase the number of meals from 150 this week to 500 a day. There were 71 reported tornadoes in 9 states from Texas to North Carolina in the last 48 hours. A preliminary report from Jackson, Mississippi indicates that the strongest tornado that hit yesterday was an EF-4 with winds up to 170 mph from Bassfield to Pachuta, Mississippi, and this tornado was on the ground for at least 63 miles. PHOTO: There were 71 reported tornadoes in 9 states from Texas to North Carolina in the last 48 hours. (ABC News) In the Northeast, however, the highest wind gust was in Ocean County, New Jersey, at 82 mph. There was lots of damage reported with trees and power lines downed with damage to homes also reported. Winds gusted to 80 mph in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, and 76 mph in Long Island, New York. JFK Airport in New York City even gusted to 53 mph. At least 33 people died from this severe weather outbreak. This morning, there are still more than a half a million people without power in 16 states from the Gulf Coast to New England. Now, as the storm system clears the Northeast, the cold front will linger in the Southeast bringing severe weather to Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida, and to southern Georgia. This is where damaging winds and large hail will be the biggest threat. PHOTO: As the storm system clears the Northeast, the cold front will linger in Southeast bringing severe weather to Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida, and to southern Georgia. This is where damaging winds and large hail will be the biggest threat. (ABC News) Behind this deadly storm system, it feels like winter for millions of people from the Rockies to the Midwest and the South. Numerous states from the Plains to the South are under Freeze Alerts as temperatures dip well below freezing. Take a look at the current wind chills this morning. PHOTO: Some of that cold air will move into the Northeast over the next few days with overnight lows dropping in to the 30s even for New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. (ABC News) Some of that cold air will move into the Northeast over the next few days with overnight lows dropping in to the 30s even for New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. Severe weather lingers in Southeast as cold blast moves East originally appeared on abcnews.go.com CIA employees have been warned that Donald Trumps favoured anti-malaria coronavirus treatment drug could potentially have life-threatening side effects, including sudden death, according to a report by The Washington Post. Mr Trump has frequently recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine, a drug which is used in the treatment of malaria, in attempting to combat Covid-19 during his press briefings on a number of occasions. However, in late March, the CIA workforce were warned against the drug on a website for CIA employees with questions related to the spread of coronavirus, according to The Post. At this point, the drug is not recommended to be used by patients except by medical professionals prescribing it as part of ongoing investigational studies, the advice read, according to the report. There are potentially significant side effects, including sudden cardiac death, associated with hydroxychloroquine and its individual use in patients need to be carefully selected and monitored by a health care professional. The memo, which was posted in response to an employees enquiry as to whether they should take the drug without a prescription finished in bold type: Please do not obtain this medication on your own, the newspaper said. The CIA declined to comment on internal workforce communications when contacted by The Post. Trumps endorsement of the proposal to use the anti-malaria drug has proved highly controversial over the last month. In late March Mr Trump hailed the combination of hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic known as azithromycin as a possible way out for the US against coronavirus. The number of cases in the US of the disease surpassed 580,000 as of Tuesday. The country now has the most confirmed cases of the disease in the world. I want them to try it, and it may work and it may not work. But if it doesnt work, there is nothing lost by doing it, the president said earlier this month. What do you have to lose? However, medical experts continue to insist there is no concrete scientific evidence of the drugs effectiveness or safety when used against coronavirus. The evidence that youre talking about is anecdotal evidence, said Dr Anthony Fauci, the nations top diseases expert, in March, when asked if it was considered a treatment for Covid-19. The basis for the belief in the drug comes from a small initial study in France which has been treated with scepticism. There could be deaths. This is a new virus, and so we should not be promoting any medication or drug for any disease that has not been proven and approved by the FDA, American Medical Association president Dr Patrice Harris said in an interview with CNN. Results from trials of the drug by the US Food and Drug Administration will not conclude for at least a month. The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Midland will host a free live webinar, "Humility that 'overcomes the world,'" by practitioner of Christian Science healing and international speaker, Mark McCurties. The talk, open to the community, will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 30. It will focus on universal healing precepts found in the Holy Bible, especially in Christ Jesus' life and teachings, showing how they are available for anyone to understand and experience through the lens of Christian Science. "A central theme of Christ Jesus' ministry was to teach and show that the power of God's love can help us overcome the various injustices in the world," McCurties said. "Yet, for all the remarkable healing work that Jesus did, he always gave the credit to God. Examining Jesus' example, we will define true humility, how it links us to God, and with God's healing laws. There is great need for healing in the world today; living with more Christ-like humility can help us to meet that demand." Sharing examples of healing from his own life and professional practice of Christian Science, McCurties will explain why Christian Science is both Christian and scientific, meaning people can prove its effectiveness for themselves. The practice is fully described in the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, written by the founder of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy. McCurties will also touch on the life of Mary Baker Eddy who came to understand, confirm, and teach what she felt was original Christian healing. Eddy herself said she was especially inspired by Jesus' demand, "He that believes on me, the works that I do will he do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go unto my Father" (from the Gospel of John 14:12 in the Bible). For over 150 years, people around the world have also worked to follow Christ Jesus in this practice of Christianity and continue to do so today, with healings of physical ills and personal difficulties. Attendees can join via phone (audio only) by calling either + 1 929-205-6099 or +1 312-626-6799 and entering the meeting ID 118431045 followed by the pound sign. The webinar can also be accessed through Zoom at Join.zoom.us and enter the meeting ID, 118431045. McCurties has been a Christian Science practitioner for many years, daily helping people through this scientific approach to prayer. He travels from his home base in Michigan to speak to audiences around the world as a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. -- Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net A male was shot to death Monday afternoon while apparently driving along a Birmingham roadway. The shooting happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. in the 4800 block of Messer Airport Highway. South Precinct Capt. Raymond Cochran said the victim is a black male but his identity has not yet been confirmed. He is believed to be 26 years old. Birmingham police South Precinct officer and fire medics responded to the scene and found the victim unresponsive in a dark Honda Accord. The car had crashed into a business, but the business was not open at the time and the car did not penetrate the outer wall. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said officers were alerted to the scene by Shot Spotter, the citys gunfire detection system. Evidence technicians marked at least 20 shell casings just yards from where the victims vehicle came to a rest. Mauldin said they dont yet have a motive in the slaying. They have, however, obtained information that a white Chevrolet Impala with black tinted windows was spotted leaving the scene. Detectives spent a considerable amount of time inside several nearby businesses, presumably obtaining surveillance camera footage from those businesses. Dozens of onlookers gathered at Mondays scene, including the victims grandmother and his girlfriend. Both were visibly and audibly upset. The mans death is Birminghams 29th homicide in 2020. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 48 slayings, including the 29 in Birmingham. Mauldin said police are asking for the publics help in solving this case. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. COLUMBUS, Ga., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac Incorporated, a leader in supplemental insurance at U.S. worksites, today announced it has contributed $5 million to two organizations that are providing assistance for health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The $5 million donation includes: $2 million for the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), a comprehensive innovation center using innovative 3D printing to help support medical device shortages, particularly as it relates to ventilators and protective masks. GCMI works in collaboration with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center. $3 million for Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medical items to health workers responding to the coronavirus. Direct Relief is active in all 50 states. "Whether you have been directly impacted or are witnessing the global pandemic through the media, one thing is very clear: Americans are coming together to address this problem in ways we have not seen in a very long time," Aflac Incorporated Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "At Aflac, our mission is to be there for our policyholders in their time of need and provide value for our shareholders. In our minds, there is no better way to accomplish both of these goals than to help fill significant needs in a crisis and by delivering for our customers with more urgency than ever before." "Direct Relief is deeply grateful to Aflac for its generosity and significant commitment in this challenging time," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief president and CEO. "As cases continue to grow, private industry has an extraordinary ability to collaborate for the public good, and Aflac is leading through its actions." "GCMI is the bridge connecting clinicians to help translate ideas through development and scaling solutions rapidly, where it can have broad impact on healthcare worker safety and patient care," GCMI's CEO, Tiffany Wilson said. "This funding helps get the relief needed to the frontline by accelerating innovation and collaboration." "The Global Center for Medical Innovation and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center are at the foundation of our collaborative, nationwide effort to provide an innovative solution to the PPE shortage crisis," said Dr. Joanna Newton MD, M.Sc., attending physician, pediatric hematology and oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; senior clinical advisor, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center. "This generous gift from Aflac allows us to rapidly scale production to immediately increase the supply of PPE across the country." In addition to the $5 million in donations, Aflac has addressed the needs of a variety of groups through other measures, including policyholders, employees, 1099 independent agents who sell Aflac products, and the local communities where Aflac and Aflac Group Insurance are headquartered. Support for policyholders Aflac is encouraging policyholders who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms to seek treatment and is paying wellness benefits on applicable policies for COVID-19 tests, when completed claims are submitted. Additionally, the company's hospital indemnity plans offer benefits for policyholders treated in temporary facilities authorized by a qualifying hospital for treatment, when a charge is incurred. Policyholders who are unable to pay their premiums have been granted premium payment grace periods. The company is generally treating telemedicine visits the same way it would an in-person visit to a health care provider. To communicate these initiatives, Aflac created a COVID-19-related consumer Frequently Asked Questions site at Aflac.com to provide speedy responses to policyholders' questions about their policies. The company also created a special COVID-19-related small-business microsite to assist employers during this time of need. Policyholders can also take advantage of enhanced technologies for submitting claims by using Aflac SmartClaim via our online system at www.aflac.com or by downloading the MyAflac Mobile App. Support for Aflac employees In mid-February, Aflac enacted travel restrictions and initiated a work-from-home program. Currently, approximately 98% of its U.S. workforce is working from their homes. Also, in March, the company announced its plan to amend employee benefits to address COVID-19 concerns, including providing up to an additional 30 days of pandemic leave for employees who experience symptoms consistent with, or who are diagnosed with, COVID-19. This leave can also be used for those with day care and other challenges associated with ripple effects of the virus. All Aflac employees and their dependents who are covered under the company-sponsored major medical policy will receive a waiver of their copays when using telemedicine to receive a consultation for symptoms related to COVID-19. The company is covering 100% of the costs for COVID-19 tests. Aflac also pays for certain important supplemental benefits for its employees that contain hospitalization benefits and a once-per-year annual wellness benefit when seeking medical treatment. Aflac is encouraging all employees to take advantage of this benefit. Support for 1099 independent agents licensed to sell Aflac products During this difficult time, Aflac is providing no-interest loans within IRS guidelines to support 1099 independent sales agents licensed to sell Aflac products. The company has also converted sales incentive awards, including annual meetings, into cash awards for agents who qualify. Support for communities In addition to the $5 million contribution, Aflac provided donations to local organizations, including $100,000 to the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley in Columbus, Georgia, working in conjunction with the United Way of Chattahoochee Valley, to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. The company made a $50,000 contribution to the United Way of the Midlands COVID-19 Response Fund in Columbia, South Carolina, for their efforts to combat the coronavirus. "These unprecedented times are when Aflac shines, because we are truly a company that cares about our customers, shareholders, employees and communities. We will get through this crisis together with a renewed spirit of strength and community across the nation," said Aflac U.S. President Teresa L. White. About Aflac Incorporated Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is a Fortune 500 company, helping provide protection to more than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer by paying cash fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan where it insures 1 in 4 households. For 14 consecutive years, Aflac Incorporated has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2020, Fortune included Aflac Incorporated on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 19th time, and Bloomberg added Aflac Incorporated to its Gender-Equality Index, which tracks the financial performance of public companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation and transparency. To find out how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn't cover, get to know us at aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol. About Global Center for Medical Innovation The Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) is the Southeast's first and only comprehensive medical device innovation center, dedicated to accelerating development, building businesses and improving health. GCMI opened its doors in April 2012 and to date has worked with over 50 different startups, clinician innovators, university tech transfer offices and academic researchers to design, engineer, prototype and facilitate commercialization of a broad range of innovative medical devices. About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology The Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center is part of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The center facilitates collaboration between Children's Healthcare of Atlanta clinicians, doctors, and researchers conducting fundamental and translational research to advance children's health and delivery of pediatric services in a broad range of research areas. About Direct Relief A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in needwithout regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org. Aflac | Aflac NY | WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999. Media contact Aflac - Jon A. Sullivan, 706-763-4813 or [email protected] Analyst and investor contact David A. Young, 706-596-3264, 800-235-2667 or [email protected] SOURCE Aflac Related Links http://www.aflac.com Judge Seamus Hughes has hit out at people who think it's funny or appropriate to cough, sneeze or spit in the faces of gardai during this Covid-19 pandemic following the appearance of a man who did exactly that at a party in Athlone last night. Jozef Gabor of 55 Castlehill, Castlerea, Roscommon appeared at Longford District Court this morning charged with the assault of Garda Jonathan Noone. He and another man, Roland Klempar of 73 Abbeyville, Galway Road, Roscommon, who was charged with being abusive towards gardai, were remanded in custody due to the serious nature of the incident. Both men travelled from Roscommon a number of days ago to the home of Mr Gabors father at Sli na Choiste, Athlone, Westmeath. Prosecuting garda, Sgt Sandra Keane, explained to the court that on Easter Monday at approximately 11.10pm, gardai were called to the scene of a loud party and, on arriving at the property, spoke to the tenant who invited them in. Gardai found there were seven intoxicated males and two children in the house. Gardai advised them of the social distancing restrictions and Mr Gabor became abusive towards Gda Jonathan Noone, shouting wheres my two metres? Mr Gabor then sneezed in an exaggerated manner towards Gda Noones face while standing less than a metre away from him, and shouted theres your coronavirus, Sgt Keane explained. The Director of Public Prosecution is currently preparing a file and there could be further charges pending, the court heard. There has been so much publicity around gardai disbanding groups of youths and a huge public horror that any young person would do something like this at a time like this, said Judge Seamus Hughes in Longford District Court this morning. The country has been brought to its knees by this pandemic and this fella is out having a good time. Gardai are first responders and they did their job well. When Mr Gabor stood up to give his own version of events, Judge Hughes insisted that he stand further away. In fact, he should be standing down the back, surrounded by gardai wearing Personal Protective Gear; he has said he has Covid, he said. Addressing Judge Hughes, an apologetic Mr Gabor said that he does not have Covid-19 and explained that his father is ill with rheumatic fever and that he and his brother-in-law travelled to Athlone to see him. Hes denied he has Covid-19. We dont know whether he has or not. We all take precautions of social distancing to avoid getting it. He might have it. Im not very happy with him being present in this building, said Judge Hughes. Thankfully, we dont come across this type of offence all the time but this is too serious and the public are demanding that all organs of the state take whatever action necessary to prevent this spread. Im remanding him in custody. Turning to the co-accused, Judge Hughes heard that Mr Klempar became abusive towards gardai when they came to break up the party. When gardai were dealing with Mr Gabor, Mr Klempar followed them onto the streets and continued to be abusive, resulting in his arrest. Solicitor for Mr Klempar, Brid Mimnagh, explained that her client had not spit or sneezed on anyone and asked that Judge Hughes grant him his freedom as he is a person of previous good behaviour. This is a unique situation. Ordinarily he (Mr Klempar) would get bail. But I am remanding him in custody, said Judge Hughes. Let the message go out that in this district, if anybody does what the accused have done, they will be remanded in custody. Both men have been remanded in custody to this Friday, April 17, in Harristown District Court for DPP directions. A day after India issued a strong demarche, Pakistan yet again violated ceasefire on Tuesday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. At about 9.15 om (IST), Pakistan initiated the unprovoked firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars in Balakote and Mendhar sectors in Poonch. The Indian Army has been retaliating befittingly. There were no reports of any injuries or casualties when the last update came in. This is a developing story. More details are awaited. The Indian government on April 13 had issued a demarche to Pakistan over the killing of three Indian civilians in unprovoked ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir. "A strong demarche was made to the Pakistan side on the killing of three innocent Indian civilians in unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan forces on April 12," Ministry of External Affairs sources had told PTI. The development came a day after three civilians, including a minor, were killed at Keran sector along the Line of Control in shelling by Pakistani forces. The incident happened when Pakistani troops initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation targeting the civilian population. Demarche is a diplomatic note, generally issued to lodge protest over any action of development. On April 13, Pakistan had opened fire and shelled forward posts and villages along with the LoC in Poonch and Kathua districts, drawing retaliation from Indian troops, officials said. Pakistani Rangers also violated the ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages in different villages of Hiranagar sector overnight. The firing from Pakistan started in Chandwa and adjoining areas around 9.45 pm on April 12 and continued till 4 am, the officials said, adding the BSF retaliated effectively. MEXICO CITY, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. ("Aeromexico") (BMV: AEROMEX), Mexico's global airline, will hold its First Quarter 2020 earnings conference call on: Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 11:00 AM ET (10:00 AM Mexico City Time & Central Time) Andres Conesa Labastida, Chief Executive Officer, Ricardo Sanchez Baker, Chief Financial Officer and Nicolas Ferri, Chief Commercial Officer will host the call and review Grupo Aeromexico's First Quarter 2020 financial and operational results, followed by a question and answer session. First quarter results will be released on April 21st, 2020 after market close. To participate in the conference call, please dial: Toll Free US +1 877-407-9124 Toll International +1 201-689-8584 Registration is required; please dial in at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The conference call will be available for replay until May 22nd, 2020 at 11:00 AM ET, by calling: Toll Free US +1 877-481-4010 Toll International +1 919-882-2331 Replay Conference ID Number: 33987 The conference call replay can also be accessed via Grupo Aeromexico's Investor Relations website: https://www.aeromexico.com/en-us/investors Investor Relations Office Tel: +52 (55) 9132 4257 [email protected] About Grupo Aeromexico Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexicos global airline, operates more than 600 daily flights and its main hub is in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its destinations network features more than 85 cities on three continents, including 42 destinations in Mexico, 17 in the United States, 15 in Latin America, 4 in Canada, 5 in Europe and 2 in Asia. The Group's operating fleet of 125 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 170 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase up to 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX B737 jet airliners and 10 B787-9 Dreamliner's. As a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, Aeromexico offers customers more than 1,000 destinations in 179 countries served by the 19 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 636 premium airport lounges around the world. Aeromexico also offers travel on its codeshare partner flights with Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, Avianca, Copa Airlines and WestJet, with extensive connectivity in countries like the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Peru. www.aeromexico.com www.skyteam.com SOURCE Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. Related Links http://www.aeromexico.com Though tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Lousiana and Texas over the Easter weekend, in the South Central region, northern Louisiana bore the brunt of the storm system that swept across the South on Sunday. The weather service reported multiple tornadoes and damaging winds over much of northern Louisiana. The mayor of Monroe, Louisiana, Jamie Mayo, told KNOE-TV that the storm damaged 200-300 homes in and around the city. Flights were canceled at Monroe Regional Airport, where siding was ripped off buildings and debris was scattered on runways. Airport director Ron Phillips told the News-Star the storm caused up to $30 million in damage to planes inside a hangar. In northwest Louisiana, officials reported damage to dozens of homes in DeSoto and Webster parishes, according to news outlets. At least 19 people were reported killed by the severe weather system as it moved across the South. Eleven people were killed in Mississippi, and six more died in northwest Georgia. Two other bodies were pulled from damaged homes in Arkansas and South Carolina. The storms blew onward through the night, causing flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas, and knocking out electricity for about 750,000 customers in a 10-state swath ranging from Texas to Georgia up to West Virginia. In Arkansas, one person was killed when a tree fell on a home in White Hall, southeast of Little Rock, the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Louisiana Homeowners HURON COUNTY Displaced Huron County workers, along with more than 1 million others in the state, have been forced to file or attempt to file for unemployment in the past month. But an overburdened system is leaving many without the means to make ends meet. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio said in the past month more than one quarter of Michigans workforce has filed their initial claims. However, all across social media there are reports of people making hundreds and thousands of phone calls to no avail. Among those fighting the stress and the system is Gagetown resident Sabrina Rice, who said she just wants to get things resolved. Since January, Rice has been a veterinary assistant and Maple Grove Veterinary Clinic in Caro. After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order, Rice found herself seeking unemployment. Rice began by filing online, but quickly learned she was denied because of funds that she makes as a volunteer firefighter. They made me put in an amount even though we rarely get called out, Rice said. It is a requirement because we claim it on taxes. Rice said she makes approximately $500 annually as a volunteer firefighter, but it was enough to stop her progress filing for unemployment, and forced her to attempt to connect with a live person through the Unemployment Insurance Agencys overburdened phone system. I have been trying to call them because another person I know was denied for the same reason and they finally took it off his, and he was approved, she said. It is impossible to get through their call system. Yesterday I called 250 times and today I have already called 50. I would say I probably have called about 500 times every five days and I have been doing this for three weeks. Rice isnt alone in her frustrations. Bad Axe Steakhouse waitress Jess Brade is also wading through the system, although admittedly more patiently. Brade said she is fortunate that she and her husband own a welding business, which allows them to make ends meet for the time being, and because of that, she waited before filing. I waited because in the beginning I wasnt sure how long I would be laid off, she said. When they started extending the stay at home order, I thought I better file. First Brade tried calling into the system, but kept receiving a busy signal. Instead, she decided to file online and read that people were having better luck doing so during non-peak hours. People said, Dont do it during the day, Brade said. So I got up on the 25th at 3 a.m. It took about a half hour to file and it approved me right away." Despite filing weeks ago, Brade has yet to receive a payment. She suspects the issue could be with the part-time work she does with her business. Everything was fine and everything went through OK, she said. Last Monday I went on and I certified for two weeks, but I havent received any benefits. The frustrations for Brade compounded when she helped her brother-in-law file after she did, and he has already been receiving benefits. I wonder if my situation is different because he was laid off completely and wasnt working anywhere else, she said. Because her situation isnt dire, Brade said she is just waiting to see what happens. She has verified that the system isnt waiting for additional documentation. Honestly, I dont try to get excited, she said. I dont have to work. We make good money and we make good choices. However, she said feels bad for people who are displaced and only have unemployment to fall back on. I feel terrible for people who are not in the situation I am in, she said. If there are people that really need it, let them have it first. In the end we will be OK but some of these people wont. Brade said she knows of someone that recently left a job to attend school full-time. She was in school for two weeks before they shut it down, she said. She doesnt have a job, isnt going to school and she isnt getting unemployment. They keep requesting more information. Earlier this month, economists with the University of Michigan told the Associated Press that the states unemployment is expected to skyrocket to 24%, which would be nearly double the 14.4% mark set during the Great Recession, and significantly higher than the states previous peak of 16.4% in 1982. According to Whitmer, the Unemployment Insurance Agency is continually adding staff to try to keep up with the surge of unemployment. This is an unprecedented number of people that are looking for help, she said , urging people to apply online during a press conference April 9. We're rebuilding the system. I think that we've gotten it in a pretty good place from what I understand. However, as the state opened up unemployment benefits to self-employed workers and independent contractors earlier this week, the online system crashed for several hours April 13. In the meantime, people like Brade and Rice are left calling an already inundated phone system seeking answers. Rice said each call takes approximately 30 seconds, and the only option is to continually redial and hope for the best. I understand there are a lot of people calling, but it is kind of ridiculous no one can get through the call centers, Rice said. It is also ridiculous that I got denied for being a volunteer firefighter. This has been very stressful for me, just like everyone trying to file and having difficulties. According to the Unemployment Insurance Agencys website, it is aware that phone calls may result in busy signals and offers the following advice: Continue with attempts to file a claim on the designated day of your last name. Go online during off-peak hours, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Be mindful of the following: Every employee in Michigan who applies for unemployment benefits will receive them, if eligible. Impacted employees have 28 days from the date of their work stoppage to apply for benefits. Approved claims will be back-dated to reflect the date in which a claimant was laid-off or let go from their job due to COVID-19. Benefits have been expanded to 39 weeks. Important notes about the CARES Act and employees who have already filed a claim: You do not need to reapply to receive the additional benefits provided by the CARES Act. If your file has been denied in the past three weeks, there is no need to reapply at this time. The Agency will review these claims for eligibility. To contact the Unemployment Insurance Agency call 866-500-0017 or visit michigan.gov/uia. By Gwenaelle Barzic and Sarah White PARIS (Reuters) - Amazon will have to limit its deliveries in France to essential goods like food and medical supplies while it carries out a more thorough assessment of the risk of coronavirus contagion at its warehouses, a French court ruled on Tuesday. Some worker unions have been calling for the complete closure of Amazon's activities in France, or at the very least a clampdown, after raising concerns over health standards at its shipping sites, arguing they were too crowded. By Gwenaelle Barzic and Sarah White PARIS (Reuters) - Amazon will have to limit its deliveries in France to essential goods like food and medical supplies while it carries out a more thorough assessment of the risk of coronavirus contagion at its warehouses, a French court ruled on Tuesday. Some worker unions have been calling for the complete closure of Amazon's activities in France, or at the very least a clampdown, after raising concerns over health standards at its shipping sites, arguing they were too crowded. The U.S. online retailing giant, which has repeatedly said it adheres to health guidelines, said it disagreed with the ruling, adding it was still evaluating the implications for its French logistics centres. It said it had brought in temperature checks for workers in France like elsewhere and distributed face masks and sanitiser gel. The court said Amazon had not always done enough to ensure safety distances were respected, based on checks by labour inspectors at various sites. In the ruling, seen by Reuters, judges added the company had not thoroughly assessed the contagion risk of employees passing packages to each other. Amazon will now have to work with employee representatives to carry out such checks and revise its protocols. In the meantime, it has 24 hours to curtail any shipments passing through its warehouses, limiting them to groceries, hygiene products and medical items - and faces a penalty of 1 million euros ($1.1 million) per day of delay in complying. Representatives of the Sud trade union welcomed the ruling, saying they hoped it would lead to cutbacks in the number of products being shipped by Amazon for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak. "If they content themselves with sending what is strictly necessary, workers will be able to respect social distances," Tatiana Campagne, a Sud representative at Amazon's Lauwin-Planque site in northern France, told journalists. Amazon has already restricted the scope of products to be given priority in its warehouses in several countries, including France, though these still included items such as books. The Amazon website has also been receiving many orders for craft kits and home-improvement goods during France's broad lockdown to contain the coronavirus. Some employees said that, in recent weeks, they were packing video games and sex toys. Workers have clashed with Amazon in France and elsewhere over the extent to which protective guidelines are implemented. The company has reported a handful of virus cases among staff. Amazon has also been contending with a surge in demand worldwide and on Monday said it would hire 75,000 more U.S. workers for jobs ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers. ($1 = 0.9120 euros) (Reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic, Sarah White and Dominique Vidalon; Editing by David Goodman and Mark Potter) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. While neighboring Rhode Island has publicly released data showing how many people have gotten sick or died from the disease at nursing homes in that state, Connecticut officials have yet to release those numbers. For days, the state has released an updated public list each day containing the names of just over 100 nursing homes that have reported positive COVID-19 cases. But the list does not give the number of cases or deaths at each of those facilities, which are spread out across the state. Statewide, 1,522 residents have tested positive and 212 have died. Deaths at nursing homes account for more than a third of the 602 deaths in Connecticut attributed to the disease. On Monday, USA Today reported at least 2,300 nursing homes nationwide have coronavirus infections, based on data collected from state agencies. The article noted Connecticut is one of four states that updates data the state posts online on nursing home cases and deaths. But the data fails to show where among the states 215 nursing homes the pandemic has hit Connecticuts elderly and rehabilitating patients the hardest. Six states did not respond to USA Today, and another six did not provide numbers, despite saying they were compiling them, USA Today reported. New Hampshire, Georgia, Ohio, and Illinois were among those states that declined to release some data on nursing home cases or deaths. The number of homes with cases far exceeded the 400 reported by the Centers for Disease Control. A spokesman for that agency told the outlet that states are tracking their own cases and deaths at nursing homes. In neighboring New York alone, more than 2,400 residents of nursing homes and other senior care facilities have died, Lohud reported. But like Connecticut, the state has not provided specifics on deaths and infections at individual homes. Despite the lack of specific data on Connecticut bursing homes, several outbreaks have been reported at senior care facilities. In East Haven, at least 11 people are presumed dead from the illness after an outbreak at Whispering Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. At Golden Hill Rehab Pavilion in Milford, at least 44 people tested positive for COVID-19, according to Av Harris, a spokesman for the Department of Public Health. At least two deaths have also been reported. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported federal regulators with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plan to push nursing homes to more quickly inform family members when their loved one is diagnosed with COVID-19. That was among the accusations leveled at Golden Hill by one residents family. Keisha Johnson said her family only learned her uncle, 65-year-old Johnny Johnson, had the disease after he died. We didnt even know that there was COVID in the facility, Keisha Johnson said. In a statement, Golden Hill said that claim was untrue. The Resident has an appointed Conservator, who was NOT the Niece, the nursing home said. The Conservator was called multiple times in an attempt to notify the Conservator of changes in the Residents condition. The statement included a screenshot of a call log showing three calls were made to a number attributed to Johnny Johnsons sister. Golden Hill is prohibited by HIPAA from providing protected health information to the Niece who has complained, the statement said. Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the government's response to the CCP Virus outbreak on March 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Senate Committee to Investigate Origins of Outbreak, WHOs Handling of Crisis The Senates chief oversight committee will be launching an investigation into the origins and response to the CCP virus pandemic, covering the Chinese regimes role during the early stages of the outbreak in Wuhan. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will conduct a wide-ranging probe into topics, from how the virus spread in the first place to the World Health Organizations (WHO) response to the outbreak, committee chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told Politico on April 13. Where did this all start from? Was this transferred animal to human? Was this from a lab in China? Might have been the best of intentions trying to come up with the different cures, with the different therapies for the coronavirus in general, Johnson said. The origins of the virus is still unknown. While Chinese officials initially linked the outbreak to a seafood market in Wuhan, they have moved away from this narrative after evidence showed that the first recorded patient on Dec. 1 had not been to the market. We need to know what role WHO might have had in trying to cover this thing up, the chairman added. The investigation will also look into why the national stockpile of emergency pharmaceuticals and medical supplies wasnt better prepared, and the United States dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical ingredients and medical devices, according to Johnson. Committee member Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has also been tasked to lead the investigation into the WHOs handling of the crisis. The body has drawn growing criticism from U.S. lawmakers for their role in aiding the Chinese regime in downplaying the outbreak during the early stages. Many have called on the administration to defund the organization and for the resignation of its director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. We cant trust communist China, weve learned we cant trust the WHO because they lie to us, Scott told Politico, adding that he would delve into when the body knew how the virus was transmitted, and when it grew skeptical of the number of cases reported by the regime. The WHO was notified of the outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019. Then for almost three weeks, the organization reiterated statements from Chinese officials that there was a low risk of human-to-human transmission. However, reports show that the regime was aware the virus was transmitted between humans before it first confirmed this on Jan. 20. Lets create a new organization if this is important to us because it clearly didnt work, Scott said of the WHO. Omicron variant of COVID-19 identified in Antrim, Charlevoix counties The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in one Antrim County resident and one Charlevoix County resident. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno, Arya Dipa, and Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 11:32 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1be3de 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,Greater-Jakarta,PSBB,social-restriction,pandemic,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,work-from-home,Gojek,Grab,ojek-driver Free The first work day of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) period in Jakarta was marked by confusion and chaos, with people unsure of the governments regulations on public transportation. Commuter train stations in Greater Jakarta were packed with people on Monday morning after the Jakarta administration enforced restrictions on passenger numbers on public transportation. Many offices still required workers to come in for work despite the PSBB requirement that all nonessential workplaces be closed and implement work-from-home policies. Read also: Residents told to stay at home for 2 weeks as Jakarta goes into partial lockdown Commuter line operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) reported that the buildup of passengers occurred mainly in two of Jakartas satellite cities, Depok and Bogor in West Java, which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak but have yet to impose PSBB status. More than 4,000 KCI service and security officers, assisted by Marine Corps personnel, were deployed to 80 stations to provide commuters with information on the passenger restrictions, PT KCI said. PT KCI also operated additional trains, adding five extra train schedules at Bogor, Bojonggede and Manggarai stations and arranged queues to comply with physical distancing guidelines. The railway operator appealed to both regional administrations and businesses to comply with the PSBB status and to help limit peoples mobility. We hope the PSBB status will be accompanied by control and supervision from the local administrations, especially in controlling the mobility of community members, KCI external relations manager Adli Hakim said in a media statement on Monday. Adli said he hoped all businesses would adopt work-from-home policies. Otherwise, they should allow for flexible working hours to account for the limited operational hours and passenger capacity of all modes of public transportation, he added. Meanwhile, a lack of coordination among ministries has created confusion among users and drivers of app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) services. On April 9, the Transportation Ministry issued Ministerial Regulation No.18/2020 on transportation controls to slow the spread of COVID-19. Among other things, it allows app-based ojek drivers to serve passengers, so long as they wear masks and gloves, disinfect vehicles before and after use, and do not drive when they do not feel well. Civil groups and politicians were quick to lambast the regulation, signed by acting Transportation Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, as it clashes with Health Minister Terawan Agus Putrantos regulation on PSBB guidelines, meaning enforcement will be challenging. According to Health Ministerial Regulation No.9/2020 on PSBB guidelines, app-based ojek drivers can only transport goods, not passengers, said Djoko Setijowarno, a transportation observer from the Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI) on Sunday. Previously, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan request to allow ojek drivers to take passengers was denied by the Health Ministry. Ride-hailing service companies Gojek and Grab disabled their ojek services in Jakarta on Friday, the first day of PSBB implementation in the capital. However, ojek services resumed on Monday. Read also: COVID-19: Jakarta's partial lockdown deals a heavy blow to 'ojek' drivers Experts have criticized the government for not implementing PSBB status across the entirety of Greater Jakarta, pointing out that Jakartas satellite cities were part of the same urban area. The satellite cities are home to people who work in Jakarta and are inseparable from the urban economy. The coronavirus does not respect jurisdictional boundaries, MTI secretary-general Harya S. Dillon told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Experts have argued that PSBB status should be implemented across the entirety of Greater Jakarta. Five areas in West Java, namely the cities of Depok, Bekasi and Bogor as well as Bekasi and Bogor regencies received approval Saturday to implement PSBB status from Wednesday. On Sunday, the Health Ministry approved the implementation of PSBB status for Tangerang and South Tangerang cities and Tangerang regency in Banten, meaning all of Jakartas satellite areas will be covered. The PSBB status in Tangerang regions will begin Saturday. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said his administration was reviewing a PSBB request for Greater Bandung, which includes Bandung and Cimahi cities, as well as Bandung, West Bandung, and Sumedang regencies. Ridwan has requested regency and city administrations to carry out large-scale inspections of factories and conduct studies to determine which industries should be given strategic status. If no positive cases are found, regents and mayors may allow such industries to operate with physical distancing and health protocols in place, Ridwan said. Jakarta Legal Aid Institute director Asfinawati said the buildup of commuters on Monday had exposed the economic inequality in Jakarta, where housing remains insufficient, forcing many who work in the city center to live on the outskirts. The [governments] programs must be calculated by considering peoples needs. People must be provided with social aid immediately, so that the physical distancing policy can actually be implemented, Asfinawati said. The central government has prepared several social aid programs for low-income citizens with assistance provided through, among other programs, the Family Hope Program (PKH), basic food cards, preemployment cards, village fund assistance and staple food distribution. American Thermal Instruments Lends Their Expertise COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI) has partnered with American Thermal Instruments (ATI) in Dayton, Ohio, to donate free-of-charge new printable temperature, tampering and authentication technology to protect all new COVID-19 drugs. As the world's scientists rush to find vaccines and therapeutics to treat COVID-19, there's another group of scientists who are working just as hard to protect the drugs and safely deliver them to patients and - - in addition - - fight counterfeiters. "Once a COVID-19 drug is produced, it needs to be safely distributed throughout the world and must survive the risks of freezing, heat abuse, sun (UV) damage, tampering and counterfeiting," said Lyle Small, CTI's chief executive officer. "The world is throwing money at beating the coronavirus in a compressed timeline. This just amplifies the risk and CTI has simple solutions for all of these related efficacy challenges," Small continued. According to the World Health Organization, seven of the 10 top-selling drugs in the world are damaged by freezing temperatures, including vaccines for influenza and pneumonia. "ATI is already working with dozens of pharmaceutical companies and we are diligently launching this program to support all of their COVID-19 R&D and launch efforts," said Randall Lane, chief executive officer of ATI. CTI and ATI's goals are to protect at least 100 million units of drugs being distributed to health care officials. The CTI donation has an equivalent value of US$5 million. High-res images and captions are available at https://www.ctiinks.com/newsroom. CTI is the world's largest supplier of smart, specialty, color-changing technology that responds to temperature, light and pressure. CTI was founded in 1993 and exports to 55 countries and is an ISO9001/2015 production facility. CTI's ink technology is found worldwide on many of the most recognizable products in the consumer and professional marketplace. Founded in 1981, American Thermal Instruments produces custom temperature monitoring solutions for industries that require the most accurate and measurable systems including pharmaceutical, medical, food, beverage and industrial. Pharmaceutical companies may contact CTI at (719) 592-1557 or inquire@ctiinks.com for samples, further information or to immediately place orders. Main website: www.ctiinks.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1153923/CTI_Vaccine_freeze_alert.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1153924/Recd_6_30_17.jpg The global coronavirus pandemic has now infected more than 2 million people worldwide and an estimated 119,000 deaths have been recorded. In the UK, more than 88,000 people have been confirmed to have caught Covid-19 and 11,329 people have died in hospital after contracting the disease. As the virus continues to cause chaos around the world, heres your daily briefing of recent news items you may have missed. UK coronavirus lockdown unlikely to be lifted soon, says foreign secretary Ministers are not expecting to lift the lockdown this week despite positive signs of progress in the UKs battle against coronavirus, Dominic Raab has said. The foreign secretary, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while he convalesces, said restrictions were unlikely to be eased when the governments scientific advisory committee meets later this week, as the evidence showed the UK has still not passed the peak of the outbreak. But Mr Raab insisted the UK was starting to win in its battle against the virus, as the public were overwhelmingly observing the strict social-distancing guidelines put in place by ministers. 92 care homes suffer new Covid-19 outbreaks in last 24 hours There have been 92 new coronavirus outbreaks in care homes across Britain in the last 24 hours, the government has warned. Speaking at a regular news conference on Monday Sir Patrick Vallance, the UKs chief scientific adviser, said around 13 per cent of such homes had been affected in total so far. The news is particularly worrying because medical advice suggests that people over 70 years of age and with certain pre-existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable to developing serious Covid-19 symptoms. Labour called for daily figures to be published of people dying in care homes so that the true scale of the problem could become clear. The government is also expected to push for increased testing in care homes. Coronavirus economic effects hitting ethnic minorities and young people hardest Ethnic minorities and young people are taking a disproportionate financial and employment hit from the coronavirus pandemic, exclusive polling for The Independent reveals. The shocking findings sparked a call from race equality campaigners for urgent government action to protect communities who provide an outsized share of those at risk from the disease as they continue to work in essential frontline services like health and social care and bus driving. The BMG poll laid bare the scale of hardship across the country resulting from the lockdown measures to tackle the outbreak, with almost a third of all households seeing their finances cut and more than one in 20 saying that they have lost over half their income. Government increases ventilator capacity by just 200 in one week despite health secretarys claim 1,500 more would be available Ministers have increased the number of life-saving ventilators available to NHS patients by just 200 in one week, despite the health secretary insisting seven days ago there would be another 15 hundred available. On Monday, No 10 said over 10,000 mechanical ventilators were now operational for seriously ill patients, as the government scrambles to meet a target of 18,000 for an anticipated peak of coronavirus cases in the coming days. Theres been an increase of around 200 over the past week, the prime ministers official spokesperson said. There are another 2,000 mechanical ventilators on order plus thousands of provisional orders for industry designed ventilators. One in three NHS and critical key workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, official figures show. Out of almost 17,000 swabs carried out on key workers to date, 5,733 people have been infected - a rate of 33 per cent. In comparison, 23 per cent of those in the general population, NHS hospital patients, have tested positive for the killer virus. Frontline NHS workers have been able to get tested since March 25 in Number 10's bid to reduce the numbers off work in self isolation. Around 2,500 tests are being conducted daily on medics and their family members. Yesterday a record 800 of those came back as positive - the figure has doubled in a matter of days because more people are being tested. The shocking data comes amid fears a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) is fuelling the spread of the killer virus among NHS staff. The availability of PPE has been a major issue during the coronavirus outbreak, with stocks currently running 'critically low' at some trusts. Yesterday a record 800 of those came back as positive - the figure has doubled in a matter of days because more people are being tested (pictured) Out of 16,888 tests carried out on key workers and relevant household members to date, 5,733 people have been infected, a rate of 33 per cent The slide shows how many of the new COVID-19 cases are among NHS and critical key workers in orange. Tests have been given to 'pillar 2' since March 25 Daily figures for coronavirus cases among NHS and key workers has gradually been increasing since testing was first offered to them. Of the 88,621 tests that have come back positive in England, Wales and Scotland, 5,733 have been among key workers and their loved ones. Testing of NHS staff began on March 25 - two months after Public Health England began swabbing people after travelling from high risk countries. Health chiefs decided to restrict tests to just patients in hospital before promising to swab NHS workers and their family. On March 25 there were already 10,000 cases of coronavirus among the general population. There were also concerns about the number of NHS staff off work self-isolating over fears that they, or household members, could have the virus. NHS WORKERS TOLD TO STOP CARING FOR PATIENTS WITHOUT PROPER PPE Six in ten doctors in a survey conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons said their trusts have experienced PPE shortages within the past 30 days. The survey of 1,978 members found a third do not believe they have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment. One described the lack of masks as 'scandalous' and said he had caught the disease from a patient who had gone on to infect six other members of staff. Sue Hill, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: 'We have been working with Government to ensure surgeons and their teams have the right advice about what level of PPE they need for different surgical procedures, but the overall picture from our survey is that there is still a lot more work to do to get adequate equipment to the front line. 'In the meantime we have urged our members not to risk their health, and that of their patients carrying out risky procedures.' Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing has issued guidelines to its members saying that if they haven't been given adequate PPE they can refuse to treat patients. The recommendations state: 'Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce your risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE ... you are entitled to refuse to work.' The RCN said it would provide legal assistance to those making what it acknowledged was an 'enormously difficult decision' and warned them that they could face criminal prosecution for corporate manslaughter in 'very rare' cases for walking away. Advertisement As part of a five pillar testing strategy, workers in the NHS, social care and their families who are in self isolation are able to get a test if they have symptoms. If the test produces a negative result, it means they can return to work during a time the NHS is under immense pressure. The official figures come as NHS staff continue to report shortages of PPE, which is vital for limiting the spread of the killer infection. At least 35 NHS staff have died during the outbreak after testing positive for COVID-19. It is not known how many contracted the virus due to inadequate supplies of PPE, however some of the victims complained of a lack of PPE before their death. Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, who died at Queen's Hospital in Romford, east London, on April 8, had urged for 'appropriate PPE'. The consultant urologist's plea 'to protect ourselves and our families' came just five days before he was admitted to hospital with the killer infection. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA), said it was 'so tragic' that medic had concerns over PPE. And the Royal College of Nursing told its members to refuse to treat people if they do not have adequate PPE. There are currently specific concerns about full-sleeve gown stocks running low. The gowns resist droplets from coughing and sneezing, therefore reduce spread of the virus around the hospital. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers in England which represents hospital trusts, told BBC Breakfast yesterday the stocks of gowns were 'very, very low'. Mr Hopson said the supply of gowns - imported from China - was 'hand-to-mouth', and voiced concerns that equipment could run out completely if sustainable supply chains are not put in place. He said the NHS ordered 'a whole load of stock' weeks ago, but delays have been caused by the product sometimes failing safety tests, while other batches have been mislabelled - meaning the NHS has ended up with additional masks. The official figures come as NHS staff continue to report shortages of PPE, which is vital for limiting the spread of the killer infection. Pictured: Testing being carried out at Leeds Temple Green Park and Ride, part of the drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS workers UK MISSED THREE CHANCES TO GET PPE FROM EU SCHEME The UK has missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE). The EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. Some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EUs procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation. But Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised. After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19. However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. Advertisement At the daily Downing Street briefing on the coronavirus emergency yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government was trying to give frontline staff reassurance over PPE as NHS deaths from COVID-19 grow. Mr Raab said: 'We understand the importance of getting PPE to the frontline whether it's in care homes or the NHS. 'I think the strongest practical reassurance they will want and that we can give them is that over the Bank Holiday weekend over 16million items were delivered and we are straining every sinew to roll them out even further and even faster.' It has emerged that the UK missed three chances to be part of an EU scheme to bulk buy PPE. Britain failed to utilise opportunities to get items such as masks, gowns and gloves under an EU initiative, the Guardian stated. It means the UK won't benefit from the first of GBP1.3 billion-worth of PPE being delivered to another 25 countries within the next few days. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'We are working round the clock with industry, the NHS, social care providers and the army to ensure the supply of PPE over the coming weeks and months and will give our NHS and the social care sector everything they need to tackle this pandemic - including working with countries around the globe. 'We are also working with a number of firms to scale up production of existing UK ventilator manufacturers, as well as designing and manufacturing new products from scratch, and procuring thousands more machines from overseas. 'We will continue to work with European countries and others in order to make sure that we can increase the capacity within the NHS, and we will consider participating in future EU joint procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time.' URBANA, Ill. - Public parks can be valuable assets for communities, but crime in the area can "lock up" that amenity value. Crime directly affects the use that people get from their local parks. If crime is reduced, the environmental value can be unlocked, a new University of Illinois study shows. "Our research is the first to rigorously quantify this effect, which turns out to account for nearly half of the total value of parks in major U.S. cities," says Peter Christensen, environmental economist at U of I, and one of the study's authors. The importance of safety in parks is intuitive; yet it had not been well-understood. In fact, other studies have failed to account for the complementarity between safety and parks, and have concluded that public parks provide little value to a community. Christensen explains that "several studies estimate amenity value using city-wide samples that include both safe and dangerous parks. This is like taking the average of an amenity and a dis-amenity. It can produce noisy estimates and the appearance of zero value, which may not actually reflect the value of any park in the sample." And there are other implications. "These kinds of results can fuel the misconception that people in some inner-city neighborhoods, often minority communities, do not value their parks. Our study shows that in fact they do. And that value goes up as neighborhood parks are made safe," Christensen says. It's challenging to directly estimate the value of public goods such as parks. Economists have developed methods that make use of economic behavior in the housing market, which captures the value of environmental amenities that households will pay to live near. The housing market also captures the losses from disamenities such as landfills or, in this case, crime. Christensen and co-authors David Albouy and Ignacio Sarmiento-Barbieri analyzed housing prices from Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York over a 15-year period. The data were provided through a unique data sharing agreement with Zillow, the online real estate company. Christensen, who helped develop the agreement, says it provides scholars with free access to rich data sets that would otherwise cost millions of dollars in institutional subscriptions. "This allows economists and others to gain traction on research and policy questions that have been around for a while but have been difficult to tackle without modern empirical methods," he says. The paper, published in Journal of Public Economics, combines the prices and characteristics of all properties transacted in each of the three cities with location-specific crime reports that identify the exact address or geo-location of each incident. Through statistical analysis with heavy data and computational requirements, the researchers were able to rule out other factors and isolate the relationship between property values and changes in crime rates within a half mile of the more than 1,300 public parks in the sample. The study found that housing value increases by 5% within a half mile of a park, if the area is safe. As you get further away from the park, the effect diminishes and ultimately disappears. If crime levels are double the average rate, there is no premium value in housing prices near parks. And if crime rates are higher than that, there is a negative effect of up to 3%. In other words, parks may make crime (already a "public bad") worse, Christensen says. "A park can actually become a disamenity in the sense that you would pay to the live away from it." In many of the study locations, crime has been reduced over the 15-year period, while in other areas it has remained constant or increased. The study shows that where crime has gone down, the inherent housing value of parks has been unlocked. And this unlocked value is much larger than you might expect, the researchers note. They estimate that reductions in crime have "unlocked" almost $7 billion in property value near urban parks in the Chicago, Philadelphia and New York and calculate another $10 billion of potential value that is still locked up. Christensen says these findings have implications for public policy. "The first implication is that policymakers need to consider the considerable potential to unlock amenity value through increased safety. The other side of this coin is that terrific parks will lose value if a neighborhood becomes unsafe. This has happened over the past several decades in a number of neighborhoods in the sample," he notes. A second implication is that allocating resources to reduce crime near parks through targeted efforts such as hotspot policing might be an important first use of public funds. The value of enhancing park features, such as building a new playground in a dangerous park, may be limited by the crime risk. Christensen cites the recent spike in homicide risk in Chicago. "A number of those shootings that are in our data have involved children caught in the cross-fire in neighborhood parks. These are tragedies for families and communities that can also affect a neighborhood's use of public space in the aftermath," he says. "It is well-documented that open space is in short supply in many urban areas. For communities that are already housing-constrained and may not be able to commit additional land resources to open space, policymakers and parks departments can consider ways of unlocking value through complementarities like public safety," he says. "Complements like this [between safety and parks] are attractive because they can provide larger returns to public investments. Tax dollars that reduce crime near parks produce benefits from the overall reduction of risk and also because the park is now a much more valuable place." Christensen notes that the study does not address the broader implications of how increased property values may affect long-term changes in the composition of the neighborhood. "We do not directly address the issue of gentrification in the current paper," he says. "But policies that are aimed at addressing this complementarity between safety and parks need to consider the longer-run dynamics that can result from unlocked amenity value." ### The paper, "Unlocking amenities: Estimating public good complementarity," is published in Journal of Public Economics. Authors include Peter Christensen, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, and Ignacio Sarmiento-Barbieri, Department of Economics, University of Illinois, and David Albouy, National Bureau of Economic Research. The Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics is in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois. Northern Ireland is to receive an additional 200m to help fight coronavirus, it has been revealed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The additional funding, which will boost the Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund, means the Treasury has now committed a total 340m to support the effort in Northern Ireland. People in Northern Ireland also benefit from a range of UK-wide measures including 330bn worth of UK Government backed loans, the Job Retention Scheme and the UK-wide PPE strategy announced last week. The funding will help the devolved administration at Stormont meet its urgent priorities across public services in Northern Ireland as it works closely with the UK Government to tackle the pandemic. Welcoming the additional funding, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis MP, said it reflects the Government's promise to do everything in its power to help the country defeat coronavirus. "This additional funding for the Northern Ireland Executive delivers on that promise by bolstering support for our fantastic public services and their staff - making sure they have the resources they need to meet the exceptional challenges presented by this outbreak," he said. "We are united in our commitment to tackling coronavirus and working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive as part of our UK-wide effort to fund urgent health priorities at this very challenging time." Making the announcement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, paid tribute to staff who would benefit from the additional funds. "Our public services and its incredible staff are bravely working with immense resolve and skill to keep us safe. We depend on them, which is why we're giving them the extra funds, tools and resources they need to tackle the virus," he said. "From the start, I've been clear our vital public services will get whatever they need to protect this country and its people from coronavirus. We are delivering on our pledge." At the Budget on March 11, the Chancellor initially set aside a 5bn fund as a rapid response, and said that whatever extra resources needed by the NHS and public services would be provided. News of the extra funding comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued his recovery from Covid-19 at Chequers in Buckinghamshire after doctors ordered him to rest. The latest analysis from Johns Hopkins University in the US suggested the UK's case fatality rate, the number of deaths per 100 confirmed cases, was 12.5%, behind only Italy's rate of 12.7%. The Ministry of Defence said nearly 200 members of the armed forces are now being loaned to five NHS ambulance trusts in England to support their work during the pandemic. But the Fire Brigade's Union warned that nearly 3,000 fire and rescue staff are in self-isolation and unable to work. The Government also continued to face pressure over shortages of personal protective equipment for frontline NHS staff, as a growing number of health workers died. The Royal College of Nurses issued new guidance that nurses who could not get adequate PPE should, as a "last resort", refuse to work. Speaking on Monday, Dominic Raab, still standing in for the Prime Minister, said: "We understand the importance of getting PPE to the front line whether it's in care homes or the NHS. "I think the strongest practical reassurance they will want and that we can give them is that over the Bank Holiday weekend over 16 million items were delivered and we are straining every sinew to roll them out even further and even faster." Further afield, Spain, which on Sunday reported its lowest daily growth in infections for three weeks, allowed workers to return to factories and construction sites. A senior minister has denied care home residents are being "airbrushed out" of official coronavirus death tolls amid growing alarm about the impact of the virus on elderly residents. Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said the method of reporting deaths was "trustworthy" following concern that fatalities were going unreported as official data records deaths in hospitals. On Monday, chief medical officer Chris Whitty told the Downing Street briefing there had been 92 new coronavirus outbreaks in care homes across Britain in the last 24 hours, with 13.5 per cent of care homes affected. But charities have warned that older people were being "airbrushed out" of figures, with the head of the UK's largest operator saying the virus was present in two-thirds of its care homes. And Tory peer Baroness Altmann said some people from care homes had told her they felt elderly people were being treated like "lambs to the slaughter". Ms Coffey rejected suggested older people were being abandoned, saying decisions were taken early on to protect the most vulnerable. Asked if the official figures were only the tip of the iceberg, the senior minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: In terms of the recording of the very sad deaths on a daily basis, the figures being produced by the government daily are on the basis of what is happening in our hospitals. "That's done because it's accurate and quick - to make sure we can have that daily update. Meanwhile, on a weekly basis, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is collating the deaths across the country. That allows them to bring in where deaths have been recorded outside a hospital setting, and where coronavirus has been identified by doctors who sign the death certificate. Pressed on accusations older people are being airbrushed out, Ms Coffey said: Well, I think that the certification by doctors is happening regularly. That is being collated by the ONS and it's being published weekly by the ONS. I think that is a fair system of getting that unfortunate picture across the country of where deaths are happening due to coronavirus. And I think that's a trustworthy way to go about this, by the medical certificates signed off by doctors. Earlier, Baroness Altmann, a former pensions minister, said she was "really concerned" about the care sector and warned the government that it "must not forget that the mark of a civilised society must reflect how it treats its most vulnerable and oldest citizens." She said: "We must not forget the most elderly in our population - the average age of people in our care homes is 85 - their lives are also valuable and they need the treatment and the equipment and the care that we would expect for anyone else in society as well." 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 Care England has estimated there have been nearly 1,000 deaths from coronavirus in care homes since the pandemic began, but the most recent statistics up to 27 March said there had been just 20 Covid-19 related deaths in sheltered accommodation. Sir David Behan, non-executive director of HC-One, Britain's largest care home operator, said Covid-19 was present in two-thirds (232) of their care homes, with 2,447 suspected or confirmed cases. Some 311 residents have died and a member of staff, he told the programme, accounting for a third of all fatalities. Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: "The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter." Downing Street said it did not accept the suggestion that the care sector was being airbrushed out of the official response, but acknowledged that "more needs to be done". Rules at drive-through testing centres have been changed to allow any spare capacity after NHS staff and their families have been tested to be used on care home staff, with 505 so far receiving tests, said the prime minister's official spokesman. The PM's spokesman said: "We are working round the clock to make sure that every vulnerable person, young or old, gets the support they need during this crisis. "In terms of care homes, testing takes place where there is a clinical need. We are prioritising testing for social care staff where possible. "We have delivered 7.8 million pieces of PPE to over 26,000 care settings. No wholesaler is prioritising the NHS over the care sector. We have published extensive guidance for care homes on how to limit the spread of infection. "We have reinstated the registration of 8,000 former social workers to fulfil vital roles in the community. We have announced 2.9 billion to help local authorities respond to pressures in key services such as social care. "We are constantly trying to get more support to the social cae sector and we do acknowledge that more needs to be done." The row comes as a new study of five European countries found half the deaths from coronavirus are happening in care homes. Data collected from official sources by a London School of Economics-based team found 42-57 per cent of all deaths linked to the virus were among care home residents. Subscriber content preview MOUNT VERNON (AP) The Washington state Department of Agriculture started hunting for Asian giant hornets after two confirmed sightings of the predator. The confirmed sightings in December were accompanied by two unconfirmed but probable sightings, The Skagit Valley Herald reported Sunday. . . . Photo: (Photo : Instagram/angela_primo) A pregnant woman who contracted the coronavirus, Angela Primachenko, welcomed her second child while in a medically-induced coma. Angela placed in a medically-induced coma A month ago, Primachenko, a respiratory therapist from Vancouver, Washington, felt ill during her 33-week pregnancy, as told by Today. She tested positive on March 24 and was admitted to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Then she was placed in the intensive care unit and was put on a ventilator. The 27-year-old mother's condition worsened, so her doctors placed her in a medically-induced coma. Then a few days later, she gave birth to her second daughter, who, after being tested for the coronavirus, got a negative result. Angela gives birth while in a coma Pachenko said that she felt like a miracle walking because her giving birth in that condition is exceptionally mind-blowing. She shared that after all her medications, she just woke up to find her bulging belly gone. She named their newborn "Ava," which meant "new breath of life." After she gave birth, her condition improved, and on April 6, her ventilator was removed. She also recalled that she was given a standing ovation by the hospital staff when she was released from the ICU. Angela not allowed to hold her newborn Over the weekend, Primachenko was released from the hospital. However, even though both she and her newborn are doing well, the new mother will only be allowed to hold Ava if she tests negative twice for the coronavirus. Since Ava is still in the neonatal intensive care unit, Primachenko's husband David, who has not contracted the virus, can visit their baby and let his wife do Facetime with Ava. Luckily, their 11-month-old firstborn Emily tested negative, too, because Primachenko was not sure where she had gotten the virus. During Primachenko's hospitalization, her twin sister Oksana Luiten updated their relatives about her condition and started a GoFundMe to help raise money for her sister's hospital bills. She posted on her social media account, asking for her sister's "miraculous healing." Oksana shared how grateful she was now that her twin was released from the hospital, and said that she could not wait to meet her new niece. She explained how no one knew that it was possible to give birth while in a coma after having contracted the virus. She felt surreal for posting a picture with her twin by her side because two weeks ago, she was not even sure if she would be able to share a photo. She added that she cherishes her twin sister more than ever because she is pure gold, and Oksana's world would not be complete without Angela. 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. The President of the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Chapter of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Alex Egotey has admonished Ghanaians not to panic in the face of the increasing number of the Coronavirus disease. He has rather advised them to continue to observe the various protocols and precautionary measures put in place by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to limit their chances of contracting the disease. Dr Egotey gave the advice during an orientation programme organised for media practitioners and officials of the Information Service Department (ISD), selected from the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions in Sunyani on the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme was organised by the USAID Breakthrough Action Project in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and the Health Promotion Division of the Ghana Health Service. Social distancing Addressing the participants, Dr Egotey expressed concern about overcrowding in the various markets in regions which were yet to record COVID-19 cases and called on the various metropolitan and district assemblies to put in measures to curb such practices. "The disease is real and we have to take our destinies into our own hands by avoiding such overcrowded places," he said, calling on people to go out only if they had to buy their essential needs. Six out of the 16 regions in the country are yet record incidence of the Coronavirus disease. Advertisement They are the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and the Oti regions. While the various municipal and district assemblies in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions have intensified education through the use the media and the Information Service Department, Veronca buckets have also been placed at vantage points within the various towns and villages to make it easy for people to regularly observe the handwashing protocol. The Bono Regional Coordinating Council, for instance has banned the use of tricycles popularly known as Pragya for the carrying of passengers as one of the measures against the spread of the COVID-19. Fake news For his part, the Chairman of the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Chapter of the Ghana Journalists' Association, Mr Larry Paa Kwesi Moses urged the various media houses and media practitioners to verify information obtained through the social media before putting them out. He urged them to use the Ghana Health Service website to verify information about Ghana's situation since the reliance on other sources could derail efforts being made to educate Ghanaians about the pandemic. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President Moon Jae-in attends a meeting on COVID-19 treatment and vaccine development at the Institut Pasteur Korea in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday./ Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong The government promised Tuesday to give comprehensive support to local companies developing vaccines or drugs to combat COVID-19 to help them become among the first to produce a treatment for the novel coronavirus. It said drugs for treatment and vaccines would be available as early as next year. "Developing treatments and vaccines is a challenge we must overcome in order to stay safe from COVID-19," said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official in charge of quarantine efforts against the pandemic, during a press conference. Yoon said the National Institute of Health and local pharmaceutical company, Celltrion, were working on an antiviral medicine for coronavirus patients. "They are aiming to start clinical trials for an antiviral drug sometime this year, and if that happens, the medicine could be on the market as early as next year," he said. "When it comes to plasma therapy, the institute is also conducting joint research with another company and they are seeking to be able to offer treatments within two or three months." Plasma therapy involves injecting patients with COVID-19 antibodies harvested from people who have recovered from the disease. Those who recover from COVID-19 develop the antibodies which then give them immunity and by giving these to sick patients it is hoped they will help them also recover. (Alliance News) - easyJet PLC founder and biggest shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has written to the UK market regulator regarding the airline's deal with Airbus SE. Shares in the budget airline were 1.5% higher in London on Tuesday at 691.20 pence each. Last Thursday, easyJet pushed back the deliveries of 24 aircraft until the end of financial 2022. The FTSE 100-listed airline said that in an effort to preserve liquidity amid uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, it has deferred ten aircraft deliveries scheduled for financial 2020 ending September 30, 12 deliveries for 2021, and two deliveries for 2022. easyJet added that its agreement with Airbus also allows it to defer a further 5 deliveries in its financial year to the end of September 2022. But Haji-Ioannou said the airline's statement was "as clear as mud" and warned that the company maybe in breach of UK market abuse regulations. On Tuesday, he said: "The scoundrels at easyJet simply do not have the corporate authority to cut such a deal given the collapsed share price and the monumental size of the Airbus order (about GBP4.5 billion). If the FCA does not force them to call a shareholder vote, my company, easyGroup, will not hesitate to take the regulator to judicial review as the law provides. "In plain English that means going to a High Court judge to ask for an injunction requiring the regulators to do their job properly." In a letter to the Financial Conduct Authority, Haji-Ioannou alleges easyJet has not complied with its "duty to present accurate and timely information" to investors and has not complied with its duty to obtain shareholder approval to defer the Airbus deal. The founder said easyJet's statement about the Airbus deferral does not clarify how many aircraft deliveries will proceed in financial 2020. "Given the global Covid-19 pandemic, the grounding of the company's entire fleet and loss of all its revenue, this is critical information, without which the actual deferral decision is impossible to understand," the letter continues. Haji-Ioannou also said the financial effect of the deferral was "entirely unexplained". "The company has a premium listing and is to be expected to comply with the highest standards of disclosure and transparency. It has not done so," he added. Haji-Ioannou had previously threatened to personally sue executives at the easyJet if it spends "a penny" on the GBP4.5 billion order with Airbus and fails to repay its GBP600 million government loan on time. He also renewed his demands for the company to remove Chief Finance Officer Andrew Findlay to "stop him from signing any more billion-pound cheques to Airbus every year". He issued a second call for a meeting of the company's shareholders - after the first one was rejected - to vote on removing Findlay and another director, Andreas Bierwirth. By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Washington, April 14 : The White House has said that President Donald Trump was not firing the nation's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci. "This media chatter is ridiculous," Xinhua news agency quoted White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley as saying in a statement on monday. "Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump." The statement came after Trump retweeted a post on Sunday night containing the hashtag "#FireFauci". Fauci, who has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, is facing criticism from conservatives after he said in an interview with CNN on Sunday that more lives could have been saved if stay-at-home measures were implemented earlier. A key member of the administration' coronavirus task force, Fauci told reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday that he was responding to a "hypothetical question" during the CNN interview. The expert claimed his response "was taken as a way that maybe somehow something was at fault here", and said his remark about "pushback" inside the administration to some of his recommendations on shutting the nation down at the end of February was a "poor choice of words". Trump, shrugging off the retweet on Monday, said in the briefing he "retweeted somebody", adding "it doesn't matter". As the administration has been scrutinized for downplaying the threat from the virus early on and faulted for delays in testing, Trump and his allies are mounting an aggressive defense. During Monday's briefing, Trump aired a campaign-style clip that highlighted measures he has taken to combat the virus and governors' praise for his actions. As of Tuesday, US has reported 582,607 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 23,628 deaths, making it the country with the world's highest number of infections and fatalities, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University on Monday. LATHAM A number of local businesses are donating extra warehousing space and equipment to the Food Bank of Northeastern New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. But due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements, they still need volunteers. Working with the CBRE commercial realty firm, The Rosenblum Companies is donating the use of one its warehouses in Latham for the next few months. Want to share and read more stories of people helping others during the pandemic? Join our Facebook group. Pengate Handling Systems is also helping with the use of free pallet jacks, forklifts, and chargers for the new warehouse. AE Rosen Electrical Co. is installing the chargers at no cost. All of these donations will save the Food Bank thousands of dollars that can be used to feed people in need of food assistance at this difficult time. We had a simple idea of renting off-site warehouse space to relieve the many problems we currently have sorting and repacking food in our own facility, said Mark Quandt, executive director of the Food Bank. We started with one phone call explaining our need and have been overwhelmed with the response. The warehouse is set to be operational next week. The Food Banks distribution has increased by 40 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March, but with social distancing guidelines and limited space, Food Bank volunteer numbers have taken a massive hit. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Normally, volunteers complete the work equivalent of more than 30 full-time employees over a year. But the pandemic has forced group sizes to decline by nearly 70% at a time when additional help is needed more than ever. With social distancing requirements, the Food Bank can only accommodate 10 volunteers at a time in its warehouse instead of the 30 or more it gets on a regular basis. The Food Bank receives many donations of food that must be sorted and repacked before they can be distributed to food pantries and other agencies. Volunteers do the bulk of that work. With the large decline in volunteers, a backlog of product is building up, thus the need for extra warehouse space. The new warehouse space will be ready for volunteers on April 21 and will be open every Tuesday through Friday with shifts from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12:30-3:00 p.m. for ages 6 to 69. Those interested can visit www.regionalfoodbank.net/volunteer to sign up. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Bernie Sanders has urged his supporters to rally behind Joe Bidens candidacy to make Donald Trump a one-term president. Photo: AFP via Getty Images A California woman who last year said Joe Biden touched her neck and shoulders when she worked in his Senate office in 1993 is now accusing him of sexually assaulting her that year in a semiprivate area of the Capitol complex, an allegation the Biden campaign denies. 'The Washington Post' has been examining Tara Reade's allegation over the past three weeks, since she said on a podcast that Mr Biden had pinned her against a wall, reached under her skirt and sexually assaulted her. At the time, she was a 29-year-old staff assistant. The newspaper has interviewed Ms Reade on multiple occasions - both this year and last - as well as people she says she told of the assault claim and more than a half-dozen former staffers of Mr Biden's Senate office. In interviews with the newspaper last year, Ms Reade said Mr Biden had touched her neck and shoulders, but she did not mention the alleged assault. She faulted his staff, calling Mr Biden "a male of his time, a very powerful senator, and he had people around saying it was OK". She acknowledged in more recent interviews that she twice voted for the Obama-Biden ticket, saying she strongly supported their political positions. Since January, Ms Reade has been a vocal supporter of Mr Biden's former rival Bernie Sanders. She said political considerations played no role in her decision to raise the sexual assault allegation. President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr and the president's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, sought to inject Ms Reade's allegation into the presidential campaign on Saturday by accusing the media on Twitter of not covering it. After 'The New York Times' published a story about Ms Reade's account on Sunday morning, social media lit up as partisans either rushed to equate it to widely publicised claims against other powerful men or to point out ways in which hers is different. The former vice-president has been accused of unwanted hugging and other physical contact, but 'The Washington Post' found no other allegations against him as serious as Ms Reade's. More than a dozen women, by contrast, have accused Mr Trump of forced kissing, groping or sexual assault, and he has been recorded on audio boasting about grabbing women between their legs. On Thursday, Ms Reade filed a complaint with District of Columbia police. She told the newspaper that she did so because she is being harassed online and wanted law enforcement to be aware of her claim. Ms Reade, now 56, said in recent interviews she was afraid to report the assault or talk about it publicly last year, when she accused Mr Biden of unwanted touching in online posts and media interviews. Mr Biden's presidential campaign called Ms Reade's accusations false. The claims came as Mr Sanders endorsed Mr Biden's presidential bid, encouraging his supporters to rally behind the presumptive Democratic nominee to defeat President Trump. "I am asking all Americans, I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse," he told Mr Biden in a virtual joint broadcast. Mr Sanders said the priority for Democrats of all political persuasions should be defeating Mr Trump. "We've got to make Trump a one-term president," he added. madera.crediblemind.com Given the strain placed on people and systems by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the need couldnt be greater. Past News Releases RSS Mental health represents the second target for flattening the curve in connection with the COVID-19 crisis. Against that backdrop, Madera County, California, through its comprehensive Live Well Madera County initiative, is the latest in a growing number of organizations taking proactive steps to protect population mental health and help people flourish, even in challenging times. Live Well Madera County (LWMC) is a community-based collaborative composed of countywide government, healthcare providers, health plans, business, education, law enforcement, community-based, and faith-based stakeholders that are committed to improving community wellness through focused aligned action. LWMC plays a crucial role in expanding access, addressing health equity, and making healthy behaviors and environments the social norm for the countys over 150,000 residents. At LWMC we are focused on destigmatizing seeking help for mental health issues, creating easier access to trustworthy resources, and integrating a broad wellness orientation across our community, said Dennis Koch, Director of Behavioral Health Services for Madera County. Given the strain placed on people and systems by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the need couldnt be greater. CredibleMind is a new kind of population health company, focused on getting upstream in addressing mental health needs. With over 10,000 expert-vetted resources and an AI engine that evaluates new resources on an ongoing basis, the site offers something for everyone. Books, podcasts, videos, apps, and online programs span topics ranging from anxiety, depression, parenting, sleep, and relationships. The companys recently launched and frequently updated COVID-19 Resource Center includes: MEDICAL INFORMATION AND NEWS. Trustworthy resources on the facts about COVID-19 to help keep people safe and informed. PRACTICAL TIPS. Self-care, parenting, and work-related resources provide essential support to keep people calm and effective in balancing the unique demands of this time. MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING SUPPORT. Expert-vetted resources on stress, anxiety, social connectedness, happiness, mindfulness, and meditation, as well as meaning, purpose, and gratitude to help employees cope and thrive in these challenging times and the days of new normal to come. CredibleMind serves a growing roster of private employers, public agencies, and community health organizations in their efforts to de-stigmatize the mental health discussion and get upstream in addressing mental wellness issues early. We are honored to be of service to the community of Madera County, said Deryk Van Brunt, founder and chief executive officer of CredibleMind. Our aim is to help people get needed support both in this unique time and beyond it. The lessons learned after 9/11 tell us we can expect a significant increase in mental health and substance abuse problems. We are working hard with partners, such as LWMC to get out ahead and flatten the second curve of mental health issues. About CredibleMind Our mission is to help people flourish by optimizing their mental health, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual growth. A majority of adults in the U.S. have a mental or emotional health challenge and want assistance. However, only a small fraction receive professional services. While 75 percent turn to self-care first, we uniquely provide users with evidence-based self-help approaches and help users find the most appropriate resources and interventions in a friendly, familiar, and accessible form. CredibleMind PRO, our enterprise offering, provides a digital platform that enables employers, insurers, healthcare providers and community organizations to engage users, provide evidence-based support for mental health improvement, and refers users to organizational and local resources. CredibleMind PRO provides a comprehensive upstream population-based mental health ecosystem, complete with analytics reporting on service needs, use, and outcomes. For more information visit us at CredibleMindPro.com. About Live Well Madera County LWMC is committed to an iterative transformational process focused through a Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) implementation every 3-5 years. The CHA and CHIP documents are the product and responsibility of all LWMC members. Appropriate CHIP goals and objectives are adopted into member organizations strategic plans. Measured results reflect the degree to which LWMC organizations collaborate and realize community transformation for Madera County resident wellness. MADISON Jill Karofsky, a Dane County Circuit Court judge backed by liberals, has been declared the winner in Wisconsins Supreme Court race following more than a week of high drama and chaos over whether the election should go on amid the fallout from thecoronavirus. Karofsky had 53.33% of the vote, while her opponent, conservative-backed incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, trailed with 46.67% with 57.3% of precincts reporting. If it stands after any potential lawsuits, the result of this election will shrink the conservative majority on the court from 5-2 to 4-3, giving liberals the chance to control the majority of seats in 2023. Im honored to have earned the trust of people across this state who believe in a tough, fair, and independent judiciary, and I promise to never forget those principles as their Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Karofsky said in a statement. Shortly after the Associated Press declared Karofsky the winner, Kelly conceded. It has been the highest honor of my career to serve the people of Wisconsin on their Supreme Court these past four years, he said in a statement. The expiration of the time and authority loaned to me is a reminder that our system still works that our Constitution endures through every test and trial, and that here in America the lawful will of the people shall always prevail. Karofskys win, however, could be challenged via lawsuits over problems that occurred with both absentee ballots and how the in-person election was conducted. But given the results firmly favor Karofsky, it is unlikely any legal action would give Kelly a win. The results also put the state and national Democratic parties, who support Karofsky, in a curious position of determining whether to file a lawsuit that could in any way change the election results. Earlier, Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Ben Wikler said Democrats were keeping all legal options open. Democrats have slammed Wisconsins Republican leaders for opting to move forward with the election amid COVID-19, something they thought would disproportionately reduce turnout among African-American voters. Many African-American voters in Milwaukee waited for hours in line April 7, while voters in many other parts of the state enjoyed a generally smooth election. Campaigning was upended midway through the Supreme Court race due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the candidates to conduct nearly all their operations in online formats and battle to find their voice in a news cycle in Wisconsin that has been almost fully consumed by the virus spread. COVID-19 may have thrown a curveball at the candidates; however, the intensely partisan nature of this years campaign follows the trend set over the past decade of Wisconsin Supreme Court races. By Trend The financial support is being rendered to the entrepreneurs who have suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Finance told Trend. The State Treasury Agency, on the basis of the Economy Ministry orders, transferred the salaries: the hired employees working in the spheres affected as a result of the pandemic 3.6 million manat ($2.1 million) to 1,983 taxpayers, 2.9 million manat ($1.7 million) - to 2,560 individual (micro) entrepreneurs working in the spheres affected by the pandemic to their corresponding bank accounts on April 13. The Ministry of Finance allocated a total of 8.9 million manat ($5.2 million) as financial support for 5,752 taxpayers on April 9, including the first tranche. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on April 13) --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Left parties on Tuesday said extending the lockdown till May 3 without any concrete planning by the government would further increase the suffering of the poor and the marginalised. "PM listed tasks that the people should implement during the extended lockdown. But nothing concrete on what the government will do. People were waiting for much-needed relief for a large number of our poor, marginalised and migrant labour," said CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury. Addressing a press conference later, Yechury accused the central government of running away from its responsibility. "We the people" phrase from the Constitution that the PM referred to also includes the government, he said. He also said while 339 people have died of COVID-19 as per the official records, nearly 200 people have died in the country of hunger, lack of shelter, exhaustion and malnutrition. "The experience of the three-week lockdown has shown the large-scale spread of hunger and inadequate shelter for a significant section of our people. It is imperative that the government must immediately implement a Rs. 7500 ex-gratia cash transfer to all non-Income Tax paying families and resort to universal distribution of free foodgrains to all needy people. The central government must ensure that no starvation deaths occur," he said. He also said the rescue package announced by the Modi government was merely one percent of the total GDP while even a far smaller country like Malaysia is spending 16 per cent of the GDP. He also demanded that all registered MNREGA workers should be paid the wages and arrangement should be made to take the migrant workers home. Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac in a tweet listed out three key things that the centre must immediately do. "There is no option other than extending the lockdown. But Centre must learn lessons from the past 3 weeks. 1. Without extensive testing lockdown won't be effective. 2.Without income support compliance will be low. 3. Without additional resources states will be constrained," he said. CPI general secretary D Raja said while extension of the lockdown was expected, there was hope that the PM in his speech would outline an economic package on how to deal with the livelihood crisis that has emerged due to the lockdown. "For the people to live, they need livelihood," Raja said. "Modiji back patted himself on his government's 'timely' response and 'holistic' approach towards tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. He could've also congratulated himself for practising hand washing. He has completely washed his hands off the poor and toiling Indians," tweeted CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. CPI leader and MP Binoy Viswam said the PM failed to address the plight of migrant workers despite claiming that he understood their situation. "In his near 20-minute address, the Prime Minister stated that he understood the plight of the poor and daily wage worker who is most affected by the lockdown but failed to indicate any relief measures that might alleviate their suffering. Instead, the Prime Minister appealed to the people to stay where they are and not violate the lockdown, despite their sufferings," he said in a statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. India has reported 10,363 cases of the virus infection and 339 deaths so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (CNN) Apple and Google are partnering to help authorities track exposure to the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology. The two Silicon Valley giants will work on a platform to enable contact tracing, a measure that identifies people who have been exposed to the virus and who they have been in contact with, the companies announced Friday. The companies will first release interfaces built on existing public health apps in May that can work on iOS or Android systems, followed by a more comprehensive platform in the coming months to which users will be able to opt in. A smartphone user that tests positive for the coronavirus can input their result into an app from a public health authority, which will feed into an anonymous "identifier beacon," according to an explanation from Google. That identifier will then be anonymously exchanged with anyone the user comes into contact with who also has the service enabled. Users then upload their identifier records to the cloud, following which they will receive a notification if they have been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for the virus. Authorities around the world have identified contact tracing as one of the key solutions to stop the rapid spread of the coronavirus, with several governments around the world, including Israel, Thailand and Hong Kong, using technology to track exposure and enforce quarantines. The US government has been looking to Silicon Valley for solutions, with Facebook and Google confirming last month they were looking into the use of cellphone location data to help track the spread of the virus. Some companies have also used location tracking technology to track spring breakers who flouted social distancing warnings in Florida. The state of North Dakota launched its own platform made by the designers of a popular bison tracking app to enable contact tracing. Privacy advocates and experts around the world have flagged concerns with contact tracing technology, saying it could potentially be used as a surveillance tool once the pandemic is over. Some experts have also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of Bluetooth-enabled contact tracing. President Donald Trump also hinted at the privacy concerns when asked about Apple and Google's partnership during a briefing on Friday. "It's very new, new technology, it's very interesting but a lot of people worry about it in terms of a person's freedom," he said. "We're going to take a look at that." Apple and Google, fierce rivals with the two most popular mobile operating systems in the world, said privacy will be central to their contact tracing efforts. Users will have to provide explicit consent for the platform to work, and no information that can be used to identify individual users will be collected, they added. "Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort," the companies said in their statement. "We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze." This story was first published on CNN.com "Apple and Google are working together to help track the coronavirus" The dispatch calls to Henrico Countys Fire Station 13 at first came in a trickle. Breathing problem. Priority one response, the voice said through the stations loudspeaker in early March, routing a rescue team to 1776 Cambridge Road. Then, Fire Capt. Michael Roth said the calls started to become more frequent -- two calls that first week, five in the second, seven in the third week, and 19 during the final week of March. Again and again, paramedics were returning to the same location -- the Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. We realized that was going to be a likely hot spot," Roth said. The two-story, yellow brick senior care center on a leafy street just northwest of Richmond, Va., would see over the ensuing weeks the worst loss of life from the novel coronavirus of any nursing home in the U.S. The first resident at the 140-bed home tested positive on March 18. This report was first published on the morning of April 14 when the death toll stood at 42 people. By the afternoon, the home announced it had risen to 45. The unfolding outbreak at Canterbury is a tragedy that is replicating across the country, public health experts said the tale of an insidious virus that spreads before anyone knows its there, attacking the nation's most vulnerable. Early on, COVID-19 lurked silently inside the Canterbury nursing home. When the entire population was finally screened, more than three weeks after the first resident fell ill, 60% of those testing positive had yet to show any symptoms. Only now, public officials said they realize that their defenses were porous. They underestimated a virus that would prey on seniors in institutional setting, and they are just starting to learn the lessons that could save lives elsewhere. PHOTO: In this March 27, 2020, file photo, the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Richmond, Va. is shown. (Steve Helber/AP, FILE) MORE: With Trump eager to restart economy amid coronavirus crisis, experts implore feds for testing, tracing and a clear plan Emergency response calls to a senior living facility are not unusual, but when you see a spike it means we should be digging in deeper, said U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who once served as Richmonds mayor. These are the kinds of things that we have to learn from as we go forward with respect to these senior living facilities across the United States. Story continues As coronavirus strikes other nursing homes, rising fear and delayed testing Julie Addingtons mother, Peggy Winckler, was 84 years old when she moved into the nursing facility three years ago because she had begun suffering the debilitating effects of dementia. At the time, Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center was called Lexington Court, and it was privately owned. It was purchased last year by New Jersey-based Marquis Health Services, which runs 30 nursing and rehabilitation centers around the country. Things were nice, Addington said. Most rooms are two people but the staff did a good job keeping it clean. The downstairs dining room was also where they did a lot of the activities: Bingo, movies, music, Bible studies, games, monthly birthday parties. And they also have a hair salon downstairs. Upstairs, she said, was a memory care unit that is locked to prevent people from wandering off -- even the elevators require a special code to operate. PHOTO: Peggy Winckler is pictured with her grandson during a birthday party. Winckler passed away in mid-March. (Julie Addington) MORE: Cut off from loved ones in nursing care by coronavirus, families fear the unknown Addington said there was a general sense of unease in early March, when word of the widening pandemic began to circulate and after nursing homes had shown to be especially susceptible. The staff at Canterbury began taking the first early measures to fortify the facility, similar to those being adopted at senior care centers around the country. Nurses started conducting temperature checks at the end of every workers shift, and Canterbury imposed restrictions on visitors beginning March 13. Addington was one of the last outsiders allowed to enter on March 14, when her mothers health was deteriorating. My son and I, as well as one of our pastors got in to see her that day, she said. Late the following night, the home called to say her mother had died. Addington does not believe coronavirus was the cause, though neither she nor anyone else at Canterbury realized what they now know -- that the virus had already gained a foothold inside. When Addington returned to Canterbury on March 16 to pack her mothers room, she was denied entry. A nurse packed her things and brought them down to me," she said. Three days later, Dr. Danny Avula, the Richmond health director, sent a team to the nursing home to assess the crisis. Avula knew that senior care facilities were emerging as uniquely vulnerable targets for this virus. Early numbers out of Italy were showing Covid-19 was highly contagious and deadliest among the elderly. Avula turned for advice to health officials in Kings County in Washington State, where the first major coronavirus outbreak in a U.S. nursing home struck. There the virus had raced through the Life Care Center in the city of Kirkland, killing 37 residents. None of us has dealt with this before, Avula said. We're all learning and we need to learn from each other. MORE: George Stephanopoulos reveals COVID-19 diagnosis weeks after wife Ali Wentworth tested positive Their recommendation, he said, was to test everyone in the facility. But Avula said conducting the tests was easier said than done. Because the state had such limited access to test kits, there were strict criteria in place for whom could be tested. They needed to set a threshold and so, at the time, if you were living in a long term care facility and you were showing symptoms you also had to have negative tests for flu and for the respiratory viral panel, Avula said. All of those steps would take time time he said the Canterbury residents did not have. In retrospect, that probably contributed to some spread, he said. By March 19, Canterbury staff had cleared out one wing of the facility to serve as an isolation unit, where any residents showing signs of fever or cough would be moved. That day, five residents were being treated in the isolation wing. It was not until March 30 that all of the residents were screened with approval from health officials. On April 2, the results came back. Of the 92 residents who tested positive, 53 still showed no symptoms. By then, Canterbury reported that 16 people had already died from the virus. It's hard to know in the week or two weeks prior to this [discovery] how much potential transmission had been taking place, and I think that's the real challenge that all of us are facing with COVID-19, Avula said. So many people are spreading the virus before you even have symptoms, and I think that's clearly what's happened there at Canterbury. By the end of the month, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would say that as many as one in four people who have coronavirus may not show any symptoms. Impossible choices and quiet deaths inside the facility The population of the Canterbury nursing home varied. Some residents were already quite frail before the virus showed up, Avula said. And when the virus began its march around the facility, many relatives of those inside had to confront a hard decision. Avula said he and the medical team at Canterbury began to wonder if it made sense to hospitalize the very sickest residents, when the chance of survival was so low. After that first weekend where we'd gone from one to four to seven cases, I got a call from the healthcare system who said you know, we really should think about what's happening here because we're seeing such rapid spread, and most of these cases are coming to our emergency room, Avula said. It really spurred on the question: does it make sense for elderly residents with lots of underlying health conditions who likely will not make it through COVID-19 to come here for us to try to resuscitate them for us to put them on a ventilator and then ultimately to see them pass away? MORE: As nursing homes take a heavy toll early, companies try to erect barriers to coronavirus As they grappled with the growing array of bad options, officials said they had to factor in the risks associated with transporting frail patients to area hospitals. The frequency of calls to the fire department was picking up, every transport was posing a new threat to first responders and taxing resources in the emergency room. But Henrico County fire officials said they were committed to responding, no matter the threat. Emergency crews called to Canterbury developed a strategy, Capt. Roth said: When the nursing home called 911 for a struggling resident, the dispatcher would ask staff to move the patient into the front lobby, and actually bring them right to the door so that we're minimizing cross-contamination. Then one paramedic would put on a respirator and protective clothing, and enter the lobby to assess the patient. Only in the most dire cases, Roth said, would the team risk transport. For somebody who may be having significant difficulty breathing, something like that, they're still being transported, Roth said. But what we've tried to do is shift as much treatment as possible to remain in-house. The nursing home tried to find the most ethical and humane solution for their sickest residents, which they believed often meant staying home. Avula said the medical director at Canterbury is married to a physician who specializes in palliative care aimed at bringing comfort to those who are nearing death. So she volunteered her time for a couple of weeks to go in and help set up the type of end of life comfort care with the residents of that facility and their families, Avula said. Many of the Canterbury families, he said, reached the difficult decision to sign do not intubate agreements -- meaning if the patient's breathing failed, they were not to be put on a ventilator. And so at this point, I think, probably more than half of the residents who have who have passed away have done so at the facility and not gone to the hospital, Avula said. When Paul Locke drove to the Canterbury April 9 to drop off iced tea for his mother, who is suffering from dementia and remains inside the nursing facility, he saw the grim evidence with his own eyes. As he sat in the driveway in his car, he watched a member of the Canterbury staff in blue coveralls and a mask wheel out a deceased resident, wrapped from head to toe in a red and blue decorative quilt. PHOTO: What appears to be a body is wheeled out of the Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Henrico County, Virginia. (Obtained by ABC News) None of the decisions were easy, Canterbury Medical Director Dr. Jim Wright said. The decision to care for patients inside the facility took a terrible toll on everyone inside. To see a resident pass, and to have nothing that you can do to prevent that from happening other than offering comfort and palliative care is traumatic, Wright said at an April 10 press conference. I mean there's nothing but trauma when that happens. Every death -- we die a little bit with every death that occurs in our facility. Thoughts of sending the uninfected away, but to where? For those with loved ones who remained inside Canterbury, a nagging question began to surface as the headlines in the local paper announced more Canterbury deaths with each passing day: Could someone rescue their relative before they became the next victim? Thats what Bernice Stafford-Turner wanted to know, as she began sending letters to public officials. Her 68-year-old younger brother Fred Lee Stafford moved into the nursing home a little more than two years ago. He had been struck by a car when he was three, and was beset by significant developmental problems ever since. Stafford-Turner, an attorney, said her brother was able to graduate high school and live independently, but always with help from her and other family members. In recent years, though, as his needs grew, the family agreed that a nursing care setting would be safer for him. Now, he was living on a second floor unit inside Canterbury, and because his ability to communicate is so limited, she had no easy way to tell how he was doing. I'm very concerned about his emotional state while he's there because this facility, appears to be overwhelmed and the nurses won't have time to just sit down and talk to him and have a conversation with him, Stafford-Turner said. PHOTO: Precious Turner smiles with her uncle, Fred Lee Stafford and mother, Bernice Stafford-Turner. Fred Lee Stafford is a resident of Canterbury nursing home in Richmond, Va. (Precious Turner) Canterbury set up a toll-free phone number for relatives to call to check in on residents, and to schedule video calls, she said. But that form of communication does not work for everyone. In letters to public officials and to doctors at Canterbury, Stafford-Turner asked whether those remaining inside could be moved somewhere safer. Health officials in Los Angeles County had taken that approach when homes there started showing vulnerability, calling on family members who could manage it to consider retrieving their loved ones. But for people like her brother, who may need more intensive care than a relative can offer, she wanted to know if other facilities could be persuaded to accept transfers. At this point, the residents need to be sent to a higher level of treatment and they need to be monitored and protected, she later told ABC News. Avula said Henrico County health officials began to consider that option once they knew from testing that 70% of the residents had been exposed. We immediately went to, 'What do we do for the 30%?' Avula said. Should we keep them isolated on a unit of this facility where, where they're cohorted together? Do we start trying to figure out is there a solution to try to transfer these patients out? The problem, he said, was that no other nursing facility would take the risk of accepting transferred residents. They considered renting out a hotel to temporarily house those who were still healthy, but that created other problems. This is a population that has a lot of needs, he said, noting that many of them require around-the-clock care, and some are kept on a locked wing because of the risk they could walk away. A hotel would be a really difficult place to stand up that kind of support system in pretty short order. In the absence of another solution, Stafford-Turners daughter, Precious, said she began trying to find other ways to get messages of comfort to her brother. Over Easter weekend, she set out dozens of bouquets of lilies into a display on the nursing home lawn, forming a heart that could be seen from her brothers window. Precious planned a delivery Wednesday of carnations to the home one for every resident inside. PHOTO: Over Easter weekend, Precious Turner set out dozens of bouquets of lilies into a display on the nursing home lawn, forming a heart that could be seen from her uncle's room. (Precious Turner) Wright, the Canterbury medical director, said as wrenching as this outbreak has been for those under his care, he believes the worst is now behind them. I think the atmosphere now is one of hope, he said. Staffing levels are up, there's a lot of activity going on in the facility. We have cleaning crews that are disinfecting everything, almost around the clock. The residents see the signs that we are nearing the end of the crisis. Senator: 'It could happen anywhere' Rep. Abigail Spanberger represents the residents of the Canterbury home in Congress, and said she has been shaken by what occurred there. When lawmakers set out to approve funding for a response to the global pandemic, she was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Virginia who wrote to Alex Azar, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, urging him to allocate funding for nursing homes. Of the $100 billion Congress allotted for hospitals and medical facilities as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package, Spanberger and her colleagues said they wanted the agency to ensure that a quarter of those funds -- $25 billion -- would go directly to providing relief to skilled nursing and assisted living to address the lack of health care workers and increased need for essential supplies in these facilities. Spanberger, a Democrat, said she wants more than money spent to prevent similar outbreaks from occurring in the future. "I hope at every level we will spend a significant amount of time doing a deep dive review into lessons learned, she said. What we as Americans did right. What we could do better at How did they mitigate the risk? Did they take steps at the right time?" One clear lesson, Stafford-Turner said, is that the world needs to do better by those seniors who need care in an institutional setting. I'm really thinking that, if we want to do justice for the elderly, the helpless and the disabled, we really need to take the necessary steps to save their lives, she said. She made that appeal in letters to public officials at every level, including to Sen. Kaine. Kaine told ABC News he has taken those appeals seriously, and is giving thought to how the state can better protect and help those seniors who are bearing the brunt of the outbreak. I think the lesson from Canterbury is if it could happen there it could happen at any senior living facility and so it probably calls to mind a broader set of issues about things like salaries that are paid to folks who work there and a need for them to have multiple jobs and does that elevate risk factors, Kaine said. I'm always struck in my life that we say our children and our parents are most important to us, but what are two of the lowest paid professions in this country? Those who care for young kids, childcare providers and those who care for our parents and grandparents, he said. That same admonition came after Canterbury reported the fortieth death of a resident on April 10, from the nursing facilitys medical director, Dr. Wright. He said that when this pandemic has passed, the American public may need to consider whether there is a better approach than to warehouse our elders, and to put them in small spaces, to underpay their staff so that there are chronic staffing shortages. I think if we see that that is an adequate treatment of our elders then we are going to have a bad time, Wright said. We're going to see this over and over again. Avula said he is committed to making sure that does not happen, and has begun crunching data and information from the Canterbury outbreak to better understand what went wrong. He may only be starting to digest the lessons from this losing battle against the coronavirus. But he knows he needs to learn fast. Nursing homes are fast emerging as a major source of fatal cases in the national COVID-19 outbreak. Just Monday, Los Angeles County health officials estimated that senior care residents account for 29% of all deaths from the virus. Massachusetts officials said that nearly half of the more than 800 coronavirus-related deaths in the state were at long-term care facilities. Just as he called Washington State officials when he started to show signs of viral spread in Richmond, Avula said officials from other states have now started calling him wanting to know how they can avoid becoming the next Canterbury. He said the state has formed a task force to consider whether it would help to test the entire nursing home population, even before residents show symptoms, or whether relatives should be asked to consider moving their loved ones at the first sign of an outbreak. I think there will be additional steps we can take in the days to come, that will hopefully keep other facilities from having the severe impact that Canterbury rehab has had, Avula said. But still the fate for Cantebury residents like Fred Stafford remain uncertain. On March 26, his niece said, the nursing facility called to say that while he showed no symptoms, he had tested positive. 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 ABC News's Dylan Goetz and Matthew Seyler contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Wednesday, April 15, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Silent killer: Inside the coronavirus outbreak at the Canterbury nursing home originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The COVID-19 Private Sector Fund has supported Ghanas National Coronavirus Treatment at the Ga East Municipal Hospital with secondary to tertiary Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to aid the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. The presentation was made last week at a brief ceremony at the premises of the Ga East Municipal Assembly. Present at the donation were some trustees of the fund. Items donated included coveralls, rubber aprons, nurses caps, N95 face masks, gumboots, disposable gowns, reusable goggles, face shields, etc According to Dr. Justice Yankson, General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, who is also the Chairman of the Technical Committee for the COVID-19 Private Sector Fund, after assessment of your critical needs we decided to support you with more PPEs to aid in this fight. These are very high levels secondary to tertiary care materials that we need by way of PPEs and these are the ones that are in short supply. This is the beginning of our partnership but we will entreat you to ensure you take absolute control of these items as an institution in the fight against COVID-19. Receiving the items, The National Coordinator of Ghanas COVID-19 Case Management Team, Dr. Ali Samba, this donation is timely since we have 60 patients here with four at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Though we have some of these items, we still need more. For ICU we need more PPEs since they are used often and must be changed. We will put the items to good use and we urge other institutions and individuals to all support this national fight, he added. The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund was established by 10 private businessmen and women to raise GHC100m to complement the governments efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The 10 trustees have each donated GHC1m into the fund. The general public can donate to the fund through the following channels: dial *777#100 on all networks and follow instructions. You can also send a bank transfer to 1300033187312, Fidelity Bank, Ridge Towers or visit www.ghanacovid19fund.com for more information. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The last decade has seen enormous change in the Irish dairy sector, with the removal of milk quotas in 2015 the single biggest event in terms of its impact. Irish milk production has grown from approx. 6.4 billion litres in 2015 to just under 8bn litres in 2019, an increase of approximately 24pc. In that same time period, based on June CSO livestock survey figures, the number of dairy cows in Ireland has increased by approximately 16pc, demonstrating not just an increase in output by Irish dairy farmers, but more importantly an increase in efficiency also. This has helped drive the value of Irish dairy exports by 30pc in this period from approx 3.8bn to in excess of 5bn, an increase of 30pc, which is an outstanding achievement. This expansion came at a significant cost in terms of investment by farmers and by processors; this commitment has allowed the dairy sector in Ireland to develop enormously in the last five years. Additionally, investment and improvement in areas such as genetics and breeding have given us an animal breeding programme in Irish dairying that is the envy of many countries. This contributing in a huge way to increasing profitability at farm level - a vital component of ensuring a sustainable level of expansion at farm level post-quotas. This performance across the dairy sector was fuelled by a high level of ambition both at farmer and processor level which was frustrated to an extent for over 30 years due to the presence of milk quotas. Ireland's extraordinary response to the opportunities afforded by the removal of milk quotas is something that all in the sector can be proud of and is something I have been honoured to represent on trade missions across the world in recent years. Scrutiny I have seen at first hand the esteem in which Irish dairy products are held in overseas markets and it is something that we should never take for granted, given the competitive global landscape we are facing. The dairy sector is now facing the next step in its evolution in terms of dealing with increasing scrutiny and accountability in areas such as environmental impact, food safety and animal health and welfare. While improved efficiencies at farm level has been impressive, the fact remains that the increase in the size of the national dairy herd does impact on our agricultural emissions. We have to ensure that this increase in cow numbers is managed in a sustainable manner. Irish dairy farmers availed of the opportunities afforded by the removal of milk quotas. Now I am confident they can deal with both the challenges and the opportunities brought by the increasing demand that consumers and markets place on the environment, food safety and animal health and welfare standards. Michael Creed is Minister for Agriculture in the caretaker Government and a Fine Gael TD for Cork Falcon Eye Drones Services (FEDS) Group Holdings, Middle Easts leading and one of the worlds top Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) company, has received a major strategic investment from Aerodyne Group, a world-leading provider of drone-based asset management solutions. Aerodyne Groups investment in the Middle Easts largest drone solutions company marks the first of its kind deal in the region. Proud to be UAE home-grown, FEDS was established in 2014, and in a short period has become the only company from the Middle East to be named as one of the top drone service providers in the world, said a statement. FEDS has conducted thousands of commercial operations for some of the biggest companies in the Middle East, while Aerodyne itself is already a global leader with more than 300,000 infrastructure assets inspected and managed across 25 countries. Both companies are ranked among the top 20 drone service providers by Drone Industry Insights, a leading source for independent drone market intelligence. The investment of Aerodyne, the worlds leading drone service provider, in FEDS is part of the groups aggressive two-year global plan which will potentially see the completion of seven M&As within the period. In December 2019, Aerodyne announced a similar strategic alliance with Measure UAS in America. Discussions between Aerodyne and FEDS started in the second half of 2019. The strategic investment will allow FEDS to further strengthen its position in the Middle East with DT^3 (Drone Technology, Data Technology, and Digital Transformation) technology from Aerodyne, it said. This investment, on the other hand, would allow Aerodyne Group to leverage FEDS' strong growth trajectory and financial performance to further enhance value for its shareholders. FEDS will also contribute significantly to Aerodynes global vision in geospatial and GRID management solutions. Aerodyne founder and Group CEO Kamarul A Muhamed said: We are proud to welcome FEDS into the Aerodyne family. FEDS provides Aerodyne a strong foothold to accelerate our expansion into the Middle East. By combining our expertise and FEDS local content, we have created a platform that is primed to be the market leader in the region and will supercharge our next phase of growth. FEDS founder and CEO Rabih Bou Rashid said: I am very excited with this strategic alliance and have no doubt that it will add significant value to FEDS, our clients and Aerodyne Group. This partnership will solidify us now, at the group level, as an undisputed global number one Drone powered solutions providers. FEDS was already at the forefront of the technology and we were providing the best in class services, but Aerodyne will even take us a step further, an amazing change for us and a great news for the local market. We look forward to continuously create value and expand the frontier in the drone services space together with Aerodyne. Rabih Bou Rashid also joins the Aerodyne Groups global leadership team, bringing with him eight years of invaluable experience and expertise in drone services sectors across multiple verticals. FEDS will continue to provide premium turnkey aerial inspections of infrastructure assets in the energy utilities, geospatial survey, public infrastructure, and telecommunications sectors. Leveraging on Aerodynes DT^3 technology will enable FEDS to offer deeper disruptive solutions to the Middle Eastern market. By combining smart drones and AI, advanced analytics and solution approach to enterprise digitalisation, these solutions will give FEDS clients significant performance improvement and cost optimisation, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service By Trend The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) held an extraordinary foreign exchange auction with the participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), during which Azerbaijani banks acquired $56.5 million, Trend reports referring to CBA. According to CBA, demand from the banks at the auction decreased by 2.9 percent or by $1.5 million compared to the previous auction, reaching $56.5 million. Considering the number of days remaining before the next scheduled auction, as well as with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted currency trading by the banks on weekends, the demand of banks at the auction will be fully provided. The first foreign exchange auction in a long time was held with the participation of SOFAZ on March 10, 2020, during which Azerbaijani banks acquired 323.2 million manat ($190.1 million). CBA began to hold foreign exchange auctions through unilateral sale of foreign currency in competitive conditions since mid-January 2017. In March 2020, it was decided to hold extraordinary foreign exchange auctions in connection with the increased demand of the population for foreign currency amid the failed deal OPEC+ (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), which entailed a sharp decline in oil prices. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on April 14) An employee who answered the phone at the station Monday declined to answer questions, but said there were no injuries. A call to the Egg Harbor Township Police Department was not answered. A tornado watch went into effect Monday morning for South Jersey. The watch was canceled by 4:55 p.m. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2, requested that Gov. Phil Murphy declare a state of emergency while the storm raged in his district. The area was already struggling with resource allocation stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Van Drew said. Over the last few hours, storms and powerful winds have damaged huge areas of South Jersey, while we are in the midst of a public health crisis, Van Drew said. I am asking the governor to declare an immediate State of Emergency to help our community rebuild. We need the help now more than ever. Photos posted to social media outlets showed widespread damage across the region. In Atlantic City, a fallen tree limb crushed a sedan on Fairmount Avenue and damaged a traffic light near Tennessee and Pacific avenues. Throughout the city, some lights had stopped working, prompting police to urge caution and to avoid driving. We're all spending a lot more time at home now, sifting through our pantries and refrigerators. Produce and meat we know are use it or lose it. But what about all those condiments? You know, the kind of stuff you dip into occasionally - the kind of stuff you are definitely not going to make a special trip to the store for, especially now with the need for social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak. Before getting into the specifics of how long these various items will last, here are a few tips: - Keep track of how long the bottle or jar has been open. It may be too late for what's already in your pantry or refrigerator, but in the future you can make a concerted effort to label the container with the date you opened it. Write it on with permanent marker, slap on a piece of painter's or masking tape, whatever. Don't rely on the best-by dates since that tells you nothing about when you actually opened the food. SHORT SUPPLIES: Groceries say we have enough food. Here's why shelves are empty - According to the Ohio State University Extension, items that can be stored at room temperature - either before or after opening - should be in a cool, dark place. Avoid warmer cabinets near the oven/cooktop, dishwasher and refrigerator exhaust. - Refrigeration can extend the life and quality (color, flavor, texture) of items that could also be stored in the pantry, such as hot sauce and peanut butter. Here's what the government says with regard to shelf-stable mustard, mayo, barbecue sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salsa: "Refrigeration ensures that commercial sauces and condiments stay fresh for a longer period of time. . . . Quality, not safety, is the reason the labels on these products suggest that they be refrigerated after opening." - Use common sense. Below you'll find the government-recommended storage times, but we're realists. We know most of us keep things around longer than the guidelines suggest. They are a helpful baseline, however. If you decide to go beyond them, be attentive to signs of spoilage - mold, suspicious odors, etc. And now to the details. These guidelines have been pulled from the FoodKeeper database (also available as a phone app) at foodsafety.gov and this chart from the Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service. Unless otherwise noted, each category includes how long the unopened product can be stored in your pantry unopened followed by suggested refrigeration time after opening. ON THE FRONTLINE: Houston H-E-B employees test positive for coronavirus Barbecue sauce: 1 year; 4 months (see note above on shelf-stable). Chutney: 1 year; 1 to 2 months. Hoisin: 18 to 24 months; 3 to 6 months. Honey: Consume within 2 years (store in pantry). Horseradish: 12 months when stored in refrigerator; 3 to 4 months refrigerated after opening. Hot sauce: 9 to 12 months; 6 months in the pantry after opening, although refrigeration will better retain heat. Jams, jellies and preserves: 6 to 18 months; 6 to 12 months. Jarred pesto: 6 to 9 months; 7 days. Jarred spaghetti sauce: 18 months; 4 days. Ketchup: 1 years; 6 months (see note above on shelf-stable). Maple syrup: Consume within 12 months if stored in pantry, refrigeration will extend life. Mayonnaise: 3 to 6 months; 2 months (see note above on shelf-stable). Mustard: 1 to 2 years; 1 year (see note above on shelf-stable). Oyster sauce: 18 to 24 months; 3 to 6 months. Peanut butter: 1 year when stored in refrigerator and 3 to 4 months refrigerated after opening (natural); 6 to 9 months when stored in pantry or 12 months stored in refrigerator, 2 to 3 months in pantry or 3 to 4 months refrigerated after opening (commercial, stabilized). Pickles: 1 year; 1 to 3 months. Relish: 30 months; 9 months. Salad dressing: 10 to 12 months; 1 to 3 months. Salsa: 1 year; 1 month (see note above on shelf-stable). Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce: 3 years; 1 month. Tahini: 1 year; 3 weeks. Vinegar: Can last essentially indefinitely, though KSU suggests 2 years in the pantry unopened and 1 year opened. Worcestershire sauce: 1 year (unopened or opened) in pantry. With hundreds of detainees lodged in prisons outside the disputed region amid a pandemic, their families want them home. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir Bilquees Shah, 50, a doctor in Indian-administered Kashmir, starts her day early these days and works till late night as hospitals in the region battle the coronavirus pandemic. But she remains troubled and restless about her husband, Shabir Ahmad Shah, 65, a senior separatist leader, who is lodged in New Delhis Tihar Jail hundreds of miles away for the last three years. Shah was arrested on July 25, 2017, for money laundering allegedly committed in 2005. He claims he was falsely implicated, but was denied bail by a court in New Delhi. It is his 33rd year overall in imprisonment, said Shahs wife. In the earlier times, we never begged the government to release him. But this time, there is a pandemic and it has no borders. Bilquees said she remains worried about the condition inside jails. They do not get proper food, there is no hygiene, she told Al Jazeera. PSA detainees outside Kashmir Hundreds of Kashmiris including politicians, lawyers and activists were detained when the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir states special status in August last year and moved to jails outside the disputed region. Most of the detainees have been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) a law termed lawless by the Amnesty International rights group for allowing detention without trial for a year. Many of those detained under the PSA have been moved to New Delhis Tihar Jail and a jail in Agra city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the official data, Tihar jail has an inmate population of 17,534 while its capacity is 10,026. The National Crime Records Bureau data on Indian prisons last year revealed that Uttar Pradesh had the most overcrowded jails despite having the highest capacity to accommodate prisoners among all states in the country. An official in Kashmir, on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera, that nearly 220 people detained during the August 5 lockdown are languishing in jails outside the Kashmir region. Most of the Kashmiris in Tihar Jail are diabetic like my husband or have other ailments. One Kashmiri detainee has brain tumour. They should be released this time or shifted to Kashmir on humanitarian grounds, said Shahs wife. An outbreak of COVID-19 in a prison could be devastating to the population there, especially an overcrowded prison. Elena Leclerc, International Committee of the Red Cross Like Bilquees, Zamruda Mushtaq is worried about her 22-year-old son Asif Khushoo who is in detention for the last eight months for being a threat to public order and involvement in violent protests. Mushtaq last saw him five months ago in the Agra jail. Since then, she has been waiting to know about his welfare amid mounting concerns that the spread of COVID-19 in cramped prisons could be a humanitarian disaster. When we watch the news and see how fast the disease is spreading, we cry day and night for our son, said Mushtaq. Mian Abdul Qayoom, 76, is one of the top lawyers and anti-India voices in Kashmir, who remains without trial in Tihar Jail, where he was shifted from Agra two months ago. Qayoom heads the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and has often backed shutdowns and protests called by the regions anti-India politicians, for which he was detained several times. His latest detention came on August 4 last year, a day before India abrogated Kashmirs limited autonomy and divided the Himalayan region into two federally-administered territories. Mian Muzaffar, Qayooms nephew, told Al Jazeera they have not received a word from him in a month due to a complete lockdown imposed across India to combat the COVID-19 spread. He has diabetes for the last 26 years and needs 30 units of insulin twice a day. He also has a single kidney for the last 26 years after he suffered a bullet injury in 1995 which also wounded his spine. He has undergone surgery nine times, Muzaffar said. The regional authorities have declared 45 areas as coronavirus red zones in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir [Farooq Khan/EPA] Outbreak feared in overcrowded jails While the families of Kashmiris imprisoned without trial in jails in faraway cities were struggling to secure their release, the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic. A nationwide lockdown now extended to May 3 to prevent the disease has also shut the Indian courts, where the cases of the detained Kashmiris were being heard. The curbs on road, rail or air travel effectively isolated the detainees from their families. In response to the Supreme Courts order on March 23 to decongest jails across the country amid the pandemic, the Jammu and Kashmir administration formed a committee which decided to release convicted prisoners and undertrials on the basis of the nature of offence, the number of years [served in jail] and severity of offence. VK Singh, director general of prisons in Jammu and Kashmir and member of the committee, told Al Jazeera 50 prisoners have been released, but the committee did not have the mandate to decide on PSA cases outside the region. Cases from outside Jammu and Kashmir are handled by principal secretary (home) because they are Public Safety Act cases. The committee is not dealing with PSA cases, he said. However, a senior government official on condition of anonymity told Al Jazeera that authorities in the region are set to order the release of nearly 40 people detained under the PSA outside Kashmir. Elena Leclerc, the Health in Detention programme coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the outbreak of the disease in prisons can prove devastating for prisoners. An outbreak of COVID-19 in a prison could be devastating to the population there, especially an overcrowded prison where general health is already low, she said in an interview published on the ICRC website. Khurram Parvez, a Kashmir-based human rights activist, told Al Jazeera at least 300 Kashmiris are lodged in overcrowded prisons outside the region. Due to the lockdown their families are unable to visit them and know nothing about their wellbeing, he said. Amnesty also urged the Indian government to release Kashmiri detainees, saying that building trust with the people is essential in fighting an unprecedented pandemic. By Jung Min-ho China's government censors research on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed nearly 120,000 people around the world. According to of the notice from China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first reported in December, all studies now must be approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology before publication. "Academic papers on the traceability of the new coronavirus must be reviewed by the academic committee of the school before publication, focusing on the authenticity of the paper and whether it is suitable for publication," the notice says. "After the review is passed, the school reports to the Ministry of Science and Technology, and can only be published after the review by the Ministry of Science and Technology." A blog post headlined that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria said Nigerians should appreciate him for the two-week lockdown extension. During his speech, the President did not make such a statement; this is a clear illustration of a falsified headline purposely meant to catch the readers attention. Full text Monday, April 13 marked the end of the two weeks lockdown initiated by the Federal government, or so we thought. As the countdown slowly came to a halt, everyone waited anxiously for a directive from the presidency; although all indications pointed to a possible extension. And just yesterday, the suspense was over. The administration announced another two weeks of self-isolation for the citizenry. Shortly after President Buharis nationwide address on the 13th of April 2020, a blog site- Oyinbonaija- decided to add fuel to the fire of uncertain emotions embodied by Nigerians. The websites publication which already garnered over 469 views suggests that President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerians to appreciate him for the extension. But is this really the case? Did the President make such a comment while giving his speech? Verification A proper look at the publication revealed that the only contradicting statement of the publication was the headline. The main text was starkly different from the headline. A section of the Presidents speech read: With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with (the) Government in this fight. However, at no point in time did the President say that Nigerians should appreciate him for the lockdown, at least not in his speech. Sensational headlines Oyinbonaija in its publication, like many other misleading pieces, leverages emotions via sensational headlines for clicks and views. This tactic, however, is not novel and not in the least imperceptible. Consequently, Dubawa still urges readers to be sceptical of any piece of information they come across. Additionally, readers should ensure they go through the main text and not only the headline. This will give the reader the idea the source of the message is trying to pass. And as a reminder, sensational headlines are a pointer that the news might be fake. At the very least, interrogate the piece with a simple google search; better still, reach out to us. Conclusion The President did not say in his speech that Nigerians should appreciate him for extending the lockdown by two weeks. Sites such as these leverage emotions via clickbait titles for notoriety. - A 51-year-old man identified as Fred Drah has shared his experience after recovering from the novel coronavirus - Frede Drah reveals that he contracted the coronavirus from a friend who returned into the country from one of the infected countries abroad - Drah sat for an interview with TV3 Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Fred Drah, a 51-year-old man who recovered from the COVID-19 in Ghana has recounted his ordeal with the deadly disease. According to Drah, he contracted the coronavirus from a friend who returned into the country from one of the infected countries abroad. Speaking in an interview with TV3, he revealed that he works at the ports and a friend came to visit him. ''I had a friend who came to visit me. He imported mattresses and we had a chat and ate together. He was coughing by then but I paid less attention,'' he recounted. Drah reveals that on March, 17, 2020 his temperature was above normal, rushed to the hospital and was tested for the coronavirus. He tested positive for the COVDI-19. He said he was transferred to the Ga East Hospital where he was treated till he recovered. Drah told TV3 that health workers who attended to him were scared of him. ''I was locked from the outside and I was alone in that big compound. For the first four days. I was there alone.'' Drah recounts he was quarantined and left alone. ''It was between God and myself,'' he said. READ ALSO: Yaa Jackson: Kumawood actress flaunts curves and heavy backside in recent photos; fans react He talked about one patient who was equally positive but died as a result of other health complications. While still undergoing treatment, he narrates that a gentleman came in and he was very weak. He also tested positive for diabetes. ''I was called that I had to be sent to a different apartment. The following day I tried calling my friend many times but he had died.'' Drahs wife and kids, who joined the interview urged the public to refrain from stigmatising recovering patients. According to Drahs wife, ''when people see us, they try to avoid us because we had recorded a case in our home.'' The family expressed gratitude to God for healing their father and husband. Drah also thanked healthcare workers who attended to him while he was recovering at the Isolation Center. Watch full video below. In other news, the Ministry of Information as of Monday, April 13, 2020, reported that Ghana has a total number of 566 confirmed coronavirus cases. President Nana Akufo-Addo also announced an extension of the lockdown and ban on all public and social gatherings following the increased cases. Also, so far, 10 out of 16 regions in Ghana have confirmed cases with the capital city, Accra, leading with 452 cases. READ ALSO: COVID-19: Nurse breaks down in tears after walking into wards to find lifeless bodies (Video) One on one with the young Ghanaian genius Angela Tabiri who has a Ph.D. in Mathematics | #Yencomgh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 566 on Monday, up from 431 the day before, but the number of new cases slowed to 3,153 from a previous 4,092. The number of new cases was the lowest since April 7. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 rose to 20,465, the Civil Protection Agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States. The number of officially confirmed cases climbed to 159,516, the third highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain.- There were 3,260 people in intensive care on Monday against 3,343 on Sunday a tenth consecutive daily decline. Of those originally infected, 35,435 were declared recovered against 34,211 a day earlier. SOURCE: REUTERS Puthandu is a festival which marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year. This year, Puthandu 2020 is being celebrated on 14 April Puthandu is a festival which marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year. This year, Puthandu 2020 is being celebrated on 14 April. Puthandu falls on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai. On this day, people follow the ritual of Kanni, which is believed to bring prosperity and happiness. In the ritual, people put three fruits on a tray, apart from silver or gold jewellery, money, areca nut, betel leaves and flowers. Tamilians celebrate this day by waking up early, taking a bath and decorating their house. Puthandu, like any other Indian festival, is also associated with its delicacies. On the occasion of Puthandu, one sweet and the other sour dishes are prepared. As people this year cannot meet their relatives and friends on Puthandu due to coronavirus lockdown, here are some wishes that you can share with your near and dear ones: - May you and your family nembers be blessed with good health and good fortune this Puthandu. Happy Tamil New Year! Puthandu Vazthukal 2020! - On this Tamil New Year, I wish that you are showered with the best of divine blessings that fill your life with new ppportunities and heart with eternal happiness. Puthandu Vazthukal 2020. - Wish that this Tamil New Year brings into your life lots of good things and good times. Puthandu Vazthukal! - Sending my warmest greetings to you this new year. May you fulfil all your new year resolutions. Puthandu Vazhtukal! - Happy New Year to you and your family, may you have a great time all through the year. Puthandu Vazthukal! Facebook greetings - Hope this new year, ushers in hope, a renewed confidence and the will power to fight all odds and emerge as a winner. Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal. - On the joyous occasion of Varsha Pirappu, heres praying that God blesses you with good health, wealth, peace and prosperity. - May this new year usher in a new dawn, new hope, peace, joy and happiness. Ellorkum Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal. - This new year, I hope and pray that the almighty restores peace and harmony in society. May no one suffer from illness and may there be no war. A very Happy Puthandu to you and your loved ones. WhatsApp GIPHY via GIPHY via GIPHY A former university professor accused of stabbing his boyfriend to death has been denied bail so he could use his microbiology expertise to fight coronavirus. Wyndham Lathem, a diseases expert, has been held at the Cook County Jail since his arrest for the murder of his boyfriend, Trenton Cornell-Duranleau. Now, the ex-Northwestern University professor has been denied release in order to conduct research into the coronavirus. Dr. William Goldman, chair of Microbiology and Immunology at University of North Carolina, had written in support of Mr Lathems bail request, stating that his background and experience made him well suited to participating in current coronavirus studies. The North Carolina professor added that "It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope." On Monday, court records indicated that Judge Charles Burns denied granting Mr Latems bail - worth $1 million - during an emergency hearing conducted via teleconference on Friday. That came despite the former professor citing health concerns that put him in increased danger if he contracted the coronavirus. According to the Cook County Sheriff's office on Sunday, the Chicago jail had 309 confirmed cases of coronavirus, whilst two detainees have died of complications directly related to the disease. Attorney Adam Sheppard said on Monday that Mr Lathem was disappointed by the ruling, adding his client reported mild symptoms of COVID-19 on Friday. "We are deeply concerned about his health,"said Mr Sheppard. "He had been hopeful that he might get out (on bail), but he was not overly optimistic." The attorney added that health care workers had reached-out to Mr Lathem for off-record advice about managing the coronavirus outbreak inside Cook County Jail. The microbiologist has been held there since 2017. Last year, his accomplice, Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty to the murder of Mr Cornell-Duranleau. Mr Lathem has been held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was previously known for his research on the bubonic plague. Additional reporting by Associated Press Toronto police are searching for a man suspected of attacking and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman near St. Clair West subway station in March. Police say that the woman was in the area of Bathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue West on March 2 around noon when she was approached by a man. The man began punching the woman in the face and the head before sexually assaulting her, police said. The man fled after people in the area ran to help the woman. He was last seen entering St. Clair West subway station, police said. In a news release issued Tuesday, police described the man as 57 and between 170 to 180 lbs., with a long black-and-grey beard. He was wearing a dark blue winter coat with a fur lined hood, dark-coloured jeans and dark-coloured shoes. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. Americas rats have become so desperate amid the coronavirus outbreak that wars are breaking out amongst their ranks, and some have taken to cannibalism to survive, experts say. Many think the behaviour has been brought on by social distancing measures enforced as a result of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. Thousands of non-essential businesses across the country have been forced to close by the novel coronavirus pandemic, including restaurants and bars, cutting off the rodents main supply of food and forcing the population into survival mode, experts say. A restaurant all of a sudden closes now, which has happened by the thousands in not just New York City but coast to coast and around the world, and those rats that were living by that restaurant, someplace nearby, and perhaps for decades having generations of rats that depended on that restaurant food, well, life is no longer working for them, and they only have a couple of choices, Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist, told NBC News. For those that rely on these more urban sources of nutrition, the change in climate as a result of the virus is forcing many members of the species to take extreme measures. According to the experts, the few choices that rats have available to them include cannibalism, rat wars, and infanticide. Its just like weve seen in the history of mankind, where people try to take over lands and they come in with militaries and armies and fight to the death, literally, for whos going to conquer that land. And thats what happens with rats, he said. A new army of rats come in, and whichever army has the strongest rats is going to conquer that area. However, for the even more desperate of colonies, cannibalism is also on the menu. Theyre mammals just like you and I, and so when youre really, really hungry, youre not going to act the same youre going to act very bad, usually, he said. So these rats are fighting with one another, now the adults are killing the young in the nest and cannibalising the pups. A viral video taken in New Orleans and posted in March showed swarms of rats coming out into the open streets to find food. What we have seen is these practices are driving our rodents crazy, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a news conference in March, according to the New York Post. Speaking to NJ.com Mr Corrigan warned that residents should be taking care to avoid infestations of desperate rodents within their homes. We dont want those animals in our apartments, houses, restaurants or grocery stores because you end up playing disease lottery if that happens, Mr Corrigan said. You dont want anyone of those 55 diseases. Ms Cantrell expressed concern for the homeless populations of the city stuck on the streets amidst infestations. And what rodents do, they will find food, and they will find water. That puts our street homeless in dire, dire straits. And thats why Im so laser-focused on it right now, she said. Mr Corrigan assured people that not all areas are set to face an infestation on the same level as New Orleans. This is not going to be a case where all of a sudden the rats are doing invasions everywhere, he said. Agartala, April 14 : A 35-year-old-woman, supposed to be a Bangladeshi, is stranded between the India and Bangladesh border in Tripura for the past around two weeks. Despite the border guards of the two countries holding a series of meetings her status remains uncertain, officials said on Tuesday. "The woman, maybe a Bangladeshi, was suddenly noticed by the Border Security Force and villagers on April 2. Since then the officials of BSF and BGB (Border Guards Bangladesh) have held a series of meetings, but the issue remains unresolved," South Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Debapriya Bardhan told IANS over phone from Belonia, the district headquarters. "Some people on both sides of the border are occasionally providing food to the woman. Despite she being a Bangladeshi citizen, the BGB officials are reluctant to take her back," a BSF official said, refusing to be quoted. The woman is stranded on the sandy bank of the Feni river, which divides India and Bangladesh along southern Tripura. The official said that both BSF and BGB officials tried to know the name of her village or residential area, but she has remained mostly silent. "In view of the novel coronavirus pandemic, we think it is risky to take her back on either side," the BSF official said, adding that the woman as per her body language is keen to go to Bangladesh, but the BGB officials have refused to take her back. The policy responses globally to the coronavirus pandemic-induced dire economic scenario has treaded the familiar path of infusion of money into the financial system. As India braces itself for the longer-term economic impact of the lockdown, it is pertinent to reflect upon specific policy issues that will require careful attention from the industry and the government alike. Governments and the central banks globally have responded with increased money supply into the economic system to stem the short-term cash flow problem. In the long-run, policies in India must look to ensure that a sustainable recovery is on the cards by tackling issues on both the demand and supply side. As the economic machinery has stopped working, unemployment and lower incomes will result in a drop in aggregate demand not just in India but globally. On the supply side, disrupted supply chains will necessitate higher input prices and processing times in production. Essentially, the government will have to look beyond the policy measures announced so far to effectively provide businesses "bridge-capital" to tide over the extreme shock following total demand collapse, and supply chain disruption that the corona virus-induced lockdown has caused. Providing this "bridge-capital" to businesses will be critical to reviving the economy, that too at a rapid pace. Suggestions from experts on how to give businesses the fillip have ranged from tax breaks to business grants. While the exact mechanisms utilised may vary by sector, the realisation that the procedure needs to be both implemented well and practically is vital for all to understand. In providing businesses with "bridge-capital", the government needs to ensure that the issue of moral hazard is avoided. For instance, where businesses are provided with the option of deferring a specific component of tax payments (with no interest penalty), then it is vital to communicate to the businesses that this is tantamount to an interest-free loan that must be repaid in the future. The aim must be to assist businesses to become more efficient going forward. It must be underscored that in an economic downturn, not all companies can be saved. Economic downturns are preceded by a crisis and ensure that certain inefficient businesses are weeded out, a natural concomitant of the economic cycle. "Survival of the efficient" is the strategic dictum. The government must ensure that businesses have both clarity and incentives to realign or even redesign their businesses for greater efficiency and growth to forge ahead in the post-corona world. The practicality of the government efforts to boost the Indian economy must factor in the core issue, that the government's capacity to provide businesses capital is limited. In an unprecedented scenario where the economic wheels come to a complete halt or have stopped turning to a large extent, the government can only provide money to a limited extent. The key is to provide businesses access to extra capital is to do so with clarity of purpose, judged on the touchstone of having efficiency. Additionally, it is also vital that policies carefully address the long-term implications and intricacies of the economic linkages in the system. As far as possible, policies that look to ameliorate short-term pains must not do so at the cost of creating more significant problems down the road in the longer run. For instance, if certain payments to a sector are to be delayed one needs to be mindful of the fact that the industry that will get delayed payments may also have potential liabilities that in turn need payments to be made and so on. Therefore, a delayed payment schedule for one part of the supply chain has implications for the entire length and breadth of the supply chain. That government policy and expenditure must be directed to jump-start the recovery in both India, and indeed the world over is evident from the policy measures such as central bank balance sheet expansion and government grants and loans to businesses being announced all around. More importantly, removing roadblocks to the flow of money through effective policymaking is the key to emerging stronger from the corona virus-induced economic slowdown. In the long run, the capacity to remove inefficiencies that impede the flow of money by cleverly designed policies can serve as the proverbial silver lining in the cloud for India. (The views expressed in this article are personal and that of the author. The author heads Development Tracks, an advisory firm. You can contact him at taponeel.mukherjee@development-tracks.com or @Taponeel on Twitter) We would love to hear your thoughts... 1. How did you come up with the idea for your startup? 2. What was the hardest part in the early stages of the startups growth? 3. What are the services/solutions/products that the startup offers? Who are the targeted audiences? 4. What are your strengths and advantages over your competitors? 5. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your metrics? 6. Is the company bootstrapped or funded? What milestones will the financing get you to? 7. What is the road map ahead? How are you planning to achieve it? Key Management : Founding Year : Milestones : Awards/Recognition : Clients : Coronavirus deaths in the hard-hit United States were flat for a second consecutive day, with New York's governor saying the "worst is over" as many countries weigh a gradual reopening of their shattered economies. Since emerging late last year, the coronavirus pandemic has killed around 120,000 and infected nearly two million, tipping the world towards a fierce economic recession as more than half of the globe hunkers down at home. As countries reach different stages of the coronavirus curve, debate is raging over whether to return to normal life and possibly risk a second wave of infections. Globe showing COVID-19 fatalities per country as of April 12. By Simon MALFATTO (AFP) While President Emmanuel Macron extended a tight lockdown in France by another month, Italy and Austria are reopening some shops and Spain is restarting construction and factory work. In Washington, Trump stunned reporters by playing a campaign-style self-congratulatory video and lashing out at the media during a briefing in which he claimed to have saved "tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of lives". The US death toll has hit 23,200 -- by far the worst-affected country -- but the president said: "It looks like we're plateauing, and maybe even in many cases coming down." New York deaths topped 10,000 on Monday but the governor said the peak had passed. By Johannes EISELE (AFP/File) He has repeatedly stressed he wants to open the world's largest economy as swiftly as possible and is expected to announce a plan this week on how to jump-start stalled business. The president appeared to be supported by the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showing 1,509 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours -- almost identical to the previous day. In New York, where the virus has killed more than 10,000 people and seen unclaimed victims buried in unmarked mass graves, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the nightmare might be coming to an end for the city. Italy will reopen some bookshops and laundries on a trial basis on Tuesday, although it last week officially extended its national lockdown until May 3. By Vincenzo PINTO (AFP) "The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy," Cuomo told reporters, as Trump said only the president had "the ultimate authority" to reopen businesses. The economic impact of the crisis in the US and elsewhere could be seen as officials in the southern city of Houston wrapped food in plastic bags and threw them into cars. "We went to the stores and they are closed. Yes, we had problems to buy food," said sales assistant Catalina Mendoza Cabrera. 'Opening a valve' In France, one of Europe's worst-hit countries, Macron said in a televised address the epidemic there was "beginning to steady... (and) hope is returning." China reported a spike in new infections, most of them imported cases. By NICOLAS ASFOURI (AFP) However, he said a strict lockdown in force since March 17 would continue until May 11 -- after which schools and businesses could gradually reopen at a "progressive" rate. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told his citizens they must "endure a little longer" as he also extended a lockdown in key cities saying: "We must not lose the gains achieved thus far." India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, caught between growing fears over a surge in cases and the need to get the economy moving again, was to make a nationwide statement at 0430 GMT to address the issue. And in Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recovering after three days in intensive care with the virus, officials warned the peak was still to come and the lockdown there was likely to endure. Unemployment lines are growing around the world. By Saeed KHAN (AFP) In countries seen as further along in the epidemic, life was very gradually beginning the long process of returning to normal, with officials handing out masks to commuters returning to work in Spain. "It's wonderful because it's so necessary and it helps those of us who have to use public transport," said office worker Jose Antonio Cruces. Italy will reopen some bookshops and laundries on a trial basis Tuesday, as its number of critically ill patients dropped for the 10th straight day despite the death toll topping 20,000. Cuomo stressed that rebooting New York's economy was a "delicate balance", likening it to "opening a valve". "It's not going to be, we flip the switch, and everybody comes out of their house, gets in their car, waves and hugs each other, and the economy will start." And World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against rushing headlong into reopening everything, stressing that only a vaccine can fully halt the spread. "Control measures must be lifted slowly... It cannot happen all at once," he said, noting the coronavirus was 10 times deadlier than the 2009-10 swine flu outbreak. Australia and New Zealand appeared to be heeding the warning, steeling their citizens for longer restrictions, despite some success in flattening the virus curve. "We've been relatively successful -- I don't want to squander that success or the sacrifices New Zealanders have made," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when asked when the lockdown would be eased. But there were cautionary tales that the virus is not easily defeated. In China, where the outbreak first reared its head and the government says it has largely curbed the spread of the virus, officials announced scores of new imported infections. burs-ric/jah A bipartisan group of powerful American Senators has slammed China for sinking a Vietnamese vessel in the disputed South China Sea, terming it a "flagrant violation" of international law at a time when the world is combating the COVID-19 pandemic that spread partly due to Beijing's "cover-up and negligence". Last week, the State Department expressed serious concern over reports that China sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. This incident is the latest in a long string of Chinese actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbours in the South China Sea, said State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. The Pentagon said that the Chinese behaviour stood in contrast to the United States' vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms. A joint statement was issued on Monday by Senators Cory Gardner and Ed Markey, chairman and ranking member of Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, along with Senators Jim Risch and Bob Menendez, chairman and ranking member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "I condemn in the strongest terms China's sinking of a Vietnamese vessel in the South China Sea," Gardner said. "This is a flagrant violation of international law and comes at a time when nations around the world are focused on combating the COVID-19 scourge that spread in part due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) cover-up and negligence," he said. Gardner urged the US administration to use every policy tool at its disposal, such as those provided by Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, to push against the CCP's "malign behaviour" and continue to vigorously re-assert the international rights of freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. As authoritarians exploit the pandemic to erode rule of law, the US must continue to call out Beijing's efforts to assert unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, said Markey. "The United States will not turn a blind eye to military coercion of Southeast Asian countries. Like the rest of the world, the Indo-Pacific is focused on fighting the coronavirus, but the United States must continue to assist our regional partners and allies in defending their freedom of navigation, the free flow of commerce, and adherence to international agreements in the face of Chinese aggression during this pandemic," Markey said. The reports of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel sinking a Vietnamese fishing vessel and China's other activities on illegally reclaimed features in the South China Sea are deeply concerning, Risch said. These are just the latest examples of the CCP's blatant intimidation of its neighbours to assert its excessive maritime claims, he said. "The CCP is undermining regional stability at a time when the international community should be coming together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States will work with our allies and partners in the region to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific and promote peaceful activity in the South China Sea," Risch said. "At a time when the international community should be working together to face a common foe, Chinas continued divisive and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea is deplorable. The first duty of any coast guard is to guarantee safety at sea not to contribute to lawlessness and danger," Menendez said. The Chinese coast guard's culpability in the collision and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel is unambiguous, and constitutes unsafe and unacceptable maritime behaviour, deserving of condemnation, he added. "All nations in the Indo-Pacific must be able to live free from coercion in a region governed by international law, norms and institutions. I strongly believe that the United States must stand up and support efforts by regional institutions and our allies and partners to ensure freedom of navigation and economic opportunity throughout the entire Indo-Pacific," Menendez said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. (Image Credit: AP) U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested negative for COVID-19, according to his spokesperson, James Slack on Monday, one day after he was discharged from the hospital. Slack said he is "not immediately returning to work," stating that Johnson had spoken to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been substituting during the prime minister's illness, over the weekend. Johnson was admitted to the hospital for a week with the novel coronavirus, with symptoms of a fever and cough, including four days in the ICU between Monday and Thursday before he was released from St. Thomas' Hospital in London. The 55-year-old British prime minister was discharged Sunday and will continue his period of recovery at Chequers, his country house located outside Ellesborough and around 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of the capital. The 16th-century mansion was previously used British premiers as a retreat for the past century. Slack denied that the administration had downplayed the severity of Johnson's condition. Johnson was admitted to the hospital on April 5 after his condition aggravated. He received oxygen in the ICU and was not put onto a ventilator. According to his spokesman, being tested before leaving the hospital was "standard practice." The prime minister has been reunited with Carrie Symonds, his pregnant fiancee. Johnson lauded the National Health Service in a video address to the U.K., saying they "saved my life, no question." He tweeted, "I thank you because so many millions and millions of people across this country have been doing the right thing, millions going through the hardship of self-isolation faithfully, patiently, and with thought and care for others as well as themselves." Also read: Can Farts Spread Coronavirus? Here's What a Doctor's Experiment Reveal According to the mother of a nurse who took care of Johnson during his ICU treatment, her daughter found the experience to work for him "surreal." He required a "significant level of specialist treatment" at the worst points of his ordeal against the virus, his spokesman said. Slack added, "So, I think it was clear from the moment the Prime Minister was moved to intensive care that his condition had worsened." Partner Symonds also expressed gratitude for the "magnificent" NHS hospital staff as she was also ill with the virus. The prime minister declared on March 27 that he had contracted the coronavirus and was suffering from "mild symptoms." Ten days later, Johnson tweeted that he will enter a hospital "for some routine tests as I'm still experiencing coronavirus symptoms." It is unclear when the prime minister plans to return to full-time work. Contrary to statements from 10 Downing Street that depicted Johnson "in good spirits," both he and Symonds hinted at more bleak outlooks, with his fiancee dubbing it a "very dark" week. Raab has been spearheading the administration's daily meetings on the coronavirus, but a verdict is due on Thursday when the country's 3-week-old lockdown is reviewed. Slack noted that Johnson is not fulfilling government duties and is focusing on his recuperation. Related article: COVID-19 Patients Can Suffer From Long-Term Bodily Damage @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As the coronavirus tears through the country, scientists are asking: Are some people more infectious than others? Are there superspreaders, people who seem to just spew out virus, making them especially likely to infect others? It seems that the answer is yes. There do seem to be superspreaders, a loosely defined term for people who infect a disproportionate number of others, whether as a consequence of genetics, social habits or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But those virus carriers at the heart of what are being called superspreading events can drive and have driven epidemics, researchers say, making it crucial to figure out ways to identify spreading events or to prevent situations, like crowded rooms, where superspreading can occur. Just as important are those at the other end of the spectrum: people who are infected but unlikely to spread the infection. Distinguishing between those who are more infectious and those less infectious could make an enormous difference in the ease and speed with which an outbreak is contained, said Jon Zelner, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. If the infected person is a superspreader, contact tracing is especially important. But if the infected person is the opposite of a superspreader, someone who for whatever reason does not transmit the virus, contact tracing can be a wasted effort. The tricky part is that we dont necessarily know who those people are, Zelner said. Two factors are at play, said Martina Morris, emeritus professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington. There has to be a link between people in order to transmit an infection, she said. But, she added, a link is necessary but not sufficient. The second factor is how infectious a person is. We almost never have independent data on those two things, Morris said. She pointed out that it can be easy to misattribute multiple infections to an individual possibly exposing the person to public attack when the spread has nothing to do with the persons infectiousness. If you are the first person in a crowded room to get infected and if this is an easily spread disease, you will look like a superspreader, she said. Anyone in that room could have had the same impact. You were just the first in line. Yet there do seem to be situations in which a few individuals spark large outbreaks. With COVID-19, it is not yet known whether those highly infectious people include individuals with silent infections who do not realize they are sick, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and chief executive at Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. More likely, he added, superspreading events may involve people with symptoms that linger but who are not sick enough to stay home. Or they could involve infected people who shed an unusual amount of virus a poorly studied factor that might be due to variations in the amount of virus in the droplets from a patients cough or the amount of infectious virus in feces, for example. No matter what the cause, public health measures, like avoiding crowds and what Frieden calls cough hygiene, can prevent a superspreading event, he said. Medical history is replete with stories of superspreading in outbreaks of parasitic disease, tuberculosis, measles and other illness. There is Mary Mallon, a cook better known as Typhoid Mary, who spread typhoid fever to more than 50 people in the early years of the 20th century. She herself was not ill but was asymptomatic silently infected with typhoid. Superspreading also played important roles in outbreaks of two other coronaviruses, which caused severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome. The MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea was driven primarily by three infected individuals, and approximately 75 per cent of cases can be traced back to three superspreaders who have each infected a disproportionately high number of contacts, wrote George Gao, an immunologist and virologist at the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, in a recent paper. The outbreak in South Korea began in 2015 when a 68-year-old man became infected with MERS during travel to the Middle East. He returned to South Korea, where he directly infected 29 people, two of whom infected 106 people. The total number of cases in South Korea at that time was 166; that superspreading event accounted for most of the outbreak. In 2003 during the SARS outbreak, the first patient in Hong Kong appears to have infected at least 125 others. Other superspreading events involved 180 people in a housing complex in Hong Kong and another 22 people on a jet from Hong Kong to Beijing. In the Ebola outbreak in Africa between 2014 and 2016, 61 per cent of infections were traced to just three per cent of infected people. Superspreading also appears to have driven outbreaks of the new coronavirus. One event occurred at the end of February when 175 Biogen executives gathered for a conference at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. At least one was infected with the coronavirus. Two weeks later, 75 per cent of the 108 Massachusetts residents infected with the virus were associated with Biogen. The infections rippled out from there to other states and other Massachusetts residents. Why at that conference? asked Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego. At the time there were so many conferences it was before social distancing. Something was going on there. Then there was the March 12 birthday party in Westport, Connecticut. About 50 people attended. Half ended up infected. The cluster of cases expanded so fast, health officials gave up contact tracing. At a funeral Feb. 29 in Albany, Georgia, someone unwittingly spread the virus among the 200 mourners. At Illinois current hot spot, the Cook County jail, at least 400 are known to be infected. At the other end of the bell curve of infectiousness are infected people who do not seem to infect others. During the MERS outbreak in South Korea, 89 per cent of patients did not appear to transmit the disease. In the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a striking example from the far end of uninfectious: a couple in Illinois. On Jan. 23 the wife who had returned from a visit to Wuhan, China became the first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state. On Jan. 30, her husband was infected. It was the first known person-to person transmission in the United States. Both husband and wife became gravely ill and were hospitalized. Both recovered. State public health officials traced their contacts 372 people, including 195 health care workers. Not a single one became infected. Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health, said the remarkable lack of spread probably arose from several factors. Where were the couple in the course of their infection when they came into contact with those other people? Were they sneezing or coughing? How close were the contacts? Were the people they interacted with simply less susceptible to infections? As grimly alluring as it is to look for viral superspreaders, there are pitfalls. There is a good chance that a cluster of infections would be attributed to a superspreader when, instead, public health officials missed some transmissions by other people, Zelner said. And there are social consequences to superspreader stories. The nature of our society right now is that we are very much interested in the catastrophic, said Samuel Roberts, a medical historian at Columbia. The best way to do that is to have something that looks like a zombie story. Its a powerful narrative. The general public doesnt need to know if an outbreak was traced to one person, he said. Whats more important is, how do we protect ourselves? he said. Finding patient zero is not going to help. It only stokes fear of the other. Houston, TX, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) has announced a commitment of $300,000 to help communities around the companys wind farms and solar parks cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The funds are being allocated to local nonprofit organizations focused on serving residents in more than 50 communities where EDPR NA has a project in operation, under construction, or in development throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. EDP Renewables number one priority is the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we have projects, said Miguel Prado, EDPR NA CEO. Our long-term presence and strong relationships in the rural communities hosting our projects gives us a unique opportunity to aid the most-effective organizations in areas that are often the last to get the resources and support they need. In order to determine where to target funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, EDPR NA consulted local staff members and residents around its renewable energy projects. Many communities where EDPR NA operates do not have local healthcare facilities so the majority of the funding will be contributed to local food banks and organizations that provide economic security for families affected by COVID-19. The company is also listening to local stakeholders and directing funds to the organizations that need resources the most, including those providing healthcare or other vital services in response to the pandemic. With workers getting laid off, students losing access to free lunch programs, and elderly populations being quarantined and unable to purchase groceries, the need for food and economic security is felt in all communities, explained Prado. While nobody knows for sure how long COVID-19 will be in the communities where EDPR NA has projects, we do know that the economic impact of the pandemic is already being felt and will likely persist for months as the ramifications of social distancing ripple through our economy. As EDPR NA considers ourselves members of these communities, we want to help in this time of need. EDPR NAs wind farms and solar parks continue to operate, providing a vital power supply to homes, hospitals, grocery stores, and other businesses during the pandemic. In addition to the $300,000 in social investments around project communities, the company is also launching an employee matching gift campaign at its corporate offices as well as providing training and materials for employees to create face masks. The $300,000 commitment in North America is part of a global effort for the company. EDPR NAs parent company, EDP Renewables (EDPR), a leader in the renewable energy sector and one of the worlds top wind energy producers and present in 14 countries, announced on Tuesday, April 7, that it will donate a total of 750,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts. This contribution by EDP Renewables is part of more than 5 million distributed throughout the world by EDP Group, the principal shareholder of EDP Renewables. EDPRs aid will be dispersed in 12 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Romania) and will include donations to food banks, purchases of healthcare equipment, medical devices, and rapid testing kits, and the facilitation of online learning and digital educational materials. Each market carried out a study of its needs to ensure the most effective use of this aid. About EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA) and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms and solar parks throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 52 wind farms, eight solar parks, and eight regional and development offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 7,300 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 7,000 MW of renewable energy projects. EDPR NA is owned by EDP Renovaveis, S.A. (EDPR). For more information, visit www.edprnorthamerica.com. About EDP Renewables (EDPR) EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in the renewable energy sector and the worlds fourth-largest wind energy producer. With a sound development pipeline, first class assets and market-leading operating capacity, EDPR has undergone exceptional development in recent years and is currently present in 14 international markets (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the UK and the US). For further information, visit www.edpr.com. HOUSTON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today that it has been awarded a $128 million contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) to provide key weather data services through the National Mesonet Program. Under this contract, KBR and its public and private partners will supply local weather data from more than 50,000 surface-based, mobile and aircraft-based weather observation platforms in the U.S. and globally to the National Mesonet Programa central clearinghouse for non-federal weather data. This data plays a critical role in the nation's numerical weather forecasting and local monitoring infrastructure, and drastically improves weather prediction, severe weather watches and warnings, and emergency response for all regions of the country. "KBR's work will help the NWS more accurately forecast future weather events and equip decision makers with the right information to protect the planet and the people on it," said Byron Bright, President, KBR Government Solutions U.S. Teaming with Synoptic Data PBC, Earth Networks, WeatherFlow and the University of Oklahoma, KBR will carry out this work over the next five years. This firm-fixed-price contract is a recompete of a contract the company previously won in 2017. "The National Mesonet Program, now having grown to include four dozen networks since 2009, provides a valuable source of observations for improving National Weather Service warning and forecast operations," said Dr. Curtis Marshall, the National Weather Service's National Mesonet Program Manager. "The program is a model public-private partnership and we look forward to continuing this important program with KBR and all the partner networks," he said. For more than 30 years, KBR has worked with government agencies, such as NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA, fortifying their Earth science and data visualization operations. KBR also supports the acquisition, archival, processing and distribution of remotely sensed imagery from satellites that support weather, first responders, intelligence, agriculture, academia and research communities. About KBR, Inc. KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Solutions and Energy sectors. KBR employs approximately 38,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 80 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses: Government Solutions, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full lifecycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics Technology Solutions, featuring proprietary technology, equipment, catalysts, digital solutions and related technical services for the monetization of hydrocarbons, including refining, petrochemicals, ammonia and specialty chemicals, as well as inorganics Energy Solutions, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU); program management and consulting services KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver. Visit www.kbr.com Forward Looking Statement The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. 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KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. SOURCE KBR, Inc. Related Links http://www.kbr.com Ireland on Friday extended its stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions until May 5, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the curbs had significantly slowed the spread of the outbreak but more work was required to end it. Ireland has shut bars, restaurants and non-essential retail outlets, and Varadkar told people late last month not to travel more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) from their home or visit friends and family until this Sunday. He said it was the government's "fervent hope" that it would begin to unwind the restrictions after May 5. But there was no guarantee, and the measures would only be reversed bit by bit. "What we are doing is difficult but is making a difference and we have to keep going. We need to persevere and we need to maintain our discipline and resolve," Varadkar, the acting prime minister after an inconclusive February election, said in a televised address. "It really does depend on what happens over the course of the next two or three weeks and how people respond to our call to continue.. those behaviours." Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ireland rose to 8,089 on Friday, with 288 deaths, but the average day-on-day case growth has fallen to 9% from 15% a week ago, and officials said a stabilisation in intensive care admissions was encouraging. The shutdown had led to over 219,000 workers signing up for a new wage subsidy scheme by Friday, meaning the state is now supporting nearly 30% of the labour force including emergency coronavirus jobless payments that more than trebled the unemployment rate to 16.5%. Research from Ireland's main business lobby, IBEC, found on Friday that sectors closed due to restrictions accounted for 44% of all private sector employment with those accounting for a further 30% operating on a limited basis. Prior to the March 27 lockdown, Ireland had banned all non-essential travel within the country and added clubs, gyms, and hairdressers to pub, school and university closures. But people could travel beyond the 2-km radius limit, once they maintained social distancing. Cillian De Gascun, chair of the coronavirus expert advisory group, reiterated the view of many officials advising the government that the growth rate of new cases needed to drop to zero before restrictions could be eased. Health officials are also particularly concerned about the spread in nursing homes. Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said there were clusters of two or more cases in 135 of the country's 550 retirement homes, which along with other care homes accounted for more than half of all deaths. Officials have said testing and contact tracing must also be scaled up prior to easing the restrictions on people's movement. De Gascun, head of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said he expected currently constrained testing capacity to increase dramatically over the next 7-10 days. Varadkar said Ireland would also closely watch how Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic and elsewhere fare with their planned easing of restrictions. "It's not an experiment we are willing to take as yet, but as is often the case with this virus, other countries that are hit first and hit harder at least allow us some guidance," he said. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie The road to El Santuario de Chimayo was desolate last week. Gone were the thousands of pilgrims trekking for hours or days to the small church and its shrine during Holy Week, a tradition practiced since 1810 in the Land of Enchantment. The stark contrast from prior years was a testament to how well New Mexicans adhered to the advice of clergy, police, health officials and the governor to forego large gatherings even during a week centered on celebrating spirituality with family and loved ones. Many celebrated Good Friday and Easter at their homes, some tuning in to watch services on TV or going online for live-streamed services. And some viewed and listened to Easter Day services in their vehicles, such as those in the parking lot of Albuquerques Calvary Church. Senior Pastor Skip Heitzig delivered a message of hope from a stage in the churchs parking lot. Instead of a choir, a chorus of car horns could be heard when congregates rejoiced. Whether you have a pandemic or not, celebrating Easter will never change, Heitzig said. Archbishop John C. Wester, leader of the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe, delivered an Easter morning message from the front steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, with about 900 families watching live on Facebook. We pray that our scientists will come up with a cure quickly and a vaccine, Wester said. But I do know that the light of Christ is already healing us that the light of Christ is already shining brightly in our midst and bringing us new life even in the midst of the dark clouds of the pandemic. It was a unique Easter Sunday that many children will remember the rest of their lives. Yes, there were scattered Easter egg hunts and family gatherings of more than five people. And too many people still are not wearing face masks and going to the grocery stores in groups. But overall, it appears New Mexicans acted responsibly during Holy Week, proving you can be both spiritually faithful and socially responsible. The widespread sacrifice of adhering to social distancing guidelines put the health and safety of followers first. That sacrifice likely saved lives, lives that can be in pews next year to celebrate Easter 2021. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Few of us think very well, and sadly, that weakness applies to judges too. Two Ohio judges recently rendered a decision. They told the three thousand school staff members who were trained as first responders that they can no longer bring their firearms to school unless they pass police officer training. Im not sure what problem this ruling was trying to solve. We have many thousands of school-years of experience with volunteer armed school staff in Ohio. So why, now, would judges reverse the standing interpretation of the state attorney general? People excuse their emotional decisions. Part of the law says that an armed security guard must meet the standard of a law enforcement officer. That section of the law is titled- 109.78 Certification of special police, security guards, or persons otherwise privately employed in a police capacity. (emphasis provided by the author) The state attorney general wrote a formal letter saying that armed volunteer teachers are not acting in a police capacity. The judges didnt believe him. What does it mean to act in a police capacity? The police perform routinely scheduled security patrols, but armed school staff dont do that. Teachers are not required to move toward someone who is breaking Ohios laws, but the police have to. Police make arrests and secure suspects, but armed school staff dont do that, and shouldnt do that. Armed school volunteers dont preserve evidence and transport suspects for processing. School volunteers are not required to appear in court during a suspects trial. That is what the police do. So why would a judge of obvious intelligence confuse the two situations? ..... 5 1 of 5 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5 HAMDEN A 74-year-old man was carjacked Tuesday morning, just before he went in to start his shift, according to the Hamden Police Department. Capt. Ronald Smith said officers responded to 2100 Dixwell Ave. for a reported carjacking at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday. Food processing workers in the United States are demanding protection as the COVID-19 contagion spreads throughout slaughterhouses, meatpacking plants, warehouses, supermarkets and other segments of Americas food supply chain. In this April 9, 2020 file photo employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D. The plant has had an outbreak of coronavirus cases according to Gov. Kristi Noem. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves File) While meatpacking and grocery store workers have been deemed essential during the crisis, employers have refused to provide them with the most basic protections. Over the last few weeks, more than 2,000 have tested positive and scores have died, including five meatpacking workers in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Georgia and at least 41 grocery store workers, including four Kroger workers and one Meijer worker in southeast Michigan. On Sunday, Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the United States, announced it was closing its Sioux Falls, South Dakota plant until further notice after protests broke out over the infection of hundreds of workers at the plant. Health officials said Sunday that 293 of the 730 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the state of South Dakota work at the plant. After scores of workers tested positive last week, the company ordered a three-day closure of the giant plant for cleaning, announcing it would add soap and hand sanitizers and install plexiglass dividers to enhance social distancing at the plant, which employs 3,700 workers. Company officials, however, refused to close its plant, with Smithfield president and CEO Kenneth Sullivan declaring, We have a stark choice as a nation: we are either going to produce food or not, even in the face of COVID-19. Workers protest outside the plant While the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the union at the plant, went along with the scheme, the temporary closure only angered workers who, fearful of retaliation by management, flooded a local immigrant advocacy group, Que Pasa Sioux Falls? with calls and text messages denouncing the unsafe conditions in the plant. Some comments included: There is no soap in the bathrooms, and they put the cafeteria tables in the hallways so anyone walking by can sneeze and the particles hit those tables. I have not seen anyone disinfecting the cafeteria tables after meals. The masks they gave in my department were the head nets you put over your head. They told us to put them over our face and use them as masks. My department was not given any protective masks until Thursday, April 9th but none of us can speak to the press because [we have] been warned over and over in meetings not to talk. They gave us a $500 bonus if we would not miss a day of work in the month of April. I feel this is taking advantage of people in need. I was feeling sick for three days and my supervisor kept ignoring me until I tested positive for COVID-19. I am very afraid now to return to work because there is no complete hygiene. I do not see anyone cleaning the tables of the breakroom. I do not see anyone disinfecting the bathrooms. There is no disinfectant where we work with the meat and we work close to each person! Please, we are human, and they cannot abuse us in this way. There are many things that this company hides but there are more than 190 sick people. Workers encircle the facility in their cars On Saturday, the immigrant organization organized a protest outside of the plant, with scores of workers encircling the facility with their cars to demand its closure. With a potential strike looming, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken urged the company to suspend operations for 14 days so workers could self-isolate and the plant could be disinfected. Even before the outbreak, meat and poultry plants were notorious for fatal accidents and repetitive motion injuries due to slippery floors, speed-up and dangerous cutting equipment. This human toll will only worsen under the new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines announced by the Trump administration last week, which allow employers to require workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to stay on the job following exposure, provided they are asymptomatic. Far from enforcing new pandemic-specific standards, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has left it to the discretion of employers to protect workers. Faced with these conditions, meatpacking workers, like health care, auto industry, public transit and sanitation workers in the US and around the world, have taken matters into their own hands to protect their lives. In addition to the group protests, many workers have simply refused to show up for work, forcing the closure of at least 10 plants in the US and Canada. Nearly a third of the workersbetween 800 to 1,000 workers a dayhave been absent at the JBS USA beef plant in Greeley, Colorado since the end of March. At least 50 plant workers have tested positive and 30-year employee Saul Sanchez, 78, died from the disease on April 7. Operations at the JBS USA pork processing plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, located in between Allentown and Philadelphia, have been halted after Enock Benjamin, a 70-year-old Haitian immigrant and union steward at the plant, died at home from COVID-19 and several managers displayed flu-like symptoms. A Cargill plant in Hazleton, eastern Pennsylvania, was temporarily closed after 164 cases were diagnosed. The Olymel pork plant in Quebec was shut on March 29, after 50 workers tested positive and workers made it clear, They do not feel that the company took all the measures they could have taken to keep them safe, according to a union spokeswoman. Workers at a Wayne Farms chicken processing plant in Alabama also reacted with anger after the company told them they had to pay 10 cents a day to buy masks to protect themselves from disease. Tyson Foods, the top US meat producer, temporarily closed plants because of outbreaks of the coronavirus, including a facility in Columbus Junction, Iowa, where more than two dozen employees tested positive, and after three workers died at one of its poultry plants in Camilla, Georgia. According to a report in the New York Times, one of the Georgia workers who died was told to report to work even though she was sick: Annie Grant, 55, had been feverish for two nights. Worried about the coronavirus outbreak, her adult children had begged her to stay home rather than return to the frigid poultry plant in Georgia where she had been on the packing line for nearly 15 years. But on the third day she was ill, they got a text from their mother. They told me I had to come back to work, it said. Ms. Grant ended up returning home and died in a hospital on Thursday morning after fighting for her life on a ventilator for more than a week. Two other workers at the Tyson Foods poultry plant where she worked in Camilla, Ga., have also died in recent days. The UFCW has hailed an agreement with several meat processing companies, including Pilgrims Pride, Conagra Foods, Cargill, Hormel, JBS, Kraft Heinz, Olymel, and Maple Leaf, to provide small bonuses to 40,000 UFCW members during the outbreak, along with promises to improve working conditions and access to sick leave. Praising the companies for real leadership, UFCW president Anthony Perrone falsely claimed, These wage and benefit increases will not only protect the health and welfare of these hard-working men and women, they will help ensure all of Americas families have the food they need to overcome the public health crisis our nation faces. In fact, the bonusesmany of which are tied to attendanceare designed to pressure workers to remain on the job, despite the threat to their lives. Perrone took home $340,684 in 2019, but after decades of betrayed strikes and wage concessions by the UFCW, the average meat and poultry worker makes $15 an hour, or less than $30,000 a year. With a third of the workforce made up of immigrant workers, including undocumented workers, many make far less. After being forced to close the Sioux Falls plant, Smithfield CEO Sullivanwho made $4 million a yeardeclared that the closure of the plant and other meatpacking facilities put our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply. It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. Food supply is indeed critical. But the giant food processing monopolies are not concerned about the well-being of consumers or farmersmany of whom are resorting to Great Depression-era measures of dumping milk and spoiling crops due to falling demand from restaurants and schools. On the contrary, they are driven by their profit interests and want to keep workers on the job, regardless of the threat to their lives. In late 2018, Sullivan boasted to trade publication National Hog Farmer that Africa swine fever, then killing pigs throughout China and Eastern Europe, might limit supplies and lead to soaring hog prices and profits in 2019 for Smithfield, the worlds largest ham and pork producer. Like other strikes and job actions by health care, auto industry, public transit and sanitation workers around the world, along with actions by nonunion workers at Whole Foods, Amazon and Instacart, the protests by meatpacking workers have chiefly been initiated by rank-and-file workers themselves, in opposition to the efforts by the unions to keep them on the job in unsafe workplaces. This movement should be developed by forming rank-and-file factory and workplace committees to demand the closure of infected plants, full compensation for laid-off workers, and no return to work until these committees, working in conjunction with health care professionals, can ensure that all workers have the necessary protective equipment, testing and environment to work safely. This must be combined with the fight for a socialist program, including the nationalization of the giant food corporations, so the provision of food, like health care and all other social rights, is based on human need, not private profit. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue Universitys College of Science has named new academic leaders for its departments of Mathematics and Statistics. Irena Swanson, Professor of Mathematics at Reed College in Portland, Oregon and a Purdue alumna, will become department head of mathematics. Dennis K.J. Lin, University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain and Statistics at Pennsylvania State University, will become department head of statistics. We are delighted to welcome to Purdue two such exemplary scholars and leaders, each of whom is also recognized for forging deep collaborations across multiple disciplines, said Patrick J. Wolfe, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of Science, As we strengthen the mathematical and computational sciences across Purdue and launch our new flagship facility for these disciplines, Irena and Dennis will help cement our position as a national and global leader in data science education and research. Purdue Provost Jay T. Akridge said, I could not be more excited about the progress being made in our College of Science. To attract such talented leaders speaks strongly to the investments we have made across our top-ranked actuarial science program, our rapidly growing data science major, and our vibrant mathematics and statistics departments, as Science at Purdue goes from strength to strength. Swanson received her Bachelor of Science degree from Reed College and her doctoral degree in mathematics from Purdue University. She was named a 2019 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in recognition of her research contributions to commutative algebra, as well as service to the profession and mentorship. In 2018, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the University of Graz in Austria. Swanson is the first woman to lead the Department of Mathematics at Purdue. It is a great honor to return to Purdue as head of the Department of Mathematics, she said. My highest priority is the continued excellence of the department, which we will achieve together by enhancing diversity through faculty hires, expanding opportunities for graduate students and maintaining an active learning environment for all students. Lin received his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from National Tsing-Hua University (Taiwan) and his doctoral degree in statistics from the University of WisconsinMadison with a minor in computer science. His research interests are design of experiments, quality assurance, industrial statistics, data mining and data science. An elected Fellow of the Institute for Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association, he will be the 2020 Deming Lecturer at the upcoming Joint Statistical Meeting, the major professional meeting for statisticians worldwide. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a department with such an outstanding reputation in theoretically-based research, Lin said. I look forward to facilitating current research efforts and the educational mission of the Department of Statistics while exploring ways to bridge theoretical statistical research with the application and development of modern data science. As the college welcomes new department heads, Wolfe said, We also express our appreciation for the adept leadership and mindful stewardship provided by Hao Zhang in statistics and Gregery Buzzard in mathematics. Their work to develop interdisciplinary programs like actuarial science and data science will stand as significant contributions to the college. About the College of Science Purdue Universitys College of Science is committed to the persistent pursuit of the mathematical and scientific knowledge that forms the very foundation of innovation. Nearly 350 tenure-track faculty conduct world-changing research and deliver a transformative education to more than 1,200 graduate students and 4,300 undergraduates. See how we develop practical solutions to todays toughest challenges with degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computational sciences, mathematics, and data science at www.purdue.edu/science. 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. Media contact: Jim Bush, 765-494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu Source: Patrick J. Wolfe, patrick@purdue.edu Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly in a 2018 interview, the editors of New York Universitys Library of Arabic Literature, an ambitious series of mostly classical works of Arabic literature in new English translations, explained that the series is aimed at the general reader who may not know anything at all about Arabic literature or Arab-Islamic civilisation [and is] intended to reach out directly to this readership, requiring of readers as little effort and occasioning them as little cultural and intellectual anxiety as possible in order to enjoy our books. Two years on, the Library has produced further volumes of works of classical Arabic literature in hardback editions featuring newly edited Arabic texts and facing English translations. Many of these have then been republished in English-only paperback versions aimed at readers not requiring the original Arabic texts and some of the scholarly annotations, the intention being eventually to produce English-only paperbacks of all the books in the series. Our editions of the Arabic texts are aimed to reach out to readers of Arabic. These editions are authoritative, but they are not burdened with excessive annotation. All our translations will in due course appear in English-only paperback versions. We also produce PDF files of our Arabic texts and make them available on the librarys Arabic Website, the editors explained, adding that in this way the Library aimed to meet the requirements of multiple constituencies, from scholars, to classroom use, to interested general readers. The Library does have a house style, the editors, who include professor of Arabic at NYU Philip Kennedy, who also serves as general editor of the series, James Montgomery, professor of Arabic at Cambridge University in the UK, Shawkat Toorawa, professor of Arabic at Yale University, and executive editor Chip Rossetti, told the Weekly. Its main feature is that the English used for the translations should be modern and lucid [even if] modern and lucid is not always easy to achieve We want to make sure that these Arabic texts, in some cases written by towering intellects, sound very good in English and do not sound wooden in translation. Among the recent volumes in the series re-issued in English-only paperback versions are perhaps two of the Librarys more daring translations. The first, a translation of the sixth-century Arab poet Antarah ibn Shaddads War Songs by Montgomery, first appeared in a parallel Arabic-English version in 2018 and was then reissued in an English-only paperback. The second, a translation by veteran translator Humphrey Davies of a 17th-century Egyptian prose work entitled Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded, was published in two volumes in English-only paperbacks late last year, having first appeared in the Library in a parallel Arabic-English version in 2016. Both books contain comprehensive introductions situating the texts and their authors in the circumstances of their time and in the relevant literary traditions. Both also contain discussions of the challenges of translating the texts into modern English, challenges compounded in the case of the poems by Antarah both by the temporal distance between these poems and the present day, resulting in difficulties in finding a convincing modern voice in English for the poets sixth-century voice in Arabic, and by the weight of the scholarly tradition, with over a thousand years of commentary needing to be taken on board by the translators. In the case of Brains Confounded, Davies has produced a virtuoso English version of this still little-known Arabic text written in Egypt by author Yusuf Al-Shirbini in the late 17th century. It is reproduced with a characteristically penetrating foreword by novelist and Weekly culture editor Youssef Rakha. Davies has drawn upon the techniques of translation set out in his version of the 19th-century Lebanese writer Ahmad Faris Al-Shidyaqs Leg Over Leg, which appeared in the Library in 2016. The latter posed particular difficulties for the translator because of its fondness for arcane vocabulary and verbal playfulness and the need to find equivalents not only for its rhyming prose, or saj, a feature of many literary texts of the period, but also for its fundamental practice [of]the presentation of large numbers of words, usually rare, in the form of lists, he said. English simply did not have the resources of Arabic in terms of vocabulary, Davies suggested, meaning that he had had to have recourse to phrase-making and invention, even using Googles Latin translation facility to create non-existent [lexical] items and coming up with recondite terms that, if culturally plausible [could be] appropriate or even desirable to transfer lock, stock and barrel, into the English text. BRAINS CONFOUNDED: Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded was written by the Egyptian man of letters Yusuf Al-Shirbini sometime in the later 17th century and presumably in Cairo, though it takes as its subject matter the condition of the country people of the time. It is presented in the NYU series with a shorter text called Risible Rhymes by the 17th-century Egyptian writer Muhammad Ibn Mahfouz Al-Sanhuri.Brains Confounded is Al-Shirbinis only surviving work of any length, and as Davies explains in his introduction, it is also the only work by which the author is known. Very little has come down to us about Al-Shirbini, and the little that can be said with confidence has been deduced from clues in this text.While Al-Shirbini apparently failed to attract the attention of his contemporaries for his learning, or, apparently, to attain any post in a teaching or other religious institution Brains Confounded demonstrates that he was a man of broad culture, familiar with both the religious and secular sciences of his time, Davies says.He also says that Al-Shirbini was keen to distinguish himself from the country people who make up the subject matter of his book, even if he himself hailed from a village in the Delta. The primary argument of the satirical dimension of Brains Confounded [is] that the people of the countryside are possessed of characteristics and guilty of practices that exclude them from consideration as civilised beings, Davies says, with particular animus being directed at peasant cultivators (fellahin), rural men of religion (fuqaha), and rural dervishes (khawamis), all of whom are presented as being irremediably coarse and uneducated, unlike more refined and cultivated city-dwellers like Al-Shirbini himself.Part one of the book, contained in the first volume of Daviess two-volume translation, consists of sections with headings such as anecdotes showing the stupidity of country people, more anecdotes illustrating the stupidity of country people, further accounts showing the ignorance of country pastors [fuqaha], and an account of their poets and of their idiocies and inanities. In these sections Al-Shirbini presents evidence bearing out his views, with an introductory section entitled the author embarks on a description of the common country folk containing comments of extraordinary vitriol.Even were one of them to reside for a while in Cairo and Dimyat [Damietta], he would not acquire an ounce of refinement, and should one of their great men, the cynosure and patron of all, go to Cairo to meet with the emir or to settle some business with the vizier, he will be seen wearing fine clothes, but, for all that, walking barefoot, innocent of shoes, Al-Shirbini comments.Davies once again demonstrates the inventiveness of his translation, already seen in his version of Leg over Leg. In Brains Confounded there are similar lists, of peasant names, for example, with Al-Shirbini producing nicknames such as Junayjil (Little Bell) and Julayjil (ditto), Afr (Dust) and Dumum, Zuayt, Muayt, and Qusayt (Little Milk Can), Shallatah (Mattock) and Lahhatah, Shuqlayt and Muqlayt, Saffar (Whistler), Bahwar (Braggart) and Jamar, Imran and Shawan, Shamdut and Burghut (Fleas), Al-Afsh (Field Trash) and Al-Natsh (Snatching).In the endnotes Davies provides an analysis of such rural forms, sketching out their relation to the classical and colloquial languages. Lahhatah is related to the modern Egyptian dialect word lahat, for example (to guzzle), while Muqlayt survives in the modern rural Egyptian yitmaqlit (to make fun of). What this shows is how valuable a source this book can be for the spoken language of its time, and it may have been this feature of Brains Confounded a sort of linguistic goldmine for material not making it into other texts from the period that first piqued Daviess interest.He wrote a PhD thesis on Brains Confounded in the 1980s and subsequently produced an Arabic edition and first translation of it between 2005 and 2007, together with a lexicon of 17th-century Egyptian Arabic drawing on the evidence it provides.The reasons behind the extraordinary animus Al-Shirbini apparently felt towards the country people of his time, making them the butt of his bitingly vitriolic humour, are never clear. Davies says that while the full answer can never be known, the people of the countryside may be surrogates for all that Al-Shirbini perceived as coarse in the Egypt of his day. His book may represent a counterattack on behalf of the representatives of refined culture against the threat to their hegemony from the coarse, he says. However, he also says that it is not only the coarse who are the targets of Al-Shirbinis humour, since the second part of the book also seems to parody the refined culture of his time.This second part consists of a mock commentary on a poem the Ode of Abu Shaduf of the books title expounded or explained by bringing the heavy guns of literary exegesis to bear. The results may remind some of the Russian emigre novelist Vladimir Nabokovs similar jokiness in his novel Pale Fire, in which he imagined a third-rate scholar laboriously producing a commentary on an equally third-rate poem while revealing more than he had intended of his own obsessions. Others may be reminded of the Dunciad by the 18th-century English poet Alexander Pope, an astonishingly sustained attack on the literary dunces of his time.In Brains Confounded, the primary text is supposedly by Abu Shaduf, a peasant poet, and the commentary goes to enormous lengths to explicate this text using all the methods of the literary culture of Al-Shirbinis time, pushing them close to, or beyond, self-parody.The poem begins with the lines Says Abu Shaduf: from all he has suffered / Of want, his bodys ever skinny, with Al-Shirbinis commentary pedantically explaining yaqalu [Abu Shaduf says] i.e., he intends to initiate speech (qawl) external to himself that will contain an explanation of his state and evidence of the accidents of time with which he was inflicted. He then goes further by producing cod cognates and etymologies, many of them ridiculous or obviously false, in order to expound Abu Shadufs Ode. For qawl, the paradigm is qala, yaqulu, qawlan, and maqalatan, Al-Shirbini says, producing a list of grammatical forms, before adding qulatan (water pitcher) and qaylulatan (midday snooze) for good measure, which, as Davies comments in his notes, are obviously false since these words derive from unrelated roots.Volume Two of Brains Confounded runs to some 260 pages of text and commentary with a further 60 pages of explanatory notes, and it represents a herculean effort on the part of its translator. The question arises of why Al-Shirbini, the scourge of peasant ways, should also have thrown in this parody of scholarly practices. Daviess answer is that it may have been designed to demonstrate Al-Shirbinis mastery of this form of discourse, while also questioning the sanity of the discipline [of scholarly commentary] in whose name [it was] produced.The tendency of these techniques to make textual commentary itself appear comic raises the possibility that Al-Shirbini intended to subvert the genre and the literary culture from which it grew, he says. WAR SONGS: Perhaps more difficult for the general reader to take on board, but culturally of enormous significance, are the poems of the pre-Islamic poet Antarah ibn Shaddad that have appeared in the series in a translation by James Montgomery. From the moment in the third [AH] /ninth century [CE] that Antarah appears he is cloaked in uncertainty, having already become the stuff of legend, Montgomery explains in his introduction. Some things, however, have come down to us in the tradition, including that he was black and born a slave to a black mother, herself a slave; that he belonged to the tribe of Abs [in the Arabian Peninsula]; that he lived in the second half of the sixth century, and therefore in the period before Islam, that he was the most ferocious and accomplished warrior of his age; that he won his freedom in battle; and that he excelled as a poet. His poetry, originally in oral form, emerged abruptly in the second half of the sixth century [and] was subject to an astonishing variety of experimentations, manipulations, conceptualisations, and imaginings in the seven or eight decades before the advent of Islam, Montgomery adds, with Antarah and other warrior poets of the period choosing to express their views of the world, their war culture, and their ethos in qasida poetry, which is poetry composed in prestige language (classical Arabic) in works of varying length and complexity, from simple poems to complex odes. The poetry shows the emergence of the warrior-poet as the spokesperson of a war culture [and its] ideals were informed by a universal vision of manly virtue (muruwwah), at the heart of which lay a passionate and uncompromising adherence to honour (ird) and a scrupulous adherence to an ever-changing and flexible social dynamic of alliance and protection, as well as by their expression of ties, kinship, and loyalties through genealogy, both acquired (hasab) and inherited (nasab), Montgomery says. His introduction provides information about the transmission of the poems to the present day, starting with the Abbasid discovery of Antarah in the 8th and 9th centuries CE. This body of oral verse came to be salvaged, recorded, and studied by Abbasid language experts, scholars, enthusiasts, and intellectuals, in the capital of the Abbasid Dynasty in Baghdad. For such individuals, the poems of Antarah, of enormous significance in understanding the Arabic language and the history of the Arabs, were already foreign to the new social, cultural, and political structures of Abbasid society, and the task thus became to collect and study these now distant materials. In their quest for a pure, original Arabic to set the pristine (divine) Arabic of the Quran against, the philologists of third/ninth century Iraq sought to imagine a correspondingly pure, original Arabia inhabited by noble warrior nomads. It is hard to think of a figure that could have met their requirements more completely than Antarah ibn Shaddad, Montgomery comments. Such a back story is likely to make any translator have second thoughts about the possibility of translating such poems into English, with one of the first tasks being to establish authoritative texts and a plausible corpus. Montgomery, like others before him, has relied on scholars working centuries after Antarahs death to do so, notably the two recensions (collections) of Al-Shantamari and Al-Batalyawsi working in Al-Andalus, or Arab Spain, in the 10th and 11th centuries, which contain some 40 poems. Antarahs poetry survived because of the amazing fifth/eleventh century efflorescence in Arabic philology that characterised Al-Andalus, the Muslim-controlled regions of the Iberian Peninsula, Montgomery says. It is a remarkable story of the literate continuities of Islamic civilisation and Arabic scholarship during the classical era. The translation opens with a version of Antarahs most important composition, his Muallaqah, or Suspended Ode, so called because it was hung or suspended from the Kaaba in Mecca. This is a difficult poem, one dominated by grotesquery, where meaning and established order are in flux, Montgomery says. It is a poem that pushes the qasida as art form to the very edge of signification and derives its meaning from the obliteration of existence in death. Probably the best-known English translation of the poem is by British Arabist A.J. Arberry, appearing in his 1957 book The Seven Odes where it is called The Black Knight. Arberrys translation begins, Have the poets left in the garment a place for a patch to be patched by me; and did you know the abode of your beloved after reflection? / The vestige of the house, which did not speak, confounded thee, until it spoke by means of signs, like one deaf and dumb. / Verily, I kept my she-camel there long grumbling, with a yearning at the blackened stones, keeping and standing firm in their own places, with the modern reader immediately recognising the vaguely Victorian diction. Montgomery wants Antarah to sound different in English translation, and his version, now called Did Poetry Die?, begins Did poetry die in its war with the poets? Is this where Ablah walked? Think? The ruins were deaf refused to reply, / then shouted out in a foreign tongue. / My camel tried to withdraw -- / I couldnt move, / ranting at the charred stones. We have moved from the language of the Authorised Version to something like Robert Browning or an imagist version of Antarah in a translation by Ezra Pound. Montgomerys notes and introduction to his translation are a constant delight, keeping up a conversation with the reader as he wrestles with translating these remarkable poems. No reader can fail to learn an enormous amount from it. Antarah ibn Shaddad, War Songs, trans. James Montgomery with Richard Sieburth, New York: NYU Press, 2018, pp320; Yusuf Al-Shirbini, Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded, trans. Humphrey Davies, New York: NYU Press, 2019, two volumes, pp292 & 380. Search Keywords: Short link: Journalism in Nigeria is on the decline, and its credibility is steadily being destroyed. The solution lies in the hands of practitioners. They can reverse the trend if they have the courage to admit the problem. But how prepared are they and, what needs to be done? As a member of the Fourth Estate of the Realm the journalist has oversight function over society. His role is recognized by the constitution, a stimulus and catalyst for optimum service delivery. Yet, internal contradictions by practitioners have made this a tall order. Chapter II, Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution defines the role and obligation of the mass media: The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people. What a privilege! It is small wonder therefore that the journalist enjoys veneration in society that is hardly accorded other professions. This affirms the journalist does his job in trust for the public by communicating government programmes, successes, failures and flaws and, where necessary, offer solutions and set agenda. This scope which also covers the private sector is further enhanced by the Freedom of Information Act which gives the journalist right to demand and access information considered of public interest from relevant public institutions. But have these statutory provisions been properly harnessed and utilized for delivery of quality journalism in Nigeria today? Your guess is as good as mine. There is a huge news transmission gap in the Nigerian media space either due to fear or compromise or both. This is not a blanket indictment as a few media houses and journalists have distinguished themselves in excellence. Elements that weaken performance and encourage compromise are being brazenly embraced and elevated as standard, leaving journalism with a deficit image. Practitioners need to move in unison and restore credibility, dignity and sanity to the profession to secure its future but will those practitioners that benefit from unethical practices cooperate? The challenges are daunting. The void created by the absence of a unified rallying command strong enough to initiate and drive the process for practice of credible journalism in Nigeria is unhelpful. Therefore, the first step going forward is to merge the current three associations - the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) into one resilient cohesive body. The profession needs a body that can give journalists a voice and capacity to discharge their legitimate duties as provided by the constitution. This arrangement will open new vista for unity, professional identity, unalloyed protection, undivided interest and collective aspiration. The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) as currently constituted is not an alternative. What is required is a complete fusion of the three groups. Prior to the formation of NGE and NPAN, the NUJ was the sole body for journalists up till 1965 when the NGE was formed. Without prejudice to the good intentions of the founding fathers of NGE and NPAN, prevailing circumstances no longer justify multiple bodies. There is urgent need to pool strength and resources together for the protection and development of journalism. After all, current objectives of these three groups are interwoven. They are either regulating the profession, protecting the interests of journalists or providing a voice for them. Rather than dissipate energies and resources, journalism will be better served under a single entity. In my over 30 years in the profession, the line between the reporter and the editor is too blurred for separation. In the absence of administrative classifications, operationally, the editor reports and the reporter edits. Proprietors are also not completely immune from editorial content. Professions with single association are more potent and responsive to the needs of their members. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Allowing the NUJ, NGE and NPAN to manage and speak on behalf of journalism in Nigeria is a recipe for confusion, disunity, rivalry and pursuit of narrow group interests. Indeed, it is an unhelpful clog frustrating the wheel of vibrant journalism in Nigeria and weakening the capacity of the profession to inspire hope and ambition among new generation of journalists. The second step is to push for reconstitution of the Nigerian Press Council. Why should government mediate in matters of ethics and standards for journalists? Governments presence on the Council is absurd and, a toxic influence capable of constraining journalists from reporting governments deficit and flaws. The Council was an imposition by the military junta in 1992. Government has no business in a Council charged with media monitoring and compliance. The Council should be solely managed by senior members of the profession who should be responsible for ethics, standards and discipline. Third step is to keep a record of journalists. Journalism has become a free-for-all profession. Interlopers flourish in the profession today because of the space created by the absence of a single rallying body for practitioners. A profession should have a register of its members updated from time to time. I recall the attempt made to keep a Register of all practicing journalists in 2003 by NUJ under Smart Adeyemi as President. It was entitled, A compendium of Journalists in Nigeria. My number on that Register is 2928. It might not be perfect but was a brilliant initiative. Is it being updated? When you do not know your members, you make way for counterfeit. The fourth step is to put an end to recognition awards. Giving awards to people under your reportorial jurisdiction is illogical and unprofessional. Media houses and journalists have no business organizing ceremonies to present awards to politicians, businessmen and government officials, a people whose activities the media is constitutionally responsible to highlight. Why giving awards to people for carrying out their responsibilities? This practice undermines the integrity and credibility of journalism, exposes journalism to ridicule, damages the reputation of the profession and indeed, a betrayal of public trust. Similar practice in other climes does not make it right. The motive and the back-end dynamics of these awards are ethically weird and the media risks being branded hire-purchased journalism or cash-and-carry journalism. This should be left for NGOs and the like. The fifth step is to put an end to delay or non-payment of salaries. A dangerous culture of irregular salary payment is being enthroned in the journalism profession. This has almost become a norm. Most media houses no longer meet salary obligations on due dates and, this is putting journalists under unwarranted pressure and temptation. The labourer deserves his wage. I had gone through this route, having worked for 10 months without salary, so, I feel the plight of journalists under this condition. Some journalists mitigate this circumstance by trading valuables for survival. An example is the Journalists Estate at Arepo acquired by NUJ under Funke Fadugba. All plots of land were originally allocated to journalists but today, many of these properties have been sold to non-journalists, who are now the new majority. The only reason the estate is still under the control of journalists is because of the bye-laws making it mandatory for principal offices like Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer to be held by journalists. The three-man committee appointed by NUJ to draft the bye-laws had envisaged journalists would one day become minority in the estate, and therefore added the clause to put the management of the estate firmly in the hands of journalists. The committee was made up of Gbenga Adefaye, Michael Owhoko (my humble self) and Agatha Edo. Expectedly, the non-journalists are embittered over this clause and are currently pushing for it to be expunged from the constitution to enable them take control of the estate. If they succeed, then the efforts of NUJ to establish a home for journalists would have been in vain, as they are likely to erase all traces of journalism in the estate. This is the price of financial incapacitation induced by unstructured salary scheme. I commend those few media houses that have made it a duty to pay their workers on due dates. If the working condition of the average journalist is not right, how do you encourage younger generation to take up journalism as a profession? There is so much disincentives and disenchantment that most young professionals are opting out of journalism to take up career in other fields. This is a big threat capable of leading to dearth of skilled personnel. Lastly, there is the need to encourage journalists to become owners of media. A group of journalists can pool resources together to establish own media. When politicians and businessmen set up media, they influence, dictate and interfere with editorial judgment, making editors lame dock. Even columnists in such media are unable to anchor objective opinions for fear of losing their jobs or hurting the interest of their employers. This should not be. Lets rescue and safeguard the future of journalism in Nigeria. Michael Owhoko is a journalist, author and public relations consultant who has mostly worked in the banking, oil and gas, and media industries. He is the author of The Language of Oil and Gas; Career Frustration in the Workplace; Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options, and Solutions; The Future of Nigeria; and Feminism: The Agony of Men. He is also the publisher of Media Issues, an online newspaper that can be found at www.mediaissuesng.com . Rep. Liz Cheney appeared to publicly split with President Donald Trump on his contention that he has the authority to unilaterally open the economy over the wishes of state governors and their health officers, who have taken most of the aggressive measures to limit public gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Trumps plan which was announced in a tweet Monday morning and alluded to in an afternoon news conference at the White House proposed a pathway to lift a number of stay-at-home orders and business closures implemented by state leaders. The president, in disagreement with most legal scholars, asserted the decision was within his full authority to make. The plan would be enacted by early May. For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government, the president wrote. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect. It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons, he added. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly! During the Monday afternoon press conference, reporters asked Trump how he would force governors to act if they didnt want to reopen their states. When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump answered. The one problem with that, Cheney pointed out in a tweet shortly after the press conference ended, was that the president doesnt have ultimate authority. The federal government does not have absolute power, Cheney wrote. She then cited the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the powers not specifically delegated to the federal government or prohibited from state control are reserved for the states. Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House, has publicly split with the president on several occasions over a premature reopening of businesses, which numerous public health officials have advised against and legislative experts have told the Star-Tribune can only be initiated and ended by governors themselves. In March, Cheney actively pushed back against the presidents early plans to lift restrictions on business, saying there would be no economy left if the nations hospitals became overrun with patients suffering from the virus, which has no vaccine and has thus far been more lethal than viruses like influenza. To date, the virus has infected at least 600,000 people nationwide while killing nearly 26,000. The sentiment behind the president wanting to reopen businesses is not an insular one, however. In Wyoming, several state legislators have urged Gov. Mark Gordon to consider picking a date to lift gathering restrictions in spite of the advice of medical officials, while in Casper a handful of citizens protested in a park with signs urging the end of the states orders. Trumps statements quickly attracted the ire of liberals as well as some in the conservative establishment, who saw the presidents comments as antithetical not only to a long-standing tradition of federalism and states rights, but of conservative values as well. While New Yorks Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo evoked Alexander Hamilton on Twitter, conservative outlets like the National Review published articles contradicting the presidents assessment, with editor Rich Lowry describing Trumps statement as one of the most flagrant misrepresentations of our system ever made by a president of the United States in public. Cheney, speaking to members of Wyomings business community on Tuesday, took a more subtle approach when asked about the administrations plans to reopen the economy. She emphasized that any effort to lift social distancing measures would need to come from state and local leaders themselves. I dont think its going to be one day, she said. I think you will see different parts of the country addressing this in ways that make sense for them. I think its one of the reasons why Gov. Gordon, for example, has not issued the types of stay-at-home orders youve seen in California and New York. Thats why our system is set up the way it is, she added. Aside from the really important constitutional issues, it is really important to recognize different parts of the country are going to be able to address this in different ways. The advice appeared to be received: in a press conference Tuesday night, Trump abruptly reversed course, saying he would not pressure governors and that the country will be reopened in beautiful little pieces. 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. Businesses are fighting for survival amid the pandemic. Some have chosen to exploit customers to save their own skin and Money Mail has been quick to call out these misdeeds. But our inbox has also been flooded with emails from readers praising firms that have gone above and beyond for their customers. Here we highlight the companies and employees who you voted as your heroes... Local heroes: our inbox has also been flooded with emails from readers praising firms that have gone above and beyond for their customers Vital supplies for community When Jane Tucker struggled to get toilet roll and cleaning products from her supermarket, she saw a post on Facebook by a local business offering deliveries. The pandemic forced New Foundations, in Canton, Cardiff, to close its doors but the owner started a delivery service instead. Jane, 60, who lives outside the city in Creigiau, admits that she had never heard of the shop before she saw its post on a Facebook community group. She contacted New Foundations to order essentials including toilet rolls, washing up liquid and spray bleach all delivered the next day. And despite living seven miles from the shop, she was charged just 1 for delivery. In total she paid 11.25, put in an envelope and posted through the door when the items were dropped off. Jane, who runs a mobile afternoon tea business, says: I havent been to a supermarket in a month and havent managed to get toilet roll in two weeks. New Foundations products were already reasonably priced and the owner did not hike his prices. All he was concerned about was being able to cover his shop rent while it was shut. Its an invaluable service. Ill tell all my neighbours. I just want to say thank you and hope the shop survives this. Craig Martin, who runs the store, says: I had to close my shop but wanted to still offer my services to my customers while also trying to keep my own business afloat during this period. Its really nice to feel appreciated. Premier Service for triple booking Premier Inn cancelled bookings and offered a stress-free refund Jan Ratcliffe was thrilled to get cash refunds for not one but three Premier Inn bookings she had made. She received the payouts despite having chosen the cheapest options, which do not usually offer money back if cancelled. Jan, 69, had booked a room near Gatwick Airport with her husband Ian, 76, for 49. The couple were due to stay on April 19, the night before a flight to France for a wine tasting holiday to celebrate Jans 70th birthday. The gran-of-three had also booked a family room in Londons Old Street for 115, as part of a family birthday in May. The couple were then due to stay at the Gatwick hotel again for 63 later that month. Jan didnt contact Premier Inn when non-essential travel was banned as she thought she had no chance of getting her money back. But Premier Inn emailed to say she could rebook for another time or apply for a refund. Jan, of Eastbourne, Sussex, says: I never expected to get that money back. Premier Inn really went above and beyond by making it so easy to get a cash refund. Unlimited help for vulnerable Self-isolating special needs teacher Caroline Gill got unlimited call minutes Caroline Gill, 69, is self-isolating because her lung condition means she is more vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus. So the retired special needs teacher was thrilled when her mobile phone provider gave her unlimited call minutes. It means the gran-of-five, who lives in Birmingham with her husband Michael, a painter and decorator, does not have to worry about the cost of calling friends and family. Caroline has been with iD Mobile, owned by Dixons Carphone, for three years and pays 12 a month for her Galaxy mobile. Her contract gives her unlimited texts, and 250 minutes of calls a month before she has to pay for them. However, on March 20, the provider texted her to say she would have unlimited minutes until April 20. The offer will be extended until June 13 for customers aged 70 and over. Caroline says: I thought it was a really kind gesture. Its lovely as I use my phone a lot to check up on friends and keep in touch with my children and grandchildren. Goodwill keeps trippers happy SAGA has been praised for its friendly and efficient service by a couple whose holiday has been ruined. David, 78, and Shelagh Cowling, 74, were booked to travel to Cyprus in June and due to pay 4,200 for it on March 26. David, 78, and Shelagh Cowling, 74, were booked to travel to Cyprus in June and due to pay 4,200 for it on March 26. Following Government advice against all non-essential travel until at least April 16, the couple feared they could lose their cash if they paid in full. David phoned Saga on March 23 and was delighted when the company agreed to move their trip to the same time next year. Saga also offered a goodwill gesture of 100, which meant the couple paid less for their new trip. David says: I phoned up and caught this poor girl on her first day working from home. But she was very friendly and I was dealt with quickly and efficiently. Saga is offering discounts to customers affected by cancellation of holidays up until April 30 and those who wish to rebook a holiday up until June 30. Insurer's reward for NHS heroes Hastings Direct gave NHS worker Kay free breakdown cover NHS administration manager Kay has been given free breakdown cover by her car insurer, Hastings Direct. The mother-of-one, who did not wish to give her full name, pays 360 a year to insure her Peugeot. She has been with Hastings for three years, but did not have breakdown cover. But Kay is now one of 400,000 customers including NHS workers, private healthcare staff, pharmacists and social services for whom the insurer is providing free RAC breakdown cover until the end of June. They will also get a courtesy car if involved in an accident, and access to a priority phone line. Kay, who lives in South Yorkshire, found out about the free cover when Hastings emailed her last week. Her drive to work takes 30 minutes a day, so she had worried what would happen if her car broke down. Kay, 40, says: I was impressed, it was a bit of a high in these miserable times. The fact Hastings did this without anyone asking for it makes it quite touching. Deliverers go the extra mile Newsagent Julie MacAdam wants to thank her hero staff for working each day and providing a vital service to their community. Julie, 49, offers newspaper delivery seven days a week. Her team of seven paper boys and girls aged 13 to 74 delivers hundreds of newspapers each day around Barrowford, Lancashire. Julie says many customers live alone and if her team spots an untouched newspaper the next day, they knock on the door to check on them. She says: My staff are so dedicated and really feel as if they are contributing something in these uncertain times. Many customers have sent thank-you notes to tell us how reassuring it is to hear the newspaper in their letterbox and to know there is still a little bit of normality in this world. Julie employs five people in the shop which doubles up as Barrowford Post Office, who also want to continue to work and help the community. She says: We all feel it is important that we are there. We provide banking services and bill payments. Where would people send care parcels, cards or letters to the relatives they cannot visit? Julie says: My staff do not have to come in they could stay home and be safe. Everyday I ask myself if I am doing the right thing staying open. But then I see the queues outside every day and it reminds me how important the service is that we provide. For some customers we are the only interaction they have. moneymail@dailymail.co.uk PIGGS PEAK The core function of police officers is to protect life and property but two women, who were allegedly assaulted by police officers, think otherwise. Police officers are now being accused of turning to violence in an attempt to force people to stay at their homes amid the national partial lockdown. The alleged assault by the police officers is said to have happened on Good Friday when the two women left their houses to get their phones charged. The names of the two women will not be mentioned. Since the women claimed that they lived at an informal settlement known as Macembeni where there is no electricity connection, they said they had to go to a nearby house around Mhlatane Township to get their phones charged. Questioned However, they were stopped by police officers who questioned why they had not stayed at their respective homes. According to *Thuli, as they were walking, a police van stopped next to them. The police officer who was driving is said to have asked them why they were roaming the streets. Noteworthy is that the beating allegedly happened near a house reserved for the Piggs Peak Police Station Commander. While we were still talking to the driver, two police officers alighted from the vehicle carrying sticks, said Thuli. She said she was surprised that they were already carrying sticks in the vehicle, adding that they were probably looking for people to beat up. Thuli said without asking any further questions, the police officers began to whip them. She said her friend *Zama tried to shield herself using her hand as the police officer aimed for her upper body. Zama said the incident happened so fast, but they were left with bruises on their bodies. The two women said they then went to the police station to report the alleged assault, however, they were not immediately assisted. They said they were instead told to return on another day but they insisted and ended up seeing a senior officer. Advised Zama said she was eventually assisted and was advised that her case would be attended to. Thuli, however, alleged that she was not assisted as she admittedly said she became very vocal as she was furious after the alleged assault. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the women should report the matter to the police. Vilakati said she would not check whether the matter had been reported yet but stressed that the two women should report to the police. In the past, Vilakati had urged that people who felt they were not being assisted at the Police Service Centre front desk had the right to request to speak to the station commander. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday assured everyone that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other essential commodities and no one should worry for the extended period of lockdown. In a series of tweets, the home minister also appealed to the affluent people to help the needy living nearby. "As the home minister of the country, I assure the public again that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other commodities in the country. No one should worry about that. "I also request the affluent people to come forward and help the poor living nearby," he said. Praising the role of the state governments, Shah said the way all the state governments are working with the central government is truly praiseworthy. "Now, we have to intensify this coordination so that all citizens follow the lockdown properly and no citizen should have the problem of the things they need," Shah said. The home minister said the contribution of the doctors, healthcare workers, sanitation workers, police and all the security personnel who are playing an important role in this fight is very touching. "Your courage and understanding in this odd situation inspires every Indian. Everyone should follow the guidelines and cooperate with them," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic. interposing voices Good morning, everyone. Hi. sheri fink So every morning in the Intensive Care Unit at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, the doctors gather for something called morning report. doctor 1 So now, I want you all to present in a straight, true way sheri fink The people who were on overnight, they stand around and the head doctor is there, and they kind of give a report of what happened. And then, the new doctors who are coming on, they get that information. doctor 2 Yeah. When she was at rest this morning, she was breathing 23. Shes very comfortable, thumbs up. sheri fink They talk about, you know, who was admitted, who got critically ill. doctor 3 The overnight patient is not doing well. He had to be re-intubated almost immediately. sheri fink And one recent morning report was particularly intense. [music] doctor OK. All right. OK. Next patient. sheri fink There were patients in their 80s and patients in their 30s. doctor 1 31-year-old female, 30 weeks pregnant, asthma, obesity, admitted to the I.C.U. She was intubated yesterday evening. doctor 2 Jesus. doctor doctor 3 All right. Good. Next. sheri fink There were patients from nursing homes and patients who were homeless. doctor 4 She was intubated overnight. Shes on azithromycin, klonopin, ceftriaxone. doctor OK. Next. sheri fink Patients with asthma and diabetes, and patients with no underlying conditions at all. doctor male. We just past medical history here for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. sheri fink But as the doctors race to get through the cases doctor Next patient. sheri fink they all shared a nearly identical description. doctor 1 He was upgraded from acute hypoxic respiratory failure. doctor 2 OK, next. doctor 3 Male, acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to confirmed Covid. doctor 4 All right. Next. doctor 5 Admitted for acute hypoxic respiratory failure with confirmed Covid-19. doctor 6 Next. doctor 7 Male, it looks like acute hypoxic respiratory failure. sheri fink Acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to Covid-19. doctor 8 All right. Next. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today: Its been more than a month since the coronavirus descended on New York Citys hospitals and on Brooklyn Medical Center, where the vast majority of patients in critical care have the virus. My colleague, Sheri Fink, followed one doctor through a single day there. Its Wednesday, April 15. doctor Morning, everybody. [AMBIENT CHATTER] doctor 1 Josh, do you want to spend the do you mind? This is Sheri. doctor 2 Sure. doctor 1 Shes with The New York Times, and shes gonna spend some time here a little bit. doctor 2 Pleasure. doctor 1 Its up to you. doctor 2 Im fine with sheri fink Im a physician. doctor 1 A physician and a writer. sheri fink So for the past few weeks, Ive been embedded in the Brooklyn Hospital Center. doctor 1 Im going to finish rounding here, and then Im going to go downstairs and cover SI. doctor 2 OK. sheri fink And what Ive been able to see there is incredibly unique whats happening? What is it like inside a hospital during a pandemic? dr. josh rosenberg then well figure out the rest. doctor OK. All right. sheri fink Do you want to give him your mic, or are you willing to wear a mic? sheri fink And there was one doctor I met who really embodied that transparency. dr. josh rosenberg Does it beep every time I say a four-letter word like South Park? sheri fink Dr. Josh Rosenberg. dr. josh rosenberg I am mildly inappropriate. Im just warning you. sheri fink An attending physician in the Intensive Care Unit. sheri fink How are you, Peter? doctor Hi, how are you dr. josh rosenberg I didnt see you hiding over there, my friend. sheri fink There are people from all over the hospital recruited to work in the I.C.U., so its not just, like, I.C.U. doctors and nurses who are used to intensive care treatment, but in fact dr. josh rosenberg And shes one of the podiatry residents, so all people who are good with knives and big needles. sheri fink When I was there that day, there was a podiatry doctor and two of her residents. Those are doctors who work on the feet. dr. josh rosenberg No, no, no. What I would like to do is that, as much as possible, were going to try to get all of the Covids on one side, and then the whole area is a dirty area. sheri fink And the I.C.U. had actually effectively doubled in size, so it was completely full. And they had to turn to other areas of the hospital to turn them into Intensive Care Units. In fact, a big part of the I.C.U. is now in a place that just a few weeks ago was where patients would come for outpatient chemotherapy treatments. Thats now in I.C.U.. dr. josh rosenberg Frankie, watch out. Dont trip Dont trip Dont trip. Dont trip. Dont trip. sheri fink It was also a bit of an obstacle course. dr. josh rosenberg Dont trip. sheri fink There were cords everywhere. dr. josh rosenberg Please be careful, Do you have gloves? sheri fink They had pulled apart the ventilators. They had the control parts of the ventilators that were helping people breathe, those were in the hallways so that nurses and respiratory therapists didnt have to go in and out as much and expose themselves to risk. dr. josh rosenberg What? speaker This is a disaster waiting to happen. dr. josh rosenberg Yes and no, though. sheri fink And the nurses were doing the same thing with IVs, with the tubing that the medicine flows through. So they had pulled the IV pumps out of the room so that they can not have to go in and out and use up the personal protective equipment. dr. josh rosenberg Its great. And yeah, I mean, you can trip over it. sheri fink You all have to be very careful. dr. josh rosenberg You just have to be careful. sheri fink Yeah. dr. josh rosenberg Right. Its making the best of what you can do. sheri fink Yeah. dr. josh rosenberg OK, guys, can we start with number two? I appreciate everybody being here and everybodys support massively. sheri fink So now, Dr. Rosenberg is taking over for the doctors who were working the night before, and hes beginning to make his rounds. dr. josh rosenberg Lets start with number two, and then just go around the unit please. All right, so lucky number two. sheri fink So nearly all the patients in the I.C.U. are on ventilators. dr. josh rosenberg So do we have any history of smoking, shisha use, anything like that? sheri fink Some have asthma. Some have diabetes. dr. josh rosenberg All right. What did he do for a living? Occupational exposure? sheri fink But a lot of these patients dont have any underlying conditions at all. dr. josh rosenberg Ill just write because I mean, listen, on some of these you have a real reason why. You know, they may have bad lungs, and that makes it worse. Sometimes its just the disease, but if theres something we can do to sheri fink So Josh and the other doctors are kind of confounded by some of the patients. They dont understand why, if they dont have a lot of underlying health issues, why their lungs look so bad. dr. josh rosenberg Crap. Reported any asthma? sheri fink And they also just dont have that much to offer. dr. josh rosenberg OK. So what are we going to do with him? doctor Right now, we are well, at this point, Im not too sure what we can do with him. We have we tried to [VOICE FADES]. dr. josh rosenberg So what is he on drug-wise? sheri fink So, I mean, for most patients, theyre trying this thing called the Covid cocktail, which is that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. Thats that combination the President talks about a lot. dr. josh rosenberg I dont think its doing much. sheri fink But theres really very little evidence, and Dr. Rosenberg in particular is very unsure that those drugs really help. dr. josh rosenberg Well see about remdesivir, and well see if we get some Covid results and see what we can do. sheri fink So they start talking about other possibilities. Theres this experimental drug called remdesivir that you have to apply to the manufacturer for each patient, and they have to meet certain criteria. You have to have a test result. They cant have certain complications. dr. josh rosenberg How do you guys feel about Kaletra or our other PIs? doctor They dont work at all. sheri fink Theres another drug called Kaletra that doctors think might have some effect. dr. josh rosenberg The datas very I mean, I think the data is very weak all over the place. Thats the basic problem. So I always look at it as, where are you starting these drugs? Its near the end of a sporting event. Youre down by a lot, and I dont care you throw out there, right? Even freaking Jordan couldnt recover that basketball game outside of Space Jam when youre down by 100 points and starting the fourth quarter. doctor Thats why I dont think we should be giving it to patients who are already near the end. sheri fink So they kind of toss this around. dr. josh rosenberg Yeah. And so we dont know. I mean, thats the point. We really just dont know our data, but like, so looking at this yeah. So well figure out. Well see if we get the remdesivir, which I doubt well be able to. Well try to get a positive test result. Next. Lets move on along. OK. I.C.U. six. Going for c-section? doctor Supposedly today, yeah. sheri fink There was another Covid patient in the Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator, and she was pregnant, which adds a whole layer of complexity. doctor She needs another dose of decadron, and then dr. josh rosenberg Decadron? No. Beclomethasone. doctor Oh, sorry. Beclomethasone. Did I say decadron? dr. josh rosenberg Yes. sheri fink And they actually decided to deliver the baby by c-section two months before the due date. They had to give a couple of doses of steroid medication to help mature the babys lungs. The whole goal was to save the mothers life, because I think part of it is that it gives more space for the lungs to expand once the baby is taken out. doctor So if shes going for a c-section then she wont need remdesivir, right? dr. josh rosenberg I have no clue. sheri fink So far whats known is it tends to be quite rare that a baby would be born with Covid if the mom has it. At least thats what the early studies say. dr. josh rosenberg All right. Number four. Number four. How are we doing here? sheri fink It might be surprising how enthusiastic Dr. Rosenberg sounds while discussing these patients, but hes leading this team. Hes trying to keep morale up. dr. josh rosenberg All right. So Im going to stop here and head downstairs. Again, hes going to take six, seven, nine. Thank you. I will circle in with you guys. Good job. doctor Thank you. OK. dr. josh rosenberg Good job. doctor Oh, me? sheri fink But actually, when we were going from one part of the I.C.U. to another dr. josh rosenberg Lets go downstairs. [SIGHS] I dont like taking the elevators. sheri fink He runs into one of his medical students. sheri fink Hi, guys. dr. josh rosenberg How are you doing, buddy? doctor As best as I can. dr. josh rosenberg One, shouldnt you be home? doctor Yeah. dr. josh rosenberg Shouldnt you be home? doctor My moms here. dr. josh rosenberg Oh, fuck. doctor I know. dr. josh rosenberg Which bed is she in on that side? doctor Shes in 10. dr. josh rosenberg OK. Im rounding her now. doctor OK. May I speak to you at some point today when you have a chance? dr. josh rosenberg Call me at any point. All right? doctor Thanks, Doctor. Appreciate it. dr. josh rosenberg Ill see you later. Call me if you need anything, in all seriousness. You have my cell, right? doctor Yeah. dr. josh rosenberg Perfect. Hes one of our medical students. Hes been here forever. So we sent home all the medical students that rotate with us very early in this crisis, because I kind of looked at this and I said, one, we dont have enough PPE, you know, for all of the medical students that are coming through. And two you know, I hate to say it like this like, I dont want to expose them. They have enough time to get the living daylights scared out of them. sheri fink Right. dr. josh rosenberg [LAUGHS] Let them actually be students for a bit. [music] [AMBIENT VOICES] doctor 1 Im going to give myself the option, because its my clinic. doctor 2 OK, because tonight were going to publish the new schedule, OK? dr. josh rosenberg Next patient. Santos. doctor Yeah. So this is our shes our 54-year-old female, history of hypertension, came here with shortness of breath, fever, is admitted for acute hypoxic dr. josh rosenberg Shes the mom of our med student, right? doctor Yes. Shes confirmed positive Covid. sheri fink And when we get to this medical students mom, things are not looking good. doctor Her FI, too, has been hovering between 100 to 80. I just want to make sure you know that shes not doing OK. dr. josh rosenberg Shes not doing well. Um, yeah, Ill speak to the son. I know him pretty well. doctor Yeah hes in here always. dr. josh rosenberg Is he the next of kin? Is he the next of kin? Hes the decision maker? doctor Right now he has family sheri fink And Dr. Rosenberg wants to find out, is the son is the medical student the one who will be making decisions about her further treatment, about even possibly end of life care. dr. josh rosenberg But is he giving us consents? doctor Yes. dr. josh rosenberg Or does she have a husband? doctor Yeah, yeah. Hes been giving consent. dr. josh rosenberg This is going to be hard, because he knows. Hes a smart kid. sheri fink I mean, to me it sounded like he feels that this medical student, even though hes still a student, is enough of a doctor to understand that the prognosis isnt great that perhaps his mom has some risk factors for this being more severe, and for her to possibly not make it. dr. josh rosenberg Hes a good dude. Hes a very sweet man, so well figure it out. sheri fink Of course, when its your family member, its not so simple. dr. josh rosenberg All right. Here. sheri fink There are many cases where the doctors and the patients families have very different views of how to proceed with treatment. dr. josh rosenberg Covid? doctor Acute respiratory yeah. Well, its pending, but most likely. dr. josh rosenberg OK. So his pulmonary prognosis is horrible, right? doctor Yes. dr. josh rosenberg Hes not getting better. doctor No, hes not. dr. josh rosenberg Blood gas is doctor Not good enough. dr. josh rosenberg Not good, and hes on 100%. doctor Yes. dr. josh rosenberg So what does the fam want us to do? doctor The family wanted us to continue treatment. They agreed to the NI. sheri fink Where the family still wants to press forward with all the intensive care available. dr. josh rosenberg Right. So how many organ systems do we have down on him? We have our kidneys are down, our respiratory systems down, his cardiovascular is bad. Hes on multi-organ system failure, right? So I have three out of my systems down already. His prognosis at that point, given his disease status, is just poor, unfortunately. sheri fink And where the doctors had come to a different conclusion and really felt like there wasnt much hope, and that in fact the goals of care should shift away from trying to extend life and much more toward comfort and end of life accepting that the patient was likely going to die. dr. josh rosenberg And I hate to say it like this, but I dont know what Im able really to offer in terms of getting him back to where he was before. [SIGHS] Next. [music] doctor Check vitals from there too speaker (on intercom) Attention, please. Attention, please. Code blue, 6B. sheri fink Suddenly, we hear this announcement go out over the hospital loudspeaker saying, code blue speaker (on intercom) Code blue, 6B. [KNOCKING] doctor Josh? sheri fink which means that somebody needs to be resuscitated, that they are basically dying. dr. josh rosenberg OK. Its code blue. youre on outreach or RESA? doctor RESA. sheri fink OK. All right. Can we follow you? doctor Yeah. [music] [AMBIENT CHATTER] doctor 1 Covid or non-Covid? doctor 2 No, its not Covid. doctor 3 OK. sheri fink So the code blue, it turned out, wasnt for a Covid patient, but for a patient who had other medical problems. doctor 192. Thats the code for 6A. sheri fink And they did CPR, and the patient survived. doctor I got it. Youre good. sheri fink And for me, the moment was really just highlighting the fact that, in a hospital, that that work goes on that there are all these other patients, too, who have different medical problems, and people are still having other emergencies. So hospitals cant just stop being hospitals for everybody else. I But its hard, because the number of patients with Covid is increasing. Usually, if you have people with a scary, infectious disease you would put them in specific rooms in the hospital, but, of course now theres many more patients than there are isolation rooms. So I think the doctors are very concerned about this possibility that somebody could come into the hospital for something else dr. josh rosenberg Shes Covid negative? doctor and then, you know, catch Covid there. Thats the real worst case scenario. dr. josh rosenberg Shes not a Covid issue? doctor Not really, no. dr. josh rosenberg Lets try to get her the heck out of this unit, please. OK? Get her out. sheri fink But of course, one of the big risks is to be a person who is walking into that hospital every day to work there. dr. josh rosenberg Hello. Dr. Rosenberg speaking. I was paged. sheri fink And in fact, at one point dr. josh rosenberg Yes, yes, yes. sheri fink Dr. Rosenberg gets word that one of his residents dr. josh rosenberg He has Covid. sheri fink tested positive for Covid and is in the emergency room downstairs. dr. josh rosenberg Thanks. All right. Whats up? You have his X-ray up? OK. Ill look at it in two seconds. sheri fink Someone pulls up an X-ray of the residents lungs for him to look at, and he peels off his Personal Protective Equipment, which in this case includes his own ski goggles, and he looks at the X-ray. And immediately, the tone shifts. dr. josh rosenberg Thats shitty. I dont like that. I want him here. He is one to come up. doctor Yeah. Is that a dr. josh rosenberg He comes right up, because hes high risk for getting intubated. doctor Yeah. sheri fink What he sees on the X-ray is something that looks bad to him. dr. josh rosenberg Thats what Im worried about, because his X-ray looks crappy. doctor You know that he works here, right? Yeah. dr. josh rosenberg No. doctor It was just, like, lets just go back dr. josh rosenberg Hes one of our surgical residents. Bring him to the I.C.U.. Bring him here. Dont dilly. Dont doctor No, no, Im not saying that. Im just saying sheri fink I think what was really striking to him, or what sort of, like, shocked him was that this was another doctor. dr. josh rosenberg That is ours. That is one of us. sheri fink And close to his age, and somebody whos been doing the same kind of work that hes doing every day. And I think that shatters that sense of invulnerability. dr. josh rosenberg This is insanity. For my first day after being back from a week in this crap, holy shit. sheri fink I actually found out partway through that day that Dr. Rosenberg, himself, had been out the previous week with symptoms of Covid. He actually didnt get a test until his symptoms had resolved, and it turned out to be negative, but hes pretty sure he had Covid. dr. josh rosenberg Well, one of the things well discuss that the nurse was telling you, but we need more nurses. sheri fink And this is a huge problem. A third of the doctors and nurses were out sick. A number of them had tested positive for Covid and were critically ill. And its not just a problem for this hospital. Its a problem all over New York City, that as the hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid patients, you have high numbers of health staff out sick. andrew cuomo Good afternoon. Thank you all for taking the time for being here today. As Governor of New York, I am asking health care professionals across the country, if you dont have a health care crisis in your community, please come help us in New York now. [music] sheri fink The day that I was at the hospital, New York Governor Cuomo pleaded for doctors and nurses and health care staff from around the U.S. to come to New York andrew cuomo We need relief. We need relief for doctors. We need relief for attendants. sheri fink in part to help fill in for the workers who are falling ill across the state. andrew cuomo So if youre not busy, come help us please. dr. josh rosenberg Hey. Hey, hes going to be in I.C.U. 12, OK? No, not yet. Theyre about to bring him up shortly, but were getting everything done. I know. I know. Trust me, its freaky. I mean, hes only five years younger than me, you know? Im 45, like half of our patients upstairs. We have 40-year-olds who are intubated. Jesus. Geez. [GROANS] Man, this is brutal. All right, good. I just wanted to let you know where it would be, all right? You got it. Ill speak to you later. Bye. [SIGHS] I am tired. [AMBIENT CHATTER] michael barbaro A few days ago, as the daily death toll in New York began to decline, state officials said it appeared that the pandemic was approaching its peak, and that the worst was over. But on Monday, New Yorks daily death toll spiked again to 778. So far, nearly 11,000 people in the state have died from the coronavirus. Among them was the mother of Dr. Rosenbergs medical student, who died the day after Sheri visited the hospital. Well be right back. [music] Heres what else you need to know today. archived recording Well, yesterday, the president at his news conference and this is his quote he said, he has the power. He says, when someone is President of the United States, the authority is total, and he said the governors know that. Do you know that? andrew cuomo No. I dont know what the president is talking about, frankly. We have a Constitution. The Constitution michael barbaro On Tuesday, governors on the East and West Coast, led by Andrew Cuomo of New York, rejected President Trumps claim that he has the legal authority to reopen the American economy by himself once he determines that the pandemic is over. andrew cuomo The federal government does not have absolute power. It says the exact opposite that the president said. It says, that would be a king. We would have had King George Washington. We didnt have King George Washington, and we dont have King Trump. We have President Trump. michael barbaro Appearing on NBC and MSNBC, Cuomo said that if Trump prematurely instructed states to end their lockdowns, many governors would disregard the order. andrew cuomo If he says to me, I declare it open, and that is a public health risk or its reckless with the welfare of the people of my state, I will oppose it. And then, we will have a constitutional crisis like you havent seen in decades where states tell the federal government, were not going to follow your order. michael barbaro And donald trump As the organizations leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability. michael barbaro A brave nurse who warned about a lack of PPE and a 'much loved' hospital worker have become the latest NHS staff to die from coronavirus. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis. His family claim he was working with just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny'. He later became ill himself with coronavirus, and gradually his condition deteriorated. He died at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales on Saturday. At least 35 NHS staff have died during the outbreak after testing positive although it is not known how many contracted the virus due to inadequate supplies of PPE. Amarante Dias, a 'much loved' staff member at Weston General Hospital, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset is among the latest to die from coronavirus. Mr Roberts' family has now hit out at the lack of protective equipment for NHS staff after the death of the 'much-loved and dedicated' member of the health team. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, (pictured) had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis Amarante Dias, a 'much loved' staff member at Weston General Hospital, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset is among the latest to die from coronavirus Family friend Janette Leonard (left) said that Mr Roberts (right) did not have the correct PPE. She said he had been left wearing just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny' Family friend Janette Leonard said: 'He didn't have PPE. In the beginning he said he didn't have anything. 'For Gareth, he paid the ultimate price. Yeah we're angry. 'Why would you send a soldier on to the front line without combat gear? It's unthinkable.' Mr Roberts devoted 40 years of his life to caring for people in hospitals around Cardiff and spent his last shift at Llandough Hospital in the Welsh capital. He worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015. His wife Linda was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital. Mr Roberts (pictured) worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015 Mr Roberts' wife Linda (pictured together) was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital Britain missed THREE chances to join an EU scheme to bulk-buy personal protective equipment for NHS staff The UK has missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE). The EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. Some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EU's procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation. But Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised. After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19. However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. Advertisement Ms Leonard said: 'They called Linda at three in the morning. 'They said: 'He's going, get over here'. They gowned her up - and she was with him.' Ms Leonard said the family have concerns about a lack of personal protective equipment for frontline staff. She said: 'He had a paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny. 'Well that's alright if you are making sandwiches but not when you are going to nurse people with the disease.' Ms Leonard has now set up a fundraising page to help his family with funeral costs, which raised 2,700 in less than a day. His friends say he was a kind man with a great sense of humour. Ms Leonard, a friend of Mr Roberts since childhood, said his sense of humour would 'make you weak' 'You couldn't not love him - his sense of humour, he was just so dry,' she said. 'Cariad [Welsh for darling] was his favourite word. The nursing sister in the ward was saying to me she'll miss him saying: 'Come on cariad, we can do this together'. 'That's how he was - a proper genuine, lovely guy.' Mr Roberts, of Aberdare, south Wales was father to Ceri and Dean and a grandfather to 16-year-old Zac - who he and Linda had brought up after their son Dean passed away 11 years ago. In a statement, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: 'Gareth had been part of our nursing family since the 1980's and worked across our hospital sites.' It added 'Gareth was well known by everyone and was an extremely popular, fun-filled and well liked person, always greeting everyone with - 'Hello Cariad' when he saw them.' A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: 'We are working with the rest of the UK to ensure there is sufficient supply of PPE and we're working with Welsh businesses to produce PPE in Wales. 'We are doing everything we can do ensure PPE is available for health and social care staff.' News of Mr Roberts passing comes as it emerged the EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. Some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, the Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. A plaster technician in Doncaster and a pharmacy worker in Merseyside are among the latest NHS workers to have died from the coronavirus. Donna Campbell, 54, tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted into intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has been described as a bubbly personality Kevin Smith, who worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died after catching coronavirus. Colleagues paid tribute to him as an 'incredible person' who 'loved his job' and as a man who was 'renowned for his warm personality' Donna Campbell, 54, worked as a nurse at the Velindre cancer hospital, Cardiff, where she was known for singing and dancing with patients. She had been at the hospital for 20 years after getting her first position there as a volunteer, and was known among staff and patients for her bright and bubbly personality. Ms Campbell was treated in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after she tested positive for the virus. Kevin Smith, who died after a short battle with coronavirus, had worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, South Yorkshire. He had been employed by the NHS for 35 years. His heartbroken daughter Ellie Whitley wrote on social media: 'It's so overwhelming to see so many amazing comments for such an incredible person who loved his job and everyone he worked with for many years. 'Thank you everyone. We will all miss him greatly but never forget him, ever!' Heartbreaking roll call of the NHS workers who have died from coronavirus as they battled pandemic on the front line The Government has confirmed 19 deaths amongst those working for the health service, but announcements from NHS trusts and tributes from loved ones indicate the true number is higher still. Here are the NHS workers MailOnline understands to have died during the coronavirus pandemic so far: Amarante Dias, medical director, death announced on April 13 The hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, confirmed yesterday its employee Amarante Dias passed away after testing positive for covid-19 A hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, confirmed yesterday its employee Amarante Dias passed away after testing positive for covid-19. Dr William Oldfield, medical director at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS trust, said: 'We are deeply saddened at losing 'Amarante Dias who was such a valued and much-loved colleague. 'On behalf of everyone at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, including our patients and the communities we serve, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to his family. 'Amarante will be greatly missed and we are ensuring that staff have access to support to help them at this difficult time. 'We will not be commenting further and ask that everybody respects the privacy of the family at their request.' The Weston Super Mare Association of Malayalees posted a tribute on social media: 'Our deepest sympathy and prayers to you and your family, (Amarante Dias) will deeply be missed.' Melujean Ballesteros, 60, nurse, died on April 12 The 'dedicated and very caring' Filipino nurse, 60, died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on Sunday, April 12, just two days after being admitted The 'dedicated and very caring' Filipino nurse, 60, died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on Sunday, April 12, just two days after being admitted. Her son, Rainier, 37, said: 'My mum is a dedicated and very caring nurse. 'She started her career in the UK in 2003, she loved her work as a nurse.' Rainier, who lives in Calauag in the Philippines, said Mrs Ballesteros had a fever and cough in mid-March and self-isolated for nine days. But on Friday Rainier said the family convinced her to visit the hospital due to her worsening condition, and so she was picked up by ambulance and was admitted. She died two days later. Mrs Ballesteros is survived by her two sons, Rainier and Bryan, 38, who also lives in the Philippines, and husband Luis, 64, who lives in the UK. Kevin Smith, plaster technician, died on April 12 Kevin Smith, who worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died after catching coronavirus. Colleagues paid tribute to him as an 'incredible person' who 'loved his job' and as a man who was 'renowned for his warm personality' Doncaster Royal Infirmary confirmed the death of plaster technician Kevin Smith on April 12, following a 'brief, but courageous, battle with Covid-19'. He worked at the hospital for more than 35 years and was 'renowned for his warm personality, diligence and compassion', the trust said. His heartbroken daughter Ellie Whitley wrote on social media: 'It's so overwhelming to see so many amazing comments for such an incredible person who loved his job and everyone he worked with for many years. 'Thank you everyone. We will all miss him greatly but never forget him, ever!' The chief executive at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, Richard Parker OBE, said: 'I am utterly heartbroken to share the news that Kevin Smith, a well-respected and hugely popular member of our team, has sadly passed away following a brief but courageous battle with Covid-19. 'A plaster technician and valued member of the team for over 35 years, Kev, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was renowned for his warm personality, diligence and compassion.' Gareth Roberts, 65, nurse, died on April 11 Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, (pictured) had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis. But he became ill himself with coronavirus, and gradually his condition deteriorated. He died at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales on Saturday. His family have now hit out at the lack of protective equipment after the death of the 'much-loved and dedicated' member of the health team. Family friend Janette Leonard said: 'He didn't have PPE. In the beginning he said he didn't have anything. 'For Gareth, he paid the ultimate price. Yeah we're angry. 'Why would you send a soldier on to the front line without combat gear? It's unthinkable.' Mr Roberts devoted 40 years of his life to caring for people in hospitals around Cardiff and spent his last shift at Llandough Hospital in the Welsh capital. He worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015. His wife Linda was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Oscar King Jr, 45, hospital porter, died on April 11 Mr King Jr, believed to have worked at the hospital for 10 years, was described as a 'beloved friend, loving husband, and devoted father' to his 10-year-old daughter Aged 45, Oscar King Jr, a Filipino porter at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, passed away on April 11. He was said to have worked for the hospital for more than a decade, 'always doing his job with great enthusiasm and joy'. Mr King Jr, believed to have worked at the hospital for 10 years, was described as a 'beloved friend, loving husband, and devoted father' to his 10-year-old daughter. His wife had also been taken to hospital after suffering severe symptoms, according to the GoFundMe page. A Commons library report published last year found that more than 18,000 Filipinos work in the NHS, third only to the numbers from Britain and India. The Philippines also provided more nurses and clinical support staff than any other country outside of the UK, the study found. Lola McEvoy, NHS organiser for the GMB union, said the porters' deaths was 'awful, awful news'. 'Support staff in our NHS are risking their lives to protect us. The sacrifice to our country of those who have lost their lives must never be forgotten,' she added. Elbert Rico, hospital porter, died on April 10 Mr Rico worked as a porter there since moving to the UK from the Philippines in 2004 'and loved the work that he did' A colleague of Mr King Jr at John Radcliffe, Mr Rico worked as a porter there since moving to the UK from the Philippines in 2004 'and loved the work that he did', according to a fundraising page published by his family. Both men were married to members of the nursing team at the hospital, the trust said. Fundraising pages were set up in the names of both workers following their deaths. A page set up for Mr Rico said he had worked for the hospital since coming to the UK in 2004, adding that he 'loved the work that he did'. 'He was always hard working and would prioritise others' needs firsts. He would walk around the hospital with a smile on his face and very rarely would he call in sick from work.' Donna Campbell, healthcare support worker, died on April 10 Donna Campbell, 54, tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted into intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has been described as a bubbly personality Donna Campbell, 54, worked as a nurse at the Velindre cancer hospital, Cardiff, where she was known for singing and dancing with patients. She had been at the hospital for 20 years after getting her first position there as a volunteer, and was known among staff and patients for her bright and bubbly personality. Ms Campbell was treated in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after she tested positive for the virus. The Velindre University NHS Trust paid tribute to the nurse who will 'always have a special place in our hearts'. 'She was often found singing and dancing, entertaining patients and staff, making everyone smile,' they said. 'Donna will always have a special place in our hearts and we will all want to send our heartfelt sympathy and love to her family at this very difficult time.' 'Our staff and particularly Donna's team on First Floor Ward, are completely heartbroken that their beautiful, kind-hearted friend and colleague has died'. 'She was without doubt a treasured member of our work family who could light up a room with her infectious laugh and bubbly personality. 'But at the same time she had the most wonderful ability to comfort and care for people.' Sara Trollope, 51, nurse, died on April 10 Sara Trollope (pictured with the PM last year), 51, was just months away from retiring when she became yet another hero to been named a victim of the deadly bug on Saturday A 51-year-old matron for older adult mental health services in Hillingdon, west London, Ms Trollope died at Watford General hospital on April 10 after testing positive for the virus. She was just months away from retiring when she became yet another hero to be struck down by the deadly bug. Ms Trollope, who worked at Hillingdon Hospital - where she was pictured next to he PM last year - has been praised for her support for older people with dementia. Medical director Dr Paul Hopper said: 'Sara had that unbeatable combination of kindness, selflessness and total determination to get things right for patients. She was an example to every one of us.' News of Ms Trollope's death came as it emerged that Mr Johnson came close to death as he desperately fought coronavirus in an intensive care unit. He has now been released and is recovering. Julie Omar, 52, nurse, died on April 10 Aged 52, the trauma and orthopaedics nurse at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital, in Worcestershire, died at home while self-isolating with symptoms on April 10 Aged 52, the trauma and orthopaedics nurse at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital, in Worcestershire, died at home while self-isolating with symptoms on April 10. She was an experienced trauma and orthopaedics nurse who had most recently been working at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Executive Matthew Hopkin issued a statement which read: 'It is with great sorrow that I have to share with you the sad news that a much-loved member of our nursing team - Julie Omar - has died. Julie had been self-isolating at home after developing symptoms of Covid-19, but sadly her condition deteriorated and she died at home. 'We have been asked by her family not to share any more details at this stage and we will of course respect those wishes.' Amor Gatinao, 50, nurse, died on April 10 Another nurse, Amor Padilla Gatinao, 50, (pictured) who worked as a nurse at St Charles Hospital, Ladbroke Grove, West London, died after falling ill on Mother's Day The nurse is reported to have died on the morning of April 10, having worked at St Charles Hospital, west London. Amor Padilla Gatinao, 50, who worked as a nurse at St Charles Hospital, Ladbroke Grove, West London, died after falling ill on Mother's Day. Her family suspect Ms Padilla-Gatinao, who suffered from asthma, type-2 diabetes and hyperthyroidism, caught the virus at work where she did not have the right protective clothing. Her daughter Allysa Gatinao, 24, said: 'There is a shortage of PPE in hospitals. Matt Hancock can't deny this as the evidence is there.' Aimee O'Rourke, 39, nurse, died on April 9 Aimee O'Rourke, 39, passed away last night at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, Kent, following the surfacing of symptoms two weeks ago Aged 39, the nurse and mother died at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQMH) in Margate, Kent, where she worked, on Thursday, April 9. 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'. Friends of Ms O'Rourke paid tribute to the 'one in a million' nurse. Friend Hannah Walden wrote on Facebook: 'Yesterday heaven gained a beautiful young lady. 'I was lucky to know her and work with her when I worked for CDU (clinical decision unit) QEQM. You were an amazing nurse and mum sleep tight Aimee O'Rourke God bless.' Lucy Page said: 'Every now and again special people come in to your life and they have the highest impact. 'Aimee O'Rourke taught to me fight for what I believe in and gave me courage so many times to do it. '...Aimee I love you and not a single day will go by when I don't think.about you. You were one in a million and you are going to leave such an empty space in all our hearts forever. Miss you already.' Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, consultant urologist, died on April 8 The doctor, pictured with his wife, worked as a Consultant Urologist at Homerton Hospital in east London The 53-year-old wrote a Facebook post asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urgently provide every NHS worker with PPE just five days before he died on the night of Wednesday April 8. Abdul Mabud Chowdhury passed away in hospital after a 15-day battle against the virus. Just three weeks ago, he wrote to the Prime Minister, asking him to 'urgently' ensure PPE was available for 'each and every NHS worker in the UK'. The doctor, known to friends and family as Faisal, worked as a consultant urologist in east London and leaves behind a wife, with whom he only recently celebrated a 25th wedding anniversary, and two children. He died at 1am at Queens Hospital in Romford, according to his brother, who wrote: 'I ask you humbly my dear brothers and sisters to please keep my brother in your prayers.' The Muslim Doctors Association paid tribute to him in a statement, which reads: 'We are deeply saddened by the death of Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, Consultant Urologist at Homerton Hospital, after fighting for his life from Covid-19. 'He leaves behind his wife and two children. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. 'Two weeks before his admission to hospital he wrote a message to the Prime Minister urging for better PPE. May he rest in peace.' Dr Edmond Adedeji, 62, doctor, died on April 8 Dr Edmond Adedeji (pictured), 62, who worked as a locum registrar in the emergency department of Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire, died on April 8 The 62-year-old worked as a locum registrar in the emergency department of Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire, and died 'doing a job he loved' on April 8. 'He died doing a job he loved, serving others before himself,' his family said in a statement to the BBC. The hospital's chief executive added he was a 'respected and well-liked member of the team'. Dr Fayez Ayache, GP, died on April 8 Dr Fayez Ayache, who lived in Raydon in Suffolk, had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and coronavirus The 76-year-old general practitioner and grandfather died in Ipswich Hospital on April 8, having been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and coronavirus. The grandfather, who lived in Raydon in Suffolk, had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and coronavirus. His family said he stopped working nearly a month ago but may have continued to visit patients at home. Dr Ayache retired two years ago but quickly returned to work 'a couple of days a week', his eldest daughter Layla Ayache, 35. He worked as a GP with North Clacton Medical Group and also ran an ear, nose and throat clinic at Ipswich Hospital. Dr Ayache stopped working again three-and-a-half weeks ago because of the risk of coronavirus, his daughter said. She said she did not know where he had contracted the virus, but believed he may still have been seeing people to give medical advice. Elsie Sazuze, care home nurse, died on April 7 Mrs Sazuze, who worked for Wolverhampton-based agency Totallycare, died on April 7 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield Mrs Sazuze, who worked for Wolverhampton-based agency Totallycare, died on April 7 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, according to the BBC, who spoke with her husband Ken. Ms Sazuze fell ill at home in Erdington, Birmingham. Her husband, Ken Sazuze, said his wife called him at home before being put on a ventilator. He said: 'She started telling me, 'Ken, if I don't come back, be strong, I love you, be strong for the kids. Her childhood friend William Fungatira paid tribute as he released an album of pictures on behalf of her family. Mr Fungatira said: 'I have known her all my life. Elsie was as a naturally quiet person but very caring, friendly, cheerful and resilient. She had a passion to always help others. 'She was dedicated to helping people. I remember every time we visited their home she always welcomed us with great hospitality. 'It's a great loss to all of us who knew her and indeed to the wider community because she lost her life doing the job she loved. She will be greatly missed.' Leilani Dayrit, 47, nurse, died on April 7 Leilani Dayrit, 47, worked as a nurse at St Cross Hospital in Rugby, Warwickshire, and died on April 7 Described as a 'ray of sunshine', Ms Dayrit, a Filipino nurse who worked at St Cross Hospital in Rugby, died on April 7. The 47-year-old worked as a nurse at St Cross Hospital in Rugby, Warwickshire, and died on April 7. She leaves behind her husband a daughter, who described her as 'selfless until the very end' and a 'truly special and beautiful person inside and out'. A crowdfunding page set up to fund funeral costs has already raised more than 11,000. It reads: 'She was a ray of sunshine to those people who were fortunate to meet her. 'Her beautiful smile mirrors her beautiful heart full of love. Her strong will power to surpass any trial in life and her optimism resonates to everyone.' Mrs Dayrit had worked for the NHS for 16 years after training in her native Philippines. She was described as a 'very dedicated worker' who was often referred to by children of her friends as 'Mummy Lei' or 'second mother'. She grew up with seven siblings in Vigan City, going on to become a community youth leader, student and even a beauty queen. She got her degree in nursing from the University of North Philippines before moving to the UK. Donald Suelto, 51, nurse, died on April 7 Donald Suelto who worked at Hammersmith Hospital in west London, died on April 7 The 51-year-old, who worked at Hammersmith Hospital in west London, died on April 7 after going into self-isolation with coronavirus symptoms. Nurse Alejandro Fernandez said Mr Suelto, originally from the Philippines, was a 'spirited friend' who was 'friendly to everyone' and said he was struggling to get over the shock of the news. In a tribute to his friend, Mr Fernandez said: 'I still can't believe it. You were never alone. As I said, you are a hero, everyone knows that. So proud of you. 'He was an enthusiastic nurse, full of life, loved his NHS job and a spirited friend with a loving heart. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family. Rest in Peace Donds.' Alice Kit Tak Ong, 70, nurse, died on April 7 NHS nurse Alice Kit Tak Ong died from the coronavirus, she moved to the UK when she was 23-years-old to study nursing The 70-year-old, originally from Hong Kong, died on April 7 after 44 years of working for the NHS. She was described by her daughter Melissa as 'generous to everyone else before herself'. Speaking to The Guardian, 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. Janice Graham, 58, nurse, died on April 6 Janice Graham, 58, became the first nurse in Scotland to die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on April 6 The 58-year-old healthcare support worker from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) became the first nurse in Scotland to die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on April 6. Louise Long, chief officer of Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership, said: 'We are saddened to confirm a member of staff has passed away due to Covid-19. 'Our thoughts are with Janice's loved ones at this difficult time. 'Janice was a valued team member in our District Nursing and Evening Services team and brought kindness and compassion to patients and colleagues. 'Her bright and engaging personality and razor-sharp wit will be sorely missed. 'A memorial book will be open at Port Glasgow Health Centre to staff who wish to pay tribute to Janice. 'We are incredibly thankful to our staff for their tireless efforts during this crisis. We are here to support them as much as possible during this challenging time.' Syed Haider, GP, died on April 6 The family doctor worked in Dagenham, east London, and died in hospital on April 6 after it is believed he developed coronavirus symptoms. Barbara Moore, 54, patient discharge planner, died on April 6 Described as an 'unsung hero', the 54-year-old grandmother died on April 6, the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said. A staff member at the Valence Medical Centre in Dagenham, east London where Dr Haider worked confirmed the tragic news. The News International, a Pakistani newspaper, spoke to his son, who described him as a 'selfless man driven by his passion for his profession'. He added: 'Even whilst in hospital breathing his last, he was urging doctors and nurses to pay attention to other patients rather than him. 'Many at his age would have retired yet his dedication to his profession was immeasurable.' Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, doctor, died on April 6 Dr Saadu had been working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire The 68-year-old, who had returned to work from retirement, died on April 6 at the Whittington Hospital in north London. He died after fighting the virus for two weeks, had been working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. His son Dani told HuffPost UK: 'He was a very passionate man, who cared about saving people. As soon you spoke to him about medicine his face would light up. 'He worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years in different hospitals across London. He loved to lecture people in the world of medicine he did so in the UK and Africa.' He also described his father as a 'massive family man', adding that he leaves behind two sons and a wife who is also a retired doctor, in occupational health. Dr Saadu, who was originally from Nigeria, was a former clinical director of the care of the elderly department at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. He was also medical director of Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, and medical director and consultant physician at Ealing Hospital in West London. Jitendra Rathod, surgeon, died on April 6 Jitendra Rathod, 58, was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where he first started working in the 1990s, but died from coronavirus A 'highly regarded' associate specialist in cardio-thoracic surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, Mr Rathod died on the morning of April 6. Mr Rathod, who was from India, had been working in the hospital since the 1990s. A statement by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: 'It is with profound sadness that we must inform you that Mr Jitendra Rathod, associate specialist in cardiothoracic surgery, has passed away. 'He died early this morning on our general intensive care unit after testing positive for Covid-19.' The father-of-two was described as an 'incredibly dedicated surgeon' who cared deeply for his patients and was highly regarded in the medical profession in Wales. A cardiothoracic surgeon is a specialist who operates on the heart, lungs and other thoracic (chest) organs. 'He was well-liked and and greatly respected by one and all,' the health board statement added. 'He was very compassionate and a wonderful human being. His commitment to the speciality was exemplary. He is survived by his wife and two sons.' Mr Rathod worked in the department of cardio-throacic surgery since the mid 1990s. He later had a brief stint abroad before returning to UHW in 2006. Lynsay Coventry, 54, midwife, died on April 6 In a touching tribute, face mask-wearing medics at Prices Alexandra lined the corridors and fell silent to remember their colleague Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex announced the death of 54-year-old - the first involving a serving NHS midwife after testing positive for the virus - on April 5. Ms Coventry passed away at neighbouring Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust after initially self-isolating at home and was not at work before her death. In a touching tribute, face mask-wearing medics at Prices Alexandra lined the corridors and fell silent to remember their colleague. With 'great sadness', the chief executive of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust Lance McCarthy, announced her death and paid tribute to her 'professionalism and commitment'. In a statement, Ms Coventry's family said: 'As a family, our hearts are broken at the loss of our loving, wonderful and caring mum, sister, daughter and grandmother. 'We each know how much she loved and cherished us. Her love for us all was unfailing and her strength in the way she cared and supported us will fill our memories. 'What we also know is how proud she was to be an NHS midwife. Lynsay followed her dream and trained as a midwife later in life. 'It was a role she committed herself to and saw the midwifery team at the Princess Alexandra Hospital as her other family. 'She was a very well-respected midwife who supported many hundreds of women as they welcomed their babies into the world.' Glen Corbin, 59, nurse, died on April 4 The 59-year-old had worked at the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health in Harlesden, north-west London, for more than 25 years and his Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust announced his death on April 4. His colleagues have paid tribute to him after he died of the disease, saying he was looking forward to his 60th birthday this year. They said: 'Glen was a much loved colleague and will be sorely missed. Our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones at this sad and difficult time.' It was revealed last week that 20,000 former NHS staff have come back to the profession to help combat the deadly disease. Rebecca Mack, 29, nurse, died on April 5 Tributes have poured in for Rebecca Mack (pictured), a child cancer nurse from Newcastle who's died from coronavirus The 29-year-old died on April 5, after going into self-isolation with symptoms. Her friend Sarah Bredin-Kemp said she was an 'incredible nurse'. 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. '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.' Dr Anton Sebastianpillai, consultant, died on April 4 Dr Anton Sebastianpillai became the thirteenth frontline medic to die from the virus on Saturday The consultant geriatrician died on April 4, four days after being admitted to the intensive care unit and two weeks after completing his final shift on March 20, according to Kingston Hospital in south-west London. 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. Liz Glanister, nurse, died on April 3 On April 6, Aintree University Hospital confirmed that they had lost long-serving staff nurse Liz Glanister, 68, after she contracted Covid-19 Aintree University Hospital said the staff nurse died on Friday April 3, with her family describing the loss as 'simply beyond words'. In a statement on social media, the hospital said: 'All our thoughts are with Liz's family at this time and we offer them our sincere condolences. Liz will be sadly missed by all those who knew and worked with her. 'I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Liz for her dedication to her patients, colleagues and friends over many years.' At Liverpool Town Hall, St George's Hall and The Cunard Building the Union flag was flown at half mast in honour of Ms Glanister. John Alagos, 27, nurse, died on April 3 John Alagos, a London nurse of 27 who treated covid-19 patients, fell ill at work The Mail On Sunday reported that the 27-year-old nurse - who treated coronavirus patients at Watford General Hospital - died after a shift on Friday April 3. His mother, Gina Gustilo, 50, told The Mail on Sunday her son had not been wearing the right protective clothing at work. He returned home on Friday following a night shift, after complaining of suffering a headache and high temperature throughout the night. A tearful Mrs Gustilo said: 'I asked 'Why didn't you come home?' He said he had asked other staff but they said they were short of staff and they did not let him go. I said, 'OK, take some paracetamol.' After a few minutes, I found him turning blue in his bed.' After finding her son unconscious in his bedroom, Ms Gustilo immediately called 999 but paramedics were unable to resuscitate him. Watford General Hospital said in a statement: 'Our staff are fully briefed on the symptoms of Covid-19 and we would never expect anyone to remain at work if they were showing these symptoms or indeed were unwell in any way. 'We have always kept our staff updated on the latest PPE guidance to make sure they have the right level of protection.' A spokeswoman added: 'John was very popular and will be missed greatly.' Mr Alagos, from Watford, was born in the Philippines, but moved to Britain as a youngster and had become a British citizen. Ms Gustilo said her son did not have any underlying medical conditions. Areema Nasreen, 36, nurse, died on April 2 Areema Nasreen, 36, a Walsall staff nurse and mother-of-three, has died from coronavirus, becoming the country's youngest health worker to be killed by the disease Aged 36, Ms Nasreen died on April 2 in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands - where she had worked for 16 years. 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. A heartbroken relative of Ms Nasreen paid tribute to the mother-of-three and said: 'The immediate family are devastated. Everyone is in shock this morning. 'She was always so full of life. She was devoted to her job as a nurse, she absolutely loved it. She passed away doing what she loved. 'I'm really sad for the rest of the family, she was a fantastic person.' Nurse Rubi Aktar paid tribute to her 'best friend', who she described as the 'most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet'. In an emotional Facebook post, she wrote: 'I am so broken that words can't explain. I can't believe I will not see your smile again. 'You made me the nurse that I am today, with your support, motivation and inspiration I am the nurse that I am today and I hope I can do you proud Areema. 'I love you so much and I will never forget you. You had so much to live for, I am sorry you didn't get to see your kids grow up and I'm sorry that you didn't get to complete your career.' Sami Shousha, 79, researcher, died on April 2 Professor Mohamed Sami Shousha was from Egypt and had worked at UK cancer research laboratories since 1978 and was an honorary professor of histopathology at Imperial College London The professor, 79, who had worked at UK cancer research laboratories at London's Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals since 1978, died on April 2. He had worked at UK cancer research laboratories since 1978 and was an honorary professor of histopathology at Imperial College London. His nephew, Abdelrahman Shousha, told The Sun: 'He was very keen on going to work on his final days despite the health hazards. 'However, most likely, his work did not involve direct contact with Covid-19 patients. 'He had been hospitalised since March 23, after contracting the virus, before he succumbed to the illness on Thursday April 2. We will all miss him dearly.' One of his former pupils, Dr Neha Tabassum, tweeted: 'My prayers and thoughts are with his family. It's so sad to hear this news, I am in tears!! 'Professor Sami Shousha was one of my mentor. Without his support, my PhD would not have been possible. He was such an amazing human being.' Thomas Harvey, 57, nurse, died on March 29 Thomas Harvey, 57, picked up coronavirus when treating a patient in London and has now died of the virus The healthcare assistant, 57, a father-of-seven who worked at Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford, east London, died at home on March 29. The father-of-seven, died 'gasping for air' at the family home in east London, having collapsed in the bathroom. His son, also named Thomas, described having to punch a hole in the door as he and other family members made desperate attempts to get to the 57-year-old. He said efforts to provide protective equipment to healthcare staff and to roll out Covid-19 testing were much too slow. Mr Harvey, 24, said: 'Why has it taken so long? Why have we had to lose my dad, and similar situations, for you (the Government) to take action? 'It is frustrating to think that a situation like this could have been prevented with the correct care from the Government.' He said the grandfather-of-three had been given only 'gloves and a flimsy apron' to protect himself from infection, and had isolated himself at home after beginning to show symptoms of the virus a few weeks ago. Despite paramedics being called out when his condition worsened around a week before his death, he was not admitted to hospital or tested for the virus, a decision the family were surprised by. Dr Amged El-Hawrani, 55, consultant, died on March 28 Mr El-Hawrani was primarily an ear, nose and throat consultant and surgeon but before he became unwell, he had also been volunteering in A&E An ear, nose and throat consultant with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), the 55-year-old died at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on March 28. The 'dedicated' consulant, who was an ear, nose and throat specialist at Queen's Hospital in Burton, was known for being 'extremely hard-working' and deeply committed to his patients. He died on March 28 at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester the first UK death of a full-time hospital doctor from the virus since the crisis began. Mr El-Hawrani was born in Sudan and served primarily an ear, nose and throat consultant and surgeon but before he became unwell, he had also been volunteering in A&E. His family said they were devastated but 'immensely proud', and staff at his hospital said they were 'desperately saddened'. But the British Medical Association warned that his death would reverberate amongst NHS staff, who are becoming increasingly concerned over the lack of protective equipment. Pooja Sharma, pharmacist, died on March 26 Pooja, 32, (pictured) worked as a pharmacist in East Sussex and is thought to have received three days of care and treatment for the virus before her death Ms Sharma, a pharmacist at Eastbourne District General Hospital, died unexpectedly on March 26 according to a JustGiving page created in her memory. Her father Sudhir Sharma, an immigration officer at Heathrow Airport, had died the previous day. Sudhir Sharma, who worked at Terminal 3, passed away on Wednesday before pharmacist Pooja suffered the same tragic fate the following day, The Sun reports. The father, 61, from Hounslow in west London, last worked on January 7, therefore officials don't believe he contracted Covid-19 on duty and likely picked it up elsewhere. A friend of Pooja's posted online: 'May their souls rest in peace. Sending my heartiest condolences, prayers and love to their family.' They added: 'Please, please, please inform family and friends to take this very seriously and to self-isolate, socially distance themselves as much as possible, for their families if not for themselves. Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, doctor, died on March 25 Dr Habib Zaidi worked as a GP at Eastwood Group Practice in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex The GP in Leigh-on-Sea died in intensive care at Southend Hospital, Essex, on March 25, aged 76. He became ill on March 24 and died just 24 hours later in hospital. Test results for Covid-19 came back positive yesteday - and his daughter Sarah, a GP at his practice in Essex, had earlier said he had 'textbook symptoms'. Dr Zaidi, who came to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1970s and worked at Eastwood Group Practice in Leigh-on-Sea, had been self-isolating for a week before he became ill. His death raised concerns among the medical community about being exposed to the deadly virus without sufficient protective equipment. Dr Zaidi's family said: 'For him to be snatched away from us in this way, in these desperately troubling times for the whole world, has left us truly heartbroken. 'But we are overwhelmed, touched and comforted by the many kind tributes and love we have received. The name Habib means beloved and beloved he truly was. 'We know that not only has he left a gaping hole in our hearts but a loss that is also felt within the community that he devoted almost his entire life to.' His daughter Sarah told the BBC: 'For that to be the thing that took him is too much to bear. It is reflective of his sacrifice.' Dr Jose Garcia-Lobera, GP chair at Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said he was a 'hugely respected, selfless man who dedicated his life to helping others'. He added: 'Dr Zaidi will always be remembered for his significant contribution to local health services through his long career as a GP. Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, transplant surgeon, died on March 25 Mr Adil El Tayar, 63, an organ transplant consultant, developed symptoms after he volunteered to help treat patients The 63-year-old died at West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, west London, on March 25, working as a locum surgeon before his death.His grieving family warned NHS staff were 'sitting ducks' and called for them to be given better protective kit and disease testing. Cousin Dr Hisham El-Khider said he believed Dr El Tayar's death was preventable, saying: 'If we don't improve protection for staff across the board then more of us will die. 'The brunt of this disease is only going to get bigger and bigger, and more needs to be done. 'If we don't, there will be more doctors and nurses who fall seriously ill and are unable to treat patients who desperately require their care.' Mr El Tayar, a father-of-four, self-isolated once he developed symptoms but had to be taken to hospital with breathing difficulties and died last Wednesday at the West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, West London. His cousin, BBC journalist Zeinab Badawi, said: 'He'd wanted to be deployed where he would be most useful during the crisis. 'That was typical of my cousin Adil, always willing to help, always with a willing smile.' She added: 'It had taken just 12 days for Adil to go from a seemingly fit and capable doctor working in a busy hospital to lying in a hospital morgue.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 17:53:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, April 14 (Xinhua) -- President of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said Tuesday that the performance of the House Committee has been unsatisfactory as its chairman and deputy chairman have yet to be elected after 14 meetings over the past six months. Leung said the logjam has obstructed the smooth operation of the committee as 89 subsidiary regulations yet to be reviewed have expired and another 14 bills and the appointment of the Chief Justice of Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal have been waiting to be dealt with. As the session of this term of the LegCo is due to end in three months, bills that have not been reviewed will become invalid, Leung said, calling on lawmakers to resolve disputes in a united and practical manner and fulfill the responsibility. Forty-one LegCo members have issued a joint statement recently condemning their colleague Dennis Kwok Wing-hang for abuse of power as he was presiding over the LegCo House Committee chairman election. His malicious filibuster has delayed the discussion of multiple bills related to people's livelihood and the fight against COVID-19 outbreak. Enjoy16.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 6 Apr 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the enjoy16 homepage on Twitter + the total number of enjoy16 followers (if enjoy16 has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the enjoy16 homepage on Delicious. 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Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Just over a week ago, I spoke my truth that if my mother was a resident in a care home, Id take her out. Globe and Mail columnist Andre Picard shared it in a very public way, as the opening salvo of an article describing the true vulnerable state of Canadas nursing and retirement homes in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. By that point, hundreds of homes were reporting outbreaks and needless deaths, compared with only a few dozen a week earlier. I understood how the choice to have these care homes apply infection control practices better designed for managing flu outbreaks, rather than COVID-19, were unnecessarily putting many of the 400,000 Canadians living in these care homes and their expert care providers in harms way. I and others had publicly shared what happened in Spain and Italy, where residents in care homes were ravaged, leaving some abandoned and countless others dead. But I don't think any of us imagined that what happened there could happen here. Then on Good Friday, the horror show unfolding at Maison Herron in West Montreal came to light, with its first responders comparing what they saw as reminiscent of scenes from a concentration camp. I dont regret sounding the alarm like many others, I was demanding a necessary call to action that until then, was not materializing quickly enough. It certainly got the attention of many around the fact that that our so-called defensive iron rings, the actions we were taking to protect people in care homes, were not as strong as they needed to be. The point of Picards article was to highlight critical measures not being done at all, or, at best, inconsistently across the country. Things like discontinuing non-essential visits, requiring and supporting staff to work in only one home, proving masks to all staff and visitors, and testing and isolating both symptomatic and asymptomatic contacts in an outbreak. When people look to doctors like me for advice, they often ask what I would do if it were me and my family member going through the same thing. I could not have in good conscience looked someone in the eye and said anything other than what I said to Picard that if it were my mother in a care home not complying with evidence-based infection control practices, I would take them out. Of course, I knew that this wasnt a practical or even possible option for the majority of families with loved ones in care. But I said it to underscore the urgency of the issue and advocate for immediate action. Every care home in Canada needs to ensure it is doing what it should, and not give their residents, their families, and their staff a false sense of security. The good news is that the article immediately drew the attention and razor sharp focus of decision makers that I work with at the provincial and federal levels. Within a week, new directives were being released in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, while the Public Health Agency of Canada even stepped in to launch new federal guidelines encouraging the widespread implementation of our iron ring formula across the country. What I was not anticipating was for one of Canadas most nationally respected health reporters and myself to receive hate mail. I was further not expecting that a handful of my academic medical colleagues, including the leadership of my professional society, would publicly deride my opinion through an open letter or op-eds. While some thought it was ludicrous to suggest people could take their loved ones out of care homes, Ontario and Nova Scotia had already changed their regulations to enable families wanting and able to do this and to improve the overall capacity of their long-term care systems. Ive also heard from many families, care providers, colleagues and government officials who appreciated my transparency, honesty, and advice during this pandemic. Some of my colleagues ask me if I regret being so vocal and honest. I do not. Speaking up is not easy. As many outspoken doctors, scientists, public health officials, and researchers around the world know, it can come with negative consequences. But it is critical that we do so. I proudly work at Mount Sinai, a hospital built by a Toronto community that knows all too well the consequences of leaders silently letting injustices and horrors unfold, and simply hoping they will get better. As its lead geriatrician, and one who has the honour of caring for many aging holocaust survivors, theyve reminded me over the years that with my privilege comes enormous responsibility. And that includes speaking up when the life of another person is at risk. I am glad I spoke up, and now only wonder if I could have done more. Emirates, the biggest carrier of intercontinental passengers in the world, has belatedly transformed its coronavirus cancellation policy from onerous to one of the most traveller-friendly in the world. The Dubai-based carrier had expected to fly around 60 million people to, from and through its hub. But the government of the UAE imposed a ban on flights on 25 March, which has wrecked the travel plans of millions of travellers. Emirates is now flying again but passengers are allowed to travel only outbound from Dubai, which is of no use to transfer travellers who make up the bulk of the airlines passengers. The UK represents a large proportion of Emirates worldwide business. When an airline cancels a flight on an itinerary starting in Britain or the European Union, it must refund the fare in full within a week of the planned departure date. But Emirates, in common with some other carriers, was heavily criticised for only offering travel vouchers which, if unused, could be exchanged for cash after a year. Now the airline has published a global policy that meets its obligations under European air passengers rights rules. Passengers who have tickets issued before 31 May 2020, for travel before 31 August 2020, can apply immediately for a refund. Travellers are able to ask for their money back, even if they have already accepted a voucher or opted to keep their ticket for future journey. But for many passengers, Emirates has an alternative offer which may be even more valuable: to keep their ticket for up to two years and five weeks for use on the same, or a similar, route. Adnan Kazim, Emirates chief commercial officer said: The travel and airline industry have complicated rulebooks for how fares, re-bookings or refunds are applied, which also differ depending on market regulation. We understand that explaining and unravelling all of that is confusing and frustrating for customers. We sincerely hope that our customers will choose to rebook and fly with us again at a later time, and that is why were offering up to two years validity on their current tickets. However, if they would still like to opt for a refund, we will process that. We would just like to seek our customers understanding that refunds will take time as we have a significant backlog to manage. 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 airline said: Their ticket will be accepted for any flight to the same Emirates destination or to another city within the same Emirates region with no fees for changes. This could benefit anyone who bought a cheap ticket to the Middle East, Asia, Australia or Africa for during the April and May off-peak season. They can exchange it for travel during a very busy time such as Christmas and New Year, and even change the route for example exchanging Perth in Western Australia for Auckland in New Zealand. There is no need to make an immediate decision. Emirates, which previously operated six Airbus A380 jets a day between Dubai and London Heathrow, is currently flying just four times weekly. The only other multi-frequency destinations are Frankfurt and the Afghan capital, Kabul. (Photo : From Wikimedia Commons) The Great Barrier Reef in Australia suffered its third major bleaching event this year. Terry Hughes, the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, was stricken from fear at the sight of bleached white coral along the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. He was passing through the area in a small plane when peered through the window and saw the dreadful scene. Hughes expresses his fears of losing a lot of corals in the heavily bleached reefs. This year, the world's largest coral reef system underwent its third major bleaching event in the last five years. The Great Barrier Reef also received some bleaching in 2016 and 2017. The coral bleaching event that took place in 2016 was acknowledged to be the most severe, while this year's bleaching is justifying to be the most far-reaching in terms of the area covered. According to Hughes, it covered Torres Straits in the north to the southern border of the marine park near Bundaberg, covering a distance of about 1,250 miles. Morgan Pratchett, a professional research fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said in a statement that bleaching is not entirely fatal. Pratchett claims that some lightly-bleached corals tend to recover and return to their natural color within a few weeks or months and continue to survive. Experts in the field, however, dread that if the trend continues, the Great Barrier Reef may not have a chance to bounce back. Read Also: Awaiting the Evidence of Coral Bleaching to the Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the world. It is a prized World Heritage Area, the most extensive coral reef system, and the most prominent living form on the planet. It is the only living thing on earth detectable from space. Located off the coast of Queensland, the Reef is a collection of 3,000 individual reef systems and is the home for an incredible assortment of marine life, plants, and animals. Holding the title as one of the world's most popular tourist attractions, the Reef is notorious for its turquoise waters, colorful corals, abundant marine life, and over 900 islands. Among these are the Whitsunday Islands, Lizard Island, and Heron Island. Why is Coral Bleaching Done? Coral bleaching is the aftermath caused by global warming from the mining and burning of fossil fuel, such as coal. Because of global warming, the ocean's temperature rises if the water stays hot for extended periods, the corals bleach and eventually die out. This year in February, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology recorded the highest sea temperature ever on the Great Barrier Reef. While 40% of the Reef remained unharmed, 25% experienced severe bleaching, and 35% was moderately bleached. Hughes noted that bleaching is most climactic on a reef that hasn't been bleached for ten years or longer because of the large number of corals. He said that heavily-bleached corals are easy to spot even from a couple of kilometers away as they glow in the distance. He further denounced that the state of Queensland, where the Reef is, and the Commonwealth government are still both promoting fossil fuels, new coal mines, and more fracking for gas, which poses a threat to the Reef. "There's really no time to lose to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the Australian government is not pulling its weight in that regard," Hughes said. Also Read: Meet 'Zonkey', A Rare Hybrid Discovered in Kenyan National Park Residents of Sonoma County will be required to wear facial coverings in public starting Friday to guard against spread of the coronavirus, according to an order from the countys health officer. The order, issued Monday, goes further than previous recommendations by health officials that people cover their faces when they leave home. Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California have recently issued similar orders. Sonoma Countys order, from health officer Dr. Sundari Mase, states: All persons shall wear facial coverings before they enter any indoor facility besides their residence, any enclosed open space, or while outdoors when the person is unable to maintain a six-foot distance from another person at all times. The requirement does not apply when a person is driving alone or with household members, unless the windows are rolled down to interact with non-household members. The order states a violation or failure to comply is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or imprisonment. Rohish Lal, spokesperson for Sonoma Countys public health department, said the county is hoping to avoid requiring that level of enforcement and that people take (the order) seriously. We hope that people do comply, Lal said. But if we need to issue a citation, then it is enforceable. Facial coverings are defined as any fabric or cloth that covers the mouth and nose. The order specifies that people should not buy medical-grade masks, such as surgical or N95 masks, which should be reserved for health care workers and first responders. It also states that facial coverings should not be placed on children under age 2 or anyone who is having trouble breathing or unable to remove the mask without help. 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. Businesses are allowed to refuse service to any customer not wearing a facial covering, the order states. Employers operating during shelter-in-place are instructed to make sure their workers have access to or are using their own coverings. Sonoma Countys website says residents are not required to wear a face covering when going for a run or walk but should bring one in case you encounter other people. It lists places where a covering is now required as including grocery stores, laundromats, outdoor work sites, buses, drive-through/curbside pick-up situations, farmers markets and while pumping gas. Officials had reported 152 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Sonoma County as of Monday, with 81 active cases, 69 patients recovered and two deaths. Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form April 13, 2020 News By Jim Garamone Defense.gov DOD Works to Eliminate Foreign Coronavirus Disinformation Under the rubric of "not wasting a good crisis," Russia, China and others are using the coronavirus pandemic to spread disinformation to further their goals, Pentagon officials said. The Defense Department is working with the State Department, allies, partners and other agencies to curb this trend, Pentagon officials said in a telephone briefing for reporters last week. "We've seen increasing unity of effort in response to COVID, both within Western democracies, but also across allies and partners, to include terrific sharing of medical lessons learned," said Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. Cooper specifically pointed out instances where the Russian government sought to sow disinformation in the West. "I think the most pernicious disinformation that we have to contend with is the disinformation that is sowing global mistrust and confusion," she said. "These are messages that are endangering global health because they're undermining the efforts of governments, of health agencies and of organizations that are in charge of disseminating accurate information about the virus to the public." An example of this disinformation came to light in March, when Russia Today and Sputnik broadcast that hand-washing was ineffective against coronavirus. Another "alternative news source" in Russia reported that there was no pandemic and that the deaths in Italy were the common flu, she said. In early January, Russian news outlets broadcast that they had discovered a cure: They hadn't. Further, they stated that it was really U.S. pharmaceutical companies that were spreading rumors about the virus to drum up business. It wasn't, Cooper said. "You can see how they could cause individual citizens to act in ways that contradict good advice that they are being given by public health officials," Cooper said. While Russia may be the most egregious culprit, China is also involved in the disinformation process, Chad Sbragia, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, told reporters. "In terms of specific disinformation campaigns, the one that [I] was most concerned with was the false accusation that COVID-19 began with a U.S. Army service member bringing that to China somehow," he said. "That was just patently false and, frankly, unhelpful. It's those kind of activities that we see that are just not what the global environment community needs at this time." Given that the virus first appeared in China and that Chinese medical professionals had first-hand experience in how to combat COVID, the United States was disappointed with the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda and disinformation campaign effort to shift responsibility of the pandemic to others "which was unfounded, futile and really counterproductive," Sbargia said. Iran has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic, and the Iranian government has also spread disinformation, saying the United States was responsible for the virus. "We're seeing a variety of actors around the world who are using COVID-19 to target or blame Western allies, or the United States in particular," Cooper said. "And I really think of it as a global disinformation ecosystem where a news item that generates in one part of the world then gets amplified and picked up elsewhere." U.S. officials have been exposing this disinformation, Cooper said. "We're calling on all countries Russia included to rein in malign actors that are spreading misleading, disruptive information about the virus," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On Christmas Day, December 1974, cyclone Tracey flattened Darwin. The recovery was not quick, but it happened. Along with the recovery period came an interesting situation. Money was not needed. Everything was destroyed and there was little or no infrastructure left that required money. Food and assistance was given and distributed when it arrived. Money did not matter anymore. Australia is not in the position that Darwin was in after cyclone Tracey. However, at the same time those who cannot work due to current restrictions have no way to pay their debts. For the people who live from pay-check to pay-check the debts will just stack up. Wallet wizard will not save you from spiralling debt. Neither will the credit card when it gets maxed out. While the government is working on grants to low income workers, pensioners and small business; is there another way? The Practice of Jubilee The Ancient Babylonians had an economic stimulus package. An option that was used with much success. It is also part of Mosaic Law and can be found in Leviticus 25. I am talking about Jubilee and the forgiving of debts. In the article Could/should Jubilee debt cancellations be reintroduced today? by Michael Hudson and Charles Goodhart they explain that debt cancellation existed to liberate the population from debt. It was not all debt. As creditors and land owners were not included. It was a great event for the population. As Leviticus 25 says debt cancellation is there to proclaim liberty, throughout the land. The debt cancelled was consumer debt and small business loans. The cancellation enabled the population to provide for their basic needs and still pay taxes. Freeing up the population in turn prevented the oligarchy from having power that rivalled the kings. Hudson and Goodhart note that the absence of debt cancelation was pivotal to the fall of Rome. The power of the Roman oligarchy became influential and undermined the defence of the Empire. Citizens were too busy paying debts to join the army. They struggled to become land owners and take part in politics. While Babylon and Rome are thousands of years in the past, debt-cancelation has occurred in modern times. Jubilee laws were enacted in Germany in 1948 after WWI. All debt was cancelled except business debt and employer debts to employees. Debt cancellation enabled the German economic miracle that then followed. The Historical point of Hudson and Goodharts article is very simple. A study of the long sweep of history reveals a universal principle to be at work: The burden of debt tends to expand in an agrarian society to the point where it exceeds the ability of debtors to pay. That has been the major cause of economic polarization from antiquity to modern times. Hope and the Human City Professor John F. Kane, in his most recent post quotes William Lynchs vision of a Human City. A city that is flexible to change and move in new ways to counter the inclusion of new people, new practices and new illnesses. In contrast is Lynchs Walled City that is inflexible and based upon ideals that exclude others. Walled cities tempt us with selfish desires of power, wealth and convenience. Selfish ideals are unable to build hope. Because hope is constructed out of relationship with others. Hope is not a great leap forwards into the unknown. Such an ideal is inflexible and limits us to focusing on the ideal and how we will be when we finally get it. Hope is built slowly, little by little. It requires others to lead and teach us to step out of our despair. Which in turn teaches us to help others to build hope as well. However, the fantasy of the Walled City and its escape from the hopelessness is writ large in front of us and is still very attractive. Walled City of Repeated Ideals We have become entranced by the ideals and fantasy of the Walled City. A fantasy of wealth and convenience that is only possible to a few. To hold on to the same restrictive ideals is a key trait in Lynchs Walled City. To merely do the same thing and expect different results is not only foolishness, it is hopeless. When it comes to economics there are traditionally four great levelers which can change the economic patterns. War, revolution, pandemics, or state collapse. While the current government response is to give out money perhaps another option is available. The King Called for Jubilee When Jesus comes to read in his local synagogue for the first time (Luke 4:18-19) he reads out Isaiah proclaiming what? The year of the Lords favour, Jubilee. It was not sins that the people first thought of, it was monetary debt. When they replied in shock, aghast at what Josephs son had said; they did so because Jesus was calling himself King. Only the King, the ruler of the nation had the power to annul debts. Only the King had the backing of military, religious and other princes to enforce it. When the King called for Jubilee it happened, because the King had the power to do so. When Rome lost the will to enforce debt cancelation. When the oligarchs made debt sacred and untouchable the majority of people were unable to take part in the running of the nation. The power was no longer in the hands of the Empire it was in the hands of the oligarchy. When the Empire required defending money could not stop the hordes. Jubilee On Earth and In Heaven Jubilee is an image that today in the Church leans away from financial debt and that of sin. We do not ignore sin making the sacrifice of Jesus null and his resurrection pointless. My question is, what do we, the followers of Jesus, leave out when we ignore the significance of the earthly call to Jubilee. If it is as on Earth as in Heaven, if the incarnation is bringing Heaven to Earth, is there not an earthly financial act of faith for us to perform? In the spirit of Jubilee I call for a time of Amnesty. For those who are unable due to the restrictions that are needed to halt the advance of COVID-19 to not have their rent and their bills to count. May these bills be struck from the record. Forgotten. To be taken from them as far as the east is from the west. This is the flexible hope of the Human City. One that is true to the example of Christ our hope and salvation. The International Monetary Fund has approved grants to 25 member countries, mainly from Africa, to allow them to focus resources on fighting the coronavirus. The fund and World Bank have called on richer countries to consider suspending or cancelling debt obligations from poorer countries during the pandemic. "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement on Monday. The grants are coming from the revised Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), and the first to them are 19 African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Togo), plus Afghanistan, Haiti, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan and Yemen. Countries are able to request aid even if the coronavirus outbreak has not yet caused significant impact. Repurposed relief mechanism The CCRT was first set up to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2015. In March, the IMF changed it to help countries with Covid-19, to allow up to two years of debt relief. Georgieva said the CCRT currently has about $500 million (457 million euros), including pledges from Britain, Japan, China, the Netherlands and others. She urged other donor countries to contribute to raise the Trust amount to $1.4 billion (1.3 billion euros), to boost the its ability to provide debt relief for a full two years. Debt relief The IMF and the World Bank have called for rich nations to stop collecting debt payments from poor countries from 1 May through June 2021. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and a group of 165 former global leaders and prominent international figures has urged the same. Story continues French President Emmanuel Macron, in a televised address on Monday, said France and Europe must offer debt relief to the African continent. "We must also know how to help our African neighbours to fight more efficiently against the virus, and also help them economically by massively cancelling their debt he said. Finance officials from the G7 and G20 countries are due to discuss debt relief this week, and it is expected the G20 countries to back a suspension of debt payments at least until the end of the year. He said, Well if you dont know what we do at the bank, youre not the kind of person we want, Mr. Browne said in a 27-minute documentary made about him in 2019 by Jeff Dupre, a close friend and Emmy-winning filmmaker. I said, Well, if you cant tell me what you do at the bank, then thats not a place I want to work. After that, he got it into his head that he might want to become a doctor, so he enrolled at St. Georges University School of Medicine, a so-called second chance med school on the island of Grenada. His roommates, Mr. Moore said, were a nun and an ex-convict. They got their degrees. He did not. Mr. Browne began in real-estate at Halstead, focusing on Central Park West. Among his first deals was selling an apartment to Ian Schrager, one of Studio 54s owners, who had recently been released from prison for tax evasion. In subsequent years, the apartments that Mr. Browne sold got bigger and his clients glitzier among them, Ms. Thurman, Alec Baldwin, Denzel Washington and Mariska Hargitay. In 2002, Mr. Browne went to the Corcoran Group, where he won numerous awards. In an interview on Fox 5 New York around that time, Mr. Browne said he had gotten hooked into real estate because I had such a passion for architecture. But colleagues said his real love was being around people. He lived according to Gore Vidals principle that no one should ever turn down the opportunity to go on television or have sex. He knew the interiors of many Central Park West co-op buildings because he had visited them (often after going to gay clubs like the Roxy, the Saint and the Sound Factory). Its about buying the time and spending it thoughtfully and creatively. To really allow yourself to dream about the things you maybe had on the edge of your consciousness. Im hoping that I will be useful in helping them achieve the vision for the next part of their growth. Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung made a symbolic handover of the made-in-Vietnam masks Monday afternoon. Dung said Vietnam wishes to spend a part of its resources to help Russia and its citizens to fight Covid-19, as well as to thank the Russian government for caring for the Vietnamese community in Russia amidst the ongoing pandemic. Vietnam is also willing to cooperate and share experiences with Russia to fight and contain the disease, which is all the more meaningful as the two countries commemorate the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations this year, he said. The Russian ambassador to Vietnam, Konstantin Vnukov, thanked the Vietnamese government and its citizens for their help, saying it signified the traditional and friendly relationship between Vietnam and Russia. He also expressed high regard for Vietnam's response to the Covid-19 fight. He said he hopes countries would succeed in fighting the disease together. Russia has confirmed over 18,300 Covid-19 infections and 148 deaths so far. Vietnam has confirmed 265 cases and discharged 146, and several of the 119 active cases have tested negative at least once. The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed close to 120,000 lives as it affected 210 countries and territories. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. For people who lost homes to the deadly tornadoes that rampaged across the South, there are no comforting hugs from volunteers or handshakes from politicians. For homeless families, there are no Red Cross shelters, only hotel rooms. These and other changes reflect how disaster response has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic: Workers are still trying to provide all the help they can, but from a distance. Within hours of the tornado onslaught, which began Sunday and killed more than 30 people, church groups were out in damaged communities, and Southern Baptist volunteers were told to avoid holding hands with people as they prayed, said Sam Porter, director of disaster relief for the nearly 15 million-member denomination. Hugs also are out. Youre talking about a very hard change in procedures, Porter said Tuesday. Its agonizing. Jesus touched people all through his ministry. He created us as emotional beings. But we are trying to comply with the guidelines. About 550 people in four states were staying in hotel rooms funded by the Red Cross since mass shelters were not an option, said Brad Kieserman, a vice president of the organization. People are being fed catered meals delivered to the hotels instead of through a large kitchen, he said, and workers are wearing masks, gloves and other gear when dealing with people affected by the storms. Other agencies are making similar provisions, he said. How ironic is it that the very thing that may unify people and unify communities is the condition in which we have to remain 6 feet apart, Kieserman said. The death toll from the outbreak rose to at least 34 as officials said a 12th person had died in Mississippi. There, Gov. Tate Reeves, who toured damaged areas, said the pandemic was making a bad situation worse. The fact that the coronaviruses exist is complicating the recovery from the tornado, while the tornadoes are complicating our efforts to make sure that we do everything in our power to stop the spread of the virus, Reeves said during a stop in tiny Soso. It is it is exceptionally complicated, and its tough on all of us. About 40 miles away in Prentiss, around 15 people wearing masks helped clean up amid the rubble of James Hill Church, which took a direct hit from a tornado. Pastor Sean Coney said breathing through cloth made the work more difficult, but you cant be selifsh and risk spreading the virus. As difficult as it may be, you have to do it, Coney said. A twister left shingles, insulation and other debris strewn across Chattanooga, Tennessee. Almost every official on a tour of storm damage wore a protective mask, and some wore gloves. Instead of hugs and handshakes, Gov. Bill Lee and Mayor Andy Berke offered elbow bumps while talking to affected residents. We need money! We need that stimulus check now! a person in a passing pickup truck yelled out to Lee as he visited with people cleaning around their home. The storms claimed lives in at least six states, and the National Weather Service said preliminary assessments found evidence of at least 27 twisters. The strongest confirmed so far was an EF-4 tornado that devastated southeastern Mississippi with winds as strong as 170 mph (273 kph). Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed across the region, and heavy rains caused flooding in some areas. Nashville, Tennessee, received 2.23 inches (5.66 centimeters) of rain in a day, the weather service said. A day later, on Tuesday morning, the city saw snow flurries. Damage occurred up the East Coast, with a flurry of tornado warnings issued in Delaware after storms left the Southeast. With the economy already faltering because of business shutdowns and job losses linked to the pandemic, the storms hit the states $2.9 billion poultry industry. At least 90 poultry houses were damaged or destroyed, many near the city of Collins, the Mississippi State University Extension Service said. Although some houses were between flocks and empty, many of these houses had chickens in them, poultry specialist Tom Tabler said in a statement. Some would have been chicks just a few days old, while others would have been flocks nearly ready for harvest. This story has been corrected to remove reference to record one day flooding in Nashville. ___ Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Kimberlee Kruesi in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and video journalist Sarah Blake Morgan in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. The only thing certain right now is uncertainty and if you happen to run an independent bookstore, that rings perhaps even more true. With less time for socializing and cultural events outside the home, it should be a great time for books (unless youre simply too stressed and unable to focus on reading in which case, we understand). But that doesnt necessarily translate to being a great time for bookstores who are closing their doors and being asked to re-think their business in fundamental ways. I don't think anyone becomes a bookseller because they think the profit margin [will] make them rich, quips Amy Kane, owner of Haines, Alaskas succinctly named The Bookstore. We're all thoughtful people and we're doing it because we care about books and what they mean to us and what they mean to our community. The New Reality Nationwide, many shops have closed as a result of shelter-in-place orders or an abundance of caution. Even if stores are still open, theyre faced with cancellations from publishers and authors. Normally a home for book clubs, author signings, and book tours, now they must face business without mass gatherings or author travel. Many have been forced to cancel annual festivals that account for large percentages of their yearly income. Bookstores focus on being a community meeting place, and we differentiate ourselves from online by having author events and book discussions, says Eileen McGervey who owns One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia. The very things that distinguish us right now we cannot do. Courtesy One More Page Books The safety net for stores widely varies depending on the store itself, and how long theyve been around. From the most established and venerated shops (New York Citys Strand Bookstore, Portlands Powells Books) to new stores like Kanes The Bookstore, which was open a week and one day before quarantine measures hit, everyone is facing tough decisions. The Strand and New Yorks McNally Jackson have laid off the majority of their employees as stores shutter. Powells Books did the same; though they have since re-hired 100 workers to meet the demand for online orders. Culver Citys The Ripped Bodice, which has a small staff of five, says they plan to pay their employees as long as they can. Story continues Kanes store had its grand opening March 6, before closing on March 14. Shed barely opened and is now rushing to get her inventory online. I'm hoping that I can still provide books to the folks at least here in the community, and I'm having to brainstorm and completely re-envision, my whole business model, Kane explains. I have a bit of a learning curve to get my online presence more robust. At this point, I've been focusing so much on just getting the doors open that I have a website but it's basically [the store info]. Courtesy The Bookstore Loves Sweet Arrow, a romance-focused bookshop in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, is similarly nervous about what this could mean for their brand. Their one-year anniversary isnt until June 15. Were still building our base, reflects co-founder Roseann Backlin. Adds her daughter and business partner, Marissa: We started with a very small amount of money, and we put our profit back into the store so we don't pay ourselves yet, because we can't afford to. You just hear all the time that places fail without something like this in their first year. The odds are really stacked against us. Searching for Solutions Courtesy Love's Sweet Arrow So how might readers and communities keep their local indies afloat? There are straightforward ways: buy a gift card or order books online through the stores website. Many stores are currently offering extremely reduced or free shipping. (Anyone who wants to pre-order a book online can check their local indie before Amazon, especially since Amazon has now seriously delayed the shipping of non-essential items including books.) Depending on a stores ordering system, they may not see pre-order money until the book actually ships and if your goal is to help them now, it wont do the trick. If your local store doesn't have their own online shop, Bookshop.org is making it easier than ever to support them by linking sales and profit sharing with the indie bookstore of your choice. Theres also options patrons might not have considered before: joining a stores Patreon or using Libro.fm, a site that splits the profits of audiobook sales with the indie bookstore of your choosing. Jane Estes, founder of Lark and Owl Booksellers in Georgetown, Texas, also suggests donating to BINC, an emergency fund the American Booksellers Association maintains. Courtesy Lark & Owl Booksellers Still, many fear losing the option to browse could negatively impact sales. They say that 60 to 70 percent of the people that walk into a bookstore don't have a specific book in mind, McGervey explains. They're looking to see what's there and how do you do that when somebody can't come into the store? How do we keep that discovery and exploration aspect of it open? Beyond a sales aspect, bookstores also keenly feel the role they play in their communities. Theyre a gathering ground, an escape, and a safe space. McGervey stresses the need to fill this gap for families most at risk during the crisis. One More Page Books has been donating books to local schools for pick-up alongside daily meals to help provide for the literary needs of the community. [There cant] be an even bigger divide between people who can afford to buy books and people who cant, she says. Courtesy One More Page Books As for those customers with more spending power, stores are turning to their digital newsletters and social media more than ever. Book clubs are moving online to Facebook, Zoom, and YouTube. Authors are using booksellers Instagram pages to do live talks promoting their new releases. Part of this is arising from a need to maintain the communal spirit of bookstores, but also a desire to help support authors who might also be struggling with the cancelation of book tours and the loss of valuable face-to-face time with readers. Colleen Ellis, a book buyer at Lark and Owl Booksellers, says theyre actively brainstorming ways to promote new books on release days remotely. Shes hopeful this might help more localized events reach a bigger audience. Lark and Owl had planned on partnering with the Texas Institute of Letters as part of the schools annual literary event; the store has already purchased the inventory for it, and is brainstorming ways to make it remotely accessible, perhaps broadening its reach. A Boxed-Up Future Courtesy The Ripped Bodice Booksellers also have to find ways to promote titles that can really provide customers the same sense of face-to-face recommendations they might get in stores. One burgeoning space for that is book boxes. The Ripped Bodice now is offering a care package that gives online customers the chance to buy gift items and other things not traditionally on offer through their website. Similarly, Loves Sweet Arrow is offering Surprise Boxes, One More Page is developing their version of a subscription box, and Lark and Owl is implementing a Brown Bag book service. All of these programs are based around a larger shipment of books and potential gift items/bookstore swag, often hand-selected by booksellers based on the customers preferences. Theres a definite interest in these services as part of a larger push to support the bookstores. Since The Ripped Bodice announced their Care Package initiative on March 13, theyve packed over 475 boxes and have over 800 people on a waiting list to order. Emily Hall Schroen of Main Street Books says in one 24-hour period they received more online orders than the last two months combined. Checking in with stores, most say theyre flooded with a demand for books right now, but are still fearsome it wont ultimately replace in-store sales. Courtesy Storefront Predominantly, they worry this level of support will flag the longer this goes on. People are really making a point to support us, which is so incredible, says The Ripped Bodices co-founder Leah Koch. My concern is, Are they still going to be doing that five weeks from now? The answer might lie in constant re-invention. As things change at lightning speed, McGervey is trying to see it as an opportunity for booksellers. Its a whole new paradigm right now, she explains. A lot of indies didnt make it through [the Amazon boom], but the ones that did really had to change how they did business. This might be like that we all have to step back and break the mold of what weve be doing. Perhaps well all have to steal a page from their book. Related content: Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: At the forefront of Assams fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is civil servant Pomi Baruah. As the State Nodal Officer of the 104 helpline desk, she was instrumental in collecting data about people, including Tablighi Markaz attendees, who had gone into hiding for fear of stigma or ostracization. Based on the data shared by the desk, the District Magistrates (DMs) managed to zero in on over 570 Tablighi Markaz returnees. Baruah said initially, people called up the 104 helpline desk with queries regarding COVID-19 symptoms, general health, reporting on quarantined cases or to say there was no food, inform about the inter-state journey of a person, some people not following quarantine protocol etc. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES Suddenly, we had the Nizamuddin episode. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called me up one day to say we will receive a lot of calls related to Nizamuddin. I galvanized the team. Soon, we started receiving calls on the Nizamuddin-related cases, Baruah said. She said some people voluntarily reported they had come from Nizamuddin while details about a large number of others were received from callers. Some called up to seek advice on what they should do as they had come into contact with Nizamuddin returnees who, they felt, were showing symptoms of COVID-19. We guided the callers. As regards the Tablighi Markaz attendees, we received calls about people hiding somewhere. In some cases, the callers would give the phone number of a person, his name and address. The verification started with the persons name. We shared the details with DMs for field verifications and also with the National Health Mission and the Health Minister, Baruah said. As many Tablighi Markaz returnees were not coming forward, she had advised the Health Department to take the help of mosque committees. As the State Nodal Officer of 104 helpline desk, she also had to boost the morale of paramedics who were part of her team. The paramedics have a lot of issues. Their building owners were worried as they feared they (paramedics) would carry the virus. So, I had to speak to them to boost their morale, Baruah said. The 104 helpline was basically giving COVID-related information to anyone who sought it. It was liaising with people who were in home quarantine. When I realized the load was heavy on the staff, I ensured we create a group of volunteers. One was formed with 150 people and they helped us working online from home, Baruah said. She also said that they had to monitor around 40,000 people in home quarantine and give them advice. "Everyone had a different issue. If some were psychologically down, the morale of others was low," she said. As people are stressed, issues related to mental health will go up. We have psychiatrists on board. If people call us, we link them up, Baruah added. She had pursued her graduation at the Miranda House in Delhi and was a topper. She later did her Masters from Delhi University. She had briefly worked as a lecturer in Darrang College, Tezpur, in Assam and was appointed as an officer of Assam Civil Services in 2004. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:10:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam attends a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) HONG KONG, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Tuesday refuted the accusation that the comments by the central government and its liaison office in the HKSAR on the malfunctioning of the Legislative Council (LegCo) constitute interference. "I see no ground for that sort of accusation," Lam said when answering a question at a press conference. The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday urged the HKSAR LegCo to resume normal operation as soon as possible and condemned "despicable tactics" used by some opposition lawmakers to paralyze the LegCo for personal political gains. The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR also condemned some LegCo members who maliciously filibustered and delayed the discussion for multiple bills related to people's livelihood and the fight against COVID-19 outbreak. Lam said the central government has given Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy through the Basic Law under "one country, two systems," which, however, doesn't mean the central government has given up its power and authority on Hong Kong affairs. The central government has always been very supportive of the HKSAR government in improving livelihood and promoting Hong Kong's economic development, Lam said. "So when they (the two offices) see this very bizarre situation in which the LegCo is almost malfunctioning because the House Committee has not been able to elect a chairman for over six months, I find it only legitimate for them to express their concern," Lam said, stressing that the malfunctioning of the LegCo undermines the governance in Hong Kong. However, some LegCo members urged foreign governments to comment on Hong Kong affairs and even called for sanctions on Hong Kong, which, Lam noted, can actually be called interference. Weighed on by the filibustering by some opposition lawmakers, Lam said many functions of the LegCo including the making of legislation have not been discharged since October last year, which is unacceptable. Government business, especially in legislation, has been held up by the House Committee not having its proper function and operation, with much of the legislation having a direct impact on Hong Kong's economic development and the livelihood of people, Lam said, citing bills on maternity leave, fire safety and tax reduction, and stressing that efforts should be made to rectify the situation as soon as possible. With the current session of the LegCo due to end in July, bills that could not be passed by that time will become invalid and all the efforts will be wasted, Lam said. The HKSAR government would have carried out better anti-epidemic operations if there were more cohesiveness, unity and solidarity, Lam said, calling for an end to political disputes to help Hong Kong weather out the pandemic as soon as possible. Actor Milind Soman and his wife Ankita Konwar have been inspiring Indians with their practical and doable exercise regimen amid coronavirus lockdown. But Monday was reserved for some celebration as it was Rongali Bihu. Taking to Instagram to share a picture of their intimate celebration, Milind wrote: Happy Rongali Bihu to the world @ankita_earthy is missing her family in Guwahati, so we had a small egg fight to celebrate, which, apparently, is the thing to do !! To all the people separated at this time, from families, friends and other loves, enjoy this time of missing each other, you will be reunited soon!! Be safe !! In the picture, MiIind and Ankita hold an egg in their hand; while Ankita holds tight, MiIind makes a gesture of breaking his on hers. Both are dressed in Bihu finery -- Ankita has a Mekhela Chador (also called sador), a traditional Assamese weave of sari (and style of wearing one) while Milind has the tradional gamcha (small towel) around his shoulders. Also Watch | Milind Soman on running barefoot, eating insects and mid-life crisis Also read: The real reason Marvel fired Edward Norton from Avengers, replaced him with Mark Ruffalo as Hulk Ankita too shared a boomerang video of the picture Milind shared to reminiscence her growing days in Assam and wrote: Today is the New Years Day in Assam. I know theres not much celebrations happening right now considering the situation but I miss all of it! Growing up, I had the chance to learn about our tradition and customs from my grandfather (puthadeu) who is as wise as they come. Learning Bihu songs from my grandma (anaideu) and Bihu dance from my aunts. Stealing and eating Pithas and ladoos from the kitchen. Waiting out at night to welcome the #husoridol. Waiting for #bihu gifts. April 13-14 marks the beginning of the Hindu new year. It is celebrated across India by various names. As Assam celebrates it as Rongali Bihu, in Punjab it Baisakhi. On the occasion, a number of Bollywood stars took to social media to celebrate the festival. Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Randeep Hooda, Amitabh Bachchan, Diljit Dosanjh, Sidharth Malhotra among many others wished fans on the occasion. (With agencies inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more Gov. Greg Abbott would be remiss if he fails to call a special legislative session to address myriad concerns threatening the primary runoffs and November general election. Anything short of legislative action on how elections will be carried out during a pandemic will result in legal challenges that will continue past Election Day. Executive orders and guidance memos from state election officials are simply not enough to ensure a smooth election process in what the New York Times is calling the biggest voting rights battle since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Texas Democratic Party has already filed two election lawsuits challenging the states absentee ballot regulations. The first was filed last month in state court. The most recent lawsuit was filed in San Antonio federal court. Recently, the states director of elections sent elections administrators in all 254 counties guidance on dealing with absentee mail-in ballots, telling the administrators they could be less rigid in making this practice available. On the surface, this sounds promising, but upon deeper reflection, its not enough. This guidance is neither a mandate nor does it create new policy, the Express-News reports. It also creates the potential for patchwork regulations as some counties may broaden vote by mail while others might not. How is that reasonable for statewide elections? To be clear: There is value in expanding mail-in voting, especially during a public health crisis. We support this effort. No voter should be disenfranchised out of concern for catching COVID-19. Thats why the state under Abbotts leadership needs to craft a bipartisan plan. If more mail balloting is going to be encouraged as it should be there needs to be a legislative directive ensuring everyone is eligible for that option. Texas has one of the strictest laws on mail balloting in the country, limiting access to voters 65 or older, people who have a disability or illness, those who will be out of the county during the election period, or those who are confined in jail but still eligible to vote. As a result, only about 7 percent of Texans cast mail ballots. Only eight states conduct elections entirely by mail or are in the process of transitioning to mail voting only. They all spent years making the move. A sudden increase in mail voting would be overwhelming for many elections departments. Even large urban centers, such as Bexar County, could experience difficulties. Consider the local numbers: During the March primaries in Bexar County, 23,000 ballots were mailed out and 18,000 ballots were returned. County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said her department can readily handle 60,000 mailed ballots in-house and up to 120,000 ballots with current staffing. But thats if she can get more space to ensure social distancing guidelines are met. Elections administrators also need time to order supplies if the state is going to ease mail-balloting regulations. Public education campaigns need to launch to educate the public on voting-by-mail procedures to ensure all pages of a multipage ballot are returned and those ballots are returned in a timely manner. Extension of deadlines for mail ballots must be considered. Under current election law, ballots cast locally cannot be counted if they arrive more than one day after the election. Military members and expatriates are allowed extra time. There is growing concern about the timely arrival of ballots cast in countries that have curtailed much of their international mail due to limited flights available to transport the mail. Last week, President Donald Trump voiced strong opposition to expanding mail voting. Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting, Trump tweeted. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesnt work out well for Republicans. But the reality is voters are scared and this transcends partisanship. Voters dont want to compromise their health by voting in person. And voter fraud is often a red herring. If the state is going to expand access to mail ballots and it should it needs to do it right. The details need to be laid out in black and white. We cant afford a patchwork of local rules on voting by mail. Abbott needs to lead a bipartisan effort to ensure all Texans have access to mail-in ballots and all counties follow identical rules on Election Day. This is about democracy and health, not partisanship. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said police personnel in the state will be given PPE kits keeping in view their role in the fight against coronavirus. His statement has come a day after an assistant commissioner of police in Ludhiana tested positive for the infection. However, the chief minister said their priority is to protect health workers for whom the state already has around 16,000 personal protection equipment (PPE) kits. After all doctors, paramedics and sanitation workers in hospitals are equipped with such kits, the government is procuring these for police, the CM said in a video conference with reporters. Asked about the attack on a police team by a group of Nihangs in Patiala on Sunday, leading to the chopping off an ASI's hand, the CM said his first reaction was of extreme anger. The CM said he told the state DGP to take strict action against the perpetrators. What do the Nihangs think, that they can get away with this, he asked. Praising Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh, who is undergoing treatment at the Chandigarh's PGIMER, the CM said he was an extremely brave man. He said while his government knew the problems faced by people, there was no option but to continue with the stringent restrictions for the present, given the massive threat of the pandemic spiralling out of control. For the moment, the curfew/lockdown has to be strictly enforced, he said, adding that police have been told not to allow any violation, including with regard to the wearing of masks. Amarinder Singh said the state government has already sought a special package, including Rs 729 for hospital upgrade, Rs 550 crore for setting up an institute for advanced virology and the release GST arrears amounting to Rs 4,400 crore, from the Centre. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given positive indications, the package is yet to come, he said. Replying to a question, the CM said his government has no plan to reduce salaries of government employees to meet the expenditure in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The chief minister on Tuesday had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider directives to industry and commercial establishments to pay full wages to their workers during the lockdown, saying it may push them to bankruptcy. On the issue of any relaxation during the lockdown, the CM said the committee formed by his government was already examining ways of doing so without compromising on the health of people. People's lives and health were the key priority at the moment, he said, adding that relaxations will have to be in phases and the way forward was being worked out by the task force set up for this purpose. He said there was no proposal to open liquor vends in the state at present as the primary focus was on ensuring the supply of essential goods. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Our Hiscox business interruption insurance specifically covers office closure because of notifiable diseases like COVID-19 but our insurer is refusing to pay, said Media Zoo creative director Mark Killick (pictured with managing director Rachel Pendered) in a previous statement sent to Insurance Business in which he cited the number of confirmed cases in their postcode. The film company which is currently unable to access its edit suites, graphics areas, and sound studios said the policy is designed to protect Media Zoo against its inability to use the insured premise due to restrictions imposed by a public authority following an occurrence of a human infection or human contagion disease, an outbreak of which must be notified. They were, however, told that the denial of access cover only applies when there is an incident within a one-mile radius. In addition, the insurers claims team said the public authority cover is only triggered following certain specific occurrences. Glasgow-based claims assistance firm CEC, on its website, asserted: Hiscox has refused to accept claims by saying that this clause means that only events at or in the vicinity of the insured premises should be covered and that the pandemic was not an occurrence suggesting the word should be interpreted as meaning a single event alone. It is our view that Hiscox has repudiated the claim on the basis of what they would like the policy to say, not what it actually says. CECs camp which Insurance Business understands is separate from that of Media Zoo is seeking a legal opinion on the validity of the refusal to indemnify and, based on that advice, will consider coordinated legal action on behalf of brokers and policyholders. Meanwhile other claimants-turned-complainants, as cited by The Sunday Times, include Bramleys Coffee House and Colossus Associates. In a coronavirus update last month, Hiscox stated: During this period, many of our customers are being affected by cancelled travel plans or events, or interruption to their business, and where our policies cover these events, we are handling claims swiftly and fairly. In recent days, however, the Bermuda-headquartered provider has been cited as conceding that events such as the COVID-19 pandemic are simply too large and too systemic for private insurers to underwrite. Miami: Working from home may mean a uniform of tracksuit pants and T-shirts for many of us, but lawyers in Florida have been given a dressing-down over their appearances on video chat service Zoom. With some courts opting for online hearings, Broward Circuit Judge Dennis Bailey issued a warning to those thinking they can wear just anything. "It is remarkable how many attorneys appear inappropriately on camera," the judge wrote in the letter posted on the Weston Bar Association website. "We've seen many lawyers in casual shirts and blouses, with no concern for ill-grooming, in bedrooms with the master bed in the background, etc. One male lawyer appeared shirtless and one female lawyer appeared still in bed, still under the covers. "And putting on a beach cover-up won't cover up [that] you're poolside in a bathing suit. So, please, if you don't mind, let's treat court hearings as court hearings, whether Zooming or not." He said he made the difficult decision to keep his distance though he had a mask and has no symptoms because he comes from the southern part of the state where there are many more infections, and he did not want to risk bringing the virus here. He said it was the first time in more than four years as a governor responding to natural disasters that he chose not to meet with victims. Staff of Air Force Station sets up a quarantine camp for COVID-19 patients with a capacity of 100 beds, during the nationwide lockdown, at Avadi Air Force Station, in Chennai. PTI Photo Chennai: A bizarre pathos was played out between crematoria in Chennai's western suburb on Monday, after a doctor from Andhra Pradesh with Covid-19 new coronavirus symptoms who died in a private hospital here on Sunday, was refused cremation by locals on fear his remains could spread the virus. The doctor, whose name was given as Dr Lakshmi Narayan Reddy, aged 60 and hailing from Nellore, had checked into a private hospital here with Covid-19 symptoms, but his condition deteriorated and he died last night. But worse was to follow. When the hospital's health workers, who accompanied the body to a crematorium in Ambattur to quickly perform the last rites on Monday, the locals protested against cremating his body there. The health workers with personal protection equipment (PPE) pleaded with Corporation officials, but to no avail as a mob gathered there. As the situation got out of control, the health staff put back the body of the deceased doctor into the ambulance and left the place, seeking the State Police's help to handle the crisis. Then, later with the help of the cops and the Chief Secretary's timely intervention, Dr Narayan Reddy's body was cremated in another crematorium in Thiruverkadu, sources said. Asked about this terrible happening, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, Dr Beela Rajesh said this was an extremely unfortunate development as detailed guidelines for "disposal" of the bodies of persons who die of suspected Coronavirus or those who tested positive, have been given in detail to all government hospitals. This private hospital apparently was unaware of it. Assuring that such a thing will not happen again, Dr. Beela Rajesh said the painful incident was the result of a "coordination gap". "It is a very sensitive issue." The body disposal guidelines have been communicated to all private hospitals too, and the matter has been sorted out with the Chief Secretary's Dr K Shanmugam's intervention, the health secretary said, adding, "we have had no such issues in any of the government hospital." The deceased doctor had reportedly tested positive for Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh and his death would be counted in that State, she added. On the overall situation in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Beela Rajesh said the total number of Covid-19 positive cases had gone up to 1,173 by Monday evening, with 98 new positive cases confirmed today. Of them 91 are "from a single source" and the remaining seven are their contacts. Dr Beela Rajesh said three more doctors have tested positive for the virus, taking their number to 11 in the State. But there was no death in the last 24 hours in Tamil Nadu where the virus has claimed 11 lives so far. She said throughout the State, 31 children below ten years have been affected. As a "matter of abundant caution", the health secretary said as early as January 2020, when no positive case of Coronavirus was reported either in the state or in the country, when WHO had declared "it is a medical emergency of International concern," Tamil Nadu had procured drugs in advance worth Rs.146 crore for symptomatic treatment of the virus. Stating the State had also purchased and has enough stock of N-95 masks and PPEs for the frontline medical staff, besides ventilators since then, Dr. Beela Rajesh said the State has 24,000 confirmatory 'PCR' test kits now. Tamil Nadu further ordered procurement of 1.40 lakh 'PCR kits' and the consignment has already arrived in Mumbai. It will reach the state in a day or two, she said to drive home how its focus was on rigorous and more testing, apart from the other elaborate measures taken on a massive scale to contain the spread of the virus. The four lakh 'Rapid Test Kits (RTK)' would also arrive at the earliest, she said. "Our success so far is in the containment of Covid-19 virus spread and low mortality rate," she said. Flags of the U.S. and China displayed on a table ahead of a meeting. Jason Lee | AFP | Getty Images China said Tuesday it bought twice as many U.S. farm products in the first quarter than a year ago, in a sign the countries are following through with part of the phase one trade agreement despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Asian giant imported 35.56 billion yuan ($5.08 billion) worth of U.S. agricultural products in the first quarter, according to its customs agency. The volume of soybeans imported also doubled and that of pork increased more than six times, the agency said, while Chinese imports of cotton rose 43.5%. From a price perspective, China imported 21.88 billion yuan worth of soybeans, twice that of a year ago. Imports of pork were worth 3.04 billion yuan, an increase of 16 times. That of cotton was 1.59 billion yuan, a 17% increase. The China-U.S. phase one trade agreement is gradually being implemented, China Customs spokesperson Li Kuiwen said Tuesday at a press conference, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. The world's two largest economies signed the agreement in January, temporarily resolving more than 18 months of escalating trade tensions. China agreed that over the next two years, it would buy at least $200 billion more in U.S. goods and services relative to the 2017 level. The projected purchases include at least $32 billion more in agricultural products, with an unspecified amount of soybeans. However, some have doubted whether China can ultimately fulfill such a high level of purchases. Many also worry that the coronavirus outbreak might hamper the ability of both countries to fulfill the trade agreement. Global demand drops Western Australia could increase its avocado production by up to 10 per cent if a new 300-hectare farm in Pemberton goes ahead. Agricultural asset developer Alterra last week announced it had secured a 30-year lease for the land from Red Moon Property Group, an entity owned by private WA fruit growing giant the Casotti Group, which also owns the neighbouring avocado farm. Alterra's Oli Barnes and Andrew McBain at the new farm site. Alterra managing director Oliver Barnes said pre-feasibility studies showed the project held great promise as demand for Australian-grown avocado increased in South East Asia. Theyve been the star of that plant-based diet and people are continuing to discover the health attributes of avocados, he said. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is to be a driver for the recovery of the ASEAN economy after the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control. 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. VIR ASEAN seeks to boost intra-bloc trade Enhancing intra-ASEAN trade and investment towards a cohesive and responsive ASEAN is one of the shared topics by many regional officials, researchers and policymakers. Italy has the most elderly population in Europe and that caused a strain on the highly competent existing health care systems. Analysing data on COVID-19 cases in Italy, one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic, researchers have suggested measures that other governments across the world can take to contain transmission of the novel coronavirus. According to the analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of cases and deaths in Italy cannot be explained simply because of the epidemic starting in the country earlier compared with other countries besides China. While some factors may be immutable such as age structure of the population, the researchers, including those from Stanford University in the US, said there are also others which can be modified. They explained that Italy has the most elderly population in Europe and the second most elderly population in the world after Japan. According to their analysis, the median age of people infected with the novel coronavirus who died in Italy has been 80 years, and the average age of patients requiring critical care support has been 67 years. Since COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are strongly dependent on the presence of concomitant serious diseases, Italy with its high proportion of patients with history of smoking and heart disease, has been particularly vulnerable, the researchers said. As a note to other countries, they said it was necessary to prepare for needs of intensive care unit (ICU) beds, adding that estimates of expected deaths should consider the age structure and chronic diseases of the population. With this kind of adjustment, the scientists said, the burden of disease may be expected to be much less in most areas in the US, with variability across states and hospital catchment areas. The proportion of the population older than 65 years is 9.5 percent in Alaska as compared with 19.1 percent in Florida and 23.1 percent in Italy, they explained. Another factor linked to high mortality rates in Italy is the increased burden of cases that presented themselves to the health care system, they wrote in their analysis. Citing an example, the researchers said, in the town of Vo, all 3,300 residents were tested the day the first case was detected in the third week of February, and three percent were found to be infected. Following aggressive testing, the epidemic was extinguished in this town, they said. In other parts of Italy, the prevalence of infection may have been several times higher in the absence of effective public health intervention. According to the scientists, it is likely that the health care system was overwhelmed in Bergamo owing to massive viral transmission during the Champions League match on February 19, where a third of the population attended and continued celebrations overnight. During this period, instructions to stay at home also proved difficult to accept, with many complaints registered with the police, the scientists noted. A higher level of preparedness should be considered for areas where mass gatherings have occurred or where there is extensive social intermingling, the report cautioned. While Italy has a highly competent state-run health care system, the scientists said, it has only a modest number of ICU beds and very few sub intensive care beds 5090 ICU beds, at about 8.4 per 1,00,000 population, as opposed to 36 ICU beds per 1,00,000 population in the US. They added that many patients with relatively modest symptoms were admitted by the time more patients with severe cases started to arrive. As hospitals overcrowded, the researchers believe that the infection rate of medical personnel may have increased, with nearly 9,000 medical personnel infected as of March 30, leading to further loss of capacity for hospitals to respond. According to the researchers, there was a delay from the first case detection on February 21 to the first containment decree from the government that closed the relevant villages 3 days later. Based on these observations, the scientists said other countries need to avoid bringing patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection to the hospital, except when they clearly require hospital care, maintain strict hygienic procedures in the hospital environment, and act swiftly in case of exposures of medical personnel. Some reserves of resources, such as ventilators, should be in a stand-by allocation with the ability to assign them rapidly to hospitals that saturate their capacity, the researchers cautioned. The scientists said it is not known whether implementing a lockdown at a time when many people can infect others could lead people to spending more time in close quarters with the elderly and those who are susceptible. Similarly, whether a new epidemic wave may emerge when lockdown measures are removed is unknown, they added. The researchers said a major question to be answered is the causal contribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection to related deaths. "It is difficult to differentiate between deaths with SARS-CoV-2 infection and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection because the vast majority of patients who have died had one or more other major pathologies," the scientists wrote in their analysis. "About 99 percent people who died had at least one comorbidity, and 48.6 percent had three or more diseases that contributed to their death," they said. For Star subscribers: The hill is one of Tucson's most popular outdoor destinations, and not just for humans. A study tracking the city's urban bobcats shows that. Plus, the study has produced a few surprises for researchers about the cats' behaviors. Ra.One and Chennai Express producer Karim Morani has reportedly tested positive for the second time. He is admitted at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai and had showed no symptoms of the virus after testing positive on April 8. According to a report on India Today, Karim is over 60 years of age, has survived two heart attacks and has also had a bypass surgery in the past. Karim had tested positive along with his two daughters Zoa and Shaza Morani. The two were discharged from the hospital last week after testing negative for coronavirus. While Shaza had returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March, Zoa had come back from Rajasthan around mid-March. Both were quarantined and kept under medication in separate hospitals from April 7. Zoa said she tested negative twice and is happy to be back home. I am extremely grateful to the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who took care of my health and my spirits everyday. You will be in my prayers forever. No words can describe how does it feel to be home. Im so grateful, God is great, Zoa told PTI The actor thanked the government for doing a commendable job and keeping a track of everyones health and safety. Thank you to the media for being so sensitive and warm and also for all the wishes and prayers we received through social media. Truly felt like we were in this together. Please stay safe and follow all the rules as a lot of people out there are putting their life at risk to protect us! Lets help them, she added. Both the sisters will be under home quarantine as a precautionary measure. Follow @htshowbiz for more Adorable Tufted Puffins: One Visitor's Welcome Return to Oregon Coast, Washington Coast Published 04/11/2020 at 6:04 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Cannon Beach, Oregon) Every April, an adorable black, white and orange creature returns to the north Oregon coast landmark of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, as well as other spots along the south coast and the Washington coast. On April 1, as the town was (and is at the moment) under quarantine and locked away to visitors, the Friends of Haystack Rock Facebook page posted its great anticipation for the return of the funky lil tufted puffin. Two days later, both that group and the Haystack Rock Awareness Program gleefully announced their first sightings of the pelagic bird. (Above: photo courtesy Ram Papish). The tufted puffin is perhaps the most revered of bird beasties on the Oregon coast and Washington coast, and all around the world its sleek but quirky visage adorns all kinds of knickknacks and clothing. During the rest of the year they live out at sea, diving deep for their grub and staying well hidden from human eyes. But each spring they return to some rocky areas just barely offshore in California, Oregon and Washington to burrow into thin layers of soil and create their nests as they begin the breeding process. Its done ever-so-slightly in front of human eyes. In Oregon, theyre found at Cannon Beachs Haystack Rock, Bandons Face Rock and Oceansides Three Arch Rocks. There are some 20 colonies here. Along the Washington coast, current information is not readily available but some documentation points towards areas around Westport and Cape Flattery. While you cant go near these places at the moment due to coronavirus and statewide shelter-in-place orders in all three west coast states, you'll have a visual treat awaiting once this over. They breed and raise their young through August, leaving by September, making for many more of them to observe when these restrictions are finally lifted in May or June (hopefully speaking, that is). Cannon Beachs Haystack Rock is the closest spot that humans can observe them, with just about everywhere else much farther away. This is a good thing, as humans easily disturb the tufted puffins with their presence, and Oregon Department of Fish Wildlife (ODFW) notes that if a human steps on our near one of their burrowed nests the tufted puffin may not even return to that area for a whole year or longer. Some of the near-shore rocks at Bandon also host quite a few, and that part of the south coast has had more issues with people treading on nests. The bird is not considered rare, according to ODFW and Haystack Rock Awareness Programs (HRAP) Kari Henningsgaard, but their numbers are on a serious decline. Some figures have their numbers down more than three quarters of what they were in the 80s, from around 5,000 in Oregon down to below a thousand. Shawn Stephensen is a biologist with US Fish and Wildlife out of its office in Newport, who talked to Oregon Coast Beach Connection (OCBC) last year. Theyre not really so rare, but their numbers have declined over the last few years, Stephensen said. Historically, along the Oregon coast weve had 5,000 but were down to a few hundred. Theyre also found in California, Washington and Canada along the coasts. In Alaska, theres a huge population: thousands of colonies of tufted and horned puffins in Alaska. We only get tufted puffins along the Oregon coast, although occasionally a horned puffin washes onshore from somewhere out on the ocean. Photo above courtesy Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium Exact reasons for the decline are unknown, but they seem to include many possibilities, according to the University of Washington. These include predation by eagles and red foxes, ingesting plastic from humans, loss of food sources, oil spills (Washington and Alaska), getting caught in fishing nets and disturbance by humans. The current quarantine may help them a little bit. In normal times, HRAP has hosts out on the beach below Haystack Rock helping you spot the beloved bird, often using telescopic gear. Youll certainly need high-powered optics to spot them at Oceanside. Its doubtful the practice of sharing such equipment through HRAP will continue this year even when the beaches open back up because of sanitary concerns, however. Either way, the mere idea of tufted puffins being in this area is hard to grasp for people and often comes as a serious surprise. Theres even a kind of disbelief; a resistance to the idea. Thats the reaction that we get all the time, just about every time, Henningsgaard told OCBC in 2019. They find out there are puffins here and then there is shock and awe. And then sometimes they think theyre not actually there. Oregon Coast Hotels in this area (when restrictions are lifted) - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Photo above courtesy Ram Papish More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted The Chhattisgarh high court (HC) on Monday ordered the state government to file an affidavit furnishing district-wise data of the people who had attended the international congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi held between March 13 and 15, and also of those came in contact with the attendees. The Jamaat event --- held in violation of the Delhi governments order against public gathering --- proved to be a superspreader of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in India with attendees fanning out across the country and infecting many others. A two-member division bench of the HC, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Goutam Bhaduri, directed the police and health department authorities to file the affidavit. The HC also ordered the state government to carry on with its search for the Jamaat attendees and the people they might have come in contact with on their return to Chhattisgarh, as they could be the potential carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Earlier on April 9, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel had announced during a press conference that 107 people from the state had attended the Jamaat event in Delhi. The court also asked the state government to take necessary steps to open a medical facility at Bilaspur within three days to carry out Covid-19 tests. In another separate case on Monday, the HC quashed the state governments April 2 order, which sought to form a committee to take steps for initiating preparations to operate liquor shops from April 8 despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown, on technical grounds. The lockdown has been enforced since March 25 and on Tuesday further extended till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. The HC, however, allowed the state government to take a decision on the matter based on Tuesdays fresh lockdown notification, which has been issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). A two-member division bench of the HC, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Goutam Bhaduri, disposed of the state governments order on technical grounds while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mamata Sharma, a Raipur-based social worker. The PIL objected to the state governments April 2 order to form a panel to look into preparations to operate liquor shops in Chhattisgarh after April 7, despite the Central governments nationwide lockdown restrictions were in place. Sharmas counsel Rohit Sharma argued that the Bhupesh Baghel-led governments bid to open liquor stores in the state from April 8 was in violation of the Centres order, as the latter did not grant any relaxation during the lockdown period. The state governments counsel argued that the initial order of liquor ban was issued on March 31 and the prohibition was in place till April 7. The April 2 order was explicit that the liquor shops would open the after prohibition was lifted from April 8 onwards, he added. The HC has urged the petitioner to move the court afresh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TORONTO, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSX:ORV) (the "Company" or "Orvana") reports that production at its Spanish operations have restarted after a temporary suspension, in compliance with the Spanish Government's Extended Lockown Order (as defined below) to contain the advancement of the COVID-19 virus. The Company is also reporting its production results for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 ("Q2 2020"). Resuming Production Activities As announced in the Company's news release on March 30, 2020, the Company temporarily reduced its normal mining operations at OroValle to the minimum essential activities in accordance with the legislation passed by the Spain's Government on March 29th, 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. (the "Extended Lockdown Order"). However, during the Extended Lockdown Order period, the Company was able to gradually re-start production activities at OroValle, after the Government passed clarifying rules allowing export industries to resume production where such production was subject to international contractual commitments. The Extended Lockdown Order expired on April 9, 2020. The Company continues to implement comprehensive and proactive measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; and continues to work closely with local governments and authorities to ensure proper protocols are followed during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. CEO Juan Gavidia stated, "Our team continues to prioritize and focus on the health and safety of the workforce through the implementation of preventive protocols and strictly following the health authority's recommendations. The Company continues to assess potential COVID-19 impacts on operations and continues to adhere to directives from the central and local governments". Q2 FY2020 Highlights: G old output, at 12,139 ounces. Gold-equivalent output, at 14,843 ounces. Brownfield and greenfield exploration continues at Orovalle to extend the mine life. El Valle Quarterly 12,139 ounces gold production was 12% lower than previous quarter, due to lower throughput and lower ore grade on weakened oxides/skarns blending. Gold head grade of 2.74 g/t declined, compared to 2.98 g/t reported in Q1 FY2020. Copper production was 1.4 million pounds, compared to 0.9 million pounds in Q1 FY2020. Mine exploration activities continue to focus on high-grade oxides areas to ensure optimum feed blending for years to come. Carles exploration drilling is in progress, with 1,500 meters drilled to date. Results will be provided in due course, once the program is completed. Don Mario The Company's Don Mario gold-silver property in Bolivia continues its care and maintenance phase, as previously announced on November 8, 2019, while development and engineering of the oxides stockpile is being advance. The small team of essential employees at Don Mario are following both Orvana and governmental requirements relating to the containment of COVID-19. Production Results Q2 2020 Q1 2020 Q2 2019 El Valle Don Mario Total El Valle Don Mario Total El Valle Don Mario Total Ore milled (tones) 148,339 - 148,339 155,662 64,875 220,537 170,435 188,606 359,041 Gold Equivalent (oz) 14,843 - 14,843 15,654 2,132 17,786 21,414 9,677 31,091 Gold Grade (g/t) 2.74 - 2.74 2.98 1.07 2.42 3.49 1.68 2.54 Recovery (%) 93.0 - 93.0 92.2 84.4 92.2 92.7 94.0 93.2 Production (oz) 12,139 - 12,139 13,722 2,093 15,815 17,742 9,564 27,306 Copper Grade (%) 0.52 - 0.52 0.36 - 0.36 0.49 - 0.49 Recovery (%) 83.1 - 83.1 71.5 - 71.5 78.1 - 78.1 Production (K lbs) 1,422 - 1,422 892 - 892 1,441 - 1,441 Fiscal 2020 Guidance The Company continues to assess and identify opportunities to mitigate the potential effects of COVID-19 on its day-to-day operations. The Company also continues to closely monitor the very fluid COVID-19 situation, constantly updating scenarios, reviewing the latest guidance from the health authorities and engaging with local authorities. Nonetheless, given the uncertainties with respect to future developments, including without limitation: (i) duration, severity and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) the effect of the COVID-19 situation on the future availability of mining supply and services that support operations; (iii) the effect of the COVID-19 situation could have on the Company's future operations and financial condition; and (iv) the necessary government responses to limiting the spread of COVID-19 spread, Orvana has decided to suspend its 2020 guidance until the Company is in a better position to quantify the impact. An update to the market on any further developments as a result of the COVID-19 situation will be provided in mid-May or earlier. ABOUT ORVANA - Orvana is a multi-mine gold-copper-silver company. Orvana's assets consist of the producing El Valle and Carles gold-copper-silver mines in northern Spain, and the Don Mario gold-silver property in Bolivia, currently in care and maintenance. Additional information is available at Orvana's website (www.orvana.com). Cautionary Statements - Forward-Looking Information Certain statements made herein constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, potentials, future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "believes", "expects", "plans", "estimates", "intends" or "anticipates" or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "are projected to" be taken or achieved) are not statements of historical fact, but are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements herein relate to, among other things: Orvana's ability to achieve improvement in free cash flow; the potential to extend the mine life of El Valle and Don Mario beyond their current life-of-mine estimates including specifically, but not limited to in the case of Don Mario, the processing of the mineral stockpiles and the reprocessing of the tailings material; Orvana's ability to optimize its assets to deliver shareholder value; the Company's ability to optimize productivity at Don Mario and El Valle; any measures taken by the Company to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases at or near the Company's mines and support the sustainability of its business including through the development of crisis management plans, increasing stock levels for key supplies, monitoring of guidance from the medical community, and engagement with local communities and authorities; estimates of future production, operating costs and capital expenditures; mineral resource and reserve estimates; statements and information regarding future feasibility studies and their results; future transactions; future metal prices; the ability to achieve additional growth and geographic diversification; future financial performance, including the ability to increase cash flow and profits; future financing requirements; and mine development plans. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The estimates and assumptions of the Company contained or incorporated by reference in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, the various assumptions set forth herein and in Orvana's most recently filed Management's Discussion & Analysis and Annual Information Form in respect of the Company's most recently completed fiscal year (the "Company Disclosures") or as otherwise expressly incorporated herein by reference as well as: there being no significant disruptions affecting operations, whether due to labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, damage to equipment or otherwise; permitting, development, operations, expansion and acquisitions at El Valle and Don Mario being consistent with the Company's current expectations; political developments in any jurisdiction in which the Company operates being consistent with its current expectations; certain price assumptions for gold, copper and silver; prices for key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; production and cost of sales forecasts meeting expectations; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; and labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with Orvana's current expectations. A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors include the affect of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases on the Company's operations, workforce and supply chain, fluctuations in the price of gold, silver and copper; the need to recalculate estimates of resources based on actual production experience; the failure to achieve production estimates; variations in the grade of ore mined; variations in the cost of operations; the availability of qualified personnel; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals and licenses; the Company's ability to use cyanide in its mining operations; risks generally associated with mineral exploration and development, including the Company's ability to continue to operate the El Valle and/or Don Mario and/or ability to resume long-term operations at the Carles Mine; the Company's ability to successfully implement a sulphidization circuit and ancillary facilities to process the current oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to acquire and develop mineral properties and to successfully integrate such acquisitions; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy; the Company's ability to obtain financing when required on terms that are acceptable to the Company; challenges to the Company's interests in its property and mineral rights; current, pending and proposed legislative or regulatory developments or changes in political, social or economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; general economic conditions worldwide; and the risks identified in the Company's disclosures. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's Disclosures for a description of additional risk factors. Any forward-looking statements made herein with respect to the anticipated development and exploration of the Company's mineral projects are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. SOURCE Orvana Minerals Corp. Related Links www.orvana.com The Australian share market finished session at highest level in a month on Tuesday, 14 April 2020, as investors risk appetite buying continued on beaten down industries after trading resumed for the first time after the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays. Meanwhile, upbeat prints of China trade numbers for March and hopes that coronavirus (COVID-19) is near to the peak also pleased the share buyers. At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index advanced 100.79 points, or 1.87%, to 5,488.11. The broader All Ordinaries grew 103.06 points, or 1.89%, to 5,542.46. Stocks were helped by better-than-expected trade data for March from Chinese customs officials. China's exports were down 6.6% in dollar terms in March compared with a year ago, the General Administration of Customs announced on Tuesday. That was considerably better than the expected 14% drop. In another promising sign, China's imports fell 0.9% in March from a year earlier, much better than the expected decline of 9.5%. That appeared to indicate that Chinese factories were loading up on materials to process as their overseas competitors began to shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The modest fall in imports was also striking because China the world's largest importer of oil, iron ore and other raw materials has been the biggest winner from recent plunges in global oil prices. For the moment, sentiment continues to be driven by hopes for a quick recovery from coronavirus disruptions, along with unprecedented fiscal and monetary support measures rolled around the world. Some of the best performers included media, retail and tech names. While heavyweights such as materials and financials also added weight to advances. Media stocks such as Southern Cross Media (SXL) which owns radio (Hit Network & Triple M) and regional television stations soared 27% SXL raised close to $170 million last week and is still ~70% weaker in 2020. Seven West Media (SWM) also jumped 33%. Retailers were led by a 29% increase for jeweller Michael Hill (MHJ). Kathmandu (KMD) also lifted 13.8%. Flight Centre (FLT) gained 15% with another travel business Corporate Travel (CTD) closing 21% higher. There is still appetite for defensive names with gold stocks also in demand. Gold miners such as Newcrest, Norther Star Resources and Evolution Mining surged in between 9-14% after gold prices hit over seven-year highs on fears of a coronavirus blow to the global economy. Energy stocks ended on a mixed note despite a record output-cut deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia. Virgin Australia's stock was placed on a trading halt pending an announcement as the airline deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Afterpay shares jumped as much as 29%, as the buy now, pay later platform said the coronavirus crisis hasn't hampered its strong growth and it has no need to raise more money in the foreseeable future. In economic news front, a measure of Australia's business confidence declined sharply to -66 in March from -2 in February, survey data showed. This was the biggest fall on record and reached its lowest level since the series started. The business conditions index plunged to -21 from zero in February. CURRENCY NEWS: The Aussie dollar has managed to hold above 64 US cents on strength for commodity currencies, following some better than expected Chinese trade data for March. This overcame the record drop in local business confidence and conditions for March as surveyed by NAB. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The carnage is horrific as this hideous pandemic carves through care homes across the country, killing hundreds of residents despite the best efforts of devoted staff. Thirteen people died with coronavirus symptoms at Stanley Park home in County Durham. Fifteen fatalities at care homes in Liverpool and Luton. Thirteen deaths at one in Glasgow, nine at another in Nottinghamshire, eight at a unit in Dumbarton. HC-One, Britains biggest care home operator, has lost 311 residents and one carer from this cruel virus after seeing 2,447 suspected cases in 232 of its homes. These figures are terrifying. Behind the daily tally of cold statistics lies the agony of bereaved families and shocked tears of distraught carers, many risking their own lives to save others. Yet the devastation of this unfolding national tragedy is also painfully predictable. It shames those politicians spouting platitudes at daily briefings who, with fatal consequences, have failed to protect some of the nations most vulnerable citizens. This scandal goes deep into the bedrock of our society. For, beyond the deaths and suffering on the forgotten frontline, the virus has ruthlessly exposed the appalling iniquities that must be confronted once we emerge from the darkness of pandemic. We knew the occupants of care homes include many of those most at risk from this disease: the very old, the very sick and people with serious disabilities. They are crammed together in confined spaces and now, with the lockdown, suddenly shut off from their loving families. We were given clear warnings from European nations hit before Britain as horror stories emerged from care homes of mass deaths, abandoned corpses and fleeing staff in countries such as Italy, France and Spain (stock image) Bear in mind that while the majority of care home residents are in the twilight of life, almost one-fifth are under 65 so the victims are not only the elderly. Whether they are elderly or disabled, people who need help with the daily basics of life cannot be totally isolated from the world. Inevitably, this increases the risk of infection however many times those supporting them wash their hands, however much they cover their mouths. We were given clear warnings from European nations hit before Britain as horror stories emerged from care homes of mass deaths, abandoned corpses and fleeing staff in countries such as Italy, France and Spain. One study this week reported that care home residents comprised between 42 and 57 per cent of all deaths from this disease in five European countries. Yet in Britain the social care sector has fallen down the list of priorities with inadequate advice offered to care teams, minimal testing for residents or staff and a grotesque failure to deliver adequate protective gear to the frontline workforce. It is bad enough that doctors and nurses in hospital critical care units must work with coronavirus patients while lacking personal protective equipment. Yet, given the risks, surely this failure is equally as egregious in care homes and supported living? The situation remains so dire that ten weeks after the World Health Organisation declared a global public emergency with this virus, four big charities combined this week to beg for more testing and personal protective equipment for care homes. Stanley Park care home, Stanley, County Durham, where 13 residents have died after suffering coronavirus symptoms Older peoples lives are not worth less. Care home staff are not second-class carers, they said rightly. You may not have realised, but Matt Hancock is Secretary of State for Health AND Social Care. There is also a Care Minister an uninspiring former management consultant called Helen Whately, who should be replaced urgently with a weighty figure to fix these fatal failings. When she appeared in the key slot on Radio 4s Today, the BBCs most important radio news programme, she was not asked once about care during a 13-minute interview, except briefly in relation to hospitals. But ultimately blame rests with those in charge of this crisis. And it is hard to avoid a suspicion that even now the authorities are trying to duck problems even though honesty and truth are more vital when a nations population is in lockdown. Why, for instance, do we not include the deaths of citizens in care homes in the daily tally unlike countries such as France and Ireland? Either this is incompetence, wilful deception or it simply reflects an official view that these lives lack value. We have, after all, seen chilling claims of blanket Do Not Resuscitate notices being imposed on care homes alongside indications that older and disabled people will lose out if lifesaving critical care and ventilators have to be rationed in hospitals. The latest Office for National Statistics data that came out yesterday, which include deaths outside hospitals, found Englands tally of coronavirus deaths to be 15 per cent higher than previously reported. One whistleblower claimed this week that in many cases the virus is not being listed as cause of death. The new ONS data also indicates a significant and unexplained rise in total number of deaths above the five-year average. You may not have realised, but Matt Hancock is Secretary of State for Health AND Social Care There were 2,500 more fatalities than normal not attributed to Covid-19 in the week up to April 3 which was before the recent spike in deaths from the disease and the highest since records began. This could be down to other conditions such as cancer going untreated amid the crisis. But I know one person whose elderly relatives death was listed as dementia despite the fact he had a sudden severe cough and fever before he died. About 410,000 people live in 11,300 care homes. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, claimed on Monday outbreaks had been recorded in 92 of them over the previous 24 hours and that there were infected residents in about one in seven care homes. Yet MHA a big provider with 131 care homes said coronavirus is in half of its facilities. HC-One reports cases in two-thirds of its care homes. Now look at the backdrop to this crisis. For we have a social care sector already in a dreadfully weakened state when struck by this disease. Everyone knows funding is a mess. Over the past two decades there have been at least 17 white papers, green papers and state reviews of social care funding. While politicians have prevaricated and failed to take action, the care system has become broken to the point of collapse. It was savaged by austerity unlike the sanctified NHS as central government overloaded cuts on local authorities. Some 1.4million older citizens were abandoned with their needs unmet. Support for people with disabilities was restricted while many more were stuffed out of sight in dismal institutions. People dying from dementia had to sell homes to fund essential care while those dying from cancer were treated at state expense. Meanwhile, a handful of big private firms moved in like starving sharks. Often they parked big profits taken from taxpayers offshore while fatcat bosses pocketed fortunes and staff on the frontline who are now risking their lives were paid peanuts. Look closer at HC-One, which has about 22,000 care home beds. A recent investigation by the Financial Times found it had paid no tax since 2011, yet it handed investors through a complex web of companies almost 50million in dividends over the past two years alone. Four Seasons, which owns the Glasgow home hit by 13 deaths, is currently in the hands of an American hedge fund after its previous owner, a prominent British private equity outfit, lost an 825million investment gamble on the group. About 410,000 people live in 11,300 care homes. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, claimed on Monday outbreaks had been recorded in 92 of them over the previous 24 hours and that there were infected residents in about one in seven care homes Barchester Healthcare, another major provider, is owned by three Irish billionaires. It quintupled profits last year and handed one of its executives a 915,000 pay package. Care UK, which runs the Stanley Park home, awarded one director 900,000, according to latest accounts. CareTech, which has quietly become one of the biggest players in social care, paid the pair of brothers who founded it 1.7million last year while giving another 1.48million to their family in dividends after boasting in its annual report about surging company revenues. Some firms pay team leaders with weighty responsibilities at their care homes less than 9-an-hour and crucial night staff get minimum wages. Little wonder there were 122,000 vacancies and a high churn in jobs when this crisis struck with such force. Many of the dedicated workers are migrants just as we are seeing with lots of the faces staring out from newspapers of doctors and nurses felled by coronavirus. Yet the Government insulted such staff by deeming them unskilled in its migration plans. We must not flinch from hard questions in these difficult times as we look to rebuild society and strengthen preparations against any future pandemic. This virus was always going to pose a terrible threat to people in care homes. But is the devastation worse because an unloved social care system was allowed to rot behind closed doors in a callous betrayal of the countrys most vulnerable citizens? All you cool cats and kittens dying for answers to your Tiger King questions following binges of the Netflix docuseries and its aftershow are sure to gain insights from Foxs new TMZ special, which dives into the bizarre true-crime story of Joe Exotic. Airing tonight, TMZ Investigates: Tiger King What Really Went Down? could also offer up new info to the Tiger King stars themselves, as Harvey Levin tells TheWrap the special reveals that some of those people are currently under federal investigation and dont even know it. We found three federal investigations that are ongoing right now, targeting some of the people on that show, Levin, the founder of TMZ and executive producer of the Fox special, said. And they dont even know that theyre targets because when I interviewed them they said, Look, were not being looked at. Well, a couple of them definitely are and we know which agencies are doing it and why theyre doing it. The TMZ chief told us a big thing that was uncovered during the investigation for the special was that the United States Department of Agriculture begged one of these agencies to get involved years ago and they just had no interest. And the interest was generated only because of Tiger King.' Levin didnt say which Tiger King stars are under investigation, so youll have to watch the special tonight, Monday, at 9/8c on Fox to find out. Also Read: 'Tiger King' Big Cat Ballad Has Become a Hit on Spotify Netflixs Tiger King follows (and the title refers to) Joe Exotic, the owner of a big-cat zoo in Oklahoma. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was found to be guilty of hiring a hitman to kill Carole Baskin, a rival of his in the animal world. Hes serving a multi-decade prison sentence for that and for animal rights crimes. See below TheWraps full Q&A with Levin, in which he also tells us how much TMZ found out about what happened to Baskins husband, Don Lewis, and if he thinks Joe is actually guilty. Story continues TheWrap: What is the biggest question that your special is going to answer that Netflixs docuseries didnt? Harvey Levin: The first thing that youre gonna see is the sheriff [Chad Chronister] say, No. 1) That he is very suspicious of Carole, and others, even though he says shes not a suspect or person of interest. Then he says that he believes Don Lewis was murdered and he believes there was more than one person involved and that somebody got paid and that somebody helped. And he is asking for somebody to come forward when we did the interview with him and that he is inclined to give them immunity, even if they participated, if they can lead him to the big fish. So the fact that hes offering immunity and that he believes that there were multiple people and he explains why hes suspicious of Carole. So thats No. 1. No. 2) We found three federal investigations that are ongoing right now, targeting some of the people on that show. And they dont even know that theyre targets because when I interviewed them they said, Look, were not being looked at. Well, a couple of them definitely are and we know which agencies are doing it and why theyre doing it and there was a big thing we found out that at least one of the agencies, the United States of Department Agriculture begged one of these agencies to get involved years ago and they just had no interest. And the interest was generated only because of Tiger King. And then the third thing we get into, and this really kind of shocked me, is that we interviewed Allen Glover hes the guy that Joe paid the $3,000 to. Now, Joe says it was just to get him out of the zoo; Allen says it was to kill Carole. Well, I interviewed Allen and, in the interview Allen says that essentially was payback and that because of all the misery and the harm that Joe did to the animals and people, [he wishes he] could have done more to him. And if he had said that in the trial, that is what defense lawyers pounce on to show bias to discredit a witness and he was the star witness, because hes the only person Joe gave money to. If he was biased, and if a jury even had a doubt and thinks maybe hes lying because he hates him so much, the result in that trial could have been different, it could have been very different. Even the sheriff told me that he felt Joe was wrongfully convicted; he didnt think the evidence was there. So this Allen Glover interview is interesting and somewhat troubling. Also Read: Joel McHale to Host 'Tiger King' After Show What do you think about Carole Baskins criticism of the producers of the Netflix docuseries, who she thinks didnt show her in a fair light? And do you think shes going to end up saying the same thing about your special? Levin: Look, I cant comment on how shes going to view it. I have no idea. We didnt talk to her. We tried to get an interview with her and her rep said she was going to decline the interview but referred us to something she had just posted where she said, No. 1) I didnt do it, and No. 2) she kind of explains why she didnt take a lie detector test. Thats something the sheriff is suspicious about. But she talks about that as well. Do you think at a certain point people are going to get Tiger King-ed out and if you were worried about that at all when Fox approached you about the special? Levin: No (laughs). I interviewed a woman from the New York Times who writes the culture and technology columns for them, Taylor Lorenz, and what she was saying was, the only two things that are keeping people sane in quarantine are TikTok and Tiger King. And I think shes right. How well can someone follow this special if they havent seen Tiger King? Levin: I think youre raising a great point because theres a balance here. Because when more than 34 million people have seen it and you know whatever audience you get, a big chunk are going to be people who are familiar with the show and you also know people might watch who are not familiar. You cant bore people with too much background, or youre gonna lose them. At the same time, you cant confuse new people to the point where they say, Im out. So you gotta find the balance and hopefully we did. But that was something we were really conscious of when we put it together. Also Read: Trump Says He'll 'Take a Look' at Pardoning 'Tiger King' Star Joe Exotic What do you think is going to be the biggest question left by your special? Levin: I think No. 1), theyre going to be surprised at what the sheriff is saying about the investigation into Dons death, and No. 2), they may cement or change or form an opinion about who they think may have done it. When I went into this, I figured Joe probably did order the hit. Im not so sure anymore. And again, were presenting both sides. But Im not so sure anymore. Im not. This interview with Allen Glover was really troubling, it was really, really troublesome, and it came out in the doc. Why did prosecutors put the animal cruelty, animal charges in the prosecution when they were prosecuting him for attempted murder? There are a lot of people who really believe the point here was to dirty him up, that the murder for hire was weak and that when you present evidence that he killed tigers, it just makes the jury hate him. So people can draw their own conclusion on that. But I gotta say, I got questions about Joe, about whether he intended to kill Carole. What are you thoughts on Donald Trump telling a White House reporter hed look at pardoning Joe? Levin: I think Trump was clowning him. It felt like it was just a sideshow thing. On the other hand, God knows what Trump would do. Read original story Multiple Tiger King Stars Are Under Federal Investigation and Dont Know It, TMZs Harvey Levin Says At TheWrap T ough measures against coronavirus will last for months rather than weeks, a Cabinet minister warned today as scientists met to consider formally when it may be safe to ease the lockdown. Therese Coffey cautioned that Britain will not return to normality quickly, telling Sky that social distancing and self-isolation all form part of the strategy, adding the battle against coronavirus wasnt going to be over in weeks, it will take months as we try and do other elements. She said the development of a vaccine may take some considerable time. In the short term, the focus is on that treatment, stopping the spread. The Governments chief scientific advisers were meeting by video conference to discuss lockdown and are expected to recommend the restrictions be extended another three weeks, with the next review in early May. Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey / PA Among issues that may be decided this week are whether to change advice to the public over whether face masks should be worn in some circumstances. 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 In key developments: Concern about the fate of elderly people in care homes and the staff who look after them deepened as Britains largest operator revealed that two thirds of homes had cases of Covid-19. The row over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals and care homes intensified. Nadra Ahmed, chairwoman of the National Care Association, said homes were struggling to pay for PPE for their staff. After 12 bus drivers and six other Transport for London workers died from Covid-19, a union warned that the disease was a killer for people dealing with passengers. Im hearing, on an hourly, daily basis, horrific stories, said Bobby Morton of Unite. Heathrow called for global governments to agree a common standard on medical screening at airports so that aviation can get back to work. Ms Coffey said Boris Johnson was recovering well from coronavirus at Chequers and it will be a decision for him whether he gets involved in the decision about lockdown. She insisted she was confident that the Government will achieve its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast On ITVs Good Morning Britain, Ms Ahmed said that care homes were struggling to source and pay for PPE, and prices were not sustainable for the care sector. Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde on Tuesday reached the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office here to surrender in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, his lawyer said. Advocate Mihir Desai said Teltumbde reached the NIA office at Cumbala Hill in south Mumbai to surrender. Teltumbde and several other civil liberties activists were booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly having Maoist links and conspiring to overthrow the government. The activists were booked initially by the Pune police following the violence that erupted at Koregaon-Bhima. As per the police, the activists had made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which it said triggered violence the next day. The police also said they were active members of banned Maoist groups. The case was later transferred to NIA. Teltumbde and activist and co-accused Gautam Navlakha were given interim protection by the Bombay High Court while their pre-arrest bail pleas were being heard. After HC rejected their applications, the duo approached the Supreme Court. On March 17, 2020, the apex court rejected their pleas and directed them to surrender within three weeks. On April 9, the SC granted the duo another week to surrender by way of last chance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALBION, MI A 38-year-old Albion man was killed just after midnight Tuesday when he crashed into a tree while being chased by officers who were initially responding to a noise complaint, police said. Officers saw a vehicle fleeing the area when they were called to the noise complaint at 12:45 a.m. April 14, on Valley View Drive in Albion, according to the Albion Department of Public Safety. Police attempted to stop the vehicle but lost sight of it and abandoned the pursuit, police said. Officers returned to the scene of the initial compliant and learned the driver of the fleeing vehicle had assaulted an individual at the home and heavily damaged the victims car, police said. At about 1:30 a.m., officers patrolling near Berrien and Pine streets spotted the vehicle that had fled from the earlier call and attempted to stop it again, police said. The driver again took off, speeding through stop signs at a high speed, until losing control and hitting a tree in the 100 block of S. Monroe Street, police said. Police, with assistance from Sheridan Township firefighters, used extrication tools to free the man from the wreckage, while a rescue helicopter form West Michigan Air Care was called to take him to the hospital, police said. The man died at the scene prior to the helicopters arrival, police said. The incident remains under investigation. Albion Community Ambulance, Calhoun County Sheriffs Office and Michigan State Police assisted at the scene. More from The Jackson Citizen Patriot: 'Takeout Tuesday picks: 5 Jackson restaurants offering hot dogs, crepes, espresso Jackson museum collects materials, art to document COVID-19 pandemic in future exhibits 2 more Jackson County residents die from coronavirus TORONTO, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) (Barrick) has today filed an early warning report (the Early Warning Report) advising of its holdings in common shares (Common Shares) of Precipitate Gold Corp. (PGC). On April 13, 2020, Barrick, PGC and certain affiliates of Barrick and PGC entered into an earn-in agreement (the Earn-In Agreement) pursuant to which Barrick has been granted the exclusive right to acquire a 70% interest in PGCs Pueblo Grande Project in the Dominican Republic on the terms and conditions set out in the Earn-In Agreement (the Earn-In Transaction). In connection with the Earn-In Transaction, Barrick and PGC entered into a subscription agreement (the Subscription Agreement) dated April 13, 2020 (the Reportable Event) pursuant to which Barrick agreed to acquire, and PGC has agreed to issue to Barrick, 12,713,636 Common Shares (the Subscription Shares) from treasury on the terms and conditions set out in the Subscription Agreement at a price of C$0.11 per Subscription Share for an aggregate subscription price of C$1,398,500 (the Subscription). Prior to the Reportable Event, Barrick did not beneficially own, control or direct any Common Shares. The Subscription Shares represent 13.67% of the outstanding Common Shares (calculated on a non-diluted basis prior to giving effect to the Subscription). As a result of the Reportable Event, Barrick beneficially owns 12,713,636 Common Shares, representing 12.02% of the outstanding Common Shares (calculated on a non-diluted basis after giving effect to the Subscription). The closing of the Subscription is subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Barrick is acquiring the Subscription Shares for investment purposes. Barrick may, from time to time, subject to an agreement between Barrick and PGC, acquire additional Common Shares or other securities of PGC or dispose of some or all of the Common Shares or other securities of PGC that it owns at such time. Other than the Earn-In Transaction, Barrick currently has no other plans or intentions that relate to or would result in any of the actions listed in paragraphs (a) through (k) of Item 5 of the Early Warning Report, but depending on market conditions, general economic conditions and industry conditions, the trading prices of PGCs securities, PGCs business and financial condition and prospects and/or other relevant factors, Barrick may develop such plans or intentions in the future. Barrick is a senior gold mining company governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia. Barricks corporate office is located at Brookfield Place, TD Canada Trust Tower, Suite 3700, 161 Bay Street, P.O. Box 212, Toronto, Ontario. PGCs head office is located at 625 Howe Street, Suite 1020, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 2T6. To obtain a copy of the Early Warning Report, please contact Kathy du Plessis, whose contact details are included below. Enquiries: Kathy du Plessis Investor and Media Relations +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 relating to the proposed investment in PGC, constitutes forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words announce, may, plan, intend, right, expect, will, potential, may and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to the Reportable Event and Barricks acquisition or disposition of securities of PGC in the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions, including material assumptions 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, and are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. 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. AG Barr to take action against government officials threatening churches Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The office of Attorney General William Barr said action will be taken against officials who single out religious organizations to enforce social distancing rules in place to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. During this sacred week for many Americans, AG Barr is monitoring govt regulation of religious services, Barr spokeswoman Kerry Kupec wrote on Twitter Saturday night ahead of Easter. While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly & not single out religious orgs. Expect action from DOJ next week! Many churches plan to host drive-in services on Easter Sunday without violating social distancing enforcement. In Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly issued an order limiting religious gatherings to 10 people or fewer. While it was overturned by a legislative panel on Wednesday, the state Supreme Court of Kansas ruled in the governor's favor late Saturday, The Topeka Capital Journal reports. Late last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to permanently close churches and synagogues in particular if they refused to obey a stay-at-home order banning large gatherings. Tony Perkins, the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and president of the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council, criticized de Blasios comments on Twitter. De Blasios incendiary & unconstitutional threat to permanently shut down churches and synagogues must be retracted or corrected if it was a misstatement, Perkins, who had previously spoken out against churches holding worship services during the outbreak, wrote in a tweet. This type of religious hostility is what fuels non-compliance because it reveals a motive beyond public safety. Ronnie Floyd, the president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Executive Committee, also called de Blasios remarks a matter of great concern. The First Amendment states that there should be no law that prohibits the free exercise of religion and constitutional protections are unchanged by current circumstances, Floyd, the former pastor of Cross Church in Arkansas and former SBC president, said in a statement to Fox News at the time. In Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville prohibited churches from having drive-in services, which has been challenged by the religious liberty law firm First Liberty Institute on behalf of On Fire Christian Church in that city. In North Carolina, the Wilmington Police Department acknowledged that drive-in services are not a violation of social distancing rules, but continued to encourage online services, citing local health officials concerns that drive-in services could be unnecessarily risky. In Mississippi, Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons has also said drive-in services are prohibited. In Hillsborough County, Florida, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne was arrested late last month for violating the states order banning large worship gatherings. Howard-Browne, the leader of Revival International Ministries and The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, is being represented by Liberty Counsel. The fact is that churches, including our client The River Church of Tampa, Florida, can and are obeying safety guidelines but the enemy wants our churches shut down, Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement at the time. However, Howard-Browne has chosen to host an online-only service on Easter Sunday. The World Bank is seeing a huge willingness on the part of official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments by the worlds poorest countries so they can focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, a top Bank official said on Monday. World Bank Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg said the Group of 20 major economies and the Group of Seven (G7) had been largely supportive of a call by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for a temporary halt in debt payments. Everybody understands that we need to help the poorest countries. There is a huge willingness - as in nobody is questioning that, absolutely nobody, he told Reuters in an interview. I think we are in a good place to move forward. Finance officials from the G7 and G20 countries are due to discuss the debt relief issue this week. Three sources familiar with the process said details were still being finalized, but they expected the G20 countries to back a suspension of debt payments at least until the end of the year. World Bank President David Malpass said last week he expected a broad endorsement of the proposal by the 25-member joint Development Committee of the World Bank and IMF on Friday. The World Bank and the IMF have begun disbursing emergency aid to countries struggling to contain the virus and mitigate its economic impact. They first issued their call for debt relief on March 25, but China - a major creditor - and other G20 nations have not formally endorsed the proposal. The IMF announced on Monday a first round of debt relief grants to 25 of its poorest member countries, including Afghanistan, Mali, Haiti and Yemen. The funds will cover those countries debt service payments to the Fund for the next six months, but the IMF is pushing donor countries to more than double the $500 million available in its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust so it can extend the debt relief for a full two years. The IMF-World Bank push for broader bilateral debt relief won significant backing over the past week, including from Pope Francis and the Institute of International Finance (IIF), which represents over 450 global banks, hedge funds and sovereign wealth funds. The two institutions are urging China and other big creditors to suspend debt payments from May 1 for International Development Association (IDA) countries that are home to a quarter of the worlds population and two-thirds of the worlds population living in extreme poverty. With a combined gross domestic product of around $2 trillion, those countries face official bilateral debt service obligations of $14 billion through the end of 2020, the World Bank estimates. The World Bank has already approved $2.1 billion in emergency funding for 32 countries to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, with decisions on 40 more expected this month. Van Trotsenburg said it was crucial that commercial creditors also provide debt relief for the poorest countries, which have also seen massive outflows of capital and a sharp drop-off in remittances by citizens living overseas. This is a global problem affecting everybody. Unless everybody acts, it will not add up, van Trotsenburg said. That means every institution has the obligation to see what can it mobilize to the best of its ability, and to be fast. IIF President Tim Adams said official bilateral debt relief could be provided relatively quickly but that it would take longer to provide commercial debt relief given the lack of details and oversight about who exactly holds all the debt. Van Trotsenburg said it was also important to ensure that unsustainable debt levels not impede the poorest countries movement toward more sustainable development, when asked about the need for a broader round of debt restructuring. Adams said that discussion was premature, with circumstances and needs varying widely from country to country. But he said the crisis highlighted the need for greater transparency about lending to poor countries by China and others. The Pentagon reported Monday the first COVID-19 death of a US Navy sailor from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose captain was fired for demanding that the bulk of his crew be evacuated and quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus from taking their lives. The Navy said it was withholding the name of the sailor pending notification of next of kin. He was the second member of the US military to die from the disease. When the nuclear-powered ships commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, called, in a letter directed to at least 20 senior naval officers, for his crew to be evacuated, there were 90 confirmed cases of the coronavirus aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. Today, the number of confirmed cases is at least 585, with the dismissed captain himself fighting an infection. Another 400 sailors remain to be tested. The Navy has carried out precisely what Crozier had demanded, evacuating all but a skeleton crew from the warship and placing the vast majority of its crew under quarantine on the US Pacific island territory of Guam, with those who tested positive isolated from their shipmates. According to a report published Monday by the San Francisco Chronicle, while most of the sailors were placed for 14 days in Guam hotels, those who tested positive were sent to the Guam Navy base gym, where hundreds of cots were crammed into a crowded space. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die, the captain wrote in his March 30 letter, which was obtained and published by the Chronicle on March 31. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted assetour Sailors. The Captains demand, issued in the face of stalling and opposition from his superior officers, provoked a political firestorm. It cut across President Donald Trumps attempt to minimize the impact of the pandemic and pretend that his administration had it under control, as well as the Pentagons determination not to allow the outbreak to interfere with US imperialisms worldwide aggression. The likely cause of the infection on the USS Theodore Roosevelt was the decision by the US Indo-Pacific Command to go ahead with a March 5 port call by the nuclear-powered carrier at the Vietnamese port of Da Nang, despite reports of coronavirus cases in the country. The port call, timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the normalization of US-Vietnamese relations, marked only the second time that a US aircraft carrier had visited the Southeast Asian country. It was seen as an important projection of US military force in the region, as part of Washingtons confrontation with China. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly relieved Crozier of his command on April 2, apparently acting on explicit orders from Trump. At the time, he made clear that Washington was determined not to allow the pandemic to blunt the edge of US overseas military operations. The nation needs to know, he said, that the big stick [the nickname for the Theodore Roosevelt] is undaunted and unstoppable. our adversaries need to know this as well. They respect and fear the big stick and they should. We will not allow anything to diminish that respect and fear. The big stick that Modly feared was the one wielded by Trump. His predecessor, Richard Spencer, had been sacked for falling afoul of the US president when Trump intervened repeatedly on behalf of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who had been charged by his fellow Navy SEALs with multiple war crimes, including murder. Modlyand presumably Trumpwas outraged after videos circulated on social media showing the Theodore Roosevelts commander leaving the vessel as hundreds of crew members clapped and cheered, repeatedly chanting his name. An online petition demanding his reinstatement had garnered over 365,000 signatures as of Monday. Modly flew from Washington to Guama 35-hour round tripto deliver an angry rant to the ships crew, denouncing them for supporting the captain and describing Crozier himself as naive and stupid and accusing him of betrayal. The tirade was broadcast over the ships loudspeakers, without Modly facing or speaking directly with any of the aircraft carriers sailors. Like the videos of Croziers disembarking from the Theodore Roosevelt, a recording of Modlys speech was also soon placed on social media, provoking a storm of criticism from retired and active-duty military officers, as well as Democratic politicians. After first proclaiming that he stood by every word of his tirade, Modly was soon forced to issue an apology and then resign. The cost of his trip to Guam aboard a Gulfstream business jet was revealed to be close to a quarter of a million dollars, while the ousted acting secretary was compelled to spend two weeks in quarantine as a result of his being aboard the ship. Since the incident, the Pentagon has severely censored information on the spread of the virus within the ranks of the military, with individual units and bases halting all reports on new cases, leaving it to the Defense Department in Washington to announce daily global totals. The fate of Captain Crozier has ensured observance of this information clampdown by commanding officers, leaving US military personnel and their families along with civilian employees and local communities in the dark as to the extent of the threat they face. Based on classified Pentagon data, however, Newsweek magazine posted a map last week showing the distribution of coronavirus cases at more than 150 US military bases spread across 41 states. Coronavirus cases have also been reported on at least three other aircraft carriers, while the Federation of American Scientists reports that all but one US nuclear installation is affected by the virus. In an online press conference Thursday, top US commanders delivered the message that, no matter what the toll of the pandemic on the militarys ranks, US imperialisms aggressive operations would continue. Were still capable and were still ready no matter what the threat, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley. I wouldnt want any mixed messages going out there to any adversaries that they can take advantage of an opportunity, if you will, at a time of crisis. That would be a terrible and tragic mistake if they thought that. As General Milley spoke, Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, along with five other warships, was sailing through the Miyako Strait between Japans Ryukyu Islands and the Bashi Channel east of Taiwan toward the South China Sea, in what constituted Beijings own version of the provocative freedom of navigation operations frequently staged by Washingtons Pacific fleet. Beijings state-run English language newspaper Global Times posted an online piece Monday stating: As the most powerful military force in the world, with the highest level of combat readiness, the US militarys failure to contain the virus has been disappointing. There are [a] number of reasons for this, such as the large number of personnel deployed overseas, poor military-political relations, and the absence of preparedness. With its deployment of US warships off the coast of Venezuela and the dispatch of Patriot missile batteries to Iraq, Washington has made it clear that the coronavirus, while spreading rapidly among rank-and-file soldiers, sailors and Marines, will not induce it to rein in military aggression abroad. There will be growing pressure for the Navy to send the Theodore Roosevelt and other carrier strike groups back into the South China Sea in preparation for world war, even as humanity is ravaged by the global pandemic. Technavio has been monitoring the energy as a service market and it is poised to grow by USD 6 bn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of about 38% 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/20200414005408/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Energy as a Service 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. EDF, Edison International, Enel, ENGIE, and WGL Holding, 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. Demand for reducing building energy costs has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Energy as a Service Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Energy as a service market is segmented as below: End-user Industrial Commercial 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=IRTNTR30041 Energy as a Service 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 energy as a service market report covers the following areas: Energy as a Service Market Size Energy as a Service Market Trends Energy as a Service Market Industry Analysis This study identifies rise in the consumption of renewable energy as one of the prime reasons driving the energy as a service market growth during the next few years. Energy as a Service Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the energy as a service market, including some of the vendors such as EDF, Edison International, Enel, ENGIE, and WGL Holding. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the energy as a service 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 Energy as a Service Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist energy as a service market growth during the next five years Estimation of the energy as a service market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the energy as a service market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of energy as a service market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Market segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user Industrial Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Commercial Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY SERVICE PART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors EDF Edison International Enel ENGIE WGL Holdings PART 15: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations PART 16: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005408/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/ De facto authorities in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh are holding a second round of elections for the disputed regions leader on April 14 amid international criticism and safety concerns due to the coronavirus outbreak. Voters headed to polls on April 14 after results from the first round of the vote on March 31 showed Ara Harutyunian, a wealthy businessman and former prime minister, winning over 49 percent, just short of the majority needed for an outright victory. Masis Mayilian finished second with 26.4 percent. On April 12, Nagorno-Karabakhs outgoing de facto leader, Bako Sahakian, declared a coronavirus-related emergency situation in the region, but stopped short of postponing the runoff election, sparking criticism from some who feared bringing groups of people together for voting may exacerbate the coronavirus outbreak. Mayilian has urged people not to go to the polls because of the pandemic, saying he will not cast his vote today either, though he has stopped short of withdrawing from the race. No international observers are monitoring the elections because of the outbreak. Only local observers and observers from Armenia are participating in a monitoring mission. Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by Armenian-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-94 conflict that killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Following a Russia-brokered fragile truce in 1994, the region has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country. Periodic skirmishes have been taking place in the region. Russia, the United States, and France are the co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that acts as a mediator in resolving the crisis. The group has been struggling for years to mediate a solution to the crisis. After the first round, the European Union reminded Karabakh leaders that it does not recognize their entity and warned that the move could hamper the progress of international negotiations on resolving the conflict. In view of the so-called 'presidential and parliamentary elections' in Nagorno-Karabakh on 31 March 2020, the European Union reiterates that it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they are being held," EU spokesperson Peter Stano said. Stano also reiterated the EU's "firm support to the OSCE Minsk Group and, in particular, to its co-chairs efforts to bring about progress beyond the status quo and substantive negotiations towards comprehensive and sustainable peace." The OSCE Minsk Group also issued a statement on March 31 saying it "recognizes the role of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future," but reminded the de facto leaders of the breakaway region that "Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized as an independent and sovereign state" by any country. "Accordingly, the co-chairs do not accept the results of these 'elections' as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the statement said. With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp. (CVE:LIT). What Is Insider Selling? 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. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise. View our latest analysis for Argentina Lithium & Energy The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Argentina Lithium & Energy In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Chairman Joseph Grosso bought CA$75k worth of shares at a price of CA$0.05 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is CA$0.055. 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. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Argentina Lithium & Energy share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. While Argentina Lithium & Energy insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! Story continues TSXV:LIT Recent Insider Trading April 14th 2020 Argentina Lithium & Energy is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership of Argentina Lithium & Energy 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. From our data, it seems that Argentina Lithium & Energy insiders own 12% of the company, worth about CA$217k. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings. What Might The Insider Transactions At Argentina Lithium & Energy Tell Us? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Argentina Lithium & Energy insiders are doubting the company. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Be aware that Argentina Lithium & Energy is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 3 of those are significant... 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:43:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANNING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A hospital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region shared COVID-19 treatment experience with Nepalese medical experts via a video conference on Monday. Medics with the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University introduced their experience with epidemic prevention and control measures in detail, with an emphasis on crowd control, epidemiological investigation and management optimization. Experts from 10 Nepalese medical institutions consulted their Chinese counterparts about the division of different medical zones, the ideal quarantine time and the necessity of wearing masks, among other issues. The Nepalese medical experts also hailed the efforts of the hospital's active and effective prevention and control measures and expressed their appreciation to the Chinese experts for sharing valuable experience and timely technical cooperation. Chen Junqiang, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, said the hospital also had a video conference with Cambodian medical experts on April 2 on COVID-19 treatment and will continue to share anti-epidemic experience with countries in need. According to Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population, the country has detected 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. Large Florida Easter Party Broken up by Police Amid CCP Virus Stay-at-Home Order A large party in Florida was dispersed by police officers on Easter, but no arrests were made. Florida, like most states in America, is under a stay at home order. Residents have been ordered to not leave home except for essential trips and activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity. Local jurisdictions shall ensure that groups of people greater than ten are not permitted to congregate in any public space, Gov. Ron DeSantis order states. A party in Pensacola on Sunday appeared to include over 150 people, according to video footage captured and circulated on social media. The videos showed hundreds of people congregating in Attucks Court, an apartment complex west of downtown Pensacola. Police officers with masks arrived and started speaking with attendees, prompting them to gradually disperse. It took two hours to break up the gathering, Officer Mike Wood, a Pensacola Police Department spokesman, told The Epoch Times in an email. No arrests were made or citations issued because it was not needed at that time, he said. Our officers took the opportunity to advise the people of the current dangers of gathering in large groups, he added. An event organizer described it as an Easter cookout for children in the community. Volunteers deliver bagged lunches and food boxes to people in need in Miami, Florida on April 11, 2020. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) Why are we going to be scared to come outside when we dont even know what were looking for? Wilbert McNeal, one of the partys organizers, told a local broadcaster. Corona, COVID-19it aint coming this way. Social distancing, which refers to a range of measures including staying at least six feet from people you dont live with and not having large gatherings, is being implemented across the country in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees told reporters on Monday that residents should keep social distancing until a vaccine is available. Health experts say that will likely take until next year. Until we get a vaccine, which is a while off, this is going to be our new normal and we need to adapt and protect ourselves, Rivkees claimed. Were going to have to practice these measures so that we are all protected. Other experts have recommended loosening the strict lockdowns and letting businesses and schools reopen soon while keeping some guidelines in place, including advising or requiring people to wear masks when in indoor public places. While a vaccine is still far off, a range of existing or experimental drugs are being tested against COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine, Kevzara, and favipiravir. Floridas stay at home order went into effect on April 1 for the states 21 million residents. The state had 21,637 confirmed cases as of Tuesday morning and 25 deaths from COVID-19. The new disease is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Fewer than 200 people in San Francisco and three other Bay Area counties had tested positive for the coronavirus when the region was told to shelter in place, but cell phone data show that residents were quick to surrender to the orders and stay home, according to a federal report released Monday. That early adherence may have helped protect the region from experiencing a far worse outbreak, public health experts have said. The same report, which compared public health responses in four metropolitan areas in the U.S., showed that even though New Yorkers also were obedient to stay-home orders, the outbreak there was already so far advanced that it rapidly escalated from roughly 5,000 cases on March 20 to nearly 50,000 just a week and a half later. New York City now has more than 100,000 cases. The Bay Area has about 5,200. The paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared New York City, Seattle and New Orleans with a subset of the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo and Marin counties. The Bay Area was the first to issue aggressive physical distancing policies, and its also had the smallest outbreak of the four regions studied. But the CDC report showed that in all four metropolitan areas, the pace of the local outbreak slowed as mobility decreased in other words, as more people stayed at home. Its premature to say for sure that the Bay Areas early sheltering in place is the reason its case counts havent climbed as quickly as in other places, according to the CDC. But the report adds to increasing evidence that the Bay Area, so far, has dodged a public health crisis. For all four regions, you can see the decline in mobility, and two weeks later you can start to see some of the declines in the growth rate, said Kathleen Ethier, lead for the CDCs community intervention task force, and senior author of the paper. We didnt connect those things statistically, she said. But its heartening to see that we may be having an impact on disease. Public health officials have looked at several metrics to determine whether people are actually obeying shelter-in-place orders, and if that in turn is slowing down the spread of disease. Groups that use cell phones to track peoples movement have shown substantial decreases in foot traffic in San Francisco, for example. Orbital Insight, which uses satellite imaging and mobile phone data to track population density, has produced heat maps that show far fewer people congregating in certain parts of San Francisco especially the Financial District after the shelter in place took effect. The CDC study used data from SafeGraph, which aggregates location reports from mobile devices; the San Francisco data come from about 164,000 devices, or about 3.6% of the population. The CDC looked at the percentage of people staying within 500 feet of their home each day. In February, roughly 20% of people in San Francisco were staying home. The same was true for the other three metropolitan areas. But Bay Area residents began staying close to home much earlier than everyone else both at an earlier date, and earlier in the course of the regional outbreak. By March 10 a few days before the Bay Areas regional shelter-in-place orders were issued about a third of residents were staying home. A day later, more than half were staying home. 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. When the sheltering orders were issued, a few dozen cases had been reported in the San Francisco-Oakland region; there are now about 2,500 cases. About a third of New York City residents also were already staying home shortly before shelter-in-place orders were issued on March 20, and half were staying home the day after. But the outbreak there was already far along by then. Eventually more New Yorkers were adhering to shelter orders than people in San Francisco about 58% compared to 53% but the damage may have been done, as the virus was spreading freely in the East Coast community by then, infectious disease experts have said. The trends werent quite as dramatic in New Orleans and Seattle, but they demonstrated that the more people stayed at home, the more their local outbreak slowed down, Ethier said. Dr. Erica Pan, the Alameda County health officer, said the results did not surprise her, though she was pleased to see evidence that Bay Area residents quickly understood the importance of sheltering in place and behaved appropriately. People are generally staying at home and staying socially distant and generally following the guidelines. Im really appreciating how the community has come together for this, she said. We understand that its a dramatic intervention and its having a huge social and economic impact. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Aussie actress Nathalie Kelley has described her new Stan show The Baker and the Beauty as 'groundbreaking'. The 34-year-old beauty said she chose to audition for the role in the soap with her Australian accent to show she was 'different', despite her own Latin heritage, and it paid off. Nathalie says the diversity in the program was a testament to how things in Hollywood have changed over the past two decades. Scroll down for video EXCLUSIVE 'This wouldn't have happened 15 years ago': Australian actress Nathalie Kelley has praised the diverse casting in new Stan show Baker And the Beauty 'It felt pretty groundbreaking, because diversity is very important and this would not have happened 15 years ago!' Nathalie told Daily Mail Australia. Nathalie, who has Latin roots and ancestry, added: 'It's really important to have authentic representations of what society actually looks like on screen.' The Australian actress was born in Peru, but left her birth country when she was two years old. 'Sometimes it feels weird when people just check "the diversity boxes"... but the opposite happened with this show [Baker And The Beauty]. They actually just cast the best people for the job,' she explained. 'It felt pretty groundbreaking to be honest, like it wasn't intentional that it was an all Latin cast, but that's how it ended up.' 'It's really important to have authentic representations of what society actually looks like on screen': Nathalie said it wasn't intentional that the show had an all Latin cast, but 'that's how it ended up' Love story: The show is centered on Nathalie's celebrity character Noa Hamilton and Cuban baker Daniel Garcia (played by Victor Rasuk), who fall in love while overcoming cultural barriers The show is centered on Nathalie's celebrity character Noa Hamilton and Cuban baker Daniel Garcia (played by Victor Rasuk), who fall in love while overcoming cultural barriers. 'What they were looking for in Noa was that she should be anything but Latin, because they were trying to play on the cultural difference,' she said. Nathalie said she chose to audition for the role with her Australian accent to show she was 'different' despite her Latin heritage, and it paid off. 'I had the foresight to see that maybe doing an American accent would make them think that I was not that different to him, but I came in as myself and that's the choice I made with my Australian accent and they liked it and we kept it,' she explained. 'So that's really speaking to the fact that even though I have Latin ancestry, culturally growing up in Australia, Nathalie and Noa are very different from the world of Little Havana, and Dan's Cuban family, and so there was a big cultural divide for them to overcome.' 'Even though I have Latin ancestry, culturally growing up in Australia, Nathalie and Noa are very different from the world of Little Havana, and Dan's Cuban family': Nathalie said she chose to audition for the role with her Aussie accent to show she was 'different' to her love interest 'It was a dream cast': Despite the US show, which is an adaptation of the Israeli series Beauty and the Baker, being based in Miami, it was actually filmed in Puerto Rico Despite the show, which is an adaptation of the Israeli romantic-comedy series Beauty and the Baker, being based in Miami, it was actually filmed in Puerto Rico. Nathalie said they had a 'dream cast', adding: 'the love we [the cast] had for each other off screen translated on screen. 'It was just one big love fest and you when you sprinkle a lot of salsa and Latin dancing on to that - you have the recipe for a lot of fun.' Nathalie has had prominent roles in Dynasty, The Vampire Diaries and Unreal, and played Neela in the 2006 action film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The Baker and the Beauty premieres on April 14 at 5pm on Stan, with new episodes weekly same day as the US. In a sign of a worrying trend, another moment has been arrested for contacting a wanted individual who was displaced to northern Syria reports Sowt Al-Asima. A woman was arrested last week at one of the military checkpoints stationed on the outskirts of the city of Harasta in eastern Ghouta. The woman, who is also a resident of the area, was on the list of those wanted by the regime security forces. Sowt Al-Asima sources said that the arrest came on charges of making a suspicious phone call in 2013 with individuals wanted by the regimes intelligence unit, noting that she was transferred to the Palestine branch and no information about her fate was provided. According to the sources, over the past two month up to five women were arrested in Harasta for contacting individuals wanted by the regime. Late in 2019, a military checkpoint stationed in the vicinity of the al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus arrested five women on the charge of contacting wanted persons who were displaced to northern Syria. Since it took control over Damascus and its countryside, the regime has intensified its arrest campaigns against people who communicate with Syrians residing in the north. In 2019, more than 500 people were arrested, all of whom live in settlement areas, the sources said, noting that most of the detainees are women. Arresting people over suspicious phone calls is considered part of the job of the internal security branch, also known as the al-Khatib Branch, which is affiliated with the State Security Agency. Meanwhile, vehicles carrying out communications surveillance have been deployed extensively in Damascus and its countryside for months now. The well-equipped vehicles can monitor up to ten calls at the same time. Sowt Al-Asimas team documented 530 arrest cases carried out by the regimes intelligence and its military checkpoints in Damascus and the nearby area since the beginning of 2020, including arrests against those deployed to serve compulsory military services as well as reserve military personnel, in addition to several women charged with carrying out suspicious calls, and other young men reportedly arrested by the regime over terrorism-related charges. In 2019, Sowt Al-Asima documented more than 1,200 arrests carried out by the regime over the same above charges. 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. A coronavirus patient died and 52 people tested positive in Telangana taking the number of cases in the state to 644, according to an official bulletin issued on Tuesday. The virus has so far claimed 18 ives in the state. Of the total 644 cases in the state, 110 have been cured, while 516 are undergoing treatment. According to a bulletin on COVID-19, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has the highest number of active cases in the state at 249 followed by Nizamabad with 36. Hyderabad district is on high focus as majority of cases are being reported in GHMC, it said, adding that robust containment is being initiated in the virus-affected area. The administration has set up as many as 221 containment clusters across the state to check the coronavirus spread, the bulletin said. Meanwhile, a group of migrant labourers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, who wanted to go to their native Srikakulam district, were found on a road in Hyderabad today. Police and other officials, who stopped them, sent them back to their homes in Hyderabad in a vehicle. State Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav, who hails from Hyderabad, said the group of men and women would be provided 12 kgs of rice per person (as promised by the state government) and also financial support. Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao and Health Minister E Rajender appealed to citizens to strictly follow the lockdown rules and asked officials to act tough on those who bypass norms in 'containment zones'. Rama Rao and Rajender held a meeting with officials and discussed the plan of action and the precautionary measures to be taken to control the spread of COVID-19 in Hyderabad in view of a large number of cases being reported from the city. The Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has been chosen as one of the five validation centres for coronavirus testing kits in the country by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). CCMB is the only non-ICMR lab to be a part of these Centres of Excellence that will validate the non-US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and non-EUA (Emergency Use Authorisation) approved kits for COVID-19 testing, a press release said. Also, a COVID-19 Sample Collection Kiosk which gets automatically disinfected without the need for human involvement has been developed by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) in the city. The kiosk is for use by health care workers to take samples from suspected infected patients, an official release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Web Toolbar by Wibiya It seems that we, at The Canadian is not the only media organization exposing the fascist and unlawful activities of Gatineau and Quebec provincial police. The Gatineau Police is simply using the pandemic to be the as-holes that they are supported by the equally corrupt red neck Mayor of Gatineau. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - The Ottawa Sun has now documented the following activities which violate the Motorists with first-hand experience crossing the bridges say the safe-distance zone is not always respected. Last week, a man from Low, Que., said he was turned away from his own residence by an officer who was only inches from his window and took his vehicle papers away for inspection. John Savage, meanwhile, writes that he was driving east on Tache Boulevard on Thursday with his father, Bob, who is 83 and in a high-risk group for the effects of COVID-19, which has killed dozens of the elderly.He says they werent even intending to use the Chaudiere Bridge when they were stopped near the corner of Eddy Street. He said the officer was on the passenger side of the car and, despite being asked otherwise, insisted the older man lower his window.Why did he choose to speak through my fathers window instead of through mine, when elderly people are more at risk? he asks.As police are in high contact with lots of people and at greater risk of spreading the virus, why arent they wearing masks to protect us?Savage says the incident spooked him because hes tried to limit his fathers contacts with others during the pandemic. And he adds there was no good reason to stop them in the first place as they werent headed to Ontario.This newspaper has heard from other Quebec residents who feel increasingly constricted by a set of travel bans to Ontario but also within West Quebec itself.A woman wrote about relatives who sold their home (pre-pandemic) in Gracefield, Que. about 100 kilometres north of Gatineau with the intention of renting a place in Aylmer. When they went to view the apartment, the police stopped them en route, declaring the trip wasnt essential. They are, understandably, worried about where theyre going to live beyond the closing date.Another reader, Brenda Parker, wrote about her 87-year-old mother who lives alone in Low, Que., and relies on her children to bring her groceries every two weeks. Her daughter reports she crossed the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge without incident on Saturday morning, only to be stopped with her load of supplies about 10 minutes from Low.At first denied passage, Parker finally persuaded the officer she would make a quick drop-off and be done in minutes.It is also more stressful for my mom, thinking that if something happens, we cant get to her, the Cumberland resident wrote.And, on the weekend, we hear of yet more travel restrictions from the Pontiac which does not have an abundance of retail and health services to areas that do, like Gatineau.So, ordinary civilians should use masks, were told, but the police dont think theyre really necessary. And people in Ottawa can drive wherever they want, but those in Quebec are being increasingly hemmed in, with the threat of fines.COVID-19 is, indeed, suffocating us, in more ways than one. PORTLAND, Ore. Governor Kate Brown held a press conference on Tuesday to outline her framework on 'reopening Oregon' following Monday's announcement that those decisions would be made in agreement with Washington and California. Oregon remains under a series of executive orders aimed at limiting the spread of new coronavirus, including a statewide stay-at-home order that has closed or restricted many businesses. While models from medical researchers suggest that social distancing measures have significantly flattened the curve of infection in Oregon, officials have favored continuing those measures at least into May. "This is only a framework, and its timing is dependent upon several factors," Brown said of her plans on Tuesday. "As Dr. Anthony Fauci says, 'we don't control the timing, the disease controls the timing.'" WATCH: Video of Governor Brown's live press briefing on Tuesday Governor Brown identified three major elements needed in place before the state could begin reopening. First, ensuring that the coronavirus' spread has been effectively slowed, with those metrics to be informed by public health experts and the necessary data. Second, Brown said, the state needs to have an adequate supply of PPE on hand to respond to emerging cases. Finally, Brown said that Oregon needs to "establish a robust public health framework" ramping up testing capacity throughout the state, developing a standardized system for contact tracing when someone tests positive, and coming up with an effective isolation program for those who do test positive. That last step would include a plan for senior living facilities that are most at risk. We all want to get back to work and return to normal life as quickly as possible, said Governor Brown. But the truth is: the best path forward is a cautious one a path that proceeds gradually, carefully, and incrementally. A path that relies on science and facts to determine each step forward." In order to reach those goals, Governor Brown said that she would be looking for input from local leaders, as well as meeting with people from the industries most impacted by the current shutdowns. Oregon officials will be working to complete acceptable COVID-19 metrics for reopening, and making those plans for effective testing, tracing, and isolation. They will also by finalizing "discrete steps" and guidelines for a step-by-step reopening of the state. The shuttering of an economy of this scale has never ever happened before," Brown said. "The reopening of an economy of this scale has never ever happened before. Those final decision will be made in coordination with Washington and California, as outlined in the recently announced West Coast Pact. As we prepare in the months ahead to get Oregon back to work, we must remember the importance of doing so in a smart and deliberate fashion that keeps us moving forward instead of sending us backward, Brown said. Brown and OHA health officer Dr. Drew Sidelinger indicated that the state is beginning to see an "adequate capacity" of PPE, but it still faces an enormous demand around the country, making a steady supply line difficult to establish. Regardless, Sidelinger said, it isn't enough yet to take the next steps for reopening. Oregon is now seeing about 7,000 to 8,000 COVID-19 tests processed each week, Brown said. Obama offered a glimpse of what a Biden vs. Trump campaign will look like, saying the former vice president has a fight on his hands. In the endorsement video released this morning, Obama says: So, our countrys future hangs on this election and it wont be easy. The other side has a massive war chest. The other side has a propaganda network with little regard for the truth. On the other hand, pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us of what is real and what is important. This crisis has reminded us that government matters. Watch the video here. Hi! I am an Assistant City Editor for the education beat, which means I help with breaking news and all things K-12 or higher education. Any tips or story ideas can be sent to me at hlht46@mail.missouri.edu or in the newsroom at 882-5720. Follow this search Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today By Akbar Mammadov Head of the Ukrainian parliaments committee on Economic Development Dmitry Natalukha has praised Azerbaijans response to the novel coronavirus, saying that his country can benefit from Bakus strategy to defend its citizens. Natalukha made the remarks in an exclusive interview to Azertag on April 11. After all, this strategy should not only involve the application of quarantine and isolation regimes. It is remarkable that a special Fund has been established in Azerbaijan to support the fight against COVID-19, and the social protection of doctors participating in anti-infection measures has been strengthened, the Ukrainian MP said. In addition, President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to allocate over $588.2 million to the Cabinet of Ministers to curtail the consequences of the coronavirus. Free express tests to reveal the virus have been conducted at homes and additional stationary and mobile laboratories have been opened to combat COVID-19. This list can go on and a number of other measures are under way, he concluded. It should be noted that 1,148 infected people have been detected in Azerbaijan; 289 of them recovered, 12 people died, and 847 people are being treated in special hospitals. Azerbaijan is building six modular hospital to treat the COVID-19 patients and a new clinic to fight the disease was inaugurated recently. 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. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (26) The Coalition of Aggrieved Fund Management Customers (CAFMC) says it is calling on President Akuffo Addo to come to the aid of the thousands of pensioners (aged) and vulnerable customers whose monies have been locked up in the 53 Collapsed Fund Management Companies. According to the Coalition, the recent lockdown in Accra and Kumasi has worsen and aggravated the already deplorable living condition of pensioners (aged) and the vulnerable in our society. In a statement signed by the Secretary of the Coalition, Joseph Aryeetey, he said "Our health and living condition have been deteriorating daily to the point of death due to our inability to access our funds to meet our basic critical essentials such as medicine and food" He added that majority of the customers with various health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, prostate challenges etc are currently bedridden with no help in sight while we have our fund locked-up with the various fund management companies. Mr. Aryeetey further explained that it is heart breaking that civil servants, security officers and traders who toiled and laboured for this country and saved their meagre income with these government regulated investment firms are being treated this way. "We saved our monies with these firms with the hope that we can access the money at our old age to support our critical needs, unfortunately our hopes of securing our old age have been dashed due to the financial sector lean-up initiated by the current government which resulted into the collapse of these 53 fund management companies in which we invested our funds" he explained. Secretary of the Coalition, Mr. Aryeetey also noted that they are appealing to President Akuffo Addo to empathize with fellow senior citizens of his age in helping mitigate their current sufferings. The Coalition tasked Government to extend the recently announced relieve package amidst the fight of COVID-19 which sought to provide support to the vulnerable in our society to the customers of the 53 collapsed fund management companies. Mr. Aryeetey also stated Government should with immediate effect release and disburse the 1 billion Ghana cedis relieve package for depositors of the 53 collapsed fund management companies which was allotted and subsequently announced by the finance minister during the presentation of the 2020 financial budget at parliament. He said "Unlike our counterparts in the Savings and Loans & Microfinance sector who have either received part or all of their funds, we are by this petition pleading with government to release our funds for us in these times" The Coalition says it is therefore asking that since the COVID-19 is now worsening the already deplorable condition of pensioners and the vulnerable, an emergency fund should be set aside to settle customers of the 53 defunct fund management companies. "The epidemic (our locked-up funds) we are faced with as pensioners is even worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. It was our hope to secure our future, the reason for which we saved our money with these investment firms" he added. Source: CAFMC 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 HOLYOKE Nearly two-thirds of the veterans who were living at the Holyoke Soldiers Home when the cornonavirus started spreading have been infected with the virus and 36 veterans have now died from COVID-19. Four additional veterans died of COVID-19 in the past day and the number of residents who have tested positive have increased by a dozen to 100 people. Results on tests for four residents are pending and 77 residents continue to be free of the virus, according to the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services. An additional seven residents have died of other causes since the first veteran tested positive on March 21 and an eighth person has died of an unknown cause. At the time the first case was detected, there were about 210 residents living at the Holyoke Soldiers Home meaning 65 percent of those residents have been infected with the disease. The number of employees who have tested positive remained the same in the past 24 hours with 79 people infected with the coronavirus, officials said. After learning on March 29 that eight residents had died on the rapidly-spreading virus and many more were suspected to be infected, Health and Human Services Deputy Superintendent Daniel Tsai sent a team to examine the problems at the home. On March 30 officials placed Superintendent Bennett Walsh on paid administrative leave and tapped Val Liptak, a registered nurse and CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, to take over the administrative role. Walsh has said any accusation of wrong-doing or mismanagement is outrageous. In a written statement released on Thursday Walsh said he kept state officials updated on the homes situation as it daily grew more desperate and requested help from the National Guard but was denied. Local and state officials have said they were not aware of the extent to which the virus was spreading. The Board of Trustees for the Soldiers Home was scheduled to meet on Saturday morning presumably to hold a hearing to discuss firing Walsh. That meeting was canceled after a Hampden Superior Court judge approved a request for a temporary restraining order to block the meeting. A second meeting scheduled for Tuesday has also been canceled. Staff members are now working to transfer some of the residents to other facilities within the Veterans Administration Health Care System and social workers are in contact with families in cases where it would be appropriate for the residents. Any move would only done with the agreement of the veteran and families, officials said. In most cases, families of the veterans have declined such transfers though social workers are still finishing discussions with family members, officials said. The Chelsea Soldiers Home, which is also operated by the state, has a close relationship with the federal Veterans Administration Health Care System and the Boston Veterans Administration, which operates a variety of different facilities including hospitals and outpatient operations. Some of the residents have moved to federal facilities to help contain the virus. Currently eight veterans there have died of COVID-19 and an additional 23 have tested positive. the remaining 213 have tested negative. The Veterans Administration Health Care System also operates facilities in Central and Western Massachusetts, officials said. Starting April 3 officials moved a total of 44 people were moved to a unit at Holyoke Medical Center that was prepared for the veterans. Since then 15 of those veterans have tested positive for COVID-19 and three of those have died, officials said. By reducing the number of people at the Holyoke Soldiers Home, it makes it easier to quarantine those who are positive and carefully clean the home every day to protect the about 30 residents who have tested negative and remain at the Soldiers Home from contracting the illness, officials said. Secondary testing for veteran residents continues and as results come in veterans are being moved and cohorted appropriately within the facility and social distancing continues to be urged among veteran residents and staff, officials said. Within the home, the clinical command team continues to enforce quarantine zones for residents who have tested positive. Staff has also been trained in infectious disease control and protocols are continually monitored, officials said. Meanwhile staffing levels at the home have increased with the regular staff augmented by medically-trained members of the National Guard. In addition several contracted staff and one nursing executive started working at the Soldiers Home this week to provide proper care for the residents, state officials said. Staff is now required to use masks and other personal protective equipment and visitors are banned from the facility, officials said. Related Content: American Thinker readers have long known that the Russia Hoax had no grounding in fact but was, instead, the permanent bureaucracys effort to remove from office a president who had threatened to clean out the bloated, corrupt, partisan Deep State. The Mueller report, however, even as it exonerated Trump and his associates, was written in such a way as to imply that it exonerated them by the skin of their teeth. Likewise, the report that Inspector General Horowitz wrote about the fraudulent FISA applications that enabled the FBI to spy on the Trump campaign had redacted footnotes that, frustratingly, only hinted at even worse conduct than mere carelessness or bureaucratic arrogance and ineptitude. At long last, though, William Barrs Department of Justice is beginning to speed the process of exposing the deep corruption behind the Russia Hoax. It is a level of corruption greater than anything ever seen before in American government. Barr alluded to this when he had his interview with Laura Ingraham, telling her, I think the president has every right to be frustrated, because I think what happened to him was one of the greatest travesties in American history. As part of revealing what really happened, the Department of Justice unmasked previously redacted material in footnotes in the report that Inspector General Michael Horowitz published in December. We also finally learned about George Papadopouloss exculpatory statements when he disavowed any knowledge about the hack into the DNCs emails, exclaiming that trying to get that type of information would have been illegal. Reporter John Solomon, who has long been at the cutting edge of every revelation about the entire Russia hoax, has put together a list of 13 of the most important revelations that undercut the FBIs predicate for opening an investigation targeting the Trump campaign in July 2016, for obtaining a years worth of FISA warrants to spy on former campaign adviser Carter Page and for seeking a special prosecutor, Robert Mueller, to take over and extend the probe. The list is detailed, well-organized, clearly written, and well-sourced. Anyone who wants to understand just how badly the Obama holdouts in the Deep State behaved should read it. Here are just a few items to whet your appetite: You can read the rest of the list here. A disgraced doctor who made 350,000 on top of his lucrative NHS salary by rattling out fake medical reports for 'crash for cash' victims has been struck off. Dr Asef Zafar, 54, ran a 'report-writing factory' producing 5,000 papers a year at around 70-a-go despite his huge workload as a GP at Grays Medical Practice in Chessington, Surrey. He had narrowly avoided jail in 2018 when civil contempt proceedings were brought by insurer LV over allegations of fraud. Dr Asef Zafar, 54, ran a 'report-writing factory' producing up to 5,000 papers a year at around 70-a-go for 'crash for cash' victims. He did this despite his workload as a Surrey GP Lord Justice Davis told the High Court in London: 'Dr Zafar was at all material times employed within the NHS as a General Practitioner. 'In addition, however, he engaged on his own account in private practice, providing medical reports for low-level personal injury claims. 'He, remarkably, seems to have developed a system where he apparently could examine a patient or client and produce a report in the space of approximately 15 minutes. 'He was to say that he might produce some 5,000 reports a year, with an annual gross income of around 350,000. 'Quite how he was able to fit all this around his NHS responsibilities is not clear: and at all events it seems that his NHS premises were frequently used for his private medico-legal practice.' Dr Zafar had worked as a GP at Grays Medical Practice in Chessington, Surrey (pictured) The deception came to light when a personal injury law firm accidentally submitted two of the doctor's reports. One accurately told how a taxi driver injured in a cash had been in one week of pain. But a spurious altered version claimed the driver had been in six to eight months of pain. Dr Zafar was suspended from practise by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal in 2019. But the General Medical Council and the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care took the case to the Court of Appeal arguing that the punishment was 'gravely wrong'. The court quashed the suspension and struck off Dr Zafar from the medical register for misconduct. Lord Justice Davis ruled: 'Erasure is the only proper sanction. Accordingly, I would direct erasure of Dr Zafar's name from the Medical Register.' The COVID-19 outbreak poses unprecedented challenges to businesses, governments, and societies around the world. Companies are reacting in different ways to ensure business continuity. The IT industry leaders share their suggestions on how they are aiding channel community to leverage industry-relevant solutions to face COVID pandemic head-on. Vikas Bhonsle, CEO at Crayon Software Experts India As we all know we are in middle of unprecedented global medical crisis thats redefining the way we are leading our lives. At Crayon we have taken strong measures to ensure safety of our employees. We have implemented remote working policy and our teams are staying connected by using collaborative tools to ensure business continuity of our customers as well as partners. Challenging times like this requires innovative and next gen technological solutions that define newer business models; a new normal. Being a software and cloud solution organization, we at Crayon are extending all help possible to our business networks. We are making representations to the largest software publishers to relook the terms of our contracts with them and help businesses by financial concessions during prolonged lockdown. We are making entire gamut of our services around software and cloud available to our customers at attractive techno commercial value propositions. As the workforces are being disrupted, we are helping organizations quickly adopt new working models, by connecting employees and providing special access to solutions that maintain productivity and ensure business continuity. We have created an environment in the cloud where customers can host their desktops and continue working as usual. We have stepped up our capacity to address customers need to reduce costs by optimizing their infrastructure on premise or on the cloud and come up with better investment planning. On the account of this service our customers are seeing a dramatic shift in their cost. I strongly believe, people, businesses and government need to work together to overcome this tough medical and economic emergency. Lets pledge to maintain social distancing and stay safe, said Vikas Bhonsle,CEO at CrayonSoftware Experts India Private Limited. Satish Kumar V, CEO at EverestIMS Technologies At EverestIMS we call this the new Digital Normal. Any good business relationship is based on trust and mutual give and take. Today the COVID 19 virus is testing the boundaries of these relationships as financial considerations stretch cooperation to its breaking point. The channel community depends upon interaction, information sharing, discussion, demos and a host of interactive elements that form their arsenal. However this has been halted completely due to the nature of the current pandemic. Realizing their need, IT Companies have rapidly pivoted and focused efforts towards digital solutions that promote business continuity through online/virtual touch-points and experiences. These span web-sessions, VPN, video conferencing, etc., as the basic lattice. Many have quickly packaged their software into downloadable, trial or subscription versions. This makes it easy for Channels to fulfill a customer request online rather wait for a person or demo to be sent (after the curfew) is over. Many have also nimbly switched to Cloud based subscriptions making it easier for customers to get on-board without having to wait. On the hardware front many companies have quickly offered certain business essentials on rental. Items like laptops, routers, printers and other essential are easily available on rent, thus ensuring that the workforce is fully equipped to work from distant locations. Essentially IT companies have slowly been creating the Digital Normal. For us at EverestIMS this is a two-pronged system where our product suite allows businesses to maintain a high level of continuity through 1 ensuring that their own backend infrastructure is up and running, and 2 that they are able to engage with customers and stakeholders on a continuous basis. These two crucial factors are paramount to keeping the show running and we are confident of supporting the channel community strongly on these fronts. Satish Kumar V CEO, EverestIMS Technologies. Shibu Paul, Vice President International Sales at Array Networks PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 17:22:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 580 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 /GlobeX Data Ltd. (OTCQB:SWISF) (CSE:SWIS) ("GlobeX" or the "Company"), the leader in Swiss hosted cyber security and Internet privacy solutions for secure data management and secure communications, is pleased to announce that its CEO, Alain Ghiai, was featured in an interview with Steve Darling of ProactiveInvestors.com on the increase in demand for GlobeX's Secure Cloud and Secure Communications Services in North America.Alain Ghiai also discusses why there have been so much demand increases in the cybersecurity world in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the number of deals GlobeX Data has been closing because of it.The interview can be viewed by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdjUfeNrqE About GlobeX Data Ltd.GlobeX Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure data management and secure communications. The Company distributes a suite of secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools. GlobeX Data Ltd. sells its products through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. GlobeX Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.On behalf of ManagementGLOBEX DATA LTD.Alain GhiaiPresident and Chief Executive Officer+1.416.644.8690corporate@ globexdatagroup.com For more information please contact GlobeX Data at corporate@ globexdatagroup.com or visit us at https://globexdatagroup.com For more information on DigitalSafe visit us at: https://digitalsafe.com . For more information on PrivaTalk visit us at: https://privatalk.com Forward Looking InformationThis news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. GlobeX cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond GlobeX's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in GlobeX's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com . Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, GlobeX undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.SOURCE: GlobeX Data Ltd. In clear defiance of the government directives, hardline clerics in Pakistan on Tuesday announced to resume congregational prayers in mosques, even as the coronavirus cases in the country rose to nearly 6,000. The government has banned prayer congregations of more than five people as part of its measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Despite the government's pleas to observe social distancing, a group of hardline clerics held a meeting in Karachi to discuss the issue of ban on such prayers and made the announcement before media at the Karachi Press Club. Mufti Taqi Usmani, a religious scholar and former judge of the Federal Sharia Court, who was part of consultation, said it was decided that five time prayers as well Friday prayer would be held in mosques. He, however, said that the precautionary measures of the government would be taken to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. The clerics' decision came as the government announced to extend the lockdown for another two weeks until April 30. Those present at a press conference after the meeting included representatives from the Jamiat-e-ulema Islam, Jamiat-e-ulema Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tanzeem-e-Islami among other religious parties. The decision came despite announcement by Prime Minister Imran Khan to meet the clerics in order to discuss the issue of gathering in mosques in the holy month of Ramazan which will start from April 25. On Monday, over 53 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia held a meeting in Jamia Darul Uloom Zakria here to discuss the ban on prayer congregations, the Dawn reported. The Monday meeting -- attended by clerics representing various seminaries, banned groups, proscribed persons and political and non-political parties -- warned the authorities against the ban and said government leaders should abide by religious norms and seek forgiveness. The warning came before the government could come up with a plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramazan. Pir Azizur Rehman Hazarvi, president of the Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria in Islamabad, said, "The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen." Hazarvi, who is also the patron of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), insisted that in order to get rid of the virus, it was imperative to seek forgiveness from Allah and increase the populace in mosques. A video clip released by the clerics on Tuesday showed leaders of various political and non-political organisations -- including JUI-F, Aalmi Tanzeem Khatam-i-Nabuwat, seminaries such as Taleem ul Quran Raja Bazar and a representative of banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat -- sitting in close proximity of each other. The meeting did not acknowledge the official directives of a maximum of five persons inside mosques for the collective prayers as the clerics said that the testing times demanded more time for prayers and announced that apart from the five times prayers, Friday and Taraweeh congregations will continue. The clerics, however, agreed to take precautionary measures like use of hand sanitisers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. Hazarvi said, "The senior clerics have noted that all efforts will be made to avoid clash and confrontations with the government and the state institutions." Lal Masjid's cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz also continued to challenge the authority of Islamabad Capital Territoty (ICT) administration by openly flouting the stipulated precautionary measures, the report said Every week, Aziz releases footages of huge congregations gathered for Friday prayers, denouncing the restrictions imposed by the government. As a result, the number of mosques organising large Friday congregations is increasing in Islamabad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BEIJING (Reuters) - China dismissed on Monday allegations leveled by African and U.S. diplomats that foreigners of African appearance in the city of Guangzhou were being subjected to forceful testing for coronavirus, quarantine and ill treatment. "We do not have discrimination in China against African brothers," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing, accusing the United States of trying to exploit the issue to harm Beijing's relations with African nations. A group of African ambassadors in Beijing had written to China's State Councilor Wang Yi drawing attention to the alleged discrimination that Africans were encountering in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Guangdong province. Afterwards, the U.S. consulate in the city also issued an alert to citizens. The alert advised African-Americans to stay away from the Guangzhou metropolitan area, warning that city authorities had told bars and restaurants to refuse to serve people who "appear to be of African origin" and launched mandatory tests and self-quarantines for anyone with "African contacts." The ambassadors' note highlighted a number of reported incidents, including that Africans were being ejected from hotels in the middle of the night, having their passports seized, and threatened with revocation of visas, deportation or arrest. Denying any such discrimination, the foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that China treats all foreigners equally. "It is irresponsible and immoral for the U.S. to sow discord," Zhao said. "Its attempt to drive a wedge between China and Africa will never succeed." On Monday, State Department officials continued their criticism calling the treatment "xenophobia". "Chinese authorities must stop this abuse of Africans living and studying in China," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a tweet. "Videos and stories from #Guangzhou are appalling. Abuse and xenophobia has no place in our fight against this global pandemic," said Tibor Nagy, assistant secretary for the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs. Story continues 'NEW MEASURES' Ghana's foreign minister and the leader of Nigeria's lower house of parliament met with the Chinese ambassadors to their respective countries last week about the reports of mistreatment of Africans in Guangzhou. Zhao did not directly comment on the ambassadors' note, but said Guangdong had rolled out "new measures" and that Beijing was working with the relevant African nations to resolve the issue. He did not elaborate on what the new measures were. Having largely stamped out in-country transmission of the coronavirus, authorities in China are worried that one of the biggest risks of a second wave in the epidemic stems for infected people coming from abroad. Imported cases of the virus have largely involved Chinese citizens returning home, rather than foreigners. On Sunday, China reported 108 new cases - the most in almost six weeks. Over 90% were imported cases, of which Chinese returning from Russia accounted for about half. (Reporting by Tom Daly; writing by Se Young Lee; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Tom Brown) Although the entire nation faces an extended lockdown till May 3, Assam is still finding its little ways to celebrate the 'Rongali Bihu' since Monday. Rongali Bihu or the Bohag Bihu marks the Assamese New Year and generally falls in the second week of April and this year it stretches from April 14 to April 20. The 'low key' celebration of the Bihu has been emerging from the state's capital, Guwhati and one of them has been shared by news agency ANI on Twitter that shows a crowd of traffic police dancing and singing with their masks on to mark the onset of the new year amid the pandemic. "Traffic Police personnel in Guwahati celebrate #RongaliBihu during Coronavirus Lockdown," ANI reported. "They say, we extend our greetings to everyone on the occasion. Please stay at home in this lockdown. If we stay healthy only then will we be able to celebrate Bihu," it added. #WATCH Assam: Traffic Police personnel in Guwahati celebrate #RongaliBihu during Coronavirus Lockdown. They say, "We extend our greetings to everyone on the occasion. Please stay at home in this lockdown. If we stay healthy only then will we be able to celebrate Bihu." pic.twitter.com/xXFVuFb2uU ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 Earlier, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal wished the people on New Year and said, "On the auspicious occasion of our New Year, I convey my wishes to the people and I pray to God that the New Year brings us happiness and peace, the safety of everyone." According to reports, the Assam Police had issued an advisory and urged people not to congregate to celebrate one of the most important festivals of the state. "People are requested to celebrate in their homes and Bihu committees are urged to organise only flag hoisting ceremonies," the DGP had said. Meanwhile, one more person in the state, who had come in contact with those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi,has tested positive for the novel COVID-19 taking Assam's tally to 31, said Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. CIA employees have been privately warned against taking an anti-malaria drug hailed by Donald Trump as a 'game changer' in the war on coronavirus. Sudden death is one of the suspected side effects of hydroxychloroquine, according to the intelligence agency in a memo to its workforce posted online. Despite a lack of medical evidence, the President has heavily promoted the drug as a possible treatment for Covid-19, which has killed 23,675 and infected 588,421 in the United States. But amid positive noises surrounding the drug emerging from the daily White House press briefings, Langley made its concern clear. Hydroxychloroquine is 'not recommended to be used by patients except by medical professionals prescribing it as part of ongoing investigation studies,' according to the advice seen by the Washington Post. The President (pictured at yesterday's White House press briefing) has heavily promoted the drug as a possible treatment for Covid-19, which has killed 23,675 and infected 588,421 in the United States Sudden death is one of the suspected side effects of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine Amid positive noises surrounding the drug emerging from the daily White House press briefings, Langley made its concern clear (pictured is CIA HQ in Virginia) The advice, posted on March 27 in response to CIA staff queries, noted that possible side effects include 'sudden cardiac death'. The CIA did not respond to the newspaper's request for a comment. Trump has been a major cheerleader of taking hydroxychloroquine in concert with an antibiotic for those infected with the virus, pointing to a study in France which scientists have treated with scepticism. He has tweeted that the drug could be 'one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine' and should 'be put in use immediately. And when grilled by reporters over his advocacy of the drug, he said: 'What do I know, I'm not a doctor. But I have common sense.' In promoting the drug's possibilities, the President has often stated: 'What have you got to lose?' Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert (pictured alongside Trump and VP Mike Pence) who has been a podium staple during the daily briefings, has urged Americans not to take the drug Responding to Trump's clarion call for urgent supplies, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it will allow some exports of hydroxychloroquine to the US. Trump reacted by tweeting: 'Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten!'. But the President's championing of the drug has not been echoed by his closest advisers and have seen splits among the taskforce in Washington steering the health crisis strategy. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who has been a podium staple during the daily briefings, has urged Americans not to take the drug. Answering questions on March 23 on whether he would prescribe the drug, he said 'the answer is no' and said there was only 'anecdotal evidence'. In signs of growing rifts in the top team Trump last week even stepped in and prevented Fauci from answering a question about hydroxychloroquine. The side effects of hydroxychloroquine warned by the CIA have also been replicated in other studies. Scientists in Brazil have stopped part of a study of the malaria drug after heart rhythm problems developed in one-quarter of people given the higher of two doses being tested. The Brazilian study, in the Amazonian city of Manaus, had planned to enroll 440 severely ill COVID-19 patients to test two doses of chloroquine, but researchers reported results after only 81 had been treated. French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has pledged to donate 100 million doses if tests are proved efficient. The company said in a statement that the hydroxychloroquine doses will be given to 50 countries. Sanofi is also ramping up production, aiming to quadruple is capacity to manufacture the drug. The company said it 'will continue to donate the medicine to governments and hospital institutions if ongoing clinical studies demonstrate its efficacy and safety in Covid-19 patients'. But it also warned that hydroxychloroquine has 'several serious known side-effects' and tests are so far inconclusive over its safety and efficacy in treating Covid-19. 'While hydroxychloroquine is generating a lot of hope for patients around the world, it should be remembered that there are no results from ongoing studies, and the results may be positive or negative,' it said. Unidentified armed men have boarded a Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Iran near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a British monitoring organization and a private intelligence firm reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said the vessel was boarded on April 14 while anchored just off the Iranian coast in the Sea of Oman, but added that the ship was later released. The organization urged vessels in the area to "stay vigilant." Dryad Global, a private maritime intelligence firm, said it was unclear whether the vessel had been in distress or was being assisted by Iran. The company identified the tanker as the Hong Kong-flagged SC Taipei on its way to Al-Jubail in Saudi Arabia. It said the 22 crew members aboard were all Chinese. The U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain has not immediately commented on the reported incident, which comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran in the region. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has harassed or seized a number of vessels over the last year in a move viewed by analysts as a way to exert pressure on the United States and its allies over crushing U.S. economic sanctions. Iran is also suspected of planting limpet mines on six ships in the Gulf of Oman in May and June of 2019. Dryad Global said "it cannot nor should not be ruled out" that Iran attempted an operation on April 14 against the Hong Kong-flagged ship "in haste," and aborted the mission out of political concerns. "While Beijing is not responsible for Hong Kong vessels, there is a realistic possibility that China would view the detention of a Hong Kong vessel as a proxy assault on its own sovereignty," the company said. "At a time when China still buys Iranian oil, and Iran has few international friends, such a move would be highly irregular, and would not further Irans interests." Greece's migration minister on Tuesday said dozens of unaccompanied migrant children would be relocated to other EU countries as a rights group described Athens' detention conditions for minors as "abusive". "Twelve children will be relocated to Luxembourg (on Wednesday) and fifty to Germany on Saturday," Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi told Athens city radio. Human Rights Watch earlier Tuesday called on the Greek government to release hundreds of unaccompanied minors held in "unhygienic police cells and detention centres" because of a lack of space elsewhere. "Keeping children locked up in filthy police cells was always wrong, but now it also exposes them to the risk of COVID-19 infection," HRW Greece researcher Eva Cosse said in a statement. "The Greek government has a duty to end this abusive practise and make sure these vulnerable kids get the care and protection they need," said Cosse. HRW pointed to government data that over 330 children are in police custody awaiting transfer to a shelter, up from 180 in January. Last week, a Greek youth support group said it was giving psychological assistance by telephone to a 10-year-old Syrian boy who had spent 44 days in a police cell. The boy, who was detained in February at the Greek-Albanian border whilst trying to join family in Germany, could not immediately be physically reached because of coronavirus movement restrictions, the Arsis group said. Greece is sheltering some 100,000 asylum seekers, mostly in camps and in hotel rooms and flats. The worst congestion occurs in camps on five Aegean islands near Turkey where there are over 36,000 people for fewer than 6,100 places. There have been two coronavirus outbreaks in camps on the Greek mainland, forcing authorities to lock down both facilities. For this reason, the government has so far resisted pressure to move asylum seekers to the mainland. On Monday, the International Organisation for Migration said over 2,000 asylum seekers in high-risk groups would be temporarily moved from island camps to hotels and apartments. This would include everyone over 65 years of age, said IOM mission chief for Greece Gianluca Rocco. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former President John Dramani Mahama has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to the Upper East Regional hospital to fight COVID-19. The items include 40 sets of PPE, 30 N95 face masks, 1,000 surgical gloves, 130 coveralls, 90-foot covers, 20 safety goggles, 20 gumboots, among others. Dr. Vida Yakong who presented the items on behalf of former President John Mahama said the party under the leadership of John Mahama was contributing its quota to the collective fight against COVID-19 across the country. The former President is reaching out to all facilities around the country to support them with items that will help them do their work. He extends his profound gratitude to all health workers across the country for the good work they have been doing. We are aware of the challenges that they do have. Most of it dwells on the lack of PPE. If they (health workers) have nothing to protect themselves, I don't see how they are going to fight the battle. We are not waiting for health service providers to go on strike because they have nothing to work with before we respond to their cry, so, today is a response to that, she said. Dr. Yakong appealed to government to speed up the distribution of PPE across the country to enable health workers effectively work. She impressed on the government to open up the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for use to complement the fight against COVID-19. The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital must be in use. It was built for the purposes of expansion but we are crisis and when you are in crisis, whatever little resources you have including structures, you want to put them to use. At the moment, The country is lacking centres for isolation. It is just appropriate that we use this opportunity to fast-track the finishing and opening of the facility for use to accommodate COVID-19 patients, she noted. Acting Medical Director of the regional hospital, Dr. Samuel Aborah commended the former president for his support to the fight against COVID-19 and pledged to put the PPE to good use in the fight against the pandemic. These items will help us augment what we have to improve upon our infection prevention; a practice which is a key intervention in the case management against COVID-19. We will ensure that all the units will get some as well as frontline workers so that they will be protected against any case that they may come into contact with and also help us prevent transmission of infection in this facility. Dr. Aborah further appealed to benevolent organizations and philanthropists to support the regional hospital with more PPE, adding that, most of the PPE received are for one time use. ---citinewsroom Australia's top doctor has been slammed for laughing as he told New Zealand politicians they were lucky the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney. Professor Brendan Murphy also chuckled as he claimed an 'illegal dinner party' of health workers led to a huge coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania. Bungling authorities allowed the Ruby Princess cruise ship to disembark 2,700 passengers in Sydney Harbour on March 19 without health checks. More than 600 guests later tested positive to coronavirus and 18 are dead, including three who died in Tasmania. Bungling authorities allowed the Ruby Princess cruise ship to disembark 2,700 passengers in Sydney Harbour on March 19 without health checks. More than 600 guests later tested positive to coronavirus and 18 are dead Professor Murphy, Australia's chief medical officer, was briefing NZ's Epidemic Response Committee on Tuesday when he let slip his comments. 'We thought we were doing really well in the last week,' he said. 'Then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend, most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers.' He later backflipped on his claim after Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said the party leading to the outbreak was an unconfirmed 'rumour'. Professor Murphy then let out a nervous laugh and went on to make a poorly-received joke about the ill-fated cruise ship, amid more laughter. 'We think you're very lucky that the Ruby Princess unloaded in Sydney rather than in New Zealand, because that's become a bit of a saga here,' he said. The cruise stopped in several New Zealand cities before the country's borders were closed and the ship returned to Sydney. Hundreds of holidaymakers can be seen crammed together applauding the staff from the gold-trimmed staircase on board the Ruby Princess, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner Australians lashed out at Professor Murphy for laughing at the Tasmanian situation, as well as his joke about the Ruby Princess Australians lashed out at Professor Murphy for laughing at the Tasmanian situation, as well as his joke about the Ruby Princess. 'The unprofessional smirk and laugh as Brendan Murphy made the statement about the 'illegal dinner' was disturbing!' one wrote on social media. 'Not appropriate behaviour for a doctor in a national leadership role, particularly on public media.' Another wrote: 'Just the pure fact he was laughing is revolting. He does not deserve to keep his position.' 'And then Brendan Murphy laughs about it. People have died. Its not funny,' a third wrote in reference to his laugh when talking about the dinner party. Professor Murphy later released a statement walking back his claim to be more in line with Mr Gutwein's comments. 'Whilst this possibility had previously been mentioned to me following formal investigations, I am now informed that the contact tracing has not confirmed that such a dinner party occurred,' he said. 'Tasmanian officials are continuing their investigations.' Pictured: Tasmania's coronavirus outbreak on the north-west coast has led to the shut down of almost half the state There were 6,494 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the country on Tuesday morning Social media users were incensed that after their outrage at the medics allegedly involved in the party, Professor Murphy wasn't even sure. 'Lets tell stories to other people with no real confirmation yet. This story is now out there,' one wrote. 'How will this affect the workers? Not good form with so much at stake.' Another wrote that even before Tuesday they believed Professor Murphy to be a 'bumbling idiot' and this merely reinforced it. 'To say something loaded as he did without hard evidence to a NZ Parliamentary committee simply reinforces his stupidity,' they said. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Mr Gutwein very quickly after the footage of Professor Murphy's comments being aired said he could not confirm the source of the outbreak. 'I spoke to Brendan Murphy, a short while ago. To be frank, Brendan was commenting on a rumour,' he told a press conference. 'At this stage... Our contact tracing has not identified a dinner party of health workers. 'However, I accept that this is a serious allegation, and it's something that needs to be followed up, and so we will retrace our steps. 'I've asked the Tasmania Police to investigate this matter, and that will be started today. We need to get on top of this.' Two hospitals in Burnie, northwest Tasmania, were closed on Monday with five deaths and 78 cases, including 45 medics, linked to the area. More than 5,000 people including 1,200 hospital staff and their households were ordered to quarantine for 14 days while the hospitals were disinfected. A third of Tasmania's land mass was also placed under stronger lockdown with non-essential businesses including Kmart, Bunnings, and thousands of shops closed. The alleged dinner party would be the latest in a series of blunders that is claimed to have led to the outbreak - starting with passengers arriving from the Ruby Princess cruise ship Three passengers died from coronavirus at one of the two hospitals after they were allowed to disembark in Sydney without health checks and fly home to Tasmania. Five elderly people have died from the virus in Tasmania, at least four of them at the North West Regional Hospital. Trade supply stores are only open to tradespeople. Pictured: Shoppers at Bunnings A man, aged in his 80s, died at North West Regional Hospital on Tuesday April 7. He was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked in Sydney Harbour on March 19. Two other Ruby Princess passengers, both aged over 80, died at the same hospital on March 30 and March 31. The Tasmanian government announced 14 days of 'tough restrictions' for the north-west of the state from Sunday. Most retail businesses - including Kmart and Big W - have been forced to shut their doors during the two-week period. Essential services such as pharmacies, supermarkets, food take-away, service/petrol stations and medical services remain open. Trade supply stores are only open to tradespeople. The novel coronavirus pandemic couldn't stop one former truck driver and childrens minister from delivering 300 Easter meals and baskets for children in need in Charlotte, North Carolina. Renee Brown, now a childrens author, partnered with Charlotte community activist Charles Robinson for the special Easter Sunday delivery that all came together from a Facebook post. PHOTO: Renee Brown said she worked overnight to help package the Easter baskets in Charlotte, N.C. (Kevin Campbell/WSOCTV) Due to coronavirus shutting down schools and homeless food shelters, Robinson, who runs an organization called Community Hub, has been feeding hundreds of children three meals a day, and posted on Facebook about needing to find a kitchen to continue his work. According to Robinson, coronavirus shutdowns have made many families food insecure in the Charlotte area, but the community has come together to rally around those who need meals the most. Some families are currently living in motel rooms, Robinson said, due to a major housing crisis as well. PHOTO: Charles Robinson, founder of Community Hub, feeds families seven days a week amid coronavirus in Charlotte, N.C. (Kevin Campbell/WSOCTV) "God has blessed us with a lot of love and community support. The favor of God rests on us and the donations have come in and we've managed to work and love and feed the community. Charlottes really coming together," said Robinson. MORE: 'We miss you guys': Amid coronavirus, good news is happening Brown said she saw Robinson's post and had the idea to team up and deliver baskets to the children that Robinson was feeding, too. "I remember seeing [Robinsons Facebook post] and I got in contact with him and from that to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, there was enough food donated to feed 1,500 people," said Brown. PHOTO: Community volunteers kept their social distance while helping to organize the 300 donated Easter baskets in Charlotte, N.C. (Kevin Campbell/WSOCTV) "All the kids had a great Easter and it was so good to see those kids run out of their houses or motel rooms and get their baskets," Robinson added. MORE: Grandma sings 'Happy Birthday' to herself amid coronavirus quarantine Brown said she was inspired by her late grandmother, known as Grandma Polly, to give back this Easter. "She had 10 children, but when she fed us, she fed everybody because she was a woman that gave to her community," said Brown, who honored Grandma Polly by dressing like her while delivering the Easter baskets. "Just knowing what these kids go through, and to have the chance to give them that moment of pleasure, I cant explain how much joy there is behind that." This grandma delivered 300 Easter baskets to children in need originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com When 39-year-old male nurse Wang Benxue finally arrived home, his 3-year-old daughter thought he was a stranger. After fighting COVID-19 in Wuhan for 56 days, his hair had turned white. Wang Benxue heads to Wuhan. (Photo/Guizhou City News) On Feb. 4, Wang received the call to assist Wuhan. After making a phone call to his wife and daughter, he immediately left his hospital and headed to the city. Wang is the only male nurse in the medical team dispatched by the Peoples Hospital in Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Tongren, southwest China's Guizhou province. As an experienced nurse, Wang was responsible for taking care of 21 COVID-19 patients at a Fangcang makeshift hospital designated to receive patients with mild and moderate symptoms. Wang Benxue (1st from left) and his patients (Photo/Guizhou City News) In addition to that, he also offered counseling services to the patients, boosting their spirits to help them defeat the virus. The workload was so heavy and stressful that Wangs hair began to turn white. Wang said he missed his daughter very much while he was in Wuhan. She is very clingy with me and we have never been apart for that long. On the day I left, she asked me on the phone when would I come back, Wang said. Wang Benxue returns to his home. (Photo/Guizhou City News) It took a few minutes after they were reunited for the daughter to finally recognize her father. The little girl put her hands around her fathers shoulders, touched his hair gently, and asked, What happened to your hair, Daddy? DUBLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Ireland's rival Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties will meet on Tuesday to sign off on a broad agreement struck by their negotiating teams aimed at attracting enough additional support to form a new government. DUBLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Ireland's rival Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties will meet on Tuesday to sign off on a broad agreement struck by their negotiating teams aimed at attracting enough additional support to form a new government. The centre-right parties, who have alternated in power throughout the nation's history but have never formed a coalition together, need the support of at least one smaller party or eight independent lawmakers to reach a majority. Their two negotiating teams finalised a joint paper setting out broad policy goals on Monday. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Acting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael will discuss the paper on Tuesday, a spokesman for Varadkar said. If the framework document is then approved by each party's wider group of lawmakers - likely a formality once the leaders give it the okay - it will be the basis of negotiations to form a majority government. Both parties steadfastly refuse to govern with the left-wing, pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein party, which surged to 37 seats in the Feb. 8 election, the same number held by Fianna Fail and two more than Fine Gael's 35 in the fractured 160-seat chamber. That leaves the Green Party, which has 12 seats, and the centre-left Labour and Social Democrat parties, with six seats each, as the only viable partners. All three have so far shown little enthusiasm, although one of the Social Democrat's co-leaders said on Sunday it was open to looking at the document. "We need them to step up. This is a time for stable government in Ireland to get on with massive challenges. We need other political parties to join us," Acting Health Minister Simon Harris of Fine Gael told a news conference on Monday. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Nick Tattersall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A court hearing is scheduled for later this week that is likely to result in one of the two remaining juveniles being released, DeBoer said. That move would leave just one juvenile at the center the 15-year-old Gary boy charged with joining in on the November robbery and shooting death of 27-year-old Adriana Saucedo of Portage, the judge said. The juvenile staff and its service providers have modified and cut back services, but are still doing what they can do maintain contact, oversight and provide what they can for juveniles and their caregivers, Beier said. Much is being done by telephone, she said, but there are providers going to homes to provide individual and group therapy. DeBoer said she started conducting drug court through video conferencing. The eye-to-eye contact seems to be more effective at getting the attention of young people even if it's through a video screen, she said. Modifications have also been made to avoid intakes at the juvenile detention center unless absolutely necessary, Beier said. This has resulted in no new admissions so far during the pandemic. Jordan will not allow public worship in mosques during the holy month of Ramadan that begins next week as part of measures to stem the spread of coronavirus, the religious affairs minister said on Tuesday. Mohammad Khalaylah said evening prayers known as Taraweeh, a main part of the religious observance of the month-long fasting, would be banned. As in other Muslim countries, the authorities have closed mosques and public places of worship as part of a tight lockdown and ban on gatherings to stem the spread of the virus in a country with 391 confirmed cases and seven deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: The made-in Brazil Bacurau is a curious film that raises many questions. Perhaps the main question is: Who is its intended audience? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The made-in Brazil Bacurau is a curious film that raises many questions. Perhaps the main question is: Who is its intended audience? In its first few scenes, it comes off as a slice-of-life kind of social drama set in a remote Brazilian village. It could be a comedy. We follow the beautiful public health nurse Teresa (Barbara Colen) as she returns to her village with a supply of medicine. She encounters an old gentleman, perhaps a shaman, who feeds her a seedling with psychotropic properties, so that by the time she attends the burial of her revered grandmother Carmelita, she is hallucinating up a storm. Also, the funeral is interrupted by an explosive rant by the towns physician Domingas (the great Sonia Braga), whom, we learn, goes off the rails when shes had a few drinks. Sonia Braga (centre) as a hard-drinking doctor in Bacurau. (Supplied) It could be a romantic melodrama: Teresa is drawn to a local outlaw named Pacote (Thomas Aquino), a fearsome man who seems to want to turn over a new leaf, reinventing himself as "Acacio." The reinvention will not last. It could be political satire. When the towns "mayor" Tony Junior shows up, the whole town retreats indoors and shouts abuse at him. It could be science fiction. One of the villagers who leaves before Tonys arrival finds himself being followed by what looks like a flying saucer. (The film is set a few years in the future.) Written and directed by Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonca Filho, the movie is all those things, of course. But by the time Udo Kier shows up as a menacing, heavily armed wealthy psycho in the company of some like-minded, heavily armed Americans, it is clearly starting to look like a bloody shoot-em-up. But even that aspect of the movie doesnt proceed like one might expect. Some of this has to do with the village itself. On one occasion, suspicious visitors are advised to check out the museum, and their failure to do so, one learns, might have saved the interlopers some pain. (The towns name evidently translates as "Nighthawk.") Udo Kier (left) confronts Sonia Braga in Bacurau. (Supplied) Its a ridiculously entertaining film, notwithstanding a cumbersome 132-minute running time, and its appeal lies in the richness of the village setting. Imagine for a minute the movie The Magnificent Seven told from the perspective of the Mexican villagers, and not the gringo gunslingers. Now imagine the villagers each partaking of a bud of peyote before the climactic showdown, and learning gringos with guns are not to be trusted. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. So who is the intended audience? Cinematheque patrons, of course. Bacurau kicks off Cinematheque at Home, a streaming site channelled through Vimeo on Demand that gives Winnipeggers Cinematheque-style movies from the comfort of home, at least as long as COVID-19 keeps the downtown art house closed. Its a sound choice, recommended for anyone who admired the sun-baked weirdness of past Cinematheque offerings such as Let the Corpses Tan. Twitter: @FreepKing If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Acwa Power, a leader in power generation and water desalination projects, has signed up leading construction and contracting firm Thabat to build an integrated mobile hospital in Saudi Arabia with a 100-bed capacity, fully resourced with the medical equipment and supplies needed to treat Covid-19 cases. The new hospital, which will be operational within 70 days, aims to provide comprehensive healthcare services and aid in handling the pandemic. The agreement was signed by Thamer Al Sharhan of Acwa Power and Essam Al Muhaidib of Thabat in the presence of Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Health Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah and Acwa Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan. As per the agreement, Acwa Power will utilise its extensive expertise and capabilities in the swift implementation and delivery of projects that require the highest standards of safety and security. Upon completion of construction within 70 days, the assets and contracts will be handed over to the Ministry of Health, said the statement. Abunayyan said the new hospital will be fully dedicated to caring for Covid-19 patients. "It comes as part of Acwa Powers commitment to reinforcing the efforts of the Saudi energy sector to enhance prevention actions taken by the Saudi Ministry of Health during these times," he noted. Under the constant guidance of Prince Abdulaziz, the Saudi energy sector is harnessing its capabilities towards supporting the prevention measures taken by the Ministry of Health, in its drive to combat the repercussions of Covid-19, he said. This initiative is part of the efforts driven by the national energy sector to address the crisis in our beloved kingdom, stated Abunayyan. Abunayyan lauded Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Al Madinah Al Munawarah, for his role in expediting processes, allocating land for the hospital, and providing optimum support from the official bodies of the governorate to complete the project within its required time frame. "Acwa Power is an active part of the Saudi energy sector, and will remain in full solidarity with all national initiatives to overcome this crisis," said the top official. "Leveraging our technical expertise and capabilities in mobilizing and deploying highly secured projects, we believe this project will supplement existing medical resources by providing a dedicated facility, quickly and efficiently to help diagnose, support and treat Covid-19 patients," he added.-TradeArabia News Service As federal and state officials scramble to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts are sounding alarms about the potential danger of increased surveillance programs they say could do long-term damage to U.S. privacy rights. Other nations, including South Korea and Israel, have used tracking data including cellphone location information and facial recognition tools to power their pandemic responses. But similar efforts in the United States could amount to a major erosion of civil liberties. And there's scant evidence that efforts more sensitive to privacy and security concerns would actually be effective at containing the virus, experts say. "My concern is that out of desperation we will turn to technology and put in place a massive surveillance apparatus at a tangible loss to civil liberties that doesn't even accomplish the goals it sets out to in terms of saving human lives and healing the economy," Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor focused on cybersecurity and privacy, told me. Technology aimed at tracking infected Americans is just now being developed in the United States. Google and Apple are teaming up to create new digital tools that could tell iPhone and Android users when they cross paths with someone who is infected via Bluetooth wireless technology. Neither the infected person's identity nor their actual location would be revealed. Yet one big concern is the virus could lead policymakers to rush headlong into adopting new digital surveillance regimes that don't get rolled back once the pandemic is under control. Officials could also adopt tracking tools that are later re-purposed for other things, similar to how post-9/11 surveillance and investigatory powers aimed at combating terrorism were later used to stem drug trafficking and other crimes. Tools that trace who has been in contact with people who test positive for the virus, for example, ultimately could end up being used by law enforcement to track criminals and their associates. "Mission creep is always a concern because historically we've seen it happen," Jennifer Granick, surveillance and cybersecurity counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told me. Granick and other experts are urging companies and government officials to make a series of technology and policy commitments regarding any surveillance programs. Those include collecting as little data as possible and anonymizing to the greatest extent feasible. They should also ensure any data they collect won't be used for purposes beyond combating the virus and commit to ending any new programs as soon as the virus is under control. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., whose state is among the hardest hit by the virus, urged the government to "resist hasty decisions that will sweep up massive, unrelated data sets" and to "guard against vaguely defined and non-transparent government initiatives with our personal data. Because rights and data surrendered temporarily during an emergency can become very difficult to get back." The meeting was conducted as a "paper hearing" with lawmakers and witnesses digitally submitting opening statements and questions and answers but not meeting in person. Though there's been a lot of talk about leveraging technology to combat the pandemic, there are few hard plans inside the United States so far. The joint venture between Google and Apple, which could launch as soon as mid-May, includes protections to anonymize user data and would rely on people voluntarily downloading apps that participate in the program and reporting when they test positive. Google is also using its trove of location data across 131 countries to share anonymized information with health officials about how much people are traveling during the pandemic. Those privacy and security protections may also make any contact tracing technology less effective, though. For example, the apps probably wouldn't distinguish between people who passed an infected person on the street and those who spent day after day next to him at the office, Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology noted during a panel discussion on coronavirus privacy concerns hosted by the Project on Government Oversight. Some tech and security experts also warned information collected by the apps could be used to discriminate against people based on their infection status. Here's Sergio Caltagirone, a former National Security Agency official, who's now vice president for threat intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Dragos: "Think if this had happened during the AIDS epidemic. I guarantee you people would have been murdered by homophobes," he wrote on Twitter. "This will ABSOLUTELY be used to discriminate against people as fear of coronavirus will rise as we leave large-scale quarantine. Some people will not be allowed in certain places. Some people may not be allowed to return to work." There's also a danger of hackers exploiting such apps. For example, U.S. adversaries might falsely report a slew of infections to sow chaos and create the false impression of a surge of new infections, Calo said. Or political operatives could do something similar during an election to make people fearful of leaving the house to vote in person. And even anonymized data can be misused by government officials - for instance, if police use reports that a particular neighborhood isn't honoring stay-at-home orders as an excuse to ramp up unrelated arrests, Granick said. "We need to be responsive to this crisis now, but we also need to be thinking about how this data will be used in the future," she said. "Once this data is collected the only thing that really constrains how it's used are laws and policies." Politico also reported last week that a coronavirus task force led by presidential adviser Jared Kushner has reached out to numerous health tech companies about how they can use data to combat the virus. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote to the White House urging significant privacy protections on any such effort including reviews by external experts, a halt to the programs once the virus is under control and extra efforts to ensure the privacy of racial minorities and LGBTQ people. GB foods producers of Gino range of products has donated 100,000,00 cedes to the Coviid-19 trust fund. In addition the company donated food products and range of Veronica buckets worth 250 thousand cedis to the fund. At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House, Managing Director of GB Foods, David Afflu indicated the company was touched by the exemplary leadership showed by President Akufo Addo hence the donation. With over 40 years of business spanning several African countries, GB food with Gino, Jumbo, Pomo tomato paste as some of the flagship products, the company with its origin from Barcelona, Spain has a well-flourished production factory employing hundreds of Ghanaians in its global food chain. Presenting the cheque, Mr. Afflu said the company will continue to partner government in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. "....we as a company takes safety and health issues very seriously and that is why we are here to donate to the fund and we are doing so because we trust and believe in the leadership of the President to see the country through this unfortunate development because it is only in an atmosphere of peace and disease free that business like ours can grow," Mr. Afflu added. Receiving the cash and items donated, the chairperson of the Covid 19 Trust Fund, Sophia Akufo acknowledged the contribution of GB foods to the Ghanaian economy. "I must admit Gino is a household name and a regular feature in most meals at home but we are particularly happy with this donation and we promise every penny of it will be used for the benefit of the vulnerable in society," she added. GB, before the presentation at the Jubilee, had made a similar donation of 60 thousand worth of sanitizers to the Noguchi Medical Research Centre and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Alpargatas is spearheading the Goodwill Partnership network to unite partners and volunteers who want to contribute in the fight against COVID-19. Roberto Funari, president of Alpargatas announced: Our aim is to unite our efforts, starting with actions by the Alpargatas Institute and Havaianas. Initially, we will donate 250 thousand masks, more than 250 thousand pairs of shoes, and organise actions focused on the vulnerable communities in the countrys largest cities. We are working on many different fronts and we would like to invite other companies to join us in this initiative. The company has temporarily repurposed and adapted the Havaianas factories to make this production possible. Initially Alpargatas will produce 250 thousand N95 masks to be donated to the public health services in the Brazilian states of Paraiba, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, where the companys factories are installed. In addition, the company will donate 18,000 pairs of shoes suitable for healthcare environments to Sao Paulo hospital professionals, made in the Havaianas factories instead of flip flops. Through the Havaianas brand, Alpargatas will donate 100,000 kits of essential products, including Havaianas, hygiene products and food, to vulnerable communities in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Salvador and Belo Horizonte. -- Tradearabia News Service In a democracy, no one should be forced to choose between health and the right to vote. Imagine if days before the November election you learn that your polling place has been closed, that your request for an absentee ballot has gone unfulfilled and that you have to risk a grave infection by standing in line possibly for hours to claim your stake in our democracy. If that sounds outrageous to you, it should. But its exactly what happened in the Wisconsin election last week. First the Republican-controlled State Legislature blocked Gov. Tony Everss efforts to delay the election for public safety reasons, and then the United States Supreme Court reversed his order to extend the absentee ballot deadline. In Milwaukee, which has the largest minority population in the state, the number of open polling places was shrunk to five from 180, as poll workers dropped out. In Green Bay, the number plunged to two from 31. Needless to say, the lines were hours long. Voters wore homemade face masks to protect themselves from contracting the coronavirus if they were willing to risk voting at all. And if you think there ought to be a better way, youre not alone. I know of one person who, with an election approaching in his newly adopted state, simply requested an absentee ballot from the comfort of his own home so he could vote safely and easily by mail. Sams Club cart guy Billy Mayer uses a sprayer to sanitize about 400 shopping carts at Sams Deptford store before it opened to customers on April 11. Read more The curve of coronavirus infection is flattening in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, officials said Monday. Social distancing is working, they said and has helped to avert a worst-case scenario in New Jersey hospitals but progress is fragile. Lifting the measures too soon could set the states back and reignite the virus spread, a coalition of governors including Pennsylvanias Tom Wolf and New Jerseys Phil Murphy warned Monday. They announced a multistate council with other governors in the Northeastern United States to create plans for returning to a more normal life as President Donald Trump claimed total authority to reopen the country. Pennsylvanias case count has plateaued thanks to residents and business owners following the states school and business closures and stay-at-home orders, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. Because of social distancing, the state has avoided a much, much worse death toll to date, she said. Philadelphia officials indicated the same, saying that while city hospitals were busy, there remained plenty of vacant beds and available ventilators. READ MORE: Inside a Philadelphia COVID-19 hospital, where everything is repurposed for survival This has been a very difficult and hard sacrifice for Pennsylvanians, but the sacrifice is working, Levine said. The closures are saving lives in Pennsylvania. If we stop those efforts now, our health systems will become overwhelmed, and then more will be lost to this dangerous virus. In an opinion issued Monday, the state Supreme Court upheld Wolfs March 19 order for non-"life-sustaining" businesses to shut down, saying he used the states emergency code and the governors police powers appropriately. In New Jersey, officials had feared that the past weekend would bring a surge in cases and up to 14,400 people hospitalized. Instead, there was good news: an undeniably flattening curve that Murphy said was the result of good social distancing. As of Monday, 7,781 residents were hospitalized with the virus. It could have been a lot worse, Murphy said. Weve already probably dodged a significant chunk of this bullet. Nationally, the number of new cases appears to be stabilizing, said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was cautiously optimistic that the United States was nearing the peak of the pandemic, as the number of cases passed 500,000 over the weekend. ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters. As a fierce and destructive storm swept through the region Monday, officials cautioned that the great news that the rates of infection are slowing in different areas does not mean the region is out of the woods. If New Jersey takes its foot off the gas, Murphy said, it could at worst see up to 36,000 residents hospitalized and 6,000 on ventilators, according to projections from the governors Office of Innovation. The shutdown measures in place are an effort to make sure those projections dont come true. Our job is to make sure we pound the curve from a worst-case scenario to a best-case scenario, Murphy said. New Jersey now has 64,584 residents who have tested positive for the disease, while the states death toll has reached 2,443. The majority are in North Jersey. In South Jersey, there are more than 3,000 confirmed cases in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties. Camden County officials reported 10 deaths on Monday, the most there in a single day. And the peak number of cases is yet to come in Pennsylvania, Levine said. With 1,366 newly reported cases Monday, the state has 24,199 confirmed cases and 524 deaths. Of people who have tested positive for the virus, nearly 1,200 are health-care workers and nearly 1,700 are residents of long-term-care facilities. A 67-year-old Philadelphia man serving a life sentence at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County became the first state prison inmate to die from complications of the virus. And Kevin Bundy, a 33-year-old Delaware County paramedic, died after contracting the virus at work, county officials said. Numbers indicate the pandemic is beginning to peak in Philadelphia, where 427 new cases and 14 deaths were reported Monday, said city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. The new numbers continued a slowdown in cases. Though hospitals are still well positioned to handle the flow of patients, Farley cautioned, Were not there yet. Were just showing signs we may be stabilizing. Were not on the other side of the epidemic yet. HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you. The medical station at the closed Glen Mills Schools will be relocated to East Stroudsburg as Delaware County officials say they are prepared and can handle the capacity of patients they are receiving and anticipate receiving due to the coronavirus, county officials said Monday night. Members of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and National Guard will begin breaking down the site Tuesday morning and then will relocate it to an undisclosed location in East Stroudsburg. Preparations were still underway for overwhelmed hospitals. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey announced triage guidelines for hospitals that lay out procedures for prioritizing which patients get care if the system is overwhelmed. The policy is meant to do the greatest good for the greatest number, Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli said. And more sorely needed medical equipment was on its way. Vice President Mike Pence said the federal government would send Pennsylvania two million N95 masks. New Jersey also received 200 more ventilators from the federal stockpile, Murphy said, and the government of Taiwan is donating 300,000 medical masks to the state. Grocery stores continued expanding safety measures in Pennsylvania, with the Fresh Market requiring customers to wear masks beginning Tuesday and Giant joining Acme, Aldi, and other supermarkets in limiting the number of shoppers allowed at any one time. New Jerseyans entered their first week under a new mandate for stores to limit capacity and require all shoppers and workers to wear masks. Murphy, Wolf, and the governors of New York, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island on Monday announced a joint effort to create a plan for the eventual slow and safe reopening of the region. Leaders of the three West Coast states announced similar collaboration hours after Trump asserted in a tweet that he would be the one to decide when the country relaxes its social distancing guidelines, not individual governors. Well, seeing as we had the responsibility for closing the state down, Wolf said on an afternoon call with reporters and the other governors, I think we probably have the primary responsibility for opening it up. At a Monday evening briefing, a testy Trump, who has weighed reopening parts of the economy as early as next month, said his authority could overrule governors stay-at-home orders. When someone is president of the United States, the authority is total, he said. The states and local officials have constitutional responsibility for public safety. This is about being smart, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Not political smart. The six governors said their group of public health and economics officials would begin working Tuesday to devise a plan for reopening the regions economy. Massachusetts, the only state in the group with a Republican governor, became the seventh state to join late Monday. The multistate council will use public health and economic data to guide governors to safely bring life back to normal in the Northeastern U.S. without putting the public at risk of another spike in infections. Determining when its safe to begin easing restrictions will include looking for consistent declining trends in the number of cases, and daily increases and percentage of positive tests, Levine said. Any reopening plan in Pennsylvania will be gradual, with officials watching for outbreaks as different sectors slowly come back to life, she said. The governors said it was key to synchronize their approaches and to only reopen after public health experts and health recovery data indicate its appropriate. Youve got to get people healthy first, and then you can reopen the economy, Wolf said. Staff writers Jeremy Roebuck, Ellie Rushing, Allison Steele, Rob Tornoe, and Sean Collins Walsh contributed to this article. CCP Virus Outbreak Reveals Lethal Threat of Chinese Communist Party: Alan Leong With the world focused on the CCP virus pandemic, how is Chinas communist regime taking advantage of this crisis to expand its grip on Hong Kong? How exactly has Hong Kong managed to contain the CCP virus to relatively few cases? How is the Chinese leaderships encroachment on Hong Kongs rule of law and freedoms a reflection of its global ambitions? And what can we expect if the regime has its way? In this episode, we sit down with Alan Leong, a longtime proponent of Hong Kong democracy and rule of law. The former head of the Hong Kong Bar Association, he also served on the Hong Kong Legislative Council for 12 years. In 2014, he helped lead the Umbrella Movement and currently serves as Chairman of the pro-democracy Civic Party. Jan Jekielek: Alan Leong, so great to have you back on American Thought Leaders. Alan Leong: My pleasure. Mr. Jekielek: Alan, we spoke last December when I was in Hong Kong. You were arguing that the reality that Hong Kong faces with the Chinese Communist Party, is actually something the world needs to look at because theyre going to face that same reality. If theyre not facing it now, theyre going to face it sometime. And that really stuck with me. I want to dig into that because theres been some examples of how the CCP is using the worlds focus on coronavirus to further encroach on Hong Kong freedoms and basic law. Before we jump into that, whats the reality on the ground right now in Hong Kong? Mr. Leong: Well, when we talked in December, I actually used the figurative speech that todays Hong Kong would be liberal democracies tomorrow, and therefore, if you are thinking that you are just helping Hong Kong, that is not quite accurate because you are at the same time helping yourselves. I think this coronavirus saga is bringing that message home, cut and dried, to liberal democracies and their peoples. In the past, liberal democracies focused on the dollar sign by doing business in China, exploiting the huge market in China, but now they know that by such business dealings, they can easily be sacrificing lives. And of course, you know why because there had been this concealment of very relevant information by the CCP as to when this coronavirus first came into being and how it had spread, etc. So, I think this virus is in a way awakening a lot of people in liberal democracies who had not done so before. Coming back to your question as to what is on the ground in Hong Kong, in so far as this CCP virus is concerned, I think we are doing reasonably well, given the fact that our Chief Executive Carrie Lam had been very slow in closing the border between Hong Kong and the mainland. And there has consistently been an influx of mainlanders into Hong Kong. And of course, we were very anxious about this. So anxious that many of our doctors and nurses went on strike for five days, and what they demanded was for Carrie Lam to close the border between Hong Kong and the mainland so that the Hong Kong public health system would not collapse as a result of this huge influx of people who would be prone to carrying this virus with them. The strike of the medical personnel actually resulted in a partial closure of the border in the form of restrictions imposed on those coming into Hong Kong from the mainland, requiring them to undergo a period of quarantine, etc. So, if you ask me why Hong Kong is doing okay, given all the influx of mainlanders, I think I would give credit to the anti-extradition movement. I would also give credit to what happened in 2014 in the Umbrella Movement and the 79 days of occupation. Because from these huge peoples movements, and the response that we had gotten from the CCP and from the local administration, we learned this lesson, albeit a very hard way, that we cant trust the CCP, we cant trust the Hong Kong government, and we have to really do what we can as a matter of self-help. And therefore, we tried our very best to get supply of surgical masks. You may remember that there were about three weeks in Hong Kong, beginning about mid-January to early February, that you found long queues of Hong Kong people. Whenever they heard that a particular shop got some supplies of this surgical mask, they would queue up the night before. And so, we also try to make those alcohol wash ourselves because they were short in supply in the markets in Hong Kong, in Januaryhand rub, etc. And also, we did not follow the suggestion from Carrie Lam for us not to wear masks. We just listen to our expertspandemic experts, doctors, etc. So, I think the present situation that we are in is not as bad as it could have been, we owe it to these huge peoples movements and the lesson that we learned from them. Mr. Jekielek: Taiwan is also doing model work around trying to deal with the pandemic. They were in an unusual situation in that they didnt even have access to the WHO information, which by all accounts, was basically fed directly from the CCP. Taiwan didnt trust what the CCP was saying either. So, any country that did trust the CCP seems to have fared very, very poorly. Mr. Leong: I think when you likened Hong Kong to Taiwan in how we are faring in this war against the CCP virus, you are making a very apt analogy. Taiwan is not a member of WHO and that is of course a blessing as it turns out, because Taiwan will not have to listen to Dr. Tedros. Dr. Tedros was saying and telling the worldI think America actually suffered as a result of trusting Dr. Tedros at the WHOthat it believed that this CCP virus was actually controllable and it would not spread like wildfire as it is now spreading. So, I think what is common between Hong Kong and Taiwan is that we did not trust the WHO, we did not trust the CCP for the information that they provided. Of course Hong Kong also experienced, about 20 years ago, the SARS epidemic. So, we are quite tuned to wearing surgical masks to protect ourselves and protect others; protect our neighbors. I think it is this mentality, and not trusting CCP, or the WHO, that put us in our present situation. Mr. Jekielek: Recently, Dr. Tedros, the head of the World Health Organization, accused Taiwan of being racist towards his person. Actually, this idea of racism has been used by Chinese officials and spokespeople as well when American officials were saying that the virus originated in China. Im wondering if you could speak to this. Mr. Leong: Well, the talk about racism in the context of the coronavirus, to me, is really a red herring. It has directed attention in a wrong direction, and if we follow that direction, we are going off on a tangent. The CCP has a history of playing up nationalism whenever they are in deep trouble and this is a tactic that the CCP is used to deploying. And talking about Dr. Tedros, firstly, it has been found out that all the attacks on him which apparently originated from Taiwan, had been created by mainland netizens. And secondly, I think Dr. Tedros missed the point. The world has been complaining that the WHO has become the China Health Organization by concealing very material and relevant information which, if the world had known in a timely manner, could have prevented over 90% of the spread of the virus. Now, this is really the point that Dr. Tedros ought to be addressing. But I know why he was playing up this racism cardbecause he doesnt have an answer to what should always have been the question. Mr. Jekielek: A RTHK reporter did the interview with WHO official which went viral subsequently because the official wasnt going to speak about Taiwan. But the [Hong Kong] administration is coming down on RTHK right now with respect to this. Can you speak to that? Mr. Leong: Yes. In fact, I can generally describe the Hong Kong situation as follows: I think the CCP and its agent, namely Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive in Hong Kong, are exploiting the public health situation to do some very bad things. And there are a few of these bad things. For example, there are talks about making national security laws as soon as possible. You remember that they failed to do so in the year 2003. But now people are jumping at it and suggest that this may be time to do it. Another thing is that they started arresting people for sedition, which is something that we lawyers see to be a crime that aims at silencing dissidents and the dissent. Also, there are talks about canceling, or at least postponing, the September legislative council elections, which of course is a very great matter because youre taking away Hong Kongers right to vote, which is protected by the International Covenanthuman rights and political rights. And also without this right to vote, youre actually forcing people to use force or violence because this is the most civilized and rational way to manifest your political positions. And the fourth matter on my list is of course the thing that you just mentioned. Radio Television Hong Kong, generally known as RTHK, is of course a public broadcaster in Hong Kong. It is a government department under the control of the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. And we Hong Kong people have been watching RTHK for at least three to four decades, and we like in particular the way that the RTHK has put together programs that are satirical of the administration. We like the political satires that this public broadcaster has been producing. And there was this recent incident that a reporter of RTHK got herself this opportunity to interview online the Deputy Secretary-General of WHO. And the question asked by this female reporter to the Deputy Secretary-General was just, Sir, would you consider Taiwan for membership of WHO, and the Deputy Secretary-General suddenly cut the line as if there was a signal failure. And when he came back on, the reporter asked the question again, and he simply refused to meet it head on. So, that was the background. And the policy secretary, Edward Yau, in charge of RTHKthat is, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, this reporters boss, so to speaksuddenly came out in a high profile to allege that this reporter, by asking that question about Taiwan membership to be considered by WHO, is in fact going against and breaching the One China principle. Now, this, to me, is quite ridiculous. And there have been talks about the government coming down on this public broadcaster like tons of bricks, and obviously they do not like the way that RTHK has been putting together all these programs which were so popular that make the administration and the CCP most embarrassed. So, they are these few matters, it seems, the CCP and the Hong Kong administration are exploiting the public health issue in the form of the CCP virus attacking Hong Kong to do very bad things. Mr. Jekielek: Youre basically saying, theyre not just attacking RTHK for the reporters suggestion that Taiwan might be independent, but theyre actually using this whole scenario as a hook to encroach on RTHKs independence altogether. Am I reading that right? Mr. Leong: Well, this reporters incident is not just a singular incident that suggests the administration is coming down on this public broadcaster. There are other things happening at the same time. For example, the administration was alleging that the RTHK in a political satire was ridiculing the police to such an extent that they misled the public into believing that the police was not doing their job properly. And by making this accusation, the administration actually asked the RTHK director to submit a report on the incident and kicked up a big fuss about it. And pro-Beijing and pro-government legislators in the Legislative Council were actually suggesting that perhaps they would cut the budget for RTHK in the coming financial year just to teach them a lesson. Now, all these things are happening at the same time, and this reporter who asked the question to the Deputy Secretary-General of WHO is only one of the few instances that we feel are instances that could bear witness to the administration going after RTHK. Mr. Jekielek: Thats fascinating, and frankly, very disturbing. The other thing you mentioned was this example of using the accusation of sedition. Im wondering if you could explain that a little bit. Mr. Leong: During the anti-extradition law saga, there was a reporter from Indonesia reporting the movement in Hong Kong. And on one occasion, there was an encounter between this reporter from Indonesia and the riot police, and one of her eyes was actually blinded as a result of the police firing at her. And there was a democrat who was the chairman of one of the district councils in Hong Kong, who posted on her Facebook the picture of this police officer praised by people on the internet to be the culprit who actually had fired on the Indonesian journalist, causing one of her eyes to be blinded. And the police arrested her, arrested this democrat District Council chairman and investigated her for a possible offense of sedition. Now, to all lawyers trained in the common law, we know that sedition is a political offense that first came into being, I think, in the 17th century when the British monarch was using this to silence the dissidents and any dissenting voices. So, it is an archaic offense, common law offense, that ought to have no place in modern-day Hong Kong when we are protected by the two International Covenants on Human Rights and also our own human rights ordinance. So, this proposed invocation of this archaic offense of sedition, again, is a move in the wrong direction. To us, it seems that the CCP and the Hong Kong administration are trying to really silence any dissenting voice. That eats into freedom of expression and freedom of speech. That is a great matter. Mr. Jekielek: You actually mentioned that people are talking about reintroducing the National Security Lawit was Article 23 back in the day. This was what created the original mass protests in the first place because it would remove the separation of the Hong Kong legal system from the mainland. Right now, there are people saying that should come back? Mr. Leong: Yes. In fact, July 1, 2003 saw the first 500,000 people march on Hong Kong Island streets. It started, what I would describe as, a social awakening of Hong Kong civil society. At that time, Hong Kong was under Tung Chee-hwa, our first chief executive, and the Secretary for Security was then Regina Ip, who of course is now a legislator and chairlady of the New Peoples Party. And Article 23 of the Basic Law actually obliges Hong Kong to make national security laws to deal with grave offenses like treason, breach of state secret, sedition, etc. And of course, you know that if we are into the realm of national security laws, there are bound to be some sacrifices on human rights and freedoms. At that time, I was Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, and we put out a very strong position paper to argue that if Hong Kong made the national security laws in the way that the chief executive was then proposing, then Hong Kongs rule of law as an institution would be very much harmed and damaged. And quite obviously, we persuaded quite a few Hong Kong people and there was this huge march on July 1, 2003, which resulted in the national security bill having been shelved by the chief executive, and it has never come back since. And just about, I think, a fortnight ago, there were more than one voice in Hong Kong from both the Legislative Council circle and Beijing camp arguing that, Well, it is high time that we made laws to deal with treason, etc., because that had been all that was causing the troubles in Hong Kong. So, that is also a very dangerous sign. We may be seeing a further deterioration of the Hong Kong rule of law, and respect for freedoms and human rights. While on that, perhaps you can allow me to also mention that the statements made by quite a few pro-Beijing figures on an occasion that marked the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law actually made me very anxious. The Basic Law was promulgated on April 4th, 1990. So, came April 4th, 2020, we are looking at the 30th anniversary. These pro-Beijing figures were telling Hong Kong that, Oh, you had been mistaken about your interpretation of the Basic Law. When you said, Oh, you have been promised a high degree of autonomy, your freedoms and your human rights would remain intact, your legal system and the rule of law as an institution would be preserved until at least 2047that was a mistake! In fact, I can tell you now that the CCP has all along retained absolute power over Hong Kong and you must read the Basic Law in a correct way. Now, this is really something that I cant swallow. Given these very clear statements, I think it is fair for me to conclude that on this 30th anniversary, I can say that the past 30 years actually tell a tale of treachery and deceit. So, they are actually saying, Well, look here, chaps. You thought that you had been promised a universal suffrage. You thought that you had been promised preservation of freedoms, human rights and the rule of law as an institution. You are mistaken. Now, how can anybody who is responsible say something like that? It is just like you have deceived Hong Kong people, and now turning around to accuse us of being so foolish as to have been deceived by you. This is really something, but it seems that this is the CCP that we are facing today. And coming back to where you began, Jan, I said todays Hong Kong can easily be the worlds tomorrow. Now, if the CCP is giving us this story of treachery and deceit, in not respecting the Basic Law and all the promises enshrined in it, then the CCP in its true colors is actually revealed to the world very clearly. And so, when I told your audience back in December that you, meaning the liberal democracies of the world, are standing with Hong Kong to fight for our freedom, that is not only you helping us to fight our war, our battle, against encroachment of freedoms, and human rights, and rule of law. Youre also defending yourselves because we are both sharing the same core values, ideologies and institutions of liberal democracies of the world, and we are facing the same threatthe CCP threat. And what happens on the ground in Hong Kong should bring home to you loudly and clearly what you might be facing in time to come. Mr. Jekielek: How much of an increased threat do you see amidst coronavirus from the CCP to encroach further on the freedoms of Hong Kong? Mr. Leong: What I see happening on the ground in Hong Kong while we are defending ourselves against this virus is that CCP is exploiting the situation to do bad things on Hong Kong people, thinking probably that the world would be too busy and otherwise engaged with fighting the coronavirus; that they could not spare the attention to keep an eye on Hong Kong. And that is exactly why Im telling the world that perhaps you should not do that. Of course, you fight the coronavirus, but at the same timeI think people are already doing this. They are trying to figure out what has brought about the chaos and the catastrophic effect on the world economy. An accusing finger, of course, is being pointed at the CCP, particularly in the form that it had chosen to conceal the coronavirus when it was first reported in Wuhan. And also, it had produced figures that were not trustworthy, so that the world did not have an accurate assessment as to what possible impact this coronavirus could have, and the catastrophic results that it could produce. So, this in a way, is bringing home to the world, how CCP threat can manifest itself in a way that is actually lethal to peoples of the liberal democratic world. It is in this way that I think this CCP virus is highly relevant to the worlds awakening to the CCP threat. It is just like an alarm clock that wakes you up, and this CCP virus is really so persuasive that you cant continue to sleep on it. You are now awakened and you have to find a way to deal with the CCP in the aftermath of the CCP virus. I think I can see evidence of the worldpoliticians, governments, peoples in liberal democraciesstarting to put on their thinking caps and trying to do something along this line. For example, I have seen some empirical huge data analysis done in 19 countries, I think, tracing back to patient zero of the virus outbreak in individual countries, and they trace it back to a person from Wuhan. And also, I think some Indian jurists are already asking the United Nations to make China, or in other words, the CCP, pay for the huge loss and damage suffered. And the Henry Jackson Society, a very reputable think tank in London, published a report that goes to about 50-60 pages to suggest that there are causes of action open to victims of the CCP virus so that they can pursue China for compensation. And lastly, only last week I saw a piece of news to say that the International Criminal Court already received an application for bringing China to justice in that court, something that can be likened to war crime. So, it seems that the CCP and President Xi Jinping are finding themselves in a very dire situation, that it seems that the whole world is coming down on them. But what bewilders me is that it seems the CCP and President Xi Jinping are not responding or reacting in a way that a rational being would expect them to. Instead of apologizing to the world for having done wrong, they are now putting out different allegations and accusations to say, firstly, that it was American soldiers bringing the virus to Wuhan. Then they actually suggested that it could be Italy that first spread the virus, through Chinese personnel, to China. Now, all these, I dont think will help them in regaining the trust of the world, and if such trust cannot be earned once again, then not only the CCP will face very dire consequences, Hong Kong will also go down with it. You might be aware that there was this news aboutis it Googlelaying a cable which originally was planned to go via Taiwan to Hong Kong. But now, I think they would stop at Taiwan, and the reason for that is that Hong Kong is no longer trusted as a member of the free world. If the cable goes to Hong Kong, it could actually jeopardize all the data and information conveyed in that seabed cable. And that is a very sad thing for Hong Kongers to note because we have been promised independent customs territory status since 1992 by the Hong Kong Policy Act, passed by the American Congress. But now, it seems that we are brought down by the CCP when the world has awakened to the CCP threat, and Hong Kong is no longer trusted as an autonomous region that can manage our own business, and honor our treaty and contract obligations with the rest of the world. That is a sad thing. Mr. Jekielek: It brings two questions to my mind. First of all, are you worried of the awareness of the way that CCP is acting around the world, around global governments, and especially in the U.S., will result in the special status of Hong Kong being revoked, which of course would be a very difficult situation? And two, the types of court cases that you were talking about earlier, holding the CCP accountable, theres actually legislation being introduced in the U.S. right now to this effect. Theres a number of lawsuits that weve been covering that also seek damages around this. The criticism of this legislation and these losses is simply: its too early to try to deal with this; lets deal with the problem first; lay blame later. What would you say to people that have that criticism? Mr. Leong: Theres a saying in Hong Kong that if we burn, the CCP burns with us. Well, it seems that unfortunately, we may be heading that way. If Hong Kong is no longer trusted as an autonomous Special Administrative Region that is given a free hand to manage our own business, then Hong Kong will be treated by the rest of the world as no different from Shanghai or Guangzhou. Now, so if that is the case, that is very, very difficult for Hong Kong to maintain our status as an international financial center. And of course, with such a status of an international financial center gone, then I really question how the CCP could recruit or to attract foreign investments directly into China, and also how it could exchange RMB into internationally traded foreign currencies. So, it is really difficult to answer why the CCP and President Xi are behaving in a way that is beyond logical comprehension, unless they actually want to burn Hong Kong, and then they burn with us. But that doesnt make sense. And the only way that I can explain it is that they, out of power, conceitedness, they just cant help themselves into behaving in this way, which is totally irrational, if you ask me. And I think peoples of the world should see in the example of Hong Kong people over the past decade or so, that when you think that there is really no hope at all by standing up to the CCP, sometimes by insisting on what you believe to be the right thing to do, somehow things might work out. Now, of course, Im not saying that things are working out at the moment, but at least 20 years ago when we were faced with the Article 23 saga, people already said, as a matter of undeniable fact, that Hong Kong was no match for the CCP; its no good for the people of Hong Kong to stand up against the making of the national security laws. But of course, as history has it, we have defended ourselves against that law, that draconian law, which originally was meant to take away our freedoms, our human rights, and rule of law. We have at least postponed that evil day for 18 years now, right? And we also did very well, in November, in the district council elections. Everybody thought that probably the CCP and the Hong Kong administration would cancel that election, the district council elections. But it turned out that the Democrats won a landslide victory. We won 388 seats out of a total of 420, and we are now controlling 17 out of 18 district councils. So, there is a silver lining behind these dark clouds looming over Hong Kong, and for that purpose, looming over the world. But if we insist on living in truth, and we practice good comradeship, and we practice what we believe to be human values, I think theres no need to feel and act desperate. Yeah, just keep it up, and hang in there, and do our best. Mr. Jekielek: Based on what youve just said, Im guessing I know the answer to the other question, which is whether its appropriate to seek restitution and damages, and this legislation to hold the CCP accountable at this time. Mr. Leong: Given previous examples of the CCP having been taken to international arena, they invariably would say, even [if] they lost these legal battles, they would say, Oh, this is a question of our own sovereignty, we are not going to yield to International Courts ruling, etc. So, I think these moves are totally understandable, but I dont think it will produce the results that the pursuers intend. But that is not really telling them not to continue to pursue them. I think it is important for us who believe in a rules-based game, all the things, to do what we think ought to be done. But Im not optimistic at all that you would be able to get the redress and remedy, or compensation, from the CCP by pursuing such forces. Mr. Jekielek: Youre a very keen legal mind. Ill just mention, one of the lawyers thats on one of these cases, he has actually successfully extracted multiple millions from a nationalized CCP-governed company. I believe the judge in the case basically threatened to stop port calls for Chinese ships unless they paid up ultimately. So, it seems like there are methods other than saying, Give me the money, and the CCP saying, No, thanks. Were sovereign. Mr. Leong: Youre right if there are assets of CCP within your jurisdiction, then that is of course a different question. But you can only have your remedy as much as you have CCPs assets within your jurisdiction. So, do what you think is right. Dont despair and give up too soon. Mr. Jekielek: Oh, those are wonderful words to hear, in general, for these very, very difficult times. Our hearts here go out to the Hong Kong people setting a great example for the rest of the world, holding tight in the face of a lot of adversity and not just coronavirus. Any final thoughts before we finish up? Mr. Leong: Well, I really hope that the world will spare us some attention during these difficult times when you are fighting against the coronavirus. Hong Kong is really on the front line of this battle between the China model and the liberal democratic model. If Hong Kong falls as a result of the world no longer paying enough attention to us during this time of the viral attack, then if Hong Kong falls, it may produce similar results in other countries who have been dealing with the CCP. So, it may be high time that we all sit back and think about how we would deal with the CCP after the virus has somehow been controlled. And I can say with some certainty that there would be a new order of things. Life will not go back to the time before the coronavirus. It is not possible, and it is something that God forbids. Mr. Jekielek: Alan Leong, such a pleasure to speak with you today. Mr. Leong: Pleasures all mine. American Thought Leaders is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube and The Epoch Times website. Many organizations and businesses have stepped up and donated hundreds of items to the San Antonio Food Bank to help the agency meet the high demand during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the city's Animal Care Services donated more than 1,000 pounds of pet food and rice to the food bank after hearing the agency's needs have increased in recent weeks. Last Thursday, the San Antonio Food Bank aided about 10,000 households in a record-setting giveaway at a South Side flea market. An Irish citizen has been interviewed in Roscommon as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering. The person was interviewed following a joint investigation by Irish, German and Dutch Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs)- into an international Covid-19 fraud investigation. The case arose after a German company with offices in Hamburg and Zurich were contracted by German State Officials to purchase 10 million masks with an approximate value of 15,000,000. The masks were required to assist in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. The German District Service forwarded under 15,000,000 to the German Company. The German company was put in contact with a Dutch supplier through an Irish intermediary and placed an order for 11 million masks. Unknown to the legitimate German company, the order was made with a fraudulent entity who had cloned the website and email address of a legitimate Dutch company. The fraudulent Dutch company setup supply channels through the Irish intermediary to provide the 11 million masks worth up 7,700,000 to the German Government to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Germany. Following contractual agreements a down payment was made by the German company of 1.5 million to the Irish companys bank account based in Roscommon for the delivery of the first 7.7m masks. The German company also made a further payment of 880,000 to the (fraudulent) Dutch Companys Bank account. On the 27th of March 2020 representatives from the German and Irish companies met in Amsterdam to inspect and oversee the handover of the shipment. The shipment never materialised. The representatives attended the company office of the Dutch company where they were told that no shipment was ever ordered or assigned. Detectives from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) with assistance from Gardai in Co Roscommon, interviewed an Irish citizen on Friday, April 10 in Co Roscommon relating to the suspected laundering of 1.5 million in this jurisdiction, contrary to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 to 2018. This is a serious offence carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 14 years after conviction on indictment. Documents and electronic devices were obtained and are currently being forensically examined. The investigation is ongoing. Wellington: Public health experts in New Zealand have warned that tens of thousands of lives would be put at risk if the country moves too quickly out of lockdown after a group of academics broke ranks to criticise Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's strategy as too severe. Too much? Too soon? Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discusses the Government's COVID-19 response. Credit:Getty With the number of new coronavirus cases in New Zealand continuing to fall, the group of health and economy academics said the government's lockdown plan was out of proportion with the health risks posed by the virus. The group said that from April 22, when the current lockdown period is due to end, New Zealand should drop from "level four" to a "level two" alert. This would leave Kiwis free to return to work, most schools and universities and businesses would reopen, and leisure activities and domestic travel would resume. Yorumunuz onaylanmak uzere yoneticiye iletilmistir. Dikkat! Suc teskil edecek, yasads, tehditkar, rahatsz edici, hakaret ve kufur iceren, asaglayc, kucuk dusurucu, kaba, mustehcen, ahlaka aykr, kisilik haklarna zarar verici ya da benzeri niteliklerde iceriklerden dogan her turlu mali, hukuki, cezai, idari sorumluluk icerigi gonderen Uye/Uyelere aittir. TODAY AND LAST YEAR: A few vehicles could be seen at the Shahbag area in Dhaka during Pahela Boishakh 1427, the first day of the Bengali calendar, in Dhaka, April 14, 2020, (left), in the same area where colorful celebrations took place last year (right). Streets and places of worship stood empty Tuesday in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries where traditionally boisterous, colorful New Years celebrations were cancelled, postponed, scaled back or chased indoors by COVID-19. In Dhaka, Bangladeshs capital with over 10 million people, residents welcomed the year 1427 on the Bengali calendar amid gloom as the nation recorded a milestone: More than 200 new coronavirus infections in a day the countrys highest daily tally that brought its confirmed cases to 1,012. Darkness is engulfing our world because of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in a nationally televised address on the eve of Pahela Boishakh, as the first day of the Bengali new year is known. We shall overcome this, she said, and journey through to a new sunlit day. COVID-19, the pneumonia-like disease, has killed seven Bangladeshis during the past 24 hours, pushing the nations toll to 46, health officials said. Pahela Boishakh is celebrated as a national holiday in Bangladesh, where it is often marked with lavish processions, fairs and family gatherings. This year, we cannot celebrate it in person owing to the coronavirus. We celebrate it through social media, Habibullah Sirajee, director-general of the Bangla Academy, the national center for Bengali research, told BenarNews. Sirajee recalled that Pahela Boishakh had been observed across religious boundaries by members of the nations Muslim majority and Hindu minority. But Hasina, in her speech on Monday, asked Bangladeshis instead to stay indoors and celebrate the South Asian nations biggest festival online. We are to some extent confined. But the spirit of Pahela Boishakh will not die, Abu Taher, a fine arts professor at Rajshahi University, told BenarNews. Ruhul Alam, a Dhaka University student, said he was sad that he could not celebrate this year while wearing colorful masks and carrying banners. In Dhaka, he said, residents would often welcome the New Year by watching a cultural show at the Ramna Park. Hundreds of thousands of people of all faiths and ages throng at Ramna Park and Shahbag to welcome the first light of the Bengali calendar, he told BenarNews. But this year, the places remained quiet. This is unbelievable. Globally, almost 2 million infections have been recorded with the death toll at more than 125,000 as of Tuesday, according to data compiled by disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Since first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, disrupting Easter, Passover and Ramadan traditions, among others. Malaysian king: We shall prevail In Malaysia, even the king and queen were sharing greetings of Happy Vishu and well wishes for the Tamil New Year through online platforms. We wish you a prosperous, peaceful and joyous year ahead. Although times are tough right now, we will get through this as a nation, King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah posted on the National Palaces official Instagram account. Keep the hope and courage alive and together. We shall prevail, he said. Stay home and stay safe! The king and the queen, who have tested negative for the coronavirus, went on self-quarantine for 14 days last month after seven staff members at the Istana Negara palace tested positive for COVID-19, according to state-run Bernama news service. The king dedicated a post on Monday wishing all Sikhs Happy Vaisakhi. We may be apart from all our loved ones right now, but we are together as one nation as we battle this pandemic, he said. It will get better and we will endure as a family, as one country, as Malaysians. The Tamil New Year, or Varisha Piruppu (also called Puthandu), marks the first day of the first month Chittirai on the Tamil calendar. Besides the Tamil New Year, Vishu for the Malayalees and Vaisakhi for the Sikhs were also celebrated Tuesday. For the Malayalee community, the New Year is often celebrated with the Vishukkani a tray filled with yellow flowers, gold, jewelry, fruits, an image of Lord Krishna and a mirror, according to 36-year-old Kuala Lumpur resident, R. Seethivinay. It reflects abundant blessings, Seethivinay told BenarNews, recalling that his neighbors and a few friends would usually come over to his house to mark the event. Vishukkani said he would always prepare early in the morning for prayers before having lunch. Before this, every year, my mother will cook six to seven dishes and invite family and friends, he said. Usually, we would have a great time together eating the traditional Malayalee dishes that my mother cooked, he said. Due to COVID-19, the New Year will be celebrated with us being apart from each other. Malaysias health ministry had recorded a total of 4,987 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, with 82 deaths. The nation has taken strict measures to battle the pandemic. It shut its borders, closed schools and universities, restricted internal movement and ordered most businesses to close shop last month. Chittirai Puttandu New Year for the Tamils, Vishu for the Malayalees and Vaisakhi for the Sikhs take place on the same date this year. Another Kuala Lumpur resident, Ravinder Singh said he missed the three days of celebrations at the Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs in which vegetarian meals were shared with family and friends as participants recited the holy book. This year we celebrate the day with immediate family members at home, Singh, 50, said. He said his family enjoyed eating sweet delicacies and later on watched a Facebook live-streaming of the Akhand Paath prayers. For Gengammal Valayutham, a 58-year-old resident of Penang state, the novel coronavirus has changed celebrations even for the Tamil New Year, which is traditionally observed with temple visits in the morning and prayers at home, followed by vegetarian means and sharing of sweets. We would wear the nicest saree and dhoti, he said, referring to the traditional Indian wear for men. We will have friends over, he said. COVID-19 has changed our way of celebrating certain things, he said, but the culture and tradition remain same. Thailand blocks free-for-all water fight In Buddhist-majority Thailand, meanwhile, rules imposed to battle the pandemic have also subdued celebrations for Songkran, the Thai New Year, which is often celebrated as a national holiday from April 13 to 15. Local reports said Thais marked the event Tuesday without the usually chaotic water-splashing in Bangkok after the government called off the annual festival, which has been described as the worlds biggest water fight, where revelers douse one another with spray guns in a free-for-all. Thailand has recorded 2,613 confirmed cases with 41 deaths as of Tuesday, according to health officials. Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok contributed to this report. Featuring Office Based Neuromodulation Solutions from Micron Medical BOCA RATON, Fla., April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Medical, a privately-held medical device company engaged in the development, manufacture and pre-commercialization of innovative wireless, injectable electroceutical device solutions for urological conditions, today announced that it will host a webinar entitled The Protect PNS for OAB: A Wireless Uro-Stimulation Injectable Technology, on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 5pm Eastern Time. Stephen Deitsch, CEO of Micron Medical, will join Larry Sirls, MD, and Ken Peters, MD, both from Beaumont Health, to discuss Micron Medical's wireless uro-stimulation injectable technology and the current treatment landscape and unmet medical need to treat patients with over-active bladder syndrome (OAB). The Protect PNS for OAB is an investigational device based on wireless neuromodulation technology and is implanted using a minimally invasive procedure percutaneously through a needle. This technology includes a small injectable device, called a stimulator, and an external transmitter for power that is a fabric antenna placed in clothing. The Protect PNS provides therapy for the relief of OAB symptoms by delivering small controlled electrical pulses to the tibial nerve that travel to the sacral nerve plexus, the group of nerves near the pelvis that control bladder function. Webinar Registration: Date: Wednesday, April 29th Time: 5pm Eastern Time Webinar: https://lifescipartners.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_09ayxjrASEWtN3NjZ4Bk-g Larry Sirls, MD graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed urology residency training at Henry Ford Hospital. He completed specialty fellowship training in Male and Female Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Urodynamics, Female Urology, and Neurourology at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles. He returned to Detroit in 1993 and has practiced exclusively at Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak since 1996. Dr. Sirls is the Director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, is a Professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont Medical School and is the Primary Investigator for the Beaumont Site of the National Institutes of Health Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network, one of only 9 centers in the country selected to perform research on treatment options for urinary incontinence. His areas of interest include reconstructive urology, male and female incontinence and voiding difficulty. He is widely published and is a national thought leader in the evaluation and treatment of male and female pelvic floor disorders. He travels to Sub-Saharan Africa yearly to perform complicated fistula and other reconstructive procedures. 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He is internationally known for his work on interstitial cystitis, neuromodulation for voiding dysfunction, nerve rerouting surgery to restore voiding in patients with spina bifida, and adult human stem cell injection for stress urinary incontinence. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has twice won the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU) clinical research award. An active member of many professional organizations, Dr. Peters has served on the Research Council of the American Urological Association. At the 2012 annual meeting of the International Pelvic Pain Society, he was a keynote speaker on the management of chronic pelvic pain. He maintains a private practice in Royal Oak. About Micron Medical Micron Medical is a privately held medical device company engaged in the development, manufacture, and pre-commercialization of wirelessly powered, microtechnology neurostimulators, providing patients with convenient, safe, minimally invasive, and highly cost-effective urological solutions that are easily incorporated into their daily lives. Microns goal is to evolve its patented, cutting-edge platform for neuromodulation to standard of care, increasing the accessibility for patients worldwide while lowering the economic impact of urology care management. www.micronmed.com Contacts Gil Bao Micron Medical Corporation info@micronmed.com 888.691.0585 South Korean flat panel maker Samsung Display Co. on Monday said it has shut down part of its plant in Vietnam after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus. It has temporarily closed a building at its plant in Bac Ninh, Vietnam, where the employee had worked, Yonhap news agency reported. However, the company, which supplies smartphone displays to major handset makers, including Samsung Electronics Co., said the plant's production lines are operating as per normal, since the employee, identified as Vietnam's 262th virus patient, had been doing work related to quality management. According to the Vietnamese health authorities, the 26-year-old man showed symptoms on March 31 and worked until last Monday. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sunday. To protect its workers, Samsung Display said it is disinfecting facilities and commuter buses at the plant. It has also asked those who had contact with the virus-infected employee to self-quarantine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rolling back Victoria's tough bail laws and releasing some prisoners are among measures lawyers say will keep coronavirus out of prisons, where it could spread rapidly. Experts fear an outbreak in jails would be catastrophic for prison populations given the large numbers of vulnerable inmates, and could lead to a scenario where a hot spot would endanger the wider community. Prisoners fear what could happen if coronavirus gets a toehold in Victoria's jails. Credit:Jason South There are no reported cases in Australian jails but lawyers say inmates are frightened about COVID-19 because they cannot practise self-isolation and are exposed to varying levels of hygiene. Dorothy, whose son is in prison awaiting trial, said: "My son said to me, 'Mum, if it gets in, we would have no chance of not getting it'." Texas prisons have halted intake of inmates from county jails across the state, according to a letter from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Texas sheriffs. In the letter dated April 11, posted online by the Texas Tribune, TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier said the change would go into effect on April 13. WESTPORT As Earth Day celebrates its 50th anniversary this year the official website for Earth Day, www.earthday.org, reminds people that the milestone anniversary is a great time for anyone to make a difference. The owners of the white colonial house at 10 Beechwood Lane are certainly making a difference just by residing in this special place, where almost everything about this house honors Mother Nature without sacrificing sophistication or lifestyle components. Some features are very obviously energy efficient and conducive to protecting the earth, like the geothermal heating and cooling system. Other features, like the Hardie board exterior siding, are more subtly environmentally friendly. According to the company website, James Hardie fiber cement siding is engineered to stand up to the elements and stand out in your neighborhood (and to) protect everything inside from everything outside. The maintenance-free siding substantially reduces the need to power wash, thereby saving another valuable earth resource: water. According to the listing agent, the geothermal system is used for heating and cooling, without the need for oil or propane as a back-up. The geothermal system is environmentally friendly, low maintenance, quiet and efficient. A report from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, titled Space Conditioning: The Next Frontier, posted on geoexchange.org, says Governmental agencies such as the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, consumer and industry groups, and geothermal system owners all agree: geothermal heating and cooling is considered the worlds greenest and most energy-efficient. Thats because it uses the free renewable solar energy stored in your backyard rather than burning fossil fuels. The report continues: In fact, installing a single geothermal unit is the environmental equivalent of planting 750 trees. Geothermal is the only renewable that provides reliable operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year - making it the reliable renewable And, since geothermal units arent subject to the punishing effect of outdoor weather and fuel combustion, they last longer than nearly any other heating and cooling system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, geothermal units have an average equipment life of 25 years while the underground loop system has a rated material life of more than 100 years. There is natural gas for this house but it is used only for the range in the gourmet kitchen and for the barbecue on the stone patio in the backyard. Other sustainability features include a programmable thermostat and Thermopane windows. The 5,004-square-foot house was built in 2010 on a level property of three-quarters of an acre. The rear lot on which it sits is off a cul-de-sac. Although the listing sheet identifies this house as being located in the Saugatuck neighborhood, it is really rather close to the Post Road (Route 1) near Fresh Market and a wealth of shops and eateries around it. The house is also an easy commute to I-95, and only minutes from Compo Beach, Longshore Club Park, Aspetuck Land Trusts Haskins Preserve, and downtown Westport. The paved driveway is lined in Belgium block and there is a flagstone path to the covered front entrance. The front door opens into the two-story foyer. In the formal living room there is a marble fireplace and attractive millwork. In the formal dining room there is the wainscoting on the lower walls. More Information ABOUT THIS HOUSE STYLE: Colonial ADDRESS: 10 Beechwood Lane PRICE: $1,550,000 ROOMS: 11 FEATURES: geothermal system used for heating and cooling (no oil or propane), spray foam insulation, 0.76-acre level property, rear lot, located on a cul-de-sac, stone patio with barbecue, awnings, professional landscaping, underground sprinkler, maintenance-free Hardie board exterior siding, programmable thermostat, Thermopane windows, walking distance to The Conservative synagogue, walking distance to Fresh Market and other stores and restaurants along Post Road (Route 1), easy commute I-95; only minutes to Compo Beach, Longshore Club Park and Aspetuck Land Trust's Haskins Preserve; audio system, pre-wired for cable, one fireplace, stone wall, attached three-car garage, zoned central air conditioning, natural gas (for indoor range and outdoor barbecue only), public water and sewer connections, attic, ridge vents, basement crawl space, five bedrooms, four full and one half baths SCHOOLS: Saugatuck Elementary, Bedford Middle, Staples High School ASSESSMENT: $1,147,300 MILL RATE: 16.86 mills TAXES: $19,343 See More Collapse Between the dining room and kitchen is a butlers pantry with a sink and a second dishwasher. The first is in the sizable kitchen, which also features a center island/breakfast bar topped with marble, granite counters, a built-in desk area, custom cabinets, a huge pantry closet, and a pot-filler above the eight-burner Wolf range. In the eat-in area there are sliding doors to the yard. Off the kitchen is the family room, where there is a wall of built-in shelving and cabinetry, and French doors to the stone patio. There is also a first floor office, powder room, and oversized mudroom with plenty of space to keep everyone organized, the agent said. Upstairs, there are four en suite bedrooms including the master suite, which has a marble bath. The bonus room could be the fifth bedroom if necessary or an in-law or au-pair suite or a game room. The large, insulated attic is ready to be finished. Plumbed and HVAC runs can easily add a bath, bedroom or bedrooms, a playroom, studio and/or storage, the agent said. For more information or to set up an appointment to see the house, contact Mary Ellen Gallagher of KMS Partners and Compass Connecticut, LLC 203-216-0699 or maryellen.gallagher@compass.com. (TNS) A new online platform that uses crowdsourced data to generate a picture of the new coronavirus spread in Hawaii has already received thousands of submissions in one week since going live.The platform, called Aloha Trace , is a short online survey that designers say can be answered in two minutes. The survey focuses on respondents symptoms, location and movement in the community.Brandon Kurisu, president of aio Digital, who oversees Upspring the company that designed the platform said about 7,000 responses have been received since he unveiled the survey Tuesday at a news conference.Youre answering six anonymous, confidential questions, every day if you can, Kurisu said Sunday. By doing so youre doing your part to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Hawaii.He hopes more people continue to answer the survey daily, especially on the neighbor islands, to give state officials an understanding of where the virus may be spreading in the community.Kurisu said the platform is based on the concept of contact tracing, which has been successfully used in South Korea to reduce the diseases spread. He said South Korean officials used cellphone tracking to monitor the movement of people who tested positive, and alerted businesses or others that they had been in close contact with a virus carrier.Such monitoring would be illegal in the U.S. because of federal health privacy laws, but working with the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii, Kurisu and others came up with the idea of using crowdsourcing to create a similar system.Kurisu said his company built the platform in one week because of the urgent need for additional tools to address the crisis in the islands.Jenifer Winter, a University of Hawaii-Manoa professor who researches public health through big data and is not part of the project, said this kind of information could be useful as long as researchers are contextualizing it and understand the datas limitations. She said an analysis of the data should include the understanding that there may be bad actors who intentionally submit erroneous information or overly anxious people who are not infected, but report having symptoms.Because there have not been enough resources to do widespread testing, the crowdsourced data could alert officials to a spike in respiratory symptoms in an area or highlight areas where officials should do more testing, she said.Winter said because the dataset is new, there is nothing to compare it with, but as the data grows, researchers will be able to start comparing week-to-week data to get a better idea of how things are changing.Kurisu said designers are still working to finish the platforms dashboard, which will be the interface for government and health officials to see the crowdsourced data as it arrives in real time. The dashboard will show an interactive map with dots indicating where people have reported symptoms, down to the nearest intersection, and where theyve been.So, what will the public see from all the submitted surveys?Even Kurisu doesnt know. He said government and public health agencies will have access to the data, but it will be up to them how and when they start presenting the information to the public, such as with public announcements of possible clusters. Visit alohatrace.org to take the survey. EXCEEDS FIRST QUARTER PRODUCTION GUIDANCE (In US Dollars unless otherwise stated) TORONTO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Superior Gold Inc. ("Superior Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV:SGI) announces detailed production results for the first quarter from the Company's 100%-owned Plutonic Gold operations, located in Western Australia. FIRST QUARTER PRODUCTION DETAILS Production details are summarized in the table below. Operating Parameters1 Three month period ended March 31, 2020 Stope material mined (Tonnes) 121,141 Stope grade mined (g Au/t) 3.34 Development material mined (Tonnes) 61,248 Development grade mined (g Au/t) 2.36 Surface material milled (Tonnes)2 175,931 Surface material grade (g Au/t)2 0.42 Total material milled (Tonnes) 365,849 Grade milled (g Au/t) 1.71 Gold recovery (%) 82% Gold Produced (ounces) 16,351 Gold Sold (ounces) 16,850 1 Numbers may not add due to rounding. 2 Surface material milled in Q120 is primarily the processing of low-grade stockpile. Chris Bradbrook, President and CEO of Superior Gold stated: "Production for the first quarter of 2020 exceeded our first quarter guidance with a total of 16,351 ounces. As previously indicated, the first quarter of 2020 was scheduled to be the weakest quarter. Additionally, as described in our press release dated March 13, 2020, the Plutonic Gold operations suffered from some unexpected events including power outages, higher than anticipated arsenic content in some of the mined areas, which resulted in lower than anticipated recoveries, and heavy rains, which lowered and delayed production. In combination, these caused a lower than forecast underground tonnage mined for the quarter. Consequently, we are pleased to have exceeded our expectations for the first quarter 2020. With continued emphasis on improved development rates and the execution of our five-year Life of Mine plan, we anticipate a progressive improvement in our quarterly production results over the course of 2020 and beyond. As the health and safety of our employees and contractors is of paramount importance to us, the measures that we have put in place to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 ("COVID") remain in full force (as described in the press release dated March 19, 2020). To date, we have had no incidences of infection from COVID at either our operations or corporate offices. We have stockpiled critical supplies on site and will continue to monitor the supply chain and work to ensure their ongoing availability. Finally, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Maurice Swan as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary effective April 1, 2020. In connection with this appointment, 200,000 options were issued." Qualified Person Scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Keith Boyle, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer of the Company, who is a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). About Superior Gold Superior Gold is a Canadian based gold producer that owns 100% of the Plutonic Gold operations located in Western Australia. The Plutonic Gold operations include the Plutonic underground gold mine and central mill, the Hermes open pit gold projects and an interest in the Bryah Basin joint venture. Superior Gold is focused on expanding production at the Plutonic Gold operations and building an intermediate gold producer with superior returns for shareholders. Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, and statements regarding exploration results and exploration plans. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to the future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government responses to such pandemic that may impact the ability of the Company to continue operations at its mine site, which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 15, 2017 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Neither the TSX Venture 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. SOURCE Superior Gold Related Links https://www.superior-gold.com/ India on Monday tightened the curbs on import of refined palm oil by putting more conditions for the inbound shipments of the commodity. On January 8, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGTF), under the commerce ministry, has imposed restrictions on imports of refined palm oil, as per which an importer have to seek a license or permission or no-objection certificate for the imports. In a trade notice, the DGFT said "import of refined palm oil will be permitted subject" to certain conditions. As per new conditions, the applications for import authorisation should be accompanied with pre-purchase agreement and details of the import for past three years. "Validity period of import licenses/authorizations for refined palm oil will be six months in place of usual 18 months. Total non-utilisation of import authorization by the applicant will lead to disqualification of the importer from getting any further license for these items in future," it said. Customs will be required to diligently enforce the rules of origin criteria for import of these items originating from Nepal and Bangladesh, it added. Rules of origin certificate is a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements. An exporter has to submit a 'certificate of origin' at the landing port of the importing country (in case of refined palm oil it will be Indian ports). This certificate is essential to prove where the goods come from. India, the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, buys nearly 15 million tonne annually. Of this, palm oil comprises 9 million tonne and the rest 6 million tonne is soybean and sunflower oil. Indonesia and Malaysia are the two countries which supply palm oil. Malaysia produces 19 million tonne of palm oil in a year, while Indonesia produces 43 million tonne. India put the commodity from free to restricted category in the backdrop of remarks by Malaysia on the new citizenship law and Kashmir issue. On December 20 last year, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad had reportedly said, "I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state, is now taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship". Earlier, Mahathir had said in the UN General Assembly that India had "invaded and occupied" Kashmir. Also Read: PM Modi Speech Live Updates: Coronavirus lockdown extension in India; COVID-19 tally crosses 10,000-mark Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Retailers fear job losses as revenues fall 30-35% Seeking greater cooperation during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, finance ministers of G20 (or Group of Twenty) nations, including Indias Nirmala Sitharaman, are expected to release a global action plan later this week, which will lay out how the worlds biggest economies can work together to battle the contagion and its impact on world economy. The global action plan will lay down the framework for how G20 countries can cooperate in dealing with the pandemic on the economic, health care, infrastructure, and other fronts, said a senior ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Michelle Williams, left, and Julianne Moore in a scene from film "After the Wedding" / Courtesy of JINJIN Pictures By Kwak Yeon-soo "After the Wedding" is a gender-swapping English-language remake of Susanne Bier's 2006 Danish drama of the same title. The movie shows the sharp contrast in the setup of the two main characters and their positions in society. Isabel (Michelle Williams) helps run an orphanage in India with scarce financial resources. She receives an offer from a potential donor, Theresa (Julianne Moore), and flies to New York to receive a $2 million donation. The two meet on the eve of Theresa's daughter's wedding, to which Isabel receives an invitation. Isabel gets frustrated by the delay over the donation but decides to stay and attend the wedding party because she is "not going back without a suitcase full of money." As the title suggests, most of the drama takes place after the wedding with some revelations that are best kept in the dark. "The story starts subtle and then becomes incredibly dramatic," Billy Crudup, who plays Theresa's husband Oscar, said of the film. "There is a lot of backstory on 20 years ago that kind of comes loose now. How to carry that story with each of the characters was important when making the film," director Bart Freundlich said. Freundlich added that he tried to make three-dimensional characters. In fact, his intentions are well portrayed in the two protagonists who have dual character aspects. Poster for the film "After the Wedding" Courtesy of JINJIN Pictures Im planning to learn Internet technologies to boost sales through online means, create more original works, and hire more disabled people. These are my three big plans,said Feng Xiangbo, a 38-year-old disabled Chinese farmer who has not only freed his own family from poverty, but also helped with poverty alleviation efforts of many local people. Feng Xiangbo carves using wood materials. (Photo/Courtesy of Feng Xiangbo) Last year, our value of sales exceeded 6 million yuan ($851,700). Basically all the orders were for processing materials provided by clients, which brought us profits of hundreds of thousands yuan. Now we have received nearly 6 million worth of orders for this year, which may be more than we can finish by the end of this year,Feng disclosed. Living in Ziquejie village, Shuiche town, Xinhua county, Loudi city of central China, Xinhua county, Feng owns a woodcarving company named Xiaoxiang Wood Industry Company, which has four disabled apprentices and 16 employees from poor local households. The company building, located at the first floor of a four-story building in Shuiche town, serves as the poverty-relief relocation site of poor local households. Poverty-stricken families live on the second floor and above, while the rooms of the first floor are all used for poverty alleviation efforts, according to He Zhifeng, secretary of the Communist Party of China Shuiche town committee. Fengs left leg was crippled by polio when he was six months old. In an effort to cure his leg, his father did farm work from dawn to night. However, years of treatment didnt help improve Fengs leg, and his father, who had fallen sick from overwork, passed away when he was young. At the age of 16, Feng dropped out of school to reduce the economic burden on his family, going out of his hometown to learn carving skills from several sculpture artists. As his grandfather and father both knew carpentry, he had developed an interest in the field since he was young. After learning relevant skills for eight years, Feng worked as a migrant worker in several Chinese provinces and cities, including southeast Chinas Fujian province and Shenzhen in south Chinas Guangdong province. When Feng returned to his hometown to start his own business in 2014, the next year Ziquejie village was identified as poor village and his family of four was identified as a registered poor household. After hearing that Feng was good at woodcarving craftsmanship, the poverty alleviation working group stationed in Ziquejie village helped Feng get a 100,000 yuan interest-free loan and encouraged him to set up a woodcarving workshop. Starting his own business at the foot of Ziquejie mountain, Feng opened a shop carving, and his wife took charge of polishing and painting. The wood and root carved products, with fine workmanship and low prices, quickly won favor with tourists, which helped Fengs family shake off poverty the next year, since the opening of the shop. In 2017, when the resettlement housing site of Shuiche town was put into use, Feng rented a room covering more than 800 square meters on the first floor of the building with less than 30,000 yuan and bought equipment and started recruiting apprentices and employees. When I returned to my hometown to start my own business, our Party and government offered great support for me. I just want to help disabled people and poor households, and make my contributions to the society, Feng said. Xiao Yong, a 32-year-old man, was Fengs first apprentice. Xiao was from a registered poor household and had worked as a migrant worker before. I can not only have income and learn skills here as an apprentice of my teacher, Xiao said, adding I have been able to earn 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year in recent years. and Ive already got rid of poverty. With his continued efforts to improve his craftsmanship, Feng has won prizes at national and provincial skills competitions for persons with disabilities and has been identified as a technical expert. On April 12, Abdul Majed, one of the assassins involved in the killings of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family was hanged in Dhaka. A former army captain, Majed was reportedly hiding in Kolkata. In 1998, a trial court had sentenced him and 11 others to death, and in 2009, the Bangladesh Supreme Court upheld the sentence. When his last recourse, the clemency plea to the president, failed, he was finally executed just after midnight. In 2010, five others convicted of taking part in the assassination conspiracy were sent to the gallows. One among the twelve convicted, Major Aziz Pasha died in 2002 in Zimbabwe while in hiding. The rest five are still absconding. Bangladesh will not be able to achieve closure on Bangabandhus assassination until the five conspirators still alive are brought to justice. When Majed was arrested last month, Bangladeshs home minister hailed the development as the biggest gift for his country, which has had to postpone a year-long birth centenary celebration of Bangabandhu, on account of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to attend the celebrations. Bangabandhus assassination changed the course of the countrys history. In 1977, soon after the assassination, the country came under the military dictatorship of General Ziaur Rahman, the then army chief, after he ousted President Khondoker Mostaq Ahmad. Zia was a reluctant freedom fighter and deserted the Pakistan army when he realised that Pakistans defeat was inevitable. He, however, showed his true colours after the assassination of Bangabandhu. As soon as he grabbed power, he pardoned Bangabandhus assassins and rewarded them with diplomatic postings. He permitted leaders of organisations such as the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Razakars that collaborated with the Pakistani army in the genocide to return. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had banned these organisations, and declared them war criminals after Bangladeshs war of liberation. Zia passed an indemnity law in 1975, granting amnesty to those who were part of the assassination conspiracy (The indemnity law was revoked when Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996). He also allowed many to form political parties and contest elections in the 1980s. He patronised pro-Pakistan politicians and organisations. With other politicians, he cobbled together the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose leadership was passed on to his widow, Khaleda Zia, after army personnel, in a coup attempt, assassinated him in 1981. Khaleda Zia, in coalition with Pakistani collaborator, JeI, served as the countrys prime minister for two terms. During her rule, Bangladesh-India ties had hit rock bottom. Only two family members survived the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family: Sheikh Hasina, the incumbent prime minister, and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, who were in Germany on August 15, 1975, the day the killings took place. As prime minister, Sheikh Hasina has shown remarkable determination and tenacity in pursuing the killers. In 2008, she included the issue of the war crimes tribunal in her manifesto. She persisted despite domestic and international criticism, and the tribunal eventually completed the job entrusted to it. Several assassins and JeI leaders were convicted and hanged. Sheikh Hasina has always believed that Zia was a party to the assassination conspiracy and played a key role in it. This fact is at the core of the bitterness and rivalry between her and Khaleda Zia. Intelligence sources point to the role of Zia and his army colleagues in the assassination conspiracy, which was encouraged and financed by Pakistani generals and the Inter-Services Intelligence, smarting from their defeat and humiliation in the 1971 war. Zia, trained under the Pakistani army, had imbibed its ethos and instincts. Military coups were part of its DNA. This led Zia to anchor the countrys nationalism in Islamic and anti-Indian terms, as opposed to the secular values of the War of Liberation, espoused by Bangabandhu and his colleagues in the Awami League. General Hussein Muhammad Ershad, Zias successor as the army chief, who later served as the president of the country, amended the Constitution to make Islam the State religion of Bangladesh. Majeds arrest led to speculation over the reasons and circumstances under which he returned to Bangladesh. He may have been located and identified by Indias intelligence agencies and handed over to Bangladesh. Earlier, the agencies had launched a failed manhunt to find Risaldar Muslehuddin, another assassin, who was also reportedly hiding in India. The hunt for the killers will continue. Intelligence cooperation between the two countries has improved during Sheikh Hasinas regime. She will not give up on bringing the assassins to justice. India must give her unstinted support in this endeavour. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty is a former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and a former Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs; he is currently, a Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi. The views expressed are personal Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:41:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Deng Xianlai and Xu Yuan WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Back in late January when China was in the direst situation of the COVID-19 outbreak, Ken Markinsky helped donate a total of 120,000 masks to China through the North Carolina Chinese Scholars Sino-U.S. Exchange Association (NCCSEA), a non-profit of which Markinsky's Chinese-American wife Nie Hui is a member. Exactly two months after NCCSEA's donation arrived in China, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed the death toll in the United States from the coronavirus surpassed 23,600 early Tuesday, higher than any other reported worldwide. "We all live on the same planet, and no one can isolate him or herself from others," Nie said. "Only by helping each other can we all be protected against the virus." Staff from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the House Oversight and Reform Committee earlier this month that 90 percent of the personal protective equipment from the federal government's Strategic National Stockpile had been distributed to states, and that the remaining 10 percent would be reserved for federal workers. That means that states still grappling with surging cases and rocketing fatalities will no longer get critical medical supplies such as surgical masks, respirators, gloves, gowns and face shields from the federal government. Concerned about the lack of masks available to clinicians, Huang Jiaoti, chair of the department of pathology at Duke University, pleaded for help to find reliable supplies from China. Much to Huang's surprise, parcels from China containing nearly 100,000 masks arrived just two weeks later. "This is very admirable: thank you to all concerned for doing this," read an email dated April 7 sent by a pathology department faculty member after being notified of the masks' arrival. "Bravo!" said another. In Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Juliet Hooks bought 1,800 masks for her students in China in February when she heard there was a shortage. Altogether, the English teacher and her colleagues donated some 3,000 masks through VIP Kid, a Chinese-owned online teaching platform. Just one month later, the role of VIP Kid teachers changed from donor to receiver, as they received masks and best wishes from their Chinese students. "These just arrived from China with love," a VIP Kid teacher named Jennifer wrote in a social media post on March 29, showing a picture of masks. "This made me cry," wrote the teacher, who received the masks from the mother of one of her Chinese students, later distributing some of them to friends, as well as local doctors and nurses. "This was her way of being kind as well. She now sees us experiencing what she lived through," Jennifer added. SEOUL, South Korea North Korea fired several short-range missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, a day before South Korea is scheduled to hold elections for its 300-seat Parliament. The projectiles, launched from the town of Munchon, were believed to be cruise missiles, the South Korean military said in a statement. Under a series of United Nations resolutions, North Korea is banned from testing ballistic but not cruise missiles. Thus, its launchings on Tuesday were considered less provocative than its recent tests of ballistic missiles. But South Koreans remain sensitive to any move by the North to raise tensions during an election time for fear it might sway how voters cast their ballots. The Turkish parliament on Tuesday approved a law that allows for the release tens of thousands of prisoners as a safety measure against the coronavirus outbreak. "The draft has become law after being accepted," the official Twitter account for the parliament's general assembly said. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have criticised the law because detainees charged under controversial anti-terrorism laws are not included. The rights groups also have condemned the exclusion of other inmates including journalists, politicians and lawyers in pre-trial detention. This includes people jailed while awaiting a date for their trial to begin, those waiting for a formal indictment or suspects currently being tried. "Many people who are in prison because they exercised their rights -- they didn't commit any crime -- they're excluded because the government chooses to use its very flexible, and overly broad and vague counter-terrorism laws," Amnesty's Andrew Gardner told AFP. Among them are businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas. Mahsuni Karaman, a lawyer for Demirtas, said he had recently applied for his client's release citing health reasons but there had yet been no decision. Demirtas has high blood pressure and in December, he was taken to hospital after collapsing in his cell. The ex-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party had complained at the time of chest pains and breathing problems, and received emergency treatment in prison. The new law is "unjust and illegal", Karaman told AFP, adding that a court could rule to release Demirtas without a need for a change in the statute book. Turkey launched a crackdown after a failed coup in 2016 and Demirtas is one of tens of thousands behind bars because of alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants, or the movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen. The government accuses Gulen of ordering the attempted putsch but he strongly denies the allegation. The law affects several types of prisoners, including pregnant women and older people with medical conditions. But it excludes murderers, sexual offenders and narcotics criminals. The law passed with a 279-51 majority, Amnesty campaigner in Turkey Milena Buyum tweeted. She added that after several days of debates in parliament, including some which lasted until the early hours, "not one of the opposition's amendments have been accepted". When the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) presented the bill, it said some 45,000 people would be released under the law that provides early release on parole and the number would rise to 90,000 with those to be put under house arrest. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul on Monday said three prisoners had died from COVID-19 after a total of 17 convicts were infected with the disease. While 13 prisoners are in hospital and in a good condition, one convict with chronic diseases is in intensive care, Gul said. Turkey has recorded more than 61,000 infections while nearly 1,300 people have died, according to health ministry figures published on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The French government is also spending the most since World War II to help its coronavirus-hit economy. The French government has scrapped its days-old economic outlook after President Emmanuel Macron extended a national lockdown, shutting down swaths of the euro zones second-biggest economy. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday the economy is now expected to contract 8 percent this year instead of the 6 percent flagged as recently as Thursday, revising the number to take the longer lockdown into account. Since March 17, Frances 67 million people have been ordered to stay at home, leaving only to buy food, go to work, seek medical care or exercise on their own. The lockdown was originally scheduled to end on Tuesday. The extension would put additional strain on public finances, blowing the public sector budget deficit out to a post-World War II record of 9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from 7.6 percent last week, Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin told France Info. The government more than doubled last week a package of measures to pull the economy back from the precipice, raising it to at least 100 billion euros ($109.32bn) more than 4 percent of economic output. If we need to do more, then we will do more. We will be there, Le Maire told BFM TV. The package allows companies to defer billions of euros of tax and payroll charges to cope with the collapse in business and creates a 7 billion-euro ($7.65bn) fund for the most fragile small companies, which has already been tapped by 900,000 firms. With eight million workers on state-subsidised furloughs, the government has increased to budget for that programme to 24 billion euros ($26.2bn) from 20 billion euros ($21.9bn) before the extension, Le Maire said. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ. New research indicates that the coronavirus began to circulate in the New York area by mid-February, weeks before the first confirmed case, and that travellers brought in the virus mainly from Europe. The majority is clearly European, said Harm van Bakel, a geneticist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who co-wrote a study awaiting peer review. A separate team at NYU Grossman School of Medicine came to strikingly similar conclusions, despite studying a different group of cases. Both teams analyzed genomes from coronaviruses taken from New Yorkers starting in mid-March. The research revealed a previously hidden spread of the virus that might have been detected if aggressive testing programs had been put in place. On Jan. 31, President Donald Trump barred foreign nationals from entering the country if they had been in China during the prior two weeks. It would not be until late February that Italy would begin locking down towns and cities, and March 11 when Trump said he would block travellers from most European countries. But New Yorkers had already been travelling home with the virus. People were just oblivious, said Adriana Heguy, a member of the NYU team. Heguy and van Bakel belong to an international guild of viral historians. They ferret out the history of outbreaks by poring over the genetic material of viruses taken from thousands of patients. Viruses invade the molecular machinery of a cell, causing it to make new viruses. The process is quick and sloppy. As a result, new viruses can gain a mutation that wasnt present in their ancestor. If a new virus manages to escape its host and infect other people, its descendants will inherit that mutation. Tracking viral mutations demands sequencing all the genetic material in a virus its genome. Once researchers have gathered the genomes from a number of virus samples, they can compare their mutations. Sophisticated computer programs can then figure out how all of those mutations arose as viruses descended from a common ancestor. If they get enough data, they can make rough estimates about how long ago those ancestors lived. Thats because mutations arise at a roughly regular pace. Maciej Boni of Penn State University and his colleagues recently used this method to see where the coronavirus, designated SARS-CoV-2, came from. While conspiracy theories might falsely claim the virus was concocted in a lab, the viruss genome makes clear that it arose in bats. There are many kinds of coronaviruses, which infect both humans and animals. Boni and his colleagues found that the genome of the new virus contains a number of mutations in common with strains of coronaviruses that infect bats. The most closely related coronavirus is in a Chinese horseshoe bat, the researchers found. But the new virus has gained some unique mutations since splitting off from that bat virus decades ago. Boni said that ancestral virus probably gave rise to a number of strains that infected horseshoe bats and perhaps sometimes other animals. Very likely theres a vast unsampled diversity, he said. Copying mistakes arent the only way for new viruses to arise. Sometimes two kinds of coronaviruses will infect the same cell. Their genetic material gets mixed up in new viruses. Its entirely possible, Boni said, in the past 10 or 20 years, a hybrid virus arose in some horseshoe bat that was well-suited to infect humans, too. Later, that virus somehow managed to cross the species barrier. Once in a while, one of these viruses wins the lottery, he said. In January, a team of Chinese and Australian researchers published the first genome of the new virus. Since then, researchers around the world have sequenced over 3,000 more. Some are genetically identical to one another, while others carry distinctive mutations. Thats just a tiny sampling of the full diversity of the virus. As of April 8, there were 1.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the true total is probably many millions more. But already, the genomes of the virus are revealing previously hidden outlines of its history over the past few months. As new genomes come to light, researchers upload them to an online database called GISAID. A team of virus evolution experts are analyzing the growing collection of genomes in a project called Nextstrain. They continually update the virus family tree. The deepest branches of the tree all belong to lineages from China. The Nextstrain team has also used the mutation rate to determine that the virus probably first moved into humans from an animal host in late 2019. On Dec. 31, China announced that doctors in Wuhan were treating dozens of cases of a mysterious new respiratory illness. In January, as the scope of the catastrophe in China became clear, a few countries started an aggressive testing program. They were able to track the arrival of the virus on their territory and track its spread through their populations. But the United States fumbled in making its first diagnostic kits and initially limited testing only to people who had come from China and displayed symptoms of COVID-19. It was a disaster that we didnt do testing, Heguy said. A few cases came to light starting at the end of January. But it was easy to dismiss them as rare imports that did not lead to local outbreaks. The illusion was dashed at the end of February by Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, and his colleagues. Using Nextstrain, they showed that a virus identified in a patient in late February had a mutation shared by one identified in Washington state on Jan. 20. The Washington viruses also shared other mutations in common with ones isolated in Wuhan, suggesting that a traveller had brought the coronavirus from China. With that discovery, Bedford and his colleagues took the lead in sequencing coronavirus genomes. Sequencing more genomes around Washington gave them a better view of how its outbreak started. Im quite confident that it was not spreading in December in the United States, Bedford said. There may have been a couple other introductions in January that didnt take off in the same way. As new cases arose in other parts of the country, other researchers set up their own pipelines. The first positive test result in New York came on March 1, and after a couple of weeks, patients surged into the citys hospitals. I thought, We need to do this for New York, Heguy said. Heguy and her colleagues found some New York viruses that shared unique mutations not found elsewhere. Thats when you know youve had a silent transmission for a while, she said. Heguy estimated that the virus began circulating in the New York area a couple of months ago. And researchers at Mount Sinai started sequencing the genomes of patients coming through their hospital. They found that the earliest cases identified in New York were not linked to later ones. Two weeks later, we start seeing viruses related to each other, said Ana Silvia Gonzalez-Reiche, a member of the Mount Sinai team. Gonzalez-Reiche and her colleagues found that these viruses were practically identical to viruses found around Europe. They cannot say on what particular flight a particular virus arrived in New York. But they write that the viruses reveal a period of untracked global transmission between late January to mid-February. So far, the Mount Sinai researchers have identified seven separate lineages of viruses that entered New York and began circulating. We will probably find more, van Bakel said. The coronavirus genomes are also revealing hints of early cross-country travel. Van Bakel and his colleagues found one New York virus that was identical to one of the Washington viruses found by Bedford and his colleagues. In a separate study, researchers at Yale found another Washington-related virus. Combined, the two studies hint that the coronavirus has been moving from coast to coast for several weeks. Sidney Bell, a computational biologist working with the Nextstrain team, cautions people not to read too much into these new mutations themselves. Just because something is different doesnt mean it matters, Bell said. Mutations do not automatically turn viruses into new, fearsome strains. They often dont bring about any change at all. To me, mutations are inevitable and kind of boring, Bell said. But in the movies, you get the X-Men. Peter Thielen, a molecular biologist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, likes to think of the spread of viruses like a dandelion seed landing on an empty field. The flower grows up and produces seeds of its own. Those seeds spread and sprout. New mutations arise over the generations as the dandelions fill the field. But theyre all still dandelions, Thielen said. While the coronavirus mutations are useful for telling lineages apart, they dont have any apparent effect on how the virus works. Thats good news for scientists working on a vaccine. Vaccine developers hope to fight COVID-19 by teaching our bodies to make antibodies that can grab onto the virus and block its entry into cells. Some viruses evolve so quickly that they require vaccines that can produce several different antibodies. Thats not the case for COVID-19. Like other coronaviruses, it has a relatively slow mutation rate compared to some viruses, like influenza. As hard as the fight against it may be, its mutations reveal that things can be a whole lot worse. Of course, the coronavirus will continue to mutate as long as it still infects people. Its possible that vaccines will have to change to keep up with the virus. And thats why scientists need to keep tracking its history. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the state would follow complete curfew till May 3, in line with the extension in the national lockdown. The Punjab government had earlier announced extension of curfew restrictions till May 1 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown would be extended till May 3, saying it was very necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country. During a video conference, the chief minister assured all the political parties in the state of aggressive measures, including large-scale testing, in continuing war against the pandemic. Even as he appreciated the support extended by them to his government, Singh urged all political parties in the state to unitedly fight against coronavirus, rising above political considerations, said a government release here. He said the state government would actively consider all their suggestions to ensure an effective and holistic response to the current crisis. The chief minister said the entire country, and in fact the world, was going through bad times, with Punjab being no exception. The lockdown helped curb the spread of COVID-19, and the state's count of cases was currently among the lowest in the country, he said. Pointing out that medical experts were suggesting that five weeks of lockdown could really improve the situation, he promised all-out efforts to succeed in the battle against the pandemic. In response to various suggestions made during the meeting, the chief minister said he had taken note of all concerns, especially those relating to the workers, and would take steps to address the same. Acceding to his government's request, the Centre had allowed commencement of operations in industries that could accommodate migrant labourers. Four had already started operating in Bathinda, with Ludhiana also gearing up to begin working, he said. The task force set up to formulate the exit strategy for the state would make its recommendations within 10 days on the way forward, Singh said. The chief minister told the meeting that the state government was continuously scaling up testing to check the spread of the pandemic, with all three medical colleges in the state now equipped to conduct tests with a capacity of 1,200 a day. This was in addition to the tests being conducted by PGIMER Chandigarh, while the Ludhiana DMC and CMC hospitals were awaiting approval to commence testing. Singh also assured the leaders that random testing, which began on Tuesday in two districts, would be expanded to all districts eventually, and would also be conducted in villages. He also assured them of all measures to ensure protection of the frontline workers, saying all were being given PPE kits. On a suggestion from SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, the Singh directed the Health Department to consider getting approval for testing at SGPC-run hospitals in order to scale up the tests. He further said that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking release of the MPLAD funds to enable MPs to use it for the fight against COVID in their constituencies, and also sought Rs 729 crore for upgradation of hospitals on priority. There was consensus among all parties on the need to take strict action against, even takeover of, private hospitals not supporting the government in these critical times, said the release. Aam AadmiParty (AAP) state president and MP Bhagwant Mann wanted deferment of all payment/repayment of loans of private banks and no wage cutting by companies. He suggested more publicity for the COVA app which, he said, was extremely useful in the fight against the coronavirus. Ashwani Sharma, BJP's Punjab unit chief, was in favour of revoking the cancellation of blue cards to streamline distribution of food supplies by the government. He suggested waiver of all utility bills, with waiver or reduction in school fee, as the middle class was also suffering in the current crisis. Dairy and poultry farmers also needed more support, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The city of Toledo has appealed a federal judges decision to throw out the Lake Erie Bill of Rights. In February, federal Judge Jack Zouhary ruled that the bill, also known as LEBOR, is invalid and sided with Drewes Farms Partnerships and the state of Ohio, in a civil lawsuit. The city of Toledo appealed the decisions, filing with the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit March 27. LEBOR Toledoans voted in the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, in February 2019, in an effort to protect the lake from polluters, following a three-day period in 2014 when the city water was unsafe to drink due to pollution in the lake. The bill gave Toledo citizens the right to sue polluters on behalf of the lake and declared both that Toledo citizens had the right to a clean and healthy environment, and that Lake Erie itself had a right to exist, flourish and naturally evolve. The move sparked extensive national and international conversations about rights of nature. Lawsuit Drewes Farms Partnerships, of Wood County, brought a lawsuit against the City of Toledo the day after the bill passed. The suit said the bill was unconstitutional and put the farm at risk. The state of Ohio later joined the suit, both parties asking the court to invalidate the bill. Zouhary ruled in favor of the farm and the state of Ohio, saying that the bill was unconstitutionally vague and exceeded Toledos power as a municipal government. Zouhary said his decision to invalidate LEBOR was not even a close call. [The bills] authors ignored basic legal principles and constitutional limitations, and its invalidation should come as no surprise, Zouhary wrote. Response Thomas Fusonie, of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, which represents Drewes Farms in the case, said, in an email to Farm and Dairy, on behalf of Drewes Farms, we are disappointed that Toledo continues to try and aggressively defend LEBOR, which the district court invalidated as unconstitutional. Toledoans for Safe Water, a nonprofit organized to create and pass LEBOR, told Farm and Dairy it was glad to see the city advocating for the rights of Lake Erie and the community. The group was shut out of the court case after attempting to intervene as a defendant in spring 2019, but called on the city to appeal the decision in a press release, after Zouhary invalidated LEBOR. The nonprofit noted concerns about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys March 26 decision to suspend enforcement of U.S. environmental laws amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we are learning that funds from the proposed H2Ohio plan, that the state claimed would protect Lake Erie and other Ohio waterways, will now be greatly reduced or cut completely, the group told Farm and Dairy. We need LEBOR now more than ever. The Ohio Farm Bureau, which publicly supported Drewes Farms in the court case, also said it was disappointed that the city has decided to keep pursuing LEBOR, considering Zouharys straightforward opinion in the order invalidating the bill. Unnecessary and expensive litigation isnt the way to solve water quality challenges, the bureau said. The attorney representing the city of Toledo did not respond to requests for comment by press time. As the corporate world rises up to the challenge to help combat the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Access Bank Ghana, has taken steps to ensure it is contributing its widows might to the fight. The bank has donated a fully equipped ambulance to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) to improve health care delivery on campus and in the community in which it operates. The ambulance, which will be managed by the UPSA Clinic on campus, is equipped with basic emergency kits such as oxygen inhaler, fire extinguisher, stretcher among others. Managing Director of the bank, Olumide Olatunji, in a comment made on his behalf by a representative, Stephen Abban (Divisional Head, Retail Banking), said the donation was targeted at the UPSA because its clinic currently does not have any ambulance facility to transport patients in emergency situations, putting the lives of students and surrounding neighbours at risk should they run into any critical condition requiring swift transfer to a larger hospital. He added that the donation also forms part of the banks efforts to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of logistical support is required in dealing with many health issues across the country including the COVID-19 pandemic and we believe that this gesture will also enable the UPSA clinic to move around the wider community, to attend to any emergency situation when they arise, he said. Vice-Chancellor of the UPSA, Prof. Okoe Amartey, who received the donation on behalf of the university expressed gratitude for the gesture and said that it will serve a very useful purpose for universitys clinic especially when it plans to upgrade to a hospital in a years time to serve the community better. He further assured Access Bank that the ambulance will be well maintained and kept in good condition to serve its intended purpose. He also thanked Access Bank for its continuous support to the university through the years, helping it become the fastest-growing public university in the country. Access Bank Ghana continues to join the fight against several health issues confronting the country since 2009. Quite recently, the Bank launched its Fist Against Fistula campaign in partnership with the UNFPA, Ministry of Health & Ministry of Gender & Social Protection, to support efforts at eradicating fistula out of the country. The project emerged as Best Health Project of the Year at the 2019 Sustainability and Social Investments Awards. Currently, the Bank is also leveraging its over 1,200 employee volunteers to drive a preventive education campaign for the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff of the Bank have been equipped as ambassadors to promote safe and healthy living among customers, their families and contacts using videos and various content across communication channels available to them. Even before the 21-day lockdown was imposed in the nation, there were thousands of people struggling for food and work. The daily wage workers and the underprivileged are the ones who have been hit the hardest by the lockdown. They are struggling for basic necessities like food, shelter and medical expenses. Now that everything has come to a halt, Bollywood celebrities have turned into real life heroes. Apart from donating money to PM Cares and other funds, they are also providing meals to those who are struggling for food. 1. Sanjay Dutt sponsors meals for 1,000 families. AFP As underprivileged are facing difficulty, Sanjay Dutt has announced that he will sponsor the meals for 1,000 families in Mumbai. For this, he has joined hands with Sawarkar Shelters. He has made sure that they cover the suburban area between Borivali to Bandra. Sawarkar Shelters has been a great backbone to execute this plan. They have done much hard work and I thank them for it. I hope that by helping each other, we get through this difficult phase of our lives soon, he was quoted as saying by IANS. 2. Amitabh Bachchan is distributing 2,000 food packets to daily wage workers. Amitabh Bachchan is distributing 2,000 food packets to daily wage workers and others every day to offer lunch and dinner to those in need in Mumbai. With that, he is also offering ration to 1 lakh households on monthly basis to each day wage employee related to the All India Movie Workers Confederation. 3. Sonu Sood is feeding 45,000 people in Mumbai. After opening his Juhu hotel as a residential facility for healthcare workers, Sonu Sood announced to offer meals to 45,000 people in localities like Juhu, Andheri, Bandra and Jogeshwari among others in Mumbai every day. For this, he has launched an initiative called Shakti Annadanam, which he has named after his late father. "Right now we are all together in these tough times against the coronavirus. Some of us are blessed to have food and shelter but there are many who have not eaten meals in days and it's really difficult for them. To help these people, I've started a special food and ration drive on my father's name, which is called Shakti Annadanam. I hope I am able to help as many people as possible," the actor said. 4. Salman Khan is paying for food and medical expenses of 25,000 daily wage workers. kalingatv.com Apart from offering meals for their building's workers and security guards, Salman Khan has transferred funds (Rs 3,000 each) in the accounts of those 20,000 workers affected by coronavirus pandemic. With that, he has also been providing food to 25,000 daily wage workers. 5. Hrithik Roshan is facilitating 1.2 lakh cooked meals. Agencies After arranging and donating N95 and FFP3 masks for the BMC workers, Hrithik Roshan is now helping to facilitate 1.2 lakh cooked meals for those in need. For this, he has collaborated with NGO Akshaya Patra, which is working to aid old age homes, daily wage labourers as well as low income groups across the country. 6. Shah Rukh Khan is providing food to 5,500 families. BCCL As a part of his seven initiatives to support coronavirus fight, Shah Rukh Khan is taking care of daily food requirements of over 5,500 families in Mumbai. 7. Varun Dhawan is distributing free meals to workers as well as healthcare staff. BCCL Varun Dhawan is distributing free meals to workers as well as healthcare staff who are fighting coronavirus. Apart from that, Varun Dhawan has also donated Rs 30 lakh to PM-CARES and Rs 25 lakh to Maharashtra CM relief fund. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 14:22:29|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A worker makes face masks at a factory in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah) KABUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Forty-nine more confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in Afghanistan, bringing the total number in the country to 714 as of Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed Tuesday. "The COVID-19 cases are expected to increase rapidly over the weeks ahead as community transmission escalates. A total of 18 new cases were reported in Kabul province, 15 in Kandahar, six in Balkh, four in Herat, four in Ghazni and two in Nangarhar provinces respectively," the ministry said in a statement. A total of 23 patients have died and 40 others have recovered since the outbreak in mid February, according to the statement. To contain the pandemic, the government has put big cities including Kabul under quarantine since late last month, calling on the people to remain at home. Washington peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Pakistan's military chief Tuesday, a day after discussing the lagging U.S.-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan with the chief negotiator for the insurgent movement. The meetings included Gen. Scott Miller, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Statements from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the U.S. military in Kabul said Washington was engaged in ongoing efforts to find a sustainable peace after decades of relentless war but the U.S. officials released no details. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the insurgent group's chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, used Monday's meeting at the Taliban's political office in Qatar to protest attacks against Taliban fighters in their homes, contrary to provisions of the Feb. 29 agreement. Our men have been targeted in their residential areas while there is no room for such attacks in the agreement, either by the U.S. or their internal (Afghan) supporters, he said, a reference to Afghan National Security Forces. The U.S. military has refused to address the Taliban's specific complaint but has said that it is abiding by the agreement and will continue to come to the aid of the Afghan military. At the meeting with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan's military leaders reaffirmed their support for U.S. efforts and renewed their commitment to act to advance a political settlement to the conflict," according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in the Pakistani capital. At the heart of most of the talks, say Taliban and U.S. officials, is the demand for a reduction of violence. The Taliban have not been attacking U.S. and NATO troops since the agreement was signed, instead attacking Afghan forces in outlying areas. Washington wants a reduction to those attacks. Shaheen said the Taliban are ready to negotiate a countrywide cease-fire but only during intra-Afghan negotiations, the next critical step of the deal. However, getting to intra-Afghan negotiations, which Washington had hoped would begin weeks earlier, has mostly been held up by political turmoil in Kabul as dueling presidents fight over who is the real winner in last year's presidential elections and the government squabbles over the deal's call for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government prisoners. The Kabul regime is creating hurdles in the way of intra-Afghan negotiation by not releasing our prisoners as it is a prerequisite for commencement of intra Afghan negotiations," Shaheen told The AP. The government has freed 300 men they say are Taliban but who have yet to be verified by the insurgents and the Taliban have freed 20 government employees. The call for a reduction in violence has taken on greater importance as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to overwhelm Afghanistan's beleaguered and war-ravaged health care system. The U.N. secretary-general has asked for a cease-fire to conflicts around the world to focus resources on fighting the pandemic. Afghanistan has more than 700 confirmed cases and 23 deaths, but testing is limited and more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home in recent months from neighboring Iran, where the virus has infected nearly 75,000 and killed more than 4,600. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 20 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the Charulia area of West Bengal's Asansol on Tuesday in clashes over setting up a quarantine centre, officials said. The civic body has decided to convert a government boys' hostel into a quarantine facility, they said. On Tuesday afternoon, when health and civic body officials visited the area for inspection, locals gathered and started heckling them, according to police sources. The locals started pushing and abusing them, following which the police were called in, a senior officer of the Asansol police commissionerate said. Seeing the police, the locals started hurling stones at their vehicles, he said, adding that "we then had to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to control the situation". Five police personnel, including the officer-in-charge of Jamuria police station, were injured. Few officials of the civic body were also injured, the officer said. "We also have reports about a few locals suffering injures," the officer said. An investigation has been started and a hunt is on to nab those behind the incident, police said. Parts of Asansol, in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, have been on the boil for the last two days over setting up of quarantine centres. On Monday night, clashes broke out in the Salanpur area over setting up of a quarantine centre. The authorities wanted to turn a government bungalow into an isolation facility. The locals stopped the authorities and chased away the police personnel with bows and arrows, following which the idea of an isolation centre there was dropped. Asansol Mayor Jitendra Tiwari said the people are terrified as they feel that a setting up of quarantine centres would lead to more infections in the area. "The people here are thinking that setting up of quarantine centres would put them at risk. So they are protesting against it. We are trying to create awareness among the masses," he said. The decision to set up the quarantine centres was taken after a few positive cases of COVID-19 were reported from Asansol over the past few days, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Edenderry councillor Noel Cribbin has welcomed confirmation that further capacity has been found in Edenderry's sewage system. "Mary Hussey from Offaly County Council gave the positive report to the members which included confirmation that Irish Water found additional capacity within the Edenderry sewage system thus giving the green light for new building developments to progress and proof of this was only seen lately as planning was passed for 70 houses in Derrybeg," Cllr Cribbin said. Mary also informed members that the Edenderry Sewage Plant was one of only three projects in Offaly that was included in this year's capital plans to extend the present facilities to cope with further growth in the town in the future. "On the long-standing issue of the flooding of four houses in Greenwood Park, Mary informed the members that she would be looking to secure funding to resolve this issue for the residents," Cllr Cribbin explained. This report was warmly welcomed by all members. Cllr Cribbin claims the report vindicates his assertions in a recent dispute with fellow councillor John Foley. Cllr Cribbin welcomed this additional capacity back in March and was accused of spreading misinformation by Cllr Foley. Cllr Cribbin requested Cllr Foley withdraw his remarks in this regard but he did not take that opportunity at the April meeting of Edenderry Municipal District. At the March meeting, tensions spilled over between both councillors. Cllr Foley said a lady in her 70s was at her wits end with worry during the recent bad weather and she had also been told her insurance would not be renewed because of the flooding risk - a separate issue to that of sewage capacity and planning. Referring to his understanding that a claim had been made that the sewage issue had been addressed, Cllr Foley said back in March it was wrong to be giving people false hope." Cllr Cribbin said Irish Water had a system in place where they made themselves available to councillors every couple of months and he had raised the sewage capacity issue with them face to face recently. I've met them on several occasions. The last time I met them was February, said the Fine Gael councillor. I think in all the times I've been there I don't recall seeing another councillor from Edenderry with them. He set up a meeting with Irish Water and no other councillor came along with him and at that meeting, he was told there would be an increase in capacity for the equivalent of a population of 500. On the basis of that, said Cllr Cribbin, planning permission had been granted for 90 houses in Edenderry. He also spoke to Irish Water about Greenwood Park and it seemed it is not an easy problem to resolve, with both the utility and the council blaming each other. I don't know where Cllr Foley is getting his information from. I get it from the horse's mouth, I went to the bother of going to the meeting, declared Cllr Cribbin at the March meeting. Replying, Cllr Foley said he had no doubt Cllr Cribbin was doing the best he could. Through technology, and broadband we don't always have to go and meet individuals and he was in contact with Irish Water at all times through his council and business work. Cllr Cribbin said he had also written to the relevant Government Minister and had been told Edenderry would be looked at. He repeated his belief that it is best to meet Irish Water officials personally. Go to the meetings, don't mind technology, go to the meetings and sit opposite [them]. I didn't put into the paper that Greenwood was going to be sorted, what I did put in was that I raised the issue, he concluded. Speaking this week, Cllr Cribbin said: "I invited the members to attend this important meeting with me btu no other member turned up and I followed up by meeting three reps from Irish Water and they confirmed to me the positive response to my questions and I passed on this positive news to the press and fellow members." "I am over 20 years as a public representative in Edenderry who has worked my socks off for the people, clubs and businesses of this area and whilst meeting can be robust and different points of view with members I was never accused of giving out misinformation or would I and I feel very hurt over Cllr Foley's remarks." He once again asked Cllr Foley to withdraw the remarks. He said without such a withdrawal he will result in him having no further communication with Cllr Foley. Dividend paying stocks like Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. With Bank of America yielding 3.0% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. The company also returned around 13% of its market capitalisation to shareholders in the form of stock buybacks over the past year. Remember though, given the recent drop in its share price, Bank of America's yield will look higher, even though the market may now be expecting a decline in its long-term prospects. When buying stocks for their dividends, you should always run through the checks below, to see if the dividend looks sustainable. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis NYSE:BAC Historical Dividend Yield April 14th 2020 Payout ratios Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Bank of America paid out 24% of its profit as dividends, over the trailing twelve month period. With a low payout ratio, it looks like the dividend is comprehensively covered by earnings. Consider getting our latest analysis on Bank of America's financial position here. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Bank of America's dividend payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$0.04 in 2010, compared to US$0.72 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 34% per year over this time. Story continues It's rare to find a company that has grown its dividends rapidly over ten years and not had any notable cuts, but Bank of America has done it, which we really like. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's good to see Bank of America has been growing its earnings per share at 45% a year over the past five years. The company is only paying out a fraction of its earnings as dividends, and in the past been able to use the retained earnings to grow its profits rapidly - an ideal combination. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We're glad to see Bank of America has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. We like that it has been delivering solid improvement in its earnings per share, and relatively consistent dividend payments. Bank of America fits all of our criteria, and we think it's an attractive dividend idea that would warrant further investigation. Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Bank of America has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. " " Certified deaf interpreter Marla Berkowitz (far right) has become a lifeline for Ohio's deaf community during the COVID-19 crisis. She's seen here during one of the news conferences with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Courtesy of Ohio Development Services Agency Every day at 2 p.m., residents across Ohio tune in to the state news conference for important updates on COVID-19. But they're not just watching Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Many are watching for the chance to see and support an unsung hero in the state's aggressive fight against coronavirus: certified deaf interpreter (CDI) Marla Berkowitz. Since March 12, Berkowitz, who is also deaf and a lecturer at The Ohio State University, has been live on-air with DeWine and other government officials for every single briefing. She's keeping Ohio's deaf community informed about critical information that's delivered with the precision and comfort-level only CDIs can provide. According to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID), CDIs are "deaf or hard of hearing and have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of interpreting, deafness, the deaf community, and deaf culture." The pool of CDIs is smaller than that of hearing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, which is one reason Berkowitz has gained such a following. She's proving just how important CDIs are in times of crises. Just like it's often easier for, say, Italian speakers to understand other native Italian speakers (versus those with Italian as a second language), it's easier for the deaf community to understand ASL from native speakers who rely on it (versus those who learn but don't necessarily need it for all communication). Advertisement Communicating With the Deaf Is Critical During Crises For these news briefings, Berkowitz doesn't work alone. The Ohio state press conferences have three ASL interpreters: a freelance CDI (Berkowitz) and two hearing staff ASL interpreters (Christy Horne and Lena Smith). The three work together to get the right message across quickly. "ASL interpreting is an interactive process involving two languages and two cultures, one being a visual language (ASL) and deaf culture and the other being a spoken language (English) and hearing culture," Berkowitz says via email. "What CDIs like myself do is look at the form structure of the English message presented to us by hearing ASL interpreters and reformulate the entire message into ASL all while making sure we're in conjunction with the timing of the speaker's message." Berkowitz' brain works incredibly quickly to piece all of these elements together with the pressure of live television. Every. Single. Day. For many, this sounds like their worst nightmare. Berkowitz, who started informally interpreting during childhood, was born for the job. "When I was a young student at a residential school for the deaf in NYC, we would have teachers not fluent in ASL, and my deaf classmates would ask me what the teacher was saying," she says. That was the 1970s. In the 1980s, Berkowitz went on to provide social and mental health services to the deaf community and was often asked to work as an interpreter between the hearing staff (with subpar signing skills) and the community. Then, she got a job as a lipreader for the family of a man who lost his voice in the hospital before ultimately working toward her CDI certification with the RID. This certification she's now the only ASL CDI certified for the state of Ohio helped her land the high-profile role of on-air CDI for the daily COVID-19 briefings. "Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities contacted Deaf Services Center, and they specifically requested me," Berkowitz says. "The deaf-hearing interpreting communities are tight-knit." " " Here Berkowitz shows two signs she's been using a lot lately, hope and together. Marla Berkowitz Advertisement When Bogus Interpreters Slip-through the Cracks It's not surprising to see states moving toward reliable and respected CDIs and interpreters like Berkowitz in times of crisis. Deaf communities around the globe have been let down in some cases dangerously through phony or under-experienced interpreters who know little to no sign language. Case in point? In 2013, world leaders eulogized Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the world watching. Those in the deaf community couldn't participate because a fraud interpreter was signing nonstop nonsense. According to The Associated Press, "He later said he is schizophrenic and had seen angels descending in the stadium where the event took place." Fast forward to Hurricane Irma in Manatee County, Florida, in 2017. There, a county employee who had limited sign-language knowledge (through communicating with his deaf brother) was tasked with interpreting news about mandatory evacuations for the local deaf community. As hearing viewers packed up and prepared for the worst, the deaf community was left with gibberish communication including the signed words "pizza" and "bear," according to the AP. Advertisement ASL Is a Visual-gestural Language Many phonies, like the faux South African interpreter, think adding emotive facial expressions to their signing will make them more believable. That's because CDIs and ASL interpreters are nothing if not energetic while signing, but each and every movement has a specific purpose. "We have grammar markers which indicate whether the speaker is authoritative or calming; all of these are heard as vocal intonations which deaf people do not hear," Berkowitz says. "It adds nuance to convey a message like 'stay home' with a stern face to emphasize it." Additionally, Berkowitz notes that distinguishing between COVID-19 and, say, SARS or MERS, requires the interpreter to fingerspell it. "Or, if we're to emphasize the behavior of coronavirus like attacking, spreading or dying, our signs would look different in conjunction with our facial expressions and body movements," she says. "ASL appears theatrical or dramatic to anyone unfamiliar with it; however it is how we convey the message accurately and meaningfully to the general public who use ASL as their language for communication." " " Sign language interpreters like Berkowitz (second from left) use dramatic facial expressions and body movements that appear theatrical or dramatic to anyone unfamiliar with the language. Courtesy of Ohio Development Services Agency NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Ohio residents are going above and beyond to cheer on Marla Berkowitz. Their latest endeavor? A Facebook fan club. The 1,000 members in Marla Berkowitz's fan club share everything from personal stories to homemade paper-doll cutouts so kids can learn about Berkowitz and the ASL interpreting crew. The submarine is the third in a total of four such vessels Egypt had agreed to purchase from Germany A high-speed attack submarine Egypt has bought from Germany started sailing to Egypt on Tuesday to join the Egyptian navy, Egypts military spokesperson said in a statement. Egypts naval forces announced they had officially received the Type 209/1400 submarine from Germany last week, the third of a total of four such submarines the country had agreed to purchase. Egypt received the first submarine, S41, in December 2016, and the second, S42, in August 2017. The new S-43 submarine is characterised by a sailing range of up to 20,000 km and a high sailing speed, as well as the ability to launch torpedoes and surface missiles, spokesperson Colonel Tamer El-Refaie said. The S-43 submarine is equipped with the latest combat, navigation, communications and electronic warfare systems, enabling it to "secure the Egyptian regional and economic waters and enhance national security," the statement said. The submarine will conduct a number of joint naval exercises with naval forces from a number of countries during its journey to Egypt, the statement added It is the latest addition to the Egyptian navy as part of a broader ambitious plan to develop and reinforce the Egyptian armed forces. Search Keywords: Short link: Dr Philip Mathew The COVID-19 outbreak is a watershed moment in the global healthcare landscape. Never before in human history has a disease caused so much economic and social upheaval simultaneously in so many countries. Some estimates project widespread job losses because of the lockdowns initiated due to the pandemic, and most countries are looking at a sharp recession. The outbreak has laid bare the deficiencies in the public health system. Many countries had felt that they made an epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases before the nineties; and went ahead and partially dismantled their capacity to deal with outbreaks of infections. The focus was to prevent infections from reaching their shores. Reskilling Health Workers However, now many advanced health systems find themselves in the middle of a rapidly escalating contagion, and the collective expertise to deal with such outbreaks is low. This will change in the post-pandemic period, and countries are going to re-skill their healthcare workers on outbreaks of infectious diseases. Existing health workers may have to undergo a training processes and professional education curricula will change for the better. 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 pandemic has also revealed the fragility of global health governance. Criticisms aside, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been doing a good job in advising governments and projecting a balanced view. That said, the WHOs mandate is severely limited due to the very nature of its existence and its dependence on governments for funding. Better Global Governance Agencies such as the G-20 and the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) can complement the United Nations (UN) agencies through its reach and influence though we are yet to see it during this epidemic. Even the protracted negotiations within the European Union (EU) and failure to support the member countries on time shows that we need a better co-ordinated global governance system for health issues. It may be difficult to get the ball rolling in the immediate post-pandemic period due to policy instability in many high-income countries, but this outbreak will surely pave the way for a better governance process. It is likely to be broadly complementary to the WHO. Strategic Stockpiles During the Cold War and in the immediate aftermath of the 1973 oil shock, many countries maintained strategic stockpiles of essential goods and medical supplies. Some continued the practice, while most abandoned it. The United States maintains a modest stockpile while Finland continues to stock on a significant scale even now. Those countries which abandoned this practice pointed at the highly globalised world and the economic inefficiencies associated with maintaining large stocks. However, we are seeing the advantages of maintaining a strategic stockpile and this may become more evident when the outbreak evolves further. It will take time for the supply chains to get normalised and we may see shortages of medicines. It is not clear if this is a feasible strategy for developing countries, but more governments will start the process of establishing strategic stockpiles. This may be even used as one of the tools to kick-start the economy in the short term. Focus On Essential Supplies A lot has been said about the need for the public sector to maintain control over pharmaceutical manufacturing. Most of the larger pharmaceutical firms are exiting the antibiotics vertical due to poor returns. There have been very little investments for Research and Development (R&D) of vaccines for neglected tropical diseases which still claim millions of lives. Here there is a definite role for governments to intervene and ensure that essential medicines are not left to the vagaries of market forces. There are several options available, from contract manufacturing, publicly-owned production facilities, incentivising products, exploring innovative financing options for research and promoting not-for-profit agencies to manage production of essential medicines. I anticipate that there will be a large push towards greater public control of pharmaceutical production and medical equipment manufacturing. Vaccines For All Vaccine research has also suffered in the last few decades due to a chronic lack of funding where pharmaceutical giants and governments have shied away from putting significant money into its R&D. In many cases, vaccine research has been driven by funding from philanthropies. Some virologists see the current outbreak as a warning sign and say that increasing environmental pressures can spawn more such viruses with human-to-human transmissibility. The money needed for vaccine research pales when compared to the global losses due to a pandemic, and this has now been proven beyond doubt. Therefore, governments may get proactive and money will flow into vaccine research. I hope that the global health community will also think about restrictive intellectual property regulations which may prevent economic access to vaccines in developing countries. Bridging The Divide Another change that we may see in the coming years is the bridging of the traditional north-south divide in global health practice. In the current pandemic, the developing countries have relied on techniques which are not similar to those practiced by high-income countries. Even in issuing treatment protocols or mandating social distancing the countries of the global south have charted an independent course. The term decolonising global health is gaining currency across the world. I do not agree with the choice of terminology, but the idea behind such a move is valid. Developing countries will start investing in building their own public health capacity and this will be a systematic process over a long time. Capacity building is a long drawn out process, but it will finally pay off for everyone involved. Universal Health Coverage Lastly, we have seen that countries which lack an effective primary care system struggling to control the outbreak. The US, with all its financial prowess and well-managed hospital system, is still struggling with a large case load. The issues have been accentuated by the lack of access to healthcare, in the absence of a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system. Though the UHC has featured prominently in the ongoing presidential primaries, it has not yet captured the attention of the entire population. In the last decade, the UHC has been firmly placed in the global health agenda due to actions taken by UN General Assembly and the WHO. There is a larger consensus that the UHC has to be achieved through higher investments in health and a strong primary healthcare system. The world should move in this direction as equitable access to healthcare is the mainstay for improving the health of the society. The global leadership has to realise that we are constantly under threat from similar outbreaks, and preparedness is the only shield we have. When such an outbreak happens, hindsight is a luxury that we cannot afford. Our healthcare system needs to undergo a drastic change to prevent the same mistakes from happening again. Dr Philip Mathew is a physician and a public health researcher. Views are personal. This is the fourth article in a multi-part series, World After COVID-19 , which looks at the probable developments in various sectors: macro economy, trade, healthcare, agriculture, judiciary, international politics and sports. By Trend The monthly limit of electricity consumed by Azerbaijans population at a preferential rate has been increased since April, Head of the Information Technologies Department of Azerishig OJSC Galib Hamidov told Trend. Hamidov said that the limit of electricity consumed by citizens will be increased by 100 kilowatt hours from April through May 2020. According to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, the limit of energy consumption at the preferential rate was increased from 300 kilowatt hours to 400 kilowatt hours. Payments should not be confused, because receipts for payments in April were calculated for March. Therefore, the receipts at the beginning of April indicate a limit of 300 kilowatt hours. In May and June, the limit will be 400 kilowatt hours. The limit of electricity provided at a reduced rate for the population was 300 kilowatt hours, while in April and May it will be increased to 400 kilowatt hours. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz For 33 years, Darsh Takhar has cared for patients who hover on the edge between life and death. The registered nurse at Brampton Civic Hospital worked during the 2003 SARS crisis and is used to long, demanding days in the Intensive Care Unit. She knows, even with the best medical care, some of her patients will not survive. Yet, one of the hardest moments in her decades-long career came just last week when she held the hand of a man a hospital co-worker who lay dying of COVID-19. He was one of our own, Takhar said of the 58-year-old environmental services associate and long-time hospital employee who died on April 9, becoming the first known Ontario health-care worker to die after getting sick with the coronavirus. We were with him. We prayed with him. We held his hand. But his family wasnt there couldnt be there and that was the hardest part for me. Hospitals across Ontario have made the difficult but necessary decision to restrict families from visiting their loved ones in hospital to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Its yet another, and especially heart-rending, way the highly contagious and deadly virus has upended how hospitals deliver patient care. Doctors, nurses and social workers are now connecting families and patients by phone or video conference, even when critically ill patients on ventilators can no longer speak. They understand the fear and grief families experience when they cant sit at their mothers bedside or touch their fathers hand. Hospital staff are also ensuring families get regular updates about a patients condition, often helping them navigate difficult and possibly life-ending or life-altering decisions around a patients care. And, in the days and hours before a patients death, they are making sure families get a chance to say goodbye. Last week, Dr. Brooks Fallis, a critical care physician at Brampton Civic Hospital, set up a video conference for the daughter of the hospital cleaner so she could speak to her father before he died. Fallis said its a moment he will never forget. I had the privilege of being in the room while she told her father how much she loved him, and that she was hoping he could be strong and that he could get better and that they were praying for him. Myself and the nurse were both crying in the room, quietly, while she was speaking to him. While we were unfortunately unable to get him through his illness, Im really glad his daughter had that moment with him that night. Before the COVID-19 outbreak forced hospitals to restrict visitors, Brampton Civic encouraged families to sit at a patients bedside in the ICU. Staff got to know their patients families and families, in turn, were able to see first-hand how doctors and nurses cared for their loved ones. Each day, during rounds, families were invited to be in the ICU room while a doctor, nurse and pharmacist reviewed the patients condition and made plans for the following 24 hours. Normally, were interacting with families all the time, getting lots of information from them and communicating information back to them, said Fallis, Division Head and Medical Director of Critical Care at William Osler Health System. Now, we are doing as much as we can to emulate that situation in a virtual way. During a 12-hour shift, Takhar, who volunteered to nurse patients with COVID-19, cares for a single patient with the disease. She constantly monitors vital signs, the ventilator, medications and IVs, as well as making sure her patient is comfortable and not in distress. Most days, Takhar only takes a single break, around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Our patients are so sick and their condition can change so fast. We dont want to leave them. As of Monday afternoon, Brampton Civic had 12 COVID-19 patients in the ICU. Takhar said its unnerving to see so many sedated patients on ventilators, many exhibiting similar symptoms and requiring similar medications and care. They all look the same. Its like something out of a horror movie and were just waiting for them to wake up. Takhar was the primary nurse for the hospital worker who died of complications from COVID-19. She spent almost two weeks caring for him and was in constant contact with his family, even giving them her personal cellphone number so they could call or text at any time. She says families waiting anxiously at home are soothed by small details about their loved ones care, something shes learned in her decades of nursing. But sometimes, she adds, families need to speak directly with their loved one, even if their father or mother, brother or sister are unable to hear them or talk back. I put the phone by the patients head and close the curtain and let them talk to their loved one. Its moving, but it can also be stressful because they are making plans and maybe you know that patient might not make it And they say things like, Daddy wake up. Daddy get up. Come home. Its hard, its very hard. I try to keep neutral so they dont see that Im upset. But were human, too. We are going to get upset. As a registered social worker in Brampton Civics ICU, Danielle Coffin has had many difficult conversations with patients families since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. She has helped families get support for funeral arrangements, talked through end-of-life decisions and braced families for how different their loved one will look in the ICU while hooked up to life-support machines. Coffin, who started her job in December, has donned Personal Protective Equipment numerous times to bring a phone or iPad to a patients bedside. She says its a privilege to oversee these intimate conversations, many of which involve families expressing their love, pleas for a patient to get better and future plans for family parties, trips and outings. During the last few weeks, Coffin has helped families with end-of-life rituals for patients dying of COVID-19. One family asked for their loved ones arms and legs to be positioned in a certain way at the time of death. In another case, Coffin arranged for each of the patients children to have their own, individual goodbye. Coffin also helped co-ordinate the delivery of holy water to the hospital so a physician could bless a dying patient while his family watched and offered instructions by video. At least we could provide some level of comfort during that difficult time. That was a very powerful moment. For patients and families for whom English is not their first language, the hospital offers a real-time, virtual translation service with professional interpreters skilled in 170 languages. Between its three hospital sites, the top languages used are Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Portuguese and Italian, said Mary Jane McNally, chief patient experience officer for William Osler. In the last three weeks, physicians in Brampton Civics ICU have gained experience treating patients with COVID-19 and have seen firsthand the spectrum of symptoms associated with the disease. Despite their best efforts, Fallis said many COVID-19 patients deteriorate and need advanced life support interventions, including kidney dialysis, drugs to support their cardiovascular system and a high level of ventilator support. In the absence of bedside vigils, Fallis said its critical for families to see by video conference the faces of the hospital staff, the ICU room with its many machines, as well as the condition of their loved one. It helps them understand everything were trying to do to get their family member to survive this illness and get better, and it allows them to see how sick these patients really are. For Takhar, the past few weeks have been among the most challenging in her career. Some days, as she did last week after the hospital cleaner died, she has cried with her colleagues, finding solace in their support. Other days, shes worried she will get infected with COVID-19 at work and bring the virus home to her family. But even on her hardest days, Takhar said she puts her fears aside to look after her patients, the way shes done for 33 years. You pull together with your team and carry on and do what you can to the best of your ability. Foreign minister says Chinese authorities must act after footage emerged of Nigerians discriminated against. Nigeria has condemned the extremely distressing and unacceptable footage appearing to show its citizens in China maltreated because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, Nigerias Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said: There were videos circulating on social media of very disturbing scenes and incidents involving Nigerians in the city of Guangzhou. Onyeama said it appeared that Nigerians were being discriminated against at hotels and restaurants and being stigmatised as supposed carriers of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. We saw images of Nigerians in the streets with their possessions and this was, of course, extremely distressing for us at home, he said. He said the situation was unacceptable to the Nigerian government and its people, and needed immediate action from the Chinese authorities. The Chinese ambassador said Beijing was taking the issues the minister raised very seriously and said China would continue to foster cordial ties with Nigeria. The conversation followed accusations of discrimination in the southern city of Guangzhou linked to the coronavirus pandemic. 200412100315200 Having brought under control the original outbreak centred on the city of Wuhan, Beijing is now concerned about imported cases and is stepping up scrutiny of foreigners coming into the country and tightening border controls. And while Beijing has denied discrimination, Africans in China say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing. Earlier on Tuesday, US fast-food chain McDonalds apologised for a sign in one of its restaurants in Guangzhou telling black people they were banned from entering. On Saturday, the African Union expressed extreme concern about the situation in Guangzhou and called on the Chinese government to take immediate corrective measures. WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Five states that recorded most number of COVID-19 cases in India India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Apr 14: The novel coronavirus outbreak has affected hundreds of people across India. But, tension prevailed to the state and central government on five states which have been hit the worst by the spread of COVID-19. However, several health workers and state authorities are seen working hard to check and curb the spread of coronavirus. Here is a list of five worst-affected states by the novel coronavirus. Lockdown extended until May 3, detailed guidelines tomorrow says PM Modi Maharashtra: On Monday, the number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed the 2,000-mark. As the number of positive cases increased to 2,334, the death toll also increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday. Also, it is important to notice that the number of COVID-19 cases crossed the 1000-mark in the state on April 7. The state government has set up a task force of nine senior doctors to join hands to fight against the disease by providing guidance to health professionals and streamline services in the state. Delhi: The number of COVID-19 cases in the national capital increased to 1,510 on Monday. Of the total cases, 1,071 are those who have been brought to facilities through special operations. With the number of containment zones rising in the city, the state government has called for a massive sanitisation drive in those areas to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Tamil Nadu: The total number of positive cases in Tamil Nadu stands at 1,173. This is the third state in India to report more than 1,000 cases. On Monday, the state government announced the extension of lockdown till April 30 to check the spread of the disease. Also, wearing of face masks was made compulsory for people in Chennai whenever they they step out of their homes. Rajasthan: After claiming 11 lives in the state, the total number of positive cases in Rajasthan stands at 897. The state government has called for several containment zones and also disinfectants are seen spraying in certain areas. Madhya Pradesh: The state health officials claimed that 615 cases have been reported in the state. Six more deaths were reported from Bhopal, Indore, Khargone and Ujjain, taking the overall toll to 50 so far. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 12:39 [IST] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Warsaw, Poland Tue, April 14, 2020 16:04 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1d1bf6 2 World Poland,coronavirus,coronavirus-prevention,COVID-19,COVID-19-lockdown,COVID-19-quarantine,pandemic,health Free Poland will gradually lift lockdown measures imposed to contain the novel coronavirus from April 19, starting with restrictions on shops, the government said on Tuesday, as it prepares to hold presidential elections by post on May 10. As of Monday, Poland had reported 6,934 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, and 245 deaths. "From the 19th we will slowly start unfreezing the economy," Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski told Polish private radio station RMF FM. Restrictions on shops are likely to be lifted first, Poland's government spokesman Piotr Muller told public radio. Muller said the government would decide on the lifting of further curbs on Wednesday or Thursday. Last week the authorities extended a lockdown on schools until April 26 and businesses until April 19. Limits for air and rail transport have also been extended. Poland's borders will remain closed until May 3. The May 10 elections are now expected to be held exclusively by post in an effort to curtail the risks associated with coronavirus. Opposition politicians and critics say the election risks not being free or fair and some have called for voters to boycott the ballot altogether. Szumowski said on Tuesday that he is waiting on the General Sanitation Inspectorate to judge the safety of carrying out the elections by post before he will issue his own recommendation. Human rights officials, international organizations and European Union Commissioner Vera Jourova have criticized the Polish ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party's push to hold elections by post. Theres a great deal of online hate right now for landlords a damn the man-type trend thats painting landlords as money-grubbing oppressive jerks. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Theres a great deal of online hate right now for landlords a "damn the man"-type trend thats painting landlords as money-grubbing oppressive jerks. Think Scrooge McDuck, or Rich Uncle Pennybags (the Monopoly man). Although theres no debating that some property owners are wealthy after all, there are some pretty big rental companies out there whose heads are very wealthy not all income properties are raking it in for their owners. There are many factors at play, and no lack of financial overhead to factor in. Renters do not operate in a vacuum. Landlords/property owners have bills to pay, too, and the trickle down impacts of renters inability to pay can hurt a whole network of people. Just as the landlords expect rent, their bank/credit union will expect a mortgage, the municipality will expect taxes, the insurance company will expect payment and others will expect payment for their products and services. Short of casting aside the very premise of capitalism, targeting landlords as villains in this pandemic situation isnt fair. Thankfully, governments have stepped in to help. Recognizing the tricky situation many of us are now in, the provincial government has postponed non-urgent evictions to at least May 31 and put any rent hikes scheduled for this month off the table for the time being. On its own, this would be nothing more than a slap in the face to landlords, but when paired with the federal governments response it makes sense. Although these rents will still have to be paid in the end, renters who have lost their jobs can apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which provides Canadians who have lost their jobs with $2,000 a month for four months. The benefit joins this months GST rebate boost in putting more money in your familys pocketbook (to borrow a common political parlance) to weather this financial storm. Last month, the national unemployment rate jumped by 2.2 percentage points to 7.8 per cent, and so far more than five million Canadians have applied for federal emergency unemployment help since March 15. A lot of us are hurting, and as weve written several times already, were all in this together. Theres no sense in us pointing the blame at each other when the real enemy is a faceless coronavirus. : The oldest person to test positive for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh was an 80-year old woman from Guntur while the youngest were two three-year old girls, one from Kurnool and another from East Godavari district. Of the total 483 COVID-19 cases registered in the state from March 12 to April 14, 125 were female and the rest male. And, 31 of those afflicted were under the age of 15 years, data released by the AP government here on Tuesday revealed. Among the children, there were two each of three, five and seven years, three each of eight and six years, a nine- year old and six were 10-year old. Of the 31 children under the age of 15, the number of girls were 19. The Government of India authorities insisted that AP too release the COVID-19 details like other states in a transparent manner and, accordingly, the state government finally released some data on the pandemic thus far, official sources said. The government data revealed that, among the 483 cases, 13 foreign returnees contracted coronavirus and 12 of their contacts got afflicted through human-to-human transmission. Another 33 cases were due to "other reasons." The remaining cases were either Tablighi Jamaat congregation attendees or their contacts. According to the state government numbers, in all 10,505 blood samples were tested till date and 10,022 of them turned negative. On Monday, the seven Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) opened by the state, set a record by conducting 2,010 blood tests in 24 hours. The seven labs have a total capacity to test 990 samples per day. The government volunteers and health workers completed two rounds of house-to-house survey, covering 1.31 crore of the total 1.46 crore households to identify prospective COVID-19 patients. In the third round of survey, 1.45 crore houses were covered and 22,272 symptomatic cases were identified. Of these, 6,509 persons were kept in home quarantine and another eight in institutional quarantine, the government data said. Another 243 samples were sent for further testing. While the government opened 338 quarantine centres across the state, 5,864 persons were accommodated in them. The government also opened one state-level Covid-19 hospital each in Chittoor, Krishna, Nellore and Visakhapatnam but they have not yet been readied to their full capacity. While the government provisioned for 444 ventilators in these four hospitals, only 335 are available now, with 332 (out of 444) ICU beds. Another 310 beds are to be added to the planned 1680 in non-ICU rooms in these hospitals. In the 13 district-level COVID-19 hospitals, only half of the 445 provisioned ventilators could be put in place while 2,292 more beds need to be added in the non-ICU rooms, the government data said. The data also said 4,799 doctors and 16,481 paramedical and nursing staff were rendering COVID-related services in government hospitals in the 13 districts, with the highest 2,771 doctors and 9,624 paramedical and nursing staff in Visakhapatnam district alone. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Trump this week deflected responsibility from the federal government for not providing states with adequate test cartridges to use in newly provided rapid-testing machines that can diagnosis coronavirus in as little as five minutes. Oregon and other states began receiving the Abbott ID NOW machines last week from the federal government. Oregon got 15 -- but initially received only 120 tests to use with them. The lack of tests left many states frustrated. Trump on Monday undercut guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when he was asked about the lack of test cartridges for the Abbott machines. The governors have to get the material. Now, if they cant get it, theyre going to see us," Trump said. "Im talking about the local governments, Im talking about governors have to get the material, he added. Thats not what Health and Human services officials said last week. In an April 6 news release, the agency said state public health labs, or PHLs, should reach out through the federal government for tests. Abbott was reportedly producing 50,000 tests per day. The International Reagent Resource (IRR), operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will procure additional tests each week to support requests from PHLs, the agency said. The test devices will begin arriving at PHLs as early as Monday, April 6. Test resupply for the state health labs will be routed through the IRR. That mirrors the broad guidance the agency provided to states a day earlier, which didnt explicitly name the Abbott machine or tests. Consolidating testing supplies under the IRR will simplify the resource request process for states and territories and alleviate the burden on public health labs, removing the need to work with separate, individual suppliers for swabs, reagents, and other diagnostic testing supplies, the agency wrote. An agency spokesperson on Tuesday did not address the written guidance or the presidents statements. But in an email, the spokesperson said that while the federal government is working to expand its inventory to aid states everyone is welcome to purchase on the open market. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Trump, when pressed further Monday, said Abbott was rapidly increasing the numbers and states would receive more pretty quickly. Philip Schmidt, a spokesman for Oregon, said last week that the state has been instructed by HHS to order through the IRR rather than directly with Abbott and also was instructed that supplies are currently limited. Oregon requested 5,000 tests. This week, Schmidt said, Oregon received 96 more tests on Monday afternoon. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A city government in the central Argentine province of Cordoba has dug around 250 graves, anticipating a death toll increase from the coronavirus pandemic, even as a nationwide lockdown appears to be flattening the rise in new cases. Gravediggers at the cemetery in San Vicente on the outskirts of the provincial capital now plan to add a further 250 burial plots in the coming days, the local union that represents the workers who carried out the job told Reuters. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage They went from digging five or six pits per day, which is the usual amount, to digging more than double that, said Damian Bizzi, press secretary of the Union of Workers and Municipal Employees of Cordoba. The labor underscores how countries are bracing for worst-case scenarios and to keep up with the impact of the pandemic, which has led to over 1.8 million confirmed infections globally and caused at least 115,242 deaths. Argentina itself moved aggressively to combat the spread of the virus, with a nationwide lockdown in place since mid-March. Its closed borders helped to slow the rise in confirmed cases, which now include over 2,200 reports with 95 deaths. (Graphic: https://reut.rs/2yucH11) The major province of Cordoba, which is the second most populous after Buenos Aires, has reported at least 206 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and five deaths, making it the most impacted region after the province of Buenos Aires and the capital city of the same name. (Reporting by Marina Lammertyn; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Aurora Ellis) A spat as bitter as the bottle of concentrated lemon juice that sparked it has erupted following the launch of the BBC's new cookery show, Daily Kitchen Live. Former Bake Off star Ruby Tandoh branded Matt Tebbutt, who co-hosts the new show alongside cut-price recipe specialist Jack Monroe, a 'g**' after he was less than enthusiastic about Monroe's love of using concentrated, bottled lemon juice in recipes. The first episode of the new 45-minute show aired on Easter Monday at 10am and saw Tebbut in the former Saturday Kitchen studio and Monroe in her kitchen in her Essex home. Scroll down for video The first episode of Daily Kitchen Live saw host Matt Tebbutt run through his co-star Jack Monroe's favourite store cupboard ingredients - but he admitted the thought of using bottled lemon juice left him 'distressed' Store cupboard cook Jack Monroe, known as the bootstrap cook, told viewers she swears by bottled lemon juice, saying it could survive a nuclear war Cookery writer Tandoh expressed her disappointment that the show didn't offer the 'accessible' recipes she'd hoped for, and she called co-host Matt Tebbutt 'flippant' After tuning in, Tandoh, who was a runner-up on the Great British Bake Off in 2013, slammed presenter Tebbutt on social media saying he'd made the cheaper ingredients sound 'second-rate'. She wrote: 'Why is Matt Tebbutt such a g**. WHAT is the point in co-presenting a cooking show with @BootstrapCook for affordable and accessible recipes if you're gonna spend half the time ragging on bottled lemon juice and frozen spinach. honestly GROW UP.' Tebbutt, 46, was clearly irked by the criticism and responded: 'Wow! Are you always this angry? I didnt know about the vitamins in frozen spinach and the jif lemon juice was also a genuine question!' The presenter added: 'Can I suggest you watch something else rather than allow me to wind you up. ...lifes too short ...which is more than apparent these days.' Ruby then retorted that she had been 'looking forward to seeing genuinely affordable and accessible food' and said the presenter came off as 'flippant' and that it 'matters if you're enthusiastic about the food or if you make it sound second-rate.' One viewer @beckybarnesblog said she found Tebbutt's 'middle class attitude vs Jacks documented working class/bread line existence' 'jarring' The exchange prompted plenty of debate with William Sitwell, the controversial former editor of Waitrose magazine, declaring: 'An enemy of @matttebbutt is my enemy' to which Tandoh replied that she had a 'deep and unbounded hatred for everything he [Sitwell] stands for.' Like Sitwell, many other viewers leapt to the defence of Tebbutt; @davidflatman wrote: 'I watched it and thought you were great. So thats evens! Keep going.' TV presenter Kate Quilton, who presents the programme Food Unwrapped with Tebbutt, also chimed in, saying: 'Ive been making a show with @matt_tebbutt for 8 years. He takes the p*** out of me ALL THE TIME. He is a kind man. And truly generous to all that work with him - co-presenters included. Maybe give him another watch tomorrow xx' Tandoh pictured, far left, with Mary Berry, second from left and Paul Hollywood, far right, during her 2013 appearance on The Great British Bake Off (Also pictured: fellow contestants Kimberley Wilson, third from left, and Frances Quinn, fourth from left) The new live formula hopes to emulate the success of Saturday Kitchen Live and will be aired weekdays at 10am on BBC One @HedgesAlan added: 'And people honestly believe that after this crisis we are all of a sudden going to be nice too each other! Keep doing what you do @matt_tebbutt, you're a joy!' Others agreed with Tandoh however, saying that Tebbutt's approach had appeared to ridicule cheaper ingredients to viewers. @beckybarnesblog penned: 'I found it all completely jarring. I was hoping it was first show jitters/settling in period. But his middle class attitude vs Jacks documented working class/bread line existence was all too evident. Jack kept coming up with helpful alternatives. Matt was just quipping.' @leahprit wrote: 'People also suffer and die of poverty every day, and taking the mick out of cheap and accessible ingredients and adding to a culture of shame around them isn't helping anyone.' Daily Kitchen Live airs on weekdays at 10am on BBC One - A COVID-19 victim, James Oyugi, was buried hurriedly in the middle of the night without a coffin - The body was handled by county officials against the family's wishes - Following public uproar, Governor Ranga appointed a team to investigate the burial ceremony - The county boss said his administration was not aware of the unusual interment and that he had not given orders to bury the body Siaya governor, Cornel Rasanga Amoth, has launched investigations into the controversial burial of a COVID-19 victim who was interred without a coffin inside a shallow grave in the middle of the night. As earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, James Oyugi Onyango allegedly succumbed to coronavirus disease on Friday, April 10, just after travelling from Mombasa to his village home in Siaya. READ ALSO: Governor Mutua asks Uhuru to confront Chinese president over mistreatment of Kenyans in China Governor Rasanga has a pointed a team of investigators to probe dead and burial of COVID-19 victim. Photo: Governor Rasanga Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Okonkwo utawezana is shallow and bizzare - Ezekiel Mutua rubbishes viral song His body was hurriedly buried by county officials without a coffin despite the family's plea to allow them time to have a coffin and to bury him during the day. A video emerged on social media showing county official in white protective gear casually throwing the body into the shallow grave in the middle of the night sparking social media outrage. After much uproar online, governor Rasanga appointed a team led by county police boss Francis Kooli to probe the controversial burial ceremony. The county chief said he was keen to establish who issued the directives that the deceased be interred inhumanly in haste and against the family wishes. READ ALSO: Uasin Gishu: Chief who was pictured pouring illicit brew on helpless woman summoned He distanced his administration from the burial arrangements saying the decision was arrived at without consulting his committee and he was only informed of the matter at 4pm on Sunday. Speaking in a separate interview in one of the local television stations, Rasanga said he regretted that the victim was given a "barbaric" send-off. I am very sorry to the Republic of Kenya that this thing occurred the way it occurred. It was indeed very barbaric, the governor said. He promised to take stern disciplinary action against those involved and warned officials in the public health department to stop operating without consulting their seniors. The county leader also promised to assist the family perform final rites once it was out of quarantine. Rasanga's statement came barely hours after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Western Kenya branch, condemned the incident and demanded an apology from the Ministry of Health and the county government of Siaya. 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 Low interest rates and high office rents are prompting smaller businesses to buy their own premises. Fitzroys Chris Kombi and Tom Fisher negotiated the sale of a two-storey Victorian terrace at 49 Cardigan Place for $1.725 million to an owner/occupier looking to relocate from a nearby office. The 180 sq m building on a 144 sq m site has five rooms, amenities, balconies at the front and rear and a rear paved courtyard with access from Brooke Street. "Despite these unusual times we are finding there is still solid buyer activity, particularly for properties which are not commonly available," Mr Kombi said. Dandenongs last big block has transacted. A 10,880 sq m parcel at 97-105 Bangholme Road sold for $4.05 million through Camerons John Guastella and Ivo Redmond. "This sale shows the continued demand and resilience in Dandenongs industrial market despite the overall uncertainty being currently experienced," Mr Guastella said. It was purchased by a developer intending to build a substantial office/warehouse. LEASES Melbourne Gelato retailer iScream is moving into the its first CBD location on the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets after signing a five-year lease at 3A/276 Flinders Street. The ice cream maker will pay $7000 per sq m for the 26 sq m store. The deal was negotiated by Cushman & Wakefields Alexia Gatti and Michael Di Carlo on behalf of client Fivex. Mount Waverley Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 16:29:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health official Tuesday said effective prevention measures against the novel coronavirus should be maintained as several new domestic cases were reported in the country. Several provincial-level regions have reported domestic cases or asymptomatic carriers over the past consecutive days, thus effective personal protection and community-based control and prevention measures should be maintained, said Mi Feng with the National Health Commission, at a press conference. A total of 89 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Chinese mainland Monday. Among them, 86 were imported cases and three were domestic ones reported in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Also on Monday, 54 new asymptomatic cases, including five from abroad, were reported on the mainland. Mi also called for efforts to strengthen epidemiological surveys and medical management of asymptomatic carriers and their close contacts. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Bull said for almost a month, the department has told staff to not come to work if they dont feel well for any reason. Prison facilities do temperature checks on every staff member, and they are asked whether they have a fever or other symptoms of the virus, or whether theyve been exposed to the virus, Bull said. If so, they arent allowed in the facility, he said. He said that staff member would be told to go see their doctor and they arent allowed back into the facility until they have a note from their doctor saying they dont have COVID-19. If the virus shows up in a facility, it is confined to one part of the prison, Bull said. The state prison system has 34,000 offenders, Bull said. The Department of Public Safety was reporting on Tuesday that it has 34 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19. Foothills Correctional has a capacity of 858 inmates, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Bull said the measures are the best the department can do at this point, saying it is doing everything it can. Caldwell County reported on Tuesday 19 positive cases of the virus, with 12 of those residents having recovered. A Virgin Atlantic flight has delivered more than three quarters of a million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK from China amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Tuesday's 6,000-mile cargo-only flight from Shanghai to Heathrow was chartered by the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care, and saw a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft carry 16 tonnes of PPE. Among the equipment transported were 690,000 face masks and 95,000 visors. The cargo was spread across passenger seats and stored in overhead lockers, as well as in the hold. The PPE will now be distributed to medics across the UK battling the coronavirus outbreak. The development came as the Government continues to face pressure over shortages of such equipment for frontline health workers. Coronavirus in numbers: UK passes 12,000 deaths Tuesdays flight was the fourth of eight cargo-only operations the airline is running from Shanghai to Heathrow this month to deliver medical supplies. Dominic Kennedy, managing director of Virgin Atlantics cargo division, said the airline is playing a part to support the NHS by carrying crucial medical supplies to the UK. "Its more important than ever to keep global supply chains running and transporting the equipment that teams here in the UK urgently need, working closely with our partners to make this happen," Mr Kennedy said. Virgin Atlantic operated its first cargo-only flight from Heathrow to New York on March 22, carrying medical and pharmaceutical goods. It has cancelled the majority of its passenger flights due to the drop in demand, and next week will temporarily switch most of its remaining scheduled flights to cargo-only services. Care homes still have to pay VAT on PPE Airlines have suffered a collapse in passenger numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic, but demand for cargo flights has increased. Heathrow said it usually handles an average of 47 cargo-only flights each week, but handled 38 on March 31 alone. Overall cargo volumes are down though due to the grounding of passenger fleets, as around 95 per cent of cargo usually travels in the hold of passenger aircraft. The aviation industry is urging the Government to offer more financial support the stop firms going bust due to the pandemic. Virgin Atlantic called for airlines to be offered emergency credit facilities worth up to 7.5 billion. The uneasy family of a certain man who died from the coronavirus were caught on video beating up a member of hospital staff in Mexico City right after they were told that they could not see the patient. The man's name and details were not disclosed except that the incident took place on Wednesday after the man died on Monday. The disturbing video A certain worker at the San Pedro Xalpa Zone 48 General Hospital was able to record this disturbing moment as the family started beating up the medical staff which included Nurse Daniel Zamorano. In the video, one of the family members is heard screaming "let me go through. Police, police," as staffers then attempt to stop the melee right before the hospital worker and her colleagues locked themselves inside a room. Zamorano decided to take this incident to Facebook early Thursday showing off his bruised face. Zamora then wrote that neighbors, friends, and family are always tough and that he was attacked by four men along with two women because of their dead relative that passed away from the coronavirus. Zamorano explains that the proper protocol was to keep the patient isolated and if the patient dies, the patient has to be cremated. "He is not like another deceased [person] ... You will not see him again he dies inside a hospital." Read Also: [GRIM VIDEO] Ecuador Residents Can Smell Corpses on the Street after Deaths Rise From Coronavirus Further frustration is expressed by Zamorano with some of his own countrymen, who have been dismissive of the ongoing global pandemic's impact, which has claimed 115,286 lives and infected 1,864,269 others as of Monday. The global pandemic is very much real An emotional statement given by Zamorano begs the question of the future of Mexico as the country does not believe in the virus, criticizes medical workers, and a country "that if the government does not do what people want, [they will] hit, shout, spit, I'm sorry Mexico." Zamorana later on took some time out to apologize for this post and even said that his incident could serve as a perfect example of all the stress being brought forward by everyone who is indirectly and directly affected by the whole coronavirus outbreak. Mexico has already had 296 deaths along with 4,661 infected cases. Read Also: Coronavirus: Underage Girl and 5 Adults Shot At 400 Person Party That Breaks California's Stay-At Home Order Zamorana says that he realizes that his case can be an example of stress and anxiety caused by the #Covid19 and how it can actually cause chaos. Zamorana also noted out that the hospital security is not enough for this wave of distressed family members stating that he will not wait for it to happen to his own family, friends, bosses, colleagues, etc. "It is time to act, we still have time!" While the whole world is already feeling the spread of the virus, scientists are currently working on a vaccine but it does not seem like it will be ready any time soon. The best thing the world can do is to follow proper guidelines regarding social distancing as well as other proper protocols. Jeannie Mai is on cloud nine following her engagement to rapper Jeezy. She said yes to the Grammy-nominated artist on March 27 when he proposed during an intimate dinner at his home, and shes been glowing ever since. Mai detailed how the proposal went down in an April 13 chat with her co-hosts on The Real, but many people could only focus on how Amanda Seales looked throughout her entire spiel. (L-R) Amanda Seales and Jeannie Mai | Dominik Bindl/Getty Images North America; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America Jeannie Mais comments on her engagement to Jeezy Speaking about the moment, Mai told her co-hosts that Jeezy chose to propose at his home after their planned trip to Vietnam got canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. He brought Vietnam to [me], Mai said, noting that Jeezy surprised her with a spread of traditional foods and decor. During the dinner, Mai said, Jeezy directed her attention to the television and took her on a virtual tour of Vietnam. After that, he popped the question. He did exactly what I know him to do during a time where you would think life would stop. J continued with life no matter what, Mai said in part. And when it comes to marriage, its not just the perfect moments, its really about those times, who are you, who is your character when things hit the fan. To see him be the relentless, tenacious man I fell in love with, it puts a whole new meaning to this ring to me. Her co-hosts seemed to be over the moon and really happy for Mai. But there were moments where Seales face appeared to go blank and she did not seem to say as much as the other co-hosts. Fans react to the clip Taking to social media, many fans called out Seales for her facial expression. One Twitter user said: Amanda seales looked like a hater this whole episode of the real while jeannie talked about her engagement. She seemed uninterested, annoyed, and just straight up awkward. like you can at least ACT interested. show a smile (with teeth) like ask her some questions, SOMETHING, another person added. A third tweet said, amanda seales better not be on the next season of the real. i cannot stand her and her facial expressions. she couldnt even fake being interested in jeannies engagement story. But others suggested that people were simply putting too much stock into her facial expression. One person on Instagram said: Amandas Face is everyones mood during this pandemic. Seales has not addressed the backlash, at the time of this writing. But its worth pointing out that she did congratulate Mai and smiled at points in the conversation. As one Instagram user put it, maybe thats just Amandas normal face. Its not the first time Amanda Seales has made headlines due to her facial expressions Back in March, Seales faced criticism over her reaction to Loni Love crying during a segment on healthy eating habits. Responding to the drama, Love told Madame Noire that Seales was simply caught off guard because she had started crying out of nowhere. She personally called me and she was like, Yooyou were talking and the next minute you started crying, Love recalled of a conversation with Seales. And its like, Girl, thats what we do on the show. It caught her off guard and thats why you see the reaction that she had. So see? It really isnt that serious. Read more: Tamar Braxtons Reaction to Jeannie Mais Engagement Revealed Classes are absolutely back in session in this province said Education Minister Stephen Lecce, as school boards attempted to re-establish teacher-directed learning for over 2 million Ontario students. The Toronto District School Board is in the process of delivering devices to 29,000 households. The Thames Valley District School Board is distributing 10,000 iPads and other devices to students. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Catholic School Board set up Wi-Fi hot spots in school parking lots for those students without internet access while they awaited delivery of hotspot devices and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board school board handed out Chromebooks and Internet hotspot devices for students. While school boards should be commended for these heroic efforts, they demonstrate just how difficult it is to implement mass online learning. It is worth remembering that not long ago, teacher unions and school boards spent considerable time and resources pushing back against the Ford governments plan to institute mandatory e-learning. Issues of access, poor outcomes, and equity resonated with the public so much that the province reduced online courses from 4 to 2, and then removed the mandatory component altogether. But now, in just a matter of weeks, we have essentially imposed mandatory online learning on all students with little to no planning or preparation. It does seem that we were left without any options. After all, schools will likely be closed for the remainder of the school year and the prospect of constant Netflix, social media and video games does not sit well with many parents. There is also the political problem of a fiscally conservative government continuing to pay teachers who are not teaching, while more than a million Canadians have lost their jobs. These factors all conspire to produce at least an attempt at online learning. But let us not kid ourselves. The issues associated with online learning have not gone anywhere, and in fact are amplified given the current context. As has been pointed out by OISE doctoral student Vivian Lee, many rural communities in Ontario only have access to dial-up internet, rendering online learning nothing more than a fantasy. For families with multiple children that have internet access but only one device, the TDSB advises setting an at-home schedule for each child. But if a parent must use that device during the day to work from home, then what? Nondigital options raise even more logistical concerns. And what about students with parents that are working outside of the home that face the prospect of babysitting siblings or being left at home with no adult supervision? And that is to say nothing of the fact that many homes are just not equipped to be suitable learning and working environments, let alone for multiple people. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that has turned up the ambient level of anxiety for us all. While providing students with online learning opportunities may be providing a sense of normalcy to some families, for others it is simply overwhelming. The Los Angeles Unified School District reports that since it began its online learning program, 1-in-4 students has not logged on at all. While we do not yet have comparable numbers in Ontario, it is clear that many students will do little to no learning until schools reopen. This raises the question: should we even be providing online learning if the result will be to increase inequities in the system? What we need to do is shift our attention away from trying haphazardly to make online learning work, towards planning for when students actually return to school. Using a sample of over 5 million students, the American assessment non-profit NWEA projected that due to COVID-19, the average student will return to school in the fall of 2020 having gained less than 50 per cent of what would typically be expected in math, with students in early grades almost a full year behind relative to normal conditions. What this means is that we are going to have a generation of students, disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds, that will have gaps in their learning that may take years to remedy. Addressing this will require massive investments from the provincial government, as well as creative thinking from policy-makers, administrators, and educators. The danger in pretending that class is back in session is that it blinds us from recognizing the even bigger challenge that looms on the horizon. Correction April 16, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board set up Wi-Fi hot spots in school parking lots for children without internet access at home. In fact, that was done by the Ottawa Catholic School Board for students awaiting hotspot devices to be delivered to their homes. A south London hospital on Tuesday celebrated the recovery of an Indian-origin patient after she became the first person to be discharged from their intensive care unit (ICU) following COVID-19 diagnosis. Johty Kesavan, 51, can be seen on a video posted by the Croydon University Hospital on social media being given an applause by medical staff lined up in the halls as she leaves her ward. "Thank you, thank you," an overwhelmed Kesavan is seen saying as she makes her exit before being greeted by relieved family members with a hug. "Today we celebrate as local resident Mrs Kesavan heads home after recovering from COVID-19 -- the first patient with coronavirus to be discharged from our ICU," said the Croydon Health Services, which is run by a National Health Service (NHS) foundation. "We're thrilled to see her return home to her loved ones and so proud of the work of Team Croydon," the trust said. Kesavan was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 on March 17 and had to be shifted to ICU with breathing difficulties, suffered in the most serious cases of coronavirus, which has claimed over 120,000 lives across the world so far since the first case was reported in China's Wuhan city in December last year. Elaine Clancy, the chief nurse who is leading the Croydon Health Services Trust's response to the coronavirus pandemic, described Kesavan's recovery as "incredible", which gives hope to all those affected by the deadly virus. "Mrs Kesavan's incredible recovery, alongside the hundreds of other patients with COVID-19 that we have already successfully discharged, reinforces our continued hope for all of those affected," she said. The hospital said that more than 300 patients have been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment for COVID-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON - The White House sought to tamp down speculation Monday that President Donald Trump would fire the nation's top epidemiologist in the middle of the pandemic, but concern over Sunday's presidential retweet attacking Anthony Fauci continued to reverberate as many of the president's allies and critics warned that such a move would be counterproductive. Several administration officials, top lawmakers and public health experts expressed concern that Fauci could be sidelined or silenced in the critical days ahead as Trump makes critical decisions about whether to encourage Americans to return to normal economic and social activities. On Monday, Trump dismissed those concerns as if he had not initially sparked them after he retweeted a message Sunday night that included the hashtag "FireFauci." "Today I walk in and I hear I'm going to fire him," Trump said during a White House press briefing. "I'm not firing. I think he's a wonderful guy." But some Republicans took Trump's post Sunday as a green light to ramp up attacks on Fauci, who some of the president's allies blame for the stay-home orders that have crippled much of the country's economy. The political debate over Fauci's fate reflected Trump's penchant for injecting uncertainty and drama into the federal government's coronavirus response, in which Fauci has played key roles both publicly and privately. By elevating the prospect of his ouster or diminishment while the pandemic rages on, Trump cast Fauci as the latest beleaguered figure in a presidency marked by the abrupt ouster of dozens of officials from the FBI, the State Department, the intelligence community and elsewhere. "I think controversy's a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said Monday, addressing Fauci's fate. At the news briefing, Fauci appeared to back away from some of the comments about the coronavirus response that had drawn Trump's scorn - describing his Sunday remarks to CNN as "a poor choice of words." He was asked whether this was being done under pressure. "Everything I do is voluntarily," Fauci said as Trump looked on. "Please. Don't even imply that." Fauci, who has been the nation's top infectious-diseases official since 1984, is not a political appointee and is shielded by several layers of federal civil servant protections. He can't be removed without cause, and his dismissal would be subject to due process procedures. But Fauci could be reassigned within the National Institutes of Health, officials said, or essentially pushed aside within the White House coronavirus task force and see his influence diminished. During televised briefings and in media interviews, Fauci has occasionally broken with Trump by delivering a science-based message that undermines the president's claims. Trump retweeted a post on Sunday night from a former Republican congressional candidate, DeAnna Lorraine, who criticized Fauci over comments he made in a televised interview earlier in the day. Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union" that a stronger early response to the outbreak by the administration "could have saved lives," adding that there was "a lot of pushback about shutting things down" before the virus began spreading rapidly throughout American cities. "Time to #FireFauci," Lorraine said in the tweet that Trump amplified to his 76 million followers. Trump said Monday that the retweet was just "somebody's opinion" and "a person's view" that did not align with his own. He expressed no regret about amplifying the #FireFauci hashtag, saying he did so knowingly. The White House spent much of Monday trying to downplay the tweet and shift blame. "This media chatter is ridiculous - President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement on Monday. But the retweet set off a rush to defend Fauci that included Republican and Democratic lawmakers, while also unleashing a fresh round of attacks by some of Trump's most ardent backers on social media. "In this particular crisis, he is like the north star for America in terms of finding our way through this dangerous journey," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the second-ranking Democratic senator. "He's maintained his credibility and his dignity throughout . . . He's just America's doctor." As the #FireFauci hashtag trended on Twitter, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., pushed back. "#FireFauci? For what?" Rubio asked in a tweet that blamed China in part for what he described as a slow initial response to the virus. "Can't change past but can avoid repeating it." "For what he does, he's held in the highest regard," said Josh Holmes, an adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who talks to a range of Senate Republicans. Fauci, while generally respected in the White House, has had a number of moments that attracted criticism - at least internally, according to White House officials who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. In a Situation Room meeting in the second week of February, Fauci said there was not yet evidence of community spread in the United States. But Joe Grogan, the White House Domestic Policy Council director, asked whether the case count was so low because officials weren't testing enough people and the criteria was still limited to people with recent travel to China and those who had come into contact with a confirmed case, officials said. Grogan called for broader testing. "What would be the epidemiological reason for that?" Fauci asked Grogan of expanded testing. Grogan soon left the room, startling others, the officials said. Fauci also told the president months ago that the virus was more likely to go away when it became warmer outside, officials said. Trump's later comments echoing that view have been featured in attack ads criticizing the president's coronavirus response. Fauci has been deeply critical of the models charting the pandemic privately in task force meetings but has appeared to buttress the reports publicly, frustrating some administration officials. Trump has griped about Fauci's media appearances, but he is unlikely to be fired, officials said. And Trump has disliked Fauci's skepticism of hydroxychloroquine, telling other advisers that he wished Fauci was more positive about a drug the president has touted as a potential "game changer" for treating covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Some outside allies, such as the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, have criticized Fauci about the drug, even though its effectiveness against coronavirus remains unproven. "I really think it's a case of political prejudice overwhelming science," Giuliani said in a recent interview. One Trump adviser with knowledge of his Sunday activities said the president was furious about a story in The New York Times that outlined missteps and delays that hampered his administration's response to the coronavirus. His retweet on Sunday was an attempt to attack the story rather than Fauci, the adviser said. Fauci appeared to confirm part of the story in his CNN interview Sunday. Trump fumed all day Sunday and part of Monday about allegations that he did not act quickly enough on the coronavirus, a senior White House official said. He asked advisers to prepare a detailed rebuttal, and the president played a campaign-style video defending his response during Monday's briefing. In his statement, Gidley said the president was only attempting to attack the media. But Fauci's willingness to contradict Trump has opened him up to growing criticism from some of the president's allies. Speaking on James Harris's radio show "The Conservative Circus," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said it was time for Fauci to "move along," blaming the doctor for the country's economic struggles. "This has basically emasculated the United States economy," Biggs said. "And part of it is because Dr. Fauci took what I would call a generic meat-cleaver approach to this thing where everybody is going to be basically isolated." Biggs' remarks underscore a key ongoing debate between Trump and his public health experts over how long to continue the social distancing guidelines that have shut down much of the economy. While one senior administration official said he hadn't heard about Trump's retweet because "tweets come and go around this place," others expressed concerns that Trump may have soured on Fauci and would be unlikely to listen to his warnings about the risk of reopening the country too early. Among Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Fauci has been the most trusted administration expert on the unfolding pandemic, with senators valuing his expertise and candor, congressional officials said. During an early March lunch at the Capitol, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, urged Vice President Mike Pence to make Fauci the primary spokesperson on the coronavirus to ensure a unified message from the administration, according to two people familiar with the senator's remarks. "He is the single most important expert in the United States government at this time," Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said Monday. "He relies on science, and science only, and speaks the truth to the public. That's why he may in fact be in danger." Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., described Fauci as a "rare breed who stuck around and gained influence simply because he knew his stuff." But he said he was worried about his future in the administration. "You don't need to be fired in this administration to become invisible," he said. But some of the president's supporters have soured on Fauci. Doug Deason, a Trump fundraiser and ally, said Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, was doing a "great job." Fauci, he said by contrast, was "doing a pretty good job." Still, Deason reflected some of the concerns expressed by Trump allies who have shown little patience for government officials who do not appear sufficiently loyal to the president. At times, Deason said, it seems like Fauci is "in cahoots with the deep state." "He's more political, and I just wish he'd leave the politics out of it," he said. In a recent Situation Room meeting, Trump alluded to the media commentary of his relationship with Fauci, according to people in the room. "Everyone says we don't get along, but I love you," Trump said jokingly. - - - The Washington Post's John Wagner, Lenny Bernstein and Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report. David Anthony, right, was arrested March 31 and charged with the second-degree murder and kidnapping of his estranged wife, Gretchen Anthony. Facebook/Jupiter Police Department; Dona Ana County A Florida man is facing murder charges after his estranged wife disappeared late last month. Gretchen Anthony, 51, was last seen on March 20, but her friends and family told police they received odd texts from her phone number claiming she tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was being "held by the CDC" and "on a ventilator." The Jupiter Police Department said in a statement authorities believe Gretchen Anthony was killed on March 21. Her husband, David Anthony, was found by investigators in New Mexico, and a cadaver dog picked up the scent of human remains in his car. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Florida man has been charged with the murder of his estranged wife after she disappeared late last month and baffled friends and relatives with odd messages sent from her phone. Gretchen Anthony, 51, was last seen at work on March 20 and was reported missing by her family on March 26, Jupiter police said in a statement. Though she was still married to 48-year-old David Anthony, they were living separately and had begun divorce proceedings, CBS 12 reported. A witness contacted the police department on March 25 about a "suspicious text message" she received from Gretchen's phone, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by CBS 12. The text said Gretchen had tested positive for COVID-19 and was being held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another witness later told Jupiter police he received a similar text on March 24, saying Gretchen had an "acute" case of COVID 19 and was under sedation at a CDC center in Belle Glade. There is no CDC facility in Belle Glade. Both texts also said Gretchen had been checked out at the Jupiter Medical Center, but police said when they contacted the hospital they learned Anthony hadn't been there since 2008, CBS 12 reported. One of the witnesses told police Gretchen's mother also received a text from Anthony saying she was "on a ventilator," according to NBC News. But patients on ventilators are typically sedated and unable to send texts. Story continues Jupiter police said in a statement they believe Gretchen's murder occurred March 21, but that they haven't found her body. "It is believed David E. Anthony is responsible for her disappearance and related homicide," the statement said. Investigators tracked David down and arrested him in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and charged with second-degree murder and kidnapping. Police said a cadaver dog searched David's car and detected the scent of human remains. Jail records from Dona Ana County in New Mexico show that David was arrested March 31 and has been held without bail ever since. The Jupiter Police Department said in a statement David will be extradited back to Palm Beach County in Florida. Read the original article on Insider This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions The coronavirus pandemic has already pounded states budgets and will leave no school district unharmed next fiscal year. School finance experts and district administrators are just now starting to get their arms around how the widespread shutdown of the economy will impact the K-12 sector. Its not pretty. The spending disparities between rich and poor districts will only get worse, and there will likely be layoffs. Here are some key questions and answers about what to expect in the turbulent months and years ahead. How will the coronavirus affect K-12 revenue? Many school districts can expect a precipitous drop in their states K-12 revenue next year due to the widespread shuttering of the economy. The shutdown of businesses and skyrocketing unemployment rates will crater states sales and income tax revenue, which many districts are heavily reliant on. When can districts start to expect to receive less revenue? And how long will the recession last? Because the coronavirus hit so late in the fiscal year, many districts have already collected and spent most of their federal, state and local tax revenue. Similarly, many state legislatures had passed their FY 2020 budgets before the virus shut down the economy. It is possible (and many now say likely) for legislatures, some of which have gone on recess, to reconvene this summer and make changes to those budgets. Observers say lawmakers will be reluctant to make midyear cuts to school districts after theyve made hiring decisions for the coming school year. Raises for teachers and spending on new and experimental initiatives have been halted by many legislatures and districts in anticipation of future draconian cuts. Districts are most nervous about the 2021-22 school year. Many states project revenue to bounce back in 2022. But those are early projections. How deep will the cuts be to school districts? Its still too early to make confident projections since fiscal analysts dont know when the economy will open back up. But forecasts made in recent weeks are dire. New York state, which has been hit the hardest hit by the coronavirus, estimates a loss anywhere between $9 and $15 billion, or 9 to 17 percent of its budget. Virginia expects a loss of $1 billion this year and another $1 billion in 2021. The depth of the cuts to K-12 specifically depend on several factors, including how state lawmakers spread out cuts among other priorities, including Medicaid and higher education. Which states will be affected? No state will go unharmed. But states that are heavily dependent on sales and income tax revenue, such as Arizona and Nevada, will see deeper cuts than states that have a broader array of revenue sources such as property taxes (for a complete map of states dependency on sales and income tax revenue, click here ). States that are heavily reliant on natural gas and oil revenue will be hit extra hard since oil prices have sunk in recent weeks. Alaska, for example, is bracing for a 20 percent cut in revenue next year. Which districts will be most affected? Districts with little to no property tax revenue are in the worst position. State aidfed largely by taxes on sales and incomesmakes up the lions share of their budgets. As those two revenue sources tank, property-poor districts will suffer, while districts that are property-rich will be able to weather the storm. Property-poor districts typically serve large numbers of low-income, Latino, and black students, many of them with special needs. These districts in recent weeks have called off anticipated teacher raises, frozen hiring, and stashed any extra money they have into their reserve funds. Will property tax revenue be impacted? Property tax revenue is the most stable source of revenue for government bodies and fluctuates little since properties are assessed so infrequently. What will happen to costs? Costs will go up significantly next year . School districts costs, left untouched, increase around 2 percent each year as teachers climb the pay scale ladder and healthcare costs continue to grow. But the coronavirus is having an extraordinary impact on districts costs. In the short term, because school buildings have been closed for so long, districts are not spending as much on substitute teachers, transportation, and utilities. But those savings are likely to be far outstripped this spring by technology spending needed to provide distance learning and janitorial costs needed to sanitize classrooms. This fall, district administrators predict they will have to provide smaller class sizes, along with more nurses and counselors as students return to school academically behind and with more mental health needs. Finally, pension costs are expected to spike next year after the markets, which theyre heavily invested in, crashed. Will the federal stimulus package help? The $13.5 billion for K-12 schools included in the federal stimulus package last month will provide much-needed aid to districts. But, according to Michael Griffith , a veteran school finance analyst, every state would still have to make cuts if state revenue loss exceeds 8 percent. The package also gave the U.S. Department of Education the ability to waive some rules that restrict what districts can spend federal money on. Governors and K-12 advocates are now pushing for another stimulus package that they hope would better shore up their expected budget shortfall. What are some other ways districts could get extra money? Some states have set aside emergency funds to help schools deal with the financial fallout from the coronavirus. Many states and districts have stashed away millions of dollars in savings accounts for emergency situations. Finally, because the coronavirus was declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump, school districts can apply next year for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for coronavirus-associated costs. Typically, winning approval and receiving assistance from FEMA is a drawn-out process. News provided by World News Media LONDON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The spring edition of World Finance is now available and comes complete with a list of the very best organisations operating within the pension fund space. These companies are constantly striving to deliver new products and services that allow individuals to enjoy a fulfilling life long into old age. They are deserved winners of the World Finance Pension Fund Awards 2020. Among the celebrated businesses is Germany's Allianz, which was commended by the judges for its use of online technologies to demystify some of the more complex aspects of pension funding. Other winners include Prima AFP, which took home the award for the Peruvian market, as well as Thailand's Kasikorn Asset Management. Technology was a significant talking point when deciding on the award winners, particularly in terms of how it can be used reliably and securely. Phishing, malware and remote access attacks are just a few of the methods that cyberattackers are likely to employ when targeting pension funds. It is important that fund managers are prepared to defend their organisations against these methods. As the global population continues to age, the importance of pension funds will only increase. The winners of the World Finance Pension Fund Awards 2020 understand this and are more than willing to take on the responsibility, securing a better future for themselves and their customers. To learn more about the World Finance Pension Fund Awards 2020, check out the latest issue of World Finance, available online, in print and on tablet now. www.worldfinance.com World News Media, the parent company of World Finance, is a leading publisher of quality financial and business magazines, which enjoys a global distribution network that includes subscriber lists of prominent decision-makers around the world. Contact Information World News Media Barclay Ballard Editorial Department +44-(0)-20-7553-4177 barclay.ballard@wnmedia.com New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday praised frontline workers battling against the coronavirus pandemic in India despite the lack of resources. In her video message, which came just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation, Gandhi said there was no greater patriotism than fighting the epidemic together. Our coronavirus warriors are fighting this war despite lack of basic safety gear. Doctors, health workers and volunteers are treating patients despite lack of protection kits," Gandhi said, even as she urged people to "follow the lockdown and social distancing norms". Praising policemen and jawans for ensuring the lockdown is successful, sanitation workers for maintaining cleanliness and government officials working hard to ensure services, Gandhi said the need of the hour was to support the workers. She also expressed disappointment over reports of doctors being manhandled and said it was important to support frontline warriors to ensure the fight against the pandemic is not weakened. "Many of you are fighting this war at an individual level by distributing sanitisers, ration. All of you deserve to be praised. All Congress workers are with you in this fight, whether we are in opposition or ruling a state," she said at the end of nearly five-minute long video message. Gandhi had written to PM Modi on Monday and asked him to ensure that "no one faces hunger" because of the lockdown. There are some truly terrible people in Congress; there always have been some throughout American history. But as the country navigates the course of this mis-modeled and over-hyped COVID-19 pandemic, Nancy Pelosi stands out as a genuine enemy of America. She loathes the president so much she has relinquished any semblance of ethics and her own personal character. Every word she utters is a lie. She knows damn well that the president was on top of this virus crisis while she and her fellow anti-Americans were gleefully and despicably embroiled in their attempt to remove the president from office. Not one of the principals in this fiasco Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, or the rest of them gave a single thought to the potential threat of the disease emanating from China. There is no record of any of them even mentioning it until the economic shutdown brought it to their attention. But for calling Trump 'xenophobic' when he banned flights from China, none of them registered the virus as dangerous to the U.S. Once it became clear it was a serious threat, they all got on board to blame it on the president, to spread the lie that he was late to recognize it and is thus to blame, as Barbra Streisand put it, for 20k deaths. What abhorrent nonsense. Pelosi is the de facto leader of a liars' club. And just as when the same bunch went after then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, there is not one bit of truth to their accusations and they all know it. This is how malevolent Pelosi and her disciples are. No plot to destroy this president is too wicked to employ. Pelosi and her fellow ghouls conference-called on Monday during which she called the presidents failure to provide testing, masks and gloves sinful. Whew! That takes a level of chutzpah even most members of Congress would eschew. Most know they dropped the ball due to impeachment. But to fabricate a narrative so provably false takes a mind and soul wholly without scruples. And like the rest of the left, she and her partners in prevarication are all in on the wholesale destruction of the American economy as long as it takes President Trump down too. That is how unprincipled they are, the lot of them. Trump has handled this pandemic far better than most world leaders which is why the Pelosi-Schiff-ites hate him so. Because he is not one of them, not a member of their club, they naturally assumed he would be incompetent, not up to the task at hand running the United States. As it turned out, he is the most competent man weve had in that office in decades. He has beat them at their devious games over and over again and they never see their defeat coming. Each of their plots against the man have failed. This one will as well. Can anyone imagine Joe Biden answering questions in minute detail for two hours every day about the virus, the economy, logistics, trade, China, etc.? Biden cannot utter a complete sentence without forgetting where it began. Trump, on the other hand, has brought together private business, the military and the medical establishment to address this national crisis. Too many of the states were woefully unprepared, especially New York. The governors of these ill-equipped states were compelled to beg the President for all the supplies they should have had stockpiled and he rescued them. Leftist governors like Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California have found themselves having to express their gratitude for Trumps quick action and the provisions they received in quick order. Pelosi and her coevals on the other hand continue to manipulate our oh-so-easily-manipulated media. Like the mind-numbed, Trump-deranged puppets they are, they willingly do Pelosis bidding. They live for those press briefings so they can mercilessly harass the president. They think it gives them street cred. They seem not to realize they are embarrassing themselves on a daily basis, revealing their ignorance of the actual timeline. Dr. Anthony Fauci may have tried to have it both ways with Jake Tapper on Sunday but even he had to correct the record. He failed to grasp the nature of the beast as late as Feb. 29. When he and Dr. Deborah Birx recommended the shutdown in mid-March, Trump did it. When they recommended extending it from fifteen days to thirty, he did it. As for the banning of flights from China, he did that on his own. He was both prescient and he listens to the medical mavens. As usual, the American left sees any calamity or bit of chaos as an opportunity to impose their socialist agenda upon us all. They love this shutdown of the economy; they believe that the more people who will ultimately depend on the largesse of the federal government, the more power they will have gained. As Pelosis foot-dragging on the relief bill proves, she cares not one bit about actual human beings. She is as Stalinist as they come in America; we are just statistics to be used and abused for her purposes. To say we are living in interesting times is a gross understatement. We are enduring a bitter civil war between two competing ideologies: one that reveres the Constitution and the freedom and liberty it guarantees all Americans and the socialist/communist model that favors top-down rule by elites over plebes. What Pelosi and her fellow swells fail to note is that in the end the American people will never submit to their tyranny. We have submitted too easily to this murder of our economy at this moment in time but our patience is wearing thin. It is time to begin thinking and operating for ourselves and our families, to support the President as he unleashes the economy which he is surely about to do. Image credit: Public Domain Pictures // public domain Help India! TCN News A voluntary Indian scientists group Indian Scientists Response to COVID19 (ISRC), consisting of 400 scientists has released an official statement on April 8, regarding the prominent media blaming Tablighi Jamaat primarily for the spread of COVID19 even though the event was held on March 13. Support TwoCircles ISRC was started by a group of Indian scientists working in different laboratories all over the world, who came together voluntarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially a scientists only group, it has now grown to include more than 500 scientists, engineers, technologists, doctors, public health researchers, science communicators, journalists and a number of students hailing from a range of disciplines affiliated to eminent research institutes of science and technology, universities, colleges, hospitals and private laboratories. In its statement, ISRC aims to draw attention to World Health Organizations statement that We do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious and ethnic lines, simultaneously reminding Ministry of Healths advisory to not label any community or area for spread of COVID-19. On the basis of both the above, the group strongly condemns any attempt to communalize the pandemic maintaining that the Tablighi Jamaat erred by not cancelling the event but the administrative lapse of the Central and Delhi governments must be acknowledged too. Speaking on the testing and ground report, ISRC suggests that available data does not support such a speculation that the Jamaat event was a super spreader. It has added that such super spreader events have also taken place in various other places, for instance a single (now deceased) patient in Punjab led to the quarantining of 40,000 people from 20 villages in Punjab but it is not a solution to demonize any particular community for being the carrier of the epidemic. The group extends that the Government has not yet released data on how many tests were conducted among the attendees of this event and their contacts and so the fraction of tests that were found to be positive in this case compared to testing on the general population is unknown. While calling on the government to release the data, ISRC has reiterated their call for the government to collect more data by testing more and to transparently share this data with the public. Rochester, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged communities across the state to learn the lesson of New Rochelle after reports emerged of a weekend vigil in Rochester attended by a large crowd of people. Cuomo said he didn't know the specifics of the Rochester vigil. But he said again during a press briefing in Albany today that there should be no large gatherings of any kind right now in the state. He reminded New Yorkers that New Rochelle was the site of one of the state's first coronavirus hotspots. Its not a dense, urban environment, Cuomo said. "Its in a suburban community. That was one person in religious gatherings. That could happen anywhere in the country at any given time. We learned that lesson and weve been advocating that. I couldnt be more clear on it. Cuomo banned social, religious and other gatherings in March in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said her office consulted with police about the Rochester vigil, which took place Sunday to mourn a shooting victim. Officials ultimately decided to let it proceed. We wanted to make sure that it was peaceful, Warren said, according to WHAM in Rochester. We also knew that people were making a conscious decision to gather even with social distancing going on. But to insert ourselves into the middle of that and to put our officers or, potentially, our officers or the people that were there in harms way was not something that was a decision that was needed at that point in time. She acknowledged the situation was difficult. But she added emotions were heightened and said things could have gotten worse and escalated if police tried to intervene, according to WROC in Rochester. Allowing people to gather to mourn a loved one was the right decision, she said. Warren said about 100 people attended the vigil. "Yesterday, that's what this community needed and that is what we allowed to happen because it was done in a peaceful way and it was safe and we were able to keep eyes on it," she said, according to WHAM. The president of Rochester's police union, Mike Mazzeo, said the state Attorney General's Office should investigate. He said the vigil attracted 200 people, according to WROC. The citys already a ticking time bomb, Mazzeo said, according to WROC. Were going through a pandemic and were going through a surge of violence in the streets. This is the last thing that you should do is light a match to the fuse that could burn this city down. Its reckless and those who did it should be held accountable. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources NY refuses to identify nursing homes with coronavirus as pandemic hits many facilities Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Will I have to pay income taxes on my coronavirus relief payment? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Womens Aid Dundalk, a local domestic violence support and information service, has welcomed the timely, new Government awareness and information campaign on domestic violence, which was presented last Friday. It is understood that radio and TV ads will start during the week. Ann Larkin, Services Manager, said that the campaign comes at a critical time for women and children who may be confined and isolated with their abuser in towns and townlands across County Louth. She said that the campaign was creative and strong in its message to survivors and communities that professional frontline supports in Louth are open and operating. She encouraged people to call the service helpline on, 042 933 2344, for support and advice. The most important message is that we are open and working to help protect women and children here in County Louth, said the Manager. Covid-19 brings challenges but we are re-configuring and finding new, creative ways to help keep women safe. It is the silence that is ominous, she said. Our greatest concern, four weeks into this pandemic, is that women may be finding it much more difficult to make contact for support. Previously women may have contacted services when they or their partners were at work or out of the house, or when children were in school. Those little windows of freedom are being cut down. Ann also said that in these stressful circumstances that it was more important than ever that there was a strong community response to domestic violence. During Covid-19 we are being reminded that we are all in this together. The response to domestic violence can be no different. We are asking people to be vigilant, to keep in touch with friends and family, to be aware that homes may not be safe and to be her voice in looking for support at a time when she may not be able to use her voice. She said that a strong awareness campaign must be matched with solid and reliable State funding so that Womens Aid Dundalk is adequately resourced to continue to re-home women or keep them safe in their homes. Safe Ireland, the national social change agency, has made a case to Government on behalf of all services, including Womens Aid Dundalk for 1.6 to enable all services to manage this crisis adequately. For more information contact: Womens Aid Dundalk at 042 933 3245 How the nations largest economy calibrates the reopening will have huge ramifications for the rest of the country, providing examples of what works, and what does not, especially given limits on testing capacity. Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that the state would eventually replace its broad-based stay-at-home orders with more localized and less restrictive measures. But he did not give a time frame, saying he would revisit the question in two weeks. Ask me the question then. I know you want the timeline but we cant get ahead of ourselves, Mr. Newsom said. Lets not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early. We want to see hospitalization numbers flatten and start to decline, the governor said, adding that the state would also have to build up its testing capacity, better protect older and more vulnerable people and ensure that hospitals have enough supplies. Face coverings will likely remain a feature of public life, at least for a time, he said. Patrons of restaurants will likely have their temperature taken before being seated, and servers will wear masks and gloves. Large gatherings over the summer were not in the cards, he said, and in the fall, students may attend school in shifts to avoid crowded classrooms. Normal it will not be, he said. The reasons for the early promising signs in California are numerous, experts say. The state was the first to issue stay-at-home measures, and even before the orders came down, Californians were beginning to keep their distance from one another, while New Yorkers were still packing bars and restaurants. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, the giant automotive plant under construction in Huntsville, will not begin production in the spring of 2021 as planned because of the coronavirus pandemic. The plant, with an investment of $1.6 billion and the promise of creating 4,000 jobs, is one of the largest economic developments in Alabama history. A statement Monday night to AL.com from Mazda Toyota: On April 9, we informed state and local government officials in Alabama, along with our key suppliers how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our ability to maintain critical equipment delivery schedules, creating labor shortages, and slowing construction. As a result, we will delay the start of production of the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant to a time period later in 2021. We are eager to keep the project moving forward and appreciate the ongoing support of all key stakeholders. Gov. Kay Ivey alluded to the delay in a statement Monday as well. I understand the challenges posed by COVID-19 to the construction and operation of a major manufacturing facility like Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA." Ivey's statement said. "I am confident that the automakers will move forward on their adjusted timeline to begin production at the Alabama facility, where they will turn out world-class vehicles. Well work with company leaders to assist them to bring this project to completion. The delay is another blow to the crippled economy as the COVID-19 virus has essentially shut down the nation. It also pushes back the opening of a much-anticipated opening as the crown jewel of economic prosperity in the Huntsville area. Mazda Toyota has also been promoting hiring employees to work at the plant. Our partners at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA have been working under an aggressive timeline to bring the Huntsville plant online and the challenges presented by the coronavirus have naturally impacted that schedule," Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said in a statement to AL.com on Monday night. "Our infrastructure for the project has also been affected by the pandemic as well as suppliers to both the City and MTMUS. Were all in this together, and well be here to support MTMUS as the company works to get the new facility up and running. Related: To Mazda Toyota: You dont want me building your SUVs Another prized economic development in Huntsville, the construction of a Facebook data center, has also slowed construction. Mazda Toyota rocked the automotive industry by joining forces to open a joint production plant in the U.S. The company announced the selection of Huntsville in January 2018 in the culmination of a months-long, nationwide search for the most ideal location. A lure to north Alabama was about $800 million in incentives between the state of Alabama, the city of Huntsville and Limestone County -- where the plant is being built. In an interview with AL.com in September 2019, Lance Fulks, general manager for assembly at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, said one of the plants production lines would begin work in April 2021 while the second line would begin in August 2021. Even the naming of the production lines fed into the enthusiasm over the project. With an aim to recognize and celebrate Huntsvilles storied history in Americas space program, one line was named Apollo and the other Discovery. Mazda Toyota did not say how long the delay would be -- perhaps a moving target at this point with the country still wrapped in the throes of the pandemic, the economy still essentially shut down and no clear reopening in sight. Beyond the automaker, though, the delay would also have a ripple effect on a bevy of automotive suppliers who are in the process of building their own facilities to complement Mazda Toyota. In fact, two suppliers have sites under construction on the MTMUS campus. The announced suppliers have so far promised a total of 1,700 additional jobs and more suppliers are in the pipeline for future announcements. Altogether, projections for both direct and indirect jobs from the Mazda Toyota plant have topped 15,000. Another project related to Mazda Toyota -- the widening of I-565 in Limestone County -- is also scheduled to begin work in a few weeks. While traffic is already at a standstill at times during morning and evening commutes, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle has lobbied for the additional lanes to accommodate the extra traffic from the auto plant. The city of Huntsville is also building out Greenbrier Parkway to connect to I-65 north of the plant as another highway to shuttle traffic to and from the Mazda Toyota site. Mazda Toyota said last week that it briefly suspended construction of the plant on April 4 after two construction workers tested positive for COVID-19. We used this downtime to review enhanced guidelines, evaluate site conditions and further increase safety and social-distancing efforts, the company said in a statement last week. As a result, any job at the site that cannot meet social distancing recommendations is temporarily suspended. With these measures in place, along with enhanced sanitization efforts, construction resumed on April 7 for work areas in which ADPH guidelines can be met. Updated today, April 13, 2020, at 6:47 p.m. with new information throughout. Updated today, April 13, 2020, at 7:3 p.m. with comment from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Apple and Google, the world's largest technology giants, and will collaborate to help authorities in tracking the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology. The collaboration will work on a platform to enable contact tracing, a measure that identifies people exposed to the virus and who they have been in contact with, the companies announced Friday. Contact tracing has been identified by authorities around the world as vital in curbing the rapid spread of coronavirus. Several governments such as Israel, Thailand, and Hongkong have been maximizing technology to track exposure and impose quarantine. Some companies in the U.S. also used location tracking technology to track spring breakers who defied social distancing warnings in Florida. Facebook and Google confirmed last month that they may be using the cellphone location data to help track the virus. How does this Apple-Google collaboration work? In an article published by The Verge, Apple and Google will build an automated contact-tracing system. Since it is from Silicon Valley giants, some of this functionality will be built at an OS-level, thus making the contact-tracing possible to more than three billion phones around the world. Essentially, the system works such that a user's phone allows other phones found nearby to log via Bluetooth. As long as the system is operational, the user phone will periodically "blast a small, unique and anonymous piece of code from the user phone's ID." Other phones in the same range will receive and remember the said code, thereby establishing a log of codes it has received. When another person using the system gets a positive diagnosis and they submit their ID code to a central database, a local scan will run to see whether any of the codes in the user's log matches with IDs the central database. If there is a match, the phone will signal an alert that the user has been exposed. According to The Verge, who submits the diagnosis is not yet clear as of this point. It is assumed that only legitimate health care providers will be able to submit the diagnosis to ensure the authenticity of the diagnosis alerts. This new system will maximize the use of the BLE Beacon System that has been in use for years, but modified to swap codes between phones. The first part of the project, which is targeted to finish by the middle of May will build a system of official public health apps that will send out BLE signals in the background. The apps will be developed by state-level health agencies. The agencies will make important decisions such as how to notify users and what to recommend if the person has been exposed. For those who are wary of the new system, Apple and Google assure that participation is voluntary. The Verge recommends that if the update of the operating system happens this summer, do not enable the 'contact tracing' feature. Privacy Issues Contact tracing has been flagged as a concern by privacy advocates and experts all over the world, raising fears that it could potentially be used as a surveillance tool once the coronavirus pandemic is contained. Some experts even doubt the effectiveness of Bluetooth-enabled contact tracing. The two Silicon Valley Giants assuaged these fears saying that privacy will be central to their contact tracing efforts. Explicit consent will have to be provided by the user for the platform to work, and no information that can be used to identify individual users will be collected, the two companies assured. "Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort," the companies said in their statement. Bernard Sees 'Incredibly Challenging' Times for Budgets NORTH ADAMS, Mass. City officials are in the midst of budget season but the figures and the future of the local economy are in holding pattern because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Thomas Bernard says there's a lot of uncertainty now with local revenues and whether the so-called cherry sheet numbers from the state are realistic in this new environment. "This is normally the time we'd be into the thick of budget season and we're certainly doing all of that background work and due diligence to get to a point where we can make a budget recommendation," he said last week. "But there's so many unknowns right now." Faced with economic disruption from the novel coronavirus, lawmakers are basically starting over on a fiscal 2021 budget while hampered by the inability to meet in person. A virtual round table is set for Tuesday morning after technical difficulties canceled last week's attempt. Bernard is hoping to get some clearer indications of how the Legislature will address the anticipated fall off in revenues and how that will affect cities and towns. "I think what we're seeing is going to be incredibly challenging," he said. "The revenue projections are nowhere near what we would expect in normal times." More than a half-million people have filed for unemployment and hospitality and restaurants have all but shutdown during the crisis. That means much less in rooms and meals taxes that city can build into its budget. Those monies had been increasing over the past few quarters but now the city will take an "unbelievably conservative estimate" on those revenue projections, said the mayor. Bernard said he has been meeting with department heads on their budgets and had spoken with Finance Committee Chairwoman Marie T. Harpin. But he's waiting to see what comes out of Beacon Hill. "Really, I want to see what we hear from the state first," he said. "But I am expecting that we probably will do what a lot of places are ... and do a 1/12 continuation budget." The fiscal year ends on June 30 and municipalities and governmental bodies are supposed to have a budget in place by that date. Those that can't get a budget passed can continue month to month based on the previous year's spending plan for up to 90 days. But it won't be level budget, Bernard warned, because increases in costs for next year are already known, such as health insurance, and revenue projects will be lower. "I don't think this is a year where where I'm going to want to come forward with any kind of tax increase if I can possibly avoid it," the mayor said. "That's not a promise, but it's certainly what we're really looking at is how do we recognize that the city needs to provide services?" In the meantime, the administration and public employees are adjusting to a new reality that has many working from home, public building buildings shuttered and everyone learning how to navigate virtual meetings. Projects are still moving forward, including the work on the park renovations at Brayton Hill. "We started 2020, my team, particularly the folks in Community and Economic Development, we were really hitting our stride on a lot of projects," Bernard said. "But some of the stuff, it's hard to do remotely, some of it's going to be challenging to execute." The city has received a $15,000 grant from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative for doing work on the Cultural District. Bernard said it comes at good time to be helping a sector that's going to be struggling in the next months. What he has seen is North Adams and the Northern Berkshire community really standing up for each other. He regularly gets calls from people offering to help in some way delivering equipment or offering storage space for local efforts such as the Northern Berkshire COVID-19 Operations Center. Bernard said he's appreciative of the contributions and even if they go on a list for now, circumstances can change very quickly and those offers may suddenly become a necessity. And he sees that community collaboration continuing on larger scale between North County's communities as they emerge from the pandemic. "The biggest thing and, you know, we talk a lot about it ... because we actually practice it ... But the level of heightened collaboration and the level of connection among the Northern Berkshire communities, I think it's going to come out and stay strong," he said. "And as we get into a recovery mode, I think we're going to get very serious about where are the opportunities for collaboration and service sharing and working together as a region. ... "I feel like I'm white-boarding those things as part of the response plan." Bernard said he has a good relationship with Williamstown Town Manager Jason Hoch and Adams Town Administrator Jay Green and that they have had conversations about how they could work together. "We're going to have to face some hard decisions about how we deploy our resources that will be scarce and constrained even more over this recovery period," he said. When that recovery period will begin is unknown. The state is in general shutdown for only essential services until May 4, although other states have now extended their closures in some cases into June. Bernard said it was critical to continue the social distancing, hand washing and stay-at-home policies to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease that has killed more than 20 in Berkshire County and more than 800 so far across the state. "The worst thing in the world, worse even than the sacrifices we're asking people to make right now, for one would be to endure all of this, to experience the sickness, the loss, the economic dislocation, and ease up too quickly and see this thing come charging back," the mayor said. T he family of a London care home worker who died with Covid-19 today described how she gave her life to nursing. Rahima Bibi Sidhanee, 68, had been working right up until the time she became ill. She had refused to retire so that she could stay with patients, losing her battle against the virus on Easter Sunday. Her loss came amid mounting fears about the scale of deaths in the care home sector, with 290 out of around 1,300 care homes in the capital thought to have coronavirus present. Ms Sidhanee, a mother-of-three, had worked as a midwife and nurse since moving to Britain from Trinidad in the late Sixties. She had been working at the Grennell Lodge nursing and care home in Sutton for the past 20 years and had rebuffed pleas from her family to retire, or take a break, when coronavirus started spreading. Abu Sidhanee, 41, a childrens physiotherapist for University College London Hospitals, said: She said the elderly people needed her and she actually started doing an extra shift. That was how she was, people were in need of her and she was there. She was so dedicated and caring. She was bubbly and much loved at the home. Ms Sidhanne, 34-year-old Terry Coakley and professional cellist Martin Loveday He said his mother had previously had respiratory problems, which made her decision to continue working even braver. She was treated at St Helier Hospital near Sutton with oxygen and then put on a ventilator after being admitted last Tuesday. Her son said it was not clear where and how she had contracted the virus but there had been no confirmed cases at the care home so he does not believe it was there. Mr Sidhanee added: We just dont know, we will probably never know. I would urge people to carry on with social distancing though. It can save lives. Loading.... Meanwhile, the family of a 34-year-old who died with suspected Covid-19 today warned young people not to think they are invincible. Terry Coakley, from Bermondsey, died on April 2 after two weeks in hospital battling virus symptoms. His mother Joanne, 54, said: He was a really kind, healthy, happy man. It was such a shock. Mrs Coakley said her son died from heart failure after two weeks battling the disease. 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 She added: He was diagnosed with coronavirus after he was taken to hospital. We werent allowed to see him after he was diagnosed. I cant thank the nurses who looked after him enough, it must be so traumatic working in those wards. Mrs Coakley added: We had to clear out his work van and it had the masks, gloves, wipes and antibacterial gel in there. He was doing everything youre supposed to do to prevent catching the virus but he still got it. When I see groups of young people out, I just want to say dont think youre invincible, go home. Tributes were also paid today to one of Londons finest cellists who died in hospital with coronavirus symptoms. Prime Minister Dmytro Shmyhal met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine Etienne de Ponsen and agreed on the implementation of infrastructure projects in Ukraine. As the Government portal informs, the parties agreed to cooperate in two major strategic areas. "These are major infrastructure projects and projects on Donbas restoration, in particular, construction of a water treatment plant in Mariupol," the statement reads. Shmyhal assured that the Ukrainian side would facilitate to the greatest possible extent and fulfill all the conditions necessary for the implementation of the plant construction project. As noted, another project concerns the production of locomotives, and Ukrainian enterprises can become part of a large production chain within the framework of this project. I am grateful to the French authorities that had elaborated and would finance this project for this gesture of political and economic support, the Prime Minister of Ukraine said. One of the aspects of this program might be the allocation of EUR 100 million by France for the modernization of railway sections, rolling stock and the like. The Head of Government of Ukraine and the Ambassador of France also discussed energy cooperation. During the meeting, it was agreed to hold a teleconference meeting in the near future to discuss the implementation of these initiatives. Shmyhal also thanked France for its assistance in returning Ukrainian citizens after the closure of borders within the framework of quarantine measures. "I also hope that France will not take any measures against Ukrainians who will not be able to leave the country for objective reasons," Shmyhal said. ol Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 15:52 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1cfe7e 1 Business Public-Works-and-Public-Housing-Ministry,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,migrant-workers,TKI,Malaysia,Indonesia,COVID-19,coronavirus,Idul-Fitri,exodus Free The Public Works and Housing Ministry will work with the Foreign Ministry to employ former Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) who previously worked in Malaysia in the ministrys labor intensive infrastructure projects. Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the government had prepared a series of labor intensive projects in regions where TKI workers were concentrated to provide steady incomes those who were repatriated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. We are working closely with the Foreign Ministry to identify the hometowns of migrant workers who were repatriated from Malaysia. We will [then] establish labor-intensive projects, he said during an online press briefing on Monday. Basuki said the ministry had reallocated Rp 36.19 trillion (US$2.3 billion) from its Rp 120 trillion annual budget to help cushion the impact of COVID-19 in the country. The largest portion of the reallocated budget, Rp 24.53 trillion, will go towards direct aid or activities that are directly linked with COVID-19 mitigation efforts. A total of Rp 10.22 trillion will also be designated for labor-intensive programs in rural regions. The program aims to sustain rural citizens purchasing power, Basuki said. The labor-intensive projects include the construction of village irrigation systems, sanitation systems, utilities and self-subsistent housing. Rp 1.66 trillion of the budget will be used for infrastructure projects and equipment procurement to support the countrys healthcare system. This includes the conversion of the athletes village into a makeshift hospital and the construction of an emergency hospital in Galang Island, Riau Islands, which cost about Rp 400 billion. Read also: Galang COVID-19 hospital ready to admit TKI, ease burden on regional hospitals Previously, President Joko Jokowi Widodo cited reports estimating that about 3,000 Indonesian migrant workers had returned from Malaysia over the previous week, raising concerns about an uptick in imported COVID-19 cases. To reduce the risk of imported COVID-19 cases from Malaysia-based TKI, the government will use the emergency hospital in Galang Island to monitor and treat migrants returning from Malaysia. Galang Island COVID-19 Specialist Hospital, which opened on April 6, has 340 beds for patients under observation and a 20-bed isolation ward for intensive care. It also has a cemetery for burying the bodies of patients who have died of COVID-19, as many regions have reported heated public objections to burying COVID-19 patients in local cemeteries. The hospital has 15 specialist doctors, 110 nurses and other support staff and 241 volunteers. Chinas Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year, a U.S. research company said in a study. The country did that despite having higher-than-average water levels upstream, it found. Chinas government disputed the findings, saying there was low rainfall during last years monsoon season on its portion of the 4,350-km (2,700-mile) river. The findings by Eyes on Earth Inc., a research and consulting company specializing in water, published in a U.S.-government funded study, could complicate tricky discussions between China and other Mekong countries on how to manage the river that supports 60 million people as it flows past Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and through Cambodia and Vietnam. Last year's drought, which saw the Lower Mekong at its lowest levels in more than 50 years, devastated farmers and fishermen and saw the massive river recede to expose sandbanks along some stretches and at others turned from its usual murky brown to bright blue here because waters were so shallow and lacking in sediment. "If the Chinese are stating that they were not contributing to the drought, the data does not support that position," said Alan Basist, a meteorologist and president of Eyes on Earth, which conducted the study with funding from the U.S. State Departments Lower Mekong Initiative. Instead, satellite measurements of "surface wetness" in Chinas Yunnan Province, through which the Upper Mekong flows, suggest the region in 2019 actually had slightly above-average combined rainfall and snowmelt during the May to October wet season. But water levels measured downstream from China along the Thai-Lao border were at times up to three meters (10 feet) lower than they should have been, the group said in the study. That suggests China is "not letting the water out during the wet season, even when the restriction of water from China has a severe impact of the drought experienced downstream," Basist said. Troubled waters A fisherman is seen on the Mekong River bank outside Nong Khai, Thailand, January 10, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun. The effect of Chinas 11 dams on the upper Mekong has long been debated, but data has been scarce because China does not release detailed records of how much water the dams are using to fill their reservoirs, which Eyes on Earth says have a combined capacity of more than 47 billion cubic meters. China - which has no formal water treaties with the lower Mekong countries - promised to cooperate here on management of the river and also to investigate the causes of last year's record drought. But the U.S, which has been challenging Chinas growing influence in Southeast Asia, has said that Beijing essentially controls the Mekong. Last year in Bangkok, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed the drought on "Chinas decision to shut off water upstream." The study used satellite data taken with Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMI/S) technology to detect water on the surface from rain and snowmelt in Chinas portion of the Mekong River Basin from 1992 to late 2019. It then compared that data with river-level readings by the Mekong River Commission at Thailands Chiang Saen Hydrological Station, the closest station to China, to create a predictive model of "natural" levels for the river given a certain amount of upstream rainfall and snowmelt. In the early years of the data, from 1992, the predictive model and the river measurements tracked generally closely. Unreasonable But starting in 2012, when the larger of Chinas upper Mekong hydropower dams came online, the model and the river level readings started to diverge most years, coinciding with periods of the Chinese dams reservoirs filling up during rainy seasons and releasing water during the dry season. The difference was especially pronounced in 2019, Basist said. A general view of the future site of the Luang Prabang dam is seen on the Mekong River outskirt of Luang Prabang Province, Laos, February 5, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Panu Wongcha-um. The study focused only on waters flowing out of China, and did not look further downstream, where Laos here opened two new mainstream Mekong dams in late 2019. China dismissed the findings. "The explanation that Chinas dam building on the Lancang River is causing downstream droughts is unreasonable," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to Reuters, referring to the river by its Chinese name. The ministry said Yunnan Province saw serious drought last year and reservoir volumes at Chinas dams on the river fell to their historically lowest levels. "Despite this, China has continued to do its utmost to guarantee reasonable discharge volumes" to countries downstream, the ministry said. That assertion, however, is inconsistent with the new studys data, said Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia program director of the Stimson Center think-tank in Washington. "Either Beijing is lying or their dam operators are lying to them. Somewhere, someone isnt telling the truth," Eyler said. GRE at Home For GMAT at Home, please visit: Key Links & Details: GRE At Home I just got an email that we can start taking GRE at home. Links: United States, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China). Official ETS Email: Quote: ETS Dear ETS account holder, Be one of the first to say, "I took my GRE General Test at home!" Starting Monday, you can register to take the GRE General Test online in your own home. While the current health crisis is putting limitations on our daily lives, ETS and the GRE Program are pleased to introduce this convenient and flexible new testing option to you. We want you to keep your future education plans on track from the comfort and safety of home. The GRE General Test at home gives you: Same price as testing in a test center Same valid and reliable test Same score delivery timing Same score acceptance by graduate, business or law programs Convenient, flexible and safe testing at home Testing at home won't be around for long and test at home sessions are limited. Registration opens Monday, March 23 at 9 a.m. EDT (13:00 UTC). See if you are eligible visit ets.org/gre/at-home today! Sincerely, The GRE Program Team at ETS Privacy Policy | Subscribe | Unsubscribe Copyright 2020 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 480406043 ETS | Rosedale Road | Princeton, NJ 08541 Transcript and highlights of the webinar: Quote: Coronavirus Update : Increased Availability and Accessibility of TOEFL and GRE At Home Tests ETS is pleased to share several important updates regarding at home testing for the TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test. Increasing Momentum Since introducing the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and the GRE General Test at home in late March, more than 18,000 test takers have registered to take either test from the safety of their homes in 116 countries and territories through the end of June. More than 2,000 have already tested successfully. We currently have sufficient capacity to meet test takers' needs but continue to recommend that prospective students register as soon as possible for the best chance to test at their preferred date and time. Increasing Availability The at home tests can now also be taken on a Mac computer if Windows is installed and the test taker is using a Google Chrome or Firefox browser. More details can be found under the "Equipment and Environment Checklist" on the test taker web pages accessed using the links below. Increasing Accessibility ETS is committed to serving test takers with disabilities and health-related needs by providing services and reasonable accommodations that are appropriate given the purpose of the test. These accommodations can be requested in the test taker's ETS account: Extended time Extra breaks Screen magnification Selectable colors Web pages for ETS is pleased to share several important updates regarding at home testing for the TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test.Increasing Momentum Since introducing the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and the GRE General Test at home in late March, more than 18,000 test takers have registered to take either test from the safety of their homes in 116 countries and territories through the end of June. More than 2,000 have already tested successfully. We currently have sufficient capacity to meet test takers' needs but continue to recommend that prospective students register as soon as possible for the best chance to test at their preferred date and time.Increasing Availability The at home tests can now also be taken on a Mac computer if Windows is installed and the test taker is using a Google Chrome or Firefox browser. More details can be found under the "Equipment and Environment Checklist" on the test taker web pages accessed using the links below.Increasing Accessibility ETS is committed to serving test takers with disabilities and health-related needs by providing services and reasonable accommodations that are appropriate given the purpose of the test. These accommodations can be requested in the test taker's ETS account:Extended timeExtra breaksScreen magnificationSelectable colorsWeb pages for GRE Institutions and GRE Test Takers Eileen Tyson Executive Director, Global Client Relations ETS Use the link below to enter the webcast at any time. Here is How the Test will work (thanks (thanks carcass for posting the video) Posted from my mobile device File comment: ETS presentation slides for the GRE at home edition EST webinar.pdf [903.52 KiB] Downloaded 24 times To download please login or register as a user L abour was embroiled in recriminations today over the leak of an internal report that apparently exonerated Jeremy Corbyns team of failing to crack down on anti-Semitism and instead blamed his opponents for stoking up controversy to damage him. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the public would be wondering why the main Opposition party was infighting when were in the middle of a national crisis and said disciplinary action was likely. New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer announced an independent inquiry into the leaked report, which found no evidence of anti-Semitism complaints being handled differently to others under Mr Corbyns leadership. The report included leaks of embarrassing WhatsApp exchanges between party staff regarded as opponents of Mr Corbyn. Ms Dodds said she wasnt aware of this report until it was leaked. Anneliese Dodds / PA She added: I think for anybody watching this they probably would be saying to themselves why is the Labour Party yet again having internal problems, particularly when were in the middle of a national crisis, so it is immensely frustrating to me. She said that following the review, I would anticipate that disciplinary matters might then be followed. The sister of missing Kilkenny woman JoJo Dollard has revealed An Garda Siochana's Serious Crime Review Team are investigating the 1995 disappearance of the 21-year-old as part of a new cold-case review. A team of investigators are examining all the evidence with fresh eyes, and JoJo's sister Kathleen Bergin has appealed to them to ques- tion again everybody who was interviewed in an effort to find the body of the young restaurant worker. "JoJo was in the wrong place at the wrong time and somebody saw an opportunity and acted on it," said Kathleen. In-depth "The meetings with the gardai over the last while have been good. There's a whole new team in there now and they're working on JoJo's case. "Me and my husband met Commissioner Drew Harris last year and the meetings went well. "He told us they were going to start the review. They are doing that at the moment but it will take some time. We are trying to keep an open mind," she told the Herald. "They are doing an in-depth review and won't be speaking to anyone else who was working on it in the past. "It will be a new set of eyes, to see if things could have been done differently. "We are hoping they will come across something but really need people to come forward. "This will be a timely opportunity for somebody to come forward and help us. "Someone has that information and for whatever reason they've been withholding it. We urge them to come forward now. "Maybe their circumstances have changed in 24 years. It has been a long time. "It must be an awful burden for them to have to hold information like this, to keep it to themselves over the years. "We just want our JoJo back, that's all. It would be a gift to us, to be able to put all the pieces together and bring JoJo home. That's all our family wants. "I want to give the review team a chance and see what comes out of it. We are hopeful. This is an in-depth investigation and maybe they will see something that could be done in a different way using today's techniques. "Definitely I feel they need to re-question people again. That has to be done. To go out and question people in person again. "Because if somebody doesn't want to go to a garda station, they have a chance to open up and tell them what they know. "Especially after all these years, it would be a big opportunity for them to do that now and help. We need the public's help." Kathleen remembers her last interaction with JoJo vividly. It was a phone conversation the night before she vanished. "It was on the Wednesday evening, I was speaking to JoJo on the phone. She had moved down to Callan and was working in Graingers' restaurant there. She said she was going to Dublin in the morning," Kathleen said. "She wasn't fully sure and I said 'if you don't [go] we can meet up for a cup of coffee when my lads are gone to school'. "She said, 'If you don't hear from me, Kathleen, you'll know I'm gone on the early bus'. "So when I didn't hear from her that Thursday morning I thought, 'OK, she's gone up to Dublin'." It is known JoJo missed her last direct bus home on the Thursday evening and got as far as Moone in Co Kildare - she got a bus to Naas, hitched a lift to Kilcullen and then another lift to Moone. While in Moone she called her friend Mary Cullinane from a phone box to tell her where she was. "When she was on the phone to Mary a car passed and she obviously flagged him down. "She just came back to Mary and said, 'God, I have a lift. I'll phone you again at my next stop'," said Kathleen. "Thank God she made the phone call in Moone because it was from that phone call we were able to verify she was there. We are 100pc she got to Moone. "It's after Moone that we are trying to put the pieces together." JoJo and Kathleen's other sister Mary spent years campaigning for JoJo and never gave up their fight up to Mary's death from cancer two years ago this month. "Mary always felt JoJo is near to where she went missing. She had never budged from that. "She just felt like she was coming up against a brick wall and felt very let down and disheartened by everything," said Kathleen. "Mary was determined, God love her. It took a toll on her. "She had given so much of herself to try to find out what happened to JoJo. It took everything she had. It wore her down. "That became her life. She wanted to bring her back home, even up to the very end, in the last moments of her life. "JoJo's picture was beside her. I know she's with her now but she would still want her brought home. "I see the two of them together. Mary has her answers now. We need hope. We need something to believe in. "Help us fulfil Mary's wishes. There is a confidential helpline if someone just wants to leave a message. Crime "Finding her would be enough. Just to bring her back home. We won't judge anyone. We just want to put her with Mam and Dad and be able to sit down beside her knowing she's not out there on her own any more. "I think JoJo deserves that after all this time. She's out there too long now on her own. We know we'll never be able to hug her again. "A crime has been committed somewhere and they are still out there. As time goes on the fear is they will strike again. You just don't know and that's frightening. "Where are the years gone? It's there in your mind the whole time -My God, she's still missing. There's never a day goes by you don't think of JoJo. I still think of her the age she was. "I often wonder what would her life have been like if this had not happened? She was 21 and her life was just taken from her. "She could be married now with her own family. All her dreams and hopes were taken. "Ireland is such a small country but to have someone vanish without a trace, it's unbelievable." Colors TV decided to re-run popular show, Balika Vadhu, that features Avika Gor and Avinash Mukherjee in the lead roles. The show, which revolved around the practise of child marriage in India, had impressed the audiences. Anup Soni, who played the role of Bhairon Dharamveer Singh, revealed lesser known facts about the show! The actor said that he had rejected the show thrice! Anup was quoted by Koimoi as saying, "At that point of time one of shows C.I.D. The Special Bureau had just ended and I wanted to take a break. Also, Colors had not launched at that time so I was a little reluctant on taking up the show. I got a lot of calls from the production house and the writers but I rejected it 2-3 times as I was keen on taking a break. But as they say, what is destined to happen, will happen, so I happened to do the show and it went to become iconic." Regarding the show's re-run, the actor said, "It's always a good feeling to watch your own shows on TV and your old self on screen. Balika Vadhu is a special show and it's a feeling of nostalgia to hear that the show will be coming back on TV again. I'm looking forward to watching it again." Smita Bansal, Surekha Sikri, Sidharth Shukla, Pratyusha Banerjee, Toral Rasputra and Shashank Vyas were a part of the show. Meanwhile, Avika shared the promos of the show on her Instagram account. She also shared a video, in which she was seen singing the title track of the show. Anup had posted a few throwback pictures from the show and shared the news with fans. The actor tweeted, "Balika Vadhu comes back @ColorsTV from today ,Monday to Friday at 6pm. Was lucky to be part of this iconic show...." - (sic) Also Read: COVID-19 Lockdown: Colors TV To Re-Telecast Balika Vadhu And Season 1 Of Naagin Starring Mouni Roy BitTitans Migration Wiz is an impressive tool a fully automated, 100% SaaS migration solution that allows for users to configure and initiate mailbox, document, personal archive, public folder, Office 365 tenants, Microsoft Teams, and Hybrid Exchange management projects from a single, centralized UI. The solution is great because it eliminates manual errors which can quickly add up when migrating numerous mailboxes or folders. Quite often the solution is used to take a premise-based Microsoft Exchange server and migrate it to Microsoft Office 365. Migration Wiz can also migrate from other solutions like Novel, Lotus, Zimbra, Dropbox and more to on-prem Exchange 2007+ or numerous cloud destinations from Microsoft and also G Suite. To assist in migrations, the company has provided resources allowing the MSP to plan ahead. For example, alerting them to be patient when migrating during peak times as cloud vendors throttle data in order to ensure availability. The company has migrated more than 19 million mailboxes for 43,000 customers in 187 countries. In the current pandemic, many companies have urgent needs to accelerate cloud migrations, and companies like BitTitan can help by providing third-party tools that quickly migrate email, documents and other workloads such as Microsoft Teams to the cloud and enable remote operations. To learn more, we had an exclusive interview with Kevin Serpanchy, Sales Director of the Americas for the company. He comes to the company with tremendous international experience having moved to Melbourne Australia from the Bay area in 1999. He was drawn to BitTitan because he heard good things about the company when he worked in the EdTech space. In case you missed the congratulatory note from Yours Truly, Rich Tehrani on LinkedIn, we placed it above, We asked Kevin about the current sales environment. Wondering how things are going. He said there has been some pausing but many small to medium companies need BitTitan technology as they migrate to the cloud. We are trying to be an even better partner to those who are in need of us, he exclaimed. Theres a rush to make sure that from an infrastructure standpoint, that once we come out of this, that customers can be effective in the cloud. He concluded, We are in a strong position to work our way through this but obviously we are aware of whats happening out there. We want folks to know that they can rely on us and that we are well-placed to support the upcoming projects they need help with. See the ONLY Tech companies that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW. This Event has been called the BEST SHOW in 5 YEARS and the Best TECHNOLOGY EVENT of 2020. 2020 participants included: Amazon, Cisco, Google, IBM, ClearlyIP, Avaya, Vonage, 88, Comcast Business, BlueJeans, CoreDial, Dell, Edify, Epygi, FreeSWITCH, Fuze, Grandstream, Granite, Intrado, Frontier Business, Fujitsu, Jenne, West, Konftel, Intelisys, Martello, NetSapiens, OOMA, Oracle, OpenVox, Peerless Network, Phone Sentry, Phone.com, Poly, QuestBlue, RingByName, Sangoma, SingTel, SkySwitch, Spracht, Spectrum, Sprint, Tallac, Tech Data, Telarus, TCG, Teledynamics, Teli, Telinta, Telispire, Telstra, TransNexus, Unified Office, Vital PBX, VoIP Supply, Voxbone, VoIP.MS, Windstream, XCALY, XORCOM, Yealink, Yubox, and ZYCOO. Full List. Join 8K others with $25B+ in IT buying power who plan 2021 budgets! Including 3,500+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated Future of Work Expo, SD-WAN Expo, and MSP Expo June 22-25, 2021, Miami Register now and you could win a Tesla on Feb 12th. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (25) Chinese peacekeepers to Sudan transport UNAMID emergency supplies PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Wang Xinjuan 2020-04-14 00:02:23 By Zhang Yandong, Hao Zhaojian and Yu Hao AL-FASHIR, Sudan, Apr. 13 -- A helicopter with the marking of UN and the national flag of China from the 3rd China Medium Utility Helicopter Unit (CMUHU03) arrived at the mission point in Golo of Darfur after one-and-a-quarter hours' flight. The helicopter brought 1.7 tons of urgently needed living and medical supplies for the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) personnel stationed in Golo. The mission has greatly improved the local pandemic prevention and control capability and is highly recognized by peacekeepers from various countries. It is learnt that Golo, being located in the northeastern part of the Marrah Mountains, is the highest mission point in Darfur with severe shortage of supplies. It is inaccessible to ordinary traffic and can only be supplied by air transportation. At present, as the pandemic continues to spread overseas, the UNAMID has suspended the transportation of ordinary passengers to reduce the risk of infection, only carries out the much-needed supplies support and non-infectious personnel medical evacuation and preparation tasks. Colonel Chu Zhiqin, commander of CMUHU03, said: "As the only military aviation force of UNAMID, we carried out the pandemic prevention and control work while resolutely completing missions. By now, we have firmly ensured zero infection. " NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Four elderly residents and six staff members have COVID-19, and more than 100 people are in isolation, after a health care worker at a western Sydney aged-care home worked while infected with coronavirus. Thirty-one staff and 66 residents are in isolation after the worker at the Anglicare Newmarch House aged-care facility in Caddens tested positive to COVID-19. It has been confirmed that she worked for six days while infectious. The worker also did two shifts at Greystanes Disability Services in Jamisontown, prompting four residents to be isolated in their rooms. Six staff are in self-isolation. It comes after a coronavirus cluster was identified at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Macquarie Park, where six elderly residents have died from coronavirus, with a total of 21 residents and staff testing positive. Council workers across NSW will be entitled to a higher rate of pay than those on the federal government's JobKeeper wage subsidy if they are stood down as part of a deal approved by the state's Industrial Relations Commission. The state's councils overwhelmingly backed the deal, which is the first large-scale pay and conditions renegotiation during the coronavirus crisis to give workers guaranteed pay even if they have been stood down without work. A Waverley Council worker cleans a railing at Bondi beach. While some council employees are busier than ever, others have been stood down because of coronavirus. Credit:Rhett Wyman Many council-run swimming pools, libraries and playgrounds are closed across the state because of social distancing measures. But local councils cannot access JobKeeper payments for their staff because the federal government considers them a state responsibility. Normally council employees' pay and conditions are set under an industrial award that changes little from year to year and gives workers no pay if they are stood down. Former U.S. Rep Bob Brady introduces House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before she addressed the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's inaugural "Independence Dinner." at The Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Friday, November 1, 2019 Read more Former U.S. Rep. Bob Bradys one-man lobbying shop has landed its second and third clients hometown behemoths Comcast-NBC Universal and Independence Blue Cross. Brady, chairman of Philadelphias Democratic Party, filed his registration Friday as a lobbyist for Comcast in the U.S. House and Senate, according to Politico. He told Clout Tuesday that he had also landed the Blue Cross account. Brady spent 20 years in the House before announcing in 2018 that he would not seek another term. Federal regulations require a one-year cooling off period for departing members of Congress before they can start lobbying their former colleagues. Brady said he expects to advocate for Comcast on legislation impacting its business, as directed by the companys senior executive vice president David L. Cohen. Whatever David wants, Brady answered when asked what he expected to be doing. Brady was known in Washington as the mayor of Capitol Hill, thanks to his time as chairman of the House Administration Committee. He still has close relationships with members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Brady picked up his first client, Rivers Casino Philadelphia, last year, thanks in part to his friendship with attorney Richard Sprague, a minority owner in the business. His firm Robert A. Brady Consulting LLC lists Spragues law firm for its address on federal and state forms. Brady said he is negotiating to pick up more clients. These other guys do it. Why not me? he said. Ive got enough energy to take care of what I got to do. If I get more, maybe Ill hire some more people. For the most part, before the war, blackness marked one as a slave. Afterward, it marked one as the lowest of laborers, relegated to sharecropping and domestic work, excluded from the mounting ranks of industrial labor. With the coming of industry and the factory system, the social code which made manual labor a degrading factor was no longer of binding force, the historian Charles H. Wesley wrote in his 1927 book Negro Labor in the United States, 1850-1925. Work in the factories was honorable and it was to be considered the particular task of white workers. Which is to say that, as it developed in the United States, industrial capitalism retained a caste system with whites as the dominant social group. This wasnt just a matter of prejudice. As it did under slavery, race under industrial capitalism structured ones relationship to both production and personhood. Whiteness, the philosopher Charles W. Mills notes, underwrote the division of labor and the allocation of resources, with correspondingly enhanced socioeconomic life chances for ones white self and ones white children. Its not that life was particularly good for white workers, but that blacks faced additional challenges, from the denial of formal political rights to social exclusion and widespread, state-sanctioned violence. If they lived in cities, blacks were relegated to the least sanitary neighborhoods with the most substandard housing; if they had a skill or knew a craft, they were excluded from the guilds and unions that would have given them a path to employment; if they possessed a formal education, they were barred from most middle-class professions. The overrepresentation of blacks in institutions like the Postal Service is a direct legacy of this exclusion. Postal work was, historically, one of the few stable jobs available to blacks. For years the post office had commonly been considered a safe job for blacks because of exclusion by both white capital and white labor in the private sector, the historian Philip F. Rubio explains in Theres Always Work at the Post Office: African-American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. By the time we reach the New Deal era, the racial differentiation of capitalist inequality divided labor markets, wide racial disparities in employment, income and education was part of the pattern of American life, even in the midst of the Depression. And as policymakers in Washington worked to address the crisis, they built on that foundation and deepened those disparities, sometimes by accident, but often because of direct pressure from the white South and its lawmakers by design. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 05:31:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 people were confirmed killed and several others wounded following a communal clash in Nigeria's northeastern state of Taraba, said local police on Tuesday. About 100 houses were destroyed as the fracas resumed between the local Shomo and Jole ethnic groups in Lau local government area of the state on Monday, the police said. The ethnic groups dominate two neighboring fishing communities in the area. Taraba police spokesman David Misal said an investigation has been launched into the clash, as the cause of the conflict was not officially known. However, local sources said a long-time ownership tussle over some ancestral fish ponds between the two ethnic groups was the cause of the latest disagreement. For decades, these two communities had been disagreeing over the fish ponds, causing the loss of many lives. In the early 90s, the state government had banned fishing activities in the disputed fish ponds. The ban was lifted in 1999 and more hostilities resumed in the area between the locals. Taraba police chief Ahmed Azare said he has redeployed a team of riot police to quell the fresh violence. I teach my law students that every so often in the law, the best way to understand the veracity of a claim is just to say it out loud. They got a great example of this on Monday when President Trump made a contribution to the legal lexicon: When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And thats the way its got to be. Its total. In terms that would even have made President Richard Nixon blush, our commander in chief sounded more like the leader of some tinpot dictatorship than of the United States. Our Constitution was designed to reject such arrogation of power. Separation of powers and federalism arent fusty concepts designed to please rebellious aristocrats; they are the living embodiment of our founders desire to divide and check power not vest total authority in one person, no matter how wise that person may be. That was the basic genesis of the Declaration of Independence King George III had grabbed all the government power for himself. The declarations text proclaims the history of the present King of Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. The American Constitution is a self-conscious reaction to that concentration of power, not a document to mirror and enable it. Checkout No resources available in your cart In a worrying development, a local Congress MLA, who attended a high-level meeting called by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday morning, tested positive for coronavirus in the evening, said a civic official. IMAGE: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, extreme left, with Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, extreme right in blue shirt. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday evening, said deputy municipal commissioner Om Prakash Machra. The MLA from the Khadia-Jamalpur seat of Ahmedabad will be admitted to a designated COVID-19 hospital soon, he said. Khedawala, along with some other Congress MLAs, was present in the meeting with Rupani held at the CM's official residence in Gandhinagar in the morning. Besides Khedawala two other Congress MLAs from the city -- Gyasuddin Shaikh and Shailesh Parmar -- were also present. The meeting was also attended by deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja. After the meeting, Rupani announced imposition of a curfew in some parts of Ahmedabad city, which fall in the assembly constituencies represented by these Congress MLAs, to curb the spread of coronavirus. In a photo shared by the government, Khedawala and Shaikh can be seen sitting at a distance from Rupani, while Parmar was sitting near the CM during the meet. After the meeting, these MLAs also addressed a press conference in Gandhinagar. Till late night, the state government has not issued any statement on the revelation related to Khedawala. San Francisco police have shuttered an underground nightclub operating in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic after city officials had ordered the closures of bars and nightclubs to curb the spread of the virus. Time-lapse surveillance video showed more than 150 people entering and exiting a stout pink warehouse over a few nights earlier this month, with 20 to 30 cars parked near the front of the building, according to police. Police later seized DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture and other items, according to a statement from city official Dennis Herrera. The office had secured a warrant to shut down the club on 10 April for allegedly violating a March stay-at-home order in the county that was later issued statewide. Its the first such warrant issued by San Francisco officials following the quarantine. Mr Herrera said: This pandemic is deadly serious. People need to treat it that way ... Education is always the first step, but willfully ignoring health orders is not acceptable. We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic. The club, which allegedly does not possess a nightclub license, was open from 2 am to 6 am. Mr Herrera added that cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season. Who knows how far the damage will spread? Its the epitome of irresponsibility. San Francisco police chief William Scott said the operators of the club senselessly put lives at risk in a time when our city is doing everything within our means to slow the spread of this pandemic and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. According to court documents, the buildings tenant, Bay Area Pinnacle Cleaning, was using the building as storage for his janitorial company but had turned the building to the clubs operators as an after-hours club some time earlier this year. During a stakeout on 8 April, a citys attorneys office investigator observed multiple cars coming and going from the property, and groups of people not practising social distancing while loud music could be heard emanating from inside. Authorities also reported that strobe lights were observed within the building when the door was opened and security guards were also seen frisking people entering the club The images are compelling: Fire trucks in Tehran or Manila spray the streets. Amazon tests a disinfectant fog inside a warehouse, hoping to calm workers fears and get them back on the job. TV commercials show health care workers cleaning chairs where blood donors sat. Families nervously wipe their mail and newly delivered groceries. These efforts may help people feel like they and their government are combating the coronavirus. But in these still-early days of learning how to tamp down the spread of the virus whether its on steel poles in trains, the streets or the cardboard boxes delivered to homes experts disagree on how best to banish the infectious germs. There is no scientific basis at all for all the spraying and big public works programs, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Its at best wasteful, and at worst were just putting disinfectants into the environment that we dont need. Most transmission of the virus comes from breathing in droplets that an infected person has just breathed out not from touching surfaces where it may be lurking. Transmission of novel coronavirus to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website. A handful of Republicans voiced their concerns Tuesday in pushing back at Donald Trump's claim that he has full authority over when to reopen states in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. Rand Paul warned Americans that they would 'have more to worry about than a virus' if the federal government was able to seize power from the states. 'The constitution doesn't allow the federal gov't to become the ultimate regulator of our lives because they wave a doctor's note,' the Kentucky senator tweeted. 'Powers not delegated are RESERVED to states & the PEOPLE.' 'If we dispense with constitutional restraints, we will have more to worry about than a virus,' he continued, inciting the last amendment to the Bill of Rights. Liz Cheney, who serves as the House Republican Conference Chair, also indirectly called out the president in a tweet Tuesday. 'The federal government does not have absolute power,' the No. 3 Republican asserted in a Twitter post. She then quoted the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution in her tweet: 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.' United States Constitution, Amendment X' Republican Senator Rand Paul said Tuesday that if the federal government is able to take away states' rights, 'we will have more to worry about than a virus' He tweeted his assertion that the Constitution gives states power to the states that are not reserved to the federal government following Trump's contradictory comments this week Republican Rep. Liz Cheney also asserted that the federal government does not have the absolute power over states without naming Donald Trump or make reference to his comments She also quoted the Tenth Amendment, which establishes states' rights and gives states powers not delegated specifically to the federal government Donald Trump said Monday that he has the 'absolute power' to reopen states and end their lockdowns in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak He tweeted Tuesday morning that any governors who defy his orders are the matter are engaging in a 'mutiny' Marco Rubio weighed in, claiming that governors would be in charge of decided when their respective states would start lifting social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders The Tenth Amendment establishes states' rights, expressing the principle of federalism, and delegate states hold any powers not explicitly given to the federal government. Trump's recent comments contradict this amendment. Cheney's rebuke to Trump came after the president said he had the total power to decide when states should end their lockdowns and begin to reopen after shutting down in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wyoming Republican is a Trump loyalist but her tweet Tuesday was obviously a direct hit at the president for his assertions. Cheney's office did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on the tweet. Florida Senator Marco Rubio also spoke out against the comments. 'How & when to modify physical distancing orders should & will be made by Governors,' he insisted on Twitter. 'Federal guidelines issued by @CDCgov & @WhiteHouse will be very influential,' he continued in the post. 'But the Constitution & common sense dictates these decisions be made at the state level.' Trump on Tuesday said any governor who resisted his 'total authority' is a mutineer and threatened to withhold coronavirus aid from their respective states if they didn't heed his call to reopen the country. 'Tell the Democrat Governors that 'Mutiny On The Bounty' was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!,' he tweeted. The president was defending his claim that he has authority to reopen states to business in the wake of the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus, which goes against the 10th amendment of the constitution. Several governors blasted Trump, especially New York's Andrew Cuomo whose state has been most affected by the outbreak. 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Advertisement Cuomo called the president 'schizophrenic' and threatened to take him to court over the matter as a constitutional crisis began to brew. Trump took to Twitter after Cuomo went on the morning shows to slam the president's interpretation of the balance of power between the state and federal government. 'Cuomo's been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state's responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won't happen!,' the president wrote. The standoff began during a heated press conference inside the White House on Monday evening, when Trump claimed that his office holds 'absolute power' over the shutdowns prompted by the novel coronavirus outbreak - hours after Cuomo and eight other Democratic governors unveiled a pact to work together to coordinate the reopening of their respective states. 'When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total,' Trump told reporters in response to the announcement. He declined to specify where his authority to overrule states comes from when pressed by DailyMail.com. Instead, he reiterated: 'The federal government has absolute power. But Cuomo pointed out Trump left it up to the states to buy their own medical supplies and to issue stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis, arguing the president can't accede that responsibility to the states and then contend he is an absolute authority. 'This is a 180. I have total authority. I'm going to tell the states what to do. So it makes no sense. It is schizophrenic,' Cuomo told CNN Tuesday morning 'New Day.' The New York Democrat made it clear he would not obey any such order from Trump to reopen his state, adding he would take the matter to the courts to let them rule on it. 'If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn't do it. And we would have a constitutional challenge between the state and the federal government and that would go into the courts, and that would be the worst possible thing he could do at this moment would be to act dictatorial and to act in a partisan divisive way,' Cuomo said. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called President Donald Trump 'schizophrenic' for claiming he has 'total authority' over the states to reopen the United States Andrew Cuomo said he will take President Donald Trump to court if he orders him to reopen New York The governor warned Trump could create a 'constitutional crisis.' 'The only way this situation gets worse is if the president creates a constitutional crisis. If he says to me, I declare it open, and that is a public health risk or it's reckless with the welfare of the people of my state, I will oppose it. And then we will have a constitutional crisis like you haven't seen in decades,' Cuomo said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 'I just hope he gets control of what he was saying last night and he doesn't go down that road,' he added. Trump has clashed with many of the nation's governors, who have pleaded with the federal government for masks, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and other supplies to battle the coronavirus. He also has pushed responsibility on them. 'I want the governors to be running things,' he said earlier this month. But Trump, who was born in New York and made his name there, has spoken warmly of his relationship with Cuomo, whom he has called a friend. The president's new claim of power, however, has changed the tone between them. Cuomo was clear Tuesday morning on where he stood. 'Keep the politics out of it,' he advised Trump during his CNN appearance. Cuomo acknowledged there is an election coming up in November but said the current health pandemic - over 588,000 infected by the coronavirus in the United States with more than 23,000 deaths - supersedes that. 'I know he's running for re-election. I know this is a political year. I know it is a hyperpartisan environment. I know it is red versus blue. Not anymore. Not when it comes to this. This is red, white and blue. I have 10,000 deaths in my state. This virus didn't kill Democrats or Republicans. It killed Americans. And it killed New Yorkers. And I'm not going to go down a political road,' Cuomo said. Cuomo refuted the president's claim to power, pointing out the Constitution lays out the balance of power between the state and federal governments. 'It says the federal government does not have absolute power,' Cuomo said on CNN Tuesday morning. 'It says the exact opposite that the president said.' 'It says that would be a king,' Cuomo continued. 'We would have had King George Washington and we didn't have King George Washington. We don't have King Trump. We have President Trump. And, remember, the colonies created the federal government. The states created the federal government, not the other way around. We have a tenth amendment that is explicit, certain responsibilities are state responsibilities.' Cuomo said the situation would be funny if the country weren't in the middle of a health crisis. 'To hear a Republican stand up there, by the way, and argue big government and total authority of the federal government is so amusing,' he said on MSNBC. 'If it wasn't so serious, it could be funny, it could be a comedy skit. It's frightening. It's frightening. This is the last place we should be, this crazy politics, this absurd positioning when we're talking about life and death. And we really have the toughest governmental problem we've ever faced right in front of us, and we have to deal with this absurdity,' he added. The president, when pressed by reporters at the White House on Monday, could not say how he had the 'total authority' he claimed to hold or who told him he had such power. 'I'll put it very simply. The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots,' Trump said. He then took aim at the governors: 'They can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.' New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has rebuked President Trump's claims that he has blanket authority to order a reopening of the country and cease stay-at-home orders, saying Monday night that last time he checked the US had 'a constitution...not a king' Trump speaking about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday Asked what provisions of the Constitution gave him the power to override the states Trump replied: 'Numerous provisions.' But he did not name any. 'When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total,' Trump said. He also suggested any governor who defied his order would pay a political price. 'If some states refuse to open, I would like to see that person run for election,' he said. Cuomo also questioned the president's logic when it came to states going on lockdown or issuing stay-at-home orders. 'The close down was left to the governors to do individually state by state. Now the reopen should be total authority? That makes no sense,' Cuomo reasoned. Cuomo issued the president a parting shot, warning him that if he takes any measures that could potentially endanger the lives of New Yorkers - such as enforcing premature reopenings - then Cuomo will seek legal action. 'If he tried an edict from the White House that put the people of the state of New York in jeopardy or violated what I thought was in their best interest, from a public health point of view, we would just be off to a lawsuit,' he said. 'And that's the only way this really horrendous situation could get worse, is if you now see a war between the federal government and the states.' Earlier on Monday, six governors from states on the east coast and three on the west coast announced their own pacts to come up with a framework on how and when to reopen. All nine governors are Democrats and include Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York - both of whom have seen their ratings soar during their handling of the crisis. But on Tuesday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker became the first Republican state leader to join the council. Pointedly, the governors on both coasts said that 'public health' was their leading priority. But they put themselves on a collision course with Trump, who hyped his proclamation that he would decide on Twitter, after saying for days it would soon become time to 'reopen' the U.S. economy. The president's emphatic statement came as it was revealed his task force on the vital matter will include cabinet members, his daughter and his son-in-law. 'A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!' 'A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!' President Trump tweeted about the decision to reopen the country THE CORONAVIRUS COUNCILS Cuomo's 'COVID corridor' NEW YORK NEW JERSEY CONNECTICUT PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND DELAWARE Newson's west coast pact CALIFORNIA OREGON WASHINGTON Advertisement The task force is expected to include Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared, who has taken a key coronavirus response role, fielding calls from hot-spots seeking protective gear and trying to line up deliveries. Both Ivanka Trump and Kushner have appeared with the president at separate White House coronavirus events Kushner at a White House briefing and Ivanka Trump at a small business meeting in the Roosevelt Room. The team will be headed by Trump's new chief of staff Mark Meadows, who previously headed the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Fox News reported. Also serving with be Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Other cabinet members to serve include Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, White House advisers Larry Kudlow, Peter Navarro who penned memos warning of the impact of the coronavirus, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, along with other officials. Trump attacked the media and added confusion to how the decision to reopen would ultimately be made with a pair of tweets Monday. 'For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government,' Trump wrote. 'Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect...It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!' he wrote. It is state governors who issued the stay-at-home orders that took effect across the country. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence issued 'guidelines' but the administration and health officials have provided considerable discussion and feedback to state officials. Trump has previously noted on shut-down orders that it is governors who have imposed them, and he deferred to a group of GOP governors, many in rural states, who held back from issuing stay-home orders during as the coronavirus spread. RTHK: Trump orders halt to WHO cash, rows with governors US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has instructed his administration to at least temporarily halt funding to the World Health Organisation over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, at a White House news conference, said the WHO had "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable". He said the group had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus than otherwise would have occurred. Earlier on Tuesday, the president was accused of seeking king-like powers ahead of unveiling a task force for reopening the US economy despite fears in hard-hit states that he will rush the decision. Facing a tough re-election in November, the Republican president is eager to get the world's biggest economy back on its feet as quickly as possible. But his threat to invoke disputed "total" constitutional powers forcing state governors to follow his orders has prompted an outcry. "We don't have King Trump, we have President Trump," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on CNN. A combative Trump then responded by likening skeptical governors to rebellious sailors in the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty." He has so far bowed often reluctantly to resistance from medical experts who argue that relaxing social distancing and allowing people back to work prematurely would spark a coronavirus second wave. But with Tuesday's expected White House announcement of the team tasked with setting up the reopening, Trump was taking the first step in what he calls the "biggest decision" of his life. For weeks, Trump has veered between supporting a sudden, large-scale reopening and a cautious, case-by-case relaxation of mitigation measures. Recently he has hinted at some sort of shift in the situation starting May 1. Reflecting the sense of instability, economic powerhouses California and New York, both led by Democrats, are developing their own reopening plans, insisting that Trump will not set the pace. California's Governor Gavin Newsom, who has joined forces with Oregon and Washington state, said he would not announce any concrete timing for at least another two weeks. "We can't get ahead of ourselves," he said. "I don't want to make a political decision that puts people's lives at risk and puts the economy at even more risk." (Reuters/AFP) ______________________________ Last updated: 2020-04-15 HKT 06:30 This story has been published on: 2020-04-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswanas cabinet ministers have pledged 10 percent of their salaries to a fund established to cushion the country against coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19 Relief Fund Singapore was facing a "critical situation" in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, a top minister said on Tuesday, as 334 new cases were reported in the city-state, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients to 3,252. "We remain in a critical situation. The number of cases has been increasing," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told reporters. The number of cases among foreign workers, especially those in dormitories, rose sharply to around 200 cases per day, reaching about 300 cases on Monday, said Gan. "This increase is likely to continue as we undertake more testing in the dormitories. The outbreak in the foreign workers' dormitories has become an important front in our fight against COVID-19," he said. A large number of Singapore's recent COVID-19 cases have been linked to foreign workers' dormitories. Eight dormitories, housing foreign workers, have been declared isolation areas, meaning residents have to be quarantined in their rooms. Singapore has 43 purpose-built dormitories housing some 200,000 workers and about 1,200 factory-converted dormitories housing some 95,000 workers. About 5,000 foreign workers are expected to be tested in the next few days. "Our commitment to the foreign workers is that if they are infected, we want to find them, and we want to be very clear that we're not intending to leave them alone unattended, said Kenneth Mak, the Health Ministry's director of medical services. "Our immediate priority for the workers in the dormitories is to help them stay healthy and minimize the number that gets infected, assured Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. The multi-ministry task force, handling COVID-19 crisis, was working on a strategy for testing at dormitories. At this point in time, for the majority of the purpose-built dormitories, we don't have an approach of testing everyone ... It's a much more targeted approach of testing those who step forward, who are sick with symptoms, Channel Asia quoted Mak as saying. All of Tuesday's cases were locally infected. Of the new cases, 189 are linked to previously identified clusters and 23 are linked to other local cases. A total of 122 are still unlinked, pending contact tracing. Of these, 24 are Singapore citizens and the remaining 98 are long-term pass holders. Nine patients have died from complications due to COVID-19. Singapore recorded the highest daily cases 386 on Monday. Wearing face masks, covering nose and mouth, is mandatory for all in Singapore and a first-time offender will face a fine of SGD 300. Only people involved in strenuous exercise and children below the age of two are exempted. Meanwhile, foreign workers celebrated the Tamil and Bengali New Year on Tuesday. The Inter-Agency Taskforce teamed up with Singapore's Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) to distribute festive goodies to foreign workers. It is a tradition to have specially made sweets to welcome the New Year. Traditional Indian sweets, including laddu, paal gova prepared by Hindu temples here, were distributed to foreign workers across 22 locations. This is a first of its kind effort by the HEB, bringing temples together to produce traditional sweets on this scale. The Taskforce also provided the workers with fast food treats to celebrate the occasion, distributing over 90,000 meals from KFC, including vegetarian pizza, in addition to their daily meals. "We hope that these festive goodies will help to lift the spirits of the foreign workers as they celebrate this festive occasion, said the Manpower Ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hookah smoking sessions - a common sight in Haryana villages- have now taken a break as village heads have prevailed upon locals not to share the smoking pipes to contain spread of coronavirus. Playing their role in spreading awareness on coronavirus in the hinterland, the village heads or sarpanch are also ensuring that farmers follow social distancing norms during the harvest season. Smoking hookah is part of our culture as villagers, especially the elderly gather at a common place in the village to socialise and share the hookah. Initially, it was a bit difficult to make them understand, but we prevailed upon them and soon everyone realised that it can be dangerous in view of coronavirus and now no one can be found smoking hookah outside, said Hoshiar Chand, sarpanch of Nazelda Kalan in Sirsa. Sarpanch of Pabra in Hisar district Rajesh Dhillon said that smoking hookah and playing cards is quite common in villages and too in big groups. When we told villagers such things can be counter productive to the efforts of the government to check spread of coronavirus, they gave it up within some days, said Dhillon. Haryana has so far reported 183 coronavirus cases. Majority of the cases have been reported from four districts of Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram and Faridabad. Sarpanch or village head of Handi Khera in Sirsa district, Atma Ram, said he makes it a point to go even door-to-door to ensure the directives of the government pertaining to COVID and lockdown are followed by all. With harvesting season currently on, he has made one point clear to farmers-ensure social distancing while working in fields. The government will start procurement of mustard from April 15 and wheat from April 20. The procurement has been delayed this time in view of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown which has been enforced to check its spread. The government keeps emphasising the importance of social distancing and everyone including farmers have been told this is the key if we have to keep everyone safe, Ram told PTI. While Handi Khera Sarpanch Atma Ram said his village has a population of nearly 2,200, Nazadela Kalan and Pabra are big villages with population of over 9,000 and 10,000, respectively. The sarpanches said that they regularly share the information, updates and government directives pertaining to coronavirus and lockdown with villagers. Village heads said that as wearing turbans and sporting a cotton wrap around the neck was part of village culture, everyone already has got into the habit of covering their face by using them as masks. In several villages, locals are enforcing "Thikri Pehra", under which a few villagers, especially youth form teams to guard village boundaries to make sure that no outsider except those providing essential services or government officials enter the village during the lockdown period, a measure taken in view of coronavirus spread. Hoshiar Chand said shops selling essentials open in his village between 10 am and 2 pm each day and he ensures that social distancing is maintained by villagers. The sarpanches saidthey coordinate with the district administration to ensure the villages are sanitised. PTI SUN VSD http://ptinews.com/images/pti.jpg We bring the World to you"Disclaimer : This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential or legally privileged information for the sole use of the person or entity to whom this message was originally addressed. Please delete this e-mail, if it is not meant for you. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With a substantial number of manufacturing units located in red and orange zones, India Inc expects that the central government will relax the rules in such zones and help them restart production. Red zones are districts where many Covid-19 cases have been detected some of them have been declared hotspots and no activity might be permitted there. Orange zones are those where there are fewer cases, but can be some activity. The central government is coming up with detail guidelines for opening up of manufacturing units. Corporate houses want the governments ... Hundreds of migrant workers took to the streets of Mumbra town in Maharashtra's Thane district on Tuesday, demanding that they be sent to their hometowns in light of the COVID-19 lockdown, which has rendered them jobless. Workers, mostly from Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, who live in rented accommodations, claimed that houseowners were demanding rent from them and they were unable to procure essentials. Agitated workers took to the streets and demanded that the state government arrange for transportation to their hometowns amid the COVID-19 lockdown, which has now been extended till May 3. Senior inspector Khanya Thorat of the Mumbra police station pacified the crowd and convinced them to return to their living quarters after a couple of hours. The official also urged house owners to postpone rent collection for a couple of months, as workers were currently jobless because of the lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Suncorp, alongside QBE and Allianz, undertook the ACCC approval process in order to lay a platform for the whole industry, including insurers and brokers, to support the tens of thousands of small businesses who have been heavily impacted by this crisis, said Andrew Mair (pictured), executive general manager intermediaries of Suncorp-owned Vero Insurance. This initial suite of measures aims to provide certainty and flexibility for SMEs. Well continue to assess how this crisis is impacting our broker partners and their SME customers, so we can make appropriate changes to provide ongoing support for brokers and their clients. We wanted to show insurers would back those in need. Although we applied as three large insurers, we did so in a way that encouraged and facilitated others, including international and small local underwriters, and insurance brokers both big and small, to try and do their part to help SME customers, Mair continued. The move will allow the companies to work collaboratively in assisting SMEs to maintain liquidity and issue loans to consumers and small businesses during the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The [SFSF] is likely to be more quickly and effectively implemented when members of the ASF are allowed to work together to support the Australian Office of Financial Management in administering the fund, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement. Its also crucial that competition in the loans market in Australia is maintained. The competition provided by small lenders needs to be supported to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19, Sims added. The sentiment of supporting Australian businesses is also echoed by QBEs chief customer officer, Jason Clarke (pictured below), who says the industry has worked proactively to develop a package that will provide financial relief for a long-term challenge. While there are some reservations from the Industry in relation to short term impacts of the changes that weve proposed, I think the industry as a whole recognises that this is not a short-term issue. We are all, together, attempting to support our SME customers and this is for long term benefit of the industry and society in general. The insurance industry recognises the importance of supporting Australian businesses through this unprecedented time and so we proactively developed a package that would provide financial relief for small and medium businesses, while enabling them to maintain coverage under their insurance, Clarke said. Ultimately, it means that small lenders, who are relied on by many smaller businesses and individuals, will have quick and effective access to support through SFSF to help ensure they can continue to support businesses through by affordable credit during this challenging time. We know that many small and medium businesses are struggling with forced closures, social distancing and other disruptions to the economy. The most recent initiatives weve announced are focused on supporting customers, together with our broker partners, in the SME market, Clarke continued. Some initiatives introduced by QBE, according to Clarke, include allowing for deferred premium payments, minimising premium charges, offering laid up cover for vehicles that are not in current use and premium support for workers compensation customers, such as instalment payments and wage adjustments. We want to support our customers through this time and the aim of our initiatives are to ensure that these businesses can resume more normal business activity once the worst of the COVID-19 impact has passed, he said. Mair, meanwhile, says Suncorp is already hard at work to bring the relief package to brokers clients. Because each SME is impacted differently, Mair believes relief packages should be tailored for clients. Ultimately the intention of the relief package is to help as many SMEs as possible remain viable through a period of challenge and uncertainty. We need to keep as many of these businesses in the insurance system to ensure their insurance needs continue to be met when we get through this, Mair said. [We] are already working with our broker partners to bring this relief package to life for their customers We believe relief measures are best discussed between brokers and their customers experiencing hardship We want to provide brokers with a range of relief options so that they can tailor an assistance package, including access to extended credit terms, for each of their eligible clients as appropriate. The centrepiece of the relief package is a premium deferral, meaning brokers can offer SME business insurance customers an option to defer their premium on policies for up to six months. This measure, according to Mair, will help business owners to remain focused on keeping their business running, with the confidence of having their existing insurance in place during this period. Among other measures, we are also offering continuity of existing insurance, with no changes to premiums, terms or conditions for unoccupied business premises, he said. While the measure is still in its early stages, Clarke says QBE has already received positive feedback. The response we have had so far has been positive, he said. were having ongoing and constructive discussions as to how we might mutually implement [the measures] with our partners. While we have confirmed some initial ideas that we are happy to implement, there are already other alternative approaches being proposed. The intent is still the same support for SME customers during their time of need so that they can be confident in achieving their ambitions when we are at the other side of COVID, Clarke concluded. But Mair says he is looking to the future for evidence as to whether the measures have been well received by the industry. Of course, it is very early days, and the proof will be what this means for SMEs over the next six months and beyond, Mair said. Importantly, he says the industrys flexibility in this time offers an alternative to customers outright cancelling their insurance policies and being without any protection. Given these challenging times, it shows we are all looking to adapt and help our customers financially survive, while keeping their businesses protected in the meantime, he added. Both Clarke and Mair agree that the ACCCs response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the support measures provided to SMEs, has been strong. However, Mair believes its also important for brokers and insurers to work together to benefit SMEs. The ACCC have taken the first step in supporting our application on behalf of the industry. From here its important the ACCC, brokers and other insurers work together to make sure as many SMEs as possible are supported, Mair said. We very much value the excellent working relationship we have with the ACCC and our other regulatory bodies and we welcome the ACCCs support for this small business package, which has enabled industry to work together in the best interests of our customers, Clarke added. This kind of cooperation between regulatory bodies, industries and individual businesses will be critical as the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve. Australias successful economic recovery fundamentally relies on a strong and resilient SME sector, and Mair says all of the Suncorp Group is backing its business customers with unprecedented relief to match the enormity of this incredible economic shock. Another measure introduced by the ACCC says eligible business customers should be refunded unused premiums for any insurance policy they need to cancel as a result of the pandemic and will not be charged administration or cancellation fees if they do. Its important we show flexibility and support to get our broker partners and SME customers through this difficult time, and refunding unused premiums is the right thing to do, Mair said. The hardship support available allows brokers to provide alternative options to SME customers other than cancelling their insurance policies, while maintaining a strong a trusted relationship. Removing cancellation fees is an effort to assist any financial burden for the customers, Clarke added. We do also recommend that customers ensure they work through any impacts of cancellations or reduced covers at this time as, despite the financial considerations, this is not a time to be reducing insurance cover. Despite these measures being introduced to aide SMEs, tough times still lie ahead. Both big and small companies will feel the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mair insists a big opportunity lies within this challenge. Our biggest challenge is also our biggest opportunity, to be there to help business owners to remain focused on keeping their business running, with the confidence of having their existing insurance in place during this period. Well continue to assess how this crisis will impact our broker partners and customers, and what further measures we can implement, he said. Additionally, on the back of a couple of challenging years for the financial services industry, in terms of scrutiny of behaviour and performance, we all have an opportunity to play our role in demonstrating value and highlighting the important role brokers and insurers play to help businesses and the community in times of need. Similarly, Clarke agrees the pandemic will bring about widespread economic and humanitarian impacts that will continue for a long time. He says navigating this path will be challenging but that its important for the industry to continue working together. Navigating the path ahead will be challenging for insurers and brokers just as it will be for our customers, he said. Thats why it is so important that we continue to work together and support our customers so that we can get through this and emerge stronger on the other side. Washington: Just as the US appears to be flattening its coronavirus curve, the country has entered a divisive and disturbing new stage in which President Donald Trump and leading governors clash over who is in charge of reopening the country's economy. In a fiery briefing at the White House on Monday (Tuesday AEST) Trump made the stunning claim that it was up to him alone to decide when the country returns to normality. US President Donald Trump claimed he has total authority to re-open the US economy. Credit:AP "When somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's got to be," Trump said. "Its total, and the governors know that." B ernie Sanders has warned his loyalists it would be irresponsible not to support his former rival Joe Biden in his presidential bid for the Democrats. The Vermont senator said progressives who sit on their hands in the months ahead would simply enable Republican president Donald Trumps re-election. The 78-year-old also said one cant predict the future but that its probably a very fair assumption that he would not run for US leader again. Mr Sanders suspended his presidential bid last week. Bernie Sanders, right, has endorsed his former rival Joe Biden, left, for president / AFP via Getty Images He has spoken at length about his decision to endorse former Vic President Mr Biden, his political future and the urgent need to unify the Democratic Party. He railed against the Republican president but also offered pointed criticism at his own supporters who have so far resisted his vow to do whatever it takes to help Biden win the presidency. Mr Sanders said his supporters have a simple choice now that Mr Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee. He said: Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get re-elected?" He continued: "I believe that it's irresponsible for anybody to say, 'Well, I disagree with Joe Biden - I disagree with Joe Biden - and therefore I'm not going to be involved."' Mr Sanders said he would not actively campaign or spend money on advertising in the primary contests that are still on the calendar in the coming months. But he still encouraged Democrats in those states to vote for him, hoping to amass as many delegates as possible for leverage to shape the party platform and the direction of Mr Biden's campaign. He also vowed to continue fighting for progressive priorities such as his signature "Medicare for All" as a senator, even though Mr Biden has refused to embrace the government-backed single-payer health care system. "If people want to vote for me, we'd appreciate it," Mr Sanders said of the roughly 20 primary contests that remain where his name will appear on the ballot. He later added: "I think you're going to see significant movement on the part of the Biden campaign into a more progressive direction on a whole lot of issues." Mr Sanders did not outline any specific plans to begin helping Mr Biden in earnest. But he did note that he held dozens of rallies for former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton four years ago and would be at least as active for Mr Biden. In the short term, he said he is essentially "incarcerated in his home" because of coronavirus social distancing guidelines and did not know when he would return to the campaign trail. Sanders brushed away questions about why he was willing to back Mr Biden so much sooner than he did Mrs Clinton, whom he waited until June to endorse. He said recent conversations with former President Barack Obama did not influence his decision. It came down to simple maths, he said. In 2016, Mr Sanders said he had a mathematical path to the nomination all the way until the California primary, which was held on the last day of voting in June. That simply was not the case this year. "What would be the sense of staying in, of spending a whole lot of money, of attacking the vice president, giving fodder for Trump - what's the sense of doing that when you can't win?" he asked. "I will do everything I can to help elect Joe, Mr Sanders continued. "We had a contentious campaign. We disagree on issues. A St Louis-based chiropractor has come under fire for falsely claiming that tonic water is an effective treatment for coronavirus in a Facebook Live video that was viewed by more than 21 million people. In the video, Eric Nepute urged people with flu-like symptoms to drink tonic water because it contains quinine, a medicine that is distantly related to hydroxychloroquine, the antimalarial drug being tested to treat COVID-19. The unfounded remedy spread like wildfire across the internet, drawing the attention of health experts who condemned Nepute's advice as dangerously misleading. St Louis-based chiropractor Eric Nepute falsely claimed that tonic water is an effective treatment for coronavirus in a Facebook Live video (pictured) viewed by over 21 million people Nepute urged people with flu-like symptoms to drink Schweppes brand tonic water (above in a file photo) because it contains quinine, a medicine that is distantly related to hydroxychloroquine, the antimalarial drug being tested to treat COVID-19 Nepute, who runs the Nepute Wellness Clinic in St Louis, posted his video on April 6 with the caption: 'Seriously. How much longer are we going to put up with all the BS..???' 'Quinine acts similar to hydrochloroquine, okay,' he said in the livestream. 'Quinine acts as a transport chain to allow nutrients to get into the cells. 'So I'm telling everybody right now, if you know someone who's got flu-like symptoms - if they've got symptoms of COVID-19, the cold, the flu, whatever - go and get either some quinine and/or some Schweppes tonic water. 'Let me tell you this again: quinine and/or Schweppes tonic water. 'I need every one of you to be sharing this right now, I mean every one. Every person needs to share this because there's a lot of bulls**t going on right now that everybody needs to know about. And I'm going to throw some common sense at you because most people aren't looking at this. Go get some quinine and get some zinc.' Nepute continued to defend his remedy even after it was widely debunked by medical experts A number of medical professionals have since advised the public not to heed Nepute's advice, noting that he is a licensed chiropractor, not a physician. Dr Luis Ostrosky, a professor of infectious diseases at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, said that there is no scientific basis for the treatments Nepute recommended. 'I'm guessing he's going off of quinine as another antimalarial drug,' Ostrosky told Buzzfeed News. 'There's really nothing in the literature about quinine and COVID-19.' WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHLOROQUINE WHAT IS IT? Chloroquine is an older version of an anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. It's also an immunosuppressive drug that may treat Lupus. BENEFITS In this April 9 file photo, a chemist displays hydroxychloroquine tablets in New Delhi, India It could have the power to stop coronavirus replicating in cells, and taking hold in the bodySARS-CoV-2 entry into cells in an in-vitro experiment. It blocked SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells in an in-vitro experiment. The malaria drug also believed to have antiviral activity. It can be manufactured cheaply and is sold under the brand name Aralen. In one small French study, some COVID-19 patients showed improvements but there was no way to know if the drug was the reason. Results published in April from another study in France and one in China found no benefit in patients treated with the drug. Dozens more clinical studies are underway around the world. SIDE AFFECTS Heart arrhythmias are a known side effect of chloroquine according to studies of malaria and autoimmune disorder patients. One quarter of the 81 patients given 600mg of chloroquine in a Brazil coronavirus study developed heart arrhythmias and they may have been at greater risk of death. Notably, the patients developing heart arrhythmias were being treated with a higher dose than is being used for most patients in the US. Advertisement Ostrosky explained that quinine does have slight similarities to hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug President Donald Trump and his supporters have promoted as a miracle treatment for coronavirus. Hydroxychloroquine has not been approved as a drug to treat coronavirus and medical experts have not concluded whether the drug is safe or effective for this use. Dr Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, noted that the concentration of quinine used in medical circumstances is different from that of soft drinks. As far as taking tonic water and zinc, Choi said while zinc has been studied to see if it could help protect organs against low oxygen supply in cases of severe lung infection or inflammation, it has not been proven to treat the infection itself. 'I don't think people should be fooled to think they are ingesting something that is causing any benefit to them,' he said. Tonic water companies have also been debunking the myth online. 'We would not advise using our tonic water for anything other than making a tasty drink to keep your spirits up during this difficult time,' Fever Tree states on its website. Despite blowback from experts, Nepute has maintained that his recommendation is sound. He spoke to TV station KDKA last week and emphasized the fact that in the video he told viewers: 'This is not medical advice.' 'I've never made one claim at all that any of these nutrients cures or prevents coronavirus,' he told the outlet. He also said that the combination of quinine and zinc is a well-known homeopathic treatment with few, if any, side effects. Facebook's third-party fact-checkers placed a warning on the video indicating that it could contain partly false information before it was taken down completely. Nepute re-uploaded it to YouTube on Tuesday, noting that he expected the site to take the new one down as well. When approached for comment about the Nepute ordeal, a spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association said that it was urging its members not to spread misinformation amid the outbreak. 'The [ACA] advises its members to follow guidance regarding the prevention of the coronavirus (COVID-19) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other credible sources and to share this information with their patients,' the spokesperson said in a statement to Buzzfeed News. The spokesperson also said the ACA Board of Governors had released a statement to clarify that there is no substantial evidence to support spinal adjustments, the core method that chiropractors use to treat patients, for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Like Dharavi in Mumbai, slum pockets located under Pune's Bhavani Peth and Kasba Vishrambaug areas among others have emerged as coronavirus hotspots accounting for majority of over 300 COVID-19 cases so far, officials said on Tuesday. Densely-populated slum pockets in Bhavani Peth and under Kasba Vishrambaug and Dhole Patil ward offices have reported at least 158 COVID-19 cases, they said. Out of the total 34 deaths in Pune district till Monday, 11 fatalities were reported from Bhavani Peth area alone, which includes some slum pockets, the civic body said. On Tuesday, the COVID-19 death toll in Pune district rose to 38 with four fresh fatalities. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad told PTI that Bhavani Peth and other adjoining 'peths' (old congested areas with narrow lanes) have been sealed off and turned into containment zones to check the spread of coronavirus. "As a part of containment measures to stop the spread of the virus, our health teams are conducting house surveys in these localities. They have so far traced more than 300 people with minor symptoms from various slums and houses located in narrow lanes. They are being tested for the infection," he said. Gaikwad attributed the spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths from localities like Bhavani Peth to factors like concentration of population in a small geography, congested living conditions, lack of medical knowledge among people, to name a few. "We have been asking people living in the slums to shift to the institutional quarantine as it is difficult for them to follow social distancing norms. "Unfortunately, most of the people are not ready to leave comfort of their homes," he said. Besides 78 COVID-19 cases being reported from Bhavani Peth area so far, areas under Kasba Vishrambaug Ward office have reported 41 cases till Monday and those under Dhole Patil ward office 39 cases. Meanwhile, Health officials said that the four persons --three women and a man--who succumbed to COVID-19 disease in Sassoon Hospital on Tuesday had underlying health conditions. While the age of the women victims ranged from 42 to 77 years, the male was 27-year-old, they said. The deceased women were suffering from health conditions such as hypertension, Asthma and kidney-related ailments, while the man had alcohol-related liver ailment. Dharavi in Mumbai, one of the biggest slum settlement in Asia, has reported 55 coronavirus positive cases so far till Tuesday with seven deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (AMF Autorite des Marches Financiers) Regulatory News: Genkyotex (Paris:GKTX) (Brussels:GKTX): Genkyotex shares ISIN code FR00011790542 Euronext Paris Brussels Date Number of shares making up the share capital Number of voting rights March 31, 2020 11,548,562 Theoretical number of voting rights(1): 11,548,562 Number of voting rights exercisable at a shareholders' meeting(2): 11,542,098 (1) In accordance with Article 223-111 of the AMF's General Regulation, this number of shares is calculated based on all shares carrying the right to vote, including those stripped of voting rights. (2) Less shares stripped of voting rights. About Genkyotex Genkyotex is the leading biopharmaceutical company in NOX therapies, listed on the Euronext Paris and Euronext Brussels markets. Its unique platform enables the identification of orally available small-molecules which selectively inhibit specific NOX enzymes that amplify multiple disease processes such as fibrosis, inflammation, pain processing, cancer development, and neurodegeneration. Genkyotex is developing a pipeline of first-in-class product candidates targeting one or multiple NOX enzymes. The lead product candidate, setanaxib (GKT831), a NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor has shown evidence of anti-fibrotic activity in a Phase II clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, a fibrotic orphan disease). Based on its positive Phase II results, a phase 3 trial with setanaxib in PBC is being planned. Setanaxib is also being evaluated in an investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial in Type 1 Diabetes and Kidney Disease (DKD). A grant from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) of $8.9 million was awarded to Professor Victor Thannickal at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to fund a multi-year research program evaluating the role of NOX enzymes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease that results in fibrosis of the lungs. The core component of this program is a Phase 2 trial with setanaxib in patients with IPF scheduled to recruit patients in first semester of 2020. This product candidate may also be active in other fibrotic indications. Genkyotex also has a versatile platform well-suited to the development of various immunotherapies (Vaxiclase). A partnership covering the use of Vaxiclase as an antigen per se (GTL003) has been established with Serum Institute of India Private Ltd (Serum Institute), the world's largest producer of vaccine doses, for the development by Serum Institute of cellular multivalent combination vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases. For further information, please go to www.genkyotex.com or investors@genkyotex.com. Disclaimer This press release may contain forward-looking statements by the company with respect to its objectives. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs, estimates and expectations of Genkyotex's management and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as the company's ability to implement its chosen strategy, customer market trends, changes in technologies and in the company's competitive environment, changes in regulations, clinical or industrial risks and all risks linked to the company's growth. These factors as well as other risks and uncertainties may prevent the company from achieving the objectives outlined in the press release and actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Without being exhaustive, such factors include uncertainties involved in the development of Genkyotex's products, which may not succeed, or in the delivery of Genkyotex's products marketing authorizations by the relevant regulatory authorities and, in general, any factor that could affects Genkyotex's capacity to commercialize the products it develops. No guarantee is given on forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks, notably those described in the universal registration document filed with the AMF on January 16, 2020 under number 20-0012, and those linked to changes in economic conditions, the financial markets, or the markets on which Genkyotex is present. Genkyotex products are currently used for clinical trials only and are not otherwise available for distribution or sale View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005879/en/ Contacts: Genkyotex This disease has challenged everything that we believed was right six weeks ago. Its different than anything weve seen before, and maybe the way weve taken care of things is not the right way of doing it. There is a lively and healthy debate, that I think is a good debate, about what the right thing to do here is. Im concerned that if we continue on the path that were on, that hundreds of thousands of lives and lungs may be at risk. Its actually kind of vital that we not deviate from those treatment protocols because we know that they reduce mortality. Low oxygen levels. They will tire out within a few hours. So whats your next step? Before Covid-19, I would recommend putting you on a breathing machine. I would have rushed to intubate. Because that was probably the right thing to do. I know when to put in a breathing tube. Ive worked long enough, and Ive worked enough places with enough people. But in this disease, it is extremely confusing, you know, it just doesnt make sense. Listen, I stocked up for the apocalypse, like most people. Now, I just cant believe that I ever thought that Id somehow be home to make all my frozen food. On a normal day in an I.C.U., you have very sick patients. Patients will are dying, but this is just different. Its just you have a disease we dont understand that is very deadly with patients that are scared and staff that are scared, and on top of that, it does not appear that we have a good treatment strategy other than a ventilator. And we dont were not sure when to put a breathing tube in. The crux of it is, we dont want to put a breathing tube into someone who doesnt need it knowing that theres a 70 percent chance theyll die, and then we dont want to not put it into someone who would need it too late. When you go to the E.R., and theres like 40 people that need oxygen, and they all look terrible, but they can all talk to you. And no apparent distress whatsoever. And then you get them on a monitor, and you look up, and you see this oxygen saturation of 45 percent or 50 percent. And telling myself this is impossible. This is not possible. How can this be? Its just not compatible with life to have an oxygen saturation that low. You know, this is strange. Its out of a horror movie. Ive been unable to sleep because Im trying to wrap my head around it. This goes against anything Ive ever believed. The paradigm of ARDS is not matching with the patients that Im seeing, so its like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The core of the core of the core it is just, what disease are we treating? And are we treating something that is naturally ARDS, or are we not? We protect the lung against what we do to the lung. Protect it from what? From what we do in mechanical ventilation. So what he is saying is that we just have to be gentle. People will need a ventilator, and those that do need as high oxygen as possible, as little pressure as possible, in order to buy time until this demon virus stops. These patients have ARDS. I think the editorial has both been misinterpreted, and I think people have misunderstood that its just that. Its an editorial. Its not a study and its not a trial. I dont doubt that people have seen some cases with some terrifyingly low oxygen numbers. On average, theyre as sick as prior cohorts with ARDS. I just think its important to say that its not a settled question. Every hospital in the world is probably solving its problems slightly differently. Were using an early intubation strategy here, and of our first 66 patients, already a third of them have been extubated. Im arguing for evidence-based medicine, which is something that we all purported to agree with before this outbreak hit. We have large, randomized, controlled trials. The patients in those trials had met the same diagnostic criteria that our current patients meet. We should apply the results of the trials. Today, we do not rush to intubate. Intubate shouldnt has become the last resort, and the protocol once theyre intubated has changed drastically. So within the last two weeks, I mean, what has been unacceptable has become very acceptable. Some of these patients dont need to be intubated. You watch them carefully. You make sure their oxygenation is adequate, and they can recover. I am not saying we dont need ventilators, but perhaps we need to think about how were using them. Somebody, and preferably people that are not taking care of patients every day, needs to look at the disease and figure out how we can treat it better. The truth will come out eventually. In the meantime, the question is: What do we do until that happens? And yes, Im nervous. Im scared everyday when I go into work, but Im just trying to do the best I can. During the in vitro culture of cells, small molecules are often used to manipulate signaling pathways. These signaling pathways are important targets for small molecules in the culture of stem cells that control cell proliferation and differentiation. It can be useful to target pathways such as the canonical Wnt, transforming growth factor- (TGF-) and retinoic acid signaling pathways to increase and maintain the proliferation of stem cells. Alternatively, this can be done to guide stem cell fate toward specific lineages in controlled differentiation. This article offers a brief insight into the small molecules that interact with the primary signaling pathways which govern stem cell proliferation and differentiation to mediate stem cell behavior, as well as how small molecules play certain roles in the dedifferentiation of somatic cells to create populations of pluripotent stem cells. The defining factor of stem cells is their ability to self-renew and their potential to differentiate into defined cellular subtypes.1 Four main types of stem cell exist; embryonic stem (ES) cells, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, adult stem (AS) cells and cancer stem (CS) cells. Historically, ES cells derive from the inner cell mass of the developing blastocyst. Upon exposure to developmental cues, ES cells can differentiate into any cell type, representing all three of the developing germ layers. Useful therapeutic tools and insight into key developmental processes may be provided by the study of ES cells.2 Through either forced expression of transcription factors, or exposure to a multitude of molecules that revert them back to a stem cell-like phenotype, iPS cells are derived from the reprogramming of somatic cells.3 iPS cells are thought to have a similar potency to ES cells, as they are both pluripotent and able to differentiate into cell types representing all three germ layers. This may provide therapeutic potential as treatment for degenerative diseases for autologous transplantation of iPS cell-derived cell types. AS cells are conventionally responsible for the maintenance and repopulation of cell types found within specific niches in tissues, and have a much more limited differentiation potential. For instance, the hematopoietic stem cell found inside the bone marrow, that can give rise to only cell types found within the blood is an AS cell.4 The CS cell, the final category of stem cell, is responsible for the proliferation of cells in specific kinds of tumor. These cells may constitute a potential therapeutic target for anti-cancer drug development as they are thought to be implicated in cancer progression, initiation and metastasis.5 An integral part of stem cell research are the synthetic and naturally occurring molecules that interact with certain signaling pathways. One can use compounds that are designed to interact with specific stages in developmental pathways to evoke a particular cellular response, which can then be modulated through compound concentration changes. The controlled differentiation of stem cells into specific cellular lineage can be achieved by the selectivity of molecules to act only upon the desired pathway. This is vital for in vitro modeling, which is used for basic research, drug screening and the study of pathological mechanisms. Two approaches which are frequently used to discover small molecules that interact with key signaling pathways are the custom design of molecular structures and screening of compound libraries. Identification of Small Molecules Several approaches can be used to identify small molecules that manipulate cell fate (reviewed by Lyssiotis et al).6 One of the most prevalent methods is high-throughput cell-based phenotypic screening, which involves the screening of large chemical libraries using immortalized cell lines. A relatively straightforward example of high-throughput screening are reporter-based cellular assays: these involve the expression of a fluorescent reporter gene that is stimulated by the promoter of the gene of interest. Work by Kumagai et al constitutes an example of the use of reporter-based assays in stem cell research. They are screened for small molecules that promote human ES cell self-renewal to retain populations of undifferentiated cells.7 The key processes involved included observing green fluorescent protein expression driven by the Oct4 promoter, a transcription factor and marker of pluripotency, to determine how or if the small molecules tested affected cell fate.7 Though this method is largely well-suited to screening large libraries of molecules, the potential exists for the production of false positives and results still require rigorous testing.6 The multi-parametric, high-content image-based assay is another high-throughput screening method of small molecule identification, which involves the analysis of a desired phenotype at a single-cell level. This process is effective, but costly and time consuming.6 The size of libraries screened using high-throughput approaches can range from large collections of >2 million compounds (conventionally held by pharmaceutical companies) to smaller libraries of <10,000 compounds, (generally used in academic research and known to act on specific pathways). When screening with cells that have a limited viability, for instance primary cultures, smaller libraries are usually used, whereas larger libraries tend to be screened using immortalized cell lines that can easily be applied to a 384 or 1536 well format.6 A more profitable alternative to high-throughput screening is a more direct approach to the design of small molecule modulators. This would involve a more detailed study and analysis of the target with rational molecule design. To achieve this, analysis is undertaken of a small group of compounds with known biological activity to determine how they modulate specific pathways. Microarray gene expression analysis, protein expression analysis and affinity-based target assays are all common assays used to elucidate these methods. Once known, the molecules mechanism can be related to the structure and subsequently used to design more effective compounds for more focused trials. EC 23, a synthetic retoid compound and potent inducer of stem cell differentiation, was developed as a result of structural design guided by biological activity.8 Pathways that Modulate Stem Cell Activity It is important to modulate pathways controlling stem cell proliferation and differentiation to maintain a pool of self-renewing, undifferentiated cells, or to coax the fate of the stem cell down specifically selected lineages. Manipulation of many developmental pathways can take place to effect stem cell proliferation and differentiation, specifically those which feature in embryonic patterning, determination of cell fate and differentiation. It is vital to understand the molecular mechanisms of these processes, which can be attained either by designing molecules to act at specific stages in the pathway, or by screening a library of small molecules known to interact with the pathway. It has been found that naturally occurring small molecules can interact with important developmental pathways. Modulation of the effects on cell fate can be achieved by changing the concentration of such molecules, enabling controlled differentiation. Development of multiple small synthetic molecules has taken place to act on primary developmental pathways, mediating stem cell behavior with great effect and increased potency. Below is an outline of a collection of the primary developmental pathways which are targeted by small molecules and involved in stem cell proliferation and differentiation. Retinoic Acid Pathway A major developmental pathway with significant roles in patterning and differentiation, especially in the developing nervous system, is the retinoic acid (RA) pathway (Figure 1).9 In the developing nervous system, RA is an important patterning factor, and acts in a concentration-dependent way in order to contribute toward anteroposterior and dorsoventral patterning of the neural plate and neural tube.9 Although RA is an important signaling molecule herein, RA also has significant parts to play in lung, pancreas and limb development, which illustrates the importance of this pathway in embryonic development.10 RA is a metabolite of vitamin A which is attained through dietary vegetables and meats, and circulated in the bloodstream as retinol bound to retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4). Retinol is obtained by target cells through the membrane receptors (STRA6s) action, which promotes the entry of retinol into the cytoplasm of the target cell.9 Retinol binds to retinol-binding protein once in the cytoplasm (RBP1), before it is metabolized to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). This is a two-step process which involves the activity of the two enzymes retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10) and retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDHs). Newly synthesized ATRA then binds to cellular retinoic-acid-binding protein 1 or 2 (CRABP1, CRABP2) and it can then be released from the cytoplasm to act on target cells in a paracrine or autocrine manner.9 CRABP2 assists the translocation of RA to the nucleus. Once inside the nucleus, RA binds to a transcription complex. This transcription complex includes a heterodimer of a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and a retinoic X receptor (RXR).9 Various genes encode these RAR and RXR receptors, which include RARA, RARB and RARG, and RXRA, RXRB and RXRG respectively. A sequence of DNA known as the retinoic acid response element (RARE) is bound by combinations of these receptors to induce transcription of target genes. Subsequently, after the activation of RARs/RXRs, RA leaves the nucleus and the CYP26 class of enzymes metabolizes it in the cytoplasm.9 To form neural subtypes, the role of RA in embryonic neural differentiation can be captured in vitro using the tool of ATRA with which to differentiate stem cells in culture. Tanoury et al provide an example of this, in their use of ATRA to induce neural differentiation of mouse ES cells, observed through expression of the pan-neuronal marker -III-tubulin. This permitted the researchers to study the molecular mechanism of neuronal differentiation.11 Despite this, there are limits on the use of naturally occurring ATRA in vitro thanks to the molecules instability and sensitivity to light and heat. These factors result in isomerization and breakdown of the molecule into other biologically active compounds.12 A problem is posed herein when using ATRA for in vitro differentiation studies, because changes in temperature and exposure to light are not always easy to avoid within a laboratory. In order to circumvent this variability, development of the synthetic retinoid EC 23 occurred as a stem cell differentiation tool, which is completely stable and mimics the biological activity of ATRA (Box 1).13 A potent inducer of stem cell differentiation, EC 23 regulates neural development14 and activates key proteins involved in the retinoic acid signaling pathway without degrading upon exposure to light.8 Figure 1. Retinoic Acid Pathway. Image credit: Tocris Bioscience Retinoic Acid Pathway: Retinol is transported in the blood bound to retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and enters cells through the transmembrane receptor STRA6. Once in the cytoplasm retinol binds to retinol-binding protein 1 (RBP1) and is metabolized to retinoic acid (RA) in a two-step process catalyzed by retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10) and retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDHs), with retinaldehyde (Ral) as an intermediate. RA can be released from the cell and can either have a paracrine action on target cells or an autocrine action upon the cell that has metabolized it. RA is translocated into the nucleus of the target cell with the help of cellular retinoic-acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2) where it can bind retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) that can heterodimerize. Heterodimers of RXRs and RARs bind to DNA at a sequence known as the retinoic acid response element (RARE), activating the transcription of target genes. Hedgehog Pathway Many developmental processes are regulated by the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway including neural cell fate and digit formation in a dose-dependent and tissue-specific manner (see review by Ingham and McMahon for details).15 Where a Hh ligand is absent, Patched (Ptch 1) catalytically inhibits the translocation of Smoothened (Smo) to the membrane,16 stopping it from inhibiting kinases such as protein kinase A (PKA), glycogen synthase kinase 3 b (GSK-3) and casein kinase 1 (CK1). The phosphorylation of the transcription factors Gli1/2/3 by PKA, GSK-3 and CK1 is thereby enabled, which results in proteasomal degradation of Gli2/3 to Gli2-R and Gli3-R, with Gli1 remaining at full length. Gli3-R is then translocated to the nucleus, wherein it inhibits the transcription of Hh target genes, while the inhibitory protein Suppressor-of-Fused (SuFu) sequesters remaining Gli,17 permitting only inactive Gli to travel to the nucleus. Where they are present, Hh ligands bind to and inhibit Ptch1, permitting Smo to be translocated to the membrane where it inhibits the phosphorylation of Gli1/2/3. The result is that Gli1/2/3 is activated to Gli1/2/3-A, which then travels to the nucleus and stimulates the transcription of Hh target genes (Figure 2). Various divergent modifications of the Hh ligand activate different developmental pathways. This is the case, for instance, in mammals, where Sonic Hh regulates neural cell fate and Indian Hh regulates digit formation. Many small molecules are available that modulate the Hh pathway, the majority of which act on Smo (Box 2). Cyclopamine, a naturally occurring plant-derived steroidal alkaloid extracted from corn lily, was the first discovered to affect the pathway, and directly inhibits Smo.18,19 Certain types of cancer have been linked to dysfunction of the Hh pathway. Therefore potential chemotherapeutic effects have been found in antagonists of Smo. For instance, effectiveness has been demonstrated against basel cell carcinomas in phase 1 clinical trials by the small molecule GDC 0449.20 Through high-throughput screens of chemical libraries such as SANT1-, other antagonists of Smo have been discovered.22 High-throughput screening has also revealed Smo agonists, including purmorphamine, discovered during a screen of osteogenic compounds and proven to modulate various neural patterning.23,24 Identification of a family of Smo agonists (SAGs) which promote neuronal differentiation from mouse ES cells and which can induce growth of hair on mouse skin has also taken place.18 This is in addition to the discovery of small molecules that target the Hh pathway at alternative sites to Smo, including Robotnikinin, which is one of the only molecules to act upstream of Smo.25 Robotnikinin, a 12-membered macrocycle compound, was discovered during assays to identify recombinant Sonic Hh ligand binding molecules. It binds to the Hh ligand, which induces a conformational change that prevents binding to Ptch 1, this therefore inhibits the Hh pathway.26 Identification of small molecules that act downstream of Smo has also taken place. Gli antagonists that inhibit Gli-dependent transcription of Hh target genes include JK 184 and GANT. Figure 2. Hedgehog Signaling Pathway. Image credit: Tocris Bioscience In the absence of ligand binding (left) Ptch1 inhibits translocation of Smoothened (Smo) to the membrane, resulting in the phosphorylation of the Sufu-Gli1/2/3 complex by the kinases, PKA, CK1 and GSK-3. Phosphorylation results in the truncation of Gli1/2/3 forming inactive Gli2-R and Gli3-R, along with full-length Gli1. Gli3-R is translocated to the nucleus and inhibits the transcription of target genes. In the presence of a Hedgehog (Hh) ligand (right) Ptch1 is inhibited and Smo is released to the membrane where it inhibits kinase activity. PKA, CK1 and GSK-3 are no longer able to phosphorylate Gli1/2/3 allowing it to remain in its full-length active form. Active Gli1/2/3 then travels to the nucleus where it can induce transcription of Hh target genes. Transforming Growth Factor- Superfamily The TGF- superfamily has over 30 ligands which consist of TGF-, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), nodal ligands, activins, and related proteins. Important developmental signaling cascades that regulate tissue differentiation and development through their roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and migration are activated by these ligands, as well as having significant tasks in adult homeostasis.28 Divergent ligand subsets have different developmental roles; for instance, nodal ligands are significant in embryogenesis and the formation of the mesoderm and endoderm germ layers, whereas BMPs have more to do with the differentiation of skin, neurons and bone.29,30 By binding of a ligand to the TGF- family complex of receptors at the cell surface that are made up of two type I and two type II serine/threonine kinases, TGF- signaling is initiated. Ligand binding induces transphosphorylation of the type I receptor by the type II kinase which is activating it, and additionally promotes the phosphorylation of Smad2/3, which then complexes with Smad4.28 Translocation to the nucleus then takes place for the heterooligomeric complex of Smads, where it is able to regulate the transcription of TGF- target genes through association with transcription factors and co-activators such as CBP or p300 (Figure 3). Smad6/7 can negatively regulate this pathway, which act as a negative feedback mechanism to prevent the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and 4 by forming stable associations with activated type I receptors.31 To date, the majority of the small molecule inhibitors that target the TGF- superfamily pathway that have been designed act on the type I kinase of the heterotrimeric receptor complex (Box 3). SB 431542 is the name of a small molecule which effects multiple biological processes including the following: proliferation, differentiation, and promotion of sheet formation of endothelial cells derived from ES cells.32 This is attained through its blocking of the action of activin receptor-like kinases 4, 5 and 7 (ALK4, TGF-R1 and ALK7 respectively), which are type I receptor serine/threonine kinases (other small molecules including A 83-01 and SB 505124 do the same). Differentiation of glioblastoma CS cells33 has been a proven effect of SB 431542, as well as its replacement of one of the factors used to generate iPS cells.34 This means that it is a significant tool in myriad aspects of stem cell research. Contrastingly, for most TGF- superfamily modulators, the small molecule ITD 1 acts through promoting the proteasomal degradation of the type II receptor. It selectively targets TGF- signaling instead of any of the other members of the TGF- superfamily. In vitro, ITD 1 has been used to promote the differentiation of cardiomyocytes from ES cells.35 Dorsomorphin is the name given to an antagonist of the pathway, which is identified by a whole organism zebrafish developmental screen.36 The compound enhances myocardial differentiation from mouse ES cells, and blocks ALK 2, 3 and 6 which are associated with the BMP pathway. IDE 1 and 2 are the names given to two alkyl hydrazone derivatives that are agonists of TGF- signaling, which can, through activation of TGF- signaling, induce differentiation of endoderm from ES cells.37 Figure 3. TGF- Signaling Pathway. Image credit: Tocris Bioscience TGF- superfamily ligands bind to a serine/threonine kinase receptor complex of type I and type II subunits. Transphosphorylation of the type I receptor by the type II receptor is achieved through activation of the receptor complex. Before being translocated to the nucleus, Smad2/3 is then phosphorylated by the activated type I receptor and complexes with Smad4. Once inside the nucleus, the activated Smad complexes regulate transcription of target genes through interaction with transcription factors (TFs) and co-activators such as CBP or p300. Canonical Wnt Pathway One of the most studied biological signaling pathways is the canonical Wnt pathway. This pathway has major roles in proliferation, self-renewal and the differentiation of stem and progenitor cells during development.38 The pathway has been shown to have a central role in bone formation, hematopoiesis and neural differentiation. However, the risk is that dysregulation of the pathway can potentially invite the onset of cancer, thanks to the increased activation leading to increased cellular proliferation. Various types of cancer, including breast, brain and colon cancers, have implicated the Wnt pathway and it has been suggested the pathway plays a role in their malignancy. The most prevalent genetic alteration in colorectal carcinomas are mutations to molecules central to the pathway (reviewed by Reya and Clevers).38 The central involvement of the canonical Wnt pathway in both stem cell biology and cancer pathogenesis makes it a desirable target for small molecule modulation. The binding of Wnt ligand stimulates signaling of the canonical Wnt pathway (Figure 4) to a receptor complex which incorporates a member of the Frizzled family and a member of the LDL-receptor family (Lrp5/6).38 A destruction complex forms due to the association of the scaffolding proteins adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and axin when Wnt receptors are unoccupied, and the kinases CK1 and GSK-3. The main cytoplasmic signaling molecule in the pathway is -catenin, is bound to axin and sequentially phosphorylated by CK1 and GSK-3, targeting it for proteasomal degradation.38 T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (Tcf/Lef) in the nucleus associates with co-repressors such as Groucho to inhibit the transcription of Wnt target genes, thus decreasing stem cell renewal and proliferation in the absence of Wnt. The actions of the destruction complex is inhibited through a Disheveled (DVL) dependent mechanism, which results in a cytoplasmic accumulation of -catenin in the presence of Wnt ligand. -catenin is then translocated to the nucleus where it can engage Tcf/Lef, along with docking proteins such as Legless and co-activators from the PYGO family, transiently converting Tcf/Lef into transcriptional activators. The Tcf/Lef- catenin-Legless-PYGO is the effector of the canonical Wnt pathway, which is responsible for promoting the transcription of target genes.39 Identification of several small molecules that can inhibit or activate Wnt signaling (Box 4), with targets for modulation including CK1, GSK-3 and -catenin itself has taken place thanks to screening of chemical libraries has identified several small molecules. To antagonize the pathway, the benzothiazole derived compounds have been synthesized and split into two separate groups relating to their mechanism: IWP compounds that inhibit Wnt processing and secretion through inactivation of Porcupine (PORCN), and IWR compounds that promote the breakdown of -catenin by enhancing the activity of the destruction complex.40 Axin, the concentration-limiting factor of the destruction complex, is stabilized by IWR compounds. A tankyrase inhibitor, XAV 939, antagonizes the pathway in a similar way.41 It has been proven to stunt the growth of APC-deficient colorectal cancer cells, highlighting the compounds therapeutic potential and underlining the significance of understanding and targeting such pathways. Another small molecule, calphostin C (PKF 115584), was identified in such a screen, and proven to target the interaction of -catenin with Tcf/Lef to inhibit Wnt signaling.42 Figure 4. Canonical Wnt Pathway. Image credit: Tocris Bioscience In the absence of Wnt signaling (left) adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and axin complex and bind newly synthesized -catenin, forming a destruction complex. Two kinases within the destruction complex, CK1 and GSK-3, phosphorylate -catenin targeting it for proteasomal degradation. In the nucleus, T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (Tcf/Lef) DNA-binding proteins repress target gene transcription through association with repressor proteins such as Groucho. In the presence of Wnt ligand (right) Frizzled and Lrp5/6 are activated and the destruction complex is inhibited through a Dishevelled (DVL) dependent mechanism, preventing the phosphorylation of -catenin. -catenin then accumulates in the cytoplasm and is translocated to the nucleus where it engages transcription factors, Tcf/Lef and docking proteins of the Legless family, while associating with members of the PYGO family of co-activators. The catenin-Tcf/Lef-Legless-PYGO nuclear complex promotes transcription of Wnt target genes. The most common class of compounds that activate the Wnt pathway are the GSK-3 inhibitors, such as CHIR 99021.43 The deactivation of the destruction complex achieves this, therefore promoting -catenin accumulation within the cytoplasm. Given that upregulation of the kinase is associated with the pathogenesis of multiple cancers as well as diseases such as type II diabetes and Alzheimers disease, GSK-3 is a desirable drug target. Considering this fact, a chemical library of over 4,000 compounds were screened. This was to identify the novel compound 3F8, which, through inhibition of GSK-3, promotes Wnt signaling, with greater potency than other commonly used GSK-3 inhibitors.44 Similarly, the inhibition of CK1 can be achieved by compounds such as D 4476 and (R)-CR8 to prevent degradation of -catenin and promote Wnt signaling. Through the action of the small molecule, prostaglandin E 2 that acts via cAMP/PKC activity, -catenin too can also be stabilized.45 Fibroblast Growth Factor and Notch Signaling Pathways In a similar manner to the TGF- superfamily, fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a large family of secreted molecules which enjoy myriad biological roles in embryonic development and the homeostasis of adult cells.46 By the complex expression of FGF ligands, various signaling pathways can be activated. Such pathways are tightly regulated, thanks to the fact that cancer can form when dysfunction arises.47 In vitro in the culture of ES cells, FGF ligands are frequently used, either to maintain cells in an undifferentiated state48 or to promote neural differentiation of cultures. FGF signal transduction commences with the binding of ligands to their specific receptors, which results in dimerization and phosphorylation of multiple tyrosine residues on the receptors through the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of the receptors themselves. Receptor activation leads to the recruitment of signaling complexes which themselves activate a process of phosphorylation events.49 The specific ligand and receptor involved determine the specific molecules involved in this signaling cascade; however, three main pathways are involved in FGF signaling. These include: phospholipase C (PLC), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI 3-K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Small molecules usually target the initial stages of the pathway (Box 5), thanks to the diversity of FGF signaling and its interaction with other signaling pathways. Various small molecules have been designed to inhibit the FGF receptor, including PD 173074,50 FIIN 151 and PD 161570.52 Specific pathways within FGF signaling constitute other targets for modulation; for instance, the MAPK pathway can be inhibited by the small molecule PD 0325901, which has undergone phase 2 clinical trials for use as a chemotherapeutic agent against certain types of cancer53, and which may also be used in the formation of iPS cells.54 The creation of specific cellular niches requires the Notch signaling pathway, thanks to the ability of its ligands to only activate signaling in adjoining cells instead of the surrounding area. The eural cell niche is an example of this, and possesses a balance between differentiated neural cells and progenitor cells.55 To develop small molecules that modulate this pathway has proven complex, in large part because many of the molecular targets are not unique to the Notch pathway. Nevertheless, DAPT56 and MRK 00357 are two antagonists of Notch which have been shown to reduce neural differentiation and promote programmed cell death respectively. Promotion of ES Cell Self-Renewal A problem is posed by spontaneous differentiation, in the long-term culture of ES cells in vitro, which requires the complicated mix of proteins and exogenous factors in culture media to inhibit differentiation through the promotion of pathways (such as the MAPK pathway). Typically, human ES cells require the addition of basic FGF into the medium, as well as being cultured on a feeder layer of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) or in conditioned media to promote their continued self-renewal. The use of human ES cells in regenerative medicine may be restricted by the use of MEFs as a feeder layer, due to concern of xenogenic contamination. Such contamination would likely risk consistency of results, as well as restricting the use of ES cells on a large scale. Though the exact identities of the active factors within the feeder layer remain unknown, work is being done to develop protocols to promote the proliferation of ES cells without the need for feeder layers.58 In a similar vein, mouse ES cells require the addition of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and BMP 4 to their culture media: this addition may vary results due to the use of different batches. Stem cell fate may also be biased towards specific lineage types due to the use of serum products and feeder layers, through the activation of certain signaling pathways (reviewed by Xu et al)59. This factor has caused many groups to turn to high-throughput screening of small molecules, to overcome these issues (Box 6). CHIR 99021, a GSK-3 inhibitor that suppresses the Wnt pathway, and PD 0325901 which inhibits the MEK pathway, are just two compounds which have been found to promote self-renewal in mouse ES cells. Pluripotin, a dihydropyrimidine, promotes the long-term maintenance of mouse ES cells without requiring feeder layers, LIF, BMPs or Wnt proteins.60 Pluripotin acts in a manner unrelated to the main stem cell signaling pathways, including the Wnt and BMP pathways. More structure-function investigations revealed that pluripotin binds to Ras GTPase activating protein (RasGAP) as well as extracellular signal-related kinase 1 (ERK1), two proteins with differentiation-inducing activity. The fact that Pluripotin simultaneously inhibits RasGAP and ERK1 and suppresses their roles in differentiation is enough for the long-term self-renewal of mouse ES cells. Similarly, ID 8 is an indole derivative proven to promote mouse ES cell proliferation in serum-free conditions.61 6-bromoindirubin-3-oxime (BIO), a potent inhibitor of GSK-3, has been found to promote self-renewal in human ES cells via modulation of the Wnt pathway.62 However, it has been revealed that TWS 119, another GSK-3 inhibitor, induces neural differentiation of ES cells,63 which portrays the complexity of these signaling pathways. IQ 1 is another modulator of the Wnt pathway that has functions in the long-term maintenance of ES cells: it has been shown to encourage long term expansion of ES cells and prevent spontaneous differentiation.64 The development of small molecules such as these is deeply significant in that it can maintain undifferentiated ES cells and promote their proliferation. This, in turn, reduces variability of culture conditions and eliminates animal products from culture media to advance research into the therapeutic benefit of stem cell therapy. Somatic Cell Reprogramming In 2006, Yamanakas group reprogrammed mouse somatic cells into pluripotent populations of cells, that were able to differentiate into cells representative of the three embryonic germ layers.65 This somatic cell reprogramming results in a similar phenotype to that of ES cells. Each of the pluripotent populations formed have a similar capacity for differentiation and are termed iPS cells. These iPS cells are considered to have potential therapeutic benefits. This is because they could be derived from a patients own somatic cells, reprogrammed and subsequently differentiated into specific cellular subtypes, to use in regenerative therapies and autologous transplantation. In vitro disease modeling could also be impacted greatly by this avenue of stem cell research. In theory, somatic cells could be retrieved from an individual with a specific disease, and these cells reprogrammed and differentiated, with the resulting cells used in determining mechanisms of pathogenesis. Certain ethical concerns of nuclear transfer and the use of ES cells could also be met and addressed with this development of iPS cells. Nonetheless, before the further development of iPS cell-based therapies, optimization of the reprogramming protocol must take place as the yield of iPS cells obtained is usually small, and the timeframe is weeks to generate populations of cells. Traditionally, reprogramming protocols incorporate exogenous genetic manipulation of key pluripotency transcription factors such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc using retroviruses. This is termed the four-factor method. Despite this, to consider iPS cell-based therapies for use in medicine, we must eliminate the use of retroviruses and transcription factors associated with tumorigenesis. This goes some way to explaining why, rather than genetic manipulation through transcription factors, chemically defined approaches to reprogramming somatic cells have been developed. Screens of small molecules that have the potential to replace one or all these transcription factors have been conducted to achieve this (Box 7). One of these screens analyzed the ability of compounds to stimulate dedifferentiation of lineage-committed myoblasts; dedifferentiated cells were subsequently stimulated to differentiate into specific cellular subtypes. Such a screen identified Reversine, a small molecule that is a 2,6disubstituted purine analog.66 Reversine was shown to act via MEK signaling and non-muscle myosin II heavy chain, and proven to have dedifferentiation activity on cell types (including dermal fibroblasts with high efficiency in vitro and in vivo).67 The application of small molecules that target histone modifications has improved iPS cell generation, like valproic acid and trichostatin A, both of which inhibit histone deacetylases (HDACs). The yield of iPS cells has been enhanced by Valproic acid and trichostatin A through the traditional four-factor dedifferentiation method; however, valproic acid has also been shown to enhance three-factor reprogramming (minus c-Myc)68 and two-factor reprogramming (without c-Myc and Klf4).69 Also, DNA and histone methylation constitute other targets for small molecules in somatic cell reprogramming. A yield 100-fold higher than the four-factor method alone can be attained through application of the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-azacytidine. A small molecule,70 BIX 01294, has a similar mechanism in that it enhances iPS cell conversion through inhibiting G9a histone methyltransferase, particularly when used in combination with Bay K 8644.71 To reduce the number of transcription factors used in reprogramming to just two (Oct4 and Sox2), this combination of small molecules can be used. Furthermore, combinations of small molecules have also been proven to induce iPS cell reprogramming in the absence of all of the transcription factors from the four-factor-method.72 For small molecules, another target in the reprogramming of somatic cells is the TGF- pathway, as in the generation of both mouse and human iPS cells, inhibitors of the pathway have been used. While RepSox is a selective inhibitor of TGF-R1, a 83-01 is an inhibitor of TGF-R1, ALK4 and ALK7 activation. roles. In the generation of iPS cells, both compounds have roles.73 Conclusion To conclude, within stem cell research, small molecules play important roles. This is because their application can regulate stem cell proliferation, or the small molecules can be used to move stem cell fate down specific differentiation lineages. In stem cell biology, their role is determined by their action on specific key signaling pathways. Thus, insight can be provided into the mechanisms of key signaling pathways by high-throughput screening and studying the mechanism of such molecules. As we move towards a future wherein stem cell research is adequately understood and increasingly popular, the demand for small molecules that can modulate cell fate grows, in part because investigators need reliable molecular tools to continue to control stem cell fate and proliferation. For stem cell therapy to become widely available, large populations of pluripotent stem cells must be maintained in culture, and the efficiency and reproducibility of guided cell differentiation must be maintained. In the in vitro culture of such cells, small molecules play a significant role in their potential to enable guided differentiation for cell replacement therapies. Furthermore, small molecules modulating integral stem cell pathways may have a large role to play in the modulation of endogenous stem cell and progenitor cell populations. These small molecules may additionally encourage self-repair, through their promotion of the proliferation and differentiation of host cells, using pharmacological cues. Thus, this work done to develop and characterize small molecules which can potentially control self-renewal and differentiation is vital in advance of stem cell research: it seems likely that the research holds clues to its applications in both drug discovery and regenerative medicine. References Ying et al. (2008) Nature 453 519 Young (2011) Cell 144 940 Bilic and Izpisua (2012) Belmonte Stem Cells 30 33 Morrison and Scadden (2014) Nature 505 327 Templeton et al. (2014) Cancer Stem Cells 1 1 Lyssiotis et al. (2011) Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 50 200 Kumagai et al. (2013) Biochem.Biophys.Res.Comm. 434 710 Maltman et al. (2009) Mol.Biosyst. 5 458 Maden (2007) Nat.Rev.Neurosci. 8 755 Rhinn and Dolle (2012) Development 139 843 Tanoury et al. (2014) J.Cell Sci. 127 2095 Han et al. (2003) Bioorg.Med.Chem. 11 3839 Christie et al. (2008) Org.Biomol.Chem. 6 3497 Christie et al. (2010) J.Neurosci.Methods 193 239 Ingham and McMahon (2001) Genes Dev. 15 3059 Taipale et al. 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(2006) Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A. 103 17266 Miyabayashi et al. (2008) Biosci.Biotechnol.Biochem. 72 1242 Sato et al. (2004) Nat.Med. 10 55 Ding et al. (2003) Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A. 100 7632 Miyabayashi et al. (2007) PNAS 104 5668 Takahashi and Yamanaka (2006) Cell 126 663 Chen et al. (2004) J.Am.Chem.Soc. 126 410 Anastasia et al. (2006) Cell Death Differ. 13 2042 Huangfu et al. (2008) Nat.Biotechnol. 26 795 Huangfu et al. (2008) Nat.Biotechnol. 26 1269 Tsuji-Takayama et al. (2004) Biochem.Biophys.Res.Commun. 323 86 Shi et al. (2008) Cell Stem Cell 3 568 Hou et al. (2013) Science 341 651 Ichida et al. (2009) Cell Stem Cell 5 49 About Tocris Bioscience Tocris Bioscience is your trusted supplier of high-performance life science reagents, including receptor agonists & antagonists, enzyme inhibitors, ion channel modulators, fluorescent probes & dyes, and compound libraries. Our catalog consists of over 4,500 research tools, covering over 400 protein targets enabling you to investigate and modulate the activity of numerous signaling pathways and physiological processes. We have been working with scientists for over 30 years to provide the life science community with research standards, as well as novel and innovative research tools. We understand the need for researchers to trust their research reagents, which is why we are committed to supplying our customers with the highest quality products available, so you can publish with confidence. Tocris is part of the protein sciences division of Bio-Techne, which also includes the best in class brands R&D Systems, Novus Biologicals, ProteinSimple, and Advanced Cell Diagnostics. Bio-Techne has united these brands to provide researchers with a full portfolio of research reagents, assays, and protein platforms. For more information on Bio-Techne and its brands, please visit bio-techne.com. Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices, and treatments. - Mayor Vico Sotto gave an update about the cash assistance that will be provided for families in Pasig City - He said that there are 150 thousand families who are not included in the social amelioration program - The said number of families will still receive 8 thousand pesos each courtesy of their local government - The politician revealed that they were able to find 1.5 billion pesos to fund the additional financial help PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Mayor Vico Sotto confirmed through a media interview that families in Pasig City who were not covered by the social amelioration program (SAP) will still receive cash assistance. KAMI learned that there are 150 thousand families in the said city who are not included in the subsidy given by the national government amid COVID-19 pandemic. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! The young politician told CNN Philippines that they tried to find a solution for those who are not in the list so that they can also be given financial help during these trying times. He also mentioned that upon checking their available funds, they came up with the idea of having a supplemental SAP that will give 8 thousand pesos to families affected by the crisis. However, Vico clarified that it will just be a one-time cash assistance unlike the real SAP where an approved family can receive 16 thousand pesos in two months. Hindi natin pwedeng kalimutan din yung ibang pamilya na hindi sakop nitong 93 thousand [beneficiaries] mula sa SAP Naghanap po kami ng pondo over the weekend at tiningnan namin yung cash position ng city he quipped. We identified around 1.5 billion pesos that we can use for cash assistance for this Pasig supplemental SAP program Makakapagbigay po kami ng 8 thousand pesos per family, of course given the approval of Sangguniang Panlungsod, he added. In a previous article by , Vico reacted after learning about the report of Kapuso network where he was mistakenly addressed as tricycle operator. Vico Sotto is a Filipino politician who as elected into office during the 2019 elections. He is the son of Vic Sotto to former partner Coney Reyes. Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! A Filipino found his own way to help frontliners amid pandemic. They had to walk an hour, an hour and a half to get to work. I mean, coming from an 8-hour shift sa hospital, tapos palalakarin mo pa yung nurse o kahit security guard. Parang hindi makatarungan, diba? on HumanMeter! Source: KAMI.com.gh Interview: PreK-12 Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Shutdown Christ Episcopal School Director of Technology Bob Krieger discusses distance learning measures for Early Childhood-12 students implemented since the school shut down in mid-March in response to the spread of COVID-19. Page 1 Steve Nathans-Kelly: I'm here today with Bob Krieger from Christ Episcopal School in Covington, Louisiana. We're going to talk a little bit about Bob's role as Director of Technology at the school during the current crisis when they, like many schools and many religious organizations, are working with a number of streaming technologies to try to keep the community together, and continue learning. So in terms of the day-to-day operations, how much live distance learning is going on? And what are you using to deliver it? Bob Krieger: My school--just for those who don't know about us--we go from preK all the way through 12th grade. We have two campuses. One is the early childhood campus--pre-K, kindergarten classes--and the other one is the main campus, the 1st through 12th. For 3rd through 12th, we all have email addresses. The kids themselves can log in with their computers as themselves without having to use mom and dad's email address, which is great cause it keeps everything within the school domain, which is really nice. The teachers do live classes for our 3rd through 8th graders. The teachers don't really have online classes every day, but they do meet with the kids online in a live video conference-type situation, about twice a week, and then they have office hours. For high school, we're trying to keep things a little bit more along the lines of what normal school is like. When your class at school begins at eight in the morning, then your class online begins at eight in the morning. They're not going to be as long. We're cutting it short to about 40 minutes. That gives the kids time to get away from their computer, go do something and come back, so they're not stuck in front of the computer for four or five or six hours a day. The big deal, right before we started this--when we felt the shutdown was coming--was trying to do a crash course in how to do video streaming, how to do the recording, how to do Google Classroom. A lot of the teachers didn't have that or they knew about it, but hadn't bothered getting started with it yet. I was showing them how it works and then letting them run with it. Being here, being ready to go online to show them how to do certain things, they had questions like, "How do I do this or?" Or, "What's the best way to do that?" Getting online with them as well as via video chat or a remote online connection ... Windows and Macs and Chromebooks all install a different way. And that makes it difficult. And I need to be able to help them do that. One of the ways I've done it is my little setup here. I use a Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini, which I got a few weeks before this whole thing started. It was basically something that I was gonna use for personal use, for recording plays at school, for recording chapels at school as well. But when this crisis came along, I said, "Well, let me see what I can do." So what I actually have in my office, you'll see behind me, I've got a Windows 10 PC. Then over on this side. I've got a Mac and a Chromebook. And with the, the ATEM Mini, I have it all set up. So there's no switching in the the Google Meet or the Zoom or whatever to get to it, to show my screen. All I have to do is do a switch. So there's the Windows 10 PC; we've got the Mac, and of course the Mac is up, I have my ATEM software on there. And then the Chromebook, and then I come back here. So it actually really helps. When I'm giving a lesson to someone online or to a bunch of people online, it's like, "Let me show you how you do it on a PC and they can actually see the PC right there. Let me show you on the Chromebook. Let me show you on the Mac." And it really helps me get the job done quicker. They're able to see what's going on better than me just talking to them on the phone. Like, "Do you see that icon in the corner?" "Which one? The red one?" "No, the blue one." "I don't have a blue one." It's really kind of difficult to just talk your way through it 'cause I'm trying to remember how things go and having it right here in front of me and showing them at the same time. It works. Steve Nathans-Kelly: So you've been actually using this setup in training faculty remotely, is that right? Because it seemed like at the beginning of this crisis, there was a lot of putting faculty in a room together to learn how to do this stuff, when it wasn't really the right time to do that. Bob Krieger: When we closed school, we had two days. Wectold the students and told the faculty, "We're shutting down on Friday. You have the weekend. Monday and Tuesday are just free days. Go relax, go sleep, go do whatever." Mainly to the students, "Go do what you gotta do." And then Wednesday we began school. During that Monday and Tuesday, I took that time. I took lower school first and second grade, and I took third and fourth and then seventh and then the school teachers all separately during those days to give them the basics of how to do what they're gonna do. I don't consider it that hard, but it's new to them. They're used to just throwing up a PowerPoint or a video up on the screen and showing it and displaying it. "Well, let me show you how to do that here so that you have the ability to do this remotely." Steve Nathans-Kelly: You mentioned before we get started that you're using Google Meet. How did you decide on that versus Zoom or versus another option? Was it something the school was already using? Bob Krieger: No, the school wasn't using any kind of video conferencing software at all for classes or for teachers. I know the administration would have Zoom meetings with other administrators around the country. But that was them, that was out of my hands, and that's where they picked. I was looking at something we use. We're a Google school. Our email system, our classroom, and everything is all Google-based, all Gmail-based, and everybody knows that. Everybody works with that. And you go to the little Google waffle in the corner to get the little apps and it just works. When Google came out and said that they were making Meet available for schools, it was like, "Here, this is free. We know we're having this problem. Schools, go for it." I said, "Great, let's try this." Zoom came out and they did theirs as well saying, "Okay, we have the free version of Zoom now everyone can use." At first it was the Early Childhood Center. The lady who's in charge over there, she liked Zoom, so she told her teachers, "Let's use Zoom when we have our meetings." Great. Everybody else is using Google Meet. It was just that much easier to because it worked well in the ecosystem that we already had in place. The fact that you could schedule a meeting using the Google Calendar and then bang, it was just right there, and invite the students. Bang. It's just right there. It's in their email; they just click on a link and there it is--just like Zoom does, but it just integrates so much easier. At that time I really wasn't too worried about the differences. It just like, "Okay, we're using Google Meet, you wanna, use Zoom, go use Zoom. I don't care. Enjoy yourself, there you go." But then there was an issue with Google Meet where students were getting into these meetings and Google Meet was designed for professional use--not necessarily for school use. So you had students going in there and removing other students from the meeting and blocking everybody's mic and just being kids, and that was a problem. A number of people complained, and I asked Google, "Is there anything you can do about it?" And they said, "Just wait one minute." And within a week that fix was in place. Now, when teachers start a meeting, they're the ones who have control over muting a mic or blocking a student from the classroom if they're being disruptive, which is fantastic. So that solved the problem. And I love the fact that Google was on the ball saying, "Let me help." Now we are really concentrating on Google rather than Zoom because of some of the other issues that I'm sure other people have heard about that Zoom is having, with unwanted people joining a meeting without being invited, which is kind of strange. At least with Google Meet, you have to be within our Christ Episcopal School domain to join a Meet, or the meeting leader has to physically allow someone to enter the meeting. We did have an issue with Meet as well where you had only the person who was speaking was full screen. You didn't have a grid view. Kind of like what we're looking at with Zoom right now, we have the two of us on here. One of the other tech directors in the area who teaches in a school down in New Orleans found some code and packaged it up and put it online as a Chrome extension--the Google Grid View--and he called it the Brady Bunch Look. As people join, the grid forms, and each person stays on camera. That grew like wildfire. There was a Google education group on Facebook, and all of a sudden I see that posted on there, and everybody's using it. So the community got together and solved the problem, which was fantastic. And Ryan is sitting back saying, "Well, I didn't really create it, I just packaged it. I just kind of put it out there." But it was a wonderful thing. And then he added some more functionality to it where, as a speaker speaking and on that grid, you'll see a little highlight on there. You can include yourself or not in there, you can pin yourself or not--it's just all these different things that Google Meet didn't quite have, but the extension allowed it to work. That's one of the things I see in this whole area with the shutdown, is that people are working together, and to get these things to work, making something do it really wasn't intended to do, to do what they need to do so that people can teach the way they need to teach. I also teach a filmmaking class, and that took a big hit, because we were going to be working on narrative films. Everybody was shooting a short film and working with a bunch of other kids to get together as actors and crew and everything else. But with the shutdown, you can't go out and meet anybody. So what are we gonna do? Well, we're actually turning things around a little bit. We've decided on a concept: We're gonna make one film and everyone is broken up into groups and those groups are going to do something along the lines of the movie Unfriended, where everything has to be done via webcam or social media and recorded through that interaction. But it's not a horror movie. It's going to be more about how do kids date during this time? What they decided on is more light, more fun, more upbeat, I guess you could say. They all rewrote their scripts, and they're actually working on recording their segments now. We're going to put it together and edit it. I was planning on using Adobe Premiere, and everyone had a copy of it. We're not gonna do it that way now. We want to try to collaborate on this from everyone's home. There's an online editor called WeVideo that is platform-independent. It doesn't matter whether they're on Chromebook, Mac, or PC; it'll work because everything's uploaded to the cloud. It's not gonna be 4K, it's not gonna be 1080p. It's gonna be just 720, but that's fine. This way, everyone can take a look at the different edits and put it together, and then we can collaborate together on the one final film. Hopefully, we're going to have an online screening before the end of school. At least that's the plan. We'll see how it all works out. This is the silver lining I was talking about. Yes, we're all stuck at home. We can't shake each other's hands or give each other a hug, but we're learning new techniques and learning these new technologies. We're using them in ways they were never intended, but ways that just make us advance and help us continue advancing toward the end goal. That part is wonderful. So let's not overlook the good that actually comes with the bad. It was like this after Katrina. When we had that lovely little storm a few years ago, people were wringing their hands and crying, and they were usually the people who weren't in New Orleans or weren't in this area. But we all pulled together. We helped everybody out. We came together as a community and learned new ways of doing things, new ways of making things work. It's like, tighten your belt and roll up your sleeves and start throwing out the trash and we're going to continue. That's what I see in this crisis happening right now around here, at least in the education community. People, you tightening their belts, rolling up their sleeves, digging into the work, and doing what needs to be done with a smile on their face. Because it's not like we have to use chalkboard and chalk anymore. We have these technologies. The internet works, this stuff works, let's use it, and let's use it to the best of our ability. People are doing things with it that I never thought was possible. Steve Nathans-Kelly: Thanks so much, Bob, and keep doing what you're doing. Bob Krieger: I'm trying. Okay. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Page 1 Freed Cardinal George Pell has labelled Victoria Police's handling of his case as "extraordinary" and said he would not be surprised if police continue to investigate him. In his second interview since his release from prison, Cardinal Pell told conservative commentator Andrew Bolt on Sky News that it was ironic that he was convicted of child sexual abuse when he had led the Melbourne archdiocese response against it. The cardinal was convicted in December 2018 of five charges of child sexual abuse relating to allegations he raped a 13-year-old choirboy and molested another at St Patricks Cathedral in 1996. He was acquitted by the High Court last week in a unanimous decision and released from jail after 405 days behind bars. URUMQI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The communication operators in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will spend nearly 1.44 billion yuan (about 204 million U.S. dollars) on building 4,010 5G base stations this year. The technology will be first applied in the industrial parks and tourist sites across the region, according to the regional communications administration. In 2019, Xinjiang's information and communication industry invested 126 million yuan in building 518 5G demonstration and commercial pilot stations. Urumqi, the regional capital, became one of the first 5G cities in China last October. By the end of this year, the number of 5G base stations in Xinjiang will reach 4,528, including 2,212 in Urumqi. Xinjiang has more than 20 million mobile Internet users, and over 69,600 5G package users by the end of February. Ohio has 17% more residents than Michigan. Its first confirmed case of coronavirus COVID-19 was Feb. 15, more than three weeks before coronavirus came to Michigan. Yet as of April 13, Michigan had 24,638 confirmed cases of coronavirus compared to 6,518 in Ohio. Why? Michigan is doing the right things on coronavirus. So why is the caseload so high? Heres some the factors that separate the coronavirus outbreaks in Michigan and Ohio. 1. Metro Detroit has an international airport and a business community with an unusual amount of international travel. While travel has largely shut down in recent weeks, public-health experts theorized that international travelers helped to seed coronavirus into Michigan during late February and early March. They note Detroit Metro Airport has been one of only 13 in the country and one of only two in the Midwest along with Chicagos OHare International Airport with flights from Europe and Asia since the COVID-related travel restrictions. And between the airport and the auto industry, Detroit metro area is an incredibly interconnected region in terms of global commerce, said Emily Martin, an epidemiologist for University of Michigan. Weve got a major airport. We have a lot of international businesses here, she said. We have a lot of travel in and out." And its particularly striking when you look at Michigans business ties to China, South Korea and Italy, others say. How could that not have an impact, when you have people traveling through Detroit from countries with COVID outbreaks? said Dr. Dennis Cunningham, an infectious disease specialist in Flint. 2. Michigan has a more concentrated urban population than Ohio. About 43% of Michigan residents live in metro Detroit. By contrast, the metros areas of Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati each have about 17% of Ohios population. Conoravirus thrives in more densely populated communities. So the fact Michigans population is concentrated in one area instead of three makes a big difference. Moreover, Michigans urban core is more densely populated than any of the three in Ohio. About 80% of Michigans coronavirus cases are in metro Detroit. The Ohio cases are much more spread out: 17% in metro Cleveland, 14% in metro Columbus and 8% in metro Cincinnati. 3. Michigans March 10 primary election. Its likely -- even probable -- that Michigans March 10 presidential primary helped fuel the spread of coronavirus in metro Detroit. For days leading up to the primary, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden were holding campaign rallies and get-out-the vote events in southeast Michigan, where the states Democratic voters are concentrated. The election itself drew 2.3 million voters. Two and a half hours after the polls closed on March 10, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state had confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus. By contrast, Ohios primary was scheduled for March 17. Both Sanders and Biden canceled campaign events after the Michigan election, which meant there were no rallies or mass gatherings in Ohio that week, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine canceled the election itself on March 16. 4. Michigan has more concentrated poverty. Nowhere in Michigan has coronavirus been more problematic than the city of Detroit, which has almost as many cases of coronavirus as all of Ohio. One reason that Detroit is a hotbed of coronavirus: Its the nations largest, poorest city -- and that combination of large population and high poverty makes the city especially vulnerable. People in low-income households are more likely to have health issues such as diabetes and asthma that make coronavirus a more serious illness. They are less likely to seek medical help until they are seriously ill. Low-income residents are less likely to be able to follow social distancing guidelines because they rely on public transportation, more likely to live in communal housing and less likely to have jobs that can be done at home. Cleveland also has a very high poverty rate and sociodemographics similar to Detroit. But Detroit has twice the population. And that, along with the other factors that have fueled the numbers in Michigan -- including Detroits proximity to Detroit Metro Airport and the March 10 election-- helps explain why Detroit had 6,501 coronavirus cases as of April 13 compared to 312 in Cleveland. 5. Ohio was especially aggressive in shutting down. Whitmer has been given high marks by many for being aggressive in shutting down schools, bars and restaurants and issuing a stay-at-home order. But DeWine has consistently moved ahead of Whitmer, and is cited as perhaps the most pro-active governor in the country. On March 3, before the state had any confirmed cases of community spread of coronavirus, DeWine canceled the Arnold Classic, a body-building and fitness expo in Columbus. He banned gatherings of 100 people or more on Thursday, March 12, a day before Whitmer issued a similar ban. DeWine was the first governor to close in-service dining for bars and restaurants, issuing that order on Sunday, March 15, a day before Whitmer followed suit. The Ohio stay-at-home order was issued on March 22, the day before Michigans stay-at-home order. 6. Michigan has tested more people. This is probably the least-important factor, but worth mentioning. As of Monday, April 13, Michigan had tested about 76,000 people for coronavirus, about 20% more than the 63,000 tested in Ohio. That more testing, the most cases likely to be identified. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: Not enough body bags Mapping spread of coronavirus in Michigan over past four weeks Conoravirus upends Michigans Class of 2020: This isnt the senior year that anyone wanted' NPP executive members of Ledzokuku constituency have expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for appointing Dr Bernard Okoe Boye as Deputy Minister of Health designate. In a statement, the executives described the appointment as a 'relief' and "promised to throw our weight behind Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye and ensure that he gets all the support he needs to achieve even beyond the targets you have set for him in order to bring honour to you, to our party, to our Constituency and to Ghana at large". Read full statement below APPRECIATION TO THE PRESIDENT OF GHANA; NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF HON. DR. BERNARD OKOE BOYE TO THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH We at the Ledzokuku Constituency were compliantly observing lockdown on the 6th of April 2020, when our dear President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made our day by announcing the appointment of Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye as the Deputy Minister for Health. The news of Hon. Dr. Okoe Boye's appointment came as a relief for us in Ledzokuku especially taking into consideration these trying times as the whole world fight this Pandemic named COVID-19. We are grateful to the President. As a result, the Constituency Executives of Ledzokuku would like to officially extend our sincerest gratitude to the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for the appointment of an illustrious son of Ledzokuku (Teshie) in the personality of Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye to the esteemed office of a Deputy Minister of State at the Ministry of Health. We would like to assure you, Mr. President, that we, the executives, and the entire Ledzokuku New Patriotic Party members will throw our weight behind Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye and ensure that he gets all the support he needs to achieve even beyond the targets you have set for him in order to bring honour to you, to our party, to our Constituency and to Ghana at large. Furthermore, the entire New Patriotic Party family of Ledzokuku Constituency would like to appreciate all the hard work and diligent effort that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has put in fighting this novel virus code named COVID-19. And on behalf of all the Constituents of Ledzokuku led by our hardworking Member of Parliament (MP) and Deputy Minister of Health designate Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, we would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership for the last three years to mother Ghana. It is indeed unparalleled. We are grateful to have you as our President in these trying times, and your dedication to work, desire to experiment and find new ways of achieving goals, your faultless appointments, as evident by your appointment of Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye as Deputy Minister-designate for the Health Ministry, and many more attributes will definitely catapult you to another victory in this years election and the President of our Republic for another 4 more years. To our Honourable Member of Parliament for the Ledzokuku Constituency, please accept our congratulations for becoming a Deputy Minister designated for the Health Ministry. The entire constituency is very happy with this appointment. We are very pleased and honoured to have you as our Member of Parliament and now as our soon to be Deputy Minister for Health. The successes and achievements you have received is highly appreciable by us and once again we say many congratulations to you. Before we conclude, It has come to the attention of the Constituency Executives a rumour being peddled by some characters that some big wigs within the party, particularly at the regional and national levels, desires and are forcefully imposing Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye to stand unopposed in the impending NPP Parliamentary Candidate primaries. We want to say categorically that this tittle-tattle is most unfortunate, concocted and must be treated with disdain. Infact these characters were unconstrained enough to even go to the extent of implicating the President's wife, Her Excellency, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the Chief of Staff Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare among other dedicated personalities of our beloved party. They have, by this injurious action, demonstrated that they don't have the interest of the party at heart otherwise they would first of all go through the right channel to make their grievances known if any exists at all. We would once again like to categorically state that the claims by these disgruntled few, apart from being false, is in no doubt motivated by personal vendetta against the hardworking MP Hon. Dr. Okoe Boye. In conclusion, The Executives of the New Patriotic Party in Ledzokuku encourage love, tolerance and unity in the face of hate and the current Pandemic. Let's all come together to build a better Ghana and to fight this COVID-19 Pandemic. Long live Ghana, Long live Ledzokuku. Ayekooo !!!, Ayekoo!! Mr. President. Ayekoo!! ,Ayekoo !! Hon.Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye End of Press release!! Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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 UW Health Sciences Students, Clinics Provide Support During Pandemic From front to back, UW nursing students Alexandra Lexie Nicole Smith, from North Pole, Alaska, and Neil Anderson, from Portland, Ore., work with JLaine Proctor, mental health provider with UWs Albany Community Health Clinic. (Richelle Keinath Photo) As the COVID-19 pandemic began to appear in Wyoming, medical staffs at clinics and hospitals were already preparing to care for those who would become ill -- and to help communities slow the spread of the novel coronavirus by providing health safety instructions. The Educational Health Center of Wyoming (EHCW), which includes two University of Wyoming family medicine residency clinics in Casper and Cheyenne and the Albany Community Health Clinic, also began efforts to care for the increased number of patients. This gave UW College of Health Sciences students the opportunity to volunteer where needed. Students from the college volunteered to provide patient screenings and other services to assist health care providers with the increased inflow of patients seeking treatment and/or testing for COVID-19. College of Health Sciences students also are filling other volunteer roles in their communities. Conner Morton, from Casper, is a second-year student in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Medical Education Program who volunteered at the UW Family Medicine Program in Casper. In short, we are screening patients at the entrance to the UW Family Medicine Clinic in an effort to keep all symptomatic patients out of the clinic, Morton says. We take the temperature of everyone entering the clinic, including faculty, and have them answer a quick survey about symptoms and travel history. If someone shows positive symptoms -- fever, cough and shortness of breath -- we either set them up for a telehealth appointment or direct them to the testing center. Marcus Couldridge, also from Casper and a classmate of Morton, was informed by a family member the Casper clinic needed help. My mother is a physician at the clinic, and she stated they need help running the screening desk, Couldridge says. A couple different physicians, Dr. (Tabitha) Thrasher and Dr. Robitaille, ran us through the questioning procedure on the first day, and then we had a direct line to the attending physicians if we had any concerns about patients coming in. Dr. Beth Robitaille, a physician and chief medical officer with the EHCW, says the students work has been appreciated. Their help was extremely valuable during this time while our existing staff members and providers focused on phone triage, conversion to virtual care (telehealth and phone encounters), the care of hospitalized patients and the education of our resident physicians, she says. Telehealth is an expanding medical technology that allows a patient to visit with a physician remotely using audio/video equipment. Not only can this virtual doctor visit help reduce travel challenges but, in the event of a pandemic such as COVID-19, telehealth also can prevent the spread of illness from patient to provider. Medical Students Help the Elderly Ryan Winchell, also a second-year medical student and native of Santa Cruz, Calif., reached out to find ways to volunteer and help after COVID-19 canceled many clinical training activities. When our clinical rotations were canceled, I emailed Dr. Yvette Haeberle, WWAMI clinical curriculum director, asking her what I could do to help, Winchell says. She thought we may be able to help individuals in the community who either shouldn't or can't go into public places. I spoke with one of the nursing staff at Family Physicians of Laramie, and we talked about identifying people who probably could use help. I made contact with other WWAMI students I knew were still in Laramie, and the group of us came up with our time availability and things we were comfortable doing. Though never meeting those they were helping, these students ran errands such as grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions. Some of the people we've been helping are in their 70s and 80s, and they say they've never seen anything like this before, Winchell says. They're happy that people are willing to help them with things like getting groceries and prescriptions. The elderly are at much greater risk of suffering severe illness or death from COVID-19, so keeping them safe and inside their homes is important to us. It's tough for us because, as medical students, we have the natural desire to want to help in medical and clinical settings right now, he adds. But, at this point, that's not the best utilization plan for us, so we will continue helping however we can. Nursing Students Step Up UW Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing students Neil Anderson and Alexandra Lexie Nicole Smith found time to volunteer at the Albany Community Health Clinic (ACHC). We mostly helped screen people at the door for C-19 symptoms and exposure before allowing them into the clinic, says Anderson, from Portland, Ore., a sophomore in the Basic BSN program. The nursing students also have helped disinfect surfaces and clinic equipment. Smith, a Basic BSN senior, is from North Pole, Alaska. I do believe it is important to note the absolutely fantastic attitudes of all those in the clinic during these hard times, Smith says. Due to social distancing and the overall fear many people have, people can often be off-putting in interactions, but this clinic took me in with open arms and a warm heart. That was a great feeling to have, Smith says. The Albany clinic also has done a great job at creating an environment and a place of care that has, and I believe will continue, to provide positive, quality, patient-centered care. JLaine Proctor, mental health provider with the ACHC, says the students have been very helpful. During this difficult time in our community, having the students volunteer at our clinic was like a breath of fresh air, Proctor says. Their eagerness to help out and participate in caring for our vulnerable population of patients was palpable and contagious. I look forward to having them as colleagues once they graduate. Xena Allen, from Sacramento, Calif., is a sophomore in the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursings Basic BSN program and was already working as a certified nursing assistant and an emergency room technician at Ivinson Memorial Hospital. Though I have not volunteered, I increased my hours at Ivinson Memorial Hospital from approximately 20 hours a week to around 60 to 80 hours a week, Allen says. I am currently working in almost every unit in the hospital to help out in this time. We are experiencing the (personal protective equipment) shortage, as with every other hospital, and we are doing what we can with what we have. I'm also officially picking up at least 40 hours a week now to help out. Social Work Students Offer Support During any time of crisis, emotional and social support is a critical part of community health. Haley Jones, of Houston, Texas, is a senior in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program, with plans to graduate in May. Part of her learning plan includes serving as an intern at Needs Inc., a food pantry and clothing closet in Cheyenne. These are uncertain times, but food shouldnt be uncertain, Jones says. There are different ways to help out. Donating food, volunteering or donating money are ways we can help our community. Running an errand or supporting someone at risk is a good way, too. You can be there for someone physically and mentally. Jones credits her senior classmates and faculty members for being caring, supportive and wanting students to succeed. Students with the UW Associated Students of Social Work (ASSW) are sponsoring Supportive Talk and Resources (STAR), which provides social contact for community members who feel alone or just need someone to talk to. Jessica Gutierrez, from Loveland, Colo.; Tate Hodson, from Curtis, Neb.; Brittany Anderson, from Lingle; and Jezebel Rubis, from Riverton, are members of a group of students associated with ASSW. Each student interacts with community members by phone, text, email or video call. With the state of our world currently, this time has become difficult for many people, Rubis says. With this in mind, we are letting members of the community know that they are not alone in their struggles and, thanks to technology, we can be together while still maintaining social distancing. Now, through this supportive service, Hodson says, we are reaching out to provide conversation and support anyway we can to the Laramie community. Kym Codallos, assistant lecturer with the UW Division of Social Work, serves as a contact referral to connect students with interested individuals. The service is free and for people of all ages. It is not counseling or therapy -- it is simply a supportive service that we are offering to all in a manner that meets the individual's needs and to help people not feel so alone, Codallos says. For more information on STAR, email kcodallo@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-5490. By PTI MUMBAI: As many as 21,000 medical workers have responded to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's appeal to join the fight against coronavirus. Doctors, retired medical practitioners from the Armed Forces, retired para medical staff and trained medicos who are yet to find work have emailed their applications on covidyoddha@gmail.com in response to Thackeray's appeal last week. ALSO READ | Lockdown is not lock-up, stay put: Uddhav Thackeray on Mumbai migrant workers' protest Within five days, as many as 21,000 people have sent their applications, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said. Of the 21,000, 943 were doctors, 3,312 nurses, 1,141 pharmacists, 863 lab technicians, 766 ward boys, 614 paramedics, 76 retired servicemen, 569 are from allied sectors and many were social workers, it was stated. According to the Chief Minister's Office, recruits will be stationed at districts as per need and their duties will be assigned by divisional commissioners and district collectors. It seems incredible this far into the coronavirus pandemic that the question over the provision of personal protection equipment should still be a burning issue. We have heard mind-boggling figures of how many pieces of PPE have been ordered and how many have been delivered but, for those on frontline health services, the problem is that the vital safety equipment is not reaching all of those who need it. GPs in north and west Belfast, in Fermanagh and in Londonderry have expressed concern that they cannot adequately protect themselves or their practice nurses. So serious is their concern they are threatening to withdraw services, a last ditch measure given that family doctors are the gateway to the health service and specialised services. Those involved in community care where staff make three or four visits per day to clients have also expressed concern over the lack of adequate PPE. It is accepted without question that those doctors and nurses in hospital dealing directly with the most seriously ill patients are at the top of the pecking order when it comes to PPE but that does not mean that everyone else in the chain of treating patients, who may or may not have the virus, should be left defenceless. If the Department of Health is in any doubt about the seriousness of the situation, then they should listen to the opinion of an experienced solicitor who says the Department could be sued if health service staff, and consequently their families, become infected through lack of PPE. All of this makes the reluctance of deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill to accept that the Army could be called in to distribute PPE to where it is needed all the more nonsensical. Has she a better idea or is it just republican ideology running riot? We cannot ask health service staff to put their lives constantly on the line because of logistics. It is an indication of the depths to which the NHS was left to wither that in spite of so many now going more than the extra mile and extra money being found for all sorts of equipment that now, as the peak of the infection is upon us, the health service is still struggling to keep pace with the demands upon it. This is something which must be borne in mind when this pandemic is finally conquered. The diary of one medical expert on the frontline shows that such wartime analogies are appropriate. They are engaged in life and death struggles every hour of the day and are heroes. Oman-based Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has signed an investment agreement with Al Alia Investment and Industry Company to establish a vehicle trade centre on a total area of 53,000-sq-m at Al Mazunah Free Zone. The project, which is estimated at a total value of RO 400,000 ($1 million), will be specialised in trading, re-exporting and repairing vehicles, and providing a variety of automobile related services. The agreement was signed by Said bin Abdullah Al Balushi, director general of Al Mazunah Free Zone, and Abdulmalik bin Hilal Al Bahri, chief executive officer of Al Alia Investment and Industry Company. Commenting on this agreement, Said Al Balushi, director general of Al Mazunah Free Zone, stressed that automobile and auto parts industry is one of the key sectors that the free zone is currently focusing on its development. Significant efforts are being made by Al Mazunah Free Zone to attract companies specialised in trading new and used vehicles, Al Balushi added: The vehicle trade centre shall stimulate other automobile related businesses such as vehicle repair workshops, spare parts, vehicle wash businesses, and related SMEs to provide their services. Besides, the project aims at providing job opportunities, boosting other economic sectors as well as stimulating the transportation sector and the Omani ports through which these vehicles are imported. On his part, Abdulmalik bin Hilal Al Bahri, CEO of Al Alia Investment and Industry Company, pointed out that the project aspires to add an economic value through an integrated centre that serves the automobile sector and warehouses. Al Mazunah Free Zone presents an attractive investment environment in a strategic location, and this project shall play a role in providing job opportunities for the Omanis, Al Bahri commented. The total number of incoming vehicles to Al Mazunah Free Zone touched 2,066 by the end of March, marking a growth rate that exceeds 500 per cent and an increase of 1,736 vehicles compared to the same period of 2019. Since the beginning of April this year, an increasing trade movement has been observed at the free zone. The second quarter of the current year is expected to witness major increase in the volume of goods and vehicles entering the free zone. The strategic location of Al Mazunah Free Zone on the border of the Sultanate and Yemen makes it the Gulf gateway for transit trade to Yemen and Eastern Africa. General incentives are offered to the investors in the free zone, including customs exemptions, 100 per cent foreign ownership, no minimum capital requirements, and Omanisation rate stands at 10 per cent. Other incentives include easy access of individuals and investors to the free zone without entry visas being required for Yemenis, facilitation of employing Yemeni workforce without work visa being required, in addition to other incentives. Madayn recently announced that the one-stop-station at Al Mazunah Free Zone is now offering all the services that are required by the investors. These services include obtaining and approving certificates of origin, and applying and renewing membership certificates. A variety of services related to investment activities can be accessed and transactions can be completed within a period not exceeding three hours through the one-stop-station. The one-stop-station at the free zone includes several public and private bodies such as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Manpower, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and insurance companies. Through the one-stop-station, Madayn aims at saving time and effort as well as facilitating the services offered to the investors and business owners. - TradeArabia News Service The City of Missoula is planning to use $1.1 million in Tax Increment Financing to purchase a 34-room motel near the Clark Fork River for use temporarily as a safe shelter for those isolating and quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic. Then, in the long-term, the city hopes to use the property to solicit proposals to build sorely-needed affordable housing. The Sleepy Inn, located at 1427 W. Broadway next to the Russell Street Bridge, sits on a little over half an acre, and the owner has agreed on the purchase price after a negotiation with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. The MRA Board will have to approve the sale on Thursday and the full Missoula City Council would have to vote to approve the sale on Monday, April 20. "COVID-19 has created a number of challenges around the world and Missoula is no exception," explained MRA director Ellen Buchanan in a memo to the MRA board. "One of the more difficult issues is how we can effectively deal with quarantine and possible isolation of our citizens who have no home in which to shelter." Essentially, the city has been looking for a place for people who need to isolate in their own room with its own bathroom. They may need to isolate for various reasons, including possible exposure to the coronavirus or while they wait for test results. Or, they could live with family members who are at a higher-risk of serious complications from the infection. "When we were confronted with how to deal with our population with no permanent housing, this presented a unique opportunity to provide safe shelter conveniently located near the required services," Buchanan said. Mayor John Engen said the city and the county have been looking for a place for such a purpose, called a "non-congregate shelter." They also knew the owner of the Sleepy Inn had been looking to sell for a long time. "So our intention is to purchase the property and operate it as a non-congregate shelter for as long as we need to during the pandemic," Engen explained. "Then we can pivot ... and move into a redevelopment opportunity." If everything goes well, Buchanan said the deal could close by the end of April. Ellen Leahy, the director of the Missoula City-County Public Health Department, said the Federal Emergency Management Administration has come out with guidance on non-congregate shelters and will reimburse the city and the county for 75% of the cost of operations, such as cleaning staff and a facility manager. The facility will be operated under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. "We have already in Missoula the need to find individual shelter with individual bathrooms for over two dozen people," she said. She said people who are in quarantine can't be grouped with others in quarantine because it creates an incubator situation, much like the well-publicized incidents of cruise ships reporting scores of infections. The Poverello Center is taking precautions, but the homeless shelter still has shared bathrooms, tight hallways and shared sleeping quarters. Engen said there's already a team of people looking at what kind of work needs to be done to the motel to make it ready if the purchase happens. "This purchase is funded by Urban Renewal District II, so this will be a cash deal so nobody's taxes get raised as a function of this," he said. "We're using TIF that's already in the bank, meaning there are other projects that don't get done, but we also believe we'll be able to recoup significant costs and provide long-term affordable housing as a function of this purchase." In the city's urban renewal districts, new property taxes generated by new development goes into a pot that can fund projects within that district. In the past the MRA has remitted funds to the city's general fund during budget shortfalls. Eran Pehan, the city's director of the Office of Housing and Community Development, said it's an ideal site for low-income housing in the future, since it's on a major public transit route and close to schools and hospitals. The city wasn't able to get the property appraised, but Buchanan said they reached out to commercial real estate agents and commercial appraisers and got comparable prices on similar properties. She and the mayor said they believe that they got a "well-below market value" price for the property. People living at the motel now will be offered rooms at the owner's other motels in Missoula for the same price they're paying now. Leahy said she's grateful for how much cooperation and effort went into the plan, because she believes it's fulfilling a crucial community need during the pandemic. County Commissioner Josh Slotnick agreed. "From a county standpoint we're really excited to be a part of a small short-term effort that's going to have large long-term health gains," he said. The MRA board meets Thursday, April 16. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 10 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. STRATFORD Town Hall employees who had contact with Finance Director Jay Wahlberg, who died Friday due to complications from the coronavirus, self-quarantined for two weeks after he was presumed to have COVID-19 last month. That self-quarantine concluded on April 9, and none of those employees has reported experiencing any symptoms, Michael Downes, Mayor Laura Hoydicks chief of staff, said Monday. Those isolated included all employees who had contact with Wahlberg in the 48 hours before he became sick last month. Apart from Wahlberg, Downes said five other town employees across all departments and locations have reported testing positive, and that the same quarantine protocols were in place with regard to each of them. He said he couldnt give more specific information about which departments the affected employees work for. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, officials have tried to maintain essential services without compromising the health of employees or the public, Downes said. Since the Mayor ordered Town Hall closed to the public on March 17, our custodians have been cleaning the building twice daily including disinfecting all frequently touched surfaces, door handles, railings, etc. he said. Town Hall had one major professional cleaning performed by a service over the course of two days, on March 27 and 28, where they cleaned and disinfected all interior spaces and surfaces of all offices and rooms inside the Town Hall Building. Employees have been directed to maintain social distancing and not unnecessarily visit other departments and town employees. Any employees concerned about working at Town Hall have been asked to contact Chris Tymniak, the towns chief administrative officer, and human resources, with accommodations made on a case-by-case basis. Hoydick ordered employees to report to work on staggered schedules starting March 23 to reduce the number of people in the building at any given time while maintaining services for residents. The town also ordered laptops to facilitate nearly all Town Hall employees working remotely for at least a two-week period, Downes said. The computers have now arrived at Town Hall, he said Monday. We are deploying that today and tomorrow and expect nearly all employees to be working remotely for at least that ensuing two-week period, Downes said. President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday lamented that Coronavirus was not a joke, stressing that its a matter of life and death. Buh... President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday lamented that Coronavirus was not a joke, stressing that its a matter of life and death. Buhari lamented that COVID-19 has led to the shutting down Mosques in Makkah, Madina and cancellation of mass in Rome during the Easter period. The presidents lamentation was contained in his nationwide broadcast wherein he extended the lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States, respectively by another 14 days. Buhari also stated that the cessation of movement, physical distancing measures and the prohibition of mass gatherings remained the most efficient and effective way of reducing the transmission of the virus. He said: Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners. With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with the Government in this fight. This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peters Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We cannot be lax. AUSTIN Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that the growth rate of new coronavirus infections in Texas continues to level off, though businesses should not expect to reopen immediately. This is not going to be a rush-to-the-gates, everybody-will-be open-all-at-once (situation), he said. We have to reopen in a way in which we are able to stimulate the economy while ensuring we can contain the spread of COVID-19. The governor, who is under pressure from some conservatives to lift restrictions despite concerns from public health officials, said he will unveil a team of consultants later this week to evaluate what must be done to restart the states slumping economy. He declined to give details but pointed to the data trends as a positive first step. I will call these glimmers of hope, with a whole bunch of red flags, Abbott said. CLOSED FOR BUSINESS: As Abbott weighs reopening Texas economy, Trump chimes in Since Friday, the growth rate of COVID-19 infections has slowed from 12 percent to 10 percent, he said, citing data from the Department of State Health Services. It now takes more than twice as long for the number of cases to double, from three days to about eight, a trend public health officials agree is a sign that social distancing regulations are slowing the spread. I feel better now than I thought I would, said Dr. David Lakey, the former head of the health services agency and now chief medical officer for the University of Texas System. I think that shows that these tough measures are working. Abbott has pivoted toward economic recovery as President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans, including Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, push for some sectors to reopen May 1. The president suggested Monday in a series of tweets that he will ultimately decide when to reopen, not governors. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Abbott said he has been in regular talks with the White House and federal health officials and that they are receptive to feedback. Democratic governors in some of the hardest-hit East Coast states, including New York, where cases appear to have leveled off, announced Monday that they will begin working on plans to reopen schools and businesses. Local Texas health officials have warned their cases may not peak for several more weeks and that a rush to reopen risks setting off new infection surges. As of Monday, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a University of Washington research group, predicted a statewide peak on April 29. This is not the time to reopen the economy, said Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Hotez and others have questioned the accuracy of the states data, noting that testing has been slow to scale; the state has one of the lowest testing rates per capita in the country. Why do we have to make this decision now? Hotez said, citing the calls to reopen by May 1. We have time now. Lets reassess at the end of April, and by then well know if ICUs are getting inundated. Nearly 14,000 Texans had tested positive for the virus by Monday, with 287 deaths and 1,176 hospitalizations, according to the state health agency. Meanwhile, unemployment claims have reached all-time highs. Gerald Parker, a pandemic expert at Texas A&M, cautioned against lifting limits until the number of new infections and hospitalizations has begun decreasing. But he said its important to start planning how to reopen. Texas is a big state, he said. There will be some communities where things will have leveled off and others where well see increases. Whatever the plan, Parker said ithat t will require better testing and ability to trace outbreaks to their source. Benjamin Wermund contributed reporting from Washington. jeremy.blackman@chron.com Paul Billings, a senior vice president of the American Lung Association, noted that the Harvard study came on top of other reports that linked the pollutant to premature deaths. This pollution already kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. This is an affirmation of a standard that already does not provide adequate safeguards to public health, he said. Because the Harvard study was only published last week, after White House lawyers had already largely completed a lengthy review of the proposed rule, Mr. Wheeler said that its findings were not included in the E.P.A.s legal rationale. The Harvard study has just been released. It has not been yet been peer reviewed or fully vetted, said Mr. Wheeler. He added, We think the information is interesting, and we want to know more about it. But he also took aim at its authors, some of whom have publicly criticized decisions made by the Trump administration. The scientists seem to have a bias, he said. Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard who led the study, said she was disappointed but not surprised by the administrations announcement. She added, it is an unwise decision in light of the pandemic. There has been a constant tactic over the last few years by the administration to dismiss science in general. Mr. Lazarus, the Harvard lawyer, said that he expected that E.P.A. would ultimately be legally forced to incorporate the findings of the Harvard study into the rationale for the rule before it is made final, likely later this year. It will eventually be part of the legal record, he said. Historically, Harvards public health studies have been central to E.P.A. public health rules. Morels new Hogtalare Bluetooth speaker is a bookshelf speaker in more than name alone. It was literally designed with a bookshelf in mind; specifically, Ikeas inescapable Kallax (nee Expedit) cubicle shelving unit. At 12.9 inches square and 6.7 inches deep, the Hogtalare fits perfectly into one of your Kallaxs cubes. The system is available in five colors (two are variations on white) to give you a stylistic match, as well (at least on the face of the speaker, which is all youll see if installed within an Ikea unit). This review is part of TechHives coverage of the best Bluetooth speakers where youll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyers guide to the features you should consider when shopping. The HogtalareSwedish for speaker, of courseconsists of a single 6-inch double-magnet woofer and two 1-inch dome tweeters, with three amplifiers delivering 50 watts per channel. This is a single-cabinet stereo system in which one tweeter handles the left channel and the produces the right channel). Stated frequency range is 36Hz to 20,000Hz. Morel The Hogtalare achieves stereo in a single cabinet with its tweeters alone. the left and right channels are summed in the woofer. Hogtalare is a Bluetooth speaker foremost, and primary connectivity is courtesy of Bluetooth version 4.2 with support for Qualcomms aptX codec. If you have two Hogtalare speakers, they can be configured via Qualcomms TrueWireless Stereo (TWS) technology to each play only the left or only the right channel, giving you a more traditional stereo sound design, and likely a better option for larger spaces (having received only one unit, I wasnt able to test the Hogtalares TWS performance). If Bluetooth isnt an option, youll find an auxiliary jack and a Wi-Fi enabled USB port into which you can plug in a Chromecast audio puck or similar device and connect the Hogtalare directly to your Wi-Fi network. Aside from a switch on the reverse that lets you swap between manual and automatic power-up, all hardware controls are front-facing, hidden beneath the speaker grill. Those include a power button, volume controls, an input selector, and a Bluetooth pairing button. I paired the system to various devices and never encountered even a modest hiccup along the way. Morel The Hogtalare has a somewhat shallow enclosure. Performance-wise, the Hogtalare was outstanding in my testing. I was skeptical that putting a left and right tweeter within a foot of each other would offer any semblance of a true stereo experience, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Yes, its clear that, even in a small room, all the sound is coming from one location, but the Hogtalare makes up for this with a ton of raw power that effectively bounces audio off the walls and simulates a more realistic stereo experience. I found that music (of just about any type) was more immersive than movies or games, the clarity of the Hogtalare making for an exceptional musical experience, showcasing thunderous bass drum snaps, jangly tambourine, and even glockenspiels Id never heard before in some of my favorite songs. Vocals, particularly, are downright amazing. I think the bass is a bit clearer than the highs, but the delta here is small. Altogether the quality is far beyond that of the typical Bluetooth monitor and, again, the system is extremely loud at full volume. The only serious complaint I had with the Morel Hogtalare was some skippinga momentary disconnectionthat I experienced during my first day of testing over Bluetooth. I encountered this from connections with two different devices (but not a third), so while I cant rule out a problem on my devices end or in my environment, that seems a bit coincidental. The good news: I was able to resolve this issue by forgetting the connection to the device and re-pairing the two. At $349, the Hogtalare is competitive with other high-end bookshelf systems, though if you want two units, that calculus changes quite a bit. On the whole, I wouldnt hesitate to recommend it to any audiophilewhether youre also an Ikeaphile or not. The Shiv Sena and NCP said Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation on Tuesday lacked substance as he did not suggest ways to strengthen the economy or a relief package for the poor and those worst hit by the lockdown. Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande also took a dig at the prime minister, saying he thankfully did not give any activity to people this time like clanging utensils or lighting lamps. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. He said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in its second phase and detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday to ensure that outbreak does not spread to new areas. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots, he said. Kayande said Modi could have announced extension of the lockdown on Wednesday itself along with the new guidelines, instead of declaring it separately. Also read| Care for elders, respect Covid-19 warriors: PM lists 7 points in coronavirus fight He could have elaborated steps to be taken to tackle the coronavirus, relaxing restrictions on movements in different areas (depending upon threat posed by the disease), she said. His speech normally is more of a rhetoric than substance. Thankfully, he did not give any other event to the people like lighting up lamps or clanging utensils. There was nothing substantial (in the address), the only takeaway was that the lockdown has been extended, she added. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage Maharashtra Minister and NCP national spokesman Nawab Malik noted that Modi talked about helping the poor. But, he could have announced a package on behalf of the central government to help the poor, those working in the unorganised sector who are the worst hit due to the lockdown. There was no mention of it anywhere, Malik said. Another NCP spokesman Mahesh Tapase said it was expected that the prime minister would address the economic concerns being faced by the country. The least to expect was the announcement of a slew of measures to kick-start the economy in a phased manner as and when the restrictions are lifted, he added. Tapase said the employers and employees wanted to know from the government how recession and unemployment will be tackled in the time to come. Also read| FAQ: All you need to know about Covid-19 lockdown extension Access to capital for business, especially for MSMEs and agriculture, is a big concern. Supply and logistics is the cornerstone of economic activity which has come to a virtual standstill, he said. The 2020-21 fiscal looks grim and hence, the right stimulus from the government coupled with a renewed zeal by the industry will only bring the economy back on track, he suggested. Just last week, the nation's premier communications regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) allayed fears of the general over the linkage of the outbreak of COVID-19 to the 5G technology network. The NCA made it clear that that there is absolutely no link between 5G technology and COVID-19. In furtherance, it advised the public to disregard the misleading videos and audios circulating on social media. One of the conspiracy theories of the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus suggests that since 5G suppresses the immune system, it could be blamed for the pandemic. Others also claim the virus is using the network's radio waves to communicate and pick victims to quicken its spread. But these, the NCA says must not be taken seriously because they lack a fundamental scientific basis. As a matter of fact, the NCA boss, Mr. Joe Anokye, is a Science and Technology Guru by far and wouldn't risk his expertise for plain falsehood. It has never been proven within any quarters that the 5G technology is to blame for the birth of a deadly virus rampaging the planet earth. Let's now consider some fact-checking in our attempts to debunk the various Conspiracy Theories against the 5G Technology. Background: Recently, online conspiracy theories linking 5G wireless service to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Reuters reported on April 5 that mobile phone masts have in recent days been vandalized and telecoms staff abused in Birmingham in central England and Merseyside in northern England. The rumors began to spread on social media as early as late January: 1. 5G might suppress the immune system 2. Viruses can communicate through radio waves. Neither of these theories is backed up by evidence. Major social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube are moving to limit the spread of false coronavirus 5G theory. Third Party Reference At present, many experts and scholars have clarified this untrue statement. The following excerpts are representative public statements from the World Health Organization, GSMA, Full Fact and some media reports for your reference. The WHO says no research has linked exposure to wireless technology with negative health effects Reuters says that there is no scientific evidence to connect mobile communication networks with the SARS, swine flu and coronavirus outbreaks. Although 3G, 4G and 5G were unrolled at similar dates to the SARS, swine flu and new coronavirus outbreaks, their start dates do not match. Many countries without 5G infrastructure have reported coronavirus cases (such as much of Latin America here). The WHO says no research has linked exposure to wireless technology with negative health effects Media Report Reuters: False claim: 3G, 4G and 5G caused SARS, swine flu and the new coronavirus GSMA Condemns Attacks Against Mobile Phone Masts GSMA states in its press release that Englands National Medical Director Stephen Powis has been widely reported in the media as saying, The 5G story is complete and utter rubbish, its nonsense, its the worst kind of fake news. Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, says The telecoms industry is working around the clock to keep vital health, education and emergency services online, businesses running, and friends and families connected. It is deplorable that critical communications infrastructure is being attacked based on outright mistruths. We urge everyone to trust health authorities and rest assured communications technology is safe. There is no link between 5G and COVID-19. The GSMA calls on internet giants, content providers and social media platforms to accelerate their efforts to remove fake news linking 5G to the spread of COVID-19. Full Fact, the UKs independent fact-checking charity has confirmed that there is no link between 5G and COVID-19. We also urge governments around the world to take swift action against disinformation, vandalism and threats against mobile network field engineers. Press Release GSMA Condemns Attacks Against Mobile Phone Masts Full Fact (the UK's independent fact-checking charity): These claims about the new coronavirus and 5G are unfounded The Daily Star has reported on a new conspiracy theory surrounding the new coronavirus: that 5G networks could be responsible for the rapid spread of the virus. The article refers to two theories to support the claim that 5G accelerates the new coronavirus. Firstly that 5G might suppress the immune system and, secondly, that viruses can communicate through radio waves. Neither of these theories is backed up by evidence. The new coronavirus is also affecting countries and regions where no 5G is present. As we have written before, there is no evidence to suggest that 5G has anything to do with Covid-19the illness caused by the new coronavirus. There is no evidence that 5G networks are harmful to health. The headline quoted above has now been changed by the Daily Star to read Coronavirus: Activists in bizarre claim 5G could be acting as 'accelerator' for disease and includes a statement by the UK government to say there is "no convincing evidence that 5G is dangerous". Media Report 5G is not accelerating the spread of the new coronavirus Fortune: Does 5G cause or spread the coronavirus? Heres what experts say WHY WE SWIM By Bonnie Tsui Most of us have a swimming story, even if only a short one about why we dont do it. These tales tend to feature a cavalier coach whose go-to technique was a heartless shove, or a slightly older or bigger child with a yen for dunking the new kid in the pool. The former is the kind of person one hopes is vanishing from our culture; the latter will be there at the end of time, chortling. The nonswimmer holds on to the names of these villains forever along with the secret belief that the real culprit was his or her own fear. Swimming, perhaps the most commonplace and relaxing way of putting yourself in total peril, is a real mind game. Bonnie Tsuis Why We Swim, an enthusiastic and thoughtful work mixing history, journalism and elements of memoir, is ostensibly focused on those who do swim, rather than those who dont. Tsui sets out to answer her titles question with a compassionate understanding of how that mind game stops some and a curiosity about how and why it seduces others. She herself is a lifelong swimmer who has competed (first as a child on Long Island, with the Freeport Sea Devils, and more recently with a masters group in the Bay Area) and who also surfs, a sport where the base requirement is being fine with receiving full body punches from waves. For her, swimming is not static. Even when she is returning to the same swimming spot, its always a different adventure. To live deliberately as a swimmer means you are a seeker; a chaser of the oceans blue corduroy, a follower of river veins, Tsui writes. She chases some blue corduroy on these pages, like on the day she takes her first wetsuit-free swim in San Francisco Bay in almost balmy 56-degree water. When shes finally thawed out, she walks the waterfront, smiling proudly to herself, newly attuned and alert to the pulse of the bay as an echo of my own. Why did I do it? I realize that its because I want to knock on heavens door and have a chat with the Devil too. Why We Swim incorporates the stories of daredevils, but it also covers tales of survival and inspiration. The book is divided into five sections, or rationales, for swimming: survival, well-being, community, competition and flow, described by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. Lenovo revealed the Legion Gaming phone will come with 90W fast charging. When launched, the Legion Gaming phone could become the fastest charging smartphone. The Lenovo Legion Gaming phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC. The Lenovo Legion Gaming phone will come with 90W fast charging, possibly making it the fastest charging smartphone in the world when launched. The company announced the feature in a Weibo post. Lenovo had hinted at the feature with a poster in February that claimed the charging tech will be faster than 55W, taking a potshot at the iQOO 3 5G that launched with 55W fast charging. Gaming smartphones are hardware beasts on their own accord. This new breed of smartphones go all in with the best possible hardware and last year we saw the likes of Asus, Blackshark, and Nubia battle it out with dedicated gaming phones. The Legion Gaming phone is one of them that we know about launching this year. And as confirmed by Qualcomm and Lenovo, the phone will be powered by the flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC. Furthermore, Lenovo has teased it will come with ground-breaking cooling technology to offer sustained performance and smooth gaming experience. How fast can you expect 90W fast charging to be? With a 90W fast charger, the Lenovo Legion Gaming phone can get charged faster than any other smartphone right now. Yet, in the poster that Lenovo is circulating on Chinese social media, the company is not specifiying the time the phone takes to get to 100 percent. Presently, the fastest charging smartphone is the Oppo Reno Ace and the Realme X50 Pro both of which come with a 65W fast charger. Oppo claims the technology can top up a smartphone from zero to 17 percent in 5 minutes and 100 percent in just 30 minutes. With a 90W charger, the time taken to top up to full charge may take less than 30 minutes. Having said that, 90W is still technically not the fastest you can charge. Vivo had showcased a 120W charging technology last year at MWC Shanghai, which was demonstrated to charge a 4000mAh battery in under 13 minutes. But that feature is yet to go official on a smartphone for people to use. Lenovo Legion Gaming phone to come with disruptive cooling technology Lenovo has kept fans on a drip-feed of information about the upcoming Legion gaming phone. The company has said it will feature disruptive cooling tech and rock the flagship Snapdragon 865. We can take an educated guess and claim it will also feature the latest RAM and storage modules along with 5G support. Notably, the Snapdragon 865 already features in two gaming smartphones - The Black Shark 3 and the Black Shark 3 Pro. However, considering the lackluster reception of the Black Shark 2 in India, chances of the gaming phone getting launched looks bleak. However, Qualcomm has also confirmed that theres a ROG Phone III in the making, and going by Asus track record, they would be pulling every stop to ensure a kickass gaming experience. What can Lenovo do differently? Going by the brands legacy in PC gaming, we are up for quite a showdown between ROG and Legion in the mobile gaming space. We will only know who wins once both the phones go official. So far, Lenovo has not disclosed the launch date and price of the smartphone. Trust Relations and Cover3 Creative today announced a strategic partnership designed to provide robust promotional solutions to clients in the food and beverage industry. We chose Trust Relations as a strategic partner for Cover3 Creative and our portfolio of clients because of the firms extraordinary ability to identify inspiring and creative ways to show a brands value and demonstrate its unique story. The fast-growing communications agency Trust Relations and dynamic advertising and marketing agency Cover3 Creative today announced a strategic partnership designed to provide robust promotional solutions to clients in the food and beverage industry. The combined virtual team will provide clients with branding, advertising, copywriting, video production, influencer, social media, strategic communications, paid search, content, and design services. Cover3 Creative and Trust Relations are initially teaming up to serve the legacy ice cream brand Caspers Ice Cream, founded in 1925. The partnership is currently promoting all three of the companys sub brands: FatBoy, Jolly Llama and ChurnBaby. The frozen treat brands are benefiting from both Cover3 Creatives and Trust Relations deep experience working with food and beverage industry clients. For nearly 100 years, Caspers Ice Cream has crafted the worlds smoothest, most delicious frozen treats. FatBoy Ice Cream is known nationwide for its premium ice cream sandwiches and cones, and introduced gluten-free options for both this month. Jolly Llama offers delicious enlightenment in the form of dairy- and gluten-free frozen treats, and introduced new coconut-powered ice cream cones and sandwiches this month, to accompany its popular sorbet pops. The company also launched a third brand this month: ChurnBaby a boutique-style series of cookie-topped ice cream treats and ice cream cookie sandwiches. We chose Trust Relations as a strategic partner for Cover3 Creative and our portfolio of clients because of the firms extraordinary ability to identify inspiring and creative ways to show a brands value and demonstrate its unique story, said Joaby Parker, President of Cover3 Creative. Trust Relations flexible structure also gives us the ability to optimize each brands resources and scale up our communications efforts for any client, as needed. Trust Relations innovative business model pulls together the best talent nationwide for every account to create nimble dream teams for clients that are best suited to their unique needs and budgets. "Trust Relations" is a term coined by President and Founder April White to describe a new approach to strategic communications that focuses on communicating clients' authentic actions, value and goodwill. In technology, trust relationships are an administration and communication link between two domains. In communications, they are a bond of mutual respect between a brand and the people it serves. We are thrilled about this partnership with Cover3 Creative because I am a firm believer in providing seamless solutions to brands and coming up with creative, integrated campaigns that work across all communications channels synergistically, said Trust Relations President April White. Cover3 Creative is also a great cultural fit for us. Both teams are comprised of talented, no-nonsense professionals who act as though we are part of clients in-house team and spend their budgets wisely. We all move fast, work hard, care deeply, and dont shy away from a challenge. Founded in 2012, Cover3 Creative is a dynamic advertising and marketing agency servicing the full suite of digital, content, video, branding and strategic marketing needs for national and local entrepreneurial clients in industries ranging from health, fitness and consumer packaged goods to ecommerce and home manufacturing. The agency specializes in content marketing, social marketing, social media management, digital marketing, web design, video production, copywriting, branding, package design, and paid search management/strategy. For more information, visit http://cover3creative.com and https://www.trustrelations.agency/. About Trust Relations Trust Relations, founded in 2019, is a virtual strategic communications firm that creates nimble and proactive dream teams for clients through a national network of the industrys best and brightest practitioners. "Trust Relations" is a term coined by President and Founder April White to describe a new approach to strategic communications that centers on communicating clients' authentic actions, value and goodwill. In technology, trust relationships are an administration and communication link between two domains. In communications, they are a bond of mutual respect between a brand and the people it serves. The firm excels at identifying inspiring ways for clients to show their brand value by identifying supportive proof points and ideating creative activations that demonstrate their unique story and value proposition. For more information, visit https://www.trustrelations.agency/. About Cover3 Creative With more than 35 years of combined agency and digital marketing experience, Cover3 Creatives staff is more than a team. Theyre a culture built on individuals who bring exceptional skill sets that enable them to take the clients ball across the goal line with trust, initiative, communication and specialized skills. The agencys efforts and expertise are client-centric and focus on growing a productive customer base, enhancing customer relationships and creating ROI wins from top of funnel to bottom. Cover3 Creative delivers vision, direction and needle-moving profit results for clients and believes hard work combined with collaborative strategy always wins. For more information, visit http://cover3creative.com/. Media Contact April White 323-216-8589 april@trustrelations.agency Supreme Court win will be seen as a bellwether in battleground Wisconsin ahead of the November presidential election. A liberal challenger on Monday ousted a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice endorsed by President Donald Trump, overcoming a successful push by Republicans to forge ahead with last weeks election even as numerous other states postponed theirs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Joe Biden also emerged victorious, as expected, in the states Democratic presidential primary. Bidens easy victory became academic when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out, one day after Wisconsin held in-person voting. But the absentee-ballot-fuelled victory by liberal Supreme Court candidate Jill Karofsky was a huge win for Democrats. It reduced conservative control of the court to 4-3, giving liberals a chance to take control in 2023. Karofsky will now be on the court when the Republican-controlled Legislature tackles redistricting next year, a fight many expect to be decided by the state Supreme Court. Her win will also certainly be seen as a bellwether in battleground Wisconsin ahead of the November presidential election. Trump barely carried the state four years ago, and both parties see it as critical this year. Justice Dan Kelly was an early underdog in the Supreme Court race, given the expected higher Democratic turnout since the election was on the same day as the presidential primary. But the Supreme Court outcome became more uncertain as Biden emerged as the presumptive nominee in March and the coronavirus pandemic led to fears of in-person voting and closure of polling locations. People wanted their voices heard With so much riding on turnout, the Republican push to proceed with the election was viewed by Democrats as a bid to suppress Democratic votes, particularly among minorities in Milwaukee. Karofsky credited her win to voters rising up and rejecting Republican efforts to suppress turnout. People were willing to do that because they wanted their voices to be heard in this election, she said. A lot of times on election day were wringing our hands because were so upset about voter apathy. That wasnt the problem on Tuesday. People wanted their voices heard. Karofsky voter Caleb Andersen, of Milwaukee, worked the polls on election day and thought the hurdles put up to voting in person motivated some people to come out who would not have otherwise. Im sure theres some level of vindication, Anderson said of the Karofsky win. I do feel there was a lot of voter activity by people who were angered by the entire thing, the lack of availability of absentee ballots. Get out and vote NOW Trump last week broke from health experts and called on his supporters to get out and vote NOW for Kelly. He later said Democrats were playing politics by trying to postpone the election. As soon as I endorsed him, the Wisconsin Democrats said, Oh, lets move the election two months later, Trump said. Now they talk about, Oh, safety, safety. Trump first voiced support for Kelly at a rally in January, far before concerns over the coronavirus led to calls for a delay in the election. After Democratic Governor Tony Evers ordered the election postponed, the highly politicised Wisconsin Supreme Court backed Republicans in proceeding with in-person voting in a ruling issued the day before the April 7 election. Thousands of voters congregated for hours in long lines on April 7, defying social distancing guidelines that led to the postponement of primaries in several other states. Milwaukee opened just five of 180 polling places due to a shortage of workers. Karofsky surged to victory behind a record number of absentee ballots nearly as many as all the votes cast in a state Supreme Court race last year. The Wisconsin election crystallised what is expected to be a high-stakes, state-by-state legal fight over how citizens can safely cast their ballots if the coronavirus outbreak persists until the November election. Democrats are arguing for states to be ready to shift to much greater use of absentee and mailed ballots, while Republicans are raising the spectre that such elections could lead to increased fraud. A mess that could have been avoided Karofksys win is likely to only add fuel to Democrats call for more postal votes and toughen GOP opposition. Democrats earlier on Monday called for moving a May 12 special congressional election in Wisconsin to mail-in only. Returns were not allowed to be reported until Monday due to a quirk in the court battle over the election. Even before the counting began, a group of Milwaukee-area voters filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force a partial revote to protect the thousands of voters who they argue were disenfranchised by the turbulent election. Many voters complained that they had requested absentee ballots that never arrived, forcing them to choose between sitting out the election or risking infection by voting in person. City officials in Milwaukee, as well as Wisconsins two US senators, called on the US Postal Service to investigate the complaints. Evers said on Monday that the election was a mess that could have been avoided. A pharmacy worker sells N95 face masks in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Feb. 27, 2020. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) Pentagon Orders Machines That Can Disinfect 34 Million N95 Masks Weekly The Pentagon has ordered 60 machines that will be able to disinfect more than 4.8 million N95 protective masks a day. The Department of Defense on April 13 announced that new decontamination units produced by Battelleat a total cost of $415 millionwill be able to clean each mask up to 20 times. All 60 systems will be available by early May for prioritization and distribution by FEMA and HHS, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, Department of Defense spokesman, said in a statement. Once all are delivered, these 60 units will allow 4.8 million masks to be sterilized per day, almost 34 million per week. N95 masks, which provide a level of protection to the wearer from COVID-19 thats needed by health care workers, are in short supply across the globe. Being able to reuse masks will ease the pressure on supply. Six units have already been delivered to locations including two to New York, and one each to Columbus, Ohio, Boston, Chicago, and Tacoma, providing the ability to sterilize 3.4 million masks a week, reducing the need for new masks by the same number. The masks are cleaned using concentrated vapor phase hydrogen peroxide, according to a description on the Battelle website. The respirators are exposed at the validated concentration level to decontaminate biological contaminants, including the SARS-CoV-2. Healthcare systems will collect worn N95 respirators each day in accordance with an approved procedure, and the PPE will be labeled with a barcoded serial number for tracking the chain-of-custody throughout the decontamination process, the company stated. This procedure ensures that the hospital system receives its own respirators back. Over the weekend, the Pentagon announced a $133 million project to help fill the mask shortage, which will produce more than 39 million masks in 90 days under the Defense Production Act (DPA). Boxes of N95 protective masks for use by medical field personnel at a New York State emergency operations incident command center during the CCP virus outbreak in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 17, 2020. (Mike Segar/Reuters) On the evening of April 10, the Department of Defense received approval from the White House Task Force to execute the first DPA Title 3 project responding to COVID-19, said a Pentagon statement. The increased production will ensure the U.S. government gets dedicated long term industrial capacity to meet the needs of the nation. Title 3 of the DPA allows the president to invest in specific industries to expand the domestic capacity and supply for defense-related materials. Despite its name, the Defense Production Act can be conscripted for other national emergencies. Beyond arranging contracts for medical equipment, the military has been assisting directly in other ways as the United States wrestles with the CCP virus. Currently, more than 29,000 members of the National Guard have been deployed (pdf) by their local governors, with 34 states receiving federal top-up funding to ensure they can use their Guardsmen at will, without worrying about the cost. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently building 25 field hospitals, with another 15 in the pipeline. Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Tuesday said private hospitals need to fulfil their responsibility during the COVID-19 crisis situation and should not refuse to treat patients. The minister's comments came in the wake of a complaint against two private hospitals of refusing to treat a patient from a novel coronavirus hotspot. The hospitals were issued show cause notices. Sharma said complaints are coming from many parts of the state that some private hospitals are showing inequality in treating patients. He said be it a private or a government hospital, treatment should be given to patients on priority. The minister said the coronavirus situation is under control in the state and 3,000 tests can be done daily in all the state's medical colleges, including those in Jaipur. He said except some districts, including Jaipur, in the state, there is no information about increase of COVID-19 positive cases from anywhere. Sharma said 147 people, who had tested COVID-19 positive, have now tested negative after treatment and 74 have been discharged. The state has reported 969 coronavirus positive cases so far, of which 441 are from Jaipur. The entire state is under lockdown from March 22. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu: Fisherfolk could be in imminent danger of contracting COVID-19, say experts April 14,2020 | Source: The New Indian Express Fishers could be in imminent danger of contracting COVID-19 if they resume fishing. The Centre recently announced it is exempting fishing from lockdown restrictions. Irrespective of the possibility of extension of the lockdown, many experts states a return to fishing would be very risky, considering the number of surfaces fishers usually come in touch with. "Virus outbreaks are challenging to contain in places such as fishing hamlets. People need to be sensitised about social distancing and hand washing. Since they live in close proximity one another, it becomes more challenging. It is important to keep the virus out of fishing hamlets," said Dr K Gopala Rathinam, a retired public health officer. A study was conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society, on the surface lifespan of novel coronavirus, which has been recognised by WHO. The journal states the virus can live on surfaces for a few minutes to four days. Surfaces like paper and tissue paper, copper, cardboard, wood, clothes, stainless steel, polypropylene plastic, class and paper money are used in fishing. "The virus spreads through droplets from sneezing and coughing if an individual comes in contact with surfaces contaminated by another individual in places like boats and harbours in the case of fishers. It becomes dangerous and and makes for circumstances for easy transmission of the virus," said Dr M Shalini, Consultant Epidemiologist, Meenakshi Multi Speciality Hospital, Thanjavur. Retired public health officer Dr S Balasubramanian said, "The virus spreads through contamination in aerosol, surfaces and direct contact. It is a seventh-generation mutated virus. The risk of the virus spreading in places like fishing villages is quite high once there is an outbreak." The annual fishing ban for states such as West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry is in effect from April 15 to June 14. The ban differs for States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, who fish in the west in the Arabian Sea. Their ban starts on June 1 and ends on July. 31. This ban applies to mechanised boat fishers, while fibreglass boat fishers are exempted from the ban. Speaking to TNIE, R Amal Xavier, Joint Director, Fisheries department, said, "We are planning to block mechanised fishers from fishing as the annual ban is only a couple of days away. We have sought opinions from representatives of fibreglass boat fishers. Some of them, particularly in southern parts like Nagapattinam taluk, have said they would refrain from fishing. Representatives in villages in some of the north taluks like Sirkazhi and Tharangambadi have expressed their willingness to go to sea." Fishers have mixed opinions. S Karthikeyan, a fisher representative from Poompuhar, said, "We cannot maintain social distancing as there would be crowds in the harbour when we land with fish. We cannot focus on work if we have to focus on washing hands every half an hour after touching surfaces." District Collector Praveen P Nair said, "We would conduct a meeting with stakeholders and participants of the Crisis Management Committee and take a call on whether to allow fishers to resume or not." Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Maharashtra recorded 134 new Covid-19 positive cases with Mumbai alone reporting 113 infectees, taking the state total to 1,895 cases, according to preliminary figures here on Sunday. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, April 14 : Mumbai recorded 92 new COVID-19 cases, including six from the hotspot of Dharavi slum, raising the state total from 2,334 to 2,455, officials said here on Tuesday. As per the provisional figures this morning, of the total 121 new cases detected on Tuesday in the state, 13 are from Navi Mumbai, Thane 10, Palghar five and Raigad one. Till Monday Maharashtra notched 161 deaths, the highest in the country, and the state recorded 352 new cases on Monday, the highest single day tally so far. As the situation continued to rattle the state health authorities, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the constitution of a special 'Covid-19 Task Force' comprising leading doctors, who will advise the state government on ways and means to tackle the raging pandemic. The medicos -- who are specialists in various fields -- include the panel Chairman Sanjay Oak, and other members are S. Nagaonkar, Zarir Udwadia, Kedar Toraskar, Rahul Pandit, N. D. Karnik, Zaheer Virani, Pravin Bangar, and Om Shrivastava. The Covid-19 Task Force will strategise and plan for the pandemic protocols, besides giving expert guidance through a hotline, especially since many of the victims have succumbed to coronavirus with comorbidities. WKTV - Utica City FC midfielder Cristhian Segura was named to the All-MASL first team for the 2019-20 season, Monday. As the only midfielder on the six-player first team, Segura was effectively recognized as the top player in his position this year. The Sonora, Mexico native lead UCFC with 37 points in 19 games played during his first season in central New York. He also was second league-wide for midfielders with 25 goals, ninth overall in the MASL. The 28-year old made the most of his first season with City, setting career highs in goals, assists (12) and points. This is Segura's first All-MASL honor, and with this announcement, Utica City FC was featured at every level of the All-MASL awards this year (honorable mention; first, second and third teams). As the world is reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, medical terminologies like rapid antibodies test, RT-PCR test, hotspots and containment zones have come into focus. Doctors explain for the common man what these testing and containment terminologies mean. Two kinds of diagnostic tests are being currently used in India -- RT-PCR test and rapid antibodies test, as per the global health norms. A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA that detects the virus while the antibody tests, which use blood, detect the body's response to the virus, experts said. "In RT-PCR, it is tested if the virus is present or not. A sample is taken from the respiratory tract of a person, throat swab or a sample from thenaseopharyngal region and then rested. The results take about 12-24 hours," said noted Delhi-based lung surgeon Arvind Kumar. Kumar, who works at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, said, RT-PCR tests take time and are a costly affair because of its elaborate kit. "On the other hand, the rapid antibodies test are less expensive and the results can come in 20-30 minutes. It essentially tests if the antibodies in response the coronavirus infection has been generated or not," he said. These tests are generally used in hotspots where the infection is found concentrated in a given area. A hotspot is a zone from where a large number of COVID-19 cases are reported. In Delhi, till Monday night the number of hotspots stood at 47, which have been made containment zones and sealed. "In rapid antibodies test, the result will be positive only if the antibodies have been generated. So, even if a person is infected but the antibodies are not generated, the result will come negative," Kumar said. In many cases, it has happened in the past that a person tested negative earlier but after a few days when he or she reached another country, the test came out positive there. This same person would have come out positive had the RT-PCR test been conducted, but the issue of feasibility of its use. In government labs, the tests are free but at private laboratories, which use RT-PCR test the cost is Rs 4,500. The Supreme Court on Monday modified its April 8 order that asked private labs to conduct free COVID-19 tests and said the benefit will be available only to "economically weaker sections" who are covered under a government scheme such as Ayushman Bharat. The apex court said it never intended to make testing free for those who can afford to pay. It had on April 8 directed that private labs, which were allowed to charge Rs 4,500 for it, would not charge for the tests observing that they need to be philanthropic in the hour of national crisis. A spokesperson of the Thyrocare labs, one of the laboratories authorised by the government to do testing, said, testing has to be done judiciously as there are less number of kits in India. "A doctor's recommendation is required before we can do testing. Well-known video blogger Mumbiker Nikhil had recently returned from the UK and he got his testing done and even made a video on it to raise awareness as people coming from abroad should consult doctors, especially if they are showing symptoms," he said. The death toll due to coronavirus in the country rose to 339 while the number of cases soared to 10,363 on Tuesday, said the Union Health Ministry. Doctors at Delhi government hospitals said from naseopharyngal and oral samples, if either of that comes positive, that person is considered COVID-19-affected. How well these tests work depends on several factors, including the time from the onset of illness, the concentration of virus in the specimen, the quality of the specimen collected from a person and how it is processed, and the precise formulation of the reagents in the test kits, experts said. Additionally, false positive results -- that is, a test showing that a person is infected when they are not -- could occur if the antibodies on the test strip also recognise antigens of viruses other than COVID-19, such as from human coronaviruses that causes the common cold, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health in Lagos state, says a total of 118,000 households have been reached in the active case search... Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health in Lagos state, says a total of 118,000 households have been reached in the active case search of possible COVID-19 cases in communities. At a media briefing on Tuesday, the commissioner said community search was activated to limit the spread of the disease in the state which has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country. Abayomi said 110 persons were found with symptoms of coronavirus but tests are being conducted to determine their status. Weve embarked on an active case search in communities. The idea is to go to hot spots and go from door to door with our health personnel. So far, in the last two days, weve visited 118,000 households and were looking for the typical symptoms of COVID-19. Weve identified about 119 people who have the symptoms that are suggestive of COVID-19, he said. But let me remind you that COVID is one of the viruses that can cause respiratory symptoms. There are many viruses. So, the idea is to take samples from these 119 and analyse them and that would give us an idea of how much COVID-19 activity is happening in the communities. Though they make up a small percentage of the overall threat landscape, attacks by nation-state-affiliated actors are among the most damaging. Some in the cybersecurity community believe these threat actors are too determined, sophisticated and unpredictable for most organizations to defend against. A new report from Booz Allen Hamilton, however, suggests that actions taken by threat actors associated with Russia follow a series of predictable patterns and principles. That gives at-risk organizations a chance to better prepare for an attack. The research principles outlined in the report can apply to other state-affiliated advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. The politics behind nation-state attacks Knowing why you might be a target is the first step in defending against a nation-state threat. Most APT groups are affiliated with governments, and most governments make their long-term strategic goals publicly available. The specific significance of geopolitical developments on cyber operations is a blind spot in threat intelligence, says Brad Stone, senior vice president in Booz Allen Hamiltons cyber practice. Organizations should see the value in thinking more critically about how geopolitical factors are impacting their cybersecurity and the need to integrate geopolitical intelligence into their cybersecurity capability. New Delhi: After India's Health Ministry repeatedly blamed an Islamic seminary for spreading the coronavirus and governing party officials spoke of "human bombs" and "corona jihad" a spree of anti-Muslim attacks has broken out across the country. Young Muslim men who were passing out food to the poor were assaulted with cricket bats. Other Muslims have been beaten up, nearly lynched, run out of their neighbourhoods or attacked in mosques, branded as virus spreaders. In Punjab state, loudspeakers at Sikh temples broadcast messages telling people not to buy milk from Muslim dairy farmers because it was infected with coronavirus. Indian firefighters disinfect a sealed area outside an Islamic seminary in the Nizamuddin neighbourhood of Delhi, after a 36-hour-long operation to evacuate 2631 Muslims to hospitals for quarantine earlier this month. Credit:Getty Images Hateful messages have bloomed online. And a wave of apparently fake videos has popped up telling Muslims not to wear masks, not to practise social distancing, not to worry about the virus at all, as if the makers of the videos wanted Muslims to get sick. In a global pandemic, there is always the hunt for blame. US President Donald Trump has done it, insisting for a time on calling the coronavirus a "Chinese virus". All over the world people are pointing fingers, driven by their fears and anxieties to go after The Other. Lecico Egypt will close its factory in Alexandria governorate for two weeks after two workers there tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a statement by the company on Tuesday. Workers at the Lecico for Ceramic Industries Factory, located in the city of Borg El-Arab, will be asked to stay at home in self-isolation for the two-week period, the statement said. The factory represents 35 percent of the total production capacity for the firms sanitary-ware business, it said. Lecico primarily produces bathroom fixtures and tiles. Its other production sites are still operational, the statement said, predicting minimal disruption to customer needs after the factory closure given its stock levels and the already slowing demand for products as a result of the pandemic. The statement said the firm had already implemented a range of health and safety measures, including training for employees, issuing employees with individual hand-sanitisers, temperature checks at offices and factories, sick leave for those with cold or flu symptoms, and increased social distancing in offices. The company believes it must continue to operate as much as possible within these changing parameters to protect its customers business and ensure Lecicos continuity commercially and financially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, read the statement. Factories in Egypt were last week authorised by the government to resume work at full capacity. The decision sparked debate, part of a wider discussion of the impact of the coronavirus preventive measures on the countrys economic conditions and daily life. Several big-name business figures have argued that the nightly curfew, implemented in March, and other measures to limit the spread of the virus, will have a major negative impact on the private sector and force lay-offs. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said last week in a televised speech that he is not in favour of a total suspension of work. He has, however, called for adequate safety measures; last week he made an impromptu appearance at a Cairo construction site and was videoed questioning site managers about workers lack of masks. Search Keywords: Short link: Mondays COVID-19 press conference will be memorable because President Trump used it to slap back at the medias attempt to rewrite his timely and aggressive response to COVID-19, even as media types were on the airwaves saying it was nothing more than a flu. What shouldnt get lost about that same press conference is how Dr. Fauci responded to a reporter who tried to get him, not just to blame Trump, but to act as a hostage to or puppet of the administration. The press conference that ended up shooting off so many fireworks began innocuously enough. Trump walked out and offered condolences and best wishes to those in the South who had experienced severe and deadly weather. Then, he stated that the number of new infections is flat and that hospitalizations are slowing in hot spots, something that is especially good in light of the apocalyptic nature of the expert predictions. Trump next invited Dr. Fauci to step to the podium. Fauci cheerfully said that, while last week was bad, it seems as if this week we may be on the other side of the bell curve. He was also enthusiastic about his discussion with the Congressional Black Caucus, and ways to help minority communities. Fauci then forthrightly and gracefully addressed his Sunday interview on CNN with Jake Tapper. During that interview, he said, he was asked a hypothetical question and noted that these questions can create problems. Fauci explained that the hypothetical asked if earlier mitigation efforts would have helped with COVID-19's spread. His answer, he explained, was stated purely in the abstract: In theory, the nature of mitigation being what it is, the earlier one implements mitigation, the better the outcome. However, said Fauci, that theoretical answer to a hypothetical question was taken as maybe something was at fault here. The contrary is true, Fauci insisted. He told the assembled reporters that, before he spoke to the president, there had been group discussions about the pros and cons of strong mitigation at a given time, with the discussions mostly taken place between medical experts. However, he said, that kind of discussion wasnt at all what happened when dealing with President Trump: The first and only time that Dr. Birx and I went in and formally made a recommendation to the President to actually have a shutdown in the sense of, not really shutdown, but to really have strong mitigation, we discussed it. Obviously, there would be concern by some that, in fact, that might have some negative consequences. Nonetheless, the President listened to the recommendation and went to the mitigation. The next, second, time that I went with Dr. Birx into the President and said, Fifteen days are not enough; we need to go thirty days, obviously, there were people who had a problem with that because of the potential secondary effects. Nonetheless, at that time, the President went with the health recommendations, and we extended it another thirty days. So I can only tell you what I know and what my recommendations were. But clearly, as happens all the time, there were interpretations of that response to a hypothetical question that I just thought it would be very nice for me to clarify because I didnt have a chance to clarify that. In the sane world, that is an unambiguous statement about what he said, what he meant to say, and what actually happened. It establishes unequivocally that President Trump, whatever his instincts were, was willing to listen to and abide by expert recommendations regarding a new disease within Americas borders. A reporter asked Fauci to specify the date he spoke to the President, which he could not remember. She asked if the mitigation at issue was the travel restrictions the President imposed. Fauci replied that the travel restrictions were something different. He then elaborated that Trump was always on board with those recommendations as well, whether for China, Europe, or England. CBS's Paula Reid next asked Fauci about his reference to pushback. He quickly answered, That was the wrong choice of words. What he meant was that there was simply discussion not necessarily in front of the president -- about different options. And that response led Reid to ask a shocking question. But before I get to that question, allow me to digress for a moment. During the Vietnam War, Jeremiah Denton, a Navy flyer, was shot down over North Vietnam and became a prisoner of war. He survived 7 1/2 years in the Hanoi Hilton despite being subject to incredibly brutal torture as well as years in solitary confinement. In 1966, Denton was dragged out of his cell and placed before cameras to participate in a press conference. During the conference, despite having to focus so that he could respond to questions without saying something that would get him killed, Denton managed to blink his eyes in Morse code to spell out T-O-R-T-U-R-E: With Dentons heroism in mind, lets return to Mondays press conference. Its apparent that the mainstream media has cast Fauci in the role of a prisoner of war trapped in Trumps White House and imagines him sending out secret signals telling the truth about his captivity. How else can one explain Reid's question to Dr. Tony Fauci, a man who is guiding the presidents every step right now: Are you doing this voluntarily or did President Trump [inaudible]? Even with the second part of the question inaudible, its evident that Reid was asking if Fauci was making his statement under duress. Her question was tantamount to asking Fauci if his blinks were spelling out torture. Fauci, hands raised in protest, instantly answered, No. Everything I do is voluntary. He then added, Please, dont even imply that. The look of disgust on his face as he uttered those words was unmistakable. The media are out of control. A meme floating around the internet perfectly sums up what is happening: The media have no actual interest in COVID-19. They care about the virus only insofar as the virus is a way to undermine President Trump. In the same way, they have no interest in whether hydroxychloroquine (a drug Ive taken myself, without even a caution from the doctor, when traveling in the Far East as a prophylactic against malaria) can help patients if they receive it early enough. Because President Trump viewed the drug with enthusiasm, the media are determined to treat it as a deadly poison, even if that attitude means that people die without it. Dr. Fauci has made it plain that Trump has listened carefully to expert medical advice and followed it in the hope that this advice will serve America well and the media have responded by treating Fauci has a hostage and puppet. Tributes have poured in for an influential member of London's Jewish community, who has died of coronavirus. Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, who spoke for the orthodox Haredi Jewish community in Stamford Hill, north London, was described as 'an undoubted leader of exceptional talent'. Religious figures as well as a series of senior politicians have taken to social media to remember him, after he died on Monday having battled the virus in hospital. The first rabbi to become a local councillor, he was an active supporter of the Labour Party, but was outspoken over its problems with anti-Semitism. Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, pictured, spoke for the orthodox Haredi Jewish community in Stamford Hill, north London Former party leader Jeremy Corbyn is among those to have paid tribute today. He wrote: 'So sad at death of Rabbi Pinter - a wonderful caring Rabbi, educator and community activist, and a great friend to all communities. 'I always enjoyed his company. May his memory be a blessing.' London mayor Sadiq Khan described him as a figure who 'did so much to help community relations in London and will be missed by so many'. Rabbi Pinter first became unwell last week before being admitted to a central London hospital, according to the Jewish Chronicle. Best known for his work as a community figurehead, he made history by becoming the first rabbi to be elected as a local councillor, when he won a seat in Hackney in 1982. He was also a driving force in the bid to get state funding for the Yesodey Hatorah Girls School in the constituency, where a new building was later opened by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Leading Jewish figures have also paid tribute, with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis writing: 'I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Rabbi Avraham Pinter z'l. Religious figures as well as a series of senior politicians have taken to social media to remember the rabbi, pictured, after he died on Monday having battled the virus in hospital 'Rabbi Pinter was known to many as a tireless representative of the Jewish community in Stamford Hill, as a local councillor and as the Principal of Yesoday Hatorah Girls' School. 'I will remember him as an eved Hashem with a kind heart and an unwavering commitment to his community. His loss will be widely felt across Anglo Jewry and beyond. Yehi zichro baruch.' In a joint statement, the Jewish Leadership Council's Simon Johnson and Jonathan Goldstein said Rabbi Pinter 'was an undoubted leader of exceptional talent and a strong advocate for his community with a broad sympathy for and understanding of the needs of Jews from across religious observance. 'He was respected by politicians and by all across our community. Baruch Dayan Emes. Rabbi Pinter's memory will endure and we pray that his family may be comforted among the mourners for Zion and Jerusalem.' Rabbi Pinter was outspoken in his views on anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, and claimed at one stage he no longer felt welcome at constituency meetings In 2016, he said: 'The Labour Party never recognised it had a problem. It's really where it was 50 years ago. It's been there and it's still there.' A great day to be alive It was one of those good days in Queenstown, Tasmania. When I say good, I mean the sun was shining, no clouds and no rain which was different to almost every other I day I worked as a police officer there. The locals had a saying. If you can see Mount Lyell, its going to rain. If you cant see Mount Lyell, its already raining. Have you ever heard of Gormanston? Ken and I were on town duties when we were tasked to attend the Gormanston Hotel where a woman had allegedly tried to stab a man with a knife. Gormanston was a small town about 10 minutes drive up the mountain east of Queenstown on the Lyell Highway to Hobart. It had once been an accommodation centre for the big copper mine but was then, in 1979, being used by the Tasmanian Government for inexpensive public housing. These days, Gormanston is considered a ghost town with just 17 residents in the last census. At the hotel we were told the woman had left and the man she tried to stab was her husband who she had found in a compromising position with another woman, behaviour not uncommon in Gormanston or in fact in Queenstown at the time of high unemployment, isolation, limited public transport and low socio-economic living conditions. Charge her, he said It was something we had to follow-up, the husband wanted her charged with assault but there was no great urgency on our part, wed just speak with the woman, offer her assistance and call in the social welfare organisations at least we thought this would be the best course of action. I led the way to the front door, noticing on the way two kiddies being dropped over the fence into the backyard by neighbours. Double-Barrel danger Just as I knocked, the front door flew open outwards and I was looking right into the twin barrels of a 12-guage shotgun.The woman was obviously distressed and emotional, red-eyed and teary, shaking, blubbering speech and the look of someone who might do something stupid. I stood where I was and ordered Ken to stand back near our vehicle. Although I held no fear at the time, I couldnt actually decide what else to do. So we stood there facing each other with me trying to calm the situation and explain the gun wasnt going to help the situation in any way. Standing, talking, still standing, still talking .. It seemed like 40-minutes we stood there, more likely about five when she turned and ran back into the house, leaving the gun lying across a lounge. I quickly checked the gun; it was fully loaded with heavy-load cartridges which I took possession of and still have on my dresser to this day. Mental Health The kids went back to the neighbours, the woman came with us to Queenstown where we tried to organise for her to have some mental health assistance as neither of us really wanted her to be charged. We arranged for a local doctor to see her at the station and the sergeant of police later decided to let her go with a caution. I still believe an emergency order giving her a three-day stay at a psychiatric hostel would have been the better option but the matter was taken out of my hands. Now, 40 years later, I can still relive this situation in my mind as if it happened only last week. I knew then, as now, what damage a gun or rifle can do. While in infantry training I had been accidently shot in the right thigh by another trainee and two years later almost to the day, had been severely wounded in action in Vietnam. What if the woman had pulled the trigger? There was no escape, there was nowhere to hide or to seek cover, all would have been lost but just as in the two previous cases mentioned, intervention. What else has God in store for me? To this day I believe God had his hand on my life, He had other duties for me to complete and He wanted me alive. Could it have been the 20 years I spent as a Childrens Ministry leader or perhaps my hand in the setting-up of the Rodeo Cowboy Ministry in Australia? There are people Ive had a hand in leading to Christ, there is half-a-lifetime of mentoring young Christians or is there something else God has in store for me? Following the upsurge in criminal activities in some communities in Lagos and Ogun states, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the immediate deployment of additional intelligence and operatives to strengthen security and bolster public confidence in the affected areas. They include the Police Mobile Force, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Team and the Special Tactical Squad. Suspected hoodlums had reportedly taken advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown in the two states to break into shops and burgle homes in Aiyede, Ota, Ogun State and in the Agege and Agbado areas of Lagos State. The Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said, A total of 191 suspects have been arrested in Lagos and Ogun states in connection with the incidents. Fifteen locally-made guns, 52 live cartridges, 42 cutlasses and axes and a large quantity of weeds suspected to be marijuana have been recovered from the hoodlums by the police teams in the Agbado, Ifo, Ota and Agege axis. The statement explained that the police intervention team was being coordinated by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Peter Ogunyanwo, who is in charge of the Department of Research and Planning of the Force and the coordinating DIG for the South-West geopolitical zone. He is to immediately oversee the deployments of these additional assets to enhance public safety, public confidence and general security in the two states. DIG Ogunyanwo can be reached through 0803 389 3226. The Control Room numbers for Lagos Command are 08127155132, 08065154338 and 07055462708 while that of Ogun Command are 08081770416 and 08081770419, the police said. The IG also ordered the state commissioners of police across the country to immediately rejig the security architecture in their various commands to tackle all emerging crimes associated with the COVID-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, on Monday, met with the intelligence and security agencies to review the security strategy on the enforcement of the lockdown. The Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this while speaking with journalists at a press conference in Abuja. Responding to a question on robbery attacks in Lagos and Ogun, Mustapha said, This morning, we had a meeting with the intelligence and security community to review our strategies, going forward. Weve received those reports. Ive seen some of the clips on social media. I even spoke with the governor of Lagos this afternoon. They have been holding their security meetings and consulting because every governor is a chief security officer of his state. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Lockdown 2.0: PM Modi to spell out plan, announcement at 10 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today spell out a plan on a staggered exit to the lockdown. The 21-day lockdown announced by the PM ends at midnight today. Most states have already announced that the lockdown would be extended until April 30, but have added that they would wait for the Centre to announce the guidelines. Tamil Nadu extends lockdown till April 30 The second lockdown would be a graded one and the same will be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The PM had in earlier meetings emphasised that the second phase of the lockdown must be aimed at saving both lives and livelihood. While the Prime Minister would announce the broader steps that would be taken during the second phase of the lockdown, the Home Ministry would issue a detailed note on the guidelines. Officials tell OneIndia that the focus would be on the economy largely. While social distancing other health-related norms would be the focus as well, the larger plan would be to take steps on reviving the economy after the hit it took due to the coronavirus lockdown. Economic activity would be resumed in at least 160 districts where there have been no cases of COVID-19. However strict measures would be in place to ensure that no cases are reported in these areas due to the restoration of economic activity. These are being classified as green zones. There would be a revival of the self-contained public sector and private industrial units. These areas which would fall under the yellow zone are those with 500 or lesser cases of COVID-19. The Red Zones such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have areas that have been demarcated as containment zones. Organised activity will be allowed in these zones, but it would be within the monitored areas only. All attempts would be made to give un-organised trade to sustain, but there would be strict norms in place. For instance, a particular area would be demarcated and will be open for a few hours a day. A final blueprint would be prepared and signed by the Prime Minister and the announcement to be made tomorrow would be based on this. Rumors. Rumors. Rumors. It is that time of the year again where rumors start flying left and right and now that the esteemed E3 2020 gaming conference has been canceled due to COVID-19, gamers are left to dig up around the internet to find out the truth about Microsoft and SEGA. One rumor that has been circulating the internet is that of Microsoft and SEGA preparing an interesting joint announcement together! This rumor stems from a leaked E3 2020 ad, which actually features the Xbox Game Studios as well as the SEGA logo beside each other with a caption that says "Power Your Dreams" beneath! The ad leak The ad is set for June 14, 9am PDT 12pm EST and although this information "looks" very much reliable according to HappyGamer, Microsoft and SEGA have not yet given their comments on this matter. This said June 14 date actually does match up the date for the upcoming E3 where the announcement could actually have originally been scheduled right before the cancelations. Along with other of most recent moves by Microsoft in order to make the Xbox even more popular in Japan, the release of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service then launches tomorrow and a partnership with SEGA is also very far from out of the question. Of course, the E3 has also stated that they would not be holding any sort of online replacement for their upcoming 2020 showcase, deciding instead to allow the developers to "do their own thing." It is quite likely that there was something which both Microsoft and Sega wanted to announce according to HappyGamer which points out that "they would certainly be preparing a joint statement now." The circulating rumor There have been a lot of people discarding this rumor saying that it is a fake statement that is being spread by 4chan users just for fun but other fans of both companies have expressed their excitement saying that SEGA definitely needs another console to develop for and that they are totally excited to see so much backing being put behind the company. Other responses include those of dismay, having seen what companies acquired by Microsoft tend to turn out like. Of course, the speculations can only be confirmed or denied once either of the companies have issued their own statements regarding the matter. Perhaps in the few weeks to come, SEGA or Microsoft will then come out in order to clarify if there are possible intentions existing for either companies. Either way, with the E3 2020 canceled, it is most likely that these companies will be giving a statement in order to make up for the cancellation of E3 2020. Only Microsoft and SEGA now has the authority to tell fans if this is actually happening or not but there is still an indefinite date as to when this announcement may be or if this announcement is actually coming. CANBERRA, Australia - Cardinal George Pell has linked his fight against corruption in the Vatican with his prosecution in Australia for alleged child sex abuse. Pell was regarded as the third highest-ranking Vatican official in 2018 when he became the worlds most senior Catholic to be convicted of child sex abuse. He served 13 months in prison before Australias High Court last week acquitted him of molesting two choirboys in St. Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne while he was archbishop of Australias second-largest city in the 1990s. Pope Francis former finance minister said in a television interview broadcast on Tuesday that some church officials believed he was prosecuted by Australian authorities because of the trouble he had caused in the Vatican in implementing financial reforms. Most of the senior people in Rome who are in any way sympathetic to financial reforms believe that they are linked to the prosecution, the 78-year-old cleric told Sky News. What was surprising was even my theological opponents in Rome didnt believe the stories of sexual abuse, he added. Pell said he did not have evidence of a link. But he suspected that a man who swore he had been sexually abused by Pell as a 13-year-old choirboy more than two decades ago had been used. Francis created the Secretariat for the Economy, and named Pell its prefect, as a key part of his financial reform plans after being elected pope in 2013. Pell had tried to wrestle the Holy Sees opaque finances into order and align them with international standards, but his efforts and brusque style were rebuffed repeatedly by the Vaticans old guard. Pell stood aside from the job in 2017 to return to Australia, determined to clear himself of decades-old allegations of child sex abuse. Francis named a 60-year-old Spanish economist, the Rev. Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, as Pells successor last year, a day after Australias Victoria state Court of Appeal agreed to hear his case to overturn the convictions. The court upheld Pells convictions in a 2-1 majority decision. Alves came to his new job in a period of financial crisis, after Vatican prosecutors raided the Secretariat of State and the Holy Sees financial watchdog after receiving reports of a suspicious real estate transaction. Pell said Francis had absolutely supported him, even though My theological views ... dont line up exactly with Pope Francis. I think he values my honesty and perhaps that I would say things that some other people mightnt say, and I think he respects me for that, Pell added. Pell said that neither Francis nor Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin were corrupt, but that he did not know how high Vatican corruption rose. Just how high up it goes is an interesting hypothesis, he said. Pell said hell return to Rome after the coronavirus pandemic to pack up his apartment, but that he plans to make his new home in Sydney, where he had been archbishop. Victoria police refused to comment on newspaper reports Tuesday that they have launched a new investigation of another child abuse allegation against Pell dating back to the 1970s. Pell said he wouldnt be entirely surprised if police continued to pursue him. He has denied any wrongdoing. Pell said he was ashamed of his church over its child abuse crisis. There are two levels. One is the crimes themselves and then the treating it so inadequately for so long, Pell said. He warned in child abuse cases that guilt by accusation was not a sign of a civilization. The pendulum 30 or 40 years ago was massively against anybody who said that theyd been attacked, Pell said. Nowadays we dont want it to swing back so that every accusation is regarded as gospel truth. That would be quite unjust and inappropriate. Pells accuser in his trial, a man in his 30s whose identity is concealed by law, said in a statement last week that he hoped Pells acquittal would not deter child abuse victims from reporting to police. I would like to reassure child abuse survivors that most people recognize the truth when they hear it, said the man, described in court as Witness J. They know the truth when they look it in the face. I am content with that. PUNE, India, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global radar sensor market size is projected to reach USD 35.88 billion by the end of 2026. The increasing applications of the product across diverse industry verticals will aid market growth. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled "Radar Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Pulse Radar, Continuous-Wave Radar, Radar Altimeter, and Others), By Range (Short-range, Medium-Range, and Long-Range), By Application (Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Monitoring and Communication, Security and Surveillance, Traffic Monitoring, Environment, and Weather Monitoring, Hump Yard and Rail Crossing, Health Monitoring, and Others), By Vertical (Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, Healthcare, Maritime, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026," the market was worth USD 8.57 billion in 2018 and will exhibit a CAGR of 19.7% during the forecast period, 2019-2026. Radar Sensor Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Radar sensors are products that are used to detect obstructions and obstacles in the path of any vehicle or automotive. The product is widely used in numerous defense and military applications due to the ease of use. The low cost of the product, coupled with the exceptional properties of radar sensors have allowed widespread applications. Accounting to the huge potential held by radar sensors, large scale companies are looking to invest more towards the development of advanced products. Get Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/radar-sensor-market-102605 An Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market: The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic. We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future. To get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/radar-sensor-market-102605 Increasing Number of Company Collaborations Will Aid Market Growth The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the market in recent years. The increasing number of company mergers and collaborations has had a massive impact on the growth of the market. Several large scale companies as well as organizations are focusing on forming strategic partnerships, with a bid to establishing a stronghold in the market. In March 2017, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, and NVIDIA Corporation announced that they have forged a strategic partnership. This step was taken to develop software for a scalable system for new driver assistance systems. This acquisition will not just help these companies, but will have a massive impact on the growth of the market in the coming years. Europe Currently Holds the Highest Market Share; Presence of Several Large Scale Companies Will Aid Growth The report analyses the ongoing radar sensor market trends across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these regions, the market in Europe currently holds the highest market share. The increasing product applications across diverse industry verticals will aid the growth of the regional market. As of 2018, the market in Europe was worth USD 2.94 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years. Besides Europe, the market in North America will witness considerable growth. Speak to Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/radar-sensor-market-102605 List of Key Companies that are operating in the Radar Sensor Market include: Robert Bosch GmbH ( Germany ) ) Continental AG ( Germany ) ) Infineon Technologies AG ( Germany ) ) DENSO CORPORATION ( Japan ) ) ZF Friedrichshafen AG ( Germany ) ) HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA ( Germany ) ) Lockheed Martin Corporation (US) s. m. s. smart microwave sensors GmbH ( Germany ) ) Oculi Corp (US) SICK AG ( Germany ) ) Socionext America Inc. (US) Industry Developments: March 2017 - ZF Friedrichshafen AG announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 45 percent stake in Astyx Communication & Sensors GmbH. Through this acquisition, the company will look to utilize Astyx's attractive range of sensors for several applications. Quick Buy Radar Sensor Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102605 Detailed Table of Content Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Global Radar Sensor Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Type (Value) Pulse Radar Continuous Wave Radar Radar Altimeter Others By Range (Value) Short Range Radar Sensor Medium Range Radar Sensor Long Range Radar Sensor By Application (Value) Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) Monitoring and Communication Security and Surveillance Traffic Monitoring Environment and Weather Monitoring Hump Yard and Rail Crossing Health Monitoring Others By Vertical (Value) Automotive Aerospace and Defence Healthcare Maritime Manufacturing Oil and Gas Others By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and Latin America Continued..!!! Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/radar-sensor-market-102605 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Image Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (CCD Sensor, CMOS Sensor), By Processing Type (2D, 3D), By Application (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Healthcare, Surveillance & Security, Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Virtual Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solution, Services), By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premises), By End-User (Oil and Gas, Manufacturing and Utilities, Consumer Technology, Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, Healthcare, Chemical, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Automotive Active Safety Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application Type (Antilock Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Traction Control, Lane Departure Warning, Others), By Sensor Type (Camera Sensor, Radar Sensor, LiDAR sensor, Others), By Vehicle Type (Passenger cars, Commercial Vehicles) Others and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 3D Radar Systems Market Size, Share and Global Trend by Range (Short Range, Medium Range, Long Range), Application (Airborne, Ground, Naval), Frequency (C/S/X Band, E/F Band, L Band, Others) and Geography Forecast till 2026 Automotive Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Sensor Type (Temperature Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Speed Sensor, Position Sensor, Others), By Application Type (Powertrain, Chassis, Exhaust, ADAS, and Others), By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, LCV, HCV), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Temperature Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Thermocouple, Thermistor, Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD), Semiconductor Temperature Sensor, Infrared Temperature Sensor, and Others), By End-User (Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Food and Beverages, Energy and Power, Oil and Gas, Chemicals, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Industrial Gas Sensors Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Product Type (Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, NOx, Others), By Technology (Electrochemical, Semiconductor, Infrared, Others), By End-User Industry (Healthcare, Building Automation & Domestic Appliances, Automotive, Others) And Regional Forecast 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: [email protected] Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/radar-sensor-market-9745 SOURCE Fortune Business Insights Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) China has so far put up two research stations and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea amid the coronavirus pandemic. While these actions were widely seen as China taking advantage of the global health crisis, "none of these is new," according to Washington-based think-tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. "There's nothing different today that China wasn't doing six months ago," AMTI director Gregory Poling said in an online forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines. "It has been steadily increasing its presence... it's been steadily increasing the frequency of harassment of South East Asian oil and gas operations, fishing operations, etc.," Poling said, adding that China is showing no signs of stopping in order to establish control of contested waters. "I think people are a little more scandalized. They have assumed that amid the global pandemic, we would see a calming and that hasn't happened," he added. Poling said deployment of Chinese vessels has been "pretty consistent" around Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island since December 2018 until last month. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. also said last month that more than 130 Chinese fishing vessels have been spotted in the area since the start of the year. "We would expect that they will continue to deploy there," Esperon said in March, some three months after the deadly coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. Last week, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over reports that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed and sunk a Vietnamese fishing vessel in waters off Paracel Islands, claimed by both China and Vietnam, in the South China Sea. The department expressed solidarity with Vietnam, remembering that it was their fishermen who helped Filipinos onboard the fishing boat Gem-Ver which got involved in a similar incident last year. Poling said that while Chinese President Xi Jinping's hands may be tied to addressing the coronavirus crisis, he has local authorities who could assert Beijing's sovereignty through maritime aggression in their areas. Poling warned that there would be loss of lives "sooner or later," if this keeps on happening. He reiterated that the Philippines should ask for support from the international community to put political and economic pressure on China, but acknowledged that this is unlikely to happen under the Duterte government. "Nobody in Europe wants to talk about South China Sea because nobody in Manila wants them to," Poling said. Duterte has nurtured ties with China despite its continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea -- areas Manila claims and occupies in the South China Sea. Xi rejects Manila's arbitral win that voided Beijing's sweeping claim to the global waterway, and convinced Duterte to "shelve differences" to make way for joint oil and gas exploration. Poling added that the negotiations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China for a Code of Conduct to establish what claimants should and should not do in contested waters are a "failed process" now that no agreement has been reached after years of talks. Tell us about your early years Ive been born and brought up in Mumbai. I attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu. Then I joined Whistling Woods ITA School of Performing Arts, Mumbai where I did a diploma in Acting. When was the first time you thought of becoming an actor? Since the age of four, I enjoyed acting. Id do it in school. I participated in college plays. When friends came together, we had fun mimicking each other. What attracted you the most to the profession? I just knew I enjoyed acting. I used to do a lot of mimicry. Id imitate Poo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in the mirror. Actually, Poo came in much later. Before that, I used to drape my mothers dupatta as a saree and say things like, Mujhe mat chou! I spent my entire life to reach here. One thing youve been advised to stay away from in showbiz? Nothing as of yet. Of course, people tell me that youve got to be true to yourself and be nice to people. Also, to never turn up late. Im so punctual anyway. One actress you have looked up to since you were a child? It keeps changing. But Ive adored Kareena since I was a kid. I fancied her so much. But now since Ive grown up, Im actually more attracted towards the actors. I love Irrfan Khan, Rajkummar Rao and Ayushmann Khurrana. I want to grasp something from all of them. How did you get the role in Guilty? When I auditioned for Tanu Kumars character (who accuses the college heartthrob of rape), the audition seemed special. Usually, you wait for a month after the first test. Then youre shortlisted for the second test and then another within 10-13 days. But I got a call back immediately for another test and was told Id got the film. It all happened within half an hour. How did you prepare for your character? I had to get the accent right as shes from a small-town, Dhanbad. It was also her physicality. I had to gain weight. I had to grow comfortable in the clothes. The first few days I used to wear a jacket over what I wore as Tanu, I was so uncomfortable. But Tanu is so confident, she does not feel the need for any kind of validation. So, I had to own the character. Also, I wanted to empathise with Tanu and not judge her. If I didnt empathise with her then you guys also wouldnt have empathised with her. What was the one thing that intrigued you about the character? She didnt need validation from anyone. Generally, we girls need validation. People would say shes a gold digger. But for her shes gold. She wanted to be with VJ (Vijay) in college. But she also knew she was hot that VJ wanted to be with her. She believed she was the best. She was unapologetic about it. The best reaction you got post the release? Girls said, Thank you for playing this role. Thank you for being Tanu and opening up. A fond memory with best friend Alia Bhatt We have memories of 26 years. So I cant pick one. We have done it all. In late 19th-century Sweden, money quite literally bought votes. The country had "adopted an audacious system of proportional representation based on the amount of property each voter owned (or the amount of tax paid)," the French economist Thomas Piketty writes in his new book Capital and Ideology. The voting formula was complicated and had some limits in cities, but still, "in the municipal elections of 1871, there were 54 rural towns in Sweden where one voter cast more than 50 percent of the votes." The economy resulting from this system was naturally horrendously unequal in 1910 the top tenth of Swedish society owned nearly 90 percent of the country's wealth, and the top one-hundredth owned 60 percent. But this political system was manifestly unfair and unpopular part of why hundreds of thousands of Swedes emigrated to the United States during this period and the Swedish population mobilized against it. An organized mass movement demanded reform and universal suffrage, and when that was fully achieved by 1921 (after several rounds of reforms), the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SDP) came to power on the strength of overwhelming support from workers and farmers who had been largely locked out of the previous political system. The SDP catered to their voters with stiff taxes on the rich, new protections for unions, and a cutting-edge welfare state none of which interfered with ongoing economic growth. They proceeded to win every subsequent election until 2006. The story of how Sweden transformed itself from a pseudo-democratic oligarchy to one of the world's foremost social democracies, is at the heart of Piketty's massive new book, which clocks in at 1,041 pages. (It has been out in French for months but us uncultured English-speaking types have had to wait until now for the English translation, again done excellently by Arthur Goldhammer.) It is a very different book than his previous one, 2013's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, and somewhat to my surprise, not really about economics as such at all. Capital and Ideology is a work of political economy in the broadest sense a staggeringly ambitious effort attempting to synthesize centuries of history, economics, and politics into one grand picture. Story continues It's not perfect. It is perhaps too long and digressive, and Piketty's conception of ideology is not as original or worked-out as he seems to think. At times he struggles with organizing his titanic collection of arguments and evidence. Phrases like "I will return to this" appear dozens of times. But Piketty has once again assembled a gargantuan collection of data and freely published it online, which other writers and scholars can make use of. Overall, Capital and Ideology is a fascinating, essential study both of where we came from and of two possible paths forward: how we might create a better future for all human society, and the dark possibilities should we fail. ** Seven years ago, Piketty became about as close to a rock star as academic nerds can get. His book Capital in the Twenty-First Century a doorstop tome clocking in at 577 pages (not including notes), with oceans of original data and a striking theory of how capitalism works became the best-selling work in the history of Harvard University Press. Economists the world over, both on the left and the right, discussed it in minute detail. That book, as its name suggests, hearkened back to Karl Marx's book Capital. Piketty collected a huge data set of wealth and income in various countries going back over a century, which showed a marked tendency of wealth to concentrate, and inequality to increase. Under typical conditions, the rate of return on wealth exceeds the economy's rate of growth, causing the richest individuals to collect more and more of the national wealth and income. Absent countervailing forces like a wealth tax, capitalist economies will eventually become nightmarishly unequal where a tiny minority of wealth owners enjoy unearned income beyond the dreams of avarice, and a majority of the population lives hand-to-mouth. Notably, this future is the opposite of what Marx predicted in Capital, Volume III, where he said the rate of profit would tend to fall over time, eventually sparking a revolutionary crisis. As John Judis writes at The New Republic, "Marx's revolutionary end point where everything devolves into crisis and revolution is when the rate of profit approaches zero. Piketty's is when capital [profits grow] so large as a percentage of annual income that it absorbs all of national income." The only time in which this accumulation process was seriously disrupted in the countries Piketty studied was the period between 1914 and 1945 when the belligerent powers of the First and Second World Wars were forced to tax their citizens to the utmost, and often destroyed much of their capital stock during the fighting. It is bleak to imagine that the most clearly-proved way of reducing inequality is to have a gigantic world war. Capital and Ideology, however, is not an economic analysis, but is primarily about human politics and agency, and as such is considerably more optimistic. Though Piketty does not disavow his previous work, again and again he emphasizes the importance of contingency and choice in human affairs. A dystopia of inequality is not some automatic process it requires continual effort and maintenance, both through legal policies, and critically, through ideological conviction. "Inequality is neither economic nor technological; it is ideological and political," he writes. Again in contrast to Marx, Piketty insists that human argument and belief are centrally important in historical development. Marx argued that economic structures were ultimately the deciding factor in his materialist conception of history, with ideology being a byproduct of how the economy is organized. Piketty writes that ideology in itself can and often does become the determining factor in history: "I insist that the realm of ideas, the political-ideological sphere, is truly autonomous." Piketty starts his historical investigation with what he calls "ternary societies," his name for pre-modern feudal countries with a three-class "trifunctional order": peasants, nobles, and clergy. These provide a window into his view of how societies constitute and perpetuate themselves. All societies have been unequal to varying degrees, and all societies need some kind of legitimating ideology that justifies why that inequality exists. In feudal times, that was generally some kind of chivalry the idea that the peasants do the work, the nobles protect the community, and the clergy provide religious and intellectual guidance. One could argue against Piketty's emphasis on "autonomous" ideology here, given the plain fact that chivalrous ideology was ludicrously slanted in favor of noble property owners. Even if we grant that ideologies have their own force, Marx surely had a point in that which ones succeed are heavily influenced by who has the money and power. (Indeed, this is basically the conception of "hegemony" as developed by Antonio Gramsci.) But Piketty makes a more subtle point about ternary societies that provides an inarguable corrective to Marx. Though they all had similar structures, his detailed investigation shows there was enormous diversity between different feudal countries. For instance, the France of the 1660s had noble and clerical classes that were roughly twice as large as the France of the 1780s. And where the noble class was generally about half the size of the clergy in most feudal countries, in the Spain of 1750 it was almost twice as large or about 10 times the size of the 1780s French nobility. (Courtesy Thomas Piketty) So contrary to Marx and Engels' notion that the "history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles," Piketty shows that the vast differences between the structures of feudal countries had huge influences on the histories of those societies. In 18th-century France, for instance, the noble class was tiny and had enormous wealth and power but in Spain about the same time, it was huge and most nobles were not at all rich. Many were effectively just farmers or laborers, scraping by as peasants did. At any rate, ternary societies struggled to adapt to changing economic conditions as the Industrial Revolution gathered strength in the late 18th century. Feudal countries having no clear place for the rising capitalist class was a major impetus behind the French Revolution but as Piketty argues, the peculiar characteristics of France at the time also played an important role. As noted above, the French aristocracy was exceptionally tiny, and the economy was therefore exceptionally unequal and had been getting more so for the previous 200 years. Any "justification of inequality," Piketty writes, "must enjoy a minimum degree of plausibility if the system is to endure." And in France at that time, "rising inequality clearly exacerbated the unpopularity of the nobility and the political regime." An incompetent ruling class hoarding almost all wealth while the masses starve dissolves away the legitimacy of the ruling order, and when the Ancien Regime ran into a budget crisis in the 1780s, rising discontent and mass protest cracked apart its political edifice in revolution in 1789. Republican France inaugurated Piketty's second type of national archetype the "ownership society." This is a society dominated not by nobles and clergy but by owners of property, and Piketty calls the ideology of such a society "proprietarianism" the idea that property rights are a quasi-sacred institution which must be preserved at any cost. And because this kind of society could theoretically occur at any time, Piketty argues that capitalism is a sort of special form of proprietarianism: "I propose to think of capitalism as the particular form that proprietarianism assumed in the era of heavy industry and international financial investment, that is, primarily in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries." The remarkable thing about post-revolution France is that despite all the talk of "liberte, egalite, fraternite," it ended up being even more unequal than the Ancien Regime. Whereas the top one-hundredth richest French citizens owned about 55 percent of France's national wealth in 1780, in 1910 they owned a whopping 67 percent. That is because, as Piketty showed in his previous work, in a capitalist-dominated economy wealth flows inexorably to the very richest. But because it could function better than the previous French monarchy, it remained stable at least for awhile. But once again, this was not inevitable. French republicans had to reestablish basically the entire system of ownership, and early in the revolution some radicals attempted to question the fundamental basis of property rights. Richer, more conservative elements in the revolution argued that whoever has owned property before should get new, modern-style rights over that property that is, permanent and transferable to do whatever they wished with it. But this was at odds with the actual basis of the Ancien Regime property system, which had complex and overlapping rights granted to different parties. A lord might have a right to extract rent from a property, but local peasants might have a right to work that land for their own benefit aside from that, for instance. In other words, feudal property systems, while biased towards the rich, still had social welfare functions for the poor built in. Besides, the source of all these property rights were not any sort of contract between peasants and lords, as conservatives argued. "Provided one went far enough, perhaps several centuries, back in time, it was obvious to everyone that violence played a part in the acquisition of most seigneurial rights, which stemmed from conquest and serfdom," Piketty writes. In that case, why not think of property like the exercise of state power it in fact is, and put it to the use of the common good perhaps with a tax on income or wealth itself to fund social services? But conservatives won the argument, by invoking fear of chaos. If you start questioning property rights, where might it stop? They insisted that redistribution via progressive taxation "is a Pandora's box, which should never be opened," he writes. Only tiny taxes were implemented, which did not dent inequality in the slightest. It's an argument one continues to hear today. Ironically, the extreme inequality created by capitalist ownership societies in France and Britain created the very social instability they were supposed to avoid. During the century after the French Revolution both countries amassed gigantic colonial empires, especially the U.K., which at its height controlled about a quarter of the Earth's landmass. These created a double inequality both through the colonial regimes themselves, which created some of the most unequal societies ever measured in the imperial periphery, and through the property holdings at the imperial center, the profits of which flowed to a tiny elite. Competition over colonies was one of the main underlying causes of the tensions that would break out in the First World War inaugurating an unprecedented period of declining inequality in all rich countries which would continue through 1945. One important factor in this decline was a sharp decrease in measured national wealth across all combatant countries, which reduced capital profits and hence the income of the rich. (Piketty measures this by comparing total national wealth to total national income, which gives a good way of viewing the structure of wealth over time.) (Courtesy Thomas Piketty) Interestingly, Piketty proves that the destruction of physical capital was not the most important factor in this decline not even in France and Germany where the devastation was worst. On the contrary, destruction "can explain only part of the loss of property: between a quarter and a third in France and Germany, and at most a few percent in the United Kingdom." The rest of it was caused by taxation, nationalization, and wartime private lending. The combatant nations were stressed to the utmost, and forced to harness every available resource to fight the wars. And unlike in the U.K. after the Napoleonic wars, where the British state taxed its non-rich citizens for a century to pay off the resulting debt (almost all of which was held by the wealthy), after 1914 and 1945 nations either repudiated their debt, got it canceled, or inflated it away. Meanwhile, the chaos and destruction of wars and the Great Depression obliterated proprietarian ideology. For a century capitalist apologists had argued that their rule ensured both social harmony and economic prosperity, only for the countries they controlled to fall into the worst war and economic collapse in history. All this inaugurated Piketty's third type of society: social democracy. After the Second World War, most rich nations across the world set up expansive welfare states to provide income and services to the whole population national health insurance, paid family and sick leave, retirement pensions, disability and unemployment insurance, and so on. These were funded by stiff progressive taxes that both mobilized enormous resources and helped tamp down inequality. If the rich are taxed enough, capital will not accumulate at the top. Moreover, Piketty emphasizes that there were no noticeable negative later effects on the broader economy from this large-scale reduction of wealth. On the contrary, the three decades after 1945 saw the most powerful surge of growth ever recorded across the rich world. Economists often argue that wealth represents physical capital, thus more wealth means more factories, machinery, and so forth, and therefore more production and growth. But as Piketty writes, wealth claims can easily be established in areas that have no clear relationship to production at all, like "colonial riches, natural resources, and patents and intellectual property." In practice, a high wealth-to-income ratio has pretty much always meant property owners have colonized great parts of the economy, using market structures to extract income from the rest of society. It follows that reducing wealth can actually increase productivity in some areas. In much of Northern Europe after the wars, for instance, governments passed "codetermination" laws which gave a firm's employees seats on the corporate board. This reduced the value of stocks because it limited the power of shareholders to control the firm. But this did not reduce the output or innovation of the firms on the contrary, "greater worker investment in the long-term strategies of German and Swedish firms seems to have increased their productivity." Conversely, in the United States today where there are very few limitations on shareholders, we see an overwhelming focus on short-term profits that often degrades enterprises, or even destroys them. This leads to perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence for Piketty's thesis about political choice: the case of Sweden. Many have argued throughout the years that Sweden's current social-democratic consensus is the product of some ingrained culture going back centuries. In fact, as noted above, the opposite is the case: "Sweden was, prior to the reforms of 1910-11, one of the most inegalitarian societies in the world, with voting power concentrated in a tiny stratum of the wealthy." Moreover, Sweden remained neutral in both the First and Second World Wars. It didn't raise taxes to the utter limit because it had to fight off invasion, nor did any of its cities get bombed into ruins. Instead it chose to drastically reduce its inequality. No doubt it was influenced by the prevailing political climate, but it is equally true that the Swedish example provided an inspiration to democratic egalitarians around the world. It proved that one did not have to sacrifice prosperity to build a very comfortable welfare state, and that the state could direct the economy better than capitalists. The social-democratic system certainly the best type of large society that has ever existed got wide acceptance across Europe, and even took partial hold in the United States in a "bargain basement" form. (For all its successes, the New Deal and Great Society system was far, far short of the Swedish level of generosity.) However, there were a few serious weaknesses. First, social democrats did not develop robust international institutions. It is difficult for any country to maintain a high-tax, high-benefit economy by itself, because there will always be the possibility of it being undermined through capital flight and tax competition. If they can, companies will always try to move to a lower-tax jurisdiction to keep more profits. This is doubly true for smaller countries, who have smaller internal markets, less influence over international trade, and greater vulnerability to tax evasion. Second, social-democratic parties did not deal equitably with higher education. In 1945, only a small minority of people went to college. But that changed quickly in succeeding decades, as much of the postwar generation flooded into universities across the world. The proportion of young people attending universities only continued to climb as the years passed. Yet instead of directing a commensurate share of resources towards higher education, and distributing them equitably, social-democratic countries generally did the opposite. Most of them did not boost state funding at anything like the necessary scale, and continued to direct disproportionate resources and benefits to schools serving the richest students, or to allow private parties to do so. This is obviously the case in the United States, but not only there. In France, the elite grandes ecoles "benefit from public financing two to three times as high per student as in the [normal] universities," Piketty writes. Something similar holds in the U.K. and Germany. This was intertwined with a broader resurgence of "neo-proprietarian" ideology across the entire developed world, as libertarian and neoliberal economists advanced an updated version of the Gilded Age economic program that led to the Great Depression and the Second World War. The new moral backing of this resurgence was meritocracy the idea that the wealthy and educated deserved their elite status by virtue of their superior brain power and work ethic and many nominally social-democratic parties, above all the U.S. Democratic Party, were infected with and eventually pushed it as hard or harder than right-wing parties. The policy agenda included various proprietarian-inflected trade deals, deregulation, and tax cuts that did indeed undermine the basis of social-democratic systems. All this profoundly changed the class structure of political parties across the developed world. In the 1950s, parties of the left had a giant advantage among the working class and did less well among better-educated and richer voters, while parties of the right did the opposite. But gradually, left parties took up a greater and greater share of the highly-educated, and made some inroads into higher-income and wealthier voters, while right parties simultaneously started to pick up the working class. Where elites used to be largely housed in right-wing parties, the system that began to take hold around 1980 had multiple elites the highest-income and wealthiest voters in the right-wing parties, and the best-educated in the left-wing parties. Piketty argues that this is because "parties of the left totally changed in nature and adopted completely new platforms." As a result, "the less educationally advantaged classes came to believe that the parties of the left now favor the newly advantaged educated classes and their children over people of more modest backgrounds." Piketty rightly disagrees with American political scientists who have argued that the rightward movement of the American working class is entirely driven by ex nihilo bigotry and mindless identity politics. He does not deny that bigotry (especially the anti-immigrant variety) indeed has political traction in many countries. But blaming the rise of the extreme right on the rancid beliefs of the working classes fails to explain the universality and gradualness of the voting shift. Between 1960 and 2019, left parties slowly went from losing the top 10 percent most highly-educated voters, often by a huge margin, to winning them, in the U.S., U.K., Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Holland, Australia, and New Zealand. The margins vary but the trend is inexorable and consistent. These countries have wildly varying politics around immigration and racism, but all were subject to the neo-proprietarian global economic order. As Piketty notes, the racism hypothesis also excuses left party elites for bad decisions: "It is obviously very convenient for the elites to explain everything by stigmatizing the supposed racism of the less advantaged." And on the other hand, if the working classes were really fervent adherents of xenophobic politics, one would expect them to vote in large numbers for right-wing parties. In reality, "The fact that [their turnout] is very low clearly shows that many less-advantaged voters are not satisfied with the choices presented to them," he writes. ** Finally, that brings us to the current crisis. The neo-proprietarian ideology that dominated global politics from about 1980-2016 is clearly falling apart, torn by the 2008 financial crisis and now in its death throes due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. What will rise in its place is the fundamental political question across the world. Piketty (writing prior to the coronavirus outbreak but still addressing the fundamental shortcomings it has revealed) suggests a broad sketch of a "participatory socialism" a new egalitarian vision that would correct the defects of the old social-democratic model. The typical model of high taxes, a generous welfare state, shared worker control of business, and so on, is proven to work, but needs to be bolder. He suggests steeply progressive taxes on both wealth and income, scaling sharply to 90 percent at 10,000 times the average of either figure. This would both wrench down inequality, and fund an all-out assault on climate change. (We might also add some international disease-control efforts as well.) For this to have a prayer of working, left parties must coordinate across borders to prevent beggar-thy-neighbor tax competition, a regulatory race to the bottom, and tax haven cheating. Piketty suggests, for instance, a new Europe-wide federal parliament, composed of deputies selected from the various national parliaments, which would be empowered to set minimum standards for taxes and corporate regulation across the whole European Union. Countries who have been forced to cut corporate taxes simply because others were doing so would regain some sovereignty over their economies. Similarly, international trade agreements which have thus far been ludicrously slanted towards corporations could contain clauses on taxation, regulation, and climate emissions. It is reasonable to ask foreign countries to adhere to a minimum standard of decency before they can gain access to international markets, so that trade can be reasonably fair, instead of fueling a constant corporate race for the cheapest labor and lowest taxes. It all sounds pretty good! But there is an alternative: the extreme right. Xenophobic "social nativist" parties can come to power by whipping up paranoid hysteria about foreigners, minorities, and immigrants, in part by scapegoating them for economic problems. Since 2008, authoritarian or even quasi-fascist parties have taken power in countries across the world, from the United States to the U.K. to India. Indeed, Viktor Orban recently seized on the coronavirus crisis to turn Hungary into an outright dictatorship, though he later retreated in part. As Piketty notes, right-wing parties are exceedingly unlikely to be able to handle the twin crises of economic dysfunction and climate change. Since they generally rely on the support of the extremely wealthy, they are unlikely to seriously attack inequality, and instead will turn to frenzied bigotry to obtain mass support. Restructuring global trade and especially tackling climate change will require informed international cooperation something that is totally at odds with right-wing hatred of foreigners and scientific expertise. Meanwhile, politicians like Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron represent the dying embers of "third way" neo-proprietarianism, but even if Biden wins in November, he can only delay the inevitable. The functioning and ideological plausibility of deregulated capitalism has been shattered. Eventually, either the right or the left will replace it. The left could do this. Its egalitarian ideology includes all humanity as morally important, and rightly views the economy as a collective creation that can be reformed and steered, not some self-regulating pre-political entity. All it would take is ... an unprecedented surge in political organizing across dozens of countries simultaneously. It's a stiff task indeed. But as Piketty drives home over and over, nothing is preordained. Moments of crisis provide opportunity to chart a new course, and with the pandemic upending the global economy, this is the best time for the left in at least 90 years for political and ideological struggle. And on his key point of the brute necessity of a reborn international left, Piketty is inarguably correct. Put simply, it is socialism or barbarism so we surely must try. Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. More stories from theweek.com Guatemala's health minister says at least half of all deportees from U.S. have COVID-19 The CIA, FAA, France, and Rita Wilson warn about taking chloroquine, a now-politicized COVID-19 option Report: Stimulus checks may be delayed over order to have Trump's name printed on them Seeking sounds of superfluids Sound waves reveal the unique properties of an ultracold quantum gas, a model system for describing certain superconductors and forms of nuclear matter. A new Australian study examines the propagation of energy as sound waves in a quantum gas, revealing for the first time strong variations in the nature of the sound wave as a function of temperature. At low energies, this energy travels via the collective movement of many particles moving in sync - essentially, as sound waves -quantified using quasiparticles known as phonons. Below the superfluid transition temperature T c these sound waves in a unitary Fermi gas can propagate without collisions and are driven by ripples in the phase of the superfluid order parameter (wave-function)--this mode is known as the Bogoliubov-Anderson (BA) phonon. Above T c , the sound waves become more strongly-damped, and collisions play a dominant role. Strong similarities were identified in the temperature dependence of sound in the unitary Fermi gas and the behaviour of phonons in liquid helium, which was one of the first superfluids identified historically. This study provides quantitative benchmarks for dynamical theories of strongly-correlated fermions. MORE ABOUT THE STUDY The ultracold atomic gases formed and studied in Prof Chris Vale's lab at Swinburne allow very precise tuning of interactions between atoms. "We cooled and confined a highly dilute gas of Li6 atoms, realising a unitary Fermi gas, which exhibits the strongest interactions allowed by quantum mechanics with a contact potential," explains Prof Vale. In a unitary gas, elastic collisions become resonant and the thermodynamic properties of the gas become universal functions of the temperature and density. Unitary Fermi gases allow precise testing of theories of interacting fermions. The team then studied excitations in the gas above and below the superfluid phase transition T c using two-photon Bragg spectroscopy. "We measured excitation spectra at a momentum of approximately half the Fermi momentum, both above and below the superfluid critical temperature T c ," explains study author Dr Carlos Kuhn. Two, focused laser pulses (approx 1.2 milliseconds in duration) intersecting within the gas create a periodic perturbation for the lithium atoms. Immediately after the twin laser pulse, the confining optical trap is swiT c hed off and the momentum of atoms is measured after 4 milliseconds of expansion, and can be mapped as a function of laser frequency. The finite duration and size of the Bragg beams lead to a Fourier-limited spectral resolution of approximately 1:25 kHz FWHM which is well below the typical Fermi energies, EF 11 kHz, used in the experiments. ### THE STUDY High Frequency Sound in a Unitary Fermi Gas was published in Physical Review Letters (PRL) in March 2020. (DOI 10.1103/physrevlett.124.150401) As well as support from the Australian Research Council the authors thank M. Zwierlein, Y. Castin and H. Hu for stimulating discussions and J. Denier for assistance on initial experiments, and acknowledge financial support from the Independent Research Fund of Denmark. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Tomorrows general elections will measure the mood of the country, with President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party earning good points on its quick handling of the pandemic, not so many for its management of the economy. Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) South Koreans are set to vote tomorrow against the backdrop of a pandemic that is negatively affecting an already sluggish economy as well as an electoral reform that has lowered the voting age to 18 and boosted the chances of smaller parties. Wednesdays general election will measure the mood of the country. So far, the administration of President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party has earned good points for its handling of the pandemic, not so many for its management of the economy. According to some analysts, the vote should be close. Once home to the world's second main coronavirus outbreak, South Korea has brought the epidemic under control. The latest report notes 27 new confirmed cases, the lowest count since February. However, as the global death toll for COVID-19 continues to rise, experts warn that South Korea cannot let its guard down. A small cluster could spark another mass outbreak, this according to South Korean epidemiologists. South Korean authorities recently extended social distancing guidelines for another two weeks and plans to automatically quarantine all travellers from abroad. For some analysts, the pandemic will likely affect the way voters judge President Moon and his party. Recent polls suggest that many South Koreans approve of Moon's handling of the coronavirus crisis with his approval rating hitting a high last week. Although Moon's term of office ends in 2022, his actions may bode well for his party. However, this general election is taking place under new electoral rules, approved at the beginning of the year. The larger proportional share should allow smaller parties to enter parliament. One might be the party that represents North Korean defectors who want to defend their rights and those of North Koreans. Another is that of a group of feminists whose platform is centred on action against sexual violence and other women's issues. The lowering of the voting age from 19 to 18 should not make significant difference. In the midst of a national emergency, we are mired in a staggering absence of scrutiny. As the UKs horrifying death toll from Covid-19 exceeds 10,000, politicians and even some journalists now say questions must be asked of the governments handling of the crisis, but only once it is all over. As we learn we may face the most amount of deaths in Europe, news presenters are listing the issues to be investigated not today, but in a future inquiry. As we wake each day to yet more troubling news, the opposition leader, Keir Starmer, says ministers will face difficult questions yet now is not the time for them. It is an astonishing collective spasm, a writing forward of history while stripping agency from the present time. With nearly 1,000 daily deaths in hospital from Covid-19 each loss a spiral of shock and pain for that persons family, friends, colleagues and community Britains tabloid fronts are love-ins for Boris Johnson who is now recovering from the virus at Chequers after being discharged from St Thomas Hospital. As hospitals desperately battle to save lives afflicted with the most appalling symptoms of this disease, we are told more about the films the PM watched from his sick bed in gushing commentaries that would make Saddams stenographers blush. And as doctors and nurses lose their lives tending to patients, exposed to infection without vital personal protective equipment (PPE), broadcasters parrot the health secretary Matt Hancocks Herculean efforts to source supplies. Ministers praise the NHS, yet suggest PPE shortages may be down to staff misusing their protective gear, rather than government failures to provide it. They are patting heath workers on the back while simultaneously punching them in the stomach. Just weeks ago, we watched in horror as Covid-19 deaths climbed in Italy and then Spain, those unfolding tragedies given more coverage than the one Britain is living through right now. Back then, medics from those countries implored us to act to avoid sleepwalking into the same nightmare. As our death toll soars beyond comprehension, it grows ever more damning that we squandered our precious head start, the extra weeks in which we may have lessened the virus spread. If there is any doubt that things may now be different, look to neighbouring Germany; it responded more swiftly, deployed mass testing and tracing and has suffered a quarter of the fatalities. Or to Ireland, where the virus has thus far claimed significantly fewer deaths proportionate to the UK. European countries that enforced earlier lockdowns watched in horror as Britain kept open businesses and bars and more than 250,000 people thronged to the Cheltenham festival. These and other grave mistakes cannot now be unmade. And some criticism is understandably tempered by the need for unity in the face of national crisis. But where course-correcting measures are still possible, they rely upon asking questions now, rather than postponing scrutiny to a future date. To fix things, we must first know what went wrong, yet there are persistent gaps and elisions in the governments accounting over protective equipment, ventilators, testing or even the number of coronavirus deaths. Virologists and epidemiologists I speak with ask why the government does not resume contact tracing, abandoned in mid-March and which the World Health Organisation still says is essential. Meanwhile, international passengers still fly into Heathrow unchecked; bosses in vital distribution warehouses refuse to apply social distancing measures; and non-essential workers crowd public transport, in confusion over who should be staying home or lacking the financial means to do so. None of this should obscure a deeper reckoning over political decisions stretching back decades decisions which left our healthcare system hollowed out, fragmented, under-funded and outsourced. Each shortage or blockage, every gap in capacity or supply has this dismal reality as an underlying factor. From stretched hospitals and diminished social care, through to the sourcing of equipment and a looming shortage in drugs to treat Covid-19 patients, each problem is worsened by the realities of a stripped-back welfare state. It is an extraordinary feat of PR that Britain has often gleaned international esteem, even begrudgingly. Brand Britain all gloss, sharp humour and creativity has camouflaged the real Britain of crumbling infrastructure, miserable neglect and inequality. Now a similar sleight of hand is playing out across sections of our media: the casting of a brave prime minister, a Blitz spirit and soothing messages from the Queen combining to elide failures of government. Shocking death counts that surpass some of our neighbouring countries are cloaked in the illusion of a Great Britain, exceptionally so, even now a terrible mythology built on inflated pride and lowered expectations. Bad planning, misjudged strategies, bungled messaging and the shameful treatment of healthcare and other key workers, all of it seems saturated in an acceptance of things as they are, a perception that things cannot be better. Only they can. Even now, there is time to change. And we must not stop demanding more, for everyone. (Newser) An infectious disease expert wants to be let out of a Chicago jail to help fight the coronavirus pandemicthough fellow experts are unlikely to relish the prospect of working alongside a man accused of stabbing his boyfriend until the knife broke. Wyndham Lathem, a former associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Northwestern University, argued in a bail motion last week that his experience as a leading bubonic plague researcher could help save lives, Fox reports. Lathem, 45, has been held without bail at the Cook County Jail since Aug. 2017, when he was charged with murdering 26-year-old Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau. Prosecutors said Lathem, who was captured after an 8-day manhunt, carried out a murder fantasy with the help of an Oxford University employee he had met online. story continues below "With his background and experience, Dr. Lathem is well-suited to advise and participate in studies that are aimed at understanding SARS-CoV-2," University of North Carolina professor William Goldman wrote in the bail motion. "It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope." Judge Charles Burns denied the motion to release Lathem on $1 million bail, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Lathem's attorney, Adam Sheppard, says his client has reported mild COVID-19 symptoms and he is "deeply concerned" about his health. More than 300 inmates at the facility have tested positive for the coronavirus. (Read more coronavirus stories.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, prices for land plots and retail facilities decreased in Azerbaijans capital, Baku, Director General of the MBA Group consulting company, real estate expert Nusrat Ibrahimov told Trend. In February 2020, prices on the land market decreased by 0.9 percent. Ibrahimov added that the decline in prices in the commercial property market amounted to 5.54 percent. In general, a decrease in prices by 2.6 percent was observed in the real estate market in February 2020. According to the expert, due to the coronavirus pandemic, activity on the property market nearly stopped. He said that the rental prices for apartments and trade facilities decreased in Azerbaijans capital Baku in March 2020. The expert stressed that the activity in the real estate market has practically stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. The prices in the rental housing market decreased by 6.2 percent in March, Ibrahimov added. "Futhermore, the prices decreased by 3.66 percent in the rental market of trade facilities." The expert stressed that in general, the real estate market volume decreased by 2.6 percent over the past month. In February 2020, the cost of housing in Bakus secondary market increased by 2.16 percent compared to January 2020, the Azerbaijani MBA Group consulting company said. As for the value of land, a slight increase was observed. A decrease in prices was observed for country houses. In the rental sector, an increase of 1.2 percent was observed in February 2020 compared to January 2020, and on an annualized basis - up to 2.1 percent. That brought net orders Boeing removed from its order list in first three months of the year to 307 planes, a sharp turnaround for a company that just over a year ago was aiming to increase output of its planes to meet strong demand. The Chicago-based manufacturer on Tuesday posted 150 cancellations of its beleaguered 737 Max jets in March, the most in decades, the company said. Brazilian airline Gol canceled 34 of the narrow-body planes and leasing firm Avolon scrapped orders for 75 of them, a move it announced earlier this month. Net cancellations in the month totaled 119 thanks to 31 orders for wide-body passenger planes and military aircraft. Boeing customers canceled a staggering number of 737 Max orders last month, deepening the crisis the company faces amid the coronavirus pandemic and the continued grounding of its bestselling plane after two fatal crashes. An unpainted Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is seen parked in an aerial photo at Renton Municipal Airport near the Boeing Renton facility in Renton, Washington, U.S. July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019. Boeing shares were down 1% in late-morning trading, up from the session lows hit after the company released the dismal figures. Boeing's airline customers are now facing the steepest drop in demand ever recorded because of Covid-19 and harsh measures like stay-at-home orders to slow its spread. The pandemic comes on top of the more than year-long grounding of the 737 Max after 346 people were killed in two crashes. "We are working closely with our customers, many of whom are facing significant financial pressures, to review their fleet plans and make adjustments where appropriate," Boeing said in a statement. "At the same time, Boeing continues to adjust its order book to adapt to lower-than-planned 737 MAX production in the near term." Boeing earlier this month suspended operations at a South Carolina plant where it makes 787 wide-body planes, effectively halting its commercial aircraft production after Seattle-area factories were shut down temporarily, because of the pandemic and government restrictions aimed at curbing Covid-19. More than 100 Boeing employees have tested positive for the disease. The company employs about 160,000 people. Boeing is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on April 29, when executives are expected to detail the financial damage the virus has had on aircraft demand as well as measures the company is taking to shore up cash to weather the crisis. Boeing last month sought $60 billion in federal aid for itself and the supply chain, but CEO Dave Calhoun balked at government equity stakes in exchange for government relief. (TNS) Pennsylvania will join with at least five other states in working together on coordinating each of their efforts to reopen their economies and get people back to work.Organized by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Tom Wolf, along with the governors of New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have agreed to form a council to develop plans for lifting their respective stay-at-home orders. Theyll work on getting businesses operating again while minimizing the risk of a resurgence of COVID-19.The group will include a health expert and an economic development official from each state along with each governors chief of staff. Cuomo said the expectation is to begin work immediately on developing a set of guidelines and the work is to be completed within weeks.Weve never been here before but that doesnt mean you cant ensure public confidence that you are doing everything you can to do it in a smart way, an informed way, guided by experts and data and science and not in a political way, Cuomo said. I think working together we can do that.During a conference call with reporters, Cuomo said the idea behind this coordinated effort is to address these issues in a cooperative way to avoid having neighboring states enacting policies that contradict one another.Even if a state moves toward adopting contradictory policies, at least then we see the clash and were aware of it and we try to work it out. If you cant work it out, you cant work it out.Wolf welcomed the opportunity to work together as a region, sharing ideas and plans for getting the states economies back on track. But just as it is important to come up with specific strategies for reopening schools and businesses, Wolf said it is equally critical to figure out how we are going to restore the sense of hope that this pandemic has taken away from so many of us.He indicated Pennsylvania will be represented on this newly formed council by state health secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, his Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin, and his Chief of Staff Mike Brunelle.We need to do this right and thats what were trying to do, Wolf said. We need to come up with a specific and a smarter plan for this uncertain future that lies ahead. But it is also that we are creating a plan to let our people (know), the people that we serve, the citizens of our state, that we indeed do have a future."The council will create this framework that relies on data, science, social and economic information to figure out a way to ease up the social restrictions without sparking a renewed spread, including testing, contact tracing, treatment and social distancing.This announcement from these Democratic governors comes on the same day President Donald Trump tweeted that it is his and the federal governments decision to open up states, not the governors themselves.Wolf said it was governors who had the responsibility for closing down their states so they see it as their responsibility for deciding when and how to reopen them.And were now ready to go into the next step which is to start moving back to some sense of normal, the new normal and do it as we have, working together, he said.Wolfs decision to participate in the multi-state recovery discussion was applauded by Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County.COVID-19 has no borders and we are all in this together, Costa said. His decision-making thus far in the pandemic, coupled with the expertise of Dr. Levine, has undoubtedly saved lives and I trust that their work as part of this collaborative effort will be equally thoughtful.House Republicans also found it encouraging to see the governor finally take notice of the need to plan for our states recovery, said spokesman Mike Straub. However, we should never cede economic decisions to other states and we will continue to engage with Pennsylvanias residents about what exactly they need to successfully rebuild and recover from this pandemic.Senate Republican spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher expressed even more skepticism about the multi-state effort.Given that the governor is already implementing a one-size-fits-all COVID-19 response for Pennsylvania, we are leery about having New York City and Newark dictate how we safety return to life in places like Huntingdon and Lewistown, said Kocher. We dont think it was a coincidence that the Republican governors of Maryland, Massachusetts and Ohio were not included in this plan despite everyone emphasizing how important a regional approach is.This is about being smart first, not political, smart," Cuomo said. He said he would welcome other states into the council.Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, lawmakers are focusing their attention on other recovery ideas.The House approved along party-lines a bill that would, among other things, establish a bipartisan inter-governmental branch cost and recovery task force. On Tuesday, the House is planning to be in session and may consider a bill that would provide pathways for more businesses to reopen and workers to get back to work.That GOP-backed legislation calls for replacing the Wolf Administrations list of life-sustaining businesses with less-restrictive guidance from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and requiring them to follow Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.The governor has provided some businesses with waivers [to his business closure order], Straub said. If others prove they can meet those guidelines, they should have the opportunity to work rather than be forced to lose their businesses, cut their employees and their abilities to provide for their families.The states health secretary on Monday again cautioned against a widespread reopening of businesses, saying that would be a very big mistake.Levine said, "That would cost lives and lead to the overwhelming of our health care system.Several governors during the governors conference call shared their concern about that, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.Murphy said an economic recovery only occurs on the back of a complete health care recovery and that order is essential. Getting that wrong, transposing those steps can lead to unintended consequences which could be grave.This is a fight of our lives. Let there be no doubt about it," Murphy said. "Were not out of the woods yet and reopening ourselves back up will be equally challenging beyond the shadow of a doubt.That would be so demoralizing for our economies," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said. Thats why we want to do it on a coordinated basis, have a database that we share, establish the same protocols so we we know how were working together. More than ten NHS trusts have set up Amazon Wish Lists to accept donations from members of the public during the coronavirus pandemic. The hospitals have used the global online retailer's Wish List facility to provide a list of items that people can buy for them to help them in the fight of the virus. The requests include items which can help patients during their time on the ward or things that staff need to make caring for the patients easier. Several NHS trusts have set up Amazon Wish List donation pages appealing for members of the public to buy them everyday items to help during the pandemic. Picture: Stock Some everyday items include cereal bars, thermometers, tissues and razors and some more obscure requests range from the boardgame Operation, Jumanji The Next Level DVD, scrapbooking stickers and a digital radio. The gift registry service allows the NHS Trusts to highlight what they would like people to buy and how many they need. They can also write comments about each item to explain how they will be used. For example, the page for Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust includes film for a Polaroid camera on its list. Beside it, the explanation reads: 'To enable staff in PPE to wear photos of themselves for patients to know who is treating them. Needs 10 has 0.' Barnsley Hospital has asked for members of the public to buy several items from its Wish List for its staff, including polaroid picture film. Pictured: Kendray Hospital, part of the Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust have listed a range of hot drinks to keep the staff going through the pandemic The lists are open to the public and anyone who wishes to donate can do so. On its page, the South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust said: 'This Wishlist has been created to help support staff and service users during the coronavirus outbreak. 'Help us to provide activities to our isolated patients and to those unable to receive visitors at this time.' Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts's page said: 'Every gift that is ordered will go to the ward or areas which has requested the item - from our children's ward to other areas.' Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital set up an Amazon Wish List to raise money for all the wards at the hospital United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust said it set up the page to 'make staff feel valued and boost morale' while caring for coronavirus patients. A spokesperson for NHS England said the decision to set up Amazon Wish Lists is not a national policy and it is up to the individual trusts to decide how they receive donations. NHS Swansea Bay Trust spokeswoman Susan Bailey responded to the BBC on behalf of NHS Wales: 'As [visitors] were now unable to visit for the foreseeable future, we could see a real patient dignity situation arising where patients would not have access to clean clothing and a growing lack of toiletries. 'We then launched an appeal for toiletries, underwear and nightwear and it had such a positive response that we have now temporarily paused our appeal. The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust are appealing for some treats for the staff as well as everyday essentials such as deodorant and screen wipes 'We normally keep a small stock of items like this for patients who may be admitted as emergencies or who may not have family members able to visit, but nothing like the scale needed at present. Hence the appeal.' Some healthcare workers have raised concerns about the donations and suggested the money may be better spent elsewhere. Paramedic Andrew Newson wrote on Twitter: 'I'm a health care professional and I work for an NHS Ambulance Service. Whilst I appreciate the kindness and generosity I don't need free pizza, free coffee or money off vouchers etc. 'Why? I still have an income - please give to those who have lost their income #InItTogether.' In response, another parademic said: 'Financially I'm sure I'll be fine. What makes me uneasy are people who are out of work bringing donations to our station, it's lovely but we don't need it. Much redirected to foodbanks here.' Another replied: 'I'm not going to be losing income due to this virus and as much as I greatly appreciate the gesture, please please please offer a free cup of coffee or pizza to the families who are struggling to feed their children, the homeless on the streets.' A Burlington hospital where there have been two outbreaks of COVID-19 is telling workers who test positive for the virus to return to work immediately if they are asymptomatic. A spokesperson for Joseph Brant Hospital told the Star this is consistent with province-wide guidance provided by the Ministry of Health. While GTA hospitals have been bracing for a surge in patients, a physician and two epidemiologists said the provincial recommendations are confusing and concerning. All employees are managed on a case-by-case basis through Employee Health Services, Joseph Brant Hospital spokesperson Hollie Dobson said in an email. Staff at the hospital who are asymptomatic are asked to follow Ministry of Health guidelines which include returning to work under work self-isolation where staff are wearing appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) to prevent the spread of the virus and are being actively screened for symptoms of infection twice a day. In a memo sent to staff on April 6, Joseph Brant Hospitals chief human resources officer, Leah Martuscelli, outlined the protocol for returning to work, including that anyone who had tested positive but had no symptoms was to return to work immediately and continue to wear appropriate PPE. On Monday, Hayley Chazan, spokesperson for Minister of Health Christine Elliott, referred to a ministry guidance document on testing and clearance that says those who were not symptomatic at the time they took a test but who are positive for COVID-19 may return to work 14 days after the test or may return to work if they remain asymptomatic for 72 hours after the test and continue with appropriate PPE at work until they have two consecutive negative test results. Chazan noted the guidance only contains recommendations, and decisions about staff returning to work is still at the discretion of the hospital. Asked about the difference between the hospitals direction to return to work immediately and the provinces guidance on returning only after being asymptomatic for 72 hours after a test, Dale Kalina, medical director of infection prevention and control at Joseph Brant, said in a statement that they discussed the timing and felt it was still safe and within best practices, especially given the level of PPE being worn by all staff at Joseph Brant Hospital. On April 11, the hospital reported outbreaks in two units, leading to positive cases in at least two workers and three patients, according to a news release. A daily debrief sent to staff on April 12 appears to blame the outbreaks on staff not properly following protocols. This occurred because there was not strict adherence to (infection prevention and control) precautions during donning and doffing of PPE, the document said about the outbreaks. Dobson, when asked about the connection between staff and the outbreak, said in the emailed statement that they continue to investigate the cause. Earlier communication with staff addressed the ease at which someone can become infected with COVID-19, while reinforcing the need for adherence to infection prevention and control practices and protocols, she said. The purpose was to underpin the appropriate use of PPE to ensure personal safety and the safety of others. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute who was on the front line during the SARS outbreak, said the guidance from the province makes him nervous. He said three hospitals hes worked with in the GTA are requiring workers to test negative before returning. They will not let people back in the building until they have two negative nasopharyngeal swabs, 24 hours apart, he said. He said that may be overly conservative, but in a health-care setting with vulnerable people, some of whom may have underlying medical conditions including compromised immune systems, the bar should be set high. You shouldnt be in the health-care setting as a health-care worker if youre infected, PPE or not, he said. Timothy Sly, an epidemiologist and professor at Ryerson University who also worked during SARS, said the guidance worried him, referencing ongoing research on the possible spread by people who are asymptomatic. I can tell you I would not want anyone in my family being worked on by someone who is breathing out the virus and hoping the surgical mask or even worse the N95 mask will prevent the virus escaping into the room, he said, noting N95 masks should not be worn by infected people, but rather to protect others from becoming infected. Researchers around the world are still studying the spread of the virus, including those with no or mild symptoms. A report published April 10 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looking at 243 cases in Singapore between Jan. 23 and March 16 found seven clusters where presymptomatic transmission was the most likely explanation for the spread, and discussed the challenges that posed to containing the virus, according to a summary posted on the CDC website. David White, a family physician and professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto, said he believes there was some concern on the part CEOs of major hospitals in Toronto about staffing levels if workers were self-isolating. He said health-care workers train on how to put on and take off PPE, but its hard to be perfect at it. Of the provincial guidance, he said he understands the concerns about asymptomatic workers returning to a hospital setting. Thats pretty hard to square with the concerns that people can spread it before theyre symptomatic, he said, adding hospitals need to be transparent about how theyre protecting staff and patients at all times. According to Public Health Ontario, there were 857 cases in health-care workers as of April 13. At least one other hospital network that responded to questions from the Star said they are following the same provincial guidance when it comes to asymptomatic workers. Jennifer Stranges, a spokesperson for Unity Health Toronto, which includes St. Michaels and St. Josephs hospitals and the Providence health-care facility, referred to the ministry document and said each scenario is handled on a case-by-case basis. Read more about: Dubai police officials are using smart helmets fitted with an infra-red camera and other Artificial Intelligence technologies to detect high body temperature of public transport users amid the coronavirus outbreak in the Gulf country, according to a media report on Tuesday. The smart helmets equipped with infrared temperature detectors take a few seconds to accurately scan people's temperature. The helmets are also equipped with face recognition technology and car number reading technology, the Khaleej Times reported. The UAE is the first country in the region to use this technology. Deputy Chief of Police and Public Security Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim praised the Dubai Police for using the smart helmet as part of modern technologies in securing the transport sector, the paper said. Brigadier General Obaid Al Hathboor, Director of Transportation Security Department, Dubai Police, said that smart helmets scan the temperature of public transport users and measure the audience temperature with high efficiency, in addition to the presence of artificial intelligence technologies such as face recognition technology and car number reading technology. "This step is in line with the administration's strategy to secure the transportation security sector in accordance with the best international standards and practices to counter the spread of coronavirus," he said. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Monday announced 398 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 4,521. So far 25 people have died due to the virus in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With 411 ceasefire violations being reported in March alone, India issues demarche to Pakistan India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: India has issued two demarches to Pakistan over the ceasefire violations. India lodged the protest after a woman and two minors were killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi has described this act as a deliberate one to target its nationals. A second demarche was issued after the Pakistan maritime security forces fired at Indian fishermen off the Gujarat coast in which one person was injured. India issues demarche to Pak over killing of 3 Indians in ceasefire violations in J&K The Ministry of External Affairs called Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haider and lodged a protest. In normal course, the Pakistan officer would have been summoned, but owing to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the call had to be made, officials tell OneIndia. India condemned the violation in Jammu and Kashmir in the strongest possible terms. The act was described as a deliberate one aimed at targeting its nationals. India has also asked Pakistan to probe such incidents and said that its forces should refrain from such acts. These are heinous crimes against our nationals, India also said. India has said that Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,144 times between January and March. The highest number of violations (411) was recorded in March. India has said that the ceasefire violations are to provide cover fire to terrorists and help them infiltrate. What does your child think about the coronavirus lockdown: Send us their thoughts The Indian Intelligence had recently drawn up a report in which it said scores of launchpads had been activated along the Line of Control. Around 200 terrorists were waiting along the border to infiltrate into the Valley, the report also said. Islamabad/IBNS: Showing the troubles faced by minority communities in Pakistan at a time when the nation is dealing with COVID-19 outbreak, many people belonging to the Christian community have been removed from their jobs, leaving them to an uncertain future ahead. Aamir Gill, a cleaner and member of the countrys Christian underclass, told AFP: "We were already untouchables and now due to corona, rich people think the poor might bring it into their homes." The community celebrated Easter on Sunday and the Christian people observed it amid crisis. Gill lives in Islamabads Christian slums in a cramped one-room home with his family of four. My kids asked me for new Easter dresses and shoes but I have told them we are not going to have Easter this year," he told the news agency. The Christian community comprises of two percent of the population in the Islamic nation. Their worsening plight means the Easter which normally marks rebirth, springtime and abundance will be filled with depression and despair, Haroon Ashraf told AFP. The coronavirus has snatched away the bit of bread we had, said the 25-year-old, who lost his restaurant job when the virus hit. In this crisis, where they are confined to crowded spaces with few resources, they cannot be left to face a cruel choice between starvation and infection, Omar Waraich, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, told AFP. Pakistan has seen significant rise in the number of COVID-19 patients. It is currently 5716. 96 people have died so far. An article published on Dawn News, recently titled as 'Forced Conversions', read: " OVER the years, the laws applicable to the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan have shifted from being neutral to blatantly discriminatory from electoral laws, family laws, law on evidence, Hudood laws, redistribution of income through Zakat and Ushr, trust and evacuee property laws, domicile and nationality, to offences against religion." The article pointed out that women, belonging to the religious minority community, face discrimination. " The discrimination against women belonging to religious minority groups is worse; they become victims of rape, abduction, forced marriage and forced conversion. That it is largely underage girls who are converting to Islam speaks volumes of the vulnerability of the converts, and the motivation of those behind the conversion," read the article. The article is written by Sulema Jahangir, a board member, AGHS Legal Aid Cell, an advocate of the high courts, Pakistan, and a solicitor of the senior courts of England and Wales. She wrote: "Pakistan has failed to comply with its international obligations to protect non-Muslim women and girls from exploitation by powerful groups and criminal elements. Even worse is the psychological impact on families of minorities who worry when their daughters venture out, and the culture of intolerance that is promoted when leaders like Mian Mithu celebrate another conversion and marriage as a victory for the Muslim faith in the local community." Plight of Hindus: When the world is busy fighting COVID-19 outbreak, radical Islamists in Pakistan continued to convert by force, the latest being a Hindu national in Karachi city. He has been identified as Basant Kudar. In a video, which has surfaced online, Basants brother revealed that Basant and his mother were attacked and beaten up by some local molvis (Muslim priests). "Basant was allegedly forced to convert from Hinduism to Islam by the Molvis," sources said. "He was threatened that if he wants to live in Pakistan then should convert, or else they will kill them all," sources added. Several girls, belonging to the minority communities like Sikhs and Hindus, have been converted to Islam forcefully and even married to Muslim men in recent times. On 19 February, a Pakistani court declared invalid the marriage of the Muslim man, Raza Solangi to the Hindu girl Mehak because she was a minor. It was also claimed during the hearing that the girl had converted to Islam and married the man out of her own choice, reported Sputnik. Western Media Cries Foul After Chinese Carrier Makes Planned Transit of International Waterway Sputnik News 19:23 GMT 13.04.2020 The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning took several warships through the Miyako Strait on Saturday, part of a journey to the South China Sea for regular drills. However, the Taiwanese government and Western media have tried to paint the trip as a provocative maneuver amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Over the weekend, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flagship, the aircraft carrier Liaoning, sailed to the east of Taiwan on its way from its home port of Qingdao in the north to training grounds in the South China Sea. The Type 052 guided missile destroyers Xining and Guiyang, as well as The Type 54 guided missile frigates Zaozhuang and Rizhao, escorted the Liaoning; the Type 901 combat support ship Hulunhu rounded out the flotilla, according to the South China Morning Post. As the strike group passed between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa on Saturday afternoon, it was tracked closely by Japanese and Taiwanese forces, the latter of which dispatched several ships from the northern port of Suao to monitor the Chinese flotilla. PLAN spokesperson Gao Xiucheng told the Global Times that the annual voyage was scheduled far ahead of time and that the route is in line with international law and conventional practice. As a consequence, a military expert consulted by the publication dismissed suggestions that the voyage could be construed as taking advantage of the pandemic situation. Media Cries Foul Although the Miyako Strait is an international waterway, the transit was treated by Taipei as a provocative action, as it was by many Western media outlets. Taiwan News reported that Liaoning was "prowling the waters to the east of Taiwan" and said the Ministry of National Defense had to assuage the fears of civilians amid the transit. Reuters described the transit as "the latest uptick in military tensions," giving prime space at the top of the story to Taipei's position that Beijing "should be concentrating on fighting the new coronavirus rather than menacing the island," as the outlet described it. "The strait is wide enough to qualify as an international waterway," US military-connected publication Stars and Stripes was forced to admit, although it still noted the transit happened "as [the US] Navy struggles with coronavirus." A "show of force" is how United Press International described the event, noting it happened just as the two US aircraft carriers in the region, the USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam and USS Ronald Reagan in Yokosuka, are "debilitated" by the pandemic. With the two US carriers in port, the Liaoning is the only operational aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. US Strategy Casts China as 'Malign Actor' Similar rhetoric emerged from Washington last week when two Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft were detected by US radar far off the coast of Alaska. While the planes flew over international waters, Western media roared that Russia was "testing" US defenses as it struggles with the COVID-19 outbreak. The Pentagon's major shift in global strategy, toward "inter-state strategic competition" with Russia and China, is largely justified by the notion that the two nations are "malign actors," wrongfully challenging the "rules-based order" established by the United States at the end of the Cold War, when it became the world's sole superpower. The People's Republic of China regards Taiwan as a wayward province in rebellion, while the Taiwanese government, which formally calls itself the Republic of China, is the last remaining stronghold of the old capitalist Chinese government after the communist Red Army won the civil war in 1949. Taipei is autonomous and does not recognize the legitimacy of the socialist PRC, but has never declared independence - Beijing has promised war if it does. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Let us act together for the good of all! Facing this exceptional situation of health crisis and the demanding position we all have to go through, the Geneva based watch brand Frederique Constant decided to financially support the Swiss Red Cross. From now until the end of May, for each watch ordered online, Frederique Constant makes a 100CHF donation to the Swiss Red Cross. Frederique Constant The Coronavirus pandemic is putting the population worldwide to the test. Frederique Constants entire team wished to take part in the donations to the Swiss Red Cross and took concrete measures that were applicable straight away with immediate effects, in order to support an organization that acts alongside the people most affected. Each donation helps saving lives and the current situation shows the importance of solidarity and cohesion in society. That is why the Swiss Red Cross is strengthening its capacity despite the crisis and helping those affected and vulnerable. It also supports the work of the authorities and continuously adapts its services to the current situation. ISTANBUL - A maxi-amnesty for 90,000 prisoners was approved Monday night in the Turkish Parliament to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus in overcrowded prisons. The measure releases or places on house arrest nearly a third of the total number of prisoners, but excludes opponents of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The text of the measure was presented by Erdogan's AKP party and its nationalist allies in the MHP party and was approved with 290 votes in favour, 51 against. It reduces sentences for those convicted of many minor crimes, pregnant women, mothers of young children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. The measure is not applicable to those with convictions for terrorism, drugs, violence against women and children, sex crimes, and first-degree murder. Various NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have denounced the exclusion of prominent dissidents from the amnesty measure, including Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, who suffers from problems of high blood pressure; the 70-year-old writer Ahmet Altan; and the philanthropist Osman Kavala. A total of 17 prisoners in Turkish prisons have become infected with Covid-19, of whom one is in intensive care. There are currently 61,000 cases of Covid-19 in the country and 1,296 people have died of the virus. With Aprils rice export quota completed in just three hours, many firms are aggrieved they had little notice and chance to make shipments. Immediately after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced Friday that Vietnam was lifting the ban on rice exports and allowing 400,000 tonnes to be shipped this month, many businesses designated staff to wait for the opening of the online customs portal to submit declaration forms, but were unable to do so. "I instructed my staff to wait for the whole of Saturday to access this portal, but it did not open," said Pham Thai Binh, Director of Trung An Hi-tech Farming JSC. "At 12 a.m. Saturday, Vietnam Customs suddenly opened this portal without any prior notice to enterprises, and then closed it only three hours later saying the 400,000-ton export quota had been filled," Binh added. The company will now have to wait longer to ship over ten thousand tonnes of rice that it has signed a contract for. Binh said that since March 24, the company has had 100 containers, equivalent to about 2,000 tonnes of rice, stuck at ports after the PM imposed an export ban to ensure national food security amidst the coronavirus pandemic. "We were very happy when we heard that rice could now be exported again, but extremely disappointed with the way authorities worked," Binh said. The leader of another rice exporter based in the southern province of Dong Thap who did not want to be named told VnExpress that his business did not receive any notice from customs authorities about the re-opening of the export declarations portal. He had opened the portal Sunday morning to find an announcement saying Aprils export quota had been filled, so now had to move 200 containers of rice to warehouses awaiting a further decision on the quota for May. "Since March 24, around 5,000 tonnes of our goods have been stuck at ports. We have incurred a lot of costs, including container fees, warehousing, and transportation from warehouse to port and back again. This time weve incurred yet another round of costs and its hurting," he said. "The way the authorities are working is unfair and disadvantageous to small enterprises. With rice price at a high level and the quota at 400,000 tonnes, we hoped only to export a few dozen tonnes, but now we are left empty handed and once again have failed to deliver on our promises to our partners," he added. The unnamed owner of another rice export firm in Can Tho Province also said that with nearly 1,800 tonnes of rice stuck at a port since March 24, the company is now unsure whether to bring these goods back to warehouses or leave them at the port, hoping to catch the May quota. His business will most likely be penalized by partners for failing to deliver shipments for the second time, he added. While hundreds of small rice exporters were unable to access customs declarations forms, some large enterprises seem to have been favored and given large quotas to export, the business owner said, saying he suspected "group interests" may have had something to do with the results. Speaking to VnExpress Monday, Director of Customs Control and Supervision Au Anh Tuan said that the customs declaration system worked on a first come first served basis, and with a quota of just 400,000 tonnes, those that registered late would not be able to get their goods cleared. "Enterprises that register early will be accepted immediately by the system, which will deduct from the overall quota until it is filled up. Once this is done, the system will automatically reject any new declarations made," Tuan said. For May, enterprises will have to wait for a new evaluation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister so that a new quota can be determined. Binh of the Trung An Hi-tech Farming JSC said the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Vietnam Customs should come up with measures to remove difficulties for smaller enterprises in exporting rice. Particularly, authorities should give priority to the 200,000 tonnes of rice in containers stuck at ports since March 24 until now, and fill up the rest of the quota later. "With how authorities are working currently, export businesses are suffering a lot," Binh said. On March 24, the PM had imposed a rice export ban until late May to ensure national food security during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the trade ministry had proposed that it be lifted, arguing that supply will exceed demand by 6.7 million tonnes for the year. Vietnam is the world's third largest rice exporter after India and Thailand. Last year it exported 6.37 million tonnes worth $2.81 billion, with the top markets being the Philippines, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, and China. An official of Iran's Judiciary on Tuesday said prison guards had been involved in the escape of prisoners from a jail in the northwestern city of Saqqez on March 27. In a radio program on Tuesday Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, Spokesman of the Judiciary, said the riot in Saqqez prison "was a unique incident" which had become possible with the help of a few of the prison staff. All inmates broke out the prison in what he called a "conspiracy by inmates". The prison staff involved in the incident have been arrested and the majority of the prisoners who escaped have also been captured with the help of information provided by the locals or surrendered, Esmaili said. He also claimed that eight inmates who are not considered dangerous are still missing. Inmates of Saqqez prison rioted on March 27 after they were refused furlough to keep them safe from the coronavirus. Prison unrest was also reported in the cities of Tabriz, Aligudarz, Shiraz, Sheiban and Sepidar in Khuzestan Province, and Fashafuyeh in the south of Tehran. Video showing prisoners escaping from prison in Saqqez. Amnesty International reported on April 9 that as many as 36 inmates were shot dead by guards in Sepidar and Shiban prisons in Khuzestan during unrest. One prisoner who had escaped from Saqqez prison, Mostafa Salimi, was executed on April 12 on alleged charges of masterminding the prison break in the largely Kurdish-populated city. Salimi had served 17 years in Saqqez prison for his political activities and what the Revolutionary Court calls "taking up arms against the Islamic Republic" without a single day of furlough. The city has the largest Kurdish population among Iranian cities. Salimi had escaped to the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq and according to Iran Human Rights (IHR) the Kurdistan Regional Government arrested him and handed him over to Iranian authorities. Following the coronavirus pandemic the Iranian judiciary allowed tens of thousands of prisoner to go on furlough. However, many of the political prisoners and prisoners of conscience have been excluded from temporary release from prison. Iran's human rights activists say all non-violent prisoners should be allowed to go on furlough. Iranian prisons are overcrowded and sanitary and healthcare facilities are not adequate even at ordinary times. According to official figures in July 2019 there were more than 189,000 inmates in Iranian prisons. Press Release April 14, 2020 De Lima to IATF: Heed growing clamor to release qualified PDLs Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima welcomes the mounting calls from several government agencies and international organizations to systematically release Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) to decongest detention facilities amid the continuing threat brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima's statement came after the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the House Committee on Justice and other foreign and local organizations and personalities have expressed support to the proposal to release qualified detainees and inmates to lessen the possibility of a widespread COVID-19 infection in jail facilities. "I welcome the calls of both the House Committee on Justice and the DSWD regarding the immediate release of qualified PDLs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. From what I have heard, the matter is now under study by the DOJ," she said. "Pero nandito pa rin tayo, usad-pagong sa mga plano; wala pa ring mapanghawakang kongkretong aksyon ukol sa kalunos-lunos na kalagayan sa mga bilangguan," she added. It can be recalled that last April 1, De Lima penned an open letter addressed to the Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) listing her recommendations based on available data, studies and endorsements by reputable health and human rights experts. Apart from the recommendations, which was also directly addressed to the IATF-EID members through a formal letter, there is plea for approval from the Supreme Court to grant medical paroles to elder PDLs and those with severe sicknesses or disabilities; and commuted sentences for both convicted and pre-conviction qualified PDLs. "Sa usapin ng ating mga PDLs ay may konkreto at mabilisang aksyon tayong magagawa. May mga buhay na masasagip. May kapakanang maaalagaan. Ipakita na sana rito ang tunay na liderato at pagmamalasakit ng pamahalaan," De Lima said. "Nariyan na ang mga datos, at ang mga pahayag ng mga local and foreign health experts, pati na ng UN, at ang mga ahensya at sangay ng gobyerno. Wag na tayong magpatumpik-tumpik pa," she added. Since the initial lockdown in the National Capital Region last March 15, the IATF-EID has yet to make a recommendation to decongest jails to prevent mass infections of detainees and inmates. Malacanang has also kept it silence on the matter. "May namatay na at mga na-isolate dahil sa exposure sa mga pinaghihinalaang may COVID-19. May hinihintay ba tayong bilang ng mga magkakasakit o mamamatay bago kumilos?" the lady senator from Bicol asked. As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, De Lima has proposed measures to improve conditions in detention centers and solve decongestion issues in these facilities. Last November, De Lima refiled Senate Bill (SB) No. 1146, otherwise known as "Medical Parole Act of 2020" to grant gravely-ill PDLs the chance to serve out their sentence under their families' care or seek better medical care outside the correctional facilities. She also filed SB Nos. 180 and 181, known as "Prison Reform Act," and the "Unified Corrections and Jail Management System Act," respectively, in order to legislate the standards of human treatment of the inmates. The COVID-19 crisis, which disrupted the economies and millions of lives around the world has more than 1.9 million confirmed cases and with a death toll of almost 120,000, as of April 13. In the Philippines, where mass testing is yet to be rolled out, health authorities have disclosed 4,932 positive cases of contracting the novel coronavirus, with 315 deaths and 242 recoveries, as of April 13. EUGENE, Ore. -- Distance Learning for All launched across public schools in Oregon on Monday. For many public schools, including those in Eugene and Springfield, this was something brand new for students to get accustomed to. But for Marist High School, distance learning has been a tool in their back pocket for the past five years. With schools closed through the rest of the school year, Marist has ramped up their distance learning capabilities to keep students learning during the pandemic. "Not a lot of people are necessarily enjoying it, but I can tell the school is working really hard to keep the curriculum going while caring about our health too," said Matthew Solomon, a Marist junior. However, he said he wishes they could assign school work at 8 a.m. with a midnight deadline rather than rely on a bell schedule, something that was typical with distance learning before the pandemic. "It's all about how can you get focused," said Solomon. "It's way harder to get focused at home." The Eugene Family YMCA's child care program is also working to facilitate learning at Meadow View and Holt Elementary. "We've encouraged them to bring in their iPads, chromebooks, whatever it is they need to be able to get on those Zoom calls and get their work done," said youth development site coordinator Maritza Ruiz. Because the YMCA isn't a school, it's the child's responsiblity to finish, but they are integrating time for school into their program. "It's a transition for sure, but we're doing it together," said Ruiz. Solomon has tips for those just getting started distance learning. "Just stay on top of it because you might say oh I'll just do it tomorrow, but tomorrow's not going to happen." Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Indonesia diplomatic relations. Noting that the friendly exchanges between China and Indonesia boast a long history, Xi said bilateral relations have made great progress since the establishment of diplomatic ties. In recent years, in particular, Xi said, the two countries have continuously lifted their relations, expanded the areas of cooperation, achieved fruitful results from Belt and Road cooperation, and worked closely on international and regional affairs, bringing benefits to the two peoples and contributing to regional and global prosperity and stability. China and Indonesia share broad common interests at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels and enjoy tremendous potential for cooperation, Xi said, adding that China will continue to work with Indonesia to prevail over the COVID-19 epidemic. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Indonesia relations and stands ready to work with Widodo to enrich the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and add new impetus to regional development. For his part, Widodo said that Indonesia and China possess longtime historic and cultural ties, while close contacts between the leaders of the two countries and between the people of various sectors have forged a solid friendship. Over the past 70 years, bilateral ties have matured day by day, which is a remarkable strategic achievement of both sides, he said, adding that the two countries have continuously created cooperation opportunities in various fields, benefiting the two peoples and deserving the pride of both sides. Within the framework of a comprehensive strategic partnership and upholding the spirit of cooperation, the two sides will surely bolster the continuous progress and prosperity of the two countries and contribute to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, said the Indonesian president. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mathilde Dumazet (Agence France-Presse) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tue, April 14, 2020 10:18 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1b66be 2 Business islamic-finance,stock,tesla,stock-market,sharia-economy Free "Is it halal to buy shares in Tesla?" a young Muslim would-be investor asks on Twitter. Islamic finance an amalgamation of Sharia law and modern banking has become a US$2 trillion business over the past two decades, covering everything from bonds to buying cars. But with complex standards set out by a number of Islamic bodies, it's not easy for observant Muslims to decide whether or not an investment is halal (religiously permissible). Yet new technology is helping. Tesla, the American electric car pioneer, for example, is considered 96 percent Sharia compliant, according to the Zoya mobile application. The app screens US-listed stocks based on criteria issued by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, one of several bodies that set Islamic finance standards. Islamic funds are banned from investing in companies associated with tobacco, alcohol, pork or gambling. Earning interest is also banned as "usury". US-based Wahed Invest, an online halal platform, uses those criteria to help tens of thousands of people invest "ethically". Islamic bankers are hoping that modern platforms will open the industry up to young investors, and that its innately ethical credentials will prove to be another draw. Mehdi Benslimane, Global Expansion Strategist at Wahed Invest, said the guidelines in religious texts boil down to two conditions. "A business must have a real economic impact, not just a speculative one. And it must have a positive contribution to the world," he told AFP. Not just for Muslims According to the ratings agency Standard & Poor's, the Islamic finance industry has in its relatively short existence grown to be worth $2.1 trillion. In projections made before the coronavirus outbreak, it predicted the sector would "continue to expand slowly" in 2020. Financial technology, or fintech, could help the industry grow by "facilitating easier and faster transactions", it said in its Islamic Finance Outlook 2020 Edition. The meltdown the coronavirus pandemic has caused in other parts of the economy has prompted fears of a collapse in the sector. Dubai Islamic Bank has already delayed a planned issue of Shariah-compatible bonds, according to Emirati media reports. Yet Islamic finance based on the concept of shared profit and loss, thus minimising risk for banks has fans well beyond the Muslim world. For example, the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank in November signed an agreement with Japan's mammoth pension fund to support the development of sustainable Sharia-compliant products. And the Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation, a think tank, has talked up their ability to respond to the latest crash, due to the fact they are anchored in the real economy. It also suggests that profits on investments in industries such as protective medical equipment could be donated to charities, helping tackle the coronavirus crisis without breaking the Islamic ban on interest payments. But the sector's current slow-moving nature may hobble its ability to respond to crises. The emphasis has been on growing the market rather than making it more efficient, said Mohammed al-Sehli, CEO of Wethaq Capital, a Dubai-based fintech firm. The sector must focus more on innovation after "suffering from lack of innovation, standardisation and automation of processes", he told AFP. Particular challenges Before the novel coronavirus pandemic forced them to work from home, young men and women in traditional abaya robes or jeans and T-shirts sat on bean bags or hunched over their laptops in an open working space at Dubai's FinTech Hive. The company's executive vice president Raja al-Mazrouei says it connects start-ups with the Dubai Islamic Economic Development Centre, Sharia scholars, Islamic banks and financial regulators. "If you're targeting countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia... you have to be able to offer a (sharia-compliant) solution," Mazrouei told AFP. However, Islamic fintech firms face a string of obstacles that don't bother their traditional counterparts. "The main challenge... is to make sure that the whole supply chain, the regulations, are actually tested and verified by the Sharia scholars," said Mazrouei, a former computer scientist and a Harvard graduate. Talal Tabbaa, founder of Jibrel.com which connects investors with start-ups, and itself uses blockchain technology, describes an industry where cultures can collide. The approach of some Muslim scholars who approve financial products "is not technological, it is very manual and, in my opinion, subjective," he said. Copenhagen: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says her government's efforts to fight COVID-19 have been so successful that the country may now be facing a broader rollback of its lockdown than originally planned. Stengaard School during lockdown in Gladsaxe, Denmark. Credit:AP On Wednesday, Denmark will release its youngest citizens from a month-long lockdown in a move that has already fuelled considerable controversy. Babies will return to daycare centres, kindergartens will open their doors, and primary schools will resume in-class lessons for children up to the age of 13. The government says the move, which follows signs that Denmark's early COVID-19 restrictions paid off, will let parents focus on their jobs and keep the economy going. Federal prosecutors say William Burgamy, 32, a Maryland man who operated an illicit online drug dealing website, engaged in extensive plans to bomb and burn down a competing pharmacy in Nebraska A Maryland man has been accused of operating a drug dealing website on the darknet and laying out extensive plans to firebomb and burn down a competing pharmacy in Nebraska to boost his own business. At a court hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, an FBI agent testified that William Burgamy IV, 32, of Hanover, Maryland, was getting his supply of drugs from a pharmacist in Nebraska. Under the plan discussed in a journal and text messages, Burgamy and his supplier pharmacist reasoned that if the competing pharmacy were destroyed, Burgamy's pharmacist would pick up new customers and could then increase his supply to Burgamy without attracting suspicion, authorities said. 'The defendant is a dangerous and volatile individual who schemed to blow up that pharmacy using Molotov cocktails,' prosecutor Raj Parekh said. During a two-hour detention hearing conducted by conference call amid the coronavirus pandemic, FBI agent Samad Shahrani said that a search of Burgamy's home found eight loaded weapons in his residence, including two AR-15 assault rifles, along with thousands of suspected prescription opioid pills. Text messages showed that he made a list of needed equipment that included body armor, weapons, bottles, lighter fluid and other materials. Last month his pharmacist gave him a map that could be used to plot his getaway after bombing the rival pharmacy, Shahrani testified. Burgamy was arrested on Thursday on charges of illegal drug distribution and money laundering for allegedly selling oxycodone (right), Vicodin, Percocet, Xanax (left) and other drugs on the darknet The FBI staked out Burgamy and photographed him as he made trips to local post offices, where he allegedly mailed prescription drugs to various darknet Burgamy allegedly sold and shipped narcotics to undercover FBI agents pretending to be his darknet clients An FBI affidavit states Burgamy, who is not a pharmacist by training, operated his business called NeverPressedRX (NPRX) on a major darknet market since at least August 2019 US Magistrate Judge Michael Nachmanoff ordered Burgamy to remain in jail pending trial after Monday's detention hearing. Public defender Elizabeth Mullin had argued Burgamy should be released pending trial, saying that his talk about firebombing a pharmacy was just hyperbole. She also said pretrial detention should be used sparingly because jails can be a particular risk for spreading COVID-19. Burgamy 'does not have an unrequited thirst for violence,' Mullin said. Burgamy was arrested last Thursday on federal counts of illegal drug distribution and money laundering after prosecutors accused him of selling large-scale quantities of narcotics and other drugs over the internet. Burgamy boasted on his vendor page late last month that, 'Even with Corona Virus the shop is running at full speed,' according to the affidavit. An FBI affidavit states Burgamy, who is not a pharmacist by training, operated a business called NeverPressedRX (NPRX) on a major darknet market since at least August 2019, selling oxycodone, Vicodin, Percocet, Xanax, Klonopin, Adderall and other narcotics over the internet without a prescription. Court papers do not specify the volume of transactions, but show Burgamy regularly exchanged thousands of dollars worth of the popular crypto-currency Bitcoin used in the purchases for US currency. Burgamy presented himself on mainstream social media platforms as a legitimate businessman operating a financial consulting firm Burgamy allegedly laundered money by moving the funds through a variety of accounts, including his business bank accounts, 'in an effort to conceal and disguise the nature and source of his illicit proceeds,' according to a press release from the US Department of Justice. The NPRX store claimed to sell authentic medications, including prescription opioids, sourced from US pharmacies, and had more than 2,000 recorded sales. Earlier, he told an undercover FBI agent that he had a number of medications available, but was waiting for a shipment because the coronavirus outbreak had hurt his inventory, according to court documents. The 32-year-old, who has a young daughter, could be looking at up to 40 years in prison, if convicted of the charges against him Undercover FBI employees made six controlled purchases of drugs from the site, which were sent to addresses in northern Virginia, according to the affidavit Investigators staked Burgamy out and photographed him as he made numerous trips to local post offices, where he allegedly mailed prescription drugs to various darknet buyers, including to the undercover FBI agents in the Eastern District of Virginia. Burgamy presented himself on mainstream social media platforms as a legitimate businessman operating a financial consulting firm that offered short-term loans to small businesses. On Facebook, he painted himself as a family man with a long-term girlfriend and a baby daughter. If convicted of all the federal charges against him, Burgamy could face up to 40 years in prison. A Utah woman woman has taken to wearing a face mask with tiny cartoon penises printed on it and anyone who gets offended is clearly not respecting social distancing Mindy Vincent, a mother and therapist Heber City, designed the mask herself to feature a pattern of flowers and penis of different skin tones, and has gone viral after sharing a photo of herself wearing it on Facebook. She is now selling the 'C***block Corona Mask' masks as to benefit the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition. Brilliant! Mindy Vincent designed a mask covered in penises. She said: 'When someone tells me my mask has penises on it, I kindly let them know this is how I determine they are too close' Hottest new accessory! She said she has already worn the mask out and about Mindy went viral on April 9 when she shared a photo of herself in the mask in her car. 'Behold! My masks have arrived!' she wrote. 'I wore this to Walmart and petco today. When someone tells me my mask has penises on it, I kindly let them know this is how I determine they are too close, kindly back the f*** up.' In fact, a person would have to stand within a few feed to be able to tell that the tiny drawings mixed in with scribbled flowers are actually genitals. As it turns out, Mindy told CafeMom, no one has has the courage to comment on her mask in person just yet. 'No one says anything,' she said. 'I don't know if they are afraid to say something, or if they think I'm unaware I have penises on my face.' Get 'em while they're hot! She is selling the masks online for $20 each, and there are other penis patterns available For a good cause: Sales from the masks will benefit her nonprofit, the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition. She has also done versions with breasts Now, Mindy is also selling the masks for a good cause. The Utah mother is the founder and executive director at the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, a nonprofit that provides harm reduction education, advocacy, and services, and also runs a syringe exchange. The masks are being sold for $20 each on the organization's website, with proceeds funding their work. They come in under patterns, too, including penises with wings, breasts, and vulvas. The masks have proven incredibly popular a surprise to Mindy, who said she never thought she'd be in the face mask business. Flying off the shelves! The masks have proven incredibly popular a surprise to Mindy, who said she never thought she'd be in the face mask business (pictured: a vulva version) Clever: She calls them 'C***block Corona Masks' and is seeing huge orders pour in 'Im so overwhelmed by the response and how many people have shared my post,' she said, according to the New York Post. 'So many people just dont have a very good sense of humor these days, and I just love that there are [170,000] people in the world [who liked the post on Facebook] that would also be willing to wear d***s on their faces.' Helping others: Mindy started her nonprofit in 2016 after her sister died from an overdose She's also happy to be raising money for the organization she started in 2016 after her sister died of an overdose. 'It changed my whole world,' she told CafeMom. 'I am a person who has recovered from a substance use disorder, and I had been working in the field of addiction for several years when my sister passed away. 'Anyway, I realized there was a serious flaw in the way we were treating people who suffer from addiction. So, my mission became keeping people alive. 'Our syringe exchange law passed in 2016, and I started the first legal syringe exchange in Utah. Today, we are the largest provider in the state, and we have an outpatient substance abuse treatment program as well,' she went on. Her organization has handed out more than 3,000 doses of the opioid-combatting drug Naloxone. Members of the Irish Navy clean the LE Niamh at the Covid-19 test centre on Sir John Rogersons Quay Dublin An investigation is under way into how nearly 100 people who tested positive for the coronavirus were wrongly told by text that they were negative. The people were informed they were in the clear but that their test result was "indeterminate". Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said he only found out about it yesterday and the results appeared to be part of a batch of the backlog of older tests sent to a German lab which should have been given a second reading. It will be discussed at the meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team today. Hazard Earlier, HSE chief Paul Reid said the mistake, which happened on Saturday, was under investigation. The people involved would have been asked to self-isolate from the point at which they were referred for a test. It is unclear if they had all recovered when wrongly given the all-clear on Saturday and whether they would have come out of self-isolation, which could have caused them to pass on the virus. The HSE confirmed a large group of people who were positive for the coronavirus were incorrectly contacted by text and told they were negative. On Saturday "less than 100 people had been advised, in error, that their test did not detect Covid-19. On review these patients were, in fact, positive for Covid-19", said an HSE official. "This error occurred because, in the case of a small number of lab tests, the initial test result was indeterminate. "Ordinarily, such results would indicate that another test is required. "Given that we are dealing with a pandemic and that it was not possible to request another sample in the required time-frame a decision was made to review the initial test results and retest the sample. "This was done to maximise the chance of getting a test result for the patient if possible. "The National Virus Reference Laboratory reviewed the detailed test data from the original test result and retested the original sample." As a result they were able to make a determination that some were, in fact, "weakly positive". "Unfortunately, these indeterminate cases were initially reported as not detected and consequently were notified to people as such in line with the results communication process. "This was picked up by our contact tracing team and remedial action taken immediately. "A team of public health clinicians has contacted or attempted to contact each of the people involved to advise them of the correct outcome of their test, and to provide the appropriate public health advice and support to them. "We are satisfied that no other patient has been impacted by this error. "The HSE apologises for this error, and every effort has been made to ensure that the correct information is communicated to these patients without delay," the spokeswoman said. Appointments It comes as Mr Reid said the backlog of 11,000 tests - down from 35,000 - will be cleared by the end of this week with most of the analysis carried out by a laboratory in Germany. One in five tests in the backlog will be read here in over 20 labs and in hospitals. But Mr Reid said the testing regime is being ramped up with the use of more laboratories including Enfer. The average daily number of tests is 2,800 so far, but this rose to 7,800 over the weekend. Around 500 people have appointments to provide a swab sample scheduled. Overall, 72,000 tests for the coronavirus have been completed here since the crisis began. Some 500 people are being contacted daily with their test results by doctors. As of last week, the average contacts a newly diagnosed person with the virus had was three. It is expected that from next week more people, outside current priority groups, will be offered a test. But there is still uncertainty over the future volume of testing here because it is unclear if the German lab will continue to take outsourced tests. The continued adequate supply of a reagent necessary to carry out analysis cannot be fully guaranteed, Mr Reid said. Meanwhile, Dr Colm Henry of the HSE said figures indicate that 64 patients have been discharged from critical care after being admitted due to serious complications from the coronavirus. Sadly, 35 patients have died in intensive care, he added. "We saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson say that his time in critical care could have gone either way. It could have. It is a peculiar illness. "Most of the patients who went to intensive care here are still there but there also patients leaving critical care. It is a tribute to our staff, who are world class." It can take seven nurses to staff an intensive-care bed, which is very labour intensive.The HSE has offered contracts to 1,100 staff who answered its recent recruitment drive. A group of over 50 senior clerics in Pakistan has warned the government against the ban on religious congregations amidst the coronavirus outbreak and said the authorities should instead abide by religious norms and allow more worshippers in mosques to seek forgiveness from Allah. The government has banned prayer congregations of more than five people as part of its measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has infected over 5,715 people in Pakistan. Despite the government's pleas to observe social distancing, over 53 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia on Monday held a meeting in Jamia Darul Uloom Zakria here to discuss the ban on prayer congregations, the Dawn News reported. The meeting, attended by clerics representing various seminaries, banned groups, proscribed persons and political and non-political parties warned the authorities against the ban and said government leaders should abide by religious norms and seek forgiveness. The warning came before the government could come up with a plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramazan, which will begin in the last week of April. Pir Azizur Rehman Hazarvi, president of the Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria in Islamabad, said, "The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen." Hazarvi, who is also the patron of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), insisted that in order to get rid of the virus, it was imperative to seek forgiveness from Allah and increase the populace in mosques. A video clip released by the clerics on Tuesday showed leaders of various political and non-political organisations, including JUI-F, Aalmi Tanzeem Khatam-i-Nabuwat, seminaries such as Taleem ul Quran Raja Bazar and a representative of banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat sitting in close proximity of each other. The meeting did not acknowledge the official directives of a maximum of five persons inside mosques for the collective prayers as the clerics said that the testing times demanded more time for prayers and announced that apart from the five times prayers, Friday and Taraweeh congregations will continue. The clerics, however, agreed to take precautionary measures like use of hand sanitisers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. Hazarvi said, "The senior clerics have noted that all efforts will be made to avoid clash and confrontations with the government and the state institutions." Lal Masjid's cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz also continued to challenge the authority of Islamabad Capital Territoty (ICT) administration by openly flouting the stipulated precautionary measures, the report said Every week, Aziz releases footages of huge congregations gathered for Friday prayers, denouncing the restrictions imposed by the government. As a result, the number of mosques organising large Friday congregations is increasing in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday said 342 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 5,716. Punjab recorded the maximum number of 2,826 cases, followed by Sindh at 1,452, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 800, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 233, Balochistan 231, Islamabad 131 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 43. While 1,378 people have recovered, 96 died and 46 are in critical condition, the ministry said. A total of 69,928 tests have been performed, including 3,157 during the last 24 hours, it said. The Congress on Tuesday backed the extension of nationwide lockdown till May 3 to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak but asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to specify his governments road map and strategy to fight the pandemic. The opposition party also wanted the PM to spell out the steps his government plans to take to mitigate the woes of migrant labourers stranded on the borders of various states and those of the farmers waiting to harvest rabi crops. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the PM in his address to the nation did not talk about the plight of stranded migrant workers and what the government plans to do for them, as most of them have completed their 14-day quarantine period. Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage He also did not talk about ramping up mass testing in the country for Covid-19 and did not specify steps taken to increase the purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE) units, Tewari said, addressing a news conference through video-conferencing. There was no mention about ensuring maintenance of the supply chain of essential commodities and for the harvesting of rabi crops, he added. The PM told the nation what he expects out of the people but did not address their concerns or talk about what his government is doing for the country, something everybody wanted to hear. What we have not heard from the PM is what is his governments strategy regarding testing. Will it be limited to hotspots or will there be community-level screening as it has happened in Bhilwara? Tewari asked. What the PM has not spoken about and made for most horrifying images when the lockdown was first implemented, is about the plight of migrant workers. They are in camps spread out across the country. Is there any plan to ensure that they go to their homes, the Congress leader said. Essentially, if someone has gone through the mandatory quarantine period and is not showing any symptoms, is it not the governments responsibility to facilitate their return. Thats what we wanted to hear. Are you allowing them to go back to their homes? he questioned. Tewari said that the Congress understands the inevitability of the lockdown and consequently supported its extension besides the Centre and all states have agreed on this. What is the governments roadmap for harvesting? Are you going to allow the farmers to carry out the harvest? How will it then be collected and taken to procurement centres? How will procurement be facilitated? Will the government pay a bonus over the MSP (minimum support price)? he asked. Tewari said the PM also did not talk about the frontline workers battling the pandemic and the status of procurement of PPE units for them. Earlier, partys chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala asked about the countrys roadmap to fight the pandemic. He said the leadership does not mean making the people realise their responsibilities but to fulfill the governments duty of accountability towards the country. A lot of talk has taken place. But, where is the roadmap to fight corona?, Surjewala asked. His senior party colleague P Chidambaram tweeted, The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country. Welcoming the lockdown extension, Chidambaram said the chief ministers demand for money elicited no response. Not a rupee has been added to the miserly package of March 25, 2020. From Raghuram Rajan to Jean Dreze, from Prabhat Patnaik to Abhijit Banerji, their advice has fallen on deaf ears, the former finance minister said. Another Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the PMs address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be an end in itself! Where is a single livelihood issue? he tweeted. Singhvi assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and will strictly observe the lockdown restrictions. After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle India and MSMEs, he tweeted. PM address without single specific and without guidelines is like Hamlet without Prince of Denmark. Like PM without details! We want to increase GDP allocation; specific targeted monetary injections; Keynesian spending; loosen FMRB etc. not a single word! he said. By Akbar Mammadov The volume of production of defense products in Azerbaijan grew by 5.5 percent year-on-year in 2019, amounting to $153.9 million, the government told local media on 13 April. The production in 2018 amounted to $145.8 million. Thus, the growth in the production of defense products in 2019 amounted to 5.6 percent. The share of export operations in 2019 increased by 5.5 percent compared to 2018, the government said. Azerbaijan is currently exporting ammunition, modern small arms, UAVs, and armored vehicles of its own production to more than 10 countries. In 2019, the development work covered 112 topics and nine types of products were recommended for adoption, the preparation for the production of which was completed. Currently, defense enterprises of the country produce more than 700 items and their components. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Express News Service ADILABAD: The administration and the police in Nirmal are in a state of high alert after 19 positive coronavirus cases, including that of three patients who tried to hide their travel history to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, were reported in the district. While the district administration has declared as many as 14 areas as containment zones, the police have registered cases against three COVID-19 positive patients who hid their travel history and shifted them to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. The three patients not only attended the event, but also attended a similar congregation in Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. The Medical and Health Department workers are also spraying sodium hypochlorite in the 14 containment zones. New Delhi, April 14 : The police investigation in the Tablighi Jamaat case has been put on hold. Tuesday was the first day since an FIR was registered against Jamaat chief Maulana Saad and a few of his associates that the crime branch team probing the case did not venture inside or near the Markaz building in Nizamuddin Basti. When the IANS team reached the temporary office of the crime branch in the premises of Nizamuddin police station at around 5 pm, it was found locked. Station personnel said on condition of anonymity that "Nobody came here since morning." When did the Crime Branch officials come last? When asked by IANS, the policemen said, "For the first few days, teams led by DCP Joy Tirkey and ACPs kept coming. Gradually the frequency decreased. Today (Tuesday) no one came for the whole day." When asked about this, sources in the crime branch told IANS on Tuesday evening, "Now there is nothing there (in the temporary office). Anyway, the area has been declared a hotspot. We will do our work from anywhere." According to Delhi Police sources, on Tuesday Maulana Saad's home quarantine period ended. But it begs the question that if Maulana Saad's quarantine is over, then why are the Crime Branch teams not questioning him. In response to this question by IANS, an officer of Delhi Police Crime Branch said, "Medical report of the accused named is yet to come. Further investigation proceedings are dependent on the report itself." On Monday, while talking to the media, a senior Delhi Police officer also said, "Investigation into the Jamaat case is going on. The investigation is going in the right direction. That's why it is taking time." If sources of the Delhi Police Crime Branch are to be believed, then the issuance of Maulana Saad's lookout notice is still pending. However, that too has been discussed. But no final decision has been taken on this yet. So why the delay in the lookout notice of the accused? When asked, a Crime Branch official said, "We do not have to ask anyone to issue a lookout notice. Nor is it a matter for the courts. We will give the details in writing to the FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Department) whenever we want." "Maulana and all the accused are in contact with us. All our notices have also been answered by the accused. However, these answers seemed to prolong the investigation. So the probe will proceed only when we meet him face to face." WOODLAND PARK A Teller County-designed clear acrylic cube that costs less than $500 to produce should significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19 from infected residents to emergency and medical workers in Colorado, health officials said Monday. -PHOTOS: Documenting COVID-19 in the Pikes Peak Region The non-proprietary device known as an airway protection box provides increased safety to ambulance and hospital staff by enclosing and removing potential contaminants expelled from an intubated coronavirus patient, Dr. Jeremy DeWall, Teller County Regional Medical Director, said before demonstrating the equipment. Intubation is undertaken when a patient is having trouble breathing independently. Emergency or hospital staff insert a tube into the airway through the mouth. The tube can be attached to a mechanical ventilator, which forces the lungs to inhale and exhale. The novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, is a respiratory virus spread from person to person by saliva and airway droplets, which can be transferred by ventilators and other breathing equipment said Dr. Matt Angelidis, El Paso County Medical Director for EMS. About 40% of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units at hospitals need to be on a ventilator, according to UCHealth, a health care system that operates three hospitals in Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in Woodland Park. The new lightweight protection box fits over a patients head. One of three openings on the box connects to the external ventilation system in an ambulance to vent air outside and remove it from the vehicle's interior space. An emergency medical technician or other health care worker places their hands in the other two holes to insert a tube down the patients throat. The box is placed over the patient before entering the ambulance, DeWall said in demonstrating on a simulated patient in an ambulance outside Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in Woodland Park. Setting it up outside reduces the possibility of aerosols and droplets from spreading, he said. A hose removes the air exhaled into the cube and whisks it outside, away from the health care workers. The box design is not FDA-approved, DeWall said, but relies on the logic and judgment" of experts. After studying other models of such protective equipment being used across the nation, Teller County Public Works Director Fred Clifford; one of his employees, William Daniel; and the director of the Southwest Teller County EMS, Eric Murray, created the box a few weeks ago. We took it upon ourselves to build a better mousetrap to protect first responders and medical providers, Teller County Office of Emergency Management director Don Angell said. But the effort marks a collaboration between many area entities and will benefit healthcare employees regionwide, he said. Laird Plastics in Denver is producing the boxes. The West Palm Beach, Fla.-headquartered company also is making other COVID-19 protective products, such as face shields, partitions and sneeze guards. The box is intended to supplement and not replace personal protective equipment that health care workers wear, such as gowns, goggles, face shields and gloves, Angell said. Teller County Office of Emergency Management ordered 15 units, and UCHealth has ordered 50 boxes, Angell said. The units will pay for themselves all it takes is one person who doesnt come down with the coronavirus, Angell said. To save one life is worth the cost. UCHealth in Colorado Springs expects to receive boxes Tuesday and will begin immediate delivery to UCHealth emergency providers, spokeswoman Cary Vogrin said. The health system will pay for and distribute additional boxes to its hospitals in southern Colorado, she said. The first 50 will be in use from Teller and Park counties to El Paso and counties that stretch east to the Kansas border officials said. A married mother miraculously came back to life as funeral parlor workers were set to prepare her body for a service hours after a doctor at a private clinic in east-central Paraguay had informed her family she had died. Gladys Rodriguez Duarte, who is an ovarian cancer patient, was rushed to San Fernando Clinic in the city of Coronel Oviedo on Saturday morning after her high blood pressure increased. According to a Paraguay National Police report, the 50-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital at 9:30am local time and was checked by Dr. Heriberto Vera. Gladys Rodriguez Duarte (left) was pronounced dead by a doctor at a clinic in Paraguay two hours after she was admitted. The doctor would inform her husband Maximino Duarte Ferreira (center) and daughter Sandra Duarte that the 50-year-old woman's dead was caused by her cervical cancer. But she awoke later at a local funeral home A doctor at the San Fernando Clinic in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, declared a woman dead about two hours later after she was treated for high blood pressure Saturday morning. However, she was found breathing and moving inside a body bag by the workers of a local funeral home where she was about to be prepared for a service Dr. Vera declared Rodriguez Duarte dead at 11:20am before relaying the tragic news to her husband Maximino Duarte Ferreira and daughter Sandra Duarte. The physician confirmed her cause of death as cervical cancer. Sandra Duarte slammed Dr. Vera's judgement and said he just wrote her mother off instead of attempting to bring her back to life. 'He assumed she was dead and handed her naked to me like an animal with her death certificate. He didn't even revive her,' Duarte said, according to Paraguayan television network TV Aire. 'We trusted him, that's why we went there. But they disconnected her and passed her off to the funeral home.' The hospital subsequently handed over a body bag containing Rodriguez Duarte's cadaver to the personnel of Duarte and Sons Funeral, who made the shocking discovery. The owner told investigators that Rodriguez Duarte was moving inside the bag when they unloaded her at the funeral parlor. Rodriguez Duarte immediately taken to one of Paraguay's Social Welfare Institute medical facilities and placed under observation. Would you like barista-style coffee without leaving the comfort of your own home? The first step is to select the right beans. If you're not sure where to start, several specialist coffee companies offer subscription services to enable you to taste a selection of different beans. Every month, you'll receive a delivery through your mailbox. When you choose beans over instant coffee from a jar, you'll get superior flavor and freshness as coffee starts to lose its flavor the moment it is roasted and ground. Ahead are six subscription options to take you on a caffeine-fueled tasting journey. Driftaway Coffee, $17 every four weeks Driftaway coffee prides itself on being eco-friendly, improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers and ensuring that sustainability is paramount at all stages of the subscription process. They're the first roaster in the US to use 100 per cent compostable packaging and are committed to going carbon-neutral by 2022. All subscriptions start with a tasting kit of four coffee profiles. Once you rate your preferences, you'll receive new options in your profile every month. Rate and review them in your account and this information will be passed directly to the coffee farmer so they know what works and what to improve. CLICK TO BUY AT DRIFTAWAY COFFEE Illy Coffee, from $29.98 every four weeks Whether you prefer coffee capsules, ground coffee or coffee beans, Illy has a subscription model to help you get your caffeine fix just the way you like it. One of the standout features of this subscription is the welcome gift. Choose from several cup sets (coffee, espresso or cappuccino), valued at up to $40. The downside is that that you have to purchase at least two boxes or tins a month, working out to approximately three cups a day, so this is a subscription best-suited to households of coffee lovers rather than single people. CLICK TO BUY AT ILLY COFFEE Trade Coffee, from $15 every three weeks If you're not keen on receiving a random bag of coffee every month and would prefer to have some control over what's sent, then you'll be pleased to hear that Trade will only send you coffee that matches your personal tasting profile. Before they send the first bag, you'll have to answer a six page consultative questionnaire on their website so they can assess your preferences. Once you've tried the first delivery, you're asked to rate it to further refine your tasting profile and ensure you receive likeable deliveries. Bags cost between $15 and $22, with 15 per cent off for subscribers. CLICK TO BUY AT TRADE COFFEE Blue Bottle Coffee, $18 every four weeks Quality over quantity is key for Blue Bottle Coffee. You won't find hundreds of coffees from all around the world but you can guarantee that all of the single origin beans and blends available to try have been rigorously taste tested by the Bluebottle team first. They've chosen beans to please those who like a light roast as well as those who like their beans rich and flavorsome. Bags are available in six, 12, 24, and 36 oz sizes. You choose how often to have it delivered, on a two or four-week cycle. CLICK TO BUY AT BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE Atlas Coffee Club, $14 every four weeks Atlas Coffee Club bills itself as a coffee 'tour guide' with the goal of helping their subscribers become coffee connoisseurs by selecting coffee beans from 50 different countries around the world. You'll taste beans from Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, Columbia and beyond. Every shipment is beautifully packaged in colorful wrapping and comes with a fun postcard as well as an informative card explaining more about the beans and a suggested brewing method. If you find something you like, it's easy to order extra from Atlas Coffee's website which stores all the coffees ever sent out. CLICK TO BUY AT ATLAS COFFEE CLUB Java Presse, $18.99 every 30 days JavaPresse takes freshness seriously, shipping their beans to you just two hours after they're roasted. That means there's virtually zero time for the beans to start getting stale while they're waiting to be packaged. Also, JavaPresse's expert roasters ensure the beans aren't excessively heated to preserve the coffee's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. Each month, subscribers receive a different single-origin coffee made by organic, Fair Trade small producers from around the world alongside tasting notes. There are no additives, preservatives or pesticides and farmers receive a fair price for the beans. CLICK TO BUY AT JAVA PRESSE DailyMail.com may earn commission on sales from the links on this page. Paul Manafort, President Donald Trumps former campaign manager, is asking to be released from prison over fears he could contract coronavirus. Mr Manafort wants to serve the remainder of his seven and a half year sentence at home, or stay there for the duration of the pandemic. In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Kevin Downing, his attorney, argues that his client falls into a high risk category due to both his age and his pre-existing health conditions, for which he takes daily medication. Mr Downing says that it is only a matter of time before the coronavirus begins to spread among the inmates and corrections officers at the federal prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, where Mr is incarcerated. The letter was addressed to Michael Carvajal, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A copy was sent to the Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. A copy was obtained by Politico. Mr Manafort was imprisoned in June 2018 to serve time for charges of tax evasion, failing to report foreign bank accounts, witness tampering, and engaging in unregistered lobbying for foreign interests. He is due to be released in November 2024. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 40 facilities and nine residential centres have confirmed cases of Covid-19. A total of 388 inmates and 201 staff have tested positive, and 13 inmates have died. Both 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli and R Kelly have also asked to be released from prison due to the coronavirus. Mr Shkreli argues that he might be useful in developing a drug to help fight the virus. THUMB AREA The number of reported coronavirus cases in the Thumb has again increased over the weekend, while the state again reported its largest number of daily deaths as a result of COVID-19. Huron County gained a number over the weekend, bringing its total to six reported with zero reported deaths. Tuscola County gained five cases, now reporting 45 confirmed coronavirus cases. Tuscola County also saw an additional death Sunday, bringing its total coronavirus-related deaths to seven. Sanilac County still has 23 cases, with two reported deaths. Statewide, the number of cases is at 25,635, an increase of around 900 from Sunday's numbers. There were 210 additional coronavirus-related deaths reported Monday, the highest number of daily deaths reported in the state since the outbreak began. In all, 1,697 people have died from the coronavirus in Michigan. 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. This article has been updated with comments from Regency at Grand Blanc nursing home. GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MI -- There have been 16 COVID-19 cases and four deaths from a single Grand Blanc Township nursing home as of Tuesday, April 14, the Genesee County Health department confirmed. The four Regency at Grand Blanc resident deaths were included at the nursing homes 16 total cases, said John McKellar, Genesee County health officer. McKellar said the Genesee County Health department is in regular contact with 15 facilities across the county and just about" all of them have seen COVID-19 cases. He said, while there have been high rates at these care facilities, he is unsure how residents were first exposed to the virus. However, McKellar said he is not aware that any other long-term care facilities in the county have seen higher cases as Regency. Long-term care facilities like Regency are a definite high-risk area, McKellar said, adding that having an already high health risk population in close quarters adds to the risk of serious cases of the virus. New coronavirus cases slow, but 13 more die in Genesee, Saginaw counties McKellar was unable to immediately provide numbers of cases at the other care facilities across the county. The Regency at Grand Blanc resident deaths occurred while patients were hospitalized outside of the facility, McKellar said. For those who have tested positive, the nursing home, located at 1330 Grand Pointe Court, has been working closely with the health department and created an isolation wing, McKellar said. That is the right thing for them to be doing, he said. McKellar thinks families of Regency residents have been informed of the situation. He said he is unsure of how many residents have been tested for the virus. Genesee County has a total of 1,031 COVID-19 cases and 84 deaths, with Grand Blanc Township representing 88 of the total cases. Grand Blanc Township is second only to the city of Flint, which is at 419 total cases. We are aware that since the emergence of COVID-19 in Southeast and Central Michigan, including Genesee County communities, we have discharged residents to local area hospitals for COVID-19-like symptoms and for conditions unrelated to the virus, the nursing home said in a statement. Regency does not always have first-hand knowledge of the status of discharged residents, but has no reason to doubt the accuracy of the information from the county health department, according to the statement. Based on information received from County health officials, it has been reported to us that some of these residents later tested positive for the virus, and while several have recovered, unfortunately, some of those residents have passed away from COVID-19 related illnesses, the statement reads. Regency at Grand Blanc has been working toward and now has the ability to treat a limited amount of existing or admitted positive COVID-19 patients in an isolated, contained unit consistent with guidelines and directives from the Centers for Disease Control and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, according to the statement. The nursing home is also working closely with the county health department. Staff are being screened prior and after each shift and we are requiring staff to stay home if they are sick or display symptoms of the virus. All of our staff offer their deepest condolences and thoughts to the families and loved ones of residents who have passed away from COVID-19 related illnesses," the statement reads. "Our staff has worked tirelessly to care for and protect the residents of Regency at Grand Blanc, and continue to do so. The health department is actively promoting social distancing and CDC recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19, McKellar said. Its not time to let down on important prevention activities, McKellar said. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up Grand Blanc to join #BeTheLight movement Friday night 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Not enough body bags Mapping spread of coronavirus in Michigan over past four weeks The Japanese drug Avigan may be the worlds best hope for ending the global Covid-19 pandemic On 7 April, Japanese top diplomat Toshimitsu Motegi declared that his country would allow 20 other countries to test Avigan, a drug for influenza that has helped patients in China to recover from the Covid-19 coronavirus. Its usefulness has yet to be confirmed in clinical tests, but Japan seeks to work with interested countries to expand clinical research on Avigan internationally, Motegi said, in order to find out whether it could be effective as a therapy against the coronavirus. Among the countries involved in the Avigan tests are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Thirty more countries, according to Motegi, are also interested in trying it. The Japanese Fujifilm Corporation, Avigans producer, issued a statement saying that about 50 coronavirus patients in the United States would be given the drug as part of a joint project between the company and Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Egypt has also expressed interest in the drug. We are on our way to the manufacturing stage... after we contact the Chinese side responsible for producing the pharmaceutical ingredients ... and the approval of the Japanese company to get enough of the ingredients in order to manufacture the drug, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said last week. Avigan earned approval for manufacture in Japan in 2014 as an antiviral influenza drug. Fujifilm said that it is to be considered for use only when there is an outbreak of novel or re-emerging influenza virus infections in which other influenza antiviral drugs are either not effective or insufficiently effective. The Japanese government has decided to use the drug as a countermeasure against such influenza viruses. The company said that Avigan was a promising therapy for the novel coronavirus because it has a mechanism of action for selectively inhibiting RNA polymerase involved in influenza viral replication. Covid-19 is classified in the same type of single-stranded RNA virus as influenza, and its [Avigans] clinical application to treat Covid-19 is now under study, Fujifilm said in a press statement on 31 March. In March, the Chinese medical authorities praised Avigan for having a high degree of safety and [being] clearly effective in the treatment of coronavirus. It had been used on 340 patients in Wuhan and Shenzan, and patients who had tested positive for coronavirus recovered almost four days after taking the drug, they said. Those who did not, according to Japans NHK national broadcaster, felt better after roughly 11 days. A source at the Japanese Health Ministry told the Mainichi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, that Avigan doesnt seem to work that well when the virus has already multiplied, suggesting that the drug should be used early in the infection. Medical researchers, pharmaceutical companies and world leaders have repeatedly emphasised that a vaccine for coronavirus will not be ready before a year from now. A reliable therapy is thus greatly needed. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, more than two million people around the world tested positive for coronavirus. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: COVID-19: Global caseload exceeds 1.84mn; deaths in Europe on downward trend Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 8:13 AM At least 1,844,410 people are diagnosed with COVID-19 across the globe, and 114,090 others have so far died of the disease, according to the latest data collected by Johns Hopkins University. Slowing death rates from the coronavirus epidemic in Italy, France and Spain the worst-affected nations after the United States have provided some hope in Europe, where millions of people celebrated Easter Sunday under lockdown in their homes. Here are the world's key developments related to the pandemic over the past 24 hours: Italy reports lowest daily death toll in 1 month Deaths from coronavirus infection in Italy rose by 431 on Sunday, down from 619 the day before, official said. That was the lowest daily rise in deaths since March 19. The number of new cases also slowed to 4,092, from a previous 4,694. The total death toll rose to 19,899, the Civil Protection Agency said, also confirming the number of known cases of COVID-19 at 156,363. Spain reports drop in daily toll Presenting its daily update on Monday, Spain's government said the death toll had resumed a downward trend with 517 more people dead. The overall number of fatalities was reported at nearly 17,500. The data also showed confirmed cases rose by 3,477 -- the lowest daily figure since March 20. The country started loosening the lockdown and reopened parts of its economy with construction and manufacturing workers returning after a two-week period. France deaths decline France has reported a drop in fatalities from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, with 315 deaths in hospitals on Sunday, compared with 345 the day before. President Emmanuel Macron is expected to address the nation for a third time over the outbreak later on Monday. Official said he is due to stress the need for the lockdown to continue. The total death toll, which includes data from hospitals and nursing homes, reached 14,393 in the country, with a total 132,591 infections as of Sunday. Russia reports new record daily rise of COVID-19 In a record daily rise, Russia reported 2,558 more positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The figure brought the country's overall tally to 18,328. According to Russia's coronavirus crisis response center, 18 patients also died of complications from the viral infection, bringing the country's overall death toll to 148. Meanwhile, police have tightened a lockdown in the capital, Moscow, where more than 10,000 people are infected with the virus. Traffic police have set up checkpoints on major thoroughfares on the outskirts of the city to control traffic. China reports 108 new cases China recorded 108 new cases of the disease on Sunday, marking the highest number of cases in more than five weeks. The National Health Commission said 98 cases had been travelers from abroad. Two deaths were also recorded. The new figures brought China's total confirmed cases to 82,160, and the number of deaths to 3,341. Recent increases in the number of imported cases have sparked fears of a second wave of infections in the mainland. As part of the latest restrictions in the country, cities near the border with Russia are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantine after officials reported an influx of infected cases from Russia. The northeast Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia, has become the new battleground against the coronavirus outbreak. More recovered patients test positive again in South Korea South Korea said on Monday that at least 116 people who had recovered from COVID-19 had tested positive again. While the country reported 25 first-time infections on Monday, the number of "reactivated" patients had more than doubled since a week earlier, when officials started reported such cases. South Korea health officials are investigating the cause of the apparent relapses. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also opened an investigation into the cases. Jordan extends lockdown till end of April In the Middle East, Jordan extended its month-long lockdown until the end of this month on Sunday. The country has reported 389 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths. Jordan had declared a 24-hour nationwide curfew on March 20. Turkey's Erdogan rejects minister's resignation over hasty curfew Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected the resignation of his interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, who had hastily declared a weekend lockdown that led to a surge in panic buying and traffic in Istanbul. Soylu announced his resignation in a Twitter message on Sunday, saying he was responsible for implementing the lockdown. Erdogan, however, refused to accept his resignation. Health officials reported 97 more deaths on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 1,198. The country of 80 million has nearly 57,000 confirmed cases of the viral infection. In Israel, former chief rabbi dies of COVID-19 A former Israeli chief rabbi died of complications caused by the new coronavirus on Sunday. Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, 79, who had served as Israel's top chaplain for Sephardim from 1993 to 2003, died of COVID-19 in a hospital in Jerusalem al-Quds. Israel has reported 11,145 cases of infection and 103 deaths. Sudan introduces emergency laws In Africa, Sudan was set to introduce emergency laws, including banning all passenger road transport between cities, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It has registered 19 cases and two deaths. Mexico reports 442 new cases In Mexico, the Health Ministry reported 442 new cases of infection and 23 more deaths on Sunday. That brought the country's total to 4,661 cases and 296 deaths. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A family stopped by police over the Easter weekend have been fined after breaking the coronavirus lockdown for a 500-mile round-trip to the Lake District. The family, from Greater London, were pulled over by officers from the Lancashire Police force on Monday afternoon. The officers issued the driver with a fine and sent the family, who claimed the journey was acceptable if they wore masks and gloves, back home. A Lancashire Road Police spokesperson tweeted: "A family from Middlesex stopped travelling to the Lake District for a day out. 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 "They thought if they wore masks and gloves this would be acceptable #stayathome #protectthenhs #savelives. "Turned around and sent home with paperwork to remember their non-essential journey." Members of the public were meanwhile quick to criticise the family over the incident, with social media users criticising them as "absolute idiots" and "clowns". "What planet are they on?" one user asked. Cumbria Police last month declared the Lake District "closed" to visitors amid the pandemic, in a bid to deter visitors from breaking the lockdown to make "non-essential" journeys to the beauty spot. Motorist caught speeding at 151mph on M1 in London over Easter Several other similar incidents were reported by police forces across the UK over the Easter weekend, which saw temperatures soar in many parts of the country. Police issued more than 50 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to day-trippers in Brighton, East Sussex, who live outside of the county. Officers clamped down on tourists defying Government coronavirus advice to stay at home between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with more than 100 fines in total handed out across the county. All of the penalties in Brighton on Easter Sunday were given to people visiting from other cities. The force issued a further four fines to people travelling to Camber, on the East Sussex coastline, including a couple from St Albans, Hertfordshire, who made a 150-mile round trip for a stroll on the beach. Officers also rapped a motorcyclist who rode to the beach from Bexley, south-east London. UK completes three weeks of lockdown Meanwhile police in Plymouth, Devon, on Monday issued fines to three members of the same family after they travelled from the capital for a holiday to see a cousin. The family were followed by a police escort to the A38 after being given a strong talking to, the citys D Section Response emergency unit said. Officers patrolled routes using ANPR number plate recognition technology to track motorists from out of town. Police in Pembrokeshire, on the Welsh coastline, also caught a motorist and passenger driving to the area from Birmingham to collect a motorbike. This is clearly not an essential journey. Fixed penalty notice issued and vehicle turned around, the force said. London's streets remain empty on bank holiday Monday And officers warned that anyone else found not following essential travel guidance would be fined and ordered to turn back. Another family from London meanwhile found themselves reeled in by Devon and Cornwall police after making a 200-mile overnight trip to Torquay for a fishing trip. OAKLAND (BCN) Two people were injured in a Monday afternoon freeway shooting in Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol. The shooting was first reported at 3:33 p.m. on northbound I-880 just south of 23rd Street, the CHP said. The victims were in a gray Honda Accord when a white Jeep Cherokee with white temporary license plates shot at their vehicle and fled. Both victims suffered moderate gunshot wounds in what the CHP believes was a targeted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at (707) 917-4491. 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 is when premium flagship phones start raining on us. Although COVID-19 has halted our lives, phone makers aren't stopping launching new phones. The OnePlus 8 Series is coming out as you read this and Motorola follows with a launch scheduled for April 22. While Motorola is yet to announce the name of the product, the video teaser suggests that it will be coming up with long-rumoured Edge series flagship phones. The Motorola Edge series was originally supposed to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year but as the event got cancelled, Motorola delayed the launch. Nonetheless, the phones are coming out now and they will be first revealed in the US. The Edge marks Motorola's return to the premium segment after a long gap but it remains to be seen whether it will make it to markets like India, where OnePlus and Samsung rule the segment. While India availability is still unknown, it doesn't harm to learn more about these phones. If you are getting a OnePlus 8, should you bother about these new Edge series phones? Motorola Edge: Flagship experience on a budget? Motorola's return to the premium smartphone space comes in the form of the Edge -- the lesser equipped model of the two phones. The Edge is expected to adhere to all the 2020 trends but at a price that could make it more accessible to everyone. -With the Edge, Motorola may offer a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that will have 3D curved edges (hence the name Edge). The display will have a punch-hole cutout for the front camera and it will have a refresh rate of 90Hz. -The regular Edge model is said to use the Snapdragon 765G, which is the next best chip to the Snapdragon 865. The 765G will have 5G support baked-in and is going to be paired with 6GB RAM as well as 128GB of storage. As is the case with all Motorola phones, it will have a near-stock version of Android 10 as its operating system. -Cameras are of prime importance to all these days and the Edge seems to tick the right boxes here. In the triple rear camera setup, the main camera will use a 64-megapixel sensor which will be accompanied by a 16-megapixel wide-angle camera and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera. The selfie camera will use a 25-megapixel sensor. -Leaks suggest a 4500mAh battery on the Edge but there's no mention of a fast-charging system. Wireless charging is also not an option on this one. -Pricing is what matters and Motorola may look to take on the OnePlus 8, which itself is said to be quite pricey this year. If the Edge goes against the OnePlus 8, it may have a tough time convincing power users due to its weaker Snapdragon 765G chip. That said, those looking for a premium phone with a stock Android experience could find this a favourable option. Motorola Edge Plus: OnePlus 8 Pro rival? If you didn't like the specifications list on the Edge, the Edge Plus may suffice. Motorola is expected to go all-out with the Edge Plus. It could end up being extremely pricey but the Edge Plus may appeal in its own ways. -The Edge Plus is said to rely on the same 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 3D curved edges and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The display still has a punch-hole cutout for the camera but from the renders, it seems that the bezels are slim. This display is also supposed to have an in-display fingerprint sensor. -The Snapdragon 865 makes the biggest difference over the standard model. For performance seekers, the Edge Plus will be more than enough. Add to that the presence of a stock Android experience that Motorola is famous for and you can expect a smooth user experience. -The Edge Plus leaks suggest it is going to use a 108-megapixel sensor as its main camera, which could be the same one found on the Samsung S20 Ultra and Xiaomi Mi 10. This could be paired with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera as well as another unspecified telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom. The front camera is still unspecified. -When it comes to price, the Motorola Edge Plus may be jostling for presence with the OnePlus 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20 models. Comparing to what the rivals have to offer, the Edge Plus may be at a disadvantage but Motorola could nail the stock Android experience, which could be a refreshing change in the premium flagship category. [The stream is slated to start at 11:30 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding his daily press conference on the Covid-19 outbreak, which has infected more than 196,140 across the state as of Tuesday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On Monday, Cuomo said the state appears to be controlling the spread of the outbreak and "the worst is over ... if we continue to be smart going forward." Cuomo announced Monday that governors from Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island will form a working group to coordinate plans to reopen parts of their states' economies once it's safe to do so. "I'm not confident that the worst is over," Cuomo said at a press conference Monday. "The numbers suggest a plateauing, slight increase, but a plateauing which is what the experts have talked about. That's what the numbers say." The coronavirus has infected more than 582,500 people in the U.S. and has killed at least 23,649, the highest death toll of any country. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 1.9 million people and has killed at least 120,914, according to JHU data. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the Covid-19 outbreak. Ethnic minorities and young people are taking a disproportionate financial and employment hit from the coronavirus pandemic, exclusive polling reveals. The shocking findings sparked a call from race equality campaigners for urgent government action to protect communities who provide an outsized share of those at risk from the disease as they continue to work in essential frontline services like health and social care and bus driving. The BMG poll for The Independent laid bare the scale of hardship across the country resulting from the lockdown measures to tackle the outbreak, with almost a third of all households seeing their finances cut and more than one in 20 saying that they have lost over half their income. But it showed that people from black and minority ethnic (Bame) households were almost twice as likely as white Britons to report having lost income and jobs. And it found that workers aged under 35 were significantly more likely to have been made unemployed or furloughed than older colleagues. Operation Black Vote director Simon Woolley described the findings as shocking and said dramatic action was needed from the government to protect the interests of ethnic minority communities which provide a high proportion of the NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline, including all of the doctors to die so far in the UK. The government needs to take dramatic action to protect the people who in many ways have been the bedrock of tackling the coronavirus not only the health workers, but also people like bus drivers who are running the risk of infection to keep our cities operating, said Lord Woolley, who chairs an advisory group to No 10s race disparity unit. The virus itself doesnt discriminate, but the system does, and that has left Bame communities extremely vulnerable both on health and economic grounds. There is a debt owed to these communities by the government and the nation and they must not be left behind. BMG found that 46 per cent of Bame people reported that their household income had reduced as a result of coronavirus, against 28 per cent of white British households. Some 15 per cent of respondents from ethnic minorities said they had lost their job, compared with 8 per cent of white Britons. Labour on Saturday called for an inquiry into why coronavirus was disproportionately killing ethnic minorities in Britain. A report on the first 3,883 patients critically ill with Covid-19 found that just over a third were non-white, compared with 18 per cent of the total UK population. Shadow equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova said the number of deaths of doctors from these communities in the UK was deeply disturbing. And the chair of the British Medical Association, Chaand Nagpaul, echoed this call, saying the disproportionate percentage of Bame people getting ill had to be addressed. He said: The government must act now. 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 impact of Covid-19 was also particularly hard on younger people, with 44 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds saying they had lost income, compared with 36 per cent of 55- to 64-year-olds and 11 per cent of over-65s. Some 13 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 15 per cent one in seven of 25- to 34-year-olds said they had lost their jobs, compared with 7 per cent of 45- to 54-year-olds and 4 per cent of those aged 55 to 64. Liberal Democrat equalities spokesperson Christine Jardine warned that younger people who are also seeing their education and training disrupted as schools and colleges close risk being forgotten victims of the lockdown. We cannot afford to leave behind a generation of people, warned Ms Jardine. Now more than ever, the government must drop the foolish notion that coronavirus doesnt discriminate. As an absolute priority, ministers must pick up the pace and act to reduce the inequality gap. Liberal Democrats will be a voice for the most vulnerable at this challenging times. We are calling on the government to introduce a citizens income and an end to the five-week wait for benefits by raising benefit rates, abolishing sanctions and turning day-one universal credit loans into grants. The BMG poll exposed the extent of disruption caused by the pandemic. Overall, 31 per cent of those questioned said their household income had fallen. Of those who are facing reduced financial circumstances, a massive 20 per cent the equivalent of 6 per cent of the population as a whole, or around 4 million people said their household had lost half or more of its total income. The impact of empty supermarket shelves is hitting ethinic minorities and the poor hardest (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty) Some 11 per cent of those reporting a loss said their total household income had dropped by up to 9 per cent, 23 per cent said it was down by between 10-19 per cent, 26 per cent that they had lost 20-29 per cent of their income, 7 per cent had lost 30-39 per cent and 5 per cent had lost 40-49 per cent. In a reflection of the empty supermarket shelves left by panic buying, some 50 per cent of those questioned said they had experienced difficulties sourcing food and 49 per cent obtaining other essential items during the outbreak. And family life has suffered, with 23 per cent unable to visit relatives or friends with new babies, 11 per cent missing funerals and 5 per cent cancelling or postponing wedding plans. Half of all those surveyed (50 per cent) said they had cancelled holidays because of coronavirus. BMG questioned 1,541 British adults between 7 and 9 April Thousands of Victorian families have begun trying to navigate the challenge of home-learning this morning, with class officially back in session. Others arrived at near-empty schools. Students whose parents are essential workers, or families who face difficult circumstances, are allowed to head into the classroom, but most are encouraged to work from home. One of those families is the Lancaster family in Inverloch. Donna Lancaster has four children who attend Inverloch Primary School and were ready to go at home this morning. [April 14, 2020] Codefresh Taps Talent Behind Stackdriver, Google, and HP Success To further the company's skyrocketing growth as the leading developer of Kubernetes-native Continuous Integration/ Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) innovation, Codefresh announces the appointment of two new members of the executive team - Chris Pomeroy as Vice President of Sales and Orli Remez as Vice President of People & Culture. Pomeroy specializes in building and scaling technical sales teams selling software engineering tools and platforms. Before joining Codefresh, where he'll be managing a global sales team, he led the corporate inside sales team for Google (News - Alert) Cloud. There, he built and scaled a team of 50+ reps and managers for the Western and Central US market, maintaining 100%+ YoY growth. Google had acquired Stackdriver, an AWS infrastructure monitoring startup, in 2014 where Pomeroy led the global sales team and grew revenue by 1400% in 7 months. He was also one of the first sales hires at Acquia where he was promoted several times to the position of Regional Sales Manager, accelerating the company's growth by exceeding revenue targets. Acquia was later acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2019 for $1B. "I have worked in software engineering and public cloud technologies for over a decade - all exciting, high-growth companies - with great results," Pomeroy said. "Codefresh has incredible potential to be another home run. The company is one of those 'ahead of their time' innovators that is perfect for an aggressive sales team to help grow, and I can't wait to get started." For Codefresh, Remez will be responsible for the company's people strategy and employee experience. She came from BigPanda where she designed and implemented people strategy, programs and solutions for hiring, compensation, benefits, internal communications, talent management, and leadership development. She has held senior level positions with global software companies, including Mercury Interactive, Hewlett Packard Software, BMC Software (News - Alert), and Castlight Health, for more than 20 years. "My passion is creating workplaces where people can perform at their best," Remez said. Referring to Codefresh's distributed workforce across four continents, a key strength considering the broader global remote work situation, she added, "Codefresh offers a great environment and opportunities for developers, and I look forward to building on that work culture through talent acquisition and management, employee initiatives, and leadership development." Raziel Tabib, Codefresh CEO, added, "Chris and Orli both have impressive backgrounds helping to increase sales and revenue and building teams for software companies respectively. They also both understand the challenges software developers experience and recognize Codefresh's unique capabilities as the answer. We look forward to their contributions to our executive team." Pomeroy and Remez will be based out of the Codefresh US headquarters in Mountain View, CA (News - Alert). Codefresh's CI/CD platform provides automation for building, testing and deploying modern applications using Kubernetes, serverless and more. Development teams often see 24x faster engineering cycles when using Codefresh. About Codefresh, Inc. Founded in 2014, Codefresh is the first Kubernetes-native CI/CD. After launch in 2017, Codefresh has gained tens of thousands of users. Unlike legacy solutions, Codefresh pipelines are uniquely designed for cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes and Helm. Codefresh is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and backed by world-class investors: M12, Microsoft's (News - Alert) venture fund, Viola Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Hillsven, CEIIF, UpWest Labs and Streamlined Ventures. Learn more about Codefresh at https://codefresh.io/. Follow on LinkedIn (News - Alert) and Twitter at @codefresh. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005461/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali Tue, April 14, 2020 12:15 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1c26f5 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,bali-covid-19,large-scale-social-restrictions,PSBB,local-transmissions,virus-korona-indonesia Free Despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Bali, the island has no intention of implementing large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) similar to those that are enforced in Greater Jakarta to stop the virus transmission. Bali Governor Wayan Koster claimed that Bali had yet to face a situation where such restrictions would be essential to apply, citing that the province had not even reached a high number of local transmissions. In a Monday press conference, Koster said implementing the large-scale restrictions would require at least two conditions. First, the region would need to record many COVID-19 cases. Second, the spread of the virus would need to be high and have a big potential to cause fatalities and other misfortunes. For Bali, referring to such requirements and my calculations [...], it is not yet the time [for us to implement the restrictions]. Were still quite far [from such conditions], said Koster, who is an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician. Read also: COVID-19: Pekanbaru first area in Sumatra granted request to impose large-scale social restrictions He went on to say that Bali at the moment was not at the level of Jakarta, which is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia with a high number of local transmissions. Koster said he was certain that the number of local transmissions in Bali was still low. Out of 81 cases recorded as of Monday, Koster claimed that only eight cases were caused by local transmission. Most of the cases here are imported cases. Only eight people contracted COVID-19 through local transmission. I check the situation on a daily basis. The amount of local transmission is very small, in my opinion, he added. Kosters reasoning was based on what happened in Jakarta. Read also: COVID-19: West Java to request large-scale social restrictions for Greater Bandung In Jakarta, the total number has reached 2,000 cases, and mostly from local transmission. The capital is also connected with neighboring areas with high cases such as Banten, West Java -- including Bogor and Bekasi -- as well as Central Java, he said. Koster claimed it was relatively easy to control the spread of COVID-19 in Bali as it is a small island. Nevertheless, his administration has applied limited access at all gates of Bali. The province is also focusing on repatriating thousands of Balinese migrant workers, considering that many COVID-19 cases were found in migrant workers who had just come home from working abroad. CHESTNUT HILL, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Sokolove Law announces an investigation into a securities class action lawsuit filed against Tufin Software (TUFN) on behalf shareholders. TUFN investors who purchased stock between April 11, 2019 and October 5, 2019 who are interested in learning more about the class action lawsuit should call 800-573-0345 to explore their legal rights. Time is extremely limited- shareholders are encouraged to call without delay. For more information visit: TUFNFraud.com Tufin Software is a security policy management company, which specializes in automating security policy changes across hybrid platforms and working on security and compliance. The investigation is looking into whether documents submitted to investors in connection with the IPO were negligently prepared or contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted material facts. The investigation is reviewing whether Tufin failed to disclose that Tufin's customer relationships and growth metrics were overstated and whether business was deteriorating primarily in North American for the company. If you are a TUFN investor who purchased shares between April 11, 2019 and October 5, 2019 call our experienced case managers now at 800-573-0345 to discuss your legal rights in this securities fraud class action lawsuit. The class has not been certified yet. You are not represented by an attorney until certification occurs. If you do not take action you can remain an absent class member. There is no required minimum number of shares to be a class member. About Sokolove Law Sokolove Law provides quality legal services that help people obtain access to the civil justice system. For more than 40 years, Sokolove Law has worked to educate people about their legal rights and helped thousands of injured parties obtain the compensation they deserved from their legal claims. Sokolove Law is a national law firm with offices and a licensed attorney in nearly every state. The firm operates as a limited liability company in all states except Virginia, California, Michigan and Tennessee, where it operates as a limited liability partnership. For more information on Sokolove Law, please visit www.sokolovelawfirm.com Story continues THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT Sokolove Law, LLC, 1330 Boylston St, Suite 400, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Ricky LeBlanc admitted in MA only. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principal responsibility. This is general information only and should not be taken or relied on as legal, medical, or other advice. No attorney-client or other professional relationship is created by providing or using this information. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. 2020 Sokolove Law, LLC SOURCE: Sokolove Law View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584881/INVESTOR-ALERT-Tufin-Software-TUFN-Securities-Class-Action-Lawsuit The chief of army staff, Lt Gen Buratai Tukur has vowed not to leave the forefront of battle against insurgency in the North east region until the battle against the dreaded Book Haram sect has been won. Speaking during his address on Monday, he added that the Nigerian army can not afford to fight insurgency for 50 years or more like some nations are doing.You may wonder that this counter-insurgency operation has lingered for too long, we all know globally that counter-terrorism is very complex. There are some countries that have fought counter-terrorism for close to 50years. But were not going to leave it, we will not leave this camp. Read Also: Focus Conditional Cash Transfer On Lagos, Ogun Omokri Tells Buhari We are here, we will not leave this camp until we substantially degrade these criminals. By Gods willing, we shall be there with you no going back once we commence. We will be with you in the valleys, on the hill, in the jungle, in the river and so on. As I speak now, we have some element that are providing us necessary intelligence and once we start, no going back. We are here and we make sure that we get ourselves properly motivated, properly equipped and I assure you will have the best of time. Some of you have been here before like two-three times but I tell you are going to have the best of time. We want the best out of you. We need your courage and determination. I want you to have at the back of your minds that Mr. President solidly behind you. We have already started getting the consignment of what we require for us to handle these insurgency and terrorism. It a matter of time and a very short time. If I ask you a question, will you answer me? The question is, is anybody ready to chicken out? To which the troops chorused a thunderous no. Two out of three members of a family, residing in Kathmandu, have tested positive for COVID-19 a month after they returned from the UK. The family underwent a Rapid Diagnostic Test on Monday when they showed traces of infection. They were then rushed to Patan Hospital and kept in isolation where they underwent PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method for further confirmation. The Ministry of Health and Population said in a statement, "A family of three residing at Sun City Apartment of Pepsi Cola Town Planning were tested for COVID-19 on April 13 where two persons, a 58-year male, and an 81-year female were tested positive while undertaking RDT procedure and were further tested under the PCR procedure which also confirmed that they were positive for the virus," "Other people who are residing in that apartment also would be tested for the virus and the tracing also has been started for those who came in contact with them," the statement added. The apartment has been sealed off since Monday afternoon. It is expected that about 1700 people reside there. With the confirmation of two new cases, the number of COVID-19 cases in Nepal rose to 16 out of which 15 are active and one has already recovered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The mad cow crisis of the 1990s turned Sligo farmer Lindy OHara away from a future in cattle and towards deer. Twenty-five years on, she is one of about a dozen farmers still producing venison in Ireland. On a trip to Dublin, Lindy and her husband Brian stopped at Coberts Pub just off the N4, and noticed a deer farm across the road operated by a German farmer. With the beef industry in crisis, the couple became fascinated with the idea of farming deer, and after a number of journeys decided to transform their farm at Coopershill into a deer farm. It was during the BSE crisis and we thought that we would take a chance with deer instead of cattle, says Lindy. We went to see the German farmer and he sent us away three times before he allowed us to buy some deer. At that time there were grants for fencing and infrastructure so we didnt have to invest too much money to get the business off the ground. A good few people took up deer farming at that time because of the grants, but all of that has dried up. I still get people occasionally asking me about deer farming. When I tell them whats involved, I usually dont hear from them again. Its very expensive to get started and, at the moment, its difficult to make money from it. The Irish still are not eating venison. The entire herd at Coopershill is made up of fallow deer. Smaller and generally more wild than red deer, fallow deer require much less managing than cattle, sheep or goats. The fences are the biggest issue. They have to be six foot high and even at that, when the deer are distressed, they can still make it over them. So the fence posts need to be 10 feet tall and dug into the ground. That is a lot of infrastructure to be maintained, says Lindy. Self-sufficient We also developed a deer shed to house all the animals in the winter, but these days we only bring in the fawns who were born that year. The adults stay out all year; they have shelter that they can use but they are fairly self-sufficient. We give them some silage in the winter and a little feed in February, mainly to assist with their pregnancy. We feed the fawns inside over the winter as well. They are essentially wild. Red deer can be more amenable they sometimes come and eat out of your hand but the fallow are not like that. Ive never had a deer who would ever come up close to me, no matter how many times they have seen me. The biggest obstacle in the way of the Irish farmed deer industry is the lack of a consistent home market. While demand from other countries is high, the Irish have yet to take to eating venison in large numbers. We mostly sell online these days. We have some regular customers and we get a rush each Christmas with people trying it out. We used to sell at farmers markets as well but it wasnt really worth it. It wasnt cost-effective, says Lindy. People order online, usually a full or half carcass, and I will always wait until I have orders before I have the animals killed. Lindy believes that environmental concerns about cattle and the broadening tastes of Irish consumers could see a resurgence in deer farming. Deer, as well as sheep, would be considered to have less of an environmental impact than cattle they release less methane, she says. So you could well see an increase in popularity in the years ahead. We are certainly seeing an increase in interest from restaurants. The OHaras have been farming in Coopershill since 1773. In the 1960s, Lindys mother-in-law, Joan OHara, opened the house as a B&B and restaurant. This part of the business is now run by Lindys son Simon and his wife Christina. The 250-strong herd of deer play a major role in this part of the business, both in attracting visitors to stay and as food in the restaurant. We don't have to conform to any Department rules - we are below the radar' What level of start-up costs did you incur in setting up the business? "The start-up costs for setting up the deer farm were reasonable enough, but at that time there were grants available. It would be a more difficult business to get off the ground these days with no grant assistance." Was financing readily available from the banks for this sort of business? "We didn't have any trouble securing financing but the deer business was started in conjunction with the accommodation, so we were never looking for funding just for the deer portion of the business." Was planning permission required? "No. We fitted out a shed in the early days but no planning permission was needed." Did you need a licence or permission from any other government body? "We've never needed any sort of licence. Funnily enough, we don't officially have to conform to any rules and regulations from the Department of Agriculture. We are below the radar entirely. "But that means that if we get TB, for example, there is no compensation. It's always been that way, even when they [the Department] were pushing deer farming back in the 1990s. I don't know why." Are you required to pay rates or any other charges? "No. We are not required to pay anything beyond what any farm would pay." What grant aid or other assistance was available? "When we got started, the Department would pay something like three-quarters of the cost of fencing for the deer, which is the main expense you face, but that help is gone now." What supports bodies/state agencies were able to help? "Teagasc were very helpful. They had a full-time deer specialist but she retired maybe 10 years ago and wasn't replaced." Was insurance required? "We had to get public liability insurance in case anybody falls over, bangs into a gate or whatever. "The deer are energetic but if people were to interact with them they would be trespassing. They would have to come through gates, which are locked. "If people see a gate without a padlock on it, they walk through it. The farmer always has to carry the cost of that side of it." How did the new business affect your tax dealings? "Tax wasn't a big issue. We were already paying tax in the normal way [for the accommodation portion of the business]; the deer just fell in as part of that." How much time was needed to get the business off the ground? "We got contractors in to do the fencing but it does need to be maintained and repaired every two years. "Managing the deer doesn't take that much time really. Unlike other animals, when they are calving, you really need to leave them to get on with it themselves. Otherwise you end up causing more problems. "With deer you have to bring the whole herd in - you can't isolate an animal that is sick - and inevitably you create more problems for yourself when you do that." Did you encounter any unexpected pitfalls or challenges? "The big pitfall was TB. It was discovered in our herd back when we used to sell the animals directly to abattoirs and we lost half our herd, which was a massive hit for us." When The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premiered in October 2010, there were already five franchises as a template Orange County, New York, Atlanta, New Jersey and DC. But from the outset, Beverly Hills was a fish from a different ocean. While other casts turned nobodies into relative somebodies, Beverly Hills had in-built star power via Kyle Richards and Kim Richards, Paris Hilton's aunts and former child actors as well as Camille Grammer, who was embattled in a bitter and very public divorce with Kelsey Grammer that would play out during the show's first season. It might have bucked the formula, but early critics were brutal. "They can barely speak, or formulate a cohesive thought," wrote Salon. "The best thing that can be said for the six Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on their opening night is that they aren't as annoying as their counterparts in New York or New Jersey," read the Daily News. "These women know they are disposable," wrote the Boston Herald. Well-reviewed the show was not. But it went on to become a ratings and pop culture juggernaut anyway, thanks to its stars and ability to tackle subjects ranging from domestic abuse and alcoholism to crying over a stuffed bunny and a season-long narrative arc about a woman's right to go panty-less. Related | Shia LaBeouf Is the Style God We Need Right Now And though the cast has shifted, one Beverly Hills staple going on ten years strong has been the fashions. From the show's debut episode, fashion as an extension of wealth has been pivotal. "It's kind of designed like a French chateau," Lisa Vanderpump says in the opening moments of the pilot, as the camera cuts between shots of her lavish 17,000-square-foot mansion before panning around her and husband Ken Todd's sprawling closet, which would be considered spacious living quarters for anyone currently quarantined. Since then, clothing has played a crucial role in the series, whether it be the women shopping, showing off $25,000 sunglasses, opening and shuttering their own boutiques, designing shoe collections, attending or walking in runway shows, modeling for magazine spreads, or launching swimwear lines. There's been tiaras, pomeranians in pastel purple jumpsuits, hair tinsel, red latex, bedazzled barrettes, gold hair foil, T-shirt dresses, straight-off-the-Paris-runway looks, and so much more. "We're in Hollywood, land of smoke and mirrors, and they have access to the best of the best stylists, hair, makeup, lighting, all of it," Joey Maalouf, a celebrity hair and makeup artist whose clients include RHOBH star Lisa Rinna, tells PAPER. "Serving you full show girl glam to go to the dentist on a Tuesday, they give you the most because they love what they are doing." And it shows. According to Maalouf, the women on Beverly Hills that know how to serve a look are the ones carrying the show. He cites Erika Girardi joining the show in 2015 as the moment it upped the ante fashion-wise. "Life is about situational dressing," Girardi herself explains. "The question is: 'What am I doing today?' Am I camping or am I in Rome? Camping and Rome require different approaches." In the case of Girardi, who's been a performer all of her life under the stage name Erika Jayne, personal style has always been paramount. Her fashion archives go back over twenty years, and feature everything from costume pieces to designer wares from the best of the best. "I never thought about the role fashion would play on the show, it is quite simply a part of who I have always been," she says. Dorit Kemsley, who joined the show one season after Girardi in 2016, echoes a similar lifelong love of fashion, recounting going to school in 6th grade dressed up in her mother's clothes. Kemsley says that early on while shooting she didn't realize the control she'd have over what she was wearing. "I remember one of the producers was there and he said 'let me go through your closet and I'll give you a few selects.' And he chose these dresses that were a little bit more of the typical Beverly Hills woman. So you can see a natural progression as to when I realized I can dress to who I really am and use the show as my runway. When you are in a group of women that step up their fashion game it encourages each of us to step it up as well." For Lisa Rinna, who had been in the business for decades on shows like Days Of Our Lives and Melrose Place before joining the series in its fifth season, watching castmates like Girardi and Kemsley helped to incentivize her to up her style game. "I feel that I've always had my own style and vibe going into Housewives," she says, "but after a few years of having to dress myself for twenty-one episodes plus events and trips, I decided to look for, interview and hire a stylist." Rinna opted for Marie-Lou Bartoli, who put Rinna in a lime green Alex Perry long-sleeved sequin embellished dress for the most recent reunion as well as a Balmain leopard print silk mini, an Alexander Wang tie front tuxedo jacket, and a Diane von Furstenberg wrap blouse throughout season nine. Not every 'wife opts for designer. "I have always been a bit of a hooch and joining the cast of RHOBH didn't change my style at all," says Brandi Glavnille, who joined the show in its second season in 2011 and departed full-time in 2015 (though she still appears as a guest). "I think the only thing I really changed was wearing big, fake diamond earrings because [the producers] liked the look for the interviews. But I am hoochie at heart. That will never change. I hate wearing bras and love to wear as little clothes as possible. And I'm very frugal. I didn't grow up with a lot of money and as a single mom I saved every penny I got. I think if you watch the show you know I do my own makeup up in front of a mirror sitting on the ground." Still, there's no denying Beverly Hills status as the Housewives fashion franchise among the eight currently in production. Take, for example, a Girardi look from season nine: a blazer pulled directly from Jeremy Scott's Moschino SS19 runway. "This look is one of my favorites," Girardi says. "I have worn a lot of Jeremy Scott on the show and his designs have helped me tell my story." Related | 10 Fashion Documentaries That Will Take You Back to a Better Time There's a lot more moodboarding than you'd think. "We think about things that we have done and things that we would like to do, inspiration can start from an editorial image, an old movie, a place, a color or even an old memory," Girardi adds. "From there a conversation starts between myself and my creative team and after a few calls/meetings we narrow it down to our specific look." Like Girardi, Kemsley says her outfits change depending on her mood, and always with an eye toward the runway. "I had a full love affair with Versace this year," she says, which was seen on the show via a lace-trimmed printed silk-twill bustier top and matching pants both emblazoned with the house's iconic baroque print and Medusa motif. Her first breakout fashion moment happened toward the end of her first season. "I was discussing with my hairstylist Justine Marjan how to do something fun and so we looked to the runway and I thought, 'This is exciting, it's fun, it's different.' And she said 'Why don't we cover most of your head with 24K gold leaf?' And I immediately said yes. It's not going to be for everyone and I fully accept that. I don't dress for everyone. I dress for myself and for my husband. Those are the two people that I want to enjoy what I'm wearing." And though Rinna and Girardi have deployed stylists, for Kemsley the operation remains a team of one: herself. "Y'know, I've thought about for time purposes hiring somebody, but I can tell you that it's one of those things I just enjoy doing myself," she says. "It's therapeutic for me. Most of the time my kids are in bed and I go into my closet and I just like to play, or I see something and that starts a look in my head and then it's just kind of putting the pieces together." The fashion world has taken notice. "I was very disarmed because underneath the glossy exterior I did not expect this very sincere heart telling me that 'your clothes make me feel like who I am," Scott said of Girardi last year at his namesake Spring/Summer 2020 show. "Lisa has the kind of energy which would excite any designer she meets," says Christian Cowan, who outfitted Rinna at one of his recent runway shows in LA. "She's excited, trusting in your idea and down to create with a confidence which brings new energy to your vision." And it's this excitement that the women carry that gives the viewers, by proxy, that same excitement in getting to look forward to not only the week's drama, but what each of them will be wearing. "Not hating on the other Housewives franchises, but Beverly Hills is the epitome of Hollywood glamour," says Maalouf. "The cast gives you production value, henny. Rich and flawless AF, head to pinky toe. Lace fronts laid, mink lashes poppin, tits and ass snatched and that's before the Balmain, Dior, Dundas, Atwood, and Birkin oh my! You want it, they got it." Welcome to "Wear Me Out," a column by pop culture fiend Evan Ross Katz that takes a look at the week in celebrity dressing. From award shows and movie premieres to grocery store runs, he'll keep you up to date on what your favorite celebs have recently worn to the biggest and most inconsequential events. Its a potential perfect storm of public-health concerns: With outdoor recreation one of the few exceptions to Michigans stay-home order during the COVID-19 crisis, more people are heading out to parks and trails -- just as the states tick season is set to surge. Medical resources are already strained on account of the pandemic, so researchers and public health experts are stressing the importance of tick-bite prevention now more than ever. We dont want people to be afraid, we just want them to take a few precautions so they can still enjoy being outside, said Jean Tsao, an associate professor at Michigan State University who researches ticks and tick-borne illness. We know being out in nature is good for peoples health, but we just dont want them to have a bad experience. From left to right, the blacklegged tick (nymph and female), Lone star tick, and American dog tick. | Courtesy of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Michigan is home to many species of ticks, a few of which become active early this time of year after a period of winter dormancy. The blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick, is perhaps the most notorious of them all, because it can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Not all species of ticks that live in Michigan harbor dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites, but several species do -- and they can live in a variety of habitats, including peoples own backyards. We spoke with Tsao, who works in MSUs Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, about best practices for avoiding ticks and tick bites. Heres her advice, along with guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Michigan Lyme Disease Rick Map for 2019 shows which counties have had confirmed cases of Lyme disease, and which counties are at risk for instances of Lyme disease. Graphic via Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Try to avoid habitat that ticks prefer. Ticks generally prefer wooded and grassy locations. Avoiding these spots may be easier said than done if youre also trying to hike or walk outdoors, which is why the following prevention tips are important. Dont stray from the trail. This is particularly relevant now during the coronavirus crisis, Tsao said, when many park restroom facilities are closed, trail maintenance may be limited, and people are supposed to social distance by staying six feet away from others, even on trails. Stick to the middle of the trail whenever possible, Tsao said. If you must step to the side of the trail to let others safely pass, try to do so in a clear area and avoid brushing up against tall grass, brush, and fallen leaves. Be extra vigilant in warmer months. Ticks are most active from April through September, though blacklegged ticks can be active any time there are multiple days in a row above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the MDHHS, Michigans peak Lyme disease transmission season occurs in June. Do a tick check after every outdoor outing. Before returning indoors, check over your clothing for ticks (wearing light-colored clothes when you go outside makes ticks easier to find). Check children and pets for ticks, too. Look carefully: Adult-stage blacklegged ticks are sesame-seed sized, while nymphal-stage blacklegged ticks, which are more likely to carry the Lyme disease-causing bacteria, are the size of a poppy seed. (A viral CDC Tweet from 2018 shows just how small they can be -- and probably scared some people away from poppy-seed muffins for life.) Shower within two hours after coming inside. Check all over your skin -- especially armpits, scalp and groin -- for any ticks. As an extra precaution, you may put your clothing in a dryer for 10 minutes on high heat, which will kill any ticks, before washing. Use insect repellent, and/or treat your clothing before you head out. The Centers for Disease Control recommends using products containing permethrin, which can be used to treat boots, clothing and gear, as well as Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents. (A handy EPA guide to repellents can be found here.) Always follow the instructions for each repellent. What to do if you are bitten by a tick: First of all, Dont freak out, Tsao says. Remove the tick gently with tweezers, pulling the tick straight out without squeezing or twisting. Then, Tsao says, save the tick somehow -- she suggests putting it in a sealed plastic baggie, or sealing it between two pieces of clear tape -- and snap a photo for identification. Having the tick is really good because not all ticks transmit pathogens, Tsao said. If you do get sick you can show your physician or healthcare worker what the tick species is, and that will help them decide on a treatment. More information can be found at the CDCs website. Know your ticks. Arm yourself with knowledge by familiarizing yourself with Michigans most prevalent ticks, in this guide from MDHHS. The website Tick Encounter is another great resource for tick identification and information on tick-borne illnesses. Consider becoming a citizen scientist. Tsao and other MSU researchers worked with researchers at Columbia University and the University of Wisconsin to develop The Tick App, which is part guide, part behavioral study meant to help track periods of tick activity and identify areas with high tick risk. Users can opt out of the study, Tsao said, but still use the app to identify different kinds of ticks, report ticks, and learn ways to prevent tick exposure. For more on ticks and tick-borne disease, visit the CDC, MDHHS, and the Michigan Lyme Disease Association. RELATED: When traveling to Michigan outdoor destinations during the stay-home order, how far is too far? ABC News announced on Monday that Deirdre Bolton will join its team covering the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact. Bolton previously worked at Fox Business Network and Fox News. She will be based in New York as a correspondent. Also Read: 'Good Morning America' Anchor George Stephanopoulos Tests Positive for Coronavirus In an email to the news division, ABC News president James Goldston praised Bolton: As an accomplished reporter, Deirdre is adept at translating complex financial concepts into understandable ideas and facts. She reported on some of the biggest stories over the past two decades. In 2018, Deirdre covered the North Korea-United States Singapore Summit and its economic implications for the US and Asia. She reported live from the ground following the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, focusing on their economic effects, including what they meant for a country and region where tourism is a huge part of its GDP. During the 2007-2008 financial crisis, she provided straightforward explanations of the global financial meltdown daily and ways the audience could find much-needed help. Goldston also praised the business team for the work theyre doing at this historic moment in America, as the economic impact of the pandemic is just beginning to be understood. At Fox Business, Bolton hosted Risk & Reward with Deirdre Bolton. Prior to that, she was at Bloomberg TV, where she hosted Money Moves with Deirdre Bolton. She has also worked at CBS News and was a Wall Street banker before entering media. A number of journalists and on-air talents have gone from Fox News to ABC News over the years, including Will Carr, Diane Macedo, Abby Huntsman and Meghan McCain. Read original story Deirdre Bolton Joins ABC News From Fox Business Network At TheWrap East-Central District Health Department (ECDHD) is organizing a personal protective equipment drive from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.Tuesday at Ag Park. The department is hoping to collect enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to assist healthcare professionals in the district as they treat cases of COVID-19. Local businesses are encouraged to provide what they can such as surgical masks, N95 respirators and hand sanitizer. Julie McClure, public information officer and director of communications for ECDHD, said that the drive was one way in which the community could help out to protect healthcare workers fighting the disease on the front lines. They will need PPE when their caseloads start to grow, McClure said. Right now, we just have presumptive cases in Nance and the other cases are in Colfax and Platte counties, but we want all of our counties to be prepared. Roberta Miksch is running the drive on behalf of ECDHD. She noted that while there are materials from the Strategic National Stockpile available for them to use, it probably wasnt going to be enough to cover all four counties in the department. Thus, she needed the help of local businesses in order to provide a greater supply. The manufacturers just dont have enough to distribute to everyone in the nation, Miksch said. This is putting the medical community in a position where they dont necessarily have all of the supplies that they need to help. We really hope that the if the business community has any supplies that they arent using, that perhaps we can take their generous donations and roll them into the stock we have. Right now, McClure said that the stock probably isnt good enough to protect against a potential surge situation. With that in mind, the department is striving to collect as much as they can to prevent against a worst-case scenario situation in which people are coming into area hospitals in droves. Were trying to collect as much PPE as we can and have that ready to distribute to our various health care partners, McClure said. Some businesses have their own storage of PPE and were just hoping to be able to build up our storage of PPE and be able to distribute it as needed to all four counties for their health care workers. At the moment, there are 10 confirmed cases of the virus in the district, six in Platte County and four in Colfax County. With cases likely to peak in the area sometime in the next few weeks, having the right equipment is vital for healthcare workers to treat patients who are suspected of having COVID-19. McClure wants to see a community effort, even from people who you might not expect to have medical equipment of need, like painters who require the use of N95 masks in order to do their work. But at this time, healthcare workers need all the help they can get. Whether its businesses or individuals, if they have something to contribute or donate, we would really appreciate them building up our stores of distribution, McClure said. Of course, the general public can do their part by keeping up their social distancing. McClure is happy to see so many people and businesses take a short-term sacrifice in order to provide a long-term gain to defeat COVID-19. I really urge people to keep up the social distancing, McClure said. I think were doing a good job in our area and we need to keep doing all the things that weve been doing for at least the next three weeks. Thats when they really expect to see the surge in our area. Zach Roth is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at zachary.roth@lee.net. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria rose to 362 on Tuesday as 19 new cases were announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The public health agency in a tweet said the new cases were reported in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and four states: Lagos, Kano, Akwa Ibom and Edo. A breakdown of new cases shows that 14 cases were reported in Lagos, two in the FCT, while Edo, Kano and Akwa Ibom recorded one case each. The NCDC said, as at 09:20 pm 14th April there are 362 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Nigeria. Till date, 362 cases have been confirmed, 99 cases have been discharged and eleven deaths have been recorded in Nigeria Out of the total confirmed cases, 259 are still active, 99 have been discharged with 11 deaths reported, the agency said. As of the time of reporting, 19 states and the FCT have confirmed at least a case of the virus in Nigeria. Lagos State has now reported 203 cases, followed by FCT 58, Osun 20, Edo 15, Oyo 11, Ogun 9, Bauchi, Kaduna and Akwa Ibom 6, Katsina 5, Kwara and Kano 4, while Ondo and Delta have 3 cases each. Enugu, Ekiti, and Rivers have two cases each,while Niger, Benue, and Anambra have recorded one each. Community transmission The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said Nigeria could record more cases as there is now evidence of community transmission in the country. Mr Ehanire, during the Presidential Task Force media briefing on Monday, stated that there is early evidence of community transmission and this reinforces the urgency of physical distancing, use of mask, maintenance of hygiene as well as strict adherence to the lockdown measures. He also said the increasing number of confirmed cases is as a result of improvements in testing capacity in the country. He advised Nigerians living in any neighbourhood where many people have tested positive, to go for testing. The country now has about 11 testing centres where COVID-19 cases can be tested. However, testing is not recommended in the absence of symptoms because COVID-19 might not show during the incubation time, he said. The minister also advised that Nigerians can wear face mask, including improvised ones, while at public places, in order to protect themselves and others from contracting COVID-19. A layered cotton fabric over the mouth and nose guards against particle emission during laughter, exclamation or loud talk and may offer mutual protection to wearers, especially where social distancing may not be achieved, or where close contact may not be avoided with certainty, such as markets, Mr Ehanire said. Exxon Mobil Corporations XOM Double E Pipeline recently received favorable environmental assessment from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, following an environmental analysis. The regulatory authority expects the pipeline to have minimal impact on the human environment. The 135.2-mile pipeline is owned by ExxonMobil and Summit Midstream Partners, LP SMLP. While ExxonMobil has a 30% ownership interest in the pipeline, the remaining 70% stake is owned by Summit Midstream. The Permian Basin natural gas pipeline project is expected to be commissioned in 2021. The pipeline will provide much relief to producers in the region, where natural gas comes as a buy-product of oil and flaring problems are faced due to huge production. The pipeline will transport natural gas from the northern Delaware Basin in Eddy County to Waha, TX. It will ship the commodity through parts of Eddy and Lea Counties, located in New Mexico and Loving, Ward, Reeves and Pecos Counties in the state of Texas. The pipeline will provide 1,350 million standard cubic feet per day of shipping capacity. From Texas, the commodity will likely reach the markets along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Mexico. The project highlights ExxonMobils efforts to reduce emissions via using cleaner burning natural gas. The news comes at a time when energy companies are sailing troubled waters amid tough market conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, the company announced plans to slash 2020 capital spending by 30% or $10 billion from its original guidance to $23 billion, as low commodity prices amid an oversupplied industry are a concern for the global energy space. Other energy majors like Chevron Corporation CVX and BP plc BP have also adopted similar efforts to navigate through the current market uncertainty. ExxonMobil recently raised $9.5 billion in new debt at a low price through selling five different bonds, in order to strengthen financial capabilities. Last month, the company issued $8.5 billion at a higher price. The latest move comes at a time when U.S. companies are tapping debt markets to stay afloat in volatile market conditions. Story continues Price Performance ExxonMobil, which currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), has lost 38.8% year to date compared with 35.9% decline of the industry it belongs to. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Summit Midstream Partners, LP (SMLP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Actor Shah Rukh Khan has been in the forefront of providing help, in whichever way, as India fights Covid-19. In his latest endeavour, he has provided 25000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to medical teams across Maharashtra. He took to Twitter to throw light on it after a minister in the Maharashtra government thanked him. Replying to Rajesh Tope, minister of public health and family welfare, government of Maharashtra, Shah Rukh wrote on Twitter: Thank you sir for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family & team be safe and healthy. In his Twitter message, Rajesh had written: Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra. Thank you sir for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family & team be safe and healthy. https://t.co/DPAc7ROh7i Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 13, 2020 The official Twitter handle of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had a couple of days ago thanked SRK and his wife, Gauri Khan, for offering their 4-storey personal office space to help expand our quarantine capacity equipped with essentials for quarantined children, women and elderly. Apart from this, the IPL-franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner had also committed to contributing to the PM-Cares Fund and had also donated to both the Maharashtra and West Bengal Chief Ministers Relief Fund. Also read: Sonakshi Sinha seeks police help after Vivek Agnihotri shares pic of her at shoot, he says dig not at her Other that these, Shah Rukh has also been doing his bit in creating awareness. On April 18, he will join artists from around the world for a global television and streaming special curated by pop star Lady Gaga to support and applaud frontline health care workers in their battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Called One World Together At Home, the virtual concert organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and international advocacy organisation Global Citizen will air on April 18 and will feature the real-life experiences of doctors, nurses and families living through the pandemic. (With ANI and PTI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more Industry bodies redoubled calls for a financial package of Rs 14 lakh crore to Rs 16 lakh crore to revive the economy even as they supported Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to extend the 21-day lockdown that ended on Tuesday by 19 days to May 3. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on Tuesday estimated the magnitude of daily losses arising from the national slowdown at Rs 40,000 crore . It is also expected that close to 40 million jobs are at risk during the period April-September 2020. Hence, an urgent relief package is also critical, Ficci president Sangita Reddy said. In his speech on Tuesday morning announcing the extension, Modi also asked companies not to retrench people. Show empathy to people working in your business, he said. But roiled by the lockdown, which has bought economic activity to a standstill, Indian industry is looking for an economic package from the government -- akin to the one announced by the US, around 10% of that countrys gross domestic product (GDP), in the form of assistance to individuals, companies, and states. The economy needs a stimulus package of at least about Rs 14 lakh crore , including around Rs 2.20 lakh crore fertiliser dues, payments from public sector companies, and tax and other refunds, Niranjan Hiranandani, president, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), said. DK Aggarwal, president of the PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry, demanded an increased stimulus relief package of Rs 16 lakh crore. The other element of the package should be focused on creating demand, which is going to be a major challenge for the industry when the economy reopens, Hiranandani said. Cut GST [Goods and Services Tax] rates by 50% for six months to boost demand. This will cost (the government) Rs 3 lakh crore. Demand can also be created by paying another Rs 80,000 crore through a direct cash transfer to farmers. Pay them each about Rs 5,000 additional cash, he said. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are on the verge of closure due to liquidity crunch and other issues, he added. They need about Rs 2.80 lakh crore in terms of low cost credit and other incentives. Other sectors are also hurting. Exporters, particularly small units, are on the verge of closure, said Sharad Kumar Saraf, president, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). They have no money to pay wages this month, he added, disappointed at the extension of the lockdown. The shifting of the goalpost will not help in avoiding the stark realities which we have to face whenever we open, Saraf said, listing issues such as unavailability of labour and raw material and poor logistics. Industry is also keen that at least some sectors are opened up for business. Of course, there is an impact on the economy. It will take longer to get the wheels turning. But I feel more comfortable to put this behind us rather than face a shutdown again later. I think that the farm sector should open as soon as possible, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president Vikram Kirloskar said. Ahead of Tuesdays address by the Prime Minister, the expectation was that the lockdown would be lifted in phases -- in parts of the country where no infections were being seen -- and with some companies being allowed to operate factories with a fraction of their staff. Modi did hint at a staggered exit, but details on this are awaited. Ficcis Reddy said that supplies of some essentials have started getting impacted. The Prime Ministers directions on graded opening will help start some production activity to ensure that as soon as lockdown opens, there are no shortages faced, she said. CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee seconded her and said Modis guidance on a calibrated exit from April 20 will give crucial time for the industry to plan better. He, however, hoped that support measures will be announced for industry, especially MSMEs, to tide over this crisis. The deferment of the selective opening of industry, particularly exports, is disappointing, FIEOs Saraf said. Non-adherence to the delivery schedule for exports will result in cancellation, penalties and market loss, besides the business loss to enterprises. Industry, however, endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modis cautious approach, giving preference to saving lives. The incubation period of the virus is 15-20 days. A 40-day lockdown is safeguarding us for two cycles of the virus and gives us a chance to consolidate the considerable gains of the first lockdown, Reddy said. Two persons in the government with direct knowledge of the thinking on an economic package described the situation as evolving. The government is conscious of the condition of the economy and wants to revive it expeditiously, but the first priority is saving lives, one of them said on condition of anonymity. The government has already given a Rs 1.7 lakh crore package on March 26. The next is expected sooner than later. But, priority is direct protection of vulnerable section of society, informal sector and MSME, this person added. It is not an easy task. How do you decide a right package? The size of the package will be understood only after exact requirement is assessed. It is a work in progress, the second official said, asking not to be identified. Fewer suspected criminals will face prison because of the coronavirus outbreak as prosecutors are told to drop some cases or allow them to be handled out of court. Amid warnings that Britains criminal justice system is in meltdown, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued new guidance saying the unprecedented circumstances must be considered when deciding whether charges are in the public interest or a proportionate response. Prosecutors may discontinue proceedings or stop cases by offering no evidence against defendants, or accept guilty pleas to some charges or less serious ones to avoid trial. They can also choose to refer cases back to police to be dealt with using fines, cautions or community resolutions, such as meetings with victims and rehabilitation courses, which do not require a court hearing. The CPS said the change would not affect most serious or violent types of crime, which will still be deemed in the public interest to prosecute. This will only relate to a very small amount of cases and offences relating to Covid-19 will remain an immediate priority, said Max Hill QC, the director of public prosecutions. Our very function is to prosecute, but we cannot ignore the unprecedented challenge facing the criminal justice system. We must focus on making sure the most dangerous offenders are dealt with as a priority as we adapt to challenging circumstances. And in less serious cases, it is right that we consider all options available when weighing up the right course of action. The court cases most likely to be dropped include those where an offenders sentence would be shorter than the time they would spend on remand in prison awaiting trial. More than half of court buildings in England and Wales have been shut because of coronavirus, and those still open are running a skeleton operation hearing only urgent cases. Pregnant women, mothers and babies in prison at severe risk of coronavirus, campaigners warn Before the outbreak started, there was a backlog of more than 37,400 crown court cases and the number is expected to rocket during the lockdown because no jury trials are able to proceed. New guidance published on Tuesday said coronavirus had created significant difficulties, adding: The crisis will have a long-term impact on the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to the expanding pipeline of cases waiting to be heard. It comes after previous guidance issued on 31 March asked police to prioritise cases they are considering for charge, and focus on dealing with the most dangerous offenders. That document classed crimes including murder, robbery, terrorism, sex attacks, domestic abuse and coronavirus-related offences as the most serious, and historic investigations, common assault, criminal damage and serious fraud among the offences of least priority. It said there is a general presumption in favour of bail rather than remanding people in custody, and that in lower-priority cases, the guidance said police should charge with a long court bail date. The CPS said the new instructions did not apply to specific crime types, and that factors including the harm caused to victims would feed into case-by-case decisions whether to charge. Caroline Goodwin QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said: There is a reality check right now on the availability of police and prosecution resources that was at full stretch even before the latest pandemic and shutdown impacting the very fabric of our criminal justice system. Given the need to devote stretched police and prosecution resources on clear Covid-19 related offences and the charging priority hierarchy, there may be concerns that some police forces will be reluctant to charge or even bail suspects in some of the lower level offence categories. The coronavirus outbreak is also having an impact on the way offenders are monitored after being freed from prison, because face-to-face meetings violate social distancing requirements. They are only being used for terrorists and freed inmates who do not have access to a phone. Doorstep visits, where probation officers stand outside homes and speak to offenders from a distance or on the phone, are the default option for around 16,000 other high-risk offenders and those with domestic abuse or other safeguarding issues. Campaigners have called for thousands of prisoners to be released because of the spread of coronavirus inside jails (PA) Other freed prisoners are being supervised using video and voice calls, which are conducted more frequently than the face-to-face meetings they replace. Unpaid work and other programmes imposed as part of community sentences have been stopped because of the ongoing lockdown. A Justice Committee evidence session on Tuesday heard that the National Probation Service (NPS) was overwhelmed with the workload as 2,000 staff self-isolate. Justin Russell, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, told MPs there were real concerns about how they could manage the risk of harm to the public remotely. I think its a poor substitute for proper face-to-face supervision and home visits, where youre going in and seeing the circumstance in which theyre living, he told MPs. Mr Russell warned of a huge backlog of unpaid work that was handed out by courts as part of community sentences, as well as rehabilitation programmes. Amy Rees, the director-general of probation, said that up to 4,000 prisoners who are to be released early because of coronavirus will not be immediately subject to probation monitoring. They will be freed under the release on temporary licence programme and fitted with GPS tags up to two months before their original release date, following eligibility tests and a risk assessments. Prisons minister Lucy Frazer said 14 pregnant women and four men had been freed early so far, with hundreds more prisoners to be released on Wednesday. We will be releasing up to 4,000 prisoners but that is only one part of our strategy, she added. Jo Farrar, chief executive of HM Prison and Probation Service, said 13 prisoners and three members of staff had so far died with coronavirus. Almost 6,300 prison staff are self-isolating, and testing for the virus among officers started over the Easter weekend. So far 203 cases have been confirmed among inmates and 49 for staff. Right Reverend Felix Odei Annancy, the Anglican Bishop of Koforidua, has appealed to Ghanaians to strictly abide by the advice of the health experts and the directives of the government so that together the country could defeat the coronavirus. He encouraged Ghanaians not to underrate the power of God for he had always saved his people from danger and would save the world from the dangers of the coronavirus. This was contained in the Easter message of Bishop Annancy which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA)at Koforidua in the Eastern Region. He said this years Easter celebration was being observed in an environment of fear and joy. Bishop Annancy explained that people were fearing the threat of the coronavirus but at the same time they were happy about the message of Easter. He said over 2000 years ago when Jesus was crucified, the Mary and Mary Magdaline who went to the tomb of Jesus Christ were griped with fear as they experienced an earthquake and also found the tomb of Jesus Christ opened. To further aggravate their fear, they realised that his body could not be found in the tomb, but they became happy when the angel told them that Jesus Christ had risen and taken the lead to Galilee. Bishop Annancy prayed for Gods guidance for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his advisers to take bold and rightful decisions that could save the country from the dangers of the coronavirus. 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 WASHINGTON Although the the U.S. intelligence community early on dismissed the notion that the coronavirus is a synthesized bioweapon, it is still weighing the possibility that the pandemic might have been touched off by an accident at a research facility rather than by an infection from a live-animal market, according to nine current and former intelligence and national security officials familiar with ongoing investigations. After extensive research, scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere have determined that the new strain of the coronavirus discovered in China in December is, as Chinese officials have maintained, of natural origin, but they are taking seriously that its route to human infection may have started in a lab in Wuhan. Its definitely a real possibility being bandied about at the high levels of the administration, said one of the sources, who has knowledge of China and national security. A technician works to produce vaccines for the H1N1 flu virus at a lab in Wuhan, China, in June 2009. (Reuters/China Daily) We are actively and vigorously tracking down every piece of information we get on this topic and we are writing frequently to update policymakers, an intelligence official told Yahoo News. The intelligence community has not come down on any one theory. While Chinese officials were quick to link the origin of the disease to infected animals at the Wuhan Seafood Market, which was formally closed on Jan. 1, scientists have not traced the initial exposure back to any specific animals. Therefore, an alternative possibility remains that a natural virus sample being studied at a research laboratory in Wuhan infected a researcher who spread it in the community, or it escaped via hazardous waste or a lab animal. There are reasons to be wary of that theory. It may serve as a propaganda tool for politicians who want to fan tensions with China, and many scientists still argue that a natural outbreak is the most likely possibility, dismissing any alternative theory. But finding the source of the outbreak could also be vital in understanding how it spread and how to prevent the next potential pandemic. Story continues In December, Chinese health officials began to publicly worry that the mysterious cluster of pneumonia patients in Hubei province might be a sign of something ominous. On Dec. 31, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission formally notified the World Health Organizations country office in China about the worrying trend. Since those initial reports, more than a million people around the world have tested positive for the new, highly infectious strain of coronavirus and its resulting disease, COVID-19. More than 100,000 have died. According to multiple news outlets, the intelligence community was gathering information on the outbreak as early as November. By the new year, the White House was being briefed on the potential that the virus would spread globally. Chinese officials were hiding some of the details, intelligence officials said, but they feared things could get much worse. President Trump, however, waited until March to recommend nationwide extreme social distancing measures to slow the outbreak. While the severity of the potential pandemic wasnt understood back in November and early December, sources tell Yahoo News there has been intense internal interest in the source of the outbreak. While the intelligence community is not discounting a range of potential transmission vectors, including contact between humans and animals, officials are seriously pursuing the possibility that a natural sample of the virus escaped a laboratory. Its absolutely being looked at very closely at the highest levels, said one intelligence source with knowledge of the investigations. The British government is reportedly considering the same possibility. One reason for the suspicion is the lack of information coming from China. Beijings quick denials of involvement, and the decision to immediately identify the Wuhan Seafood Market as the source, raised eyebrows among some U.S. intelligence officials. I find it very funny that China very quickly blamed the market, said one recently retired intelligence official. The Chinese government did not respond to multiple requests for comment made through its foreign ministry and its embassy in the U.S. In fact, some of the very first cases of COVID-19 were not linked to the market, and there are a number of important research institutions in Wuhan where infectious diseases are studied. Medical staff outside the Jinyintan Hospital, Wuhan, in January. (Reuters/Stringer) Those include the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab, the first publicly acknowledged lab with the highest biosafety standards; the Wuhan branch of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, home to one of the worlds top research groups on bat coronaviruses, where scientists have studied thousands of samples. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which collaborates with researchers and institutions around the world, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is a key site for the Global Virome Project, a global initiative focused on preventing the next pandemic by researching DNA and RNA of viruses in animals that could potentially infect humans. While that group does not typically work with intact virus samples, according to David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, it is possible that the researchers could have collected a virus sample from a bat and been researching it within the lab. The new viruss genome most closely resembles a bat coronavirus discovered in July 2013 in Yunnan province in China, information made public by the Wuhan Institute of Virology only on Jan. 23 of this year. The progenitor of the current virus, says Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University, could be either the 2013 bat sample or another bat coronavirus that is closely related and hasnt been discovered or disclosed as of today. Not all scientists agree with this possibility. Writing in Nature, a team of five scientists argued that the new virus, SARS-Cov-2, emerged too recently to have been identified, isolated from other virus samples, cultured and then accidentally released from a lab. Because there is so much variety in types of coronavirus in bats and other species, virus specimens are massively under-sampled, wrote the authors, making it less likely Chinese researchers discovered this specific strain. We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible, they concluded. However, even Chinese researchers initially speculated about the possibility of a lab accident in a preliminary paper posted in February on ResearchGate, a social networking site for scientists. The killer coronavirus probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, wrote researchers although they also raised the possibility of natural transmission. Safety level may need to be reinforced in high risk biohazardous laboratories, continued Botao Xiao and Lei Xiao of Guangxhous South China University of Technology. Botao Xiao later withdrew the paper, telling the Wall Street Journal he did not have evidence for his theories. Two Chinese universities recently posted online notices placing restrictions on publishing academic research on the origins of the coronavirus, though those have since been removed from the internet. Public videos and articles have revealed poor safety standards on the part of some Wuhan researchers, including being exposed to bat urine and failing to wear proper protective equipment. Additionally, there have been incidents of SARS samples escaping from Chinese labs in the past. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former National Security Council official who worked on China issues in the Trump administration, told Yahoo News he believes a lab accident is a definite possibility. They have had prior accidental releases of the SARS virus. Also it seems the bats were not local to Wuhan. I do not know if the US government is looking into this, he wrote in an email. But if the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab scientists were dabbling in potentially dangerous research, Beijing would not want to call attention to [it], he concluded. Zheng-Li Shi, who leads the group studying bat coronavirus samples at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, published a paper in 2016 in the Journal of Virology detailing experiments on two bat coronaviruses with features needed for human infections. According to the paper, the scientists maintained biosafety level two standards while conducting the research, which is in line with the international standards for coronavirus samples except for SARS and MERS. Dr. Doreen Muth of Germany's Bonn Faculty of Medicine working in a biosafety lab in 2013. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters) There are four different biosafety levels. Level four is reserved for the most dangerous and infectious diseases, such as Ebola. Under biosafety level two, samples are considered moderate-risk, according to the CDC, leading to minimal requirements for hand-washing sinks, automatically locking doors and methods to decontaminate waste. Those standards may have been inadequate for coronavirus samples, experts argue. Virus collection, culture, isolation, or animal infection at BSL-2, given the infectiousness of the coronavirus, would pose a high risk of accidental infection of a lab worker, and from the lab worker, the public, wrote Ebright in an email to Yahoo News. Ebright is one of many scientists who have pushed the global community to improve its handling of dangerous pathogens, a problem not just for China but for labs worldwide. USA Today in 2015 conducted a wide-ranging investigation of accidents, safety violations and potential disasters in U.S. labs, and found problems ranging from infected lab mice escaping to failures with protective gear. Relman, who has advised the government on emerging infectious diseases, told Yahoo News that whether the virus escaped from a lab or not something he personally views as less likely he hopes the pandemic will spur higher lab safety standards worldwide. Standards are not clear enough, not uniformly practiced, and are not keeping up with advances in biological technologies which, in theory, allow many more people to experiment with these viruses, he wrote. The possibility that the pandemic originated in a lab was first discussed publicly in mid-February as China hawks and Trump allies began to push the bioweapon angle. The New York Times reported that the main proponent of the lab accident theory is President Trumps deputy national security adviser, Matthew Pottinger, a former Wall Street Journal reporter in China with a reputation for hawkish views on Beijing. Pottinger, through an NSC spokesperson, declined to comment. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas publicly promoted a range of theories, including that the virus could have been a deliberate release or an engineered bioweapon that was accidentally leaked. However, Cotton, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also noted that the culprit could have been good science, bad safety or a mistake made in the course of honest research on diagnostic testing or vaccines. Current and former intelligence officials familiar with internal briefings declined to provide details but noted the lab accident theory being promoted by Cotton may not be so crazy. Tom Cotton is presenting some useful stuff there, said one recently retired intelligence official when asked about the theory. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Another former intelligence official in touch with current officials told Yahoo News that Trump began calling the virus the Wuhan virus after intelligence briefings he received on its origin. Critics said this term, which is not used by the scientific community, was bolstering xenophobic attacks on Asian-Americans and Asians worldwide at a time when international cooperation is required to investigate the outbreak. The possibility that the virus leaked during a lab accident is being seriously considered within the U.S. government, according to another recently retired senior national security official, who pointed to the State Departments 2019 compliance report on arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament. The report notes that Chinese officials have failed to reassure inspectors they are obeying the Biological Weapons Convention, including by not providing information about research on numerous toxins with potential dual-use application. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment on whether compliance concerns extend to potential lab accidents of dangerous virus samples. But in late March, Yahoo News reported that the FBI detected samples of the SARS virus and flu in Chinese scientists luggage, presenting a biosecurity risk for both deliberate acts of terrorism and potential accidents during research. According to the Washington Post, U.S. State Department employees visited the Wuhan virology lab in 2018 and sent a cable back home listing safety concerns about the labs bat coronavirus studies. Similar concerns were presented about the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab in 2017, though writers at the prestigious scientific journal Nature have since appended a notice arguing that their reporting on past safety concerns should not be used as evidence that a lab accident led to the 2020 pandemic. Sources declined to discuss any evidence, if it exists, that points to a potential lab accident, but the intelligence community is not ruling it out. Absent a credible whistleblower or verified primary communication intercept, it will not be possible to prove the origins with certainty, said Relman, the Stanford microbiologist. However, with more relevant data, the likelihood of a natural virus versus accidental origin can be strengthened or diminished. One former senior CIA official said that if the virus did originate from a Chinese research institution, the U.S. intelligence community will eventually be able to prove it. There will be disaffected Chinese sources, the former official said. Disasters are good for us, the former CIA official continued. The crappier the regime, the better it is to recruit sources there. Hunter Walker contributed reporting to this story. _____ 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: Haiti - Covid-19 : Message from the Embassy of Haiti in France "On behalf of the Haitian Government, the Embassy of Haiti in France joins the Consulate General of Haiti in Paris, for once again in this exceptional context, to address the Haitian community of France who continues like the rest of the French population to suffer daily the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Embassy continues to receive regularly, with great sadness, information on deaths or hospilalisation in the intensive care unit, from members of the Haitian community. It particularly deplores the premature departure for the afterlife of several community leaders (religious, associative...), known and respected. The Embassy once again expresses its full sympathy to the bereaved families and expresses its wishes for recovery to those hospitalized. It hopes that the families concerned will find comfort, as well as the courage necessary to face these moments of great pain. Respecting the privacy of families when the time comes, the Embassy and the Consulate will define with the community associations, the best way to pay a collective tribute to our dear disappeared. The Embassy of Haiti in France is also attentive to the situation of several Haitian nationals stranded on French territory because of the closure of European and international borders and whose visas have expired. The Embassy informs that it has already taken steps with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (Quai d'Orsay), in order to intervene with immigration authorities and the Border Police of France, in favor of our nationals, in order to avoid any penalties or sanction when returning to the country. The Haitian Government is also following with great attention the situation of the Haitian community in France. Through the Embassy, it expresses its solidarity and sympathies to the community, especially to the families affected. The Haitian Chancellor, Claude Jospeh Claude also follows very closely the evolution of the pandemic and particularly its impact on the members of the Haitian diaspora around the world. He will intervene, in due time with his counterparts in several countries concerned to plead the cause of our compatriots. The pandemic has already spread to Haiti. The Government, within the framework of the fight against Covid-19 and in the concern of protection of the Haitian population has decreed the 'state of emergency' and adopted a whole series of measures. The Embassy encourages members of the Haitian community in France to continue to educate their loved ones in Haiti on the need to respect barrier measures to prevent the spread of the disease. The Embassy, faced with the number of victims, already registered, who continue to increase daily renews its appeal to the community to respect the health instructions of the French authorities, responsibility and precaution in order to protect themselves [...]" HL/ HaitiLibre BALTIMORE A 17-year-old girl spends nearly 24 hours a day in an 11-foot-by-11-foot room in the Lower Eastern Shore Childrens Center, the benignly named detention facility in rural Maryland where the coronavirus first entered the states juvenile justice system. With her classes suspended and her counselor on leave, she steps out only to use a bathroom she shares with five other girls. Her human interactions are down to 10-minute phone calls with family members, who are barred from visiting. At the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, at least one staff member and two youths have tested positive for the virus. A 17-year-old and three other boys in his unit are reusing masks when they leave their rooms to shower. They speak to each other through the crack at the bottom of the door and eat and sleep in the same room as their toilets, but often lack soap. I have been very nervous about possibly getting infected, a 14-year-old in the Baltimore facility declared in a sworn statement to his public defender last week, one of several in which incarcerated youths detailed deteriorating conditions, hoping to persuade the states high court to set them free. The New York Times is not identifying them because juvenile arrest records are sealed. When I first found out about the Covid-19 positive staff member, I started pacing and praying. He has exactly one line in the 60-second commercial, but Alabamas Darius Scarver makes every word count. Scarver, who works as a front-end manager at the Walmart at 851 Ann St in Montgomery, is one of five Walmart employees who sing parts of Lean on Me in a new TV ad. Its a plug for the company, a tribute to Bill Withers (who died on March 30) and an inspirational message that encourages people to help each other during the coronavirus pandemic. Scarver, whos identified as Darius, Associate, Store 5348 Montgomery, AL, closes out the clip with a soulful snippet: We all need somebody to lean on. He even manages to throw in a nifty vocal run. Look for Scarver at the 0:50 mark in the video below, titled Walmart Neighbors. Weve seen our communities come together in inspiring ways. And as our associates have shown, theres more than one way for us to lean on each other, Walmart says on its YouTube channel. Were here for you. #RIPBillWithers The Walmart Neighbors video has more than 16,600 views to date on YouTube and has been airing on TV for about a week. Other employees featured in the commercial are from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia and Louisiana. Scarver, whose nickname is Budd, describes himself on Twitter as introvertedly extroverted witty sarcastic sexy male. singing is my life, acting is my release & shade is the key! now The WORLD is waitin for me. Hes a graduate of Miles College, according to his Instagram account, and his social media handle is @auniquevoice. Scarver participated in a 2014 casting call for extras in the movie Selma, according to The Montgomery Advertiser. He has a degree in music and has acted in several stage productions, the report says. Scarvers vocal talents evidently are no surprise to his employer, which featured him in a Rap Battle video on the Ann Street stores Facebook page. (The video promotes Walmarts grocery pickup service.) Another Facebook video shows Scarver singing O Come All Ye Faithful over the stores intercom system in December 2018. Want to hear more from Scarver? He has three singles on Apple Music: I Settled, 29 So Fine and Description featuring Charles Norman. Theyre also available for streaming on Spotify. Coronavirus resources: Follow AL.coms live updates. Find all of our coronavirus stories. A continuously updated vital information post. A free text-messaging service so you can receive the most urgent coronavirus updates on your cellphone. And ask questions. To sign up, subscribe to Alabama Coronavirus Urgent Alerts. A new weekday newsletter is available. You can subscribe here. Also, download our mobile app where you can receive on-the-go notifications. Investors are already anticipating several epicenters of economic pain. Oil companies, airlines, hotels, restaurants, retailers and automakers will report steep losses and issue forecasts for the coming months. Ford Motor, for example, said on Monday that it would lose $600 million in the first quarter not counting some expenses like interest and taxes down from a $2.4 billion profit in the first three months of 2019. Companies in these sectors are furloughing or laying off employees. Its here that government aid could prove decisive and executives, speaking on publicly accessible earnings calls, may reveal whether they will apply for assistance from the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve, and how much. Some companies may be hesitant to take a big bailout. Giving the government stock in return for its financial support could rattle shareholders, who might fear that the government stake would reduce their ownership share of the company. But companies that spurn the governments help or take too little may later regret it if their fortunes deteriorate further. Executives at Boeing, for example, have sent mixed messages about whether it needs help from the government. The aerospace giant was already in trouble before the pandemic because of the grounding of the 737 Max. And while accepting a government bailout could help, there is no guarantee that executives will maintain hiring at pre-pandemic levels. Some types of aid might come with commitments to keep people employed, but only until the end of September. United Airlines, for example, has suggested that layoffs may come after September if the economy stays in a deep funk. Liel Leibovitz. Yale Univ, $26 (192p) ISBN 978-0-300-23034-5 Leibovitz (A Broken Hallelujah: Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen) brilliantly charts the life and legacy of the founder of Marvel Comics in this slim but affecting biography. Leibovitz calls Stan Lee (19222018) an effervescent self-promoter and notes that by any measure of significance at our disposal, few artists have had so much of an impact on American popular culture. He walks readers through Lees childhood (he was born in New York City to poor Jewish immigrant parents), his start in the business as an errand boy for what was then Timely Comics, and his channeling of his dissatisfaction with existing characters into the development of ones that had recognizable human emotions, and which paved the way for Marvel Comics with such heroes as Spider-man, Iron Man, and Black Panther. Leibovitz examines Lees ideas and the inspiration behind his characters, arguing that, in order to understand the characters, they must be regarded as having been formed by the anxieties of first-generation American Jews who had fought in World War II, witnessed the Holocaust, and reflectedconsciously or otherwiseon the moral obligations and complications of life after Auschwitz. Fans of the legendary comic book writer and publisher will devour this expert mix of biography and literary analysis. (Apr.) 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. SUZHOU, China, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics ("WuXi Bio") (2269.HK), a global company with leading open-access biologics technology platform, announced that WuXi Biologics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. has successfully passed its first GMP inspection by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with no critical findings. This is one of the largest biosafety testing laboratories globally providing critical testing support for the global biologics industry. The comprehensive inspection included areas directly related to biosafety testing of a client's product, as well as WuXi Biologics (Suzhou)'s entire quality system, management system, related instrumentation and equipment. Upon passing the inspection, WuXi Biologics (Suzhou) will be one of a few third-party biosafety testing providers in the Asia-pacific region to be EU certified, which greatly improves the company's recognition from drug regulatory agencies and the reliability of its testing services for clients. This also marks another milestone following WuXi Biologics' first cGMP biologics drug substance facility, first cGMP biologics drug product facility and first cGMP cell banking facility in China, all approved by the EMA. Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, commented, "We are excited about this inspection result, which again showcases our global premier quality services. WuXi Biologics will continue to enable our global partners in order to provide more high quality biologics to benefit patients worldwide." About WuXi Biologics (Suzhou) As one of the largest third-party biosafety testing providers in the Asia-pacific region meeting both international standards (USP, EP, JP) and Chinese standards (CN), WuXi Biologics (Suzhou) offers complete CHO cell line characterization testing services, including mycoplasma, retrovirus and general virus screening, along with adventitious virus detection. The company has a state approved BSL-2 biosafety laboratory, with certificates from both the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) and the China Inspection Body and Laboratory Mandatory Approval (CMA). The company has its own virus bank and technologies used to prepare high-titer viruses, which enable the establishment of a rigorous viral clearance platform. Since 2015, WuXi Biologics (Suzhou) has successfully completed more than 4,000 tests and 300 projects, including more than 20 submissions for the Biologics License Application (BLA). About WuXi Biologics WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK), a Hong Kong-listed company, is a leading global open-access biologics technology platform offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Our company history and achievements demonstrate our commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and strong value proposition to our global clients. As of December 31, 2019, there were a total of 250 integrated projects, including 121 projects in pre-clinical development stage, 112 projects in early-phase (phase I and II) clinical development, 16 projects in late-phase (phase III) development and one project in commercial manufacturing. With total estimated capacity for biopharmaceutical production planned in China, Ireland, the U.S., Germany and Singapore exceeding 280,000 liters by 2022, we will provide our biomanufacturing partners with a robust and premier-quality global supply chain network. For more information on WuXi Biologics, please visit www.wuxibiologics.com. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 08:06:05 Site Provides Simple Guidelines and Practical Tools to Accelerate the Adoption of Telehealth by Primary Care Physicians, Particularly Those at Smaller Practices MILAN, Italy, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- frog , one of the worlds top design firms, has launched Telehealth Toolbox , an online resource to help doctors transition to telemedicine quickly, safely and efficiently, reducing stress on the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth Toolbox provides a set of simple guidelines and practical tools to accelerate the adoption of telehealth practices by primary care physicians, particularly those at smaller practices that lack the resources or experience to offer telemedicine services. The Telehealth Toolbox was developed as a pro bono initiative when frogs team in northern Italy, where COVID-19 struck early and hard, saw how many primary care physicians were left on the sidelines during the epidemic. Government and health authorities were advising doctors to reduce face-to-face patient visits, but no clear, consolidated, practical guidelines for primary care telemedicine services were available. For time-strapped physicians attempting to implement telehealth for the first time during a crisis, the barriers were just too high. Our focus at frog is very much on doing things that are tangible and have a timely path to impact, said Thomas Sutton, Chief Design Officer for EMEA at frog. It became clear very quickly that general practitioners suddenly needed to change from seeing their patients in person to consulting them remotely because either the doctors or the patients were self-isolating and to minimize the spread of the contagion. We launched the Telehealth Toolbox to address this urgent need and accelerate doctors transition to telemedicine. The Telehealth Toolbox focuses on a concise set of recommendations and tools that doctors can put into immediate action in three simple steps: preparing a practice for telehealth, preparing patients and delivering remote care. These steps were developed from existing research by highly respected sources including the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine , the American Association of Family Practitioners and the American Medical Association . The team drew extensively on the work of Dr. Trisha Greenhalgh , Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of General Practitioners and Faculty of Public Health. This excellent resource from frog design should help health professionals around the world to overcome their reservations about video consultations, said Greenhalgh, a pioneer in efforts to combine insights from social sciences with cutting-edge medical research. The Telehealth Toolbox site is available in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. For more on frogs social impact work, please visit https://www.frogdesign.com/sector/social-impact . For press inquiries, please contact Austin Rotter at frogdesign@5wpr.com . For business inquiries, please visit www.frogdesign.com/contact/new-business . About frog frog is a leading global design and innovation firm, and a company of the Altran Group. We transform businesses at scale by creating systems of brand, product and service that deliver distinctly better experiences for consumers, customers, citizens and employees. We partner with clients to anticipate the future, evolve organizations and advance the human experience. frog has been a pioneering force in design and innovation for the last 50 years. With a client roster spanning from Porsche to Disney, BNY Mellon to the United Nations, frog is known for tackling complex, multi-disciplinary challenges, and driving innovation and growth for both some of the largest global organizations and highest-performing startups. Italys companies and small businesses desperately need the 740 billion euros the government pledged to keep the economy afloat through the pandemic recession. By the time the money arrives, it might be too late. Banks, which have to channel most of the aid to recipients, have to follow standard procedures because part of the financing risk remains on their books, said Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffe, professor of business strategy at Bocconi University in Milan. This normally takes weeks. With banks working at 30 per cent of their workforce, it may take months. That is too long for one of Europes weakest economies, which was already headed for a recession before the pandemic and has a huge public debt burden. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is well aware that bankruptcies and lay offs today will hamper any future recovery. On April 10, he promised to exert maximum pressure to de-bureaucratize the relief. For now, though, managers and entrepreneurs have seen few concrete results. Some of the measures approved since March still lack the guidelines and other legal acts needed to make them operational. Banks that should advance cash or extend credit are wary to do so without further clarifications. Italys notoriously clunky bureaucracy only adds to the complexity. State guarantees Banks tell us: If you want a normal loan you can have it immediately, if you want to have the new state guaranteed loan, youll have to wait, said Luca Businaro, chief executive officer of Novation Tech SpA, a supplier of carbon-fiber parts to high-end companies like Ferrari and Luxottica. He is referring to one of the planks of the government stimulus plan: 200 billion euros of state guarantees for loans to larger companies through a state-owned company called SACE. This should theoretically spur banks not to cut off liquidity to companies, but theres long list of approvals and conditions to be met. The money might arrive only in June or July, according to Businaro. Italys opposition, already incensed at Conte for failing to convince euro-area countries to issue joint debt, has jumped on the delays. The premier goes on television promising money that isnt there, League leader Matteo Salvini said. Finance Minister Roberto Gualtieri rebutted the criticism in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore, saying that bureaucracy was reduced to a minimum and SACE and the banks are already working on the operational phase with IT connections, protocols, forms to fill out, all very simple, to be ready shortly. To accelerate the financing processes a task force including the Treasury, Bank of Italy and bank representatives was set up, according to a joint statement by the institutions. Early Monday, the European Commission gave its green light to the liquidity decree, saying that it doesnt breach state aid rules. This is one of the key steps needed to implement the rules. Italys slowness compares with Germanys swiftness. In Berlin, about 1.3 billion euros are already being paid out to freelance workers and small companies, with about 140,000 applications processed in just a few days. In some cases, the money arrived within 24 hours. To be sure, Italy is not the only country struggling to funnel massive resources to a paralyzed economy. In the U.K. just one per cent of companies reported successful applications for emergency loans. In the U.S., the Small Business Administrations loan processing platform has been beset by delays and technical issues. Angelica Donati of Donati Spa, an infrastructure company in Rome, said she called four banks after stimulus was announced on April 6. All responded they still didnt have the information even to implement older measures approved in March. Roberto Mogranzini, owner of UniChess, a small company that arranges chess events and tournaments, said his bank still couldnt help him even after a whole week of repeated calls. Bank channel The effort to channel money where its needed highlights the centrality of Italys financial sector, which is still recovering from the global financial crisis. Banks have pledged to help the government but they also need clarity to make sure that new loans aimed at stemming the emergency dont weaken their balance sheets. One thing hampering the reliefs effectiveness is its sheer complexity. The government will shield banks completely for loans of up to 25,000 euros. Beyond this sum, the guarantee declines progressively, falling to 70 per cent of possible losses for companies with more than five billion euros in turnover. The cost of the guarantees is also variable, rising up two per cent for large corporates, and there is a vast array of government entities legally backing the loan. The law goes in the right direction, but it should simplify the procedure to get guarantees, Corrado Passera, former Economic Development Minister and CEO of Illimity Bank, said. It should allow firms to autocertify their needs so that financing is immediate, and the guarantee should be extended to troubled firms, who are the first to need financing. For some small business owners, though, asking for another loan, even at favourable conditions, is a non-starter. They prefer to keep their activity shut and apply for unemployment support. I dont need another mortgage, Mariagrazia Ferrandino, a restaurateur in the southern town of Apricena, wrote in an open letter to Conte. The one I have is enough. China to start human trials of two vaccines According to the Chinese media, these will be the first vaccines in the world cleared for clinical trials. China has approved human testing of two vaccines to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the state-run media reported on Tuesday. THE OUTPUT COULD REACH 3 MILLION DOSES According to Xinhua News Agency, the two vaccines have been developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd, a company based in Beijing. These are first vaccines in the world cleared for clinical trials, claimed the Global Times, a daily newspaper while quoting the Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. Sinopharm has produced over 50,000 doses for the initial clinical trials. After production is normalized, the output could reach 3 million doses per batch with annual output at 100 million doses, the state-run media outlet added. According to the National Health Commission (NHC), 89 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Monday in mainland China over the past 24 hours, with 86 of them oversee travelers. The imported cases on the Chinese mainland have climbed to 1,464 with no deaths and 559 recoveries so far. At the regional level and worldwide, the occurrence of large shallow earthquakes appears to follow a mathematical pattern called the Devil's Staircase, where clusters of earthquake events are separated by long but irregular intervals of seismic quiet. The finding published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America differs from the pattern predicted by classical earthquake modeling that suggests earthquakes would occur periodically or quasi-periodically based on cycles of build-up and release of tectonic stress. In fact, say Yuxuan Chen of the University of Missouri, Columbia, and colleagues, periodic large earthquake sequences are relatively rare. The researchers note that their results could have implications for seismic hazard assessment. For instance, they found that these large earthquake sequences (those with events magnitude 6.0 or greater) are "burstier" than expected, meaning that the clustering of earthquakes in time results in a higher probability of repeating seismic events soon after a large earthquake. The irregular gap between event bursts also makes it more difficult to predict an average recurrence time between big earthquakes. Seismologists' catalogs for large earthquakes in a region might include too few earthquakes over too short a time to capture the whole staircase pattern, making it "difficult to know whether the few events in a catalog occurred within an earthquake cluster or spanned both clusters and quiescent intervals," Chen and his colleagues noted. "For this same reason, we need to be cautious when assessing an event is 'overdue' just because the time measured from the previous event has passed some 'mean recurrence time' based an incomplete catalog," they added. The Devil's Staircase, sometimes called a Cantor function, is a fractal demonstrated by nonlinear dynamic systems, in which a change in any part could affect the behavior of the whole system. In nature, the pattern can be found in sedimentation sequences, changes in uplift and erosion rates and reversals in Earth's magnetic field, among other examples. Chen's Ph.D. advisor Mian Liu had an unusual introduction to the Devil's Staircase. "I stumbled into this topic a few years ago when I read about two UCLA researchers' study of the temporal pattern of a notorious serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo, who killed at least 52 people from 1979 to 1990 in the former Soviet Union," he explained. "The time pattern of his killings is a Devil's staircase. The researchers were trying to understand how the criminal's mind worked, how neurons stimulate each other in the brain. I was intrigued because I realized that earthquakes work in a similar way, that a fault rupture could stimulate activity on other faults by stress transfer." "Conceptually, we also know that many large earthquakes, which involve rupture of multiple and variable fault segments in each rupture, violate the basic assumption of the periodic earthquakes model, which is based on repeated accumulation and release of energy on a given fault plane," Liu added. The factors controlling the clustered events are complex, and could involve the stress that stimulates an earthquake, changes in frictional properties and stress transfer between faults or fault segments during a rupture, among other factors, said Gang Luo of Wuhan University. He noted that the intervals appear to be inversely related to the background tectonic strain rate for a region. Air Force update for COVID-19 By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published April 13, 2020 WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 and to prioritize the health and safety of Department of the Air Force personnel, the following modifications have been made: April 13, 2020 Air Mobility Command aircrew and medical personnel conducted the first operational use of the Transport Isolation System (TIS) to perform an aeromedical evacuation of three U.S. government contractors who tested positive for coronavirus, from Afghanistan to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 10. Upon arrival at Ramstein AB, the patients were transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. You can read more about this mission here: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2146688/amc-airmen-conduct-historic-first-aeromedical-evacuation-mission-using-transpor/ The 4th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, operates both the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite communications system and the Wideband Global SATCOM satellite communications system, both of which play a vital role in the nation's COVID-19 relief efforts on the USNS Comfort and Mercy. Read more about their efforts here: https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/2146442/space-force-aids-usns-mercy-usns-comforts-covid-19-relief-efforts The Air Force is providing additional support to Airmen with exceptional family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Exceptional Family Member Program instituted new support to minimize the impact caused by department COVID-19 policies, and beginning April 15, EFMP families can initiate their Family Member Travel Screening package online. Learn more about this new process here: https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2145157/air-force-implements-options-for-exceptional-family-members-during-pandemic/ The 103rd Medical Group commander (CTANG), Col. Sean Brennan, is one of many medical professionals in the Guard helping their community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in their civilian healthcare professions. Brennan works full time as a physician assistant-certified with Hartford HealthCare, and is now Hartford Hospital's operations manager for alternative care sites. You can read more about his efforts here: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/367182/guard-commander-leads-covid-19-response-civilian-role Airmen and Soldiers from the Massachusetts National Guard have been working together to complete mobile COVID-19 testing on patients at nursing homes throughout the commonwealth for over a week. Read the story here: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/367192/testing-teamwork-mass-soldiers-and-airmen-conduct-covid-19-testing-nursing-homes Air Mobility Command has designated Joint Base Charleston as the sole Transport Isolation System (TIS) training hub for aeromedical evacuation Airmen in response to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. Read more about this new designation here: https://www.amc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2146243/air-force-establishes-training-hub-at-jb-charleston-for-covid-19-aeromedical-ev/ Essential missions throughout the Air Force still continue even during this pandemic. Below are some links to stories on how these units have adapted to make sure they can continue to execute these missions despite COVID-19. Newlyweds graduate Basic Military Training together https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article/2146598/newlyweds-graduate-basic-military-training-together/ ASAB Airmen execute the mission; Adhere to DoD guidelines https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6168812/asab-airmen-execute-mission-adhere-dod-guidelines Dobbins JAG office helps Marines deploy on short notice to assist in the battle against COVID-19 https://www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2145693/dobbins-jag-office-helps-marines-deploy-on-short-notice/ Moody TACP keep current during pandemic https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2147235/moody-tacp-keep-current-during-pandemic/ 559th Flying Training Squadron pilots take precautions while training https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article/2146603/559th-flying-training-squadron-pilots-take-precautions-while-training/ One team; one fight at Holloman AFB https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article/2146162/one-team-one-fight-at-holloman-afb/ Air Force Totals of COVID-19 Positive Cases as of 9 p.m., April 12, 2020. USAF TOTAL STATS* CASES HOSPITALIZED RECOVERED DEATHS MIL** 288 (+32) 9 (-7) 43 (-29) 0 CIV 150 (+21) 9 22 (+9) 0 DEP 142 (+26) 5 33 (+13) 0 CTR 60 (+12) 4 6 (+2) 1 Total 640 27 104 1 * These numbers include all of the cases that were reported since our last update on April 10th. **MIL numbers include Active Duty and Air Force Reserves. This caused a change in the numbers of hospitalized and recovered stats reported today. The Air National Guard COVID-19 positive cases are being reported by National Guard Bureau. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ireland, Europe and the world are living through an unprecedented crisis. We are facing an invisible enemy and a daunting common challenge. If there is one clear lesson from the past weeks, it is that the more closely and effectively we work together in Europe, the quicker we will defeat coronavirus. Joint action saves lives, limits the economic damage and prepares us for as rapid a recovery as possible. The European Commission is pulling out all the stops to achieve this. While national governments are in the driving seat in taking immediate action within their own countries to address the pandemic, the EU has a big role to play in helping governments to coordinate their policies. For example, when some Member States closed their borders in mid-March in their initial response to the crisis, the European Commission stepped in to establish green lanes to keep goods flowing, supermarket shelves stocked and vital components reaching factories. The EU has done a lot more to address the wide-ranging challenges posed by COVID-19. Just before Easter, EU finance ministers agreed a 540 billion package to support member states, companies and workers hit by the crisis. The Commission made the state aid rules more flexible than ever before so that businesses big and small can get the support they need. The budgetary rules were relaxed to allow national and EU spending to go quickly to those that need it. This has enabled EU institutions and Member States put up 2.8 trillion to fight the crisis the strongest response anywhere in the world. Through an initiative called SURE, the EU is working to ensure that people can keep their jobs and their incomes and businesses stay afloat while we are in lockdown. The scheme will provide 100 billion to help governments make up the difference if a company, especially SMEs, has had to reduce hours for its employees. Since the early days of the crisis, the Commission is deeply concerned with ensuring food security and an effective food supply chain across the continent. The Commission adopted quick measures in support of the agri-food sector extending deadlines for CAP applications, increasing admissible support for individual farms and providing new lines for financing of food producing and food processing companies. Ultimately, the development, production and deployment of a vaccine is vital in the COVID-19 battle. The Commission has therefore reoriented existing research priorities and is making new funding available to this end. It has mobilised 140 million to finance vaccine research, making 80 million available to Cure Vac, a global leader in this field. Seventeen other vaccine-related projects are being supported, including Dublin-based Hibergene Diagnostics. The Commission prepared a common tender for EU Member States to help secure equipment to protect frontline health care workers and provide their patients with the best possible care under the circumstances. As we all know, frontline workers sacrifice the most in our fight against the coronavirus, including healthcare workers caring for patients, and all workers who contribute to combating the spread of the virus and keeping essential services running. We owe them all our most sincere thanks. As the impact of the coronavirus pandemic hits businesses and their ad spend, advertising holding companies are preparing for a drop in demand, and some are telling their employees to expect staff cuts and furloughs. The advertising industry is bracing for the wider impact of any economic fallout on client spending, since marketing is often one of the first items that businesses cut during a financial downturn. Some brand advertisers have said they've already dramatically reduced spend. In an internal weekly email to employees Tuesday that was viewed by CNBC, Omnicom Group CEO John Wren wrote that the pandemic has had an impact on the economy, clients' businesses, "and in turn, on ours." He wrote that the company has solidified internal measures to meet the changing needs of its clients. The holding company operates agencies across the advertising world, including BBDO, DDB and TBWA. "Regrettably, this will include furloughs and staff reductions across many of our agencies," Wren wrote. "We are doing everything we can to limit staff reductions, and to take care of those who are affected." A spokeswoman for Omnicom Group declined to comment further on the memo. Wren said agencies will use furloughs rather than permanent reduction "so we can bring people back if, and when, conditions improve and client demand recovers." He wrote that agencies will also participate in government subsidy programs to reduce the reductions of permanent staff. Wren also wrote that the company will move people into areas of business that are growing, like Omnicom Health Group. He said the company's executive leadership team is reducing salaries by a third, while Wren is waiving 100% of his salary through the end of September. The company "with few exceptions" has stopped new hires, frozen salaries and has reduced freelancers. It also suspended its share repurchase program. Publicis Groupe, which reported its first-quarter earnings Monday, said it was implementing a 500 million euro ($550 million) cost-reduction plan with "full impact in 2020, to adapt and be recovery ready." Its management team members are taking cuts to their compensation as well. "There is no doubt that we are going through an unprecedented health crisis that will lead us to the greatest recession in living memory," the company said in a statement. "It is too early to predict the full impact it will have on our clients and our business, so we will not provide any guidance." Other holding companies in recent weeks have told employees and investors to expect a hit to their business. Another major holding company, Interpublic Group of Cos., withdrew its financial performance targets for full-year 2020 amid the increasing spread of Covid-19. Adweek reported over the weekend that IPG CEO Michael Roth had sent out a memo telling employees about reductions in staff, salary cuts, furloughs and other cuts in spending. In late March, WPP, the world's largest advertising group, pulled its dividend and share buyback and withdrew guidance for 2020 after clients canceled marketing booked with the company due to the coronavirus. Dentsu Aegis Network, another ad group, said it is also doing cost-saving measures, including salary cuts with executives taking higher reductions. A company spokesman told CNBC that the company has also used furloughs. A doctor who was featured in a misleading video Donald Trump presented during a White House press briefing has come out to correct the record and the president about his comments surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Dr David Agus, professor of medicine and engineering at University of Southern California, suggested that his thoughts had changed about the threat the novel virus had on the US after initially stating in media interviews that health officials had contained the outbreak. Mr Trump displayed the doctors comments from a CBS News interview on 8 February at the press briefing on Monday afternoon, in which Mr Agus said: Coronavirus is not going to cause a major issue in the United States. Later that night, as the presidents unwieldy press conference was slammed by critics for allegedly including propaganda about his administrations response to Covid-19, the doctor clarified his comments that were featured during the controversial episode. Mr Agus wrote in a tweet: Many (inc @POTUS) have mentioned that on Feb 8 on @CBSThisMorning I said I didnt think #CoronaVirus would be a major issue in the US. He continued: I was told we had adequate virus testing & would quarantine those infected & control the virus before it was able to terrorize the country. We have the best epidemiology teams in the world after all, the doctor wrote in a follow-up tweet. I was wrong to accept this as fact, and have learned to question not trust. While health officials and the federal government were seemingly calm about the virus and its potential impact after the US confirmed its first official Covid-19 case on 20 January, the country faced significant issues distributing testing kits nationwide in order to expand rapid testing capabilities. Experts said those initial months of the outbreak could have served as a window of time to contain the virus and prevent countless deaths, as well as flatten the curve by slowing the rate of transmissions and in turn keeping the nations hospital systems within capacity. The president himself was attempting to instil calm throughout the first weeks of the outbreak, claiming his administration had the situation totally under control in late January, and predicting throughout February that it would likely go away in April or the summer months, alleging the virus could weaken due to the heat. Mr Trump lambasted his critics on Monday and continued to assert his administrations response to the pandemic was perfect. The president also claimed his authority was total at the press briefing, telling a reporter who asked about state governors potentially disagreeing with his plans to reopen the country: When somebody is president of the United States, your authority is total. The doctor wasnt alone in correcting the record after the presidents video was aired: New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman also said she was the target of misleading content produced by Mr Trump on Monday. The president is using audio of me on The Daily to bash my reporting in the paper (though Im so glad they listen to the Daily), the journalist wrote in a tweet, referring to the New York Times podcast, The Daily. Their use of the audio is misleading - I went on to say I said he treated that travel limitation as a Mission Accomplished moment. The clip Ms Haberman was referring to featured her discussing the presidents decision to shut down flights coming in from China amid the outbreak, saying he was accused of xenophobia and widely criticised by his opponents. And then he did basically nothing for over a month, she added in a follow-up tweet, adding: Which was our story yesterday. The presidents claims touting his response to the pandemic come as the US reports more than 21,000 deaths linked to the pandemic and nearly 550,000 cases of coronavirus, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University. As coronavirus cases rapidly continue to grow in United States, the crisis is bringing with it another headache for the immigrants in the country. According to various reports, immigrants are scared of getting coronavirus treatment as they fear seeking care for the disease might put their immigration status at risk. Community organizations are getting calls from immigrants wondering whether even obtaining COVID-19 testing will impact their ability to stay in the country. Reuters While people around the world are taking every precaution and means possible to prevent themselves from contracting coronavirus, it has also left many people vulnerable. It is being said that for the immigrants, the implications of a potential coronavirus outbreak could be devastating. Most of the immigrants on the US-Mexico are being considered at higher risk because of underlying medical and living conditions. The fear to lose the right to stay in the country is said to be a big factor that could keep the immigrants away from seeking medical help in the current health crises of COVID-19 that has led to death of more than 23,000 in the States. Reuters It comes after the lawsuit was filed in the country Supreme Court on Monday challenging the Trump administrations sweeping policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits, such as food stamps, housing vouchers, and medical aid. Experts have said that the policy will change the face of immigration and will scare people from seeking public benefits. Reuters Globally, the the total number of coronavirus cases has crossed 19 lakh while fatalities has risen to 1.19 lakh, according to latest data from Johns Hopkins University. With over 5.8 lakh cases, the US is the worst affected country, followed by Spain (1.7 lakh), Italy (1.6 lakh), France (1.37 lakh) and Germany (1.30 lakh). In the US, the death toll has crossed 23,600, followed by Italy (20,465), Spain (17,756), France (14,967) and UK (11,329). JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser The Department of Health has said the error which lead to 100 people getting an incorrect test result occurred due to an "IT glitch". It comes as Ireland has recorded its highest daily death toll of the Coronavirus pandemic as the virus claims a further 41 people. There have now been 406 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland, with 11,479 confirmed cases. Testing remains a focus for the Department of Health, who were forced to apologise after 100 people received an incorrect test result. Patients had been advised, in error, that their test did not detect Covid-19, and on review were found positive for Covid-19. The Department of Health said the error occurred due to an "IT glitch". Irish patient samples, which had been sent to a laboratory in Germany in order to tackle the state's backlog in testing, had been sent back as "invalid". Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, paid tribute to his colleagues in Germany before explaining that some tests can be reported as "indeterminate or invalid". Around 100 Irish tests received this result, which the IT system in Ireland did not recognise and reverted the results to negative. These results were then incorrectly communicated to patients. The Department of Health said all the cases have been identified and the IT issue has been rectified. "We'd like to reassure members of the public that this is not a testing issue but an IT glitch on our side," Dr Glynn said. Over the past week, 20,468 tests were carried out in Irish laboratories and of these 4,233 were positive, giving a positivity rate of 21%. Concerns continue to grow over the effect of the pandemic on nursing homes as the deadly virus continues to target elder patients the hardest, with a median age in the reported deaths of 85, 31 of these had underlying health issues. Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer says that it is possible that some people who have died in nursing homes or other locations, did not receive a test and will not be counted in the official COVID19 figures. 187 deaths have been reported by nursing homes, with over 150 clusters identified. Dr Holohan says he "remains concerned about the prevalence of COVID-19 in nursing homes and residential care settings". After a meeting between stakeholders, the National Public Health Emergency Team and Health Minister Simon Harris yesterday, the HSE are putting in place a coordinated national process to identify the prevalence of the virus in residential healthcare settings; as recommended by the ECDC, including targeting homes who have not recorded any cases of the virus in an attempt to preempt any further spread. Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), which represents more than 300 private nursing homes, say a lack of priority placed on nursing homes in the early stages of the outbreak has contributed to the issue. Risk appetite received a further initial boost after the latest Chinese trade data, but market reservations gradually increased amid fears over a deep global recession. In US dollar terms, the Chinese trade surplus for March was close to consensus forecasts at $20.0bn. Exports declined 6.6% compared with consensus forecasts of a 13.9% decline. The data on imports was even more impressive with the annual decline held to 0.9% compared with consensus forecasts of 9.8%. In yuan terms, imports increased 3.4% over the year. Image: China trade The initial market reaction was positive with risk appetite maintaining a strong tone. Asian equities made headway and commodity currencies made net gains as the US dollar lost ground. Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG commented; The ongoing improvement in global investor risk sentiment in the near-term combined with the Feds aggressive policy response is beginning to weigh down more on the U.S. dollar. Australian dollar/US dollar made initial gains to a fresh 1-month high at 0.6430. The Chinese customs bureau was cautious, however, with comments that the global economy faces mounting downward pressure, uncertainties are on the rise and China's foreign trade is encountering bigger difficulties. Chi Lo, senior economist for Greater China at BNP Paribas Asset Management commented; A sort of V-shaped rebound of the Chinese economy is being challenged because of the second round feedback response from the weakening of global demand on Chinese exports, and hence the Chinese manufacturing sector. TD Securities also expressed concerns; Unfortunately, the good news is unlikely to last. Demand side weakness is likely to result in a sharp decline in exports over the next few months. While China is increasingly reacting to growth risks via greater fiscal and monetary action it will not be enough to engineer a V-shaped recovery. Freya Beamish, chief Asia economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, remained wary with domestic data suggesting imports should be weaker. "The value of imports probably will weaken further at the margin in coming months, not least because the full impact of the collapse in commodities prices has yet to feed through." Unease over the global outlook, however, gradually increased as European trading got underway. The French government warned that the economy could contract 8% for 2020 compared with a previous estimate of 6%. The Australian NAB business confidence data collapsed for March. The headline index slumped to a -66 from a revised -2 previously while the business conditions index declined to -21 from 0 previously. This was a record low for the index and the trough during the 2008/9 financial crisis was only -32. In comments on the release, NAB stated that it expects a recession of unprecedented speed and magnitude for the Australian economy over the next three quarters. It added, while almost everyone expects a fairly rapid bound back in activity once the spread of the coronavirus is contained and social distancing rules are relaxed, the immediate worry for the business sector is the impact on cash flows. As the more cautious tone took root, however, Australian dollar/US dollar retreated to 0.6380. US dollar/Canadian dollar also rallied to 1.3920 from 1-month lows at 1.3860 as oil prices also declined while US dollar/Japanese yen retreated to 107.40. Bernie Sanders (Photo : Image by Dean Moriarty from Pixabay ) Image by Dean Moriarty from Pixabay Advertisement KEY POINTS Biden had a more than 300-delegate lead over Sanders ahead of Wisconsin's primary last week. Those results have yet to be released In 2016, Sanders did not end his campaign until June and did not endorse Hillary Clinton until July, giving the nominee little time to bring the party together Biden and Sanders agreed to establish task forces on policy issues Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, removing the remaining stumbling block to party unity ahead of the fight to oust President Trump from the White House in November. The move signals to Sanders' supporters that they, too, should support Biden less than a week after the self-described democratic socialist ended his quest for the nomination, admitting Biden had too great a lead in the number of delegates necessary to win the top slot on the general election ballot. The Democratic primary season has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced numerous states to postpone their primaries, with many recommending absentee balloting rather than in-person voting. All campaign events have been suspended, and the party postponed its nominating convention until August. Sanders and Biden appeared together on a split screen on each other's live streams. "We need you in the White House. I will do all that I can to make that happen, Joe" Sanders said. "I'm going to need you, not just to win the campaign, but to govern," Biden responded. "To Bernie's 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, hoping to avoid the disillusionment that prevented Sanders' 2016 supporters from backing Hillary Clinton. In 2016, Sanders hung on until well into June before ending his campaign and did not endorse his rival until July. Ahead of the announcement, Sanders tweeted the party "must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history." Biden and Sanders have been talking for weeks about finding common ground. Biden is seen as a centrist while Sanders represents the progressive wing of the Democratic party, championing such issues as universal healthcare coverage and free college tuition. The two agreed Monday to establish six task forces on policy issues following Biden's announcement last week he would embrace more progressive positions like lowering the age for Medicare to 60 and expanding student debt forgiveness for low- and middle-income families. "I think that your endorsement means a great deal," Biden said. "It means a great deal to me. I think people are going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues but we're awfully close on a whole bunch of others." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., one of Sanders' most prominent supporters told the New York Times the Biden campaign had yet to reach out to her. RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam, in partnership with researchers from the University of Virginias Biocomplexity Institute and the nonprofit RAND Corporation, released new infectious disease modeling on the impact of COVID-19 mitigations in Virginia. Current models presented during a briefing held yesterday show that social distancing efforts beginning in mid-March have paused the growth of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Commonwealth. While data and testing remain limited, current trends suggest that Virginias statewide hospital bed capacity will be sufficient in the immediate future. We are proud to be working with some of the top minds in the country on these projections, said Governor Northam. While the data is limited, we can draw a few key conclusions: First, social distancing is important, and its working in Virginia. Second, while we continue to work closely with our hospital systems and other health care partners to prepare for a potential surge in acute cases, we are optimistic about our statewide hospital bed capacity. Finally, its clear we need to be responsible about how we ease restrictions, so we can keep Virginians safe and protect public health. From the beginning, Governor Northam has made it clear that everything we do must be grounded in science, public health expertise, and data, said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey, M.D. These models change every day, but we can use various models to help inform a range of outcomes we may be facing so we can make sure that Virginia is ready for all possible scenarios. Like every other state and many other countries, we are preparing for how we can move forward in a way that does not trigger another medical surge. Key takeaways from infectious disease models developed by the UVA Biocomplexity Institute include: Current social distancing efforts starting March 15 have paused the growth of the epidemic in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this scenario, paused growth means that the rate of new cases is holding steady rather than increasing. Current trends suggest that Virginias statewide hospital bed capacity will be sufficient in the near future. Lifting social distancing restrictions too soon can quickly lead to a second wave. To understand the impact of COVID-19 mitigations in Virginia, the UVA Biocomplexity Institute developed a model of the pandemic that incorporates disease dynamics such as transmissibility and incubation period as well as population density and social behavior. The Institute modeled five potential scenarios, exploring slowing growth vs. pausing growth with social distancing in place until April 30 and June 10 compared to no mitigation. Currently, it appears as if the Commonwealth of Virginia is tracking with the pause scenario, which means that the residents of Virginia are doing an excellent job with mitigation, said Bryan Lewis, Research Associate Professor for the Network Systems Science and Advanced Computing division for the Institute. Even without perfect projections, we can confidently draw conclusions. We know that social distancing is working and lifting restrictions too early can lead to a second surge. We will continue to improve our models as more data become available. We plan to incorporate outcomes specific by age, integrate the role of seasonality, and analyze mitigation techniques such as a Test-Trace-Isolate approach. The UVA Biocomplexity Institute has been on the forefront of epidemic modeling and mitigation since 2002, supporting the U.S. federal government and other countries through several epidemics, including planning for H5N1, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the MERS outbreak of 2012, and the Ebola outbreaks of 2014 and 2019. Institute researchers have worked in partnership with U.S. government agencies since early 2020 to inform evidence-based decision making for the COVID-19 pandemic. Several groups have produced models to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic might progress and to explore potential policy options, said Carter Price, a senior mathematician at the RAND Corporation. Each of these models has strengths and weakness, and they are likely to evolve as more and better data become available. We are helping the leadership of the Commonwealth of Virginia assess the different models so that policy can be made with the best available information. Learn more about the UVA model designed as a decision-support tool for public health officials. Additional information, including slides from yesterdays briefing are available here. The full video of the briefing is posted here. UVA Today's story about this work is here. The Biocomplexity Institute team is led by Christopher L. Barrett, the institutes executive director, Distinguished Professor in Biocomplexity and faculty member in UVA Engineerings Department of Computer Science. Madhav Marathe, a Distinguished Professor in Biocomplexity and faculty member in the Department of Computer Science, is director of the institutes Network Systems Science and Advanced Computing Division. Anil Vullikanti, professor of computer science, and Henning S. Mortveit, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, are also members of the institutes team. More about the team's recent work and media coverage can be found here. Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray on Tuesday said that more than six lakh people were in various camps across Maharashtra and the states and the central government were coordinating to provide more relief to the migrant workers. Thackeray made a series of tweets after migrant workers gathered at Bandra railway station in Mumbai to return to their native states and were later dispersed. He said migrant labour issue persists everywhere and states and the Centre face a "Catch 22 situation". "The centre has taken immediate cognisance of the issue and is assisting the state actively. We understand the Catch 22 situation centre and states face. I'm thankful to PM and HM for understanding the situation, while trying to ensure the safety of home states of migrants," he said. "The migrant labour issue persists everywhere. Even as we house more than 6 lakh migrant labour, with breakfast lunch and dinner, the Union and State Govts are coordinating on further relief for the same. We will continue to ensure the comfort of all migrant labour in our camps," he added. In his earlier tweets, Thackeray said the issue concerning migrant labour has been repeatedly raised with the Centre which should draw a roadmap to enable them to reach their homes. He had also referred to incident of "rioting" in Surat. "The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed, or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," he said. "Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the State had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackerayji raised this issue in the PM-CM Video Conf as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home," he added. Thackeray said feedback from migrant labour camps has been similar and many were refusing to eat or stay in. "The law and order situation in Surat, Gujarat, largely has been seen as a similar situation and the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar. Many are refusing to eat or stay in. Currently more than 6 lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maha," he said. "A mutual road map set by Union Govt will largely help migrant labour to reach home from one state to another safely and efficiently. Time and again this issue has been raised with the centre," he added. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said what happened in Bandra was to happen as migrant labour were not getting food and they are being told not to return to their houses. "What's happening in Bandra had to happen as they are not getting food and they have been asked not to return to their villages. How long can they stay confined to their small houses? Government relief is just on papers. How many people can be given free food by any government and for how long? Is there no other option?" he said. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya took a dig at the ruling coalition government over the incident through tweets. He asked if Thackeray government will explain how people gathered at Bandra railway station. "What was the Intelligence doing? From where this people come? How sudenly they gather there inspite of 144? Since lockdown never police allow more than 4 person, than how and why today?" he asked. The 21-day lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, has been extended till May 3. The lockdown has been enforced to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in American Aires Inc. (CSE:A5A). Do Insider Transactions Matter? It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. Check out our latest analysis for American Aires The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At American Aires While no particular insider transaction stood out, we can still look at the overall trading. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! CNSX:A5A Recent Insider Trading April 14th 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). Does American Aires Boast High Insider Ownership? Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It appears that American Aires insiders own 37% of the company, worth about CA$9.6m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At American Aires Tell Us? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders own shares in American Aires and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing American Aires. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for American Aires (of which 2 are potentially serious!) you should know about. 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. The family of a 26-year-old Hyderabad man who died after suffering a heart attack in Orpington of the United Kingdom last Sunday, has urged the Central government to help them in repatriating his body. K Sathish had gone to the UK for pursuing master's degree at a university in Orpington, in January 2019 The sister of the deceased man, Kalpana said," My brother was constantly in touch with the family. But last Sunday we received a call from Sathish's friends saying that he has died due to a heart attack." "His friends knocked at his door several times after he did not respond to their calls. After he did not open the door, his friends informed the local police who broke open the door and found him lying on the floor. He was then rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead," she added. Adding that her family is waiting for the authorities in the UK to respond, she said, "We request the Central government to help us in repatriating his mortal remains to India so we can perform the final rites. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Beijings iconic Summer Palace tourist resort is the home of a huge new ice rink thats opened just ahead of the Winter Olympics. The rink measures 300,000 square meters and consists of two areas designed for different types of activities. The city has opened seven municipal ice rinks and four snow resorts to the public. Since 2014, ice and snow activities in municipal parks have attracted nearly 2 million visitors, according to the Beijing Municipal Administration Center for Parks Jan 11, 2022 07:26 PM Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has suggested that the government should isolate virus hotspots and allow business to reopen in other areas. He slammed the government for the blanket lockdown as the poor have suffered. In a tweet on Monday, he said, "The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners. " he tweeted The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery & suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers & business owners. It needs a smart upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots & allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 13, 2020 The former Congress President said, "It needs a smart upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen," he said further in his tweet. After the Prime Minister's announcement of the extension of nationwide lockdown, the Congress has questioned the government strategy to help the poor. It has also asked the Centre to spell out the strategy with regards to testing people for coronavirus. The Congress had earlier demanded the phase wise lifting of the lockdown and suggested slew of measures, while party President asked for free ratio to poor the party and senior leader Anand Sharma demanded stimulus package for MSME and Industry. The Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said on Monday, "Ten kg grain per person may be provided free for six months to those who may be facing food insecurity but not having ration cards. I would like to bring to your notice that all migrant labourers may not be holding NFSA cards. In addition, many deserving people have been excluded from the NFSA lists." - Real-time PCR-based test enables high-throughput reliable detection of early COVID-19 infections for rapid isolation and treatment guidance - Currently set up for routine use in main Finnish clinical labs with capacity to test up to 4,000 samples per day Mobidiag Ltd. today announces that it has received emergency use authorization in Finland for its Amplidiag COVID-19 molecular diagnostic test for the rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The Amplidiag COVID-19 is now available for use in Finland*. The test will be run for routine use at the main clinical laboratories in Finland (Helsinki University Hospital (Huslab), SYNLAB and Mehilainen) doubling Finnish testing capacity and allowing testing coverage for most of the country. The process for obtaining emergency use authorization is now ongoing in Sweden, UK and France. Mobidiag will register this test for CE-IVD mark and it should be available for widespread use in Europe in the coming weeks through Mobidiag's sales teams and local distributors. The Amplidiag COVID-19 assay allows qualitative determination of SARS-CoV-2 (orf1ab and N genes) from nasopharyngeal swabs. The test runs on Mobidiag's Amplidiag Easy platform, which enables to clinicians an optimized sample screening process with automated DNA extraction and PCR plate setup. Based on well-established high-throughput PCR technology, it can process 48 samples in less than three hours. In addition, Mobidiag is developing Novodiag COVID-19, a molecular diagnostic test using its Novodiag system for the rapid and on-demand detection of SARS-CoV-2. This test will complement Amplidiag COVID-19 in enabling clinicians around the world to detect COVID-19 infections early, support decisions in managing efficiently epidemiological and infection control measures, isolate patients in a timely manner and improve patient care. Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag, said, "At Mobidiag, we recognize that we have a responsibility to support healthcare systems during this extraordinary situation and we are focusing our efforts in this endeavour. There is an urgent and growing need for reliable diagnostic solutions for the early detection of COVID-19, and Mobidiag has been able to leverage its capabilities and existing technologies to develop new diagnostic solutions quickly. We are extremely pleased to bring our first diagnostic solution to the main clinical laboratories in Finland for large volume screening of COVID-19 and look forward to offering tests internationally in due course." Amplidiag COVID-19 is now available in Finland as an emergency use test. Please note that Mobidiag tests are not home testing kits. They are only available for healthcare professionals, and not for patients directly. Please follow the recommended processes and guidance for your location if you believe you could be infected by SARS-CoV-2. Notes to editors About Mobidiag Ltd Mobidiag is a commercial stage, fast growing molecular diagnostics company whose fast, cost-effective, widely applicable and robust technology makes the power of molecular diagnostics available to address the spread of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by rapid detection of pathogens and their potential resistance to antibiotics. Through its Amplidiag and Novodiag solutions, Mobidiag offers a comprehensive range of molecular diagnostic solutions for the detection of infectious diseases to laboratories of all sizes. Mobidiag is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with subsidiaries in France, UK and Sweden. To learn more, visit www.mobidiag.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005203/en/ Contacts: For any orders or technical questions, please contact sales@mobidiag.com Mobidiag Dorothee Allard, Marketing Communications Manager +33 1 55 25 17 13 marketing@mobidiag.com Consilium Strategic Communications Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Chris Welsh T: +44 (0)203 709 5700 mobidiag@consilium-comms.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - AJN Resources Inc. (CSE: AJN) (FSE: 5AT) ("AJN") is pleased to announce historic Mineral Resource Estimates at Zani-Kodo and Giro Goldfields and an update on the North Congolese Gold Project (NGCP) where AJN has the right to acquire indirect 30-35% free carried interests on 13 licences covering 3,801km2 pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed 18th January 2020 with Societe Miniere de Kilo-Moto SA (SOKIMO). Highlights Zani-Kodo (30% free carried interest) - Historic Mineral Resource Estimate of 2.01Moz at 2.68g/t Au (Indicated & Inferred) Deposit Class Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Oz) Zani Kodo Indicated 3.5 3.94 448,918 Inferred 7.3 4.06 947,019 Badolite Inferred 2.8 2.34 211,177 Zani Central Inferred 9.7 1.28 398,509 Total 23.4 2.68 2,005,623 Giro Goldfields (35% free carried interest) - Historic Mineral Resource Estimate of 4.40Moz at 1.04g/t Au (Indicated & Inferred) Deposit Class Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Oz) Kebigada Indicated 69.2 1.09 2,425,104 Inferred 54.4 0.95 1,661,576 Douze Match Indicated 2.2 1.2 84,879 Inferred 5.9 1.2 227,631 Total 131.8 1.04 4,399,190 All historic Mineral Resource Estimates were reported in accordance with the 2012 edition of the JORC Code "National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the North Congolese Gold Project, Democratic Republic of Congo" lodged on Sedar on April 14, 2020 AJN nears completion of its legal and technical Due Diligence Mr Klaus Eckhof, CEO and President of AJN commented, "Given a starting Mineral Resource base of >6Moz, coupled with the untapped upside within both of these two projects, as well those gold resources potentially at Wanga, Nizi and Kibali South, establishes AJN as a substantial player in the highly prospective Kilo-Moto belt within the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Our due diligence team has made good progress, with assistance from SOKIMO and various Governmental departments, towards concluding the transaction. "We are particularly excited at the concept of having SOKIMO as a major shareholder in AJN, where the State entity will have an expanded opportunity to benefit from exposure on international financial markets. "From our extensive experience of operating in the DRC, we are confident that as partners, we will play a pivotal role in uplifting social welfare within the area, through job creation for the local communities and upgrades to infrastructure." Historic Mineral Resource Estimates The North Congolese Gold Project (NGCP) is located within the prolific Kilo-Moto gold province in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This highly prospective regional scale greenstone belt is host to Barrick Gold's 16.3Moz Kibali deposit[1] and Mongbwalu Mining's 2.5Moz Adidi-Kanga deposit in the east and supports an abundance of small-scale artisanal mining operations exploiting gold mineralisation throughout the belt. The Kibali Gold Mine is one of the largest producing gold mines in Africa, consisting of an open pit, an underground operation and a 7.2Mtpa processing plant. Barrick Gold's Kibali mine produced a substantial 814,027oz of gold during 2019.[2] Historic Mineral Resources were reported for the Zani-Kodo and Giro Goldfields Prospects located as shown in Figure 1. The Mineral Resources for both prospects were reported in accordance with the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (The JORC Code). AJN recognizes that these Mineral Resources are historic and AJN does not consider them to be current as reported in the March 2020 "National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the North Congolese Gold Project, Democratic Republic of Congo." Figure 1: Location of SOKIMO Licences and Prospect Areas Currently under Review To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5922/54431_019b7129c449289f_001full.jpg Zani-Kodo Prospect (30% free-carried interest)[3] The Zani-Kodo Prospect is located in the eastern portion of the Moto-Zani Goldfields and consists of 4 exploitation permits, PE5081, PE5077, PE5079, PE5078 covering approximately 1,605km2. Combined JORC 2012 Indicated and Inferred historic Mineral Resources for a total of 2.01Moz Au were defined by Mwana Africa/Asa Resource Group in 2012, prior to being put into administration in 2017, from 3 deposits within the Zani-Kodo trend. More recent Mineral Resource work has been conducted on the Lelumodi target, along a second parallel structure to the north-east that is associated with a 4km gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly and will undoubtedly, increase the exploration target at Zani-Kodo. However, no information on this later resource work was available for review and as such no comment could be made on the work. The Zani-Kodo trend is a bedding parallel shear zone, that transgresses the project area over 9km of strike length. Mineralisation at Zani-Kodo is contained in a 10-20m thick unit of deformed Banded Iron Formation (BIF) that has been drilled to 900m down dip (but remains open). The structure trends NNW-SSE and dips to ENE at 50o to 60. In February 2012, Bloy Resource Evaluation, completed resource estimation work on the Zani-Kodo and Badolite deposits for Mwana Africa PLC (Mwana). The Mineral Resource Estimate included 47,959m of diamond drilling, in which holes varied in orientation to intercept the mineralised body orthogonally and were generally orientated between 250o to 270o. All samples were assayed for gold at ISO 17025 accredited, SGS Mwanza Laboratory in Tanzania using a Fire Assay technique (30g), coupled with flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AA). Samples with gold values greater than 3g/t Au were further determined gravimetrically. Quality Control Quality Assurance (QAQC) procedures and protocols ensured insertion of a minimum of 5% Certified Reference Material (CRM), 5% blanks as well as 5% duplicates, submitted with each batch. CRM's were sourced from independent commercial accredited suppliers. Drill hole data was used to create wireframes to generate a mineralised envelope at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off grade (Figure 2). Both faults and the oxidation state were modelled. These attributes were coded into a Datamine block model, along with topography and any captured previous mining activities. Ordinary Kriging estimation was used to estimate gold values. Density values were also determined via kriging. Classification of the resource was based on the Slope of Regression and drill hole density. The final resource is shown in Table 1. Figure 2: Mineralised Envelope - Main Zone at Kodo To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5922/54431_019b7129c449289f_002full.jpg Table 1. February 2012 Mineral Resources - Bloy Resource Evaluation Deposit Class Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Oz) Zani Kodo Indicated 3.5 3.94 448,918 Inferred 7.3 4.06 947,019 Badolite Inferred 2.8 2.34 211,177 Zani Central Inferred 9.7 1.28 398,509 Total 23.4 2.68 2,005,623 Giro Goldfields Prospect (35% free carried)[4] The Giro Goldfields Prospect (Giro) is located in the Moto greenstone belt within 35km and to the west of Barrick Gold Corporation's 16.3Moz Kibali Gold Mine. The prospect area comprises two exploitation permits, Kebigada (PE5046) and Douze Match (PE5049) covering 610km2 as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The remaining 65% of the project is owned by Amani Gold Limited (Amani, ASX: "ANL"). Historic Mineral Resource Estimates of 3.98Moz at 1.03g/t Au (JORC 2012 Indicated & Inferred) were defined by H&S Consultants Pty Ltd (H&SC) for Amani on the Kebigada target and 312,510oz at 1.2g/t Au (JORC 2012 Indicated & Inferred) on the Douze Match target at Giro. Both Kebigada and Douze Match locations are shown in Figure 3. Figure 3: Location of the Kebigada and Douze Match Target Areas on the Giro Goldfields Licenses To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5922/54431_019b7129c449289f_003full.jpg Kebigada The MSA Group Pty Ltd (MSA) completed a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kebigada Shear Zone (Kebigada) in August 2017, that was subsequently updated to include recent drilling by H&S Consultants Pty Ltd (H&SC) in March 2020. The MSA Mineral Resource Estimate was in accordance with the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (The JORC Code) whereas the H&SC Estimate was in accordance to Section 3 of JORC Table 1. Amani provided a JORC Competent Person to take responsibility for the data on which the MRE is based. The mineralisation at Kebigada is associated with the NNW trending Kebigada Shear Zone. The Mineral Resource Estimate was defined over a strike length of approximately 1.4km and a horizontal width of up to 400m, tapering towards both the north and south. The depth extent of the H&SC resource was defined from surface to a maximum depth of 300m. Mineralisation remains open at depth. The Estimate is based on assays and density determinations obtained from 243 drill holes totalling of 29,358m of which 29 were Diamond Drill (DD) core holes and 214 were Reverse Circulation (RC) percussion drill holes. Samples were prepared and analysed by ISO 17025 accredited commercial laboratories (ALS Global and SGS Mwanza). All samples were analysed using Fire Assay (50g) and an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. Where the gold grade was found to be above 100g/t, the sample was re-assayed using Fire Assay with a gravimetric finish. The (QAQC) procedures and protocols ensured the insertion of certified reference material (CRM's), blanks and field duplicates with every 10th sample being a QAQC sample. CRMs were sourced from independent commercial accredited suppliers. Bulk Density measurements were made on a total of 7,585 diamond drill core samples using the Archimedes method for inclusion in the Estimate. Grade estimation was performed on rotated data and blocks using GS3 software for grade interpolation and Datamine for model preparation, compilation and evaluation. Recoverable MIK (Multiple Indicator Kriging), which uses a Selective Mining Unit (SMU) and assumes the minimum volume that can be mined, was used to estimate gold grades. The Kebigada Mineral Resource Estimate was reported at a cut-off grade of 0.50g/t Au. Table 2: Kebigada Mineral Resources - H&SC 2020 Resource Evaluation Deposit Class Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Moz) Kebigada Indicated 69.2 1.09 2.4 Inferred 54.4 0.95 1.7 Total 123.7 1.03 4.10 Figure 4: Resource Classification at 830mRL where Indicated Resources are Green; Inferred Resources are Blue (0.5g/t Au Cut-off, North to the right) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5922/54431_019b7129c449289f_004full.jpg Douze Match H&SC were commissioned by Amani to conduct a Mineral Resource Estimate at the Douze Match in 2018. Mineralisation at Douze Match is associated with the high grade Tango Shear and the granite-greenstone contact. H&SC incorporated 18 diamond drill (DD) holes and 285 Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes for a total of 143,318m of drilling. Samples were prepared and analysed by ISO 17025 accredited commercial laboratories (ALS Global and SGS Mwanza). All samples were analysed using Fire Assay (50g) and Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. Where the gold grade was found to be above 100g/t, the sample was re-assayed using fire assay with a gravimetric finish. The QAQC procedures and protocols ensured the insertion of Certified Reference Material (CRM's), blanks and field duplicates with every 10th sample being a QAQC sample. CRM's were sourced from independent commercial accredited supplier. A rotated block model was constructed at 040, so as to accommodate the preferred orientation of the geology at Douze Match. Gold content was estimated using MIK (Multiple Indicator Kriging) methodologies. The Mineral Resource was calculated over a strike length of 2.6km and a width of up to 600m in an area trending to the north-east. The maximum depth was 190m below surface. The table below summarises the resource work completed at a gold cut-off grade of 0.5ppm. Table 3: Douze Match Mineral Resources - H&SC 2018 Resource Evaluation Deposit Class Tonnes (Mt) Au (g/t) Au (Oz) Douze Match Indicated 2.2 1.2 84,879 Inferred 5.8 1.2 227,631 Total 8.1 1.2 312,510 Figure 5: H&SC Douze Match Resource Categorization (2018) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5922/54431_019b7129c449289f_005full.jpg Exploration Target Historic Mineral Resource Estimates were only available for the Zani-Kodo and Giro Goldfields Prospects. Previous historical exploration work has confirmed significant potential gold mineralisation exists on the Nizi, Wanga (Tendao) and Kibali South Prospects, that require drilling. A multi-million ounce gold exploration target on these licences if defined, and including the upside potential at the Zani-Kodo and Giro Prospects, will transform AJN into a highly significant player in the Kilo-Moto greenstone belt. Nizi Prospect (30% free carried interest) The Nizi Prospect (Figure 1) is covered by one exploitation permit (PE5110) covering a surface area of 113km2. Nizi is host to the historic, high grade (>10g/t Au) King Leopold Mine, where two main quartz veins were mined from 1914 until 1931. An additional five quartz veins and workings have been mapped more recently, and cover an area of approximately 1,200m x 600m within a broader soil anomaly extending for over 3km within the licence area. An auger drilling program, carried out and in close proximity to the quartz veins, confirmed gold mineralisation in the adjacent dioritic intrusion - "Nizi Diorite". The Nizi Prospect has potential to host significant gold mineralisation over 3km strike length and will be confirmed through a systematic, modern exploration approach. Wanga (Tendao) (35% free carried interest) The Wanga Prospect (Figure 1) comprises five licences covering a surface area of some 1,456km2. Initially, elluvial and alluvial gold mineralisation and later saprolitic gold, was mined during the Belgian colonial era over an area of a minimum of 4km in strike length, within a broad WNW trending zone between two granite intrusions at Tendao. Historic drilling at Tendao reported grades of up to 2m at 15.8g/t Au, although no information is recorded nor available on sampling methodology or assays determination. Subsequent reconnaissance work carried out by Amani confirmed significant gold potential from two main target areas, namely, Mondial and CPA, that produced channel sample results of 1m at 27.6g/t Au from BIF's exposed in an artisanal pit and 13m at 3.36g/t Au from a broad, NW trending shear zone, respectively. Additional exploration targets were defined in an airborne geophysical survey as far as the "Ao" historic Belgian workings in the northern portion of the licence area. Little of the field work carried out previously focused on the hard rock potential. As such any field work including a drill program will test those drill ready targets at Tendao. Kibali South (30% free carried interest) The Kibali South Exploration Permit covers 15km2 and is located 2.5km SW of Kibali's Karagba-Chauffeur-Durba pit, surrounded by the Kibali Gold Mine exploitation permits. Although significant drilling carried out by Moto Goldmines Limited confirmed continuity of mineralisation onto the Kibali South Prospect, Kibali South was relinquished by Kibali Goldmines and reverted to SOKIMO in December 2012. No detailed information was available at the time of writing the technical report. Results of this historic work will be followed up on conclusion of the transaction, where it is believed that Kibali South has potential to host significant gold resources. Due Diligence Update AJN has made good progress on its legal and technical due diligence and AJN continues to work closely with SOKIMO and the DRC Government to finalise the transaction. The number of prospects that comprise the NGCP, currently stands at 13 licences covering some 3,801km2, see Table 4. Table 4: Current Licence Numbers and Equity Interests to be Secured include: Project Name Licence Number ("PE" Permis Exploitation) Interest Zani-Kodo 5077, 5078, 5079, 5081 30% (free carried) Giro Goldfields 5046, 5049 35% (free carried) Wanga (Tendao) 5045, 5050, 5054, 5069, 13062 35% (free carried) Nizi 5110 30% (free carried) Kibali South 13176 30% (free carried) About AJN Resources Inc. AJN is a junior exploration company listed on the Canadian (CSE) and Frankfurt exchanges. 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, globally but with a special emphasis on Africa, especially the DRC. About SOKIMO SOKIMO is a DRC state owned parastatal entity that has been involved in the research, development and treatment of precious mineral deposits, as well as the joint venturing of several projects and deposits and sale of processed product. For further information, please contact Investor Relations: Sheena Eckhof Director, Investor Relations sheena@eckhofconsulting.com Or 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 QP Statement Mr. Michael Montgomery (BAppSc, AUSIMM), who is independent of AJN Resources Inc. and qualified geologist, is a qualified person (QP) under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although AJN Resources Inc. believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, AJN Resources Inc. disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. [1] NI 43-101 Technical Report for the North Congolese Gold Project, DRC, Geosure Resource Consultants, 20 March 2020 [2] Barrick Gold Kibali Media Day, 27 January 2020 [3] NI 43-101 Technical Report for the North Congolese Gold Project, DRC, Geosure Resource Consultants, 20 March 2020 [4] NI 43-101 Technical Report for the North Congolese Gold Project, DRC, Geosure Resource Consultants, 20 March 2020 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54431 BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday said it appreciates Russia's objective and fair stance concerning the World Health Organization (WHO), and is willing to work with the international community, including Russia, to support the WHO's leading role in global anti-pandemic cooperation. According to media reports, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said Russia sees U.S. accusations against the WHO as an attempt of Washington to shift responsibility for the epidemiological situation in the country, adding that such attempts were causing concerns. When commenting on the reports, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing that China had said many times that in the face of the serious threat posed by the coronavirus, the international community can only win the battle by establishing the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and responding together with unity. "Countries should transcend ideological differences, refrain from peddling unfounded accusations and suspicions, and, in particular, avoid politicizing anti-pandemic cooperation, shifting blame, and projecting responsibilities and contradictions onto other countries," he said. Zhao said that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the WHO had maintained an objective, scientific and fair position and actively performed its duties. The organization has played an important role in assisting countries to respond to the pandemic and promote international cooperation in the anti-virus fight. He noted that recently, the UN Secretary General, many countries' leaders and heads of international organizations have expressed support for the WHO. A few days ago, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution by consensus, affirming the role of the WHO. "At present, the pandemic is spreading globally. The international community should be united and coordinate with each other to overcome our common enemy COVID-19," said Zhao. Deadly tornadoes that ripped through the South this weekend destroyed 1 million homes and businesses from Texas to the Carolinas, as those left homeless in some cases were moved into hotels because opening shelters was too risky because of the coronavirus outbreak. The storms which struck on Easter Sunday left at least 31 dead and destroyed hundreds of buildings in Monroe, Louisiana, alone. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo was forced to ask hotels to make rooms available for people who were left homeless by the storms when it became clear that the deadly flu-like virus, also known as COVID-19, would make it too dangerous to open emergency shelters. Deadly tornadoes that ripped through the South this weekend destroyed 1 million homes and businesses from Texas to the Carolinas. Residents comb through the wreckage of a collapsed house in Monroe, Louisiana People left homeless in some cases were moved into hotels because opening shelters was too risky because of the coronavirus outbreak. Residents review the damage in Monroe, Louisiana, where at least 31 people died and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed Debris buried cars in Monroe, Louisiana, which saw hundreds of buildings destroyed A home in Monroe, Louisiana, is partially collapsed after tornadoes ripped through the area The Monroe Regional Airport is in ruins after tornadoes ripped through Louisiana and other states across the south Airplanes are buried under debris caused by tornadoes that struck the Monroe Regional Airport complex In Chattanooga, dozens of residents from an assisted living home were evacuated by bus to a nearby hotel after the facility's roof was heavily damaged in the storm, reports CNN. First responders and other rescuers in areas already overwhelmed by the pandemic were inundated with calls for help. The Hamilton 911 center had more than 1,300 calls, with 500 calls related to collapsed structures, Amy Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management, told CNN. Across the states there have been more than 588,400 cases of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 23,675 deaths. Across the states there have been more than 588,000 cases of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for more than 23,000 deaths Sheila Varnado pauses before she attempts to salvage personal items from her tornado-ravaged home in Bassfield, Mississippi Tyler Heath sets a drill down on the sill of a broken window in the tornado-ravaged home of his cousin-in-law's in Seminary, Mississippi An overturned car rests about 100 feet from a bar and grill in Bassfield, Mississippi An American flag waves on the front lawn of what remains of Ernie Harrell's home and workshops in Collins, Mississippi The outbreak also had delivered a blow to the ranks at the Salvation Army, said Jeff Jellets, the organization's Southern Territory Disaster Coordinator, since many volunteers are retired, and being older, are more at risk to the virus. 'We had to look at our typical cadre of workers and shrink it' to keep everyone safe, Jellets said. Providing food to tornado victims also had become problematic, Jellets added, as supplies were already exhausted and stores, not being open as many hours as they were before the outbreak, still had empty shelves waiting to be restocked. Instead, the Salvation Army turned to restaurants to provide food to those in need. 'As we move forward, I think that will become our new normal,' Jellets said. The organization has now responded to three disasters since the start of the outbreak, including this weekend's. Prior, there were tornadoes in Arkansas and Tennessee recently. 'It's almost becoming the new normal for us,' Jellets said. Two men talk in front of a home destroyed by a tornado near Nixville, South Carolina Monique Best took pictures with her phone of her car buried under a tree that fell in the Lexington Apartments where she lives in East Point, Georgia Emma Pritchett's home in Chatsworth, Georgia, after it was destroyed by a tornado Emma Pritchett wipes a tear away as she looks through her damaged home in Chatsworth, Georgia, after tornadoes ripped through the area Alabama, despite the state's stay-at-home order, took the risk and opened shelters. 'Shelters and community safe rooms should remain open and accessible to all individuals seeking refuge from this severe weather, while implementing reasonable practices and procedures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among those seeking shelter,' Gov. Kay Ivey said. There also were some Alabama cities housing the homeless in 'hardened shelters,' not community centers or churches, out of concern of exposure to the virus. In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards requested that FEMA allow assessments to be done with photographs to also reduce the risks of people becoming infected. It is clear that some people calling for an end to lockdowns and social distancing are fringe" provocateurs and online trolls who trade in COVID-19 disinformation and conspiracies, experts say. But there is also no question, they add, that the dissenters those pushing to #endthelockdown are tapping into the feelings of some Canadians who have incurred economic losses and are growing increasingly frustrated about having to hunker down in their homes. On Monday, provincial premiers and health officials seemed to acknowledge some of those frustrations. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford told reporters some people are getting squirrelly, but stressed that there is simply no quick fix to the current situation. I heard the example of Ottawa over the weekend one of my ministers saying, Theres only three people in ICU in all of Ottawa, and youre shutting down Ottawa? But you cant just flick the lights on. You cant just flick it on and open the gates, Ford said. Observers say the situation illustrates the need for governments to lay out a clear blueprint once the time eventually comes to start relaxing some restrictions, in order to make sure buy-in from the public doesn't crumble. To date, weve seen Canadians act responsibly and on credible information, said David Hammond, a professor of population health and consumer behaviour at the University of Waterloo. But I do think it raises an important conversation about how government proceeds going forward. God forbid we have to go backwards. On the weekend, a small group of protesters gathered outside Vancouvers city hall, calling on government leaders to end the tyranny and cease unlawful orders and quarantines. A video from the event received more than a million views on Twitter, as well as widespread condemnation. Josh Greenberg is a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa who studies risk communication during public health crises. He says its entirely rational to be worried about economic decline. Whats not rational, he says, are those individuals and groups who engage in the provocative and dramatic expression of those concerns, (and) the flouting of the rule of law. Social media campaigns like this one are designed to embed themselves into our conversations; they feed on otherwise rational expressions of public anxiety about economic loss and social isolation. Rumblings of frustration could pose a tricky tactical dilemma for public officials. On the one hand, leaders need to show empathy and realize that not all people who express concern for the rules are crackpots wearing tinfoil hats, Greenberg said. On the other hand, and to ensure those individuals are not swept up in more radical campaigns, its also important to respond to protests such as we saw in Vancouver and other cities with a combination of legal enforcement and continued public health messaging about the necessity for continued social distancing. Sting of lockdown not felt equally One of the things that has become apparent during this nationwide lockdown has been the uneven distribution of costs, said Frances Woolley, a professor of economics at Carleton. While some people are able to work from home and socially isolate with loved ones in relative comfort, others are facing extreme economic and emotional stress, she said. One thing that we know from behavioural economics is that people resent unfairness. They are much more willing to sacrifice if they see that others are sacrificing. Rather than shame all of those who urge an end to the lockdown, its better to start talking about ways to make the lockdown more bearable both psychologically and economically, she said. Asked Monday about the weekend rally in Vancouver, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix told reporters it is inevitable there will be people who are essentially looking to promote themselves. What Id say to people is focus on what we need to do together. Dont allow people who are attempting to promote themselves by using the suffering of others to distract us. Dont promote them. Dont look at them. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, added that most people continue to follow the rules. Most people who are flouting things, may not appreciate the issues that are going on, she said. Earlier in the day, Marc Dalton, a B.C. Conservative MP, posted a tweet asking whether it was time to start reopening businesses and moving Canada back to work since most deaths from COVID-19 involved older people in long-term care homes. He subsequently deleted the tweet. Emerging from our lockdown When the time eventually comes for public officials to start easing the restrictions, Hammond said, thats when adherence from the public may start to get a bit more complicated. He invoked the example of the public messaging surrounding smoking. Its pretty straightforward: Dont do it. But when it comes to vaping, the messaging has been a bit more muddled: Yes, its bad, but not as bad as smoking. Once you introduce those subtleties, it can sow confusion. Thats why when Canadian officials start easing up on COVID-19 restrictions, it will be incumbent on them to provide a clear and simple road map, Hammond said. The government might, for instance, announce certain targets. Maybe the number of cases or deaths drops to a certain number or the capacity for testing reaches a certain level. Lets hope theyre having those conversations now. Kitty Corbett, a medical anthropologist and professor emeritus in the faculty of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, said Monday moving into that next phase can only come when theres a sustained and significant decline in cases, health-care workers feel safe, testing for infection and immunity is very strong and public heath officials are confident in their ability to monitor for infection clusters and get them under control. Asked how long that could take, she said probably months. The easing of restrictions could roll out differently from one region to the next, she added. Those living in rural, wide-open areas, for instance, may not face the same risks as those living in densely populated, vertical cities. People may not trust some types of messages if they dont correspond to what they perceive to be the situation where they live, she said. Corbett said the warmer summer weather may cause more people to want to get outside and leaders will have to find some creative ways for them to do so safely. Generally though, she said, there remains a high level of trust in provincial and federal leaders to guide them through the crisis. Most people understand if were not seeing a surge in cases, that means the strategy is working, she said. Asked if she worries about vocal dissenters seeking to put an immediate end to restrictions, she said the situation unfolding in the United States may be the best advertisement possible for continuing with the Canadian response. If they dont get this under control in the U.S. and the situation continues to unfold in the way it was going, I think were going to say, Thank goodness were in Canada. With files from Ted Fraser and The Canadian Press Correction April 14, 2020 A quote from Dr. Bonnie Henry has been corrected to say Most people who are flouting things, may not appreciate the issues that are going on Read more about: Northrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/13/2020 -- We salute industry experts helping companies survive and sustain in this economic pandemic; they are working day and night to help companies take rapid-decisions by finding - Covid Impact on Anti-Drone Market, growth/decline in product type/use cases of Anti-Drone Market due to cascaded impact of Covid 19 on Extended Ecosystem.. - How top 50 companies in Anti-Drone Market are making rapid shifts in their strategies as we speak here... - Outside-in view of top 50 companies client and client's clients shifting short-term priorities Speak to Our Analyst to analyse how COVID-19 to analyse how it is impacting your clients and your client's clients. (CTA). 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As a result, the demand for an efficient anti-drone system is expected to rise in the coming years in the military & defense sector. The anti-drone market for laser systems to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The market for laser counter-drone systems is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Laser systems offer great speed, significant flexibility, high precision, and low cost per shot. Therefore, they mostly find their applications in the military & defense vertical. Also, companies such as The Boeing Co. (US), Lockheed Martin Corp. (US), Rheinmetall Defense Electronics GmbH (Germany), and Raytheon Co. (US)have been developing laser-based anti-drone systems. The Americas is expected to account for the largest market share during the forecast period The Americas is likely to account for a major share of the global anti-drone market in during the forecast period. The growth can also be attributed to the presence of several key players in this region, such as Airbus Defence and Space (US), Battelle Memorial Institute (US), Department 13 International Ltd. (US), DeTect, Inc. (US), and Lockheed Martin Corp. (US). Also, other factors contributing to the growth of this market include increasing terrorist attacks and rising incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones in the Americas, especially in the US. Inquiry before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=177013645 Key Market Players in Anti-drone Market Major players in the anti-drone/counter drone market include Thales Group (US), Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd. (UK), Lockheed Martin Corp. (US), Saab AB (Sweden), Raytheon Co. (US), Dedrone (US), Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.(Israel), DroneShield Ltd. (Australia), Liteye Systems, Inc. (US), and Theiss UAV Solutions, LLC (US). 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Contact: Mr. Sanjay Gupta MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : 1-888-600-6441 sales@marketsandmarkets.com The Algerian Armed Forces have eliminated three militants during an offensive conducted overnight in the country's northern and northeastern provinces, Algerian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday ALGIERS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) The Algerian Armed Forces have eliminated three militants during an offensive conducted overnight in the country's northern and northeastern provinces, Algerian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "On Monday evening, a division of the People's National Army killed two terrorists during a search operation in the town of Tarik Ibn Zaid in the [northern] Ain Defla province," the ministry said in a statement. Another militant was eliminated at night in the northeastern province of Skikda, the statement added. An ammunition and weapons depot was seized during the operation. An extraordinary plenary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada will be held at 13:00 on Thursday, April 16, Oleksandr Kachura, the deputy of the Servant of the People faction, said. "An extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada is scheduled for Holy Thursday, the day after tomorrow, April 16, at 13:00. We'll clean the parliamentary procedure from spam consisting of amendments," Kachura wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday. As reported, by the second reading to bill No. 2571-d "On the improvement of certain mechanisms for regulating banking activities,'" MPs filed 16,335 amendments, which became an absolute record in the history of Ukrainian parliamentarianism. On the evening of March 13, deputy chairman of the Servant of People faction Yevhenia Kravchuk announced that an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada would be convened on Wednesday, March 15, at which the issue of changing the parliament's work schedule would be considered to make it impossible to block decision-making by filing a huge number of amendments. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) More cases of the coronavirus disease in Cavite and nearby areas can be expected in the next few days and weeks as the provinces COVID-19 testing center gets the green light to start operations, Governor Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday. The governor said the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute in Dasmarinas City is ready to accept patients after receiving full accreditation from the Department of Health. Expect the positive cases to increase but also expect the spread of the virus to decrease, said Remulla. However, the patients must not go directly to the laboratory since testing will take place in designated areas. He added that mass testing for suspect COVID-19 cases has already begun in the province. The cities of Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas have scheduled testing today. Cavite's capacity to do tests has also increased because the province now has three polymerase chain reaction machines from one earlier. That means patients can expect results within 24 to 48 hours, Remulla explained. "Ibig sabihin ay mas mabilis ang serbisyo natin para maibukod at pagalingin ang Covid-19 positive, he said. [Translation: This means a faster way to isolate and cure those who are Covid-19 positive.] More testing phases are also expected tomorrow, the governor added. As of April 10, Cavite had 97 confirmed cases. Earlier, Remulla said the testing center will also cover other provinces south of Manila. Besides the stock markets, the debt, forex and commodity markets are also closed. The stock markets--Bombay Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange (NSE) are closed today (14 April) on account of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti. Besides the bourses, debt, forex and commodity markets are also closed. Trading will resume on Wednesday, 15 April at the usual timings. On 13 April (Monday), the markets opened in the red after a three-day weekend. The markets were shut on Friday for Good Friday. The markets were impacted as Asias third-biggest economy looked set to extend a lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, while a rise in oil prices also weighed on sentiment. The benchmark indices ended lower with Nifty below 9,000-level dragged by auto, realty and banking names. At close, the Sensex tumbled 469.60 points or 1.51 percent at 30690.02, while Nifty was down 118.05 points or 1.30 percent at 8993.85. About 1194 shares have advanced, 1171 shares declined, and 201 shares are unchanged. After hitting a low of 30,474.15 during the day, the 30-share BSE barometer ended 469.60 points or 1.51 percent lower at 30,690.02. Similarly, the NSE Nifty dropped 118.05 points or 1.30 percent to 8,993.85. Bajaj Finance was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, slumping over 10 percent, followed by M&M, Titan, Hero MotoCorp, ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra. On the other hand, L&T, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cements and NTPC were among the gainers. On sectoral front, realty index fell 5 percent followed by auto, bank, energy, IT and FMCG. However, buying seen in the metal, pharma and infra sectors. BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices ended lower. Indian bourses opened on a negative note tracking subdued global market peers in Asia, said Narendra Solanki, Head- Equity Research (Fundamental), Anand Rathi to PTI. "Sentiments remained downbeat due to rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and fears of extended lockdown weighed in which led sell-off and short-term profit booking in most financial services and bank stocks," he noted. Deepak Jasani, Head Retail Research, HDFC Securities, told Firstpost, the markets ended Monday after witnessing a mildly volatile session. The Nifty closed 1.3 percent lower at 8993. "Financials came under pressure on renewed worries over low credit growth and higher slippages. Metals and telecom stocks were however in demand. Volumes in the market were lower than the average of the past few sessions, with European fund managers on holiday due to Easter being one reason. Market participants are awaiting the outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation on 14 April at 10 AM. "As global coronavirus cases exceed 1.8 million, the World Bank has warned that South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years. Risk aversion has returned globally as US continued to report most number of active cases and deaths while Europe is seeing slower addition to cases/deaths. Nifty could take support over the next few sessions in 8654-8819 band while 9131 could provide tough resistance. Rupee settles on flat note at 76.27 against US dollar On Monday, the rupee pared initial losses and settled for the day on a flat note at 76.27 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday amid weakening of the greenback in international market. Forex traders said the rupee is trading in a narrow range as losses in the greenback supported the rupee, while weak domestic equities weighed on the local unit. Moreover, investor confidence strengthened after the minutes of the central bank''s policy meeting revealed that the RBI will use any instrument necessary to revive growth and preserve financial stability. "The Reserve Bank will continue to remain vigilant and will not hesitate to use any instrument conventional and unconventional to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, revive growth and preserve financial stability," Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said. Investigators tasked with delving into the Ruby Princess fiasco will be given unprecedented powers as part of a special commission. Thousands of passengers from the coronavirus-infected ship were allowed to disembark in Sydney with no medical checks on March 19. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian vowed to leave 'no stone unturned' in the inquiry, surrounding the events which allowed the ship to dock unchecked. After contracting the deadly COVID-19 onboard the doomed cruise liner, so far 18 passengers have died. Many more have become infected after coming into contact with passengers, who were able to disembark with no medical checks and travel across Australia. Around 700 of its passengers have since tested positive for COVID-19, with many more put at risk - accounting for around 10 per cent of all Australia's cases. The Ruby Princess is seen docked at Port Kembla, 80km south of Sydney, on April 12 (pictured) 'The inquiry will be led by eminent barrister Bret Walker SC,' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. 'He has unlimited powers and he can use those powers how he wants to use them. 'Thats a matter for him.' Mr Walker is one of Sydney's top lawyers, and only last week helped secure the release of his client, Cardinal George Pell, from prison after his sex abuse convictions were quashed. The report into the Ruby Princess will be delivered to state officials within four months. 'Im looking forward to that. Everybody wants answers, everybody wants to get to the bottom of that issue,' she said. 'It is important that answers are provided quickly for the people of NSW. NSW Police are seen in front of the Ruby Princess in Port Kembla on Tuesday (pictured) after it launched its own criminal inquiry 'As I have said before, we will leave no stone unturned until we find out exactly what happened.' Mr Walker will have the extraordinary powers of a special commissioner to examine all matters involving the cruise ship, including its departure and arrival, and the actions of all agencies and parties involved. 'Discussions with the police commissioner and the state coroner have made clear to me their expected investigation timelines, and I have decided that the quickest path to answers is through a powerful and independent inquiry,' Ms Berejiklian said. The police will continue their own criminal inquiry, and the coroner's office will also continue its investigation. Hundreds of holidaymakers can be seen crammed together applauding the staff from the gold-trimmed staircase on board the Ruby Princess, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner The fiasco sparked a bitter blame game between NSW Health officials and the Border Force, who both said the other had given clearance for it to dock. It was recently revealed that the Ruby Princess issued an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms. Gladys Berejiklian (pictured announcing the investigation on Wednesday) said no stone would be left unturned This was 24 hours before the ship was allowed to dock in Sydney, but it was still allowed to unload its passengers in Circular Quay. The government had announced a 30-day ban on cruise arrivals just the day before. Even the two Australian passengers who were presenting signs of 'upper respiratory tract infections' were allowed to leave the ship before their test results were known. It comes after a shocking picture showed passengers crammed together on the ship, not knowing that coronavirus was spreading between them. Hundreds of well-dressed passengers on board the luxury cruise are seen crammed together as they applaud staff. There were unaware that coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner - likely through a crew member working in the kitchen - and was spreading like wildfire. The luxury liner, which departed Sydney on March 8 and returned on March 19, is linked to 18 of Australia's coronavirus deaths (pictured at Port Kembla on April 6) An criminal investigation is now looking into how passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney (pictured, police in protective gear going onto the ship on April 8) Despite the World Health Organisation declaring a pandemic just three days into the journey and encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of the illness, business carried on as usual on board. Social distancing wasn't being practiced and passengers claim they were free to mingle after completing a health questionnaire before they boarded. This is despite it already being well known that people could carry and spread the disease without displaying symptoms. A Princess Cruises spokesman said there was no reason to believe there was COVID-19 on the ship because anyone displaying symptoms was not allowed on board. NSW Police show detectives in personal protective equipment outside the Ruby Princess cruise ship at Port Kembla on April 8 (pictured) It also claimed crew members were tested by health authorities before the ship began its journey on March 8. On Monday, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said a crew member serving food may have been responsible for the outbreak. 'At this stage we would think that it was probably a crew member working in probably the galley, someone who is serving food, someone who would get across a number of passengers for it to spread like it has,' he told reporters. 'But again, that is not proven as fact yet, but that would seem to be the most obvious point of transmission is someone who is handling food on behalf of multiple hundreds of people.' The coronial investigation was launched after passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate health checks on March 19 (pictured on April 6 in Port Kembla) Fallout from the Ruby Princess debacle is continuing to be felt around Australia with two Tasmanian hospitals having to be shut down because of infections caused by passengers. The Ruby Princess has been docked in Port Kembla, near Wollongong south of Sydney, for the investigation. About 1,000 crew members remain quarantined on the ship. About 90 crew members have reported coronavirus-like symptoms, and 66 have tested positive for the illness. There are now reports that even the commodore of Princess Cruises, Giorgio Pomata, has been exposed to the virus. The crew member who served meals to the Mr Pomata was among those who recently tested positive to coronavirus. It comes amid reports that the ship will finally leave NSW on Sunday, after being stocked up on fuel and provisions. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said: 'We are working with Carnival Cruises and Border Force and NSW Health and Aspen (Medical) looking for a hopeful departure date of this Sunday. '(As for the ship) they will need fuel, they will need provisions and the required amount of crew members, including the captain.' There are some reports that the captain is in isolation. India is going into the longest lockdown in the world, with the least amount of notice given to its people and the least preparation by its government, says Aakar Patel. IMAGE: Homeless children in Chennai wait to receive food during the national lockdown. Photograph: PTI Photo Many states wants the lockdown to be extended to the end of April, and it is possible that much if not most of India will continue the freeze. What was the point of the lockdown? We were not told this explicitly by the prime minister, but globally it is understood to serve two purposes. The first is that it is time that is used for the State to build its capacity, especially for adding ventilators and intensive care units (ICUs). The second reason is that a lockdown slows the spread of the virus. The virus incubates in those it has infected and they can be identified and isolated. Has India's lockdown been useful from these two points of view? The answer to the first is that we have not used this time to build capacity. A report in The Hindu on Saturday, April 11, said that: 'A countrywide shortage of medicines and medical devices is likely in the coming weeks, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has warned the Home Ministry, urging it to take immediate steps to help drug makers resume production under the current lockdown.' Drug and medical device makers are functioning '...on an average, at only 20%-30% capacity during the lockdown," as per feedback from various industry formations, Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary PD Vaghela pointed out in an April 9 communique to Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.' It was not clear why the government did not put special effort into ensuring that this production continued to at least function if not increase in scale. Another report said that at a meeting of government officials it was revealed that possibly half of India's existing 40,000 ventilators were not working because of a lack of spare parts. A third report in the Economic Times on March 24 said that ventilator manufacturers were crippled by the lockdown and unable to produce the machines. All in all, we can assume that the government has not been able to use this time of the lockdown to build capacity. IMAGE: Medics collect a swab sample of a young man in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo The second reason for the shutdown is to slow the spread of the virus. Have we been successful in this? The lockdown was announced when we had about 500 cases, today we have over 9,000. The escalation of the spread is constant except in one state (Kerala), where the spread is slower. That could be interpreted as success or failure, but the real position is that we do not know if the spread has slowed or become faster and that is because we are not testing many people. India has among the lowest testing rates of any country. We finished testing a little over a lakh people on Friday. Germany, which has a population that is 15 times smaller than India's had tested over 13 lakh people in the same period. Another indicator that our testing is off is the fatality rate which is 10 times higher in Madhya Pradesh than in Kerala, according to a Times of India report on Saturday. This means that it's likely that there are people dying untested, having spread the infection before passing away. IMAGE: BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation workers prepare an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients at the NSCI dome in Worli, south central Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo I am aware that there are several reasons for the lack of widespread testing in India including the fact that we are a poor nation which has not given much attention to healthcare and doesn't have the sort of money to spend on testing as Germany. But that is not the point here. We are trying to ascertain whether or not the lockdown has been used in the way that logic demanded that it be used. There should have been a purpose and a goal in putting crores of India through the sort of trauma that they are going through in these days. There should have been a reason to deliberately cripple the economy as we have done and to my mind the two reasons have not been fulfilled. IMAGE: Migrant workers eat dinner inside a shopping mall turned into a shelter in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters > What other purpose has the lockdown served? We are not sure. Rioting happened in Surat last week by migrant labourers stuck there and demanding to go home, and reports of the deaths of migrants stuck with no options and no assistance are common. All of it points to a lack of planning, strategy and execution. This is bad governance by definition. But that hasn't stopped the politics as usual from continuing. Writing in Business Standard, T N Ninan said: 'the COVID-19 epidemic has come just in time to save the first year of Narendra Modi's second term... growth of the non-government part of the economy had been reduced to just over 3 per cent in two quarters till December.' 'Politically, Mr Modi had walked into a cul-de-sac with his amended citizenship law, which sparked extended protest sit-ins by citizens, provoked firm push-backs from state governments and state assemblies, and risked the decennial Census.' 'How the narrative has changed in a few weeks!' 'The protestors against the citizenship law have dispersed, state governments are queuing up for desperately-needed financial support, and all economic problems can be laid safely at the door of COVID-19.' 'The prime minister, not seen in Parliament during some key debates, is now on national television every few days with avuncular homilies while imposing a lockdown without notice, demonetisation style.' He concludes 'meanwhile, the further marginalising of Muslims has also developed into a Jan Andolan.' Aakar Patel is a columnist and writer. You can read Aakar's columns here. President Trump pays homage to federalism when it suits him and not when it doesn't. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) There is no Trumpism, only Trump. One of the most vexing things for both fans and foes of President Trump is that he has a gift for being neither the hero nor the villain people like to cast him as. In 2016, when Trump refused to answer a question about whether he would accept an election defeat, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said, "The words that you heard from Donald Trump are what you'd expect from a Third World dictator, what you'd expect from a military leader about to attempt a coup in a foreign country, not from an American presidential candidate." Four years, and a litany of similar denunciations later, with Trump firmly in office, the same Mayor De Blasio excoriated the president for refusing to use his powers to deploy the U.S. military on the streets of his city to combat the pandemic. This damned-if-you-sound-like-a-dictator, damned-if-you-dont-act-like-one dynamic is just a small example of why our politics are so disorienting. And not just for Trumps foes. To the surprise and perhaps disappointment of many a self-declared nationalist in the MAGA mold, the man who vowed I alone can fix it, has very much led from behind in his war on the pandemic, insisting that federalism required him to let state and local officials lead. "We have a thing called the Constitution," Trump huffed at one of his news conferences, defending governors who hadnt issued stay-at-home orders yet. "I want the governors to be running things." And his supporters have cheered him for that. Why States Governing Themselves During The Coronavirus Outbreak Is A Good Thing, proclaimed the headline on one typical piece in the Federalist magazine. Trump was largely correct about the Constitution, even though he certainly could have done more. Governors hold most of the police powers in our country. The president, at least without considerable authorization of Congress, cannot ban interstate travel, shutter businesses or force people to stay in their homes, nor can he (or governors either) force people back to work if they dont think its safe to leave their homes. Story continues The problem, as is so often the case, is that Trumps motivations are virtually never rooted in any overarching theory or principle. Trumps invocation of federalism was never grounded in constitutional fidelity but in a desire to avoid blame and have local officials he could second-guess or scapegoat. Gov. Inslee, that's the state of Washington.... And you know, he's always complaining, Trump told Fox host Sean Hannity. And your governor of Michigan, I mean, she's not stepping up. I don't know if she knows what's going on. But all she does is sit there and blame the federal government. She doesn't get it done. And we send her a lot. As transparently annoying as that strategy was, it was playing well with many conservatives both those in the MAGA camp, who liked to watch Trump beat up the libs, and the genuine believers in the Constitutions federalist principles. But then, Monday morning, Trump upended things again, insisting that of course he had the kind of power hed been saying for weeks belonged to the states. For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President, Trump tweeted. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect.... It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. The story of the Trump presidency has been one of a man making off-the-cuff decisions based on his instincts. Hes bragged about this being his method for years, but that doesnt stop fans and foes alike from concocting grand theories of ingenious foresight or villainous plotting. Trumpism must be something more than one guess after another, they assume. It isnt. Trumps reversal on federalism makes no sense if you think Trumpism is a coherent ideological framework. It makes complete sense if you work from the assumption that Trump is guided by a craving for importance and an insatiable need to be the center of attention. This is the true constant of the Trump administration. Trump stakes out a seemingly clear position, making it the party line for his followers on the right and the focus of derision across the left. But the moment a policy detracts from his gut-level needs, the policy is tossed. Because there is no Trumpism. There is only Trump. DECATUR A $40,000 grant would be used to buy and repair equipment for student off-site learning. The school board on Tuesday is scheduled to approve a grant from the Macon County Community Foundation. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the Keil Building, 101 W. Cerro Gordo St. Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month closed Illinois schools to contain the coronavirus. Students are using iPads and other technology to do homework, study and take tests. The grant could go towards the purchasing of new electronic devices for student engagement during the district's remote learning," said Jeff Dase, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. The Macon County Community Foundation funds various projects in the Decatur region and is coordinating emergency funding to groups during the COVID-19 crisis. Officials were not immediately available to talk about the school district donation. The board memo said the funds will replenish the district's supply of iPads after a recent donation to hospitals experiencing a personal protective equipment shortage related to the pandemic. HSHS St. Mary's Hospital and Decatur Memorial Hospital received about 120 devices last month. The move was recognized Pritzker during a recent press briefing when he commended the school district and others across the state for coming together to help local hospitals during the crisis. Denise Swarthout, a DPS spokeswoman, said the document in the board packet is only a cover letter and that several additional details were provided to board members in a larger memo. The memo included details about the funding which would go toward replenishing the district's iPad supply because the technology is in such high demand while students are using them as tools to learn from home. Those iPads that were donated were originally being prepared for sale but district staff felt it would be more beneficial for health care workers to communicate virtually, when appropriate, with sick patients as an attempt to maintain social distancing rules. "The district in the (2019-2020) school year had to replace 434 iPads that were damaged or stolen so those donated iPads were already replaced," Swarthout said. The meeting Tuesday is not open to the public because of coronavirus restrictions that limit meetings to fewer than 10 people. It is being streamed on the school district Facebook page. An earlier version of this story said the district could use the funding for other technological needs. The funding will only be used to purchase new iPads. Contact Analisa Trofimuk at (217) 421-7985. Follow her on Twitter: @AnalisaTro BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 13 Trend: Iran's Embassy in Azerbaijan has commented on the video which shows trucks allegedly belonging to Iran transporting fuel and food to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the embassy on Apr. 13. At the stage of comprehensive development of relations between Tehran and Baku, enemies and forces who do not want bilateral relations be developed and disseminating such kind of false information in order to interfere with this process, are trying to cast a shadow on good neighborly relations between the two countries, the embassy said. We bring to the attention of the distinguished Azerbaijani people that Iran has neither land nor air communication with the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armenians tried to spoil the relations between the two countries also in the previous years with the help of video or photo materials. As it can be seen, neither the place nor the time is known in the mentioned fake video, the news is completely false. Our expectations from the Azerbaijani media is that prior to the publication of any news, they clarify its reliability and refrain from disseminating information without reference to a reliable source, said the embassy. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of ASEAN 2020, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 Response in Hanoi on April 14 morning. browser not support iframe. The videoconference holds a special significance in the context that the pandemic is spreading throughout the region and the globe, he said. The leader added that all ASEAN member countries are struggling to prevent it from negatively affecting the lives of the people and the socio-economic development, especially the service sector which accounts for 30 percent of the bloc's GDP. However, in this difficult time, the ASEAN Community is demonstrating its solidarity and mutual assistance, standing shoulder to shoulder to overcome hardships, manifested in the ASEAN Chairman's Statement on collective response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the PM said. ASEAN member states are strengthening their cooperation on health, defence, economy and tourism, while sharing and providing essential supplies, medical equipment, and supporting citizens during the pandemic, he noted. The associations endevours have brought about encouraging results with disease control, and the number of infection cases among the 650-million population is estimated at only about 15,000, which is much lower than the global rate. Those initial results help ASEAN countries to be more self-confident, PM Phuc said, adding that they, however, should not be subjective. He also called on the 10 member states to promote solidarity and determination with the spirit of cohesive and responsive to win the fight against the pandemic./.VNA Vietnam joins hands with ASEAN battle against COVID-19 All member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have recorded COVID-19 infections. : Two patients died and four were discharged from hospitals after recovery while a total of 44 new COVID-19 cases were added in the last 24 hours in Andhra Pradesh, taking the overall tally to 483 by 5 pm on Tuesday, the latest government bulletin said. A Tehsildar in Anantapuramu district contracted the viral disease after she attended a coronavirus review meeting arranged by a ruling YSR Congress MLA a few days ago. The tehsildar was among the three new cases detected in the district on Tuesday. While one patient was a Tablighi Jamaat attendee, another was his contact. The MLA and other staff who attended the meeting have now been sent to quarantine, according to the district Collector Gandham Chandrudu. The overall coronavirus toll in the state has now increased to nine. The total number of patients cured and discharged increased to 16, the bulletin said. Guntur district, where the first COVID-19 case of a Tablighi Jamaat attendee was reported on March 25, now crossed the century mark with a total number of 114 cases. As many as 21 new coronavirus cases were registered in the district since Monday night. Here, every COVID-19 case is related to the Jamaat attendees and their contacts. In neighbouring Krishna district, eight new cases were added while in Kurnool there was an addition of seven positive cases. While SPS Nellore district reported one fresh case overnight, Kadapa registered two on Tuesday. Kurnool district now has a total of 91 cases, followed by SPS Nellore with 56. With nine deaths and 16 discharges, the number of active cases in the state was 458. The two north coastal Andhra districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram continued to maintain a clean slate with zero cases of the pandemic. A 56-year old private doctor in Nellore, who contracted the coronavirus from a Tablighi Jamaat attendee, succumbed while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Chennai on Monday. He was a diabetic and also suffered from hypertension, the bulletin said. The doctor was first admitted to the government hospital in Nellore on April 3 and shifted to the private hospital in Chennai on the 6th. A 55-year old man in Vijayawada, who contracted the disease from another coronavirus patient who returned from Jalandhar in Punjab, died on April 12, the government bulletin said. He was a diabetes and asthma patient and had been on ventilator from April 9. With these two deaths, the COVID-19 toll in AP rose to nine. Two women, who contracted coronavirus from their kin who returned from England to Visakhapatnam on March 28, had recovered and been discharged from hospital on Tuesday. Two patients in East Godavari, Jamaat attendees, had also recovered and been discharged on Tuesday, the bulletin added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Walker said he has been working for some time in trying to get a field hospital set up in Gary. I have to give credit to the mayor. Hes empowered, emboldened me to make big, bold decisions and try our best to get resources that our citizens typically dont get, he said. Walker said he recently had an extended conversation with ISDH leaders about using the Genesis Center as a field hospital and how to coordinate and manage the staff there. The question is if you put in a field hospital, how do you manage? Where do you get the staff? Walker said. He said hes in touch with numerous schools, including Indiana University School of Medicine, that said some students are graduating early and willing to step up. They said, If youre able to supervise them, if you want to include them in your plans, please do, Walker said. Walker said the Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program also offered assistance, saying there are numerous doctors and doctors-in-training who are seeking out residencies. The NYPD has revealed promising figures that show the number of officers calling out sick has declined for the fourth day in a row. On Monday, 6,380 employees from the nation's largest police force called out sick - a total of 17.6 percent of all employees. While that figure is still remarkably high, it marks a consistent drop that has been ongoing since Thursday of last week, suggesting that the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak could be over in New York City. Last Thursday, the numbers of NYPD officers who phoned out sick reached a whopping 19.8 percent. The number had been gradually increasing for 27 consecutive days, and the department was forced to install extra phone lines to keep up with the ballooning number of calls from unwell officers. But on Friday, the number dropped for the first time, prompting police commissioner Dermot Shea to state: 'There is a light at the end of the tunnel'. On Saturday, the number of officers calling out sick declined to 18.6 percent, before it dropped again on Sunday to level out at 18.0 percent. The NYPD has revealed promising figures that show the number of officers calling out sick has declined for the fourth day in a row The NYPD has been battered by the COVID-19 outbreak, with 23 officers dying from the virus, and thousands more testing positive It has also been reported that more than 600 NYPD officers have returned to work after beating COVID-19. The heartening news reflects sentiments expressed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his press conference Monday. Nothing that the curve is flattening and the number of hospitalizations is down, Cuomo declared: 'The worst is over'. However, Cuomo urged against complacency, saying: 'We have to be smart going forward. Remember, we have the hand on that valve. You turn that valve too fast, you'll see that number jump right back;. Similarly, Commissioner Shea has also cautioned his officers against gaining a false sense of security, stating in a recent press conference: 'It's taken us three or four weeks to reach the peak, but we still have to go down the other side. You are just as likely to get sick now as you were in the beginning'. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea (left) revealed that 600 cops had returned to work after beating COVID-19. Shea is pictured with Mayor Bill de Blasio at a recent press conference Monday's promising figures, however, was dampened by news that three more NYPD officers had passed away from COVID-19, taking the department's death toll to 23. Detectives Jeffrey Scalf and Raymond Abear and Auxiliary Captain Mohamed Rahaman were named as the latest police victims in a tweet by Commissioner Shea. Detective Scalf, 46, was a 14-year veteran of the NYPD and working with the Bronx Gang Squad before he was struck down with COVID-19. He leaves behind a wife and three children. Detective Abear, 43, who had worked with the NYPD since 2001, was assigned to the Queens Special Victims Unit. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. Detective Raymond Abear, left, NYPD Queens Special Victims Squad died of COVID-19. NYPD Detective Jeffrey Scalf, right, Gang Squad Bronx died April 1 of COVID-19 Traffic Enforcement Agent William Hayes, 61, left, a U.S. Army veteran died Saturday. NYPD Auxiliary Police Captain Mohamed Rahaman, right, also died of COVID-19 The NYPD said three more of its officers had died of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the total killed by the virus in their ranks to 23 Paul DiGiacomo, the head of the NYPD's detective union, has described the coronavirus an 'invisible bullet' for officers. DiGiacomo told AM 970 The Answer: 'It's a very dangerous time for New York City detectives and all first responders.' 'The fact that you're out there risking your life every day, one, from the criminal element, and two, from what I call the invisible bullet, this coronavirus.' The NYPD has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which has crippled the entire Big Apple. More than 100,000 New Yorkers have tested positive to COVID-19, and 7,182 have died. The Midland Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday it is canceling the 2020 Star-Spangled Salute. The current COVID 19 social distancing restrictions contributed to the decision, however, the current economic climate was a much larger factor. Chamber President and CEO Bobby Burns explains, Our local business community has always been extremely generous and supportive of this event. With the current economic climate, we simply could not burden our local businesses with an additional ask on their already strained financial resources. It is far more important that they focus on adapting their business models and taking care of their employees. Our staff is focused on providing resources and support to help our business community navigate these difficult circumstances. Leaders of the ASEAN nations and the partner countries of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN+3) discuss measures and initiatives during online special summits on April 14 aimed at further enhancing cooperation in the COVID-19 fight and ensuring that the regions dynamic and sustainable development continues in the long term. COVID-19 has spread to all the 10 ASEAN member countries, which had recorded more than 19,200 cases of infection and nearly 800 deaths as at the night of April 12. Aside from taking its toll on peoples health and lives, the pandemic has also affected regional economies, in particular service sectors which account for 30 percent of ASEANs GDP. It has disrupted regional and global supply chains, exposed a large number of people to the risk of job losses, and posed challenges in social security. Many ASEAN events, including the ASEAN-US Special Summit and the 36th ASEAN Summit, have been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Vietnam, as the ASEAN Chair in 2020, has been proactively working to promote the blocs solidarity and shared effort against the coronavirus. In an article entitled ASEANs cooperation to combat COVID-19, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh wrote: Vietnam, as the ASEAN Chair, and other ASEAN member states have identified the theme of Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN for 2020, with the aim of kicking into high gear ASEAN Community building and promoting ASEANs role in a world filled with uncertainties. The sudden outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the unprecedented consequences and turbulence that have followed testify to the relevance of this theme and course of action. After consulting with other ASEAN leaders, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued an ASEAN Chairmans Statement on the ASEAN Collective Response to the Outbreak of COVID-19 on February 14, affirming the blocs resolve and political commitment to controlling the disease. The ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), comprising foreign ministers of member states, held two meetings on February 20 and April 9 chaired by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh to discuss measures to boost cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, emergency response mechanisms for epidemics in ASEAN and ASEAN+3 countries were activated shortly after COVID-19 first broke out. ASEAN and Chinese foreign ministers issued a statement on the coronavirus on February 20. One day prior, ASEAN defense ministers adopted a joint statement on defense cooperation in response to the outbreak. The blocs economic ministers, meanwhile, released a joint statement on March 10 on strengthening ASEANs economic resilience to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. To prepare for the ASEAN and ASEAN+3 special summits, the online ACC meeting on April 9 devised several recommendations that focus on containing the spread of the disease, supporting ASEAN citizens affected by the pandemic in member nations and non-ASEAN countries, and mitigating the outbreaks socio-economic impact. These recommendations will be submitted to leaders at the upcoming summits. Additionally, Vietnam recently chaired the first meeting of the ACC Working Group on Public Health Emergencies while actively working to help foster the blocs cooperation with China, the US, and the EU. The online ASEAN and ASEAN+3 special summits in response to COVID-19 are considered necessary, via which the bloc and its partners will express their strong commitment and resolve to preventing and eradicating the risks the pandemic poses to peoples lives and socio-economic stability in the region. ASEAN+3 leaders discuss COVID-19 response Addressing the opening ceremony, PM Phuc said "countries in the region and the world are facing challenges caused by COVID-19 which has spread to more than 200 countries and territories, seriously affecting the socio-economic development of many countries, including ASEAN+3". Promoting the spirit of cohesive and responsive, PM Phuc said the ASEAN Community had closely cooperated with partners and the international community to fight against the pandemic. Efforts by the governments of ASEAN member countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea had brought in encouraging initial results, he said. He affirmed that ASEAN+3 countries had a tradition of cooperation to effectively respond to economic challenges, natural disasters and pandemics, including the SARS pandemic in 2003. "In response to the seriousness of the COVID-19, we need to promote that fine tradition, demonstrating solidarity and cooperate to overcome this challenging time, he said. He said he believed the summit would gain important results, confirming commitment and determination at the highest levels of ASEAN+3 countries in enhancing coordination to effectively fight against COVID-19, recovering socio-economic stability and ensuring a peaceful life for citizens, he said. The role of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea is very important, he stressed. At the summit, leaders of ASEAN+3 countries put forward specific measures and initiatives to promote cooperation in pandemic prevention and control and ensure active and sustainable development of the region for the long term. Japan values VNs ASEAN Chairmanship role Japan highly values Vietnams leading role in ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on Tuesday affirmed that his country highly valued Viet Nam's leadership during its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020. Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Motegi said Japan took note of Viet Nam's proactive call on ASEAN member states to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak and organise an online ASEAN+3 summit in response to the pandemic. The videoconference took place on Tuesday afternoon with the participation of leaders from the 10 ASEAN member nations and the blocs three partners, China, the Republic of Korea and Japan. He added that Japan would discuss measures to contain the spread of the pandemic and enhance international cooperation and joint actions in fiscal and monetary policies to support developing countries. Japanese official: Vietnams holding of Special ASEAN+3 Summit of significance Former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Asano Katsuhito Former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Asano Katsuhito affirmed on April 13 that Vietnams organisation of an online special summit between ASEAN and its three partner countries of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN+3) in its role as the ASEAN Chair is the most appropriate and significant at this moment. Talking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Tokyo, Asano explained that during the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has taken the most rapid and effective measures. He noted that the number of infection cases have justed surpassed 200, with no fatalities reported so far, which, he said, is an outstanding achievement in the context that the disease difficult to be controlled over the world. He showed his belief that with this achievement, Vietnam will well fulfil its role as the chair of the Special ASEAN+3 Summit on COVID-19, and its anti-disease measures under the direction of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc are really a model for other countries. Assessing the importance of cooperation and coordination among ASEAN+3 in the fight against the pandemic, Asano emphasised building a bilateral and multilateral cooperation and connectivity framework in disease prevention and control is essential and well-timed. Countries have their own response measures, but the sharing of information, science - technology and medical experience between them is necessary, he added. According to him, ASEAN member states, and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea should take the occasion to come up with a common mechanism to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding Japans support for ASEAN countries in this fight, the official said that his country is willing to provide financial assistance for them. He noted that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had committed to supporting ASEAN countries as much as possible even after the pandemic ends, especially in the period of economic recovery. Summits on COVID-19 symbolise regional solidarity: ASEAN leader Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi. Photo courtesy of the ASEAN Secretariat The ASEAN and ASEAN + 3 Special Summits on COVID-19 Response symbolise regional solidarity, said Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency on Monday. He stressed that the summits also reflect the parties' leadership in forging regional responses to complement national and global measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the ASEAN leader, the pandemic has shown the virus knows no national boundaries. A collective response from the region will complement and strengthen national and local responses. The summits will also provide for enhanced political co-ordination and commitment in concretising collective efforts from all stakeholders/sectors, to support whole-of-government and whole-of-health system approach with a stronger regional response in mitigating the impact of this pandemic, he said. The pandemic cannot be addressed by a one-off response. It requires a comprehensive long-term plan, going beyond current containment efforts to also focus on mitigation and recovery, he added. ASEAN seeks to enhance our co-operative relationships with our ASEAN Plus Three counterparts, to find ways in which we may work together to articulate a common unified response to COVID-19, said Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi. ASEAN welcomes a unified approach to tackling the far-reaching impact of COVID-19. We expect collective effort in partnership with our external partners and relevant institutions on post-pandemic recovery is needed, particularly in the most affected sectors, he noted. At the strategic level, these summits demonstrate ASEANs commitment to the principle of open-regionalism in this difficult time, as we realise that we are stronger together, and by working together we can overcome this unprecedented challenge more effectively and efficiently. ASEAN also expects enhanced collaboration in information and knowledge sharing. Not only in the areas of medical development, but also domestic policies related to social and health security given the vast impact of COVID-19, he added. ASEAN 2020: RoK President highlights intl cooperation in quarantine, economy RoK President Moon Jae-in speaks during a Cabinet meeting held in Seoul (Photo: Yonhap) President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in on April 14 stressed the importance of close international coordination on both antivirus quarantine and the economy in the face of a shift in global order. He made the remark at a weekly Cabinet meeting hours before participating in the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19. "Quarantine cooperation and economic cooperation are two sides of the same coin," he said, adding that the RoK government will cooperate actively with the entire world on both of the two sectors. He said the ASEAN+3 summit to be held in April 14 afternoon will serve as an important opportunity. The other attendees are the leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian countries, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. It will be chaired by Vietnam, the ASEAN Chair in 2020. Moon pointed out that the COVID-19 has taught mankind that cooperation and solidarity are the only ways to overcome global challenges. He said that the COVID-19 will reorganise global order and it is already a supranational problem" that cannot be resolved by border walls and travel bans. Summits enable ASEAN leaders to affirm determination to build community Head of the Foreign Ministrys ASEAN Department Vu Ho has said the Special ASEAN Summit and Special ASEAN+3 Summit on COVID-19 Response, to be held online for the first time on April 14, will enable ASEAN leaders to affirm their determination to build a cohesive and responsive community. Talking with the press about difficulties in organising the event and preparations for its agenda, Ho said it is the first time in the 50-year history of the region a special summit will be held online with the participation of leaders of 13 countries, international organisations and the World Health Organisation. According to him, the first difficulty is how to arrange suitable time for leaders to join the event and make speeches over 4-5 different time zones. The second is ASEAN process and procedures that must both ensure the image of regional solidarity and consensus and the positive outcomes of the event. Asked about the significance of the summits, Ho said participants will discuss policy coordination, approaches and solutions to deal with the pandemic's impact on regional political and socio-economic aspects, towards a region of safety, peace and stability. Since the outset of COVID-19, ASEAN has made positive moves, including launching the ASEAN Community Council (ACC) mechanism led by foreign ministers. With Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh as its Chairman, the ACC has taken concerted measures in the fields of health care, military medicine, economy and trade with an aim to effectively containing the spread of the pandemic. In order to achieve sustainable development in the future, Ho suggested preventing COVID-19 from hurting international cooperation, dialogues and cooperation. In face of challenges arising from the pandemic, he said it is time for Vietnam to play its active role and uphold the sense of responsibility for the community in its capacity as the ASEAN Chair in line with the theme Cohesive and Responsive initiated by the country. Since the COVID-19 broke out earlier this year, Vietnam has actively shared information and experience via medical channels. On February 14, in Vietnams capacity as the ASEAN Chair 2020, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued the ASEAN Chairmans Statement on the blocs response to the outbreak of the epidemic. With the directions of Vietnam, ASEAN issued declarations on COVID-19 prevention and control during online meetings of ASEAN Health Ministers, ASEAN 3 Health Ministers, and ASEAN Defence Ministers Retreat. Apart from internal discussions in the past month, ASEAN also held online talks with the European Union and China, and will do the same with US in the future to discuss anti-COVID-19 measures. Regarding economic recovery, Ho said member states are working closely together to maintain economic connectivity and offer aid packages. He expressed his hope that they will resume talks on political, security, economic and socio-cultural issues so as to restore international relations when the pandemic ends. Ho also said that following the summits, ASEAN and ASEAN+3 declarations on COVID-19 response will be issued with a range of measures. According to him, leaders will pledge to continue building an open and rules-based trade system, ensuring that supply chains will not be disrupted. They also plan to set up strategic medical reserves to respond to contingencies, which is also a long-term solution to counter epidemics in the region. Cooperation remains a mainstream among regional countries, he said, adding that nations should have a common, suitable and balanced approach to development. To such end, policy coordination is of significance to meet public demand and maintain the development of economies. RoK official: ASEAN+3 meeting to pool determination for COVID-19 fight Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of the Republic of Korea Gunn Kim has said the online ASEAN+3 meeting, scheduled for April 14, will pool political determination of leaders to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. During the meeting, leaders of the ASEAN member states together with China, the Republic of Korea and Japan will discuss ways to overcome the pandemic and mitigate its harmful impact on regional socio-economic development. In a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency in Seoul, Kim said even when a country successfully contains the pandemic, it is still likely to break out again due to external sources, which is faced by the RoK at present. According to him, RoK President Moon Jae-in will focus on three main points at the event, including enhancing medical cooperation to ensure that ASEAN and the RoK, Japan and China will become safer, mitigating the toll on the socio-economic aspect in each country, and responding to problems arising from the pandemic. Concluding the event, leaders will offer ideas to cope with the pandemic. About preparations for the event, Kim said it is an unprecedented crisis and when countries proposed holding the meeting, Vietnam answered quickly and prepared for its timely gathering. The nation also played a major role in drafting the joint statement following the event. Expressing thanks to Vietnam which is playing the role of the ASEAN Chair 2020, Kim said he believes that the first online ASEAN+3 meeting will be a success. ASEAN, ASEAN + 3 Special Summits on COVID-19 symbolise regional solidarity The ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Special Summits on COVID-19 Response symbolise regional solidarity, said Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi in an written Interview with the Vietnam News Agency on April 13. He stressed that the Summits also reflect ASEAN and Plus Three Dialogue Partners leadership in forging regional responses to complement national and global measures against COVID-19. According to the ASEAN leader, the pandemic has shown that the virus knows no national boundaries. A collective response from the region will complement and strengthen national and local responses. The Summits will also provide for enhanced political coordination and commitment in concretising collective efforts from all stakeholders/sectors, to support whole-of-government and whole-of-health system approach with a stronger regional response in mitigating the impact of this pandemic, he said. Furthermore, the pandemic cannot be addressed by a one-off response. It requires a comprehensive long-term plan, going beyond the current containment efforts to also focus on mitigation and recovery, he added. ASEAN seeks to enhance our cooperative relationships with our ASEAN Plus Three counterparts, to find ways in which we may work together to articulate a common unified response to COVID-19, said Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi. ASEAN welcomes a unified approach to tackling the far-reaching impact of COVID-19. We expect collective effort in partnership with our external partners and relevant institutions on post-pandemic recovery is needed, particularly in the most affected sectors, he noted. At the strategic level, these Summits demonstrate ASEANs commitment to the principle of open-regionalism in this difficult time, as we realise that we are stronger together, and by working together we can overcome this unprecedented challenge more effectively and efficiently. ASEAN also expects enhanced collaborative effort in information and knowledge sharing. Not only in the areas of medical development, but also on domestic policies related to social and health security given the vast impact of COVID-19 on communities, he added. As humans hunker down inside their homes, animals have taken over the civilized world, pouring into city streets amid the coronavirus crisis. Human presence would, typically, keep wild animals away from city propers. But with billions of people locked inside, some animals began to wander and enjoy the quiet open. Others have started looking for food, with some accepting offerings given by tourists and local residents. Most cities see deers, boars, monkeys, and dogs invading the streets. Some, however, reported sightings of mountain lions and pumas. Out of the Wild In Mexico, crocodiles have taken control over a beach of a popular resort after it shut down operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photos making rounds through social media platforms showed the lagoon beach at La Ventanilla in Oaxaca, serving as home to several crocodiles bathing under the sun. Some crocs were even caught surfing the waves. The resort has been closed since the start of April following the Mexican government's newly-imposed lockdown measures in a bid to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. In November 2019, a 65-year-old fisherman was stretched out and fast asleep on the sand when a two-meter long crocodile attacked him. The attack happened on the Boca da Barra beach, which was located near another popular tourist destination, Puerto Escondido. Despite the crocodile's size, the man, who was later identified as Amadeo Barrera, managed to escape. Paramedics treated him before being taken to a local medical facility in Puerto Escondido. Barrera reportedly suffered multiple lacerations to his arm, leg, and head from the crocodile's attack The attack was a rare circumstance as the reptiles were not known to make their way close to the Colotepec river's mouth---a river that connects to the Pacific Ocean. Locals and experts said higher water levels in rivers, streams, and lagoons increased the risk of the crocodiles leaving their natural habitat. The rare occurrence also contributes to a higher risk of people and animals getting attacked. Cancun Attack In July 2017, a tourist in Cancun, Mexico was attacked by a crocodile after he went to the Nichupte Lagoon to urinate. Cal Monzon, 40-years-old believed to be an American citizen, was left in critical condition after the reptile bit off his arm up to the elbow. He managed to get away after struggling with the wild animal. A security guard who was working nearby discovered Monzon after hearing his screams. He was brought to the local hospital where doctors amputated his arm due to the severity of the damage caused by the attack. Authorities have set up signs around the lagoon warning people about the 150 reptiles living in its waters. Nichupte experiences several crocodile attacks annually. The victim was reportedly intoxicated during the time of the attack. Check out these other interesting reads: Worried they might die in an approaching blizzard or be killed by a male grizzly, a Dupuyer-area ranch family roped three orphaned grizzly cubs on Saturday and held them until Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials arrived. FWP will house the animals at the agency's Montana WILD wildlife rehabilitation facility in Helena until a new home for them can be found, according to a press release. The cubs were from a sow that was killed following a surprise encounter April 8 that left a hiker suffering from a bite wound to the leg. The hiker shot the sow, which was located and euthanized by FWP on Thursday. At the time it wasnt clear how many cubs she had, though it was thought she had at least one, according to the agency. Three days later, on Friday evening, the family spotted three cubs in a nearby field. The cubs were huddled up and playing. The family called FWP to report the cubs. While waiting for FWP staff to arrive, the family grew concerned for the cubs safety and were able to gently rope the bears. A neighboring rancher offered a barrel to hold the cubs until FWP arrived. The cubs are still nursing so the wildlife center staff immediately made a special formula to feed them. Virgin Australia is working on an emergency deal involving creditors and the federal government to ease its crushing $5 billion debt load as it fights to survive the coronavirus crisis. Australia's number two carrier went into a trading halt on Tuesday and sources confirmed it had appointed American investment bank Houlihan Lokey to restructure its debt. Virgin has asked the federal government for a $1.4 billion loan, convertible to equity if not repaid, which the airline says it needs to pull through the pandemic. Virgin is 90 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, the Chinese conglomerates HNA and Nanshan, and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Credit:Wolter Peeters Virgin has grounded almost its entire fleet and with virtually no revenue coming in, analysts say it can last three to six months before it exhausts its remaining $900 million cash balance. [April 14, 2020] Peak Nanosystems Raises $25mm Series C Round to Fund Acquisition and Expand Product Lines DALLAS, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Peak Nanosystems, the parent company of Peak Nano Optics and Peak Nano Films, has closed a $25mm investment from Squadron Capital to fund the acquisition of Cleveland, Ohio-based PolymerPlus. Additionally, the company will use proceeds to expand in-house optical product development. Prior to the acquisition, Peak Nanosystems had partnered with PolymerPlus to scale production of nanolayered films for high performance gradient refractive index "GRIN" lenses to market through Peak Nano Optics to great success. "We began our partnership with PolymerPlus in 2016 to build a company that would commercialize GRIN optics," said Jim Welsh, CEO of Peak Nanosystems." "This acquisition is the follow through on that effort and opens up the capacitor market for our thin film technology." Peak Nano Optics is currently building a $30mm production facility in Cleveland, Ohio that will come online in Q2 2020 and will be the most advanced optical design and manufacturing facility in the world when it opens. Through this acquisition, Peak Nanosystems acquires exclusive rights on broad nanolayered film intellectual property developed at Case Western Reserve University as well as in-house technology developed by PolymerPlus. for both optics and film capacitors. "These capacitors are ready for broad scale launch so e are building new production lines in Cleveland to support the 2021 product launches," said Chad Lewis, president of Peak Nanosystems. "We have a great relationship with the Case Western Reserve University tech transfer office," said Lewis. "We worked closely with their team on past deals and again now with the acquisition of PolymerPlus. We are also thankful for the team at Squadron Capital. We met with a large number of potential institutional partners due to our success in optics over the past year. Squadron's unwavering commitment to our long term success combined with their steady in the storm mentality is certainly rare and we are excited about the growth they will enable," said Lewis. "Squadron is excited to provide support and partner with the team at Peak. We are confident their technical expertise and manufacturing processes will lead to the much broader use of this technology in both optical and electrical capacitance applications. It is also likely there are significant possibilities to integrate this technology into medical devices," said Dave Pelizzon, president of Squadron Capital. About Peak Nanosytems LLC Nanotechnology can push the performance of commercial products well beyond what conventional wisdom says is possible, but until Peak Nano, much of its potential was unrealized. We're a turnkey commercialization engine for breakthrough nanotechnology, making disruption real in multiple markets. Our Peak Nano system streamlines the entire process, from nanotechnology research and innovation to rapid prototyping, manufacturing, capital, executive leadership, and distribution. For more information, please visit peaknano.com. Media contact: Elaine Marshall Empowered PR 949-466-6303 mobile [email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peak-nanosystems-raises-25mm-series-c-round-to-fund-acquisition-and-expand-product-lines-301039856.html SOURCE Peak Nanosystems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A high-profile race is expected between former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon of the ruling party and Hwang Kyo-ahn, chief of the main opposition party, who are running in the Jongno district in central Seoul. Korea Times file Political parties focused on campaigns in the toughest battlegrounds of Seoul and the surrounding province Tuesday, the last day of the official electioneering for this week's parliamentary polls. South Korea will hold the quadrennial parliamentary elections Wednesday to fill the 300-seat unicameral National Assembly at a time when it is fighting COVID-19. Up for grabs will be 253 directly elected seats and 47 proportional representation (PR) slots as voters will be allowed to cast two ballots for a candidate and a political party. The upcoming elections are widely seen as a vote of confidence for President Moon Jae-in, who is in his third year in office. On the last day of the 13-day campaign period, rival political parties ramped up efforts to appeal to voters in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, where 121 directly elected seats are available. A high-profile race is expected between former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon of the ruling party and Hwang Kyo-ahn, chief of the main opposition party, who are running in the Jongno district in central Seoul. Both are regarded as potential presidential candidates. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has urged voters to support the government's fight against the new coronavirus and its efforts to minimize the economic fallout of the pandemic. The liberal party will call on voters to let it secure at least 145 seats to help the country overcome the pandemic and manage state affairs stably. "A neck-and-neck race may be anticipated in around 70 constituencies in Seoul and the adjacent areas," DP leader Lee Hae-chan said at a party meeting Monday. "I ask voters to come to polling stations Wednesday to support the DP and the Platform Party so the National Assembly can tide over the COVID-19 and economic crisis with the Moon government," Lee said, referring to the DP's affiliate party that only targets PR slots. The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) will urge its supporters to cast ballots for the party to prevent the DP from securing a majority of the seats and the ruling bloc from taking 180 slots. If the ruling party and other liberal parties win 180 seats, they will be able to pass most bills at parliament, regardless of opposition by the UFP. The UFP has stressed the importance of judging the Moon administration, citing policy failures to prop up the economy and the need to deter the government's attempt to save former Justice Minister Cho Kuk from a major political scandal. Minor parties, including the Party for People's Livelihoods and the progressive Justice Party, highlighted the need to keep the two biggest parties in check as an alternative political force. Smaller parties, in particular, condemned the DP and the UFP for creating satellite sister parties that only target PR seats, saying the move undermines the intent of the newly introduced PR system. The National Assembly passed an electoral reform bill in December that calls for adopting a mixed-member PR scheme. The new system could work favorably for minor parties as the method of distributing PR seats will better reflect votes cast for parties. The general elections will be held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at 14,330 polling stations across the nation. The longest-ever ballots of 48.1 centimeters will be used for PR voting as the number of parties targeting the slots reached a record 35. The ballots will be counted manually for the first time in 18 years. Voter turnout in early voting that ran Friday and Saturday reached a record 26.69 percent. (Yonhap) Three of Timothy Kozals police officers have tested positive for coronavirus. Three others have been quarantined. Thats half of the police force of Manistee, a small western Michigan town of about 6,000 people. Kozal is the towns police chief. Hes also the fire chief. But for the past few days, hes been acting as a patrol officer every morning, from 7 to around 11 a.m., when hes the only one available. Im a working chief, Kozal said. Ive been in law enforcement for 31 years. Im part of the team here. Im all about trying to help out. 'Not just a big city issue': Coronavirus cases soar in rural America popular with tourists As the coronavirus pandemic depletes urban police departments in cities like New York and Detroit, little attention has been paid to their rural counterparts, where even a handful of positive cases could wallop an entire police force. The impact on rural police which made up more than two-thirds of all local police departments in the country in 2016 could be critical, as the pandemic seeps in to rural communities. Small law enforcement agencies dont have big budgets and detective divisions or special operations staff who can fill in for patrol officers, so they must make do with what they have. For Kozal, this means having just one officer including him responding to calls for part of the day or night. U.S. map: Tracking the coronavirus outbreak Were still going to be responding to the calls and still have that exposure risk just like everybody else, Kozal said. But unlike big-city police, they simply cant afford to lose more officers. It would cripple us completely, said Sheriff Troy Wellman of Moody County, South Dakota. Being in a rural area is a blessing and a curse, said Wellman, whose department patrols 550 square miles with a population of about 6,500. Were not overly populated. We do have distance. The other side of that is if it does hit us, it could potentially wipe us out. Story continues Thats the worst-case scenario for many police agencies. Police officers direct drivers as they enter Glen Island Park in New Rochelle, N.Y March 22, 2020. The park was the first site set in Westchester County set up for Covid-19 testing. New Rochelle was the epicenter of the spread of the Covid-19 virus after congregants of a neighborhood synagogue were the first to be diagnosed with the virus. Losing an entire police department would force community members to self-police and not follow the guidelines of county health departments, said Dwight Henninger, the police chief of Vail, Colorado, in Eagle County, one of several rural counties that lead the nation in per capita rates of confirmed cases outside New York state and Louisiana. This virus is affecting all portions of our society. In a small, rural community, we all interact with each other. We know the person whose business is closed. We know the kids who are out of school. We know the hospital folks who work long hours, said Henninger, whos also the second vice president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The police department is really the fabric of a small community in a lot of ways. Crimes drop: Crime rates plummet amid the coronavirus pandemic, but not everyone is safer in their home Coronavirus outbreak: Hundreds of infected, quarantined inmates in prisons and jails challenging officials Shortage in masks, safety supplies is a problem Like their urban counterparts, rural law enforcement agencies have struggled to find protective gear and disinfectants for their officers a problem that can be exacerbated when departments dont have the money and flexibility to find extra staffing. In Manistee, the police department has only one N95 mask for each officer, so they make do with surgical masks, Kozal said. In Moody County, one dispatcher made hand sanitizer at home using alcohol and aloe, Allen said. Coronavirus transforms policing: More police are getting coronavirus; that could be bad news for public safety in the U.S. In Vail, officials had to rely on homemade masks, Henninger said. His town, a ski destination of about 5,500 people, is one of the first places in Colorado to have positive cases, which likely originated from tourists. At one point, Henninger lost about 20 percent of his staff of 65 officers, dispatchers and civilian employees, although most have since returned to work. The small police department in Blakely, Georgia, with a population of less than 5,000, also had to rely on donated masks, said Chief Will Caudill. Caudill just came back to work after recovering from coronavirus. So far, hes the only one in his department of 20 who has tested positive. Choosing between enforcing the law and letting somebody go New York State Police and Westchester County Police stop cars at the entrance to Glen Island Park in New Rochelle March 14, 2020. The park is the location for mobile testing of the Coronavirus. Crime rates in many police departments have plummeted as the coronavirus pandemic keeps Americans off the streets. But some, including rural agencies, have seen a rise in domestic disturbances or violence. The pandemic also has fundamentally changed policing in both urban and rural areas. Small police departments, like their urban counterparts, have limited their interactions with the public, foregoing minor infractions and arresting only when they absolutely need to. In Marfa, Texas, a tiny desert town of less than 2,000 not far from the U.S.-Mexico border, police officers have stopped pulling people over for minor traffic stops. Warrants for misdemeanor crimes will be pursued when things return to normal, said Police Chief Estevan Marquez. 'Complete chaos': How the pandemic is upending the criminal justice system Marquez is already on call 24 hours a day, every day. He has only four officers, and he cant afford to lose even one. Sheriff Alan Malone, of Perry County in Indiana, population 19,000, said deputies have started resolving service calls over the phone when they can, instead of showing up at peoples houses. The last thing we want to do is to have deputies get it. Its just a domino effect, how bad it can be in a small agency, Malone said. 'More frightening': As virus surges in prisons, families of elderly inmates wait in fear Members of the New Orelans Police Department help clear Bourbon Street as Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards orders bars, gyms and casinos to close until April 13th due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 16, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Malone has only 10 full-time deputies. The department has reserve officers, and the Indiana State Police can help if needed, he said. So far, no one has tested positive or had to be quarantined. If that were to happen, it would mean scheduling nightmares and long hours. But also, these officers have to go home to their families, Malone said. Kozal, the police chief in Manistee, said officers from the Michigan State Police and other neighboring agencies have helped his department with service calls. Manistee is only four hours away from two international airports one in Detroit and one in Chicago cities with thousands of coronavirus cases and hundreds of deaths. Kozal said its only a matter of time before the town is also besieged. You sort of look at what the big cities are going to have and know that youre probably going to wind up anticipating it sometime thereafter, he said. You hope you dont, but people seem to feel theyre invincible. Manistee County has nine confirmed cases as of Thursday. For me, thats significant, Kozal said. How did this happen? Fact check: What's true and what's false about coronavirus? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus pandemic: Rural police brace for the worst Social distancing should be kept in high-risk localities: committee Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, speaks at the meeting The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on April 15 agreed to propose Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc apply the social distancing policy for at least one more week in localities with high risks. At the committees latest meeting, its members said that Vietnam has well controlled the disease thanks to the implementation of social distancing measures as regulated in the PMs Directive No.16/CT-TTg on a two-week period from April 1-15. However, the diseases developments remain complicated, they stated, stressing the need for more drastic measures to deal it, and at the same time ensure peoples life and production and business activities. The committee reached a consensus on putting forward compulsory regulations for all localities, such as continuing to wear face masks, banning big gatherings, keeping a distance of at least 2 metres among the people, and ensuring hygiene. Important political, economic and social events will be organised in accordance with instructions on medical supervision to ensure safety. In localities with risks or low risks of the disease outbreaks, several production and business activities can be resumed when sanitation is guaranteed. Regarding travel, the committee agreed to propose the Government maintain the implementation of measures to prevent infections from outside the country. Inside the country, each locality will carry out its specific restrictions based on its risk level, while the Health Ministry will also coordinate with the Transport Ministry to issue detailed regulations. Along with increased communications to raise public awareness of disease prevention and control, the committee suggested the Prime Minister direct relevant agencies to strictly punish any violations. Two more COVID-19 patients recover in the south, total at 171 British patient number 235, male, 25, is discharged from the Cu Chi Field Hospital in HCM City on Wednesday morning. Photo courtesy of the hospital Two more COVID-19 patients recovered and were discharged from the Can Tho Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital in Can Tho City and the Cu Chi Field Hospital of HCM City on Wednesday. The two recovered patients have brought the countrys total patients being given the all-clear to 171, making up 64 per cent of total COVID-19 confirmed patients in Viet Nam. Patient 145, male, 34, Vietnamese national, was treated at the Can Tho Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital. During treatment, the patient was tested three times and all tests had negative results for SARS-CoV-2 on April 12, 13 and 14. Patient 235, male, 25, British national, was treated at the Cu Chi Field Hospital. During treatment, the patient had three tests and all results showed negative for SARS-CoV-2 on April 6, 8 and 9. The two patients will continue to be isolated and monitored for the next 14 days, according to the Sub-committee for treatment of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. As of this morning, the Ministry of Health confirmed 267 patients with COVID-19 and no fatalities in Viet Nam. The world reported more than two million COVID-19 patients and over 130,700 deaths in 211 countries and territories. One more COVID-19 patient confirmed in Vietnam, total hits 267 A doctor examines a COVID-19 patient in Hanoi One more COVID-19 patient was reported in Vietnam on April 15 morning, raising the total number of infection cases in the country to 267. The patient is a 46-year-old man residing in Ha Loi commune, Me Linh district, Hanoi. He is father of the 257th patient and husband of the 258th patient. He had close contact with the 243rd patient on March 20. He was taken to a quarantine centre on April 8 and started to develop a fever, sore throat and tiredness five days later. He tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on April 14. The man is being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No.2 in Hanois Dong Anh district. So far, 169 people who contracted the disease have been treated and made full recovery. Thank you, Vietnam browser not support iframe. The COVID-19 outbreak has affected millions of people and is also having an increasingly negative impact on the global economy. Despite insufficient resources and financial capacity, Vietnam has nonetheless provided assistance to many countries in their fight against the pandemic. Over 450,000 made-in-Vietnam protective suits, meanwhile, have landed in the US. It also sent 550,000 face masks to five European countries - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Many countries have expressed their deep gratitude towards the Vietnamese Government and people for the valuable assistance provided, despite the country itself still dealing with insufficient resources and financial capacity. Vietnam has affirmed it will work closely with and strengthen its international cooperation with other countries in the field of health and safety while sharing information and supporting them to overcome difficulties in combating the pandemic. One new COVID-19 case confirmed in Vietnam, totalling 266 A medical workers is spraying a residential area with disinfectant. The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced a new confirmed case of COVID-19 late April 14, taking the total tally to 266 as of 18:00. Patient 266 is from Hanois Thuong Tin district. The 36-year-old woman took care of her mother at Bach Mai hospital, home of an outbreak of COVID-19 last month, from March 8 to 10. She was quarantined at home from March 30, and had samples taken for testing on April 12. The patient is now hospitalized at the second branch of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. By 17:00 on April 14, another COVID-19 patient was declared cured at the general hospital at Cau Treo international hospital, the central province of Ha Tinh. Thus, the total number of COVID-19 patients given the all-clear has risen to 169. 22 more recover from COVID-19 browser not support iframe. The information was released by the treatment sub-committee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. 17 patients, including 15 Vietnamese and 2 foreigners, treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, recovered after treatment. At the Cu Chi hospital for Covid-19 treatment, five patients, including three foreigners also recovered. All the patients were tested negative three times for SARS-CoV-2. They will continue to be quarantined and monitored for the next 14 days. As of April 14 afternoon, Vietnam had confirmed 266 Covid 19 cases. Vietnamese communities in Russia, Czech Republic join local efforts against COVID-19 The Vietnamese community in St. Petersburg has present medical socks to health workers at Pokrovsk Hospital, who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients. The Vietnamese communities in both Russia and the Czech Republic have joined their host countrys efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Representatives from the Vietnamese community in St. Petersburg have presented medical socks to health workers at Pokrovsk Hospital, who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients. Charity groups in the community have also called on Vietnamese people to raise funds for the hospital to buy medical equipment. Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, Vietnamese Ambassador Ho Minh Tuan said that since the first phase of the outbreak the embassy has coordinated with the local Vietnamese community to set up special working groups to provide updated information on COVID-19 and quickly issue warnings. The embassy has also updated information on Vietnams entry-exit regulations for those who wish to return home and promoted prevention efforts undertaken in both countries, he added. He also noted that the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs has expressed his appreciation of the Vietnamese community joining hands with local authorities in the fight against COVID-19. Local media, he went on, have carried stories praising the Vietnamese communitys solidarity with the Czech people during this difficult time. Government leaders of the two countries earlier held phone talks to discuss stronger coordination in tackling COVID-19, he added. Vietnamese expats in US donate 200,000 USD to Vietnams COVID-19 relief efforts The Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco received a total of some 200,400 USD in donations on April 13 from Vietnamese expats living in Western states in the US for Vietnams fight against COVID-19. Speaking at the ceremony to receive the donation, Vietnamese Consul General Nguyen Trac Toan expressed his deep gratitude towards donors, who themselves are affected by the epidemic but nonetheless contribute to fighting COVID-19 in their home country. He highlighted the power of solidarity and unity among the Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, which has proven to be stronger than ever. He said the Consulate General will soon transfer all donations to Vietnam and he expects that Vietnamese citizens in the US will continue supporting each other during the pandemic. The contributions included 100,000 USD from the CEO of California Waste Solutions David Duong, 18,000 USD from Vietnamese expats in California, and 8,400 USD from those living in San Francisco. Cambodian expert commends Vietnams efforts in fighting COVID-19 A medical worker is taking samples of a resident in Me Linh commune, Me Linh district, Vinh Phuc province, for COVID-19 testing. A board member of the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) has lauded Vietnams cooperation with the World Trade Organisation (WHO) in the fight against COVID-19 and its support for Cambodia and Laos in this regard. As ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam has actively cooperated with other ASEAN member countries and the international community, especially the WHO, in COVID-19 prevention and control, said Khieu Kola, who is also an international commentator on the Cambodian news channels CNC and CTN. The Vietnamese Government, headed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has taken many measures to protect peoples health, contributing to ASEANs efforts in the battle. Vietnams endeavours were reflected in PM Phucs speeches at the online Special ASEAN and ASEAN 3 Summits on COVID-19 on April 14, he stressed. Khieu Koa also highlighted Vietnams diverse experience in battling the epidemic, particularly the slogan people join hands in fighting the COVID-19 enemy that was launched in a timely manner. Competent Vietnamese agencies have remained vigilant in the work, with the highest priority given to protecting the publics health, he said, commending Vietnams preparations of resources and medical materials for the fight. Khieu Kola told the Vietnam News Agency that he believes ASEAN member countries will join hands to stamp out the pandemic in the near future. German foreign ministry appreciates Vietnams support in COVID-19 fight Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung (R) hands over the assistance to German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner The German Federal Foreign Office on April 14 spoke highly of the Germany-Vietnam friendship in the fight against the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. In a Facebook post, the office voiced its gratitude and appreciation for the support of the Vietnamese Government and people living in Germany in battling the disease. Vietnam donated 110,000 protective masks to Germany and the same relief package to other European nations which are heavily hit by the pandemic, including France, the UK, Italy and Spain, said the office. In addition, the Vietnamese community has offered thousands of masks and gloves for hospitals and nursing homes in Germany. Vietnamese restaurants in the country are distributing thousands of food portions to doctors and nurses in hospitals intensive care units. In return for the assistance, the World University Service Germany presented 20 water filter systems to the Vietnamese Government, which are able to provide clean water for 12,000 people, especially those in remote and mountainous areas, the German office noted. Former president Barack Obama endorsed his former running mate Joe Biden in a video released Tuesday, weeks after Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Im so proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States, Obama said in his video endorsement. Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a President right now. The former president praised Bidens experience on a wide range of policy issues, including his efforts combating previous health care emergencies. Joe helped me manage H1N1 and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic were seeing now, Obama said. Obama added a word of praise for the other Democratic primary candidates, saying the party had one of the most impressive Democratic fields ever, and mentioned Senator Bernie Sanders in particular. He and I havent always agreed on everything, but weve always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society, Obama said of the Vermont independent, who suspended his 2020 campaign last week. So join us. Join Joe. Go to JoeBiden.com right now. Make a plan for how you are going to get involved, Obama urged in his endorsement. Obama for months declined to back a particular candidate in the Democratic primary or involve himself heavily in the race. His endorsement of Biden has been viewed as imminent since Sanders dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden as well. Whoever emerges from the primary process, I will work my tail off to make sure they are the next president, Obama said at a private fundraising event close to the end of last year. More from National Review Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday gave a blunt assessment of how his country is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. During a televised video conference with senior government officials, Putin said Russia has "a lot of problems, and we don't have much to brag about, nor reason to, and we certainly can't relax. We are not past the peak of the epidemic, not even in Moscow." As of Monday night, there are 18,328 confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Russia, double the number five days ago, The New York Times reports. The death toll stands at 148. About two-thirds of all COVID-19 cases are in Moscow, where state media reports people suspected of having coronavirus are waiting in ambulances for hours before being moved into hospitals. There are shortages of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and medicine across the country, and Putin said "all scenarios of how the situation could develop must be taken into account, including the most difficult and extraordinary ones." More stories from theweek.com The world's dominant ideology is breaking. What will replace it? The CIA, FAA, France, and Rita Wilson warn about taking chloroquine, a now-politicized COVID-19 option Report: Stimulus checks may be delayed over order to have Trump's name printed on them Homes and businesses in Dublin are being urged to donate disused laptops to help economically-disadvantaged Leaving Cert students to keep up their studies online. Homes and businesses in Dublin are being urged to donate disused laptops to help economically-disadvantaged Leaving Cert students to keep up their studies online. The Tech2Students call has gone out from the social enterprise organisation, Camara Education, and Trinity College Dublins Access programme. The laptops will mainly be distributed to students in schools in the Department of Educations DEIS programme for disadvantaged communities with no access to technology at home. They have already identified 20 DEIS schools with students in need. The campaign, which is supported by ESB, will focus on Leaving Cert students as a first priority. Michelle OKelly, who is Principal of Mercy Secondary School, Inchicore, Dublin said when schools closed on March 12, she knew that her students were not only on an unequal playing field now because of their DEIS status but also because the digital divide would become compounded and concentrated as we tried to connect with our students in their homes. She said, very quickly, into their first week using Google Classroom they witnessed this divide: Leaving Cert students were not logging on as we rang each home the reason was very clear, our students homes do not have laptops, WiFi or space to study. "While all of the online supports and websites that stakeholders in education have shared with us are great, they are not connecting with our students because they do not have the means to connect with them, they do not have the basic requirements, she said. Ms OKelly said they had been working with Trinity Access in recent weeks to provide meaningful resources and hardware for their students to ensure that this digital divide dis not disadvantage them further, and in turn to ensure that third-level colleges were lucky to welcome such a diverse and resilient group of young people onto their campus. She added: This investment in lT for our students during this time will ensure that our educational world is a much more equitable and diverse place to be as we enter into a new academic year. ESB staff volunteers will provide logistical support to collect donated laptops from homes or businesses across. Dublin and Camara Ireland and Trinity volunteer engineers will disinfect all laptops before restoring to factory settings, securely wipe all data from the hard drive, and then load the laptops with a fresh copy of the Windows operating system. ESB will then deliver the refurbished laptops directly to students allowing them to power on with their studies. Camara CEO Marianne Checkley said no student should be at an educational disadvantage due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We are appealing to homes and businesses to donate any laptops they have which are no longer used. Through our partner, Trinity Access, we are in contact with 20 DEIS schools that have identified students in need. Our overall goal is to get Tech2Students operational across Ireland to assist all those Leaving Cert students who urgently need technology at this crucial time in their education. Trinity Access programme director Dr Cliona Hannon said students were doing their best to continue with their education through this difficult time and those without access to a laptop were at a particular disadvantage. We believe students and teachers in our partner schools are willing to take on the challenges of remote teaching and learning but they urgently need the right hardware now. This can either be old devices we can repurpose or contributions to enable us to buy laptops. Michelle OKelly, who is Principal of Mercy Secondary School, Inchicore, Dublin said when schools closed on March 12, she knew that her students were not only on an unequal playing field now because of their DEIS status but also because the digital divide would become compounded and concentrated as we tried to connect with our students in their homes. She said, very quickly into their first week using Google Classroom they witnessed this divide. Leaving Cert students were not logging on as we rang each home the reason was very clear, our students homes do not have laptops , WiFi or space to study. While all of the online supports and websites that stakeholders in education have shared with us are great, they are not connecting with our students because they do not have the means to connect with them, they do not have the basic requirements, she said. She said they had been we had been working with Trinty Access in recent weeks to provide meaningful resources and hardware for their students to ensure that this digital divide dis not disadvantage them further, and in turn to ensure that third0elvel colleges were lucky to welcome such a diverse and resilient group of young people onto their campus. She said this investment in lT for our students during this time will ensure that our educational world is a much more equitable and diverse place to be as we enter into a new academic year. As a principal in a DEIS school, watching our building close on the 12th March was an image that will stay with me for a long time. As teachers reassured students that they would get them through learning from home and students left with black bags full of books in the rain we all knew that our innovation and commitment would be needed more than ever and we were ready for the challenge. As ready as we were for that challenge , I also knew that that our students were not only on an unequal playing field now because of their DEIS status but also because the digital divide would become compounded and concentrated as we tried to connect with our students in their homes. Very quickly into our first week using Google classroom we witnessed this divide, Leaving Cert students were not logging on as we rang each home the reason was very clear, our students homes do not have laptops , WiFi or space to study. While all of the online supports and websites that stakeholders in education have shared with us are great, they are not connecting with our students because they do not have the means to connect with them, they do not have the basic requirements. Trinity Access, as always, were very quick to identify this issue and we have been working with them over the past three weeks to provide meaningful resources and hardware for our students to ensure that this digital divide does not disadvantage them further, and in turn to ensure that our colleges are lucky to welcome such a diverse and resilient group of young people onto their campus.This investment in lT for our students during this time will ensure that our educational world is a much more equitable and diverse place to be as we enter into a new academic year. Harris County Sheriff's Office A Houston woman has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection to the death of a Katy man who was found by his estranged wife shot in the doorway of his home. Neymer Escobar was found dead around 5 p.m. Feb. 28 in his home located in the 3300 block of Lindenfield Drive, Katy, the Houston Chronicle reported. After finding his body, his estranged wife called police. Australian universities are begging for more government funding to combat looming job losses and cutbacks due to the plummet in the number of foreign students during the coronavirus crisis. Up to 20,000 jobs across 39 tertiary institutions were considered at risk as revenues collapsed due chiefly to the loss of international students. The institutions have become increasingly reliant upon international students, with numbers put at around 650,000 or over a quarter of all students, and contributing the lion's share of revenue at some universities. Restrictions on entry for some students during the COVID-19 crisis have imperiled those revenues, prompting the university sector to call on the Morrison Government to extend interest-free loans to offset massive cuts to 2020 and future budgets. University of New South Wales vice-chancellor Ian Jacobs warned the fallout from the education sector could impact other parts of the nation's economy. The University of New South Wales has predicted between $500million and $700milion will be lost The full-fee paying international student market has taken a big hit amid the pandemic and restrictions on travel in place to stop the spread of the virus 'There is the risk of a downward spiral, where we are forced to lay off staff because of the financial cash flow crisis and that, of course, means then our educational offering suffers even more,' he told The Guardian. 'Then students don't want to come and international students don't return and we have to lay off more staff. So there is a real immediate crisis.' The University of New South Wales has predicted between $500million and $700million will be lost. 'I am hoping that as the scale of the crisis becomes clearer, the treasurer will make changes and include us in the charities provisions,' Mr Jacobs said. The federal government will keep its funding to universities at the promised $18billion for the year even if domestic student numbers drop. It is also creating a new online short-course qualification with funding for an extra 20,000 places, and is delaying administrative fee increases. Education Minister Dan Tehan said this will help universities while also helping Australians who have lost their jobs or want to retrain. Universities Australia estimates there will still be 21,000 jobs lost across the country's 39 institutions over the next six months But Universities Australia estimates there will still be 21,000 jobs lost across the country's 39 institutions over the next six months - although it says the number would have been even higher without the funding guarantee. 'Individual universities are already cutting costs across the board through very substantial reductions in operational spending, deferral of vital capital works, and reductions in senior staff salaries,' chair Deborah Terry said. 'However, this will be nowhere near enough to cover what we conservatively estimate as a revenue decline of between $3 billion and $4.6 billion.' And despite being registered not-for-profits, universities won't be able to access the JobKeeper allowance under the same rules as other charities, instead needing to take a much bigger hit to their turnover before becoming eligible. Professor Terry said universities were seeking low-interest loans from banks to help them through the difficult time. The National Tertiary Education Union said the help on offer so far amounted to hardly anything because it was money the government and universities had already budgeted for. 'This will not plug the gaping hole in university finances left by the drop in international student income,' the union's national president Alison Barnes said. Ms Barnes was equally sceptical of the extra short course places, saying they were unlikely to come with any extra funding other than what it cost to run them. 'We dispute the minister's claim that this funding will offset universities' losses from international students,' she said. Early last month, rather than being distracted by their upcoming spring break, a group of Flagstaff High School students decided to add a higher issue to their list of spring semester to-dos: advocating for the renaming of the San Francisco Peaks. In a press conference March 11, representatives from Flag Highs Native American Club explained these mountains have long been sacred to 13 tribal nations, so names like Agassiz Peak, in particular, are out-of-line. Although Louis Agassiz, the 19th Century Swiss biologist and geologist, was recognized for his fundamental research on topics including extinct fish and glaciers, he was equally known for his belief that non-white races were inferior. His science was used to try to legitimize racist beliefs and white racial superiority. Therefore, naming a peak after him is not appropriate and antagonizes the beliefs and acknowledgements of the [tribal] nations, said Skyla Ramos, 16. This creates a culture of racism and colonialization that we deem is unacceptable. But the impropriety of the name is not limited just to Agassizs beliefs, according to the students. To have it be referred to as the Agassiz Peak, it makes it feel like were inferior, said Ignacio Agoodie, 18. Native Americans have been here hundreds and hundreds of years, but to name it after a guy whos barely been here and is not even from here, its kind of stupid, in my opinion. Although the students advocating for the name change are primarily Navajo, they noted their goal is not to rename the Peaks to its Navajo name, Dookooslid, but to select a name that would better reflect its indigenous origins. They believe such a name could support help support tribes in other local issues such as the use of reclaimed water for snowmaking on the Peaks. People who arent native, they may think its just a ski resort, said Nathaniel Dayzie, 19. Providing even a name would provide much more significance because it will bring more awareness towards the topic. It would give more respect to the mountain and make everyone more united. Unlike some outside visitors to the mountain, these students have personal histories with the mountains and their accompanying names as motivation for more inclusive, federally recognized names. Prior to the start of the school year, Trissdyn Nez, 18, and her family make special trips to six sacred mountains in the region for prayers. Nez said indigenous names like Dookoslid are used in these particular prayers, which are intended to refresh and cleanse oneself. Taralyn Sloan, 18, who grew up in Flagstaff, said for most of her life she only knew the mountains traditional names. She wants the names changed especially for Native American students who come to Flagstaff for school. Sooner rather than later I want [the names] changed to something more meaningful. Not just for myself, but for the youth so they can feel more welcomed, Sloan said. They have to come all this way to go to school for better education. It would mean a whole lot because the kids who do come here for an education are surrounded mostly by white students. Theres not a lot of Native American students here. The Flag High students are asking for support from local jurisdictions, including the City of Flagstaff, for use in approaching the federal government about renaming the Peaks. City councilmember Jamie Whelan, who was present at the press conference, told the students the City has made progress such as renaming an award recognizing city staff members in the names of local trees instead of Agassiz but there is still work to do to better represent indigenous peoples locally, including the renaming of streets, buildings and rooms throughout the city. I dont think its going to be easy, Dayzie said. Like Columbus Day, people are still going to celebrate it and its going to be hard for a lot of people to respect Indigenous Peoples Day. Even if its just a name, people are still going to be calling it that. I think it will be really hard, but even our push towards changing the name will be a good step forward. Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun.com or by phone at (928) 556-2253. Love 88 Funny 15 Wow 12 Sad 6 Angry 79 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DUBLIN (BCN) Fifty-six more people on Monday were ordered released from the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in an effort to lower the risk that the coronavirus will spread through the jail, Alameda County court officials said. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Tara Desautels issued three orders releasing 15, 20 and 21 people. Fifteen people each had 90 days or fewer to serve of the felony sentences. The court deems their sentences served. Under the two other orders, bail was reduced to zero. Since the coronavirus crisis began, the court has released 334 people from Santa Rita Jail in addition to others released through the court's pre-arraignment review process and pre-trial risk assessment program. Since March 1, the jail population is down 28 percent to 1,869 people from 2,597. Fifteen people at Santa Rita Jail had contracted the coronavirus as of Friday. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 20:44 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e6b39 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-Jakarta,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,mudik,exodus,idul-fitri-exodus,Idul-Fitri,Idul-fitri-holiday Free A projected 1.3 million people from Greater Jakarta will return to their hometowns for the annual Idul Fitri mudik (exodus), according to the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), potentially fueling the spread of COVID-19. According to the Transportation Ministry, 900,000 [non-Greater Jakarta natives] have already returned to their hometowns, while 2.6 million have stayed, MTI head Agus Taufik Mulyono said in a press briefing on Tuesday. He added that around half of the remaining 2.6 million people were civil servants who were officially prohibited from participating in this year's mudik by Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo. We believe that another 1.3 million people may go home." Citing economic considerations, the government has not prohibited mudik for the general public but has repeatedly advised against traveling during the COVID-19 outbreak. Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and West Java could be the new outbreak epicenter if the government persists with its decision not to ban mudik, Agus said. He called on the government to issue an official ban to prevent the further spread of the virus, adding that it should also distribute cash allowances and staple food as compensation for those who chose to stay in Greater Jakarta instead of returning home. He said that regional administrations would bear the social and economical burden if the central government did not outright ban mudik. "If its just an appeal, it wont work, he said. Indonesia has recorded 4,839 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, 2,335 of which are in Jakarta. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. The invitation to pray together went out last week to millions of members of La Luz Del Mundo. A California court of appeal had dismissed criminal charges against their leader Naason Joaquin Garcia, and the Mexico-based religious group was cautiously optimistic. "Let us be prudent," the invitation advised, "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." Garcia, 50, has led the organization, also known as the Light of the World Church, since late 2014. The charismatic preacher was born and raised in the Guadalajara neighborhood where his grandfather started this religious group, and where his father served as its leader for 50 years. Today, the neighborhood is something like the Vatican for members of La Luz Del Mundo, which makes Garcia something like their Pope. The charismatic preacher was arrested last summer at LAX, after three girls and one woman in L.A. County reported abuse to the California Department of Justice's clergy abuse tip line. The California attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, says Garcia used his authority within the church to coerce young girls into sex acts. Garcia denies these allegations. In June, Garcia was charged with lewd acts upon a child, conspiracy to commit human trafficking and forcible rape. At his arraignment, Garcia pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing. In July, Garcia was arraigned on an amended complaint that also included new charges for the possession of child pornography. At that arraignment, he also pleaded not guilty. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy In September, Garcia's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that he had not waived his right to a speedy trial on the second set of charges and that he was being held unfairly. The trial court denied his motion, and Garcia's attorneys appealed to the California Court of Appeal. The court of appeal reversed the trial court, dismissing the case on a procedural basis. The court did not weigh in on the merits of the criminal case against the pastor. The court of appeal dismissal isn't final for 30 days, and Garcia will continue to be held in jail until then. State prosecutors say they have the option to re-file the multiple felony charges against him. Throughout the ordeal, Naason Joaquin Garcia and his supporters have denied the charges. Garcia's criminal trial is in limbo, but for now, he'll keep running La Luz Del Mundo from behind bars, as he has for the past 10 months. A LIVING 'APOSTLE' Garcia isn't simply the leader of this religious group, which claims hundreds of churches around the world and dozens here in Southern California. The organization's millions of followers believe Garcia to be God's only living apostle in what they call the one true Christian Church -- just like his father and grandfather before him. An image of Naason Joaquin Garcia on display on the La Luz Del Mundo (The Light of the World) Church in Pasadena last June. (Aaron Schrank/LAist) His central role in the religious movement was on full display at a choir concert held in his honor at LA's Grand Park back in December. "This is the fifth anniversary of the man who we -- who has been sent by God, the leader of our Church as well," said Ari Martinez, a lifelong church member from East L.A. "We're just celebrating his work. He's been working tirelessly since I've known him." A display at a La Luz Del Mundo event in December, celebrating the 5-year anniversary of Naason Joaquin Garcia becoming the group's leader, or "apostle." (Aaron Schrank/LAist ) Martinez was one of about 2,000 church members gathered to celebrate the half-decade since Naason Joaquin Garcia took over as La Luz Del Mundo's apostle after his father, Samuel Joaquin Flores, died in December 2014. Choir members from temples across Southern California sang their hearts out in front of L.A.'s City Hall. Choir members from around Southern California gathered in downtown LA to celebrate five years of "Apostle" Naason Joaquin Garcia in December 2019. (Aaron Schrank / LAist) (Aaron Schrank / LAist ) Nicholas Ynda is a pastor at the downtown L.A. temple. He says spirits are high even with their apostle behind bars. "The theme or topic is to be grateful to God for the last five years of blessings that we've received," said Ynda. "Of course, everyone knows about the ongoing criminal case. It's something that the Church is going through.." Garcia's five years as 'the apostle' have been defined by his efforts to grow the Church outside Mexico, opening churches in all 50 U.S. states and 58 countries worldwide. "Naason's originality was to tour the world continuously and try to argue that this is a universal church rather than Latino or Mexican," said religious scholar Massimo Introvigne, managing director at the Center for Studies on New Religions. "He more or less succeeded." Ynda, who was baptized into the church 16 years ago, said he believes the accusations might actually help the church grow: "It does bring notoriety to the church, of course, and it is possible that God could use that for the growth of the Church. If you look in the scripture, men of God have been talked about poorly, and God turns that around for good things often." La Luz Del Mundo's Grand Park display for the 5th anniversary of Naason Joaquin Garcia's leadership. (Aaron Schrank / LAist ) The idea that a jailed church leader could be good for a religion might sound hard to believe, but it's backed by sociologists and religious scholars. "Outside attacks and ridicule actually reinforce religious groups," Introvigne said. "Members realize how they see themselves is very much different from how the world sees them and normally react by strengthening their community engagement and commitment. Even if the apostle is found guilty, history and sociology show that high commitment groups do not decline and may even grow." In December 2019, La Luz Del Mundo members in Los Angeles hold up their devices during a large gathering in Grand Park celebrating their 'apostle.' (Aaron Schrank / LAist ) As the Grand Park event came to a close, the crowd broke into a chant of support for their apostle. "Somos de Naason Joaquin," they chant. "We belong to Naason Joaquin." THE HOLY SUPPER In February, with 'the apostle' still sitting in an L.A. jail cell, more than 10,000 members of the Light of the World Church from all over the West Coast packed the Pomona Fairgrounds grandstand for the group's annual Holy Supper event. About 10,000 members of La Luz Del Mundo gathered in February at the Pomona Fairplex (Aaron Schrank/LAist ) Women sat on one side, wearing veils and wailing out in prayer. Men sat on the other, just like inside Luz Del Mundo temples. "The world's already made a decision on who we are," said Jack Freeman, a minister from Redlands. "They call us a cult. They call us violent. They call us brainwashers, they call us so many different things. But right here, we're in our biggest event, and we're just here happy, we're joyful. Nobody's forced. We're here with our own free will because we want to be a part of this." This annual event is the U.S. twist on the group's annual Santa Cena gathering at the Church's headquarters in Guadalajara, which draws hundreds of thousands every August. Jack Freeman is the U.S. spokesman for La Luz Del Mundo and a minister at the religious group's Redlands Temple. (Chava Sanchez / LAist) This year's ritual was adapted to fight the spread of coronavirus, which, at the time, was just emerging as a threat in California. Freeman said it usually involves thousands of people drinking grape juice out of the same cup. "But because of the scare of the virus and our desire to keep our members safe, each person gets a little cup now," Freeman said. The event is about remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and communing with God, said Freeman -- not worshipping Naason Joaquin Garcia, as the religious movement's detractors suggest. "I care about him a lot," said Freeman. "I love him. I know who he is and I respect him very much, just as if you had a pastor who looked after your soul, you would love and care for him as well because of the spiritual nature of the relationship. But you're not going to worship him. You're not going to pray to him. You're not going to throw yourself at his feet like what's being said. That's ridiculous." La Luz Del Mundo members prepare the Holy Supper in February in Pomona. (Aaron Schrank / LAist ) But as volunteers prepare the Holy Supper, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the crowd sings a song called "Nard of Justice and Glory," about God choosing Garcia as his apostle. "His election gave me a new reason to believe and proclaim," they sing. "Naason, apostle of the Lord. Naason Joaquin!" Women belonging to the religious group La Luz Del Mundo gathered at the Pomona Fairplex for the groups annual Holy Supper event in February 2020. (Chava Sanchez /LAist) La Luz Del Mundo's apostle is what makes the religion different from other homegrown Pentecostal groups in Mexico, said Patricia Fortuny, with the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology in Mexico. She said Naason Joaquin Garcia is La Luz Del Mundo's greatest strength and also its greatest weakness. "It's fantastic for the people," said Fortuny. "They feel special and chosen to be part of the primitive Christian church. But it's also a problem. Most Pentecostal churches in Mexico or the United States do not worship their pastors, and the ministers and pastors do not control or coerce the people in the same way that they do in Luz Del Mundo." "THERE'S NO SIN IN HIM" Some former members say the religious group's fixation on its central figure has led to a culture of widespread abuse. This year's festivities in Pomona were interrupted by new allegations of misconduct against Garcia and also against La Luz Del Mundo, painting a different portrait of the church's presence in Los Angeles. Sochil Martin, a lifelong church member who left the organization in 2016, filed a federal civil lawsuit against Garcia and La Luz Del Mundo. She claimed she was groomed from childhood to serve as a sex slave to two apostles, Garcia as well as his father, Samuel. Sochil Martin, center, with lawyers Jeff Anderson, left, and Deborah Mallgrave, speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2020. (Stefanie Dazio/AP) In her bombshell lawsuit, the 33-year-old accuses Garcia of running La Luz Del Mundo like a predatory cult of personality, manipulating members into donating all their time and money to the Church, and making himself rich in the process. Garcia and the church deny these claims, and Martin's lawyers say the case is ongoing. Martin claims she was told from childhood that the apostle was without sin and was even taught bible verses meant to justify his sexual contact with kids. "I was told that he can do anything, and there's no sin in him," Martin told me in an interview recounting the charges in her lawsuit. "So when I would see things happening growing up, deep down inside I would ask myself questions, but you're supposed to slap yourself and say, 'Snap out of it, no. That's not a sin for him.' There's no sin in him. He can lie. He can rape. He can do whatever he wants, because he is the Servant of God and the apostle of Jesus Christ." Before becoming the apostle, Garcia was a minister at churches in Huntington Park, North Hollywood, Santa Ana and the flagship temple in East L.A. That's where Martin first met him in 2003, when she was 16. At that time, Garcia's father Samuel Joaquin Flores was the apostle and Garcia was launching the church's new communications department, Berea International, spreading La Luz Del Mundo's message to the world with radio programs, videos and social media posts. Garcia enlisted Martin into years of unpaid work on the project and, she claimed in the lawsuit, later forced her to have sex with him. People congregate in front of the La Luz Del Mundo (The Light of the World) Church in L.A. June 5, 2019. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images) Martin claims in the lawsuit that on one occasion, LDM members in Southern California were encouraged to donate gold jewelry and heirlooms to the apostle, which were melted down and used to paint the molding on his new home in Los Angeles. Martin says cash donated at La Luz del Mundo's temples feeds Naason Joaquin Garcia's lavish lifestyle. According to the complaint, Naason Joaquin Garcia owns two private ranches in Redlands and South Texas, which house exotic animals and vintage cars. "For far too many La Luz Del Mundo members, everything they have is taken by LLDM. Every dollar they make goes to La Luz Del Mundo because they truly believe their money will be used to do the work of God on Earth," Martin said. "But all the hard-earned money goes to making Naason and his enablers rich." It wasn't until 2016 that she says she found the courage to leave the Church. That's when Martin claims Garcia dispatched three members of LDM leadership to try to buy her silence for half a million pesos. "When his bishops came, they didn't bring a message of 'Hey, the Servant of God wants to talk to you guys and tell you how much he loves you,'" Martin said. "It was full on, 'What do you want and how much?' Our world just shattered. I thought, 'Oh my God, this is a business.'" This picture taken on August 9, 2017 shows the leader of the Church of the Light of the World, Naason Joaquin Garcia (L), walking among his parishioners in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images) Since 2018, Martin says she has been working with authorities to help investigate and prosecute La Luz Del Mundo's leaders and prosecute Garcia. She says she still feels the grip of the power institution everyday, but her lawsuit was one step towards freedom. "In filing the case, it's sort of like taking my life back, proving to myself that I'm not that slave anymore, that I have power, that I have a voice, that I don't belong to anybody anymore. And it was sort of like coming out into the light." And with the criminal case against Garcia in limbo, Martin says she hopes her civil case can help hold him accountable. Other party leaders are expected to soon join them. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another former rival, plans to throw her support to Biden in the near future, according to a person with knowledge of her plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not cleared to discuss those plans publicly. Hillary Clinton, the partys last nominee, also is expected to back Biden soon, according to a person familiar with her thinking who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss campaign strategy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:03:49|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Although German citizens are generally not required to wear a protective mask, the wearing of a mouth-nose cover at work became compulsory in the central city of Jena, which is known for the Optical Museum, on Tuesday. With this measure, Jena, which is the first German city to make the wearing of face masks compulsory for its citizens in public buildings and public transport, further tightened its face mask regulations during the coronavirus crisis. As of Tuesday, a mouth-nose cover had to be worn at work if there was more than one person in a room, if there are less than 20 square meters available for one person in an office used by several people and if the minimum distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained, according to the rules. In order to supply the population with enough face masks, Jena already asked citizens at the end of March to sew mouth and nose protection for themselves as well as for other people. Scarves or shawls were also accepted as protection if they cover nose and mouth. In a national comparison, Jena is not particularly affected by the coronavirus. On Monday, Jena had recorded no new COVID-19 cases and the number of infected remained at 155, according to the city. Jena appealed to the "joint responsibility" of its citizens, which had to be adhered to in the days and weeks to come. This would also include restricting private contacts, wearing mouth and nose covers as well as observing the rules of hygiene. Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven will retire at the end of this year relieved the institution had not risked its future on a heavy reliance on high-fee-paying international students. "We are a hell of a lot less unlucky than a lot of other universities," he said. "We have never relied heavily on overseas students paying very high fees ... There is no doubt that some universities obviously got their equations wrong." Outgoing Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven. Professor Craven said international students made up 13 per cent of his university's enrolments and "there are other universities that are multiples of that". While Professor Craven did not name any universities, this masthead recently reported that the University of Sydney expects a $470 million loss due to the COVID-19 crisis this year, as a result of a 17 per cent drop in its international student enrolments. Major U.S. airlines accept government aid for payrolls; American and Alaska also seeking loans Delta Air Lines passenger planes parked in Birmingham By Tracy Rucinski and David Shepardson (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Tuesday that major passenger airlines have agreed in principle to a $25 billion rescue package, ensuring airline workers have jobs until October while the industry battles its biggest-ever crisis. Airlines are hopeful that U.S. passenger traffic, which has dropped by 95% due to the coronavirus pandemic, will begin to recover by October but have warned that the slowdown in air travel could extend into next year and even longer. It's possible they will need another round of government bailouts to survive. Major carriers will receive 70% of the funds for payroll in cash assistance that will not need to be paid back, while smaller carriers receiving $100 million or less will not need to repay any funds. The six largest U.S. airlines - American Airlines Group Inc, United Airlines Holdings Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc, Southwest Airlines Co, JetBlue Airways Corp and Alaska Airlines - as well as four other airlines accepted the support, Treasury said. Agreements should be finalized soon and funds disbursed quickly, it said. Carriers were told they could apply for the total salaries and benefits paid in the second and third quarters of 2019, an amount that surpasses American Airlines' current market value. Under the terms laid out by Treasury officials last week, the government would receive repayment on 30% of the funds awarded to large carriers and warrants equal to 10% of the loan amount that were priced at last week's close. Delta said it will receive $5.4 billion in grants, of which $1.6 billion will be an unsecured 10-year low-interest loan that has to be repaid, and will provide the government with warrants to acquire about 1% of Delta stock at $24.39 per share over five years. American Airlines said it would receive $5.8 billion in grants, of which it would need to repay $1.7 billion. Southwest said it had agreed in principle and expects to receive $3.2 billion in grants and will have to repay nearly $1 billion over 10 years. Southwest will issue 2.6 million warrants to the Treasury. Story continues JetBlue said it will receive $935.8 million in payroll grants. Alaska and its regional carrier Horizon Air will receive $992 million in funding, including $267 million in the form of a loan, that the airline expects will cover about 70% of budgeted costs through Sept. 30. Alaska said the Treasury will receive the right to buy 847,000 non-voting shares of parent Alaska Air Group at a price of $31.61 per share. United was eligible for about $6 billion but did not disclose on Tuesday how much it would receive. Spirit Airlines Inc, a low-cost carrier which was not listed by the Treasury as reaching agreement, said it expects "to agree on terms soon" for payroll grants. PAYCHECK, BENEFITS "We are closer than ever to almost a million airline workers knowing they will receive their paycheck and keep their healthcare and other benefits, at least through September," said Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson, who is widely credited for the idea of aid specifically for payroll. "At the same time, we were able to rein in the worst corporate practices by tying this aid to restrictions on stock buybacks, executive compensation and dividends." According to the statute, companies receiving funds cannot lay off employees before Sept. 30 or change collective bargaining agreements and must agree to restrictions on buybacks, executive compensation and dividends. The statute gave the Treasury the authority to demand compensation for the grants, but did not require it. A Treasury official working on the program, Brent McIntosh, told Reuters on Monday that the government had done a "substantial analysis ... we believe approximately 70% of those payments becomes a direct benefit to taxpayers." He cited "avoided unemployment benefits, taxes that come back to the federal government, and the benefits of continued air service." Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, criticized the Treasury's decision to "require repayment for some of the payroll grants. The Trump administration is unnecessarily endangering jobs." In addition to the grant program, U.S. passenger airlines can also apply for a separate $25 billion loan scheme under the government's $2.3 trillion stimulus package. American said it plans this week to apply for a $4.75 billion loan under that program, while Alaska and Horizon intend to apply for $1.1 billion in federal loans. Estimated global airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic have climbed to $314 billion, 25% more than previously forecast, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday. Alexandre de Juniac, the Geneva-based organization's CEO, said leaving the middle seat vacant was among likely conditions for a resumption of air travel to be discussed with governments. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Sonya Hepinstall) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 13 Trend: Turkmenistan is developing its cooperation with international organizations, Trend reports with reference to Zolotoy Vek (Golden Age) newspaper. In order to cooperate in various areas, it is important for Turkmenistan to improve its cooperation with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Turkmenistan pays big attention to the modernization of transport infrastructure in Eurasia. It is planned to hold a working meeting in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission for Europe on April 14, 2020. Representatives of ministries and profile departments of Turkmenistan will participate. Turkmenistan also plans to develop relations with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for cooperation on climate change, environmental protection, environmental management and environmental security. The partnership with the World Trade Organization is also very important for Turkmenistan. This cooperation will develop Turkmenistans trade and export potential. To study the issue of Turkmenistan's accession to the WTO a special Commission was created in 2019. Special Commission decided that Turkmenistan is the status of observer. New commission devoted to Turkmenistans accession to the WTO will be held on April 15. In order to use technologies in all sectors of Turkmenistans economy, meeting with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will be held on April 16. The purpose of this video conference is to exchange experience in the field of copyright protection and teaching the basics of intellectual property in universities. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded to develop cooperation with international organizations at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly held in the capital of Turkmenistan Ashgabat on January 14, 2020. [April 14, 2020] Give. Protect. Inspire. GUESS?, Inc. and The GUESS Foundation - #InThisTogether COVID-19 Relief Efforts GUESS?, Inc., the global lifestyle brand, along with The GUESS Foundation, are launching multiple COVID-19 relief efforts, as part of its belief that we are #InThisTogether. GUESS?, Inc. and The GUESS Foundation are partnering with organizations to donate funds, clothing, and PPE, and encourage blood donations to help support its global community during the COVID-19 crisis. Our mission is simple: Give. Protect. Inspire. Paul Marciano, Chief Creative Officer, commented, "At GUESS, we want to inspire our communities to fight the COVID-19 crisis with strength, hope, and support of each other. We must maintain this strength for our families, our community and our world, as together, we can overcome anything. In order to provide essential and urgent resources for those in greatest need, GUESS is donating over $1,300,000 toward the relief of our global community." Give: In partnership with Good360, a global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving, GUESS?, Inc. will donate goods to its communities, including 45,000 pieces of apparel, such as activewear, outerwear and knitwear, as well as blankets and coloring books. Good360 has a vast and diverse non-profit network that can distribute clothing to those most in need. In addition, The GUESS Foundation and GUESS?, Inc. will make a donation to the LA Regional Food Bank to provide meals for local families and children struggling with hunger. Protect: The GUESS Foundation, in partnership with Direct Relief, an expert at rapidly deploying crucial medical aid, will donate funds toward personal protective equipment to help protect our healthcare workers and essential service providers working on the frontlines in Los Angeles, New York City and Kentucky. Direct Relief will use the funds to get the PPE into the hands that need it most. Separately, The GUESS Europe Foundation will directly source N95 masks to be distributed to hospitals in the Lombardi region of Italy, and Madrid region of Spain; two areas hit hard by the virus. Earlier this year, GUESS Shanghai also donated to the Hubei Youth Development Foundation to assist with protection from the virus for the greater Wuhan area in China. Inspire: GUESS?, Inc. will utilize its communication platforms, such as social media and its vast network of brand ambassadors, to drive awareness and amplify critical messages to help save lives. For example, GUESS is planning an information campaign regarding the need for donations to replenish the national blood supply. A sigle blood donation can save up to 3 lives, and the short amount of time it takes to donate blood can mean a lifetime to a patient with COVID-19. We want to empower our followers, consumers and associates to take meaningful action and inspire hope during these difficult times. About GUESS?, Inc. Established in 1981, GUESS began as a jeans company and has since successfully grown into a global lifestyle brand. GUESS?, Inc. designs, markets, distributes and licenses a lifestyle collection of contemporary apparel, denim, handbags, watches, eyewear, footwear and other related consumer products. GUESS? products are distributed through branded GUESS? stores as well as better department and specialty stores around the world. As of February 1, 2020, the Company directly operated 1,169 retail stores in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The Company's partners and distributors operated 560 additional retail stores worldwide. As of February 1, 2020, the Company and its partners and distributors operated in approximately 100 countries worldwide. For more information about the Company, please visit www.guess.com. About The GUESS Foundation Founded in 1994, The GUESS Foundation supports a wide range of causes whose messages promote nonviolence, tolerance, and equality to achieve social change. Leveraging our brand image of a strong, confident, empowered individual in a global landscape, we believe that every person deserves an equal chance to live the life he or she desires. About Good360 Good360's mission is to transform lives by providing hope, dignity, and a sense of renewed possibility to individuals, families, and communities impacted by disasters or other challenging life circumstances who, without us, would struggle to find that hope. As the global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving, we partner with socially responsible companies to source highly needed goods and distribute them through our network of diverse nonprofits that support people in need. Good360 has distributed more than $9 billion in donated goods around the world, helping its network of more than 90,000 prequalified nonprofits strengthen communities and improve the lives of millions. Good360 is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at https://www.good360.org. About Direct Relief A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the world to communities in need - without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://www.DirectRelief.org. About Los Angeles Regional Food Bank The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been fighting hunger since 1973 and has distributed the equivalent of 1.2 billion meals across LA County. The Food Bank provides food to more than 300,000 clients every month and distributed 81.2 million pounds of food and product in 2019 to children, seniors, working families, veterans, and other neighbors in need. Food and other goods are distributed through a network of 600 partner agencies, directly to children through our Children's Backpack and Summer Lunch programs, to approximately 28,000 seniors each month through our Senior Nutrition Program, and to working families and college students through our Mobile Food Pantry. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit LAFoodBank.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005819/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] An illegal nightclub in San Francisco has been shut down after more than 150 reckless locals gathered to party despite stay-at-home orders in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Officials have slammed the gathering as 'the epitome of irresponsibility'. San Francisco Police officers raided the underground nightclub for violating the citys public health order, marking the first time a warrant was issued in the city to enforce the stay-at-home policy. The club was operated out of an industrial building at 2266 Shafter Avenue in the Bayview District, according to the San Francisco City Attorneys Office. Cops said in their raid they seized DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture and other nightclub-related items. An illegal nightclub in San Francisco has been shut down after more than 150 reckless partiers danced the night away despite lockdown orders in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The club was operated out of an industrial building at 2266 Shafter Avenue in the Bayview District Officials released a timelapse video from April 4 to April 6 that shows more than 150 people entering and leaving the nightclub in the early morning hours The surveillance camera caught people arriving to the night club despite orders to stay at home and practice social distancing Officials released a timelapse video from April 4 to April 6 that shows more than 150 people entering and leaving the nightclub in the early morning hours. 'None practiced six feet of social distancing. During certain times, the video showed 20 to 30 cars per hour park or depart from in front of the building,' the San Francisco City Attorney's office in a statement. Officials had reported loud music and strobe lights emanating from the building on multiple occasions before the sting operation. Security guards were also seen frisking visitors as they entered. A witness interviewed by the City Attorneys Office also reported hearing five gunshots near the club on March 15, 2020 and said that activity at the club on April 4 and April 5 was 'particularly raucous,' officials said. 'Cramming dozens of people into an illegal club during this outbreak is like dropping a lit match in the woods during fire season. Who knows how far the damage will spread? It's the epitome of irresponsibility,' San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement Monday. Cars were seen entering the warehouse from April 4 to 6 in preparation for the party Cops said in their raid they seized DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture and other nightclub-related items Herrera admonished the group that gathered in the night club saying, 'This pandemic is deadly serious. People need to treat it that way.' 'Education is always the first step, but willfully ignoring health orders is not acceptable. We are going to use every tool at our disposal, including these types of warrants, to protect public health during this pandemic,' he added. 'The operators of this illegal club senselessly put lives at risk in a time when our city is doing everything within our means to slow the spread of this pandemic and safeguard the health and well being of the public,' police chief William Scott said Monday. San Francisco issued its stay-at-home order on March 16 which banned nightclubs, bars and other venues from holding gatherings in an attempt to enforce social distancing and prevent the spread of the virus. As of Tuesday there are over 24,000 cases of the virus in California and 732 deaths. Nearly 1,000 of those cases are reported in San Francisco, where there has been 15 deaths. The city is encouraging anyone with information about businesses or others violating the stay-at-home order during this public health emergency, please contact 311 or file a report online. Also in San Francisco, tent cities of homeless people have emerged, where people have been spotted struggling to social distance as their shelters are crowded together and groups gather to drink and take drugs. All the while, California is bracing for a spike in their infection rate. On Monday, displaced people of the Bay Area were seen congregating outside the Empress Hotel on Tenderlion Street drinking and chatting despite the deadly virus having infected 987 people in the city and killed 15. As a body was loaded into a white van, one man yelled: 'There goes that coronavirus!' A homeless man peers out of his tent with the words 'D's tent please don't take' written, on the streets of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, California Homeless people pass a cigarette while doing drugs on the streets of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco Through the area, street advertisements tell people to stay home and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds but for homeless it's not so simple. After last week, the city scrapped plans to turn part of its convention center into a shelter with nearly 400 beds for homeless people, saying the set-up was too crowded, several people were seen resting on a statue outside City Hall Monday. The Tenderloin neighborhood has 30,000 residents. As other people walked by groups of vagrants wearing face masks, those without access to permanent shelter or protective equipment were seen grappling with their clothing and belongings. Groups such as Faithful Fools and the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness have been handing out protective gear. But many appeared to have a hard time keeping their skin clean at a time when hygiene is absolutely necessary to slow the spread and help hospitals keep up with the demand. Well-stocked retailers comfort concerned consumers, illustration photo Unlike the images of crowds outside supermarkets and fights over toilet paper and essential goods on social media since COVID-19 occured, mother-of-one Nguyen Linh has witnessed plenty of packed shelves when shopping at Hanois Hadong Co.opmart both before and after social distancing orders began this month. Linh was not too worried about being stuck indoors and self-isolating as all customers received an automatic message informing them the supermarket system had prepared to operate normally after April 1, and reminded customers to keep a safe distance between themselves when shopping. Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, store shelves were reportedly stocked with rice, toilet paper, and other essentials. Under the strict measures on social distancing, all citizens are required to stay indoors and will only be allowed to go out for necessities such as purchasing food or medicine in order to prevent and combat the COVID-19 spread. This is one of Vietnams quick measures to cope with the spreading outbreak. The World Economic Forum remarked, This is the challenge facing many of the worlds poorer and developing nations, including countries like Vietnam. But while it might look like a foregone conclusion that the coronavirus outbreak would ravage such a country, Vietnam has instead stood out as a beacon of how to do more with less. There is no one-size-fits-all method of deciding on the best time to enact social distancing measures, but the well-prepared actions thus far in Vietnam have not caused any chaos. Well-prepared Tran Duy Dong, head of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), confirmed that stockpiles are always ready. Meanwhile, supermarkets have assured that they have stocks of full goods for the next three or six months. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, director of Hadong Co.opmart said, Thanks to the preparation in advance, the supermarket always provides enough for customers. We reserve triple the amount of essential goods including rice, instant noodles, meat, and eggs compared to before, adding that commercial stores are closed, so supermarkets take advantage of being warehouses to serve the people. With 35 supermarkets across Vietnam, Thai-backed Big C confirmed that all of its supermarkets are open as usual during the social distancing period. The supermarket has even increased its reserves to two or three times of that in normal days According to the prime ministers instructions, the vehicles carrying goods and necessities are still operating normally. We are not worried about the logistics system in the coming days, said a representative, adding that prices of essential commodities have not been increased. Similarly, the representative of South Koreas Lotte Mart also said that retailers are fighting to keep the shelves stocked and the doors open, all while keeping their employees safe. Supermarkets are also reminded not to leave the shelves empty, to avoid creating fake scarcity. Evidently, retailers have been preparing for the coronavirus for some weeks, working closely with suppliers in order to ensure customers can get what they want and need. Besides that, retailers have also cut the prices of many products and adapted quickly to social distancing guidelines that promote safer retail store shopping as well as encourage online shopping. Meanwhile, although essential commodities recorded high demand, the crisis has tightened other commodities. A MoIT report last week noted that giant retailers like Lotte, Aeon Vietnam, and Saigon Co.op have been hit by the crisis. Lotte recorded a dip of about 50 per cent in revenues compared to January and by more than 20 per cent on-year. Aeon Vietnam saw a 2 per cent fall in January and 6 per cent decrease in February compared to the plan. Meanwhile, Saigon Co.op felt a 50 per cent slump in retail revenue in the first 2 months of the year. Retail tech surge COVID-19 has managed to change consumer shopping habits. According to a report by the worlds leading data provider Kantar Worldpanel in March, there are changes not only in consumer baskets but also in their channel choice during the virus outbreak, and online shopping is booming significantly. More people are shopping online than usual, accelerating the growth of online fast-moving consumer goods to a triple-digit rate in just one month. Meanwhile, shopping locations most commonly used for daily needs are losing traffic. As such, street shops and convenience stores are seeing a short-term impact. From February, Big C has implemented a call and order service with free delivery on purchase totals of VND200,000 ($8.70) or more to counter this trend. One official said that after deploying the service, the number of orders by phone has increased by over 200 per cent. Meanwhile, Lotte Mart has recorded about 200 orders through its e-commerce SpeedL platform. Co.opmart has also stepped up deployment of online shopping channels. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 14:44:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 outbreak is a major test of the governance model and capacity of all countries, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday. Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez. Noting that COVID-19 is spreading across the world, Wang said that as good friends and comrades, China and Cuba should strengthen strategic coordination and cooperation. After the coronavirus outbreak in China, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel immediately sent messages of sympathies to President Xi Jinping, and Diaz-Canel also called Xi, to express support for China's fight against the outbreak, Wang said. The Chinese side is grateful to Cuba for its donation despite its own material shortage, Wang added. In the face of the severe challenges posed by the pandemic, Wang said, the Cuban party and government led the people to overcome various difficulties and take active and effective measures to prevent and control the virus's spread, adding that the Chinese side extended sincere sympathies and firm support to Cuba. China fully understands the practical difficulties faced by Cubans and has provided them first batch of assistance, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to provide more support and assistance according to Cuba's needs in the future. Noting that the COVID-19 outbreak is a major test of the governance model and capacity of all countries, Wang said under the strong leadership of President Xi, the Chinese people have mobilized and given full play to their own advantages, not only safeguarding the health and safety of the Chinese people, but also making important contributions to the global fight against the pandemic. Instead of defeating China, the disease has made China more united, stronger and more confident in the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Wang said, adding that he believes Cuba will also be united to win the final victory over the epidemic. The China-Cuba relationship has withstood the test of violent storms and waves and become a paragon of China-Latin America relations, Wang said, noting that this year marks the 60th anniversary of China-Cuba diplomatic ties, which bears great significance to the bilateral relationship. In the context of the anti-coronavirus battle, the two sides should firmly safeguard their national sovereignty, dignity and core interests, jointly oppose external interference and bullying, boost exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and lift the relations between the two parties and the two countries to higher levels from a new historic starting point, Wang said. For his part, Rodriguez said Cuba admires China's important achievements in fighting the pandemic and highly appreciates China's active cooperation with the international community and the important role it plays in the fight. He also thanked China for providing timely support and assistance to Cuba for preventing and containing the epidemic. At present, the international pandemic situation is becoming more and more severe, Rodriguez said, expressing his hope that China will continue to offer assistance to Cuba. Cuba is ready to take the 60th anniversary of the Cuba-China diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further strengthen all-round cooperation with China, so as to jointly build socialism and play constructive roles in international affairs. Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) has announced that its Supporting Grants programme will be extended to allow support for South African creatives infected or affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. To this end, a funding campaign has been launched at gogetfunding.com/bizartza/ to enable BASA to also consider applications from individual artists for one-off, short-term financial aid for Covid-19-related medical care and/or prescription medicines. The aid can also be used to offset the loss of income due to the cancellation of confirmed engagements, as a result of the nationwide lockdown or other emergency measures.Charmaine Soobramoney, the chairperson of the BASA board, says: "Covid-19 has forced the world to unite and fight against this invisible enemy. The challenge and the fight are real as the virus impacts, lives, livelihoods, the economy and highlights the inequalities that need to be addressed. The BASA board of directors acknowledges the continued challenges artists are subjected to. We celebrate their resilience and appreciate the role that they play in provoking thought and uplifting the energies of the consumers of the arts."BASA champions business investment within the arts, cultural and heritage sector, and to date, the BASA Supporting Grants programme has disbursed more than R40m to over 1,600 projects, which in turn have leveraged over R515m in sponsorship from the business sector that equates to R19m in business support, for every R1m of Supporting Grants funds during the 2018/2019 financial year.To apply for an Artists Relief Grant, applicants submit a proposal letter via email, together with specified supporting documentation. Successful applicants are then invited to complete the application online with a final outcome expected within two weeks. Further details and eligibility criteria are available from https://www.basa.co.za/home-page/growth/supporting-grants-2/artist-relief-grant/ . For enquiries about Artist Relief Grants please email moc.duolci@asab.stnarg To apply for a Supporting Grant, applicants have to adhere to a process which has been designed to add value to an already existing partnership between an arts organisation and business sponsors. Both the arts applicant and the sponsor must submit a joint application on the prescribed forms and clearly demonstrate how the partnership benefits both the sponsor and the recipient. New, emerging and established arts projects that already have sponsors on board are eligible and forms are available for download from ( https://www.basa.co.za/home-page/growth/supporting-grants-2/supporting-grant/apply ). For enquiries about Supporting Grants please email az.oc.asab@ohpis Constituted in terms of the Companies Act, BASA is registered as a public benefit organisation (PBO) and is accountable to its stakeholders. The BASA board of directors is chaired by Charmaine Soobramoney, with deputy chair Mandie van der Spuy, and Kojo Baffoe, Kathy Berman, Devi Sankaree Govender, Ashraf Johaardien (BASA CEO), Hilton Lawler, Andre Le Roux, Khanyi Mamba, Zingisa Motloba, Carel Nolte, Dr Yacoob Omar and Mirna Wessels. For more information please visit www.basa.co.za ; to become a BASA member, click on the Join Us tab at the top of the homepage. SARASOTA, Fla., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealers United, an innovative leader in the auto ad tech industry, is taking the initiative to help automotive dealers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by a passion for helping auto dealerships achieve long-term success, they are leading the charge by developing several tools and resources to proactively guide automotive dealers during this unprecedented time. "As more consumers turn to the web and social media to pass the time, it's more important than ever for auto dealerships to be digitally visible and available," advises Pete Petersen, CEO of Dealers United. "Every dealership should be asking themselves 'How can you provide your customers with an amazing car shopping experience, even if they don't leave the house?'" Dealers United is encouraging dealerships and local businesses alike to have messaging and plans in place to continue operations, while still staying safe and preventing the impact of this virus. On March 26, 2020, Dealers United hosted a powerful webinar, State of Automotive, co-hosted by five dealers from across the U.S. and Canada, IHS Markit, and Facebook Automotive. The webinar focused on sharing dealers' personal experiences on their businesses and messaging, as well as best practices to help drive sales and service revenue during the COVID-19 crisis. Matt Sneed, Director of Marketing at Power Ford in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was one of the dealer-panelists in the webinar. "Going digital is so much more agile than traditional marketing and traditional media," Sneed said. "The targeting you can do on Facebook is so far superior to anything else. You can be proactive with your message." Since state regulations have limited Sneed's dealership to sell vehicles only to essential workers, Sneed has repositioned their advertising spend to promote service campaigns. Using Facebook and Instagram Ads, Power Ford has been able to proactively target potential service customers with the latest information and offers. "Facebook was made for moments like this," agreed Michael Renaud, Vice President of Leader In Cars Auto Group during the State of Automotive webinar. Renaud goes on to describe how his auto group, located at the virus epicenter of New Rochelle, New York, has been using Facebook and Instagram to quickly let customers know their latest store updates and hours, what precautions they're taking to keep everyone safe, and how shoppers can get in touch with them for questions or appointments. Guided by Facebook Automotive best practices, data-driven insights and audiences from IHS Markit, and their dealer-partners' experiences, Dealers United developed several free resources for auto dealers during the coronavirus pandemic. These resources give dealers a proactive plan to communicate with their customers and community about their dealership's ability to serve customers in their time of need while making them feel safe and secure about the buying process. The valuable information included in the Dealers United COVID-19 resource webpage contains the following: Dealership "Facebook Ad Playbooks" and templates for both service and sales strategies amid COVID-19 A recording of the State of Automotive webinar event, featuring five dealer-panelists An article about the latest car shopper trends during COVID-19 An article offering messaging ideas to help maintain and drive sales The IHS Markit Rapid Response Report, focused on COVID-19 Facebook's official guide about ways that auto dealership advertisers can respond to COVID-19 Leveraging these resources, auto dealers can create and execute strategies to strengthen their business and help it remain prosperous throughout and beyond the pandemic. About Dealers United Dealers United is the Facebook and Instagram advertising solution for the automotive industry, providing award-winning social advertising solutions to auto dealers, OEMs, and auto agencies. For more information, visit DealersUnited.com. Media Contact Brooke Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] SOURCE Dealers United Related Links http://DealersUnited.com FAIRFIELD Nearly 200 residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and the town is looking for donations to support those who have been financially impacted by the virus. According to the state, 197 Fairfield residents have been diagnosed with coronavirus. First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said eight people had died and 54 had fully recovered as of Saturday. Amid the pandemic, the town established the Fairfield COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide limited, one-time assistance to Fairfield residents who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic, according to a press release from Kupchicks office. The Town of Fairfield is pleased to offer this program to our citizens and is thankful that Operation Hope has partnered with us to provide a secure platform for anyone wishing to make donations to help our fellow citizens affected by the pandemic, Kupchick said. The release said an anonymous donor has promised to match every dollar donated to the fund up to $25,000. So far, it said, the relief fund has raised more than $8,300 from 48 donors, not including the $25,000 commitment. I want to thank the anonymous donor who stepped up to launch this matching program. I continue to be inspired by our communitys generosity, Kupchick said. This critical fund is one way people can make a difference in helping our Fairfield neighbors through this difficult time. Social Services Director Julie DeMarco also expressed gratitude to donors. We are so impressed with the number of residents who have already donated to the COVID-19 Relief fund, DeMarco said. Its no surprise, in a community like ours, that neighbors want to help their neighbors. Its such a comfort to know that we truly will get through this together. According to the release, the town has received 15 applications and as many inquiries. We are pleased to assist by providing a safe mechanism for donors who want to help our neighbors in need through this Fund, Carla Miklos, the executive director of Operation Hope said. While we dont benefit from these funds, its the right thing to do. We continue to provide critical services to residents during this challenging time, and still seek monetary donations as well as non-perishable donations for our food pantry to keep us afloat. According to the release, contributions to the fund are tax deductible to the extent permitted by the law. Acknowledgement letters will be provided for Internal Revenue Service filings. Individuals or organizations that want to donate to the Fairfield COVID-19 Relief Fund can do so by mailing a check to the Town of Fairfield Social Services Department, 100 Mona Terrace, Fairfield, CT 06824. Online payments by credit card can be made at https://www.fairfieldct.org/covidrelieffund. Fairfield residents who need financial assistance because of the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to visit the website to download an application at https://www.fairfieldct.org/covidrelieffund or call 203-256-2891. A joint Town of Fairfield and Operation Hope committee will review and approve applications for financial assistance. For questions or more information about the fund, email covidrelief@fairfieldct.org or call 203-256-2891. Workers Michelle Lopez (left) and Prisila Hernandez (right) at Liscio's Italian Bakery Inc., Glassboro. The company employs 400, but some were laid off when hoagie shops were closed due to the coronavirus. A PPP loan through TD Bank has enabled co-owner Charles (Chad) Vilotti to set re-hiring plans. Read more Charles Chad Vilotti and James Liscio, partners at the 400-worker Liscios Italian Bakery Inc. in Glassboro, are among the first Philadelphia-area firms to collect cash from a forgivable coronavirus economic relief loan through the Small Business Administration. We like to say that banks are these places that give you umbrellas when it stops raining," Vilotti joked after the bank wired the loan proceeds into Liscios account late last week so he could start calling back laid-off workers. But with this taxpayer-backed program, the bakerys longtime bankers at TD Bank "gave us an umbrella, almost at the first sign of rain. The Paycheck Protection Program, which began April 3, was touted by the White House and Congress as a rapid solution to the coronavirus-fueled economic collapse. It was designed to help firms with fewer than 500 employees keep paying their people despite the sweeping closures of businesses. But business owners desperate for cash found found the response far from rapid. Banks soon reported delays obtaining and applying SBA guidelines before they would wire money to borrowers accounts under the hastily assembled program. This year started strong at Liscios, which competes with Amorosos and other area bakers supplying hoagie and cheesesteak shops, restaurants, and grocers with fresh rolls for the regions distinctive sandwiches. We were in the midst of one of our best quarters, as far as sales, Vilotti said. We were 400 people when this thing hit. But then restrictions to stem the spread of the virus in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware shut dining rooms at the restaurants and shops that Liscios serves. Owners couldnt say when they would reopen. Vilotti had to lay off dozens. New Jersey officials assured Vilotti that the bakery could stay open to keep the flow of food going, and promised not to block workers commuting in, so long as the company could operate under social distancing rules. Liscios cut back production and began implementing anti-contagion practices, such as Plexiglas shields, before they were mandated. And we gave a lot of bonuses,'" Vilotti said. "I was pleasantly surprised our people wanted to come in. Of course they needed the money. But they were also feeling it was their duty. Its amazing to see the character of the employees. The company had more than doubled its staff since the Glassboro bakery opened three years ago in the former ADM Cocoa plant on Ellis Mill Road after the state agreed to tax incentives. Liscios also runs three retail stores. The closure or move to takeout for its hoagie shop customers was a blow, but not a fatal one for Liscios. Mom-and-pop sandwich stores closed or cut back to takeout business. A bar-service vendor cut orders 60%. We lost the Wells Fargo Center when they closed and all the colleges when they sent the kids home, Vilotti said. His own three sons are all home, two from college, and they are cooking up a storm, he said. Were blessed with a diverse customer base between our mom-and-pop sandwich makers, our grocers, and we get some frozen business, private-label, outside the area, Vilotti said. The PPP program, so far, seems to be working best for businesses that already borrow from lenders with experience in the SBAs regular loan-guarantee programs. TD is among the biggest SBA lenders in the East Coast states where the Canada-based bank has branches. Liscios has been a customer since TD bought Marlton-based Commerce Bank in 2007. Vilotti said his TD lenders a team of three, Greg Cieslik, Greg Carlisle and Rob Curley reached out even before the PPP program was approved as part of the coronavirus stimulus program late last month. They had been giving us some information of what was coming down the pike, he said. They said they were going to set aside any interest payments, on any outstanding loans, during this time of uncertainty. We gave a big sigh of relief. PPP offers forgivable loans up to $10 million, so long as the proceeds are used to keep workers employed and to pay occupancy costs such as utilities and rent or regular mortgage payments. But details were confusing especially on social media, where peoples ideas and understanding about this program kept changing, Vilotti said. By April 6, the day SBA said it would start accepting applications from banks, TD had an online portal ready to collect business, payroll, and tax information from current business customers such as Liscios. (Like most banks, TD, a Canadian-owner company with offices in Cherry Hill, has not been accepting applications from non-customers.) My controller and I got in the office early that Tuesday and we jumped on the portal right away, Vilotti said. We were able to complete the application within two hours. The Liscio application, based on its monthly payroll, was for a little more than one-quarter of the $10 million limit. By last Friday, April 10, we got the wire." We have a great safety net now, Vilotti said. "We are developing a schedule to get the people we laid off back to work. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) President Rodrigo Duterte urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to "come together and cooperate even more" amid the coronavirus pandemic. In his speech before ASEAN's online summit on COVID-19 Tuesday, Duterte lobbied for four areas of cooperation as the ten member states and almost all countries in the world battle outbreaks of the viral disease. "First, our healthcare systems are under increasing stress as the number of infections rise. We face a shortage of vital medicines and medical equipment and supplies," Duterte said. In the Philippines alone, there are now 4,932 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 242 recoveries and 315 deaths. Among the fatalities are doctors and healthcare workers, which the Philippine Medical Association has attributed to the shortage of personal protective equipment in hospitals. "We need to boost production and facilitate intra-ASEAN trade of these life-saving necessities," Duterte said. He added that ASEAN should take the necessary steps to ensure food security as countries impose lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19. "These immediate responses, while necessary, could drive our societies and the larger international community further apart. And yet, an effective, strategic response requires that we come together and cooperate even more," Duterte said. "ASEAN must remain open for trade. Crisis or no crisis, as no country can stand alone. Let us, therefore ensure the supply chain connectivity and the smooth flow of goods within our region," he added. Duterte has placed Luzon, the northern part of the country, under an enhanced community quarantine, restricting people's movement but mandating the free flow of goods. On Monday, Duterte said he will only lift the Luzon-wide quarantine once a cure against the new coronavirus becomes available in the market. "It is therefore imperative that we support vaccine and research and development initiatives. We should fast-track cooperation with our Dialogue Partners in this area," Duterte told his fellow ASEAN leaders. He reiterated the Philippines' commitment to cooperate with clinical trials. The country has joined the World Health Organizations solidarity trial, a multi-country clinical study for potential treatments for COVID-19. Lastly, Duterte urged the ASEAN to "be ready for future outbreaks." "Specifically, we should establish an early warning system for pandemics in the region," he said. The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has since infected more than 1.9 million people across the globe. COVID-19 has killed over 119,000 people, according to the Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 global tracker. The Tennessee Medical Association, representing its 9,000 member physicians, said Monday it "stands in strong support of Governor Lees extension of his statewide stay at home executive order issued today." The group said, "As small business owners who are members of the Tennessee economy, we know how difficult this action is to take. We applaud his leadership, his decisive action, and his ability to balance the public health needs of Tennesseans with his desire to restart our economy. "Tennessee physicians stand ready to partner with Governor Lee to provide medical counsel regarding the COVID- 19 pandemic that we all are facing, and we pledge to work together with him on a plan to safely return Tennesseans to work." Governor Lee said Monday he was extending the stay at home order through April 30. However, he said a process would begin the first of May to gradually "reboot" the state's economy. He said, "In cooperation with the guidance from the White House, Tennessees Stay at Home Order is extended through April 30. The updated executive order is available here. "The Unified Command Group will continue to consult with experts, analyze all available data, and monitor CDC recommendations for the remainder of this month. Beginning in May, a phased reboot of the economy in planned." Governor Lee announced the development of the Economic Recovery Group to focus on a phased reboot of the state economy. The group will be led by Tourism Commissioner Mark Ezell and will work in coordination with legislative leadership, local mayors, health care professionals, and representatives of impacted industries. The Economic Recovery Group will issue industry-specific guidance so that businesses can be prepared to operate safely and protect their employees and customers. He said, "By formalizing an economic recovery specific group, this will ensure the Unified Command Group will continue their focused efforts of disease management, improving hospital and testing capacity, and increasing our PPE supply chain. The Unified Command Group will also be making recommendations about when and how to begin the phased-in reopening of the economy." Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 06:31:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS/VIENNA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- As many countries in Europe believe they are seeing a flattening of the coronavirus curve or a plateau, a gradual re-opening of businesses is taking place, albeit with caution. Small shops and hardware stores in Austria re-opened on Tuesday as the first step towards a "new normal" amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. As of Tuesday morning, shops of up to 400 square meters and hardware stores in the Alpine country have re-opened under strict precautionary measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing. "We are on track," said Kurz, who believed "The numbers of new infections and of hospitalisations are going in the right direction." However, masks are mandatory in retail and public transport, he emphasized. The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Austria has reached 14,159 as of Tuesday afternoon, with 384 deaths reported. Spain, one of the European countries hardest hit by COVID-19, is handing out 10 million free masks from Monday to Thursday this week, to commuters going back to work after a two-week lockdown that forced all non-essential workers to stay home to combat the spread of COVID-19. Face masks are being handed out to commuters at train and metro stations as well as at bus terminals across Spain. Residents can pick up masks at 1,300 distribution points throughout Spain. Starting from Monday, non-essential workers such as construction staff are allowed to return to work. Meanwhile, the rest of the country remains under lockdown until April 26. Italy, another country devastated by the pandemic, on Tuesday took its first tentative steps towards reopening its economy five weeks after the first national lockdown entered into force. Last Friday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte formally extended the coast-to-coast quarantine from April 13 to May 3. However, the new decree did allow a few businesses to re-open starting Tuesday. Among them: stores selling clothes and equipment for small children, those selling products for pets, book shops, dry cleaners and electronics stores. German aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines announced that operations at its largest facility in Munich would gradually restart from April 20 onwards, and the restart of operations in its maintenance facilities in the German cities of Hannover and Berlin would start one week later on April 27. After a three-week suspension of operations, around 20 percent of employees would initially resume their work, the company said. The state of crisis in the cities of of Debar and Centar Zupa in North Macedonia ended in the past weekend due to no new COVID-19 cases reported for the past 10 days there. The area was an early hotspot for the pandemic after several citizens visited Italy and returned home with infections. Both Debar and the neighboring villages were locked down in order to prevent the spread of the virus. However, the citizens from this area will not be allowed to cross municipal borders and the curfew will remain in place under the nationwide state of emergency. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Tuesday that she is seeking for a faster pace in re-opening the society amid a low level of COVID-19 infections in the country. As daycare, kindergartens and primary schools for 0-5 grades prepare to reopen across the country on Wednesday, the government intends to gather all parties in Parliament to debate on further re-opening measures. "Each death is, of course, a tragedy, but the numbers show we have the epidemic under control. The curve has flattened, and it is still well within the capacity of the healthcare system," said Magnus Heunicke, Minister for Health and Senior Citizens. The hospital system is expected to open up more in Denmark, starting with the most urgent surgeries that had been postponed so as to prioritize the COVID-19 patients. Activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in Bhima Koregaon violence case, on Tuesday surrendered before the Investigation Agency (NIA) in the capital. The Supreme Court had earlier granted time to Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde to surrender and made it clear that no further extension would be granted. The two accused were granted bail by the top court in the matter. On January 1, 2018, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle. One person was killed and several others were injured in the incident. The police have filed 58 cases against 162 people in the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Russian troops have begun rehearsals for their Victory Day parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nazis surrender. The parade marking the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II is still set to go ahead next month amid the global coronavirus pandemic but officials have admitted that 'it may well be moved to a later date'. Coronavirus has infected more than 21,000 and killed 170 in Russia while its capital Moscow remains under strict lockdown. Military vehicles were driven down the streets of Yekaterinburg in preparation today with troops - clad in protective face masks - marching alongside them. Russian troops have begun rehearsals for their Victory Day parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nazis surrender The parade - rehearsals pictured today - is still set to go ahead next month amid the global coronavirus pandemic but officials have admitted that 'it may well be moved to a later date' Tanks were driven down the road in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as part of rehearsals for the parade marking the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II Troops donned face masks for the rehearsal to protect themselves from coronavirus which has infected more than 21,000 and killed 170 in Russia The parade being rehearsed today (pictured) is usually held in Moscow in May. But the city remains under strict lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus While much of the world celebrates the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender on May 8th, Russia traditionally celebrates it on May 9 as it was signed after midnight in Moscow time. But officials have said celebrations could be postponed in a bid to enforce social distancing rules at the hugely-popular parade, RT reports. Officials are also considering holding the parade without veterans - who gather wearing their medals every year - as they are more susceptible to the bug. Military vehicles were driven down the streets of Yekaterinburg in preparation today with troops - clad in protective face masks - marching alongside them The parade in 2019 gathered enormous crowds (pictured) sparking fears that social distancing measures could not be enforced if it went ahead this year Victory Day has become the most important holiday on the country's calendar with world leaders invited to Moscow for this year's historic celebration. Every year, thousands gather including many elderly veterans proudly wearing their medals. Military units have started rehearsals in Yekaterinburg for the traditional Red Square parade and leaders such as France's Emmanuel Macron and India's Narendra Modi had promised to attend. While much of the world celebrates the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender on May 8th, Russia traditionally celebrates it on May 9 as it was signed after midnight in Moscow time. Pictured: Rehearsals for the parade in Yekaterinburg today Officials have said celebrations could be postponed in a bid to enforce social distancing rules at the hugely-popular parade. Pictured: Troops wear face masks at the rehearsal today Officials are also considering holding the parade without veterans - who gather wearing their medals every year - as they are most susceptible to the bug. Pictured: A serviceman salutes during the rehearsal today Victory Day has become the most important holiday on the country's calendar with world leaders invited to Moscow for this year's historic celebration being rehearsed today (pictured) Dozens of tanks were rolled out in the streets of Yekaterinburg as part of rehearsals for the military parade supposed to go ahead next month Every year, thousands gather for the parade (rehearsals pictured today) including many elderly veterans proudly wearing their medals It would seem impossible to have such a gala now, with much of Russia and the world locked down to stop the spread of the virus. But rehearsals for the parade were still going ahead Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week no decision has been made on whether to postpone it but authorities are considering 'options,' one of which is to hold it without the veterans, a group especially vulnerable to the virus. Pictured: Military vehicles were driven down the street as practise today Children gathered to watch the enormous tanks drive past them as part of rehearsals for the Victory Day parade A boy wearing a face mask watches as the battle takes make their way past him on the streets of Yekaterinburg, Russia It would seem impossible to have such a gala now, with much of Russia and the world locked down to stop the spread of the virus. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week no decision has been made on whether to postpone it but authorities are considering 'options,' one of which is to hold it without the veterans, a group especially vulnerable to the virus. Peskov added the Kremlin would understand if foreign leaders decided not to come due to the pandemic and added the celebration would take place even if it doesn't happen on May 9. A Russian serviceman drove a motorcycle down the road ahead of the rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Yekaterinburg The parade is traditionally an opportunity for Russia to show off its military might to the world who can watch the gala live A serviceman of a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle crew can be seen during the parade rehearsal in Yekaterinburg today JP Nadda, the BJPs president, on Tuesday accused the Congress of not giving the respect BR Ambedkar deserved when he was alive and said his party has been working towards filling that gap as he paid his respects on the birth anniversary of the leader. It was unfortunate that the Congress party, which was in power with a majority then, did not give the respect Baba Saheb deserved. It was unfortunate that Bharat Ratna was conferred upon him four decades after his death, Nadda said in this address to the partys workers. BR Ambedkarone of the principal architects of the Constitutionwas posthumously given the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian award, in 1990. The senior leader pointed out that when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, BR Ambedkar was accorded the respect he deserved. The BJP has been making a systematic effort to make his resolutions a reality, he said. In his message, Nadda also said party workers should take a pledge to uphold the ideals of the Constitution and obey the governments advisories to fight Covid-19. He also requested them to share and spread the measures and decisions taken by the government, party and its leaders for the poor of society on social media. BJP workers will mark the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar by distributing ration and masks among the poor on Tuesday, the partys media in-charge Anil Baluni has said. They will organise blood donation camps following social distancing norms to mark the birth anniversary of Ambedkar, he said. BJP workers will distribute masks and provide rations to all people in at least two slums of their areas, he said, adding they will also motivate people in slums to keep their area free from the virus, he said. A social reformer, jurist, economist, BR Ambedkar was also Indias first law minister. The Chairman of General Authority For Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) has said East Port Said revenues increased 80.5 percent during the first quarter of this year.. In statements Tuesday, Yehya Zaki, said the increase happened despite the impact of Coronavirus, the slow trade growth and economic stagnation the world is witnessing because of the virus. He said the number of ships that docked at the port increased 17.6% this year compared to the same period last year while the number of containers traded in the port rose 15.5 percent. He also said the number of the coming containers rose 7 percent while the departing containers rose 78.7 percent. According to Zaki, the agreement signed by SCZone and the Suez Canal Container Terminal contributed to attracting more international navigation lines to Port Said. Search Keywords: Short link: BRIDGEPORT A local woman claims in a lawsuit that she was denied a permanent job with the city because she rebuffed sexual advances by former Public Facilities Director John Ricci. Lisa Miro claims in the suit filed in Superior Court here that she was fired from a temporary position with a city program when she filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. She is representing herself in the suit which seeks unspecified money damages. Miro did not return calls for comment. Her complaint to the CHRO was dismissed in December on the merits for no reasonable cause. City officials did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. Both the city and Ricci, who resigned his city post in January, had previously denied that Ricci sexually harassed Miro. According to the lawsuit, Miro was employed with the city from June 13, 2016, to Sept. 21, 2017, with Lighthouse Youth Services. She claims she worked full-time hours but was not paid a full-time salary and did not receive city health benefits. Miro states in the suit that prior to getting that job, Ricci sent her numerous texts of a sexual nature. One of the texts stated, Hope you agree to spend more time with me in the future, I need you in my life, the suit claims. After she go the job, she claims Ricci offered to take her and her daughter to Florida with him. The suit states that Miro filed her CHRO complaint against Ricci in September 2017. She said her supervisor at Lighthouse subsequently told her she would lose her job if she did not drop her CHRO complaint. She was fired the next day, the suit states. The city of Bridgeport is liable for having caused the plaintiff emotional pain and suffering, embarrassment and tremendous financial hardship, the lawsuit claims. Reported Covid-19 cases around the world approached two million on Monday, doubling in 11 days as World Health Organization officials caution patience before lifting social distancing restrictions. Covid-19 has infected more than 1,918,855 people around the world and killed at least 119,588 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins' data previously showed that the cases had passed two million, which the university attributed to an "anomaly in Florida data for Okaloosa that drove a spike from 19,985 to 123,019." JHU has since corrected the data. Worldwide coronavirus cases reached one million and the global death toll surpassed 50,000 on April 2. The world knew almost nothing about the virus in December, when reports of a new coronavirus started to surface in Wuhan, China. Since then, it has spread to nearly every country in the world, disrupting daily life for millions under lockdown measures meant to curb the virus' rapid spread. Even as the spread of the virus appears to be slowing in several hard-hit countries, including Italy, Spain and the U.S., the WHO on Monday warned against lifting restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus too early. "While Covid-19 accelerates very fast, it decelerates much more slowly. In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference at the organization's Geneva headquarters on Monday. "That means control measures must be lifted slowly and with control. It cannot happen all at once." With 581,679 confirmed cases, infections in the U.S. now account for more than 25% of infections globally, according to Hopkins. The virus has infected more than 195,749 people in New York state alone, Hopkins' data shows. U.S. officials and some economists have warned against comparing coronavirus case numbers from country to country due to concerns around reporting methodology. U.S. officials have said the Chinese government is likely under-reporting the number of cases there. Local and state officials in the U.S. have acknowledged that the true number of Covid-19 cases in the country is likely far higher than those that have been confirmed due to testing shortages and restrictions. Clarification: JHU data briefly displayed a tally above two million but as of 9:25 pm ET was displaying 1,918,855 coronavirus cases globally. According to a statement from JHU, at the time the tally was at the two million mark, their team "found an anomaly in Florida data for Okaloosa that drove a spike from 19,985 to 123,019. It has since been corrected." Read all of CNBC's coronavirus coverage here. Experimental COVID-19 treatments to go ahead in China as it grapples with imported cases from neighbouring Russia. China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental coronavirus vaccines as it battles to contain imported cases and prevent a second wave of COVID-19. The experimental vaccines are being developed by a Beijing-based unit of Sinovac Biotech and by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. Al Jazeeras Sarah Clarke, reporting from Hong Kong, said Chinas National Health Commission also confirmed the trials will go ahead. In March, Beijing gave the green light to another clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by the military-backed Academy of Military Medical Sciences and biotech firm CanSino Bio, shortly after US drug developer Moderna said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the US National Institutes of Health. We can confirm now that three particular vaccines are being tested in China, and the National Health Commission has said it will have to clear a number of conditions before they can enable mass production of the vaccines globally, said Clarke. As of Tuesday, China reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. There were no fatalities over the past 24 hours. Very bold decision Scientists around the world are racing against time to develop a vaccine for coronavirus, which has killed more than 119,000 people and infected more than 1.9 million globally. The first approved vaccine in China has started its second phase of the trial, Clarke reported. A total of 500 people signed up to volunteer for that in the first phase, which looked at the safety of this vaccine, and the second phase has now introduced a placebo control group, she said. Good news! China approved clinical trials for two types of inactivated #vaccines for #COVID_19 on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/4nx41wiN20 China Daily (@ChinaDaily) April 14, 2020 But even as hope for a cure is raised, John Nicholls, clinical professor of Pathology at the University of Hong Kong, said: Vaccines cant be rushed. His team was one of the first outside mainland China to reproduce the virus in a laboratory for research. Normally with vaccines you start off with small animals and then move to primates and then to the humans, Nicholls told Al Jazeera. It seems that with this one they have gone straight to the humans, which is a very bold decision. Most of the mortality in this disease is in the elderly, so the best thing would be to actually see what the anti-body response is in the elderly rather than the young, he added. Meanwhile, Russia has become Chinas largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the northern neighbour. Of the 89 new cases reported in mainland China on Monday, 79 were imported coronavirus cases in Chinas northeastern border province of Heilongjiang, all Chinese citizens travelling home from Russia, according to state media. At a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, Chinas coronavirus taskforce decided to deploy more health resources on its borders. It said it would build hospitals and establish isolation points in border regions, and would also strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries. Delaware County has lost one of its political icons. More importantly, it has lost a first-class gentleman. That word is not often used to describe those doing business in the political field especially not today. But if ever there was a word to describe Tom Judge Sr., it would be just that: Gentleman. Judge Sr., the longtime head of the Delaware County Republican Party, passed away over the weekend. He was 91. We first wrote these words back in 2018, when hundreds packed the Springfield Country Club to honor Judge on the occasion of his formal retirement as head of the party. They remain his lasting legacy today. Judge headed the Delco GOP from 1975 until 2009, when he handed the baton to Andy Reilly. During that time, Judge put the party back on an even keel after the Watergate-inspired setbacks of 1974. For most of his more than three decades as chairman, the Delco GOP was one of the most powerful political organizations in the state. It was often said the party ruled the county in particular the County Courthouse in Media with an iron fist. If so, it was usually massaged with the finesse and touch of a quiet, unassuming, decent man. County GOP leaders always pointed to Judge as the glue that kept the various pieces of the organization together, like an anchor on a ship or the foundation to a structure. He was described as a man who always stopped to say hello, no matter how busy he was, never failing to inquire about how you were doing, as well as family and friends, those things we all hold dear. That sentiment was not limited to the geographical borders of the county where he lived. At his retirement dinner, a very special letter was read to the assembled party faithful. It was dated dated Sept. 5, 2018. I appreciate your devotion to our country and your hard work in growing and assisting in our party. Thank you for all you have done to help build a brighter future for the good people of Pennsylvania. Laura and I are pleased to join your family and friends in congratulating you on this special occasion. We send our best wishes as you begin your next chapter. It was signed George W. Bush. Former Springfield GOP leader Charlie Sexton recounted how the Bush family held Judge in especially high esteem. He spoke of a time 10 days before the 1992 election when then-President George H.W. Bush came to Darby Township for a rally during his re-election campaign. We were in a motor home, Sexton said. President Bush looked at Tom and he had tears coming down and he said, Tom, the biggest mistake I made in this campaign was not having you run Pennsylvania this time. The numbers are looking bad for us.' Judge was born and raised in Philadelphia, but lived in Delaware County for more than six decades. He attended St. Josephs College, before it attained university status, in the schools Industrial Relations Certificate Program. He also served as the countys first director of the Solid Waste Authority and on the Delaware County Planning Commission since 1972. He was appointed county recorder of deeds in 1992. At the time of his official retirement, we wrote about the terrible state of American politics. Things have not improved much since. We wrote of the increasingly angry, partisan, bitter sentiment, and how we were failing to live up to the words of the late Sen. John McCain. We are better than this. America is better than this. We lamented the current state of our political discourse. The coarseness. The meanness. The pettiness. The craven way we go about some of our most important civic dialogues. Those who gathered that night at Springfield Country Club did so to remember another era, a more honorable discourse, and true gentleman political leader. You could say Tom Judge Sr. was old school. He was also something else. Every person who ever met or had the opportunity to talk to Tom Judge Sr. always mentions the same word. Gentleman. Yes, it applied to the man who ruled the Delco GOP for many of its glory years. We would be tempted to alter it just a tad. Gentle. Man. Tom Judge Sr. struck everyone who encountered him as a kind, caring, gentle man. In sum, a gentleman. We could desperately use more like him today. He will be greatly missed. RIP to a Delco political icon. Tom Judge Sr. A good, decent gentleman. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. The family of the 19-year-old boy who died of covid-19 recently at the Walewale Government hospital is facing stigma from community members. DGN Online gathered that the death of the boy and the name of the family house were announced on a popular radio station in Walewale. A visit by DGN Online to the house in Walewale revealed that the family members feel depressed over the stigma. An auntie of the deceased (name withheld) told DGN Online that her friends refused to visit and console her due to the fact that they heard that the boy died of covid-19. My colleagues were supposed to be with me and mourn with me but because they heard that our son died of covid-19 via the radio they have all abandoned me, she said. The spokesperson for the family, Ibrahim Alhassan, told DGN Online that women in the family who sell at the market are being refused entry due to the covid-19 stigma. They were going to market and they told them that there's no space in the market for them to sell because everybody in Walewale know the family they come from. He noted that the mention of the name of the deceased father, grandfather, family house on radio in Walewale caused the stigmatization of the family. The family wobders why they mentioned noting that throughout this covid-19 issue, they have never heard any mention of patients or deceased persons names or family. A 19-year old boy died at the Walewale government hospital after he was brought to the facility reportedly coughing and showing symptoms of Covid-19. The hospital took a sample and sent to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) for testing and the result came back positive. Meanwhile, residents are living in fear since news broke that a native died of the covid-19 virus. Daily Guide PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 08:50:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 848 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA FSE:1WZ:GR OTC PINK:PEMTF) (the "Company") is excited to announce its First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands acquired over 6,000 new customers from April 1st through April 11th. Additionally, during this time period over 1,700 of the new customers purchased products from the Immune Support line. During the month of March, the Company experienced a record number of new customers enrolling in a monthly subscription, totaling 18,962.The Immunity Blend is currently the Company's top seller in the Immune Support line. The all-natural blend is made from 100% pure essential oils, including cinnamon leaf, lemon, clove bud, lime, eucalyptus globulus, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint and oregano. The line also features Immune CBD oil containing CBD, B3, B12, Vitamin C and Zinc and Immunity Gummy Bears contain 100% natural Elderberry extract.First Class and Nature's Exclusive offer a CBD hemp-oil formulation intended to provide users with the therapeutic benefits that hemp may offer. The hemp oil used in the products is derived from hemp grown and cultivated in the United States. The extraction process is designed to maintain all the beneficial qualities that hemp may offer. First Class and Nature's Exclusive offers a range of products, which include CBD oil drops, CBD gummies, CBD pain relief cream, CBD skin serum and CBD coffee. The Company plans to continue its significant growth in U.S. operations over the balance of 2020, as well as an expansion into the European market."I am pleased at the incredible number of monthly subscriptions acquired during the month of March. We continue to see overwhelming interest in our Immune Support products and higher CBD content oils. We operate a very responsive and agile business, which allows us to identify consumer trends and execute upon the demand we are seeing in the marketplace," stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company.About Mota Ventures Corp.Mota Ventures is an established eCommerce direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands. Within Europe, its Sativida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer, sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSMOTA VENTURES CORP.Ryan HogganChief Executive OfficerFor further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President at +604.423.4733 or by email at IR@ motaventuresco.com or www.motaventuresco.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementAll statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to the sale and marketing of products under the First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands, its plans to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand, its plans to cultivate and extract cannabis to produce CBD and high-quality value added CBD products in Latin America for distribution domestically and internationally and its plans to acquire revenue-producing CBD brands and operations in Europe and North America. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.SOURCE:Mota Ventures Corp. Business NYC Catering Company Feeds Front Lines During COVID-19 Crisis 14.04.2020 07:01:52 - Deborah Miller Catering and Events has launched a new donation campaign, Cater Because We Care. (live-PR.com) - New York, NY Deborah Miller Catering and Events has launched a new donation campaign, Cater Because We Care, to donate discounted meals to hospitals and first responders fighting the COVID-19 crisis within New York City and the greater Tri-State area. Delivery locations include Mount Sinai, Beth Israel Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Columbia Presbyterian, St. John's Riverdale Hospital, NYPD, - New York, NY Deborah Miller Catering and Events has launched a new donation campaign, Cater Because We Care, to donate discounted meals to hospitals and first responders fighting the COVID-19 crisis within New York City and the greater Tri-State area. Delivery locations include Mount Sinai, Beth Israel Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Columbia Presbyterian, St. John's Riverdale Hospital, NYPD, EMT, FDNY, and more. Meals are hearty, nutritious, and served in individual containers for easy reheating and consumption on the go. Owners Deborah Miller and Lauren McGeough suffered a tremendous loss of business as the coronavirus began to spread throughout New York City in early March. Corporate meetings, conferences, and events came to a complete halt and social distancing became the new normal. The business partners of Deborah Miller Catering & Events wanted to do something to help and give back to the community, understanding that they would have to shift gears completely to adjust to the current global climate. Food brings people together no matter what the circumstance, and we knew it was our responsibility to bring our resources together and help those on the front lines, says Miller. Cater Because We Care was born with the intent to feed the first responders working back-to-back shifts during this outbreak and fighting so hard to save lives. These healthcare workers are completely overwhelmed, and their next meal is the last thing on their minds, McGeough states. Clients we work with regularly called us eager to do something to help, and we started donating discounted meals on their behalf to various locations. From there, the initiative grew into a thorough campaign, where any individual who wants to help can donate a certain monetary amount, and we would allocate the funds to meals being prepared for the following day. Meals are prepared on a five-day rotation in Deborah Miller Caterings kitchen in Lower Manhattan. They consist of one protein, one side, and either a fruit or a dessert to provide a complete meal to healthcare workers that are easy to reheat and consume during breaks. Deliveries are made daily by the Deborah Miller Catering team throughout the city based on hospital locations and workers corresponding shifts. As businesses adjust to a new normal and individuals search for ways to help during this crisis, Deborah Miller Catering & Events has found a way to utilize their resources to feed those on the front lines. To donate, go to ### Big City. Homemade Business. We wake up early. We play with food. We love what we do. The most important ingredient in making a company is its people. For 2 decades, we have been a family focused on feeding New York City. We never stop searching the local streets for the latest ingredients, colors and trends, so we can deliver our whimsical creations to you. Our mission is simply to captivate, charm, create and take pleasure in serving you. EMT, FDNY, and more. Meals are hearty, nutritious, and served in individual containers for easy reheating and consumption on the go.Owners Deborah Miller and Lauren McGeough suffered a tremendous loss of business as the coronavirus began to spread throughout New York City in early March. Corporate meetings, conferences, and events came to a complete halt and social distancing became the new normal. The business partners of Deborah Miller Catering & Events wanted to do something to help and give back to the community, understanding that they would have to shift gears completely to adjust to the current global climate. Food brings people together no matter what the circumstance, and we knew it was our responsibility to bring our resources together and help those on the front lines, says Miller.Cater Because We Care was born with the intent to feed the first responders working back-to-back shifts during this outbreak and fighting so hard to save lives. These healthcare workers are completely overwhelmed, and their next meal is the last thing on their minds, McGeough states. Clients we work with regularly called us eager to do something to help, and we started donating discounted meals on their behalf to various locations. From there, the initiative grew into a thorough campaign, where any individual who wants to help can donate a certain monetary amount, and we would allocate the funds to meals being prepared for the following day.Meals are prepared on a five-day rotation in Deborah Miller Caterings kitchen in Lower Manhattan. They consist of one protein, one side, and either a fruit or a dessert to provide a complete meal to healthcare workers that are easy to reheat and consume during breaks. Deliveries are made daily by the Deborah Miller Catering team throughout the city based on hospital locations and workers corresponding shifts.As businesses adjust to a new normal and individuals search for ways to help during this crisis, Deborah Miller Catering & Events has found a way to utilize their resources to feed those on the front lines. To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/f/cater-because-we-care . You can also follow Deborah Miller Catering on Instagram at @deborahmillercatering, or on Facebook at Deborah Miller Catering & Events.###Big City. Homemade Business. We wake up early. We play with food. We love what we do. The most important ingredient in making a company is its people. For 2 decades, we have been a family focused on feeding New York City. We never stop searching the local streets for the latest ingredients, colors and trends, so we can deliver our whimsical creations to you. Our mission is simply to captivate, charm, create and take pleasure in serving you. Press Information: Deborah Miller Catering & Events 3 Madison Street Contact Person: Deborah Miller Owner Phone: 212-964-1300 eMail: eMail Web: http://deborahmillercatering.com/ 14.04.2020 07:01:52 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. A leaked memo has reportedly revealed that MSC Cruises will not be paying some of its crew members who are stranded aboard the company's ships due to the coronavirus pandemic while awaiting repatriation. According to Business Insider, the company's managing director Mario Aponte sent two letters to its employees dated April 1. In both letters, some workers whose 'employment on board had reached a contractual end' were told they would 'not be paid'. Those employees were also reportedly told that they would not 'be requested to work' while 'awaiting repatriation'. A leaked memo has reportedly revealed that MSC Cruises will not be paying some of its crew members (pictured onboard the MSC Splendida in March) who are stranded aboard the company's ships due to the coronavirus pandemic while awaiting repatriation The company also told employees that it was contacting their respective countries in order to facilitate repatriation. The MSC Splendida is seen approaching the port of Genoa, Italy, on March 27 The company told employees that it was contacting their respective countries in order to facilitate repatriation. In one of the letters, workers were told that their contracts were terminated 'as of the date of the lay-up,' according to Business Insider. A ship's lay-up is defined as the date that all of the ship's passengers were disembarked. 'You will be paid all outstanding wages up to that date,' Aponte reportedly wrote. MSC Cruises did assure employees that they would be 'provided with single cabin accommodation, food and beverage services, medical assistance, access to education via our e-learning platform, and free social communication through the ship's IT system'. On Friday, the CDC extended its 'no sail' order for the cruise industry for a further 100 days, leaving 100 ships and 80,000 crew members stranded off the US coast. In one of the letters, workers were told that their contracts were terminated 'as of the date of the lay-up,' according to Business Insider. A ship's lay-up is defined as the date that all of the ship's passengers were disembarked. MSC Splendida crew members pictured March 27 MSC Cruises assured workers that they would be 'provided with single cabin accommodation, food and beverage services, medical assistance and free social communication through the ship's IT system'. MSC Splendida crew members pictured in March At least 20 of these ships have known or suspected cases of coronavirus on-board, the agency said. Cruise liners are coming under pressure to make repatriation plans for their sailors after a 50-year-old crew member on the Zaandam became the latest victim of coronavirus on a cruise ship last week. Extending their order, CDC director Robert Redfield said: 'The measures we are taking today to stop the spread of COVID-19 are necessary to protect Americans. 'We will continue to provide critical public health guidance to the industry to limit the impacts of COVID-19 on its workforce throughout the remainder of this pandemic.' Most passengers have already been evacuated and placed onto repatriation flights back to their home countries or within the US. The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates. Whats happening One of the few pieces of good news about the coronavirus which has caused more than 100,000 deaths worldwide is that children, though not immune, appear to face substantially less risk of developing severe symptoms. A decreased threat from infection does not mean that kids are protected from the impacts of the virus. Like everyone else, their lives have been upended by social distancing measures aimed at controlling the outbreak. Schools have closed, activities have been canceled and in-person visits with friends have been put on pause. The lockdown has imposed an unprecedented social experiment on the countrys children that could have lingering effects long after the pandemic has been contained. Why theres debate The isolation caused by stay-at-home orders has caused a spike in mental health challenges among adults, especially those with preexisting conditions. The impact that social distancing has on kids is less understood. In some ways children are particularly vulnerable to the trauma of having their lives turned upside down because their social lives are so reliant on school and other activities. Depending on their age, missing out on daily interactions with peers and teachers can stunt their emotional and social development, child psychologists say. Children may not fully understand the details of whats happening but can grasp the fear and stress they witness around them. Research on kids who experienced traumatic events like Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 financial collapse suggests the emotional weight can stay with them for many years. The impact will likely vary significantly based on a childs situation. School-age children and adolescents are likely to be affected the most, experts say. Children in unstable home situations are particularly vulnerable. While some kids will certainly struggle through this period, parents shouldnt assume their own children are destined to be traumatized by social distancing, child development experts say. Research shows that children can be extremely resilient when faced with changes in their lives. There also may be some positive impacts. Kids learn important skills like the ability to adapt, creativity and persistence when forced into imperfect circumstances, experts say. Time at home can also promote important connections with parents and siblings that can have a lasting positive effect on children. Story continues Whats next Some experts believe the duration of the lockdown will matter significantly in how kids are able to cope. A few weeks of isolation may not have much of an effect, but months of extended isolation could be problematic. Its unclear how long social distancing measures might be required, but lawmakers in some parts of the country have begun discussing plans for how best to reopen normal activities. Perspectives Challenges Children are experiencing the same level of trauma as adults If the world has learned anything in the past week, its that mortality is only one risk of this crisis. ...This is likely a once-in-a-generation disaster, and it will affect every domain of human life. It will be traumatic. And trauma always falls hardest on the youngest among us. Vann R. Newkirk II, Atlantic Kids internalize the stress they see around them Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to stress created by news media coverage of negative events and frightening rhetoric. Parents and other close adults serve as models for how children and youth will react, even if those adults dont recognize or want that responsibility. If adults around them are panicking, young people are likely to do so as well. Ralph Cash, South Florida Sun-Sentinel School-age children face the most significant challenges The kids who are likely to suffer the most are in late childhood and adolescence. Young children are learning the basics of being social beings, and their parents and siblings can provide most of the input they need, while older children and adolescents are learning to navigate complex social groups of peers. Developmental psychologist Amy Learmonth to Healthline Most kids will be fine, but some will experience acute trauma The vast majority of youth will be resilient in the face of even severe stress or trauma. However, there are some children that may experience some lasting mental health effects. This becomes more likely if they have experienced a direct threat to their own safety...or experience a death or loss due to the coronavirus. Dr. Tali Raviv to Fox News The negative impacts will be concentrated among vulnerable children One long-term effect of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to leave many children behind, perhaps permanently limiting their opportunities in life. At the same time, the disruption will barely affect others and even let a few pull ahead. In short, it will exacerbate inequality. Andreas Kluth, Bloomberg Months away from school can have a lasting academic impact We know kids in low socioeconomic communities lose two to three months in reading and math skills over a normal summer. With schools letting out now and potentially not returning before the end of the school year, learning loss may be profound. Save the Children vice president Betsy Zorio to Politico Some children are trapped in unsafe homes Entire families are sheltering at home, often in close quarters. Anxiety about health, education and finances is high. Children arent seeing the teachers, counselors and other adults who would normally raise concerns about their well-being. The Covid-19 pandemic has created the conditions for a rise in child abuse that could go unchecked. Nina Agrawal, New York Times School closures rob kids of stability and routine Schools provide structure and support for families and communities. A day-care or school closure means lost learning time and disruptions in family routines. Closing schools also could deprive more than 20 million students nationwide who rely on schools for breakfast and lunch. Soojin Oh Park, Seattle Times Opportunities Children are learning important soft skills Right now, our kids are getting a crash-course in patience, resilience, communication, conflict-resolution, compromise, creative thinking, empathy and mindfulness. These are soft skills we practice to a certain degree with them every day, but right now everything is heightened. Meghan Moravcik Walbert, Lifehacker Its important that adults avoid assuming that their kids are struggling All of this also really depends on what your child is like, as a person. Multiple experts I spoke with recommended trying to discern how your child is actually feeling, rather than projecting your own feelings of loss or lonelinessso omnipresent at this timeon your childs experience. Rebecca Onion, Slate Parents shouldnt overstate the impact of this period of isolation I wouldnt want parents to think, This is scarring my child for life. I think thats unnecessary and unrealistic. Child psychologist Rona Novick to Newsday Kids are stronger than we give them credit for The good news for parents is that psychologists, specifically psychologists who work on childhood trauma, are more or less unanimous on one specific point: Children are incredibly resilient. Most can recover even from profound traumas. Patrick A. Coleman, Fatherly Time away from academic expectations can be helpful Maybe this is the perfect time to call a timeout on the academic rat-race that was never healthy or fair in the first place. Jennie Weiner, New York Times Todays adolescents and teenagers thrive in online social circles At a time when mental health professionals are increasingly concerned over the impact of unexpected and unprecedented isolation, children could be the ones who make it through with the least trauma. Because unlike older Americans, adolescents are used to communicating largely through virtual media. Its their normal. Anna Bryson, USA Today Removing heavy structure from kids lives can be beneficial Now that were spending so much time at home, I predict that it wont be just our houseplants and pets that will thrive. Upending the tightly scheduled days of parents and children has provided more time for an activity that allows children to flourish: play. Christine McLean, The Conversation Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com. Read more 360s Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Getty Images Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. This morning, as KCRW's signature music show Morning Becomes Eclectic began, DJ Anne Litt did an extraordinary thing: She openly grieved on air. Through tears and long pauses that would have created "dead air" panic at a commercial radio station, she remembered her longtime colleague Matt Holzman, who died of cancer yesterday at the age of 56. He was a mentor to me and to many of us here. He taught me how to be better on the air and off the air. He was always there with encouragement and advice, empathy, understanding. He was also difficult as heck. He fought hard for what he believed in. And from that I learned that I didn't always have to be the uber polite Southern girl -- that it was okay to be a little bit difficult sometimes. Matt, we will miss you. You were born on Halloween and you died on Easter. The dark humor of that is not lost on anyone who knew you. As a piece of radio, Matt would have loved what Anne did today -- especially the unvarnished fumbling of it all. I cried and remembered Matt right along with her. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy A RELENTLESS CHAMPION Matt found refuge in KCRW around 1989-1990, after leaving a career in the corporate sector, where he worked at the consulting firm Anderson. He started at KCRW as a board operator and then took what he knew about marketing from his old consulting gig to become the tiny station's first underwriting director. He was a great salesman. Any casual listener of L.A. radio would recognize his voice for his witty, relentless pitches during the fund drives and his promo spots, reminding you of the value of public radio in general and KCRW in particular. Behind the scenes he was no less vigilant. When Tom Hanks came to KCRW's basement home for an interview years ago, Matt famously pitched the Oscar-winning actor to pay to replace the dingy wall-to-wall carpeting. And Tom Hanks did it. But what Matt really wanted to do was produce. He became the first producer of KCRW's The Business, a show he co-created in 2004 that covers Hollywood. He also produced his own stories for other shows, like his moving, personal tale about being on dialysis while waiting for a donor kidney, only to get the big phone call while standing in line for a ride at Disneyland. You can't talk about Matt without talking about KCRW, and you can't talk about KCRW without talking about Matt. His presence there was tremendous -- on air and behing the scenes. When Matt was in a room, you knew it. And he was in every room in that place -- every studio, every office and up and down the hallways -- putting his stamp on things. KCRW President Jennifer Ferro recounted some of his personal and professional arc in a tribute on Sunday. It read, in part: Many people shaped KCRW into what it is today. Matt Holzman's imprint won't be forgotten. It's in the voices who emulated him, the producers he trained, and the people who he pulled towards him like a magnet. Matt Holzman was an expert pitcher and uber champ when it came to telling the public about the benefits of KCRW. (Darby Maloney/KPCC/LAist) I was lucky enough to be one of those producers. COVERING HOLLYWOOD I first met Matt in 2007. We were at the Lazy Daisy on Pico Blvd., not far from the campus of Santa Monica College, where KCRW was housed. I was there to convince him to hire me as the associate producer on The Business. A few years before meeting Matt, I'd left behind a career as a psychotherapist and started working as a producer of a show on KPFK. But that show had lost its funding, so I needed a new job. At that lunch, Matt and I bonded over coming to public radio from other careers. We also shared similar views of Hollywood. We were on the periphery of the industry, with some friends inside and other friends trying to break in. He used to say he was one of the only people in L.A. who didn't have an unproduced screenplay hidden in his drawer. He didn't want to work in the business and neither did I. We wanted to figure out the business -- how it worked, why some people made it, and others didn't. One of Matt's best radio stories was his 2005 piece about the filmmaker Richard Shepard. Shepard had made his movie The Matador on a shoestring, and it was his great hope to salvage a languishing career. Matt, who's friends with Shepard, had 24/7 access to the filmmaker following the film's premiere and how Shepard ultimately sold it to then-powerful Harvey Weinstein. To this day, as far as I know, Matt's is the only public radio story that's also a DVD extra. If you can get your hands on a DVD copy of The Matador, you can hear Matt's KCRW piece in the special features. Instead of getting paid by the Weinstein Company for use of the audio piece, Matt tried to leverage it to get an interview with Weinstein for The Business. He didn't get it. (Message to Harvey: If you have any money left, you should donate what you would've paid Matt to KCRW now.) In 2013, KCRW's Unfictional reaired Matt's story; click here to listen. If you live in LA youve probably heard of Matt Holzman. Or heard him on KCRW. He was a friend to many & a best friend to me. He died today. I miss him already & forever. He loved life as no other. He ate it up & lived every minute of it. Sharing it w/ everyone in his orbit. RIP pic.twitter.com/X0RcJJdvvE Richard Shepard (@SaltyShep) April 12, 2020 WORKING WITH MATT Matt Holzman was grumpy and opinionated, creative and inspiring. He always wanted radio stories and movies to be better. He wanted KCRW to be better. He wanted Los Angeles to be better. He wanted all the things -- and people -- he loved most to fulfill their potential for greatness. That included Matt himself -- and anyone he worked with. As an editor, he could be impatient. In the early days before I found my footing, he could overwhelm me with his edits. I had to fight for my voice. It was uncomfortable for me, and sometimes I'd get zapped of the energy that got me doing the story in the first place. Paradoxically, Matt could also be forgiving and accepting of people's shortcomings. If you were sweating the small stuff, he'd say, "It's only radio." Bob Carlson, the host/producer of KCRW's storytelling show "Unfictional," started at KCRW around the same time as Matt, and knew him better than most of us. Today he told me: Matt could make you forget about your insecurities and self doubts and just charge forward anyway. He mainly just bossed you into doing whatever you were nervous about. Then he would badger you until you felt good about yourself. He was hilarious, generous and open-hearted. In the basement of KCRW, where we sat nearly on top of each other, there was no way to hide our emotions from each other. Matt's outbursts could be hilarious, like the rant that KCRW producer Jenny Radelet captured. In the clip, you can hear Matt raging-- and the rest of us cracking up -- because someone accused him of having a grandpa's taste in music. In 2013 when Matt turned 50, KCRW producer Anna Scott and I organized a flash mob to surprise him. Anna choreographed it -- she's a former dancer -- and I essentially produced it. We lured him into an open space on the SMC campus under false pretenses, and about 20 staffers came out of hidden corners to clumsily perform a dance. Matt was giddy with joy. In 2014, when I had the opportunity to co-create The Frame at KPCC, Matt enthusiastically put in a good word for me. I felt so guilty about leaving KCRW, and overwhelmed with gratitude for Matt, that I nearly stayed. He looked at me like I was crazy, but he pushed me out of the basement like a momma bird pushing her baby bird out of the nest. A LOVER OF TRUE STORIES Our in-person visits had stopped with the arrival of the coronoavirus and the quarantines that followed. My last text exchange with Matt was just under a month ago, when I told him that my husband and I were showing our 11-year-old daughter lots of movies while isolating. At this point, Matt had given up treatment for his cancer and was in home hospice. He was scared, but happy he was no longer fighting the inevitable. And he was happy to talk about life-affirming things, so he texted me these titles to add to my watch list. They're all documentaries. "Obviously this leans towards more recent movies," he wrote. "These are just a few movies I really love to watch rather than the 'best.'" I know Matt would want me to share that list with you. So here it is: Rivers and Tides Stories We Tell Marwencol The Act of Killing Apollo 11 Hale County Cameraperson Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Spellbound Man with a Camera Toward the end of his career, and his life, Matt combined his love of radio storytelling with his passion for documentary film in The Document, a podcast where he'd deconstruct the making of documentaries, using outtakes and untold stories. He was proud of it, but he also felt it could have been better. I'm sorry he won't get a chance to do more with that show. And I'm sorry that the L.A. public radio and podcasting world will no longer have Matt around to push us to fulfill all of our potential. His presence will be sorely missed. But at least we can still hear his voice. Darby C. Maloney is the Editor of KPCC's The Frame. WE LOVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS The first wave of coronavirus stimulus checks are on the way to bank accounts across the country. Reports say about 70 million Americans could have their money as soon as Wednesday. The money, part of the $2 trillion CARES act passed by Congress last month, is meant to provide a jolt to the U.S. economy, already rocked by coronavirus pandemic measures. So how are Alabamians planning on spending the money? We asked people that question through our AL.com Facebook page. Their answers ranged from the practical to prudent to intensely personal. Here are a few samples: For some, the effects of the lockdown on their livelihoods is clear. Angie Thom said after six weeks with no income, she plans on paying all her past due bills. Sue Witkopf Allen said her money will pay rent, mortgage and necessities. Kathy Wilson will pay down credit cards. A few, like Natalia Hudson, say theyll decide when they see the money, if they ever do. "For now, nothing,' she wrote. Others plan to use their money, either on themselves or others. Virginia Roa said the money will go toward provisions and shelter, while Ann Cavage said she plans on supporting small businesses and animal rescue efforts. Bert Monroe, a retiree, has a whole course of action - to patronize hard hit small businesses and help friends who have lost their jobs. Some will go to the food bank, Monroe said. These are hard times. We are counting our blessings and trying to reach out and help our community in this time of isolation and pandemic. Stay home, stay safe and be well. Samantha Caskey Foran plans on giving the money to her church to help needy families, while Christopher Gasque will spend $100 to support a Huntsville record store. The rest goes toward paying down debt. Anything left over will go into savings, he said. For others, there is a wish list. Stanton Nelson will buy a mask to protect from the Corona. Adam Roberson said hes buying toilet paper, and Jonathan Weatherby is buying guns and ammunition. Its gonna be great, he said. Crystal Stauter will pay for a new roof. Some, like Megan Davis, are already planning what to do once the lockdown ends. Saving it for a vacation after this is all over and done," she wrote. Larry Davis plans to make an NRA donation, while Kirk Armstrong may be taking a page from Joe Exotic, subject of the popular Netflix show Tiger King. Going to Mississippi and supporting their state by buying 1,200 in scratch offs wish me luck! Or maybe put mine and my wifes together for a tiger havent decided yet. James DePaolo has a whole course of action. "To be honest...I am going to be on my lawn chair with my iPod, and a bottle of whiskey...when that gets empty or I need more music..I will use it...If anyone wants to join... I am game. Not everyone plans on spending their money. Laura Montenegro will save it for when she expects price gouging to start, while Katie Norton says the next few months will be too uncertain to spend it. Going into my emergency fund, Frances Lamont said. No one knows what the rest of this year might bring! William Kennedy said he plans to save his money, as he does not know the tax liability, while Kimmi Crocker said she will use the money toward paying her 2019 taxes. Scott Wascher was frank in saying it was nobodys business. But will buy some extra stamps in the public interest, said. And Pat Pickles answer was even more simple. Wesleys Boobie Trap, he wrote. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday directed all agriculture universities in the country to start online classes for their students. The minister gave this instruction while assessing the works of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in minimising the impact of coronavirus on farmers and the farm sector. ICAR, through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), has helped about 2 crore farmers in combating coronavirus disease, an official statement said. Tomar said online classes should be conducted in all the agriculture universities. ICAR DG Trilochan Mohapatra informed that farmers are being advised about the need of wearing masks and social distancing while carrying out sowing, harvesting, storage and marketing of their produce. Farmers are also being regularly updated about the exemptions given by the governments for the agriculture sector. ICAR has also notified its three research institutes for testing of COVID-19. Its various guest houses have been offered for the quarantine purpose. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Model predicts COVID-19 pandemic will 'peter out' by May, but experts are skeptical DCC owns self-service petrol stations across Europe and is the largest distributor of home heating oil in the UK Oil products and LPG company DCC Energy has increased pre-tax profits by 77% from 4.8m to 8.5m after the disposal of assets, its latest accounts show. The climb in pre-tax profits came despite a 62% slump in turnover from just under 170m to 64m at the firm based at Airport Road West in Belfast. Its parent company is DCC, a Dublin-based FTSE-100 business with interests across fuel and energy, technology and healthcare. The company results for DCC Energy were signed off on March 25 but make no reference to the impact of Covid-19. A spokesman for DCC said there would be no updates until DCC preliminary results for the year to end March are published in mid-May During the year to the end of March 2019, DCC Energy made just under 4.8m on two major disposals. At the end of April 2018, it sold some of the trade assets of the oil distribution division of the business to Co Londonderry company Nicholl Oils. Also in April 2018, it sold its petrol products storage terminal in Belfast to Valero Logistics UK Ltd. The net gains of the sales were 9.6m. Staff numbers at DCC Energy also fell during the year, from 152 to 39, with the company's pay bill going from 5.3m to 2m. DCC owns self-service petrol stations across Europe and is the largest distributor of home heating oil in the UK. In a strategic report accompanying the results for DCC Energy, the company said it regarded the results for the year and the position of the company at year end to be satisfactory "given the impact of the challenging economic environment on the company's target markets, combined with relatively mild winter temperatures". The strategic report said that the year ahead would focus on increasing profitable turnover, through organic growth and acquisition. It added that its investment programme during the year had been directed towards the development and upgrading of its processing and distribution facilities. The report also said that among the risk factors facing the company were "the possibility of the fluctuating price of oil products from both a global perspective, and possible increases in domestic taxes which will have a negative impact on demand... The company continues to be vigilant against these and other risks while maintaining its market share". The company said performance in the sector was affected by general economic conditions, with directors carrying out regular reviews of competitor activity, market trends and forecasts and customer behaviour. DCC has made a number of major acquisitions in recent years, including Florida-based Ion Laboratories. Other major acquisitions over recent years include LPG distributor Retail West for 152m, US nutritional company Elite One for 35m, technology company Jam for 130m, UK technology group Stampede and US tech firm Kondor for 110m, and Esso's Norwegian retail operations for 235m. In May 2019, DCC revealed four more acquisitions, in the US, Germany and the Netherlands, for a combined 90m. DCC was founded as a venture capital business in 1976 before developing into an operating group. It switched its listing from Dublin to London in 2013. Advertisement Workers at a Chinese city bordering Russia have spent six days converting a 13-storey building into a makeshift coronavirus hospital for patients without symptoms as Beijing faces a fresh flare-up in its far-flung north-east. Russia has become China's largest source of imported cases, according to state media. Most of the patients are Chinese citizens doing business in the neighbouring country. The new field hospital has 580 beds and is situated in Suifenhe, a prefecture-level city that shares a 27-kilometre (16-mile) land border with Russia. The field hospital in China (pictured on April 10) is ready to receive patients after being converted from an office building Also known as the 'fang cang' hospital, it has 580 beds and is situated in Suifenhe, a prefecture-level city that borders Russia A worker wearing face masks is pictured carrying wood into the hospital on April 10 as it's being renovated for coronavirus 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 a population of around 70,000 and frozen-in for much of the year, Suifenhe has at least 243 imported COVID-19 cases out of nearly 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. More than 100 people in the area have tested positive for the virus but showed no symptoms. Recent arrivals from Russia account for nearly half of China's imported cases. The remote city in Heilongjiang Province went into full lockdown last Wednesday. On the same day, former epicentre Wuhan, which is more than 2,600 kilometres (1,600 miles) away, saw its restrictions lifted. Heilongjiang health officials today reported 79 new 'imported cases' in the region, including 65 sufferers without symptoms. Workers and volunteers in Suifenhe started to turn a former office building into a temporary hospital on April 6 and on April 11, the project was complete. The picture shows workers moving bed parts into the makeshift hospital in Suifenhe on April 10 Nine out of the 13 floors of the hospital will be devoted to treating COVID-19 patients with no symptoms, CCTV reported A medical worker is seen walking towards the makeshift hospital, which is seven miles outside central Suifenhe, on April 13 Workers and volunteers in Suifenhe started to turn a former office building into a temporary 'fang cang' hospital on April 6. The project was largely complete on April 11. Nine out of the 13 floors of the hospital will be dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients with no symptoms, China Central Television Station reported on Sunday. Hundreds of medical workers will be sent to the hospital from different parts of Heilongjiang and other provinces. Workers are 'further improving' the facility today, but the hospital can receive patients at any time from now, according to a separate report from the state broadcaster. Suifenhe is a prefecture-level city that shares a 27-kilometre (16-mile) border with Russia and is 1,600 miles away from Wuhan Hundreds of medical workers will be sent to the hospital from different parts of Heilongjiang and other provinces, according to Chinese officials. The picture from April 10 shows workers and volunteers moving bed parts into the temporary facility Workers are 'further improving' the facility today, but the hospital can receive patients at any time, according to a separate report from the state broadcaster. The picture shows a room used to store medical supplies in the hospital on April 13 Staffed by 22 experts from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the hospital will conduct nucleic acid tests and other forms of research to aid in virus control and prevention, allowing the city to test up to 1,000 cases per day, according to the CDC. China tightens Russia border checks Russia has become China's largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the northern neighbour. Chinese people there should stay put and not return home, the state-owned Global Times said in an editorial Tuesday. 'Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country ... This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak,' said the paper, which is run by the Communist Party's People's Daily. China's north-eastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported coronavirus cases on Monday, all Chinese citizens travelling home from Russia, state media said. Mainland China reported 89 new cases. Heilongjiang's provincial authority said on Tuesday that it had established a hotline to reward citizens as much as 5,000 yuan (565, $710) for handing over or reporting illegal immigrants. Advertisement The CDC experts have built a negative-pressure-style tent as a temporary lab to facilitate the testing, according to a senior Suifenhe official. With the number of new cases dropping to zero in China but soaring abroad, China now views the coronavirus as a 'foreign' problem and has increased its efforts to screen new arrivals from abroad. The country last week closed all entry and exit points on its 4,296-kilometre (2,670-mile) land border with Russia to stop the spread of the bug. The long, porous border of sprawling Heilongjiang province and neighbouring Inner Mongolia has much less travel than major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But it is a popular alternative route into the country. Many Chinese live and work in Russia, where China has major investments encouraged by warm ties between Beijing and Moscow. 'We are facing a truly grave situation in the northeast as represented by Suifenhe,' National Health Commission expert Wang Bin said Monday at a news conference. 'Up to now our medical resources in the area have just not been sufficient.' Roughly 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) northeast of Beijing, Suifenhe's markets selling warm clothing, cell phones and daily items usually do a thriving business with Russian visitors starved for choice on their side of the border. That trade has gone quiet in recent weeks, dimming prospects for a sparsely populated region whose residents have been migrating to major cities seeking jobs and better living standards. Russia requires 14-day quarantines for all travellers arriving in Primorsky Krai and its regional capital Pogranichny, across the border. It has closed hotels to visitors and is requiring travellers to have a pass showing they are not carrying the virus. Russia closed its land border to travellers from China in January. On the Chinese side, quarantines have been extended to a full month for people arriving by air in Suifenhe and Heilongjiang's capital, Harbin. 'The Chinese consulate again strongly reminds Chinese citizens not to summarily make trips to the border region,' the Chinese consulate in the nearby Russian city of Vladivostok said in a notice posted Monday. China last week closed all entry and exit points on its 4,296-kilometre (2,670-mile) land border with Russia to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. A man walks past a giant statue of a Russian Matryoshka doll on a street in Suifenhe on April 12 Many Chinese live and work in Russia, where China has major investments encouraged by warm ties between Beijing and Moscow. The picture shows a resident wearing a face mask looking at a smartphone in central Suifenhe on April 12 Roughly 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) northeast of Beijing, Suifenhe's markets selling warm clothing, cell phones and daily items usually do a thriving business with Russian visitors starved for choice on their side of the border As Wuhan and other regions get back to business, Chinese authorities say they will remain vigilant against a second wave of infections, particularly from those arriving from outside the country. New cases of local infection in China have fallen to near zero after more than two months of strict travel bans and social distancing measures. Of 89 cases reported on Tuesday, all but three were detected in people arriving from abroad. It wasnt immediately clear if any came from Russia. No new deaths were reported in the country on Tuesday, suggesting the outbreak is running its course. China had recorded 82,249 cases and 3,341 deaths as of Tuesday, while 1,077 people suspected of having the virus or testing positive without showing symptoms were under isolation. Suifenhe (pictured on April 12) has seen a surge in 'imported cases' With a population of 70,000, Suifenhe has 243 imported COVID-19 cases out of nearly 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases A security guard wearing a face mask stands outside People's Hospital where asymptomatic patients are kept in Suifenhe Last week, authorities lifted a 76-day quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year, an indication that the worst may have passed. China had recorded 82,249 cases and 3,341 deaths as of Tuesday, while 1,077 people suspected of having the virus or testing positive without showing symptoms were under isolation and monitoring. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover. Though they had a few ups and down prior to their April 2011 wedding, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge appear to be the picture of marital bliss. The pair have been able to weather rumors and storms as a united force while always putting their royal duties and Queen Elizabeth II above everything else. Additionally, theyve done their best to raise their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis as normally as possible, despite the fact that the little royals are very much in the public eye. Though the pair have been married nearly a decade, theyve been together for almost 20 years. When most of us consider, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges love story, it seems that they were the perfect college sweethearts. However, the reality is that Prince William and Kates very first meeting was extremely embarrassing. Kate Middleton and Prince William almost never met The Cambridges met in 2001 when they were both first-year students at St. Andrews University. They quickly became fast friends. However, their meeting almost never happened. Once the duchess finished high school in 2000, shed decided she wanted to attend the University of Edinburgh. However, at the very last minute, she decided to take a gap year and spending time in Chile and at the British Institute of Florence in Palazzo Dello Strozzino in Florence, Italy. When she returned after her year away, she decided that St. Andrews was where she wanted to continue her education. The duke and duchess met very early on in the school year. However, they didnt exactly have romantic sparks flying between them. In fact, Prince William was dating someone, and the duchess was dating an older medical student. Though they had the same circle of friends, it took some time for anything romantic to begin between the pair. Prince William waited nearly 10 years before proposing to Kate Middleton By the end of their first year, the duke and duchess were very much an item. However, the prince, who has always been very protective of his wife, was determined that the press did not get wind of his new romance. Also, since they were both so young, they certainly had a couple of ups and downs. The Cambridges broke up once in 2004 and then again in 2007, in a much more public fashion. Though they got back together quickly following each breakup, by the time 2009 rolled around, the press had begun calling Kate, Waity Kaity. I know that it was the Christmas of 2009 when [Kates mother] Carole was getting quite concerned. Kate was nearing 30, there was still no ring on her finger, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told Vanity Fair. When the pair did eventually get engaged in November 2010, the prince revealed why he waited so long to pop the question. I wanted to give her a chance to see in and back out if she needed to before it all got too much, he said in their 2010 engagement interview. I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and to see what happens on the other side. Kate Middleton and Prince Williams very first meeting was very embarrassing The Cambridges have spoken openly about the very first time they met, and it wasnt exactly a fairytale. Though the prince seemed hazy on the details of his very first encounter with his wife, the duchess had a clearer picture. Well, I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you, she said in their 2010 BBC interview with Tom Bradby. Actually, William wasnt there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasnt there for Freshers Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other but we did become very close friends from quite early on. However, their first meeting was even more embarrassing than the duchess recalled. In his 2010 biography, William and Kate: A Royal Love Story, royal author Christopher Andersen claims that Kate curtsied when meeting William in their first-year dormitories. In shock, William spilt his drink all over himself, before Kate ran away. Luckily the pair were able to recover from this. CONROE, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 13, 2020 / Custom Protection Services Inc. (CSPS) (Custom Protection', or the Company'), today issued the following statement: "It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of our Director and President, George M. Rutherford. The entire Custom Protection family mourns this loss. On behalf of the Board, we extend our deepest sympathies to George's family." DeLane Potter will continue in his role as CEO and step in and take over the responsibilities of President. The untimely death of Mr. Rutherford in no way will affect the ongoing business of the Company and everything is moving forward as planned. In accordance with the Company's succession plan, the Board of Directors of Custom Protection Services has appointed Larry E. Lunger, Ph.D., as director. Larry E. Lunger, Ph.D., United States Army and US Army Lt. Colonel (Retired), BPG, 1st BDE, 75th DIV (E.), served in the United States Army for over 20 years where he was responsible for coordinating and integrating staff sections during military exercises, providing technical support and battle simulations training requirements, automating battle staff training exercises, assisting in defining civilian support contract requirements, coordinating and monitoring the command inspection programs and coordinating unit compliance activities. Colonel Lunger was also President of the Netherlocks US, an oilfield security company located in Houston, Texas. Mr. Lunger has an MBA and Ph.D. in Industrial Technology from Lorenze University. Mr. Lunger will step in and take over the vacancy left by George Rutherford on the Company's board of directors. About Custom Protection Services Inc. Custom Protection Services Inc. is a Delaware incorporated company with head offices in Conroe, Texas. It offers a comprehensive portfolio of security and protection services which can be tailored to meet specific needs and situations. Services offered include personal protection, risk analysis, crisis response, guidance & strategic planning, maritime protection, travel security, legal investigation and POA security programs. Client contracts range from hourly to yearly depending on the type of service being provided. The Company can fulfill any client contract by utilizing a network of specialized consultants. Management has 100+ combined years of experience conducting security and protection operations. Story continues Company Contact Information: Tel: 936-703-5855 Email: info@customprotectionservices.com Website: https://www.customprotectioninvestor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/customprotectioninvestor Twitter: https://twitter.com/customprotect Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Custom Protection Services Inc.'s filings with OTC Markets, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Safe Harbor Statement This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. 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. SOURCE: Custom Protection Services Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584926/Custom-Protection-Service-Annonces-Death-of-Its-President-Director-George-M-Rutherford The announcement comes as the District prepares for a surge of patients. What started as a few cases in early March has exploded to more than 16,000 reported cases and more than 400 deaths in the District, Maryland and Virginia. City officials estimate hospitalizations will peak in June, and some doctors and other hospital staff who will be exposed to the virus are expected to choose alternative housing rather than risk spreading it to their families. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on Tuesday interacted with traders and representatives of various associations here at Raj Bhavan. At the outset, the representatives of various associations lauded the efforts of the Union Territory (UT) administration under the Lt Governor for containing the spread of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir. They put forth several demands pertaining to treatment of non-COVID patients; hiring of SRTC trucks for transportation of essentials from outside the UT by the traders, supply of ration to daily earners, entry of heavy vehicles during day time and installation of sanitization tunnels in high footfall areas like sabzi mandis, warehouses etc.They also demanded for allowing operations of the industrial units and assured that the industrialists would own the responsibility of ensuring the sanitization, social distancing and hygiene as per the guidelines.Some of the other demands also included opening of stationery shops and preparing a mechanism to provide school books and study materials to facilitate the students; besides preponement of summer vacations and allowing over draft facility to private schools were also demanded.The Lt Governor was informed that due to the lockdown, around 50,000 labourers working in brick kilns across Jammu were left stranded. Thus, the request was made to allow the operations of the brick kilns units as the stocks of bricks have also reportedly exhausted.Murmu, while interacting with the representatives of the associations, assured them that all the genuine demands and issues projected by them would be looked into on priority.He observed that a committee has already been constituted for resumption of commercial and industrial activity in a controlled manner. The Centre is also issuing guidelines by Wednesday, and steps to facilitate the trade and industry accordingly, he added.The Lt Governor asked them to ensure adherence of social distancing norms and said that it is a responsibility of every individual to play his role in the fight against COVID-19 as 78 per cent cases are asymptomatic in the UT, which poses a challenging task for the administration alone to combat the pandemic. The 21-day nationwide lockdown in India, which was imposed till April 14, has been extended till May 3 with strict restrictions in place till April 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a decision on easing restrictions will be taken after a week, only at places which do not have COVID-19 hotspots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In 2014, Brazilian authorities uncovered a scandal so big it even involved dozens of elites--including presidents. Described as one of the biggest corruption scandals in Latin America's history, investigators launched a probe into a multimillion-dollar scheme that initially involved only one man but quickly blew into proportions unimagined. The case rocked the very foundation of the country's system. It was called Operation Car Wash. The Beginning It started after the government launched an infrastructure project in the city of Itaborai. The energy project aimed to build two refineries and one petrochemical plant in a 45 square kilometer plot of land. The Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex, or COMPERJ, was close to newly-discovered natural gas fields, Santos Basin. The project was estimated to bring in more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, leading to a growth in population and businesses in the city. In 2012, the police began investigating a money laundering scheme where black-market money was secretly being transferred through small-business cover-ups. They placed a local gas station under surveillance, suspecting it to be used for laundering money. Criminals would bring in black market money, report it as the gas station's earning, and funnel the cash to an offshore account. The process made it hard for authorities to trace the money. They arrested a known money-launderer and former bon vivant named Alberto Youssef in connection to the crime. The Discovery In March 2014, officials offered Youssef a plea deal in exchange for information on the source of the money. He sat in his jail cell and contemplated his decision. "If I speak," he said, "the republic is going to fall." To anyone listening, his statement sounded a bit too exaggerated. He started writing down a string of names that shocked his lawyers. Tracy Reinaldet, one of his attorneys, described the revelation as something resembling a monster. Mr. Youssef began describing the elaborate scheme in detail--a description that would later destabilize the country's government, leaving thousands out of jobs and struggling through the recession. He revealed he had been laundering money for top executives of the company Petrobras, Brazil's state-owned oil company. Petrobras was the largest oil company in all of Latin America. The police launched an investigation in 2014, calling it Operation Car Wash. It was discovered several top Petrobras officials collaborated with a group of engineering companies. They aimed to overcharge the oil company for its construction services and labor. The cartel would play a fake competition for contracts, including servicing an oil rig or building other infrastructures. COMPERJ was initially estimated to cost over $6 billion but was later charged $14 billion. The engineering company that held most of COMPERJ's contracts then laundered the money to criminals through small businesses like the gas station. They would then funnel some of the funds to bribe business elites and government officials. The Worker's Party was also dragged into the corruption case after several allegations said they had a part in funneling and buying politicians to help with political campaigns. Among those cited was former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The Aftermath More than a dozen top executives were arrested for money-laundering. A former Petrobras employee vowed to give back every cent of the bribe he accepted---the entire $100 million. The ruling Workers Party reportedly received than $200 million. Authorities estimated more than $3 billion were funneled as bribes. More than 117 indictments were issued. Ex-president Lula was sentenced to 20 years. His successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached. Her successor, Michel Temer, was charged for his involvement in the corruption. The ex-CEO of Odebrecht, COMPERJ's leading engineering company, was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Eike Batista, who was once the country's wealthiest man, was sentenced to 30 years. Over 13,000 workers were laid off, putting a stop on the construction at the petrochemical complex. Many workers were left trying to apply for odd jobs. The massive lay off saw businesses shut down as more and more seats were becoming deserted. The scandal rippled through the nation. Many projects owned by Petrobras were also forced to stop. The engineering companies who were involved in the scheme also worked on numerous projects across Latin America. By 2016, at least 17 plans were stalled. A report conducted after the operation estimated 500,000 people lost their jobs in Brazil alone, causing Brazil's unemployment rate to rise. Today, Itaborai is slowly recovering from the effect of the scandal. The Treasury Department and Small Business Administration are scrambling to pay out hundreds of billions of dollars in stimulus checks to individuals and in small business loans, but the desire for speed may be leaving the process open to cybersecurity vulnerabilities and fraud. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act creates new economic impact payments of up to $1,200 for individuals as well as an additional $500 per child. For about 80% of taxpayers who already file and receive their tax refunds through direct deposit, those payments will come automatically through the same electronic transfer system that is used to distribute Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits. Millions of Americans who didn't file federal taxes over the past two years or who don't have traditional bank accounts must get their money another way. Paper checks could take months to process and deliver according to Treasury Department estimates. To get the money in the hands of Americans sooner, the IRS unveiled a new web tool that allows non-filers to apply to receive their stimulus checks digitally, either straight to their bank account or through online payment services like PayPal, Venmo and CashApp. However, without any additional protections or protocols in place, the potential for fraud or identity theft could be high. In order to qualify for a payment, the IRS tool asks individuals to provide proof of identity in the form of their name, date of birth, Social Security number, mailing address, email address and bank account, type and routing numbers. Other identifiers, such as a valid state driver's license or an IRS Identity Protection PIN, are also accepted but are not required. Even before the CARES Act was signed into law, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation were warning consumers on the likelihood of scammers trying to impersonate official organizations in order to obtain credentials to divert relief funds. Experts and government watchdogs believe that relying on such "knowledge-based" authenticators -- like Social Security numbers and date of birth -- is no longer useful or appropriate, since an explosion of hacks targeting private companies over the years has led to such information becoming widely available for sale on the internet. Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, told FCW that her organization has not received complaints from taxpayers about stimulus-related fraud yet, but it expects to in the coming weeks and months, particularly if the IRS is just relying on the personally identifiable information described in the online tool. The vulnerabilities in relying on "static PII" to authenticate applicants' identities are the same as they are for regular tax fraud, but even more prevalent in an environment where the government is looking to quickly get funds to those who need them. "I do think we are choosing speed over caution and there are legitimate arguments for why one is better than the other," she said. "It's really hard to say we need to be really cracking down on fraud and stopping these payments over every tiny discrepancy because there could be legitimate reasons for them." Velasquez said agencies like IRS should also be utilizing their existing fraud analytic systems to monitor the payments where possible and ensure they are sharing data with agencies who deal with populations that disproportionately make up non-filers, like veterans and low-income Americans. The IRS has not responded to requests for comment from FCW about what else it may be doing to track or mitigate fraud related to non-filer stimulus payments. Tax fraud using PII continues to be a significant problem. According to an interim Treasury audit released this week, the IRS has reported 30,038 fraudulent tax returns totaling $135.6 million in refunds so far this tax filing season. The tax agency also claims its fraud detection protocols prevented 98% of those returns. However, the Government Accountability Office warned last month that the agency's fraud technology must be updated as it continues to rely too much on PII about Americans to authenticate their identities. Further, some online payment service apps may not have the same identity-authentication or cybersecurity controls in place that are more common in the heavily regulated banking industry. PayPal has issued online guidance detailing how users can get paid through PayPal Cash or credit cards and recently announced it has received approval from SBA to disperse small business loans through the platform. The CARES Act also sets aside $350 billion for guaranteed loans to small businesses to help them keep workers on payroll during the economic downturn caused by the outbreak. SBA will be responsible for dispersing nearly $350 billion in guaranteed loans to help small businesses deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The explicit goal of the legislation, as detailed in a corresponding interim regulation, is to "provide relief to America's small businesses expeditiously" by giving all lenders delegated authorities and streamlining regular loan program requirements. The rule also specifies that SBA will allow lenders to "rely on certifications of the borrower in order to determine eligibility." In order to be eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program, businesses are asked to submit payroll processor records, payroll tax filings and other documentation. However, borrowers who don't have those records can also provide other supporting documentation, such as bank records that are "sufficient to demonstrate the qualifying payroll amount," and businesses can use electronic signatures or consents regardless of the number of owners. The rule states borrowers who knowingly use the program's funds for unauthorized purposes could be charged with fraud, but it relies almost entirely on self-certification from businesses that the funds will be used properly. Newly approved lenders under the program aren't obligated to check any further, though they are encouraged to set up anti-money laundering compliance programs if they haven't already. Velasquez said her organization views fraud mitigation between the government and online payment apps as "a shared responsibility" and wondered how the process would differentiate when an applicant's PII and online service account don't match, noting there could be legitimate reasons behind the discrepancy. At press time, PayPal had not responded to questions from FCW about what it may be doing to further combat or mitigate fraud while processing stimulus checks or small business loans. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has welcomed the extension of lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it is in the interest of the country's health and future. "The CM has welcomed the decision of PM on extension of lockdown till May 3. He said it is in the interest of health and future of the country," Additional Chief Secretary,Information, Awanish Awasthi told reporters here. "In UP,lockdown will be strictly enforced and 23 crore people of the state will defeat corona,"the CM said, as per Awasthi. At a meeting this morning, the CM directed officials to open emergency services of hospital for patients suffering from Kidney, heart, liver and other serious aliments, the officer said. "How to go about starting emergency will be discussed and a policy in this regard will be ready by this evening in which it will be ensured that the medical staff remain safe and secure," he said. The CM also directed to make "fodder bank" for stray cattle and directed to ensure that farmers did not have to face problems in the harvesting of their crops. Awasthi said in a bid to strictly enforce lockdown, 17,585 FIRs were lodged in the state against offenders and 22,632 vehicles were seized and fine of Rs 6.84 crore was recovered. He said cases in the state were coming from identified hotspots. "Of the total (657), 443 are from these hotspots," he said. About those quarantined, Awasthi said there are three such categories- those who have completed 14days period, those who have yet to complete 14 days period and those who are from other states. "Those who have completed 14days period will be sent to their homes after health checkups. They will have to remain there in isolation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday ordered a two-week extension to a lockdown in largest city Lagos, neighbouring Ogun state and capital Abuja, aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus. Buhari said in a televised address that "it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement" that was set to expire later Monday. "This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear," Buhari said. "We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer." Millions of residents in Africa's biggest city Lagos, Abuja and Ogun have been under orders to remain in their homes since March 30. The continent's most populous nation has so far reported 323 confirmed infections and 10 deaths from the novel coronavirus, but testing has been limited to just some 5,000 samples. The confinement measures have proved extremely difficult for many in a country where almost half of the 200 million population live in dire poverty. Buhari said he was "fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage". "But despite these realities we must not change the restrictions," he said. The government has pledged a raft of support measures to ease the financial pain but there have been widespread complaints that not enough is being done for those facing hunger. Police said Monday that they were bolstering forces in Lagos and Ogun after almost 200 suspects were arrested amid fears of a spike in crime during the lockdown. Buhari said compliance with the stay-at-home order and other restrictions introduced by state governors across the country had been "generally good". But he cautioned that "a large proportion of new infections are now occurring in our communities". Nigeria is seen as highly vulnerable to the spread of the virus due to its weak healthcare system and high population density. Africa's biggest oil producer has seen it state revenues battered by the drop in crude prices sparked by the global pandemic. A medical worker sprays disinfectant in Ha Loi village, Me Linh district, Hanoi, after a resident tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo: VNA) To date, Vietnam has recorded just over 250 infections, with about half of these people already recovered and no fatalities as yet. Meanwhile, healthcare systems in large and powerful economies suffer and are on the brink of being overloaded. Unlike other, wealthier Asian nations, Vietnam is not in the position to afford mass testing. For example, South Korea had tested 395,000 people by the end of March. In Vietnam, that number stood at just over 106,000 as of April 8. However, by focusing on preventive measures within the countrys control, Vietnam has so far managed to keep the amount of infections at a minimum. Accordingly, Vietnam has carried out aggressive contact tracing combined with rigorous quarantine policies to make sure that the virus cannot spread throughout entire communities. The Vietnamese government also announced that all people must wear face masks in public places such as supermarkets, bus stations, airports, and on all means of public transport. In addition, all travellers on domestic and international flights must wear face masks during the flight and while at the airport. These measures are being hailed by foreign news agencies and magazines such as German Deutsche Welle, which published an article claiming that Vietnam is winning its war on coronavirus. Elsewhere, French magazine LObs posted an interview with a Frenchman who just returned home from Vietnam, declaring, France is the developing country, referring to the fact that he was highly impressed by what the Southeast Asian nation did so far. While the number of new infections is almost stagnating in Vietnam, the country has started to support other nations with medical equipment and protective gear. As such, the United States last week received 450,000 DuPont hazmat suits made by Vietnam. Furthermore, the country initiated donating more than half a million face masks to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward tweeted that Vietnams gift is a real sign of friendship, thanking Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung and all Vietnamese healthcare workers. The Germany embassy in Hanoi used the popular phrase a friend in need is a friend indeed to describe its appreciation for the donation by the true friend Vietnam. In order to prevent any further spread of the disease in the country, Hanois authorities stated they would intensify social distancing rules and issued fines for people who were out for non-essential reasons or fail to wear face masks. In addition, the ride-hailing motorbike services have also been temporarily suspended in Hanoi. Reacting to the announcement made by the Prime Minister today regarding the extension of the lockdown till 3rd May and the adoption of a 7-point charter by each citizen, Sharad Kumar Saraf said that these steps are extremely important to fight Covid-19. Additionally, he complimented the Prime Minister for leading the country's fight against Coronavirus from the front, like a true statesman. However, President FIEO expressed his disappointment with the deferment of the decision to extend the selective opening of the manufacturing sector, particularly regarding exports. Non-adherence to the delivery schedule for exports will result in cancellation, penalties and market loss, besides the business loss to enterprises. The exporters, particularly MSME exporters, have no liquidity to pay wages for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown. He also said that the shifting of the goalpost will not help in avoiding the stark realities which we have to face whenever we open. The start of selective manufacturing will also be a long drawn battle due to the unavailability of labour, raw material, transport etc. which will resume normalcy only after a few months of selective opening. Even countries such as Spain, one of the worst affected nations, have started opening the economy to bring it on track. President FIEO demanded that a comprehensive economic package may be announced to help the economy, with interest free credit to cover six months of wages, rental and utilities along with a moratorium to repay in installments after six months. Without such support, the government should not expect the industry to pay wages during the lockdown and any coercive action to bring about the same will only be counterproductive. Sharad Kumar Saraf said that he salutes the export community, which despite such loss and bleak future, is providing groceries, masks and medical help to the community, particularly the poor sections, as urged by the Prime Minister. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DETROIT A Detroit hospital made national headlines this week when photos of body bags stacked in vacant rooms were leaked to CNN. The photos illustrate just how dire the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has become in Detroit, said Jake Tapper in a CNN segment. Detroit is the hardest-hit area of Michigan, which has the third most cases of any state after New York and New Jersey. RELATED: Running out of body bags. People dying in the hallway. Coronavirus has Michigan hospital workers at a breaking point. CNN allegedly acquired the photos of Sinai-Grace Hospital from an emergency room worker whose account was corroborated by two other ER workers. All three spoke to the national outlet on the condition of anonymity out of concern for their jobs, according to the report. One photo shows two bodies laid side-by-side on a bed with a third sitting upright in a chair beside the bed. The bodies were in white body bags. The room was meant for sleep studies, CNN reports. An emergency worker told CNN the bodies were there because the morgue was full. A second photo shows bodies stored in a freezer unit. Detroit-area hospitals recently began storing bodies in refrigerated trucks as morgues and funeral homes have been overwhelmed with the dead, Bridge reports. "This has resulted in capacity issues at funeral homes and morgues outside of Sinai-Grace Hospital," Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center, which includes Sinai-Grace, told Detroit Free Press on Monday. "Patients who pass away at our hospital are treated with respect and dignity, remaining on-site until they can be appropriately released." Michigan now has 1,768 deaths from the virus as of Tuesday, April 14, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. There are now 27,001 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Michigan. RELATED: Coronavirus deaths surge again during Michigans second-deadliest day In Detroit alone, there are 7,004 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 427 deaths. The disproportionate number of cases in the metro Detroit area is a result of multiple factors, including the large population, more aggressive testing in those counties and community spread of coronavirus, according to experts. For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. 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: Tuesday, April 14: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Cocktails to go? Bar, restaurant owners push Michigan to allow it during coronavirus Michigan DNR issues 323 warnings, handful of citations to boaters Michigan food assistance payments increased by $68M in March President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a telephone conversation with his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid. The top officials discussed joint measures for effective counteraction against the spread of Covid-19 disease. They also touched upon the political and economic situation in Ukraine. The press service of the Presidential Office reported that on April 14. Zelensky added that there's a need of international coordination of efforts to combat the pandemic oif coronavirus and its consequences - specifically, in economic and social areas. "I'm aware that Estonia recently organized online-hackatone to search for digital solutions for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. This innovatie initiative of digital response to modern challenges is timely and useful one. I'm sure it will find enough support in Ukraine, too", the Ukrainian leader said. In turn, Kaljulaid praised Zelensky on the reforms that proceed in Ukraine, in spite of the spreading virus - especially these concerning the land market law. She expressed hope that the law on banking activity will be considered successfully. Kaljulaid added that Estonia sees the improving level of business climate in Ukraine, improvement of the work of legislative system and the shrinking corruption in top-level authorities. Proceeds Will Support Commercialization and Expansion of Cannabis Operations in Europe and Latin America NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clever Leaves International Inc. ("Clever Leaves" or the "Company"), a leading multi-national operator (MNO) and licensed producer of pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis and hemp extracts, today announced the first closing of its Series E financing at US$14 million, bringing the Company's total funding to over US$120 million. Cowen served as exclusive placement agent for the financing and a majority of the Series E capital was invested by leading institutional investors with a demonstrated track record in the sector. "Receiving such strong support from prominent institutional investors in the first closing of our Series E round further validates the Clever Leaves strategy," said Kyle Detwiler, CEO of Clever Leaves. "This financing demonstrates Clever Leaves' ability to withstand the market headwinds in these extremely challenging times and will help us achieve our ultimate goal of transforming the cannabis supply chain on an international scale. The capital we've raised will also enable us to continue commercializing product from our world-class cultivation and extraction operations in Colombia as well as to complete our licensing process in Portugal." Clever Leaves anticipates raising additional capital in the coming months and expects to primarily use the proceeds to support its commercialization efforts, further develop existing brands, and expand its operations in Portugal. The funds may additionally support the expansion of the Company's recently launched direct-to-business sales platform, Clever Leaves 360, which offers pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts and finished products fit for a broad range of industries. Proceeds from the financing may also be used to further enhance the Company's operations in Colombia and to continue building out its distribution channels in Germany and throughout Europe. About Clever Leaves Clever Leaves is a multi-national cannabis company with a mission to operate in compliance with federal and state laws and with an emphasis on ecologically sustainable, large-scale cultivation and processing as the cornerstones of its global cannabis business. Clever Leaves is a leading vertically integrated producer of medical cannabis and hemp extracts and is currently cultivating over 1.8 million square feet of greenhouses under Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) in Colombia. Clever Leaves' Colombian operation obtained its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification from INVIMA, Colombia's food and drug regulatory agency, after inspection of its top-of-the-line extraction facility and is being evaluated for certification under European Good Manufacturing Practices (EU GMP). Clever Leaves' first extraction facility is currently capable of extracting 2,400 kilograms of dried flower per month, with expansion underway to increase expected extraction capacity to 9,000 kilograms of dried flower per month by mid-2020. In November 2019, Clever Leaves received authorization from INFARMED I.P., the Portuguese regulatory authority, to start cultivation operations in Portugal. Based on the pre-license received in Portugal, Clever Leaves Portugal is currently cultivating its first medicinal cannabis crop on its 90-hectare farm. Clever Leaves is one of the world's largest hemp and medical cannabis producers, with a global footprint encompassing brands, extraction facilities, cultivation operations and other investments across Canada, Colombia, Germany, Portugal, and the United States. Press contact: McKenna Miller KCSA Strategic Communications +1347-487-6197 mmiller@kcsa.com Its very frustrating to say that even though I pay taxes that Im not allowed to go there, Lawver said from his home in Lancaster, Pa. Im doing everything that I need to do, and Id be doing the same thing down there. I respect the guidelines. So whats the difference if I do that in Pennsylvania or I do it in Rodanthe? HAMDEN, CT Like many songwriters, Robert Daniel Irwins lyrical ideas tend to come from real-life experiences that combine memories of the past that are then peppered with a dash of imaginative storytelling. But as a 47-year-old high school English teacher who is known as Rob to his friends spent time at Ace Tone Productions in Bethany recording and producing his debut album, he never envisioned how life-altering changes that have been brought on by the spread of the new coronavirus may impact his perspective down the road. More than a month has passed since Irwin has been able to visit his classroom at Platt High School in Meriden. Since then, the Hamden resident has had more time to create new ideas as he splits his time between daily remote teaching responsibilities and spending time with his family. Yet, following the recent release of his record, Nature Vs. Nurture, many of the ideas that made up the playlist of 10 original songs have caused Irwin to notice how the daily routine he experienced until recently now collides with a new reality. When Irwin began planning his debut album seven months ago, he did with the expectation that it would serve as nothing more than posteritys sake and that the songs that his two daughters routinely hear around the house could be captured formally. But as he spent time recording the songs in a studio a couple of hours at a time at the end of his school day, Irwin realized how the 10 songs actually fit together into a puzzle of a day in the life of an ordinary musician. Much of Irwins music centers on themes of relationships, growing up and older and life's complexities, set to stylings built around a blend of folk, country and blues influences. The lyrics represent memories, both good and bad and of life and death, which Irwin believes have been shaped over time. As the 10 songs fit into what is a loose chronology of the life Irwin and other friends and acquaintances have experienced over the years, certain tracks like the song, Get Up, - written based on hardships experienced by one of Irwin's close friends - have taken on a new relevance considering the time Americans find themselves living in these days. Story continues I dont think when I was younger, I had the capacity of living life to write some of the stuff Ive written now, Irwin said in a telephone interview on Tuesday, adding, I guess its all about your perspective and now that were all going through this shared experience, things start having new meaning. The album, which was released last month, can be found on iTunes, Spotify and on CD by visiting Irwins website. If there is a common thread that runs through the albums 10 tracks, it is that lifes smallest details end up meaning the most. Irwins daughter, Indigo, who provides the albums female voice talent and harmonies, uses the phrase, "find your wabi-sabi, which in Japanese culture is a world view that focuses on accepting and appreciating lifes imperfections. Even now, as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus and deaths continue to climb across Connecticut and the United States, Irwin says that finding the small beauties in everyday life can often make a huge difference in coping. Since last being face-to-face with his students on March 12, Irwin now relies on Google classroom to interact with those he is used to seeing on a daily basis. But not having to commute from Hamden to Meriden has provided Irwin with more time to write, especially in the mornings, when music has proven to be a bit of a release from the news that dominates the daily news cycle. He currently has enough songs in rough form to construct the makings of his next album. While the new lyrics wont necessarily include reflections of the pandemic, Irwin acknowledges that his current reality may end up shaping the music that is yet to come. While musicians may be limited in the venues where their music can be shared, Irwin even as he released a new album on online platforms appreciates the way that his fellow musicians and songwriters are finding ways to get their messages across. Its like the (music) community has moved to a different place which is pretty cool, he said. Were still making music, still making songs. This article originally appeared on the Meriden Patch Industry bodies on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of extending the COVID-19 lockdown till May 3 but called for an urgent economic relief package to protect jobs and small businesses. "FICCI is encouraged by the decision that while our priority will continue to be on saving lives, we will continue to take measures to preserve the livelihoods and bring the economy back on track," said its President Sangita Reddy. Estimates show that India may be losing close to Rs 40,000 crore daily due to the national lockdown with an estimated loss amounting to Rs 7 lakh crore to 8 lakh crore during the past 21 days. It is also expected that close to four crore jobs are at risk during the April to September period, she said. "Hence an urgent relief package is also critical. The Prime Minister's directions on graded opening will help start some production activity to ensure that as soon as lockdown opens, there are no shortages faced. Even in case of essentials, we are seeing that supplies have started to get impacted and so easing of lockdown may help ramp up production." Reddy said the Indian industry looks forward to detailed guidelines on working of units in essential goods and services to be issued tomorrow by the government. CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said the Prime Minister has provided guidance on exit from the lockdown after April 20 which will help the industry plan better. "The extension gives the government adequate preparation time to organise an orderly and safe restart of the economy as and when health conditions permit. The industry too can devise its strategies for commencing operations accordingly during this extension period," he said in a statement. FIEO President Sharad Kumar Saraf too welcomed the lockdown extension but said the deferment of the selective opening of the industry is disappointing. Non-adherence to the delivery schedule for exports will result in cancellation, penalties and market loss besides the loss to enterprises, he said. The exporters, particularly MSME exporters, have no liquidity to pay wages for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any activity during the lockdown. "Shifting of the goalpost will not help in avoiding stark realities which we have to face whenever we open. The start of selective manufacturing will also be a long-drawn battle due to the unavailability of labour, raw material and transport which will resume normalcy only after a few months of selective opening," said Saraf. He called for a comprehensive economic package to help the economy with interest-free credit to cover six months of wages, rent and utilities along with a moratorium to repay in instalments after six months. Without such support, said Saraf, the government should not expect the industry to pay wages during the lockdown and any coercive action to bring about the same will only be counterproductive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sailor who was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier died Monday of COVID-19, the first fatality from nearly 600 confirmed cases among its crew, the US Navy said Monday. The sailor, who tested positive on March 30, was discovered unresponsive on April 9 and placed in the intensive care unit of the Navys hospital in Guam, where the Roosevelt is docked. The death came six days after Thomas Modly resigned as acting navy secretary over his mishandling of an outbreak on the Roosevelt, one of two US aircraft carriers in the western Pacific. Modly had earlier fired the Roosevelts captain, Brett Crozier, after the officers warning that the shipboard outbreak could dangerously incapacitate much of the crew became public. Crozier had sought to evacuate most of the ships 4,800 crew after it stopped in Guam on March 27, to test all of them and sterilize the vessel, but the idea was rejected by his superiors. With the number of proven cases approaching 100, on March 30 the veteran captain wrote an unclassified, widely-distributed letter addressed to his superiors that quickly leaked to his hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating, Crozier wrote. We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. Both Modly and Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed anger that Crozier had violated the Pentagons chain of command, and they insinuated that the leak to the media was deliberate. They were also concerned that he had exposed a vulnerability in US military readiness that could encourage adversaries to take advantage. Crozier demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis in his handling of the letter, Modly said. It misrepresented the facts of what was going on the ship and created a little bit of panic that was unnecessary, he said. But the number of COVID-19 cases aboard the ship has continued to mount. With 92 percent of the crew tested, 585 have been infected with the virus, according to the Navy on Monday. Modly removed Crozier from his command on April 2. Naive or stupid But the acting Navy secretary then faced a challenge from multiple videos appearing on social media that showed large numbers from the Roosevelts crew applauding Crozier and chanting his name as he walked alone down the gangway onto shore in Guam. The controversial firing sparked questions over whether and why the Navy hierarchy had ignored Croziers internal requests to evacuate the warship, as coronavirus cases were cropping up on military bases and vessels elsewhere. After firing Crozier, Modly flew to Guam where he boarded the ship and told the crew in a profanity-laced speech that their love for Crozier was misguided, calling him too naive or too stupid. Those comments exploded in the US media even before Modly returned to the United States, and, having sparked a fresh political firestorm over the handling of the pandemic by the administration of President Donald Trump, he resigned. He was the second permanent or acting navy secretary in six months to depart. His predecessor was fired after clashing with Trump over the presidents protection of a Navy Seal who had been charged with war crimes and convicted of lesser charges. So far some 150 US military bases and several ships, including two other aircraft carriers, have reported coronavirus cases. Total cases among Pentagon service personnel, their families, civilians and contractors was 4,528 on Monday. Across the United States, nearly 560,000 cases have been reported, with 22,146 deaths. Brenna Nan Schneider of 99 Degrees shows off an isolation gown being manufactured by her activewear company at Monday's COVID-19 update. Baker Announces $10M Investment for Manufacturers Pivoting to Protective Gear BOSTON Brenna Nan Schneider of 99 Degrees flipped a shapeless blue gown around on Monday at the governor's daily COVID-19 update. This nondescript item and materials similar to it are now vital to health-care centers across the state because of the highly contagious novel coronavirus. The simple gown also marked a pivot for manufacturers in Massachusetts as a "Manufacturing Emergency Response Team" helps businesses retool to produce much-needed personal protective gear. "Understand that very little PPE is made in the US," said Schneider, founder and CEO of the performance activewear company. "We've learned a new industry involving hospital needs, FDA regulations, and a supply chain by drinking from a fire hose." Schneider's company employs 150 in Lawrence in designing and producing a range of wearable products including technology applications. When she first learned of COVID-19, the first reaction was fear, and making contingency plans to address needs of the company, its employees, and its suppliers and customers. "And then, almost immediately, we learned that first-responders in the medical community had an urgent need for critical personal protective equipment, also known as PPE," she said. "I felt a responsibility to put our manufacturing model to work." 99 Degrees first worked with the state's emergency team on making masks. Then with MERT on other critical needs. Now it's manufacturing one million, level one isolation gowns for the medical community. "They provided focus and direction to pursue the PPE that we could best make and scale," Schneider said. "And they provided credit clarity and rigor, to ensure that we weren't building just to make something, but to make FDA-compliant products that protects." Scheider said the collaboration with MERT was critical in determining what the company could make and how it could do it, including developing new procedures and training to ensure the safety of its workers. "The collaboration, even among competitors, has been one of the most inspiring and authentic parts of this chance. The state not only called on its manufacturers to respond in a time of need, but has also shown commitment to supporting us," she said. Gov. Charlie Baker announced that more than $10 million in funding is being invested in the initiative to produce personal protective equipment and other materials and equipment including ventilators, sanitizers and thermometers. The COVID-19 outbreak has been devastating for the state economy, he said, and especially for small businesses that have had to temporarily shut their doors or operate under difficult social distancing guidelines. "We are blown away with the resiliency imagination and creativity of many of our entrepreneurs," he said. "There's incredible work going on behind the scenes in our local businesses and companies, and through some unique partnerships, we've created and funded a program to assist local manufacturers, so that they can make PPE, even if it's not in their business model." MERT includes representatives from MassTech Collaborative, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and its Lincoln Labs, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and other industry partners. MassTech and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America will administer $5.6 million in funds through the existing Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Institute program. Another $4 million has been made available through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with an additional $1 million for workforce training contributed by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Commonwealth Corporation through the existing Workforce Training Fund Program. "Some companies are already making face shields, test swabs and medical gowns," the governor said. "FormLabs in Somerville is 3D printing diagnostic swabs, Merrow [Manufacturing] in Fall Fall River is making gowns they're one of the first companies to reach out to us. LovePop here in Boston is going from making greeting cards to face shields, gowns, coveralls, hoods, and shoe coverings. The New Balance factory in Lawrence is working to make shoe coverings, gowns and masks." Also at the update, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders clarified the point system for crisis standards of care announced last week. "It's important to reiterate that these guidelines are voluntary," she said. "And at their core is to mitigate against unconscious bias in making critical medical decisions during a pandemic or crisis where there are scant medical resources." Some hospitals already have standards, she said, but others did not so these guidelines were promulgated to provide them with templates. The guidelines call out the factors that should not be used include race, gender, immigration status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or disabilities. "They are irrelevant. And not to be considered by providers, making difficult decisions, if that time comes," Sudders said. "We must work to mitigate these long-standing institutional barriers in order to improve equitable access to care and treatment." The state currently has about half of its available beds occupied, although this number varies from region to region. The current number of patients the step down centers at Boston Hope is about 36 and at the DCU in Worcester, about 10. Officials have been preparing for a predicted surge in patients over the next couple weeks that could range from 47,000 to 172,000 positive cases and 2,500 deaths. The current count is 26,867 confirmed cases (with the caveat that an unknown number may be infected but not tested) and 844 deaths from complications of COVID-19. "I would remind everyone we are seeing 2,500 new confirmed cases a day, so we won't know the full impact of whether individuals are hospitalized until the next seven and 10 days," Sudders said. "So this is just the eye of the storm." Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future Published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Global Metal Foam Market Research Report Global Forecast to 2023 Market Segmentation: Global Metal Foam Market Size has been classified based on Material, Product, Application, End-Use Industry and Region. By Material, Global Metal Foam Market is segmented into aluminum, nickel, copper, magnesium, zinc, steel, and others. The aluminum segment dominated the Global Metal Foam Market and is expected to grow at a robust CAGR owing to its superior thermal and electrical conductivity, easy availability and recyclability, low cost, and corrosion resistance. It finds widespread application in automotive and transportation industries. Based on Product, Global Metal Foam Market has been categorized into closed cell metal foam, open cell metal foam, composites, stochastic and regular foams, and others. Under these segments, the closed cell metal foams segment accounted for the largest Market share in 2017 owing to the superior impact-absorption, easily recyclable, and high resistance to fire of closed cell metal foams. They are used in load-bearing structures in construction industries. The open cell metal foams segment is expected to register a high CAGR during the forecast period due to its superior sound and vibration absorption characteristics. On the Basis of Application, Global Metal Foam Market has been divided into heat exchangers, sound absorbers, anti-intrusion bars, energy absorbers, side impact bars, and others. The energy absorbers segment held the largest Market share in 2017 and is projected grow at the highest CAGR owing to excellent heat, sound, and impact absorption properties. Additionally, it has widespread applications in crash absorption and blast mitigation in the automotive industry. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7051 By End-Use Industry, Global Metal Foam Market has been segmented into automotive, construction and infrastructure, aerospace and defense, marine, bio-medical, railway, consumer goods, and others. The automotive industry segment accounted for the largest share in 2017 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the assessment period owing to the widespread applications in manufacturing lightweight components, such as anti-intrusion bars and bumpers. The aerospace and defense industry held substantial Market share owing to lightweight aluminum foam components, which exhibit design flexibility and increased efficiency. Market Overview: Metal foams are lightweight materials with structured cellular composition and are manufactured by bubbling air in molten metals, such as aluminum and magnesium. They are non-toxic in nature and can be easily recycled. The product offers high stiffness, excellent thermal properties, high compression strength, and superior performance to respective metals. Competitive Analysis: Some of the key players operating in the Global Metal Foam Market are Havel metal foam (Germany), Alantum Corporation (South Korea), Admatis Ltd. (Hungary), Shanxi Putai Aluminum Foam Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (China), Hunan Ted New Material Co., Ltd. (China), Shanghai Zhonghui Foam Aluminum Co. Ltd. (China), American Elements (US), ERG Aerospace Corp. (US), Cymat Technologies Ltd. (Canada), Aluinvent Zrt. (Hungary), and Mayser GmbH & Co. KG (Germany). Browse Key Industry Insights spread across 140 pages with 59 market data tables & 14 figures & charts from the report, Metal Foam Market Information: By Material (Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Zinc), Product (Closed Cell Metal Foam), Application (Heat Exchangers, Energy Absorbers), End-use Industry (Automotive, Bio-Medical, Marine) and Region Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2023 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/metal-foam-market-7051 Regional Analysis: Global Metal Foam Market is studied for five major regions, namely Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa. The Asia-Pacific Market accounted for the largest share in 2017 owing to the increasing demand for product in passenger cars, the growing automotive industry, and rapid infrastructure development. In 2017, China was the leading country in the region owing to rising urbanization and surging demand for the product in passenger vehicles and energy absorbers. Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia & New Zealand are other prominent countries contributing to the regional Market growth. The North American Market is expected to be the fastest growing in the following years owing to the increasing government investments, rising focus on research and development facilities, and growing customer preference for electric powered vehicles. The US is the leading country in the region due to the key manufacturing company in the region such as American Elements and ERG Aerospace Corp. Read our Blogs @ http://mrfrblog.com 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. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com March, April and May are typically slow months for North Lake Tahoe. But this year is much different. While Governor Gavin Newsom pleads with California residents to shelter in their primary residence, North Lake Tahoe is busy at grocery stores, trailheads, and in the backcountry, where folks new to backcountry travel ask for help adjusting to their new gear. All Tahoe ski areas have closed indefinitely and nearly all prohibit uphill travel. North Lake Tahoe, specifically Truckee, is reported to be a hotbed for COVID-19 due to the number of second homeowners and sneaky VRBO or Airbnb guests coming to the area. Small businesses in the area, particularly those who rely on the influx of travelers, are hit-hard financially, shuttering businesses while others adapt their business models to take-out, deliveries, and online sales. Mountain towns across the West are adapting to the stay-at-home mandates, with South Lake Tahoe issuing a warning, then a $1,000 fine, to Airbnb and VRBO guests. Gunnison County, Colo., is threatening $5,000 fines or 18 months in jail. Meanwhile, North Lake Tahoe, spread across multiple counties and two states, is left to adapt on the fly. While guests and second homeowners are discouraged from visiting the area now, they'll certainly be needed to save the local business community from imploding when the ordinance is lifted. New rules to protect commercial tenants introduced last month do not prevent landlords from forcing tenants to pay rent withheld because of lockdown closures. (Getty) Gyms and leisure centres warn that they face eviction over the non-payment of rent during the coronavirus pandemic. Exercise venues are struggling to pay their rents and overhead fees, with incomes drying up after having been forced to close by the government as part of the UK lockdown to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The industrys trade body UKActive has called for urgent action to protect gyms as some landlords are using a loophole in the law to threaten eviction. New rules banning the forfeiture of commercial leases until at least 30 June and longer if the government finds it necessary for non-payment of rent in order to protect commercial tenants were introduced last month. However, the new law still allows landlords to take certain actions, including Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) which allows landlords of commercial premises to recover rent arrears by taking control of the tenant's goods and selling them. Landlords are also able to make debt claims, issue a statutory demand, or begin the liquidation of a company. Businesses with no income could find themselves powerless against such legal actions as the new rules do not prevent landlords from forcing tenants to pay rent withheld because of lockdown closures. READ MORE: Stocks rise as Europe starts to ease coronavirus lockdown A worrying number have decided to pursue statutory demand notices or winding up orders, said Huw Edwards, chief executive of UKActive. We need the government to act now to direct...that landlords cannot do this. With 2,800 gyms at risk of permanent closure, and 100,000 jobs at stake, time is of the essence. UKActive said it has evidence that many landlords are planning to bring legal proceedings against gyms and leisure centres. The trade body said it expects the first cases to start this week and warned that pubs, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and retailers who have also been forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic could be threatened with similar legal action. Story continues Many of our members are faced with the harsh reality of no revenues for a long period, so must take steps to preserve cash, including not paying their rent for the quarter ahead, said Edwards. Our nations gyms and leisure centres form the fabric of our society, as well as contributing 7.7bn ($9.7bn) to the economy annually and employing one of the most passionate and dedicated workforces in the world. If nothing is done and we say goodbye to our gyms and leisure centres it will have a devastating impact on our society when we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, at the precise time when these facilities will be needed desperately by people. READ MORE: Spike in tenants not paying rent as coronavirus hits jobs and pay Humphrey Cobbold, chief executive of gym chain PureGym, told the BBC: The burden of dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to fall on commercial tenants rather than being shared equitably by landlords as well. Time is of the absolute essence, given that proceedings such as statutory demands and winding up orders threaten to force companies into insolvency within days of being issued. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK The world is under lockdown, we're all staying home to help flatten the curve and stop the spread of coronavirus as much as we can. This also means that a lot of people are struggling financially as well since their businesses and source of income has also come to a halt for now. As we all know, one of the worst-hit countries is Italy with thousands of deaths happening every week and now almost everyone is left struggling, especially since millions of people reportedly work 'off the books'. In such trying times, turns out that the mafia is stepping up and providing food for the people in need. But, of course, there's a catch. Reuters It's not a good deed for just the sake of it, mafia helping in the time of need also means them taking over the people's lives. Talking to The Guardian, anti-mafia investigator and head of the prosecutor's office in Catanzaro , Nicola Gratteri, warned, "Millions of people work in the grey economy, which means that they haven't received any income in more than a month and have no idea when they might return to work. The government is issuing so-called shopping vouchers to support people. If the state doesn't step in soon to help these families, the mafia will provide its services, imposing their control over people's lives." Reuters There are also concerns about them taking advantage of the rising poverty and recruiting people. The last thing the world needs is more people involved in organized crime. Gratteri added, "In the people's eyes, a boss who knocks on the door offering free food is a hero. And the boss knows that he can then count on the support of these families when necessary, when, for example, the mafia sponsors a politician for election who will further their criminal interests." No act of kindness is genuine apparently. But, it seems like the mafia and drug cartels all over the world are doing this. As drug cartels are handing out corona crisis food packages in Mexico, the mafia is also doing it in Italy, @lorenzo_tondo reports... https://t.co/llonw2zG9C Ioan Grillo (@ioangrillo) April 10, 2020 There are jokes, of course. Im gonna make him an omelette he cant refuse https://t.co/9y8rSZbPAZ Gary Delaney (@GaryDelaney) April 11, 2020 Conditions apply. The best things I've heard today is Mafia in italy delivering food to families who need them. How do you beat that? Witbox of Lagos (@Ghost_writer__) April 11, 2020 Exactly. Nothing from the mafia is freehttps://t.co/0I1RMJmPpR ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) April 13, 2020 Hmm. Mafia distributes food to Italy's struggling residents; gangs in South Africa announce ceasefire 2 help; gangs in UK help NHS. In Pakistan, sugar mafia linked with govt made billions at the cost of poor & defend themselves on TV through favoured anchors https://t.co/vtpZxAHhhl Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) April 11, 2020 Are they? These mafias are out there making Escobar proud https://t.co/sQVbDRXXgX EbenAbbey (@EbenAbbey) April 10, 2020 For now it doesnt matter whether its the Mafia or the government doing whatever they can to protect human life. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Companies developing commercial-scale hydrogen energy projects can get access to $70 million worth of public money, but they must use renewable energy to power the "green hydrogen" trials. Federal Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has selected hydrogen as a priority in the Morrison government's "technology investment road map" to lower Australias carbon emissions and meet its commitment to the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The Morrison government is backing renewable energy to kick-start its development of a local hydrogen industry. Mr Taylor said the $70 million fund would assess proposals against their potential to reach a long-term goal of producing hydrogen at $2 a kilogram, which is the point where hydrogen becomes competitive with alternatives in the energy grid. Getting costs down will be key to establishing Australia as a world leader in the hydrogen sector through both domestic uses, such as blending hydrogen into local gas networks and heavy-vehicle transport use, to exporting Australian-made hydrogen to our key trading partners, like Japan and Korea, he said. The Coronavirus(COVID-19) index case in Benue State, Mrs. Susan Okpe, says she been held against her wish by the federal government, Vanguard reports. The London-based woman, two days ago, took to her social media page calling out the Federal Government in a two and half minutes video recording, asking to be release her from incarceration. Recall that on March 28, Governor Samuel Ortom in line with the advice of members of the Benue Action Committee on COVID-19 made public the name and test result of the index case. According to report, the woman arrived the state from London for a burial ceremony and had sought medical attention at a private hospital in Makurdi, after falling ill. Read Also: COVID-19: Niger Traces, Quarantines 53 Contacts Of Confirmed Cases It was said that her health condition was said to have attracted the attention of the Benue COVID-19 committee, which subjected her to test by National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, that allegedly confirmed she was COVID-19 positive. However, the woman stressed that she was sick but was moved to the isolation and treatment centre at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, after much persuasion by the chairman of the committee and Benue State Deputy Governor, Mr. Benson Abounu. However on the April 4, the Benue state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sunday Ongbabo told newsmen that the Federal Ministry of Health wrote to the Committee requesting that the patient be transferred to Abuja, and the Committee obliged. So she has been moved to Abuja. It was gathered that the request to move the patient to Abuja was prompted by her insistence that she was not sick and alleged refusal to cooperate with the medical team at the BSUTH treatment centre. The woman was heard saying in the video: Hi, everybody, this is Susan Idoko Okpe, nee Lawani. I am pleading with everybody to please tell Nigerian government to let me go. This is my 16th day of incarceration. What have I done, what have I done? Benue state lied on me that I have COVID-19. I just got the result yesterday after 15 days and the result is a stage play with different date birthdays, different recordings which they themselves know and trying to put right. YEREVAN, 14 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 14 April, USD exchange rate down by 1.01 drams to 485.52 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.72 drams to 531.30 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.61 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.92 drams to 609.28 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 54.57 drams to 26234.66 drams. Silver price down by 0.49 drams to 236.88 drams. Platinum price down by 23.87 drams to 11473.22 drams. Days after Shatrughan Sinha slammed him for his comments on daughter and actor Sonakshi Sinha, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has now defended his comments, insisting that he took her name only as an example and did not intend to demean her. Mukesh, in an interview about reruns of Mahabharat and Ramayan on TV during lockdown, had said that it will help people like Sonakshi Sinha who have no knowledge about our mythological sagas. Mukesh told Times of India in an interview, People have blown my comment out of proportion and presented it wrongly to Shatruji. I have known him for long and have immense respect for him. I took Sonakshis name as a mere example. It does not mean I was trying to demean her or question her knowledge. My intention was not to target her. However, I am shocked to see how the current generation is not aware of many things. He went on to emphasise his point, Recently, I was watching a video in which an IT student didnt know whose maternal uncle Kans was. Someone even answered Duryodhan to that question. I am not claiming that I am the guardian of Ramayan and Hindu literature, but as a citizen of India, I do feel that it is our duty to introduce our literature and history to todays generation because they are more interested in TikTok and Harry Potter. Once again, if Shatruji feels that taking Sonakshis name was a mistake, then yes, it is. But, it was not intentional. Mukesh essayed the role of Bhishma Pitamah in BR Chopras Mahabhata. Also read: Shah Rukh Khan donates 25000 PPE kits in fight against Covid-19: Together in this endeavour to protect ourselves, humanity Reacting to the news of 90s popular mythological series Mahabharat and Ramayan being rerun on Doordarshan amid the lockdown in wake of Covid-19 pandemic, Mukesh had recently said 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. There is a video doing the rounds where few boys are asked whose Mama (uncle) was Kans and they got scared to answer. Some said Duryodhan, others said something else, so they are not aware of the mythology. Soakshi was unable to answer a Kaun Banega Crorepati question about Ramayan, leading to a meme fest. Without taking his name, Shatruughan had then said, I believe someone has problem with Sonakshi not answering a question on the Ramayan. Firstly what qualifies this person to be an expert on all things to do with the Ramayan? And who has appointed him the guardian of the Hindu religion? Mukeshs Mahabharat co-star Nitish Bhardwaj had also criticised his comments on Sonakshi and said, Why target Sonakshi alone? Theres always a better way to say the same thing. A balanced, soft and empathetic way; and it is received better too. Seniors seem worthy of respect if they walk the path of empathy. Nitish played Lord Krishna to Mukeshs Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat. Follow @htshowbiz for more SACRAMENTO California will need to restructure daily life and dramatically bolster its public health resources in the coming weeks, or possibly months, before it can lift a statewide stay-at-home order meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Newsom laid out a road map to recovery with six factors that he said must be met before restrictions on going to school, doing business and gathering in public can be lifted. They include starting widespread testing that would allow the state to isolate people exposed to the virus and trace people with whom they have come in contact. But even when the lockdown measures are modified, Newsom warned, life will be anything but normal. People might need to wear face coverings in public for months, he said, and mass gatherings could be canceled for the foreseeable future, until the state reaches herd immunity the point at which enough people have been exposed to the virus to prevent its transmission and scientists develop a vaccine. That means there could be no major sporting events or concerts in California for the next year or longer. We are not out of the woods yet, and we are not spiking the ball, Newsom said at a news conference. But we also extend a recognition in that light that this cant be a permanent state, and I want you to know its not. It will not be a permanent state. In addition to developing widespread testing ability, along with building up a public health system that can contain new cases, Newsoms criteria for restarting public life include: More Information Newsom's reopening criteria Gov. Gavin Newsom spelled out six criteria Tuesday that California must meet before the state's stay-at-home order to protect against coronavirus spread can be modified or lifted: 1Widespread testing that would allow the state to isolate people exposed to the virus and trace people with whom they have come in contact. 2The ability for the state to care for older and medically vulnerable Californians, who are most at risk of suffering severe effects from the virus, as they continue to isolate at home. 3The capacity for hospitals to handle a potential surge in patients, plus resume normal preventive and other medical care. 4The identification of promising treatments. 5The development of guidelines for businesses and schools to allow physical distancing even as they reopen. 6The creation of a data-tracking system that provides an early warning if the state needs to reinstate a stay-at-home order. See More Collapse The ability for the state to care for older and medically vulnerable Californians, who are most at risk of suffering severe effects from the virus, as they continue to isolate at home. The capacity for hospitals to handle a potential surge in patients, plus resume normal preventive and other medical care. The identification of promising treatments. The development of guidelines for businesses and schools to allow physical distancing even as they reopen. The creation of a data-tracking system that provides an early warning if the state needs to reinstate a stay-at-home order. We need to have a clear system in place so we know not only when we are making great progress, but also when we need to take a step back, said Sonia Angell, director of the state Department of Public Health. Newsom did not provide a specific timeline for modifying the states stay-at-home order, saying the decision is predicated on our ability to answer all of those questions in an affirmative manner. He added that some communities may reopen before others if local officials determine it is safe to do so. But he suggested that the next two weeks would be critical, telling reporters to ask me the question again in early May. I know you want the timeline, but we cant get ahead of ourselves, Newsom said. Lets not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early. He noted that 71 Californians who had tested positive for the coronavirus died Monday, the most yet in a single day. George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert at UCSF who has worked closely with San Francisco health officials on the citys response to the outbreak, said the states plan aligned with what he and others would recommend. He praised Newsom for not getting bullied into saying well stop by a certain date. If sheltering in place continues to slow the state outbreak, Rutherford added, restrictions could start to be lifted in a month. Id guess the second week of May. But thats just a guess, he said. Thats if everything goes well. This could still go south it could easily go south. Newsom issued the first statewide stay-at-home order in the country March 19, after officials estimated that more than half of Californians could be infected with the coronavirus without drastic action. All but a handful of governors have since followed suit, keeping most of the nation under lockdown except for essential trips for groceries or medical care or to exercise. The slowing spread of the virus in recent weeks shifted Newsoms mind-set to the next phase of the crisis. Although his administration originally projected that California would need 50,000 additional hospital beds during a coronavirus peak in late May, the demand is now tracking far below those estimates. On Monday, there were 3,015 confirmed and 2,000 suspected coronavirus patients in hospitals statewide, less than half of what public health officials expected on that date, according to a model provided by the California Health and Human Services Agency. Key to Newsoms strategy for reopening the state is dramatically increasing access to coronavirus testing and building up public health resources so new cases can be quickly identified and contained before they spark another outbreak. That will require significant investment in staff and equipment over the next few weeks. Art Reingold, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, said he was concerned that most counties lack the necessary staff and resources to contain new infections. He said Newsom failed to outline how certain vulnerable populations such as residents of nursing homes and homeless shelters, and people in jails and prisons would be protected once society reopens. The state already has reported several outbreaks in nursing homes, shelters and prisons. Being ready to ease restrictions means having the staff who can do all this work, Reingold said. How soon could you be ready to do all this? In terms of hiring and training? And where does the money come from? Im not sure. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state health and human services secretary, said the state is working to expand testing so that anyone with symptoms not just the sickest people already at hospitals can be tested. Ghaly said he hopes California will test tens of thousands of people each day by the end of April. The state is now testing about 9,400 people a day. Doctors have complained about a shortage of tests and testing supplies like swabs and chemical reagents. Ghaly did not specify how the state would reach tens of thousands of tests per day. But a state task force has proposed identifying labs with the most unused testing capacity and sending samples there. Once we hit that level and we know that individuals who have symptoms can get tested and the results available rapidly, well be able to think about modifying these orders, Ghaly said. Bay Area health officials imposed their own stay-at-home order three days before Newsom issued his statewide directive. The Bay Area orders are in place through at least May 3. Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer, would not say at a news briefing earlier Tuesday whether the counties would lift restrictions at the same time as the rest of the state. Were thinking very carefully about what we need to have in place in order to ease this very broad mitigation, this very broad shelter in place, Cody said. I know that this is what everyone is talking about and everyone is thinking about. But its enormously complicated. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Catherine Ho contributed to this report. Alexei Koseff and Erin Allday are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff, @erinallday Donald Trump has a unique understanding of federalism. During Monday night's White House coronavirus task force briefing, Trump both blamed governors for their lack of ventilators, and asserted that, when it came to the decision to reopen businesses closed by stay-at-home orders issued by governors, "when somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's gonna be." This fits with the Trump administration's overall response to the pandemic, one that has left frustrated governors fending largely for themselves and pondering a consortium to keep from bidding against one another for essential equipment and to smooth procurement. Although Trump is now claiming total power in his rhetoric, his abdication of federal leadership has left governors struggling to fill the void. Their predicament has left some observers seeing a situation similar to the country's earliest days under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789). The powers of Congress were severely circumscribed and state governments were left to handle disasters alone. In this period, the federal government could claim no responsibility for a public health crisis like the current pandemic. But the situation may actually be more akin to the period after the Constitution was ratified in the hopes of fixing these problems. Even though Congress had many new powers, for years afterward the federal government still refused to take responsibility for the health of American citizens, even when the state governors specifically asked for federal help. As the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 demonstrates, this refusal to accept responsibility could have catastrophic consequences. The Articles of Confederation proved unworkable because the federal government had no executive branch - Congress could make laws, but it could not put them into effect by itself, relying instead on the state governments to enforce those laws. Without a functioning federal government, some states flouted treaties, failed to honor their debts and imposed tariffs that damaged American trade and the international reputation of the United States. The Constitution was intended by many of its framers to improve radically the capacity of Congress to impose its laws directly on the citizens of the United States, and to circumscribe the actions of the state governments in the spheres of foreign, military and fiscal policy. But most early American leaders would claim that the management of public health still fell exclusively to state and local governments. Gov. Henry Lee of Virginia learned this lesson the hard way in the summer of 1793, when he heard that a plague had broken out in the Caribbean. In June, Lee received alarming news: reports were coming in to ports along the Eastern Seaboard that a 'pestilence' was ravaging the Windward Islands. Local authorities knew that ships would be traveling between those islands and the coast of North America, and would almost certainly bring what was likely the deadly yellow fever along with them. Lee was unsure how to respond to this new threat. He had heard that Gov. William Moultrie of South Carolina had imposed a quarantine in the ports of his state, but, Lee asked himself, shouldn't it be the responsibility of the national government to respond to this impending national disaster? So, Lee wrote to his fellow Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington's secretary of state, and a former governor of Virginia himself. Lee told Jefferson that Moultrie had imposed his own state quarantine, but that he himself understood that "the right to act on this subject . . . belongs to the general Government." Virginia had state laws that would allow him to impose a quarantine, yes, but there was a problem. These laws vested the power of managing the process in the customs officials resident in the ports, and the federal government had, by now, taken over the customs service from the states. So, the quarantine would have to be handled by federal officials. But Jefferson disagreed with this interpretation. "No provision on the subject has been made by the laws of the general government," he wrote, "which would enable the President to interfere." As Congress had made no laws specifically addressing the problem of disease management, Jefferson argued, the federal government could not help contain the epidemic. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Jefferson believed federal officials should only act when the Constitution explicitly empowered them to do so. Lee responded, eventually, that the state government would make its own provisions to manage the crisis, and that if the president wanted to, he could direct the customs officers to "contribute to the due execution of the regulations prescribed." But for now, the state would soldier on alone. The results of federal inaction were most visible in Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, where the plague arrived later in the summer and fall. Federal officials living in the city, including Jefferson, fled the disease as fast as they could, leaving the management of the disaster to local officials and physicians. Around 5,000 Philadelphians died in that year's outbreak, while the governments of several nearby towns closed their doors to refugees from the disease-ridden city. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and his wife were turned away from several towns as they traveled through New Jersey on their way to New York that fall, the residents fearing that they carried the infection with them. Federal inaction meant different states and cities took a variety of different measures, some of them astounding in their cruelty. Cities and sometimes entire states set up armed guards at their borders to prevent Philadelphia evacuees from entering. Ships were sent back out to sea without fresh water, and lurid stories circulated of migrants left to die of starvation on the outskirts of towns. The lack of a unified national response increased panic and misinformation, fueling the enactment of these stringent and cruel measures. It also left a handful of ordinary local citizens and medical personnel - men and women, black and white - to attempt to manage the situation in Philadelphia. With little government support, they paid their way with charitable gifts, many of them dying of the fever in the process. Despite these efforts, the yellow fever epidemic was truly a disaster of national proportions. In 1793, not only Philadelphia, but also Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was hit hard by the disease, and it returned the following year to kill many in New York, Charleston, Baltimore, Providence and Norfolk, as Henry Lee had feared. But it would be another five years before Congress and President John Adams, would make any provision for a federal response to epidemic disease by "provid[ing] for the temporary relief and maintenance of sick or disabled seamen" in the ports of the United States. Even so, the federal government generally continued to treat illness and public health as matters for state and municipal governments to manage themselves until after the Civil War. By 1800, many major cities were forced to set up independent municipal Boards of Health to help manage sanitation and prevent the spread of infectious diseases within their limits, while some state governments organized and funded their own hospitals. By leaving the management of epidemic disease to state and local authorities, early American leaders contributed to the chaos and disruption that came with terrifying outbreaks. Today such a posture would be even more dangerous, given our dramatically increased capacity for travel and our interconnectedness. The federal government can avoid these mistakes by coordinating a unified national response to the coronavirus crisis. The success of American federalism has always depended on a cooperative - not a combative - relationship between the nation's different governments. - - - Mallon is a doctoral candidate in History at the University of Oxford, where she works on state-federal relations in the early American republic. In the summer of 1940, as the Nazi war machine marched its way across Europe and set its sights on Britain, the RAF braced for the worst. Young men, in their late teens or early twenties, were trained to fly Spitfires and Hurricanes for the coming Battle for Britain, with others flying Blenheims, Beaufighters and Defiants, becoming the 'aces' who would secure the country's freedom from Hitler's grasp. But Britain's defiance came at a cost. From an estimated crew of 3,000 pilots, roughly half survived the four-month battle, with 544 Fighter Command pilots and crew among the dead, more than 700 from Bomber Command and almost 300 from Coastal Command falling to secure Britain's skies. The losses were heavy, but the Germans, who thought they could eradicate the RAF in a matter of weeks, lost more. 2,500 Luftwaffe aircrew were killed in the battle, forcing German Air Command to reconsider how easily Britain would fall to an invading Nazi occupation force. The pilots who gave everything in the aerial fight for British freedom were named 'The Few', after a speech from Sir Winston Churchill, who said: 'The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion. 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' (pictured: An aerial photograph of Spitfires) After the fall of France to the Axis in May 1940, German High Command considered how best to push the fight across the English Channel to take Britain out of the fight. Up until mid-July the German campaign consisted of relatively small-scale day and night air raids, targeting towns, aerodromes, ports and the aircraft industry. But the Luftwaffe was at full readiness, ready to ramp up attacks on ships and ports and eliminate the RAF in the air and on the ground. After the Allies were defeated in western mainland Europe, the German Air Force set up bases near the Channel to more readily take on Britain, hurriedly establishing the infrastructure needed to co-ordinate an aerial conflict with the UK. As the Battle of Britain begun, the Royal Air Force consistently downed more Axis aircraft than they lost, but British fighters were often overwhelmed by the greater number of enemy aircraft. Pictured: One of the most iconic images of the summer of 1940 and the fight above Dunkirk, with Squadron 610's F/Lt Ellis pictured at the head of his section in DW-O, Sgt Arnfield in DW-K and F/O Warner in DW-Q Fighting in France and Norway had left British squadrons weakened as the time now came to defend the homeland from Nazi occupation, but as the year went on, the RAF's fighting force increased in strength, with more pilots, aircraft and operational squadrons being made available. The Luftwaffe started a mounting campaign of daylight bombing raids, targeting strategic targets such as shipping convoys, ports, and airfields - and probing inland to force RAF squadrons to engage in an attempt to exhaust them. German air units also stepped up night raids across the West, Midlands and East Coast, targeting the aircraft industry with the objective of weakening Britain's Home Defence system, especially that of Fighter Command, in order to prepare for a full-scale aerial assault in August. Heavy losses were sustained on both sides. The main Luftwaffe assault against the RAF, named 'Adler Tag' (Eagle Day), was postponed from August 10 to three days later due to poor weather. Hawker Hurricane planes from No 111 Squadron RAF based at Northolt in flight formation, circa 1940 Pictured: Squadron 610's fighter pilots, a unit which witnessed some of the most intensive aerial combat in the Second World War (taken at RAF Acklington, in Northumberland, between 17-19 September 1940) The Germans' plan was to make RAF Fighter Command abandon south east England within four days and defeat British aerial forces completely in four weeks. The Luftwaffe battled ruthlessly in an attempt to exhaust Fighter Command through ceaseless attacks on ground installations, which were moved further inland, with airfields in southern England facing intensive daylight raids while night attacks targeted ports, shipping targets and the aircraft industry. But despite sustaining heavy damage across the south, Fighter Command continued to push back against the Germans in a series of air battles, which inflicted critical losses upon the enemy, who thought the RAF would have been exhausted by this point. Both sides feared becoming exhausted through the constant engagements. Pictured: German plans to invade Britain, if naval and air superiority was achieved Focus of the German attacks then shifted to London, where the RAF would lose 248 and the Luftwaffe would lose 322 between August 26 and September 6. By September London had become the primary target of Luftwaffe aggression, with large-scale round-the-clock attacks carried out by large bomber formations with fighter escorts. German Air Command had still not exhausted the RAF as it had hoped to, and British forces continued to face off against their German counterparts, with Fighter Command pushing back Hitler's forces, forcing German invasion plans to be postponed. By October, it had become apparent to the Germans that the RAF was still very much intact, and the Luftwaffe struck against Britain with single-engined modified fighter-bombers, which were hard to catch upon entry and still dangerous on their way out. By the middle of the month German strategy had pivoted from exhausting the RAF to a ruthless bombing campaign targeting the Government, civilian population and the war economy - with London still the primary target. But as of November, London became less of a target, with the Battle of Britain morphing into a new conflict - the Blitz. Adam Bond has been the CEO of AFC Energy plc (LON:AFC) since 2014. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels. See our latest analysis for AFC Energy How Does Adam Bond's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? At the time of writing, our data says that AFC Energy plc has a market cap of UK75m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK558k for the year to October 2018. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at UK300k. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations under UK160m, and the median CEO total compensation was UK266k. Pay mix tells us a lot about how a company functions versus the wider industry, and it's no different in the case of AFC Energy. Talking in terms of the sector, salary represented approximately 55% of total compensation out of all the companies we analysed, while other remuneration made up 45% of the pie. AFC Energy is largely mirroring the industry average when it comes to the share a salary enjoys in overall compensation As you can see, Adam Bond is paid more than the median CEO pay at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this does not necessarily mean AFC Energy plc is paying too much. We can better assess whether the pay is overly generous by looking into the underlying business performance. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at AFC Energy has changed from year to year. AIM:AFC CEO Compensation April 14th 2020 Is AFC Energy plc Growing? Over the last three years AFC Energy plc has seen earnings per share (EPS) move in a positive direction by an average of 27% per year (using a line of best fit). It has seen most of its revenue evaporate over the past year. Story continues Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. The lack of revenue growth isn't ideal, but it is the bottom line that counts most in business. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Has AFC Energy plc Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 34% over three years, AFC Energy plc has done well by shareholders. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size. In Summary... We compared total CEO remuneration at AFC Energy plc with the amount paid at companies with a similar market capitalization. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group. Importantly, though, the company has impressed with its earnings per share growth, over three years. On top of that, in the same period, returns to shareholders have been great. Considering this fine result for shareholders, we daresay the CEO compensation might be apt. Taking a breather from CEO compensation, we've spotted 7 warning signs for AFC Energy (of which 3 are significant!) you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. By Peter Nurse Investing.com - European stock markets pushed mostly higher Tuesday, as traders returned from the Easter break hopeful the coronavirus outbreak may be peaking. At 3:35 AM ET (0735 GMT), the DAX in Germany rose 1.1%, France's CAC 40 was up 0.5%, while the FTSE 100 in the U.K. underperformed, falling 0.1%. The broader based Stoxx 600 Europe index climbed 0.8%. The number of confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus is rapidly approaching two million globally, but Italy the worst hit country in Europe in terms of deaths - reported Monday its lowest number of new cases since April 7. In addition, many countries are now beginning to ease some restrictions. Spain has allowed around 300,000 nonessential workers to return to their jobs, while Italy will allow a narrow range of businesses to resume operations this week. Helping the tone Tuesday was the release of better-than-expected Chinese trade data for March as year-on-year exports and imports contracted less than expected. In corporate news, AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) shares climbed 7% after the drugmaker said Tuesday that it would start a clinical trial to assess the potential of its drug Calquence in the treatment of Covid-19. Julius Baer (SIX:BAER) shares dropped 0.5% after the Swiss wealth manager said Tuesday it will propose splitting its 2019 dividend payment into two halves. The announcement follows similar proposals by UBS (NYSE:UBS)and Credit Suisse (SIX:CSGN) after requests from Swiss financial supervisor FINMA that they conserve capital amid the coronavirus pandemic. Valeo (PA:VLOF) shares rose 0.6% despite withdrawing its 2020 guidance on Tuesday due to the widespread coronavirus disruption. The French car parts supplier added that it expects Chinese sales to go back to normal in the coming months. Attention will turn to the start of the U.S. earning season, which will likely show a severe blow to corporate profits from the pandemic. U.S. banking giants JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) are due to issue first quarter results before the bell, and their numbers are likely to be studied carefully as banks tend to be viewed as bellwethers for the wider economy because of their central position in the financial system. Story continues Oil prices have edged higher Tuesday following the weekends deal to cut output by 9.7 million barrels per day in May and June, However, gains are limited as the cuts are still dwarfed by the likely drop in demand in April given the global economic shutdown. The American Petroleum Institute will report its weekly U.S. oil inventory data after the bell, updating traders on the extent of the demand destruction. Last week the API reported a rise in crude stockpiles of nearly 12 million barrels. At 3:40 AM ET, U.S. crude futures traded 0.5% lower at $22.29 a barrel. The international benchmark Brent contract rose 0.5% to $31.89. Elsewhere, gold futures rose 0.3% to $1,765.85/oz, while EUR/USD traded at 1.0930, up 0.2% on the day. Related Articles Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 3.13% Norwegian Air shares drop 60% after proposed debt-for-equity swap Brewer AB InBev halves final dividend and pushes back AGM By Albert Bender People's World On March 25, tribal nations won a notable victory in their long-standing war with the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) when U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg for the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must develop a full environmental review of the much-maligned project. This was a historic triumph for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which with the support of other tribal nations and environmentalist allies, has led the fight against DAPL. The valiant water protectors who stood on the front lines of this struggle in the face of violent, racist attacks by barbarous, brutal Trump-encouraged law enforcement officers must also be acknowledged. (This writer was also at the Standing Rock protests and witnessed the inspiring courage and determination of the protesters). Boasberg has finally found that the Corps prior reviews were legally insufficient under the applicable provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). He was reportedly heavily influenced in his decision by a recent March 1 ruling of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals which ordered that the Corps vacate a permit it had issued to a utility company for the building of transmission towers near historic Jamestown, Va. In a major victory for tribal nations that have fought the Dakota Access Pipeline through two presidential administrations, a federal judge ordered a full environmental review of the controversial project. #NoDAPL #NativeNationsRise #HonorTheTreaties https://t.co/MW9if87RBq indianz.com (@indianz) March 25, 2020 A full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was ordered in that case, National Parks Conservation Association v. Semonite. This is considered a blockbuster decision that has broad implications for tribes nationwide. This case wholly recognized that federally recognized tribal nations have a right to full consultation during the preparation of the EIS. It was also taken into account that Indigenous nations feel the Corps does not take their concerns seriously and will issue a permit without fully considering the available project alternatives or a projects impact on tribal heritage, culture, resources, or religious practices. Citing Semonite, Boasberg has ordered that the Corps prepare an EIS. In his 48-page opinion, the jurist concluded that too many questions remain unanswered. But, while his decision is laudable, Boasberg has left a major question unanswered: Will oil continue to flow through the pipeline in the meantime? It has been in service since June 2016, and this matter is key. Not to rain on anyones parade, but, this where we need to beware. Every single day, this infamous pipeline sends 500,000 barrels of oil across tribal lands. Boasberg has ordered representatives of the opposing parties in the case to present briefs on the issue of whether the easement should be vacated (meaning the oil should stop flowing) while the Corps completes its EIS. The vacating of such an easement that violates NEPA standards is said, even by Boasberg, to be the standard remedy. Keep in mind, a full environmental review by the Corps could take years. The Corps could drag its feet. Will Boasberg follow the law or, to use an old mainstream axiom, just give the much aggrieved Indigenous nations the proverbial half loaf of bread? The issue now before the court is: Will the pipeline be shut down while the EIS is being prepared? In the past, Boasberg has moved with glacial slowness. Previously, this journalist has with scathing criticism referred to Judge Boasberg in very unflattering terms. It remains to be seen whether this jurist will rise to the occasion and render the real justice so long sought by tribal nations in this Herculean struggle or simply award this decision as a palliative to Indigenous people so long victimized by the corporate plutocracy of capitalist America. Will oil continue to flow ad infinitum across tribal lands in violation of all morality and law? The oil must stop flowing! Albert Bender is a Cherokee activist, historian, political columnist, and freelance reporter for Native and Non-Native publications. He was an organizer and delegate to the First and Second Intercontinental Indian Conferences held in Quito, Ecuador and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Recently, he has been an active participant and reporter in the Standing Rock struggle in North Dakota. He is an attorney and is currently writing a legal treatise on Native American sovereignty. He is also writing a book on the war crimes committed by the U.S. against the Maya people in the Guatemalan civil war of the late 20th century. He is also the recipient of several Eagle Awards by the Tennessee Native American Eagle Organization and a former Director of Native American Legal Departments and a Tribal Public Defender. This article originally appeared on People's World . It is published under a Creative Commons license Join the Conversation Related Stories As the coronavirus continues to upend nearly every aspect of our lives, insurance companies are changing the rules on how people can apply for life insurance. To be sure, you can still buy life insurance right now it just might take longer. While the steps for getting life insurance remain the same, how they are done has been adapted, Jon Voegele, board chair of Life Happens, an educational nonprofit supported by insurers and brokers, said in an email. Heres what you should know if youre considering applying for life insurance during the coronavirus pandemic. You can still buy life insurance if you need it Most healthy people can still buy life insurance right now, and life insurance will typically cover coronavirus-related deaths. However, if you currently have symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, or have tested positive for it, you likely wont be able to get life insurance until after youve recovered. Once youre better, you can apply for a policy. If youre healthy and thinking about buying life insurance, know that the application process may take longer for some applicants, but its not too late to get coverage if you need it. I think that this is a good time even if youre young and healthy to take into account your financial situation and that of your survivors, says Steve Weisbart, senior vice president and chief economist at the Insurance Information Institute. Otherwise, In many cases [they] really would be left stranded and in tough shape financially. Delays for international travelers Even before COVID-19, most insurers asked about upcoming international travel on life insurance applications. Now, many companies are implementing waiting periods for international travelers in light of the U.S. State Departments health advisory warning Americans against traveling abroad. If you have recently traveled internationally, or if you have plans to do so, you will likely need to wait to apply for a policy until youve been back in the United States for 30 days. From the companies perspective, If the government is telling you its dangerous to travel, then were not going to issue you a new policy if youre going against [that] guidance, says Erin Ardleigh, founder of Dynama Insurance, an independent brokerage based in New York City. Insurers may alter these restrictions as the health advisory changes. Changes to the medical exam process If youre applying for a life insurance policy that would typically require a medical exam, you may still be able to do an in-person exam as normal. Check with your insurer to see if the medical exam requirement or process has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In some cases, companies are: Extending the deadline to take the medical exam. Accepting medical records from a recent doctors visit in place of an exam. Waiving the medical exam requirement altogether. Using previous medical records can slow the application process. Since many nonessential medical offices are closed, Voegele explains, it can be harder to track down patient records. Also note that there may be policy restrictions around your age and the amount of coverage you can buy when the exam is waived. For instance, Erie announced that it is temporarily waiving its medical exam requirement for policies of up to $500,000 for customers up to age 55. And Prudential wont require exams for new policies of up to $3 million when possible, according to Evan Stisser, a director of global communications for the company. Shop around for the best rates Though its possible that life insurance rates may rise because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ardleigh says she isnt seeing this yet. Even so, rates can vary dramatically depending on the type of coverage you buy and personal factors like your health, age and occupation. Once you determine what type of life insurance is right for you and how much coverage you need, compare life insurance quotes from multiple companies to find your best rate. More From NerdWallet Kayda Norman is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: knorman@nerdwallet.com. By Akbar Mammadov The missile and artillery units of the Azerbaijan army have launched live-fire training exercises at combined-arms training ranges, various rocket-artillery units are carrying out combat firing on 14 April, in line with the combat training plan for 2020 approved by the Defence Ministry, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported on 14 April. "The exercises aim to improve the skills in the management of artillery units and increase the level of combat coordination of these units, to plan the actions during combat operations, and to organize interoperability with other types of troops," the ministry's report reads. In addition, the troops of Nakhchivan garrison launched command staff exercises with the involvement of several military formations and units on 13 April. The subunits of military formations and units have been brought into the state of combat readiness of various levels and withdrawn to areas of concentration and combat support, including to firing and starting positions to accomplish the tasks of camouflaging the terrain, and also to carry out measures for the protection and engineering support, the ministry reported. The military personnel worked out to suppress the activities of reconnaissance and sabotage groups, to repel air attacks, as well as missile and artillery attacks of the enemy. Stationary and mobile radio stations have been opened to organize management in the training area, the Defense Ministry notes. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz More than 620,000 people have registered an interest in accessing their retirement savings under the government's temporary early super release scheme one of a host of measures to help households make ends meet and to keep the economy on life support during the coronavirus crisis. Those in financial hardship are able to access up to $10,000, tax free, this financial year and a further 10,000, tax free, from July 1 until September 24, when the measure ends. Those considering accessing their super should first consider other forms of financial assistance being offered by the government and the effect of early withdrawal on their income in retirement. Credit:Illustration: Simon Letch With almost 11 weeks to the cut-off date to apply for the first $10,000, the amount of super withdrawn could exceed Treasury's estimate of $27 billion. However, anyone thinking of applying for their super should be aware of the detrimental consequences that the action would have on their retirement income. Sanjay Raut on chopper tragedy: We claim to have modernised armed forces, how could this happen? Campaign curbs should apply to all, PM Modi must lead by example: Sena's Raut Coronavirus outbreak: Shiv Sena, NCP slam PM Modi; Question about India's economic concerns India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Mumbai, Apr 14: The Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation lacked substance. This comment by the two political parties came after PM Modi did not suggest ways to strengthen the economy or a relief package for the poor and those worst hit by the lockdown. Manish Kayande, the Shiv Sena spokesperson took a dig at the Prime Minister, saying that PM Modi did not give any activity to people this time like clanging utensils or lighting lamps. Coronavirus outbreak: Chidambaram unhappy with the lockdown extension, slams Centre While addressing the nation, PM Modi said that some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots. Reacting to this, Kayande said the Prime Minister could have announced extension of the lockdown on Wednesday itself along with the new guidelines, instead of declaring it separately. Also, Maharashtra Minister and NCP national spokesman Nawab Malik noted that the Prime Minister talked about helping the poor. Reacting to this, Malik said, "But, he could have announced a package on behalf of the central government to help the poor, those working in the unorganised sector who are the worst hit due to the lockdown. There was no mention of it anywhere." With warmer weather on the horizon and thousands of residential pools across the region, can an individual hire someone to open a pool during the COVID-19 pandemic? Its a question that puts swimming pool maintenance companies in line with many other businesses across the state with questions about whether their business is essential or non-essential under Gov. Cuomos New York Pause executive order. The majority of the states pool maintenance businesses have stopped offering pool opening services and in many cases closed their doors for the time being, basing their decision on information given to them by the Northeast Spa and Pool Association and Hot Tub Alliance, the two main trade groups representing the industry in New York. In an email recently sent out to members, the two groups informed them that as a result of information received from the state, swimming pool maintenance is considered an essential service, while opening a swimming pool is not. The two groups told members they were currently asking the state to change its position on opening pools and that the service should be classified as essential for the same reason that pool maintenance is essential. Members were told the situation seemed to be changing daily and the two groups promised to keep them abreast of any changes. Not all businesses, though, have fallen in line with cancelling all pool openings until further notice, Cannon Pools and Spas, based in North Syracuse. Cannon is one of Central New Yorks largest swimming pool installer and maintenance companies, with five stores in the region. Its owner, Clifford Malzman, maintains opening a swimming pool and treating it with the proper chemicals is an essential service necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residences or other businesses, as outlined in the governors order. Malzmans five stores in North Syracuse, Auburn, Cortland, Fulton and Oneida are currently serving its customers by remaining open seven days a week and allowing curbside pickups of pool sanitizing chemicals, pool parts and other products. Customers arent allowed in the stores. Cannon is currently not building any pools and has stopped offering customers all other external services, with the exception of one pool openings and sanitizing of the pools waters. The company has a number of jobs lined up for this month and next. One thing Malzman and others agree upon on is that a swimming pool thats left to stagnant and doesnt get treated with the proper chemicals can result in an unsanitary and unhealthy situation. Water thats not circulated, not treated, on a bigger picture can lead to more mosquitoes and other problems that can spread around, said Dominick Mondi, Executive Director of the Northeast Spa and Pool Association said in an April 10 story reported by WBKW.com. But on a personal perspective if someone has a pool that is not treated or maintained at the level its supposed to be, and continue to use it, there could be personal health issues as well. Malzman added: Of course there is the safety issue, because without disinfection, all of these pools will shortly turn green. If a toddler falls into a green pool, it would be very difficult to locate and save the child. Does anyone want to be responsible for allowing that scenario. In the WBKW.com story, Mondi again said pool openings were not considered essential. Malzman points to Section 11 of the Empire State Developments guide on the executive order that lists disinfection as an essential service. Along with that guideline, is that any business that offers such a service should take all necessary precautions to keep proper social distance and reduce risks of infecting the homeowner or their employees. He said he reached out to Central New Yorks Empire State Development office, describing the work his company does and importance of disinfecting pools, spas and fountains. We were asking for the ability to disinfect stagnant water that has been sitting untouched for seven months, Malzman said. The office responded with an email stating that due to the huge volume of requests from businesses seeking confirmation that they are essential, it is unable to send back written confirmation to all the companies that meet the guidelines Given that you are already essential, you will not receive any further communication from ESD, the email noted. However, there was no specific reference in the email to opening pools. Malzman said his workers arrive at a job wearing masks and gloves and take care to stay clear of customers and anyone else, getting no closer than six feet. Their trucks surfaces are sanitized each morning and each tech only uses his own tools. Prior to every pool opening an email is sent to the pool owner asking that the following be strictly followed: *Before Cannon staff arrive, The power of the pool must be on and all equipment (pump and filter, handrails, ladder, safety cover bag, etc.) must be left poolside untouched for 72 hours. Failure to do so will require an additional trip and cost. *Once the pool opening is complete, the winter equipment will be left by the pool for the homeowner to put away. We would suggest leaving them outside 72 hours before handling. Malzmans interpretaton of the governors order and his companys actions does not sit well with others. As much as anyone would like to claim ignorance of this fact, all of the major companies in Central New York; Cannon, Tarson, Liverpool and my company CoolWaters received the same email (from the two trade groups), said Andrew Aitchison, CEO of CoolWaters Pool and Spa, which has businesses in Syracuse, Fulton and Liverpool. Some companies should not be rewarded while those following all guidelines are economically disadvantaged. he said. Aitchison provided a copy of a letter written by the President and CEO of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance and the North East Spa and Pool Association to acting Commissioner Eric Gertler of the Empire State Development Corp asking him to reverse his decision. To his knowledge, Gertler has not changed his stance, Aitchison said. From everything Im reading and thats being talking about, though, I do feel pool openings in the near future should and will be deemed essential, he said. One final thing, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools, hot tubs or spas, or water playgrounds. Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection (e.g., with chlorine and bromine) of pools, hot tubs or spas, and water playgrounds should inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Susan Tompor: Coronavirus confusion plagues 2020 tax season Small businesses, apply now: About two-thirds of federal relief funds have been claimed When will coronavirus shutdown end? Were not there yet,' Dr. Fauci says Help for small businesses: List of NY banks, financial institutions providing coronavirus relief How to get free legal help in Onondaga County to file coronavirus-related unemployment claims VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / FIORE GOLD LTD. (TSXV:F)(FIOGF) ("Fiore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce preliminary production results for the Company's second fiscal quarter ("Q2") of 2020 for its Pan open pit mine in White Pine County, Nevada. Highlights: Q2 gold production of 12,085 ounces representing a production record for the Pan Mine and a 38% increase compared to Q1 2020 Gold sales of 12,026 ounces at an average realized price of $1,576 per ounce, all sales unhedged Mined ore production in Q2 of 14,177 tons per day with a stripping ratio of 1.8:1.0 and grade of 0.016 ounces/ton Closing cash balance of $9.1 million, an increase of $2.6 million relative to our last reported cash at December 31, 2019 29,014 man-hours worked in Q2 with one reportable incident and zero lost-time injuries Results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment released on April 9 th demonstrating positive economics for the Gold Rock project with opportunities to further enhance value Mining declared an essential business in Nevada and the Pan Mine continues to operate with strict protocols in place focused on protecting the health and safety of our employees Pan exploration drilling continued in the quarter, program expected to conclude in April 2020 with a resource update and new life of mine plan issued in H2 2020 Tim Warman, Fiore's CEO commented, "In Q2 2020, the crushing circuit at Pan demonstrated its true potential as the mine produced over 12,000 gold ounces at the higher recovery levels we expected after transitioning to crushing. These higher production levels came at the same time as increased gold prices allowing us to put cash on the balance sheet while continuing to invest in drilling at Pan. At the same time, we recognize the inherent risk posed by COVID-19. The health and safety of our employees comes first, and we have put a range of operating protocols in place to best mitigate the risk to them. We are fortunate that we have no reported cases at site and continue to operate. We are in continual contact with our partners and have not had any meaningful disruptions to our supply chain, key contractors or refiners. We are pleased we can reiterate our 2020 guidance but acknowledge the uncertainty of the upcoming period. With our strengthened balance sheet and contingency planning in place we are well prepared to meet potential challenges." Story continues Technical Disclosure The scientific and technical information relating to Fiore Gold's properties contained in this news release was approved by J. Ross MacLean (MMSA), Fiore Gold's Chief Operating Officer and a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101. 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: continue to grow gold production at the Pan Mine, while increasing the resource and reserve base advance the development of the nearby Gold Rock project 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, statements regarding , expectations for future performance of the Pan Mine, 2020 Guidance, ore grades, gold production, strip ratios, mining rates and productivities, performance and benefits expected from the primary crushing circuit, future success attributed to operating changes, gold production, ability to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, effectiveness of protocols to address COVID-19, expectations regarding continued operations suppliers, refiners and contractors, projections and expectations regarding the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Gold Rock project, growing gold production at the Pan Mine while increasing the resource and reserve base, advancing exploration and development of the Gold Rock project, goal to become a 150,000-ounce producer, goal to acquire additional production or near production assets, and other statements, estimates or expectations. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "targets", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "scheduled", "estimates", "aims", "will", "believes", "projects" and similar expressions (including negative variations) which by their nature refer to future events. By their very nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Fiore Gold's control. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, as well as a number of assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company concerning, among other things, anticipated geological formations, potential mineralization, future plans for exploration and/or development, potential future production, ability to obtain permits for future operations, drilling exposure, and exploration budgets and timing of expenditures, all of which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Fiore Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward looking statements include, but not limited to, risks related to the Pan Mine performance, risks related to the company's limited operating history; risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including government restrictions impacting our operations, risks the pandemic poses to our work-force, impact the virus may have on our ability to obtain services and materials from suppliers and contractors; 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 maintained, obtained or renewed 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 filing with Canadian securities authorities under its profile at www.sedar.com respecting the risks affecting Fiore Gold and its business. Although Fiore Gold 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. FY2020 Guidance projections are considered "forward-looking statements" and represent management's good faith estimates or expectations of future production results as of the date hereof. Guidance is based upon certain assumptions, including, but not limited to, metal prices, oil prices, operating costs, ore grades and recoveries, and other assumptions. Additional details of these assumptions can be found in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis under its profile at www.sedar.com. Such assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance projections cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon guidance as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. SOURCE: Fiore Gold Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584876/Fiore-Gold-Reports-38-Increase-in-Gold-Production-Compared-to-Q1-2020 GRAND RAPIDS, MI Missing your favorite burger? Eager to take a night off from cooking dinner at home? While dine-in service at Michigans bars and restaurants is closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, many restaurants are offering carry-out service and delivery. Delivery, for restaurants that dont offer it directly, can often be accessed through third-party providers such as Uber Eats, Grub Hub or Door Dash. Heres a look at a five places in Grand Rapids to consider for Takeout Tuesday. One Twenty Three Tavern Located at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids, One Twenty Three Tavern offers a variety of menu items, ranging from burgers and tacos and sliders to entrees such as corned beef hash, meatloaf and shrimp n grits. The restaurants updated menu is available on Facebook. An order can be placed by calling (616) 900-9123 or though Uber Eats. One Twenty Three Tavern is located at 123 Ionia Ave. SW. Rockford Brewing Company Rockford Brewing Company is open for takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery for customers who live within five miles of the brewery, 12 E. Bridge St. NE. in Rockford. Delivery is limited to orders of at least $20 and carries a $2 fee. A host of items are available, ranging from appetizers such as pimento dip and chips to entrees that include Korean sticky wings, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Theres also a range of beer available for pickup and delivery. Beltline Bar Known for its wet burrito, Beltline Bar, 16 28th St. SE, is offering takeout. The restaurants menu includes burgers, fajitas, tacos, wet burritos, enchiladas and more. The famous wet burrito served at the Grand Rapids restaurant has been named one of the best in America by Food & Wine Magazine. The Loaded wet burrito includes seasoned ground beef, ham, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, queso, burrito sauce and Colby cheese. Food can be ordered by calling (616) 245-0494. Hancock Hancock specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken and southern-inspired dishes such as braised greens, baked beans. macaroni and cheese, and more. It also offers chicken and fish sandwiches, and a smash burger. Located at 1157 Wealthy St. SE, food can be ordered from Hancock by calling (616) 805-4232. The Mitten Brewing Co. Located at 527 Leonard St. NW in Grand Rapids, The Mitten offers a wide selection of sandwiches, appetizers and pizzas. On its Facebook page, the brewery advertised its pizza of the week, Green, Eggs, and Ham. It features, spinach, pesto, ham, mozzarella and cheesy scrambled eggs. To place an order, call (616) 608-5612 If you would like your restaurant featured in this carryout and delivery series, please email bmcvicar@mlive.com. PREVENTION TIPS Read more: Takeout Tuesday: 5 Muskegon-area restaurants to visit -- from a distance IRS deposits first round of coronavirus stimulus checks into bank accounts A coronavirus specimens trip from a patients nostril through a Michigan testing lab Theres a new norm in China after coronavirus, say Chinese Americans in mid-Michigan Hygiene product manufacturers are struggling to supply hospitals, aged-care facilities, schools and the hospitality industry with hand sanitiser because of severe shortages of raw ingredients and packaging. The federal government has called on manufacturers to consider a war-style shift to produce medical supplies such as hand sanitisers, and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian appealed to businesses to "re-tool" to supply products that are usually imported from overseas. Chris Short, managing director of Adelaide company Dominant, said more alcohol had been available in the past week, but it had been difficult to source bottles. Credit:Tracey Nearmy But established manufacturers say the difficulty in obtaining bottles, caps, labels, alcohol and other raw ingredients is limiting their ability to scale up to meet the demand. About three-quarters of manufacturers reported shortages of ethanol, bottle pumps and sprays, and more than half were having trouble sourcing bottles, pouches and gelling agents, according to a survey by industry group Accord to be released on Tuesday evening. While the daily tributes to the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic are inspiring and appreciated, it seems it would also be fitting to institute some community-wide ritual observance of sympathy and respect to honor the memories of those whove lost their lives and their grief-stricken loved ones. Perhaps it could be by turning out the lights at city hall for one minute each day, lowering flags to half-staff, the playing of Taps or a candle in the window. There should just be some way to acknowledge, on a daily basis, the great loss to our community, country and wider world. Candace Forest, San Francisco Dont waste the supplies Im stunned to read in Farmers hurting as supply lines lag (Page 1, April 13) that many California dairy farmers cant find places to deliver their milk and have resorted to dumping it in their manure ponds. Also, that produce harvested this time of year has begun to be stockpiled, and growers say some may be left in the field to wither. According to the Feeding America website, more than 37 million people struggle with hunger in the United States, including more than 11 million children. Why cant our federal government provide financial assistance to the refrigerated trucking and air freight industries to enable this milk, fruits and vegetables to get to our nations hungry families? Greta Von Albrecht, Milpitas Catch-22 in 2020 So, according to Burdened with debt, Millennials face crisis (Business, April 13), adults who are in their 20s and 30s arent faring as well as their Generation X predecessors, except for those with college degrees. And yet, the cost of higher education is prohibitively expensive for so many of these younger Americans? A better title for this article might have been Catch-22 in 2020. Esteban Hernandez, San Francisco An Easter celebration Thanks for More people, fewer bonds in online Easter services (Page 1, April 13). This year, in addition to attending virtual church services, my family spent Easter dyeing eggs for our kids to have an in-house egg hunt, baking cupcakes with confetti frosting and drawing colorful chalk bunnies on our small backyard patio. And for a bit of movie nostalgia, we all watched Easter Parade, which features a bunch of great Irving Berlin songs. If youre feeling down during this long shelter-in-place pandemic, just watch that Shakin the Blues Away film number with the late, great Ann Miller singing and tap-dancing across a soundstage to help lift your spirits. Donna Delvecchio, Santa Clara SFUSDs wise decision Regarding Parents angry many schools arent yet doing online teaching (April 12): I am a teacher in San Francisco Unified School District, and my colleagues and I agreed with the SFUSD decision to take time to reopen schools. Most of us have to retool and completely redesign lessons. I personally had to learn new technology I had never used before. Many students had to get computers and figure out how to access the internet at home. We are deeply concerned about our low-income students. Some have to find jobs, as their parents have been laid off. Others have had to move. Some have sick family members. All are extremely stressed. In addition, we were all dealing with our own families and the stress of the pandemic. Many teachers are parents and suddenly must manage homeschooling their children. Imagine this stress for the single parents who are teachers. I personally dont know how these families are managing. I get that parents are frustrated. We are, too. But, that said, SFUSD made a wise decision. This is a pandemic. These are unprecedented times and not business as usual. Barbara Blinick, San Francisco Keep medicines flowing Regarding Bay hospitals prepare for increase in patients (Page 1, April 4): The article discusses how hospitals are preparing for a potential uptick in coronavirus cases. This is a scary time for Californians. As the impact from the virus continues to unfold, Id like to reassure those on the front lines that Americas pharmaceutical distributors are committed to working across the entire health care system to get available medications where they are needed most while adapting to the increasing demand were seeing in California and beyond. Pharmaceutical distributors are in constant contact with manufacturers across the globe, federal and state government officials, and health care providers right here in California. As the coronavirus pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to the nations health care supply chain, distributors are using their previous experience responding to natural disasters and states of emergency to keep medicines flowing to the areas that need them most. As the country continues fighting to flatten the curve, Americas wholesale distributors will be there every step of the way. Together, with the continued support of our government and supply chain partners, we will do everything we can to keep the nations health care supply chain operational, and, ultimately, overcome this crisis. "We were encouraging people not to go to the polls if they could avoid going to the polls. And indeed, I think thats exactly the same thing that we need to do even more so when we get to the general election," Pritzker said Monday. Im advocating that everybody should be applying for a mail ballot if they can, and thats virtually everybody, and to vote by mail. People watch a TV screen airing reports about North Korea's firing missiles with file images of missiles at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday. Read more SEOUL, South Korea A barrage of North Korean missiles fired from the ground and fighter jets splashed down on the waters off the countrys east coast on Tuesday, South Koreas military said, a show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary in the North and parliamentary elections in the rival South. The back-to-back launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests that North Korea has conducted in recent weeks amid stalled nuclear talks and outside worries about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country. North Korean troops based in the eastern coastal city of Munchon first launched several projectiles presumed to be cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The weapons flew more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) at a low altitude off the Norths east coast, a South Korean defense official said. If confirmed, it would be the Norths first cruise missile launch in about three years, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. Later Tuesday, North Korea launched several Sukhoi-class fighter jets that fired an unspecified number of air-to-surface missiles toward the Norths eastern waters, the defense official said. The official said North Korea has recently appeared to be resuming its military drills that it had scaled back due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. He said other North Korean fighter jets also flew on patrol near the border with China on Tuesday. All the recently tested missiles were short-range and didnt pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. A test of a missile capable of reaching the U.S. homeland would end North Koreas self-imposed moratorium on major weapons tests and likely completely derail nuclear diplomacy with the United States. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern at the latest missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK, the country's official name. Once again we call on the DPRK leadership to comply fully with its obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, referring to U.N. bans on ballistic missile launches. The secretary-general reiterates that diplomatic engagement remains the only path with sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization," Dujarric said. U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons has largely been deadlocked since the February 2019 collapse of a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi. Negotiations faltered after the U.S. rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the Norths nuclear capabilities. Some experts say North Korea likely used the latest weapons launches to bolster its striking capability against South Korea, which has been introducing U.S.-made stealth F-35 jets and other sophisticated conventional weapons systems in recent years. Others say the latest weapons tests were also aimed at shoring up internal unity in the face of U.S.-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. Go Myong-Hyun, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy, said North Korea also wants to maintain tensions to secure leverage over the U.S. in future negotiations. North Korea wants to create and maintain tensions, but still aims to prevent those tensions from growing too much and pressuring the U.S. a lot, Go said. Cruise missiles fly at a lower altitude and slower speed than ballistic missiles, making them easier to intercept, but they are still considered more accurate. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from engaging in any ballistic activities, but not cruise missile tests. If the cruise missiles tested on Tuesday were newly developed weapons, they would still present a challenge to the South Korean and U.S. militaries, Go said. South Koreas military said it was analyzing details of the launches. The launches came a day before North Korea marks the 108th birthday of the country's late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. They also came a day ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections. In the South Korean elections, President Moon Jae-ins liberal ruling party, which espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, is expected to defeat the main conservative opposition amid a slowdown in the number of new coronavirus infections in South Korea, according to pre-election surveys. North Korea has repeatedly said there has been no coronavirus outbreak on its soil. But many foreign experts are skeptical of that claim and have warned that an outbreak in the North could become a humanitarian disaster because of the countrys chronic lack of medical supplies and fragile health care infrastructure. An Illinois teenager has been arrested and is facing first-degree murder charges after CTA video shows he struck and pushed a man at Jackson station in Chicago. The man was struck by a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train last week, killing him. Chicago authorities said that 18-year-old Ryan Munn was apprehended and arrested in his Chicago home on Friday. Munn was one of three men who started arguing with 29-year-old Mamadou M. Balde at Jackson station on the afternoon of April 7. CTA surveillance footage from the station showed that Munn punched and pushed Balde to the track where an oncoming train struck and killed him, police said, according to The Chicago Tribune. Balde, a former Marine veteran who served for two tours in Afghanistan, was found dead by responding officers between two cars at the CTA Red Line station. His death was later ruled as a homicide. The Cook County medical examiner said Balde had multiple injuries, which resulted in his death, according to CrimeOnline. Prosecutors said Munn and the two men who accompanied him left the station but were recognized by officers and witnesses. The two men that accompanied Munn also reportedly punched Balde but currently remain at large. According to court records, Munn appeared in court on Sunday and was ordered held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for this Friday. He Didnt Want a Confrontation Baldes father said he didnt want to get into a fight. The surveillance footage showed Balde turned to walk away from the confrontation, The Chicago Tribune reported. He didnt want to fight, Baldes father told the outlet. Yes, I am mad. That is correct. This guy gave his life for his country, and three people throw him on the train. As the investigation is ongoing, it is still unclear what the dispute between the former marine veteran and the three men was about. The incident disrupted rail transits at Jackson station on the Red and Purple lines that day during the rush hours. Several violent attacks have been reported this year, including a fatal shooting that prompted the increase of police presence at CTA stations. Last weeks incident marked one of the deadliest days of violence in the City of Chicago in nearly two years, with eight homicides reported in a single day, Breitbart reported. The Associated Press reported. The Bureau of the Sixth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) has met and adopted an action plan establishing key priorities for implementing key messages from the forum that was held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in February. Chaired by Zimbabwes Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Mr. Paul Mavima, this was the Bureaus first meeting since the adoption of the Victoria Falls Declaration on the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in Africa. The Decade of Action calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the worlds biggest challenges, ranging from poverty and gender to climate change, inequality and closing the finance gap. With the coronavirus pandemic raging on the continent, members of the bureau recognized the unprecedented and serious challenges being caused by COVID-19 and noted with grave concern the growing loss of human lives and huge negative economic and social impacts of the crisis on the continent. Africa, they agreed, was likely to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic given the regions underlying vulnerabilities. The Economic Commission for Africas (ECA) recent analysis on the impact of the pandemic estimates that economic growth on the continent is expected to drop from 3.2 percent to 1.8 percent. As of March 2020, a decline of 1.4 percentage points is expected from the effects of COVID-19. Africas Finance Ministers have called for an initial support package of US$ 100 billion in 2020 to cushion their nations from impacts of the pandemic. The bureau agreed that COVID-19 reinforced the need for stronger global and regional partnerships if the sustainable development goals are to be fully achieved and to build resilience to social, economic and environmental shocks and calamities. Member States and other actors were urged to take urgent and collective measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, provide the necessary support to affected communities and address the social and economic implications of the pandemic. Bureau members, Zimbabwe (Chair), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Liberia and Morocco, pledged their full commitment to expand outreach, and to take and promote concrete actions in following-up and implementing the outcomes of the sixth ARFSD. The action plan, which will be implemented with the support of ECA, regional organizations and the rest of the UN Development system, recognizes the challenges and need for quality and timely data and statistics for evidence-based planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting on the 2030 Agenda and the African Unions Agenda 2063. The Bureau is expected to finalize by August, the strategic framework of the Solidarity Fund for Statistical Development in Africa, as agreed in the Marrakech Declaration of the Fifth session of the regional forum; and develop a regional strategy to operationalize the Victoria Falls Declaration on the Decade of Action and delivery for sustainable development and key messages of the sixth regional forum by November 2020. Outcomes of the Victoria Falls forum will be conveyed to the 2020 meeting of the High-level political forum on sustainable development to be convened under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in July. The Bureau committed to contribute to strengthening the capacity of member States and catalyse concrete multi-level actions to follow-up and implement outcomes of the regional forum by carrying out advocacy campaigns at key conferences and other events at global, regional, sub-regional and national levels. Members also agreed that they will take forward and expand initiatives to strengthen the capacity of subnational authorities in selected countries to conduct Voluntary Local Review to better domesticate and bolster local action to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. They requested the ECA, which supported the virtual meeting as the Secretariat, and its partners to develop a monitoring and evaluation tool that will enable tracking and comparability of progress of implementation across countries in the region. The ARFSD is an intergovernmental forum convened by the ECA in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and agencies of the UN system. Taiwan Reports No New COVID-19 Cases for First Time in a Month As the number of confirmed global COVID-19 infections nears 2 million, Taiwan on April 14 reported no new cases for the first time in more than a month. Of course, we hope it has passed, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a news conference, referring to the outbreak on the island. Chen said the last time Taiwan reported no new cases was March 9, after which numbers spiked for a time as people came back to the island from places now reeling from the pandemic in Europe and the United States. But we still need to be on our guard. Of course, we feel happy at no new cases today, he said. Taiwan has reported a total of 393 COVID-19 infections as of April 14. Of these, 338 were so-called imported cases, in which people were suspected of being infected overseas before entering Taiwan, with the rest cases of local transmissions. It has navigated the pandemic with extraordinary skill given its proximity to the source, resulting in only six deaths in a country of over 23 million, noted Roger L. Simon, senior political columnist for The Epoch Times. They are also a thriving democracy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, has spread aggressively across the world, with a Johns Hopkins tally on April 14 showing more than 1.9 million infections globally. At the time of reporting, the number of fatalities attributed to the virus worldwide stood at 125,196. The lack of any new cases of the virus in Taiwan and a death toll of just six are the latest signs that the islands approach to the outbreak has paid off. Taiwan has won praise from health experts for how it has fought the virus. The self-governing island, which isnt part of the World Health Organization (WHO), started screening arrivals from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, as early as Dec. 31, the same day it found out about what was then a mysterious new respiratory illness. By Jan. 5, anyone who had traveled to Wuhan in the previous 14 days was screened. Then on Jan. 26, Taiwan became the first country to ban flights to and from Wuhan, before eventually banning all Chinese visitors on Feb. 6. The effectiveness of the Taiwanese response is all the more impressive given that its not a member of the World Health Organization, wrote Young Kim, a former state assemblywoman and current Republican nominee for Californias 39th Congressional District, in an op-ed for The Epoch Times. Beijing has always rejected Taiwans membership as part of its decades-long policy of attempting to isolate it and diminishing its legal autonomy, Kim added. Taiwan has accused the WHO of ignoring its questions about the virus at the start of the outbreak, and stated it wasnt given information about the pathogen, including whether there was human-to-human transmission. Still, despite the low number of COVID-19 infections in Taiwan, restrictions remain in place, such as compulsory 14-day quarantines for all arrivals onto the island. Taiwan hasnt gone into total lockdown because of the virus, and life has continued relatively normally, though the government has promoted social distancing and mandated the wearing of masks on public transport. Reuters contributed to this report. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Dr. Josh Eisen, candidate for New York's 17th Congressional District in Congress: Mark Cuban recently complained that American banks are "playing games" by holding up loans under the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). He has a point, but the banks have legitimate cause for concern. Cuban is correct that the PPP is designed to ensure that the employees are paid. He is right when he asserts that it is not a traditional loan because of the forgiveness provisions on the backend. Banks are correct in wanting to know how money will be repaid. Cuban fails to consider companies that take the loans under PPP, but do not use the money for payroll or in ways which trigger forgiveness. These are the loans that concern the banks. Banks are not worried about the companies that will pay their employees, otherwise qualify for forgiveness or that have good credit. While Cuban is correct in spirit, banking is not a spiritual affair. Fortunately, there is an easy way to match Cuban's spirituality with the legalities of moving money. The banks should not be part of it. The government should pay employees directly as they are doing with the stimulus checks and as other governments propose for their labor forces. The IRS has enough information from the payrolls and filings of enough companies to pay employees directly based on straightforward guidelines. Currently, banks are expected to make loans to companies under PPP in order to ensure that jobs are safe, and employees are paid. If companies do as they are supposed to do, the government will forgive the loan and repay any money laid out by the banks. The problem is that banks do not have clear guidance from the government about who is on the hook and when. Specifically, they lack guidance for loans made to companies that do not qualify for forgiveness. Even if they had such guidance, the government has changed the rules before when they were not explicitly codified into law, as they aren't with the PPP. Essentially, the banks are expected to lay out money without knowing from where it will come and to where it will go. Ideally, the money comes from the government and goes to workers. Giving cash directly to bona fide company employees is more efficient than offering loans that might be grants with murky guidance. There is still time for Congress, the Treasury and the White House to do the smart and efficient thing, and at the same time to do right by American workers. They can find a way to pay workers directly. If not all workers, as many as possible with the information readily available from payroll reporting to the IRS. That will relieve the banks, get cash to workers, and satisfy Mark Cuban and his spirits. For press inquiries, contact [email protected]. SOURCE Eisen For Congress, Inc. The United States put on a show of force with an 'elephant walk' of bombers on its Air Force base in Guam after China threatened Taiwan with an aircraft carrier and strike group over the weekend. On Monday, the Andersen Air Force Base, which is about 1,800 miles east of China, flexed its military strength with at least a dozen aircraft from the US Navy and Air Force. An elephant walk is a procession of military aircraft taxiing close in formation right before a minimum interval takeoff. On Monday, the Andersen Air Force Base, which is about 1,800 miles east of China, flexed its military strength with an elephant walk of at least a dozen aircraft from the US Navy and Air Force A U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk, U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk, Navy MQ-4C Triton, Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses, and KC-135 Stratotankers stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, perform an 'Elephant Walk' April 13, 2020 The elephant walk came just days after China sent its aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and fighter jets close to Taiwan (depicted above) According to The Aviationist, the procession included a Navy MH-60S Knighthawk, Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk, five Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers and six KC-135 Stratotankers. The elephant walk came just days after China sent an aircraft carrier and fighter jets close to Taiwan. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier, and five accompanying warships passed first through the Miyako Strait, located between Japan's islands of Miyako and Okinawa, to the northeast of Taiwan, on Saturday. U.S. Navy Air Crewman 2nd Class Zach Morrissey, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, prepares to travel over Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during an 'Elephant Walk' Morriseey travels over Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during an 'Elephant Walk' On Sunday, the carrier group, which included two 052D guided-missile destroyers - the Xining and Guiyang - two 054A guided-missile frigates - the Zaozhuang and Rizhao - and supply ship, the Hulunhu, sailed in waters on Taiwan's east coast and then into seas to the south of Taiwan, carrying out exercises, the ministry said. Taiwan's armed forces monitored the carrier group's progress throughout and 'completed relevant actions in response to ensure national security and protect regional peace and stability'. There was no immediate response from China's Defense Ministry. The USS Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are the only two US carriers in the Pacific, but both have been forced to dock due to confirmed coronavirus cases onboard, which effectively gives China free range in the region. The Elephant Walk showcases the 36th Wing's readiness and ability to generate combat airpower at a moment's notice to ensure regional stability throughout the Indo-Pacific A U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk, MQ-4C Triton, U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk, B-52 Stratofortresses, and KC-135 Stratotankers stationed at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, perform an 'Elephant Walk' Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the Liaoning (file image), China's first operational aircraft carrier, and five accompanying warships passed first through the Miyako Strait, located between Japan's islands of Miyako and Okinawa, to the northeast of Taiwan, on Saturday The Liaoning, which can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, is currently the only aircraft carrier active in the western Pacific. The USS Roosevelt, which is currently docked in Guam, reported its first death of a sailor who previously tested positive for the virus on Monday. Nearly 600 sailors on the aircraft carrier have now tested positive for COVID-19 with about 92 per cent of the ship's crew having been tested. Officials said the USS Reagan is currently docked in Yokosuka, Japan, for maintenance, but crew members have also reported coronavirus cases onboard. The US military has also been active in waters near Taiwan recently. A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day that Chinese fighter jets drilled in waters close to the island. Last month, US warship USS McCampbell sailed through the Taiwan Strait. The guided missile destroyer had transited the strait on a 'routine mission' through the waterway, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry. The potential crippling of the US Navy in the Pacific is alarming news given escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Beijing and Washington have traded barbs over the origin of the coronavirus, with President Donald Trump angering Beijing by calling it the 'China virus'. Senior Chinese officials have also spread conspiracy theories about the virus' origin. A lawsuit filed against Southwest Airlines alleges the carrier violated its contract with customers by failing to provide refunds for flights canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the suit, traveler Adrian Bombin says when Southwest canceled his trip from Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, via Florida, to Havana last month, he asked for a refund. And as has happened to many other travelers, Bombin said in the federal lawsuit filed Monday in Pennsylvania, the airline would only offer him a voucher. The suit pointed to language in Southwest's contract with customers, which says the airline in such situations would put a customer on the next available flight or refund the fare "in accordance with the form of payment utilized for the Ticket." It alleges Southwest violated that contract for Bombin, and seeks class-action status to represent everyone Southwest failed to refund since March 1. "We're not trying to ask them to do anything special because of covid. We're only asking them to honor the agreement they wrote," said Bombin's attorney, Hassan Zavareei. Other airlines, including United and Spirit have also recently been sued under similar circumstances. Southwest said in a statement that it offers "Customer-friendly policies" and people "may request a refund to the original form of payment." "Southwest will review this complaint and will defend our policies accordingly as our focus is always on taking care of our Customers, especially during these unprecedented times," the airline said. United said in a statement that "eligible travelers on both domestic and international flights" can request a refund "if their flights have been severely adjusted or service to their destination suspended either due to government mandates or United schedule reductions related to COVID-19." The airline said at one point it was providing credits to customers, however, "We are now providing refunds as outlined above and people who were provided credits can request for those to be converted into refunds." The Department of Transportation said earlier this month that it has been receiving "an increasing number of complaints" from passengers being denied refunds, despite airlines' "long-standing obligation" to provide them when they cancel flights or make significant changes to schedules. "The focus is not on whether the flight disruptions are within or outside the carrier's control, but rather on the fact that the cancellation is through no fault of the passenger," the department said. In a statement Tuesday, the Transportation Department said it will monitor airlines' refund practices and might issue warning letters or fines "as necessary." But for now, it said, it is using its discretion "to give airlines an opportunity to come into compliance." A group of nine senators sent letters to airlines March 31 saying the "ongoing pandemic is placing enormous financial strain on millions of Americans, and families need cash to pay for essentials such as food, housing, and medical care. "In light of this pressing need and the unprecedented bailout - to the tune of $25 billion - that the airlines just received from Congress, we believe your company has a moral responsibility to provide real refunds, not travel vouchers, to consumers." Holly Willoughby has paid tribute to her daughter Belle on her ninth birthday and showed off the cake she made for her. This Morning presenter Willoughby crafted a special ice cream cake decorated with Percy Pigs and jelly sweets for her daughter, who she called a ray of sunshine. Over the weekend, she shared a picture of herself crafting the treat using ice cream and Swiss roll, writing: Todays project making an ice cream cake for Belles birthday on Tuesday Never done it before, will report back once we reveal it! She later updated fans, writing: Reporting back Ice cream cake was a success! Belle is super happy with her birthday creation and we are super happy to have such a ray of sunshine in our life Happy birthday beautiful Belle keep being you just as you are we LOVE you! Willoughby and husband Daniel Baldwin have been married since 2007 and are also parents to sons Chester, five, and Harry, 10. Automobile dealers will strictly comply with the lockdown extension till May 3. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: Automobile dealers' body FADA on Tuesday said over 15,000 of its members across the country will strictly comply with the lockdown extension till May 3. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) President Ashish Harsharaj Kale said in a statement that the entire auto dealer community stands in complete support of the lockdown extension. "Health and security of our citizens is paramount and being a responsible and law abiding association, FADA will strictly follow the lockdown as it has been doing till now," he added. Auto dealers look forward to the country getting out of the lockdown on May 3 for business to resume, Kale said. Service assistance to all essential goods and services vehicle continues by all dealers round the clock as was during the previous lockdown period, he added. "FADA is hopeful that in the near future the government will surely announce a financial package for support to the business community during and post lockdown period and we have full faith and trust that the dealer community's list of request will be considered," Kale noted. On Monday, FADA had written to the PM Modi seeing immediate financial support in order to save their businesses amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. The 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was to end on April 14, has now been extended till May 3 to effectively combat the spread of Covid-19. The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad has added another product to the portfolio of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) by developing COVID Sample Collection Kiosk (COVSACK), said the Defence Ministry in a statement on Tuesday. The unit has been developed by the DRDL in consultation with the doctors of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Hyderabad. The COVSACK is a kiosk for use by healthcare workers for taking COVID-19 samples from suspected infected patients. "Patient under test walks into the Kiosk and a nasal or oral swab is taken by health care professional from outside through the built in gloves," the statement read. "The Kiosk is automatically disinfected without the need for human involvement, making the process free of infection spread. The shielding screen of kiosk cabin protects the health care worker from the aerosols/droplet transmission while taking the sample. This reduces the requirements of PPE change by health care workers," it added. After the patient leaves the Kiosk, four nozzle sprayers mounted in the kiosk cabin disinfect the empty chamber by spraying disinfectant mist for a period of 70 seconds. It is further flushed with water and UV light disinfection and then the system is ready for next use in less than two minutes. Moreover, voice command can be given through two-way communication system integrated with the COVSACK. It is possible to configure COVSACK to be used either from inside or outside as required by the medical professionals. The COVSACK costs nearly Rs 1 lakh and the identified industry based at Belgaum, Karnataka can support 10 units per day. The DRDO has designed and developed two units and handed over these to ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad after successful testing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Food stores across Dubai will reopen so that residents of the United Arab Emirates can purchase food ahead of Ramadan, the government said Tuesday. Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., stores selling meat, fish, produce and coffee as well as other products that have obtained a government permit will be allowed to open their doors, Dubai announced Monday. Authorities will inspect stores during this period to ensure theyre complying with social distancing and sanitation guidelines. The easing of coronavirus restrictions is meant to give residents time to shop for meals before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in the evening of April 23. On March 25, the UAE closed all markets and shopping malls to combat the spread of the disease. Dubai has also imposed rules on movement with a nightly curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The UAE announced 398 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 4,521, said Health Ministry spokesperson Farida al-Hosani. In the past week, the Emirati government has loosened a number of restrictions aimed at containing the virus, including announcing all visas and entry permits that expired after March 1 will remain valid through the end of December 2020. After grounding all passenger flights last month, on Monday the state-owned Emirates airline announced plans to resume limited outbound service to Algiers, Tunis, Jakarta, Manila, Taipei, Kabul and Chicago for those wanting to leave. Last week, authorities gave the Waterfront Market in Dubai, home to hundreds of vendors, permission to reopen to the public. Kolkata, April 14 : At least seven police personnel, including the officer-in-charge of a police station, were injured in a clash between the security forces and villagers over the continuance of a Covid-19 quarantine centre at Jamuria in West Bengal's West Burdwan district on Tuesday. The police said the flare up happened as the villagers of Churulia, about 25 km from district headquarters Asansol, got agitated and resorted to violence demanding that a quarantine centre set up at a youth hostel there be shut down as it could spread the infection in the area. At least 20 people have been kept in isolation at the centre. The angry villagers put up road blocks and attacked the security forces with bricks, bamboo poles and rods and also rained bombs on them, prompting the cops to lob tear gas shells. The officer-in-charge of Jamuria police station, Subrata Ghosh, who rushed to the spot with reinforcements, was seriously injured when he was hit with an iron rod. Ghosh has been rushed to the hospital with a leg injury. At least six other police personnel were also injured. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident, a police officer said. Jamuria falls under the Asansol-Durgapur police commissionerate. A member of the House of Representatives from Niger State has stated that he and many other colleagues were coerced into donating two months salaries to the fight against COVID-19. Lado Suleja, an All Progressives Congress member representing Guevara/Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State, stated this in a radio interview in his constituency. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had announced that the entire members of the lower chamber resolved to donate their two months salary to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The speaker made the announcement in a video he shared on Facebook. The Senate also made an announcement to donate 50 per cent of their salary. The two-month salary donation, the Speaker said, would be independent of the contributions by individual lawmakers to alleviate the hardship that their constituents face at this time of national emergency. Mr Gbajabiamila said the lawmakers donation would be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against COVID-19. An average salary of a member of the House of Representatives is between N750,000 to N800,000 (excluding other allowances). Forceful donations The lawmaker, while speaking on the hardship the lockdown in Suleja, Niger State, has caused his constituents, said despite the fact that he made the donation of his salary against his wish, he still helps his constituents who are in desperate need. Though we were forced to donate our two months salary, we still help the poor with the little that we have and we will still continue doing it till we see the end of this virus, Mr Suleja said in Hausa language. When asked by the presenter to confirm if he said they were coerced into the donation, the lawmaker affirmed his earlier statement. Yes, we donated the salaries because of the progress of Nigeria but Im assuring you, most of us were not happy about it, thats the truth. Its Just the way you see workers not happy about salary deductions without their consent. The lawmaker confirmed he granted the interview when contacted by this reporter. The radio station, Prestige FM 91.7 Minna, also confirmed the audio clip to PREMIUM TIMES. Yes, he granted me the interview over the phone, Nuradeen Daza, the presenter of the programme said. But the House spokesperson, Benjamin Kalu, when contacted simply responded by sms that the allegations were untrue. We were not forced. It is our sacrifice to assist the citizens going through hard times now. Other donations Few days before the Senates contribution, ministers serving under the current administration announced they would donate half of their March salaries to help fight the pandemic. Banks, private organisations. and individuals have also donated billions of Naira, to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. The United Bank for Africa on Thursday announced a N5 billion donation. Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Herbert Wigwe and Segun Agbaje also donated N1 billion each to support the cause. President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, said the presidential task-force would receive and coordinate all donations made to fight against the pandemic in the country. Advertisements Outbreak Nigeria reported its first confirmed case on February 27 and since then, the number of cases has since risen. As of Tuesday, the country has reported 343 cases. The breakdown according to states shows that Lagos has recorded the highest, followed by the FCT. Other states with recorded cases are Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Bauchi, Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Benue and Kaduna. Others are Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Kwara, Delta, Enugu, Ekiti, Rivers, Ondo, Benue, Niger, Anambra and Kano. Meanwhile, ten deaths have so far been reported from the outbreak. Mr Buhari has ordered a lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states for 14 more days, to curb the spread of the virus. In a major embarassment for Pakistan, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Monday (April 13) said it is ''troubled'' by the reports of food being denied to the people of Hindu and Christian communities in the country amid the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. Terming these actions as 'reprehensible' USCIRF commissioner Anurima Bhargava said, As COVID-19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy, food aid must not be denied because of ones faith. We urge the Pakistani government to ensure that food aid from distributing organizations is shared equally with Hindus, Christians, and other religions minorities." Some reports that Karachi-based Saylani Welfare International Trust, a non-government organisation assiting the homeless and seasonal workers during the coronavirus crisis, is not providing food assistance to Hindus and Christians. USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore said, In a recent address by Prime Minister (Imran) Khan to the international community, he highlighted that the challenge facing governments in the developing world is to save people from dying of hunger while also trying to halt the spread of COVID-19. This is a monumental task laying before many countries. Prime Minister Khans government has the opportunity to lead the way but they must not leave religious minorities behind. Otherwise, they may add on top of it all one more crisis, created by religious discrimination and inter-communal strife. TheUSCIRF noted in its 2019 Annual Report that Hindus and Christians in Pakistan face continued threats to their security and are subject to various forms of harassment and social exclusion. The Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland is helping not only compatriots in this country but also, together with the Ukrainian community and the church, is raising funds for medical professionals and institutions in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported on Facebook. "The Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland [] holds consultations every day and provides all necessary assistance to Ukrainian citizens who are forced to stay abroad. In addition, Ukrainian diplomats, together with the Ukrainian community in Ireland, the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Dublin, and with the support of our compatriots, are raising funds for healthcare professionals and institutions in Ukraine," the report reads. To date, Ukrainian diplomats have already assisted Kyiv Hospital No. 1, the military hospital and the hospital of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry in Kyiv, the children's hospital in Luhansk region, the infectious diseases department of a hospital in Kyiv region, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the contact line in Donbas. op Go back to the dawn of 2020 and the notion of everyone downloading an app to track our encounters with other people would have been worrying if not absurd. Today, with cases of COVID-19 ballooning in the US, its becoming increasingly probable that this kind of surveillance will be a key component in restoring society to normalcy. The proposal is to use our smartphones for digital contact tracing. In the journal Science, a key paper by University of Oxford researchers recommends the technique. Even the European Data Protection Supervisor has advocated for an EU-wide app. Meanwhile, after Singapore and South Korea used tracing apps as part of their strong response to the spread of COVID-19, governments in France and the UK (through its National Health Service) are developing their own tracing apps. And the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the method is under aggressive evaluation as projects in the US sprout up from coast to coast. The unprecedented collaboration on an interoperable infrastructure between Apple and Google which came together in two weeks and was announced last Friday has now set the stage for a robust, potentially global contact tracing system. The idea of contact tracing is straightforward. When someone contracts a disease, public-health workers need to know who that person has had recent contact with to be able to locate, test and possibly isolate those contacts to stop the disease spreading even further. For decades, this technique has required painstaking drudgery interviewing patients about their every move, calling airlines and managers of restaurants, examining hotel records to determine everyone thats been exposed. This was the case in tracking the paths of HIV, Ebola and measles. The challenge is that tracing each case typically takes many days. In Wuhan, China, more than 9,000 epidemiologists performed this task, working in teams of five, according to the WHO. Latest figures show there are about 83,000 cases of COVID-19 in China. In the US, there are currently tens of thousands of new known cases every day; a former CDC director has said the country would need an army of 300,000 people for effective contact tracing. Story continues Right now, most of the US is under stay-at-home orders because we dont know who has COVID-19 and who hasnt; to be safe, were presuming that anybody could. This is where digital stalking comes in. All that detective work could happen in an instant, using a tracking app. Anyone who has had contact with a patient shared an elevator or office, bus or train gets a message to instruct them on how to get tested. In one UK survey, about three in four respondents said theyd definitely or probably install this sort of app. Right now, most of the US is under stay-at-home orders because we dont know who has COVID-19 and who doesnt; to be safe, were presuming that anybody could. In San Francisco and Massachusetts, local authorities are beefing up their contact-tracing capabilities, but for the most part, experts say, weve missed the boat on tracking the exact path of virus transmission for now. However, effective tracing paired with widespread testing will be pivotal in containing COVID-19 after social distancing ends. For people to work and congregate again, we need to continuously identify and test people so they can be individually quarantined if they have contracted the virus. Knowing who does and doesnt have it could allow us to separate the safe from the vulnerable, allowing society and the economy to gradually sputter back to life. Heres the first catch: For contact tracing to be effective, a lot of people need to opt in to tracking. David Bonsall, an Oxford researcher and co-author of the Science paper, has placed a lot at about 60 percent of a countrys population. And while smartphone ownership in the US is just over 80 percent, the question is How do you get three quarters of the nations smartphones to all persistently share locations? Enter Apple and Google. Unlike startups, NGOs and university initiatives, these companies already have a critical mass of users. With nothing but a software update, about 3 billion phones globally could have contact-tracing functionality. Around now, alarm bells might start ringing. Consenting to this kind of global surveillance appears to fly in the face of everything weve learned about sound data hygiene. Trust in the technology industry was in decline before COVID-19. In a worst case scenario, privacy experts fear contact tracing could create the architecture for a more invasive surveillance state and new norms that cant be rolled back. Consider that Google has hardly covered itself in glory when it comes to being honest about its use of our location. Separately, the US Department of Homeland Security has reportedly bought cellphone location information from private companies for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (aka ICE) to detect undocumented immigrants. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Israel has tapped cell phone data from its domestic intelligence agency to identify people potentially exposed to the virus. In Korea, mobile alerts broadcast information which might include family name, age and recent locations about nearby people who have COVID-19. In some areas of China, an opaque algorithm built into wallet app Alipay determines someones health risk, which in turn determines their ability to take public transport. Theres no question that civil liberties have to give way when it comes to a public health crisis like this, but any incursions on civil liberties have to be necessary, they have to be effective and they have to be proportional. The location-based data initiatives weve seen in the US so far have relied on aggregated, anonymized location data the kind you might rely on in everyday apps like Google Maps released by companies like Facebook, Google and Foursquare. The CDC and regional governments have also reportedly been using this data to see trends of where people congregate. But this data doesn't give away individual locations. Theres no question that civil liberties have to give way when it comes to a public health crisis like this, said Jay Stanley, a Senior Policy Analyst at the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. But any incursions on civil liberties have to be necessary, they have to be effective and they have to be proportional. With GPS location data considered too revealing, the safe solution that projects like COVID Watch and the Pan-European Privacy Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT) have been pushing for uses Bluetooth. The system would have every opted-in phone regularly emit anonymous beacons via Bluetooth. Other phones in the vicinity receive and store those unique beacons which frequently change and emit their own. This creates a record of two phones in proximity to each other, but only known by the two phones. Should one person later test positive for COVID-19, a health official could ask the patient to send their records to a server that broadcasts to other phones and alert any phone whose records indicate theyve recently encountered a person with the virus, perhaps encouraging them to get tested. Based on the details so far more are still forthcoming this is, for the most part, the system Apple and Google have thrown their weight behind. contact tracing apple google contact tracing apple google First, they will introduce an interoperable API on both Android and iOS for Bluetooth-based contact tracing on public-health apps. This should be ready by mid-May. Then, theyll add their own contact-tracing functionality into their respective operating systems. But this is months away and would still require a public-health app for a full range of functions. There are some potential downsides to Bluetooth it doesnt track transmission of the virus via surfaces (the reason were all sterilizing our deliveries) and could create false positives, depending on the range of a phones Bluetooth signal and the amount of time apps determine you need to be close to someone to register an encounter. But from a privacy perspective, the key idea is that there will be no recording of where you were or when. The only thing you know is whether youve encountered someone who tested positive in the last 14 days, and there would be no revelation of who that person was. It would be opt-in only and minimize the data that goes to a central server. Apple and Google say they cannot see users encounters and have published early technical specifications for scrutiny online. The fact that the two major smartphone giants have built this architecture means that every NGO, academic and government health department is now incentivized to work within it. What version are you on? One issue not addressed in Google's announcement of the partnership is Android-version support. The company has long had a problem with Android-version fragmentation; because manufacturers each have their own quirks when it comes to customization and support, billions of Android devices, globally, run thousands of slightly different software configurations. While a source of annoyance to both developers and users, though, this hasn't generally been a catastrophic problem. But when it comes to developing a system that needs to be opted into by 75 percent of all smartphone users, this presents a major challenge. The latest version of its mobile OS, Android 10, is used by a proportionally low number of people. Google no longer publicly shows the breakdown of Android version use, but third-party statistics from StatCounter suggest that only around 31 percent of devices run Android 10, while 65 percent of devices in the US run Android 9.0 or later. Google told us that its contract-tracing system will be released through a Play Store Services update and will support all devices running Android 6.0 or later. This will cover, according to StatCounter, 94 percent of devices in the US or 91 percent of devices worldwide. Apple does not have such a big problem. It has near-complete control over its devices, and just supporting back to iOS 13 would reach 80 percent worldwide, or 85 percent in the US. As with Android, we have little more than anecdotal information about who is using what device, but a better sense of how many devices are at least capable of running which OS version. All iPhones newer than the 6S support the latest version of iOS, while the 6 and 5S are on 12.4 but are still receiving critical updates. We've asked Apple to clarify which of its devices will support contact tracing. The issue with just looking at usage statistics is that they don't reveal the demographics that feed into them. As the gulf between US and worldwide figures suggest, the more affluent a person is, the more likely they are to have a recent smartphone or to have purchased a sufficiently high-end device that continues to be supported with updates. Anecdotally, it's probable that many elderly people, who are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, are using low-end or outdated smartphones. Apple and Googles announcement looks to address two important challenges: making contact tracing available to as many people as possible and institutionalizing strong privacy practices. But its still unclear if people will opt in both to the system and to the eventual public-health apps. The main challenge here is not necessarily the tech Apple and Google probably have more granular location data about us in their stores than a new system of Bluetooth signals would reveal. The challenge is to make the technology respectful of privacy, then prove it to enough people that 60 percent sign up. Everyone from hacker collectives to privacy advocates to new coalitions of technologists during the pandemic have listed their best practices for what that should look like. We all have a natural incentive to comply with an ambitious public-health measure to stay healthy and get the right people treated said the ACLUs Stanley. But to buy into a new level of surveillance takes the kind of public trust in the tech industry that has been eroding in recent times. This kind of approach cannot succeed unless it achieves wide adoption. And in a country like the United States, which is very suspicious of authority and government, being able to assure people that this is not any kind of broader tracking device will make it more successful as a public-health measure, he said. This is a situation where privacy and public health are very aligned. Aaron Souppouris contributed to this report. In a time when millions have been laid off in the wake of the coronavirus and too many families are struggling to make ends meet, the Trump administrations new vehicle emission standards are a step in the right direction that America needs. The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule will cut the average price of new vehicles by $1,000 without compromising the rigorous environmental standards that have made America a world leader in clean air. During my nearly two decades of working with the trucking industry, I learned that regulations like fuel economy and emissions standards significantly increase the cost of getting goods from warehouses and factories to stores. Those costs are ultimately passed along to all of us in the form of higher prices. Heavy-handed emissions regulations have the same unintended consequence on passenger cars. Increasing fuel economy may seem like a noble idea and its an idea many support but it ends up tying manufacturers hands and driving prices up. Manufacturers are forced to produce cars most customers dont want, in order to make their fleets meet emission standards, and charge more for the cars they make. Car prices have been rising significantly faster than income in recent years, thanks in large part to these constantly escalating regulations. Rather than take out hefty loans for more expensive vehicles, many people choose to keep their old cars longer. The average American drives a car thats nearly 12 years old, the highest since researchers began tracking this data in 2002. Though continuing to drive an old car that still runs might be the frugal choice and many families living paycheck-to-paycheck have no other choice older vehicles also come with serious safety risks. Given the new safety features and better overall design of new cars, the SAFE Rule is projected to save 3,300 lives over the next 10 years and keep 46,000 people out of the hospital following a crashall because they were able to afford a newer car that was previously out of reach. Even before the coronavirus struck our economy, far too many families were trapped in what public policy experts call energy poverty, meaning the inability to comfortably afford the energy we rely on every day, including electricity and natural gas bills as well as gasoline. Though many may assume energy poverty is rare, or at least confined to those below the federal poverty limit, data on energy poverty is sobering. Nearly a third of households have struggled to pay their electric bills. Over 20% chose to forego other necessities like food or medication to keep the lights on, and more than 7 million families face that devastating choice nearly every month. Energy poverty is particularly severe when it comes to transportation. Driving costs are among the least elastic expenses due to the need to get to and from work, and they affect low-income families the most. That savings of $1,000 per car is significant for households living paycheck-to-paycheck. Ultimately, any action to reduce the burden of energy poverty does a great service to low-income Americans and to our economy as a whole. President Trumps opponents will quickly retort that environmental protection should be the governments priority and the Obama administrations slightly stricter emissions regulations would yield more long-term benefits. Theyre wrong on both counts. Though many claim the impact of vehicle emissions on the climate will result in communities ravaged by storms, wildfires, and floods, historical weather data shows no increase in the number or severity of natural disasters. In fact, 98.9% fewer people die in climate-related weather events than a century ago. Even if reducing CO2 emissions had some direct impact on human health, reducing emissions by 1.5% instead of the Obama administrations preferred 5% would have literally no measurable effect. Even totally eliminating emissions nationwide by 2030, as called for in the Green New Deal, would reduce global temperatures by a measly 0.139 Celsius at the end of the century and thats if historically overly sensitive climate data models turned out to be accurate. Meanwhile, America is leading the world in clean air a statistic that surprises many. The nation has cut the six criteria pollutants that harm human health by 74% since 1970. Those gains occurred while total miles traveled more than doubled, not to mention dramatic economic and population growth, and the trend is continuing upward. Ultimately, the SAFE Rule doesnt prohibit auto manufacturers from increasing fuel efficiency by more than 1.5% or cutting CO2 emissions more than required it simply affirms that the poorest among us shouldnt be forced to subsidize the virtue-signaling liberal climate change agenda. As time and innovation progress, emission-reducing technology will become more efficient and cheaper for those who choose it. However, our elected leaders first priority should always be the safety of their constituents. The EPAs work to roll back needlessly expensive regulations puts money back into the pockets of the families who need it most. The SAFE Rule is a good move for the American people. The Honorable Jason Isaac is Senior Manager and Distinguished Fellow of Life:Powered, a national initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to raise Americas energy IQ. He previously served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives. NEWTOWN BOROUGH >> The Newtown Borough Council welcomes the new year with three new members of council and a new borough mayor. District Court Judge Mick Petrucci was on hand on January 3 to administer the oath of office to the towns new mayor, Republican John Burke, who replaces longtime mayor Charles Corky Swartz who decided not to run for... The Islamic State group, ISIS, staged an attack early Monday in Kirkuk province and killed one police officer, Anadolu reports citing an official of internal security in the province. Afrasyav Kamil in statement reportedly indicated the terror group targeted a federal police observation post, near Mansuriyah al-Jabal village in south of the province. The attack is the latest from a string of the assaults in recent moments on security forces in Kirkuk, Mosul, Anbar, Salahuddin and Diyala provinces. Iraq in late 2017 claimed victory over the terror group but the jihadists are still staging sporadic attacks that have caused death of hundreds of Iraqis and dozens security forces. London, April 14 : The UK has announced a 5 million pound ($6 million) additional funding to Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new funds will support ECW's rapid deployment of emergency education services for children and youth caught in crises and emergencies, Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying on Monday. "With this timely support, we can mitigate the impact and sustain protection through emergency or virtual education combined with health measures for students and teachers," said ECW Director Yasmine Sherif. Seventy-five million children and youth, including 39 million girls, were already impacted by armed conflicts, forced displacement, natural disasters and protracted crises, and they now face a double crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the statement. A rapid assessment by ECW paints an alarming picture of the massive impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on already severely strained educational systems. There was an acute shortage of distance learning tools and materials, many communities lack awareness and information and are failing to implement protective measures, teacher's salaries are going unpaid, families are being pushed further into hunger and poverty, school feeding programs are being disrupted, and children are being pushed to the side with limited opportunities to return to safe learning environments when the pandemic subsides, it added. Even as South Dakota becomes a US coronavirus hotspot, its governor is ignoring the strict social distancing measures adopted by other states in favour of trials of hydroxychloroquine the drug that Donald Trump has hyped against the advice of medical experts. One of the least populous states, South Dakota has reported 868 Covid-19 cases and six deaths. They are heavily concentrated around the city of Sioux Falls, where a cluster of cases recently emerged at a pork processing plant that accounts for 4 to 5 per cent of the USs pork production. With nearly 300 employees testing positive, the plant is now closed. As the number of cases surges, the mayor of Sioux Falls, Paul TenHaken, said that without a stay-at-home order from the governor, the city will lose valuable time in its fight against the virus. Quite honestly, its crap that we have to wait that long to act. Yet despite the mounting numbers and the brewing anger at her perceived lack of action, Republican governor Kristi Noem has resisted pressure to issue a state of emergency or stay-at-home order, proclaiming that she has faith in her states residents to be cautious in the face of the pandemic. Theyve been absolute rock stars in working to protect their communities and their families, she recently said. While Ms Noem has issued several executive orders to combat the spread of coronavirus, they have stopped short of blanket stay-at-home orders even at the local level, making her one of only a handful of governors to have stopped short of imposing lockdowns. In trialling hydroxychloroquine, however, her state is a pioneer. Announcing the new initiative, Ms Noem cast the clinical trial in ambitious terms: Were very excited to have an announcement that talks about us going on offence against Covid-19 in our state. We are going to be the first state in the nation to run a statewide clinical trial on hydrochloroquine (sic) This will be the first ever state-endorsed, state-backed, statewide clinical trial in the United States that would not only treat patients, but also give us the data we need to be prepared to fight this virus long into the future. While President Trump and many conservative commentators have enthusiastically promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19, it remains highly controversial, with many clinicians cautioning that any evidence it can treat the disease is anecdotal. And while the Food and Drug Administration has issued an an emergency use authorisation, that move was met with alarm and anger by many experts and public health veterans. WASHINGTON, April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (FCN) today announced that Consulting magazine has named Jordan Rae Kelly as one of the recipients of its inaugural Women Leaders in Technology awards. Ms. Kelly, a Senior Managing Director and Head of Cybersecurity for the Americas at FTI Consulting, was recognized in the Leadership category. She advises clients on a broad range of cybersecurity and data privacy matters involving breaches, insider threats, intellectual property, crisis communications, vendor management, compliance, regulation, risk management and forensic investigations. Jordan is, without a doubt, one of the top women in the field of cybersecurity, and this award is a reflection of that preeminence, said Anthony J. Ferrante , Global Head of Cybersecurity at FTI Consulting. Jordan is an established leader with extensive experience working across the U.S. government and with private industry to protect our nation from cyber threats. Her expertise has been integral to helping our clients safeguard their operations and recover after an incident. Prior to joining FTI Consulting in 2019, Ms. Kelly served as the Director for Cyber Incident Response on the National Security Council at the White House. During her tenure there, she was responsible for both national incident response coordination, as well as management of the U.S. governments process for managing zero-day exploits. She also was a chief author of the National Cyber Strategy, the first of its kind in the United States in 15 years. Before joining the National Security Council in 2017, Ms. Kelly served as Chief of Staff in the Federal Bureau of Investigations Cyber Division, where she managed daily operations and strategic and policy planning for the FBIs national cyber program. Promoting the leadership of women in cybersecurity and technology has always been important to me, Ms. Kelly said. I am honored to receive this award and hope that the recognition of all my talented colleagues by Consulting magazine will inspire the next generation of women leaders to consider a career in cybersecurity and advance the profession even further. Story continues About FTI Consulting FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 5,500 employees located in 27 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $2.35 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2019. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn. FTI Consulting, Inc. 555 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 +1.202.312.9100 Investor Contact: Mollie Hawkes +1.617.747.1791 mollie.hawkes@fticonsulting.com India's tally of the number of people affected by the novel coronavirus has now reached 10,815. As many as 353 Indians have lost their lives, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest update. Of these, 9,272 are active cases while 1,189 have been cured or discharged. The data was updated at 5 pm on April 14 on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website. Follow LIVE updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here With 2,337 COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Delhi (1,510) and Tamil Nadu (1,173). COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show On April 13, the health ministry said 25 districts across 15 states, that had earlier reported COVID-19 infections, do not have any cases at present. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on April 14 and announced an extension of the nationwide lockdown until May 3. S. No. Name of State / UT Total Confirmed cases (Including 76 foreign Nationals) Cured/Discharged/ Migrated Death 1 Andhra Pradesh 473 14 9 2 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 11 10 0 3 Arunachal Pradesh 1 0 0 4 Assam 31 0 1 5 Bihar 66 26 1 6 Chandigarh 21 7 0 7 Chhattisgarh 31 10 0 8 Delhi 1510 30 28 9 Goa 7 5 0 10 Gujarat 617 55 26 11 Haryana 199 34 3 12 Himachal Pradesh 32 13 1 13 Jammu and Kashmir 270 16 4 14 Jharkhand 24 0 2 15 Karnataka 258 65 9 16 Kerala 379 198 3 17 Ladakh 15 10 0 18 Madhya Pradesh 730 51 50 19 Maharashtra 2337 229 160 20 Manipur 2 1 0 21 Meghalaya 1 0 0 22 Mizoram 1 0 0 23 Nagaland 1 0 0 24 Odisha 55 18 1 25 Puducherry 7 1 0 26 Punjab 176 14 12 27 Rajasthan 879 133 3 28 Tamil Nadu 1173 58 11 29 Telengana 624 100 17 30 Tripura 2 0 0 31 Uttarakhand 35 7 0 32 Uttar Pradesh 657 49 5 32 West Bengal 190 36 7 Total number of confirmed cases in India 10815* 1190 353 *States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation Below is the coronavirus cases/deaths state-wise tally: Globally, over 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported, with a death toll of over 119,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 16:08:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Christopher Guly OTTAWA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- As of Monday night, Canada reported 780 COVID-19 deaths, half of which were linked to long-term care facilities, making coronavirus-related fatalities a real public health concern for the country. The latest data was confirmed by Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam at a press conference on Monday. "The key lessons learned from this pandemic is that we really need to improve on infection-prevention control, and how we manage to protect visitors, volunteers, healthcare providers and staff," Tam said. According to Tam, senior residents of long-term care homes are vulnerable to infections due to their communal living spaces, shared health care providers, exposure to external visitors, and transfers from other health care facilities. On Monday, Canada's Public Health Agency released guidelines for long-term care facilities or nursing homes, which include recommendations to screen residents for COVID-19 daily and before staff begin their shifts, as well as limitations for visitors. However, these are only suggestions since Canada's 10 provinces and three territories administer and deliver healthcare services in their jurisdictions. The absence of any nationwide rules is taking a brutal toll on Canada's elderly as not all residents in long-term care homes are being tested and some staff work in more than one facility. On Monday alone, one nursing home just outside of the national capital city of Ottawa saw two more deaths among its residents, bringing the total count to 16. Almonte Country Haven, one of the 86 long-term care facilities in Canada's largest province of Ontario battling COVID-19 outbreaks, have reported nearly 120 coronavirus-related deaths among its residents. In Montreal, 31 deaths since the end of March at one senior's residence has sparked accusations of negligience by the provincial government. The residence fired back, blaming the government for failing to provide protective gear for its staff. Canadian politicians and health officials are facing challenges of how to protect the elderly amid the COVID-19 outbreak. On Monday morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his plan to ask the provincial legislature to extend a state of emergency, first declared on March 17, by 28 days on Tuesday. Ford has publicly complained about the lack of availability of large-scale testing for the novel coronavirus, and the slowness of the results. Fortunately, Spartan Bioscience, an Ottawa-based biotechnology company which specializes in DNA analysis, announced Monday that it had received approval from Canada's health ministry to produce and distribute a portable test, which uses a handheld, cube-shaped device in the size of a coffee cup, and relies on two mouth swabs to detect COVID-19 in less than one hour. In a news release, the company said the device can be used by "non-laboratory personnel in settings such as airports, border crossings, doctors' offices, pharmacies, clinics and remote communities." Meanwhile, Air Canada, which announced Monday that it is suspending international flights until June, is scheduled to send cargo flights to Shanghai this week to bring critical medical supplies back to Canada. The Canadian government has set up a network to expedite imports of personal protective equipment from China, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said Tuesday it is discussing what measures it will take and implement after April 30, the expected end-date of the enhanced community quarantine over Luzon. Tuloy tuloy po ang discussions namin sa IATF tungkol sa transition [Our discussion on IATF on transition is ongoing], task force spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a televised briefing, when asked to comment on President Rodrigo Dutertes vow to lift the quarantine in Luzon once an antibody treatment against the new coronavirus becomes available in the market. READ: Duterte will lift quarantine once antibody treatment against COVID-19 is available Nograles, however, did not say whether or not the quarantine will be lifted. The official said they will identify what industries could be allowed to operate or who among the labor force could get back to work. A local business group said they are looking for signs to show that COVID-19 infections are slowing before they decide to reopen more establishments, including factories. "Sa ngayong complete lockdown, mabigat sa mga arawang (empleyado) na no-work, no-pay... Hopefully hindi natin kailangang i-extend ang ECQ, but there [will be] a gradual normalization," Philippine Charmber of Commerce and Industry president emeritus George Barcelon said during the government's Laging Handa briefing. [Translation: Now that we're on complete lockdown, it's very harsh for employees on a no-work, no-pay basis... Hopefully we don't have to extend, the quarantine, but there will be a gradual normalization.] "Kung nakita natin na we are flattening the curve [If we see that we are flattening the curve], then it gives us the confidence to start gradually reviving business operations," he added. The private sector has been calling for a "modified" quarantine rather than the current lockdown, where barangays or areas with limited infections can be allowed to return to work a suggestion which has been taken up with President Rodrigo Duterte, Barcelon said. He noted that rapid tests are needed to identify whether specific communities have few or numerous infections. Businesses allowed to reopen must still observe proper hand washing and hygiene, as well as social distancing protocols, the industry official said. The National Economic and Development Authority has been tasked to craft policies defining the "new normal," which will guide lifestyles and work arrangements should the strict stay-at-home measures be lifted. Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the economy may contract this year as the global pandemic halts economic activity. Meanwhile, Nograles said they are thinking of what to do with the public transportation system within northern Philippines, which the government suspended since March 17. This is in line with the Luzon-wide quarantine, which aims to restrict the movement of the public to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease. This excludes those rendering vital services and going out for essentials. After they finalize the gradual recovery from the crisis brought by coronavirus disease, the task force will set very stringent guidelines on what the new normal is, Nograles said. He earlier said the "new normal" involves following physical distancing rules and practicing good hygiene. READ: Community quarantine helped slow down COVID-19 spread, new study shows COVID-19 is a disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, which is genetically related to the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. "'The difference now is the speed with which it spreads, and the denigration of the institutions that we rely on to understand the truth. I think we're in dangerous territory.'" Don't miss the New York Times investigation detailing Russia's decade-long health disinformation campaign against the United States and other Western democracies, using social media and news outlets to sow confusion and hurt institutions. Vladimir Putin's years-long campaign to spread misinformation on public health issues included urging Americans to see vaccines as dangerous. William J. Broad / New York Times: The Russian president has waged his long campaign by means of open media, secretive trolls and shadowy blogs that regularly cast American health officials as patronizing frauds. Of late, new stealth and sophistication have made his handiwork harder to see, track and fight. Even so, the State Department recently accused Russia of using thousands of social media accounts to spread coronavirus misinformation including a conspiracy theory that the United States engineered the deadly pandemic. The Kremlin's audience for open disinformation is surprisingly large. The YouTube videos of RT, Russia's global television network, average one million views per day, "the highest among news outlets," according to a U.S. intelligence report. Since the founding of the Russian network in 2005, its videos have received more than four billion views, analysts recently concluded. Read more:Putin's Long War Against American Science For Vladimir Putin, spreading disinformation about coronavirus fits into a long pattern of sowing doubt about science outside of his country. Interesting story by @WilliamJBroad. https://t.co/Q4laf7olcC Danny Hakim (@dannyhakim) April 13, 2020 The real turning point in Putin's nefarious disinformation campaign came when he started touting unproven cures and ignoring expert advice in his daily White House briefings, shown live on American television https://t.co/w4jYLhjOWx max seddon (@maxseddon) April 13, 2020 Russian disinformation has been attacking US science for decades, since the beginning of the AIDS crisis. Nothing has changed https://t.co/MmEfddgEeM Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) April 13, 2020 As a KGB agent for 16 years, Putin was required to spend a quarter of his time conceiving and implementing plans for sowing disinformation. Not much seems to have changed. https://t.co/emRBAwIZ7w Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) April 13, 2020 Answer this riddle: name the world leader that has done the most injury to Americans by questioning the credibility of scientists and public-health experts and touting misleading would-be miracle cures, which led at least one American to die of poisoning? https://t.co/OqEVOUNI3v Joshua Yaffa (@yaffaesque) April 13, 2020 It's not just the Chinese peddling a conspiracy theory that coronavirus is an American bioweapon gone rogue, @WilliamJBroad reports. Vladimir is back, with disinformation to match the moment. https://t.co/plXsomLtj4 David Sanger (@SangerNYT) April 13, 2020 The deaths of at least three Latino employees from coronavirus at a Greeley, Colorado, meat plant are raising alarms about the safety of workers and the vulnerability of the nation's food supply. Saul Sanchez, 78, Eduardo Conchas de la Cruz, 60, and Tibursio Rivera Lopez, 69, workers at the JBS meat processing plant, died last week of coronavirus, according to previous reports and families statements. Their deaths led to a shutdown of the plant Tuesday through April 24 for a deep cleaning and to screen workers. The deaths have come amid temporary closings of other meat processing plants and news of workers coronavirus infections at plants around the country. The outbreaks have prompted calls from organized labor, civil and workers' rights advocates for more masks, gloves and other protections, as well as coronavirus testing, paid leave, disability and other assistance for workers who have remained on the job. Latino advocates have become especially alarmed because of the number of Latinos who work in the food industry from farm workers and truck drivers to processing plant workers and grocery stores employees. Many are struggling to get adequate protective supplies and to distance themselves from other workers. These are essential frontline workers. They are just as important as doctors and nurses, but they are not being treated that way, Domingo Garcia, president of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) civil rights group, told reporters Tuesday. Image: Family members of JBS USA meat packing plant employee Saul Sanchez gather at his home in Greeley (Jim Urquhart / Reuters) Civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta said farm workers are invisible even if they are out there every single day to feed the nation. They do not have unemployment and many are without other protections, she said. Some employees are working elbow to elbow in plants, said Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 union in Colorado that represents the Greeley workers and those at other plants. There have been complaints that companies that own the plants have not done enough for workers, were underprepared for the pandemic and have not responded to the families of workers who have died or are now ill. Story continues We have been filing grievances trying to get the company to file notices about COVID-19. They had very little material that was translated into the different languages; there are 30 languages spoken at that plant, Cordova said of the Greeley plant. She said a number of immigrants and refugees work at the plant. 'Things need to be done' Joe Enriquez Henry, a national and Iowa LULAC official, said plants in Iowa are experiencing illnesses and workers were threatened when they refused to go back to work. "Things need to be done plexiglass between the workers. Right now plastic sheets are the only things being dropped down between the workers, within inches of each other," he said. "The workers are saying, 'We need safe distance between each other in the cutting rooms, we can't survive with these plastic sheets.'" The union went to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis with demands for paid leave for the workers, and is still fighting for sick pay and hazard pay. A bonus offered by the company is only available to workers if they work through the entire pandemic and workers wont see that until mid-May, Cordova said. These workers suffer the most. If the plants shut down, they lose their income. They also are losing their lives, she said. 'We are going to bury him tomorrow' Sanchez had worked more than 30 years at the plant and was father of six children, 13 grandchildren and one great grandchild. He had earned his General Equivalency Diploma, GED, at age 60, his daughter Beatriz Rangel said in a video news conference Tuesday. We are going to bury him tomorrow, Rangel said of Sanchez. He worked for JBS for 30 years and Ive yet to hear from JBS. On April 10, JBS USA said in a news release that 36 of its employees had tested positive for coronavirus at that time. Sanchez said the viewing for her father had to be limited to 12, leaving out many members of the extended family workers and friends who wanted to attend. More will be allowed at the burial, but they will have to keep the six-feet separation recommended to help stop the virus. Rangel said so many people wanted to attend, the family asked people to drive by the burial site, pay respects and drive on. My dad, working at JBS for 30 years, knew a lot of people [who were] scared to go back, she said. Her father went because of his work ethic that was part of his culture, Rangel said. Garcia issued what he called a national public health warning, saying that without more protective equipment and procedures for workers many who are not proficient English speakers there would be fewer meat supplies in stores in two to three weeks. However, companies are offsetting reduced production with meat that was in cold storage. Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, told The Associated Press that producers are shifting meat that would have gone to restaurants that are now closed because of the coronavirus to grocery stores. Image: Estela Hernandez, a daughter of longtime JBS USA meat packing plant employee Saul Sanchez, holds a photo of him in Greeley (Jim Urquhart / Reuters) The coronavirus has opened a new civil rights struggle as the pandemic takes a disproportionate toll on Latinos, exploiting existing health and income disparities and racial and ethnic inequities, Garcia said. LULAC issued a report Tuesday detailing the impact on Latinos and efforts to force Congress and the administration to recognize the many Hispanics have been left out of the three relief packages which have been approved. Latino communities and all communities of color in the U.S. are being affected disproportionately by the spread of coronavirus, LULAC said in its report. How the government responds will impact the Latino community for years to come and set a precedent for how the U.S. government responds during times of crisis and how it deals with the exigent needs of underserved communities of color. According to the report, some of the steps that should be taken in response to the pandemic are local and federal collection of ethnic and racial cases and deaths, the publication of immediate, critical information in Spanish, immediate temporary protective status for undocumented people working in the health fields and as essential workers, funding for small business loans and the release of immigrant detainees. We need to make sure we close those inequities, Garcia said. Otherwise, we are going to have a disproportionate impact on the Latino community in the United States. Help India! Dr M B Ahmed How many of you have had to leave a WhatsApp group or unfriend a Facebook friend or stop accessing your Twitter account because you could not take the it anymore? Support TwoCircles Yes, Im talking about the hate messages on social media, the daily dose of which is ever increasing and more so in Indian social media. Almost everyone has a personal story of how they have lost their friends, their colleagues, close relatives after having an ugly spat over one such hate message. Social media can influence an elections, trigger an uprising, topple a government, drive a major social change then why on earth are we taking time to realize that it can impact work-spaces, relationship between colleagues, employee-supervisor relationships and of course, the prestigious work culture that companies boast about. It was not a long time ago, almost every major IT companies had strict policies on use of cell phones at workplace. Then came Facebook followed by Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and innumerable apps that flooded the market. It became almost impossible to stop employees from using the social media hence many companies came up with Social Media Policy as a regular sub topic of HR policy. roughly around the turn of this decade many companies brought in social media policy as part of their HR policy A brief look at Indias major IT employers with exception of few, it appears that the social media policy so far has been limited to protect companys reputation, its client, leaking personal information of its colleagues. Policy goes into a lot of detail to explain the guidelines of how an employee is barred from bringing any disrepute to Company and its clients. Many companies have also recently updated its policy when employees started airing their grievances on Social Media. Google updated its policy for its communities to not have active political discussions. (link to article) Indias Major employers though express their intent to provide peaceful, conducive and nondiscriminatory atmosphere at work places, a lot is desired to ensure these guidelines also extend to how their employees should behave on social media especially when its related to posting inflammatory and discriminatory message. With hyper-connected world, it is very common to connect to your colleagues on social media like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Twitter to name a few. The line between a persons personal and professional is getting blurred. If a colleagues is continuously posting insensitive, discriminatory, inflammatory message about a legally protected entity religion, caste, sexual orientation. It becomes very difficult for his colleagues belonging to those protected legal entity to read those hate message in the morning and come to work unaffected. It becomes even more worrisome if the one who is posting expresses their opinions about others religion, caste, economic status is in a position of authority. It cannot be thus ascertained that such opinions are not influencing the decisions made at work place. It is very likely that such decisions are well known to people but never reported by anyone due to fear of retaliation. Tech Mahindra had to sack its chief officer for diversity and inclusion who was found guilty of discrimination towards homosexuals and Muslims. Its ironic that officers whose only role was to ensure there was no discrimination was found guilty of discriminatory behavior. On 28th March an employee of Infosys (link to article) was fired for posting a message that encourages people to spread the virus. On April 10, another employee was found to have shared message calling for killing of Muslims. The employer and its CEO has been tagged by several users on Twitter. It is yet to be seen if his employer will take any action on a hate message which has potential incite violence. This guy Nandish Rawoor, works for Cognizant in Bangalore keeps posting abusive content against Muslims and Islam even calls for shooting Muslims. Please report him before its too late as he can be a potential killer.@Cognizant @JoinCognizant @BlrCityPolice pic.twitter.com/Ae26JdjqkJ Hypocrisy Watch ( ) (@bigotry_watch) April 10, 2020 Hate messages precedes hate crimes, and no company would want to be embroiled in any hate crime linked to the hate message shared by one of its employee. With the recent developments in India over Article 370, CAA and COVID, there has been significant increase in hate message against a particular community. Hence it is important the Indian IT companies take immediate steps in maintaining hate free atmosphere for their colleagues be it at workplace or otherwise. Indias major employers should update their social media policy so that its employees understand the implication of posting hate message to themselves, their colleagues and companys reputation. Delaying to update their social media policy is denying the fact the such hate messages. Perhaps a movement like #MeToo or tragedy like that of Rohith Vemula or Dr Payal Tadvi will force the companies to change its policy, May be only then it will be realized that Social Media can also have its impact at workplaces. However would any company afford to risk the dis-reputation that comes along with it? Read on for the most recent top news you may have missed in Detroit. How COVID-19 is exacerbating Detroit's poverty and racial inequality Low-income Americans are bearing the brunt of COVID-19. Detroit, a city already facing steep economic and racial inequalities, has emerged as a virus hot spot. Read the full story on PBS NewsHour. Jarring photos show bodies piled in closet at overwhelme hospital A Detroit hospital is so overwhelmed with dead coronavirus patients that it is stashing the bodies on top of each other in a closet. Read the full story on New York Post. Teen, man shot while inside car Two people were shot in the 19100 block of Stahelin Avenue on Monday afternoon, according to Detroit police. The victims, a 16-year-old male and a 46-year-old male, are in stable condition. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unknown. Read the full story on Graham Media: ClickOnDetroit. 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. Care homes across Britain are appealing for help in testing staff and patients so they can assess the scale of the coronavirus crisis Hundreds of coronavirus deaths in care homes are going unreported in an attempt to airbrush out the true numbers of elderly people who have died, care bosses have claimed. Care England the leading body of care providers in England estimates that the coronavirus death toll in care homes across the country is likely to be close to 1,000, but such deaths are not included in headline figures. It has prompted warnings that ministers are underestimating the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable sectors of society. Professor Martin Green, chief executive at Care England, told Yahoo News UK: Without testing we cannot know the scale of the coronavirus threat and we cannot make adequate plans to tackle it effectively. We are seeing underreporting of the number of deaths due to lack of testing. Professor Martin Green has warned that without testing for coronavirus in care homes, operators cannot plan adequate care for residents during the crisis. (Paul Martyniuk/Care Home Professional) Deaths might not be in the thousands yet, but it is coming up to that level. We need a proper analysis of death rates occurring across care homes, and the government should be collecting this data. Without testing we cannot be sure how many people have died as a result of coronavirus. We need to test staff, residents and those that are dying. Based on what we are seeing, the figures do not reflect what is happening. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area 6 charts and maps that explain how coronavirus is spreading Many care homes have implemented a blanket ban on visitors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Julie Ding, 56, has not been able to see her dying mother for more than a month. Ding, from Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire, has been a full-time carer since her mother Roberta, 83, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2018. After Dings only sibling Susan died aged 49 in 2010, she has no family other than her mother. Robertas condition rapidly deteriorated and soon she was unable to walk or speak and could only breathe through a tracheostomy with the help of a ventilator. Story continues Roberta Ding and her daughters Susan (left) and Julie. Roberta, now 83, is being looked after at a care home and Julie hasn't been able to see her for more than a month (PA) She was in hospital before the coronavirus outbreak reached the UK and was subsequently taken to a nursing home on 2 March. Ding has only been able to contact her mother via through video calls since then. Ding is desperate for Roberta to return home as she worries her mothers condition will worsen and that she will die at the nursing home alone. I made a promise to my mum that I will always be by her side, Ding said. Read more: What's happening in UK care homes is a scandal our grandchildren will ask about But Im only going to be allowed in when shes in the last throes of death. The manager will decide. Matthew Reed, chief executive of charity Marie Curie, said it should be possible for care homes to allow visitors for people who are dying. But he added: The lack of PPE and testing means workers at care homes are not well equipped to support a number of people dying in quick succession. The life of a care home worker is just as valuable as people working in intensive care. Reed said the hospital death numbers published by the government each day are lagging behind the big number because care home deaths are not included. We therefore risk not recognising the human cost of COVID-19, he said. His sentiments were shared by Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, who said the lack of PPE and testing is leading to the disease running wild in care homes. Abrahams said on Monday: The problem is theres not enough of either, and what there is is going to the NHS, which is the right decision but it is leaving care settings in a difficult position. We were underprepared for this, we are playing catch-up on getting enough PPE and testing. Im wondering if the needs of care homes were taken seriously early on. Abrahams, Reed, Green and executives from Independent Age and the Alzheimers Society have written a letter to health secretary Matt Hancock demanding a care package to support social care through the pandemic. As well as PPE and testing, they are asking for the care package to include palliative and end-of-life care for people dying in the care system, as well as a daily update on the number of deaths. Nearly 1,000 deaths leaves social care as the neglected front-line, the letter reads. Abrahams said: The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they dont matter. It comes after Hancock said he can guarantee regular coronavirus testing for the care sector. Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference on Sunday, Hancock said measures are being taken but that the process is nuanced and complicated. Across the country, care homes are reporting increases in deaths. More than 120 residents of MHA, the UKs largest charitable provider of care homes, are thought to have died from the virus. An Essex care home has lost 13 residents during the pandemic, with the disease so contagious that relatives have been banned from retrieving jewellery from their dead loved ones, and 15 residents at the Castletroy Residential Home in Luton have also died, with at least five testing positive for COVID-19. More may have carried the virus, but blanket testing is not conducted as standard procedure in postmortems of people dying in care homes or in the community. Health secretary Matt Hancock has said measures are being taken to account for care home deaths and introduce testing, but that the process is 'nuanced and complicated'. (PA) Last week The Guardian reported that around 70% of residents in one Yorkshire care home for people with dementia, operated by MHA, were suspected of being infected. Thirteen people have died in another of MHAs Yorkshire homes and 11 have died in a home in Northamptonshire. MHA believes at least half of its care homes have cases of infection. Three care homes in Scotland announced 30 deaths between them earlier this week and press reports in the last week have catalogued at least 36 other care home deaths. Scottish Care, the largest group of social care providers in Scotland, told Yahoo News UK: From our ongoing engagement with our care home members, it is our estimation that around half of our members are dealing with COVID-19 cases. Either residents with confirmed COVID-19 case, residents with suspected COVID-19, or staff members unable to work due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19. We welcome moves to more comprehensively report on COVID-19 related deaths as we need this information in order to effectively plan Scotlands health and care services. The spokeswoman told Yahoo News UK that Scottish Care is also exploring options to allow relatives to safely be with loved ones during end-of-life care. She said: We must never forget that each death is not a statistic but a person, for whom families, friends and care home staff will be grieving. We must therefore also use data to develop compassionate solutions and are working to explore how loved ones can safely be with care home residents at end of life. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care told Yahoo News UK: We are completely transparent about how we are collating data. DHSC publishes daily figures to show the number of deaths of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 in hospital. This is the best way to get consistent, up-to-date and reliable daily figures so that people can track the development of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. Our figures are now complemented by the ONS who are able to draw in data on deaths outside of hospital from death certificates, which takes longer to compile." Coronavirus: what happened today (Natural News) A bird that weighed around 992 lbs (450 kg) nearly as heavy as a polar bear was discovered in a the Taurida Cave in Crimea, Ukraine. This is the first evidence scientists have found suggesting that early Europeans lived alongside one of the most enormous birds to have ever existed. Previous scientific knowledge believed that the kind of gigantism in birds that produced heavyweight avian species like the elephant bird and the moa bird only ever existed on islands, such as Madagascar and New Zealand. However, this newly discovered fossil specimen turns all of this understanding on its head. The giant bird, known as Pachystruthio dmanisensis, lived around 1.5 to two million years ago, and scientists believe that it may have been a source of meat, feathers, bones and eggshells for early humans. It stood at around 11 feet tall (3.5 m) and scientists believe it would have moved incredibly fast, as speed would be essential to its survival. Scientists have known about the existence of P. dmanisensis, but before the discovery of its bones in the Taurida Cave, they were unaware of its actual size. When I first felt the weight of the bird whose thigh bone I was holding in my hand, I thought it must be a Malagasy elephant bird fossil because no birds of this size have ever been reported from Europe, said lead study author Nikita Zelenkov of the Russian Academy of Sciences. However, the structure of the bone unexpectedly told a different story. Zelenkov and his team brought to light the true size of P. dmanisensis using several formula calculations, which they based on the measurements of the birds femur. Using their formulas, they gave an estimate weight of 992 lbs. Giant bird thrice the size of modern-day ostrich This is the first time that a bird of this size was uncovered anywhere in the northern hemisphere. Even though researchers have already known about the existence of P. dmanisensis, its gigantic size wasnt determined until the discovery made by Zelenkov and his team. P. dmanisensis, in particular, would have towered above human ancestors. Zelenkov even noted that P. dmanisensis weighed so much that its formidable weight is nearly double the largest moa, three times the largest living bird, the common ostrich, and nearly as much as an adult polar bear. Other fossils found in the area with P. dmanisensis, such as bison, helped Zelenkov and his team estimate the age of the massive bird to around 1.5 to two million years ago around the same time that the oldest hominin (human ancestor) found beyond Africa existed. This told Zelenkov and his team that P. dmanisensis may have been typical of the animals found during that time, when hominins first migrated out of Africa and into Europe. Zelenkov further suggested that P. dmanisensis range homeland may have reached the Black Sea region around Crimea through the Southern Caucasus in modern-day Turkey. The Taurida cave, which belongs to a greater network of caves, was discovered in the summer of 2018 when construction teams working for the Republic of Crimea the Russian-backed local government currently occupying Crimea stumbled upon it while building a highway. The whole network of caves is said to contain the remnants of bodies of pre-Glacian Age mammals, including mastodons and mammoths. For more archeological discoveries of ancient animals, check out Discoveries.news. Sources include: Newswise.com Independent.co.uk TASS.com NewScientist.com It wasnt quite the celebration that Jess Hill hoped for. As winner of this years $50,000 Stella Prize for writing by Australian women for her incisive investigation of domestic abuse, See What You Made Me Do, she anticipated a glamorous event and a night to remember. It remains the latter, but she had to make do with inviting friends and family to a Zoom party. We may get some takeaway, she said ahead of the virtual ceremony, and our two-year-old daughter will probably still be up. Jess Hill says she is proud to join the Stella alumni as winner of this year's $50,000 prize. Credit:Louie Douvis Hill spent nearly five years researching and writing her book, which details the situation in Australia where one woman a week is killed by a man she has been intimate with. She tells the stories of victims, survivors and perpetrators, and examines the causes of domestic abuse and the possible ways forward to reduce the scourge. The other books on the Stella shortlist were: Diving into Glass, Caro Llewellyn; There Was Still Love, Favel Parrett; Here Until August, Josephine Rowe; The Yield, Tara June Winch, and The Weekend, Charlotte Wood. It is the eighth year of the prize, which was established to counter a perceived bias against women in Australian literary awards. By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's true death toll from the novel coronavirus far exceeds estimates previously published by the government, according to broader official data that include deaths in the community such as in nursing homes. Even before the new figures, the official British death toll was the fifth-highest globally and a senior scientific adviser to the government has said the country risks becoming the worst-hit in Europe. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 5,979 people in England had died by April 3 with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, mentioned on their death certificates - 15% more than numbers published by the health service. "I am not remotely surprised there would be an undercounting," Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Reuters. "The UK hospital death toll that you are seeing - the one on the news each night - is a composite of things that have been trickling in over a period of time. It is not an exact number and does not include the numbers dying in places such as nursing homes." The new numbers, which reflect both deaths caused primarily by COVID-19 and where it is mentioned as a factor, show how limited official data has been so far. Daily figures published by the health ministry record only COVID-19 deaths in hospitals. Public Health England Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said the government was working with the ONS to speed up the information. "We just need to be absolutely clear that the cause of death that is attributed is correct and that is what takes time on the death certificate to get right," she said, adding the government hoped to produce more rapid data, preferably on a daily basis. UNDERSTATING DEATHS Compared with the ONS figures, the daily hospital counts had understated the true death toll for England and Wales by 52% as of April 3, although this had narrowed from 70% a week earlier. Story continues Still, it raises the likelihood that the latest death toll for the UK as a whole - 12,107 as of April 13 - is in reality thousands higher when deaths outside hospitals are included. "These new figures ... clearly show the impact of COVID-19 for the first time," said Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. London was hit particularly hard in the week to April 3, when the ONS said nearly half (46.6%) of deaths in the capital involved COVID-19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now recuperating from COVID-19 complications that almost cost him his life, initially refrained from imposing the same stringent controls as other European leaders to counter the outbreak. But as projections showed 250,000 Britons could be lost to the virus, Johnson moved to shutter the world's fifth-largest economy and told people to stay at home. "The UK response was fractured and it was too late, and allowed a large number of people to become infected who didn't need to become infected," said Hanage at Harvard. "This is the start of the pandemic, not the end, and people need to understand that." Hanage suggested a focus on testing, using new digital technologies to give targeted advice to the population, or even detecting the virus in sewage. Government scientists have said the United Kingdom will do well if it manages to keep the coronavirus death toll below 20,000. Italy has reported a death toll of more than 20,000. Including Wales, some 6,235 people had died by April 3, the ONS said. Separate data from Scotland last week showed 354 deaths involved COVID-19 as of April 5. In Northern Ireland, the toll stood at 79 as of April 3. Across England and Wales, deaths mentioning COVID-19 accounted for 21.2% of all deaths, compared with 4.8% in the previous week. The broader reading of total deaths showed that 16,387 people died in the week ending April 3 -- the highest total since weekly death data started to be compiled in 2005. (Reporting by Andy Bruce and William Schomberg; Additional reporting by Stephen Grey; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Gareth Jones) SAN FRANCISCO - As the novel coronavirus rages on, few industries have experienced quite as many highs and lows as California's cannabis industry. Just a month ago, it looked like California's weed trade was headed for a shutdown, which would have landed a devastating blow to many businesses that are already struggling. Then, state officials deemed pot "essential," and many stores reported the biggest days of sales since recreational marijuana became legal. Now, a more sobering reality is setting in: the marijuana industry is unable to tap into a federal stimulus package or bank loans. "There's no money that's going to be coming into the sector," says Nicholas Kovacevich, CEO of KushCo Holdings, a major distributor to marijuana dispensaries. "All of these companies, including us, need to get profitable really quickly or risk running out of money." For industries like California's pot business that were already on the brink, the coronavirus crisis represents a make-or-break moment. Many retailers and restaurants have shut in the last month for the shelter-in-place order, unsure if they'll reopen when it's over. Like grocers, the marijuana industry's ability to operate during the pandemic offers a much-needed source of revenue. But for the pot business, the lack of a safety net, access to banking, or the ability to tap into federal stimulus dollars means the tiniest misstep could lead to bankruptcy. "We saw the potential to lose everything and then have the state or federal government not have our backs at all. It was very scary," said Dave Wingard, who owns Flora Terra, a marijuana cultivator and dispensary in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Alicia. They had finally gotten their business up and running last fall after a year and a half of cutting through red tape. On March 16, when many Americans were still trying to figure out whether the coronavirus was a big deal, six counties in the San Francisco Bay area ordered residents to "shelter in place," effectively shutting down the economy that is home to Silicon Valley, including the cannabis industry. For many Californians who rely on marijuana for everything from stress relief to treating post-traumatic stress syndrome and cancer, the decision to bar marijuana businesses from operating was a huge blunder. The backlash was swift and deafening. Matt Haney, a San Francisco supervisor, voiced support on Twitter. "They shouldn't be told to close. They obviously serve as pharmacies for a lot of people," he said. The next day, the San Francisco Department of Public Health reversed the decision, calling marijuana an "essential service." Other states like Vermont, Illinois, Michigan and Colorado followed suit, allowing marijuana businesses to stay open during shutdowns. "The fact that yesterday's vice is considered today's essential service suggests that we got the potential costs and benefits of marijuana use radically wrong," said Joseph Kennedy, a law professor at University of North Carolina. "It's evidence of the schizoid attitude our society has toward drugs in general and toward marijuana in particular." The designation by Bay Area governments was a major milestone for an industry that was ravaged by a war on drugs and survived years of turmoil since legalization. California was the first state to legalize medicinal marijuana in 1996, but the industry was marred by periodic crackdowns by federal law enforcement. In 2016, following Colorado and other states, voters approved recreational sales, prompting an investment boom. Many predicted that it would bring it out from the shadows, turning the once underground drug into an over-the-counter commodity. The opposite happened. The state began heavily taxing the product, and local municipalities tacked on their own taxes and fees, which boosted prices. Many towns opted to block marijuana dispensaries from opening up nearby, choking the ability of legal operators to distribute their goods. Tom Adler, owner of Wonder Extracts, which had been selling medicinal marijuana since the '90s, says his business margins over the past two years were cut by 75% in part because of increased costs associated with regulation and high taxes - far from his "huge" expectations for the business when it was legalized four years ago. With the drug legalized, underground dealers felt emboldened to expand their operations, setting up expansive delivery networks, undercutting the prices of legal pot and depriving the state of marijuana revenue. California initially expected about $1 billion in new tax revenue in 2018. It took in $342 million. Untaxed and unpoliced, black-market pot is estimated to be much larger than the legal trade in California. Hampered by a morass of regulation, local opposition to stores and a thriving black market, many marijuana businesses have shuttered. The vaping crisis, which was linked to the marijuana business because the pens are a popular method for smoking pot, last fall scared away investors and sent pot stocks plummeting. When the Bay Area designated dispensaries essential businesses and customers rushed to stock up, it created one of the few bright spots in the state's economy. The owner of Foggy Daze Delivery, who goes by the name Evrett, was so busy the day after the shelter-in-place order that he became a delivery driver himself. He made 39 deliveries that day, driving all over San Francisco handing bags full of weed to grateful customers. "We genuinely believe we're performing an essential service," he said. "The fact that they're allowed to be open is huge," said Fiona Ma, the California State Treasurer who said she hopes marijuana will help buoy the state's tax revenue, which is sure to be drastically down this year. "Obviously, it's going to help," she said. But she cautioned that the illicit marijuana business is likely also bustling, with even less enforcement due to shelter-in-place orders. Now, California's cannabis workers have the undesirable distinction of being front-line workers during a pandemic operating on razor-thin margins and zero federal support. Logistical hurdles like setting up a drive-through operation - a public health requirement - and protecting employees from the virus have added costs. Meanwhile, business owners had to pay for extended sick leave for employees who aren't working during the pandemic because of new requirements in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Brandon Levine, owner of Mercy Wellness in Cotati, California, said when he received an alert on his mobile phone that cannabis stores will be limited to curbside delivery, he and his employees wasted no time getting to work designing a drive-through store in the parking lot. They stayed up until 1 a.m. setting it up. "Our industry, the people in it are resilient and open-minded. We're talking about cannabis here, so you have to be a little bit open-minded," he said. Last week, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., said he is pushing to include marijuana businesses in the next federal stimulus package. Democratic Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are also supporting that change. The industry has some unusual challenges when it comes to stopping germs. Unlike most businesses these days, the marijuana trade is heavily reliant on cash transactions because banks have largely shunned the sector. Hard Car, a security company that caters to the marijuana business, performs a function that sounds arcane in the year 2020: In addition to distributing cannabis products, it transfers large sums of cash to the federal reserve for marijuana companies that can't get a bank to serve them because of federal restrictions. Todd Kleperis, the company's co-founder, said he anticipated the coronavirus would be a problem and ordered 3,000 face masks and gloves for his workers early last month. Once Hard Car's drivers are done with a delivery, drivers take off their masks and gloves and use hand sanitizer and clean the vehicles, some of which have air filters that can stop viruses. Drivers are told to regularly change their masks to avoid risking infection. In Santa Rosa, the Wingards' Flora Terra business saw an initial spike after the industry was deemed essential. Since then, they are seeing better revenue overall, but not enough. That burden on small businesses is supposed to be compensated by the new federal stimulus bill that offers small businesses what is essentially free money to make up for added costs. But the Wingards won't be eligible for that aid because the federal government deems their business illegal. "I don't know where it's going to go," Dave Wingard said. "It's hard. It's a tough business. . . . We're going to try our best." Isolation with roommates during the COVID-19 outbreak put even the strongest of relationships to the test, as was evident when Itty the koala joey couldnt bear any more of her buddy Harrys antics in their enclosure at an Adelaide rescue centre. Harry, the larger koala, was captured testing baby Ittys limits at the Southern Koala Rescue centre, this video shows. He can be seen lumbering over to the younger female koalas branch and awkwardly pulling himself up, kicking Itty in the belly and perching himself on her head in the process. Itty claps back at her bigger companion in response, although Harry remains placed on top of her. Anyone else got kids that have been fighting like cats and dogs during lockdown? Southern Koala Rescue said in a post to accompany the footage, which was shared to its Facebook page on April 14. Credit: Mish Simpson via Storyful North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles as he guides missile testing at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this undated image provided by KCNA on August 7, 2019. North Korea launched what were believed to be multiple short-range cruise missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest in a series of weapons' tests by the reclusive state. South Korea's military is monitoring for more developments, and South Korean and U.S. intelligence officials were conducting more analysis of the launch, the JCS said. The missiles flew about 150km (93 miles), JCS told reporters. Several military aircraft also appeared to have been involved in the drill. North Korea has been conducting weeks of military drills, including several launches of short-range ballistic missiles in recent weeks. Last month, it fired nine ballistic missiles in four rounds of tests, according to analysts. On Sunday, North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong Un had visited an airbase and observed drills by the country's fighter jets and attack aircraft. While Gov. Tom Wolf is now working with other states on a coordinated regional plan for reactivating their economies, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives is upping the pressure on the governor to adopt a Pennsylvania-centric strategy that would allow more of its businesses to reopen now. The House on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 613 on a 107-95 near party-line vote that would have the effect of scrapping the governors more restrictive list of life-sustaining businesses allowed to be open during the COVID-19 crisis. In its place, the legislation requires the governor to immediately plan to allow businesses that conform with the Centers for Disease Control and federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agencys guidance to reopen. The measure now goes to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate is going to come into session on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Tom Wolf said the governor will consider the bill once it reaches his desk. But during a phone call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, the governor said, If we dont do this right, the economy is going to be in even worse shape than it is now. House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County, pointed out under this bill, it could take another three weeks before a plan can be implemented that would allow businesses to reopen. He said 42 states use the federal guidelines included in this bill in determining which businesses can be open. Several supporters of the bill argued that it was the onslaught of heartbreaking calls from constituents frustrated over and financially hurting from the governors list of life-sustaining businesses issued on March 19 along with the associated waiver process that gave rise to the need for this action. Rep. Dawn Keefer, R-York County, who led off the more than two hour-long debate, said the governors process of deciding which businesses could be open and which ones cant "has been chaotic and confusing at best. Using the guidance that this bill provides places trust on business owners to operate in a responsible, safe manner for their employees and customers and gets people back to work, she and other proponents said. If we continue down this unplanned path, we will most certainly have a much larger catastrophe than we face now," Keefer said. Cutler referred to the bill as planning for the future and having a vision that goes beyond dealing with the immediate crisis. While not downplaying the terrifying statistics surrounding the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the state and the possibility this virus may be around for a long time to come, he said there does reach a point where people have to get back to work. Now is the time to plan for the future, Cutler said. The quarantine was an immediate short term and successful goal but it severely impacted everyones daily lives but its not a long-term solution. If we, like the experts, believe this could go into the summer and resurface in the fall then the answer cannot simply be we will wait until its over. Our people cannot serve that length of uncertainty or lack of long-term plans." Rep. Matt Gabler, R-Clearfield County, another of the more than a dozen lawmakers who offered comments on the House floor, said, this is the right response at the right time. But opponents maintained it is too premature to allow businesses to reopen. Several referenced the vote as as a life or death decision and pointed to health experts admonition that reopening the economy at this time poses too great a health risk. Some recited portions of a letter from state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine who warned that a random and uncoordinated reopening of business would lead to a tsunami of cases" that could overwhelm the states health care system. House Minority Whip Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia said he understands small businesses are economic engines but the truth is, we can revive our economy but we cannot revive lives. While well-intentioned, this measure goes too far, said Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer County. It would risk all of the sacrifices and pain endured to date and likely lead to prolonging the misery. Beyond the House chamber, members were hearing from interest groups whose stance on the bill was just as divided as the members themselves. Nurses and health care professionals raised concern that it could reverse the progress the state has made to control the virus spread while they still remain without adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and widespread available public testing for the virus or antibodies remain a distant goal. But small business advocates said the financial damage that this crisis is causing needs to be a high priority as well. Gordon Denlinger, Pennsylvania state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said, "Small business is the economic backbone of our state, and without a comprehensive strategy to restart these businesses, the loss of jobs and opportunity will result in an extended downturn that will harm every community in the commonwealth. Meanwhile, Wolf has emphasized a more measured approach to dealing with the coronavirus that puts public health concerns ahead of economic ones in the initial response. In announcing the formation of a council involving six other states along with Pennsylvania, the governors indicated the goal is to rely on data and science to develop a set of guidelines within weeks that determines when and how their economies can be reactivated. Wolf further shared his broad outline for transitioning to the new normal in a statewide message that aired on Monday evening. It includes ensuring cases of the virus are diminishing to avoid overwhelming the states health care system. The next phase involves having testing available to determine who is sick and who is immune to the virus as businesses start to reopen. The final stage, Wolf said, entails stockpiling supplies to ensure health care professionals are prepared to handle infectious diseases as "we rebuild our lives and our communities in ways that conform to the new altered normal. But Republican lawmakers fear that waiting could lead to economic devastation for the commonwealth and many of its citizens so they are not only resting their hopes on Senate Bill 613 alone. They also have a Plan B in the works. On Tuesday, they positioned more targeted business reopener bills for a House vote at a later date in the event Senate Bill 613 gets derailed in the Senate or is vetoed by the governor. These bills, approved by the House State Government Committee with only majority Republican votes last week, would allow construction activity and small businesses to resume in a controlled or limited fashion during the emergency declaration. Members from all corners of Pennsylvania are hearing from thousands of impacted workers and business owners who are watching their livelihoods fall apart during this shutdown, said House GOP spokesman Mike Straub. Our members will continue to pursue ways to address these challenges, and both of these bills are examples of more focused answers to segments of the economy especially impacted during this pandemic. The one bill, sponsored by House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, would allow public and private construction activity to resume provided companies adhere to the CDC and federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines. The other bill, sponsored by Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford County, would allow retail businesses identified by the governor as not life sustaining to open. This bill requires those retailers who do open to allow only one customer and one employee in the store at a time. In the state government committees debate over these bills, Republicans argued that Wolfs business closure order is perhaps the strictest in the nation and puts small businesses at a disadvantage to larger big-box stores that are allowed to be open. Democrats maintained they put profits ahead of saving lives. Yet another bill specific to reopening auto sales won passage along party-lines in the state government committee on Monday. It would require the state Department of Community and Economic Development to grant a waiver to allow auto dealers to open. Auto sales were among the commerce activities that the governors business closure order halted although dealerships were allowed to sell parts and perform service. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny County, would allow dealerships to open up provided they adhere to the social distancing practices and other Centers for Disease Controls COVID-19 mitigation measures. During the committees discussion of this bill, Keefer said, We know we can do these transactions safely. They can do this from afar. They can do virtual transactions. But Rep. Pam DeLissio, D-Philadelphia, said the bill as written would apply broadly to all car dealerships and not all of them have the same capacity to abide by the safety precautions that the legislation requires. I would be concerned about the fact that if somebody wasnt doing this correctly they could be helping to spread this horrible virus and the fact that theres probably not a reasonable mechanism we can enforce to ensure that this happens safely, she said. Committee Chairman Garth Everett, R-Lycoming County, said the same guidance the bill would require of auto dealers isnt provided to grocery stores and big-box stores that the governor has allowed to remain open. When I drove by Walmarts parking lot and Lowes parking lot and Wegmans parking lot and I see it as full as it normally is , Im thinking what were asking here is a much safer process than some of the other things we are doing without enforcement mechanism either," Everett said. Mihaleks bill now goes to the full House where it is in position to be subject to amendments on the House floor. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Samsung's Galaxy Fold turned out to be quite a stunner in the market last year and Galaxy Z flip too stuck the right chord with buyers. Now, the smartphone maker is all set to unveil its third foldable phonethe Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. The smartphone industry has faced a setback due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with several makers pushing their launch date but Samsung seems unfazed. It will in all likelihood launch its next foldable phone on time. As per the Korean publication ETNews, Samsung has finalized a design and has wrapped up trial manufacturing. Now as per a tipster, the Galaxy Fold 2 will have two color options including Martian Green and Astro Blue. The reports have also revealed that the screen size of the Galaxy Fold 2 will be slightly bigger than its predecessor- Galaxy Fold. However, it will keep the folding technology and the form fact intact. In terms of weight, the Galaxy Fold 2 will be 15% lighter than its elder sibling. Fold 2 will reportedly weigh around 229 grams while the Fold is slightly clunky at 263 grams. Contrary to what was being predicted earlier, the latest reports suggest that the Galaxy Fold 2 will not come with support for the S-Pen. The Galaxy Fold 2 is likely to release alongside the other premium phone by the Seoul-based smartphone maker- the Galaxy Note 20. The Fold 2 will be Samsung's third foldable device after the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip, which released in February 2020, at Samsung's event held in San Francisco. Coming to the pricing, not much is known about how Samsung plans to price its third foldable phone but some reports state that the Galaxy Fold 2 will be more affordable than its elder sibling, Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Fold 2 could have two storage options, the 256GB one, and a 512GB variant, which would obviously be a little more expensive than the base variant. The Galaxy Fold 2 is rumored to possess a Snapdragon 865 + 5G chipset under the hood. The phone will have two displays and the secondary display would be larger and it will have a bigger screen inside as well. In terms of the camera, Galaxy Fold 2 is tipped to feature a quad-camera setup on the rear which could include a 64-megapixel primary camera + 12-megapixel wide + 12-megapixel ultra-wide along with a depth sensor. It might feature a 10-megapixel front and cover camera. However, these are only based on the information shared by certain tipsters on social media. The company is yet to announce the complete specifications. RACINE COUNTY Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Wisconsin state presidential primary and received the most votes in Racine County on the Democratic side of the ticket by a wide margin. I was an early adopter, said Trevor Jung, Racines District 9 alderman and a longtime Biden supporter. I think the reason he resonated so much is because he has a track record of making a difference for people here in Racine. He was instrumental in saving the auto industry and in the Affordable Care Act ... We had someone who was a real advocate for us. By last weeks Tuesday election, Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders were the only candidates remaining in the race on the Democratic side. And on Wednesday, even before Wisconsin results were officially known but after all Wisconsin ballots had been cast, Sanders announced he was ending his run for president. On Monday, Sanders endorsed Biden. Despite that, a dozen Democratic candidates running for president still had their names on Wisconsins ballots. Here is the breakdown of how Racine County voters cast their ballot in the primary: Joe Biden: 18,336 Bernie Sanders: 7,885 Michael R. Bloomberg: 313 Elizabeth Warren: 321 Tulsi Gabbard: 186 Pete Buttigieg: 167 Amy Klobuchar: 123 Andrew Yang: 99 Tom Steyer: 20 John Delaney: 18 Michael Bennet: 15 Deval Patrick: 7 In addition, 109 voters marked uninstructed delegation and there were 58 write-in votes, bringing the total vote on the Democratic side to 27,657 votes. On the Republican side, there were 23,235 votes cast, with 22,697 for President Donald Trump, 444 for uninstructed delegation and 94 write-in votes. Biden or Sanders Angela Malone, a Sanders supporter, said that she thinks Sanders would have done better had Trump not been so divisive. Malone thinks that too many Democrats are voting specifically to beat Trump, and not voting by their actual beliefs. His (Sanders) ideas are popular, but the timing is bad because people are so afraid of Trump, Malone said. Im just going off what I hear people say, and what I hear is We have to get rid of Trump. In a race against a less polarizing Republican incumbent, people might feel more free to make that decision to support Sanders. Among Sanders ideas that Malone thinks resonate with voters are Medicare for All and the legalization of marijuana. Im an ideological supporter (of Sanders). It has nothing to do with the personality himself, Malone said. Jung said he thinks This election is going to be about character. Regarding Biden, Jung said that He has seen it all from his wife and children getting in a car accident, and him having to persevere from that. In 1972, less than two months after Biden was first elected to the Senate, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car crash in which his two sons were also injured. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Stephanie Jones Managing Editor Stephanie Jones is the managing editor for The Journal Times. To stay informed about what is going on in Racine County, subscribe at journaltimes.com/subscribenow. It's only about 10 cents per day for a digital subscription. Follow Stephanie Jones Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan posted the following on his Facebook page: I discussed issues related to implementation of the Old Yerevan Project during a working consultation with Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan and the administration of the Urban Development State Committee. I believe the area in central Yerevan that has served as a construction site for many years must be improved and exploited as soon as possible. Today we discussed a number of issues related to processing of the complete package of the project and its approval in the future. Marutyan also posted photos of his meeting. In this image from Senate Television, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), speaks on the floor of the U.S. Senate in Washington, Feb. 6, 2017, about the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Education Secretary. (Senate TV via AP) Elizabeth Warren Wants Health Protections, Higher Pay for Essential Workers Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced a list of compensations they say essential workers are entitled to because of the risk they are putting themselves in to provide for the public. The lawmakers unveiled the Essential Workers Bill of Rights on Monday, which is meant to protect frontline workers as they risk infection to provide basic services. They called for the next coronavirus relief package to include the Essential Workers Bill of Rights. Nearly 60 million Americans are still working to keep our internet running, to deliver our groceries, to make sure we have electricity, and to care for the sick. In an age of automation, we are reminded of the dignity and importance of work that is not remote, said Representative Khanna. The Department of Homeland Security defines essential workers as those who protect their communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. The lawmakers argue that essential workers are at a higher risk for infection since some are working without proper protective equipment. They include people in virus research and testing, pharmacies, hospitals, first responders, mass transit, agriculture, food and restaurant, energy, water, telecom, gas stations, manufacturing, funeral services, sanitation, janitors, banking, military, childcare, and media. Warren and Khanna want all essential workers to have access to free safety equipment, have robust premium pay which is retroactive to the start of the pandemic, paid family sick leave of up to 3 months, and quality childcare. Essential workers are the backbone of our nations response to coronavirus, said Senator Warren. We have a responsibility to make sure essential workers have the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to, and the compensation they deserve. The next relief package must put all workers front and centerbut it must also specifically include the policies in our Essential Workers Bill of Rights. The Democratic congress members also want the Essential Workers Bill of Rights to include protection for any whistleblower and accountability measures that hold CEOs responsible to their workers. Warrens Senate colleagues have also introduced legislation to compensate frontline workers. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) unveiled the Heroes Fund on April 8, which would give essential workers such as nurses, grocery store workers, building cleaners, and mail carriers a government-funded pay increase of up to $25,000 during the pandemic. Workers in hospitals and nursing homes, in the service sector and public safety, and throughout our economy are risking their lives during this public health emergency to keep our citizens safe, and their paychecks should reflect that. Frontline workers also need proper protection from the virus at work, said Senator Brown. By Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's SolGent has secured an order to supply a U.S. government agency with an additional 7,500 kits which can each perform 100 coronavirus tests, the CEO of the biotech firm told Reuters. That will double the number of tests U.S. authorities can perform using kits sourced from South Korea to 1.5 million. SolGent has already sent kits for 150,000 tests while South Korean peers Osang HealthCare and SD BIOSENSOR are due to ship kits capable of performing 600,000 tests on Tuesday, company sources told Reuters. The kits are being sent to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump made a request for medical devices in a telephone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on March 25. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the virus, topped 23,600 on Monday, the highest of any country. SolGent CEO You Jae-hyung told Reuters that the company is in talks on a long-term contract with FEMA and about building a factory in the United States to manufacture the testing kits, but that a decision has not been made. U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said on Twitter Tuesday that testing kits had been loaded at Incheon Airport bound for the United States. He called the alliance between the two countries "ironclad" and thanked South Korea's foreign ministry for its help. FEMA did not immediately respond to Reuters' emailed inquiries. The foreign ministry declined to comment. The ministry had said that three companies had won preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to export kits, but did not identify the firms. After struggling with the first large outbreak of the virus outside of China, South Korea has largely managed to curb its spread without lockdown orders helped by a massive testing campaign and intensive contact tracing. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang; Additional reporting by Sangmi Cha; editing by Jason Neely) 14.04.2020 LISTEN When I finally decided to settle down, nothing was going to stand in my way. That was what he told me a few days after his traditional wedding. That Saturday morning was my cousin Kwabenas big day: his traditional marriage to the love of his life. When Kwabena informed our family of his intentions to settle down, most of us had doubts and reservations but held on to faith and a little hope that it would be. To our family, this was by no means mere achievement. One will only understand this well when they have a close relative who is still single at 40-something years of age and finally decides to settle. Not to talk of the long, winding road he had to travel to come this far amidst disappointment and heartbreaks. As I was years ahead of him in the department of marriage, the Christmas period afforded us some time to spend together planning towards the day and by February, plans were far advanced and nothing was going to change, at least, so we thought. A Dawn Reality As the Coronavirus pandemic attained a tsunami level and threatened many lives and economies, Ghana was not spared its brunt as the very first case was recorded on 12th March 2020. Social Distancing With Kwabenas engagement date approaching, it became apparent that we were in for a gloomy journey as the nation and indeed, the entire globe had begun feeling the impact on different scales. The reality however sunk in well when the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo announced the New Public Gathering Advisories on 15th March 2020. Among the list was for Ghanaians to practice social distancing, but a determined Kwabena was not perturbed by the new measures and remained focused on his plans towards his big day. His first strategy was to trim down the guest list from an initial 300 to 25 in accordance with the social distancing guidelines. A task that would become a daunting one as it was difficult choosing from a list of equally important guests. This meant having to brace himself to make enemies in the process. His next move was to cancel or trim down some orders and bookings to reflect the new guest list and make corresponding calls to inform some initially invited guest that they could not make it to the final 25 - the most difficult calls he would probably make his life. Partial Lockdown So, effective 1am on Monday, 30th March, some forty-eight hours from now, I have imposed, pursuant to the powers granted the President of the Republic, under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), restrictions on movement of persons in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA, which includes Awutu Senya East), and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and contiguous districts, for a period of two (2) weeks, subject to review. These were the very words of H.E the President on Friday 27th March that brought businesses and lives to a standstill. A broadcast made around 11:00pm, barely ten (10) hours to Kwabenas big day. What was he to do? Against all odds The first thing I did when I woke up the morning of Saturday 28th March 2020, around 5am, was to call him to ask if anything had changed. This call was necessary because President Nana Akuffo-Addo had announced a partial lockdown of the two major cities in Ghana: Accra and Kumasi on the night of Kwabenas marriage to the only woman who had managed to pin him down. I could sense the frustration in his voice as he told me they were making a few last-minute adjustments due to the lockdown. These calls were to inform the privileged few invitees that the starting time had been moved to two hours early. This was to make enough time available after the event for guests from Kumasi and especially those from Accra to be able to travel back home before the lockdown took effect. All goes down in Asante Mampong Mampong, the hometown of Kwabenas bride is also the hometown of renowned highlife musician, Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (late). The town with rich Ashanti history and culture usually buzzing and always attempts to blow away the cobwebs, but this time, residents had only gathered to discuss and debate the impact of the lockdown. The typical pomp and pageantry that would greet any couple and visitors arriving in town for a marriage ceremony was missing, but Kwabena had endured even harsher situations than that. The solemn traditional rites were successful and duly performed without any drama or hindrance. After all the frustrations and uncertainties, Mr. and Mrs. Obom have eventually begun their marriage life, and even though in a partial lockdown, Kwabena is with the love of his life and says, though the future is uncertain, the immediate one is not any better as he does not know when they can step out to enjoy their new life and status. April 13 (Reuters) - Axiata Group Bhd: * AXIATA UPDATES ON WRIT PETITION BY NCELL PRIVATE LTD TO SUPREME COURT OF NEPAL * ON 12 APRIL 2020, NCELL SETTLED DEMAND AMOUNT OF ABOUT US$185 MILLION AND ADDITIONAL SUM OF NPR990.3 MILLION AS INTEREST * SETTLED DEMAND AMOUNT IN SATISFACTION OF SC JUDGMENT THAT HELD NCELL LIABLE TO PAY OUTSTANDING CAPITAL GAINS TAX Source text: bit.ly/2XuDqox Further company coverage: Actor Kiara Advani conducted a live interaction on Instagram recently, and during the chat, her rumoured boyfriend Sidharth Malhotra jumped in the comments section and showered her with compliments. Both Kiara and Sidharth are observing the nationwide lockdown, which has been extended till May 3. Looking good, Sidharth commented during the live session. He also recommended to Kiara that she check out his recent film Marjaavaan during the lockdown. At one point, he wrote, Yes, all ears. I am listening. Kiara acknowledged Sidharths compliments and even thanked him for joining in on the conversation. Kiara and Sidharth will appear on screen for the first time together in the upcoming biopic of Captain Vikram Batra, titled Shershaah. Sidharth was recently in the news for having appeared in the music video for the widely panned remix of Masakali. In a recent interview, the actor said that the song was shot as a part of Marjaavaans promotions. I dont think the audience has the patience now or they are not excited by that we are not really creating new melodies. So as an audience, as a listener, I completely agree. Actors also get far more excited with a brand new song, he said. Also read: Sidharth Malhotra on criticism against Masakali 2.0: It is completely valid Kiara, meanwhile, most recently appeared on screen in the Netflix film Guilty. She had a spectacular 2019, with hits such as Kabir Singh and Good Newwz. Follow @htshowbiz for more But the biggest challenge, she said, will be embracing new technology. Though Sinclair said she sometimes struggles with tasks like answering her iPhone, shes game to learn about videoconferencing and give it a try. Worst case, she said she will enlist her grandson, also a teacher in the Barrington district, to help set it up. Italys Daily CCP Virus Death Toll Climbs, Lockdown Measures Eased Italy on Tuesday reported 602 deaths from the CCP virus in the past 24 hours as the country started to allow some businesses and shops to reopen after the government announced a nationwide lockdown more than a month ago. The total death toll since the outbreak began in the country has risen to 21,067, according to Italys Civil Protection Agency. Officials said that 566 people died the day before. Meanwhile, the agency reported that new infections have slowed to 2,972 from 3,153, which is the lowest daily tally in a month, according to Reuters. The number of officially confirmed cases increased to 162,488, which is the second-highest in Europe after Spain. Around 3,186 people are in intensive care on Tuesday, compared with 3,260 a day before that. In all, 37,130 were deemed recovered after 35,435 were reported to have recovered a day earlier. It comes as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree allowing book shops, dry cleaners, laundromats, stationery shops, and clothing stores for children and babies to open again, The Local reported. Some forestry, landscape care, and maintenance and hydraulic works can resume production, as can computer manufacturers and sellers of paper products. Italian regions can impose stricter restrictions on what shops can open. According to The Local, the Piedmont region will not allow any new shops to reopen, while the region of Sardinia will allow businesses to reopen on April 26, and Lazio will only allow bookstores to open on April 20. A Carabinieri officer blocks the road traffic as a convoy of military vehicles arrives at the Monumental Cemetery in Bergamo, near Milan, Italy, on March 26, 2020. (Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images) An earlier order stipulated that only supermarkets, pharmacies, and other shops are the only places that can remain open during the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic. We need to pick sectors that can restart their activity. If scientists confirm it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month [April], Conte told the BBC earlier this month. The CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, has spread aggressively across the world, with a Johns Hopkins tally noting around 2 million infections globally. In Italy, 109 doctors have died on the frontlines of the outbreak, according to an Italian doctors association. The editorial board of the Italian Association of Doctors (FNOMCeO) updated on April 9 its running tally of doctors who died amid response efforts in 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 six new names were added on April 9. Tom Ozimek contributed to this report. The case in the government-controlled southern province of Hadramawt involves a port employee, who is in stable conditions. Saudi Arabias unilateral truce has been in effect since yesterday. For the Vicar of Arabia, COVID-19 might paradoxically have a "positive effect" for the conflict. Sana'a (AsiaNews) Yemeni authorities this morning announced the countrys first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the government-held southern province of Hadramawt, a major oil-producing region. The news has set off alarm bells and raised concern in a country devastated by five years of civil war with a healthcare system on the verge of collapse. International humanitarian organisations have sounded the alarm about the disastrous repercussions of a COVID-19 epidemic in the Arab nation, torn by a war since 2015 pitting the Saudi-backed government against Iran-supported Houthi rebels. The conflict has provoked the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world". An outbreak of the novel coronavirus would have even greater devastating consequences. According to early reports, the person affected by the virus is a Yemeni citizen who works in the port of Ash Shihr. The individual is stable and receiving medical attention, an anonymous source said. The authorities have taken the necessary measures but no details have been provided as to how the outbreak is being contained. Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen), noted that "the present pandemic and its horrifying risks also for Yemen may bring people of all involved parties to reason. Thus, the coronavirus could have indirectly a positive effect. The Vicar of Arabia's reference is to the decision taken yesterday by Saudi Arabia, which leads an Arab coalition in Yemen, to declare a unilateral two-day ceasefire. An estimated 100,000 people have died in five years of conflict. The ceasefire could be extended; however, Houthi rebels yesterday rejected the offer calling it a political and media manoeuvre. The Saudi truce proposal might nevertheless facilitate UN-sponsored peace talks between the parties to end the hostilities for good. Officially, the Saudi decision is meant to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit hailed the ceasefire offer as a rare opportunity to stop the bloodshed in Yemen. WINNIPEG - Premier Brian Pallister wants many of Manitoba's public-sector employees to accept a reduced work week perhaps as short as two days to help provincial coffers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister speaks and answers questions during a COVID-19 press conference at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Thursday, March 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods WINNIPEG - Premier Brian Pallister wants many of Manitoba's public-sector employees to accept a reduced work week perhaps as short as two days to help provincial coffers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government will approach more than a dozen public-sector unions with the pitch that reduced hours for non-frontline workers in the civil service, at Crown corporations and elsewhere is better than job cuts, Pallister said Tuesday. "I say that having the ability to work part-time ... is better than being laid off," he said. "We're not talking about having people lose their jobs. What we're proposing is to work with the public-sector unions to make sure that isn't the case, as much as is possible." Pallister said details remain to be worked out, but gave as an example an employee working two days a week and drawing on employment insurance or other federal benefits for the other three days netting about 75 per cent of their normal wages. The move would free up money for front-line health-care services and other programs, Pallister said, and help cushion the fiscal blow the province is facing from COVID-19. He has estimated the pandemic could cost Manitoba $5 billion this year in extra health-care costs and reduced revenues from a weakened economy. A treasury board document posted online Tuesday listed a number of financial pressures facing the province. Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, which includes casinos that have been closed due to COVID-19, normally pumps $600 million a year into government revenue but could see negative cash flow for some time, the document said. The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union said a meeting with provincial officials left questions unanswered. "We were left very concerned that government will designate many core public services as non-essential, and thereby undermine the services that keep us and our communities safe and healthy," union president Michelle Gawronsky said in a written statement. "We will be hearing from our members in the coming days, and that will determine how we can best stand up for the public services Manitobans rely on." The Manitoba Federation of Labour was also seeking details on how many workers might have to take reduced work weeks. "We think we need to make sure that our public services remain strong and are there for Manitobans and families who need them," federation president Kevin Rebeck said. The Opposition New Democrats said the move would hurt people who already face financial strain. "It will take money out of the pockets of families at a time when they need it most and it will put more pressure on an already strained economy," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said in a written statement. The reduced work week would not apply to politicians, Pallister said. "They are not taking time off. They are working full time." The government did announce some financial aid for health-care workers. Those who are required to self-isolate for 14 days due to possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace even if they show no symptoms will now receive paid administrative leave. 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. Provincial health officials announced no new COVID-19 cases or deaths on Tuesday. There have been 246 cases to date 142 of them remain active, including four people in intensive care. Four people have died since the pandemic began. "The message right now is that ... our low numbers are very likely a reflection of the (social-distancing) efforts that Manitobans have been putting in," said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief public health officer. "We know that if we let up on this now, we could see a reversal in this trend and start seeing these numbers climb." Roussin said the virus will be around for a while, but some restrictions on crowd gatherings and store closings could be loosened in the near future. Health officials will look for a downward trend in the number of active cases and for more days with little or no new cases, he added. "It's really early to make that judgment now, but a week of this, and without any other indicators, then that's going to make us think of what sort of things could we do to ease some of the restrictions without compromising our gains." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020 New reports reveal that a forensic died from coronavirus after getting exposed to a COVID-19 dead body. This new finding sparks safety concerns for morgue and funeral home workers who are handling cadavers of those who die from coronavirus. Not just the medical examiners, but morgue technicians and the people in funeral homes need to take extra care, said Angelique Corthals, a professor of pathology at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, according to Intelligencer. The danger of exposing these people to the dead is not yet being studied. There is no information as to how long will the coronavirus survive in a dead body. This lack of data makes it harder to determine what particular protective measures needs to be taken by forensic workers and morgue technicians. In an email to BuzzFeed News, health policy expert Summer Johnson McGee of the University of New Haven said that anyone who will be in contact with a COVID-19 positive body, whether dead or alive, should be wearing a personal protective equipment to ensure safety. Thailand's Department of Medical Services previously announced on March 25 that the bodies of coronavirus victims were not contagious. But morgue workers are doubtful, raising concerns about facilities that were built in a rush in order to deal with the massive number of coronavirus deaths. The study As indicated by the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Study, the deadly virus was picked up by a medical examiner in Thailand from an infected collection in March. Forensic medicine professionals have a low possibility of coming into contact with infected patients, Won Sriwijitalai of the RVT Medical Center in Bangkok and Viroj Wiwanitkit of Hainan Medical University in China, the authors of the study. Biological samples and corpses are at high risk of having the disease to be carried over. Among the COVID-19 patients in Thailand were a forensic medicine professional and a nurse assistant. There is no specific number or information of COVID-19 contaminated corpses since it is not their routine practice to check on dead bodies in Thailand. Read Also: North Korea to Implement Stronger Coronavirus Measures, True COVID-19 Stats Concealed? Can dead body spread coronavirus? If they needed to check for infection control and universal precautions, the forensic professionals should wear protective equipment, this includes a protective suit, gloves, and masks, the authors added. Disinfection procedure is utilized in operation rooms may be applied in pathology units as well. Burial service and medical workers across countries have gotten frightful of dead bodies potentially carrying COVID-19, as morgues across countries become overwhelmed. Thailand's Department of Medical Services guaranteed that individuals can't carry COVID-19 after they die. The World Health Organization clarifies that aside from in instances of hemorrhagic fevers, for example, Ebola, Marburg, and cholera, dead bodies are commonly not infectious. the virus stops spreading once its host dies and there is no chance of it being transmitted to another individual. Whenever dealt inappropriately during a post-mortem examination, only the lungs of patients with pandemic flu can be infectious. The dead bodies of patients who died from COVID-19 are not contagious, Related Article: Experts Warn COVID-19 Can Travel up to 13 Feet, May Spread Through Shoes @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A traumatised wife who suffered 14 years of abuse at the hands of her controlling husband finally called the police on him when he attacked her during lockdown. Cristina Coman, 46, separated from taxi driver Sorin Alpopi, also 46, in 2019 after 14 years of marriage. She found a new place to stay in Wandsworth, south west London, but called 999 when he turned up there and started repeatedly punching her on April 5. Alpopi also deleted all her phone contacts and stole her mobile and British passport in a bid to get her to go back to their native Romania so he could have her house in London to himself. Ms Coman told police Alpopi had a history of 'controlling behaviour and emotional blackmail' in her statement. Domestic abuse experts have seen a 25 per cent rise in crisis calls from victims during the coronavirus shutdown. He pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in a family relationship and one count of assault by beating at Wimbledon Magistrates Court. Sorin Alpopi, 46, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault by beating of his estranged wife Cristina Coman, 46 Prosecutor Robert Simpson said: 'It's classic coercive, controlling behaviour. The complainant is the defendant's 46 year old partner. 'A 999 call was made by Cristina Coman. Police arrived and she told them he had grabbed her by the arm and punched her several times. 'At this point she revealed over the 14 years of their marriage there had been a history of controlling behaviour and emotional blackmail. 'She had separated from him about a year ago and managed to find accommodation. He made his way back into the house. 'She showed the police a bruise on her arm and around her armpit and claimed that over a period of time he had taken her telephone. 'She said he had also taken her British passport so the only passport she had left was her own Romanian passport. 'The reasoning was the defendant wanted to force her to go back to Romania so he could have the house to himself. 'He was interviewed about the matter he said he took the phone from her because she spent too much time talking on it. She told police the contacts had been removed from her phone.' Domestic abuse experts have seen a 25 per cent rise in crisis calls from victims during the coronavirus shutdown. File image used District Judge Andrew Sweet asked: 'What is he doing about his appalling behaviour?' Richard Barrett, defending Alpopi, replied: 'It seems to be driven by drink. When he's been drinking he becomes unpleasant and behaves in a way Mr Simpson has indicated. 'He was working as a minicab driver but because of Covid-19 has been told not to go to the office.' Domestic violence incidents are expected to have gone up by the time the next national figures are released. With victims unable to leave their homes and struggling financially during the COVID-19 lockdown, they are even more vulnerable than usual, as well as refuges being closed. Alpopi was bailed on the condition he does not enter Wandsworth or make contact with Ms Coman ahead of sentencing on May 6. New Delhi, April 14 : Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan interacted with the Ministers of Food and Consumer Affairs of all the states regarding the status of distribution. In a video conference with the ministers on Monday, he appealed them to expedite free ration distribution under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Paswan thanked the ministers on behalf of the Prime Minister and said that the states ensured timely supply of food grains and other essential items to the common people in this hour of crisis. According to the statement issued by the ministry, all the states expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Food unanimously. They also praised the hard work of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its employees. Paswan said that under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 5 kg of rice or wheat per person is to be distributed free of cost every month for the next three months to all beneficiaries of Public Distribution Scheme (PDS). Also, a provision has been made to give one kg of pulses free to every family with Ration card. He urged the states to expedite the lifting and distribution of cereals and pulses and said that the entire cost of this is being borne by the Government of India. Under the National Fertilizer Protection Act (NFSA), the state governments can simultaneously take the ration for the next six months as the Government of India has allowed the states to take the ration for three months on credit basis. The statement by the ministry, the Union Minister said that if the name of the eligible beneficiary or anyone's family member under NFSA is missed out, it should be added as soon as possible so that no eligible beneficiary is deprived of food grains. He advised to strictly follow social distancing at ration shops as well as use of face masks and hand sanitizers. The Union Minister said under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), the price of rice has been fixed at Rs 22 and wheat at Rs 21 per kg, and any private organisation or an NGO that distributes free food during the lockdown will be allowed to buy wheat or rice at this rate from the FCI depot. Paswan asked the states to ensure necessary preparations for the government procurement of wheat from April 15 and advised them to follow social distancing at the procurement centres. Apart from this, he asked them to ensure that all essential items are available in the local market at reasonable rates. As per the information, in the video conferencing which lasted for more than three hours, all the states expressed satisfaction over the availability and continuous supply of food grains and other essential items and said that there is no problem and supply of food grains to every family is been ensured. Pakistan poultry sector seeks green light for exports to Afghanistan Pakistan's poultry sector asked government on Monday to allow meat and eggs export to Afghanistan as the country has potential to fill a supply gap following a sharp decline in Iran's exports to the war-torn country. "Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has requested the federal government to include Chicken meat and eggs in the list of export items to Afghanistan," Chaudhary Muhammad Fargham, vice chairman PPA (Northern Region), said. According to an estimate, Afghanistan imports up to 30% of eggs and meat for meeting its domestic requirements. The main exporting countries are Pakistan and Iran. Poultry imports from Iran has been hit by outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent closing of borders. Fargham said Pakistan poultry sector supplies prime quality protein food in the form of poultry meat and eggs, at a very affordable price. "The annual turnover of this sector stands at over PKR800 billion, while it gives employment to over 1.5 million people directly and indirectly," the PPA official said. Khaleeq Arshad, another official of PPA, said Pakistan poultry industry has been producing quality as well as affordable products despite facing various challenges included high cost of production. Arshad stressed the need to introduce adequate measures to reduce the cost of production of industry in general as well as for processed poultry and its products for local as well export purpose. The local poultry industry had steadily been entering into regional markets including Middle East, Arshad said, adding that several key players were successfully meeting the demand of multinational food chains working within the country. According to an official estimate, the current investment in poultry industry is more than PKR700 billion. This industry is progressing at an impressive growth rate of 8% to 10% per annum over last few years. Pakistan has become the 11th largest poultry producer in the world with the production of 1,163 million broilers annually. Poultry today has been a balancing force to keep check on the prices of mutton and beef. . , " ". , - . , ... In a lengthy interview with the Egyptian press, Minister Yasser Abbas said Sudan could not act as a mediator between Ethiopia and Egypt on the mega-dam, and urged a resumption of negotiations Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said that his country does not support Egypt or Ethiopia in the current Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations, because it is a primary party involved in the negotiations and has its own rights to the Nile water. He also said that the mega-dam offers a lot of potential positive impacts for Khartoum, including ameliorating the effects of flooding and increasing the amount of agricultural land in Sudan. The Sudanese minister gave an interview via WhatsApp to Egyptian news portal Masrawy on Monday evening. It was his first since Ethiopia withdrew from the latest round of US-sponsored talks in February, which were expected to generate a final deal between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. The draft deal, written by the US, which is mediating the talks, was initialled by Egypt but not signed by the other two states. During the interview, Abbas said that the negotiations did not collapse and noted Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdoks intention to visit Egypt and Ethiopia after the coronavirus outbreak recedes. Khartoum seeks cooperation between all involved parties to reach a final agreement, he said, and urges the resumption of negotiations. GERD safety concerns On Sudans support for the construction of the GERD despite safety concerns, the Sudanese minister stressed that safety issues are an integral part of negotiations and no final agreement has yet been reached on this issue. There was a draft agreement prepared by the committee consisting of the three parties, and it was negotiated in detail and agreed upon most of its issues, but a few points still need to be further discussed and agreed upon, Abbas said. Many positive impacts from dam The minister also said that, for Khartoum, the mega-dam offers more pros than cons. The number of positive impacts of the GERD are represented by several aspects, the most important of which is the utilisation of our water rights, the increase in the area of irrigated land and the intensification of agriculture in the current areas, as well as the increase in hydroelectric generation. The dam will also allow huge sums to be saved that were formerly allocated to removing the silt from irrigation canals and will eliminate the negative impacts of floods, Abbas said. The Sudanese official said that his country also seeks to minimise the negative impacts of the GERD and transform them into benefits, referring to plans for converting flood irrigation areas into permanent irrigation, in addition to enhancing river navigation, including transportation, tourism, as well as other sectors. Responding to a query as to whether the mega-dam is located in an area of earthquake and volcanic activity, Abbas said this possibility is very weak, explaining the dam is more than 540 kilometres from the nearest seismic activity or volcanic activity point and that it was built on stable granite. The percentage possibility of breakdown or collapse is almost non-existent according to its design and the implementation of the latest data and technology for building dams available globally at present, Abbas said. Asked about any climate change effects that may occur due to the construction of the dam, the minister said that such changes are only a result of global influences and not of limited projects such as the construction of reservoirs, stressing that there is no regional impact on the Aswan High Dam region as a result of the GERD reservoir. Returning to the negotiation table On his countrys stance toward the resumption of GERD negotiations, the Sudanese minister said Khartoum will exert every possible effort as a primary involved party. Sudan has rights to the Nile water and doesnt seek to play a mediating role, Abbas said, confirming that Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok planned to visit Egypt and Ethiopia after the end of the current coronavirus outbreak crisis. The Sudanese minister totally dismissed any contradictions between the stances of Sudans Sovereignty Council and the government, stressing that the issue of GERD negotiations remains within the competence of the states executive branch, which is the Sudanese Council of Ministers. Sudans expectations of coming negotiations The negotiation course didnt collapse and we [Sudan] expect its resumption very soon, the minister said. A few points remain unsolved and require a final and decisive agreement, he said. Negotiations will resume as soon as possible, especially after Prime Minister Hamdoks latest contact with Washington and his intention to visit Cairo and Ethiopia to push the involved parties to resume talks, but the coronavirus pandemic and current travel conditions may have delayed this step, said Abbas. There is a draft agreement drawn up by the three-party panel in coordination with the US Treasury and the World Bank, and a few items of the agreement remain to be agreed, he added. There was information on an Egyptian signing, but Sudan was clear at the last meeting at the end February, which is that there is no point in partially signing a draft agreement that has not been fully detailed or outlined, he said, affirming that his country had made constructive proposals that could achieve the aspirations of the three countries, according to the Declaration of Principles signed in Khartoum in March 2015, and the principles of international law. ''Sudan stresses the necessity of resuming negotiations as soon as possible and is fully prepared for this step, the Sudanese minister added. Reasons for delay Abbas also said that issues related to international water rights are usually complicated and sensitive, due to each countrys determination to make the maximum benefit from water resources, especially with the increasing need for water and population growth challenges. Therefore, he said, negotiations between countries on such issues often take a long time. Abbas said he holds no specific party accountable for the current stall in the negotiations. For instance, the Mekong River Water agreement in Asia, which includes only four countries [Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand] took more than twenty years to negotiate a preliminary agreement, Abbas said. What we do know is that the three parties [to the GERD] understand the urge to reach a comprehensive and final agreement on the first filling and then the annual operation of the dam, the minister added. He said he expected a final agreement on the GERD to be reached soon, depending on all parties involved. Sudan's decision not to sign the draft deal There is no complete agreement between the three parties to be signed, said Abbas about Sudans decision not to sign the agreement in February. There was a draft agreement prepared by the committee composed of the three parties, and most of its items were negotiated and agreed upon at the penultimate meeting in mid-February in Washington, but a few other points needed more discussion at the last meeting on 27 and 28 February, which Ethiopia did not partake in, and therefore these points were not negotiated at all, Abbas said. Rather, Sudan presented observations according to the agreement in the previous meeting our stance was clear in this regard as stated in our statement, which is to not sign except within the agreement of the three involved parties, he added. The minister affirmed that Sudan had submitted its observations to the draft according to the agreement of the mid-February meeting, during which all parties submit their observations on issues that have not been agreed upon, noting that the last meeting did not involve any negotiation process, due to the absence of one of the three negotiating parties. Sudan's position on signing has been clear and consistent since the beginning of these negotiations, viewing negotiations as trilateral, and therefore any agreement should be agreed upon and signed by the three parties, he said. Accusations of inclining toward the Ethiopian side At a meeting of the three countries delegations in Cairo in December, Sudan presented a proposal on the first filling and annual operation of the mega-dam. However, a month later, some amendments were made to the proposal, described by some experts as inclining toward Ethiopian interests. Sudan at that meeting presented an integrated proposal on the annual filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, and then other countries presented their proposals as expected in any negotiation process. Some adjustments were made here and there to reach a point that could be agreed upon," the Sudanese minister said. We didnt want to dig deep into the technical details of the proposal, but generally it covers filling and operating during the different hydrological scenarios for the Blue Nile, Abbas said. The proposal also covers the safety of operation and thus the integrity of Sudanese dams, the mechanism for exchanging data on daily operations, and the mechanism for conflict resolution if it occurs, the Sudanese minister said. "There are some dissenting voices that do not agree with most of the Sudanese government and people, but these opinions do not rely on any scientific studies and are fed by information provided by counter media that are against the progress and development of Sudan," Abbas said. The ministry would like to make it clear to them that the Sudan of the revolution is completely free of these restrictions and influences and will work to benefit from all its resources in accordance with Sudans interests and within the terms of international water law, he added. On the contrary, the Sudanese public has always been supportive of our negotiating stance, which seeks to protect Sudans strategic interests. The Arab League resolution controversy In a statement on 8 March, Egypt's foreign ministry expressed disappointment at a statement issued by the Sudanese foreign minister concerning Khartoums reservations to an Arab League resolution supporting Egypt in its dispute with Ethiopia over the GERD. This resolution didnt serve Sudans interests and the current negotiation course, rather, it creates problems between Arab and African countries and abolishes the principle of cooperation adopted by Sudan in accordance with laws managing international waters, the Sudanese minister commented. Last Month, Sudanese Sovereignty Council member Siddiq Tawer said his countrys stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been misunderstood, saying that Khartoum has sought to take into account the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan when dealing with the issue. Earlier this month, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country would starting the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam this coming rainy season, as the construction of the dam is progressing well, according to Ethiopia's state news agency ENA. Ethiopias rainy season normally begins in June. Abiy made the remarks on the ninth anniversary of the start of construction on the GERD, which commenced in 2011. Egypt, which is downstream from the dam, fears that the project will diminish its share of Nile water, on which it is almost entirely reliant for fresh water. The US stepped in to host negotiations in November after the three countries announced that talks had reached a dead-end, and after Egypt asked for an international mediator. However, the three countries were expected to sign a final deal on the GERD in late February, when the last meeting was scheduled to be held, but Ethiopia skipped the meetings, citing incomplete domestic discussions. Egypt initialled the deal and called on Ethiopia and Sudan to do the same. Egypt has accused Ethiopia of "deliberately" impeding the course of negotiations, and the US Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said following the 28 February meeting that the final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement. Search Keywords: Short link: Coronavirus: Official Middle East data rule out catastrophe But don't always reflect true reality on the ground (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, APRIL 14 - The coronavirus hasn't yet hit the Middle East in the "catastrophic" way that many had foreseen, despite its geographic proximity to Iran, where the first and most serious outbreak of the virus occurred with more than 4,000 deaths, and despite the structural vulnerability of the health systems in many Arab countries between the Mediterranean and southwest Asia, hit directly and indirectly by armed conflicts and socio-economic turbulence. According to official data thus far distributed by various health authorities in Arab countries, crossed with those of international research centres connected to the World Health Organization, as of today there have been 443 deaths due to Covid-19 in the 11 Arab countries east of the Mediterranean and the Gulf, which counts a total population of about 160 million people. Iraq, including the autonomous region of Kurdistan, emerges as the country with the most deaths (78), with a relatively low number of infections (1,378) in the entire Middle Eastern Arab and Gulf area. Excluding countries hit for years by war such as Yemen and Syria, where officially there are one and 25 cases, respectively, and with only two deaths attributed to Covid-19 in Syria, Kuwait is the country where the virus seems to have taken the fewest number of victims (two deaths), followed by Oman (four), Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain (seven). However, the figures aren't necessarily in line with the real situation on the ground. In some cases, such as in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, authorities have admitted that they can't conduct blanket exams on the population. Added to this is the low trust that many local communities have in state authorities, accused of corruption and a lack of transparency. Iraq, with a population of 38 million people, has the lowest rate of tests conducted (900 per million residents). Lebanon and Jordan registered just over 2,000 tests per million people, and figures are not available for Yemen, Syria, Kuwait, and Oman. The United Arab Emirates conducted the most tests (648,000; 65,000 per million residents), followed by Bahrain (67,000; 39,000 per million residents); and Qatar (50,000; 17,000 per million residents). Saudi Arabia conducted many tests (115,000), but this is a limited number when considered as a percentage of the population (3,000 per million residents).(ANSAmed). Washington: Amidst the coronavirus epidemic, reports of refusal to provide ration to Hindu and Christian communities in Pakistan have been condemned by a US government organization. Along with this, the organization has requested Pakistan to ensure that food aid is distributed equally among all religious minorities of the country. Sitaram Yechury, furious over PM Modi's speech, says 'No roadmap to fight Corona was presented' Arunima Bhargava, the commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said vulnerable communities in Pakistan are fighting with hunger as Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc and refuses to give them food aid is not good. Pakistan should help them to keep their families safe and healthy. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Actress Urfi Javed shared these pictures The commission said that they are not providing food aid to Hindu and Christian communities in Pakistan. Bhargava said, "These actions are condemnable." There have been reports from Karachi that the Seelani Welfare International Trust, a non-governmental organization set up to help the homeless and seasonal workers, is refusing to provide food assistance to Hindus and Christians. They argue that this assistance is only for Muslims. 209 new cases surfaced in a single day in Bangladesh The hundreds of migrant workers who gathered outside Bandra railway station here on Tuesday might have expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would order reopening of state borders, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said. They were told by the police that borders are not going to be opened and the situation was now under control, he said. The migrants were assured that the state government will make arrangement of food and accommodation for them, following which the crowds dispersed, he said. "Lakhs of workers from other states work in Mumbai. They expected that the PM would open the state borders today. They felt they could go to their home states," the minister said. "But the PM and CM (Uddhav Thackeray) took a very good decision to extend the lockdown. The state borders will remain sealed. Permission will not be given to go to other states from Maharashtra," he said. "We have assured them the state government will arrange facilities for stay and food, and the situation is under control now," Deshmukh told Marathi channel ABP Majha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australia Post considered slashing its deliveries to once a week and replacing thousands of offices with automated kiosks to stem growing losses. A strategic review of Australia Post by PwC told the organisation in May 2018 found there were significant savings that could be made with losses set to hit $400million a year by 2021. The PwC review recommended slashing the number of delivery days to just one would save $184 million a year '. This option would enable Australia Post to deliver regular letters to delivery points once a week only,' it said. Australia Post has been slammed in a report that said customers found it unnecessarily difficult to use before recommending major changes That could start with the removal of federal government legislation that required Australia Post to have a minimum of 4,000 shops, with at least least 50 per cent being based in regional areas. This would save $130 million a year. The review, led by Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, said the delivery service should lobby the government to have the 50 per cent rule to removed to give it more flexibility in changing how it's offices functioned, especially in the city. It noted the move would not be able to be implemented successfully until the over two billion letters sent last year dropped to $1.2 billion. 'Downsizing the network may involve a transition over time to smaller-footprint locations, moving back-of-house delivery activity to centralised locations and replacing full-service locations to small-footprint automated kiosks with parcel lockers,' the review document seen by Fairfax newspapers said. The report led by Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate (pictured) also recommended the delivery time of regular letters be extended by three days so they could be sent out once a week The report also recommended offices be transitioned to automated kiosks with parcel lockers Australia Post made $41 million profit in 2019. In a statement, a spokesperson from Australia Post said the company regularly undertook reviews to help better manage its business practices. 'May 2018 is now some time ago, so any assumptions made at that point in time would now be outdated and we will not comment on the contents of a confidential report,' they said. 'We regularly review our strategies and seeks expert input for consideration by Board and management,' 'We know that many Aussies see Australia Post as the most present service provider in communities, ahead of schools, cafes, pubs and grocery stores. Australia Post is committed to continuing to be one of the most trusted service provider in regional and rural Australia,' they said. Gardai adopted a "softly, softly" approach when dealing with breaches of the social distancing and travel restrictions over the Easter bank holiday weekend. Final figures on the breaches will not be calculated and published until today but enforcement through arrests is said to have happened in only a "very small" number of cases. Read More Last night, it was reckoned the regulations, signed into law last week by Health Minister Simon Harris, were used by gardai fewer than 20 times. Officers said the public were largely compliant and accepted the advice of gardai if they were found to be in breach. Mr Harris last night said he believed the level of compliance among the public has been "very high" and that the types of instances of people gathering in large numbers, as happened in Glendalough recently, had not occurred. Most of the offences recorded at the weekend were dealt with under the Public Order Act or road traffic legislation. A handful of drivers were arrested for alleged drink- driving while a cyclist was stopped and questioned after he was found travelling on a motorway. Gardai in Limerick reported detecting a disqualified driver on a non-essential journey who had a child unrestrained in the back seat and seized the vehicle. Elsewhere, gardai at a Covid-19 checkpoint arrested a man for suspected drink-driving and also found what was believed to be cocaine in the vehicle. "Many of the incidents that gardai encountered involved stupidity and did not require the use of the temporary regulations," one officer said. Another source said: "It has always been intended to use enforcement as a last resort. Enforcing these regulations through arrest has only happened a very small number of times." The powers for gardai, which can result on conviction in a heavy fine or a jail sentence for a serious offence, have now been extended until May 5. Many of the regulations cannot be deployed without the approval of the HSE, and this could prove to be a problem for gardai if they want to implement them quickly in the coming days. But that did not arise under the Garda's Operation Fanacht over the weekend. The erection of 120 major checkpoints on main roads and another 500 on secondary roads on Thursday proved a big deterrent to motorists thinking of travelling to holiday homes. A similar number of checks were carried out on Saturday and Sunday with around 2,500 gardai deployed daily. Public authorities also reacted quickly where there were reports of large crowds gathering for leisure activities and closed off access to many beaches and some parks. A senior officer told the Irish Independent: "The softly, softly approach has worked out very well with the co-operation of the public and we want to thank them for that." In the North, members of the PSNI had issued 107 fixed fines up to yesterday morning. These were mainly for refusing to disperse when asked by the police. Officers said groups ranging from a dozen to 20 were found to have gathered for events such as house parties, barbecues and children's play dates. SHIMLA: Police have booked a man in home quarantine for sharing pornographic content with a woman doctor posted at a community health centre in Rohru sub division in Shimla district. Acting on the doctors complaint, police on Tuesday booked the man for outraging the modesty of a woman. The doctor told the police that she had quarantined certain individuals with Covid-19 symptoms at their homes. One of them created a WhatsApp group, added her number and shared the pornographic content. The police are investigating the case, Shimla superintendent of police Omapati Jamwal said. TWO BOOKED FOR SKIPPING QUARANTINE In another case, two people were booked at Hatkoti in Jubbal for jumping home quarantine. Sunny Sharma, in-charge of the rapid response team for Covid-19 in the area, told the police that he had advised Rihan, 20, and Kosar Khan, 22, to stay in home quarantine as a preventive step but when his team visited the village, it found they had been missing for three days. A search is on for the two youngsters. ZorroSign, the pioneer of cutting-edge Electronic Signature and Digital Transaction Management technology, has today announced a major plan to support businesses of all sizes during the uncertainty created by COVID-19. In an unprecedented move, ZorroSign has pledged a free three months subscription to the companies to cope with the crisis. As the business world adjusts to a significant increase in remote workforces, ZorroSign is here to help. We are committed to being the type of corporate citizens our employees and families can be proud of. To reinforce business operations of all sizes, 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 Shamsh Hadi, Chief Executive Officer at ZorroSign. ZorroSign is a pioneer of real electronic signature, digital signature and patented document fraud and tampering detection system built on Artificial Intelligence and similar innovations. 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 any more, especially when employees are now working from home. This is where ZorroSign can be a vital component of the stabilisation and resiliency of businesses, said Hadi, and added: ZorroSign has made extensive use of technology to provide customers with a state-of-the-art electronic signature, digital signature and Digital Transaction Management (DTM) services. These services boost the 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. Healthcare organisations can utilise 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 being at 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 ensuring that ZorroSign will do its part to help companies in need. Industries that directly get benefits are government, education, financial services, healthcare, insurance, real estate, home inspection and legal. Within the preceding industries, ZorroSign solutions compliment accounting and tax, finance, human resources, legal, marketing, procurement and sales. ZorroSign can be deployed for many different transaction types: governments can use for human resources processes, administration programmes and processes, housing programmes and building permit management, architecture and engineering document processing, logistics, procurement processes, public health programme administration and cross-agency agreements Popular uses for ZorroSign technology in other verticals include facilities management firms, agents, brokers, customer agreements, the closing of real estate purchase and loans, property inspection and appraisal processes, rental and lease agreements. -- Tradearabia News Service Third-party Candidate for Texas House of Representatives Takes Lead on Economic Recovery CEDAR PARK, TEXAS, April 10, 2020 - Brian Elliott, an Austin lawyer, business executive and Libertarian candidate for Texas House District 136 (Cedar Park, NW Austin, Leander, Brushy Creek and Jollyville), today unveiled a comprehensive plan to spur economic growth and restore Texas' position as the economic engine of the country in the post-COVID-19 environment. The plan centers on The plaintiffs, Bredar wrote, have not proposed an obviously superior alternative that the Corps overlooked to improve east-west transit in the Maryland suburbs while causing less damage to wetlands and waterways. The opponents, he said, also did not show that the agencys decision to allow the work was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or illegal under the Clean Water Act. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Zaruhi Batoyan has presented the application for applying for social support and has urged beneficiaries to fill out the application correctly. The procedure is as follows: 1. All fields need to be filled. 2. After entering data on each page, be sure that you have filled the fields correctly and then move on to the next page. You cant re-edit after entering the information. 3. If you have successfully entered the information, wait for a response to your application. 4. You will receive an e-mail with a response to your application within 2-3 days, Zaruhi Batoyan wrote. The minister also stated the cases in which an application for the ninth social support measure is rejected. An application is rejected, if: 1. you are a registered employee 2. you are an individual entrepreneur 3. the family receives benefits 4. you are not record-registered in the State Population Register. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday praised doctors, police, health and sanitation workers who are on the forefront in the fight against the coronavirus despite the shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE). In turn, she received a rare congratulatory message form the BJP. In a video message, released by the party hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation, she also regretted reports of harassment of doctors in some parts of the country while urging the people to follow the lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms. Our warriors are working hard, day and night, in helping fight this battle and win over it, despite the shortage of PPE. These warriors include doctors, health workers and NGOs, Gandhi said. Soon after her speech, BJP president JP Nadda tweeted to thnak Gandhi for urging the people to stay indoors and observe lockdown regulations. Thank you Sonia ji, take care of your health, he tweeted. The BJP chief had earlier criticised Sonia Gandhi for doing politics at the time of a crisis and when the country should be united. Prime Minister Modi has announced that the countrywide Covid-19 lockdown will be extended by another 19 days till May 3. Sanitation workers, police personnel and government officers too are working hard and round the clock to control the deadly virus, she said. This fight will weaken without your support, and we should not allow this to happen. At some place, I hear reports about ill-treatment meted out to doctors. This is wrong. Our culture and tradition does not allow this and we should support them, the Congress chief said. She also sought to assure the people of her partys support and expressed confidence that with a strong morale, the country will emerge victorious against the crisis very soon. Gandhi urged the people to stay indoors, be safe and observe the lockdown stipulations, saying it will not be possible to win this battle without everyones support. She also thanked people for maintaining peace and patience while staying indoors and adhering to the lockdown stipulations. Today, when the country is fighting such a big battle, every Congress worker understands his responsibility and is always ready to help every warrior. Anyone can ask for our support and every Congress worker will support you, Gandhi added. She reiterated her partys support in fighting the anti-corona battle. I assure you that whether the Congress party is in power or in opposition, we will stand by you in this battle. I am confident that with a high morale, we will emerge from this crisis very soon. Gandhi also lauded the work done by some people at individual level in providing food, ration and sanitisers to the poor and the needy. Every Indian is united in fighting this battle and fulfilling his or her duty. Today, your support in dealing with the crisis is no less patriotism. The country is able to fight this virus only because of your help and support. I do not have words to thank you, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Media Release Basel, April 14, 2020 Dufry postpones Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders 2020 Dufry's Board of Directors has decided to postpone theOrdinary General Meeting of Shareholders initially scheduled for May 7, 2020. The new date will be announced in due course. The Company expects to convene the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders still in the course of May 2020, but in any event by June 30, 2020. The postponement allows the Company to adapt to the continuing Covid-19 situation, including the regulations and prohibition of public meetings and the travel restrictions imposed by the Swiss Federal Council. For further information please contact: Renzo Radice Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone: +41 61 266 44 19 renzo.radice@dufry.com Sara Lizi Karen Sharpes Investor Relations Americas & Communications Div. 4 Global Media & Events Phone: +55 21 2157 9901 Phone: +44 0 208 624 4326 sara.lizi@br.dufry.com karen.sharpes@dufry.com Dufry Group - A leading global travel retailer Dufry AG (SIX: DUFN) is a leading global travel retailer operating over 2,400 duty-free and duty-paid shops in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and downtown tourist areas. The Company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, operates in 65 countries in all six continents. Social Responsibility Dufry cares for children and supports social projects from SOS Kinderdorf in Brazil, Cambodia, Mexico, Morocco and Ivory Coast. SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-political and non-demonstrational organization established for orphaned and destitute children all over the world. As the coronavirus has spread across the United States, fear and mistrust of others has intensified. Asian Americans in particular have become a target of covid-19-related harassment. At a Costco in Seattle, a child was told to back off from a sample tray. In Brooklyn, a subway passenger was sprayed with Febreze. In Miami, an elderly woman was chased down the sidewalk by a man wielding a bottle of Purell. A pan-Asian buffet in Washington State was vandalized. A woman in Minnesota, a TV journalist in Los Angeles, and a DC man in a 7-Eleven were attacked with slurs. Children across California were bullied. An elderly man was spat on. A Korean student was punched in the face. A father and his two toddlers were stabbed. In early February, Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian-American studies at San Francisco State University, observed the countrys climate of fear. The Trump administration had just restricted foreign nationals who had recently traveled to China from entering the US, and the status of Chinese students returning to universities for the spring term was uncertain. The World Health Organization had advised against such travel restrictions, Jeung noted; Trumps policy appeared to be a knee-jerk xenophobic response. I wanted to investigate, he told me. Jeung and two graduate assistants put together an analysis of media coverage of covid-19 related to xenophobia. Upon reviewing articles published from the first week of February to early March, they found that reports of harassment against Asians and Asian Americans had proliferated. Jeung also began to collect reports directly from victims of discrimination and harassment. In March, he and the Chinese for Affirmative Action and Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council started a website on which people can record incidents of harassment in seven languages; it has since received more than 1,400 reports. (The Anti-Defamation League also keeps a running list of media reports of harassment targeting Asian Americans.) CJR spoke to Jeung about what hes seen in the media coverage of anti-Asian harassment and what the media can learn from this moment. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What patterns have you noticed in media coverage of covid-19 as it relates to Asians and Asian Americans? We heard a lot about racist incidents and xenophobic reactions, but we had no firsthand accounts. The best way we could document what was going on was to look at secondary-source data. So we began to do a content analysis of news stories. The first month, we used a database of global English-language news. We just typed in covid-19 and xenophobia as a search. We looked at 433 news stories published over four weeks, read through the stories, and counted the incidents. We found 657 separate cases of xenophobic attacks. There were two objects that were racialized in connection to the coronavirus: Chinese foodthere were a lot of memes about eating batsand masks. A lot of people reported being attacked for wearing a mask. That was the first pattern of stories. After that, a lot of stories appeared about the cancellation of Lunar New Year events and the downturn in Chinese businesses. Following that, there were more stories about racism against Asians worldwide. People would be barred from establishments, not allowed into stores; cabs wouldnt pick them up. There were a lot of incidents on public transportation, because youre in close quarters on buses and subways. And then there was the regular adult harassment and child bullying. How would you characterize the medias participation in this? Depending on the media outlet, they could be contributing to the xenophobia by calling the virus the Chinese virus, calling it the Wuhan virus, by showing pictures of Chinese people wearing masks when theyre talking about the virus, or running stories about conspiracy theories. In the US, there was a lot of attention on Trumps insistence on using the term Chinese virus and blaming the people rather than calling it a disease. What has been the impact of this sort of rhetoric? So we did a second study and looked at American domestic news. We saw the same pattern of stories, but now we have a fourth type of news story, which is resistance to the racism. A lot of elected officials and health officials took a stance against prejudice because they saw such an uptick in racial profiling. And then also the Asian-American community rallied against racism. Would you say Trumps rhetoric directly led to attacks against Asian Americans? I think theres a strong correlation. You can see it in the time sequence. After a xenophobic statement is made you see an uptick in anti-Asian violenceat least in news stories. Weve now started a reporting center to get firsthand accounts. Weve gotten about a hundred reports a day since its opened. A lot of reports talk about Trump: the assailants are using the same language. They say, Youre the disease carrier, or Get rid of this Chinese virus. So theyre parroting the same rhetoric. After the backlash to Trumps use of the phrase Chinese virus, he tweeted his support for the Asian-American community. But his language, even as it purported to be positive, remained othering. He says, They are amazing people, they are working closely with us to get rid of it. We will prevail together. Theres a sense that the Asian-American community exists separately from the United States. Hes got a clear us-versus-them dichotomy. We call that Orientalist language, saying that the West is different from the East. Therefore Asian Americans are considered perpetual foreigners. That language puts us in the out-group, and its easy to blame and attack the out-group. Its stupid in both ways. They say, Im not Chinese, so I cant get the disease. Then theyre more susceptible, and they blame Chinese people. We need Chinas help right now, though. We need ventilators, we need equipment, we need their expertiseand, by creating greater animosity, Trumps building a wall from getting help. How do you compare this current pandemic with the time of sars? How has the media environment changed since then? Social media and the internet have really made a difference in how quickly people get and read the news. So its a lot more visual; people use shorthands. For example, Asian people in masks as a visual shorthand for sickness. We have people give the reasons for the incidents they report, and about 15 percent said the reason was they were wearing a mask. The other interesting thing about how the media has portrayed Asians and diseases is that reports always have had these caricatures of Asians being the Yellow Peril. Since the nineteenth century there have been cartoons of disfigured, alien-looking Asians coming in and invading the West. The media has long participated in fomenting xenophobia and exclusion. With sars, it wasnt as big of a pandemic as now, or as threatening. Also, we didnt have a president who used it. Trump weaponizes the disease. Are all Asian Americans being targeted, or specifically Chinese Americans? In our research only 40 percent of respondents were Chinese, so that means 60 percent of reports were by non-Chinese. One result of this is ethnic distancing. So people would say, Dont attack me, Im not Chinese. Who is most vulnerable to attack? I didnt recognize this until I saw the data: women are three times more likely to be harassed than men. I dont know why; maybe people perceive them as easier to pick on. Maybe its physical stature. The other people who are vulnerable are children. Im seeing that kids are afraid of getting the disease themselves, and then about being bullied or attacked. I think this is a pretty anxious, stressful time for youth. They get a lot of harassment on social media: TikTok, Instagram, all the platforms. What forms are those attacks taking? Thats the third thing we want to study, looking at what the viral memes and content are. But I think its both unintended and intended jokes that could be insensitive or straight-up racist, and obnoxious comments. What do you think the media can do to reduce attacks against Asian Americans? Actually, I think the reporting has made an impact. Thats why Trump came out with this statement that we cant blame Asian Americans, we need to protect Asian Americans, because the news was reporting so much on anti-Asian violence and harassment. The press can continue to report on whats going on in the Asian-American community, provide platforms for Asian-American officials and groups, use accurate terms like covid-19, use pictures that are more representative of whos getting the disease. In the US, Asians are probably the great minority. Where do you see coverage lacking? You asked about vulnerable populations. Unhoused people overallpeople in prison, people living in close proximitiesare more vulnerable. Chinatowns have a lot of hotels and cramped apartments, so Im concerned about low-income Asians living in crowded conditions, as well as their access to resources and information. There are all these linguistically isolated communities where people dont speak English, so I dont know how theyre getting information about how to remain healthy and safe. Do they understand physical distancing? We need stories about who is most affected. How do you think mainstream media serves Asian Americans in general? They tend to neglect us. And again, stereotype us. Theyll do stories about Chinatown in places where most people dont live in Chinatowns. Theyll go to the same spokespersons all the time rather than get real peoples perspectives. The hard thing is talking to people in their language, so they can be more eloquent and more well spoken. Thats the hard thingnot having enough language access to the community. Not having the reporters, and not even trying to have the reporters try to get access, because the reporters are so rushed and they have to find people who can speak right away. For example, someone asked me, Can I speak to someone whos been a victim of anti-Asian violence? And I go, Well, yeah, but theyre hesitant and theyre scared. So you need culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate reporters. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Camille Bromley is a story editor at the Columbia Journalism Review. JUNEAU, Alaska - Alaskas governor has vetoed nearly $636,000 in funding to continue operating Alaskas statewide library catalogue. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavys office said the state libraries had enough resources to operate without extra money, CoastAlaska reported Sunday. Dunleavy also vetoed $200,000 for video conferencing between about 90 library branches across the state. The governors office referred questions to the Department of Education and Early Development. The catalogue allows patrons to borrow books and other materials from libraries across the state, Juneau Library Director Robert Barr said. Thats the system that allows you to receive library materials in Juneau from Anchorage or in Bethel from Juneau, Barr said. Thats what allows us to connect with each other. Barr, a past president of the Alaska Library Association, said last year that cuts to the states university system threatened the unified catalogue system. The catalogue is co-ordinated through the University of Alaska Anchorage. Extra funding was added by lawmakers to the Alaska State Librarys operating budget in an attempt to cover the shortfall before Dunleavys veto. The statewide catalogue will continue to operate, but individual municipal libraries will share the cost and Barr expects some smaller outlets to drop the system. The video conference service is part of the Online with Libraries program. Librarians have used the system to connect with patrons remotely after libraries were shuttered statewide by a health mandate because of the coronavirus outbreak. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. About $33,000 of the Online with Libraries program funding remains intact for libraries to buy software to continue running the system on their own. Programs include staff meetings, digital story hour, virtual book club, and fitness classes, according to a statement on the Online with Libraries website. Those services are not expected to continue when funding for a Fairbanks-based technical co-ordinator expires in July. And without that kind of central co-ordination piece, libraries wont be able to provide that service anymore, Barr said. Vodafone Ghana has reopened its pioneering Healthline Medical Call Centre to empower Ghanaians with accurate COVID-19 information and refer suspected cases to the Rapid Response Team (RRT). Healthline Call Centre, which has been a resounding success, was established in 2013 by the Vodafone Ghana Foundation to provide expert medical advice on the phone to Ghanaians, reducing the stress people usually go through to get medical service. In support of the risk communication activities of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the project is expected to enhance governments effectiveness in combating the spread of erroneous COVID-19 information and rumours, which has become a major concern for governments and medical workers worldwide. Healthline Call Centre operates a daily schedule from 8am to 8pm, and is manned by 50 doctors from the Ghana Health Services (GHS) who have received COVID-19 training. Ghanaians can now dial 255 to access this service. Commenting on the initiative Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana said: At Vodafone, we are proud to avail our mobile technology for this health initiative. We believe in developing pioneering and sustainable initiatives that solve pressing social issues and benefit the whole country. Our commitment is to utilize our innovative technology in mobilizing social change and improving peoples lives as we work together with government to fight the coronavirus. Dr Joyce Aryee, Board Chair of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation also said in a statement: In line with our passion for health, the Vodafone Ghana Foundation is happy to be at the forefront educating and creating awareness about COVID-19, which poses a significant threat to the livelihood of Ghanaians. We are excited that this partnership will have great and sustainable impact on Ghanas fight against the global pandemic Dr Dacosta Aboagye, Chairman of the Risk Communication and Social Mobilisation Committee for COVID-19 at the Ghana Health Service, who led a training session for the 50 doctors said: The medical call centre is a timely intervention to support our risk communication efforts in fighting the virus. We are grateful to Vodafone for this remarkable initiative. Healthline Call Centre played a phenomenal role in providing technical advice and guidance to frontline workers during the Ebola outbreak in Africa. Through a partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ghana Health Service (GHS), Healthline Call Centre became the only medical call centre across Africa facilitating advice and information sharing amongst health workers directly. The Healthline Call Centre established by Vodafone Ghana Foundation is well positioned to provide critical support to the Ghana Health Service and the Ghanaian public. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON The Justice Department lent its support on Tuesday to a Mississippi church that was penalized for holding drive-in services in defiance of a local order to slow the spread of the coronavirus and said that the order was applied unevenly and infringed on the congregants First Amendment rights. Even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers, Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement. While the Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., is relatively small, the Justice Departments support is in keeping with Mr. Barrs aggressive defense of religious freedom and assertions that Christianity is core to American democracy. Mr. Barr has said that he believes the nation needs a moral renaissance and that Judeo-Christian values are key to a functioning society. In a so-called statement of interest, the Justice Department said that it was supporting the Temple Baptist Church in its lawsuit against Greenville and its mayor, Errick Simmons. The city imposed fines of $500 and citations last week on anyone who attended a midweek service where parishioners stayed in their cars to listen to music and a sermon on the radio, according to the lawsuit, but allowed residents to visit drive-in restaurants. The city has since withdrawn the fines. Early Monday night, Kim Smith officially became the first woman to be elected as mayor of Onalaska. Smith, who had served as interim mayor since December, when she was appointed as a placeholder after former mayor Joe Chilsen resigned, said shes excited to put the campaign behind her and get back to work. It was kind of anticlimactic, Smith said of celebrating the win that evening confined to FaceTime and social media to share in the joy because of social distancing. More just a relief to have it over, rather than a big celebration. It was like, now we can get down to business and focus on whats important, she said. This election cycle looked different than most, a majority of ballots cast through the mail, results pushed back almost a week and in-person voters and poll workers in masks and gloves, behind plexiglass and in lines six feet apart. Smith defeated challenger, longtime Onalaskan and political newcomer, Terry Bauer 2,887 to 1,945. I think it was difficult, because he came out of nowhere, Smith said of her opponent. I just would hope if he really wants to be involved in municipal government, and all members of our community, theres plenty of opportunities to serve. He had a good campaign, and he was learning and responding, she added, and he taught me a lot. Bauer congratulated Smith on the win on Tuesday morning, saying his experience running for office was great. Nobody wants to put their name out there and have somebody smear them and go negative. Its just not the way it should be, and Im glad the local races were able to keep that focus, he said. Early on, Bauer was endorsed by former mayor Chilsen, who said he was a real doer, according to Bauer. I was optimistic and positive if you get a good vision and the community involved, you can get things accomplished, and I wanted to test that theory if I was elected. If I could bring that energy to the table, Bauer said. But I can still do those things and make things happen, he added, saying he has no intention of running for another seat and will continue being involved in the community. Hes spearheaded plenty of efforts around the La Crosse area, including Moon Tunes and the new bandstand in Riverside Park. I still have ideas to make our community a better place, and I can do that as a private citizen, he said. Smith, an Onalaska native, has more than 20 years of experience in city government and public service, serving on the parks board and as a city alderperson since 2004. Smith also works as the food safety coordinator for City Brewery in La Crosse and will balance that with the part-time mayor position. She holds a bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a masters degree from Viterbo, and lives in Onalaska with her husband, where they both graduated from high school and raised their two daughters. This race was originally fairly crowded, starting out with four candidates running to lead the community of nearly 19,000. But early on, then-candidate Bob Muth dropped out and threw his support to fellow candidate Jim Binash, who ultimately ended up losing in the February primary. During her campaign, Smith was passionate about maintaining Onalaskas role as a leader in the regional partnership it has with surrounding communities, while ensuring tax dollar spending would benefit Onalaskans equally. But the pandemic threw a wrench in both Bauer and Smiths campaign, they said, stopping door-to-door campaigning and public events. Not being able to canvas the neighborhoods and meet people the last couple of weeks of the campaign was a bit of a challenge, Bauer said. I felt like the section going up to the primary, I had a good, strong campaign plan and community support and we executed it well, Smith said, who won the February primary with nearly 50% of the vote. But then basically starting from scratch all over again and then just stopping. The city of Onalaska saw a voter turnout of around 47% for the election, which includes in-person and absentee ballots, which is a drop from its April 2016 turnout of 65%. La Crosse County as a whole also saw a lower turnout, with just around 43% voter turnout, compared to 61% in 2016. In the county, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden claimed nearly 62% of the vote. At the time of the election, runner up Bernie Sanders was also on the ballot and claimed 33% of La Crosse Countys votes, but he suspended his campaign on April 8. Voters in the county also played a role in electing new Wisconsin Justice of the Supreme Court Jill Karofsky, giving her 66% of the votes against incumbent Daniel Kelly. Smith also won the election for her former seat as District 3 alderperson for Onalaska, narrowly beating opponent Jack Pogreba 776 votes to 749. Through awkward election regulations, Smith originally filed the papers to run again for the council seat she had held since 2004 before Chilsen retired and she was bumped up to mayor in December. Once you do all that you cant just take your name off the ballot, she said. But she cant serve as both alderperson and mayor, and has no intentions of turning down the mayoral position. The council will decide what they want to do, either to leave the seat vacant or have someone appointed, she said. Smith will officially take her place as elected mayor on April 21, a historic day for Onalaska, but for Smith, just another day on the job. I dont feel like being a woman is defining in my ability to be a mayor. I think that the reason that I am and that I will be a good mayor is because I care about my community, she said. TOMAH MAYOR Mike Murray has been re-elected as mayor of Tomah. He won his second two-year term by defeating former mayor Nellie Pater, 1,225-540. 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. Who would have thought that the fruitful relationship between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard would turn into a marriage full of domestic violence and abuse? The root of domestic violence case between Depp and Heard started to crawl soon after they got married on February 5, 2015. Just a month after they held their special day, the 56-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star caught the public's eyes after he showed his finger injury while filming "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" in Australia. According to Depp, the "Aquaman" actress smashed and threw a vodka bottle at him while his hand was resting on the bar. Heard reportedly sling-shotted the large bottle at him, severing his finger. After the said legal trouble in Australia, Heard put an end to their ugly 15-month marriage life by filing a divorce on May 23, 2016. Multiple news outlets then reported that the actress stated "irreconcilable differences" as the cause of their divorce. Things started to be more complicated after Heard filed a temporary restraining order against the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" actor in the same month. She claimed that she needed the RO since her ex-husband allegedly abused her. Because of the photographs that showed Heard's multiple bruises on her face, the judge commanded Depp to be at least a hundred yards away from her and warned him not to contact his ex-wife in any way. Depp, Heard's Divorce Settlement In August 2016, the former couple agreed to have a $7 million divorce settlement. Instead of putting it into her pocket, Heard donated the huge amount to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Heard then started a relationship with Elon Musk after her split from Depp, but they broke up months after. Just when they thought that everything between Depp and Heard has already been settled, the "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" star penned an op-ed article in The Washington Post titled "I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence - And Faced Our Culture's Wrath That Has To Change." The article is about female victims of domestic violence, and the actor's name was dragged into a negative light, causing him to lose his Captain Jack Sparrow role in the award-winning film franchise "Pirates of the Caribbean." In October 2018, the film's original screenwriter Stuart Beattie spoke with DailyMail TV and officially proclaimed that Depp's time as the focus of the series was already over. Depp's Defamation Suit After the op-ed and the article that called Depp a wife-beater damaged his reputation, he filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun and Heard to prevent his life from being devastated further. The aforementioned article contained the story about how J.K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, still chose to hire the "wife-beater Depp" in a "Fantastic Beasts" film despite the case against him. In March 2020, Heard filed an appeal to stop the case since a one-year statute of limitations makes the case invalid. However, Judge Bruce D. White gave Depp the signal to proceed with his defamation lawsuit since the actor filed the suit within four months of the article's publication in 2016, making it valid. Between these events, a lot of potential proofs emerged -- from leaked audios to videos -- that made Heard dig her own grave. Due to the coronavirus, their domestic violence case was put on hold, and they are now required to prepare for another personal hearing soon. Once it is over, the truth will unfold itself and only then people will be able to know whether Depp is the victim or the abuser. READ MORE: Why Amber Heard Should Be Removed From Aquaman 2 Residents of a city locality opposed the cremation of a doctor from Andhra Pradesh who died of COVID-19 here, forcing authorities to carry it out in another place overnight with a top official blaming 'coordination gap' for the unsavoury turn of events. As the body of the 56-year old doctor, who died on Monday at a corporate hospital, was taken to the cremation ground in Ambattur area, the locals protested against it, saying it might lead to spread of coronavirus in their locality, police said on Tuesday. Following the resistance, the body of the man from Nellore was taken back to the hospital mortuary, they said. Top government sources said the man was cremated late on Monday in another locality in the city. A top official from Chennai Corporation told PTI that the cremation was done with the full protocol for COVID-19 victims. When asked about locals objecting to the cremation, state Health secretary Beela Rajesh said such an incident was rare and said "coordination gap" could have been the reason behind it, but did not elaborate. "It is a very sensitive issue. Everybody in the government is aware of the guidelines that needs to be followed to dispose (a body). We have also issued guidelines to private hospitals. These kind of issues have not occurred in the past. A small coordination gap has occurred", she said. The government has already informed the district collectors about the procedures to be followed, Rajesh said, adding, "we will reinforce them again". The doctor who contracted coronavirus from a Tablighi Jamaat attendee was first admitted to a government hospital in Nellore, about 175 km from here, and later shifted to the corporate hospital on April 6. He was a diabetic and also suffered from hypertension. Tamil Nadu has so far reported 11 fatalities due to the virus while the cumulative total of those infected as on Monday stood at 1,173. Of these, 31 of were children below the age of 10, the government said. Meanwhile, 40 police personnel in Coimbatore are undergoing tests for coronavirus after a person who served food to a few of them tested positive for COVID19 on Monday. According to police, a 61-year old man who had volunteered to provide food to these police personnel on duty at various locations was in the latest list of COVID19 cases. He had visited Delhi for personal reasons and returned to the city on March 23 by flight. He had initially tested negative twice for the virus and visited the police stations and district collectorate and served food to the police personnel. However, after he developed cough and cold two days ago, the swab samples were sent for testing, and later it emerged he was infected with the virus. He has now been admitted to a local hospital, police said. Subsequently, health authorities approached senior police officials to send the 40 police personnel, including an Inspector, to Primary Health Centre for testing, which was under progress, they said. Officials are tracking the travel contacts and family members of the man. Meanwhile, the blood samples of nearly 100 people, residents of an apartment complex in RS Puram area in the city where four people tested positive for COVID19 a couple of days ago, have been taken for tests. These include those who attended a funeral at the apartment, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Clwyd South MP welcomes extra 350m consequentials for Wales from Coronavirus emergency response fund This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 14th, 2020 The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak yesterday announced a further financial package to help bolster the NHS and other public services during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. HM Treasury say they are also working closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and in addition to funding urgent health priorities on a UK-wide basis, the Treasury is now providing the devolved administrations with almost 2 billion from this fund through the Barnett formula. The announcement yesterday means that Wales will receive an additional 350 million as a result of UK Government spending from the emergency response fund. This brings the total pledged to Wales in response to the pandemic to nearly 2 billion. In total, some 14 billion has been allocated to public services to help fight Coronavirus across the UK. Welcoming the additional funding Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes said: Im so grateful to all those working in the NHS and our public services, particularly in Clwyd South, who I know are doing an incredible job with immense dedication to keep us all safe. This additional funding package of 350 million from the Chancellor is great news for those working so hard on the frontlines to tackle this pandemic. Added to the 250m from the Chancellors initial 5 billion released, this means Wales will receive well over half a billion pounds of extra funding specifically for public services, and nearly 2 billion in total to help combat Coronavirus. Mr Baynes added, The community spirit weve seen in Clwyd South has been tremendous; everyones been going the extra mile. Ive heard from businesses working around the clock to get their customers the essentials they need to keep going. And community groups and charities mustering large groups of volunteers to help deliver food and prescriptions to the most vulnerable people in our community. They all deserve our thanks and this funding gets us that step closer to beating this virus. In line with Government advice Ive had to postpone all face-to-face advice surgeries and meetings, and my ofce staff are working from home. However, Im still available and continuing to provide advice and support to residents by email and by phone. So if you need help, please dont hesitate to get in touch with me on simon.baynes.mp@parliament.uk or on 01978 269386. Me and my office are here to help in any way I can. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said yesteday: Our public services and its incredible workers are working with immense resolve and skill to keep us safe. We depend on them, which is why we are doing everything we can to provide our NHS, local authorities and others, with the resources and tools they need to tackle the virus. From the start, Ive been clear our vital public services will get whatever they need to protect this country and its people from Coronavirus. We are delivering on our pledge. The 14.5 billion of expenditure approved so far includes: Uttar Pradesh reported 102 fresh coronavirus cases and three fatalities on Tuesday, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients to 660 and the death toll due to the pandemic to eight in the state, an official said. Among the latest deaths, two were reported from Agra and one in Moradabad, he said. Agra has reported the maximum fatalities in the state with three people succumbing to the infection in the district till now. State Surveillance Officer Dr Vikasendu said the remaining five deaths were reported from Basti, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Varnasi and Moradabad. An official release of the state health department said 102 fresh cases were reported on Tuesday, of which 70 cases are of people who had attended a large religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. Among the total 660 cases, 375 are the attendees of the religious congregation, it said, adding that the coronavirus positive cases have been reported from 44 districts of the state. About the rise in cases, Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said those who died of coronavirus were suffering from other health problems too. "They are mostly elderly or had some medical condition," he said. The official further said the number of positive cases is high at present as the reports of many samples were pending and with an increase in testing facilities their results have started coming now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is unlikely to take a call on behalf of bankers to extend a moratorium to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). The approach, according to people familiar with the RBI, is that the regulator can only enable the banks to take such commercial decisions, and it is left completely to the bank if they want to ask for the loans, or extend a deadline. If such an extension happens, as decided by the lender, the central bank is willing to allow the delay to be considered as standard assets, just as what it has done for other working capital loans. On ... Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 14.04.2020 A total of 1,067 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia. According to the latest data, 265 coronavirus patients have recovered so far, whereas 16 others have died from the disease. As the PM Nikol Pashinyan noted, the average age of the latest two death cases is 74.8. The PM added that these statistics enable us to say that Armenia has the opportunity to break the "backbone" of COVID-19. Weve already reported that the Armenian government yesterday extended the emergency state in Armenia to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The second round of the presidential elections in Artsakh was held on Tuesday amid the emergency declared in the republic. In the first round, ex-PM Arayik Harutyunyan and serving FM Masis Mayilian have passed to the second round with 49,26% and 26,4% of votes, respectively. According to the data received from the territorial electoral commissions, as of 2 pm, 29,443 voters, or 28.4% of the total number of voters, have participated in the elections. [UPDATE] Based on the data provided by territorial electoral commissions, as of 5 p.m. 38,839 voters, or 37.5% of the total number of voters. Four police officers have been arrested through the investigative actions carried out by officers of the Armenian National Security Service and the police. The news was confirmed by the attorney of three of those four police officers Garik Galikyan. The police officers are charged, and arrest has been selected as a pre-trial measure against them, the attorney said, adding that he has appealed against the decision on arrest, yet didnt mention the charge. Earlier on April 9, officers of the Police and NSS entered one of the police stations in Yerevan and conducted investigative actions. To this day, the NSS still hasnt provided any official information about the case under which those actions were carried out. Two police officers were stabbed in Gyumri, Armenia, shamshyan.com reports. They had tried to find out the identities of two citizens and whether they had the movement permission document that is needed during the current state of emergency that has been declared in the country. However, these persons argued with the officers of the law, during which one of them stabbed a traffic police officer and an officer of the law with a knife. But this citizen was rendered ineffective and taken to a police precinct. Glendale City Council Member Vrej Agajanian was selected as the Citys Mayor by fellow council members. Agajanian replaces outgoing Mayor Ara Najarian, MassisPost reported. Agajanian was first elected to office in April 2017. Over the years, he has also served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Auditor of the DM Educational Foundation, and chairman of the Shushi Orphanage School Board of Trustees. New Delhi, April 14 : With the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 getting extended till May 3 on Tuesday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has started finalising the process of conducting exams either on digital platforms or by other means in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country "JNU is in the process of finalising the process of conducting examinations either through the digital platforms or via other means in view of the nationwide lockdown imposed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic," a statement issued by the JNU administration read. For this purpose, the university had convened a consultative meeting of senior officials, including the Vice Chancellor, directors, registrar and several deans of schools and chairpersons of special centres on April 12. In that meeting, consensus emerged that deans of schools and chairpersons of special centres will consult their respective faculties and prepare a set of recommendations relevant to their respective schools/centres on a comprehensive mechanism that would be followed to complete the courses and hold examinations. "Given that JNU students come from different parts of India and their existing complex of problems of good internet connectivity in rural areas, a flexible and effective mechanism will be devised to help the students complete their academic requirements," the JNU administration said. The university has now asked the deans of schools and chairpersons of special centres to submit the recommendations by April 16 after wider consultations with various centres and faculty members. These recommendations will then be sent to the competent authority for approval. The final decision on the methods of completing courses and conducting examinations and other related issues would be reported to the Academic Council, the university said. Different political factions in Iran are rushing in to claim the mantle of saviors, promising help to ordinary people whose livelihoods have been jeopardized by the impact of the coronavirus epidemic. While Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the government will not charge an interest on the ten million rial loan has promised to low-income Iranians, the Revolutionary Guard and financial institutions under the Supreme Leaders control have unveiled their own plans to help needy people. The loan is part of the government's financial assistance to help Iranians to cope with the strains caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on the free market exchange rate the proposed loan amounts to around $65. Previously Rouhani had said that those who get the loan will have to repay it with a 12 percent interest. In a sudden change of policy, Rouhani said on Tuesday 14 April that repayments will start in late June in instalments of just 350,000 rials per month which will be deducted from the 450,000 rial monthly cash subsidy the Iranian government pays to most Iranians. He added that the government will pay the interest but did not explain how the Iranian government can charge an interest to itself. However, he promised the money will be in the people's accounts around April 20 as an interest-free loan. On 12 April, Rouhani said it was a lie that western governments are paying cash handouts to compensate for the losses people have sustained as a result of the outbreak and lockdowns. He was probably unaware of the measures taken in many Western countries including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The misguided comment was either a typical error Iranian leaders make in their comments about the state of affairs in the West, or intentional misinformation. Rouhani went even a step further on Monday to claim twice that Iran was far better off than European countries during the crisis. Meanwhile, he added that the administration has also allocated a 1,000 trillion rial grant including 250 trillion rials to the health and medical treatment sector to be spent mainly on medicine and medical equipment during the COVID-19 crisis. The remaining 75o trillion rials will be paid as compensation to small businesses that have sustained losses as a result of the outbreak, Rouhani added. The total allocation amounts to almost 7 billion dollars. However, he said that the grant will be paid only to the businesses that have not fired their workers during recent months. The president further said that another three million Iranians living under financial hardship will receive a special cash subsidy between 2 to 6 million rials for four months as well as an additional payment for the month of Ramadan. Rouhani wo had earlier said there were four million tons of essential goods waiting for clearance from the customs, said on Tuesday that one million tons of the goods have already been cleared. In the meantime, it appears that there is a competition between the Rouhani administration and its political rivals in efforts they say are meant to alleviate the financial hardships resulting from the COVID-19 Outbreak. IRGC Commander Hossein Salami said on Tuesday that the corps has set up a special command to aid Iranian families who have been hit by the coronavirus crisis. However, it is still not known how much of the aid packages is paid for by the Guards. A statement by Salami says that aid provided by various organizations including the Headquarters to Carry Out the Imam's Decree, and similar organizations linked to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office will be delivered to homes in packages labeled with their logos. It appears that this is a response to widespread criticism of the IRGC and financial organizations linked to Khameneei's office regarding their inaction in the face of the outbreak. However, the monetary value of these assistance measures still remain unclear. Recently Khamenei authorized the withdrawal of one billion euros from the national reserves to deal with the pandemic. It is possible that part of this money is being spent on the assistance, which is claimed to come from the Supreme Leader's financial empire. On Saturday, even a daily newspaper close to Khamenei opined that if extremely rich organizations with ostensibly charitable goals do not help the people during this crisis, it will cast a shadow of doubt on their existence, as they belong to the people and their wealth should be spend on people's needs. It is still yet to be seen how much of the aid promised by the Rouhani administration, the IRGC and Khamenei's financial empire will reach the families in need and how much of these promises are sheer propaganda to garner popular support for hardliner political factions in Iran. In the meantime, on Tuesday as the health ministry put the number of COVID-19 patients close to 75,000, and the death toll at 4683, there was no sign of flattening in the ascending curve of the outbreak as President Rouhani and his spokesman Ali Rabiei have been trying to claim. In fact, several health ministry officials including deputy minister Alireza Zali who is in charge of the combat against COVID-19 in Tehran have been repeatedly warning about an imminent second wave of the outbreak that can bring the health system to the verge of collapse. In one of the latest attempts in the area of disease control, Tehran City Council member Zahra Nejad Bahram suggested that the city's extremely busy subway system should be shut down as social distancing on board the metro is practically impossible. Her alternative suggestion was to issue face masks to all subway passengers. Both suggestions have been ruled out by the headquarters in charge of the fight against COVID-19 which is headed by Rouhani and his health Minister Saeed Namaki. Billy Calzada /Staff file photo Since March 31, VIA Metropolitan Transit has delivered meals and supplies prepared by the San Antonio Food Bank to homes and distribution points throughout the city to lend a helping hand during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Tuesday news release. The Food Bank has experienced high demand in recent weeks because of the coronavirus-triggered recession. Last week, images taken by Express-News photographers documented the pressures the nonprofit faces. The Food Bank gave away groceries to about 10,000 families in one day at a South Side flea market. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 16:56:56|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (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. - - - - MANILA -- The Philippines is taking a leaf from China's experience in battling against the highly infectious coronavirus disease, a senior Philippine health official said on Tuesday. Kenneth Ronquillo, assistant secretary of the Philippine Department of Health, made the remarks when he accompanied Chinese medical experts visiting a converted quarantine facility at the Philippine International Conference Center in Manila. - - - - BANGKOK -- Eighteen employees of Bangkok's state-run bus firm are currently under quarantine after a bus driver has been reportedly infected and killed by COVID-19, an executive official said on Monday. The 18 bus drivers and bus fare collectors of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) are currently quarantined after they were found to have been in contact with the bus driver, who was pronounced dead on Sunday, according to BMTA Director Surachai Iamwachirasakul. - - - - HARBIN -- The temporary hospital in the city of Suifenhe, at the China-Russia border in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has been ready for use as the number of imported COVID-19 cases keeps rising. Acting mayor Wang Yongping said the hospital, converted from an office building, will provide 600 beds for asymptomatic cases and patients with mild symptoms. - - - - CANBERRA -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Australia has increased by fewer than 50 for the second straight day. There have been 6,366 confirmed cases of the virus in Australia as of Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Health. - - - - NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the countrywide lockdown till May 3 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. India has been under a lockdown since March 25, which was planned to end on Tuesday midnight. - - - - WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday his administration is close to completing a plan to open the economy, noting that he would have "total" authority to do that. "We will soon finalize new and important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. - - - - CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that Australia is still "many weeks away" from easing COVID-19 restrictions. The National Cabinet, established on March 13, which is comprised of Morrison and state and territory leaders, is scheduled to meet this week to "look at the sort of prerequisites." - - - - NEW YORK -- After initially reporting that global COVID-19 cases topped 2 million on Monday night, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University has lowered the figure to 1,918,855. At 8 p.m. local time on Monday (0000 GMT on Tuesday), the CSSE said the global COVID-19 cases surpassed 2 million, while at around 9:30 p.m. (0130 GMT on Tuesday) it reported the total number stood at 1,918,855. - - - - BEIJING -- China has approved two COVID-19 inactivated vaccine candidates for clinical trials, according to the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against the coronavirus Tuesday. The two vaccine candidates were developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd, a company based in Beijing. Clinical trials of the two vaccines have started. - - - - GUANGZHOU -- A total of 111 African people in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, had been tested positive for COVID-19 by Monday, local authorities said. Among them, 19 were imported confirmed cases, Chen Zhiying, executive vice mayor of Guangzhou, said late Monday. - - - - CAPE TOWN -- The COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated in South Africa as the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 2,272, up by 99 from the previous count, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Monday. The death toll has reached 27, up by two from the previously announced figure, Mkhize said at a media briefing in Pietermaritzburg, capital of KwaZulu-Natal Province. - - - - SEOUL -- South Korea reported 27 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,564. The daily caseload hovered below 50 for the sixth straight day. Of the new cases, 12 were imported from overseas. Prophet James Owusu 14.04.2020 LISTEN Prophet James Owusu of the True Light Worship Centre has urged the Christian community and the clergy in particular to acknowledge the positive impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Christian ministry. Speaking in an interview, the head of the City of Testimonies branch of the True Light Worship Centre in Tema, said Christians must explore the advantages of modern communication technology such as the Internet and social media as a tool to spread the message of Jesus Christ to the world. He said fierce criticisms of social media and misconceptions about its negative impact on Christianity have proven to be inaccurate as most preachers are now resorting to online services since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on public gatherings including religious activities. According to him, the initial criticisms of the internet age by some Christians and church leaders were clearly borne out of a lack of understanding, reiterating that technology is a massive tool for effective evangelism. Prophet Owusu, however, called for responsible use of communication technology, warning that uncontrolled use of new media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram can lead to addiction which can impact negatively an individual's social and religious life. On Friday, March 27, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, declared a partial lockdown in parts of the country effective Monday, March 30, 2020, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus disease. The 2-week lockdown will extend the period of the closure of churches as the government has already imposed limitations on social gatherings such as church meetings. In response to the shutdown, most Christian organizations have resorted to live radio, television and social media to broadcast messages to members. The coronavirus pandemic has distanced us from each other like no other event in modern memory, but for some older San Franciscans, feelings of separation are nothing new, and the citys shelter-in-place orders have only made things worse. Now one nonprofit, Miracle Messages, is connecting people in the city who might never otherwise meet in a way that has become suddenly more vital. Kevin Adler started Miracle Messages by recording video messages from homeless individuals in San Francisco, placing them on social media to reconnect them with family and friends whom many had not spoken to for years and sometimes decades. Miracle Friends: Sequoia Living, conceived before the pandemic, is a partnership between Adlers group and Sequoia Living, a nonprofit that offers affordable housing to seniors. The goal is to put previously homeless seniors, or those at risk of homelessness, in touch with young professionals to forge bonds and share stories. The program originally envisioned in-person meet-ups and activities for the new friends, but shelter-in-place orders have made digital connections through text and video chat essential lines of communication during a time when many social connections have frayed. The isolation and the social anxiety that we were anticipating as the status quo as a senior in an affordable housing center has been upended, Adler said. Theres a lot of people who are young professionals who are just as anxious right now. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle One young professional is Cassie Zhu, an East Coast native who moved to San Francisco five years ago and works for software company iCIMS in San Jose. Zhu said she had a hard time finding ways to connect with the local community in San Francisco before a friend put her in touch with Adlers group. I feel like were so secluded in our own bubbles, we forget there are other people in the world, Zhu said. She has been calling and texting her matched friend, 62-year-old Vicky Blake, since just before the shelter-in-place orders came into effect. Although they have not met in person, the two have begun to forge a bond. Just connecting with her has been totally positive, meeting someone her age, Blake said of Zhu. I cant wait to meet her in person. Blake recently spent her 62nd birthday with her daughter in Redwood City, decorating medical masks to give away and chatting with friends on Facebook Live, still finding ways to connect despite the pandemic. Im 62, and Im not through, Blake said laughingly during the broadcast while attaching sequins to a mask, a pink tiara emblazoned with Happy Birthday perched on her short white hair. Zhu sent Blake flowers for her birthday and said she has gained perspective from the older Blake, who has been through significant trauma in her life, including contracting HIV and becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. Last year, Blake spent almost two months in a coma after she suffered a heart attack, and paramedics were unable to evacuate her from her building in the Mission District because of a broken elevator. Zhu said hearing about extreme experiences like Blakes has changed how she views her life. After hearing what she went through, I feel like everything we worry about is so small and insignificant, Zhu said. Im trying to figure out how to get bread or toilet paper ... and shes been through life-and-death situations. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Those in city government have also seen the need to assist seniors with other basic needs beyond human contact, forming a citywide volunteer network to help seniors and people with disabilities with chores, including picking up groceries and prescriptions, while the city grinds to a halt because of the coronavirus. 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. Patrick Maness, 66, another of the 18 or so participants in Miracle Friends, resides in a senior living community in the Midtown Terrace/Forest Hill neighborhood. He said that he and his match have been taking their time getting to know each other, but that its good to have someone to talk to about this, referring to the pandemic situation. Maness said he is enjoying the new connection and being able to get another persons perspective. Im looking forward to meeting my friend in person as soon as I can, he said. Kate Steffy works for the Commonwealth Club of California and is another one of the young professionals taking part in the program. A San Francisco resident for more than two years, Steffy said she got involved out of a desire to help the citys homeless population. Steffy said while she was hesitant at first about how to approach the initial call, talks with her matched friend have since ranged from Netflixs Tiger King series to discussing family and favorite spots around San Francisco. It was really cool to feel after 45 minutes talking on the phone to a stranger that you feel connected and heard and that you were doing as much for them as they are doing for you, Steffy said. She added that she had recently been unable to contact her matched friend, however, and Adler noted that the program has not been without some hiccups, including some seniors not having access to cell phones and the internet, or being confused about the nature of the program. Still, Adler said the program underscores how connected we are to each other, with or without the pandemic. Were all interconnected, and the well-being of one group of people directly translates to the well-being of all of us. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice Azerbaijan Children Hotline Service, established on the initiative and with the support of Azercell Telecom LLC, has released a report on its activities in the first quarter of 2020. Thus, despite the quarantine regime applied as a part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the service has not stopped working for a single day, as the service team members continue their activities at home. Reportedly, Children Hotline service received a total of 1,313 calls during the first quarter of this year, of which 411 were made in January, 438 in February and 464 in March. Most of the queries, specifically 625, were related to education. The remaining calls related to social (114 cases), psychological (118 cases), legal (199 cases), health (98 cases) and other (159 cases) matters. 692 calls were made by girls while the remaining 612 were received from boys. Depending on the nature of the appeals, some called the service more than once. Unlike previous years, the service observed an increase in the number of appeals in March. During its operation for about 10 years, Children Hotline service has gained considerable trust among both children and adolescents, as well as the public. During the reported period, the representatives of Hotline service arranged meetings with 76 families on the basis of queries, while sending letters to 44 relevant addresses. In addition, employees of the service regularly spoke in local media outlets and actively participated in awareness-raising initiatives aimed at protection of children's rights. Children Hotline service is aimed at providing children in need with social service, preliminary psychological and legal assistance, emotional support, as well as counselling for the range of issues. The service also forwards queries to relevant rehabilitation centers or other institutions when needed. Notably, calls to 24/7 Children Hotline service operating with the support of Azercell Telecom and "Umidli Glck" Public Union are free of charge from both landline and Azercell numbers. All information received by Children Hotline service is maintained confidential. At present, short number 116111 of the service is forwarded to the mobile number, and calls are answered on 7/24 basis by operators. The service can be reached by dialing the following numbers: (012) 480 22 80, (050) 680 22 80, (051) 880 11 80, (051) 880 22 80 and (051) 580 22 80. In order to provide prompt assistance to the applicants amid the quarantine regime, the service will be promoted through social media channels in the coming period. For more information about Children Hotline service, please visit www.usaqxetti.az. For more information, please contact [email protected] The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. Currently, 4.8 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Mobile operator controls 49% of market share; while its geographical coverage constitutes 99.2% (excluding the occupied territories); and population coverage 99.8%. Azercell was the pioneering mobile operator to introduce a number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, 24/7 call center service (*1111), 7/7 Front Office service, Azercell Express offices, M2M services, technology and pilot version of 5G, mobile, online customer care services and customer services through social media, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Rapidly increasing network of Azercell covers nearly 60 regions of the country, including Baku and Absheron peninsula. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Here are a few of the best events happening Friday through Sunday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern Standard). Updated daily. Cry Havoc with Elizabeth Marvel 7:30 p.m. on the Red Bull Theater website and Zoom By now some of Marc Antonys lines in William Shakespeares play Julius Caesar are so iconic that its easy to forget where they came from. Elizabeth Marvel, who starred at Antony in Public Theaters 2017 production, will join Nathan Winkelstein, the associate producer of Red Bull Theater, for a discussion of the characters famous let slip the dogs of war soliloquy. In his review of the Shakespeare in the Park installment for The New York Times, Jesse Green singled out her performance of Antonys other well known speech in the play for special praise: Elizabeth Marvel as Marc Antony brings down the house with the funeral oration, spicing its pentameter cadence with the gumbo drawl of a southern senator. The actor will read the excerpt and share how she approaches it. Shell also take questions from registered participants through Zoom. When: 7:30 p.m. . Where: On the Red Bull Theater website. Registered users will be able to participate through Zoom. 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 Screen grab of, left to right, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus. (PA Video/PA Images via Getty Images) New survey data shows the outlook for the UKs key financial services industry is deteriorating, as Britain enters its fourth week of lockdown with no set end in sight. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said on Tuesday that financial firms expect demand, profitability and employment to decline sharply in the coming months. The bulk of the survey took place before social distancing measures were ramped up, but there were already signs of the COVID-19 pandemic leaving its mark, said Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief economist. Expectations for business volumes and headcount weakened, non-performing loans rose sharply, and financial firms are planning heavy cuts to investment in the year ahead. The survey findings underline the heavy economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought economies around the world to virtual standstill. The UK is entering its fourth week of lockdown, with all non-essential businesses shut and the bulk of the population staying home. According to a report in The Times, UK chancellor Rishi Sunak told colleagues GDP could shrink by up to 30% this quarter because of the coronavirus lockdown. Sunak is pushing for restrictions on everyday life to be eased as a result, according to the newspaper. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday signalled the lockdown would continue without saying when an end could come. We still have a long way to go, Raab said on Monday, as he deputised for UK prime minister Boris Johnson who is recovering from COVID-19. Were still not past the peak of this virus. We dont expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point, and we wont until were confident as we realistically can be that any such changes can be safely made. Read more: Fears government can't stop 'meteor hitting planet business' The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned lifting restrictions too early "could lead to a deadly resurgence of the novel coronavirus. Story continues The Department of Health on Monday 13 April said the official UK death toll rose by 717 in a day to 11,329. This only takes into account those who have died in a hospital but is still the fifth highest death toll globally. Amidst this sobering death toll, there are also some positive signs from the data that we are starting to win this struggle, Raab said. The government put in place unprecedented financial measures worth 15% of GDP to help combat the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. However, businesses are increasingly at risk of going bust and jobs are already being lost across the country. Banks are playing a key role in handing loans to small businesses but there has been criticism of the slow pace at which lenders are offering state support. READ MORE: UK economy could shrink by quarter if lockdown persists Financial services are already playing an essential role in helping companies with their cashflow, through channelling funds from the governments support schemes, Newton-Smith said. But like other businesses, theyve also been struck by staff shortages and changes to how they operate. As a result, alleviating capacity pressures and streamlining how firms access government support through our financial institutions is vital. With the peak of the economic impact to come, equipping the sector to deliver for business is crucial in supporting the growth recovery beyond the pandemic. Last week, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said that the UKs GDP could shrink by 15% to 25% in the second quarter of 2020 if the coronavirus lockdown persists until June. China's foreign trade fell again in March, even as businesses returned to work after a lockdown in the aftermatch of the coronavirus outbreak, with the pandemic weighing on the outlook of the manufacturing powerhouse. China's exports fell 6.6 per cent in March from a year earlier and imports dropped 0.9 per cent, according to Customs data released on Tuesday. The contraction was less than a Bloomberg economist forecast that had predicted a decline of 10 per cent or more in both figures, and well below the 17.2 per cent plunge seen in exports in the first two months of the ... Washington: Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who described vodka as a drug of coronavirus, has made another absurd claim. He has said that no one has died in his country from corona infection nor will anyone die. In Belarus, more than 2 dozen people died due to this virus. Corona: There will be silence in the country till May 3, know what the veteran political leaders says Not only this, but the President of Belarus has also said that the epidemic is cured by drinking vodka, driving tractors, playing with goats. Alexander is called a dictator in the British media. Alexander is also being accused of ignoring the warnings of doctors and human rights activists and not taking the virus seriously. A large number of people may die from this. Amidst Corona infection, CM Yogi celebrated Dr BR Ambedkar's birthday anniversary President Alexander has refused to implement the lockdown and addressed the 9.5 million people of the country, saying, 'We have discovered the drugs to cure corona patients.' 65-year-old Alexander has been in power in the country for more than 25 years. However, he did not elaborate which medicines he is talking about to cure the patients of Corona." Big announcement of IMF, poor countries in crisis will get these facilities Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May in his address to the nation on the last day of the 21-day lockdown that was announced on 25 March to stem the spread of coronavirus Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May in his address to the nation on the last day of the 21-day lockdown that was announced on 25 March to stem the spread of coronavirus. The prime minister said that India will combat COVID-19 more stringently in the coming week. However, some relaxation and resumption of certain important activities may be allowed after 20 April in places where there are no hotspots. Modi also said that the government will come out with extensive guidelines on Wednesday. He also assured that there is an adequate stock of medicines and ration. Modi further urged people to follow seven steps during the lockdown, including taking special care of senior citizens in the households, following lockdown restrictions and using face masks, helping the poor and giving due respect and credit to coronavirus soldiers, including doctors, nurses and sanitation workers. He also asked the business houses to help the workers and refrain from downsizing staff, apart from asking people to increase their immunity by referring to advice on the Ayush ministry website and download the Aarogya Setu mobile application. Lauding the countrys collective strength on BR Ambedkars birth anniversary, Modi said that the fight against the deadly virus is going on very strongly, with people saving the country despite facing difficulties. As compared to many developed nations, India is in a much better position due to its holistic approach and quick decisions. When India had 550 coronavirus cases, we went for a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, he said. Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates While talking of the major benefits resulting from the social distancing and lockdown, Modi said, India may have paid a big economic price, but there can be no alternative to saving human lives. The prime minister had held consultations with the chief ministers of all the states through video-conferencing on Saturday, during which talks were held over the need for extending the lockdown amid the rising number of coronavirus cases. Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had already announced the extension of lockdown. The number of coronavirus positive cases in India has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths. It is unlikely any criminal charges will ever be laid over the Ruby Princess debacle and it is 'odd' New South Wales police are even investigating it, according to a legal expert. There have now been more than 600 cases of COVID-19 linked to the cruise ship since in docked in Sydney Harbour on March 19 and at least 18 passengers have died. State and federal authorities have blamed each other for the passengers not being tested for coronavirus before they spread across Australia and the world. NSW police, led by a senior homicide detective, are conducting a criminal investigation into all matters surrounding the vessel's arrival and the disembarkation of infected travellers. But a legal expert has said he would be surprised if police could lay any criminal charges over passengers contracting coronavirus - let alone over the rising number of deaths. Scroll down for video It is unlikely any criminal charges will ever be laid over the Ruby Princess debacle and it is 'odd' New South Police are even investigating it, according to a legal expert. The ship is pictured docked at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong NSW police officers are pictured wearing personal protective equipment as they conduct investigations on the Ruby Princess cruise ship on April 8. A criminal investigation was launched after almost 2,700 passengers were allowed to leave the Ruby Princess (pictured) in Sydney without adequate health checks on March 19 On Tuesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the police investigation - which will involve interviewing all 2,647 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members - would take six months. Ms Berejiklian will seek legal advice on whether a Special Commission of Inquiry could run alongside the homicide investigation. 'We will have to get legal advice first to make sure anything we did did not compromise what the police are doing or what the coroner would do,' Ms Ms Berejiklian said. 'We will not be leaving a single stone unturned, let me assure the community of that. 'All of us want to know what went wrong, all of us want to make sure this never happens again.' Associate Professor Kirchengast of the University of Sydney's Law School said it would be difficult for police to prove anything that happened on the ship within NSW had broken the state's criminal laws. 'In a criminal law sense there doesn't seem to be a case against the captain or crew or others on the ship,' Associate Professor Kirchengast said. On April 8 detectives boarded the vessel (pictured) to conduct inquiries which included gathering and seizing the voyage data recorder or 'black box' and other items of interest 'Especially with diseases, it's very hard to sheet home causation - who caused what, who gave whom what, who transmitted the disease to whom can be extremely difficult.' Murder in such circumstances would require someone to have voluntarily caused another person's death with an intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm or through reckless indifference to human life. Manslaughter by criminal negligence would require a person to have breached a legally recognised duty of care and caused another person's death. 'Unless you can satisfy those elements it can't be homicide,' Associate Professor Kirchengast said. 'It would have to be something else. 'There may be a basis for industrial manslaughter but that's relatively untested. So I don't know what the NSW police are really doing.' Associate Professor Kirchengast said it would be hard to prove a level of criminal negligence necessary to constitute manslaughter. Associate Professor Kirchengast of the University of Sydney's Law School said it would be difficult to prove anything that happened on the ship in NSW waters had broken the state's criminal law 'In a pandemic where people on ships, people in the community, are getting sick and dying it's not really a breach of duty of care issue unless they have directly exposed people to the virus,' Associate Professor Kirchgast said. 'Again, it's more problematic because it spreads like a cold. It's like saying with certainty where did I get my cold from? Well, you don't know. 'Even if you know somebody that you've just spoken to has it you could have got it from somebody else.' Associate Professor Tyrone Kirchengast is from the University of Sydney's Law School Associate Professor Kirchengast said it was hard enough prosecuting people who deliberately infected others with HIV, and contracting COVID-19 did not require direct human contact. 'Traditional criminal law does not apply well to the spreading of disease, especially where there isn't a biological requirement of direct contact,' he said. 'At least with HIV there's got to be sexual contact. It's a blood-borne virus, there's got to be intravenous contact,' he said. 'Here it can just be someone sneezed at the other end of the ship and then you walked over there. 'That makes it really problematic to deal with in a criminal sense.' Associate Professor Kirchengast said any breach of a duty of care during a pandemic would have to be extreme to lead to homicide charges. 'It would have to be, otherwise it wouldn't just be something that happens on vessels. It would be something that's happening all over. 'So people, for example, who got routinely within two-metres of you might be in breach of their duty to take care in a pandemic. 'And then if somebody got sick and died that could be causally connected they could be charged with manslaughter by neglect but there'd be no jury that would convict of that. 'The Director of Public Prosecutions would never pick that up and run with it.' Passengers are pictured on board the Ruby Princess which has now been linked to at least 600 cases of coronavirus Associate Professor Kirchengast said it was difficult to imagine any criminal charges being laid against anyone, 'unless there's something going on that we just can't imagine.' Any coronavirus-related offence NSW police might prosecute would probably be under the Public Health Act. 'And the criminal liabilities there are not about infecting people,' Associate Professor Kirchengast said. 'The criminal liabilities there surround not following orders made under relevant legislation that we are all subject to. 'You get people being fined $1000 for eating their kebab in the park and that sort of thing. But that's not when you would send a very experienced investigator in.' A criminal investigation was launched on April 5 after 2,647 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate quarantine checks - an action the Australian Border Force blamed on NSW health authorities. A team of 30 detectives from across State Crime, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area Commands have been seconded to Strike Force Bast. They will be assisted by intelligence analysts and other specialist officers. Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has said the criminal investigation would 'fully examine the communications, actions, and other circumstances that led to the docking and disembarking of the vessel.' The investigation is being led by the Homicide Squad's Detective Chief Inspector Jason Dickinson, who is experienced in complex and protracted investigations, with oversight from the NSW Coroner. A spokesman for Carnival Australia, which operates the Ruby Princess, has said the company would cooperate with Strike Force Bast. Strike Force Bast investigators are pictured conducting inquiries on board the Ruby Princess on April 8. The operation is being conducted under the strictest health and workplace safety guidelines 'In addition to willingly participating in the investigation, Carnival Australia will vigorously respond to any allegations of which there must now be full disclosure and the basis for them,' the spokesman said. Associate Professor Kirchengast said authorities should have been aware of risks posed by a cruise ship entering Sydney Harbour during the coronavirus pandemic. 'It might be that the information that was given by the crew and the captain was perhaps imprecise or vague,' he said. 'But at the same time we are in a worldwide pandemic and cruise ships are particularly problematic in pandemics because of the quick and easy spread of disease.' Associate Professor Kirchengast said any investigation into the Ruby Princess was 'extraordinary complex' because it crossed state and federal jurisdictions. 'This is just a mess,' he said. 'A mess of jurisdictions. But I don't even know really what they're after. 'You've got Commonwealth jurisdiction at the Customs and quarantine level and then you've got biosecurity. You've got public health issues and jurisdiction at the NSW level. 'You've got an investigation launched by the NSW Police and there would be, I would think, real questions as to the scope of their powers.' Associate Professor Kirchengast said NSW Police was certainly not the agency to investigate potential breaches of quarantine or Customs laws. 'It's odd then that NSW Police are launching an investigation. It may be that they're launching the investigation because the Commonwealth is not.' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) said it was 'probably' a crew member working in the galley who spread coronavirus around the Ruby Princess cruise ship Of the more than 6,000 cases of coronavirus in Australia, about 600 are linked to the Ruby Princess Associate Professor Kirchengast said NSW Police might have been sent in to placate a community outraged by what had happened on the Ruby Princess. 'There are obligations that would say that we ought to come to the assistance of a vessel in distress in our waters but whether or not that trumps a very serious quarantine risk to Australians is a matter of more politics than law,' he said. 'There is public outrage, there is public disquiet as to the landing of passengers off the Ruby Princess. 'I suspect there is a political awareness as to this community disquiet and they are acting in a very difficult and complex situation as best they can to try and discover what's gone on. 'But I doubt the solution is going to be found in the law of homicide.' Associate Professor Kirchengast said appointing a detective who was experienced in complex investigations was 'a good start' but a homicide officer might not be the right man for the particular job. 'It's perhaps a way of showing that they're taking this very seriously. But what exact homicide? 'The law of homicide can't be applied to a circumstance such as this. Associate Professor Kirchengast said appointing a detective who was experienced in complex investigations was 'a good start' but a homicide officer might not be the right man for the particular job 'Yes, appointing someone really experienced sounds reassuring but somebody who's really experienced might know to just back away, and to allocate resources somewhere else rather than an investigation that is not going to turn [anything] up. 'You would almost need as a starting point to brief this matter out if you could to an international lawyer and somebody who is versed in the law of the sea.' Mr Fuller has said a crew member serving food to hundreds of passengers may have been responsible for the coronavirus outbreak on board the Ruby Princess. 'At this stage we would think that it was probably a crew member working in probably the galley, someone who is serving food, someone who would get across a number of passengers for it to spread like it has,' Mr Fuller said on Monday. 'But again, that is not proven as fact yet, but that would seem to be the most obvious point of transmission is someone who is handling food on behalf of multiple hundreds of people.' Mr Fuller said Crime Stoppers had received information providing 220 leads related to the Ruby Princess investigation. The commissioner has examined a number of phone calls between NSW Ambulance, NSW Port Authority and NSW Police that stemmed from an initial 17-minute Triple Zero call from the ship to NSW Ambulance on 18 March. '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's arrival until they were provided additional information,' Mr Fuller has said. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement '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.' On April 8 detectives boarded the vessel to conduct inquiries which included gathering and seizing the voyage data recorder or 'black box' and other items of interest. NSW Health said 66 crew on board the Ruby Princess, which is docked at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong, had tested positive to coronavirus and many were close to recovery. Eleven sick crew members who have been evacuated from the ship remain in Sydney health facilities. The rest of the crew is still quarantined on board the ship. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has backed the decision of authorities to release the passengers from the cruise ship, saying their expertise should not be called into question. 'There were four very senior public health officials who, on information that was given to them, made a decision... and they had all been making those sorts of decisions for somewhere between ten and 30 years,' he said. The ship will remain docked at the port for up to ten days, with no crew to be let off without permission from Mr Fuller. Some 200 crew members who remain on the ship have symptoms of COVID-19. Chinas unemployment situation continues to worsen as the coronavirus outbreak takes a toll on consumer demand both at home and abroad, with one of the countrys largest home appliance makers saying it is struggling to carry the rice bowls of tens of thousands of employees. Hisense Group, a Shandong-based manufacturer of television sets and other appliances, issued a statement on Sunday announcing that the virus was affecting business and it was speeding up its decision to let go underperforming workers. Home appliance markets have seen a large decline in both China and abroad because of the global pandemic, the company said. Hisense is particularly challenged because its overseas revenue accounts for 40 per cent of its total. Like many Chinese firms, we are at a key moment in weathering the crisis and are struggling to keep the rice bowls of tens of thousands excellent workers. The statement was issued in a response to rumours that the company plans to cut 10,000 jobs, or 12.5 per cent of its workforce. The firm said reports of 10,000 jobs being lost was not accurate, but it did not provide a specific figure or respond to further enquiries. Hisenses troubles are the latest anecdote of the stress in Chinas job market and show that unemployment pressure is spreading from small manufacturers and self-employed service stands to large enterprises. Haier Group, another big home appliance maker in Shandong province, has also encountered trouble and asked its executives to take a pay cut to protect frontline jobs, the official Securities Times reported. The company did not immediately reply to requests for comments. As Chinas official jobless indicators are released on a monthly or quarterly basis, and cover only part of the job market, it is hard to gauge the real picture of Chinas unemployment situation. The temporary number of jobless people in China could be between tens of millions and 250 million, according to various estimates. China is expected to publish the official surveyed jobless rate for the end of March on Friday. The rate hit a record high of 6.2 per cent at the end of February. Story continues Beijing has made its concerns about employment known in recent weeks, given its importance to social stability in the worlds most populous country. Premier Li Keqiang said last month that Chinas economic growth rate, which is expected to fall below 3 per cent this year from 6.1 per cent in 2019, was not a big deal as long as the countrys job market was stable. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security pledged this month to make it slightly easier for people to claim unemployment benefits by reducing paperwork. However, Chinas relief measures for the unemployed remain limited and selective most of Chinas 300 million migrant workers, who are vulnerable to economic slowdown, have no access to support and are not counted in official jobless figures. In comparison, Hong Kong is offering up to HK$9,000 (US$1,160) per worker for a six-month period to avoid private business closures and mass lay-offs. In Dongguan, once a thriving industrial hub in southern China, companies are freezing or cutting jobs as export orders vanish. Survival, rather than growth, is what Im concerned about the most Yu Yongding Chinas famed Yiwu International Trade Market, a barometer for the health of the nations exports, has ground to a halt due to declining overseas demand. Job losses in Chinas export sector alone could be more than 10 million this year, according to Wang Tao, chief China economist of UBS Securities. Chinas labour market is now facing the biggest downward pressure in 2020, she wrote in a note published last week. Yu Yongding, a prominent economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who has advocated for economic stimulus, published a research note on Sunday saying China should shift focus to survival mode as it was now facing economic contraction. Survival, rather than growth, is what Im concerned about the most, Yu wrote. Sign up now and get a 10% discount (original price US$400) off the China AI Report 2020 by SCMP Research. Learn about the AI ambitions of Alibaba, Baidu & JD.com through our in-depth case studies, and explore new applications of AI across industries. The report also includes exclusive access to webinars to interact with C-level executives from leading China AI companies (via live Q&A sessions). Offer valid until 31 May 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article Coronavirus: Chinas rice bowls cracking as big home appliance maker speeds up job cuts first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. BRIMFIELD Police charged a 42-year-old Texas man with drunk driving Monday afternoon after he lost control of his truck and rolled it onto its side on Five Bridges Road The crash occurred about 4:30 p.m. and the truck overturned into shallow water, according to a post on the departments Facebook page. The two occupants were uninjured. Daniel Medina, of Arlington, Texas, was also charged with failure to stay to the right of the center of the road, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating to endanger lives and safety. Medina is slated to be arraigned in Palmer District Court at a later date. The lawsuit seeks to block Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order and two county orders designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Three Southern California churches that want to keep their doors open during the coronavirus outbreak sued Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials Monday, arguing that social distancing orders violate the 1st Amendment right to freedom of religion and assembly. The suit, filed in the federal court for the Central District of California, also names state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and officials of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The suit seeks to block Newsom's month-old stay-at-home order and two county orders designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 by having people mostly stay at home, closing businesses except for those deemed essential and barring group gatherings. The orders don't list houses of worship among the critical infrastructure where face-to-face contact is permitted. A message to the governor's office seeking comment was not immediately returned. The suit names three churches in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. One plaintiff, James Moffatt, senior pastor at Church Unlimited in Indio, was fined $1,000 for violating Riverside County's order by holding a Palm Sunday service, according to the lawsuit. Moffatt believes that scripture commands him as a pastor to lay hands on people and pray for them, this includes the sick, the suit said. Moffatt also believes that he is required by scripture to baptize individuals, something that cannot be done at an online service. Also named are a parishioner, the head pastor of Shield of Faith Family Church in Fontana and the senior pastor of Word of Life Ministries International in Riverside, which usually has 20 to 30 regular attendees, according to the suit. The churches argue that the state and local orders are overly broad and that they can practice safe social distancing in the same manner as grocery stores and other outlets that are considered essential services and allowed to remain open. The state does not get to dictate the method of worship to the faithful, said Harmeet K. Dhillon, chief executive of the Center for American Liberty, a California nonprofit organization that filed the suit. Story continues If a Californian is able to go to Costco or the local marijuana shop or liquor store and buy goods in a responsible, socially distanced manner, then he or she must be allowed to practice their faith using the same precautions, she said in a statement. The center was founded in 2019 by Dhillon, who is on the Republican National Committee that helps steer the party's platform and election strategy. I believe the suit has merit, said John C. Eastman, a professor of law and community service at Chapman University in Orange. Obviously, stopping a pandemic is a compelling government interest but the issue is whether the orders are narrowly tailored enough to meet the strict scrutiny required of laws dealing with religion, Eastman said in an email. Services with only a single family in a pew, and spaced three pews apart, with everyone wearing masks and gloves, would accomplish the government's purpose in a much less draconian way, he said. Very few churches in California have refused to stop holding in-person services. The largest Roman Catholic dioceses have begun streaming services online. On Easter Sunday, several churches held drive-in services for congregants who listened on their car radios from parking lots. On Friday, a federal judge refused to allow a small church in Campo, Abiding Place Ministries, to gather for Easter Sunday services. The judge rejected a request for a temporary restraining order sought by the church, which has sued San Diego County for banning public or private gatherings on public health grounds. U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, said the right to freedom of religion doesn't include the right to expose the community to communicable disease. San Bernardino County has nearly 1,000 reported cases of the coronavirus and more than 30 deaths. Riverside County has reported nearly 1,800 cases and 50 deaths. California has more than 24,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 730 deaths. Elsewhere, states and local governments have differed on whether houses of worship must meet social distancing rules. Some states have provided a degree of exemption for religious activity. In Kansas, a coronavirus outbreak led a fight by Gov. Laura Kelly to limit religious and funeral services to no more than 10 people in advance of Easter. After a legislative council overturned her executive order, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld it Saturday. Rodney Howard-Browne, a Florida-based charismatic Christian pastor who prayed over Trump in the Oval Office in 2017, has pledged not to stop services and encouraged worshipers to shake hands despite experts identifying that behavior as an easy way to spread the virus. In Louisiana, pastor Tony Spell was warned by police Tuesday after holding a service that attracted hundreds and flouted a state ban on mass gatherings. Spell, who has claimed that his services also heal cancer and HIV, said that he would not permit any dictator law to stop worship. Apparently being released in 64 GB, 128 GB, LTE and Wi-Fi variants, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite will also be available in two colours. Full specifications for the Exynos 9611-powered tablet have been revealed too, as has a so-called Book cover accessory that Samsung will sell separately. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here Samsung is yet to officially announce the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, but even it has added the upcoming tablet to its support pages. Now, UK retailer Argos has published the product listings for two models, confirming a host of specifications in the process. Firstly, Samsung will sell the Tab S6 Lite in at least two colours. Called Angora Blue and Oxford Grey, both colours will be offered with the 64 GB Wi-Fi entry-level model, which will retail for 339.00 (~US$427.76). The listings also confirm that the Tab S6 Lite will include a 10.4-inch LED panel, likely IPS. Underpinning the display is an Exynos 9611 SoC, which we have tested in the Galaxy A51, Galaxy M30s and XCover Pro, along with 4 GB of RAM. While Samsung will sell the Tab S6 Lite with up to 128 GB of storage, the tablet will also support up to 1 TB microSD cards. Joining the Exynos 9611 is a 3.5 mm jack, a 5 MP front-facing camera and an 8 MP rear-facing shooter. The tablet will ship with Android 10, an S-Pen, a charger and a Type-C cable, along with a card slot tool and a quick start guide. Argos also states that the tablet measures 244.5 x 154 cm and weighs 467 g. Additionally, both listings show a Book cover that Samsung will sell separately, in which the bundled S-Pen can be stored. Authors Lucy Noland (center) and Susan Russell (right), joined by Illustrator Kaity Lacy go over the pages for their upcoming book, in West Mount Airy, Philadelphia, on Feb. 18. Read more Shes no longer in the job that brought her here in 2014, but for former Fox 29 anchor Lucy Noland, who left the station last May, Philadelphia has become the setting for what she hopes will be a second act. Along with her friend Susan Russell, the former director of the animal shelter ACCT Philly, Noland is at work on a new publishing venture that grew out of the womens shared concern for all creatures great and small. Wine may also have been involved. Meeting with a reporter one (pre-coronavirus) evening in Russells West Mount Airy home to talk about their company, Archimedes Printing Shoppe & Sundry Goodes, LLC, (whose logo, drawn by Noland, features a cat holding a glass of red), the pair occasionally finished each others sentences as they explained how theyd ended up in the publishing business. So, Susan is out of work. Im out of work. Were drinking wine," Noland began. READ MORE: Lucy Noland departing Fox 29 Russell, who moved here from Chicago in 2018 to take the ACCT Philly job only to resign last August (My time here was positive in the sense that a lot of lives were saved. I think after a while, I just realized I wasnt the best person for that job"), went to find a napkin. Printed on it: I used to drink. But that was an hour ago. Then, more seriously, the Newfoundland-raised Russell, a lawyer whos been working for a New York firm and recently passed the exam for the Pennsylvania bar, added, But it wasnt just that. We had a concept. The idea: to write and publish books and sell related merchandise to benefit both themselves and the animal-welfare causes that gave each of them roots, and a community, in their adopted city. I absolutely love Philly, Russell said. "I came here and didnt know a soul The animal [welfare] community is a place where youre going to find lots of people with hearts the size of Texas. That nights gathering included Nolands Fishtown neighbor Peggy Jackson and artist Kaity Lacy, who are both active in animal rescue efforts, and featured occasional appearances by one or more of Russells cats. Told that the founding of Archimedes Printing Shoppe sounded a bit like a book club that got out of hand, Russell laughed. Every book club gets out of hand! Whos ever read the book? We want people to read the book, she said. Atop the baby grand piano in her living room, which Russell refers to as a cat settee, she and Noland spread out Lacys whimsical illustrations for one project: the first in a childrens series, Gata Unbound, written by Noland and Russell, thats meant "for ailurophiles. (Boning up for the National Spelling Bee? An ailurophile is a cat lover. Gata, from the Greek word for cat, is the name of one of the human characters.) The book includes two stories, both allegories inspired by the trap-neuter-return programs used to improve the lives of feral cats. The series is full of quirky characters, including an inventive feline named Archimedes, whose big failure was a pasta machine for mice Who knew that mice didnt like pasta? said Noland and a trap-neuter-return hero with a passion for Mexican freestyle Luchador wrestling Gata Unbound is scheduled to debut later this spring in a hardcover edition that Noland said will be printed on environmentally sustainable tree-free bamboo with eco-friendly soy-based inks. A more adult title, Assholes Need Love Too, is out in paperback. Written by Russell with Erica Brown, founder of Diamonds in the Ruff Dog Rescue, and illustrated by Maggie McMahon, its available through BookBabys BookShop, a Pennsauken-based print-on-demand company the women tout as an alternative to Amazon (and whose paper stock is certified as coming from sustainably managed forests). The assholes are a dog, rooster, and a pig, and its based on Browns experiences living on eight acres in New Jersey with three rescue dogs, 16 chickens, and a pig. In Nolands heart, though, Gata Unbound comes first "because my inaugural book is not going to be Assholes Need Love Too. My mom and dad cant read the book, said Noland. Shes also concerned that some of the 36,000-plus Facebook users who follow her passionate posts and many animal welfare-centered videos might be offended by the title. Born in Saigon, where her parents met, and raised in Oregon, Noland spent nearly three decades in TV news, with stints at stations in Alaska, Detroit, Fresno, Calif., Houston, New York, and Los Angeles as well as five years at Fox 29. Since leaving the station after her contract wasnt renewed, she said, shes felt even freer to work for causes that matter to her. Those involve not only animals, but homelessness, childhood brain cancer, autism, and the opioid crisis. I dont know whether it was because Im at this stage of my life where my eyes are more open to whats important; or whether its because my children dont need me as much anymore so I can look beyond my small family to the greater family; or whether its a combination of both, said Noland. (She has a grown son living in Philadelphia, one daughter in Houston, and another at the University of Georgia.) I love being on air. I do. Because I like being able to tell stories, she said. But life is short, and I cant just sit there feeling constrained at the anchor desk any longer. I just know my brothers fighting for his life, she said. It makes you ask yourself the disabled and the elderly, are they really getting the service that they deserve, that they need? The Times has identified more than 2,500 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the United States with coronavirus cases. More than 21,000 residents and staff members at those facilities have contracted the virus, and more than 3,800 have died. Even those figures are an undercount. The Times only included cases that have been confirmed by a state or county government agency or by a long-term care facility. Many states, counties and facilities have declined to provide information or provided partial information. Included in the tally were nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, memory care facilities, retirement and senior communities and long-term rehabilitation facilities. The Times has tracked hundreds of clusters of coronavirus cases across the country. The 10 deadliest have been in nursing homes and long-term care centers, including the Life Care nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., which was linked to at least 43 coronavirus deaths, and the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, Mass., a nursing home for veterans where at least 36 deaths have been linked to the virus. Other long-term care centers in Indiana, Maryland and Massachusetts were each tied to more than 20 coronavirus deaths. In New York, which has had the heaviest concentration of deaths from the coronavirus, nursing homes have been hit particularly hard, with more than 2,700 deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities roughly one in four deaths statewide. Many homes in New York have had to add refrigerator trucks as temporary morgues, or rely on air-conditioners to keep bodies from decaying because the death toll has overwhelmed funeral homes. Families, barred from visiting since March 13, have complained bitterly about a lack of information coming from the facilities as home administrators scramble to keep enough workers on staff. Few had adequate supplies of masks or gowns, or access to testing. The facility in Richmond, surrounded by churches, apartments and suburban homes, provides rehabilitation and long-term care in a modern and tranquil setting, according to its website. But recently, it has turned into one of the deadliest hot spots for the virus that has killed more than 25,000 people across the country. The World Bank will provide Ukraine with $135 million to modernize the healthcare sector and counter the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. The decision was made during the talks between the official delegations of Ukraine and the World Bank, the National Health Service of Ukraine posted on Facebook. "Ukraine will receive $135 million from the World Bank to modernize the healthcare sector and counter the COVID-19 epidemic," reads the publication. In particular, $50 million will be provided to replenish the state budget upon the implementation of the healthcare reform and strengthening the capacity of the National Health Service of Ukraine; $35 million to take measures for enhancing the protection of the population and fighting the spread of COVID-19 epidemic; $45 million to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for emergency departments and to increase the capacity of hospitals to provide medical assistance to patients who suffer a stroke in the regions of Ukraine. It is noted that the funds will be provided as additional funding for the Serving People, Improving Health Project implemented by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine with the support of World Bank Ukraine since 2015. ol VA community outreach worker Michelle O'Neal, center, helps homeless veterans Larry McNearney, left, and Timothy Cornejo, right, set up Cornejo's tent in a VA parking lot in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Tent cities and tiny-house villages for homeless people have long been taboo in Los Angeles, where they've been deemed too expensive to maintain and too difficult to dislodge once established. But the novel coronavirus has a way of upending the most deeply entrenched thinking. Last week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs set up L.A.'s first temporary tent city in four decades. It's for veterans without homes 25 initially, with a plan to expand to 50 as needed so they can wait out the COVID-19 crisis by sheltering in place and social distancing in their own tents. Until now, the city and county of Los Angeles have largely relied on shelters and increasingly hotel and motel rooms to help protect homeless people who are most at risk for contracting the virus. But last week, a homeless man tested positive while staying at a shelter in the San Fernando Valley and 68 homeless people and two staffers were infected in an outbreak at a shelter in San Francisco. Now the incidents are prompting a fresh look at campgrounds. "It's not a bad idea to try it as an emergency measure," said Mike Neely, a former commissioner with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. But with officials warning that stay-at-home orders could last into the summer, such campgrounds could become semi-permanent fixtures. They also could face some of the same problems as shelters in trying to separate guests during mealtimes or in restrooms. The VA was quick to note that its site, on a parking lot on the VAs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System campus on the Westside, was not a campground but rather a "services center." The operation includes medical and psychiatric care, as well as monitoring, food services, bathrooms, showers and security. A long-delayed VA bridge shelter also has opened on the campus, but with a reduced capacity of 50 people to accommodate the social distancing recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Story continues Just three months ago, VA officials had ignored an oversight boards call for more emergency shelter beds on the sprawling 388-acre campus, with rolling green hills and decrepit buildings that are largely empty. The VA argued then that there was a surplus of beds for homeless veterans. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and an acute risk to 44,000 people including 2,900 veterans who live in vehicles, makeshift shanties and tents in Los Angeles County. Frequent hand-washing and social distancing, the gold-standard recommendations for fighting the novel coronavirus, range from difficult to impossible to do while living in a grimy sidewalk encampment. Many homeless people also are medically fragile from years of living on the streets and are older, both of which put them at risk for contracting a severe case of COVID-19. Homeless Army veteran Timothy Cornejo brings his belongings into his tent as he sets up camp in a VA parking lot in Los Angeles (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) Elected leaders in Los Angeles have responded to the pandemic's threat to the street population by converting recreation centers into shelters. The city also has boosted coronavirus testing on skid row and provided outdoor hand-washing stations and bathrooms. Responding to reports that the stations were often empty of soap and water, city officials vowed to refill them more frequently and that more are being deployed. Meanwhile, thousands of newly leased hotel and motel rooms are beginning to fill up with homeless people in Los Angeles County. Most have been reserved for those who have been relocated from crowded shelters, or for people with underlying health conditions or other factors that put them at high risk for the virus. Advocates fear that homeless people who live in cars, sidewalk tents and lean-tos will be left behind as the pandemic escalates. And they warn that time is running out. Authorities said Monday that 23 homeless people in L.A. County, including four staying in shelters, had tested positive for the virus. But encampments are largely isolated from the broader community a fact that may have afforded homeless people a measure of protection as the pandemic grew in March, said Dr. Joshua Bamberger, an expert on homelessness and a professor at UC San Francisco. The citywide shutdown of businesses also cut homeless people off from restaurant bathrooms, charging outlets, food donations and other resources on which they normally rely. Many hunkered down in their tents. But on April 1, Bamberger noted, monthly government assistance checks arrived, probably prompting a good number of homeless people to venture out and buy food and other supplies. "We have to do this right, right now," he said, "before this rips through the tents." Steve Ruh, chief VA spokesman, walks inside a parking lot on the grounds of the VA West Los Angeles campus that is being opened up to camping by homeless veterans. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times) Some L.A. officials are calling for the city and county to do what Tampa and Las Vegas have done, and open tent cities to protect and monitor homeless people. L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin has proposed a safe camping pilot project in his Westside district, perhaps in one of the beach parking lots that were emptied to break up crowds violating the city's stay-at-home order. Mayor Eric Garcetti declined to say if he would support or oppose organized campgrounds, but pledged to protect homeless people and expressed faith in the city's current efforts. Other top officials handling the coronavirus crisis said they would not rule out tent cities if the pandemic warrants them. Nothing is off the list," said L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. Back at the VA campus on Thursday, 11 veterans and a spouse of one hunkered down in carefully spaced tents and tarps in the parking lot. One called the service center a godsend. Another veteran told VA spokesman Steven Ruh that he recently had been attacked while he was sleeping on the street. Now hell have a watchful eye over him to make sure hes safe, he said. This could be a turning point, said Robert Rosebrock, an Army veteran who has long accused the VA of commercializing its medical campus and shorting healthcare services and housing opportunities for veterans. These people have so much potential. Now with this virus thing and all of us facing troubled times, maybe we can do more for them. Mayor Eric Garcetti Provides Financial Relief during COVID-19 with Debit Cards through the Citys Angeleno Fund LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) Low-income residents of Los Angeles and those with incomes negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemicwill soon have another opportunity for financial relief through the citys Angeleno Fund. Starting Tuesday, those who meet the requirements can begin applying for the Angeleno Card program which will provide debit cards with $700-$1,500 for residents with incomes below the poverty line prior to the Safer at Home orders and those who have fallen into deeper hardship due to reduced work hours or have had their incomes cut by at least 50%. People can apply for the debit cards online or by calling 21-252-3040 starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Applications will only be accepted from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Mayor Eric Garcetti said people who are already beneficiaries of federal and state assistance can still qualify as long as they meet the programs income requirements. He also said cards would be available to people regardless of their citizenship status. Those who apply and do not receive a card will be placed on a waiting list, Garcetti said. The no-fee debit cards are being provided through the mayors Angeleno Fund in connection with the Accelerator for America, co-founded by Garcetti, in partnership with Mastercard. Gift cards financed by the Angeleno Fund for those in need of groceries were made available last week and were gone within four days, Garcetti said. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters ahead of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington, on April 8, 2019. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas/File Photo) IMF Says COVID-19 Great Lockdown Will Be Far Worse Than Global Financial Crisis The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its world economic outlook on April 14, predicting the global economy will suffer its biggest hit since the Great Depression because of the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The newest release of the 2020 World Economic Outlook, which the IMF updates regularly, predicts global output will shrink by 3 percent in 2020. The dismal forecast is a major downward revision of 6.3 percentage points from the IMFs January 2020 outlook. It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the Global Financial Crisis a decade ago, IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath wrote in the report. The Great Lockdown, as one might call it, is projected to shrink global growth dramatically. The IMF expects GDP in the United States to fall by 5.9 percent in 2020 before a 4.7 percent rebound in 2021. It also expects that the world economy will rebound sharply next year, growing by 5.8 percent. Still, Gopinath noted in a blog post accompanying the report that the outlook comes in the shadow of tremendous uncertainty around what comes next. Commensurate with the scale and speed of the crisis, domestic and international policy responses need to be large, rapidly deployed, and speedily recalibrated as new data becomes available, she wrote. The courageous actions of doctors and nurses need to be matched by policymakers all over the world so we can jointly overcome this crisis. The total loss to global gross domestic product (GDP) over 2020 and 2021 from the pandemic could be around $9 trillion, the IMF predicts in the outlook. The IMF noted that for the first time since the Great Depression, both advanced economies and emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) are in the grips of a recession. Growth in advanced economies in 2020 is projected to contract by 6.1 percent, while EMDEs are expected to decline by 2.2 percent, excluding China. This makes the Great Lockdown the worst recession since the Great Depression, and far worse than the Global Financial Crisis, Gopinath wrote. The sharp downgrade is associated with the fallout from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. A rare disaster, a coronavirus pandemic, has resulted in a tragically large number of human lives being lost. As countries implement necessary quarantines and social distancing practices to contain the pandemic, the world has been put in a Great Lockdown. The magnitude and speed of collapse in activity that has followed is unlike anything experienced in our lifetimes, Gopinath noted. Earlier, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement: Today, we are confronted with a crisis like no other. COVID-19 has disrupted our social and economic order at lightning speed and on a scale that we have not seen in living memory. What was normal just a few weeks agogoing to school, going to work, being with family and friendsis now a huge risk. Georgieva said decisive and coordinated action was key to a quick economic rebound. The actions we take now will determine the speed and strength of our recovery, she said. In the outlook, the IMF called for a range of policy responses. The large, timely, and targeted, fiscal, monetary, and financial policies already taken by many policymakersincluding credit guarantees, liquidity facilities, loan forbearance, expanded unemployment insurance, enhanced benefits, and tax reliefhave been lifelines to households and businesses. This support should continue throughout the containment phase to minimize persistent scars that could emerge from subdued investment and job losses in this severe downturn, Gopinath noted. The IMF also called for a timely policy pivot to boost demand and stimulate recovery, including debt relief, incentivizing firm hiring, and fiscal stimulus, where appropriate. We dont know yet how our economies and way of life will change, but we do know we will come out of this crisis more resilient, Georgieva said in a statement. Senegalese President Macky Sall has expressed gratitude and appreciation for King Mohammed VI, who called Monday for a unified and concerted response to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. King Mohammed VI of Morocco suggested in phone talks with President Alassane Dramane Ouattara of Cote dIvoire and President Macky Sall of Senegal the setting up of an initiative by African heads of state to elaborate an operational framework to help African countries manage the coronavirus pandemic. President Macky Sall expressed his will to work to ensure the success of the royal initiative meant to mitigate COVID-19s impact on the continent. The Senegalese head of state expressed thanks to the Monarch for the propitious initiative and expressed his determination to work for the success of the process, the Senegalese presidents office said in a statement. The royal initiative will shortly be discussed at a video conference between the heads of state and government of the countries concerned, the statement said. The initiative put forward by the King aims at facilitating joint action by African countries, at sharing experience and best practices in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and at bolstering cooperation to mitigate the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic in the continent. The pandemic is expanding in Africa at an alarming rate, with confirmed cases exceeding 16,000 and over 800 deaths, prompting the World Health Organization and scientists to warn that the continent may become the worlds new epicenter. In Morocco, at the instructions of King Mohammed VI, the Government took a package of preventive measures to mitigate the health, economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the country. The Kingdom now seeks to share these measures, which were hailed worldwide as successful, with the continent to contain the virus and protect Africans. Morocco confirmed 1,838 COVID-19 cases as of 10 a.m. on April 14, including 201 recoveries and 126 deaths. 'First of all, speaking on behalf of the ninety judges in this jurisdiction, we hope to find you in good health, safekeeping, and not in financial distress. Without revealing anyone else's medical information, the spouse of one of our own is fighting COVID-19 and we hope for good results. Clearly, the pandemic is no longer just knocking on the door. 'Of all the divisions in the courthouse deeply affected by the shutdown, Family Court has been the least affected because it had two aspects unique to it: first, it's a very high priority because of families in crisis and children in harm's way and, second, it doesn't involve jury trials. So those of us in Family have been running dockets, conducting both evidentiary and non-evidentiary hearings, and even trials. And we continue to do so. 'The Criminal courts arguably have suffered the most disruptive impact for two reasons: first, it's extremely rare that any trial proceeds nonjury and, second, the clients have a Constitutional right to be present for hearings. While Zoom can facilitate even final divorces, it is not logistically friendly to the demands of the Criminal Justice System. Now the positive testing of some inmates in the jail system complicates matters even further. Time will tell when those courts can return to functionality. 'The Civil courts have finally gotten the green-light to begin using Zoom to run dockets and conduct hearings. They'll go to school on the lessons learned by the Family judges and hope for a very smooth track ahead. 'One comment that needs sharing and that is the judges would appreciate it if the lawyers and their clients keep in mind these Zoom hearings are just that: hearings. They are not casual phone conversations. It is remarkable how many ATTORNEYS appear inappropriately on camera. We've seen many lawyers in casual shirts and blouses, with no concern for ill-grooming, in bedrooms with the master bed in the background, etc. One male lawyer appeared shirtless and one female attorney appeared still in bed, still under the covers. And putting on a beach cover-up won't cover up you're poolside in a bathing suit. So, please, if you don't mind, let's treat court hearings as court hearings, whether Zooming or not. 'Finally, evidentiary hearings via Zoom take additional pre-hearing prep work. For instance, send whatever exhibits you intend to introduce into evidence to both the Court and to opposing counsel well in advance of the hearing (uploading to "Supporting Documents" in the e-portal is optimal; email is secondary), and that includes documents, photos and videos. You will also have to coordinate third-party witnesses; if they can't be on camera, they can't be sworn in by the judge and will need a notary at their location to verify identification and oath. Be aware, Zoom hearings take more time than in-person hearings due to lag time in audio capacity coming online and people talking over each other which challenges the responsibility to make contemporaneous objections. Often, lawyers are not looking at their screens but down at their files, their outlines and notes, or simply out the window, and cannot see the judge is hollering "Stop! Stop!" because an objection has been made and the audio stays with the witness rather than obeying the judge. If you need additional guidance, call the J.A. and ask ahead of time. Just don't say I told you to! 'If all this sounds like a challenge, it is. But there is no such thing as an objection to Zoom. That having been said, I for one will not conduct a two-week expert-laden hotly contested trial via Zoom; I will reschedule that one for late summer or early fall (if we're lucky). At the end of the day, we conduct these hearings as best we can, knowing we're running on one of those miniature spare tires we pulled from the trunk rather than a "real" tire. But it will get us to where we need to go if we decrease our speed and increase our caution and shorten our trip. Resolve as many issues as you can through negotiation and then buckle up. We'll get there, but it may get a little bumpy along the way. 'Please, stay safe and healthy ... and lucrative. Judge Dennis Bailey' Source: Weston Bar Association Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 10:51:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARBIN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province bordering Russia reported 79 new confirmed imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday, local health authority said Tuesday. All of them were Chinese nationals returning from Russia, the provincial health commission said. Of them, 65 were previously asymptomatic cases. No indigenously transmitted cases were reported on Monday. By Monday, the province had reported a total of 326 confirmed imported COVID-19 cases and one has been discharged from hospital after recovery, it said. Meanwhile, the province reported one new imported asymptomatic case, bringing the total existing number of such cases to 54 by Monday, according to the commission. All Victorian parents who want to send their children to school during term two will be required to fill out a form each week and declare in writing that their children are not unwell before they can attend classes in person. The move by the state government comes as teachers scramble to identify how many students are expected to attend school for the first day of term two on Wednesday to determine how many teachers must be on site. Victorian schools will start a term of remote learning on Wednesday. Credit:Joe Armao Staff at most Victorian schools returned to work on Tuesday for a pupil-free day to prepare for their first days teaching most students remotely, while still catering to the children of essential workers on campus. Many schools were also still trying to determine whether all students had sufficient resources at home including an internet connection to be able to learn online. WHY DONT YOU READ THESE? SHANGHAI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Please join SMIC's earnings conference call, with: Dr. Zhao Haijun , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Dr. Liang Mong Song , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director D r. Gao Yonggang , Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, and Joint Company Secretary , Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, and Joint Company Secretary Tim Kuo , Director, Investor Relations as they announce the company's first quarter 2020 results and take questions from investors on Thursday, May 14, 2020. The first quarter 2020 results will also be released and available at http://www.smics.com/en/ before the start of trading on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on Thursday, May 14, 2020. CONFERENCE CALL / WEBCAST ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS DATE: Thursday, May 14, 2020 TIME: 8:30 A.M. (Shanghai and Hong Kong) 8:30 P.M. (New York *please note that as this call is live, it will take place on Wednesday, May 13th , 20 20 E DT ) WEBCAST: The call will be webcast live with audio at: http://www.smics.com/en/site/company_financialSummary or https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/n7zzr3yk DIAL-IN: Teleconference call services are effected by the COVID-19, operator assisted conference calls are not available at the moment. You must preregister online in order to receive the dial-in numbers. ONLINE REGISTRATION: You may register for the conference call at: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/1749469 Once preregistration has been complete, you will receive dial-in numbers, the passcode, and a unique registrant ID. To join the conference, dial the number you receive in the email, enter the passcode followed by your registrant ID, and you will join the conference instantly. REPLAY: Recording will be available approximately 1 hour after the event and it will be archived for replay at http://www.smics.com/en/site/company_financialSummary , for a period of 12 months following the webcast. CONTACT: Investor Relations +86 21-2081-2804 [email protected] SOURCE Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Related Links www.smics.com (TNS) In Ocean City, Md., the mayor and council recently gave preliminary approval to a town budget with a two-thirds larger rainy day fund to cover emergencies. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. announced an immediate hiring freeze for most of county government. At a virtual taxpayer night conducted by the Baltimore City Council, officials are looking to plug a $42 million hole in the current budget and anticipate at least a $100 million shortfall in the next. And, in the most frightening development of all, Marylands comptroller warned Friday of a possible $2.8 billion drop in state tax receipts during the current fiscal year. What do all these events have in common? They are all a result of the coronavirus pandemic and how the accompanying economic downturn is gradually translating into substantially reduced tax revenues for state and local governments.Call it the third wave of a crisis that began with an ongoing health emergency and than spurred an economic downturn that may prove to be the worst since the Great Depression. Right now, out-of-balance government budgets may seem a minor concern for most Marylanders compared to the first two matters (ones health and familys well-being followed by potential loss of employment understandably ranking higher), but it is likely to loom increasingly large with the impact on life from Friendsville to Princess Anne continuing for many months to come. And it is just as certain to test the mettle of elected officials unaccustomed to such budgetary hardship. Lesser past recessions certainly have.Heres the problem in a nutshell: Government at every level relies on revenue estimates when planning budgets. More than a year in advance, council, commissioners and county executives anticipate how much the economy will grow, how much the usual taxes (income, sales and property among the larger sources) will rake in and then authorize spending on such broadly popular purposes as paying teacher salaries as well as those of police and firefighters, upgrading transportation (from building roads to filling pot holes) and addressing a host of other small, yet important responsibilities from reviewing development plans to maintaining public parks. The abruptness and jaw-dropping scale of the current downturn could surely never have been anticipated even weeks ago.Governments have installed some protections such as surpluses and rainy day funds (a balance that is tapped only in the event of an unanticipated emergency) but none is anywhere near enough to cover whats eventually coming their way. The state governments reserves might float its general fund obligations a month, for instance. So they have two options but really only one. Officials can cut spending or they can increase taxes. And given how any elected leader who dares pursue a tax hike right now would mean his or her own unemployment courtesy of the ballot box, its really just about cutting spending. At first, there will be fat to trim, efficiencies found, public relations campaigns that can be deferred, contracts that can be delayed. Then there are the tougher choices like hiring and pay freezes. And then, as things get bad, the dreaded "f" word furloughs or unpaid holidays or even salary reductions for government workers.No one is talking in those terms. Not yet anyway. Washington has tried to help out with its economic stimulus bills that include about $5 billion for Maryland with much of it going toward disaster relief and other specific purposes. Congress and President Donald Trump might yet agree on more. State government may have some fiscal tricks up its sleeve as well, such as allowing local governments to tap Program Open Space land acquisition money, for example, and other special funds, and use them for other purposes like K-12 education. But, make no mistake, hard times are coming for the public sector. The smart leaders are the ones who are willing to adopt tough measures early like boosting reserves now rather than emptying their rainy day fund this early. Its not unlike coronavirus public health measures the sooner stringent policies are adopted, the less painful the adjustment in the long run. But, alas, planning for the worst isnt usually the first instinct of politicians who like to be popular and thus delay and delay and delay bad news for as long as possible.Heres the final rub: If and when the pandemic subsides, the resulting economic downturn and its effects on local government spending will be felt much, much longer. And theres simply no getting around that no matter who voters choose to represent them in Towson, Annapolis or D.C. Even Gov. Larry Hogan, currently riding a record high crest of public approval for his handling of the health crisis, may find his popularity greatly diminished by about the fifth or sixth round of state budget cuts to come. Thats the cold reality of what appears to be coming in the year (or more) ahead. 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 true death toll may be at least 15 percent higher, while the UK may face its deepest recession in 300 years. The United Kingdoms true death toll from coronavirus far exceeds estimates previously published by the government, according to broader official data that include deaths in the community such as in nursing homes. Even before the new figures, the official British death toll was the fifth-highest globally, and a senior scientific adviser to the government has said the country risks becoming the worst-hit in Europe. On Tuesday, it was announced a further 778 people had died in the 24 hours to Monday evening in British hospitals after contracting coronavirus, making a total count of 12,107 people who had died of the virus in hospital since the outbreak began. But figures released on Tuesday showed that number to be a vast under-counting of those who had died. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has included those who died in nursing homes in their tally, and said 5,979 people in England had died by April 3 with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, mentioned on their death certificates 15 percent more than the numbers published by the health service at that time. I am not remotely surprised there would be an undercounting, Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvards TH Chan School of Public Health, told Reuters. The UK hospital death toll that you are seeing the one on the news each night is a composite of things that have been trickling in over a period of time. It is not an exact number and does not include the numbers dying in places such as nursing homes. The new numbers, which reflect both deaths caused primarily by COVID-19 and where it is mentioned as a factor, show how limited official data has been so far. That would give us a very different picture of where we are on the curve at the moment, said Al Jazeeras Charlie Angela, reporting from London. At the moment, the government are saying were about 10 days off the peak, but if those figures were to include the number of deaths in the community, it could paint a very different picture. Public Health England Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said the government was working with the ONS to speed up the information. We just need to be absolutely clear that the cause of death that is attributed is correct and that is what takes time on the death certificate to get right, she said, adding the government hoped to produce more rapid data, preferably on a daily basis. Understating deaths Compared with the ONS figures, the daily hospital counts had understated the true death toll for England and Wales by 52 percent as of April 3, although this had narrowed from 70 percent a week earlier. Still, it raises the likelihood that the latest official death toll for the UK is thousands short of the true number, when deaths outside hospitals are included. These new figures clearly show the impact of COVID-19 for the first time, said Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. London was hit particularly hard in the week to April 3, when the ONS said nearly half (46.6 percent) of deaths in the capital involved COVID-19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now recuperating from COVID-19 at his official second residence, initially refrained from imposing the same stringent controls as other European leaders to counter the outbreak. 200407071938282 But as projections showed 250,000 Britons could die from the virus, Johnson moved to shutter the worlds fifth-largest economy and told people to stay at home. The UK government has faced a barrage of criticism over its responses to the outbreak, including charges that it delayed its lockdown in a widely reported bid to build herd immunity, that it lacked widespread testing for the virus, that it failed to join a European Union-wide ventilator procurement programme, and that it failed to provide enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line healthcare staff. The UK response was fractured and it was too late, and allowed a large number of people to become infected who didnt need to become infected, said Hanage at Harvard. This is the start of the pandemic, not the end, and people need to understand that. Hanage suggested a focus on testing, using new digital technologies to give targeted advice to the population, or even detecting the virus in sewage. Economic toll The UKs economy, meanwhile, could shrink by 13 percent this year due to the coronavirus shutdown its deepest recession in 300 years, while public borrowing is set to surge to a post-second world war high, the countrys budget forecasters said. 200413182751472 In the April-June period alone, economic output could plunge by 35 percent, with the unemployment rate more than doubling to 10 percent, the Office for Budget Responsibility said on Tuesday. A bounce-back may come later in the year if restrictions on public life to slow the spread of the coronavirus are lifted, it added. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer, said he was deeply troubled by the prospect that two million people would lose their jobs due to the impact of the virus. This is going to be hard. Our economy is going to take a significant hit, he said at a daily government news conference. The OBR stressed it was not making an official forecast, given the lack of clarity about how long the government would require businesses to remain closed to the public. The OBR assumes a full shutdown for three months, followed by a gradual lifting over a further three-month period. The chancellor was saying that the country was in a very strong position before we entered this crisis, and the Office of Budget Responsibility is saying that the economy could bounce back quickly, said Al Jazeeras Charlie Angela. 200413122704311 That 35 percent would be a contraction in the second quarter but it would be a massive contraction, bigger than after the Spanish flu, bigger than after World War I, bigger than after World War II so incredibly significant for this country. Separately, the International Monetary Fund said it expected the UKs economy to shrink 6.5 percent in 2020, similar to other economies, before growing by 4.0 percent in 2021. Its clear we must defeat this virus as quickly as possible, Sunak said, adding there was not a choice between health and economics. That defies common sense. Government scientists have said the UK will do well if it manages to keep the coronavirus death toll below 20,000. Facilitating Indias imports of Covid-19-related critical medical equipment and keeping the drug production supply chain open by China is the best signal for bilateral ties, Indian ambassador Vikram Misri said on Tuesday. Chinese companies have been contracted for nearly 15 million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits comprising gowns, gloves, masks and goggles, and 1.5 million rapid testing kits for Covid-19 by the Indian government and private companies. Some of this equipment has already reached India, he said. India has now asked China to speed up the export of a large quantity of quality-checked medical equipment such as protective clothing, ventilators and testing kits from Chinese companies, Misri told a virtual news conference with Beijing-based Indian journalists and representatives of Chinas official media. New Delhi is also in communication with Beijing on keeping the supply line of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) open for manufacturing generic drugs. And at this time, I think facilitation of our needs and our requirements in a timely manner, in a smooth manner, on a predictable timeline at prices that are stable and orderly would be the best signal possible to send for the India-China relationship, Misri said. So, I think, thismay have started out as a crisis but it is definitely an opportunity for us to send out a very good message, generally a good signal about India-China cooperation. Misri said both countries trade in medicine ingredients such as APIs. We importa considerable amount of APIs from China to manufacture pharmaceuticals that we export to the rest of the world. And in certain cases, Chinese companies import APIs from India to manufacture certain pharmaceuticals that they need for domestic consumption as well as export, he said. So, its important at this time when not just the two countries but the rest of the world needs medicines and pharmaceuticals, for us to keep this product line open. The figure for medical equipment and other materials being supplied by China to India is enormously dynamic because there are flights taking off on almost a daily basis from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen for India, Misri said. The numbers are significantWe are in the process of, or have already completed, contracting for nearly 15 million PPE kits, for instance, consisting of gowns, masks, gloves, goggles, he said. Misri added: Given our size, our position, I think there is considerable space for India and China to cooperate in controlling the spread of this pandemic and there are immediate short-term as well as medium- and long-term aspects to our cooperation. The immediate aspect is cooperating in procuring much-needed medical equipment and products in India, as our healthcare community and our healthcare fraternity, which is at the frontlines of facing this challenge, battles this outbreak, he said. Misri noted that when China was dealing with the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, India had provided medical assistance. Now, we are in the process of commercially procuring a large number of these supplies. China happens to be one of the largest producers, has a number of these products. So, this offers us an opportunity of cooperating in a smooth manner by facilitating the procurement of medical assistance and medical equipment and products from China, he said. Some of the orders were placed before China imposed regulations limiting and restricting the number of Chinese companies that can export to India, he noted. Given [these] products are licensed for import to India, it will be a welcome step for Chinese authorities to expedite the registration of these products, he said. The pandemic first emerged as a local outbreak in Wuhan city in central China late last year, before spreading across the country and beyond over the next three-and-half months. The pandemic has so far killed nearly 120,000 people and infected more than 1.8 million. In India, the confirmed cases have doubled in about a week to 10,000. China itself suffered from a serious shortage of medical equipment in the first stages of the outbreak in Wuhan. The peak has since passed in China and local manufacturers have ramped up production of medical equipment as demand surged across the world. The two governments have been in touch to ensure stable and orderly purchase and procurement of these items, [focusing] on issues such as identifying bona fide suppliers of these products and entering into agreements with them, Misri said. It is important to ensure the quality of products and make purchases at reasonable prices, he said. A number of European governments had rejected Chinese-made medical equipment designed for use to prevent and control the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Thousands of testing kits and medical masks were found to be below standard or defective, according to authorities in Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands. Beijing has since tightened monitoring and inspection of medical equipment that is exported. India and China are currently observing the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties though various commemorative events have been put off because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Corn is one of the mostly used ingredient of global coarse-grain which accounts for about three-quarters of total volume in recent years. Most of the corn that is used in applications such as feed and also in industrial and food uses. Corn products are available in the processed form which includes flour, corn meal, sweeteners. To Get Free Sample Request Visit @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9944 Corn Based Ingredients Segmentation Global corn based ingredients market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and region. On the basis of type Corn Based Ingredients are segmented into vitamin C, baking Powder and brown sugar. Among all the sub-segments vitamin C is the leading segment followed by other types of Corn Based Ingredients. Vitamin C is anticipated to have maximum market share over the forecast period owing to the health benefits associated with the consumption of vitamin C. Based on the application global corn based ingredients segmentation includes popcorn, corn chips, corn flakes and corn meal. Among all the segments of the global corn based ingredients market, corn meal is anticipated to be the dominating segment, in terms of revenue contribution followed by the popcorn segment. Based on the region global corn based ingredients market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan. Of which, North America is the expected to contribute maximum market share owing to the U.S. being the largest producer of the corn in the global corn ingredients market. Corn Based Ingredients: Region-wise Outlook The global corn based ingredients is expected to witness healthy growth over the forecast period owing to the health benefits associated with the consumption of corn based ingredients. Corn based ingredients contains various nutrients that are beneficial for the consumer health due to the presence of the protein, carbohydrates and also small amount of fat. Globally, among all regions, North America is expected to contribute highest market share due to the largest producer of corn is U.S., followed by Europe over the forecasted period owing the increasing demand for Corn Based Ingredients in the European countries. However, Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness highest growth. However Asia Pacific is expected to witness highest growth owing to the rising number of health conscious consumers in the region coupled with the growing awareness among consumers related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of corn based ingredients. Corn Based Ingredients: Drivers Major factors that are expected to propel the market growth of the corn based ingredients are increasing population coupled with the rising consumer awareness regarding the health benefits of the consumption of the corn based ingredients. However, major restraining factor that hinders the market growth of the corn based ingredients is the rising prices of the corn based ingredients coupled with the emergence of the various cereal based ingredients. For More Details and Order Copy of this Report Visit @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/9944 Corn Based Ingredients Market: Key Players Key players operating in the corn based ingredients are Tate & Lyle PLC, Healthy Food Ingredients, LLC. Cargill Incorporated and SunOpta Inc.. Companies manufacture corn based ingredients used in cereal and baking applications. For example Sunopta manufacture corn based ingredients specifically for baking, cereal and snack applications. These corn based ingredients are Non-GMO certified and superior quality ingredients that caters to rising need of food manufactures for high quality food products. Cargill Incorporated manufactures corn based ingredients named Maizewise. This Maizewise are available in various flavors that includes toasted and neutral corn. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray assured migrant workers who had gathered near the Bandra railway station on Tuesday afternoon demanding the resumption of train services to carry them home in violation of the lockdown orders, that they were not in a lockup and should therefore maintain discipline for the next two weeks after which arrangements will be made to have them sent home, reported news agency ANI. Nobody wants that you stay in lockup without your will. Lockdown doesnt mean lockup. It is our country, Uddhav was reported as saying. Also read: Amit Shah dials Uddhav Thackeray after Bandra protest sets off political firestorm He reminded the migrant labourers who had gathered in huge numbers triggering fears of a repeat of the situation seen in Delhis Anand Vihar last month when several thousands of migrant workers lined up at the interstate bus terminus hoping to catch a ride home, that they were safe in Maharashtra. Youre safe in my state, and dont worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you, Uddhav was quoted as saying by ANI. Watch | Mumbai: Wave of migrant workers swamp bus stand after lockdown extension The crowd of over 1,000 migrant workers had begun gathering within hours of Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement to extend the national lockdown till May 3 after the first phase of 21-day-long lockdown ended today. The crowd could be controlled late in the afternoon only after a mid lathicharge and use of force by the police. The migrants were insisting that arrangements be made to take them home since they were struggling to get food in the state. Also read: Centre, states in Catch-22 situation, says Aaditya Thackeray on Bandra clash Police officials later assured them that they will be provided food, most of these migrant workers are said to be from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The incident led to a political blame game with Shiv Sena and BJP leaders blaming each other for the situation. Maharashtra minister and Uddhavs son Aditya Thackeray initially blamed the centre for not letting the migrants go home at the initial stages of the lockdown. He, however, appeared to have struck a conciliatory note little later by claiming that the migrant situation presented a dilemma equally complex for both states and the centre to handle. ANI reported that Home minister Amit Shah had called up Uddhav and stressed on the need to not let the situation defeat the purpose of social distancing and other containment efforts. Pro-Beijing Groups Bought up Medical Supplies to Ship to China, Leaving Canada Short While Canadian health professionals continue to struggle with a shortage of vital medical supplies in the face of the pandemic, it has come to light that several pro-Beijing groups in Canada shipped large amounts of masks and other personal protective equipment to China in late January and throughout February following calls to do so by the Chinese regime. According to an article on the website of state-owned China News Service, Chinas Foreign Affairs Ministry not only directed the Chinese diaspora in Canada to buy up all available protective equipment and send it back to China, it also convinced some officials from the three levels of government to assist. Under the guidance of the Chinese Consulate General in Montreal, local Chinese-funded institutions have established an emergency mechanism more than 20 Chinese Students and Scholars Associations in the consular district jointly established an anti-epidemic liaison coordination group, states the article, translated from Chinese. The article praised Montreal Consul General Chen Xueming for taking immediate action by meeting with Quebecs health minister and communicating with more than 10 government officials regarding anti-epidemic measures and seeking cooperation between the Quebec and Chinese governments. Local Chinese-Canadian township associations, alumni associations, and academic federations all undertook expansive efforts to secure donations of both money and medical equipment to send to China. The Chinese Consulate in Montreal further coordinated Air China, Qatar Airways, and local express delivery companies to provide transportation facilities for donated materials from Canadian Chinese communities and institutions in order to get them to China as soon as possible. By the end of February, the Consulate had assisted in the transfer of over 30 tonnes of equipment, including masks and protective clothing. Meanwhile, the federal government shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment to China in early February, depleting Canadas reserves even more. In late March, Beijing switched gears. Seeking to promote itself as a global leader in combating the pandemic, the regime began shipping donations of medical supplies to other countries including Canada, but in many cases the supplies were found to be defective. Spain, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Turkey all reportedly received faulty masks and other equipment from companies in China. Approximately 62,000 masks distributed to long-term care homes in Toronto on March 28 that were made in China have been recalled due to tearing and ripping while in use, according to news reports. Global Sourcing Through United Front As many countries deal with escalating outbreaks and a shortage of protective equipment, the Chinese authorities proceeded to buy up billions of masks as well as hundreds of tons of other critical medical supplies globally. Keep on buying while sending back to China [medical supplies], and try your best to buy as much as possible, reads one article posted on the official website of the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Department, an agency dedicated to implementing the regimes agenda inside and outside China. In the West, the United Front exerts influence in Chinese student groups at colleges and universities, Chinese chambers of commerce, and Chinese associationsall of whom are known to hold activities in support of Beijing. The United Front has encouraged all overseas Chinese to follow in the associations footsteps to buy up all available medical materials and send them back to China. Chinese firms and overseas Chinese organizations are the main means to realize Beijings global sourcing, buying up stock from Canada, United States, Europe, Australia, and other countries. In Canada, several groups, including Guangdong Community Association of Canada, Canton Chamber of Commerce Canada, Hunan Fellow Association of Canada, Chinese Benevolent Association, Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations, to name a few, have been actively involved in raising funds and supplies to send to China. According to Sing Tao Daily, Xue Xiaomei, president of the Canadian Sichuanese Friendship Association, claimed the group had raised 1,384 cartons of medical supplies including masks, protective clothing, goggles, and other items worth about $445,000. Wang Chengjun, deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver, paid a visit to the association to congratulate the members on their achievement. On Feb. 26, Shandong Phoenix New Media reported that Xiwang International Trade Co. Ltd. actively responded to the call of Yantai City in Shandong Province and proceeded to purchase relevant medical supplies through its overseas branches in Canada, Europe, United States, and Poland. Shandong Phoenix New Media reported on Feb. 26 that Gord Dejong, vice president of Xiwang Group, personally led employees on a search for medical supplies, collecting 100,000 gloves and more than 1,000 sets of high-standard protective clothing. China Capital Airlines flew the donated supplies from Vancouver to Qingdao. The Chinese Consulate General in Calgary, which helped facilitate the shipping of the items, commended Xiwangs efforts. Canadian Chinese Media News reported that on Feb. 3, Fuwei Global Sourcing Co. Ltd., a member of the Canadian-China Business Innovation Alliance, shipped from Toronto to Beijing its first batch of donated medical protective clothing, worth a total of $30,000, via Hainan Airlines with the assistance of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto. The article noted that second and third batches of donated materials would be also sent, and that Fuwei had been entrusted to implement and send to China a large amount of protective equipment. On Feb. 17, Hainan Airlines left Toronto for Beijing loaded with over 100 cartons of protective equipment donated by nine Chinese-funded enterprises and Chinese societies in Canada. Since Jan. 29, Hainan Airlines has shipped 67 batches of medical materials from Toronto to China, totalling about 56 tonnes, according to its Toronto offices website. The website said Hainan Airlines actively responded to the call of the Chinese government and shouldered the responsibility of transportation by opening a green channel to provide free air transportation services for materials donated by governments, charities, various organizations, overseas Chinese, and so on. Andi Shi of the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada told CBC News on Feb. 16 that his organization had stopped accepting large donations for medical equipment because there was such a limited supply of the items needed. Shi said suppliers could not fill any more orders. We are told that they will not sell to us, he said. They want to keep the inventory for Canadian hospitals. On a global scale, between Jan. 24 and Feb. 29, China imported 2.46 billion shipping cartons of supplies for epidemic prevention, valued at 8.21 billion yuan (US$1.158 billion), according to official customs data announced on March 7. Among them were 2.02 billion facial masks and 25.38 million protective suits. A team leader at a company was sanctioned by her employer after she referred to a Romanian dentist as a "gypsy". A number of Romanian colleagues were present during the workplace conversation on March 8, 2019, and when challenged by a member of management, the team leader apologised and said she didn't realise the Romanian team was present. Iulian Cosmin Predoi was one of those Romanians to overhear the racial slur and the agency worker has taken an unsuccessful race discrimination claim against his employer, Hays Specialist Recruitment, which had placed him as a content review associate for the un-named client company. Mr Predoi told the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) he found the matter very offensive at the time, and he was "shocked and humiliated to have been a victim of racism in a company which is involved in fighting racism on a daily basis". He told the WRC that he and his co-complainants had asked that the team leader be moved from having responsibility for that team, but this did not happen. He said that as a consequence, he and his colleagues were left with no option but to continue to work under her direction until she left her job five months later. Mr Predoi described his discomfort at being left in this position and in this context he argued that he was discriminated against on the grounds of race. Along with Mr Predoi, three other workers also made complaints concerning the "gypsy" comment to Hays Specialist Recruitment. The sanction imposed on the team leader by the client company was not disclosed. WRC adjudication officer Patricia Owens found that the contention by Mr Predoi that the team leader uttered a racial slur was not in dispute and that Mr Predoi was credible in relation to the impact that this behaviour had on him. However, she found that Mr Predoi was not discriminated against on the grounds of race. She said she was satisfied that sufficient steps were taken by the company which hired Mr Predoi to promote appropriate behaviour in the workplace after the investigation. Ms Owens was also satisfied that sufficient sanction was applied that resulted in no further breach of the standards of conduct throughout the remainder of the team leader's employment. Meanwhile, Hays Specialist Recruitment told the WRC that both it and the client company have robust policies and procedures in place to prevent harassment in the workplace and acted expeditiously to address the issues raised by Mr Predoi. Video conferencing app Zoom has been in the spotlight for the past couple of months after it reported a significant jump in its active user base owing to work from home policies, and also the number of security concerns on its platforms. To make things worse for the company, over 5 lakh Zoom accounts credentials and other details are reportedly being sold on the dark web. These Zoom accounts are being sold for dirt-cheap prices, and in some cases even given away for free. Cybersecurity intelligence firm Cyble found several Zoom accounts being sold on hacker forums to gain an increased reputation in the hacker community. The hacked accounts are being shared via text sharing sites where the threat actors are posting lists of email addresses and password combinations, reported BleepingComputer. The website further reported that it contacted some of the 290 Zoom accounts that were listed for free and received confirmation that the credentials were correct. One of the exposed users told the website that the listed password on the forum was an old one, indicating that some of the leaked credentials are likely from older credential stuffing attacks. For the uninitiated, a credential stuffing attack is when the hacker attempts to log in using accounts leaked in older data breaches. The successful logins are then compiled into lists that are sold to other hackers. Cyble purchased over 530,000 Zoom accounts, each costing $0.0020 (Rs 0.15). These purchased accounts contained the users email address, password, personal meeting URL, and their HostKey. The leaked credentials also belong to accounts from companies like Citibank, Chase, and educational institutions. Cyble bought these accounts only to inform and warn their customers of the potential breach. After similar security concerns, many companies like SpaceX and Google have banned their employees from using the Zoom video conferencing app. Zoom recently announced that it will freeze all its features-related updates and primarily focus on releasing security updates over the next three months. To avoid getting your account details leaked, we advise our readers to frequently change their Zoom account passwords until the reported issue has been acknowledged and resolved. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michael Smith (Bloomberg) Tue, April 14, 2020 12:03 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1c05cf 2 News cruise,cruise-ship,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,luxury-cruise,Holland-America-Line Free For some passengers, this has become a cruise to nowhere. After enduring a coronavirus outbreak on a Carnival Corp. luxury cruise liner, some passengers say they are still trapped aboard another luxurious ghost ship, isolated and unable to get home -- more than a month after they first set sail. Four passengers from Argentina and one from Uruguay spent Easter confined to their cabins on Holland America Lines Rotterdam, at sea in the Caribbean. Holland America said they were blocked from going home by the Argentine governments COVID-19-related restrictions. They are among thousands of passengers still aboard ships almost one month after the worlds major cruise lines agreed to halt cruises because of the dangers of sailing during the pandemic. Its like we are ghosts on a ghost ship, said Claudia Osiani, 64, of Mar del Plata, Argentina, in an phone interview from her cabin in the Rotterdam. We just want to go home. Osiani began what she hoped would be a dream cruise on the Zaandam on March 7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then it turned into a nightmare, Osiani said. Read also: Cruise ship rejected by four nations runs out of options Passengers on death ship plead for rescue as virus strikes The Zaandam was stranded at sea for three weeks as a flu-like outbreak sickened roughly 250 passengers and crew. Four people died, including two with COVID-19, according to Holland America. Hundreds of people, including Osiani and her husband Juan Henning, were transferred from the Zaandam to the Rotterdam at sea, near Panama, as passengers and crew were sickened. The couple have been quarantined since March 22, first in a small cabin with a sealed window, and now in a spacious suite on the near-empty Rotterdam. Six medical exams have shown them to be free of COVID-19, Osiani said. Holland American had evacuated 1,200 passengers from the Rotterdam and Zaandam soon after the ships docked in Fort Lauderdale, on April 2. But not us, said Osiani. She and the other Argentines on the Rotterdam were blocked from boarding a charter flight Thursday because their government declined to authorize their return, citing restrictions imposed during the pandemic. As of April 7, 53 guests and service staff remain on the Rotterdam, Holland America said. And some crew members may be stuck at sea for awhile as well. UPDATE: We are working on ship details until operations resume. A select complement of our crew will remain on board to maintain safe operations. We are working to get remaining crew home. Crew who cannot get home will stay on the ships until we are able to get them home. (2/2) Holland America Line (@HALcruises) April 9, 2020 Osiani had a brief break on land. She said they spent Thursday being ferried by bus from the Rotterdam to a nearby airport --twice -- and were sent back to the ship after Holland America failed to get authorization from Argentina to fly them home on a charter flight. Two other Argentines and one Uruguayan national with Argentine residency were also blocked from traveling to the country. Its a big mystery, what will happen to us, Osiani said. When will we be able to get home? Argentina didnt authorize their return because the government can only process a limited number of people a day returning from COVID-19 hot spots, like the US, said a spokesman for the Argentine foreign ministry who wasnt authorized to be quoted by name. The country banned flights to Argentina on March 12, and there wasnt the capacity to process the passengers on the Rotterdam, the spokesman said. On Friday, Argentina extended a nationwide lockdown to April 26 amid signs shelter-in-place measures imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak have succeeded in flattening the rate of infections. President Alberto Fernandez said in a TV interview late Sunday that while the restrictions have slowed the pace of contagion, he couldnt say when they would end. The country has 2,142 cases of COVID-19 and 90 deaths, according to the health ministry. Holland America said its trying to find another way to get the Argentines on the Rotterdam home. We are sorry that their travel home is delayed, and we will continue to work on a plan to get them home as soon as possible and when their country permits their entry, Holland Americas spokesman Erik Elvejord said via email. The cruise industry is working to get thousands home after the coronavirus pandemic sparked the global shutdown of the cruise industry on March 13. Holland Americas parent company Carnival, the largest cruise line company in the world, has 3,600 passengers on six ships around the world, spokesman Roger Frizzell said. For now, Osiani spent Easter with her husband in her cabin on the Rotterdam fielding calls from their grandchildren. We are comfortable, they are giving us everything we need, she said. But we dont have is what every human being wants: freedom. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/13/2020 ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star David Toborowsky admits he really likes Ed Brown as a person but Ed creeps him out sometimes.While promoting 's new spinoff show, : Self Quarantined, Ed talked to Us Weekly about the couples he enjoys watching most on Season 4 of : Before the 90 Days, which currently airs on Sunday nights on TLC."As far as getting married, I can really feel for [ Rosemarie Vega ]. I like Big Ed as a person," David shared."Sometimes he says things that will creep me out, but I think it's just because he's uncomfortable and because he's not used to dating."Nicknamed "Big Ed," a 54-year-old from San Diego, CA, he, for example, gave Rose, a 23-year-old from the Philippines, a foot massage when trying to seduce her for a kiss, and he asked Rose to shave her legs the morning after they had slept together for the first time.David also said he has "high hopes" for Stephanie Matto and Erika, the franchise's first-ever, same-sex couple."I think as far as the best chance for success, you know, right now, I'm just not sure... I have and have had high hopes for Stephanie and Erika. I just love their story. I love people who are overcoming," David explained.David also called Erika "creative" and "fun" and revealed she often volunteers her time at an elephant and dog sanctuary in Thailand, which he finds very admirable.And as for Darcey Silva , David said he "loves" her and joked he could see her dating a plastic surgeon one day.: Before the 90 Days' currently-airing season showed Tom breaking up with Darcey for good in New York, and during the pair's tense conversation at a restaurant, the England native proposed she had put on some weight."Dating is tough in general and especially because she tends to go for younger men," David noted of Darcey, who previously had a volatile relationship with another younger man, Jesse Meester "I was not happy with what Tom said... Darcey did not deserve weight shame. Tom is a good person in Tom's own way. I just didn't appreciate that. I hope Darcey finds someone who will make her happy [and] uplift her, but she has to love Darcey first."David, who turns 52 next month, and his wife Annie Suwan , 27, currently reside in Scottsdale, AZ, together and occasionally star on : Pillow Talk.The couple's : What Now? episode was also recently released on the TLC GO streaming service.After originally appearing on Season 5 of , David and Annie also returned for Season 3 of : Happily Ever After?.David and Annie will be two of over 40 stars appearing on : Self Quarantined, which will air as five episodes beginning Monday, April 20 at 9PM ET/PT on TLC.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! Chandigarh, April 14 : Citing the gravity of the coronavirus situation, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday announced the state would follow complete curfew till May 3 in line with the extension in the national lockdown. He assured all political parties of aggressive measures, including large-scale testing, in continuing war against the Covid-19 pandemic. Even as he appreciated the support extended by them to his government, the Chief Minister urged all political parties to unitedly fight the battle against the virus, rising above political considerations. Speaking at an all-party meeting to coronavirus, the Chief Minister said the state would actively consider all their suggestions to ensure an effective and holistic response to the current crisis. e said the entire country, and in fact the world, was going through bad times with Punjab no exception. The lockdown so far had helped curb the spread, and the state's count of cases was currently among the lowest in the country. Pointing out that medical experts were suggesting that five weeks of lockdown could really improve the situation, he promised all-out efforts to succeed in the battle against the pandemic. In response to various suggestions made during the meeting, the Chief Minister said he had taken note of all, especially the concerns relating to the workers, and would take steps to address them. Acceding to his government's request, the Centre had already allowed commencement of operations in industries that could accommodate migrant labourers, and four had already started operating in Bathinda, with Ludhiana also gearing up to begin working, he said. The task force set up to formulate the exit strategy for the state would make its recommendations within 10 days on the way forward, he said. The Chief Minister said the state was continuously scaling up the testing to check the spread of the pandemic, with all three medical colleges were now equipped to conduct the tests with a capacity of 1,200 a day. This was in addition to the tests being conducted by the PGI in Chandigarh, while Dayanand Medical College and Christian Medical College, both in Ludhiana, were awaiting approval to commence testing. Amarinder Singh also assured the party leaders that random testing, which begun in two districts on Tuesday, would be expanded to all districts eventually, and would also be conducted in villages. He assured them of all measures to ensure protection of the frontline workers, saying all were being given personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. On a suggestion from the Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal, the Chief Minister directed the Health Department to consider getting approval for testing at the SGPC-run hospitals in order to scale up the tests further. He said he had written to the Prime Minister seeking release of the MPLAD funds to enable the MPs to use it for the fight against COVID in their districts, and had also sought Rs 729 crore for upgradation of hospitals on priority. On their part, leaders of all the parties extended their unequivocal support to the government. "We are with you," they told the Chief Minister, appreciating the work being done by the state in handling the COVID-19 crisis amid the lockdown. There was consensus among all parties on the need to take strict action against, even takeover of, private hospitals not supporting the government in these critical times, a government statement said. On the issue of most private hospitals and OPDs being closed, Amarinder Singh said they had already been issued a stern warning and action would be taken against those not heeding it. In many cases, he said, the infrastructure of private hospitals was being used by the government in the pandemic battle. Health Minister Balbir Sidhu said equipment of such hospitals had been hired on Central Government Health Scheme rates. In response to a question, the Chief Minister said three hospitals in Pathankot had been notified as Covid hospitals and necessary equipment was being provided to all. All leaders also unanimously called for comprehensive steps for the revival of the industry post the lockdown. Several of them raised the issue of the Sikh pilgrims stranded at Hazoor Sahib in Nanded, in response to which the Chief Minister assured that he had already spoken to the Central government and the pilgrims would be brought back as soon as the Centre allows inter-state movement. GSK chief executive officer Emma Walmsley (left) and vice president Kirk Brown (with spokeswoman Kristen Neese, center) visiting the U.K.-based drug company's Upper Merion biopharmaceuticals plant in September. Read more Sanofi and GSK, two of the biggest names in vaccine development, are joining forces on creating a coronavirus vaccine, the companies announced Tuesday. Sanofi launched the project in February; whats new is GSKs contribution of an adjuvant a substance that is added to a vaccine to enhance peoples immune responses. The goal is to start testing the vaccine in humans during the second half of this year, the companies said. If the results are promising and regulators give the go-ahead, the companies say they could finish developing the product by the second half of 2021. Dozens of coronavirus vaccines are in development worldwide, including several that involve either Sanofi or GSK. Health officials generally agree that multiple vaccines will be needed to meet world demand. At a news conference, GSK chief executive officer Emma Walmsley echoed that view. The world is working and collaborating as fast as it can to try and get to the best possible solution, she said. The U.S. hub of the London-based drugmaker is in Philadelphia, in the Navy Yard. Sanofi, which is based in Paris, has U.S. operations in Bridgewater, N.J. Among other vaccines with ties to the Philadelphia region is one made by Plymouth Meeting-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which began human tests this month at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine. All are proceeding on an accelerated schedule that is unheard for vaccine development, which traditionally takes more than a decade. The Sanofi-GSK vaccine will consist of genetic instructions that teach the human immune system to mount a response against the virus, using an approach that Sanofi has used in other vaccines. The instructions for defeating the coronavirus are loaded onto a different type of virus, one that cannot make people sick. Once injected, the genetic code would instruct human cells to make a harmless fragment of the coronavirus, which in turn would enable the immune system to develop customized antibodies should it ever encounter the real thing. With the addition of the adjuvant, the vaccine is expected to be effective at lower doses, said Roger Connor, president of GSKs vaccine unit. The smaller we can make that dose to be effective, that means our capacity is bigger and we can treat more people quickly, he said. In announcing the project in February, Sanofi said it was collaborating with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Zimbabwes High Court has ruled that soldiers, police and other state security agents should respect human rights, the dignity of people and their fundamental freedoms and rights while enforcing the countrys national coronavirus lockdown regulations. High Court Judges Justice Owen Tagu and Justice Joseph Musakwa made the ruling after presiding over an urgent chamber application filed by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and Lucia Masvondo, a Karoi woman, who was bitten by dogs as the state security agents were enforcing the lockdown regulations. According to the ZLHR, during the hearing, Masvondo and ZLHR asked the court to protect her against the conduct of some Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members and some members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), who last Friday assaulted her as she was cooking food on an open fire outside her house in Karoi. Mashonaland West province. The 26 year-old Masvondo said she was worried that as a result of the police and army officers conduct, who invaded her home, the security officers may have brought the deadly coronavirus to her home as she does not know where they have been to, where they were coming from or whether or not anyone of them carried the deadly virus. Masvondo and ZLHR, who listed Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister July Moyo, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe, Commissioner-General of Police Godwin Matanga and Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe as respondents, argued that the army has no business patrolling the streets and purporting to enforce the lockdown regulations and that ZRP members and ZNA officers are not allowed to take the law into their hands and punish people by beating them up and asking them to lie prone on the ground. The woman protested that the ZRP and members, who also assaulted some people residing at her residence using truncheons, were not observing or practicing social distancing guidelines as they were not sitting one-metre apart from each other in a truck in which they were moving around in, In an affidavit accompanying the urgent chamber application, ZLHR executive director Roselyn Hanzi said enforcement officers must discharge their mandates according to the law and at all times act within the confines of the law. Hanzi protested against the confiscation and destruction of some farmers produce by law enforcement officers in Mutare early this week, saying such conduct is unlawful as it is not sanctioned by any of the Statutory Instruments that have been promulgated by Moyo. Hanzi also argued that the ZRP members were breaching the lockdown measures by arresting large numbers of people from different households and crowding them in trucks and holding centres, actions which facilitate the passing on of coronavirus by putting them in close proximity of each other without providing them with any forms of protective clothing. As frontline enforcement officers, ZRP members and municipal officers were putting not only their lives in danger but those of their families and the greater people that they will come into contact with, Hanzi said. Justice Musakwa and Tagu said on the return date, which is a future date to be determined by the High Court, lawyers for Masvondo and ZLHR and those representing Muchinguri-Kashiri, Moyo, Moyo Kazembe, Matanga and Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, will argue on whether the regulations issued by Health and Child Care Minister are in compliance with the Constitution. The final order being sought by ZLHR and Masvondo seeks to compel Moyo to comply with the provisions of the Constitution and to the Rule of Law. In the application, ZLHR and Masvondo argued that Moyo can only make Statutory Instruments pursuant to powers delegated to him by the Legislature in the parent Act of Parliament and not by sub-delegating to himself the powers to make subsidiary legislation through section 8 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) Regulations, 2020. (ZLHR) For Fr Rafic, the emergency triggered by the pandemic "is bringing Christians and Muslims closer. Family members call each other; young people bring medicines and help to their elders. The government has taken steps to counter the pandemic. Churches (and mosques) have been closed. The Internet and social media are the venue for maintaining social ties and following religious services. Cairo (AsiaNews) The coronavirus outbreak in Egypt "is bringing Christians and Muslims closer together, more "united against this virus. Neighbours are looking out for each other; family members are getting in touch to see how others are doing, said Fr Rafic Greiche, head of the media committee of the Council of Churches of Egypt. The pandemic is making people rediscover the value of closeness and solidarity. Young Christians and Muslims are delivering medicine to the elderly, and visiting the homes of needy families to bring help, Fr Rafic noted. As Holy Week is set to start in Egypt on 13 April, seven days after the Latin Church, people of various confessions are boosting social ties and establishing new connections, he explained. The renewed unity includes Muslims, with the violence of the past put aside. This is essential to counter a virus that has so far infected 1,699 people with 118 deaths and 305 healed. The Egyptian government is facing the crisis with great resolution. Two days after the announcement of the pandemic, the Health Minister went to China to study the methods used to fight it. We are in the fifth week of a curfew. The military has set up field hospitals and the number of infections is currently limited. When the first cases were reported, Egyptian authorities imposed a curfew as well as ordered all places of worship closed. With Ramadan approaching, the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer, public gatherings, even religious ones, are prohibited. Measures of social distancing and the ban on outdoor activities will remain in force. Up to 90 per cent of large infrastructural projects have been suspended, as many construction workers caught the virus. By and large, people respect the ban. There are three groups: educated people who are frightened by the coronavirus but respect the restrictions; the poorest who know nothing about it but tend to follow instructions starting with personal hygiene and frequent hand washing; and finally, workers and the middle class who try as far as possible to use the Internet and smart-working. In Egypt, we pray and celebrate Mass every day, even if the churches are closed, Fr Rafic said. We stream the celebrations online and have a considerable following since it is a long-established practice. For two years we have been broadcasting the Mass on social media for migrants in Canada, the United States, Japan and Australia. Young people and students in European and North American universities also follow us. Churches may be empty, but at a spiritual level, my eyes continue to see people sitting in their places, as usual. Some worshippers come, alone, and ask to pray. Muslim places of worship are also closed, but five times a day the muezzins call the faithful to pray from minarets. TV channels broadcast the ritual to enable people to pray at home. People can choose from six televisions close to the Coptic Orthodox Church to follow Easter services. There is also a multi-denominational channel, the Lebanese Christian broadcaster Nursat, and another channel that broadcasts papal functions. At present, it is unclear whether the Egyptian state TV will broadcast the Easter mass. Every day some faithful come to church, pray and light a candle; they ask to confess and receive communion, said Fr Rafic. For many, not being able to come to church is a source of sadness, but to make them feel our closeness, every day, I call 10 to 15 families; I pray with them, and I invite them to follow celebrations on social media. New Hampshires Republican Secretary of State William Gardner. Photo: Elise Amendola/AP/Shutterstock In the battle over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on election rules, some Republicans have taken the implicit position that voters just need to suck it up and trudge to the polls on Election Day despite the health risks, or forfeit their access to the franchise. That was certainly what Wisconsin Republicans seemed to be suggesting in blocking liberalized voting by mail and insisting on mid-pandemic in-person voting. But there is another path for those wedded to restrictions on voting by mail, as illustrated by Republican leaders in New Hampshire, a state famously hostile under GOP management to any kind of liberalized voting rules. Secretary of State William Gardner explained it in an interview this week with WMUR: If were in the situation were in right now, no person would have to fear for the health and safety by personally showing up and voting, and we dont need legislation to do that A portion of the states current absentee ballot law states that people can vote absentee by reason of physical disability. Gardner suggested that the provision would allow for absentee voting by people who would not, under normal circumstances, be eligible for absentee voting. If doctors at the federal level say dont go out because its a risk to your health and you should protect your health and safety and going out would be harmful that would be the basis for it, Gardner said. In other words, says Gardner, the pandemic would serve as a temporary disability for voters who could ask for an absentee ballot without any changes in the states very restrictive voting laws. Republican governor Chris Sununu, who has been a staunch warrior for restrictive voting rules in the fight to keep college students from fully participating in New Hampshire elections, confirmed that he supported Gardners take: Sununu noted, as both he and Gardner did on Wednesday, that Gardner and the attorney generals office will soon release a guidance memorandum that addresses voting during the coronavirus outbreak. Number one, the ability for folks to vote absentee if they so choose, based on the COVID-19 epidemic, and our state has an immense amount of flexibility, Sununu said. Basically, if you feel more comfortable voting absentee because of the outbreak, or your inability, or nervousness just about appearing in person to vote, you can vote absentee and obtain an absentee ballot. So, we have a very flexible system. Turns out all 16 states that require an excuse for receiving and casting an absentee ballot list physical disability as a sanctioned reason for voting by mail. Some even mention temporary disability. But under New Hampshires approach, anyone in the country could vote absentee if they knew about this loophole, requested an absentee ballot, and submitted it by mail or in person. Thats obviously not a substitute for a system in which all registered voters get a ballot without having to apply for it or articulate an excuse. But it could provide a way for Republicans to break with the absurd Trumpian argument that voting by mail is inherently fraudulent, without permanently changing voting laws. Its certainly better than insisting on a choice of life and health versus democracy. Representational picture The number of coronavirus cases in India breached the 10,000 mark with 1,463 infections being recorded in the past 24 hours the sharpest ever spike in cases since the outbreak began in the country. The total number of deaths due to the infection stood at 353. Here are the latest updates from the day: >> Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, announced that the nationwide lockdown would be extended till May 3. Also Read: Lockdown extended till May 3: Here's the full text of PM Narendra Modis speech 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 International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 14 slashed growth forecast for the Indian economy, projecting a GDP growth of 1.9 percent in 2020. >> Migrants came out in large numbers in Mumbai's Bandra area demanding permission to go home. Mumbai Police later said that the cause of the gathering was a rumor that they would be allowed to board trains to their hometowns. >> 602 hospitals earmarked as dedicated COVID-19 facilities, Health Ministry said. >> The World Health Organization lauded "India's tough and timely actions" against the outbreak. Follow our LIVE coverage here. >> Railways offers full refund for trains cancelled till May 3 and for advance bookings. >> New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the 'worst is over' and joins forces with the northeastern states to reopen economy. >> Iran said that novel coronavirus deaths have dropped below 100 for first time in a month. The Western Region has recorded its first case of coronavirus. According to the Regional minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the case was recorded on Sunday 12th April. He says the confirmed case in question involves a Chinese foreign national, who arrived in Ghana on Saturday 21st March, 2020 and was in self-isolation for the mandatory period of 14 days. Though he showed no symptoms of the virus, the medical team took his sample for testing on 8th April, 2020 to confirm his status; which unfortunately tested positive on the 12th of April, 2020, the Minister explained in a statement. The said Chinese is one of six Chinese and 32 Ghanaians working at Coastal Quarry located near Anto in the Shama District, he said. He added that a combined team of medical and security personnel is currently at work at the site. It is understandable but also regrettable that in times like these, there will be lots of misinformation and false news carried through social media which unfortunately filter into the mainstream media. It is therefore imperative that the facts concerning any confirmed or suspected case are checked from the Health Authorities before putting it in the public domain, him stated. I am therefore appealing to the public to remain calm, and all those who might have come into contact with personnel of this company, to cooperate with the medical team for expedited contact tracing in order to curb the spread of the virus. From the lesson learnt (i.e. absence of symptoms of the virus and testing positive after the 14-day isolation period), all MMDCEs and Public Health Emergency Management Committees should ensure that all persons released, without testing, after their 14-day self -isolation or mandatory quarantine at the various places are brought back for testing. He called Chiefs and the people of the Western Region to remain vigilant and to cooperate with the Health and Security Personnel to ensure that the virus does not get out of hand in the Western Region. I must add that, all recreational centres are out of bounds to the members of the public in furtherance of the ban on social gatherings. The security agencies should therefore, be hard on this, he added. Source: Daily Guide 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 YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Finance informs that a total of 959 million and 997 thousand drams has been donated to the Armenian government for its anti-coronavirus efforts, ARMENPRESS reports the government said. The treasury account (900005001947) was opened on March 17th for citizens and organizations willing to make donations. The government said a total of 3678 payments were made since. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Donations to our Help The Hungry appeal have surged past the 1.5m mark as some of Londons wealthiest families step up to the plate to support our work in the capital. A YouGov survey for the Food Foundation has found that 8 million people in Britain are facing food insecurity and that 3 million are going hungry since lockdown started three weeks ago, causing a huge rise in demand for free food. Last week our appeal partner The Felix Project responded to the deepening crisis by tripling its supply of surplus food to 28 tons a day. This week it expects daily deliveries to hit 30 tons. Felixs 22 vans operated by volunteer drivers are delivering the equivalent of 400,000 meals a week to a mixture of giant community hubs run by local authorities in Haringey, Barnet, Islington, Enfield, Waltham Forest and Havering and others, as well as to charities and schools across the capital. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: I welcome and support the campaign and its partners to deliver fresh food to those who need it most. It is fantastic to see that Londoners are digging deep. Recommended How to support our campaign The rise in donations to our work in conjunction with our sister title the Evening Standard came thanks to substantial new contributions from Mayfair fund managers Lansdowne Partners, Old Possums Practical Trust, as well as the foundations of the Reuben brothers and the Blavatnik family, who are among the five richest families in the UK. More than 750 members of the public have donated more than 100,000 to our campaign. A spokesperson for the Reuben Foundation said: It is incredibly important for us all to continue to support not only the NHS, but also the homeless and children unable to get a proper meal without the help of their schools. Special delivery: Grace Waters and Will McCready with food from The Felix Project at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Hannah Harley Young) A spokesperson for the Blavatnik Family Foundation said: We are delighted to support The Felix Project in its valuable work for children in London. Judith Hooper, a trustee for Old Possums Practical Trust, said: Its hard to think of a better, more efficient solution to the scandal of food waste. We are proud to be associated with the genius and necessity of The Felix Project and all those involved in it. Felix, the largest food surplus distributor in London, has partnered with the two other major redistributors, FareShare and City Harvest, to form the London Food Alliance to tackle food poverty in every borough. Some schools and charities supplied by Felix have started holding market days. Katy, a mother of two who picked up fresh fruit and vegetables from her childs school, said: It has made me much less scared for the coming weeks. 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. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is seen while entering into the port in Da Nang, Vietnam, on March 5, 2020. (Kham/Reuters) 4 More Sailors From Virus-Hit Roosevelt Carrier Hospitalized, One in ICU Four more sailors from the virus-hit carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt are in a hospital being treated for COVID-19, with one in intensive care. The announcement by the Navy on Tuesday comes one day after the death of a crew member assigned to the carrierthe first active military member killed by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Four Sailors assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt are in U.S. Naval Hospital Guam being treated for COVID-19 symptoms, said the Navy in its official blog on Tuesday. One of those Sailors is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for increased observation due to shortness of breath. The carrier is currently in Guam, where it docked for a routine stop last month before it was sidelined for the entire crew to be pulled off and systematically tested and quarantined while the ship was cleaned. As of today, 93% of USS Theodore Roosevelt crewmembers have been tested for COVID-19, with 589 positive and 3,922 negative results, said the Navy statement. 4,024 Sailors have moved ashore. The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits Apra Harbor as the ship prepares to moor in Guam on Feb. 7, 2019. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terence Deleon Guerrero) On Monday, the Navy announced that the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in Atlantic will remain at sea, despite finishing deployment, to keep the crew out of the reach of COVID-19 and ready for action. The ship is entering a period in which it needs to be ready to respond and deploy at any time, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander U.S. 2nd Fleet said in a statement. Normally we can do that pierside, but in the face of COVID-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea. The USS Harry S. Truman has already completed two back to back deployments, according to UNI News, and is now the only on-call carrier strike group on the East Coast. After completing a successful deployment we would love nothing more than to be reunited with our friends and families, said Rear Admiral Andrew Loiselle, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, in a statement. We recognize that these are unique circumstances and the responsible thing to do is to ensure we are able to answer our nations call while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors. The Navy is better placed to absorb the uncertainty because of a shift toward a more flexible deployment strategy brought in two years ago to keep adversaries guessing. A Warning to Adversaries The plight of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was thrown into the spotlight by a controversial series of events which included the dismissal of the captain and the resignation of the Navy secretary. Pentagon leaders say that despite the carrier being out of action, in aggregate the readiness of the military remains undiminished by the pandemic, although they admitted that it could degrade in the coming months. If our adversaries think this is our moment of weakness, they are dangerously wrong, said Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist on April 9. To those who wish us harm, make no mistake: even with the challenges that this disease has brought to our shores, the Department of Defense stands ready to meet any threat and defend our nation. Carrier strike groups are a key part of U.S. power projection. In the event of a conflict, the U.S. Navy could quickly shake off the difficulties of having at the one carrier sidelined, defense analysts previously told The Epoch Times. If more carriers were to be hit, however, it would begin to dent U.S. influence in the region in the medium term. Chinese naval activity in the region has continued despite the pandemic. However, experts previously told The Epoch Times that it is not possible to asses the impact of the pandemic on their military strength. The impact is hidden by long-running military secrecy, the fact that Beijings data on the virus cannot be trusted, and the lower value that the CCP places on the lives of troops who might be hit by an outbreak. Over the weekend a Chinese carrier, the Liaoning, sailed close to Taiwan and through a 150-mile wide strait of international water between two of Japans islandsclosely watched by Japanese and Taiwanese military. Chinese military officials said it was a routine exercise. One state-sanctioned media organization, however, hailed it as proof that Chinas Navy was unbowed by the COVID-19 outbreak. The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) launches an F-35B Lightning II assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, while sailing in formation with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force JS Akebono during exercises April 9-11 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jomark A. Almazan/Released) At the end of last week, the USS America, an 840-foot amphibious assault ship, teamed up with a Japanese destroyer for exercises in the East China Sea, according to a Navy statement on Tuesday. LHA 6 class ships like the America are increasingly being adopted as a mini aircraft carriersthanks to the next generation F-35 B stealth jet, and its signature vertical take-off and landing. Conservative Wisconsin supreme court justice Dan Kelly lost his race for a ten-year term to liberal challenger Jill Karofsky by eleven percentage points in the states spring election, according to official results released Monday night. New York Times reporter Reid Epstein calls the liberal win a stunning upset, but that seems to be an overstatement. There was certainly a great deal of uncertainty over how an election would play out in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. But for well over a year, the (sensible, obvious, and bipartisan) conventional wisdom was that the liberal candidate would be a strong favorite because there was a Democratic presidential primary at the top of the ticket, while Donald Trump would not face serious opposition in the Republican primary. In 2018, Republicans were so worried about the advantage the primary would give the liberal candidate down-ballot that they considered moving the supreme court and primary elections to different dates. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in April 2019, following the surprise loss of liberal supreme court candidate Lisa Neubauer, Liberals had hoped to have Neubauer win this year so they could be on a path to taking control of the court next year, when conservative Justice Daniel Kellys term is up. The April 2020 election will coincide with Wisconsins presidential primary, when Democratic turnout is expected to be high. The last-minute fight between the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature over postponing the election may have had some effect on the size of the liberal victory, but it probably wasnt a big one. A record 1.1 million votes out of 1.5 million total votes in the April elections were cast absentee (either by mail or in-person early voting), but most of those votes were cast before the fight over postponing the election erupted. Democratic governor Tony Evers did not call for postponing the election until the afternoon of Friday, April 3, and the deadline to request absentee ballots was 5 p.m. that day. Absentee ballots had to be postmarked by April 7 to be counted. Story continues The Democratic primary at the top of the ticket and the absence of a competitive GOP presidential primary still seem to be the biggest factors determining the outcome of the down-ballot supreme court race. Total turnout for the April 7 elections ended up being roughly what could have been reasonably expected under normal circumstances when a Democratic presidential primary is combined with a state supreme court election. In 2019, when a supreme court race was the most important contest in Wisconsins statewide spring election, the conservative candidate won with 606,000 votes, defeating the liberal candidate by less than one percentage point. In 2020, losing conservative candidate Dan Kelly got 693,000 votes 87,000 more votes than the victorious 2019 conservative candidate. But in 2020, nearly 900,000 votes were cast in the Democratic presidential primary (about 100,000 fewer than were cast in the 2016 Democratic primary), and the liberal supreme court candidate won 856,000 votes down-ballot. In Wisconsins spring 2016 elections, there were competitive Republican and Democratic presidential primaries, and the performance of supreme court candidates down-ballot corresponded almost perfectly with the turnout in the presidential primaries. That year, 97,219 more ballots were cast in TrumpCruzKasich GOP race than in the ClintonSanders Democratic race, and the conservative supreme court candidate won by 95,515 votes. What does the liberal victory in Wisconsin mean going forward? It shrinks the conservative majority to 43, and it gives liberals a chance to win a majority in 2023. But its hard to find any relationship between Wisconsin supreme court elections and presidential elections. A narrow conservative victory in the spring of 2011 was followed by a decisive win for Barack Obama in 2012. A double-digit liberal supreme court victory in 2015 was followed by Donald Trumps surprise upset in 2016. Another double-digit liberal victory in 2018 was followed by a one-point loss for former GOP governor Scott Walker that fall. Whether Republicans pay a price in November for the GOP legislatures refusal to postpone the election remains to be seen. Democratic governor Tony Evers deserves his fair share of blame for waiting until April 3 to call for delaying the election and then issuing an executive order the day before the election to postpone it a unilateral action Evers had until then described as illegal. Though four weeks passed between the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and Wisconsins April 7 elections, Evers, the GOP legislature, and local officials collectively failed to use that time to ensure in-person voting throughout the state would be as safe as going to a grocery store. But if there is a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the coming weeks that can be attributed to in-person voting, Wisconsin voters may indeed punish Republicans in November. More from National Review Al-Ahram Weekly reports on the development of possible drugs to treat the coronavirus in Egypt Four months into the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists and small and large drug makers worldwide are scrambling to come up with drugs that could prove effective against the virus. However, it is still unclear which drugs could combat the viral disease and which will not. One of the most talked-about possible drugs to treat the coronavirus is a readily available anti-parasitic drug called Ivermectin. According to a study posted on 3 April in the US journal Antiviral Research entitled The FDA-approved drug Ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, this anti-parasitic drug that is already available around the world was found to kills the virus within 48 hours, referring to the US Food and Drug Administration. The study, a collaboration led by Monash Universitys Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) in Melbourne, Australia, with the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, said that a single dose of Ivermectin could stop the growth of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, another name for the Covid-19 virus, in cell culture and effectively eradicate the genetic material of the virus within 48 hours. We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it, Monash BDIs Kylie Wagstaff, who led the study, said in a statement. Ivermectin, first developed in 1975 and coming into medical use in 1981, is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug. It is used as an anthelmintic in veterinary medicine and as a treatment for river blindness. It is widely available due to its inclusion on the World Health Organisations (WHO) list of essential medicines and therefore has a potential for repurposing. Ivermectin is very widely used and is seen as a safe drug, Wagstaff said, adding that there was now a need to figure out the dosage to be used on humans. Meanwhile, chair of the Health and Pharmaceutical Industries Committee of the Egyptian Investors Union Mohie Hafez, who has been researching Ivermectin locally for more than 20 years, told Al-Ahram Weekly that if they lack the drug experience on human beings, we have tried it, and if they lack the assurance of its being safe, we have checked it and proved its safety portfolio. With regard to raw material, this is also available... We have two factories in Egypt that have been producing the drug locally since 2001. It would take only 48 hours to produce the needed quantities for treating nationwide coronavirus patients, Hafez said. In 1982, one year after it came into medical use, Ivermectin proved its tremendous ability to kill parasites in animals. Ten years later in 1992, it successfully achieved the same purpose in humans. It has been broadly used on the African continent, where more than two million people have been treated for river blindness and elephantiasis, he added. In 1998, Hafez, together with his colleague Abdel-Aziz Al-Taweel, a professor of dermatology, read research saying that some cases treated with the drug were cured of some skin diseases as well. It was then that we began our research, he said. We got the raw material and asked a drug maker to modify it and then tablets were produced at certain concentrations. A different dosage than what previously was used was reached, and it showed impressive results against certain skin diseases in humans, Hafez said. In 1999, Hafez locally registered a patent for the new use of Ivermectin against scabies. Thousands of patients have since been treated with the drug, he noted. After the announcement by Monash University that a single treatment of Ivermectin is able to effect a 5,000-fold reduction in the virus at 48 hours in cell culture, I called upon all the state bodies concerned in Egypt to get ready to use it to treat the coronavirus, Hafez said. At the same time, hundreds of other clinical trials are underway worldwide to test medications that the WHO has selected and researchers are zeroing in on. We commend the researchers around the world who have come together to systemically evaluate experimental therapeutics, said Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the WHO, in a press briefing in March. In an attempt to reach clear, strong evidence of effective drugs able to treat the new coronavirus, the WHO has launched multi-country clinical trials to test four drug regimens as Covid-19 therapies. Among them are an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir and the antimalarial drug chloroquine (or the related hydroxychloroquine). Locally, the Egyptian health authorities are working on research using two drugs, one of the WHOs recommendations and another Japanese medicine, to monitor their effects on the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. A week ago, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypts higher education and scientific research minister, said on television that Egypt had received samples of the Japanese anti-viral flu drug Avigan, approved for manufacture and sale in Japan in 2014. A month ago, the Egyptian authorities obtained samples of the drug from the Japanese manufacturer Fujifilm, Abdel-Ghaffar said, adding that in the coming weeks Egypt would receive another larger batch of Avigan samples, in order to conduct clinical and research trials via the Egyptian National Research Centre (NRC). Earlier this week, the drugs manufacturer, the Fujifilm Corporation, announced that Avigan would also begin its first US clinical trials in Massachusetts. According to local news, the Japanese government also plans to triple its stockpile of Avigan, of which there is currently enough to treat around 700,000 people, for use in treating two million Covid-19 patients. Japan plans to offer the drug for free to at least 20 countries hoping to use it to treat coronavirus patients. Avigan works against the virus and affects the process of virus division... as opposed to hydroxychloroquine, which is used against malaria, said Abdel-Ghaffar, adding that we are working on research using both drugs to monitor their effects. However, there have been fears of side effects with some of the drugs. The New York Times said on 12 April that a small study of chloroquine in Brazil was halted early for safety reasons after coronavirus patients taking a higher dose of chloroquine developed irregular heart rates that increased their risk of a potentially fatal heart arrhythmia. In France, the University Hospital Centre of Nice, one of many hospitals trialing hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 patients, said in a statement that they had highlighted a major risk of a very serious incident in a patient, and the treatment was immediately stopped. Elsewhere in the US, the Mayo Clinic posted an article on its Website late in March saying that the hydroxychloroquine drug has the potential to lead to sudden cardiac death in some patients. According to the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, Avigan cannot be prescribed to pregnant women and those who plan to become pregnant because tests on animals have showed it can result in defective babies. The same caution was echoed by the UK Independent newspaper, as it said on 4 April that the drug could have negative side effects such as birth defects in unborn children. Elsewhere, the US Politico website said that US health officials have repeatedly rejected Avigan in the United States, despite years of advocacy from Japan and Fujifilm. It quoted a Trump administration official on 31 March who said there are a lot of concerns about its [Avigans] side effects. In South Korea, officials in March declined to use Avigan in the nations coronavirus response, warning of insufficient evidence and the risk of serious side effects. Hafez said that Avigan and hydroxychloroquine both showed promising results in treating coronavirus, but that they had side effects. They both can be considered successful drugs in the treatment of coronavirus, but why should we [in Egypt] not have three drugs instead of two, especially because Ivermectin is safer as it has minor side effects and is cheaper, he asked. Ivermectins side effects range from headaches and tiredness to muscle pain and nausea, according to the US WebMD and HealthLine medical websites. One kg of Ivermectin raw material costs $700, and it alone can treat the total number of coronavirus cases nationwide. Taking into account the fact that it has been produced in Egypt for almost 20 years, the total amount needed for treating all the patients nationwide could be ready in 48 hours, Hafez concluded. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under headline: Hopes for a cure Search Keywords: Short link: Motorola announced in a teaser video posted to Twitter that it will launch a new flagship smartphone on 22 April. The event will be hosted as an online live stream, where Motorola is expected to launch its new Edge Plus flagship smartphone. This device is expected to compete with other flagship Android smartphones from major manufacturers, such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Huawei P40. The Edge Plus could be the companys first high-end smartphone in two years, as previous-generation Motorola devices have lacked the hardware seen in flagships from competing brands. Motorola has focussed on the mid-range and budget markets over the last two years instead, with smartphones like the Moto One and Moto G series. This is set to change, however, as the Motorola Edge Plus is expected to sport a curved waterfall display design and a modern bezel-less screen with a small punch-hole camera. Its arriving. Join us for the Motorola Flagship Launch E-vent, April 22nd, 11AM CDT. pic.twitter.com/jH2NcdBTxG motorolaus (@MotorolaUS) April 13, 2020 Leaked photos A previous leak from XDA Developers Mishaal Rahman revealed that the Motorola Edge Pluss display will come in 6.67 inches with a 1,080 x 2,340 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone is also expected to measure 161.1 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm, making it thicker than Samsungs S20+. On the back of the device, users will find a triple-camera system arranged in a vertical strip, as well as Motorolas logo in the centre. Leaks have stated that the Edge Plus will be powered by a Snapdragon 865 chipset with up to 12GB of RAM. It will also have a large battery and run Android 10 out of the box. It is unclear whether Motorola will launch a standard Edge model in addition to the Edge Plus, or whether it will only unveil a single smartphone at its digital launch event. Leaked renders of the upcoming Motorola Edge Plus were published by OnLeaks and Pricebaba earlier this year, detailing the new smartphones design. These images are shown below. Motorola Edge Plus renders Now read: What to expect from the iPhone 12 A woman who contracted the novel coronavirus after visiting her mother at Hanois Bach Mai Hospital is Vietnams latest Covid-19 patient. The latest case raises the nations tally to 266 and the number of active cases to 97. "Patient 266," 36, resides in Hanois Thuong Tin District. Between March 8 and 10, she had visited her mother at the functional rehabilitation department of Bach Mai Hospital. She had an itchy throat on March 12 and isolated herself at home since March 30, two days after Bach Mai was put under lockdown for being linked to a series of infections. On April 12, her samples were taken following a mass testing campaign for all people whod visited the hospital, which has been the nations biggest Covid-19 hotspot with at least 46 related cases, including this latest patient. After her samples were confirmed Covid-19 positive two days later, she was moved for treatment to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in the capital city's Dong Anh District. The Bach Mai Hospital was locked down March 28 after at least eight Covid-19 cases were linked to it. The lockdown was lifted after 14 days in the early hours of last Sunday after thousands of people related to the hospital were put under special medical monitoring. Of the total 266 confirmed Covid-19 patients in Vietnam, 169 have been discharged from hospitals, including 23 released Tuesday. The 97 active cases are being treated at 14 hospitals, all in stable conditions. 13 of them have tested negative once and eight twice. As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 69,000 people who entered Vietnam from infected areas or who had close contact with patients have been quarantined. The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 120,500 lives as it hit 210 countries and territories. South Korea says the projectiles were fired from the Norths eastern Kangwon province on Tuesday morning. North Korea has fired a salvo of suspected cruise missiles towards the Sea of Japan, according to South Koreas military, in a major show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary in the North and parliamentary elections in the South. The back-to-back launches from the ground and air on Tuesday were the most high-profile among a series of weapon tests that North Korea has conducted recently amid stalled nuclear talks and outside worries about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country. North Korean troops based in the eastern coastal city of Munchon in Kangwon province first launched several projectiles presumed to be cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, South Koreas joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said in a statement. The weapons flew more than 150 kilometres (93 miles) off the Norths east coast, the JCS said. If confirmed, it would be North Koreas first cruise missile launch since June 2017, said a South Korean defence official, who spoke to The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. North Korea also flew multiple Sukhoi-variant and MiG fighter jets above the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, which fired multiple air-to-ground rockets, a spokesman for the South Korean military told AFP. South Korea and US intelligence authorities are closely analysing related issues, the JCS statement said. The launches came a day before North Korea marks the 108th birthday of its late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. They also came a day ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections. In recent weeks, North Korea has test-launched a variety of missiles and other weapons amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the United States. Last month, it fired nine ballistic missiles in four rounds of tests, according to analysts. It is unusual for Pyongyang to launch cruise missiles, and most of the weapons it had tested recently were ballistic missiles or long-range artillery shells. With Tuesdays launches, North Korea was demonstrating that it had various options when it came to weapons delivery systems, said Cha Du-Hyeogn, a senior researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Ballistic missiles demonstrate destructive power while cruise missiles show accuracy, he told AFP. Until now North Korea has shown its force, and now it is demonstrating accuracy in striking targets. In June 2017, North Korea hailed the successful test of what it called a new type of surface-to-ship cruise missile designed to hit any enemy group of battleships that threatened the country. That launch hit targets in the Sea of Japan, it said, and took place the week after two US aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan, took part in naval manoeuvres in the area. Those missiles flew about 200km (124 miles), which analysts said was an improvement on a 2015 test that flew only 100km (62 miles). On Sunday, North Korean state media reported Kim had visited an airbase and observed drills by the countrys fighter jets and attack aircraft. North Korea is subject to multiple United Nations Security Council sanctions over its banned weapons programmes. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys export of steel to Kyrgyzstan increased by 89.8 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of last year, making up $324,000, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on April 14. Turkeys export of steel to Kyrgyzstan in March 2020 amounted to $28,000, which is over 42.5 percent less compared to March 2019, the ministry said. In 1Q2020, Turkey exported steel worth $3.1 billion to world markets, which is 15.1 percent less compared to the same period of 2019. Turkeys export of steel made up 7.3 percent of the countrys total export for the first quarter of 2020. In March 2020, Turkey exported steel worth $984.1 million to world markets, which is 24.4 percent less compared to the same month of 2019. Turkeys export of steel in March of this year was 7.3 percent of the countrys total export. In the last 12 months (from March 2019 through March 2020), Turkey exported steel in the amount of $13.2 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Imagine this: developing an oral rinse test to detect COVID-19 earlier, creating a behavior therapy program for parents so that they do not pass on the stress they are feeling to their children during the pandemic, and gauging the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women and trying to determine the impacts on their new babies. These are just a few of the 24 projects recently awarded rapid response grants from the University of Miamis Office of the Vice Provost for Research. The grants, which range from $5,000 to $40,000, require faculty members and students to develop and execute research that will somehow broaden our understanding of COVID-19 and begin to mitigate its impacts within the next four months. Our idea was to take advantage of researchers creativity and commitment in tackling some of the most pressing problems around the COVID-19 epidemic, said John Bixby, vice provost for research and professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology and neurological surgery. We challenged them to examine the effects of the pandemic on multiple aspects of peoples livesnot just the physical ones, but the social aspects, the economic ones, and the environmental. With just 10 days to submit proposals, faculty members across the university flooded the office with applications and more than 70 ideas were submitted. Each award was reviewed by three individuals, and the awardees were selected based on novelty, potential impact on the effort to combat COVID-19, and whether the study could be completed in short turnaround time. The faculty response was inspiring, said Erin Kobetz, co-vice provost for research. There was a level of innovation across multiple disciplines that demonstrates an institutional commitment to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to the outcomes of those applications that were funded and imagine that they will lead to positive, measurable impact now and in the future. After the four months are over, teams will be asked to report their progress, Bixby said. Below is a list of all the projects awarded grants: Double-Blind, Randomized Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Pulsed, Inhaled Nitric Oxide (iNO) in Subjects with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Requiring Supplemental Oxygen This team will evaluate the potential benefits of nitric oxide in treating COVID-19 utilizing the iNOpulse technology, which may potentially allow future patients to be treated outside of the hospital. Principal investigator: Roger Alvarez, assistant professor of clinical medicine, Generating a COVID/SARS VSV Based Vaccine This team will develop a novel vaccine to protect against the current coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Its strategy involves replacing the envelope glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) with the spike of COVID-19. The resulting virus will form the basis of a vaccine to generate neutralizing antibody to the SARS-CoV-2 spike that could prevent disease if exposed to the real virus. Principal investigator: Glen Barber, professor and chair of cell biology Fast-Tracking COVID-19 Treatment: Exploiting the Androgen Receptor/TMPRSS2 Axis This study will exploit the enzyme TMPRSS2 as a potential link between androgen receptors and COVID-19 by providing preliminary data on whether certain drugscalled androgen receptor antagoniststhat are effective and safe for treating prostate cancer, might also be effective in treating COVID-19. Principal investigator: Kerry Burnstein, professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology CORONA: An Engaged Participatory Art Project to Assess the Impact of COVID-19 in Miami. Artist Xavier Cortada will develop a socially engaged art platform online to mitigate stress related to COVID-19 infection and/or social distancing. He is also working to develop participatory art projects and an online message mural to capture stories from individuals across South Florida as they are affected by the pandemic. https://cortadaprojects.org/projects/corona/ Principal investigator: Xavier Cortada, professor of practice, art and art history Risk and Resiliency in the Early Childhood Community in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic Public health emergencies pose huge challenges to the behavioral health system, and consequences on the psychosocial well-being of people in at-risk communities largely go overlooked. This project will first identify community psychosocial needs and then create and disseminate a multilingual COVID-19 online toolkit and resource hub to mitigate negative mental health outcomes throughout the pandemic. Principal investigator: Bridget Davidson, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics Interactive Online Cultural Experience and Technologically Innovative Social Engagement for Older and Vulnerable Populations to Mitigate Stress Caused by Social Distancing During the Covid-19 Pandemic This team will develop a prototype for a socially engaging online experience targeting vulnerable and older adults where future University live cultural offerings could benefit from a secondary virtual platform. Principal investigator: Joy Doan, head of Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library Brief Cognitive-Behavior Therapy to Support Parent Coping during the COVID-19 Pandemic Since parental stress during disasters or quarantine may be associated with child traumatic stress and/or subsequent incidents of abuse or neglect, this study will examine how parent-directed telehealth interventions using motivational, opposite action, and mindfulness strategies can be deployed during crisis situations to mitigate risk for parents exhibiting mental health concerns during our current COVID-19 pandemic. Principal investigator: Jill Ehrenreich-May, professor of psychology Point-of-Care Oral Rinse Test for COVID-19 This project will enable the development of an oral rinse test that detects COVID-19 earlier and saves lives by directing resources and quarantine efforts to patients who need them most. Researchers will perform testing with the current prototype on a confirmed COVID-19 patient to determine the best antigen and concentration. Principal investigator: Elizabeth Franzmann, associate professor of otolaryngology The use of a novel seroconversion assay to test high risk medical professionals for a history of SARS-CoV-2 exposure This team will take blood samples from asymptomatic health care personnel working in any patient care capacity in three high-risk medical specialtiesotolaryngology, anesthesiology, and ophthalmologyand examine them for the presence of immunity. The results could help South Florida hospitals consider strategies for resource and personnel deployment. Principal investigator: Michael Hoffer, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery Effects of COVID-19s Social Restrictions on Loneliness and Psychosocial Symptomatology This team will gather data and insight on loneliness and other behaviors in the wake of CDC recommendations for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results will demonstrate the effects of this public health crisis on loneliness, as well as other psychosocial symptoms. The team will also assist public health professionals in preparation for post-pandemic interventions and future global health emergencies. Principal investigator: Viviana Horigian, associate professor of public health sciences Globalizing an Assay(test) for Inhibitors of the Main SARS-CoV-2 Protease More than 20 models of the viral protease (which if targeted, might stop the virus) have been openly shared on Twitter, prompting labs around the world to begin a collective search for protease inhibitors. This project will provide a cheap, accessible screening test for characterizing potential protease inhibitors and use the available crystal structures to develop effective protease inhibitors through computational techniques. Principal investigator: Daniel Isom, assistant professor, molecular and cellular pharmacology Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Tissue of Transplant Patients and Organ Donors Researchers will investigate the ability to detect the COVID-19 virus in donor allograft tissue and frozen tissue. They will also attempt to determine whether the COVID-19 virus in the donor tissue is associated with transmission to the recipient and influences short- or long-term survival, as well as the health of the recipient. Principal investigators: Hugo Kaneku Nagahama, assistant professor, surgery and Phillip Ruiz, professor of surgery and pathology and director of Transplantation Laboratories and immunopathology The Role of Community-Based Organizations in the Mitigation of COVID-19 Related Health and Educational Disparities Partnering with Breakthrough Miami, a community-based academic enrichment organization for low-income students, this study will contact families involved with this organization to understand the educational and health-related challenges as a result of COVID-19. Researchers will also investigate the role of community-based organizations in the mitigation of stress related to the concerns of infection and social distancing. Principal Investigator: Laura Kohn Wood, dean and professor in the School of Education and Human Development. COVID-19 in Otolaryngology: Early Identification and Healthcare Worker Protection Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors play a key role in the treatment of COVID-19, but they are at high risk of exposure. This team will identify ENT issues in COVID-19 patients at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital and evaluate new approaches to case identification and health care worker protection. Principal investigator: Xue Liu, professor and Marian and Walter Hotchkiss Endowed Chair in otolaryngology Investigating the Protective Effects of Mindfulness Training in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic Mindfulness training has emerged as an effective program to enhance cognitive functioning, improve psychological and physical health, and to reduce loneliness in young to mid-aged adults. But little is known about its effects in elderly adults. This proposal aims to offer mindfulness training via online delivery to elderly adults and to assess the trainings potential to protect against cognitive decline and degradation in psychological and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal investigator: Ekaterina Ninova (Denkova), research assistant professor, psychology Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-System Inhibitors Impact on COVID-19 Infection Individuals who have hypertension, diabetes, or underlying cardiovascular disease have higher rates of mortality from COVID-19 than the average person. Patients with these diseases have a high likelihood of being prescribed ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in order to treat their underlying ailments. This project will examine whether there is a link between drugs that are given to patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease and the outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Principal investigator: Savita Pahwa, professor, microbiology and immunology Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on Maternal-Fetal Outcomes This project aims to determine the rate of COVID-19 positivity among pregnant women and their newborns delivering at a tertiary care center in Miami with the highest rates of coronavirus in Florida. They also want to identify cases of maternal transmission of COVID-19, which is critical to establish treatment guidelines, while also answering questions about disease progression, perinatal transmission, and effects on the newborn. Principal investigator: JoNell Potter, professor of clinical, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive services Increasing HealthCare workforce safety by 3D-printing novel N95 masks This team will test, evaluate, and create new reusable mask designs for use in the health care setting to limit exposure and protect medical personnel and first responders who treat coronavirus patients. The aim is to provide masks to workers within the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital first. Finalized mask designs can be shared with other medical facilities. Principal investigator: Carl Schulman, executive dean for research and professor Deep Learning Approaches for Analysis of Chest Radiographic Images of COVID-19 Cases for clinical management of the disease This project hopes to develop a deep learning program that could classify X-ray or CT scan imaging characteristics in COVID-19 patients that could help radiologists categorize them into those patients who require hospitalization, those who will need Intensive Care Unit admission, and those at risk for death. In addition, such a deep learning network could be used to predict the patients response to current experimental drugs. Principal investigator: Radka Stoyanova, research professor in radiation oncology Cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients This project aims to understand the relationship between cardiac injury and COVID-19 severity. The team will conduct an extensive evaluation of 50 patients with a new COVID-19 infection who require hospital admission and will test myocardial injury and inflammatory biomarkers, use cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and offer a social determinants of health survey. Blood will be saved for future biomarker discovery and genomic evaluation. Principal investigator: Leonardo Tamariz, professor of medicine Defining the Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with the Brain Endothelium While respiratory distress dominates acute symptoms of COVID-19, ruptures in the brains capillary cells accompanied by bleeding within the brain have fatal consequences in patients with COVID-19. Moreover, impacts of COVID-19 on the brain depend largely on the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to leak in through brain capillaries, the cells of which express the SARS-CoV-2 receptor (ACE2). This study is based on the hypothesis that interaction of the virus with ACE2 disrupts the normal barrier function of brain capillary cells, and induces inflammatory responses derived from these cells. Principal Investigator: Michal Toborek, vice-chair for research and professor, biochemistry and molecular biology Developing a COVID-19 Early Detection, Tracking and Reporting System Given the surfeit of social media data accompanying the recent outbreak of COVID-19, this group will take a computational and big data-driven approach to uncovering information about viral transmission, social sentiment and response, decision-making, and public health policy recommendations. The group proposes to develop algorithm(s), as well as an online early alert system, to provide early warnings for disease surveillance tied to geographical data. Principal investigator: Nicholas Tsinoremas, director of the Institute for Data Science and Computing The Causes and Consequences of COVID-19 Misinformation This team will investigate Florida citizens opinions on COVID-19, including their thoughts about the causes and consequences of the pandemic, their preferred sources of information, and subsequent behavior changes. They will also assess public perceptions of government responses to COVID-19 to determine how Floridians change their perceptions and behaviors over time in response to changing policies, messaging, and conditionsparticularly if they or someone they know becomes ill. This will be one of very few studies to track a statewide populations opinions, lifestyle factors, and health behaviors during an ongoing pandemicwith clear implications for policymakers, health communicators, and disaster specialists. Principal investigator: Joseph Uscinski, associate professor of political science COVID-19 Risk Behaviors and Transmission among Young Adults Because young adults appear to experience fewer cases of the COVID-19 virus, this population may engage in behaviors that contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Yet, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent mental and physical health and their substance-use behaviors. This project hopes to collect epidemiologic data on the patterns of mental and physical health, substance use (frequency and dose), and potential disease transmission behaviors among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal investigator: Denise Vidot, assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies I have known Mariane Pearl for fifteen years, as a friend, mother, journalist, champion of the voices of women and an unconquerable spirit. We came together over a shared concern for displaced people, and in 2007, I had the privilege of being involved in a film based on her book A Mighty Heart. Eighteen years after her beloved husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was murdered at the hands of terrorists in Pakistan, I spoke to her about overcoming trauma, raising a child in the wake of a tragedy, and her perspective on world events. I rang you as soon as I heard the news that a Court in Pakistan had overturned the convictions of the four men accused of killing Danny, finding them guilty of kidnapping but not murder. The men were later rearrested. You spoke instead about people in Spainwhere you livesuffering in hospital without their families. It said a lot to me that you were thinking of others. Could you share your thoughts on the Courts decision? The facts are clear and those responsible for Dannys death belong in prison. The other day, Adams honorary godfather called me from Pakistan. He wanted to share that everyone in both his professional and private surroundings was outraged by the attempt to reverse Omar Sheikhs sentence. That means everything to me. When I left Pakistan pregnant with Adam, hundreds of Pakistani citizens wrote to me, adding their names and contacts so I could see that they didnt fear reprisal for supporting us. I am not interested in revenge on terrorists terms. What matters most is how other people react, that is where we have a margin to grow as a world: each individuals sense of integrity is our collective source of hope. Can you speak a little more about that? Terrorism would have won if I had lost my faith in mankind but the opposite happened. I believe even more in peoples potential to remain dignified and empathetic and I believe in people who strive for justice and the greater good. The more they hate the more I love, the more they spread fear the more I spread hope. Meanwhile, Adam embraces life, and Sheikh was never able to claim Dannys legacy. Adam wants to study physics and philosophy. Hes also a talented guitar player and graphic artist who is teaching himself Arabic. Hes going to Harvard. We have won this war, me and all those like you who have helped him grow. P.S. Ive told Adam that I am embarrassing him, but its all your fault. He said okay. Story continues I remember, like it was yesterday, Maddox and Adam sitting in your apartment in New York watching the Jungle Book while we were trying to make pasta. And now they are college students. I often think about the fact that when you lost Danny, you were pregnant with Adam. Was there a promise you made to yourself or to him that got you through? When we got married Danny wrote a marriage vow that read: Turn our lives into a work of literature. After he passed away, I understood what he really meant beyond the romantic thought itself. I promised him to honor our narrative of peace and understanding. I promised to keep listening to Led Zeppelin in the mornings. And that I would fight back every time despair and pain lodged in my head, advising me to give up on myself and others. I promised to keep exploring the human race and through storytelling, shine a light on people who are both the opposite and the antidotes to terror. As for Adam, when he was born my first thought was a promise: that I would guard his integrity and freedom as fiercely as one of those sculpted two-headed, fire-spitting lions that adorn the entrance of our building. How do you talk to children about hard realities? I believe in taking children seriously while respecting their rights to be children. In my own family, my fathers suicide remained a secret until I was 17. As a teenager, I knew he didnt just die by accident as I was told, and that was very scary. When I discovered his suicide note, it was an odd but powerful relief. When I found out, we still were not allowed to talk about him though. I believe proper communication would have spared me a lot of angst. Children dont belong to anybody but themselves and they are entitled to their realities. Every situation and trauma is different. Do you have any advice or reflections for people who are going through so much at this time? Its very difficult to give advice in general because pain is so specific. Hardships tend to shape peoples lives, and its our work as human beings to give them significance and to clarify what it is that we have come into this world for. Danny was someone who devoted his life to the search for truth. Did you and he share the same view about journalism? Do you still have the same faith? I do believe in journalism. My faith has never wavered. That is not to say that we dont have serious problems with it today, ranging from economics to systemic assaults on truth. But ethics was our cement and still is to me. This undated photo shows Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal newspaper reporter kidnapped by Islamic militants in Karachi, Pakistan. | Getty Images Youve written about how easy it is for terrorists to manipulate the media. Is this still a concern? We are very predictable. That is why criminals perform their deeds in time for the evening news. The rush for attention-grabbing headlines reflects the economic model a lot of people work under. Theyre in it for the cause, but they stumble inside the profit-making machine. For a long time, journalists were happy asking everyone questions but themselves. News was that straightforward. Nowadays, journalism is only as good as the willingness of those who practice it to be honest when they ask themselves who or what theyre in it for. I respect the work you do training women journalists with your Women-Bylines initiative. Could you tell me what drives you in this? The traditional media has easily overwritten the female gender until now. I find that the most exciting and promising event of our generation is the end of that era, which started with mankind itself. Today, we are still raped as a weapon of war or held as sexual slaves or we endure discriminations from another age. We also have three jobs and raise our kids alone. In Africa, the Middle East, and all over the continents and across cultures, women stand for justicerefusing to be married off as children, mutilated, deprived of land rights, or held back by countless of discriminative laws. They are insisting on being part of the equation for the greater good. And they are taking a lead? Yes, and to me, this is so interesting because its an emerging leadership of people who have never known power. If you dont have power, you are not afraid to lose it. When you have endured how abuse of power translates into your family or communitys lives, you have no desire for it. Instead, you understand how humans operate and take it from there. With travel coming to a halt due to the virus, there will be much more focus on local journalists and photographers. There are excellent trained journalists in most of the places foreign correspondents used to cover. I remember discussing this with Danny. It feels completely wrong that people who have the knowledge of a place or situation and the right address books were just used as fixers. Danny agreed with me, even though that thought seriously threatened his job. How do you reflect this in your work? I try to combine the two: The rise of women and the recognition that people were entitled to report about their own lands. I am a cofounder of a new media project called Meteor that focuses on quality journalism and women. Women-Bylines is one part of it, a series of workshops worldwide to produce films and multimedia by and about women. If you give women a voice, they are going to use it and if they use it, it will be for justice. We all fall short but is there a philosophy you try to live by? Do you remember the last words in my book? Theyre from Diane Ackerman: I swear I will not dishonor my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature, as a healer of misery, as a messenger of wonder, as an architect of peace. Kaiser Permanente will provide additional benefits to workers battling the coronavirus outbreak through an agreement reached Monday with unions. More than 150,000 workers at Kaiser can receive child care assistance, alternate lodging if they contract the virus or work double shifts, and extra leave if they contract the virus, according to a release from the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which negotiated the agreement. Full- and part-time employees are eligible for the benefits as are per diem employees who work at least 20 hours per week. They apply to workers at Kaiser facilities or workers who are directed to care for patients in person at a non-Kaiser facility, including home care, Kaiser said. Employees who work at least 32 hours per week will be eligible for grants of $300 per week for child care. The unions noted that some workers have had difficulty finding affordable child care options since schools closed due to the pandemic. The grants will cover care for children 14 or younger, or who are disabled and dependent, until May 31. Kaiser will provide prorated aid to employees who work between 20 and 32 hours. Kaiser will also provide hotel rooms for workers who test positive for the virus, or work double or multiple 12-hour shifts, the union coalition said. It will also provide them if the employee lives with someone who has COVID-19, the respiratory disease the virus causes, or is in a vulnerable population, according to the coalition. The Chronicle recently reported on the dilemma faced by Kaiser emergency room nurse Chad Baker, who was paying $2,000 a month for an apartment to avoid possibly bringing home an infection to his husband, who faced higher risks from COVID-19. Baker told The Chronicle that Kaiser had denied his request for reimbursement and instructed him to isolate himself from his husband at home, which is impossible in their living quarters. At the time, Kaiser said it was working on a comprehensive employee assistance program. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Workers who test positive for the virus or are sent home while awaiting test results will receive up to 80 hours of administrative leave. As the COVID-19 pandemic advances and we continue to prepare for the anticipated surge of patients, we will ensure that we have the benefits, programs, and practices in place to support and protect our most critical resource our people, Kaiser said. Chronicle staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this report. Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:06:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANOI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday reaffirmed their determination and commitment to remain united, and to act jointly and decisively to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate its adverse impact on people's livelihood, societies and economies in the region. "We pledge to remain united and vigilant against COVID-19 and commit to work closely with the WHO (World Health Organization), ASEAN's external partners and the international community to suppress the spread of the pandemic, protect people's lives and livelihoods, maintain socioeconomic stability while sustaining ASEAN Community building momentum for sustainable development, inclusive growth and leaving no one behind," the leaders stated in the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 they adopted at the summit, chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in his capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020. The heads of state or government of the 10 ASEAN members, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, resolved to implement seven groups of actions and activities. First, they pledged to further strengthen public health cooperation measures to contain the pandemic and protect the people, including, among other things, timely and transparent exchange of information on real time situation and pandemic response measures taken by member states, sharing of experience and best practices in epidemiological research and development, clinical treatment, joint research and development of vaccines and anti-viral medicines, enhancing capacity for the public health systems of ASEAN member states while protecting and ensuring the safety of public health workers. Second, they vowed to prioritize the well-being of people in ASEAN's collective fight against COVID-19 and provide appropriate assistance and support to the nationals of ASEAN member states affected by the pandemic in each other's country or in third countries. To this end, the leaders encouraged the effective operationalization of the ASEAN Guidelines on the Provision of Emergency Assistance by ASEAN Mission in Third Countries to Nationals of ASEAN Member Countries in Crisis Situations. Third, the leaders agreed on enhancing effective and transparent public communication involving multiple forms of media, including timely updates of relevant government policies, public health and safety information, clarifications on misinformation, and efforts to reduce stigmatization and discrimination. They encouraged the ASEAN information sector to strengthen cooperation in countering misinformation and fake news, as well as to develop a set of guidelines and a possible common platform to facilitate timely sharing of information in the ASEAN. Fourth, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take collective action and coordinate policies in mitigating the economic and social impact from the pandemic, safeguarding the people's well-being and maintaining socioeconomic stability. They tasked ministers and officials of the member states to implement the ASEAN Economic Ministers' Joint Statement on Strengthening ASEAN's Economic Resilience in Response to the Outbreak of COVID-19. The leaders also called for efforts to encourage the development of a post-pandemic recovery plan to share lessons learned, restore ASEAN's connectivity, tourism, normal business and social activities, and prevent potential economic downturns. Fifth, the leaders stressed the importance of a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, and comprehensive approach by ASEAN to effectively respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies. Sixth, they tasked the ASEAN economic ministers and senior economic officials to explore an arrangement to preserve supply chain connectivity, particularly amongst ASEAN member states, that provides for trade to continue for the smooth flow of essential goods, including medical, food and essential supplies; ensuring critical infrastructure for trade and trading routes via air, land and sea ports remain open; and refraining from imposing unnecessary restrictions on the flow of medical, food and essential supplies. Seventh, the ASEAN member leaders support reallocating existing available funds and encourage technical and financial support from ASEAN's partners to facilitate cooperation against COVID-19, including the proposed establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. The 10 ASEAN nations have so far reported some 20,000 COVID-19 cases. Some countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, have restricted the movement of their citizens to curb the spread of the global pandemic. Benzinga is covering every angle of how the coronavirus affects the financial world. For daily updates, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President, Neel Kashkari, dismissed the notion of a V-shaped recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic while warning of a prolonged fight against the coronavirus. What Happened Appearing on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday, Kashkari said that pending the development of some new therapy in the next couple of months, it was likely there would be phases of rolling COVID-19 flare-ups. He warned, This could be a long, hard road that we have ahead of us until we get to either an effective therapy or a vaccine. It's hard for me to see a V-shaped recovery under that scenario. Kashkari recognized that the $350 billion assistance given to small businesses is not going to meet the needs across all the small businesses in America. He did express optimism that Congress would come together to provide more support to small businesses. Praising Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Kashkari said, I think our chairman is being very, very aggressive. He said the chairman, as well as the Federal Reserve, had learned from their experience of the 2008 financial crisis. Kashkari emphasized the need to monitor the progression of the virus. He said it was not possible to shut down the economy for 18 months. The challenge, according to the Fed CEO, lies in getting the people who are healthy and at lower risk back to work. Why It Matters According to Kashkari, it is unlikely that tens of millions of people can be tested every day. He advocated being fully invested in vaccines, in addition to current approaches. The Fed CEO said he was watching very closely for strains on the banking sector due to the COVID-19 crisis, but expressed confidence that the banks were well-capitalized relative to where they were in 2006. Story continues Kashkaris wants a long-term approach to the COVID-19 crisis. I think we should all be focusing on an 18 month strategy for our healthcare system and our economy. If it ends up being shorter than that, that's great. We should prepare for the worst-case scenario, explained Kashkari. He believes that the virus will flare up again once global economic controls are relaxed as many people are asymptomatic. See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. NSF Awards Four Graduate Fellowships to Williams Student, Alumni WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The National Science Foundation has awarded research fellowships to four Williams College students and alumni. In addition, the NSF has awarded honorable mentions to eight other Williams students and alumni. The NSF fellowships support graduate study in the natural and social sciences. The four Williams fellowship recipients are Teresa Yu '20, a mathematics student from Chandler, Ariz.; Gabriela Suarez '17, who studies psychology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Katherine Newcomer '14, a biological science technician at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; and Daniel Maes '18, who studies mathematics at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Honorable mentions went to Christine Seeger '16, Sophia Robert '18, Ashay Patel '18, Dong Moon '16, Ben Logsdon '20, Eli Hoenig '17, Laura Elmendorf '17, and John Ahn '18. With support from the NSF Fellowship, Yu plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan. Yu has participated in the 2018 SMALL REU in the Tropical Geometry group with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Ralph Morrison, and also in the REU at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 2019. At Williams, she has conducted research with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Pamela Harris, worked with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA), and served as a teaching assistant with the mathematics department. In addition, she has performed on violin with the Berkshire Symphony. "I'm honored to have received this fellowship, and grateful to have been a part of the Williams math community," Yu said. "Without the many professors, mentors, and friends in this community, I would not be where I am today." She is currently writing a senior thesis with Professor of Mathematics Susan Loepp on commutative algebra. The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, was founded in 1950 to further U.S. leadership in the sciences. Since its inception it has supported graduate research and awards more than 1,000 research fellowships each year. The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna By Rania El Gamal, Vladimir Soldatkin and Alex Lawler DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC and Russia have postponed a Monday meeting to discuss oil output cuts until April 9, OPEC sources said on Saturday, as a dispute between Moscow and Saudi Arabia over who is to blame for plunging crude prices intensified. The delay came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia and its allies, a group collectively known as OPEC+, to urgently stabilise global oil markets. Oil prices hit an 18-year low on March 30 due to a slump in demand caused by lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak and the failure of OPEC and other producers led by Russia to extend a deal on output curbs that expired on March 31. OPEC+ is working on a deal to cut the production of oil equivalent by about 10% of world supply, or 10 million barrels per day, in what member states expect to be an unprecedented global effort including the United States. Washington, however, has yet to make a commitment to join the effort and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday put the blame for the collapse in prices on Saudi Arabia - prompting a firm response from Riyadh on Saturday. "The Russian Minister of Energy was the first to declare to the media that all the participating countries are absolved of their commitments starting from the first of April, leading to the decision that the countries have taken to raise their production," Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in a statement reported by state news agency SPA. Putin, speaking on Friday during a video conference with government officials and the heads of major Russian oil producers, said the first reason for the fall in prices was the impact of the coronavirus on demand. "The second reason behind the collapse of prices is the withdrawal of our partners from Saudi Arabia from the OPEC+ deal, their production increase and information, which came out at the same time, about the readiness of our partners to even provide a discount for oil," Putin said. Story continues The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud disputed Putin's claims, saying Russia had withdrawn and that statements about the kingdom's withdrawal from the OPEC+ deal was devoid of truth, state agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.[nL8N2BS008] OPEC sources, who asked not be identified, said the emergency virtual meeting planned for Monday would likely now be postponed until April 9 to allow more time for negotiations. OPEC sources later downplayed the Saudi-Russia row, saying the atmosphere was still positive, although there was no draft deal yet nor agreement on details such as a reference level from which to make the production cuts. "The first problem is that we have to cut from the current production level now, not to go back to the one before the crisis," one of the OPEC sources said. "The second issue is the Americans, they have to play a part." OIL RISES FROM LOWS Oil recovered from this week's lows of $20 per barrel with Brent settling at $34.11 on Friday, still far below the $66 level at the end of 2019. Prices had their biggest one-day gain ever on Thursday when Trump said he expected Russia and Saudi Arabia to announce a major production cut. The United States is not part of OPEC+ and the idea of Washington curbing production has long been seen as impossible, not least because of U.S. antitrust laws. Still, the oil price crash has spurred regulators in Texas, the heart of U.S. oil production, to consider regulating output for the first time in nearly 50 years. But U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, in a call with oil industry leaders on Friday, did not mention the possibility of U.S. production cuts, a source who listened to the call said. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump focused instead on tariffs as a response to the oil price crash. "If I have to do tariffs on oil coming from outside or if I have to do something to protect our ... tens of thousands of energy workers and our great companies that produce all these jobs, I'll do whatever I have to do," Trump told reporters in a briefing about the coronavirus outbreak. "The President has now told us what Plan B is: tariffs," said Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group in Bethesda, Maryland. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Russian state media he understood that the United States had legal restrictions on output cuts but it should still be flexible. Other oil producers that do not belong to OPEC+ have indicated a willingness to help. Canada's Alberta province, home to the world's third-largest oil reserves, is open to joining any potential global pact. Norway, Western Europe's largest oil and gas producer, said on Saturday it would consider cuts to its oil output if a wide global deal is agreed. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday called on Russia and Saudi Arabia to reach a deal soon to end their price war. The International Energy Agency warned on Friday that a cut of 10 million bpd would not be enough to counter the huge fall in oil demand. Even with such a cut, inventories would increase by 15 million bpd in the second quarter. (Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Laila Kearney; Writing by Alex Lawler; Editing by Sandra Maler, Helen Popper, David Clarke, Richard Chang and David Gregorio) Turkish Interior Minister Promises to Fix Mistakes After Resignation Rejected Sputnik News 13:14 GMT 13.04.2020 ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Monday that he was ready to continue serving his country and fix the past mistakes he made when imposing a curfew amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was humbled by the position of our people and president regarding the decision on imposing the curfew, for which I took all responsibility. Now that I am given an opportunity to fix mistakes, my responsibility is even bigger. I hope that I will continue to serve our people," Soylu tweeted. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to accept Soylu's resignation. On Friday, Turkey's Interior Ministry said that the residents of 31 provinces, including Ankara, Istanbul and Antalya, would be banned from leaving home on the weekend over the spread of COVID-19. The opposition has criticized the move, as reportedly some 250,000 people flooded the grocery shops and bakeries across the country ahead of the 48-hour curfew. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Anyone who would like to be tested for COVID-19, whether they have symptoms of the disease or not, will now be able to receive a test at either of the Houston Health Departments's two testing sites, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced at a Monday afternoon press conference. People wishing to have a test must first call 832-393-4220 to receive a unique identification code and directions on where to go. Copperstate Farms holds an exclusive license to cultivate, manufacture, sell, and distribute DNA Genetics branded cannabis products in Arizona PHOENIX, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Arizona, today announced DNA Genetics branded products are now available at its Sol Flower dispensaries in Sun City and Tempe, Arizona. Arizona medical cannabis patients can choose from a diverse selection of top-tier DNA Genetics cannabis strains. The initial launch will feature Holy Grail, Skywalker Kush, Recon Kush, and Citradol with additional fan favorites coming out in the coming weeks including Kosher Dawg, 4 Prophets, 24k, Tangie, and Lemon OG. Sol Flower dispensaries will carry additional DNA Genetics flower strains in the coming weeks. Some strains may become available on a wholesale basis to other dispensary operations. Copperstate Farms entered into a licensing agreement with the globally recognized and award-winning cannabis brand in May 2019 for the exclusive right to cultivate, manufacture, sell and distribute DNA Genetics products. Since its inception, the genetics developed by DNA have won more than 200 awards, in all categories, at the most prestigious cannabis events around the world making DNA the global standard in breeding and growing truly best-in-class strains. These awards include the High Times Top 10 Strain of the Year, which was inducted into the High Times Seedbank Hall of Fame in 2009, the High Times 100 Most Influential People in the Industry and the High Times Trail Blazers Award, for contributions made towards uniting the fields of entrepreneurship, politics, and medicine. Having access to Copperstates expansive cultivation facility has allowed us to invest further in R&D and bring new and unique strains to the Arizona market. This is an ongoing breeding project and we look forward to launching other innovative selections down the road, said Don Morris, Co-Founder of DNA. Copperstate Farms is home to the largest indoor cannabis greenhouse in the U.S. with 40 acres under glass. The company currently has 50 medical cannabis strains in development and 50 in production. In addition to its partnership with DNA Genetics, Copperstate Farms holds a license with all-natural cannabis extracts brand Moxie. We are excited to debut these world-class and award-winning strains from DNA Genetics. This has been a collaborative effort over twelve months time that involved starting with 12,000 seeds before narrowing this down to the exact genetics that deliver on the DNA brand as well as can function well in our greenhouse environment, said Copperstate Farms CEO Pankaj Talwar. For more information visit CopperstateFarms.com. * Copperstate Farms has implemented social distancing and enhanced safety measures at its cultivation facility and Sol Flower dispensaries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. About Copperstate Farms Management, LLC: Established in 2016, Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, is a vertically integrated cannabis company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The company is a licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis in the U.S. and operates a 1.7-million-square-foot facility and 40-acre greenhouse grow in Snowflake, Arizona. Copperstate Farms is the parent company of multiple product suites and dispensary retail concept Sol Flower, which includes a public-facing cafe and wellness classroom. The multi-use dispensary brand has locations in Tempe and Sun City, Arizona. Copperstate Farms is dedicated to bringing growth to the local and state economy through the hiring of local laborers, material suppliers, and contractors. For more information, visit CopperstateFarms.com. About OG DNA Genetics Inc. DNA was rooted in Los Angeles and founded in Amsterdam in 2004 by Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni. Over the last decade, the Company has built and curated a seasoned genetic library and developed proven standard operating procedures for genetic selection, breeding, and cultivation. In a world that is increasingly opening up to commercial cannabis activity, DNA is positioned to become the first truly geographically-diversified company with multiple partnerships with top-licensed producers and brands that have built their companies and global presence utilizing the Powered by DNA model. For more information, please visit www.dnagenetics.com . Media Contact: Neko Catanzaro Proven Media Neko@provenmediaservices.com (401) 484-4980 Rezwan Khan Vice President, Global Corporate Development DNA Genetics rezwan@dnagenetics.com Popular Nigerian rapper, Zlatan Ibile and his friends, Poco Lee, Bella Shmurda and Q2 performed for Wizkid on Live broadcast via Instagram on Tuesday. In a video currently circulating online, Wizkid couldnt stop smiling as the star-struck men chipped in to a song for him. Dancer, Poco Lee also used the opportunity to introduce budding act, Bella shmurda as a talented artiste to the Surulere crooner, who said he needs a personal room in their crib. Information Nigeria recalls Zlatan Ibile has earlier dropped his account number on the photo-sharing app with the hope that his fans might come to his aid. Read Also: Lockdown Extension: Zlatan Ibile Drops His Account Number Instagram Watch the videos below: North Korea has deployed several MiG-29 fighter jets near the border with South Korea and increased air combat drills. "There are signs that the MiG-29s, which are normally stationed near Pyongyang, have been forward-deployed recently," a military spokesman here said Monday. There have been frequent air combat drills in the frontline areas as well. Another military spokesman said the North normally keeps its fighter jets grounded due to a fuel shortage, but now they are flying sorties almost every day. TIVERTON, ON, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week, Nordion will be processing and shipping the latest harvest of the critical isotope Cobalt-60 from Bruce Powers Unit 6 reactor. Cobalt-60 is used in Gamma irradiation to sterilize medical devices needed to help in the fight against COVID-19 around the world. Gamma irradiation ensures that the medical equipment and supplies surgical gloves, syringes, and COVID-19 test kits used by front-line medical professionals to treat patients are sterilized, clean and safe for use. Gamma irradiation is one of the most effective methods for sterilizing this equipment quickly and in large volumes. Most of the worlds Cobalt-60 comes from Ontarios nuclear facilities, operated by Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which provide supply to Ottawa-based Nordion to process and distribute around the world. Nuclear power plays a critical role in two key areas of health care it ensures that power continues to flow to operating rooms and life-saving equipment; but it also provides a reliable source of Cobalt-60 for sterilization and life-saving medical procedures, said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of Bruce Power. These functions have become even more important during this crisis. Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, praised the collaboration between Bruce Power and Nordion which will ensure continued production of this key medical isotope and will benefit people in Ontario and around the world. Rickford called it a shining example of the innovation of the provinces businesses benefitting the global health care community. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Ontario businesses are stepping up and playing a critical role in helping meet the demands of our health care sector, said Minister Rickford. The world depends on Ontario-produced Cobalt-60 to stay healthy and safe. I am proud of the leadership Ontario-based companies are taking in this critical fight against COVID-19. Story continues Ontarios reliable supply of Cobalt-60 will be crucial in the weeks and months ahead as hospitals around the world require increased access to sterile medical equipment and supplies in their fight against the pandemic. Health care systems will be under significant pressure, and a stable supply of Cobalt-60 is something they can count on from Ontario and Bruce Power. Given the high demand for single-use medical equipment during the current COVID crisis, the need for irradiation has increased. Other sterilization methods take up to seven days before products are available for use, creating a challenge when sterile materials are required quickly and in large volume. Gamma irradiation technology can process such materials within a day. In China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicated that during the peak of their response to COVID-19, the use of irradiation was increased to ensure that higher volumes of protective clothing could be provided to the front lines as quickly as possible. An estimated 100,000 pieces of protective clothing are now being processed daily a significant uptick in volume that will save lives. Cobalt-60 is critical to our mission of Safeguarding Global Health. Our partnership with Bruce Power will ensure that we meet growing global demand for this critical isotope as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kevin Brooks, President of Nordion. Our company has been shipping Co-60 sources to customers around the world safely and efficiently for over 50 years, and our proven distribution system is needed to support front-line workers now more than ever. Associate Minister of Energy and MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Bill Walker spoke about the importance of community support in the fight against COVID-19. I applaud Bruce Power for their leadership in our local communities in this battle and the partnership with Nordion which allows a product made in rural Southwestern Ontario to tackle this crisis on a global scale, Walker said. You can learn more about how Bruce Power is helping to keep hospitals safe, and also diagnosing and treating cancer, in this video or by going to www.brucepower.com/isotopes-and-medical-innovation/. About Bruce Power Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. About Nordion Nordion, a Sotera Health company, is a leading provider of medical gamma technologies used for the prevention and treatment of disease and infection. Nordions products are used daily by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics and research laboratories. Nordion supplies products to more than 40 countries around the world, and is committed to their mission, Safeguarding Global Health with every critical isotope they supply. Learn more at www.nordion.com. For more information, contact: Bruce Power: John Peevers 519-361-6583 john.peevers@brucepower.com Nordion: Paul Monlezun 613-222-7184 paul@publicaffairsadvisors.com Attachment John Peevers Bruce Power 5193863799 john.peevers@brucepower.com Here's a hot one. "Six Days to Zeus: Alive Day," a novel based on a real, secret special ops mission, will be made into a movie by director Phillip Noyce, the man who brought you "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger," "Salt" and the Rutger Hauer classic "Blind Fury." The novel's author is "Samuel Hill," a pen name for an writer "whose true identity is by law, and subject to non-disclosure agreements, classified until 2085. The Author served in the U.S. Military from March 1976 to July 2006 including both Enlisted and Officer time as well as civilian service." That intel comes from Sam's Amazon page. Sam calls himself "Chief" in the novel and leads a unit of seven men from the Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Army Rangers and Marine Recon as they conduct secret surveillance during the Saddam Hussein regime. A 2003 explosion in Iraq near the Jordanian border kills the entire team except Chief, who doesn't quite remember what went down. Noyce describes the story as "part ''American Sniper;' part 'Born on the Fourth of July,' part 'Coming Home' and part 'Deer Hunter,' but different to all of them in that it has an Agatha Christie whodunit sensibility to it. And that is the accused, Chief, legitimately doesn't know if he's the perpetrator of slaughtering his own men. What really happened and what was unearthed is an unbelievable detective story involving the FBI, and the work that they were doing secretly for the Jordanian government." The story of how the book came to screen may be deserving of its own movie. After the real-life version of the mission, Hill was confined to a wheelchair and ended up as a homeless veteran, living in a park in North Carolina. A visitor to the park helped introduce him to new medical technology that allowed him to walk again. He soon began the writing therapy that led to the novel. After seeing an advertisement for Voyage Media online, he submitted his work and connected with Noyce's longtime producing partner, Kathleen McLaughlin. She introduced the material to Noyce and producer Mike Medavoy and wrote the screenplay for the upcoming movie. According to the Deadline story that broke the news, Noyce plans to begin filming as soon as movie production restarts once the COVID-19 crisis has passed. "Six Days to Zeus: Alive Day" is the first novel released in what Hill plans as an eight-book series. The author wants everyone to know that his work is no kiss-and-tell. "Approved by the Pentagon Pre-Publication Security Review process, the names, dates, places, and military tactics have been changed to protect classified information. Although every day was filled with highly classified missions and Special Compartmented Intelligence (SCI), the heart of this story has nothing to do with classified information." If you think you know the identity of the author, he offers even more clues in his Amazon bio by listing his array of medals. We've added some punctuation to help sort through the thicket. Those medals probably have their own truck whenever our guy moves house. "He was awarded in ascending order: (All classified awards and considerations have been redacted and will remain classified until at least 2085) Southwest Asia Service Medal; Kuwait Liberation Medal; National Defense Ribbon; Army of Occupation Medal (Berlin); Achievement Medal for Heroism; Good Conduct Medal (four); Army Commendation Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters (Seven Awards, one with Combat "V" device for Valor); Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters (three awards); Legion of Merit Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, one civilian, one military award (Two awards). Additionally, 'Chief' was cited as the Intelligence and Security Command Commander's Trophy for Operational Intelligence Achievement (1st Runner Up) after only three years in service for operational intelligence 110 miles behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War." The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up the employment landscape, sending most non-essential tech workers to work from home and leaving many workers across all industries unemployed. But current quarantines across the globe provide a great opportunity to train up on the latest tech skills. If youre looking for ways to fill the down time at home or youre eager to get your resume ready for post-pandemic hiring, you dont have to open your wallet to expand your technical skills and knowledge. There are plenty of websites and universities that offer free online certifications, courses and training to help you brush up on highly marketable tech skills. Here are 10 online education and training resources that are currently offering free tech courses you can complete for free as you quarantine. Codecademy Codeacademy offers free basic accounts that give you access to basic courses and limited mobile access. Whether youre a beginner or a seasoned tech pro, there are courses for every skill level on topics such as web development, programming, data science, design, and game development, as well as specific languages such as Python, JavaScript, SQL, C#, and Swift. Its the perfect way to learn to code or brush up on a programming language for your resume. You can also choose from courses that focus on specific skills such as analyzing data or building chat bots with Python, creating video games with Phaser, visualizing data, and building websites. Coursera Coursera isnt completely free but it offers more than 1,400 free courses on its site, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Coursera will add an additional 100 free courses to that list. Topics and tools covered in Coursera courses include Python, machine learning, data science, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, programming, web development and many more. Courses consist of on-demand streaming video lectures, self-paced quizzes and hands-on projects. You also get access to the Coursera user community to get feedback and ask questions. While not everything on Coursera is free, some programs offer a free seven-day trial, including the Google IT Support Professional Certificate course and AWS Fundamentals: Going Cloud Native. After that, accounts start at $49 per month to access programs that arent offered in the free subscription level. EdX EdX is a massive open online course (MOOC) provider offering university-level courses developed by nonprofit organizations, schools and corporations. All programs offered through EdX are free and youll find courses from universities such as MIT and Harvard. Courses consist of interactive learning exercises, video tutorials, online forums for students to connect and ask questions, and online textbooks. When you complete a course, youll receive a certificate; some courses can even count toward college or university credits, depending on the school. Harvard Online Learning Harvard Online Learning offers free online courses in technology, including game development, artificial intelligence, web programming, Python, JavaScript, mobile app development and computer science fundamentals. Courses are self-paced and require around six to nine hours of commitment per week; most take anywhere from five to 13 weeks to complete. Programs are taught by Harvard University faculty and staff and you will earn a verified certificate upon completion. Its a great option for self-motivated learners who want to learn new skills and expand IT knowledge areas. Linkedin Learning Formerly Lynda.com, Linkedin Learning is an online learning platform that offers courses on popular tech topics. You can choose from a number of skills, software or learning paths to explore with courses on topics such as programming fundamentals, CSS training, web development, networking basics, data science foundations and more. You can also find courses that will help you master popular software such as Tableau, WordPress and Excel. Its not always free, but LinkedIn offers a free month trial, which will give you enough time to squeeze in some free coursework while youre still in quarantine. Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn is a free online training program that offers training and certifications on specific Microsoft products. Courses are offered only for Microsoft products, such as Azure, Core Cloud Services, Microsoft 365, Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Teams and more. Each self-paced learning module includes an introduction to the topic, a lesson with all relevant information about the topic, and then a knowledge check for you to complete. Microsoft Learn also offers certifications that you can earn for different Microsoft tools and software and its all free. MIT OpenCourseWare The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers all its course material for free online. You can find course material for any undergraduate or graduate course offered through the university, so you dont even have to apply to get an MIT education. The university offer courses in computer science covering topics such as programming, software design, data mining, networking, artificial intelligence and more. Youll get instant access to lecture notes, projects and examples, assignments, instructor insights and its all free. Pluralsight Pluralsight offers on-demand training courses in popular tech skills and theyre offering new users a free month in April. Youll find courses on topics such as software development, information and cyber security, big data, machine learning and AI, IT operations, cloud computing, manufacturing and design and more. Classes cover specific programming languages, software tools, hardware, and you can even take courses that will help you get certified through several vendors like Microsoft, VMware, CompTIA and Cisco. If you want to continue your membership after the free month, you can opt for a monthly subscription for $29, an annual subscription for $299 or a premium membership for $449 per year. Udacity Udacity courses arent always free, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is offering a free month of its nanodegree programs in response to people losing employment due to the virus. Whether youre working from home and have some spare time to advance your skills or you are out of work and want to be prepared to hit the job market as things turn around, Udacity offers several tech programs that can help you get trained on critical skills. Courses cover topics including machine learning, artificial intelligence, software development, digital marketing and product management. The regular cost for a monthly subscription is $399 and you can also opt to apply the value of your free month towards a multi-month nanodegree bundle along with a 15 percent discount. Udemy Udemy is an online learning website that offers more than 10,000 tech training courses, more than 1,000 of which are free. Courses cover topics such as AWS, database and SQL querying, and intro to cloud computing. You can find specific skills and tools to learn about, including Hadoop, HTML5, CSS3, Salesforce, Tableau, RPA, DevOps, Linux and more. Nearly any tech topic you want to learn about can be found on the site, and with plenty of free courses to choose from, you can keep your continuing education budget-friendly. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Bide in a video on Tuesday, giving the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a boost from the partys biggest fundraiser and one of its most popular figures. I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now, Obama said in a nearly 12- minute video, touting him as a close friend and lauding him for his perseverance and compassion. Obama and Biden are close friends from their two terms in the White House, when Biden served as vice president. Biden leaned heavily on his affiliation with the former president throughout the Democratic primary, framing his pitch as an extension of Obamas presidency. In recent weeks, he has told donors he's been in touch with Obama about his vice-presidential pick. The endorsement marks Obama's return to presidential politics more than three years after leaving the White House. He rarely talks directly about his successor, President Donald Trump, and avoided intervening in the Democratic primary. The field at one point spanned nearly two dozen candidates and Obama offered private counsel to anyone who asked it, but but made no efforts to bolster an individual campaign including Bidens. But Obama has been following the Democratic race closely from the sidelines and is eager to take a more active public role in the campaign. Hes expected to headline fundraisers for Biden and public events in key swing states, if those events can still be held given social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. An Obama adviser said the former president is taking his cues from Bidens campaign on how he can be most useful as he eases back into a more overtly political role. The endorsement comes a day after Bernie Sanders also backed Biden. The former vice president now has the support of all of his former Democratic primary rivals except for Elizabeth Warren. The Massachusetts senator is expected to formally throw her support behind Biden soon, according to a person familiar with her plans. Two other prominent Democrats who have yet to formally endorse Biden are former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the partys 2016 nominee. Hillary Clinton has been in regular touch with Biden, including several times since Sanders dropped out of the race, according to an aide. Obama has been an obvious shadow throughout the 2020 Democratic primary. Biden coined the Obama-Biden administration moniker when hed talk about various accomplishments. But he also tried to insist he was running as his own man, telling anyone who asked that he urged Obama not to endorse him out of the gate or even in the thick of the primary. Obamas tenure became a sort of punching bag for some presidential hopefuls in a primary fight that early on was defined by a debate over the need for generational and systemic change versus a return to normalcy after the Trump era. Julian Castro, 45, pushed Biden repeatedly on whether he argued with Obama privately over deportations overseen by that administration. Pete Buttigieg, 38, and Beto ORourke, 47, subtly jabbed Biden and by extension Obama -- by suggesting the party shouldnt return to the past. Sanders and Warren suggested that the 2010 Affordable Care Act hadnt gone far enough. But Biden was a staunch defender of the Affordable Care Act and on the trail, often referred to himself as an Obama-Biden Democrat." The former vice president called it bizarre for Democrats, even faintly, to attack Obamas record. The conversation around Obama's presidency shifted as the primary wore on. By the time voting began, Buttigieg was almost explicitly comparing his youthful bid to Obamas 2008 campaign and the progressives were framing their health-care proposals as a way to build on Obamas legacy. Billionaire candidate Mike Bloomberg, meanwhile, featured Obama in his ubiquitous advertising effort, much to Bidens chagrin. Youd think Mike was Baracks vice president, Biden once quipped to donors. For his part, Biden leaned even more heavily into Obama as primary voting began. Aiming at Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist, and billionaire Bloomberg, whod been elected New York City mayor as a Republican, Biden said in a Feb. 21 interview with The Associated Press that theyre not bad folks. Theyre just not Democrats. Campaigning before increasingly diverse audiences in Nevada and South Carolina, Biden ramped up his recollections of when Obama tapped him for the ticket in 2008. Biden recalled Inauguration Day 2009, waiting for the train in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, for a black man to pick me up for the two of us to be sworn in as president and vice president of the United States. Often drawing nods and vocal affirmation from his audiences, Biden said he had thought of that day as a national victory over institutional racism. Now, in the Trump era, Biden calls that conclusion a mistake. I thought we could defeat hate, he said, but, it never goes away. On Feb. 29, Biden took the stage in South Carolina to celebrate a nearly 30-point victory that would propel him past Sanders and everyone. He dusted off a line hed used many times before: Im a proud Obama-Biden Democrat, Biden said. Obama was watching. His sideline approach nearing its end, he called his former vice president that night to congratulate him on his victory. WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Domestic, international flights suspended till May 3 India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Apr 14: All passenger flights will remain suspended till May 3, the civil aviation ministry said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown to fight the spread of coronavirus. "All domestic and international scheduled Airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of May 3," the ministry tweeted. Passenger train services suspended until May 3 The aviation sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Many airlines have asked employees to go on a sabbatical without pay. India has adopted a holistic approach in fighting the coronavirus said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Had we not taken this approach, then the situation would have been different. Looking at how things have shaped up, it becomes clear that we have taken the right approach, the PM also said. India has reaped the benefits of social distancing and the lockdown the PM also said. My priority is to reduce the problems of the people. My thoughts are with them and I will reduce their problems, the PM said while extending the lockdown to May 3. The Taraba State Police Command has confirmed that 25 persons were killed and several others injured in a bloody clash between Shomo and Jole ethnic groups in Lau Local Government Area of the state. Speaking in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), David Misal, a deputy superintendent of police, said about 100 houses were burnt down during the clash which took place in the area on Monday. Although the police spokesperson could not immediately ascertain the cause of the conflict, reliable sources from the area said disagreement over the ownership of some ancestral fish ponds was the cause of the problem between the two fishing communities. The police also confirmed that the conflict had since become an annual occurrence between the Shomo and Jole fishing communities. The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Azare, has stationed patrol teams on ground already and the situation has been brought under control, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that conflicts between Shomo and Jole had been lingering for decades over claims and counter claims of ownership of the disputed fish ponds. At a point, the government had to ban fishing activities in the disputed ponds for a period of 10 years but the communities resumed conflicts as soon as the ban was lifted at the return of democracy in 1999. (NAN) North Korea fired a salvo of short-range projectiles believed to be anti-ship cruise missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The firings came on the eve of the birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung and South Korea's general elections. The projectiles, assumed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles, were fired northeastward from areas near its eastern coastal town of Munchon at around 7 a.m., which lasted more than 40 minutes, the JCS said, adding they flew around 150 kilometers before splashing into waters off the east coast. "The military is closely monitoring the situation for possible additional launches, while maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said in a release. It is the latest in a series of military actions by the North as the regime has sought to beef up defense capabilities amid stalled denuclearization talks with the United States and heightened vigilance against the coronavirus. (Yonhap) Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chen Xiaodong, has held talks with a group of African Ambassadors, including Mr Edward Boateng, Ghanas Ambassador to China. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the fallout of the targeting of African nationals for compulsory testing, quarantine and eviction in the Guangdong Province. A statement issued by Ghanas Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, which was copied to the Ghana News Agency, said at that meeting, it was announced that the Government of China has taken note of the situation and was taking immediate steps to stop the targeting of and ill-treatment meted out to Africans, particularly Ghanaian compatriots in the Guangdong Province. It said the Government of Ghana has taken note of this development and was keenly monitoring the situation. On account of these assurances received from the Chinese Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration would like to entreat all Ghanaian nationals living in China and particularly, Guangdong Province to remain calm and stay in contact with our Mission in Beijing and the Consulate-General in Guangzhou and share concerns of further occurrences on the following numbers: +8618612081400, +8618612959040. The Government of Ghana values the bond of friendship, bilateral and multilateral cooperation which spans over six decades and which has waxed stronger under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President Xi Jinping, and calls upon the Chinese Government to speedily and comprehensively find a lasting solution to this unfortunate issue. 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 ITP The Rapids Joins the MITN Purchasing Group for Automated Distribution Interurban Transit Partnership (ITP-The Rapid) invites all vendors to register online with the MITN Purchasing Group. Today the Interurban Transit Partnership (ITP-The Rapid) has officially joined the MITN Purchasing Group to help simplify their bid and RFP distribution process. The MITN Purchasing Group is one of BidNets regional purchasing groups across all 50 states which offer participating local government agencies an e-procurement solution. The ITP (The Rapid) invites all vendors to register online with the MITN Purchasing Group to access its upcoming solicitations by visiting http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn. With the MITN Purchasing Group, vendors register to access one centralized location with opportunities from over 225 participating agencies throughout Michigan. By posting upcoming solicitations to the regional purchasing group, rather than their website, ITP (The Rapid) hopes to make it easier for more vendors to access their documents. They also hope to expand the reach of their solicitations to a more diverse vendor pool. Unlike the prior process of only publishing bids to a webpage, the MITN Purchasing Group provides a method to track all bid activity, including the details of vendors who have received or downloaded a bid. By providing a single, online location for managing sourcing information and activities, local Michigan government agencies minimize costs and time delays associated with the procurement process in these unprecedented times. The ITP (The Rapid) invites all local vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations as well as the bids and RFPs from over 225 other public agencies participating on the MITN Purchasing Group. Registered vendors also gain access to a team of experienced customer service support representatives and can upgrade their service to receive customized bid alerts, advanced notice of term contract expiration, and notification of a recently posted addendum. About ITP (The Rapid): The Interurban Transit Partnership was formed in 2000 to operate a public transportation system they named The Rapid to provide services for the Grand Rapids metro area and beyond. It is organized and operates under Michigan Public Act 196 of 1986 with a 15-member board of directors representing the six municipalities in the service area. The six cities in the Grand Raids metro area opted to partner with each other to support The Rapid, and The Rapid, in turn, promised to provide a return on that investment by delivering service as effectively and efficiently as possible. Beyond its fixed routes, The Rapid also operates demand response services for people with disabilities, and for those living outside the fixed-route service area, car and vanpooling programs. PEER SYSTEM COMPARISON As part of the 2030 Transit Master Plan, an independent project team was asked to evaluate The Rapids performance relative to 10 peer systems, which were selected based on system size and regional demographic characteristics such as urban area population and physical size, annual vehicle revenue hours, and annual unlinked passenger trips. The selected peer systems were: Akron, Ohio: Metro Regional Transit Authority (Metro) Ann Arbor, Michigan: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) Dayton, Ohio: Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) Flint, Michigan: Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) Lansing, Michigan: Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) Louisville, Kentucky: Transit Authority of River City (TARC) Madison, Wisconsin: Metro Transit System (Metro) Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Rochester, New York: Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (R-GRTA) Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) All data is referenced from the National Transit Database (NTD) administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This data is independently audited and verified. Visit the National Transit Database site for more information. About the MITN Purchasing Group: The MITN Purchasing Group is a part of BidNets regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. With years of input from procurement professionals, BidNet specifically developed the bid system to fill the need for a robust bid and supplier management solution for local government agencies. BidNet runs regional purchasing groups across all 50 states that are used by over 1,300 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to give necessary directions to operationalise 18 jute mills, identified by the Centre, to deal with the shortage of bags for packaging foodgrains. The 18 jute mills will be asked to start production with 25 per cent of their workforces, according to the letter. A basic minimum number of mills are needed to start manufacturing and supply of jute bags for packaging of foodgrains of the rabi season to help ease procurement operations of the government at this critical juncture, Irani said in the letter. "The Jute Commissioner will be asked to place officers to supervise the working of the Jute Mills to check maintenance of social distancing and hygiene," she said. "...I request you to kindly issue necessary instructions to jute mills to start operation of production of Jute Bags immediately," she added. The jute mills are shut since the lockdown was imposed. Though the development has raised hope among jute mill workers, many are worried as a number of the mills are located in the areas worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said. "Four of the mills are in Howrah, which has been badly hit by the outbreak," they said. Industry insiders said they don't have any idea on the basis of what the 18 mills were identified by the Centre. "It's a new type of licence raj," a mill owner said. More than 2 lakh workers are directly dependent on jute mills in the state. In a recent letter, the Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs, Food and Public Distribution told the state government that manufacturing units of packaging materials are exempted from the purview of the lockdown. "Procurement operations of foodgrain, for which availability of packaging material like jute bales are immensely required by major procuring states like Punjab, Harayana, Uttar Pradesh and Madya Pradesh where procurement operations will begin from April and peak season is for only two-three weeks only," the letter said. "Therefore, it is of utmost importance that jute mills immediately resume operation to meet the requirements of the states and FCI (Food Corporation of India)," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Spain reported Tuesday 567 deaths from the new coronavirus, a slight increase after a one day decline, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,056 --- officially the third highest in the world behind the United States and Italy. The number of new infections rose by 1.8 percent to 172,541 cases, according to the health ministry, the smallest increase since the country imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 14 to curb the spread of the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tasmanian Tiger is believed to be extinct but there's one Thylacine who might still have a long life ahead of her an impressive feat given she's part of the Suicide Squad. A Ngarluma woman from the Pilbara, Thylacine is the first Indigenous Australian superhero in the history of the popular DC comic book series about the super-villain team. Thylacine in Suicide Squad #5. And despite the squad's death drive, Melbourne writer Tom Taylor hopes Thylacine will find longevity in the comic book universe where superheroes can leap across storylines as quick as they do buildings. Fans are often quick to embrace new comic book characters, Taylor says, and there's a "good chance" we might see Thylacine on screens or in other spin-offs in the near future. The 20-year-old man moved restlessly on a gurney in the emergency department at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Conn., on March 14. It was hard for him to get comfortable. His head ached; his lips and mouth felt as if they were on fire. His hands were too swollen to close, and the skin and muscles all over his body felt tender and sore. Two days earlier, his mother picked him up from his university just outside Philadelphia, which had closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Several of his friends had been showing signs of a Covid-like sickness, and the young man and his mother were worried that he was, too. As soon as she saw him, she could tell he was sick. His face was pale and sweaty. His skin was hot; his eyes were glassy with fever. She put on a mask, and then drove him home. Once he was safely in his bedroom, she called the Yale Covid-19 call center for guidance on what to do next. By then the first case of Covid-19 in Connecticut had been reported, a few days earlier on March 8. Given his likely exposure at school and his fever there and now at home, her son met the criteria of someone who should be tested, she was told. The soonest he could have the test at the local drive-through center was in three days, on March 15. In the meantime, she should assume that her son was infected with the virus and should be quarantined. Before he could get to the drive-through, he began to get sicker. The day after he got home, March 13, he lost his appetite and developed a strange red rash around his nose, mouth and chin. The next morning, after he started vomiting, his mother took him to the hospital. At the Hospital In the emergency room, the young man had no fever. The rest of his exam was normal, except for the raw-looking rash on his face, hands and back. The blisters and the round red lesions they turned into were tender and made it hard for him to talk, eat or even use his hands. The masked nurse returned with news from the E.D. doctor: He was to be admitted. They would test him for Covid-19. The rash he had wasnt typical of that infection, though they still had a lot to learn about it. Mumbai, April 14 : The Chris Hemsworth-starrer digital film "Extraction" casts Priyanshu Painyuli as a drug lord. The actor feels nailing the look of the character is important, because the way you dress up for a particular role can make you behave in a certain way. For "Extraction", Priyanshu has tried nailing the gangster look with chunky gold jewellery, gold neck-pieces, armlets and bracelets. He wore a lot of local fabrics including kurtas and silk shirts, which are characteristic of Bangladeshi locals. His attire comes in deep-hued monotones. "I have always felt the way you dress up as a character makes you behave in a certain way. For me, mainly my shoes matter a lot, what footwear I use to walk or sit changes my body language a bit," Priyanshu said. "When Sam (Hargreave), my director, asked me how I felt with my costume and look, I smiled and said I was really enjoying the gold, but I especially loved my shoes -- shiny, pointed with hard heels. They made a presence when I walked, at least to me," he added. Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. In India, he shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. EDWARDSVILLE Madison County Board members on Wednesday are scheduled to discuss an indefinite extension of its coronavirus disaster declaration and a decision on a Rosewood Heights store owners rezoning request. Wednesdays county board meeting will be the first via teleconference since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have noted that the county is changing the way the public can access the meeting. Due to the volume of patrons participating, the phone bridge has been disabled and the public may listen via a live stream at: https://m.twitch.tv/madisoncountyiL, according to the county website. The public should join 5 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. To hear the session, you will need to Tap to UNMUTE on the live stream. Comments or questions from the public should be submitted 24 hours prior to the meeting to be part of the public record. On March 17, Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler announced he had signed a disaster declaration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disaster declaration extension effective April 15 through the duration of the pandemic allows the county to keep its emergency operations plan active and allow for a coordinated response with local, state and federal agencies. The board is also expected to act on a request for a rezoning by Sejal Patel for the Rosewood Heights Farm Fresh store at 740 E. Airline Drive to allow packaged liquor sales. The request was denied by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning and Development Committee affirmed that denial. It now goes before the full board for final action, after being delayed since February. The business has been there since 1970 and is allowed as a nonconforming use. Patel wants to rezone it to B-2 General Business District. He has said he wants to sell packaged liquor to remain competitive with similar stores and cited changes in the minimum wage as well as dairy distributors. Opponents, including pastors from local churches and several local politicians, cited concerns about nearby youth activities, potential accidents, changes in the stores clientele and the tone of the neighborhood. Another concern by many is the rezoning may lead to video gaming at the store. Officials said recent changes to the countys zoning law would not allow video gaming. That would require the business change to an eating or drinking establishment, such as a restaurant or bar. To do that they would require a special use permit, which is not being requested. Also on the agenda are 22 separate appointments to various boards. As chairman, Prenzler appoints members to approximately 70 separate boards and committees. Another issue expected to come up Wednesday is the recent unsealing of court documents related to the investigation into members of the Prenzler administration by an anti-corruption task force. The investigation was turned over to the Illinois Attorney Generals Office and has been officially closed. On April 6, sealed documents relating to the investigation were released. An executive session to discuss personnel also has been added to the agenda at the request of a county board member. While the exact topic has not been disclosed, the unsealed documents and its contents are expected to be part of the discussion. No action can be taken at that meeting. WYANDOTTE, MI, April 13, 2020 The BASF Corporation site in Wyandotte has created and produced a hand sanitizer, HandClaspTM, with the first 1,000 gallons in the U.S. donated to the Henry Ford Health System. The sanitizing product will help meet the increased demands needed to safely combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wyandotte facility is home to one of BASFs largest Research & Development Centers and manufacturing sites in North America with more than 1,200 employees. BASF does not regularly produce hand sanitizer at the Wyandotte location, however the facility received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to temporarily produce a safe and high-quality sanitizing product. The facility has produced over 8,000 gallons of hand sanitizer being distributed to the Henry Ford Health System, and other health care systems in Michigan, Texas, Louisiana, Mexico and Canada, as well as other BASF locations in the United States. When we learned of the supply shortage of disinfectants for health care systems and hospitals, our technical experts in Wyandotte displayed amazing resourcefulness and collaboration to develop and produce a beneficial antimicrobial product within a few days, said Greg Pflum, Vice President and General Manager of BASFs Midwest Hub. Because of the diligent efforts of our Wyandotte team, BASF will help alleviate the critical shortage of disinfectant agent for front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19 in our communities. Following the companys Helping Hands campaign in Germany, BASF teams worldwide are supporting the fight against COVID-19 by producing and donating hand sanitizers to hospitals, healthcare facilities and other institutions. In the U.S., disinfectants are also produced at the BASF site in Washington, New Jersey. About BASF BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 18,800 employees in North America and had sales of $18.4 billion in 2019. For more information about BASFs North American operations, visit http://www.basf.com/us. At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com. - The comedian was involved in a comic skit that mimicked Jeff Koinange, Ali Joho, and Miguna Miguna - DJ Shiti impressed many Kenyans with his impersonation of the Mombasa governor with the voice and reactions top notch - Some, however, were struck by his good looks with one being socialite Vera Sidika Comedian DJ Shiti has shown a side of his comical skills that many did not know existed. During a comedy skit that involved him plus other comedians; YY and Ezekiel Kelly, the funny man put out a perfect impersonation of Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho. READ ALSO: Kenyan couple gets married with only 10 guests at wedding excluding parents READ ALSO: Akothee hilariously cries when elderly baby daddy forgets to wish her happy birthday The other two impersonated journalist Jeff Koinange and Miguna Miguna in a hilarious skit that mimicked a heated conversation during a live TV interview. DJ Shiti's looks also impressed many as he appeared to be a rich millionaire, calm and collected just like the Mombasa leader. READ ALSO: Okonkwo Utawezana is shallow and bizarre - Ezekiel Mutua rubbishes viral song READ ALSO: Go die: Pastor Ng'ang'a curses French doctors who wanted COVID-19 vaccine tested in Africa Many fans could not take their eyes off his looks which he accessorised with dark shades and a striped suit matching his orange tie. His beard was a plus for many including Vera Sidika who could not believe and questioned if it was photoshop while asking for a date. "Is this real or is it photoshop, come let us date Shiti my sweety," the curvaceous lass said. A delighted Shiti replied ready for some love, as he asked other Luhya celebrity friends to inform the mother that he had finally found 'the one' in Nairobi. "Vera Sidika (screaming) my Luhya people Savarafrica, Bienaimesol, and Dr ofweneke, please go tell my mama in Mumias I made it. The lady fell for me, baby it's real! So when are we starting out on our love?" Shiti hilariously asked Vera. Vera is definitely single and ready to mingle after recently breaking up with Tanzanian boyfriend Jimmy Chansa. The beauty recently opened up to a fan on Instagram and revealed the relationship ended because it was toxic and unbearable. The 30-year-old added she was not willing to stay in situations that drained and broke her just to put a smile on society's face. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Gov Inslee Orders Utilities to Suspend Water Shutoffs and Restore Service During COVID Crisis NRDC, Coalition Ask Court to Block EPAs Dirty Energy Plan EWG News Roundup (4/17): Protecting Our Food and Farm Workers from COVID-19, the Case for Stimulus Investments in U.S. Tap Water Supply, and More Ahead of Earth Day, Groups Call on Legislature to Protect New York from Fracking Waste NRDCs Gina McCarthy: EPA Rollback Undermines Limits on Mercury, Lead and Other Toxic Air Pollution Promises, Promises: Gavin Newsom Has Broken His When It Comes To Fracking Slaughter Companies Are Fear Mongering About Food Scarcity to Avoid Protecting Workers in the Name of Profit What If Food and Farm Workers All Get Sick at the Same Time? USDA Is Removing Safeguards On Food While Everyone Else Is Fighting A Pandemic Mayor Ron Nirenberg sought to provide a voice of reassurance Monday for children asking questions about the coronavirus pandemic and inquiring when life might get back to normal. While this is something that we need to take seriously, we dont need to be afraid, Nirenberg said with a smile. Yes, some people might be pretty sick. But scientists and doctors think that most people will be okay, especially children In fact, most doctors say that children dont seem to get very sick at all with COVID-19. The mayor was joined at a child-oriented town hall by 4th Court of Appeals Justice Luz Elena Chapa, who just recovered from the virus after a 30-day ordeal. The town hall was broadcast live on the citys website and Facebook page. They explained the importance of staying home, properly washing hands for at least 20 seconds and covering coughs and sneezes during the pandemic. Soap is this virus greatest enemy, Nirenberg said. So washing your hands is very, very important. The mayor said its also important for children to tell their parents if they feel sick. If you do start to feel sick, it doesnt mean that you definitely have COVID-19, he said in a fatherly, comforting tone. People can get sick from all sorts of things. I know the pollen is in the air right now and Im feeling my allergies today. On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus hurting low-wage workers the most Nirenberg acknowledged staying at home for so many weeks has been difficult for children. You might miss your friends and your classmates, he said. And I know they miss you as well If you can, just give them a call, even if its just to say hi. Our city will be so much safer, cleaner and healthier because of what we have learned and what we will learn in the coming days. Children ranging from 4 years old to teens submitted questions for the event. Many asked when schools will reopen or how long they will have to stay home questions for which Nirenberg could not provide specific answers since those dates havent been determined. The governor has said in his emergency order just a couple of weeks ago that schools will remain closed until at least May 4, Nirenberg said. But right now were waiting for the guidance from the local school districts to give us a sense of when theyre going to be open. So for right now, stay put and get used to your home school. Make sure you get up on time to finish your reading and to do your home school assignments. Make sure you stick to that school schedule so that when school does start back whether its in May or its some time after that youre not so unprepared for that early wake-up call. Other youths asked how people are infected by the virus. One 9-year-old boy asked if its safe to ride his bicycle outside, while an 11-year-old boy asked why shoppers are hoarding toilet paper. Nirenberg explained the importance of social distancing staying 6 feet away from anyone not living in a childs household. He said this rule applies even when children are outside. If youre standing far enough away from someone, if they happen to cough, youre very unlikely to catch that virus, he said. The good news is if you stay 6 feet away, youre very unlikely to breathe in anything. On ExpressNews.com: Parks were barren as San Antonio heeded Easter closures Wear your mask and think of it as adventure, said Chapa, who acknowledged her voice is still a bit raspy as a result of the virus. Nirenberg said its fine for children to ride their bicycles outside during the quarantine if they have their parents permission and follow safety rules. He reminded them to stay at least 6 feet away from other people outdoors. We do encourage people to go outside, get some fresh air, he said. But after youre done with that come back home. We dont want you out there too long. The mayor asked children to be patient as doctors try to determine when its safe to lift the stay-at-home orders and to reopen schools. This is going to pass, Nirenberg said. Were going to get back to our friends and our families and school and homework very soon. Chapa shared her story of becoming sick with COVID-19 and recovering. She said she has remained in a separate bedroom at her home away from her family for the past 30 days to protect them from the illness. On Friday, Chapa tested negative for the virus. She planned to take a follow-up test Monday afternoon. If that test result is also negative, she will be able to come out of isolation and rejoin her family. Im actually feeling incredibly strong, Chapa said Monday. My fever (has been) gone for almost a week now. Those who missed the childrens town hall can replay the video of the event posted on the citys Facebook page. 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 Back in 2007, film director Aaron Russo said during an interview with Alex Jones he was told by Nicholas Rockefeller the ruling elite planned to microchip every human on the planet. Rockefeller had tried to recruit Russo, who made a name for himself producing the popular Hollywood films Trading Places and The Rose, and later the documentary Freedom to Fascism. Russo describes the ruling elite plan for total control of humanity in the following clip. Following the introduction of the coronavirusor what we are told is a virusand weeks of nonstop media hype and horror film level theatrics that have produced mindless hysteria on the part of the public and demands the government do something to stop the alleged spread of a novel virus, the concept of an immunity passport was introduced by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, the COVID Credentials Initiative, and others. The tech world agrees on the need for some kind of digital certificate, Coindesk reported on April 13. Self-sovereign identity mavens were buoyed by former Microsoft boss Bill Gates asking for digital test certificates during a Reddit AMA last month: Eventually we will have some digital certificates to show who has recovered or been tested recently or when we have a vaccine who has received it, said Gates. It is speculated this certificate will first entail the use of a Quantum Dot tattoo developed by MIT and Rice University. The concept of an invisible marker was announced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This technology would be administered with a vaccine and embedded in the skin alongside the vaccine itself and would only [be] visible using a special smartphone camera app and filter, according to ScienceAlert. The post continues: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the teams research, which was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday. According to a Scientific American story, the project came about following a direct request from Microsoft founder Bill Gates himself, who has been personally involved in efforts to eradicate polio and measles through vaccinations. Gates and Microsoft are behind a parallel marker project, ID2020. It is underwritten in part by the Rockefeller Foundation. The United Nations WHO is part of this ID2020, writes Martin Armstrong. Scaring the world and making people feel unsafe unless they are certified not to have this coronavirus just may be part of the plot behind the curtain. I hate conspiracy theories, but this is in the open. The health industry is destroying the world economy and making people feel unsafe. Unemployment is skyrocketing as people lose their jobs and will be then conditioned that if they have been certified, then and only then will they be safe to return to the workforce. Following weeks of forced lockdown, the destruction of the economy, mass unemployment, and the probability of food shortages and the potential of civil unrest, millions of people will undoubtedly accept the idea of a holistic and market-based approach to implementing a good national ID to prove who you are, especially if compliance and digital identification by the state will be the only way to reenter society, return to work, stay in your home, and feed your family. Beyond the proposal of an invisible marker inserted below the skin upon mandatory vaccination, we so far have little idea how a humanity-wide ID scheme will be implemented. It may be an app installed on mobile phones or something more nefarious. Another hypothesis, at this point only a hypothesis, but a realistic one, is that along with the vaccinationif not with this one, then possibly with a later one, a nano-chip may be injected, unknown to the person being vaccinated, writes Peter Koenig. The chip may be remotely charged with all your personal data, including bank accountsdigital money. Yes, digital money thats what they are aiming at, so you really have no control any more over your health and other intimate data, but also over your earnings and spending. Your money could be blocked, or taken awayas a sanction for misbehavior, for swimming against the stream. You may become a mere slave of the masters. Comparatively, feudalism may appear like a walk in the park. This is exactly what Nicholas Rockefeller told Aaron Russo was in development in order to control humanity. Although a microchip control device may be introduced under a number of emergency measures, the most effective pretense is that of an invisible viral enemy. In 2010, just such a scenario was envisioned by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Business Network. Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development purports to address a process of creating narratives about the future based on factors likely to affect a particular set of challenges and opportunities and the role of technology and the future of globalization. On page 18 of the document linked above, the authors envision a pandemic that the world had been anticipating for years. Even the most pandemic-prepared nations were quickly overwhelmed when the virus streaked around the world, infecting nearly 20 percent of the global population and killing 8 million in just seven months, the majority of them healthy young adults. The pandemic also had a deadly effect on economies: international mobility of both people and goods screeched to a halt, debilitating industries like tourism and breaking global supply chains. Even locally, normally bustling shops and office buildings sat empty for months, devoid of both employees and customers. This scenario is eerily predictive of the COVID-19 pandemic now underway. The Rockefeller narrative envisions a strong response from China. The Chinese governments quick imposition and enforcement of mandatory quarantine for all citizens, as well as its instant and near-hermetic sealing off of all borders, saved millions of lives, stopping the spread of the virus far earlier than in other countries and enabling a swifter postpandemic recovery, the narrative concludes. In the past, the Rockefeller and associated tax-exempt foundations used war to force economic, political, and societal change (see Rothbard: Rockefeller, Morgan, and War, chapter 8 of his book Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy). The promotion and exploitation of war by the ruling and financial elite were highlighted by the research of Norman Dodd, the chief investigator in 1953 for Congressman B. Carroll Reece and his Special Committee on Tax Exempt Foundations, also known as the Reece Committee. In 1982, shortly before his death, Dodd revealed during an interview with G. Edward Griffin how the elite considered war a primary driving force for the control of humanity and centralization of government. Mr. Dodd makes his remarks on elite foundations and the unconstitutional manipulation of government, the people, and education beginning at 25 minutes and 37 seconds in the following video. The COVID-19 op and the irrational fear it has produced are far superior to the expensive and destructive process of war in reformatting societies and gaining public consensus for authoritarian measures of control and manipulation. It is remarkable that, over the period of several weeks, the ruling elite pulled off a financial collapse that is methodically destroying small and medium-sized business, generating record-breaking unemployment, throwing millions of citizens into poverty overnight, while advancing surveillance technology and society-wide control measures accepted to a large degree by victims afraid of a vastly exaggerated seasonal influenza. (Alliance News) - Fox Marble Holdings PLC on Tuesday said it has signed a contract worth over EUR750,000 to supply up to 20,000 square metres of paving for the Suhareka town square in Kosovo. The company - which is focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region - said it expects the first 8,000 square metres to be delivered by September. It added that the stone will be supplied over the course of one year and will be processed from existing blocks of Grigio Argento, Flora and Alexandrian White which have already been extracted and are awaiting processing. Fox Marble added that due to the lockdown in Kosovo, introduced to combat the spread of Covid-19, it expects a delay in the supply of materials. However, it said that it expects work on the project to commence by the end of the third quarter of 2020. This contract to supply a local municipality to pave a large open public space confirms Fox Marble's position as a leading provider of dimension stone within Kosovo and is a testament to the efficiency of the factory and the quality of locally sourced marble for such a prestigious project," said Chief Executive Chris Gilbert. Fox Marble shares were trading 3.6% higher at 1.50 pence each on Tuesday afternoon in London. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney's handwritten notes on the Beatles' classic 'Hey Jude' were sold for over $1.4m NZD at an auction on Good Friday last week. According to Julien's Auctions' description, McCartney used the notes at London's Trident Studios and gave it to one of the engineers. They have estimated the value of the notes to be between $260,000 to $300,000 NZD and it sold for more than five times the value. The piece of paper shows the opening line of each of the song's four verses and two bridges. See the note below. Dr. James Conneely, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of North Georgia, pointed out a staggering statistic about the school's student body. Forty-two percent had never take an online class of those student responding to a current survey. Now, 100% of UNG students are learning remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ease the stress levels of students, Conneely and his colleagues are offering words of wisdom with regular video messages. "We want to reassure students about the resources we have available to them online," Conneely said. "And we want to reach out to them in multiple ways through social media as well as phone calls and emails." Titled "Student Affairs Cares," the short video segments offer advice from different departments and offices such as the Student Money Management Center (SMMC) and Career Services. The videos are posted on UNG's social media platforms including YouTube and IGTV. Current examples of the videos include: While additional videos are on the way, multiple student services already are available online. Here are ways a few departments and offices can aid students. Student Money Management Center "We are asking people to come through us first if they need help," said Erick Jones, director of SMMC. "And we want to talk to them before it becomes an emergency." Jones said many students are dealing with a drop in their income because of lost work. A majority of UNG students work part time or full time. Counselors will work with students on their budgets in one-on-one appointments via Skype or Microsoft Teams. To schedule an appointment, visit the SMMC webpage. Emergency funds to pay for rent, food, gas, and other essentials are available through SMMC. Career Services Diane Farrell, director of Career Services, said her office is using various digital methods to serve students, such as live chat and online mock interviews. She noted that experience with virtual meetings is beneficial to students. Lori Cleymans, a Career Services specialist, can still conduct mock interviews with students to help them prepare for internship and job interviews. "A lot of employers are conducting first-round interviews this way," Farrell said. "They can try it out with us first and work out bugs." Students can conduct a mock interview online. Visit the Career Services webpage and click "Schedule an appointment," call 706-864-1951 or email careerservices-dah@ung.edu. Career Chats happen at 4 p.m. every Tuesday in April with links on Handshake or UNG Connect. Career Services specialists will review students' resumes via email. Three career groups are available on D2L with links to resource tools. Student Disability Services The office is also helping students find resources they can access from home. For example, students who are blind can access the JAWS application program for free until July 1. Braille versions continue to be shipped to them, too. If students are not registered for accommodations, they can sign up online. "Intakes have not slowed down for us," said Thomas McCoy, director of Student Disability Services. "We have students who go to the University of Georgia and want to take classes at UNG's Oconee Campus. We have seen 6-7 intakes that have started since March 30, and we expect it to continue." With bodies piling up at hospitals and morgues, and funeral homes turning families away due to a lack of capacity, New York City has been stretched to its limits by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has touched thousands of grieving families, virtually all of which have been forced to navigate chaos after their loved ones death from the deadly respiratory virus. The funeral process can be even more complicated for Muslim New Yorkers, who make up about three percent of the population across the citys five boroughs, because a series of religious practices guides the burials. Its overwhelming just the amount of illness, the amount of deaths, said Imam Khalid Latif, executive director of the Islamic Center at New York University (NYU), about the general feeling in the city. He said that early on, it became clear that funerals and things happening at end of life were likely really difficult for a lot of people in the Muslim community. A lot of people [were] reaching out saying, We just cant connect to anybody, and the places we are connecting to, theyre telling us its going to be days before anything can actually happen. Rising costs Latif said families have also raised concerns about the cost of burials. An Islamic funeral service in New York City would typically cost around $2,000, including a plot of land for burial, Latif said, but these days, some members of the Muslim community said they were being charged around $10,000. In Islam, the funeral rites are considered a communal obligation, he told Al Jazeera. Here, we have a responsibility to ensure that people who cant afford it are still able to have it done. Packages of bread sit on a table with a crate of apples for passersby to take, outside the closed Masjid at-Taqwa mosque in the Brooklyn borough of New York after the mosque closed due to COVID-19. [Kathy Willens/AP Photo] Latif helped set up an online fundraiser that collected nearly $195,000 this month to support Muslim Funeral Services of New York, a Brooklyn-based group also known as the Janazah Project. The money will be dispensed to funeral homes to bolster their services including the purchase of vehicles and refrigerated trucks to transport and store bodies when hospitals are over-capacity, and personal protective equipment for workers. Latif said financial strain should not be a reason people do not get a chance to properly remember their loved ones, so needy families will also directly receive some of the money to cover funeral costs. To me, thats a really unfortunate reason as to why someone who is already in a lot of emotional strife will have added anxiety that doesnt allow for them to grieve, he said. Shifting practices Financial concerns are especially prevalent among people employed in public-facing industries such as taxi or Uber drivers, restaurant staff, or construction workers who have taken a hit during the pandemic. Muslim New Yorkers make up a high percentage of those workers in the city, said Ahmed Mohamed, litigation director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York chapter (CAIR-NY). Especially for immigrant communities, telework, work from home, is not a possibility. Having to be confined to your home means you dont have a job and you dont have a paycheque, Mohamed said. He said many traditional Muslim practices have been upended during the COVID-19 crisis: families cannot be with a sick loved-one because the illness is so contagious and most hospitals have strict visitation rules in place, and public gatherings have been restricted, too. The challenges also come as Muslims worldwide prepare for the start of the holy month of Ramadan. A Muslim health worker prays outside a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center on April 06, 2020 in the Borough Park neighbourhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City [Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP] In New York state, funeral homes and cemeteries have been designated as essential services, but the government urged them to avoid in-person gatherings. If in-person services must be held, the gathering should be limited to only immediate family, with as few persons physically present as possible, the state said in a letter to funeral directors on April 10. As a result, the Muslim community like other religious groups across the United States has had to adapt to meet public health recommendations designed to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus. Mosques have shuttered their doors, and Friday afternoon prayers as well as other practices, such as halaqa (communal religious gatherings) and khotba (the sermon before Friday prayer) are taking place online instead. Some families are live-streaming funerals, as well. Obviously, its not what the Muslim community would do during a normal basis, where we come together to better relieve some pain and ease peoples sorrows during those times, Mohamed told Al Jazeera. Unfounded rumours Despite those stop-gap measures, uncertainty around burials remains a source of concern. A rumour that Muslims were being buried in mass graves recently ripped through the community, said Raja Abdulhaq, executive director of Majlis Ash-Shura Islamic Leadership Council of New York, an umbrella group for over 90 mosques and organisations. We had imams calling us where their community members are calling them crying, worrying about their loved ones being buried in mass graves without seeing them. This was really scary for the whole community, Abdulhaq said. The group reached out to city officials and investigated the claim, and found the rumour to be untrue, he told Al Jazeera. In this video, our Executive Director Raja Abdulhaq, clarifies and refutes the rumors surrounding the burial of Muslims in mass graves on Randalls Island. https://t.co/jsEAWMwnoe Majlis Ash-Shura of New York (@ShuraNewYork) April 9, 2020 Whats happening is that hospitals are creating temporary morgues remotely, away from the hospitals, so they can continue to have enough capacity for the new bodies that are coming in, he said. But this is very specific only to unclaimed bodies. In a news conference on April 9, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said each body will be treated individually and specifically and burial plans will be coordinated with the families of the deceased. We clearly have painful but real contingency plans to deal with anything that might come up ahead, but with a very clear standard: dignity for the families. Every family is treated individually, he said. Another rumour that Muslim bodies were being cremated a practice that is forbidden in Islam was also false, Abdulhaq said. So far we have no cases and we have no reason to believe that this is happening. While the exact number of Muslims who have died from COVID-19 is unavailable, Abdulhaq said the citys Bengali community was hit particularly hard. Unprecedented time In Islam, the body of a deceased person is washed and shrouded, a prayer is performed, and then the body is buried directly into the ground without any embalming, explained Latif, the NYU imam. But he said that in exceptional circumstances, such as during todays COVID-19 pandemic, when some of those religious practices cannot take place for whatever reason, alternatives are possible. An individual will essentially tap their hands on clean dirt or earth, and positions their hands then on different parts of the deceaseds body as a purification process in lieu of the washing, Latif said, by way of example. That process is known as tayammum. Latif acknowledged that many community members are still struggling with what to do when a loved one passes away, or when people get sick with COVID-19. Its really hard for people right now who are losing loved ones because theres so much happening that prevents them from being there with them. He encouraged people to reach out to one another to stave off isolation especially in New York City, a place that he said can be particularly lonely. Its an unprecedented time, Latif said. And where government has failed and has not done its part, we just need to step up and do what we can and come together. OAKLAND (BCN) Oakland public schools teachers and principals are launching a campaign urging people to donate part of their new coronavirus stimulus checks to help vulnerable undocumented families who aren't eligible for government assistance. Oakland educators said they hope their "Stimulus Pledge" campaign will spread to school districts throughout California and the nation as the undocumented community faces what they describe as an unprecedented economic and health care crisis. "We have created a new way to mobilize community support for vulnerable families by making it easy for concerned community members to share some or all of their stimulus checks," Bridges Academy principal Anita Iverson-Comelo said in a statement. Iverson-Comelo said, "We want every school and every district to take advantage of what we've developed." Oakland educators said they've learned that up to 75 percent of immigrant families have seen their income greatly reduced or completely eliminated because of the shelter-in-place order imposed by Alameda County's health officer a month ago. They said that due to their immigration status, the families are ineligible for government assistance such as unemployment benefits or the approximately $600 billion that will be distributed through stimulus checks. Emerson Elementary School principal Heather Palin said, "As principals, we know there is a huge need in the community. Everyone is struggling, but undocumented families receive the least support and are particularly vulnerable." Campaign organizers say the pledge is based on a behavioral economics concept called pre-commitment in which people commit to taking a specific action with an anticipated financial windfall. The website is at StimulusPledge.org and also accepts donations from those who won't receive stimulus checks. Campaign organizers will hold a virtual news conference at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday with principals, teachers and affected families. The virtual news conference can be accessed at ousd.zoom.us/j/472497800 or by calling (669) 900-9128 ID 472 497 800. 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. Mozambican police on Tuesday dismissed the threat of Islamist militants controlling any territory in the north of country after a spate of jihadist attacks in the gas-rich region. Mozambique's northern region has been hit by jihadist assaults on remote villages since October 2017, but in recent weeks militants have stepped up attacks as part of a campaign for an Islamist caliphate in the region. Militants have temporarily seized government buildings, robbed banks, blocked roads and briefly hoisted a black and white jihadist flag over towns and villages across Cabo Delgado province. "There are no areas that can be said to be in the hands of insurgents, what exists are areas prone to incursions by criminals," National Police commander Bernadino Rafael said at press briefing in neighbouring Nampula province. "The situation prevails and we are working to restore order." Despite the promises of President Filipe Nyusi, neither the police nor the army, recently supported by private security companies in the region, have succeeded in preventing attacks. The conflict has already killed more than 700 people according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). More than 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting, according to the Bishop of the Diocese of Pema, Dom Luiz Fernando Lisboa. The police chief said the majority of the attackers were from the neighbouring Tanzania, accompanied by Mozambican youth. Rafael said Mozambican youth were being "deceived into employment... that does not exist." "They are tricked into entering the way of crime," Rafael said. Thousands of people have fled rural areas to the port city of Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado, seeking refuge among friends and relatives. Cabo Delgado has been hit by jihadist attacks since 2017, but the identity of the assailants remains unclear. Locals call the group Al-Shabaab, but it is not linked to Islamist insurgency of the same name operating for years in Somalia. Since June, the so-called Islamic State group has claimed around 20 attacks in Cabo Delgado, saying these targeted the Mozambican army. But analysts see no evidence of IS financial or military support to the Mozambican jihadists. The militants are operating in area where energy majors, including Exxon-Mobil and French oil company Total, are preparing to extract gas in the Rovuma basin off Cabo Delgado's coast by 2022. With more than $30 billion in investment sunk into the project, Nyusi is under pressure to respond and increase military presence in the region. An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on May 14, 2013. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images) All Navy Ships at Sea Are Virus-Free, Says Top General All of the U.S. Navys ships currently at sea are virus-free, according to the top U.S general. The assurance comes the day after a sailor from the virus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt became the first active military member to die of COVID-19. Despite currently being temporarily sidelined in Guam due to an outbreak onboard, the Roosevelt could still quickly be deployed if needed, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The only significant COVID-19 issues we are having on any of the ships, at least reported up to today, is the Theodore Roosevelt, he said during a briefing on April 14. The other ships that are at sea are COVID-free. The military is prioritizing safeguarding troops who man the nuclear deterrent, such as those onboard cruise missile submarines. Crews go into isolation for 14 days prior to deployment and are tested for the virus before they set sail, Milley said. The military is currently able to test around 9,000 troops per day in Defense Department labs. We have an objective of ramping that up to 60,000, he said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks about military operations during the daily White House coronavirus press briefing flanked by Attorney General William Barr (L) and Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Washington on April 1, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) A single sailor from the carrier USS Nimitzwhich is currently docked and preparing for deploymenthad tested positive, he said. But he was out of state, and he remains out of state to this day. A second sailor displayed the symptoms, and that sailor was placed into isolation and is not on the ship. The Nimitz is set to pick up the baton from the Harry S. Truman, which has remained at sea despite coming to the end of its deployment, to keep the crew safe and to keep a carrier group ready. The decision to keep the Truman strike group at sea in the Atlantic was made to ensure that the Navy has at least two carriers at sea and ready to go at a moments notice, said Milley. On April 13, the Navy announced that four more sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt are in a hospital being treated for COVID-19, with one in intensive care. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group transits in formation in the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 25, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Rivera/Released) 200125-N-XC372-1100 As of today, 94% of USS Theodore Roosevelt crewmembers have been tested for COVID-19, with 615 positive and 3,958 negative results, said the Navy statement. 4,046 Sailors have moved ashore. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that of the 615 crew who tested positive, only a little more than 200 showed symptoms. We are understanding more about the virus as we look at the Roosevelt; we are looking at how we expand testing, said Esper. Citing an ongoing investigation, Esper and Milley both declined to comment on questions as to why the ship was allowed to dock in Da Nang in Vietnam, which is where the virus may have been brought aboard. Military leaders continue to emphasize that U.S. military readiness is high, despite the pandemic, warning adversaries not to test them. Esper picked up his usual refrain saying that while Americans should and would focus inwardly during the pandemic, and while the military would do all it could to help, his primary mission was still to safeguard national security. Asked whether the military is investigating reports that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus was made in a lab in Wuhan and accidentally released, Milley said: Theres a lot of rumor and speculation in a wide variety of media, blog-sites, etc. It should be no surprise to you that weve taken a keen interest in that, and weve had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that. I would just say at this point that its inconclusive although the weight of evidence seems to suggest natural. But we dont know for certain. Madhabi Talukdar, the grandniece of freedom fighter Prafulla Chaki, received food from the West Bengal government after spending days in hunger in South Dinajpur district due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak. After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came to know of her plight, she issued instructions and officials rushed to her shanty near Gangarampur police station with relief materials on Tuesday and promised her all help in future. Recalling the days of struggle for independence from the British rule, Talukdar said she used to visit the hideouts of the freedom fighters as a 10-year-old and perform movement-related work assigned by Prafulla Chaki, the youngest brother of her grandfather Pratap Chaki. Along with Khudiram Bose, Chaki had attempted to assassinate the then Muzaffarpur District Judge, Douglas Kingsford in 1908. While Bose was nabbed and hanged, Chaki evaded arrest by committing suicide. "Despite participating in the freedom struggle according to my capacity, I don't get freedom fighter's pension. With the imposition of the lockdown, I have to survive on the scant relief materials distributed by some people," Talukdar told PTI. "I was married to a well-to-do businessman in Gangarampur. But after his death, we lost everything and for many years, we live in the shanty," she said. As soon as the reached the highest echelons of the West Bengal government, local officials rushed to the shanty and provided her with food items and other essentials, a senior state government official said. According to sources in the ruling Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself directed the administration to provide her help immediately. Gangarampur MLA Goutam Das said he was unaware of Talukdar's misery and promised to extend aid to her. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Alabama automaker is bringing more coronavirus testing equipment to the state. Hyundai announced it is coordinating an in-kind donation of 10,000 COVID-19 RT tests in the Montgomery area. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama has also provided support to local medical providers with food and face mask donations. The tests are developed by Seegene, a South Korea-based molecular diagnostic firm and can simultaneously detect 3 different genes of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19. Hyundai is also distributing tests to select institutions in hard-hit cities like New Orleans, Chicago, and Detroit. Byungjin Jin, president and CEO of HMMA said Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed asked Hyundai to locate more tests for Montgomery and surrounding communities. He recognized South Koreas best practice of extensive drive-thru testing was critical to protecting the healthcare workers and patients from potential spread of novel coronavirus, while critically identifying those most in need. HMMA is honored to provide this assistance to safeguard the health of citizens in Alabama," he said. Reed said the donation builds on Hyundais unyielding commitment to Montgomery and the greater central Alabama community." Seismologists are examining a potential perk of social distancing: the Earth is quieter. Highways arent reverberating with the sound of commuters. Stadiums arent shaking from foot-stomping chants. Bars arent blaring live music. Such facets of daily life cause background noise that seismologists must sift through. But as the new coronavirus pandemic forces people to stay home, some cities might find it easier to detect small, local earthquakes, which could further researchers understanding of these movements and of fault zones more broadly. More on COVID-19: Incredible satellite images show social distancing from the sky, before and after coronavirus And while theres not activity to observe in Houston, which Rice University professor and seismologist Alan Levander said is among the seismically safest places to be in the United States, around the world some 30 to 40 seismologists are looking for new data in their suddenly silent communities. All of this is very theoretical for now, said Thomas Lecocq, a geologist and seismologist with the Royal Observatory of Belgium. But if you come back in six months, people from all around the world will have good examples to show you. Where he lives in Brussels, the amplitude of human-caused vibrations has dropped 33 percent during the daytime. These daylight hours during the week are now similar to pre-pandemic daylight hours on the weekends. Variation in noise is common. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nights had always been quieter than days with some evenings, say in the middle of the week, being especially quiet. On the rare occasion when it snows in Brussels, the city comes to a halt and the noise drops to a level similar to what the city is experiencing now. But the snowstorms dont last as long. Now, its continuous, Lecocq said. Seismologist Rob Porritt, a research science and engineering associate at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, examined three Texas seismographs for a similar silence. The first two, one on the UT campus in Irving where some necessary activity continues and the second next to an Irving fire station, did not see a noticeable drop in human-caused noise. The third seismograph, located in the small city of Kenedy in the Eagle Ford Shale, saw a decrease, though Porritt couldnt say if that was caused by fewer people working on their ranches, a drop in energy-related activity or other factors. Academic studies have linked Texas earthquakes to hydraulic fracturing activity and the disposal of oilfield wastewater. Porritt said seismographs in Texas tend to be in rural areas that are already less noisy, so the newfound silence wont be as noticeable. But in cities located on major fault zones, such as the San Andreas Fault in California, seismographs could find activity that might have been missed among the noise. He said small local earthquakes have a high frequency, similar to noise created by humans, whereas larger earthquakes have a lower frequency. Social distancing: Astronauts, the true experts of isolation, give tips for COVID-19 social distancing In an earthquake prone area to have the city be suddenly silent, the data quality will improve a lot, said Levander with Rice University. He said Houston, and the entire Gulf Coast, contains fault zones. But the faults slip very, very slowly. Meaning an earthquake is extremely unlikely (a true scientist, Levander didnt want to say itd never happen). So Houstonians will have to find other ways to appreciate the silence. Maybe those living along 610 will finally enjoy their balconies. If the heat doesnt get to them first. andrea.leinfelder@chron.com twitter.com/a_leinfelder April 15, 2020 marks 60 years since the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, perhaps better known as SNCC, and usually pronounced as snick. SNCC became one of the most important organizations to engage in grassroots organizing during the modern civil rights movement and radically transformed youth culture during the decade. Jelani Favors, an associate professor of history and author of a book on how historically black colleges and universities ushered in a new era of activism and leadership, discusses SNCCs legacy and what lessons it can offer todays activists. What role did SNCC play in the civil rights movement? The founding of SNCC in April 1960 represented an important paradigm shift within the modern civil rights movement. SNCC encouraged black youth to defiantly enter spaces that they had been told to avoid all of their lives. The founding in 1960 resulted in a wave of SNCC activists being sent into the most hostile environments to register voters and mobilize African Americans for change. In doing so, SNCC ushered in the direct action phase of the movement. Previous generations of activists had embraced lawsuits, such as the 1944 Smith v. Allwright against racial discrimination in voting, and the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case against racial segregation in public schools. Previous generations also embraced non-direct protest tactics, such as boycotts, to bring slow change. But the sit-ins popularized by black college students who would later form SNCC placed black bodies on the line in ways that other tactics had not. They clogged five and dime stores across the South, effectively shutting them down, dramatizing the movement for black liberation as the entire world looked on through television and media coverage. Black youth courageously courted the danger that often accompanied breaking the color line in the racially segregated South. Their actions resulted in violent clashes that fully displayed the immorality of white segregationists and simultaneously captured the nobility and courage of black youth. Perhaps most importantly, SNCC radically transformed youth culture in America. The organization took a generation of youth that Time magazine had previously labeled in 1951 as the silent generation, and ushered in a decade the 1960s that would be widely characterized and defined by the militancy and dissent of young Americans. Story continues How did historically black colleges and universities help form SNCC and its agenda? Black colleges served as the incubators for this militancy. For generations, historically black colleges and universities also known as HBCUs exposed students to a second curriculum that was defined by race consciousness, idealism and cultural nationalism. These concepts not only blunted the toxic effects of white supremacy, but they also empowered youth and deliberately fitted them with a mission to serve as change agents within their respective communities and professional fields. It was not happenstance that the origins of SNCC were rooted within the crucial intellectual and social spaces that were carved out within HBCUs. The overwhelming majority of students who convened in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 15, 1960 were from southern black colleges where the sit-ins had unfolded. And it was also no mistake that they met at Shaw University, an HBCU located in Raleigh. After all, the woman who had the vision to bring those students together Ella Baker was a 1927 graduate of Shaw. For generations, black college alumni like Baker worked within religious institutions, civil rights organizations, labor unions and special interests groups. Their work within these spaces was largely informed by the second curriculum they had been exposed to as HBCU students. SNCC was therefore part of a long tradition of radicalism that was cultivated and produced within black colleges. This exposure equipped them with the necessary intellectual and political tools they would use to take on white supremacy and Jim Crow the system of legalized segregation in the South. What is SNCCs legacy? SNCC had a relatively short lifespan compared to other civil rights organizations. By the end of the decade their operations were defunct. Much of this was due to both external and internal pressures. Nevertheless, SNCC distinguished itself as the most powerful energy machine for the freedom struggle. I argue that SNCC was the most important and effective civil rights organization of the 1960s. Unlike most other organizations, SNCC eschewed top-down operations that fostered elitism and helicopter tactics in which organizers would swoop in to inspire local folks and then leave them to manage local struggles on their own. SNCCs objectives were completely opposite. They entered into the most dangerous, racially hostile and violent regions of the country, such as Albany, Georgia, the Delta region of Mississippi, and Lowndes County, Alabama. Once there, they set up operations that listened to and empowered local people, such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie Moore, Unita Blackwell and countless others. The relationship between SNCC and local people was reciprocal. SNCC activists learned and lived among the black proletariat sharecroppers, farmers and day laborers. These peoples wisdom, shrewdness and practical knowledge of how to survive and navigate the worst of the Jim Crow South proved invaluable as SNCC took the fight for black liberation into the rural communities and remote areas of the South. Their blueprint became the template for local organizing for the Black Power Movement and beyond. Perhaps most importantly, their actions played a crucial role in expanding the ballot to millions of Americans who had been marginalized by racist policies and violence. What lessons can todays student activists learn from SNCC? Both SNCCs victories and defeats are very informative on the history of black social movements. Internal debates are both necessary and healthy for activist organizations. However, by 1964 SNCCs ability to function as a cohesive unit was under serious threat. Disagreements concerning the infusion of young white activists in the organization and field operations, arguments concerning the use of non-violence as a tactic, and debate over other competing ideological tenets, such as Marxism and Black Nationalism, greatly impaired the organizations ability to keep a unified front. Perhaps most challenging were the external threats to SNCCs existence. The potency of SNCC drew the attention of federal and state agencies that wanted to curb its influence and power. SNCC activists were constantly under surveillance. They lived their lives under the looming shadow of intimidation from law enforcement and the threat of being infiltrated. Todays student activists can and should be wary of arguments that are unproductive and those who seek to derail their organizations with their own toxic agendas. In spite of these challenges, SNCC presented a model that empowered local communities and radically transformed American democracy. By listening to and learning from aggrieved populations and empowering local folks to carry out their own agendas, todays student activists can extend the radical tradition established by SNCC. [Youre too busy to read everything. We get it. Thats why weve got a weekly newsletter. Sign up for good Sunday reading. ] This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Read more: In 2009 and 2013 I received funding from the Mellon Foundation and Duke University to support the publication of my first book entitled Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism (UNC Press.) This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Joseph Migliuccis parents wanted more for their young son than the family restaurant business. So they gave him the hardest jobs, like cleaning the floors and washing dishes. Finally I put him behind the range and thought, This will kill him. Hes going to hate it, his father, Mario Migliucci, said in an article by The New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne in 1976. Not a bit. And now hes good at everything. Terrific bartender, good host, the works. Joseph Migliucci stayed on at the restaurant, Marios, for nearly a half century more, maintaining its tradition as a red-sauce cornerstone of the Bronxs Little Italy on Arthur Avenue in the Belmont section. / -- India's leading independent PR and Digital Agency, Kaizzen, will be supporting RAHI (Rise Against Hunger India) with 20,000 meals for the most vulnerable groups impacted by the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, including daily wage workers, construction workers, contract laborers and street vendors. The 20,000 meals will be distributed in partnership with RAHI, a leading NGO that is working towards hunger eradication, with currently an increased focus on providing meals to Covid19 impacted communities. According to Vineet Handa, Founder & CEO, Kaizzen, "With the current lockdown being extended till 3rd May 2020, the vulnerable sections of society including daily wage workers will be even more severely impacted, with their continued loss of livelihood. Meals form the most important aspect of sustaining and saving lives. This is a small gesture of support by Kaizzen, on behalf of the Indian Public Relations fraternity, to help people most impacted by the Covid19 pandemic." According to Mr. Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, Rise Against Hunger India, "We are thankful to Kaizzen for coming forward to support 20,000 meals for the most vulnerable groups impacted by Covid19. Even if we take conservative estimates, about half a million such people will be in need of support in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad alone. These are difficult and unprecedented times and we would urge corporates, large business houses and other organizations to come forward and contribute their bit in providing basic food to these people and prevent them from succumbing to hunger." In addition to food, RAHI is also planning to mobilize essentials like cooking oil, spices, masks etc. which can be utilized by these people. In order to contribute to the cause led by RAHI, one can visit: https://www.instamojo.com/riseagainsthungerindia/rise-against-hunger-india-covid-19-response/ About Kaizzen Established in 2008, Kaizzen is a leading independent Public Relations and Digital Media Agency, with pan-India operations. Kaizzen has worked with prestigious international and Indian brands and has received various industry awards and accolades for campaigns undertaken for its clients. Kaizzen has also been recognized as the IPRCCA 'Specialist Consultancy of the Year 2019'. The agency offers cross-sector expertise including Consumer Goods, Hospitality, Technology & Telecom, Infrastructure & Real Estate, IT, Auto, Education, Pharma & Healthcare, Startups, Sports, Government & Embassy led campaigns, amongst others. Kaizzen is a full-service agency offering solutions across traditional media, social & digital media and influencer engagement. About Rise Against Hunger India (RAHI): Rise against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, aims to show the world that it is, in fact, possible to end hunger by the year 2030. In 2014, RAH India was created as an independent entity in India, formally registered as 'Stop Hunger Now India' but later changed to Rise Against Hunger India in 2017. Headquartered in Bangalore, RAH India program began in 2015 due to increased interest and support by corporate partners to involve in meal packaging program. RAHI is committed to nourishing lives, providing emergency aid, empowering communities and growing the hunger movement. From floods to droughts, RAHI has been actively responding to emergencies. The team actively works towards bolstering agricultural production and income through various agricultural methods, business skills and market access. Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154939/Kaizzen_RAHI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people are dead, and a teenager is in critical condition after a bout of unrelated shootings overnight Monday throughout the Houston area. Police first responded to a man who was found shot dead inside an SUV at a gas station on Lockwood at Harrisburg around 6 p.m. Officers learned the shooting took place just around the corner along Stiles Street and the victim managed to flee to the gas station before succumbing to his wounds. MATRICIDE: Houston man accused of killing his mother while she cooked It is unclear if he drove himself or if someone drove to the gas station, but police questioned several witnesses along Stiles Street, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson. Then around 8:30 p.m., a 16-year-old was shot in the stomach during some kind of altercation at a home in the 5900 block of Selinksy. Police did not immediately know what led to the gunfire, but the teen boy is expected to survive, Crowson said. A group of friends were meeting up in a gas station parking lot in the 15000 block of West Road around 11:30 p.m. when someone started shooting into the group, according to Harris County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Greg Pinkins. One of the men in the group was struck, and the others pulled him inside the gas station for help as the suspect fled in a white SUV -- possibly an Acura. The friends tried to save the mans life as they called 911 to no avail. Paramedics pronounced him dead inside the gas station. The suspected gunman is described as a Hispanic male with a thin build and a military-style haircut, Pinkins said. FAMILY FEUD: Son questioned in father's death after heated argument Back in Houston, officers were called to their third shooting of the night around 12:30 a.m. in the 3600 block of St. Charles, near Alabama. It is unclear what led to the gunfire, but officers found the dead body of a man face-down in a field next to the roadway. Neighbors heard the gunfire, but no one who witnessed the shooting has come forward, according to HPD Homicide Detective Shawn Overstreet. About an hour later, officers were called to an apartment complex in the 5600 block of Royal Palms near Griggs. A father heard a knock at his front door and was shot as soon as he opened it, according to HPD Homicide Detective Joshua Horn. Hearing the gunfire, the mans roommate armed himself and returned fire, but missed, Horn said. The victim, whose 4-year-old son was sleeping in the apartment, died of his injuries. Police hope surveillance video will shed some light on who the shooter is. Anyone with information on any of these shootings is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com Quick Links SACI Facebook : SACI Instagram: Note our office will be closed from 18 December 2021 till 6 January 2022 Statement from SACI Council on tertiary training in chemistry as a result of disruptions to the 2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the professional body representing the interests of all chemists in South Africa, we recognise the challenges that the current COVID-19 crisis presents to all our members in academia, research and industry. We also acknowledge the challenges the current situation presents to our tertiary institutions and specifically the challenges presented by moving to online teaching. We applaud the efforts of all our members who work at tertiary institutions who have adapted and innovated to ensure that we can continue as far as possible with our teaching and learning of chemistry even when on campus face-to-face contact is not possible. Our tertiary institutions play a critical role in not only training the next generation of chemists, but they are also tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that many people from other professions and disciplines are trained in the fundamental principles of chemistry. We reaffirm our belief that this training is essential, as chemistry is one of the central sciences. Key to this training is the practical component and laboratory based skills development. While we accept that this critical component of our training is not possible under the current situation, we strongly urge that plans be put in place to preserve this component of training as part of the curriculum as far as possible. In some cases, virtual laboratory tools can facilitate learning, but we believe that in laboratory practical training particularly for senior level courses should be preserved. SACI strongly recommends that at least a critical minimum practical experience should form part of the plans to complete the 2020 academic year at our tertiary institutions. We believe that this is essential to preserve the validity and integrity of the academic training programmes in chemistry. Statement issued on behalf of the SACI Council, Professor Peter Mallon President of SA Latest Updates: Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan New Interactive Electronic Version of the IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements & Isotopes How do we know what the temperature of our planet was a million years ago, to better understand climate change? Where did Otzi the Iceman live as a child and an adult? What evidence gives doping agencies the gold standard to determine whether testosterone in an athletes sample comes from doping? How do we obtain 3D images of tumors in soft tissues? The answers to all of these questions and many more can be revealed through a deeper understanding of isotopes of the elements. Isotopes matter! These new resources are created for educators and students at secondary and post-secondary levels, and to inform the public about the many uses of isotopes in our lives. They are based on educational practices that encourage engaged and active learning by students. The new IUPAC interactive electronic periodic table and accompanying educational materials were created by a partnership between an , and researchers at the , and build on the work of a previous IUPAC project team to create a print version of the Periodic Table of the Isotopes. This project responds to requests by educators and students for resources highlighting the importance of isotopes in our lives, and that give students help in using interval atomic weights for elements. brings free engaging and interactive learning resources to the fingertips of students and educators around the world, says Task Group Co-Chair Peter Mahaffy, Professor of Chemistry at the Kings University in Canada, and co-director of the Kings Centre for Visualization in Science. And Norman Holden, retired Research Coordinator of the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) and the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMMR) and a Guest Scientist at the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) of Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, adds: Its great when scientists and educators work together to create a vehicle to provide students with an understanding of fundamental scientific facts and accomplish this internationally. Following the global launch on August 17, 2016, the new IUPAC interactive electronic periodic table and accompanying resources can be accessed at . A print version of the periodic table of the isotopes and elements is available at . Further details will be published in the peer-reviewed IUPAC Journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry. Contact: Dr. Peter Mahaffy, IUPAC Project Task Force Co-Chair Co-Director, The Kings Centre for Visualization in Science The Kings University, Canada Dr. Norman Holden, IUPAC Project Task Force Co-Chair Brookhaven National Laboratories, USA Dr. Fabienne Meyers Associate Director, IUPAC SACI Ties, Scarfs and T-shirts Periodic table ties and ladies scarfs R130 each. Periodic table T Shirt Short sleeve R180, Long sleeve R200 Please contact head office to place orders. There is also a courier charge of R150 per order for delivery. A pastor who vowed to continue preaching through the coronavirus pandemic, or until he was in jail or the hospital, has now died of the coronavirus. Bishop Gerald Glenn, the pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Virginia, died on Saturday night. He becomes the latest Virginian evangelical preacher to fall victim to the coronavirus following the death of Landon Spradlin, who allegedly caught the virus at Mardi Gras after decrying media hysteria about the dangers of the disease. During a sermon on March 22, Bishop Glenn told a church audience in Virginia that he was not afraid of the coronavirus. "I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," the pastor told his congregation. That came five days after the states governor, Ralph Northam, urged Virgnians to avoid non essential gatherings of more than 10 people. The order on gathering was then enforced on March 23. Still, Bishop Glenn had asked churchgoers to stand to prove how many people had attended the service. Appearing to accept that his church was turning a blind-eye to health and safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus, the pastor said he was essential and vowed to continue until he was in jail or hospital, reported the New York Post. He had added: Im a preacher I talk to God! In a statement on Facebook, the church confirmed that the pastor had died. It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Bishop Gerald O Glenn, said the church. The church's post asked that others would allow the "First Family to grieve in their own way." Senator Tim Kaine paid tribute to Bishop Glenn, who founded his church in 1995, in a message on Twitter. He said on Sunday: My heart sinks as I learn this morning that Bishop Gerald Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, died yesterday from COVID-19. He was a friend and pillar of Richmond faith community. May all do as much for so many. There have now been more than 5,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Virginia, with 149 deaths. Dear Editor, Last Saturday morning, April 11, I drove to the Hannaford supermarket on Ulster Avenue at 7:20 to grocery shop for needed items. Being an older adult, I ventured out early, hoping to come in contact with fewer shoppers. As I began my shopping, wearing my handmade cloth face mask and protective gloves, I noticed Hannaford employees restocking shelves, many without face masks or gloves. As I rolled my cart down the aisles the story was the same: The checkout workers also wore no protection. My concern deepened for my safety and for the safety of Hannaford employees. Before leaving, I spoke with a Hannaford manager and was told that wearing a face mask was a suggestion, not a mandate for his employees. Upon arriving home, I called Hannafords main office. I was unable to connect with anyone.My worries lingered throughout the weekend. This morning I called the office of the Mayor of Kingston to receive guidance about whom I might express my deep worries to. I was directed to the COVID-19 Hotline. Again, I told my Saturday morning shopping story and was told it was not within their purview. I was directed to the Ulster County Health Department and was informed it was not the Health Departments area. The gentleman I spoke with referred me to the state Agriculture Department. No one answered that call. At that point, I gave up. We have asked nonessential businesses to close for the communitys well-being, and yet a large grocery store continues to expose their patrons and their employees to potential harm. Susan Blacker Saugerties, N.Y. Cyclone Harold destroyed many homes in Vanuatus Sanma province and damaged schools and health centres, says UN. The United Nations has released $2.5m from its emergency humanitarian fund to help thousands of people affected by Cyclone Harold in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and offered support to other hard-hit countries. The cyclone made landfall on Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu, on April 6 before hitting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga. At least two people died in Vanuatu, and a further 27 in the Solomon Islands when they were swept off a ferry in rough seas, according to media reports. Initial assessments suggest as much as 90 percent of the population in Sanma, the most affected province of Vanuatu, lost their homes, and more than half of all schools and almost a quarter of health centres were damaged, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Monday. Crops have been destroyed, and many communities are now cut off from help because of flooding and the destruction of roads. The emergency funds will enable UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations to provide safe drinking water, food, shelter and healthcare to affected people, said OCHA. On April 11, Vanuatus President Tallis Obed Moses had extended a state of emergency declared over the coronavirus pandemic by 30 days due to the severe impact of Cyclone Harold, according to local news website, the Daily Post. UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock, who announced the release of the $2.5m for Vanuatu, said: Thousands of people urgently need shelter, water and food to survive. He praised the government and first responders for ensuring people were safe before the storm and meeting immediate needs following it, adding that: As the extent of the destruction becomes clear, this UN funding will ensure aid supplies are maintained and reach the people who need it. He said it was especially important to support Vanuatu at a time when the coronavirus pandemic touches us all. The UN said that to facilitate the movement of aid supplies, the government had eased in-country travel restrictions and lifted restrictions on domestic air and sea operations. Vanuatu, with roughly 80 islands stretching about 1,300 kilometres (808 miles) and a population near 300,000, was jointly controlled by the United Kingdom and France as the New Hebrides before it gained independence in 1980. President Trump speaks Tuesday at a White House meeting with people who have recovered from COVID-19. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) The battle between President Trump and governors over how and when to relax coronavirus restrictions continued Tuesday with more angry words from both sides. Reiterating his claim of total authority, Trump started the day with a series of tweets that, among other things, compared any resistance from the states to a good old fashioned mutiny. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies, he tweeted. Within hours, prompted by reporters' questions, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo fired back. We do not have a king in this country, Cuomo said at his daily news conference. That has been a topic discussed since our founding fathers we didnt want a king, so we have a Constitution. At a combative, at times bizarre, White House briefing Monday night, the president expressed his eagerness to reopen the economy and stated that he had the power to dictate actions at the state level. Though constitutional experts say the president does not have such authority, Trump continued with his assertions Tuesday morning, focusing his ire on Cuomo, whose state has lost more than 10,000 people to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! Trump tweeted. That wont happen! Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020 Cuomo acknowledged that he had sought help from the White House before and that states would continue to need federal assistance during the coronavirus crisis. He suggested that he would rather not fight with Trump. Story continues Theres too much to do for everyone, he said. Nationwide, more than 25,000 people have died of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. New York has suffered the brunt of the outbreak with more than 10,050 deaths. But many of the hardest-hit states including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan and California have reported a slowing in key indicators such as hospitalizations, intensive-care patients and intubations. So the quarrel among Trump and governors was indicative of an overall trend that saw officials looking toward the next phase of the pandemic and wondering what conducting business and returning to school might look like. With widespread testing viewed as essential, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a deal with private companies and universities to produce 100,000 additional test kits per week beginning next month. Weve had a big breakthrough, he said. Thats going to be a major, major step forward for this city." Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said confirmed COVID-19 cases in her state have risen, fueled by several new outbreaks. At least 38 people have died in the state, according to Johns Hopkins. Though numbers are not expected to peak until the end of the month, Reynolds has been working with a major packing plant, shuttered after dozens of employees fell ill, in hopes that operations can resume. Its incredibly important because that is part of the food-supply chain, Reynolds said. In Ohio, where more than 270 people have died, officials have asked business owners to look ahead, envisioning ways to reopen that will make employees and customers feel safe. Gov. Mike DeWine cautioned that, even as the pandemic subsides, conditions will be far from ideal. Until there is a vaccine, there is going to be a monster around us, he said. Coronavirus, as far as we can tell, is still going to be here. It is still going to be, for some people, deadly. Although Trump has issued national recommendations advising people stay home, it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions, including shuttering schools and closing nonessential businesses. Some of those orders carry fines or other penalties, and in some jurisdictions they extend into the early summer. Trumps Monday comments came soon after leaders in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables. In the East, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island agreed to coordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact, saying they will work together and put their residents health first and let science guide their decisions. Trumps claim that he could force governors to reopen their states represented a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks, he argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis. He refused to publicly pressure states to enact stay-at-home restrictions, citing his belief in local control of government. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont told CNN that verbal hand grenades from the president should not distract from progress he has made in discussions with Vice President Mike Pence. After a morning telephone call with Pence, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy attempted to downplay Trump's earlier tweets. I was wondering, he said. Was it the Charles Laughton Mutiny on the Bounty or the Marlon Brando Mutiny on the Bounty? Disagreements notwithstanding, Murphy emphasized that states will need help as they seek to loosen restrictions. He said: Theres no substituting for that big gorilla in the room, the federal government. Though Cuomo agreed, he vowed to claim his states sovereignty if the president enacted any policies that seemed harmful or reckless. That would be the argument, the New York governor said. The Constitution. I would call Alexander Hamilton. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Abrasion Resistant Coatings market worldwide is projected to grow by US$3.2 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 6.9%. Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 7.5%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$3.4 Billion by the year 2025, Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797751/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 5.8% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$111.1 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$94.2 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings will reach a market size of US$152.2 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 10.3% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$880.6 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, Akzo Nobel NV Arkema Group Evonik Industries AG Hempel A/S Jotul AS PPG Industries, Inc. Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc. Saint-Gobain SA Sika AG The Sherwin-Williams Company Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797751/?utm_source=PRN I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Global Competitor Market Shares Abrasion Resistant Coatings Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 Introduction 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Rise in Use of Abrasion - Resistant Ceramic Coatings in Industrial Applications PVD and PACVD Coatings Gain Traction in the Aerospace Industry Growing Role of Coatings in Aerospace Industry Resurgence in Oil and Gas Activity Spurs Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings Rise in Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in Automotive Sector E&P Investment in Oil and gas Industry : 2015-2019 Global Drilling Activity by Region: 2018 Number of Offshore Projects Approved by Type: 2015-2018 Abrasion Resistant Coatings Find Increasing Application in the Construction and Infrastructure Industry to Minimize Repair and Maintenance Costs Annual Growth Estimates for Global Construction Industry: 2009-2019 Annual Growth Estimates for Global Residential Construction Industry in Select Markets : 2017-2019 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table: Global Drilling Activity, Offshore VS Onshore: 2012-2018 Table 1: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: Metal/ Ceramic Based Coatings (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Polymer Based Coatings (Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Polymer Based Coatings (Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Polymer Based Coatings (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Oil & Gas (Application) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 11: Oil & Gas (Application) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 12: Oil & Gas (Application) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Industrial (Application) Demand Potential Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 14: Industrial (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 15: Industrial (Application) Share Breakdown Review by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Marine (Application) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 17: Marine (Application) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 18: Marine (Application) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: Power Generation (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 20: Power Generation (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 21: Power Generation (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 22: Infrastructure (Application) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 23: Infrastructure (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 24: Infrastructure (Application) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Transport (Application) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 26: Transport (Application) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 27: Transport (Application) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Other Applications (Application) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 29: Other Applications (Application) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 30: Other Applications (Application) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 31: United States Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the United States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 33: United States Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: United States Abrasion Resistant Coatings Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 35: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 36: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 37: Canadian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 38: Canadian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 39: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 40: Canadian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 41: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 42: Canadian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 43: Japanese Market for Abrasion Resistant Coatings: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 44: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 45: Japanese Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 47: Japanese Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 48: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 49: Chinese Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 50: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 51: Chinese Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 52: Chinese Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 53: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Review in China in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 54: Chinese Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 55: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 56: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 57: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 59: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 60: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 61: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 62: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 63: European Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 64: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in France by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 65: French Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 66: French Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 67: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 68: French Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 69: French Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 70: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 71: German Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 72: German Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 73: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 74: German Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 75: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 76: Italian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 77: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 78: Italian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 79: Italian Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 80: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 81: Italian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 82: United Kingdom Market for Abrasion Resistant Coatings: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 83: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 84: United Kingdom Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 85: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 86: United Kingdom Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 87: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SPAIN Table 88: Spanish Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 89: Spanish Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 90: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Spain: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 91: Spanish Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 92: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Spain: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 93: Spanish Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 RUSSIA Table 94: Russian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 95: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Russia by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 96: Russian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 97: Russian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 98: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Demand Patterns in Russia by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 99: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown in Russia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 100: Rest of Europe Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 101: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: Rest of Europe Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: Rest of Europe Abrasion Resistant Coatings Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 104: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 105: Rest of Europe Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 106: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 107: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 108: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 109: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Asia-Pacific by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 110: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 111: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 112: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 113: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 114: Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 AUSTRALIA Table 115: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Australia: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: Australian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 117: Australian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 118: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Australia: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 119: Australian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 120: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in Australia by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 INDIA Table 121: Indian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 122: Indian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 123: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in India: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 124: Indian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 125: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in India: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 126: Indian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SOUTH KOREA Table 127: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: South Korean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 129: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in South Korea: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 131: South Korean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 132: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in South Korea by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC Table 133: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Abrasion Resistant Coatings: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 134: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 135: Rest of Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 136: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 137: Rest of Asia-Pacific Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 138: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift in Rest of Asia-Pacific by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 LATIN AMERICA Table 139: Latin American Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018-2025 Table 140: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Latin America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic Perspective for the Period 2009-2017 Table 141: Latin American Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 142: Latin American Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 143: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 144: Latin American Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 145: Latin American Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 146: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Review in Latin America in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 147: Latin American Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ARGENTINA Table 148: Argentinean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 149: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Argentina in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: Argentinean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: Argentinean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 152: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Argentina: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 153: Argentinean Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 BRAZIL Table 154: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Brazil by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 155: Brazilian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 156: Brazilian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Quantitative Demand Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 158: Brazilian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 159: Brazilian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 MEXICO Table 160: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Mexico: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 161: Mexican Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 162: Mexican Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 163: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Mexico: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 164: Mexican Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 165: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in Mexico by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF LATIN AMERICA Table 166: Rest of Latin America Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 167: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Latin America by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 168: Rest of Latin America Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 169: Rest of Latin America Abrasion Resistant Coatings Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 170: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Demand Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 171: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown in Rest of Latin America by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 MIDDLE EAST Table 172: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 173: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the Middle East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 174: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 175: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 176: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 177: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the Middle East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 178: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 179: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the Middle East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 180: The Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IRAN Table 181: Iranian Market for Abrasion Resistant Coatings: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 182: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Iran: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 183: Iranian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 184: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 185: Iranian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 186: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Shift in Iran by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ISRAEL Table 187: Israeli Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 188: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Israel in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 189: Israeli Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 190: Israeli Abrasion Resistant Coatings Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 191: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Israel: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 192: Israeli Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 SAUDI ARABIA Table 193: Saudi Arabian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 194: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 195: Saudi Arabian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 196: Saudi Arabian Demand for Abrasion Resistant Coatings in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 197: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Review in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 198: Saudi Arabian Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Table 199: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 200: United Arab Emirates Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 201: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 202: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in the United Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 203: United Arab Emirates Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 204: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF MIDDLE EAST Table 205: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 206: Rest of Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 207: Rest of Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 208: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Rest of Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 209: Rest of Middle East Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 210: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Distribution in Rest of Middle East by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 AFRICA Table 211: African Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 212: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market in Africa by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 213: African Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 214: African Abrasion Resistant Coatings Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 215: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Historic Demand Patterns in Africa by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 216: Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market Share Breakdown in Africa by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION 3M COMPANY A.W. CHESTERTON COMPANY AKZO NOBEL NV APV ENGINEERED COATINGS AREMCO PRODUCTS, INC. ARKEMA GROUP ASB INDUSTRIES, INC. AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS BASF SE CARBOLINE COMPANY CHEMBOND CHEMICALS CHEMMASTERS CHUGOKU MARINE PAINTS COMPAGNIE DE SAINT-GOBAIN SA DYMAX CORPORATION ECOLOGICAL COATINGS, LLC EVONIK INDUSTRIES AG GEMITE GROUP HEMPEL A/S HENKEL ADHESIVE TECHNOLOGIES JOTUN AS JTUL AS KANSAI NEROLAC PAINTS KEYLAND POLYMER MASTER BOND METAL CONTAINER CORPORATION MOMENTIVE PERFORMANCE MATERIALS, INC. NEI CORPORATION NILIMA NANOTECHNOLOGIES OC OERLIKON CORPORATION AG PERFORMANCE COATINGS INTERNATIONAL LABORATORIES PIONEER METAL FINISHING PPG INDUSTRIES PRAXAIR S.T. TECHNOLOGY PRAXAIR SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES ROYAL DSM NV SAN CERA COAT INDUSTRIES PVT. SATYEN POLYMERS PVT. LTD. SDC TECHNOLOGIES SIKA AG SK FORMULATIONS INDIA PVT. SPECIALTY PRODUCTS STAHL HOLDINGS BV SUN COATING COMPANY SUPERIOR EPOXIES & COATINGS THE SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY TNEMEC WARREN PAINT & COLOR CO. WATSON COATINGS DAICH COATINGS CORPORATION DENSO NORTH AMERICA, INC. DIAMONDSTONE, LLC DURA COAT PRODUCTS, INC. DUR-A-FLEX, INC. ELTECH CERAMICS EVANS COATINGS, LLC EVERLUBE PRODUCTS HARDIDE COATINGS LTD. IBC COATING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. IMPREGLON UK LTD. KONKAN TECHNICAL SUPPLIES COMPANY (K-TECH) METALLIC BONDS LTD. NEOCRETE TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD. NIC INDUSTRIES, INC. POLYSPEC LP PPG HIGH PERFORMANCE COATINGS PRO COAT SPECIALITIES PVT. LTD. RACINE FLAME SPRAY, INC. RUST BULLET, LLC SAARA POLYCOATS PVT. LTD. SPECIALITY POLYMERS & SERVICES, INC. TECHCOAT CONTRACTORS, INC. ACREE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. ADVANCE PAINTS PVT. LTD. ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL COATINGS ALCAT COATINGS ALWAYS DRY INDIA PVT. LTD. CLEARCHOICE, INC. (SDC) COATING DESIGN GROUP, INC. V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797751/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Check guidelines, rules; what is allowed, what is not allowed Migrants defy lockdown, stage protest in Mumbai, Thane and Surat India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Apr 14: A large group of migrant workers defied lockdown orders and came together in Mumbai's Bandra demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places. The migrant workers said that they were left without jobs and asked the government to arrange transport for them to go back to their homes. The police had to resort to lathicharge in order to disperse them. Similar crowds were witnessed in Thane's Mumbra, Gujarat's Surat, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Maharashtra Government has failed totally. It's time for #UddhavResign pic.twitter.com/2K0aNGu4BZ Suresh Nakhua ( ) (@SureshNakhua) April 14, 2020 A police official told news agency PTI that daily wage earners numbering around 1,000, assembled at suburban Bandra (West) bus depot near the railway station and squatted on road a around 3 pm. Nowhere in the game: Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt on Coronavirus testing Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray reacted to the incident of migrant workers gathering at the Bandra bus station demanding transportation to return home. The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) April 14, 2020 The hundreds of migrant workers who gathered outside Bandra railway station here on Tuesday might have expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would order reopening of state borders, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said. They were told by the police that borders are not going to be opened and the situation was now under control, he said. The migrants were assured that the state government will make arrangement of food and accommodation for them, following which the crowds dispersed, he said. "Lakhs of workers from other states work in Mumbai. They expected that the PM would open the state borders today. They felt they could go to their home states," the minister said. Similar scenes were reported from Thane district. Several migrant labourers gathered in Mumbra as well. They demanded that they be allowed to go back to their hometowns. Reportedly, around 150 migrant workers from Hyderabad started their journey on foot to Palasa in Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of migrant workers converged at Varachha's Mohan Nagar in Surat. They too demanded provisions to be sent back home. This comes hours after Prime Minister Narendra announced his decision to extend the coronavirus lockdown in the country till May 3 in order to control the spread of the deadly infection. While announcing his decision, PM Modi had said that rules for lockdown this time would be more stringent, saying it was the only way to break the chain of the deadly virus that has affected over 10,000 and claimed the lives of more than 350 in India so far. MOSCOW Dr. Azat Asadullin, chief doctor at a clinic in south-central Russia, is scrambling to prepare for an influx of patients. He is ready to deploy spare beds and stocking up on medication and disinfectants. The affliction Dr. Asadullin is girding for is alcoholism. Across the world, the coronavirus pandemic has sparked fears of increased alcohol abuse, as people locked in and anxious turn to drink. In Russia, two weeks into a nationwide partial lockdown, those fears are becoming reality as evidence mounts that a spike in alcohol sales is fueling a rise in domestic violence. The patients are dour, irritable and aggressive, Dr. Asadullin said, describing the people he is treating during the pandemic. Over New Years theyre more compliant and happy. Reducing the countrys passion for inebriants has been one of the governments main public health goals under President Vladimir V. Putin, and the most recent official statistics showed Russians consuming about one-third less alcohol per year than they did in 2003. Online churches see spike in attendance I have received at least three contacts from pastors telling me they are going to break the governments mandate against social gatherings. In one sense, the U.S. government cannot mandate our worship of God, when we worship or how we worship. So, I understand why some pastors oppose the governments mandate of social gatherings. However, the Bible teaches that Christians should obey the government/rulers over them and pray for them. If churches are restricted to no more than 10 people, therefore, it seems they are permitted to have small gathering like prayer meetings, Sunday school classes, and Bible studies. I am researching a book on online churches in the U.S. and around the world. In the past two weeks I have been amazed at the response of pastors to me about their explosive attendance with their online worship services. A church in greater Lynchburg with 350 worshipers has had 700 online viewers attending their worship service. Another church in Harrisonburg of 250 worshipers reported 1,400 online. Many others are reporting great online attendances as well. The church of Jesus Christ has always found a way to worship. In the early days, the Roman Empire persecuted the church and they met in catacombs, caves, and out in the woods. Is the online church an expression of that determined will to put God first in everything? Elmer Towns Lynchburg Professor Apple leaves noble legacy behind Both the Central Virginia-area and the wider world have lost a treasure with the death of Tom Burford, "Professor Apple," on March 29. Polite, gentle, a born teacher and author, he changed the way Americans thought about, planted, and consumed apples through his encyclopedic knowledge of heirloom varieties. Like so many others, we met him at a food festival decades ago and sought his advice on what trees we could plant in our relatively small yard. We visited him, tasted several varieties, and based on his recommendations and the size and location of our space, bought two trees, one of which, a Cox Pippin, still in most years gives us generous amounts of fruit for pies, dumplings and applesauce. More than once Mr. Burford came by to check on its progress. Our story could be repeated with variations numerous times. Tom Burford will be remembered by his friends, customers, and the trees he fostered and loved. What a noble legacy. Dorothy Potter Lynchburg A doctor who lost a friend and fellow healthcare professional to coronavirus has called for the UK to recognise the contribution of migrant workers after the pandemic. This comes after several Filipino NHS workers have died after contracting coronavirus, including Sister Leilani Dayrit. Salah Hammouche is a former colleague of Ms Dayrit and suggested that NHS facilities could be named after professionals like her who lost their lives on the frontline of the outbreak. Ms Dayrit, a nurse from St Cross Hospital in Rugby, died on April 7 and is one of several Filipino NHS workers to die after contracting Covid-19 over the last week. NHS England has reported the death of 19 NHS staff members since the coronavirus epidemic. There are 19,463 Filipino staff working for the NHS hospital and community health services, according to NHS Digital's June 2019 report. Ms Dayrit, a nurse from St Cross Hospital in Rugby, Warwickshire, died on April 7 and is one of the Filipino NHS workers to die after contracting coronavirus over the last week 'She will be remembered as a very compassionate nurse, a hard-working nurse, as a mother... we will remember her as a friend,' Mr Hammouche told PA news agency. 'She was one of the best... she always went the extra mile to look after her patients and colleagues.' A GoFundMe page set up for Ms Dayrit's husband and daughter, which has raised over 11,000, described her as an 'unsung hero' who was dedicated to the NHS for 16 years. Mr Hammouche, a trauma and orthopaedic registrar, who was born in Syria before moving to the UK 13 years ago, said he hopes the contribution of international healthcare workers will be highlighted. Trauma and orthopaedic registrar Mr Hammouche has called for NHS facilities to be named after migrant workers who lost their lives working on the front lines He said: 'We all know that the environment and the tone in the country has sadly changed over the last few years, with Brexit and other stuff, towards migrants and migrant workers. 'Lei was obviously not born in this country... when you look at the figures and the names of the people who sadly passed away... the majority of them were not. 'I hope that the contribution of international medics, nurses, physiotherapists, and even us losing our lives and loved ones to save the patients of this country, hopefully, will help to build better harmony. 'We all signed up to treat patients, to make them better... We did not sign up to die on the frontline, but we are all happy to risk our lives to make sure this country and the world can overcome this pandemic. 'Once the pandemic has subsided I think it would be a good contribution to name wards or parts of NHS facilities after the names of these people who have passed away fighting the coronavirus.' Ms Dayrit was described as a 'very dedicated worker' who was often referred to by children of her friends as 'Mummy Lei' or 'second mother'. Her former colleague Mr Salah Hammouche said: 'She will be remembered as a very compassionate nurse, a hard-working nurse, as a mother... we will remember her as a friend' She grew up with seven siblings in Vigan City, going on to become a community youth leader, student and even a beauty queen. Ms Dayrit got her degree in nursing from the University of North Philippines before moving to the UK. Mr Hammouche, who has also worked at the Royal London Hospital and Great Ormond Street, said generally the UK has been a 'very loving' and 'very welcoming' country since he arrived and he hopes that continues. He also said he is thankful for the displays of support shown by the public and media towards healthcare workers, saying 'it's nice to feel appreciated and valued'. Mr Hammouche warned that Covid-19 coronavirus is 'no joke', saying: 'We know patients who will just develop mild symptoms in the morning and by the afternoon they will be on a ventilator and by the evening they pass away.' A House of Commons report from last year found that at least 18,000 Filipinos work for the NHS. They form the third largest ethnic group in the Health Service, second only to British and Indian. Mr Hammouche thanked his colleagues, and said he is 'so honoured to be a member of these teams'. Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said in a statement: 'It is with great sadness that I can confirm that a member of staff at the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby has sadly passed away. 'All our thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues and we offer them our sincerest condolences. 'The Trust is doing everything it can to support both the family and our staff during this very difficult and distressing time.' Nurse Melujean Ballesteros, 60, has become the fourth Filipino NHS worker to die of coronavirus. She died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, on Sunday Another of the NHS frontline workers from the Philippines to fall victim to the virus was Melujean Ballesteros. The 60-year-old died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, on Sunday after being admitted on Friday. She was the fourth Filipino worker to die after contracting coronavirus in the last week. The mother-of-two fell ill with flu-like symptoms in mid-March, but only went to hospital after her family convinced her to two days before her death. Philippine ambassador Antonio Lagdameo has paid tribute to Mrs Ballesteros, nurse Leilani Dayrit and hospital porters Oscar King Jr and Elbert Rico, who were all from the Philippines and have all died of the virus. Mrs Ballesteros is survived by her husband Luis, 64, and their two sons Rainier, 37, and Bryan, 38. Pictured: Mrs Ballesteros died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London Her younger son said: 'My mum is a dedicated and very caring nurse. She started her career in the UK in 2003, she loved her work as a nurse.' Rainier, who lives in Calauag in the Philippines, added that Mrs Ballesteros had a fever and cough in mid-March and self-isolated for nine days. But on Friday he said she was picked up by an ambulance and taken to hospital after her family advised her to on account of her worsening condition. A GoFundMe page was created by colleague Faz Ghooloo, lead nurse at St Mary's Hospital, to help raise funds for funeral costs. In a touching tribute, Ms Ghooloo wrote: 'Melujean was a kind-hearted person who dedicated her life to her profession as a nurse. 'She always had a smile and she never complained about anything.' Tributes have also poured in for a Filipino nurse who died after contracting coronavirus, with colleagues saying they were 'heartbroken'. Leilani Medel, who worked as an agency nurse in south Wales, was described as a 'wonderful and caring person'. Leilani Medel died after contracting coronavirus and her husband Johnny Medel Jnr is in a critical condition after catching the virus A fundraising appeal to help Mrs Medel's family in the Philippines has also been launched, with donations reaching over 8,000. Her husband Johnny Medel Jnr, 42, is in a critical condition after also contracting the virus. Their daughter Carmina Angeline Medel, 13, also had coronavirus but it is understood she has been released from hospital. Her 35-year-old aunt Shiela Ancheta, who lives in the Philippines, said: 'We are very sad because we can't go there to visit her family because of the travel ban. 'Although she was my niece, she is six years older than me. She was like my older sister.' Leilani and Johnny, of Coychurch, Bridgend, both worked in healthcare. Shiela said: 'Please continue to pray for my niece's husband as he is also suffering from Covid-19 through this difficult time. 'It doesn't seem real that she is gone from us. She was full of life, and I know she did not want to leave her daughter Carmina motherless. 'We just want her to know how much we will miss her, and how much her family is hurting. 'We wish her peace and will always be remembered as a modern hero during this pandemic and her courage, selflessness, dedications and sacrifices in the battle against covid-19.' Leilani's brother Noel Osoteo, of Santiago City in the Phillipines, said: 'It is very hard for us, especially for my father. She was the best sister I ever had.' Her daughter Carmina Angeline Medel, 13, also had coronavirus but it is understood she has been released from hospital Rhian Eccleshare, director of nursing at Cardiff-based Hoop Recruitment, said: 'Leilani Medel was not only a nurse, she was a mother, a wife, and our friend. 'Having known Leilani for several years, she never had a bad word to say about anyone and was so passionate about her work. Her smile was infectious and she had the kindest of souls. 'We are completely heartbroken at learning the news of Leilani's passing, and are devastated that this world has lost such a wonderful and caring person. 'The nursing profession has lost a warm-natured and beautiful nurse who cared for so many vulnerable people during her nursing career. Her absence will be felt and missed. 'We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to her family and our thoughts and prayers are with you at this tragic time. 'Thank you for everything you gave us Leilani. May you rest in peace.' Mrs Medel had worked as an agency nurse at hospitals within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Hospital Board area. Helen Whyley, Director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales, said: 'I am devastated to learn that another nurse has passed away.' 'This is the third reported death of a nursing professional in Wales due to Covid-19. During this difficult time, I would like to express my condolences to all of their families, friends and colleagues. Pictured far right is Elbert Rico, a hospital porter at the John Radcliffe Hospital who died after contracting coronavirus 'Our nursing community has stepped up in extraordinary ways to deal with this health crisis from coming out of retirement to being redeployed to specialised clinical areas. Nurses have been at the forefront of the battle against Covid-19. 'For those who have sadly passed away, we will always remember their sacrifice and dedication to caring for their patients.' Two Filipino hospital porters have also died after contracting coronavirus. Oscar King Jr and Elbert Rico both worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. They were both married to other nurses at the hospital, the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust said in a statement. It read: 'It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the deaths of two members of staff, both of whom were porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital and both married to members of our nursing teams. 'Both men were popular and hard-working members of our fantastic team of porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital. 'They will be sorely missed by their colleagues as well as family and friends in the wider community.' Philippine ambassador Antonio Lagdameo, said in a statement: 'Filipino health workers have served tirelessly and courageously at the frontlines of the war against this pandemic, and their contribution to the ongoing effort to save lives is nothing but immense. 'The escalation of confirmed Covid-19 cases and Covid-19-related deaths point out the undeniable truth that this disease is an existential threat even to the most healthy and fit among us.' Tributes have poured in for other health care workers who have died with Covid-19. Experienced nurse Julie Omar, 52, died after treating patients, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said. She had been self-isolating at home after developing symptoms. Sara Trollope, 51, was confirmed to have died by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. She had previously met Boris Johnson Trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins said: 'It is with great sorrow that I have to share with you the sad news that a much-loved member of our nursing team - Julie Omar - has died.' Nurse Sara Trollope has died after testing positive for the virus at Watford General Hospital and nurse Gareth Roberts, who had more than 40 years experience, has died, Cardiff and Vale NHS Healthcare Trust said. Mrs Trollope, 51, who has worked at Hillingdon Hospital, died at Watford General Hospital, the Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust said on Saturday. Nurse Gareth Roberts, who came out of retirement to work for the NHS during the crisis, has also died The mother-of-four had spent 33 years working for the NHS and has been praised for her empathy and support for older people with dementia. Medical director Dr Paul Hopper said: 'Sara had that unbeatable combination of kindness, selflessness and total determination to get things right for patients. She was an example to every one of us.' Tracy Woods, who set up a fundraiser for Mrs Trollope's family, said: 'Sara cared very much about her patients and staff and completely loved her job. 'Sadly it was the job that cost her life.' Nurse Gareth Roberts, who had more than 40 years experience, was also confirmed to have died after testing positive for the virus, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said. Experienced nurse Julie Omar, 52, has died, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said. She had been self-isolating after developing coronavirus-like symptoms Mandy Siddorn, 61, who worked for a pharmacist in the north-west of England died after contracting coronavirus He had come out of retirement to work for the NHS during the crisis. Paying tribute to Mr Roberts, a nurse since the 1980s, colleagues at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: 'Gareth was well known by everyone and was extremely popular, fun-filled and well-liked person, always greeting everyone with, 'Hello Cariad' when he saw them. Pharmacy worker Mandy Siddorn, 61, from Birkenhead in Merseyside has also died, her employer Swettenham Chemists Ltd has said. They operate branches across Chester, Wirral and north Wales. 'It is with much sadness that we acknowledge the loss of one of our Swettenham 'family', Mandy, who passed away as a result of contracting coronavirus,' the business said. Kevin Smith, who worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died after catching coronavirus. Colleagues paid tribute to him as an 'incredible person' who 'loved his job' and as a man who was 'renowned for his warm personality' Donna Campbell, 54, tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted into intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has been described as a bubbly personality Kevin Smith, who died after a short battle with coronavirus, had worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, South Yorkshire. He had been employed by the NHS for 35 years. His heartbroken daughter Ellie Whitley wrote on social media: 'It's so overwhelming to see so many amazing comments for such an incredible person who loved his job and everyone he worked with for many years. Donna Campbell, 54, worked as a nurse at the Velindre cancer hospital, Cardiff, where she was known for singing and dancing with patients. She had been at the hospital for 20 years after getting her first position there as a volunteer, and was known among staff and patients for her bright and bubbly personality. Ms Campbell was treated in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after she tested positive for the virus. The Velindre University NHS Trust paid tribute to the nurse who will 'always have a special place in our hearts'. Hwang Kyo-ahn, the leader of the main opposition United Future Party, asks for voters' support in Wednesday's general election, during a news conference in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Kang Seung-woo The rival political parties were engaged in last-minute campaigns in Seoul and its surrounding area on the eve of election day, Tuesday, in attempts to win over swing voters. On the last day of the 13-day official campaign period, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) asked citizens to ensure administrative stability amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) stressed the need to deliver a judgment on the government's performance. The general election to make up the 300-seat National Assembly will be held nationwide today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Seoul and its neighboring regions Gyeonggi Province and Incheon are seen as the most important political battlefields given that a total of 121 parliamentary seats are up for grabs there. Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister who is running in the Jongno district in central Seoul, was committed to his own campaign Tuesday, after previously visiting regional constituencies across the country to support fellow candidates as a co-chairman of the DPK's campaign committee. While taking to the streets in Jongno, he asked voters to cast their ballots for him as well as Civil Together, the DPK's "satellite party," to gain additional proportional representation seats. He expressed support for DPK candidates in districts adjacent to Jongno. During a party meeting held earlier in the day at the National Assembly, Lee said it was essential for the DPK to become the largest in parliament to allow the Moon administration to smoothly operate state affairs. "The economic damage from the COVID-19 outbreak is getting serious," he said. "In this time, confusion in state administration would be a disaster. It is necessary for the DPK to secure enough seats." Lee Nak-yon, left, the candidate for the Jongno District on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) ticket, holds a joint election campaign with fellow DPK candidate Park Sung-joon running in the Seongdong-B constituency in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap PHOENIX, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quality Wood Floors announced today the release of their newest hard surface flooring collection by Switzerland-based manufacturer KronoSwiss. Part of their new Grand Selection Origin collection, Moon is a designers favorite shade of floor coloring. Quality Wood Floors showing off their flooring option called Sunset, a sturdy laminate that looks and feels like natural wood. Modeled to provide a real, rustic-looking natural wood flooring, the new collection is called Grand Selection Origin, featuring six oversized-panel, abrasion-resistant color options. A popular choice in homes across the country for all traffic types, including bedrooms, living rooms, dining and kitchens, the laminate flooring is resilient and withstands highly-trafficked hotels, restaurants and commercial applications. "Our nationwide dealer network loves this collection because it's water resistant, very easy to clean and has excellent sound-insulating barriers," says George Braica, VP of Operations for Quality Wood Floors. "Our dealers also appreciate how easy the large planks are to install because unlike any other laminate this can be floated or glued down." A modern and attractive set of colors, the Grand Selection Origin collection is water-proof for 72 hours and because of their aquastop technology, the flooring is used in bathrooms, laundry rooms and other spaces that attract water. Each plank is 14 mm thick, 80 inches long and 9.6 inches wide, making for one of the sturdiest planks in the industry. An abrasion score of AC5 puts this laminate in the highest scratch-resistance class. "Our customers regularly search for quality products that look great and match design requirements," reports Braica, "as tastes change, our customers come back to our team because we not only monitor the market, but more importantly, we care about their experience, far more than simply making a quick sale." About Quality Wood Floors | Distribution Since 1950, Quality Wood Floors, Inc. has delivered a people-first customer experience for their growing nationwide dealer network. As a manufacturer and distributor of hardwood flooring products to distributors nationwide, their friendly warehouse staff features a complete collection of hardwoods, underlayment, molding and a range of accessories. Quality Wood Floors is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and their products and services are supported by the industry's best customer experience. If you are a dealer and would like to sample products or get more information about Quality Wood Floors, please call (623) 594-5999 or visit them online at www.qualitywoodfloorsinc.com. Media Contact: Sam Hirschberg (623) 594-5999 [email protected] SOURCE Quality Wood Floors, Inc 2.19Mt Indicated at 4.40 % Copper Equivalent and 2.44Mt Inferred at 2.98% Copper Equivalent Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Further to its news release dated February 27, 2020, Rockcliff Metals Corporation (CSE: RCLF) (FSE: RO0A) (WKN: A2H60G) ("Rockcliff" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the filing of a National Instrument 43-101-Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") technical report titled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate of the Talbot Copper (Zinc-Gold-Silver) Project, Manitoba, Canada (the "Technical Report") in respect of an updated Mineral Resource Estimate prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") on the Talbot Property. The Talbot Property is part of the Company's Manitoba property portfolio and is located within the prolific Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt. A copy of the Technical Report is available on the Company's SEDAR issuer profile at www.SEDAR.com and the Company's website at http://rockcliffmetals.com. Alistair Ross, President and CEO, commented, "As stated in our press release dated February 27, the completed Technical Report outlines the high potential of the Talbot Deposit. The Talbot Joint Venture Agreement with Hudbay is scheduled for completion during Q2, pending any delays that may result from the COVID-19 pandemic." The Technical Report prepared by P&E with an effective date of February 28, 2020 is summarized below. Talbot Property Updated Mineral Resource Estimate at 1.5% CuEq Cut-Off (1-10) Classification Tonnes (k) Cu (%) Zn (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) CuEq (%) Cu (Mlbs) Zn (Mlbs) Au (koz) Ag (koz) CuEq (Mlbs) Indicated 2,194 2.33 1.79 2.06 36.0 4.40 112.6 86.7 145.4 2,541 212.7 Inferred 2,445 1.13 1.74 1.87 25.8 2.98 60.7 93.6 147.1 2,030 160.4 1) Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, marketing, or other relevant issues. 2) Mineral Resources were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council. (3) The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence that that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. (4) Approximate Jan 31/20 two year trailing average US$ metal prices used were $3/lb Cu, $1.10/lb Zn, $1,350/oz Au and $16.50/oz Ag. The US$: CDN$ exchange rate used was 0.77. (5) Respective process recoveries for Cu, Zn, Au, Ag were 95%, 80%, 80%, 80% (6) Respective smelter payables for Cu, Zn, Au, Ag were 96.5%, 85%, 90%, 90%. (7)Respective USD Cu and Zn smelter treatment charges used were $80 and $250/tonne with concentrate freight of CDN$65/tonne. (8) CuEq% was calculated as follows: Cu% + (Zn % x 0.220) + (Au g/t x 0.673) + (Ag g/t x 0.008). (9) The 1.5% CuEq cut-off is approximately equivalent to a C$100/tonne project operating cost. (10) Contained metal totals may differ due to rounding. Figure 1: Talbot Deposit Longitudinal Projection Highlighting Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3071/54423_e038e97b04104b01_001full.jpg Resource Estimate Methodology The Mineral Resource Estimate reported herein, considered drilling information available up to December 21, 2019 and was evaluated using a geostatistical block modeling approach constrained by polymetallic mineralization wireframes utilizing Geovia GEMS modeling software. The evaluation of the Mineral Resource Estimate involved CuEq cut-off value determination, cross-sectional polyline interpretation constraining wireframe creation, compositing, grade capping, variography, grade Interpolation and Mineral Resource Estimate quantification. A total of 107 drill holes (totalling 57,303 metres) from the entire database were reviewed and 51 of those drill holes (totalling 35,027 metres) were utilized to create the constraining wireframes which have an overall (Talbot Deposit Main Lens and Talbot Deposit North Lens) strike length of 680 metres, down dip projection of 740 metres and average true width of 5.1 metres. There were 619 assays captured by the constraining wireframes that were combined into 376 composites with an average length of 1.0 metres. A grade capping evaluation was performed on the composites and resulted in the following upper limits: Cu 13%, Zn not capped Au 17g/t, Ag 230g/t. The capped composites were evaluated with variography to determine the grade interpolation search ellipsoid ranges for grade interpolation and classification. The Indicated Mineral Resource classification search ranges were 60 metres along strike, 65 metres down dip and 10 metres across dip. For a model block to be coded with an Indicated classification, its centroid must be able to see a minimum of 6 composites from at least 2 drill holes. Grade interpolation was undertaken with the ID2 method for Cu and Zn and ID3 for Au and Ag. The bulk density model of Main Zone was interpreted from 138 bulk density samples with a simple search ellipse. The resulting block model utilized blocks that were 2.5 m in the X direction, 5 m in the Y direction and 5 m in the Z direction. The subsequent block model grades and tonnages were quantified within 1.5% CuEq constraining wireframe domains at a 1.5% CuEq cut-off value in order to report the Mineral Resource Estimate. The current Mineral Resource Estimate supersedes the December 2017 estimate which reported the following Inferred Resource - 4.23 Mt at 1.61% Cu, 1.40 % Zn, 1.77 g/t Au and 28.0 g/t Ag. The main reasons for the differences between the December 2017 and current resource estimate are as follows: 23 additional holes drilled CuEq cut-off lowered to 1.5% ID3 grade estimation used for Au and Ag Attainment of suitable Indicated classification variogram. Neither Rockcliff's Qualified Person, Ken Lapierre, P.Geo., nor P&E's Qualified Person, Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., nor management of Rockcliff are aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues that may materially affect the estimate of the Mineral Resource. Talbot Mineralization and Resource Expansion Potential The Talbot Property hosts the high-grade Talbot Deposit, which is defined as a stratabound, gold-rich Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") deposit consisting of coarse grain to stringer to massive sulphides of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrrhotite in a quartzofeldspathic gneiss. The polymetallic mineralization remains open at depth and to the south. The depositional environment of the Talbot Property is like that of present and past producing VMS deposits associated with bi-model volcanism (felsic to mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks) in the Flin Flon - Snow Lake greenstone belt. Quality Control and Quality Assurance Samples of half core were packaged and shipped directly from Rockcliff's core facility in Snow Lake to TSL Laboratories (TSL), in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. TSL is a Canadian assay laboratory and is accredited under ISO/IEC 17025. Each bagged core sample was dried, crushed to 70% passing 10 mesh and a 250g pulp is pulverized to 95% passing 150 mesh for assaying. A 0.5g cut is taken from each pulp for base metal analyses and leached in a multi acid (total) digestion and then analyzed for copper, lead, zinc and silver by atomic absorption. Gold concentrations are determined by fire assay using a 30g charge followed by an atomic absorption finish. Samples greater than the upper detection limit (3000 ppb) are reanalyzed using fire assay gravimetric using a 1 assay ton charge. Rockcliff inserted certified blanks and standards in the sample stream to ensure lab integrity. Rockcliff has no relationship with TSL other than TSL being a service provider to the Company. The Mineral Resource for the Talbot Property disclosed in this press release has been estimated by Mr. Yungang Wu, P.Geo. an associate geologist of P&E and Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., president of P&E, both independent of Rockcliff. By virtue of their education and relevant experience Messrs. Wu and Puritch are "Qualified Persons" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Puritch has read and approved the technical contents of this press release as it pertains to the disclosed Mineral Resource Estimate. Ken Lapierre P.Geo., VP Exploration of Rockcliff, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this press release. Rockcliff recently earned a 51% interest in the Talbot Property by completing required expenditures totalling $6.12M over a 5 year earn-in period. Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") controls the remaining 49% interest in the Talbot Property and has the right to earn-back an additional 2% interest in accordance with the Option Agreement between the parties. A joint venture agreement is presently being negotiated between Rockcliff and Hudbay. Visit Rockcliff's YouTube channel with a message from the President and CEO, Alistair Ross. To access the video, please visit: https://youtu.be/lr0Q6FwCzuE. Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr0Q6FwCzuE About Rockcliff Metals Corporation Rockcliff is a well-funded Canadian resource development and exploration company, with a fully functional +1,000 tpd leased processing and tailings facility as well as several advance-staged, high-grade copper and zinc dominant VMS deposits in the Snow Lake area of central Manitoba. The Company is a major landholder in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt which is home to the largest Paleoproterozoic VMS district in the world, hosting mines and deposits containing copper, zinc, gold and silver. The Company's extensive portfolio of properties totals over 4,500 square kilometres and includes eight of the highest-grade, undeveloped VMS deposits in the belt. The Company places the safety and well being of the Company's workforce as its highest priority and continues to take input from all stakeholders as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. Rockcliff is monitoring Governmental updates and the impact of the pandemic, and will communicate with all stakeholders as necessary about any impacts on our business. For more information, please visit http://rockcliffmetals.com. Youtube: Rockcliff Metals Corporation Twitter: @RockcliffMetals Linkedin: Rockcliff Metals Corp Instagram: Rockcliff_Metals For further information, please contact: Rockcliff Metals Corporation Alistair Ross President & CEO Cell: (249) 805-9020 contact@rockcliffmetals.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Rockcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept 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/54423 [April 14, 2020] Companies Come Together to Provide Free School & District Licenses During COVID-19 PROVO, Utah, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, April 2nd, RevRoad and its portfolio companies launched the official At-Home Learning initiative. Through this initiative, they will provide students around the country with digital learning tools by offering their products to schools and districts for free during this timeno strings attached. There's no question that these are difficult times. Hundreds of millions of students around the world are transitioning to at-home learning for the rest of the school year. "Educators around the world are now facing the most daunting challenge in 100 years. These programs and tools are ready to scale, and can provide valuable support for students, their families, and educators," says RevRoad CEO, Derrin Hill. Educators are quickly shifting teaching and learning to digital platforms to meet the needs of each student with equitable access, standards, and engagement. RevRoad's portfolio has a unique compilation of edtech companies with the ability to assist in smoothing over the rapid transitions currently happening within education. Said companies include the following: Literal Keep students fully engaged in reading, even while at home. Literal makes books just as engaging as social media, and is temporarily offering every student and educator free & unlimited access to all of their classic books through July 2020. Easily track student progress remotely and turn reluctant readers into avid book worms. Literal is offering schools and districts free access to the Classic subscription SkillStruck Skill Struck is offering schools and districts one month of free access to their flagship Voyage service. Education Lifeskills If we never change negative thinking, we will never change negative behavior. Education Lifeskills creates cognitive-behavioral curriculum which helps students overcome their self-defeating thoughts and behaviors and achieve higher levels academically and socially. Education Lifeskills is offering students free access to a positive thinking course pack. Hallo Practice English on the Hallo app! Has the Coronavirus pandemic interfered with your preparation for the TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS exam? Has your English class been canceled and now you are left with no one to practice with? Students can practice English on the Hallo app. Hallo is a live streaming community for English learners and teachers. Students can learn from native speakers through live videos 24/7 and practice speaking in seconds with people all around the world. It's the world's largest classroom for English learners right in the palm of your hand. Hallo is a free app available for iOS and Android. To get started with At-Home Learning for free, visit revroad.com/athomelearning . For more information about At-Home Learning and the companies involved, click here . For media inquiries, interviews or additional information, please contact Business Development Specialist at [email protected] or by calling (801) 319-8503. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/companies-come-together-to-provide-free-school--district-licenses-during-covid-19-301039961.html SOURCE RevRoad [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MBABANE Have church leaders Prophet Elijah Fire and Apostle Justice Dlamini made a truce? Following accusations that were made in an audio recording purportedly by Hope Restoration Church founder Muzi Mkhemetelo Mkhatshwa, popularly known as Prophet Elijah Fire, about Worship Centre leader Apostle Justice Dlamini, attempts have been made for a peace treaty between the two. This was last Thursday where Conference of Churches President Bishop Steven Masilela chaired a meeting in the presence of the two church leaders and National Commissioner of Police William Dlamini. The meeting, according to Masilela, was meant to deliberate on the audio recording that went viral last week on social media. Contents of the allegations that were purportedly made by the prophet will not be repeated due to their sensitive nature. However, information sourced was that during the meeting, Mkhatshwa could not provide evidence of the entire allegations made in the audio clip. Last Wednesday, a day after the voice clip was circulated, Mkhatshwa was visited by these reporters in his church based at Sidwashini and he neither confirmed nor denied that the voice behind the audio was his. It is on the same day that Dlamini refused to give a detailed comment on the issue and the meeting as he said the issue was being dealt with by his lawyers. Worth noting is that Mkhatshwas church is not under the Conference of Churches umbrella while the Worship Centre is affiliated. However, Mkhatshwa said he was under the process of registering the church. Information sourced from Mkhatshwa after the meeting initiated by Bishop Masilela, was that the issues between him and Dlamini had been resolved. In his response on the outcome of the meeting, Mkhatshwa gave details on the people who were present during the meeting and further stated that he was now sipping from same cup with the apostle. The matter was resolved and put to rest. Please contact Bishop Masilela as he was chairing the meeting, said Mkhatshwa. Meanwhile, Apostle Dlamini did not come out in the clear about the outcome of the meeting. Statement To my knowledge, Masilela and the national commissioner of police are supposed to issue a statement regarding the outcome of the meeting. I am not mandated to comment on the conclusions of the meeting, said Dlamini. When called for a comment, Conference of Churches President Bishop Masilela, confirmed that the meeting was held on Thursday. He stated that both the prophet and the apostle had a professional discussion in their presence. If it was not for coronavirus they could have even shaken hands, he said. It was established by this publication that a resolution was taken during the meeting that Mkhatshwa was to make a public apology to the parties implicated in the audio clip. When asked about it, Mkhatshwa confirmed it but mentioned that the apology would follow after the involved parties had signed a deed of settlement which he alleged was already with Masilela. Bishop Masilela was called for a comment, and he confirmed that it was resolved in the meeting that Prophet Elijah Fire was to issue a public apology for the allegations he had levelled against Dlamini in the audio clip. He, however, denied being in possession of any deed of settlement that was mention by Mkhatshwa. He said he was waiting for him to bring a draft of the apology for him (Masilela) to see it. When asked if there was a timeframe for the public apology, Masilela said there was no specific date but it was resolved that it would be as soon as possible. Meanwhile, National Commissioner of Police Dlamini also seemed to be in the dark about the deed of settlement that was mentioned by Prophet Elijah Fire. He wondered if the duo owed each other money to need a deed of settlement. I do not know anything of that nature and we did not even discuss it, said the police chief. He stated that he was also waiting for the public apology that Mkhatshwa was supposed to make. The commissioner said they were expecting the apology over the weekend but were hoping it would be out by end of business yesterday or today since there was no time frame that was put. He, however, stated that it was concluded in the meeting that it had to be soon. The number of people infected with coronavirus in Germany has "stabilised", the public health chief said Tuesday, as politicians prepare for talks on when to end the lockdown measures used to slow the disease's spread. "Numbers have stabilised at a relatively high level," Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control told reporters. "There is no clear sign at present that they're falling," he added. Politicians are waiting on every comment by the country's leading medical experts, as Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a conference Wednesday with state premiers on whether and for how long to extend infection control measures. At present, they are slated to expire on April 19. "We should keep up our discipline from the past weeks," Wieler urged Tuesday, noting that while the trend on new infections was heading in a "positive" direction, it was not yet possible to say that the disease has been contained. By midnight, 125,098 people in Europe's most populous country had tested positive for coronavirus, according to RKI data. More than half -- around 68,000 -- went on to recover, while almost 3,000 have died. Strict social distancing measures, including closures of schools and many businesses, have helped slow the virus' spread in Germany, while extensive testing has caught many cases early. "Given the present momentum, there is no forecast of shortfalls" in the number of intensive care beds in German hospitals to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, Wieler said. "Compared with many other countries, we're doing well". - 'No right or wrong' - Even as Wieler called for infection control measures to be upheld, debate has begun about when everyday life can begin inching back towards normality. Eyes have turned to neighbouring Austria, where Chancellor Sebastian Kurz allowed many smaller businesses to reopen from Tuesday -- but with conditions such as wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance from others. Germany's Leopoldina national science academy published on Monday a paper outlining the first lockdown exit steps that could be implemented, including a gradual reopening of schools, obligatory mask-wearing in public transport and increased data gathering. Recommendations from the 26-strong group of scientists will inform Merkel's Wednesday conference. Berlin mayor Michael Mueller told broadcaster RBB Tuesday the lockdowns could be relaxed "at the earliest from April 27, or possibly from May 1". But "it probably won't be this coming Monday", the day after the measures are currently set to expire, Mueller added. RKI chief Wieler said there were "no major differences" between his view of the situation and the Leopoldina's, beyond "small details" such as which age groups should return to school first. "There is still no blueprint" for how to reopen a society and economy after the virus lockdown, he added, and "not always a right and wrong" answer. Strongly condemning the attack on two Indian fishing boats by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), the External Affairs Ministry warned the country to not repeat such a "heinous" act. Two Indian fishing boats 'Omkar' and 'Mahasagar' were attacked by Pakistan off the coast of Gujarat and were fired upon by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency vessel on Sunday. Read: Pakistan Extends Border Lockdown At Kartarpur Corridor, Wagah Amid COVID-19 Threat "India strongly condemns the deliberate attack and firing on Indian fishermen on board two Indian fishing boats by a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) vessel on April 12, 2020," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Read: Imran Khan Named & Shamed; USCIRF Troubled By Food Denial To Pakistan Hindus, Christians The MEA revealed that one fisherman was injured in the attack as a result, warning Pakistan authorities to "instruct its forces to refrain from such acts of unprovoked violence." "The deplorable act by PMSA of firing at fishing vessels and causing bodily harm to an Indian fisherman is in contravention of all established norms and practices. Pakistani authorities are called upon to instruct its forces to refrain from such acts of unprovoked violence," added the MEA. Read:: MHA Amends Lockdown Guidelines Once Again; Fishing Industry And Its Workers Can Function MHA allows fishing industry to function amid lockdown The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday issued the fifth Addendum to the nationwide lockdown guidelines whereby the fishing industry shall continue to be operational. This implies that feeding and maintenance, harvesting, packaging, cold chain, sale, and marketing of fish shall be permitted during the lockdown. Moreover, the movement of fish and fish products, fish seeds and workers for all the aforesaid activities has been given the green signal by the MHA. At the same time, it has been stressed that social distancing and proper hygiene activities must be followed. The district authorities have been directed to ensure strict enforcement in this regard. (With Agency Inputs) Read: PM Modi Extends Coronavirus Lockdown In India Till May 3; Watch His FULL ADDRESS Read: PM Modi Calls Daily Wage Earners His Family; Assures Measures As He Extends Covid Lockdown Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The Philippine National Police bared Tuesday that there are now 50 police officers who have tested positive for COVID-19, up from 29 recorded the previous day. PNP deputy chief for operations PLtGen Guillermo Eleazar made the confirmation during the Laging Handa virtual news conference with other government officials. "Actually, dun po sa ating bagong categorization, merong 50 na confirmed na mga pulis at 254 na probable, 348 na suspect, for a total of 652," Eleazar said. [Translation: Actually, under the new categorization of COVID-19 cases, there are now 50 policemen with confirmed cases, 254 probable, and 348 suspect, for a total of 652.] This is a big surge in cases in the PNP overnight. In its Facebook post on Monday evening, it recorded only 41 probable and 429 suspected cases within the organization. Eleazar did not indicate whether there was an increase from Monday's report of three deaths and eight recoveries among their personnel. "Naglaan na po ng mga pasilidad para sa mga affected na pulis natin (We have already allotted facilities for our affected policemen)," said Eleazar. PNP Chief Police LtGen Archie Gamboa previously said that their Health Service unit is closely monitoring the conditions of their COVID-19 patients within the organization. Last week, the Department of Health announced it has modified the classification of COVID-19 cases, with those who tested positive to be called "confirmed" cases. Those with symptoms but remain untested will be called "suspect" cases, while those still awaiting test results will be deemed "probable." The Philippines has recorded 4,932 COVID-19 cases with 315 deaths and 242 recoveries as of Monday. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys export of cement to Turkmenistan increased by 340.1 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $6.2 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend . In March 2020, Turkeys export of cement to Turkmenistan increased by 152.43 percent compared to March 2019, and amounted to $1.5 million. From January through March 2020, export of cement from Turkey to world markets increased by 9.6 percent compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $915 million. Over the reporting period, Turkeys cement export amounted to 2.1 percent of country's total export. In March 2020, Turkey exported cement to world markets worth $317.5 million, which is 0.3 percent more compared to the same month of 2019. Meanwhile, export of cement from Turkey amounted to 2.4 percent of country's total export. From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkey exported cement worth $3.5 billion. Turkeys foreign trade turnover in February 2020 exceeded $32.2 billion. In February 2020, export from Turkey increased by 2.3 percent compared to February 2019, exceeding $14.6 billion. Turkey's import increased by 9.8 percent in February 2020 compared to the same month of 2019 and exceeded $17.6 billion. From January through February 2020, Turkey's trade turnover exceeded $66.1 billion. Meanwhile, Turkeys export increased by 4.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, reaching $29.3 billion. Over the reporting period, Turkeys import increased by 14.3 percent compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $36.8 billion. The foreign trade turnover of Turkey exceeded $374.2 billion in 2019. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu After coming across a New York Times article from earlier this year on ransomware attacks crippling cities and businesses, I thought it was time to revisit the cybersecurity threats facing customers and their intersection with what is still the number one business communication tool email. In reviewing Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs threat research resources, including our partnership with global customers conducting threat assessments using our Cyber Threat Assessment Program (CTAP) for email security, some obvious (and not so obvious) findings become clear. Among the most serious findings is the prediction that ransomware will be a hallmark challenge for the year ahead. Of course, no one can forget the scourge of notorious ransomware threats of the past several years that crippled networks, caused massive financial losses, and captured the headlines. For enterprises with tens of thousands of endpoints and thousands of applications and servers spread across hundreds of sites, these ransomware attacks had a devastating impact ultimately costing organizations around the world billions of dollars. Ryuk is one of the latest ransomware threats to make headlines. Whats most interesting is how this exploits backdoor was delivered when a user first clicked on a link inside a phishing email. But it's not just ransomware that customers will face in the year ahead, but a myriad of other threats as well. This warning aligns with a significant increase in emails exploiting Coronavirus-related themes and social engineering tricks to achieve malicious objectives that have been recently observed by our FortiGuard Labs threat research teams. Whether it's phishing scams, targeted malware, or a combination of both, one thing is consistent about all these attacks the vast majority will be delivered straight to your inbox. Now, more than ever, its critical to remember that email remains the number one threat vector in the world, and as a result, it needs to be properly secured. Uncovering Risks with Fortinets CTAP Of course, not all email security solutions are the same. Remember, only one user needs to click on a malicious email attachment that has managed to slip past an aging or inadequate secure email gateway to compromise your entire network. It is essential, therefore, to ensure that the secure email gateway solution you have in place is capable of meeting todays security challenges. There are two ways to determine if your secure email gateway solution is able to adequately defend your organization against the latest wave of phishing, spear phishing, and similar attacks, and if your security infrastructure is capable of protecting you from the ransomware and other malware that malicious email can drag into your network: You can either wait for a breach to occur, or you can run proactive validation tests to ensure that the tools you have in place are prepared to defend you against the latest most sophisticated threats. The Fortinet Cyber Threat Assessment Program (CTAP) is designed to help organizations better understand their Security Risk by determining which application vulnerabilities are being used to attack the network, which malware/botnets may be in your environment, what phishing attacks are able to make it through existing defenses, and which devices are most at risk. It can also determine what productivity tools are being used, and how much bandwidth is being consumed by all of this. All of this data is then used to establish a security breach probability baseline for organizations, and then anonymously correlated with data collected from other organizations centrally to establish insights into global threat activities. CTAP participants rely on Microsoft Exchange Online or Office 365 for their email today, and many already have some features or third-party products enabled for email security. But as you will see from the data weve collected at Fortinet many may still be at risk. The Importance of Email Security For the month of January, an analysis of our email assessments showed that organizations are still being overwhelmed with email messages that are spam or marketing newsletters. The bandwidth and productivity hit from this unwanted traffic is clear, and organizations are advised to take measures to get this back under control. But where the statistics get most interesting are with the data collected about malicious or potentially risky emails and URLs that land in user mailboxes. And whats most alarming about this data is that all of these customers already have some sort of email security in place. Even after an organizations existing email security solution did its best to filter out malicious or risky traffic, our email analytics found that 1 in 3,000 messages still contains malware, including ransomware. What's more interesting is that 1 in 4,000 contain previously unknown malware. These are often advanced or zero-day threats, and maybe the latest ransomware variant and why customers more than ever need to think beyond the rigid, signature-based approaches for protection used by most email security solutions, and incorporate sandbox technologies for email scanning. Digging deeper, Fortinet also found that 1 in 6,000 emails contained suspicious URLs. While not all of these links may be associated with the distribution of malicious content, many of them could easily become a launching pad for a future ransomware campaign, or a phishing attempt to steal valuable credentials to gain access to an organizations network and critical assets. To put this into perspective, the average employee receives 121 emails per day. For an organization with 100 employees, this means that they will need to address 4 emails infected with malware, 3 infected with previously unknown malware, and 2 emails containing suspicious URL links every single day. And this can be more difficult to address than it may seem. For example, brute force blocking of all suspicious or unknown URLs may create an uprising from end-users, or an IT support headache. Instead, organizations need to have next-generation isolation solutions in place to eliminate these risks. FortiMail Stops Advanced Threats and Prevents Data Loss Of course, to learn if your organization is vulnerable, you need to determine whether or not your existing email security solution is still effective as well as whether your existing vendor is able to adequately support your solution for maximum efficacy. That begins by simply signing up for a free threat assessment. This zero-impact analysis provides an executive-level summary report on your email security threat posture to help guide your security planning. Whether your organization needs to upgrade their email security, or simply wants a more comprehensive and easier-to-manage solution, FortiMail provides the full range of advanced security protection, visibility, and interoperability that todays organizations require. By combining FortiMails proven capabilities for anti-spam, virus protection, content disarm and reconstruction (CDR) with its Security Fabric-based integration with the FortiSandbox Advanced Threat Protection and FortiIsolator Browser Isolation solutions, Fortinet offers the right technical approach for addressing the full range of advanced and evolving email-based threats customers will face in 2020. Sign-up now to start a free email assessment so you are prepared for the year ahead. Find out how Fortinets Security Fabric delivers broad, integrated, and automated protection across an organizations entire digital attack surface from IoT to the edge, network core and to multi-clouds. Find out how Echoenergia and New Zealand Red Cross used Fortinets Security Fabric for protection from the network edge to core. Engage in our Fortinet user community (Fuse). Share ideas and feedback, learn more about our products and technology, or connect with peers. Former Vice President Joe Biden now takes up the mantle for the Democratic Party after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ended a run fueled by left-wing enthusiasm and working class and progressives' deep hunger for a revolution. His departure forces the progressive wing to face a choice: line up behind a candidate whose longstanding centrism they've denounced; or dig their heels in even as gears now shift towards the general election. Amid the economic and political uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, the Democratic Party now must struggle to bridge the distance between their disparate factions. And Monday, mere days after suspending his own campaign, Sanders endorsed Biden's candidacy, in a surprise campaign livestream appearance. Appearing in a split screen call for unity, it marked further heavyweight support behind the former vice president; Sanders' leadership holds especial clout amongst progressives. "Today, I am asking all Americans, I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every Independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse -- to make certain that we defeat somebody who I believe -- and I'm speaking just for myself now -- is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country," Sanders said Monday. "It's no great secret out there, Joe, that you and I have our differences. We're not going to paper them over -- that's real," Sanders said as he endorsed Biden, then adding, "we need you in the White House." "I think that your endorsement means a great deal. It means a great deal to me," Biden said. "I think people are going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues, but we're awfully close on a whole bunch of others." Biden has signaled he's working to woo those resistant progressive groups wary of the "establishment standard-bearer." Multiple sources told ABC News that for weeks already, the Biden team has been reaching out to a range of progressive groups and individuals -- long before Sanders dropped out -- and including some of those who had endorsed Sanders. Story continues The two former rivals' staffs have recently been in talks to create task forces focused on key platform issues such as climate change, health care and the economy -- to find common ground between the two wings of the Democratic Party and the issues on which they've most diverged. MORE: Fundraising amid the coronavirus pandemic, Trump and Biden campaigns walk narrow line Wednesday, as Sanders left the race, Biden addressed both his former rival and his base in a lengthy letter, echoing Sanders' own campaign slogan. "You will be heard by me. As you say: Not me, Us," Biden wrote. "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. I hope you will join us." "You are more than welcome. You're needed," Biden continued. "Together we will defeat Donald Trump. And when we do that, we'll not only do the hard work of rebuilding this nation -- we'll transform it." And as the party prepares to go toe to toe with Trump, moderates and erstwhile 2020 contenders -- 15 and counting -- have coalesced in support of Biden's candidacy. But some in the progressive wing have insisted that they will not go quietly into his big tent. "This outbreak is changing the political landscape like we've never seen before ... it's an unprecedented time, but it's also a time for the Democratic party to decide what precedent they want to set for who, and what ideas, lead us next," Dana Fisher, a professor of sociology and the director of the program for Society and Environment at the University of Maryland, told ABC News. Even as Sanders announced his support of Biden on Monday afternoon, some of his campaign staffers said their former boss does not dictate the terms of their support. Sanders' former senior advisor Winnie Wong tweeted that Sanders could still be president. In short - it's not over yet. This is a controversial tweet but Bernie could still be president. We literally have no idea what the universe has in store for us. #COVID19. Sanders' former national press secretary openly said that she doesnt support Biden. "With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don't endorse Joe Biden," Briahna Joy Gray tweeted on the heels of Sanders' endorsement. "I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, cancelling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those. And Sanders' staff is not alone in this resistance: a sign that Sanders' support, while significant, does not steer the movement he built. In the wake of Sanders' suspension and prior to his endorsement, youth activists groups also took to Twitter, to make it clear that just because there's one candidate left does not mean he's theirs, in unison tweeting their resistance to the party's urging to unite: "we are not endorsing Joe Biden." Multiple progressive group leaders told ABC News that if he wants their support, there's still work to be done; the Biden team knows it, and has set about signaling they're on board. Now, it's a matter of whether voters will be, too; netting further progressive support may require some strategic trailblazing from both sides in what was already an unprecedented hour of need. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden celebrates with his supporters after declaring victory at an election-night rally at the University of South Carolina Volleyball Center, Feb. 29, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. (Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE) Leading through a crisis Sanders himself conceded his path to the nomination had come to a close in part because of the coronavirus' pandemic. Wednesday afternoon he told supporters via livestream, the need for a united effort to defeat the virus, compounded by the lack of leadership from the current White House incumbent, expedited his exit. "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," Sanders said. "This moment that we're in is not political. This is a public health crisis," Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Biden's presidential campaign who is also spearheading their progressive outreach, told ABC News. "And in moments like these, Americans have to come together." But coming together means somebody has to move. And if the former vice president is hoping to gain their support -- progressive groups say, that somebody better be him. And the move better be a shift left, both in terms of platform and personnel. On the heels of Sanders' exit, eight progressive groups penned an open letter to Biden arguing that his campaign has "not earned the support and trust" of young voters, proposing a series of policies and actions he could take to win them over: more liberal stances on climate change; gun control; health care. "We're highlighting areas for growth, opportunity, and some to really engage a highly ready for change group of young people across the country," March for Our Lives' Executive Director Alexis Confer told ABC News. She confirmed that the Biden campaign had been in touch with them in weeks prior regarding their platform of gun violence prevention -- and that they had been "very receptive." Multiple progressive leaders expressed to ABC News that Biden must look to shore up his left flank; without it, his position to beat Trump is tenuous at best. "Of course he's got a shot but it's probably a coin flip and I think everything he does now is going to matter," national director of the Sunrise Movement Evan Weber said. The Biden campaign had also approached his group in recent weeks, Weber confirmed, to "acknowledge the work still needing to be done." "It's going to be a monumental task to mobilize and persuade some voters to turn out, especially when the situation in this country is so dire and confusing," Weber said. PHOTO: Sen. Bernie Sanders is accompanied by his relatives, including his wife Jane, as he addresses supporters at his Super Tuesday night rally in Essex Junction, Vt., March 3, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters, FILE) An uphill climb perhaps -- though one the Biden camp has set upon for weeks. A source close to the climate council of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a former 2020 presidential candidate who pushed the entire field toward more progressive approaches on climate change, told ABC News that several members of their teams have had two meetings, just within the last month: "productive conversations," addressing concerns of both specific policy and also, prioritization of climate in the former vice president's agenda, and in how he builds his staff infrastructure. "We're giving a pretty clear roadmap on how to earn our vote," Yonah Lieberman, spokesperson for If Not Now, one of the progressive groups cosigning the letter, told ABC News. The Biden campaign had not reached out to them, Lieberman said. "The ball's in their court to put in the work necessary or act like it's locked up," he said. "And we know that was one of the mistakes of Hillary's campaign in 2016." Youth movement and progressives' support hinges on moving Biden's needle toward a more left-leaning set of policy prescriptions. MORE: Sen. Bernie Sanders' complicated legacy -- new recruits and party divisions: ANALYSIS Though Biden overwhelmingly won in Super Tuesday contests, Sanders won voters younger than 30 by a smashing 58-13% over Biden and those age 30 to 44 by 44-20%. "Very" liberal voters backed him by 47-18%, independents by 38-24%. On one of his signature issues, Sanders won voters who support a government-run, single-payer health care system -- 56% of all those who voted -- by 43-22% over Biden. And a source close to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's former presidential campaign told ABC News that when it came to her endorsement -- one of the last still up for grabs -- her support needed to be earned, but that she will support the party's nominee. The strategy of no Amid the Biden back-channeling with progressive groups, the organizations' public letter Wednesday was meant as a "show of solidarity." Sources familiar with the progressive groups' strategy on this front say they gave the Biden team advance notice they were putting this letter out and that the move was about exerting the leverage. That follows the route Sanders himself now appears to take: he has suspended his campaign, pledging to work with the presumptive nominee to push his progressive agenda, and endorsed Biden in that role. However, he has also said he will keep his name in remaining races in order to collect delegates for the Democratic convention, "where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform." His new support for Biden does not blot his name from the upcoming ballots. "Now is the time to apply pressure," Heather Greven, a spokeswoman for NextGen America, a progressive advocacy group, told ABC News. As a super PAC, her organization cannot under Federal Election Commission laws coordinate with candidates or their campaigns, thus they had not been in touch with the Biden team. However, a joint public comment helps push the conversation and the candidate forward, Greven said. "This is the time where you ask for everything you can get, and push as hard as you can," Greven continued. "It's going to take investment from their campaign, and not just a verbal investment -- that's a great sign of life, and you know, his recent policy movements. But how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." MORE:As nation battles coronavirus, Wisconsin election forges on with in-person voting Leading up to and directly following Sanders' official exit, Biden announced his support of several progressive platform points, including Warren's plan to make it easier to file for bankruptcy, as well as end provisions making it difficult for student loans to be discharged while filing for bankruptcy. Biden's adoption of Warren's plan marks a massive change for the former Delaware senator, as it would undo much of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 -- a measure the two have locked horns over for the better part of two decades. Hours after Sanders suspended his campaign, Biden was asked at a virtual fundraiser how he planned to engage young voters who cared about climate change. Biden described his policy and added he had asked his staff to work on expanding several of his policy proposals on climate change so that "good ideas, wherever I can find them on every issue, are brought into the campaign." The day after, Biden announced further support for student debt forgiveness and lowering the Medicare age requirement. "Entering the next phase of the election, we are very focused on intentional and carefully curated engagement," Symone Sanders told ABC News. "We want to be sincere with our progressive engagement. But we also know that it's nuanced - it's not a one size fits all policy. "We're approaching these conversations with progressive individuals and groups," she added. "Not to say, where can Vice President Biden move on your issue? But more so, where are we both at? And, where do we agree?" Will such olive branches reach far enough? For some progressives though, the olive branch does not reach far enough. Before Sanders dropped out, the hashtags #NeverBiden and #WriteinBernie trended on Twitter, pushed by some members of the progressive left. And after his departure, #WhyIwon'tvoteforBiden was trending, echoed by Sanders supporters and his own staff. ABC News spoke with a number of voters using this rhetoric, who rattled off a myriad reasons for why they don't want the former vice president back in the White House. To them, he represents establishment politics when they're calling for a change of the guard and a party that remains stubbornly centrist and blind to the real needs of future generations. "It's not just about him -- it's what the party doesn't understand -- what's becoming even more imperative: we're looking at millions of people now that may be left with nothing to lose in the next two weeks," Alyson Metzger, a writer and progressive activist said before Sanders' exit from the race and reiterated after his departure. "This man (Biden) has been on the opposite side of every progressive issue; what's really critical is to break this bubble of the ruling class and the establishment." Sanders' support does not sway that sentiment now. "Nobody listened, including Bernie apparently," Metzger said after Sanders' endorsed. "Endorsing this early just makes (Sanders' supporters) less likely to support Biden." Others still stinging from Bernie's bitter loss in 2016, resent the presumption that they'll just fall in line as Biden takes the party's reins, especially since they don't think he'd steer Democrats towards a win in 2020. The current moment of crisis, they say, makes Biden an even worse option. "I think people are getting more and more anxious in this outbreak, and we need a leader," Scott Menor of Arizona, tech entrepreneur with a doctorate in physics, told ABC. "I know people are really desperate for a steady hand, or a return to normalcy, but what I see doesn't give me a great deal of confidence and I see a lot of opportunities for someone to spin what he says against him." "It's about risk and probability: you've got a lot of stuff in (Biden's) history that seems extremely problematic and dangerous," Menor said, pointing to longstanding concerns by many of how Republicans might raise questions about Hunter Biden. The former vice president's son has faced criticism for his former ties to a Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. The Bidens have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and have not been accused of doing anything illegal; however his role on the board presented the appearance of a conflict of interest, ethics experts have told ABC News. "That's an arrow that's removed from our quiver and even Democrats will start saying, 'Eh, he's better, but not that much better than Trump.' And we lose the ability to win," Menor continued. "People picked Biden because they think he's the safe bet -- the problem is, I don't think Biden is really that safe." MORE: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders suspends presidential bid Those concerns have not dissolved as the Democratic field has winnowed down to one. "You may not know it til November," Menor said the day Sanders dropped out, "but today is very likely the day Trump got reelected." "Trump has something like 90% approval rating amongst Republicans," podcast host Benjamin Dixon told ABC News this week. He has not explicitly said he's in the Never Biden' camp, but strongly supported Sanders. "Biden has an enthusiasm gap. Even Bernie Sanders was going to have the fight of his life defeating trump. Good luck, Joe." "I'm glad I ordered the good Scotch," Metzger said when Sanders endorsed. Brewing resentment from feeling taken for granted now foments some progressive reticence to go with the flow, even as the Democratic Party forges ahead. For some, a pledge never to vote for Biden now is an effort to gain that same leverage for a voting bloc that has felt marginalized. Metzger told ABC News there is "no circumstance" under which she would vote for Biden, even with his latest overtures, which she finds difficult to trust. This isn't about being intractable, Metzger said, it's about showing their swath of votes should not be taken for granted -- and pushing back against the feeling they're being bullied with the blackmail of Trump as an alternative. "We're trying to raise the alarm -- to tell the party -- wake up! If you don't move to us, we're not going to vote," Metzger continued. "In 2016 most people sucked it up and pulled that lever for Hillary. Not again. Saying you will "vote blue no matter who" is a guaranteed way for the party to ignore you." The threat may be strategic saber-rattling, Democratic strategists and progressive voters admit: in objecting vehemently to Biden, they may look to wield political peer pressure on this side of the primary -- to move his needle on the issues now. "So my thinking is kind of game theory - part of the calculation I think is people like me will just come along for the ride," Menor said. "They can just count on me to vote for Biden in the general, so you don't really have to factor in my opinion. And I want them to know that no, you can't! You can't count on me. And in fact, you can count on me not to support him," Menor said. That's a stance that may shift as November draws nearer -- and as the COVID-19 pandemic grows more grim, progressive leaders and political experts say. MORE: Biden campaign instructs staff to telework; lays out plan on dealing with coronavirus Dixon told ABC News, health care is a deal maker -- or breaker -- for him: Biden would need to support "Medicare for All." "If he supports that I'll vote for him," Dixon said, adding, he understands Sanders' endorsement, but for him, it's about the issues. "The last thing (Sanders) wants on his conscience is having helped Trump in any fashion," Dixon said. "But thats not enough for people fighting for specific policies that Biden is fighting against. Were the engine of economic prosperity so were demanding what we need. Bernie did what he could. We love him for what he did, but the movement is clearly saying theyre moving on without him." "Resisting alone, you know, is like bowling alone," Fisher said, adding she feels it may be a futile effort. "And the party may look to unite. Many right now may not be swayed yet, and some of them are digging in, and I get that. But -- getting to the election from here, given what we know about the virus -- it may be disastrous. So, I think people could change their opinion down the road." The issue may be less one of a protest vote and more a lack of passion that won't push voters to engage their cohort to turn out on Election Day. The "Get Out the Vote" effort, so core to the grassroots Democratic effort, has already been hampered by the coronavirus' spread with campaigning, rallies and town halls all unfolding in the virtual space. However, such online efforts could be further dampened by a lack of enthusiasm for some over having Biden at the top of the ticket. "How far are progressives willing to go to elect a moderate candidate? It's not that progressives won't vote for Joe -- they'll certainly vote for anyone but Trump," said Fisher who has researched and collected data on the youth climate movement at length. "But that doesn't mean that they'll knock doors and kill themselves to get out the vote. The problem is, this candidate may not instill the same enthusiasm for them." One Democratic strategist who has had close ties to the Warren campaign told ABC News, the threat to stay home is likely "just one of the stages of grief." PHOTO: Democratic presidential hopefuls former Vice President Joe Biden , left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders greet each other with an elbow bump as they arrive for the Democratic presidential debate in a CNN Washington studio in Washington, March 15, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images, FILE) "There is a whole group of people in this country who really feel like the political system is pointless, and doesn't work or speak for them," Sunrise Movement's Evan Weber said. "Folks are angry and confused, even thinking about potentially voting third party or giving up on electoral politics altogether -- like what's the point in voting if the establishment is just going to completely ignore the things we're crying out for, and not cater to us in any way, or blatantly try to quash what we're fighting for?" "The pain that they're speaking from is real. And it's worth listening to, even if it's hard for people to understand - or they don't necessarily like the way that it's expressed." But even that type of sentiment could undermine the Democratic party's efforts heading into the general election, political experts and strategists said. For his part, Biden's campaign has emphasized the importance of not counting anyone out. "We're all on the same team. It is important for us to take a step back and say, this is a campaign for everyone," Symone Sanders told ABC News. "There is a place here for you." ABC News' Political Director Rick Klein, Halimah Abdullah, Johnny Verhovek, Molly Nagle, Averi Harper and Adam Kelsey contributed to this report. Democratic Party's progressive wing leverages political power to push Joe Biden leftward originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Kargo, a Jakarta-based logistics startup co-founded by veteran Uber Asia executive Tiger Fang, has raised $31 million to scale its business and help firms in the Southeast Asian nation fight the coronavirus. Silicon Valley-based Tenaya Capital, Sequoia India, Mirae Asset Management and Intudo Ventures among others financed Kargos Series A round. The startup, which has raised $38.6 million to date, counts Uber founder and former chief executive Travis Kalanick as an investor. Kargo takes some of the concepts behind Uber and applies them to trucking and logistics. Business customers order trucks using a mobile app or website, but the scope is wider, said Fang. Unlike Uber, Kargo works with truck operators and 3PLs rather than truck drivers themselves. For its Series A announcement, Kargo has an unusual pitch: It wants to help companies in Indonesia fight the coronavirus. The startup plans to do so with its newly formed $1 million relief fund for truckers. Kargo employees have contributed their salaries -- and Fang is not taking any salary for next year. Anyone can donate to the fund, Fang told TechCrunch. The startup has also partnered with several charitable organizations including Kita Bisa, PT Akar Indah Pratama, with whom it is working to deliver meals and essential medical supplies to healthcare workers and patients at multiple hospitals. Yodi Aditya (left) and Tiger Fang co-founded logistics startup Kargo in Jakarta, Indonesia Kargo said it is taking several precautions to keep drivers safe. This includes ensuring that all pit stops on its routes are well-stocked and properly disinfected. Kargo has also implemented an electronic proof of delivery mechanism on its platform to limit physical contact between users. Kargo pledges to be the most reliable logistics partner to ensure no disruptions to the supply chain of essential items in Indonesia. Our entire company is donating a portion of our salaries to this cause and we invite local businesses and organizations to get in touch so we can work this problem together, said Fang. Story continues "Were grateful for our wonderful investors who continue to support us, even in a time of financial uncertainty," he added. Logistics remains a major opportunity in several South Asian markets as local shippers and transporters begin to slowly adopt technology to address infrastructure inefficiencies. Kargo has already amassed more than 6,000 active shippers and a network of more than 50,000 trucks across the nation. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Lynchburg, by the American Civil Liberties Union and League of Women Voters asks the court to stop Virginia from enforcing the requirement during the pandemic and to have localities count "otherwise validly cast absentee ballots that are missing a witness signature for Virginias primary and general elections in 2020." Eden Heilman, the legal director at the ACLU of Virginia, said that if the requirement stands, "tens of thousands" of voters in the state won't be able to abide by social distancing guidelines and still vote absentee. The governor and Virginia election officials can and must adapt voting policies to preserve our democracy and keep everyone safe," Heilman said. Virginia law requires voters who send in an absentee ballot by mail to open the envelope containing the ballot in front of another person, fill out the ballot and have the other person sign the outside of the envelope before it's mailed back. According to the lawsuit, Virginia is one of 11 states with such a requirement. 14.04.2020 LISTEN The La Mansaamo Kpee, also known as the La Town Development Association has handed over its facility to the Ministry of Health for temporary use to provide healthcare until the La General Hospital is fully renovated. This comes at a time when there is pressure on health facilities due to the national fight against the coronavirus pandemic which has killed 8 people out of 636 cases. Presenting the keys to the Municipal Chief Executive of the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), Amarkai Armatefio, the Chairman of the Association said the gesture is to support governments efforts in provision of healthcare in the area. We are saying that for as long as it will take you to fix the La Hospital, you can use the entirety of this medical centre. Also, while they are here, if there is any expansion they can do to the facility, they can do it. They should be free to compliment whatever we have done, Amarkai Armatefio. The management of the La General Hospital in February 2020 announced that the hospital will be shut down on March 1, 2020 for rehabilitation to be done on the facility. The Municipal Chief Executive of LaDMA, Solomon Kotey Nikoi, cautioned the general public to cooperate with the government in fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic. I want to sound a big caution to all of us that the fight against COVID-19 is not over yet. Winning the fight in the shortest possible time largely depends on our conduct and compliance level with the President's directives. I, therefore, want to appeal to the people to have patience and cooperate with the government in these critical times to ensure victory at the end of the day. The LA Mansaamo Kpee building complex was established to help with the general development of the La Township. The Municipal Health Directorate upon receiving the keys to the facility indicated that the facility will be put to full use in the coming days. ---citinewsroom (Editors note: Weve received calls from some readers who have had difficulty downloading the completed course certificate upon finishing the online coursework. The course is best taken on a laptop computer as certain iPhones do not allow the user to download the certificate. Other problems? Call Kalkomey, the Texas-based company thats offering the course for customer service support 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central Standard Time. Call 1-800-830-2268 or 214-351-0461, or send an email to info@kalkomey.com.) The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced it is offering a complete online hunting safety education course for a limited time only. First-time hunters who want to hunt in New York must first earn a hunter education certificate prior to purchasing their first hunting license. The certificate is then good for all future purchases of hunting licenses,. Previously, classroom time, along with some required online homework ahead of time, was required to get a hunter education certificate. Unfortunately, all traditional hunter education courses have been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving many new hunters unable to get a certificate before spring turkey season, DEC said in press release. The statewide regular spring turkey hunting season is set from May 1-31, and the youth (ages 12-15) turkey hunting weekend on April 25-26. The online course, will be offered from April 15 to June 30, and can be taken by anyone ages 11 and older and can be completed from a computer, tablet, or smart phone at any time. A hunter must be at least 12, though, to buy a license. Students who complete the online course and virtual field day, and pass the final exam, will receive their hunter education certificate and can purchase a hunting license, DEC said. The cost of the course is $19.95 and is offered on the Kalkomey website. Earlier this year, the DEC announced that the states 2019 hunting seasons were the safest on record since the began keeping hunting accident statistics nearly 60 years ago. Credit goes to the states hunter safety courses, DEC said. Of the 12 hunting-related shooting incidents last year, seven were two-party firearm incidents, five were self-inflicted and one resulted in a fatality. The DEC report included incidents from the small game, waterfowl, turkey and big game hunting seasons. WHAT ABOUT A COMPLETE ONLINE SAFETY COURSE FOR BOWHUNTERS? The DEC said with bowhunting certifications not needed until October when the fall big game hunting season opens, the agency is still evaluating whether to offer a complete online course for bowhunters, in addition to future opportunities for in-person courses. WHAT IF SOMEONE HAS ALREADY COMPLETED THE ONLINE HOMEWORK PART OF THE HUNTER SAFETY COURSE AND THEIR CLASS WAS CANCELLED? If someone has the voucher that they completed the online homework, they should be able to log back into their account and they should be given the option to complete the Virtual Field Day. If they successfully complete that, they will be given their hunter education certificate. GET YOUR LICENSE ONLINE: Purchase your license and/or turkey permit online to avoid visiting busy stores or because stores may be closed or have limited hours. Licenses and tags purchased online take 10-14 days to arrive, so online purchases for the youth turkey hunt should have been made by April 10, and for the regular season by April 16. MORE: NY spring turkey hunting season begins May 1 with strong social distancing advice Get outdoors! A trip to Chimney Bluffs State Park in northern Wayne County Upstate NY trout fishing: Anglers share pictures of their catches Have a question or suggested story concerning the Upstate NY outdoors scene? Outdoors writer David Figura can be reached by email at dfigura@NYup.com, on Facebook or by calling 315-470-6066. Mumbai, April 14 : Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is deeply disturbed after reading about the growing violence against police personnel in various cities across India amid coronavirus crisis. Ayushmann took to social media to condemn such violent acts. "I feel terrible reading about the heinous attacks on cops and security personnel that is happening across the country. The police force is risking their lives every single day to keep us, our families and our friends safe and I condemn such attacks on them," he wrote. Lately, several incidents of violence against cops have occurred in many parts of India -- notably, a cop's hand being chopped off in Patiala while on duty to prevent people from stepping out of their homes. Mob attacks on policemen in Bhopal and Cuttack, Ahmedabad have surfaced in the last couple of days. Ayushmann urged all Indians to appreciate the hard work that our police force is putting in. "They are putting us and our lives before theirs and we should respect how they are fighting for us to keep us all protected. All Indians should celebrate the police force and salute them! Jai Hind!" he concluded. S tate-backed media organisations in Russia, China, Iran and Turkey are sharing misleading information on Covid-19 with millions during the pandemic, a report alleges. The Computational Propaganda team at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) claimed English language outlets such as China Daily and RT, formerly Russia Today, are pushing messages online that contain misleading content and conspiracy theories. According to the academics, the content has the potential to reach tens of millions of online users and can be up to ten times more effective in generating engagement in comparison to articles shared by the BBC. Professor Philip Howard, director of OII, said their social media posts were sometimes more effective in engaging online users than more traditional news outlets. 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 added: "Covid-19 is the undisputed number one topic of conversation online right now. "State-backed news outlets from Russia, China, Iran and Turkey are using their social media to push positive messages about their Governments' handling of the crisis, while being highly critical of countries in the West. "It is clear some states are using this crisis to suggest democratic states have been corrupt and incompetent in handling this global pandemic, while acting as cheerleaders for the efforts of their own authoritarian regimes." Philadelphia City Councilmember Derek S. Green posed for a portrait wearing a homemade face mask in front of his home in Philadelphia, Pa. on Monday, April 13, 2020. Read more I was chatting with a friend about how government officials now recommend that Americans don face masks in public to guard against the spread of the coronavirus. Since he was heading to the Fresh Grocer on North Broad Street, I asked if he planned to wear one and he responded that he didnt own one. Trying to be helpful, I suggested he find an old bandanna and tie it around his face, to which he said, Nah. I asked, Why not? Because Im a black man in America, he responded. He was concerned, and justifiably so, about how employees might react at the sight of him, a larger-than-average black man, entering the store late at night with his face partially concealed with a scarf. My friend is far from alone. READ MORE: Coronavirus new normal will continue through summer in Philly, mayor says; Pa.s case surge could come next week As more Americans are heeding the advice of the White House and donning face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, some African American males have expressed concern about how theyll be perceived if they follow suit. Thats because of negative racial stereotypes that already exist that black men are somehow threatening, criminal, and out to steal. If racial profiling occurs during times of normalcy, one can only hypothesize that wearing a mask while black during this most trying of times can occur, said Chad Dion Lassiter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. In recent weeks, there have been a number of well-publicized incidents in which African American males wearing face masks have gotten negative pushback. One reportedly happened in Illinois when two young black men wearing surgical masks were escorted from a Walmart store while shopping. They filmed themselves being followed out of the store. In another case, a black doctor in Miami who was wearing a surgical face mask while unloading a van outside his home was handcuffed and detained by a police officer. Filmed by a home security camera, the incident is currently under investigation. And therein lies the problem for some men of color who want to wear masks but are worried about how they will be treated while doing so. Mustafa Rashed, president of Bellevue Strategies, a Center City public relations firm, has some masks on order but isnt looking forward to wearing them. Hes already acutely aware of how he gets treated while dressed in a suit vs. workout gear. Its not going to be nonthreatening. Its not. Because Im a black man in America and putting on a mask gives me an undesired anonymity, and thats just real," he told me. On the few occasions that Ive been out recently, Ive noticed that more people, including black men, have on face masks while waiting at bus stops or walking along sidewalks. Thats encouraging because it means the message is getting out about protecting others from asymptomatic transmissions of the disease, which can be spread by respiratory droplets when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. READ MORE: Why an infodemic of fake coronavirus news is putting Philadelphia mask-makers into Facebook jail Councilmember Derek Green has a black cloth face mask that his wife made. "I do understand the concerns for the African American community, particularly African American men, he told me Monday. But my other concern and even greater [concern] is people getting COVID-19. He's right about that. Every man needs to wear a mask of some sort while in public, regardless of how he might be perceived. Yes, he may get pushback from store employees or others who see him and assume the worst. But at least he may live long enough to file a lawsuit. That might not happen, if a guy comes down with COVID-19. As for my friend, he still doesnt own a proper face mask. Nor will he wear a bandanna, which, depending on the color, can have gang connotations. But he does have a gray Nike shirt with a large collar that he pulls up to cover his nose and mouth. Hes making do with that for now. Taiwan developing military-use powered suit for production in 2023 ROC Central News Agency 04/13/2020 06:35 PM Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military is planning to spend millions of dollars to design and build its own military-use powered exoskeleton suit that is expected to begin production in 2023, according to the Defense Ministry's budget proposal for fiscal year 2020. The ministry's Armaments Bureau has allocated NT$250 million (US$8.3 million) in 2020 for use in developing a powered exoskeleton system, a mechanized wearable system that gives users greater strength and endurance when performing physical tasks. A military source told CNA that the military is hoping the high-tech suits can be used in wartime and in post-disaster rescue and relief missions, and they are expected to enter the production stage in 2023. The source said the project expects to learn from the U.S. military's experience in developing its own powered exoskeleton suit to increase the mobility and reduce the fatigue of its users, which could prove particularly helpful during combat or rescue missions. The suits can provide support to users in carrying taxing loads over long distances or reduce stress on leg muscles, the source said. Explaining the rationale behind the project, the source said only a handful of world powers, including the U.S., Japan, and Canada, are currently working on similar technology for military use, and their technology is not available at present for confidentiality reasons. Most of the powered exoskeleton suits available on the market right now are designed for medical and industrial use only and not suitable for military purposes, giving reason to Taiwan to try to develop its own equipment. Another key is that the suits need to be tailored to a wearer's body size, and those made in foreign countries may not fit the regular height and weight of Taiwanese soldiers, according to the source. The Armaments Bureau said it is now working closely with a number of private medical technology, automation and robotic companies, and a number of local universities, and the military's top research institution, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST, ), on the project. (By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Elanders will issue its Quarterly Report for the first quarter 2020 on Tuesday April 28 at 13:00 CET, followed by a conference call at 15:00 CET, hosted by President and CEO Magnus Nilsson and CFO Andreas Wikner. We invite fund managers, analysts and the media to participate in the conference call. Please see below details to join the conference. To join this event, please use the below Click to Join link 5-10 minutes prior to start time, where you will be asked to enter your phone number and registration details. Our Event Conferencing system will call you on the phone number you provide and place you into the event. Please note that the Click To Join link will be active 15 minutes prior to the event. CLICK TO JOIN Use the Click to Join option above for the easiest way to join your conference or use one of the access numbers below: Sweden: +46 (0)8 5033 6546 Germany: +49 (0)69 2222 10763 UK: +44 (0)330 336 9401 USA: +1 929-477-0443 Participant Passcode: 618471 Agenda 14:50 Conference number is opened 15:00 Presentation of quarterly results 15:20 Q&A 16:00 End of the conference During the conference call a presentation will be held. To access the presentation, please use this link: https://www.elanders.com/presentations For further questions, please contact Magnus Nilsson, President and CEO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Andreas Wikner, CFO, telephone: +46 31 750 07 50 Attachment To combat COVID-19, Embassy Group, Indias leading Real Estate company, has amplified its response over the extended lockdown order to support affected communities. #EmbassyCares is an ongoing CSR initiative by Embassy to empower and equip different sections of the society with timely help and resources. The Group has invested over 1 crore to combat the COVID-19 crisis, with significant interventions. Under the Embassy Cares program, around 2,50,000 meals have been distributed to daily wage workers and migrant families across several locations in Bangalore: Central and North Bangalore - Through their CSR initiatives, Embassy has supported Government Schools in and around Bangalore with a myriad of educational and infrastructure interventions. As the lockdown was extended, Embassy is supporting 3,500 families of students of these Government Schools with vital food rations, amounting to 1,47,000 meals. Each ration kit contains rice, dal, channa, oil, spices and vegetables. Distribution of the kits took place in Government Schools across North and Central Bangalore. Jeevan Bheemanagar & C V Raman Nagar Embassy Leisure, a subsidiary of Embassy Group that operates restaurants in Bangalore, has prepared and distributed 3,900 meals till date since the 1st of April for people who earn daily wages. They will continue to serve meals as the lockdown continues. The meals, cooked by 7 chefs from Lounge Hospitality at their Quick Service Restaurant kitchens located at Embassy Techvillage Business Park, are distributed in the Jeevan Bheema Nagar region by volunteers. Doctors, nurses and patients at C.V. Raman Nagar Hospital are also recipients. Mahadevapura, Ulsoor and Koramangala As part of these interventions, daily wage and migrant workers in the areas of Ulsoor, Mahadevpura and Koramangala have benefitted through the distribution of food rations. Aditya Virwani, Chief Operating Officer, Embassy Group, said, With so many underprivileged members of our communities, daily wage and migrant workers trying to make ends meet during this crisis, its important that we all step up to do our part. We believe that this pandemic can only be contained if we all stay at home and provide for those who need basic food and other necessities to survive. We are grateful to our corporate tenants, our employees and customers who have extensively supported our efforts. In addition to providing rations and meals to those in need across Bangalore, Embassy has initiated a project to support the entire personnel of Bengaluru City Traffic Police Force as they work night and day to contain the spread of the virus and enforce the nation-wide lock-down. The Group set up four hydration stations around the city in Hebbal, Whitefield, Infantry road and the Outer Ring road, where drinking water, refreshments, first aid and toilet facilities are provided for all police personnel. Embassy also provided 30,400 protein-rich nutrition bars, protective masks and hand sanitizers each to the Traffic Head Quarters, for distribution to the 44 stations and entire 3,800-strong force. Eager to contribute towards mitigating the negative impacts of COVID-19, employees of the Embassy Group voluntarily donated from their salaries towards relief initiatives. In total, Embassy has raised a total of 72 Lakhs through employee donations. Embassys contractors are also supporting construction workers at their camp sites through providing food rations, clean drinking water and safety measures such as regular sanitization and handwashing stations. AKRON, Ohio A man suspected of robbing a Walgreens store was arrested a day later when he was caught shoplifting from the same Ellet neighborhood location, police say. Jeffrey Crimaldi, 55, of Akron, was taken to the Summit County Jail on charges of robbery and theft, according to police. Officers were first called to the Walgreens at the intersection of East Exchange Street and South Canton Road at 1 p.m. Saturday. A worker in the pharmacy department told police the male suspect, who was wearing a black waist-length coat, black hat, glasses, and a medical mask, said he was robbing the store and demanded Xanax. The male left the store with an unknown amount of medication, police say. Officers were called back to the Walgreens at 6:40 p.m. Sunday when a worker told police a person in the store resembled the suspected from the robbery the day before. Police say they arrested the suspect, identified as Crimaldi, when they saw him take unpaid items out of his pockets. According to police, Crimaldi admitted to Saturdays robbery. More crime-related stories on cleveland.com: Man found dead in Clevelands Edgewater neighborhood, police say Man killed in shooting in Clevelands Cudell neighborhood Elyria man lied about positive coronavirus test in attempt to avoid jail, police say 10 arrested, gunshots fired at large party at AirBnb rental in Willoughby Hills, police say Columbus police break up large parties at Airbnb rentals EXCLUSIVE: Pilgrims Progress, Don Quixote and The Travels of Marco Polo were all written during hardship. TV Tonight has asked some of Australias leading industry voices whether from our current adversity we might eventually find creative enterprise? Rachel Griffiths, actor / director / producer. Total Control, Ride Like a Girl, Six Feet Under, Muriels Wedding. Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the second plague of London. Van Dyck, Titian, Holbein the Younger made amazing works while Europe was ravaged. I think the work that follows plagues makes sense of our trauma and shines a light on our hope. While we are escaping with Tiger King now, I have no doubt that profound and monumental works will be born of this moment acknowledging our collective vulnerability and need for meaning. Graeme Blundell, actor / critic / director. Alvin Purple, Dons Party, Dimboola, Screen. Yes, culture seems dead, well the official variety anyway. And maybe thats not such a bad thing. Artists though, working from home, from their lounge rooms and makeshift studios continue to entertain and enlighten us. And they are doing it without subsidy or grants of any kind. There is, in fact, a strange lively energy in the air. There is, in fact, a strange lively energy in the air. Its easy for some of us to think back to when we began and there was nothing doing culturally in this country. I can remember back to when the Melbourne film industry consisted of one decaying laboratory, two or three small film companies with half a dozen stalwart pioneers grinding out a living making sponsored documentaries. When Hector Crawfords Homicide went to air in 1964, my first paid gig, local production comprised ads for Mortein flay spray, Kia-Ora soups and du Maurier cigarettes. As Phillip Adams was fond of pointing out, it was as stuffed as Phar Lap. But Phillip and Tim Burstall started making their own movies, at first to a mixture of disdain and derision and the revolution was born. And it will be again and may it be as rough and gutsy and politically confronting as it was back then. Rob Sitch, actor, writer, director. Utopia, Frontline, The Castle. Theres a lot to be said for artistic isolation. My favourite example is the writing of Frankenstein. The facts seem to back up most of the legend. Mary Shelley was visiting Lord Byron in Geneva during the terrible summer of 1816. Stuck inside they invented a challenge; to come up with the best ghost story. I assume she won. The great poem Ozymandius was written in a similar challenge. Newton did his best work while isolated from the plague. Montaigne wrote his famous essays while self-isolating in a tower. Great ideas will emerge from our current isolation. Great ideas will emerge from our current isolation. One tip though, if your idea starts with Its about a group of friends who catch up every day on Zoom. Its probably not one of them. John Edwards, producer. Love My Way, The Secret Life of Us, Offspring, Paper Giants. All but one of the most successful shows Ive worked on had to survive the adversity of not being wanted, or even liked, by the networks that spawned them. No Darwinism here though, bad shows survive as frequently as good ones. And viruses are even less discriminating than networks often are. Im glad to hope though that the pressure and rub of this time of weirdness and adversity can force us to focus on stuff that matters and we make something good. Mark Fennessy, Chief Executive Officer, Endemol Shine Australia. If its true that great minds find inspiration in isolation then we will definitely see a burst of creativity beyond the present darkness (at least by those who are not home schooling)! In my experience there has never been a lack of great ideas in Australia but simply the courage of those needed to bring them to life. In the words of Winston Churchill an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Marta Dusseldorp, actor. A Place to Call Home, Janet King, Stateless, Jack Irish. The question that will be asked is what will people want to watch after this is all over. My hope is anything, everything and most importantly that it is Australian. Our stories. Our voices. Our identity examined and nurtured through film and television. Australian drama will see you stronger than ever in 2021. New voices developed during this time of no production and well-established writers ready to burst out of the blocks. Developed and commissioned with little fuss and enough financial backing to make it world class. Like we always do. Australian drama will see you stronger than ever in 2021. Bevan Lee, screenwriter. Packed to the Rafters, A Place to Call Home, Between Two Worlds, All Saints. It will be interesting to see what is produced, in this period of downtime, by those writers normally beavering at the coalface of the demands of high output television drama. These are talented practitioners usually too busy to let their creativity roam free on other projects. When their creative field has lain fallow for a time, not constantly harvested for the demands of high volume script turnaround, I think some very interesting scripts might emerge. I personally am shutting my head down for a number of months, to allow repair and renewal. All I know is, it will be impossible for me to write in the same way again in post-COVID times, if I wish to reflect any sort of current reality. Kevin Whyte, managing director. Token Group. Great work and new voices are already emerging just as great works were created in prisons and plagues, but we cant allow that to obscure the destruction that is being wrought on the lives of the creators, performers and crews who often slip between the definitions and find themselves at Centrelink. We are already seeing surprising ideas and finding ways to make new work in a lockdown Our artists are using the time well and we are already seeing surprising ideas and finding ways to make new work in a lockdown, but we are focussed on how we keep people working, engaged and crucially paid while Corona continues on its world tour. Imogen Banks, producer. Offspring, The Beautiful Lie, Puberty Blues, Tangle. Most of the industry is busy working out how to cling on and survive the blows but if you happen to fall into the category of funded, motivated, introverted creator, without children to home school then now is your time to shine! There are people who need time alone and silence to quiet their noisy brains and focus thought, and they now have it in spades. Im excited to see surprising projects generated in response to these conditions Im excited to see surprising projects generated in response to these conditions, from those people. And the comedy. Im looking forward to that, too. Jo Porter, Director of Scripted, Fremantle. As we gain our bearings, in what I hope is a temporary new world, there is no us versus them we are all in this together. There is also a palpable sense of responsibility and determination to push through and ensure we are doing all what we can to be ready to come out the other side with as many opportunities for as many people as possible. We are all looking at ways to innovate through this time and not let distance stand in the way of the normal intimacy of writers rooms, script meetings, picture edits and the like. We are continuing to work to set up new shows with local and international commissioners and deliver projects to meet on air deadlines. I marvel at both technology but also the human ability to adapt. I marvel at both technology but also the human ability to adapt. Australias creative community have always been proud of our capacity to improvise and innovate and I am seeing this in the way we are thinking about both the new stories we want to tell, and also how the current challenges are forcing a real subversion of the form itself. Its too soon to say for sure but my hope is we will look back at this time as a pause that enabled us to focus on the real essence of what we do which is continue to tell stories that entertain, provoke and make sense of ourselves and time we now find ourselves in. A local Congress MLA, who attended a meeting called by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday morning, tested positive for coronavirus in the evening, said a civic official. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday evening, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Om Prakash Machra. The MLA from the Khadia-Jamalpur seat of Ahmedabad will be admitted to a designated Covid-19 hospital soon, he said. Khedawala, along with some other Congress MLAs, was present in the meeting with Rupani held at the CMs official residence in Gandhinagar. Josephine Kaye was assaulted when she answered the door at her home in Stoke-on-Trent on February 27, according to Staffordshire Police A 'murdered' 88-year-old grandmother was subject to a sickening attack in her own home after she was shoved to the floor by a bogus gas man before dying 19 days later. Josephine Kaye was assaulted as she answered the door at her Stoke-on-Trent property on February 27. Staffordshire Police said the pensioner was threatened with a screwdriver before burglars stole thousands of pounds worth of cash. The force have made three arrests as part of their probe following the attack where she was visited by a 'man posing as a gas man' at her Harington Drive home in Weston Coyney according to an inquest. The inquest heard how gas works had been taking place in her street where the attack took place. The 88-year-old passed away at the Royal Stoke University Hospital on March 17. North Staffordshire assistant coroner Sarah Murphy said: 'She was an 88-year-old lady admitted to the Royal Stoke University Hospital on February 27 after an assault in her own home. 'She was pushed to the ground by a man posing as a gas man as there had been gas works in the street. He took money from the property. 'She had a previous medical history of osteoarthritis and ischemic heart disease. Her injuries consisted of a left femoral fracture and she sustained bruising to both arms. 'A post-mortem examination has been requested. There is reason to suspect the death was violent and an inquest is going to be required. The family will be given a progress update in six weeks time. The body has been released for funeral purposes.' The force said the pensioner was threatened with a screwdriver before burglars stole thousands of pounds worth of cash. The incident is being treated as murder Police have previously appealed for sighting of a safe which was stolen from Josephines home, with belief it may have been abandoned locally. A 52-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman who are both from Stoke-on-Trent - have been arrested on suspicion of murder. They are currently on bail. A 27-year-old Leicestershire man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and other alleged offences. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 654 of February 27, message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Firefighters are damn good cooks, and Stephen Wolf has been using his culinary talents to whip up hearty grub for needy seniors and worn-out doctors and nurses fighting the coronavirus at University Hospital in Newark, and Newark Beth Israel and St. Michaels medical centers. Wolf, a Newark firefighter, doesnt want this to be about him, not now, not ever, if he could have his way. With the stove constantly burning, he is thinking of the vulnerable healthcare professionals like his sister, a nurse at Overlook Medical Center in Summit; his sister-in-law, a home healthcare worker; and vulnerable senior citizens in Newark who cant get meals in the midst of lockdown. Over the past two weeks, hes rattled the pots at home and at Engine 7s firehouse each day to prepare 50 meals for seniors and 18 huge trays of food once a week for the three hospitals. They deserve it, dude," Wolf said. Thats what I want this [story] to be on. Im not an attention guy." Wolf is leaning on his cooking to get him through a tough time. His 73-year-old mother, Carole, died Tuesday from the coronavirus at an assisted living facility in Lincoln Park. It keeps my mind off of stuff," he said. Wolf and his siblings, three brothers who are Newark firefighters and a sister had not been able to see their mother since February when the facility stopped allowing visitors. That sucks," he said. They talked on the phone until his mother, the oldest of seven, came down with a fever recently. When she died, I just wanted to cook all day," he said. After a 2 p.m. wake on Friday, Wolf was back home preparing meals for the hospital. By 5 p.m., he was at Beth Israel to meet Kevin Simpson, a member of the Newark Firefighters Union, who would help deliver the food. Simpson offered to pick it up from Wolfs home in Bloomfield, but Wolf balked at the offer. Im not that kind of person thats going to sit there," he said. Meals that were prepared by Newark Firefighter Stephen Wolf for senior citizens.Newark Fire Department Two weeks ago, when Wolf started cooking for the community, meals first were prepared for shut-in seniors in every ward, and the generosity flowed naturally to the hospitals after Wolf said he could handle it. Fire captain Claudino Dominguez said he tried to get Wolf to stop cooking while hes away from the job. He said nah. He likes to do everything himself," Dominguez said. But the guy cant do everything. Firefighters Jorge Ramos and Brandon Aviles pack meals and deliver them to the seniors. All of the citys fire companies donated money for the cause. Now that hes home on bereavement, someone from the fire department or office of emergency management has picked up the food when Wolf cant be a part of the effort. The fire departments community relations unit has bagged and delivered food to seniors that was donated by Hello Fresh and Tabletop Meal. The menu has been varied. Wolf prepared: Taco Tuesdays with rice and beans, or baked chicken with vegetables and pasta salad on another day. On Wednesdays, Wolf will prepare meatloaf, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The hospitals received trays of baked ziti; sausage with peppers and onions; baked chicken; meatballs; rice and beans with pork. Wolf love of cooking reaches back into his childhood, when his family gathered for potluck meals as he grew up in the citys North Ward. He lived with his grandparents, Eleanor and Albert Taylor, a Newark firefighter for 32 years, who help his mother raise him and his brothers. Taylor is the reason they chose this noble profession. Hed often drive them to school in a firetruck. They noticed the bond their grandfather had with the men in the firehouse. To his knowledge, Wolf said there have never been four brothers in the department. My relationship with them goes back to a profile I wrote in 2006. Wolf, in his 14th year now, was joining the department with his brothers Chris and Scott, who are now captains, and Mark, a firefighter. Here I am writing about him again. Thats cool," Wolf said. You name it, Wolf can make it -- from a mean paella, Dominguez says to exotic pizzas with quail eggs. Chorizo and Manchego cheese or sausage and kale, too, have shown up on the menu. From Southern to Mexican to European and more. Firefighters got their first taste of his skills when he cooked St. Patricks Day brunch for a party his brother hosted many years ago. Now, hes the guy the department turns to for events. Its nothing for him knock out food for 300 or more people for occasions like the annual memorial mass to honor firefighters who died. On Monday, hell fire up the burners and cook again for seniors. When Friday rolls around, hell be back at the hospitals with trays of homemade pizza. I like to make people happy with food," Wolf said. He sees the gratitude in the eyes of tired hospital workers. Theyre worn out by the pandemic, but the food brings a smile that makes it all worthwhile, he says. Because its about them. Newark firefighter Stephen Wolf (right) and Fire Captain Claudino Dominguez, both of Engine 7 prepare food for senior citizens. Wolf, a talented cook, has been preparing 50 meals a day for the seniors and trays of food once a week for Newark hospitals.Newark Fire Department Read More Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. 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. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday paid floral tributes to Dalit icon and architect of the Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary. "Babasaheb raised voice for Dalits and the underprivileged. It is the result of his efforts that voices were raised against social inequality not only in India but also in other countries. I pay my tributes to him on his birth anniversary," Adityanath told ANI. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life towards working for the upliftment of Dalits, women and underprivileged. Born into a poor Dalit family on April 14, 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India. He also campaigned against social discrimination of Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALTON With a ceremonial bite from a trackhoe, the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SDM) began construction Monday on the site that will house its new Advanced Care Clinic (ACC) on the Alton campus. Drone footage captured the launch of demolition, making way for the $11.5 million facility scheduled to be completed in June 2021. The building will provide SDM with state-of-the-art accommodations to facilitate treatment for its most vulnerable patient population children who require general anesthesia for the completion of care. The clinic also will allow the SDM to expand and enhance its postdoctoral specialty programs. We are thrilled to be embarking on this next great phase in the growth of the School of Dental Medicine, said SIU SDM Dean Bruce Rotter, DMD. The Advanced Care Clinic, created in response to recent challenges in the provision of healthcare, underscores our dedication to patient care in our region, he said. By adding general anesthesia capabilities in two medical operating suites, the SDM will be able to offer more comprehensive, predictable and safe treatment, allowing for the timely completion of care, particularly for children and patients with special dental care needs. Rotter extended his gratitude to Delta Dental of Illinois and the Illinois Childrens Healthcare Foundation for their financial support in making the clinic possible. He also thanked general contractor Poettker Construction Co. and other supporting construction service providers. The SIU School of Dental Medicine is preparing future dental professionals who will shape a changing world through their important work as clinicians and service to the community, said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. The new Advanced Care Clinic will allow our students to develop their skills in a top-level facility, with important focus placed on the care of vulnerable patient populations. The project involves demolishing the former Multidisciplinary Lab Building 283 which is no longer in use. The new clinic will be built on that site and serve dental students and residents. The clinic will serve a comprehensive range of patient dental needs through existing, expanded and new post-doctoral programs. The UK government is setting aside 2.6 million for new satellite and drone technology that could deliver essential supplies during the coronavirus lockdown. The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is funding new solutions to deliver equipment such as test kits, masks, gowns and goggles for frontline NHS staff. The joint initiative with the European Space Agency could lead to vital equipment soaring through British skies via drones to support the NHS in tackling COVID-19. Companies can submit their proposals, including ideas for deployment and a pilot phase, on the European Space Agency (ESA) website. The UK's space industry is also looking for ways to combat the spread of coronavirus and preventing future epidemics using satellites. The government said UKSA, established in 2010, is well placed to support the 'unprecedented national effort' of combating the virus. The government believes space-enabled technology and services such as satellites and drones (pictured) can strengthen the NHS response to coronavirus. Pictured, police officers use a drone to find residents who fail to comply with the stay-at-home order implemented due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in Szolnok, Hungary ELIGIBLE DRONE AND SATELLITE PROJECTS Government said the 2.6 million in funding is for projects which will address at least one of the following: - Logistics within the health delivery system, e.g. with drone deliveries - Managing infectious disease outbreaks - Population health and wellbeing - Recovering health system function and handling backlogs after the crisis - Preparedness for future epidemics Source: GOV.UK Advertisement 'This new funding will ensure that the latest innovations will be on the frontline of tackling the unique problems the coronavirus outbreak has created, helping medical staff to focus on delivering world-class care,' said Science Minister Amanda Solloway. 'From new advanced software helping speed up cancer diagnoses to satellite communications connecting GPs to patients virtually, the UK space sector has been world leading in applying its innovations to supporting our brilliant NHS.' The initial funding will be made available to firms to use satellite data and drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to tackle problems including delivering test kits or personal protective equipment (PPE) and managing infectious disease outbreaks. The funding, which is part of a joint initiative by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, is for projects that address issues including logistics, as well as four other coronavirus-related issues. The space-enabled solutions could include satellite communications, satellite navigation, Earth observation satellites or technology derived from human spaceflight. Satellites and space technology offer connectivity solutions, which will help during the outbreak It is also considering projects that manage infectious disease outbreaks, improve population health and wellbeing, support the health system to recover after the crisis and prepare for future epidemics. The space-inspired solutions could include satellite communications, satellite navigation, Earth observation satellites or technology derived from human spaceflight, as well as drones. The government said that space tech is already playing an important part in healthcare. UK start-up company Lanterne recently announced a free app to help people observe social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus, using GPS satellite data. UKSA's International Partnership Programme, meanwhile, uses satellites to support healthcare projects all over the world particularly undeveloped nations. This includes forecasting and providing early warning of dengue fever outbreaks in Vietnam through Earth observation satellites and using telecommunications to extend the reach of basic medical healthcare into remote areas in Nigeria. 'This is a global crisis that would overwhelm any health service on earth without strong action from the public and their public services,' said Professor Tony Young, the NHS national clinical lead for innovation at NHS England. A drone is flown to sanitize public areas with disinfectant as a preventive measure against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Edirne, Turkey '[This is] why the NHS is looking to industries across the world or indeed from out of this world for new and exciting innovations that could help improve the care we provide to patients or help the NHS respond to this pandemic.' Drones are already being used across Europe during the pandemic, which has caused stringent social distancing measures during lockdowns aimed at preventing the spread of the disease via human contact. In the UK, Neath Port Talbot Council is using talking drones to catch people ignoring coronavirus isolation advice. The device gives troublemakers a telling-off through the speakers telling people to 'follow government advice' and 'stay at home'. In Turkey, a drone has been flown to sanitize public areas with disinfectant as a preventive measure in the northern city of Edirne. While in Szolnok, Hungary, police officers have used a drone to find residents who are failing to comply with the stay-at-home orders. After some governors said they'd work on regional plans to roll back stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, two of those leaders warned Tuesday any reopening still appears far away. And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in particular said he'd fight in court any federal order to reopen his state's economy if he thought it was premature and endangered New Yorkers' health. 'If (President Trump) ordered me to reopen it in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn't do it,' Cuomo told CNN's 'New Day' Tuesday morning. The comments come a day after two groups -- leaders in seven Northeastern states, and those in the three contiguous West Coast states -- said they would regionally plan an incremental release of stay-at-home orders. That may ultimately clash with the plans of President Donald Trump, who claimed Monday he has 'total' authority to override governors, and who is expected to announce Tuesday a special council to plan the country's reopening. There have been signs that the US is nearing the peak of its coronavirus outbreak. By Tuesday, more than 584,000 cases of the virus had been reported in the US. At least 24,485 people in the country have died. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont -- one of the governors in the Northeastern pact -- told CNN he still doesn't expect to even announce a decision about how to reopen the economy before May 20. 'I still have an infection that's growing' in much of Connecticut, Lamont told CNN Tuesday morning. 'This is no time to relax.' Cuomo declined to discuss a date, but said 'we're not talking about the next two weeks to three weeks.' 'We're talking about months. We're talking about a phased reopening,' essentially a gradual expansion of essential services, Cuomo said. Both governors emphasized that reopening the economy requires things like a greater capacity to test people, including with antibody tests that can reveal who were infected in the past, and are likely immune and could return to aspects of normal life. Your coronavirus questions, answered US is 'not there yet' to reopen, Fauci says Thoughts of opening the country's economy on May 1, when federal social distancing guidelines are set to expire, is 'a bit overly optimistic' for many places in the US, the country's top infectious disease official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The US doesn't have enough capacity to test for and trace Covid-19 cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the AP. 'We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we're not there yet,' Fauci told the AP. The process of reopening would likely happen on a 'rolling' basis and not simultaneously across the country. 'I'll guarantee you, once you start pulling back, there will be infections. It's how you deal with the infections that's going to count,' Fauci told the AP, adding that we need ways to get people 'out of circulation if they get infected, because once you start getting clusters, then you're really in trouble.' Fauci's comments come after Trump said the White House plans to unveil a committee Tuesday focused on reopening the country in the coming weeks. An influential model cited by the White House, meanwhile, predicts the pandemic could 'peter out' in late spring, with deaths essentially stopping around 68,800 by the end of June. The model predicts the US may have seen peak daily deaths on Monday. But the model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington assumes nationwide social distancing through May, and experts are wary about the model's assumption that there will be no resurgence of the virus in the summer months. Cuomo still wants federal help, and says he wants no fight with President The potential clash between governors and the White House reflect one of the challenges the country will face in adapting to the pandemic. Trump responded on Twitter to Cuomo's comments Tuesday morning, saying the New York governor had been 'begging for everything' like field hospitals and ventilators. 'I got it all done for him and everyone else, and now he seems to want independence! That won't happen,' Trump tweeted. Data continue to show New York, the state with the most reported coronavirus cases, is near it apex, Cuomo said in a new conference later Tuesday. Daily deaths were up Monday -- 778, against 671 the day before. But a three-day average in the net change of hospitalizations was down, he said. Cuomo told reporters in Albany that ultimately he wanted no fight with the President -- and that he wanted the federal government's help doing things states are struggling to do. Cuomo said states appear to be competing with each other for coronavirus tests, just as he said weeks earlier that states were trying to outbid each other for scarce medical equipment like ventilators. The federal government should be in charge of purchasing and distributing, he said. 'I want to get out of the ... competition business for ... vital testing,' Cuomo said. A new hydroxychloroquine trial South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced Monday the state was working with Sanford Health to conduct a statewide hydroxychloroquine trial, which will include both patients who have tested positive for the virus and residents who have been exposed. Patients who have been exposed to the virus will receive either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo, Sanford Health's Chief Medical Officer Allison Suttle said. 'We're going on offense to help every single person deal with this virus and be willing to fight it and get better and go home to their families,' the governor said. The news comes as researchers in New York are expected to announce next week preliminary results of a study on hydroxychloroquine used on patients in that state -- offering one of the first scientific hints as to whether the drugs are helpful against coroanvirus. China has imposed a restriction on the publication of an academic research on the origins of the novel Coronavirus. In now-deleted notices published by two Chinese universities, the Central Government directed that all academic work on Coronavirus will go through extra vetting before being submitted for publication. Studies on the origin of the virus will receive extra scrutiny and must be approved by central government officials. Ministry of Education's science and technology department said; "Academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly and tightly managed." The new directive is based on instructions issued during a March 25 meeting, held by the State Council's task force on the prevention and control of COVID-19. The document was first posted on Friday morning on the website of the Fudan University in Shanghai, one of China's leading universities. It was taken down after CNN contacted the university. This is reportedly the Chinese government's latest effort to tighten its grip on the publication of COVID-19 research, amid previous reports of its ploy to control the narrative on the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic. A Chinese researcher who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, said the development might obstruct important scientific research. The researcher said; "I think it is a coordinated effort from (the) Chinese government to control (the) narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China. And I don't think they will really tolerate any objective study to investigate the origination of this disease." Before the new directive, Chinese researchers have published series of COVID-19 studies in influential international medical journals. Some of findings about early coronavirus cases such as when human-to-human transition first appeared clashed with the official government account of the outbreak, and it led to a controversy on Chinese social media. Since the emergence of Coronavirus in late 2019, over 100,000 people have died and 1.8 million people have been infected worldwide. Source: CNN Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A bout half of all deaths from coronavirus are happening in care homes, according to data from five European countries collated in a new study. Research from official sources by a London School of Economics-based team found 42-57 per cent of all deaths linked to Covid-19 were among care home residents. The nations studied by the International Long Term Care Policy Network (LTCPN) included Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and France. It comes after industry bosses in the UK said daily death tolls are "airbrushing out" hundreds of older people who have died in the care system. Care England has estimated there have been nearly 1,000 deaths from coronavirus in care homes. Separately, Baroness Altmann wrote in the Daily Mail that aged care residents who are refused hospital treatment are "being abandoned like lambs to the slaughter". The LTCPN report suggested that the clearest snapshot of coronavirus mortality in care homes came from Ireland, as there was a centralised system to collect information relating to Covid-19. As of Saturday, there had been 6,444 cases of Covid-19 and 288 deaths, of which 156, or 54 per cent, were care home residents. Loading.... The most recent figures from Belgium suggest 1,405 care home deaths from coronavirus, 42 per cent of the total. Meanwhile, figures from Spain are based on media reports of regional government figures for the month to April 8 which cite 8,345 deaths in aged care facilities, or 57 per cent of the total. In Italy, the figures were based on a survey with 577 homes, or 10 per cent of the total in the country, taking part with an extrapolated figure of 53 per cent of deaths in care homes. French data from the Ministry of Health gives a figure of 44.6 per cent. The study's authors said definitions of care homes can differ between countries so the data is not comparable. Loading.... But they added: "It is important to ensure that the levels of infections and deaths of care residents and staff are not ignored, and there is a danger that, by not attempting to measure them even if imperfectly, opportunities to inform the decisions that policymakers make in terms of resource allocations to the care sector may be missed." Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said around 13.5 per cent of care homes in the UK have registered an outbreak and said he would like to see an uplift in testing. Asked if deaths are being recorded properly in such settings, he said: "Everybody who sadly dies, the doctor will make an assessment based on her or his view about what the cause of death is, that's what the death certificate says in all cases. "Doctors take it very seriously and try to make sure that they get as much information to give accurate data. "One of the things we want to do is to extend the amount of testing of people in care homes as the ability to test ramps up over the next few weeks. "Because clearly care homes are one of the areas where there are large numbers of vulnerable people and that is an area of risk and therefore we would very much like to have much more extensive testing." Matthew Reed, chief executive of charity Marie Curie, said the Government figures published every day of hospital deaths are "lagging behind the big number" as care home deaths are not included. Provisional figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on April 7 showed around one in 14 coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales could be happening outside hospitals. In the week ending March 27, for those deaths that were registered with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS found 38 out of 539 occurred in hospices, care homes or other locations, accounting for 7 per cent of the total. It was the first time the ONS published a weekly breakdown of coronavirus-related deaths that have happened both in and out of hospital, but these figures are only applicable in England and Wales and have a time lag of several days as they are based on registered death certificates. "We therefore risk not recognising the human cost of Covid-19," Mr Reed added. Baroness Altmann said the omission of care home deaths from daily figures "speaks eloquently of a shaming state of mind which devalues the lives of the oldest generations". She wrote in the Mail: "there are few redemptive news stories to be found here. Just hidden silent death, with our elderly citizens who raised us and demanded so little in return now slipping away alone and isolated. "The shameful truth is that many care home residents who fall ill are being refused hospital admission. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast Malawi is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, often described as the warm heart of Africa because of the friendliness of its people. Around 65 times smaller than Australia, Malawi has an estimated population of around 21 million people. The average person in Australia earns nearly 100 times more than an average person in Malawi. Although 4 out of 5 Malawians rely on agriculture for income, less than 3% of the land is irrigated, which makes these small land owners particularly vulnerable to the effects of drought. Population growth has placed additional pressure on the nations agricultural sector and a lack of strong democratic leadership has weakened its economy in recent years. In its mission to evangelise the cities of Africa, in both Word and Deed, African Enterprise has been proclaiming the Gospel and strengthening the Church of Malawi for over 30 years. AE Malawi has also been involved with water and sanitation projects, and since 2009, runs a womens vocational training centre. Here, vulnerable women, many of whom have turned to prostitution, are trained in tailoring and given their own sewing machines, and thus provided with the opportunity to start their own small businesses. In the last year, food insecurity has reached crisis point for many individuals in Malawi, with a sharp increase in the price of maize. Our church partners in Malawi have reported a decline in church attendance, as congregation members have been out in search of food. In response to this crisis, and in obedience to Gods Word to look after orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). African Enterprise is partnering with the local church to supply maize and legumes to families at risk. These include child-headed households, widows and the elderly. In addition, AE Malawi founded its Management and Leadership Development Training Centre (MALDEC) in October 2019. MALDEC offers a short course in practical strategic management for community leaders of various professional backgrounds. At the recent graduation of its first and second cohort of students, Mr Rangford Chokotho, chairperson of the African Enterprise Malawi Board, encouraged graduates to use the knowledge gained from this program to contribute to Malawis growth and development. At African Enterprise, as we partner with all levels of society in Malawi, from its most vulnerable to its leaders, we believe that this beautiful nation can look forward to a future filled with hope. Find out more about African Enterprise at https://africanenterprise.com.au Luxembourg 14 April 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of contracts by Chevron U.S.A Inc. for subsea installation services related to the Anchor field, located in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. The Anchor field is approximately 140 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Subsea 7s scope of work includes project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the SURF components including, but not limited to, the production flowlines, risers, umbilicals, flying leads, jumpers, and associated appurtenances. Project management and engineering will commence immediately at Subsea 7s offices in Houston, Texas. Fabrication of the flowlines and risers will take place at Subsea 7s spool-base in Ingleside, Texas, with offshore operations anticipated to occur in 2022 and 2023. Craig Broussard, Vice President for Subsea 7 US, said, We are honored to be selected by Chevron for the SURF installation scope on the Anchor project. We look forward to building on the collaborative relationship with Chevron to deliver a best-in-class project. The combination of the SURF scope for Subsea 7 and the ongoing subsea equipment delivery by OneSubsea, will allow the Subsea Integration Alliance to work in partnership with Chevron to unlock the value of an integrated approach to project optimization. ******************************************************************************* 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. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Head of Investor Relations 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 COVID-19 and its impact on vulnerable populations raise many concerns about the welfare of older adults in our community. While no one is immune to the effects of the pandemic, our older population is especially susceptible. Even those with ample resources to safely shelter-in-place are feeling the negative effects of this crisis. Alvin Loewenberg is one of them. Loewenberg retired in 2017 after 26 years as the CEO of Morningside Ministries, a nonprofit organization providing what many consider to be the gold standard for residential services for older adults. With years of experience in the social services sector and the financial means afforded after a long, successful career as an executive, Loewenberg is still experiencing how difficult this time is for those aging in place. Like many other older adults who live independently, he is still actively involved in the community, but is dealing with isolation during these challenging times. While he has family nearby, he sees them only from a distance as he navigates through the new reality of daily life. My usual trips to the grocery store have become an exercise in digital skills by learning how to order necessities online and having them delivered, he said. Its been a lonely and isolating experience, and its an entirely new world to navigate. I cant imagine what its like for someone who didnt have some of the supports I already had in place. Loewenberg shares his expertise on caring for an aging population as one of the leaders of Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio, or SALSA, a key initiative of the San Antonio Area Foundation. This initiative works to create a community where older adults are respected and thrive, and enjoy connected lives. A steering committee leads the collaborative, comprised of leaders from organizations providing services to older adults and others with life experience in aging and caring for people in their later years. Together they identify challenges and help direct resources to support successful aging in our community. While its a difficult time for all, its also a time when the collaboration, ingenuity and innovative solutions of San Antonians are on display. Several local nonprofits that are part of SALSA are modifying their services to ensure older adults are safely receiving support. For example, the Madonna Centers senior and promotora (community health worker) programs are shifting to home-based supports instead of providing services out of their community center. Merced Housings residential services coordinators, who work with older adults in affordable housing communities owned or operated by the nonprofit, are creating safe human connection through virtual means or appropriate social distancing. The PRESA Transportation Coalition and VIAtrans have collaborated to provide rides to curbside grocery pickup for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Once residents have scheduled their curbside pickup time, they can call the team at PRESA Transportation Coalition at 210-532-5554 to schedule a ride. Residents who already are VIAtrans customers can continue calling 210-362-5050 for ride service after scheduling their curbside grocery pickup. These organizations and many other groups and individuals in our community show that San Antonio is truly a caring, inclusive community. They are living examples of the responsibility our entire community shares for the older generation and the importance of caring for those who came before us, taught us, and passed their knowledge and wisdom to new generations. As San Antonio works through the challenging times ahead, let us unite in our commitment to honor, care for and support the vibrant generation of older adults in our community. Jane Paccione is the managing director of collective impact for SALSA, San Antonio Area Foundation. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rats across the United States are in survival mode during the coronavirus pandemic -- scrambling to find food and desperate enough to resort to cannibalism, according to recent reports. As Americans continue to stay home to curb the spread of COVID-19, and with closures or limited operations of restaurants across the country, the normal food supply has been cut off for the rodents, which typically look to eat from garbage and food scraps. Now theyre taking to deserted streets across the country searching for other food sources. A restaurant all of a sudden closes now, which has happened by the thousands in not just New York City but coast to coast and around the world, and those rats that were living by that restaurant, some place nearby, and perhaps for decades having generations of rats that depended on that restaurant food, well, life is no longer working for them, and they only have a couple of choices, Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist told NBC News. In order to survive, rats are engaging in wars to get food from other rodent colonies. Corrigan related the rat wars to what weve seen in the history of mankind, where people try to conquer land with militaries and armies fighting to the death. And thats what happens with rats, he told NBC News. A new army of rats come in, and whichever army has the strongest rats is going to conquer that area. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The rats are also resorting to eating one another -- even killing their young. So these rats are fighting with one another, now the adults are killing the young in the nest and cannibalizing the pups," he said in an interview with NBC News. Corrigan said dense urban areas and rural areas have coexisted with rodents, but sightings in some cities have increased over the last few weeks due to COVID-19 while businesses are shut down. A viral video from the French Quarter in New Orleans showed droves of rats scurrying down the empty streets searching for food last month. Corrigan told our sister site, NJ.com, that towns and cities could see a similar pattern, especially areas that already had rat populations prior to the virus, and neighborhoods near businesses or restaurants that used to discard high volumes of food trash but are now closed due to COVID-19. According to a May 2019 report by the New York Times, more than 130,000 rat sightings were reported in New York City since 2010. Data analyzed by the Advance/SIlive.com from the New York City Health Department indicated Staten Island reported 6,014 rat sightings since 2010 the least among all five boroughs. But that doesnt mean Staten Islanders wouldnt see rats scurrying around the streets. In June 2019, a Staten Island woman reportedly saw up to 30 rats in in the Greenridge Shopping Plaza. They were RATS! wrote Rosanna Agnello Cavalluzzi on her private Facebook page, noting the rodents were spotted behind Greenridge Shopping Plazas Boston Market and Country Donuts. [A lot] of rats! Easily, I had to count 25-30! Once a food source suddenly disappears, Corrigan told NJ.com that rats first begin killing and eating each other before moving on to find other food. That could mean rats coming to the front or back door of your home if youre not careful. Empty businesses and restaurants are also at risk of having rats infest a building. Make sure any gaps under doorways or holes into your home are plugged tightly, and make sure your trash is stored properly and in a trash can, Corrigan suggests. If you spot a rodent in your home, dont try to eradicate it yourself. He told NJ.com that residents should hire a professional pest person. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Britain reported another 717 deaths in a single day, bringing the fatalities from coronavirus to 11,329, as the government indicated that the strict social distancing measures which entered the fourth week on Monday are unlikely to be eased up any time soon. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers after testing positive for coronavirus, said the Cabinet would be reviewing the impact of the lockdown measures later this week but no easing up in the measures is expected right away. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here "Some positive signs from the data is that we are starting to win this struggle but we are still not past the peak of this crisis, Raab said during the daily Downing Street briefing. He said the Cabinet would review the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) assessment of the impact of the social distancing measures later this week but no changes are expected in the measures currently in place at that point. He added: "We won't until we're confident, as confident as we realistically can be, that any such changes can be safely made. "If we let up now, the virus will only take full advantage. It will spread faster and it will kill more people. If we refuse to give into it, if we keep up this incredible team effort, we will beat this virus and we will come through this national test. Our plan is working, please stick with it and we will get through it together. Sir Patrick Vallance, the governments chief scientific adviser, said during the briefing that he expects the death toll in the UK to increase this week before plateauing. I think this week we are going to see a further increase, thereafter we should see a plateau as the effects of social-distancing come through. That plateau may last for some time and begin to decrease, he said. ALBANY - Community leaders in New York are urging that the next federal stimulus bill include direct funding to the communities that have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Local government has borne the brunt of the fiscal impact - from organizing the response to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, to revenue drying up amid businesses shuttering - and congressional leaders should ensure funding to help communities, said Stephen J. Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties. We are calling upon our congressional delegation to please fight for state and local fiscal relief, he said during a Tuesday Zoom video conference. The counties are the front lines. It is the regional government that has suffered the worst, outside the state of New York. The association has estimated counties outside New York City are expected to lose a cumulative $2 billion in sales tax revenue due to the pandemic. The Association of Counties is launching a campaign that will include podcasts and other features discussing the impacts the pandemic has had on local facilities, from social services to criminal justice. Localities across the state also have been working together as they enact emergency preparedness plans, assess resources and coordinate on responses to tamp down the number of COVID-19 cases. Acquario said county leaders, on their own, have facilitated temporary hospitals and mobile testing sites. The New York Conference of Mayors, which represents 600 cities and villages across the state, also is calling for federal funding. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In a letter sent to New York's congressional delegation on Monday, the group reminded officials that the federal CARES Act provided federal relief to communities with 500,000 people or more, leaving out cities, villages and towns with smaller populations. The 36 cities in the United States with that population only represent 14 percent of the countrys total population and only 0.18 percent of all municipalities, they argued. The Conference of Mayors is calling on New York federal delegates to support a draft proposal called the Coronavirus Community Relief Act, which would provide a separate $250 billion stand-alone fund for COVID-19 related costs for communities with fewer than 500,000 people. Municipalities from across New York - whether urban, suburban or rural - are extremely concerned about receiving the fiscal relief needed give their falling revenues and the un-budgeted spending necessary to enact extraordinary measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the letter reads. Going forward, as Congress works with the White House on the next funding bill, it is critically important that you do not include a population threshold for additional aid dedicated to local governments. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Tuesday held a meeting of the government committee on managing the coronavirus crisis to discuss the latest developments. The meeting discussed the current government plan to curb the spread of the virus, as well as the latest data from different ministries. The meeting was attended by the ministers of health, higher education, education, supply, finance, local development and information, in addition to number of other officials, including the presidents adviser for health affairs. Health Minister Hala Zayed said the rate of positive cases in Egypt is 21 for every million people, while the death rate is two cases for every million. She compared this with some European countries, where the rate of positive cases has reached 3,625 per million and the death rate is 374 per million. The minister said that the ministry had formed a committee to establish guidelines for COVID-19 patients who are already suffering from other chronic diseases or cancer, or who are pregnant. It will be made up of 14 members, including university professors, ministerial advisers and scientific researchers. In previous statements, the ministry said that 90 percent of recorded coronavirus deaths were people who suffer from chronic diseases. The committee is also preparing a programme to train doctors working at the quarantine, fever and chest hospitals to use an electronic platform for consultations. Zayed added that the ministry is coordinating with foreign embassies in the country concerning the status of foreign coronavirus patients, providing daily reports about them, as well as repatriation, if required. She also said that the health ministry had activated a special deaf-mute hotline service, with the coordination of the telecommunication ministry, to increase awareness about the pandemic. Zayed also spoke about the first two delivery operations in the quarantine hospitals last week, and said that 240 mild cases were transferred to hostels. She spoke about the important role of the ambulance authority in the crisis, revealing that ambulances had made nearly 4,000 trips nationwide so far to transfer suspected cases and positive cases to quarantine cases using more than 500 ambulances, led by 200 ambulance medics and drivers. Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar put forward a suggestion to use university hospitals nationwide as quarantine hospitals. According to the minister, university hospitals have 2,056 beds, including 297 intensive care unit beds, as well as 266 ventilators. The minister added that public universities student hostels can be turned into quarantine hospitals if required in the 26 governorates and said that their capacity includes 38,589 rooms with 69,070 beds. The student dorms at the universities of Cairo, Alexandria, Ain Shams, Assiut, Mansoura, Minya and Helwan have already been delegated as quarantine hospitals, if required. Search Keywords: Short link: States Urge Supreme Court to Halt Public Charge Immigration Rule Amid Pandemic Three states and the city of New York are asking the Supreme Court to suspend the enforcement of the public charge rule until the CCP virus pandemic is over. The public charge rule that went into effect nationwide in February makes immigrants inadmissible to the United States or potentially ineligible for permanent residency or a visa renewal if he or she is likely to become a public charge at any time in the future. The new rule, issued in August last year, provides clarification about what factors would be considered when determining whether someone is likely to become a public charge in the future. A public charge refers to an individual who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, by receiving assistance such as food stamps or Medicaid. It will consider a person a public charge if they receive at least one government benefit for more than 12 months in the aggregate in a three-year period. New York Attorney General Letitia James and the attorneys general of two other statesConnecticut and Vermontand New York City filed a motion on Monday urging the top court to halt the implementation of the new rule because they claim it discourages immigrants and their families from accessing healthcare and public benefits needed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, or mitigate the economic impact caused by the virus. By deterring immigrants from accessing publicly funded healthcare, including programs that would enable immigrants to obtain testing and treatment for COVID-19, the Rule makes it more likely that immigrants will suffer serious illness if infected and spread the virus inadvertently to othersrisks that are heightened because immigrants make up a large proportion of the essential workers who continue to interact with the public, the states argued in their motion (pdf). This comes after the Supreme Court in January lifted nationwide injunctions issued by a New York District Court and upheld by the 2nd Circuit that blocked the rule from going into effect. Then in February, the top court lifted a similar injunction that prevented the rule from going into effect in Illinois. The effect of the two decisions allows the Trump administration to enforce the rule nationwide while the appeals play out in court. The Supreme Court in Washington on March 10, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) In their filing on Monday, James and the other attorneys general argued that the current global pandemic had significantly altered American society since the two Supreme Court decisions. The CCP virus had thrown the country into an unprecedented crisis and exacted a tremendous toll on the nation, they said. James said since early March that she and other attorneys general had attempted to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend the implementation of the rule. She and 17 other attorneys general sent a letter to the agency on March 6, which they say was unanswered. Failure to immediately stay implementation of the Rule so that we can take the steps necessary to contain and mitigate the outbreak of the disease puts the public health and safety of our communities at increased risk, the attorneys general wrote. Then on March 13, the DHS posted an alert on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, which stated that the agency would not consider testing, treatment, and preventative care related to COVID-19 when determining whether a person is a public charge in order to address concerns that immigrants fear to public charge consequences. The alert also stated that USCIS would need to consider the receipt of certain cash and non-cash public benefits including ones related to the testing or treatment of COVID-19 as part of a public charge determination for immigrants and nonimmigrants seeking an extension of stay or change of status. In a subsequent letter (pdf), James sought clarification from DHS about what appears to be contradicting advice and to continue urging the agency to suspend the rule. James says she still has not received a response to that letter. New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference in New York City on June 11, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The motion asks the Supreme Court to reverse or modify its decision to allow the rule from taking effect until the national emergency concerning COVID-19, which was declared on March 13, is over. Every person who doesnt get the health coverage they need today risks infecting another person with the coronavirus tomorrow, James said in a statement. Immigrants provide us with health care, care for our elderly, prepare and deliver our food, clean our hospitals and public spaces, and take on so many other essential roles in our society, which is why we should all be working to make testing and health coverage available to every single person in this country, regardless of immigration status, she added. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment. The public charge rule was challenged by several states and immigration groups, leading to injunctions that prevented the rule from going into effect on Oct. 15, 2019. Two federal appeals courtsthe 4th Circuit and the 9th Circuitlifted similar injunctions in December 2019. But the 2nd Circuit has refused to set aside a pair of injunctions issued by a New York District Court, prompting the Trump administration to file an emergency request (pdf) to the top court earlier in January to lift those blocks. Opponents of the rule say it discourages immigrants and their families from accessing necessities such as health, food, and housing programs that supplement their wages and help them make ends meet. Meanwhile, Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, previously said that the rule was implemented because the administration wanted to see people coming to this country who are self-sufficient. Thats a core principle of the American dream. Its deeply embedded in our history, and particularly our history related to legal immigration, he said. London, April 14 : A Daily Mail report has claimed that the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology in China undertook coronavirus experiments on bats and other wild animals which were funded by a $3.7 million grant from the US government. The mammals were captured more than 1,600 kms away in Yunnan province. "Sequencing of the COVID-19 genome has traced it back to bats found in Yunnan caves but it was first thought to have transferred to humans at an animal market in Wuhan," claimed the report. The wet market in question is just 36 km away from Wuhan Institute of Virulogy. According to documents obtained by Daily Mail, scientists experimented on bats as part of a project funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). US Congressman Matt Gaetz said: 'I'm disgusted to learn that for years the US government has been funding dangerous and cruel animal experiments at the Wuhan Institute, which may have contributed to the global spread of coronavirus, and research at other labs in China that have virtually no oversight from US authorities." Nearly 30 per cent of Americans in a new Pew poll said they believe the novel coronavirus was likely created in a lab. According to a CNN report on Tuesday, the latest poll shows that misinformation around the virus is still king. Haiti - FLASH : The royal chapel of Milot, world heritage destroyed by fire In the night from Sunday to Monday, April 13, 2020, a fire broke out in an annex building of the royal chapel of Milot, located in the Citadelle, Sans Souci, Ramiers national historic park, 20 kilometers south of Cap Haitien, before propagate to this historic monument classified world heritage by UNESCO in 1982. According to Father Alain Prophete, parish priest, the fire would have started a little before 2:00 am when residents informed him "The commune, not having a fire service, I called the local authorities to help us limit the spread of the fire." The firefighters of the town hall of Cap-Haitien arrived on the scene two hours after being alerted said Jacques Bernadin the Mayor of Milot "They did their best to save the church from the flames..." The firefighters were there but unfortunately they could not save the chapel for various reasons said Patrick Durandis, Director of the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) who said that the volume of the chapel could be rebuilt quickly if there is the will... The imposing roof, a dome with a diameter of 30m composed of a wooden structure collapsed in the flames which also destroyed most of the elements inside "almost nothing was saved from the flames, with the exception of a few benches which have been removed by people who have come to help, and only the circular structure is still in place," informed Henry Claude Telemaque, Deputy Mayor of the town of Milot. Let's remind that the Royal Chapel of Sans-Souci dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, was built during the reign of King Henri Christophe between 1810 and 1813 by the architect Chery Wallock. First reactions : Minister Claude joseph : "Sad to hear of the fire at the Royal Church of Milot, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception [...] The fire at this historic monument is a huge loss for the country. As Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, I called the Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Eugene Martin Nugent, and the Archbishop of Cap-Haitien, Mgr Launay Saturne, to express, on behalf of HEM Jovenel Moise, my affliction to Catholic monks and the inhabitants of Milot for this immeasurable loss." Pilar Alvarez, Representative of UNESCO : "The UNESCO Office in Port-au-Prince learned with dismay of the news of the disaster that swept away the roof of the Chapel of Milot, located in the National Historic Park \ Citadelle, Sans Souci, Ramiers registered on the World Heritage list since 1982. It is a lost treasure for present and future generations. With more than 200 years of history, this royal church will remain an irreplaceable source of inspiration." Myriam Jean Minister of Tourism : "A treasure has gone up in smoke. The Immaculate Conception Chapel of Milot, built in the early 1810s under the reign of King Henry Christophe, one of the important pieces of the National Historic Park which is classified as World Heritage by UNESCO [...]" TB/ HaitiLibre Boris Johnsons senior adviser Dominic Cummings has returned to work at Downing Street after showing symptoms of the coronavirus over a fortnight ago. Mr Cummings, a key member of the prime ministers inner circle, was photographed walking into No 10 on Tuesday morning, alongside another adviser, Cleo Watson. Before he began self isolating, he was spotted racing away from Downing Street on 27 March just hours after news broke that the prime minister had tested positive for covid-19. Asked whether Mr Cummings was back at work, the prime ministers spokesman said on Tuesday: Correct. Yes, he has back in Number 10 working today. They also insisted that members of government will only return to work when they are no longer symptomatic and after following all of the relevant Public Health England guidelines. 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 Pressed on why Mr Cummings did not appear to be maintaining a two-metre gap from fellow aide Ms Watson, the spokesperson insisted that everyone in Number 10 continues to practise social distancing, which means staying two metres apart wherever possible. It comes as the prime minister continues to recuperate at his Chequers residence alongside his fiancee Carrie Symonds, after being discharged from St Thomas Hospital on Sunday. He had spent several days in intensive care after his symptoms worsened leading to an outpouring of well wishes from global leaders and the public. PM's official countryside residence Chequers (Reuters) For the time being, Mr Johnson's spokesperson said the PM was not involved in any government decisions, taking official phone calls or receiving papers in ministerial red boxes while Dominic Raab, the first secretary of state and foreign secretary, continues to deputise in his absence. They also insisted the prime minister was following the advice of his medical team not to immediately return to work and would not speculate on when the prime minister is expected to take up his duties again at No 10. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala on Tuesday tested positive for the coronavirus COVID-19 in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, hours after meeting Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and several others leaders. Khedawala represents the Jamalpur-Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad. Along with Gujarat CM Rupani, he also met Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradeep Singh Jadeja. He also met several journalists. Gujarat has so far recorded 617 COVID-19 cases, a bulk of them from Ahmedabad city, and 26 deaths. Ahead of imposing curfew in Old City (Fort) and Danilimbda areas of Ahmedabad city, CM Rupani met the Congress MLA, along with Gyassuddin Sheikh, and Sailesh Parmar. The curfew will take effect from 6 am April 15 till 6 am on April 21 "Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases and many of them have come from the Fort area (Old City). We have decided to impose curfew in the Fort and Danilimbda areas from Wednesday morning," Rupani had said in a Facebook video. "The area has many (infection) hotspots. Nobody should come out of their houses in these two areas for the next few days. Police will ensure strict implementation of curfew. Our health department team will work hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in these areas in the next few days and everybody should cooperate with it," he had said. People of the two localities will not face any problem getting essential commodities, the chief minister assured. "We will relax curfew from one pm to four pm every day when essential items such as milk, vegetables, groceries or medicines can be bought. But only women will be allowed to venture out during the period of relaxation," he said. He welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the lockdown till May 3. "Lockdown will be strictly observed in the entire state till May 3 to defeat coronavirus. I urge people to cooperate with the state administration in the implementation of lockdown as they have done in the first 21 days," he said. Dr K Srinath Reddy By As the world freezes, paralysed and petrified by COVID-19, the question needs to be posed as to who are its co-conspirators? Does the virus kill most of its victims on its own or does it collude with other killers to launch a lethal attack on human bodies? Unless we lay bare all the elements of this plot, we will be unable to provide a clear and comprehensive response that helps us to prevent similar threats in the future. Every country that has reported a number of fatalities has stated that the deaths are most numerous among the elderly and those with co-morbidities or co-existing health disorders. Which are these? Most often, they are hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, kidney disease or persons with cancer, especially those on immunosuppressive therapy. These are known as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to distinguish them from infectious or communicable diseases. Quite often, these are disorders most frequently found in older age groups but their incidence starts rising along each decade of adulthood. The deaths due to COVID-19, in the older age groups, are to a large extent explained by these coexisting health conditions. Those who do not suffer from any of these withstand the virus better. We have seen instances of the fit elderly walking out of hospitals unharmed by COVID-19, even in their 90s and past 100 years of age in Kerala and Italy. Over the past 30 years, the world of global health has been debating whether infectious diseases have been overtaken by NCDs as the major global threat. The Millennium Development Goals of 2000 made no mention of NCDs despite the fact that the Global Burden of Disease Study in 1994 made it clear that they were the leading cause of death and disability globally, including in many developing countries. A very high economic burden was later attributed to these diseases globally, totalling $47 trillion between 2011 and 2030. Driven by the compelling evidence of both health and economic burdens, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015 included the reduction of premature deaths from NCDs as a key target. In high-income countries, the debate seemingly ended decades ago, in favour of NCDs. In the 1960s, a surgeon general of the US reportedly told the Congress, It is time to close the book on infectious diseases, and declare the war on pestilence won. As though to impart a quick lesson in humility, the HIV-AIDS pandemic erupted soon thereafter. A number of zoonotic outbreaks and epidemics followed in different parts of the worldnotable being swine flu, avian influenza, SARS and Ebola. The COVID-19 epidemic has come as another reminder that our hubris has played havoc with ecological balance and unleashed yet another zoonotic virus on us. Anti-microbial resistance too is a growing threat of the 21st century. Claims and counter-claims of whether infectious diseases are the bigger health or economic threat are futile and counterproductive. They reinforce each other. Infections lead to inflammation, which can set off biological processes that result in blood vessel damage, diabetes, cancers and other NCDs. The NCDs, in turn, predispose affected individuals to infections and increase the risk of severe illness and death among the infected. Neither the human body nor human society has the option of choosing one over the other. This has lessons for India. We have a very high prevalence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory and kidney diseases, liver disorders and a variety of cancers. Many of these manifest at a younger age than in Western countries. The elderly, of course, manifest these more. We are already seeing the malign interaction of COVID-19 with these diseases in our hospital deaths. If the virus sweeps through the population, it will scythe many more lives. We need to protect the elderly and others with these co-morbid chronic conditions from viral exposure. However, many people with NCDs are undetected in our country and even among those detected, there is a large proportion who are poorly treated or the disease inadequately controlled. That has been a weakness of our health system, which has started receiving attention only of late. Comprehensive primary health care, which provides a broad platform for addressing a wide variety of commonly encountered health problems, has only recently been mooted and is yet to mature to full strength. Even as we gird our loins to combat COVID-19, we need to be cognisant of the reality that infectious and non-infectious diseases are part of the world we have created for ourselves as we interact with nature. We do this through a host of social, economic and environmental determinants that enable or erode our health at individual and population levels. We need a life course approach to public health, as vulnerability to infections increases at both ends of the age spectrum, but the portion in between too is important to build protection against NCDs. Even as we deal with a tiny particle of RNA, we need a holistic view of health and a cosmic view of the interconnected life on this planet. Dr K Srinath Reddy President, Public Health Foundation of India. Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health. Views are personal. Email: ksrinath.reddy@phfi.org. Cargolux flew a Boeing 747 into Vilnius airport, Lithuania for the first time on Easter Sunday as part of continued solidarity efforts. Vital medical supplies were dropped off as the world comes together in fending off COVID-19. This is not the first time Cargolux has stepped up to deliver aid during the crisis. In February, the airline transported medicine to China to help combat the outbreak of COVID-19 there. In March, they flew a temporary hospital which was erected outside CHL. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Windy and partly cloudy this evening. Mostly cloudy with diminishing winds after midnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Windy and partly cloudy this evening. Mostly cloudy with diminishing winds after midnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. The world famous Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow has been hit by a major outbreak of coronavirus with 34 cases. The outbreak emerged after the troupe performed on live TV from an empty auditorium while Russia is in lockdown with 21,102 infections recorded and 170 deaths. The Bolshoi's general director Vladimir Urin said 34 involved in organising the TV concert - called 'We are together' - tested positive for Covid-19. The outbreak emerged after the troupe had performed on live TV for Russians from an empty auditorium while the country is in lockdown with 21,102 infections recorded and 170 deaths. The Bolshoi's general director Vladimir Urin told TASS that 34 involved in organising the TV concert - called 'We are together' - tested positive for Covid-19 (pictured: Timofey Yakhnov with Bolshoi Theatre orchestra behind him playing remotely) 'Without exception, all of the theatre's personnel, including security guards and engineers, were tested for coronavirus two days before the concert,' Urin said. 'Thirty-four people tested positive for coronavirus. They didn't have a fever or clear signs of illness, but they were all suspended from work and sent to quarantine.' Urin added: 'There's no way that dozens of cases were identified at the concert itself.' Several hundred people involved in arranging the concert had passed a test a few days before the event. The event was meant as a thank you to Russian doctors, emergency workers and volunteers involved in tackling the coronavirus crisis - but it appears to have been organised and performed without proper social distancing. Dancer Sergei Polunin - formerly of London's Royal Ballet - said: 'I was happy to be back on stage and dance in support of people who fighting the virus and people who are staying at home. 'It was unusual to see empty auditorium. 'When I was walking on stage I still had a feeling that audience were there.' The spread at the Bolshoi appeared to symbolise a failure which sees Moscow's hospitals in emergency mode and suspicions the rising official figures - with another record of 2,774 new cases today - mask the real toll. The event was meant as a thank you to Russian doctors, emergency workers and volunteers involved in tackling the coronavirus crisis - but it was clearly organised and performed without proper social distancing Ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, formerly of the Royal Ballet, performing on stage at the Bolshoi Dancer Sergei Polunin (pictured) - formerly of London's Royal Ballet - said: 'I was happy to be back on stage and dance in support of people who fighting the virus and people who are staying at home. It was unusual to see empty auditorium. When I was walking on stage I still had a feeling that audience were there.' China closed most of its 2,600 mile border as its own new infections were inflated by people entering the country from Russia. Beijing is offering cash bonanzas of 570 for those mainly Chinese catching people illegally crossing the massive frontier and risking importing coronavirus. In a rare attack on the Kremlin, the state-owned Global Times in Beijing thundered: 'Russia is the latest example of a failure to control imported cases and can serve as a warning to others. 'The Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country... 'This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak.' The spread at the Bolshoi appeared to symbolise a failure which sees Moscow's hospitals in emergency mode and suspicions the rising official figures - with another record of 2,774 new cases today - mask the real toll. There were two presenters and several hundred others had been involved in organising the concert who had been tested before the event The crisis in Russia was admitted by Vladimir Putin who raged to ministers about the 'sloppy carelessness' that had led to rising cases. 'We have a lot of problems,' admitted Putin, saying the coming weeks would be 'decisive' for the country. Russians 'must not let our guard down'. Chinese sources have accused Russia of failing to give accurate statistics of coronavirus infections. 'Anger is growing in China, the reason for which is the growing belief that the Russian authorities are intentionally hiding the scale of the pandemic,' said one account. 'The news of infections in Suifunhe seems to be another clear example, confirming suspicions of a significant understatement of Russian statistics. China's northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported Covid-19 cases on Monday. As China imposed a closure of major border crossings a medical source told the People's Daily: 'The proportion of patients with COVID-19 was very high - from 10 to 20% in each group of arrivals. In some groups, this ratio was even higher.' A man wearing a protective face mask walks in front of the Bolshoi theatre in downtown Moscow A deserted square in front of the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow, Russia, 11 April 2020 The symptoms of infection appeared in Russia.'All seriously ill patients with COVID-19 are patients who developed a fever or cough in Russia. They then returned to China.' Russia today reported 2,774 new cases, bringing the total to 21,102, with 170 deaths, a rise of 22. More than 85 per cent of the cases in Moscow are younger than 65. The state government has accused opposition MPs of attempting to stymie a corruption inquiry by failing to support the reappointment of Corruption and Crime Commission boss John McKechnie. Premier Mark McGowan and Attorney General John Quigley made the claims as they announced legislation to force a five-year extension for the corruption fighter despite the CCC oversight committee failing to reach bipartisan support for his reappointment. WA Premier Mark McGowan. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Under CCC legislation, the Premier must consult with the committee before appointing a commissioner. Mr McGowan blasted the opposition's only member on the oversight committee, upper house Liberal MP Jim Chown. As part of their support for Khalifa Haftar, Syria is training a number of Libyan pilots to fly Russian Mi-25 attack helicopters reports Zaman Al-Wasl. A well-informed source said Libyan pilots from Khalifa Haftars forces had arrived in Damascus to undertake training from the Syrian Air Force in the Russian Mi-25 attack helicopters. The pilots will be stationed with the Air Forces 64th Brigade at the Beli Military Airport, 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of Damascus, where they will undergo intensive training for at least six months to be qualified, according to the military source. Backed by Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the parallel Libyan authorities have been on the offensive against the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) since April 2019, trying to take the Libyan capital Tripoli. Bashar al-Assads regime and a delegation representing eastern Libyan strongman Haftar agreed last March to exchange diplomatic missions and confront Turkish interference, state-run news agency SANA said. Turkey backs the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, and has dispatched troops and Syrian fighters to the north African country. The Syrian regime has also sent hundreds of fighters to bolster Haftars army near Tripoli in the past few months who were encouraged by high incentives. The Beli airbase is also a training field for Iranians pilots. Two squadrons of Iranian warplanes have been stationed there since 2012. Military sources said Iran controls the northeastern part of the airport. 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. It was a White House briefing like no other. President Donald Trump turned a White House briefing on the coronavirus late Monday into a fervent defense of his actions to respond to the deadly pandemic and an attack on reporters who posed skeptical questions. "You know you're a fake, your whole network," the president snapped at Paula Reid, a White House correspondent from CBS, not responding directly to her questions about whether his administration had squandered time to prepare hospitals and ramp up testing for COVID-19. A chyron on CNN, which has been tough on fact-checking the president, read: "Trump melts down in angry response to reports he ignored virus warnings." The extraordinary performance came amid signs of a looming showdown between the White House and some of the nation's governors about when it will be safe to reopen business and schools. Trump or governors: Who decides when and how America reopens from its coronavirus shutdown? President Donald Trump led a combative coronavirus news briefing late Monday in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. "The president of the United States calls the shots," Trump said, although legal experts say the power to lift orders that have shut down most states rests with the governors who imposed them. When reporters followed up with more questions, he claimed unqualified power to act, although he predicted he would be able to work with the governors. "When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total," he said. It is rare for the White House briefing room to be used by a president for such a fervent defense of his own actions and recounting of his grievances, especially while a national crisis is still unfolding. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or during the Iranian hostage crisis, for instance, then-presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter generally offered reassurance and made appeals for national unity. The combative exchanges Monday came in the wake of stories in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and USA TODAY that recounted missed opportunities and slow responses by the Trump administration that probably increased the death toll from COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health on Sunday said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" that imposing mitigation measures earlier "obviously" would have saved lives. Story continues Early in the briefing, Trump recognized Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious diseases, who came to the podium to say he had been responding to a hypothetical question. Fauci said that on the two occasions he met with the president to urge mitigation steps, the president agreed. Questions about Fauci's tenure were raised when Trump shared a tweet that included the hashtag #FireFauci. Fauci flashed a rare look of anger at a reporter who asked if he was speaking voluntarily. "Everything I do is voluntary," he replied. "Don't even imply that." Survey: Americans say the economy is getting worse in much larger numbers than weeks ago Even as the briefing was still going on, Trump's reelection campaign posted on social media video of the supportive comments Fauci had made. "Dr. Fauci says President @realDonldTrump did NOT delay at all when the recommendation was made to put in place mitigation," it said in a tweet. Trump's tone through the briefing showed the concern he and his allies feel about the criticism of his leadership on the most serious crisis of his presidency. He spoke hours after his presumptive Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, was endorsed by his last rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The briefing took on the air of a campaign event. Early on, the president aired a video that showed governors and other officials praising his actions as wise and timely similar to a Trump campaign video that had already been released. Federal law generally bars presidents from mixing campaign appeals with official activities. Exclusive USA TODAY poll: In four devastating weeks, Americans' fears of the coronavirus have exploded When it was his turn to speak, Vice President Mike Pence seemed to be trying to lower the room's temperature. He said he felt "a sense of gratitude to the American people" for following stay-at-home orders that have contributed to a leveling off in new hospitalizations. Trump seemed unconcerned about the heat of the moment, however. He blasted the news media for what he called unfair accounts that had raised questions about his leadership. He said that "nobody" had asked for ventilators, an inaccurate claim. Governors warn of ventilator shortages: Trump says some are playing 'politics' 'Scotch tape and baling wire': How some hospitals are meeting ventilator shortage When challenged, he replied, "Well, look, governors should have had ventilators." At another point, he declared flatly: "Everything we did was right." President Donald Trump watches as a White House-produced video plays during a coronavirus news briefing Monday in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump on defense: A coronavirus briefing becomes a campaign rally A pharmacist gives Jennifer Haller the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle on March 16, 2020. The vaccine was developed by Moderna. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo) CCP Virus Vaccine Likely Moving to Phase 2 Soon as Higher Dosing Starts A CCP virus vaccine will likely move to phase 2 testing as soon as safety data comes in from phase 1, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said on April 14. Moderna quickly developed an experimental vaccine against the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, delivering the first doses to federal researchers in February. The first doses were given to volunteers the next month. Things are going well with the trial, Bancel said during an appearance on CNBCs Squawk Box on April 14, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Phase 1 has 45 subjects, and phase 2 will have several hundred subjects. The plan is then to start phase 3 by early fall, while potentially initiating other studies outside the United States to give researchers more data. St e phane Bancel in a file photograph. (Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images) 2021 The earliest we could have an approved vaccine, we believe, is in 2021, Bancel said. What we are working with the authorities is to understand what can be done potentially later this year, assuming the virus might come back in the fall, to be able to protect the population at risk. Moderna is working with federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration. Bancel said safety is the first priority since the vaccine will be given to people who arent sick. Volunteers have already been given 25 microgram and 100 microgram doses; researchers are now enrolling participants for the highest dosage, 250 micrograms, Moderna said in a statement on April 14. A participant in a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine trial receives an injection in Kansas City, Mo., on April 8, 2020. This early safety study, called a phase 1 trial, is using a vaccine candidate developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals. (Center for Pharmaceutical Research via AP) Similar View Bill Gates, who is funding multiple vaccine efforts, said last week that the flu vaccine isnt very effective in the elderly. The vaccine for the CCP virus will have to be different, he said. Asked about the remarks, Bancel said Moderna researchers have a similar view, and it might be that healthy younger adults will be given different doses than the elderly, who may have weakened immune systems. Because the immune system wanes over time as you age, you could see how, worldwide, healthy adults might need the boost every three years, every 10 years, he said. Maybe you need an annual boost of the elderly. Because the virus is so new, researchers arent sure yet, he emphasized, but are exploring the effect on different groups. Four other vaccines are currently in phase 1 trials, including three developed by Chinese researchers. The fourth was developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a Pennsylvania-based company thats receiving funding from the Gates Foundation. More trials are expected to start in May, including one for a vaccine candidate from Maryland-based Novavax. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday paid tribute to Dr Bhimrao Babasaheb Ambedkar on the occasion of his 129th birth anniversary. In a video message, Biren said Ambedkar was a social reformer, who worked for the emancipation of the downtrodden. Ambedkar provided Indians with a Constitution which includes everything - social justice, equal rights to all and freedom of expression, he said. Following his approach, the state government has formulated schemes to provide disabled and elderly people with financial assistance, the chief minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britains world class big pharma companies were always going to be a huge asset in the fight against Covid-19 and in finding solutions, not just to this pandemic, but to future similar events. We have now been offered insights into their thinking. Glaxosmithkline, where Emma Walmsleys first years as chief executive were marked by some slick deal making, is now laser-focused on finding a Covid-19 vaccine. She and her team are seeking to develop manufacturing capacity to provide as many millions of doses as required, by the latter part of next year at the latest. Britain's world class big pharma companies were always going to be a huge asset in the fight against Covid-19 and in finding solutions, not just to this pandemic, but to future similar events As the worlds number one vaccine producer, it is linking with one of its main rivals, Sanofi, on a global rescue mission. The British giant is to provide the pandemic adjuvant technology (used in its vaccines such as Shingrix), designed to ensure longer lasting immunity to increase chances the disease never comes back. Sanofi is providing an antigen, which produces an immune response, based on DNA. One suspects that given the supreme importance, the competition authorities will not be making difficulties about a humanitarian effort. Walmsley is very conscious that Covid-19 is just the first of many pandemics the world will have to face. She views the current coronavirus vaccination work as setting up permanent research, labs and production which can give big pharma a head start in combatting further pandemics. The world may have to wait for GSKs vaccine but Astrazeneca believes it has a good chance of producing a medicine which could provide an interim solution. Its compound seeks to deploy the immunology skills which it has built up in its suite of cancer drugs. The promising medicine is Calquence, which Astra is confident could fight the exaggerated immune response seen in Covid-19 patients. An announcement of clinical trials was enough to lift Astra shares. Elsewhere, the joint effort by Glaxo, Astra and Cambridge University to turn their labs over to swab coronavirus testing is going well, and there is confidence that this could be capable of ramping up production to 30,000 tests a day as soon as next month. The absence of Britains big pharma firms from Public Health Englands original war on coronavirus has been a lacuna in the battle against the disease. It is a relief to see that the UKs leading companies now have the freedom to punch their weight. Early warning The IMF Global Financial Stability report is the first port of call when looking for flashpoints on world markets, be they bad debts in Italys banks or the trillions of pounds of rotten corporate bonds. The spring edition, focused on the impacts of coronavirus, makes for startling reading in spite of the 4.8 trillion of monetary help provided by central banks. The Funds senior stability executive Tobias Adrian warns that despite this intervention there is a risk of a credit crunch in risky parts of the financial markets, notably high-yield loans and the private debt markets, which have soared to over 7 trillion. He also worries that underwriting standards and, with it, investor protection have weakened. In the last few months we have been assured on endless occasions by regulators that this crisis is different to 2008-10 because the banks are in much better shape. Adrian is not so sure. He notes the large declines in bank share prices since January suggest that investors have real concerns about profitability. In terms of market prices the banks are weaker in many countries than before the onset of the financial crisis. This paper rightly has been critical of banks for failing to get loans out quickly enough to ailing enterprises. Maybe, just maybe, they are rightly concerned about a rerun of 2008 should the downturn be even more severe than expected. Low flying What are the owners of Heathrow up to? In April it expects flights to be 90 per cent down on a year ago, and is asking its 7,000 directly employed staff to take a pay cut. What a pity its wealthy Spanish, Qatari and Chinese owners failed to make the same sacrifice when shareholders helped themselves to a 100million dividend in February. By then the coronavirus had brought lockdown to Wuhan and spread to Italy. Shameful. Becoming a bobblehead The CDCs Dr. Anthony Fauci has made it into Milwaukee's National Bobblehead Hall of Fame. Co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said he added the item in response to requests from his website and social media. The museum is donating $5 from from every sale to support the American Health Association's 100 Million Mask Challenge. As of April 6, Faucis bobblehead had already raised $100,000 to help buy protective masks for health care workers, according to the New York Post. If you want one, you can pre-order it here. Expect shipment in July. Lending a helping hand For a limited time, Pornhub is offering free premium subscriptions to give people an extra incentive to stay home, the company says in a press release. The worlds largest porn site is also donating $25,000 to the Sex Workers Outreach Project, contributing directly to Covid-19 relief funds, and donating surgical masks and cash to first responders and hospitals "With nearly one billion people in lockdown across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, it's important that we lend a hand and provide them with an enjoyable way to pass the time," said Pornhub vice president Corey Price. Shopping in a bubble An English woman took social distancing to new lengths when she visited a supermarket on March 23 encased in a zorb ball a life-sized, inflatable plastic bubble that enthusiasts use to roll down hills and walk on water. A sidekick assisted the woman, collecting her desired grocery items and taking them through check-out. Random act of kindness A Minnesota state trooper moved a doctor to tears when he turned what should have been a speeding ticket into a heartwarming act of kindness. Dr. Sarosh Ashraf Janjua, a cardiologist at a coronavirus quarantine unit in Duluth, was pulled over by Trooper Brian Schwartz for speeding on March 21. But instead of a ticket, Schwartz handed Janjua five N95 masks he was supposed to use as protection along with a firm warning for speeding. Nearly baring it all Citizens of the Czech Republic are allowed to bare their bodies on the nations designated nude beaches, but theyre still expected to wear their face masks and follow social-distancing rules. On March 27, law-enforcement officers in the town of Lazne BoPc, (we cant pronounce it either) discovered that half of about 150 nudists at a local beach were breaking those rules. "Unfortunately, many of the sunbathing citizens were gathered in large groups, and some were not wearing face masks," a police statement said. "Upon the arrival of the police, everyone agreed to respect the government regulation. But are you really nude if youre covering your face and mouth? A convenient message from God Barbara Green, wife of Hobby Lobby CEO David Green, claimed that God told her not to close down the companys lucrative stores. But the West Allis Police Department didnt get the message. Instead, the department received a Safe at Home order from Gov. Tony Evers ordering the shutdown of all non-essential businesses. West Allis officers showed at Hobby Lobbys Greenfield Avenue store on April 1 and dutifully enforced the instructions from Madison. Five out of six Hobby Lobby stores in the Milwaukee have now been shuttered by authorities. Law-enforcement officers also had to step in and close the stores in other states. Pour, stir, shake, repeat this is how bartenders spend their time at the bar to get the right mixes for a perfect drink for the customers. But locked in their homes, bartenders are missing the excitement that they felt while working in a bar or a restaurant. I love to work in the bar; one hand you are stirring the drink and in the other, you have the shaker," said Sourav Singh, bartender and beverage manager at SAZ American Brasserie, Kolkata. Another mixologist, a synonym for bartenders, Rahul Raghav, who works at Bombay Canteen, Mumbai, said: Bartenders are like actors. They create a stage for the guest. Whatever cocktail a bartender makes, the customer remembers the attitude with which he/she has made the drink. The restaurant and bar business has taken a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic and after the lockdown bartenders have been confined to their homes. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show These are not financially strong times for bartenders as a lot of bars are cutting salaries, said Rohan Matmary, who works at Sidecar, New Delhi. Raghav echoes the view. We depend on tips. So, even if salaries are less, tips compensate for it. However, currently, we are only getting our basic salaries and the tips component is gone," he said. There are approximately more than 7,500 bartenders working in on-premise outlets like bars and restaurants and there are around 15,000 bartenders working in key cities. But the situation is worse for those who work on an event-to-event basis, as due to COVID-19 disruption, live events industry has come to a standstill. I know a lot of bartenders who like to work for events as the pay is more. What we earn in one month they earn from one event. But now they are struggling. A few messaged me saying that they arent making any money because there are no live events happening, said Raghav. Starting salary for a fresher in the bartending space is around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 which can go up to Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. According to a QuikrJobs analysis, bartending jobs saw a spike in demand in 2016, especially during the festive period. There was a 20-30 percent increase in people looking for bartending jobs. However, the scenario has changed now. From the last week of February, we started seeing a drop in sales. We knew the situation was going to be difficult. I had stopped ordering liquor and was working with what I had. Now that the lockdown has been extended, I dont know what we will do, said Raghav. Varun Sharma, who has 13 years of experience working as a bartender and currently works at Comorin, Gurgaon, said that before the coronavirus situation escalated in India the business was good. In December and January, we were very busy. In fact, we do our highest beverage sales in those two months. Ninety percent were cocktail sales. However, all that was gone from the first week of March, he said. Along with financial woes, Singh is worried about another aspect. Our job role is such that we need to keep practising. I used to make three cocktails in a minute but I dont know if I can do that when I resume work, he said. But technology is helping bartenders overcome the challenges like lack of practice. How? There are online classes that help them learn and practise new skills. For example, spirits company Beam Suntory is offering in-house bartender engagement platform, The Blend, to bartenders across India. Under The Blend programme, bartenders can take up online training modules. Reading material and virtual engagement modules have also been made available online. The Blend has plans to host online programmes every day, that spread across 50 sessions. Beam Suntory in partnership with National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has also pledged Rs one crore to support bartenders and other restaurant staff. Even Diageo is offering virtual training and online learning by providing access to the Diageo Bar Academy Training Course. Plus, the company has announced Rs 30 million health insurance cover for bartenders associated with the Diageo World Class programme in India. Bartenders are also keeping themselves busy by coming up with more cocktail mixes. I have alcohol at home so I am making cocktail videos. I am doing one-minute cocktail videos and uploading them on my Instagram, said Singh. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. All campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District -- the nation's second-largest -- are now officially closed through summer. "The remainder of the school year will be completed in the current, remote fashion and we will hold summer school in a similar manner," LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner announced in a video update Monday morning. (See the full address above.) The announcement came exactly one month after LAUSD first closed campuses to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Initially, Beutner announced a two-week closure. Then, the district extended it to May 1. Update on April 13th Actualizacion del 13 de abril pic.twitter.com/b1fmvXiV5X Austin Beutner (@AustinLASchools) April 13, 2020 "There is still no clear picture about testing, treatments or vaccines which we'll need to know more about in order to create a plan to safely reopen schools," Beutner said. "The facts and circumstances will continue to change but we will not reopen school facilities until state and local health authorities tell us how it is safe and appropriate to do so." The official shutdown of LAUSD campuses was widely expected. Debra Duardo, superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, said last week that all of the other 79 school districts in the county have extended remote learning through the end of the academic year. With LAUSD's announcement, more than 1 million children in L.A. County will be learning from home for months to come. In 17 minutes of remarks, Beutner updated the LAUSD community on instruction and summer school, the safety net, and plans for the class of 2020. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy INSTRUCTION AND SUMMER SCHOOL Beutner addressed the many challenges with online learning. "The transition from a physical classroom to a virtual one is an enormous undertaking," Beutner said. "There is no substitute for learning in a school setting, but it would be a mistake to try to simply replicate what happens in a classroom." He alluded to a six-page agreement reached last week with the union representing LAUSD teachers. Among the terms: live instruction isn't required, students cannot receive final grades lower than they had in March, and teachers will provide 240 minutes of instruction per day. (Planning time, training and faculty meetings will count toward the total.) BARGAINING UPDATE: UTLA-LAUSD reach Tentative Agreement. Flexible work day, no mandated live video instruction, limits on PD, protection of compensation, and more.https://t.co/cyMdMxh3g9 United Teachers Los Angeles (@UTLAnow) April 9, 2020 He also added Amazon to the list of companies working with the district to close the digital divide, by helping expand the capacity of the online platform Schoology, providing "a different way to deliver the devices to students at home," and contributing to efforts to get headphones to high school students. Last week, Beutner said the district prioritized getting devices and hotspots to high school students, and hoped to distribute them to all elementary school students who need them by May. RELATED: How Can LAUSD Students Borrow A Laptop For The Coronavirus Shutdown? We Have An Answer Acknowledging the challenges of students who may be "a few credits short" of earning a high school diploma, Beutner said community colleges are partnering with LAUSD "to make sure no student slips between the cracks and to help students with a bridge to the next chapter of their lives." Among the partners is the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District. In an interview on Monday afternoon, Ryan Cornner, LACCD vice chancellor for educational programs and institutional effectiveness, said the partnership will allow the community college district to promote its summer online classes directly, for the first time, to all LA Unified high school students. "They can get both the credit for high school and graduate on time and also credits with us," Cornner said. Community colleges already allow high school students to enroll, but until now it was up to the student to reach out to the college. The online community college classes will be free. Cornner said about 20% of LACCD's programs were already online even before campuses closed in March in response to the coronavirus crisis. "We do have very good distance education programs, and we have built out a lot of tools to support students," Cornner said. "We have online tutoring available for students. All of our student support services are available remotely." He hopes LAUSD high school counselors can help students choose the right community college class. Class sign-ups are taking place now because summer instruction begins May 18. As for summer school, Beutner said that it will also be held remotely and will consist of "four-week blocks of study for students at all levels," with a focus on "literacy, fluency in math, and critical thinking." He said details will be released soon. #LAUSD's summer school plan aims to curb SUMMER LEARNING LOSS, a perennial problem that the #coronavirus has made acute. "Study after study tell us that breaks in learning are difficult for students and in this crisis we need to find ways to change that pattern," Beutner says. Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) April 13, 2020 Beutner also mentioned the challenges to serving students with special needs and students learning English, acknowledging that "the tools and technologies and teaching standards are not as well established in these areas." THE SAFETY NET According to Beutner, the district has distributed more than seven million meals at grab-and-go sites since March 18. "The staggering size of this relief effort is a stark indicator about the growing need in the communities we serve," he said. Helping those most in need. Ayudando a los mas necesitados. pic.twitter.com/LEPoAVZKXV Austin Beutner (@AustinLASchools) April 13, 2020 Beutner also addressed the stress and anxiety that has resulted from the disruption of campus shutdowns. He said the need for a safety net "was made very real for me late one evening last week when I received a message from a student having suicidal thoughts because of the pressure she was feeling about school and all of the chaos around her." He reminded the school community of a mental health hotline the district opened up "to manage fear, anxiety and other challenges related to COVID-19." The number for the mental health hotline is (213) 241-3840, and it's staffed by English- and Spanish-speaking counselors from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. THE CLASS OF 2020 Beutner emphasized the importance of celebrating seniors' accomplishments, but said that "at least for now," graduation will be virtual. Frances Suavillo, the student representative to the LAUSD board, is working with other students on recommendations for how to celebrate the class of 2020. "Safe graduation ceremonies to celebrate our achievements" were among the demands made by three 11th graders with the grassroots advocacy coalition Students Deserve in a letter to Beutner and school board members earlier this month. As for post-graduation plans, Beutner said "much work still needs to be done to help the class of 2020 get college acceptances confirmed, financial aid secured and a summer plan completed to make sure they reach the next step in their journey." REACTIONS TO THE EXTENDED CLOSURES Beutner's announcement that in-person classes would not resume was not a surprise to teacher Aaron Lemos. He figured L.A. County's recent decision to extend its stay-at-home order "sealed it." We introduced you to Lemos about a month ago, as LAUSD began its move to distance learning. He teaches video and film production courses as part of the magnet program at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. Already, the cancellation of in-person classes has had huge effects on Lemos' students. Normally, over spring break, his seniors produce 20-minute thesis films -- a major endeavor, involving high-end production equipment and professional actors. Students look forward to producing these films, Lemos said. But with no way to check out the equipment safely, he's been forced to cancel the projects. He's also improvising new assignments that will still allow dual-enrolled students to earn film credits from L.A. Mission College. While he has had a few no-shows since distance learning started, he's been impressed with how most of his students have handled the switch so far: a visual poetry assignment has offered a unique look into students' lives in quarantine. "That's how I'm addressing my class -- my class is [a way] to burn off steam, a way to be creative," Lemos said. He tells them: "Look at this as a way to have fun, a way to be creative, to forget about all the other stuff that's going on, and to lose yourself in this moment." Its been a really difficult transition for me with 2 kids, 5 and 6 year olds. We had to convince them that it was not homework. We had to figure out what would work. Its crisis schooling, overnight with no training. I am not built to be a teacher and its been stressful! Teresa Gaines -Ryan (@TeresaGaines) April 13, 2020 A Venice parent named Kirk called in to KPCC's show AirTalk to share his reaction to the news. Kirk told host Larry Mantle that his kids - a third-grader and a fourth-grader - have had two different responses to online learning. While he said his daughter has adapted and "is pretty productive," his son is struggling and requires supervision from him and his wife to keep the son accountable during class calls. "This is not homeschooling in any way," he said. "Homeschooling is a choice that people make. This is Crisis Management 101." WHAT'S NEXT? According to Beutner, he will address "support for families and the sharing of instructional practices by teachers" in next week's update. KPCC K-12 education reporter Kyle Stokes and higher education reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez contributed reporting. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's export of electrical goods to Kyrgyzstan decreased by 11.8 percent to make up almost $3.5 million from January through March 2020, Turkeys Trade Ministry told Trend on April 14. In March 2020, export of electrical goods from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan made up $879,000, which is 30.8 percent less compared to March 2019, the ministry noted. Export of electrical goods from Turkey to world markets from January through March 2020 amounted to $2.5 billion, which is 5.9 percent less compared to the country's total export. Turkey's export of electrical goods amounted to 5.9 percent of the countrys total export in the first quarter of 2020. In March 2020, Turkeys export of electrical goods to world markets reached $832.8 million, which is 16.1 percent less compared to the same month of 2019. Export of electrical goods from Turkey in March 2020 amounted to 6.2 percent of the country's total export. Turkeys export of electrical goods amounted to $11 billion from March 2019 through March 2020. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 18:51:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) holds talks with Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu) Facing the pressure of the anti-pandemic battle itself, China managed to send emergency aid to its African brothers, providing large amounts of urgently needed goods and materials to the AU and African countries through various channels, Chinese FM Wang Yi said. BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The China-Africa friendship is rock-solid and will not be affected by a single incident, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday. During a phone conversation with Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, Wang said China and Africa, as comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, should strengthen coordination and cooperation in response to the common challenge of COVID-19. Wang said China bears in mind that at the difficult moment in its fight to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, the AU and countries of Africa have rendered China support, and clearly opposed any attempt to politicize the epidemic and tagging the virus, which fully demonstrated the brotherly ties between China and Africa, who have shared weal and woe, and the high level of bilateral strategic cooperation. As COVID-19 is spreading in Africa, Wang noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping specifically talked via telephone with South African, Egyptian and other African leaders to express his sympathy and support, and urged the international community to beef up aid to the African continent at the extraordinary leaders' summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies. A staff member unloads Chinese medical supplies from an airplane at the Kotota International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) Facing the pressure of the anti-pandemic battle itself, China managed to send emergency aid to its African brothers, providing large amounts of urgently needed goods and materials to the AU and African countries through various channels, Wang said. China will provide more medical supplies Africa needs, share anti-pandemic experience with its African brothers, dispatch medial experts, assist in the purchase of goods and materials in China, and deepen China-Africa cooperation in the public health sector, he said. Wang pledged that China will stand firmly with Africa and fight COVID-19 in unity with its African brothers and sisters until a complete victory over the virus on the African continent is achieved. Regarding the problems reported by some African friends on the anti-epidemic work by some Chinese local governments, Wang stressed that the Chinese side is dedicated to maintaining the health and safety of all Chinese and foreign nationals, and treats all foreigners in China equally. China opposes any differential practices targeting specific communities, he said. China has always stuck to its friendly policies towards Africa and the two sides are good brothers and good battle companions standing together through thick and thin, Wang said. The traditional friendship between China and Africa has withstood the test of history and changes in the international situation, is rock-solid and unbreakable, and will definitely not be affected by a single incident or the instigation of some forces, he said. Under the current circumstances, China and Africa need mutual trust, mutual support and solidarity to tide over this difficult time more than ever, he added. For his part, Faki said he completely agrees with Wang regarding the friendly relationship between Africa and China. China's medical supplies for 18 African countries arrive at the Kotota International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) African countries and China share a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and the two sides are both friends and comrades-in-arms whose destinies are closely linked, Faki said, adding that nothing can change or damage their friendly ties. Noting that China is working hard to prevent a resurgence of the pandemic within the country, he said he believes that the Asian country will not take any discriminatory practices in the process of prevention and control work. The African side will not forget China's support during its national liberation and independence struggles, the elimination of racial segregation, and the continent's social and economic development, Faki said, adding that Africa specially thanks China for its emergency assistance to help the continent fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides share a sacred mission of safeguarding the Africa-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and will never let those forces who are trying to exploit the current situation to sow discord between Africa and China have their way, he said. Africa will continue to stand firmly with China, he added. Update: 9:52 a.m., April 14. The latest numbers on inmates and jail staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been added to the editorial. During a pandemic, a contest between public health and public safety has no clear winner. Both interests must be weighed carefully. Harris Countys problem, though, is that Sheriff Ed Gonzalezs urgent and necessary pleas to thin the jail population in order to protect human life in the face of the novel coronavirus have touched off so furious a scrum in federal and state courts between various public officials, from Gov. Greg Abbott to the Harris County misdemeanor judges, that not enough listening is taking place. The truth is the two sides those arguing for compassionate release of inmates and those raising concerns about it arent as far apart as the warring legal memos make it seem. Gonzalez, the countys top jailer, and County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the countys top executive, both are calling to release inmates whose offenses fall into certain low-risk categories. Thats dangerous, say Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who argue anyone considered for release must first be subjected to an individualized risk assessment. There is plenty enough common ground in those positions to leave room for meaningful and speedy action. For instance, Ogg feels the list of roughly 1,400 inmates Gonzalez initially shared as possibly deserving compassionate release was too long. But since then, several hundred of those inmates have already been released and the jail population has fallen from about 8,000 to under 7,500 as of Monday morning. And she told the editorial board Monday that hundreds more currently in the jail should be released, too. Related: Editorial: Take care of yourselves and remember those who need help We are obviously in a public health crisis and we recognize the danger posed to jailers and risk for inmates in the jail, Ogg said. We do believe the jail should at this time only be used to house those too dangerous to release. She just wants an individual hearing before they are let out. Acevedo makes a similar case. If we can make sure that each inmate has a risk assessment hearing before they are released, then it would be very difficult to argue against compassionate release, Acevedo told the editorial board Monday. So why not start there and process the 311 inmates Oggs team has already identified as good candidates for release? The necessary hearings may stretch that process over several days, but Ogg said her staff, anyway, is already working round-the-clock during the crisis. She should start by asking judges to release each of those 311 inmates in order to trigger the hearings Acevedo and Ogg have called for. Gonzalez should support that step and Hidalgo can do her part by finding additional county resources to make sure staffing is commensurate with such a dire health emergency. Some of the disputes now before judges wont be resolved by compromise or pragmatism. How far the authority of the governor or a county judge extends into the judicial branch during a public emergency is one question, for instance, that must be resolved in court. But that doesnt mean that local officials including the criminal district judges themselves cant get busy processing at least the 300-plus inmates Ogg has already said are good candidates for release. Once the 311 are processed, there will be time to consider whether Oggs criteria are too narrow and whether other inmates might also be prudently released. For now, though, its urgent to get started. The more low-risk inmates can be released, the more likely the ones who must remain locked up will remain healthy, and so will the staff who must guard and care for them. Gonzalezs initial concerns were certainly not overblown. Of the 76 employees of the sheriffs office who have tested positive for COVID-19, 63 work in the jail. Three employees are in the hospital, and more than 250 have been quarantined for possible exposure. Forty-six inmates have tested positive. Nearly 1,600 other inmates are in quarantine out of fear they may have been exposed, but are not showing symptoms. In Ohio, 11 state prisons are on lockdown because of the rampant spread of the virus among inmates. In Chicagos Cook County jail, more than 400 inmates and jail staff have tested positive for the potentially deadly virus. Texas state officials announced Saturday that 72 employees, staff or contractors at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and 167 offenders in custody have tested positive for COVID-19. Facilities housing thousands of inmates remain on lockdown. In Dallas County, at least 29 inmates and two staff members have tested positive. Nine inmates there sued on Friday demanding that inmates over age 50 be released. Nearly 500 of Harris Countys nearly 7,500 inmates are 56 or older. Nearly 900 are facing low-level charges, either state jail felonies or misdemeanors. Hard-bitten, high-risk inmates neednt be released. Attorney David Fathi, the national director of the ACLUs National Prison Project, told the editorial board public officials must consider public safety when deciding to release inmates from jail or convicts from prison. But he said this pandemic has broadened the definition of public safety. Public health experts are unanimous that releasing significant numbers of prisoners is an urgent public heath intervention that is essential to slow the spread of the virus, Fathi said. The virus doesnt distinguish between prisoners and staff, and it doesnt stop at the prison walls. If COVID-19 spreads in the prisons and jails, its not going to stop there; it will spread to staff, to their familie, and to the community at large. Harris County leaders must begin thinning the jail population. It should be done prudently, but it must be done as soon as possible. Ireland will not need to extend a temporary residential rent freeze beyond the coronavirus crisis, Acting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was quoted as saying on Sunday, amid calls from some parties for more permanent rent caps. Even before the crisis, the issue of rent control was already a major focus of attempts to form a government after an inconclusive election in February. Varadkar's Fine Gael party is in negotiations with its historic rival, Fianna Fail, to try to form a coalition. Varadkar's caretaker government has banned increases in residential rents for an initial three months during the coronavirus emergency, and a number of lawmakers have said the measure should be extended. The nationalist Sinn Fein party, which won the most votes in the election, campaigned on a promise to impose a two-year rent freeze. Neither Fine Gael or Fianna Fail committed to such a measure but were under pressure to do so before restrictions to slow the spread of the virus hammered the economy. Rents have soared in recent years in Dublin, and are now 40% above the levels seen before Ireland suffered a crash in property prices a decade ago. Varadkar said extending the rent freeze would be unnecessary because he anticipates rents are going to fall. "At least initially, we are looking at higher unemployment and reduced incomes this year. Probably reduced inward migration as well," Varadkar told the Sunday Independent newspaper in an interview. "In that environment, it's hard to see any landlord increasing rents. They may be glad to have a reliable paying tenant. Rents will probably fall. I don't think this is a bad thing, especially in Dublin." Varadkar also said the government is likely to gradually unwind an emergency three-month welfare payment for those who have been laid off or had hours cut as a result of the virus, rather than allow the extra payments to expire abruptly. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie In this NOAA handout image, NOAA's GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean on the morning of Sept. 5, 2017. (NASA/NOAA GOES Project via Getty Images) The Pandemic Expansion: The Greatest Media Bias of All Is Pushing Ever Larger Government (Part I) Commentary Has the media coverage of the CCP virus led you to demand government action? Before that, were you moved by the pictures of children in caravans at our southern border or by those devastated by hurricanes? If so, then you are witness to the greatest media bias of alland you may not have realized that you were. We often talk about media bias. But whether any one portion of the media is politically biased overlooks the most important media bias of allthe bias in favor of fostering government action. Prior to television, our understanding of the world came from what we read (up until the 1920s) and then from what we read or heard on the radio. During that time, our visual images were limited. Once television became affordable in the 1950s, pictures were brought into our homes and often told a far more dramatic story than words alone. By the end of the 1970s, color televisions were almost ubiquitousand so, too, the vivid images they brought to us. Taking a step backward, we find that in 1900, government spending as a percent of the economy was under 7 percent. It was less than 3 percent during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, in the first decade of the 1800s. In other words, over a period of nearly 100 years, the growth in spending was just an additional 4 percent of the economy. By the end of Calvin Coolidges presidency in 1928and the beginning of the media agehis last federal budget was the equivalent of $55 billion or so in todays dollars. Today, federal spending is nearly $5 trillion. By 1982, government spending at all levels reached 35 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). It would briefly reach a record 41 percent after the bailouts for the Great Recession of 200809 before settling back down to about 37 percent. The spending related to the CCP virus will likely send it to record highs. In other words, in the past 100 years, the media age, spending jumped not just an additional 4 percentbut to about 40 percent of GDP. While its true, throughout all of history, that all governments grow in size and scope, the rate of growth has varied. In our own history, it wasnt merely coincidental that the rate in growth of government accelerated along with the rise of media and literally took off with the advent of television. While the media was not the sole factor in that growth by any means, (events and politicians played their roles), the media certainly was a substantial and magnifying factor. Consider the case of President George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina. Bush was excoriated in the media for his perceived lack of concern about the victims of that hurricane. The response was a massive growth in government. According to CNN: Federal hurricane assistance has spiked since Hurricane Katrina, with the federal government shelling out more than $200 billionhalf of which went to the recovery from Katrina and a quarter of which went to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. In the half-dozen storms that caused at least $1 billion in damages immediately before Hurricane Katrina, the federal government contributed funds to cover only 17 percent of estimated damages in federal aid, on average. In storms including Katrina and afterward, federal spending averaged 62 percent of estimated damages, peaking at 72 percent of Katrinas damages and 80 percent of Sandys damages. Those were the statistics before the hurricanes of 2017 and the tens of billions spent by the Republican Congress and President Donald Trump, without proddingso much spending that Trump lamented that hurricane funding had thrown our budget a little out of whack. Even so, the media chided him for not spending even more. Ask yourself, would that have occurred without television pictures nationalizing the issue? To help you answer that question, consider the bank meltdown of 2008. It led to massive spending that drove overall government spending to a historical peak of 41 percent of the overall GDP. Presidential aspirant John McCain wanted to take that number even higher with his desire to have the government purchase bad mortgages. All of that spending was a far cry from James Monroes presidency and Great Panic of 1819 leading into his reelection year of 1820. Hundreds of banks failed and thousands of depositors lost all of their deposits. As I write in my book, The Divided Era: The severity of the economic downturn has been debated in history with some claiming it was a long-lasting depression to a likely more reasoned analysis saying it produced a brief business slowdown. Regardless of which assessment is correct, the fact remains that the response of the Monroe administration was not to enact an 1819 version of a Dodd-Frank mega-regulatory bill, which was passed after the 2008 financial panic. Indeed, the federal government did all but nothing and yet, history has recorded that America recovered from the Panic of 1819 without extensive government intervention. How different was it then? There was no major media and Monroe won reelection unopposed the next year. The power of the media lies not just in choosing sides but in driving issuessuch as the end of the Vietnam War driven, in significant part, by television pictures of the loss of life. Today, warfare is literally prosecuted to avoid such pictures. Our government responses to the pandemic are literally played out on television with demands coming from every quarter. In truth, every day some inequity reaches our homes, newspapers, computers, cellphones, TVs, and radios. Almost as frequently, a politician plans a government response. Before mass media, when the news of the village barely affected our lives (as Will Durant would say), a government response was quite rare. All of this is not to say that there should not be government responses. It is to say, the media pushes those responses constantly, despite our massive government debtsand that, likely, is the greatest media bias of all. Thomas Del Beccaro is an acclaimed author, speaker, Fox News, Fox Business, and Epoch Times opinion writer, and the former chairman of the California Republican Party. He is the author of the historical perspectives, The Divided Era and The New Conservative Paradigm. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A Jersey City councilman hopes to expand the citys freeze on rent increases during the coronavirus pandemic and future outbreaks like it. The Ward E councilman James Solomon wants the citys proposed freeze on rent increases in rent-controlled apartments to apply to all buildings throughout the city, with some exceptions. Mayor Steve Fulop announced April 2 that the Jersey City Council will introduce an ordinance to freeze rent increases within rent-controlled buildings. The legislation would also prevent landlords from increasing rent in those buildings at the expiration of a lease until Aug. 1, 2020 or the expiration of the public health emergency, whichever is later. Solomon also wants the freeze on rent increases to automatically go into effect during future pandemics. Lets say that the coronavirus comebacks in the winter of next year and we have to do this again," Solomon told The Jersey Journal. Instead of having us go pass the ordinance a second time, we should have written the rules ... anytime you are in a public health emergency you cant raise peoples rents. Solomon said public housing and buildings that were built in the last 30 years would be exempt from the increase freeze. Solomon presented his amendments to the City Council during Mondays caucus meeting. He hopes his suggestions are folded into the ordinance up for a first reading Wednesday. I dont think we are going to get a lot of rent increases but let me be clear, I have heard of landlords saying I am going to increase your rent, Solomon added. I have absolutely had people reach out to me that the landlord broached raising their rent right now. Peterborough County warden J. Murray Jones says his emails over the past week included a few from people who dont see the need to stay away from cottages, and some even suggesting they will withhold taxes if they cant use their lakeside retreats. I had a few emails from people, and they were all over the place, he said. Some liked the stance the county was taking, calling on cottagers to stay in their principal residences while they wait for the COVID-19 crisis to pass. Others didnt like the suggestion that they keep away. There were various attitudes about it, Jones said. But after asking around on Monday, he said a lot seemed to defy the idea of staying away. If I had to take a guess, Id say there were way more who decided to come to the cottage than we realize. Heading into the weekend, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent a warning to those inclined to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic at their cottages. Ford said hed been getting a tremendous number of calls from municipal leaders and residents in cottage country concerned too many people are arriving and placing strains on supermarkets, stores and hospitals not equipped to handle the influx at this time of year. If you have a cottage, theyre just asking you, please, dont come up to the cottage because of whats happening, the premier told reporters. His remarks echoed appeals recently seen on social media from those who fear not only bare supermarket shelves but increased spread of the new coronavirus. Half of Ontarios confirmed cases are from the Greater Toronto Area, where the bug is now increasingly circulating in the community. The hospitals, they dont have the capacity we do in urban settings, Ford said. The premier is expected to extend the provinces State of Emergency order, taking it through to May 12 a few days ahead of the May long weekend, traditionally when many flock to the lakes and open cottages for the summer season. Jones says a few cottagers reached out to the county saying they dont think their tax dollars are being respected if they cant use their properties now. I have to tell them its different right now. Were way above that. Wed love to welcome you with open arms like we always do, but right now its about stopping the virus. Its about saving lives. Jones had the opportunity this past weekend to explain that to a few people, and after a while some started to see it from his perspective. They are our life blood, but they need to stay away. Currently, hes looking ahead to the May long weekend, hoping and praying the worst of this crisis is behind us and it will be safe to have cottagers back. Maybe well see a bit of a break by then Hopefully the door will open for us, but if we dont do this now, then were just delaying the inevitable. If were going to be in this together, he says, we need to be apart right now. Correction - April 15, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said over half of Ontario's confirmed cases of COVID-19 are from Toronto. SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Realty Income Corporation (Realty Income,NYSE: O), The Monthly Dividend Company, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared the 598th consecutive common stock monthly dividend. The dividend amount of $0.233 per share, representing an annualized amount of $2.796 per share, is payable on May 15, 2020 to shareholders of record as of May 1, 2020. The ex-dividend date for May's dividend is April 30, 2020. About the Company Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, is an S&P 500 company dedicated to providing stockholders with dependable monthly income. The company is structured as a REIT, and its monthly dividends are supported by the cash flow from over 6,400 real estate properties owned under long-term lease agreements with commercial tenants. To date, the company has declared 598 consecutive common stock monthly dividends throughout its 51-year operating history and increased the dividend 106 times since Realty Income's public listing in 1994 (NYSE: O). The company is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index. Additional information about the company can be obtained from the corporate website at www.realtyincome.com. SOURCE Realty Income Corporation Related Links http://www.realtyincome.com New Delhi, April 14 : A court here has temporarily restrained a London-based lawyer from selling his forthcoming book for allegedly containing defamatory statements against Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi and his family members. Singhvi had filed a defamation case against Sarosh Zaiwalla for allegedly linking his father L.M. Singhvi to Bofors case in the book titled "Honour Bound - Adventure of an Indian Lawyer in the English Court". District Judge Sanjeev Jain of Patiala House Court on Monday stated that a prima facie case is made out in favour of Singhvi and observed: "In the instant case, the reputation of the plaintiff is at stake. His reputation would suffer irreparable harm if injunctions prayed for is not granted as much as he would suffer further loss to his reputation." The court further directed Zaiwalla to restrain from making any unvaried unsubstantiated, and ex-factor defamatory statements against Singhvi and his family. Similarly, other dependents, publishers and distributors of the book, have also been restrained from marketing or supplying the book to individuals and book vendors for reading or re-sale during the pendency of the suit till the next date of hearing. A man was arrested by authorities for allegedly stealing a test sample of a patient with suspected coronavirus from Sutter Davis Hospital, California. According to the Davis Police Department, the suspect identified as Sham Lamar Moore, 40 years old, was arrested on Sunday afternoon shortly after he was spotted by an officer riding his bike across an overpass. Moore has then been detained in Yolo County Jail and is now facing burglary charges. A day before the suspect was arrested, officials from the hospital reported to the police that a man stole a laboratory specimen which is awaiting testing for coronavirus at around 1:40 in the afternoon. The report also indicated that a man left the scene riding a bike. At aroung 6:15 pm, on the same day, the sample was recovered in a shopping cart inside a pharmacy on West Covell Boulevard. According to the hospital the COVID-19 test sample has not been tampered with. Caught on Tape The suspect was initially identified after police checked surveillance footages from the hospital where Moore's faced showed up. However, the suspect's motivation in doing the crime remains unclear. In a statement released by the department, they said that the police are already familiar with Moore and are currently investigating if he has any mental health conditions that played a part in this particular incident. They also said that whilst the incident is very serious and posed a serious threat, the detectives have reason to believe that the accused intended t harm others or himself. Read also: Wuhan 'Wet Markets' Grapple to Sustain Business After Being Branded as COVID-19 Source Measures in Countering the virus As of Sunday afternoon, the United States has reported more than 560,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. They also reported more than 22,000 deaths and 32,000 recoveries. The majority of these cases are are saturated in New York State which has reported 189,400 cases and more than 9,000 deaths. Meanwhile in California, at least 23,000 people have tested positive for the disease and their death toll has reached 674. Local health officials and experts have also expressed concern about the limited capabilities of testing and that some people are not exhibiting any symptoms of the virus, which could mean that the real number of cases could be a lot more than the reported number. As the government tries to combat the virus which has crippled the US and has invaded the world, many people are still overlooking the measures taken by the authorities. People have been constantly advised to follow social distancing protocols and avoid large gatherings in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Just a day before Moore's arrest, six people in Bakersfield were hospitalized after a shoot out broke out in a party which happened despite the stay-at-home orders that have been imposed in the state. Police were said to have been called to the scene and were searching for four suspects, however, the altercation did not end well. Despite the fact that their motivations remain unclear, these people are adding to the burden that the authorities are now facing amidst this crisis. Related article: Party Amidst COVID-19 Lockdown Gate-Crashed by Cops @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature. Latin America Mexican hospital workers strike for protective equipment, supplies Medical personnel at the La Perla hospital in Nezahualcoyotl, a city of over a million in the State of Mexico, began a strike on the night of April 9, after the death of the emergency room director from COVID-19. The workers had gone to the personnel department to ask for personal protective equipment (PPE) but, according to one nurse, They say only with a gown, gloves and [its] ready. The truth is that to me it isnt fair because I believe there was material and there was a donation that has already run out for our watch. The workers had demonstrated in front of La Perla to demand PPE 15 days before, but had not received a response. Workers note, however, that members of management have adequate equipment. The workers have been told to use face masks for eight days, and doctors have had to buy their own. The state health secretary, to whom they also appealed, claimed that there was no strike and that personnel in charge of respiratory infection patients have all the equipment they need. He asserted that the discontented workers did not work with those patients. He further claimed that there have been only one confirmed and two suspected cases and that the patients are all in stable condition. He also maintained that the deceased doctor had contracted the disease while traveling abroad. Laid-off Colombian workers protest, block streets over lack of food, aid Hundreds of people gathered at the portal of Bogotas TransMilenio mass transit station April 7 to protest their situation after their contracts were canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis. In the midst of obligatory isolation and with no money for or access to food, their situation is getting worse every day. The government has imposed a quarantine until April 27. One of the protesters told El Espectador reporters, Already two weeks have passed, and nobody has solved anything for us; they threw us out like dogs, without benefits or anything. We dont have anything to eat, weve gone to the mayors office, and nothing has happened. Were just asking for a solution, thats all. In the Bosa locality of Bogota, about 50 workers blocked streets and denounced the suspension of their contracts. In addition to laid-off workers, street vendors and others in the informal sector have seen the bottom fall out of their already meager incomes as well. In Alto de la Virgen, a barrio in a Medellin comuna or township, several dozen residents waved red cloths and protested for humanitarian aid. Some 800 families in the comuna face starvation if they do not get help. The majority of poor families do not have access to the internet, so they are unable to search for ways online to alleviate their situation. Colombian student interns strike over lack of protective equipment Student interns at the Industrial University of Santander (UIS) Hospital in Colombia went on strike on April 9. The students, 91 at last count, said that they fear contagion because they cannot count on proper protective equipment for treating patients suspected of COVID-19 infection. After their requests for PPE were ignored, the interns finally received 20 conventional face masks and one N-95 mask that they were told to share for ten days. There was no second distribution. The students also fear that they dont have proper training. We dont consider ourselves prepared as students to attend patients with COVID-19, one student representative told reporters. We dont have the knowledge nor the means to avoid contagion. Fearing that they will lose credit for the semester and possibly face expulsion, the interns have asked the UIS Academic Council to let them adhere to the national quarantine and resume their studies and practice when the emergency has passed. Meat industry workers in Argentina protest firings, nonpayment; police attack Workers at the Penta meat refrigeration plant in Quilmes, a city in Argentinas Buenos Aires province, held a protest April 9 over the recent firings of over 240 workers and nonpayment of wages and benefits. When the workers assembled at the entrance to the plant, a contingent of police arrived and confrontations ensued. Police attacked the protesters with billy clubs and rubber bullets, sending at least 20 to the hospital. Some of the attacks were later aired on social media. As of April 11, one worker was still in a hospital in critical condition. The ill will between the workers, whose union is affiliated with the Federation of Meat Workers Syndicates (Fesitcara), and the owner, Ricardo Bruzzese, has been growing since the latter carried out a lockout on March 18 with the intent of changing the company name and getting rid of the union. The Labor Ministry ordered an obligatory conciliation meeting, which Bruzzese refused to attend. The union has denounced Bruzzese for disobeying a presidential decree that no worker be fired for 60 days in the midst of the pandemic. Bruzzese claimed that he was not the owner, but a director, and accused the union of attempting to extort money from him in exchange for labor peace. The union claimed that Bruzzese paid the cops to attack them. The Quilmes mayor, meanwhile, disavowed the police violence and has put some of them on leave while an investigation takes place. In response to the denunciations of the police violence, Sergio Berni, the Buenos Aires minister of security, claimed that the order was not to repress, but that the police acted badly. However, he claimed that those who committed a crime were the workers, for usurpation of private property. Berni added that the problem is not repression but technique, the lack of professionalism. United States Illinois food processing workers walk out after worker falls sick with COVID-19 Some 70 workers at Raymundos Food Group in Bedford Park, Illinois walked off the job April 3, one day after being notified a co-worker contracted COVID-19. Workers charged management has done nothing to implement social distancing in the plant and have since self-quarantined claiming two other workers showed signs of the virus. Workers signed a petition to management demanding a $2 an hour hazard pay increase and that the plant be disinfected. They claim the company has a long record of forcing employees to work while sick. Management responded by refusing to provide hazard pay and declared they would hire replacement workers to reopen the facility. The company claims to have hired a professional cleaning but has not indicated they would follow through with a plan on social distancing. Whats the point of cleaning the plant if workers who are potentially already infected come straight back to work? Moises Zavala, a union organizer with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) told the Chicago Sun-Times. The company didnt take precautions to stop the spread to begin with, now who knows how many people are infected. Workers unionized in November of 2019. Raymundos countered by appealing to the National Labor Relations Board to decertify the UFCW. Nurse fired for defending hospital workers against discipline for complaining about lack of protective equipment against coronavirus A registered nurse at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey was fired April 6 for seeking to defend a nurse who was being disciplined. Adam Witt, who worked in the hospitals emergency room and also serves as the president of the local chapter of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, accompanied the nurse to a disciplinary hearing. Management fired him for being a no-show at his job. According to the union, there have been a rash of disciplinary actions and terminations against nurses who have complained about a lack of personal protective equipment to combat the coronavirus and then resorted to bringing their own masks. Management has responded by demanding nurses dispose of the masks. After firing Witt, his photo was posted on doors in the hospital notifying staff he was not permitted on the premises. A complaint by the union to the National Labor Relations Board claimed, his was clearly posted as a warning to other employees to not support the union and not to speak up on behalf of their fellow employees. Canada Toronto area caregivers walk off job due to lack of protection against coronavirus Virtually the entire staff at an adult disability care home in Markham, Ontario walked off the job on Thursday over concerns about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak at the facility. The workers took the job action after management announced that 10 residents and two employees in the 42-resident long-term care home had tested positive for COVID-19. Shortly thereafter, evening and night shift workers left their posts leaving only six staff members to attend to the residents. Normally, 36 workers clock in over a 24-hour period. Emergency calls initiated by town officials eventually managed to secure eight additional attendants from the community to work at the home over the weekend after management belatedly began offering double the miserable minimum wage. The minimum-wage attendants at the home, members of the Service Employees International Union, had earlier raised concerns regarding PPE shortages. Workers were only issued minimal PPE four days before the announcement of the outbreak. Work at the home for physically and developmentally disabled residents requires close and extensive contact between caregivers and residents. Nonetheless, staff were expected to perform these tasks with virtually no protection, exposing both themselves and vulnerable residents to the potentially lethal virus. Such was the lack of protective equipment at the home that an emergency call went out over the weekend for more PPE for the newly installed skeleton crew. The Delhi government's transport department till Tuesday evening, has received over 34,000 applications from drivers of prara-transit vehicles for the one-time financial assistance scheme launched to support them during the lockdown. The applicants include auto, taxi, e-rickshaw, school cab drivers who have been rendered idle due to restriction on movement in the city to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. They will be provided Rs 5,000 each by the Delhi government under the scheme. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the drivers to have patience as the official website witnessed heavy traffic of applicants. He assured that all of them will get the assistance of Rs 5,000. "We have started the process of providing Rs 5,000 compensation to para-transit drivers. I have received some complaints regarding the non-functioning of the website, which is because the portal is overloaded because many people are registering on the portal at one go," the chief minister said. "I want to appeal to all the people registering on the portal to stay patient. Every one of you will be provided the compensation," Kejriwal said in a media briefing. Delhi's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said in a tweet that more than 34,000 online applications were received by 7.30 PM on Tuesday. "The entire transport dept is working round the clock to ensure that much needed help reaches immediately," he tweeted earlier. The applicants having valid and current public service vehicle (PSV) badges and driving licence are eligible for the scheme. The application process started on Monday will continue for fifteen days. The minister said he has directed the transport commissioner to find ways for accepting applications of para transit drivers having lifetime PSV badges not having chips, issued before 2010. Some auto and taxi unions have raised the issue saying thousands of auto and taxi drivers having these old badges are not able to apply for the scheme. Gahlot said that the Sarathi software of the transport ministry has no data of such non-chip PSV badges. He said that two extra helpline numbers have been started by the department to assist the drivers to fill their application forms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Australian government is pressing for schools across the country to reopen, as part of a wider move to lift social distancing and other restrictions put in place for the coronavirus pandemic. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan last week sent a letter to organisations representing private schools, threatening to cut their funding if they fail to re-open and provide some in-person classroom learning. Tehan cited his powers under the Australian Education Act to impose conditions on schools funding when he believes them to be in the public interest. A condition of the public funding of the private school system, Tehan insisted, was that from the commencement of term two, private schools were to provide a physical classroom environment for the children of parents who choose to access it. Over the last four decades, successive Liberal and Labor governments have poured vast sums of public money into private schools, including the most elite, where annual tuition fees per student are more than $40,000. As a result, Australia has one of the most unequal school systems among the advanced capitalist countries, with more than 40 percent of secondary students attending private schools. Several of these schools unilaterally shut their doors during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, while public schools continued to function as usual, with no additional protections put in place to ensure the safety of school staff and students. From the first outbreak of COVID-19 infections in Australia, the Liberal-National government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted that schools remain open. This was initially justified on the pretext that children would be safer in schools than moving through the community. The real agenda, however, was to ensure there was minimal disruption to corporate operations. Open schools are seen as an essential aspect of maintaining the workforce in place, delivering continuing profits for business. The government is now pressing the state governments, which are responsible for running the different public-school systems in the country, to return to normal operations. This is despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is yet to be defeated, and no public schools are equipped with proper personal protective equipment (PPE), thermometers and COVID-19 testing facilities. The ruling elites indifference to the safety of educators and other school workers is on display across the country. In Victoria, Australias second most populous state, the state Labor government has directed schools to reopen for term two this week, despite Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday extending the coronavirus state of emergency until May 11. The Labor government has insisted that students who can remain at home must do so, with public school teachers expected to provide online learning provisions. Under the Victorian education departments Transition to Flexible and Remote Learning memo circulated to teachers and endorsed by the Australian Education Union, principals have been directed to consult with staff to identify those willing and able to work on-site, either on an ongoing or rostered basis. Where on-site learning is provided, hand sanitiser will be available at the entry points to classrooms and physical distancing implemented where feasible, with a class size ratio of 1 teacher to 10 students. Teacher guidelines are to avoid sharing office space, use hygiene supplies and practice good hand washing and cough-sneeze hygiene, keep windows open, and practice physical distancing. In addition, school bus services in rural and regional centres are to continue for students attending schools, including the continuation of the Students with Disabilities Transport Program. Bus operators are to ensure high touch surfaces are regularly disinfected. These are all grossly inadequate measures to ensure school staff safety. To the extent that any schools are required to remain open to allow health, emergency, and other essential workers with children to continue working, the sites should function as high-risk, mass testing zones. Proper PPE ought to be provided. All children and staff should have their temperature taken multiple times a day, with immediate coronavirus tests available. Instead of this, however, in Victoria and across Australia, it is largely being left to individual teachers to work out their own safety precautions. In the Northern Territory (NT), Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced on April 8 that the territorys schools would open as normal in term two, which is scheduled to commence on 20 April. Education Minister Selena Uibo insisted that attendance was compulsory, though parents and caregivers will have the option of educating their children from home. The NT population is especially vulnerable with about 30 percent of its inhabitants indigenous. Tens of thousands of Aborigines suffer horrendous poverty and are unable to access decent housing, education, transport, safe drinking water and other basic social needs. Fifty percent of adult Aboriginal Australians suffer from major chronic diseases, and one in eight live in overcrowded housing. An outbreak of the virus would devastate Aboriginal communities. Other states and territories have also announced preparations for online learning provisions for term two, with all or some schools remaining open for children of parents who have to work and for vulnerable children. The second term commences on April 20 in Queensland, April 27 in New South Wales and South Australia, April 28 in Western Australia, Tasmania, and Australian Capital Territory. The Australian Education Union (AEU) and other state teacher unions have done nothing to protect the safety of their members. The focus of the unions is on collaborating with the federal and state governments, and on ensuring that widespread teacher hostility to unsafe working conditions does not erupt. To the extent that the teacher unions have any concerns about what is happening, it is that governments are not working closely enough with them. In the Northern Territory, for example, the AEU bureaucracy complained that the government was failing to consult with it. In Victoria, the AEU have fully endorsed the state governments totally inadequate measures for on-site learning insisting that teachers must carefully read the departments provisions with educators expected to sign off on them in every school. In New South Wales, Australias most populous state, NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos broadcast his cooperation. We need a staggered return to work, he said. Teachers are awaiting advice on lifting restrictions. Gavrielatos outlined his suggestion that face-to-face teaching start with Year 12 and Kindergarten, with other years phased in over subsequent weeks. Gavrielatos added that there needed to be an orderly transition for schools. The union chief means a return to business as usual without any opposition emerging from teachers and education workers, who remain alarmed and outraged over the demands for a return to work when no serious measures have been put in place to ensure their safety. Teacher opposition continues to develop, with widespread discussion continuing online via social media platforms. There have been calls to resign from the unions, and organise walkouts or other industrial action. The most conscious opposition has been organised by the Committee for Public Educations (CFPE), which organised a successful online meeting on April 5. As schools return in term two, the CFPE again calls for the establishment of Action Committees in schools and working-class communities. These need to develop the widest discussion among school staff and other workers, including cleaners, bus drivers and health workers, on the necessary measures to develop a scientifically- and medically-based long term plan for the education system, with the guiding principle being that human life takes priority over corporate profit. Teachers and education workers can contact the CFPE via email at cfpe.aus@gmail.com or via our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation The CFPE Twitter account is https://twitter.com/CFPE_Australia Social distancing, keeping people at home, and lockdowns are being implemented in many nations to prevent the spread of the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Some countries that have seen declines in the number of new infections due to lockdowns are now looking to allow people to return to more normal daily routines. However, researchers warn that there is a risk of a second wave of cases, and lockdowns need to be maintained until there is an effective vaccine against COVID-19 or new case numbers fall to near zero. The latest study is based on the Chinese experience. The study titled, First-wave COVID-19 transmissibility and severity in China outside Hubei after control measures, and second-wave scenario planning: a modeling impact assessment, was published in the latest issue of the journal Lancet. The study was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund, Hong Kong, China. What was this study about? The team writes that up until the 18th of March 2020, there were 13,415 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in mainland China outside Hubei province, where the disease began. They explain that the lockdowns and social distancing measures to prevent the public from gathering had a significant impact on flattening the infection spread curve. In this study, they write that they provide an impact assessment of the transmissibility and severity of COVID-19 during the first wave in mainland Chinese locations outside Hubei. Prof Joseph T Wu from the University of Hong Kong, who co-led the research, explained, While these control measures appear to have reduced the number of infections to very low levels, without herd immunity against COVID-19, cases could easily resurge as businesses, factory operations, and schools gradually resume and increase social mixing, particularly given the increased risk of imported cases from overseas as COVID-19 continues to spread globally. What was done? For the study, the team determined an instantaneous reproduction number (R t ) of COVID-19. This was determined for Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, and ten other Chinese provinces. These provinces each had a very high number of COVID-19 positive cases they wrote. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wenzhou and all the 31 other provinces in China also had a high confirmed Case Fatality Risk (cCFR), they explained. Using a model called the susceptibleinfectiousrecovered model, they determined the impact of relaxing the lockdown or containment efforts of the government after the first wave of the infection is over. They determined its effects on stopping a possible second wave of the infection. The data for the study was gathered from local health commission data on COVID-19 cases from different Chinese regions between mid-January and the 29th of February. What was found? The team calculated and found that the instantaneous reproduction number (R t ) of COVID-19 was substantially reduced since the 23rd of January after the lockdown was in place, and control in social mingling was implemented. Since then, the numbers have remained below 1. The numbers were initially between two and three they wrote. The confirmed case fatality risk or cCFR outside the Hubei province was 0.98 percent. This was five times lower than what was found in Hubei (5.91 percent cCFR in Hubei). The team deduced that if the preventive measures of lockdown were withdrawn, the Rt would rise above by one, and despite the small size of the epidemic, it could lead to an exponential rise in the case count. This was directly related to the duration of the relaxation they wrote. The harm was substantial even if the government would again use aggressive control measures to bring back the numbers below the baseline. Implications and conclusions The researchers explained that aggressive non-pharmaceutical interventions such as lockdown and social distancing were the main contributor to control of the first wave of COVID-19 epidemic outside Hubei. They warn, however, given the substantial risk of viral reintroduction, particularly from overseas importation, close monitoring of R t and cCFR is needed to inform strategies against a potential second wave to achieve an optimal balance between health and economic protection. Wu said, Although control policies such as physical distancing and behavioral change are likely to be maintained for some time, proactively striking a balance between resuming economic activities and keeping the reproductive number below one is likely to be the best strategy until effective vaccines become widely available. One of the senior authors Prof Gabriel M Leung from the University of Hong Kong, said, Even in the most prosperous and well-resourced megacities like Beijing and Shanghai, healthcare resources are finite, and services will struggle with a sudden increase in demand. Our findings highlight the importance of ensuring that local healthcare systems have adequate staffing and resources to minimize COVID-related deaths. India: Lifts lockdown restrictions on fishing, aquaculture industry by Toan Dao April 14,2020 | Source: Seafood Source Indias fishing and aquaculture sectors have received exemptions to national lockdown measures imposed by the federal government in March to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. On 10 April, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued an addendum to its consolidated guidelines dated 24 March, announcing the lifting of restrictions for the fishing and aquaculture industry. Under the new order, operations including feeding and maintenance, harvesting, processing, packaging, cold chain, sale and marketing, hatchery, feed plants, and commercial aquaria are no longer banned during the lockdown. The government also lifted restrictions on the movements of fish, shrimp, and other seafood products, as well as on workers in the fishing and aquaculture sectors and related industries. The industry, however, must strictly apply certain lockdown measures such as social distancing and proper hygiene practices in their operations. It will be the responsibility of the head of the organization [or] establishment to ensure compliance of such norms. The district authorities will ensure strict enforcement, the ministry said. A trader in Gujarat state confirmed to SeafoodSource over the weekend that all restrictions on the sector have been lifted following the central governments order. Yes, it is true. But these days many fishermen will not go because this season is almost over, he said. The latest order was issued as strict measures imposed during the 21-day lockdown have caused massive disruptions to the flow of essential goods, including seafood, in India. Clarifying that some industries are both vital to the national interest and able to operate within procedural protocols to prohibit the spread of the virus, Home Affairs Ministry Secretary Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla sent a communication to relevant authorities to clarify categories of essential items that are exempted from the lockdown measures, the ministry said in a statement on 3 April. A ban on most forms of transportation and the shutdown of ice factories, fishing ports, and processing plants as a result of the lockdown had made it impossible for fishermen to sell or stock their goods. As a result, fishermen in the Raigad district of Maharashtra state had to dump around 100,000 metric tons (MT) of wild-caught seafood back into the sea, The Hindu BusinessLine reported on 30 March. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce on 14 April a possible extention for the current 21-day lockdown, The Hindu BusinessLine reported 13 April. DARBY BOROUGH Paramedics, nurses, doctors and hospital staff lined Lansdowne Avenue Tuesday afternoon to pay respects to one of their own, paramedic Kevin Bundy, the Mercy Fitzgerald and Crozer paramedic who died from coronavirus Sunday evening. The numerous medical professionals, clad in scrubs and face masks, stood in silence as paramedics, firefighters and police saluted the hearse. The entire Mercy Fitzgerald family is grieving over the loss of Kevin, and we are all thinking about and praying for his family during this unimaginably painful time. The tribute today from first responders and our team is just another example of the coming together we are seeing in our community, said Chris Cullom, president, Mercy Catholic Medical Center. We thank the fire departments, the emergency medical responders and all those on the front line for what they do every day. This devastating loss is a reminder that we must be vigilant in fighting the virus. We can all help honor Kevin by staying home, socially distancing and taking all the protective measures to heart. The Lenwood Jones hearse carrying Bundys body passed under an arch, created by two fire ladder trucks with an American flag hanging below, as it made its way up Lansdowne Avenue. Delaware County Council members extended condolences to his loved ones, his colleagues at Mercy Fitzgerald and members of the EMS community. Paramedic Kevin Bundy served the residents of Delaware County with honor and dignity during this COVIC-19 Crisis, said Bruce Egan, Delaware County president of the Emergency Health Service Council. He was on the front lines and gave 100 percent each and every shift. Kevin had a heart of gold and big smile. He will be missed by all of us. He helped many during his short career, Egan said Sunday evening. Tonight the bright smile that he always wore like a badge of honor has been dimmed. Boyce called Bundy heroic, saying, He represents community members who are serving in their neighborhood. He made quite an impression on supervisors, who all had good things to say about him. Kevin was one of hardest-working, thoughtful students that I ever had the pleasure to work with, Egan, who taught him in paramedic school, added. He worked his tail off. This kid had a bright future, always smiling and always in good spirits. He took constructive criticism to be the best paramedic he could be. Bundy worked much of his time on the ambulance out of Darby Fire Co., MICU 04, which has seen a large volume of COVID-19 patients. Yeadon and Darby, which account for less than 1 percent of the county population, have had nearly 25 percent of the deaths to date in Delaware County. Delaware County Emergency Service Director Tim Boyce confirmed that the Darby, Yeadon area had been hard hit. We did see a spike in that area around March 31st. The numbers went from 1 to 20 (diagnosed cases), he said. It seems to be trending in our assisted care and our older populations are being hit hardest. Services for Bundy will be private. RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his health minister are in open conflict over the countrys coronavirus response, leading many to worry that the far-right leader could soon fire the official who has played a major role in containing the outbreak. The public battle between a president notorious for his polarizing remarks and the more measured doctor has reminded many of a similar tug of war taking place in the United States, between President Donald Trump and his chief virus expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. It has also raised concerns that efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in Latin Americas largest country could veer off track. Bolsonaro has repeatedly called COVID-19 a little flu, fought for confining only high-risk Brazilians because more severe restrictions would cause too much economic damage, and touted the yet-unproven efficacy of an anti-malarial drug. For the second straight weekend, he hit the streets in defiance of federal recommendations for Brazilians to self-quarantine. During one outing, the president was filmed wiping his nose along the inside of his wrist, then turning to shake hands with an elderly woman and others. Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta, meanwhile, is the matter-of-fact promoter of the quarantine measures and has urged Brazilians to abide by the restrictions put in place by state governors, most of whom have taken a tougher line than Bolsonaro. The orthopedist who started his career working at an Army hospital has garnered popular support for his pandemic response but still risks losing his job. In a televised interview earlier this month, Bolsonaro said Mandetta had failed to show humility and that anyone can be fired. A few days later, Bolsonaro told a group of supporters that he would use his pen against officials in his government who are full of themselves. Those comments were widely understood as signalling an end to Mandettas tenure, so much so that the minister said his subordinates cleaned out his desk. In an interview aired Sunday by broadcaster Globo, Mandetta worried that the mixed messages mean Brazilians dont know whether to listen to the health minister or the president. But asked about the possibility of resigning recently, Mandetta said he learned from his teachers that a doctor never abandons his patient. The doctor doesnt abandon the patient, Bolsonaro later quipped in a video address on social media, but the patient can change doctors. This weekend with the split between Bolsonaro and the minister on display again provided further evidence that Mandettas time is running out, according to Christopher Garman, managing director for the Americas at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. That moment hasnt come, yet. As is frequently the case with Bolsonaro, Brazilians see close parallels with his ally Trump, whose claims are often countered by governors and Fauci. On Sunday, Trump retweeted a call for Faucis firing, after the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview that appeals to implement broad shutdown measures had been resisted. The comments were interpreted by some as criticism of Trump. Still, Trump has often shown an unusual amount of deference to Fauci in public, and the White House said any suggestion the doctor would be fired was ridiculous. While rising quickly, the number of cases in Brazil is still relatively low in relation to the countrys massive population more than 23,000 cases and 1,300 deaths for a country of 211 million. That means Bolsonaro hasnt yet been forced to pivot in the same way as Trump to give Fauci more leeway, said Paulo Calmon, political science professor at the University of Brasilia. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death. Bolsonaro, a former Army captain, was a fringe lawmaker during his seven congressional terms, but became widely known because of a stream of offensive statements. In the 2018 election, popular support coalesced around his call for aggressive policing to combat high crime rates, plans to impose conservative cultural values, and promises to rejuvenate the economy. Mandetta, a member of the centre-right DEM party, found common cause with Bolsonaro when they were both lawmakers and opposed the welcoming of Cuban doctors by the government. Mandetta has support from a coalition of politicians across the spectrum who believe it is the governments duty to provide health care as well as from the scientific community, the military and, increasingly, investors, said the University of Brasilias Calmon. While Trumps skepticism has softened in recent weeks, Bolsonaro has doubled down, working to portray himself as a leader willing to adopt unpopular measures for the ultimate benefit of Brazilians and the economy. Its not clear its working. Hes been met with regular evening protests by people leaning from their apartments to bang pots and pans, particularly when hes taken to the airwaves for national addresses. The Health Ministrys handling of the coronavirus, meanwhile, received approval from 76% of Brazilians polled by Datafolha, and the same percentage supported quarantining people even if those measures would hurt the economy and increase unemployment. Bolsonaros performance was rated as good or excellent by just one-third of respondents. The poll, conducted in early April, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. David Fleischer, professor emeritus at the University of Brasilia, says he would be surprised if Bolsonaro fires Mandetta, but he expects the president will continue to undermine him. Bolsonaro has also been publicly feuding with the governors of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, who have imposed relatively strict measures in their own hard-hit states, and been rewarded with approval. Bolsonaros supporters staged small protests in recent days that call for restrictions on transit and business to be lifted. In Rio, a group beat an effigy of the governor. There are concerns that conflicting examples from Bolsonaro and Mandetta are undermining the response: Cell phone data tracked by Sao Paulo state show fewer people practicing social distancing versus the start of the month. For now, Mandetta retains his chair. That could change, particularly if the man Bolsonaro openly admires dismisses his own expert. If Trump fires Fauci, Mandetta will fall, Calmon predicted. ___ Associated Press writer Marcelo de Sousa contributed to this report. The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the Pan-African regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), salutes and extends solidarity on behalf of its affiliates to all African journalists who have been working tirelessly to keep the communities they serve updated and help them make sense of the pandemic that engulfed them. Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) Press statement 13 April, 2020 The Steering Committee of FAJ, which met through a teleconference on 10 April 2020, expressed grave concerns about the safety and wellbeing of overworked and under-resourced African journalists who as frontline workers, have been carrying out an essential service by providing their citizens with credible and reliable information, but having to face a myriad of problems as they work without personal protective equipment (PPE) thus exposing themselves to a lethal disease. Sadly, the deadly pandemic has claimed the lives of two journalists. FAJ expresses its deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of Togolese journalist Dominique Aliziou and Zimbabwean TV journalist Zororo Makamba. These tragic deaths underline that journalism is an essential public good which must go on with business as usual with journalists entering risky situations. "Let us fight the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) together but as journalists do their part, media employers must also do their part and discharge their responsibility for duty of care and provide PPE to journalists and other media workers in the field. We also expect media houses to pay journalists their salaries in full, including their benefits in line with their conditions of service said FAJ President Sadiq Ibrahim. Refusing to pay journalists would be a declaration of war which we are prepared to fight to the bitter end. FAJ is also extremely concerned to hear that the working conditions of journalists in several countries in Africa have dramatically deteriorated, throwing journalists into a second crisis in addition to the COVID-19 tragedy. There is much angst amongst freelance journalists who have been particularly hit by the lockdown. At the same time, many newsrooms have seen non-payment of salaries and layoffs without any compensation. As journalists and other media workers face the daunting and sometimes life-threatening task, of meeting their readers and viewers hunger for news, FAJ deplores the growing moves by African governments to use the emergency situation to deny journalists access to information, thus sowing confusion over vital aspects of the fight against the pandemic and restraining what citizens must know. Hampering journalists freedom of information in the face of a deadly disease only rises anxiety, implants fear among the public and removes public scrutiny of governments actions. Governments must offer unrestricted access of information to journalists as the fight against COVID-19 is a collective fight which governments alone cannot win in secrecy added FAJ President. In solidarity with journalists detained in the continent, FAJ calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned journalists. Governments holding journalists in prison must dedicate their energy to fight the disease and set them free. Imprisoned journalists cannot isolate and, in most instances, have no medical care in often overcrowded and filthy prisons added FAJ leader. FAJ urges Africas brave and dedicated journalists to soldier on and do their job with the utmost diligence, in particular discharging their role as societys watchdogs by scrutinising the actions of governments and public institutions. Finally, as a pan-African organisation, FAJ condemns and utterly rejects any proposition that Africa and Africans be used as a testing ground for vaccinations being developed against COVID 19 and urges African journalists to dig deep and expose any such dealings or attempts as they constitute naked racism and an existential threat to the peoples of Africa FAJ calls on all affiliated organisations and journalists at large to observe and abide by the preventative measures rolled out by national authorities to curb the spread of this virus while carrying out their essential mission of objective quality journalism using trustworthy sources. A plea made by the Victims' Commissioner for the Secretary of State to urgently publish details of the proposed legacy legislation has been welcomed by Sinn Fein. Judith Thompson, head of the victims' watchdog, made the public call to Brandon Lewis after the UK Government announced last month that repeat investigations into Troubles cases are to end. At the time, Mr Lewis said ending the cycle of re-investigations when there is no new compelling evidence would deliver on the government's promise to protect former soldiers from "vexatious claims". Under the new proposals, once cases have been considered, there will be a legal bar on any future investigation occurring. They include a pledge to ensure that Troubles' veterans receive equal treatment to their counterparts who served overseas. The government's proposals come amid high-profile court cases here involving veterans who are being prosecuted decades after serving during the Troubles. The proposals also include a "new independent body" to provide information to families and "swift examinations" of all unresolved deaths from the Troubles. Seeking clarity from the government, the Victims' Commissioner said last week: "The aim of addressing the legacy of the past must be to build a better future. "It is vital that those who have waited so long for legacy institutions, that have had the widest possible consultation and input, are not simply swept aside in haste to drive through options that will result in yet more decades of legal challenge, hurt, frustration and distrust." Ms Thompson's comments have been welcomed by Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon, who said yesterday families here have waited too long for the legacy mechanisms to be implemented. "The Stormont House Agreement is over six years old. Core to that agreement was the resolution of outstanding legacy issues," she insisted. "In the 'New Decade, New Approach' document, the British Government also reaffirmed their commitment to implementing outstanding legacy legislation." The MLA continued: "It must now be implemented fully in a human rights compliant manner. "It is unacceptable that some families have waited five decades for the truth. They shouldn't be forced to wait any longer." Meanwhile, a report published last week by a group of academics from Queen's University and human rights activists said the latest proposals are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Good Friday Agreement. Some relatives of victims have also expressed concern that any remaining opportunity to hold account those responsible for committing killings will be taken away. Catholic bishops have also written to Mr Lewis expressing their "deep concern" at the proposal to deal with legacy issues. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Uzbekistan will sent humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan to help fight the coronavirus (COVID-19), Trend reports with reference to Uzbek media. According to the order of the Cabinet of Ministers, humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies will be sent to Azerbaijan. The Markaziy state enterprise of the State Reserve Management Committee under the Cabinet of Ministers has been determined as a point of formation of the humanitarian aid cargo. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has been assigned as the responsible body for the delivery. The Ministry of Emergency Situations will ensure the coordination of the delivery of humanitarian aid, including the allocation of the necessary vehicles for its collection and delivery to the point of shipment. In order to quickly distribute the humanitarian aid cargo, the Uztuqimachiliksanoat Association will pack the humanitarian aid and consider its delivery to the point of formation within a day. In accordance with the established procedure, the Ministry of Transport shall allocate a cargo aircraft for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan. Earlier Uzbekistan provided humanitarian aid to China, Iran, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Belarus. The total number of coronavirus infected people in Uzbekistan is 1054. To date, 85 people in the country have fully recovered from the coronavirus infection. 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 Sunday night our community was dealt another blow by way of a devastating tornado that brought the East Brainerd community to its knees. I saw on Monday the great American fighting spirit soar with neighbors helping neighbors, without reservation or hesitation. As I canvassed our newest front line, I witnessed devastation I havent seen since my wife Kelly and I survived hurricane Katrina many years ago. What is clear to me is the determination of spirit and the will to overcome. Our first responders were doing again what they do best with care, vigor, professionalism and love. As I stood amongst the debris of thousands of pieces of households, I cheered and saluted our city of Chattanooga Public Works department, EPB contractors, and citizens with shovels and a smile. Alongside Tennessee Commissioner of Insurance and Commerce, Hodgen Mainda, we spoke to dozens of families working diligently to try to put some pieces of their lives back together. We may have been taken to our knees Sunday night, but well stand strong together through teamwork, compassion, and promise to each other. As long as we have each other, we have it all. Yours, Darrin T. Ledford East Brainerd City Council Representative ROMEOn the Sunday before Easter, the priests phone rang. Rev. Claudio Del Monte carried the phone, given to him by staff in the Bergamo hospital, along with a small cross and some homemade sanitizer. Instead of his usual clerics collar, he wore disposable scrubs, a surgical mask covered with another mask, protective eyewear and a cap over his head. On his chest, he had drawn a black cross with a felt pen. He excused himself from two coronavirus patients he was visiting in the hospital and answered the call. But he already knew what it meant. Minutes later, he arrived at the bedside of an older man he had met days earlier. An oxygen mask now obscured the mans face, and intensive care staff huddled around his bed. I blessed him and absolved him from sins, he squeezed my hand tightly, and I stayed there with him until his eyes closed, Del Monte, 53, said. And then I said the prayer for the dead, and then I changed my gloves and continued my round. Italys coronavirus outbreak is one of the worlds deadliest, and while the doctors and nurses on the northern Italian front line have become symbols of sacrifice against an invisible enemy, priests and nuns have also joined the fight. Especially in deeply infected areas like Bergamo, they are risking and sometimes giving their lives to attend to the spiritual needs of the often older and devout Italians hardest hit by the virus. Across Italy, the virus has killed more than 100 priests, many of them retired and especially vulnerable to a scourge that preys on older people, whether it be in nursing homes or monasteries. Avvenire, the newspaper run by the Italian bishops conference, is honouring the dead with the hashtag PriestsForever. But some priests have also fallen in service, and in a Holy Thursday Mass in an empty St. Peters Basilica, Pope Francis remembered them. In these days, more than 60 have died here in Italy attending to the sick in the hospitals, he said, calling them the saints next door, priests who gave their lives in service. Francesco Beschi, the bishop of Bergamo, said he had lost 24 priests in 20 days, in a region where more than 2,600 people have died of the virus by the official count. About half the priests were retired and out of service, but others still tended to pastoral duties. They offer solace through WhatsApp groups, wave from behind car windows as they bring food to the sick, lean against the door frames of infected bedrooms as they deliver last rites and shroud themselves in personal protective equipment as they whisper prayers and encouragement at hospital bedsides. They complain they cannot get closer, that the last touch the faithful feel is a gloved one, that the last face they see is often on a screen. With a virus that separates families and spouses as it kills, priests said that they were also pained to be distanced from their flock when they were needed most. One of those was the Rev. Fausto Resmini, 67, esteemed as the chaplain of Bergamos prison for nearly 30 years and the founder of a centre for troubled youth. His fellow priests said that in the course of his work last month, he caught the virus. He received treatment at the Humanitas Gavazzeni hospital, where Del Monte does his rounds, before dying March 23. Local residents are trying to name a new field hospital after him. His death is a huge loss for the Bergamo church, said Rev. Roberto Trussardi, director of Bergamo Caritas, the churchs charitable arm. Such sacrifices have not deterred many other priests from ministering to the sick. Staying home is the right thing to do, said Rev. Giovanni Paolini, 85, in the central Italian town of Pesaro. But I am a priest, and sometimes it is necessary to bend the law to meet peoples needs. On Monday, he said a burial prayer for one of the 15 members of a local parish killed by the virus. He said he used the phone or social media when possible to console. But he also said he puts on his mask and other protective gear to visit old people fearing death, often alone. You choose this life to be useful to others, he said. Those priests embody a vision of the church articulated by Francis, who has often invoked the image of a field hospital and the characters of the Italian masterpiece The Betrothed, in which heroic Milanese priests selflessly treat those afflicted by the plague. On March 10, Francis prayed in a morning mass, for our priests, so that they have the courage to go out and go to those who are sick. That encouragement seemed in violation of restrictions Italy adopted that very day that sought to keep people in their homes to prevent the spread of the virus, but the Vaticans spokesperson immediately argued that the Popes appeal clearly understood the need for priests to act while respecting the health measures established by Italian authorities. Cardinal Michael Czerny, a close adviser to Francis, said that the pontiff has seemed calm, but also intensely involved in the churchs response to the virus in recent days. What makes him most happy are the priests who dont need to be told, but who know that this is what they should do, he said. If he had his druthers, he would be on the front lines, too. He wants us at the frontiers, Czerny said. And beyond the limits. Those limits are not safely placed. And once the danger of contagion became clear, Beschi said, priests began adopting the appropriate precautions. He had sent a letter to his own priests telling them, We want to bring Christ to people, but not contagion. He added, This was a painful choice, because it was a limitation. In Castiglione dAdda, one of the first towns quarantined by the Italian government during the initial February outbreak, nearly all public religious ceremonies and services have ceased. Rev. Gabriele Bernardelli, 58, said he kept contact with his parishioners through WhatsApp and Instagram. The phone, he said, becomes a pastoral instrument. But he said that the vast majority of the 67 people his town lost in the past 40 days had died in the hospital and that he had not been able to see them. He took some solace in the fact that local bishops had deputized devout medical workers in hospitals to make the sign of the cross on a dying patients forehead. Last month, during the explosion of cases, Bernardelli visited the home of an older man, the father of a priest, as he lay dying in his bedroom. I used to be close to a dying person, like a doctor next to the sick, he said. This time, he stayed at the threshold of the door watching the man clutch a tank of oxygen. Bernardelli delivered last rites through a mask from outside the door frame. This is what you can do, he said. Del Monte also visits the sick at home. A chemist by training, he has made vats of disinfectant. He dabs it in his nostrils and rubs it on his hands. The precautions were both to protect himself and to make sure that he did not inadvertently spread the virus himself as he goes home to home. Like all my priest friends, we go around to the houses, he said, so we cannot be the ones who bring the contagion. We cannot only get the sickness; we can give it. Maybe we are asymptomatic, and then its a disaster. Last week, he, too, delivered last rites in a mask from the threshold of a bedroom, this time for a woman in his parish. He added that on Monday morning, he said simple prayers at the Bergamo cemetery during a burial. Three or four minutes, he said. Before 3 every afternoon, he leaves his parish, changes out of his clerical clothing and gets dressed for visits in the hospital, which falls within his parish. He has comforted wives whose husbands died in other hospitals and lingered when doctors rushed off. The priests time is freer, he said, adding, Its not about looking for it; its about accepting the suffering that comes. Sometimes he sees new patients taking the place of the dead he prayed with the day before. But he has also found a letter on the bed of a patient who survived. Until next time, it read. [April 14, 2020] Leading Engineering Firm Accommodates Rapid Growth and Strengthens Remote Work Capabilities with Workspot CAMPBELL, Calif., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Rodgers, a West Coast-based engineering firm, is using Workspot cloud desktops and GPU cloud workstations to meet the demands of their high-growth environment and seamlessly support and expand remote work capabilities, Workspot announced today. Workspot cloud desktops are enabling Wood Rodgers to continue providing high-quality services while empowering employees to work from anywhere. Power users are enjoying better performance than traditional desktop configurations, boosting remote-work productivity. Click to Tweet: West Coast engineering firm Wood Rodgers implemented @Workspot to drive company growth and strengthen business continuity. https://bit.ly/2Vl8uVa #azure #clouddesktops Last year, Sacramento-based Wood Rodgers began seeking a better way to accommodate rapid expansion and establish remote work capabilities for six offices in California and Nevada. Engineers in those offices require access to software such as AutoCAD and other power-house applications that require large amounts of data and processing resources to function. The firm determined that they needed a cloud-based solution that could deliver the necessary performance to keep these power users happy and productive. Additionally, they sought a virtual desktop solution that could support Panzura and its existing infrastructure on Microsoft Azure, which led to the selection of Workspot. Workspot is a turnkey, SaaS-based platform that IT organizations use to deliver virtual desktops from 56+ Microsoft Azure cloud regions to users globally. Since deploying Workspot, Wood Rodgers has been able to: Access high-performance computing from any device, including tablets, mobile phones, and laptops, while working in the office, field, or at home. from any device, including tablets, mobile phones, and laptops, while working in the office, field, or at home. Accelerate migration to the cloud and immediately respond to business dynamics. Wood Rodgers is carrying project deliverables forward while also enabling engineers, technicians and field crews to work remotely in the face of current shelter-in-place directives. and immediately respond to business dynamics. Wood Rodgers is carrying project deliverables forward while also enabling engineers, technicians and field crews to work remotely in the face of current shelter-in-place directives. Complement virtual desktops with new collaboration tools including Office 365 and Microsoft Teams for both internal employees and external clients. new collaboration tools including Office 365 and Microsoft Teams for both internal employees and external clients. Leverage unparalleled capacity and innovate with existing tools, including AutoCAD, in the new virtual environment. Wood Rodgers executives will join Workspot for a webinar discussing the implementation on April 15, 2020. To join, click here: https://bit.ly/34qvtlN Amitabh Sinha, CEO and co-founder, Workspot, said: "Wood Rodgers completed its initial implementation of Workspot cloud workstations weeks before the escalation of shelter in place directives in California and Nevada. Wood Rodgers avoided business disruption through a well-executed business continuity plan that included rapidly scaling the number of cloud workstations in use. We're very pleased that by using Workspot, the firm is moving projects forward for their customers and providing a productive, remote work experience that helps keep their employees and their families safe."?? Michael Albrecht, director of information technology, Wood Rodgers, said: "The use of Workspot with GPUs, combined with our CAD custom tools and Azure-based Enterprise GIS infrastructure, gives Wood Rodgers the ability to perform above and beyond, regardless of the location or device. With the Wood Rodgers custom tools on top of cloud VDI, engineers can perform all the automated workflows that we've instituted. With all these virtual resources, we can continue meeting online and stay productive - as if we were face-to-face. By upholding our commitment to clients, Wood Rodgers employees are working, and we are delivering projects on time or earlier." About Workspot Workspot is changing the way enterprises provision desktops. Workspot's cloud desktop solution is delivered as a turnkey, enterprise-ready service, exclusively on Microsoft Azure. The Workspot service places Windows 10 desktops and workstations at the edge of the cloud region nearest users for unparalleled performance. IT can expect fast-time-to-value and on-demand, global scalability. Business leaders can respond faster to changing market dynamics, pursue new opportunities globally and hire the best talent anywhere, while fulfilling cloud-first mandates that position their companies for accelerated growth. The service features flat-rate pricing, which includes the cost of Microsoft Azure compute, Go-Live Deployment Services and ongoing support. For more information on Workspot solutions please visit www.workspot.com. PR contacts: Shyna Deepak Tina Cooper Public Relations Manager Corporate communications director Nadel Phelan, Inc for Workspot Wood Rodgers 831-440-2408 916-341-7760 [email protected] [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-engineering-firm-accommodates-rapid-growth-and-strengthens-remote-work-capabilities-with-workspot-301039877.html SOURCE Workspot [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Internarional Prize for Arabic Fiction, known as the Arabic Booker, has announced Algerian novelist Abdelouahab Aissaoui the winner of the 2020 prize for his novel Al-Diwan Al-Isparti (The Spartan Court) published by Dar Mim. In addition to winning USD $50,000, funding will be provided for the English translation of The Spartan Court, and Abdelouahab Aissaoui. Muhsin al-Musawi, Chair of the 2020 Judging Panel, said in a press release: The Spartan Court stands out for its stylistic brilliance. It is polyphonic with multiple voices telling the story. Readers gain a multi-layered insight into the historical occupation of Algeria and, from this, the conflicts of the entire Mediterranean region, with characters embodying different interests and intersecting visions. The novel invites the reader to gain a greater understanding of life under occupation and the different forms of resistance that grow against it. With its deep, historical narrative structure, the novel does not live in the past, but rather it challenges the reader to question present reality. Professor Yasir Suleiman CBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, sayid The Spartan Court is a captivating tale, a tale of many voices, truths and falsehoods. It goes back in history to excavate the past and permeate the present with intertwined narratives that keep the reader glued to its enchanting characters and their tortuous fortunes. Its many bittersweet vignettes, and their rootedness in place and time draw the reader to worlds with myriad tones of colour, sound and smell. Abdelouahab Aissaoui has given us a work to celebrate and remember during these anguished times. For this we are grateful to him. The Spartan Court follows the interconnected lives of five characters in Algiers from 1815 to 1833. The first, Dupond, is a French journalist covering the colonial campaign against Algeria, and the second, Caviard, is a former soldier in Napoleons army who finds himself a prisoner in the city and later becomes a planner for the campaign. The other three Algerian characters have different attitudes to the Ottoman and French colonial powers. Ibn Mayyar thinks that politics is a means of building relationships with the Ottomans and even the French, whilst Hamma al-Sallaoui believes that revolution is the only means of achieving change. The fifth character, Douja, is suspended somewhere between all these: she witnesses the transformation of Algiers helplessly and is forced to become a part of it, for one must live according to the citys rules, or leave. Abdelouahab Aissaoui is an Algerian novelist, born in Djelfa, Algeria, in 1985. He graduated in Electromechanical Engineering from Zayan Ashour University in Djelfa and works as a maintenance engineer. In 2012, his first novel, Jacob's Cinema, came first in the novel category of the President of the Republic Prize. He won the Assia Djebar Prize, widely regarded as the most important prize for the novel in Algeria, for his second novel, Mountain of Death (2015), which tells the story of Spanish communists imprisoned in North African camps after losing the Spanish Civil War. In 2016, he took part in the IPAF Nadwa (creative writing workshop for talented young writers). His third novel Circles and Doors (2017) won the 2017 Kuwaiti Suad al-Sabah Novel Prize, and also in 2017, he won the Katara Novel Prize in the unpublished novel category, for Testament of the Deeds of the Forgotten Ones. Search Keywords: Short link: The police in Maharashtra have arrested 37 persons so far for spreading rumours or sharing messages on social media that seek to create communal divide during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Tuesday. He warned of strict action if one engaged in circulating rumours or messages that may lead to fissures within communities. Strict action will be taken if anyone will try to spread rumours or create fissures among communities through WhatsApp, Facebook or any other social media during the lockdown period. Till now, 197 offences have been registered against such people, while 37 persons have been arrested. Deshmukh sought people's cooperation for strict enforcement of the lockdown, clamped since March 25 to stem the spread of COVID-19. "Requesting all of you with folded hands to cooperate with the police, Deshmukh said in a video message. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Tuesday backed the extension of lockdown till May 3 but asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to specify his governments roadmap and strategy to fight the coronavirus. The opposition party also wanted the Prime Minister to spell out the steps his government plans to take to mitigate the woes of migrant labourers stranded on the borders of different states and those of the farmers waiting to harvest crops. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the Prime Minister in his address to the nation did not talk about the plight of stranded migrant workers and what the government intends to do about them, as most of them have completed their 14-day quarantine period. He also did not talk about ramping up mass testing in the country for Covid-19 and did not specify steps taken to increase purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE), Tewari said, addressing a news conference through video-conferencing. There was no mention about ensuring maintenance of supply chain of essential commodities and for harvesting of the Rabi crop, he added. The Prime Minister told the nation what he expects out of the people but did not address their concerns or talk about what his government is doing for the country, something everybody wanted to hear. What we have not heard from the Prime Minister is what is his governments strategy regarding testing. Will it be limited to hotspots or will there be community level screening as it has happened in Bhilwara? Tewari asked. What the Prime Minister has not spoken about and made for most horrifying images when the lockdown was first implemented, is about the plight of migrant workers. They are in camps spread out across the country. Is there any plan to ensure that they go to their homes, the Congress leader said. Essentially, if someone has gone through the mandatory quarantine period and is not showing any symptoms, is it not the governments responsibility to facilitate their return. Thats what we wanted to hear. Are you allowing them to go back to their homes? Tewari said the Congress understands the inevitability of the lockdown and hence supported its extension besides the Centre and all states have agreed on this. What is governments roadmap for harvesting? Are you going to allow the farmers to carry out the harvest? How will it then be collected and taken to procurement centres? How will procurement be facilitated? Will government pay a bonus over the MSP? he asked. Tewari said the Prime Minister also did not talk about the frontline workers and the status of PPE procurement. Earlier, partys chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala asked about the countrys roadmap to fight the pandemic. He said the leadership does not mean making the people realise their responsibilities but to fulfill the governments duty of accountability towards the country. A lot of talk has taken place. But, where is the roadmap to fight corona, Surjewala asked. His senior party colleague P Chidambaram tweeted, The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country. Welcoming the lockdown extension, Chidambaram said the chief ministers demand for money elicited no response. Not a rupee has been added to the miserly package of March 25, 2020. From Raghuram Rajan to Jean Dreze, from Prabhat Patnaik to Abhijit Banerji, their advice has fallen on deaf years, the former finance minister said. Another Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Prime Ministers address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue? he tweeted. Singhvi assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and will strictly observe lockdown. After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle India and MSMEs, he tweeted. PM address wo single specific and without guidelines is like Hamlet without Prince of Denmark. Like PM without details! We want increased GDP allocation; specific targeted monetary injections; Keynesian spending; loosen FMRB etc. not a single word! he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Alder Law firm founders, Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder, launch a weekly virtual dance FUNraiser to donate meals to healthcare professionals. Los Angeles, CA, April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Los Angeles, CA, April 13, 2020 - Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder host a weekly virtual dance fundraiser on Facebook and Instagram, to help small businesses and healthcare professionals. They pledge $1 per viewer, up to $25,000 each week and buy meals for healthcare professionals working in emergency rooms. Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder are lawyers and entrepreneurs, but first, they are community advocates. Like many businesses, they were in the midst of an expansion with the launch of their new workers compensation firm, ZapantaAlder Law. From one day to the next, it was no longer business as usual. COVID-19 hit Los Angeles and all was shut down. Gina Zapanta is a pillar in the community and her family has been advocates in the healthcare community for two generations. Her father, the late Dr. Richard Zapanta, was a well-known orthopedic surgeon and a fierce advocate for building community and equitable access to healthcare and education. Closer than ever to the frontline during this pandemic, her brother Richard Zapanta is an ER registered nurse at LA County Hospital. Mike Alder, a Louisiana native, is a successful Los Angeles trial lawyer and founder of Alder Law specializing in personal injury and employment law. He has been involved in many philanthropic efforts including as a founding member of The LA Trial Lawyers Charities and as a board member of the LA Inner City Law Center which advocates on behalf of the homeless. Gina and Mike decided to take action to help small restaurants and healthcare professionals at the same time. They buy meals from local restaurants and serve 50-100 stressed-out healthcare workers - who often eat from vending machines or skip meals - per hospital across Los Angeles. As they talked about the ways they can help, Gina and Mike knew that people also need a little joy and fun. So, they created a fun way to give back. Gina and Mike partnered with Loriann Serna of Wife of the Party, a well-known event producer in Los Angeles, to host a live Instagram and Facebook party with DJ Herick. The first week, Gina and Mike committed to donating $1 for every viewer, up to $25,000. Thats right, no donation needed. They just wanted to spread some joy and fun during these hard times and in return, they would make a donation to restaurants. In the first week, over 10,000 people viewed the party and that delivered over 1,000 meals. Week two was just as successful, delivering another 1,000 meals. In all, 18 hospitals and 22 restaurants have been helped. Story continues As they gear up to do this week to week, they want to continue to spread joy and fun through dancing at home from your living room. Join Gina Zapanta, Mike Alder, and Wife of the Party each Saturday Night at 7pm PST to keep this going. This fun FUNraiser is now growing a movement that inspired others to do the same. Check out @ZapantaAlder and #ZAGives on Instagram and Facebook. To book an interview with Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder or to join them on a delivery, please contact: Gina@zapantaalder.com ______________________________ Zapanta Alder Law firm founders, Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder, launch a weekly virtual dance FUNraiser to personally help small businesses by buying meals to donate to healthcare professionals working on the frontlines. You dance, we donate $1 for every viewer up to $50,000. Gina Zapanta and Mike Alder have donated over 2,000 meals to 18 hospitals in the Los Angeles area and plan to deliver an additional 1,000 meals this week. Story via Story KISS PR Newswire https://story.kisspr.com While the government of Ghana has been praised for its interventions to support those who are worst affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Highlife musician, Kumi Guitar says more needs to be done to reach the marginalised. In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Kumi Guitar, real name Nana Yaw Kumi said the countrys systems were not flexible enough to support its citizens. Even though the government is doing its best, I think more can be done. Some people cant stay indoors because they dont have anything to eat. "Just a segment of the countrys population is under the lockdown and government should be able to cater for those who couldnt stock up on food. The ministers are still enjoying their incentives and they tell us there is no money. They can temporarily sacrifice their incentives to support the system," he said. Kumi Guitar mentioned markets as one of the problematic areas considering their structure and pleaded with government to do something about it. Our market system is bad so in times like this, its difficult to stop certain things. "If there are state owned malls in all the regions which sell all kinds of foodstuff, they will be able to control the situation. If the mall is state owned, there will be nothing like hikes in the prices of foodstuff unless the government says so. "In times like this, the government can decide to even reduce the prices of food, sanitisers and other essentials. Not paying water bills for three months is great and I applaud the president for that but it will be great if they do so for electricity. People are at home and when their prepaid gets finished, how will they buy the prepaid if they dont have the money? "If the electricity is free, it wont even get finished so the President should kindly look at that, he stated. On what hes been doing since the partial lockdown started, Kumi Guitar said he rehearses to keep himself occupied. I rehearse just to keep me busy. Unlike previously when I rehearsed for shows, now I rehearse just to entertain myself and keep me busy. "I also used to rehearse with a band but now I do it alone at home, Kumi Guitar said. 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. Featured Video A representative body for hospital consultants is seeking further clarity from the HSE on proposals to allow 600 private doctors to continue caring for private patients while also treating public patients, as part of the Covid-19 response. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is calling on the HSE to clarify the terms of a contract that would enable up to 600 private only doctors to treat public patients. The contract is being offered as part of Government plans to temporarily take over 19 private hospitals to boost the capacity of the healthcare service to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak. Doctors, working exclusively in private hospitals, expressed concern over proposals that would effectively see them closing their private practices to treat only public patients. Further negotiations took place during the week but no breakthrough has been made. The IHCA this week described the impasse as untenable. The body, which represents the majority of hospital doctors in the country, said terms agreed with the HSE last week did not materialise in a contract circulated on Friday. An IHCA spokesman said: An understanding had been reached on 8 April 2020 between the parties which provided for both existing patients of full-time private consultants and new referrals necessitated by the COVID-19 emergency to be cared for on an agreed basis including the continued operation of consulting rooms. However, this did not materialise in the written updated draft contract circulated by the HSE on 10 April 2020. If this proposed version was to apply, consultants would be liable for costs which would likely exceed their income thereby forcing the closure of consulting rooms needed to provide timely outpatient care. The IHCA said the 600 doctors affected will continue to treat patients but emphasised clarity is needed for doctors and patients: Patients and consultants need certainty as the current impasse is untenable. We remain available to engage and are urging all parties to intensify efforts in a spirit of realism and understanding. The COVID-19 crisis and wider provision of healthcare for all patients deserves no less. A spokesperson for the Health Insurance Authority said: "This matter is still ongoing. The HIA have had discussions with insurers, the Department of Health and the Central Bank. We will endeavour to inform consumers of any potential implications once an outcome has been reached. " Meanwhile, the move by the Department of Health to temporarily take over 19 private hospitals has created confusion for patients with private health insurance. Questions remain over whether individuals with private health insurance should continue to pay their premiums or if they will be eligible for some form of rebate. Some 2.3 million people have private health insurance, with annual premiums ranging anywhere from 500 to 6,500 depending on the level of cover. Since the Covid-19 outbreak and the temporary move towards a single-tier health system, private health insurers, including VHI, Laya Healthcare, and Irish Life Health, have committed to clarifying the situation for customers and also offering some form of financial support to those who find themselves out of work because of Covid-19. The Irish Examiner understands that discussions are ongoing this week between health insurance companies and the Department of Health and Health Insurance Authority, the State regulator for the health insurance market. By AFP PARIS: Around 117 million children worldwide risk contracting measles because dozens of countries are curtailing their vaccination programmes as they battle COVID-19, the United Nations warned Tuesday. Currently 24 countries, including several already dealing with large measles outbreaks, have suspended widespread vaccinations, the World Health Organization and the UN's children's fund UNICEF said. An additional 13 countries have had their vaccination programmes interrupted due to COVID-19. In a joint statement, the Measles and Rubella Initiative (M&RI) said it was vital that immunisation capacity was retained during and after the current pandemic. "Together, more than 117 million children... could be impacted by the suspension of scheduled immunization activities," it said. FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE "The M&RI supports the need to protect communities and health workers from COVID-19 through a pause of mass campaigns, where risks of the disease are high." "However, this should not mean that children permanently miss out." Measles, a highly contagious disease, effects around 20 million people every year, the majority of whom are aged under five. Despite a cheap and readily available vaccine, measles cases have surged in recent years, largely in part to what the WHO terms "vaccine hesitancy". In 2018, 140,000 measles deaths, mostly among children and babies, were recorded -- most were preventable, meaning that the countries they occurred in had a vaccination programme. Of the two dozen countries to have officially suspended measles vaccine programmes -- ostensibly to protect health workers and prioritise COVID-19 response -- several have seen worrying rises in measles cases in recent years. In particular, Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are all battling large outbreaks. DR Congo alone has had 6,000 measles deaths in its current epidemic. The country last week also recorded a new case of Ebola -- just days before the UN was due to announce an end to that outbreak. Robin Nandy, UNICEF's chief of immunisation, told AFP that COVID-19 was likely to place additional strain on already overburdened healthcare systems. "We have to be mindful of the impact of COVID-19, threatening outbreaks of measles, an extremely contagious and potentially lethal disease for which there already exists a safe and effective vaccine," he said. "We are therefore urging countries to prepare and plan now for intensive catch-up vaccinations once physical distancing restrictions are lifted." Billions of people around the world face weeks of lockdown as governments figure out their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts have warned since the start of the outbreak that response programmes to other infectious diseases -- from polio to tuberculosis -- are likely to suffer as health services triage workers to COVID-19 cases. And while COVID-19 is overwhelmingly more serious in older patients, many communicable diseases, including measles, inordinately target children. "Children younger than 12 months of age are more likely to die from measles complications, and if the circulation of measles virus is not stopped, their risk of exposure to measles will increase daily," said the M&RI. The current coronavirus epidemic has been shining a harsh spotlight on personal care homes in Canada and abroad. Staff and residents in Manitobas personal care homes have fared well so far, but disasters in Vancouver, in Bobcaygeon, Ont., and in the Montreal suburb of Dorval have shown how vulnerable care homes are to contagion. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The current coronavirus epidemic has been shining a harsh spotlight on personal care homes in Canada and abroad. Staff and residents in Manitobas personal care homes have fared well so far, but disasters in Vancouver, in Bobcaygeon, Ont., and in the Montreal suburb of Dorval have shown how vulnerable care homes are to contagion. As Canadas governments draw up plans for the post-pandemic world, those plans must include a reform of personal care home management and operation. Eleven residents in North Vancouvers Lynn Valley Care Centre died of COVID-19 in a period when all the rest of British Columbia reported only three other deaths from the disease. In Bobcaygeon, 28 residents of the 65-bed Pinecrest Nursing Home died of the disease. In Dorval, the police and the coroner are investigating 31 deaths at the Maison Herron, where newly assigned care staff found patients suffering terrible neglect. Personal care workers rarely receive the recognition their important and difficult work deserves. The economic structure of personal care, while strictly regulated by provincial governments, encourages corner-cutting, short-staffing and sometimes inadequate attention to residents needs. The need to promote social contacts and group activities exposes staff and residents to the risk of contagion as soon as a visitor or an employee brings a virus into the building. Manitoba Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said last week her department is looking for solutions to the problem of staff working at several different homes and running the risk of spreading infection from one site to another. "We know thats a risk, but it is also our reality and thats how we operationally work," she 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. Its hard for care staff to support a family on the $31,000-a-year pay the profession provides at the entry level. The government cannot, in fairness, forbid staff to work extra shifts at other sites unless it substantially boosts their pay for single-site work. Allowing care workers to move between multiple sites is a way for facilities to keep wages and costs down. The quality of management and supervision in personal care homes was already in question in Ontario since 2017 after Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a registered nurse who worked at several long-term care homes, pleaded guilty to murdering eight of her patients over a period of 12 years by administering overdoses of insulin to them. The homes that employed her and the nursing agency that licensed her all blamed each other. All of them had been paying less attention than was required. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Manitoba Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said last week her department is looking for solutions to the problem of staff working at several different homes and running the risk of spreading infection from one site to another. Personal care home accommodation in Manitoba costs each resident $90.65 per day, but residents with income below $76,700 for a couple or $37,400 for an individual are charged a lower rate related to income. Residents with income of less than $57,800 for a couple or $18,500 for an individual, for example, are charged just $38.75 a day for room, board and care. Improved management and enhanced protection against contagion are likely to raise the cost of personal care. Manitobans should be willing to pay a little more, and the Manitoba government should recognize that reliable long-term care is worth more than Manitobans are now paying for it. The disasters in Vancouver, Bobcaygeon and Dorval show the risk Manitoba is running every day. We may be sure that more viral epidemics will happen and we should aim to be better prepared when the next one comes along. An early step in that preparation should be reform of Manitobas personal care home system. Under the 2015 Paris accord, nearly 200 nations agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to prevent catastrophic planetary warming. Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi warned on Monday that the Paris climate accord could face death if steps to fight global warming were put on the backburner to facilitate the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Many economists and policymakers are forecasting a steep global recession this year as countries are forced into lockdowns to contain the spread of the coronavirus, curtailing business activity in a major blow to jobs and incomes. It would virtually mean the death of the Paris accord if we gave priority unconditionally to the economic recovery while neglecting the environment, Koizumi told Reuters in an interview. Under the landmark 2015 Paris accord, nearly 200 nations agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to prevent catastrophic planetary warming. No one at the environment ministry disagrees that the economy is important. We just would like to behave in a way that ensures the environment will never be left behind, said Koizumi. Japan last month submitted to the United Nations its closely watched target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a five-year review. The goal of a 26 percent reduction by the fiscal year ending March 2031 from levels seen in fiscal 2013 was unchanged from five years ago, disappointing climate change campaigners, although the country said it will pursue effort for further cuts. Koizumi, who turns 39 on Tuesday, said in the interview that he aims to submit a more aggressive target by the next climate summit due to take place in Glasgow next year. The conference, known as COP26, was originally scheduled for November but has been postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak. Japan takes (the postponement) as a positive development and will strive to create a situation where we can take part in COP26 with our heads held high, Koizumi said. Koizumi, speaking via teleconference from his Tokyo home in his first such interview as environment minister, is the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, and is seen as a potential future leader himself He said his ministry intends to take the lead in the countrys shift toward teleworking, which has accelerated as a result of the coronavirus. The environment ministry will cut its commuters by 70 percent. I would like to show to the people that we are leading the way, he said. According to Johns Hopkins University, almost two million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Enter actor John Krasinski, whos started a weekly YouTube show Some Good News," which does just that: give the world some good news to consider amid the pandemic. Episode three honors healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the front lines. And to do so, Krasinski taps one of his new besties for some help: former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. In this weeks show, a handful of medical professionals from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston are given a personal greeting from Ortiz, who then announces the Red Sox are donating four tickets to the hospital - in perpetuity. I gotta tell you guys, from the very bottom of my heart, how much I love you and respect you for what you guys are doing, Ortiz says, per MLB.com. Taking your life, taking your time, thats something that just goes beyond everything. But that wasnt all. The healthcare workers then get to ride in one of Bostons Duck Boats (made famous for their use during victory parades over the last two decades by the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins). The boats take them to Fenway Park, where another the hospital staff is met by another video greeting from Ortiz, as well as Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage After that, the healthcare workers throw ceremonial first pitches and run the bases. You are so our heroes and youre the most lovable, wonderful people, says Krasinski. As for how Krasinski was able to pull in Ortiz to help with the presentation, it probably had something to do with them forming a friendship after starring in that wicked smaht Hyundai Super Bowl commercial. What do you get when you cross big time celebs, a 2020 Sonata, and a clickah that activates a wicked smaht feature? Big time comedy for the big game. #smaht pic.twitter.com/M6MLWOItbQ Hyundai USA (@Hyundai) January 27, 2020 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. The prelate died on Easter Sunday after a long illness. Doha Catholics highlight his life "spent in the service of God" and the way he bore his illness with faith". He knew how to develop a "young and active" Church. Bahrains new cathedral was his final major project for the regions Christians. Doha (AsiaNews) Catholics in Persian Gulf countries are mourning the death of Bishop Camillo Ballin, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain). The prelate passed away at the Comboni Generalate in Rome, a few weeks shy of 76th birthday, on Easter Sunday following a long illness. The Italian-born prelate was a leading Church figure in the mostly Muslim Gulf region. In a note sent to AsiaNews, Doha Catholics underlined his life spent entirely in the service of God" and his illness, which he carried with faith and led him into the glory of paradise. The funeral of "our beloved bishop" who died on the day "when Christ the Lord rose again defeating death" will be celebrated by the Comboni Missionaries in Rome, but more ceremonies and services are also planned in mission territories. Archbishop Ballin was born on 24 June 1944 in Fontaniva, Padua (Italy), a town that falls within the Diocese of Vicenza. He first entered the Vicenza seminary, then began his novitiate with the Comboni Congregation in 1963 where he made his perpetual profession on 9 September 1968. He took his priestly vows the following year, on 30 March 1969, in Castelleto sul Garda (Verona). In 1970 he was sent to Lebanon and Syria to study Arabic. He began his apostolate at the St Joseph Latin parish in Zamalek, a district in Cairo (Egypt), where he remained as parish priest until 1977. Afterwards he studied for three years at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome before returning to Egypt in 1981 to teach at the Institute of Theology in Cairo and serve as Provincial Superior of the Comboni Missionaries. He was in Sudan from 1990 until 1997 when he returned to Rome. In 2000, he was back in Egypt to head the Dar Comboni Centre of Arab and Islamic Studies in Cairo. A great scholar and expert of the Muslim world, he authored several books and research papers, including in Arabic. One of them, a History of the Church in Arabic, traces the history of the Church, from its origins to the 15th century, with particular focus on the Arab lands and Eastern Churches. On 14 July 2005, then Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait. Later, on 31 May 2011, he was made Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia (with In Verbo Tuo as his motto). In the region, he continued the work of meeting and engaging Muslim leaders in dialogue as well as and promoting the development of Christian communities. During Pope Francis' visit to the United Arab Emirates, a first for the region, Bishop Ballin stressed that the event could be a source of encouragement for Christians in the region, despite some critical issues. He also spoke out when tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar were at their maximum, since the situation also touched local Catholics. On several occasions, he praised the "young and active" local community at the service of divided and distant families. Bahrains new cathedral was his last gift to Christians in the region, "the heart of the Catholic community in Arabia". The US special envoy who negotiated a deal with the Taliban said Monday that an initial prisoner exchange between the insurgents and the Afghan government was an "important step" toward peace. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Taliban on Sunday released 20 Afghan security-force prisoners. The move came after the government last week released hundreds of insurgent captives. "The release of prisoners is an important step in the peace process and the reduction of violence," US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter. "Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the US-Taliban agreement as soon as possible," he added, noting the exchange was more important than ever with prison populations threatened by coronavirus outbreaks. The State Department later said that Khalilzad flew to Qatar for fresh meetings with Taliban representatives on overcoming the "challenges" to the deal. Khalilzad and the Taliban signed the February 29 accord that paves the way for US and other foreign forces to quit Afghanistan in return for various commitments from the insurgents. The deal said the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the insurgents would free 1,000 Afghan security force personnel. The exchange was supposed to have happened by March 10, allowing peace talks to begin between the Taliban and the Afghan government -- but the process has been beset with problems. Kabul has claimed the Taliban want 15 of their "top commanders" to be released, while the insurgents have accused Afghan authorities of needlessly wasting time. A small Taliban team met with the government to discuss a comprehensive prisoner swap last week, but walked out of talks after officials began releasing prisoners only gradually. On Sunday, the Taliban told AFP that their decision to release a group of prisoners was "a goodwill step ... to accelerate the prisoner exchange process". Kabul says it has now released 300 low-risk Taliban prisoners, who have pledged not to return to the fight and are being let go based on various factors including their health, age and length of remaining sentence. Among those freed was Shams-ul-Rahman, 26, from Bagram district in Parwan province outside Kabul. He said he was released from Bagram prison last Wednesday having served more than five years, during which time he was locked up alongside Islamic State fighters, Taliban members and drug dealers. "On Wednesday, the prison officials gave us new clothes and we were released with 99 other inmates and given 5,000 afghanis ($65) in cash," Rahman told AFP. Local authorities told AFP that Rahman had been in the Taliban, though Rahman denied links to the group. "The last 19 years of war have shown that nobody will be victorious through war," he said. "All Afghans must live in unity and peace, and the bloodshed must end. We have given a lot of sacrifices." To those in Britain and across the world who hope and pray that their political leaders are up to the challenges posed by coronavirus, well, just be thankful you don't live in the US. Yesterday, Donald Trump compared the governors of states who might seek to defy him over his desire to end the lockdown as soon as possible to the mutineers on HMS Bounty. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Captain William Bligh's fatal mistake was to ignore what was happening around him on his rebellious ship. The US is a Covid-19 epicentre where at least 23,000 people have died and 580,000 are confirmed to be infected, but the President seems unperturbed by the unfolding crisis and the desperate attempts to contain it. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with recovered coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the Cabinet Room at the White House yesterday in Washington, DC. During the April 13 Coronavirus Task Force briefing, Trump said the president had 'total authority' to reopen the US economy Before coronavirus hit, he was on course to win a second term in the White House on the back of a booming economy. Now that electoral strategy is in tatters and all that matters is exploiting the pandemic to get him back into office. And that means showing he is right and everyone else is wrong whatever the evidence to the contrary. How else to explain his extraordinary behaviour of the past 48 hours? First Trump backed a call for his top medical adviser to be sacked for daring to criticise the administration's response. That was followed by a self-serving press conference extraordinary even by his standards at which dealing with questions about soaring death rates and rocketing unemployment were of scant interest to him but flouting the Constitution was. After weeks in which he insisted that it was up to individual states rather than the federal government to handle coronavirus, Mr Trump made it clear he was taking the reins now and exerting what he called his 'total authority' over when and how to return the US to business. At the very least, this is a legalistically dodgy claim to absolute power that could cause a constitutional crisis under America's historic separation of power between federal government and states. His behaviour is becoming so desperate and craven that even his old supporters in the media, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, are questioning his grip on things. Pictured: CBS News Correspondent Paula Reid, whose questions caused the president to become defensive on Monday Now, pundits are asking how long before his core voters do the same? Even the staunchest Trump supporter would have flinched at the jaw-droppingly awful performance at the White House coronavirus Press briefing on Monday evening. In recent days critics have been increasingly vocal about how the President was fatally slow to react to coronavirus, dismissing the 'Chinese virus' initially even as officials raised the alarm, and wasting precious time in January and February. Always thin-skinned, he worked himself into a tantrum the like of which hasn't been seen even in his three stormy years in office. The lights were dimmed so everyone could better see screens behind the lectern. A short video followed sheer Trump propaganda more like an election campaign broadcast that was entirely composed of clips of carefully selected individuals, including Democratic and Republican state governors and doctors, praising his actions to date. What was even more extraordinary than the content was Mr Trump's reaction as it played, repeatedly pointing at the screen as he turned, smiling smugly, to nod meaningfully at his audience like a school teacher making his point to a particularly stubborn class. Even if it had been accurate the video carefully omitted various Trump bloopers such as his assurance on February 28 that the coronavirus will go away on its own 'like a miracle' what on earth did any of this have to do with the urgent issues facing the US? Mr Trump was simply interested in point scoring, allowing the Press conference to stretch for nearly two and a half hours. Of course he ripped into reporters who continued to 'defy' him by asking difficult questions and reiterating what has been obvious to all: that he minimised the threat from the virus in his anxiety to protect the US economy (or 'the greatest economy in the history of the world', as he calls it) and so his election prospects. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump listens during the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. on Monday One particularly persistent CBS correspondent, Paula Reid, challenged him on his claim that he saved lives by restricting travel from China from February 2. But, she pointed out, it took another month and a half for the president to recommend social distancing. He'd wasted precious time which the US could have used to better prepare hospitals and ramp up testing. 'How is this ... rant supposed to make people feel confident in an unprecedented crisis?' she asked, surely echoing the thoughts of millions of other Americans. Mr Trump looked livid. 'You're so disgraceful, it's so disgraceful the way you say that,' he spat back. Failing to deliver an explanation, he resorted to insults as is his tactic. 'You're a fake. Your whole network is a fake,' he ranted. Earlier, Mr Trump called his top medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, to publicly repudiate a recent claim that more could have been done to save American lives. The measured and informed Dr Fauci the exact opposite of the blustering, loose cannon president and, as such, something of a hero for many Americans insisted he wasn't being forced to speak with a proverbial gun at his head. When Mr Trump was asked why he had earlier retweeted a post containing the hashtag '#FireFauci', he brushed this impertinence aside, saying: ' I retweeted somebody. Doesn't matter.' Nothing seems to matter, it appears, except that Mr Trump comes out of America's worst crisis since September 11 looking good and yet this crisis is bringing out the very worst in him. The US President's foibles his hyper-sensitivity to criticism, his mendacity and his monstrous ego have been almost comical in the past. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at the daily coronavirus COVID-19 press briefing yesterday But with more than 20,000 Americans dead and many thousands more fatalities expected, with millions facing potential infection and China already exploiting perceived US weakness abroad, Mr Trump's behaviour now looks tragic and simply unforgivable. Americans long ago portentously anointed their president the 'leader of the Free World' but now, many would say, they'd like those words to actually mean something. A Chinese naval flotilla sailed into the Pacific at the weekend, exploiting the fact that four US Navy aircraft carriers have been hit by the coronavirus. Pundits would say it's a literal illustration of how China is filling the vacuum left by Trump pulling the US back from the world stage. While Trump insisted on Monday that his 'authority is total' to order states and cities to end lockdown and get back to business as usual, the New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, whose conduct throughout the city's crisis has won him plaudits far and wide, acidly pointed out: 'We don't have a king. We have an elected President.' Getting elected a second time might prove more of a challenge than the self-assured Trump might ever have anticipated. YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. The article by Armenias Ambassador to the Netherlands Tigran Balayan, titled Democracy and Human Rights Are Important, Even During Pandemic, has been published at the Diplomat Magazine, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. Armenpress presents the Ambassadors article: We all indeed face challenging times, when our daily surf into social media timelines and websites is focused mainly on #COVID19 and #coronavirus hashtags and new updates on infected and cured, new restrictions and lockdowns on the borders of Europe and crossroads between civilisations. Main issue underlined during all this time of pandemic is that it should in no way restrict human rights and freedoms. And a small country of 150000 people - Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) once again proved its commitments to those fundamental human rights by holding its sixth Presidential and the seventh Parliamentary Elections, since declaring its independence from Soviet Azerbaijan in 1991, fully in accordance with USSR legislation and international law. The elections in Artsakh, along with the previous ones and in contrast to those in some neighbouring countries, once again were held in line with the international standards and are referred to as truly competitive, democratic, free and transparent. The European Union and the advocates of democracy around the globe have a natural and logical obligation to support any democratic movement, express firm solidarity, especially in these circumstances, when different oppressive governments (including the one in Artsakhs immediate neighborhood) are trying to use this pandemic to further tighten the circle of restrictions, thus depriving their own societies of basic liberties, suppress critical voices and opponents, expand crackdown on media. Some even go further by labeling opinions, which are not in line with the ruling elites position, virus or fifth columns propaganda. There have been many statements by democratic states underlining that the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights must remain strong principles of our societies, also in times of coronavirus and calling on all states to continue to protect access to free media and to support the free exchange of information. At the same time, societies, which despite current challenges, do not deviate from the rightful path of building pluralistic society and form legitimate authorities, should not be neglected, but encouraged. The narrative of holding exemplary transparent and free elections, while being a prerequisite for functioning of a true democracy, is indisputable part of Artsakhs national agenda. All the processes related to the elections are reflecting the tendencies of the society, as competitive elections and high sensitivity to security issues coexist together in Artsakh. The level of achievements and also the shortcomings recorded during the elections and steps undertaken to address those shortcomings show that a significant achievement has been registered in building a stable democratic society, and thus it should be encouraged. The democratic developments in all the countries of the region, the formation of authorities accountable to their own peoples is the guarantee of regional security and the peaceful settlement of conflicts. From this point of view, any process that is democratic in nature also contributes to the regional peace. Therefore, the international community should continue pursuing regional policy based on this approach, namely taking steps to encourage the formation of accountable authorities and building a civil society, where the protection of fundamental human rights is not merely promoted, but also guaranteed. The current uncertainties should not undermine the importance of the consistency of core democratic values: none of the global challenges the international community is facing or would face in the future should serve as an excuse for inaction, by the opposite it should be another call for unwavering supporting to the establishment of more democratic environment and to formation of accountable governments in every corner of the world. CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. A bar in Cave Junction may be the first example in Oregon of an establishment shuttered by the state for defying Governor Brown's executive orders for COVID-19. According to a statement from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) issued on Monday, the state agency has ordered that the Sportsman Tavern's liquor license be immediately suspended. "Acting on information provided to the OLCC, an inspector based at the OLCC Medford regional office traveled to Cave Junction on April 9, 2020," the agency said. "The inspector observed several individuals at The Sportsman Tavern allegedly violating Governor Browns Executive Order 20-07." EAT LOCAL: Support your neighborhood restaurants with our go-to guide Under that executive order, bars and restaurants are supposed to eliminate the option for patrons to stay and eat or drink on the premises transitioning to take-out or delivery only or close down until the order is lifted. The executive order has been extended indefinitely to match the statewide stay-at-home order, and many restaurants and bars have been scrambling to make a transition that follows the order while keeping their businesses afloat. The OLCC said that the Sportsman Tavern is licensed under GTBS, LLC to Robert McNally and John Edward Kimberly Sanders. Just the initial investigation was enough for the OLCC to decide on an immediate suspension of the bar's Full On-Premises Commercial license, the agency said. "The OLCC investigation is continuing, and the licensee is entitled to exercise their administrative hearing rights to challenge the OLCCs actions," the OLCC concluded. Government should not miss golden time to rescue key sectors Korea's traditional flagship industries are being pushed to the limit due to plunging sales caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. These key industrial sectors, such as aviation, shipping, shipbuilding, steel production, auto manufacturing and oil refining constitute the backbone of the national economy. Their troubles have a domino effect to connected industries, leading to financial turmoil and eroding not just jobs and investment but also consumption. The government has recently announced relief measures for small businesses and the self-employed amounting to 150 trillion won ($123 billion). However, policymakers appear to be cautious about taking similar steps for large enterprises reeling from extremely sluggish sales, perhaps conscious of possible controversy over giving favors to big businesses. Yet this is no ordinary time, and there is no time for hesitancy as Korea Inc. is sailing into a perfect storm. The government may not be able to inject unlimited liquidity. However, the faster the relief, the smaller the cost, and the bigger its effect will be. According to the Korea Customs Service, the nation's average daily exports in the first 10 days of April dropped 18.6 percent from a year ago. Few companies will be able to endure if the current export slump continues for five or six months. For instance, the four major oil refiners' combined losses in the first quarter are estimated to reach an aggregate 2.5 trillion won. Automakers have suspended the operation of their overseas plants, and shipbuilders' order receipts have plummeted 71 percent. The government, of course, is not sitting on its hands. Compared with major economies, however, the administration's actions have been too slow and limited. The U.S., German and French governments have decided to provide 600 trillion won, 530 trillion won, and 400 trillion won, respectively, to rescue their flagship sectors and big businesses. The government may not have to bail out all troubled companies, especially those reeling from poor performances even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it should save strategic industries and sound, promising companies hit hardest by COVID-19, by all means necessary. At least until the pandemic is over, it ought to help them stay afloat and compete with foreign rivals through swift and bold financial support. BALTIMORE, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives representing Maryland's 7th Congressional District, will host a webinar with information about financial relief for small businesses that struggled to find resources under the CARES Act. This free webinar is open to the public and will allow local business owners to gain valuable information and ask questions of the panel. "Small businesses employ nearly half of the private sector workforce in America and they are struggling. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) includes funding to help keep these essential businesses afloat during such a difficult time, but it has not yet reached enough of the people it was intended to support. I want to make sure people in the 7th District have the information they need to access financial assistance. The relief package provides a total of $367 billion for payroll protection in the form of forgivable loans through the Small Business Administration. Sadly, many neighborhood businesses say it is difficult to access this funding. I pulled together a panel of experts who understand small business and our community. They are here to help neighborhood businesses learn more about the application process for financial assistance under the CARES Act, as well as other sources of support." What: "Helping Small Businesses Get Economic Relief"-- a free webinar hosted by Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings with experts in small business When: Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Who: Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, candidate for U.S. Congress Jared Hecht, co-founder and CEO, Fundera Amy Elias, founder and CEO, PROFILES Angie Duncanson, Senior Business Counselor, Maryland Women's Business Center Where: Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AkMv4pSHRnymx47g__kN3g Watch: https://www.facebook.com/MayaForCongress/ Dr. Cummings is an entrepreneur who founded a small company and if elected to Congress, she will fight for working families and small businesses. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings is a candidate for U.S. Congress. Her vision of HOPE for Baltimore City, Howard County, and Baltimore County includes: Healthy and safe communities, Opportunities for youth, Prosperous families, and Equitable development. She will stand up to Donald Trump and anyone else who stands in the way of her fight to secure a fair and inclusive future for all people. Maryland's Democratic primary will take place on June 2, 2020. Media Contact: Debbie Veney 202.491.8833 [email protected] SOURCE Maya for Congress Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the 21-day lockdown across the country. The Prime Minister said that the lockdown would be extended till May 3. He said the decision was taken after extensive consultation with multiple states. PM Modi said that not only the states but people have also opined that the lockdown needed to be extended. Here are the key highlights of PM Modi's speech on coronavirus lockdown: 1. The Prime Minister said that people stood like warriors in this fight against coronavirus despite facing numerous hardships. "Some have faced problems in getting food, others have faced problems in transportation. But you have stood like a soldier," said PM Modi. 2. He took to thank BR Ambedkar in his speech and said that the current situation demonstrates the power of "We The People of India" that Baba Saheb spoke about in the Constitution. Also read: PM Modi speech on coronavirus Live Updates: Lockdown extended till May 3; rules to get tougher 3. Prime Minister also thanked people for welcoming the new year and engaging in festivities while not stepping out of the house. "This time of the year marks the start of a new year across various states. It is inspiring to see how everyone is celebrating the new year amid the lockdown," he said. 4. The Prime Minister said that India implemented measures even when there were no cases in the country. "We started screening people coming from coronavirus-affected countries even before a single case was reported in India. We should not compare the cases with other countries. But it is a fact that India is faring far better than other countries. We cannot imagine what would have happened in the country if we had not taken the timely measures," he said. 5. "We are constantly in discussions with states on how to tackle the situation. Most states and even people have said that lockdown must be extended. Lockdown will be extended till May 3," he said. Also read: Coronavirus: PM Modi extends nation-wide lockdown till May 3 6. PM Modi said that Indians must ensure that coronavirus is not spread further. "We are also observing areas that can possibly turn into hotspots," he said. 7. The Prime Minister then said that apart from the extension, there will be another deadline of sorts for a week. For a week from now -- till April 20 -- the government will observe every district, town, village, city, region to see how they have followed the restrictions. He said that the restriction for certain services in areas that follow the lockdown perfectly will be relaxed. However, if there is any violation, stringent restrictions will be imposed again. Also read: Coronavirus woes hound jobs in India, unemployment rate crosses 23% 8. He ensured that the government is taking enough measures to help the farmers and stated that rabi crop harvesting is underway in various parts of the country. 9. PM Modi spoke about seven ways people can cooperate with the authorities in the fight against coronavirus. These are: a. Care for the elderly at your home, especially the ones who have health issues. b. Follow the restrictions on lockdown and social distancing. c. Follow the Ayush guideline to increase immunity. d. Download the Aarogya Setu app and make others download too to help stop the spread. e. Help the poor and needy as much as one can. f. Help the employees and ensure there are no layoffs. g. Respect the frontline workers such as doctors, policemen, sanitation workers, etc. Also read: Coronavirus impact: Retailers fear job losses as revenues fall 30-35% 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. STOCKHOLM, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Heliospectra AB (publ), company reg. no 556695-2205, are hereby given notice to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held on 14 May 2020 at 10.00 at Hotel Riverton's premises at Stora Badhusgatan 26 in Gothenburg. Registration for the Annual General Meeting begins at 09.30. As a result of the continued spread of covid-19, it is the company's ambition to keep the Annual General Meeting as brief and efficient as possible without infringing on the rights of the shareholders. The company's CEO will not make any statement on the Annual General Meeting but instead a pre-recorded presentation will be available on the company's website the day of the Annual General Meeting. The presentation will inter alia include information about the effects of covid-19 on the company. As a precautionary measure, no refreshments will be served and no mingle will be held in connection with the Annual General Meeting. The company also intends to make use of the temporary rules regarding proxy and postal voting, which are proposed to come into force on 15 April 2020, with the aim of allowing shareholders to exercise their voting rights without physically attending the shareholders meeting. Shareholders who exhibit the slightest symptoms of illness, have relatives who are ill, have been abroad for the last two weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting or belong to a risk group are specifically requested to make use of the proxy or postal vote. The forms for proxy and postal voting will be made available on the company's website well in advance of the Annual General Meeting. The company carefully monitors the spread of covid-19 and the company does not rule out that further measures may need to be taken if deemed necessary. Visit the company's website www.heliospectra.com for continuously updated information about the Annual General Meeting. Notice of intention to participate Any shareholder wishing to participate at the Annual General Meeting must: be entered in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB (previously VPC AB) as per 8 May 2020, provide notice of intention to attend to the company no later than 8 May, 2020 by letter to the following address: Heliospectra AB "Arsstamma 2020", Fiskhamnsgatan 2, 414 58 Goteborg or on the company's website www.heliospectra.com or via electronic link below (individuals only). The notice must include the shareholder's name, address telephone number, personal identification number or company registration number as well as the number of assistants. The notice should, when applicable, be accompanied by proxies, certificate of registration and other documents of authorisation. Link for online registration for individuals www.portal.computershare.se/00000/tilmelding_adgangskort-sv.asp?ASIdent=60066&MoedeNr=643&Intranet=1 Registration for legal entities shall be made by letter in accordance with instructions above. Nominee registered shares In order to be entitled to participate at the Annual General Meeting, shareholders who have caused their shares to be registered with a nominee must request that they be temporarily registered in their own name in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB. The shareholder should provide notice to the nominee thereof in due time so that registration in the share register has taken place by 8 May 2020. Proxy etc. Shareholders who wish to be represented by a proxy must issue a dated proxy form for the proxy. Proxy forms may be obtained through the company and are available on the company's website, www.heliospectra.com. The proxy should be submitted in original to the company at the above-stated address in due time prior to the meeting. Representatives of legal entities must include a copy of the current certificate of registration or other applicable document. Business Proposal for the agenda Opening of the meeting; Election of a chairman of the Annual General Meeting; Preparation and approval of the voting register; Election of one or two persons to attest the minutes; Determination of whether the Annual General Meeting was duly convened; Approval of the agenda; Presentation of the annual report and the auditor's report and the consolidated annual report and consolidated auditor's report; Resolutions regarding: a. adoption of profit and loss account and balance sheet and consolidated profit and loss account and consolidated balance sheet; b. allocation of the company's loss according to the adopted balance sheet; c. discharge from liability for the directors and the CEO; Determination of the number of directors and deputy directors; Determination of the fees payable to the board members and the auditors; Election of the board of directors; Election of auditor; Resolution regarding principles for the nomination committee; Resolution regarding determination of guidelines for compensation to leading company management; Resolution regarding introduction of incentive programs through issue of warrants to subsidiaries and authorisation of transfer; Resolution regarding adjustments authorisation; Closing of the meeting. Nomination Committee In accordance with the Annual General Meeting's principles adopted last year, the nomination committee is composed by one representative each from the three largest shareholders as per 30 August, 2019 (that have agreed to appoint a member of the nomination committee), as well as one representative from the company's Board of Directors. The three largest owners as per 30 August 2019 were Midroc Technology AB, Weland Vardepapper AB and ADMA Forvaltnings AB. The owners have appointed one representative each accordingly: Midroc Technology AB has appointed Goran Linder, Weland Vardepapper AB has appointed Staffan Gunnarsson and ADMA Forvaltnings AB has appointed Greg Dingizian. Andreas Gunnarsson is the convening member and represents the company's Board of Directors. Staffan Gunnarsson is the nomination committee's chairman. Nomination Committee's proposals for resolution 2. Election of chairman for the shareholders meeting The nomination committee proposes that Attorney Eric Ehrencrona is appointed as chairman of the Annual General Meeting. 9. Determination of the number of directors and deputy directors The nomination committee proposes the election of five board members and two deputy board members to serve during the period until the close of the next Annual General Meeting. 10. Determination of the remuneration to the board of directors and the auditors It is proposed that remuneration to the board per elected board members elected by the Annual General Meeting shall be allocated according to the following (same levels as the previous year): the chairman of the board in the amount of four times the statutory price base amount and two times the statutory price base amount to each of the other directors elected by the Annual General Meeting who are not employees of the company. An alternate director who becomes a member of the board of directors shall be compensated in the amount of SEK 1,500 per hour. When calculating the fee shall the statutory price base amount per the day of the Annual General Meeting be applied. If the Annual General Meeting resolves to adopt the nomination committee's proposal for the constitution of the board of direction the total remuneration will be twelve times the statutory price base amount. It is proposed that no remuneration shall be paid to the board of director's remuneration committee respectively the audit committee since these committees consist of the board of directors. It is proposed that fees be paid to the auditors according to invoice approved by the company. 11. Election of board of directors The nomination committee proposes the following directors for re-election: Andreas Gunnarsson, Staffan Hillberg, Anders Ludvigsson, Martin Skoglund and Staffan Gunnarsson. It is proposed that Goran Linder and Jens Helgesson be re-elected as deputy directors for the period until the close of the next Annual General Meeting. It is proposed that Andreas Gunnarsson be re-elected as chairman of the board of directors to serve during the period until the close of the next Annual General Meeting. 12. Election of auditor The nomination committee proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve to re-elect the registered accounting firm Frejs Revisorer AB as the company's auditor for the period until the next Annual General Meeting. Frejs Revisorer AB has given notice that, in the event the auditing firm is elected, Mikael Glimstedt will continue to serve as auditor-in-charge. 13. Resolution regarding principles for the nomination committee No fee shall be paid to the members of the nomination committee. The nomination committee may, however, charge the company for reasonable expenses for travels and administration in connection with work for the nomination committee. The nomination committee shall present proposals to the Annual General Meeting 2021 for a) election of chairman of the Annual General Meeting, b) resolution regarding the number of board members, c) resolution regarding fees to the chairman of the board and each of the other board members (including work in the board committee d) elections of board members, e) election of chairman of the Board of Directors, f) resolution regarding fee to auditor, g) election of auditor, h) resolution regarding principles for appointment of the nomination committee and i) resolution regarding principles for the nomination committee. The nominations committee shall be appointed according to the following principles. Each of the company's three largest shareholders determined by percentage of voting rights held as per 30 August 2020, shall each be entitled to appoint a member of the nominations committee. None of the three persons appointed in this respect shall be directors on the company's Board of Directors. In addition, the nomination committee shall consist of a member appointed by the Board of Directors from its members and who will also convene the meetings of the nomination committee. The nomination committee shall elect a non-member of the Board of Directors as chairman of the nomination committee. The nomination committee's term of office extends until a new nominations committee is appointed. If a member of the nominations committee resigns prior to completion of the work, and if the nominations committee deems that there is a need to replace the member, the nominations committee shall appoint a new member; primarily a member nominated by the shareholder which nominated the resigning member, provided that the shareholder remains one of the three biggest shareholders in the company. If any shareholder, requested to propose a member for the nomination committee, waives the right to do so, the next largest shareholder (as of August 30, 2020), which has not previously nominated a member to the nomination committee, will be requested to nominate a member. Changes in the nomination committee's composition shall be communicated by the chairman of the nomination committee to the chairman of the Board of Directors as soon as possible. The change shall also be disclosed to the public as soon as possible. Proposals for resolution 14. Resolution regarding guidelines for determination of salaries and other compensation paid to the President and senior management Compensation to the Board of Directors Compensation to the Board of Directors is determined by the Annual General Meeting based on proposals from the nomination committee. However, the Board of Directors is entitled, in specific cases, to commission an individual director to perform consultancy services on behalf of the company within their respective areas of competence. Directors elected by the Annual General Meeting shall in these specific cases be eligible to receive fees for services that do not constitute board work. With respect to the services, a fee on market terms will be payable, which must be approved by the Board of Directors. This shall also be applicable if the work is carried out through a company wholly or partially owned by a board member. Compensation to senior management "Senior management of the company" means the president and other members of senior management. The compensation committee, which consists of the board of directors, prepares the question of the establishment of guidelines for compensation and other employment terms and conditions for senior management, and proposes these to the board of directors The board of directors proposes the following guidelines for determination of salaries and other compensation for senior management. In order to ensure that the company is able to recruit and maintain qualified employees in senior management, the basic principle is that senior management personnel shall be offered employment terms and conditions and compensation on market-based terms. Salary and other benefits: Compensation to senior management shall consist of a fixed salary, variable salary and pension. The fixed salary is normally reassessed on the calendar year basis. Variable salary shall amount to no more than 25 per cent of the fixed salary and is based on individual performances and the company's performance in relation to budget. In addition, senior management shall be entitled to customary non-monetary benefits such as company healthcare. Other benefits may be offered in individual cases. Pension: Senior management shall be offered pension terms and conditions which include a defined plan for allocations with premiums based on the full base salary. The pension allocations are individual and shall be in relation to the basic salary. Notice of termination period and severance pay: The notice of termination period shall not exceed one year when notice is given by the company, and shall not exceed six months when notice is given by the senior management employee. In addition, upon termination by the company, severance pay is payable in an amount corresponding to not more than six months' salary. Incentive program: Resolutions regarding stock-related and stock price-related incentive programs for senior management shall be adopted by the shareholders meeting. Compensation committee: The compensation committee shall prepare matters regarding compensation principles, compensation, and other employment terms and conditions for senior management. The more specific principles for establishing salaries, pensions and other benefits are set forth in the salary policy for senior management adopted by the compensation committee. Deviations in individual cases: In accordance with the principles set forth in Chapter 8, section 53 of the Swedish Companies Act, the board of directors shall be entitled to deviate from the guidelines where special cause exists in an individual case. 15. Resolution regarding introduction of incentive program through issue of warrants to subsidiaries and authorization of transfer The board of directors of the company proposes that the general meeting resolve to issue warrants of series P03. The board of directors of the company proposes that a maximum 1,000,000 warrants of series P03, entitling to subscription for a maximum of 1,000,000 shares issued in the company. The right to subscription shall, with deviation from the shareholders' pre-emption rights, only belong to the wholly-owned subsidiary Heliospectra Personal AB, registration number 556904-7243 (the "Subsidiary") . After subscription, the Subsidiary shall have the right and obligation to transfer the warrants to senior management and other key personnel in the company or its subsidiaries, according to instructions from the board of directors of the company, as set out below. The warrants shall be issued without consideration to the Subsidiary. Subscription of the warrants shall take place directly in the minutes takes at the general meeting. Each warrant shall entitle the owner to subscribe for one new share in the company during the period 1 March 2022 up to and including 30 April 2022. The subscription price for share upon exercise of warrant shall be determined at the time the Subsidiary transfers the warrant to senior executives or other key personnel and shall be calculated as follows: the company's share volume-weighted average price during the ten trading days preceding the transfer from the Subsidiary multiplied by 1,35. Shares that are subscribed for by exercising warrants entitle to dividend for the first time from and including the fiscal year the shares are subscribed for. Upon full subscription and exercise of all warrants, the company's share capital will increase by SEK 100,000 divided by 1,000,000 shares, corresponding to a dilution effect of approximately 1.7 percent of the number of shares and votes, taking into consideration of previously issued warrants. The reason for deviation from the shareholders' pre-emption rights is that the board of directors wishes to promote the company's long-term interests by offering senior executives and other key personnel the opportunity to participate in an incentive program that allows them the opportunity to take part in the company's value development. This is expected to increase the level of engagement to the business among senior executives and key personnel. The board of directors further proposes that the general meeting resolves to authorize the Subsidiary to transfer the above issued warrants to senior executives and other key personnel in the company and its subsidiaries, or otherwise dispose of the warrants to fulfil the company's undertakings in connection with the above-mentioned subscription program. Payment for the warrants upon transfer from the Subsidiary to senior executives or key personnel shall take place with market price determined with application of Black & Scholes warrant appraisal model. Given that the warrants shall be transferred at a calculated market price, the incentive program is not deemed to entail any costs in addition to certain minor costs for the establishment and administration. The board of directors' complete proposal for resolution is available on the company's website, www.heliospectra.com. Resolutions adopted pursuant to the above must be supported by shareholders representing not less than 9/10 of the votes cast as well as the shares represented at the meeting. 16. Resolution regarding adjustment authorization The board of directors, the President, and any party other appointed by the board of directors, shall be authorized to make any minor adjustments and clarifications to the resolutions adopted by the general meeting which may prove necessary in conjunction with registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. Number of shares and votes At the time of the notice the total number of shares in the company amounts to 56 178 520. Information The board of directors and the President shall, if requested by a shareholder and given that the board of directors is of the opinion that it could be provided without material prejudice to the company, give information about circumstances that may affect the assessment of a matter on the agenda, and circumstances that may affect the assessment of the financial situation of the company. Annual report and other documents The annual report for 2019 has been published on www.heliospectra.com on 14 April 2020 and is available at the company's office and will be sent to the shareholders who request such from the company and provide their address. The annual report will also be available at the Annual General Meeting. The corresponding applies to the auditor's report. Processing of personal data For information about how your personal data will be processed see https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Integritetspolicy-bolagsstammor-svenska.pdf. Gothenburg in April 2020 Heliospectra AB (publ) The Board of Directors CONTACT: Investor Relations: Ali Ahmadian, CEO of Heliospectra | +46-(0)-72-203-6344 | [email protected] http://www.heliospectra.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/heliospectra/r/notice-to-attend-the-annual-general-meeting-of-heliospectra-publ-,c3087049 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Heliospectra BETHESDA, MD Two weeks ago, 89-year-old Dan Willkens didn't know how to sew. Now, he sits hunched over his daughter's Bernina sewing machine, crafting fabric face coverings to help shield hospital staff from the coronavirus. "This is my first attempt," Willkens told Patch. "I learned by watching my wife (sew) for 60 years, (as well as) my five daughters." Willkens who lives with his daughter, Diane, in Chevy Chase is homebound during the outbreak. With more time on his hands, he's hoping to do what he can to help the local community. "We've got a whole basement full of fabric," he said. "From what I hear, I won't be out on the street for another couple of months. I need something to do and there is a great need for masks." Don't miss updates about precautions in Maryland as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters. Thousands of hospitals across the country are facing an acute shortage of personal protective equipment amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. In Bethesda, Suburban Hospital is asking community members to donate non-latex gloves, face shields, cloth masks and other medical supplies. To date, Willkens has donated 18 masks to the Bethesda hospital. They'll be used by hospital support and administrative staff. Diane says Suburban Hospital wants hundreds more. It's a tall order for even the most experienced seamster. But Willkens a woodworker and former mechanical engineer wants to make them on his own. Photo Credit: Diane Willkens "We had an assembly line of help, but he said: 'I can do this. This is going to be my project,'" Diane said, adding that her father spends anywhere from eight to 12 hours a day sewing masks. "That's my dad," she said, laughing. "If he saw someone who needed some help, he'd stop at the side of the road and help. Whatever they needed." As a woodworker, Willkens is used to crafting items by hand. Even with poor circulation in his fingers, the 89-year-old has built 6-foot replicas of a hutch from his childhood home and dry sinks modeled after the one he used on his wedding day. Story continues "All the woodworking I've done is to create something, and something useful," he said. "The masks appear to be something useful and something I can do." The Chevy Chase resident can now sew four masks a day but says working with cloth is more difficult than working with wood. "You need an eighth of an inch to sew a straight line, and the machine doesn't want to go in a straight line. And you can't get your fingers too close to the needle or you'll sew your fingers," said Willkens, who is left-handed. "He couldn't figure out why it was hard to sew a straight line," Diane said. "The machine is for righties." "But you should see his stitches now," she continued. "He still can't thread the bobbin, though. I still have to help him with that." In this new reality, Diane says "Dad is feeling a real connection to mom." Marie Willkens was the granddaughter of a tailor and taught Home Economics at a high school in Ohio. Her birthday was last week. She would have been 90. "He thought mom was sitting right alongside him and getting quite a chuckle as he sewed these face masks. Because he never sewed before this." This article originally appeared on the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch Ofcom has announced it is reviewing ITVs This Morning programme, as a priority, after presenter Eamonn Holmes repeated a widely debunked conspiracy theory regarding 5G and coronavirus. The presenter said it was very easy to dismiss the conspiracy theory, that claims a link between the technology and Covid-19, because it suits the state narrative. The UKs broadcast and telecommunications regulator said it had already received 419 complaints in the wake of Holmess remarks. We are assessing this programme, in full, as a priority, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. Ofcom confirmed they were reviewing whether or not to launch a formal investigation, and were "prioritising coronavirus-related assessments/cases. After journalist Alice Beer described the 5G conspiracy as ridiculous during Mondays programme, Holmes replied: I totally agree with what youre saying, but what I dont accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they dont know its not true. No one should attack or damage or do anything like that, but its very easy to say its not true because it suits the state narrative. Thats all I would say, as someone with an enquiring mind. Holmes later sought to clarify his comments, saying he was misinterpreted, adding: There is no connection between the present national health emergency and 5G and to suggest otherwise could be wrong and indeed, it could be possibly dangerous. Boris Johnsons official spokesman declined to comment on Holmess remarks but described theories linking 5G to coronavirus as complete nonsense. I have said in the past that the claims are complete nonsense and we have been working with social media companies to ensure that these entirely bogus claims are not circulated, the spokesman said. Versions of the 5G conspiracy theory have been spreading online for years, with some proponents claiming the coronavirus outbreak is just the latest in a string of pandemics induced by electromagnetic waves. The theory has been repeatedly disproved by scientists, with one microbiology professor recently describing it as both a physical and biological impossibility. This has not stopped the baseless claims being shared by high-profile figures such as actor Woody Harrelson and TV presenter Amanda Holden. The rumours have fuelled attacks on wireless towers and other telecommunications boxes across the UK, as well as the harassment of technicians. Downing Street said vandals were putting lives at risk and condemned the crazed conspiracy theory. The telecoms industry has also been forced to respond to the growing threat to both workers and infrastructure. UK networks EE, O2, Three and Vodafone issued a joint statement condemning the baseless claims as harmful for the people and businesses that rely on the continuity of our services, while cabinet ministers referred to theory as dangerous nonsense. Ofcom has warned broadcasters that they face sanctions if they spread misinformation about coronavirus, and censured a Sussex radio station for airing conspiracy theories about 5G. The media regulator launched a formal investigation into an interview with David Icke on regional TV station London Live last week in which the infamous conspiracist suggested the coronavirus pandemic was part of a government plot to conduct mass surveillance. The Independent has approached ITV for comment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:48:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Finance ministers and central bank governors of Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations on Tuesday reaffirmed their close coordination in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating its impacts. "The scale of this health crisis is generating unprecedented challenges for the global economy," the officials said in a joint statement after an online meeting, released by the U.S. Treasury Department. "Ministers and governors reiterated their pledge to do whatever is necessary to restore economic growth and protect jobs, businesses, and the resilience of the financial system," they said, adding they remain committed to using "all available policy tools" to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth. They expressed their support for the measures taken by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group and regional development banks to enhance their toolkits to provide flexible and rapid financing in response to the crisis. "Ministers and governors call for more and urgent contributions to the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust and the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust to address critical funding needs," they said. Noting that a number of the most vulnerable and poorest countries will face health and economic challenges related to the fallout of COVID-19, the ministers pledged to support multilateral efforts to assist these countries and stand ready to "provide a time-bound suspension on debt service payments due on official bilateral claims for all countries eligible for World Bank concessional financing." Consistent with the direction of G7 leaders, the finance ministers and central bank governors also noted that they will continue to "consider further near-term actions" to stabilize the global economy. The G7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The joint statement came after the IMF said earlier Tuesday in a report that the global economy is on track to contract "sharply" by 3 percent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, much worse than during the 2008-09 financial crisis. Calling it the deepest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said that the cumulative global output loss across 2020 and 2021 is expected to total 9 trillion U.S. dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 12:12:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that lifting restrictions too soon could lead to a deadly resurgence of COVID-19 as some countries are easing their social and economic restrictions amid the outbreak. On Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference from Geneva that a new strategy will be published to summarize what the world has already learned about the new virus. "The decisions must be based first and foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what we know about the virus and how it behaves," he said. The new strategy will include six criteria for countries which consider lifting restrictions: First, transmission is controlled; Second, health system capacities are in place to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact; Third, outbreak risks are minimized in special settings like health facilities and nursing homes; Fourth, preventive measures are in place in workplaces, schools and other places where it's essential for people to go; Fifth, importation risks can be managed; And sixth, communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the "new norm." "Every country should be implementing a comprehensive set of measures to slow down transmission and save lives, with the aim of reaching a steady state of low-level or no transmission," Tedros added. On Friday, Tedros told a regular press briefing that a welcome slowing has been seen in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, like Spain, Italy, Germany and France. As "some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions," the WHO chief warned that "lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence." "The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly," he said, underlining that the WHO is working with affected countries on strategies for gradually and safely easing restrictions. On Monday, workers from some non-essential sectors of the economy, mainly industry and construction, return to work in Spain, although experts warned of a possible new rise in coronavirus cases. RESTRICTIONS EASED Spain's temporary ban on all non-essential work was imposed for two weeks by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on March 30, two weeks after imposing a State of Alarm and the corresponding lockdown on most of the population on March 14, in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus. The spread of the infection has slowed in Spain over the last month from around 20 percent on a daily basis to approximately 3 percent now. But the country had 169,496 confirmed cases and registered 17,489 deaths as of Monday. There are fears that allowing some people back to work will lead to a new rise in caseload. In reality, reopening the economy will only affect a small percentage of the workforce, given that all shops (except those selling necessary items) remain closed, along with bars, restaurants, hotels, schools and cultural venues. Meanwhile, many people have been adapted to home working over the past month and the fact that thousands of companies have opted to use a temporary regulation of work to lay off workers for the duration of the crisis will severely limit the number of workers returning to their posts on Monday. In such Spanish regions as Catalonia, around 300,000 people will go back to work, mainly in the industrial and construction sectors. The central government has issued guidelines advising workers to maintain distances of at least two meters between each other. Police were on duty in Madrid and other towns and cities on Monday morning to hand out face masks to those traveling on public transport. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the day was "developing within the normality of the exceptional situation which we are currently in." "If the safety of workers is affected, then their activity cannot restart," he said. However, not everyone agrees with the decision to reopen the economy. Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, a professor of epidemiology at Oxford University told Spanish national radio network RNE that the measure poses a "risk of new infections." Also on Monday, three U.S. West Coast states of California, Oregon and Washington, announced an agreement on a shared vision for reopening their economies and controlling COVID-19 into the future. "We are announcing that California, Oregon and Washington have agreed to work together on a shared approach for reopening our economies -- one that identifies clear indicators for communities to restart public life and business," governors Gavin Newsom, Kate Brown, and Jay Inslee said in a joint statement. The governors also pointed out that health outcomes and science, not politics, will guide their decisions. "Through quick and decisive action, each of our states has made significant progress in flattening the curve and slowing the spread of COVID-19 among the broader public," according to the governors. "COVID-19 doesn't follow state or national boundaries. It will take every level of government, working together, and a full picture of what's happening on the ground," said the governors. There are more than 22,000, 1,500, and 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California, Oregon and Washington respectively so far. In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said that the ban on inter-province travels placed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus will be lifted on April 20, as Iran's daily infections decline, Financial Tribune daily reported on Monday. During a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the coronavirus, Rouhani said that restrictions on road trips across Iran's 31 provinces will be removed and low-risk businesses in the capital Tehran will resume activities later in April. Following a decision by the Iranian authorities, all the low-risk business activities have reopened across the country except in Tehran since April 11. The scheme allows some workplaces to reopen if they commit to complying with strict protocols of "a smart social distancing" introduced by the Health Ministry. "The government is planning to make a decision on high-risk businesses" which requires mass gatherings, including gymnasiums, cinemas, beauty salons and stadiums as well, Rouhani added. "High-risk businesses will resume work after careful analysis and planning," Rouhani was quoted as saying by Financial Tribune. On Monday, Iraj Harirchi, Iranian Deputy Minister of Health and Medical Education, urged people to still remain at home and avoid any unnecessary trips, visits and shopping, despite the ease on social activities. "Eighty percent of infected people have either little or no symptoms. These individuals can transmit the virus in society," Harirchi was quoted as saying by the state TV. "Our efforts are aimed at identifying them in the early stages ... and to isolate those who have been in contact with such people," the official added. Washington: The Trump Administration on Monday notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon Block II air launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million to India. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air launched missiles is estimated to cost $92 million, while 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost $63 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in two separate notifications to the Congress. A determination in this regard was recently made by the US State Department following a request for these two military hardware made by the Indian Government, the Pentagon said. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defense of critical sea lanes while enhancing inter-operability with the United States and other allied forces. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces, the Pentagon said. While the Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing, the torpedoes would be supplied by Raytheon, the notification said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft. India will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces, it said. In both the notifications, the Pentagon said that the proposed sale of these equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. A supermarket boss has unloaded on hoarders who stripped his shelves bare of toilet paper and hand sanitiser, before one tried to get a refund when they failed to sell the products online. Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake said a customer at one of his stores in South Australia attempted to return 150 32-packs of toilet paper and 150 units of hand sanitiser. Both items have been in short supply during the coronavirus pandemic, with supermarkets nationally putting buying restrictions in place to keep up with demand. Rather than give the man his money back, the Adelaide-based boss blasted the selfish shopper and did not mince words about what he thought of his behaviour. Pictured: Supermarket boss John-Paul Drake next to empty shelves which normally stock toilet paper. He has unloaded on a hoarder who tried to return 150 32-packs of toilet paper and 150 units of hand sanitiser Mr Drake said the hoarder had 20 people stockpiling the in-demand products for him, but came back to Drakes when eBay shut down his re-selling account. 'The customer said he wanted to get a refund on 150 packets of 32-pack toilet paper and 150 units of 1-litre sanitiser,' Mr Drake said on his YouTube channel. 'I told him that,' he added - putting his middle finger up to the screen. 'That is the sort of person that is causing the problem in the whole country.' Mr Drake told 7NEWS customers should only be buying what they need during the coronavirus pandemic. 'I think there's a lot of people in the situation that we're in and no one's prepared to say anything about it,' Mr Drake said. 'But we're over it.' The Adelaide-based boss said he slammed the selfish shopper - putting his middle finger up on his YouTube channel (pictured) to show how he responded to the request for a refund The Adelaide-based boss of Drakes said customers should only be buying what they need Mr Drake went on to explain the extent of coronavirus panic-buying at his 50 stores across South Australia and Queensland. 'We've sold 8 months of toilet paper in 4 weeks,' he said. 'We've sold a year's supply of flour in 9 days. And we're all in the same boat, it's not one supermarket that's missing out, it's every single one.' Mr Drake (pictured in-store) said the hoarder had 20 people stockpiling the in-demand products for him but came unstuck when eBay took down his re-selling page There are 6,400 confirmed cases of coronavirus across Australia and 63 deaths as of Tuesday 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 It comes as demand slowly starts to ease for items like hand sanitiser, rice, pasta, tinned goods and toilet paper - products which were all stripped from shelves when the crisis began. At Woolworths though, jars of pasta sauce are still in short supply despite the chain's best efforts to keep the shelves stocked. In an online update Woolworths CEO said the supermarket was still struggling to keep up with the demand for pasta sauce. 'Pasta sauce is still in short supply, despite an extra 850,000 units this week, while pasta itself has been improving. This week we've secured an additional 1,000 pallets that's another 500,000 packs,' he said. He added despite demand for toilet paper still being up 45 per cent from this time last year the supermarket had increased supply by 70 per cent. Coles is still selling a week's worth of toilet paper, pasta, hand sanitiser and rice EVERY DAY as work-from-home shoppers see-saw between eating healthy and binging on snacks - but NO ONE is panic-buying tuna Nic White for Daily Mail Australia Coles is selling a week's worth of toilet paper, pasta, hand sanitiser, and rice every day - but can't get canned tuna off its shelves. Stores are stripped bare in minutes by unceasing panic buying as Australians are forced to work from home and stay indoors by coronavirus lockdowns. Toilet paper was infamously the first to disappear, thanks to viral social media posts, and is still selling 20 million rolls a week, but now the plundering is across the board. The supermarket giant now faces its hardest test with customers set to stampede into its shops over Easter - the second biggest weekend of the year. Coles is pulling out all the stops to deal with unprecedented demand, including hiring 14,000 extra staff and redesigning its supply chain. Coles is selling a week's worth of toilet paper, pasta, hand sanitiser, and rice every day Stores are stripped bare in minutes by unceasing panic buying as Australians are forced to work from home and stay indoors by coronavirus lockdowns People queuing for a delivery of toilet paper, paper towel and pasta at Coles in Epping in Sydney - items that the supermarket has struggled to keep on shelves Chief operations officer Matthew Swindells said all the products customers have found hard to find were selling at a rate of a week's worth of stock per day. These included toilet paper, pasta, flour, hand sanitiser, rice, tissues, paper towel, some cleaning and hygiene products, and even canned vegetables. 'It's not small movement away from the usual demand, it's very much extreme and continual,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Swindells said customer behaviour shifted quickly and unpredictably and trends were already changing this week, with cake mix and baking goods seeing a surge. 'You can see customers are now doing more home cooking as they are working from home or have lost their jobs, but then they get sick of it,' he said. 'There's a burst of fresh produce where people are cooking from scratch and eating healthy, and then it will shift into confectionery and sugary drinks, and back again.' Surry Hills Coles had just a few packets of pasta looking lonely in its devastated aisle after being hit by the first wave of panic buying last month Much of Coles Surry Hills' canned vegetable section was also obliterated by panicked shoppers If you wanted rice from the Coles in Surry Hills you were limited to a few sacks of jasmine rice, the rest was all gone Coles trends amid coronavirus pandemic Shoppers still plundering Coles shelves with week's worth of some products going every day Toilet paper, pasta, hand sanitiser, rice, tissues, paper towel, cleaning and hygiene products, and canned vegetables among hardest hit Canned tuna not selling even compared to usual and no one knows why Customers flick between buying healthy and cooking, and grabbing junk food for home snacks Easter eggs only started getting bought this week Mornings are busy and every day is about the same as most people are at home Most shoppers are following advice to shop alone and are coming less less often to buy more at once Coles hired 10,000 extra staff and is looking for 4,000 more Customer limits came in on Monday but only 5-10 per cent of stores have queues as a result Demand is too high for delivery to be open to more than the elderly Advertisement But despite canned tuna being the one meat that will keep for a long time without being frozen, no one is buying it. Mr Swindells admitted he can't work out why the overlooked product is piling up on shelves even when heavily discounted. 'Tinned fish is always very popular this time of year because of Easter and it's held up really well, but tinned tomatoes have really struggled,' he said. 'Maybe we should remind people that it's Lent.' Easter egg sales have finally started to take off this week after it was much slower than previous years for the past month. 'It's like the country has suddenly decided we're doing Easter,' he said. The vast majority of Australians working from home, or becoming unemployed, is also showing up on the sales sheet. The meat shelf of Coles Bondi Junction pictured in late March completely bare But despite canned tuna being the one meat that will keep for a long time without being frozen, no one is buying it Coles bosses can't work out why the overlooked product is piling up on shelves even when heavily discounted On-the-go items like ready meals and confectionery initially dived as offices emptied, but are making a comeback as workers grow weary of indoor life. 'As people stay home they are snacking more so confectionery has caught up, and ready meals have recovered this week,' Mr Swindells said. When and how Australians shop has also radically changed by government orders to stay home unless absolutely necessary. Instead of sales and customers peaking on weekends, it is now flat from day to day - and much higher than even the biggest Sunday shops. 'We are getting fewer customers through the doors because people are shopping less frequently, but their basket size is much bigger,' Mr Swindells said. 'There are more people shopping in the morning so if you were a savvy shopper you'd come in the afternoon. 'We used to get the after 3pm school run and the after work run, but they've fallen away.' A desperate man brings a chair and cup of TEA to sit inside a Coles supermarket as he patiently waits for staff to stock up toilet paper amid coronavirus crisis Coles hired 10,000 extra staff in the past three weeks - many being workers laid off as the hospitality industry closed overnight in stage 1 lockdowns - and wants another 4,000 Mr Swindells said people are mostly shopping alone, as they were urged to in an effort to stop coronavirus spreading, but there's 'still room for improvement on that'. 'When we implement something for safety or the government asks people to, generally customers follow it pretty quickly and I think that's why we've had so much success flattening the curve,' he said. Part of the struggle in meeting demand, other than the sudden surge in demand driven by coronavirus restrictions, is that shoppers are so hard to predict. Daily Mail Australia pandemic shopping list Toilet paper, paper towels, tissues Hand sanitiser, liquid soap Wipes and other cleaning supplies Long-life milk Rice, pasta, pasta sauce, mince Tampons Pet food Frozen food Advertisement No one saw the toilet paper crisis coming and Mr Swindells still says 'I don't know what people are doing with 20 million-odd rolls a week'. 'It's so difficult to pick what people will buy right now. I usually have a good idea of the week early on, but now I can look at our sales figures at lunchtime and get [my predictions] wrong by the end of the day, that's how volatile it is,' he said. Coles hired 10,000 extra staff in the past three weeks - many being workers laid off as the hospitality industry closed overnight in stage 1 lockdowns - and wants another 4,000. The company has also created pop-up distribution centres, and sent popular items directly to stores skipping the warehouse stage. Whole pallets of toilet paper, often dropped directly on to the shop floor, with bigger packs helped mitigate that enduring problem. Easter, the second biggest time of the year after Christmas, looms as a big test, starting today, especially with strict limits on customers in stores at one time being introduced on Monday. Long queues formed outside some stores but Mr Swindells said only about five per cent of locations had any lines and they moved quickly. He said Coles modelling showed 90 per cent of stores won't have queues over Easter and 'it would be rare to see one except at the really big traders'. Long queues formed outside some stores (a store in Firle, Adelaide, pictured) when customer limits came in on Monday but Coles said only about five per cent of locations had any lines and they moved quickly Coles modelling showed 90 per cent of stores won't have queues over Easter and 'it would be rare to see one except at the really big traders'. Lines are likely to be more like this one in Queensland at most shops Mr Swindells said there were signs demand had peaked and once the grocery chain survived Easter it would have a chance to catch up its supply. 'I think once we get through Easter it will be fairly straightforward,' he said. There is also less drama and angst from customers and fewer hoarders. 'Customers are starting to understand where we are now and it's a bit calmer than previous weeks.' Buying restrictions on milk and mince were taken off this week as supply has caught up on those products. However, home delivery was expected to be limited to elderly and vulnerable customers for some time. 'We had to turn off delivery because of supply, you can't have an online offer if it's not on shelves, it just disappoints people,' Mr Swindells said. 'We will double our online delivery capacity by the end of next week and we're making sure that all of that capacity goes to all the people who really need it.' Buying restrictions on milk and mince were taken off this week as supply has caught up on those products (fully stocked mince shelves at Coles Surry Hills pictured) Scenes like this dismayed pensioner looking at what little is available in the toilet paper and paper towel aisle of the Chatswood Aldi is a scene Coles is trying to avoid by prioritising deliveries for the elderly Mr Swindells said Coles prioritised vulnerable people who can't shop and re-purposed the online infrastructure for them. It started with people over 70 and this week linked to the government's My Aged Care site to find more people in need. 'That's why we need to make sure our supermarkets are safe for people to shop because the reality is people still need to come to shops,' he said. 'So anyone who can help a neighbour, should.' Coles also joined other supermarkets in opening its stores from 7am to 8am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for elderly and disabled shoppers to have free reign before the hordes descend. WESTPORT The plan to re-open Coleytown Middle School on Sept. 1 may likely face a delay because of the coronavirus. I dont think its reasonable that Sept. 1 for opening day at CMS is still a likely scenario, CMS Building Committee Chair Don ODay said at a Board of Education meeting on Monday. I think the more likely scenario is a delay. Last summer, the Representative Town Meeting approved a $32 million plan to restore Coleytown after the middle school closed in 2018 due to massive mold problems. But with social distancing guidelines now in place, ODay said work has slowed at the site. Workers are afraid of catching COVID-19 and staff is taking extreme caution and quarantining themselves if someone is suspected of contracting the virus. Last week, only two of the 13 trades were actually on the job site for most of the days, ODay said, so productivity has fallen. Newfield Construction, construction manager for the project, is expected to provide the building committee with a revised timeline in early May. I dont know how long that delay will be and as painful as this is for everyone, I have to accept the reality that there are things that we simply cant control, ODay said. We can certainly mitigate the downside and we will, and well do that everyday. Delivery of the new HVAC system for CMS is also experiencing a delay of several days, ODay said. In preparation for moving the school opening, the districts administration outlined two tentative scheduling scenarios for the BOE: re-opening CMS sometime later in the fall, and a repeat model of this year with students from CMS at Bedford Middle School. Anthony Buono, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said moving the start date further into September or later meant teacher teams would work in reduced space and CMS students would keep with their team through the transition. The two school populations would also run separately within the building. In the second scenario, students would be fully integrated, but both schools students could be given new teams and schedules if CMS students were relocated during the year. Buono noted the first scenario had been laid out for Sept. 1 to Dec. 15, but felt that time period was too long. I think September and October, and beyond that, it starts to become questionable, he said. The impact just gets greater as time goes on. If the delay extended into winter break, Buono said he would recommend keeping the schools combined for the upcoming school year. We would blend the students from CMS and BMS as we did this year, he said. As you know, its not optimal, but its functioning very well in my opinion. While administration marked June 1 as the date for a decision, several board members said they hoped to make a decision earlier. This is just the beginning of planning for various scenarios, vetting them and having discussions about them so that we can make a well-informed decision when we need to a little later in the spring, BOE Chair Candice Savin said. This is just the first of these discussions we will be having. The BOE will discuss Coleytowns opening again at its meeting April 27. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Related: Sight & Sounds production of Jesus will return to TV on May 13 Did you miss the television debut of Lancaster Countys Sight & Sound Theatres production of Jesus or do you just want to watch it again? Now you can. On Monday, Sight & Sound Theatres announced on its Facebook page that the DVD of Jesus is now available for purchase. Although it may take some time to get it. Due to our offices being closed, any merchandise purchased may not be shipped until May 1st," a note on the Sight & Sound Theatres website said. "We appreciate your patience during this challenging time. The DVD is available for purchase on its website at www.sight-sound.com/store for $24.99. Although the total purchase is $30.73 when tax and shipping are included. READ MORE: Sight & Sound calls it a special edition that can only be purchased on its website and it includes a directors commentary. The show was filmed in front of a live audience and is about 127 minutes long and comes with subtitles in English, Chinese, French, Korean, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Over the weekend Sight & Sound Theatres production of Jesus made its television debut on the Trinity Broadcasting Network also known as TBN. The show was also available on TBNs website and App. but only for Easter weekend. Weve been hearing from thousands of you from all over the world who made Jesus a part of your Easter weekend celebration, Sight & Sound Theatres said on its Facebook page. Your response has been overwhelming! Originally, the theater was going to bring the production to movie theaters this month, according to LancasterOnline but, all movie theaters in the state are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the related government shutdown of all non-life sustaining businesses. The last three years it brought its shows of Jonah, Moses and Noah to movie screens. There are no plans at this time to show the production again on television or online. In addition to being available on DVD, the show will be available for digital download beginning on May 15. Heres how TBN described the production: Filmed in front of a live audience, Jesus is a state-of-the-art theatrical stage production that has been seen by more than one million people. Witness some of the most awe-inspiring, miraculous events in the gospels as Jesus sets sail with fishermen, challenges the Pharisees, and heals the hurting. From the bustling streets of Jerusalem to the raging Sea of Galilee, experience the greatest rescue story of all time as Sight & Sounds spectacular original production comes to life ... Sight and Sound said that its production of Jesus had the highest-attended premiere year in its 43-year history. The show has a 45-member cast. The theaters LED screen was 113 feet wide and almost 30 feet tall and weighing 12 tons. The show features 368 costume designs for 882 costumes and 2,400 costume pieces. Sight & Sounds seamstresses sewed 14,000 snaps on by hand and used 7,644 yards of fabric. The show features 288 wigs. The show includes live animals such as horses, dogs, pigs, goats, sheep, camels, alpacas and more. Sight & Sound Theatres has theaters in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County and Branson, Missouri and brings stories from the Bible to stage. --Sign up for PennLives newsletters 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. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness Seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 has been recorded in Kano. The Ministry of Health disclosed this on Tuesday via its twitter handle. The ministry added that confirmed cases in the state have risen to 10. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates People need to get back to work and will likely spend weeks in the office before they get back in the mall, according to the owner of Hudson Yards in New York. "My guess is we go back to offices first," Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin on Tuesday. "I think retail is going to be a second step. I think retail is going to be much slower to come back. Just because people go to their offices, I don't think they are going to rush out to congregate in restaurants." Some of Related's retail properties include Hudson Yards and The Shops at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Related's portfolio of real estate in the U.S. also includes office buildings and residential towers. Things are going to look a lot different when the economy reopens. Related is already testing a handful of temperature-scanning machines at construction sites, for example, which could be rolled out to office buildings and malls. "Everyone will be in masks," Blau said about people getting back to work. "Do you touch elevator buttons?" Cushman & Wakefield Executive Chairman and CEO Brett White said Monday that permanent changes are inevitable. "Back to normal in the workplace is going to be anything but normal," he said. [April 14, 2020] Dacarba LLC Names Healthcare and Technology Veteran Paul Roscoe as New CEO To Lead Healthcare Technology Business Professional services firm Dacarba LLC, an Opportune LLP company, is pleased to announce that Paul Roscoe (News - Alert) has joined the firm as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead its Healthcare Technology business. Paul brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in creating and building scalable and predictable businesses, having built and led some of the most successful healthcare technology companies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005179/en/ Paul Roscoe, CEO, Dacarba Healthcare Technology (Photo: Business Wire) Mr. Roscoe will lead the firm's overall healthcare business development, healthcare IT and healthcare business solutions initiatives, including its proprietary data-driven prescriptive analytics software solution, Medical Diagnosis Accuracy Reporting (MDAR). Launched in 2018 and in operation at some of the nation's leading healthcare systems, including Rush University Medical Center and University of VirginiaHealth System, Dacarba's MDAR solution uses sophisticated evidence-based algorithms to improve quality reporting and increase pay-for-performance reimbursements. "We are excited to welcome Paul as CEO of our Healthcare Technology business," said Sean Clements, Managing Partner of Dacarba. "His leadership experience in building scalable healthcare technology businesses and delivering significant value to customers will be a great asset to the firm." "The team at Dacarba have built an exceptional and unique approach to healthcare data analytics and the results are impressive. One health system saw their CMS star rating improve from 3 to 5 stars in 18 months after using MDAR," said Mr. Roscoe. "The intersection of improved clinical documentation and increased quality scores is hugely important for health systems as they navigate to value-based care." Prior to joining Dacarba, Mr. Roscoe was CEO, Co-Founder and Board member of Docent Health where he launched, capitalized and commercialized the business resulting in the company being recognized as one of the most innovative and successful solutions in the growing healthcare CRM/patient engagement segment. At Docent Health, Mr. Roscoe also established high contract value relationships with some of the country's most respected health systems, including Dignity Health, Sutter Health, HSS, Northwell and Ohio Health. Previously, Mr. Roscoe served as the CEO of Crimson, a division of the Advisory Board Company, and led the business to become the leading healthcare analytics company in the U.S. healthcare market. Prior to Crimson, he was General Manager of Microsoft's (News - Alert) Healthcare Solutions Group. Mr. Roscoe joined Microsoft, after the acquisition of Sentillion, where he served as President and led the business to become the industry leader in Healthcare Identity Management. Throughout his career, Mr. Roscoe has held numerous executive and management roles at healthcare and technology companies, including VisionWare Inc., Sybase (News - Alert) and New Era of Networks (acquired by Sybase). About Dacarba LLC Dacarba LLC is a professional services firm headquartered in New York City. Dacarba works with management teams, boards of directors and other key stakeholders to navigate complex and challenging assignments and provide clients with comprehensive solutions. The firm's core service offerings include complex financial reporting, litigation support and financial advisory, process and technology, restructuring, strategy and organizational design and tax advisory. To learn more about Dacarba, please visit www.dacarba.com. About MDAR Dacarba LLC's proprietary healthcare quality analytics software, MDAR (Medical Diagnosis Accuracy Reporting), paints an accurate and transparent picture of each patient's comorbidities for providers and improves quality measurement. Through improved coding, accurate risk adjusting and correct diagnosis grouping, hospitals can produce a more robust and true picture of their clinical outcomes. To learn more about the MDAR solution, please visit www.dacarba.com/Healthcare-Technology/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005179/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Hyderabad, April 14 : There was no letup in Covid-19 cases in Telangana with 52 more persons testing positive for the virus on Tuesday, taking the state's tally to 644. According to the state Health Department, one more person died on Tuesday, pushing the death toll to 18. Seven patients were discharged from hospitals during the day. With this, the total number of patients getting cured and discharged rose to 110. The total number of active cases now stands at 516. It also said 221 containment clusters were created in 25 districts. More than 12 lakh people were surveyed in these clusters. Earlier in the day, Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Rama Rao and Health Minister E. Rajender reviewed strategies to be implemented in containment zones. They asked the officials to act tough on those who bypass the lockdown in containment zones. As Greater Hyderabad accounts for majority of cases, the ministers discussed the action plan and precautionary measures to be taken to control the spread of coronavirus in the state capital. Rama Rao appealed to the citizens to strictly follow the lockdown rules and said that social distancing is the only way one can keep the coronavirus away. He instructed the officials to close all the entries to the containment zones and leave only one route open, under police surveillance. Rajender said that the coming 10 days will be very crucial and appealed to the citizens to not venture out of their homes. He stated that all the medical arrangements are in place and asked that police and medical teams to immediately move those persons to the hospital who show any symptoms of coronavirus in the containment zone. He also asked them to increase the availability of ambulances if necessary. The Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol are seen in Washington, at sunrise. Congress is considering ways to govern from afar during the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers are talking this week about whether it's possible to conduct virtual committee meetings, particularly to oversee how the $2.2 trillion stimulus money is being spent. Read more WASHINGTON The Senate on Tuesday joined the House in delaying its next meeting in Washington, citing the need to protect members from the coronavirus pandemic. The delay also gives lawmakers time more time to consider ways to deliberate while social distancing, amid ongoing talks about how to prop up the hard-hit economy. Congress is stalled over the followup to the largest rescue bill in U.S. history. Progress is complicated by the ongoing need to stay apart, the advanced ages of many lawmakers and by President Donald Trump's insistence that social distancing be eased sometime soon. The House and Senate had originally planned to reconvene next week, but lawmakers have for days predicted that won't happen. On Monday, House leaders announced they would not meet before May 4. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday did likewise, saying the move was based on advice from experts. The sense of economic urgency tangled with a life-and-death struggle against the virus around the world, and amid 2020 presidential politics in the United States. Trumps new coronavirus aid request remains suspended in congressional politics. Democrats have refused to rubber stamp Trumps proposal for $250 billion more to boost small businesses, demanding modifications along with an additional $250 billion for health care providers and states. Republicans wouldnt go along. Ankara, April 14 : Turkey's Parliament on Tuesday passed a law that will allow the release of tens of thousands of prisoners to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the jails. "The draft has become law after being accepted," the official Twitter account for Parliament's General Assembly said. The bill was supported by 279 lawmakers in the 600-seat chamber while 51 voted against it. According to the law, about 45,000 prisoners will be temporarily released under judicial control till the end of May, and the authorities can extend the period twice by a maximum of two months, reports Xinhua news agency. Another batch of some 45,000 prisoners will be released permanently to reduce the overcrowding in jails. However, those jailed for sex as well as drug crimes, first degree murder, crimes of violence against women and terrorist crimes were excluded from the reform, said the Anadolu News Agency. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul on Monday confirmed 17 cases of the novel coronavirus in five open prisons, while three inmates have died from the virus. On Monday, the death toll in the country from the coronavirus rose to 1,296. The country has 61,049 confirmed cases. There is a draft of a back-to-work strategy for the nation, created by a team led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to The Washington Post. The plan offers guidance for local and state governments on how to reopen the country safely and in phases, the newspaper reported. President Donald Trump has been pushing to reopen the country as soon as possible, although experts warn that it's too early to lift social distancing requirements and other restrictions. CNN has reached out to the government agencies for comment. The public health strategy obtained by the Post is only two parts of a larger planning document that has eight parts, according to an official who spoke to the newspaper on the condition to remain anonymous. The strategy has three phases, according to the report. One is readying the country through a "communication campaign and community readiness assessment until May 1," according to the Post. In the second phase, manufacturing of testing kits and protective equipment would be stepped up and emergency funding increased. That would go through May 15, the Post reported. "Staged reopenings" would start after that and would depend on conditions locally. The plan specifically says reopenings would not be before May 1, the Post reported. Schools, daycares and other facilities that care for children would be the first priority, according to the report, citing the CDC response document. Some restrictions will be necessary until vaccines are available or there is broad immunity, according to the plan, since models indicate "30-day shelter in place followed by 180 day lifting of all mitigation results in large rebound curve," according to the Post report. The White House and members of the coronavirus task force have discussed the strategy, according to the Post. Trump said Tuesday he will soon reveal details and guidelines for reopening the nation. Trump said he would be "authorizing each individual governor of each individual state to implement a reopening and a very powerful reopening plan of their state." The President said he will soon speak to all 50 governors about the plans and indicated some states without major outbreaks could potentially open before May 1. Trump on Tuesday also listed a large number of individuals, groups and companies that will be consulting with the White House to rebuild the US economy following the coronavirus pandemic. Grouped by industry, the White House calls these "Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups." The list of lawmakers working with the White House on this effort will be announced on Wednesday, Trump said. Governors across the country have started discussing options for reopening businesses and schools in their states. Several have said they're forming task forces and coalitions to come up with plans to reopen the country. Technology companies' generous donations to help tackle the coronavirus represent just 0.2 per cent of the $571bn of profits they have moved into tax havens, research has found. Companies including Google, Facebook, and Intel have been praised for pledging around $1.2bn of cash and other donations in recent weeks. Apple has donated 20 million face masks and made $15m in contributions while Facebook has announced more than $135m of funding, including donations to journalists to disseminate reliable information about the virus. Tax Watch UK, a campaigning think tank, said all of the donations were welcome. However, it calculated that the total commitments amount to a small fraction of the tax those companies have avoided paying. Tax Watch used figures from a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) which show that eight of America's biggest tech firms - Google, Cisco, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia and Adobe - had moved $571bn into low or zero-tax jurisdictions like Bermuda by late 2017. This date was used as it coincided with major reforms in the US which handed companies tax breaks to encourage them to bring their profits back to America rather than stash them offshore. Up until then, many US stock market listed companies regularly reported the amount of cash they held offshore, much of which represents profits they made on non-US markets. Companies continue to move profits offshore from non-US markets, including the UK, but how they report this has changed, making it more difficult to precisely quantify. According to ITEP, Apple had the largest offshore cash pile at $246bn, followed by Microsoft with $142bn and Cisco with $66bn. Google's parent company Alphabet has been by far the most generous in its Covid-19 crisis support, pledging $800m, but it had amassed $61bn in offshore profits by October 2017. Intel, which has announced $60m of coronavirus aid, had $46.4bn held offshore while Adobe, which has donated $3m, had $4.2bn offshore. If all of that money had been taxed at the full federal corporation tax rate which was then 35 per cent, the companies would have handed over $199bn in tax. In reality, most firms take advantage of various tax breaks granted to them by the US government so their effective rate is lower than 35 per cent. Since Donald Trump's tax reforms were passed, many American companies have subsequently repatriated some or all of their their profits that had previously been held offshore, taking advantage of a one-off lower tax rate of 15.5 per cent. George Turner, director of TaxWatch, said: Any donation is of course valuable and welcome, but these figures do highlight that health services around the world would be better served if tech companies simply paid their taxes in normal times. This data highlights the need for governments to continue their efforts to reform the international tax system and ensure that tech companies can no longer avoid paying taxes in the countries where their profits are made. Companies are coming under additional scrutiny over their tax practices during the coronavirus pandemic as governments implement huge, publicly funded measures to prop up economies and save jobs. Fair Tax Mark, an organisation that assesses and accredits companies which pay their fair share, is calling on the UK government to attach strings to any potential corporate bailouts that may be required. Under the proposals, any company which is bailed out using public funds would have to sign up to a binding commitment that explicitly shuns tax avoidance and the artificial use of tax havens. Bailed out firms would have to commit to declaring profits where the economic activity that generated them took place, and multinationals would be required to report profits on a country-by-country basis. Today, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection issued payments to 23,400 people living in Co Kildare in respect of their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Kildare has the fourth most recipients after Dublin, Cork and Galway (see below). Nationally, payments were issued to 533,000 people with around 54,000 are receiving a payment for the first time. Additionally, in Co Kildare, there are also 1,200 people who are medically certified for meeting the conditions for receipt of a Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit payment. This relates to people who have been advised by their GP to self-isolate as they either have symptoms of Covid-19 or they have been in close contact with a confirmed Covid-19 patient. According to the latest figures, 404 people with Co Kildare addresses have the virus. All these payments are in addition to the 210,000 people on the Live Register and over 42,000 employers have now registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy scheme. All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment payments issued will be in recipients bank accounts or at their local post office today, Tuesday 14th April. Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today said: With just over 50,000 additional payments approved in the last week, these figures would suggest that we are perhaps reaching a plateau in terms of those on the Covid payment. Furthermore, increasing numbers of employers are participating in the wage subsidy scheme and approximately 1.4m are still in full time work. It is clear that we are living through the most challenging of times. Never before has there been such a need for welfare support from workers and employers, with more than three years worth of claims being processed in less than a month. My Department has risen to the challenge and has enhanced our online facilities making it quick and easy for people to apply for an emergency Covid-19 unemployment payment, the enhanced Illness Benefit or indeed to close their Covid-19 claim, or change their payment details. I am very proud of the quick and efficient response of my Department and all that the staff have achieved over the past month. This is a temporary health crisis but it neednt be a permanent economic emergency. As we reach the plateau of those on income support, we hope to bend and lower that curve also - getting as many back to work as soon as possible as and when the health environment permits. Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment In total (since launch on the 16th March, 2020), and excluding duplicate claims, the Department processed applications from 625,000 people for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or a jobseekers payment. To date, over 40,000 people have contacted the Department to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The majority of these requests are because employers are taking people back onto their payroll under the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme. However, approximately 68,000 payments have been withheld for a variety of reasons. These include the people concerned who were still in employment, who had not been in employment prior to claiming the Covid-19 payment, a Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy was being paid in their name, who were not resident in the State or because they submitted incorrect details including invalid PPSNs and IBANs. The Department is continuing to resolve any issues, such as invalid IBANS or PPSNs, with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. We wish to remind people to take care when submitting applications, to ensure that critical information such as dates of birth, PPSN and IBANs are entered correctly. An IBAN has 22 characters and people should take care that it is entered correctly. Any errors by individuals in submitting their incorrect IBAN or PPSN will cause their application to be rejected by the Department. Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme There are now over 42,000 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Workers whose employers have registered them on the scheme are not eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment. In addition workers who were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment but who have now been registered by their employers on the TWSS are no longer eligible to receive a payment pandemic unemployment payment The Department is aware that some workers may be incorrectly registered as part of the TWSS or may face difficulty in transitioning back from the pandemic unemployment payment to the employer payroll. Such a situation may arise, for example, because a worker has been registered in error by their employer, or because an employer having registered for the TWSS has since ceased operating their payroll, or, due to differences in the weekly payment pattern of the pandemic unemployment payment as compared with a monthly or fortnightly payroll from the employer. Any worker affected by these issues can contact the Department and arrangements will be made to restore their payment or provide them with interim income support as appropriate. Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment The Department has to date received 27,300 applications for the Covid-19 enhanced Illness Benefit. This predominantly relates to applications in respect of people who have been advised by their GP to self-isolate together with a smaller number in respect of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19. Please apply online at www.MyWelfare.ie The Department wishes to thank its customers for submitting the majority of applications through our online portal www.MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to submit an application and enables the Department to allocate resources to contacting those who submitted invalid applications. Individuals can close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment online at www.MyWelfare.ie. In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements please if at all possible do not attend your local Intreo Centre as opening hours have now been restricted. Instead please apply through www.MyWelfare.ie. Federal investigators based in Baton Rouge assisted in the case against an Atlanta man who allegedly schemed to sell the Department of Veteran Affairs 125 million respirator masks that authorities say he neither had nor could produce. Christopher Parris, 39, was arrested Friday on a count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Parris, hoping to exploit the need for personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, tried to arrange the sale of the masks for $750 million, authorities said. Parris told businesses that he could obtain millions of 3M-manufactured masks from American factories, orders that federal investigators say he had no way of fulfilling. 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 He made the misrepresentations to an unnamed Louisiana-based company that sold industrial safety supplies, according to the New York Times. That company was seeking to make a deal with Veterans Affairs. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Parris said he could supply the company with the equipment in exchange for large upfront payments, federal authorities said. Parris made similar false representations to other companies in order to enter into agreements to sell protective equipment to state governments as well, the Justice Department said. Parris was arrested and detained in Georgia. He will be extradited to the District of Columbia. If convicted, Parris could be ordered to serve a maximum sentence of 20 years and be fined up to $250,000. The case was investigated by agents with Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans' Baton Rouge office and The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. Aged care providers are pleading for a $1.3 billion federal rescue package to keep the sector afloat as they shoulder the cost of keeping residents and home care recipients safe from COVID-19. The call came as Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly backed calls for casual workers - who make up the bulk of the aged care workforce - to be supported to stay home when sick. Unions have warned that casual workers may feel they have no other option but to go to work with cold-like symptoms. Credit:Virginia Star Providers say measures to contain the spread of the virus such as employing concierges to enforce strict visitation rules and price rises for personal protective equipment are hitting already stretched budgets. "We need an emergency intervention to ensure we can stay open and continue to keep people safe," Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Pat Sparrow told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. "We are already under pressure. There are additional costs to us of keeping people safe and that's what we want to do." The economy risks suffering negative growth rates in the upcoming quarters as the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to rob the country of the usual social briskness that keeps factories humming, trading active and foreign exchange flowing for growth to remain in the positive territory. After forcing a partial lockdown of the major economic cities and a freeze in business operations nationwide, economists have concurred that not much economic activities will take place in the coming months to help keep gross domestic product (GDP) in growth mode. The situation, they said, risked worsening in the coming days and weeks as the continuous spread of the virus into other regions mean that a nationwide lockdown would now have to be on the cards of the government. As of April 12, 566 cases had been confirmed in 10 out of the 16 regions. Recession imminent Given that GDP growth is a factor of social interaction and economic activities, Prof. Peter Quartey, Prof. John Gatsi and Dr Said Boakye said in separate interviews that a nationwide lockdown would ground economic activities, result in business failures, shed jobs and ultimately push the economy into recession the posting of negative growth rates in two consecutive quarters. Although the economists differed in when the negative growth was most likely to be recorded, they said the second and the third quarters could be the worst hit as a protracted nationwide lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread was imminent within those periods. When there is a lockdown and you are not producing, the economy cannot grow and it can be severe if the situation protracts beyond April, Dr Boakye, who is an economist and a researcher, said. Advertisement When the spread goes beyond April, then a recession is imminent and it can be deeper if the situation persists, Prof. Gatsi, who is the Dean of the Business School of the University of Cape Coast, said on April 13. The Ministry of Finance estimates that a protracted nationwide lockdown between now and June to contain the viral spread would result in GDP growth falling from a projected rate of 6.8 per cent to 1.5 per cent in 2020. That estimate is gloomier than the one from the Bank of Ghana, which said GDP growth could slow to 2.5 per cent for 2020 in the worst-case scenario. Recent recession Economic recessions normally result in mass job losses, business failures, reduction in incomes and a general fall in the standard of living. Ghanas economy recorded its most recent recession in history in 1983. In that year, a famine that had far-reaching implications on livelihoods and businesses combined with weak economic policies to result in negative growth rates. Before then, the economy had receded in 1978, 1979 and 1982, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Global recession A recession in Ghana will not be new to the world, although it will be the first time in 37 years that Ghanaians will be witnessing negative growth with its attendant consequences on jobs, incomes and livelihoods. On March 23, the IMF warned that the COVID-19 risked plunging the global economy into a recession in 2020 in a way that would be more devastating than seen under the 2008 financial crisis. The World has also expressed similar sentiments, including stating that the virus was in the process of making sub-Saharan Africa register its first recession in 25 years. Ripple effects While these sound distant from Ghana, Prof. Quartey, who is a Professor of Economics, said the interconnected nature of the world meant that whatever happened in the globe had dire implications on Ghanaians. He mentioned foreign exchange earnings from cocoa, oil remittances and international trade taxes as some of the revenue streams that would be hit hard by a slump in global GDP. Back home, Prof. Quarety, who is the Head of the Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon, said the restriction in movements meant that businesses could not produce, resulting in loss of economic activity. Mitigation measures Dr Boakye said while economists could continue to do their permutations, the thrust of the issue was way beyond them. It is purely a health issue and when you want to predict, you need to be sure of what the scientists are saying, he said. He, however, warned against attempts to reboot growth at a time when the virus was raging. The government has to manage and contain the spread and so all policies must be centered on that, he said. While doing that he said the government must also concern itself with measures to contain the social impact by supporting people to cope. The government has since absorbed all water bills for consumers in the next three months. All electricity tariffs have also been absorbed for lifeline consumers while those above have been subsidised by 50 per cent. Hot meals are also being provided to some vulnerable people, among other social interventions. Source: graphic.com.gh 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 People stand in a queue to receive free food distributed by volunteers during a lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. PTI Photo Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday welcomed the extention of the COVID-19 lockdown till May 3, though it flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not announcing any programme to support the slowed down economy. Reacting to the lockdown extension, Congress president D K Shivakumar said it was much needed to control the virus but expressed his displeasure for not offering any relief measure to uplift the economy which is witnessing slump. "We had expectation that some package would be offered but that was not done. The manufacturing sector, service sector, agriculture sector and even the medical sector was looking for some relief but that was not the talking point of the Prime Minister," Shivakumar told reporters. However, he maintained that the party would cooperate with the Centre in its fight against COVID-19. Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said he was "disappointed" that there was no programme announced to improve the economy, which is at the lowest level in 30 years. "The economy has collapsed. Never ever in 30 years it had witnessed such a downfall. Industries are closing down. Agriculture in bad shape. poeple have no money. Villages are in distress," the former chief minister said. He opined that Modi should have make some announcement with regard to economic programmes and assistance to the weaker section. "Labourers today are on the streets. Their programmes do not touch them. People had lots of expectations which are now meaningless," Siddaramaiah said. However, he underlined that he does not oppose the lockdown and appealed to the people to support it wholeheartedly Hundreds of thousands of people who have claimed universal credit due to a loss of earnings during the coronavirus pandemic are likely to face delays in their first payment as the flawed welfare system comes under unprecedented scrutiny, it is feared. As the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) received a surge in universal credit claims, one expert MP said existing problems with the flagship benefit such as delays in payments and cuts to support would become acutely apparent and force ministers to make radical changes. More than 1.4 million people have applied for the benefit since 16 March, marking a more than six-fold rise on a normal three-week period, after around 18 per cent of the workforce had their hours cut or were made redundant due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Universal credit, introduced by the coalition government in 2010 and billed as a major simplification of the benefit system, has been criticised for cutting the money people receive and forcing applicants to wait five weeks for a first payment. Claimants can apply for advance loans during the five-week wait, but they are required to start paying this back once they receive their first payment. Data published by the DWP last year showed that 1 of every 10 in universal credit payments was deducted from claimants in order to pay off advances. The DWP has so far made 365,000 advance payments to new claimants during the pandemic. The DWP said it had redeployed 10,000 staff from other parts of government and was recruiting extra workers to help process the new claims, but critics fear drafting in new staff many of whom may not have adequate training will not be enough to avoid delays and mistakes. Frank Field, former chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, who undertook a number of investigations into universal credit while in the role, told The Independent: I think its inconceivable that most [claimants] will get their money on time and that it will be right. There are bound to be many who dont get it within five weeks, particularly as youve got people doing the processing who I doubt have had the proper training. The veteran Labour MP said the extraordinary five-week wait claimants faced before receiving their first payment, and the further delays he anticipated, would likely draw a wave of criticism from new applicants who may also be more politically active than those claiming benefits before the pandemic. Some of them are active in Tory associations, so I think theres going to be a huge education of the Tory Party about what universal credit is like and whether it is fit for purpose when youre on your uppers and youve got to wait five weeks, said Mr Field. Many of these people will be very politically active at letting their MPs know. Their question will be how can we and let alone the poor wait? We need money now. Were in a new politics as far as universal credit goes. I think its the beginning of the end of this deeply flawed benefit as we know it. A source working in the DWP told The Independent that due to the sudden surge in cases and the lack of training for civil servants diverted from other parts of government to processing universal credit claims, the level of error would be phenomenal. There have been complaints that theyre given bite-size training. People arent learning all the rules about universal credit, its more of an overview. There are people working on claims who are not sure what theyre doing. And thats no fault of people doing the job, its just trying to manage an impossible situation, said the source. There is going to be a big problem at a later date. Theres going to be a massive exercise cleaning up all the errors that have gone in, which is going to be one hell of a task. If these levels continue in the long-term, I dont think the system can cope with it. A charity has also raised concerns that, even without the anticipated errors and delays, claimants will struggle to manage financially while they wait for their first payment and would face falling into debt if they successfully applied for an advance loan. Liam Evans, campaigns officer at Turn2us, which helps people in financial hardship to access charitable grants and support services, called on the government to remove the five-week wait by making the advance payment a non-repayable grant immediately. He said the charity had seen 1 million people approach it for financial support in the last three weeks, and estimated that 3.5 million would eventually need to claim universal credit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Five weeks is simply far too long to wait for universal credit, and asking claimants to get into debt by taking out an advance is not a practical solution," added Mr Evans. We also know the DWP is under immense pressure during the coronavirus pandemic, so it is highly likely many claimants will have to wait more than five weeks for their first payment." 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 A DWP spokesperson said: Universal credit is delivering in these unprecedented times and more than 1.4 million people have successfully made a claim. With such a huge increase in claims there are pressures on our services, but the system is holding up well and our dedicated staff are working flat out to get people the support they need. Were taking urgent action to boost capacity weve moved 10,000 existing staff to the help on the front line and were recruiting more. Click here to read the full article. This story appears in the May 2020 issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands May 5th. On February 24th, Dr. Duane Caneva, the chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security, sent an urgent email with the subject line Red Dawn Breaking Bad to a small group of doctors, epidemiologists, public-health officials, and pandemic experts. For more than a month, the scientists on the email chain had been tracking a deadly new virus that was ripping its way through Southeast Asia. More from Rolling Stone The people on the Red Dawn email chain ranged from local health officials in Texas and California to senior-level doctors at the U.S. Army, the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the State Department. Some of them had worked together in the White House in the mid-2000s. They had helped write President Bushs 2007 national strategic plan for a flu pandemic and had advised President Obama on his response to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. (The Red Dawn title was an inside joke referring to the 1984 B movie in which the Soviet Union invades America.) By late February, the sense of alarm in the emails was palpable, as new coronavirus cases were reported in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Italy. One of the White House veterans on the chain was a pandemic expert named Dr. Carter Mecher, who is now a senior adviser at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mecher got into the habit of waking up at 4:30 a.m. and combing the internet for data to help him understand this new virus and what might happen if it made it to America. One day, he discovered a field report by Japans National Institute of Infectious Diseases about the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked in Yokohama, which had suffered one of the first major coronavirus outbreaks. Mecher used the field reports numbers to make a rough projection about how a severe pandemic might play out in the U.S., and he immediately shared it with his colleagues on the Red Dawn chain: By his calculation, if 30 percent of the American population were to get the new coronavirus, more than 1.7 million could die from it. Story continues If those projections were even in the ballpark, a crisis of unimaginable proportions was fast approaching. Dr. Eva Lee, a health care operations expert at Georgia Tech, warned that there would likely be a critical shortage of personal protective equipment for nurses and doctors. Lee wrote, I do not know if we have enough resources to protect all front-line providers. The experts immediately took their warnings to policymakers and officials in Washington, D.C. One public-health specialist, who asked to remain anonymous, says that when he briefed government officials in February, they were stunned to learn how grim the situation was that it was too late to contain the virus, that mitigation was the only option, and that as many as half of all Americans could become infected from COVID-19. They looked at me like I was crazy, the specialist says. Because no one had told them before. By February 28th, the groups warnings had reached the highest rungs of the Trump administration. One day after he was appointed to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general and chief medical officer for the United States, was added to the Red Dawn chain. A representative for Adams says the surgeon general didnt see these emails, and in the days afterward, Adams downplayed the coronavirus threat, pointing out that fried food and sitting on your couch were more likely to lead to your death. But if Adams had read the emails, he would have read Mechers most dire warning yet. Widespread testing problems had prevented experts from seeing the full scope of the crisis, but there was enough data by the end of February, Mecher wrote, to convince people that this is going to be bad. National leaders needed to use every tool available social distancing, school closures, public-gathering bans, and so on to mitigate the viruss spread. Cities and states had already begun to prepare, but an outbreak of this magnitude called for nothing less than a nationwide response if we had any hope of stopping a full-blown pandemic. We have a relatively narrow window, Mecher wrote, and we are flying blind. If you were to write a playbook for how not to prevent a public-health crisis, you would study the work of the Trump administration in the first three months of 2020. The Trump White House, through some combination of ignorance, arrogance, and incompetence, failed to heed the warnings of its own experts. It failed to listen to the projections of one of its own economic advisers. It failed to take seriously what has become the worst pandemic since the 1918 flu and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And when the White House finally awoke to the seriousness of COVID-19, the response it mustered managed to contain all the worst traits of this presidency. Trump and his closest aides have ignored scientists, enlisted family members and TV personalities and corporate profiteers for help, and disregarded every protocol for how to communicate during a pandemic while spewing misinformation and lies. There was confusion in the response from the start. In January, Trump picked HHS Secretary Alex Azar II, the former president of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, to lead his new Coronavirus Task Force. The problem was, there was already a senior official at HHS whose job was coordinating the federal governments response to a nationwide pandemic, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec. In late February, after it was clear that the virus had spread widely throughout the U.S., Trump reshuffled his task force. He replaced Azar with Vice President Mike Pence as the leader of the task force, and added Dr. Deborah Birx, the State Departments global AIDS director and an infectious-disease expert, who joined Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as the groups scientific experts. But Trump also appointed administration loyalists like right-wing extremist Ken Cuccinelli and Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act. Like so many things in Trumpland, the work of the task force has gotten mired in petty politics and internal turf wars. A shadow task force emerged, led by Jared Kushner. Officially, Kushners team of McKinsey consultants, financiers, and old buddies from his New York business days was meant to coordinate collaboration between the government and the private sector. But it soon devolved into a typical Trump boondoggle. A company Kushner had once invested in, Oscar Health, was tapped to build a government website that would speed up testing (the site was later scrapped). Kushner turned to his brother Joshs father-in-law, Kurt Kloss, who was a doctor, for recommendations on how to deal with the crisis. That led to Kloss the father of supermodel Karlie Kloss, Joshs wife posting on a Facebook group for emergency-room doctors that he was looking for smart ideas and had a direct channel to [the] person now in charge at [the] White House. Federal agencies that normally play a central role in disaster-response efforts have found themselves left out of the action. Pete Gaynor, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Congress that his agency wasnt invited to join the presidents Coronavirus Task Force until the week of March 16th six weeks after the task force was created. Other federal employees involved in the response effort have had to respond to different and sometimes competing requests and directives from Pences task force and Kushners task force. All of those roles and responsibilities should be relatively well-established, says one public-health official whos dealt with the White House. Ive heard that people in HHS will get direction from Kushners team that directly contradicts what theyre getting from the White House task force, and then trying to deconflict those becomes a huge problem. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says he and his staff spent a week trying to understand the Trump administrations strategy for directing the production and distribution of critical medical supplies amidst the crisis; Murphys conclusion, as he put it in a tweet, was that Trumps plan was a total, complete, absolute clusterf**k. When Murphy asked the White House for a call with the federal agency leading the effort to get private companies to manufacture and distribute medical supplies, he expected to be connected with FEMA, which typically handles this kind of work in a crisis, or Peter Navarro, the newly appointed national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. Instead, he was told to call the Department of Defense. I walked away from that conversation scratching my head, like, Whos in charge? Murphy tells Rolling Stone. DOD clearly has expertise, but it seems completely unclear whether the White House is in charge, DOD is in charge, FEMA is in charge, or HHS is in charge. The Trump administrations reflexive bias against science and facts expertise couldnt be clearer than in the sidelining of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the crown jewel of the countrys public-health system. Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDCs director, sits on the Coronavirus Task Force and has participated in closed-door meetings, but he has appeared at only a few of the dozens of press briefings held by the task force. Trump trashed the agency on Twitter in mid-March (inadequate and slow), and the CDC has since taken a back seat to other federal agencies in communicating with the public. Im worried that the CDC is not front and center now, Dr. Tom Frieden, who served as CDC director from 2009 to 2017, tells Rolling Stone. In every other public-health emergency in this country since the CDC was founded nearly 75 years ago, it has had a leading role. The CDC is the best source of information on COVID-19. Frieden adds, Fighting coronavirus without CDC is like fighting with one hand behind your back. Adding to the confusion, the White House has made crucial pledges and then failed to meet them. In early March, Pence vowed that more than a million tests would be ready within days. Azar followed that up by saying there would be up to 4 million tests available by the middle of March. Yet by March 31st, there had been just more than 1 million tests conducted. Nowhere is the chaos of Trumps coronavirus response more clear than in the White Houses bungled efforts to help meet the demand for desperately needed medical supplies. On March 18th, Trump signed an executive order that invoked the Defense Production Act, the 70-year-old law that allows a president to commandeer U.S. manufacturers to produce critical materials in a time of crisis, but later that same day said he didnt plan to use it. While doctors, first responders, mayors, and governors issue daily warnings about a dire shortage of N95 masks, scrubs, and ventilators, Trump tweeted that the act was in full force, but havent had to use it because states were asking for equipment that I dont think theyll need, a direct contradiction to the pleas of dozens of governors and mayors. By not taking greater control of the medical-supply chain, Trump is, in effect, pitting states against one another, with wealthier states beating out poorer ones. What were doing is creating a world of winners and losers rather than accounting for priorities based on timings, needs, and best use, says Steve Schooner, a George Washington University professor and expert on government procurement. Sen. Murphy says the Trump White Houses indecision and conflicting messages have created a Hunger Games-like environment with states desperately trying to outbid one another for medical supplies and relying on personal connections and word-of-mouth information to find the supplies they need. I got an email the other day from a guy who knows an aid worker in Venezuela whos come across a stockpile of millions of masks, Murphy says. Im almost embarrassed to forward the information to [Connecticut] Governor Lamont, but its my obligation to do it. Why is the administration not taking over the supply chain? Its because theyre getting pressure from the Chamber of Commerce to stay out of the marketplace so that the profiteering can continue, Murphy says. The chamber, which represents some of the nations biggest corporations, has lobbied against the Defense Production Act because it claims it would unreasonably disrupt the supply chain during the crisis. (The chamber did not respond to a request for comment.) The administration has decided to put the profits of these companies ahead of saving lives, he says. On the last Friday in January, Trump announced a ban on foreign nationals who had recently traveled to China from entering the U.S. Any Americans who had been to China would be diverted to a small number of airports for screening and possibly to be quarantined. One of those airports was Chicagos OHare, but Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says no one in the White House bothered to give her a heads-up about the new order. Lightfoot and her team spent the weekend trying to figure out what Trumps order meant and how to implement it. If someone stepped off a plane from China and had to go into a mandatory 14-day quarantine, what authority did Chicago have to enforce that? Where would they put that person at the airport? In a hotel? They would also need 24-hour security to make sure they remained in quarantine for the full two weeks who was going to pay for that? Lightfoot got on the phone with the various government agencies HHS, Homeland Security, CDC that should have answers to those questions. What she got instead were conflicting responses from each agency. After talking with other mayors, she realized that the agencies were not only telling Chicago different things, but the same agencies were also giving different guidance to the leaders of other cities. That really set the tone for the nonsense that youve seen every day since, Lightfoot says. There was tremendous frustration realizing they werent going to help us at all. (A task-force spokesman says the administration briefed Chicago several times about the January 31st travel restrictions and touts the task forces unprecedented outreach to the state, local, and tribal level.) Lightfoot wrote letters to Trump and Pence, and waited nearly two months before getting a brief call with Pence. Shes banded together with other mayors and local leaders to devise a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Every Sunday, she joins a conference call with other mayors to share data and learn from one anothers efforts to get ahead of the pandemic. Shes mostly given up on receiving any serious help from the federal government. We have known we cant depend on the federal government; it would be great if they stepped up and did what needs to be done, but you see it for yourself, Lightfoot says. Theres no leadership there. Best of Rolling Stone See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts. Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles said it will resume parole hearings on May 18 after Gov. Kay Ivey issued an emergency order suspending laws allowing victims representatives and others to attend hearings. The announcement means hearings will start 10 days sooner than previously scheduled. The bureau suspended hearings in March because of the coronavirus pandemic and extended the suspension until May 28. Some advocates and lawmakers objected to the more than two-month long pause in hearings because of the overcrowded conditions in Alabama prisons, especially in light of the risks of COVID-19 infection. Alabamas prisons are filled to 170% of capacity, and crowding has worsened since the Department of Justice alleged that conditions were unconstitutional a year ago. In a news release today, Iveys office said crime victims and their representatives, public officials, and others who would normally attend hearings in person will be able to present their views to the board under the emergency order. The bureau will receive those views by mail, email, and phone, the governors office said. It is vitally important we keep Alabamas criminal justice system functioning for the good of public safety, Ivey said in a press release. As we continue evaluating our efforts throughout this process, we have worked diligently to ensure efficiency and continuity of critical government services by allowing for virtual meetings. I appreciate the Board of Pardons and Paroles for collaborating with my Office to ensure we continue their important work. Bureau Director Charlie Graddick had announced last week that the bureau was in discussions with Iveys office about restarting hearings sooner than May 28. "This allows us to hold hearings while protecting the health and safety of crime victims, families, advocates, the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and Bureau staff, Graddick said in a press release. This order also protects the rights of crime victims to have a 30-day notice of parole hearings and to have a chance to participate meaningfully in the hearings. Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, a member of Iveys criminal justice study group, said he was glad hearings were starting again but questioned why that couldnt happen before May 18. He said the 30-day notification should already be covered for meetings that were previously scheduled and then postponed. England said cancelling and delaying hearings undermines the states efforts to manage the overcrowded prison system. He said it also hurts public safety because its safer to release inmates under parole supervision than to release them with no supervision at the end of sentences. England also said the state should consider medical furloughs and medical paroles for inmates in fragile health who are at the greatest risk from COVID-19. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, said he was glad the hearings would resume but said he did not think hearings should have been shut down to begin with. Albritton has said the governors emergency health orders directed state agencies to find ways to continue to conduct vital business. The ACLU of Alabama released a report last week showing the backlog of inmates who are eligible for parole has tripled since August, from about 1,500 to about 4,400. We are glad to see the Governor and parole bureau move to resume parole hearings," ACLU of Alabama Executive Director Randall Marshall said in a news release. However, the delay between now and May 18 leaves thousands of prisoners, corrections officers, and surrounding communities vulnerable to exposure and spread of COVID-19. "Furthermore, when hearings do resume, it is vitally important that the parole board hold more hearings and grant more paroles than they have been granting: their previous fiscal year average of 22 grants per month is unconscionable during this current public health crisis. The ACLU report showed a sharp drop in paroles granted by the three-member board. Fiscal year 2018, 3,732 granted, or 54% of cases Fiscal year 2019, 1,337 granted, or 31% of cases Fiscal year 2020 (five months), 133 granted, or 15%. The rate of paroles initially fell after a parolee was charged with murdering three people in Marshall County in 2018. Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall said there were serious problems at the board and supported legislation giving Ivey authority to appoint the bureau director and putting restrictions on early parole consideration into law. After the legislation passed, Ivey appointed Graddick as director effective Sept. 1. Graddick suspended hearings for two months because he said the bureau had not implemented legal requirements for victim notification. The three-member board resumed hearings in November, but heard fewer cases and granted fewer paroles. An audit report released last month by the Examiners of Public Accounts that covered the three-year period ending in August said auditors found numerous instances of paroles granted to offenders who had not served the mandatory time required by state law. Syracuse, N.Y. Upstate University Hospital is sending 22 more employees today to help out at SUNY Stony Brook Hospital on Long Island which is seeing a surge of coronavirus patients. Upstate sent 12 nurses, two respiratory therapists, three pharmacists and five pharmacy technicians this morning. Last week Upstate sent 22 nurses to Stony Brook. Upstate said its pharmacists will help sustain the core pharmacy services at Stony Brook, such as mixing chemotherapy compounds. The pharmacists also will support their sterile compounding needs, which includes such services as preparing intravenous fluids. Pharmacy technicians will assist the hospital with drug delivery to patient floors. Respiratory therapists will be working in the intensive care units. James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources NY refuses to identify nursing homes with coronavirus as pandemic hits many facilities Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Will I have to pay income taxes on my coronavirus relief payment? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Two tech giants, Apple and Google, teamed up to develop a COVID-19 contact tracing technology according to a recently published tech article. WHAT IS CONTACT TRACING Contact tracing is essential nowadays because an asymptomatic person who is positive for the virus is still contagious. This means that it is imperative to trace the whereabouts and direct contacts of persons who tested positive for the virus. This is one of the ways to stop the spread of a virus that has infected millions of people around the globe. Moreover, knowing the whereabouts of a person will give an idea as to what places should be avoided. More importantly, whether or not you have been in that place during that time and should therefore get tested. APPLE AND GOOGLE DEVELOP COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING TECHNOLOGY Exposure to a person who is positive for the virus sometimes goes unnoticed because they are asymptomatic. However, these people who are not showing any symptoms for COVID-19 but are, in fact carrying the virus are very dangerous. It is for this reason that Apple and Google are developing a technology that will help people figure out if they have been exposed to someone who is COVID-19 positive via apps and Bluetooth technology. Google released a statement saying, "Contact Tracing makes it possible to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus by alerting participants of possible exposure to someone who they have recently been in contact with, and who has subsequently been positively diagnosed as having the virus." This means that the Contact Tracing app will not only give anyone an idea if he or she is exposed to someone who is COVID-19 positive, but this will also suggest if you need to quarantine. In a joint statement released by the two tech giants, they said that user privacy and security are central to the design. WHEN THIS CONTACT TRACING BE AVAILABLE Google and Apple will both release what they called as APIs in May. These software tools allow the developers to create within the operating system. Moreover, this will give access to Apple iOS and Google Android mobile platforms. This means that through this, the apps will be downloadable for both Apple iOS and Google Play Store. The two tech giants are also looking to enable a Bluetooth-based solution in the coming months. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, posted on his Twitter account and said that the Contact Tracing app would have controls in place for the protection of privacy. This was also supported by Tim Cook, Apple CEO, who also tweeted that the use of this app will not compromise user privacy. As you may know, Google announced that the company was working with the government on a national website to help pre-screen people for COVID-19. Google later clarified that it was the sister unit within the parent company Alphabet called Verily, which said that would begin the pilot test in San Franciso Bay Area. ANOTHER RESPONSE OF APPLE TO COMBAT COVID-19 Apple CEO posted announced through his Twitter account that the company had sourced over 20 million masks. He asserted: "Our design, engineering, operations, and packaging teams are also working with suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for medical workers." Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union commended the effort of the company in helping combat the infectious and deadly virus. However, they said that there is no active Contact Tracing, not unless there is free, quick testing, and equitable access to healthcare. Read related articles: Two minor brothers drowned while taking bath in a pond in Bihar's Darbhanga district on Tuesday, officials said. The incident took place at Kujji village under the jurisdiction of Pataur Sahayak police station of the district. The deceased have been identified as Chandra Madhav Bhandari (11) and Ishwar Madhav Bhandari (10), Bahadur block Circle Officer Kamlesh Kumar said. Both had gone to take bath in a village pond and slipped into deep waters and met their watery grave, he added. Bodies have been fished out of the pond with the help of local divers and sent to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital for autopsy, Kumar said The circle officer said that Rs 4 lakh has been given as ex-gratia to the family members of the deceased apart from Rs 20,000 ex-gratia to deceased's family under family welfare benefit scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit: CC0 Public Domain The current COVID-19 crisis reveals that most countries are vulnerable to foreign disruptions in the supply of medical products that are essential in the fight against the coronavirus. Canada is no exception, as shown by the recent controversy over U.S. President Donald Trump asking the company 3M to stop exporting masks to Canada to ensure enough supply for the United States. Even though the controversy had a relatively quick resolution and 3M masks will still be shipped to Canada, it is worth examining Canada's dependence on the United States for medical products overall. We have looked at information from COMTRADE, a database maintained by the United Nations that tracks the bilateral trade for almost 200 countries and 5,000 product categories. Some of these categories are broader than the specific products we'd like to consider, but they offer internationally comparable data. Professional masks Professional masks, such as the now famous N95 masks, are essential in the battle against COVID-19, but in Canada, most of them are imported. They appear in the COMTRADE product category as "breathing appliances and gas masks" and "protective masks" having no mechanical parts. In 2018, Canada imported about $126 million and exported $54 million of professional masks. The U.S. is the largest exporter and accounts for 90 percent of Canadian mask imports. This figure includes direct exports of masks produced in the U.S. and re-exports by the U.S. of masks produced in other countries. Canadian imports of masks are not diversified across supplying countries, which explains the alarm of Canadian authorities after the Trump administration threatened to restrict the exports of these products. The U.S. and Canada eventually reached a deal that maintains the trade of masks, but the unpredictable decisions of the Trump administration might be directed to other key supplies in the future. COVID-19 products Beyond professional masks, the WTO recently published a list of products that are essential for tackling COVID-19. We tracked 75 of these products in COMTRADE data. Let's call them COVID-19 products. In Canada, COVID-19 products accounted for 3.9 percent of total imports in 2018, compared to 5.8 percent in the U.S. These products include medicinal products, immunological products, medical, surgical or dental instruments and plastic products, among which there are certain types of masks. The exact composition of COVID product imports differs in each country, reflecting their different manufacturing structures. If we focus on the trade balance, or the difference between exports and imports, both countries had a trade deficit with the rest of the world they imported more than they exported for COVID-19 products in 2018. Many COVID-19 products are bilaterally traded between the United States and Canada. In 2018, the U.S. represented 54 percent of overall Canadian imports of COVID-19 products whereas Canada represented only six percent of American COVID-19 product imports. Overall, Canada had a trade deficit for these products with the U.S. (though that's not the case when we consider all manufacturing goods together). The dependence of Canada on the U.S. is not limited to professional masks. The U.S. accounts for more than 75 percent of Canadian imports for 32 COVID-19 products. Among those products, some are rarely exported by Canada, which suggests the country couldn't easily substitute domestic production with foreign supply. These products include medicines containing penicillin, photographic plates and films for X-rays, laboratory, hygienic or pharmaceutical glassware, syringes, needles and catheters. Conversely, Canada accounts for at least 30 percent of U.S. imports for only four COVID-19 products (hydrogen peroxide which is often used as an antiseptic, certain types of medicinal products containing antibiotics or vitamins and certain types of soap). Given its dependence on so many COVID products, Canada cannot afford an escalation of trade hostilities with the United States at the moment. Nonetheless, the situation might not be as bleak as the numbers seem to suggest. Masks in public First, when the pandemic shutdowns are eventually relaxed, governments like Canada may continue to recommend that citizens don masks when grocery shopping or on public transit. Canada, particularly Quebec, has a strong textile industry and could produce masks. Second, Canada is also a key supplier to the United States for certain types of products needed in the fight against the coronavirus, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently pointed out. An example of this is the red cedar pulp used for the production of medical masks and gowns, which is currently mainly produced by Harmac Pacific in British Columbia. The COMTRADE data also shows that Canada is a key supplier to the United States for some products that the U.S. does not export much itself to other countries, and therefore rarely produces. They include antibiotics other than penicillin, sterilizers for medical, surgical or laboratory use and electro-cardiographs. In times of crisis, it's easier to ensure quick deliveries, if necessary, with commercial partners that are geographically close and with whom we share a trusting relationship. And so maintaining a harmonious relationship between Canada and the U.S. is important for both countries. The 3M controversy, although quickly resolved, starkly illustrated that Canada must find compromises with its southern neighbour about the trade of COVID products. Explore further Canada auto factories to make coronavirus medical equipment This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Ukraine Wildfires Approach Chernobyl Nuclear Plant By RFE/RL April 13, 2020 Fires raging for more than a week in Ukraine are less than a kilometer from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, but emergency services say the situation is under control. Environmental experts have warned the wildfires could throw up radioactive ash from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, threatening residents in nearby areas and the capital, Kyiv. Ukraine's Emergency Situations Service said in a statement April 13 that the radiation level in the Kyiv region "does not exceed the natural background values" and those in the exclusion zone around the nuclear plant are "unchanged." However, Greenpeace Russia warned the fires blazing through the exclusion zone are much larger than authorities in Kyiv admit and the fires pose a radiation risk. "A fire approaching a nuclear or hazardous radiation facility is always a risk," said Rashid Alimov, head of energy projects at Greenpeace Russia. "In this case we're hoping for rain tomorrow." 'The Zone Is Ablaze' Satellite images from U.S. space agency NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System show the fires have reached the outskirts of the abandoned city of Pripyat and were just outside the decommissioned nuclear power plant. Chernobyl tour operator Yaroslav Yemelianenko, writing on Facebook, described the situation as critical. "The zone is ablaze. Local authorities are reporting that everything is under control, but in fact the fire is rapidly spreading to new territories," he wrote. State Emergency Service spokeswomen Olga Kozak told dpa news agency that the situation is "definitely serious but under control." Strong winds fanning the flames have hindered firefighters, who have formed firebreaks to contain the spread and allow equipment to enter the area. The fires began on April 3 in the western part of the uninhabited exclusion zone and spread to nearby forests. Police say they have identified a 27-year-old local resident suspected of starting the fire. The resident was quoted as telling investigators that he had set some garbage and grass on fire "for fun." A number of regions of Ukraine have recently reported brushfires amid unseasonably dry conditions. With reporting by dpa, Interfax, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-wildfires-approach- chernobyl-nuclear-plant/30551401.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Melbourne: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday described as "unfathomable" the World Health Organisation's support for the reopening of China's notorious wet markets after the deadly coronavirus originated in one of them and went on to infect almost two million people globally. A wet market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is believed to be the source of the coronavirus pandemic that began in December last year, crossing from animals to humans. Morrison lashed out at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for supporting the reopening of wet markets in China. The prime minister said it was "unfathomable" to back live animal markets, which were likely the cause of the killer coronavirus. "I'm totally puzzled by this decision," Morrison told a local TV channel. "We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses," Morrison said, adding "It has happened too many times." On Monday, Morrison said that Australia and the globe would be looking to international organisations like the WHO to ensure lessons have been learned from the pandemic. "There must be transparency in understanding how it began in Wuhan and how it was transmitted. We also need to fully understand and protect against the global health threat posed by places like wet markets," Morrison was quoted by 'The Australian'. A wet market sells fresh meat, fish, produce, and other perishable goods as distinguished from "dry markets". It gets its name from the floors being constantly wet from the spraying of fresh produce and cleaning of meat and seafood stalls. The coronavirus is believed to have originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was unsettled by China's plans to reopen the markets. "There is a very real likelihood that this disease arose from a wet market in Wuhan - it's clear that these are dangerous vectors," Hunt was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Global leaders have urged China to ban the "deadly and diseased" food markets, but the WHO disagrees. The WHO said wet markets are crucial sources of food and should be allowed to continue trading, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) reported. But it is necessary to regulate them and introduce measures to decrease the risk of transmission of diseases at them, the WHO told SBS News in a statement. "With adequate facilities, proper regulation and good hygiene practices it is possible to have safe food sold in wet markets," the UN organisation told The Australian. Meanwhile, the Australian death toll from COVID-19 reached 61. The positive cases of infection in the country reached 6,400. The country's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said that social distancing measures in place could not be relaxed until a vaccine was developed. "If you go hard late, as the UK has done, you can just see what carnage you suffer on the way through," Murphy said, adding "It's hard for me to envisage reopening nightclubs and big music festivals in the foreseeable future." Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. LMTOnline.com is compiling the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Laredo area. Property values will be frozen throughout Webb County this year in order to provide some tax relief to local residents during the coronavirus pandemic. All property taxes for 2020 will be assessed at their 2019 valuation, according to Webb County officials. The City of Laredo has confirmed an additional 17 cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the city's total to 223. A drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic will open for Laredoans with a prescription from their doctor on Thursday. Those without a physician that suspect they may have coronavirus symptoms can call a the city's hotline at 956-795-4932 for more information on testing. A Laredo ER doctor, who worked at both Laredo Medical Center and Clear Choice ER, has spoken out after being confirmed positive for the disease almost two weeks ago. The City of Laredo confirmed additional positive cases of the novel coronavirus with their latest update yesterday at noon, which raised the total number of local cases over 200 for the first time. As of yesterday afternoon, the number stood at 206. Of the 206 positive cases, 24 people are currently hospitalized. 1,172 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Laredo, with 620 tests returning negative. 346 persons are awaiting results. Two more deaths attributed to complications from the novel coronavirus were confirmed by City of Laredo health officials on Easter Sunday. A woman in her 90s and a man in his 20s, both with underlying health conditions, passed away at Laredo Medical Center on Saturday, marking the seventh and eighth deaths in Webb County due to the disease. On Thursday, it was revealed that Webb County will not be adopting the stricter face covering measures adopted by the City of Laredo on Wednesday. The stricter measures adopted by City Council require Laredo citizens to cover their nose & mouth whenever they leave the house, including while engaging in physical activity. They also forbid children inside grocery stores, convenience stores and big box stores, excluding parents without access to childcare. The Numbers: As of Tuesday morning, there were 547,627 confirmed cases in the U.S, according to Johns Hopkins University. Of those, 21,662 died and 32,988 recovered. Texas has 13,677 confirmed cases, per the Johns Hopkins dataset. To support vital coverage of this and other topics, consider a subscription to the Laredo Morning Times. Here is the key information Laredo residents need to know. What is the status of Laredo amid the COVID-19 pandemic? The City of Laredo has adopted a mandatory stay-at-home order, which bars any gatherings of people outside of family units, The order, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on March 28 through April 30 unless otherwise extended mandates all people in Laredo and the surrounding cities stay at home unless absolutely essential. The order also specifies that Laredo citizens must cover their nose and mouth whenever they leave their house. People are excepted from wearing a mask, bandana, scarf or some kind of covering only when they are in their home or backyard, in the car alone, in their office alone, eating or while experiencing an emergency. The order also forces non-essential businesses, such as tattoo shops, hair salons, and maquinita parlors, to close. Read this article see which "essential" businesses are allowed to remain open amid the coronavirus pandemic. What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Fever, cough and shortness of breath. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, sore throat or diarrhea. I think I may have COVID-19. What should I do? Todd Trumbull If your condition is not urgent, contact your doctor or an urgent care clinic. Call ahead in case they need to redirect you to another medical center or emergency room. If your health care provider uses telemedicine, such as video chatting, you may want to consider that to avoid potentially exposing others. Also, many counties have set up special phone lines for coronavirus inquiries from the public; your county public health department should have this information online. If you believe your symptoms are urgent and you need to go to the ER, try to call ahead so that health care providers are prepared to isolate you and take other precautions to protect you and other patients when you arrive. Individuals can request a test for coronavirus, but doctors and public health authorities will decide whether thats appropriate. Lets step back. What is the coronavirus? Coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses. Two other kinds of coronaviruses are known to cause SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). Coronaviruses also can cause very mild illness, and are thought to be responsible for 10% to 30% of all common colds. The new virus is already more widespread than either SARS or MERS. So far it appears to cause less severe illness than those viruses. How is COVID-19 different from the flu? COVID-19 and the flu are both infectious respiratory illnesses, but theyre caused by different viruses. They have similar symptoms and are spread by droplets that are expelled with sneezes and coughs. The flu can be prevented with a vaccine and treated with antiviral drugs, but there are not yet similar tools to fight COVID-19. Tens of thousands of people have died from the flu this season, far eclipsing deaths from COVID-19. But millions of people get the flu every year, and the influenza death rate about 0.1% is likely lower than that of COVID-19. Experts still dont know just how deadly COVID-19 is, but early studies suggest the death rate is about 2%. How serious is the COVID-19 virus? Who is most at risk? About 80% of people who have contracted the virus have had mild symptoms and do not need to be hospitalized, according to large studies of cases in China. About 14% become severely ill and 5% critically ill. Those most at risk of becoming seriously ill are over age 50 or have underlying health problems, such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, or have weakened immune systems. A Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found that most people infected were over the age of 30 and had mild symptoms. The death rate was highest close to 15% in those over the age of 80. The first U.S. deaths were all among residents of a long-term care facility in Washington state. The virus appears to be less deadly than SARS or MERS. SARS had a fatality rate of about 10% before it disappeared in 2004. MERS is fatal nearly a third of the time, but is far less transmissible than SARS or COVID-19. Still, the reported cases and deaths are constantly shifting and its too soon to know exactly the seriousness of the illness. How can I best protect myself? People who are not sick should wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching their face with unwashed hands. They should avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing, sneezing or otherwise obviously ill. People who are sick should cough or sneeze into their arm or a tissue, not into their hands. Ideally they should stay home and avoid being around other people. In some cases, doctors may advise people who are sick to wear a simple surgical mask in public to avoid infecting others. Healthy people do not need to wear a mask. Studies have found they are not very effective at preventing illness. Most people become infected by touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands because thats the easiest way for viruses to enter the body. Should I avoid school, work or places where large groups gather? Public health experts have said that if you have recently returned from a country with a high number of cases, or if youve had contact with someone who has COVID-19, youre generally encouraged to stay at home and not go to work or school for 14 days. If you are sick and have not traveled recently and have not been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should stay home until your symptoms have passed. In some communities public health experts are advising that people at high risk of serious illness people over age 50 and those with pre-existing health problems avoid places where large crowds gather in close contact. Otherwise, healthy people do not need to take any special precautions. Should I cancel domestic or international travel plans? Keep track of advisories from the U.S. State Department and the CDC that discourage travel to certain countries. If you do travel to those areas, pay attention to what you will need to do upon return. Any U.S. citizen returning from Hubei province in China is subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Anyone coming back from other parts of China or from countries with high numbers of infections will be asked to quarantine at home for 14 days. Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or a close family member of one wont be allowed to enter the U.S. for 14 days after you visit China or Iran. Most airlines have canceled flights to China and are reducing routes to other countries. United has announced some domestic travel reductions, and other carriers may follow suit. Check The Houston Chronicle's live coverage and individual airline websites for the latest information. Be aware that if you choose to travel, the situation is changing rapidly: Flights could be canceled or rules put in place at any time. Before booking, canceling or taking a flight, it helps to know what your rights and options are. Weve compiled tips for traveling during the coronavirus outbreak here. How did the coronavirus get started? Chinese health officials alerted the World Health Organization about a growing number of cases of pneumonia caused by an unidentified virus in the city of Wuhan in late December. The new coronavirus was identified about two weeks after that. Coronaviruses can cross over from animals to humans. The virus that causes SARS is believed to have passed from bats to civets and then to humans, and the MERS virus was linked to camels. But scientists have not yet determined the source of the new coronavirus. How long is the COVID-19 outbreak expected to last? Thats not clear. Other coronaviruses, such as those that cause the common cold, tend to be seasonal. But the coronavirus that causes SARS appears to have disappeared about a year after it was identified in 2004. Its too soon to say what will happen with the new coronavirus. Houston Chronicle producers Jordan Ray and Dana Burke and San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Alejandro Serrano, Mallory Moench, Erin Allday and Catherine Ho and Laredo Morning Times producer Louis San Miguel contributed to this report. Overdrive The Coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone around the globe, disrupting the routine life. Unfortunately, the number of COVID-19 affected cases are increasing by the day, forcing nations all over to announce a lockdown. These measures are being taken to make sure everyone practises social distancing to reduce human contact to the least possible. Also, a strong focus is being put on practising personal hygiene. The best way to deal with the coronavirus is to stay indoors and step out only in case of an emergency. And in such a scenario, your vehicle too will remain unused. Here are our tips to maintain your vehicle during the coronavirus lockdown. 1) Fire it up! While you can't and shouldn't take your vehicle out for a spin in this lockdown period, one must make sure to get the vehicle started once in every two to three days. And then let it idle for 10 to 15 minutes. This will ensure that the battery of the vehicle does not get discharged and also the oil heats up and circulates in the engine, maintaining its viscosity. However, if you can't manage to do all of this, we suggest you to disconnect the battery from its terminal. 2) Move it! Yes, we did mention that one cannot take the vehicle for a spin outside, however, if you can drive or ride inside your compound or in the society, do that. This will keep all the components in working condition, be it the air-conditioner or the brakes. 3) Spin the wheels If your four-wheeler or two-wheeler has been in a stationary condition for a long period, the whole weight is concentrated on one particular patch of the tyre that is in contact with the surface. To avoid this, turn the wheels and move it around to alter the contact patch. In case of a four-wheeler, you can forward or reverse by a metre and then park the vehicle accordingly. Avoid keeping the handbrake engaged as it could jam the brakes. It is advisable to leave the vehicle in gear to restrict movement. 4) Check electrical connections In a lot of cases, where vehicles are parked in enclosed areas, rats tend to get inside the vehicle and chew on electric connections. The best way to avoid this is to often open the hood and run a thorough check for nests. Also keeping naphthalene balls in different corners of the engine bay should be useful. 5) Keeping the cabin clean If the car has been unused for a long period, make sure the windows are lowered when you start the car. At least for 15 minutes to make sure the cabin is aired out ensuring adequate ventilation. To be precise, the plastics on the trims, dashboard, AC vents tend to emit Benzene, which is experienced from the smell after opening the car. Also, do not switch on the AC as soon as you enter the vehicle but after a couple of minutes. North Korea fires short-range missiles North Korea is commemorating the Day of the Sun on April 15, an important annual public holiday in the country marking the birth of founder Kim Il-sung. Ahead of the birth anniversary of the country's founder, North Korea on Tuesday fired a barrage of short-range missiles, said the South Korean military. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the country's northern neighbor fired projectiles assumed to be anti-ship cruise missiles into the East Sea, Seoul-based Yonhap news reported. The projectiles flew over 93 miles before splashing into the water. MISSILE TEST LASTED MORE THAN 40 MINUTES "The projectiles, assumed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles, were fired northeastward from areas near its eastern coastal town of Munchon at around 7 a.m. [2200GMT Monday], which lasted more than 40 minutes," the JCS said. "The military is closely monitoring the situation for possible additional launches, while maintaining a readiness posture," it added. Earlier on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a pursuit assault plane group in the west of the country. According to the Korea Central News Agency, Kim was briefed on the "readiness" for sorties of the fighters and the "performance of duties of airspace defense," also observing a group drill. The sharing of coronavirus emergency relief items in Lagos State was marred by poor communication, which led to misinformation about the intended beneficiaries, political favouritism, and random distribution, a report by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) stated. The state government promised to share 200,000 food relief packages among the 20 local governments in the state. The items were to serve as palliatives for poor Lagosians affected by the lockdown in the state, imposed to check the spread of coronavirus. More than half of about 343 coronavirus cases in Nigeria are in Lagos. Misinformation about beneficiaries The report stated that despite the state governors clear statement that the items were meant for some of the most vulnerable people in the state, the distribution was marred because the government subsequently failed to properly inform residents leading to misinformation and false expectations. In fact, officials sent to distribute the items were not properly informed about the intended beneficiaries and could not dispel the misinformation around the distribution of the items. These people are those that fall below the pyramid, the aged and the physically challenged who need to move from one part of the city to another for them to have a living. We felt that as a government, the least we can do is to identify them and give them these stimulus packages immediately, The governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu had said. However, many residents of the state thought the items were meant for everyone. The announcement widely misinterpreted by many Lagos residents led to some controversies with many people who are not on the category of vulnerable ones expecting to benefit from the palliative packages, the report stated. For instance, residents of Zone 3 in Alimosho local government complained about the quantity of the relief materials provided by the government to all its residents. According to the residents, the government delivered two small sachets of tomato paste, about 15 cups (about 1,800 grams) of both rice and beans for the entire members of the community. These items were packaged in sacks tagged COVID-19 Emergency Food Response. In Ikotun area of Lagos, an unidentified man while making delivery of three sacks (about 30 cups of rice in each sack) and three big loaves of bread said the items were from the Lagos state government and the Ikotun Local Council Development Areas (LCDA). In addition, a government representative captured in the video said although he cannot say for sure how many people the food items could support, he was at the venue to only make the delivery, the report stated. Political favouritism According to Involve Africa, which was contracted by CDD to monitor the distribution of the items, in several places, political consideration was the main formulae for identifying beneficiaries. Our monitors observed that partisanship became the main formulae for identifying beneficiaries. CDD gathered that the state government did not spell out any distribution plan for the relief materials as food items were allegedly distributed based on political party favouritism. For example, in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Lagos, political party loyalties and members were the only people provided with food materials, the report stated. Haphazard distribution Another factor that marred the distribution of the relief items was the random mode the items were distributed in many communities in the state. The report observed that this led to discontent among residents and in some areas large crowd of people gathered at the distribution centres thus defeating the principle of social distancing critical to slowing the spread of the pandemic. CDDs downstream monitors observed that there is currently no definite mapping or distribution schedule for the Emergency food items from the Lagos state government to the people. Most of the Lagos state residents who fall into the category of those who need the materials barely got any item. It was also observed that the state government failed to work with local government heads of chairpersons who could identify those in dire need of these reliefs and as well give an account of beneficiaries of these items. CDD using banners, jingles and all kinds of public enlightenment materials, the centre has emphasised on the need for social distancing, a practice the Lagos state government failed to abide by in the distribution of the relief materials. Most of the instance recorded by the CDD, residents were seen clustering among each other and defying the social distance advice of maintaining a 1-2 meters distance between each other as approved by experts. Advertisements Also, none of the people both the government representatives and the residents were protected with either masks, gloves or any of such. This was observed in cases like the distribution in Badagry, Alimosho and many other locations were Involve Africa visited. Alleged sharp practices There were also widespread allegations among residents that officials in charge of the distribution of the items either diverted them or repackaged in smaller quantities. In Anuooluwapo community in Igando, residents were seen protesting the materials released and delivered by the Lagos state government. The relief materials which were expected to cushion the burden of citizens on the streets was met with worry from community officials on distribution pattern as it was observed that the items would not get to the all vulnerable people in the locality. It was alleged that in some local government areas, the food relief material meant for the residence were repackaged and sealed back before distributing them to residents. For instance, there was pandemonium at Ikorodu near Olowu Market in Ikeja as residents who came out for the food items and other materials provided by the Lagos State government protested against indiscriminate distribution of the items. The protesters claimed that tickets for the purpose had been given to some people at midnight ahead of the exercise, which was to commence the following day, thereby making it impossible for those who were on the queue to be attended to. Also, Involve Africa, monitoring team reported that there is poor communication from the Nigerian government in respect to collection points by residents of communities, the report stated. The top super PAC backing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is continuing to bombard President Donald Trump on the airwaves with a new ad set to start running in key battleground states on Tuesday targeting the presidents coronavirus response. The new 30-second spot from Priorities USA, titled Front Lines contrasts statements the president has made at White House press briefings and in Fox News interviews downplaying the need for certain resources amid the pandemic with clips of doctors and nurses sounding the alarm about supply shortages of personal protective equipment, such as masks and ventilators. I dont believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators, Trump says in a clip from a Fox News interview from late March when the president doubted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomos request for more ventilators. PHOTO: President Donald Trump answers questions from the press during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Dr. Colleen Smith, an emergency room doctor in Queens, New York, is then shown saying, We are right now scrambling to try and get a few additional ventilators, in a clip from a New York Times report inside the Elmhurst Hospital battling the virus. Elmhurst Hospital was described by an emergency care physician to ABC News as ground zero in New York Citys battle with the novel coronavirus. MORE: Inside the coronavirus 'Ground Zero': Elmhurst Hospital in New York City The new ad, first shared with ABC News, will start airing on Tuesday across states that were crucial to the presidents victory in 2016, including Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with nearly $2 million behind it as part of a $70 million ad buy the group placed ahead of the convention, Priorities officials said. In this time of crisis, we need to listen to our medical professionals and ensure they have the resources they need to keep them safe while they keep us safe. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is more concerned with deflecting blame and protecting his own political standing than taking the necessary steps to protect our country, Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA, said in a statement to ABC News. Story continues We will not let Trump dictate the narrative and will continue to air the facts and the truth and hold the president accountable, he added. 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. Critics have called out what they describe as the federal government's erratic system for supporting states in battling the coronavirus pandemic, with some states being given fewer resources than what they asked for, while some others see a surplus, as reported by ABC News. Last week, the president announced at a White House press briefing that all 50 U.S. states and territories had been approved for major disaster declarations. Trump said that the government would deliver more N95 masks to the hard-hit New York City area and ventilators to hard-hit states including Michigan, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Jersey. On Monday, the Trump campaign announced theyve filed a lawsuit against local TV station WJFW-NBC of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, for airing a Priorities USA ad titled Exponential Threat, which they claim "contained intentionally false and defamatory statements about President Trump." Americans can see that President Trump is leading the nation in the war against the coronavirus while Joe Biden and his allies have decided to be the opposition in that war," Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement. "It used to be that we united as a nation to fight a common foe, but Democrats have abandoned that principle. President Trump is doing his job while Joe Biden and his pals are irrelevant, ineffective, and relentlessly partisan. The ad in question strings together two separate comments the president made out of context. One clip features the president saying "the coronavirus," which leads into another clip of Trump saying "this is their new hoax. Multiple fact checkers, including The Washington Post, have concluded that the president appeared to be calling Democrats politicization of the coronavirus a hoax, and not the virus itself. PHOTO: President Donald Trump gestures while he speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Priorities USA, which is not a party in the lawsuit, has refused to back down from the Trump campaigns legal action. "This is pretty simple. Donald Trump doesn't want voters to hear the truth and he's trying to bully TV stations into submission, Cecil said in a statement. "We will never stop airing the facts and holding the president accountable for his actions." The new spot is the latest example of Priorities USA and other pro-Biden groups battering the president on the air over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic -- an aggressive attack strategy thats left some allies of the president frustrated over the inaction of their own major super PAC America First Action. Following weeks of angst from Trumpworld, in early April America First announced a planned $10 million ad buy over six weeks in key battleground states targeting Biden starting in mid-April -- however, details around the ad remain unclear and no ad has been released by the pro-Trump group. MORE: Pro-Trump super PAC announces $10M ad buy targeting Biden Meanwhile, Priorities USA is already pouring millions into critical battleground states to oppose the president, heavily focusing on Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, three states that could define the outcome of the 2020 election. Of the $30 million in television ads they have reserved so far this year, the group has already invested $10.2 million in Florida, $7.2 million in Pennsylvania, $6.3 million in Michigan, $5.7 million in Wisconsin and $350,150 in Arizona. The outside group, which has long been running a parallel campaign to ready the battlefield for the eventual nominee since 2016, announced in early 2019 a $100 million campaign targeting Trump -- planning to spend that massive sum before the Democratic convention, which is now slated for August. "Our job is to identify the three million people that are going to make a difference in this election, and go talk to them consistently effectively and wherever they're getting their news and information," Cecil said back in November 2019. By the end of the first month of this year, the super PAC reached $111 million in contributions and commitments and raised their pre-convention budget to $150 million. Over the last few weeks, the president's approval for his handling of the crisis continues to slide after peaking at 55% back in mid March. According to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, just 44% approve while 55% disapprove. MORE: More than half of Americans wear masks as coronavirus' new normal takes hold: POLL During the entire 2016 presidential cycle, the flagship Democratic outside group spent upwards of $190 million. The alliance with Biden began about one month before Sen. Bernie Sanders, the last of two candidates in the race, dropped out last week, and subsequently endorsed Biden on Monday. The super PAC announced in early March a new ad campaign to answer the onslaught of attacks from Trump and his allies against Biden, without formally endorsing the former vice president but arguing he had an "insurmountable advantage" over Sanders. With the coronavirus freezing the entire 2020 campaign, the group also committed another $17 million in digital ads, as an initial buy, to start running after July. The online ad spending will target voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. While Priorities remains the Democrats' largest single super PAC that will boost Biden in his general election battle with Trump, a cadre of outside groups have significantly upped their commitments in recent weeks as the former vice president wraps up the partys nomination. Last month, Unite the Country, a super PAC helmed by former Biden aides and American Bridge, another major Democratic group, announced a nine-figure commitment to support Biden. The partnership is co-chaired by former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who dropped out of the 2020 race in February. The two groups said last month that they have already raised over $70 million in their efforts to unseat Trump in November. ABC News' Soorin Kim contributed to this report. What to know about coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: coronavirus symptoms Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: coronavirus map Pro-Biden super PAC's new ad targets Trumps coronavirus response in battleground states originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Philippines stands to lose surveillance capability against peace spoilers linked to pro-Islamic State (IS) extremists in the south once a bilateral military pact with the United States expires in August, a U.S.-based security analyst said Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte last month refused to reverse his position on ending the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Washington, in what was widely seen as a political protest after the U.S. State Department revoked an American visa for his former police chief. If they pull out along with the U.S. defense contractors down there, it means the Armed Forces of the Philippines is blinded, Greg Poling, a director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think-tank, told foreign correspondents in Manila in an online news conference, referring to the volatile southern Philippines. Duterte took the unilateral decision to terminate the VFA amid a resurgent threat in the Philippines from IS, which was largely defeated three years ago when its fighters were ousted by military force from the southern city of Marawi with American intelligence help. They will lose a lot of their intelligence collection and surveillance capability, Poling said of Philippines soldiers. That situation would be very good news for spoilers who, all of the sudden, will find it much easier to evade because the military is blind, he said. Poling was talking about the Abu Sayyaf Group and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which were among groups that backed the Marawi siege, a five-month battle in 2017 that killed around 1,200 people, most of them militants linked to IS. BIFF is a splinter group of the former separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a peace deal with Manila and now controls a Muslim autonomous region in the south. BIFF did not officially join the siege in Marawi, but some of its members launched deadly diversionary attacks elsewhere in the Philippine south to divert military attention from that city, authorities said. The biggest driver of stability in Mindanao is going to be the consolidation of Bangsamoro and how much they implement the framework agreement, Poling said, referring to the autonomous region governed by MILF for the past year. Manilas termination of VFA came after Duterte became angered by Washingtons decision to revoke a visa for his former national police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, who is now a senator. The pact had allowed for large-scale joint military exercises between the two longtime allies after the U.S. vacated two of its largest overseas military installations the Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base, both located northwest of Manila in the 1990s. Poling noted that Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had recently talked about the success of a military raid in the south in 2015 that was launched with U.S. intelligence help and led to the killing of Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir (also known as Marwan). While 44 elite police commandos were killed during the raid after a miscommunication with MILF forces, military officials still considered it a win as security forces took out one of Southeast Asias most-wanted terrorists. Those kind of operation will be impossible, in the future without the VFA, Poling said. The two biggest winners of the termination of VFA is China and Abu Sayyaf. Manila meanwhile is locked in a maritime territorial dispute with Beijing, which claims most of the mineral-rich South China Sea, including areas that reach the shores of its smaller neighbors. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the sea region. Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh went to the polls on Tuesday in the second round of a presidential election held amid serious concerns about the spread of coronavirus in the Armenian-populated territory which had broken away from Azerbaijan in 1991. Ara Harutiunian, a wealthy businessman and former prime minister, won over 49 percent of the vote in the first round held on March 31 and was seen as the favorite to succeed Bako Sahakian, Karabakhs outgoing president. His challenger, Masis Mayilian, finished second with 26.4 percent. Citing the coronavirus pandemic, Mayilian urged supporters on April 5 to boycott the runoff. But he stopped short of withdrawing from the presidential race. Sources told RFE/RLs Armenian service that Mayilian will not cast his vote on Tuesday. Other political and civic figures in Karabakh as well as Armenia also called for a postponement or cancellation of the election. The authorities in Stepanakert dismissed those calls, saying that precautionary measures taken by them will contain the spread of the virus. The authorities did not change their stance, effectively backed by Harutiunian, even after reporting the first case of coronavirus in Karabakh on April 5. Five more people tested positive for the virus and more than a dozen others were quarantined in the following days, according to them. On April 12, Sahakian declared a coronavirus-related emergency situation in the region but made clear that the runoff will go ahead as planned. The emergency rule bans public gatherings, restricts transport links within Karabakh and bars citizens of Armenia and other countries from entering the region. All of Karabakhs more than 280 polling stations were disinfected on the eve of the controversial runoff. As was the case on March 31, every voter was handed a face mask, gloves and a single-use pen when entering them. Election officials also wore protective masks and gloves. According to the local central election commission, 28 percent of Karabakhs 103,000 eligible voters cast their ballots as of 2 p.m. local time. The turnout thus seemed to be considerably lower than in the first round of voting. Karabakh Armenians also elected on March 31 their new parliament. Harutiunians Free Fatherland party won more than 40 percent of those votes and will control 16 of the 33 parliament seats. The opposition United Homeland party of Samvel Babayan, a former Karabakh army commander, will be the second largest parliamentary force with 9 seats. Three other political groups will also be represented in the local legislature. Azerbaijan strongly condemned the Karabakh elections, saying that they run counter to Azerbaijani and international law. It also said that that Karabakh is governed by an illegal regime installed by Armenia. U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group stressed, for their part, that Karabakh is not recognized as an independent state by the international community and that the so-called general elections cannot predetermine the outcome of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by them. The European Union likewise said that the elections cannot prejudice the determination of the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh and that it does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which they are being held. By contrast, Armenia defended the holding of the polls. It argued that OSCE member states had adopted in 1992 a document saying that elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh should also participate in the peace process. On Monday afternoon, Bernie Sanders ended his second presidential campaign, not with a bang, but a whimper. The Vermont senator formally endorsed Joe Biden in a livestreamed discussion on the coronavirus pandemic. The event was a groveling display on the part of Sanders, who did not make a single criticism of Biden. Bernie Sanders (Flickr.com/Gage Skidmore) and Joe Biden (Flickr.com/Gage Skidmore) The central theme of Sanders remarks was the call for unity. The imperative, he said, is for all of us to work together to do what has to be done not only in this moment, but beyond. The unity that Sanders is calling for is a unity of the political establishment, representing the ruling class, against opposition from below. The social anger among workers and youth to the response of the ruling class to the coronavirus pandemic threatens revolutionary upheavals. Under these conditions, Sanders issued what amounted to a call for a national unity government around Biden. Today I am asking all Americans, I am asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse. The two jointly announced a number of task forces to unite their campaigns and provide Sanders with the threadbare fiction that he is influencing the program of the Democratic Party and pushing it to the left. Sanders and Biden heaped praise upon each other and stressed that there is little that separates them politically. Biden said that people are going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues, but we are awfully close on a whole bunch of others. Reading from the same script, Sanders directed the conversation to some of the areas that I think we are actually fairly close. Later he conceded that he and Biden may disagree a little. Both Sanders and Biden are, in fact, in agreement on the basic framework of ruling class policy. Sanders last act before suspending his campaign was to vote for the massive bailout of Wall Street and the corporations that passed with the unanimous support of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. The so-called CARES Act includes $450 billion for corporate bailouts and another $450 billion to back the US Federal Reserves unlimited transfer of money to Wall Street. Sanders nodded as Biden issued mild criticisms of the Trump administrations handling of the bailout, while asserting, It is not about the legislation. The legislation has been good. It is about how it is being implemented. Biden went on to complain that the biggest best-connected firms are getting assistance as fast as they can ask for it. This, however, was the entire purpose of the legislation, rammed through using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext. Sanders replied that Joe was absolutely right. He added that if corporations are going to get a massive bailout, there needs to be greater transparency, a meaningless phrase. Sanders proposal for additional action in response to the coronavirus pandemic includes a further handout of hundreds of billions to major industries. Sanders said nothing about the coordinated campaign to force workers to risk their lives by going back to pumping out profits, which Biden backed in an op-ed column published in the New York Times on Monday. The Sanders endorsement does not come as a surprise. The entire purpose of his campaign was to prevent social and political opposition from breaking free of the Democratic Party. As in 2016, but now under far more explosive social and political conditions, Sanders is exposing himself as a political hack for the Democratic Party and revealing his political revolution to be a cynical fraud. Sanders is part of a broader campaign underway to mobilize the Democratic Party behind Biden. On Monday morning, the New York Times published an interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in which the congresswoman pledged her support for Biden and declared obsequiously, I want to respect his win, he won because of his coalition building, he won because of his service, he won for a lot of different reasons. Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), did not include among her list of reasons the fact that Biden is the chosen candidate of Wall Street and the military. While many workers supported Sanders out of a mistaken belief that he is a socialist, groups like the DSA and Socialist Alternative, and individuals like Jacobin magazine editor Bhaskar Sunkara, promoted his campaign as part of their own efforts to maintain the political authority of the Democratic Party. The DSA and Sunkara backed Sanders not despite his opportunist politics, but because of them. They are now quickly maneuvering to position themselves as advisors to a Biden campaign. On Monday, Jacobin published an article by Branko Marcetic headlined, I literally wrote the case against Joe Biden. But Ive got some free advice for him. The article urged Biden to adopt a left program in order to win the support of young people. If Biden and Democrats of his generation, Marcetic writes, could cravenly sell out their principles for political expediency and pretend to be something theyre not once, they can do it again, only for the good. For the first time in a long time, the direction things are heading mean the politically expedient thing is also the right thing to do. For such people, no argument in the service of the Democratic Party is too cynical or dishonest. Representing privileged sections of the upper-middle class, they are as terrified of the political radicalization of workers and youth as the Democratic Party itself. They are worried above all by the growing political influence of the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party, whose criticisms of Sanders and the DSA have once again been confirmed. Workers and young people must draw the political conclusions from this experience. One is struck in the end by how vacuous and empty Sanders campaign, for the second time, has turned out to be. It does not have the character of even a genuine movement for social reform. Sanders entire political career, including that stage waged under the banner of political revolution, has ended in a fawning endorsement of the most right-wing candidate in the Democratic Party. He is completing his integration into the political system as events are demonstrating to millions the bankruptcy of capitalism and the need for real revolutionary change. It was all so predictable and inevitable. The only genuine socialist campaign in the 2020 elections is that of the Socialist Equality Party. Our campaign is based not on futile hopes of transforming the Democratic Party, of performing a form of political alchemy that has failed a hundred times before, but on the construction of a movement in the working class to prepare and lead the struggle for socialism in this era of revolution. For more information on the SEPs election campaign and to get involved, visit socialism2020.org. Community support continues to be everything, says company CEO Lisa Radcliffe and the mother of two children with adaptive needs. "Our series has engaged parents nationwide who are sharing stories and connecting with us and our guests. We all benefit from this collaborative dialogue. Contact: Robin Waxenberg, robin@robwax.com, 917-301-1350 PUNKINFUTZ OFFERS PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADAPTIVE NEEDS A SAFE HAVEN TO DISCUSS AND UNDERSTAND THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 New Week of Wednesdays at Noon on FACEBOOK: Inspiring Experts & Parent Advocates to Provide Best Protocols & Personal Experiences Additional Friday Sessions Have Been Added PunkinFutz, the award winning company that makes sensory play products for children with adaptive needs, is providing resources for parents to help navigate the unique challenges they now face with work and children at home and in light of the international COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout April it is hosting weekly Wednesdays at Noon FACEBOOK discussion on timely topics, recommendations and best practices. It has also added Fridays at Four, designed for parent and child, together. This weeks topic: Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, April 15, 2020 On-Line Occupational Therapy: Expert Advice for Making it Work Occupational therapist Camille Crayton, OTR/L will provide tips for supporting your childs occupational therapy needs while at home. Camille Crayton is a pediatric occupational therapist at a preschool in New York City, providing services for children ages 3-5. Camille is passionate about occupational therapy and committed to helping children meet their school related goals. 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, April 17, 2020 Preparing to Learn: How to Use Relaxation and Focus to Your Advantage Florencio Palomo is the Founder and Executive Director of "REACH swim academy," a learn-to-swim program that focuses on children of all abilities and needs located in the Bronx, NY. Florencio's career working with special needs children spans over 30 years, the last 25 in aquatics. Community support continues to be everything, says company founder and CEO Lisa Radcliffe, As the mother of two children with adaptive needs, I know how disruptive and overwhelming this is. Our series has engaged parents nationwide who are connecting with us, sharing their stories and seeking advice from our guests. We are so glad to be in contact with our community, offer valued insight and learn from each other. With uncertainty all around us, we all benefit from this collaborative dialogue. The virtual discussions include a broad range of timely topics, featuring parent advocates, educators, performing artists, occupational therapists, business leaders, health professionals and PunkinFutz staff, among others. Wednesdays at Noon conversations last 45 minutes, a shared lunchtime, starting with a structured discussion based upon the announced topic, then providing opportunity for audience participation and questions. Sign language interpretation is provided, either real-time or within 48 hours, depending on the interpreters availability. Fridays at Four also last 45 minutes and feature activities parents and children can do together, including cooking, circus and relaxation exercises. Please log onto: https://www.facebook.com/punkinfutz/ for each 45-minute session. Upcoming speakers, topics and dates are as follows: Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, April 22, 2020 Navigating the New Normal: Education Online Noreen Cavanaugh, a seventeen-year West Hartford (CT) Public Schools veteran and 12-year kindergarten teacher at Duffy Elementary will help parents chart the current online education landscape and address time management, establishing daily at home school schedules and addressing behavioral changes in light of virtual classroom considerations. 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, April 24, 2020 Creating Circus Routines At Home: Imaginative and Inspirational Play! Lisa B. Lewis, Director of Events and Community Programs at the Big Apple Circus and co-founder of Super Scientific Circus, will provide colorful, creative and self-expressive routines children and families can do at home. Get ready to stretch, move, balance, coordinate and relieve energy with recommendations coming straight from the Big Top! Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, April 29, 2020 Making Lemonade from Lemons: Its a Great Time to Start a New Business Two Sparrows Learning Systems launched April 2017 by husband and wife team, Jason and Nancy Morris. Two Sparrows offers product development services as well as a line of early learning educational products. Nancy is a former special education teacher now assistant professor in higher education. Jason is an engineer with over 20 years in product design and development. 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, May 1, 2020 Cooking with Culikid: Wacky Weekend Snacks Kelley Bligh, LMSW, Executive Director of Culikid will be leading us through adaptive snack-making. Culikid is dedicated to providing healthy culinary programs for individuals with special needs. Through cooking, Culikids helps participants strengthen their social, independence, and fine motor skills while learning to eat healthy. We continue to plan ahead and identify individuals who can bring unique and valuable content to each discussion. We are so appreciative of their knowledge and recommendations. And, with the start of our Friday sessions we will be offer even more opportunity for parents and children to participate together. With children home for the foreseeable future we all need an outlet for our creativity and energy, says Radcliffe. In addition to our on-line discussions, we have a list of free resources available on our website. All of our activities/curriculum are available for free download. Finally, once we are able to ship again from Brooklyn, we will offer new PunkinFutz product bundles at wholesale prices to support the needs of families whose lives have been affected. We want to do everything we can to support our community. About PunkinFutz: Launched in 2016, PunkinFutz uses universal design to create therapeutic play products for children with a broad range of physical, sensory, developmental and emotional needs. PunkinFutz products promote individual expression, creativity and imagination. All PunkinFutz original products are manufactured in the USA in supportive and adaptive workplaces using the highest quality materials and responsible sourcing. PunkinFutz has won eleven awards for its innovative products and is a member of the Toy Industry Association (TIA). Founder Lisa Radcliffe is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Council for Exceptional Children. All PunkinFutz products meet ASTM F963 standards. Gi Beum was trapped inside Deuk Goo's building after he searched the place where they found the trailers. Min Jung came in and Deuk Goo programmed him to fight with Gi Beum. It's harder for Gi Beum to leave the place since there are electric laser lights that can kill him. On his way out, he realized that Gi Beum acquired AI eyes that can recognize complicated passwords and could do many things. Gi Beum knocked Min Jung down. However, he couldn't get through the electric lasers. While thinking about what to do next, he sent the address to the headquarters to rescue civilians that were kidnapped by Deuk Goo's men. Geun Cheol assigned Mi Na and Gwang Cheol to take on the mission. Ye Won, at her mansion, thought hard how to beat Deuk Goo. She contacted Gi Beum to discuss matters and help her. Gi Beum asked Ye Won to see him in Deuk Goo's building to give her a view of Min Jung's unconscious body. Ye Won arrived and Gi Beum asked her to switch off the laser control on the wall so he could go out. He also pointed to Ye Won's attention to Min Jung lying on the floor unconscious. Meanwhile, Mi Na and Gwang Cheol reached the address that Gi Beum gave earlier. They managed to open the bars with taps with high voltage. Mi Na broke the lock of the cage and checked the men left unconscious. Gwang Cheol stepped inside and carried the other civilians. He rushed to go out and saved them but Mi Na tried to let him wait for Gi Beum instead. Then, Gwang Cheol stepped on another trap was set previously, which led to blowing the whole cage and killing the other civilian. Mi Na and Gwang Cheol felt guilty of what happened but Gi Beum told them to stop and focus on their task. Tae Woong slowly recovered from the operation of his new right arm. Gi Beum visited him and used his AI eyes to go on with his records. A flashback of Tae Woong's childhood memories with his older sister came up. She took care of Tae Woong when they lost their parents. Tae Woong's life changed when his sister died. It triggered his inner self and questioned how men kill innocent lives. He was one of the best men in Argos' defense. His older sister knew how dangerous Argos is, and she looked for ways to help her brother. His sister worked with the police to capture her brother and put him in jail for his safety. But the Argos men showed no mercy and killed his sister after she snitched to the cops their operations. They never exempt anyone who threatens them, not even Tae Woong. In the funeral, Tae Woong was beaten by Argos men. One man sliced his arms and was almost killed. Geun Cheol saved him from the killers and took him to Dr. Oh's hospital to help him fix his arm. They attached an artificial arm that functions more than what human strength can give. It started Tae Woong's loyalty to Rugal and Geun Cheol. Gi Beum found out that Ye Won killed her husband at the reservoir. She was not alone, it was Deuk Goo's guidance that made her pull the trigger. Gi Beum went to the reservoir with Bradley as Geun Cheol allowed him to use what his AI eyes offered more advanced data. Gi Beum searched the reservoir area and a nearby store that provides refreshments and service to learn or practice diving. As they further checked the place, Gi Beum found a man lying down experiencing weakness and in pain. Gi Beum looked at the man and recognized it was Chairman Deok. He survived after he suffered from Ye Won and Deuk Goo's hands. Gi Beum contacted Deuk Goo and asked him to meet at the reservoir. Deuk Goo went and saw Chairman Deok in a wheelchair. He was surprised though he was good at hiding it in sarcasm. He was about to hit Chairman Deok but they were fast. Bradley made a personalized poison they planned to inject into Deuk Goo's body. In tremendous pain, Deuk Goo stood up, Chairman Deok pulled his gun and shot Deuk Goo in the body. He was half breathing, but he tried to shout for Gi Beum to fight again. She's famed for her raucous interview style and always leaves her guests in hysterics. Yet Alison Hammond revealed one particular interview has stayed at the forefront of her mind as she recalled her very flirty exchange with Hugh Jackman. Discussing her standout moments during Tuesday's This Morning, the TV personality, 45, had plenty to choose from. Memories: Alison Hammond revealed one particular interview has stayed at the forefront of her mind as she recalled her very flirty exchange with Hugh Jackman Referring to her chat with Hollywood legend Hugh, 51, back in March 2017 she announced: 'My favourite interview is the interview I turned into a date. 'I think at one point he got a cocktail stick stuck in my tooth. I just love him, Hugh Jackman he's up there. 'Oh Hugh what a shame we can't be self-isolating together. Never mind, I look forward to the day this is all over, who knows maybe a walk by the beach hand-in-hand...' Hilarious: Discussing her standout moments during Tuesday's This Morning, the TV personality, 45, had plenty to choose from Yum: Alison's interview with Hugh caused hysterics at the time, as she unveiled a table with chocolates and champagne ahead of the chat, before the pair fed each other olives Alison's interview with Hugh caused hysterics at the time, as she unveiled a table with chocolates and champagne ahead of the chat, before the pair took turns feeding each other olives. Things took another flirty turn when Alison asked if he would reprise his role of Wolverine, to which he playfully replied: 'That's it. Unless you're my Storm' before he kissed her hand. Hugh went on to gush: 'You are without a doubt, over the years, the best person to interview me. 'I mean that. I always find it amazing. I'm not retiring by the way so we can have many more of these dates.' Gentleman: Alison also reflected on her interview with Tom Cruise back in July 2018, describing him as the 'perfect gentleman' Alison also reflected on her interview with Tom Cruise back in July 2018, describing him as the 'perfect gentleman'. She shared: 'I can remember this day because it was a day where I brought my son along, he really wanted to meet Tom Cruise.' Alison revealed that she had told her son Aiden, now 14, to 'sit outside' during the interview, but Tom insisted that he stay in and began chatting to the youngster. She recalled: 'Next thing I know I'm taking a picture with Tom Cruise and Aiden's taking photos, it was a really magical moment. Tom was a true gentleman.' Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed that the country has recorded 70 more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of persons with COVID-19 to 636. Per the GHS' latest update on its website, "as of 13th April 2020, at 23:00HRS, a total of 44,421 persons have been tested with 636 being positive for COVID-19." In the past two weeks since the institution of enhanced surveillance, restriction of movement and continuous public education to prevent the spread of cases of COVID-19. This has resulted in "intensive contact tracing and testing" leading to the recording of several cases. According to the GHS, the breakdown of the 636 positive cases are as follows: "seventeen (17) have been treated, reverted to negative on repeat tests and discharged, 605 cases have been categorised as mild disease and are on treatment, two (2) are categorized as moderate to severe cases, none in critical state currently and eight (8) have died." However, "of the 636 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 268 were reported from the routine surveillance, 253 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale. Regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions," the GHS said. 17 Recoveries Earlier on Tuesday, the GHS disclosed that seventeen (17) persons have fully recovered from the Coronavirus infection. "We have 17 persons who have recorded negatives and are obviously clinically cured," Dr. Patrick Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday. Medically, before a person is officially declared to have fully recovered from the virus, he/she has to test negative twice. Meanwhile, there are a further sixty-six (66) people who have also tested negative but are not included in the full recovery cases because they are yet to conduct a second test on them. The number of recovery cases will come to 83 after their results prove negative on second testing, hopefully. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cut off the state's surgeon general and walked him from a press briefing after he claimed that social distancing may need to continue for a year until a vaccine for coronavirus illness is developed. After his comments Monday, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees was approached by the spokeswoman and left the room. Gov. DeSantis was criticized for being slow to implement social distancing guidelines in the state because he was concerned about the effects on the economy. Florida, an outbreak hotspot, had more than 21,000 cases of coronavirus as of Tuesday evening and 524 deaths. Dr. Rivkees' comments came as the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged the nation to remain at home, stating that the positive effects of social distancing were being seen. Scroll down for video Gov. DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferre approached the surgeon general Dr. Scott A. Rivkees after his comments and he left the room with her. Social media users asked if it was because the governor wants to lift guidelines but Rickees' spokesperson said he had a meeting The removal was highlighted on social media with some questioning if it was as a direct result of his comments. The surgeon general's spokesperson said he had another meeting Cases in Florida have consistently increased by 1,000 new cases a day in the past week, a plateau in an outbreak that was seeing cases numbers double by the day in late March. 'We are at a plateau but we cannot emphasize enough that we cannot let our guard down at this present time,' Dr. Rivkees said Monday during a press briefing. 'Until we get a vaccine -- which is a while off -- this is going to be our new normal and we need to adapt and protect ourselves. 'As long as we're going to have COVID in the environment, and this is a tough virus, we're going to have to practice these measures so that we are all protected.' After he spoke, Rivkees was approached by DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferre and he left the room shortly afterward. The move was highlighted on social media with some questioning whether the surgeon general was removed because his comments were in conflict with the governor's desire to reopen. 'This is Florida's Surgeon General being removed from a #COVID19 briefing by @GovRonDeSantis staff right after saying we'll need to social distance until there is a vaccine,' wrote former Obama spokesperson Kevin Cate. Rivkees' spokesman, Alberto Moscoso, told the Tampa Bay Times that he left to attend a prescheduled meeting with DeSantis Deputy Chief of Staff, Adrian Lukis. The state's governor Ron DeSantis has been criticized for not acting sooner to implement a stay-at-home order. The 30-day order was only announced in the state on April 1. There are 21,019 coronavirus cases in Florida and there have been 499 fatalities. It has the 8th most cases in the United States, accounting for 3.57 percent of the national total. The state reported its most deadly day on Friday with 50 new deaths but the surgeon general says the number of news cases has hit a plateau. Florida's fatality is at 2.4 percent, lower than the national rate which is currently 4 percent. Cases in the state have doubled since April 3, with around 1,000 new cases being reported a day. The ticketing area is empty at Orlando Sanford International Airport. Florida surgeon general Dr. Scott A. Rivkees warned Monday that social distancing must continue Members of the Florida National Guard assist medical personnel at the COVID-19 drive-thru swab testing site. The state now has more than 21,000 coronavirus cases and 524 deaths As of Monday, 197,000 people in the state had been tested and 10.5 percent were positive for coronavirus. Of the 2,841 hospitalized, 650 have needed ventilators in the ICU. The state has 7,000 ventilators available. There have been no recovery cases so far. According to the model created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which is often cited by the White House, Florida is still 22 days from the peak of its deaths from the outbreak. The peak is expected to hit on May 6 when 128 daily deaths are projected. Orange County has been one of the hardest hit, where there are 1,024 cases and 13 deaths. Live wrestling resumed there on Monday evening, however, after being reclassed as an 'essential business'. Monday's taping of TV show Raw was filmed in the WWE Performance Center in Tampa, Florida, with no audience and just 'essential personnel' present. While WWE was not initially viewed as essential - like grocery stores and pharmacies - it has since been given the green light. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told reporters: 'I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. 'With some conversation with the governor's office regarding the governor's order, they were deemed an essential business and so therefore they were allowed to remain open.' Dr. Rivkees comments came as US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams said cases in hot spots like New York, New Jersey and New Orleans appeared be leveling off. Members of the Florida National Guard assist medical personnel at a COVID-19 drive-through swab testing sit on Monday as the state's coronavirus cases hit over 21,000 He said cases in California and Washington, which is where the US outbreak first took hold, appeared to be stable amid the pandemic. 'In the midst of tragedy, there IS hope,' Dr Adams tweeted on Monday. 'Social distancing and mitigation IS working. There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel, so keep at it.' Sweeping stay-at-home restrictions to curb the spread of the disease, in place for weeks in many areas of the country, have taken a painful toll on the economy, raising questions over how the country can sustain business closures and travel curbs. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis had been reluctant to issue a stay at home order in the state because of concerns of the effects on the economy and on residents' mental health. On Friday Surgeon General Jerome Adams was met with outrage by the black community for using phrases like 'abuela', 'big momma' and 'poppop', while pleading for minorities to not drink or smoke and follow the government's guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus . 'We need you to do this if not for yourself than for your abuela. Do it for your granddaddy, do it for your big momma, do it for your poppop,' the nation's top doctor said Friday at the daily coronavirus taskforce briefing - while also advising those groups to 'avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs.' Adams told Americans of color that they need to 'step up' to stop the spread of coronavirus, and said 'social ills' are likely a contributing factor when looking at the dire statistics that the outbreak has killed twice as many black and Latino people than white Americans. Members of the black community are calling out the Surgeon General for 'pandering' to them with his use of slang and also for his 'offensive' instruction that those specific communities to stop drinking and smoking during this pandemic. Adams was met with immediate push back for his comments later in the briefing when PBS NewsHour's Yamiche Alcindor asked him to respond to those who might have been offended by his colloquialisms. 'We need targeted outreach to the African-American community and I used the language that is used in my family,' Adams said. 'I have a Puerto Rican brother-in-law, I call my granddaddy 'granddaddy' I have relatives who call their grandparents big momma.' 'That was not meant to be offensive,' he added. 'That's the language that we use and I use and we need to continue to target our outreach to those communities.' Alcindor also pressed Adams on why he mentioned drugs and alcohol, when talking specifically about communities of color. 'All Americans need to avoid these substances at all times,' he said. As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 604,000 cases in the U.S. and there have been 25,289 deaths. Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn said Sunday the United States appears to be 'very close to its coronavirus peak'. 'The models do show that we are very close to the peak. So I think that information is accurate', the FDA commissioner said Sunday. Hahn said May 1 'is a target' in terms of lifting the nationwide lockdowns but also warned: 'This has been a really fast-moving outbreak, so we really have to take this day by day. I think the public safety and the welfare of the American people has to come first.' Graphs created by researchers from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics shows the country is two days away from its peak when 1,983 deaths are projected. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex reportedly had some very different plans for Archies first birthday but, given the coronavirus (COVID-19) recommendations to quarantine and practice social distancing, those plans had to change. Like many other people with birthday parties, weddings, and other events on their calendars, their celebrations arent shaking out the way anyone had hoped. Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor | Toby Melville Pool/Getty Images The Sussexes were rumored to celebrate Archies birthday in the UK It was believed that Prince Harry and Meghan would be returning to the UK for a visit soon and would celebrate Archies big day with family. Plans have changed, a source told E! News. The insider continued, I think the hope in royal circles had been that the Sussexes would return to the UK in May, either before or after their attendance at the Invictus Games in The Netherlands next month, and they were also due to attend the queens birthday parade, Trooping the Colour on June 13. But with both those events now canceled, and Harry and Meghan holed in California where they are likely to be social distancing for the next few weeks, Archie is set to celebrate his first birthday with only his parents, the source added. They hope to spend Archies birthday with Meghans mother Hopefully, the Sussexes will reunite with the royal family when things return to normal and the coronavirus pandemic is well behind everyone. The hope had been that Archies first birthday would somehow be marked with some members of the royal family, cousins, grandparents and some godparents in the UK when they were over in the UK, the insider shared. That would have meant some quality time with Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and their three children, but thats now been put on hold. If social distancing guidelines relax at some point, its believed that the Sussexes will possibly celebrate Archies birthday with Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles. Archies latest milestones were revealed Archies first birthday is May 6 and, as he approaches the celebration of his first year, new reports share his latest developmental milestones. I spoke to someone who had been sent a video of Archie a few weeks back. He said that he is super cute and a really, really happy little boy, royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET Online. Hes burbling and sort of desperate to talk, but certainly already mastered cruising and is well on his way to walking. He may even be walking already. I was told very cute, very, very happy, and very confident little boy. The Sussexes, she noted, are social distancing in a rented ocean-facing villa in Malibu and are believed to be working on their new organization, Archewell, the details of which they announced last week. This isnt a couple that like to sit still and do nothing. Im told theyre really quite busy. They are hard at work, Nicholl noted. I was told that the couple were not planning to release the new name of their foundation, Archewell, for a couple of weeks or certainly until the spotlight was not on the coronavirus pandemic. She continued, But they were pipped to the post by a British newspaper who managed to obtain documents that they had filed in the U.S. last month trademarking, copyrighting the name Archewell. They really felt that they didnt want a load of speculation out there. They want the focus to be on the coronavirus pandemic. They personally felt quite awkward that theyd been forced into making a statement about something they werent quite ready to share with the world. Pranab Mondal By Express News Service KOLKATA: An employee of Beleghata ID and BG Hospital, the state-run referral healthcare unit in Kolkata which is treating the maximum number of Covid-19 patients, was driven out of her village when she arrived there to pay a weekly visit to her mother and sister. The woman, who lost her father a decade ago, goes to her village every week as her mother and 15-year-old sister depend on her. After she was forced to leave, her mother and sister now fear ostracism by their neighbours. Chitra Mondal, the 24-year-old employee of the hospitals accounts department, travels to Ranaghat in Nadia, around 80 km from Kolkata, every weekend. I went to my village on last Saturday in a car provided by my hospital. As I was about to enter the village, a group of 100 odd villagers waylaid me. They said that I will not be allowed to visit my home. I tried to convince them I followed the guidelines of sanitising myself before leaving the hospital. But all my pleas fell into deaf ears, said Chitra. Mondal finally spent the night at a relatives house in nearby Ranaghat town. My mother and sister are fearing ostracism by the villagers. No one is interacting with them. I fear what will happen of they are not allowed to procure essential items from the grocery shops at the village, said Chitra. Deputy chief of local Noapara-Mushundi gram panchayat Nabin Chandra Mondal said he had visited the village after coming to know the interception. Many villagers are visiting my house and saying they will not allow her to stay at home. When I visited the village, I tried to make the villagers understand. Some of them were convinced, but majority of the villagers are not ready to allow Chitra to spend weekends at her home, said the deputy chief. Kyle Sandilands' girlfriend has escaped conviction for slapping a policewoman while high on cocaine. Tegan Kynaston, 34, was found to have suffered 'a history of mental health issues' when she assaulted the female police officer in the execution of her duty last year. The incident occurred after police were called to intervene in a dispute between Kynaston and Sandilands, who had been driving his $350,000 Bentley on Beach Road at Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, about 7am on Saturday, December 7. During a hearing on Tuesday, Waverley Local Court magistrate Allison Hawkins found Kynaston needs the 'support of medical professionals to keep her on the right track', and to deal with the matter under Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act. She also said it was 'unlikely' Kynaston would ever return before the court. Kynaston wiped tears from her eyes as Magistrate Hawkins detailed her mental health battles and how she was at 'crisis point' when she attacked the officer. Kyle Sandilands' girlfriend Tegan Kynaston has escaped conviction after pleading guilty to assaulting police in Bondi last December. Waverley Local Court heard on Tuesday she had a 'history' of mental health issues and was at 'crisis' point when she slapped the officer The incident occurred after police were called to intervene in a dispute between Kynaston and Sandilands (pictured) on Beach Road at Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, about 7am on Saturday, December 7 During her appearance in January, the court heard Kynaston had taken three grams of cocaine and was threatening self-harm in the hours before she attacked the policewoman. She had also bombarded KIIS FM radio star Sandilands with a flurry of disturbing text messages including 'I hate u' and 'I have no hope'. In agreeing to deal with the matter under the mental health act, Magistrate Hawkins said that despite appearing to live a high-flying life as personal assistant to Sydney's biggest radio star, Kynaston was battling serious inner demons. 'One cannot always see beyond the exterior, to the issues an individual is facing,' Ms Hawkins said. 'I accept Kynaston is facing genuine issues and I am also very conscious of the fact that the further exposure of those issues in the public could hurt her further.' Kynaston's solicitor Greg Goold told the court his client had delivered an apology letter to Constable Davina Goonewardene - the policewoman she assaulted - over the Easter long weekend. Character references from Kynaston's mother Claire and brother David were also handed to Magistrate Hawkins. One cannot always see beyond the exterior, to the issues an individual is facing... Magistrate Allison Hawkins on Tegan Kynaston's mental health issues Mr Goold said Kynaston was regularly seeing mental health specialists, with three providing reports for Tuesday's hearing. 'Considering the mental state that she was experiencing at the time, the interaction with the police officer was at a very low level,' he told the court. 'This is not one of those matters where you just resort to a section 32 application... there is clearly a history (of mental health issues).' Kynaston's solicitor Greg Goold (left) told Waverley Local Court that his client had apologised to the constable she assaulted, and also handed up character reference letters from her mother Claire and brother David During a hearing on Tuesday, Waverley Local Court magistrate Allison Hawkins found Kynaston needs 'support of medical professionals to keep her on the right track', and to deal with the matter under Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act Magistrate Hawkins said Kynaston was battling serious demons despite appearing to live the high life as the girlfriend of Sydney's biggest radio star After reading the psychiatrist reports, Magistrate Hawkins said she was reluctant to read the details out in court, concerned it would 'do more harm' to Kynaston. 'The material does clearly set out the context of how this all came about, but as I said I'm not inclined to read on the court record some of the intricacies of Kynaston's past, as I am of the view that it could in fact exacerbate some of her mental health issues,' Magistrate Hawkins said. 'She really does need the assistance and support of medical professionals to keep her on the right track.' Agreed police facts state police were called to Beach Road, Bondi, at 7am on Saturday, December 7, 2019, after a dispute between Kynaston and Sandilands. Sandilands had reportedly asked a bystander to call Triple Zero after an altercation with Kynaston and when police arrived she assaulted the female officer. Kynaston was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital for a mental health evaluation. Kynaston, who was previously Sandilands' personal assistant, was served with a court summons the next evening at her Bondi home. Responding police spoke to 'all parties at the location including the accused and her 48-year-old partner Kyle Sandilands', the facts state. Officers also spoke to the accused's mother, who was at the scene. Police then read a series of text messages on Sandilands' phone which had been sent at 4.39am. Court facts detailed a series of messages Tegan Kynaston sent Kyle Sandilands at 4.39am before the public incident at Bondi in December Sandilands and Kynaston are pictured leaving Cairns after holidaying with her mother and stepfather days after she was arrested in Bondi Among the messages were: 'U are a coward' 'You are the worst', 'I leave me', 'And that's when you're guilt' and 'I hate u'. Other texts included 'You were my life line', 'Now you leave me again and again' 'I can't take it', 'So it's on you', 'I have tried my hardest', and 'I have no hope'. The police facts said: 'Due to these text messages, the accused's mental health history and her erratic behaviour at the scene, police have called an ambulance for a Section 22 mental health assessment.' When an ambulance arrived Kynaston resisted leaving her mother's car until she had a cigarette and could call her lawyer. Kynaston was told she was being detained for a mental health assessment and would be physically escorted to the ambulance. While this was occurring Constable Goonewardene's body camera fell to the ground but continued recording. 'Once inside the ambulance Constable Goonewardene has let go of the accused's left arm so she could sit on the ambulance seat for assessment,' the facts state. Kynaston wiped away tears as Magistrate Hawkins spoke of her length mental health history Court facts detailed how when an ambulance arrived, Kynaston resisted leaving her mother's car until she had a cigarette and could call her lawyer. She assaulted the constable about 8.15 to 8.30am, as two other officers looked on Kynaston (right), 34, and Sandilands (left), 48, have been dating since last year but initially denied the rumours when approached by Daily Mail Australia Kynaston (pictured) was already on a bond for possessing cocaine after being caught with about half a gram of the drug outside a Surry Hills pub in March 2018, but that matter was not dealt with again 'The accused has then turned around and hit Constable Goonewardene on the front of her head with an open palm, causing immediate pain.' The assault was witnessed by two ambulance officers. The offence occurred between 8.15am and 8.30am, more than an hour after police first arrived. Kynaston was handcuffed and restrained on a stretcher then taken to Prince of Wales Hospital. 'Whilst in the ambulance the accused has informed the ambulance officer that she had consumed three grams of cocaine during the night,' the facts state. 'Whilst waiting for hospital staff the accused has asked to speak to Constable Goonewardene, where she has stated: "I am sorry for hitting you, I just took all my anger out on you". Kynaston was already on a bond for possessing cocaine after being caught with about half a gram of the drug outside a Surry Hills pub in March 2018. Kynaston is reported to have been dating Sandilands for several months but initially denied being in a relationship with the KIIS FM breakfast host. The communications director for Sandilands' company King Kyle Pty Ltd was seen in a dispute with Sandilands on Beach Road at Bondi on the morning of Saturday, December 7. She pleaded guilty to the assault charge during a court appearance in January (pictured) Kynaston was successful in having the matter dealt with under the Mental Health Act, meaning she escaped without a criminal conviction Kyle unexpectedly announced his split from long-term girlfriend Imogen Anthony (pictured) 28, live on The Kyle & Jackie O Show in November after eight years together Having insisted for weeks they were just friends and colleagues, Kynaston eventually shared a picture of her kissing Sandilands on the cheek in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve. In their initial statement about the incident, a New South Wales Police spokesperson said officers arrived in Beach Road on December 7 to find a 'woman who was visibly distressed', along with a man who was driving a car. 'While speaking with the woman it will be alleged in court she assaulted one of the officers before being taken to hospital for a mental health assessment,' the spokesperson said. 'The man was spoken to by police and left the area soon after.' A spokesman for King Kyle said at the time the company would not be commenting on the matter. 'There have been reports of an incident that occurred in Bondi this morning,' the spokesman said. 'As this is now a police matter and out of respect and concern for those affected, we're unable to comment.' Days later Kynaston and Sandilands were pictured on holiday in Cairns with her mother and stepfather. Kynaston denied in November she was dating her employer. 'I know that's kind of been said, but it's completely not true,' she told Daily Mail Australia. About the same time Sandilands' manager Bruno Bouchet described rumours of romance between Kynaston and his client as hurtful 'fabricated garbage'. The radio star announced his split from girlfriend of eight years, 28-year-old Imogen Anthony, live on The Kyle & Jackie O Show on November 5. 'We haven't been with each other for quite a few months now,' Sandilands said. 'Unfortunately it's run its course.' For 24/7 confidential support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 In a rare act of bipartisanship, Queensland's Labor Premier has lauded Prime Minister Scott Morrison's leadership during the coronavirus crisis. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said previous meetings between state leaders and the Prime Minister "just become people talking at each other" but during the crisis the teamwork was "phenomenal". "What we have seen at the national level [is] unprecedented co-operation and decision-making," she said. "I want to commend the way in which the Prime Minister is chairing the meetings, he is doing an outstanding job bringing all of the states together and listening. Australia will endure its largest economic hit since the onset of the Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund has warned, with unemployment to remain high for at least two more years in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Releasing forecasts for the global economy overnight, the IMF predicts the Australian economy will contract by 6.7 per cent this year, or almost $130 billion. It would be the single largest hit since 1930 when the economy is estimated to have contracted by 9.5 per cent as the Great Depression set in. While the fund believes the economy will grow by 6.1 per cent in 2021, it would still leave Australian GDP smaller than it was at the end of 2019. Of the world's 20 largest economies, Australia's performance is forecast to be among the bottom third with countries such as the United States (minus 5.9 per cent), Britain (minus 6.5 per cent) and South Korea (minus 1.2 per cent) all tipped to do better. Local governments in China have introduced their plans to implement a 2.5-day weekend to stimulate consumption amid an economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Citizens visit a park on weekend in Zhengzhou, Henan province. (Photo/Xinhua) On March 19, east Chinas Jiangxi province took the lead in trying this flexible work schedule in the second quarter, encouraging government officials and ordinary workers alike to go on vacations during the weekends. Authorities in east Chinas Zhejiang province, north Chinas Hebei province and Longnan city in northwest Chinas Gansu province, followed suit and proposed to try out a 2.5-day weekend. Such moves have raised heated discussions on Chinese social media. Experts noted that the 2.5-day weekend plan is a special policy for local governments to promote economic recovery, especially the tourism industry. An estimate by the China Tourism Academy shows that domestic tourist arrivals are expected to decrease during the first quarter and the full year of 2020 by 56 percent and 15.5 percent respectively, while domestic tourist revenue will shrink by respectively 69 percent and 20.6 percent. The number of days off work will contribute to residents tourism spending, said Wang Qiyan, director of Chinas Leisure Economy Research Center under the Renmin University of China, adding that a longer weekend will help unleash consumption potential and relieve pressure on businesses. Shen Jianfeng, director of the Law School of the China University of Labor Relations, echoed Wangs remarks by saying, The 2.5-day weekend plan is aimed at boosting tourism and leisure, letting workers share the benefits of economic and social development. This flexible work schedule may put pressure on enterprises or workers may face pay cuts, Shen noted, adding that not all workers and companies are willing to implement it, while also pointing out that a flexible plan should be based on the negotiation between employers and employees. Compared to the 2.5-day weekend, some looked forward to thorough implementation of the paid leave system. In some companies, even paid leave is unfeasible, said Zhao Zhong, a researcher with the National Academy of Development and Strategy under the Renmin University of China. For now, what we just have to do is implement the existing vacation system, including paid leave, the usual two-day weekend, and public holidays, Shen noted. Zhang Guangrui, honorary director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also said that conditions should be created to implement the paid leave system so that people become more willing to go on vacations. Youve likely noticed many grocery workers now wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves and face masks, and have hand sanitizer within reach. Its comforting to know stores have taken precautions for everyones safety. Now imagine you are in a long-term care facility or require home care, and the workers do not have access to adequate PPE. This is the reality for many of the estimated 100,000 personal support workers (PSWs) in Ontario. PSWs are a critical part of the health system. They often criss-cross a region to care for the ill and elderly, assisting with key activities important for our health: washing, dressing, eating, and taking medication. They also work extensively in long-term care and other health facilities, in close contact with people at high risk from COVID-19. Because of their efforts, hospitals are able to discharge patients to the community, freeing up acute care beds for others. However, PSWs are chronically undervalued as front-line health workers. They often cope with precarious and dangerous work conditions. Many PSWs receive schedules with little notice, receive inadequate hours, and struggle to make ends meet given their low pay. We have been engaged in a community-based participatory research project to examine the working conditions of PSWs and the impact on their health. Last week, when we met (virtually), a dozen PSWs shared their mounting frustration and fear around their inadequate protection against COVID-19. Understaffing means they care for more and more patients in a single shift. While workers at large retailers are receiving hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic, PSWs are not. Perhaps the biggest concern was inadequate PPE. Access to adequate PPE for health workers is crucial to our collective efforts to reduce the spread of this virus. While most of the attention has been on physicians and nurses accessing PPEs, PSWs work daily in high risk settings without the PPE they need. As of April 7, there were 58 outbreaks in long-term care homes in Ontario. Of the 827 related COVID cases, 42 per cent were amongst staff. Although the current evidence suggests a person infected with COVID is likely contagious before they are symptomatic, provincial officials continue to recommend that PSWs in long-term care only need PPE once an outbreak is declared. During this outbreak, B.C. has been an exemplar, in terms of clear communications, implementing physical distancing quickly, and expanding testing for COVID. B.C. has also made the link between work conditions for PSWs and the spread of this virus in long-term care. The province took over as employer for all long-term care workers for the next six months, hiring all staff at full-time and paid everyone the same wages as those in collective agreements, making it possible to ensure workers are at just one facility at a time. Ontario continues to hold back on implementing such changes. The treatment of PSWs a largely female and racialized workforce is part of a bigger pattern of discrimination faced by women and visible minorities. In Ontario, racialized women make significantly less than other demographic groups. COVID-19 has led many of us to realize that workers often perceived as low-skilled are actually fundamental to keeping our society functioning, from grocery store cashiers, to cleaners, to PSWs. They deserve better recognition as a key part of our health system, worthy of respect and the job security afforded to others. Wrexham households urged to remain vigilant over coronavirus scams This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 14th, 2020 Residents are being urged to remain vigilant following reports of criminals who are exploiting fears about Covid-19 and targeting and vulnerable people who are isolated from family and friends. Wrexhams Trading Standards officers are supporting National Trading Standards as they warn people to remain vigilant following a rise in coronavirus-related scams that seek to benefit from the publics concern and uncertainty over the virus. In a statement the chief executive and leader of Wrexham Council urged residents to be extra cautious of scams. Ian Bancroft and councillor Mark Pritchard, said: We have examples locally of just how active scammers are and we thank our Trading Standards officers for their continued vigilance in tracking them down and also to you for alerting friends and relatives of the dangers scammers pose to us all. Please continue to take extra care if you receive any unexpected emails, phone calls or even anyone knocking your door with offers of help. Genuine callers will be able to provide identification and if you are in any doubts please take the advice of friends and family before you hand over your bank details, cash or any personal information. The following advice has also been issued on how to remain scam aware during these uncertain times:- Be scam aware of people offering or selling: Virus testing kits these are only offered by the NHS Vaccines or miracle cures there is currently no vaccine or cure Overpriced or fake goods to protect yourself from Coronavirus such as anti-bacterial products Shopping or medication collection services only use people you trust Home cleaning services Protect yourself and others from scams:- Dont be rushed into making a decision, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is Only purchase goods from legitimate retailers and take a moment to think before parting with money or personal information Dont assume everyone is genuine. Its okay to reject, refuse or ignore any such requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you If someone claims to represent a charity, ask them for ID. Be suspicious of requests for money up front. If someone attempts to pressurise you into accepting a service theyre unlikely to be genuine. Check with family and friends before accepting offers of help if you are unsure. For advice on scams call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on: English: 0808 223 1133. Welsh: 0808 223 1144 To report a scam call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Contact your bank if you think you have been scammed. Add CoolSocial badge. Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Netdigitizing.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 28 Apr 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Add a widget like this on your site: click here The total number of people who shared the netdigitizing homepage on StumbleUpon. 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A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND A lot of barriers are getting in the way of many Latinos who participate in the United States census. Some of these barriers include the mistrust of government, fright, poverty, and misunderstanding the manner of noting racial identity. This crisis in the COVID-19 pandemic has added one more challenge now that different community groups are not able to meet face-to-face to deal with the questions referring to the census. For several, Minnesota's community groups had been reaching out to the Latino community of the state to ensure every person is counted or included in the 2020 census. However, they are now spinning their initiatives to virtual spaces hoping to guarantee "an accurate count of the Latino Minnesotans. Specifically, there are approximately 300,000 Hispanics in Minnesota, although this figure, according to the report, could still be higher if everyone, in this difficult-to-count populace, participates in the 2020 census. Initiatives Through Phone Calls and Social Media This is the same reason, Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) project manager, Camilla Mercado Michelli, is spending her days receiving phone calls about the census and assisting people in filling out their forms. Every so often, Mercado Michelli "goes onto Facebook Live" to provide a presentation. Relatively, Minnesota, the community leader said, "could lose a position seat in the US House" if this year's census shows its total population is not keeping pace with the states that grow much faster. She also told her virtual watchers that this is a critical reason for everyone to participate. Still, according to Mercado Michelli, the Census outreach activities that were held before the COVID-19 outbreak had the main objective of helping the Latinos in Minnesota understand the essentiality of the count. Meanwhile, she's moving her initiatives to digital or electronic outreach and has seen the same level of involvement as some people continue to have more questions about the forms sent them through the mail. Some Remain Hesitant Despite CLUES' strong efforts through the leadership of Mercado Michelli, there are still some Latinos who remain hesitant, especially that President Donald Trump's administration proposed to add a question about citizenship in this year's census. It may not be the final form yet, but Living Word Christian Center pastor, Hugo Bellido, couldn't help but express his concern about it. Another concern raised is that there are members of the community who want to know if the information that they are sharing with officials is secure. As an answer, Patricia Perez, the immigration lawyer said, all information shared is protected and that there are a lot of people who are legally in Minnesota but are not citizens (green card holders or those on student visas). They are included in the count, just the same. The lawyer added that just because one is not a citizen, does not mean he or she does not have status. Despite this, apprehensions about deportation are also lingering, and people have started to routinely ask how they'd know if someone who's knocking on their door is from the U.S. Census Bureau or a Homeland Security officer. In connection to this, the Bureau announced it adjusted the operation plans this year because of the pandemic. However, as of this writing, it is still planning to deploy census takers in May and is currently promoting the questionnaire via Spanish-language web pages, videos, and other related materials. Check these out! Click here to read the full article. Editors note: Like much of the world, Madrid is currently engaged in social distancing practices and self-isolation. That includes the citys most celebrated filmmaker, Pedro Almodovar, who been writing essays documenting his experiences and the memories that have come up as a result. This is the first installment, provided to IndieWire by the filmmaker and translated into English by Mar Diestro-Dopido. For reasons that will soon be obvious, this essay was written prior to Easter Sunday. Recommendations More from IndieWire These last few days Ive woken up lacking energy. It seems the confinement will stay in place for several more weeks. The novelty feeling of the first few days, where one would experience new sensations, has already disappeared. I suppose that is one of the dangers, to give yourself to routine as one day follows another, and so on. I start writing with no faith and no direction, with the slight hope that this exercise helps me flee from melancholy and sadness, or at least that passive sadness that reduces you to the most comfortable corner of the sofa. Today I feel like the house absorbs all of my energy, it sucks me dry like a vampire, and leaves me too exhausted to face up to day and night. I always have reading and DVDs. Ive abandoned writing my scripts for now, Im letting them rest. Fictions also need a rest, it is a natural way of letting them settle so they can mature. Yesterday I got my day sorted with the collection of stories Las Biuty Queens (The Biuty Queens) by Ivan Monalisa Ojeda. It sounds like a book about transvestites and trans people, and thats what it is, but its not only that. Monalisa is Chilean and in these stories he narrates the day to day, or rather, the night to night, of a group of Latin-American trans people and transvestites who work the streets, prostituting themselves in bars and in little recommended back alleys in New York City. The American dream seen from the height of a good pair of heels which turns into a nightmare instead, an everyday nightmare. For these biuty queens, violent death comes with the territory. The stories could be very sordid, but Ivan Monalisa has the talent to endow his characters with vitality and grace, he tells you about their misery as something inevitable, with humor and without turning them into victims. They are stories about survival in the face of Trumps migration policies, with characters who skirt all urban dangers with humour and a lot of solidarity amongst them. They share drugs, pimps, beauty awards, syndromes and delirium, but they are a very close-knit community. Story continues They remind me of my mothers neighbors, when she went to live back in her hometown during her last years. The neighbors took care of her much better than we would have. The solidarity and care amongst the neighbour widows who lived in my mothers street is one of the most beautiful things I remember of my hometown. It is not strange that Julieta Serrano told her son that she didnt want him to include her neighbors in his films. Neighbors are sacred, in the full meaning of that word. Theyre not similar, but Las biuty reminds me of my book of stories about Patty Diphusa they show very different human landscapes and social surroundings. Mine is all hedonist fiction, and the stories in Las biuty queens radiate realism in every sentence. I recommend both, if you have nothing better to do. I assure you itll be fun and light. But speaking of Latin Americans, victims of Trumps laws on migration, I must recommend you a gorgeous and thrilling book. Desierto sonoro/Lost Children Archive, by the Mexican Valeria Luiselli. It is the opposite of the other two books; it isnt a light read, but I have been moved by its originality and the beauty of its prose. In addition to the story being told, its like a road movie about a married couple of sound documentarists who go around recording sounds, and who take a trip from New York to Arizona accompanied by their small children. I dont want to spoil the plot. With the desert and the motels as background, their marriage is crumbling. He is looking for the tracks left by the last Apache group to surrender to American military power, and she wants to document the groups of children who cross the desert and arrive at the countrys southern border looking for asylum. The collapse of the documentarists marriage, together with the way their children understand the stories they hear from them, all crystallises in an innovative novel, with a beautiful style and narrative. The New York Times included this book in its 20 best of the year. Without getting them mixed up, as each of them have their own moment during the day or at night, I am also finishing Almudena Grandes latest novel. Grandes is a writer and beacon of light for all of us who want to know about our current history and therefore where we come from; those very important details that the Official History in capital letters tends to obscure from us. This time, the writer travels to the 50s. Grandes novels are very generous when creating secondary characters and subplots, which, after all, are as important as the main plots and protagonists, hence creating an exhaustive tableau vivant of the historical and social moment at hand. As I was saying, amongst other subjects, Almudena talks about psychiatry in 50s Spain; a moment in time when our country wanted to extol its more civilized and normal side. The reality was, naturally, very different. Aside from the pleasure of reading a great novel where you can identify with the author and the protagonists, Im especially interested in the subject of child psychiatry in the 40s and 50s; in fact, I have taken a copious amount of notes to put together a possible script for a film I wont make about the subject. Almudena Grandes provides the reader with a lot of documentation in her novel, and reading it has reminded me of my own about the subject, and has provoked in me the desire to develop it, now that I have time to grant myself literary treats. In her novel La madre de Frankenstein/Frankensteins Mother, the author tracks a real case that happened in Madrid in 1933. Dona Aurora Rodriguez Carballeira killed her 18-year-old daughter Hildegart with four gunshots to the head. Up to that point the young woman had been her mothers pride, but as she was growing up Hildegart started having ideas and plans of her own, and her mother couldnt stand it; according to her own confession, she had to kill her because of that. The experts report prior to the trial declared Aurora to be a complete paranoiac and a supporter of eugenics. When she explained, with a complete lack of emotion, the reasons why she killed her daughter, Dona Aurora said, according to the words in the novel, I killed her in order to save her. I made her and I have destroyed her, it was my prerogative, my right Hildegart was my work and she didnt come out right. Eugenics is a criminal ideology whose adherents believe they have the right to eliminate part of the population by killing them or preventing them from reproducing. I recommend Almudena Grandes novel as the best antidote for the tedium and worry of these days. The murderer spends the rest of her life in an asylum and the novel revolves around the psychiatrists, boyfriends, girlfriends, family members, nurses, nuns, and the other mad women. As well as recommending it, Almudena Grandes novel, as Ive already mentioned, has made me remember a treatment I wrote a few years back, inspired by an article I read in a newspaper, In search of the red gene, by Rodolfo Serrano. Right now I should be rewriting the draft for A Manual For Cleaning Women and/or The Human Voice, and yet I betray myself as I succumb to another story I have to delve for in the depths of my computer, also inspired by this article. As Ive already mentioned, the text speaks about another eugenicist, someone who, like Dona Aurora, also existed, a Spanish psychiatrist from the Francoist regime, who, during the last years of the 30s and the beginning of the post-war era, carried out studies and experiments in order to figure out what the red gene consisted of; i.e. what psychic or physical malformations motivated a man or a woman to embrace Marxism as an ideology. Yes. You are reading correctly. Aside from the revolution that this would have brought to pass in the world of psychiatry, the Francoist psychiatrist aimed to eradicate the illness in the carriers, the reds, who were then filling up the prisons. Since I read the article, I have been wanting to develop this story about the Spanish psychiatrist whose research aimed to find the red gene in the form of a scientific fiction, but I had never found the right tone, because the reality as told is so horrific that it proves difficult to be ironic about it; and, on the other hand, in 2020, it is impossible to deal with the subject matter and the character without using the distancing that humor allows. Theres a lot of documentation available because the whole issue is dealt with in detail, under the generic title Biopsychism of Marxist Fanaticism, in the science journals of the time, in the Revista espanola de medicina y cirugia de Guerra [Spanish Journal of War Medicine and Surgery], for example. After the discovery of such mind-boggling material, I invented a number of fictional characters and deliberately set aside the real ones, in order to focus on the scientific adventure and make that prevail. The psychiatrists family and colleagues will be invented based on the types in Spanish society at the time. At that moment, I was thinking of a neorealist story but when I tried to develop the treatment I found myself incapable of doing it. After these years of hibernation, I think Ive found the appropriate tone for this material, the comic. The Francoist psychiatrist is the typical Mad Doctor who investigates the Marxist gene and is prepared to sacrifice everyone who has it. Eugenesis. That type of character I can only address from the standpoint of total fiction, with a style that is the furthest from naturalism. Heres my job for the Easter break. Needless to say that this psychiatrist had a name, but I have no intention of using it so I dont hurt his family, and thus I can write it with freedom. And to wrap up in style and cheerfully, here are a few film recommendations that will obliterate any trace of melancholy, boredom or tedium this week, sure to be one of the most difficult. They are extraordinary U.S. comedies in general, screwball comedies, crazy comedies, a genre the Americans are dab hands at. Here they are: Monkey Business (Howard Hawks) Philadelphia Stories (George Cukor) Midnight (Mitchell Leisen. Guillermo Cabrera Infante, cinephile and critic, as well as an exquisite writer, told me that this is his favorite comedy ever) To Be or Not to Be (Ernst Lubitsch) The Front Page (Billy Wilder. Theres also an earlier version, His Girl Friday with Rosalind Russell, equally hilarious) Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder) Rich and Famous (George Cukor) I Was a Male War Bride (Howard Hawks) A Star Is Born (George Cukors version with Judy Garland; its a drama, but so monumental that I would recommend it under any circumstances) Design for Living (Ernst Lubitsch, based on the delightful play by Noel Coward with a script by Ben Hecht) And Casa Flora (Ramon Fernandez with Lola Flores; I dont know if its a good or bad film, but if I had to describe it Id say its a Dadaist comedy, except its way more insane than that. And it is always a source of happiness to see and hear Lola Flores sporting a 70s look.) With this set of battery-charging gems, all you need to do is stay at home, walk up and down the corridors between films, speak to friends, family members and lovers on the phone and Skype, in order to enjoy a wonderful Easter break without religious processions, saetas [sacred songs] or mantillas. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. His wife snapped some pictures from the parking lot, and his uncle posted it online. Next thing they knew, it went viral. "It's been such a blessing because she's getting a lot of calls from family all around the country, Charley Adams says. The way I look at it, it's a little bright spot in the world." Emotions through the window In Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, Shelton Mahala, 87, got all choked up when his 21-year-old granddaughter, Carly Boyd, showed up at his window to announce her engagement. The staff of Premier Living & Rehab Center let Boyd come around the building to his first-floor window to bring him the news. "I pointed to my ring, and I was like, Look, I'm engaged! And he was like, Oh, well, when's the wedding? says Boyd, who explained that the ceremony was probably more than a year off. "I told him that and he got a little sad, and he was like, Well, I hope that I'm going to be able to make it, she says. And that's when I got a little emotional because I was thinking, you know, he doesn't understand this whole virus thing. "He doesn't understand why he's inside and why I can't come and see him, Boyd says. So, that's when I put my hand on the window, and he put his there, and I was like, Listen, everything is going to be OK. This will all blow over, and I'll be able to come inside and see you soon. And we both cried, and I told him I loved him, and he told me he loved me." Blantyre, Malawi Dozens of health workers in Malawis commercial capital, Blantyre, have staged a sit-in to protest against working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, including a critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to treat patients. Footage circulating on social media on Tuesday showed doctors and nurses in uniforms outside the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital carrying placards with slogans such as We are not going on suicide mission and Should my family suffer because of my calling? The action came despite the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives asking its members on Monday to return to work following a brief strike over the weekend. The organisation said the government had provided assurances to resolve their grievances, which include demands for PPE and risk allowance of 70 percent of their basic salary. Government response Malawi has, so far, 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus, mostly from individuals who arrived in the country from India, United Kingdom and elsewhere. Two deaths associated with COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, have been registered to date. Recently, some cases of infection were traced to Malawians who travelled from South Africa mostly using irregular routes raising fears the actual infection figures could be higher. Last month, President Peter Mutharika declared the coronavirus pandemic a national disaster and announced containment measures including the closure of schools and a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people. Foreign nationals from countries affected by coronavirus have been banned from entering the country. Returning Malawians from these countries are being subjected to self or institutional quarantine. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 4,600 people who have entered the country are under surveillance. Mutharika has also established a special cabinet committee on COVID-19 to oversee a cross-government response to the threat posed by the disease. Meanwhile, doctors in public hospitals have reported severe shortages of PPE, including face shields, full-body suits, goggles, high filter masks and water-repellent long sleeve gowns. Their demands also include hiring more doctors, an increase in risk allowance and transportation arrangements amid reports of some health workers being prevented from using public transport over transmission fears. Most of our public hospitals are lacking protective wear, and most of our front-line staff are exposed to the risk of contracting the virus, said Collins Mitambo, president of the Medical Doctors Union of Malawi. He warned PPEs available in public hospitals would only last for a week, while for Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital have finished. Weve engaged the chairperson of the [special cabinet COVID-19] committee, but we havent received any official response. The ministry, however, says it will address our grievances within two weeks, Mitambo said. As a union, we feel like we dont have much time. We request the government to expedite the process of procuring the equipment and recruiting of the workers. Otherwise, we wont allow our members to work in that kind of environment. Health Minister Jappie Mhango told Al Jazeera on Monday that the government has enough equipment available to keep us going for a while, adding that additional gear was being distributed as were talking right now. The president has also made it clear that their allowances will be revised upward. All these things are being addressed, and they should be resolved by the end of this week, Mhango said. The situation is still unfolding, he added. As government and country, were putting in place strict measures to curb the spread. Still, a doctor at a major public hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, said she and her colleagues are scared to go to work or touch patients. It is not fair enough for us to be working without PPEs. We have families to protect, and this is not the time to lose health workers. This is the time we should be holding on to them, the doctor said. If these things are not addressed, we will stay at home and protect our families just like everyone else is doing. The Jammu and Kashmir government has revoked the application of the Public Safety Act (PSA) to 70 people being held in jails within and outside the Union Territory, paving the way for their release against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis. Two dozen prisoners held under the PSA, a majority of them political detainees, have already been released from Srinagars Central Jail and Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu. Other prisoners are set to be released soon from jails in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after the government issued orders to revoke the application of PSA against them, people familiar with developments said on Tuesday. Under the provisions of PSA, people can be held without charge for up to two years. The law was invoked against several politicians after the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmirs special status last year. The decision to revoke the application of PSA against the prisoners, most of them from different parts of the Kashmir Valley, was made after the Centre gave its nod to a proposal from the Jammu and Kashmir government. The order for the revocation was then issued by the union territorys home affairs department, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. Leaders of mainstream political parties and civil society groups have made several appeals to the Central government to release detained people, especially those held ahead of the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution last August. The director general (prisons), VK Singh, said the release of the prisoners is an ongoing process. The prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir and jails outside are being released, it a continuous process, he said. Hindustan Times has reviewed more than a dozen PSA revocation orders for people from several districts of Kashmir. The orders were issued in the past two days for many people currently held in jails outside the Union Territory. The Jammu and Kashmir government is making arrangements to bring the released prisoners back to the Kashmir Valley, especially after the nationwide lockdown was extended till May 3 on Tuesday. The people said the released prisoners are expected to be either given special passes for travel or provided vehicles. Data scientists said Monday that Virginias policies to halt commerce and close schools, churches, beaches and parks have worked to keep fewer people from becoming severely ill and dying from COVID-19 but if those restrictions are lifted too soon, cases will shoot up quickly and overwhelm hospitals. Researchers from the Biocomplexity Institute at the University of Virginia presented their findings during a media briefing organized by the governors office to talk about modeling. Their scenarios looked at what would have happened without social distancing, and what might happen if those practices are stopped at the end of April or in mid-June. Even in the best case, with restrictions beginning to lift in mid-June, the number of cases would nearly double by months end and overwhelm hospital systems in July and August. We really think the way we have shown the peaks, they are never going to happen. People always adapt to the ground reality, so the peaks should be just viewed as a mathematical possibility, Madhav Marathe, division director, said. Our belief is that this is used to guide how the interventions are going to be put in place, constantly controlling the trajectory of this epidemic. Virginia Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dan Carey said the modeling shows how well social distancing is working in Virginia to limit the number of cases, and to limit the numbers of those who become so ill that they need to be in the hospital, and in intensive care units and on ventilators. Thats as bad as it could be, but were never going to let it get there. We have to figure out how we allow our businesses to open up but also keep our residents safe, Carey said. Carey said the state could look at testing people for antibodies, taking their temperature and using data to trace contacts for infected people. Several universities are modeling COVID-19, using data collected around the United States and the globe. Virginia has looked to UVa to model the state using data from each of Virginias counties and independent cities. Professor Bryan Lewis said the model incorporates travel data and looks at how people interact with each other close to home and across the states, and is similar to models the data scientists have used to track Ebola, Zika and seasonal flu. The model assumes that every person with the virus infects at least two people during the days before they know they are ill and isolate. It also figures that every confirmed case in Virginia represents seven infections, since testing is limited and half of people dont exhibit symptoms, he said. As of Monday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 5,747 confirmed cases. Lewis said there are three ways to project the growth in new cases. The first is unmitigated, in which no policies are enacted to slow the spread. He likened this to flooring a cars gas pedal. The second is slow growth, with some social distancing, which keeps pressure on the pedal to accelerate but not as recklessly. And the third is pause growth, with new cases coming at about the same rate each day, sort of like driving with cruise control. Virginia has been in the pause mode since mid-March, when policies enacted to keep people at home contributed to a sharp decrease in the growth rate, he said. The researchers then looked to see what might happen to each of those rates if Virginia lifted restrictions at the end of April or in mid-June. With the best scenario of businesses slowly reopening in June, the number of new cases would begin to accelerate from the current rate of about 4,000 a week to 7,800 in the last week of the month. By mid-July, hospitals in Northern Virginia would have thousands more patients than they can treat. The surge would hit the Roanoke and New River valleys about a month later, with about twice as many hospital patients than capacity. In the unmitigated model, Virginia could expect 25,000 new cases this week, which would double the following week and rise to more than 200,000 new cases in mid-May. Under slow growth, Virginia could expect 8,500 new cases this week, with the number continuing to rise with more than 85,000 new cases in the first week of June. With the pause growth, the model projects about 2,600 new cases this week, with the number climbing more slowly to about 4,000 new cases the first week of June. Carey said the models show that Virginia has enough capacity under current growth rates, and that policies and tools will be developed to avoid a second or third wave of infections. We definitely need to develop a different tool kit besides opening everything up, or open it halfway, he said. There are a variety of tools, some of which havent been developed yet, that we need to develop in June, July and August to make sure we do this in a nuanced way. 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. Gordon Ramsay welcomed his son Oscar last April, over 17 years after his fourth child was born. But the 53-year-old celebrity wished he hadn't been there for the occasion, after not being in the birthing suit for his other four children. While his wife Tana, 45, had previously banned him from the delivery room for the past four births, she eventually gave in to his pleas to see Oscar born. 'I'm not good at that stuff': Speaking Women's Weekly, Gordon Ramsay revealed why he wishes he wasn't in the birthing suite for the arrival of his filth child, son Oscar. Both pictured Despite his notoriously angry demeanour, Gordon told Women's Weekly he had fainted for the first time in his life, just as the nurse was attempting to hand him his newborn son. 'I'm not good at that stuff. I know my strengths and that was my weakness,' Gordon said. Gordon and his wife, cookbook author Tana Ramsay, 45, married in 1996. Little Oscar joined the couple's children, Megan, 22, twins Holly and Jack, 20, and Matilda, 18. Oops! Gordon told the magazine this week, that he had fainted for the first time in his life, just as the nurse was attempting to hand him his newborn son. 'I'm not good at that stuff. I know my strengths and that was my weakness,' Gordon said. Pictured with Oscar Bleep! Gordon revealed in January that his son Oscar has taken after his foul-mouthed father and joked that he already swears It comes after the Masterchef judge told Perth Now in January his son Oscar has spoke his first words during a recent meal - and they were colourful indeed. 'He did his first solids, but he spat them out within three seconds,' Gordon told the paper. 'And I think the words that came out of his mouth was 'f***ing disgusting!'" he added comically. Pass the baby! Gordon and his wife, cookbook author Tana Ramsay, 45, (left) married in 1996. Little Oscar joined the couple's children, Megan, 22, twins Holly and Jack, 20, and Matilda, 18 Gordon is known for his liberal use of swear words, and on Tuesday's episode of MasterChef Australia he let loose. The chef blew up at contestants Ben Milbourne and Chris Badenoch over the way they were handling their pork dish. 'Ben, why in the f**k is he slicing the pork, when it goes dry in a heartbeat? Stop slicing the pork!' he raged. Netflix Indias latest caption this contest has got the most creative and relatable side out of the netizens. A picture of Kajol, in which she is squinting her eyes is going viral on social media and the captions to it will surely make you laugh. Taking to the microblogging site Twitter, Netflix India shared a still from multi-starrer film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The clip is from a scene from Kajol and Shah Rukh Khans house London. It is at this moment that Anjali (Kajols character) is dealing with Mrs Sprightly, who comes to drop her child at their place. In the image, Kajol can be seen clad in a light pink saree and is squinting her eyes suspiciously. The tweet went viral with over 7,000 likes and over 2,100 replies. Netizens captions ranged from how their mom looks at them to some lockdown humour. A user dragged Netflix itself in this by captioning it as, Indians watching Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan (@DDNational) Le @NetflixIndia*" Indians watching Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan (@DDNational) Le @NetflixIndia * Yashi Goel (@monsterous__me) April 11, 2020 Now that the country has been in lockdown since March 25, this lockdown caption does not seem unreal. A person said, When you saw your neighbor stepping out of house during lockdown. 'When you saw your neighbor stepping out of house during lockdown.' Madhav (@madhav__agarwal) April 11, 2020 Another person who captioned the still on the lockdown theme wrote, When I see the neighbours jogging, roaming & playing with their kids out on the streets during the #lockdown" When I see the neighbours jogging, roaming & playing with their kids out on the streets during the #lockdown https://t.co/7Prxj6O1dc Chethana (@Tall_Dreams) April 12, 2020 This contest couldnt have concluded without a caption on the lines of some sibling humour. When your sibling is surprisingly being extra nice for no reason, said one of the users who replied on the post. When I see the neighbours jogging, roaming & playing with their kids out on the streets during the #lockdown https://t.co/7Prxj6O1dc Chethana (@Tall_Dreams) April 12, 2020 Some other interesting captions included: Indian moms when they see you smiling while talking on the phone SwatKat (@swatic12) April 11, 2020 The ways aunties look at us now if we go out. Just like old times. H (@h_lt18) April 11, 2020 When your mum see you smiling while chatting on mobile. d (@cherrypieecake) April 11, 2020 My mom when she hears some breaking noise from the kitchen Madhu (@arian_earthling) April 11, 2020 Some 45,000 to be freed until end of May, but politicians, journalists, critics jailed after 2016 coup not included. Turkeys parliament on Tuesday passed a law to allow tens of thousands of prisoners to be released to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the countrys overcrowded prisons, but the exclusion of those jailed on terrorism charges in the crackdown following the 2016 coup drew criticism. President Recep Tayyip Erdogans AK Party and nationalist MHP allies supported the bill, which was passed with 279 votes for and 51 votes against, deputy parliament speaker Sureyya Sadi Bilgic said. The law will open the way for the temporary release of about 45,000 prisoners to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Those eligible will be released under judicial control until the end of May and the Justice Ministry will be able to extend the period twice by a maximum of two months each time, according to the law. A similar number would be released permanently under a separate part of the legislation aimed at reducing overcrowding in prisons. Journalists, politicians jailed Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Monday there were 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among prisoners, including three deaths. He said 79 prison personnel had also tested positive, along with a total of 80 judges and prosecutors, as well as staff from the judiciary and forensic science officers. The law has been criticised by opposition parties for excluding those jailed on terrorism charges, which include journalists and politicians swept up in a crackdown following a coup attempt in 2016. In the ensuing crackdown, the number of prisoners has risen to nearly 300,000 the second-largest prison population in Europe and the continents most overcrowded prison system as of January 2019, according to data from the Council of Europe. About 50,000 people convicted or jailed pending trial on terrorism charges are excluded, according to an opposition parliamentarian. Turan Aydogan, from the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), said the law should have been designed to protect freedom of thought. You lock up whoever criticises. We tried to find a solution here but you are neutral, he said, addressing AK Party and MHP members in parliament. The independence of Turkeys 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. Two people familiar with Obama's video say it is intended as more than a simple endorsement of his friend and former vice president. His message is designed to address this particular moment in America and around the world, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Obama also spoke directly to progressives, praising the spirit of their movement before outlining why he believes they should embrace Biden's candidacy. The former president also offered full-throated praise of Sanders and noted what his candidacy has meant for the pursuit of liberal ideals. "Bernie's an American original a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to working people's hopes, dreams, and frustrations. He and I haven't always agreed on everything, but we've always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society," Obama says. Obama in November said he had spoken to all of the candidates during the campaign, often giving them advice both before they announced their bid and after they dropped out. Advisers to the former president said his advice was often the same: Consider why you believe you should be president, what impact it will have on your family and whether you can actually win. New Delhi: Mumbai Police on Tuesday (April 14) night detained one Vinay Dubey from Navi Mumbai over messages on his social media accounts which reportedly contributed to the gathering of a large number of migrant workers in suburban Bandra in the afternoon. The man was apprehended from Airoli in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday night. After handing him over to the Mumbai police, Vinay Dubey will be in the custody of the Azad Maidan police, where the process of registering an offence against him was going on, an official told PTI. Dubey had allegedly uploaded a video of his own social media account in which he had demanded the Maharashtra government make travel arrangements for migrants, who are stranded due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown and want to go back to their native places. He also tweeted about the issue and called for a national-level protest if trains are not arranged till April 18 to ferry migrants workers to their native places, the official said. The police suspect his social media messages contributed to the protest by more than 1,000 migrant workers, most of them from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, near suburban Bandra railway station. They were demanding that the state government make transport arrangements so that they can go back to their native towns and villages. Earlier in the day at 10 o'clock, the Prime Minister's announcement was made to extend the lockdown till May 3, but after six hours, thousands gathered in a city like Mumbai. Notably, the highest number of coronavirus cases are in Maharashtra, and Mumbai has already lost over 100 lives due to coronavirus and has several COVID-19 hotspots. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over gathering in Bandra. He said that such events would weaken the country's fight against the coronavirus. Offering his full support to the Maharashtra government, Shah said the state administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden thanked Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders' endorsement to be the party's candidate for the US Presidential elections scheduled to take place in November this year. Sanders joined Biden in a virtual campaign on Monday evening (local time) and announced that he will be backing the former Vice President. READ: Bernie Sanders Finally Backs Joe Biden As Democrat Nominee To Battle Trump In US Elections Biden rallies Democrats In a tweet after the rally, he posted a tweet captioned 'UNITY' and addressing supporters of Sanders, he stated that he sees them, hears them, and understands the urgency amongst the citizens to end President Trump's tenure in the White House. read: New York Governor Says 'worst Is Over', Joins Forces With Northeastern States To Reopen Economy During the virtual campaign, Sanders said, "I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse. After endorsing Biden, Sanders said that he will be backing the former in every way he can in order to limit President Trump to just one term of the White House. Sanders added that the two have had issues over which they differ but agreed on the fact that they will fight together on a number of issues to win the elections. Sanders ended his campaign five days ago on April 8 after the primary votes swung towards Biden in South Carolina. READ: 'China Will Find Out': Donald Trump Implies Coronavirus Consequences; Won't Be Precise Biden, 77, has already made some overtures to progressives by embracing aspects of Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warrens policies. The day after Sanders exited the race, Biden came out in support of lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 while pledging to cancel student debt for many low- and middle-income borrowers. Hes also previously embraced Warrens bankruptcy reform plan. READ: President Trump Bats For Re-opening The Country In A 'successful Manner' Staqu Launched AI-powered thermal camera for Covid-19 detection The Gurgaon-based start-up Staqu launched a new thermal camera under its video analytics platform, JARVIS. The latest technology will alert the system of anyone with a body temperature of above 37 C and examines heat signatures directly through the cameras, enabling authorities to identify and further inspect suspected virus carriers. The camera has a range of up to 100 meters and can identify multiple people at the same time. The technology is functional and effective in scanning crowded places like airports, railway stations, and malls, among others. Covid-19 pandemic has shoved a big spanner in the operations of businesses across industries. While the government is tracking the COVID-19 cases in the country and is planning to increase the lockdown across the country, there are these five digital start-ups that have come up with the new solution to deal with it.The Government has launched a WhatsApp chatbot to help address queries around the Coronavirus outbreak. The chatbot MyGov Corona Helpdesk has been developed and implemented by Haptik, an AI platform. The data that is being shared is verified from the Ministry of Health. The chatbot is equipped to resolve FAQs pertaining to the novel coronavirus. This includes necessary precautionary measures, symptoms, correct and incorrect facts, helpline numbers, affected cases in the region, government advisories (including travel), informational videos, among others. This is to curb the spread of fake news on WhatsApp. Aiisma The App comes with AiiHealth A Coronavirus tracking feature The marketplaces location sharing and health mapping features can be used for effective contact tracing, which has been the strongest aid in fighting COVID-19 so far. The insights gathered by the Aiisma ecosystem naturally create a digital fence against the COVID-19 spread, supporting citizens and authorities in the fight against the virus. In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Aiisma has also expedited the release of its health mapping feature for individuals, to manually share and monitor health insights. Increased use of the app will enable authorities with pro-active responses, due to sudden variations in the data pool. It also intends to release a trigger function for authorities to send anonymous alerts to any Aiisma users who might have come in contact with any positive tested carrier. Zoomcar Succoring essential service providers Indias self-drive mobility platform, Zoomcar, has stepped up to ease the emergency transportation woes faced during the lockdown period. While Zoomcar grounded its fleet in accordance with the governments shutdown order, the company is utilizing select vehicles to ensure emergency mobility for the frontline workforce, including bankers, healthcare professionals, and delivery executives. Zoomcar has partnered with various organizations that are considered essential in this lockdown period to ensure their employees are provided a safe commuting option. The service ensures these partnering organizations are able to lower the barriers for essential personnel to come in and serve the critical day to day and emergency needs of the citizens. Trell Doctors becoming influencers to educate Indians on Covid-19 Trell is a community-based platform that enables lifestyle discovery through user-generated original content in regional Indian languages. Trell caters to the entertainment needs of Indias vernacular consumers. The companys USP lies in offering specially curated content by the doctors who are educating Trell users about coronavirus. The apps user-base is predominantly from tier-II and tier-III cities. Ondo State has recorded its third case of coronavirus, officials have confirmed. The Nigeria Centre for Disease control (NCDC) announced 20 newly cases on Monday night, listed Ondo as having three. According to NCDC, the 20 cases have the distribution as Lagos,13; Edo, 2; Kano, 2; Ogun, 2; and Ondo, 1. The new cases bring the new national figure to 343; 91 have been discharged with 10 deaths. This figure is as reported in a total of 19 states across the country. More than a week ago, Ondos index case, a military officer, was said to have brought the virus from India. He has since been isolated and undergoing treatment. The state COVID-19 team immediately isolated 11 persons including the immediate family of index case and conducted test on them. The state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, confirmed on his verified Twitter handle on Monday that the recent case who works at the medical facility at the Owena military cantonment, got the virus from the index case. READ ALSO: The Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, has also confirmed the development, saying the third case got the virus while caring for the first case. The third positive case in Ondo is a Medical Doctor; he is a Youth Corp member attached to the Army Clinic at the Barracks and had attended to the first index case while he was under observation, Mr Ojogo said. Mr. Governor will tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon, address the people of the state on further details in respect of this case and provide deeper insights. The second confirmed case in the state is an airport staff in Lagos who came into Ondo State last week and was found to have carried the virus from his base in Lagos to Ijoka, a community at the suburb of Akure, the Ondo State capital. He was immediately isolated and his immediate family and other contacts quarantined in line with the NCDC protocol. The stay-at-home order is still in force in the state, but compliance has been a major problem as many people are still in breach. A haematology doctor from a hospital in Wales told the WSWS, It is utter negligence and lack of commitment not to supply PPE [personal protective equipment] at least to the front-line NHS staff, wasting about three months since the outbreak of COVID-19. No one is wasting PPE in the hospitals, so [Health Secretary Matt] Hancocks accusation against NHS workers is really evil. He is trying to hide his inability to supply enough PPE and put the responsibility onto innocent NHS workers. Another doctor from Wales, who works as a pathologist, responded angrily to Home Secretary Priti Patels refusal to apologise for the overwhelming lack of PPE equipment, She narrowed it down to an unprecedented event of COVID although the pandemic was predicted months ago by the World Health Organisation. This type of pandemic was predicted by Exercise Cygnus in 2016. Is it worth clapping the NHS without ensuring the safety of NHS frontline workers? Isnt it criminal to ask the NHS workers to go to the frontline without proper protective armour? These are the questions asked by NHS workers in my hospital. A senior health care assistant told the WSWS his ward had been converted to a Red Ward, for COVID-19 patients only. I think Hancock is blaming health workers for misusing PPE to cover for the limited PPE resources. Hes saying theres enough PPE to go around. There isnt because weve had to scale down due to a national shortage. If there was plenty, he wouldnt have to raise its misuse, which is a lie, we are not misusing it! We are having to scale down our PPE. The blue protective gowns are going to be replaced by basic white aprons. We were told blue were unnecessary and were told at the same time that there was a national shortage. I asked what was driving the policy, that it was no longer necessarywas it cost? Weve got a stash of blue gowns, smuggled to us by a kindly housekeeper, but cleaning staff are refusing to go on the ward without blue aprons. Its creating an atmospheresome of us are saying we do personal care and are in close proximity with patients, you cleaners arent. If we all had a good supply this wouldnt happen. Theres already squabbles taking place between health workers and cleaners etc over ita fight over limited gowns mainly. There should be enough gowns for everyone. My polite response is, Hancocks a criminalas is [Prime Minister Boris] Johnson and his government. As for [Home Secretary] Priti Patel, shes raising the unprecedented nature of the pandemic as an excuse for the pressure on the NHS regarding PPE, but they knew about a possible pandemic in advance and ran this exercise Cygnus, which showed massive failings and inability for the NHS to cope well in this situation, but they did nothing. I agree with what the leader of the RCN [Royal College of Nursing] said when Hancock spoke of precious resources meaning PPE and she raised the point that the precious resources were the staff, human life. I know she said it for her own political reasons, but it was correct. I totally oppose this governments response. Herd immunity was the eugenics approach and was criminal. I do not believe a word any of them say. This pandemic cannot be fought, let alone beaten under capitalism. Its just the new normal. A microbiologist from a London hospital told the WSWS that liberal amounts of PPE should be supplied to staff, so that they feel safe and enthusiastic to work. Further, their mentality will be improved. Otherwise, they will become discouraged and frightened to work. Matt Hancocks and Priti Patels remarks will definitely discourage NHS workers and dishearten them further. I wonder why the government is so conservative about the utility of PPE? he continued. Over the last three months, they could have supplied massive amounts of PPE if they really wanted to. Always, the government officials ask people to protect the NHS but they are the ones who destroy it, at present and historically. Ideally, no NHS worker would be killed, if they were given proper protective PPE. A doctor from Birmingham told the WSWS about his experiences at the Dudley Hospital, between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Outside of London, Birmingham is at the epicentre of the UK outbreak in the Midlands. Hospital policy changed no to yes [180 degrees] from April 3 about PPE usage, after the death of two nurses in UK, he explained. We have been given proper kit, including N95 (FFP-3) face masks and after-fit tests. By this time, many HCWs [hospital health care workers] would have contracted the disease in the hospital. But there are still no separate kits given to see different patients. I deplore the conservative policy regarding PPE. Before the [current] supply of PPE, some doctors did not go near patients to draw blood, for fear of getting COVID, even with surgical masks. There is no accepted programme for protecting NHS workers from COVID, even though the BBC says every half hourly, Protect the NHS. Staff and family members are now tested for the virus if they have had fever, since there are staff shortages. The policy was totally against testing staff 10 days ago. The doctor explained how patients chances of recovery are being jeopardised because of delays in treatment, Most patients get admitted at the last moment, due to the advice given by 111 [NHS first stop helpline]. They advise a patient to get admitted (ring emergency 999) if he/she cannot complete a sentence due to respiratory distress, which is very rough guide to respiratory failure. Earlier admissions would enable doctors to save them. If the prime minister was admitted to hospital on this criterion, the outcome would have been disastrous. I think this crude guide could be the reason for the higher death rates in ITU [intensive care unit] patients, which is roughly 50 percent. Some patients in the wards, who have a DNACPR [do not resuscitate] in situ, can complete a sentence easily even if the oxygen saturation is considerably low. The above inhumane guidance and policies are the product of hospitals being overwhelmed, due to the governments herd immunity policy causing huge delays in carrying out lockdowns and school closures. A staff nurse for the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital NHS Trust sent in the following comments to WSWS: During the course of my work I am asked to care for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Although I consider myself to be fit and healthy, I am nevertheless concerned about the possibility of becoming unwell and even losing my life as a result of contracting the virus at work. I am proud to be a nurse and I wish to support my community by offering my service as a caring professional in the fight against this pandemic. In order to do this well, I must feel confident that I am protecting myself as best I can against contracting the virus while working. I have been fit tested for the FFP-3 mask which is the most effective mask to avoid becoming infected as it has a filter that stops you inhaling COVID-19 droplets in the air and is very tight fitting. Wearing an FFP-3 mask, goggles or visor, full surgical gown, gloves and hair net is the gold standard for protective equipment when caring for patients with COVID-19. Unfortunately, in light of a global scarcity of PPE, the WHO and Public Health England have made a dangerous distinction between protective equipment recommended for AGPs [aerosol generating procedures] and non-AGPs when caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. AGPs are procedures such as intubation, providing high-flow oxygen therapies and suctioning of the respiratory tract. Although it is undoubtedly true that undertaking AGPs poses a greater risk of becoming infected, this should not negate the risk posed by undertaking non-AGPs without wearing sufficient protective equipment. At present, the guidelines dictate that nurses and doctors caring for confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients should do so wearing only a flimsy, loosely fitting surgical mask, basic plastic apron, gloves and eye protection, unless they are performing an AGP. This is wholly inadequate and is too much of a risk to ask health care professionals to take. Just because you are not performing an AGP when caring for a COVID patient does not mean there is no possibility of them coughing or sneezing droplets in the air while you are in close proximity with them. While wearing a simple surgical mask with gaps between it and your face, the risk of droplets being inhaled is very real. If we become infected, how many colleagues and patients will we in turn put at risk before we exhibit symptoms? With constant reminders in the news every day of health care professionals dying as a result of coronavirus, is it not reasonable to demand access to the safest PPE at all times when caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients? The Nigerian government has come under criticism on social media over the process it is using in distributing palliatives to vulnerable persons, particularly the conditional cash transfer programme. According to President Muhammadu Buhari, these initiatives have been intensified to cushion the economic impact of the lockdown arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry of humanitarian affairs earlier announced that it had begun the distribution of N20,000 each to the households captured in the National Social Register (NSR). Nigerians, however, said there was no accountability and transparency in the process of distribution. The criticism became more intense on Monday night after President Buhari declared an extension of the 14-day lockdown on Ogun, Lagos and FCT to curb the spread of coronavirus In the country. Many Nigerians took to social media with hashtag, #payusviaBVN, to demand the government pay every Nigerian via their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN). Nigerians also cited other countries such as Namibia and Canada, where the governments have started transferring money directly into citizens bank accounts. The Hong Kong government in February announced it would pay residents over the age of 18, 10,000 Hong Kong dollars, as part of measures aimed at reducing the financial crisis of nationals. The U.S. Senate last month also finalised a $2 trillion economic stabilisation plan to help workers and businesses in the country. READ ALSO: Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has also unveiled an $82 billion aid package to help Canadians and businesses, including direct income support. The BVN is a biometric identification system implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria, initiated during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, in 2014 to curb illegal banking transactions in Nigeria. According to 2019 data, the Nigerian Interbank Settlement Scheme said about 38.5 million bank accounts have been linked to the BVN scheme. The federal government should mine from these data by accessing persons who cannot sustain themselves during the lockdown, Segun Sowunmi, a spokesperson to the opposition party, PDP said on Channels TV. The president during his second nationwide broadcast on COVID-19 appealed to Nigerians that his administration is aware of the hardship following the lockdown. He said despite these realities, we must not change the restrictions. He also explained that no country can afford the full impact of a sustained restriction of movement on its economy. No country can afford the full impact of a sustained restriction of movement on its economy. I am fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage such as traders, day workers, artisans and manual workers, he said. He directed the addition of one million households to the National Social Register (NSR) up from 2.6 million households to cushion the effect of the impact of the coronavirus. Nigerians not impressed However, the NSR, a world bank assisted scheme, has come under criticism by Nigerians. Many Nigerians want the government to identify the vulnerable members of the population benefiting from the palliatives and the process used for the selection and distribution. The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Farouq, in a statement on Tuesday, said the ministry had begun improving the process. The ministry had earlier said it has distributed the first tranche of N5 billion. But many Nigerians have taken to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction. Advertisements https://twitter.com/Babatov_/status/1249930977369116672?s=19 You think Buhari's government does not know that paying via bvn is the easiest and most transparent way they can pay us? They know. Their only problem is that with this method, adequate accounts can be kept about their expenses and they won't be able to steal much. #payusviaBVN DR.PENKING (@drpenking) April 14, 2020 Use our BVN not our PHONE NUMBERs, no hungry person will practice personal hygiene!! -CREDIT NIGERIANS (BVN) -FOOD BANK -ELECTRICITY -SECURITY -WATER #TachaSaidIt #payusviaBVN #LagosUnrest TACHA (@Symply_Tacha) April 14, 2020 BVN is basically to address identity theft. According to NISS, 38.5 million accounts has BVN identity as at 2019 which means theres a database If Namibia is said to pay their citizens reliefs for COVID19 through their bank accounts, why cant the Nigerian govt #PayusviaBVN? Series Abiodun (@Engr_Series) April 14, 2020 https://twitter.com/TeekayOfLag/status/1249927317519863808?s=19 Dear Federal Govt, Nigerians enter another crucial 2wks of survival, battling against all odds to combat #COVID19 & rising threats on the streets. They need crucial intervention. They need palliatives. They need cash however small Yes you can #payusviaBVN Thank u for listening AURACOOL (@TWEETORACLE) April 14, 2020 We are improving process- Minister The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Farouq, said the ministry had begun the digitisation of the cash transfers and other programmes under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). The minister said this was to enhance transparency and accountability in onward disbursement of funds. Ms Farouq, while addressing members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, also disclosed that the ministry has resolved to henceforth hand over relief materials for the vulnerable persons across the country to state governors for distribution. According to her, the decision followed complaints and controversies surrounding the distribution of cash to the beneficiaries under the NSIP. Going forward, we have decided that we are going to be handing over food relief to the governors for onward distribution to the poor and vulnerable in their states. We have started already. I was in Lagos and Ogun States last week and I handed over trucks of relief items to the governors. So far, we have reached out to the three affected states that have been locked down by the Federal Government, including the FCT. We have also sent food relief to Imo and Ebonyi States, Ms Farouq said. She also explained that the N20,000 payment followed the presidential directives to pay the beneficiaries two months advances. The N20,000 covers four months stipends for the beneficiaries from January to April, she added. More Innovations The minister said she hoped to cover half of the states of the federation in the next tranche of payment with the use of mobile wallets and the BVNs in future. We give them N5,000 per month and now that Mr President has directed that we give two months advance, this is why we are giving them N20,000. We agree that the process looks very cumbersome and for the purpose of accountability and transparency, the ministry has begun the digitalisation of this process. We have four pilot states that are on digital payment so far and we are continuing with that. We hope that in the next payment, we will be able to do half of the states of the federation. We are also using phones, mobile wallets and the BVNs of the beneficiaries where it exists because it is not all the beneficiaries that are on the banking system, she said. The official also added that, we are working on the rapid expansion of the register. It is not a day job, but we have started the process. Our main focus now will be on the urban-poor because these are people who have become vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown. We will also be focusing on Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs). Though we have some of them currently in our register, we will focus more on registering the people with special needs. The company has set up initiatives around more than 50 renewable energy projects to help local communities combat the pandemic Houston, TX, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) has announced a commitment of $300,000 to help communities around the companys wind farms and solar parks cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The funds are being allocated to local nonprofit organizations focused on serving residents in more than 50 communities where EDPR NA has a project in operation, under construction, or in development throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. EDP Renewables number one priority is the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we have projects, said Miguel Prado, EDPR NA CEO. Our long-term presence and strong relationships in the rural communities hosting our projects gives us a unique opportunity to aid the most-effective organizations in areas that are often the last to get the resources and support they need. In order to determine where to target funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, EDPR NA consulted local staff members and residents around its renewable energy projects. Many communities where EDPR NA operates do not have local healthcare facilities so the majority of the funding will be contributed to local food banks and organizations that provide economic security for families affected by COVID-19. The company is also listening to local stakeholders and directing funds to the organizations that need resources the most, including those providing healthcare or other vital services in response to the pandemic. With workers getting laid off, students losing access to free lunch programs, and elderly populations being quarantined and unable to purchase groceries, the need for food and economic security is felt in all communities, explained Prado. While nobody knows for sure how long COVID-19 will be in the communities where EDPR NA has projects, we do know that the economic impact of the pandemic is already being felt and will likely persist for months as the ramifications of social distancing ripple through our economy. As EDPR NA considers ourselves members of these communities, we want to help in this time of need. Story continues EDPR NAs wind farms and solar parks continue to operate, providing a vital power supply to homes, hospitals, grocery stores, and other businesses during the pandemic. In addition to the $300,000 in social investments around project communities, the company is also launching an employee matching gift campaign at its corporate offices as well as providing training and materials for employees to create face masks. The $300,000 commitment in North America is part of a global effort for the company. EDPR NAs parent company, EDP Renewables (EDPR), a leader in the renewable energy sector and one of the worlds top wind energy producers and present in 14 countries, announced on Tuesday, April 7, that it will donate a total of 750,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts. This contribution by EDP Renewables is part of more than 5 million distributed throughout the world by EDP Group, the principal shareholder of EDP Renewables. EDPRs aid will be dispersed in 12 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Romania) and will include donations to food banks, purchases of healthcare equipment, medical devices, and rapid testing kits, and the facilitation of online learning and digital educational materials. Each market carried out a study of its needs to ensure the most effective use of this aid. About EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA) and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms and solar parks throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 52 wind farms, eight solar parks, and eight regional and development offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 7,300 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 7,000 MW of renewable energy projects. EDPR NA is owned by EDP Renovaveis, S.A. (EDPR). For more information, visit www.edprnorthamerica.com. About EDP Renewables (EDPR) EDP Renewables (EDPR.NX) is a global leader in the renewable energy sector and the worlds fourth-largest wind energy producer. With a sound development pipeline, first class assets and market-leading operating capacity, EDPR has undergone exceptional development in recent years and is currently present in 14 international markets (Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the UK and the US). For further information, visit www.edpr.com. Blair Matocha, Senior Manager Communications EDP Renewables 713-356-2415 blair.matocha@edpr.com BEIJING - China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the epicenter of Wuhan, where it has all but declared victory in the battle against the pandemic. The frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units rushed to the area to prevent travellers from bringing the virus back from overseas. The virus originated in China, which is now striving to keep it out while the U.S. and other countries struggle to bring their own epidemics under control. The long, porous border of sprawling Heilongjiang province and neighbouring Inner Mongolia has much less travel than major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But it is a popular alternative route into the country. Many Chinese live and work in Russia, where China has major investments encouraged by warm ties between Beijing and Moscow. By Monday night, a field hospital was operating in the city of Suifenhe along the Russian border, equipped with a negative pressure lab to diagnose new cases. Staffed by 22 experts from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it will conduct nucleic acid tests and other forms of research to aid in virus control and prevention, allowing the city to test up to 1,000 cases per day, according to the China CDC. Suifenhe, a city of just under 70,000 that is frozen-in for much of the year, has at least 243 imported COVID-19 cases out of nearly 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases, according to official figures. More than 100 people in the area have tested positive for the virus but showed no symptoms. Recent arrivals from Russia account for nearly half of Chinas imported cases. We are facing a truly grave situation in the northeast as represented by Suifenhe, National Health Commission expert Wang Bin said Monday at a news conference. Up to now our medical resources in the area have just not been sufficient. China CDC said the field hospital has been supplied with negative pressure tents, nucleic acid extractors, virus detection kits, throat swab sampling tubes and thermal cyclers used to enhance segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction. Suifenhe is roughly 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) northeast of Beijing. Its markets, selling warm clothing, cellphones and daily items, usually do a thriving business with Russian visitors starved for choice on their side of the border. That trade has gone quiet in recent weeks, dimming prospects for a sparsely populated region whose residents have been migrating to major cities seeking jobs and better living standards. Russia requires 14-day quarantines for all travellers arriving in Primorsky Krai and its regional capital Pogranichny, across the border. It has closed hotels to visitors and is requiring travellers to have a pass showing they are not carrying the virus. Russia closed its land border to travellers from China in January. On the Chinese side, quarantines have been extended to a full month for people arriving by air in Suifenhe and in Heilongjiangs capital, Harbin. All land border crossings were halted last week. The Chinese Consulate again strongly reminds Chinese citizens not to summarily make trips to the border region, the consulate in the nearby Russian city of Vladivostok said in a notice posted Monday. As Wuhan and other regions get back to business, Chinese authorities say they will remain vigilant against a second wave of infections, particularly from those arriving from outside the country. New cases of local infection in China have fallen to near zero after more than two months of strict travel bans and social distancing measures, officials say. Of 89 cases reported on Tuesday, all but three were detected in people arriving from abroad. It wasnt immediately clear if any came from Russia. No new deaths were reported in the country on Tuesday, suggesting the outbreak is running its course. Last week, authorities lifted a 76-day quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year, an indication that the worst may have passed. China had recorded 82,249 cases and 3,341 deaths as of Tuesday, while 1,077 people suspected of having the virus or testing positive without showing symptoms were under isolation and monitoring, officials said. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. Chris Cuomo slammed his own CNN show in an extraordinary meltdown on his radio show in which he revealed the pitfalls of being a public figure. The CNN anchor, who has been in quarantine while suffering with coronavirus, launched an attack on the 'hyper-partisanship' of network television and added that 'I don't like what I do professionally'. Cuomo said on his SiriusXM show on Monday that his battle with the disease has made him rethink his values and question his position as a public figure. On his prime-time CNN show, the host said he no longer wants to be 'trafficking in things that I believe are ridiculous', according to the New York Post. In particular, Cuomo said he found both Democrats and Republicans who went on his show said things they 'do not actually believe'. Chris Cuomo (pictured during his CNN show from his home due to coronavirus quarantine) criticized his own show and 'hyper-partisanship' Cuomo said on his SiriusXM show that 'I don't like what I do professionally' when talking about hosting on prime-time CNN He said he disliked 'talking to Democrats about things I don't really believe they mean' and 'talking to Republicans about them parroting things they feel they have to say'. Cuomo also said wishes to stop constantly analyzing the president, 'who we all know is full of sh** by design.' The 49-year-old told his listeners: 'I don't want to spend my time trafficking in things that I think are ridiculous. 'I don't like what I do professionally. I don't think it's worth my time.' On March 31, Cuomo, announced that he tested positive for coronavirus and has since been on lockdown at his Long Island home. Cuomo went on to say he no longer wants to have to tolerate other people's opinions about him due to his public profile. He added: 'I don't think its worth it to me because I don't think I mean enough, I don't think I matter enough, I don't think I can really change anything, so then what am I really doing? New York governor Andrew Cuomo (pictured above in Albany last Tuesday) said President Trump often asks about the health of his brother 'I'm basically being perceived as successful in a system that I don't value. 'I'm seen as being good at being on TV and advocating for different positions...but I don't know if I value those things, certainly not as much as I value being able to live my life on my own terms.' Cuomo then told a story about being approached by a biker who confronted him on Easter Sunday while he was out with his family near their home in Southampton. He added that he wants to be able to act like any other member of the public and that he told the biker to 'go to hell'. The host said: 'I don't want some jackass, loser, fat tire biker being able to pull over and get in my space and talk bullsh** to me, I don't want to hear it. 'That matters to me more than making millions of dollars a year...because I've saved my money and I don't need it anymore. 'I want to be able to tell you to go to hell, to shut your mouth...I don't get that doing what I do for a living. 'Me being able to tell you to shut your mouth or I will do you the way you guys do each other.' 'Here I am in an almost powerless position against this asshole because I'm a celebrity and he's allowed to say whatever he wants to me.' The host of 'Cuomo Prime Time' also referenced being caught in viral footage launching into a heated argument at a New York bar last August that saw him called 'Fredo' by a member of the public. Cuomo's brother - New York governor Andrew - revealed that President Trump often asks about his health as he fights COVID-19. Andrew Cuomo told Howard Stern, also on SiriusXM on Monday, that the president inquires about his brother during phone calls about the crisis. Since his diagnosis, Chris Cuomo has done several shows while in quarantine from inside his Long Island home. During the national lockdown, Andrew Cuomo has been a frequent guest on his brother's nightly CNN show, during which the two men engage in friendly, sibling banter. Chris Cuomo has even returned the favor and remotely joined his brother's daily briefings, which are conducted in the state capital of Albany. With a major assist from the Trump administration, Alaska Native corporations are poised to claim a large share of an $8 billion coronavirus relief fund despite not being tribal governments. In a statement to Indianz.Com on Monday morning, the Department of the Interior made clear that it was taking the side of corporations that own millions of acres in Alaska and report billions of dollars in revenue. Even though consultation had yet to conclude on the $8 billion fund, the matter had already been settled with a link to the definition of "Indian tribe" that included the non-governmental entities. Just a few hours later, the Department of the Treasury confirmed the fears of tribes who only became aware of the intrusion three days prior. A "certification" form stated that Alaska Native corporations are more than welcome to seek a share of the fund by claiming their shareholders as citizens and having their fee lands treated in the same manner as reservations in the lower 48 even though the courts have said otherwise And just a couple of hours after that, the special treatment for the 49th state was being solidified even further. Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney -- who is a former high-ranking executive at the wealthiest Native corporation -- hosted a separate coronavirus call for Alaskans , telling them she was aware that tribes in the lower 48 have been fiercely lobbying against the inclusion of non-governmental entities in the relief fund. "I want to convey to the group that I know many people were busy over this last weekend responding to actions taken by organizations external to Alaska," Sweeney said in a veiled swipe at the National Congress of American Indians , the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association and other Indian nations who rushed to respond to the new coronavirus threat created by the Trump administration A copy of the agenda for an Alaska-specific call hosted by Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney on April 13, 2020, as the comment period on the $8 billion tribal relief fund came to a close. "The DOI is going to follow the law as prescribed by Congress and mandated to the administration," Sweeney told her fellow Alaska Natives, echoing the statement provided to Indianz.Com earlier in the day. But as the comment period on the $8 billion fund was coming to a close on Monday, more tribes in the lower 48 states registered vehement objections with official Washington. The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes said including Alaska Native corporations would result in "double and triple counting" of their populations, thus depriving the rest of Indian Country of their rightful shares. "Specifically, villages and ANCs share citizens, shareholders, and land bases; improper inclusion of both villages and ANCs in the data collection would result in double and triple counting various factors in favor of Alaska," the leaders of the Cherokee Nation , the Chickasaw Nation , the Choctaw Nation , the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Seminole Nation said in comments to the Trump administration. The five tribes are based in Oklahoma, which has seen more than 2,100 COVID-19 cases and 108 deaths -- the first in the state was a Cherokee citizen The National Indian Gaming Association also objected strongly. The organization, which represents more than 150 tribal governments, said including Alaska Native corporations could consume up to $4 billion of the $8 billion tribal fund. "As the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) makes clear: Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations are state chartered, stockholder-owned corporations, held by Alaska Natives," NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. told the Trump administration. "They are not Tribal governments, nor are they arms of tribal governments, and should not be permitted to unfairly benefit from funds appropriated for tribal governments," Stevens added. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney addresses the executive council winter session of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., on February 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) And it's not just the $8 billion relief fund that has drawn interest among Alaskans. A spokesperson for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation , which is the largest Native business entity in terms of revenue , told Indianz.Com that the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is on their radar. "As the situation is still evolving and there could be additional programs in the future, we are currently looking at ways to participate in the PPP and other opportunities within our various lines of businesses," the spokesperson said. "Were also engaged in learning all we can about the $8 billion tribal set aside to assist our tribal members in the Arctic Slope region. Alaska holds 229 federally recognized tribes and the Arctic Slope has nine with more than 13,000 members," the spokesperson told Indianz.Com, citing numbers that could be counted more than once as part of the coronavirus relief fund. Arctic Slope happens to be the same corporation where Sweeney was serving as an executive vice president when President Donald Trump tapped her to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs , the government official with the most responsibilities to tribes and their citizens. According to her financial disclosure form , she earned a salary of more than $1 million in 2017 and in the early months of 2018. On top of her salary, Sweeney participated in two additional "incentive" programs for being employed at the Alaska Native regional corporation. According to the disclosure form, she valued each payment at $250,001 to $500,000. The large dollar figures highlight the economic powerhouses that Arctic Slope and other Native corporations have become in the decades since they were first incorporated under Alaska law. They also explain why tribes in the lower 48 are so concerned that a huge portion of the $8 billion will end up in the hands of corporate entities. For example, the "certification" form released on Monday allows Alaska Native corporations to include all of the acreage they have selected pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act as part of their "land base." Arctic Slope alone holds title to more than 5 million acres, according to the ANCSA Regional Association Calista Corporation holds title to about 6.5 million acres in Alaska, according to the association. And Doyon Limited owns a whopping 12.5 million. Alaska Native corporations hold title to millions of acres in #Alaska. These lands were conveyed to the corporations in the years following the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. #CARESAct #Coronavirus #COVID19 https://t.co/d4DKiKb0i4 indianz.com (@indianz) April 13, 2020 In terms of land base, these three Alaska Native corporations alone dwarf nearly every federally recognized Indian nation in the lower 48. The only one that comes close is the Ute Tribe , whose Uintah and Ouray Reservation covers about 4.5 million in acres in Utah, of which only about 1.3 million acres is held in trust. Every other tribe with a large land base in the lower 48 falls far behind the Alaska corporations. The Pine Ridge Reservation , home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and one of the poorest counties in America, is about 2.2 million acres in South Dakota. In fact, only one reservation is larger than the holdings of any of these three particular Alaska Native entities. That would be the Navajo Nation , whose lands in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah are being hit the hardest by the coronavirus. Here is the tribal government #CARESAct certification form. It shows that Alaska Native corporations can have their land holdings counted in the same manner as reservations and trust lands in the lower 48 states. #Coronavirus #CARESAct https://t.co/scKsYpoIgn indianz.com (@indianz) April 13, 2020 Despite having the largest number of COVID-19 positive cases, the tribe has yet to see a major influx of coronavirus funds promised by the federal government, President Jonathan Nez has said. He repeated the message in a town hall to his people on Tuesday. "We should be at the forefront," Nez said from his seventh day of self-quarantine, a step he is taking after coming into contact with an emergency medical technician who has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Besides the emergency medical technician, whose positive test was confirmed last Tuesday, two tribal police officers have contracted COVID-19 , Nez said from his home on the Navajo Nation. "The people on the front lines are testing positive for COVID-19, and when they do, they have to be sent home," Nez said during the broadcast. "We can't afford two police officers to be sent home." Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer: COVID-19 Town Hall - April 14, 2020 Vice President Myron Lizer came into contact with the same front line responder as Nez. He too is in self-quarantine, with both officials running and overseeing their government through virtual, cellular and other means. "We're pretty confident we didn't contract the virus," Lizer said on the town hall. In comparison, Alaska Natives have seen fewer than 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to daily data provided by the Indian Health Service . After an initial rush in coronavirus testing -- the region at one point had administered far more than most other parts of Indian Country -- no new tests have been conducted in the past couple of days, the figures show. Still, Alaska Native corporations -- like businesses across America -- have experienced significant disruptions as a result of the global health pandemic. But tribes in the lower 48 say the entities can benefit from the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act , also known as the CARES Act , in other ways. The Paycheck Protection Program -- which has shut out small tribal gaming operations -- is one avenue, as the Arctic Slope spokesperson told Indianz.Com. As Indian Country works day and night to protect vulnerable communities from the deadly #Coronavirus, a new crisis has emerged from the Trump administration. The $8 billion promised to tribal governments might land in hands of corporate entities. #COVID19 https://t.co/cmUnsHOXXu indianz.com (@indianz) April 13, 2020 The $8 billion relief fund, on the other hand, is supposed to help tribal governments address COVID-19 impacts, a key member of Congress told the Trump administration on Tuesday. Alaska is home to more than 220 tribes, all of which are able to apply for a share of the money, said Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico). Any other interpretation would be contrary to congressional intent and an affront to the Indian canon of statutory construction that requires statutes to be construed favorably to Tribes benefit, Udall, who serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs , said in a letter to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin On her special call on Monday, Assistant Secretary Sweeney encouraged tribes and tribal organizations in Alaska to submit certification forms and ensure they are in line to benefit. She even gave them tips on how to best present their case, promising to reach out to the Department of the Treasury on their behalf when one corporate executive asked whether they can include subsurface estates -- such as oil and gas resources -- in their "land base." Alaska Native corporations are eligible to apply for a share of the $8 billion #Coronavirus relief fund promised to tribal governments, according to new documents released by the Trump administration. #COVID19 #CARESAct https://t.co/Vrac6x6hg5 indianz.com (@indianz) April 13, 2020 Under ANCSA, the 13 regional corporations can hold title to subsurface estates. Village corporations -- of which there are more than 200 -- hold title to the surface. "I can get additional guidance from Treasury, but I believe the intent was surface only," Sweeney said on the call, the contents of which were provided to Indianz.Com. Being an Alaskan, Sweeney also vowed to ensure that state-specific issues are better understood in Washington, D.C., while the Trump administration determines how to distribute the $8 billion. "We know that in Alaska, our season for ordering materials, supplies is very short," Sweeney said. "We have transportation, logistical issues, so that is a consideration and were going to have to wait for further Treasury guidance." "I will provide the info -- the questions raised tonight -- to Treasury," Sweeney added, ensuring Alaska Natives they have a direct line to air their concerns to the federal agency that's ultimately in charge of the $8 billion fund. "The Friday deadline is real," she stressed. Additionally, tribal leaders who submit documents to the Trump administration for a share of the $8 billion relief fund must do so under threat of federal prosecution. States and local governments are not required to sign the same pledge. #Coronavirus #COVID19 #CARESAct indianz.com (@indianz) April 13, 2020 According to the CARES Act portal unveiled on Monday afternoon, tribes must submit their certification forms by 11:59pm Eastern on Friday, April 17. They must do so under penalty of federal prosecution -- a requirement not imposed on states or local governments , whose $150 billion relief fund dwarfs the money promised to Indian Country. "We as tribes have been saying we want our share of our resources," President Nez of the Navajo Nation said on Tuesday. "Last time I checked, we all are U.S. citizens," he added, underscoring the need for tribes and their citizens to be treated equitably and fairly when addressing the impacts of the coronavirus. Join the Conversation Related Stories Australian shares started the new trading week as they ended the last, surging to a fresh one-month high despite a weak lead from Wall Street. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 100.8 points, or 1.9 per cent, at 5488.1, extending the rebound from the lows hit less than a month ago to 24.7 per cent. For the moment, sentiment continues to be driven by hopes for a quick recovery from coronavirus disruptions, along with unprecedented fiscal and monetary support measures rolled around the world. Not everyone is convinced the optimism will last. With earnings per share projections in sharp reverse, the move higher in markets has led to an expansion in price-to-earnings multiples across the globe," said Jason Steed, head of Australian equity research at JP Morgan. In Australia, the one-year forward multiple for the benchmark has leapt 3.7 percentage points and now sits at 16.1 times earnings, well above the December 2018 low and the 10-year average. Mr Steed cautions that perhaps too much focus has been on the decline in share prices, rather than the risks for corporate earnings. The durability of the recent rally looks set to be tested by deepening cuts to earnings forecasts, as well as by what is set to be a flood of awful macroeconomic data over the coming weeks and months," he said. All sectors except REITs posted gains for the session, led by information technology and materials which both rose more than 3.4 per cent. Gold miners and tech stocks were the top individual performers, the former helped by bullion prices soaring to seven-year highs while the latter was provided tailwinds by a late rally on the Nasdaq on Monday along with a 29.9 per cent surge in Afterpay shares to $28.40 after it delivered a warmly received trading update. Elsewhere, media stocks continued to rebound following their recent rout, helped by speculation the Federal government may introduce temporary measures to support the sector. Southern Cross Media jumped 26.9 per cent to $0.165, leading the sectors gains. Travel retailers were also in demand with Corporate Travel Management surging 21.7 per cent to $12.00 following a broker upgrade. Flight Centre also climbed 15.6 per cent to $13.36. If youre a Don Winslow fan and of course you are youve surely been waiting for reunions with Ben and Chon or the Dawn Patrol, that Hemi V-8 elegy to Highway 101, or a border-crossing saga to match the authors ferocious anti-Trump Twitter feed. You just never imagined theyd arrive in the same 335-page package. For the last quarter century, Winslow has been one of the more entertaining writers in American crime fiction. Whether hes carrying on about New York City cops, Mexican drug cartels, or the surf off Todos Santos, Winslow brings an extraordinary amount of story to the table. His Cartel trilogy The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border alone runs 2,000 pages. If HBO or Netflix cant figure out a way to recycle those adventures on a 60-inch screen near you, so what? Winslow isnt running short of ideas, as he proves once again in Broken, an arresting set of six short novels. The best of the lot feature Winslows slick, inventive plotting, and several familiar and seductive characters. Crime 101 is a lovely chess match between a highly disciplined jewel thief, quietly taking down scores up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, and Lou Lubesnick, a San Diego cop who heads the robbery division. Both the thief a serious Steve McQueen fan and Lubesnick are familiar with the maxims that prevent those doing the crime from doing the time: Crime 101: Trust is a word generally used by convicts and usually in the past tense i.e., I trusted him. Its grand-master gamesmanship. I so hope they meet again. Winstons best characters often do. In a sweet reward for those whove been reading the guy since the dawn of time, Boone Daniels and his Pacific Beach surfing buddies from The Dawn Patrol return in Sunset. And in Paradise which Winslow tags as the Intermediate Adventures of Ben, Chon and O the laid-back heroes of Savages and The Kings of Cool resurface in the islands at Hanalei Bay, still looking for a mellow place to harvest their prime-time cannabis. Chon is the veteran of anti-terrorist ops in Afghanistan with the innate violent streak, Ben the pacifist snowflake. You can imagine whose skills will be necessary when the local gangsters decide they dont want competition from these malihinis from the mainland. Winslow is quite good at toying with those expectations, but he doesnt bother in two of the novellas. The title piece for Broken is the most disappointing. When Jimmy McNabb, a tough New Orleans cop in the Narcotics Unit, gets crosswise with drug slinger Oscar Diaz, Diaz takes his revenge on McNabbs younger brother, a second-year patrolman. In McNabbs subsequent pursuit of Diaz, you know whats coming, and thats an unsettling turn in Winslow World. The stakes are much higher in Winslows closer, The Last Ride. Cal Strickland is a member of the U.S. Border Patrol working out of the Clint, Texas facility, recently converted to a migrant detention center in the desert outside El Paso. Winslow has been relentlessly outspoken about those detention camps for the 124,000 followers on his Twitter feed. In June 2017, he took out a full-page ad in The New York Times, decrying Trumps border policy, and he hasnt let up on the president in recent months. .@realDonaldTrump, You've corrupted the news cycle but I know how much you like tweets I sent you one today - a full page ad in @nytimes pic.twitter.com/ZNX9CwjCqY Don Winslow (@donwinslow) June 25, 2017 Strickland is a vehicle for that frustration when he is inexplicably drawn to Luz Gonsalvez, an abandoned 6-year-old in the Clint cages, and tries to locate her Salvadoran mother. But 60 pages, the basic ration in Broken, isnt nearly enough to detail the emotional journey of this conservative cowboy, or the apathy and malevolence of those who stand between that 6-year-old and one last, glorious reunion. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati has attacked the central and state governments over the lockdown. On Tuesday, she said that the condition of Dalits, OBCs has become more pathetic due to the lockdown implemented across the country regarding the Coronavirus. She said that this was the reason that people from many parts of the country were forced to flee. Russia might call Army to fight Corona, President Putin indicated Mayawati said that 90 percent of the migrants were Dalits and extremely backward people, while only 10 percent were from other sections of the society. In her address on the 129th birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Mayawati said that Dalits and poor were ignored by the state governments during the lockdown. Governments did not make any arrangements for these. Because of which people of this section thought it right to flee to their homes. India is behind Pakistan in the corona test case, Rahul Gandhi raises questions Mayawati said that after this the governments took these people to the shelter home by trucks and buses. She said that due to Corona, the situation of Dalits and poor has become very pathetic. Former Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati appealed to the Modi government at the Center to take care of the workers during the lockdown. Sitaram Yechury, furious over PM Modi's speech, says 'No roadmap to fight Corona was presented' Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting/Proxy Form Brisbane, April 14, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) ( FRA:LK1 ) ( OTCMKTS:LLKKF ) announce that the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders to which this Notice of Meeting relates will be held at 11:00am AEST on May 2020 at Automic Group, Level 5, 126 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000 (Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting).Due to restrictions on physical meetings as a result of COVID-19, shareholders will not be permitted to attend the Meeting in person and instead are invited to participate in the Meeting by weblink. Shareholders who wish to attend the Meeting via weblink must register their attendance with the Company or the Share Registry by 11am (AEST) on the day prior to the Meeting by emailing the Company Secretary at cosec@lakeresources.com.au and including your Holder Name, Address and HIN or SRN. The Company will then provide you with the necessary details to participate in the Meeting via the weblink.The Company will provide further updates regarding this process through the ASX announcements platform and shareholder updates prior to the meeting.Your vote is importantThe business of the Extraordinary General Meeting affects your shareholding and your vote is important.No voting in personDue to the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, travel restrictions and other requirements imposed by the Federal and State governments, physical attendance at the Meeting by Shareholders and hence voting in person will not be permitted. Attendance will only be available by weblink (and you must register your attendance with the Company or Share Registry as noted above) and voting will only be conducted by proxy. Accordingly, the Company encourages Shareholders to submit their proxy form which accompanies this Notice.The Company will provide further updates regarding this process through the ASX announcements platform and shareholder updates prior to the Meeting.About Lake Resources NL Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost. This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers. The US military believes that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally and was not developed in a Chinese laboratory as some rumors and reports have suggested about the November 2019 outbreak. After a Washington Post article on Tuesday, claimed it came from a worker at a bat-testing lab in Wuhan that the US regularly visited, the military addressed it in a media briefing. 'There's a lot of rumor and speculation in a wide variety of media, the blog sites, etc,' Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said when asked if there was any evidence the coronavirus may have been developed in a Chinese laboratory. 'It should be no surprise to you that we've taken a keen interest in that and we've had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that. 'And I would just say, at this point, it's inconclusive although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural. But we can't be certain.' Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed a new report that claims the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Wuhan lab the US regularly visited. He said: 'I would just say, at this point, it's inconclusive although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural. But we can't be certain' A worker is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, on February 23, 2017. Tuesday's report mentions that the US Embassy in Beijing 'took the unusual step of repeatedly sending US science diplomats to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)'. It notes the final visit in March 2018 was recently removed from the website, as was the profile of the alleged patient zero (not pictured) In the US there have been more than 600,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 25,200 deaths as of Tuesday evening. The US has seen the highest numbers of any country in the world. The Washington Post published an article Tuesday where journalist Josh Rogin reported seeing documents from where the state department indicated it was worried about China's experimentation with bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. According to the article, the US 'dispatched two diplomatic cables categorized as Sensitive But Unclassified back to Washington' which warned about 'safety and management weaknesses'. 'The first cable, which I obtained, also warns that the labs work on bat coronaviruses and their potential human transmission represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic,' Rogin writes. It's reported the US helped China build the labs so they could keep an eye on China's experiments on bat viruses. Tuesday's report mentions that in January 2018, the US Embassy in Beijing 'took the unusual step of repeatedly sending US science diplomats to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)', which had in 2015 become Chinas first laboratory to achieve the highest level of international bioresearch safety, but last week WIV deleted a news statement from their website about the final visit to the lab on March 27, 2018. The profile of a graduate student believed to be patient zero, was also removed from the site. U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley addresses a news conference as Defense Secretary Mark Esper listens at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on Thursday The report states that on December 30, 2019, bat scientist Shi Zhengli, was asked to analyze two virus samples from the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They noted the viruses appeared to belong to the SARS family - which also originated in bats - and noted patients were suffering from pneumonia. Zhengli is reported as saying in an interview with Scientific American: 'Could they have come from our lab?' Zhengli has since insisted the lab is not the epicenter of the epicenter. Another research scientist isn't so sure. 'I dont think its a conspiracy theory. I think its a legitimate question that needs to be investigated and answered,' Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California at Berkeley told Rogin. 'To understand exactly how this originated is critical knowledge for preventing this from happening in the future.' China has not been forthcoming about coronavirus details and President Trump recently said the country may not be revealing the whole truth about their rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Earlier this year, three Wall Street Journal journalists were deported after the publication's China Is The Real Sick Man of Asia article title was dubbed racist. The deported journalists were not involved in the report. Since then, journalists from the New York Times and Washington Post have been removed too. State Department warned in 2018 that Wuhan lab testing bats for coronavirus had sloppy safety precautions and had the potential to cause a 'new SARS-like pandemic' The US State Department raised concerns over safety issues at the Wuhan research lab studying coronaviruses in animals like bats two years ago, new diplomatic cables reveal. In 2018 diplomats said there were issues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), located near the seafood market Chinese authorities claim the virus emerged from, cables obtained by the Washington Post reveal. A US delegation led by Jamison Fouss, consul general in Wuhan, and Rick Switzer, the Beijing embassys counselor of environment, science, technology and health, visited the Wuhan level four biosafety lab multiple times from January to March 2018. They voiced concern over a lack of safety protocols and the biosafety of the lab's research on coronavirus in animals like bats and warned that if cautionary steps weren't taken, the lab's research could spark a SARS-like outbreak. They sent two 'sensitive but unclassified cables' back to Washington, DC asking for assistance to help the lab heighten its security measures. The institute is located only 20 miles from the food market where it was originally believed that the outbreak began. Experts continue to say the virus was transmitted from animal to human and was not lab engineered in China as some conspiracy theories have claimed They warned that a lack of tight safety measures in handing the contagious viruses in the lab 'represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.' 'During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory,' a cable dated January 19, 2018 said. 'The cable was a warning shot. They were begging people to pay attention to what was going on,' one US official said. The cables argued that the United States should give the Wuhan lab further support to help control the situation, but after those messages no extra assistance was provided to those labs. The US was not only flagged to the activities going on in that laboratory, but they were also prior financially and scientifically involved in their studies. In 2018 a US delegation visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology (above) several times and sent two cables to Washington DC asking for help to beef its safety and security measures, warning that the lab 'represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic' The WIV received assistance from the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch and other U.S. organizations in its work. The US National Institute of Health, a government agency, also gave a $3.7million research grant to the WIV to carry out research on bats from caves in Yunnan, more than 1,000 miles away. Scientists have traced the sequencing of the COVID-19 genome to Yunnan, the Mail on Sunday revealed over the weekend. It's not clear when that grant was given. The Wuhan Institute of Virology had previously published research locating the cluster of bats believed to have transmitted SARS to humans in the 2002 outbreak that infected 8,000. The lab was also the first to report in February that COVID-19 was derived from bats. While the exact source of COVID-19 remains a mystery, scientists and officials say it was transmitted from animals to humans and likely originated in a bat. Advertisement Above shows the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US as of Tuesday afternoon, as well as how the rates have changed per day The San Antonio Food Bank has scheduled its next drive-thru distribution for 10 a.m. Friday at the Alamodome, Food Bank spokesman Michael Guerra said Tuesday. It will be the Food Banks fifth drive-thru giveaway in San Antonio since the start of the coronavirus crisis and its first since distributing food to a record 10,000 households on April 9 at Traders Village Flea Market. A bishop from the American state Virginia recently stirred up a controversy after he made statements which claimed that he would keep having religious gatherings during the pandemic and keep preaching unless he ends up in either jail or the hospital. Unfortunately, Bishop Gerald O. Glenn has passed away after getting infected with the deadly virus. The 66-year-old bishop was the pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield, Virginia, and according to the church, he passed away after battling a coronavirus infection on Saturday. Facebook/The New Deliverance Evangelistic Church His church made the formal announcement of his passing on its official Facebook page by posting a video. During an Easter sermon, a church elder by the name of Bryan Nevers announced the bishop's unfortunate demise. He said, "The first thing I asked God is, Why? The bishop has touched our lives in so many ways. The bishop's wife, Mother Marcietia Glenn, had also tested positive for the virus while he was placed on a ventilator in the hospital. Facebook/Mar-Gerie Crawley A vigil was held in his remembrance by the church's members and some even fasted for the bishop. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia also posted on Twitter and mourned the loss of Bishop Glen. In his tweet, he wrote, My heart sinks as I learn this morning that Bishop Gerald Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, died yesterday from COVID-19. He was a friend and pillar of Richmond faith community. May all do as much for so many. My heart sinks as I learn this morning that Bishop Gerald Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, died yesterday from COVID-19. He was a friend and pillar of Richmond faith community. May all do as much for so many. Tim Kaine (@timkaine) April 12, 2020 May his soul rest in peace. As of now, it is not safe to venture out and gather in groups. No one is safe from the virus and the only way you can protect yourself is to stay indoors. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 04:46:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LISBON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Car production in Portugal fell 46.1 percent in March compared to the same month of 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Lusa News Agency on Tuesday. "The COVID-19 pandemic led to major disruptions in supply chains, distribution channels, availability of labor and continued activity by suppliers, which resulted in the progressive and inevitable closure of automotive production units operating in Portugal from the end of March," the Automobile Association of Portugal (ACAP) said in a statement, quoted by Lusa. According to ACAP, 13,686 light passenger vehicles were produced in March, 47.1 percent less than in the same month of the previous year. In the first quarter, there was a drop of 18.3 percent in automobile production in Portugal, with declines of 20.5 percent, 4.5 percent and 36.4 percent in the production of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles, respectively. Of the total vehicles manufactured in Portugal until March, 98.1 percent were destined for foreign market, with Europe absorbing 97.5 percent of exports. In addition, more than 80 percent of companies remained in production or in operation last week, even if partially, according to the survey by the National Statistics Institute (INE) and Banco de Portugal released on Tuesday. "The results of the first survey week (week from April 6 to 10), indicate that 82 percent of the companies remained in production or in operation, even if partially, 16 percent were temporarily closed, while 2 percent indicated that they had definitively closed," said the survey, quoted by Lusa. In sectorial terms, accommodation and catering is the sector under the greatest impacts of the pandemic, with the highest percentage of companies closed temporarily (55 percent) and definitely (7 percent). Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has thanked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for providing 25,000 personal protective equipment for health workers. Khan on Monday provided the personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state. Tope took to Twitter to thank the actor for the help. Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra," he tweeted. The actor and his wife Gauri Khan recently offered their four-storey personal office space for treating COVID-19 patients. Khan had earlier announced various initiatives to help the country during the crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. In 2005, Antonio Checo became a mental health clinician at Mt. Sinai Queens hospital, one of his many jobs devoted to helping people. And it was there, on April 1, that he died of complications of the coronavirus at 67. In the intervening years he was ordained a priest and became the rector of St. Marks Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights, Queens. As the Very Rev. Antonio Checo, he spent many of those years working full time in the church and at the hospital, allowing the practical service of his social work to inform his ministry. The Rev. Jason Moskal, the deacon at St. Marks, confirmed the cause of death. Father Checo took over St. Marks in 2009, when the congregation had dwindled to about 20 members. He helped revive the church, which now has a congregation of about 180 people. His parishioners included African-Americans, Latin-Americans, white people and immigrants from South America, the West Indies and the Philippines. Father Checo enlarged the churchs food pantry, emphasizing staples like rice on which people in his neighborhood relied; conducted two Sunday services, one in English and one in Spanish; and did his best to ensure that his parishioners were able to navigate New York Citys bureaucracy to receive the help they needed. South Africa needs to end the lockdown: heres a blueprint for its replacement Academics call on government to develop a comprehensive health and economic strategy if it is to prevent long term socio-economic damage caused by pandemic. The public debate on strategies to tackle COVID-19 often unhelpfully positions health and economic considerations in a diametric fashion as trade-offs. In fact, economic policy has health consequences. And health policy has economic consequences. The two need to be seen as parts of a coherent whole. In the case of South Africa, the country currently faces three interrelated problems. These are the public health threat from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic and health effects of the lockdown, and a range of intractable economic problems not directly due to the current pandemic. These include high unemployment, low economic growth and falling per capita income. Any potentially viable response to COVID-19 needs to address all three aspects in concert. This is particularly important as the country plans for the next stage of its response after the lockdown. Focusing only on the health challenges and not paying attention to the economic issues will result in significantly higher economic costs, and will also undermine the health imperatives. Our view is that a protracted lockdown wont necessarily have the effect of ridding the country of the virus, but it will result in unacceptably high health and economic consequences. The cost The initial lockdown was prudent and is likely to have lowered the risk of community spread of SARS-CoV-2. But the true number of COVID-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2) cases is difficult to quantify. A limited number of tests have been done, and community-wide screening for suspected infectious cases has been delayed. The available evidence on the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that any initial containment of the disease through a lockdown will be short-lived. Also, its likely to result in a rebound of cases in the absence of aggressive community-wide screening for SARS-CoV-2 infectious cases, isolation of the identified cases and quarantine of their close contacts for at least 14 days. On top of this, South Africa may find itself permanently harmed by the simultaneous destruction of both the demand and supply sides of the economy under an extended generalised lockdown. This will have other unintended long term health and economic consequences. For example, an extended lockdown could result in the undermining of other health services, such as the immunisation of children. The economic effects of a lockdown, too, are severe. Early forecasts suggest significant economic disruption from the current lockdown, which is costing the economy an estimated R13 billion per day. Preliminary projections by the South African Reserve Bank indicate that South Africa could lose 370,000 jobs in 2020. Projections by private banking analysts (based on the initial 21-day lockdown) suggest a GDP contraction of 7% during 2020, leading to a fiscal deficit of 12% of GDP (forecast at 6.8% in the 2020 budget) and a debt-to-GDP ratio in excess of 81% in 2021. This means that the countrys already limited public finances will be further constrained. Towards a post-lockdown strategy Globally, attention is turning from initial containment through generalised lockdowns to short- and medium-term risk-based public health and economic strategies. We present some considerations for a health and economic policy beyond the lockdown in South Africa. In this we proceed from the following assumptions: The SARS-CoV-2 will not be eliminated in South Africa until either a vaccine is introduced (yet to be developed), or sufficient natural immunity in the population is achieved. It is therefore necessary to put in place and maintain a sustainable mitigation strategy for COVID-19 for the remainder of 2020, or until a vaccine is available (an optimistic timeline for this is 18-24 months). A generalised lockdown is not a viable long-term prevention strategy for COVID-19 due to its deleterious effects, including the resultant long-term impact on society, public health and the economy. Removal of the lockdown without appropriate health and economic measures will result in an excess mortality from COVID-19, resulting in further economic hardship. South Africas health and economic strategy beyond the current lockdown must be designed to ensure good health care and be economically sustainable. We argue that the country needs to transition to a risk-based strategy which offers effective health protection and allows for the resumption of some economic activity. This approach has been advocated by researchers in both Germany and the Indian state of Kerala. Accordingly, the following objectives should be central to any policy. First, mitigate the rapid spread of the virus, while allowing for natural immunity in the population to increase gradually. Second, strengthen health care systems to ensure optimal treatment for as many patients as possible, both those with COVID-19 and those with other serious illnesses. Third, protect individuals at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease; and Fourth, make economic activities possible with measures in place to manage the health risks associated with these activities. Economic and health strategies At the highest level, there are three broad intervention strategies available to South Africa (summarised in the table below), adapted from a recent article by leading Australian health academics James Trauer, Ben Marais and Emma McBryde. We believe that option three is the only practicable one for South Africa. And the details of its implementation matter. Table 1: Typology of interventions and risks Adapted from (Trauer et al., 2020) A health strategy based on an extended generalised lockdown is economically unsustainable. It is also damaging to public health. Instead, we need a unified health and economic strategy that allows for some economic activity while inhibiting the uncontrolled spread of the virus. This requires a number of health and economic measures to be implemented in a coordinated manner. First, to reduce the rate of infections, the country must have ready the capability of mass virus testing and efficient contact tracing before the end of April 2020. This must be accompanied by a comprehensive approach to social distancing. Relying solely on screening of symptomatic individuals will not effectively reduce the rate of infection because high viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airway occur in pre-symptomatic and possibly asymptomatic people. To be successful, the scale of testing needs to be at least equivalent to that in South Korea (17,322 tests per day in South Africa, eventually testing 1 in 150 people). At best, it must be equivalent to that carried out in Germany (36,399 tests per day in South Africa). Test turnaround times must result in identification of infected individuals within 12 to a maximum of 24 hours. This must be followed by immediate isolation and contact tracing. Isolation of infected individuals and contact quarantine must last for at least 14 days, either at home, if suitable, or in designated isolation and quarantine facilities. The annual cost of conducting 17,000 tests per day is approximately R5 billion. There would perhaps be an additional annual cost of R4 billion for contact tracing and quarantine. These costs compare favourably to the daily economic cost (R13 billion) of the generalised lockdown. Secondly, economic activities must be allowed in a way that is consistent with the aim of preventing the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Within the constraints of the health strategy outlined above, a risk-based economic strategy is required that balances economic and health imperatives. Decisions on differential opening of the economy should be made in line with the criteria proposed in a recent paper by German researchers. This includes, for example, opening sectors with low risk of infection (highly automated factories) and less vulnerable populations (child-care facilities) first. It could also include areas with lower infection rates and less potential for the spread of COVID-19. Of course, these decisions will have to be based on a careful assessment of factors such as household structure and composition in South Africa, and public transport. To do this, the country will need excellent data on the extent and location of any community outbreaks of the virus. Such data will be generated by mass testing, and accurate information about the ability of certain sectors of the economy to reopen safely and in compliance with the health protocols. The health and economic strategy will thus need to be implemented in a dynamic fashion, responding to the latest evidence. This article has been amended to reflect updated estimates of the daily cost of the lockdown. Cas Coovadia, member of the University of the Witwatersrand Council, also contributed to the discussions that led to the writing of this article . Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand; Alex van den Heever, Chair of Social Security Systems Administration and Management Studies, Adjunct Professor in the School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand; David Francis, Deputy Director at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand; Imraan Valodia, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, and Head of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand; Martin Veller, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Michael Sachs, Adjunct Professor, Economics, University of the Witwatersrand This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. South Koreans go to polls on Wednesday to choose 300 seats in National Assembly, with focus on coronavirus, economy. Seoul, South Korea South Koreans head to the polls soon, against the backdrop of a coronavirus pandemic that is testing an already sluggish economy, and as electoral reforms give 18-year-olds the vote for the first time and smaller parties a better chance of success. The general election on Wednesday, April 15 is being seen as an audit on South Koreas political mood, with President Moon Jae-ins ruling Democratic Party of Korea getting a boost from the governments swift response to the pandemic but on the back foot over its handling of the economy. Analysts say the results, which are expected by the afternoon of April 16, could be close. I dont think we can expect either side to win this election for certain. I think it will be a neck-to-neck race, Lee Hyun-chool, professor of political science and international relations at Konkuk University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera. I think this election can show how politically polarised Korean democracy will be after the Candlelight Protests in late 2016 and early 2017 and I think its important to see how lawmakers in our National Assembly will present a new vision for South Koreas future. In late 2016, millions rallied in the streets for six consecutive weeks to bring down then-president and conservative Park Geun-hye. She was impeached in 2017 for a litany of crimes, including extortion and embezzlement, and is now in jail. Afterwards, the country swung towards a more liberal government for the first time in nearly a decade, electing Moon as president. The coronavirus factor Once home to the second-largest outbreak in the world, South Korea has tamed the novel coronavirus, with only 27 new infections confirmed overnight between April 14 and April 15 the lowest since numbers soared in February. Early voting took place last week and turnout reached a record high [Yonhap via EPA] Cumulatively, South Korea had at least 10,654 recorded cases of COVID-19 and 222 deaths as of April 15, with more than 7,500 of those individuals cleared and released from quarantine, according to the KCDC. Meanwhile, more than 527,000 tests have been conducted to date, often for free. But as the global death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise, experts warn that South Korea cannot let its guard down. A small group infection could lead to another massive outbreak, Korean epidemiologists told Al Jazeera in March, and the government recently extended physical distancing guidelines for another two weeks. Although the country has never issued an official lockdown, it has also decided to automatically quarantine all travellers coming from overseas. The coronavirus, of course, will have a big impact on this election, Lee said. The role of the government is getting bigger in almost every country because of COVID-19. It is highly likely that the public is thinking a lot about the governments response. C Harrison Kim, a professor specialising in North and South Korea at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, believes that the response should help Moon to victory. This is largely because the conservatives and the right wing still have a very negative, terrible image in the public eye because of Park Geun-hye and the Shincheonji Church of Christ outbreak, he said, referring to the massive uptick in cases among church congregants in the southeastern city of Daegu. At one point, more than 70 percent of South Koreas cases were clustered around the church whose lead pastor, Lee Man-hee, has close ties with the impeached Park and other conservative politicians. Its a really important moment, especially amid a pandemic, to get a reading on how people feel about President Moon and his party, said Jenna Gibson, a Korea columnist for The Diplomat and a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Chicago. It seems like people are pretty supportive of how the government is handling [COVID-19]. President Moons approval rating is going up But obviously, on election day, well actually see what people really think. President Moon, second from the left, saw his approval ratings rise as a result of his governments handling of the pandemic [Bae Hun-shik/Newsis via AP Photo] Recent surveys suggest many South Koreans approve of Moons handling of the coronavirus, and the presidents approval rating hit a 17-month high last week. Although Moons term will end with the election of a new president in 2022, his performance under pressure from COVID-19 may bode well for his party. New voters, new parties The 2016 election led to the narrowest of majorities in the 300-seat assembly, with Moons Democratic Party of Korea winning a majority of just one seat over its more conservative rival, Saenuri. The factionalism that followed fuelled calls for change and, just days before the start of 2020, reforms were passed that changed the distribution method for the 47 seats that are decided by proportional representation, making it more likely for small parties to win a seat. New parties include a group of North Korean defectors looking to promote their rights and liberate those still north of the DMZ, as well as a group of feminists aiming to take on sexual violence and other womens issues. Basically, smaller parties have a better chance of capturing one or two seats and getting a voice in a way they havent been able to get before, Gibson said. This upcoming election isnt just a referendum on Moon and the coronavirus situation. Its also a referendum on how these reforms will play out for the first time. The country also lowered the voting age from 19 to 18, bringing it into line with other democracies, including the United States and Japan. That change is not expected to make a significant difference in terms of the total number of eligible voters, but Kim said it might empower young people in a fast-developing society that struggles with cultural gaps between age groups. Coronavirus changed the way Koreans campaigned, as fist bumps replaced handshakes on the campaign trail for candidates like Hwang Kyo-ahn of the main opposition United Future Party [Heo Ran/Reuters] The problem is, Kim is not sure they will vote. Unfortunately, I think it will be a tough election to draw youth voters in, he said. The younger generation is sick and tired of the bickering and the fighting in the very factional, polarised South Korean political system. Even so, experts say that the state of the economy sluggish even before the arrival of COVID-19 will probably draw people to the voting booth. South Koreas youth unemployment woes continue to plague many, with young people accounting for nearly 22 percent of the nations jobless. At the same time, projections of a global recession over coronavirus loom heavily over a country, which was already growing at its slowest pace in a decade. Economic problems were serious here before the coronavirus outbreak. The self-employed and small business owners have suffered a lot, and they will have a very negative assessment of the current government, Lee said. South Korean domestic voters are really focused on the economy and general, and they were feeling it wasnt doing well even before COVID-19, Gibson agreed. Well have to see what happens. Early voting suggests South Koreans want to make their voice heard. Sporting now-obligatory face masks and standing one metre apart to meet physical distancing guidelines, people queued patiently for a temperature check before they could cast their ballot when early voting took place in Seoul last week. The South Korean National Election Commission says turnout set a record. Wednesday is expected to be equally busy. Mitch S Shin contributed to this report. The idea that good dental care is there when we need it is one that most of us take for granted. In the past two years, nearly 22 million adults and seven million children sought the help of dental experts either privately or on the NHS, for everything from routine check-ups to emergency care for gum infections. But what if the skilled dentists so many of us rely on simply weren't there any more? In a shocking statement, the British Dental Association (BDA), which represents many of the UK's 12,000 dental practices, has warned that up to one in five of them could close permanently in the next few weeks because of the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The alert comes after a BDA survey of 2,800 practices found a fifth said they didn't have enough cash to survive beyond the end of April. The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned that up to one in five dental practices could close permanently in the next few weeks because of the coronavirus crisis. (Stock image) Most others estimated they had money in the bank to keep going for another three months at most if the lockdown which is preventing the vast majority of dentists from providing anything but free telephone advice continues that long. The BDA says some dental surgeries are 'weeks from a cliff edge' and Britain's dental service faces decimation. The irony, of course, is that even before this pandemic arrived, many patients struggled to get to see an NHS dentist. A 2019 survey by the BDA found that more than a million patients had tried and failed to get an appointment with a health service dentist at some point and among those who succeeded, there were anecdotal reports of patients having to do 100-mile round trips. Eddie Crouch, a dentist in Birmingham and vice-chairman of the BDA, says: 'Some people are going to find it even harder to find a dentist when this is all over. There is no doubt that many practices will be forced to shut down due to financial pressure. 'And it's not just a case of starting up again afterwards, because so many people are going to be in debt that they may not want to pay for treatment or to carry on with monthly payments for dental plans.' Worse still, says the BDA, there is a very real risk that some patients could die from untreated gum infections (which can lead to potentially fatal sepsis) because they are currently unable to get the emergency treatment they need, or are too scared to go to hospital to get help in case they catch Covid-19 during their visit. Nearly 22 million adults and seven million children have sought the help of dental experts either privately or on the NHS in the past two years. (Stock image) But even once the lockdown is over, it seems unlikely that the dentistry service available in this country will be anywhere near what it was. The closure warning stems from the fact that nearly all the UK's 33,000 dentists are self-employed, splitting their time between NHS and private work. Only a tiny minority exclusively do one or the other; most dentists combine the two. On average, they earn between 60,000 and 65,000 a year, says the BDA. That means they exceed the Government's 50,000 threshold for financial support for the self-employed during the coronavirus crisis which leaves them with no cash lifeline. But their monthly overheads including staff, rent or mortgage payments can often exceed 30,000, says the BDA. Meanwhile, 90 per cent of those applying for special loans (where the Government pays the first 12 months' interest) have been rejected by banks. And while retail outlets forced to shut during the pandemic have been granted a business rates 'holiday' for 2020-21 to ease their financial problems, dental practices fall outside the ruling. According to the BDA some dental surgeries in the UK are 'weeks from a cliff edge'. (Stock image) 'A lot of practices rely on private income to subsidise their NHS care,' says Dr Crouch. 'One thing the Government could immediately do to stop practices going under is raise the income threshold for self-employed people qualifying for financial help to 65,000 a year that would cover most dentists.' Even when the crisis is over, patients may struggle to get an appointment because of an unprecedented backlog. 'Let's say practices reopen in three months' time,' says Dr Crouch. 'They won't be able to see the volume of patients they could in the past because strict hygiene measures may remain in place for some time to come, to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infection.' Since coronavirus, tough guidelines have been introduced on cleaning after a dentist performs any procedure that generates aerosol tiny particles that circulate in the air. This includes everyday tasks such as scaling with an ultrasonic device, drilling teeth or polishing teeth with a jet of air. 'Before the coronavirus pandemic, most dentists saw about three patients an hour,' says Dr Crouch. 'But current guidance states that after any aerosol procedure you have to leave the room for 35 minutes to allow any droplets to settle, so that surfaces can be properly cleaned. 'That takes it down to one patient an hour. And it means charges to patients may well have to increase as a result, because dentists only get paid according to the number of patients they actually treat.' What to do if you gnashers turn nasty... By Rachel Ellis for the Daily Mail NHS England banned dental care for vulnerable patients on March 20 and all patients five days later. This means routine check-ups and minor problems such as lost fillings will have to wait until the Covid-19 outbreak is over. Urgent treatment for severe toothache that does not respond to painkillers, abscesses, facial swelling and fractured teeth should still be available via a network of 165 pop-up centres. But hardly any of these urgent dental care hubs are open yet, according to the British Dental Association (BDA), perhaps in part because of a shortage of personal protective equipment a face shield or goggles and a visor, plus face mask for dental staff. If patients cannot contact their dentist, some surgeries may offer emergency appointments at short notice, according to the NHS. (Stock image) 'Dentists are being bombarded with calls from patients in real pain but still have nowhere to send them,' says Mick Armstrong, chairman of the BDA. The NHS says 84 centres in England are open, with the remaining 81 expected to be able to treat patients soon. NHS or private patients with serious dental problems should phone their usual practice for advice, as they may be able to prescribe painkillers or antibiotics. If the problem is considered urgent, your dentist should refer you to the nearest of the new centres. The centres should treat patients whether or not they have coronavirus, and appointments cost 22.70 (which can be claimed back if you are entitled to free NHS dental care). However, aerosol or spray-generating treatments will be avoided where possible. If you can't contact your usual dentist, don't have a dentist or think you have Covid-19, call 111 for advice. Some surgeries may offer emergency appointments at short notice, according to the NHS. Patients should go to A&E only in serious circumstances, such as uncontrollable, heavy bleeding from a tooth extraction. For those with minor dental problems, Dr Richard Marques, a London dentist, recommends rinsing the mouth with salt water for 60 seconds several times a day to help remove bacteria and clear infection, dabbing clove oil on the affected area to help reduce pain, or taking painkillers. Households under the Section 8 rent voucher program might have more options to shop around for rental homes now that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has increased the rent payment standards for the second time since August 2019. Section 8 families now have HUD approval to look for rentals that cost: $1,043 a month for a one-bedroom unit, from $939; Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. $1,374 for a two-bedroom unit, from $1,241; $1,982 for a three-bedroom unit, from 1,796; and $2,412 for a four-bedroom unit, from $2,181. The HUD approval for the new fair market rent rates was based on the results of a rent survey in December 2019 by SMS, a Hawaii-based marketing and research company. In August 2019, HUD also approved a rent increase for: a one-bedroom unit, from $875 to $939; a two-bedroom unit, from $1,156 to $1,241; a three-bedroom unit, from $1,672 to $1,796; and a four-bedroom unit, from $2,031 to $2,181. The new payment standard also increased GHURAs Section 8 budget for fiscal year 2020 by approximately $7 million. Once the government of Guam commences full operations, GHURA will work to implement the new payment standards, the agency stated. We are excited that HUD approved a second request within the last nine months so that we can pay Section 8 landlords a more competitive rate, said GHURA Executive Director Ray Topasna. "While this effort was not COVID-19-related, the timing of this increase may certainly help our economy rebound because hundreds of landlords will be receiving even more federal money from GHURA. Even as the United States grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump reportedly signed an executive order on April 6 that states that the country has the right to explore and use resources from outer space. According to BBC, the order stated that the US does not need permission of international agreements to do this since it does not see outer space as a common area for resources. According to reports, the signing of this order may end a decades-long debate, that had started with the signing of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which forms the basis of international space law and commercial activities in outer space. The signing, experts have said, has to do with the depletion of resources on Earth. According to Benjamin Sovacool, a professor of energy policy at University of Sussex, the planet is "currently depleting the resources we have". "Metals such as lithium or cobalt - which you need - are mainly in places like China, Russia or Congo. And it's difficult to get them," Sovacool is quoted as saying by Newsbeat, according to BBC. Because it is difficult to source materials from different suppliers with different rules, countries like the US are looking at the moon, according to Sovacool. "Mining on the Moon, with one entity, might be easier," he said. KEY HIGHLIGHTS Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari says that highway building programme would not be impacted due to Corona crisis Road Transport Ministry evaluating bids for highways projects of more than 1,300 km of length which can be awarded immediately Another 1,500 km is ready for bidding Banks have promised to support the infrastructure sector and the national highways in particular Gadkari expressed confidence that the crisis would be overcome within a short span of time Allaying concerns that government could re-prioritise its focus in post-Corona world with infrastructure moving lower in the pecking order, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has stated that focus on healthcare and disaster management does not mean highway building programme would be impacted. "In fact, highways are lifeline of communication and connectivity in most parts of India and disaster management requires good infrastructure and connectivity so both are important," Gadkari told Business Today in an interview. The Minister said that government has ensured liquidity for the highways sector and has asked National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and all other agencies to immediately release any legitimate dues that may be pending against any ongoing project. In a bid to continue the momentum of highway development in the country, Gadkari said that his current priority is to resume construction works at various sites as soon as the Coronavirus-triggered lockdown is lifted. Even as the lockdown continues, steps are being taken to restart works at certain stretches while following social-distancing norms and other health and hygiene measures. Moreover, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry (MoRTH) has been busy preparing bids for various national highway (NH) projects. Gadkari exuded hopes that government would not miss its target of awarding new highway projects in FY20-21. "I have asked NHAI and MoRTH to complete the approvals and other desk works during the lockdown. As soon as it's over we will be able to start bidding of projects. We already have bids under evaluation for more than 1,300 km of length, which can be awarded immediately. Another 1,500 km is ready for bidding. So I don't think our targets for award will see any decline," the Minister said. Besides clearing the bills of developers and contractors, the Road Transport Ministry is also ensuring that banks and financial institutions continue to provide credit to the highways sector. "I along with Finance Minister had taken a detailed meeting with Bank CMDs just before the lockdown, they have assured us that banks will continue to support the infrastructure sector and the NHs (national highways) in particular," Gadkari said. With Gadkari at the helm, highways sector has seen steady rise in road building across the country. The NHAI constructed 3,979 km of national highways in FY20, its highest in any financial year so far. However, the sector may face some challenges in coming quarters as Coronavirus has brought economic activities to a complete halt and threatens to derail growth in many sectors. Given that government has hundreds of road projects in pipeline, any disruption in construction or fund crunch could play spoilsport. The MoRTH has approved building of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years with an estimated cost of Rs 5.35 lakh crore under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana. Out of this, the NHAI has been mandated to build 27,500 km. Minister Gadkari said that global economy is witnessing challenges arising due to recent Corona pandemic and the highways sector is also not isolated but expressed confidence that the crisis would be overcome within a short span of time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fourth address to the nation in the current situation (first on March 19 calling for Janata Curfew, followed by the March 24 speech announcing a nationwide lockdown, and thereafter on April 2 calling for the of lighting lamps) was a well-structured speech demarcated into various sections and aimed at monopolising all kudos for stewarding the nation through the coronavirus pandemic. In that sense, it is as political a speech that one can hear in the times of a pandemic. Like all previous speeches, this too was aimed at securing his position beyond the present challenge. As a ploy, he chose to be liberal with generalities while being miserly on specifics. There was nothing specific for any section feeling the brunt of the once-in-a-century catastrophe from rich industrialists to daily wage earners or even the homeless. No financial stimulus was announced, no promise of where the next meal would come from, just recognition that there are general problems. The speech was merely a series of exhortations: Pay wages to your staff, take care of the poor and elderly, adhere to lockdown guidelines, adopt Ayush recommendations and so on. Modi's speech was not aimed at conveying to the people either the blueprint to chart the country out of this crisis or any emerging plan in the 'reopened' corridors of power (ministers and officers up to joint secretary level began attending offices from Monday, April 13) regarding how the long tunnel of uncertainty will be traversed on the highway to recovery. Keeping his constituency engaged The prime minister's address began as a reach out to his constituency, the core voters and neo-converts. He thanked them for sacrificing and bearing pain to "save the country". He expressed gratitude towards them for having borne problems of shortage of food, of being stranded while on their way home, and continuing to stay away from family or friends. In a way, this sent a message to people that to continue finding favours with the prime minister it is best not to ask questions. One may ask people how they gain by being on the right side of the premier? This is where Modi succeeded. In his first address, similar to John F Kennedys inaugural address in January 1961, Modi did not use the exact words but conveyed the same sense: "Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country." The message to people is that the prime minister respects sacrifice. This is enough recognition for people who want to do "their bit". By expressions of gratitude, or even regret, which he used dramatically on April 2, Modi ensured a sense of participation among people in all that the government is doing and has done so far be it adhering to lockdown guidelines, distancing themselves from others in society, or joining activities that Modi designed: Clapping hands, ringing and banging plates and lighting lamps. Once people become stakeholders in a 'project', they ignore shortfalls and instead look only at the positives. Showcasing India as a world leader Modi showcased positives in his speech. He reminded a figure few remember at this point: That when he ordered complete nationwide lockdown, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country was barely over 500. This has grown exponentially to more than 10,000. But the rise in the number of cases is not presented as alarming. Rather, this is juxtaposed with the incidence rate of the virus in other countries, especially those that are considered more affluent than India. He said India was successful in keeping the incidence rate down because it reacted early. Although the crisis continues to hold the nation in a vice-like grip, the prime minister did not hesitate to showcase the lower incidence rate as his success because we acted early, was his argument. Already, joint secretary in the health ministry, Lav Agarwal said on April 11 that had the government not taken the steps it did, by April 15 the total number of COVID-19 positive cases would have been 8.2 lakhs. No explanation was provided about how the figure was arrived at. The speech did not respond to questions that have been flagged by many should India have acted earlier and why is the country continuing to have a very low testing rate when compared to several countries? Setting more tasks In his speech, after thanking people, sharing 'good' news and showcasing data, it was time for the prime minister to make a case for why his approach of harsh lockdown was the 'only path' that could be followed. He did soften the blow somewhat by talking of relaxation of norms if people 'behaved' and if they succeeded in 'graduating' to the next level. The idea is very clear, to keep people focussed on adhering to rules and regulations and ensure they remain unconcerned about politically bothersome matters like lack of planning, mishandling and absence of impetus. Like always, the Modi messaging template included a set of tasks. This time it was a seven-point memo. From taking care of elderly to feeding the poor, people are asked to act responsibly. They were also directed to download the Aarogya Setu app although independent technology experts have pointed to its intrusive nature and surveillance capacities. The decision to extend nationwide lockdown was taken with a certain amount of circumspection and hesitancy a fact proven by the consultation state chief ministers. But once they fell into his 'trap' by suggesting what he wanted to say, he felt no need to acknowledge their role. As a result, although acknowledging that CMs too suggested extension beyond the initial 21 days, he listed out all that has been done so far as only his achievements. This demonstrates that the politician in him is beginning to look beyond this episode and planning for the next electoral joust. (Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay is a Delhi-based journalist and author. His latest book is RSS: Icons Of The Indian Right. He has also written Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times (2013)) The views expressed above are the authors own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. Californias State Compensation Insurance Fund announced on Monday that it will establish two new funds to support the health and recovery of essential workers and workplace safety during the COVID-19 crisis. The first fund, the Essential Worker Support Fund, is a $25-million relief fund to support State Fund policyholders essential workers, as defined by an executive order from Gov. Newsom, who contract COVID-19 or are ordered to self-isolate due to a potential exposure. The fund will provide assistance with wage replacement up to six weeks and assist workers without health coverage with uncovered medical costs. For workers who have health coverage, the fund will assist with copayments and deductibles, as well as up to six weeks of wage replacement. State Fund said it will offer assistance regardless of any potential legal uncertainty about whether the COVID-19 diagnosis arose from the essential workers employment and will not impact the workers ability to pursue full workers comp benefits. Any COVID-19 claim that is clearly work related will receive full workers comp benefits and not draw down on this fund, according to State Fund. If the fund is depleted, State Funds board will consider authorizing additional funds. Any payments State Fund makes that are outside of a workers comp claim will not impact the policyholders experience modification. The second fund, the Essential Business Support Fund, is a $25-million fund designed to assist State Fund policyholders that are essential businesses as defined by another executive order. The fund will provide grants to qualified policyholders to help defray the costs of safety-related expenses, planned or already incurred, related to protecting their workforces from COVID-19. Individual grants can total up $10,000 or two times the policyholders premium, whichever is less. State Fund will review grant applications on a first-come, first-served basis, and will discontinue payments when the $25 million fund is depleted. However, State Fund will keep all applications in the order they were received in the case that additional funds become available. Our mission is to help California businesses and workers in any way we can, State Fund President and CEO Vern Steiner said in a statement. We have worked hard to put ourselves in a position to be able to help Californians when we are needed and we are extremely grateful to the essential workers and businesses that are supporting all of us through this crisis. State Funds board will meet on April 17 to review the impacts of COVID-19 on State Fund policyholders and injured workers and to consider additional ways to provide support. Application information for the Essential Business Support Fund will be posted soon on State Funds website, StateFundCA.com. State Fund is Californias not-for-profit provider of workers compensation and is funded solely by premiums and investment income. Topics California COVID-19 Workers' Compensation HOUSTON - Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention centre when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign. The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for COVID-19. But the guards would not give out the masks until the detainees signed the forms, which said they could not hold the private prison company running the detention centre in San Diego liable if they got the coronavirus, according to Elsy and two other detainees, including one who read the form to The Associated Press over the phone. When they refused Friday, the guards took away the masks, said Elsy, who spoke on condition that her last name be withheld for fear of retribution. While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started to lower the number of detainees to reduce the risk of people getting sick, those held in immigration jails and their advocates say theres not enough protective gear, cleaning supplies or space to allow for social distancing. They fear the number of coronavirus cases will sharply rise in the coming weeks as it has in jails and prisons nationwide. The Otay Mesa Detention Center, where Elsy is held, jumped from one confirmed case last week to 15 on Tuesday. ICE reported 77 detainees in 13 states have tested positive and hundreds of others are quarantined. Detainees in at least four states say they have been denied masks, even as the White House has urged face coverings in public. Private prison company CoreCivic, which operates Otay Mesa, denied masks were withheld unless detainees signed waivers. Spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist said they were given an acknowledgment form that a mask alone could not protect them from the virus. It was not the intent of the previous form to require detainees to relinquish all rights related to COVID-19, Gilchrist said Monday, adding that the company has stopped using it. Detainees are only required to initial documentation evidencing they were issued a mask. As jails and prisons free some non-violent offenders, ICE has released 693 people considered medically vulnerable and not a security or flight risk, Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said Tuesday. The number of people in ICE detention now totals 33,800, down from about 37,000 a few weeks ago. Though the Trump administration has effectively shut down new asylum claims during the pandemic, its still holding people who were apprehended months or years earlier for civil violations, including over 5,800 people who passed government asylum screenings. Opponents argue that ICE could release thousands of people who arent accused of a crime, have cleared asylum screenings or won their cases but are being detained while the government appeals. Immigrant detainees do not need to be in a detention centre in order to be monitored by ICE, said Margaret Cargioli, managing attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. This pandemic can only be adequately managed if everyone is healthy and everyone is in a safe environment. Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favours restricting immigration, argued that detainees have constant access to medical care and that ICE and prison companies have an interest in limiting the spread of the virus because they want to continue that business of detention. A central problem is access to protective equipment, which even medical workers have struggled to get. ICE did not respond to questions about masks. The officers have masks and we dont, a woman detained at the Montgomery Processing Center north of Houston said in a video posted by the advocacy group RAICES Action. Another woman in the video holds a sign in Spanish saying shes pregnant and fears for her babys life. In Louisiana, which has become a hot spot for cases and where more than 6,000 immigration detainees are held mostly in rural jails, an asylum-seeker said he and others confined to their unit in the Pine Prairie jail pleaded for masks and more cleaning supplies. More than 50 men sleep on bunk beds. We dont have any social distance within us, said the detainee from Cameroon who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. We are just living by the grace of God. Four immigration jails in Louisiana, including Pine Prairie, have confirmed cases of COVID-19. In Florida, some detainees said in a complaint filed by immigrant rights groups that they had been denied masks and gloves, even when they tried to buy them in the commissary. I sleep on a bunk bed and am surrounded by multiple other bunk beds, all occupied by inmates. It is not possible to stay six feet away from cellmates, Juan Carlos Alfaro Garcia, 39, said in the complaint. At Otay Mesa in San Diego, a detainee from El Salvador who asked to be identified only by his first name, Jose, for fear of retribution, said jail guards had searched his cell and touched his belongings without wearing masks or gloves. They put the virus in here, Jose said. The only way we can get the virus is because they brought the virus. Elsy, who is seeking asylum because she said she was persecuted for her sexual orientation in El Salvador, still doesnt have a jail-issued mask. Meanwhile, she says a guard threatened to write up her and others for tearing T-shirts to use as face coverings. The fear of all this makes me think that we wont be out of here alive, but dead, she said. ___ Associated Press reporters Ben Fox in Washington and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed. By Katya Golubkova and Olesya Astakhova MOSCOW (Reuters) - The global oil production deal clinched at the weekend will help establish a price floor and save millions of jobs in the United States, senior Russian officials said on Monday. Having been in a stand-off with western nations - most notably the United States - from 2014 on everything from Crimea's annexation from Ukraine to allegations of election meddling, Moscow has sought to rebuild ties since the coronavirus outbreak. It sent medical support to Italy and the United States to fight the pandemic and has supported the historic oil supply pact, which could have negative implications for its own economy. The planned supply cuts represent a complete reversal by Russia and Saudi Arabia, which had both threatened to ramp up output in a battle for market share after the previous deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers fell apart in early March. Combined with G20 input, the leaders of Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia engaged in a series of phone calls last week to help to iron out the deal that could remove as much as 20 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil from the market - roughly a quarter of all supplies. "(Russia's) President (Vladimir) Putin had as many calls with (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump last week as he had for the whole of last year," Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF, told CNBC on Monday. Trump has said he helped to broker the deal. The United States also agreed to make extra cuts on behalf of Mexico, helping to save the accord after four days of talks. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, speaking to Russian Rossiya-1 TV station, also praised Putin, saying that total output cuts were seen at between 15 and 20 million bpd, including by the United States, Norway and Canada. He also said he had met heads of domestic oil producers, who had supported the deal. Story continues 'WORKING TOGETHER' Dmitriev, one of Moscow's top negotiators, and whose fund shared the cost of Russia's medical help for Washington, believes that the oil deal would help to save more than 2 million U.S. jobs, he told CNBC. "This is an example of us working together for the best of our nations," Dmitriev said. Without the deal, oil prices might have collapsed to less than $10 a barrel from more than $30 now, he added. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday described the deal as important and that it would help to keep oil prices from collapsing. Russian oil output has already started to decline, falling to 11.24 million bpd this month, from 11.29 million bpd in March, an oil industry source said. Moscow's obligations under the deal are to cut its output to 8.5 million bpd from May to June, bringing it to the lowest level since 2003. The resulting economic impact could be as much as 1.2 percentage points from Russia's gross domestic product, said Kirill Tremasov, head of investment research at Loko-Invest. Producers will slowly relax curbs after June, though production reductions will remain in place until April 2022 under the terms of the deal. (Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in London; Darya Korsunskaya, Elena Fabrichnaya, Tom Balmforth, Maxim Rodionov, Maria Kiselyova and Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by David Goodman and Catherine Evans) It will work with Black Sea partner nations to ensure maritime security Open source US destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) begun its transit to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean sea. This was reported by the command of the Sixth Fleet of the US Navy in Europe and Africa on its Twitter page. #USSPorter (DDG 78) began her northbound transit into the #BlackSea from the #MediterraneanSea. She will work with Black Sea partner nations to ensure maritime security, the message reads. Russias National Defense Management Center reported that the destroyer had entered the Black Sea at 18:30 Moscow time (17:30 pm Kyiv time), according to RBC. The Black Sea Fleet's forces and assets have begun tracking the activities of the US destroyer. As we reported earlier, on March 26, the Russian guided-missile boat invaded Ukraine's exclusive offshore zone at the Odesa gas field. The Ukrainian Maritime Guard found captured self-lifting floating drilling rigs "Ukraine" (renamed the "Crimea-1") and "Tavrida". Flags of the aggressor country were raised on them. Navy watchdog identified patrol boat of Black Sea Fleet nearby. President Barack Obama, accompanied by, from left, Secretary of State John Kerry, Vice President Joe Biden, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, speaks during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31, 2016. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo) Obama Endorses Biden for President Former President Barack Obama endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on April 14, giving the presumptive Democratic nominee a needed boost from one of the partys most popular figures. Obama made the announcement on Twitter, writing, Im proud to endorse my friend [Joe Biden] for President of the United States. In an accompanying video, Obama, who didnt mention President Donald Trump by name, said that Biden has the most progressive platform of any major-party candidate in history. Biden praised Obama in a statement, saying his eight years as Obamas vice president was among the great honors of my life. President Obama understands, as I do, that we will come through this crisis stronger. And then well not only rebuild this nationwe will transform it, he said. During speeches and debates, Biden has relied heavily on his work in the Obama administration, touting measures that were passed when he served as vice president for eight years. But despite that, Obama appeared to show reluctance in endorsing Biden during the crowded Democratic primary. The endorsement comes a day after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who recently dropped out of the 2020 race, lent his support to Bidens campaign ahead of a primary battle with Trump. Biden now has the support of all his former Democratic presidential rivals other than Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is reportedly planning to endorse him in the coming days. In 2016, the former president backed Hillary Clinton during her Democratic primary battle with Sanders. We have a field of very accomplished, very serious and passionate and smart people who have a history of public service, Obama previously said at a private fundraiser in late 2019, CNN reported. Whoever emerges from the primary process, I will work my tail off to make sure they are the next president. Obama called on the Democratic candidates to avoid going too far left so as not to push any moderate voters away. My one cautionary note is I think it is very important for all the candidates who are running at every level to pay some attention to where voters actually are, Obama stated in November 2019, adding that the candidates shouldnt be engaged in thinking that the resistance to certain approaches to things is simply because voters havent heard a bold enough proposal. After Sanderss endorsement, Bidenaiming to pull some of the self-described socialists loyal followers over to his sideassured Sanderss supporters that Sanders would advise him on health care, the economy, and education. But despite the high-profile endorsements from Obama and Sanders, it remains to be seen if Biden can continue to stay relevant as the United States grapples with the fallout caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Over the past several weeks, Biden has been relegated to the sidelines of the fight against the virus and has been forced to live stream announcements and proposals from his home in Delaware instead of holding campaign rallies and speeches and participating in debates. Meanwhile, Trump has held CCP virus briefings every night that are watched by tens of millions of Americans. After a slow start this year, which included dismal performances in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Biden emerged as the Democratic front runner over Sanders with decisive wins in South Carolina and numerous Super Tuesday states. Trumps reelection campaign released a statement on Obamas endorsement. Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him. Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it, the statement said, adding that Obama allegedly viewed Biden as a potentially poor candidate. President Trump will destroy him. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. In his Facebook Live address to the Conroe ISD community Monday, Superintendent Curtis Null assured the community that high school graduations in May have not been canceled. We dont want to give up on graduation and we have not given up on graduation, Null said. That was a promise that we made to you back on update number one, and weve kept that promise to you, and we still plan to have graduations. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Appeals court reopens access to early-stage abortions in Texas One change has been made. It was recently announced that Sam Houston State University canceled high school graduations in May. For CISD, the only school that was planning on having its graduation at SHSU was Caney Creek High School. In response, the district has worked with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands to move Caney Creeks ceremony there on May 26 at 10 a.m. Backup plans But the district is still working on backup plans in case the graduations planned in May cant happen, or must be limited. Working with the pavilion, the district has organized backup dates in July if restrictions on crowds stay in place through next month. The exception would be Hauke High School, which would move to Woodforest Bank Stadium on July 11, if parents are allowed to come. MORE FROM JAMIE SWINNERTON: Class of 2020 endures a season bookended by bad luck The district is also prepared to hold graduations with a reduced audience or no audience at all but will live stream whatever ceremony is held. The district will be creating a senior resource page soon to help give out necessary information. Right now, Gov. Greg Abbots order closing public schools is set to lift on May 4. But parents are not required to send their students back. The Texas Education Agency is going to allow students to keep doing distance learning even if schools open again. Null assured the community that just because the order may be lifted doesnt guarantee that CISD will return. The district will only open school again for students if they believe, in consultation with local health officials, that it is safe. Learning over grades The grading policy released by the district last week keeps the grades that students had before school was closed safe. Their grades can only improve, not go down. Null explained that the decision was made to release the grading policy to help alleviate student stress and assure families that the goal is not about grades, its about learning. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Now more than ever, Houstons digital divide puts childrens education in peril Some students have become the only person in their house still employed and their hours have increased, Null said. He doesnt want families who are struggling to stress over grades. Its one of several measures the district is taking to help families beyond what a school typically does. Last Thursday's food distribution at multiple CISD locations gave out over 50,000 meals. At Conroe High School, the Montgomery County Food Bank also held a distribution event and was able to help 300 families. Donations and volunteering Null urged the community to support the food bank through donations and volunteering. In March, the food bank saw a 250 percent increase in families it helped compared to February and the need is only expected to increase. Information about donations and volunteer opportunities can be found on the food bank website: https://mcfoodbank.org/ Looking ahead, Null said the district is deep into planning for next year and lauded trustees for their work saving money in the budget. So far the district is not planning on making staff cuts, generally, Null said, and is committed to offering all-day pre-k. The link for new student registration for next year is set to go live on April 18. Next year, CISD expects to have 66,000 students, 1,000 more than it does now. It gives us a lot of hope to talk about next year, and to talk about new students coming in, and to think about what that first day of school is going to feel like with all our new students, Null said. One unknown that still exists is summer school, which cant start until this school year is complete. Summer activities also remain unknown. Those decisions are driven by whether or not school returns in May. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com The two Nigeriens who tested positive for COVID-19 have been returned to the Accra Central Police Station. The two were arrested after entering the country illegally on April 5 and were taken to the COVID-19 National Treatment Center after samples taken from them tested positive. However, a report filed by UTV's, Agya Kwabena, disclosed that they have been returned to the Police for reportedly being violent with health workers. The Police administration has however allayed fears that the police officers are at risk of being infected. The police facility has been fumigated. No police officer came into contact with the two, the police said on its Facebook page. The Police further added that steps have been taken by its health and medical teams regarding any likelihood of transmission to any officer. Background The patients were mandatorily quarantined at the Accra District Police cells on Sunday, April 5 on suspicion of being infected. Results from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) subsequently confirmed that the two were positive last Friday, April 10, and have been taken to the Covid-19 National Treatment Centre. This necessitated the disinfection of the Accra District Police facility. GPS indicated that although no police personnel came into direct contact with the two, measures are being put in place to ensure the transmission of the virus is contained. Listen to Agya Kwabena's report in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Egypts health ministry has launched a mobile application designed to raise awareness about how to avoid coronavirus infection and how to deal with suspected symptoms, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The application allows users to communicate with a professional team in case they show COVID-19 symptoms and provides necessary advice based on each case. The app also enables users to report suspected cases, whether in themselves or others, by providing necessary information for diagnosis and to determine the probability of infection. The system will then direct users to the next steps they should take. By turning on location services, the application can also send alerts to users whenever they are close to or are at a location where coronavirus cases are present to help them take necessary precautions to avoid infection. The application also offers various articles on prevention methods, bad habits that could result in virus transmission, as well as tips on improving immunity. Accessing the apps contents requires the use of mobile data. All the data on the app is approved by the World Health Organisation and is constantly updated, the ministry said. The application can also put users in direct contact with the health ministry via WhatsApp through a designated number. The app also sends voice alerts recorded by Egyptian celebrities to remind people about precautionary measures to avoid infection. The application can be downloaded here. Search Keywords: Short link: BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Sunday made remarks on Guangdong's anti-epidemic measures concerning African citizens in China. The remarks were as follows. Faced with COVID-19, an abrupt global public health crisis, all countries are taking containment measures to prevent it from further spreading. China has achieved remarkable progress at this stage thanks to our most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures, but we are still facing great risks of imported cases and domestic resurgence. Particularly, as the pandemic spreads all over the world, imported cases are causing mounting pressure. China and Africa are good friends, partners and brothers. Our friendship is forged on the basis of joint efforts to seek national independence, liberation, economic development and better livelihood in the past decades. Such time-tested friendship is a treasure for both Chinese and African people. Humanity shines through the darkness of the epidemic. After the Ebola epidemics broke out in three West African countries in 2014, the Chinese government provided assistance at the earliest time possible and fought side by side with the African countries and people. Now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Africa are again tiding over difficulties hand in hand, and our friendship is again elevated. We will not forget the support from Africa during our most difficult times. While overcoming difficulties at home, we also give love and care to all African citizens in China, especially African students. As the situation is getting more severe in Africa, the Chinese government and people have urgently delivered batches of supplies to the continent. Our assistance, conveying deep friendship for our African brothers and sisters, demonstrates our fine tradition of mutual assistance and mutual support, and has been highly acclaimed by African countries and the African Union. While arduously fight the virus at home, China has donated large amounts of test kits, masks, protective suits, goggles, face shields, forehead thermometers, medical-use gloves, shoe covers, ventilators and other supplies to the African Union and African countries. We will continue helping our African brothers to the best of our ability. During our fight against the coronavirus, the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the life and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination. Since the outbreak, the authorities in Guangdong attach high importance to the treatment of foreign patients, including African nationals. Specific plans and proper arrangements are made to protect their life and health to the best of our ability, thanks to which we were able to save the lives of some African patients in severe or critical conditions. The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries' concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method. The measures include: to provide health management services without differentiation, to designate hotels for the accommodation of foreigners required to undergo medical observation and adopt price adjustment for those in financial difficulties; to set up effective communication mechanism with foreign consulates-general in Guangzhou; and to reject all racist and discriminatory remarks. The Chinese people always see in the African people partners and brothers through thick and thin. China-Africa friendship is unbreakable as it is deeply rooted in this land. African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China. The foreign ministry will stay in close communication with the Guangdong authorities and continue responding to the African side's reasonable concerns and legitimate appeals. The virus knows no borders. The pandemic, a challenge to all mankind, can only be defeated through concerted international efforts. With mutual understanding, mutual support and cooperation, we are ready to continue working with African friends to achieve the final victory. The icon currently used for Google Lens in the companys Photos app could soon be redesigned to feature the search giants branding. Thats based on recent reports citing the appearance of just such a change in version 4.46 of the app. The change applies specifically to the Lens icon found when users click on one of their photos stored in the cloud or via the app. More directly, thats the dashed square with a dot at the center and another dot in the bottom-right-hand corner. Thats found in the second-slot from the right-hand side at the bottom of the page upon clicking on a photo. The new icon, pictured below, is shown as a complete square comprised of dashed lines. The dot at the bottom-right-hand corner, representing a cameras flash, is replaced by a full corner line. Google has done away with the dot at the center too. In its place, the search giant has placed its own G branding. Advertisement This is the second Google rebrand but the first didnt go so well As of this writing, the newly rebranded Lens icon in Google Photos is only appearing in a single version. Its also only appearing for some users. So it appears as though it is only being tested rather than widely rolled out. It also isnt immediately clear whether the black and white coloration will remain or if Google will add some color. Theres also no guarantee the change will roll out widely at all. Thats because this is actually the second rebranding attempt made by Google within the past week or so. The other change added Google branding to the companys Gboard keyboard. While adding some brand elements to an app is to be expected, Googles decision and execution were largely decried. One plausible reason for that, aside from the logo adding unnecessary extra UI, is that other related apps dont keep the branding around if the keyboard theme is changed. Advertisement For instance, SwiftKey is another hugely popular keyboard app. Its default theme showcases its branding prominently. But upon changing the theme, that disappears. Googles branding sticks around through theme changes. Regardless of the reason, Googles first branding change didnt stick around for long. The added branding was summarily removed via a rollback. It isnt out of the question that the A/B testing being performed here will end in a similar result. Users generally dislike change, to begin with. Beyond the addition of unnecessary elements, these types of changes also present a usability issue. In this case, users may have a more difficult time locating the lens feature especially if theyve become accustomed to the old logo. Advertisement There are some similarities between the icons but the new one is just different enough that it could cause contention from users. The testing status of the Google Lens icon doesnt mean this is coming soon If users do react positively to the change, theres still a small chance Google wont rebrand the Lens icon in Google Photos. The purpose of testing is generally to determine whether any functionality problems will arise. Thats not the case here since it is simply a logo change rather than a feature change. But the design will still need to be signed off on. If the new logo does make its way to a final version of the Google Photos app, the company may ultimately stall release, if it does release, anyway. Feature consistency across apps is important and the Lens feature is not just found in Photos. Its also present in the Google Assistant and elsewhere in various apps. Advertisement In fact, various OEMs include Lens as part of the primary camera as well. For the sake of consistency, Google will likely try to apply the change across all of those locations at once. All of those things will likely keep this from being released in the near future if it does at all. By Sanjeev Miglani and Rupam Jain NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - India extended a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people until at least May 3 on Tuesday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said economic sacrifices were needed to save lives as the number of coronavirus cases exceeded 10,000. A few hours after Modi spoke, police baton-charged protesting migrant workers in Mumbai. Sharp downward revisions to economic growth forecasts in the wake of the pandemic point towards surging unemployment, but Modi urged Indians to maintain the discipline shown in the first three weeks of the lockdown. "That means until May 3, each and every one of us will have to remain in the lockdown," Modi said in a televised address to the nation. "From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself." Later in Mumbai, thousands of jobless migrant workers gathered at a railway station, demanding to be allowed to travel to their homes in the countryside. "Since trains and buses are not operational, they were making noise. To disperse them, police were forced to lathi (baton) charge," said a senior police official. Hundreds of thousands fled the big cities for their homes in the hinterland when Modi announced the lockdown last month, many walking great distances with their families on empty highways. Pakistan, with a population of 205 million, also prolonged its lockdown, due to end on Wednesday, by two weeks. Nepal extended a lockdown of its 30 million people until April 27. Nepal has 16 cases of the virus and no deaths but worries about a spillover from India. Modi announced the extension as latest government data showed the number of people infected with coronavirus in India had reached 10,363, with 339 deaths. TESTING Although the numbers are small compared with some Western nations, health experts fear that is because of India's low levels of testing and that actual infection levels could be far higher. Story continues Lacking testing kits and protective gear for medical workers, India has only tested 137 per million of its population, compared with 15,935 per million in Italy, and 8,138 in the United States. Health experts have warned that widespread contagion could be disastrous in a country where millions live in dense slums and the health care system is overstretched. According to the government, India has about one doctor per 1,500 citizens. The World Health Organization recommends one doctor per 1,000. In rural areas, where two-thirds of Indians live, the ratio is one doctor to more than 10,000 people. So far, more than three-quarters of India's cases are concentrated in about 80 of the country's more than 700 districts, including New Delhi and Mumbai. "It is my request and prayer to all fellow citizens, that we must not let coronavirus spread to new areas at any cost," Modi said. But the shutdown of the $2.9 trillion economy is exacting a heavy toll. Since the lockdown began in late March, unemployment has almost doubled to around 14.5%, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a Mumbai-based private think-tank. The shutdown has already sparked an exodus of millions of workers from small industries like textiles and leather, and service industries like retail, tourism, construction and other sectors from cities to the villages "I am well aware of the problems you have faced - some for food, some for movement from place to place, and others for staying away from homes and families," Modi said. For them, he offered the hope that restrictions in parts of the country that are not coronavirus hot spots might be slightly eased next week. Former finance minister P. Chidambaram said that while the country stood behind Modi in fighting the pandemic, he could do more for the poor. "There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food," he said. Most private economists and the World Bank have revised down India's growth forecasts for the current year to between 1.5% and 2.8% because of the pandemic. Barclays Bank on Tuesday, forecast zero growth this year. Official government figures on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia are as follows: * India has 10,363 confirmed cases, including 339 deaths * Pakistan has 5,374 cases, including 93 deaths * Bangladesh has 803 cases, including 39 deaths * Afghanistan has 714 cases, including 23 deaths * Sri Lanka has 219 cases, including 7 deaths * Maldives has 20 cases and no deaths * Nepal has 16 cases and no deaths * Bhutan has five cases and no deaths Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser (Additional reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Nick Macfie and Giles Elgood) COLUMBUS, Ohio - Three hundred twenty-four people have died from the novel coronavirus In Ohio and 7,280 people are infected, according the Ohio Department of Health on Tuesday. That includes 127 probable cases and 15 probable deaths under the federal governments expanded definitions of coronavirus. There are cases in 86 of Ohios 88 counties. On Monday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health reported 274 deaths of 6,975 cases. About 67,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted of Ohioans. The health departments forecast model shows that Ohios peak is expected on Sunday, with 1,607 estimated new cases that day. The peak assumes strict social distancing. But Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said that the peak is starting to look like a plateau, and the state has flattened the curve. "I think were going to stay flat for a while, is what Im predicting, and well slowly hopefully start to go partway down, Acton said during the daily briefing Tuesday. Gov. Mike DeWine said the state is asking the federal government to ease Medicaid rules. Worldwide, just under 2 million people had coronavirus and 123,000 people had died. In the U.S. there were 584,000 confirmed cases and 24,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. What about the peak? Although the health departments model shows a peak on April 19, the numbers in recent days showing a flattening. This graphic shows the reporting of coronavirus cases by the Ohio Department of Health from the first three on March 9.Rich Exner, cleveland.com We basically have flattened the curve, and what were seeing is almost an imperceptible peak, meaning we picture a peak being a point," Acton said. And what were seeing in our numbers of actual cases -- so our reality -- is looking like its flattened." Thank God the numbers are better than the model, thats No. 1," DeWine said. No. 2... modeling is an attempt at some prediction, based on information they have at that time. Why are the deaths higher? The increase in coronavirus deaths between Monday and Tuesday was higher than in other recent 24-hour periods. But DeWine said not to specifically read anything into it because there is a lag between hospitalizations and deaths. He said to look at the death toll over five days or so to get a feel over whether its going up or down. And theres a lag between infections and hospitalizations, he said. The models peak refers to new infections. Yet DeWine said theres a flattening of the hospitalization curve, which he said is good. Part of the reason for all the restrictions on movement and commerce has been to prevent overwhelming the hospital system. Mayor Ginther Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, a Democrat, spoke remotely during the press conference. He said that the state needs to be cautious about reopening businesses. Hes spoken to executives from Columbus, he said, who have told him they financially cant afford to open and close and open and close, if new spikes of infection and deaths arise. We must be very thoughtful, he said. When will this be over? Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the state is taking the advice of businesses of all sizes and industry sectors, who are not just concerned about economic effects of coronavirus but how to keep employees and customers safe. Husted said he continuously gets asked when will this be over. Dont we all wish we knew the answer to that? Husted said. We do. Since the answer isnt clear, Husted said its more important to focus on the hows -- such as, how businesses can open in a safe manner, who will the reopening of the economy be rolled out. Building confidence is incredibly important, he said. Medicaid waiver During Tuesdays briefing, DeWine said the state is asking the federal government permission to waive typical requirements in Ohio Medicaid, which is a state-federal government health care program for disabled and low-income Ohioans. DeWine said the waiver is intended to provide flexibility during the pandemic. The state wants to waive certain signatures needed from providers and to ease obstacles for patients getting nursing home care, among other provisions. This story will be updated. Other coronavirus coverage: Gov. Mike DeWine gives Tuesdays coronavirus update: Watch live NIH launches nationwide coronavirus antibody test trial to find true magnitude of pandemic Why Ohio widened criteria for counting coronavirus cases, what other states are doing, and the difference in numbers 274 dead, 6,975 now infected with coronavirus in Ohio State senator writes Gov. Mike DeWine, asking to reopen businesses in rural Ohio michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today, in the middle of the pandemic, China has expelled journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. One of those reporters, my colleague Paul Mozur, recounts his final days there. Its Thursday, April 16. Paul Mozur, tell us about these text messages that you got a few weeks ago. paul mozur So its late, probably a bit after midnight. And I am in Shanghai, in my apartment, where Ive lived for the past three years. And Im doing that thing, where youre trying to read in bed, but the phone keeps buzzing. [phone buzzing] paul mozur And Ive told myself, this is the last time Im going to check, and I look at the phone. And for the first time ever, when Ive picked up my phone while Im trying to sleep, its actually relevant. And so what I see is, one of my colleagues, in our sort of private chat group for covering the coronavirus, sends a message. And its a memo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China. And the first bit, its all kind of stock language. Its not too big of a deal. But then I get to point two, and I read point two, and I have to read it again. Because what it says, in this roundabout way, is basically that the entire staff of The New York Times, all of our reporters in China, have to leave the country in just a few weeks. Weve effectively been expelled. Its not just us thats been thrown out, its also a number of reporters with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. So this is the greater part of the U.S. press corps in China being tossed. michael barbaro So youre on your phone in bed, looking at a memo that basically says your job in China is over? paul mozur Yes, our time is up. michael barbaro As youre looking at this, what are your colleagues and you saying to each other, as youre digesting this information from the Chinese government? paul mozur You know, I think Im the first to weigh in, and I say, let me be the first to say this expletive: [EXPLETIVE] [laughter] paul mozur [EXPLETIVE] And then that kind of starts it off. [phone messages chiming] paul mozur Theres some agreement about that. Theres various other kind of expressions of shock, and then [sound effect] our Asia editor, Adrienne Carter, weighs in and says, were still trying to figure out what this means. Were going to have some calls tomorrow. But it doesnt look good. I think we knew for a long time that it was possible our days were numbered. But even if you kind of know that the Chinese government isnt happy with you, the idea of kind of closing a chapter of more than 13 years of your life spent focusing on a place, learning a language, being there is just impossible to kind of deal with instantly. It just felt totally surreal. So I kind of wandered out to my balcony, and it was a cool kind of the fog was coming into Shanghai, and it was sort of just a dark night. And I just kind of spent the next hour or two just sort of outside and thinking. I was sort of a nostalgic mess, in a way. michael barbaro Wow, so this is basically a large scale media purge. I wonder what explanation the Chinese government gives for this, because it feels like this violates decades of journalistic tradition, where the U.S. has reporters in China, and China has reporters in the U.S. paul mozur Yeah, ostensibly, its a tit-for-tat. A few weeks ago, the Trump administration put a cap on the number of Chinese journalists who work for state media that can be in the United States. And China calls this an effective expulsion of 60 Chinese media workers. So this is the response from the Chinese government to throw us out. But theres a lot more to it than that. It becomes really clear, pretty quickly after, because a commentary goes up on state media and asks the question, why are these journalists being thrown out? michael barbaro Mhm. paul mozur And it doesnt bring up the United States. What it goes into is or coverage. And it says that we were overly critical and biased in attacking the Chinese government in how it responded to the coronavirus, that we were biased against China generally. And then it also brings up Xinjiang. And it says that the stories that we told over the past year about Uighurs being locked away in camps are exaggerated and false and just not the true narrative. And so I think at that point, you kind of see, yes, on the one hand, this is a tit-for-tat. But on the other hand, its about so much more. michael barbaro So once you have more or less made peace with the fact that youre going to be kicked out, what do you do? paul mozur Well, you do what you have to do when you have to leave very quickly. I start buying plane tickets. And you cant think of a worse time to be thrown out of a country, because borders are closing all over, and any flight has some level of virus risk. And so michael barbaro Right. paul mozur I get a flight ticket to the United States. I get one to Japan. I get went to Korea. I get three tickets. And then as borders are closing, I actually buy two more michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur more close to my date so I can get out quicker before these borders close. But then I realize I have a few days left, and I have a bit of this well, this sort of dilemma, because I was supposed to go on a reporting trip the day I heard about this thing. And we canceled it. But in my experience in journalism has been you always go out when you can. And so I decided, OK, one last hurrah. Here we go. michael barbaro And what is this reporting job? paul mozur Well, its supposed to be a pretty routine article. China, at this point, is getting back to normal. Life is starting to return to the rhythms that had been there pre-epidemic. So the idea is to find a sort of more middle-class town and go there and talk to people, and see how dazed they are, how excited they are to be out. That kind of thing. And so we choose the town of Hefei, which is a city about three or four hours away from Shanghai by train. And my colleague and I planned the trip, and we decide to go there for two days and see what life is like there. [indistinct chatter] So we go to this mall to try to do some interviews. speaker [SPEAKING CHINESE] paul mozur The checkpoints are out. To get into the mall, you need to have your temperature taken by a guard. You need to write down your personal information. speaker [SPEAKING CHINESE] paul mozur And we start talking to a construction worker. And within a few minutes, a police officer comes in and sort of beckons him. [music] paul mozur He basically disappears. And we ask him, what happened? He said, oh, the police officer said no assembly here because of the virus. So we move on. And what becomes apparent is the police officer, hes stripped off his jacket to go undercover. And he is following us, kind of diving into stores when we look back to see him, and kind of peeking from behind clothing racks to look at what were doing. So we say, all right, well, lets get out of here. So we hop in a car and we go across town to a pedestrian shopping street. We seem to have lost him. Were like, OK. So were walking down, and we hear this beat, the beat of pop music. And theres this fantastic scene. [music] Its the storefront of China Gold, which sells jewelry, and all of the staff are out in front doing these coordinated dance moves. Theyre trying to drum up business. And they invite us in. They say, oh, yeah, were happy to talk. And so one guy says, you know, for all of our dancing, its not helping that much. People want to get out, but nobody has any money to spend. And were starting to kind of sit down and sort of set up to talk to him longer, and we look up and whos coming in the store behind him but that same police officer? And he goes in the back, has a word with the manager. And just a few minutes later, the guy kind of says, you know what? Im sorry, I cant talk. michael barbaro Ah. So the police are clearly attempting to block your reporting. paul mozur Yeah, so I get a little frustrated. But you cant get rid of these guys, and so theyre basically on us for the rest of the time. And it becomes almost impossible to talk to any regular person about what would be an overwhelmingly positive story. michael barbaro Paul, I feel like being surveilled by the Chinese authorities is now a somewhat familiar feeling for you when you go on a reporting trip. paul mozur Yeah, I was thinking about it, and I think its maybe been a dozen times over the past year that Ive had to deal with security. But the thing is, with something thats sort of a more basic story like this, you dont normally get this kind of attention. I mean, thats the kind of thing you get in really, really sensitive stories, where they know youre coming and theyve prepared for you, and they really dont want you to learn anything. So the idea that just talking to regular people feels so dangerous to them that theyre putting this kind of effort in, I mean, thats different. And its extreme, for sure. michael barbaro So what happens next? paul mozur Well, we go on walk across the park, and we end up at a McDonalds. So were talking about leaving and how frustrated we are by whats happened. And a man is kind of eating behind us. And he gets up, and as hes walking out the door, he turns to me and he says, foreign trash. michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur We both kind of look up and were sort of shocked. And so we look at him, and he says, yeah, you foreign trash. What are you doing in my country? And then he turns to my Chinese colleague and he says, you [EXPLETIVE], what are you doing with him michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur you [EXPLETIVE]. And so she starts wanting to kind of defend me, and shes very upset. And I have to basically tell her, dont yell back. Hes menacingly hovering over us. It does feel like it could get physical very easily. And after a few minutes of kind of basically mumbling more nastiness at us, he leaves. Nobody says anything, and everybody goes back to eating. And we try to calm ourselves down. michael barbaro And Paul, what did you make of that attack from this random stranger? paul mozur Well, I mean, as a foreigner, you stand out in China. And theres a lot of good attention that brings, and theres some negative attention over the years. But I think there had been a real uptick in xenophobia lately. Online, weve seen a lot more nastiness on the Chinese internet about foreigners. And a lot of foreigners are starting to talk about run-ins theyve had. The reason we went to Hefei in the first place is it was one of the few places we could find a hotel that would accept a foreigner. I called about 30 hotels and these are American chains, the Hilton and the Marriott and none of them would accept a foreigner. michael barbaro Wow. paul mozur And so Hefei was partially because we found a Westin that would take us. michael barbaro Paul, at this point, youre describing a bunch of experiences that have happened to you in the past, but are happening a lot more intensely in this moment. Government surveillance, anti-Westernism, and of course, youre about to be kicked out of the country by the government. So are you starting to suspect that this is all linked? paul mozur Yeah, I think it all feels a part of the same thing. And everything has been so extreme with the virus. Theres so much fear and theres so much anger. Theres just so much that feels so heightened that it feels different. And it feels like were kind of at a point of change. And its not good. Its not good for a foreigner in the country. But its also probably not good for the country itself. It feels like theres a kind of rejection of what I had thought was an openness to the world in China. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. Paul, where do you think rejection of the outside world this really heightened version of surveillance and xenophobia wheres this coming from in this moment? paul mozur The Chinese government. And I think maybe one way thats interesting to think about it is through the lens of the virus. So by all rights, the virus appears to start in Wuhan and kind of spreads out from there. But I dont remember precisely when this was, but a Chinese scientist at some point comes out and says, well, we dont know precisely where it came from. We dont know precisely the first patient, or how the first person got infected. And then what happens is Chinese state media and Chinese officials seize on this to say, it seems like maybe it didnt come from China at all that it could come from somewhere else. michael barbaro Theyre saying that this virus didnt come from Wuhan? paul mozur They arent that pointed about it at first. They just kind of inject this skepticism. speaker [SPEAKING MANDARIN] paul mozur And so then what starts to happen is rumors start to spread. One thing you hear is that, oh, well, the U.S. has a really bad flu season. And the U.S. doesnt even pay attention to it because the U.S. has a bad health care system. And so it could be that it was in the U.S. for a while and then it came over. And then theres this sort of more pernicious rumor that a number of Chinese officials seem to endorse archived recording pointed to this tweet from a spokesman for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying, quote, it might be U.S. Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent. Make public your data. U.S. owe us an explanation. paul mozur which is that the U.S. military brought it to Wuhan, because Wuhan had this military games last year. archived recording The inflammatory tweet echoed a Canada-based conspiracy websites unsubstantiated claims that America was the real source of the coronavirus, apparently linking it to the U.S. Armys participation in the Military World Games. paul mozur And that during that, a U.S. military representative might have brought it and released it into the city. And these are not small things. This is loud enough that a lot of my Chinese friends are asking me, hey, what do you think about this? Could this be right? michael barbaro Oh, wow. paul mozur And then what starts happening on state media is that you start hearing about cases being imported back into China from the world. Theyre not specifying whos bringing these things back. And oftentimes, its Chinese who live overseas or who are traveling overseas, who got infected and came back. But oftentimes, state media just describes this as foreign cases. And so if youre seeing that every day, and youre a regular Chinese person, you start to fear seeing a foreigner, because you assume those foreigners michael barbaro Right. paul mozur theyre the ones who are bringing the cases back. So I dont have to worry about anything but people coming from abroad. And who else comes from abroad but foreigners? michael barbaro So the Chinese governments tolerance for, and even promotion of, these conspiracy theories that the coronavirus didnt start in China, but perhaps started in the West in a place like America that, in turn, is going to foment xenophobia. A fear, naturally, of Westerners, who Chinese people think will be carrying the virus. paul mozur Right. And not just Westerners, too, I mean, anybody who could be perceived as not being from China at this point. archived recording Africans living in Guangzhou say that theyre being kicked out of their homes and face harassment as health workers step up testing for imported infections. paul mozur In southern China, where theres a large African community, a large number of Africans are evicted from their homes out of fear. And hotels wont have them, so theyre sleeping on the streets. African diplomats are trying to deal with this, but theyre shouted down. McDonalds and other restaurants wont let black people in. The United States issues an actual diplomatic warning to African-Americans, saying, avoid this area because of the xenophobia and racism. And so you just see this sort of snowballing effect of this fear growing and growing. All of the fear of the foreigners related to the virus starts to tie into nationalism and a national self-image, all of which has been carefully cultivated by the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government. michael barbaro Paul, why would it be in Chinas interest to basically promote this xenophobia right now? paul mozur So this is an old trick that the Chinese Communist Party has used in the past. Whenever theres a fear that the legitimacy of their rule is threatened, if people start to point the fingers at top leaders, they need to find somebody else to blame. And the easiest is foreigners foreign influence, and often, the United States. [protesters chanting] paul mozur So if we go back to last year, one of the biggest stories here was the Hong Kong protests. michael barbaro Right. paul mozur And for month after month, the front of newspapers, on TV, we just saw fiery clashes, tear gas, police shooting protesters. [protesters chanting] paul mozur This is hugely embarrassing. michael barbaro Right. paul mozur And so what does the Chinese Communist Party do? They blame the protests on the United States and on the West. They say the United States is fomenting this, and its an aggressive act against China. And so then, throughout the year as well, we did a lot of coverage of what was going on in Western China, in Xinjiang archived recording More than a million Uighurs, and others belonging to various Muslim minority groups, are believed to be detained in the Xinjiang region into a vast network of detention centers for what China calls re-education. paul mozur where more than a million minority Uighurs have been held in camps. And for that, too, it gets tons of attention and michael barbaro Right. paul mozur people talking about it all over the world. And so, again, they have to find an excuse. And they say, well, the foreign forces and the Western media are making this up. And theyre trying to blacken China and tar China. And so then, we get to this year, and out of nowhere comes this virus. And what becomes very clear is that theres quite the cover-up at the beginning. And so, again, were relentless in our coverage. We put this michael barbaro Right paul mozur on the front page. We dissect meticulously how this happened and what happened. And again, the Chinese government sees this as uncompromisingly aggressive and just an embarrassment. And so, once again, how else can you kind of explain it all except to kind of turn the tables and blame foreign influences. And so we see this pattern, where we are a thorn in their side, and they ultimately blame us. And under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, theres been this idea that China is now a superpower, and that the world needs to take China into account. They need to listen to what China has to say. China will be at the table, and they should respect China. And I think, over and over again, we see in Xi Jinpings China that theres less and less room for anything that challenges that idea. And so, now, were at a place where one more group of people who would challenge this idea are gone. michael barbaro Meaning the foreign media? paul mozur Yeah, what the Chinese government wants to tell is a story of triumph. Theyve emerged from the virus as the rest of the world is under siege and under lockdown. And the story they want to tell is that the reason they were able to beat the virus is the superiority of the Chinese system. This sort of enlightened authoritarianism that is able to technocratically manage every variable and fix everything and make things right. And when they look around the world, they can point and say, look at all of these democracies. Theyre suffering terribly. More people are dying. More people are sick. Theyre in crisis and weve gotten through this. We succeeded. That means we are the new superpower. We are the sort of country in ascendancy and everybody must pay their respects now. michael barbaro Right. And of course, the one thing that could get in the way of that that idealized version of that story, that China conquered this virus and did better with it than the West are a bunch of Western reporters poking around, finding examples of failure, or finding the reemergence of the virus. I mean, that just is incompatible with that story. paul mozur Exactly. michael barbaro Paul, correct me if Im wrong. At this point, theres still an order telling you that you need to leave China. This unsuccessful reporting trip has come to an end. So where are you in your process of being expelled? paul mozur So this is sort of the end of March. And the thing is the virus is spreading around the world and countries are closing their borders to foreigners. So if I want to go anywhere outside of the United States and be in the same time zone and continue to cover China, I need to leave quicker. And so I actually end up leaving just a few days later, much faster than I thought I would. And so I pack up my stuff [INDISTINCT CLATTER] I walk out the door paul mozur Taking one last look. ^[DOOR CLOSING]^ paul mozur I leave my apartment speaker [SPEAKING MANDARIN] paul mozur and I head for the airport for a final flight out of a country that has held my imagination and just captured my attention and just been so incredibly interesting that its been impossible to leave for 15 years. [plane taking off] paul mozur I get on a flight and leave it for what will probably be the final time in a long time. And I find myself a few hours later flight attendant Ladies and gentlemen, we have landed at Narita Airport. [INAUDIBLE] with our time difference between Shanghai and paul mozur in Japan. And I get through just before the borders are closing to Americans flight attendant Its been our pleasure to serve you on this flight. Thank you for flying with [INAUDIBLE], your China flight paul mozur and start a two-week quarantine and a new life outside of China. michael barbaro I mean, I cant imagine that its easy or even really possible to cover China from outside of China, right? paul mozur Yeah, its a different sort of thing. I think one of the really important things about having journalists in China is that for all of the propaganda and all of the intimidation, Chinese people still want to talk. They love telling stories. They love talking about what their experiences are. And one of our best ways to just find out what was happening is to go to places and talk to regular people. And now that avenue is cut off to us. And so were going to be reliant on filings and government documents. And were just going to have a vaguer picture, a far less precise picture of whats going on in the place. michael barbaro Right, at a moment when it would seem like the eyes and ears of journalists would be as essential as ever. So how are you feeling about this? paul mozur You know, it feels like it couldnt be at a worse time, because now is the most important and most interesting moment to be in China, because China is as powerful and as large as its ever been. And its on this steep path of authoritarianism. Xi Jinping will not step down the way previous presidents did. He will continue to push this triumphalism. And where that goes and what it means for Chinese people and for the world is probably, in my mind, the most important story. To not be able to be there to see it just feels like an irreparable loss. And it makes me feel, I guess, grateful for the time I had there. michael barbaro Do you think, Paul, that when this is all over this pandemic and perhaps China reaches a point where this triumphalism has been achieved, that things might return to the way that they were before all of this? For journalists like you, and for the relationship between China and the West? paul mozur I really do think weve crossed a point in the U.S.-China relationship that will be difficult to come back from. I think both countries have made it clear the way they view the world is at odds. [music] And its unfortunate, because the one way we could get back to where there is more understanding is to have exchanges and to have people on the ground, trying to explain China to the United States and the United States to China. michael barbaro And thats not happening. paul mozur Yeah, thats not happening. And I dont see it getting better anytime soon. michael barbaro Paul, thank you very much. I know you dont really want to be in the position that youre in, but we wish you the very best of luck. paul mozur Thanks. michael barbaro Well be right back. [music] michael barbaro Heres what else you need to know today. U.S. retail sales, which include purchases in stores and online, as well as in restaurants and bars, experienced their largest monthly decline in three decades in March, as lockdowns changed consumer behavior. The depth of the decline, nearly 9 percent, according to the Commerce Department, is significant because the retail industry accounts for 1 out of every 10 American jobs. Aprils retail sales may be even worse, because state lockdowns have only intensified since March. And archived recording (elizabeth warren) Among all of the other candidates I competed with in the Democratic primary, theres no one Ive agreed with 100 percent of the time over the years. But one thing I appreciate about Joe Biden is he will always tell you where he stands. michael barbaro In a video released on Wednesday, Elizabeth Warren became the latest former rival to endorse Joe Biden for president, as the Democratic Party moves to coalesce around his candidacy. archived recording (elizabeth warren) When you disagree, hell listen. And not just listen, but really hear you and treat you with respect, no matter where youre coming from. michael barbaro The Olympic Council of Asia on Tuesday said it remained "hopeful" of hosting the sixth Asian Beach Games at the Chinese city of Sanya in November, despite that country still reporting COVID-19 cases. The OCA said it has received encouraging words from the organising committee of the Asian Beach Games set to take place from November 28 to December 6 this year, where 45 member countries are expected to participate in 17 sports. This was after Sanya Vice Mayor Zhou Jun informed the OCA that the resort city in tropical Hainan province has not registered any new COVID-19 cases for over two months. "The OCA has been in regular contact with the organising committee and Chinese Olympic Committee over the past three months and we have been very impressed with how the authorities have handled the COVID-19 outbreak in Sanya and Hainan province," OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam said in a statement. "We remain hopeful that our Asian Beach Games can go ahead as planned in seven months' time. We will continue to monitor the situation with the organising committee, the Chinese Olympic Committee and with all our National Olympic Committees in the five zones of Asia." Al-Musallam said "there is still a long way to go with respect to controlling and preventing the spread of COVID-19 around Asia because the health, safety and well-being of our athletes is the most important factor". In a letter to the OCA, Sanya Vice Mayor Zhou Jun, who is also Deputy Secretary-General of organising committee, said, "Since February 12, 2020, no new cases of confirmed infections have been reported in Sanya for 62 consecutive days, and the last confirmed patient was cured and discharged from hospital on March 8. "As of 24:00 on April 13, Hainan reported a total of 29 asymptomatic cases, including 18 cases in Sanya. A total of 22 cases were freed from quarantine, while seven cases are still under medical observation. Among the 29 asymptomatic patients, seven cases were imported from abroad." The Chinese official said the organising committee was "speeding up the preparation in an orderly manner, hoping to bring everyone a trendy, green, fantastic and magnificent Asian Beach Games". The COVID-19 pandemic originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Though the dreaded disease has been contained in the country it has wreaked havoc across the globe, registering more than 1 lakh deaths so far. China is still reporting COVID-19 cases with more than 1,000 cases are still active. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) From the Halls of Montezuma.To the shores of Tripoli. With the Marines Hymn breaking through the wind, blasting from the front porch of his Wickliffe home, Korean War veteran Joseph Buerger sat in his front yard smiling and gleefully greeting neighbors, family, and friends to his 90th birthday celebration. Wow, this is something, Buerger said, in mock disbelief, holding his cap to his head. They wanted to throw a surprise party, but there are too many people around here. I think they knew I would have found out. Even without the element of surprise, Buerger waved, saluted and expressed love and appreciation to the dozens of individuals, young and old, who partied drive-by style in honor of the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native. With the novel coronavirus pandemic precluding large gatherings, Joes wife, Nancy, decided her husband, and hero, was worth big acknowledgment anyway, especially on such a milestone birthday. It was nothing throwing this together, she said. We organized everything in a snap. Adhering to social distancing protocol, a parade of partygoers honked car horns, shouted from the tree lawn and waved American and United States Marine Corps flags from across Luxona Avenue in recognition of Buerger. Ive got nothing but free time for the rest of my life, he said. This really is wonderful in this tough time. Ive got five kids, 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Im blessed. Joining the Marines in 1947, Buerger served nearly five years. He was just about to be discharged when the conflict broke out. I could have gone home but I decided to stay and fight, he said. It seemed like the right thing to do, the only thing to do, and we saw a lot of combat. I was a corporal, but we were all over the place. And we liberated Seoul in the Second Battle. After the war, Buerger worked in a variety of professions, primarily in manufacturing. He was later employed as a supervisor for the Ford Motor Co. in Brook Park. As birthday wishes continued, Buerger was presented with a Tootsie Roll cake and also a most critical item toilet paper. Thats great, he laughed. With the gala wrapping up and whipping winds dropping the temperature, Joe expressed gratitude to all who came to see him. Never mind the cold, he said. This is nothing. You want to talk about cold? I was in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir now that was cold. It was also one of the biggest battles the Corps experienced. That was a long, long time ago and Im so happy to be here now. Life is what you make it, I tell everyone that. Life is wonderful and I remain a good guy to this day. Oil prices rose Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said producers are considering cutting 20 million barrels per day -- more than double the figure publicly announced -- to help the virus-hit sector. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose nearly 2 percent to trade at $22.85, while international benchmark Brent crude climbed 1.5 percent to trade at $32.26. OPEC producers dominated by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia thrashed out a compromise deal on Sunday to cut production by nearly 10 million barrels per day from May. The agreement was aimed at boosting prices after months of heavy falls, with the COVID-19 outbreak sapping demand as countries around the world have put their populations under lockdown. A Saudi-Russian price war compounded the crisis, with both countries ramping up production as they bid to hold on to market share and undercut US shale producers. Prices fluctuated after the output cut was announced, however, with traders still nervous about a supply glut amid estimates that demand has plunged 25 million barrels per day. Trump said Monday that the cuts may be deeper than the headline figure -- with top producers considering slashing output by 20 million barrels a day under the deal. "People are saying 10 million but we think the number they will actually hit is going to be closer to 20 million barrels a day," Trump said at a press briefing about the coronavirus, referring to how much oil production would be cut. He did not go into specifics. Stephen Innes, Chief Global Market Strategist at AxiCorp, said that attention was still firmly on how much demand would collapse due to the pandemic. "That has yet to be quantified and means there are still downside risks to oil," he said. on Tuesday said Pakistani maritime forces carried out an attack on two Indian boats off the coast of Gujarat two days ago in contravention of all established norms and practices. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs asked Pakistan to instruct its forces to refrain from such acts of "unprovoked violence". Military officials said the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) targeted the Indian fishermen on board the fishing boats 'Omkar'and 'Mahasagar' on Sunday near Indo-Pak maritime border in the Arabian Sea. In the firing by PMSA, one Indian fisherman was injured. New Delhi has already issued a strong demarche to Pakistan over its "deliberate attack" and firing on Indian fisherman. "India strongly condemns the deliberate attack and firing on Indian fishermen on board two Indian fishing boats by a PMSA vessel on April 12. In the firing by PMSA, one Indian fisherman was injured," the MEA said. It said the "deplorable" act by the PMSA and causing bodily harm to an Indian fisherman is in contravention of all established norms and practices. "Pakistani authorities are called upon to instruct its forces to refrain from such acts of unprovoked violence," the MEA said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two women leading councils in south-east Queensland have singled out jobs growth after the impact of the COVID-19 as the most important issue facing their regions. Unemployment is tipped to jump markedly as businesses close or downsize during the coronavirus pandemic. Teresa Harding, a former Department of Defence manager, is the new Ipswich mayor. Credit:Facebook. Ipswichs first woman mayor, Teresa Harding, previously a former army executive in charge of maintenance of the citys F-111 jet fighters, was on Tuesday sworn in as the 51st mayor of Ipswich. Cr Harding said one of the first two tasks of the new council was to restore confidence in Ipswich. Popular video-calling app Zoom will let paying customers prevent their data being routed via China in an update set to go live on April 18. It is the latest security patch Zoom has ushered out in recent weeks as it tries to recover from a litany of concerning privacy issues. The cyber-security upgrade comes in response to concerns that data from meetings was being sent via data centres in China, which critics argued was a security risk. Zoom previously maintained no data was routed through China but CEO Eric Yuan later admitted best practices were not implemented as the company rushed to keep up with rapid demand amid the coronavirus lockdown. As a result, some meeting data may have been routed through China. Mr Yuan said this issue had since been corrected. Scroll down for video Zoom previously maintained no data was routed through China but CEO Eric Yuan later admitted best practices were not implemented as the company rushed to keep up with rapid demand amid the coronavirus lockdown (file photo) Now, the company has said it will allow its paying subscribers to directly choose which data centre regions are happy for their meeting data to transit through. In a blog post, the firm writes: 'Beginning April 18, every paid Zoom customer can opt in or out of a specific data center region. 'This will determine the meeting servers and Zoom connectors that can be used to connect to Zoom meetings or webinars you are hosting and ensure the best-quality service.' The firm currently has eight data centre regions: the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, China, Latin America, and Japan/Hong Kong. However, users will not be able to opt out of their default region, where their account is provisioned, Zoom said, adding that for the majority of customers, this was the US. The company also said that free users will be locked to data centres within their default region and will not be able to opt in or out of others. Bu the US-based company says the data of free users will never be routed through China. Last week, it was reported Google and the US Senate were banning the use of Zoom amid data security concerns. Google and the Senate join NASA, SpaceX, Tesla and the German Federal Foreign Office in ditching the app for official business. Zoom has rapidly become one of the most essential apps as people adapt to remote working. However the app's surge in popularity has been outstripped by a string of publicity disasters and various privacy scandals. Zoom has acknowledged that its security measures were inadequate, and that its rise to prominence and the scrutiny that comes with such an astronomical rise caught the company off-guard. Popular video-calling app Zoom will let paying customers prevent their data being sent via China in an update set to go live on April 18. It is the latest significant update Zoom has ushered out in recent weeks as it tries to recover from a litany of concerning privacy issues (file photo) WHAT IS ZOOM DOING TO ADDRESS SECURITY CONCERNS? To address concerns, the company has hired former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos as an adviser. It also formed an advisory board to look into its privacy and safety practices. Zoom has also sent out an update with a new security menu to make accessing privacy tools easier. The platform has introduced a dedicated security icon at the bottom of the screen from which users can quickly access all the app's safety features. The new menu now allows to update security settings while live in a call for the first time, rather than making meeting hosts set security settings before a call. This was something critics said was leading to gaps in meeting security and privacy, because users unaware of all Zoom's safety features often started meetings without seeing all the options. In addition to the new centralised security menu, Zoom said meeting IDs would no longer be displayed on the title toolbar. The company said this was to prevent others seeing active meeting IDs when 'Zoom screenshots are posted publicly', and using the information to crash meetings. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was criticised when hosting a virtual Cabinet meeting on the platform last month, after he revealed the meeting ID and usernames of several Cabinet ministers by posting a screenshot to Twitter. Advertisement The company hired former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos as an adviser and formed an advisory board to look into its privacy and safety practices. Zoom also released a privacy-focused update last week in an attempt to bolster its data protection measures and prevent the loss of more users. It involves a new security menu to make accessing privacy tools easier. A dedicated security icon will feature at the bottom of the screen from which users can quickly access all the app's safety features. 'We recognise that various security settings in the Zoom client, while extremely useful, were also extremely scattered,' the company said of the update. 'The addition of this persistent Security icon helps augment some of the default Zoom security features in your profile settings and enables Zoom users to more quickly take action to prevent meeting disruption.' In addition to the new centralised security menu, Zoom said meeting IDs would no longer be displayed on the title toolbar. The company said this was to prevent others seeing active meeting IDs when 'Zoom screenshots are posted publicly', and using the information to crash meetings - a practice known as 'Zoombombing'. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was criticised when hosting a virtual Cabinet meeting on the platform last month, after he revealed the meeting ID and usernames of several Cabinet ministers by posting a screenshot to Twitter. It was also revealed previously that Zoom claims to secure calls with end-to-end encryption, the industry gold standard for privacy. But the company actually employs a lesser form of security called TLS which is similar to HTTPS used to secure websites. Zoom calls this lesser feature 'end-to-end encryption', a different definition to what is used by the rest of the industry. With Zoom's form of cybersecurity, a chat is encrypted on a server but, if Zoom and its staff wanted to, they could unlock the chat and view its contents. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was mocked after sharing a screenshot of the cabinet's virtual meeting and leaving on the Zoom ID (pictured). Zoom's latest update removes the ID from the top bar of a call Zoom also released a privacy-focused update last week in an attempt to bolster its data protection measures and prevent the loss of more users. It involves a new security menu to make accessing privacy tools easier (security icon pictured bottom of the screenshot, next to participants, which is available to call hosts) The Zoom security menu offers hosts a range of security and privacy features to prevent 'Zoombombing' CEO Eric Yuan then put out a startling statement discussing the issues the company faced as its popularity skyrocketed. It reads in its entirety: 'Whether you are a global corporation that needs to maintain business continuity, a local government agency working to keep your community functioning, a school teacher educating students remotely, or a friend that wants to host a happy hour to spark some joy while social distancing, you are all managing through unique challenges brought upon by this global health crisis. 'During this time of isolation, we at Zoom feel incredibly privileged to be in a position to help you stay connected. 'We also feel an immense responsibility. Usage of Zoom has ballooned overnight far surpassing what we expected when we first announced our desire to help in late February. 'This includes over 90,000 schools across 20 countries that have taken us up on our offer to help children continue their education remotely. 'To put this growth in context, as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million. 'In March this year, we reached more than 200 million daily meeting participants, both free and paid. 'We have been working around the clock to ensure that all of our users new and old, large and small can stay in touch and operational. 'We have strived to provide you with uninterrupted service and the same user-friendly experience that has made Zoom the video-conferencing platform of choice for enterprises around the world, while also ensuring platform safety, privacy, and security. 'However, we recognize that we have fallen short of the community's and our own privacy and security expectations. 'For that, I am deeply sorry, and I want to share what we are doing about it.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 12:06:05|Editor: zyl Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme Court of the United States announced on Monday that it will hear oral arguments for the first time by telephone conference next month. The court will hear 10 cases over six days in May, with the justices and lawyers set to participate remotely in keeping with public health guidance in response to COVID-19, according to a press release. Among the cases to be heard is the legal battle over access by Congress and a Manhattan prosecutor to President Donald Trump's tax returns and other financial documents. The decision to use of teleconferences for oral arguments came after the court postponed arguments in March and April amid the coronavirus pandemic. The release said the Court Building remains open for official business but most personnel are teleworking and that the Court Building remains closed to the public until further notice. Geography and identity will be the same but politics all over the world may change forever because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. What we are observing is the medicalisation of politics and politicisation of medicine emerging all over the globe and deforming our classical politics. For instance, demand, pressure, negotiation, and threat politics is going on around hydroxychloroquine, seen as a possible coronavirus medicine. American President Donald Trump assertively requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the supply of the drug. On the other hand, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wrote a persuasive letter, urging for the supply of this 'sanjivani buti. He used an expression from Ramayana to touch the hearts of Indians and PM Modi. India has received request from more than 30 countries to get this medicine. The attainment of the drug has formed the nucleus of international relations amid the pandemic and has also emerged as an opportunity for leaders to gain popularity in their own countries. Hydroxychloroquine is political capital at this moment in all many parts of the world. Medicalisation of Indian politics too appears inevitable. We are rating our leaders based on their performance in controlling this pandemic: their efforts to save the people, their attempts to enhance and reshape medical facilities and develop quarantine centres in their states. We observe people discussing the good work done by leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Yogi Adityanath, Pinarayi Vijayan and others, going beyond party commitments. Narendra Modi has emerged as the 'saviour family head who provides hope to win in this war against an invisible enemy. A section of the people may be critical towards his 'bell-ringing and 'diya jalao' projects, but many see these events as a way to ensure people's involvement in this state-led operation against Covid-19. Modi is constantly trying to secure people's involvement in this mission, which may emerge as political capital for him in future. The outbreak has also made the practice of 'helping the most vulnerable appear very pertinent social action for all political, religious and social organisations. States and their leaders are also being scrutinised and rated based on their welfare measures, rescue strategies and support systems which they are providing and weaving for the most vulnerable communities, such as migrant labourers, and the poor who are being seen as soft targets for coronavirus infections. Welfare politics is moving from class and caste to biological categories such as age, gender, medically vulnerable, etc. These categories may not continue in the current form for a long time, but the Covid-19 crisis, which will stick around until a vaccine is invented, will dilute conventional political identities such as caste and religion for a while. The pandemic also spotlights the social function and relevance of many religious and socio-cultural organisations such as ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and various popular sects and akharas. One can also see RSS workers engaged in providing food to the poor in various parts of the country. So 'seva politics' (reaching the people through service) is going to become a very important form of mobilisation in the future of Indian politics. The coronavirus will also completely change the notion of heroes and icons of our society and politics. Instead of retired military personnel, we find doctors, nurses, pharmacists, food providers, etc, appearing more frequently in TV channel debates and in public functions. People may trust them more and some of them may emerge as more respected social icons. Our patriotism may redefine itself by including service to society and sacrifices made for people's contribution in fighting corona. So, in the future , at least for a few years, medicalisation of politics may be at the centre stage, apart from seva politics. The language of Indian politics, which was full of superficial remarks and personal comments may extend itself to some ethical concerns of human existence. If it happens, it will be a door to renaissance of politics in the country. (The author is professor and director of GB Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj. Views are personal.) OTTAWA - Donald White was shaving when his friend ran in excitedly to tell his unit the news: The war was over. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte speaks with Royal Canadian Dragoons veteran Donald White, who helped liberate Holland, after speaking to the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday, October 25, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Donald White was shaving when his friend ran in excitedly to tell his unit the news: The war was over. The evening of May 8, 1945, White and his fellow Royal Canadian Dragoons were parked at a bivouac about 30 kilometres from the German port city of Wilhelmshaven. Canada had been at war with Nazi Germany for nearly six years. And now his friend was saying that the BBC was reporting on the wireless radio in their Staghound armoured car that the war was over? "We thought he was just pulling our legs," the now-95-year-old White recalls in an interview from his home in Oshawa, Ont. "I was shaving and I was going to drown him in the shaving water for being a smartass. It was maybe five minutes later the officer came in and informed us." White was supposed to have been in the Netherlands this week, a guest of honour in a commemoration of the Dragoons' role in liberating the Dutch city of Leeuwarden exactly 75 years ago on April 15. The trip was to be first of two to the Netherlands, the second planned for early next month to mark Canada's role in liberating the country. Instead, White is home in suburban Toronto. Having already devastated lives and livelihoods around the world, COVID-19 is also affecting remembrance efforts by forcing the cancellations of key commemorative events such as the 75th anniversaries of the Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe Day, when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies. "I feel disappointed like everybody," White said. "We planned for it and looked forward to it and I think probably my biggest disappointment was not only the celebrations, but I've gotten to know people over there. It's like going to meet old friends." The federal government was planning to send a large delegation of veterans, family members, current military members and students to the Netherlands for 10 days at the start of May for the two commemorations, but those have since been postponed indefinitely. Other commemorations such as for the Battle of the Atlantic have also been put on hold or cancelled for this year. "The well-being of veterans and staff is of utmost importance," Veterans Affairs Canada said in a recent statement. "In line with advice about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from various health and safety authorities, the government of Canada will not be sending a delegation overseas and will not be hosting commemorative ceremonies in the Netherlands as planned." The Department of National Defence sent out its own message this month to active service personnel who were preparing to head to the Netherlands for the events to stand down and focus on preparing to respond to calls for help for COVID-19, a natural disaster or both at once. The First Canadian Army was responsible for clearing the Netherlands of German forces in the final weeks of the war. The effort is largely overshadowed in Canada by D-Day and other major Second World War battles, but more than 1,300 Canadians were killed and 4,300 were wounded during weeks of grinding fighting as the Germans were pushed back. In the process, the Canadians saved up to a million Dutch from starvation and sickness, says historian Mark Zuehlke, who wrote a book entitled "On to Victory: The Canadian Liberation of the Netherlands, March 23-May 5, 1945," and the Canadians earned the Netherlands' undying gratitude. The European country has sent tulips 1.1 million last year to Canada each year since the war and hosted parades to honour the Canadians who were there. The country has also typically played host to Canada during V-E Day commemorations, which was followed by the surrender of Japan in August 1945, formally ending the Second World War. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to attend this year's event. 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. White has previously met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Princess Margriet, who was born in Ottawa in 1943 where the Dutch royal family was staying in exile, at previous commemorations in the Netherlands. This year, his three children were planning to attend with him. Veterans Affairs is still planning to send a delegation of veterans to the Netherlands once the pandemic passes. But when that will be is anyone's guess. "How does anybody plan anything until we know when we're going to be able to deal with this problem we have right now, this infection?" White said. Zuehlke was working with Veterans Affairs Canada to organize several tours of the Netherlands for Canadians during the commemorations before they were cancelled and said he expects the events to be postponed to next year. Some of the elderly veterans who had planned to go this year won't be able to make it. Still, despite his disappointment at not going, White could also see some similarities in how a crisis whether a world war or a pandemic can engender faith while bringing a country and society together to face it. "It's terrible what's going on and we're being inconvenienced and that, but I think we gotta do what we're told we're supposed to do, hoping for the best," he said. "And that's probably like we did during the war. We hoped for the best, right?" This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration opted Tuesday not to set stricter national air quality standards despite a growing body of scientific evidence linking air pollution to lethal outcomes from respiratory diseases such as covid-19. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced Tuesday that the agency would maintain the current standards for fine particulate matter, otherwise known as soot, the country's most widespread deadly pollutant. EPA's staff scientists recommended lowering the annual particulate matter standard to between 8 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter in a draft report last year, citing estimates that reducing the limit to 9 could save roughly 12,200 lives a year. EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was split on the question, with some members calling for tighter standards and others saying the current one is sufficient. "The United States has some of the cleanest air in the world, and we're going to keep it that way," Wheeler told reporters in a phone call. "We believe the current standard is protective of public health." Soot comes from smokestacks, vehicles, industrial operations, incinerators and burning wood. The current standards limit annual concentrations to 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air and daily concentrations to 35 per cubic meter. These fine particles enter the lungs and bloodstream, causing inflammation that can lead to asthma, heart attacks and other illnesses. Poor and minority communities in the United States tend to be exposed to greater air pollution, including soot, because they often live closer to highways or industrial facilities. A 2019 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that on average, communities of color in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic breathe 66 percent more air pollution from vehicles than white residents. This long-term exposure has increased the risks Americans of color face when it comes to heart and respiratory illness, including the novel coronavirus that is disproportionately killing African Americans. The decision regarding particulate matter is the administration's latest effort to ease industrial regulation. In recent weeks, the White House has rolled back automobile emissions standards, despite projections that it would increase premature deaths. Citing the national emergency sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, the EPA has stopped policing pollution from factories and power plants for an indefinite period. And the agency has weakened emissions limits for coal-burning plants as well as cars and light trucks. Taken together, these moves are "a death sentence to communities at the front lines of pollution," said Heather McTeer Toney, the former mayor of Greenville, Mississipppi, a majority African American city, who is the national field director for the Moms Clean Air Force. Several public health experts and environmentalists criticized EPA's proposal on particulate matter, which is subject to a 60-day comment period and will determine national soot levels for the next five years, as well as the process that led to it. Wheeler's predecessor, Scott Pruitt, disbanded the independent panel that advised CASAC specifically on soot levels - those experts gathered in October at a two-day meeting organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists and concluded that the annual limit should be lowered to between 8 and 10 micrograms, and the daily between 25 and 30 micrograms per cubic meter. "The process was doomed from the start," said Gretchen Goldman, research director for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It's not surprising they would retain the standards, because they broke the process." But several big business groups in Washington, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute, cheered the administration for retaining the existing standards, with both noting that annual concentrations of fine particulate matter are down by 39 percent since 2000. Most areas of the country have now met the annual standards, with the exception of spots including Southern California and parts of Pennsylvania, Idaho and Ohio. "We think this strikes the right balance," said API's Frank Macchiarola. Wheeler cited "uncertainties" in existing studies about the impact of lower particulate matter on human health, and the fact that EPA's advisory panel was split, as reasons to retain the current pollution limits. But some scientists say even a slight shift in pollution levels, either up or down, can impact the health of those most vulnerable to respiratory problems. One study published this month from researchers at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health concluded that even a small increase in long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution causes a large increase in the risk of dying of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The study, which examined 3,080 U.S. counties, found that an increase in long-term exposure to fine particulate pollution of just one microgram per cubic meter is associated with a 15 percent greater likelihood of dying of covid-19. This stark difference may be explained by the lung damage such pollution causes over time. "The study results underscore the importance of continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations to protect human health both during and after the COVID-19 crisis," the study's authors wrote. "If you're breathing polluted air and your lungs are inflamed by the disease, you're going to get very, very sick," a senior author of the study, Harvard biostatistician Francesca Dominici, told The Washington Post last week. "Now is not the time to be rolling back environmental regulations," she added. Wheeler said that while the findings were "interesting," it was "premature" to draw conclusions. "We look forward to reviewing the Harvard study once it's completed and peer reviewed," he said. API spokesman Scott Lauermann said regulated industries asked the EPA to suspend emissions monitoring during the pandemic because of practical constraints. "The natural gas and oil industry, faced with limited personnel, is seeking short-term flexibility for reporting requirements," he said. Wheeler noted that industries still must meet emissions limits during the enforcement hiatus. But there is some evidence that particulate matter levels are up around Houston, the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry. A Texas A&M University analysis of state air quality data between March 1 and April 8 found a "large" increase in fine particulate matter levels in the Houston suburb of Deer Park, home to several refining and chemical manufacturing plants, even as Harris County issued a stay-at-home order and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, closed bars and restaurants. Exports plummet by over 17% in the first two months of 2020. 70% of Chinese companies have restarted production, but without foreign orders. Imports also drop. Domestic consumption stagnates. Upwards of 250 million jobs lost Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Chinese exports registered a 6.6% drop in March, compared to the same month last year. In the first two months of the year it registered 17.2%, when the country was facing the peak of coronavirus infection and manufacturing production had been stopped due to quarantine. Now 70% of companies are back in business, but orders from abroad, especially from the United States and Europe, the hottest fronts of the pandemic crisis, have collapsed: a problem for an export-oriented economy like the Chinas. But the slump in foreign demand also affects Asian buyers. Imports into South Korea fell 13% in the first ten days of April. China is Seoul's biggest trading partner, with an average purchase rate of 97 billion euros in Chinese products. Beijing has also seen a reduction in imports (-0.9%). Domestic consumption in the country is stagnating, and companies are not producing to their full potential. According to several observers, up to 250 million jobs have been lost in China in the first quarter of 2020 - the unemployment rate hit 6.2% in February. It is estimated there could be more than 10 million unemployed in the exporting industries by the end of the year. In real terms, the figure could be even worse, given that the official statistics do not count most of the 300 million migrant workers employed in the industry. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland police issued their first citation for violation of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home order to a beauty supply store in the citys Collinwood neighborhood. Fakhry Daoud, 43, of Lakewood, was charged Tuesday in Cleveland Municipal Court with the second-degree misdemeanor. He is scheduled for arraignment on June 19. Daoud is the owner of Max Hair & Beauty Supply store on East 149th Street and St. Clair Avenue, according to Ohio Secretary of State filings. Attempts to reach Daoud were unsuccessful and a call to the business was not answered. Cleveland police went to the store about 12:20 a.m. Saturday and found six people in the store, according to the citation. The businesses was also receiving shipments of supplies, the citation says. DeWines ordered all non-essential businesses, including beauty supply stores, be closed to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, including beauty supply stores. Cleveland police have not released additional information on the incident and messages left seeking information from the citys health department were not immediately returned. RTA police have also issued two citations in Cleveland, one on Saturday and one Tuesday. In both cases, the men were cited for trespassing in RTA stations on West 117th Street and Tower City. Officers added the extra charge on top of the trespassing charges. Read more from cleveland.com: Three cited in Cleveland Heights for violating Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home order after three dozen found house party, police say Elyria man lied about positive coronavirus test in attempt to avoid jail, police say 10 arrested, gunshots fired at large party at AirBnb rental in Willoughby Hills, police say Many countries in the European Union have been hit hard by the disease, especially Italy, Spain, Germany, and France, leading to the bloc closing all external borders for 30 days. Colin Kinghorn, COO of lpsos Business Consulting Southeast Asia Up to now, the public attention has focused on politicians and business leaders. They, in turn, have been reliant on the ability of virologists and epidemiologists to study the distribution, patterns, and parameters of this new strain of coronavirus and identify the risk factors for disease and preventive health factors in a sufficiently robust manner to be able to draw conclusions that will shape policy decisions. The challenge is that there is still insufficient reliable data available for these experts to be able to give us any definitive conclusions. While the updated information being released from China and South Korea would suggest that they are in the process of entering the stage of recovery, we are still waiting to see what happens next in both countries. Having looked at what is being written in authoritative journals, a prevailing view is that Europe and North America may not fare so well, given their relative lack of experience in handling such outbreaks compared to Asia. The lack of understanding in how and when the spread of this virus will be contained means that analysts are divided on the estimates of the economic damage which is likely to involve a contraction by between 6 and 8 per cent. Coincidentally, exports to the EU are also estimated to fall in the first quarter, according to the statement of the countrys Ministry of Industry and Trade made on March 20. The EU estimates that the crisis will have a very large detrimental economic impact on the EU and the eurozone. They estimate that the direct impact through all channels will reduce real GDP growth in 2020 by 2.5 percentage points compared to a situation with no pandemic. Given that real GDP growth was forecast to be 1.4 per cent for the EU in 2020, this would imply it could fall to just over -1 per cent in 2020. The EU is forecasting that the bloc would see a substantial but not complete rebound in 2021. This seems to be a bullish estimate of economic damage and assumes that the member states will recover along the same lines, or better than China, when averaged across the bloc. The financial markets remain a concern and we have yet to see our political and business leaders overcome the collective paralysis that has gripped the international community. As one commentator said recently, there seems to be no adults in the room. Preparing now None of this bodes well for those Vietnamese companies whose business model places a heavy reliance on exporting goods to EU member states. Even if the border controls are resolved, there is still the question of when affected markets will rebound during 2021 and 2022. In addition to the potentially prolonged economic damage that arises in those sectors unable to trade, Vietnamese companies need to give some thought to the various scenarios in relation to what could emerge at the other side of this crisis in terms of the customer wants and needs. We have already seen an immediate shift in consumer behaviour when the virus reaches their shores. While I can understand why many businesses have adopted a wait-and-see approach to the pandemic, our view is that this needs serious examination now with the objective of identifying the possible scenarios that could emerge and how you may need to adjust your business model, proposition, and brand communications post-pandemic as well as during it. If the economic damage in certain industries turns out to be politically or financially painful, then it is not unreasonable to expect some actions to frustrate foreign player access to these markets. Now is the time to make contingency plans that are supported by a thorough analysis of the finances, people, technology systems, and operational changes that you have to be prepared for. The world faces tough times and a lot will depend on the extent of the economic damage within each country, the effect that this pandemic has had on their citizens, the stimulus package put in place by governments, and also any emerging threats from countries that are more confident about their ambitions and see an opportunity to move to occupy a space that your industry previously controlled. It is not that long ago that the EU was rocked by a sovereign debt crisis and is frantically working to keep the euro intact as a world currency. The fallout from the recent trade wars still lingers, and the ongoing turmoil in the financial markets (Softbanks announcement about asset selling to secure funds to clear crippling debts must raise an eyebrow or two) and even EU member states are already regulating against each other in an effort to prepare for the wave of virus infections hitting their nations. It is almost certain that we will see some level of protectionism to shelter those industries that were the worst affected by the crisis and give them a chance to recover. Some would argue that the EU has one of the biggest challenges ahead when looking at the task of mitigating the economic damage risks. The bloc is preparing for damage and trade disruption to go through the first and second quarters of 2020. The EU has issued a series of communiques to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Central Bank, and the European Investment Bank to outline the need for a co-ordinated response to assist member states in coping with the economic damage. The security and integrity of the Schengen border is of paramount importance to the EU and it seems clear that there will not be any hesitation in extending the period for these border controls should infection rates continue to present serious danger to the countries and their citizens. When it comes to border control, the EU expects member states to rigidly apply them at all times and this will be consistent in its application in every one. The world is waiting to see what the outcome is in countries like Italy and France, hoping that they win the fight to protect citizens and contain the virus. There seems to be no doubt that the authorities in both countries have taken strong action to deal with this pandemic. Thinking about the EU trade preparations and contingency plans, initial assumptions seemed to imply that the EU expects to see signs of Italy and France coming out of recovery at the end of March or in early April. Nevertheless, then there is some reason to believe that the border controls will be reviewed and eased in line with response plan updates. If not, then we should be prepared for the border controls to be tightened further as well as their duration extended. European companies have already been preparing investment moves ahead of the EVFTA. Medium-term effects A recent survey by Ipsos, which is a global leader in market research, showed that three in four people in some of the worlds virus hotspots are in favour of their governments taking the same sort of drastic measures on border control as we saw in China and Russia. This sentiment is also shared in Vietnam, where 79 per cent agreed that the countrys borders should be closed during this pandemic. With regards to investment flows from the EU to Vietnam, it is highly likely that investment will be delayed to some extent as some investors will be compelled to turn their attention to their core market which could be hardest hit. The turmoil in the financial market, share prices in a freefall, and potentially mounting corporate debts could influence the foreign direct investment outflows from the EU in the medium term, depending on the level of support that the EU offers to businesses and EU citizens to facilitate recovery. Looking at this issue another way, it is not unrealistic to think that the Asian countries and their economies might be seen to come out of this global crisis in better shape than the EU and the US, both in terms of how they initially responded to the pandemic and also the pace by which the situation was stabilised. With the EU being a somewhat stagnant economic bloc whose GDP growth is not that attractive even in the best of years, we may see foreign investors looking more closely at those Asian economies that have a track record of strong growth and were seen to cope better in managing the rate at which the infection spread. Vietnam may be facing an opportunity to significantly accelerate what was an already impressive growth rate for FDI in recent years. Again, it is too early to know how and when the pandemic will subside and we see the extent of the fallout around the world economic damage, companies lost, and unemployment rates. But if Vietnam can keep its infection rates from getting out of control and maintain a stable economy, there is good reason to believe that it can come out of this in a stronger position than many other countries. The border controls will become even tougher if the EU estimates of infection rates across member states prove significantly wrong. We could then see individual states suspending the free movement rules and the Schengen principles. The logistics, tourism, and retail sectors will likely see some companies collapse and business and consumer sentiment taking a tumble and industry segments supplied by Vietnamese companies suffering. We could see a situation where Vietnamese companies struggle to get their goods into the EU bloc only to find that the customer needs are no longer there. Scenario planning and a revamp of the sales strategy need to be started as part of leaders work to protect their company, its stakeholders, its employees, and its customers. This is not about making business continuity plans or a simple contingency plan in case we lose some market share. Now is a time for regulators, trade bodies, and businesses to come together and work as a unit when assessing each development with regards to the crisis and determine the likely impact on markets and companies and deciding which direction to lead the team towards. We need leaders and we need them now. VIR Colin Kinghorn European enterprises in Vietnam hit hard by COVID-19 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). U.S. President Donald Trump revealed the country is ready to pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying he will make the final decision by the end of the week. The president noted he is not happy with the work of either of the two, claiming the nation was mistreated by both. "We will leave if we don't get treated fairly," he asserted, adding the country has won barely any lawsuits within the WTO until recently. Trump accused the organization of ruling in favor of the US lately because the country is no longer "playing any games." Previously, Trump suggested he may reduce the funding of the WHO, as he claims the organization is China-centric and failed to report on the severity of the situation in Wuhan where the COVID-19 outbreak started. Girls are at increased risk of being groomed online during the coronavirus emergency as they spend more time online and out of school, experts warned. Frontline service providers say they are already seeing teenage girls struggling with their mental health due to the upheaval of the Covid-19 crisis and perpetrators could take advantage of this increased vulnerability. Charities warn lockdown measures create a perfect storm for abusers to find, trick and coerce young girls into exposing themselves on livestreaming sites with the footage later distributed on child sex abuse sites. Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, which removes child abuse imagery from the internet, told The Independent within seconds adult perpetrators posing as fellow teenagers or pretend boyfriends will urge victims to take their clothes off, adding that perpetrators use the footage to blackmail girls in the starkest cases. Ms Hargreaves, who said men approach children as young as 11 online, noted the trend was already a national crisis before the coronavirus outbreak but could be further exacerbated. She said: A lot of key workers in supermarkets, the NHS and other jobs have to go to work during the coronavirus crisis. They have no choice. If their children are at home, it is impossible for parents to supervise them. Also, parents working from home have to juggle working and parenting. Internet companies have seen people online more. Children are all over the house on different devices. It is very, very difficult for parents and carers to supervise them. "On the one hand, it is essential children are online as that keeps them connected to friends and family, mentally stimulated and entertained, but at the same time, it makes them more vulnerable. Being locked at home is creating a perfect storm for perpetrators to find, trick and coerce these children." Ms Hargreaves, who noted that girls were the victims in 92 per cent of all child abuse sexual content they had removed, said her organisation was working with the police and public agencies during the coronavirus emergency to record trends and potential surges. Jane Kenyon, founder and chief executive of Girls Out Loud, a charity that works with teenage girls, raised concerns about how the closure of schools most of which shut on 20 March would impact teenage girls. High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Show all 18 1 /18 High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Najaf, Iraq A man holds a pocket watch at noon, at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Bangkok, Thailand Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, part of The Grand Palace) Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Prague, Czech Republic An empty street leading to the historic Old Town Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Washington DC, US Lawn stretching towards the Capitol, home of Congress Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Jerusalem's Old City A watch showing the time in front of Damascus Gate Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world London, UK The Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Wuhan, China Empty lanes in the city that saw the first outbreak of disease Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Havana, Cuba The Malecon road and esplanade winds along the city's seafront Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Cairo, Egypt A little busier than elsewhere: midday traffic in Tahrir Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Berlin, Germany The Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving city gate in the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Caracas, Venezuela Bolivar Avenue, opened in 1949 and the site of many demonstrations and rallies Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Moscow, Russia Spasskaya Tower (left) on the eastern wall of the Kremlin, and St Basil's Cathedral Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Istanbul,Turkey The harbourside Eminonu district is usually buzzing with activity Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New Delhi, India Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard that runs through the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Amman, Jordan The Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New York City, US The main concourse of Grand Central station in Manhattan Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Kiev, Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the site of many political protests since the end of the Soviet era Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Accra, Ghana The odd walker out in the midday sun on Ring Road Central Reuters Ms Kenyon told The Independent: Girls are bored, lonely and confused, often living in homes with compromised parenting. All this means it is more likely they will look for validation anywhere and the internet is probably the only place they can find this in isolation, without friends and school activities. Also when you are bored and lonely you are more vulnerable and probably take more risks. As social media becomes their permanent hangout and they become complacent, their version of normal shifts and they overshare, their vulnerabilities show up louder and this allows sex offenders to pick up more in their search criteria. We are seeing girls we work with who have mental health issues struggling, with one non-fatal overdose already. But there is also a concern about what we dont see as the girls are not in school and we are not allowed to continue our one to one work with over 80 per cent of them due to very strict key worker rules put in place by government i.e unless you have a social worker you are not considered vulnerable enough to go into school and meet with any intervention specialists like us. This is heartbreaking for us and them." Ms Kenyon said spotting the signs early is "generally the only safeguard" in place but no contact whatsoever makes this impossible. She noted school is a place of safety for many of the girls they work with and called for the government to open schools to all the young people who want and need to meet key workers and get support. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo says coronavirus 'messes with your head', stressing mental health toll Jackie Redding, assistant director of operations for young peoples sexual health charity, Brook, said: Because of the prolonged period at home, abusers have the time to invest in gaining the trust of young people. Naturally, young people may be feeling isolated, lonely and anxious and depending on their home circumstances, they may be worried about their family or feeling unsafe and looking for friendship online. Earlier this month, the National Crime Agency warned social distancing measures brought in to curb the spread of coronavirus could cause a substantial surge in online sex offences. The agency said the UK is home to at least 300,000 paedophiles who constitute a risk to children on the internet or in real life. The figure, which predates Covid-19, was published to draw attention to a potential spike in online child sex offending during the coronavirus crisis. They face an increased threat from offenders who are also online in greater numbers, a spokesperson said. The NCA also knows from online chat that offenders are discussing opportunities to abuse children during the Covid-19 crisis. Sarah Green, director of End Violence Against Women, said: Any sense of lawlessness and police and other statutory services being diverted elsewhere, can drive perpetrators of sexual violence and exploitation to be more confident to offend, both in families and in the broader community. "There is a serious risk of increased child sexual abuse online, child sexual exploitation of young people who are not in school and unsupervised, and sexual violence against girls by their peers on and offline, during this crisis. Experts say the grooming process can take place far more rapidly online than in person and self-generated content has risen exponentially each year since 2014. In January, it emerged that one third of child sex abuse images are originally posted online by children themselves amid warnings of a rising phenomenon of minors sharing graphic footage for likes. The Internet Watch Foundation took action on more than 37,000 reports that contained self-generated images and videos from the internet that depicted criminal imagery of under 18s between January and November 2019. It previously warned 80 per cent of the sexual selfies it found in its hunt for images of child sexual abuse were of girls aged between 11 and 13. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 15:03 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1cd1d7 1 Business chatib-basri,COVID-19,social-protection-program,social-aid,Jokowi,food-supply,lockdown,unrest Free The governments ability to provide social protection and ensure undisrupted food supply will be crucial in preventing social unrest as the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to hit households and workers hard, economists have warned. Former Finance Minister Chatib Basri said the government should be able to provide cash transfers for affected citizens, adding that it would need to ensure the availability of food supplies to prevent massive demonstrations such as those during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. The government needs to focus on those two issues otherwise it will trigger social unrest, Chatib told a discussion held by the Foreign Policy Community Indonesia (FPCI) on Monday. Read also: Red tape stymies social aid The economist said the government should also prioritize the healthcare sector to contain the outbreak, adding that the tighter containment measures, such as large-scale social restrictions in Jakarta, called for cash transfers from the government to aid vulnerable households. Containing the outbreak should be the first priority because if people get sick and they cannot work, the economy will get hit anyway, Chatib said. But it comes with consequences too. As the country requires people to stay home, we need to compensate them. The government has set aside Rp 436.1 trillion (US$26.36 billion), equivalent to 2.5 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP), for stimulus packages that are focused on healthcare spending, social protection and economic recovery programs. It projects the countrys economic growth to slow to 2.3 percent this year under the baseline scenario, which would be the worst since 1999, and even contract 0.4 percent in the worst case scenario as the pandemic hits demand and disrupts business activity. Read also: 'Break the chain!': Businesses brace for Jakartas social restrictions Many companies might not be able to pay debts for the next three to six months due to financial pressures caused by the pandemic, Chatib said. The government must also step up interventions for banks to not stop credit line as there is a risk of massive unemployment, he said, adding that the government had focused its stimuli on the urban population to prevent the spread of the virus. If there is not enough stimulus in urban areas, they will go to rural areas but health facilities in rural areas are very poor so it would no longer be possible to control the virus spread". The highly contagious pneumonia-like illness has infected more than 4,500 people on Indonesian soil and killed almost 400, according to official data announced on Monday afternoon. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has declared a public health emergency and stated the pandemic is a national disaster, as large-scale social restrictions have been implemented in several regions with a high number of confirmed cases. Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus worth 2.5% of GDP, lower than Singapore, Malaysia A recent report by a London-based business consulting group, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), stated that the government had to make the case for a lockdown in Indonesia as the pandemic is projected to overrun the countrys health systems and put a strain on the economy, warning of a potential unrest. Indonesia, it added, did not have enough resources and lacked the ability to contain the COVID-19 spread. The possibility of social unrest is high, it wrote. It is essential that the government makes the case for lockdowns with clarity, precision and sensitivity, or else a greater number of lives will be lost. The EIU also projected that COVID-19 would severely disrupt the Indonesian economy despite coordinated and swift responses from the government and Bank Indonesia (BI) to anchor the economy. The World Bank estimated in March that the pandemic would slash Indonesias economic growth to 2.1 percent under the baseline scenario, down from 5.1 percent projected initially, if the situation started to normalize by June. It also warned that the disruptions would throw millions of people into poverty. The pandemic has upended supply chains, forcing companies to lay off employees and crushed demand for goods as consumers stay at home and increasingly worry about job prospects, reining in consumer spending, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of Indonesias GDP. Read also: Can we take motorcycle taxis? Clashing regulations leave passengers confused As many as 2.8 million people had lost their jobs as of Monday, according to data from the Manpower Ministry and the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). More than half were furloughed and place on paid or unpaid leave. We are in uncharted waters because the virus is a combo of different shocks altogether, hitting the demand and supply sides, United Overseas Bank (UOB) economist Enrico Tanuwidjaja said during the same online discussion with Chatib. Government spending [to finance stimulus] will have very limited firepower unless the country earned loans or even swap lines. A Disney+ customer services employee has been sacked after telling a British user to 'suck my d***' and 'eat s***, w****' on the company's live chat function. Subscriber Reece Scott, 23, from Woking, Surrey, had contacted the Disney help desk online after receiving an error message when trying to watch Brother Bear. But he was horrified to receive foul-mouthed reply, and quickly ended the chat, before taking a screenshot and complaining to the new streaming service. Disney+ confirmed its employee had been dismissed and said a full investigation is underway to ensure this doesn't happen again. The exchange will raise fears among parents that any children using the help feature may also receive insulting responses. Disney+ user Reece Scott, 23, from Woking, Surrey, received the foul-mouthed messages when he asked for help with an IT issue Mr Scott said he was first left 'in shock' and thought he had used the wrong web page. When he received a call from the complaints desk they said a colleague almost fell over when they heard the messages Mr Scott, who works in IT, had logged onto the platform's live-chat help function and politely asked them to whitelist his IP address when he received the upsetting messages. The Disney+ help service employee responded, 'no. Eat s**t, wh**e'. And then said: 'Suck my d**k. What part of that don't you understand?'. Mr Scott said he was left gobsmacked and thought it 'wasn't real' until he rang Disney to complain. 'I was so shocked,' he said. 'I was sitting by myself and just thought 'is this real, surely this isn't real?'.1 'I thought 'am I on the right page, am I in the right place? This can't be right'. 'This is Disney, they're as PG as it gets. They're a family company, they're the mouse house. I didn't think they would respond like that. 'All I did was ask them to check my IP, there wasn't even an exchange.' Mr Scott was met with this message when he tried to connect to Disney+ after subscribing Mr Scott said he first got an automated email from the company following his complaint before receiving a phone call. 'Disney confirmed the transcript when they rang me about my complaint, they've told me he's going to be fired,' he said. 'They read the transcript and the guy put me on hold and when he came back he said 'my colleague almost fell over when I read it out to her'. 'Americans aren't like that, they don't really swear like that, so I think for them the language is even more vulgar.' He has since being offered a 12-month free subscription, worth 59.99, for the trouble but says he still doesn't have a Disney+ account due to the technical issues. Reece set up his account using mobile data on his phone but when he tried to log into the app on his Playstation, he received error message 73. He has access to his account, but it cannot be streamed via his apartment's broadband due to a VPN issue. Disney said they take customer service extremely seriously. The streaming service launched its platform in the UK 21 days ago. Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Ten industrial mining companies operating in Mali have donated cash and materials, estimated at more than 1 A deadly plant disease affecting olive trees across Europe could cause losses of more than 20bn over the next 50 years, researchers said. The bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, which is spread by insects known as spittlebugs, is considered to be one of the most dangerous plant pathogens in the world. It has already caused widespread problems in Italy and Spain, wiping out entire groves of ancient olive trees. Experts have also warned the bacteria is capable of infecting over 300 plant species, including lavender, rosemary and flowering cherry. In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Pnas), researchers calculated the potential economic impact in Italy, Spain and Greece, which account for 95 per cent of olive oil production, if nothing is done to stop the spread of the bacteria. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary Their findings suggest losses could as high as 5bn (4.2bn) for Italy, 17bn (14.5bn) for Spain, and 2 (1.7bn) for Greece over the next five decades. The team, led by Dr Kevin Schneider from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said that drastic action such as felling seemingly healthy trees would be required to stop the spread of the disease. Even under slow disease spread and the ability to replant with resistant cultivars, projections of future economic impact in affected countries run in the billions of euros, the authors write. Recommended Gardeners urged to report spittle sightings on UK plants Our findings highlight the importance of minimising disease spread and implementing adaptation measures in affected areas. The research model compared two different scenarios one where all growing ceased due to tree death and another where trees were replanted with resistant varieties. If measures are taken to protect olive groves, the overall economic impact could be lowered to around 1.6 billion euros (1.3 billion) in Italy, 5b (4.4bn) in Spain and 0.6bn (0.5bn) in Greece. But this increase in costs could also see a rise in the price of olive oil, according to the study. Most olives are used as an input for processing into olive oil, the researchers write. In turn, the simulated price increase would result in higher costs of production for oil processors. This could affect the consumer price for olive oil. Additional reporting by agencies Kesha has been keeping things entertaining for her 2.9million Instagram followers as she quarantines at home. But the two-time Grammy nominee took a serious moment to pay tribute to a friend who has died. She took to Instagram with some black-and-white throwback selfies Monday to mourn the loss of her close friend, LGBTQ activist Blake Brockway. In loving memory: Kesha took to Instagram with some black-and-white throwback selfies Monday to mourn the loss of her close friend and LGBTQ activist Blake Brockway The 33-year-old captioned the images: 'One of the kindest, most beautiful humans I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Blake has made me want to be a better person. 'He worked his whole life to help others and find ways to make members of the LGBTQ+ Community feel safe. He helped me feel safe. He was so funny. always kind to everyone. We lost a real life angel today. You will forever be remembered my love.' She also asked for her 'Animals' (the affectionate term for her fans) to send her more photos of the activist. According to a GoFundMe that raised more than $19,000 for Brockway's medical expenses, he was hospitalized in late February after fighting his illness for months. Better person: The 33-year-old captioned the images: 'One of the kindest, most beautiful humans I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Blake has made me want to be a better person' Safe friend: She added: 'He worked his whole life to help others and find ways to make members of the LGBTQ+ Community feel safe. He helped me feel safe' Gay icon: Serving on HRC's National Board of Governors, he previously honored Kesha with the Visibility Award at the HRC Nashville Equality Dinner in 2016 (pictured in 2016) Serving on HRC's National Board of Governors, he previously honored Kesha with the Visibility Award at the HRC Nashville Equality Dinner in 2016. He said in a statement: 'Kesha has unapologetically used her influence and international platform to bring attention to the challenges faced by the LGBT community. 'We are proud to welcome her to the HRC Nashville Equality Dinner and honor her with this year's Visibility Award.' Postponed: Kesha postponed the High Roads Tour last month, writing on Instagram: 'I love u all and hope u all stay healthy and well' Brockway also recently posted about her new album High Road: 'I just am so proud of how you evolved and blossomed. 'I know parts of this record were fun but also difficult but what I hear is HAPPY Kesha and introspective Kesha.' Kesha postponed the High Roads Tour last month, writing on Instagram: 'I'm sad that I wont see you as soon as I had hoped, but it's more important that we all keep each other safe. I love u all and hope u all stay healthy and well.' She's since been keeping her fans entertained, posting videos of herself at home, dancing to her hits like Tik Tok and the recent track inspired by Nicolas Cage. Some 32 care homes in Northern Ireland have been affected by coronavirus, the health minister has said. Robin Swann confirmed the figure today which represents a rise from the announced figure of 20 last week. The North's death toll of those who tested positive for Covid-19 rose by 10 to 134. The Public Health Agency also confirmed 85 new positive tests for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number of cases to 1,967. Some have questioned why deaths with Covid-19 in care homes have not been included in daily updates. Those updates give out the numbers of patients in hospitals who have died. In a statement the North's department of health said it is not possible for the Public Health Agencys daily bulletins to accurately pick up on a daily basis deaths that occur outside of hospital settings. The process for registering deaths in the community takes a number of days. It involves a doctor completing a death certificate and then the death being registered by the General Register Office and the Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency (Nisra). It takes up to five days to register a death and sometimes longer, the statement added. The department also said that testing in care homes is being increased. It said in a statement: Where care home residents and/or staff are symptomatic they are being tested, testing is being increased and further information on this important area of work will be provided later this week. Earlier Northern Ireland's department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs announced it is set to test up to 1,000 samples a day in fight against Covid-19 The departments Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) will assist the health service to ramp up testing numbers in a newly-established consortium with Queens University Belfast and Ulster University. Agriculture minister Edwin Poots said when fully operational in a number of weeks it is expected that AFBI may test up to 1,000 samples per day. If there is one message I want to reinforce, it is that we are all in this together, he said. Through continued co-operation and collaboration and by supporting each other we will get through this. Mr Swann expressed his thanks to all those bodies who have stepped forward to assist with increasing our testing capacity will play a crucial part in enhancing our armoury as we fight against Covid-19. From left to right: Chariho teacher Rebecca Burns, Diana Champa of School One, Emma Wilusz, Andrew Ackroyd, and Taylor Polites of the Goat Hill writing group. (Courtesy of Chariho High School) The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a petition to expand measures to reduce inmate populations in jails and prisons amid the COVID-19 pandemic, writing in an order that the justices believe a directive from the governor earlier this month "best addresses the current crisis." The petition, brought by the ACLU of Montana on behalf of Disability Rights Montana on April 1, asked the state's high court to order each of Montana's judicial districts to take further action to reduce jail populations, and to appoint someone to carry out the petition's goal. Among other actions, it asked the Supreme Court to order the immediate release of vulnerable inmates. Disability Rights Montana, which advocates for people with disabilities, argued the state needs to enforce a uniform response in jails and prisons in light of the pandemic. But the Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's order said Disability Rights Montana had not established evidence to show that local officials showed "deliberate indifference" in their own efforts to reduce jail populations in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Those local officials were already operating on instruction from Chief Justice Mike McGrath and Gov. Steve Bullock to release the inmates that are non-violent and high-risk for the disease, the justices wrote. "More than one-third of people in Montana's prisons and jails have at least one disability," said Disability Rights Montana executive director Bernadette Franks-Ongoy in an email. "The state has a constitutional and moral responsibility to protect these peoples' lives. Some jurisdictions are taking proactive steps to reduce their incarcerated populations, among other actions. But not everyone is taking the necessary steps to address this pandemic." Judges across the state responded to the petition in opposition. In Ravalli County, a judge, the public defender's office, county prosecutor and sheriff have been at work reviewing inmate statuses, resulting in the release of 12 inmates charged with felonies and five inmates with misdemeanors to "appropriate terms of supervision." Yellowstone County officials reported their jail population has fallen 25%. Cascade County District Judge Elizabeth Best noted she has been proactively releasing inmates at their initial appearances and reducing bail "as much as possible." The Supreme Court also took aim at Disability Rights Montana's use of a "superficially misleading headline" from a Great Falls TV news outlet claiming the sheriff there was not releasing inmates due to COVID-19 to bolster its claim that some judicial districts might not be taking appropriate action. The news report made clear that while the sheriff had not chosen to request any inmates be released, the Supreme Court had still directed judges to "release, without bond, as many prisoners" as they are able. Justices also noted in the order that inmates have other options, including motions for bond reduction through the courts, which McGrath has already ordered the lower courts to contemplate on an expedited basis. The ACLU of Montana, which criticized Bullock's directive to correctional facilities in Montana and has asked him to use clemency to release vulnerable inmates, said it would continue to urge the governor to continue reducing incarcerated populations. "The state's efforts so far are insufficient to prevent illnesses, and likely death, among incarcerated people and those who work in Montana's correctional facilities," said executive director Caitlin Borgmann. "To save lives, we need a uniform, state-wide response. Jails and prisons are epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks, and prevention is critical. Once an outbreak occurs, it will likely be too late. We are deeply concerned to see the state gamble with people's lives." British drug firms have put themselves at the centre of the battle against the coronavirus with plans for new treatments and vaccines. Glaxosmithkline yesterday agreed a tie-up with French rival Sanofi to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. It came as Astrazeneca, Glaxo's rival, announced it was investigating whether one of its cancer drugs could be adapted to treat virus victims. Virus battle: Glaxosmithkline yesterday agreed a tie-up with French rival Sanofi to develop a Covid-19 vaccine And shares in Anglo-French biotech firm Novacyt rocketed after its involvement in the UK's testing regime grew, taking its gains this year to 3,300 per cent. Glaxo's shares rose 1.7 per cent after its announcement with Sanofi. The partners, which are among the biggest vaccine producers in the world, said they could start working together 'immediately' and share technologies. This includes Glaxo's adjuvant technology, which allows smaller doses of vaccines to be more effective, and Sanofi's DNA recombinant technology, which speeds up vaccine production. Emma Walmsley, Glaxo's boss, said: 'By combining our science and our technologies, we believe we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine.' Sanofi boss Paul Hudson added: 'It is clear that no one company can go it alone.' The tie-up was unveiled just days after Glaxo said it would set up a joint testing laboratory in Cambridge with Astra. Astra yesterday said it was beginning clinical trials of blood cancer drug Calquence to assess its potential to help the most severely ill Covid-19 patients. The virus is believed to trigger an over-reaction of the immune system in some patients, known as cytokine storm. But Astra believes that Calquence could potentially help control this. Amid the developments, shares in Novacyt rose by 30.1 per cent, or 113.5p, to 491p yesterday. They were just 13p at the start of 2020. It came days after the firm announced it was working with Glaxo and Astra at the Cambridge testing lab. Appointment 14 April 2020 Park Inn by Radisson, Dubai Motor City, has welcomed Erika Gudauskaite as its new revenue manager. Erika Gudauskaite started her career with Radisson Hotel Group in 2013 as Front Office Receptionist at Radisson Blu Hotel, Klaipeda, Lithuania and moved to Dubai and Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City in 2016 June as Assistant reservations manager and was later promoted to Reservations and M&E manager. She holds a Bachelor's Degree at Klaipeda University, Lithuania in Recreation and Tourism Studies. According to the property, in her role as revenue manager, she will be looking after the hotels revenue function alongside development and implementation of right rate strategy. She will also help the brand maintain a trajectory of growth, maximising overall revenue and identifying new business opportunities. Saudi Arabia did not intend for U.S. oil producers to suffer, Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said in an interview with a select group of reporters, including Energy Intelligences Amena Bakr. I made it clear that it was not on our radar or our intention to create any type of damage to their industry. My belief is that once this market stabilizes, and given the nature of shale oil and the shale industry, that they will be able to recover as the market recovers, as the world economy recovers. So I have no single doubt in the mind that in the future, they will rise again from the ashes and thrive and prosper, the Saudi minister told reporters in the phone interview published by Energy Intelligence on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia is looking forward to a time when U.S. producers thrive once again in a market with higher oil demand, Abdulaziz bin Salman said. Before the OPEC+ group agreed on Sunday to reduce oil production, the leaders of the OPEC and non-OPEC producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, respectively, traded accusations over who is to blame for the previous deals collapse. Russias President Vladimir Putin said that Saudi Arabias oil price war and its readiness to offer steep discounts for its oil was designed to bankrupt U.S. shale. Saudi Arabia responded to that by accusing Russia of breaking up the OPEC+ coalition last month. The words attributed to Putin by media are fully devoid of truth, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said in a statement in early April. The new OPEC+ deal put the Saudi-Russia feud behind and was an effort to respond to the glut threatening to fill up global storage within weeks as demand crashed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The nearly 10 million bpd cut would be for just two monthsMay and Juneafter which the producers will soften the cuts. Premium: A Global Oil Cartel? The idea for stretching the cuts over two years came from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister said in the interview with reporters. Asked about the Saudi-Russian dynamic in the negotiations leading to the deal, Abdulaziz bin Salman told Energy Intelligence: Within a family you get into differences of opinion. I wouldn't call it a feud. It all happens within the family. At the end of the day, a family is a family. When they are confronted with a challenging situation, two parents come out and that sense of band-of-brothers prevails. According to the minister, despite disagreements in the course of negotiations, such as the one with Mexico, I think the first read of that is that Opec-plus is here to stay. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Donald Trump denied considering firing Anthony Fauci, his widely respected leading infectious disease official, even after sharing a tweet that called for Mr Fauci's ouster as the country was still battling the coronavirus outbreak. Mr Fauci on Sunday said in a television interview that had the Trump administration ordered certain measures sooner, fewer Americans would have died. Hours later, the president re-tweeted an account who wrote "Time to #FireFauci". Mr Trump a day later was asked if noticed the hashtag. "I notice everything," he shot back in a tense and aggressive briefing. "It was someone's opinion. ... I think he's a great guy." The president challenged reporters to ask White House press aides what he said when they inquired about reports he might fire Mr Fauci, telling them they would be told, "I like the guy." Mr Fauci has at numerous points contradicted the president about the scope of the outbreak, when it might end, and whether the federal government acted quickly enough. At the top of the daily press conference, which Mr Trump contends is reaching millions amid Democrats' calls he end them, Mr Fauci took the lectern to explain a comment he made Sunday on CNN was taken out of context. He tried to explain he merely meant that, by definition, had the federal government ordered "strong mitigation" steps like social distancing, fewer Americans would have died. Media outlets described that comment as Fauci criticising Mr Trump, something Mr Fauci denied strongly. New York governor Andrew Cuomo has rejected the presidents statement he has total authority over reopening the states and threatened a constitutional challenge if the federal governments decisions impacted the safety of his state. President Donald Trump geared up for a fight between himself and state governors over claims of who would be responsible for reopening the US economy in the coming weeks. During the presidents press briefing on Monday, he said he had total authority over all the states. But Mr Cuomo was quick to reject that statement. The president said last night he has total authority. That is not an accurate statement, in my opinion, the governor said on Tuesday during his own press briefing. The balance between the state and federal that is articulated in the constitution is the essence of our democracy. We do not have a king in this country we didnt want a king. The colonies, the states, formed the federal government. The federal government did not form the states. There are laws and there are facts, even in this wild political environment, he added. Mr Cuomo, as well as the rest of the country, has watched as Mr Trump grow more angry at the governors for making their own individual plans for how to open their respective states amid the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier on Tuesday, the president tweeted claiming Democrat Governors were attempting to pull a mutiny against him. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain, he wrote, mentioning the movie Mutiny on the Bounty. The president also released a tweet directly geared at the New York governor. Cuomos been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the states responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That wont happen, Mr Trump wrote. The president is clearly spoiling for a fight, Mr Cuomo said about the presidents threats. This is too important for anyone to play politics. Although the governor has offered up his own harsh criticisms against the president, he said on Tuesday Mr Trump will have no fight with me. I will not engage it, he said. This is not about me this is about we. Engaging in a fight would occur, Mr Cuomo confessed, if he felt the federal government was making decisions that would harm New Yorkers and the states recovery following Covid-19. Unless he suggests we do something reckless and endanger the state .. then I would have no choice, Mr Cuomo said. I will fight with all my might to protect New Yorkers. Challenging the president if necessary was mentioned when Mr Cuomo appeared on CNN on Tuesday morning. The governor said worst case he would have to use the constitution to defend his power over New York. If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldnt do it, Mr Cuomo said. And we would have a constitutional challenge between the state and the federal government, and that would go into the courts. And that would be the worst possible thing he could do at this moment, would be to act dictatorial and to act in a partisan, divisive way. New York announced on it was partnering with six Northeastern states New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts in collaborating how each are will reopen in the coming weeks and months. This sparked the West Coast and midwest states to also form their own coalitions focused on reopening plans. Previously, Mr Cuomo said he would welcome the federal government to take charge of reopening the economy if they had a proper plan in place to address every states differing needs. But thus far, the Trump administration has yet to reveal a plan for how the US should reopen. The United States supports the people of North Korea and other countries vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House National Security Council said Monday, underscoring Washington's commitment to providing humanitarian aid. The NSC statement was posted on its Twitter account together with a link to a press release issued by the Treasury Department last week. The Treasury said Thursday that it continues to allow U.S. sanctions exemptions for the delivery of humanitarian aid to countries affected by COVID-19, including North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Syria. "U.S. sanctions DO NOT target legitimate humanitarian aid, such as medicine, medical devices, equipment, and agricultural products," the NSC said. "We support the people of Iran, Venezuela, Syria, and North Korea." North Korea has insisted it has no cases of the coronavirus. On Sunday, state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a ruling party politburo meeting the previous day to discuss anti-coronavirus measures. "Our country took strict top-class emergency anti-epidemic measures from the outset and established thorough-going organization, consistency and compulsoriness in the nationwide protective measures. It, therefore, has been maintaining very stable anti-epidemic situation," the Korean Central News Agency said. North Korea revealed last month that U.S. President Donald Trump offered his country's assistance with the pandemic in a personal letter to Kim. The note was sent as denuclearization negotiations between the two countries have stalled for more than a year following the collapse of a February 2019 summit between Trump and Kim. Kim's sister, Yo-jong, said Trump's letter was appreciated but also sounded a warning against hoping that U.S.-North Korea dialogue would resume based only on the leaders' letters. (Yonhap) One of the golden arches of a sign at a McDonald's restaurant is seen in a tree in the wake of Hurricane Irma, in Orlando By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp has been hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of subjecting female employees in its corporate-owned fast-food restaurants in Florida to widespread sexual harassment. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Chicago, says the company fostered a climate of "severe or pervasive sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, including groping, physical assaults, and sexually-charged verbal comments." McDonald's did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plaintiffs, current McDonald's employee Jamelia Fairley and former employee Ashley Reddick, are seeking to represent a class of female employees of Florida's more than 100 corporate-owned, non-franchise McDonald's locations. They are asking for $500 million in compensatory damages, additional punitive damages and an order requiring the company to adopt policies against harassment. "It's time for this company to take responsibility for the safety and well-being of all workers who wear the uniform," Fairley said at a news conference on Monday. Fairley and Reddick said in their complaint that McDonald's failed to provide training to prevent sexual harassment and shuffled serial harassers from one location to another without consequence. "McDonald's strategy in Florida appears to be: deny, ignore, and punish anyone who complains too loudly, and at times, move harassers from one restaurant to another restaurant, where they have access to and can further harass more women," they said. Reddick worked at a Sanford, Florida, McDonald's restaurant from 2015 until 2018, when she was fired for reporting unwanted sexual comments and touching by a male coworker, the complaint said. Fairley was harassed by two male coworkers while working at the same store, beginning in 2018, according to the complaint. Management knew of the harassment of both women but failed to take appropriate action, the lawsuit said. Sexual harassment allegations have plagued McDonald's since 2016, when it first faced a wave of complaints filed with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Story continues McDonald's also faces another class action lawsuit in Michigan, as well as individual lawsuits. About 95% of McDonald's U.S. restaurants are run by franchisees rather than by McDonald's itself. The company has argued that it cannot be held responsible for harassment in its franchise restaurants, and a federal appeals court in California agreed with that view last year. Friday's lawsuit, however, concerns only corporate-owned stores. Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook was fired last November for having an improper consensual relationship with an employee, though he was not accused of harassment. (Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) BALLSTON SPA The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Friday afternoon when its chairman will propose suspending the rule requiring it to hold a meeting in April. The news came as eight of the 23 supervisors meet unofficially on Tuesday afternoon via Zoom. The meeting, in which the press and others were invited, was led by Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett who, like the other supervisors in attendance, were frustrated that Chairman Preston Allen had not called its regular full board and any committee meetings this month. In the middle of public health crisis, the public safety and public health committees should be meeting, Saratoga Springs Supervisor Tara Gaston said during the meeting. They should be meeting more often, not less often. These supervisors, all from the countys larger towns, have clamored for a meeting because they say there are many issues that must be resolved -- mainly the countys handling of pay during the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, employees and management including those with six-figure salaries were told they would get time-and-a-half for every hour they work at a cost of $325,000 a week. The controversial pay plan, which was panned by many supervisors, was eventually scaled back to now include 40 who work in the countys COVID-19 command center. Its unclear, however, how much that is costing the county taxpayers. No one on this call knows, Barrett said. Gaston agreed, lamenting, We are not getting communications. Allen did not respond to the Times Union request for comment on the special meeting, but Andrew Mangini of Gramercy Communications, the public relations firm that represents the county, said that Allen called the (Friday) meeting to address time-sensitive issues and it was done in accordance with County Law 152. The supervisors were not the only one upset with the county communications and compensation. Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton spoke at Tuesdays meeting too, saying that the only thing that is complicating the citys pandemic response is the county. Things in the city are going great. Things in the county are not going great, Dalton said. There is next to no communication from the county at all. She said the county called residents telling them to wear a face mask, which resulted in her receiving a barrage of calls with questions about masks. She said she couldnt answer any of them because the county did not inform her they were doing the call. She also asked the county if she could be added to its press list so that she could get the same information that was shared with the media. That has not happened. She has reached out to County Administrator Spencer Hellwig and he doesn't get back to her. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The communication gap is also complicated by holding a special meeting, where Gaston said, only agenda items can be discussed. In addition to suspending the rule requiring a meeting in April, the agenda also lists the creation of another COVID-19 ad hoc committee that will be chaired by Willard Peck of Northumberland. The committee would also include Saratoga Supervisor Tom Wood, as well as Charlton Supervisor Alan Grattidge, Waterford Supervisor Jack Lawler and three of the disgruntled large town supervisors: Darren OConnor of Malta, Matthew Veitch of Saratoga Springs and Benny Zlotnick of Milton. Barrett said that several supervisors will vote against this committee because compensation decisions should rest with the full board. He also said that, by law, there is an agenda meeting on Wednesday afternoon. He said its doubtful there will be a quorum, but he will go anyway. It cant be canceled, as per county law. Only the board of supervisors can cancel it, Barrett said. The time and energy being used to call this special meeting could have been used to call our regular meeting. He also said that the larger towns, if they band together, will have the latitude with the proper amount of support to make sure this process is legitimate. There is a vacuum at the county, Barrett said. We dont know what they are doing. We have given them common sense recommendations, but they have not taken our recommendations and put them into practice. We dont take that personally. But we need a public meeting. If we dont, the situation will continue to fester. A recent theory suggesting that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was doing the rounds in California as early as November 2019, infecting thousands undetected and leading to herd immunity, was debunked by experts from the scientific community. Antibody testing by a group of Stanford Medicine researchers was linked to the theory. Herd immunity due to early infection? Victor Davis Hanson, American classicist, columnist, and military historian from Stanford's Hoover Institution (a conservative think tank) and not affiliated with Stanford Medicine's study, hypothesized that respiratory illness cases in California in the fall of 2019 could have been COVID-19 spreading undetected. Hanson suggested that what doctors were calling an "early flu season" could have been an early spread of the disease. In the absence of testing, many Californians could have had COVID-19 misdiagnosed as "flu" and developed antibody resistance. If so, herd immunity in California might be a reason for the state's lower case numbers. However, Stanford scientists refute this hypothesis. Reporters also point to Hansen's possibly biased views on Chinese immigration into the US, and his avowed eagerness to get Americans back to normal working conditions faster. Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection against an infectious disease that occurs when most of a population develops resistance to the disease, thus shielding the minority who are not immune to it. Hanson went on to say that if herd immunity in California could be proven, it would help policymakers take a call on restarting the economy, as people who were proven to have already had the virus could go back to work. Researchers from Stanford Medical are currently carrying out blood tests to determine whether a person carries antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease. Testing is carried out at sites in San Jose, Los Gatos, and Mountain View using an antibody test from Premier Biotech, which displays results in minutes. The researchers are looking to find out how many people have been infected their work has nothing to do with herd immunity. Instead, it is to learn about the virus, how it infects, whether it induces immunity, how long the immunity lasts, or how long it takes to build up immunity. Aerial view of empty freeway streets with no people in downtown Los Angeles California as result of coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 virus outbreak and lockdown. Image Credit: Hyperlapse Media / Shutterstock No probability, say experts The researchers were quick to point out that tracking of the virus showed that there was virtually no proof that COVID-19 was circulating before November 2019. "There is zero probability [SARS-CoV-2] was circulating in fall 2019," tweeted Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Bedford has been tracking the novel coronavirus as it spreads and mutates. Bedford cited a study that went back to test samples taken from "flu" cases in January and February as part of the Seattle Flu Study, which found zero positives in January 2020 from 3,600 samples and only ten positives from 3,308 samples tested in Feb 2020. He pointed out that the samples are representative of the US, and that California falls in line with the rest of the country in outbreak tracing. He also added that according to the genetic tracing of viral mutations, it could not have entered the US before January 2020. Bedford is backed up by other scientists, including Richard Neher, who, with his team, created NextStrain, a platform that tracks genetic mutation of viruses over time. Neher says that tracking shows about "eight mutations in a 30,000-base sequence...which tells us is that the virus came from one source, not too long ago, somewhere between mid-November and early December." Where are the casualties? Scientists also pointed out that if the virus were indeed circulating while masked under the "severe flu season," the caseload and mortality rate would have been much higher than it was. "We would've seen New York in California," says genomic epidemiologist Allison Black, who works in Bedford's lab. Dr. Alok Patel, a pediatrician at the University of San Francisco, weighed into the debate, "With coronavirus, we're suspecting that we would need about 50% to 60% of the population to be immune to it to achieve that herd immunity so it couldn't spread like wildfire. We would need millions and millions of Americans to actually get either infected or vaccinated to get immune to create herd immunity that's a huge number. And we'll probably have a huge number of casualties and deaths." Which is, quite frankly, lacking in California. Rather than herd immunity, therefore, they attribute California's lower infection rates to the stringent social distancing measures that were implemented early on in the epidemic. For their part, researchers are almost unanimous in calling for social distancing as the need of the hour in flattening the epidemic's curve and warning against misinformed decisions by the public that could lead to higher infection rates. Canada's industry leaders warn drastic impact of COVID-19 on meat supply With some of North America's largest meat producers having been forced to close their plants or reduce output amid the COVID-19 outbreak, industry leaders warned of immediate and drastic effects on Canada's supply chain. Beef processing capabilities have been reduced at a number of facilities in Canada and the US, including a temporary reduction at a Cargill meat plant in High River, Alberta, where dozens of employees have tested positive for COVID-19. "This single facility represents just over one-third of Canada's total processing capability, so the impacts to the Canadian beef industry are expected to be immediate and drastic," according to Michelle McMullen, communications manager at the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA), on Monday. According to the CCA, other Canadian plants have reduced their operations in order to implement COVID-19 safety measures to allow for physical distancing in their plants. Several plants in the US, including major producer JBS USA, have also shuttered or reduced production due to growing employee absences and mounting concerns about the virus. With North American beef production "severely limited," CCA president Bob Lowe is calling on the Canadian government to introduce measures to support Canadian farmers and protect the country's supply chain. "The Canadian beef industry is facing a period of extraordinary uncertainty," Lowe said. "Existing programmes do not address the particular threats we are facing and in fact fall quite short. These are challenging times for all Canadians; it is together that we can implement solutions to ensure healthy and affordable food continues to be readily available." His search committee is likely to conduct polling designed to determine how particular demographic groups will respond to his potential political partners. At best, polling is predictive, offering educated guesses. However, the analysis need not be left to conjecture: Many of the possible picks have run in statewide elections, the data from which offer actual evidence of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the prospects. All that Mr. Biden has said on the subject is that he intends to name a woman as his running mate. Of the people most often mentioned as being on the vice-presidential short list, Stacey Abrams of Georgia, Senator Kamala Harris of California, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have all run in statewide elections in which exit polls were conducted. That data offers the chance for an apples-to-apples comparison of relative electoral strength with the key demographic groups needed to strengthen the Democratic ticket. A close examination of the electoral track records of the possible partners shows that Ms. Abrams best offers what Mr. Biden most needs (to be clear, Ms. Abrams is on the board of the Center for American Progress, where I am a senior fellow, but board members, including Ms. Abrams, have no input on what fellows write). In terms of success with young people, Barack Obamas political popularity is unquestioned, and therefore his support levels among that demographic offer a valuable measuring stick. Of the potential nominees, only Ms. Abrams outperformed Mr. Obama in her state, winning the 18-to-29-year-old vote in Georgia by nearly 30 points; Mr. Obama lost that group by three points. Only Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, another common name on potential V.P. lists, equaled Mr. Obamas performance with young voters in her state. The other contenders for whom there is data underperformed Mr. Obama in their most recent competitive race by significant margins. The available data on popularity among Latinos is more limited, but in the states that do offer such information Georgia, California, Michigan and Nevada Ms. Abrams secured the most Latino support, garnering 62 percent of her states Latino vote in 2018. Ms. Cortez Masto, who is herself Latina, was also very strong with that demographic. It is in the realm of African-American voter enthusiasm that Ms. Abrams is without peer. Not only did she win 93 percent of the black vote in her race for governor a higher percentage than any of the other potential vice-presidential picks won in their statewide races but few candidates (if any) in the history of this country have increased black turnout in a statewide election to the extent that Ms. Abrams did in 2018. Black voter turnout jumped 40 percent in Georgia in 2018, an astounding level of strength that not only can bring the Midwestern states back into the Democratic fold but also has the potential to expand the map of competitive states to Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas. Among the other contenders, a recent poll (by Data for Progress for the group Way to Win) found that Ms. Harris ran a close second to Ms. Abrams in terms of support among African-Americans. Ultimately, Mr. Biden will make a pick based on comfort, fit and fitness for the office, and there is no shortage of talented women he can choose. If he wants to base his decision on the available evidence and proven success in areas where he has failed, then choosing Stacey Abrams is the smartest move. Steve Phillips (@StevePtweets), the host of the podcast Democracy in Color With Steve Phillips and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, is the author of Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority. 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. CHINA'S Navy has moved the country's only aircraft carrier into the controversial areas of the Miyako Strait and the Bashi Channel in the South China Sea, raising tensions in the region and stoking a response from the US Pacific Fleet stationed in Okinawa. The US Navy has conducted nine combat manoeuvres in the South China Sea last year, according to records provided by US Pacific Fleet. The manoeuvres are designed to challenge Chinas claim to maritime rights and dominion over several island chains in the region, which have put the US and its allies at loggerheads with China. EU funding for the collection of a new tree ring network covering the Northern Hemisphere and the development of tree ring growth and density models Tree rings tell us a lot about what the climate was like in the past and are therefore used by researchers for climate reconstructions - something that is particularly relevant in a time of climate change. However, since the 1960s, the rings of trees have no longer provided an accurate reflection of temperature development. This problem, known as divergence, is the starting point for a new research project, for which paleoclimatologist Professor Jan Esper of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) will be receiving more than EUR 2.5 million in EU funding. Over the project's five-year duration, Esper and his team will track the development of trees at 100 sites in the Northern Hemisphere to develop a new model for the reconstruction of tree growth that will generate reliable data for climate research. The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Professor Jan Esper and his MONOSTAR project an ERC Advanced Grant, the EU's most richly endowed funding award that is earmarked for outstanding researchers. Tree rings present a prime archive in which hundreds of years' worth of climatic developments have been recorded in great detail, from regional to global scales. However, climate reconstructions depend on reliable correlations between tree growth and climate. "It worked very well up until the second half of the last century," explained Esper. "But since the 1960s, the tree ring width and densities have not been able to keep pace with global warming." It was during the 1990s that the divergence problem was recognized as a phenomenon with far-reaching consequences. Not only does it undermine the reliability of temperature reconstructions based on tree rings, it also has implications for our understanding of how sensitive the Earth's climate is to man-made greenhouse gases. "The problem impacts all climate reconstructions based on year-to-year changes over the past 1,000 to 2,000 years," Esper pointed out. Sampling and monitoring tree sites in the Northern Hemisphere The scientist therefore proposed to start by collecting new data, among other tasks. To this end, Esper and his team along with cooperation partners from many different countries will launch a uniquely international project to record the growth of various species of conifers in cold locations and in boreal coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere. The width and density of tree rings will be measured at 100 locations, from the Rocky Mountains through the Alps and as far as the Himalayas. Additional extensive monitoring procedures will be carried out at ten of these locations in order to collect detailed findings on influencing factors so that a new tree ring density model can be created. The core samples from each of the locations will be analyzed at two laboratories in Germany, one lab in Russia, and another one in Switzerland. Studying the influence on ecology, archeology and history beyond climate research Paleoclimatologists suspect that temperature is not necessarily the only decisive factor in the divergence problem. "There are many other influencing factors that can influence plant growth in extreme locations, such as levels of ozone or changes in radiation," added Esper. The results of MONOSTAR, an acronym for Modeling Non-Stationary Tree Growth Responses to Global Warming, could have far-reaching consequences: If historical warm periods and climate changes can be reconstructed more accurately, this will not only help climate researchers, but will also spark new research ideas in ecology, archeology, and historical studies. Distinction for scientific excellence Jan Esper studied and later earned a doctorate in geography at the University of Bonn. After a postdoc position at Columbia University in New York City, he continued his work on dendrochronology at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), and qualified as a professor at the University of Bern. Since 2010, Esper has been a professor at the Department of Geography at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He became a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in 2018. His research focuses on the paleoclimate, urban climate, and dendrochronology. ERC Advanced Grants are awarded to outstanding researchers to enable them to undertake projects considered to be highly speculative due to their innovative approach, but which, because of this, can open up access to new approaches in the corresponding research field. Only researchers who have already made significant breakthroughs and have been successfully working for at least ten years at the highest levels of international research are eligible for the grant. The only criteria considered in awarding ERC funding are the academic excellence of the researcher in question and the nature of their research project. An ERC grant thus also represents acknowledgement of the individual achievements of the recipient. ### Related links: https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb09climatology/ - Climatology Group at the JGU Institute of Geography https://erc.europa.eu/news/erc-2019-advanced-grants-results - ERC press release "450 million for Europe's long-term frontier research" https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/magazine/erc-2019-advanced-grants-examples - ERC 2019 advanced grants examples Read more: https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/16168_ENG_HTML.php - press release "Natural climate archives play an important role in climate reconstructions of past millennia" (4 Feb. 2013) https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/16094_ENG_HTML.php - press release "International team of researchers publishes first reconstruction of Eastern European springtime temperatures since the Middle Ages" (15 Jan. 2013) https://www.magazin.uni-mainz.de/970_ENG_HTML.php - JGU MAGAZINE "Finnish trees tell the story of 2,000 years of climate history" (22 Aug. 2012) https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/15491_ENG_HTML.php - press release "Climate in northern Europe reconstructed for the past 2,000 years: Cooling trend calculated precisely for the first time" (9 July 2012) Schools will likely make major changes when they reopen, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Although campuses are likely to reopen in the fall, the school day may unfold in starkly different ways, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday, suggesting staggered start times, "reconfigured" classrooms that allow for social distancing and some continuance of online learning. The governor said that physical distancing and other precautions against transmission of the coronavirus could remain in place for a lengthy period at schools after stay-at-home orders are lifted and California begins to gradually reopen. School district leaders will need to begin considering a host of safety measures, he said. "Can you stagger the times that our students come in so you can appropriate yourself differently within the existing physical environment by reducing physical contact if possible, reducing the congregate meal, dressing issues related to PE and recess?" Newsom said. "Those are the kinds of things those are the kind of conversations we're all going to be having over the course of the next number of weeks and the next number of months." "We need to get our kids back to school," he added. "I need to get my kids back to school. We need to get our kids educated." Such precautionary measures would have a profound impact on the experience of school for the state's 6.1 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade as well as for students attending college. Since early to mid March, virtually all schooling in California has become "distance learning," typically involving students and teachers interacting online. The biggest concern has centered on the effect of the altered learning environment for students who lack computers, adequate broadband or suitable study conditions at home. Many school districts are loaning out computers and arranging for internet access. Los Angeles Unified is spending $100 million on computers and broadband hot spots for its students 80% are members of low-income households. Story continues State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said he's encouraged by the governor's optimism, the incremental progress in the fight against COVID-19 and the early thinking on reopening schools. All the same, he said, schools need to "continue working on distance learning," make the most of the current school year and look at using the summer to address academic issues. On Monday, L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner announced that campuses in the state's largest school system would remain closed through summer, with online courses available. District officials also said Monday that no student would receive a failing grade for spring classes. Beutner said Tuesday that it's difficult to predict what schooling will look like in the fall: "The science continues to evolve and it changes while maybe not by the day, almost by the day... And as we know more, we'll be able to be more prescriptive and more detailed as to what our plans will be for reopening. Newsom's comments sparked discussion about the challenges ahead. School systems will confront a potential logistics nightmare when they reopen, said UC Berkeley education professor Bruce Fuller. "Go slow," Fuller suggested. "Invite 15 kids into a classroom with two adults. Use parent volunteers. Start with preschools and elementary schools. Younger children are more likely to conform to social distancing. Randomly test children and teachers each week to guard against a return of coronavirus." It's hard to make a campus virus-proof, said UC Berkeley education and African American studies professor Janelle Scott. The ability of things to spread is just really not controllable," Scott said, adding that it is not uncommon for parents to catch the bugs their children bring home. "You spend the first several years of school ... sick all the time. Fears over safety are likely to persist among both teachers and non-teaching staff, some of whom will be tasked with doing the deep cleaning needed to keep others safe, she said. Such concerns are rooted in recent experience. In New York City, for example, at least 50 Department of Education employees have died from COVID-19. Ongoing safety measures could feel scary, off-putting or threatening to students, said UCLA education professor John Rogers. "It will be imperative for adults to talk with young people about why certain actions are being taken and to do so in a manner that expresses care and concern rather than fear," Rogers said. USC education and psychology professor Erika Patall said that ultimately students may prove more adaptable than the adults. "It will still be stressful, and some kids are much more sensitive than others to change, but on average, kids will probably be happy to go back to school in any form," Patall said. The health situation underscores the importance of fully staffing schools with nurses, said Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers. In his remarks, Newsom acknowledged that unions would be at the table in working through the myriad issues. The challenge of a reimagined schooling experience will come at a difficult time, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. School districts could face steep budget cuts even as they are trying to help students recover from an almost inevitable learning loss or delay caused by the campus shutdowns and the transition to online learning, she said. "If there's ever been a time for innovation, it is now, and for kind of getting over worries about traditional boundaries," Lake said. In an altered school day, some students may need more time on campus than others, said UCLA education professor Tyrone Howard. "There very well could be a hybrid model of school/home, but I would hope that there is consideration for students from low-income backgrounds who have less access to technology supports," Howard said. "Perhaps there will be a staggered situation where some students are on a 70/30 school/home situation, whereas other students may be on a 50/50 situation. Were going to have to be creative, flexible, and great listeners to the needs of vulnerable children and families." Former L.A. school board member Caprice Young sees opportunity in the moment. "Lets create more individualized instruction that is not based on the old factory model," said Young, who has spent most of the last two decades working with privately managed charter schools. Students should progress from grade to grade based on their competency in the subject matter, not how much time their seat has been in the seat. Some students learn best in small groups; others with one-on-one tutoring or through experimentation, she said. "Let's build back better." MEDINA, Ohio -- City Councilwoman Jessica Hazeltine presented a proposal to council Monday (April 13) that she says could help city residents during the coronavirus crisis. The proposal was to give money to Heartland Church, 3400 Weymouth Road, to help fund its Love Dash program, which helps to deliver groceries and meals through no-contact drivers to residents, as well as providing jobs for displaced workers. I really wanted to fund this initiative because A, its providing work for people who are out of work right now by paying them to be these drivers, to do these things. B, a majority of our (usual) volunteers anyway, at any given time, are senior citizens, because they have the time; they want to give back, said Hazeltine. Medina County seniors have huge hearts, but they dont have to be out and about right now. The goal would be to replace those volunteer bodies with displaced workers and to help residents within the city. But there were concerns about the city contributing to the program. Im having a rough time, simply because of the separation of church and state, said Councilman Dennie Simpson. If we could come up with another funding mechanism -- somebody else whos going to be in charge of the funding -- I would support it, because I think its a good program. Additionally, Law Director Greg Huber brought up some constitutional concerns. There are a couple constitutional issues with a request like this, said Huber. (In) Section 4, Article 8 of the Ohio Constitution, there is a prohibition from spending public money for a private enterprise, and the church -- Heartland here -- would constitute a private enterprise. The second constitutional issue is that we cannot violate the prohibition against the establishment of religion, so we would have to create a firewall in this program to ensure that city money is not used for religious purposes, he said. Huber asked how the program would establish who the at-risk residents are, who the displaced workers are, and who gets paid and who doesnt. He said the church would have to keep a record and a grant agreement would have to be set up. Hazeltine will continue working to better refine and approve the proposal. Read more from the Medina Sun. The Irish arms of Oasis and Warehouse are subsidiaries of the UK group and employed around 300 staff here at the start of the current retail lockdown (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The UK company behind fashion retailers Oasis and Warehouse are close to appointing Deloitte as administrators, a UK insolvency protection process, after a planned sale fell through. The crisis, reported by Sky News on Tuesday, is the latest in the retail sector following last weeks collapse of Debenhams. The Irish arms of Oasis and Warehouse are subsidiaries of the UK group and employed around 300 staff here at the start of the current retail lockdown. In the UK an administration will put around 2,300 jobs at risk. A sale by Icelandic owner Kaupthing, a bank that took control of the chain following the 2008 financial crisis, had been in the works but has stalled amid the fallout from the Covid 19 pandemic. The administrators are expected to relaunch efforts to find a buyer as well as engage with landlords. A recently published government status report makes it increasingly clear that the minimum environmental Ganga flow mandated is too little, and even that is not being lived up to. By Rishika Pardikar At least four hydropower projects have failed to comply with new government requirements to maintain a minimum flow of water in the upper Ganga river basin, according to status report published in January by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and the Upper Ganga Basin Organization under the Central Water Commission. In October, 2018, the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) took an important step and set minimum environmental flows to be maintained by irrigation, hydropower and industrial projects operating in the upper Ganga basin between the glaciers at the source of the river and Haridwar, and the main stem of the Ganga up to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. Environment flows (also known as e-flows) set the minimum water flow needed to sustain healthy rivers and ecosystems. This is essential along the Ganga, where sections of the river now runs dry for part of the year due to widespread dam building and diversions, and what water remains is highly polluted. But experts say that the government standards for e-flows are too low to ensure healthy river system and have raised serious concerns over the transparency and accuracy of data collection and monitoring. Black listed projects The 2020 report states that the Maneri Bhali Phase-II hydropower project, the Vishnuprayag and Srinagar hydro-electric projects as well as the Pashulok barrage in Uttarakhand state failed to meet the 15 December, 2019, deadline which had been pushed back from October 2021. thethirdpole.net filed a Right To Information request to obtain the report from the Central Water Commission, the designated custodian of the data, but was told the information was not available. We later found the report via google search techniques, such as using the report notification number. It is concerning that these projects havent met environmental flow norms especially considering that the period [in question] is post-monsoon, said Shripad Dharmadhikary, founder of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a research centre that analyses water and energy issues in India. This failure in compliance is all the more concerning given that maintaining minimum e-flows during the current quarter ( i.e. Jan-March) is all the more challenging given that flow in this quarter will be much lower until snow melt after April contributes a significant amount of water to the river. In addition to the four projects that have been categorised as non-compliant, the report states that the Maneri Bhali Phase-I project also failed to maintain minimum e-flows for a few days in October, 2019, and that Tehri and Kanpur barrage are not providing data on the mandated hourly basis. When there are gaps like this, how can you conclude that these projects are compliant? said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Murky data The report also points out that only four of the 11 projects being monitored have installed automatic data systems to monitor e-flows. The original notification clearly stated that the concerned project developers or authorities will have to install automatic data acquisition and data transmission facilities at appropriate locations at project sites within six months. And so, this too is a lapse. Further doubts have arisen over compliance because there has been no independent verification of water flow. The status report is entirely based on a self-reporting mechanism. There are also concerns over factual errors in the report, which throw the findings further into doubt. Pointing to a description of Ganga physiography provided in the report, Thakkar noted that parts of Jharkhand and Chattisgarh also fall within the Ganga basin but the report only mentions Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Also, the map [image above] shows Koteshwar [dam] as being upstream of Tehri but Koteshwar is downstream of Tehri, Thakkar said. These are glaring mistakes, he added. Government standards far too low E-flow requirements are important because they mandate that rivers need a minimum flow after water withdrawal for urban, agricultural and industrial purposes to support river ecosystems and aquatic life. One of the basic tenets behind this is that rivers are not mere water pipes but living ecosystems that carry silt and other important nutrients as well as supporting aquatic life. Jagdish Krishnaswamy, senior fellow at the Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, said that because the flow of the Ganga into the Bay of Bengal has reduced over the last few decades sediment deposition in the delta has declined and this combined with other impacts of climate change is leading to the sinking of the delta. And so, establishing minimum water flows are a legal fix to restoring ecological balance. Seeing the bigger picture But whats lacking in current government policy is a focus on the larger ecological importance of rivers. E-flow is not a reference only to waterit means everything that flows in rivers like silt, nutrients, biota, Thakkar explained. E-flow norms, therefore, ought to address the larger goals of e-flow, which are to maintain healthy river systems for humans and ecosystems. Experts have also raised questions about whether the minimum standards are based on scientific assessments. The notification does not mention how the norms were calculated theres no transparency, Thakkar said. Dharmadhikary pointed out that a thumb rule rather than location and river-specific studies was used as the basis for determining e-flow norms. And, given the lack of evidence to suggest otherwise, the norms seem arbitrary. Current standards are so low on the main stem of the Ganga that there was never any doubt that projects would achieve compliance, said Dharmadhikary. What about other parts of the Ganga and rivers in India? Environmentalists are calling for e-flow regulations to be extended to the rest of the Ganga and other rivers in India. You should keep in mind that this is only one stretch of the Ganga, Thakkar said, noting that this effectively means that we do not know about e-flow on the remaining sections of the Ganga downstream or other tributaries. Minimum e-flow norms have also not been mandated for rivers in peninsular India, where many of these rivers are drying up before they reach the sea. For many years, the waters of the Kaveri [flowing through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in southern India] dont reach the sea anymore, said K. J. Joy, member of the steering committee for the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India. The Kaveri is an over-allocated river and e-flow is treated as residual, he added, noting that currently, less than 1% of the Kaveris water is being allocated towards e-flow. Raj Bhagat Palanichamy, a GIS and remote sensing analyst with World Resources Institute, India, said that rivers like Palar and Ponnaiyar in Tamil Nadu flow only if there is heavy rainfall. In fact, a small section of the Ponnaiyar river flows only because of sewage inflow from Bangalore. The Sabarmati, one of Indias major-west flowing rivers flowing through Rajasthan and Gujarat, also dries up before reaching the sea at some points during the year, Palanichamy said. And while Indias 2012 National Water Policy states that a portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs, there are no specific guidelines regarding what such minimum flow should be along the countrys various riverine ecosystems. Transparency concerns The lack of transparency over how environmental flow standards are being set and monitored along this stretch of the Ganga does not bode well for the future of Indias rivers. As well as not providing access to the status report, the CWC and the MoWR did not respond to questions regarding the various issues with the status report, the mandated norms and the need for mandated e-flow requirements for other sections of the Ganga and other rivers in the country. *** The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. This report was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been reproduced here with permission. Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement on the national lockdown was driven by the assessment of states that they were not ready or prepared to exit the Covid-19 lockdown, people familiar with the development said. PM Modi also accounted for the fact that except for some pockets, the states had not been able to hit the brakes on the spread of the disease. It is for this reason, they said, PM Modi invoked the shared responsibility with the state as health and law and order are state subjects. PM Modi extended the lockdown to May 3 but made it clear to people and the states that they should start work on a calibrated revival of the economy after the April 20 review. The prime minister called the next week an agni pariksha, a trial by fire, and nudged states to carry out a granular assessment of neighbourhoods to identify localities that had been free of the disease and allow some essential activities. Government functionaries who have been part of the consultations at the Prime Ministers Office said the extension of the lockdown to 3 May and a April 20 review for some areas was part of the prime ministers double-barreled response to arrest the spread of the virus and revive the economy. The strength of the problem (virus) is the spread of the problem. We have to hunt it down from states and districts right down to towns and villages. At a time when the virus is making a comeback in China, India cannot afford to fritter away its gains. We are in the middle of a war, a senior minister told Hindustan Times. In this blueprint, a senior government official said, April 20 will be an important date. It is designed to give the government at the Centre and the states time to rapidly ramp up the hospital and health infrastructure before taking the steps that could lead to the first green shoots of economic recovery. In this interregnum, the testing committee under Environment Secretary CK Mishra has been strengthened with induction of two additional secretary-rank officers from the PMO, Bharat Lal and Debashree Mukherjee, so that testing for virus infection is taken to a different level. The fourth aspect to be completed is the accelerated deployment of the Aarogya mobile application so that a bridge is formed between the citizens and the government, said a senior official. The rapid testing kits that are expected to land in India by April 15 are going to be central to this strategy. These kits can be used for widespread testing in hot spots and containment zones as well as areas relatively free of the virus. It essentially looks for protective antibodies in a prick of blood and gives out test results in 30 minutes or so., The Indian Council of Medical Research has already placed orders for 500,000 kits. Last week, it also raised a fresh tender for 4.5 million more rapid testing kits for deliveries starting May 1. The consignment from China, which was originally supposed to reach India by April 5, has been delayed due to multiple reasons including international politics. According to a government official, Beijing has instituted stricter inspections and controls after these kits failed in European countries. The other reason for delay is the return of the virus to China due to people coming in from Russia carrying the infection. So Beijing wants to keep adequate supply for itself before exporting the kits and lastly, because the product is in high demand. While health advisors want the testing to be ramped up, the sensitivity of the test is directly linked to the population and prevalence. For example, if in an area where there are more coronavirus positive cases, an individual tests negative in rapid tests, then the person may not be tested again. However, in an area with few cases, a person testing positive will be tested again. This sensitivity must be kept in mind, said a Covid-19 committee member. While the Centre will throw all it can at the virus to stop the disease from spreading in the country, particularly the rural areas, the period after one week will be critical as the government intends to restore the supply chains. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Madrid: Spain - one of the worst-hit countries in the world by coronavirus - came under heavy criticism on Monday for "recklessly" easing lockdown without sufficient protection for workers. Commuters ride the metro in Barcelona on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg The accusations came as Europe's leaders debated how far and fast to lift confinement amid signs the epidemic was slowing, and with pressure increasing to restart paralysed economies. The latest figures suggest that Spain's lockdown is stemming infections, which grew by only 2 per cent on Monday, the lowest daily rate so far. Almost 170,000 Spaniards have now contracted the virus. The Health Ministry reported 517 deaths in a day, also a drop, taking the total toll to 17,489. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. PHILIPSBURG:--- With the financial care of Sint Maartens workforce at the forefront of its mission, weve paid close attention to the Minister of Finance Mr. Ardwell Irion's presentation of the proposed SSRP (Sint Maarten Support & Relief Plan). We endorse the plan, as it directly addresses the care of employees, protect jobs and assist the less fortunate. This is a critical time for our workforce, and for the wellbeing of our citizens. We foresee the plan as a positive economic input on our community during this uncertain time in the history of our nation. Further, much consideration has been given to those who cannot support themselves in times of economic crisisevery person in Sint Maarten should be looked after, and we are confident that SSRP will do that. Everyone should get behind this effort and support it. This is not a time for comparison, but for contemplation and commitment to our populationthe very people who make up our beloved island nation. Together, with the Governments support, the people of Sint Maarten will prevail. Payroll support is a key element of the proposed plan, along with important social aspects. The proposal to respond to COVID-19s devastation of the local economy was prepared by the Ministry of Finance with the input of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS), as well as input from various stakeholders on the island. Their primary objective: to avoid the layoff of employees (maintain employee retention) and help those affected by the lockdown of the economy. The proposed plan includes payroll support to businesses, income support to independents including taxi drivers, vendors, etc, soft loans to cover fixed costs other than payroll. The plan identifies a need for ANG 253 million for April, May and June 2020. The proposal will now go to The Netherlands with CFT still having to render its advice on it. In the interim, the government will start with the payroll support and income support programs that will be implemented before the end of April. Childcare Centre in Australia Closed After Child Tests Positive for COVID-19 Queensland Health has temporarily closed a childcare centre after a child tested positive for the CCP virus, commonly known as the coronavirus. The Department of Health sent a letter to the parents of the affected childcare center, Early Birds, in the Brisbane suburb of Jimboomba on April 11. Queensland Health told parents that a child attended the centre four times while unknowingly being a carrier of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The child has since tested positive for COVID-19. It is not clear when the childcare centre will reopen. A spokesperson for the department told The Epoch Times that they cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality. But they did say that anyone identified as a close contact of the case was notified to quarantine for 14 days. Queensland Health said it will issue a public health alert to provide more details if needed. Close contacts of confirmed cases, who develop symptoms, are instructed to call a doctor and tell them about their symptoms and exposure immediately. Queensland Health recommends people wash their hands regularly, stay at home, and practice safe distancing as much as possible. On April 13, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reported 35 new cases of the CCP virus over Easter. The current statistics for Queensland are 998 cases, 442 recoveries, and 5 deaths, with 72,313 people tested across the state. Brisbanes northern and southern metropolitan areas have recorded the highest number of virus cases in the state. Back to School The case at Early Birds comes as the premier and her minister for education announced on April 13 that when Term 2 starts on April 20, schools will only be open to children of essential workers and vulnerable children. The rest will learn from home. This arrangement will last for the first five weeks of term, or until at least May 22. Queensland schools will provide computers and devices to students who dont have them and want to learn from home. Telstra will chip in and provide 5,000 SIM cards to stay-at-home students who dont have internet access. Paper resources will be sent to students who live in areas without internet access. Were going to ensure as much as we can that students have the availability to have devices either from schools or to be able to have them lent or borrowed to them, Minister for Education Grace Grace said on April 13. Parents, of course, have a new role and we know its not going to be easy, she said. Staff at schools and childcare centres are now on the list of those who can be tested for COVID-19. Despite the positive case at the childcare centre, Palaszczuk said that based on the advice of the chief health officer, it remains safe for staff to return to work and students to attend school across Queensland. All the news right now is about the coronavirus and its effect on the economy and rightly so. The damage from lockdowns, quarantines, trade and travel restrictions is unprecedented. US unemployment claims have rocketed in recent weeks, and government data indicates that between 14 and 17 million Americans are unemployed due to the shutdowns. There is no longer any question about hitting a recession its here. What matters now is, how deep will it go, how long will it last, and how steeply will it recover. Stock markets plummeted when the lockdowns began, but last week was Wall Streets best since 1974. Markets bottomed out on March 23, and what seemed at first to be a bear market rally has turned into something more substantial. Traders are taking advantage of low stock prices to position themselves for what the inevitable economic recovery. Of particular interest are dividend stocks, a segment that is showing high upside potential. Dividend stocks offer investors more than just potential for price appreciation the dividend payout also offers a steady income stream, in good times and bad. These stocks are commonly used as defensive plays, to protect a portfolios income qualities when share prices fall. RBC Capital, one of the major names on the Street, sees signs that the markets be starting to heal. Institutional investors have, for the second consecutive week, pushed up their positioning, buying more than selling. And retail investors, in the weekly survey of sentiment, may be showing a return to bullishness. In the latest survey results, bearish sentiment slipped from 52.07% to 49.73%, the first time in three weeks that bearish views had slipped below 50%. So, despite a general sense that the coronavirus impact has pushed us into recession, there are initial signs that we have turned the corner. In line with that, and with the cautiously optimistic tone the bank has taken, RBCs stock analysts have highlighted three high-quality dividend stocks also offering investors over 20% upside potential. Weve looked at those stock picks through the lens of the TipRanks database, to find out why they are so compelling. Here are the results. Story continues Enbridge, Inc. (ENB) The energy sector is well known for strong cash flows and reliable dividends. Enbridge occupies transport niche, owning and operating North Americas longest transport network for crude oil and other hydrocarbons. The company is flat-out Canadas largest distributor of natural gas, and provides gas for utilities in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and the US state of New York. The company has three main divisions: liquids pipelines, natural gas pipelines, and utility and power services. Enbridge ended 2019 on a mixed note, with high natural gas pipeline volumes failing to compensate for lower Mainline distribution. Quarterly revenues gained 7% yoy, reaching US$6.7 billion, but missed the forecasts by almost 2%. On a clearly positive note, distributable cash flow which funds the companys dividend rose from US$1.33 billion to US$1.47 billion. For the current quarter, Q1 of calendar 2020, the company has already paid out the dividend at new rate of 61 cents (US) per share to stockholders of record as of February 14. The dividend annualizes to $2.44, making the yield an impressive 8.5%. This compares favorably to the S&P average dividend of just about 2%, and it is far higher than US Treasury bonds, traditionally a safe haven investment but currently yielding less than 1% on average. Covering ENB for RBC, 5-star analyst Robert Kwan sees some risk, but also a company in a powerful position to weather a storm. Kwan writes, referring to the COVID-19 impact, We expect lower volume on Mainline to be relatively short lived and with that, the financial impact does not appear to be overly material. Looking ahead, Kwan adds, while liquidity questions have more recently come into focus, we note that Enbridge has enough liquidity to fund its 2020 capital plan more than two times, which mitigates exposure to dislocations in the capital markets. the analyst concluded, "We believe the stock represents significant long-term value with an attractive, well covered dividend." The companys solid position leads Kwan to maintain his Buy rating, along with a CAD61.00 (US$42.94) price target that implies an upside of 50% from current levels. (To watch Kwans track record, click here) Overall, ENB stock has a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus. This is based on 17 reviews, including 13 Buys balanced against 3 Holds and 1 Sell rating. In New York, shares are selling for $28.70, and the $38.44 average price target suggests room for a 34% upside in the coming 12 months. (See Enbridges stock analysis at TipRanks) Altria Group, Inc. (MO) Sin stocks alcohol and tobacco are another traditional defensive stock play. Its long been known that, in hard times, people will give up luxuries but hang on to the smaller comforts like beer and cigarettes. Altria, the owner of the best-selling Marlboro brand, is an old name in the tobacco industry. The company is also not putting all of its eggs into a single basket. As social pressures have eaten into cigarette sales over recent decades, the company has diversified, taking stakes in JUUL brand e-cigarettes, the Canadian cannabis company Cronos, and the Belgian brewing company ABInBev. Altria has shifted from a pure tobacco giant to a veritable one-stop shop for common vices. It remains a viable business strategy, however. E-cigs, while controversial, are widely touted as a probable successor to traditional cigarettes. Cannabis is a growing niche, now fully legal in Canada and fully or partly legal in a growing number of US states. And by owning both a brewer and a cannabis grower, Altria is positioned to move when the cannabis-infused beverage market opens up. On the negative side, Altria is facing potential Federal Trade Commission litigation, under anti-trust laws, related to its 35% stake in JUUL. The government is contending that the stake unlawfully eliminates competition. It will be at least 9 months before any court hearings even begin, however, and the process will almost certainly be long and drawn out. It remains to be seen if Altria will fight or simply sell back all or part of its stake in JUUL. Heading into the coronavirus quarter, Altria finished 2019 with solid earnings. EPS was $1.02 for Q4 2019, and revenues came in at $4.8 billion. Both numbers were modestly higher than the forecasts. The company held its 84-cent quarterly dividend steady, for the third quarter in a row. The next payment is due out at the end of this month. With an annualized payment of $3.36 per share, MOs dividend is considered high in absolute terms but the 8.37% yield is the real attraction. RBC Capital analyst Nik Modi sees the FTC issue as minor in the short-term, saying that it should not impact the stock. Modi writes, Altria intends to fight the ruling... It should, however, buy them some time to get a more favorable valuation. He also adds that the company has a firm foundation going forward: Altrias core tobacco business (which generates all of the companys profit) is performing well and cigarette volume declines are moderating, while pricing remains solid. Modis Buy rating on MO stock comes with a $68 price target indicative of a 68% upside potential. (To watch Modis track record, click here) Overall, Wall Street is pretty upbeat about the tobacco giant. TipRanks analysis of 11 analyst ratings shows a consensus Moderate Buy rating, with 8 analysts Buying and, 2 recommending Hold, and only 1 saying Sell. The average price target among these analysts stands at $49.36, representing a 22% increase from current levels. (See Altria stock analysis on TipRanks.) Coty, Inc. (COTY) With the third and final stock on this list, we turn to the cosmetics industry. Coty currently holds the largest position globally in the fragrance niche, is the worlds second largest hair care product company, and the third largest cosmetic maker. The company owns well-known brands such as Covergirl, Calvin Klein Fragrances, Clairol, Max Factor, and Wella. A strong stable of popular brand names is a true asset, giving the company a solid position in its niche. COTY brought in 27 cents per share in its fiscal Q2 report, beating both the forecast and the year-ago numbers by 12.5%. Revenues edged over the estimates, reaching $2.35 billion, but were down year-over-year. For such a large company, COTY shares are priced low. The easy cost of entry, however, is paired with an 8.3% dividend yield and a 3-year history of dividend growth. The shares currently pay out 13 cents quarterly, and the 46% payout ratio indicates that the dividend is both affordable and has plenty of room for further growth. Nik Modi covered this stock for RBC, too, and sees it as a net positive in the long run. He writes of COTY, Coty is constantly innovating and bringing new products to market. The success of these new products is a catalyst for growth We believe improvements to its leverage ratio and an increase in capital deployment to shareholders through increased share repurchases or dividend payouts could be inflection points for Cotys multiple. Modis Buy rating here is backed by his $9 price target, which implies a hefty 55% upside potential for the company this year. (To watch Modis track record, click here) According to TipRanks, the consensus on Wall Street is that COTY stock is a hold for investors. But TipRanks might as well have said buy because analysts, on average, think the stock, currently at $5.79, could zoom ahead to $7.33 within a year, delivering nearly 27% profits to new investors. (See Coty stock analysis at TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend: The subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, ADY Container LLC, continues to work around the spreading coronavirus pandemic, so the operation of the feeder vessel started on April 13, Director of ADY Container LLC Natig Jafarov told reporters, Trend reports. "This vessel with a capacity of 120 TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent unit) from Turkey will transport container cargoes to Central Asia through Azerbaijan. A feeder vessel, intended for cargo transportation through Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, will operate once a week. If the volume of cargo increases, then the vessel can be used twice a week. Along with ADY Container, the process is supported by the Port of Baku and the logistics center of Turkey," the company's director said. At the next stage, trains will be delivered by ships from the Derince and the Mersin ports of Istanbul to the Baku port, and from there - to Central Asia, Jafarov noted. For now, the use of these vessels is considered a measure to reduce the negative impact of the pandemic on the freight sector. As the containerization process continues, utilization of the vessels will be systematic, the director added. The feeder vessel is a small-tonnage vessel capable of walking short distances between ports, usually of one basin or delivering containers from / to the loading port to an ocean vessel. Advertisement Rural America is seeing higher death rates from the novel coronavirus than its urban counterparts because of an aging population, a new report suggests. The research examined the impact of age on the potential death rate in each US county. A demographer found that more than half of the country's rural counties would have significantly higher death rates among those infected with the virus than the US death rate. By comparison, a little more than one-fifth of metropolitan, or urban, counties would have such high death rates. In the US, there are more than 588,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 23,600 deaths, but these numbers could both rise more rapidly as the virus spreads to more rural areas that have a highly vulnerable population living there. A new study from the University of New Hampshire examined the impact of age on estimated coronavirus death rates in both urban and rural counties About 55% of rural counties had estimated mortality rates among those infected higher than the rate of the US as a whole compared to 22% of urban counties In rural counties that are not adjacent to urban areas, 38% had estimated death rates higher than than the nationwide rate. Pictured: A woman wears a face mask and gloves in the town of Ketchum in Blaine County, Idaho, April 13 'We know death rates change by age,' Dr Kenneth Johnson, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and a senior demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy, told DailyMail.com. 'I'd seen a lot of discussion about how rural populations were more vulnerable because of age, there were no specifics to it.' For the study, Johnson looked at age-based mortality rates from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, published in The Lancet on March 30. He then applied those mortality rates to age structure of each county using data from the US Census Bureau. Results showed that more than 26 percent of the rural populations is aged 60 or older compared to 21 percent of urban populations. Of course, it's well-known that both the risk of a severe bout of the novel coronavirus and of death increases with age. At the time of publication, April 10, the US as a whole had an estimated morality rate of 9.2 deaths per 1,000 infected individuals, using the age-based mortality rate estimates of the Lancet article. About 55 percent of non=metropolitan counties have estimated death rates among those infected higher than the US as a whole. By comparison, just 22 percent of metropolitan counties have higher estimated death rates. 'It wasn't surprising because, from all the research I'd done, the rural population is older,' Johnson said. 'I didn't realize how much higher. A lot of rural America even now has not been exposed. So much depends on whether the disease gets out.' The research showed that about one-quarter of rural counties have mortality rates at least 40 percent above that of the US compared to five percent of the metropolitan counties. This could have an impact on population growth, with new data suggesting the country is experiencing its slowest growth since 1919. Pictured: The recently closed Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton, Alabama, March 26 And it's even starker in more isolated areas. In rural counties that are not adjacent to urban areas, 38 percent had estimated death rates higher than than the nationwide rate; by comparison, only three percent of counties with more than one million people had higher rates. Johnson said he's aware of other factors that play role, including pre-existing conditions and healthcare access. 'I don't want anyone to overplay age because there are other things that play a factor, chronic disease, access to healthcare,' he said. 'It's not the only factor but an important one.' Additionally, Johnson points to a new analysis of data from the US Census Bureau that suggests the country is experiencing its slowest population growth since 1919. Last year, more people died than were born in 46 percent of the nation's 3,142 counties. 'A substantial part of the counties are experiencing natural decrease, which is when more people die than were born,' Johnson said. 'America was not growing very fast before the epidemic came. For all the cutesy articles that say this pandemic will produce a baby boom, I don't think that's possible.' The Delhi government has drastically revised the norm for designating a locality as a Red Zone in its fight to contain the spread of Covid-19. There are 47 Red Zones in Delhi now. Weve made the criteria more stringent now. Earlier an area used to be declared a Red Zone if 10 or more positive cases were found there. Now, if 3 cases are found in an area itll be declared a Red Zone and contained, ANI quoted Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain as saying on Tuesday. An area where one or two positive cases are found is considered an Orange Zone. It is monitored and declared a Red Zone if more cases are found there, he said. Follow coronavirus latest updates here. Under its Operation SHIELD, the Delhi government seals off a locality once it is declared a Red Zone to prevent any possible transmission of the disease. Jain said the government is also waiting for rapid testing kits to increase the scale of tests. Also read: Metro services to remain suspended till May 3, announces govt We havent received the rapid testing kits yet. There is a great need for them. The central government is about to receive the kits which have been imported, then we will get too. We will start working with it, the day we receive it, he said. Shortly after Jains comments, Raman R Gangakhedkar, of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) who spoke at the daily briefing of the Union health ministry, said 37 lakh rapid test kits are expected to reach any time. On Monday, Gangakhedkar had said rapid testing kits from China will arrive on April 15. The kits were earlier expected to arrive on April 5. Last month, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had called for vigorous testing to combat coronavirus. We have a simple message to all countries - test, test, test, the WHO Director General had said in Geneva, as he described the pandemic the defining global health crisis of our time. Late Monday, the Pentagon announced a $415 million contract to commission 60 decontamination systems that will allow millions of highly protective N95 face masks to be reused. The system, which can process up to 80,000 masks per day, has been called a potential game changer for the frontline health care workers and first responders who rely on the masks, according to hospital officials concerned about a shortage of protective equipment to shield their staff from COVID-19. But the story of how this system came to be is a testament to what can happen when a doctor and an engineer who happen to be husband and wife ask, What if? A month ago, Laurie and Kevin Hommema had just finished dinner with their daughters, Emmy, 9, and Clara, 7, at their home in Columbus, Ohio. Laurie, a family physician who oversees well-being for the OhioHealth hospital network, had just come from a meeting at her hospitals Incident Command Center. She said she was worried about the dwindling supply of N95 masks and told her husband that she wouldnt have a mask when the coronavirus surge hit. Thats when Kevin, an engineer at Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit research organization, offered up a simple solution, Why dont you just clean them up and reuse them? Laurie said, You cant do that? In normal circumstances, N95 masks are thrown out after a single use. But Kevin remembered a study his colleagues at Battelle had conducted five years earlier showing the masks could be decontaminated and reused in an emergency. It seemed like a slam dunk to me, Kevin said. In the past Battelle has been awarded several government contracts and consulted the U.S. military on issues like chemical and biological hazards. We use this technology to decontaminate materials and surfaces and equipment all the time to rid them of dangerous pathogens, Kevin told NBC News. Laurie and Kevin Hommema Kevin and Laurie said they immediately got to work. Within minutes, Kevin emailed his colleagues to track down the research. Laurie emailed her boss at OhioHealth to ask if she could pursue this, saying I think this could really be something to help us. Story continues The couple then spent the evening drawing schematics, sketching out what a unit might look like. And by Sunday only three days later executives from OhioHealth and scientists from Battelle met to talk about the project. From there, everything happened at warp speed, said Justin Sanchez, a life sciences research fellow at Battelle who was involved in the implementation of the system. This is the all hands on deck, he told NBC News. To be quite honest, weve been working day and night. Within five days, OhioHealth had sent a shipment of contaminated masks to Battelle to test the technology. Fast forward to March 29, when the Food and Drug Administration granted Battelle emergency authorization to deploy the machines to sites around the country. It was 15 days from the conversation at the Hommemas house to the greenlight from the FDA. Heres how the decontamination system works: The masks are steeped in concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor inside a chamber in this case a repurposed cargo-shipping container for about two and a half hours. It takes a couple more hours to clear the chamber of any residual gas. With Battelle running the cycle 24/7, each system can process up to 80,000 N95 makes per day. According to Battelle, the masks can go through the system 20 times without degrading. Somerville, Massachusetts is the latest location to receive Battelle's CCDS Critical Care Decontamination System. The nonprofit research company says each system can decontaminate up to 80,000 masks a day. (NBC News) The first site to use the machine was OhioHealth, the 12 hospital system where Laurie works. The more we thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed, said Dr. Simi Bhullar, a critical care doctor and medical director at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. The best part about it is it allows us to continue with the work as if nothing has changed, Bhullar told NBC News. We're not stressed about, Gosh, how many masks are left? And it really allows us to focus back on what we need to be focused on, which is patient care and how do we best manage the patients of the pandemic. After the Ohio launch, one of Battelles CCDS Critical Care Decontamination Systems made its way to Long Island, New York, another to Seattle, and over the weekend, another was unveiled in the Boston area outside an old Kmart. Health-care workers can send over their masks to be decontaminated. Two Sundays ago, we were on a conference call early in the morning and we heard that Battelle had this system, said Chris Coburn, chief innovation officer of Partners HealthCare, a multi-hospital system in Massachusetts. We reached out to Battelle. Two days later we had a deal. This really is an extraordinary opportunity to continue to protect our healthcare workforce, said Dr. Paul Biddinger, chief of emergency preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital. For so many weeks and now months, you heard me say that we cannot buy enough of the personal protective equipment that we would like and it's just not there for purchase. To have an opportunity to provide more N95s to our healthcare workforce is absolutely essential, he said. On Friday, Battelle announced a new contract with the Defense Logistics Agency, making its decontamination services for N95 respirator masks free of charge to healthcare providers. The next sites will be in Brooklyn, New York; Chicago; and the Washington, D.C. region. Seattle currently hosts one of Battelle's decontamination systems. (Battelle Memorial Institute) The Pentagon confirmed its contract on Monday, saying Battelle would receive $415 million for 60 systems. According to the press release, the units will be available by early May, with prioritization and distribution by FEMA and HHS. The Defense Department said the full delivery will allow 4.8 million masks to be sterilized per day. While the current system is only authorized to decontaminate N95 respirators, Sanchez says the technology has the potential to be used on other medical equipment like gowns and face shields. The speed and the pace of the pandemic is extremely fast right now, Sanchez said. The need for doing decontamination is going to extend well beyond we get to the peak of the number of cases that are ultimately out there. But the decontamination system isnt without drawbacks. In a memo to healthcare providers, Battelle says potential risks for using decontaminated respirators include reduced breathability, strap failure and a lack of filtration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it [does] not recommend decontaminating and reusing respirators, saying it should only be practiced as a crisis capacity strategy. This practice would be inconsistent with their approved use, but we understand in times of crisis, this option may need to be considered when FFR [filtering facepiece respirators] shortages exist, the agency wrote in a fact-sheet about the practice. Along with hydrogen peroxide, the CDC has acknowledged that other methods of decontamination, such as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and moist heat treatment, are the most promising decontamination methods but should only be used for limited times. On Sunday, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization to Advanced Sterilization Products, a company based in California, for its STERRAD Sterilization Cycles systems. According to the companys fact sheet to healthcare providers, N95 respirators are sterilized using vaporized hydrogen peroxide but can only undergo the process two times. In a news release announcing the authorization, the FDA said the systems have the potential to decontaminate about 4 million N95 or N95-equivalent respirators per day. Risks aside, healthcare providers on the frontlines of the pandemic say innovations like Battelles have helped ease concerns about PPE shortages. Its like Christmas! was the subject line of an email Laurie Hommema received from a nurse. I walked into the [Intensive Care Unit] break room the other day and discovered about 20 paper bags full of N95 masks. It felt like Christmas morning! the nurse wrote. I have been having a hard time sleeping lately due to being so worried about having enough PPE to care for my patients You have saved so many lives with your actions! WE all stand together and thank you with our whole hearts! But Laurie and Kevin said the scope of their contributions have yet to finally sink in. Its hard for us to feel like we deserve any credit, said Laurie. Its overwhelming to think that it started with an after-dinner conversation, drawing it out on a piece of paper and seeing if it was feasible. Cairo, April 14 : The number of Iran's new coronavirus cases has been slowing down over the past days, while the confirmed cases in Turkey continued its surging trend to hit 61,049. Iran reported 1,617 new infection cases overnight, bringing the total number to 73,303 in the country, of whom 4,585 have died, reported Xinhua news agency on Monday. Iraj Harirchi, Iranian deputy minister of health and medical education, said both new cases of the novel coronavirus and deaths have been declining across most of the country's provinces compared with the figures weeks ago. Given the improving epidemic situation, the Iranian authorities are considering easing some restrictions on social life. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the ban on inter-province travels imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus will be lifted on April 20. In Turkey, the number of the COVID-19 cases have climbed to 61,049 after 4,093 new ones were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Turkey reached 1,296 after 98 more lost their lives over the past 24 hours. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a new two-day curfew which would come into effect on April 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19. Speaking in Istanbul after attending a video cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the lockdown would start at midnight on Friday and last until midnight on April 19. In Israel, the death toll from COVID-19 increased to 116 on Monday, while the number of cases has risen to 11,586. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, former chief Rabbi of Israel who passed away on Sunday night from coronavirus at the age of 79. Meanwhile, Israeli researchers have developed an innovative technology to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the northern Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) said Monday. ARDS, a severe state of lung inflammation, is recognized by the World Health Organization as a leading cause of mortality for COVID-19 patients. In Palestine, the total number of COVID-19 cases has climbed to 310, including 36 in East Jerusalem, while 58 have recovered. It is worth noting that the Sudanese government decided to impose a full curfew in Khartoum State for three weeks starting April 18, after the confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 29 in the country. In Kuwait, the second death from COVID-19 and 66 new cases were reported, bringing the country's confirmed infections to 1,300. Among the 66 new cases are four Kuwaiti citizens who returned from Britain and Germany and 51 cases as contacts with infected patients. The death toll in Algeria has reached 313, while the total number of confirmed cases soared to 1,984. However, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said the COVID-19 outbreak in the country is likely to be contained later this month. "The situation is under control and we are facing this pandemic thanks to the faith, the will and the combined efforts of all the parties," Tebboune told a group of doctors and nurses during his visit to the Beni Messous University Hospital in the capital Algiers. Egypt reported 125 new COVID-19 infections and five deaths, bringing the death toll in the country to 164. A total of 41 patients, all Egyptians, recovered and left hospitals in the past 24 hours, while the number of the confirmed cases jumped to 2,190. All COVID-19 cases in Egypt receive necessary medical care "based on the guidelines of the World Health Organization," according to Khaled Megahed, spokesman for the Egyptian health ministry. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) This photo taken on Feb. 18, 2020 shows a doctor (right) who has recovered from the COVID-19 coronavirus infection donating plasma in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The NCOA recognised that a civilised, affluent country must have universal but sustainable health coverage. Accordingly, the NCOA recommended modest co-payments under Medicare, an idea borrowed from the Hawke government. We are in an economic crisis that is causing significant damage to the domestic and world economy. We need action to ease the hardships for those who have lost or have seen reduced incomes. No conspiracy, no ulterior motive, just ideas to help the economy and mum and dad get back on their feet. - Tony Shepherd, Sydney The future is now The main objective of the Australian Future Fund is to strengthen the Commonwealths long-term financial position. The government indicated in 2017 that it intended to allow the fund to continue to accumulate until 2016-17 although the legislation permitted withdrawal from the fund on July 1, 2020. Considering the perilous financial state of the country due to the devastation from the recent bushfires and the crippling effects of COVID-19, it would seem to be an appropriate time to tap into this fund. The future is now. - Rick Smyth, Narrabundah, ACT Blood out of a stone Brett Paton says there will be new taxes but admits "no one is making any money" (Business, April 14). I am wondering what he might be considering can be taxed if no one has any money? - Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst Dividend dive The proposal by APRA for banks to reduce or not pay dividends for a period will have a widespread effect on the already-battered economy ("More firms set to cut dividends as profits fall", April 11). About 60 per cent of bank shareholders are SMSFs and self-funded retirees who rely on these dividends to support their needs. The absence of dividend payments will have a dramatic effect on lifestyles and force many onto pensions. - Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights Epidemic has brought life into focus Taste is not the only sense affected by COVID-19, it seems. Though I remain, thankfully, unaffected as yet, my ability to focus has improved sharply. I'm hearing things too - birdsong, for example - and I'll swear the air smells sweeter these days. A microscopic meanie has all-but paralysed the world. Global air traffic is mostly grounded, roads are congestion-free, the air is fresher and noticeably clearer, skies are bluer. And our fragile little planet is loving it. Despite the appalling damage we've done to our environment in the past century, Mother Earth is bouncing back with extraordinary vigour. Hopefully the horrors of COVID-19 will soon be a very bad memory. Equally hopefully, this brief yet vivid demonstration of just how beautiful and enjoyable our world could be will shock us back to our senses. - Peter Townsend, Mosman Soft protection Australian businesses are stepping up to make products like hand sanitiser because they can't be sourced during this crisis. Distillers have become suppliers of vital sterilising products. This does not herald a return to the age of protectionism ("Virus no reason to subsidise manufacturing", April 14). It's a vital industry being worked out extremely quickly at the coalface of contagion. It is naive in the extreme to think this need won't last for quite a long time. It's alarmist to shake the bogeyman of soft-protected industries in this climate. - Tim McKenzie, Leichhardt Your editorial refers to "international co-operation with other trusted countries". I wonder who those could be? New Zealand, yes; the United States, perhaps; but can you realistically suggest another major power which, in extremis, would not act exclusively in its own self-interest and to hell with Australia? - Frank McGrath, Bulli A week ago all the talk was for Australia to be more self sufficient and to diversify our trade. This week comes the response "we must not endanger globalisation". As if it had to one or the other. Surely it's not that hard. We should make an inventory of what is essential for our national life and plan for calamities of the type we are now seeing or worse, those which we will surely face if we lose the fight against catastrophic climate change. - Norman Carter, Roseville Chase Electric future What Matt O'Sullivan's article did not mention is we can drive down emissions with policies aiming for a higher proportion of electric vehicles on our roads ("Car emissions figures raise red light", April 14). The government should discount tolls for electric cars in tunnels as they don't pollute and so less energy is needed to operate the ventilation systems. The benefits are many and include more use of renewable energy, reducing our reliance on imported oil and we could make the electric car batteries here in Australia: better for the environment, improve our balance of payments and lessen our risk of an oil supply shock. - Brian Hastings, West Ryde Follow the evidence To date our leaders, when presented with the cold, hard facts of COVID-19, seem to have made the right decisions. Here is the death rate at this cost to the economy if you do (a) and here it is if you do (b). Similarly with water allocation, do we want dollars per litre or calories per litre (Letters, April 14)? In these trying times, allocating water to almond growers over staple food growers is just nuts. - David Ramsay, Bexley Lots of people are making noise about Australian food security and water use in the Murray-Darling basin. Particularly the need to increase water supplies for irrigation for reasons of food security. While I agree that irrigators need more water, the arguments presented recently seem to overlook the huge volumes of water used by the cotton industry. Last time I checked, cotton is not food. - Greg Adamson, Griffith Save snail mail Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Not yet, please ("Australia Post looked at slashing deliveries", April 14). Postage has become a vital way of connecting for and with elderly and housebound people during our COVID-19 isolation. I've been sending dozens of cards, letters and information sheets to friends and parishioners who don't have access to the internet. "Snail mail" is an essential service that must be maintained. - Rev Meredith Williams, Northmead I find the idea that Australia Post should be run as anything but a public service frightening and abhorrent. - Anders Ernest, Springwood Perhaps if Australia Post reduced the cost of postage they would do more business. Our rates and service aren't the best in comparison to other countries. I'd take on the job for half the salary that the CEO receives and be very happy with it. - Ron Field, Bermagui Patience is a virtue Listening to the chorus of sport tragics, surfers, joggers, business leaders and "me" millennials wanting to ease up on pandemic restrictions brings back memories of other petulant egocentrics ("League faces health hurdles: Fuller, April 14). It's just like one hour into a five-hour road trip with the kids in the back seat. "Are we there yet?". No, we are in this virus journey for a long time, not a good time. - Peter Russell, Coogee The NRL's inspirationally named mission, Apollo, perhaps just needs one minor tweak. Re-badging it Apollo 13 would be appropriate given the number of players on the field and the fact that the original also missed its target and nearly ended in catastrophe. - Paul Wynn, Katoomba Centrelink solution Centrelink will be responding to many times more clients than they are now if this prediction is correct ("700,000 jobs 'gone by mid year'", April 14). There still are many long queues outside Centrelink offices requiring people to wait unreasonably long times for service in increasingly colder weather. Australia can do better than this. When tuberculosis was rampant there were mobile X-ray vans. Mobile vans are also there for breast screening and blood collection to provide convenient public access. Why not provide better access to Centrelink by opening more temporary offices for better access to avoid congestion? That's what a thinking compassionate nation would do in these unique times. - Les Reedman, Cooranbong Risky business I live in a beautiful part of the world and recognise how lucky I am ("Point break as outsiders drop in", April 14). This Easter weekend our area was inundated with people travelling long distances to have a surf, a legitimate form of exercise and for some an integral part of their mental health regime. With every other beach in the Sydney area closed they had little choice but to head north. Using amenities, buying petrol, food, or other essentials while in the area increases everyone's risk. How does this help any of us to follow directives, such as "stay close to home"? - Robyn Lang, Palm Beach The same thing is happening here in Lennox Head due to beach car parks closed in Byron Shire. Hordes of non-locals have been hitting the line-ups, making it much more crowded than usual. What's also a concern is that many of them seem to be overseas backpackers and "van people" who have flocked to Byron Bay, which is now a virus hotspot. - Mel Mott, Lennox Head I didn't realised that surfers owned shares in Sydney beaches. I suppose the likes of Tully Stack never surf anywhere else or eat, work or visit anywhere else. - Peter Miniutti, Ashbury Bad tidings Passengers embarking on the cruise ship Greg Mortimer on March 15 would have done well to have heeded the foretelling of Caesar's seeress to "beware the ides of March". Caesar was murdered on that day in 44 BC and since then the date has been associated with bad luck. - Jo Arblaster, Lower Portland Hands off our Kiwis I am a proud Australian citizen of New Zealand birth, however, enough is enough. Over the years I have watched Australians claim everyone from Crowded House to Russell Crowe to Keith Urban as their own. But I will stop everyone now. Jenny, the nurse who cared for Boris Johnson, is not from "Down Under" ("Nurses pulled me back from the brink", April 14). She is from Invercargill as Boris stated. Kiwi. Nothing to do with Australia. - Maria Bayfield, West Ryde Good Food, great advice Congratulations for the best issue of the Good Food lift-out (April 14). Lots of common sense, tips and recipes from the experts. Not to mention a two-page spread on coffee! The essential emergency guide. - Pauline Paton, Centennial Park In the good old days Oh fortuitous confluence! One letter today mourning Tim Brooke-Taylor and another mentioning the famous "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch, which was written by Tim, John Cleese, Marty Feldman and Graham Chapman for At Last The 1948 Show in 1967 years before Monty Python came into being (Letters, April 14). The Pythons did feature it on their live shows later on, but it was never part of the canon. - Andrew Taubman, Queens Park What day is it? Time is starting to mean nothing. But if I end up in hospital I suspect I will not know the day of the week, the date or the month, let alone the name of the the Governor-General. Given these are usual psychiatric questions a 72-year-old is asked on admission to hospital, I am concerned I may end up in the psych ward instead of whereever I should be. - Rosalind H Bolitho, MacMasters Beach A sick joke I agree, Russ Couch (Letters, April 14), the puns can be tedious, and you've covid it nicely. - Rosemary O'Brien, Ashfield Playing games Double restart proposal: the Rugby Princess. - Duncan Nisbet, Falls Creek Owing to the Coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a lockdown that just got extended to prevent the deadly virus from spreading in the country. Well, Bollywood personalities have come together to help all the needy in the time of this crisis. Shah Rukh Khan has been at the forefront of providing help in whichever way possible. After providing help to seven COVID 19 relief funds, he has provided 25000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to medical teams across Maharashtra. Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare of Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope, took to Twitter to thank the superstar for his big contribution. He wrote, "Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra. Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra Rajesh Tope (@rajeshtope11) April 13, 2020 To this, SRK replied that we are all together as India battles the deadly pandemic. Thank you, sir, for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family & team be safe and healthy, he tweeted. Thank you sir for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family & team be safe and healthy. https://t.co/DPAc7ROh7i Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 13, 2020 It was SRK who was trolled for not doing this bit and when his initiatives started to highlight, these faceless trolls had nothing left to say to the king. After this kind gesture of contributing 25000 PPE Kits to the healthcare workers across Maharashtra, people started to pour in the positive comments for the actor and even went to say Don Is Back and Humara Neta Raees Hai. People even saluted the King for always stepping in times of need. The Don is back Francis Joseph ( #StayHome ) (@Francis_Joseph) April 13, 2020 You have been working most dedicatedly amomg all celebrities. Thank you so much SRK. Your humanitarian works would has set gold standard and has set a model for every celebrity out there on how to actually do good deed without thinking of PR. Sumit Kashyap (@sumitkashyapjha) April 13, 2020 Sab unnis hai bis hai .. Humara neta Raees hai... Love u khan sahab .. pic.twitter.com/EnHn6nVi1P s s's (@SASrkians) April 13, 2020 Many actors will go and come, but no one will be able to rule the Bollywood like you SRKian Ashok Bishnoi (@Bishnoiaji) April 13, 2020 Shahrukh Khan, thanks very much for the humanitarian help you have extended to your fellow citizens. Great act Of kindness. Mashallah. Bahout Khoob. Mirmehdi Alikhan (@alikhamm) April 14, 2020 King is always King Aap jaisa koi hai he nahe shah sir The Most Inspiring Person On This Planet. Dil Toh Har Kisi Ke Paas Hota Hai Lekin Sab Dilwale Nahi Hote.. Bharat Ki Shaan Shahrukh Khan Love you so much GOD SRK #SRKDonatesForCovid pic.twitter.com/ukUhIWZG5Q Rakshit Shah - ZERO (@rshah2611) April 13, 2020 SRK and his wife Gauri Khan had earlier given their 4-storey personal office space to be used as a quarantine capacity, equipped with essentials for quarantined women, children and elderly. Undoubtedly, SRK has been doing all he can in his capacities to help the country in the time of the hour and deserves all the applause. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has promised to investigate reports strongly denied by Downing Street that supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) are being diverted from the Scottish health system to England. Dr Donald Macaskill, chief executive of Scottish Care, said on Monday that the largest PPE manufacturers were not delivering to Scotland because the NHS and social care providers in England were their priority amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Times has also reported that Gompels, a manufacturer in Wiltshire, has said that it will not supply Scotland or Wales under a contract that it holds with Public Health England. Downing Street later dismissed the claims, insisting that it has adopted a four-nation approach for providing frontline workers with the necessary PPE. Jason Leitch, Scotlands national clinical director, also described the reports as rubbish and said that the four countries of the UK were pretty aligned in their response to coronavirus. But First Minister Sturgeon has nonetheless vowed to take action, saying it would be unconscionable and unacceptable to divert PPE away from Scotland. She said if care homes supplies are affected it would increase pressure on the national stockpile, which would be a source of real worry. Ms Sturgeon said: I hope nobody thinks this is in any way a point of a political nature. It is a point about fairness and co-operation as all of us deal with the challenge of this virus. All parts of the UK right now are facing supply challenges on PPE, indeed this is a global issue. Any situation where supplies were being diverted from one part of the UK to another without consultation or any sense of co-operation would clearly be unconscionable and unacceptable. Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman said she is urgently seeking clarity on the situation and had intended to speak with her UK counterpart Matt Hancock on Tuesday only for him to cancel the phone call. She said she has written to him to remind him that he specifically does not have my agreement to the centralisation of ordering or distribution of PPE. A spokesman for prime minister Boris Johnson has said that suppliers of PPE were not being ordered to prioritise demand in England over the other nations of the UK. Our PPE strategy is UK-wide, making sure that frontline workers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the PPE they need to stay protected while taking care of patients, the spokesman said. Through this four-nation approach we are working closely with the devolved administrations to coordinate the distribution of PPE evenly across the UK. We have not instructed any company to prioritise PPE for one nation over the others. On Easter Monday, 22 million items of PPE including more than 2.5 million aprons were delivered to 268 organisations, according to Downing Street. The British governments denial comes as Ms Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that 40 more people had died from coronavirus in Scotland, bringing the countrys total to 615. More than 6,350 people have now tested positive for Covid-19, the First Minister added, up by 291 from 6,067 the day before. There are 196 people in intensive care with coronavirus, a decrease of 15 on Monday, and 1,798 people are in hospital with the disease. Additional reporting by PA Nigeria deserves to be granted debt pardon from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, expressed disappointment that Nigeria was excluded from the list of 25 developing economies in Africa and around the world named as beneficiaries from support from Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At its Executive Board meeting on April 13, 2020, the IMF announced the debt relief channeled through its revamped CCRT to help the countries address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the World Bank also announced plans to roll out $160 billion in emergency aid to countries impacted by the coronavirus, including $14 billion in debt repayments to governments owed by 76 poor countries. Unprecedented crisis Never in living memory has the world faced a twin catastrophe of both health and economic proportions as now. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has infected close to two million persons and amassed a death toll of over one hundred thousand precious lives worldwide has also ground the global economy to a halt. The result is that many countries are desperately in search of funds to cope with rising health emergencies, especially with regards to the supply of life-supporting medical equipment, wears, and drugs. Even rich countries in Europe and America are struggling to keep up with the supply of essential medical goods and services as COVID-19 bites harder. The response of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in providing debt relief service to 25 poor countries could not have come at a better time, Mr Wabba said. While he said the NLC applauds the goodwill by the IMF and World Bank, the labour movement expressed displeasure that Nigeria was excluded from the list of benefitting countries announced by IMF. Why Nigeria should get relief We call for the inclusion of Nigeria in the beneficiary list for the COVID-19 related debt relief and debt moratorium based on very cogent reasons. The fact that Nigerias debt servicing is about 5% of our 2020 federal budget and 75% of our external reserves signpost that our debt servicing pledges are impracticable and should be re-negotiated, Mr Wabba noted. Again, as the most populous country in Africa and a major regional transportation hub, with very active citizens, Nigeria could be a major epicentre for future global waves of COVID-19 if adequate support was not extended to the country to fight and contain the coronavirus pandemic. With a burgeoning constituency of the poor, including the working-class poor, the danger staring Nigeria hard in the face is huge. Nigeria needs all the support it can get, including debt relief, moratorium, and pardon in order to enable the country tide over the waves of COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Other reasons the NLC President gave to support the groups demand for debt relief for Nigeria included the dire economic crisis the country was facing following the recent significant plunge in the price of crude oil at the international market. He said the resulting economic crisis has already led to the federal government downsizing the capital expenditure in the 2020 national budget. Besides, he recalled that in December 2019, Nigerias external debt hit a 16 year high level of $27 billion, in addition to a debt servicing commitment of $1.5 billion. ITUC warning The NLC President said labour completely aligned with the warning by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and other international non-governmental organisations that the failure to address the debt and financing needs of developing countries could trigger large scale loss of lives and livelihoods. To mobilise the necessary financial resources to fight and defeat COVID-19, Mr Wabba called for a temporary suspension of debt payments by developing economies, re-negotiation of such debt obligations, and ultimately debt pardon by creditor countries. On Monday, the Board of the IMF granted debt relief to Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, D.R., The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo and Yemen. In announcing the relief, the IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, said the debt service relief was for member countries under the Funds revamped CCRT as part of the Funds response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Georgieva said the IMF provided the grants to its poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months. The CCRT can currently provide about $500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent $185 million pledge by the UK and $100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources, the IMF MD said. The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. Global cases: More than 1.9 million Global deaths: At least 119,686 Most cases reported: United States (582,468), Spain (170,099), Italy (159,516), France (137,877), Germany (130,072) The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 1:20 p.m. Beijing time. 6:56 pm: Moscow warns of imminent hospital bed shortage Authorities in the Russian capital Moscow have warned that the city could run out of hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients in the next two to three weeks, Reuters reported. "...The operational headquarters predicts that despite the inclusion of an increasing number of state, federal and commercial clinics, a shortage of beds in redeveloped hospitals is possible in the next two to three weeks," the Moscow city health department said. Russia's total number of cases stands at 21,102 with 170 people having died so far. Holly Ellyatt Ambulance crew members in protective suits are seen at the Novomoskovsky multipurpose medical centre in Novomoskovsky Administrative District of Moscow. Valery Sharifulin 6:55 pm: A snapshot of how the coronavirus outbreak is progressing worldwide 6:45 pm: Here's the latest data on US coronavirus hotspots 6:12 pm: London's Heathrow airport expects passenger traffic to slump by 90% in April London's Heathrow Airport said Tuesday it expected passenger traffic to slump by 90% in April, as it announced that passenger numbers for March were down 52% year-on-year. Heathrow moved to single runway operations on April 6th, the airport said, and in coming weeks will consolidate all operations into two of its four open terminals. "The move will protect long-term jobs at the airport by reducing operating costs, helping Heathrow to remain financially resilient," operators said in a statement, adding that the airport's available capacity was now being used to prioritize cargo flights with medical supplies. Chloe Taylor 5:21 pm: UK likely to extend lockdown as death toll tops 11,000, while Europe starts to lift restrictions The U.K. looks set to extend its lockdown measures into early or perhaps even late May, just as other European coronavirus hotspots start to lift some restrictions on businesses. The official number of deaths from the virus in the U.K. stands at 11,239 with the U.K. on the same trajectory as Italy, the government's chief scientific advisor said on Monday. Italy has seen over 20,000 deaths from the virus but has started to lift some lockdown measures Tuesday, allowing bookshops and stationers to reopen. Holly Ellyatt A quiet Buckingham Palace in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Yui Mok - PA Images 5:08 pm: Deaths from the coronavirus in England 15% higher than previously reported On Tuesday, more evidence emerged that the extent of deaths in the U.K. could be significantly higher than reported. The Office of National Statistics reported that deaths in England caused by the coronavirus by April 3 were 15% higher than previously reported NHS numbers. "The latest comparable data for deaths involving Covid-19 with a date of death up to April 3, show there were 6,235 deaths in England and Wales," Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the Office for National Statistics, said Tuesday morning, Reuters reported. "When looking at data for England, this is 15% higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of Covid-19 on the death certificate, including suspected Covid-19, as well as deaths in the community." The U.K.'s department of health put the latest hospital death toll from the coronavirus at 11,329 as of Monday, up 717 from the previous day. Holly Ellyatt 4:34 pm: France's economy to contract 8% this year as lockdown extended, minister says France's economy is expected to contract 8% in 2020, instead of the 6% figure that was forecast just last week, the country's finance minister said Tuesday. The comments from Bruno Le Maire, to BFM TV and reported by Reuters, come a day after President Emmanuel Macron extended France's national lockdown on Monday, saying the lockdown will last until at least May 11. Holly Ellyatt 3:58 pm: Cases in Russia surpass 20,000 after record daily increase Russia reported a record daily increase of 2,774 cases of Covid-19, bringing its tally to 21,102 since the outbreak, according to a Reuters report which cited the country's coronavirus response center. The number of deaths increased by 22 to a total of 170, the report said. Yen Nee Lee 3:32 pm: French economy is expected to contract by 8% this year, says finance minister Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister, said the French economy is forecast to shrink by 8% this year, reported Reuters, citing BFM TV. The forecast is the French government's second revision to its economic outlook in a week, according to the report. The previous projection was for the French economy to contract by 6%, said the report. Yen Nee Lee 3:01 pm: Hong Kong is 'highly resilient' as it fights to save economy in the pandemic, says commerce secretary Hong Kong is fighting a "twin battle" fending off the coronavirus pandemic and trying to save its battered economy at the same time but the city remains "highly resilient" despite the challenges, its commerce secretary said. Hong Kong's recovery depends on global trade and will be determined by when the world gets back on its feet, Edward Yau, Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development, told CNBC. The Asian financial hub's economy has been hit hard by consecutive crises over the past year: from the U.S.-China trade war that intensified in 2018, to the months-long protests which shuttered shops and severely hit tourism last year. Now, the city is faced with a health and economic crisis brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 1,000 people in the Chinese territory, and killed at least 4, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. Weizhen Tan 2:35 pm: China's exports, imports fell in March China's dollar-denominated exports fell 6.6% in March from a year ago, while imports slipped 0.9% in the same month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. Economists polled by Reuters had expected exports from China to fall 14% in March from a year ago, while imports were projected to fall 9.5% over the same period. Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for the General Administration of Customs said there are difficulties in foreign trade, Reuters reported. Shrinking international demand will hit China's exports, even as recovering domestic demand lends support to China's economy, Li said. Huileng Tan 2:07 pm: Easing restrictions too early could unleash second wave of infections, says expert Countries run the risk of unleashing a second wave of infections of the coronavirus by lifting current restrictions on social distancing too early, according to an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. As more countries see a spike in imported Covid-19 disease cases, fears of a second wave of infection have kept various authorities on their toes while they try to determine when to ease current restrictions that have dealt a blow to all but the most essential economic activities. ... I think having timelines is going to be very challenging. No country is going to want to open up too early, and then be the first major country to have a big second wave," Ben Cowling, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Monday. Audrey Cher 1:44 pm: Confirmed cases in Thailand rise by 34 to 2,613 Thailand reported another 34 cases of the coronavirus, bringing its tally to 2,613 since the outbreak, according to latest data by the Ministry of Public Health. There was one more death relating to Covid-19, with the country's total fatalities now standing at 41, the data showed. The Thai government canceled the national holiday to celebrate its traditional new year, or Songkran festival, during April 13-15 to keep people at home. Thai people usually celebrate the festival by gathering in large crowds on the streets for a water fight. Yen Nee Lee 1:15 pm: India extends lockdown until May 3 India's coronavirus lockdown has been extended until May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an address to the nation. The initial 21-day lockdown was due to end on Tuesday. Modi explained that the lockdown, as well as other social distancing measures, have benefited the country despite the economic costs incurred. India needs to curb the spread of the virus and take stricter measures to prevent new hot spots from emerging, the prime minister said, according to a CNBC translation of his remarks in Hindi. (See 11:23 am update) Saheli Roy Choudhury People strand the White Round mark area and bay the Vegetables during the first day of a 21-day government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Kolkata on March 25, 2020. Debajyoti Chakraborty | NurPhoto | Getty Images 12:57 pm: Germany reports 2,082 new cases, 170 more deaths The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany jumped by 2,082 to a total of 125,098, according to the latest data by Robert Koch Institute, a federal government agency responsible for disease monitoring and prevention. Total fatalities in Germany rose 170 to 2,969 since the outbreak, the data showed. Yen Nee Lee 12:33 pm: Beijing may be using the pandemic to advance its interests in the South China Sea While the coronavirus pandemic has stalled much of the world's activity, China has kept up its aggression in the disputed South China Sea actions that analysts said could deepen the mistrust between Washington and Beijing. The sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a Chinese surveillance vessel earlier this month once again brought into the spotlight Beijing's multi-year assertions in the South China Sea, in which it claims nearly the entire waterway. "Fundamentally, China has not let the Covid-19 outbreak dampen its pursuit of foreign policy issues. In addition to the South China Sea, Beijing has also authorized air force flights around Taiwan in the past month," Kelsey Broderick, China analyst at consultancy Eurasia Group told CNBC. Yen Nee Lee 11:23 am: India's Modi to address the nation India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation at 10 a.m. local time, according to the country's Press Information Bureau. Though no information was posted about what Modi's address is going to be, there is some speculation that he might formally announce the extension of a nationwide lockdown till the end of the month. The initial 21-day lockdown period ends today. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about the possible extension on Saturday. Though Modi has not yet formally announced the decision, a recent summary of one of his meetings with all the state chief ministers indicated there was consensus for an extension. "The Chief Ministers suggested that Lockdown should be extended by two weeks," the summary posted by his office said. As of 8 a.m. local time, the health ministry reported 10,363 cases of infections; 339 people were reported to have died and 1,035 have been cured and discharged. Saheli Roy Choudhury 10:44 am: South Korea to submit supplementary budget plan South Korea President Moon Jae-in said his government will submit a supplementary budget plan to parliament soon, Reuters reported. He reportedly stressed the need to prepare more measures to support the country's jobs market and companies that are getting hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moon said the government has decided to provide emergency cash payments for the first time in its constitutional history and that the economic crisis in South Korea is starting, according to the news wire. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 27 new cases and five additional deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 10,564 and fatalities to 222. Saheli Roy Choudhury 9:57 am: Virgin Australia shares enter a trading halt Virgin Australia shares entered a trading halt on Tuesday. The company cited ongoing discussions about financial assistance and restructuring alternatives to combat the financial impact of Covid-19. Last month, the company confirmed it requested financial support worth 1.4 billion Australian dollars (nearly $900 million) from Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government. Reuters reported Virgin remains in talks with the Australian government about various aid options and has hired investment bank Houlihan Lokey to advise the airline on a potential debt restructuring. The halt will remain in place until either the company makes an announcement or Thursday, April 16, whichever is earlier, Virgin said. Its shares are tightly controlled by a group of foreign airlines that include Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways, according to Reuters. Saheli Roy Choudhury 9:25 am: Revised Johns Hopkins University data brings confirmed global cases back below 2 million Revised data from Johns Hopkins University showed global infection cases below 2 million again. At 9:25 a.m. Beijing time, there were 1,918,855 cases and 119,588 deaths reported. As of 9:25 a.m. Beijing time, the number of confirmed U.S. cases shown on the site stood at 581,679, an apparent revision of a total that exceeded 600,000 at 7:50 a.m. Beijing time. When contacted by CNBC, a representative from Hopkins said: "At around the time you saw the 2 million mark the team found an anomaly in Florida data for Okaloosa that drove a spike from 19,985 to 123,019. It has since been corrected." Saheli Roy Choudhury, Will Feuer Clarification: The earlier, incorrect information from Hopkins which overstated the global death toll has been removed from this live blog. 9:22 am: Los Angeles County to distribute debit cards as government aid 'isn't enough' Los Angeles County mayor Eric Garcetti said the county will open applications for residents to receive debit cards as financial assistance for low-income residents. It hopes to distribute to qualifying residents in one week. "What's coming from Washington isn't enough," Garcetti said Monday. The county has already issued grocery gift cards from its "Mayor's Fund" which had help from private donations including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. But, those ran out within four days, Garcetti said, adding that he expects the same to happen with the next batch of cards. Los Angeles County has the highest death rate in the state with 40% of California's Covid-19-positive cases, Garcetti said. The county expects the death rate to peak on Sunday, April 19th, granted residents abide by sheltering restrictions. Jennifer Elias 8:25 am: China reports 89 new cases, says there's been no additional deaths recorded China's National Health Commission said on April 13 there were 89 new cases of coronavirus infection, mostly travelers from overseas. Most of the travelers are likely Chinese nationals, since China closed its borders to most foreigners late last month. The official report did not specify nationalities. No additional virus-related deaths were reported and there were 54 instances of asymptomatic infection, where a person tested positive for the coronavirus but did not display any of the usual symptoms associated with it. China says it has had 82,249 confirmed cases and 3,341 deaths since the outbreak started. Saheli Roy Choudhury 7:32 am: Singapore records its biggest single-day jump in cases Singapore reported 386 new cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as of noon local time on April 13. Most of them are linked to infection clusters in dormitories that house foreign workers. The inhabitants of those dormitories are typically men from other Asian countries who carry out labor-intensive construction jobs in order to support their families back home. Last week, Singapore announced an inter-agency task force whose goal is to contain the outbreak in the dormitories, which has worsened recently. Foreign workers are seen at the corridor of the S11 Dormitory at Punggol on April 6, 2020 in Singapore. S11 Dormitory is one of several dormitories in the city-state suffering from a Covid-19 outbreak. Suhaimi Abdullah | Getty Images Monday's numbers brought the total cases in the city-state to 2,918, while nine people have succumbed to the illness. The daily reported infections have gone up exponentially since March, first due to a growing number of imported cases and then because of the outbreak in the dormitories. The health ministry said to-date 586 people have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals and community isolation facilities. Saheli Roy Choudhury, Ted Kemp All times below are in Eastern time. 6:52 pm: Fauci walks back comment that earlier coronavirus social distancing would have saved lives White House health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci walked back his recent comments about the initial U.S. response to the coronavirus, saying he used "the wrong choice of words" a day earlier when describing "pushback about shutting things down." Fauci's comments from a CNN interview Sunday in which he said that more lives "obviously" could have been saved if the U.S. made earlier efforts to contain the virus were seen by some as a critique of the Trump administration's handling of the crisis. Trump later that evening retweeted a call to "#FireFauci." A White House spokesman said Monday that the president "is not firing Dr. Fauci," who "has been and remains a trusted adviser to President Trump." Fauci on Monday evening defended his comments, and Trump's record on the coronavirus, while standing next to the president at the White House's daily briefing on the disease. Kevin Breuninger 6:30 pm: Trump says there's 'clear evidence' coronavirus mitigation is working in US as growth in new cases stabilizes US President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump said growth in new coronavirus infections stabilized and new hospitalizations in hot spots like New York slowed over the weekend, providing "clear evidence that our aggressive strategy to combat the virus is working." "Over the weekend, the number of daily new infections remained flat, nationwide flat," Trump said at a White House press conference with the coronavirus task force on Monday. "Hospitalizations are slowing in hot spots like New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Louisiana. This is clear evidence that our aggressive strategy to combat the virus is working and that Americans are following the guidelines." William Feuer 5:45 pm: Pope Francis: 'This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage' A 40-year-old police constable was injured on Tuesday when he shot at himself from his service revolver in Neelbad area near here in Madhya Pradesh, police said. The constable, identified as Chetan Singh Thakur, shot himself in one of his shoulders in afternoon while on duty, a police officer said. The immediate trigger behind Thakur, posted in Ratiband police station, turning the weapon on himself is under investigation. Video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The constable was shifted to a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) issued a recall for more than 130,000 pounds of frozen chicken last weekend after small rocks or pebbles were allegedly found in the product by customers. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement on the recall last Friday, April 10, designating the event as "Health Risk: High." The FSIS classified the problem as "possible foreign matter contamination" and said an unspecified number of customers contacted Conagra to complain about pebbles in "Healthy Choice POWER BOWLS Chicken Feta & Farro" from specific manufacturing lots. Conagra then notified the USDA of the problem, at which point the FSIS announced the recall. The USDA statement says no known injuries or illnesses had been caused by the rocks as of the time it published the recall. It went on to remark that it is "concerned that some product may be in consumers' freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away." Not all Healthy Choice Chicken Feta & Farro bowls are believed to contain the rocks. Only 9.5 ounce bowls with an Oct. 19, 2020 "best by" date and the lot code "5006002320" are included in the recall. The food items were sent to grocery stores across both the USA and Canada. Dan Hare, a Conagra spokesman, informed USA TODAY that the rocks "likely remained from harvesting ingredients contained in the product." Frozen and canned foods have been exceptionally popular grocery items during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Conagra selling 17.5% more frozen foods such as the Healthy Choice chicken bowls than it did last March. Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Omicron variant | Breakthrough infections | Symptoms guide | Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Impact of the pandemic: Supply chain | Education | Housing Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter Women and children fell to the ground, bloodied and trampled in a desperate surge for food being handed out in a Nairobi slum, as police fired teargas and men with sticks beat the hungry. As African countries grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, observers warn that the traumatic scenes which played out last Friday will not be the last if governments fail to help millions of urban poor who live hand-to-mouth. "I give them (the government) one to two weeks before things get worse. Not in terms of coronavirus, but in terms of hunger," said Kennedy Odede, who runs Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement which works in the Nairobi slum Kibera and other informal settlements in Kenya. "If it continues like this, we might be playing with fire." Kenya has so far cordoned off the capital and parts of its coastline and imposed a night-time curfew and other social distancing measures. Many these restrictions are having a wrenching impact on the poor, causing many to lose their jobs, said Odede. While President Uhuru Kenyatta has wielded the threat of a full lockdown to get citizens to comply with the rules, officials admit it is an agonising choice, especially as 60 percent of Nairobi's residents live in slums. "Locking up people in the slums will be the last option. A lot needs to be done before that," a high-ranking security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. - 'Unenforceable and unsustainable' - The coronavirus arrived late in Africa, but is slowly taking hold with over 15,000 cases and 800 deaths across the continent. While much of the developed world waited weeks to begin taking action, countries in Africa rapidly shut borders and banned mass gatherings. Empty: The bus station in the Rwandan capital Kigali after the government imposed a travel ban / AFP Mauritius, Rwanda and Tunisia were the first to impose full lockdowns -- with Mauritius going so far as to shut supermarkets and bakeries for 10 days. South Africa is the biggest economy on the continent to completely confine its citizens, while Nigeria imposed lockdowns on Lagos -- the continent's largest city -- and its capital Abuja, which on Monday were extended for another two weeks. Both have millions of people packed tightly in urban slums. "The inevitable reaction has been to follow what the rest of the world is doing," said Jakkie Cilliers at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), who has called for Africans to come up with a "unique solution" to stave off the virus. "A lockdown is unenforceable and unsustainable across much of Africa. You are trying to do something that is not possible and you are condemning people to a choice between starving and getting sick. "It's not possible for 10 people living in a tin shack... to not go outside for three weeks." - 'Make ends meet' - In sub-Saharan Africa, Liberia and Zimbabwe have also imposed full lockdowns. However most nations across the continent have stopped short of forcing all of their citizens to stay indoors. Madagascar and Ghana have completely locked down selected regions and towns, while Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger have imposed states of emergency and night-time curfews. A group of reclaimers -- people who pick up and sell recyclable rubbish -- cook food at the Bekezela slum in Johannesburg. Most people here are depending on food donations to survive during the country's lockdown / AFP Like Kenya, Benin has cordoned off key cities -- preventing movement in and out -- while the capitals of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger are also cut off. Ethiopia, with a population of over 100 million, has closed borders and schools and discouraged large gatherings, but has yet to restrict citizens' movement. "We can't impose a lockdown like more developed nations, as there are many citizens who don't have homes," said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "Even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily." On the other end of the spectrum are Burundi and Tanzania, where life largely continues as normal and whose governments have so far downplayed the dangers of the epidemic. "Coronavirus should not be a reason to destroy our economy at all," said Tanzanian President John Magufuli. - 'Ineffective and unproductive' - Experts agree that for the different levels of confinement to work in Africa, significant state support is needed -- a challenge in a continent where many countries are already heavily reliant on donor aid. Kenya has lowered taxes and is delivering free water to slums, Senegal's government is paying electricity bills and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged landlords to let people live rent-free until the crisis is over. Children wait in line for water, distributed for free in the Nairobi slum of Kibera last week. Health experts say close queueing breaks the rule of social distancing to prevent virus infection / AFP However political commentator Rachel Strohm said such measures mainly benefit people "in the formal sector". In Lagos, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa and elsewhere, governments are distributing food, however often only to a "fraction of the vulnerable", said Strohm. She argued that many of the measures taken are "ineffective and unproductive" -- curfews on top of transport restrictions create greater crowds as citizens rush to get home in time, and thus enhance the risk of infection. Strohm and Odede back the idea of direct money transfers to citizens -- especially to avoid the inequality and chaos of food distribution. Foreign donors -- battling their own virus-induced economic crises -- will need to step in, they say. Cilliers argued you need to try and "get the maximum economic activity going so people can survive, but try to keep opportunities for infection limited." A policeman in the Ugandan capital Kampala beats an orange hawker for defying stay-at-home instructions / AFP Another solution to avoid complete lockdowns and economic collapse is mass testing, with South Africa so far the only country seeking this approach. But only around 70,000 tests have been conducted so far, a level that is still "way too low", Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has admitted. The majority of countries are still only able to do limited testing. Meanwhile, ever-stricter measures across the continent have led to a rise in police violence as authorities struggle to get desperate citizens to comply. "I think we will continue to see excesses and relatively substantive brutality," said Cilliers. burs-fb/np/ri Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending the lockdown in the view of coronavirus outbreak in the country. "Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced that the lockdown will be extended till 3rd May. I thank Prime Minister for it, as I had suggested the same," Thackeray said in his address. He also thanked Bhim Sainiks for avoiding gathering to mark Ambedkar Jayanti and observing the day from their homes. "This is a problem that has affected the whole world. Everyone is forced to observe all festivities at their homes. I want to thank Bhim Sainiks on Ambedkar Jayanti today, that they avoided gathering and observed the day from their homes," he said. He said that Maharashtra is probably doing the highest number of tests and Mumbai has tested over 2,2000 samples. "Maharashtra is probably doing the highest number of tests. Mumbai has tested over 22,000 samples. 2,334 positive cases reported till today morning. 230 people - around 10 per cent people have recovered," he said. Mumbai and Pune are hotspots and we are increasing our testing centers at these places. Containment zones are on a prime focus for testing and sampling. We are trying to remove all supply related problems even from containment zones, he said. He said as I already said that Maharashtra will show the way to the country in the fight against COVID-19, there are 10 districts which have zero COVID-19 cases and it will be maintained. "We have 10 districts which have zero COVID-19 positive cases. We will maintain that and we will try that all districts are COVID-19 free as early as possible," Thackeray said. "I already said that Maharashtra will show the way to the country in the fight against COVID-19," he added. Divulging further he said that the Maharashtra government has constituted a panel to plan for the revival of the economy after the COVID-19 outbreak. "After COVID-19 outbreak ends, we will have an equally serious challenge which will be the revival of the economy in the state. Therefore, we have formed committees which will prepare the plans for its revival," he said. He said that the government has sought permission from Center for Convalescent Plasma (CP) therapy. As Prime Minister has said that developers should come forward, we have started this. If we get permission we will find the remedy soon and show the way to the world. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HURON COUNTY The number of drive-thru testing offerings are expanding throughout Michigan, but one in Huron County has not been seeing the numbers it expected. The Great Lakes Bay Health Center in Bad Axe has been offering drive-thru testing since the beginning of the month, but reportedly has had fewer than 10 people come to get tested per day. The same could be said of GLBHs Bay City location, but its Saginaw location has averaged between 20 and 30 tests per day. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did announce a partnership between the state and community health centers like Great Lakes Bay Health to help expand their testing capabilities in order to relieve any overburdened hospitals. The state also plans on utilizing a NxGen laboratory in Grand Rapids to run up to 3,000 tests per day, increasing the states average testing output by 40%. NxGen has sent the Bad Axe GLBH Center 100 testing kits and it will start sending samples back to NxGen this week. There are 13 total drive-thru testing locations in Michigan, including other Great Lakes Bay Health locations in Bad Axe, Bay City, and Saginaw. Beginning this week, the 13 community health centers aim to test between 100 and 300 patients each per day through their drive-thru testing. In addition, GLBH received $1.7 million from the federal government through the CARES Act. Jill Armentrout, the fund development coordinator for Great Lakes Bay Health said the funding would help the Centers keep staff members that are not seeing their regular patients. According to Armentrout, GLBH is operating at 75% capacity and not getting as many reimbursements from insurance companies. Routine visits are not being done, so were not bringing in doctors for some services, Armentrout said. The Bad Axe testing site is located at 876 N. Van Dyke Road in the Great Lakes Bay Health Centers parking lot, with orange cones designating where a person is supposed to park. Testing takes place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In order to be tested at the site, patients need to meet the states coronavirus testing priority criteria. They include: Hospitalized patients. Symptomatic healtchcare workers. Patients in congregate facilities with symptoms, like long-term care or elderly living facilities, jails or prisons, homeless shelters, residential foster care facilities, and other group living settings. Patients age 65 and older with symptoms. Patients with underlying conditions with symptoms. First responders with symptoms. Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms. People who come to get tested need the following: A paper lab order from their doctor or health care provider for COVID-19 testing The doctors/providers Quest account number. A paper from the patients doctor with their name, birthday, address, phone number, insurance name, and number. This information can be filled out on a lab slip. The testing process takes between four and five minutes, with GLBH staff members taking either a nasal or throat swab without the patient stepping out of their car. The test results usually take two to three days to process and are sent to the patients health care provider. The Benue and Taraba State Governments on Tuesday signed a peace agreement to end the lingering crisis between Tiv and Jukun. This was contained in a communique signed by the Deputy Governors of Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba, Emmanuel Akabe, Benson Abonu and Haruna Manu on Tuesday in Lafia. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the communique was presented at the end of a joint mediation peace meeting between the two states held in Lafia. All parties agreed that the meeting was necessitated by the continued crisis between Tiv and Jukun communities along the border corridors of Benue and Taraba. Participants condemned in strong terms the wanton destruction of lives and property and agreed on nine points as follows. They agreed that there should be cessation of hostilities from the parties to pave way for return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their communities. Participants also agree that the governors of Benue and Taraba should meet with traditional rulers of the affected communities and sensitise them on the need to embrace peace. They further agree that the governor of Nasarawa State should facilitate another review meeting within one month. Participants further agreed that all IDPs from the two states be allowed to return to their homes immediately under the supervision of the security agencies. They agreed that the two states would expose and apprehend militia groups and hand them over to the security agencies for necessary action. They agreed that the governors of the two states should ensure deployment of security to the affected communities to checkmate the excesses of criminals. Finally, they agreed that the governors of Benue and Taraba would provide palliative to the IDPs to cushion the effects of the crisis among others. NAN reports that the meeting had in attendance, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, his deputy and his counterparts from Benue and Taraba states. Others are the Secretaries of State Governments of Benue and Taraba, national assembly and house of assembly members, Commissioners, traditional rulers and youth leaders among others. (NAN). Your work has always been essential, but now, our entire state is even more in awe of what you do. And we thank you, Cooper said. After someone asked about lifting some restrictions due to the economy and businesses, he said the more people stay at home through the end of the month, the more the curve is flattened. He said there are people at the state working with the business community about where they are and hoping these next two weeks to make determinations about the kinds of things they need to do going into May. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said the state is seeing a slow rise in the number of positive cases but people staying at home is flattening the curve. She said social distancing is the strongest weapon they have to help stop the virus. Staying home now saves lives and puts us in a position of strength as we prepare for a new normal, Cohen said. Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday (local time) warned that the COVID-19, which originated in China's Wuhan last year, is 10 times deadlier than the swine flu. "Evidence from several countries is giving us a clearer picture about this virus, how it behaves, how to stop it and how to treat it. We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly - 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He also urged that control measures must be lifted "slowly and with control". "It cannot happen all at once. Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including the significant capacity for contact tracing," he said. The WHO DG stressed that countries must strike a balance between measures that address the mortality caused by COVID-19, and by other diseases due to overwhelmed health systems, as well as the social-economic impacts. "As the pandemic has spread, its public health and socioeconomic impacts have been profound, and have disproportionately affected the vulnerable. Many populations have already experienced a lack of access to routine, essential health services," the chief of UN Health Body said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho answers questions on his plans to combat Covid-19 in the county. Mombasa is now in isolation, but youve been advocating for a total lockdown Isolation is a good beginning. Obviously, with the battle against Covid-19, we have to progressively evaluate the situation and take more measures that we deem effective. Weve had people who work in Mombasa but live in Kilifi and Kwale, and theyre wondering about the fate of their jobs and so on. People must understand that it is not going to be easy. Its going to be tough, theres going to be a lot of sacrifices that each one of us will have to undertake. Like, stay at home when we dont want to, not necessarily being able to report to work. That is why the government at the national level and the county level is having a conversation about how were going to cushion these people who will be affected economically. The only way well succeed with this battle against this pandemic is to stay at home, to avoid spreading it by going around easily. Because thats the only way we spread it; if we continue to go around as we normally do then that means were spreading it. It may be tough, it may be difficult, but really, this situation has to be managed in that manner. There appears to be a lot of naysayers, saying, this Covid-19 story, just forget about it, we need to live our lives Let me tell you, we dont have the human resource capacity, the medical equipment, and the preparedness that other cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas have yet this disease is devastating them. For me, as a leader, this is not the time for populist statements, this is a time to stand up and say, you know what, this has to be done. What, precisely, are you doing? In Mombasa, weve been mapping out the families that we know are vulnerable. As a government, we are trying to put up measures together with corporate players to try and cushion these people. We are talking to institutions, employers and telling them, you know what, we need each other at this point. How many vulnerable families have you mapped out so far? We have so far 227,404 families that we consider vulnerable. With an average of around five people per household, we are talking about more than one million people. We aim to provide the basics like water, medication and food for just about a month and then see how its going to be going forward. Within the next two weeks, the holy month of Ramadhan will begin. What plans does your government have to make sure that those of us who will be fulfilling the demands of the holiday are catered for? In Mombasa, Muslims all over the city have had a programme for feeding people during Ramadhan. I know of a family, for example, that feeds 22,000 families during Ramadhan. My humble appeal to everybody today is about humanity. Let us forget about faith. We want to make sure, Ramadhan or not, that every needy family in Mombasa, whether Muslim, Hindu, Christian or of whatever religion, has help or will get help. Youve been mobilising resources towards this. How much have you raised so far? We are County 001, my friend! We have a lot of philanthropists and generous people, people who are committed to helping each other, which Im grateful for. By Monday, we had raised almost Sh100 million. Our target is food worth Sh700 million. The county government is contributing about 200 million worth of food. Obviously, were asking the national government to step in. Were hoping maybe we can get Sh300 to 400 million, whatever it is. And then the deficit is where the private sector will come in. How were you able to do this? Were already seeing barns where food is being stores, sanitation ports at the ferry, taps being put in place. Obviously these are things that were planned. Let me tell you, the first thing you do as a leader is to bring everybody to the table, bring everybody on board. I formed a united front comprising business, corporate and political leaders, civil society and the clergy. I sat them down and said, We are in this situation. We must stand together. Also, my county commissioner, Gilbert Kitiyo, with whom I co-chair the committee, is very efficient and effective. That, for me, is the success story. When we wanted to do the water station at the ferry, we immediately had a solution. What have you learnt as a leader since this pandemic swept into our shores? We were having a conversation yesterday. Mungu analeta kitu na mtihani lakini saa zingine pia ina baraka zake. There are lessons that we have learned as leaders, as business people. Maybe going forward, when we get out of this, we will have learned that our unity can make a big difference. For example, in Mombasa, right now, were seeing good gestures. People are walking in with contributions. People are committed, and there is a lot of goodwill. Its just us as politicians who sometimes forget ourselves. Indeed, we can pull this country together. Look at the situation today. We can speak one language, understand each other. I have brought my opponents to the table. People who disagreed with me, Ive challenged and they have responded. How are you collaborating with private hospitals? For now, were working on building capacity. I told private hospitals in Mombasa that we must build a fully-equipped hospital outside our normal operations to deal with Covid-19 and asked them for contributions in terms of medical equipment and human resource. So, we do it collectively, so that when theres a patient, we take them to the Covid Hospital. This is how other countries have succeeded. We are looking at turning the Technical University of Mombasa into a 500-bed hospital. We want to create 50 ICU care beds and facilities at the Coast General. So, when you need Intensive care, then we move you there. We have to coordinate with private hospitals, ambulances, to try and truly isolate Covid patients in one hospital to properly look after them. How many doctors, nurses and medical workers would you need? What else do you need to get this working? We are asking our private hospitals, maybe if we closed a few of our wings, moved the equipment I see, for example, Mombasa Hospital has had a Covid-19 wing, Aga Khan has had a Covid-19 wing. So, we start by moving all these equipment, resources to one point. We shall then be able to evaluate what we will need. Weve recently invested around Sh140 million in new equipment which, if combined with that from private hospitals, should be enough. We have advertised for 100 new staff. As a county, were ready to shelve all our projects, but we cant fall short on doctors and nurses. Weve even spoken to retired doctors and told them to be on standby in case well need them. A great deal of the economy of Mombasa was dependent on maritime commerce activities at the port. This has diminished. How is this going to affect the measures youre putting in place? As we speak, economics experts drawn from the county are trying to figure out how we will get our economy revamped when this crisis blows over. There were discussions about stopping ferry services to isolate the county and limit the spread of the virus. Whats the position on this? We went to the ferry and looked at the situation. Sometimes as many as 30,000 people cross per hour. Imagine people queuing for 3km. But what we could do was try and create a safe environment for them. Were trying to work out how to guide people on distancing on the ferry, but they are not applying this on the queues. Weve done disinfection at the ferry. Were producing 1.2 million face masks that we want to distribute for free and ask everybody to wear them. But eventually, itabidi watu wajipange. One specific thing; with maternal care, and with the curfew in place, what is in place for emergency services these mothers may need? Essential services and movements are allowed under curfew, and this is essential. We are now redirecting all our ambulances to 24-hour use and stationing them in sub-counties, so that everybody that needs help gets access. Even county coloured vehicles have been instructed to do the same. When you see a county vehicle, thats what its there, for now, ask for help. How are the movement restrictions getting enforced? We have really advocated against police brutality. Im grateful that after the ferry incident, there hasnt been another incident. But the point is, we are telling our people to abide by the regulations. Understand that this is for you. We will not get to a point where we have to use force to get you to go back home. Everybody should understand that they need to be at home. We will continue passing the message. We depend on you as well to pass on the message. Its been done for the good of all of us. Lets not wait to see rungus. PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation today announced two donations totaling $450,000 to aid in global COVID-19 relief efforts. A $200,000 donation to Intermountain Healthcare in Utah will help with the purchase of critical personal protective equipment for local first responders and medical providers. Additionally, a $250,000 donation to Days for Girls International will help the organization with its Masks4Millions campaign to provide millions of homemade fabric masks to hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals around the world. "We are grateful for the many people and organizations serving on the frontlines of COVID-19, particularly our health care workers who selflessly put themselves in harm's way every day," said Greg Cook, doTERRA founding executive and Primary Children's Hospital Board Member. "doTERRA's support is part of a larger Intermountain Healthcare effort that will provide 5,000,000 protective medical face masks, 15,000 protective medical gowns, and 5,000 protective full-face medical shields. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this global pandemic, and we wish everyone health and safety as we face this challenge together." The demand for surgical masks is intensifying as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses around the world. The doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation and Days for Girls International is seeking volunteers to help sew cloth masks for use in their own communities. While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't suggest cloth masks as a first-line defense against COVID-19, they do work well for many situations and can help conserve surgical masks and N-95 respirator masks for medical professionals and first responders. Learn how you can help with Masks4Millions at: https://doterrahealinghands.org/donate/masks-for-millions. About doTERRA doTERRA is an integrative health and wellness company and the world leader in the Global Aromatherapy and Essential Oils market. doTERRA sources, tests, manufactures and distributes CPTG essential oils and essential oil products to over eight million doTERRA Wellness Advocates and customers. Through industry leading responsible sourcing practices, doTERRA maintains the highest levels of quality, purity and sustainability in partnership with local growers around the world through Co-Impact Sourcing. doTERRA Healing Hands, a United States Foundation, offers resources and tools to global sourcing communities and charitable organizations for self-reliance, healthcare, education, sanitation, and the fight against human trafficking. Through the life-enhancing benefits of essential oils, doTERRA is changing the world one drop, one person, one community at a time. To learn more, visit www.doterra.com. SOURCE doTERRA Related Links www.doterra.com A sign on a store window in Ottawa on March 23, 2020. Most economists agree that many small businesses will not survive the shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Economic Collapse: Pandemic Shutdown Wallops Canadian Economy News Analysis Most economists agree that a large number of small businesses will not survive the government-mandated shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and predict that businessesand peoplewho do make it through the crisis will live with permanently higher taxes due to record-high government deficits. The Canada that we knew is no more, said Bill Tufts, author of Pension Ponzi and consultant to governments and business groups. Were in an economic collapse right now. Over 5.4 million Canadians have applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), suggesting a 25 percent unemployment rate. The CERB is one-quarter of the $107 billion federal response to the virus pandemic. The government is doing what Keynsian economics says: Just send the money to the people, so theyre going to spend it, says Gerard Lucyshyn, economics professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. The dangerous one is going to be sending money to the firms. What we learned in Reaganomics is that the firms tend to keep it. While big business takes what it can, small business just hopes to survive. Currently, its business as usual for only one in five businesses, according to internal surveys done by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Thirty percent cant pay this months bills and 39 percent worry about permanent closure. The CFIB has been turned into a suicide crisis centre. And it looks like a lot of people wont be getting the emergency benefit, says Tufts. The big problem, he says, is that when small business disappears, so does government revenue. Almost 70 percent of the taxes are collected by small business. All of the GST, HST, to CPP deductions to employment insurance deductions property taxes, licences, and fees and fines. The Parliamentary Budget Officer announced on April 9 that Canada will have a $184 billion deficit in 2021. The amount is three times higher than the previous record deficit of $56 billion in 2009. It also represents a substantial addition to the federal governments accumulated debt of $714 billion. Unfortunately, all this new debt will mean tough times are ahead for almost everyone, says Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. This is going to take years to pay down. Provincial governments will be looking at challenges of a similar scale. Albertas debt, already at $72 billion, may never vanish. It will be 75 yearsif we have the best years ever, to pay off the debt like we did in 2005 when we were under Ralph Klein, Lucyshyn says. Investments have also suffered. The TSX hit an all-time high on Feb. 20, only to fall by 38 percent over the next five weeks. You have literally peoples life savings evaporating, Lucyshyn says. All those senior citizens out therewhatever they had their money in is gone now. Lucyshyn believes a better government response was possible. The bureaucracy and the politicians are culpable for failing to be prepared for this pandemic; they were advised this pandemic would happen over the last 10 years, he says. In Singapore, they put on their masks and gloves and began testing, tracing, and [implementing] containment programs, and allowed businesses and some universities to stay open with strict gathering size guidelines. Thats why their economy didnt sink as much as ours. In Canada, our leaders hit the big off button and now we will suffer the economic consequences. Governments wont hit the on button for a while, either. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford extended his shutdown of non-essential businesses until May 14. I think well see a massive boom as soon as they lift it, but the million-dollar question is, when will they lift it? Lucyshyn says. Every restaurant in the country needs to restock their entire supply of food like the moment they lift those orders. So, just purely on that principle, how much work is there going to be? And the first thing youre doing to do, and everyone else is going to do, is youre going to go to the pub for a beer. Tufts is less hopeful. As far as I can tell, it will be a huge set of dominos that will keep falling for who knows how long, he says. Theres no way that businesses will be able to respond and bounce back that quickly. On April 8, the City of Vancouver asked the Province of British Columbia for $200 million just to maintain operations. Newfoundland and Labrador teetered on the edge of bankruptcy before the crisis began, and now it could even face a food crisis. Oceanex, which ships much of the islands vegetables, beef, and pork from Montreal and Halifax to St. Johns, has said it will have to reduce or suspend service unless the federal government helps. Post-pandemic, Wudrick says, governments will have to greatly rein in the spending. Once the immediate crisis ends, it will be important for governments to make tough but necessary choices to get the books back in order, he says. Prioritizing spending will become crucial and there will be no money for politicians pet projects. PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced he was extending a virtual lockdown to curb the coronavirus outbreak until May 11, adding that progress had been made but the battle not yet won. Following Italy in extending the lockdown but announcing no immediate easing of restrictive measures as in Spain, Macron said the tense situation in hospitals in Paris and eastern France meant there could be no let-up in the country. Since March 17, Frances 67 million people have been ordered to stay at home except to buy food, go to work, seek medical care or get some exercise on their own. The lockdown was originally scheduled to end on Tuesday. I fully understand the effort Im asking from you, Macron told the nation in a televised address at the end of the lockdowns fourth week, adding the current rules were working. When will we be able to return to a normal life? I would love to be able to answer you. But to be frank, I have to humbly tell you we dont have definitive answers, he said. Schools and shops would progressively reopen on May 11, Macron said. But restaurants, hotels, cafes and cinemas would have to remain shut longer, he added. International arrivals from non-European countries will remain prohibited until further notice. French President Emmanuel Macron is seen as he addresses the nation about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on television screens in Paris, France, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters Macron, whose government has faced criticism over a shortage of face masks and testing kits, said that by May 11, France would be able to test anyone presenting COVID-19 symptoms and give nonprofessional face masks to the public. Macron also said he had asked his government to present this week new financial aid for families and students in need. Not prepared Acknowledging his country had not been sufficiently prepared early on to face the challenges posed by the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Macron appeared to seek a humble tone in contrast to the war-like rhetoric of his previous speeches. Were we prepared for this crisis? On the face of it, not enough. But we coped, he said. This moment, lets be honest, has revealed cracks, shortages. Like every country in the world, we have lacked gloves, hand gel, we havent been able to give out as many masks as we wanted to our health professionals. The French, long accustomed to being told their high taxes paid for the best healthcare in the world, have been dismayed by the rationing of critical drugs, face masks and equipment and have watched with envy the situation in neighbouring Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron is seen as he addresses the nation about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on a television screen in a take away pizza shop in Nice, France, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters Macrons acknowledgment of the shortcomings was broadly well-received. Its not every day you hear a president offer a mea culpa and dare say we have no definitive answers. Reassuring and necessary sincerity, analyst Maxime Sbaihi of the think tank GenerationLibre said. After a relentless increase until the first week of April, the number of patients in French hospitals intensive care units has started to decline, prompting health authorities to call a plateau in the epidemic. But if French hospitals are just about coping, helped by a massive effort to transfer patients by plane, helicopter or even high-speed train from hospitals in the east and Paris to the west, nursing homes have been overwhelmed. By Monday, the coronavirus had claimed 14,967 lives in France, the fourth-highest death toll in the world, with more than 98,076 confirmed cases, according to official figures. Well have better days, and well return to happy days, Macron said. Countries in Africa now have more than 15000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Diverse containment and preventive measures have been imposed in many nations to slow down the spread of the virus. As of today, the number of African countries with confirmed cases continue to rise, exempting Comoros Principe and Lesotho who are the only two countries that have no confirmed case. Extended lockdowns In a bid for containment, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda are some countries that have extended their lockdowns. The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, April 13 announced the extension of the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja for another 14 days. Mr Buhari said the lockdown placed two weeks earlier helped to slow down the spread of the virus, therefore the need for another extension as the number of cases continue to rise in the country. Nigeria has a total of 362 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday announced that its lockdown, which was instituted on March 27 to last for three weeks, will now last until the end of April. He said in a live address to the nation unless we hold to this course for a little longer, the coronavirus pandemic will engulf, and ultimately consume, our country. The South African president, while announcing the first lockdown, had also placed a ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes stating there is nothing essential about it. This measure had led to an uproar by the Guateng Liquor Forum for the Government to lift the ban on the sale of alcohol. The group has threatened to go to court if the ban is not lifted, Mr Ramaphosa said he will respond on Friday. READ ALSO: South Africa has the highest number of cases in the continent at 2,415, as at Tuesday. Uganda which has recorded 54 confirmed cases also called for an extension of their lockdown. The lockdown, which was meant to last 14 days, was extended for another three weeks, until May 5, President Yoweri Museveni said. He announced the lockdown on Tuesday, April 14. Crime rate Although crime rate has relatively dropped globally especially in countries that have implemented lockdowns, The New York Times reported that in South Africa, there were 2,300 reports of gender-based violence adding that more than 148 people have been arrested. The report cited a case of a man who was found drinking beer in his home and was beaten by soldiers to death, according to witnesses. The incident is being investigated by the South African National Defense Force. The report also stated that in Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape province, 16 liquor stores have been burgled and 21 suspects arrested. Crime is down overall and police are pursuing all reports of violations. In Ogun State, Nigeria, robbers continue to threaten the peace of some areas within the state. Witnesses said shops and houses have been attacked in the communities, with money and foodstuff carted away. Let us begin with two personal examples demonstrating the value of a community college. For 11 years I taught the U.S. Constitution at a local community college. The class was a requirement for students earning an Associate of Arts degree and an undergraduate requirement to graduate from most four-year colleges or universities in the state. Joan attended a community college to save costs, received an AA degree and then transferred to a four-year university to earn her BA degree and teaching credential. Currently, there are several community colleges in Montana. The communities include Havre, Miles City, Dawson, Butte, Kalispell, Helena, Fort Peck, Lame Deer, Harlem, St. Ignatius and the Crow Agency. Many in our area would greatly benefit if the Bitterroot Valley were added to this list. A Bitterroot Community College would bring many opportunities not only for area high school graduates, but for potential students as far away as Salmon, Idaho. The college could offer technical training for potential employees at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, the Rocky Mountain Labs, and GSK. The University of Montana would also benefit because of those planning to earn a four-year degree could complete their first two years locally for less money while living at home. Many students who would not have considered furthering their education because of cost, could now consider it affordable. It would be a win-win. The U.S. Constitution Class that I taught was unique in that it was scheduled at different times from the regular weekday classes. The class was held on Friday nights from 6 to 8 p.m., and then on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon. Many of the students had full-time jobs during the week, so this schedule enabled them to work and attend college. It was a great fit for students who needed to keep down the cost of their education. They were able to pay for their college and avoid the burden of student loans. There were also several older students who were returning to college to obtain the necessary education for a new career, complete an AA degree, or begin their pursuit of a Bachelor or Masters degree. The size of the class was usually around 40-plus and the makeup was quite diverse. A few students were from other colleges and needed to have a class on the U.S. Constitution as a requirement before they could graduate. The benefits for having a community college in the Bitterroot are many. Students would be able to earn an AA degree in a variety of technical and academic studies. The University of Montana would certainly benefit as the community school graduates with an AA degree could complete their four-year degree in Missoula. Students could also transfer to Montana State in Bozeman or attend another college or university. Another benefit would be that many students could still live at home during those two years. Average community college costs for an in-state student are approximately $3,974, and $8,845 for out-of-state students. The primary student population for the Bitterroot Community College would come from high schools within the valley, and high schools from neighboring counties. The Bitterroot Community College would also add an environmentally friendly employer to the valley. Many existing businesses would benefit from its presence. In the current economic environment caused by the coronavirus, positive financial endeavors should be encouraged. A community college would be a win-win for everyone. Therefore, on May 5, we encourage you to vote "yes" for the Bitterroot Community College. Gary Carlson is a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Marine Corps and a former Department of Defense political appointee under President Reagan. He and his wife, Joan, write regularly from the Bitterroot Valley. Their columns will appear every other Tuesday on the Missoulian's Opinion page. They can be reached by email at oped@missoulian.com or garykcarlson11@gmail.com. Extra 40m allocated to support adult social care in Wales during pandemic This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 14th, 2020 Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, has today announced an extra 40m to support adult social care services during the coronavirus pandemic. The funding will help meet the increased costs of basic PPE, food, staffing costs and ICT, which are being incurred by adult social services. It comes from the 1.1bn fighting fund created by the Welsh Government to support public services to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The Minister said: Social care plays a vital role in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in Wales and the health service. This work is more important than ever. This additional funding will support the extra costs adult social care services are now facing. The Welsh Government has been working with local authorities and other partners to identify the additional resources needed to meet the extra demands on adult social care services. We will review this allocation and potentially make further money available if needed in the future. The social care workforce is on the front line of this huge effort to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and we are committed to supporting every single person do their job. Every one of us in Wales owes them a debt of gratitude. I want to personally thank our social care workforce for their fantastic efforts in protecting the public. The 40m will be allocated to local government through the new Covid-19 local government hardship fund. Local authorities will work with adult social care providers to draw down the extra funding based on the new costs that are identified. GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemalas health minister said Tuesday that deportees from the United States were driving up the countrys COVID-19 caseload, adding that on one flight some 75% of the deportees tested positive for the virus. Health Minister Hugo Monroys comments were dramatically out of line with what the government had previously said about infected deportees. Later, presidential spokesman Carlos Sandoval told reporters that Monroy was referring to a March flight on which between 50% and 75% (of the passengers) during all their time in isolation and quarantine have come back positive. Before Tuesday, Guatemala had only reported three positive infections among deportees flown back by the United States. Joaquin Samayoa, spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry, confirmed a fourth positive case for a migrant who arrived on a flight Monday. At least three of the migrants who arrived Monday were taken directly to a hospital for COVID-19 testing. President Alejandro Giammattei addressed the nation later, but made no mention of the deportees. It remained unclear why before Tuesday the government had only reported three deportees who tested positive and how many more would have been among the high percentage who tested positive aboard that March flight. Giammattei said Tuesday there were a total of 175 people who had tested positive in Guatemala and five who had died. There are really flights where the deportees arrive ... citizens who come with fever, and they get on the planes that way, Monroy said. We automatically evaluate them here and test them and many of them have come back positive. He added that the United States had practically become the Wuhan of the region, referring to the Chinese province where the pandemic began. Guatemala again began receiving deportation flights from the United States Monday after a one-week pause prompted by three deportees testing positive for COVID-19. The Guatemalan government had asked the United States to not send more than 25 deportees per flight, to give them health exams before departure and to certify that they were not infected. However, the flights resumed Monday with 76 migrants aboard the first and 106 on the second. Guatemalas foreign ministry did not immediately clarify why the U.S. had not complied with its requirements, but the flights came on the same day that the U.S. State Department announced that aid would continue to Guatemala and the other Northern Triangle countries. One of Mondays flights also included 16 unaccompanied minors, according to the Guatemalan Immigration Institute. Since January, the U.S. has deported nearly 12,000 Guatemalans, including more than 1,200 children. Citing the epidemic, the U.S. has started swiftly deporting unaccompanied minors rather than holding them in protective settings as specified by law. Also on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that he had informed Congress that the U.S. government would continue assistance for Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras in order to continue to lower illegal immigration and accomplish other policy objectives. Pompeo said that since illegal immigration from those three countries peaked in May 2019, encounters with migrants from those countries had fallen by 76%. The U.S. government has effectively ended any possibility of seeking asylum at the southern border with emergency restrictions applied in the face of the epidemic. Before the epidemic, the U.S. had also started sending Hondurans and Salvadorans to Guatemala and similarly had agreements in place to begin doing so in Honduras and El Salvador. Deportations from the U.S. have continued despite the outbreak. The United States holds about 34,000 people in immigration detention, down from about 37,000 last month. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says 77 detainees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Acting Deputy Homeland Security Director Ken Cuccinelli told reporters Tuesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released nearly 700 people from immigration detention around the country because their age or health conditions made them vulnerable to the virus. He also said authorities were taking steps to ensure that people who may have been exposed in custody are kept separate from other detainees. ICE is certainly committed to ensuring that comprehensive medical care is provided for all of their detainees from the moment they arrive in ICE custody through the entirety of their stay, Cuccinelli said. The administration on Friday issued a memo authorizing the use of visa sanctions to punish any nation that denies or unreasonably delays taking its citizens as they are deported from the U.S. amid tightened border enforcement imposed last month as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Officials have declined to identify any countries that may have prompted the announcement. 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. __ AP writer Ben Fox in Washington contributed to this report. Washington: In today's time, either disease or any disaster becomes a crisis on human life. One of which is the coronavirus, this is such a disease, which has not been able to break any. More than 1 lakh 19 thousand deaths recorded due to the virus, while millions of people have been infected with this virus. It is a bit difficult for scientists to say how long will be able to get rid of this disease. Where the effect of this virus is now happening on the world economy as well. Where all this continues, it may be possible to fall economy very soon. Scientists claim about Corona, be cautious even if reports come negative US economy may open in May: Preparations are being made to open America's stalled economy due to Corona epidemic. Antony Fassi, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease and a member of the White House Task Force on the Coronavirus, said on Sunday that the world's largest economy may begin to partially open in May if conditions are somewhat normal. However, he also warned that the second round of the epidemic could begin. President Donald Trump also recently expressed confidence that the economy will return to track in the coming months. With the havoc of Corona, life in America with a population of 33 crores is completely stopped. About 95% of the population is imprisoned in homes. In the last three weeks only about 17 million people became unemployed. 66 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits. IMF can give $ 1.4 billion loan to Pakistan to fight corona Trump upset with Task Force member Antony: President Trump has retweeted the appeal to remove Antony Fasi. From this, it is being speculated that Trump may leave Antony from the task force. Antony, a top American expert on infectious diseases, said in an interview aired on Sunday that if a quick lockdown was done in the country, many lives could be saved. A leader of Trump's Republican Party tweeted, citing the statement, "Time to sack Fasi." Trump later retweeted this tweet. They have expressed their opinion contrary to many statements, including Trump's claim of anti-malarial drug effect on the Fasi epidemic. America becomes the country with the most deaths due to corona Quantitative biologists David McCandlish and Juannan Zhou at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have developed an algorithm with predictive power, giving scientists the ability to see how specific genetic mutations can combine to make critical proteins change over the course of a species's evolution. The algorithm called "minimum epistasis interpolation" results in a visualization of how a protein could evolve to either become highly effective or not effective at all. They compared the functionality of thousands of versions of the protein, finding patterns in how mutations cause the protein to evolve from one functional form to another. Image Credit: McCandlish lab/CSHL, 2020 Described in Nature Communications, the algorithm called "minimum epistasis interpolation" results in a visualization of how a protein could evolve to either become highly effective or not effective at all. They compared the functionality of thousands of versions of the protein, finding patterns in how mutations cause the protein to evolve from one functional form to another. "Epistasis" describes any interaction between genetic mutations in which the effect of one gene is dependent upon the presence of another. In many cases, scientists assume that when reality does not align with their predictive models, these interactions between genes are at play. With this in mind, McCandlish created this new algorithm with the assumption that every mutation matters. The term "Interpolation" describes the act of predicting the evolutionary path of mutations a species might undergo to achieve optimal protein function. The researchers created the algorithm by testing the effects of specific mutations occurring in the genes that make streptococcal GB1 protein. They chose the GB1 protein because of its complex structure, which would generate enormous numbers of possible mutations that could be combined in an enormous number of possible ways. Because of this complexity, visualization of this data set became so important. We wanted to turn the numbers into a picture so that we can understand better what [the data] is telling us." David McCandlish, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Visualizing the evolution of a protein Play The visualization is like a topological map. Height and color correlate with the level of protein activity and distance between points on the map represents how long it takes for the mutations to evolve to that level of activity. The GB1 protein begins in nature with a modest level of protein activity, but may evolve to a level of higher protein activity through a series of mutations that occur in several different places. McCandlish likens the evolutionary path of the protein to hiking, where the protein is a hiker trying to get to the highest or best mountain peaks most efficiently. Genes evolve in the same manner: with a mutation seeking the path of least resistance and increased efficiency. To get to the next best high peak in the mountain range, the hiker is more likely to travel along the ridgeline than hike all the way back down to the valley. Going along the ridgeline efficiently avoids another potentially tough ascent. In the visualization, the valley is the blue area, where combinations of mutations result in the lowest levels of protein activity. The algorithm shows how optimal each possible mutant sequence is and how long it will take for one genetic sequence to mutate into any of many other possible sequences. The predictive power of the tool could prove particularly valuable in situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers need to know how a virus is evolving in order to know where and when to intercept it before it reaches its most dangerous form. McCandlish explains that the algorithm can also help "understand the genetic routes that a virus might take as it evolves to evade the immune system or gain drug resistance. If we can understand the likely routes, then maybe we can design therapies that can prevent the evolution of resistance or immune evasion." There are additional potential applications for such a predictive genetic algorithm, including drug development and agriculture. Boeing, a government defense contractor and one of two global airplane manufacturers, is the countrys largest overall exporter. Air travel is critical to the economy. No question, the aviation industry is important. But if high status is an argument for government intervention, it is also a reason why these companies should be able to manage COVID-19 headwinds with their own bank loans and other sources of capital. Were remembering back to the dark days of the 2008 financial crisis, when Warren Buffett stepped in to protect Goldman Sachs by investing $5 billion. Both sides benefited. That type of private transaction is available to Boeing, United and the others, assuming they are healthy enough to survive. If they arent, why should taxpayers save them? He argues that even if there are plenty of false negatives, if we committed to isolating everyone with a positive test, we could keep the vast majority of Americans out and about in normal life. All told, that would mean 150 million tests a week. Critics will argue thats impossible. We cannot even seem to manage a million a day. They say we lack the materials, as well as the reagents for chemical analysis, the delivery infrastructure and the machines to run so many tests. Mr. Romer is not dissuaded. Ive been focused on a single idea my whole career, that just because something is unfamiliar doesnt mean its impossible, he said. Building interstate highways, scanning every book, going to the moon these were all outrageous ideas at one time. But if we put enough resources and our minds behind it, we are able to make the impossible possible. His plan would rely less on contact tracing and isolation, since everyone would be tested regularly, and this might make infection control easier in many parts of the country. Contact tracing requires significant infrastructure and is hard to do well. We spend something like $700 billion a year to protect us against military threats, he said. We are at greater risk from a biological threat at the moment than any military threat. We should be prepared to spend at least a hundred billion a year not only to protect us against this virus, but any potential new viruses that could threaten us in the future. The Center for American Progress plan that leans on monitoring via your phone. Other ambitious ideas can be found in a plan from the Center for American Progress, written by Dr. Emanuel and colleagues. Part of the proposal is an enormous information technology monitoring system. It would call for all Americans to download apps to their phones that would monitor where they go and whom they get near, which would allow contact tracing to be done instantaneously. Everyone could sign in electronically before using public transportation, entering large buildings or schools or gathering in groups above a certain number. They even propose requiring the app to be downloaded in order to receive test results. In an ideal situation, it would run in the background, regardless of whether users signed in. If we could do real-time contact tracing based on a persons phone and GPS signals, and alert people that they have been exposed to a Covid-19 positive person, that would greatly ease the containment strategy, he said. Of course, such a system would be considered a large intrusion on privacy, and its not clear it is politically feasible or even legal. Additionally, not every American has a smartphone. The PolicyLab focus on universal community-level surveillance. Meredith Matone, scientific director of PolicyLab and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, says we may need to get away from testing to more grass-roots approaches. Parson, a Republican, has been among the most conservative governors in the nation when it comes to ordering residents to practice safe social distancing. His stay-at-home order and an order to close schools came after many local governments in Missouri had already taken those steps. McDowell, however, said Parsons ban on gatherings of more than 10 people restricts residents First Amendment freedoms. She also said projections of deaths related to COVID-19 have been revised downward. Given that the current prognosis is for a death toll lesser then many other diseases we already endure, how can our governor justify infringing the inherent rights of our people to assemble, to worship, to travel, and to pursue happiness? McDowell said. Parson did not address a question about McDowells stance during a daily briefing Tuesday. McDowell, who resides in Springfield, received 44.6% of the vote when she ran against Democratic state Auditor Nicole Galloway two years ago. Dr Gabriel Scally, author of the Scally report into the CervicalCheck controversy and President of Public Health at Royal Society of Medicine, has said that it does not look as if a very good job has been done so far in protecting elderly and vulnerable people in nursing homes and care homes during the Covid-19 crisis. "Of all the vulnerable people living in our community, those living in care homes and nursing homes strike me as being at the top of that list (those needing shielding) and it doesn't look as if we've done a very good job on that so far," he told RTE radio's News at One. "It's not just looking after the people in care homes, it's also looking after staff who are looking after elderly and vulnerable people in the nursing homes, in the care homes and in the community because community workers supporting elderly and vulnerable people might be visiting multiple houses in the one day. All of that will have to be carefully looked at as part of several things we need to do in terms of getting ready for lifting restrictions and hopefully containing the virus as much as we can as we wait for a vaccine and effective treatments. What we're doing now is buying time, to protect those elderly and vulnerable and disabled people. Dr Scally also expressed shock at statistics from the UK which revealed that in England and Wales 21 per cent of deaths overall had included Covid-19 in death certification, for the week up to end of April 3. "The variation was enormous - as in London 47 per cent, almost half of deaths were attributed to Covid. "That's a huge proportion of the deaths occurring." Dr Scally also said that graphs dealing with deaths are far more important than graphs on testing, the number of positive tests, because that varies even more between countries. He pointed out that the UK stopped community testing over a month ago. The testing numbers aren't comparable, the deaths can be comparable in general. Really what we're looking for is the shape of the curve anyway. It's not a competition. One shouldn't get fixated. "What we need to know is have we reached the peak in deaths yet, has it started to go down, when it gets down to a really small number that will be when people will be able to breathe a little bit easier, literally." He pointed out that there is a wide spectrum of symptoms from very mild to extraordinarily ill. "We'll not know about the level of infection in the community until we have an antibody test and until that's able to be sampled. "In the UK believe the proportion who have had Covid is under 10 per cent - the importance of knowing the number, as deaths decline hopefully that will be the end of the peak, when can we think of easing things off? We wouldn't want to be doing that until there is some good information about the level of the virus in the communities. That's a real problem in the UK. "That poses a real problem (in UK) as they need to be able to find those cases in the community, do contact tracing and do the isolation. Otherwise you don't know that it's started off again until people start arriving at the hospital door. That's probably too late." A new study has shown that the antiviral remdesivir, an experimental Ebola drug, may stop Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, from replicating, thereby rendering the virus harmless. It is developed by US-based biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc., which has a patent on the drug in India. Remdesivir is among four treatments being assessed under the World Health Organizations (WHOs) solidarity trial to find an effective treatment for Covid 19. India is participating in the trial. Gilead has also started two Phase 3 clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of the drug . Phase 3 trials are required by the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators to approve the drug. According to a research paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on Monday, remdesivir can inhibit coronavirus polymrerases -- enzymes that bring about the formation of polymers, particularly DNA and RNA -- in cell culture. The polymerase of Sars-CoV-2 is like the engine of the virus, said Matthias Gotte, chair of medical microbiology and immunology at the faculty of medicine and dentistry at the University of Alberta, Canada, who conducted the study. Remdesivir tricks the virus by mimicking its building blocks. These coronavirus polymerases are sloppy and they get fooled, so the inhibitor gets incorporated many times and the virus can no longer replicate, Gotte explained in a statement. A 35-year-old man who returned to the US after a family visit to the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the virus, with a four-day cough and subjective fever, was found to have improved after receiving remdesivir, the New England Journal of Medicine wrote in an article on the first case of Covid 19 in the US. The man developed pneumonia and recorded an oxygen saturation of 90%. Treatment with intravenous remdesivir started on the evening of day 7. On day 8, his condition is said to have improved and his oxygen saturation values improved to 94-96%. In another paper published on April 10, the journal chronicled the case of 53 patients with severe symptoms of Covid-19 who were treated with remdesivir; clinical improvement was seen in 36 of them. However, only placebo-controlled trials can provide an accurate picture. Remdesivir has been previously tested for treatment of Ebola. It has generated promising results in animal studies for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which are also caused by coronaviruses, suggesting it may have some effect in patients with COVID-19, according to WHO. Two Phase 3 studies are being run by Gilead in areas with a high prevalence of Covid-19 in the United States, Asia and Europe. One of these is for patients with severe disease and the other studies remdesivir in patients with more moderate symptoms. One of the many questions that these studies aim to answer is whether treatment duration can be shortened from 10 days to 5 days, Gileads chairman and CEO Daniel ODay said in a statement on the companys website. But Gileads patent on the drug could mean it may take long to reach patients on a large scale. Remdesivir was used in Ebola. And in a Covid-19 observational study it was found to benefit 2 in 3 patients in terms of critical patients going off ventilator and not needing oxygen support. Its Gileads product. Its not available in India yet but since we are a participant in WHOs solidarity trial, which is a five-arm global trial, and remdesivir is one of the arms, it is being tried on our patents as well as part of the study, said Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, chief of the epidemiology and communicable disease division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The Indian government has policy options. The government should ask US government or Gilead for some dosages of remdesivir and it should be immediately administered to say 500 patients to see if its truly effective. At the same time the government should put in place financial and technological measures to manufacture the drug generically. Thirdly the government can issue an order under section 100 of the Patents Act to use the drug for emergency requirement by the government, said KM Gopakumar, an intellectual property rights expert. In this case, the section would allow the federal government to authorise generics makers here to use the patent for the purpose of government. FLINT, MI -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to join in a portion of a telephone town hall on COVID-19 on Tuesday, April 14, that also includes state legislators and Flint health officials. The State Innovation Exchange will host the town hall with Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich and state Rep. John Cherry, both Flint Democrats, from 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, and residents can participate by registering no later than 2 p.m. at https://tthm.wufoo.com/forms/youare-invited-to-a-teletownhall-meeting-april-14/. In a news release, the Innovation Exchange said the virtual meeting will cover what legislators are doing to protect health, workers, and democracy during the COVID-19 crisis. Also scheduled to participate in the town hall are Steve Gray, director of the Unemployment Insurance Agency; Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, health advisor to Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Kirk Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Flint Health Coalition. Whitmer said Monday, April 13, that the rate of increase in coronavirus cases in Michigan appears to be slowing down, flattening the state curve a bit, but more data is needed to see if this is a trend or not. The state reported 115 deaths due to COVID-19 in Michigan on Monday and 997 new confirmed cases statewide. In Genesee County as of Monday, there have been 988 confirmed cases of the virus and 77 deaths. The Innovation Exchange describes itself as a national resource and strategy center that supports state legislators "who seek to strengthen our democracy, fight for working families, defend civil rights and protect the environment. We do this by providing training, emphasizing leadership development, amplifying legislators voices, and forging strategic alliances between our legislative network and grassroots movements, the groups news release says. New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up New coronavirus cases slow, but 13 more die in Genesee, Saginaw counties The art project consists of people wearing the Holohens device to witness a ghostly version of Abramovic appearing out of nowhere while walking around while wearing a symbolic red dress.In the video, which was released on Good Friday, Marina says that the project allows her to attain a form of immortality. The Life is dealing with what is going to stay after Im not there anymore, and I can face myself, and this frightening experience. Really like youre facing your own ghost, but it is always this greater idea of immortality. Once you die the work could never die because the work of art can continue. In performance, the piece is only in the memory of the audience and nowhere else. Here I am kept forever. The video was not well received at all. After a flood of negative comments and about 90% thumbs down, Microsoft set the video to private. Since nothing can be truly deleted from the internet, the video was re-uploaded by other sources. Microsoft also removed all traces of the campaign from its official website although it still appears in Google search results. This search result now leads to an error message. We still see that Microsoft describes Abramovic as arguably the worlds most acclaimed performance artist. The fact that powerful entities such as Microsoft keep showering Abramovic with infinite praise is quite telling. Because it doesnt take much in-depth research to understand what she is truly about. Marina Abramovic Mainstream sources describe Marina Abramovic as a performance artist who is known for confronting pain, blood, and physical limits of the body. More importantly, theres a powerful element the permeates all of her works: Occult ritual. This picture of Abramovic in ELLE Magazine sums up everything she is about. She holds the head of a goat by the horns (representing the drawing of power from Baphomet) while wearing a red dress (symbolic of the transformative powers of occult ritual and sacrifice). For decades, Abramovic has been associating with the worlds most prominent artists, celebrities and politicians in events that are permeated with elements of black magic. In recent years, she became mostly known for inviting John Podesta to one of her Spirit Cooking events which involve lots of blood and other bodily fluids. Heres a video dating from 1997 where she prepared such an event. Abramovic is also known for organizing massive gathering with celebrities partaking in mock cannibalism. To sum everything up, Abramovics Twitter handle used to be AbramovicM666. In Conclusion There is symbolism in releasing a video on Good Friday where an occultist talks about achieving immortality. There is also symbolism in the fact that the founder of this company is out there using a pandemic to push a global vaccine that is combined with a microchip device. It doesnt take a fertile imagination to connect some dots and to understand the underlying philosophy going on here. A prominent Richmond, Virginia-area evangelical pastor died on the eve of Easter after contracting the coronavirus. Bishop Gerald Glenn, founder and leader since 1995 of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield, was the first black chaplain of that communitys police department and was a police officer before becoming a pastor, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported Sunday. He was a friend and a pillar of the region's faith community, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., tweeted Sunday. "My heart sinks as I learn this morning that Bishop Gerald Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, died yesterday from COVID-19," Kaine said. "May all do as much for so many." Glenn preached in church about the virus in March, before he became sick, encouraging people not to be afraid. On March 22, five days after Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam had urged people to "avoid non-essential gatherings of more than 10 people," Glenn preached in church to his congregation that "I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus," according to a video played April 6 by Richmond station WTVR, before he died. On March 23 Northam ordered nonessential businesses closed and banned all gatherings of more than 10 people. Glenns widow, Mother Marcietia Glenn, also has COVID-19, according to a YouTube post on Easter by church Elder Bryan Nevers, who also announced Glenns death Saturday night. All sermons were removed from the churchs YouTube channel Monday evening. The New Deliverance community was left to wrestle with his death. They are part of the Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal denomination hit hard by COVID-19. "We still believe in God for healing right now," Nevers said on the Sunday video, his voice wavering, the rows of purple seats behind him empty in the church. "Our bishop always told us, even as they wheeled him into the operating room, he proclaimed that God is still a healer. . . I don't know how, but I have to say: God will get the glory from this." The April 6 WTVR report quoted Glenn's daughter, identified as Mar-Gerie Crawley, as saying her father had been sick for about a week before he was hospitalized. She said he had diverticulitis - a digestive condition - and it wasn't uncommon for him to get fevers and viruses. His wife took him for a second time to the emergency room in late March, Crawley said, once his breathing was labored and he was very lethargic. He was tested for COVID-19 and immediately got a positive result. She said her father's encouraging, well-populated March 22 service was held "not to disrespect [officials] but to support those who were scared." She said her parents were both very affectionate. "Mom and Dad are hugging [type] people. That's what they do, they hug everyone." In a now-removed video on the church's site, Glenn led the March 15 service, telling people in a light-hearted way not to shake hands. In the video he said 185 people had come to the morning service. He also noted that the virus had captivated the world, and terrified people. "You may never say this aloud, but you have to wonder: Why did God let this happen? I've heard other questions by theologians and I think it's valid. Is this virus a sign of the end times?... It makes us look at our own immediate mortality." Earlier in the sermon, he said: If I had to deliver my own eulogy, Id say: 'God is greater than any challenge you and I face. That would be my epitaph. Drugstore chain, Rite Aid is opening a COVID-19 testing site in the Harrisburg area. The new testing site is located at 2604 Linglestown Road in Susquehanna Township. The testing will take place in the store's parking lot. As part of the testing process, people must pre-register online and remain in their vehicles from the time they arrive and until they depart. Testing will be available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients are required to provide government issued identification, be at least 18 years old and need to pre-register online at www.riteaid.com in order to schedule a time slot for testing. Patients do not need a referral. However, individuals will have to answer screening questions to determine if they meet CDC criteria and are eligible for testing at a Rite Aid location. Individuals will also be prompted to review and sign an authorization form, which provides detail about the sample being collected and how it will be processed and shared. If an individual meets the required criteria, they will then be able to schedule an appointment. READ MORE: This program is intended to expand access to COVID-19 risk screening and testing. It is not intended for people experiencing severe symptoms who may need more immediate medical care. Those people that are very sick should seek medical attention immediately. The testing location will utilize self-swab nasal tests overseen by Rite Aid pharmacists. The Harrisburg-area testing site will be open for testing from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. daily and expects to be able to conduct approximately 200 tests each day. Last month, Rite Aid opened its first testing location at 7401 Ogontz Ave. in Philadelphia. And that location was only for medical professionals. However, that location is now open for anyone 18 years of age or older who meet the CDCs criteria, and who have pre-registered at www.riteaid.com. In addition to the Philadelphia and Harrisburg areas, testing is also available at Rite Aid locations in California in Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo, Stockton, Lake Elsinore and Sherman Oaks. The company said it expects to open additional drive-up COVID-19 testing locations soon at Rite Aid stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Connecticut and Virginia. Rite Aid is pleased to build on the success of our pilot site in Philadelphia with a new COVID-19 testing location in Harrisburg," Heyward Donigan, president and CEO, of Rite Aid said in a press release. "We plan to have additional testing sites at stores across seven states in the coming weeks. Through our partnership with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and with tremendous support from state and local officials, we will significantly expand COVID-19 testing to more than 5,000 tests daily in our countrys key hot spots when fully operational. Rite Aid is based in East Pennsboro Township and has more than 2,400 locations. --Business Buzz --Sign up for PennLives newsletters 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. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness New findings published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye provide evidence-based guidance for practitioners and patients, including 5 important facts for every contact lens wearer WATERLOO, Ontario, April 13, 2020--A new peer-reviewed paper from five prominent ocular scientists will help eye care practitioners (ECPs) instruct and reassure contact lens wearers during the global COVID-19 / coronavirus pandemic. Published in Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, "The COVID-19 Pandemic: Important Considerations for Contact Lens Practitioners" delves into multiple aspects of eye health amidst the global health crisis, with a specific emphasis on the safe use of contact lenses. The paper and related ECP and patient resources can be accessed from COVIDEyeFacts.org. "Our findings indicate that contact lenses remain a perfectly acceptable form of vision correction during the coronavirus pandemic, as long as people observe good hand hygiene and follow appropriate wear-and-care directions," said Dr. Lyndon Jones, director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo and the paper's lead author. "Unfortunately, we have seen a number of erroneous reports regarding contact lenses and spectacles in recent days. Our goal is to make sure that science-backed truths are understood and shared, helping eye care practitioners provide accurate, timely counsel to patients." Based on the paper, CORE has developed five facts (also available as a downloadable infographic) for ECPs to share with anyone who relies on contact lenses or glasses / spectacles: 1. People Can Keep Wearing Contact Lenses. There is currently no scientific evidence that contact lens wearers have an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 compared with glasses / spectacles wearers. Patients should consult their eye care practitioners with questions. 2. Good Hygiene Habits are Critical. Thorough handwashing and drying are essential, as well as properly wearing and caring for contact lenses, ensuring good contact lens case hygiene, and regularly cleaning glasses / spectacles with soap and water. These habits will help wearers stay healthy and out of their doctor's office or hospital, thereby minimizing impacts on the wider healthcare system. 3. Regular Eyeglasses / Spectacles Do Not Provide Protection. No scientific evidence supports rumors that everyday eyeglasses / spectacles offer protection against COVID-19. 4. Keep Unwashed Hands Away from the Face. Whether people wear contact lenses, glasses / spectacles or require no vision correction at all, individuals should avoid touching their nose, mouth and eyes with unwashed hands, consistent with World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. 5. If You Are Sick, Temporarily Stop Wearing Contact Lenses. Contact lens wearers who are ill should temporarily revert to wearing eyeglasses / spectacles. They can resume use with fresh, new contact lenses and lens cases once they return to full health and have spoken with their eye care practitioner. On April 8, the CDC issued updated guidance on contact lens wear during the COVID-19 pandemic, further supporting key findings from the Contact Lens & Anterior Eye paper. The CDC additionally points out that personal eyeglasses and contact lenses do not qualify as personal protective equipment (PPE). The Contact Lens & Anterior Eye paper also reviews why management of adverse events should be retained within optometric systems, offers guidance on sleeping in contact lenses, considers wearing modalities and lens materials, and offers areas for further study. ### Joining Dr. Jones as paper authors were four globally respected researchers, educators and clinicians: Dr. Karen Walsh, professional education team leader and clinical scientist at CORE, Dr. Mark Willcox, director of research at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at UNSW (Sydney), Dr. Philip Morgan, director of Eurolens Research at the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), and Dr. Jason Nichols, associate vice president for research and professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (United States) and editor-in-chief of Contact Lens Spectrum. The latest findings complement and significantly expand on CORE advisories regarding handwashing and safe contact lens wear issued in mid-March 2020. About CORE The Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) was established in 1988 at the University of Waterloo's School of Optometry & Vision Science. Over the next three decades, the organization evolved from a three-person operation into a thriving hub of basic and applied research, collaborating with sponsors, agencies and academia on advanced biosciences, clinical research and education. Its uncompromising independence and results of the highest quality have been at the heart of many of the most prominent advances in eye health. Today, its 50-person team serves a range of ophthalmic sectors, including medical devices, ocular pharmaceuticals, digital technology and others, with a focus on the anterior segment. For more information, please visit core.uwaterloo.ca. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The new superintendent of Grand Rapids Public Schools will start July 1 at an annual salary of $220,000. Incoming Superintendent Leadriane Robys contract was unanimously approved by the Grand Rapids Board of Education during a virtual public meeting on Monday evening, April 13. In addition to the salary, the board will also contribute $15,000 annually to a tax-deferred annuity for Roby and allow her 30 days of vacation each year. The contract runs from July 1 to June 30, 2023, and can be extended. Roby is currently the assistant superintendent for Richfield Public Schools in Minnesota and has 20-plus years of education experience. She earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in K-12 Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. Related: Meet Leadriane Roby, Grand Rapids Public Schools pick for superintendent The board selected her Feb. 24 by a 7-2 vote to be the districts next superintendent. Grand Rapids Board of Education President Kristian Grant lauded Roby for getting up to speed with the district and helping out even before any pay compensation was in place. I think that that says a lot for someone who is willing to do that while theyre also, in their own district, going through all of this themselves; She still had buildings to close and procedures to put in place, Grant said. Never did she say, Well, let me know when you vote my transition contract in and then Ill call you guys. She didnt say that. That says a lot. Grand Rapids Public Schools is the largest district in West Michigan and eighth largest in the state, with more than 15,300 students. The approval of the contract for the next superintendent of GRPS comes at a time when all of Michigans K-12 school buildings are closed as part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The district, like others in Michigan, will be finishing the remainder of the 2019-20 school year with remote teaching. The official start date for GRPS students to begin distance learning is scheduled for Monday, April 27. Click here to download the distance learning plan. Families who do not have technology and/or reliable Internet will have an opportunity to borrow technology and/or wireless hotspots. The districts assistant superintendent of Pre-K-12 Institutional Support, Ronald Gorman, is currently serving as interim superintendent. Gorman took over after former superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal, who served seven years, retired July 1, 2019. When Neal retired, she was making $199,950 a year and received an annual contribution of $50,000 to a tax-deferred annuity. The board members settled on a salary of about $220,000 after they began their second search for a replacement in fall 2019. The national average is $225,000. The first search in April 2019 ended because board members said the candidates didnt have all the qualities they were looking for. In the lead-up to her first official day as superintendent, Roby will earn $419.50 per day plus travel expenses for every day worked between April 13 and June 30 to transition into the role. Travel will adhere to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home order put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus. The board will pay up to $5,000 in expenses related to Roby moving to the Grand Rapids area. Read more on MLive: Meet Rita Raichoudhuri, Kalamazoo Public Schools next superintendent Grand Rapids Public Schools names new superintendent Retiring superintendent went from teen clerk to the corner office at Grand Rapids schools You, your employees and members have been bombarded with traditional and social media reports, speculation, facts, conjecture and outright mistruths for weeks now and the barrage is likely to continue. Amidst all the havoc, there are some things that credit union leaders can do to help manage their own and their employees mental health, says Nancy Reardon, chief strategy and product officer at Maestro Health in Hartford, Connecticut. People are experiencing more fear and uncertainty about what to do if they become sick, says Reardon. However, these concerns arent exclusive to COVID-19, which is why its important for companies to proactively communicate with employees about their mental health resources and make mental health a continued priority. There is much that credit union leaders can do now and in the future. Share information regularly with employees about the mental health, healthcare and other wellness support and information available to them and how to access that information, Reardon advises. Educating employees on what mental health options are available to them, such as counselors they can call, meditation platforms available and other mental health resources they can turn to for guidance, gives employees peace of mind and reduces anxiety. Gandhinagar, April 14 : A Congress legislator from Gujarat's Jamalpur Khadia, a part of a coronavirus hotspot in Ahmedabad, was found to be positive for the dreaded virus on Tuesday. Significantly, Imran Khedawala had met Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other top officials on Tuesday afternoon regarding the outbreak. As more and more positive cases are emerging from Ahmedabad's hotspot or cluster areas in the fortified area, health authorities have intensified surveillance and testing in these areas. The state government on Tuesday even imposed a week-long curfew in the area. There are six areas from the fortified city which are come under the hotspot - Shahpur, Kalupur, Jamalpur-Khadia, Gaikwad Haveli and Dariyapur. Danilii, an area outside, is also under the curfew. Due to the intensity of more and more positive cases cropping up in these areas, the local legislators are trying their best to convince the people to co-operate with the health authorities for the surveillance and testing. Khedawala was also in touch with the people in his constituency, trying to convince people to co-operate. As an outcome of the surveillance and testing, he too was found to be Corona positive, according to sources. After the detection, he was rushed to the SVP hospital and admitted. Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil, in a tweet, confirmed that the MLA had been diagnosed Covid positive, while praising him for "his selfless service during the coronavirus pandemic without any thought to his personal safety". Apart from Rupani, Khedawala also met Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja. According to sources, the meetings took place while maintaining the social distancing. Khedawala had also met Chief Secretary, Anil Mukim and the Director General of Police Shivanand Jha on Tuesday afternoon. Khedawala was accompanied by fellow legislators Shailesh Parmar and Gyasuddin Sheikh, from the area. He had also interacted with the media thereafter. Uttarakhand Government on Tuesday announced waiver of certain charges on electricity bills, including late payment fee, for customers in different segments in view of the COVID-19 lockdown, according to a statement. The waiver was being demanded by farmers, industries and commercial establishments, it said. The statement said around 20,000 farmers will benefit as consumers in the Private Tubewell category will not have to pay late payment surcharge by June 30. This waiver on electricity charges for farmers will create an additional burden of Rs 3.64 crore for the state government, it said. For the time being, consumers in the industrial and commercial category will be exempted from paying fixed or demand charges against power consumption for March to May this year, the statement said. The waiver for around 2.7 lakh consumers in the industrial and commercial category will create an additional burden of Rs 8 crore for the state government, it said. Besides, consumers making online payment of electricity bills in all categories by the payable date will get one per cent concession on their bills, the statement said. It would mean concession of a maximum of Rs 1 lakh to High Tension category consumers and a maximum concession of around Rs 10,000 to consumers in the Low Tension segment. Apart from these relief measures, the government announced that there will be no disconnection due to non-payment of electricity bills till June 30. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrity Sydney accountant Anthony Bell has a new role model for his clients. Err, its former Rabbitohs star Sam Burgess, who in late March was turfed from his job as a South Sydney development coach with just two weeks' pay courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic. Anthony Bell and Sam Burgess. Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding Tomorrow hell turn up with the Bell Partners chief executive in a special client seminar on how to not only survive but thrive during these difficult times. Or, as Bell put it, we discuss overcoming adversity, strategy techniques for business and life, plus inspiring stories by business leaders and Australias most successful athletes. Bell, whose marriage acrimony played out in full public view three years ago, has previously been linked to other NRL players including former Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello. But for advice, were unsure if Burgess is the man on this occasion. Times have been tough. The former star also finalised his divorce from estranged wife Phoebe, the daughter of former Minerals Council chief executive Mitchell Hooke, last week. She walked away with 70 per cent of the couples wealth, including Burgess F45 gym in Bowral, The Daily Telegraph reported. (Photo : REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha) A volunteer wearing a protective gear sprays disinfectant while sanitizing at Wat Dibaya Varivihara due to the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand, April 2, 2020. A forensic expert who died from the coronavirus in Thailand is believed to be the first reported person to capture COVID-19 from a dead body, according to a document on Tuesday, Apr. 14. A letter published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine on Mar. 20 described how a forensic practitioner and a nurse assistant were working in Bangkok at that time. Won Sriwijitalai of Bangkok's RVT Medical Center and Viroj Wiwanitkit of DY Patil University wrote most cases in Thailand at that time were imported. Local community spread, according to the letter, was limited. The letter delivered that the two medical specialists could "have in touch with biological samples and corpses." With almost two million novel coronavirus cases reported global as of Monday, Thailand has reported only 2,613 cases. "This is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit," said a Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine study released on Sunday. Details of the forensic practitioner and nurse assistant were not disclosed. The recent death was only the second case reported among medical personnel in Thailand as of Mar. 20, the authors added. ALSO READ: Measles Outbreak? Over 117 Million Children Might Not Be Vaccinated For Measles Due to COVID-19, UNICEF Warns Morgue workers expressed concern over makeshift centers in handling excessive COVID-19 cases Morgue workers worldwide raised issues as unexpectedly established centers had been built to handle excessive deaths. Health policy expert Summer Johnson McGee of the University of New Haven said coroners are asked to examine the cause of death for patients not tested for COVID-19. As efforts increase for temporary mass burials and makeshift morgues, Corthals said employees handling with people's remains need to be included in priorities for protective equipment. "Anyone coming into contact with a COVID19 positive body, alive or dead, should be using personal protective equipment to prevent exposure," McGee told BuzzFeed News. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the safety and well-being of everyone who tends to bodies should be the first priority. "Before attending to a body, people should ensure that the necessary hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies are available," the health agency added. Little is known about the link between such transmission The study added there isn't always any information at the number of infected corpses. Very little is also known approximately how long the new coronavirus can live on in dead bodies or whether corpses may be contagious to individuals who manage them. "At present, there is no data on the exact number of COVID-19 contaminated corpses since it is not a routine practice to examine for COVID-19 in dead bodies in Thailand," the authors said. On Mar. 25, the top of Thailand's Department of Medical Services said the bodies of coronavirus victims were not contagious amid reports of temples refusing to accommodate funeral services. WHO previously said that "there may be no proof of folks having exposed from exposing our bodies of people who died from COVID-19." ALSO READ: Recent Study Shows Coronavirus Can Be Found 13 Feet Away From Infected! Is Social Distancing Still Effective? However, WHO said if a person died during the infectious length of COVID-19, lungs and other organs might also still have the live virus. The news on possible infections from dead bodies comes as relatives of the deceased were asked not to the touch or go near their loved ones, NPR reported. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Winnipegs Asian communities are coming together to lift the spirits and fill the bellies of front-line health workers at hospitals fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Winnipegs Asian communities are coming together to lift the spirits and fill the bellies of front-line health workers at hospitals fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The goal of the project, From Our Kitchens to Our Heroes, is for one Asian restaurant to provide 50 free meals every night to 50 health-care workers at one of the three hospitals focused on the COVID-19 battle. Organizer Jennifer Chen said the project is similar to one launched in China in February to provide free meals to front-line staff at hospitals to help workers focus on the battle against the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus. "The idea is to make a long-term commitment every evening 50 meals for health-care workers at a hospital," Chen, who is also vice-chairwoman of the Winnipeg School Division board of trustees, explained. "Its Asian restaurants Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali and Kurdish." Chen put together a team of volunteers in the Chinese-Canadian community to enlist restaurants, co-ordinate with hospitals, and deliver the free meals in a show of love and support for health workers on the front lines. The project kicked off Easter Sunday when Empress of China on Henderson Highway provided 50 meals for workers at Grace Hospital. "I want to show them I love them and everybody is together," restaurant owner Yuki Wai said Monday. "Right now the situation is very bad. I know the front-line people are working very hard to protect everybody and I want them to know they are not alone. We are together." Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press Files Organizer Jennifer Chen said the project to provide free meals to front-line staff at hospitals, is to help workers focus on the battle against the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus. Chen said about nine Asian or Asian-owned restaurants and organizations have signed up already and are committed to providing free meals for 50 workers at one hospital every night for the first two weeks of the project. "The first two weeks are covered," she said. "After the first two weeks, were hoping our fundraising efforts will be able to cover basic costs for the restaurants to make a long-term commitment. Restaurants are having a difficult time right now and its extra pressure for them when we ask them to keep donating." Chen said theyre urging the public to make the meals-for-health-workers project sustainable in the long-term by visiting their GoFundMe page From Our Kitchens to Our Heroes and "pledge a meal" by donating $10. (The page had raised more than $1,500 of its $10,000 goal by Monday afternoon.) "Were asking people to pledge a meal a $10 donation. For every $10 donation, a restaurant will prepare one meal," she said. "If people want to pledge more than one meal, that would be greatly appreciated." The volunteers have arranged for meals to be delivered to Grace Hospital and the intensive care unit at Health Sciences Centre, and are hoping to hear back shortly from St. Boniface General Hospital. Chen said Winnipegs Chinese-Canadian community is determined to support local health workers because many had family members and friends affected by the outbreak in China. "COVID-19 hit China hard and many people in China suffered greatly, including many family members of local Chinese-Canadians," the 36-year-old mother of two said. "My family in China was in lockdown." JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The message on the boxes of food dropped off for staff Grace Hospital Monday. The gesture is part of the project called From Our Kitchens To Our Heros where community organizations, Chinese, and Asian restaurants are uniting to provide 50 meals each night to 50 front-line health workers fighting COVID-19. Chen said she was locked down in China during the 2003 outbreak of SARS. "I experienced that lockdown," she said. "I was in China at that time. I was locked in a university. I couldnt go outside. It wasnt a good experience because I couldnt see my parents, any of my friends. "Food was delivered through the gate. It had a lot of uncertainty and we didnt know when it would end. So we know that feeling... Now Winnipeg is our home and we want to do our part to help fight COVID-19. Were all immigrants. Some of our team members are recent immigrants. Ive been in Canada for 11 years. We want to be part of the community and do our part to help. Winnipeg is our home!" She said it has nothing to do with the fact the virus began in China its all about standing up to protect front-line workers in the place they call home. "Its not out of guilt," Chen said. "Its really were protecting our new home and Winnipeg is our home so we want to do our part." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. She said the motivation for the initiative is simple health care workers on the front lines need to know they are supported and they need fuel to keep fighting. "They are heroes," Chen said. "Our health care workers are critical in this fight. They need good, nutritious meals to keep them fighting." She noted members of the Kurdish Initiative for Refugees would be providing the meals for workers at Grace Hospital on Monday night. They are hoping more restaurants sign up for the project at kitchentohero@gmail.com. "If more restaurants would like to join our effort, they are welcome." Chen said members of the local Chinese-Canadian community have seen subtle discrimination because the virus began in China, but nothing overt. Their focus is simply on giving Winnipeg health workers food and support in thanks for putting their lives on the line to protect others. "At this difficult time, we need to think more about love and humanity," she said. "To show love and courage and caring. Everyone is in difficult times. We just think about caring and think about love. We send our gratitude and appreciation to everyone that is helping." doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca Syracuse, N.Y. A local non-for-profit is offering money to out-of-work homeowners who need to make emergency repairs like fixing a furnace or hot water heater. Home HeadQuarters will use $10,000 from the COVID-19 Community Support Fund to give away grants for critical home repairs. The maximum grant amount is $1,500. Home repairs dont go away just because youve lost your job, said Karen Schroeder, chief communications officer for Home HeadQuarters. And we dont want people putting stuff on credit cards. The grants are available to homeowners anywhere in Onondaga County who lost a job or suffered a cut in hours and pay due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The money is only for emergency repairs like replacing a water heater, servicing a furnace or dealing with critical electrical or plumbing problems. To be eligible, the home must have insurance and needs to be the applicants primary residence. The total household income must be less than 80% of the median income limits established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For a family of four in Onondaga County, that means household income from 2019 must be below $63,600 (use this chart to determine your income eligibility). Funding for the program is limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The money comes from a fund created by the Central New York Community Foundation that was aimed at supporting non-profits. That fund raised $600,000 in its first week from 200 donors. Schroeder said she expects the money to go fast. If thats the case, there may be another round of funding available later on. Applications are available on the Home HeadQuarters website at https://www.homehq.org/improving-your-home. You can also call 315-474-1939 for an application or email info@homehq.org. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS RTHK: Fauci's 'a wonderful guy', Trump tells media President Trump dismissed rumours on Monday that he was going to fire his top medical advisor on the coronavirus pandemic but launched new fights with the Democrats and the media ahead of the high-stakes reopening of the shuttered US economy. Unusually, the evening briefing at the White House began with a statement by the internationally renowned Anthony Fauci, seeking to defuse speculation that he had fallen out with the Republican president. Referring to a CNN interview on Sunday in which he said that earlier mitigation measures would have dampened the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States, Fauci explained that he'd been answering a "hypothetical." Fauci explained his reference in the interview to "pushback" against shutting down the economy -- a remark interpreted widely as signalling that Trump was reluctant to take drastic action -- as the "wrong choice of words." Trump, who on Sunday fueled speculation by retweeting a critical comment with the hashtag #FireFauci, sought to draw a line under the latest White House turmoil. "I like him," he said of Fauci. "I hear I'm going to fire him. I'm not gonna fire him, I think he's a wonderful guy." But Trump then launched into a sustained assault on other targets, demonstrating his frustration with accusations that he has mishandled the crisis. With his reelection in November a tight contest against Democrat Joe Biden, Trump is under huge pressure both to crush the pandemic's spread and to rescue the world's biggest economy, which has been paralyzed by social distancing and other virus mitigation measures. Incensed at what he considers to be unfriendly media coverage, Trump ripped into The New York Times, CNN and other major outlets. "The problem is the press doesn't cover it the way it should," he said of widespread perceptions that the US coronavirus response has been slow and hampered by inefficiencies. Trump said he had been "brutalized" by the media. Then, in a first for the daily briefings -- which have taken an increasingly political tone after having initially been dedicated to informing the public about the coronavirus -- Trump made reporters in the room watch a video compilation of officials and others praising his work. Pressured afterward by a CBS News journalist about a long pause before the decision to shut down the economy, Trump lashed out: "You're disgraceful." "You know you're a fake," he told the reporter, seated a few feet away. The next phase of the crisis is imminent, with Trump saying he will announce on Tuesday the team preparing the reopening of the economy. Refusing to give a date for the reopening, Trump hinted that areas with less coronavirus could be allowed to open earlier, in a staggered operation. He said he was "very close" to having a detailed plan. But for weeks, the White House has given mixed messages over whether the federal government or states should lead the coronavirus response. Earlier on Monday, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington states announced they were coming up with their own coordinated plan for easing social distancing. New York, New Jersey and other northeastern states also said they were forming a group to make decisions. Trump warned the governors, who are Democrats, that they would instead have to go along with his orders. "They can't do anything without the approval of the president," he said in comments threatening to veer into constitutional law controversy. "When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Pizza has become the feel-good food story of the coronavirus pandemic. Pizzerias from South Amboy to San Francisco have donated pizzas to grateful doctors, nurses and other health care workers. The worlds most popular food has become the go-to lunch, dinner and late-night snack of beleaguered medical staffers. One effort has dwarfed them all, though. Pizza vs. Pandemic, a collaboration between Slice Out Hunger, a volunteer non-profit organization, and Slice, a pizza delivery app, says it has collected in the past three weeks $342,000 from 5,200 donors, using that money to coordinate the delivery, through local pizzerias, of nearly 8,000 pizzas to 300-plus hospitals and clinics across the country. And the numbers keep rising. "That,' Scott Wiener said of the donation figure in a recent conversation, "is about to change because Planet Fitness is going to donate $5,000.'' The Summit native and Cranford High School graduate is the founder of Slice Out Hunger, a volunteer nonprofit that has raised about $400,000 to fund hunger relief efforts since its launch in 2009. There were several spinoffs: Slice Out Special, which raised money for No Kid Hungry; Toppings for Texas, which benefitted the Houston food bank after Hurricane Harvey; and Pizza Across America, which aided homeless shelters in winter. The $400,000 amount is separate from the $342,00 raised through Pizza vs. Pandemic. Late last month, Slice Out Hunger teamed up with Slice and Pizza to the Polls to form Pizza vs. Pandemic. Donors can suggest hospitals, clinics or other care centers in need by filling out a form on the Pizza vs. Pandemic web site. Slice Out Hunger volunteers then call those centers to verify their need before sending out pizza and the best way to safely deliver it. Slice, whose app, launched in 2016, allows one to order pizza through a network of independent pizzerias, coordinates the delivery. Before those deliveries are made, Slice Out Hunger makes sure pizzerias are following the best practices for food handling and delivery. "They have to abide by certain standards,'' Wiener explained. "Masks, gloves for all prep and delivery personnel. They have to sanitize and sterilize the hot boxes and pizza boxes.'' To date, about 40 N.J. hospitals and urgent care centers have received pizzas through the program, from Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth to St. Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick, Virtua Marlton Hospital in Evesham and AtlanticCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City. Participating pizzerias have included Baggios Pizza in Fort Lee, Rustonis Pizza in Sayreville, Turanos Pizza Kitchen in Livingston, Stellas Pizza in Jersey City, Pizza Di Roma in Atlantic City and Pats Select Pizza in Marlton. "It was super nice; they sent us eight pizzas,'' said Katie Claire Capodanno, a nurse in the labor and delivery unit at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. There are just 15 people in her unit, so they shared the plain pizzas with hospital security, the post-partum unit, and others. Orders through Pizza vs. Pandemic usually range from 10-15 pizzas. The biggest delivery so far was 150 pizzas to Coney Island Hospital. Pizza vs. Pandemic is the brainchild of Wiener and Ilir Sela, CEO and founder of Slice. Slice Out Hungers philanthropic mission was a perfect fit with Slices pizza-delivery network, according to Wiener, who came up with the Pizza vs. Pandemic name. A total of $12,567 was raised on March 21, the day Pizza vs. Pandemic was launched. The numbers have shot up since. Wiener said he was "totally shocked'' by the response. "Everythings happening really really fast,'' he said. "Everyone wants to contribute.'' In Detroit, Happy Pizza delivered pizza to Detroit Receiving Hospital through Pizza vs. Pandemic. The Pittsburgh Steelers joined the campaign by including a donation link on its web site. Als Pizza House in Houston made staffers at Houston Methodist West Hospital happy. The furthest-flung pizzerias and medical centers so far: Knik Pizza in Wasilla, Ak. donated pizzas to the Valley Chiropractic Clinic, and Auntie Pastos dropped off pies at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center in Honolulu. Wiener is considered one of the nations pre-eminent pizza experts. He runs Scotts Pizza Tours, which offers school bus tours of New York City pizzerias and is the subject of a documentary. The tours have been suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, but fanatics can get their dough fix through online classes on Wieners "quarantine schedule.'' Wiener holds the Guinness Book of World Records for biggest pizza box collection (1,300 and counting) and is the author of Viva La Pizza! The Art of the Pizza Box. He writes the Man on the Street column for Pizza Today. He was also one of four members of The Star-Ledgers Pizza Patrol in 2009; they visited 350-some N.J. pizzerias and then picked the best pizzas in six categories. "We started Pizza vs. Pandemic because we had to,'' Wiener said. "Our only hope is that we close it as soon as possible.'' Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram. SLINGERLANDS You can save the sentimental claptrap on turning 100 for some other centenarian. Hedi McKinley, who hits triple digits on Wednesday, is not interested in any sort of triteness. She is a Holocaust survivor and a woman who has looked evil in the eye and never blinked. I didnt expect to make it to 100, but here I am, she said. I dont know why anybody wants to live this long. The world isnt such a wonderful place, but I dont know what the alternative is. She spoke by phone Saturday from her apartment in Beverwyck, an independent senior community where McKinley lives with a full-time caregiver. Given her age and heightened health risk to COVID-19, she is abiding by shelter-in-place guidelines and Beverwycks strict no-visitor policy. Quarantine makes her cranky. Shed much rather be choosing a stylish blouse and high heels and adjusting her signature oversized red-frame glasses before joining friends for dinner or a concert. Being grounded by the coronavirus pandemic is tough on a social butterfly and fashionista. It feels crazy because I cant go where I want to go, said McKinley, whose first name is pronounced HAY-dee. I dont want to start complaining, but I am very impatient and I wish this was over with. Her caregiver, Barbara Quant, understands her unrest. Hedi is very active. This is hard on her not being able to go out to meet her friends, Quant said. She is very stylish and doesnt look or act 100. She lives life to the fullest at all times. One thing McKinley misses terribly these days is being able to visit high schools to speak with students about the Holocaust as part of the Holocaust Survivors & Friends Education Centers outreach. Shes an inspiration. She reminds us never to forget how prejudice led to genocide, said Shelly Shapiro, director of the Albany-based center. She has been arranging McKinleys school visits for two decades. They met when McKinley attended an Anne Frank exhibit Shapiro organized and she convinced McKinley to tell her Holocaust story publicly for the first time. Students write McKinley notes after her talks. One student, Mayfield High School student David Servelle, wrote: Your inspiration is something Im going to carry with me for as long as I live. You showed me how everything is possible no matter how hard and no matter what the situation is. Born Hedi Faludi on April 15, 1920, she grew up in Vienna an only child. Her mother died when she was young and her father and stepmother ran a small corner store and struggled financially. In March 1938, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and German troops moved into Austria and annexed the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government. Jews became hunted, McKinley said. The Nazis seized her familys store and left the impoverished family in desperate straits. She was 18 years when she witnessed the terror of Kristallnacht on Nov. 9, 1938. During the night of broken glass, Nazis smashed windows of Jewish businesses, burned synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes and killed nearly 100 Jews. Late that night, two teenaged members of the Hitler Youth in brown shirts pounded on the door and ordered the family to vacate their apartment. Jews, out! they yelled. As her parents were forced into the street on a bitter cold night, their quick-thinking daughter managed to slip the apartment key into her bra before being locked out. She later snuck back in and retrieved their winter coats. Their daughter stayed with a friend in the city and her parents found refuge with a relative. Her boyfriend, Heinz, who was half-Jewish, brought her to the Gildemeester organization a group that helped Jews escape Nazi-occupied Austria. McKinley traveled by train to Belgium and by ship to England on a ticket the Gildemeesters provided. The group also helped her get work as a maid with a family in London. Her parents escaped the Nazis by crossing the Austrian border on foot. They reunited in London after McKinley found a message they left at a clearinghouse for refugees. They never talked about what happened, she said. It was too painful. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The three booked passage to the United States with the help of a Catholic uncle, who owned rooming houses on Manhattans Upper West Side. McKinley worked as a maid and later as a waitress. She learned English by going to movies in the theaters that lined 42nd Street. She learned toughness from her father, Karl Faludi, who was wounded in World War I, captured by the Russians and held in a POW camp in Siberia for nearly four years until he was released when the war ended. He walked more than 1,000 miles to reach his home in Vienna. He had a huge, infectious laugh, his daughter recalled. Movie theatres in Vienna hired him to laugh at appropriate times during funny films to prime the audience -- a forerunner of the laugh track. McKinleys fondest memory working as a waitress in New York City was serving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. I was thrilled beyond belief, she said. I remember she had beautiful hands. McKinleys chutzpah got her into Columbia University. I told them I had graduated from college in Vienna, which was like high school in the States but I didnt explain that, she said. She was accepted into graduate school and earned a masters degree in social welfare. She was one of the first faculty members hired in 1969 in the new School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany. She created the community and public services programs for students at UAlbany and retired from the faculty in 1985. She continued a private marriage counseling practice into her 90s. McKinley has inspired people on both sides of the Atlantic. I learned from her that even in the most terrible times of your life you can do something, you can help others and you can overcome, said Hannah Lessing, secretary general of the National Fund for Victims of National Socialism in Austria. The women forged a friendship a decade ago during McKinleys annual trips to Vienna. Sixteen years after the death of her first husband, Will McKinley, she met Joseph Levinger, a distinguished physics professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The two widowers lived in Altamont and married in their late-70s. McKinley wrote a column for the Altamont Enterprise and they entertained often at their Leesome Lane home. They were world travelers who spent 20 years as a couple until his death in 2018 at 96. The house was too much for her to keep up alone and she moved to Beverwyck. McKinley has no secret for longevity, other than inheriting good genes. He father lived until 93. She eats an egg or two each day scrambled, fried, poached or hardboiled and drinks a couple cups of strong black tea with a slice of fresh lemon. Her life philosophy is unsentimental. Live peacefully and gratefully, she said. Teach your children not to hurt others. Be kind. Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpual@gmail.com Regulatory News: CARMAT (Paris:ALCAR) (FR0010907956, ALCAR), the designer and developer of the world's most advanced total artificial heart, aiming to provide a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure, today announces the publication of a coverage initiation report by Ladenburg Thalmann, a leading international investment bank. Ladenburg Thalmann will now cover the CARMAT share on the stock exchange and values the company at 381 million, i.e. 30.25 per share*. * This information does not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe, or the solicitation of an order to buy or subscribe for securities in France, Europe, the US or any other country. About Ladenburg Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (OTCPK: LTSA; LTSL; LTSF; LTSK; LTSH) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advisor Group Holdings, Inc., which is owned by private investment funds sponsored by Reverence Capital Partners, LLC. Ladenburg's subsidiaries include industry-leading independent advisory and brokerage (IAB) firms Securities America, Triad Advisors, Securities Service Network, Investacorp and KMS Financial Services, as well as Premier Trust, Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Highland Capital Brokerage, a leading independent life insurance brokerage company and full-service annuity processing and marketing company, and Ladenburg Thalmann Co. Inc., an investment bank which has been a member of the New York Stock Exchange for over 135 years. For more information, please visit www.ladenburg.com. About CARMAT: the world's most advanced total artificial heart project A credible response to end-stage heart failure: CARMAT aims to eventually provide a response to a major public health issue associated with heart disease, the world's leading cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure. By pursuing the development of its total artificial heart, composed of the implantable bioprosthesis and its portable external power supply system to which it is connected, CARMAT intends to overcome the well-known shortfall in heart transplants for the tens of thousands of people suffering from irreversible end-stage heart failure, the most seriously affected of the 20 million patients with this progressive disease in Europe and the United States. The result of combining two types of unique expertise: the medical expertise of Professor Carpentier, known throughout the world for inventing Carpentier-Edwards heart valves, which are the most used in the world, and the technological expertise of Airbus Group, world aerospace leader. The first physiological artificial heart: given its size, the use of highly biocompatible materials, its unique self-regulation system and its pulsatile nature, the CARMAT total artificial heart could, assuming the clinical trials are successful, potentially save the lives of thousands of patients each year with no risk of rejection and with a good quality of life. A project leader acknowledged at a European level: with the backing of the European Commission, CARMAT has been granted the largest subsidy ever given to an SME by Bpifrance; a total of 33 million. Strongly committed, prestigious founders and shareholders: Matra Defense SAS (subsidiary of the Airbus Group), Professor Alain Carpentier, the Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Truffle Capital, a leading European venture capital firm, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital investor), CorNovum (an investment holding company held 50-50 by Bpifrance and the French State), the family offices of Pierre Bastid (Lohas), of Dr. Antonino Ligresti (Sante Holdings S.R.L.), of the Gaspard family (Corely Belgium SPRL and Bratya SPRL) and of M. Pierre-Edouard Sterin (BAD 21 SPRL), Groupe Therabel as well as the thousands of institutional and individual shareholders who have placed their trust in CARMAT. For more information: www.carmatsa.com Name: CARMAT ISIN code: FR0010907956 Ticker: ALCAR DISCLAIMER This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in CARMAT ("the Company") in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties. No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in the Universal registration document filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers on March 13, 2020 under number D.20-0126 as well as changes in economic conditions, the financial markets or the markets in which CARMAT operates. In particular, no guarantee can be given concerning the Company's ability to finalize the development, validation and industrialization of the prosthesis and the equipment required for its use, to manufacture the prostheses, satisfy the requirements of the ANSM, enroll patients, obtain satisfactory clinical results, perform the clinical trials and tests required for CE marking and to obtain the CE mark. CARMAT products are currently exclusively used within the framework of clinical trials. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005054/en/ Contacts: CARMAT Stephane Piat Chief Executive Officer Pascale d'Arbonneau Chief Financial Officer Tel.: +33 1 39 45 64 50 contact@carmatsas.com Alize RP Press Relations Caroline Carmagnol Tel.: +33 6 64 18 99 59 carmat@alizerp.com NewCap Investor Relations Strategic Communication Dusan Oresansky Emmanuel Huynh Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 94 carmat@newcap.eu I ndia has extended its nationwide lockdown until next month as the number of coronavirus cases reached 10,000, despite a three-week shutdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a televised address to the nation, said the challenge was to stop the virus from spreading to new parts of the country, but held out hope that some restrictions could be eased next week in the least-affected areas to allow essential activities. Mr Modi ordered the country's 1.3 billion people to continue to largely stay inside until May 3, but said some restrictions away from infection hotspots would be eased on April 20 to help poor people dependent on daily wages. "Till May 3, every Indian will have to stay in lockdown. I request all Indians that we stop the coronavirus from spreading to other areas," he said. Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in India have risen to more than 10,000 / Getty Images Mr Modi spoke as latest Government data showed the number of people infected with coronavirus had reached 10,363, with 339 deaths. Though the figures are low compared with hard-hit western nations, like the United States, Italy and Spain, health experts fear actual levels of infection could be far higher due to lack of testing. 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 India had tested 181,028 people by April 12, or one in 6,000 of its 1.3 billion people, compared to one in 100 people tested in South Korea and one in 150 in the United States. The Prime Minister offered no immediate relief to the millions of people who have lost their jobs because of the shutdown of the economy, but said he "felt their pain", with poor families struggling to afford food, and many migrant workers unable to reach their villages. India says it has ramped up coronavirus testing and set up dedicated hospitals / AFP via Getty Images Neighbouring Pakistan is also due to take a decision on its lockdown due to end on Wednesday. The World Bank has said economic growth in India and other South Asian countries is likely to be the slowest for four decades this year because of the coronavirus outbreak. India's first coronavirus meeting took place January 8, and its first case was recorded on January 30, but it wasn't until the World Health Organisation declared the virus a pandemic on March 12 that the Government's response kicked into gear. Gov. Tony Evers Safer at Home order shutting down all but essential business expires April 24. It should not be extended. Instead, what should happen is that businesses begin to reopen throughout this great state. What we need is a plan, and the states business community asked Evers for just that in a letter sent Thursday by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and signed by 18 other statewide business associations and 33 local chambers of commerce. The letter pointed out that nearly 300,000 unemployment claims were filed in March alone, and the states unemployment rate is estimated to be over 13% the highest in recorded history. Earlier in the day, a projection of 27% unemployment was made by Dennis Winters, chief economist with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. A year ago the states unemployment was 2.5%. In the worst of times, during the Great Recession in early 2010, it was a little over 10%. We are shut down and many Wisconsinites are struggling because of a hidden virus that has taken over the world. The headlines tell of a skyrocketing death rate in the U.S. and other countries and a need to stay at home and social distance with no end in sight. President Obama asked the Democrats to unite behind Joe Biden in a 12-minute video Tuesday as he finally stepped into the 2020 campaign. Obama said Biden possessed the right kind of leadership 'the kind of leadership guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace.' 'That kind of leadership doesn't just belong in our state capitals and mayors offices, it belongs in the White House,' Obama said. 'And that's why I'm so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States.' Obama did his part to pull the Democratic Party together calling Bernie Sanders an 'American original' and said Sanders' ideas would be needed. 'Because for the second time in 12 years, we'll have the incredible task of rebuilding our economy,' Obama said. 'And to meet the moment, the Democratic Party will have to be bold.' He said that what Biden and Sanders have in common is that they agree that change needs to occur. 'And that only happens if we win this election,' Obama warned. 'Because one thing everybody has learned right now is the Republicans occupying the White House and running the U.S. Senate are not interested in progress, they're interested in power,' the former president said. President Obama released a 12-minute video on Tuesday announcing his endorsement of Joe Biden, his former vice president Obama's endorsement will come one day after Biden (left) had a surprise visitor on his livestream - Bernie Sanders (right), who went ahead and endorsed the former vice president and said he would assist his campaign Biden (right) served for eight years as Obama's (left) vice president. Here they're photographed on the day Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, for Biden's decades of public service in the Senate and White House In the video, Obama said choosing Biden to be his vice president was one of the 'best decisions' he ever made - and called Biden a 'good friend.' He talked about how the losses Biden experienced in his own life - losing his first wife and daughter in a car accident and later his son, Beau, to cancer - would help him 'heal' the country post-coronavirus pandemic. Biden also has experience in fighting diseases, Obama mentioned, as he 'helped me manage H1N1, and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we're seeing now.' 'And I know he'll surround himself with good people,' Obama continued. 'Experts, scientists, military officials, who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government and know how to work with our allies,' the former president said. 'And who will always put the American people's interest above their own,' Obama added. Obama then turned to the crowded Democratic primary, which quickly winnowed down once the caucuses and primaries kicked off in February. 'Joe will be a better candidate for having run the gauntlet of primaries and caucuses alongside one of the most impressive Democratic field ever,' Obama said. He called the Democratic hopefuls 'talented and decent' and said they presented the American people with 'serious visions for our future.' At that, Obama turned to Sanders, who dropped out of the race six days ago. 'He and I have not always agreed on everything,' Obama admitted. 'We both know nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change. 'And the ideas he's championed. The energy and enthusiasm he inspired, especially in young people, will be critical in moving America in a direction of progress and hope,' the former president said. Obama, who looks like a moderate in comparison to Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, suggested his own views had moved further to the left. He said if he was running in the 2020 race, 'I wouldn't run the same race or have the same platform that I did in 2008.' 'The world is different, there's too much unfinished business for us to just look backwards, we have to look to the future,' Obama said. 'Bernie understand that and Joe understands that,' Obama added, telling Democrats - especially Sanders' supporters - that Biden has the most progressive platform in history. Obama said that even before the current crisis 'it was already clear that we needed real, structural change.' That phrasing echoed Elizabeth Warren's calls for 'big, structural change' throughout her presidential run. Warren has yet to endorse Biden, but she's expected to in the coming days. 'We need to do more than just tinker around the edges with tax credits and underfunded programs,' Obama also said. Obama never hit President Trump head on, but spoke in coded language to criticize his rule. He warned of 'the other side' and its 'massive war chest' and 'propaganda network with little regard for the truth.' On the other hand, Obama said, 'pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us of what is real and what is important.' 'This crisis has reminded us that government matters. It's reminded us that good government matters. That facts and science matter. That the rule of law matters. That having leaders that are informed and honest and seek to bring people together rather than drive them apart, those kinds of leaders matter,' Obama said. 'In other words, elections matter,' he said. 'Right now we need Americans of good will to unite in a great awakening against a politics that too often has been characterized by corruption, carelessness, self-dealing, disinformation, ignorance and just plain meanness,' Obama said. Obama pleaded that Americans 'of all political stripes' get involved to reject Trump, though didn't use the president's name. 'And I will see you on the campaign trail, as soon as I can,' Obama promised. The Obama video hit one million views on Twitter in just 39 minutes, a spokesperson for the company told DailyMail.com. Obama's nod came one day after Sanders made a surprise appearance on Biden's livestream and endorsed the former vice president, formally making him the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Since Sanders dropped out of the 2020 Democratic race last week, Democrats have been chomping at the bit to get Obama involved in the race to take on President Trump. For Obama, it's personal. While Obama was in office Trump - then the host of NBC's 'The Apprentice' - was a constant Twitter critic and fueled the so-called 'birther' conspiracy theory, which suggested the Democratic president wasn't legitimate because he was born in Africa, not Hawaii. Obama, the country's first black president, was born in Hawaii to a white American mother and an African father. During the 2020 cycle, Obama has stuck to the sidelines, wanting to appear that he wasn't interfering in the primary contest - despite Biden serving for eight years as his vice president. Trump tried to take advantage of that silence last week as Biden was sewing up the nomination. 'And I don't know why President Obama hasn't supported Joe Biden a long time ago,' Trump said from White House podium Wednesday, several hours after Sanders announced he was suspending his campaign. 'There's something he feels is wrong,' Trump claimed. The current president speculated that Obama would soon endorse Biden 'because he certainly doesn't want to see me for four more years.' 'You know what, I'll tell you, it does amaze me that President Obama hasn't supported Sleepy Joe,' Trump continued, using his nickname for Biden. 'It just hasn't happened, when is it going to happen?' 'He knows something that you don't know. That I think I know, but you don't know,' Trump said. Trump has tried to present Biden, who at 77 is four years older than him, as addled and out of it, suggesting often that his staff does the work for him. On Tuesday responding to the news of the coming endorsement, Trump's 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale also played up the idea that Obama had been dragging his feet. 'Barack Obama spent much of the last five years urging Joe Biden not to run for president out of fear that he would embarrass himself,' Parscale said in a statement. 'Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him.' 'Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it,' Parscale pointed out. 'Obama was right in the first place: Biden is a bad candidate who will embarrass himself and his party. President Trump will destroy him,' Trump's campaign manager said. Biden has been increasingly critical of Trump's coronavirus response, though has seen his campaign sidelined by the pandemic as he's forced to do online-only campaigning from his recreation room at home in Wilmington, Delaware. Neither Biden, nor Sanders when he remained in the race, has been able to engage with supporters in person since mid-March. Trump has replaced his packed campaign rallies with his daily coronavirus taskforce press briefings, which will sometimes go on for more than two hours. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 14:24:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Wang Xiangjun moved bricks at construction sites, cleaned factory floors and carried trays in restaurants. But the most unique experience for the migrant worker was recording melting glaciers with cellphones. In the past decade, Wang has climbed more than 70 glaciers and recorded how they melted or simply disappeared, in an attempt to raise public awareness of climate change. His efforts even allowed him to be part of the UN Climate Change Conference held in Madrid a few months ago. "I heard they wanted to decrease carbon dioxide, which is a good thing because it will help prolong the life of glaciers," he said. MIGRANT WORKER AT LOSS Wang was born into a farmers' family in the county of Linshui, southwest China's Sichuan Province. His parents spent their lives toiling in the fields but did not make much money. After a lackluster performance in the national college entrance exam, Wang left his hometown to search for a job as a migrant worker. "I did not know what to do at that time," he said. "I was at a loss." While cleaning factory floors in Shenzhen, in the southern Guangdong Province, he found the job boring. "I started doing different jobs across the country while traveling," he said. "I wanted to broaden my horizon." NAVIGATING ICY WATERS TOWARDS GLACIERS Wang's passion for glaciers came quite accidentally. While working in Lijiang, southwest China's Yunnan Province, he saw a tourism advertisement for the snow-capped Yulong Mountain on a bus. "I did not see much snow when I was growing up, so I was fascinated," he said. "I wanted to take a good look." In the tourist attraction, Wang found the ticket price for the cable cars was too high and chose to walk eight hours to a glacier about 4,500 meters above sea level. It was a rainy day, and the mountain was misty. "The moment I saw the glacier, I was in shock and awe of its beauty," he said. Since then, Wang embarked on an epic journey to search for glaciers and record them in videos. Glaciers cover about 50,000 square kilometers in China, mostly in the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. Wang said climbing the glaciers is easier than climbing mountains because it is easy to find directions without plants standing in the way. "In Tibetan areas, locals have the tradition of herding and digging caterpillar fungi, so I often find small wood cabins on the way, where I can warm myself up," he said. "It is safer than tents." But glaciers can also be dangerous. In areas 5,000 meters above sea level where few people set their foot, wild animals pose potential threats. Avalanches, falling rocks and crumbling glaciers could all be deadly. "I once encountered a group of howling wolves when I was on route to a glacier in Tibet," he recalled. "I hid in the cabin and saw more than 10 wolves outside through the cracks of the door. I was terrified!" There was no one around, and his cellphone had no signal. "I heard that wolves were scared of fire, so I kept burning firewood and crept into the sleeping bag, shaking," he said. Despite all the challenges, the charm of glaciers is beyond description in Wang's eyes. "I have seen blue and black glaciers," he said. "The blue ones have been in form for hundreds or even thousands of years and are extremely crystal, while the black ones contain rocks, sand and earth, mostly from the mountains surrounding the glaciers." They also have different formations, with some looking like tunnels, caves, cliffs and even pagodas. MELTING GLACIERS Wang usually chooses his destination glaciers on his mobile phone. He uses a GPS to identify vast, white areas on the map and goes to visit those that seem to have large chunks of ice. "But I often found the glaciers had already melted into small pieces of ice because the satellite images were usually taken a few years ago," he said. "Almost all the glaciers I visited looked different from the images on my phone," he said. "You need to stand in front of the glaciers to realize how fast they are melting." Some glaciers turned into small ones, some became lakes, but many start crumbling from the inside, he said. "The sun melts a glacier's surface first, and water sinks into the bottom," he said. "As more water accumulates into a river, the glacier begins to lose balance and crumble." According to a report jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the China Meteorological Administration, global sea levels reached a new high in 2018 as the temperature rose. The report said that China's glacier mass could decrease by almost 70 percent by the end of the 21st century in worst-case scenarios. In December last year, Wang took his glacier videos and stories to Madrid for the climate change conference as one of China's environmentalists. "For many people, the melting glaciers seem a little distant from their lives," he said. "I hope that through my videos and stories, people could see climate change is taking place." The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said a vaccine for coronavirus is unlikely to be available for at least 12 months amid rising hopes that a cure could be developed by the end of the year. Teams of scientists and pharmaceutical groups across the world are racing to produce an effective vaccine that will be able to halt the spread of Covid-19, which has so far killed more than 120,000 people worldwide. There are at least 20 in development, including a handful at the clinical trial stage. But while rapid progress is being made on Tuesday, China joined the US in approving early-stage human tests for experimental vaccines the WHO is trying to manage growing expectations. We shouldnt really be expecting to see the vaccine for 12 months or longer, spokesperson Margaret Harris said during a press briefing on Tuesday. The WHO has previously said it could take up to 18 months for a vaccine to be developed and successfully distributed around the world. Dr Harriss warning comes just days after researchers from Oxford University said a vaccine for Covid-19 could be ready as soon as September. Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology, said she was 80 per cent confident the vaccine being developed by her team will work. With human trials set to place within the next fortnight, Professor Gilbert told The Times: I think theres a high chance that it will work based on other things that we have done with this type of vaccine. Its not just a hunch and as every week goes by we have more data to look at. I would go for 80 per cent, thats my personal view. She added that having a vaccine ready by the autumn is just about possible if everything goes perfectly, but warned that nobody can promise its going to work. Most experts have said a coronavirus vaccine could take up to 18 months to be developed and distributed globally, but Professor Gilbert wants to accelerate the clinical trial process by letting volunteers become infected naturally as soon as possible. She said volunteers from places that have no imposed lockdown measures would produce more efficient results. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, warned on Monday that the worlds connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of Covid-19 will continue, stressing that ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission. The WHO, meanwhile, has said that the number of new cases of Covid-19 is easing in some parts of Europe, including Italy and Spain, but outbreaks are still growing in Britain and Turkey. The overall world outbreak, 90 per cent of cases are coming from Europe and the United States of America. So we are certainly not seeing the peak yet, Dr Harris added on Tuesday. In China, the biggest threat is imported cases, she said, referring to the latest data. Subscriber content preview Image by Cornerstone Architectural Group [enlarge] Cornerstone General Contractors of Bothell was awarded a $35 million contract on April 2 to build a new elementary school for the Issaquah School District. . . . The discussion of the jail door repair: Below. The discussion of the Coronavirus Response: Below. The discussion of the Resolution Regarding Refugee Settlement in North Carolina: Below. The discussion of the Resolution Allowing Concealed Carry for Beaufort County Employees in Most of Beaufort County Government's Buildings: Below. Who is Responsible for the Coronavirus as a pandemic; infecting so many, killing too many? President Trump. He will always be responsible for all that is wrong in the world, and all that harms America, especially since he exhibited the temerity to challenge China's unfair trade practices. The congressional House of Representatives that have been, and still are, more concerned with the Resistance of this President than governing our people wisely and well. The Communist Republic of China that intentionally transmitted the exported virus, possibly manufactured and stored in Wuhan. 108 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? The largest accomplishment of the meeting was that the Beaufort County commissioners did prove that they could meet under extreme circumstances , and that they would meet again openly in May on multiple occasions - the General Meeting, Equalization and Review (E & R), and there will be some budget workshops.Other than the stark social distancing of the commissioners at this first April meeting in the Age of Coronavirus , and only one member of the public that straggled in, the meeting was much of the same as many others of recent: Commissioners unwilling to seriously discuss issues without considering how best to vote as a group because of political coalition pressures. An unusual side note was when the county attorney became politically involved, again, on one of the issues that I presented, which he is passionate about in complete opposition - his desire to limit the involvement of the public in exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.But, putting this public attorney /client squabble aside, I shall digress, I had written earlier that I had three issues to discuss regarding the People's business; issues which turned out to be arguably the most consequential issues of the commissioners' meeting, other than the jail door issue.For 18 months, the county jail has been egregiously under utilized due to a hardware malfunction in keeping all the jail doors' locking apparatus functioning properly. Now, after 16 months since Commissioners Richardson and Deatherage brought this issue of great concern to the county administration's attention, the process has finally moved into a state of initial fruition.And now Stan's Three Issues as witnessed below from these video segments representing these 3 pertinent items of county business.The Coronavirus response in North Carolina, at the governmental level, has been implemented unilaterally by Governor Cooper by virtue of Emergency Powers general statutes, which required concurrence by members of the Council of State that the governor did not acquire to first shut down the public schools, then the restaurants, now effectively limiting business with his extra-constitutional authoritarian edicts My public approach in this discussion of what the Beaufort County Commissioners' position should be in this conundrum of arresting the Coronavirus was to stimulate an open discussion among the Beaufort County commissioners. This did not happen, with Commissioner Booth unwilling to listen, and the balance of the other commissioners unwilling to take an active interest in robust public discussions of their best ideas of how to respond to the Coronavirus. This is a serious issue, especially at the local level, as we make some attempt to carry out what might be edicts of Governor Cooper that may be unconstitutional - his unilateral Emergency Executive Orders prohibiting the constitutional rights of North Carolina's businesses and citizens. What this will boil down to is Commissioner Stan Deatherage writing another resolution detailing the better way forward in Beaufort County and North Carolina that fellow commissioners will probably have little interest in supporting or even negotiating to make more effective.Dispirited, but not deterred, I will write that resolution, and easily sensing that there will be some commissioners that will not take this seriously, I write a very serious resolution searching for the support of serious county commissioners.The second issue,, was crafted by a constituent who has a firm grasp of local, state, national and world events and the ramification of their machinations was brought forward, negotiated and passed by the slimmest of margins, when Commissioner Frankie Waters desired to strip the meat of the resolution and just ratify the resolve piece -Knowing that Commissioners Rebholz and Evans would only vote for this resolution if Commissioner Frankie Waters (the leader of the moderate Republicans) led them there to do so, I jumped at the opportunity to instantly accept Commissioner Waters's negotiation to minimalize the resolution even though the resolution would have read far better and exhibited greater resolve to include the supporting language. But still, a win is a win, and they have long been few for the Conservatives on this Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners.My third issue involved my endeavor to create safer work environments for our Beaufort County employees by resolving to begin to allow some extra-qualified employees to constitutionally protect themselves and co-workers in the case of a deranged individual consumed with the evil purpose to attack a government facility that was not already protected by some security aparatus. This issue had been originally introduced in January, 2020 . In November of 2019, I had introduced a similar, but markedly different (since if effected all rightful law abiding citizens to carry rather than far less than 1% of that original number rather than qualified Beaufort County government employees) resolution to allow all Conceal Carry permitted citizens to carry on most government property.Interestly, Beaufort County's board attorney, David Francisco, has recently interjected himself into the political discussion on this 2nd Amendment /safety issue, and this night did publicly suggest to the commissioners, who appointed him to his job to advise, that the November initiative for resolution could not be discussed because of a commissioner 6 month disqualification to re-submit. He argued that both resolutions (including the re-submited January resolution that was never voted on) were too similar since they both involved our citizens' 2nd Amendment protections; however, I reminded him of the marked difference that either resolution represented effects upon too very different classes of people: The population at large (everyone) versus county government employees (those that work for one community's county government).Beaufort County's commissioners will have a chance to vote on this Second Ammendment /public safety issue at the May general meeting, regardless of whether the county attorney is disinclined to appreciate its political or governmental relevance. As entire countries remain in lockdown due to the sweep of the novel coronavirus across the globe, researchers have found a way to protect those who are perhaps most at risk: healthcare workers. One of the things which make the novel coronavirus so deadly is its so-called incubation period. This is the time after infection when an infected individual shows no symptoms at all, and so is indistinguishable from an uninfected person unless testing is done. This means that an individual can potentially spread the virus widely for up to two weeks. This fact is especially disturbing in the case of healthcare workers who are exposed to the infection on a daily basis. Now, a new collaboration between healthcare product company Oura, West Virginia Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, and WVU Medicine aims to present a remedy for this situation. The Oura Ring tracker monitors an individuals body temperature, breathing, heart rate and other vital signs. What is the Oura ring? One of the products which Oura makes is a wearable ring that monitors the pulse, temperature, heart rate variations, and sleep patterns. This is the key to this study. Even though COVID-19 is almost asymptomatic in the incubation period, it sometimes raises the patients temperature slightly. However, this is not reliable enough to use as a standalone test. Leslie Crossley, registered nurse, sizes providers in the WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Medical Intensive Care Unit for their Oura Rings. The scientists, therefore, combined the data on temperature obtained by the Oura ring with physiological, cognitive, and behavioral information gathered from an app created by the R&D group. This provides a holistic overview of the wearer. According to RNI executive chair Ali Rezai, users have to fill out a five-minute questionnaire every morning through the companys gamified app, which asks questions specific to COVID-19 detection. Then all this data is fed to a computer that uses an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven model to predict if the individual is infected and to forecast if they will develop fever, cough, tiredness, and other symptoms of viral infection. The Intelligence behind the app comes from tens of thousands of user data samples from patients who have been tested for the virus via nasal swab. RNI COVID Neuro Monitoring SPSvFINAL UltraHD Play The advantage Oura claims the AI model can currently identify whether frontline healthcare workers have the virus before they become symptomatic. This could be a breakthrough in monitoring and help limit the spread of the deadly virus. Rezai says that they can currently identify cases 24 hours before the first symptoms manifest, with 90% accuracy, and with more data, they are hopeful that they can stretch that gap by a day or two. The goal is to predict the onset of symptoms and identify frontline healthcare workers before they become symptomatic and limit the spread. This will help us get ahead of this pandemic; limit the spread, and improve our understanding of health recovery. Theres no doubt that the tech works: Rezai says hes already able to track a clear correlation between temperature increase and the virus. Oura says theyve received multiple reports from users who said the ring predicted flu or fever in the next two days, but they disregarded it, only to find themselves ill within 48 hours. The evidence The company has been running the smart rings and the smartphone app to monitor COVID-19 symptoms for the past three weeks by about a thousand healthcare workers. These individuals have to wear the ring and enter their cognitive and behavioral data into the app. Healthcare workers in hospitals in West Virginia, as well as Nashville, New York City, and Philadelphia, are taking part in this process. Oura doesnt typically do independent studies: Oura Health CEO Harpreet Rai says that what youll see with independent companies is you can pick and choose your data, and that ends up biased. So thats why we think its important to partner with academics, to really make sure theres a good scientific process in place. In turn, Rezai comments: We have done extensive research in the wearable space, and Ouras accuracy and usability are unparalleled to anything we have tested. The importance of surveillance Some may feel there are privacy concerns that must be raised with this level of surveillance and there are: its everyones duty to ensure responsible use of data. But what definitely takes a higher priority now in handling the virus and that may require aggressive data collection and active, voluntary participants. Medical experts have already pointed out that in the absence of any vaccine or medical treatment, surveillance and quarantine have become the go-to strategies to counter the spread of the virus. Epidemiologist Simin Liu, who is an independent expert, says, The idea of syndromic surveillance using wearable such as this one has been around for some time. To improve precision medicine and public health, we do need more work and data concerning the validity and cost-effectiveness of these new technologies. The company says, If this approach is successful, it could open the door for research into tracking and managing other illnesses and conditions. Liu agrees, calling active surveillance the future when such wearable monitors will be a way of life for those living in open societies. April 13, 2020 Transcript Defense Department CIO and Joint Staff CIO Brief Reporters on DOD Communication Efforts Regarding COVID-19 Dana Deasy, Defense Department CIO, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Bradford Shwedo, Joint Staff CIO STAFF: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us. I realize most of you are on the telephone due to our current circumstances. Today, the Honorable Dana Deasy, the Department of Defense chief information officer, and Air Force Lieutenant General B.J. Shwedo, director for command, control, communications and computers/cyber and chief information officer, Joint Staff J6, will speak to you about the COVID-19 [Coronavirus Disease-19] Telework Readiness Task Force. This is a 30-minute, on-the-record, on-camera briefing. Mr. Deasy and General Shwedo have some opening remarks, and then we'll open the floor to your questions. And with that, we'll turn it over to Mr. Deasy. Sir? DANA DEASY, DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CIO: Thank you, sir. Good morning. Thank you for being here today. Also, thank you to everyone who's dialed in on the lines this morning. We are truly in unprecedented times in our nation. The national emergency due to the coronavirus, COVID-19, global pandemic has no doubt brought new changes to the ways Americans go about their daily jobs. Specifically, the way we work has changed dramatically within the last month. As Secretary Esper has stated on numerous occasions, protecting the health of the DOD workforce is paramount. We are committed to the health and safety of not only our service members, but our civilians, our contractors, and their families. Therefore, as you know, the department has offered maximum telework flexibility to the DOD workforce consistent with the operational needs of the department. Due to the expanded need for massive telework capabilities across the force, I stood up the COVID-19 Telework Readiness Task Force. This task force is comprised of the United States Cyber Command, Joint Force Headquarters DODIN [Department of Defense Information Network] information networks, the National Security Agency, the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Joint Staff and of course, military services as well as senior leaders from my own organization. As a task force, we meet daily for about two hours to review and address various technical issues and requests as they arise. We have a very structured approach to these meetings. We discuss seven key areas, to include equipment needs, network capacity, including operational readiness, IT [Information Technology] personnel contracting readiness, supply chain, financial requirements, cyber-security, intel and high-interest items. With the majority of the workforce teleworking, we have seen unprecedented demand for new equipment ranging from tablets, laptops and network equipment to secure devices. Additionally, our networks have seen significant increase in traffic, as well. The task force has successfully navigated this increase in demand, and we are rolling out equipment and increasing network capacity where needed. For example, in the Pentagon alone, 2,000 personnel have been provided with additional devices. In the Navy, 65,000 additional users are now able to work remotely with mobile and desktop services. Regarding network capacity, DISA [Defense Information Systems Agency] and the Joint Service Provider has increased virtual internet service provider connections by 30 percent. Additionally, our telecom provider has increased our current call volume capacity in the Pentagon by over 50 percent. Since the beginning of March, DISA has onboarded additional end points, increasing capability by over 300 percent. The Air Force has upgraded 12 key sites resulting in 130-plus percent increase in their bandwidth. Finally, the U.S. Army has implemented a number of measures that have led to a 400 percent increase in network access for data and voice capacity. We have seen upwards of 10 times growth in global video services, Outlook Web Access, and enterprise audio conferencing. I could go -- I could continue to go on, but clearly, as you can see how the speed and magnitude of what the department has implemented in such a short amount of time is truly extraordinary has been accomplished while ensuring mission operational needs are not impacted. The department has always been telework-ready long before the pandemic. However, as you may expect, most of our workforce did not work remotely the majority of the time, therefore leaving our workforce with many questions about the tools and platforms that were readily available for them to do their jobs outside the office. To effectively educate our workforce we have created a menu of the top telework tools for both classified and unclassified networks. The menu is located on our website, public.cyber.mil, and highlights tools available for e-mail, collaboration, voice, antivirus, and file-sharing capabilities. As always, we require that the workforce only use DOD-approved platforms for security reasons. One important tool I would like to point out is the new Commercial Virtual Remote Environment, known as CVR. CVR was created to support the department during the current large-scale teleworking environment due to the COVID-19 national emergency. The tool is just one of several tools available to the workforce and provide remote workers with enhanced collaboration capabilities. The CVR rollout to the force began on March 27th, and as of this morning, we have already activated over 900,000 user accounts and have active logins of 78,000 users this morning. At one point last week, we added over 250,000 accounts in a single day. This is the largest rollout ever implemented in this short amount of time. As I mentioned earlier, we are moving at incredible pace, showing a significant amount of innovation. For example, the DOD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center was able to move quickly to develop a prototype data aggregation and predictive analytics capability to support the U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau. The JAIC's Project Salus team was able to move from concept to fielded prototype in just two weeks. Not only are we providing tools for our workforce, but we are supporting the front line as well. As you know, New Orleans has had a high number of people diagnosed with COVID-19. Within downtown New Orleans, the department set up two field hospital tents in parking lots with over 500 beds. This site was in need of a one-gigabyte internet connection, IP [Internet Protocol] phones, connectivity between locations, and then switches to connect it all together. A request such as this generally requires months of planning, procuring equipment, and of course hiring the teams to install. Due to our strong partnership with industry, the job was completed in just one day. The support staff was truly remarkable, allowing the teams to successfully communicate and execute their missions. As more of the workforce is teleworking, we continue to prioritize and stress the importance of cyber-security. We already have a DOD workforce that is well trained on best practices for cyber-security. To further augment this, however, we have recently put out a dos and don'ts for teleworking across the workforce. Our task force receives a daily update from U.S. Cyber Command and JFHQ-DODIN [Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network] on what they are seeing and how they are successfully adjusting to the significant teleworking environment. Defending the DODIN is a 24-by-7 mission and will never cease, regardless of the national emergency. The top priority of the DOD will always be the protection and the welfare of our people. Prioritizing teleworking allows us the flexibility to keep the force healthy, and I could not be more proud of the collective actions of the services, the Joint Staff, combatant commands and the whole of the Department of Defense. I would like to turn it over now to Lieutenant General B.J. Shwedo who will provide more details about specific accomplishments we've achieved across the department, and how our military is supporting the fight against COVID-19. As always, thank you for coming today to hear more about the COVID-19 Telework Readiness Task Force. I look forward to your questions. LIEUTENANT GENERAL BRADFORD J. "B.J." SHWEDO: Thank you, Mr. Deasy. And thank you to everyone here and everyone else who's teleconferenced in. For as long as I've been in the military, I've always been proud to be a part of this team. But I'm particularly humbled today to represent the efforts of this task force. Of course, COVID-19 is a serious issue, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley, recognizes it as such. The chairman said earlier, we're at war. It's a different type of war, but it's war nonetheless. And I can assure you, this topic has the undivided attention of the chairman and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff. The support I've received from the leadership is unparalleled, and they've removed any impediments in our way as we attack this invisible enemy. As Mr. Deasy described, there are many positive developments in this COVID battle, but we're also enabling the Department of Defense's worldwide mission to defend this country from anyone who would mistakenly try to exploit this current situation. There's no light between the Joint Staff and Mr. Deasy's office as we work with combatant commands and services to support our troops and civilian personnel across the Department of Defense. You'll also find our solution sets incorporate considerations for a larger U.S. population who is also in the midst of telework, distance learning for our children and the overall greater demands on the net associated with these current stay-at-home orders. To appreciate the scope and scale of our task, our work is to enable productive collaboration for over four million military and civilian worldwide teleworkers with innovative tools that are both cutting-edge and secure, often with overnight demands. The Army alone roughly has 800,000 telework-enabled members on the Department of Defense networks, and the overall demands there are increasing daily. The Navy, for instance, which just had 100,000 remote workers on its networks before the pandemic, currently have 250,000 workers. Planned improvements in the next two to three weeks will bring the total to 500,000 remote users. The Navy's Outlook Web Access, OWA, went from 10,000 users before the pandemic to 80,000 users within weeks, with a target of 300,000 users by the end of the month. Staying on OWA, the U.S. Marine Corps' capacity has increased from 70,000 to over 105,000 in a couple weeks. Within just three days in March, the Marines increased their VPN [Virtual Private Network] capability from 12,500 to 60,000 simultaneous users. Of course, Mr. Deasy's already highlighted the Army's 400 percent increase, and they've been very supportive of the CVR capabilities. And of course, with the sharing of products and also meetings in real time, the Army's G6, my counterpart, has lauded the VTC [Video Teleconference] capability, saying there's no substitute for the ability to look in the eyes of those whom you lead. The Air Force, for instance, has increased their VPN capability from 10,000 in pre-COVID capabilities to over 100,000 today. They're on track for 200,000 in the coming weeks, and they're now using a tool that is going to bring this capability to over 400,000 users. To give you a sense of the urgency, the previous pace was once two years from planning to implementation. Now, these upgrades are happening and completing in one to -- from days to weeks. The overnight increase in capability also demanded a rapid retooling to enable combatant commands to battle COVID. Of course, in this building, when we talk about war planning, we like to talk about supported and supporting commanders. And in this fight, Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau are definitely our focus. In more traditional military scenarios, we like to deploy as a unit. And within those scenarios, usually those units have their supporting elements like command and control. Unfortunately, within this scenario, there are often requests for individual augmentees and first responders that are not confined to a unit or a location. In my past, with these individual augmentee scenarios, as these heroes often run to the sound of the guns, we sometimes run the risk of lost patrols. To counter this problem, NORTHCOM [Northern Command] has launched a pilot program to field an iPad, iPhone that actually gives you a common operational picture, personal tracking system and also collaboration and communication tools. I've already seen it work as the common operational picture was set for people working in the Javits Center and throughout New York City. This is just one focus area for our funding as we're increasing the capacity for tools we also need to get out for the needs of the workforce made possible by the CARES Act, which allocates $10.5 billion to the Department of Defense to respond to COVID. When it comes to support for NORTHCOM, I'd also like to highlight some support DISA is providing to facilitate all of these alternate medical facilities. DISA has worked with telecom service providers, and is leveraging the FCC's [Federal Communications Commission] National Security and Emergency Preparedness process to deliver nearly 100 critical communications lines supporting the Department of Defense to rapidly installing pier-side circuits delivering services to the USNS Mercy and Comfort, and to support the field officers in New Orleans, Dallas and other proposed locations. As NORTHCOM is obviously the priority, bad guys are not taking any time off. And we need to ensure all the other combatant commands are always ready to fulfill their roles. As an example, one command that's responsible for an interesting neighborhood is United States Central Command. CENTCOM's [United States Central Command] needs to often expand beyond unclassified telework and they needed their capabilities increased for at-home handling of classified information, and they rapidly increased their staff capabilities from 261 to 404 and then went forward with a -- a pilot program that resulted in the scaling from just one capability to 492. Of course, with all of this speed and introduction of new tools, the immediate question becomes one of security, and the answer really is yin and yang: With great opportunities comes great challenges. But with that knowledge, you can shape your campaign plan to maximize your mitigations and attempt to exploit the exploiters, the bad guys. Throughout all our activities, we're aligned with United States Cyber Command and the National Security Agency mitigating attack accesses from the bad guys and learning a lot about them along the way. Risk is mitigated by providing overwatch of our IT and cyber environment and reducing attack vectors from entering the Department of Defense information networks. Joint Force Headquarters DODIN is closely monitoring cyber-security threats in this increased telework environment. There has been a surge of spear phishing related to COVID-19. Of course, that's not surprising because most spear-phishing campaigns tend to exploit current events to produce convincing products. DISA continues to update our IT systems to block new malware and threat products. Although we've heard all these bad stories about price gouging, poor behavior, in these tough times, that has not been my experience. I've had patriotic people offer I.T. tools for free in order to protect our first responders and attack this COVID crisis. The IT and cyber-related efforts happening across the department Mr. Deasy and I have outlighted for you represents increased innovation and positive partnerships between the U.S. government and American companies. These partnerships are vital as the U.S. military works every day to provide cutting -- cutting-edge innovation to improve our national defense capabilities. The teamwork and collective efforts to run to the sound of the guns represents the best in America. These partnerships and actions are exactly the right solution for these tough times. Once again, I'm proud to be a part of this team, and I'm humbled to represent their efforts. More importantly, I look forward to answering any of your questions. Thank you. STAFF: Gentlemen, thank you. Let's first go to Phil Stewart, Reuters. Q: Hey there. Thanks. Just a quick follow-up. What is the increase in spear phishing you've seen, and who exactly in the Pentagon is being targeted most, senior officials or -- whose names are really well-known? Is it people throughout the -- throughout the military leadership who are being targeted, irrespective of how well-known they are? And then secondly, if you could both speak to the -- whether there's any thought to more compartmentalization of -- of sensitive information during this telework. Thanks. GEN. SHWEDO: So sir, I'll take that if you want. MR. DEASY: Sure. GEN. SHWEDO: So of course, spear-phishing campaigns go across the gamut, and quite frankly, you'll -- you'll see lots on just the news there. They all shotgun-blast across, you know, across America and everything else. I will tell you when it comes to specifically who's being targeted inside the government, I'd prefer to stay away from that because that would give the bad guys insight on who we're tracking and -- and give them insight into our overwatch. But I'll tell you that the insight that we're receiving, we're getting better and better at getting their TTPs [Tactics, Techniques and Procedures] and finding out where these threat vectors are coming from. But once again, I -- I'd prefer not to give the bad guys any insight on where we're going. MR. DEASY: Yeah, in regards to classifications, since the beginning of creating the -- our task force, we have started with this basic principle of, how do we take the way we've always worked inside the Pentagon, or frankly, any of our command locations, and allow that work to take place appropriately and securely from a home environment? So, I wouldn't say we have changed any of our classifications other than we've come up with some innovative ways to allow people to work within their classifications. Q: Okay, just a follow-up then on the spear phishing: So is there any data you can give us at all? You said there was an increase in spear phishing, but it's -- you know, which is interesting, but I don't know how to explain that to an intelligent reader if there's not more information. GEN. SHWEDO: I -- I would say, sir, when it -- when it comes to spear phishing, what we've seen is these -- these folks are very adept at capturing whatever is the current situation, and right now COVID -- COVID-19 is a current emphasis item when we go across the board. FireEye and others have put out many products that show how they're manipulating people, and you see a lot of these things as an end result of a scam. Of course, they get you to click -- click on either websites that redirect you to -- to compromise yourself. And the bottom line is I really don't want to go too far into what we're learning about these guys, because I don't want to give them any insight into what we're learning right now about them. STAFF: Okay, let's go to Mary Walsh, CBS. Q: Thank you. I -- I don't have a question. Thank you. STAFF: All right, Mary, thank you. Sydney Freedberg, Breaking Defense. Q: Hi. Thank you gentlemen very much. It will be very helpful -- you guys went through a lot of facts and figures very quickly, if we could get whatever, you know, cue cards or documents you were reading from for our reference. We can copy -- get to read all those figures right. Is there a -- and, you know, that's A; B, is there a way to wrap up, you know, in a few -- in -- there's a lot of figures, but it's hard to sort of get us into the overall. Is it really characterize, you know, with the percent increase in telework across DOD as a whole by whatever means, not focused on one service or one provider, but actually, you know, a -- a wrap-up of, you know, how many more people in DOD are teleworking now than were pre-COVID and, you know, what the, you know, the -- the next phase of growth, but what you might be growing to in the next weeks and months. MR. DEASY: Yeah, first of all, we'd be happy to pass along the facts and figures here today. Answering that question is a -- is somewhat complicated by the fact that we've always had a workforce that has been able to go home, whether it be in the evening, while they're out of the office for whatever reasons, and been able to do different forms of teleworking. We break our teleworking kind of into three categories. A tier one would be those people who just need access to an e-mail and a phone. Tier two would be those people who need access to e-mail, a phone, and some form of collaboration. And then tier three would be those people who need a like experience as if they were sitting in an -- their office doing their job, versus they're now setting at their home. So for each of those we have different sorts of equipment, different sorts of networks and solutions that we're providing, so the numbers are going to vary depending on the type of teleworking we're talking about, but we will be happy to pass on what facts and figures we do have. STAFF: Let's go to Aaron Mehta, Defense News. Q: Hey, thanks, guys, for doing this. For Mr. Deasy, I've actually got a non-COVID question for you. The FCC's currently considering application from a company called Ligado for the use of L-band spectrum. You wrote a note on March 12th along with Undersecretary Griffin, asking that they, the FCC not move forward with the application given potential damage to GPS [Global Positioning System]. I want to know if you felt the department's concerns are being addressed, and if you see any way forward where Ligado could tweak its system to somehow be acceptable to the department to meet those concerns. MR. DEASY: Yeah, what I would say about Ligado is that we have stated our view, we have put that view in writing. We have very strong technical evidence that would suggest that moving forward with that proposal would cause harm to the adjacent GPS spectrum. Therefore, we continue to believe it's in the best interest -- and I believe I can say this on behalf of all the agencies -- it's in the interest of the government not to pursue the Ligado licensing requirements -- request. Q: Do you feel your concerns are being heard throughout the administration? MR. DEASY: Yes, there have been active conversations that myself, General Shwedo -- as you mentioned, Dr. Griffin and others throughout the department including the secretary, the vice chairman, have all been actively involved in, in working with the administration, the FCC, NTIA [National Telecommunications and Information Administration], et cetera. STAFF: Thanks, Aaron. Let's go to Jared, Federal News Network? Q: Hey, good morning, thanks for doing this. I wanted to ask you about commercial, virtual remote and some of the (inaudible) big numbers that Mr. Deasy mentioned. I mean, as I understand it, the plan is to destroy all the data that people are storing in CVR once this is all over, which would seem to suggest the department's going to be creating potentially, like, months' worth of records that are beyond the reach of things like FOIA and e-Discovery, because they'll have been deleted. So, how are you balancing the need to be responsive to this emergency against things like the Federal Records Act? MR. DEASY: Yeah, that's a really good question. And I will tell you, even though we have stood this up in an extraordinary amount of time, we've also had a lot of very healthy discussions regarding what does this mean from a cyber-security implications, what does this mean to existing policies? And to your very point, what does this mean with that data that we've created? So, first of all, the whole task force exists specifically to address how do we handle COVID-19 teleworking requirements. This was stood up specifically to allow people to collaborate in an unclassified manner, specifically for COVID-19. We recognize that a lot of data's being created, it's going onto an unclassified environment. I wouldn't say that we've concluded right now that we will, quote, "destroy"; we are looking at options on how do we take this data and preserve it and-or port it into other collaboration environments, going forward. That decision has not been taken, but I would also not pre-conclude that we've taken the decision the data will just be flat-out destroyed. Q: Okay, can I follow real quickly? The -- beyond CVR itself, has the task force started to think through how much of these other capabilities like added bandwidth and VPN you might just leave in place after the emergency to enable more telework on a steady-state basis? MR. DEASY: Yeah, I mean, obviously, we are creating a much more robust, enhanced teleworking capability. We've obviously always had one, but what we've now done is we've just put a multiplier effect into the quantity, the types of services, the collaboration tools, et cetera. So, there will be some permanency to what we have here. Specifically, I think more on the network side, and we will also have to create a base of teleworking equipment that we'll be able to, in some cases, reuse for other purposes. But, yes, you are correct that there is going to be an enhanced teleworking capability that will be sustained at the end of COVID-19. GEN. SHWEDO: I -- just to pitch in, what you'll find is, to enable all of these capabilities, we had to do a lot of back-end work, and we're not just procuring laptops and other devices, we also have to manipulate the individual combatant commands' back end. That doesn't go away, and this is going to be a force multiplier for the future case of another pandemic, but it also gives us additional capabilities with any other worldwide crisis. MR. DEASY: Yeah, there's one more thing I'll say about this. There's not only the -- the facts and the figures on equipment we've provided today and on networking, but we've also just developed some new tactics and techniques that allow us to ramp up quite quickly. I can't stress enough that this isn't just a DOD effort, we have had significant help from our industry partners on this, and I want to just take this opportunity to point out that much of what we've accomplished, we've accomplished through that - that we've gotten help from our industry partners. GEN. SHWEDO: I said it earlier in my comments, but we found some of these industry partners coming in, so concerned about the current crisis. And they say, hey, you can have this IT for free, we're really, really concerned about where we're going. One capability that comes to mind, prevents a first responder from having any contact with the individuals that they're doing. It's a -- an iPhone capability that shoots messages back and forth, you never leave your car. And the folks in Gauss basically said, you can have it. So there's been lots of different capabilities out there that we may not have been aware of that's rapidly coming to the forefront, which is just a great opportunity to start going after these opportunities. STAFF: So we're right at 30 minutes, sir. We can take one more. We'll go to Sylvie on -- Sylvie from AFP? Q: Hello? Thank you for doing that. I would like to follow up on Phil's question. You are speaking about the surge of spear phishing. I understand you don't want to say who is targeted, but can you tell us where they come from? Is it Russia, China or is it in U.S., white nationalists? Can you tell us that? MR. DEASY: Yeah, you have to understand that part of having a very good active defense and being able to deploy some of the tactics and techniques that have allowed us to be able to keep our workforce working in a cyber-secure manner, is the fact that we don't publish where we get the attack vectors from. Because that would just give insight to the adversary to know how to vector and pivot and change their tactics and techniques. So, it's in the best interest that we actually don't go on public record and share specifically who are the actors and where the attack techniques are coming from. Q: Okay, thank you. STAFF: If you have any additional questions that we didn't get to this morning, please send them to me in e-mail and we'll get back to you just as quickly as we can. Thank you very much. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2147989/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address An intensive care unit nurse has been diagnosed with coronavirus after treating patients diagnosed with the virus. The nurse in her 20s was working at Royal Adelaide Hospital on Friday when she began to experience symptoms of the virus. She went home and began self-isolated before being tested on Sunday. She returned a positive result on Monday. The woman had been in close contacted with 23 others - including 22 staff at the Royal Adelaide hospital and a 'close contact' person, meaning a friend or a relative. The nurse in her 20s was working at Royal Adelaide Hospital on Friday when she began to experience symptoms of COVID-19 'There is not expected to be any impact to patient care at the hospital with sufficient staffing continuing to be available,' a statement from SA Health said. Rebecca Badcock, executive director of Nursing at Central Adelaide Health, said they don't expect the close contact cases to rise. 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 'I have spoken to the nurse and while this is a challenging situation for her, she is doing well. She is in quarantine at home,' she said during a press conference on Tuesday. She said there are 300 ICU nurses currently working in the city, with an additional 100 being trained. 'We have known there is a likelihood of this scenario in place and we have had measures in place to deal with it,' Ms Badcock said. 'We have seen around the world and in Australia that healthcare staff are testing positive.' She said the nurse was wearing personal protective equipment while dealing with the COVID-19 patients. The woman had been in close contacted with 23 others - including 22 staff at the hospital (stock above) Dr Nicola Spurrier, South Australia's chief medical officer, said the state was using personal protective equipment in line with national guidelines. 'The Royal Adelaide Hospital is following the national guidelines however in all situations it is good to go back and review those practices,' she said. All staff who have come into contact with the woman are now quarantining. The state only reported two new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Several New Mexico hospitals, including Lovelace Health System, are furloughing employees, reducing hours and slashing pay. Lovelace Health System, which employs 4,239 people in New Mexico, confirmed Tuesday it is making difficult workforce decisions that will affect 15% of its staff, or about 630 people. To minimize position eliminations, we have made a variety of adjustments including reduction of hours, furlough (unpaid time off), and pay reduction for exempt employees, Lovelace spokeswoman Whitney Marquez wrote in an email. Marquez wrote the changes are expected to last 90 days, but employees may be called back sooner based on need. In Santa Fe, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center will be placing 300 of its 2,200 employees about 14% of its associates on temporary leave. Both hospital systems cited the governors stay-at-home order and her ban of elective surgeries for a sharp decline in patient visits. Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center CEO Lillian Montoya told employees in a memo Tuesday the employees would be placed on Temporary Low Volume Leave for at least the next 90 days. She said the medical center had experienced a 35% decline in patient visits during the month of March and that she expects net revenues to decline approximately $10 million per month over the next three months. In response to this significant drop in revenue, we have reviewed expenses to make both permanent and temporary changes that we feel will ensure our ability to meet the current needs of our community, she wrote in the memo. Montoya called the decision to place people on leave difficult and said the positions affected were not business critical and were not direct patient care positions. Know this: Our plan is to do all we can to get you back into service as quick as possible, she told employees. Hospital spokesman Arturo Delgado attributed the decline in business to the coronavirus outbreak. Weve seen a decline in elective surgeries and in patient visits because more people are staying at home, he said, adding that some employees could be called back to work within 90 days, if necessary. Marquez gave similar reasoning for Lovelaces reductions. This reduction in staff does not impact patient safety, she wrote. Meanwhile, two Las Cruces hospitals Memorial Medical Center and Mountain View Regional Medical Center are also cutting back on staff. On Monday, Memorial Medical Center announced it would place 125 employees across all departments on 60 days of temporary leave. In addition, the hospitals officers will take a 10% pay cut over the next two months. In a statement, the hospital said the changes were being made due to significant decreases in volume and the utilization of services. Declines in utilization are a result of people staying home and practicing smart social distancing, and also because of our decision to reschedule elective and non-urgent procedures, when clinically feasible, in an effort to preserve critical resources needed to care for patients during this global pandemic, the statement said. At MountainView Regional Medical Center, 67 of its approximately 1,500 employees will be furloughed. Presbyterian Healthcare Services and UNM Hospital said Tuesday they are not furloughing or laying off employees. (Reuters) - Eight people were killed by shelling in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Monday, two local officials and a resident said, but the army said it had no information about such an incident and rejected accusations by villagers and insurgents that its forces were involved. (Reuters) - Eight people were killed by shelling in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Monday, two local officials and a resident said, but the army said it had no information about such an incident and rejected accusations by villagers and insurgents that its forces were involved. Reuters was unable to independently confirm deaths in the village of Kyauk Seik in Ponnagyun township. A government spokesman did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. "There is fighting going on in northern Rakhine but no such incident of shelling a village. We haven't received confirmation of civilian casualties so far either," army spokesman Major General Tun Tun Nyi told Reuters by phone. Myanmar's armed forces have been battling the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group seeking greater autonomy for the western region, for more than a year. Clashes in Rakhine and neighboring Chin states have escalated in recent weeks, leaving dozens dead and thousands displaced. Tun Maung, a Ponnagyun lawmaker, said he visited Kyauk Seik and that eight people had died. A local government official in the village, Tun Aye, gave the same death toll. Both said villagers blamed the army for the shelling. Thar Doe Maung, a Kyauk Seik resident, said the shelling had killed three of his nephews. The AA said in a statement there had been no clashes between the military and its fighters in the area on Monday and blamed government troops for the shelling. Journalists are blocked from travelling to most of central and northern Rakhine. Countries including the United States and Britain have called for an end to fighting in Rakhine, not least to help protect vulnerable communities from the coronavirus pandemic. Myanmar has reported 52 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. The AA declared a month-long ceasefire for April along with two other ethnic armed groups, citing the pandemic. The army rejected the plea, with a spokesman saying a previous truce declared by the government went unheeded by insurgents. (Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Nick Tattersall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Dixong John Garth, 74, one of the critical Covid-19 patients in Vietnam, was released from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi Monday night after over a month of treatment. Garth is the 28th Covid-19 patient in Vietnam. He was confirmed positive on March 8. "Patient 28" had arrived in Hanoi March 2 on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54 with his wife. That flight also carried 15 other patients, most of them British. The couple were touring the northern province of Quang Ninh when they were taken to a quarantine camp on March 6. They both tested positive later and were transferred to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases for treatment on March 13. As an elderly patient suffering blood cancer for 10 years, the process of treating Garth was not easy. On March 22, he needed respiratory support and was given an oxygen mask. On March 27, Garth was put on a ventilator, basically a machine that breathes for the patient, and was moved to intensive care. Ten days later, doctors at the hospital and leading experts on resuscitation in Vietnam got together and kept a close eye on his condition, along with other critical Covid-19 patients at the hospital. They had made many adjustments to the treatment regimen to find what suited him best. On April 5, Garth started to show signs of recovery, not needing the ventilator, and able to do with just respiratory support. Three days later, he was able to breathe on his own without any support. On April 13, his samples tested negative the fourth time and he was deemed fully recovered. His wife, Shan Coralie Barker, 67, was discharged on April 2. Since then, she stayed at the hospital for the mandated 14-day health monitoring period, waiting for her husband. After Garths discharge, the couple flew back home on a flight arranged by the British government for their citizens. Barker, a nurse herself, lavished praise on the Vietnamese medical staff before leaving. "If we got sick in Britain, we might have not been saved. "When learning that we both had had Covid-19, I was in shock. As a nurse, I knew that my husband was in critical condition and that his life was threatened when seeing that he was sent to intensive care." Dong Phu Khiem, deputy head of the resuscitation department at the hospital, said: "When seeing the wife step in and reunite with the husband, we see that all of our efforts have been repaid. That is true happiness!" One of the nations largest labor unions staged a protest Tuesday at Interstate 95 rest stops in Darien and Milford, accusing McDonalds of failing to disinfect restaurants properly after unspecified numbers of workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The 32BJ affiliate of Service Employees International Union kicked off the demonstration at 11 a.m. with what it called a caravan protest in the parking lots at the I-95 stops, two weeks after calling for better protections for service plaza workers. McDonalds issued a joint statement Tuesday afternoon from the owners of the two franchised locations, Roger Facey and George Michell, who stated they ordered a thorough sanitization procedure after learning of the diagnoses while alerting public health authorities. Facey and Michell pledged to continue to evaluate all safety measures. McDonalds workers told SEIU organizers, however, that their employers failed to disinfect work areas adequately after at least one worker at each of the Darien and Milford restaurants was hospitalized with coronavirus. Sanitization and worker protection has been a recurring issue for many retailers and restaurants nationally, whether as a result of their own efforts or outside pressure. On Tuesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released updated guidance for steps employers should be taking to reduce the chances of employees incurring coronavirus. On Tuesday, Walmart closed its Connecticut Avenue store in Norwalk for sanitizing and restocking purposes, with another on the Wilton line remaining open. SEIU published statements from multiple workers about what they claimed were lapses by McDonalds, including Azucena Santiago who works in a restaurant at the northbound I-95 plaza in Milford. They told the sick workers coworkers to self-quarantine, and they brought in new workers from another store to replace them, SEIU quoted Santiago saying in a Tuesday statement. I worry that the disease is spreading because the store didnt close or disinfect anything. ... McDonalds doesnt pay us any sick days when we are sent home. Were caught in a terrible position. In addition to McDonalds and Subway, the Darien and Milford stops feature Dunkin Donuts, Sbarro and Alltown Convenience Store, with the Darien northbound plaza also having a Chipotle Mexican Grill counter and Taco Bell. Under a contract with the state, Connecticuts rest stops are managed by a Milford limited liability company called Project Services. On the heels of Gov. Ned Lamonts declaration of a public health emergency on March 10, Project Services restricted food service to takeout and drive-through, with convenience stores, rest rooms and fuel pumps remaining open. Project Service has emphasized online its efforts to clean all common areas and food service operations in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. In a Tuesday statement issued by an external public relations firm, Project Services stated it has adhered to Safe Store rules mandated by the state of Connecticut, which cover both sanitizing surfaces and social distancing of at least six feet between people. We employ full time union custodial associates at the I-95 sites who are working around the clock disinfecting the high touch areas, as well as the common areas that service our guests, the Project Services statement reads. Whether its truckers, health care workers, or anyone considered an essential employee, the service plazas are providing all of our patrons with a safe and comfortable convenient place for fuel, food and washrooms along the Connecticut highways. A separate SEIU affiliate has also led a drive to ensure better protections for Connecticut nursing home workers, with the national body pressing Congress to mandate a 50 percent boost in pay for workers in that industry and others at heightened risk such as airport workers. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Top global oil producers are considering cutting production by 20 million barrels per day under the terms of a deal to boost prices, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. Trump, who took credit for brokering the deal, said the agreement was bigger than expected and will help the energy industry recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 Million Barrels a day, not the 10 Million that is generally being reported," Trump tweeted. "Thank you to all of those who worked with me on getting this very big business back on track, in particular Russia and Saudi Arabia." Oil prices have been hammered by a slump in global economic activity caused by the pandemic, as well as a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Top producers have been inching towards a deal for days, with an agreement announced on Friday and Trump saying he would help Mexico, which had resisted cutting production, meet its end of the deal. OPEC producers dominated by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia again met by videoconference on Sunday to cement the agreement. Oil prices rose in Asian trading Monday but slipped back as markets closed, with traders fearing that the deal wouldn't cut production enough to support prices and make up for lost demand. More news from the world- Day 1 Sat 3.21: I started to get aches and pains I wasn't used to. Joints mostly. Things started to ache in weird ways. These pains were not in any way normal. Day 2 Sun 3.22: Same. Day 3 Mon 3.23: 7:21 dry cough started and continued for about 72 hours. Fever tremors began. Couldn't get warm under any amount of clothing, blankets or hot showers. Day 4 Tues 3.24: the absolute WORST day of all of them Day 2-5: Was basically bedbound in my room, very tired with body aches and fatigue (worst flu I have ever had). Day 6: Feeling better, got the news that my test was "negative" even though I had textbook symptoms for someone my age. Day 11: Could not take full breaths, very sharp chest pains that came and went in both lungs. Called my Aunt [who] is an epidemiologist working on the Covid outbreak in Washington State. She confirmed that the Covid test [has] about a 25 percent chance of being a false negative and that with my symptoms I am a "presumptive positive," especially with shortness of breath. March 30 (Day 12): I thought things were getting better. But then I talked to her at night and she was talking about dying. She said she doesn't care either way, she will be with my dad. She asked for a clergyman. She was in a state of acceptance. March 31 (Day 13): She said a social worker talked to her today and asked her how she was going to go home if the hospital released her. My mom replied "I don't know" and asked about Uber. The social worker said that was not a good idea. (TNS) Just weeks ago, Jason Kirin, a circus performer in Pittsburgh, Pa., was juggling flaming spheres for Facebook Live, trying to make the most of the coronavirus crisis after it had led to the cancellation of all his spring shows.Days later, Kirin got sick. He turned to one of the few outlets that kept him sane: his online diary.Kirin, 38, tested positive for COVID-19 and decided to share his notes on Reddit. He suspected that, with such little information about the disease's symptoms documented online, his writings might be useful to someone at some point. "I started to think, 'OK, our government sucks,'" Kirin said in an interview with. "I didn't feel like I had a lot of faith in our healthcare system."Every day, he opened a file, in which each page was labeled with the date, time and number of current COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S., and he wrote about everything: his fever, the diarrhea, his complete loss of taste and smell and his musings on the pandemic.Since then, such daily COVID-19 diaries have multiplied across social media. Using a plethora of daily diaries and forums, sick people are self-diagnosing or confirming their suspicions about having the virus when they don't have access to testing or believe they've received a false negative.A San Francisco-based nurse practitioner decided to document her experience being sick, because she felt a need to guide others through the experience and believed she received a false negative COVID-19 test result. The 33-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from her employer, said she exercises often, doesn't smoke and doesn't have underlying health problems."I thought there was a lot of really bad misinformation out there," she said. "This is what I do all day. I see 30 patients a day some days, [and] I tell them what to do, what to look for."On Facebook, she wrote:Sean Young, an associate professor at UCLA and UC Irvine who studies digital behavior and prediction technology, said such social media sharing is to be expected during a health crisis like this, especially when there's distrust of leaders and the healthcare system."When the government is inconsistent in their messaging, then that creates confusion, fear and chaos," Young said.Add that to the self-isolation orders and fears of visiting the doctor's office, and social media can seem like the one place to turn."People want to share their symptoms because they're looking for a community," Young continued. "They're looking to find out how other people have recovered with similar symptoms. It's a good resource to hear from others if it makes us feel better, if it doesn't make us feel more anxious."The daily documentations aren't just useful to social media users. Young said researchers have been mining the internet for data like Kirin's digital journals for various research projects that are helping healthcare workers tackle the coronavirus crisis.For example, in January, researchers at the University of California Institute for Prediction Technology were tracking Baidu search engine data in China when the virus was first spreading. The surges in coronavirus searches were associated with the spread of the virus, suggesting the data can help predict transmission rates across the country.The researchers are now doing the same in the U.S., developing artificial-intelligence-based models that take social media data, such as these daily symptom journals, to predict hospitalization rates before hospitals become overwhelmed.Aside from the positive implications for public health, research has shown the social media sharing can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety about different healthcare problems, such as HIV and opioid addiction, Young said.Now, the UC Institute for Prediction Technology is applying the same research to the COVID-19 panic. In a study referred to as HOPE Harnessing Online Peer Education researchers are tracking whether social media users on Facebook groups can help their peers reduce anxiety and panic around the novel virus.These types of interactions are happening constantly outside of a research setting. For Cindy Hwang of Manchester, Mo., the digital support has been significant.Hwang, 27, has been torn between caring for her mother, who lives alone and is COVID-19-positive, and protecting her husband at home, who has preexisting health conditions. She calls frequently, watches from home cameras and orders food to her mother's door. But when her mother was hospitalized, Hwang felt powerless.She turned to Reddit.This makes me wonder how people that are living alone handle this.Hwang said she could have easily obsessed over calling her mom or going down coronavirus rabbit holes on the internet. Writing the daily notes has given her something productive to do, she said. She was surprised to receive the support from strangers online, making her feel a little bit less alone."It melts my heart that people have been reading this and praying for my mom," Hwang said. Her mother is recovering and was able to return home Monday.For Kirin, who struggles with anxiety, the digital sharing has been key to helping him and others cope with the stress of the pandemic. Kirin said he would get panic attacks that would exacerbate his difficulty breathing as he was suffering with the virus."I'm no doctor," Kirin said, "But there's these panic feedback loops I've been talking to people about [and] telling them what's working for me."Though social media are proving to be helpful for some to reduce anxiety, Young warned that the online sharing can be dangerous when misinformation is involved. His team of researchers is also working to tackle that problem and developing a plug-in for web browsers that can monitor online forums on COVID-19 and flag misinformation. But for now, for those seeking medical advice, talking to a doctor is always best, Young said.Kirin reflected on how, just months ago, sites such as Facebook felt like "the sore of our culture" and were criticized for spreading misinformation. At least right now, social media have been a savior for people struggling in isolation with COVID-19 or not."There's this great quote I read once, and I rarely get to use it: Pain only loses its power when it loses its privacy," Kirin said. MELBOURNE, Australia, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new white paper, Undertaking Phase I Clinical Trials in Australia During a Time of Uncertainty, has been published by Nucleus Network (Nucleus), Australia's largest Phase 1 clinical trials provider. The paper outlines 10 steps to successfully conducting clinical trials in Australia during the current Coronavirus pandemic. "In the presence of challenges facing our industry as a result of COVID-19, Nucleus is committed to supporting our clients to the highest degree possible to realise their Phase 1 clinical trial aspirations," says Nucleus CEO, Cameron Johnson. "We have developed a comprehensive ten-step action plan to help biotech innovators, pharmaceutical companies, and Clinical Research Organizations, navigate their Phase 1 therapeutic trials through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic." The 10-step guide is a free resource focusing on conducting phase I clinical trials in Australia and risk mitigation strategies implemented by Nucleus Network. Johnson says the "preparedness of the business to continue providing best-in-class Phase 1 studies, is guided by these 10 pillars:" Multi-site reach in Australia Size, scale and savings World-class medical precincts Social distancing measures Robust participant pipeline Rigorous participant screening Dedicated trial teams Gold standard infection control Cross-functional response team Supply chain surety Assurance Through COVID-19 Outlined in the white paper is a comprehensive COVID-19 response pack which acts as a source of truth for measures, processes and procedures to respond to the evolving situation. Importantly, the paper also sets out key risk mitigation strategies implemented by Nucleus Network for undertaking clinical trials. "Nucleus owns 150 of the total 250 dedicated phase I beds available in Australia over two sites, located within major medical precincts in Melbourne and Brisbane," adds Johnson. "Supported by our workforce of over 400 specialists, we are in the unique position of offering sponsors a multi-site pathway to conduct their clinical trials." According to Nucleus Network Chief Medical Officer, Jason Lickliter, this Australian advantage is complemented by the calibre of medical staff and attention to every detail within the clinics. "Additional measures implemented by Nucleus Network during the COVID-19 pandemic go above and beyond recommended clinical practices and provide a gold standard in infection control." For biotech innovators, pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations, this is not the time for hesitation. Johnson says it is essential that development of new potential vaccines and therapies continue uninterrupted. "Our partners and clients are on the frontline of vaccine development, improving the health of communities around the globe with a number of vital drug discoveries. The Nucleus roadmap outlined in this document is a foundation for trial realization and advancement, all within one of the most renowned countries for medical and clinical research excellence." The White Paper has been published in three languages English, Mandarin and Korean. To download a copy of the white paper, visit: https://nucleusnetwork.com.au/news/covid-19 Click here to access images: https://nucleusnetwork.com.au/undertaking-phase-1-clinical-trials-in-australia-during-a-time-of-uncertainty-visuals/ For interview: Cameron Johnson, CEO, Nucleus Network Dr Jason Lickliter, CMO, Nucleus Network Media enquires: Ric Navarro Vice President, Marketing & Business Development [email protected] +61 4 31 658 476 About Nucleus Network: Nucleus Network is the only multi-site phase I clinical trials provider located in Australia and the USA. We provide high-quality, first-in-human and early-phase trials for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies across the USA, Europe and Asia. Located within cutting-edge health precincts, our cost-effective, accelerated clinical development solutions are supported by advanced technology, clinical excellence, and research expertise. Nucleus Network Pty Ltd Level 1, 484 St Kilda Road Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia t +61 3 9076 8900 w: nucleusnetwork.com.au Nucleus Network Pty Ltd ABN 39 102 450 706 SOURCE Nucleus Network Related Links https://nucleusnetwork.com.au/ Ericsson ERIC recently inked a deal for an undisclosed amount to help Nex-Tech Wireless bridge the digital gap for a seamless access to 5G technology. The contract is likely to enable the wireless service provider to have a smooth transition from 4G to the super-fast 5G technology, leveraging on the technological prowess of this Sweden-based communication equipment firm. Nex-Tech Wireless offers high-tech wireless solutions to residents in more than 40 counties of central and western Kansas as well as local coverage to 4 counties in Colorado. It now aims to strengthen its local presence by fortifying 5G capabilities as 5G deployment steadily gains pace across the country. In particular, Ericsson will offer Nex-Tech Wireless 5G Evolved Packet Core and Radio Access Network (RAN), supporting 5G NR Non-standalone (NSA) in key sites in Kansas. NSA mode enables service providers like Nex-Tech Wireless to leverage their existing network assets rather than deploying a completely new end-to-end 5G network. This is likely to help its subscribers seamlessly transfer to 5G from 4G technology without any service disruption. This, in turn, will empower Nex-Tech Wireless to deliver high-speed connectivity to consumers with 5G-enabled devices. Ericsson's 5G NR RAN is an integral component of its 5G Platform and includes software support for migration from LTE (Long-Term Evolution), a 4G mobile communications standard, to NR (New Radio), a global 5G standard. It reportedly offers an industry-leading performance on the smallest site footprint with the lowest energy consumption as networks grow in scale and complexity. Ericsson Radio System comprises hardware, software and services for radio, RAN Compute, antenna system, transport, power as well as site solutions. It enables smooth and cost-effective migration from 4G to 5G, supporting communications service providers to launch the avant-garde technology and grow 5G coverage fast. The companys 5G radio access technologies provide the infrastructure required to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth connections and support the real-time, low-latency, high-reliability communication requirements of mission-critical applications. Moreover, Nex-Tech Wireless will implement the Ericsson Spectrum Sharing (ESS) technology across its network. The ESS technology enables both 4G and 5G to be deployed in the same band and on the same radio through a software upgrade. Ericsson believes that its dynamic solution is the most economically feasible way to deploy 5G on existing bands by proactively allocating spectrum resources between 4G and 5G, based on user demand. The combination of faster commercialization and lower investment requirements has made spectrum sharing an essential part of an operators 5G strategies. With the emergence of the smartphone market and the subsequent usage of mobile broadband, user demand for coverage speed and quality has increased exponentially. Further, to maintain performance with increased traffic, there is a continuous need for network tuning and optimization. Ericsson, being one of the premier telecom service providers, is much in demand among operators to expand network coverage and upgrade networks for higher speed and capacity. Notably, it is the worlds largest supplier of LTE technology with a significant market share and has established a large number of LTE networks worldwide. The stock has lost 16.7% over the past year compared with the industrys decline of 5.2%. Story continues Nevertheless, we remain impressed with the inherent growth potential of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. Some better-ranked stocks in the broader industry are Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. CCOI, T-Mobile US, Inc. TMUS and Telenav, Inc. TNAV, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Cogent has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 11.5%. It delivered a positive earnings surprise of 15.9%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. T-Mobile has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 17.7%. It surpassed earnings estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average positive surprise being 19.5%. Telenav delivered a positive earnings surprise of 77.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ericsson (ERIC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Telenav, Inc. (TNAV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. (CCOI) : Free Stock Analysis Report T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Uttarakhand government has decided to provide 7.5 kilograms of additional food supplies to each ration card holder from April to June under the state's food distribution programme. "On Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat's directions, during April-June 2020, 7.5 kg additional food supplies will be provided to each ration card holder each month, under state's food distribution programme. An additional amount of Rs 33.84 lakhs has been released for the same,'' Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office said on Tuesday. On Monday, chief minister Rawat had conducted a review meeting with government officials regarding the coronavirus situation in the state. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state stand at 35. India's total number of coronavirus cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus outbreak, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. Global cases: More than 1,949,200 Global deaths: At least 123,348 US cases: More than 584,000 US deaths: At least 24,485 The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 7:08 pm: Trump says some state economies may open for business by May 1 President Donald Trump said that he believes some states will be able to lift the strict social distancing measures that have strained their economies before the end of April. "The plans to reopen the country are close to being finalized," Trump said at a press briefing on the virus in the Rose Garden. "I will be speaking to all 50 governors very shortly," Trump said, "And I will then be authorizing each individual governor of each individual state to implement a reopening and a very powerful reopening plan of their state at a time and in a manner as most appropriate." "The day will be very close because certain states as you know are in a much different condition and are in a much different place than other states. It's going to be very very close. Maybe even before the date of May 1st," he said. Kevin Breuninger 6:53 pm: San Francisco cancels 50th Pride Parade San Francisco is canceling its annual Pride Parade, which celebrates the city's LGBTQ+ communities, for the first time. It typically takes place in June and this year was the event's 50th anniversary. "It will be incredibly disappointing to not be able to celebrate Pride in person this year but we need to do what is best for the health and safety of everyone involved," Mayor London Breed tweeted Tuesday afternoon. Event organizers have decided to participate in "Virtual Global Pride" on Saturday, June 27 in its place. Jennifer Elias 6:34 pm: Trump calls for halt to US funding for World Health Organization amid coronavirus outbreak President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, April 14, 2020. Leah Millis | Reuters The Trump administration will halt funding to the World Health Organization as it evaluates the agency's "role in severely mismanaging" the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump announced. "Today I'm instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus," Trump said at a press conference. Trump criticized the international agency's response to the outbreak, saying "one of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations." Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Noah Higgins-Dunn 6:28 pm: Stock futures flat as investors digest signs coronavirus pandemic is easing Stock futures were flat in overnight trading following a big rally in the previous session fueled by optimism that the coronavirus outbreak is improving in the U.S. Dow futures rose 0.25%, indicating a gain of 13 points. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were set to open slightly lower. Maggie Fitzgerald 6:16 pm: March retail sales will look horrible after the coronavirus pandemic forced consumers to stay home When the economy shut down, consumers also shut down. Despite hoarding of groceries, toilet paper and other necessities, the abrupt drop in consumer spending last month at restaurants, stores and gas stations is expected to have resulted in the largest decline ever in monthly retail sales, according to Diane Swonk chief economist at Grant Thornton. Economists expect a decline of 8% in March retail sales, according to Dow Jones. That compares to a half percent decline in February. If autos are excluded, sales were expected to be down 5.2% in March. The retail sales data, expected at 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, is one of the most important readings of consumer activity. The consumer makes up about 70% of the U.S. economy and since mid-March, many Americans have been at home. Many have lost their jobs with 17 million workers filing for unemployment over the three weeks ending April 4. "The risk is to the downside," Swonk said. "We could get worse than we are expecting. As things shut down, people are also pulling in." Patti Domm 6:05 pm: Restaurant owner says small business loan not enough to immediately bring workers off furlough Junior's Cheesecake owner Alan Rosen said that the money the restaurant company has received through the Treasury Department's small business loan program is not enough to immediately bring workers off furlough. There is too much uncertainty about when the coronavirus pandemic will subside and when people will be comfortable to "sit shoulder to shoulder in our restaurants" again, Rosen said on CNBC's "Power Lunch." "Until that time it would be, in my opinion, wasted money to start spending it. We have to wait until we have a very clear pathway to success," said Rosen, whose grandfather founded Junior's in Brooklyn, New York, in 1950. The family owned business has grown now to three restaurants in New York City and a location in Connecticut. It also has a bakery outlet in Burlington, New Jersey, and an e-commerce business. Rosen said he applied for loans separately for its four restaurant locations. The company furloughed 650 employees across its restaurants, which have been closed since March 16. Kevin Stankiewicz 5:20 pm: US airlines, Treasury Department reach agreement in principle on billions in coronavirus aid U.S. airlines and the Treasury Department have reached an agreement in principle on billions in government aid aimed at softening the blow from the coronavirus, sources told CNBC. The agreement comes as the virus and harsh measures to stop it from spreading, such as stay-at-home orders, have driven air travel demand to the lowest in decades. Carriers have raced to cut costs by grounding hundreds of jetliners and asking thousands of employees to take voluntary unpaid leave. U.S. airlines including American, Delta, United, Southwest and others applied for portions of $25 billion in payroll grants that require airlines not to furlough or cut the pay rates of any employees through Sept. 30. The grants were part of the more than $2 trillion coronavirus relief package Congress passed last month. Leslie Josephs, Lauren Hirsch 4:30 pm: California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils guide to lifting state's coronavirus restrictions California governor Gavin Newsom Rich Pedroncelli | Pool | AP California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday a guide to how California will reopen society and the economy across the state as officials weigh lifting restrictive orders meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Newsom became the first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19. He said Tuesday that the order and similar policies have successfully minimized California's Covid-19 outbreak, which has infected more than 22,348 people across the state and killed at least 687 people in California as of Sunday, according to California Health and Human Services. "While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order," Newsom said in a statement. "As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before." Will Feuer 4:15 pm: ER visits drop as patients steer clear of hospitals Emergency room and other doctor's visits at hospitals in Seattle, New York and elsewhere across the U.S. have tumbled in recent weeks, reflecting a broader trend across the U.S. as people steer clear of hospitals for sometimes necessary and emergency care, even for mild heart attacks. At Providence St. Joseph Health in the Seattle-area, the volume of heart attack patients at its 51 hospitals fell by about 50% in March compared with the same month last year, CEO Dr. Rod Hochman said, adding that the notion that people have just stopped having heart attacks is "too good to be true." He and other physicians suspect patients that have mild heart attacks or strokes that would have normally sent them to the emergency room in the past are seeking treatment from family doctors, outpatient clinics or foregoing it altogether as Covid-19 patients inundate hospitals across the country. The consequences could last years, he said. Will Feuer 4 pm: Dow rallies more than 500 points on improving virus outlook, Amazon jumps to all-time high 3:50 pm: Kroger, major union says grocery workers should be designated first responders Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain, and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, its largest food and retail union, have teamed up to call on elected leaders to designate grocery workers as first responders. In a joint statement, they said federal and state officials must act quickly, so grocery workers can get priority access to masks and gloves. They said the employees need the gear to stay safe as they continue to go to work and try to reduce risk of getting sick with Covid-19. "This urgent call for temporary first responder or emergency personnel status is not just about protecting grocery store workers; it is also about protecting the customers they serve and our nation's food supply in general," they said in the statement. The labor union, which represents 1.3 million workers at major grocery chains, meatpacking plants and more, is also urging customers to change how they shop and to wear a cloth masks or face covering during every trip to the store. Melissa Repko 3:30 pm: Pandemic puts pressure on a workforce already in crisis The nation's 3.3 million home health-care workers are the other front-line heroes in the war against the coronavirus. While hospitals' physicians and nurses tend to the sickest Covid-19 victims, the in-home workforce is caring for millions of the most vulnerable Americans. Demand for their services is growing as more of the elderly leave nursing facilities for fear of infection and hospitals release noncritical patients for home care. Yet they lack personal protective equipment, too. According to a March survey of 1,200 in-home workers by the Home Care Association of America, 77% don't have enough masks and 57% don't have enough gloves. Many are underpaid and lack health insurance and paid sick leave. The pandemic is putting additional pressure on a workforce already in crisis suffering from shortages, especially in hard-hit states such as New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Washington. In response, the largest home health-care union, industry providers and advocacy groups are urging Washington to respond to this crisis. The risks to in-home caregivers extends beyond the scarcity of PPE to screening for coronavirus, said William Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, a Washington-based industry advocate mostly for nurses, therapists and other medically trained in-home workers. "I can't speak for every location and employer," he said, "but the protocol under way is for screening of every worker before going into the home, so they don't create a risk for their clients, and it's also screening clients to see that there's no risk to the workers." Even so, according to the HCAOA survey, nearly 90% of respondents reported clients canceling one or more visits, because they fear aides may spread the disease. Despite those worries, however, 80% said that no clients or employees had reported Covid-19 symptoms. Lori Ioannou 3:12 pm: 7.5 million small businesses are at risk of closing, report finds Nearly 7.5 million small businesses are at risk of closing their doors permanently over the next several months if the coronavirus pandemic persists, according to a survey. Around two-thirds of entrepreneurs said they may have to shut forever if business disruption continues at its current rate for up to five months, according to a survey by Main Street America, a network of more than 1,600 commercial districts comprising 300,000 small businesses. More than 30% are at risk if the status quo persists for two months, according to the survey, which polled in excess of 5,850 small business owners. These figures point to 3.5 million small businesses closing permanently in the next two months, and 7.5 million over the next five months, according to Main Street America. Greg Iacurci 3:05 pm: Cisco will let customers defer 95% of their payments on new products until 2021 Cisco announced a financing program that will let customers defer 95% of their payments for new products until 2021. Cisco is committing $2.5 billion to cover financing for the effort. The offerings could help customers preserve cash amid reduced economic activity while people stay at home to avoid further spread of the coronavirus. Then, once conditions have improved, they'll be in a better position to pay what they owe. Cisco customers won't have to pay for software, hardware or services they buy for 90 days, so long as orders are placed between Tuesday and July 25. After the 90-day period, they pay 1% in the total contract value per month until the end of 2020, according to the company's website. They'll have to make monthly payments in line with the terms of their agreements after that. Pre-owned Cisco products are also available for payment deferrals through 2021. Jordan Novet 2:48 pm: Trump to convene G7 leaders in video link to discuss pandemic U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a video teleconference with G7 leaders on Thursday to coordinate national responses to the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. Trump, who is head of the G7 this year, had to cancel the group's annual summit, which he had planned to hold at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland, in June. The Group of Seven nations include the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany, and all seven of them have been hit hard by the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from a London hospital this week after treatment for the virus, which left him in the intensive care unit for several days. "Working together, the G7 is taking a whole-of-society approach to tackle the crisis across multiple areas, including health, finance, humanitarian assistance, and science and technology," said White House spokesman Judd Deere. The Thursday session is a followup to their March 16 video conference, the first time G7 leaders had met in that format, to go over efforts to defeat the coronavirus. In addition to the meeting this week, another session is expected in May to lay the groundwork for the June video conference. Reuters 2:38 pm: California signs up more than 58,000 people for health coverage California has signed up more than 58,000 people for health coverage on the state's Affordable Care Act exchanges during the first three weeks of the special enrollment period launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The enrollment window began on March 20, and the state is allowing previously uninsured residents to sign up for Obamacare plans through June 30. California, New York, Washington state and the District of Columbia are among nearly a dozen state-run exchanges that have opened up special enrollment periods for the uninsured. The Trump administration has resisted opening up a special enrollment period on the federally run exchanges and has proposed using money from the $100 billion hospital relief funding to reimburse health systems for treating Covid-19 patients who are uninsured. Bertha Coombs 2:25 pm: GM says it is ready to deliver first batch of critical care ventilators General Motors said the first batch of ventilators needed to treat severely sick coronavirus patients are ready for delivery to the United States government. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded GM a contract worth $489.4 million to make 30,000 ventilators by the end of August. GM, which is working with ventilator firm Ventec Life Systems to produce the ventilators, said it will ship more than 600 ventilators this month. Reuters 2:19 pm: Jamie Dimon says US companies might send employees back to work by 'June, July, August' Jamie Dimon said that American companies will start bringing back employees who are working remotely by June at the earliest. The JPMorgan Chase CEO said that the business world's return to normalcy will occur in phases and be determined by the conditions in regions and at specific companies. Many businesses have sent employees home or furloughed them amid shutdowns tied to the coronavirus pandemic. "A rational plan to get back to work is a good thing to do, and hopefully it will be sooner rather than later," Dimon said in a conference call with analysts. "But it won't be May. We're talking about June, July, August, something like that." Hugh Son 2:10 pm: Cases in New York top 200,000 as the outbreak appears to slow The coronavirus has now infected more than 200,000 people across New York state as the Covid-19 outbreak begins to slow and the country continues to ramp up its testing capacity. New cases across the state rose by 7,177 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 202,208, according to New York State Department of Health data gathered as of midnight. Some 10,834 people have died so far, including one child under 10 years old and six kids between 10 and 19, according to the data. One of the kids had diabetes, but the rest didn't have any underlying medical conditions, the data shows. Will Feuer 2:01 pm: US airports get $10 billion in federal aid as the pandemic roils air travel A worker walks through a baggage claim area at a nearly-empty O'Hare International Airport on April 2, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images The Department of Transportation says $10 billion in grants are now available for airports as they struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, which as driven down the number of air travelers in the U.S. to levels not seen in decades after states issued shelter-in-place orders and other restrictions. Airports can use the funds, outlined in the $2 trillion CARES Act, for capital expenditures, payroll, utilities and other operating costs and debt payments. Airports make money from airline fees, parking, retail and other revenue streams. Leslie Josephs 1:55 pm: Self-employed and need a relief loan? You should wrap up your 2019 taxes right now Here's one reason for self-employed people to start their 2019 tax return: The bank might want it when you apply for the Paycheck Protection Program. The federal government's $349 billion forgivable loan program opened to independent contractors and self-employed people on April 10, a week after the bumpy April 3 roll out to small businesses. Just because the loan window is open to entrepreneurs doesn't mean that they can easily tap the funds. Currently, banks are asking small businesses to submit payroll expense documents, including payroll tax reports, plus health insurance premium and retirement plan funding data. Lenders have also limited their PPP applicants to entrepreneurs who already have existing business accounts or loans with them. This doesn't sync with the way independent contractors operate and it's why some accountants are talking about pushing through tax returns for 2019. Darla Mercado 1:47 pm: New York Gov. Cuomo says Trump will have 'no fight with me' on coronavirus, but he's 'wrong' on the law New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo during a press conference. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will not engage in a fight with President Donald Trump as tension escalated between the two this week over who has authority to reopen the U.S. economy. Trump said he has "total" authority over the states. "This is not time for politics and it is no time to fight. I put my hand out in total partnership and cooperation with the president. If he wants a fight he's not going to get it from me. Period," Cuomo said at a press conference in Albany, adding that Trump is "wrong on the law." On Monday, Cuomo announced a formal working group with several other Northeastern governors to coordinate the region's Covid-19 mitigation efforts as well as any plans to reopen the states for business. Trump, later in the day, told reporters that only he had that power: "When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's got to be," which prompted a sharp rebuke from Cuomo. Noah Higgins-Dunn 1:35 pm: Fauci downplays move to reopen economy: 'We're not there yet' Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nation's economy, adding a dose of caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House. "We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we're not there yet," Fauci said in an interview with The Associated Press. Fauci's comments come as President Donald Trump and others in the administration weigh how quickly businesses can reopen and Americans can get back to work weeks after the fast-spreading coronavirus essentially halted the U.S. economy. Trump has floated the possibility of reopening some areas by May 1 and said he could announce recommendations as soon as this week. Fauci said a May 1 target is "a bit overly optimistic" for many areas of the country. Any easing off the strict social-distancing rules in place in much of the country would have to occur on a "rolling" basis, not all at once, he said, reflecting the ways Covid-19 struck different parts of the country at different times. Associated Press 1:19 pm: Why you can't get a refund for a postponed show from Ticketmaster There's a reason you can't get a refund from Ticketmaster for a postponed concert the online ticket seller doesn't have your money. The venue does. "I think there's a lot of misperception about Ticketmaster," Joe Berchtold, the president of Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster, said on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." "Ticketmaster doesn't sell these tickets and sit on a mountain of cash. Ticketmaster sells tickets and gives the cash over to the venues where the events are held." Over the last week, Ticketmaster has faced backlash from consumers seeking refunds for postponed live events. Berchtold explained that in order for Ticketmaster to issue refunds it needs to work with the event venues, but those venues are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Sarah Whitten 1:02 pm: 'Coronavirus is not good news for Unilever' CEO says 'pantry loading' is largely a US phenomenon Unilever, the London-based consumer products giant, is not benefiting overall from the coronavirus crisis even though many of its soap and hand-washing brands are seeing increased demand, CEO Alan Jope told CNBC. "Coronavirus is not good news for Unilever. We're seeing shift in demand for sure," he said in a "Squawk on the Street" interview. "We're seeing a big reduction in out-of-home food consumption of ice cream and restaurant products." Unilever makes Breyers and Ben and Jerry's ice cream as well as Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton and Pure Leaf teas. The conglomerate also makes consumer staples such as Dove and Lifebuoy antibacterial soaps. "Yes, we're seeing increases in demand in some of the hygiene products," Jope said. However, the net effect of the outbreak for the company at large is "certainly not good news for us on a commercial basis," he added. Jope said panic buying and hoarding of supplies is largely an American phenomenon. "Only in the U.S. are we seeing this kind of dramatic pantry loading. I think the U.S. consumer has typically a bigger house and more appetite for credit card debt than elsewhere in the world." Matthew J. Belvedere 12:46 pm: Millions of Americans may not be able to pay bills. These banks are offering relief In the face of the global pandemic, millions of Americans may not be able to pay their bills this month. To that end, a growing number of financial institutions, including Ally Financial, Bank of America, Citi and Fifth Third Bank, have taken steps to offer some assistance for customers affected by Covid-19. The coronavirus aid relief bill also offers some credit protections. For example, lenders and financial institutions need to report accounts as "current" (as opposed to delinquent) but it doesn't happen automatically; borrowers must first apply for help. "Speak up and ask for a break," said Ted Rossman, industry analyst at CreditCards.com. Jessica Dickler 12:36 pm: Advertising companies brace for downturn as coronavirus rattles ad spending As the impact of the coronavirus pandemic hits businesses and their ad spend, advertising holding companies are preparing for a drop in demand, and some are telling their employees to expect staff cuts and furloughs. The advertising industry is bracing for a wider impact of any economic fallout on client spending, since marketing is often one of the first items that businesses cut during a financial downturn. Some brand advertisers have said they've already dramatically reduced spending. In an internal weekly email to employees that was viewed by CNBC, Omnicom Group CEO John Wren wrote that the pandemic has had an impact on the economy, clients' businesses, "and in turn, on ours." He wrote that the company has solidified internal measures to meet the changing needs of its clients. The holding company operates agencies across the advertising world, including BBDO, DDB and TBWA. "Regrettably, this will include furloughs and staff reductions across many of our agencies," Wren wrote. "We are doing everything we can to limit staff reductions, and to take care of those who are affected." Meg Graham 12:22 pm: Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones in China in March following virus slump Apple shipped roughly 2.5 million iPhones in China in March, a slight rebound after one of its worst months in the country ever, according to government data published on Friday. Smartphone companies are hoping for a strong recovery in demand in China, where the deadly coronavirus is subsiding, just as it spreads overseas and looks set to trigger a global recession. Mobile phone shipments in China in March totaled 21 million units, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a government think tank. That was a more than three-fold increase from February, yet still down roughly 20% compared with March 2019. Reuters 12:15 pm: J&J can produce up to 900 million coronavirus vaccine doses by April 2021 if trials go well A French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) researcher holds a test tube rack containing cells to be infected with Covid-19 during coronavirus vaccine research work inside the Pasteur Institute laboratories in Lille, France, March 9, 2020. Adrienne Surprenant | Bloomberg | Getty Images Johnson & Johnson is aiming to produce between 600 million and 900 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine by the end of the first quarter of 2021 if human trials scheduled to begin in September go as planned. It plans to make 1 billion doses or more annually, J&J executives told investors during a post-earnings conference call. The comments came shortly after the drugmaker raised its quarterly dividend and reported first-quarter financial results that beat Wall Street's expectations. The company also lowered its 2020 adjusted earnings forecast due to the coronavirus outbreak. It's now expecting a range of $7.50 to $7.90 per share, from its prior estimate of $8.95 to $9.10 per share. Late last month, the company said human testing of its experimental vaccine for the coronavirus will begin by September and could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. 12:09 pm: New York coronavirus deaths are leveling off, but at a 'devastating level of pain and grief,' Gov. Cuomo says Coronavirus deaths are starting to level off in New York state at close to 800 per day with the total number of fatalities reaching 10,834 on Monday, a staggering number that nonetheless shows that shuttering nonessential businesses and keeping New Yorkers home is helping to curb the Covid-19 outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "That is to me the most painful number and it has been the most painful number every day," Cuomo said during a press conference in Albany. "Those New Yorkers are in our thoughts and prayers. If you look at the past few days of the number of lives lost, it's basically flat at a devastating level of pain and grief." Noah Higgins-Dunn 11:56 am: 99-year-old WWII veteran raises over $2.5 million for British health-care workers amid the coronavirus A 99-year-old World War II veteran has raised more than 2.2 million ($2.8 million) for workers in the U.K.'s National Health Service during the coronavirus pandemic. With the help of a walking frame, Tom Moore has challenged himself to walk 100 lengths of his backyard, which is 25 meters (82 feet) long, before he turns 100 years old at the end of April. Moore is doing 10 laps a day in order to complete the challenge. He decided to take on the challenge after receiving treatment from the NHS for skin cancer and a broken hip, praising health-care workers for their "patience" and "kindness" in a TV interview. Moore smashed his original fundraising target of 1,000 ($1,257), receiving nearly $2 million in donations on Tuesday alone. Vicky McKeever 11:32 a.m.: Boeing customers cancel staggering 150 Max plane orders, deepening crisis as coronavirus roils air travel An unpainted Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is seen parked in an aerial photo at Renton Municipal Airport near the Boeing Renton facility in Renton, Washington, U.S. July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019. Lindsey Wassen | Reuters Boeing customers canceled a staggering number of 737 Max orders last month, deepening the crisis the company faces amid the coronavirus pandemic and the continued grounding of its bestselling plane after two fatal crashes. Boeing shares were down more than 3% shortly after the company posted the dismal figures, trading near session lows. The company on Tuesday posted 150 cancellations of its beleaguered 737 Max jets in March. Brazilian airline Gol canceled 34 of the narrow-body planes, and leasing firm Avolon scrapped orders for 75, a move it announced earlier this month. Net cancellations in the month totaled 119. Boeing did receive 31 orders for wide-body passenger planes and military aircraft in the month. Net cancellations for the first three months of the year reached 307 planes, a sharp turnaround for a company that just over a year ago was aiming to increase output of its planes to meet strong demand. --Leslie Josephs 11:12 am: The race for coronavirus vaccines picks up with 70 now in development Seventy possible vaccines are now in development for Covid-19, up from to 44 on March 20, according to a document from WHO published Saturday. Scientists expect it to take between 12 and 18 months to get a vaccine approved for mass use. Of the 70 Covid-19 vaccines in development, only three are in clinical trials, meaning they are being tested on humans. Clinical trials are designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a new drug and consist of several phases, each involving more patients. China's CanSino Biological, in partnership with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, is in the lead, with the only candidate vaccine currently in phase two trials. U.S. players Moderna and Inovio Pharmaceuticals are the other two developers testing vaccines on humans and both are currently in phase one. The remaining 67 potential vaccines are still only in the preclinical trial stage. Julianna Tatelbaum 10:56 am: Harvard to impose a salary and hiring freeze due to fallout from coronavirus outbreak Harvard University is implementing an immediate hiring and salary freeze, canceling or deferring discretionary spending and delaying some capital projects due to financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The university said the hiring and salary freeze is for "exempt employees" those who are typically nonunion members and are not eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. President Lawrence Bacow, Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and Provost Alan Garber are taking 25% salary cuts, according to a joint email sent Monday to the university community. Senior school administrators, including deans, vice presidents and vice provosts, are also reducing their salaries to contribute to a support fund for employees experiencing financial hardships. Jasmine Kim 10:32 am: New York City will buy 100,000 coronavirus test kits per week Two Fire Department of New York Emergency Medical Team members attach a Thank You banner outside the emergency room of the Elmhurst Hospital Center on April 7, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images New York City will purchase 100,000 coronavirus test kits per week from a mix of local contractors and a Carmel, Indiana-based company as the city works to identify more Covid-19 cases, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. "For the first time, we're going to have a truly reliable major supply of testing," de Blasio said at a press conference. Aria Diagnostics donated 50,000 test kits, de Blasio said, adding that the city will purchase 50,000 kits per week from the company starting next week. De Blasio said the city is also contracting through local companies to produce another 50,000 kits per week starting Monday. He described both commitments as "breakthroughs." William Feuer, Noah Higgins-Dunn 10:21 am: Amazon fires two employees who were outspoken critics of its labor practices Amazon fired two employees who were outspoken critics of the company's labor practices, including, most recently, its treatment of warehouse workers during the coronavirus outbreak. The company confirmed to CNBC that it fired user experience designers Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa for "repeatedly violating internal policies." "We support every employee's right to criticize their employer's working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. Amazon's external communications policy prohibits employees from speaking about the company's business without approval from management. The workers said they were fired on Friday and believe the action was in retaliation to their continued criticism of Amazon, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the news Tuesday. Annie Palmer 9:53 am: CEO gives cellphone number to all 10,000 of his employees to call with coronavirus concerns For the 10,000 employees at Activision Blizzard around the world, one person they can call about their coronavirus concerns is CEO Bobby Kotick. "About a month ago, we sent out an email from my email address with my phone number and we encouraged every single employee that has a concern that relates to their health care to just contact me directly," Kotick told CNBC's Becky Quick on "Squawk Box." Kotick said "a few hundred" employees have reached out to him since that email. "But we're fortunate. Very few actually tested positive so far for Covid-19." Activision Blizzard also partnered with organizations for additional mental-health care and for licensed child care, said Kotick, noting the company has made investments to support research on treatments for Covid-19. Kevin Stankiewicz 9:42 am: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts have highest number of reported cases 9:35 am: Dow jumps 500 points as the coronavirus outlook improves Stocks jumped Tuesday as investors grew more optimistic about the coronavirus outlook while bracing for the start of the corporate earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 510 points, or 2.2%. The S&P 500 climbed 2.2% while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.4%. Johnson & Johnson was the best-performing stock in the Dow while the S&P 500 was led higher by 2% rallies in tech, real estate and utilities. Fred Imbert, Yun Li 9:30 am: Hudson Yards owner says workers must return to offices before malls can reopen in post-coronavirus world Retail centers won't reopen after the coronavirus pandemic subsides until weeks after commercial offices return, according to the owner of Hudson Yards in New York. "My guess is we go back to offices first," Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin on Tuesday. "I think retail is going to be a second step. I think retail is going to be much slower to come back. Just because people go to their offices, I don't think they are going to rush out to congregate in restaurants." Some of Related's retail properties include Hudson Yards and The Shops at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Related's portfolio of real estate in the U.S. also includes office buildings and residential towers. Related is already testing a handful of temperature-scanning machines at construction sites, for example, which could be rolled out to office buildings and malls. Lauren Thomas 9:06 am: Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats sued over restaurant prices amid pandemic GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats were sued on Monday for allegedly exploiting their dominance in restaurant meal deliveries to impose fees that consumers ultimately bear through higher menu prices, including during the coronavirus pandemic. In a proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, three consumers said the defendants violated U.S. antitrust law by requiring that restaurants charge delivery customers and dine-in customers the same price, while imposing "exorbitant" fees of 10% to 40% of revenue to process delivery orders. The consumers, all from New York, said this sticks restaurants with a "devil's choice" of charging everyone higher prices as a condition of using the defendants' services. Grubhub, whose businesses include Grubhub and Seamless, and Uber Technologies, which owns Uber Eats, declined to comment. DoorDash and Postmates did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters 8:58 am: IMF slashes growth forecasts, says world will 'very likely' experience worst recession since the 1930s The global economy this year will likely suffer the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund said, as governments worldwide grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. The Washington-based organization now expects the global economy to contract by 3% in 2020. By contrast, in January it had forecast a global gross domestic product expansion of 3.3% for this year. "It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago," IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said in the latest World Economic Outlook report. Silvia Amaro 8:50 am: The 10 US states developing 'reopening' plans account for 38% of the US economy The 10 U.S. states coordinating plans separately from the White House to reopen businesses shut by the coronavirus generated 38.3% of the total U.S. economic output in the fourth quarter of 2019, highlighting how much of the U.S. economy depends on its most populous states. On Monday, three states on the West Coast, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and seven on the East Coast, led by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said they will develop coordinated regional plans. With the exception of Massachusetts, all are led by Democratic governors. Reuters 8:25 am: Global airline hit rises to $314 billion Global airlines will lose $314 billion in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 according to a forecast from the industry's representative body IATA, which raised its estimate from the $252 billion figure given on March 24. The $314 billion represents a 55% fall in passenger revenues compared with the previous year, on air traffic, which is seen being 48% lower, the International Air Transport Association said in a weekly online news conference. Reuters 7:49 am: Sanofi partners with GSK to develop vaccine Sanofi and GSK have entered an agreement to jointly create a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of next year. The companies plan to start clinical trials in the second half of 2020 and make it available by the second half of 2021. "As the world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no one company can go it alone," Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in an announcement. "That is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources with our peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient quantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus." Jennifer Elias 7:18 am: WHO says 'certainly not seeing the peak yet' The number of new cases of Covid-19 is easing in some parts of Europe, including Italy and Spain, but outbreaks are still growing in Britain and Turkey, the World Health Organization said. "The overall world outbreak, 90 percent of cases are coming from Europe and the United States of America. So we are certainly not seeing the peak yet," WHO spokeswoman Dr. Margaret Harris told a briefing in Geneva. In China, "the biggest threat is imported cases," she said, referring to the latest data. "We shouldn't really be expecting to see the vaccine for 12 months or longer," Harris added. Reuters 7:14 am: Spain reports 567 new deaths as infection rate slows Doctors are on the street in front of the emergency entrance of the hospital of St. Pau to thank the support of the neighbors during the crisis of coronavirus - Covidien-19 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on March 31, 2020. NurPhoto Spain's overnight death toll from the coronavirus rose to 567 from 517 a day earlier, while the country reported its lowest increase in new cases since March 18. Total deaths climbed to 18,056, while confirmed cases of the infection rose by 3,045 to 172,541, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Reuters 7:05 am: WHO offers advice on adapting to a 'new normal' The World Health Organization has identified six criteria for countries looking to slowly lift lockdown measures, warning the way down from the peak of the outbreak is "much slower" than the way up. The global public health crisis has meant countries around the world have effectively had to shut down, with many governments imposing draconian measures on the lives of billions of people. The social and economic restrictions, which range from school closures to social distancing and bans on public gatherings, were brought in to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Some European countries have laid out plans to emerge from lockdown as soon as this month after enduring several weeks of stringent social and economic restrictions. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus outlined a checklist that the United Nations health agency has devised for countries considering whether to lift some lockdown measures. Sam Meredith 6:12 am: London's Heathrow airport expects passenger traffic to slump by 90% in April A largely empty Heathrow Terminal 5 on September 9, 2019 in London, England. British Airways pilots have begun a 48 hour 'walkout', grounding most of its flights over a dispute about the pay structure of its pilots. Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images London's Heathrow Airport said it expects passenger traffic to slump by 90% in April, as it announced that passenger numbers for March were down 52% year-on-year. Heathrow said it moved to single runway operations on April 6 and in coming weeks will consolidate all operations into two of its four open terminals. "The move will protect long-term jobs at the airport by reducing operating costs, helping Heathrow to remain financially resilient," operators said in a statement, adding that the airport's available capacity was now being used to prioritize cargo flights with medical supplies. Chloe Taylor 5:21 am: UK likely to extend lockdown as death toll tops 11,000, while Europe starts to lift restrictions The U.K. looks set to extend its lockdown measures into early or perhaps even late May, just as other European hot spots start to lift some restrictions on businesses. The official number of deaths from the virus in the U.K. stands at 11,239 with the U.K. on the same trajectory as Italy, the government's chief scientific advisor said on Monday. Italy has seen over 20,000 deaths from the virus but has started to lift some lockdown measures, allowing bookshops and stationers to reopen. Holly Ellyatt 5:08 am: Death toll in England 15% higher than previously reported A local councillor has called on police to investigate allegations that a slug was planted in the kitchens of a family-owned catering business to precipitate the closure of the company on health grounds. The slug was found during a scheduled health inspection at iCook Foods in Melbourne by the City of Greater Dandenong Council in February last year. The Department of Health subsequently shut the company down. Business owners Ben and Ian Cook suspect the slug was planted in the kitchens, but the council denies the accusation. The council is part owner of a rival catering company called Community Chef which provides meals to nursing homes and Meals on Wheels. A slug was found on the kitchen floor of Ben and Ian Cook's family food business, iCook Foods, but the father and son are adamant the slug was planted there by a health inspector Councillor Peter Brown (pictured) is demanding a police investigation into the incident saying 'it appears impossible' the slug got into the kitchens of caterers I Cook Foods 'on its own volition' Councillor Peter Brown is backing the business owners against his own council and demanding police investigate the incident. 'I simply cannot believe that any reasonable person would accept the slug got in there on its own volition,' Mr Brown told ABC on Tuesday. 'It appears impossible. It raises doubts about all the other charges.' As a result of the slug-induced shutdown, more than $500,000 worth of food went to waste and the company lost their contracts, before health authorities eventually allowed them to re-open. The council later hit the company with 96 charges, and used a photo of a slug on the floor as their key piece of evidence, but later dropped all charges, saying it wanted to spare ratepayers the expense of pursuing the legal case. The Cook family believe the tissue was used by the inspector to smuggle the slug into the kitchen, and the council photoshopped out the tissue in their photos CCTV footage also emerged of the worker walking toward the corner of the cooking area, before the inspector walked out of security camera range and squatted down for 17 seconds. This happened while Michael, iCook's food safety supervisor, watched on. 'I found it strange that (the inspector) was there for so long,' Michael told A Current Affair last year. 'I'm hyper vigilant and I could tell you literally every mark on this floor.' Michael said he would swear on his life that there wasn't a slug on the kitchen floor. The family had also had the kitchen inspected for pests two days prior to the council inspection, and nothing had been found. 'With the chlorine and sort of alkaline chemical they use here, with the sanitiser, as soon as it [the slug] made immediate contact with that, it would virtually start bubbling and virtually die on the spot,' pest inspector Alex Jerger said. CCTV footage captured the council health inspector walking toward the corner of the kitchen during the inspection, where Ian and Ben claim the inspector planted the slug Ian and Ben were given a photo of the slug the council found on the kitchen floor following their inspection. But when food safety officer Michael took his own photo of the slug just moments later, he noticed a piece of tissue a few centimetres from the slug. The Cook family believe the tissue was used by the inspector to smuggle the slug into the kitchen, and the council photoshopped out the tissue in their photos. Cr Brown has since seen the damning footage and has called for the investigation to find out the truth behind the slug incident. 'I'm really pleased [with Cr Brown] that he wants to get at the truth,' Mr Cook said. iCook Foods has been supplying meals to nursing homes around Dandenong in Melbourne's east for 30 years. Since reopening, the business has struggled to get back on its feet after losing a number of contracts. STORY LINK Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) Exchange Rate Jumps as Coronavirus Cases Slow Pound Sterling New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) Exchange Rate Rallies on Risk Appetite Rebound Were still in this reversal mode where currencies hit hard last month are rebounding. The Pound was one of the worst performing currencies last month. Britain has a large current account deficit and is seen as vulnerable in crisis conditions - it also performed badly in the financial crisis. But we are now moving away from a period of tension and stress in markets, allowing currencies like the Pound to gradually recover. New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Falls despite Rebound in Risk Appetite Its all underpinned by general weakness in the US Dollar. Pound New Zealand Dollar Outlook: Will Risk Appetite Continue to Boost GBP? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound Sterling New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate jumped by around 0.4% on Tuesday, leaving the pairing trading at around NZ$2.0605.Today saw the Pound jump, rebounding against both of its main rivals, the US Dollar (USD) and Euro (EUR) as well as the New Zealand Dollar.GBP benefitted from the improved risk appetite seen this month as coronavirus cases slow and some countries consider reopening.This comes despite the warnings from experts that coronavirus is likely to see the UK be the worst hit country in Europe.According to MUFGs currency analyst, Lee Hardman:The New Zealand Dollar struggled to make gains against the Pound despite the upswing in risk appetite today.Better-than-expected Chinese data revealed a much less gloomy picture of the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Chinas exports slumped by -6.6% despite earlier forecasts of a -14% fall, while imports slipped -0.9% compared to an expected -9.5%, which boosted risk appetite.Meanwhile, the Kiwi was offered further support after comments from Finance Minister Grant Robertson.The countrys Finance Minister said that bank lending should be viewed as part of their social licence to operate, and government spending should be used to support individuals, firms and encourage job-rich industries.According to Kiwibank dealer, Mike Shirley this all fuelled an increase in demand for the risk-sensitive Kiwi. Shirley noted:Added to this, the countrys latest coronavirus numbers offered NZD further support. Tuesdays numbers showed new infections rose by just 17 while the countrys death toll increased by four, bringing the total to nine.However, this did not provide the Kiwi with enough support to rise against the Pound on Tuesday, although it likely limited Sterling's gains.Looking ahead, the coronavirus pandemic is likely to remain the main catalyst for movement of both the Pound (GBP) and New Zealand Dollar (NZD) due to a lack of economic data releases.Risk appetite will rise if the number of cases worldwide continue to slow, showing the lock downs are working.Meanwhile, traders will be looking to the end of the week as China is scheduled to release a slew of economic data.If Chinas retails sales, GDP and industrial production mirrors todays data, showing the economic fallout from the virus is not as bad as expected, risk appetite could send the Pound New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate higher. 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 New Zealand Dollar Forecasts VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 13, 2020 / EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. (the 'Company' or "Enviroleach") (CSE: ETI)(OTCQB: EVLLF)(Frankfurt: 7N2.F) (WKN: A2DQUC) At the request of IIROC, Enviroleach wishes to confirm that the Company's management is unaware of any material change in the Company's operations that would account for the recent increase in market activity. About Enviroleach Technologies Inc. EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. has developed a unique, cyanide free, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to the toxic methods currently used in the hydrometallurgical extraction of precious metals for the mining and Electronic Waste (E-Waste) sectors. The patent-pending EnviroLeach Process is safe, eco-friendly, and provides comparable leach kinetics to that of cyanide or acid based lixiviants on most ores, concentrates, tailings and E-Waste. The company is actively pursuing strategic relationships in both sectors. Contact Information: EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. Don Weatherbee CFO info@enviroleach.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584919/EnviroLeach-Unaware-of-any-Material-Change Presidents sometimes have to make bold moves and shake up the status quo to benefit the country, but when it comes to Dr. Anthony Fauci and former congressman Steve Stockman, Donald Trump should do something else. He should do nothing at all. He should keep both Fauci and Stockman right where they are, because they are both exactly where they need to be for the bests interests of the nation. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, has emerged as the truth-teller of the coronavirus ordeal. He is the one trusted figure the American people have come to rely upon at a time of so much uncertainty. While Trump has downplayed the seriousness of this crisis and now cant want to reopen the country, Fauci has been calmly speaking in logical ways about what we should do to get through this pandemic. Because he has deviated from Trumps unfounded optimism and disagreed with Trumps unscientific support for the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to fight this disease, that doesnt make him a popular person in an administration based on loyalty and sycophancy. Conservative media outlets and social media posters have piled on the criticism of Fauci, even promoting a hashtag #FireFauci, which Trump retweeted in a comment this weekend. Firing Fauci would be a mistake for this president, and at this time there is no indication that he would do something so rash. We hope he continues to disregard any impulse along those lines and keeps Fauci right where he is until this virus is defeated. Stockman is not nearly as honorable as Fauci, but his status also should remain unchanged. Stockman is serving a 10-year federal prison stint for a complex campaign corruption scheme at a federal prison south of Beaumont. Yet his far-right politics have resonated in some parts of the White House, and his wife is pushing for a presidential pardon. She says the former congressman is in poor health and that his life could be threatened if he catches the virus in prison. The low-security prison that Stockman calls home has not reported any cases yet, and his physical condition applies to countless other inmates at all levels. A petition by 50 conservative leaders who normally uphold the need for law and order said Stockman should be pardoned because of his intense Christian faith, and the extreme length of the judges sentence. The petition does not explain how Stockmans faith affected his cynical decision to violate many laws and blatantly abuse the trust placed in him by voters. When a member of Congress does something like that, a long stint behind bars is fully justified. Trump has pardoned all sorts of characters who deserved no mercy, and we hope that Stockman doesnt join that rogues gallery. He and Fauci can serve as a positive example to all Americans if they stay right where they are. The Democratic challenger to a Wisconsin judge backed by Donald Trump, has declared victory after an election marked by controversy and weighted down by the Covid-19- pandemic. Jill Karofsky, who was challenging incumbent Republican Daniel Kelly for his seat on the states supreme court, declared victory and thanked her supporters, even as officials continued to tally results. I want to send a heartfelt thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who made their voice heard in this unprecedented election, Ms Karofsky 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 Im honoured to have earned the trust of people across this state who believe in a tough, fair, and independent judiciary and I promise to never forget these principles as their Wisconsin supreme court justice. Yet she added: Nobody in this state or in this country should have been forced to choose between their safety and participating in an election. Ms Karofsky was referring to the controversy last week when the states held a series of votes, for local and national office. Joe Biden best Bernie Sanders in the battle to become the Democratic Partys presidential nominee. Yet critics accused Republicans of endangering voters by declining to postpone the polls, or else permit absentee voting for everyone, forcing them to risk being infected by the coronavirus. On the eve of the last weeks vote, Mr Trump had tweeted: VOTE for Justice Daniel Kelly and be safe! In a statement, Mr Kelly appeared to concede the race. I congratulate judge Karofsky and wish her well, he said. Many were watching the race for the court seat because the winner will help decide future voting rights and redistricting issues in the state Wisconsin, a vital general election battleground, including a case now before the court that seeks to purge more than 200,000 people from Wisconsins voter rolls. Additional reporting by Reuters As farmers in the country find it tough to sell their produce during the lockdown, the agriculture ministry has initiated efforts to increase the export from the country. The major markets in Mumbai and many other cities are largely shut at present. Organised retailers such as Reliance Retail, D-Mart, Big Basket and Tata Star Bazaar are the major procurers of the farm produce at this time, besides the fragmented unorganised players. "Almost 70-80 per cent of the farm produce is not reaching the customers now. So the farmers are either delaying the harvest or dumping it after finding no buyers," says a trader in the APMC market in Navi Mumbai. Agriculture ministry secretary Sanjay Agarwal held talks with the exporters of agri and allied commodities to enhance exports during COVID-19 crisis. The exporters and representatives of associations of producers of agri commodities such as fruits, vegetables, basmati and non-basmati rice, seeds, flowers, plants, organic produce, agriculture equipment and machinery, participated in a video conferencing with the secretary on Monday. The exporters highlighted issues such as shortage of labour, inter-state transport bottlenecks, shortage of raw materials due to closure of mandis, phyto-sanitary certification and closure of courier services, thereby hampering movement of shipping documents, non-availability of freight services, access to ports and clearance of goods for imports and exports. The representatives of industries relating to food processing, spices, cashew nuts and machine and equipment sectors requested for permission to operate at least 25-30 per cent of their strength. The issue of internal transport is being addressed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and necessary directives are being issued. Agarwal said the issues pertaining to port, ocean freight services and courier services will be considered for necessary resolution. India is a net exporter of agricultural and allied commodities. India's agricultural and allied exports during 2018-19 were Rs 2.73 lakh crore and the sector has always been positive in balance of trade. Previously, exports have resulted into increased production in the agriculture sector. Also read: PM Modi's speech on coronavirus lockdown: 9 key highlights Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India enters lockdown 2.0 as COVID-19 cases cross 10,000 mark Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 16:54:01|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Deng Xianlai and Xu Yuan WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Americans have long believed that wearing a mask was unnecessary unless you were actually sick. Yet over the last two weeks, donning a mask has become a common sight for those dashing into a grocery store to buy essentials and apartment concierges in frequent contact with the public. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed the death toll in the United States from the coronavirus surpassed 23,600 early Tuesday, more than those reported by any other country around the globe. However, although Americans have generally abided by the federal government's guidelines asking them to keep social distance, avoid group gatherings and practice good hygiene, wearing masks has been harder to come by. Not only were most Americans still reluctant to wear masks when the coronavirus ravaged across the country, they also doubted the effectiveness of doing so in preventing the transmission of the disease, believing that only sick people need to wear them. Some were even physically attacked for covering their faces. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which previously did not suggest that healthy people wear masks, put out a recommendation on April 3 for the use of "cloth face coverings" in light of the large number of asymptomatic bearers of coronavirus, Americans finally began to realize the merits of such practices. As a result, more and more of them have since chosen to wear masks, scarfs or other makeshift coverings. Zhang Siqi, a visiting scholar at Duke University, recalls the reaction of an employee at her local Costco wholesale store when seeing her talking while wearing a mask in mid-March. "She was sanitizing the handrail of my shopping cart with disinfecting wipes," Zhang said of the employee. "When I explained to her that she didn't need to do so since I was wearing the mask, she got so nervous and scared that she suddenly jumped two meters away from me, not at all caring about what I said." Zhang said the employee's reaction made her feel unwelcome, "as if the virus was erupting from my mouth as I spoke." Things have changed now. When Zhang and her fellow members from the North Carolina Chinese Scholars Sino-U.S. Exchange Association went to a local police station on April 10 to donate two boxes of masks, a police officer was very grateful, saying he would encourage his colleagues to wear them. The change in Americans' attitude towards wearing masks is reflective of the Chinese experience in combating the virus more objectively and rationally. Gradually abandoning previous misperceptions, Americans have come to understand that those wearing masks do not necessarily carry the virus. People do so to effectively prevent the virus from further spreading. As the police officer told Zhang, "We'll get through this together." A 68-year-old man on Tuesday became the second COVID-19 fatality from Aurangabad in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, officials said. The swab sample of the deceased was initially tested negative for novel coronavirus when he was admitted in the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on April 8, he said. "His another swab sample was sent for testing on April 11 while he was under treatment, which tested positive. The patient was on a ventilator support. He breathed his last at 1:30 pm," said GMCH Dean Dr. Kanan Yelikar. The man was apparently infected by his son, who was found positive for COVID-19 after returning from Pune, Dr Yelikar said. Earlier, a 58-year-old man died of COVID-19 in the first week of April. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned NLC India has discontinued the use of eight disinfection tunnels installed as a safety measure for its employees against Covid-19 following concerns raised about its effectiveness and the harm it may cause to human health, an official said. "The PSU was operating eight disinfection tunnels at its power plants, townships and hospital. But three days ago the company stopped using it on the directions issued by the state government of Tamil Nadu," a company source told PTI. The company, which was in the process of setting up two more such disinfection tunnels, will not do so now due the concerns raised by the government, he added. The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Chennai, recently instructed all government departments in Tamil Nadu not to install such tunnels. It said that "disinfection tunnels will create a false sense of security and people may be diverted from handwash to disinfection tunnels. In addition, the spraying of alcohol/chlorine/lysol on human beings is not only harmful but also ineffective." "....it is instructed that disinfection tunnels should not be installed and used," it said. A company official had earlier said that "NLC Thermal team has fabricated disinfecting tunnels by using packing material and spares available with power plants which are now being used by all the power plants and mines in Neyveli." The company had earlier said disinfecting tunnels were set up to ensure protection of all employees before they entered the plants and mines. The PSU has also set up a 'fever clinic' for those with symptoms like fever, cough and breathing difficulties. Besides, NLC India has taken up measures for in-house preparation of liquid soap solution and sanitisers at its research centre. The company, under the coal ministry, is into coal and lignite mining and power generation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen and Diksha Shandilya Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen Diksha Shandilya While the world is locked in a battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), for China business continues as usual in the South China Sea. Kirana stores account for over 95 percent of Indias food and grocery sales. For 29 year-old Anuj Dandona, a cultural consultant living in Chembur, the local grocer has turned out to be his saviourmaking available vegetables in addition to the usual groceries at one store. Dandona says since the lockdown was announced, a few grocers in the area, who would sell potatoes and onions besides groceries, are also doing the same. But the grocers are taking precautions: customers are asked to stand outside the store and list out what they need. They can select the vegetables and leave them in a basket which is weighed inside the store. "I am glad I can buy both my groceries and vegetables at one place when I step out," Dandona said. For Anil S, the proprietor of Sree Siddhi Vinayak Stores in Chembur, the decision to sell vegetables was driven by demand: "My customers would complain about not getting vegetables and fruits. I thought why not I provide it? I have been buying them from an online player who drops it to my store," he said. The shop is open till 11 AM only to limit the 'exposure'. Essential goods are not the only shortage citizens are facing - smokers, for instance, are unable to get their daily fix of cigarettes from the local panwalla since the lockdown began. Samir Patel, a third-generation grocer at Wagadwala store at Marol, Andheri is now planning to retail cigarettes for the first time. A smoker himself, while he has been able to get by for over a fortnight without taking puffs, he understands the difficulties other smokers may be experiencing. I know of panwallas who are selling cigarettes in the black market at a higher price, he said. Patel has no plans to sell cigarettes at a higher rate, though, he says. A few days after the lockdown, Patel also started retailing masks and gloves. The store is open every alternate day and groceries are disappearing at a fast rate, he says. When the stocks are down, Patel takes a police permit for essential services from the MIDC police station and goes to Jogeshwari where the wholesalers are. Most of them are not there now, but I have my contacts. Yet, I am able to get just 20 percent of the stock I need." At his store in Andheri, Patel does not allow customers to enter. They have to queue outside, follow social distancing rules, and tell him their list. He had two delivery boys earlier, but they went away to their hometowns up north when news of the coronavirus broke. Since then, Patel's brothers have been helping him at the store. The store next to Patel, Suryavanshi which retailed grains, shut shop a week ago. There are no stocks, so he is now sitting at home," said Patel. Challenges to kiranas According to reports, India has around 12 million small and medium neighbourhood kirana stores. These stores account for over 95 percent of Indias food and grocery sales. Even more so during the lockdown, the neighbourhood kirana store has stood out as the most reliable and convenient source of essential supplies. About 50-70 percent have continued to operate and serve customers for whom they are most often the only place to get groceries at this time. However, since the lockdown, only around 25 lakh stores are able to function, though with supply chains breaking down, replenishing stocks is an issue. Factories, wholesale markets and distributors are adversely impacted by labour shortages; manufacturers are supplying goods from their existing safety stock. Grocers go digital In a bid to remain connected to their clientele, grocers are going digital using software that makes it easier for them to connect to the neighbourhood. They have been helped in this endeavour by a few startups that were, by sheer chance, launched in the time of COVID-19, like Mumbai-based e-commerce platform Near.Store which started online operations three days after coronavirus outbreak in India. In this model, Near.Store's platform creates the store's online presence for them through its proprietary dongle which digitises the store's inventory. Customers can then check the store's stocks on Near.Store, and shop from home. Ashish Kumar, co-founders says "We launched our online system to enable the local grocer to compete with the big boys. Once a customer is online, he can repeat orders, search for brands, and do it from anywhere." Since the lockdown, Near-Store has found that the highest orders are for herbal immunity boosters, cleaning agents and hygiene products, and instant food - particularly chips. Buy now, pay later? Besides tracking stocks, apps are also helping grocers track credit payments in these uncertain times. GOFRUGAL has launched an app that can be customised for customers. The customer can place an order on the billing software. It will confirm if it is available or not. Payment can be pre-paid or on-delivery. Those who want to avail of credit, can opt for it with the retailer agreeing for that option. Another app is OkCredit--a book-keeping app created to help merchants track their receivables and payables and share account details with the customers. It works on two fronts to help kirana stores during the lockdownto enable them to receive online orders and payments. Consumers can also find kirana stores that are open in their neighbourhood. Founded by three IIT Kanpur alumni - Harsh Pokharna, Aditya Prasad and Gaurav Kumar in 2017, customers will get updates about new features on the app itself. "Our priority at this point of time is to help existing clients battle the crisis. So the number of users has not increased much," said Pokharna, the CEO. Serving kirana stores With logistics chains temporarily shutdown since the lockdown, third-party supply chain companies like Jumbotail is helping large residential communities by setting up small stores and and stocking them up with essentials. The Jumbotail marketplace connects customers (food and grocery retailers ranging from small kiranas to supermarkets) with brands and producers of staples and FMCG products through an android app available in four languagesKannada, Malayalam, Hindi and English. "We work with the top 20-plus FMCG companies and stock over 3,000 SKUs. Retailers can receive their deliveries at the storefront within 24 hours, with a 100 perecent fulfillment rate," said Ashish Jhina, Co-founder and COO. "Through our J24 stores programme, we help transform kirana stores into modern convenience retail stores using our proprietary Goldeneye retail operating system that includes a point of sale, fully integrated with our marketplace and supply chain, AI driven merchandising, digital marketing, retail store branding, and omni channel integration to serve online orders," he said. The way ahead Lockdown, social distancing, supply chain breakdown has led to fewer stocks for many kiranas. But, it has also led to newer ways of doing business, with grocers expanding products to hitherto unheard of categories. Will this continue post-lockdown? "It is true most online companies have been unable to fulfill deliveries while some are giving customer a longer waiting period", said Satish Meena, senior forecast analyst at Forrester Research Inc. The kirana store owner is able to keep products that the customer needs and is also able to fulfill requests that his customer makes in these distressing times. Grocery shops are saving time by making the waiting period far less for the customer. But whether this will continue after the lockdown, depends on how much capital this small business has and how it wants to grow, he said. "A number of companies have entered this space and are delivering groceries. It is more of a PR (public relations) gimmick. What it does is, makes these companies/startups relevant in the media. There is no five-year plan in this strategy adopted by them. But for some serious players like a Zomato, this is good data to get hold of by delivering groceries. Only the Zomatos of the world will have the capabilities to carry this forward," Meena said. Navy SEAL Training Supplies Mental and Spiritual Tactics to Facedown COVID-19 NEWS PROVIDED BY Larry Fowler April 14, 2020 DESTIN, Fla., April 14, 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 an extraordinary focus on teamwork. Lives depend on this during war. Could there be a better time to watch out for others when 90% of our thoughts are consumed about self in a 'me-generation.' Can you imagine the less anxiety we'd have if we could reduce this self-addiction just a fraction in America today? "When the BUD/S instructor tied both hands together behind my back then my ankles I knew that I was in trouble during the oncoming 50-meter swim. My first swim was successful but an instructor saw my wrist bleeding from rope burns made it obvious I was a weak swimmer. He then 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. "Fear is not to be found in a SEAL's vocabulary. They don't run from their fears but run to them. No matter how dire the circumstances, a SEAL will never give up nor should any Christian." Last week the secular Nonfiction Authors Association awarded Dare to Live Greatly its highest award commenting, "(this book) wouldn't normally be my choice, but it draws you in to see links between being a SEAL and a Christian. This is a powerful story that will resonate with many readers, whatever their religious beliefs." Fowler adds, "No other book juxtaposes Christian living through the gutsy lens of a Navy SEAL while training in Coronado, California. "Our BUD/S Class '89 motto was the original 'The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday' and our class plaque still hangs in the BUD/S compound today. It means thriving forward every day with a positive attitude. Even with the uncertainty of the COVID-19, no matter how unnerving your future may appear, it means thanking God upfront and in advance and thriving forward for all the days to come." Larry Fowler originally a Chattanooga TN native now resides in Destin, Florida. Download Dare to Live Greatly. SOURCE Larry Fowler CONTACT: 404-358-2224, l.fowler@mindspring.com Related Link www.amazon.com/Dare-Live-Greatly-Powerful-Christian-ebook/dp/B0818D32F2 NEW YORK (AP) Bank of America is slashing the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks. 'Kerala is probably the only state, where (with regard to) the clinical management and the overall protocols, we have an infectious disease team heading the whole containment plan.' IMAGE: Medical staff in protective suits dispose waste as they exit a coronavirus isolated ward at the Kochi Medical College. Photograph: A S Satheesh/ANI Photo Dr Anup R Warrier, consultant for infectious diseases at the Aster Medcity Hospital, Kochi, is a virus conqueror. He has already confronted COVID-19 twice over, during the successive attacks that Kerala has had, the first after students returned from China. Before that he was part of the government-felicitated team that helped contain the then newly-emerged fruit bat-spread Nipah virus in the state, that killed 17 people, in 2018 and 2019, and had a frightening 70 per cent mortality rate. Dr Warrier, below, did his medical training in Hyderabad and earned his specialisation in infectious diseases in Mumbai and Detroit. In a two-part interview to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel, Dr Warrier offers insights into how Kerala, which has had two COVID-19 deaths and a very slow case rise, is using all kinds of creative methods (like converting idle houseboats into isolation facilities) efficiently, effectively and professionally to combat COVID-19. Kerala seems to have done more testing per million (it is the highest state at 350 per million as opposed to the second highest state Maharashtra at 165 per million) than other state in India. In your view, what is the importance of testing? Does isolation come first and then testing becomes feasible, given the Indian situation? From the state's perspective and our perspective, we give a lot of importance to the testing part, due to two reasons. One, if you test, you can assess the magnitude of the problem. When you have such and such number of positive (cases), you realise the magnitude of the problem. People get serious about it when they see the numbers. Second, having a positive test is a very strong motivator for people to be in quarantine and isolation. It's an upfront thing. If people say you could have this, or you may have this, and you need to sit at home, (it is very abstract). But instead, if you have been in contact with somebody who is positive, or you yourself are positive, then you need to be in isolation or quarantine, and the motivation and the compliance of the actual quarantine or isolation is far better. What have been the most important tools, used in the battle to contain COVID-19, that you have used too? Kerala has only had two deaths and the growth of caseloads is really low as well. We have been quite aggressive, in identifying the contacts -- in terms of contact tracing and publishing the pathway or the travel plan of these people who have been identified. And very aggressive in going and finding out the whole contact history and testing all of them very, very aggressively. That is the reason why we have been able to find effectively a number of the primary contacts and secondary contacts. And we have been able to treat them and then put them into isolation. Where we have faltered is when people have not been compliant about the general home quarantine recommendations, when they have come from abroad or from some other states. So I am coming back to the first point I told you, which is when you screen, when you test and identify, your ability to enforce quarantine is much better. We faltered in our first cluster, which happened in Pathanamthitta (south Kerala) when there were a couple of people, a family who came from Italy, who did not comply with the home quarantine. Similarly, in our northern districts of Kasaragod and Kannur, now where there are cases, again there were people coming from the Middle East, who were not compliant with the home quarantine guidelines. Why has Kerala has been able to test much more than a lot of other places? Kerala is probably the only state, where (with regard to) the clinical management and the overall protocols, we have an infectious disease team heading the whole containment plan. There is a department of infectious diseases at Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) Medical College. Along with that we have a small consortium of infectious diseases practitioners in the private (arena) also. Both the private infectious diseases practitioners and, obviously, the government medical college infectious team have a lot of say in the policymaking, both in terms of planning, strategy and implementation. I will give you an example, Dr (R) Aravind, who is the head of the department of infectious diseases, Trivandrum Medical College, he heads the task force for the state health services for managing COVID. And then Dr Shareek (Dr Shareek P S of SUT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram), who is a private specialist, is representative of the private consortium, which I was talking about -- he is part of (Pinarayi Vijayan's) the chief minister's advisory committee on COVID-19. See, if you compare this to the national scenario, (which) only recently -- that is just two days ago -- had infectious disease specialists included in the expert committee panel, Dr Rajeev Soman from Pune and Dr O C Abraham from CMC Vellore. They were included in the whole planning strategy just two days ago. While Kerala that was done from day one. Our testing strategy, our containment strategy, our plan about the shut down or lockdown etc has a very strong clinical input, from the clinicians who work on the ground. And Kerala is not facing any shortage of tests? We have sufficient number of tests. The chief minister has been very aggressive in pursuing our demands with the central government and the ICMR (Indian Council OF Medical Research). You would have already read that Kerala has got approval for using plasma therapy (utilising immune power found in the plasma of a recovered COVID-19 person to heal a still COVID-19-afflicted person), in case we have (such a kind) of sick patient and in case it happens in Kerala at all. We are the first state to apply for the plasma therapy management from the ICMR. So, basically what I'm trying to say is the chief minister has been very aggressive in pursuing our demands with the central government and the ICMR. And a couple of our local politicians, like (Congress MP) Shashi Tharoor and all, they supported us with their funds. The MP funds from Shashi Tharoor were used to buy around 2,000 kits last week. IMAGE: People wait to board a bus in Kochi, March 11, 2020. Photograph: Sivaram V/Reuters When you look at the numbers, Kerala has much more relief camps. You have 15,000 relief camps compared to other states, which have still in the hundreds or early thousands. So how important is that part, the relief camp part? Kerala has a large migrant population from West Bengal and Bihar, but mostly from Bengal. You would also know that Kerala has a strong socialist background and a very socialist political-thought process. In any crisis they are very proactive in thinking about the marginalised population. We had a small incident in one of the towns in Thiruvalla (central Kerala), where about 500 to 1,000 migrant population, just like what happened in Delhi. All 500 of them actually came out on the street one day because they were not happy or adequate provisions were not made for their food, water and accommodation, etc, when we started this whole thing. It was sort of a warning. It made us very aware that this is something which is bound to happen when you get tough with the lockdown and don't take care of the goodwill and the measures like food, clothing and stay etc for these migrants. Obviously, they will be forced to violate the lockdown and you can have problems So it was two things, one was the socialist mindset, which is sort of proactive and looks out for this. And second, we had a small incident which triggered the whole process and we were really proactive after that and it was like a warning for us. What are your insights on the effectiveness of public health strategy in Kerala? What did you learn from the Nipah virus situation since you were very proactive in that battle, that you and the state could apply in the battle against COVID-19, although the fight against COVID-19 appears a much, much tougher battle? If you asked me what we gained from those two years, that we had, consecutively, Nipah cases -- the first year about 17, 18, 20 cases from Calicut and the second year one case in Cochin -- was government infrastructure, in terms of manpower and training for infection control. Previously -- it is true for other parts of the country also -- until two years ago, we did not have infection control departments in medical colleges at all, in government medical colleges and private medical colleges. No infection control department was there at all. With Nipah, there was suddenly a lot of focus on infection prevention and public health. People sort of realised that you need the infection control professionals and trained infrastructure for a lot of these faculties. After the first Nipah (attack) the government created a cadre of infection control professionals. They designated an infection control officer in all medical colleges. They created (a force of) more than 1,000 infection control-trained nurses across the government medical colleges in the state. These infection control nurses are the people who train the rest of the nurses etc in the proper personal protective equipment use and other basic precautions at the bedside. These two years we improved a lot on our infection control practices, our ability to manage and use the personal protective equipment or inventory of personal protective equipment. Because of Nipah we bought a lot Personal Protective Equipment. People are very aware that there are hazmat suits, this is the way to wear it and this is the way to remove it and they are very familiar with this because of our exposure to Nipah. So Nipah, in effect, prepared you for this crisis? Yes. The other thing about Nipah is that we gained a lot of experience in contact tracing. This contact tracing is a very complex, epidemiological exercise. You have to take a very detailed history -- classifying which contact is significant, which is not significant. Then go back and find out the scenario in that place and then again identifying the secondary contacts. And initially for our Nipah outbreak, people had come from the World Health Organisation and from the NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi) to help us with contact tracing. Now we are able to do that on our own quite well. Kerala is also a state that has seen a re-infection of COVID-19. I may be characterising that wrong, but this is the second 'cycle' of COVID-19 in Kerala. You solved the crisis once and it came back. And that might be the situation for India throughout 2020, it seems. What were some of the lessons learnt between the first attack and the second cycle, which has come back again through Kasaragod and other areas? Majorly, I think, where we lapsed in our thought process, was that we were very late in closing our air transport to the Middle East. While the rest of India focused on travelers from Italy, Europe and mainland China, we should have realised this, since our travellers from the Middle East, are high and Dubai airport is like a small Europe only, where you have a lot of Europeans walking in. We closed our air traffic with the Middle East quite late. Retrospectively, I think, that was an error. If you see all the cases in the northern districts and all the subsequent cases in Kerala, all of them are actually from travellers from the Middle East. If you look at the advisories from the central government, the advisories from the central government included the Middle East also quite late. They had categorised China first, then the Italy, then a couple of European countries. Still they didn't include the UK. Then they included the UK. Then they included the Middle East. By that time in Kerala we had an influx from the Middle East and even from the UK. Once this was a pandemic, there was no point and it didn't make sense to pick and choose countries when you are blocking the air traffic. We should have realised there is no point in just asking: 'Don't come from Italy' when any guy coming from the Middle East will be exposed to an Italian in Dubai airport! Secondly, retrospectively, when we had blocked or were advising home quarantines for these visitors, we were quite complacent in sort of advising them and letting them go home. Then we found out that the clusters obviously arose when the people didn't follow the home quarantine. There could have been a better way. When they are in the airport, pick them up and put them in a government-controlled quarantine for 14 days and then let them go home. Retrospectively, that was something which we could have done better. In Maharashtra in Bombay, they started doing this initially -- now I'm not sure about what they are doing - that anybody coming to the airport from these countries, they are taken to a hotel. They are not allowed to go home, under control of the government. Only after completing the quarantine, then they are allowed to go home. So then you are more sure you're in control and that the (these travellers) will not violate the quarantine suggestions/recommendations and not roam about. Cresco Labs (OTC:CRLBF) is staffing up in its home state of Illinois and is using workers displaced in other industries to do it. The company announced Monday that it has launched a program to staff its Illinois dispensaries with people who have lost their jobs in sectors like hospitality and food service. Such business have been very negatively affected by stay-at-home mandates resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus outbreak. Cresco says it plans to hire 250 full-time workers under the program. It is partnering with hospitality companies throughout Illinois to advertise these positions. The jobs are varied and include managers, "wellness advisors," and security workers. Although marijuana companies active in the retail segment are also coping with a drop in business, unlike other types of stores they have been allowed to remain open in many places. Illinois is among a host of American states and municipalities that have included dispensaries on the list of "essential" businesses permitted to operate. Illinois is the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana; the move took effect on Jan. 1. Since then, demand has been strong and sales brisk. Chicago-based Cresco operates a network of dispensaries scattered throughout the state. "During this time where the needs of patients and customers in Illinois is growing and demand continues to outpace supply, the ability for Cresco to continue to employ a robust workforce will ensure that medical patients and Illinois residents continue to have essential access to the products they rely on daily for their wellbeing," the company wrote in its announcement. Cresco's shares, however, fell by nearly 3.8% in price on Monday -- a deeper fall than that of the broader stock market. Hundreds of migrant workers gathered at Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding they be taken back to their hometowns in an incident that dealt a major setback to social distancing efforts and highlighting the anxiety among some of the most vulnerable socio-economic classes. The protest took place hours after the Prime Minister announced that the countrywide lockdown in place to contain the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will be extended to May 3, a virtual repeat of scenes that took place in several parts of the country late last month when the shutdown was first announced. A similar protest was held in Gujarats Surat on Tuesday, when hundreds of migrant workers sat on a street protest demanding to be allowed to go back home. In Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to migrant workers not to believe rumours that arrangements were being made to ferry them to their home locations, assuring them in a video message that arrangements for their food and shelter were being made. Dont fall prey to rumours about bus arrangements, he said. Police and the district administration officials stepped up vigil to avoid a Mumbai-like situation. The lockdown halted economic activity, with factories and construction work stopped across the country and migrant workers including many who work as daily wage earners not being paid despite appeals by ministers to employers to not withhold salaries. Mumbai has the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the state, with 1,756 confirmed cases till Tuesday. The state, with 2,684, has the highest numbers in the country. It is the result of the manner in which the lockdown has been extended. People who were stuck in Mumbai were expecting that lockdown will end and they will be allowed to go home but they were disappointed with Prime Minister Narendra Modis address today. Their anger burst out on streets of Bandra, said Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. Some of the workers at the train station in Mumbai on Tuesday were lathi-charged by police, who were caught by surprise at the sudden gathering. State tourism minister and senior leader of the ruling Shiv Sena, Aaditya Thackeray, blamed the Union government for the protest by the migrant workers and sought a road map to facilitate their journey back to their native places. They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home, Thackeray said, adding that the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar that these workers want to go back. The railways ministry tweeted late on Tuesday: It is clarified that all Passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3rd May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in a live webcast later in the day said that he will not let the migrant problem go out of control and warned that his government will not allow anybody to play with the sentiments of the poor. Thackeray said he also spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and that all political leaders, including coalition partners Nationalist Congress Party and Congress were on the same page over the need to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak. The state unit of the BJP called the incident the consequence of an intelligence failure. According to a police official, the number of migrants who gathered was at least 1,000 and they were dispersed after two hours. Many of these people come from states such as West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Farooq Shaikh, a daily wage worker who stays at Behrampada in Bandra (East), said, I am from Malda in West Bengal. We heard that government was running a special train from Mumbai. So we packed our luggage to leave the city as we have lost our jobs. Zahid Mistri, also from Malda and who lives in Bandra, said, We are out of food and now the lockdown has been extended. How will we survive here in Mumbai? We came to know about a special train running for migrants, so we gathered. Trade representatives said the migrant workers were under pressure for their livelihood. Trade Unions Joint Action Committee Maharashtra convener Vishwas Utagi said there are over two million migrants stuck in Mumbai since the March 25 lockdown, besides 3,000 fishermen stranded at Gholvad in south Gujarat, according to news agency IANS. They have no food, no work, no homes, no transport to go home. How can they survive? the report quoted Utagi as saying. (With inputs from agencies) With traditional export markets going into lockdown and imposing travel restrictions to control Covid-19 outbreak, exporters and importers of the country are finding it difficult to connect with global buyers to keep their business going. And even if the situation normalises in near future, domestic and global traders would be apprehensive about travelling for participating in international trade fairs and exhibitions which are key in getting new orders and expanding customer base. To deal with these emerging issues, domestic exporters are working on an innovative way to engage with global buyers - to turn to virtual trade fairs and exhibitions. Organising virtual or online trade shows would help Indian exporters to showcase their products and keep the economic activity wheel moving, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai observed. To take the concept to reality, the FIEO is working on India's first international online sourcing show - India Sourcing Week 2020 - this year, he commented. Sahai explained that buyers would like to see products online to source products as Indian suppliers would face challenges in participating in international trade shows due to travel restrictions in different countries. Global buyers would also not like to attend events or make factory visits due to health risks. Also, in such a crisis like situation, India's key traditional markets like the US and Europe will take over a year to recover from this outbreak, he said. Sahai said that virtual shows would help in attracting new buyers in emerging markets like Africa, Asean and Latin America and support Indian exporters. "Through this, we would like to create a short-term and targeted event for quick results for suppliers to generate additional or new revenue. We can organise region focussed events to grow Indian suppliers'' base and increase exports," he told PTI. Sharing similar views, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) Director General Rakesh Kumar said they are also working on similar lines to organise a virtual trade show for global buyers. He said that they have recently cancelled the spring edition of IHGF (Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair), Asia's largest show, which was slated to be held from April 15, due to the spread of coronavirus infection. "It was expecting 7,000 overseas volume buyers and over 3,200 small and medium handicraft manufacturers and exporters as exhibitors from various parts of the country . The fair normally generate export orders worth Rs 6,000 crore and thereby source of livelihood to seven millions of craft persons," Kumar said. He added that an online platform would be created for this where exhibitors will display their products and some items can be showcased in three-dimension for a better feel of the product visually. Another exporter said that although foreign buyers will miss the touch and feel in a virtual trade show, but "we cannot stop business as it will impact lives and livelihoods of millions of people who are engaged in the export business. Even after situation gets normal, people will not like to travel". Indian exporters organise over 60 trade fairs and exhibitions annually and participate in about 500 such events globally every year. Rough estimates peg the market size of this business at about USD 500 million in India and USD 21 billion globally. Ludhiana-based engineering exporter S C Ralhan, however, said that this practice may help certain sectors like handicrafts and clothing but not all as it will increase internal competition among exporters and hit their profit margins. Similarly, Trade Promotion Council of India Chairman Mohit Singla, who organises a global food and beverage show - Indus Food every year, said that virtual trade fairs should be open for buyers throughout the year, but it must enroll only verified suppliers in order to develop trust between seller and buyer. "Payment would be an issue in such events as it would not be the job of the marketplace to ensure payments," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday (April 14) announced that all domestic and international flights will remain suspended in India till May 3. The Ministry made the announcement soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in his address to the nation that the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 is being extended for 19 more days. All domestic and international scheduled Airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of 3rd May 2020. MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) April 14, 2020 It may be recalled that PM Modi had announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown on March 24 and on Tuesday he extended it till May 3. Justifying the decision, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said that there were good reasons to extend the lockdown till May 3 and restrictions on both domestic and international flights could be lifted after that. "There were good reasons for the Lockdown to be extended till 3rd May. We can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic & international flights thereafter. I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel & request them to bear with us," he tweeted. There were good reasons for the Lockdown to be extended till 3rd May. We can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic & international flights thereafter. I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel & request them to bear with us. Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 14, 2020 Notably, all international flights in India were banned much before the lockdown and domestic flights were also after the imposition of lockdown and 650 aircraft have been stranded at different airports across the country since then. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the aviation sector very hard, forcing many airlines to ask their employees to go on a sabbatical without pay. It is expected that ticket would increase after the resumption of flight operations. The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), however, said that cargo flights, offshore helicopter operations, medical evacuation flights and special flights will continue to operate during the lockdown. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe CHICAGO - A former Northwestern University professor charged in the murder of his boyfriend was rebuffed by a judge after asking to be released from a Chicago jail so his research skills can be used to battle COVID-19. Wyndham Lathem asked last week to be freed on $1 million bail from Cook County Jail, which has one of the nations most aggressive outbreaks of coronavirus. In addition to his research skills, Lathem also cited health issues that put him at greater risk if he contracts COVID-19. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing court records Monday, reports that in an emergency hearing conducted via teleconference, Judge Charles Burns on Friday denied granting Lathem bail. The microbiologist gained renown for his research on the bubonic plague. With his background and experience, Dr. Lathem is well-suited to advise and participate in studies that are aimed at understanding SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, wrote Dr. William Goldman, chair of Microbiology and Immunology at University of North Carolina, in an email appended to Lathems motion. It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope. Lathem is accused in the 2017 stabbing death of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau. Lathams accomplice, Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty last year in a deal that calls for him to testify against Lathem, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Lathem, 45, has been held in Cook County Jail without bail since his arrest and lost his position as a professor at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine. Attorney Adam Sheppard said Monday that Lathem was disappointed by the ruling, adding his client reported mild symptoms of COVID-19 on Friday. The Cook County Sheriffs office reports that as late Sunday, there were 309 detainees that have tested positive for COVID-19. Two detainees have died of complications related to the coronavirus. The cause of death of a third detainee diagnosed with COVID-19 has tentatively been attributed to cardiac arrest. We are deeply concerned about his health, Sheppard said. He had been hopeful that he might get out (on bond), but he was not overly optimistic. Sheppard said nursing staff at the jail has informally asked Lathem for advice on containing the outbreak. Nicole Elgins only travel these days is a 15-mile commute by car to a hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area. Shes a pediatric nurse, and her days are long and stressful. But when I clock out from my shift, my mind shifts seamlessly to that next perfect beach, she said. And with good reason: Last year Ms. Elgin flew more than 100,000 miles on trips from San Francisco to destinations such as Bermuda, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Most of her flights were virtually free, courtesy of her skills at redeeming frequent flier points. No one knows when the coronavirus pandemic will end and travelers will be able to take to the skies again. But observers of airline frequent flier programs expect there to be good news for people like Ms. Elgin. Travelers will see points and miles incentives targeted to high-value fliers, said Robert Sahadevan, who once ran a major airlines loyalty program. And depending how long the travel slump is, they may make offers large and broadly available. Its a fliers market, said Brian Kelly, the founder and C.E.O. of The Points Guy, a go-to source of information on travel rewards. With demand extremely low, there are deals on rewards tickets in all cabin classes and across many carriers for future travel. Mr. Kelly said his companys research shows, for example, many more business-class award seats available through United Airlines MileagePlus loyalty program, for flights departing after August 2020 (as compared to November 2019). American Airlines has more seat upgrades available than usual. The airline also has a good number of seats available for flights paid with miles to destinations like Australia and Europe, especially in early 2021. Delta Air Lines shows the least movement in the number of reward seats available compared to six months ago. An emergency room doctor who risks her life on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak has spoken of the heartbreak of losing custody of her four-year-old daughter until the pandemic is over. Dr. Theresa Greene, an ER physician in Florida, has temporarily lost shared custody of her little girl after a judge agreed with her ex-husband that she was a risk to the girl because of her 'significantly heightened exposure to COVID-19'. 'I think it's not fair, it's cruel to ask me to choose between my child and the oath I took as a physician,' Dr. Greene said to CNN. 'I won't abandon my team at work or the patients who will increasingly look to me to save their lives in the coming weeks, but it's torture.' Dr. Greene says she feels as though the order discriminates against her for being a divorced parent. 'If I was married I'd be given the opportunity to go home to my child, no one could tell me I shouldn't do that,' she said. ER Dr. Theresa Greene, an emergency room physician in Florida, has temporarily lost shared custody of her four-year-old daughter Speaking to CNN on Monday A judge granted sole custody to her ex-husband temporarily until the pandemic is over because of her work saving lives and treating COVID-19 patients Dr Greene split from her ex-husband two years ago and the former couple had agreed to divide the time with their child equally. A judge granted her ex-husband's request for sole custody despite Dr. Greene testing negative for the deadly virus. Circuit Court Judge Bernard Shapiro ruled that their child should stay with her father, Eric Greene. 'The Court does not enter this Order lightly but given the pandemic in Florida and the recent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases, the Court finds in order to insulate and protect the best interests and health of the minor child, this Order must be entered on a temporary basis,' the judge wrote in the court ruling. The doctor is now appealing the emergency order which would see her receive the equivalent time with her daughter once the pandemic emergency were to be declared over. 'I can't come home and hug my daughter,' the desperate mother said, adding that 'the family court system now is stressing me almost more than the virus' Greene is now facing an impossible and 'cruel' choice between being a mother and her duty as a medic doing her part as the US healthcare system buckles under the weight of the pandemic The judge awarded temporary sole custody of the little girl to the father 'due to mother's significantly heightened exposure to COVID-19', the order said Dr. Greene has admitted that there is always a risk in contracting the disease but that she is wearing full PPE while treating patients. 'Yes it is severe and there is danger, and we're being very careful,' she said. 'We use every thing we can. I've actually worn equipment above and beyond to protect myself and my child.' She has said that her daughter is sad at not being able to see her mother in-person and doesn't seem to understand what is going on. 'I want her when she grows up to be proud of me by abiding to the oath that I took when I went into medicine, but I also know that she needs me now,' she said. 'I can't come home and hug my daughter,' the desperate mother and ER doctor said 'I can't come home and hug my daughter,' the desperate mother told 6 South Florida. 'We're there on the frontline, we're risking our lives and to take our children away from us I just think is so cruel. 'How can you tell me because I'm divorced that I can't come home - obviously I have to shower - but that I can't come home and hug my daughter?' she asked. 'I feel like the family court system now is stressing me almost more than the virus, I mean this is a very stressful time for healthcare professionals,' Dr. Greene continued. The doctor's ex-husband released a statement through his attorney Paul Leinoff: 'Mr. Greene and I have the upmost respect for Dr. Greene's commitment to her critical work during this pandemic. Greene said her ex-husband Eric Green (pictured) filed for temporary sole custody and a judge granted it 'We recognize and genuinely appreciate the sacrifices that she and all healthcare workers are all currently making to save lives and prevent further illness in Florida and around the world. The Greenes' temporary timesharing dispute was presented before the Court based upon the specific facts of this individual family and a decision was reached based upon the best interests and safety of a minor child, limited to the temporary circumstances presented by COVID-19. 'The Court's ruling was not intended to serve as a blanket rule, nor should it. Pursuant to Mr. Greene's request and as ordered by the Court, Dr. Greene is to be provided future make-up timesharing for each day missed during this challenging time and daily video communication with the child. We will continue to pursue ways to resolve this delicate situation and believe that a result can be achieved safely and fairly,' Leinoff wrote. Dr. Greene, who is going to mount an appeal said she was dismayed by the decision. 'I was just shocked that the judge would take this stance without talking to medical experts and knowing the facts and take it so lightly, take my child from me and not think of the effect on her, her mental and psychological well-being,' she said. The heroic ER doctor is risking her life every day on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak and has now her daughter cruelly taken away from her by a judge until the pandemic is over According to Dr. Greene, she is not alone in this situation and knows other healthcare workers facing equally distressing situations as they fulfill their duties on the frontline. 'I know I'm not alone, first responders, nurses, so many people in this position who, because they're divorced, their children are suffering and they're being told they can't see them, and it's just not fair,' she said. 'You know I took an oath and I really believe in that, that's why I went into medicine, to help people.' For now, Dr. Greene does not know when she will next be able to see her daughter again with no clear end in sight to the pandemic. The American Medical Association's stance is that frontline physicians working to save coronavirus patients should be able to go home to their families and to their children, as long as they take proper precautions. Houston Police Departments Robbery Division is asking for help from the public identifying a suspect they say is responsible for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He is described as a six-feet tall black man, weighing 220 to 250 pounds and ranging in age from 25 to 30 years old. According to police, the unknown man entered the Gulf gas station on North Freeway at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 1. He walked into the store with a bag, pulled a rifle out of it, and demanded money from the cash register. The suspect then pointed the gun toward the clerk, who immediately hid behind the counter. Police say the suspect stuck the barrel of the rifle through the cash slot and threatened to shoot the gun, but eventually became frustrated when he couldn't figure out to operate it. The suspect was able to run out of the store and leave the scene in a dark colored sport utility vehicle. Anyone with information regarding this suspect is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 713-222-TIPS(8477) or submit a tip online. You could be eligible for an award of up to $5,000 if your information leads to an arrest. A Derry councillor has hit out at a far right group for posting leaflets in the Creggan estate offering assistance to the local community during the coronavirus pandemic. The group in question is Siol na hEireann (SNH) which translates as 'The Seed of Ireland'. They describe themselves as the true heirs to the traditions and ideals of the Revolution and have advocated for sending people of all other nationalities back to their homeland. The leaflet says community care assistance will be offered to the elderly, infirm and young families throughout Ireland during the coronavirus pandemic. As a small conservative party for patriots they will provide aid to all Irish men and women as politics has no place in an emergency, it adds. A green and red card were provided, green to be displayed at all times which can be changed to red when the household needs help. According to the flyer a local volunteer/oglach will patrol the area to look out for them. Councillor for the Moor area Gary Donnelly said the people of Creggan would not fall for the cheap publicity stunt and called for it to be resisted vigorously. It is dangerous for SNH to leave flyers at peoples doors offering assistance but with no local contact number. Cllr Donnelly criticised the SNH stance on immigration and voiced his support for all nationalities living in Ireland, including the many migrants currently working on the frontline as doctors and nurses. The Irish have themselves emigrated all over the world, he added. So the far right can feel comfortable enough to distribute food parcels and information leaflets in working class areas like Creggan, then its time Socialists and Republicans got their acts together, he said. Even if this was a publicity stunt or tokenism, it is very clear that fascism and racism is on the rise. A cursory glance at their social media will, without doubt back this up. Over the last few weeks I could have made numerous political points about issues connected to this current crisis but didnt feel it was the right time given the magnitude of what we are facing as a community. RESIST He added: However this particular issue cannot be ignored. They describe themselves as patriots, they are not patriots. Patriots are those who fought and continue to fight imperialism and capitalism, they are the Socialist Republicans who were on the ground pre pandemic, are currently on the ground and will be to the forefront picking up the pieces after this pandemic. The far right will attempt to use the current situation to gain a foothold in our communities their message will be dressed up and to some will resonate. This needs to be exposed and resisted vigorously. Siol na hEireanns official website proclaims: While reasonable numbers of immigrants of European, Christian origin can be integrated, we reject the PC lie that Africans, Muslims, and other Third World victims of Western imperialist skills and people theft, can ever be Irish. They cannot and, if the Irish nation is to survive, they must be sent home. Earlier this month SNH leader Niall McConnell took part in a live YouTube chat with far-right activist/loyalist campaigner Jim Dowson and former British National Party (BNP) President Nick Griffin. During the 90-minute discussion they dismissed the coronavirus as no worse than the flu, disputed the need for any sort of lockdown and said the far-right would soar during this economic depression to which Mr McConnell said thats the plan anyway. DISAPPOINTED In response to Cllr Donnellys comments, leader of Siol na hEireann Niall McConnell said they are not fascist but pro-life traditional catholic Irish nationalists. He added that volunteers could now be put at risk. Yes we strive for a 32 County United Ireland but reject all forms of sectarianism and violence to achieve this, so to be labelled fascist for merely helping old and vulnerable people in a socially deprived area of Derry by distributing free food - paid for by our local volunteers, not by grants - is not only ridiculous but disingenuous and potentially very dangerous for our local Aid Volunteers given the level of violence in the area. This is sadly what our imperialist masters love, Irishmen and women calling each other names. The British elites and the Zionist media are no doubt revelling in this situation and SNH will not add to or subscribe to anymore Irishmen falling for the age old divide and conquer tactic that has wrought so much misery to our people over the years. We are disappointed that some fellow Irish patriots would choose to label us as fascists for handing out free food parcels in Derry to OAPs and the vulnerable and would appeal to them not to be distracted by this manufactured non-event by those who would delight in further Irish disharmony." He continued: If our local Catholic community aid volunteers have to withdraw the free food package initiative from the elderly and vulnerable people in the Creggan area because of threats of violence, then what can be said of the state of our Ireland and the political situation. We have done nothing but try to help those less fortunate, yet some have reacted by calling SNH fascists with calls that will incite violence against local catholic volunteers, yet we are supposed to be the fascists? I pray that sense prevails, and that the social welfare of our elderly Irish people takes precedence over political ideology and that the community leaders in the area would put divisions aside at least as we all fight the Covid-19 crisis for the sake of our people in the occupied counties and in the rest of Ireland. CEDAR RAPIDS Gov. Kim Reynolds is talking to governors in neighboring states about lifting the government-imposed business shutdowns, but when she pulls the trigger will be her decision based on the situation in Iowa. Shes been in contact with Midwestern governors, Reynolds said Tuesday, because it just makes a lot of sense to look at it from a regional perspective. Thats similar to the approach governors in other parts of the country are taking as they look ahead at easing restrictions theyve imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a coalition with the governors of Oregon and Washington to coordinate plans for lifting virus restrictions, using science to guide our decision-making and not political pressure. In the Northeast, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are talking about a regional, multi-state approach to lifting restrictions on businesses and gatherings of more than 10 people. In Iowas case, Reynolds said she would look at working with Midwestern governors, but at this point theres not a multi-state plan for re-opening their economies. She and her administration have had conversation with the governors of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Reynolds talks to Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at least once a week. Like Iowa, none of those states have statewide shelter-in-place orders. I can tell you, while we look at it from a regional perspective, and we'll talk about collectively the metrics that we're using, each individual governor is going to look at their own state's metrics, she said at her daily COVID-19 briefing. Reynolds has predicted the COVID-19 peak will come toward the end of April. She hasnt made a decision about extending the restrictions she has ordered until April 30, but we are working on what that looks like, what metrics we can use to start to dial back up some of the businesses. While she would like to start that process in May, I'll have to see where we're at at the end of the month. Although the signs are encouraging, she said Monday that they are not reason enough for us to let up on our mitigation efforts at this time. She plans to decide this week whether to recommend K-12 schools remain closed beyond April 30. Reynolds didnt speak directly to President Donald Trumps assertion Monday that he has total authority to order states to open their economies as the coronavirus pandemic continues. However, in addressing the regional approach, Reynolds said that the decision is for her and other governors to make. Every governor is going to have to take a look at what's happening in their state and make those decisions based on what they're seeing, Reynolds said. Theyre going to look at it from a regional perspective, I would guess, and then make those decisions moving forward based on what the metrics are in their state. In her initial March 17 State Public Health Disaster Emergency proclamation, Reynolds ordered restaurants to limit sales to drive-up and deliveries, and closed bars and recreational facilities. A week later, she ordered salons, barbershops, tattoo parlors and spas as well as tanning and massage therapy facilities to close. VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis delivered his Easter message and blessing in an empty St. Peters Basilica on Sunday, sending a message of hope for those affected by the coronavirus and challenging world leaders to work together for the common good while addressing the pandemic. Dear brothers and sisters, indifference, self-centeredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time, Francis said after the morning Easter Mass at St. Peters Basilica on Sunday (April 12). We want to ban these words forever! he added. In his message, the pope described a world currently faced with epochal challenges and now oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family. He called for a contagion of hope, inspired by the Christian faith in the Resurrection of Christ. Francis spoke directly to world leaders, who are charged with enacting policies to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. I encourage political leaders to work actively for the common good, to provide the means and resources needed to enable everyone to lead a dignified life and, when circumstances allow, to assist them in resuming their normal daily activities, he said. Francis mentioned the most vulnerable, the sick and the elderly as the first concern for global leaders in his address. He asked that the poor, the outcast, the refugees and the homeless not be abandoned. He expressed his closeness to the many victims of the disease and to the nurses and doctors who have put their life on the line in the service of others. This is not a time for indifference, because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic, he said. Francis asked that international sanctions be relaxed as countries, especially developing nations, grapple with the challenge of the pandemic. He asked for the reduction, if not the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest nations. This is not a time for division. May Christ, our peace, enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world, he said. By asking for a global ceasefire and the loosening of sanctions, Pope Francis joins the appeals of the United Nations, which pointed to the financial vulnerability of countries like Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Francis called out the nations who continue to manufacture and deal in arms despite the pandemic. He mentioned great bloodshed in Syria, the conflict in Yemen and the hostilities in Iraq and Lebanon. The pope asked that Israelis and Palestinians resume peace talks. He asked for the end of suffering in the Eastern regions of Ukraine and the end of terroristic attacks in many African nations. This is not a time for forgetfulness, he said. The crisis we are facing should not make us forget the many other crises that bring suffering to so many people. Francis mentioned humanitarian crises in Mozambique, Libya, Venezuela, Turkey and Greece. He mentioned especially the Greek island of Lesbos, site of his first foreign trip as pontiff in 2013, which houses numerous refugees seeking a home in Europe. This is not a time for self-centeredness, the pope added, referring to Europe especially. The European Union, which began to dismantle when the United Kingdom exited the union Feb.1, is further weakened by rivalries among member states regarding the handling of the crisis. Francis recalled how Europe was able to recover and "rise again" from the deep divisions that provoked the Second World War. It is more urgent than ever, especially in the present circumstances, that these rivalries do not regain force but that all recognize themselves as part of a single family and support one another, he said. The European Union is presently facing an epochal challenge on which will depend not only its future but that of the whole world. Francis called leaders to find creative and innovative solutions and resist the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past. In his blessing, the pope may have spoken directly to world leaders, but his first thoughts were for those directly affected by the coronavirus. Not only those on the front lines in the fight against the pandemic but also those who suffer financially, personally or religiously by not having access to the sacraments. May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, he said, a day that knows no end. READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM. Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: RNS/Andreas Solaro/Pool/AP Ireland Baldwin has revealed she suffers from a 'severe anxiety order'. The model took to her Instagram story to share her mental health struggles, as she isolates amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. Announcing she would be hosting a daily Instagram Live session to discuss mental health, Baldwin revealed: 'I'm doing this is because I have severe anxiety disorder. 'I've noticed the past few nights, my anxiety has been really increasingly getting sort of worse at night.' Mental health: Ireland Baldwin took to her story Monday to announce that she'd be going live on the app everyday to discuss mental health with special guests She continued: 'And it kind of hit me last night, I try so many different things I read online to cope with my anxiety... 'And I thought it would be really cool if we all sort of came together and discussed these issues that we all deal with, and maybe something that works for one person might work for another set of people who never thought to try that.' The 24-year-old said she would hold her Instagram Live series at scheduled times. Her guests would include friends and experts. Open dialogue: The 24-year-old said: 'Basically, we're going to discuss whatever specific mental health issue or issues that they deal with, and we're going to talk about coping mechanisms, how it started for them personally, what works, what doesn't' Taking questions: She announced that they'll be answering questions from followers, before she revealed the personal inspiration behind the series Severe anxiety: Baldwin continued: 'I know everyone is probably so sick and tired of Instagram Live by now. But the reason I'm doing this is because I have severe anxiety disorder' Ireland explained: 'Basically, we're going to discuss whatever specific mental health issue or issues that they deal with, and we're going to talk about coping mechanisms, how it started for them personally, what works, what doesn't.' She went live later that day with someone who suffers from depression, asking her followers: 'Any questions on depression?' In addition to the mental health content, she recently revealed some glam outcomes of her quarantine. The Grudge Match star posted a photo last week of her new pink hair, writing: 'i added some pink in my hair and it was my first box dye experience and i didnt fry my hair off weeeeehooooo.' She is creating predictive models. Which she then presents to the governors office so they can decide ultimately when you no longer have to stay home, attend school in pajamas or work in a guest bedroom. She is predicting the impact on hospitals, and even the amount of supplies those hospitals might need. She is pooling and assessing data, running it though models and saying, do this, this and this or dont do this, this and this and this happens and life returns. She, along with a group of current or former lab members from University of Chicago, specifically the Department of Ecology and Evolution, are running scenarios, daily, constantly, to understand how coronavirus will spread or ebb, depending on the conditions. The Trump administration has notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes worth $155 million (Rs 1,178 crore) to India to enhance its deterrent capabilities against 'regional threats' and to bolster its homeland defence. IMAGE: The US Navy Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur launches a harpoon missile. Photograph: Navy/Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Toni Burton/Handout via Reuters The US recognised India as a 'Major Defence Partner' in 2016. This designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with that of the US' closest allies and partners. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles is estimated to cost $92 million (Rs 699 crore), while 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost $63 million (Rs 478.8 crore), the Defence Security Cooperation Agency said on Monday in two separate notifications to the Congress. The US State Department made this determination following a request for these two military hardware made by the Indian Government, the Pentagon said amidst China flexing its military muscles in the strategic Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes while enhancing inter-operability with the United States and other allied forces. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces," the Pentagon said. While the Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing, the torpedoes would be supplied by Raytheon, the notification said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft. India will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces," it said. In both the notifications, the Pentagon said that the proposed sale of these equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. Selfless volunteers from 18 different Muslim organisations have been working tirelessly to feed health workers leading the battle against coronavirus. Groups such as Project Quran recently donated dozens of warm meals to healthcare workers at Canterbury Hospital in south-west Sydney. The group plans to drop off meals to various hospitals every night during the holy month of Ramadan to take away some of the stress on the frontline heroes. Project Quran and 17 other organisations are now creating food hampers to drop off to the elderly, vulnerable and those in isolation across Australia, with some teams delivering up to 90 packages in one day. Workers from the Quran Project drop off dozens of free pasta meals for healthcare workers at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney's south-west Volunteers said staff at Canterbury Hospital (pictured) were overwhelmed with the support they received Aladdin Elmir from Project Quran said volunteers bought meals from restaurants before dropping them off to the hospital. 'We got a lot of great feedback on social media from nurses who received the food and then reached out to us,' Mr Elmir told Daily Mail Australia. The next phase is delivering food to various hospitals across NSW for every night of Ramadan, which runs from April 23 to May 23. Volunteers will buy the meals from restaurants and deliver them to between 60 and 100 hospital staffers. Eighteen Muslim organisations are creating food hampers to deliver to those struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic (volunteers pictured preparing meals for delivery) Mr Elmir said the meals were funded by volunteers as well as donations from the community. He said because the volunteers are still considered essential workers, the project gives them an excuse to come together. 'We are still able to get together and that's keeping us active and giving us the chance to do something,' he said. 'Thankfully we have the capacity to go out and give back to the community.' One of the other groups helping those in need is the Muslim Aid Australia which have been making and delivering food hampers across the country. Riyaad Ally, a member of the group, said the team had been overwhelmed by the support of the community. The organisation uses donations from its own volunteers as well as the public to create food packages to be delivered to the doorstep of struggling Australians. Pictured is one of the hampers that will be delivered to Australians who are unable to go out and buy their own groceries Volunteers from Muslim Aid Australia are seen packing boxes ready to be delivered to the doorstep of vulnerable Australians 'We've done distributions for elderly people who can't go out, families who have children that are high risk, families that have lost their jobs and international students,' Mr Ally told Daily Mail Australia. 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 Mr Ally said for some international students who were left jobless and were struggling to stay afloat, volunteers from Muslim Aid Australia would help cover some of their bills. He said that a lot of the donations come from members of the community dropping off food to be made into hampers. 'The communities have come together really well. We put out a list of things we take for granted like flour, pasta, rice, toilet paper,' Mr Ally said. 'We distributed about 90 food hampers on a day alone in Victoria. 'A lot of volunteers drop off hampers on a daily basis. We mark everyone off. It's daily that we are going out there.' The team are determined to deliver the hampers until people are able to get back on their feet. '(Those receiving the hampers) are just overwhelmed by the support they are receiving, they've been very appreciative. This whole program is about helping one another,' he said. 'We're going to keep going as long as we can. The community has been very good so far and we hope to continue. 'This is not gonna stop for us.' ShareChat, Indias own social media platform, today announces the appointment of Manohar Charan as Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Finance. With over 11 years of experience in investment banking, Mergers and Acquisition (M&A), investor relations and strategic finance, Manohar has worked with companies like Zomato, Uber, Royal Bank of Scotland, PropTiger-Housing.com and many more. Manohar will lead the Investor Relations, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Strategic Finance and Legal functions at ShareChat. Prior to ShareChat, Manohar was the Vice President at Zomato where he was instrumental in setting up the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team. Manohar was also in a leadership role at Uber where he was heading Strategic Finance for India and South Asia. Manohar has led a series of M&A transactions when he was with PropTiger, including acquisitions like Housing.com and Makaan.com. At ShareChat, he will be reporting to Ankush Sachdeva,co-founder and CEO. Welcoming Manohar to ShareChat, Ankush Sachdeva, co-founder and CEO, ShareChat said, "Manohar brings strong expertise in corporate finance, M&A and investor relations. He is a proven business leader with strong strategic acumen, financial expertise and operational focus. He will be a valued member of our leadership team as we continue to execute on our long-term strategy." Joining ShareChat, Manohar Charan, Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Finance said, It gives me immense pleasure to have the opportunity of working with a company that is pioneering the regional narrative in the internet space. Today, ShareChat is building a homegrown social media platform to cater to the next internet wave the nation is yet to witness. I am looking forward to contributing to the companys growth with respect to my core area of expertise. I am thankful to the founders and the board for their trust and confidence in me, and we will together build ShareChat as Indias first successful social media company. Alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kanpur, Manohar has worked across Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Over the past 5 years, he has developed the skill-set of building, scaling and efficiently running internet first businesses with a sharp focus on unit economics and fiscal prudence. . Scottish Government to investigate reports of PPE being 'diverted' to England The First Minister said it would be completely unacceptable if reports that a PPE manufacturer is prioritising supplying health workers in England over those in Scotland were true Nicola Sturgeon promised to investigate following reports that a manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) is prioritising health workers in England over those in Scotland. The First Minister said it would be completely unacceptable if reports in The Times that a company that provides care homes in Scotland with PPE has stopped doing so and is focussing on work with Public Health England instead. Sturgeon said that the Health Secretary Jeane Freeman would raise the matter in a phone call with UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Gompels, a Wiltshire based company that normally supplies care homes in Scotland reportedly claimed on its website that anybody looking for supplies must be registered and operating within England. It said: Apologies to Wales and Scotland, we are told you have different processes for getting emergency supplies. Sturgeon said the Scottish Government is extremely concerned by the reports and said that it would now investigate the matter further. She said: We are aware of reports yesterday and this morning that supplies of PPE to care homes in Scotland are being diverted to England. I must stress that were not aware so far that this is an issue affecting supplies to our national stockpiles in Scotland, although we continue to monitor that very closely indeed. If care homes usual supplies are affected in this way then, as well as it being completely unacceptable in itself, it will increase pressure on our national stockpile and that would be a source of real worry with us. Its not an exaggeration to say we are extremely concerned about these reports and are taking steps to investigate them further and to resolve them if they are real issues as a matter of urgency. Sturgeons comments came hours after the governments clinical director Jason Leitch told the BBC that he did not believe the reports were accurate. He said: "We have looked into it and we think it's rubbish. The companies, and our colleagues at NHS England yesterday when we spoke to them, said it wasn't true. Leitch stressed that there are three main supply routes for PPE in Scotland: UK-wide procurement, individual orders from overseas and PPE made in Scotland. Sturgeon made the comments during the Scottish Governments daily coronavirus press conference. She also announced that a further 40 people had died from COVID-19, with the overall death toll in Scotland now 615. In total there are 1,798 patients in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, 196 of whom are in intensive care. A UK Government spokesperson said: Our PPE strategy is UK-wide, making sure that frontline workers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the PPE they need to stay protected while taking care of patients. Through this four-nation approach, we are working closely with the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the distribution of PPE evenly across the UK. To date, Scotland has received 11 million pieces of PPE from central UK stocks. We have not instructed any company to prioritise PPE for any one nation. Our UK-wide strategy will ensure equipment continues to be evenly distributed across the entire nation. The empty walkway connecting the Emporium and Melbourne Central shopping malls on March 29, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images) Australian Jobless Rate Heartbreaking: PM Australias unemployment is the worst its been since 1994, but the treasurer said the governments $320 billion economic stimulus package provides hope that Australia will recover more quickly once on the other side of the crisis. The unemployment rate is set to surge to 10 percenta 26-year peakin the June quarter. That represents hundreds of thousands of Australians who have lost their jobs because of the crisis caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said it could be worse if not for government intervention in a statement released on April 14. In the absence of the $130 billion JobKeeper payment, Treasury estimates the unemployment rate would be 5 percentage points higher and would peak at around 15 percent. Those 5 additional percentage points translate to 700,000 more job losses. The treasurers estimates nearly double the rate of 5.1 percent estimated in February before the CCP virus pandemic led to shutdowns and sweeping layoffs. Prime Minister Scott Morrison lamented the forecasted unemployment figures during an interview with the Today Show on April 14. Its a heartbreaking number. Unemployment at that rate, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs. It is just absolutely heartbreaking, he said. The treasurer said that the estimated 10 percent jobless rate took into consideration both Australias economic strength before the crisis and the stimulus packages introduced by the government in March. Worse Than 2008 The treasurer said the current downturn is far more significant than what happened in 2008. However, he is confident that the government is on the right track in boosting business resistance through the Jobkeeper program. More than 800,000 businesses have already registered for the Jobkeeper payment which will allow the economy to recover more quickly once we are through to the other side of the crisis. Every arm of government and industry is working to keep Australians in jobs and businesses in business, he said in the statement. The treasurer also assured Australians that the country hasnt lost its AAA credit rating even with the unprecedented economic incentives in place. Forecasts The $130 billion (US$83.2 billion) Jobkeeper package legislated on April 9 grants around 6 million Australian workers a $1500 per fortnight lifeline subsidy. The money is paid to employers to continue paying their employees for six months. It also brings the total economic support provided by the government and the Reserve Bank of Australia to a staggering $320 billion (US$205 billion)more than 16 percent of GDP. Economists responded positively to the stimulus packages. Westpac chief economist Bill Evans updated his forecasts following the announcement of the program in a video update in early April. He recognized the program as a major game-changer for the Australian economy and adjusted the unemployment rate for the June quarter from an initial 17 percent (amounting to a loss of 1.7 million jobs), down to 9 percent, before falling back to around 7 percent at the end of 2020. As for economic growth prospects, Evans forecasted that June and September will see a GDP contraction by 8.5 percent and 0.6 percent respectively, before a 5.2 percent lift in the December quarter. Overall, the economy is expected to contract by 5 percent through 2020. According to a recent economists survey by the Australian Financial Review, the June quarter will see a significant rise in unemployment rates, with the median forecast at 8.5 percent. The official labour force figures for March are expected to be released on April 16. WAPPINGER State Police say they are still hunting for clues in the 1971 killing of the night attendant at a local Texaco station. The troopers highlighted the unsolved case of Leonard Monette, 54, as part of their effort to draw attention to cold cases. More than half of black voters in eight states have said they would be more enthusiastic or more likely to vote for Joe Biden if he picked a black woman as his running mate. The information comes from a new poll conducted for the advocacy group BlackPAC by Politico. The poll concerns the key battleground states of Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The research found that 38 per cent of black voters who already plan to vote for Mr Biden, would be more enthusiastic about voting for him if he picked a black woman as his running mate. Of those who are already planning to vote for him, 27 per cent said that the decision would not change much for them. Recommended John Lewis endorses Biden and calls on him to choose a woman of colour Another 17 per cent per cent said that Mr Biden choosing a black woman as his running mate would make them more likely to vote for him. A further 5 per cent said it would make them more likely to go out and vote, but 1 per cent said it would make them more likely to vote for Donald Trump. In a live TV debate with Bernie Sanders in March, Mr Biden pledged to pick a woman as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election. If Im elected president, my cabinet, my administration, will look like the country, and I commit that I will in fact appoint and pick a woman as vice president, he said. Recommended Biden scores huge victory in Wisconsin in race overshadowed by virus There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow, he added. Earlier in the month, John Lewis, a representative for Georgia, who is well known for his civil rights activism in the 1960s, urged Joe Biden to pick a woman of colour as his running mate. Mr Lewis told reporters before announcing his endorsement of Mr Biden, that it would be good to have a woman of colour as the US vice president. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden for president of the United States on Monday, less than a week after ending his own campaign for the Democratic nomination. I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse, he said in a live broadcast alongside Mr Biden. By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Apr 14, 2020 - 23:08 | World, All, Japan, Coronavirus With the new coronavirus pandemic hindering the progress of talks for the world's biggest free trade pact involving 16 Asia-Pacific countries, Japan may be forced to give up reaching the deal this year in the face of domestic opposition. Japan is likely to place a top priority on shoring up the nation's virus-hit economy for an extended period, which would make it more difficult for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to promote free trade agreements including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Expanding free trade is certain to undermine profits of some sectors in Japan, such as agriculture, as the elimination and reduction of tariffs would result in an influx of cheap products from other countries. "It would take long time to rebuild the economy hit hard by the virus spread and under the circumstances, Prime Minister Abe cannot make further victims even though he may want to leave a legacy on free trade," a Japanese government source said. (Leaders from 16 Asia-Pacific nations attend a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit in Nonthabuti, north of Bangkok, on Nov. 4, 2019) Accounting for half of the world's population, RCEP, originally proposed by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2012, brings together Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, as well as the ASEAN countries. Since he took office in December 2012, Abe has been eager to strike free trade deals between Japan and other countries in an attempt to boost exports, a major driver of the nation's economic growth. He has been keen to achieve RCEP, covering a third of the global economy. At their summit in Thailand in November, the RCEP leaders pledged to sign an agreement on creating their free trade area in 2020, saying in a statement that 15 member countries without India have "concluded text-based negotiations." India has warned that it could pull out of the RCEP talks, with its foreign minister arguing that the current contents of the pact would negatively impact "the lives and livelihoods of Indians, especially vulnerable sections of society." If Abe pushes ahead with the RCEP negotiations before the economy recovers, "this would lead to a huge backlash in public opinion," the source said, adding, "Japan should put more emphasis on economic rehabilitation than on free trade, at least this year." A survey released earlier this month of economists at private institutions showed Japan's economy, the third largest in the world, is projected to shrink an annualized real 11.08 percent from the previous quarter in the April-June period. Japan's economic relations with China, meanwhile, would hamper the realization of the RCEP deal by the end of 2020, pundits say. As the disruption of the supply chain stemming from the virus outbreak in China, the world's factory, has taken a heavy toll on manufacturers, Abe's government has been recently aiming to bolster production and consumption at home. In early March, Abe said Japan should not highly depend on China for value-added manufactures and products, urging companies to move some of their factories to Japan from the neighboring power. Japan's degree of dependence on China for intermediate commodities has exceeded 20 percent in both exports and imports, the biggest level among the advanced economies, according to a document released by the government. The Abe administration has decided to provide subsidies for firms to prompt them to return their production bases to Japan. "The situation has drastically changed following the virus pandemic," said Junichi Sugawara, a trade policy expert at Mizuho Research Institute in Tokyo. "Many of the RCEP countries have become wary of relying on China too much, given that they have been unable to import important components and products from China, in turn hurting economic activities since earlier this year," he said. "More countries are expected to try to produce and secure key parts and goods by themselves down the road as if the globalization is reversed. This kind of trend would deprive them of motivation to open their markets," Sugawara said. "Unfortunately, I believe it would be very difficult for the 16 countries to reach the RCEP agreement this year," he added. At their videoconference on Tuesday, the ASEAN leaders agreed to make every effort to maintain their trade ties amid mounting fears that the supply chain will be further interrupted. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was quoted by his office as saying during the online summit, "Retreating from the regional and global connections cannot be the answer." But a diplomatic source, who is familiar with the RCEP talks, said, "Among the ASEAN countries, their stances against China have been divided. In the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, they would need to review their trade policy with China for over a year." The novel virus causing a respiratory disease called COVID-19 was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a business and transportation hub with a population of around 11 million. The teenager convicted of making up gang rape claims in Cyprus will speak about the ordeal in her first television interview. ITVs new documentary Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case, speaks to the 19-year-old woman, known as Emily in the programme, as well as her mother, her friends and the man who stumbled upon her shortly after the alleged rape occurred. Emily remains adamant she told the truth, as she tells ITV news anchor Julie Etchingham that local police had forced her to retract her rape claim. She said: There was no other way out of that police station other than sign that retraction statement. I thought as soon as I am outside that volatile environment I can sort this out. When youre in that situation, the only sensible thing to do is to conform. The British student was stuck on the Mediterranean island for almost five months after claiming she was raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists in a hotel room in the town of Ayia Napa on July 17. People outside Downing Street in central London, as they take part in a protest march in support of the woman (Stefan Rousseau/PA) She was charged and spent about a month in prison before being granted bail in August. She was handed a four-month jail term, suspended for three years, on January 7 before returning to the UK that week. She has since lodged an appeal against her public mischief conviction to Cypruss supreme court. The 12 men were released without charge. The documentary will see Emilys friends who found her shortly after the alleged rape tell their stories for the first time. One friend recalled: She was in such a traumatic state and like crying and bruises all over her body, like it was a horrible sight. Meanwhile, a British man who claimed to have seen Emily surrounded by the gang of men said: One of them had his arms over her shoulders as if to pull her close and the two were almost standing either side of her so she had nowhere to move. The programme will explore inconsistencies in the suspects account of that night, with a former Home Office adviser re-examining the evidence. Former Detective Chief Superintendent David Gee tells the programme, if it had occurred in the UK, there was enough evidence to charge at least one man with rape. Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case airs on Tuesday at 10.45pm. FP Trending Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday increased warranty, extended warranty and free services for customer vehicles that were expiring between 15 March and 30 April to 30 June. The automaker took the decision to extend the services after the government earlier today extended the coronavirus lockdown till 3 May. "Maruti Suzuki is fully committed to the safety and well-being of its employees, business partners and customers. The company will continue to support the government at the Centre and state levels and follow all advisories in combating COVID-19, the automaker said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation earlier today said that the 21-day lockdown which was scheduled to end on 14 April has now been extended till 3 May. The decision has been taken after consultation with chief ministers of states and he said that it would help restrict the spread of COVID-19. Maruti Suzuki India has also reached out to its customers with precautionary steps that should be taken to prevent car damage during the COVID-19 lockdown. Indias largest carmaker said that it has sent SMS to more than 25 million customers to inform them about tips that they can follow to protect their vehicle. Maruti Suzuki has issued a special advisory on battery protection for when the vehicle is parked for a longer time. It has asked customers to start the vehicle and keep the engine running in on position once in a month for a minimum of 15 minutes. For cars with smart Hybrid tech and Lithium-ion battery, the company has asked customers to start the engine and keep it running with headlights in on position for at least 30 minutes once a month. Our brain contains tens of billions of nerve cells (neurons) which constantly communicate with each other by sending chemical and electrical flashes, each lasting a short one millisecond (0.001 sec). In every millisecond, these billions of swift-flying flashes altogether traveling in a giant star-map in the brain that lights up a tortuous glittering pattern. They are the origins of all body functions and behaviours such as emotions, perceptions, thoughts, actions, and memories; and also brain diseases e.g. alzheimer's and parkinson's diseases, in case of abnormalities. One grand challenge for neuroscience in the 21st century is to capture these complex flickering patterns of neural activities, which is the key to an integrated understanding of the large-scale brain-wide interactions. To capture these swift-flying signals live has been a challenge to neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. It would take a high-speed microscope into the brain, which has not been possible so far. A research team led by Dr Kevin Tsia, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Programme Director of Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU); and Professor Ji Na, from the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) offers a novel solution with their super high-speed microscope - two-photon fluorescence microscope, which has successfully recorded the millisecond electrical signals in the neurons of an alert mouse. The new technique is minimally invasive to the animal being tested compared to the traditional method that require inserting an electrode into the brain tissue. Not only is this less damaging to the neurons but also can pinpoint individual neurons and trace their firing paths, millisecond by millisecond. The result of this ground-breaking work has recently been published in the academic journal Nature Methods. The project was funded by the National Institute of Health, U.S. At the heart of the high-speed microscope is an innovative technique called FACED (free-space angular-chirp-enhanced delay imaging) - developed by Dr Tsai's team earlier (note 1). FACED makes use of a pair of parallel mirrors which generate a shower of laser pulses to create a super-fast sweeping laser beam at least 1,000 times faster than the existing laser-scanning methods. In the experiment, the microscope projected a beam of sweeping laser over the mouse's brain and captured 1,000 to 3,000 full 2D scans of a single mouse brain layer (of the neocortex) every second. To probe the genuine electrical signals that pulse between the neurons, the team inserted a biosensor (protein molecules), developed by Dr Michael Lin of Stanford University, into the neurons of the mouse brain. "These engineered proteins will light up (or fluoresce) whenever there is a voltage signal passes through the neurons. The emitted light is then detected by the microscope and formed into a 2D image that visualises the locations of these voltage changes," said Dr Tsia. "This is really an exciting result as we now can peek into the neuronal activities, that were once obscured and could provide the fundamental clues to understanding brain functions and more importantly brain diseases," he added. Apart from electrical signals, the team also used the microscope to capture the slow-motion of chemical signals in the mouse brain, such as calcium and glutamate, a neurotransmitter, as deep as one-third of a millimeter from the brain's surface. A notable advantage of this technique is the ability to track the signals that do not trigger the neuron to fire - weak neuronal signals (called sub-threshold signals) that are often difficult to capture and detect, which could also happen in many disease condition in the brain, but have yet been studied in detail because of the lack of high-speed technique like the one developed by the team. Another important feature of the novel technique is that it is minimally invasive. The classical method for recording electrical firing in the brain is to physically embed or implant electrodes in the brain tissue. However, such physical intrusion could cause damage to the neurons, and can only detect fuzzy signals from a couple of neurons. "This is so far a one-of-its-kind technology that could detect millisecond-changing activities of individual neurons in the living brain. So, this is, I would say, the cornerstone of neuroscience research to more accurately "decoding" brain signals."Dr Tsia said the team would work to advance the capability of the microscope. "We are working to further combine other advanced microscopy techniques to achieve imaging at higher resolution, wider view and deeper into the brain in the neocortex, which is about 1 millimeter. This will allow us to probe deeper into the brain for a better and more comprehensive understanding of the functions of the brain." he added. ### Download images and videos. Details of the Paper: Kilohertz two-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging of neural activity in vivo Jianglai Wu, Yajie Liang, Shuo Chen, Ching-Lung Hsu, Mariya Chavarha, Stephen W Evans, Donqging Shi, Michael Z Lin, Kevin K Tsia, Na Ji Nature Methods 17, pages287-290(2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-020-0762-7 Note 1: previous press release for FACED: https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/16239.html American Express Declares Dividend on Series B and Series C Preferred Stock American Express (News - Alert) Company (NYSE: AXP) has declared the following dividends on the Company's Series B and C Preferred Shares: A quarterly dividend on the Company's 5.200% Fixed Rate / Floating Rate Noncumulative Preferred Shares, Series B, of $12,372.73 per share (which is equivalent to $12.37273 per related Depositary Share). The dividend is payable on May 15, 2020, to shareholders of record on May 1, 2020. A quarterly dividend on the Company's 4.900% Fixed Rate / Floating Rate Noncumulative Preferred Shares, Series C, of $10,287.39 per share (which is equivalent to $10.28739 per related Depositary Share). The dividend is payable on June 15, 2020, to shareholders of record on June 1, 2020. About American Express American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress. Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005913/en/ I request all of you to maintain discipline till May 3: Arvind Kejriwal 18 deaths and 350 new coronavirus positive cases reported in Maharashtra today Total number of coronavirus positive cases is 660 in Uttar Pradesh 2 more deaths due to coronavirus in Gujarat; death toll has risen to 28 Don't allow large gatherings of people in Delhi: Chief secretary to police Number of containment zones in Delhi increases to 55 Delhi govt has made sufficient arrangements for your accommodation, food: Kejriwal appeals to migrant workers Total number of coronavirus positive cases in Andhra Pradesh stands at 483 Ahmedabad has more than 350 coronavirus positive cases 17 health staff, including 3 resident doctors, of Pune's Sonawane Maternity Home have been put under quarantine SC to hear plea that the govt has not formulated a National Management Protocol for Covid-19 In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spelled out the road ahead in tacking the Covid-19 situation prevailing in and extended lockdown till May 3 the country. He outlined the decision on lockdown given the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country and also spelled out a seven points list that he said needs to be taken care of till the pandemic lasts. Even before Modis speech, several states including Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal have already extended the lockdown till April 30 to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in the country. The number of Covid-19 infected people in India has climbed to 10,815 and the death toll has touched 353, according to latest figures released by the Union ministry of health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called the coronavirus disease, which has flu like symptoms, 10 times more deadly than swine flu, also called H1N1, which caused a global pandemic in 2009. With coronavirus surpassing two million across the globe, many countries across the world have also extended their lockdown period. Follow latest coronavirus updates here: At least 17 people were said to have been killed when a fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force fired a bomb on Sakotoku vil... Air Force fired a bomb on Sakotoku village in Damboa local government area of Borno state. At least 17 people were said to have been killed when a fighter jet belonging to the NigerianAir Force fired a bomb on Sakotoku village in Damboa local government area of Borno state. Residents revealed that those killed included women, and children who were said to be playing under mango trees. around the village on Thursday afternoon. The air force, military sources said, was informed that Boko Haram insurgents were gatheringaround the village on Thursday afternoon. The supposed target, according to a source, was an area in Korongilum, a neighbouring village 12 kilometres away where suspected Boko Haram insurgents had gathered earlier. We dont know if they didnt communicate well with the land troops as the air force jet fired that bomb on the village, one of the sources said. Seventeen people were killed, mostly women and their children playing under mango trees. Many were also injured and have been taken to the 25 army brigade in Damboa, and those with critical injuries were taken to Maiduguri. Some of the villagers whose houses were destroyed have found their way to Damboa. In February, residents of Garkida, Adamawa state and Korongilum, Borno state, had alleged that NAF fighter jets refused to open fire on suspected Boko Haram insurgents when they attacked their communities. Ibikunle Daramola, NAF spokesperson, had then said they could not engage the insurgents because the situation in Garkida was chaotic, and that they took the measure so they would not hit civilians. In 2017, 126 civilians were killed in Rann, Borno state, in an accidental air strike by the military. When contacted about the incident in Sakotoku, Daramola said: Its a matter of operation and the defence headquarters would be in a better position to speak on the matter. Both Onyema Nwachukwu and John Enenche, defence headquarters spokespersons, were not reachable for comment as they neither responded to calls nor replied text messages. The last slave ship known to have landed in the United States more than 150 years ago has a new owner: The state of Alabama. A federal judge granted ownership of the Clotilda shipwreck to the Alabama Historical Commission in a one-page order released Monday. The decision by US District Judge Kristi DuBose means the state will have final say over remnants of the ship, which was found on a muddy river bottom north of Mobile and publicly identified last year. The Clotilda, a two-masted Gulf schooner, sailed to West Africa on an illegal trip financed by a wealthy white businessman as a nation divided over slavery was building toward Civil War. It delivered about 110 kidnapped Africans to Mobile before it was burned in a bayou in 1860 to hide evidence of the crime. Historical accounts suggest that relatives of the businessman, Timothy Meaher, may have known where remains of the ship were located in the Mobile River before search teams found wooden and metal remains along the shore of an island. But no one else filed a court claim for the wreck, allowing the state to take uncontested ownership. A few pieces of the ship were removed from the river and will be part of an exhibition planned to open later this year in Mobile, near where the freed captives settled after the Civil War in a community called Africatown. Descendants of the Africans still live in the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Maharashtra orders probe against rumour-mongers over migrants plight India pti-PTI Mumbai, Apr 14: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced on Tuesday night that a probe has been ordered to find out who spread the rumour that trains will be run to take migrant workers back to their states. "I have ordered an investigation into the rumour that claimed trains to take migrants back home. Those found guilty of sparking such rumours will be dealt severely invoking the fullest force of law. #ZeroToleranceForRumours, Deshmukh tweeted. More than 1,000 migrant workers, who are stuck in Mumbai for the last three weeks, gathered in Bandra around 3 PM on Tuesday, demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the coronavirus lockdown till May 3. Ambulances have been forced to line up and wait for hours outside Moscow hospitals overwhelmed by the influx of suspected coronavirus patients. As Russia recorded its highest daily increase of patients, President Vladimir Putin conceded that the situation was getting worse every day. Great Rentals and Events LLC, a San Antonio, Texas-based special events company that provides services for weddings and corporate functions, has been hit with a federal lawsuit charging the company with sex-based harassment and retaliation. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges in its lawsuit that the company violated federal law when it subjected a female employee to a hostile work environment based on her sex and then fired her when she brought the harassment to the attention of management. According to the EEOCs lawsuit, the company owner repeatedly subjected the employee to comments that were demeaning to women, including sexual comments and other gender-based comments such as that women are worthless because they have kids and references to female staff as little girls. After complaints to human resources, the company fired the woman in retaliation for her complaints, the EEOC charged. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating based on sex and from retaliating against workers who object to such discrimination. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division (EEOC v. Great Rentals and Events, LLC, Case No. 5:20-cv-448) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The lawsuit asks the court to order the company to provide its former employee with appropriate relief, including back wages, compensatory and punitive damages, and a permanent injunction enjoining the company from engaging in any further discriminatory practices. The EEOC also asks the court to order the company to institute and carry out policies and practices that prevent sex harassment and retaliation. Source: EEOC Topics Lawsuits Taiwan is reporting just one to six new COVID-19 cases per day. Schools, offices and restaurants are operating all but normally. But the island's government is expected to wait until the global pandemic improves before easing restrictions that have helped contain the spread of the virus but hurt a big swathe of the economy. Just one new case surfaced on April 5. Every other day since March 26, Taiwans Central Epidemic Command Center has reported two to six new cases with no threat of a widespread community outbreak. Mondays case total reached five, bringing the overall count to 393 including six deaths and 114 recoveries. Officials will probably keep enforcing disease control measures until the crisis overseas gets better, said Huang Ching-tai, a professor and doctor in the infectious diseases department of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Continued enforcement would help ensure no one flies in with the virus and spreads it around, he said. "Taiwan's situation presently counts as being pretty good, and we all feel relaxed, but to look at the whole world's situation, there's no obvious letting up," Huang said. "So actually, if we're ok now, to ensure that tomorrow and next day are just as good for us, we need to keep up our cautiousness and not neglect it," he said. "We don't really want to consider saying the epidemic has been lifted." Control measures include a temporary ban on foreign visitors and required 14-day quarantine for all arrivals including transit passengers. Most of Taiwan's cases are citizens who flew back from infected countries. (Newser) Pilots and flight attendants have accepted American Airline's offers of voluntary leave or early retirement by the thousands. With air travel evaporated during the pandemic, more than 700 pilots took early retirement and 4,800 took a leave of one to six months. All include benefits, and many partial pay under varying terms, USA Today reports. The figures came from the union, which represents more than 15,000 pilots for the airline. "The suddenness of their departure is a bit unsettling," the union told its members, "as this wasn't what any of us had planned." The flight attendants union said almost 7,000 of its members took one or the other; their leaves are from three months to a year. Their terms also include full benefits and partial pay. At least 100 of American's flight attendants and 41 of its pilots have tested positive for the coronavirus. story continues below The federal government is proposing to help US airlines meet their payrolls, to the tune of $25 billion total. American, which has the most employees, is asking for $6 billion of that, per Reuters; airlines would have to repay 30% of the payroll aid. Under the terms, the government could end up owning 3% of American. (Read more airline industry stories.) Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 14th April 2020. Here are the major headlines. Lockdown Has Reduced Spread Of Coronavirus In Nigeria FG The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has expressed that restrictions put in place in the country in the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the spread of the virus. Lockdown: CAN Demands Reopening Of Churches According to reports, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has demanded for the reopening of churches amidst the lockdown across the country to prevent Coronavirus. Nigerian Man Arrested In Dubai For Using Fake Passports A Twitter user identified as @Omokehinde has taken to the micro-blogging platform to cry out that a Nigerian man has been arrested in Dubai for using a fake passport. Governor Abiodun Mulls Death Penalty For Criminals In Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has vowed to deal ruthlessly with criminals in the state, saying nothing would shield them from the full weight of the law. Lockdown: Ayade Asks Civil Servants To Return To Work Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has directed all civil servants from Grade Level 10 and above to resume work from Tuesday. Coronavirus: Osun State Discharges Ten More Patients Ten patients who tested positive for coronavirus in Osun state have been discharged after recovering from the disease. COVID-19: NCDC Records 13 New Cases, Total Now 318 Cases The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)has confirmed thirteen new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. SyncDog Inc., the leading Independent Software Vendor (ISV) for next generation mobile security and data loss prevention, today announced an increase in their Middle Eastern presence to support advanced market demands from industries that require a more complete mobile security solution. To better serve and assist these organizations, SyncDog has opened an office in Dubai and hired a Regional Sales Manager, Geoff Brooks. The company is actively adding logos to their customer portfolio, including maptalent, a recruitment and human capital solutions group spanning the Middle East, United Kingdom and the United States. We are thrilled to expand SyncDogs global footprint and to play a role in advancing access to mobile security solutions beyond traditional EMM and MDM, said Brian Egenrieder, Chief Revenue Officer at SyncDog. Organizations in the Middle East are rapidly adopting modern BYOD policies and opting out of the traditional practice of buying and managing mobile devices for their employees. Our office in Dubai will support these initiatives by providing a modern solution that is designed for mobile employees to collaborate and work securely within their enterprise ecosystem. Our employees spend the majority of their time working on-the-go, meeting clients and candidates. Right now, they are forced to spend time working from home. Its incredibly helpful to have a system in place whereby our employees can easily access the necessary company information and increase their ability to be productive without compromising company security, said Mark Palmer, CEO of maptalent. Integrating Secure.Systems into our employees devices was easier than I could have ever anticipated and has allowed me to worry less about covering the cost of supplying work phones and other overhead, and focus more on keeping our clients data secure, our candidates engagement process secure and the process of onboarding new hires and expanding our business. SyncDog supports enterprises in complying with data security regulations and helping businesses remain secure and compliant, which has only grown in importance in the wake of COVID-19 and newly established regulatory requirements. Through their expansion to the Middle East, SyncDog is well positioned to support organizations affected by Saudi Arabias Cyber Security Framework, a policy requiring the containerization of all government data on all devices. SyncDogs Secure.Systems solution goes beyond traditional enterprise mobility management solutions, which are not equipped to handle the cyber threats that put data governed by privacy regulations at risk. By ensuring companies have easy access to deploy Secure.Systems for their mobile productivity needs, we demonstrate our commitment to advancing the mobile security market by providing stronger, more secure mobile security solutions, Brooks added. This expansion provides SyncDog the opportunity to further accelerate the BYOD market and engage with companies that are implementing advanced mobile security solutions. About SyncDog Inc. SyncDog is the leading ISV for building mobile frameworks that extend app functionality to devices while securing corporate and Government networks from mobile-endpoint threat. SyncDogs flagship solution, Secure.Systems, delivers a rich and unimpeded mobile experience for employees working remotely, and supports a multitude of enterprise productivity apps within a NIST-certified (FIPS 140-2 cert. #2687), workspace. Secure.Systems is ideal for organizations that want to deliver a rich mobile app experience across BYOD, CYOD (choose your own device), or other endpoint device policy. Secure.Systems is a natural complement to security and compliance auditing initiatives to satisfy the mandates of HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, GLBA, FISMA, and other laws/standards for data security. Secure.Systems can be deployed as managed service from https://secure.systems or as an on- premise solution. Additionally, Secure.Systems can be found on the Microsoft Azure and MobileIron marketplace exchanges, as well as on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play Store (Android). For more information about SyncDog, please visit https://www.syncdog.com New portraits of the Danish royal family have been released to celebrate Queen Margrethe of Denmark's 80th birthday this week. The three images, shared to the household's Instagram account this morning, show Queen Margrethe posing alongside her son Crown Prince Frederik and grandson Prince Christian, who is second-in-line to the throne. They were taken by photographer Per Morten Abrahamsen last year in Christian IX's Mansion at Amalienborg in Copenhagen. The Queen's milestone birthday on April 16 will go by with very little fanfare as celebrations have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. New portraits of the Danish royal family have been released to celebrate Queen Margrethe of Denmark's 80th birthday this week. Pictured: The monarch with her son and grandson The snaps, shared to the household's Instagram account this morning, show Queen Margrethe posing alongside her son Crown Prince Frederik and grandson Prince Christian (above) One of the portraits shows Queen Margrethe, Prince Frederik and Prince Christian in the Red Salon in Christian IX's mansion in Amalienborg. The son of Prince Frederik and his wife Princess Mary, Prince Christian, aged 14, stands beside his grandmother as they hold hands with one another. The next image captures the three royals as they stand in the doorway to the Red Salon in Christian IX's mansion, while the third shows the three generations in the Hall of Knights in Amalienborg. It is from this floor that the Danish royal family traditionally step out onto the balcony on birthdays to receive the congratulations of the people from the castle square. The images (above) were taken by photographer Per Morten Abrahamsen in autumn and winter 2019 in Christian IX's Mansion at Amalienborg in Copenhagen However, this year, the monarch's birthday celebrations have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, Queen Margrethe has asked her citizens to send flowers to elderly neighbours or relatives who need their spirits lifted. 'The Queen receives flowers every year on her birthday from near and far,' a statement from the Palace said. 'This year, the Queen is calling for a bouquet to be sent to one of the many senior citizens who are facing particular difficulties during this time.' The milestone birthday was originally set to be marked with a carriage procession, reception at Copenhagen City Hall and a private dinner and dance at Fredensborg Castle. Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, 51, has been isolating with his wife Princess Mary and their four children at Fredensborg Palace (pictured) Instead, 170,000 people across Denmark have pledged online to sing for their Queen at midday. Meanwhile, Per Morten Abrahamsen designed the portrait series with his research and proposals in mind as well as the Queen's own wishes. Per Morten Abrahamsen said: 'I am deeply honored that the Royal House has entrusted me with this task. Telling a story about the person you are photographing is crucial to the success of the image. 'That I am able to grasp what is coming and that a naturalness is coming into the picture. With the group image of the Queen, Crown Prince and Prince Christian, for example, it was important that there was an interaction between the three generations. 'And it emerged quite spontaneously when the Queen put her arm on her son and grandson.' Apple has provided more details about the contact tracing feature that it is building with Google for iOS and Android devices. The company has made it clear that the contact tracing feature will only be coming to iPhones and iPads running iOS 13. The feature will be rolled out to them via a software update. By mid-May, both Apple and Google will roll out an API that will support contact tracing. Public health bodies will be able to take advantage of this API in their apps for contact tracing. This API will only be available for public health authorities as recognized and authorized by governments and not to other app developers. After this, Apple will work on integrating the contact tracing feature right into iOS which will again be rolled out to existing iPhones and iPad owners via a software update. Apple will be processing all data on a users device and only then relay that data through servers of health organizations across the world. The data will not be centralized to prevent surveillance by the government. Apple itself will not have access to data, though both the companies Apple and Google acknowledge that the servers can always get hacked but having the data decentralized would help in such scenarios. Another interesting point to note is that even if a user reports themselves as COVID-19 positive, public health authorities would have to confirm their diagnosis. This will be done so that the system is not misused and users are able to trust the system. [Via TechCrunch Stray dogs may have been the 'intermediary animal' that spread coronavirus from bats to humans rather than pangolins, as previously thought a study claimed. Understanding how coronavirus came to infect humans is vital for discerning how the virus works and for concocting vaccines and treatments to stop its spread. Canadian researchers who analysed the coronavirus genome argue that only a transmission route via dogs can explain their findings. However, the study has been met with criticism, with one researcher accusing it of being founded on 'far too much inference and far too little direct data.' 'It is really important to note that this is just a theory,' added the RSPCA's Chief Veterinary Officer, Caroline Allen. 'There is currently no evidence that dogs were the origin of this virus and no evidence that they are playing a role in the spread of COVID-19, which is a disease transmitted between humans.' 'It is vitally important that people do not abandon their pets or harm stray dogs on the basis of this theoretical paper or misleading reports, as this could have a huge impact on animal welfare.' 'We would encourage people to stick to the latest government and medical advice and visit our website for more advice around pet care during the crisis.' Scroll down for video Stray dogs may have been the 'intermediary animal' that spread coronavirus from bats to humans rather than pangolins, as previously thought a study claimed (stock image) Paper author and biologist Xuhua Xia of the University of Ottawa proposes a scenario in which 'the coronavirus first spread from bats to stray dogs eating bat meat.' 'The specific origins of SARS-CoV-2 are of vital interest in the current world health crisis,' he added. 'Our observations have allowed the formation of a new hypothesis for the origin and initial transmission.' 'The ancestor of COVID-19 and its nearest relative a bat coronavirus infected the intestine of dogs, most likely resulting in a rapid evolution of the virus and its jump into humans.' 'This suggests the importance of monitoring SARS-like coronaviruses in feral dogs in the fight against COVID-19.' Pangolins scaly mammals that resemble anteaters were previously believed to have provided the key 'staging post' for the virus en route to entering humans. However, a complex investigation of COVID-19 mutations has ruled them out as the direct source of the first human infection an analysis that also ruled the possibility of the virus having passed directly from bats. To have been transmitted from pangolins, the common ancestor of COVID-19 and coronavirus in pangolins would have had to have evolved in 1882 and 1966 for bats. This is simply 'too far back in time', said Prof Xia, explaining that dogs provide a far more plausible explanation for ho w the virus made the leap into humans. The team's conclusion was based on the analysis of chemical signatures taken from across a variety of species including bats, pangolins, dogs, snakes and humans. Understanding how coronavirus came to infect humans is vital for discerning how the virus works and for concocting vaccines and treatments to stop its spread. Canadian researchers who analysed the coronavirus genome argue that only a transmission route via dogs can explain their findings When viruses invade an animal, 'battle scars' are within the viral genome as it adapts and changes to fight off and evade the host's immune system. Experts believe that COVID-19 almost certainly began in bats. These flying mammals have been around for millions of years and have picked up a lot of viruses that have gone on to kill people including Ebola, rabies and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Humans and bats don't interact, however, so another animal is usually involved and finding out which played this intermediary role will be crucial to eradicating COVID-19. For instance, the 2002 SARS outbreak moved from horseshoe bats, into cat-like civets, before ultimately infecting humans. In their study, Professor Xia and colleagues looked at a key antiviral protein known as ZAP which can stop a virus in its tracks by preventing its multiplication and degrading its genome. It works by targeting a pair of chemical letters called 'CpG dinucleotides', which are located within the virus' RNA genome acting as a signpost that one's immune system can use to help seek and destroy a virus. ZAP 'patrols' the human lungs and is made in large amounts in the bone marrow and lymph nodes, the locations where the immune system first primes its attack. However, some viruses including the novel coronavirus are capable of fighting back by reducing these CpG signposts, rendering the antiviral protein ineffective. Pangolins, pictured scaly mammals that resemble anteaters were previously believed to have provided the key 'staging post' for the virus en route to entering humans 'Think of a decreased amount of CpG in a viral pathogen as an increased threat to public health, while an increased amount of CpG decreases the threat of such viral pathogens,' said Professor Xia. 'A virus with an increased amount of CpG would be better targeted by the host immune system, and result in reduced virulence, which would be akin to natural vaccines.' According to Professor Xia, only genomes from dog coronaviruses have CpG values similar to those observed in COVID-19. Dog coronaviruses also affect their host's digestive system, entering via a protein called ACE2 which is also made in humans' intestines. 'This is consistent with the interpretation the low CpG in COVID-19 was acquired by the [virus'] ancestor evolving in mammalian digestive systems,' said Prof Xia. '[This] interpretation is further corroborated by a recent report that a high proportion of COVID-19 patients also suffer from digestive discomfort. In fact, 48.5 per cent presented with digestive symptoms as their chief complaint.' Professor Xia said that dogs and humans were the only host species his team observed that produce coronavirus genomes with low genomic CpG values. However, the study has been met with criticism, with one researcher accusing it of being founded on 'far too much inference and far too little direct data.' WHY DOES CORONAVIRUS CAUSE DIGESTIVE SYMPTOMS? Chinese researchers believe COVID-19 appears to cause digestive symptoms because SARS-CoV-2 is similar to SARS-CoV and can invade the human body by binding to the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor. This can cause liver tissue injury by making too many liver cells, called hepatocytes, derived from ells in the bile duct. Secondly, SARS-CoV-2 indirectly or directly damages the digestive system through an inflammatory response. The chain reaction may injure the digestive system. Advertisement A study of the first 12 patients in the US found that one had reported diarrhoea as their initial symptom before they developed a fever and a cough. Furthermore, stool samples from 7 out of 10 patients tested positive for COVID-19, including three of whom who had diarrhoea as a symptom. Dogs are often observed to lick their anal and genital regions with such behaviour having the potential to facilitate viral transmission from the digestive to the respiratory system. Such would also explain the interchange between a gastrointestinal pathogen and a respiratory tract and lung pathogen. 'In this context, it is significant the bat coronavirus was isolated from a faecal swab,' Prof Xia added. 'These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that COVID-19 has evolved in mammalian intestine or tissues associated with the intestine.' The disease is believed to have begun in December at a seafood market in Wuhan, China, where wild animals including marmots, birds, rabbits, bats and snakes were traded. Other researchers have cautioned against accepting the findings of the paper. 'I find it difficult to understand how the author has been able to conclude anything from this study, or to hypothesise much, let alone that the virus causing COVID-19 may have evolved through dogs,' said University of Cambridge veterinary medicine expert James Wood. 'There is far too much inference and far too little direct data. I do not see anything in this paper to support this supposition and am concerned that this paper has been published in this journal.' 'I do not believe that any dog owners should be concerned as a result of this work.' 'We understand that dog owners may be concerned about the potential effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on their four-legged friends and whether or not they can contract or transmit the disease,' added Dogs Trust Worldwide director Karen Reed. 'We want to reassure people that the author of this study himself said that the suggestion that dogs were a potential host species was speculative.' 'Its important that pet owners and Governments globally alike do not take drastic measures in response to this study, given the limited data and lack of evidence that dogs are playing any role in virus transmission.' 'Dogs can be infected with their own species specific Coronavirus, however there is no evidence that the virus responsible for COVID-19 can be transmitted from dogs to humans (or vice versa).' 'Although there are currently no confirmed instances of Coronavirus (COVID-19) being passed from pets to people, just like human hands it is possible for dogs to carry the virus on their fur, their collar and lead.' When caring for a dog it is important to remember that basic hygiene is key. This includes washing your hands before and after handling them, as well as avoiding kissing, being licked or sharing food. 'If you have tested positive for Coronavirus we would recommend limiting physical contact with your dog as much as possible too as hard as it may be.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. [April 14, 2020] Versus Partners with Kast to Expand Beyond Gaming Into Streaming Video LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Versus Systems, Inc. ("Versus") (CSE: VS ) (OTCQB: VRSSF ) (FRANKFURT: BMVA ) today announces an agreement with Kast to bring Versus proprietary in-app rewards technology to Kasts successful watch party platform. This is an important step for Versus in that Kast is the first non-gaming content partner to integrate the Versus rewards platform. Social streaming, watch parties and video are a part of what Business Wire estimates as a $250 Billion dollar global streaming market that is estimated to grow at 19% CAGR through 2024. Kast is a real-time video sharing app with screen capture, voice, text, and video chat technology that makes it easy to connect with friends wherever they are in a watch party. Kast is the ultimate virtual living room solution for all your content needs. Kast has recently been featured in well-known media outlets like Wired, Mashable, The Next Web, The Evening Standard, NBC and more. The two companies will work together to integrate real-world rewards into Kasts watch party apps to increase engagement for hosts of watch parties, known as Kasters, and watch party spectators alike. Kast is a true pioneer in the watch party space, said John OConnell, Head of Business Development for Versus Systems. We are excited to bring our in-game reward technologies to their apps, creators and spectators later this year. Justin Weissberg, Co-founder and President of Kast commented: Versus brings real, tangible rewards to their partners growing audiences. We are excited to bring our community rewards they can experience with their Kast friends and family. About Kast Kasts mission is to be the ecosystem that empowers people to share their experiences, engage and build relationships with like-minded people. For more information, please visit www.kastapp.co , or search Kast on the iTunes and Google Play stores. Kast is available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac and for Chrome browser. For Kast, contact: [email protected] About Versus Systems Versus Systems, Inc. has developed - a proprietary in-game prizing and promotions engine that allows game publishers and developers to offer in-game prizing across mobile, console, PC games, and streaming media. Brands pay to place products in-game and gamers compete for those prizes. For more information, please visit www.versussystems.com or visit Versus Systems official YouTube channel . For Versus Systems, contact: [email protected] (424) 242-4150 This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the proposed use of proceeds from the Offering. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] People with specific health conditions will be allowed out more than once a day during the coronavirus lockdown, according to updated advice from the UK government. The new rules state that those who need to leave the house to maintain their health, such as individuals with learning disabilities or autism who require specific exercise in an open space two or three times each day, are permitted to do so. The new advice also states that it is still permissible even if it involves travel beyond your local area. This outdoor exercise should ideally be in line with a care plan agreed by a medical professional. However, the guidance says: Even in such cases, in order to reduce the spread of infection and protect those exercising, travel outside of the home should be limited, as close to your local area as possible, and you should remain at least 2 metres apart from anyone who is not a member of your household or a carer at all times. Recommended How to help the elderly and vulnerable during the coronavirus The change to the rules was made after two families with children on the autistic spectrum approached law firms for help, reports The Guardian. Bindmans LLP and 39 Essex Chambers argued that the policy was inflexible and negatively impacted on those with certain health conditions that required them to spend more time outside for their mental wellbeing. They claimed the rule was therefore unlawful and discriminatory. Following the amendment to the policy, one of the families said they were delighted by the outcome. The current advice states that everyone else should only leave the house for very limited purposes: to shop for basic necessities, such as food and medicine, as infrequently as possible; one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle, alone or with members of your household; any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home. Those caught breaking the rules could be fined 60 for a first offence. Medical professionals administer COVID-19 tests at the Bondi Beach drive-through COVID-19 testing center on April 6, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) More Virus Tests Check on Community Spread Thousands more Australians will be checked for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus as states expand their testing regimes to rout out any spread among the wider community. While the rate of new infections has slowed dramatically, Australians are being warned restrictions in place to contain the virus will stay for many more weeks. And international travel is out of the question for the foreseeable future. Its unrealistic to think those border restrictions will be lifted anytime soon, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters on April 14. Health authorities say the pandemic is moving into a containment phase. They want to keep a close eye on possible community transmissions, where new diagnoses arent linked to known cases or people who have brought the virus back from overseas. Testing regimes are being expanded across various states and territories to ensure more people showing symptoms fever, shortness of breath, cough or sore throat can be screened for the disease. Almost 6400 Australians have caught the virus and more than half of them have recovered. There have been 61 deaths. A cluster of cases in north-western Tasmania has led to two hospitals being closed and some 5000 people put in quarantine. Police are now investigating rumours some of the medical staff involved had met for a dinner party in breach of social distancing rules. State and federal leaders will meet later this week to discuss when restrictions on travel and gatherings of people can be relaxed. I do want to caution Australians that were not in that phase yet were many weeks away from being in a place like that, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Sevens Sunrise. Any lifting of restrictions would need to be backed up by a strong health system and even stronger testing regime. Youve seen in places like Singapore and Sweden and other parts of the world where the virus has just taken off again. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has suggested digital tracking via mobile phones, as used in Singapore and Taiwan, could replace the tough restrictions But Professor Murphy acknowledged there would have to be community buy-in for such a move. Treasury modelling shows Australias unemployment rate is expected to nearly double to 10 per cent because of the pandemic. But it was slated to reach as high as 15 per cent without government support. Frydenberg said the dramatic rise in unemployment was concerning but also a realistic reflection of the economic challenges ahead. As for the speed in which people get back into the workforce, who have tragically lost their jobs, that will depend to some extent the health restrictions are in place, he said. He acknowledged the hundreds of billions of dollars the government was spending would leave the nation with a debt burden that will be left to pay for years to come. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has been working with Qantas and Virgin on ways to subsidise domestic flights between major cities. Virgin was again placed in a trading halt ahead of an announcement to the Australian stock exchange, with the company citing ongoing discussions around financial assistance and restructuring alternatives. The prime minister and treasurer said any public funding would be spread across the entire sector. By Katina Curtis Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Taipei, April 14, 2020 Chinese authorities must immediately release documentary filmmaker Chen Jiaping and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 5, police in Beijing detained Chen, a filmmaker who recently shot a documentary on Chinese activist and scholar Xu Zhiyong, according to an open letter written by his wife and shared on Facebook by the Southern Idiot Observation Group, a human rights group, on April 12. Beijings Haidian Public Security Bureau is holding Chen under residential surveillance at a designated location, a form of extrajudicial detention, and he was charged with subversion of state power, according to the letter. Detaining Chen Jiaping for filming a documentary on a subject the Chinese government doesnt like is absurd, said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJs program director, in New York. Chinese authorities should drop all charges against Chen Jiaping, release him immediately, and allow him to continue his work. Authorities repeatedly denied Chens wifes requests to see the filmmaker and pressured her to keep quiet about the arrest, according to the letter. She published the letter on Chens 50th birthday on April 12, signed with your love. It does not include her name. Police confiscated Chens unreleased documentary materials about Xu, who was arrested on February 15 in Guangzhou for attending a human rights activists gathering in late 2019, and told Chens wife that they worried the documentarian would continue to make mistakes, according to the letter and news reports. When CPJ called the Haidian Public Security Bureau for comment, an officer said he was not familiar with Chens case, but said that the bureau complied with the law. He said if Chen broke the law, he would be a target for arrest. Professor Jill Biden that's right, she has a doctorate in education wife of former U.S. Vice President (and current presidential candidate) Joe Biden, accomplishments go far beyond her time as Second Lady of the United States. While she may be most well-known for her work advocating for military families when Joe held his post beside former President Obama, she actually started out with a passion for fashion merchandising. "I attended community college in Pennsylvania with the goal of studying fashion merchandising, but I discovered that I didnt really like it, so I dropped out," she said in an interview with Roadtrip Nation. Her Relationship with Joe According to Biography.com, Jill switched her career aspirations during her time at the University of Delaware, but only after she booked a few gigs as a model. Apparently, this was how Joe saw her for the first time when he spotted her on a bus ad. "I might've done five jobs where you get paid, like, 20 bucks," she told Vogue in 2008. "But I wasn't a model." The relationship between her and the vice president surprised her at first. She said that Joe wasn't like anyone she'd dated before, because he was a consummate gentleman and they had a big age gap: nine years. I was a senior, and I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts, he came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought, God, this is never going to work, not in a million years. He was nine years older than I am!," she said in another interview with Vogue. "But we went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theater in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off. When we came home ... he shook my hand good night ... I went upstairs and called my mother at 1:00 a.m. and said, 'Mom, I finally met a gentleman.'" Her Education and Career Story continues After their daughter, Ashley Biden, was born in 1981, Jill returned to school and earned two master's degrees from Villanova University and West Chester University. She then taught at Claymont High School and Delaware Technical and Community College before she earned her doctorate at the University of Delaware in 2007. She was teaching at Northern Virginia Community College when Joe was sworn in as vice president in 2008. She continued teaching while acting as the second lady, the Washington Post notes. Business Insider adds that Jill is the first second lady to "work full-time while also serving alongside her husband." NBC/Getty Images During President Obama's second term, Jill expanded her platform to include military families as well as the women's rights in African countries such as Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. Her Charity Work Newsweek reports that Jill is a vocal advocate for breast cancer awareness. She developed the Biden Breast Health Initiative in 1993 and "has educated more than 10,000 high school girls about the importance of early detection of breast cancer." In addition to her advocacy, she's a published author, having published the books Where the Light Enters, which chronicles her relationship with Joe, and two children's books, Don't Forget and God Bless Our Troops. And when she's not juggling all of that, she's out running. According to an interview with Runner's World, she's run both 5K races and 10Ks. It all started back in the '90s with charity races. "I got so winded that I said, 'I'm going to start running,'" she said. "My first run was around my neighborhood in Delaware about a third of a mile. I kept increasing the distance until I got the bug." The 2020 Campaign Jill has been accompanying her husband on the campaign trail, though she tells CNN that more often than not, they're separated. And when they do manage to find time to spend together, she says they don't talk about work. "I'm telling you we have very few moments together, so I tried to make the most of those moments, and I don't talk politics," she explained. While she's accustomed to the rigors of stumping for her husband, she says that it's energizing, not exhausting. Even though it's hard work, she insists that it's important and she manages to find a way to keep things lighthearted "I meet really interesting people all over the country and hear their stories," she said. "You have to make it fun." Grabbing a drink at 7-Eleven with friends these days costs a lot more than a Slurpee. Seven Fremont men learned that lesson when police fined them each $1,000 for crossing county lines to get essential drinks at the convenience store in Santa Cruz last weekend. Santa Cruz police fined the visitors for violating the regional shelter-in-place order, which prohibits non-essential travel and forbids gatherings of any size, the department said. The police department tweeted a photo of the visitors sitting side-by-side on the curb in front of 7-Eleven on Ocean Street while an officer wearing a mask stood over them. The incident happened Friday night. Not smart. Everyone should know by now that this is not the time to meetup and party, the department wrote on Facebook. Officers cited seven $1000 tickets for Shelter In Place Violations to help these guys remember their time in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz County and Alameda County, where the visitors came from, have shelter-in-place orders effective through at least May 3. 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. Santa Cruz County has reported 91 cases and one death related to COVID-19 as of Monday. If you are not from Santa Cruz and you put our community at risk, you will get a ticket, Santa Cruz police chief Andrew Mills tweeted. Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2 Private equity (PE) firms and their real estate partners have begun forming a strategy for tenants seeking deferral of rental payments during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report in The Economic Times. PE players such as Blackstone, Brookfield, Xander, GIC and Ascendas are considering several strategies, including deferral of rent, to prevent tenants from invoking the force majeure clause, the report said. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. India is currently in a nationwide lockdown till May 3 to contain the spread of COVID-19. This has caused most office spaces to close completely, since people are working from to practice social distancing. 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 Blackstone has reportedly started discussing the matter with its larger real estate partners like Embassy Group, RMZ and Salarpuria. Blackstone has received 60 percent of its rental income for April from the properties it has leased, industry sources told the publication. Track this blog for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak "Private equity firms have held multiple discussions and sought legal opinion on how to deal with a situation where tenants implement the force majeure clause," a source told the publication. The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), a unit of the Central Bank, has said the controversial fees it demanded from applicants seeking emergency loans for small businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic, will no longer be mandatory. The unit said an automated business plan which the fees covered, would no longer be mandatory. The CBN had announced a N50 billion package for small businesses affected by coronavirus, to allow them stay in business and not lay off workers. But controversy erupted last week when applicants revealed they were asked to pay fees even when they were uncertain to receive the loan. The amount ranged from N3,000 t0 N10,000. According to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the million micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, MSMEs, account for more than 84 per cent jobs in the country. The CBN had earlier denied asking for fees on the loan, saying it was fake news. It also said the procedure for the application was clearly spelt out. That claim was untrue as some applicants later presented evidence they were indeed asked to pay. On Tuesday, the managing director of NIRSAL, Abubakar Kure, amidst public outrage, gave reasons why payment was demanded. He said the application initially required a business plan and they outsourced to a third party to help applicants. At the start of the process, business plans which NIRSAL received from loan applicants were highly substandard and to ensure a high standard and efficient processing, an optional, automated business plan was provided by a service provider at a highly discounted fee, Mr Kure said. This is to avoid applicants being charged excessively by other consultants and to help people during the stay at home period and to make the application process easy. We got a third-party service provider to enable applicants to access the business plan through the internet. Not mandatory He, however, said the management of the bank later resolved that the business plan was no longer a mandatory requirement. He did not explain whether that means some applicants may chose to pay and what benefits they could receive. The agency did not also specify if and when the applicants who had paid earlier would be refunded. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The repair and rehabilitation of the present infrastructure are anticipated to create favorable traction for growth. Reports that judge the construction industry has been offered by Market Research Future, which generates reports on industry verticals that judge the market development and possibilities. A CAGR of 4.43 % is projected to encourage the market in the upcoming period. The truck crane market is developing due to increased investments being directed by market leaders towards expansion. The increased level of mobility offered by truck cranes has further improved its demand for various applications. The escalated spending power of end-users is anticipated to raise construction activities globally which is inspiring expansion of the truck cranes market. The commercial property demand is projected to strengthen the truck cranes market. Segmental Analysis The segmental study of the truck cranes market has been conducted on the basis of types, regions, and applications. Based on the type, the truck cranes market has been segmented into sidelift crane, mounted cranes, boom truck crane, and others. Based on applications, the truck cranes market has been segmented into industries, construction, utilities, and others. The segmentation of the truck crane market on the basis of region consists of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions of the world. Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4863 Detailed Regional Analysis The regional evaluation of the truck cranes market comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions of the world. The Asia Pacific region, of all the regions in the market, has accounted for the principal market share in 2016, followed by the European region. The Asia Pacific region is projected to develop at the uppermost CAGR in the forecast period. Swell in construction activities in countries such as Japan, China, India, and Indonesia in the Asia Pacific region, is the key factor in powering the development of the market. Furthermore, boost in industrialization, mounting urbanized population, and expansion in purchasing power, are motivating the development of the market in Asia Pacific region. China is one of the primary markets in the Asia Pacific region. The Chinese Government has lately issued more than a few favorable policies for reducing the proportion of down payment for next house loans and exempting of sales tax for normal housing, which aids the revival of profitable housing market. These factors have an optimistic power on the intensification of the market. Competitive Analysis The market competitors are making decisions that are improving business performance and supervise risk. The change in the ways consumers interrelate with market companies is also opening up new business models. The fastest-growing companies are initiating a dramatic growth phase in the market in recent times. The extensive set of capabilities developed by market players is aiding in accelerating and delivering sustainable growth. The high-growth aspirations currently in place are inspiring a profound level of development in the market. Moreover, the companies are also well equipped to effectively implement their growth strategy over the long term. As the companies are making their customers an important focal point for strategy formulation, they are creating a strong competitive advantage in todays turbulent market. The strategic intent in the market of players is enhancing the operations in the market overall. Furthermore, the market leaders are considering streamlining all aspects of operations at a macro and micro level in the global market. The well-known competitors in the truck crane market The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (U.S.), Terex Corporation (U.S.), Tadano Ltd. (Japan), Kato Works Co., Ltd (Japan), Elliott Equipment Company (U.S.), are Liebherr Group (Switzerland), Manitex International Inc. (U.S.), Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (China), Sany Group (China), Altec Industries (U.S.), and Bocker Maschinenwerke GmbH (Germany). The corporate media internationally has hailed the response of the Labour Party-led government in New Zealand to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Washington Post article on April 7 declared that the country isnt just flattening the curve of infections, its squashing it. Similar reports have appeared in CNN, the UK Guardian, and many other outlets, presenting New Zealand as an example for other countries. In the April 12 Independent, Alastair Campbell, former communications director for UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, described New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as one of, if not the, standout leaders of this crisis, showing natural empathy in her calls for people to be kind to each other. He pointed to New Zealands relatively low number of deaths and just over a thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19. The praise for New Zealand from these quartersincluding the Washington Post, owned by Amazons Jeff Bezos, and Campbell, one of the UKs most prominent war propagandistsshould give pause to those who have been led to believe the Ardern government is leading a progressive, empathetic response to the pandemic. The priority of governments, in New Zealand and internationally, has been to prop up the wealth of the super-rich and big businesses, with trillions of dollars in corporate bailouts worldwide. Since these vast sums must ultimately be paid through the intensified exploitation of the working class, there is now a growing campaign to force people back to work before their safety can be guaranteed. The Ardern governments lockdown was praised by CNN for being short, sharp and brutal, implying it could enable a quick return to work, something that sections of the NZ media and businesses are demanding. Although the government says its four-week lockdown, which began on March 26, might be extended, Education Minister Chris Hipkins has indicated schools could reopen as soon as April 29. There is not enough data to show how close New Zealand is to squashing the curve, or stopping the spread of the coronavirus in the community. As of today, there have been 1,366 known cases, 9 deaths, and 15 people are in hospital. The Washington Post asserted that there is little evidence of community transmission in New Zealand. However, according to the Ministry of Health, only 39 percent of cases are linked to overseas travel. Just 2 percent are labelled as community transmission, but this only refers to cases with no known source; 48 percent of cases are classed as contacts of existing cases, and 11 percent are under investigation. NZs relatively small number of deaths is mainly because most cases are among younger people. However, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has warned that more elderly people could die, with several of the deaths associated with the Rosewood aged care facility in Christchurch. The government has rejected calls from rest homes for all staff and new admissions to be tested. The total number of tests undertaken is 64,399, in a population of five million. While this is higher, per capita, than many European countries and the US, no country is doing enough testing to be certain how far the virus has spread. Many COVID-19 cases do not display symptoms, and people without symptoms are not being tested. The delay in closing schools, and restrictions on testing, led to at least one major outbreak centred around Aucklands Marist College. Unlike most countries, New Zealand was locked down before anyone had died from COVID-19, following a push for action from thousands of healthcare workers, teachers and others. However, while schools and most businesses are now closed, hundreds of thousands of people continue to work and many are at risk. Transport, healthcare, food production and other industries have been deemed essential. Thousands of workers in meat processing factories, notorious for unsafe conditions and frequent injuries, demanded a shutdown of the industry due to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing measures. The Meat Workers Union is playing a key role in working with employers to keep factories running. Supermarket workers have also spoken out in the media over the lack of PPE and pressure to remain at work despite pre-existing health problems. Workers at supermarkets in Kaikohe and Hawkes Bay have tested positive for the virus. While the government claims that healthcare workers have access to appropriate PPE, there are many reports of shortages and restrictions. Two nurses who tested positive for COVID-19 told the New Zealand Herald they were instructed by Waikato Hospital management to remove protective masks and gowns when dealing with a patient who had symptoms of COVID-19. Without adequate protections, hospitals could become centres for transmission of the disease, as has happened in other countries. The healthcare system has been starved of resources for decades. In 2018, the Ardern government told striking healthcare workers there was no money to meet their demands for safe levels of staffing. In an uncontrolled outbreak, hospitals would be quickly overwhelmed, potentially causing tens of thousands of deaths. The medias emphasis on Arderns supposed kindness and compassion promotes the fiction that the entire population is in this together. This message is being echoed by the trade unions, even as they suppress resistance to wage cuts and layoffs. Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff told Newsroom on April 12 that the unions enjoyed a positive tripartite relationship with businesses and the government and were acting as an enforcement agency for the governments wage subsidy scheme. The scheme has handed out billions of dollars to businesses affected by the pandemic, while allowing them to slash wages by 20 percent or more. The nationalist Daily Blog, funded by three trade unions, has been effusive in its praise for the government. Editor Martyn Bradbury declared on April 6 that Ardern deserves double her pay for the incredible leadership she has shown during this event. The pseudo-left International Socialist Organisation, which supports the Labour government, said on March 22 that the pro-business $12.1 billion bailout package was commendable in its Keynesian approach and it hoped for much more progressive and bold policies in future. On March 25, the group published another article praising Arderns social-democratic response to the pandemic in contrast with neoliberal governments around the world. In fact, while working people remain most at risk of catching the virus, they are also being made to pay for the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic, which Auckland Mayor Phil Goff described as the worst since the Great Depression. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has admitted that generations of workers will repay the debt from the governments business subsidies and tax cuts. Green Party co-leader James Shaw, who is part of the government, told TVNZ on April 12: Our children and possibly our grandchildren are going to be paying back the debt that were currently racking up to get through this crisis for many, many decades. Of course, as everyone knows, the children of the super-rich will continue to prosper. In addition to the bailout, the Reserve Bank will spend up to $33 billion on quantitative easing operations, aimed at pouring cash into the financial markets. The financial elites do not have to work and can self-isolate in style. New Zealand real estate agents have reported an upswing in enquiries from billionaires around the world looking for luxury bolt-holes to ride out the pandemic. Meanwhile, the government says unemployment will reach double digits, while some economists say it could rise to 30 percent. Already tens of thousands more people are being forced to rely on charity; demand for Wellington City Missions food parcels has increased by 400 percent, and other cities have reported similar increases. Working people must reject the lie that the New Zealand Labour Party-led government represents a kinder or more egalitarian response to the pandemic. In opposition to Labour and the unions, and their pseudo-left cheerleaders, the Socialist Equality Group (NZ) urges workers to take up the fight for a genuine, revolutionary socialist response to the crisis. The banks and big businesses must be expropriated, with tens of billions of dollars redirected to the public healthcare system and to meet the urgent needs of the population for decent jobs and living standards. PLAINSBORO, N.J., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- People with diabetes using Novo Nordisk Inc. insulin who have lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic may now be eligible for enrollment in our Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and receive insulin free of charge for 90 days. Through this enhancement, applicants are not required to provide documented proof of income. Participants must provide documentation showing loss of healthcare benefits, such as a job termination notice or job status change, or proof that COBRA benefits are being offered. In addition, if Medicaid benefits are denied, assistance for eligible patients can be extended past the 90-day-window until the end of the year. People applying for this program must have a valid prescription for a Novo Nordisk insulin and meet certain eligibility criteria, which can be found on NovoCare.com or by calling 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463). "The pandemic is taking a serious toll on the nation's health and economy. Millions of people are losing jobs and health coverage, and that's especially tragic if you have a chronic disease like diabetes. We already have a lot of programs to help people afford insulin but the impact of COVID-19 goes beyond that. We know people need more help right now and we want to do something that could make an immediate difference. We also want to dial-up our efforts to make people aware of the help that is available," said Doug Langa, Executive Vice President, North America Operations and President of Novo Nordisk Inc. "Patients have enough issues to worry about at this moment. We don't want being able to pay for their insulin to be one of them." "Removing barriers is so important right now. The US healthcare system has been long overdue for intervention and this crisis brings things so clearly into focus. Navigating our healthcare system is hard enough as it is for people with diabetes, in addition to living in this pandemic and managing a serious chronic disease," added Kelly Close, President and Founder, Close Concerns, and Founder and Chair of the Board of The diaTribe Foundation. "What Novo Nordisk is doing is absolutely critical and The diaTribe Foundation applauds this series of moves to help people with diabetes do as well as possible." Because there may be situations where required enrollment documentation is not quickly accessible and a patient may be at risk of rationing insulin, we have an Immediate Supply option available that may help. Efforts to Drive Awareness During this COVID-19 pandemic, we know more people than ever may need insulin affordability support so we'll be implementing additional activities to increase awareness. Starting April 15, a targeted advertising campaign begins in order to raise awareness that NovoCare is the resource for patients seeking information and support to afford their Novo Nordisk medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ads will run on connected TV, online radio, newspapers and brief mentions on network television programming. Additional affordability options In addition to COVID-19 response efforts, Novo Nordisk will continue to offer a broad, diverse collection of affordability options to help those with or without insurance, including: Our long-standing Patient Assistance Program (PAP) , which has provided free medicines to eligible patients since 2003, has also been enhanced to reflect today's public health crisis. In 2019, nearly 50,000 Americans received free insulin from Novo Nordisk through this program. Effective April 1, 2020 , Medicare patients were no longer required to pay $1,000 for medicines before being eligible for the Novo Nordisk PAP. To be eligible, a person must: , which has provided free medicines to eligible patients since 2003, has also been enhanced to reflect today's public health crisis. In 2019, nearly 50,000 Americans received free insulin from Novo Nordisk through this program. Effective , Medicare patients were no longer required to pay for medicines before being eligible for the Novo Nordisk PAP. To be eligible, a person must: Be a US citizen or legal resident. Have a total household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL) (See NeedyMeds for a list of the current FPL guidelines) A family of four with an annual income up to $104,800 may receive free medications through our PAP. For individuals, the annual income limit for participation is $51,040 . may receive free medications through our PAP. For individuals, the annual income limit for participation is . Be uninsured, or in the Medicare program. Not be enrolled in or qualify for any other federal, state or government program such as Medicaid, Low Income Subsidy or Veterans (VA) Benefits. Exceptions include patients who are Medicaid eligible who have applied for and been denied Medicaid. My$99Insulin: For $99 , people with diabetes can get up to three vials or two packs of FlexPen /FlexTouch /PenFill pens, of any combination of Novo Nordisk Inc. insulins with a prescription. For , people with diabetes can get up to three vials or two packs of FlexPen /FlexTouch /PenFill pens, of any combination of Novo Nordisk Inc. insulins with a prescription. Immediate Supply: A short-term, immediate-need program for those at risk of rationing while working to identify a longer-term solution. We may be able to help these people by providing a free, one-time, immediate supply of up to three vials or two packs of pens of Novo Nordisk Inc. insulin with a prescription. A short-term, immediate-need program for those at risk of rationing while working to identify a longer-term solution. We may be able to help these people by providing of up to three vials or two packs of pens of Novo Nordisk Inc. insulin with a prescription. Follow-on brand (also known as authorized generics) insulins: Follow-on brand versions of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix, from Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI), a Novo Nordisk A/S US company, can be ordered at one's local pharmacy, and cost 50 percent off the current list prices of the branded medicines. Follow-on brand versions of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix, from Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI), a Novo Nordisk A/S US company, can be ordered at one's local pharmacy, and cost 50 percent off the current list prices of the branded medicines. Novo Nordisk human insulin , named ReliOn, available at Walmart for about $25 /vial and for about $44 /box of FlexPen . Similar offerings are found at CVS and other national pharmacies. , named ReliOn, available at Walmart for about /vial and for about /box of FlexPen . Similar offerings are found at CVS and other national pharmacies. Copay Savings Cards to help defray the costs for commercially insured patients who are experiencing high out-of-pocket costs. If you have insurance through your employer or private insurance, you may pay as little as $5 per 30-day supply of Tresiba (maximum savings of $150 per 30-day supply) and/or $25 per 30-day supply of Novolog (maximum savings up to $100 per 30-day supply) for up to 24 months. Please visit Novocare.com for full details of the above offers. Whether COVID-19 related or not, Novo Nordisk is committed to helping patients and will continue to work with people with diabetes to identify potential long-term solutions based on their needs. About NovoCare.com NovoCare.com is Novo Nordisk's go-to resource for all US patient affordability and access support programs. Available 24 hours a day, NovoCare.com provides all necessary information, including eligibility details, affordability options, assistance programs for those in need of insulin. Help is also available at 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463). About Novo Nordisk Inc. (NNI) NNI is a US affiliate of Novo Nordisk. The company is based in Plainsboro, NJ and is responsible for commercialization of Novo Nordisk brands in the US and management of clinical trials in the US. For more information, visit novonordisk.us, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. About Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI) Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI) is a Novo Nordisk A/S US company that is also based in Plainsboro, NJ. The company was formed in March 2019 to bring follow-on brands of Novo Nordisk insulin products at a reduced list price for people facing affordability challenges. SOURCE Novo Nordisk Inc. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Four Ethiopian couples were arrested on Sunday on charges of indulging in religious preaching by defying lockdown and also in violation of the medical visas on which they were visiting India. Sources in the city police said they came to know that the foreign nationals are violating the quarantine after a worker of a madrasa tested positive for COVID 19 on April 4. Police said the Ethiopians were conducting preachings in small gatherings even after lockdown was implemented. They had also attended the Tablighi Jamaats conference. After the conference, they are said to have reached Chennai by train and have been staying in a madrasa. The police booked them on April 4 after the madrasa staff tested positive and the Health department also collected samples of all eight. As the test results showed that they are negative for COVID-19, they were arrested on Sunday and later remanded to judicial custody. The loss of the Andreotti barn in Half Moon Bay was a loss for the family, of course, but it My 91-year-old mother is in Adelaide, all the kids live in the eastern states. Our roster of visits has been banned, have to accept the fact we may never see her again. - Marcus My son is doing the HSC and hes dyslexic so thats made an already hard situation extra hard with the floods of written information from his (well-meaning and lovely) teachers - Anne Ive lost my job and Im so lonely. I dont have family in Melbourne so my friends were my family and now I feel so alone under stage 3. Every day I wake up and dread the endless hours ahead of me. My suburb is empty everyone is respecting the rules. - Anonymous My partner and I are living in a tiny apartment. She works in healthcare often doing nights and very much frontline with COVID-19 cases, and Im working from home suddenly so it feels like we are living on top of each other a bit. Like others, we miss friends, family and the freedom to go out but we are mostly anxious about her getting sick from work. She is now showering at work, and we meticulously wipe down all of her things with Dettol wipes and santiser when she returns home. Its stressful and scary knowing our bubble of the two of us could be easily pierced by the virus getting in through her exposure at work and that we could both become severely ill. - Anonymous We are desperately trying to ensure our business stays afloat, keep our staff employed, and manage homeschooling and now school holidays with no more grandparent support. Zoom workshops with clients, neighbours complaining our kids are too noisy in our backyard. The word hibernate does not resonate, but the stimulus will help, and we are so so grateful for the health care, supermarket, and other front line workers who are risking infection daily. - Anonymous I am the youngest of 9 children and my partner and I live together. I would see a family every other day. But now that cannot happen. My parents are both elderly and I can't see them in case I am sick and pass on the infection. My partner lost his job and he rattles along in the backyard, he wants to be at work, but he can't. I feel overly sad at couples where two people have lost their job. I also feel sad for people that live alone. - Anonymous I'm the mother of a 2-year-old and 5-month-old and overnight I lost access to my entire support system. I suffer from postnatal depression and while there is always the telephone it isn't quite the same as someone making you a cuppa and holding your baby so you can just breathe. - Anonymous Well as a sole trader in a single income family my work has ended due to the commercial businesses I do work for closing, so some adjustments and cuts will be needed - Jovay I work in anaesthesia nursing in the operating suite of a major public hospital in Melbourne. Staff are anxious, but we generally feel that were supported and well trained for the onslaught. Its likely well be redeployed and better utilised to provide assistance to ICU patients. Recovery units may well be transformed into additional ICU units, with surgery reduced to only life or limb. I think what Ill find difficult to cope with is the triaging of patients ie; having to prioritise one patient over another for the greater good. This is war time. This is a call-to-arms. Stay safe everyone, and avoid hospitals if you can! - Anonymous I'm working from home finishing up what work I have, I anticipate not having work for the next five months as the industry I provide contract work to has slowed significantly. The subcontractors which I employ I've had to lay off and they and I don't appear eligible for the Job Keeper package. Looks like for the first time ever in my 40 years of work I'll be seeking a Centrelink Benefit. The NBN installation did not work and I'm waiting for the Telco and NBN to sort themselves out; looks like taking a long time. I've had to buy an expensive alternative. Nonetheless, the weather has been nice, I've had the time to walk while avoiding others, I now have toilet paper and I'm enjoying listening to free audiobooks. I miss my children, however, now is not the time to be travelling and with expensive internet replacement for the NBN I can video call them. - Anonymous Loading I work in a supermarket, I wear a mask and gloves and clean and sanitise. Yet, probably half the people still don't get it. They walk right up to me as I back away, they pay with cash and touch everything, sneeze and wipe their nose on their hands and touch things. I have to keep reminding people to space out at the register, when I'm out on the floor I see people grouped together like nothings changed. I have dropped one unit at Uni so I can handle it all, I am working more hours and it is stressful. I pickup extra work because I figure I might need the money for my family if things get really bad. So I work, for me, my family and for you and remember the sacrifice I have put in when all of this blows over. - Mark My toddler son was diagnosed with a very rare disorder (Ring Chromosome 14 Syndrome) a few weeks before this all started. It causes seizures and intellectual/motor disability. But the current issue with this syndrome is that he is much more likely to have difficult battling a respiratory infection like the Coronavirus due to decreased immunoglobulin levels. In the early days we cut out indoor playgrounds and contact with children we didn't know, this was extended to outdoor playgrounds and finally everything except walks in the pram and playing while supervised in the backyard or our street...As the local transmission rates go up we become increasingly nervous...It's hard for us to see people not taking the Coronavirus seriously as the reality of it possibly taking our son away from us is front of mind a lot of the time. - Anthony My daughter is 7 months pregnant with my first grandchild We all said goodbye to each other today and I wont be seeing her again until all this is over My grandchild will be 4 months old when I get to first meet and touch him I am still to find out if I lose my job next week and possibly my car & home as I have a mortgage. - Lorraine Im 34 weeks pregnant and own a licensed venue. We ceased trading on the 23rd of March and had to stand down our employees. My days are spent navigating new announcements and communicating with business partners and my accountant, to try and keep the business afloat. Its a huge stress. Not quite the maternity leave I imagined! Im excited about the $1500 job keeper payment. I miss my staff, miss the momentum we had going at the venue. They are all so passionate about the business, they would constantly go above and beyond for us. This is an opportunity to keep them engaged and let them try their hand at alternative projects to set us up for when were allowed to trade again. Im looking forward to the day when we can reopen entirely and get our casuals back too, and see our wonderful customers again. When Im not working to save the business, time at home at least is peaceful - lunches in the backyard with hubby and Miss 3, housework, simple living. Its so surreal, to be honest. I could never have imagined life being like this one month ago - Anonymous I'm a manager of a retail store that has been classed as an essential service. It's been the hardest week of my working life. I've had to let go a couple of staff, it's been such an awful week. - Ratta My partner lost her job and now I have to pick up as many hours as possible until she can get Centrelink. - Anonymous As a theatre performer and technician, the coronavirus has affected several plays/musicals that I was apart of. Ive had seven shows that I was due to act or be backstage for get postponed or cancelled while every single one of my upcoming auditions has been cancelled indefinitely. Theatre is what makes me whole, its what makes me the person that I am and I havent gone this long without either being apart of a show or seeing a show in years. I feel so lost, like the best part of myself is missing. - Astrid Loading My wife and I run our own business. I have spent my entire working life after graduation building it up and developing a great team of staff. We are trying to keep everyone on as the team are like family but not sure how long we can keep it up. Sales have come to a halt and it is a very challenging time. Hoping we can all pull through together to the other side. - Douglas In a span of 2 days our whole business crashed. We run a local cleaning company relying on pub tenders an everyday regular cleans. Once it was Monday, we lost all our tenders. On Tuesday, all our regular clients called to cancel their cleans due to fear of this virus. We have had to lay off 2 full time & 3 part time employees and looking to potentially lay off our last two part time employees. Terrible week for employers and employees. - Zac My partner was made redundant a week or so ago. Her company decided to not wait for any announcements and let a bunch of people go straight away and then drop everyone who stayed payments by 40 or 60%. Now we don't really know where she stands with job keeper and if the company has to take people back or if they're using it as an opportunity. - Leigh Just in case you thought that it might be ok to just defy the stay at home restrictions, I will give you my perspective. My daughter has brain cancer. She has just started her chemotherapy yesterday (26 March 2020) as of that date her immune system will gradually be destroyed. In the context of physical (social) separation and hand cleanliness, if I come close to a person with COVID 19 who is asymptomatic ( showing no symptoms.) and it gets passed to me. I can kill her. - Gary Just stood down myself and staff, seemed safer than being close to the public I run some Optometrist practices on the Mornington Peninsula. - Anonymous Have lost my income and wont get anything from government because my husband is still working. I was making more than my husband. So now we have to try pay for rent, bills , childcare (though child not there) etc on one income, which is impossible. So unfair and so stressful. They need to remove income test for partners. - Anonymous I work in the events industry. Almost all of the event industry has lost their jobs, we have zero income. I just had to cancel my wedding. How does the government plan to help us? The only people who have been kind enough to help us in this situation is our landlord who selflessly cut our rent by 50% for the next 3 months. Why is the government not doing more for these types of companies? offering interest-free small business loans? COVID 19 will end, but how are we supposed to live right now and plan for the future? - Anonymous Find out what else our readers have been saying about... US Navy Says USS Decatur Captain Removed for Filing False Reports on Ship's Location Sputnik News 19:12 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 19:13 GMT 13.04.2020) A recently obtained investigation report from the US Navy has revealed the USS Decatur's commanding officer was fired from his position back in January for reporting inaccurate location coordinates to the service. Lt. Rochelle Rieger, spokeswoman for the US Navy's 3rd Fleet, revealed to Task and Purpose on January 16 that Cmdr. John "Bob" Bowen had been removed from his position as commanding officer on the USS Decatur due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command" following an investigation. Nearly three months later, the San Diego Union-Tribune was able to obtain records from said investigation, which detailed that Bowen had reported false coordinates to the 3rd Fleet in an attempt to cover up a four-hour stop for maintenance on a propeller shaft that came out of alignment while traveling between Hawaii and California's Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on September 13. In order to make it appear as though the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer never stopped during its trip, the Decatur's Combat Information Center disabled its Link 16 and Global Command & Control electronic systems to prevent the ship's actual position from being communicated automatically, according to the report. "There was this piece of paper where the times and speed were calculated," said one sailor who asserted that he refused to participate in the deception. "It was, in my opinion, designed to make it look like we were continuing along our track ... when we weren't." However, when interviewed by investigators, Bowen claimed he did not recall ordering the crew to turn off the electronic trackers or report false coordinates. At the same time, he did admit to telling the bridge to not communicate to the 3rd Fleet that they were dead in the water. "I don't understand the benefit of not telling them our position," Bowen told investigators, according to the investigation transcript. "OK, we don't tell them that we're going [dead in the water] to do a [pitch calibration]. OK, that's fine. But why do we need to falsify our position? That doesn't make any sense to me." Cmdr. John Bowen, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73), monitors operations during exercise Neon Union 19. Neon Union 19 is a bilateral air and surface maritime security operations exercise to strengthen critical warfighting capabilities and enhance interoperability and operational readiness between the United States Navy and the Royal Bahrain Naval and Air Forces "I didn't see the reason to let 3rd Fleet know that we I mean, as long as we're not doing anything crazy," Bowen added during the investigation. "We could still do our mission. I just didn't want them asking questions about ... 'Hey, why are you guys doing this?'" The service first became aware of the irregularities in the September 13 incident via an anonymous hotline shortly after the Decatur returned to San Diego, California, where the 3rd Fleet is based. Speaking on Bowen's removal from the Decatur, 3rd Fleet spokesman Cmdr. John Fage told the Tribune that the service's leaders are held to a high standard, as "their positions require the utmost in responsibility, reliability and leadership." "And the Navy holds them accountable in cases where they fall short of those standards," he added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address He failed to spark up a sexual connection with his 'wife' Mishel Karen on Married At First Sight. But it looks like Steve Burley, 52, left the controversial dating show with more than one new meaningful relationship in his life. On Tuesday, the single reality star shared a sweet Instagram tribute to his male MAFS co-stars describing their bromance as 'some of the best' he's had. 'Some of the best I've met': Married At First Sight's Steve Burley (right) shared a sweet tribute to his reality TV co-star grooms . Pictured with co-star Seb Guilhaus In one of the photographs, Steve is seen posing for a selfie with his co-star Seb Guilhaus, which appeared to be taken between scenes. The second was a photo alongside intruder groom Drew Brauer as they enjoyed an evening of drinks while out and about. Another was a selfie of him with his arm around MAFS star David Cannon, who was paired with Hayley Vernon earlier in the series. Remember this? Steve's friendship with Elizabeth Sobinoff's 'husband' blossomed after he was caught in a slow dance with the hunky personal trainer earlier in the series Steve's friendship with Elizabeth Sobinoff's 'husband' blossomed after he was caught in a slow dance with the hunky personal trainer on the show. The two men were seen jovially dancing at a dinner party in front of a number of the other cast members. The moment wasn't missed by the official Twitter account. 'Steve trying to convince Seb to tattoo 'S.T.E.V.E' on his other foot,' they wrote. Cheeky! The moment wasn't missed by the official Twitter account. 'Steve trying to convince Seb to tattoo 'S.T.E.V.E' on his other foot,' they wrote This isn't the first bromance to come out of the experiment this season, with Ivan Sarakula and Mikey Pembroke also fast friends. Outside of their rocky romantic relationships, the two men have developed a close bond after appearing on the hit show. In January, they were spotted working out together at a park in the Sydney seaside suburb of Mosman. The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday morning became the latest Oregon law enforcement agency to report an employee has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The employee, who hasnt been publicly identified, isnt believed to have "significant direct contact with others on the job, according to the sheriffs office. The worker has been absent for an extended amount of time, authorities said, and their exposure to the virus likely happened away from work. "My thoughts go out to one of our employees who tested positive,'' Sheriff Mike Reese told the county's board of commissioners in a briefing Tuesday morning. He said the sheriff's office was informed about the positive test on Monday by the public health authority. Reese said theres "minimal risk to sheriffs office staff. More than 1,600 people statewide have contracted the virus, including three Hillsboro Police employees and two Marion County sheriffs deputies who work in the jails booking area. Tualatin Valley, Gresham and Portland firefighters are among others who have tested positive for the virus. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Maxine Bernstein contributed to this report. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts is expected to introduce legislation aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from firing Dr. Anthony Fauci after the commander in chief retweeted a post over the weekend calling for the top health officials ouster. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has openly disagreed with statements the president has made in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The top health official also claimed health officials received pushback from the White House in February when they sought to shut things down to stave off transmission of the viral respiratory infection. Fauci later noted that pushback was the wrong choice of words. Preventative measures, including social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines, were not officially recommended by the Trump administration until the middle of March. Dr. Fauci has become the most trusted voice of the science community in responding to this pandemic. He is not afraid to speak truth to power, Markey said in a statement. But Donald Trump has an allergy to both science and the truth." If youre having trouble viewing the embed to sign up on your mobile device click here. Fauci was first appointed to his position in 1984. He has led the agency under six U.S. presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. The public health official was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President George W. Bush in 2008, Markey noted. Markeys bill, "The National Institutes of Health Director Protection Act, would make it so a director of a federal research institute or a center that falls under the purview of the National Institutes of Health can only be fired due to malfeasance, neglect of office or incapacity. The act prevents officials like Fauci from being removed from office for having differing views on policy or expressing positions that are politically inconvenient, according to the senator. Similar restrictions are already in place to protect the heads of other independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration, Markey said in his statement. Under current law, the president is permitted for any reason to fire directors of federal research institutes and centers that are part of the National Institutes of Health, according to the statement. Despite posting a tweet that included "#FireFauci, Trump told reporters on Monday he was not going to terminate Fauci. The social media post was tweeted by DeAnna Lorraine, a former congressional candidate who has spread conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 public health crisis. Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he couldve saved more lives. Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large. Time to #FireFauci, Lorraines tweet read. Related Content: The ordeal of thousands of Egyptians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus will soon come to an end The Minister of State for Information Osama Heikal declared at the end of a cabinet meeting on Monday that a schedule for returning 3,378 citizens stranded in various Arab, African, European and Asian countries as well as Canada, the US and Australia will be disclosed in the coming few days. The meeting was headed by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli and attended by the ministers of foreign affairs, immigration, information, civil aviation, health and housing. The plight of Egyptians stranded around the world is getting worse with the passage of time and the spread of the coronavirus. The need to return them is growing given that most of them are short on money and some are without shelter. However, arranging flights for them is not a straightforward proposition and requires arrangements and time given the restrictions imposed by states to stop the spread of the virus. We give priority to those who were on treatment of business trips or tourism and their break ended, or their visas expired, or students who were forced to leave their university accommodation and have nowhere to go, Nabila Makram, minister of immigration and expatriate affairs explained to the media this week. Given that most of them have no shelter and may not have enough cash, we have to run emergency flights to return them. However, those whose contracts were terminated for economic reasons as well as residents will come at a later stage. She urged Egyptians who fall within the priority groups to register with embassies or consulates. Thousands of Egyptians are stranded in Kuwait where the authorities are reported to be preparing a camp for the expats whose visas have expired. The site is big enough to hold 9,000 people who will be accommodated until they can return to their country. Coordination is underway between Egyptian and Kuwaiti authorities to arrange for their return. In the meantime, the Egyptian consulate in Kuwait called on Egyptians stranded in the Gulf state who came for the purpose of tourism or trade or whose work contract ended to register on the consulates website. Dina, a teacher in Kuwait for more than 10 years, said that people who live and work in Kuwait or who came to visit family are excluded for now. Thus, although I have been off for more than a month, I have no other alternative than to wait and see when the flights that will take us home resume, Dina said. EgyptAir ran daily charter flights from Kuwait to Cairo from 26 March to 31 March to return Egyptians stranded in Kuwait. The situation in Saudi Arabia is no better. Talks are underway with Saudi authorities to allow more emergency flights to return Egyptians, according to the Ministry of Immigration. Egyptian consulates in Riyadh and Jeddah receive dozens of calls and messages from citizens who want to return home. They are friendly and willing to help, but unfortunately they cannot give us information with regards to flights. They say that the arrangement of return flights is a matter that the state will decide on according to various factors, Abu Ahmed, whose work contract and visa ended last month, said. There are hundreds of students studying in England who are also waiting to be repatriated after the suspension of universities until the next academic year. Some were lucky to make it through after several flights headed to the UK to retrieve Egyptians. Although I fill my time by studying and indoor workouts, I am still waiting for news of a flight soon, said Ahmed who is studying in London. On Monday, some 500 Egyptians stranded in the US appealed to the authorities to take them home. They sent a message that they were ready to pay the full expenses of their quarantine in advance and in the venue that the state chooses. The last emergency flight arriving from Washington carrying Egyptians in the US landed in Egypt earlier this month. EgyptAir, the countrys carrier, declared then that it was the last flight to return stranded Egyptians. Those who returned on emergency flights that operated after the suspension of regular flights until early this month consider themselves lucky. Ziad, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, says hes in a far better situation than if he would have stayed in the US. His 14-day quarantine in the Red Sea resort of Marsa Alam will end tomorrow, Friday. It was a good experience. It taught me that I can give up many of the things that I thought essential a month ago. But I feel for my friends who are still stuck in the US and Canada, Ziad added. He expressed hope that their plight will end soon. The number of Egyptians in the US wanting to leave is nearly 1,000, according to minister Makram. Two emergency flights that arrived early this month returned 500 Egyptians. The ordeal of honeymooners and tourists in countries like Indonesia and Singapore is no less challenging. Most of them visited for a few days that have now stretched to more than a month. They are forced to stay in hotels or temporary shelters until they are returned home. Makram had said earlier that Egyptian embassies in Indonesia and Singapore are trying to coordinate with the authorities for their return. The same problem is facing dozens of Egyptians in Brazil who are left with no choice but to wait for a flight to take them home. But given the distance and that their number is not big enough to send a plane, their wait may be long. A minimum of 140 passengers is needed to send an emergency plane, according to Makram. Egyptians in Sudan were allowed to return home by bus via the Qustol-Eshkit crossing that opened in March. However, it was closed late last month to control the coronavirus. There are requests from Egyptians in Sudan to reopen the crossing to allow more people to pass. All Egyptians brought from overseas undergo tests for the coronavirus and are asked to remain in self-isolation for 28 days. Those who are required to spend the first 14 days in a hotel either in Cairo or Marsa Alam are requested to stay another 14 days at home. The return of Egyptians was coordinated by the Ministry of Immigration, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Health and the Foreign Ministry. A task force was set up representing the four ministries to receive return requests and respond to queries. It has received thousands of requests. In one positive development, the Ministry of Immigration launched Lets Support One Another initiative in which Egyptian residents in every country are requested to help stranded citizens in that country. The number of participants has reached 148 in 35 countries. The ministry basically helps put stranded individuals in contact with residents for help if they can. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: A lot of Killing Eve is about death - and the premiere of the new season has driven that home more pointedly than ever. There are spoilers ahead. So if you haven't watched the first episode of series three, then save this for later. OK? The cat-and-mouse thriller launched the protagonist Eve (Sandra Oh) from her monotone, desk-bound existence into a world where the threat of death is ever-present. The danger continues in season three, with a shocking death concluding last night's premiere - but first, let's go back to the beginning and tick off every major death in the show's history. Here are all of the main characters Villanelle (Jodie Comer) has killed along the way (in the interest of being concise, we're discounting the various peripheral figures that have suffered a grisly end)... Season one Sebastian In season one, Villanelle's sweet, handsome neighbour in Paris found himself courting the wrong woman. After a brief romance, Sebastian fell prey to her deadly perfume, which she used to kill perfume manufacturer Carla de Mann. After taking some of the perfume that Villanelle had gifted to him, Sebastian collapsed in the hallway outside her apartment, which Villanelle was completely unbothered by. Sid Gentle Films/Robert Viglasky Bill The investigation into Villanelle's activity became personal for Eve when the assassin repeatedly stabbed her work partner in a Berlin nightclub. Eve, who had asked Bill to travel to the German capital with her, was left with overwhelming guilt over Bills death. Diego Villanelle doesnt let many people control her, so when she joined a new assignment - to kill Eves old boss Frank - and discovered that her former lover, Nadia, and herself were taking orders from the incompetent Diego, she was not pleased. Pictured: Jodie Comer is ruthless assassin Villanelle / Sid Gentle Films/Sophie Mutevelian Using her trademark manipulation, Villanelle managed to convince Nadia that she was there to take her away from Diego - so Nadia shot Diego dead. That didnt work out for Nadia in the end, with Villanelle stealing Diegos van and running Nadia over as she escaped. Frank After taking violent control of the assignment, Villanelle ended up stealing the address of Franks safe house from Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) before castrating and brutally murdering him. Nadia Nadia survived Villanelle's treachery long enough to end up in a Russian prison. However, her fate was sealed when Villanelle was snuck into the same prison to finish her off, and ensure her rogue behaviour back in the English countryside stayed secret. Aimee Spinks/BBC America/BBC Anton After escaping prison, Villanelle was assigned a new handler after Konstantin named Anton. She wasn't pleased. The moment he handed her a gun, she turned it on him and killed him. Season two Gabriel At the start of season two, the injured Villanelle found herself befriending a disfigured teen boy named Gabriel in a Paris hospital. Gabriel, who had lost his parents in the accident, confided in Villanelle that he wished he had died with his parents, which she took literally. In a cruel act of what she may have believed was kindness, Villanelle killed Gabriel before escaping the hospital. Nick Wall/BBCAmerica Julian Back in the UK, a wounded Villanelle found a saviour in a Good Samaritan named Julian - but he soon became her captor after it was revealed he was a predator. After initially not letting her leave, Villanelle overpowered Julian, stabbed him in the neck and escaped. Gemma After Eve and Niko separated, he began a new relationship with Gemma, his coworker. Tragically for them, Villanelle's obsession with Eve drew her to Niko and Gemma, who she kidnapped. Niko confessed that he still loved Eve, and Villanelle told him Eve would never forgive her if she hurt Niko - so she suffocated Gemma. Aaron Peel The arrogant tech entrepreneur Aaron Peel met his demise at the hands of Villanelle in season two, after it was revealed he had been murdering women at his home in Rome. In what was revealed to be an act ordered by Carolyn, Villanelle slit Aarons throat at the end of season two. Anton And finally, we arrive at Eves first kill. The intimidating and powerful Anton had been sent to control Villanelle as her new handler, but after murdering Aaron, Villanelle found herself under attack by Raymond, who was attempting to kill her with his bare hands. Eve arrived at the last minute and took Raymond out with an axe, saving Villanelle's life. (BBC/Sid Gentle) / BBC Season three Kenny Which brings us to the premiere of season three, which kicked off with a shock for fans on Monday night. The episode ended with Eve tragically discovering the body of Kenny, the fan-favourite son of Carolyn. Kenny, who was investigating the mysterious The Twelve, was discovered outside his office in an apparent suicide. With Kennys death, the writers have reminded us: no one is safe on Killing Eve. Expect the body count to grow across season three. Apart from distributing food packets across the city, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertakings (BEST) AC mini buses were also used to distribute sanitary napkins across the city on Monday and Tuesday. The buses were used to distribute 12,600 packs consisting eight sanitary napkins each given by Procter and Gamble in the M ward, in an initiative taken by the state and BMC. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At about 9:30 p.m. on Good Friday, 155 years ago today, a man quietly stepped into a private box at a theater in Washington, D.C., leveled a pistol and pulled the trigger. The gunshot killed President Abraham Lincoln. The assassin jumped to the stage, reportedly bellowed Sic semper tyrannis! (Thus always to tyrants!) and fled. The person who shot the President is represented as about 30 years of age, five feet nine inches in height, sparely built, of light complexion, dressed in dark clothing, and having a genteel appearance, The New York Times reported the next morning, April 15, 1865. The assassin soon would be identified as the well-known actor John Wilkes Booth, an ardent supporter of the Southern Confederacy. Federal soldiers tracked him down in Virginia and shot him to death. The outcome of the American Civil War that pitted the North against the rebellious, slave-owning South already had been decided. Just five days before Lincolns murder, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants forces, effectively ending the four-year conflict. The war is over, Grant told his men after Lee had accepted his terms. President Andrew Johnson, Lincolns successor and a Southerner, would issue a blanket pardon to Confederate soldiers for the offense of treason against the United States. The wars conclusion brought about the end of slavery, breathing new life into the ideal, as Lincoln had put it in his 1863 Gettysburg Address, that the United States was dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. It also kept the U.S. intact, if not particularly united. The impact of the Souths continuance in the union has reverberated down through the years, including playing a role in the hyper-partisanship that cleaves the country today. All these years later, Lincoln remains an American icon. More books have been written about him than have been written about any other president -- by far. President Donald Trumps foremost support comes from the Old South states that rejected Lincoln, yet he acknowledges the 16th presidents greatness. It is much easier to act presidential than what we are doing here tonight, believe me, Trump said at one of his campaign-style rallies in 2017. With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president thats ever held this office. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Travel passes issued by the Delhi Police will continue to be valid till May 3 following the extension of the lockdown, officials said on Tuesday. The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. In an internal communication to the force, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said, "The police passes were issued with validity upto April 14. Since the lockdown has been extended, passes will remain valid upto May 3 and no separate order reviewing the passes is being issued." All guidelines, instructions and orders will continue to be valid till further orders, he stated. "The e-passes issued by the Delhi government shall be honoured by all police personnel on duty, if they are accompanied by the original message of issue on mobile phone and identity proof of the person, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pell Decries ABC, Warns Against Taking Media Coverage as Gospel Cardinal George Pell has criticised how Australias national broadcaster handled its reporting of his trial, weighing in on a debate regarding the medias coverage of the child sexual abuse allegations and convictions against him that have since been dismissed in the countrys highest court. In a pre-recorded television interview with Andrew Bolt on Sky News, which is due to air tonight, April 14, Pell accused the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) of joining the media that only reported one side of the story. These things have to be tested respectfully, Pell says. The pendulum 30 or 40 years ago was massively against anybody who said that they had been attacked. Nowadays, we dont want to just swing back so that every accusation is regarded as gospel truth. That would be quite unjust and inappropriate. But in a national broadcaster, to have an overwhelming presentation of one view and only one view, I think thats a betrayal of the national interest. Pell was released from Barwon Prison, near Geelong, on April 7 after the High Court unanimously upheld his appeal of a guilty jury conviction in 2018. That jury was the second to convene on the case after a hung jury during an initial trial. The court found (pdf) that in the previous trials, the jury and Victorias Court of Appeal had failed to engage with the question of whether there remained a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place. This gave enough cause for the court to believe there was a reasonable doubt that Pell committed the alleged crime. As a result, his convictions were quashed. Pells interview with Bolt continues an ongoing debate over media coverage of his case. The ABCs editorial director, Craig McMurtrie, published a piece on April 11 defending the broadcasters coverage of the high profile case. McMurtrie said in his article, ABC editorial policies make very clear that it is the job of the public broadcasters journalists to report without fear or favour, even when that might be uncomfortable or unpopular. Some of the language thrown around in the aftermath of the High Court ruling about prejudice and a witch-hunt against George Pell seems to ignore the first principles of journalism and the facts. Bolt criticised the article in his column, saying, Not one single ABC presenter or reporter at any time pointed out that the many allegations the ABC aired against Pell were inherently implausible. ABC staff instead routinely treated them as not just credible, but often true. He continued: Like so many at the ABC, McMurtrie confuses the (false) allegations against Pell with the (true) allegations against his Church, so that Pell becomes the (innocent) scapegoat for his (guilty) churchexactly the distorted thinking that led to his jailing. Alex Wake, Senior Lecturer of Journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University disagreed with Pells and Bolts comments about the ABCs coverage. She told The Epoch Times, I can understand why hes [Pell] saying that. The ABC has covered his case with determined doggedness, and unlike other media outlets, not many news organisations covered his trial from the get-go. It was a story of national and international significance. It was important to be covered by the national broadcaster. I dont think that criticisms of the ABCs coverage are really valid, she said. Wake said there are lessons to learn from the polarising nature of the Pell case and how different organisations were publicising their views. I mean both sides could take a break on this and take a step back and try to consider why the others are coming to [attack] their points of view, she said. Subhash Chandra Garg The Union Budget for 2020-21 is falling apart under the impact of the blow dealt by the coronavirus pandemic, says former finance secretary of India Subhash Chandra Garg. In a blog post dated April 14, Garg deconstructs the budgeted government expenditure for the current financial year in the backdrop of the April 8 order by the Centre directing all government ministries and departments to curb spending for the first quarter in order to cope with the tightened economic situation in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Track this blog for LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak The Ministry of Finance issued instructions on April 8, citing stressed cash position in the first quarter, to regulate the government expenditure. The ministries and departments of the central government have been placed in three categories- A, B, and C- along with the demands controlled by them. As per the order, Central government departments and ministries under categories B and C have been asked to limit their first quarter expenditure to 15-20 percent of the years budget estimates. Only those departments/ ministries considered "crucial" in the ongoing fight against the pandemic will remain unaffected by this order. 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 Pointing out that the April 8 order is more likely to remain on paper, he says that "for the financial year 2020-21, the government may likely face additional expenditure demand of about 3 lakh crore". Also Read | Don't fire, says PM. But where's the money to pay wages, asks industry He highlights that in contrast to this order, added expenditure may be seen due to the much-needed relief packages. "The government has announced a 1.7 lakh crore relief package already. It is unavoidable that the government would need to come up with another package for addressing at least 10 crore workers of informal sector which has suffered considerable pain, including loss of wages. It also appears necessary that the government will come up with a package to assist at least the MSME businesses," Garg said. (Newser) Rita Wilson was given chloroquine, the anti-malarial drug touted by President Trump, while being treated for the coronavirusbut she's not exactly singing its praises. She tells CBS that she suffered worse symptoms than husband Tom Hanks, with chills like she's never had before and a fever close to 102. She says she was given chloroquine on Day 9. "I know people have been talking about this drug, but I can only tell you that I don't know if the drug worked or it was just time for the fever to break," she says. But it "had such extreme side effects," she says. "I was completely nauseous, and I had vertigo. I could not walk, and my muscles felt very weak." story continues below "I think people have to be very considerate about that drug," Wilson says. "We don't really know if it's helpful in this case." Wilson and Hanks spent 14 days in isolation in Australia after testing positive and then returned to the US, the Hollywood Reporter notes. Wilson says they have been told they are now immune and were "part of a study where we've donated our blood, and we're waiting to hear back if our antibodies will be helpful in developing a vaccine." She says they are also waiting to hear whether they can donate blood that can be given to people suffering from COVID-19. (Read more Rita Wilson stories.) The Government of Delhi has restricted people's movement due to coronavirus but curfew passes are being provided to those involved in delivering essential services, here's how to apply for one in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad The coronavirus lockdown that was scheduled to end on 14 April has now been extended till 3 May. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in an address to the nation. The government has restricted people movement but curfew passes are being provided to those involved in delivering essential services. Delhi If you are residing in Delhi you can get the curfew pass or the movement pass from the official website of the Delhi government. One can also directly click on the link here. A person can select either Hindi or English as the language and proceed. They will be asked the purpose for which they will need the e-pass food required, ration required, Rs 5,000 compensation for construction workers, pension amount, e-pass for travel during the curfew. The e-pass for travel is being issued for those who are engaged in manufacturing, transport, storage and shops but do not have a government or private ID card. A user will then have to provide all the necessary details. One can also check the status of their e-pass application on the same site. Gurugram To get the curfew e-pass in Gurugram one can visit the site Onemapggm.gmda.gov.in. Government officials and citizens will have to provide valid documents and details to get the curfew e-pass. Noida and Ghaziabad Visit the site to apply for the curfew e-pass. Initially, an applicant will have to provide a phone number on which they would receive OTP and then one has to follow the steps to get the pass. Faridabad People of Faridabad can fill the necessary details on Covidssharyana.in and can apply for the curfew e-pass. The person will receive a message on the registered phone number once they get the approval of the curfew e-pass. Download the and also take the printout. Plans to restart the U.S. economy must ensure that the coronavirus threat to public health has been contained, according to a top economist, because a resurgence of coronavirus cases could easily wreak more havoc. A fissure has emerged between President Donald Trump and state governors about when stay-at-home orders can be lifted and exactly who has the authority to do so so that business activity can return to normal. However, the threat of a second wave of COVID-19, which has infected 2 million worldwide, has become an increasingly acute fear as a coalition of governors make plans to restore public life. You want to make sure the health crisis is addressed first, Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told Yahoo Finance on Monday, calling the pandemic a seminal event that will definitively alter American life for years to come. It would be a gamble to do otherwise because the virus may come back and do more economic damage, Zandi added. In a raucous press conference on Monday, Trump said the possibility of a new outbreak "does weigh on my mind even as the president asserted he has sole authority to restart the economy. Trumps concerns were underscored by events in China, Singapore and South Korea, which are all contending with a new wave of cases that threatens to undermine previously successful containment efforts. Zandi cautioned that officials need to be very patient and cautious when reopening, because the economic damage from a second wave would be very difficult to address. Key to normalizing the economy will be rigorous mass testing, Zandi said, an area in which the U.S. has lagged badly, with its COVID-19 case count leading the world at nearly 600,000. Its going to be a process and not going to be a straight line. Its going to be learn as we go here, because there are no playbook [or] guidelines here, the economist added. The U.S.'s is still struggling to manage its coronavirus case count, and New York City accounts for the largest number of infections. Another couple trillion needed The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that the novel coronavirus will likely push the global economy into its worst recession since the Great Depression, as locked establishments prevent entire swaths of a largely sheltered population from working and spending. Story continues The federal government has been racing to fill the demand shock created by widespread shelter-in-place orders that have thrown at least 16 million people out of work. A looming deep recession that has Wall Street debating the shape of a recovery will lead to the unemployment rate topping 15%, according to Zandi and will require Congress and Trump to come back to the federal well for new rounds of fiscal stimulus. My sense is we have another couple trillion in government support coming down the road, the economist said, given that the economy is unlikely to fully normalize until effective treatments or a vaccine is available, which could take more than a year. We have a lot more government stimulus in the works, he added. The pathogens spread has created fundamental changes in business activity and consumer behavior and Zandi suggested many of those changes could be permanent. Those shifts include scores of white collar workers working remotely, and virtual gatherings that have supplanted traditional meetings and undermined travel. Id be surprised if this doesnt change the way we do things for quite some time, Zandi told Yahoo Finance, pointing to how the Great Depression dramatically impacted work and spending habits. This is going to have a long term impact on the way we live and the way we work, he added. [Click here for more of Yahoo Finances coronavirus coverage: Personal finance tips, news, policy, graphics & more from Yahoo Finance] Javier David is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter: @TeflonGeek Read more: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit. Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news Boston officials announced on Tuesday that Jose Fontanez, a 29-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, died from a coronavirus-related illness. I spoke to his wife and his brother, and of course theyre saddened by the loss of their loved one, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said outside Boston City Hall. Today we lost Officer Jose Fontanez of the @BostonPolice Department to COVID-19. Our prayers are with his family and fellow officers. Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) April 14, 2020 Fontanez, 53, joined the department in 1991 and served District E-13 in Jamaica Plain since 1996. "He fought a valiant and courageous fight against COVID-19, Gross said. This one hit us pretty tough. Gov. Charlie Baker addressed the officers death on Tuesday, speaking about his admiration for those in uniform and what they have to face in the line of duty. They open doors every day where they have no idea whats going to be on the other side, he said. "The complexity for them associated with the presence of a virus like COVID-19 just amps up in a significant way almost everything associated with the work that they do. In a statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Fontanez made the supreme sacrifice as a public servant and would not be forgotten. She described the pandemic as a horrible threat to our way of life and our safety." Police Officers, like all of us in law enforcement, are held to a higher, selfless standard," Rollins said. Officers especially, go out every day to make our communities safe. They put their lives on the line. All of us at the Suffolk County District Attorneys office tonight are mourning the untimely death of Boston Police Officer Jose Fontanez. Jamaica Plain and E-13 where he served since 1996, and the city at large are diminished by his loss." Another member of the Boston Police Department nearly died of the virus, according to his account. Boston Police Captain John Greland, who was stricken with COVID-19 symptoms earlier in the month, spent a week on a ventilator after contracting the virus and having trouble breathing, according to CBS Boston. Greland is now recovering. Related Content: Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like? As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 14:11:35 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 382 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 PORTLAND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Available immediately, marketing attribution software company LeadsRx, is offering independently owned radio broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada complimentary analysis of their client's terrestrial advertising during the months of April and May. Analysis will include showing increased web traffic after exposure to radio advertising ("web lift"), and segmentation analysis by daypart, advertising creative, and more.This program is designed to help broadcasters with 10 or fewer radio stations in a time of need as the industry and their advertising clients face a great deal of business uncertainty during the COVID-19 and economic crises.The support for broadcasters is meant to help their businesses and to support their clients who are struggling and need to retool their marketing and advertising programs given the current realities people are facing in their communities.How it WorksInterested US and Canadian broadcasters can either contact LeadsRx at (844) 629-7627 and info@ leadsrx.com or by submitting your details to get started.A LeadsRx data scientist will field requests for assistance and will assist in setting up the system.The broadcaster will provide post spot log data to LeadsRx for inclusion in the study. LeadsRx will also need access to web analytics data from the advertiser.Then, LeadsRx will do all the work to analyze results of advertising programs. Work will include evaluating web lift as well as various segmentation studies.Either the broadcaster can provide the findings and recommendations to advertisers, or a LeadsRx data scientist will join them in presenting details to their clients. A PDF report will be generated as the basis for conversation.# # #About LeadsRxA fast innovator and a marketer's choice for 3,700-plus global and local brands, LeadsRx is an unrivaled multi-touch attribution SaaS platform. Powered by a unique Universal Conversion Tracking Pixel, LeadsRx provides an impartial view of customer journeys, giving each advertising touchpoint proper weight and credit including broadcast media. Founded by marketers, LeadsRx enables companies of any size to elevate marketing performance in a framework that is easily understood delivering sustainable return on ad spend (ROAS). To learn more about how LeadsRx can support you in marketing transformation visit LeadsRx.com . Connect with LeadsRx on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.For more information:Jeff FishburnFishburn PR for LeadsRx+1 (503) 799-1988jeff@ fishburnpr.com SOURCE: LeadsRx A middle-aged woman, who is reportedly mentally-challenged, has been stranded on an islet in Feni river along the India-Bangladesh border in south Tripura district since April 2, officials said on Monday. She was stranded after Bangladeshis, with help of the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), tried to push her into India, while the Border Security Force (BSF) resisted their attempts, they said. "People of Bangladesh are providing food and water to her after attempts by local Bangladeshis and the BGB to push her into India failed," a BSF official at Kathalchhari border outpost told PTI. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here Residents of Kathalchhari and Amtali villages along the border claimed the BGB personnel along with locals have tried to push the woman into the Indian territory from three different places since April 2. "On the afternoon of April 2, we heard a lot of noise near the river opposite our house. We saw 20 Bangladeshis trying to push a woman into India from the other side of the river and BGB personnel were encouraging them," Rupam Basak (26), a resident of Kathalchhari, told a group of journalists. Tripura shares an 856-km long boundary with Bangladesh. Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths A 67-km stretch along the Tripura Frontier is unfenced, including three km along Kathalchhari and Amtali villages, according to BSF officials. Another villager, Sushanta Basak, said the bid to push the woman into the Indian territory took place right in front of the BGB's Ramgarh border outpost. Jharna Chakraborty, another local resident, said the woman appears to be a Bangladeshi national. "A few women from Amtali village spoke to the stranded woman by shouting out to her. Apparently, she is Bangladeshi as she calls water 'paani' whereas Indian Bengalis call it 'jol'. "Moreover, she gave a reference of Mirpur in Dhaka and said she was in love with a man named Faruk who recently married another woman," Chakraborty said. She said Bangladesh should admit the woman to a mental asylum on humanitarian grounds. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH A BSF spokesperson said he visited the area and conducted an extensive inquiry. "There is no doubt that the woman is from Bangladesh and the neighbouring country should take her back," he said. Meanwhile, the BSF officials said two other mentally-challenged persons, who were pushed into India on Sunday, were sent back to Bangladesh. "A mentally-challenged young woman and a middle-aged man were identified at two different places along the border. They were handed over to Bangladeshi authorities after a meeting was held between sector commanders of the border forces of the two countries," a BSF official said. The official claimed that there has been a clear pattern of Bangladeshis pushing mentally-challenged persons from their country into India. "Perhaps they want the mentally-challenged persons to be treated in mental asylums in Tripura as there are many such patients from the neighbouring country admitted to the lone mental hospital in Agartala," he said. At least 18 mentally-challenged persons from Bangladesh are being treated at Agartala's Modern Psychiatric Hospital. Such persons are handed over to Bangladesh from time to time after their recovery, Dr. Jyotirmoy Ghosh of the hospital said. One such patient, Bithi Akhter, was handed over to her family in Bangladesh after being treated for eight years in Tripura, he said. About 111 Africans tested positive for coronavirus on Monday in Chinas southern city of Guangzhou, Chinese news outlet, the Xinhua News Agency, reported on Tuesday. The executive vice mayor of Guangzhou, Chen Zhiying, said of the confirmed 111 cases, 19 were imported. The vice mayor said, 4,553 African people in the city had undergone nucleic acid testing since April 4. Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, was an important topic of discussion last week after reports of racist abuse related to coronavirus were made. Nigerians and other African migrants took complaints of their maltreatment to social media. Many of them said they were forced out of their places of lodging. Equal treatment The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Friday expressed his displeasure on the inhumane treatment of Nigerians in China, in a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Pingjian. Mr Pingjian responded that it was not a policy of the Chinese government to maltreat African migrants. We take our relationship with Nigeria very seriously. Until we receive a full report from back home, I cannot act, but I can assure you it is not a policy issue. We treat everyone equally, but during the implementation of the COVID-19 measures in China, it is possible for some incidents; all I do is take it back home, today I will, he said. China responds In response to the concerns of African nations, the Chinese minister of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, on Monday after admitting to receiving complaints by African governments, said the Chinese government had concluded to protect and not discriminate against the continent. The complaints were that foreigners of African appearance in the city of Guangzhou were being subjected to forceful testing for the coronavirus, quarantines and ill-treatment. Diplomats from the U.S. also reported that African-Americans had been targeted. China, where the outbreak of coronavirus began, now has a total of 82,249 confirmed cases, 3,341 deaths, and 77,738 recoveries according to Worldometer. China has the highest recorded recoveries worldwide. Some of the products of Smithfield Foods are displayed in front at a news conference on WH Group's IPO in Hong Kong on April 14, 2014. (Bobby Yip/Reuters) Meat Plants Are Closing, but That May Not Mean Shortages Across the country, meat processors are temporarily shutting down as workers are getting infected with COVID-19. But that doesnt mean America is about to run out of meat. The closures are devastating to meat producers. Without processing facilities, livestock farmers are having a hard time selling their meat. But U.S. consumers dont have to worry about shortages in supermarkets, experts say. At least not yet. I dont think the shutdowns so far have been enough to be noticeable to consumers, said Steve Meyer, an economist with commodity firm Kerns and Associates. We have a lot of pork, we have a lot of chicken, we have a lot of beef in cold storage, he said. We can draw on that should we have some shortages. A truck arrives at Smithfield Foods pork plant in Smithfield, Virginia, on Oct. 17, 2019. (Tom Polansek/Reuters) Some of the plants that have shut down are working to divert supply to other locations. Tyson, one of the worlds largest meat processors, suspended operations at its Columbus Junction, Iowa, pork plant last week. But it is sending livestock that was headed to Columbus Junction to other pork plants in the region to minimize impact on production. If other plants follow the same tactic, they could help mitigate the losses in production as well, Meyer noted. Plus, livestock that is not diverted will still need to processed when plants open up, Meyer said. Christine McCracken, senior analyst of animal protein for Rabobank, said that plant closures or reductions in operations due to labor shortages or social distancing efforts may mean fewer options. But they probably wont mean less meat altogether. There likely will be a drop in the number of types of products that are on the shelves, she said. It may be that a deboned product isnt available because they dont have the labor to do that. So boneless chicken breasts might not be an option in the coming weeks. The situation is fluid, and things could take a turn for the worse. Consumers may feel the impact if plants stay closed for a long time, or if many more close all at once. And in the long term, meat prices could go up. If livestock farmers go out of business because of the pressures they face today, the US meat supply will eventually contract. That will mean more expensive meat for consumers, McCracken said. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. 11 more COVID-19 cases have been reported in Karnataka since 5 pm Monday, informed the state government on Tuesday. The total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state now stand at 258, including 9 deaths and 65 discharged. To check the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, the 21-day lockdown announced last month has been extended by the Centre till May 3. Meanwhile, India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the July bar exam in doubt for tens of thousands of law school graduates nationwide, including about 8,000 in California, the law school deans at UC Berkeley and UCLA say states should postpone the exam and instead allow new graduates to practice law under an experienced attorneys supervision until things clear up. Supervised law practice, for as long as two years, would allow financially pressed graduates to begin their careers while helping to meet the public need for increased legal services during the coronavirus pandemic, Deans Erwin Chemerinsky of Berkeley and Jennifer Mnookin of UCLA said in a National Law Journal article last week. The health crisis is creating significant legal problems for many in our society, such as in dealing with employers, creditors and landlords, the deans said. New lawyers could help expand the availability of valuable legal services to those who otherwise would be without representation. They noted that several states have already approved supervised practice as a short-term substitute for passing the bar exam. Law students in California can already take part in court cases under a lawyers direction before they graduate, and, in the U.S. medical profession, about 100,000 physician assistants, monitored by a doctor but without their own medical degree, are licensed to examine and diagnose patients. Others are using the occasion to question the relevance of the bar exam in modern law practice. The bar exam has little to do with the real-world demands of practice, Brit Benjamin, a lecturer at Santa Clara University Law School, said in a letter to the Recorder, a legal publication. Rather than protecting the public, the bar exam constricts the supply of attorneys, fueling the crisis of access to justice plaguing Californias most vulnerable. After hearing testimony from members of the public mostly law students who wanted alternatives to this years exam State Bar of California trustees proposed two options Tuesday: to conduct the test in September, if possible, or to work on procedures for supervised practice by law graduates until the next exam can be given safely. The proposals will be forwarded to the state Supreme Court, which oversees the bar and its 259,000 members. The two-day bar exam, currently scheduled to begin July 28, is administered twice a year to about 75,000 law school graduates nationwide. Nationally drafted, it includes multiple-choice and essay questions on a variety of legal subjects, along with ethics and a section designed to test practical skills like writing briefs and jury arguments. About 50% of California test-takers passed the exam last year, up from 40.7% in 2018. California has one of the nations lowest passing rates, partly because the score it requires for passage is higher than in other states a score the state Supreme Court has refused to reduce and partly because only 18 of the states 58 law schools meet American Bar Association standards for accreditation. The others have lower admissions standards, charge less tuition, and have generally lower rates of graduation and bar passage. The National Conference of Bar Examiners, which drafts multiple-choice questions for the exam, plans to decide by early May whether to make the July exam available to states that decide to administer it, or to postpone it to early or late September. The conference supports supervised law practice as a temporary option for states, but disputes arguments that the exam is no longer relevant. Requiring aspiring lawyers to pass a written test ensures consistent standards are applied to all who earn the privilege of practicing law, the conference said Monday on the law.com website. That view is not shared by some veterans of legal practice and education, including Chemerinsky, a constitutional scholar who has argued cases before the Supreme Court and, since 1986, has taught bar-review courses for students preparing for upcoming exams. The bar exam measures knowledge of some basic rules, a certain amount of analytic skills, a certain amount of writing, though it may not be measuring them properly, the Berkeley law dean said in an interview. The ability to counsel a client, negotiate a deal, argue in court none of those skills is measured by the bar exam. Nor is it easy to devise an alternative. One alternative would be to allow graduates from established law schools in the state to practice law without taking the bar exam. Wisconsin has followed that practice for more than a century, and Utahs Supreme Court is considering it in response to the coronavirus. One limitation is that lawyers who have not passed the bar exam cannot practice in other states. California used that so-called diploma privilege to license law school graduates after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and again during World War II. But Chemerinsky said its unlikely to be considered during the current emergency because California has so many law schools that lack national accreditation, and only a handful with bar passage rates that meet the standard Utahs court is proposing for its law graduates. I dont see the California Supreme Court saying two or three schools get to form a village, he said. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko The MOD-CLIPS are made from Hi-Density Polyethylene tough, wear resistance material that is resistant to moisture and chemicals. It is considered a "SAFE" plastic material. The MOD-CLIPS are placed on the back of the head and users are able to put mask strings in a comfortable level depending on head size, while keeping their ears pain-free from blisters, headaches, wear, abrasion and even cuts. Additionally, first responders won't have to constantly touch their faces when readjusting the mask. Many first responders are working around the clock with N95 masks on and Modern Plastics believes this, simple and very inexpensive new product will make their jobs easier and pain-free. "We are trying to do everything we can to make our healthcare professionals, first responders, doctors, nurses and the public wearing masks much more comfortable so they can focus on saving lives," explains company President, Bing Carbone. The plastics manufacturing plant is proud to add this to their COVID19 Response product line. Modern Plastics is a sheet, rod, tube, and film distributor of plastic materials, most of those are medical grade materials to be put in the human body. This company is now using its know how and equipment to join the fight against the coronavirus. Employees are now working around the clock to try to fill the new orders coming in each day. Modern Plastics is also making clear plastic face shields, intubation enclosures and plastic barriers meant to keep store clerks and the public safe. Visit https://modernplastics.com/infection-control-division/ for more information. Joseph C. Carbone founded Modern Plastics in 1945 with a simple philosophy: "Whatever it takes." Since then, Modern Plastics has led the way by setting new industry standards for over 75 years in plastics distribution with technology such as material bar coding, complete material traceability, sophisticated storage of plastics and long-term record retention on all shipments. Their inventory and product lines continue to expand to meet customer expectations. SOURCE Modern Plastics Related Links https://modernplastics.com As many as 300 people living in 52 houses in Naya Gaon (Paschim) area under the Qaiserbagh police station in Lucknow will be screened for Covid-19 over the next 24 hours, after the locality was sealed in wake of two brothers testing positive for coronavirus on Monday and Tuesday, said officials. Twelve other localities of Lucknow were already sealed last week. We have listed out the details of the houses and close contacts of people who came in contact with the two brothers. The marking of the entire area has been done and the sanitisation process of lanes and houses started on Tuesday evening, said a senior police official. He said the entire locality, which had been sealed, included two lanes that cross each other within a periphery of around 125 metres. Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Naveen Arora, along with his team, visited the locality to chalk out a plan to enforce complete lockdown. He asked officials to seal all entry and exit points so that no people could come out or go into the locality. Police barriers had been set up at all entry and exit points of the locality while only sanitation staff, health workers and police personnel on duty were allowed there. An extensive sanitisation drive would be carried out over the next 2-3 days to completely disinfect the locality, he said, adding that the adjoining localities would also be sanitised. Arora said the police and district administration were trying to ensure that families living in the sealed locality continue to get essentials. One of the two brothers who tested positive had returned from a Gulf country on March 3 and had come in contact with many people, including around 65 medical and paramedical staff of King Georges Medical University in Lucknow, said police. Cops said that he had also come in contact with Tablighi Jamaat members. Police investigation revealed that the Naya Gaon resident did not tell doctors about his foreign travel history. Though he was feeling sick for the last 11 days, he visited a local doctor instead of going to a hospital, they added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 21:36:19|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOSCOW, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday it is "absolutely unacceptable" to blame China for the spread of COVID-19. "The Chinese are trying in every possible way to help other countries and share their experience that they developed in the fight against this evil in China," Lavrov said during an online press conference. Claims that China should pay for economic damage caused by the pandemic and Chinese property abroad should be seized if Beijing does not pay "make hair stand on end," Lavrov said. "When we hear claims that China should pay everyone for this pandemic and China allegedly did not inform someone in time, it goes beyond all limits and all decency," Lavrov stressed. Photo credit: Courtesy Rolex From Town & Country When Sir Edmund Hillary became the first man to summit Mount Everest in 1953, he did so with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual on his wrist. In 1960, Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard plumbed the depths of the Mariana Trench, with a Rolex Deep Sea Special strapped to the outside of his vessel. It's not just those who have explored the furthest reaches of the planet who have worn Rolexestoday, so do some of the best filmmakers, novelists, dancers, architects, and artists of our time. In February, only a short while before the worldand the ability to travel across itchanged dramatically, I received a fresh reminder in the power of art and beauty to lift the human spirit. The biennial Rolex Mentor and Proteges Arts Initiative was drawing to a close, and artists, creatives, journalists and the public gathered in Cape Town for a series of performances, talks, and celebrations. For nearly two decades, the initiative has paired emerging artists with masters in their fields for a period of two years. It is a gift of time, in keeping with the ethos of Rolex's craftsmanship, allowing for a one-on-one relationship with the funding, space, and brain power to create something extraordinary. Transmission of knowledge through one-on-one relationships is how watchmakers honed their trade for centuries, and remains the house credo 115 years after the Swiss manufacturer's inception. Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images Since it began in 2002, the program has paired 54 individuals in various disciplines; the 2018-19 cycle revolved around dance, literature, architecture and film. Once a mentor has accepted the invitation to serve, Rolexs nominating panel of artists and practitioners identifies several qualified candidatesaspiring participants cannot directly apply; they must be invitedwhom the mentor interviews before making a final selection. The program has drawn big-name mentors, like the late Toni Morrison, Martin Scorsese, Philip Glass, David Hockney, and Margaret Atwoodand produced notable alumni, like Tracy K. Smith, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry the year she completed the Rolex program, and later became the U.S. Poet Laureate. For the 2020-21 cycle, Rolex recently announced as mentors the filmmaker Spike Lee and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who, ever the renaissance man, will be mentoring a new "open category." He will be helping Agustina San Martin, a 28-year-old Argentinean filmmaker, nurture and broaden her creative universes." Story continues Rolex asks the mentors and proteges to spend at least six weeks together over the two-year mentoring period (though many spend much more) and provides the proteges with a stipend and the mentor with an honorarium, plus funds for travel and expenses. There are no requirements for what the mentorship should look like or what must be produced. For most pairs, it becomes a balance between observing a master at work and watching a new talent come into their own. Being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sir David Adjayethe renowned designer of the National Museum of African American History who served as the architecture mentor for the recent 2018-2019 cycleas he studies a building or sketches a plan is more valuable than any classroom lesson, as his mentee Mariam Kamara would learn. Photo credit: Courtesy Rolex Speaking at the Rolex weekend in Cape Town, Adjaye recalled a formative mentorship moment in his own life, when he was working with Eduardo Souto de Moura in Portugual in 1991. "We were working on a house and just said, 'David, come with me' and we spent a day together, and it was probably the most profound moment in my architectural career because I just saw an architect in the world," he said then. Nearly three decades later, Kamarawho initially deleted the email from Rolex notifying her she had been invited to interview for the program, thinking it was spamhad a similar experience. "Even if I could just have an hour with David Adjaye, that would be enough for me," she told me. They got much more than that, traveling across the world (even crossing the border to Pakistan on foot) to study buildings. But for Kamara, the most important journey with Adjaye was in her home country of Niger, where she is designing a sustainable cultural center in the capital, Niamey. The pair went to her family's village, and also to the historic 14th century city of Agadez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo credit: Bart Michiels for Rolex For Colin Barrett, an Irish novelist who had written a successful short story collection but couldn't get his novel off the ground, the life lessons gleaned from the mentor and protege were far greater than technical expertise. Working with his mentor Colm Toibinan esteemed novelist, professor, and fellow Irishmanwas a chance not just to parse sentences and discuss plot, but to see how one builds an actual life as a writer. "Not every great writer is a great teacher, but Colm is," said Barrett, whose novel is forthcoming this year. "And he was generous in speaking candidly about how this is all part of a process. You cannot achieve something if you're not willing to fail, and he was very open about that." Just two months after that celebratory weekend, the coronavirus pandemic upended the global economy and the luxury market. Watchmakers are adapting accordingly. Rolex took the extraordinary step of delaying all 2020 product releases due to the crisis. But the mentor and protege program will go on, albeit without physical interaction for the time being. But if the recent Hamilton reunion on John Krasinski's YouTube show is any indication, that won't be a problem for Miranda at all. Photo credit: ROLEX/Reto Albertalli You Might Also Like The Cloudnine Group of Hospitals has collaborated with cab aggregator Ola to offer mobility services to its customers in view of the growing customer demands for transportation services during the lokdown in force to contain the COVID-19 spread. This service will be available across all six Cloudnine centres in Bengaluru located in Jayanagar, Old Airport Road, Malleshwaram, Bellandur, Whitefield and HRBR layout. Following the government's advice, booking an Ola ride will remain restricted to essential visits to the hospital only, Ola said in a statement. As a part of this collaboration in Bengaluru, Ola will station its cabs at each Cloudnine hospital. A special area has been designated for Ola pick-ups and drop-offs where Cloudnine staff will help customers in and out of the vehicles. All the bookings will be facilitated to the customers through the Cloudnine call centre, Ola said. "Our collaboration with Ola is an endeavour to play an active role in easing challenges in the current situation and streamline the delivery of our services to our customers," Raviganesh Venkataraman, CEO, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, a chain of maternity, fertility and child care hospitals, was quoted as saying. Speaking about the announcement, Anand Subramanian, spokesperson and Head of Communications, Ola, said "Ola's collaboration with Cloudnine Hospitals is yet another initiative through which we will continue to serve essential travel for citizens, as we all emerge stronger together in these testing times. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Jung Min-ho The main opposition party's election campaign leader has defended Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and defector, after the ruling party attacked him for his privileged life ahead of Wednesday's general elections. "Thae has accumulated his wealth through lawful means; he gave many lectures and wrote a book that became a bestseller," Park Hyung-joon, co-chair of the conservative United Future Party's election campaign committee, said during CBS radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on Tuesday. "This shows the stark contrast between South and North Korea. In the South, you can work hard to have property." Thae, 57, who was North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, defected to the South with his wife and two sons in 2016. He is now standing for election in Gangnam, one of the nation's richest constituencies, against Kim Sung-gon, a four-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). After Thae reported his property worth more than 1.8 billion won ($1.5 million) financial assets of 975 million won and real estate worth 890 million won to register as a candidate, DPK spokesman Park Sang-min attacked him for "living a privileged life" with a fortune and urged him to disclose how he accumulated the wealth. The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it has commenced community outreach to test persons with coronavirus symptoms and avert further spread. The Director of Public Health of the FCT, Josephine Okechukwu, stated this in a notice shared with PREMIUM TIMES. We started the community active case search in Mpape yesterday by sensitisation and sample collection of eligible clients. It will be expanded to other communities. The deployed personnel, she said, would screen everyone with a history of cough, fever, catarrh, chest pain and difficulty in breathing. This is to detect everyone with COVID-19 and get them treated promptly to break the chain of transmission in the FCT. Ms Okechukwu, a medical doctor, said the testing will extend to Gishiri, Utako and Mabushi on Wednesday and Thursday. Likely upsurge The Chairperson of the FCT COVID-19 response committee, Aliyu Umar, told PREMIUM TIMES the community testing may witness an upsurge in the number of cases in the city. We are lucky that for three days no new case was recorded in the FCT. But with this community tracing, we may experience rise in the cases. But this is very important so that cases are detected before further spread, he said. Mr Umar, a former minister of the FCT, urged residents not to panic in the case of any discovery as it was better to discover the cases than allow them to quietly spread the pandemic. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mpape was selected to begin the community tracing because of its proximity to Maitama where most of the FCT cases were found. Appeal for help On the further lockdown of the FCT for an additional two weeks, Mr Umar said palliatives are being planned both from government and private sector. He appealed to wealthy persons in the FCT to complement the government efforts by donating food items to the need for the success of the lockdown. We appeal to public-spirited individuals to buy as much food as they can to help the poor. We dont want them to give us the money, let them buy the items themselves. If they come to us we can help them with the appropriate protocols for distribution and we can provide them with security clearance to enable movement of the food items, he explained. A 107-year-old woman from Turkey has beaten coronavirus, becoming the second Covid-19 patient of the same age to recover from the illness. Havahan Karadeniz was admitted to a hospital in Istanbul a week ago after experiencing symptoms of the virus. She recovered from the illness and was discharged on April 13. Havahan Karadeniz (pictured) was applauded by medical workers on Monday as she was wheeled out of the hospital by her grandson Havahan was admitted to a hospital in Istanbul a week ago after experiencing symptoms of the virus She recovered from the illness and was discharged on April 13 Havahan was suffering from a cough and a high fever when she was tested for coronavirus and admitted to the Istanbul Education Research Hospital. A week later she had overcome the virus and was applauded by medical workers as she was wheeled out of the hospital by her grandson. The 107-year-old said: 'The hospital is good, the men are good. Well, I will tell everyone.' Havahan was suffering from a cough and a high fever when she was tested for coronavirus and admitted to the Istanbul Education Research Hospital. Havahan is thought to be one of the oldest patients in the world to beat the virus, after 107-year-old Dutch woman Cornelia Ras made a recovery last week. Cornelia fell ill on March 17, the day after her 107th birthday, Dutch newspaper AD reported, after attending a church service with other residents of her nursing home on Goeree-Overflakkee, an island in the southwest of the country. She was told by her doctors last Monday that despite the odds she had beaten the infection. Cornelia Ras pictured celebrating her 107th birthday, one day before she fell ill with coronavirus on March 17 Turkey has registered 4,093 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, pushing the total to 61,049. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on his Twitter account on Monday that Turkey's COVID-19 death toll rose to 1,296, with 98 additional fatalities. A total of 1,786 people are in intensive care, including 1,063 intubated patients, Koca said. At least 3,957 people have recovered. Koca noted that the number of cases recorded Monday was fewer than in previous days despite an increase in the number of tests conducted. By Bahk Eun-ji Safety concerns are growing over the use of electric scooters, as a number of related accidents took place in recent weeks, according to the police Tuesday. According to Haeundae Police Agency, a driver in her 30s who was using an electric scooter while drunk was arrested in Busan, Tuesday. The woman fell off the vehicle after hitting obstacles in the road at 4:55 a.m. near Seomyeon Station. She was not wearing any safety equipment. A police officer who was patrolling the area tried to help her and offer treatment, but the officer confirmed she was drunk when she attempted to flee the site. A Lime scooter is broken after being hit by a car in Busan, Sunday. The driver in his 30s was killed on the spot, police said. /Yonhap KOKOMO, Ind., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today began mass production of the Ventec Life Systems V+Pro critical care ventilator under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Thousands of men and women at GM, Ventec, our suppliers and the Kokomo community have rallied to support their neighbors and the medical professionals on the front lines of this pandemic," said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. "Everyone wants to help turn the tide and save lives. It is inspiring and humbling to see the passion and commitment people have put into this work." Said White House Assistant to the President Peter Navarro: "GM has moved swiftly in Trump time to manufacture one of the most critical lifesaving devices in America's war against the coronavirus. GM's rapid mobilization of America's manufacturing might in defense of our country is a proud salute to the ingenuity of its engineers, the true grit of its UAW workers on the line, and America's doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals fighting for our lives at the front lines. As these lifesaving ventilators roll off GM's assembly line as fast as tanks once did in an earlier World War, they will be rapidly deployed to the hospitals of Gary, Chicago, and far beyond." In less than a month, Ventec, GM's supply chain and its manufacturing, logistics, legal, and talent acquisition teams were able to marshal support to deliver a 30,000-unit order from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Until there is a vaccine, critical care ventilators give medical professionals the tools they need to fight this pandemic and save lives," said Ventec Life Systems CEO Chris Kiple. "This partnership is an historic effort and a great reminder of what can be accomplished with the power of American innovation and American manufacturing skill uniting together around a singular mission to save lives." The effort involved sourcing hundreds of parts and assemblies from suppliers; the design of a new manufacturing process; the transformation of GM's Kokomo factory; the ongoing hiring of more than 1,000 manufacturing team members; and the implementation of extensive health and safety protocols in the workplace. Throughout the effort, GM had strong support from the leadership of the United Auto Workers, including the UAW-GM Department and UAW Local 292, community groups and elected officials in Kokomo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. More than 600 ventilators will be shipped this month, almost half the order will be filled by the end of June and the full order will be completed by the end of August. GM has the capacity to build more ventilators after August if needed. A strong sense of urgency was present from the beginning: GM and Ventec executives had their first conference calls on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 to explore how GM could help Ventec increase ventilator production. and to explore how GM could help Ventec increase ventilator production. The next day, a GM team flew to Seattle to meet with the Ventec team and rolled up their sleeves to help. to meet with the Ventec team and rolled up their sleeves to help. On Friday, March 20 , GM engaged its global supply base and within 72 hours, they had developed plans to source 100 percent of the necessary parts. , GM engaged its global supply base and within 72 hours, they had developed plans to source 100 percent of the necessary parts. The UAW's national and local leadership embraced the project and on Wednesday, March 25 , crews began preparing the Kokomo site for production. , crews began preparing the site for production. On Wednesday, April 8 , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded GM a contract under the Defense Production Act to build 30,000 Ventec V+Pro critical care ventilators. GM and Ventec are committed to providing ongoing progress updates, photos, and videos to document the work of this partnership at a new microsite, www.VentecGM.com. General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, and Maven, its personal mobility brand, can be found at http://www.gm.com. Ventec Life Systems is redefining respiratory care to improve patient outcomes and reduce caregiver challenges from the hospital to home. Ventec's leading product, VOCSN, is the first and only Multi-Function Ventilator that seamlessly integrates five devices - a critical care Ventilator, 6 L/min equivalent Oxygen concentrator, touch button Cough assist, hospital grade Suction, and a high-performance Nebulizer - into one integrated respiratory system that is lightweight and mobile. VOCSN is fully customizable to meet patient needs for pediatric and adult patients. Learn more at VentecLife.com and connect with Ventec on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. SOURCE General Motors Co. Related Links http://www.gm.com Matamoros, Mexico Rosario Mederos taught letters and numbers to a handful of children who lived in the surrounding tents. She raised her voice politely to speak above the racket of a bustling refugee camp on the US border. Mederos is not a teacher by trade. Like everyone else here, she arrived with hopes of moving to the US. But that was more than eight months ago. Now she helps give modest classes to small children with the hopes of keeping up their most basic schooling while they wait for US authorities to answer their families asylum claims. Mederos took the hand of a young boy, kneeling and bent forward on a sidewalk outside a government office and she guided his pencil to trace the letter A. Many kids here, they can barely read and write, she told Al Jazeera with a sigh earlier this year. Asylum-seeking children from the Matamoros encampment attend a class at the Sidewalk School in January [Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera] [Daylife] Five other teachers like her sat on the pavement, surrounded by nearly 100 kids who wrote with pencils on worksheets, read from workbooks and nibbled sandwiches brought by the local woman and activist who made this all happen: Felicia Rangel-Samponaro. This is the only schooling these kids get, she said, handing out snacks to the boisterous group of students clustered a few paces away from the international bridge that connects Mexico with Texas. Once a housewife in Brownsville, Rangel-Samponaro had long volunteered to help the many migrants who passed through her city. But after new US migration rules last year known as Remain in Mexico began blocking asylum seekers from entering her country, Rangel-Samponaro, saddened by what she saw, got fully involved. She founded a school. She moved to Mexico. Were here for a dream Her school holds seminars to explain confusing migration rules to adults stuck in the camp. She helps guide her teachers through the procedures of their asylum cases. And she has given supplies to about 500 children. She has put all her money into this effort but the kids in this camp do not seem likely to move on anytime soon. Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, director of the Sidewalk School, speaks to a group of American visitors about the migrant camp and various relief efforts during a witnessing tour in Matamoros, Mexico [Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera] The school has to keep going, she told Al Jazeera, her palm on her cheek as she looked over the kids crowded on a sidewalk just before sunset. So many people who have no other option depend on it. The students were children like nine-year-old Richard, who copied letters on a worksheet while his mother, 46-year-old Ingrid Funes from Honduras stood by and watched. Richard had lived for more than four months in the camp when Al Jazeera met him in January. He stayed in a plastic tent and was out of school with no near prospect of moving on. The nine-year-old and his mother cooked basic staples over a wood fire and washed their clothes in the river that divides them from the country they hope to reach. Funes said Richard plays all day with sticks, stones and donated toys and other kids, but he asks her sometimes what they are doing and why they are not going back home. I tell him we have to keep fighting, she said, watching him as he studied. That were here for a dream, for a future for him. But he doesnt understand. Funes left home with hopes of escaping poverty in her dirt-floor house where she and her husband farmed small plots of corn and beans and had sporadic work but sometimes went hungry. She struggled to support her daughter, 25 and mentally disabled, who she left with her husband in Honduras but hopes to take to the US to live someday. If her asylum claim is denied, she said, she would send Richard over the border bridge by himself to be claimed by relatives in San Antonio, Texas, and she would find a way to hire a smuggler to cross the Rio Grande nearby. Migrants and asylum seekers wash their clothes in the river near the encampment on the US-Mexico border [Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera] Another boy at the school that day, 14-year-old Marco Patt, had noticed the grouping of kids with books and stopped by to see if he might borrow a book in English to pass his idle days in Matamoros. Slightly more fortunate than the families in tents, Patt and his mother shared a room in a nearby apartment while they wait in Matamoros. I dont have anything to do, he said in English. So I dont really do anything. The teachers Rangel-Samponaro, the schools founder said more than 500 kids were in a similar situation in migration limbo here. For them, she had started the school. For years before she had volunteered through a church group attending to the stream of migrants and asylum seekers who flowed through their border community. Then early last northern summer, she said, the flow practically stopped as the US Department of Homeland Security implemented its new Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as Remain in Mexico, stopping admission of asylum seekers while their cases were processed for months. A teacher of the Sidewalk School helps migrant students in Matamoros [Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera] Rangel-Samponaro began crossing the border regularly to bring donations but the dynamic had changed. Instead of the flow of people, she saw the same faces week after week. The children in the growing camp started to hug her each time she arrived. Soon she was crossing the border every day and she started the school last August. At first, she hired two Cubans stuck in Matamoros to teach classes. She moved from Brownsville into a four-storey Matamoros apartment building with her two teachers and a small community of other Cubans awaiting their asylum proceedings. Soon Rangel-Samponaro hired six teachers from the building to give three classes per week. Through a GoFundMe campaign, she has raised more than $17,000 since last August. That money has helped allow her to attend to the migrants in Matamoros full-time. She also helps connect her teachers with the volunteer resources from the US not only donations but legal guidance as well. Tents line the pavement in the Matamoros encampment housing asylum seekers on the US-Mexico border [Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera] The school looks a bit different now as fears of the novel coronavirus grip the camp. The school has started virtual classes, providing tablets to some students to continue their studies, Rangel-Samponaro recently wrote on Facebook. The school has also been able to continue handing out lunch and other supplies. Local media reported last week that asylum seekers were set to be moved to a field more than 6.5 kilometres (four miles) from the encampment that had been growing at the border for months. Local activists report that the movement has so far not happened. US immigration hearings have also been postponed, forcing many to wait even longer to learn the outcome of their asylum cases and making makeshift schools like Rangel-Samponaros all the more important. (CNN) There is no business as usual amid the coronavirus pandemic. But that hasn't stopped business owners across the country from getting creative to try and stay afloat. While businesses can't physically keep their doors open due to stay-at-home orders implemented in many states they can remain open virtually. As a result, many have upended their normal strategies and transitioned to become almost entirely digital. Here's a look at what some business owners are doing to remain up and running. Shooting 'porchraits' Photographer Emily McCartney, 25, said she has taken this time during the coronavirus era to be more introspective. Emily McCartney Photography, her her western lifestyle and portrait business, has become entirely digital for the time being, with McCartney now utilizing platforms like Instagram which she does not normally use to share her latest work. "I am investing more time in social media marketing right now," she told CNN. "Engaging with my followers (and) hosting giveaways." Although she normally travels for work, McCartney decided to stay put in her home base of Throckmorton, Texas, a community with a population of less than 1,000 people. "About 90% of my photo jobs require considerable travel, so basically all the shoots I had booked for spring and early summer have had to be postponed until this is all over," she told CNN. Her online store, where she sells art prints and merchandise, was already in place before the coronavirus hit. Now, she said it's the only way she can make money from her photography. "Frankly, my art and photography services are not a necessity and sales are definitely down," she said. "I understand, though. That's the reality of the current state of our economy...when the world recovers, I'll be able to open my art gallery for exhibit showings and events again." Until then, she's also shifting gears creatively, looking to her community for inspiration. McCartney is participating in the Front Porch Project, an effort organized by photographers around the country to help support charities by shooting "porchraits." The photos document families across the US who are staying at home during the coronavirus. So far, McCartney said she has photographed more than 108 different porches. "I am candidly capturing them at this moment in time," she said. "Stressed, worried, out of work, out of groceries, but tough as nails. I took the images to capture the love, grit, and soul of my community members. This is a time in history that will never be forgotten and I feel it's my duty to capture my people in the truest form of who they are and what we are experiencing." Right now, she said she can't rely solely on her online photo sales. So she is also working on her family's ranching operation to pay her bills, for now. "I believe I will be a better person and a better businesswoman when we make it to the other side of this pandemic," she said. "I am confident that my business will make it through, and I pray I will be able to use this trial to serve others better through my photography work." Hosting virtual classes and birthday parties Michael Napolitano, 45, runs Rockness Music, a family-owned business that specializes in early childhood educational music classes and events. The New Jersey-based company was forced to furlough all of its employees, end its office lease and file for disaster recovery options. "The pandemic has swallowed our business just like many others," Napolitano told CNN. "We are the product." The company pivoted by changing its website, social language and all advertisements to read as an "all virtual company." So far, the business is making "minimal money" from offering virtual classes and birthday parties on platforms like Zoom. "Our virtual classes and birthday parties are not going as well as we thought," Napolitano said. Although, the company did just book a birthday party in Mumbai, India. Napolitano remains hopeful. "People are hesitant for Zoom-based classes and birthdays, but once they experience it, they absolutely love it," he said. "People don't want this distance. People want a genuine 'in your face' connection and I dig it." The company has also started free, daily broadcasts on Facebook Live for families struggling with something to do during the day. So far, the videos are averaging about 1,000 views per live class. "This Facebook Live show is exactly what I wanted to do my whole life. Talk about a silver lining," Napolitano said. "I'm able to reach more children, I'm making people happy and I'm making music. I've been given a chance here to do something that matters...This is where I can do the most good." Selling art kits Los Angeles-based Viridian Art normally teaches in-studio art class and on-campus art classes at various local schools. But amid the pandemic, as schools moved to remote learning, all of the art school's classes abruptly came to a halt. "We've been working like crazy to find new revenue streams to stay alive in the small business world," co-owner Bronwyn Birk, 35, told CNN. After being closed for one day and "feeling helpless, with literally nothing to lose," the studio decided to put a few of its core art classes online. It also began selling art kits and activity packs. "It's almost like starting a new business all over again," Birk, who is also art instructor, said. "You have to throw out any fears of 'it won't be the same or as good as what we did before' and get ready to take a leap into the unknown." The female-run small business has been able to keep its business afloat with their digital offerings. It has offered free and by-donation classes for the last two weeks of March as a way to "give back to loyal customers and new ones." "With all the tuition we've collected, and art kits and activity packs we've sold, we are staying positive," Birk said. "And we are hopeful we can keep up with our bills and leases on two studio locations." Going digital has also allowed the business to reach a larger audience around the world. "The word has undoubtedly spread, and we've been welcoming new students from many different time zones," Birk said. Viridian Art does not anticipate transitioning back completely to a traditional art studio, even after businesses start to recover post-pandemic. "We fear it will take some time for parents to feel comfortable sending their kids back to all their pre-pandemic activities," Birk said. "We are expecting some of our students will return to the studio while others will want to continue with online classes until they feel more confident about being out in the world." Transitioning to telemedicine appointments Some doctors are offering telemedicine appointments while their offices sit nearly empty. New York City dentist Dr. Ruben Cohen, 44, closed his practice, Park Smiles NYC, over a month ago. "All of us in the medical field are frustrated at not being able to help people in need patients with tooth pain, chest pain, shortness of breath," he told CNN. "These patients didn't suddenly disappear, they are still out there, but are afraid to get medical care for fear of being expose to Covid-19 by going to an urgent care center or ER." He partnered with neighboring medical specialists and created Virtual House Call Docs NYC to treat patients remotely, whatever their needs are. They have increasingly switched to communicating with patients through texting and emails. The group is charging the same fees as they would for in-person visits. "Many patients have asked for discounts and to delay their co-payment or out of pocket expenses, so we are trying to work with patients to help them financially, while also balancing our need to stay afloat and cover our immediate expenses," he said. However, he anticipates it will take time for the practice to fully recover financially. "Paying our bills and paying our staff will be extremely difficult when we go back to work because it will take at least four to eight weeks to see insurance payments starting to come in again," he said. Embracing livestreaming Fitness studios are also turning to online platforms to keep their clients connected. Washington DC yoga instructor Faith Hunter, 49, closed her studio, Embrace Yoga DC, in mid-March. She almost immediately began livestreaming free daily yoga and mediation classes on Instagram and YouTube, and now also provides private lessons to her clients through her digital operation, Embrace OM. "Seven days prior to closing, studio attendance had started to decrease, and I had already instituted a 'no hands-on assisting' policy," she told CNN. "As a business owner, I saw it coming, and my goal was to ensure our clients felt supported. I also wanted to ensure my staff had a place to share and remain connected to our community," Like most in-person businesses, Hunter said revenue for the studio has decreased. But she is still charging for her online classes, and said she sees a great opportunity in having a digital business even after the world recovers from the coronavirus. "The crazy part is that I've had our livestream project on hold for over a year while I was writing a book," she said. "This unprecedented time has thrust me into doing it now. Embrace OM is more than just online yoga classes, it will evolve into a platform that supports the full human...body, mind and spirit." This story was first published on CNN.com 'Local businesses across the country are changing the ways they operate to stay afloat' Hospitals in Texas have been getting a helping hand from some autonomous robots as they battle the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. The Moxi bots, created by Diligent Robotics, have been present in the hospitals for the past two years. But in the last month or so they have really shown their usefulness.Each Moxi bot is fully autonomous, meaning it can make its way around the hospital without requiring assistance or guidance. They were designed to take supplies to and from individual patient rooms, thus giving health-care workers more time to focus on patients. The robots also reduce the risks of spreading infection because they can sanitize themselves as often as the need to using ultraviolet light.Diligent Robotics announced at the end of last month an additional $10 million in funding to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 06:21:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Benny Gantz, said late Monday that a unity government deal was close following their late-night meeting to break the country's year-long political deadlock. The two said in separate statements that "substantial progress was made" in an overnight meeting held in an attempt to save the stalled coalition talks. The meeting will be resumed on Tuesday morning, according to the statements. Gantz's mandate to form a new governing coalition following the March 2 elections should have expired at midnight on Monday. However, President Reuven Rivlin extended his deadline to allow the two leaders to reach an agreement. A statement issued on Rivlin's behalf said Gantz now has until Wednesday's midnight to form a government. Earlier in the day, Gantz, Israel's former military chief and leader of the centrist Blue and White party, urged Netanyahu to join forces. Gantz, who promised to form a government without Netanyahu during his campaign trail, said an emergency unity government must be formed considering the COVID-19 crisis. In response, Netanyahu wrote on Twitter that he invites Gantz to meet him in Jerusalem to sign a deal. Should Gantz and Netanyahu fail to reach an agreement, the nation may face the fourth elections after three previous rounds in fewer than a year produced inconclusive results. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced the states initial framework for lifting statewide closures affecting millions across the state, saying she would take a slow, science-based approach to deciding how to move forward, without specifying when it would happen. Im not going to put a date on this, Brown said. The governor said she wants five things to be in place before gradually lifting the unprecedented stay-at-home restrictions: A declining growth rate of active cases, sufficient personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, surge capacity in hospitals, increased testing capacity, tracing and isolating positive cases and strategies to protect vulnerable communities including nursing homes and the homeless population. This is only a framework, Brown said in a press conference. We have to be cautious or it will backfire. The announcement was short on details, leaving it unclear how Oregon would define how much protective equipment it needs, how an effective tracing program would be staffed and funded as well as when testing capacity is expected to increase. Brown said she didnt yet know how much PPE the state needed, something that needs to be determined before lifting the suspension of elective procedures statewide. The Oregon Health Authority is currently drafting an operations plan that will fill in those details and be ready in days, not weeks, Browns chief of staff, Nik Blosser, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The governor said her next steps include soliciting input from local leaders, consulting with the most affected industries, including restaurants and hair and nail salons, completing metrics for reopening and creating plans for testing, tracing and isolation. Coordinating with other West Coast states, Brown said, she will finalize discrete steps and guidelines for a step-by-step plan to reopen the state. Its not going to be easy and it will take longer than we want, she said. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter State epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger said to reopen, Oregon would need the capability to do 15,000 tests a week, 2,100 a day, not the ability to test every Oregonian. Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb has said the country should be testing 1% of its population each week. That would put Oregons target at about 40,000 a week. Both Sidelinger and Brown incorrectly claimed the states testing capacity has been growing when it has plateaued. Sidelinger said Oregon has substantially and gradually increased our testing capacity in the state. Oregon has been reporting test results for about 1,300 people a day -- for the last three weeks. A health authority spokesman, Phil Schmidt, said the flat testing isnt necessarily a function of capacity, because the judgment call for whether to test Oregonians lies with medical providers. But the health authority is still actively discouraging testing of asymptomatic people and those whose symptoms dont require medical evaluation. Brown backed away from earlier statements about lifting restrictions once Oregon reached a 10-day stretch with no deaths from the virus. She said she had been citing comments made by Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White Houses coronavirus task force. Were using different metrics here in Oregon, Brown said. Modeling estimates the coronavirus transmission rate in Oregon has plummeted amid the statewide shutdown. But while Oregons latest modeling projects that cases have plateaued here, the state isnt expected to see a drop-off in numbers for at least six weeks. As of Tuesday, 55 people had died from the coronavirus and 1,633 had tested positive. Researchers with the Bellevue-based Institute for Disease Modeling wrote in an April 10 report that Oregon needs to maintain its current aggressive measures to decrease the number of active infections. Even if Oregon returned to the moderate restrictions in place in mid-March, which included school closures and bans on gatherings of more than 25 people, active infections will rapidly increase, the researchers concluded. Sidelinger and Brown said a far more robust system was needed to trace the contacts of people who test positive. They did not specify the numbers of new staff that may be needed, but Blosser said it could be between 100 and 150 and possibly more. Our assumption is that we need to staff up significantly, he said. Chunhuei Chi, director of the Center for Global Health at Oregon State University, told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday that to establish a program similar to one successfully used in Taiwan, Oregon needed between 400 and 1,000 people to administer testing and trace the contacts of known positive cases to effectively control the spread when restrictions are loosened. By comparison, Multnomah County, Oregons most populated county, had a pre-pandemic staff of seven people to trace contacts and has since added 15 more. Lane County, which is about half of Multnomahs size, has seven full time nurses who investigate coronavirus cases; two former staff are assisting in a volunteer capacity. Shane Dixon Kavanaugh contributed reporting. Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657; @robwdavis Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Natasha Gonzales and her husband, Albert, responded to the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic by getting in gear. They volunteered with Folklores Coffee House, delivering food to the homebound elderly. Last week, Natasha Gonzales helped the San Antonio Food Bank distribute food to thousands of families at Traders Village. But she couldnt shake a heavy feeling that there was more she could do. She had not worked as a registered nurse for more than two years while pursuing a masters degree, and she had three young kids at home. But she felt compelled to be on the front lines of the crisis, and that meant New York City, where hospitals have been almost overwhelmed. She and her husband, a disabled Marine veteran and himself a licensed vocational nurse, discussed how the family might get by without her. Their business, a Fiesta medal design company called Mira Medals, was sidelined. One day last week while they watched the children do homework outside, he told her to go. He would hold down the fort. On Friday, Gonzales signed on with Krucial Staffing, an agency that places medical professionals in emergency and disaster situations, and on Monday morning she flew from San Antonio to New York on a one-way ticket. She will be paid about $10,000 a week after taxes, more like $6,000, she said assigned to a hospital for 21 straight days of 12-hour shifts, at which point her time could get extended. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust The pay isnt the main motivator, Gonzales said. I feel like Im meant to do this and God is going to put me where I need to be, she said. Im at peace now. The hard part was telling friends, her mother and aunt. They were afraid for her health. Some cried, and Gonzales tried to assure them. As any mother would, I feel apprehensive, said her mother, Carmen Borrego. But shes very intelligent and headstrong. On Saturday, Gonzales drove to Rebel Church in Hollywood Park, where she is a member, and the pastor and a few church staffers came out to the car to pray with her. On Sunday, as she was packing and her children Jaiden, 11, Dean 7, and Elora, 3 played with colorful eggs and tore into candy from their Easter baskets, Albert Gonzales took her outside for a surprise. About a dozen friends drove through the Northeast Side neighborhood honking, waving and blasting confetti in a send-off as she stood in her neighbors driveway blinking back tears. Even her mother, who has been extra cautious since being cancer-free for five years, had emerged from home for the first time in a month to say goodbye. Earlier that day, another friend, Vanessa Macias, the longtime girlfriend of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, delivered a suitcase he had traveled with to away games, filled with warm clothes emblazoned with the teams logo, along with a pair of cold weather boots. Gonzales said she has been overwhelmed with the outpouring. Some friends drove back to drop off gifts Clorox wipes, an extra suitcase, a cutout poster of Wonder Woman. It just speaks to her character, said Fernando Medellin, a friend for 11 years. Shes always going above and beyond. But, he admits, this task is scarier. Were sending her to war with a virus. Hopefully she comes back safe, Medellin said. CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle Her friends also worry about her spirits Gonzales will undoubtedly be affected by what she witnesses, they said. They plan to continue rallying to her side on Facebook and Zoom while shes in New York. On Sunday alone, New York saw 671 deaths related to COVID-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, bringing the states death toll to 10,056. About 2,000 people a day are entering hospitals in the state, he said. The governor has been pleading for more health care workers to fill a shortage, including retired nurses and doctors, and asking those who can to come help from other states. New York also has struggled to provide enough personal protective equipment to medical workers. Three nurses from Alabama filed a lawsuit against Krucial Staffing, the company Gonzales is working with, saying they were put to work in situations that didnt match their skills and without protective gear. The company said Monday that it planned to vehemently defend ourselves against these false claims. Gonzales is aware of the lawsuit. She has considered the mental toll of embedding herself in the crisis. But shes confident in her preparation. She worked in the intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital until two years ago, and the masters degree in nursing she is finishing has a focus on psychiatric and mental health. She hopes to be accepted to UT Health San Antonio and start working on a doctorate later this year. Im not scared. Im not sad, Gonzales said. People are like, Why? and I say, Why not? Im a nurse for a reason. When things get rough, shell think about Easter, when she was showered with love from family and friends Thats something I can carry when Im there, she said. Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva On Sunday, Turkey reported 97 more deaths related to the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 1,198. The country also has nearly 57,000 confirmed cases since the first patient was diagnosed a little more than a month ago. Al Jazeera reports in its article Erdogan rejects minister's resignation over coronavirus curfew that Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu had said he would quit after a short-notice curfew caught millions by surprise. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected the resignation of his interior minister, who had said he would quit after a much-criticised weekend curfew to tackle the coronavirus outbreak which caught millions of people by surprise. "In a process carried out diligently and meticulously, the responsibility for all implementation of the weekend curfew to stem the pandemic falls on me in every respect," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter on Sunday evening. Later on Sunday, the Turkish presidency said that Erdogan had not accepted the resignation. Turkey announced the weekend lockdown late on Friday, but in the brief time before it went into effect, many people rushed out to buy food and drink in the country's commercial hub Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, and other cities. The lockdown ended at 21:00 GMT on Sunday. "Although in a limited period of time, the incidents that occurred ahead of the implementation of the curfew was not befitting with the perfect management of the outbreak process," Soylu said. Soylu, who has held the post since August 2016, said the scenes that took place just following the declaration of the curfew on Friday night did not reflect a smooth implementation of policy. Soylu added that he had been proud to serve as interior minister and would remain loyal to Erdogan. If his resignation had been accepted by President Erdogan, Soylu would have been the second Turkish minister to leave his post since the coronavirus pandemic was declared. Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan was removed two weeks ago after the ministry drew criticism for holding a tender amid the outbreak to prepare to build a huge canal on the edge of Istanbul. The Centre has extended the suspension on all domestic, international flights and passenger trains till May 3, shortly after the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prolong the three-week nationwide lockdown by another 19 days. The flight and train operations have been in suspension since March 22, the day janta curfew was announced. The government has allowed the movement of both cargo flights and freight trains during the lockdown period in a bid to keep supplies of essential commodities running. In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of Covid-19 lockdown, it has been decided that all passenger train services on Indian Railways including premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancel till May 3. To ensure the essential supplies in various parts of the country, movement of goods and parcel trains will continue, the ministry of railways said Tuesday. The national carrier has also cancelled all passenger ticket bookings. All counters for booking of rail journey tickets for reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises shall remain closed till May 3, the ministry said. Hindustan Times had reported on April 11 that suspension of commercial flights and railway travel may be extended till month-end as all indications point towards an extension of the nationwide lockdown, which was scheduled to end on April 14. All domestic and international scheduled airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of 3rd May 2020, the civil aviation ministry said. To be clear, India at present, is also not allowing flights to rescue stranded Indian citizens abroad. While both the civil aviation ministry and the railway ministry have prepared plans on enabling movement once the travel restrictions are lifted, officials aware of the developments had said the government is likely to resume transport only after reviewing the number of cases after 15 days. We will impose more stringent measures in the next week. Till April 20, we will evaluate how different states are dealing with the pandemic. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions, PM Modi said in his video address. Hindustan Times on Friday had reported the government is considering dividing the country into a red zone in which no transport will immediately be allowed, a yellow zone where restricted services will resume and a green zone where transport will be allowed free movement. Once restrictions are lifted, the national carrier is planning to ensure strict social distancing norms in trains, which includes mandatory thermal screening and no allotment of middle berth in sleeper class. Indias airport sector has also prepared a business continuity plan for probable opening of commercial flight operations post lockdown. In a letter written to the civil aviation ministry, which has been reviewed by the Hindustan Times, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has asked for extra security measures to be implemented for the safety of its personnel. The CISF has prepared a Business Continuity Plan for opening of commercial aircraft operations from the security perspective of aircraft operators, airline operators and CISF personnel, once restrictions are lifted. The plan includes setting up of separate earmarked, isolated security checking facilities across airports for carrying out security checks of passengers, crew and others, who have undergone home quarantine or hospital quarantine during the last one month. It also proposes airlines should spread out the flight timings, to avoid a large number of passengers. Reporting time for passengers at the airport should be increased up to 120 minutes, so that passengers may smoothly pass through all the channels like access control, random screening, check-in, Immigration (in case of International passengers) by maintaining appropriate distance, according to the plan. Aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is also preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure social distancing among passengers and reducing contact with staff on board. This includes measures like leaving the middle seats empty. Are you a current print subscriber? You qualify for online access to the Omak Chronicle. To receive your access, create a website account and then verify your print subscription or e-edition subscription with your subscriber number, which may be found on your bill or mailing label. As summer approaches here in Saudi, the Irish community based here in the Kingdom are looking on with a growing sense of unease at the ever changing and rapidly escalating Covid-19 global news. We are also coming to terms with the fact that we will most likely not be travelling home any time soon. While we are safe here in Riyadh, there are some personally difficult aspect of all this Covid-19 pandemic and one of those aspects is the realisation that we are unlikely to be escaping the Arabian summer heat for the green fields of home in order to see our family and our friends any time soon. Here in Saudi there are many in the Irish community who are working on the frontline. These dedicated professionals are making us all so proud with their skilled and resilient efforts to care for the Saudi community. There is also our own embassy based in Riyadh - the team there have been very supportive, making themselves available to anyone who needs assistance, at any time. The crisis management initiatives taken by the Saudi officials to protect its population of 34.7 million have been swift and proactive, as they put in place strict precautionary measures to eliminate the spread of the virus. Like other countries around the GCC, we are observing a 24-hour curfew which the government put in place across five Saudi cities, including the capital Riyadh where many of us live. Their specific aim is to reduce contact amongst citizens and residents by 90pc, and they remind us daily that the impact of these measures over the next few weeks primarily depends on public cooperation and our commitment to follow the directives from the local authorities. They have communicated with us transparently and daily through the various local English news channels and by social media. We are also warned that failure to comply will be costly, and fines will be enforced. For a Saudi National, this means that a first time offender will be fined 2,500. For a second offence its 5,000 plus 10 days in jail. Expats and other non-national offenders will be automatically deported as soon as the authorities can put you on a flight out of the Kingdom. While you wait for flights in and out to resume, you can ponder the error of your ways in jail, and this may turn into a considerably long and uncomfortable wait. The authorities in Saudi have also provided an unprecedented level of financial support to the health care sector 1.37 billion to be exact. They have also said that anyone who needs care will get it, regardless of their particular situation, which is reassuring. Yet, challenges remain and we too are facing the same problems as Ireland; a lack of supply of critically important medical devices usually sourced from the global markets and lack of commitment by some people to follow the precautionary measures. We are keeping our spirits up by supporting each other in new ways and more regularly which is wonderful. We talk daily on the various devises at our disposal, Microsoft Teams works well, as does Zoom and Facebook Messenger. Most of us at this stage are working from home, and most of us dont leave the confines of our resident compounds. So its hard not to feel a little like Pauline Collins from the movie Shirley Valentine, waking up day after day to say good morning to the kitchen appliances. But I guess if we look on the bright side, this is a time for us to indulge in some self-development and exercise the right side of the brain by being more creative with this time. We are all making more time for each other whether its a virtual tea break with family and friends back home or in the Kingdom. But a virtual hug will never replace a real hug from your loved ones and while we do our best to replicate mums home cooked roasts, nothing will replace getting together around the Sunday table with family and friends. Heres hoping we get to see you all soon. Love from Riyadh. 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. Read More Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are looking to start fresh in Los Angeles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not revealed where they are staying in LA, but sources claimed they bought Mel Gibsons $14.5 million mansion in Malibu. We have not heard anything official from the Sussexes, but insiders say that the reports about the Mad Max stars estate are not true. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle move to LA At the end of March, Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, moved to LA from Vancouver Island. The pair flew into California right before the US and Canada closed their borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sources say that the Sussexes are setting up their base in the area and want to buy a mansion in Malibu. The couple has not confirmed the rumors, but there are several reasons why LA is a good choice for Harry and Meghan. Harry and Meghan Markle's move to Hollywood may worsen things for the two in terms of media scrutiny #GeoNews https://t.co/n8FHl9Qovi Geo English (@geonews_english) April 14, 2020 For starters, Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, lives in LA and the two are very close. Ragland was present for the birth of Meghans son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, and visited her several times when she lived in the United Kingdom. On the business side of things, LA gives Harry and Meghan plenty of opportunities to launch their next big foundation, Archewell. Meghan has a slew of celebrity connections in the area, which will undoubtedly come in handy in the months to come. Inside the Sussexes tribute to Princess Diana If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle buy a home in Malibu, it will be a subtle nod towards his late mother, Princess Diana. According to Express, Diana was set to move into a home in Malibu with her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed shortly before their tragic deaths. Now, this is interesting for a number of reasons. Malibu is nicely out of the way, its not right in the middle of LA, theyre not going to get that Hollywood, over the top lifestyle which Im sure the two of them are not looking forward to getting involved into whatsoever, royal expert Charlie Lankston shared. But its also in an area where it was rumored that Princess Diana was planning to live with Dodi al-Fayed shortly before they died. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry eyeing up home where Diana hoped to live https://t.co/33EKBhVYM6 pic.twitter.com/ly4CYxZWCH Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) April 1, 2020 Lankston added that Al-Fayed purchased a house in Malibu in the summer of 1997. At the time, sources claimed that Diana was going to move in with Al-Fayed. Those plans were tragically altered when Al-Fayed and Diana perished in a car accident in Paris two months later. Although it sounds like Harry and Meghan have their minds set on buying in Malibu, a recent report had them purchasing Gibsons lavish mansion. Harry and Meghan did not buy Gibsons mansion Rumors about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle buying Gibsons mansion surfaced after a real estate agent in LA shared the rumor on social media. Although the agent quickly deleted the post, British outlets swiftly picked it up. According to The Daily Beast, a source claimed that Gibson recently sold the property and that non-disclosure agreements prevented them from naming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the buyers. Non-disclosure agreements have been signed. But youre very warm, the source shared. People Think Meghan and Harry Bought Mel Gibson's $14.5 Million Mansion Thanks to an Instagram Post https://t.co/wnfPAvux8V Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) April 13, 2020 Other sources have since come forward to debunk the rumors. These insiders say that Harry and Meghan did not buy Gibsons mansion and are still looking for a place to settle down. Harry and Meghan have not commented on the reports. It is unclear where they are staying until they find a permanent home, but sources say they are renting out a $20 million home in LA. How will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry adjust to life in Malibu? In the event that Meghan and Harry settle down in Malibu, they might find themselves right at home. Several of Britains top stars live in the area, and billionaire Alki David believes they will be welcomed with open arms. According to Express, David referred to Malibu as Little Britain and commented on how many Brits live in the city, including Jason Statham, Sting, Chris Martin, Simon Cowell, and Gerard Butler. The clever heavyweights move from London to Los Angeles. The people are relaxed, the attitude is different, the worlds biggest movie deals are done here, not in a boardroom but often over a glass of wine by the beach, he stated. Sources tell The Daily Beast that a rumor circulating that Harry and Meghan had bought Mel Gibsons, five-bed, $14.5 million Malibu home is a complete fabrication https://t.co/Ia8lncZRDk The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 13, 2020 David went on to say that Meghan has likely made a wise move relocating to Malibu, especially considering all of the creative people that will make up her inner circle. Unfortunately, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not revealed their future plans. Their exit from the royal family became official on March 31 and the two are currently focusing on the current crisis before they move forward. A police constable walked almost half the 450 kilometres distance from his house in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur to report to duty at his Jabalpur office amid nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19. The cop, Anand Pandey, hitched a ride to cover almost half the distance while he covered the rest of the journey on foot. "I started my journey on March 30 and reached here in Jabalpur by April 1 night. I reported at the station on April 2. I got lift to cover almost half of my distance, while I covered the rest walking on road," Pandey told ANI here. He said that he returned to Kanpur on leave as his wife was unwell. "I took 30 days of leave and went to Kanpur. I was supposed to report on March 22. But due to 'Janata Curfew', I could not leave at that time," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A hospital among the worst-hit in the country by coronavirus has celebrated the discharge of its first survivor from intensive care. About a hundred staff at Croydon hospital formed a guard of honour to cheer as Jothy Kesavan was able to walk to her family yesterday almost a month since first arriving. Mrs Kesavan today thanked the hospital staff for their endless compassion and saving her life. She said: The sacrifices you are making on our behalf in light of these unprecedented challenges are truly breathtaking. I feel blessed to have been in your care and will never forget you all. You saved my life. Mrs Kesavan is hugged as she leaves hospital / Croydon University Hospital Mrs Kesavan, 51, who has a daughter and a four-month-old grandson, was admitted on March 17. She had first noticed cold-like symptoms on March 6. She said: It was the early days of Covid-19 in the UK so, although it seems incredible now, we didnt make the association that these symptoms could be the coronavirus. I had mild symptoms for a few days which gradually became worse, with a fever, burning pains in my head and body and dizziness, which caused me to collapse a week later. Mrs Kesavan was found to have pneumonia. For most of my 30-odd days in hospital I was under heavy sedation, but when awake, I remember the kindness the nurses showed me, she said. CLEVELAND, Ohio A fourth inmate died Monday at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton as the coronavirus continues to infect inmates and staff members at Ohios sole federal prison. Alvin Turner, 43, visited the health staff at Elkton April 3. Staff members moved Turner to a hospital because he had contracted pneumonia and wasnt getting enough oxygen. He tested positive for the coronavirus while hospitalized, a news release says. Turners condition declined, and he was placed on a ventilator on April 6, before dying a week later. The prison bureau said he had pre-existing medical conditions that put him at an increased risk of severe illness associated with the coronavirus. He was serving a 15-year sentence after being convicted of a cocaine conspiracy charge and had been at Elkton since June. Turner is the fourth inmate to die at the federal prison located in Columbiana County on the eastern side of the state, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Three others, between the ages of 53 and 76, died April 2. The low-security prison, which currently has 1,999 inmates at its main facility and 418 at an adjacent lockup, has been a prime example for advocates who have urged county, state and federal officials to reduce the number of inmates. They say the inability to social distance, as well as a lack of quality health care, means the people inside are more at risk of contracting the virus. Thirty-six inmates at the prison have tested positive as of Tuesday, as well as 26 staff members, according to the prisons bureau. Federal prisons nationwide are currently locked down to prevent the spread of the virus further. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also sent members of the state National Guard to the Elkton prison to assist during the pandemic. U.S. Attorney General William Barr ordered prison officials earlier this month to speed up its efforts to place some prisoners on home confinement to reduce the coronavirus risk and specifically told them to prioritize Elkton when looking at possible prisoners to release. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, however, claimed in a news release Monday that any response the Elkton prison officials undertook for Barrs directive has been slow, half-hearted, and inadequate. The groups sued in federal court in an attempt to force officials to release people at risk of severe illness associated with the virus and belief hundreds of inmates could be affected. Read more: Groups seek release of hundreds of inmates from Ohio federal prison where 3 inmates died from coronavirus Third inmate dies at Ohio federal prison as fallout from coronavirus outbreak continues Ohio National Guard will assist with coronavirus response at Elkton federal prison U.S. attorney general says officials must prioritize releasing inmates at federal prison in Ohio due to coronavirus outbreak Our world changed overnight. This sentiment has been expressed countless times since the birth of humanity: throughout the Irish famine of the 1840s, during the horror of World War II, during the Rwandan genocide of 2004, after the earthquake in Haiti of 2010, in the midst of the continuing nightmare of Syria. The list of natural disasters, human atrocities and pandemics seems endless. Our world again has changed overnight. It is a time of massive upheaval and uncertainty as our lives have been upended by the global pandemic of COVID-19. We do not know what the next day will bring, who will get infected, how long we will need to be in sheltered in place or when life will return to what we once knew. The whirlwind of emotions is palpable: anxiety, suspicion, worry, nervousness, irritability and fear. How does one cope? Where does one find strength? For a brilliant lesson on how to be resilient in a time of profound uncertainty and danger, look at the true experts: refugees who wander the earth looking for a safe haven. The refugee lacks basic necessities, has no leader in whom to trust, feels alone in his or her struggle, must leave the past behind and look to the future with hope. In 2004, my world changed in my first visit to refugee camps in sub-Saharan Africa. I have had the privilege of meeting many refugees, from all parts of world, over the years during many other visits to their camps, and through my teaching and writing. Our world changed overnight, is how Leon Rajninger described his world as a 9-year-old boy after the Russian invasion of his Romanian village on June 13, 1940. The next day was the first time we had to stand in line for a loaf of bread. After an excruciating ordeal of survival, he and parents spent two and half years in a small hut in a small Ukrainian town. Life really changed on Christmas Day in 1998. After the singing and dancing, the preacher was about to come and preach and we heard this buzzing noise outside. The bombs fell that day in Wilita Sangumas village in the Congo sending him and his family on a perilous journey of survival. Deng Jongkuch spent a year walking over a thousand miles with thousands of other Lost Boy in Sudan. There was nothing in your mind except, how can I survive today? There was no end in sight. All I can think about was to keep walking. Otherwise I die. Leon, Wilita and Deng are survivors of war, displacement, and mans inhumanity and cruelty to other human beings. Of course, radically different from a pandemic, their experiences raise the same challenges. How did they manage to go on? They kept going one day at a time, with some vision that there might be a better future., They possessed an inner resilience. They had perspective and hope. They looked to the future. They were determined, optimistic people who did not dwell on all that was wrong but looked at the good that was possible. Leon recalls how he survived: I keep going because of my drive to live. It is a daily task how to live this day forward. The people who stopped moving did not survive. My strength has always been my family. Wilita reflects on his past as he now goes through the challenge of the pandemic: During a time of crisis, often our thinking shifts to self-preservation, undermining the fact that we are co-dependent. It was not until after years of reflection, after that Christmas Day, that I realized an important truth: we need each other. The power of community, the understanding that I am not alone, continues to drive my conviction to persevere through any challenge. Refugees are experts on survival and provide us with invaluable insights. Get through this day. Maintain perspective. Realize our deep connection to each other. Live in a manner that is meaningful. Have hope. Anchor yourself in the love of family and friends. Hold on to your vision of the future. Life will return to a new normal, yet the memories of the pandemic will linger. Each of us has to personally respond to the question, will I emerge from this, with insights and strength, ready to embrace life more fully? Lee Bycel is sheltered in place and is the Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Shalom. He is the Sinton Visiting Professor of Holocaust, Genocide and Refugee Studies at USF and the author of Refugees in America: Stories of Resilience, Courage and Hope (Rutgers Press, 2019). The need for good news online skyrockets as a way to cope with stressful news related to coronavirus pandemic. Battered by grim headlines, horrifying statistics and deep uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, many people worldwide are trying to lift their spirits by seeking out positive news stories. Sites specialising in upbeat news have seen a surge in recent weeks, and Google searches for good news have jumped fivefold since the start of the year. The Good News Network, created in the late 1990s, has seen traffic triple in the past month with more than 10 million visitors, according to founder and editor Geri Weis-Corbley. People are sending us links of positive, inspiring things happening in their neighbourhoods, in their cities, in their states, so we have so much good news to pass along, said Weis-Corbley, who also observed spikes in interest after the September 11 attacks and the global financial crisis of a decade ago. We think that people now are experiencing a yearning for good news that will continue. Other websites, including The Guardian, Fox News, HuffPost, MSN and Yahoo! have their own pages dedicated to uplifting stories. A CNN newsletter titled The Good Stuff, created last year, has seen a 50-percent jump in subscriptions over the past month, a network spokesperson said. Our editorial team saw growing interest in the stories that made our audience smile, with fascinating discoveries, everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening all over the world, the spokesperson said. Actor John Krasinski joined the effort with his own weekly YouTube video show, Some Good News, from March 29, which mimics a traditional news broadcast, but focuses on uplifting stories. Krasinskis videos offer a mix of tributes to pandemic health heroes and celebrity appearances, including from his actress wife, Emily Blunt. The show had 15 million views for its first episode. Coping with crisis Stuart Soroka, professor at the University of Michigans Institute for Social Research, said humans are conditioned to pay closer attention to negative news because it could require that they change their behaviour. But in a crisis, Soroka said people also look for news which is most outlying, at odds with our expectations, which may account for the public turning to positive stories. Ashley Muddiman, professor at the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Kansas, said the positive news is a way of helping people cope. Theres a good amount of research that suggests that when people are too scared, or things are too negative, that they might try to shut down instead of trying to do things or go about their life, Muddiman said. I do think that people want to see solutions and want to see people working towards solutions rather than bickering with each other. When news can cover that, I think that that is something to be attractive to audiences. Some people are showing signs of fatigue with the onslaught of depressing news about the health crisis. I think that a lot of us can fall victim to being drawn into constant negative news, said Clarence Edwards, a resident of the US capital city Washington, DC. I think the media pay attention to what sells, and mainly thats scary and bad news. The world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. People are dying in large numbers. Health care and the economy are under severe stress. Countries are turning inwards, closing borders, to protect their people. As historian Yuval Noah Harari wrote, more and more countries are becoming nationalist and protectionist, even, in some cases, even authoritarian. But the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has taught us a different lesson, a lesson of interdependence. The pandemic is global. The battle to combat it too must be global. We depend on each other for our health care equipment, services, transportation facilities, and, finally the vaccines, as and when they are invented. India has imported masks and testing kits from some countries, while exporting critical drugs such as hydroxychloroquine to many countries, including the United States (US). Global supply chains have become critical not only for health care products, but food and other supplies too. In fact, one big realisation for countries from the pandemic has been that nationalism of the closed kind wont work. Donald Trumps America first nationalism didnt work. He had to turn to China, India, and South Korea for supplies. A recurring theme of many a political scientist about American exceptionalism stands shattered today. Isolationists in all countries, including India, must realise that post-Covid-19 world will be more integrationist than isolationist. For some time now, it has become a fad with political scientists to talk about multi-polarity. But the 21st-century world is no longer being led by countries alone. We have corporations that have bigger GDPs than many countries in the world. We have players outside the State that wield enormous influence on people across national boundaries. More important, in the era of social media, a number of power groups have emerged in the world that defy national boundaries. While nationalism as a political ideology is making a return, the world is also slipping into what author, Parag Khanna has described as hetero-polarity. It may be premature to predict the post-Covid-19 world order, but it can conclusively be said that we are moving into a hetero-polar world, with multiple State and non-State power players actively crisscrossing each others paths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to lead India into that world after the pandemic. Modi described the situation as World War-like. That has catalysed the building of a narrative around World War II. Comparisons are being drawn between Modi and Franklin D Roosevelt, who led America into WWII. Incidentally, both Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler came to power in America and Germany respectively in the same year (1932). While Hitler turned into a despot, subjecting European neighbours to domination and aggression, Roosevelt focused on rebuilding America. His New Deal led to massive infrastructure building such as highways, bridges and railways in America, and helped the country come out of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Expectations are that Modi will also do something similar. Japans bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 forced Roosevelt into the war. By the end of the war in 1945, the US emerged as the leading world power replacing Great Britain. But Roosevelts contribution to the War was not just about the defeat of the Axis powers. Roosevelt was instrumental in building two global institutions. Through the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, he laid the foundation for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The US dollar emerged as the global currency. In April 1945, the United Nations Organization (UNO) was born with the US and its allies in the drivers seat. At a time when this post-Covid-19 world order appears to be in disarray, it will be tempting to expect Modi to don the Rooseveltian mantle and take the lead in building new global institutions. Institutions of the WWII vintage such as the World Health Organization and United Nations Security Council have become overtly partisan and lost their credibility today. The United Nations is far less credible today than it has been through its history, S Jaishankar, Indias external affairs minister said recently. With the US facing its worst nightmare, and the credibility of the Chinese leadership at an all-time low, the presumption that Modi should step into the role that Roosevelt played 75 years ago sounds logical. Perhaps, Modi should go back, not 75 years, but by a century, and look at the role Woodrow Wilson had played at the end of World War I. Wilson saw Americas mission in World War I not as material aggrandisement but as leading all nations into a new international community organised to achieve right ends, wrote political scientist, Joseph Nye. Wilsons famous 14-point charter for world peace, outlined in his address to the American Congress in January 1918, underscores the moral leadership of America. Wilsonianism of the 20th century was represented by liberal internationalism, democracy, non-intervention, collective security and humanitarian cooperation. In the last six years, Modi has shown his commitment to all these political ideals. In fact, during his Covid-19 consultations with the G20 and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation partners, he presented his model centred on humanism as human-centric development cooperation. Modi-ism of the post-Covid 21st-century world can be borne out of the democratic and humanist credentials that he has displayed in the fight against Covid-19. Ram Madhav is national general secretary, BJP, and member, board of governors, India Foundation The views expressed are personal Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Torex Gold Resources Inc. (TSX: TXG) was on track to meet its 2020 production guidance prior to a temporary suspension of operations at its El Limon Guajes complex in Mexico, the company said Tuesday. The shutdown was announced in early April and was the result of a decree by the Mexican government to halt all non-essential businesses in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said there have been no on-site cases of the illness. Torex listed first-quarter production of 108,530 gold ounces. Sales totaled 108,060 ounces at an average realized gold price of $1,570 per ounce. Prior to the recent COVID-19-related suspension of operations, we were on track to achieve 2020 production guidance of 420,000 to 480,000 ounces of gold, said Fred Stanford, president and chief executive officer. The temporary suspension of operations is unfortunate but necessary as we all do our part to contain this virus. We are preparing for the restart of operations under various scenarios, including a scenario where social-distancing requirements enable only a partial restart. Whatever the requirements, our team will be prepared to resume operations in a productive and safe manner. The quarter also was impacted by an additional 88-hour maintenance shutdown in January to address alignment concerns in the SAG mill drive train, said Jody Kuzenko, chief operating officer. Meanwhile, Stanford said the company is continuing to advance the Media Luna deposit, with design and engineering work for a feasibility study and permitting work continuing. However, an infill drill program at Media Luna has also been impacted by the suspension of operations. As a result, the feasibility study could be delayed a quarter, which will not affect the schedule of the Media Luna project, Stanford said. The Treasury will also receive stock warrants worth 10 percent of the loan amount that exceeds $100 million. The official said that the structure of the agreement was a carefully negotiated compromise, as airlines were seeking grants with no repayment and the administration preferred loans. The economic relief legislation also allocated a separate $25 billion specifically for loans to the airlines, but the official said that negotiations with the companies for those funds had not begun. The Treasury is also engaged in negotiations with cargo carriers, which are eligible for $8 billion in grants and loans. The Treasury Department said last week that it would not require airlines that receive up to $100 million in bailout money to give the government equity stakes or other compensation. The government had received over 200 applications from U.S. airlines seeking payroll support and the Treasury said the majority of those were asking for less than $10 million. Airlines that accept the payroll support money are prohibited from major staffing or pay cuts through September. The airlines must also refrain from buying back shares or paying dividends through September 2021 and must agree to limits on executive pay until late March 2022. In a statement, Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, welcomed the payout as an unprecedented accomplishment, but criticized Mr. Mnuchin for delaying the aid and for asking that airlines repay a portion of the funds. Now we must fight to keep aviation intact to protect our industry and ensure our economy lifts off again when the virus is under control, Ms. Nelson said. We have seen what happens when investment bankers like Secretary Mnuchin control the outcomes, and we will not stand by to watch it play out again. Separately, Capt. Joe DePete, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 63,000 pilots at United, Delta and other airlines, accused the department of undermining the intent of the law, which will make it harder to stop layoffs and slow the recovery. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid discussed during a phone conversation the fight against coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. I wish you good health and strength to overcome this crisis. I also express my support for all Estonian citizens, especially those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. I wish all those who have COVID-19 to recover as soon as possible, Zelensky said, the press service of the Head of State reports. The President stressed the need for international coordination of efforts to counteract the pandemic of coronavirus and combat its consequences, in particular in the economic and social spheres. I know that Estonia has recently organized an online hackathon to look for digital solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. This innovative initiative to respond to modern challenges in a digital way is timely and useful. I am sure it will be supported in Ukraine as well, he said. Kersti Kaljulaid congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on the reforms that are being made despite the spread of coronavirus, especially with the adoption of the land market law. She expressed hope that the consideration of the draft law on banking activities would be successful and noted that Estonia sees an improvement in the business climate in Ukraine, an improvement in the legal system and a significant reduction in top-level corruption. As a reminder, Estonia organized the EU-supported international hackathon "The Global Hack" to find solutions to problems caused by the coronavirus crisis. ol Representative image Regional language news and content aggregator Dailyhunt is in talks to close a $25-million funding round led by Alpine Capital, a US-based private equity fund and a rare investor in Indian firms, sources said. Dailyhunt has been in the market to raise $100 million for a year now, but is now settling for a smaller round after multiple discussions, including with the SoftBank Vision Fund, did not result in a deal. The fundraising is important for the startup ecosystem as well which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Alpine issued the term sheet when India was just beginning the shutdown. It is certainly odd for a virtual first-time investor to come in during a time like this. But Dailyhunt stands to benefit from the virus pandemic and lockdown because more people are consuming their content sitting at home than ever before, said one of the sources who didnt wish to be identified. Dailyhunt and Alpine did not respond to Moneycontrol's queries seeking comments. Follow LIVE updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Dailyhunt, run by Verse Innovation Pvt. Ltd, aggregates news from newspapers and websites and caters to 13 languages, including Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Bhojpuri. The Bengaluru-based company also offers original video content in Hindi and Telugu and a free live television streaming service in nine languages through strategic partnerships. Dailyhunt is one of the earliest entrants in the regional content space. Previously known as Newshunt, Dailyhunt was founded by ex-Nokia employees Umesh Kulkarni and Chandrashekhar Sohoni in 2009. Three years later, Virendra Gupta acquired the company and is now the chief executive. Former Facebook India head, Umang Bedi, joined the news aggregator in February 2018. The coronavirus has really helped Dailyhunt. They have been able to touch user numbers which they have been trying to reach for over a year now, said another person close to the company. The lockdown was on April 14 extended to May 3. While Moneycontrol could not ascertain their monthly active users (MAU) independently, Dailyhunts annualised revenue is about $60-70 million, said the sources cited above. Like most mainstream content startups, Dailyhunt makes money via advertisements. However, the coronavirus outbreak has tied up advertising budgets for most companies, whose business has dried up. To survive the unprecedented crisis, small and medium companies are looking at job cuts and even shutdowns. So, even if Dailyhunt draws in record viewers in these months, it may not translate into a significant increase in revenue. Mint reported on March 21 that the pandemic may deal a Rs 5,000-crore blow to the advertising industry, with sports, movies, food and travel being among the worst hit. Boston-based Alpine Capital is investing via its Alpine Opportunity Fund, a Cayman Islands-based private equity fund. This would be Alpines second Indian investment after it backed the student-lending platform KrazyBee in 2018. Dailyhunt has also faced headwinds on the regulatory front. The Centre had announced that companies must restrict foreign direct investment in digital news media companies to 26%. Aggregators such as Dailyhunt and Tiger Global-backed InShorts were expected to be impacted by this but there has been no clarification since. Dailyhunts investors are all foreign -- including venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, Goldman Sachs, Sofina and Chinas ByteDance of the Tik Tok fame. The Google Camera Go app is meant for Android Go devices running on entry-level hardware. Gcam modders found a hidden 'Detail Enhance' option in the Google Camera Go app which could indicate to HDR photos. Google recently released a dedicated camera app for Android Go devices, called Camera Go. Its a watered-down version of the Pixel camera app and so far offered limited features. But a new report from XDA-Developers revealed Google is testing HDR photography for Android Go devices. While the camera app itself is pretty barebones, it does offer a host of never-before-seen features in entry-level devices including portrait photos. Now, you may be able to enable HDR photos on low-end devices. HDR mode in the Google Camera Go app When Gcam modders on XDA got hold of the Camera Go app, they found out a setting with a Detail Enhance toggle. Turning it on should enable HDR mode, but the modders didnt notice any difference yet. Maybe Google has kept the option as a placeholder for now, to include HDR photos in a future update. There are three toggles in Detail Enhance - Off, Auto and On. However, its unlikely it will work in the same way that Googles HDR+ algorithm does on the Pixel phones. HDR+ requires on-device processing that relies on advanced ISPs on high-end smartphones. HDR or High Dynamic Range is a way to add more dynamic range to the photos. HDR algorithm involves taking multiple photos of varied exposures and fusing them together to create one well-lit images with details in the shadows and highlights. On the other hand, HDR+ is Googles proprietary algorithm which it started using with the Nexus 5. The algorithm, according to Google, takes more shots to get more details out of it. The magic is in the way Google processes and combines these images. If Google does manage to implement HDR+ in its Camera Go app, a lot of smartphone users stand to benefit from it. The Google Camera app is easily sideloadable in many devices and sometimes it does lead to a significant improvement in camera output. The Camera Go app can be a good fit for many under-powered entry-level devices and who doesnt want a good camera in their hands? With one eye on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and another on learning for future challenges, Greater Chennai Corporation has launched an app earlier this month, called GCC Corona Monitoring, to geotag people with fever or other coronavirus symptoms in the city. People with such symptoms can upload a photo of their house, which will send their location to the Corporation. The government's doctors would then contact them within the next 24 hours, and if they're found to be symptomatic of Covid-19, would be taken for treatment. The app is also helping officials identify possible Covid-19 hotspots in the city. "If many people report from the same area, we'll know that it's an issue and we'll give special treatment and focus. There could be a chance of community spread there," says MP Azhagu Pandia Raja, a research fellow in the ministry of housing and urban affairs in the Chennai Corporation, and the creator of the app. He further added, "We have a lot of people in quarantine. Even though we had their address, we might not have the exact locations. So if they send photos through this app, we get their locations. And in case of emergencies, we can quickly send responses to them. At the same time, we can see if there are many clusters of quarantined people in a certain area. So that we can channelise more resources, spray more disinfectants in the area etc." The GCC first added 'containment zones' in the app through an update on Monday, April 13, which are sealed areas with multiple cases. "We have updated 41 areas as of now and we'll keep updating it," says Azhagu. "When we get a new response, we'll first check if they're in or near a containment zone. Then we'll give them more priority." The app claims to have registered more than 30,000 downloads (with 10,000+ on the Google Play Store at the time of publishing), with around 50 people reporting fevers every day. Assuming around three or four members are mentioned through one account within the app, the corporation is monitoring the health of around 1 lakh people in the city through the app. Field workers and telephone helplines continue to be the main channels of help, but use of technology is proving to be a 'learning curve' for the future for many state governments. "In future if there's a situation, we should be prepared and not averse to technology. Now we have an idea of how the people are responding and how we can coordinate and send help," says Azhagu. "Say there's a more fatal virus like Nipah, field workers will find it harder to attend to all patients directly. In such times we'll be relying on technology, so this experience will help. One of the reasons for Kerala doing very well is the experience they gained from Nipah virus. This is the first time for us in case there's a future challenge, we can take decisions quickly in all fronts," he said. Farmers have expressed shock at the Welsh governments decision to publish draft regulations for an all-Wales Nitrate Vulnerable Zone during the coronavirus crisis. As part of her Covid-19 response statement, Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs, said she is minded to introduce the regulations once the crisis comes to an end. The rules would be introduced over a period to 'provide time for farmers to become familiar with the requirements and plan for any changes'. But NFU Cymru said the draft regulations are deeply concerning for Welsh farmers, adding that the timing of the announcement was ill-judged and inconsiderate. NVZs are areas within Wales that contain surface water or groundwater susceptible to nitrate pollution from agricultural activities. They are designed to improve water quality in rivers and lakes, but it would mean tougher restrictions on fertiliser and manure spreading. Numerous industry groups in the country believe the all-Wales proposal would not be effective in delivering water quality improvements. NFU Cymru, which has campaigned for months to halt the plans due to be enforced this year, said they would be highly damaging for farms and the wider economy. "It is astonishing that Welsh government would think that the industry can spend time looking for these proposals on a website during a global health emergency," NFU Cymru President John Davies said. It is clear that Covid-19 has led to massive disruption in the supply chain for many sectors." Describing the all-Wales NVZ plan as 'indiscriminate and punitive', Mr Davies said it would affect 'every farmer, every sector and every area of Wales'. "Farmers will be subject to draconian record keeping, complex restrictions on the running of their businesses and, for many, exorbitant costs at a time when incomes do not support this level of investment," he added. "We will pursue every avenue available to us and continue to work tirelessly with our members in the hope that we can prevent the introduction of this damaging and disproportionate regulation." The Welsh government said it is 'considering the evidence and advice' and will make an announcement at the 'appropriate time' in light of the current coronavirus pandemic. HOUSTON, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirby Corporation ("Kirby") (KEX) will announce its 2020 first quarter results at 6:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. This announcement will be followed by an earnings conference call webcast at 7:30 a.m. CDT. To listen to the webcast, please visit the Investor Relations section of Kirbys website at www.kirbycorp.com . For listeners who wish to participate in the question and answer session of the webcast, you may access the call by dialing 866-691-5839 within the U.S. and Canada or +1 409-216-0840 internationally. The conference ID for the call is 4556389. A replay of the webcast will be available for a period of one year by visiting the Investor Relations section of Kirbys website. The financial and other information to be discussed in the conference call will be available in the 2020 first quarter press release and in a Form 8-K to be posted prior to the call on Kirbys website at www.kirbycorp.com . Kirby Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, is the nations largest domestic tank barge operator transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along all three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Kirby transports petrochemicals, black oil, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals by tank barge. In addition, Kirby participates in the transportation of dry-bulk commodities in United States coastwise trade. Through the distribution and services segment, Kirby provides after-market service and parts for engines, transmissions, reduction gears, and related equipment used in oilfield services, marine, power generation, on-highway, and other industrial applications. Kirby also rents equipment including generators, industrial compressors, railcar movers, and high capacity lift trucks for use in a variety of industrial markets, and manufactures and remanufactures oilfield service equipment, including pressure pumping units, for land-based oilfield service customers. Contact: Eric Holcomb 713-435-1545 Company Announcement Net sales of DARZALEX in the first quarter of 2020 totaled USD 937 million Genmab will receive royalties on worldwide sales from Janssen Biotech, Inc. Copenhagen, Denmark; April 14, 2020 Genmab A/S (GMAB) announced today that worldwide net trade sales of DARZALEX (daratumumab) as reported by Johnson & Johnson were USD 937 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net trade sales were USD 463 million in the U.S. and USD 474 million in the rest of the world. Genmab will receive royalties on the worldwide net sales of DARZALEX under the exclusive worldwide license to Janssen Biotech, Inc. to develop, manufacture and commercialize DARZALEX. About DARZALEX (daratumumab) DARZALEX (daratumumab) intravenous infusion is indicated for the treatment of adult patients in the United States: in combination with bortezomib, thalidomide and dexamethasone as treatment for patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy; in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI); and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a PI and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double-refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent.1 DARZALEX is the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) approval to treat multiple myeloma. DARZALEX intravenous infusion is indicated for the treatment of adult patients in Europe: in combination with bortezomib, thalidomide and dexamethasone as treatment for patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy; and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, whose prior therapy included a PI and an immunomodulatory agent and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy2. The option to split the first infusion of DARZALEX over two consecutive days has been approved in both Europe and the U.S. In Japan, DARZALEX intravenous infusion is approved for the treatment of adult patients: in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is the first human CD38 monoclonal antibody to reach the market in the United States, Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.DARZALEX.com. Story continues Daratumumab is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds with high affinity to the CD38 molecule, which is highly expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells. Daratumumab triggers a persons own immune system to attack the cancer cells, resulting in rapid tumor cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action and through immunomodulatory effects, in addition to direct tumor cell death, via apoptosis (programmed cell death).1,2,3,4,5,6 Daratumumab is being developed by Janssen Biotech, Inc. under an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab from Genmab. A comprehensive clinical development program for daratumumab is ongoing, including multiple Phase III studies in smoldering, relapsed and refractory and frontline multiple myeloma settings. Additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess the potential of daratumumab in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases in which CD38 is expressed, such as amyloidosis, NKT-cell lymphoma and T-cell ALL. Daratumumab has received two Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the U.S. FDA for certain indications of multiple myeloma, including as a monotherapy for heavily pretreated multiple myeloma and in combination with certain other therapies for second-line treatment of multiple myeloma. About Genmab Genmab is a publicly traded, international biotechnology company specializing in the creation and development of differentiated antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Founded in 1999, the company is the creator of three approved antibodies: DARZALEX (daratumumab, under agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc.) for the treatment of certain multiple myeloma indications in territories including the U.S., Europe and Japan, Arzerra (ofatumumab, under agreement with Novartis AG), for the treatment of certain chronic lymphocytic leukemia indications in the U.S., Japan and certain other territories and TEPEZZA (teprotumumab, under agreement with Roche granting sublicense to Horizon Therapeutics plc) for the treatment of thyroid eye disease in the U.S. Daratumumab is in clinical development by Janssen for the treatment of additional multiple myeloma indications, other blood cancers and amyloidosis. A subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab is in development by Novartis for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Genmab also has a broad clinical and pre-clinical product pipeline. Genmab's technology base consists of validated and proprietary next generation antibody technologies - the DuoBody platform for generation of bispecific antibodies, the HexaBody platform, which creates effector function enhanced antibodies, the HexElect platform, which combines two co-dependently acting HexaBody molecules to introduce selectivity while maximizing therapeutic potency and the DuoHexaBody platform, which enhances the potential potency of bispecific antibodies through hexamerization. The company intends to leverage these technologies to create opportunities for full or co-ownership of future products. Genmab has alliances with top tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark with sites in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. and Tokyo, Japan. Contact: Marisol Peron, Corporate Vice President, Communications & Investor Relations T: +1 609 524 0065; E: mmp@genmab.com For Investor Relations: Andrew Carlsen, Senior Director, Investor Relations T: +45 3377 9558; E: acn@genmab.com This Company Announcement contains forward looking statements. The words believe, expect, anticipate, intend and plan and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual results or performance may differ materially from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The important factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially include, among others, risks associated with pre-clinical and clinical development of products, uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive environment in relation to our business area and markets, our inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities, changes and developments in technology which may render our products or technologies obsolete, and other factors. For a further discussion of these risks, please refer to the risk management sections in Genmabs most recent financial reports, which are available on www.genmab.com and the risk factors included in Genmabs most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at www.sec.gov. Genmab does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward looking statements in this Company Announcement nor to confirm such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made or in relation to actual results, unless required by law. Genmab A/S and/or its subsidiaries own the following trademarks: Genmab; the Y-shaped Genmab logo; Genmab in combination with the Y-shaped Genmab logo; HuMax; DuoBody; DuoBody in combination with the DuoBody logo; HexaBody; HexaBody in combination with the HexaBody logo; DuoHexaBody; HexElect; and UniBody. Arzerra is a trademark of Novartis AG or its affiliates. DARZALEX is a trademark of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV. TEPEZZA is a trademark of Horizon Therapeutics plc. 1 DARZALEX Prescribing information, September 2019. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/761036s024lbl.pdf Last accessed September 2019 2 DARZALEX Summary of Product Characteristics, available at https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/darzalex Last accessed October 2019 3 De Weers, M et al. Daratumumab, a Novel Therapeutic Human CD38 Monoclonal Antibody, Induces Killing of Multiple Myeloma and Other Hematological Tumors. The Journal of Immunology. 2011; 186: 1840-1848. 4 Overdijk, MB, et al. Antibody-mediated phagocytosis contributes to the anti-tumor activity of the therapeutic antibody daratumumab in lymphoma and multiple myeloma. MAbs. 2015; 7: 311-21. 5 Krejcik, MD et al. Daratumumab Depletes CD38+ Immune-regulatory Cells, Promotes T-cell Expansion, and Skews T-cell Repertoire in Multiple Myeloma. Blood. 2016; 128: 384-94. 6 Jansen, JH et al. Daratumumab, a human CD38 antibody induces apoptosis of myeloma tumor cells via Fc receptor-mediated crosslinking. Blood. 2012; 120(21): abstract 2974 Company Announcement no. 17 CVR no. 2102 3884 LEI Code 529900MTJPDPE4MHJ122 Genmab A/S Kalvebod Brygge 43 1560 Copenhagen V Denmark Attachment We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. President Macky Sall of Senegal has expressed thanks to King Mohammed VI for his proposal to adopt a unified and concerted response to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, and expressed his will to work to ensure the success of the initiative. The Moroccan Monarch on Monday held phone talks with President Macky Sall and President Alassane Dramane Ouattara of Cote dIvoire on the alarming development of the Covid-19 pandemic on the African continent. The monarch discussed with his African peers an initiative to bring together some friendly countries, to provide a unified and concerted response to the pandemic. The President thanked His Majesty for this happy initiative, and expressed his willingness to work for the success of the process which will soon be the subject matter of a videoconference between the Heads of State and Government of the countries concerned, said the Senegalese presidents office. In his talks with the Ivorian and Senegalese presidents, King Mohammed VI proposed the launch of an initiative by African Heads of State aimed at establishing an operational framework in order to support African countries in the management of the pandemic. The initiative put forward by the King aims at facilitating joint action, and sharing of experience and best practices as well as cooperation to mitigate the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is rejecting President Donald Trumps claim of total power over when states can reopen for business amid the coronavirus pandemic. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said at a White House press briefing Monday. The governors know that. (The states) cant do anything without the approval of the president of the United States. Cuomo, a Democrat, disputed the Republican presidents statement during an interview with MSNBC on Monday. No, that is not true. I dont know why the president said it. I dont know why he would take us down this path," the New York governor told All In host Chris Hayes. "Its not legal. Its a total abrogation of the Constitution 10th Amendment specifically says power to the states. "The constitution says we don't have a king," Cuomo continued. "To say 'I have total authority over the country because I'm the president, it's absolute,' that is a king. We didn't have a king. We didn't have King George Washington, we had President George Washington." In another interview Monday, Cuomo told CNNs Erin Burnett that he also doesnt agree with Vice President Mike Pence claiming Trumps national emergency declaration gives him the power to call the shots for the states. Legally, no, Cuomo replied. "You dont become king because theres a national emergency. Now, you could argue that a federal government has enhanced power because of a federal emergency, but again, Erin, thats not what they did. The tough decisions were the closing down of the economy. The sort of reopening is more of an artful, science-based process. But the closing down, which is where the President could have exercised this theory of total control, he didnt do it. He left it all to the states and we had this whole hodgepodge of actions over a period of time. I think, frankly, if we had a clearer national direction earlier on, we probably would have had a more orderly shutdown. No, even in a federal emergency it doesnt abrogate the Constitution. New York and six other states Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts announced a panel of officials to coordinate eventual plans for reopening their economies. The panel will include a top economic development official, a top public health official and a representative from the governors office of each of the states. The White House is expected to formally announce its own team Tuesday on how to begin reopening the U.S. economy after COVID-19 shutdown non-essential businesses in most of the country. The council, which is not expected to include health officials, will reportedly include Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, HUD Secretary Ben Carson and economic advisers Kevin Hassett and Larry Kudlow, with new White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as chair. The close-down was left to the governors to do individually state-by-state, Cuomo told MSNBC Monday. We have a whole quilt of different close-down strategies because he left it to the governors. Trump declined to issue nationwide stay-at-home restrictions, saying for weeks that states should lead the response to the health crisis, not the federal government. Cuomo said that it led to states bidding against each other for ventilators and other medical equipment, driving up prices. You now literally will have a company call you up and say, Well, California just outbid you, Cuomo said last Tuesday. Its like being on eBay with 50 other states, bidding on a ventilator. Trump has repeatedly pushed to reopen America sooner rather than later, possibly as early as May 1. He told reporters Monday that the constitution has numerous provisions to give him executive power to override state governors, but didnt detail any provisions. Cuomo told both CNN and MSNBC that he would be prepared to legally oppose any plan that he believed would endanger the health of New Yorkers, but hopes a lawsuit isnt needed. Thats the only way this really horrendous situation could get worse, Cuomo told MSNBC, is that if you now see a war between the federal government and the states. And why you would even go there, I have no idea. President Trump: "The authority of the President of the United States having to do with the subject were talking about is total." Full video here: https://t.co/xtagelCoCp pic.twitter.com/DdgNK4WTdq CSPAN (@cspan) April 13, 2020 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources NY refuses to identify nursing homes with coronavirus as pandemic hits many facilities Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Trump officials want delay in census due to coronavirus, lawmaker says D onations to our Food For London Now appeal have surged past the 1.5 million mark as some of the capitals wealthiest families step up to the plate amid signs that precipitous drops in income have led to millions more people being pushed into food poverty. A YouGov survey for the Food Foundation has found that eight million people in Britain are facing food insecurity and that three million are going hungry since lockdown started three weeks ago, causing a huge rise in demand for free food. Last week our appeal partner The Felix Project responded to the deepening crisis by tripling its supply of surplus food to 28 tonnes a day. This week it expects daily deliveries to hit 30 tonnes. Felixs 22 vans manned by volunteer drivers are delivering the equivalent of 400,000 meals a week to a mixture of giant community hubs run by local authorities in Haringey, Barnet, Islington, Enfield, Waltham Forest and Havering and others, as well as to charities and schools across the capital. Maria Hyrapiet Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: I welcome and support the campaign by the Evening Standard and its partners to deliver fresh food to those who need it most. It is fantastic to see that Londoners are digging deep. The rise in donations to 1.5 million came thanks to substantial new contributions from Mayfair fund managers Lansdowne Partners, Old Possums Practical Trust, as well as the foundations of the Reuben brothers and the Blavatnik family, who are among the five richest families in the UK. More than 750 members of the public have donated over 100,000 to our campaign, which is being run in conjunction with The Independent. The Reuben Foundation spokesman said: It is incredibly important for us all to continue to support not only the NHS, but also the homeless and children unable to get a proper meal without the help of their schools. The Blavatnik Family Foundation spokesman said: We are delighted to support The Felix Project in its valuable work for children in London. Judith Hooper, a trustee for Old Possums Practical Trust, said: Its hard to think of a better, more efficient solution to the scandal of food waste. We are proud to be associated with the genius and necessity of The Felix Project and all those involved in it. Felix, the largest food surplus distributor in London, has partnered with the two other major re-distributors, FareShare and City Harvest, to form the London Food Alliance to tackle food poverty in every borough. Some schools and charities supplied by Felix have started holding market days. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast, for more on this campaign Loading.... Katy, a mother of two who picked up fresh fruit and vegetables from her childs school, said: It has made me much less scared for the coming weeks. Donate at virginmoneygiving.com/fund/FoodforLondonNOW Glanbia has announced a 2c/L price cut for March milk supplies, a move it has called 'regrettable'. It announced to suppliers today that it will pay its member milk suppliers 29.42c/L (inc VAT) for March creamery milk supplies at 3.6% butterfat and 3.3% protein. Glanbia Ireland (GI) will pay a base milk price for March of 29 cpl (including VAT) for creamery milk at 3.6% fat and 3.3% protein. This is a reduction of 2c/L from the February base price. It also announced today farmer members will also receive a 0.42c/L (including VAT) payment from Glanbia Co-op on all milk supplied this month as their Share of GI Profit. "This regrettable milk price reduction is required due to the negative impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on dairy markets," it said in a statement. "Restrictions brought in to help contain Covid-19 have decimated foodservice demand in multiple countries and severely challenged the dairy supply chain." It also said that while some dairy market sectors including domestic retail remain stable, returns for the overall basket of dairy products is adversely affected. Customers directly or indirectly serving the leisure and foodservice sectors have cut order volumes until they have visibility on the re-opening of their markets, it said. Glanbia Chairman Martin Keane said: The Coronavirus outbreak has caused significant challenges for all our communities and our businesses. We regret that a farm gate milk price reduction is required, but it is essential given the sharp drop in average returns from the market for our basket of products. It comes after Lakeland Dairies cut its milk price last week. In the Republic of Ireland, a price of 30c/L (including VAT and Lactose bonus) will be paid for milk supplied in March. This represents a reduction of 1.81c/L on the February base price. In Northern Ireland, a base price of 23.75p/L will be paid for March milk. This is a reduction of 1.5p/L on the February price. Commenting on the price, Lakeland Dairies said the fallout from the COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on the dairy markets. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued across the globe the global dairy markets have collapsed. The food service sector across Europe has suffered near wipe-out following the closure of restaurants, cafes, hotels, while airlines have grounded many planes. Food service is an important route to market for Lakeland Dairies and many dairy processors across Europe. Prices for butters, powders and cheeses are under significant downward pressure as food service milk is now flooding into powders and butter." Farmers harvest wheat crops in a field on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, on the outskirts of Amritsar. AFP Photo Hassan: Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Monday alerted Narendra Modi that chances are that farmers and agricultural labourers may revolt. He suggested that procurement, transportation, processing, export, and marketing of fruits, vegetables and other agricultural commodities should have been exempted from the lockdown. The JD(S) leader said the loss on account of a revolt by farmers and labourers would be much more than the impact of the coronavirus. He demanded the Union government pay compensation to farmers who have incurred losses on crops they harvested this season. The lockdown has shocked farmers and they feel like that it is nothing but falling from the frying pan into the fire, stated Gowda. The former PM told Modi that if suggestions made by him were implemented, the marketing problems of perishable goods can be solved to a great extent. In a letter to Modi on Monday, Deve Gowda felt that the government should have made arrangements to procure farm produce at the farm gate similar to the procurement of milk. The government should have facilitated free movement of fruits, vegetables and other agricultural commodities from the producing areas to markets anywhere in the country. In another suggestion made to the prime minister, Gowda wanted a national grid be created for the movement of materials from surplus areas to deficit areas of the country. For instance, he pointed out that in the past, HPCOMS in Bengaluru sent banana, coconuts, tomato, capsicum among others to NDDB, New Delhi and in turn HOPCOMS got apples, pears, plums among others from New Delhi. Such similar linkages are to be created throughout the country, wanted the former Prime Minister and told the Union Government that Mr Gowda in order to boost the investment and employment generation. Mr Gowda to Mr Modi also asked that schemes under MNREGA must be allowed to be utilized in agricultural and food processing industries which will boost investment in processing industries in rural areas and benefit employment generation. (CNN) US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is halting funding to the World Health Organization while a review is conducted. Trump said the review would cover the WHO's "role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus." Trump's announcement comes in the middle of the worst global pandemic in decades and as he angrily defends his own handling of the outbreak in the United States. Amid swirling questions about whether he downplayed the crisis or ignored warnings from members of his administration about its potential severity, Trump has sought to assign blame elsewhere, including at the WHO and in the news media. The US funds $400 to 500 million to the WHO each year, said Trump, noting that China "contributes roughly $40 million." "Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into china to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death," Trump said. His decision to withdraw funding from the WHO follows a pattern of skepticism of world organizations that began well before the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has questioned US funding to the United Nations, withdrew from global climate agreements and lambasted the World Trade Organization -- claiming all were ripping off the United States. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said earlier Tuesday that while the WHO and China "made mistakes," Trump is also looking to deflect blame from his own administration. "Right now, there is a very coordinated effort amongst the White House, and their allies to try to find scapegoats for the fatal mistakes that the President made during the early stages of this virus," he said. Murphy added: "It is just wildly ironic that the President and his allies are now criticizing China or the WHO for being soft on China when it was in fact the President who was the chief apologist for China during the early stages of this crisis." Trump said Tuesday if the WHO had acted appropriately, he could have instituted a travel ban on people coming from China sooner. Trump said Tuesday the WHO made a "dangerous and costly" decision to oppose travel restrictions from China. But just days before Trump instituted his ban on travelers from China, he also was praising the country. On January 24, Trump tweeted: "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi! US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the administration's dissatisfaction with the international organization amid the coronavirus pandemic in a series of interviews prior the President's announcement. "The World Health Organization in its history has done some good work. Unfortunately, here it didn't hit the top of its game, and we need to make sure that we push through efforts to fundamentally change that or make a different decision that says we're going to do our part to make sure that these important world health obligations, things that frankly keep Americans safe too, actually function," Pompeo said in an interview with "Good Morning Orlando." Just weeks earlier, Pompeo and the State Department had highlighted the US contribution to the global pandemic response, including its role as "the largest supporter of the World Health Organization since its creation in 1948." Tuesday's announcement about the halting of funding comes days after a major US ally -- the United Kingdom -- announced an additional 65 million contribution to the WHO. The move to freeze the funding is the latest in a series of administration actions against international multilateral organizations. Prior to the pandemic, the administration's fiscal year 2021 proposal laid out a $65 million cut to the World Health Organization -- a more than 50% decrease over FY20. CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report. Police officers have visited the seminary where George Pell is staying in Sydney a day after new allegations of child abuse reportedly emerged against him. Footage taken outside the Good Shepherd Seminary in Homebush in the city's west on Tuesday afternoon showed uniformed officers entering the complex where Pell has been staying following the quashing of his child sex abuse convictions. New South Wales Police said officers visited a premises in the suburb to discuss security arrangements. Pictured: Pell arrives at the Seminary Of The Good Shepherd in Sydney on April 8. Police have entered the seminary on Tuesday, a day after it emerged new allegations of child abuse had reportedly been made against him Footage of uniformed officers entering the seminary in Homebush. New South Wales Police said officers visited a premises in the suburb to discuss security arrangements 'About 2.30pm, officers from Auburn Police Area Command attended a premises on Abbotsford Road, Homebush, for a prearranged meeting to discuss security protocols,' a police spokesperson said. On Easter Monday, the Herald Sun reported George Pell was facing fresh allegations of child abuse from a new accuser. A week on from his successful High Court appeal against child sex convictions, reports said Victoria Police had been investigating a separate accusation against Pell, 78. A man who now works in a professional role reportedly made the accusation. A spokeswoman for the cardinal said on Monday night: 'In any police matter there should be due process through the proper channels.' Daily Mail Australia does not suggest the new allegations are true - only that police are reportedly investigating. Cardinal Pell was not told of the fresh investigation until Monday, the paper reported. A recorded interview between Cardinal Pell and Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt will air on Tuesday night, in which Cardinal Pell said he 'wouldn't be entirely surprised' if police attempted to prosecute him again. Bolt asked the cardinal whether he was ashamed of the Catholic church's handling of child sex abuse scandals. 'Yes. There are two levels. One is the crimes itself and then the treating it so inadequately for so long,' Cardinal Pell said. George Pell leaves Barwon Prison on April 7 after his child sex convictions were quashed 'It's like cutting out a cancer. Please God, we've got rid of it.' Cardinal Pell said he condemns 'these sort of activities', adding he has seen the damage sexual abuse has done to victims. 'One of the things that grieves me is the suggestion that I'm anti-victim, or not sufficiently sympathetic,' he said. Pell also criticised the ABC's role in presenting a one-sided view of his legal ordeal. Pope Benedict XVI with Cardinal George Pell in July 2008 at an inter-faith meeting in Sydney 'I believe in free speech,' Cardinal Pell said. 'I acknowledge the right of those who differ from me to just state their views. 'But in a national broadcaster, to have an overwhelming presentation of one view and only one view, that's a betrayal of the national interest.' The ABC has said in a statement it stands by its reporters in the wake of Pell's release. 'The ABC has - and will continue to - report accurately and without fear or favour on stories that are in the public interest, including this one. We stand by our reporters and our stories,' a spokesperson said. The interview also sheds light on Cardinal Pell's experiences in jail - where he befriended a number of inmates, including a convicted murderer. Cardinal Pell (pictured in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in 2013) has always maintained his innocence. He was not told of the reported fresh investigation until Monday The cardinal won his appeal bid to the High Court on April 7 and walked free from Barwon Prison, near Geelong, after more than 400 days behind bars. He travelled from Melbourne to Sydney on Wednesday - stopping briefly at a petrol station to buy a phone charger and newspapers. Cardinal Pell arrived at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Homebush in Sydney's west, at about 9pm on April 8. The 78-year-old travelled from Melbourne to Sydney on April 8 - stopping briefly at a petrol station (pictured) He released a statement saying the serious injustice he suffered had been remedied. 'I hold no ill will to my accused, 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 on Tuesday. The 78-year-old said his trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church or how Australian church authorities dealt with paedophilia. The 78-year-old spoke candidly about the church's failings following his release from prison in a sit down interview with Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt. Pell is pictured in 2008 'The point was whether I had committed these awful crimes, and I did not,' he said. In December 2018, a jury found Cardinal Pell guilty of five charges, accepting evidence of one complainant that the then-Archbishop of Melbourne had sexually abused him and another 13-year-old choirboy at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996. One of the choirboys died in 2014, prompting the other to bring the allegations to police. In an initial trial, a jury was unable to reach a verdict. The second jury was unanimous in its decision. An appeal to Victoria's Court of Appeal last year was unsuccessful. Cardinal Pell has always maintained his innocence, a fact noted in the High Court's 26-page decision. Russia has sent additional reinforcement to Hassakeh to counter the build up of US forces and try and secure Tel Tamr and the surrounding area reports Al-Watan. Russia is working to strengthening its bases in Syrias northeastern Hassakeh, while the US occupation forces are boosting their military presence in Deir ez-Zor and southeastern Hassakeh. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russia is sending military reinforcements to the town of Tel Tamr and trying to take control of its surrounding area, as per the Russian-Turkish agreement on Syria. The war monitor added that Russia and Turkey have made several agreements concerning Tel Tamr and Ras al-Ayn, to prevent militias loyal to the Turkish occupation from making advancements in the area. Separately, a Russian delegation met with a number of dignitaries from Arab tribes and what is known as the Administration of the Council of Tel Tamr to discuss services and security issues in the area. During the visit, which came at the invitation of the tribes, the Russians were demanded to provide water, electricity and basic services to the residents of the area, SOHR reported. Meanwhile, the Observatory said the US occupation forces are also expanding their bases in Deir ez-Zor to continue stealing Syrian oil. It said the US troops offered former employees in the areas of Ayn al-Arab and Manbij new attractive contracts and salaries and also tried to get in contact with other locals, however, they feared an infiltration by Islamic State militants and preferred working with former employees who they already trust. 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. Legal notices 1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission. 2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this. EDWARDSVILLE State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to act as quickly as possible to get unemployment benefits to independent contractors, self-employed individuals and others who do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits but are being hurt by this shutdown. Self-employed gig workers, according to ADP Research Institute, make up 18 percent of Illinois workforce. Under the recently signed federal stimulus law, these gig workers are now eligible for unemployment benefits, and states must modify their websites in order to review these claims. Unfortunately, no modification has been made to the Illinois Department of Employment Securitys (IDES) website. Therefore, no claims can be submitted. Apparently mistaking Easter Sunday for the fictional holiday of Festivus from the sitcom Seinfeld, President Donald Trump spent the day airing grievances against a variety of targets. A sample of Trumps tweets on the holy day attacked the media and Democrats while deflecting blame for his delayed response to the Covid 19 pandemic: Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews. I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press (please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. Its a whole new ballgame over there! The @nytimes story is a Fake, just like the paper itself. I was criticized for moving too fast when I issued the China Ban, long before most others wanted to do so. @SecAzar told me nothing until later, and Peter Navarro memo was same as Ban (see his statements). Fake News! The Opposition Party (Lamestream Media) and their partner, the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, have put their political game plan in full swing. Whether he is right or wrong, it doesnt matter. Criticize Trump for everything, and dont let the public see Biden. Hide him.' If the Fake News Opposition Party is pushing, with all their might, the fact that President Trump ignored early warnings about the threat, then why did Media & Dems viciously criticize me when I instituted a Travel Ban on China? They said early & not necessary. Corrupt Media! Great businessman & philanthropist Bernie Marcus, Co-Founder of Home Depot, said that Congress was too distracted by the (phony) Impeachment Witch Hunt when they should have been investigating CoronaVirus when it first appeared in China. Media played a big roll also!@dcexaminer And, I am working hard to expose the corruption and dishonesty in the Lamestream Media. That part is easy, the hard part is WHY? The president also retweeted a call for the firing of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the widely respected head of his Covid 19 task force, after Fauci acknowledged that lives could have been saved if the pandemic had been more aggressively addressed earlier. Meanwhile, Trump praised the One America News Network, known for its extreme right wing bias, promotion of debunked conspiracy theories, and owner-mandated promotion of President Trump. Reached for comment at the White House, Trump complained, Why does everything bad have to happen to me? Ive suffered more than anyone, okay? Ive suffered, folks, believe me. No ones suffered more than me, that I can tell you. Image from f_snarfel Several U.S. airlines on Tuesday said they reached agreements with the Treasury Department for billions in government grants aimed at softening the blow from the coronavirus. Shares of airline stocks initially rallied on the news but were trading lower on Wednesday. The virus and harsh measures to stop it from spreading, such as stay-at-home orders, have driven air travel demand to the lowest levels in decades. Carriers have grounded hundreds of jetliners and are asking thousands of employees to take voluntary unpaid leave, in a race to cut costs as cancellations outpaced bookings. Airlines including American, Delta, United, Southwest, Spirit, JetBlue and Alaska, applied for portions of $25 billion in payroll grants -- airlines' largest ever government aid package -- that require airlines not to furlough or cut the pay rates of employees through Sept. 30. U.S. airlines employ some 750,000 people. The grants were part of the more than $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, the CARES Act, which was signed into law last month. American said the Treasury Department approved $5.8 billion in assistance a $4.1 billion grant and a $1.7 billion low-interest loan. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said it plans to apply for another government loan of around $4.75 billion. "By accepting these funds, we have happily agreed to not involuntarily furlough or reduce the hourly pay rates of our U.S.-based team members through Sept. 30, at which point we hope and expect that Americans are regularly flying again," American's CEO, Doug Parker, and the airline's president, Robert Isom, wrote to employees announcing its deal with the Treasury Department. Dallas-based Southwest said it expects to receive $3.2 billion under the program, more than $2.3 billion in payroll support and a 10-year low-interest loan of close to $1 billion. The loan will likely include 2.6 million warrants for the Treasury Department, and that the aid prohibits share repurchases and dividends until Sept. 30, 2021, and requires limits on executive compensation for nearly two years, the airline said. Delta said it reached a deal with the Treasury Department for $5.4 billion, including a 10-year, $1.6 billion, unsecured-loan and the airline will give the government warrants to acquire around 1% of the Delta stock at $23.39 a share, last Friday's closing price, over five years. New York-based JetBlue said it will get $935.8 million, close to $251 million as a loan. "We welcome the news that a number of major airlines intend to participate in the Payroll Support Program," the Treasury Department said in a statement. "This is an important CARES Act program that will support American workers and help preserve the strategic importance of the airline industry while allowing for appropriate compensation to the taxpayers." Other airlines are planning to detail their expected portion of the aid Tuesday or later this week, people familiar with the discussions said. Talks had dragged on for longer than some carriers expected. The Treasury Department last week proposed that airlines pay back 30% of the grants, terms that appear to have stuck, at least with American and Southwest. Lawmakers and labor unions objected to those terms, saying the aid package Congress passed last month intended that the funds would be structured as payroll grants. The Treasury Department last week said airlines seeking less than $100 million would not have to provide that compensation for the funds. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents about 50,000 cabin crew members at airlines including United and Spirit, and had pushed lawmakers to dedicate a portion of the aid solely for workers, applauded the progress toward disbursing the aid. "This is an unprecedented accomplishment a truly workers-first stimulus that keeps people connected to their jobs and provides stability and hope to millions of aviation workers and sets a template we must now work to extend to every worker," she said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 11:03:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Major Chinese automaker SAIC Motor Corporation Limited reported a 28.9-percent year-on-year decline in net profit of 2019 following weak auto sales. Net profit totalled 25.6 billion yuan (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars) last year, SAIC Motor, partners of General Motors and Volkswagen, said in its annual report filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. During the last year, the company reported a revenue of 843.3 billion yuan, down 6.5 percent year on year. Facing the bigger-than-expected downward trend in the domestic car market, the company said it sold around 6.24 million vehicles in 2019, down 11.5 percent year on year. On the inside, the model unit showcases a mix of finishes and design elements intended to make condo living feel like a single-family experience. While many contemporary finishes were used and open concept living-dining-kitchen areas were created to appeal to todays condo buyers, Heffner said, we also wanted the units to feel like single-family residences. We used a lot of trim work, with crown moldings and cased openings [framed openings without doors] to convey a sense of space and room designation. The United Nations' (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned the world about the disruption in the food supply chains leading to the global food shortage due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a press release on UNs official website. Theres growing food insecurity arising as a drawback, it said, citing the urgency of an emergency expansion and improvement of food assistance and social protection programs. Assuring that the food supply left is plentiful in global markets, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisations chief economist Maximo Torero Cullen said restrictions on all but essential work, shuttering of schools and border closures imposed around the world to limit the spread of the coronavirus are impacting farmworkers and disrupting supply chains, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) reported. He added saying, that toughened measures on cargo vessels, including the air cargo, has slumped shipping, and the fresh food produce and livestock remain impacted due to the pandemic. Speaking to a leading US media outlet, Torero urged the nations worldwide not to ban food exports and keep global food trade going despite protectionist measures. Citing extreme volatility in prices as a concern, he was reported as saying that trade barriers among some countries made matters worse. Russia, for instance, halted the export of buckwheat and other grains for at least 10 days, while Kazakhstan restricted cargo shipment of wheat flour, buckwheat, sugar, vegetables, and sunflower oil, he added concerned. Read: Indiana Reaches 350 Deaths From Coronavirus Outbreak Read: Iran Vows To Protect People From Economic Impact Of Coronavirus Africa most vulnerable Senior Spokesperson for FAO, Elizabeth Byrs, said explaining that supply obstructions could block the reliable flow of basic food commodities, as a result of which, panic buying could ensue, driving the prices up according to UN report. She said that labour shortage could disrupt food production and processing of labour-intensive crops in particularly vulnerable countries such as sub-Saharan Africa. An open letter to world leaders from scientists, politicians, and companies like Nestle and Unilever says, Governments, businesses, civil society, and international agencies need to take urgent, coordinated action to prevent the COVID pandemic turning into global food and humanitarian crisis, as they call for immediate "globally co-ordinated" action on looming food crisis. Read: Flathead County Resident Is Montanas 7th Coronavirus Death Read: Oklahoma Surpasses 2,000 Coronavirus Cases, Nears 100 Deaths Around 1,000 people will lose their jobs at Wizz Air after the company announced a sweeping round of redundancies which will hit almost a fifth of its workforce. The low-budget airline, which mainly operates in central and eastern Europe, said today the salaries of pilots, cabin crew and office staff will be cut by an average of 14 per cent. The chief executive, board members and senior staff will also take a 22 per cent pay cut in a dramatic move to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Wizz Air said it had made the drastic decision as it is now operating at three per cent of its pre-coronavirus capacity. Around 1,000 people are to lose their jobs at Wizz Air after the company announced a sweeping round of redundancies which will hit almost a fifth of its workforce (stock image) The Hungarian airline also announced plans to return older, leased aircraft in an effort to lower costs amid the global health crisis. The news comes as the airline revealed traffic was down 34 per cent year-on-year in March. Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi told the Mirror: 'First and foremost, I would like to thank our people for their tremendous support to passengers and communities across all countries during these unprecedented times. 'They have risen to the challenges facing Wizz Air and the industry with grace and determination, especially when it comes to performing repatriation flights for citizens stranded by COVID-19 across the world and delivering key medical supplies to help our countries, communities of caregivers and their patients.' The airline had previously announced it would suspend routes between Romania and the UK, Switzerland and The Netherlands starting from April 5 until April 18. The low-budget airline, which mainly operates in central and eastern Europe, said the salaries of pilots, cabin crew and office staff will be cut by an average of 14 per cent The chief executive, board members and senior staff will also take a 22 per cent pay cut in a dramatic move to survive the coronavirus pandemic (stock image) The measures, put in place due to travel restrictions imposed by Romania amid Covid-19, also meant routes to Belgium, Austria, Spain, France and Germany would remain suspended until the April 30. Wizz Air is the latest in a list of airlines to announce drastic measures in an effort to stay afloat amid the growing coronavirus crisis. Earlier this month, British Airways employees overwhelmingly voted to approve a deal to furlough the airline's workers and preserve employment. Unite the Union said its members backed the deal by 99 per cent after negotiations between the two sides following most flights being cancelled. 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. Wizz Air aircraft with a shipment of medical and protective gear from China, which will be used to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, arrives at Budapest Airport, Hungary on April 4 The airline had earlier agreed a 50 per cent pay cut for its pilots, with more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff suspended in a dramatic move to survive the pandemic. Air New Zealand also announced on Friday plans to lay off 1,460 cabin crew as the country further tightened its lockdown measures. Global airlines warned earlier this month that 25million jobs were at risk from the air travel downturn, and held out against offering refunds to passengers as cash runs out. 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 11,000 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. (CNN) -- Ford announced that production of a new type of pressurized respirator face mask for healthcare workers will begin Tuesday. The mask, called a Powered Air-Purifying Respirator, or PAPR, is being developed in partnership with 3M. A PAPR is a clear mask that fits over the entire face. Air is drawn in through a tube connected to a pump that filters contaminants from the air. In late March, Ford and 3M announced they were working on a new mask using parts from both companies' products. For example, the new mask uses a type of fan usually used in ventilated car seats. About 90 paid volunteers, members of the United Auto Workers union, will assemble the masks at Ford's Vreeland facility near Flat Rock, Michigan. The factory will be able to make 100,000 or more masks, according to Ford. The company did not disclose when all of those masks would be available, however. Ford said it is also working with automotive airbag supplier, Joyson Safety Systems, to produce reusable gowns for healthcare workers. The gowns will be made from material usually used to make airbags. Ford expects to make 75,000 gowns a week by Sunday and scale up to 100,000 gowns for the week of April 19 and beyond. Workers in a clean room at a Ford transmission plant have also been making fabric face masks to protect against the virus. For the time being the masks are being used by Ford employees around the world, but the company is working to get the masks certified for medical use. Ford has also been working with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a scientific and medical supply company, to help it increase its production of sampling kits for Covid-19 testing. The automaker had previously announced that it is making plastic face shields for medical workers and that it is working with GE Healthcare to produce a simplified ventilator for hospital patients at one of its Michigan factories. This story was first published on CNN.com "Ford to start producing respirator masks and other equipment for healthcare workers." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to the people to download the Aarogya Setu mobile app. Aarogya Setu was launched by the central government on April 2 to help people identify the risk of contracting the coronavirus by using bluetooth and location features. The people can also use the app to alert authorities if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the deadly virus. The app is available in 11 languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada, among others. Earlier too, Modi asked people to download the app saying it is a fantastic use of technology to combat coronavirus. "By leveraging technology, it provides important information. As more and more people use it, its effectiveness will increase," he tweeted. He also shared links from where the app can be downloaded from online stores. Aarogya Setu is based on Singapore's successful community tracing app 'TraceTogether'. Other countries are also developing similar kinds of apps to limit the spread of coronavirus. Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India enters lockdown 2.0 as COVID-19 cases cross 10,000 mark Also read: GST laws relaxed! Tax paid on cancelled order to be adjusted in returns Benefits of Aarogya Setu app The app is designed in such a way that it keeps a user informed in case she or he has crossed paths with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. A user will be alerted if they came in close proximity with, unknowingly, tests positive. The app alerts are accompanied by instructions on how to self-isolate and what to do in case you developed coronavirus symptoms. Aarogya Setu app use Aarogya Setu uses the Bluetooth and location-generated features to inform a user if he has come across any COVID-19 confirmed person or those suspected of coronavirus. Here's how you can download the app: Step 1: Go to Play Store and type Aarogya Setu on search bar Step 2: Click on Install Step 3: Once the app gets installed, select the language Step 4: Switch on Bluetooth and location Step 5: Enter the phone number and verify it by using the one-time password (OTP) Step 6: Set "location sharing" to always. Location data is sent to the government. Step 7: Take the assessment before you start using the app This test helps to check if the app user has novel coronavirus symptoms. The answers collected are sent to government servers, allowing the government to take timely steps to curb the spread, if necessary. Aarogya Setu is available on both Android and iOS. It can be downloaded from respective play stores. Pedestrians wearing face masks ride an escalator near an overpass with an electronic board showing the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indexes, following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country, at Lujiazui financial district, in Shanghai, China, on March 13, 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters) Chinas 2020 GDP Growth Set to Sink to 44-Year Low as CCP Virus Cripples Economy BEIJINGChinas economic growth is set to stumble to its slowest annual pace in nearly half a century, as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus health crisis shutters businesses and brings the global economy to a standstill, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday. Chinas leaders have pledged to take more steps to combat the impact from the pandemic that looks likely to delay a recovery in the CCP virus-ravaged economy, as mounting job losses pose a threat to social stability. Growth in the worlds second-biggest economy for 2020 was forecast at 2.5 percent, according to the median of 62 analysts surveyed by Reuters, which would mark the weakest clip since 1976, the final year of the decade-long Cultural Revolution that wrecked the economy. That is a sharp easing from a 6.1 percent gain in 2019, and is below the 5.4 percent growth forecast in the March poll. Containers stacked at a port in Lianyungang in Chinas eastern Jiangsu province, China, on April 14, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The survey also predicted Chinas economy in the first quarter will contract by 6.5 percent year-on-year, for the first time since at least 1992 when the country first started issuing quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) data. It also marks a reversal from 3.5 percent growth forecast in the last survey done in the previous month. China will release its first-quarter GDP data on April 17. The projected 2020 growth would be weaker than the 3.9 percent rate in 1990, when the economy was hit hard after the Tiananmen crackdown, but still outperform a 1.6 percent contraction in 1976. The forecasts highlighted the challenges faced by the Asias engine of growth given an immediate recovery looked some way off as the global pandemic hits exports. Early in the outbreak, Beijing imposed draconian travel restrictions and factory suspensions to curb the spread of the disease, but at a heavy price. In February, Beijing encouraged companies to resume operations as it grew concerned about an economic slowdown. But analysts say the pace of recovery in the coming months will be heavily constrained by external headwinds. The CCP virus has spread rapidly around the world, prompting unprecedented shutdowns in many countries, which has wreaked havoc along global supply chains and severely hurt overseas demand, raising the risk of a steep global recession this year. Employees are working on a battery production line at a factory in Huaibei in Chinas eastern Anhui province on March 30, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) China is still faced with two dire challenges: nosediving external demand due to the pandemic, and the rising threat of a second wave of the virus, said economists with Nomura, adding that the hope of a quick recovery is dimming. The slump in Chinas exports and imports eased in March, customs data showed on Tuesday, but analysts say the overall outlook remains grim as the pandemic has brought business activity in its major trading partners to a standstill. The health crisis has dealt a particularly heavy blow to the countrys private sector, which is the most productive part of the economy and a key source of employment. The small and privately-owned firms are facing a severe cash crunch to tide over a prolonged downturn, with many laying off workers or shutting down businesses. Analysts expect nearly 30 million job losses this year due to stuttering work resumptions and plunging global demand, outpacing the 20-plus million layoffs during the 2008-09 financial crisis. Lingering fear of the virus and uncertainty over job losses mean people are remaining cautious. We expect household consumption to be negatively affected for many months to come and see only a gradual sequential recovery from Q2 onwards, said Louis Kuijs, economist at Oxford Economics. A vendor waits for customers at a meat stall in a market in Shenyang in Chinas northeastern Liaoning province, China, on April 10, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) More Stimulus Steps in Pipeline The negative growth shock has already prompted a raft of monetary policy response from the central bank, but so far its easing has been more measured than during the global financial crisis. Sources told Reuters the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) will ramp up its policy easing to support the economy but will not follow the U.S. Federal Reserves steep rate cuts or quantitative easing moves, mindful of debt and property market risks. Analysts expect the PBOC to deliver another 100 basis points (bps) in banks reserve retirement ratios (RRR), and lower the one-year LPR by 35 bps to 3.70 percent by the end of 2020. The poll also predicted the benchmark deposit rate to be cut to 1.25 percent from its current level of 1.50 percent. The PBOC has kept the benchmark deposit rate unchanged at 1.5 percent since October 2015. Chinas consumer price index (CPI) in 2020 will likely rise 3.3 percent from the previous year, quickening from a 2.9 percent rise in 2019, according to the poll. By Lusha Zhang and Kevin Yao. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday blamed the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government for hundreds of migrant workers gathering outside Bandra railway station here by defying the coronavirus lockdown norms. Terming it as a "very serious" incident, the former chief minister said it was the responsibility of the state government to arrange for proper food for the workers, but it did not happen. On the other hand, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik said the workers gathered outside the station allegedly after a message about trains resuming operations started doing rounds He said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had been demanding the Centre to facilitate the return of the migrant workers to their respective native states, but the Centre did not allow it. "It is a very serious incident that thousands of workers took to the street in Bandra. This picture pains my mind. It is the responsibility of the state to arrange for the workers from outside the states, to give them proper food, facilities," Fadnavis tweeted. The Leader of Opposition said the state government should learn a lesson from this incident and take care that such incidents do not recur. "But it is unfortunate that the Centre is being blamed in such a situation to escape (from the responsibility). The fight against corona(virus) is not political, please note this at least now. It is my earnest request that we fight this battle seriously," he said on the micro-blogging site. Fadnavis did not name any leader who blamed the Centre for the incident though Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray has blamed the Centre for the protest by hundreds of migrant workers near the railway station. Thackeray also sought a road map to facilitate the return journey of workers to their states. Another BJP leader Kirit Somaiya targetted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, questioning how come these many people gathered outside the station and what the intelligence wing was doing. From where these people came? How suddenly so many could gather there in spite of (section) 144 (of CrPc being in force)? Since the lockdown started, Bandra Police never allowed more than 4 persons to gather there. Then how and why today?" Somaiya asked. Meanwhile, Malik said Thackeray had been demanding the Centre to make arrangements so that the migrant workers could return to their native states, but the NDA government did not allow it. "Migrant workers were demanding to go to their villages and hence the crowd. It is said that somebody circulated a message that a train is to leave (for the home states of the migrant workers)...f anyone has indeed circulated such a message, it will be probed into," Malik said. Hitting back at Somaiya, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the biggest problem with the country is that it has "irresponsible and insensitive" leaders like Somaiya who allegedly thinks of a conspiracy angle during the crisis. "Shld we say same for #Surat or Delhi incidents? Problem of migrants need to be understood with empathy which #bjp doesn't hv," Sawant tweeted. Sawant further claimed the migrant workers are more interested in returning to their respective villages than getting food. "If Modi ji had given time for them to return then we would not have had to see people coming on streets like Delhi, Surat or Bandra. State govt can provide food but can't make them reach their home," Sawant retorted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For the first time, the number of COVID-19 patients at Yale New Haven Hospital topped 400 Tuesday, but the largest increases in the health system were at Bridgeport Hospital as the coronavirus surge moves north from Greenwich. On Tuesday, there were 191 COVID-positive patients at Bridgeport, 57 of them in intensive care and 41 on ventilators, according to hospital President Anne Diamond. Across the Yale New Haven Health System, there were 700 patients Tuesday, including 130 on ventilators, according to Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer. Its really important to outline that we have more than 650 discharges, so there are patients that are getting through this disease successfully and getting discharged to home, he said. Since March 19, when Bridgeport admitted its first COVID-19 patient, 432 inpatients have tested positive and 270 have been discharged, Diamond said. The last few days, were seeing admissions of 21 per day, she said. We do believe we are easing into our peak and probably within the next week or so we will be there. She said the peak likely would not be a sharp spike but more of a plateau. She said 61 percent of the 432 Bridgport patients have been male, 36 percent white, 29 percent black, 32 percent other, including Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian. Fifty-five have been 18 to 39 years old, 125 between 40 and 60, and 252 over 60. Diamond said a mobile field hospital has increased Bridgeport Hospitals capacity by 32 patients and patients are moving in there as we speak. Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health, said, Right now we have the largest number of COVID-positive patients in the system that we have ever had, and that includes as of this afternoon 413 COVID-positive patients at Yale New Haven Hospital, with 105 people in addition pending results. So its our first day there over 400. She said the numbers are staggering to me at Bridgeport Hospital. Greenwich Hospital, a 200-bed facility, is running 115 COVID-positive inpatients with an additional 19 awaiting test results. Our great hope is that those numbers will not peak to the levels that some of the models have been going because the social distancing and other impositions on all of our daily lives are working, and they are actually reducing the spread of this virus, which is obviously something that we all hoped, Borgstrom said. She said the health system had conducted more than 18,000 tests since we started them and about 5,200 of those have produced positive results. Balcezak said the systems five hospitals have enough testing capacity so all admitted patients are being tested, all symptomatic health care workers are being tested, and were also beginning to roll out testing to other patients that are not suspected of having COVID but are undergoing procedures that may put health-care workers at high risk because up to 20 percent of patients may have the coronavirus but not have symptoms. Balcezak said mathematical models for determining the peak of the virus in Connecticut have actually been pushing the date out later. Our absolute number of patients infected at any one time is down. He said the predicted peak in New Haven seems to be coalescing around the 20th or 23rd of April. We are seeing a doubling rate about every 10 days, he said, substantially less than earlier in the month, when the number of new cases doubled every three or four days. But we are not yet at the peak of this illness, and that means when we get to the peak its very likely we are going to see three or four or more weeks where we are on the downside of that curve, Balcezak said. He said we have had very little need to decant any patients to outpatient sites, including the Lanman Center at Yales Payne Whitney Gymnasium and at Southern Connecticut State Hospital. Borgstrom and others said shifting staff and equipment from the hospitals that have not felt a great impact of the coronavirus, in New London and Westerly, R.I., has helped meet the demand in Fairfield County. Also, by eliminating elective surgeries throughout the Yale New Haven Health System, we have been able to create between 30 and 40 percent capacity that has yet to be needed, Borgstrom said. She said she expects the health system to take a big financial loss as a result of the pandemic. One hospital system outside Detroit of about the same size as Yale New Haven expects a $250 million loss, she said. The challenge we are all experiencing is we took down capacity, we took down elective cases and we dramatically increased spending, including on anticipated needs, such as a mobile field hospital on Bridgeport Hospitals campus. Balcezak said there are no shortages of personal protective equipment, including N95 respirator masks. We have enough ventilators, we have enough equipment, he said. He said medical staff are told not to use N95 masks for more than one shift. Used respirators are being reprocessed using hydrogen peroxide vapor. We have not yet begun to reuse those reprocessed respirators, but we will hold them in reserve, he said. Borgstrom said Yale New Havens call center has received 53,000 calls, including from Asia and Europe. She also said the health systems employees are grateful for donations of medical equipment and meals from local restaurants. It never gets old and people really appreciate it, she said. Balcezak said relaxing social distancing and business closures should not occur soon. Responding not as a citizen but merely from a clinical perspective, the more we delay moving into that normalcy, the better the chance that we are going to have that we dont get a second bump. Until there is a vaccine for this virus, we are all at risk of getting sick and until we have enough immunity within the community that we cant spread it from one another, then we will be at risk of spreading it to people when we begin stopping the social-distancing work that weve been doing, Balcezak said. So the physician in me, the public health person in me says we need to delay that for at least the next four weeks. He said hydroxychloroquine treatments, antibody testing and blood plasma treatments all are experimental and there are no known proven therapies that work against this virus. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 In the frenzy of initial media reporting in March, Senators Richard Burr, Kelly Loeffler, Dianne Feinstein, and Jim Inhofe were often grouped together in allegations of insider trading regarding the coronavirus-induced stock market tailspin. That was not fair to Ms Feinstein or Mr Inhofe, and, perhaps to a lesser degree, Ms Loeffler, multiple insider trading experts have subsequently told The Independent. The context surrounding each of the four senators transactions differs substantially, and so, too, do their individual explanations. It isnt just a public relations nightmare for these lawmakers: The 2012 STOCK Act prohibits members of Congress and other federal employees from using non-public information gleaned from government briefings and reports to turn a private profit in the stock market. The Justice Department, in conjunction with the Securities and Exchange Commission, has begun investigating some lawmakers asset transactions, multiple outlets reported last month. Here is a breakdown of what investigators should be looking for, who theyll be scrutinising most closely, and what thresholds they must cross to bring indictments. Burr Mr Burr finds himself in the most precarious position of any of the other senators based on the public information so far, multiple insider trading and financial crimes experts told The Independent. The North Carolina Republican is the only senator to acknowledge personally executing his own stock transactions during the period in question. Ms Loeffler, Ms Feinstein, and Mr Inhofe all claim their assets are held either in a blind trust or controlled by third-party advisers with whom they have little to no contact. Mr Burrs case has a clearer set of facts, quite frankly, said Jim Cox, a professor at the Duke University School of Law who is widely considered one of the pre-eminent scholars on US insider trading law. It's not a question about whether your husband traded it. It's not a question about whether you trade a lot or not, Mr Cox said. Mr Burr attended the Senate Health Committees closed-doors, open-to-all-senators briefing on 24 January where infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield apprised lawmakers of the latest government reports from the coronavirus outbreak in Chinas Wuhan province. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr Burr had access to non-public reports about the coronavirus during that time, though it is unclear whether the US intelligence agencies that compiled those reports were providing information that couldnt be cobbled together from public reporting. North Carolina's Richard Burr is under formal investigation for stock sales. (AFP via Getty Images) On 13 February, three weeks after the initial 24 January briefing, Mr Burr sold off 33 stocks worth between $628,033 and $1.72m his largest sell-off of assets in at least 14 months. That sell-off included $250,000 worth of stocks in hotel companies that have seen their value plummet to more than half their value at points during the economic shutdown. That context Mr Burrs trading history will matter to investigators, Mr Cox said. They will want to know how Mr Burrs stock transactions in February compare to his prior trading: How much does he usually buy or sell? What types of stocks does he usually buy or sell? Does he usually buy or sell incrementally or in one big dump? Every piece of circumstance matters in insider trading probes, and its up to investigators to compile an overwhelming set of circumstantial evidence to show someone had non-public information in their back pocket, and then deviated from their normal behaviour patterns based on that non-public information. Insider trading cases are nothing but conjecture. They're all circumstantial, Mr Cox said. The first thing investigators will want to look at is the transcripts of any intelligence reports or briefings on the burgeoning health crisis Mr Burr and other senators read or attended during the period they executed their financial transactions. Theyll then comb those documents to see if they contained information that was not out in the public domain. How much information was provided to the [intelligence] committee by the intelligence community that was not in the public domain? Thats key, Mr Cox said. Mr Burr has said the briefings provided him no informational advantage, that he relied solely on public news reports to guide his decision regarding the sale of his stocks on 13 February. Specifically, I closely followed CNBCs daily health and science reporting out of its Asia bureaus at the time, he said. But if the non-public reports were more granular than Mr Burrs news sources if they presented a more dire situation of the potential for a global pandemic that would send large swathes of the economy into a tailspin that could complicate his line of defence. Would it increase your assessment that instead of being a 10 per cent chance of a pandemic, it is more likely a chance of one out of three? One out of two? Mr Cox said. That magnitude of a probability change would be itself material. The Supreme Court has upheld that rule of materiality in at least two Supreme Court cases in the last 40 years. The day after ProPublica first reported on Mr Burrs stock sales, he sent a letter to the Senate Ethics Committee asking it to conduct a full and expedited investigation into his transactions to ensure full and complete transparency. A spokeswoman for the senators office declined to provide an update on whether he has spoken to investigators from the SEC, DOJ or the Senate Ethics Committee. Multiple attempts to contact the ethics panel were not successful. Loeffler Ms Loefflers legal situation is much less problematic than Mr Burrs, if her claims that her investment portfolio is managed by third-party advisers without her consultation are to be trusted. Her political situation is a different story. 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. Kelly Loeffler, Republican senator from Georgia, on Capitol Hill (Getty Images) Her Republican challenger for the all-party special election, Congressman Doug Collins, has seized on the allegations of insider trading and the fact Ms Loeffler does not hold her assets in a blind trust. Ms Loeffler, who sold millions of dollars in stocks between attending the 24 January briefing and when markets began to falter in mid-March, has argued that her portfolio is "managed independently by third-party advisers who dont apprise her of transactions until after they occur. In a subsequent interview with CNBC, Ms Loeffler appeared to go even further, indicating she had no knowledge of the contents of her portfolio. I have no involvement in these decisions. I dont have conversations with them about any of this, the senator said. She has subsequently liquidated all individual stocks and transferred that money into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, she announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week. Notably, Ms Loeffler has not used the term blind trust to describe her portfolio management either before or after the revelations about her stocks sales. A request to her office for comment clarifying whether her assets are now in a blind trust was not returned. Mr Cox said blind trusts are breached all the time in cases involving insider trading, where the owner of an asset portfolio will call their trustee and make a selective disclosure of material nonpublic information with a high degree awareness that [the trustee] is going to trade on it. Investigators probing Ms Loefflers case would be keen to look at the senators phone records from January, February and March to see if she made any calls to the financial advisers at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions who manage her accounts. I would be surprised if they cant get that information, Mr Cox said. Feinstein and Inhofe Though they were widely reported alongside the stock sales of Mr Burr and Ms Loeffler, the transactions reported on Ms Feinsteins and Mr Inhofes financial disclosures do not, on the surface, appear as sticky. And both Ms Feinstein, a California Democrat, and Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, have provided sound explanations for their activities, insider trading experts told The Independent. Neither Ms Feinstein nor Mr Inhofe attended the 24 January Health Committee briefing with Mr Fauci and Mr Redfield. In fact, Ms Feinstein did not attend any non-public briefing about the coronavirus until 12 March, a spokesman told The Independent. Ms Feinsteins most recent financial disclosure reports that her husband, investment banker Richard Blum, sold between $1.5m and $6m in stock in Allogene Therapeutics, a cancer technology company, on 13 January and 18 February. Mr Blum manages his own assets, which are separate from Ms Feinsteins, but the senator must report both their transactions on her financial disclosure forms. Ms Feinstein has held her own assets in a blind trust throughout her 28-year Senate career, she tweeted in March. These were not her stocks inside or outside the blind trust. They were her husbands, to which she has no connection, Ms Feinsteins spokesman told The Independent. Their assets are entirely separate she has no knowledge of, role in or relation to his finances (aside from having to report them to the Senate). Mr Inhofe sold up to $750,000 of stocks on 13 and 27 January before he ever received a non-public briefing about coronavirus. Additionally, while Mr Inhofes assets are not held in a true blind trust, he has said he had no prior knowledge of the transactions, which were executed by his financial advisers based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The senator said his stock sales were part of an incremental process to transition his portfolio from individual stocks to mutual funds to avoid conflicts of interest after he became a chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in January 2019. "When I became chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I went ahead and instructed the broker with Capital Investors to go ahead and divest me of all stocks. And that was a year and three months ago," Inhofe told a local ABC News affiliate in March. His financial disclosure forms over the last year show he has steadily sold off individual stocks and invested that money in mutual funds. In 2018, all of the senators assets were in individual stocks. Now, roughly three-fifths of his portfolio is mutual funds, with 40 per cent still remaining in stocks. Browns moribund bill At least one senator, Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, foresaw the controversy that has exploded over lawmakers ownership of individual stocks. For the past two Congresses, Mr Brown has filed a bill making it illegal for lawmakers to own stocks in individual companies. 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 bill has gone nowhere in both Republican and Democratic controlled Senates. Lightspeed Venture Partners ("Lightspeed") today announced the closings of Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. ("Fund XIII") with $890 million, Lightspeed Venture Partners Select IV, L.P. ("Select Fund IV") with $1.83 billion, and Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. ("Opportunity Fund") with $1.5 billion of limited partner committed capital. In these difficult times, as the world fights a pandemic, Lightspeed remains focused on this mission; to serve the world's most extraordinary people building tomorrow's companies, today. Not just in good times, but in all times. This pandemic has transformed both the personal and professional lives of employees, founders, and investors and will continue to present challenges in the coming months. It takes courage to start a company, and it requires leadership to see it grow and adapt as market forces test both the resiliency and sustainability of businesses in good days and bad. A scalable capital framework enables Lightspeed to support founders on a global scale when they have the courage, passion and earned insight to take on that risk. Lightspeed's global and multi-stage strategy supports exceptional entrepreneurs, in any geography, and at any point in their entrepreneurial journey. Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. ($890M) is designed to support bold founders in their earliest stages of development in the firm's long-standing enterprise and consumer practices. Investing at the earliest stages of innovation, from Seed to Series A and B, it is the bedrock of how the firm was founded and operates today. Lightspeed Venture Partners Select IV, L.P. As companies begin to inflect and scale they need a partner who can grow with them. Lightspeed will use Lightspeed Venture Partners Select IV, L.P. ($1.83B) to accelerate existing Lightspeed portfolio companies and identify new investments across our global platform. Select IV further cements Lightspeed's ability to back outperforming companies and to grow Lightspeed's exposure to outlier portfolio companies as they scale. Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not captive to the US markets alone. The Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. ($1.5B), was established as a new fund vehicle for the Lightspeed platform to back breakout companies from across all of the global territories where we operate. It is more evident than ever that entrepreneurship is global 2019 was the first year in venture capital where more breakout companies emerged outside of the US than inside of it. For over a decade, Lightspeed has worked with some of the most experienced partners and affiliates in China, India and Israel, and recently expanded into Europe and Southeast Asia. Taken together, this capital framework across three funds will position the firm to continue to serve founding teams, technologies and trends that are accelerating the innovation economy. Lightspeed remains more committed than ever to the mission of serving the world's most extraordinary people building tomorrow's companies, today. About Lightspeed Lightspeed Venture Partners is a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 400 companies globally, including Snap, Nest, Nutanix, AppDynamics, MuleSoft, OYO, Guardant, StitchFix, and GrubHub. Lightspeed and its affiliates currently manage $10.5B across the global Lightspeed platform, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India, China, Southeast Asia and Europe. www.lsvp.com Quotes "We are editors, not writers," said Nicole Quinn, Partner, Lightspeed. "Our job is not to see the future ourselves, but to recognize those outlier entrepreneurs who do, and to support them in every way as they do the work to build industry-changing businesses of tomorrow." "Our global portfolio which spans China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US gives us a view on everything that affects startups, ranging from early regional economic trends, to spotting similar opportunities to serve consumers, small businesses and enterprises seeking new, innovative product needs across geographies," said Ravi Mhatre, Partner, Lightspeed. "Having global expertise is no longer a nice to have, but a must have if you want to support exceptional entrepreneurs with the ambition to win in their market at any point on their founder journey. Our focus remains the same today as it was in the beginning in 2000--to invest in outlier founders and innovators building enduring companies across the globe." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005336/en/ Contacts: Meredith Kendall Maines Marketing Partner, Lightspeed T: (310) 739-6867 E: meredith@lsvp.com The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey has increased by 4,059, bringing the total to 68,824, officials said Tuesday. There have been 365 additional deaths, bringing the state total to 2,805. Again, it should be noted, Gov. Phil Murphy said during a briefing with other state officials. not all of these deaths occurred literally within the last 24 hours. Many of these individuals passed sometimes over the past number of days and are now being reported. It does not make it any easier regardless of when they left us, they have left us. Currently, there are 8,185 people hospitalized across the state, Murphy said, including 2,051 people in intensive care and 1,626 people on ventilators. Between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. Monday, 514 residents were discharged from hospitals. So far, Atlantic County has reported a total of 292 cases, 13 deaths and 26 recovered. Cape May County has reported 167 cases, with 15 designated as off quarantine and eight deaths. Cumberland County has reported 190 cases and three deaths. Included in Atlantic Countys totals are 16 additional cases of the new coronavirus, as well as four deaths that county officials announced Tuesday. The deaths included a 65-year old man and an 82-year old woman from Egg Harbor Township, a 70-year old man from Pleasantville and a 67-year old woman from Atlantic City, according to a news release from county spokeswoman Linda Gilmore. All had underlying health conditions. The new positive cases include nine men, ages 24 to 82 and seven women, ages 35 to 70, according to the release. Atlantic City had five of the new cases while Hamilton Township and Linwood each had two; Absecon, Buena Vista Township, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway, Northfield, Pleasantville and Somers Point each had one new positive. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Also during the briefing, Murphy announced that he will be signing several bills. One of those bills allow employees forced to care for family members because of COVID-19 up to 12 weeks of family leave in a 24-month period without losing their jobs; another extends the tax filing deadline for income and corporate taxes from April 15 to July 15 and extends the fiscal year to Sept. 30. He also signed an executive order to postpone deadline to act on rule proposals and expirations of currently existing rules until 90 days after the current public health emergency has ended. Long-term care facilities continue to be of greatest concern, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. There are currently 5,945 cases of the new coronavirus at those facilities reported throughout the state. Murphy was scheduled to tour the field medical station scheduled to open Tuesday at the Atlantic City Convention Center, but that was canceled, according to a news release from the governors office. During the briefing, Murphy said there was a reshuffling of the staffing piece." He was slated to be joined by Persichilli and Callahan, as well as Lieutenant Colonel David Park, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District and Matt Doherty, Executive Director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Callahan added that the federal government shifted medical staffing from Atlantic City to New York, adding that there should be a "soft opening" of the field medical station Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. The tour was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Convention Center, 1 Convention Boulevard. By working collaboratively with our partners at the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, New Jersey State Police and the Office of Emergency Management, weve significantly expanded our hospital beds, sourcing capabilities, and health care workforce to prepare New Jersey for a surge in COVID-19 cases, Murphy said. This whole-of-government approach will relieve pressure on New Jerseys health care delivery system and save lives. Wednesday's briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. The COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in the Hamilton Mall parking lot opened Tuesday morning for symptomatic county residents. The testing is only for symptomatic county residents with a doctors prescription from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., by appointment, on Tuesday and Thursday behind the mall in Mays Landing. Appointments can be made on the county website, https://www.atlantic-county.org/covid/ The Cape May County Health Department reports 10 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 including two Victoria Manor residents in Lower Townshp, a 73-year-old female and a 93-year-old male. Total positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Cape May County is now 179. This is an extremely unfortunate situation and certainly our sympathies are with the deceased, family, and friends. We will continue to work with the nursing home and work on preventing further cases and deaths, said Kevin Thomas, Cape May County Health Officer. Nursing homes have been hot spots for this potentially fatal disease throughout the country. Two Atlantic County residents are charged with violating Gov. Phil Murphy's COVID-19 executive orders, according to news released by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan. Robert Bell, 35, of Pleasantville, was charged Monday morning by the Pleasantville police with contempt, resisting arrest, defiant trespass and two violations of the emergency orders, the release said. Bell entered a Dunkin Donuts without wearing a face mask and refused to leave when asked by employees, the release said. When police arrived, Bell started walking toward a nearby Wawa store and stated he would go there instead. Bell allegedly failed to obey officers directions to stop and resisted arrest, the release said. Bell was cited on April 11 and 12 for failing to wear a face mask at two other establishments. Based on his repeated, willful defiance of the emergency orders, Bell was charged by complaint-warrant, the release said. Hiram Woods, 22, of Atlantic City, was charged Monday by the Atlantic City Police Department with first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, second-degree weapons offenses, obstruction and violation of the emergency orders, the release said. Woods and an unidentified man went to a residence on Caspian Avenue and asked to see one of the residents, the release said. While waiting inside, Woods grabbed money from a counter, and when a female resident tried to stop him, he allegedly pointed a gun at her head, the release said. The men ran out of the house as the victims boyfriend arrived. Woods also was wanted on a warrant, the release said. U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced on Tuesday the awarding of $1,232,698 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to boost the New Jersey Hospital Associations Hospital Preparedness Program, to help hospitals throughout the state combat the COVID-19 outbreak. The senators fought to secure this funding in the emergency coronavirus spending package that was signed into law last month. New Jersey has the second most positive cases in the nation, with over 68,000 confirmed cases and 2,800 deaths. The surge in cases in the state, which is not expected to peak until later this month, has caused a strain on hospital resources. New Jersey Hospital Association will distribute these funds to hospitals, nursing homes and programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly organizations who are on the frontlines of the crisis and with the greatest burden of care. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The health care providers can then use these funds to update their emergency preparedness plan, purchase personal protective equipment, and train staff members. The Hospital Preparedness Program provides funding and technical assistance to every state and territory to ensure their health systems can respond and recover from an outbreak or disaster, like the current COVID-19 pandemic or Superstorm Sandy. This means statewide, hospitals can collaborate to ensure the residents of that state can get the medical care they need in the event of an emergency. Atlantic City International Airport is getting over $7.8 million in funding from a COVID-19 stimulus package, state officials announced Tuesday. The airport is one of many throughout the state getting funds through the $160 million federal funding package, according to a news release from U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ), along with Congressmen Albio Sires (NJ-08), Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) and Tom Malinowski (NJ-11), who are members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. South Jersey airports getting funding include: Atlantic City International Airport (Egg Harbor Twp., Atlantic) $7,892,177 Cape May County Airport (Rio Grande, Cape May) $69,000 Hammonton Municipal Airport (Hammonton, Atlantic) $30,000 Millville Executive Airport (Millville, Cumberland) $30,000 Woodbine Municipal Airport (Woodbine, Cape May) $30,000 The state Department of Community Affairs announced Tuesday that the Division of Fire Safety has redesigned their training programs to allow firefighters to continue their studies online. These unprecedented times call for creative solutions that allow us to continue our mission to protect and serve the people of New Jersey while ensuring public safety, said Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. I commend the Division and Fire Marshal Richard Mikutsky for their swift response by adapting their curriculum in these challenging times. The Division began working with Jones & Bartlett Learning (J&B) last month to retool their current Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazmat Awareness and Operations training/credentialing programs, according to a news release from the DCA. J&B effectively attached the Divisions existing training programs to their interactive lecture premium edition. This new training system component permits students to participate in an organized interactive lecture series. Keeping firefighters and communities safe in these difficult times has presented some new challenges for the Division in providing fire safety instruction, said DFS Director and State Fire Marshal Richard Mikutsky. The online training solutions weve designed will help us continue operations and the accreditation process remotely to ensure that firefighters remain prepared and ready to serve. Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio reminded residents Tuesday that the city has no authority to close access to the island. City officials have closed the beaches, the promenade, all playgrounds and facilities, and in conjunction with the county theyve banned short term rentals until further notice, Desiderio said in a news release updating residents during the fourth week on the governors stay-at-home orders. These initiatives were in addition to executive orders from the governor, he said. As Ive stated before and will continue to impress on everybody, we need to stick together now more than ever, Desiderio said. We will not beat this unless we stay home, avoid contact with others, and follow all of the governors restrictions. I cant stress this enough. Bruce Springsteen announced Tuesday morning that he, along with other celebrities, will be hosting a broadcast next week to raise money for those in New Jersey who have been affected by COVID-19. New Jersey has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Springsteen said during an appearance on Good Morning America. And the people of New Jersey have always stepped up during difficult times. The Jersey 4 Jersey event, slated for 7 p.m. April 22 on ABC, will also include Jon Bon Jovi, Tony Bennett, Jon Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlie Puth, SZA, Danny DeVito, Saquon Barkley, Chelsea Handler and others. Money raised will towards the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, he said. This is our effort to do everything we can for our folks here in the Garden State and I hope youll join us, Springsteen said. New Jersey is on the front lines of this pandemic, making it more important than ever for us to do what Jersey does best take care of one another, said New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy. Thats why were asking everyone in our state to join the NJPRF and some of New Jerseys finest for some much-needed musical entertainment, levity and Jersey Pride during these unprecedented times. The benefit will also be broadcast on Apple Music and AppleTV apps worldwide. It will also be broadcast live and rebroadcast five times on E Street Radio on SiriusXM, currently free on the SiriusXM app. And it will be carried on WABC Channel 7, WPVI 6ABC, WPIX, News12, NJTV and radio outlets including 1010 WINS, WCBS 880, CBS-FM, WFAN, New York's Country 94.7, Alt 92.3, Q104.3 and others. The AtlantiCare Foundation is getting $40,000 to benefit the medical center from the Kearny Bank Foundation, according to a news release from the foundation. AtlantiCare is one of over half a dozen medical centers and charities across the state getting funds during the pandemic, according to the release. Throughout New Jersey and across our country, were in the midst of a uniquely challenging situation, said Kearny Bank President and CEO Craig Montanaro. Kearny Bank has always been committed to supporting the communities in which we conduct business, so this particular slate of donations is the obvious thing for us to do. Our home states healthcare professionals have been battling this outbreak for weeks, and were doing what we can to bolster their efforts. Every one of us has a stake in this fight. State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner, President of the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police, appeared Monday in the debut webcast of Resilient Minds on the Front Lines a new program to promote resiliency for workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is a collaborative initiative of the Attorney Generals Office, Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Prosecutors Office and numerous partners, according to a news release from the Attorney Generals Office. It was conceived by Mercer County Chief Resiliency Officer Michael Pellegrino and his wife, Diana, who saw a need to support all workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, including police officers, firefighters, first responders, nurses, doctors, grocery store employees, factory workers, warehouse workers, military members, truck drivers, teachers, chaplains and their family members. In a series of webcasts, guests and experts will, discuss, teach and encourage mindfulness, wellness, and resiliency for those frontline workers and others, according to the release. It will feature master resiliency trainers from New Jersey and the FBI National Academy, academic resiliency instructors from New Jersey and New York colleges, representatives of Cop2Cop, musical and celebrity guests, and first responders who have experienced hardship and are comfortable sharing their stories of resiliency. Our police officers and other essential workers are answering the call to serve and protect our state in these unprecedented times, Leusner said. These brave men and women know the risks but understand their communities need them. This pressure can understandably take a toll on them and their families. We must do everything in our power to provide them with support and tools to cope with these uncertain and challenging times. My hope is these webcasts will help accomplish that. Were leading the nation with our comprehensive statewide program to promote officer well-being and prevent officer suicides the New Jersey Resiliency Program for Law Enforcement, Grewal said. This new program recognizes that, with this unprecedented health emergency, we have many more workers who suddenly are also experiencing extraordinary levels of stress every day and bringing that stress home to their families. These webcasts will serve to throw a lifeline to all of the heroes on the front lines by introducing them to ideas, practices and sources of support that can help them cope with pressures that can be truly overwhelming. Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May counties saw a 50% increase in food pantry requests in the first two weeks of Gov. Phil Murphys shelter-at-home order. The agency said in a news release Monday night that they anticipate the need to increase to the same levels at 2012 Hurricane Sandy, with 100 families per week needed the service, according to a news release from the agency. As more businesses began to shutter their doors or reduce hours of operation, more individuals and families were bringing home less income. Therefore, many of them sought out JFS for food and other programs and our agency is here to help, said Andrea Steinberg, JFS Chief Executive Officer. Knowing the severity of the crisis, JFS adapted its process in order to continue to provide critical support to community members while adhering to the limitations of social distancing. The food pantry offers distribution from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. Recipients need ID and to complete a brief intake process, according to the release. To limit interaction, food is distributed from the side entrance on Marshall Avenue. In addition to the pantry, the agency has seen requests for Kosher Meals on Wheels increase by nearly 35% and the Shop at Home program grew by more than 200%, according to the news release. For the most up-to-date information, donation locations and services available, follow the agency on social media @JFSAtlantic or visit jfsatlantic.org. Heres where to get tested for COVID-19 in South Jersey 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. Balance sheet grew by 5.7% to USD7.35 billion Net recurring income increased by 17% between 2018 to 2019 from USD96 million to USD112 million Upgrade by Moody's in October 2019 to 'Aa2' with a stable outlook Approval of five-year strategy to align with the evolving energy landscape DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution, today disclosed its financial results for the year ended 2019. Building on record performance in 2018, APICORP posted strong results including a 17% Y-O-Y increase in net recurring income to USD112 million up from USD96 million (excluding non-recurring items)at year end 2018. Images: https://bit.ly/2wE3hzx APICORP's strong profitability in 2019 was driven by Corporate Banking and Treasury, whose gross income increased 32% and 24% Y-O-Y to reach USD201 million and USD80 million, respectively. The Corporation's balance sheet growth remained strong and resilient in 2019, with a 5.7% increase from USD6.95 billion to USD7.35 billion from the previous year.Notably, leverage (debt-to-equity ratio) remained in check reaching 2.13 in December 2019 compared to 2.07 in the same period last year, and capital adequacy improved slightly from 29.34% in 2018 to 29.6% in 2019. In October 2019, APICORP's overall credit rating was upgraded by Moody's to 'Aa2' with a stable outlook from 'Aa3'. The achievement was due in large part to the steady improvement in APICORP's liquidity and funding profile, high quality assets, strong asset performance, and moderate leverage, amongst other factors.This makes APICORP the only financial institution in the MENA region with a 'Aa2' rating. Commenting on APICORP's results,Dr. Aabed bin Abdulla Al-Saadoun, Chairman of the Board of Directors said: "As the world enters an unprecedented period of economic uncertainty, I am reassured by the fact that we have closed out the past year on a strong note. Our business lines exhibited exceptional resilience on the back of challenging market conditions presented by both geopolitical, financial and industry developments in 2019. The increase in net recurring income by 17% and Moody's credit rating upgrade are both significant milestones that stand as a testament to APICORP's solid fundamentals.This gives us the confidence to continue to support to the Arab world's energy sector during a time when sustainable, impact-driven projects have never been more needed." Dr. Ahmed Ali Attiga, Chief Executive Officer of APICORP, said: "We are extremely proud of another successful year for APICORP as we continue to navigate a rapidly evolving energy landscape. Our balance sheet growth to USD7.35 billion in 2019 paves the way for APICORP to continue an upwards trajectory, notwithstanding the limitations that the current coronavirus crisis poses upon all sectors of the global economy. However, I believe that the work that we have put into diversifying our portfolio in terms of sectors and geography as well as our broad investor base, coupled with our strong financial position,will serve us well in the coming years and allow us to address the current challenges." "When the world eventually begins to recover from the dual impact of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price fluctuations, we will most likely see changes in the region," added Dr. Attiga. "As a trusted financial partner to the regional energy sector, we are well positioned to support sustainable investments, and entities, that can accelerate both economic recovery and the low-carbon transition. Going forward, we believe that there will be a greater role for multilaterals like APICORP, serving in a counter cyclical capacity to reinvigorate the economies of the region. For this, we remain committed to playing a strong developmental role, particularly through leveraging on our partnerships in the industry." A New5-Year Corporate Strategy In 2019, APICORP finalized its 2020-2024 corporate strategy to align with the evolving energy landscape. The strategy is underpinned by a more integrated and agile model, with sustainability embedded in all aspects of operations. The corporate strategy for the next five years places APICORP at the center of comprehensive offering to a diverse set of clients enabled by partnerships and innovation to better serve the MENA region's petroleum industries and energy sector. Business Line Highlights Corporate Banking APICORP's Corporate Banking assets increased by 5% Y-o-Y to reach USD3.69 billion, all while diversifying the portfolio exposure, geographically and sectorally, as well as maintaining a high quality loan book. Moreover, Corporate Banking booked USD1.4 billion in commitments, thereby sustaining the profitability prospects of APICORP not only in 2019, but also future years. In terms of income, Corporate Banking had a record year, reaching USD121 million in income net of Libor and impairments compared with USD90 million in 2018. Fee income continued to show promise, even in a competitive landscape, where it increased 23% Y-o-Y. Notably, the Gross NPL Ratio remained very lowat 0.38%due to strong relationships with APICORP's partners and support from Member Countries. APICORP continued to evolve its offerings with more focus on private sector-led projects, primarily in the utility sector and trade finance, to complement its strength in government-sponsored projects. In line with its commitment to apply ESG principles to all project financing, APICORP continued its increased focus on environmentally-friendly projects where its presence in the renewables sector was reinforced by its support to several bidders on renewable PPPs in the region as well as a rooftop PV project and a commitment to a Saudi private sector company expanding into a wind farm overseas with private sector partners. Investments APICORP continued its prudent strategy of investing alongside like-minded investment partners in quality businesses with strong management teams and solid growth potential, with a focus on making investments in Member Countries and the broader MENA region, as well as diversifying into opportunities outside the region that offer exceptional profitability prospects and value-addition to the energy sector. The foundation of APICORP's investment approach is adopting a long-term perspective in the extraction of value from its investee companies. In 2019, APICORP made its first direct equity investment in Kuwait in a leading oil and gas services and facilities management company with a global footprint. It also invested in a specialized well bore services platform in the UK that serves the oilfield services market. At year end, the total equity portfolio under management stood in excess of USD1 billion across 19 direct and 3 indirect investments.For 2020, APICORP is committed to playing a strong developmental role by way of partnering with key players in the regional and global energy sector, especially in light of the uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury & Capital Markets APICORP's Treasury and Capital Markets continued to strengthen the Corporation's liquidity profile by working to ensure the maintenance of high liquidity ratios, coupled with the rebalancing of the treasury portfolio towards high-grade fixed income securities. This, in addition to the improved geographical and sectoral diversification in the treasury portfolio as well as to a healthy maturity mismatch position, were fundamental in guaranteeing the soundness and resilience of APICORP's financial standing. On the liability side, despite market volatility, APICORP reiterated its commitment towards sustainable growth by way of a concerted effort to prioritize the diversification of APICORP's funding base.This resulted in successfully expanding the investor profile to include players outside the GCC. In particular, APICORP's debt capital market issuances saw an increase of investors from Asia and the US.This was manifested by way of eight transactions over the course of the year, including two Formosa Bonds worth USD300 million and USD325 million issued in March and November, respectively, along with several bilateral transactions with European and Asian financial institutions. While these are unprecedented times due to the impact of the novel coronavirus on all sectors and future petroleum and energy projects, APICORP remains committed to supporting the development and sustainability of its member countries and the wider MENA region amidst the ever-evolving energy landscape. For the full2019 financial results: bit.ly/2yYRHQi For a summary of the 2019 financial results: bit.ly/3b6XyRR -ENDS- For further information: Hassan Al-Jundi APICORP Mobile: +966 55 8012942 Email: haljundi@apicorp.org Zeeshan Masud Mobile: +971 55 918 6751 Email: zmasud@webershandwick.com Daniel Chinoy Mobile: +971 50 255 3402 Email: dchinoy@webershandwick.com About APICORP: The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) is a multilateral development financial institution established in 1975 by an international treaty between the ten Arab oil exporting countries. It aims to support and foster the development of the Arab world's energy sector and petroleum industries. APICORP makes equity investments and provides project finance, trade finance, advisory and research. APICORP is rated"Aa2" with stable outlook by Moody's and its headquarters is in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More information can be found at: www.apicorp.org SOURCE: APICORP View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584995/APICORP-2019-Financial-Results-Demonstrate-Strong-Growth-Momentum-with-Net-Income-of-USD-112-Million Harrisburg School Board Member Gerald Welch is on a ventilator in intensive care with COVID-19, according to his wife and friends. Welch, 56, who suffers from diabetes, was admitted into the hospital on Easter Sunday after his condition worsened. He received oxygen and started feeling better, gaining back his appetite. But doctors intubated him Monday because of his low lung capacity. On Tuesday, he started having kidney problems and may have to undergo short-term dialysis, said his wife Donna Welch. A nurse asked her about his wishes for resuscitation if he should have a heart attack. I told them to do everything they could medically to try to save him, said Donna Welch, who is under self-quarantine at home awaiting her next phone update from the hospital. Donna Welch said she and Gerald had been under self-quarantine since his positive test result Thursday and that she had to restart her 14-day clock on Sunday, the last date she had contact with her husband. Donna Welch said Gerald started feeling ill on April 2, first with a headache and in later days with a fever and body aches. They called his regular doctor Monday and arranged for him to be tested on Tuesday. He got his results in a few days and was still feeling okay. Jayne Buchwach and Gerald Welch celebrate during an election party held for the new Democratic nominees for the Harrisburg School Board at Crawdaddy's. May 21, 2019 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com PENNLIVE.COM Fellow Board Member Jayne Buchwach said she and Gerald Welch campaigned together for their seats on the school board and talked nearly every day. She checked on him Friday and he said he was doing fine except for a fever on-and-off and that Donna hadnt shown any symptoms yet. On Saturday, Buchwach again called Gerald Welch and noticed he sounded weaker. He said would wake up feeling alright, but then as the day went on he would get so tired, Buchwach said. I told him to rest and keep pushing those fluids. On Sunday, Buchwach sent a Happy Easter text message to Gerald, but didnt hear back, which was unusual. Buchwach found out later that he had been admitted to the hospital. Knowing hes in the hospital alone and that Donna is home stuck in quarantine is nearly too much to bear, Buchwach said. I cant be with her and and I cant see him, she said. Im so heartbroken over this. I dont like the sound of it, just how fast it moved. Its only been one week since his test. Gerald Welch works as a social worker specializing in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. He has a master's degree in social work from Fordham University. He worked for a company out of Reading and had been continuing to provide services to his clients during the shutdown as an essential worker. He would visit clients at home, but Donna Welch said he had been talking to clients through storm doors and wearing gloves and a mask. He would provide rides to McDonalds for one client who worked at the fast food restaurant and also take another client to the grocery story. Some of his clients lived in Lancaster County, which has logged the most positive cases and deaths in the region. Donna Welch said she isnt sure where her husband may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. None of his clients have had any symptoms, she said. Pennsylvania is not currently doing an contact tracing, on positive or hospitalized patients to try to determine who they may have had interacted with because there are too many cases. At this time, with over 25,000 cases and community spread statewide, contact tracing is not occurring, said Nate Wardle, spokesman for the Department of Health. The bandwidth that would be required would make that nearly impossible for the department. However, if there are cases of concern, we are working to get as much information as we can on potential contacts. Buchwach said she wishes the state could do tracing to warn people who have been in contact with patients who test positive. She said she last saw Gerald Welch in person about a month ago, right before the governor shut down schools and started issuing stay-at-home orders. He was helping to distribute free lunches to students at the citys main high school. School Board Member Carrie Fowler said she last saw Gerald Welch March 31 at Ben Franklin Elementary, when he stopped by to say hello to the volunteers handing out food to district families. He didnt come onto the property, she said. Gerald Welch was among a slate of candidates who won seats on the school board last year after challenging the former administration on a number of scandals and missteps. His is known for his passion and deep, deep advocacy for a quality curriculum for our students, Fowler said. That is his thing. Even before he got on the board he would go to the microphone at public meetings and talk about that: How our children were getting left behind. He always asked the tough questions. The district is now under receivership, with school board members holding far less decision-making power. The receiver has the final say on most issues, however, the board retains taxing authority. The Harrisburg School District monthly board meeting with receiver Dr. Janet Samuels was held on Monday, June 17, 2019. Newly elected board members, from left, Jayne Buchwach, Steven Williams and Gerald Welch attend the board meeting. Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLiveVicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive READ: Harrisburg police ID man killed in Easter Sunday attack READ: Decision to shut down Pa. schools for rest of academic year brings relief, disappointment Press Release 14 April 2020 Officials The Dow Hotel Company (DHC), a leading national hotel owner/investor and operator, today provided guidance to fellow hotel owners and operators as the hotel industry continues to seek ways to combat the effects of the coronavirus. Advertisements "As the entire hospitality industry experiences a major decline in hotel demand, it has never been more important for management companies to be intensely focused on helping it's hotel owners and owner/partners to navigate the current environment through various types of cost containment measures," said Murray L. Dow II, founder and president, DHC. " Management companies need to take a holistic approach by focusing on hotel owners. Maintaining near 100 percent of corporate staff is beneficial in order to effectively service their hotels and owners at this unprecedented time. Additionally, because the gradual ramp-up may take a while, having enough staff on board is critical to being able to quickly react to the needs of owners." DHC recommends that management companies should be proactive in: Customizing relief packages to protect each hotel owner's assets by quickly taking measures to reduce expenses and acting as owners in this situation. This includes having to close guest floors, F&B outlets and creating plans to reduce labor in a strategic manner. Utilizing corporate staff to help owners navigate the relationship with brands, especially as those brands deal with massive layoffs. It may be possible to get more concessions from the brands on an individual basis such as delaying capital projects, as well as other initiatives, by a year. Facilitating discussions with numerous lenders, servicers, attorneys and consultants on behalf of owners to apply for loans and free up cash in order to protect owners' assets. "The Dow Hotel Company has been busy focusing on providing the best service to its partners and hotel owners," Dow added. "For instance, at a time when San Jose declared all hotels to be non-essential, DHC helped their hotel in fighting to stay open by actively offering hotel rooms to first responders, as well as relief nurses. DHC designed extreme quarantine routes for each group (i.e. one group takes the stairs and stays on one specific floor) to provide the distancing necessary for everyone's safety. In addition, DHC fought for approval with the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County to continue the ongoing lobby renovation at the property in order to quickly bring the space back online for adequate social distancing space." DHC also has experienced some positive developments that have resulted from this time of low demand: DHC successfully completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the Embassy Suites Anaheim South on time and under budget. The renovation timeline was able to stay on track as FF&E was procured through a domestic manufacturer from Arizona, that was able to deliver a previously ordered product on schedule. "While it is extremely difficult to know when hotel demand will resume, management companies should be ready to strategically and proactively assist its owner/partners to prepare for whatever the future holds," Dow concluded. The city of Houston is offering free coronavirus tests for anyone not just those exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at its two drive-thru testing sites, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday. The city, which previously had required residents to show symptoms of the disease, also plans to double its daily capacity at the two sites, from 250 tests each to 500 each. It may take a few days to fully reach the new capacity, and people still must register before taking the test, Houston Health Authority David Persse said. The test remains free for everyone, including those who do not have symptoms. Testing those who are asymptomatic will allow officials to better track community spread of the coronavirus in Houston, Turner said. The mayor announced 115 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the citys total to 2,239 cases. Officials also recorded two new deaths from COVID-19, for a total of 18 thus far. Daily testing capacity also will double by Wednesday at the two Harris County drive-thru sites located outside the city, County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday. The county also is opening two pop-up testing sites, each of which will rotate locations and test up to 100 people per day, bringing the city and countys daily testing capacity to 2,200. Hidalgo said demand for testing still far exceeds supply, so testing at the county sites will continue to be limited to residents exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19, which include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. We need to smart with this limited resource that we have, Hidalgo said. Before opening testing sites to the general public, Hidalgo said the county may first test asymptomatic first responders and health care workers, who are more likely to have come in contact with the virus. Even with its newly expanded testing ability, Turner said the city needs to gain further capacity and offer ubiquitous testing before re-opening restaurants, bars and other shuttered businesses. He did not define ubiquitous testing. Texas has the nations second-worst rate of coronavirus testing per capita, the Chronicle reported Saturday. The city and county had conducted about 14,500 tests at their four sites through by the weekend, according to health officials. The mayor said the city eventually will re-open its economy in stages, instead of letting every business resume operations at once. You can open the gates too soon and make the situation far worse, Turner said. Hidalgo said the current rate of testing allows health experts merely to comfirm a fraction of the cases here. Widespread testing, including asymptomatic residents, will be key to easing the countys stay-at-home order and prevent future outbreaks, she said. Dr. Umair Shah, the county health director, noted private health care providers supplement the tests done by the city and county. He said because record keeping is inconsistent, Harris County Public Health does not know the volume of testing from private firms. Shah said he could not estimate how many daily tests the county should perform, only that it should be far higher. Right now, the answer is: as many as we can, he said. Through Monday, Harris County had reported 3,747 COVID-19 cases and 46 deaths, including the ones from Houston. A total of 642 people have recovered after contracting the coronavirus, leaving 3,059 active cases in the city and county. The data comes from a mix of public and private labs and is not robust enough to track the true scale of the spread, Turner and other officials have acknowledged. Models generally have anticipated a peak in cases about two weeks from now, though Shah said on Houston Public Media Monday that the success of social distancing measures may push the peak back another few weeks. The Houston police and fire departments, meanwhile, reported sharp drops in quarantined personnel Monday. A total of 106 firefighters are quarantined, Fire Chief Sam Pena said, down from a high of 221. Twenty-five firefighters have tested positive, 11 of whom have recovered. The Houston Police Department has 102 members in quarantine, including 70 classified officers, Chief Art Acevedo said Monday. The department once had nearly 200 officers in quarantine. The city and county began operating coronavirus drive-thru testing sites in mid-March, initially prioritizing first responders, health care workers and those 65 and older, while requiring everyone to exhibit symptoms in order to receive a test. The city did not have enough supplies to open its second location at Delmar Stadium until April 1, when a shipment arrived from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A map of drive-thru locations approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services can be found on the agencys website. People can sign up for drive-thru testing in Houston and Harris County by completing a self-assessment at checkforcorona.com/harris-county, then calling 832-393-4220 for Houston or 832-927-7575 for Harris County. jasper.scherer@chron.com zach.despart@chron.com Thousands of labourers and daily wage workers gathered near Bandra railway station in Mumbai to catch a ride home as they had though the lockdown would end on April 14. The police had to resort to lathi-charge to control the crowd. The crowd mainly composed of daily wage labourers who were unable to go home since all transport means were shut down on March 25 due to the lockdown. The lockdown was supposed to end on April 14, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that India will be under a lockdown till May 3. "There is no question of food, food and rations are being provided to them. Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that the arrangement will be made to send them back to their home after the lockdown ends, but now the lockdown has been extended so the people are anxious," Maharashtra Cabinet minister Aslam Sheikh said. According to the police, around 1,000 daily wage workers from the nearby Patel Nagri slum assembled at the Bandra (West) bus stand near the Bandra railway station. These labourers, mostly hailing from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal had earlier asked for transportation to go back to their home states. "These people were hoping to get back home. We have been able to persuade them that they will have to wait as no state borders are open yet. The crowd has been dispersed," Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said. He added, "Mumbai has the largest number of migrant labourers, they had assumed that since today is 14th (April) they will get a chance to get back home. We are glad that state borders have not been opened as if these people had gone back to their home they would have taken the disease with them to their villages." Maharashtra is the worst-hit coronavirus state in the country with more than 2,000 positive cases of COVID-19 and 160 deaths. Also Read: Coronavirus Lockdown India Live Updates: Airline passenger revenues to drop by $314 billion, says global aviation body Also Read: Coronavirus fallout: IMF cuts Indias GDP growth to 1.9%; global economy to see worst recession since 1930s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 14 in an announcement to the public extended the lockdown until May 3. PM Modi went to say that the lockdown, from the experience in the past few days, was the correct choice and that India benefitted greatly from the lockdown and social distancing. From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself. The path that India has taken within our limited resources has become a topic of discussion in the entire world today, he said. Here's the full text of Prime Minister Modi's speech: 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 My Dear Fellow Citizens, Indias fight against the Corona global pandemic is moving ahead with great strength and steadfastness. It is only because of your restraint, penance and sacrifice that, India has so far been able to avert the harm caused by corona to a large extent. You have endured immense suffering to save your country, save your India. I am well aware of the problems you have faced -some for food, some for movement from place to place, and others for staying away from homes and families. However, for the sake of your country, you are fulfilling your duties like a disciplined soldier. This is the power of We, the People of India that our constitution talks about. This display of our collective strength, by us, the people of India, is a true tribute to Baba Saheb Doctor Bhim Rao Ambedkar, on his birth anniversary. Baba Sahebs life inspires us to combat each challenge with determination and hard work. I bow before Baba Saheb on behalf of all of us. Friends, this is also the time of various festivals across various parts of our country. Along with festivals like Baisakhi, Pohela Boishakh, Puthandu, and Vishu, the New Year has commenced in many states. In the time of lockdown, the manner in which people are abiding by the rules, and celebrating festivals with restraint while staying within their homes, is truly praiseworthy. On the occasion of New Year, I wish and pray for your good health. Friends, you are well aware of the status of the Corona pandemic all over the world today. You have been a partner as well as witness to the manner in which India has tried to stop the infection, compared to other countries. Long before we had even a single case of Corona, India had started screening travellers coming in from Corona affected countries at airports. Much before the number of Corona patients reached 100, India had made 14-day isolation mandatory for all those coming in from abroad. Malls, clubs and gyms were shut down in many places. When we had only 550 Corona cases, then itself India had taken the big step of a 21-day complete lockdown. India did not wait for the problem to aggravate. Rather, we attempted to nip the problem in the bud itself, by taking quick decisions as soon as it arose. Friends, in such a crisis it is not right to compare our situation with any other country. However, it is also true that if we look at Corona-related figures in the worlds big, powerful countries, India today is in a very well-managed position. A month, month and a half ago, several countries had been at par with India in terms of Corona infection. But today, Corona cases in those countries are 25 to 30 times than that of India. Thousands of people have tragically died in those countries. Had India not adopted a holistic and integrated approach, taking quick and decisive action; the situation in India today would have been completely different. It is clearly evident from the experience of the past few days, that we have chosen the correct path. Our country has greatly benefited from Social Distancing and Lockdown. From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself. The path that India has taken within our limited resources has become a topic of discussion in the entire world today. The State Governments of the country have also acted with great responsibility in this, managing the situation round the clock. But friends, the way the Corona pandemic is spreading amidst all these efforts, has made health experts & governments around the world even more alert. I have been in continuous touch with the States on how the fight against Corona should progress in India. Everyone has suggested that the lockdown should be continued. Many States have in fact already decided and declared to continue the lockdown. Friends, keeping all the suggestions in mind, it has been decided that the lockdown in India will have to be extended till 3rd May. That means until 3rd May, each and every one of us, will have to remain in the lockdown. During this time, we must continue maintaining discipline in the way we have been doing till now. It is my request and prayer to all fellow citizens that we must not let Coronavirus spread to new areas at any cost. A single new patient at even the smallest local level, should be a matter of concern for us. The tragic death of even a single patient from coronavirus, should increase our concern even further. Therefore, we have to be very vigilant about hot-spots. We will have to keep a close and strict watch on the places which run the risk of becoming hot-spots. The creation of new hot-spots will further challenge our hard work and penance. Hence, let us extend the strictness and austerity in the fight against Corona for the upcoming one week. Until 20th April, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be evaluated on how much the lockdown is being followed.The extent to which the region has protected itself from Coronavirus will be noted. Areas that will succeed in this litmus test, which will not be in the hot-spot category, and will have less likelihood to turn into a hot-spot may be allowed to open up select necessary activities from 20th April. However, keep in mind, this permission will be conditional, and the rules for going out will be very strict. Permission will be withdrawn immediately if lockdown rules are broken, and spread of Coronavirus risked. Hence, we must make sure we ourselves dont become careless, not allow anyone else to do so. A detailed guideline will be issued by the Government tomorrow in this regard. Friends, provision of this limited exemption in these identified areas after 20thAprilhas been done keeping in mind the livelihood of our poor brothers and sisters. Those who earn daily, make ends meet with daily income, they are my family. One of my top-most priorities is to reduce the difficulties in their lives. The government has made every possible effort to help them through Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojna. Their interests have also been taken care of while making the new guidelines. These days, the harvesting of the Rabi crop is also in progress. The Central and State governments are working together to minimize the problems of the farmers. Friends, the country has ample reserves of medicines, food-ration and other essential goods; and supply chain constraints are continuously being removed. We are making rapid progress in ramping up health infrastructure as well. From having only one testing lab for Coronavirus in January, we now have more than 220 functional testing labs. Global experience shows that 1,500-1,600 beds are required for every 10,000 patients. In India, we have arranged more than 1 Lakh beds today. Not only this, there are more than 600 hospitals which are dedicated for Covid treatment. As we speak, these facilities are being increased even more rapidly. Friends, while India has limited resources today, I have a special request for Indias young scientists to come forward and take a lead in creating a vaccine for Coronavirus; for the welfare of the world, for the welfare of the human race. Friends, if we continue to be patient and follow rules, we will be able to defeat even a pandemic like Corona. With this faith and trust, I seek your support for 7 things in the end. First thing Take special care of the elderly in your homes, especially those who have chronic disease. We have to take extra care of them, and keep them safe from Coronavirus. Second thing Completely adhere to the Lakshman Rekha of Lockdown and Social Distancing. Please also use homemade face-covers and masks without fail. Third thing Follow the instructions issued by AYUSH ministry to enhance your immunity. Regularly consume warm water, kadha. Fourth thing Download the Arogya Setu Mobile App to help prevent the spread of corona infection. Inspire others to download the app as well. Fifth thing Take as much care of poor families as you can. Especially try to fulfil their food requirements. Sixth thing Be compassionate towards the people who work with you in your business or industry. Do not deprive them of their livelihood. Seventh thing Pay utmost respect to our nations Corona Warriors our doctors and nurses, sanitation workers and police force. Friends, I urge you to follow the rules of lockdown with utmost sincerity until 3rd May. Stay wherever you are, Stay safe. VayamRashtreJagrutyaa We will all keep our nation eternal and awakened -with this thought, I conclude. Thank you very much! Francis Chan identifies 'purpose' behind COVID-19 isolation: 'This is a gift to you' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Francis Chan has suggested God might be using the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to humble humanity and connect with His people and encouraged Christians to view the time of rest as a gift. We were created to have a deep relationship with God, the former megachurch pastor, who recently left the United States to become a missionary in Hong Kong, said in a recent message posted on the Crazy Love YouTube page. God made us relational beings, that's the way we were designed. In fact, Jesus said, I and the Father are one. So if you've seen me you've seen the Father, he continued. He talked about this oneness they had, but then He says, I want you to abide in Me and I will live in you. This is what I was made for. This is why you and I were designed to have this deep walk with God, our Creator. Despite this, so many of us have the tendency where we want to control our own lives, the pastor said, adding, We don't want to spend our time in this intimacy with God we have things to do. And so we go and we run, and we try to control things. How's that working out for you? Chan asked. I bet in January, you had projections for this year. How's it going, man? God says even when you try to control your life you're not in control. Don't you understand that there's something about how right now, He just caused every single treadmill to stop? And it's driving us crazy because all we know how to do is run, run, run, and now suddenly, I got to fix this machine. Ive got get back on it somehow. I'm losing ground. While God wants to humble us and show us, look, you can't control your life, you can't control tomorrow, theres something even deeper going on amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chan said, adding that Scripture says God yearns jealously for His people. Maybe this time of isolation has a purpose, he suggested. And the purpose is He wants to be with me. He's saying, Stop running. I'm just gonna stop you for a while because I want to because I, Almighty God, want to be with you. I want to connect with you. The worst thing you could do right now is get frustrated and stressed out and try to fix everything so you can get back on that treadmill, he continued. This is a gift to you. You have a loving Father in Heaven. Almighty God, the one who decides whether you keep breathing for the rest of the day. And He's saying, I want you right now. It's a big deal to look at Him and say, No, I've got something better to do. And once I fix this thing, I'm gonna get running again, Chan stressed. Dont do it. This is His gift. It's a time for you to look back at your life and go, Why am I just running aimlessly? God wants you to get off this machine and get deep into a relationship with Him. Communion with God leads to joy and peace, Chan said, but it starts with you stepping away from that treadmill and having the core of your being connected with Him right now. Don't waste another day, he concluded. The coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, has affected over 587,357 people in the United States as of Tuesday and led to 23,649 deaths, the CDC reports. Previously, Chan encouraged the Church to view the coronavirus pandemic as one of our greatest opportunities to reach a lost world and show them we havent lost our love, joy, and peace instead of succumbing to fear and anxiety. There needs to be this resilience in us as believers. I think that is what the world, in the church, is being shown right now is how vulnerable, how volatile we are that one little thing could mess things up. Chan stressed that for seven years, hes been exhorting Christians to prepare to live out their faith and thrive in their walk with God regardless of the circumstances surrounding them. Thats been our heart for you guys as elders in the church, he said. There's going to come a day when we won't have the luxury of all the leaders being together with all of the people, and you need to be ready for that. It's kind of crazy. I've been preaching that for seven years. And then two weeks after I leave, you're living [that]. And the whole country is having to live that. I believe it's God's grace on us to show us: Am I prepared? Have I lost my love, my joy, my peace? he continued. This is the fruit of the Spirit, guys, take advantage of this time. Don't miss this opportunity. This is one of our greatest opportunities for reaching out to a lost world and showing them that we haven't lost our love, joy, and peace. Even at this moment, the enemy can't take that away from us, he concluded. We love the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Church is alive and well. Elgar Parishad: Navlakha, Teltumbde in NIA custody, following SC order India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: Gautam Navlakha an accused in the Elgar Parishad case today surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Earlier the NIA had arrested Anand Teltumbde, who is also an accused in the case. Last week the Supreme Court had directed both activists to surrender before the NIA within seven days. A Bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee questioned them for not surrendering in compliance of its order, by which the court had on March 16 directed them to surrender, 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. Since the petitioners have enjoyed protection for long, by way of the last opportunity, we extend the time grand to surrender for one week, the Bench had said. The activists had approached the Supreme Court seeking more time to surrender due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. They contended that they were suffering from ailments and hence should not allow themselves to be exposed to public places. The Centre, however, opposed their contention and said that the jail will be a safe place for them. A new scenario based on computer simulations accounts for all of the observed characteristics of the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system Since its discovery in 2017, an air of mystery has surrounded the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system, an elongated, cigar-shaped body named 'Oumuamua (Hawaiian for "a messenger from afar arriving first"). How was it formed, and where did it come from? A new study published April 13 in Nature Astronomy offers a first comprehensive answer to these questions. First author Yun Zhang at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and coauthor Douglas N. C. Lin at the University of California, Santa Cruz, used computer simulations to show how objects like 'Oumuamua can form under the influence of tidal forces like those felt by Earth's oceans. Their formation theory explains all of 'Oumuamua's unusual characteristics. "We showed that 'Oumuamua-like interstellar objects can be produced through extensive tidal fragmentation during close encounters of their parent bodies with their host stars, and then ejected into interstellar space," said Lin, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. Discovered on October 19, 2017, by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1) in Hawaii, 'Oumuamua is absolutely nothing like anything else in our solar system, according to Zhang. Its dry surface, unusually elongated shape, and puzzling motion even drove some scientists to wonder if it was an alien probe. "It is really a mysterious object, but some signs, like its colors and the absence of radio emission, point to 'Oumuamua being a natural object," Zhang said. "Our objective is to come up with a comprehensive scenario, based on well understood physical principles, to piece together all the tantalizing clues," Lin said. Astronomers had expected that the first interstellar object they detected would be an icy body like a comet. Icy objects like those populating the Oort cloud, a reservoir of comets in the outermost reaches of our solar system, evolve at very large distances from their host stars, are rich in volatiles, and are often tossed out of their host systems by gravitational interactions. They are also highly visible due to the sublimation of volatile compounds, which creates a comet's coma (or "tail") when it is warmed by the sun. 'Oumuamua's dry appearance, however, is similar to rocky bodies like the solar system's asteroids, indicating a different ejection scenario. Other researchers have calculated that there must be an extremely large population of interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua. "The discovery of 'Oumuamua implies that the population of rocky interstellar objects is much larger than we previously thought," Zhang said. "On average, each planetary system should eject in total about a hundred trillion objects like 'Oumuamua. We need to construct a very common scenario to produce this kind of object." When a smaller body passes very close to a much bigger one, tidal forces of the larger body can tear the smaller one apart, as happened to comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 when it came close to Jupiter. The tidal disruption processes can eject some debris into interstellar space, which has been suggested as a possible origin for 'Oumuamua. But whether such a process could explain 'Oumuamua's puzzling characteristics remained highly uncertain. Zhang and Lin ran high-resolution computer simulations to model the structural dynamics of an object flying close by a star. They found that if the object comes close enough to the star, the star can tear it into extremely elongated fragments that are then ejected into the interstellar space. "The elongated shape is more compelling when we considered the variation of material strength during the stellar encounter. The ratio of long axis to short axis can be even larger than ten to one," Zhang said. The researchers' thermal modeling showed that the surface of fragments resulting from the disruption of the initial body would melt at a very short distance from the star and recondense at greater distances, thereby forming a cohesive crust that would ensure the structural stability of the elongated shape. "Heat diffusion during the stellar tidal disruption process also consumes large amounts of volatiles, which not only explains 'Oumuamua's surface colors and the absence of visible coma, but also elucidates the inferred dryness of the interstellar population," Zhang said. "Nevertheless, some high-sublimation-temperature volatiles buried under the surface, like water ice, can remain in a condensed form." Observations of 'Oumuamua showed no cometary activity, and only water ice is a possible outgassing source to account for its non-gravitational motion. If 'Oumuamua was produced and ejected by the scenario of Zhang and Lin, plenty of residual water ice could be activated during its passage through the solar system. The resulting outgassing would cause accelerations that match 'Oumuamua's comet-like trajectory. "The tidal fragmentation scenario not only provides a way to form one single 'Oumuamua, but also accounts for the vast population of asteroid-like interstellar objects," Zhang said. The researchers' calculations demonstrate the efficiency of tidal forces in producing this kind of object. Possible progenitors, including long-period comets, debris disks, and even super-Earths, could be transformed into 'Oumuamua-size pieces during stellar encounters. This work supports estimates of a large population of 'Oumuamua-like interstellar objects. Since these objects may pass through the domains of habitable zones, the possibility that they could transport matter capable of generating life (called panspermia) cannot be ruled out. "This is a very new field. These interstellar objects could provide critical clues about how planetary systems form and evolve," Zhang said. According to Lin, "'Oumuamua is just the tip of the iceberg. We anticipate many more interstellar visitors with similar traits will be discovered by future observation with the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory." U.S. Naval Academy astronomer Matthew Knight, who is co-leader of the 'Oumuamua International Space Science Institute team and was not involved in the new study, said this work "does a remarkable job of explaining a variety of unusual properties of 'Oumuamua with a single, coherent model." "As future interstellar objects are discovered in coming years, it will be very interesting to see if any exhibit 'Oumuamua-like properties. If so, it may indicate that the processes described in this study are widespread," Knight said. ### British-built spacecraft BepiColombo has taken captivating footage of Earth during a close flyby of our planet. Images and video of the moment the craft flew 7,900 miles (12,700km) above the South Atlantic Ocean were beamed to the European Space Agency's headquarters in Germany. A variation of camera angles caught the transit from differing perspectives, and the craft is now continuing on its seven-year-long journey to study Mercury. BepiColombo's five-billion-mile odyssey started in October 2018 and will conclude in 2025, following two flybys of Venus and six of Mercury itself. Scroll down down for video British-built spacecraft BepiColombo has taken captivating footage of Earth during a flyby of our planet. Images and video of the moment the craft flew 12,700km above the South Atlantic Ocean were beamed to headquarters on Earth A variation of camera angles caught the transit past Earth (pictured) from differing perspectives and the craft is now heading towards Mercury This photo made available by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency shows the earth as seen by the BepiColombo spacecraft on April 10, 2020 The ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, tracked its progress as it passed by the Earth. '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, BepiColombo will place two probes one European and one Japanese in orbit around Mercury, the least explored world in the solar system. BepiColombo has a range of complex equipment to help study Mercury, but also has three cameras attached to the hull of the spaceship. These cameras provided the view of Earth, seen as a rotating sphere in the video. BepiColombo, the British-built spacecraft destined for Mercury, bid a final farewell to Earth before heading to Mercury, the tiny rocky planet closest to the sun The spacecraft has a high-resolution scientific camera on-board the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) as well as the three monitoring cameras. However, this camera is attached to the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) and only becomes available after the two segments of BepiColombo the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) have detached. 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). 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. 'This is an important milestone for the mission, and hence for our instrument on board,' Professor Bunce, who helped build an instrument on BepiColombo, said of the flyby at the weekend. 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. 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 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 Hundreds of care packages will soon be on their way to isolated Aboriginal communities across the state, in a joint food relief initiative from the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and the state government. Boxes of non-perishable food and hygiene items will be sent to 65 communities where panic buying has disrupted supplies. Regional towns like Walgett have already been doing it tough through years of drought. Credit:Janie Barrett The program will initially target the state's most vulnerable groups, including Aboriginal elders and people with a disability. The packages will be welcomed by regional and remote NSW communities already "doing it tough" after years of drought, said land council chairwoman Anne Dennis, who lives in Walgett. And in a city reeling from the overt danger posed by the virus, top health officials said they had identified another grim reality: The outbreak is likely to have also led indirectly to a spike in deaths of New Yorkers who may never have been infected. Three thousand more people died in New York City between March 11 and April 13 than would have been expected during the same time period in an ordinary year, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the commissioner of the city Health Department, said in an interview. While these so-called excess deaths were not explicitly linked to the virus, they might not have happened had the outbreak not occurred, in part because it overwhelmed the normal health care system. This is yet another part of the impact of Covid, she said, adding that more study was needed. Similar analysis is commonly done after heat waves and was performed in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. What New Yorkers are interested in, and what the country is interested in, is that we have an accurate and complete count, Dr. Barbot added. Its part of the healing process that were going to have to go through. The revised death toll renewed focus on shortcomings in testing that have hamstrung city and state officials since the beginning of the outbreak. A limited number of tests have been available, and until now, only deaths where a person had tested positive were officially counted among those killed by the virus in New York. Pakistan's goverment to recover foreign loan funds from Galadari Cement 14 April 2020 Pakistan's government on 8 April decided to recover a foreign funding loan from a local cement plant that has been under construction for a long time in Balochistan province. According to a government statement, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, on the summary moved by the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) for the recovery of foreign currency loans from the private sector borrowers, ie Galadari Cement Ltd (GCL), has decided that the EAD should re-submit the proposal after consultation with the State Bank of Pakistan with all details. No further details about origin or value of funding was disclosed by the government nor was commitment of the company received. GCL was incorporated in 1980 with an acquisition of land at district Hub, in Balochistan, while formal construction of the plant begun after 19 years. The company procured equipment from European manufacturers. However, the plant had witnessed multiple closures due to legal and inheritance issues. Pioneer Cement Co Ltd, which had signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stakes of Galadari Cement a few years ago, has not issued any statement on this new development nor updated whether its programme to acquire the company is intact or not. Published under A Cork native is to become the next president of the largest teachers trade union in Ireland. Mary Magner, a native of Castletownroche in north Cork and living in nearby Killavullen, has been elected as the next president of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). I am privileged and honoured to take up the role of president of the INTO and pledge to work steadfastly on behalf of each and every member in the challenging post-Covid 19 times ahead, said Ms Magner. I commit to ensuring that our union continues to be a cohesive, powerful force in a new world, where, as educationalists and teachers, we emerge from the pandemic crisis energised to embrace the opportunities of influencing the next generation. Educated in Castletownroche NS and Loreto Convent Fermoy, Ms Magner graduated from St Patricks College, Drumcondra, in 1982. Ms Magner began her teaching career in inner city Dublin before returning to Co Cork. Here she taught all class levels in a number of urban and rural schools before securing a position in St Patricks BNS, Mallow, in 1995. Ms Magner is currently principal teacher in Scoil Chroi Iosa, Blarney. She previously represented North and East Cork as well as Cork City North on the INTO executive. The Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has indicated that Ghanas aggressive contact tracing and testing procedures have been a major tool in the fight against the spread of the deadly pandemic since the country confirmed its first official case on March 11, 2020. Speaking at the virtual launch of GH COVID-19 Tracker, an app for tracking COVID-19 cases, on Monday Dr. Bawumia said the number of tests Ghana has conducted, 37,954 as at 11th April, ranks the country among the top 20 nations in the world, and amongst the top in Africa, of countries who are testing for COVID-19 per capita. Our focus has been on tracing, testing, treatment, as well as observing social distancing. Ghana has adopted an aggressive testing strategy. In terms of testing for coronavirus per capita Ghana is, on the basis of available data, in the top 20 of Countries in the world. In Africa for example, the available data indicates that we are number one in terms of testing per capita. Many countries are simply not testing. In Ghana, we have tested so far 37,954 people as at 11th April. For Africa as a whole, less than 100,000 people have been tested so far from the data available. In Ghana, we now have a total of 6 centers doing the testing (in Accra, Kumasi, and Pong-Tamale). Navrongo and Tamale Teaching Hospital will soon be added as testing centers. What is significant about Ghanas approach is that we are chasing the virus and trying to get ahead of it, Vice President Bawumia explained. We are not waiting for people to come to the hospital sick before we count them. If we had not done the aggressive contact tracing we are doing, we would not have found the 566 cases we have so far. This would have meant a much bigger problem for us later on as more and more people would have been infected. As I said, this is not being done in many countries so their reported numbers are no doubt an underestimate. In fact, if we had note done contact tracing, Ghanas numbers for COVID-19 would be less than 200. That would have given us a false sense of security. The Vice President disclosed that 450 teams have been deployed across the country to identify all the people who have been in contact with COVID-positive persons in order to test them as well. In this regard, Ghana is doing what countries such as the US and UK and many other African countries are not doing. We are way ahead of them on this. Dr. Bawumia lauded the development and launch of the COVID 19 Tracker app, saying As the President has said, our approach in combatting the COVID-19 is driven by science and data. In this regard, data is the most powerful weapon in our fight against COVID-19. You cannot fight what you cannot see. We cannot be groping in the dark. The data will point us in the right direction. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Quite aside from the subtler elements of the oil deal announced late last week that are likely to undermine its ability to stave off further oil price lows in the coming weeks, the basic facts of the deal are sufficient to do so: global supply is to be cut by (sort of) 10 million barrels per day (bpd) whilst global demand has fallen by around 30 million bpd. That is really all anyone needs to know and is the key reason why oil prices are likely to continue to test the downside of recent lows and to surpass them over time. Terrible though these raw figures look, the overall deal itself is much worse the more that it is examined in depth, as it is below. Before the Saudis decided to again gallop gaily into the ranks of the intellectually dispossessed earlier this year by trying exactly the same oil pricing strategy (i.e. bankrupt other producers by overproducing and crashing oil prices) that failed so abysmally from 2014 to 2016, the global oil market was at a fairly balanced point. Oil demand was around 100 million barrels per day (bpd) with the Brent oil price set in the US$50-70 per barrel range, albeit with a bias towards the lower end of that scale. The best U.S. shale producers were able to make decent money above the US$40 per barrel level, as was Russia, which has a budget breakeven price per barrel of Brent of precisely US$40. Only Saudi Arabia was in trouble, with a budget breakeven price of US$84 per barrel of Brent but that was its own fault, a product of the legacy of the aforementioned disastrous price war on shale from 2014 to 2016 and of the various vanity projects and vanity war in Yemen of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). Saudi Arabia was continually peeved not just by the fact that it had to pay the price for underestimating the tenacious adaptability of the U.S. shale industry back in 2014 that allowed these producers to reduce breakeven prices from around US$70 per barrel to less than US$40 but also that its efforts to keep oil prices up through various OPEC and OPEC+ agreements were allowing these very shale producers to make a lot more money than the Saudis, relatively speaking. The reason for this was that U.S. shale producers over 90 per cent of which are still relatively small, independent operators were not bound in to the OPEC/OPEC+ production quotas so could fill the output gaps created by OPEC producers (Russia, as the significant + in OPEC+, never took any notice of its quotas). Premium: Where Does Oil Go After The Largest Production Cut In History? This allowed the U.S. a rolling 3-4 million bpd advantage over Saudi in the oil exports game, meaning that it quickly became the worlds number one oil producer, while Russia (which, remember, ignores all quotas) became number two, and Saudi Arabia (which broadly abides by most of the quotas) trailed at number three. Hence, Saudi Arabia decided initially to unilaterally announce its intention for the last OPEC+ deal to be much bigger than that which it had pre-agreed with Russia, hoping to ambush the Russians into agreeing. Russia, however, turned around and told Saudi Arabia to figuratively go and reproduce with itself. MbS, who has surrounded himself with yes men within his government and foreign advisers who are worried about losing his business, then decided to launch an all-out price war. The reason why this has been such a short-lived war is that - for the reasons outlined above - nobody wanted to tell MbS that he had forgotten to factor in a key element, and that was the deal made in 1945 between the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Saudi King at the time, Abdulaziz, that has defined the relationship between the two countries ever since. As analyzed in depth in my new book on the global oil markets, the deal that was struck between the two men on board the U.S. Navy cruiser Quincy in the Great Bitter Lake segment of the Suez Canal was that the U.S. would receive all of the oil supplies it needed for as long as Saudi Arabia had oil in place, in return for which the U.S. would guarantee the security of the ruling House of Saud. The deal has altered slightly ever since the rise of the U.S. shale oil industry and Saudi Arabias attempt to destroy it from 2014 to 2016, in that the U.S. still guarantees the security of the House of Saud but it also expects Saudi Arabia not only to supply the U.S. with whatever oil it needs for as long as it can but also and this is key to everything that has followed it also allows the U.S. shale industry to continue to function and to grow. As far as the U.S. is concerned, if this means that the Saudis lose out to U.S. shale producers by keeping oil prices up but losing out on export opportunities to these U.S. firms then tough: it is money well spent by the House of Saud for the protection of the U.S. As U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear whenever he has sensed a lack of understanding on the part of Saudi Arabia for the huge benefit that the U.S. is doing the ruling family: He [Saudi King Salman] would not last in power for two weeks without the backing of the U.S. military. Premium: Missiles Fired In Iraq As Proxy War Heats Up Aside from fundamental mathematical failure of the oil deal, then, what else is wrong with it? For a start, there is the usual nonsense of the baseline levels from which production is judged to have been cut. Both Saudi Arabia and Russia are to cut around 2.5 million bpd each but only from the production baseline level of about 11 million, according to the OPEC statement last week. However, Saudi has never recorded sustained actual oil production of more than 10.5 million bpd for more than a brief period. The recent often-quoted supply highs of over 12 million bpd are not repeat not actual production but rather production plus the use of oil inventory. To put it into historical and real terms, the average Saudi production from 1973 to the beginning of this year was 8.15 million barrels per day. This means that the Saudis are not in reality cutting production at all, it is just going to cut back on the use of its oil inventory, which it cannot afford to keep squandering at such low prices anyway. Russia, in the meantime, is geared up to produce around 11 million bpd anyhow the baseline figure so again this effectively means no cut, and even if the baseline figure was lower, Russia would take no notice and produce whatever it wanted, as it has done for every OPEC+ deal with which it has been involved, since the first agreed cut in December 2016. The third key failure of this deal is that the prospect of failure is explicitly built into it, in the form of a sliding scale of production reductions that are to be reviewed on a rolling basis as the market moves forward. Specifically, OPEC+s tentative plan would see the output curbs dramatically reduced after two months, depending on the evolution of the coronavirus, with the 10 million-barrel-a-day cut liable to be reduced to 8 million a day from July and then to 6 million a day from January 2021 to April 2022, according to the OPEC statement. The group is planning another videoconference 10 June to discuss what additional measures need to be taken, which means that any slim optimism that may have supported oil prices has immediately been undermined with the prospect of a complete change to the parameters of the deal so quickly. With this prospect of reducing production quotas so close, it is also not unreasonable to expect the OPEC and OPEC+ producers to take a less than stringent approach to the absolute level of their oil production or exports, of course, although in the case of Saudi Arabia and Russia, the quotas, as mentioned, are meaningless. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday formally endorsed Joe Biden for president, a big step in helping to unite their party and marking his own entry into the fight against President Trump. Evoking the nation's current health and economic crisis, Obama said in a video release, "Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times, and heal us through a long recovery." There had been little doubt that Obama would back his former vice president once Biden had a lock on the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, but Obama one of the most popular Democrats in the country had steadfastly withheld any endorsement during the long party contest that featured numerous contenders. Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend," Obama said, speaking straight to the camera in the 12-minute video. "And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now." Obamas endorsement came one day after Biden secured the formal backing of his last remaining rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Another former competitor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, is expected to soon endorse Biden as well; the timing of the announcement is being largely determined by the Biden campaign, according to a source familiar with the planning. The high-level endorsements are part of an orchestrated effort to unify the Democratic Party for the general-election push to defeat Trump, and to avoid the kind of lingering post-primary divisions that hampered the 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton. Obama did not endorse anyone during the primary season because, sources close to him said, he believed his most important role would be as the uniter after a competition that pitted the party establishment that Biden represented and the liberal wing that Sanders leads. As Biden's hold on the nomination became clear in past weeks, Obama had several conversations with Sanders in advance of the senator's withdrawal from the race, according to a source familiar with the conversations. Story continues In his endorsement video for Biden, Obama lavished praise on Sanders. "Bernies an American original a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to working peoples hopes, dreams and frustrations, Obama said. "He and I haven't always agreed on everything. But we've always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society." Obama also defended Biden against criticism from the left that his agenda is not bold enough to tackle the nation's problems. "Joe already has what is the most progressive platform of any major party nominee in history," Obama said. "Because even before the pandemic turned the world upside down, it was already clear that we needed real structural change." Bidens service in Obama's administration has been a central element of his campaign pitch and political appeal. Biden has touted their partnership, as well as his prior resume and accomplishments, to bolster the case that he has the most experience getting things done in Washington and on the international stage. Im proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020 Biden's alliance with Americas first black president also helps account for the strong support he has enjoyed among African American voters, who proved crucial to his campaign's recovery after a shaky start in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His turnaround began when he trounced his opponents in the South Carolina primary, where a majority of Democratic voters are African American. Biden's dominance was confirmed soon after, when overwhelming support from black voters helped him to victories in Super Tuesday's multi-state contests. With Obama remaining neutral, his image appeared in many candidates campaign ads during the nomination race as the rival Democrats competed to associate themselves with the popular former president. Warren ran an ad featuring Obama praising her work in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg ran an ad so filled with Obama's praise of him that some voters mistakenly concluded the former president had endorsed him. Even Sanders, for all of his policy disagreements with Obama, late in the campaign ran an ad with old clips of the president praising him. And of course Biden himself put Obama at the center of an early ad. It featured Obama, in one of his last speeches as president in January 2017, as he gave his vice president the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Calling Biden a resilient, humble and loyal servant, Obama said his friend was "nowhere close to finished. It was not immediately clear what role Obama would play in the Biden campaign going forward, but he suggested in the video he would get out on the hustings once the public health emergency ends. "I will see you on the campaign trail as soon as I can," he said. The Chinese government has stated that it has concluded plans to protect Africans in the country and will not tolerate discrimination against them. The countrys foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, made the comment on Sunday at an event in Guangdong on anti-epidemic measures concerning African citizens in China, according to a statement by the Chinese Embassy in Abuja. Amidst the fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, several videos have emerged showing how some Chinese are harassing Africans, throwing them out of their homes and making them sleep on the streets of Guangzhou, in Guangdong Province of China. This has created a huge furore on the social media site, Twitter. The videos, that have drawn an hashtag #ChinaMustExplain, are eliciting comments and questions from Nigerians on social media, who have equally called on the Nigerian government, as well the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to look into the issue as a matter of urgency. Nigerias House of Representatives speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had expressed displeasure to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, over the alleged inhuman treatment meted out on some Nigerians by the Chinese authorities in Beijing. China-Africa Relationship In the official statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Lijan stated that China and Africa are good friends, partners and brothers and (China) will not allow humiliation of Africans. Our friendship is forged on the basis of joint efforts to seek national independence, liberation, economic development and better livelihood in the past decades. Such time-tested friendship is a treasure for both Chinese and African people. Humanity shines through the darkness of the epidemic. He said after the Ebola epidemics broke out in three West African countries in 2014, the Chinese government provided assistance at the earliest time possible and fought side by side African countries and people. Now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Africa are again tiding over difficulties hand in hand, and our friendship is again elevated. We will not forget the support from Africa during our most difficult times. While overcoming difficulties at home, we also give love and care to all African citizens in China, especially African students. As the situation is getting more severe in Africa, the Chinese government and people have urgently delivered batches of supplies to the continent. Our assistance, conveying deep friendship for our African brothers and sisters, demonstrates our fine tradition of mutual assistance and mutual support, and has been highly acclaimed by African countries and the African Union. While arduously fight the virus at home, China has donated large amounts of test kits, masks, protective suits, goggles, face shields, forehead thermometers, medical-use gloves, shoe covers, ventilators and other supplies to the African Union and African countries, part of the releases noted. What we are doing to help Africans Mr Lijan stated that China will continue helping African countries to the best of its ability. During our fight against the coronavirus, the Chinese government has heen attaching great importance to the life and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination, he added. Since the outbreak, the authorities in Guangdong attach high importance to the treatment of foreign patients, including African nationals. Specific plans and proper arrangements are made to protect their life and health to the best of our ability, thanks to which we were able to save the lives of some African patients in severe or critical conditions. READ ALSO: The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method. He stated that those measures include providing health management services without differentiation, designating hotels for the accommodation of foreigners required to undergo medical observation and adopting price adjustment for those in financial difficulties. Others are setting up of an effective communication mechanism with foreign consulates-general in Guangzhou and rejecting all racist and discriminatory remarks. Advertisements The Chinese people always see in the African people partners and brothers through thick and thin. China-Africa friendship is unbreakable as it is deeply rooted in this land. African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China. He said the countrys foreign ministry will stay in close communication with the Guangdong authorities and continue responding to the African sides reasonable concerns and legitimate appeals. Why Nigerians were restricted Apart from the formal statement by the Chinese foreign ministry, the Chinese embassy in Nigeria also shared a post allegedly by a Nigerian named Zara Onyinye, justifying the actions against some Nigerians in China. In her post, Ms Onyinye said the main reason movement by Nigerians was being restricted was because many of them were just returning to China. Before the Chinese borders were closed, many Nigerians have also entered China to do business, the Chinese government then asked that they be kept in isolation, until they have been tested after 14 days of the quarantine. The Chinese government would lead them by themselves to a particular hotel in Gwanzo, China as every other hotel have been instructed not to allow any *foreigner* into their rooms. For those kept in isolation, health workers are also instructed to test and check their temperatures every morning and if after 14 days, you are tested negative to the virus, youll be released and free to go about your daily business. Just before the conclusion of 14 daysthere were suspected cases of three people but two were discharged due to the fact that they were diagnosed with Thyphoid and malariawhile only one person had the virus. She stated that the one diagnosed with the virus refused to get treated as he was accusing the health workers of attempting to infect him with the virus. He even had to hit a nurse on her face and she got injured, she stated. She said Chinese government workers there got angry but then the chairman of Nigerian business men in China came and pleaded and asked that the boy be treated. The officials reportedly agreed but said he would be deported after treatment. Ms Onyinye said the discovery of an African with the virus made the authorities more interested in testing more Africans. They had to check every eatery in Gwanzo, China where Nigerian dishes were prepared to search for Nigerians as tests were now carried out on all black people and foreigners. A discovery was made of an eatery where a woman who prepared mostly Nigerian dishes just returned from home and refused to self isolate and yet have already been preparing food for peopleshe was then tested and she was positive with the virus. She said this led to the lock down of all local black eateries in Gwangzo town alone. The woman was then taken for treatment and other blacks were highly monitored because if she had been preparing food for themthen there must likely (be) a case of where she must have transmitted the virus. She narrated that a news was then passed for everyone to remain indoors while health workers would go about testing people from door to door. Health workers then went about from door to door to test persons for the virus and if found Negative, youd be given a card with which youd carry around in order to enter any facility. Nigerians at the hotel started ravaging and kept shouting that they should be set free for they cant be kept locked up for more than 14days. Some even had to force their way through and exit the hotel. She said there was an order that anyone who leaves the hotel premises should not be allowed to come back in but yet Nigerians left to the market and when they returned, they werent allowed to go in. This was what caused the clustering at the front of the hotel and they begin to spread false news that the Chinese government have denied them access to their homes and residencesand are being asked to leave. She stated that many Nigerians disobeyed the sit at home law and were no where to be found when health workers visited their homes for testing. She added that those who stayed indoors were all tested and given cards and till date have no issues with accommodation or the Chinese government. In the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, UK company, Vestigo has launched a new website to promote its efforts to develop a digital tracing app called Dot2Dot and test the prototype within the next few weeks. Dot2Dot will digitise the manual contact tracing procedures utilised by health professionals, making those processes more efficient and less costly by harnessing AI capabilities and social network tracing to maximise the effectiveness of the The latest: CDC, FEMA draft national plan to reopen US, report says There is a draft of a back-to-work strategy for the nation, created by a team led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to The Washington Post. The plan offers guidance for local and state governments on how to reopen the country safely and in phases, the newspaper reported. The strategy has three phases, according to the report. President Trump's trade adviser defends WHO funding halt President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro appeared on Fox News after the White House briefing to defend the Presidents WHO funding halt and discuss how it could impact US-China relations. The World Health Organization is a single failure during this epidemic. They basically hid information from the public, they failed to call this a pandemic long after others had rightfully done so. There is blood on their hands. I think President Trump is absolutely correct to have a full investigation of how that happened and what Chinas role mightve been to that," Navarro said. Pressed on how this could impact future trade negotiations with China, he called those interesting questions but went on to talk about supply chains. Asked again later in the interview how coronavirus will impact the US-China relationship, Navarro said, We have to find out where it originated. We have to understand why China did not tell us for six weeks in which we lost precious time preparing for a pandemic. This is something we will not forget: China was basically vacuuming up the worlds PPE around the world so that we didnt have it in New York and people didnt have it in Milan. Thats a question that has to be answered. The question going forward is will they provide the PPE to the world as we go through this crisis without strings? San Francisco Pride cancels 50th anniversary celebration due to virus concerns San Francisco Pride has decided to cancel its parade and celebration this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced in a statement today. Uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified in recent weeks, and the organization has concluded that the risks to public health of a large-scale gathering such as Pride preclude this years production of the annual event, the statement said. The two day event in San Francisco, scheduled for June 27 and 28, would have marked San Francisco Prides 50th anniversary with over a million attendees, according to the statement. This was not a decision we arrived at lightly, San Francisco Pride Executive Director Fred Lopez said. Nonprofit event producers are working to determine alternate ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary through digital platforms. SF Pride will join other Pride organizations in a worldwide Virtual Global Pride event on June 27. Trump acknowledges governors have authority to open states when ready President Donald Trump says he'll soon reveal details and guidelines for reopening the country but appeared to acknowledge that individual state governors will ultimately determine when to reverse stay-at-home orders. Only a day earlier, Trump insisted he had absolute authority to determine when states would be able to reopen their economies. But his message Tuesday was different. He said governors would determine their own plans. And while he said he was authorizing them to do it, there wasn't any evidence they would require such sign-off. Trump said he would be "authorizing each individual governor of each individual state to implement a reopening and a very powerful reopening plan of their state." He said he would soon speak to all 50 governors about the plans, and indicated some states without major outbreaks could potentially open before May 1. He said his administration would work to hold governors accountable for the plans. But he said they'd be working closely with the states. Trump halts US funding to World Health Organization President Trump announced Tuesday he is halting funding to the World Health Organization while a review is conducted. Trump said at a news conference the review would cover the WHOs role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus. The president said that while the U.S. imposed travel restrictions on China during the early stages of the outbreak, WHO was "opposed to what we did," he said. "Other nations and regions who followed WHO guidelines and kept their borders open to China, accelerated the pandemic around the world," Trump said. Trump continued: "The decision of other major countries to keep travel open was one of the great tragedies and missed opportunities from the early days." Dr. Fauci: "We're not there yet" on reopening country Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nations economy, adding a dose of caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House. We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and were not there yet, Fauci said in an interview with The Associated Press. Faucis comments come as President Donald Trump and others in the administration weigh how quickly businesses can reopen and Americans can get back to work weeks after the fast-spreading coronavirus essentially halted the U.S. economy. Trump has floated the possibility of reopening some areas by May 1 and said he could announce recommendations as soon as this week. Fauci said a May 1 target is a bit overly optimistic for many areas of the country. Any easing off the strict social-distancing rules in place in much of the country would have to occur on a rolling basis, not all at once, he said, reflecting the ways COVID-19 struck different parts of the country at different times. Among Faucis top concerns: That there will be new outbreaks in locations where social distancing has eased, but public health officials dont yet have the capabilities to rapidly test for the virus, isolate any new cases and track down everyone that an infected person came into contact with. Ill guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections. Its how you deal with the infections thats going count, Fauci told the AP. While some states team up to plan for reopening, others say it's too soon With encouraging signs that the U.S. is nearing the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, at least 10 states have created coalitions to work together toward reopening their economies. But as they do, several other state leaders are taking a more measured approach, saying they fear the worst is yet to come for their parts of the country. The contrasting responses reflect one of the challenges the country will face as talks turn to lifting social distancing measures and states find themselves in vastly different circumstances. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that while the country is nearing its peak in the coronavirus pandemic, different parts of the country were affected differently and should be viewed as "separate situations." In Pennsylvania, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said that while social distancing measures have had a positive impact in slowing the number of new cases, it would be a "very big mistake" to think about reopening the state before it hits its peak which she said hasn't happened yet. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Monday that governors across the Upper Great Plains region don't think they are anywhere close to opening. "We have said all along there are going to be different curves for different parts of the country, and so we are not there yet," he said. He said that while other states have begun showing signs of a flattening curve, in North Dakota, the numbers of cases and deaths are still on the rise. "That is going to be confusing for people. If ... New York had all these deaths and they are opening up, why aren't we opening? That will be a communication challenge for us, but we have to just keep monitoring and see where we are going on this," Burgum said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state was coordinating with other Northeastern states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, and on Tuesday would begin discussions around reopening. "Now it is time to start opening the valve slowly and carefully while watching the infection rate meter so we don't trigger a second wave of new infections," he said. "This is not a light switch that we can just flick on and everything goes back to normal we have to come up with a smart, consistent strategy to restart the systems we shut down and get people back to work." On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington said they'd also be working together with similar goals. As those announcements began rolling in, President Donald Trump said the White House plans to unveil a committee or multiple ones Tuesday focused on reopening the country in the coming weeks. "We will soon finalize new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states," Trump said. "My administration's plan and corresponding guidelines will give the American people the confidence they need to begin returning to normal life." What May will look like still uncertain An influential model cited by the White House predicts the coronavirus pandemic will "peter out" in May and the expert who built the model, Dr. Christopher Murray, says it's possible to get transmission of the virus down to zero by this summer. The model, which makes predictions until August, projects zero deaths after June 21. "The one thing we absolutely know for sure is that social distancing measures work," said Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "It leads to a situation where every case is infecting less than one other case, and that means if you keep the course, you'll get transmission essentially down to zero." But a timeline toward normalcy is something most governors seem hesitant to draw. In Tennessee, the beginning of May will mark a "phased reboot of our economy" after the state's stay-at-home order ends on April 30, Gov. Bill Lee said Monday. Lee announced the formation of an Economic Recovery Group that will work in coordination with local leaders, healthcare professionals, and representatives of impacted industries to determine what is best. The steps the group will take in reopening the economy have not yet been determined, Lee said. In Georgia, one of the last states to issue a sweeping stay-at-home order, Gov. Brian Kemp said plans beyond the end of the month were not the priority. "Our focus is on the hospital surge capacity, the ability to test more because we are going to need that when we go back to work," the governor said when asked about the reopening of the state economy. "We are a little behind the curve from when our peak is going to be to other states around the country," he added. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday that schools would be closed through the end of the academic year but said it was too soon to know when the state could loosen social distancing guidelines. "I cannot tell you exactly what that's going to look like yet, but we will be working really hard with all the experts to get that figured out," he said. Four key cities are listening to stay-at-home orders In some of the country's hotspots New York, New Jersey, Detroit and New Orleans cases have begun leveling off or going down, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said in a tweet Monday. "In the midst of tragedy, there IS hope," he tweeted. "Social distancing and mitigation IS working. There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel." "Keep at it," he added. A report from the CDC shared a similar message. CDC researchers studied data from New York City, Seattle, New Orleans and San Francisco four cities that had large outbreaks and implemented mitigation measures early on. The report found that, in all four areas, the percentage of people leaving their home was close to 80% on Feb. 26. By April 1, that declined between 20 percentage points and 40 percentage points in each city. "They didn't leave their home at any point for any reason. They didn't go outside. That's significant," said study coauthor Kathleen Ethier, leader of the CDC's community mitigation task force for the coronavirus response. "When you put in these social distancing measures, they do seem to work," she said. For now, Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said social distancing will remain the new normal until a vaccine is developed. "I cannot emphasize enough that we cannot let our guard down at this present time," he said. "Until we get a vaccine, which is a while off, this is going to be the new normal and we need to adapt and protect ourselves." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Former President John Mahama has urged President Akufo-Addo to cut down the size of his government in order to make adjustment for the economic challenges occasioned by covid-19. Our economy has revealed from this Covid stress test that it is still fragile and we need to be prudent in how we manage going forward. We must also be diligent in how we apply the $1 billion facility as the various tranches are released. We face significant pressure on our local currency, declining domestic revenues, a slowdown in GDP growth, increase in deficit to GDP of between 8% to 9%, ballooning debt which is projected to hit almost 70% by end year. This scenario requires that we exercise strict prioritization in our borrowing and expenditures and this might be the right time for the President to consider trimming down the bloated size of his government, Mr Mahama said while donated food Items to some vulnerable households in Ghana. He also appealed to the government to make judicious use of the money given it by the IMF. It is predicted that this pandemic and the disruption of global trade and economic activity will adversely affect the economies of developing countries. Ghana is no exception. The fast track approval by the IMF of the highly concessional Rapid Credit Facility is therefore timely and very welcome. This will help cushion the economy from the dangers of recession. Ghanas covid-19 case count now stands at 636, up by some 70 more cases. The figure stood at 566 as of Tuesday morning. According to the Ghana Health Service, as of 13th April 2020, at 23:00HRS, a total of 44,421 persons have been tested with 636 being positive for COVID-19. The breakdown of the 636 positive cases are as follows: seventeen (17) have been treated, reverted to negative on repeat tests and discharged, 605 cases have been categorised as mild disease and are on treatment, two (2) are categorized as moderate to severe cases, none in critical state currently and eight (8) have died. Of the 636 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 268 were reported from the routine surveillance, 253 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale. Regions that have reported cases are Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions. Source: starrfmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Bidens presidential campaign on Monday, encouraging his progressive supporters to rally behind the presumptive Democratic nominee in an urgent bid to defeat President Donald Trump. I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse, the Vermont senator said in a virtual event with Biden. The backing came less than a week after Sanders ended his presidential campaign, which was centered around progressive policies such as universal health care. Its a crucial development for Biden, who must bridge the Democratic Partys entrenched ideological divides to put together a coalition that can beat Trump. Democratic disunity helped contribute to Hillary Clintons loss to Trump in 2016. Perhaps eager to avoid a repeat of that bruising election year, Sanders offered his endorsement much earlier in the 2020 campaign. Sanders backed Clinton four years ago, but only after the end of a drawn-out nomination fight and a bitter dispute over the Democratic platform that extended to the summer convention. Biden and Sanders differed throughout the primary, particularly over whether a government-run system should replace private health insurance. Biden has resisted Sanders Medicare for All plan and has pushed instead a public option that would operate alongside private coverage. Appearing in a split screen with Biden, Sanders said theres no great secret out there that you and I have our differences. But Sanders said the greater priority for Democrats of all political persuasions should be defeating Trump. Weve got to make Trump a one-term president, he added. I will do all that I can to make that happen. The coronavirus prevented Biden and Sanders from appearing together in person on Monday. But they made clear they would continue working together, announcing the formation of six task forces made up of representatives from both campaigns to work on policy agreements addressing health care, the economy, education, criminal justice, climate change and immigration. Biden, 77, has already made some overtures to progressives by embracing aspects of Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warrens policies. The day after Sanders exited the race, Biden came out in support of lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 while pledging to cancel student debt for many low- and middle-income borrowers. Hes also previously embraced Warrens bankruptcy reform plan. Sanders, 78, is sure to remain a force throughout the campaign. When he ended his candidacy, he said he would keep his name on the ballot in states that have not yet voted in order to collect more delegates that could be used to influence the partys platform. He didnt say Monday whether he would continue to fight for those delegates. Still, Sanders and Biden emphasized their mutual respect for each other on Monday. Sanders referred to the former vice president as Joe. Biden answered him repeatedly as pal. The two men asked the other to give regards to their wives, Jill Biden and Jane Sanders. Biden told Sanders: I really need you, not just to win the campaign but to govern. Even with Sanders dozens of campaign stops for Clinton a record he brought up repeatedly to push back at the idea that he was partly to blame for her defeat Mondays conversation was something voters never saw between the 2016 rivals. Whether that translates to how Sanders progressive base sees Biden is not yet clear. Some progressive leaders were positive but guarded in response to Sanders endorsement. This endorsement shows that everyone wants to beat Trump, said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Committee that originally supported Warren. Our side will be increasingly energized the more its clear that progressive ideas and progressive leaders like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and grassroots organizations have strong positions of influence with Biden, Green said. But others remained skeptical. The divisions in the party were clear Monday when, in an interview with The Associated Press just a few hours before Sanders endorsement, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Bidens overtures to progressives on health care. We need a real plan and not just gestures, she said. What Id like to see at a bare minimum is a health care plan that helps extend health care to young people. Trumps campaign, meanwhile, seized on Sanders endorsement to underscore Bidens embrace of some of his plans, with campaign manager Brad Parscale saying in a statement that though Bernie Sanders wont be on the ballot in November, his issues will be. Biden had to adopt most of Bernies agenda to be successful in the Democrat primaries. One thing that is missing is enthusiasm, however, as almost no one is excited about a Biden candidacy, he said. But Sanders could go a long way toward infusing Bidens campaign with additional energy if hes able to bring his enthusiastic following of millions of young and progressive voters along with him to support Biden. Young voters, a key Democratic voting bloc, have long supported Sanders over his former primary rivals by huge margins. Biden and Sanders on Monday emphasized the need to address the challenges confronting young people during the pandemic, with Sanders describing a generation of young people who are experiencing crisis after crisis. The Gujarat government has briefed the Centre about the steps it has taken to help students in the state amid the coronavirus lockdown. States Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama held a telephonic conversation on Saturday with Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal over issues related to students, the Gujarat government said in a press release on Monday. The press release said Chudasama informed the minister that 210 days of teaching work is over in universities and colleges in the state, e-learning has begun in universities with Google class room, Zoom application and YouTube. Apart from this, a virtual learning platform has been developed with NaMo-e tablet application created by the Department of Education. It offers syllabus for all the courses from different universities, the release noted. Online courses have also been introduced for student trainees pursuing B. Ed. (Bachelor of Education), the release said. Chudasama also informed Pokhriyal about other steps that the state has taken for the students amid the nationwide lockdown since March 25, imposed to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. In the press release, Chudasama said: Department is actively using social media and technology so that no student has to face adverse impact on their study due to COVID-19. Education department of state will continue working with commitment until the situation is corrected. More than 9,000 people have been infected and over 300 have died due to the novel coronavirus in India till now. Another 22 COVID-19 cases, including five foreign patients and 17 Vietnamese patients, have recovered and been discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi and the Cu Chi field hospital in HCM City, on Tuesday. A health worker takes care of COVID-19 patients at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Photo courtesy of the hospital The new recoveries have brought the country's total number of cured cases to 168, making up 63.4 per cent of the total 265 COVID-19 patients in Vietnam. At the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, there are 17 recovered patients, including two foreign patients and 15 Vietnamese patients. They are: Patient 24 (male, 69, British nationality); Patient 50 (male, 50, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 87 (female, 32, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 109 (male, 42, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 114 (male, 19, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 115 (female, 44, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 175 (male, 57, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 177 (female, 49, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 186 (female, 60, French national); Patient 189 (female, 46, Vietnamese nationality);Patient 190 (female, 49, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 199 (female, 57, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 208 (female, 38, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 214 (female, 45, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 220 (male, 20, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 232 (male, 67, Vietnamese nationality); and Patient 239 (male, 71, Vietnamese nationality). Of the recovered cases, two patients, including a British national and one Vietnamese, were in critical condition at the hospitals intensive care unit. These people all had severe symptoms when they were admitted to the hospital, but now their health is completely stable. Three others (Patient 177, Patient 189 and Patient 190) are workers of Truong Sinh Service Company at the Bach Mai General Hospital. At the Cu Chi field hospital, there are five recovered patients, including three foreign patients and two Vietnamese patients. They are: Patient 92 (male, 21, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 124 (male, 51, Brazilian nationality); Patient 127 (male, 23, Vietnamese nationality); Patient 143 (female, 58, South African nationality); and Patient 235 (male, 25, British national). These patients tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 three times. They now have no cough, no fever and are in a stable condition. They will continue to be isolated and monitored for the next 14 days. VNS Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Brian Hioe is an editor for the New Bloom Magazine, a news website that covers social issues, politics, and culture in the Asia Pacific region. He also works as a freelance journalist in Taiwan, where the government has been praised for its responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hioe told CPJ about the measures the Taiwanese government is taking to combat rumors about COVID-19, and how he recently became a target of online harassment after being quoted in a BBC article on authorities digital tracking of quarantined individuals. He also talked about how the low threshold for libel suits on the island could silence efforts to fight misinformation. CPJ spoke to Hioe via messaging app on April 8. How has the pandemic affected your work on a daily basis? I work primarily from home, so there hasnt actually been too much disruption to my daily work, except that more meetings take place through video-conferencing or calls than in-person meetings. Im still covering my usual beat of social issues, protests, and electoral politics, but there is a decline in the number of protests to cover because of social distancing, and an enormous amount of stories are all COVID-19 related at present. What are the greatest obstacles to your work amid the pandemic? Because much of my work comes from freelancing, I anticipate a decline in the amount of work I receive in the near future. I anticipate being severely affected because I write in English and resources devoted to coverage of Asia by English-language publications tend to be lacking. Likewise, while my primary focus is as a political journalist, a significant part of my income comes from writing on the arts and culture, which I also expect to see fewer resources devoted to going forward. Apart from myself, because I manage daily operations for New Bloom Magazine, there was significant disruption to our planned activities for the next six months. Our plans for opening a physical space to hold events have had to be put on hold, as will our plans to hold events internationally in Japan, Okinawa, and Hong Kong. Were also limited to organizing small-scale events because of social distancing concerns, with few venues interested in allowing us to host larger events, and were keeping track of everyone who attends these events, to allow for easier contact tracing in case of transmission. Reporter Brian Hioe (Daphne K. Lee) What are you doing to keep yourself safe? Personally, Im just trying to stay at home and go out less often! And to wear a medical mask when I do [go out]. Otherwise, I havent had to take measures beyond those that ordinary people in society are, because of the fact that Taiwan has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19. Social mobility remains high in Taiwan compared to other countries. How would you rate the openness and access to information from the authorities in Taiwan? Openness and access to information from the authorities has not been a significant issue for journalists to date. The government has imposed fines on some individuals for spreading rumors about the spread of COVID-19 online, such as claiming that the government is covering up the actual death toll from the coronavirus or claiming that there will be shortages of supplies such as toilet paper or hand sanitizer in order to drive up prices. However, this has not significantly affected journaliststhough it is probable that the government will take action if a media outlet spreads disinformation and the government has taken steps to centralize information about the spread of COVID-19 to daily press conferences by the Central Epidemic Command Center. This is limited to Chinese-language media though, with there being a lack of oversight over English-language media, generally speaking, even regarding COVID-19. Recently, I did face internet harassment and investigation of my personal information from online netizens, however. This occurred after I was quoted in a BBC article on the potential privacy concerns of the government tracking individuals under quarantine. Online netizens reacted badly against what they saw as a criticism of government policy and began investigating my personal information and launching attacks on me online, though this was hampered by [their] poor English. I generally think that they were unable to understand what I was actually saying in that quote and, based on what I saw online, I am surprised that they were not able to turn up more information except for that they were limited by their English abilities. How are you dealing with and responding to misinformation around the virus? Apart from simply striving to be as accurate as possible in my own reporting, Ive written a few articles targeting specific misinformation claims in Taiwanese media the past few months, with a focus on Taiwanese English-language domestic media. This is a product of poor fact-checking practices in Taiwan, combined with [the fact] that some English-language media outlets engage in sensationalist reporting to drive up hits and that English-language domestic media receives little scrutiny from the government or public. In such cases, even in calling out misinformation, I have to beware of libel lawsuits from a larger outlet with much more resources, given how easily libel laws are abused in Taiwan. I will probably keep this up through the COVID-19 pandemic, though I have to be strategic regarding when to make an intervention because of this threat. Continues progress toward antitrust clearance for Bayer AG's animal health business Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) today announced it has formally submitted its Form CO notification to the European Commission. This is a standard part of the process to gain regulatory approval for the previously announced acquisition of Bayer AG's (ETR: BAYN) animal health business. This follows several months of constructive pre-notification discussions and triggers the start of the statutory period for the Commission's review and approval of the transaction. The European Commission will now have until June 8 to make its decision. "This is another positive step in our progress toward finalizing the acquisition of Bayer AG's animal health business," said Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco. "Despite these unprecedented conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to be on track with our original mid-2020 closing timing." Joining Elanco and Bayer Animal Health will strengthen and accelerate Elanco's Innovation, Portfolio and Productivity (IPP) strategy, advance the portfolio mix transformation and create balance between the food animal and companion animal businesses, while expanding its presence in key emerging markets. Additionally, the transaction will continue to expand Elanco's omni-channel approach substantially diversifying the company's companion animal business into the over-the-counter (OTC) channel, as Elanco continues to determine the best methods for reaching pet owners and veterinarians. The Form CO specifies the information notifying parties must provide when submitting a proposed merger to the European Commission. Elanco has already received regulatory clearance in China, Colombia, Turkey and Ukraine, and is continuing to cooperate with agencies in other jurisdictions. The Company has already announced total divestitures to date in the range of $120 million to $140 million of revenue with a view to completing all the regulatory reviews. Further, Elanco has fully secured financing to complete the transaction through its completed equity issuance and pricing of its Term Loan B earlier in the first quarter. ABOUT ELANCO Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) is a global animal health company that develops products and knowledge services to prevent and treat disease in food animals and pets in more than 90 countries. With a 65-year heritage, we rigorously innovate to improve the health of animals and benefit our customers, while fostering an inclusive, cause-driven culture for more than 5,800 employees. At Elanco, we're driven by our vision of food and companionship enriching life all to advance the health of animals, people and the planet. Learn more at www.elanco.com Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about our expectations concerning our antitrust filings with the EC and other regulators in connection with our acquisition of the animal health business of Bayer AG, and reflects Elanco's current belief. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, by their nature, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Elanco's most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Elanco undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005553/en/ Contacts: Investor Contact: Jim Greffet +1.317.383.9935 greffet_james_f@elanco.com Media Contact: Colleen Parr Dekker +1.317.989.7011 colleen_parr_dekker@elanco.com The lights were on, but nobody was home. Shoppers at a Loblaws in Forest Hill discovered this, quite literally, upon arriving at their neighbourhood grocery store on Easter Sunday only to find it unstaffed and unlocked despite an abundance of food on the shelves. David Marchione, a resident of Forest Hill, was on his routine morning walk when he noticed people leaving the store with groceries in hand. There was one man with about four bags in each hand that were completely full with stuff. So I said to myself, wow its actually open but everyone thinks its closed, Marchione wrote on Facebook. I decided to walk inside, went up the escalator and noticed only 4-5 people in the store shopping also, lights were all on and music was playing smooth jazz. When Marchione tried to pay for his groceries, he noticed there were no cashiers and the self-checkout was closed. Turns out those people I saw with groceries literally shopped and left without paying like an episode of Supermarket Sweep, he said. They straight jacked Loblaws. In an email to the Toronto Star, Loblaws confirmed that the store was supposed to be closed for business on Sunday however closing protocols were not completed in their entirety. This resulted in a number of customers gaining access to our store, the company said in a statement. Marchione says he decided to return his groceries after noticing the closed checkouts, as it was starting to feel like I was in Zombieland. He then met a couple who said they called police to close the store. A video posted to Reddit on Monday captured the empty aisles and checkouts, along with a photo of police on scene. The company did not specify how much inventory it lost. West Bengal governments response to Covid-19 is earning it a lot of criticism from health professionals for allegedly providing misleading data, testing abysmally low numbers of swab samples, playing down the extent of the spread of the disease in the state. The state recorded its first Covid-19 positive case on March 17, but it was only last week that the administration started sealing some localities after identifying them as high-risk spots. Experts allege that Bengal may have woken up late. According to senior cardiologist Kunal Sarkar, identification of such micro-spots would be of no use, if the frequency of testing does not increase. ...sample testing in India is quite low. And in West Bengal, it is exceptionally low. We need to understand that it is not a competition of low numbers. If we suppress numbers in a state, then our hot spots would amount to nothing but fallacies..., said Sarkar. Over the past week, the state has been testing about 200 samples per day on an average. Shanta Dutta, director of National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) ICMR, said that the state government was not sending enough samples for testing. NICED ICMR, Kolkata, is a laboratory under the Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratory network of the Union health ministry. ...Earlier we used to get enough samples, around 80 90 samples every day, but over the last few days we have been receiving 10 30 samples. We have around 27,500 testing kits..., Dutta said, adding that there is no shortage of testing kits. A senior health official of the state government who requested to remain anonymous, however, said, NICED is not the only testing lab in West Bengal...we have six other laboratories. Samples are also being sent there. The state recorded 10 positive cases on Tuesday taking the tally to 120. An epic throwback photo of comedian and television host Kapil Sharma and actor Saif Ali Khans son Ibrahim Ali Khan has surfaced online and is being widely shared by fan clubs. In the picture, which was taken a few years ago, young Ibrahim is seen wearing a blue T-shirt with a goofy expression on his face as he stands next to a friend and Kapil, who is beaming at the camera. The background suggests that the photo was taken on the sets of Comedy Nights With Kapil, which ran on television from 2013 to 2016. Currently, Kapil is seen as the host of The Kapil Sharma Show. Due to the nationwide lockdown till May 3, no new episodes are being shot at the moment. Reports doing the rounds suggested that Kapil would shoot new episodes from his home, but Kiku Sharda who plays Bachcha Yadav and Achcha Yadav on the much-loved comedy show, dismissed the news. Also see: Dipika Chikhlia aka Ramayans Sita shares message on Lakshman rekha after PM Narendra Modis coronavirus speech Ive not been informed about any such development. I dont think anything of this sort is going to happen. The situation is bad in the country now and all we need to do is adhere to the rules of the lockdown. It will be foolish to gather 100 people together for a shoot when we have to strictly follow social distancing. And shooting without the staff and important people is absolutely impossible. If we ever plan to shoot for TKSS there will be at least 50-60 people and we cant afford to do it at this point of time, he told The Times of India in an interview. Meanwhile, Ibrahim is keen on making a career in Bollywood. While he has a long way to go before he signs his first film as an actor, he recently shot for his first advertisement for a clothing brand. Follow @htshowbiz for more The pandemic, she said, Its like day after day you have to do that. Theres no room for processing it, sitting with it. Because then you go home, and it takes an hour to get all of the gear down. Then you want to disconnect and not talk about it. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 3F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 3F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing The newly passed CARES Act requires airlines to maintain certain levels of pre-March 2020 air service even as passenger demand dwindles. Despite the raging pandemic and stay at home orders, air travel remains the quickest form of transportation and is used by medical professionals and other essential workers to get where they're needed. With non-essential travel limited, airports have become deserted and aircraft are flying with only handfuls of passengers if any. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Nowhere has the effect of COVID-19 been more pronounced in the US than the country's transportation system, especially its largest airports and the aircraft still flying. Once vibrant, bustling centers for the facilitation of travel have been reduced to ghost towns operated by skeleton crews serving the few remaining flights that have yet to be cut by airlines. Provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, require of the airlines that apply for federal aid maintain minimal air service. The law requires that airlines "maintain scheduled air transportation service as the Secretary of Transportation deems necessary to ensure services to any point served by that carrier before March 1, 2020." Especially in a time of crisis, airlines fly crucially needed cargo and maintain national connectivity, as stated in the newly-adopted law. "The Secretary of Transportation shall take into consideration the air transportation needs of small and remote communities and the need to maintain well-functioning health care and pharmaceutical supply chains, including for medical devices and supplies," the CARES Act includes. Take a closer look at the current state of airports and aircraft amid a pandemic. Normally the third busiest airport in the US, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is now a ghost town as the virus has decimated demand. Story continues Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing The iconic flag concourse at the airport is shown here empty at rush hour. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing A major hub for American Airlines and United Airlines, the evening rush in Chicago would typically be when passengers crowd the airport getting ready to board international flights to Europe, now largely restricted by governments on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing With both carriers significantly cutting capacity both on international and domestic routes, their terminals in the Windy City remain stagnant. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing Chicago has only seen a fraction of COVID-19 cases compared to other major cities, with cases in the city topping out at around 9,000. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing Source: City of Chicago Nonetheless, travel to, from, and through the city's primary international aircraft continues to dwindle. Inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Ryan Ewing In New York, empty roadways are now a common sight as the few airlines left have moved terminals as part of the airport's attempt to consolidate operations in a handful of buildings. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. James Charalambous Even with the moves, Terminal 8 at JFK lies largely dormant as international flights have evaporated and only a handful of domestic routes operated by tenant American Airlines remain. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. James Charalambous American Airlines has largely shifted to cargo-only flights from its New York gateway. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. James Charalambous Read More: Inside the massive effort by US airlines to transport medical supplies and mail on cargo-only flights using passenger jets The world's largest airline has been reduced to only a handful of flights to the country's most powerful city, which has been one of US' hotspots for the virus. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. James Charalambous New York has been among the hardest-hit cities in the country, with around 6,000 deaths due to COVID-19 and nearly 200,000 reported cases statewide. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. Source: City of New York Terminal 8, in particular, has been largely impacted as the terminal primarily sees flights to Europe and Asia, both of which were restricted by presidential travel bans. Some international flights remain as JFK is an approved CDC entry airport. Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. This is the scene at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport where operations have been largely reduced as tourism numbers have dropped sharply. Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX/AP Images Source: Fox News The main gateway to Sin City remains largely empty despite cases of COVID-19 not yet topping 3,000 in Nevada. The airport's control tower was recently closed after facility personnel tested positive for the virus, leaving aircraft on the ground to fend for themselves when taxiing, arriving, or departing. Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX/AP Images Read More: 17 air traffic control centers have been temporarily closed after workers tested positive for coronavirus, highlighting a vulnerability in air travel The airport's famous gaming machines have also been off-limits per a state mandate against gaming while the pandemic rages. Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX/AP Images Source: ABC News In Denver, the infrastructure remains in place for an empty security checkpoint despite non-existent lines in the normally jam-packed central terminal building. The main terminal building at Denver International Airport. AP Photo/David Zalubowski The airport is the Rocky Mountain hub of United Airlines, which has reduced capacity by over 60% in April. The main terminal building at Denver International Airport. JIM URQUHART/Reuters Source: United Airlines Even the country's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, is eerily quiet. Its largest carrier, Delta Air Lines, has shifted to cargo-only flights. Inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX/AP Images With passenger terminals empty, the airport has lent Delta its runways and taxiways to store excess aircraft to ride out the crisis. Inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. mpi34/MediaPunch /IPX/AP Images Read More: Delta, American, and other airlines are parking planes on closed runways at major airports as carriers struggle to store grounded airliners Ticket counters remain similarly empty and largely unstaffed as airlines offer voluntary layoffs for employees in an effort to preserve cash flow. Delta ticket counters at Salt Lake City International Airport. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Some empty ticket counters, however, will remain that way as the airlines that once staffed them have collapsed due to the crisis, as was the case for Ravn Alaska. Former Ravn Alaska ticket counters. YERETH ROSEN/Reuters The regional carrier served small communities in Alaska before its collapse, leaving some areas of the state without their lifeline. Former Ravn Alaska ticket counters. Flight crews remain the few remaining occupants of airport terminals as some flights continue to go, even with little to no passengers. An airline pilot walks through an airport. Carlos Barria/Reuters Passenger-facing crew, however, are donning personal protective equipment as they serve on the frontlines of the pandemic... Cabin crew walking through an airport. Although aircraft load factors have been steadily low as passengers avoid air travel. An empty Delta Air Lines plane. SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters Airlines are adopting new cleaning procedures, including fogging, to ensure that aircraft are safe for the passengers that still choose or need to fly. An empty Delta Air Lines plane. SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters Read More: Delta, United, and American are 'fogging' their planes to make them safe for travel amid coronavirus here's what that means Empty flights are virtually guaranteed but airlines are required to keep flying some services under the CARES Act in order to receive federal funds. An empty Delta Air Lines plane. SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters Though airlines are applying for exemptions to the rule, air service in the US remains a necessity and some flights must go to maintain connectivity in the country, even empty ones. An empty American Airlines plane. Carlos Barria/Reuters Only 10 passengers took the near-3-hour journey from New York to Miami on this Boeing 777-200 capable of seating around 275. An empty American Airlines plane. James Charalambous For many of these flights, it's the cargo under the passenger seats that make them worth flying with wide-body jets offering the greatest cargo capacity. An empty American Airlines plane. James Charalambous Social distancing on these flights is more easily achieved with no shortage of empty seats and rows. An empty Delta Air Lines plane. JIM URQUHART/Reuters On this flight from Washington to New Orleans, only one passenger showed up to fly on this 70-seat regional jet. An empty regional jet aircraft with one scheduled passenger. Carlos Barria/Reuters Source: Reuters Read the original article on Business Insider Afghan Government Releases 361 Taliban Prisoners - National Security Council Sputnik News 05:15 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 06:33 GMT 13.04.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Afghan government has released 361 members of the Taliban movement, National Security Council Spokesperson Javid Faisal said on Monday. "The government released 361 Taliban prisoners from Bagram prison according to a presidential decree from 11 March. As per the decree, releases will continue across other prisons to free a total of 1,500 as part of our efforts to advance peace and fight #COVID19", Faisal wrote on Twitter. It was previously reported that the government had released 300 Taliban prisoners, and the Taliban had handed over 20 Afghan prisoners to the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern province of Kandahar. Afghanistan's Taliban delegation arrive for the agreement signing between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad welcomed the prisoner release by the warring parties, calling on them to boost their efforts. "The release of prisoners is an important step in the peace process and the reduction of violence. Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the US-Taliban agreement as soon as possible. The potential for COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons poses a real threat and all the more reason to move urgently", Khalilzad wrote on Twitter. In late February, the United States and the Taliban signed a long-awaited peace deal in Qatar. The agreement envisions the complete withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan within 14 months and the start of direct intra-Afghan negotiations following the mutual release of prisoners. However, clashes continue in the country amid disagreements over the prisoner release process. Afghanistan has confirmed 607 COVID-19 cases so far, with the death toll currently at 18. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prince Harry has been royal his whole life. As the sixth in line for the UK throne, tradition and duty are things that have been ingrained in the Duke of Sussex since birth. Sure, growing up in the royal family had its privileges, the immense wealth, the trips around the world, the job security, but it also had its downside as well. Harry could never act like an ordinary child, he wasnt allowed to make the same mistakes as other children and there was always an order and protocols that he had to follow. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor | Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage Now that Harry is no longer a working royal and living outside of the UK, his son Archie can have a very different upbringing. But was that always the plan, even before Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced that they were stepping down? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step down Prince Harry and Meghan had been unhappy with the way that royal life was going for them months before ever announcing their intent to step back. In the documentary Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan admitted that she wasnt doing well with all of the criticism that the British media had been giving her. In January, the two announced that they wanted to step back from their positions as senior royals. Queen Elizabeth II decided that the pair must give up their positions as working royals completely. She released a statement supporting them. Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family, she said. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved members of my family, she continued. I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. Prince Harry never wanted Archie to grow up royal After a brief stint in Canada, Prince Harry and Meghan moved their little family to LA. Already, that means that Archies life will be different than his fathers. On top of that, he will be able to be raised more like a normal child than his father ever had the chance to be. But when primatologist Dame Jane Goodall spoke with Harry for the special edition of British Vogue that Meghan guest-edited, he revealed that he and Meghan had never intended for Archie to grow up as a traditional royal. At the end [of the conversation], Meghan came in to listen with Archie, she recalled of the conversation to the Daily Mails Weekend Magazine. He was very tiny and very sleepy not too pleased to be passed from his mummy. I think I was one of the first to cuddle him outside the family. I made Archie do the Queens wave, saying, I suppose hell have to learn this. Harry said, No, hes not growing up like that. This could have meant that Harry and Meghan already had a plan in the works to step away from the royal lifestyle months ago. There is a dire forecast for nursing homes unless $130 million is invested and more safety equipment is provided, according to the president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association Tara M. Gregorio. "We request that the Administration immediately authorize an increase in the monthly amount to $130 million and establish an accountable reconciliation process that allows facilities to demonstrate and be reimbursed for Medicaids full share of COVID-19 costs at the conclusion of the national emergency," Gregorio wrote in the letter addressed to Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Karen Spilka. "Without this, many or most nursing homes will not have the finances to survive this crisis and pay their staff," Gregorio added. In the open letter published on the Massachusetts Senior Care Association website, Gregorio outlined three steps that are needed to help the nursing home industry to avoid catastrophe. Immediately expand and routinely test both symptomatic and asymptomatic nursing home residents and frontline staff. Immediately prioritize personal protective equipment for the safety and health of residents and frontline staff by ensuring an adequate supply of N95 and surgical masks, gowns, eye shields and gloves, which are desperately needed to safely treat residents. Immediately expand state resources to fund a hero wage of double time and deploy the National Guard or Medical Corp to help staff the states nursing facilities. In Massachusetts, 46% of deaths have been from long term care facilities. 957 total deaths across the state and 444 of those are reported in long term care facilities, according to Tuesdays report from the Department of Public Health. To date, hundreds of nursing facility residents have died and we are now hearing reports of caregiver deaths, said Gregorio. Given the vulnerability of the nursing facility population, this devastation will continue to increase at alarming rates without immediate and urgent action on the part of state government. Baker has acknowledged the challenges that are faced by long-term care facilities and said that his administration is addressing them. My dads in one of these facilities so I take this stuff pretty seriously, Baker said at a press conference. Some long term care homes have been transformed. Healthcare Systems opened a temporary COVID-19 recovery center Tuesday in the now vacant, former East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center. Healthcare, the owner and operator, recently replaced the older nursing home with a new 131 all-private room skilled nursing center. The new skilled nursing center will be unaffected by the creation of the recovery center in the former facility. One forecast model based on published rates of infectious spread, hospitalizations, ICU use and death among the elderly applied to the Massachusetts nursing home population is sobering under any scenario, whether best, most likely or worst case, said Gregorio. She warned that if nothing is done, all of the nursing facilities contracting the virus. Over half of the 38,000 nursing home residents and 20% of staff becoming infected with COVID-19, plus close to a 10% death rate among the vulnerable residents. This dire forecast must compel us to act immediately in order to decrease the likelihood of this unacceptable outcome, said Gregorio. And better protect our residents and staff from this deadly disease. Related Content: US President Donald Trump has hinted that there would be consequences for China's alleged misinformation to the international community and the WHO on coronavirus, that originated from its Wuhan city last year, and has claimed 119,666 lives with nearly two million infections globally. Trump shot back at a reporter on Monday during his White House press conference on coronavirus when repeatedly asked why there are no consequences for China. "How do you know that there are no consequences?" Trump asked. "I wouldn't tell you. China will find out. Why would I tell you?" Trump replied when repeatedly asked if China was going to face the consequences of the alleged misinformation. "You're going to find out," Trump said as members of the US Congress ramped up their rhetoric and move against China. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to Trump urging him to end the US government's reliance on medical supplies and equipment from China and bring back drug manufacturing jobs to America in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear how relying upon China for medicine or essential medical equipment and components is detrimental to our national security and endangers public health," Daines wrote. "It is critically important to ensure that legislation is fully implemented as quickly as possible and that the US continues to be the world leader in biomedicine, pharmaceutical development, and medical innovation," he wrote. Four Republican lawmakers on Monday introduced a legislation to reduce the reliance on China. Protecting our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain from China Act gives companies economic incentives to manufacture pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the US, makes it easier to know which country a drug came from by creating a list of the country of origin of all drugs marketed in the United States, and prohibits federally qualified health facilities from purchasing pharmaceutical products from China, it said. "Relying on the Chinese Communist Party whose lies about coronavirus created the pandemic we now face for essential medicines is dangerous and short-sighted. As with 5G networks, when it comes to medical supply chains, national security must take precedence. China is an adversary that will use any US dependence as blackmail to achieve its nefarious goals," said Congressman Liz Cheney. China ran a disinformation campaign to cover up the coronavirus crisis for weeks, putting the rest of the world at a disadvantage in combating the spread, alleged Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. "We have become far too dependent on China, and it is time that we equip our domestic pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to be able to efficiently produce these items here in the United States," she said. Congressman Mike Gallagher alleged that the Chinese Communist Party's outrageous threats to withhold life saving drugs from the US endangers public health and should open eyes to the dangerous over-reliance on China in medical supply chain. "This is a national security imperative that to many Americans, is a matter of life and death. It's past time for us to develop an aggressive plan to move critical pharmaceutical supply chains away from China," he said. Congressman James Comer along with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote a letter to the Director-General of the World Health Organization requesting documents relating to their assistance in the Chinese government's coronavirus propaganda efforts. The WHO receives significant financial support from American taxpayers, including as much as USD 513 million in 2017. The letter notes that as recently as January, the WHO promoted Chinese propaganda on social media in claiming that the coronavirus does not spread by human transmission. The organisation likewise criticised travel restrictions implemented by President Trump, praised China's efforts to fight coronavirus even as the Communist regime was jailing doctors, and bowed to Chinese influence by delaying labeling COVID-19 a pandemic, the lawmakers said. Another group of Senators - Marco Rubio, Marsha Blackburn, John Cornyn, Kelly Loeffler, and Joni Ernst in a letter urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft to address the crackdown of free speech in China and in countries across four continents including Turkey, Bangladesh, Niger, and Cambodia, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Chinese Communist Party is using this public health emergency as a thin veil to cover a crackdown on peaceful dissent and freedom of speech," the Senators wrote. "Sadly, China is not unique in its utilization of the pandemic as an excuse to institute surveillance measures or draft new laws that are not necessary, proportionate, transparent, or time-bound," they said. "Therefore, we call on the Department of State to document acts of harassment, arrest, increased surveillance, or other forms of suppression or criminalisation by regimes in retribution for those nations' citizens expressing their freedoms through media, social media, peaceful assembly, or other peaceful means," the Senators said. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, with US being the worst affected country leading in the number of infections and deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. A statue of Beethoven gets a homemade mask in Bonn, Germany, where measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak are still in effect this month. (Getty Images) He has the power to make you feel at the finish: Something is right in the world. Thats Leonard Bernstein on Beethoven during a segment of CBS' 1950s series "Omnibus." These days, many people have been turning to Beethoven since the coronavirus crisis made us feel that something is clearly wrong in the world. Can Beethoven help? The Fifth Symphony wants to. Its ta-ta-ta-TAH opening announces the four best known symphonic notes in the world. Whether or not Beethoven meant them to represent fate knocking on the door, as unreliable legend has it, we who are so suddenly and unexpectedly living behind closed doors can certainly identify with the feeling. Furthermore, whatever those three brusque Gs followed by a long, heavy E are up to, they shake you up. They suffuse the atmosphere of all that follows for the next half-hour and lead inexorably, as no other single piece of music has been able to equal, to triumph. With the Fifth, Beethoven invented the victory symphony, and everyone has understandably wanted a piece of that. In 1943, Wilhelm Furtwangler, reputed to be the greatest Beethoven conductor of all time, gave a performance of herculean monumentality in Berlin, signaling, if nothing else, the invincibility of German culture. A few months later, Arturo Toscanini conducted the Fifth at Carnegie Hall to promote U.S. war bonds. It was so stirring that it raised $6.5 million, the equivalent of nearly $10 billion today. This was a streamlined performance, lightning fast, crackling with electricity it too the sound of victory at hand. In December, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth, and added to the hundreds of recordings of the symphony have been at least two dozen new releases this year. One stands out, big time: that by Greek-born conductor Teodor Currentzis and his ensemble, Musica Aeterna. It was released in digital form by Sony Classical this month. A CD will follow in May, and, if we are lucky, so will a vinyl version. Story continues Although recorded in 2018 and its release date planned long ago, the timing couldn't be more timely. Unlike other modern recordings of the symphony, this really is a recording of the Fifth, not a document of a live performance. It reminds us of what we can, for the moment, experience only virtually. Following in the footsteps of Leopold Stokowski and Glenn Gould, Currentzis is one of the very few great classical artists who treats recording as an art form in its own right. Make no mistake, the conductor is a showman who relishes live performance. He has a chorus of detractors who complain about his wildly emotional style, his haircut and his super-tight jeans. His ensemble, jointly based in Russia and Germany, performs on period instruments and plays standing up, every single musician bringing something individual. They rehearse day and night with cult-like devotion to Currentzis, who has grand spiritual ideas about all he does. His goal, one Ive witnessed being achieved every time I've been at one of his concerts, is to achieve catharsis. What makes this so meaningful as we attempt to maneuver our lives in the coronavirus pandemic, as we reconsider the entire notion of normality, is that Currentzis has always treated normal as his nemesis, and so did Beethoven. So rather than attempting to re-create the live performance, he makes recordings meant to provide a concentrated personal experience as opposed to a communal one. Balances, nuances, the blushing delicacy colors of these early instruments played with phenomenal skill are revealed as they never could be in the concert hall. In the Fifth, Beethoven used an orchestra more boldly than ever before. The brass are far more brash. The timpani take command, as drums never had before in any music outside the military. The first audience had never heard any indoor sound that loud. The symphony has a relentless rhythmic power. That full force of Beethovenian will, along with his sheer sonic force, conveying the feeling of something right in the world, proved too much for some. At the premiere, those against musical or any other kind of revolution reportedly freaked out. Currentzis doesnt hit the listener over the head with his performance, and that's welcome during a pandemic, but he does insist that there is something of immense importance that must be attended to. Fate here needn't bother to knock it brushes in like a breeze. For Currentzis, ta-ta-ta-TAH is a launching pad. While he follows Beethovens very fast original tempos closely, this performance doesnt feel fast. Instead, the details Currentzis mixes laboriously in such a way that headphones provide optimal listening are so incredibly rich that time feels like it is slowing down. In the most fleeting of notes, you might hear a tiny expressive swell that implies, like the twitch of a single leg of a centipede, that this is a living entity we are attending to. There is beauty, extreme in its glitter and glow, to be found in the utter delicacy and effusiveness of the slow movement. And there is ugliness. A perturbed early 19th century Russian reviewer described the spookiest passage in the symphony, which leads to the triumphant Finale, as odious meowing. Hands guiding the orchestra, hands at the dials in the editing room, Currentzis here lets the cat out of the bag. For thrills and virtuosity, check out the seismic reverberations of the double basses taking up the charge in the trio section of the scherzo at the bottom of the sonic spectrum. Currentzis also makes damn well sure that you wont be prepared for the revolution Beethoven lets loose at the end of the symphony. For our part, we are damn well sure that all is not right in the world. But here is something that is. And thats one meaning of hope. Announcements from the New York-led group of Northeastern governors, and a similar compact formed by California, Oregon and Washington state, came as President Donald Trump declared any decision on restarting the US economy was up to him New York: Ten US governors on the east and west coasts banded together on Monday in two regional pacts to coordinate gradual economic reopenings as the coronavirus crisis finally appeared to be ebbing. Announcements from the New York-led group of Northeastern governors, and a similar compact formed by California, Oregon and Washington state, came as President Donald Trump declared any decision on restarting the US economy was up to him. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was teaming up with five counterparts in adjacent New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island to devise the best strategies for easing stay-at-home orders imposed last month to curb coronavirus transmissions.Massachusetts later said it was joining the East Coast coalition. Nobody has been here before, nobody has all the answers, said Cuomo, whose state has become the US epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, during an open conference call with five other governors. Addressing public health and the economy: Which one is first? Theyre both first. The three Pacific Coast states announced they, too, planned to follow a shared approach for lifting social-distancing measures, but said they need to see a decline in the rate of spread of the virus before large-scale reopening can take place. Safety and health first The 10 governors, all Democrats except for Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, gave no timeline for ending social lockdowns that have idled the vast majority of more than 100 million residents in their states. But they stressed that decisions about when and how to reopen non-essential businesses, along with schools and universities, would put the health of residents first and rely on science rather than politics. The announcements came as signs emerged that the crisis had peaked. At least 1,500 new US fatalities were reported on Monday, below last weeks running tally of roughly 2,000 deaths every 24 hours. Likewise, the number of additional confirmed cases counted on Monday, about 23,000, was well below last weeks trend of 30,000 to 50,000 new cases a day. Cuomo, whose state accounts for the largest number of cumulative deaths, over 10,000, said on Monday the worst is over for his state. Governors of at least two other hard-hit states, John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and JB Pritzker of Illinois, both Democrats, also disputed the notion that authority to lift or modify their stay-at-home orders rested with anyone but them. Pritzker said reopening his state may occur in stages and be accompanied by new face-covering requirements in public places and workplace capacity limits. The most important thing is safety and health, he said. Trump, a Republican who before the pandemic had touted a vibrant US economy as a pillar of his November re-election bid, has pressed repeatedly in recent weeks for getting Americans back to work soon. Ahead of the governors announcement on Monday, he insisted he had unilateral authority for ending the lockdowns that have strangled the US economy, throwing at least 17 million Americans out of work in just three weeks. Legal experts say the president has limited power under the US Constitution to order citizens back to their places of employment, to require cities to reopen government offices and transportation, or to order local businesses to resume. Pressed on the question of whether governors or the federal government would make the decision to re-open shuttered schools and businesses, Trump insisted he had ultimate authority. The president of the United States calls the shots, Trump told a White House briefing after the announcements by the governors, reiterating a stance he expressed earlier in the day on Twitter. With that being said, were going to work with the states, Trump told reporters. They cant do anything without the approval of the president of the United States, Trump went on. When somebody is the president of the United Sates, the authority is total, and thats the way its going to be. ... The governors know that. He offered no specifics backing his assertion of authority over the states nor any details of plans to relax social distancing rules. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak Political leaders said a reopening of the economy may hinge on more widespread testing to better determine the full extent of infections and cautioned that lifting stay-at-home orders prematurely could reignite the outbreak. The Trump administration has signaled 1 May as a potential date for easing the restrictions. Death toll tops 23,500 The US death toll from COVID-19, the highly infectious lung disease caused by the virus, topped 23,600 on Monday, out of more than 581,000 known U.S. infections, according to a Reuters tally. The United States, with the worlds third-largest population by country, has recorded greater loss of life from COVID-19 than any other nation. Wyoming reported its first death from the coronavirus on Monday, the final US state to report a fatality. An influential University of Washington research model this week raised its US mortality forecasts on Monday to nearly 69,000 deaths through 4 August, up from 61,500 projected last week, assuming that social-distancing measures remain in place. The universitys Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said higher death tolls now projected in Massachusetts and New York state accounted for part of the upward revision. Regardless of the death toll, continued difficulties in ramping up diagnostic testing pose a major hurdle for public health experts in determining at what point it is safe enough to relax social distancing measures. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot acknowledged a tightening of the supply chain for the nasal swabs needed in coronavirus testing, and said it was part of a national and international challenge to ramp up testing. Locked down in a Perth quarantine hotel room, Perth singer Rebecca May counts down the days until she can finally hug her best friend and go for a swim in the ocean. "When she finally picks me up I will cry," the 39-year-old says. It has been two months since she left her home in Leederville to pursue a dream job as a singer in a luxurious Saudi Arabian hotel, but the trip wasn't what she wished for. She ended up spending half the time over there in quarantine. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:05:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TOKYO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's population dropped at its fastest pace ever in 2019, with the number of working-age people declining to a record low, government data showed Tuesday. According to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's population decreased 276,000 to 126.17 million as of Oct. 1 last year, which is the largest annual drop since comparable data became available in 1950, reflecting the rapid aging of society and low birth rate. The number of working-age people between the ages of 15 and 64 was 75.07 million, accounting for 59.5 percent of the total population, the lowest percentage on record. The proportion of the working-age population in Japan continued to decline after peaking at 69.8 percent in 1992. Meanwhile, the number of people aged 65 or older stood at about 35.89 million, accounting for 28.4 percent of the total and reaching a new record high. Among them, people aged 75 or older totaled 18.49 million, or 14.7 percent of the total, also a new high. The population of those aged 14 or younger was 15.21 million, accounting for 12.1 percent of the total, hitting a record low. Of all the 47 prefectures in the country, 40 prefectures saw their population decline. The remaining seven prefectures including the capital of Tokyo grew as the trend of people moving to urban areas continued. KYODO NEWS - Apr 14, 2020 - 05:46 | All, World [Getty/Kyodo] WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday got a boost as the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November by winning the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a key rival who recently dropped out of the U.S. presidential race. As the two appeared together on a livestream event, Sanders, a 78-year-old left-wing politician, said he is asking all Americans, including Democrats and independents, "to come together in this campaign to support" the former vice president's candidacy. "We've got to make Trump a one-term president. And we need you in the White House, so I will do all that I can to see that that happens, Joe, and I know that there is an enormous responsibility on your shoulders right now," he added. The move is expected to help Biden, a 77-year-old politician representing the party's moderate wing, win over Sanders supporters in the push to beat Trump in the Nov. 3 presidential election. The endorsement by Sanders came after the senator announced the suspension of his bid for the White House last week, making Biden the Democratic Party's likely challenger to the 73-year-old Trump. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 16:58 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1dacec 1 National President-Jokowi,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,staff,millenials,amartha-mikro-fintek,camat,Andi-Taufan-Garuda-Putra Free Andi Taufan Garuda Putra, a special staff member for President Joko Jokowi Widodo, is being slammed for asking district heads across Indonesia to support a COVID-19 relief program led by PT Amartha Mikro Fintek, a company that he owns. In a letter sent to local leaders dated April 1, the 32-year-old staffer appointed by the President to reflect the ideals of millennials said his company had joined the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministrys COVID-19 Village Volunteer program to raise awareness about the disease, as well as to collect information on how much personal protective equipment is needed at community health centers (Puskesmas). Therefore, we ask that you [district heads] and related village officials support the program to ensure its success, said the letter, which was printed on paper bearing the Cabinet Secretarys letterhead. Legal expert Feri Amsari criticized the letter, saying that the President's special staffer did not have the authority to decide and appoint a company for COVID-19 mitigation efforts. There is a clear conflict of interest here as he is also the founder and CEO of the company, he said. This is not only embarrassing for the President, but it also gives the impression that our country is playing around in the middle of a disaster. The letter drew more criticism from social media users, activists and politicians. Jokowis special staffer, Andi Taufan Garuda Putra, sent a letter with the Cabinet Secretary letterhead, asking all district heads in Indonesia to support PT Amartha Mikro Fintek [in the efforts to] mitigate COVID-19. But he himself is the CEO of PT Amartha. How about that? @soeyoto1 tweeted. Staf Khusus Presiden Jokowi, Andi Taufan Garuda Putra mengirim surat "berkop Sekretariat Kabinet" kepada camat di seluruh Indonesia untuk mendukung PT Amartha Mikro Fintek (Amartha) menanggulangi Covid19 Sedang dia sendiri CEO PT Amarta Trus piye Jal?https://t.co/vvNgyKEXJN S0EY0T0 (@soeyoto1) April 14, 2020 Meanwhile, human rights activist Andreas Harsono tweeted: I am sure that Harvard teaches 'conflicts of interest' on campus. How could a presidential staffer, also a Harvard graduate, in Jakarta use the Palace to make sure his own companys service is being used nationwide? I am sure @Harvard teaches "conflict of interests" in the campus. How could a President @jokowi staff, also a Harvard graduate, in Jakarta uses the palace to make sure his own company's service is being used nationwide? #Stafsus #COVID19indonesia https://t.co/nTqdBdEg84 Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) April 14, 2020 Democratic Party politician Abdullah Rasyid jumped in, tweeting: When the people are screaming [for help], Jokowi's special staffer instructed district heads to involve his company [Amartha]. This action is akin to that of a scalper and is borderline abuse of power. The President should fire him immediately as he is an embarrassment to the Palace. Disaat Rakyat Menjerit, Staffsus @jokowi instruksikan Camat agar libatkan perusahaannya (AMARTHA). Tindakan Stafsus rasa Calo ini sudah katagori ABUSE OF POWER. Presiden harus sgera pecat, memalukan istana #JkwKKN pic.twitter.com/sdmklJlscf Abdullah Rasyid (@RasyidDemokrat) April 14, 2020 Andi has since revoked the letter and issued an apology on Tuesday. He claimed the letter was aimed at supporting the village volunteer program and was done purely for humanitarian reasons without using state or regional budgets. My intention was to do something good and as quickly [as possible] to help prevent and overcome COVID-19 in the villages, which is through direct support by Amartha field teams under my leadership, Andi said in a statement on Tuesday. In November, Jokowi appointed Andi and six other millennials aged between 23 and 36 years old as his presidential expert staff members, whose task is to advise the President on various subjects, including education, entrepreneurship, the creative industry, disabled rights and religious tolerance. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In order to take sanitisation and disinfection drive in a faster and more effective way, the Delhi government on Monday introduced 20 high-tech Japanese machines. The Chief Minister Delhi Sanitation Drive was launched at Rajinder Nagar using these machines that can sanitise an area of 20,000 square metres in an hour. The machines are to be used in containment zones created across the city to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The machine uses atomisers to disinfect the area. A pilot disinfection drive was carried out in Rajinder Nagar. These machines will be used for sanitisation in red & orange zones in the city. The machines are specifically built to spray disinfectants and flexible enough to be used in narrow lanes. This is the first time in India such technology is being used to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. This technology is also very flexible as its length is adjustable, therefore, it can easily enter narrow lanes along with the broader areas, said Rajinder Nagar MLA Raghav Chadha and Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman. Mostly used by the farmers, these machines spray disinfectants at the farmlands, therefore, these are specifically equipped for disinfection and sanitization works. The chemical composition used for the disinfection drive as per the guidelines of WHO. These sanitisation machines spray the disinfectants in a way that can kill the germs and virus at any solid surface. We have started a pilot project with three such machines in presence of the experts to analyse the performance and results thereof. We have sanitised the whole area and studied all the necessary parameters. After a careful consultation with the experts, it has been decided that this is a fully equipped technology, and the disinfection drive should immediately start at the containment zones, added Chadha. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also took part in the sanitisation drive in Mayur Vihar Phase 2. Sisodia personally monitored the disinfection of the streets. Launched a disinfection drive in Mayur Vihar Ph2 to tackle #Covid2019. 60 machines (including hi-tech Japanese ones for the first time in India) have been deployed across Delhi for this. Patparganj will be sanitised completely over the next few days, he said in a tweet. Meanwhile, the state government added four more areas under containment zone taking the count to 47. These four areas are Paschim Vihar Krishna apartment, Sant Nagar Balaji apartment, Madipur Jhuggi and East Patel Nagar area. Fighting a virus Miller Honda, the Virginia-based dealership, is now offering multiple services remotely that give customers continued access to essential automotive services. Similarly, Honda Financial Services has released an official statement detailing its response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The statement details multiple services to help new and existing customers. Readers are encouraged to visit the above link for up-to-date information, as changes are likely to happen as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Existing Honda customers can apply for Available Hardship Help, which includes payment extensions and deferrals, as well as late-fee waivers. Applicable parties can apply via their Honda Financial Services (HFS) accounts or by calling the HFS support line. New Honda customers can expect numerous incentives to help ensure more financial stability during the health crisis. There is a 90-day deferral program that defers the first payment on a new vehicle up to 90 days for qualified customers. The Loyalty Purchase Assistance Cash program gives $1,000 credit towards the purchase or lease of select new Honda models (certain exclusions apply). Potential certified pre-owned vehicle customers can expect special APR financing on the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and Honda CR-V, from April 17, 2020 to June 1, 2020 (as of the time of publication). Miller Honda has also adapted some of its services and added new programs in order better accommodate customer needs while also maintaining proper health practices for employees and customers. For instance, online buying with home test drive and new vehicle delivery, online service scheduling and shuttle services are all available to customers. A newly added service allows cars to be dropped off after-hours by leaving keys and a filled-out required maintenance form in a secure drop-box. Interested parties should visit the Miller Honda website at https://www.mymillerhonda.com/ or call 855-463-5452. Miller Honda is located on 3985 Valley Pike, Winchester. Like all bad TV, the Trump Show has reached the point where the writers have stopped trying and are falling into self-parody. Yesterdays White House briefing began with Dr. Anthony Faucithe highly-respected health expert and recent presidential-retweet victimwalking back an interview Sunday in which he appeared to concur with a New York Times story criticizing Trumps coronavirus response; Fauci said his wrong choice of words had been taken as a way that maybe somehow, something was at fault here. (A reporter asked Fauci what we were all wondering: was his clarification voluntary? Fauci seemed affronted.) Trump then railed about the Times story, before playing a video montage showing mainstream pundits downplaying the virus, and governors from both parties singing the presidents praises. (Sometime in the middle of the video, CNN and MSNBC cut away from the briefing.) When Paula Reid, of CBS, asked Trump admirably pointed questions about his virus response, he called her a fake; later, he claimed that, as president, his authority is total. In a chyron, CNN described the whole thing as a propaganda session. Vox called it an epic meltdown. A toddler threw a self-pitying tantrum on live television on Monday night, David Smith, of The Guardian, wrote. Unfortunately he was 73 years old, wearing a long red tie and running the worlds most powerful country. If there were any lingering doubts that Trump is using his briefings as substitutes for campaign events, the videocomplete with purposeful, commercial-esque musicdispelled them. Theres still an election going on. Coverage of itubiquitous until quite recently (in human weeks, if not coronavirus weeks)has been diminished by the virus, but remains unavoidable, not least because its the prism through which the person leading the virus response seems to see, well, just about everything. Ahead of the 2016 election, networks gave Trump ample free airtime for his rallies. They were much criticized for doing so, but four years on, theyre doing it again, albeit with government bureaucrats in the background, instead of Trumps plane. Networks not broadcasting his grievance-littered rambling remains a notable occurrence, not the norm; even though MSNBC, for one, bailed on Trumps video last night, it had already broadcast enough to do damage (which is to say, some of it), and went back to the briefing afterward. Trump still has the power to yank us around. ICYMI: Why did Matt Drudge turn on Donald Trump? Joe Biden, Trumps presumptive Democratic opponent, wants our attention, too, albeit from his Delaware basement, rather than the White House briefing room. Conveniently, in a cable-news attention-span sense, Biden won a more-or-less insurmountable delegate haul before the coronavirus crisis really intensified, making it easier for reporters and pundits to turn the focus elsewhere. At first, Bernie Sanders, Bidens last standing primary challenger, seemed determined to continue his campaign through the convention; in late March, his campaign said he was looking forward to debating Biden in April, should Biden and a host network oblige. Yesterday, Sanders did appear across a split screen from Bidennot to debate him, but to endorse him for president, having dropped out last week. We need you in the White House, Sanders told Biden. I will do all that I can to see that that happens, Joe. The pundit class, it seemed, had found its holy grail: Party Unity. Hello, whats this? the Times wrote, in a (one has to hope) tongue-in-cheek headline this morning, the Democrats arent in disarray. Not so fast. Sanders may have swung behind Biden, but important parts of his support have reservations. In an interview with the Times yesterday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a star Sanders backer, said shed support the Democratic nominee, but added that unity and unifying isnt a feeling, its a processone that involves substantive policy concerns, and which hasnt yet started in earnest. Over the weekend, the Democratic Socialists of America, the group that helped propel Ocasio-Cortezs career, said it isnt endorsing Biden; yesterday, Briahna Joy Gray, a former journalist who was press secretary for the Sanders campaign, said likewise. Last night, The Nation convened a discussion about the future of the progressive movement after Bernie. That debate will continue, and will be of interest to a growing number of voters. The mainstream presswhich has often ignored such conversationsshould take it seriously. Biden has other problems. Despite a succession of web chats, cable interviews, op-eds, and podcasts, hes struggled to cut through the pandemic news cycle. His early remote campaigning efforts were beset by cringe-inducing technical difficulties; by the time his basement studio was fully online, a Wheres Biden? narrative had taken hold in the political press, and hes found it hard to shake. Biden is commonly described as a consummate retail politician, and, like many retailers, hes struggled with the transition to online sales in the attention economy. At the moment, hes getting crushed by Amazon. (Not that Trump would appreciate that comparison.) Sign up for CJR 's daily email Biden also faces an allegation of sexual assault. Last month, Tara Readea former staffer in Bidens Senate office who was one of a number of women to accuse him, last year, of inappropriate touchingtold the podcast host Katie Halper that Biden assaulted her in 1993. (Reade subsequently filed a criminal complaint against Biden with Washington, DC, police.) At first, the allegation (which Biden strongly denies) struggled for traction in mainstream media, but in recent days, thats started to change; its been noted on cable news, and in the pages of the Times. A friend of Reades told the Times that Reade told her about the assault at the time; Reades former Senate colleagues said they did not recall any such incident. Yesterday, Ben Smith, media columnist at the Times, asked Dean Baquet, the papers executive editor, why it took 19 days from Reade making her claim for the Times to run a story on it. Baquet said he was giving his reporters time to properly delve into it. November isnt imminent yet, but neither is an end to the present crisis. Already, there are important election-adjacent issues for the press to cover and adjudicatesome related to the coronavirus, others notand as time goes on, that will only become more true. Covering electoral competition, especially in the sportscast-esque manner typical of political punditry, risks feeling trivialinsensitive evenright now. But its important that we not take our eye off the campaign entirely. Trumps eye is rarely anywhere else. Below, more on the campaign and the coronavirus: Other notable stories: In this weeks New Yorker, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, gets the Jane Mayer treatment. Mayer paints McConnell as a political chameleon who has swapped stances over time to advance his career. In Kentucky, McConnell once scored an endorsement from the liberal Louisville Courier-Journal by touting himself as a reformer. According to Mayer, Barry Bingham, Jr., the papers publisher, would later say, on his deathbed, that the worst mistake we ever made was endorsing Mitch McConnell. As part of a new series on communities shaping the cultural landscape, the New York Times Style Magazine profiles the foreign correspondents reporting back to their home countries from Washington, DC. Whatever happens here is coming to Europe, Anne Corpet, of the French broadcaster Radio France Internationale, says. When youre covering the United States, its as if youre on the front line of Western culture. Thea Trachtenberg, a former producer on ABCs Good Morning America, died on Sunday, at 51. (She did not have COVID-19.) On air yesterday, Stephanopoulos paid tribute to Trachtenberg as a force on this show, a mentor to so many on our staff, and a colleague and friend with a biting wit, a skeptical eye, and a very big heart. And Chris Cuomo hates his job, apparently. I dont like what I do professionally. I dont think its worth my time, he said on his SiriusXM show yesterday. I want to be able to tell you to go to hell, to shut your mouth, he said, of a recent confrontation with a biker. I dont get that doing what I do for a living. The New York Post has more. Related: The false debate over reopening America Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. In an unusual development, Patient 22, a British man discharged from Da Nang March 27 has tested positive again, putting HCMC on guard. He had come into contact with dozens of people in Ho Chi Minh City before leaving the country, local officials said. Authorities learnt of this special case Sunday evening, Nguyen Tan Binh, Director of HCMC Health Department said at a Monday afternoon meeting. He said that the Covid-19 illness might have recurred within the patient or he might have got infected again after he was discharged from the hospital in Da Nang. "From now on, visitors to Ho Chi Minh City must be closely monitored," Binh said. Reports had said that female "Patient 50," a 50-year-old Vietnamese man being treated in Hanoi, and "Patient 91," a 43-year-old British man in HCMC, had also tested positive after negative results and they are still undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, a Reuters report Monday said at least 116 people initially cleared of the novel coronavirus had tested positive again in South Korea. The report quoted Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), as saying the virus may have been reactivated rather than the patients being re-infected. It also cited other experts opinions that "faulty tests may be playing a role, or remnants of the virus may still be in patients systems but not be infectious or of danger to the host or others." Post discharge movements The 66-year-old British man had flown into Hanoi from London on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54 on March 2. The British man was tracked down by local authorities as he toured the country. He tested positive on March 8 and was treated at Da Nang Hospital until he was discharged on March 27 after testing negative three times. He was later quarantined at a hotel in Son Tra District for 14 days. On April 10, he flew from Da Nang to HCMC and stayed at a hotel on Hong Ha Street in Tan Binh District while waiting to fly back to the U.K. His samples were taken and the result came out positive Sunday evening, but hed already departed for home by then. The hotel where he stayed has been disinfected. Fourteen people who came into close contact with him have been sent to centralized quarantine facilities. Three hotel employees as well as 31 guests have been quarantined at the hotel and are being medically supervised. Authorities have contacted Vietnam Airlines to isolate and conduct tests on those who sat near him on the flight he took. Le Thanh Liem, Standing Vice Chairman of HCMC People's Committee, said: "The Ministry of Health has not officially announced this, but the city does not hide the fact and is providing the information to work with people who are relevant to the case. It would complicate things if any of the 14 people who came into close contact with the man tests positive, leading to other infections." As of Tuesday morning, Vietnam had recorded 265 Covid-19 cases. Of these, 145 have been discharged from hospitals. HCMC alone has recorded 54 cases and 40 discharges. Among the active cases, "Patient 91", a British pilot who works for Vietnam Airlines, is critically ill and is on ventilator support. There are two suspected cases who are awaiting test results, while 244 people are in centralized quarantine facilities and 411 others are home quarantined. Binh has directed local authorities to continue monitoring all people entering the city, including screening of passengers arriving at the Saigon Railway Station and the domestic terminal of the Tan Son Nhat Airport, where international flights have been suspended. Quarantine facilities must also be disinfected after occupants have left, he said. As health-care workers continue to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic both in Canada and around the world, people have been finding creative ways to show their appreciation for those on the front line fending off the novel coronavirus. Last week, staff with Mezzo Ristorante on Erie Street in Windsor as well as volunteers with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 773 began delivering free pasta, sandwiches and salads to health-care organizations across the region, including both Windsor Regional Hospital campuses, as well as Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare's site. Filip Rocca, co-owner of Mezzo Ristorante which is closed for dine-in and take-out, said the partnership began last week, during a brainstorming meeting with IBEW Local 773 business manager and CEO Karl Lovett. "[Lovett] was mentioning that he's trying to help out the hospitals, with masks and stuff like that, and I couldn't get those," Rocca said. "We were just sitting there and we talked about bringing some food for the hospital We both mutually agreed that it was a good idea." Sameer Chhabra/CBC News Rocca reached out to the leaders of different health-care organizations in the region, including the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and Erie Shores HealthCare, to coordinate scheduled meal deliveries. "I called Chatham, I called Leamington and I called Windsor," he said, adding that Chatham-Kent officials wanted Windsor officials to schedule delivery dates first due to the greater number of health-care workers in the Rose City. And while Rocca got in touch with local suppliers and other Erie Street businesses to source goods and produce including tomatoes and cucumbers from Mor Gro in Leamington, bread from Mancini's Italia Bakery in Windsor, and even pasta from La Stella Supermarket in Windsor Lovett began working on raising funds to cover costs. Submitted by Filip Rocca "I went to the executive [team] that works with me and alongside me in the IBEW and I said, this is what I'm looking forward to doing ... I just need your blessing" Lovett explained. "Without a doubt, unanimously they said, 'Whatever the cost, let's get it done, let's make sure these people are taken care of.'" Story continues According to Rocca, there are currently three staff cooking and preparing meals in the Mezzo Ristorante kitchen. Rocca explained that the restaurant's large kitchen means there's ample room for all three cooking staff. Submitted by Filip Rocca Lovett said approximately six people are working on packaging the meals, making sure to stay safe in order to avoid potentially spreading germs. "We're taking turns building boxes, putting the packages together and then the chefs come out of the kitchen they put [the food] in the containers," he said. "We're all gloved up and [we have] masks we'll put the lid on one of the boxes, tape them, and then we sign them and they're ready to go." The partnership delivered its first meals last Thursday, having produced more than 800 meals so far. The duo plan on continuing to deliver meals for at least three weeks, making daily trips to health-care organizations. In addition to health-care organizations, Rocca and Lovett have coordinated deliveries to two Essex-Windsor EMS sites. They hope to expand to provide meals to the Windsor Police Service as well. In the meantime, Rocca said reactions have been quite positive, with the phone "off the hook and blowing up the first day." Representative of the more pugnacious wing has been Lu Shaye, the former envoy to Ottawa who famously decried Canadas detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 as an example of white supremacy. Lu, currently the ambassador to France, was summoned and reprimanded by the French foreign minister on Tuesday for publishing a second essay criticizing Western countries handling of the coronavirus in which he said he witnessed French nursing homes leaving their residents to die of hunger and disease. San Francisco, April 14 : Apple has responded to a group of US Senators including Kamala Harris who raised concerned about data privacy policies of the company's COVID-19 screening website and app. US Senators Bob Menendez, Harris, Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook last week, expressing concern over how confidential health data is handled in Apple's coronavirus tools. Timothy Powderly, Apple's senior director of government affairs, said in a reply that the tech giant doesn't collect any information other than non-personally identifiable app usage and crash data. "Consistent with Apple's strong dedication to user privacy, the COVID-19 app and website were built to protect the privacy and security of users' data. As you note, use of the tools do not require a sign-in or association with a user's Apple ID, and users' individual responses are not sent to Apple or any government organization,' explained Powderly. Apple said that access to important information and guidance regarding individual health or the health of a loved one should not require individuals to compromise their privacy rights. "Rather, it is in times like these, that our commitment to protecting those rights is most important. Our COVID-19 app and website were designed with that in mind. We appreciate the opportunity to provide the Senators with more information about the COVID-19 app and website," the Apple executive stressed. Apple last week launched a COVID-19 website and app with a screening tool and other information about the new coronavirus pandemic. The company, along with Google, is launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. With respect to the Apple COVID-19 app and website, Apple has entered into an agreement with HHS (through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health and the CDC for the development of computer-based tools providing COVID-19 information to American citizens. The agreement contains the following strong privacy terms: Processing Data from COVID-19 Triage Tools; to the extent certain analytics and other information regarding usage of the COVID-19 Triage; tools (whether website or app based) will be collected, used, disclosed, or processed, each of the following terms and conditions will apply: "Any data transfer will be subject to a user's express consent, which consent must describe to users the types of information to be collected and how that information may be used and disclosed," said Apple. The iPhone maker said it does not currently collect any information entered into the website and app by individuals. "We apply the principle of data minimization to all of its consumer products and services, and our COVID-19 resources are no exception. Guided by this principle, Apple currently collects only the information necessary to support the operation of the COVID-19 website and app, such as users' usage of the tool and app; this information does not include information entered by individuals," explained Powderly in the letter. Apple has also booked a domain name called AppleCoronavirus.com, after the iPhone maker and Google announced a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) A woman was left 'inconsolable' after armed police officers interrupted her father's funeral to enforce a 10-person attendance limit imposed as part of coronavirus social distancing rules. Helen Kolovos' funeral for her father in Victoria on Saturday was disrupted by two officers who walked into the church as his coffin was being carried out near the end of the service. Ms Kolovos said the officers started counting the number of people in attendance. The federal government imposed a limit of 10 people at funerals last month in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 61 Australians and infected more than 6,300. Ms Kolovos said they had complied with the ten-person limit, and family members even sat in separate pews despite coming from the same household. Two armed police officers walked into a funeral service at a church on Saturday to enforce social distancing rules The family weren't breaching any restrictions as all funeral attendees were members of the same household 'Being from a Greek family it was already mission impossible to do that, but we did, we literally had to pick and choose our own family and say you can come, you can't come,' she told the Guardian. The mother said it broke her heart 'into a million pieces' when the police entered the church carrying guns. 'But the way they came in, they didn't bow their heads or anything. They just started speaking to some of the people who were working in the church and taking notes as we're carrying out my dad,' she said. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'Just pause what you're doing for one moment, bow your head, just give that man a little shred of respect. I was inconsolable. That whole moment of farewelling my dad, that moment was taken away from me.' Ms Kovolos said it was too painful to speak when approached by Daily Mail Australia. Australians face fines of up to $1,600 if they're caught breaching social distancing measures. Gatherings of more than two people who aren't from the same household have been banned, and people should only leave their house for essential shopping, exercise, medical appointments and work or school. Australians are being warned the restrictions put in place to contain COVID-19 will be in place for many more weeks, despite the nation's infection rate dropping. State and federal leaders will meet later this week to discuss when restrictions can be relaxed. 'I do want to caution Australians that we're not in that phase yet ... we're many weeks away from being in a place like that,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday. He said any lifting of restrictions would need to be backed up by a strong health system and even stronger testing regime. 'You've seen in places like Singapore and Sweden and other parts of the world where the virus has just taken off again,' he said. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said it was important Australia maintained social distancing measures for the time being, as every single undetected community transmission could infect a lot of people. 'The scale of measures at the moment are something that we clearly do have to review ... but it's not now, it's within the next few weeks,' he told ABC radio. Ms Kolovos said they had complied with the ten-person limit, and family members even sat in separate pews despite coming from the same household (stock image) 'We need to look at all of the data, look at our preparedness, and the national cabinet will be making a lot of decisions about what, if anything, can be relaxed in the coming weeks.' Professor Murphy said he would be concerned if social restrictions were relaxed before public hospitals were fully prepared and the country had enough personal protective equipment. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the aim was to work towards 'effective eradication' of the disease. Meanwhile, the federal government is considering subsidising domestic flights for airlines hammered by the pandemic. Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said there were no guarantees international flights would resume by December. He is encouraging people to take domestic holidays instead once the pandemic subsides. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for comment. Samaritans Purse has treated 130 patients in the 68-bed Central Park hospital since it opened on April 1, the group said on Tuesday. But its role in the response to the virus in New York has been criticized because of its position on L.G.B.T. issues and the past statements and political activities of Mr. Graham, a vocal supporter of President Trump. On Sunday, Mr. Graham delivered an Easter message on Fox News while standing in front of his groups medical tents in Central Park. In the message, which included footage of virus patients with their faces obscured, he described the pandemic in terms similar to those used by the president: a storm that none of us anticipated and nobody expected. On Tuesday, Mr. Graham said that critics had been harassing Samaritans Purse with information requests while it was busy trying to save lives. He specifically mentioned the New York City Commission on Human Rights; the Reclaim Pride Coalition, a progressive L.G.B.T. group; and Democratic members of Congress. If any of these groups had funded and erected their own emergency field hospitals to serve Covid-19 patients in Central Park, we would join what we believe would be most New Yorkers and Americans in applauding and praying for them, not harassing them, he wrote on Facebook. Last week, four Democratic members of New Yorks congressional delegation sent a letter to Kenneth L. Davis, the president of Mount Sinai Health System, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo asking how the Samaritans Purse field hospital would operate. The lawmakers also asked how the group came to be involved in the virus response in New York. New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) Aviation regulator DGCA has extended the suspension of domestic flights by a fortnight till April 14 in view of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis. Image Source: IANS/PIB New Delhi, April 14 : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said that all domestic and international flights will remain suspended during the period. "All domestic and international scheduled airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11:59 p.m. of May 3," the aviation regulator said in a tweet. The DGCA had earlier stopped operations of passenger flights on all domestic routes from March 25 to March 31 and then extended it to April 14. Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that there were good reasons for the extension of the lockdown till May 3 and the government may consider lifting restrictions on both domestic and international flight thereafter. "I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel & request them to bear with us. Following the announcement for lockdown extension, airlines have said that they are cancelling the tickets booked till May 3," he said in a tweet. Airlines have also said that they are working on the cancellations of tickets booked till May 3. Budget airline IndiGo said that it is in process of cancelling the reservations. "Your ticket amount is protected in the form of credit shell in the PNR, which will be shared with you in the next 5-7 days," IndiGo tweeted. SpiceJet said: "Upon cancellation, your entire amount will be maintained in a credit shell and the same may be used to make a fresh booking and travel till February 28, 2021 for the same passenger". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Xiao Qian (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 09:56 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1b0842 3 Opinion China-Indonesia,bilateral-relation,China,Insight Free China and Indonesias 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations fell on April 13. To celebrate this joyous occasion, President Xi Jinping and President Joko Jokowi Widodo exchanged congratulatory letters and both countries launched commemorative stamps and envelopes. Both China and Indonesia are ancient Asian civilizations. Through the ages, people of our two nations have traded goods, shared knowledge, and exchanged cultures along the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Together, they have composed one piece after another of beautiful music about their exchanges and interactions over the centuries. Our peoples sympathized with and supported each other in their respective struggle for national independence and liberation in the early 20th century. In 1950, Indonesia was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with China shortly after its founding. In this new century, the bilateral relationship has grown by leaps and bounds, from establishing a strategic partnership in 2005 to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013. Our bilateral relations have embarked on a fast lane of growth. Over the years, President Xi paid two visits to Indonesia and President Jokowi five visits to China. Together, they have held eight bilateral meetings and exchanged four phone calls, reaching an important consensus on bilateral ties and charting the course for future relations. Two countries have established dialogue mechanisms at the vice premier level and maintained frequent exchanges between governments, legislatures and political parties, which have facilitated cooperation across the board. Read also: Indonesia, China launch special stamps celebrating 70 years of ties The Initiative of 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was first announced in Indonesia. In 2018, the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Maritime Fulcrum. Steady progress is being made in the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Intergovernmental cooperation on regional comprehensive economic corridors is well under way. China also plays a facilitating role in Indonesias industrialization drive. China has been Indonesias top trading partner for nine consecutive years. Two-way trade reached US$79.4 billion in 2019, up by tenfold since 2000. In just five years, Chinas local investment ranking jumped from ninth to second place. Together, we have built Indonesias longest cross-sea bridge, the Surabaya-Madura Bridge, and second-largest dam, Jatigede Dam. Morowali Industrial Park has turned Indonesia into the second-largest exporter of stainless steel in just five years. In recent years, Indonesia has received an annual average of more than 2 million visits by Chinese citizens, making China a major source of foreign tourists in Indonesia. China is also the second-largest host of Indonesian students totaling more than 10,000. Both China and Indonesia are major countries in Asia and members of the Group of 20, which makes our bilateral relations go beyond the bilateral context. We are making concerted efforts to push forward China-ASEAN cooperation, uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea, support Palestinians in their cause to liberation, safeguard free trade and multilateralism and jointly advance the interests of developing nations. As China and Indonesia are battling the COVID-19 outbreak, our presidents have exchanged multiple phone calls and letters to offer sympathies and mutual support, and jointly attended the G20 Summit on COVID-19. When China was in the depths of this outbreak, it received cordial sympathies and generous donations from the Indonesian government and people across the society. The Chinese side, in return, has spared no effort in helping Indonesias fight against the pandemic by providing much-needed medical supplies and sharing best experience and practice on prevention and treatment. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Our action once again testifies to our profound friendship of solidarity and mutual assistance in times of adversity. For seven decades, our relationship has kept surging forward; for seven decades, we striven forward with one heart and one mind. The world today is undergoing profound changes. China is now working to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, while Indonesia endeavors to become one of the worlds fifth largest economies. China-Indonesia relations now stand at a new starting point, facing new opportunities. As remarked by President Xi in his congratulatory letter to President Jokowi, China and Indonesia share extensive common interests at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels and enormous potential for future cooperation. Read also: China flies more medical supplies to Indonesia We should continue to promote high-level exchanges and bring forward bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. While promoting greater synergy between BRI and Global Maritime Fulcrum, practical cooperation shall be broadened to even more sectors, all to the benefit of the two peoples. We look forward to stronger exchanges covering culture, education, religion and youth to bring our friendship closer and pass it on from generation to generation. Stronger coordination on global and regional issues is needed to shape a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation and to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Jauh di mata, dekat di hati (Though living far, it is close to my heart). Chinese tradition advocates peace is more precious than anything else. Chinese people seek good neighborliness and harmony among all nations. Likewise, Indonesia advocates musyawarah (consensus), Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and gotong royong (mutual cooperation). I believe with such similar cultural genes, China and Indonesia will surely enjoy sound relations built on equal footing and mutual respect, as well as understand and accommodate each other and seek common ground while shelving differences and ushering in a new era for bilateral ties featuring win-win cooperation. --- Ambassador of Peoples Republic of China to Indonesia Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. By PTI LOS ANGELES: Popular boy band One Direction may reunite in the coming months to celebrate the group's tenth anniversary. According to ETOnline, the band members -- Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik -- may get back together in July to celebrate the occasion. "The members of One Direction are planning on doing something for their 10-year anniversary in July, but haven't confirmed what that is yet. The guys started talking more frequently recently and have worked on putting a lot of things behind them," a source close to the band told the outlet. It further said that the group wants to do something for their fans. "With the outbreak of COVID-19, the guys living all over the world and with different management and labels, it's hard to solidify what their reunion will be, but the guys want to do something for their fans," the source added. The band was formed in 2010 and was an instant hit among the audiences, with their chartbusters like "What Makes You Beautiful", "Live While We're Young", "Best Song Ever" and "Story of My Life", among others. Malik, however, left the band in 2015 to pursue his solo career. Shortly after, the group disbanded with Styles, Horan, Payne and Tomlinson going their separate ways. If President Trump urges states to reopen too early and coronavirus spikes again, the president owns it, according to Senator Angus King (I-ME) When you're in a bar fight and you knock the other guy down, you don't turn your back on him. You make sure he's down to stay, the senator told me in a Skype interview Monday. Trump tweeted Monday it was his decision whether or not to open up the states, blaming the Fake News Media for misconstruing this. President Trump tweet King seemed to disagree, saying the states are really the ones that are going to make these decisions [the] governors are going to make the decision. King acknowledged it's a tough decision. But, he says, if the president says we should reopen, a number of governors are going to take that signal and go ahead and follow his advice. And if it all works out, the economy springs back and the virus stays in remission, if you will, it's all good. But if it comes back in a big way, it will have been a catastrophic mistake. King mentioned that hes on the Armed Services Committee, where he and his fellow members have debated when it is appropriate to leave Afghanistan or Iraq. And the term that we always use is conditions based, not calendar based, he said. The decision [to reopen] should be based on what the conditions are, where the spread of the virus is, what the likelihood of a resurgence is, not on an arbitrary date in the calendar. King pointed out that infection curves are likely flattening because of measures that we are taking to protect ourselves. If were seeing a plateau in cases, because of the shutdown, because of the social distancing, then if we step back from that prematurely, we'll just have another spike, he said. In this image from video, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks on the Senate floor about the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. The Senate will vote on the Articles of Impeachment on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5. (Senate Television via AP) This is a big risk for the president. There's a lot of debate going on about whether he should have acted sooner and what his responsibility was for the first couple of months, King said. But if he urges a reopening of the economy, let's say on May 1, and we then have a catastrophic spike, he owns it. There'll be no doubt about responsibility in that situation. And that's why I think that the people at the White House are really thinking hard about this. Story continues Andy Serwer is editor-in-chief of Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter: @serwer. Read more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance For tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit. Mask made from fabric donated by Thomaston MIlls manufacturer of American Blossom Linens Were extremely appreciative of the donation from Thomaston Mills thatll help out many patients in our hospitals. Thanks to the generous donation from businesses like Thomaston Mills we can focus on helping our patients instead of worrying about supplies. Family owned Thomaston Mills, manufacturer of American Blossom Linens, a direct to consumer brand of organic cotton bedding, feels strongly that now is the time to give back. Over the past two weeks they have made donations of cloth to be used to make face masks by over 100 volunteers and sheet sets to help with the increased number of patients in hospitals The following groups have put their hearts and souls into keeping the community near Thomastons manufacturing plant supplied with the masks that they need to continue to serve. Open Hearts Ministry, a volunteer organization from Vienna in Dooly County Georgia, is making masks for hospitals, nursing homes and anyone that calls for them in Albany, Tifton, Cordele, Vienna, Unadilla, Perry and Warner Robbins Georgia. Twenty-Five volunteers are making protective masks in their own homes for healthcare workers to be worn alone, with a filter or that can fit over their N95 masks so N95's can be reused. Upson, Lamar and Pike County Mask Makers , a group of approximately fifty people founded by Kristen Musselwhite, Laura Wainwright, Becky Berry and Judy Dickens, is making masks in Upson, Lamar and Pike Counties in Georgia. They are making masks and donating them to sheriffs, police and fire departments in addition to nursing homes, hospitals and doctors offices. Deidre Carpenter Cochran said on Facebook "Needless to say, I'm in tears!!! Thomaston Mills has done it again!!!!" Thirty volunteers at Southern Grace Hospice in McDonough Georgia are making masks with filters for medical facilities, nursing homes and doctor's offices in Upson and surrounding counties. In addition to supplying cloth for masks, Thomaston and American Blossom Linens donated 200 sheet sets to the University of Pennsylvania hospital, in Philadelphia, which is near their corporate headquarters. Jack Martin from the Corporate Materials Management Department said, Were extremely appreciative of the donation from Thomaston Mills thatll help out many patients in our hospitals. Thanks to the generous donation from businesses like Thomaston Mills we can focus on helping our patients instead of worrying about supplies. Everyday there is a different scary headline but despite the fear, individual people all around are coming together to battle this crisis and the human spirit is shining brightly. Currently hundreds of textile and clothing manufacturers and local groups nationwide are mobilizing to make as much personal protective equipment (PPE) as possible. American Blossom Linens and Thomaston are so proud to be able to participate in the efforts to keep the medical workers, law enforcement and service workers safe. They are thankful for their customers, suppliers and associates who are fully supportive of their efforts to give back to the community, as everyone endeavors to overcome COVID-19 and work to create a safer, healthier and more sustainable world. To learn more about American Blossom Linens or to shop the collection visit https://americanblossomlinens.com/ About Thomaston Mills Thomaston Mills prides itself on crafting quality linens that have always been sourced and manufactured sustainably and ethically, with a focus on its customers. A leading manufacturer of quality linens since 1899, they know how to keep you comfortable. American Blossom Linens is a collection of environmentally responsible, luxuriously soft, 100% Made in USA organic cotton bedding. Full clarity on the holding of Leaving Cert exams must be provided by the Minister for Education according to Fianna Fail TD for Laois-Offaly Sean Fleming. The TD said plans to delay the exams until late July or August were announced last week but students, teachers and parents still have many unanswered questions surrounding the exams. Deputy Fleming said he has asked for details of school time, equality and mental health appraisals which informed the plan for July/August. "I am concerned from listening to the teachers unions as to what exact consultations have taken place with unions and what arrangements have been made in respect of summer school time for leaving certificate students. Im also asking the Minister to clarify whether the students representative body was involved in these discussions. Students, teachers and parents need clarity on this as soon as possible. The Minister needs to clearly set out the full arrangements which now need to be put in place for the rescheduled exams, concluded Deputy Fleming in a statement. [April 14, 2020] Shareholder Alert: Robbins LLP Reminds Investors Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP) Sued for Misleading Shareholders Shareholder rights law firm Robbins LLP reminds investors that a purchaser of Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) filed a class action complaint against the Company for alleged violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 between January 30, 2019 and February 24, 2020. Tupperware operates as a direct-to-consumer marketer of various products across a range of brands and categories in various regions. If you suffered a loss as a result of Tupperware's misconduct, click here. Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP) Accused of Misleading Shareholders According to the complaint, on February 26, 2019, Tupperware filed its annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2018, concluding that "the Company's internal control over financial reporting ws effective as of the end of the period covered by the report." Tupperware continued to attest to the accuracy of its financial reporting in later quarterly 2019 reports and repeatedly assured that there had been no changes in its internal controls. Despite these statements, on February 24, 2020, Tupperware announced that it would be unable to file its annual report for fiscal year ended December 28, 2019, revealing that it was "conducting an investigation primarily into accounting for accounts payable and accrued liabilities at its Fuller Mexico beauty business." The Company disclosed that total impairments for Fuller Mexico are expected to be approximately $31 million. Tupperware also stated "the Company is forecasting a need for relief concerning its existing leverage its $650 million credit agreement to avoid a potential acceleration of debt, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company." On this news, Tupperware's stock price plummeted 45.6% to close at $3.11. Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP) Shareholders Have Legal Options Contact us to learn more: Leo Kandinov (800) 350-6003 [email protected] Shareholder Information Form Robbins LLP is a nationally recognized leader in shareholder rights law. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits, and has helped its clients realize more than $1 billion of value for themselves and the companies in which they have invested. Click here to receive free alerts from Stock Watch when companies engage in wrongdoing. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005865/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MPs are summoning the chiefs of a Chinese-owned UK-based IT firm amid fears control of crucial security software could be shifted away from US and British regulation under the cover of coronavirus, it was revealed today. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Tory Tom Tugendhat, wants answers from Imagination Technologies over claims it has reneged on agreements with the government. The company was originally founded in 1985 and makes microchips which are used in products including Apple smartphones. The company was bought in 2017 for 550 million by the private equity firm Canyon Bridge which was US-based but is effectively Chinese state-owned. Mr Tugendhat said that purchase had been given the green light by Theresa May's government on the grounds that Canyon Bridge was licensed and regulated by US law. But since then it has moved its headquarters to the Cayman Islands which means it is no longer a US-regulated entity. MPs are concerned that Imagination Technologies' owners could now try to shift some of the company's sensitive technology patents to mainland China. It comes amid rising Tory anger about the involvement of Chinese firms in key UK sectors with the government facing calls to curb Beijing's influence. Some MPs are demanding a reset in relations with the Chinese government because of the coronavirus crisis due to doubts about the death figures published by Beijing. Downing Street sources have previously suggested the regime faces a 'reckoning' after the pandemic is over. Imagination Technologies HQ on the outskirts of London. MPs have today summoned the firm's bosses to answer security questions Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, is demanding answers from the firm The select committee's demand for the company to give evidence comes after several senior executives - including the chief executive Ron Black - stepped down apparently over the direction of the firm. The BBC reported that chief product officer Steve Evans recently stepped down and said in his resignation letter: 'I will not be part of a company that is effectively controlled by the Chinese government.' The firm's chief technical officer John Rayfield is also believed to have recently quit. Canyon Bridge's main investor is China Reform Holdings, a Chinese state-owned company. China Reform reportedly recently tried to stage a boardroom coup to take control of Imagination Technologies but the attempt was aborted. Some MPs are worried that the current coronavirus crisis is effectively being used by the Chinese state as cover to pursue controversial technology transfers. It comes amid growing disquiet in Westminster about the involvement of Chinese firms in key sectors, with the government still under pressure to reverse its decision to allow Huawei a role in building Britain's 5G network. Mr Tugendhat told the BBC that he was worried software developed by Imagination Technologies could be used in the design of so-called 'backdoors' into the UK's critical digital infrastructure. He told the broadcaster: 'They make an extremely high end processing system, some of the most advanced graphics in the business. 'They also have developed various cyber technologies including being able to identify various forms of cyber attack that would be extremely useful to a hostile state actor. 'This isn't just about back doors. Just as in the 19th century concepts of accountancy and law wrote into the international community a trading architecture, so today the danger is what we see is an authoritarian dictatorship like China coding into the international architecture state control, violations of privacy and indeed suppression of individual rights that frankly many of us are deeply concerned about.' Mr Tugendhat added: 'The world has changed and companies - particularly tech companies - are on the frontline. 'Whoever writes the code, writes the rules for the world, more than any regulation passed by bureaucrats. 'There's no point in taking back control from Brussels, only to hand it over to Beijing.' In response to being summoned by MPs, a spokesman for Imagination Technologies said: 'We welcome the opportunity to respond directly to any questions the committee may have and address any misunderstandings.' Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said at the weekend that the UK government needed to take action to stop the 'drift into over-dependence on China for so many of the products and systems which run our lives'. Writing for the Mail on Sunday he said: 'China's utter dominance of the computer and mobile phone market where, from microprocessors to lap tops and from mobile phones to antennae, China now dominates the global market. 'Worse, the government will add to this dominance by including Huawei in our new 5G system. It came as Imagination Technologies' chief executive Ron Black (pictured) quit in the wake of attempts by Beijing-linked China Reform Holdings to seize control of the firm Tory former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is urging the government to curb the involvement of Chinese firms in key UK sectors 'This dominance is because the totalitarian government of China has implemented strategic plans to secure these markets for China, one by one. 'Of course, this has been made easier by our complacency, our rush for cheaper and cheaper products and the absence of a government strategic view about crucial areas of production.' The US has urged its allies not to use Huawei products because of security concerns - concerns vehemently rejected by the tech giant. The government announced in January that the firm would be allowed to help build non-core parts of the nation's 5G network. The decision reportedly prompted US President Donald Trump to vent 'apoplectic' anger at Boris Johnson during a phone call at the start of February. Tory MPs are now pushing for the government to reverse the Huawei decision and to commit to a goal of removing the company from involvement in the 5G infrastructure within the next few years. Russian Army Receives Its First Backfitted T-90M Tanks Codenamed 'Breakthrough' Sputnik News 10:58 GMT 13.04.2020 The new modification of the T-90A tank has a highly automated fire control system and a Kord 12.7 mm heavy machine gun that can be operated remotely. Russia's Taman motorised rifle division has received its first backfitted T-90M Proryv (Breakthrough) tanks with a number of modified characteristics, Sergei Kisel, the commander of the first tank army of the Western military district, said. "These are new tanks, they have received new tank turrets and more powerful engines. The tanks are equipped with a multichannel scope that makes them capable of shooting at any time of the day", Kisel said. According to the senior military official, one of the main features of the tank is the ability to exchange information online with other tanks. Servicemen have already finished training to operate the tank, the official added. T-90M is a backfitted version of the T-90A. The main difference from its predecessors is a new tank turret with multiple layers of armour plating, a modified ammunition storage area that is placed outside the fighting chamber, and the 282 tank gun that is used in another Russian tank, the Armata. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 3 1 of 3 Jeff Chiu/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ben Margot/Associated Press Show More Show Less 3 of 3 In a press conference on Tuesday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shot down Oakland's plan to ban through traffic on a large percentage of residential streets, telling reporters that the plan would never work in his city. "I asked the (New York Police Department) and Department of Transportation to analyze the Oakland plan, which was the one that was raised a few days ago," de Blasio told reporters. "Adamantly, the answer back was, 'We are just profoundly different than those other cities.' In Oakland, as I understand it, they said that streets were closed off, but they didn't put up any barricades, they didn't have any enforcement, they just depended on drivers to not go on those streets and everyone to look out and be careful." Amidst the complicated developments of the covid-19 pandemic, foreign-invested enterprises are struggling to maintain business as usual, and taking measures to curb the spread of the virus and ensure employees health. 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. VIR Bich Ngoc Foreign investors pour $8.55b in VN in Q1 Foreign investors poured a total of US$8.55 billion in Viet Nam from January 1 to March 30, equivalent to 79.1 per cent of the same period last... While some politicians have been criticized for a lack of leadership during the coronavirus crisis, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega takes that to an extreme. Driving the news: Nicaraguas government continues to encourage crowds at stadiums and on beaches during the pandemic, though Ortega has personally stayed away. In fact, Sunday marked one month since he last appeared in public. Instead, the response has been led by Ortega's vice president, chief spokesperson and first lady. Those roles are all filled by the same person: Rosario Murillo. As for Ortega, "Nicaraguans are nervously wondering if the former Marxist guerrilla is ill, dead or simply avoiding human contact," the Washington Post notes. Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov can probably relate, and not only because he was recently rumored to be dead after a prolonged public absence. One of the most secretive countries on earth, Turkmenistan claims to have zero cases of the virus and is fiercely suppressing any evidence to the contrary, Foreign Policy reports. But the government isn't entirely complacent. After Berdimuhamedov said a certain herb could keep viruses at bay, it reportedly began burning it to fumigate public buildings. Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is also fighting the virus with machismo rather than science. There are no viruses here. Did you see any flying around? Lukashenko said of the threat from COVID-19, particles of which are about 0.125 micron in diameter. "Its better to die standing than to live on your knees. Belarus is currently dealing with another risk of nuclear radiation potentially being blown toward the country from wildfires near the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Lukashenko was already rising through the Communist Party ranks at the time of the meltdown. That may be where he honed his approach to government transparency. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also continues to downplay the threat, to the extent that some former allies are now backing calls for him to be impeached. The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Asante Berko 14.04.2020 LISTEN The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Asante Berko has denied claims by the US authorities that he bribed some former Ghana government officials for his client in a plant project while working for Goldman Sachs. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Asante Berko, a former employee at a subsidiary of the U.S. lender, arranged the bribes for a Turkish energy company to funnel the money to a Ghana-based intermediary, which then paid the local officials. Goldman Sachs fully cooperated with the SECs investigation and as stated by the SEC in its press release, the firms compliance personnel took appropriate steps to prevent the firm from participating in the transaction, company spokeswoman Nicole Sharp said. Berko helped the Ghana-based intermediary pay more than $200,000 in bribes to various other government officials, and personally paid more than $60,000 to members of the Ghanaian parliament and other government officials, the SEC statement said, adding that Berko took deliberate measures to prevent his employer from detecting the bribery scheme, a statement by the US authorities noted. However, in response, the TOR boss said he is innocent of the charges against him. My attention has been drawn to reportage in the local and international news media, as well as documents in social media on the morning of 14th April 2020. The essence of the story is that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States has issued civil proceedings against me, alleging that I bribed government officials and members of Parliament in Ghana to enable a Turkish IPP secure a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)." While it is true that the SEC has just this week issued such proceedings against me, the allegations that government officials and members of Parliament were bribed by me, are completely false. I am therefore compelled to set the record straight, he said in a statement. He said he was never involved with the local firm cited by the American authorities. Below are details of his response: My attention has been drawn to reportage in the local and international news media, as well as documents in social media on the morning of 14th April, 2020. The essence of the story is that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States has issued civil proceedings against me, alleging that I bribed government officials and members of Parliament in Ghana to enable a Turkish IPP secure a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). While it is true that the SEC has just this week issued such proceedings against me, the allegations that government officials and members of Parliament were bribed by me, are completely false. I am therefore compelled to set the record straight. I was indeed an employee of Goldman Sachs up until December 2016. Sometime in 2014, Goldman Sachs was involved in the structuring of the transaction with the view to financing it. This was during the period of energy crisis in Ghana where the country needed to fix its power supply as a matter of urgency. I was part of the Goldman Sachs team that was to arrange the financing for this power transaction on behalf of the Turkish IPP. The chronology of event material to the transaction are as follows: The PPA was negotiated and executed between February and April 2015. It received the approval of Parliament in July 2015. Besides the funds the Turkish IPP was to raise to execute the transaction, the Government of Ghana was also to raise liquidity support for an LC of US$72m to enable the transaction reach financial close. The Government was unable to raise the liquidity support required. Goldman Sachs pulled out of the transaction for other reasons I subsequently through my network, provided assistance to raise the requisite liquidity support to ensure the bankability of the PPA In all we raised US$150m for the transaction, through a reputable international bank. The liquidity support raised to ensure that the LC was issued underpinned the raising of the US$150m by the Turkish IPP The Turkish IPP agreed to pay me fee of US$2m (1.3% of the capital raise) as I had spent the bulk of two years working on this transaction Financial Close was achieved in August 2016 My fees were paid in tranches, the first US$500,000 in September 2016 and the rest in December 2016 and January 2017, after I had resigned. Alongside this transaction, I worked on other transactions in Goldman Sachs prior to my resignation. My role after Goldman Sachs had pulled out, was exclusively limited and restricted to advising in raising the liquidity support required for the transaction. I also advised the Turkish IPP in the procurement of its US$150m finance from a bank of international repute. My role was confined to international activities to procure the requisite financing. I had no role whatsoever in any activities in Ghana relating to the transaction except for any related matters in procuring international finance. I was not instrumental in the Turkish IPPs dealings with government officials and members of Parliament. Indeed, that was not my role. The Turkish IPP specifically engaged a local company to provide it with whatever services it required in Ghana. I was in no way involved in the operations of this local company. In particular payments from the Turkish IPP to the local company. A man running in front of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge along the Embarcadero in San Francisco in April. Jeff Chiu / AP The Atlantic dubbed San Francisco "the city that flattened the coronavirus curve" and called it a national model for the US on how to fight the novel coronavirus. The article, published Sunday, focused on both Mayor London Breed's early aggressive measures as well as residents successfully following social-distancing protocols. Ann Keller, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley, told Business Insider that San Francisco could still fall behind in the next stage of the crisis, which is expected to be defined by testing and tracing the coronavirus. She didn't rule the area out as a contender, however. As of Tuesday, California had tested 190,882 people, and San Francisco had 15 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories San Francisco's handling of the novel coronavirus has been touted as a national model for the US, but at least one professor says it may not continue to lead the way. On Sunday, The Atlantic published an article titled "The City That Has Flattened the Coronavirus Curve," referring to Mayor London Breed's quick and aggressive moves to contain the outbreak that the article said made San Francisco "a national model" in fighting the pandemic. Russell Berman wrote for The Atlantic that Breed declared a state of emergency in late February, before a single case of the coronavirus had been confirmed in the city, and soon after banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. As of Tuesday, California had tested 190,882 people and San Francisco had 15 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. "All evidence suggests that they are doing much better, and the simplest explanation for that is that they did take social-distancing measures very seriously and they did it early," the Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist Emily Gurley told The Atlantic. Story continues Berman noted that San Francisco and the rest of California struggled more than states like New York to increase testing for the coronavirus, meaning a low number of confirmed cases may not be an accurate picture. But Yvonne Maldonado, a Stanford Medical School epidemiologist, told The Atlantic that signs on the ground, like hospital beds that weren't full, backed up San Francisco's measures. Putting it more bluntly, Cyrus Shahpar, a director of the nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives, which seeks to halt epidemics, told The Atlantic: "Deaths are hard to hide." Despite the Atlantic article, a professor at the Bay Area-based University of California at Berkeley told Business Insider it was possible the Bay Area wouldn't remain a leader in fighting the pandemic when the US moved to the next stage of the crisis, expected to involve mass testing and tracing of cases. "As I understand it, California still lags other parts of the country in testing," Ann Keller, an associate professor of health policy and management, said. "It is possible that another part of the country will emerge as the model for the rest of the country when it comes to setting up large-scale testing and contact tracing." Mayor London Breed of San Francisco in 2019. Stephen Lam / Reuters Despite the lag, she said: "The six Bay Area counties are certainly contenders for who will lead in the next phase of the response." Keller also said the article highlighted Breed's success in issuing the shelter-in-place order since decisions like this one could backfire. "Sometimes, a competent public-health response looks like an overreaction because the intervention worked, preventing a worse outcome," she said. She said Bay Area citizens could see the effects of a delayed response in other parts of the country, which probably increased support for Breed's decision. "Imagine if the six Bay Area counties were the only ones experiencing coronavirus," she said. "The mayors of those cities would probably be under fire for the economic hardship they imposed since there has been no shortage of ICU capacity in the Bay Area." Read the original article on Business Insider April 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator on Monday charged a former banker at a subsidiary of a U.S. bank for arranging at least $2.5 million in bribes to be paid to Ghana government officials to gain approval for a client's power plant project. The Securities and Exchange Commission said https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-88 that Asante Berko arranged the bribes for a Turkish energy company to funnel the money to a Ghana-based intermediary, which then paid the local officials. The Wall Street Journal reported the news earlier in the day and said that Berko was a former banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Goldman Sachs, which was not named in the SEC lawsuit, terminated its involvement with the project after the energy company refused to explain the intermediary firm's role, the report had said https://www.wsj.com/articles/ex-goldman-banker-arranged-bribes-to-ghana-officials-sec-says-11586817542?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1. "Goldman Sachs fully cooperated with the SEC's investigation and as stated by the SEC in its press release, the firm's compliance personnel took appropriate steps to prevent the firm from participating in the transaction," the WSJ report added citing Nicole Sharp, a spokeswoman for Goldman. Berko helped the Ghana-based intermediary pay more than $200,000 in bribes to various other government officials, and personally paid more than $60,000 to members of the Ghanaian parliament and other government officials, the SEC statement said, adding that Berko took deliberate measures to prevent his employer from detecting the bribery scheme. The regulator filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and is seeking monetary penalties, among other remedies, against Berko. Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. (Reporting by Ayanti Bera in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) A photograph taken on the Ruby Princess cruise ship has laid bare why the 2,647 passengers on board never stood a chance when coronavirus ripped through the vessel. Hundreds of well-dressed passengers on board the luxury cruise are seen crammed together as they applaud staff, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner - likely through a crew member working in the kitchen - and was spreading like wildfire. Despite the World Health Organisation declaring a pandemic just three days into the journey and encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of the illness, business carried on as usual on board. Social distancing wasn't being practiced and passengers claim they were free to mingle after completing a health questionnaire before they boarded - even though it was already known people could carry and spread the disease without displaying symptoms. Hundreds of holidaymakers can be seen crammed together applauding the staff from the gold-trimmed staircase on board the Ruby Princess, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner The cruise was cut three days short as the coronavirus crisis escalated across the world and two passengers developed symptoms consistent with the virus. But thousands of passengers who hadn't had health checks were still able to disembark in Sydney under the cover of darkness at 2.30am on March 19 after a spectacular breakdown in communication between port authorities, ambulance officers and cruise officials. They were allowed to leave despite the fact the Ruby Princess issued an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms 24 hours before the ship docked. A criminal investigation has been launched into how the ship was allowed to dock, with 18 passengers since dying of coronavirus and at least 700 passengers and crew infected. At least 664 passengers on the luxury liner, which departed Sydney on March 8 and returned on March 19, were infected with the virus, and 18 of Australia's coronavirus deaths are linked to the ship An criminal investigation is now looking into how passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite coronavirus wreaking havoc on board (Pictured: Police in full protective gear going onto the ship) Stacie Hunt, 36, who was on the Ruby Princess with her extended family, said passengers were aware of the seriousness of the outbreak, but believed they were safe on board. 'People were selfish and thought they were safe being away on a boat,' she told the Australian Financial Review. 'I had people sneeze all over me. I had people squeeze themselves into lifts that were already too full.' A Princess Cruises spokesman said there was no reason to believe there was COVID-19 on the ship because anyone displaying symptoms was not allowed on board, and crew members were tested by health authorities before the ship began its journey on March 8. On Monday NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said a crew member serving food may have been responsible for the outbreak. The coronial investigation was launched after passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate health checks on March 19 'At this stage we would think that it was probably a crew member working in probably the galley, someone who is serving food, someone who would get across a number of passengers for it to spread like it has,' he told reporters. 'But again, that is not proven as fact yet, but that would seem to be the most obvious point of transmission is someone who is handling food on behalf of multiple hundreds of people.' Fallout from the Ruby Princess debacle is continuing to be felt around Australia with two Tasmanian hospitals having to be shut down because of infections caused by passengers. The Ruby Princess has been docked in Port Kembla, near Wollongong south of Sydney, for the investigation. About 1,000 crew members remain quarantined on the ship. About 90 crew members have reported coronavirus-like symptoms, and 66 have tested positive for the illness. A thousand crew members on board the Ruby Princess (pictured) have been fed meals prepared in the luxury liner's galley, despite warning the kitchen was likely the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement On Thursday, a crew member, 24, was rushed to Wollongong Hospital. Their condition is not yet known. It has emerged, the crew were being fed meals prepared on board the ship for weeks after the outbreak was discovered. Aspen Medical, the government-appointed contractor managing the quarantined ship, only stopped allowing food to be prepared in the galley on Saturday. The company, which specialises in infection control and isolation protocols, had been overseeing health and safety for Ruby Princess for weeks when it suddenly decided to provide prepackaged meals from dry land instead. It is not clear why the company made the decision to stop preparing food in the ship's kitchen ahead of the Commissioner's announcement this week. National coordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation Dean Summers told The Australian the call to stop preparing food in the galley was made too late. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) said it a crew member working in the galley 'probably' spread coronavirus around the cruise ship The cruise liner, which departed Sydney on March 8 for New Zealand and returned on March 19, led to more than 600 cases of COVID-19 cases nationwide. The boat is currently docked at Port Kembla (pictured) The crew potentially were put at high risk of catching the virus because of the food they were eating, Mr Summers said. 'It's an absolute shambles. The galley was operational, it was feeding all of the crew, and then Aspen Medical thought it might be a way of spreading it,' he said. 'Why wouldn't you think that on the very first day?' A coronial investigation was launched after some 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate health checks - an action the Australian Border Force blamed on NSW health authorities. Federal Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen said the fiasco has turned into a 'national scandal'. Eighteen people who were on board the damned cruise ship have died from COVID-19, with two deaths confirmed on Monday. NSW Health Acting Director Dr Christine Selvey on Monday said both Ruby Princess passengers who died in NSW on Monday had caught the virus on board. A 74-year-old woman died in John Hunter Hospital and a 79-year-old man died in the Northern Beaches Hospital. Last week, police in full protective gear boarded the ship and seized evidence, including the voyage data recorder, which has conversations from the bridge. Health authorities confirmed that there have been 34 cases of secondary infection caused by Ruby Princess passengers across the country. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Aspen Medical for comment. The Department of Home Affairs said they had 'nothing further to add to the NSW Police Commissioners comments'. In 2014, Forbes magazine published an article repeating the claim that you are 18% likelier to die on the way to vote than you are to cast the deciding vote. Those odds are likely to increase in Wisconsin, as the U.S. Supreme Court overrode the governors decision to postpone the election and insisted voters either cast their ballots in person or have their absentee ballot postmarked on Election Day. This isnt going to be just Wisconsins problem. Its very likely that it could be your problem in the coming weeks, or months, unless our legislators take better care to protect the voters, as well as the integrity of the elections. As CNN wrote, The high court reversed lower court orders allowing an extension for absentee voting by six days. The majority dismissed concerns about Wisconsin residents going to the polls in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. Its worth noting that the U.S. Supreme Court did not vote in person they voted remotely, in the interests of personal safety. As Yahoo writes, Hypocritically, the justices cast these votes remotely and are canceling oral arguments in some of their other cases to protect themselves from the coronavirus, while they are forcing Wisconsins voters to choose between risking their lives, and the safety of their communities, versus their right to participate in democracy. Its not just democracy for me, not for thee, but safety for me, not thee. Many residents did not get absentee ballots to even postmark on Election Day. A friend from Milwaukee requested an absentee ballot three weeks ago, and did not receive one. He had no choice but to vote in a state where there are more than 50 deaths already due to the Coronavirus and most polling stations are closed, worsening the chances for safe social distancing. When asked about it at a press conference, Donald Trump chose not to make it an issue of safety for the states white and black residents. He claimed the Democratic Governor only wanted to move it when Trump recently endorsed a Wisconsin GOP Supreme Court candidate seeking a full term, the only reason the states Republicans even wanted to hold the election in a predictably low turnout contest. Yet on the Wisconsin GOPs own website on Jan. 15, it reads, In case you missed it, President Donald J. Trump endorsed Justice Daniel Kelly for Wisconsins Supreme Court during his Keep America Great rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Obviously, he endorsed Kelly a lot earlier than early April, undermining his own argument. Trump also attacked voting by mail. He called mail-in voting very dangerous and corrupt, even though he votes by mail, according to Yahoo News. A poll found that 72% of all U.S. adults, including 79% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans, supported a requirement for mail-in ballots as a way to protect voters in case of a continued spread of the respiratory disease later this year, writes Reuters New Agency. My wife and I voted early in Georgias presidential primary, expecting this sort of train wreck. A request for an absentee ballot for our state primary on May 19 came with an address to send our request to, that doesnt exist. A student in Central Georgia confirmed for me that this is a problem in the counties in his area too. Sadly, its likely that Wisconsins problem is likely to be your problem, either in a remaining primary, or this fall, unless there is true election reform. John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. When The Town Pump Charitable Foundation announced it was sending $1 million directly to 100 Montana food banks, food pantries and shelters impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, it was an enormous blessing but not surprising. This is Montanans helping Montanans, said Bill McGladdery, foundation director. And that's the foundation's philosophy all the time, not just in this great crisis. The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has given $450,000 for organizations, including food banks and others, that provide basic needs support to Montana communities, and matching grants that could increase the safety-net funds to $600,000. "The Foundation wants to help alleviate the strain on these organizations by giving them a cash infusion now, while at the same time helping them generate additional resources by leveraging our donation," said Mike Halligan, the foundation's executive director. Indeed, we are used to the Washington Foundation's life-changing giving here in Butte. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana has donated $1 million to support Montana community action and health care access. The Community Collaborative Grant Fund is aiding organizations providing social services, access to care, food security and child and senior care. We are all in this together and we are proud to stand with Montanans in this fight against COVID-19, said Collette Hanson, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana. NorthWestern Energy announced $300,000 for small-business energy bill credits, direct donations to United Way agencies across the state, and matching donations employees make to organizations that provide emergency assistance for those having trouble paying their residential energy bills. "NorthWestern Energy is here to help our communities, our neighbors, during this extremely difficult time," said Bob Rowe, NorthWestern Energy's president and CEO. Notice a theme here? We do. These community leaders' immediate, no-strings-attached generosity deserves our praise and gratitude. We recognize that many Montanans are making sacrifices and selfless donations, large and small. Too many to call out individually. But this kind of leadership, from many of the major institutions that have such a great day-to-day impact on our lives, is remarkable, and it's one more reason why we are lucky to live in this great state. With so many Montanans helping Montanans, we'll get through this. This is the opinion of The Montana Standard editorial board. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Good morning. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a joint statement with Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, announced that the three states were working together on a plan to ease sheltering orders and reopen the economy. Mr. Newsom said he would have more details today. The news came the same day that a group of Northeastern state governors announced a similar effort. (Dont get California Today delivered to your inbox? Heres the sign-up.) Nation-state or not? In recent weeks, Mr. Newsoms daily news briefings have helped Californians and the world become better acquainted with his preferred vocabulary. The $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package could fail to deliver badly needed financial aid to thousands of smaller cities and counties where a majority of Americans live, according to documents and interviews with local officials. The coronavirus outbreak has blown holes in the budgets of communities as the costs of battling the outbreak skyrocket and critical sources of revenue like sales and income taxes plummet. The Coronavirus Relief Fund uses a formula based on population to parcel out tens of billions of dollars to the states while allowing local governments with more than 500,000 residents to apply directly to the Treasury Department for cash infusions. But localities below the half-million population threshold are in limbo. Among those affected: New Rochelle, New York, one of the cities hardest hit by the outbreak. I cannot understand the logic, said Noam Bramson, the Democratic mayor of about 80,000 people. Cities with fewer than 500,000 people have been just as heavily impacted as those with more than 500,000 people. It strikes me as a completely arbitrary cutoff. Amid the uncertainty, lawmakers and advocacy groups that include the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have been urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to ensure the relief fund money is fairly distributed. Guidelines for how the relief fund will operate are slated to be issued by the Treasury Department this week. The department announced Monday it had launched a web portal through which eligible parties could register to receive the money. Because of the lack of specificity in the legislation itself, it really is up for interpretation, said Irma Esparza Diggs, director of federal advocacy for the National League of Cities. Everybodys just kind of holding their breath until Treasury comes out with their guidance." Of the nearly 3,100 counties in the United States, 130 have populations of more than 500,000, according to the National Association of Counties. There are 36 cities over the half-million mark, the National League of Cities told President Donald Trump in a letter last week. More than half the countrys population lives in cities, towns and villages of fewer than 50,000 people, the letter noted. Cities including Miami and Kansas City, Missouri, are under the cutoff, according to the most recent Census Bureau figures available. Depending on who you believe, were either at 470,000 or 510,000, said Miamis Republican mayor, Francis Suarez. Were projected to lose about $20 million a month while our economy has ground to a halt. The state of Florida is slated to get $8.3 billion, but were not sure if were going to get any of it. Every state will receive at least $1.25 billion in relief fund money. The state government gets the biggest share of the total New York, for example, is projected to receive $7.5 billion, according to estimates prepared by the nonprofit Tax Foundation. The state gets $5.2 billion of that amount, and local governments that have more than 500,000 residents are eligible for the rest in direct payments. The Treasury Department guidelines may permit below-the-threshold counties and cities to appeal directly to the governor for a portion of the states relief find allotment, according to Matt Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties. But that may heighten the potential for political alliances to be formed in the quest for money or behind-the-scenes lobbying campaigns to get a piece of the states share. Each local government would have to go hat in hand to the governor and say, Can we have part of your allocation?'" said Chase, who added, We dont need a lot of politics right now. The population threshold was included as a tradeoff as lawmakers scrambled to put the The senators expressed concern over comments Mnuchin made during a recent briefing for lawmakers on the status of the stimulus package. The Treasury secretary suggested the department would interpret the law narrowly and issue guidance that unintentionally creates obstacles to states supporting their front line, the senators said. Thats at odds with Trumps own promises that the federal government would be there to backstop local and state officials, said Bryan K. Barnett, the Republican mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, and the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The word from their lips to our ears is that this whole effort would be locally executed and federally supported, Barnett said. There are 16 states that have no counties, cities or other municipalities with populations above 500,000, including Wyoming, Alaska and Montana. Without a mechanism that allows or requires states to share coronavirus relief money, theres no clear way to prevent them from keeping the entire pot to help make up their own budget shortfalls. New York state has a deficit of more than $10 billion from fighting the coronavirus, and the $5.2 billion its to receive from the relief fund could help close that gap. Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, said those budgetary pressures made it unlikely local governments under the population threshold will get any of the states money. The states will exert jurisdiction over that money, and the thousands of local governments who will have needs, it will be very difficult to get that money, Acquario said. Cameron Diehl, executive director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, said the state legislature is expected to meet in a special virtual session this week and on its agenda is the creation of a legal framework to accept $1.25 billion from the relief fund. There are a lot of questions about the logistics, and its hard to plan around this much uncertainty, Diehl said. In Ohio, an income tax is one of the primary ways that government is financed. If nobody is working, were not going to have any money, said Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley. I just cant explain to you the level of frustration of mayors who are working so hard for their communities and see that it could all go away because theres no help coming, the Democrat added. Its just so painful for all of us. Changes in the global supply chain are taking place due to the virus outbreak, prompting a mounting number of foreign manufacturers to speed up their relocation from China to neighbouring countries including Vietnam. 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. VIR Thanh Van COVID-19 outbreak to accelerate relocation wave from China to Vietnam While COVID-19 will have a negative impact on Vietnam's economic growth in 2020, it will boost the relocation of manufacturing facilities from China to Vietnam. Whole Foods will provide face masks and face shields to employees. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes Starting Monday, all Whole Foods employees and Amazon Prime Now shoppers will have access to face shields and face masks. The face masks are mandatory for employees, while the reusable face shields are optional, Whole Foods told Business Insider. Whole Foods also plans to replace its manual thermometers with thermal cameras to check employee temperatures. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Whole Foods on Monday became one of the first major retail chains to provide face shields for its employees' protection during the coronavirus outbreak. The reusable shields, which feature curved plastic that covers the forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth, are typically used by medical workers. They will be optional for Whole Foods employees and Amazon Prime Now shoppers, Whole Foods said in a statement to Business Insider. Amazon Prime Now shoppers pick and pack orders in Whole Foods stores for pickup and delivery. Employees will be responsible for cleaning the shields and bringing them to work each day, the company said in an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider. The grocery chain also adopted a new requirement on Monday for all Whole Foods Market employees and Amazon Prime Now Shoppers to wear a mask throughout the entirety of their shifts. Whole Foods will provide the masks to workers at temperature check stations. "These actions combined with our previously implemented safety measures including social distancing, crowd control, and temperature screenings for in-store workers will help protect our Team Members and Prime Now shoppers who continue to provide critical services in our communities," the company said in a statement. Whole Foods is making more protective gear available to workers as the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths climbs among grocery and food-service workers overall. At least 41 grocery workers have died so far amid the pandemic, reports The Washington Post. These fatalities include employees of Trader Joe's, Safeway, Kroger, and Walmart. Story continues In addition to giving its workers access to face shields and masks, Whole Foods is also planning to start using thermal cameras to check workers' temperatures. The company is currently using manual thermometers to check employees' temperatures when they report to work. The thermal cameras will replace the manual thermometers, allowing temperatures to be checked quickly without requiring people to stop before entering the building unless they have an elevated temperature, according to an internal memo. If you are a grocery worker and have information to share about your experience working during the coronavirus pandemic, email this author at hpeterson@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider My family and I have taken the chumps' tour of Baghavan Antles T.I.G.E.R.S. preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, now made infamous by the Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. I even bought a $300 ticket for a friend who wanted to go but couldnt afford it. I declined to partake in the tiger cub petting circle. Though emotionally dependent on my dogs, I never cottoned to cats, much less ones that in a few months are going to view my hands as finger food. At the time, I didnt think about the moral implications of displaying these animals, though I did feel somehow sad watching people interact with Bubbles the tuskless elephant. I also noticed that some of the dynamic, buxom showgirls presenting the endangered animals were dressed more for Hooters than for hippo-rescue. At one point I slipped away from the group and wandered about the 50-acre property. I remember one cage that held a huge, terrifying and miserable-looking creature. A sign said that the animal was extremely dangerous and the cage shouldnt be approached. No argument here. I also tried to talk to one of women I encountered about her job. She mentioned living on the property, but then seemed uncomfortable and moved away from me. The Netflix series documents a horrifying aggregate of alleged or accomplished crime, cruelty, and degeneracy committed by three landed lords of tiger-keeping: Baghavan Doc Antle, Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic Schreibvogel. Dr. Hervey Cleckleys 1941 book Mask of Sanity introduced the concept of psychopathy as the condition of being a master deceiver while lacking moral restraint. The label fell into disuse in psychiatry until it was re-popularized by the research of Canadian psychologist Robert Hare. Hare concludes that psychopaths lack capacity to feel normal emotion, empathy, or remorse and guilt for their destructive behaviors. They are superficially charming and glib, but exploit, manipulate and abuse others, and tend to be impulsive, promiscuous and criminal. No need to read those weighty tomes. Watching the masquerades, misdeeds and horrifying abuses of Antle, Baskin and Schreibvogel is a graduate seminar in the mindset of the psychopath. Psychopathy includes a lack of normal fear, a tendency to destructive thrill-seeking, and meanness, described as the use of cruelty for exploitation and power. The relationship between a human being and an extremely dangerous animal that must be permanently caged and dominated through violence or the threat of violence is ideal to gratify the emotional needs of clinical and subclinical psychopaths. It is well-known that there are thousands more tigers in cages in the U.S. than are free in natural habitats throughout the world. These poor animals are feeding psychopathic tendencies of power and thrill-seeking for the people who own them. As the historic circus lion tamer in jodhpurs, pith helmet and whip became unacceptable, he has been replaced by scam artists like Antle, Baskin and Schreibvogel, who pose as non-profit rescuers but in truth are psychopathic overlords of a lucrative, secretive cartel which abuses animals and humans alike. Research in psychopathy postulates the dark triad of narcissism, Machiavellianisn and sadism. Baghavan Antle, Carole Baskin and Joe Schreibvogel epitomize them all. Antle was given the first name of Baghavan, which is a Sanskrit term for the Lord most often referring to Lord Krishna. Thats a set-up for megalomania from birth. Its pathetic to hear Antles grown son slavishly gushing He is the Lord here. Antle does not directly disagree with the idea that his female workers are a harem. Instead, he smilingly demurs with My lifestyle is not ready for the family hour. A woman who escaped Antles cult explains that sex with Antle was expected from female employees and she accepted undergoing breast implants if only to have a few days to rest. Because Antle renames and mentally controls women within the walls of his kingdom, he has been safe from liability to the modern concept of workplace sexual harassment, at least until now. Antle is credibly accused of selling and euthanizing endangered animals. Of course he does! We interacted with wolf puppies, tiger and bobcat (?) cubs, and baby monkeys. Though willingly fleeced out of $1,200, after watching the Netflix documentary I did the Malthusian math. Antle has a continuous supply of baby animals. If he kept them all over the decades, he would have thousands of predators to feed. If he restored them to natural habitats he would shout it to the sky, which he doesnt. First, psychopaths make you stupid, then they get you angry. The second Tiger tyrant is Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida. Baskin strongly reminds one of Hillary Clinton. The masklike face, cold eyes, sudden, punctuating, tinny laughter, and the politicians steady stream of rehearsed, piquant, phony anecdotes designed to control the listener while concealing the motives of the speaker. Baskin begins her tale of courage by sharing that at 14 she was gang-raped by three men, no more no less. And doggone it, because her parents were Christians, she was driven from home. If you went through such a devastating trauma would you matter-of-factly recount it to the world? While smiling? Yes, if youre a psychopath. Then the plucky girl found herself walking alone along a road late at night because she was distraught about leaving her first marriage. What young mother wouldnt? She was picked up by a stranger, who golly-gee had a loaded gun on the front seat. You betcha she kept that gun trained on him the whole time (at his insistence!) to protect her honor while they drove around all night and bonded. This wealthy married man became her second husband. He introduced her to collecting tigers and other rare animals. Baskin is widely thought to have murdered him, disposed of his body, and wrangled his millions away from his children. The Netflix documentary builds a strong circumstantial case to that effect. If you were generally believed to have murdered your husband, would you welcome rigorous, documentary investigators to examine every corner of your life with cameras rolling? Sure, if youre a psychopath. What difference, at this point, does it make how my husband died? Joe Exotic Schreibvogel had one trait of psychopathy that Antle and Baskin do not a wild disinhibited impulsivity. Antle and Baskin make some attempts to sanitize their images. Schreibvogel is a three-ring circus of outlandish, infantile narcissism and gleeful cruelty to both animals and humans. He was convicted of crimes against animals, but the people who know him best, family and associates, have said, He is 100 times worse than those convictions freezing tiger cubs to sell to taxidermists, bestiality with headless animal carcasses, bodies of animal rights protesters buried in his Animal Park in Oklahoma. Schreibvogels pattern was to sink his claws into drug-addicted, desperate people, often recently released from prison, to use them for labor and sex, in his private carnival of degradation and crime. A typical colleague of Joes, a drug-addicted ex-con, eventually ratted him out for the murder-for-hire scheme against his arch nemesis, Carole Baskin. Schreibvogel married a homeless, 19-year-old meth head who pretended to be homosexual in order to become a prince in Schreibvogels evil kingdom. This young man shot himself, while the Netflix cameras rolled. Schreibvogels eulogy at the funeral in front of the mans mother and family graphically recounted how the dead young man had existed for Joes sexual pleasure. To complete this horror show, Schreibvogel stole the mans name, Maldonado, like a serial killer takes a trophy from the dead. Donald Trump Jr. has spoken out in favor of a pardon for Schreibvogel, who is serving a 22-year sentence. Trumps sons have stained their fathers presidency by killing elephants and tigers in Africa. If there was ever a case where the president should keep his mouth closed, this is it. Image composition by Monica Showalter with use of vector image created by ddraw via FreePik, public domain with attribution X-Force faces off against an evil Cerebro with new members and a new artist in 'Destiny of X' Marvel relaunches its "deadlier" black ops X-Men team X-Force with an evil-looking Cerebro for the Destiny of X era IRVING, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 14th, 2020 / OTCQB:DYNR - DynaResource, Inc. ("DynaUSA") and its subsidiary DynaResource de Mexico SA de C.V. ("DynaMexico"), the 100% owner of the San Jose de Gracia high grade gold project in Sinaloa, Mexico, are pleased to announce that on Feb. 20, 2020, a Mexico City court issued its Final Judgment, effectively foreclosing on all shares of DynaMexico formerly held by Goldgroup Resources Inc., and awarding those shares to DynaMexico (the "DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment"). The DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment awarded to DynaMexico 100% of the shares of DynaMexico previously owned by Goldgroup Resources, which is a Subsidiary Company in Mexico owned 100% by Goldgroup Mining Inc. ("GGA.TO"), based in Vancouver, B.C. Prior to the DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment, Goldgroup Resources Inc. owned 20% of the total outstanding shares of DynaMexico (the "Goldgroup Shares of DynaMexico"). The Goldgroup Shares of DynaMexico had been held under lien, by DynaMexico, since October 2016. DynaUSA previously owned 80% of the outstanding shares of DynaMexico. Previously, on Dec. 20, 2019, DynaMexico and DynaUSA announced that the 11th Federal Circuit Collegiate Court in Mexico issued its Final Ruling on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 (the "DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling"). In that DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling, the court determined that Goldgroup Resources' Amparo challenge was denied. The DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment and the DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling are not subject to further appeal, protest, or reconsideration. Goldgroup Mining Inc. chose not to disclose the DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment in its Annual Information Form filed March 30, 2020, Nor in its Audited Consolidated Financial Statement filed March 30, 2020. The DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment and the DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling are the results and culmination of 7 years of legal action by DynaMexico. Accordingly, all matters before the courts in Mexico with respect to DynaMexico and Goldgroup Resources are fully and finally resolved. Legal Summary - Consequences of the DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment and the DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling: Goldgroup Resources Inc. retains No Shares of DynaMexico; Goldgroup Resources Inc. retains No Shareholder Rights in DynaMexico; Goldgroup Resources Inc. owes $48,280,808.34 USD in damages to DynaMexico; DynaMexico owns 100% of the San Jose de Gracia Project. Commenting on the DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment and the DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling, DynaResource, Inc. CEO, and DynaResource de Mexico SA. de CV. President Mr. K.D. Diepholz noted "The DynaMexico Foreclosure Judgment and the DynaMexico Final Legal Ruling constitute full and complete legal victory for DynaMexico in Mexico. These results are momentous rulings and milestone events in the history of DynaMexico and DynaUSA. The results obtained in the Mexican courts are directly attributable to the dedicated work of attorneys and advisors representing DynaMexico in Mexico (Led by Lic. Namen Tellez Neme, Mexico City, and Lic. Jose Santos Ceja, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico; including many other dedicated contributors). Lic. Tellez Neme, and Lic. Santos Ceja committed countless hours of work on behalf of DynaMexico, and their dedication, perseverance and passion have provided these fair and expected legal results which preserve the rule of law. I would like to express my sincere thank you and appreciation to Lic. Tellez Neme and Lic. Santos Ceja for their professional, dedicated representation of DynaMexico. I would also like to thank the Members of our Board of Directors, our employees, our shareholders, and our many business partners around the world, for maintaining patience and preserving faith in the Company during this long legal challenge. Now that the seven year long legal action against Goldgroup Resources is completed, the DynaResource family of companies will focus on the test mining and production operations, expansion of operations, and further development of the World Class, San Jose de Gracia high grade gold Project." San Jose de Gracia ("SJG") The San Jose de Gracia District, currently covering an area of 9,920 Hectares (24,513 acres), is 100% owned by DynaResource de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. ("DynaMexico"). More than one million ounces gold was reportedly produced from the SJG District in the early 1900s, originating from high grade gold veins, including approximately 470,000 Oz. gold reportedly produced from the La Purisima area of SJG at an average gold grade of 66.7 g/t. In June 2010, the SJG Project was recognized by the State of Sinaloa as the most significant Gold Project in the State for the year 2010. Canadian National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Technical Report for DynaMexico - SJG On March 28, 2012 DynaMexico issued a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant Technical Report for the San Jose de Gracia Project (the "2012 DynaMexico Luna-CAM SJG Technical Report", the "Technical Report"), and approved by DynaMexico, the 100% owner of SJG. The 2012 DynaMexico Luna-CAM SJG Technical Report was prepared by Mr. Ramon Luna, BS, P.Geo., of Servicios y Proyectos Mineros, Hermosillo, Mexico and a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101; and by Mr. Robert Sandefur, BS, MSc, P.E., a senior reserve analyst for Chlumsky, Armbrust & Meyer LLC, Lakewood, CO., and a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. The 2012 DynaMexico Luna-CAM SJG Technical Report includes as Section Fourteen (14) a Mineral Resource Estimate for SJG as prepared by Mr. Sandefur (the "2012 DynaMexico-CAM SJG 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate", and, the "Mineral Resource Estimate"). On December 31, 2012, DynaMexico issued an updated NI 43-101 compliant ("NI 43-101") Technical Report for the San Jose de Gracia Project (the "Updated 2012 DynaMexico Luna-CAM SJG Technical Report", and the "Updated Technical Report"). The Updated Technical Report was approved by DynaMexico and filed with SEDAR on December 31, 2012. Canadian National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Mineral Resource Estimate for SJG The 2012 DynaMexico-CAM SJG Mineral Resource Estimate concentrates on four separate main vein systems at SJG: Tres Amigos, San Pablo, La Union, and La Purisima. The Mineral Resource Estimate includes the following Resources: "Indicated Resources": (1) Tres Amigos; 893,000 tonnes with an average grade of 4.46 g/t, totaling 128,000 Oz. Au; And, (2) San Pablo; 1,308,000 tonnes with an average grade of 6.52 g/t, totaling 274,000 Oz. Au.; "Inferred Resources": (1) 3,953,000 tonnes in aggregate for the four main vein systems, with an average grade of 5.83 g/t, totaling 741,000 Oz. Au. The Effective Date of the 2012 DynaMexico Luna-CAM SJG Technical Reports and including the 2012 DynaMexico-CAM SJG 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate is February 6, 2012. The Mineral Resource Estimate is reported using a 2.0 g/t cut-off grade for underground mining. As of the Effective Date of the Technical Reports and Mineral Resource Estimate, there is no preliminary economic assessment report or feasibility study completed for SJG so the precise cutoff grade for underground mining has not yet been determined. Summary of Recent Operations at SJG Mineras de DynaResource S.A. de C.V (100% owned by DynaUSA), Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and the named operator at the SJG Project in operating agreement with DynaMexico, commenced start up test mining and pilot milling operations at SJG in January 2016. DynaMineras funded its activities with $5.75M USD in cash advances received from DynaUSA. DynaMineras test operations at SJG generated over $50.5M USD in revenue and tax receipts from January 2016 to December 2019 (Summary of DynaMineras Operations below): Test Mining and Pilot Mill Operations for January 2016 through December 2019: Period Total Tonnes Mined & Processed Reported Mill Feed Grade (g/t Au) Reported Recovery % Gross Gold Concentrates Produced Net Gold Concentrates Sold Jan. 2016 - Dec. 2019 186,4111 9.50 85.00% 48,265 Oz. 42,539 Oz. DynaResource continues to expand its activities at SJG; and projects the increased output to 300 Tons per Day from test underground mining activities and pilot mill operations in 2020. Future Drilling Programs at SJG and Updated Technical Report No surface drilling programs have been conducted at SJG since 2011. DynaResource plans future surface drilling at SJG, which is targeted towards defining possible bulk mineable resources, and additional surface drilling at SJG is projected to expand the main resource target areas as well. After the completion of surface drilling programs, DynaResource will expect to update the NI 43-101 Technical Report for SJG. DynaUSA Corporate DynaUSA currently reports 17,750,000 Shares Outstanding. On behalf of the Board of Directors of DynaResource, Inc. On behalf of DynaResource de Mexico SA de CV. On Behalf of Mineras de DynaResource SA de CV. K.D. DIEPHOLZ ?DynaResource, Inc. - CEO ?DynaResource de Mexico SA de CV. - Presidente ?Mineras de DynaResource SA de CV. - Presidente ?IMPORTANT CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING CANADIAN DISCLOSURE STANDARDS The Company has Shareholders in Canada and accordingly is an "OTC Reporting Issuer" as that term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 51-509, Issuers Quoted in the U.S. Over-the-Counter Markets promulgated by various Canadian provincial Securities Commissions. Accordingly, certain disclosure in this news release or other disclosure provided by DynaResource has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of United States securities laws. In Canada, an issuer is permitted to, and indeed required to provide technical information with respect to mineralization, including reserves and resources, if any, on its mineral exploration properties in accordance with Canadian requirements, which differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") applicable to registration statements and reports filed by United States companies pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. As such, information contained in this news release or other disclosure provided by the Company concerning descriptions of mineralization under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by United States companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC and not subject to Canadian securities legislation. This news release or other disclosure provided by the Company may use the terms "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". While these terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations (under National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects), the SEC does not recognize them. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all, of the mineral deposits in these categories, will ever be converted to reserves. In addition, "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and 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. Under Canadian securities legislation, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, although they may form, in certain circumstances, the basis of a "preliminary economic assessment" as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all, of an inferred mineral resource, exists, or is economically or legally mineable. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This News release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27 A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to future financial or operating performance may be deemed "forward-looking". All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that DynaResource expects to occur, are "forward-looking information". These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the Company's expectations regarding the future growth, results of operations, business prospects and opportunities of DynaResource or DynaResource de Mexico. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current internal projections, expectations or beliefs and are based on information currently available to DynaMexico. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology. Certain assumptions have been made regarding the Company's plans at the San Jose de Gracia property. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of DynaResource or DynaMexico and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct. Such factors include, without limitation: capital requirements, fluctuations in the international currency markets and in the rates of exchange of the currencies of the United States and Mexico; price volatility in the spot and forward markets for commodities; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, between actual and estimated reserves and resources and between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; changes in national and local governments in any country which DynaResource or DynaMexico currently or may in the future carry on business; taxation; controls; regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which DynaResource or DynaMexico does or may carry on business; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents; labor disputes; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties. 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 losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks) as well as those risks referenced in the Annual Report for DynaResource available at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results and future events could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Although DynaResource and DynaMexico believe that the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on reasonable assumptions, readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with such statements. Accordingly, readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking information. DynaResource and DynaMexico expressly disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, events, or otherwise. For further information on DynaResource, Inc. or DynaMexico, please contact: Brad J. Saulter, V.P. - Investor Relations; US Telephone: 972-868-9066 K.D. Diepholz, DynaResource, Inc. CEO;? DynaResource de Mexico-Presidente; U.S. Telephone: 972-868-9066? Bidens team knew better than to ask Obama for his overt support during the primary campaign. But they felt he might have done more to spare them a few tribulations, and were incensed that some former Obama advisers, especially David Axelrod, repeatedly questioned Bidens viability. When Naomi Biden, the candidates granddaughter, took to Twitter in February to describe the former Obama aide as a jerk with a microphone, cheering could be heard at the campaigns headquarters in Philadelphia, according to a person who was present. (Axelrod has said he considers himself an impartial observer.) [April 14, 2020] FourKites Releases Q1 2020 Premier Carrier List CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FourKites , the leader in predictive supply chain visibility, today announced the publication of its Premier Carrier List for the first quarter of 2020. The list showcases 234 brokers, carriers and 3PLs that achieved the highest standards of visibility-related operational excellence, as demonstrated by their ability to provide high-quality, consistent, accurate data on the vast majority of their loads even as the COVID-19 pandemic puts enormous stress on the supply chain as a whole, and carriers in particular. Carriers and truckers have been working tirelessly to help meet the surging demand for essential goods. Truckers are waiting for hours to deliver or pick up goods at overloaded facilities. The carriers on FourKites Premier Carrier List are providing their shipper customers and the broader supply chain ecosystem with data that is indispensable in normal times, but especially now to streamlining operations, increasing the speed of shipping dock turn times, reducing inventory levels and better managing labor costs. Now in its fifth edition, the full Premier Carrier List is available only to FourKites customers, but a public-facing version can be found here . The companies featured on this list are the most highly valued and sought after by the 380-plus Global Fortune 1000 shippers that make up the FourKites ecosystem and spend more than $36 billion annually on freight. For these shippers, accurate and real-time visibility data is critical to meeting unprecedented demand, driving a consistent customer service experience and reducing order lead times. Trailblazing carriers who have qualified for the list since its inception include Big G Express , Hirschbach Motor Lines , Mesilla Valley Transportation , KLLM Transportation Services and Stevens Transport . Our inclusion on the Premier Carrier List is a great source of pride for our team, said Bill Putman, Vice President of Sales for Big G Express. Our FourKites compliance continues to be a conversation point with many of our customers using the platform. Data aggregation continues to be a strategic conversation between carriers and shippers. We have been on the list since the beginning, and I believe it has opened some conversations with shippers. It shows we have one more value-add they desire. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it painfully clear that real-time data on shipments in transit is mission-critical, said Mathew Elenjickal, FourKites founder and CEO. The carriers on this list are performing at the highest level and demonstrating on a daily basis the value of real-time logistics data to everyone in the supply chain from the manufacturers and shippers of goods to the carriers, truckers and ultimately, consumers. Over the past year, we've seen our Premier Carrier List double in size, added Kevin Taylor, Vice President of Carrier Operations at FourKites. This tremendous growth is a testament to the many carriers who understand and have invested in real-time visibility due to the tremendous value unlocks across the end-to-end supply chain. On May 13, FourKites will be holding a free virtual summit focused on carrier and broker operations. The event will feature supply chain leaders from leading carriers, brokers and shippers among them Tucker Company Worldwide , USA Truck and Smithfield as they discuss ways to leverage technology for operational efficiency and competitive differentiation. Register for the event here . For more information on FourKites carrier initiatives, visit https://www.fourkites.com/carriers/ . About FourKites FourKites is the largest predictive supply chain visibility platform, delivering real-time visibility and predictive analytics for the broadest network of Global 1000 companies and third-party logistics firms. Using a proprietary algorithm to calculate shipment arrival times, FourKites enables customers to lower operating costs, improve on-time performance and strengthen end-customer relationships. With a network of more than four million GPS/ELD devices, FourKites covers all modes, including truckload, LTL, ocean, rail, intermodal, last mile and parcel. The platform is optimized for mobile and equipped with market-leading end-to-end security. To learn more, visit https://www.fourkites.com . Media Contact: Marianna Vyridi Big Valley Marketing for FourKites +1 (650) 468-3263 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 03:24:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A pastry chef makes a "mask" for a chocolate Easter bunny in Athens, Greece, on April 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) -- Italy sees ICU patients decrease for the 10th consecutive day while death toll tops 20,000; -- Lockdown extended till May 11 in France; -- Death toll reaches 11,329 in UK; -- Spain sees decline in new cases, deaths; -- The Netherlands records two-week low daily deaths. BRUSSELS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries. Photo taken on April 11, 2020 shows the empty Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy.(Xinhua/Cheng Tingting) ROME -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 20,465 lives in locked-down Italy as of Monday, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries so far to 159,516, according to latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department. Addressing a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli explained that there were 566 new fatalities, compared with 431 registered on Sunday. Active infections increased by 1,363 from Sunday to a tally of 103,616. Meanwhile, there were 1,224 new recoveries, bringing the total of recoveries to 35,435 since the pandemic broke out in the northern regions on Feb. 21. Of those infected, 28,023 people are currently hospitalized, 176 more from the previous day; 3,260 are in intensive care, down by 83; and 72,333, or about 70 percent, are isolated at home. It was the tenth consecutive day that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units showed a decreasing trend, according to Borrelli. An ambulance is parked on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, Britain, April 13, 2020.(Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua) LONDON -- The death toll of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reached 11,329 as of Sunday afternoon, marking a daily increase of 717, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday. As of Monday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 88,621, said the department, adding that 367,667 tests have concluded, with 14,506 tests on Sunday. Chairing Monday's Downing Street daily press briefing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, also First Secretary of State, said the government does not expect to relax or lift the coronavirus lockdown later this week. "We are still not past the peak," even though there are some "positive signs" from the data that show "we are starting to win this struggle", said Raab. "We don't expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point and we won't until we're confident -- as confident as we realistically can be -- that any such changes can be safely made," he said. A woman wearing a face mask walks across a street in Paris, France, on April 12, 2020.(Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua) PARIS --French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the country's coronavirus lockdown will be extended till May 11. "The confinement... the strictest... will pursue till Monday May the 11th," Macron said in his televised address to the nation, as four weeks of lockdown in the country has produced some positive effects in containing the spread of coronavirus. He said May 11 will mark the start of a new phase in France. From then on, nurseries and schools will reopen progressively; restaurants, cafes, hotels will remain closed; all people showing COVID-19 symptoms will be tested. "The hope is reborn but nothing is won," Macron noted, adding "In the Grand Est (region in northeast France) as in the Paris region, the (health) system is under pressure. The epidemic is still not controlled," "We should therefore pursue with our efforts and continue to apply the rules," he said. A medical worker prepares to enter the COVID-19 patients' wards at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, April 9, 2020.(Photo by Francisco Avia/Xinhua) MADRID -- The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths in a 24-hour period both fell in Spain, according to the data collected by the Spanish Ministry for Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services by 2100 hours on Sunday and made public on Monday. The total number of people who have lost their lives from the virus rose to 17,489, a daily increase of 517, compared with the 619 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. This was accompanied by a fall in the number of new cases: 3,477 new cases reported compared to 4,167 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 169,496. A woman takes photos of the Manneken Pis (Little Pissing Man) wearing a mask in Brussels, Belgium, April 13, 2020.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) BRUSSELS -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Belgium has increased from 29,647 to 30,589 by Monday morning with 3,903 deaths, according to the latest figures from Belgian health authorities. Belgium registered 942 new cases and 303 new deaths in the past 24 hours, announced the public health institute Sciensano. Furthermore, in the past 24 hours, 310 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized while 239 left the hospital. Between March 15 and April 12, over 11,400 patients entered the hospital, while 6,707 were discharged. Figures show a stabilization in the number of hospital admissions in recent days and a slight drop in intensive care patients. Signs and barriers noticing people to keep distance are seen at the Saturday market in Haarlem, the Netherlands, April 11, 2020.(Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua) THE HAGUE -- The number of reported COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours reached its lowest point in over two weeks in The Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Monday. The 86 reported deaths from the disease since Sunday resulted in a death toll of 2,823. The last time the death toll was that low was on March 26, when 78 patients were reported dead. On Sunday the number of reported daily deaths was 94 and on Saturday it was 132. The number of people who are or were admitted to hospital rose by 147 to a total of 8,729, and that of people who tested positive for COVID-19 since Sunday grew by 964 to a total of 26,551. A notice at an entrance to a public park informs people of the closure time on the Easter weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Budapest, Hungary, on April 10, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) BUDAPEST -- New arrival of medical protective equipment from China has landed in Budapest, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced on Monday. "In the early morning hours on Monday, six planes landed in Budapest, carrying 5.3 million face masks, 6 million pairs of gloves and 86,000 protective gowns from Beijing and Shanghai," the minister said on his Facebook page. "The virus does not take into account our holidays, therefore the China-Hungary air bridge must also operate at Easter, for the safe supply of medical protective equipment for hospitals, clinics and police and military units," he added. On Sunday morning, a plane from southern China's Shenzhen landed in Budapest, carrying 1,365,000 protective masks. Advertisement More than one in five deaths recorded in England and Wales were linked to coronavirus, new figures show, making the start of April the deadliest week on record. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows Covid-19 was mentioned on 3,475 death certificates in the week ending April 3, including hospital, care home and community deaths. The total number of deaths recorded in Week 14 - as it is officially known - was 16,387, meaning coronavirus has pushed the death toll in England and Wales to its highest level since official weekly figures began in 2005. The shocking milestone came yesterday as the UK announced 778 more deaths from the bug, taking the total number of victims to 12,107 after three weeks of a draconian nationwide lockdown - but the true death toll could be 50 per cent higher. The ONS numbers show when hospital deaths are backdated and deaths in care homes counted, the number of people who have died could be thousands higher than what the Department of Health has announced. The ONS counted 5,979 deaths in England by April 3, compared to the 3,939 figure given by health chiefs on the same day - a difference of around 2,000. If the same percentage difference was applied to yesterday's updated UK death toll, it would mean the true number of COVID-19 deaths in Britain would be in the region of 18,400 - around 6,000 higher. Despite yesterday's death toll rising again, the jump was by only 8 per cent day-on-day (778 compared to 717 on Monday) - the jump between Monday and Tuesday last week was closer to 80 per cent (439 to 786). In last night's Downing Street press conference, NHS England's medical director revealed hospital admissions for coronavirus were 'stabilising and plateauing' - dipping three per cent below the 20,000 recorded on Monday. Professor Stephen Powis said this was proof the effects of social distancing were working, telling the nation: 'We are beginning to see the benefits of the undoubted hardships that we've all been asked to go through.' Figures released by the Department of Health yesterday also showed the number of new cases is also stabilising, with just 5,252 more patients testing positive in the past 24 hours - taking the total number of infected to 93,873. This has risen from a week low of 4,342 on Monday because of a 42 per cent increase in testing - but is lower than four of the past six days, offering a glimmer of hope. In other coronavirus news: Ten per cent of deaths involving COVID-19 (406) in England and Wales registered up to April 3 occurred outside of hospitals, according to the ONS; Separate figures released by the Government body revealed the week ending April 3 was Britain's deadliest since records began in 2005, with 16,000 deaths - up 6,000 on the five-year average; A shocking analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility warned Britain's economy may shrink by a third as a result of the coronavirus and 10 per cent of the workforce (two million people) could end up unemployed; Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hit out at reports medical protective equipment has been diverted from Scottish care homes to English ones, saying she 'will not stand by and be treated unfairly'; Teachers are 'disturbed' by 'unhelpful' speculation that schools and colleges will reopen soon amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the largest education union in Europe; Downing Street's chief adviser Dominic Cummings has returned to work after going into self-isolation when Mr Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus; Boris Johnson is not taking any phone calls or receiving official papers as he recuperates from coronavirus at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, his spokesperson said; Government advisers criticised the 'all or nothing' approach to lockdown and said there is no evidence that sunbathing presents a transmission risk; It was revealed the UK has missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff; Europe took its first tentative steps towards a return to normality as some countries including Austria, Italy and Spain start to re-open businesses. Yesterdau's Government briefing in Downing Street was held by Chancellor Rishi Sunak (centre); NHS England's medical director, Professor Stephen Powis (left); and Public Health England's director of health protection, Professor Yvonne Doyle (right) Leading scientists have repeatedly warned the death toll will peak after the cases because it can take weeks for a coronavirus patient to succumb to the life-threatening infection. And although the UK's increase in daily deaths is small it comes at the end of a four-day bank holiday weekend for Easter. It means deaths that happened after Wednesday last week may be under-reported because of a data lag which appears to happen every weekend. Government scientists have cautioned against pinning too much hope to the numbers of people dying because they date back up to two weeks and do not represent the situation on the day they're published. Separate ONS figures published yesterday showed that by the end of March coronavirus had become a contributing factor in one in every five deaths in England (21.2 per cent). It also revealed that more people died in the first week of April (16,387) than in any other week of the past 15 years. The average number of deaths recorded for week 14 - as it is known - is around 10,000. Official data showed the week ending April 3 was the deadliest since records began in 2005, with 16,387 fatalities recorded. A graph shows how the week compares to others since the start of 2020 Coronavirus is now linked to more than one in five deaths per week, according to the data for the last week of March. In London, the virus was mentioned on the death certificates of almost half of fatalities As well as being 50 per cent higher than the Department of Health's, ONS' toll was 15 per cent higher than the one given by NHS England, which only takes into account hospital deaths. Statisticians have yet to break down those numbers, which took registrations for deaths occurring up to April 3 until April 11 - giving doctors an extra eight days to record the true count. Separate ONS figures that delved into the numbers registered in England and Wales up to April 3 revealed that ten per cent of deaths involving COVID-19 occurred outside of hospitals, with five per cent in care homes. It is unclear why there is a slight difference between the two numbers. The ONS did not offer an explanation - but it may be that it takes even longer to record deaths outside of care homes. Yesterday's statistics come amid a row over care homes' role in the ongoing crisis. Older people account for the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths - around 92 per cent of victims are over-60. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FIGURES THE ONS RELEASED Tuesday? The ONS released a series of startling figures yesterday which laid bare the true scale of England's coronavirus crisis. It broke down the deaths recorded from all across the country, not just the hospitals - which are the figures collated by NHS England. ONS data showed there had been 3,950 deaths registered across England by April 3, since the first fatality was officially announced on March 5. But this number jumped to 5,979 when accounting for a recording delay, including all deaths up to April 3 that were registered by April 11. In contrast, that is 15 per cent higher than the figure given by NHS England (5,186) - which tallies up the number of actual hospital deaths for each day. The ONS figures suggested there is an extra 793 deaths which mentioned COVID-19 that weren't recorded by health officials. This is because the ONS count applies to deaths in any location, such as care homes and hospices. It was also a massive 52 per cent higher than the 3,939 deaths in England that were announced up to April 3 by the Department of Health. This is because Government figures - also based on hospital deaths - are backdated (unlike the NHS) and do not relate to the day on which they're released. The ONS also releases a separate set of figures, which breakdown exactly where the deaths occurred in any given week. The data does, however, not include the full-set of figures. It only goes off the days of registrations - and not occurrences. It showed 195 of the 3,475 COVID-19 fatalities recorded in England and Wales during week 14 were in care homes - the equivalent of 5.6 per cent. Another 170 deaths were declared outside of hospitals, including in hospices or their own homes. ONS statisticians then crunched dating back three weeks, to when the first COVID-19 deaths were confirmed in care homes. It showed that 90.2 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths recorded up to April 3 had been in hospitals (3,716). The other 406 were in care homes (217 - 5.3 per cent), at home (136 - 3.3 per cent) and in a hospice (33 - 0.8 per cent). Advertisement But authorities do not routinely test the 400,000 Britons who live in care homes and records only publish homes' death statistics in once-weekly updates, which are 10 days out of date. The officials who hosted yesterday's coronavirus briefing from Downing Street were grilled by journalists over the UK's lack of data about care home deaths and concerns that people dying in homes were being 'forgotten'. Discussing the drop in numbers tonight, Professor Powis said: 'A reduction in infection rates will then translate to a reduction in new UK cases and our testing has shown a plateauing in the number of new cases. 'We aren't testing everybody who's symptomatic in the community so this data will never be a complete reflection, but that in turn will then translate into an effect on the number of people who require a hospital bed. 'There is increasing evidence now that the number of hospital admissions is stabilising and plateauing. You can see that in London, but you can also see it in other areas such as the Midlands. 'And this is evidence that is now accumulating that the benefit of that social distancing, of reducing transmission, is now beginning to be manifest in a stabilisation in hospital admissions.' The NHS director said the number of deaths being recorded each day would not drop until later in the outbreak, adding: 'Sadly it's the [number] that will take longest to change. But Professor Powis, flanked by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Public Health England's medical director Professor Yvonne Doyle, social distancing will 'eventually translate to a reduction in the number of daily deaths'. He added: 'So the message is quite clear - we are beginning to see the benefits of the undoubted hardship we've all been asked to go through in terms of social distancing, in terms of not meeting with friends and family. 'It's really important that those are maintained, that we continue to follow the instructions, and we will then get on top of this virus.' NHS England yesterday said its newest update - 744 new deaths - meant 11,005 people in England have now died after testing positive for COVID-19. The 744 patients were aged between 34 and 102 and 58 of them were otherwise healthy, the youngest of whom was 38 and the oldest 96. After a lapse behind the Midlands yesterday, London has returned to its position as the centre of the UK's outbreak, accounting for 206 of the deaths announced yesterday. Meanwhile 143 more people have died in the North West, 109 in the Midlands, 95 in the East of England, 93 in the North East & Yorkshire, 73 in the South East and 25 in the South West. The Department of Health has officially recorded 34 more deaths for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but the devolved nations independently recorded more. Scotland said 40 more people have died there, Wales 19 and Northern Ireland 10 - a total of 69 - meaning the true number for Britain is at least 12,157. Because the four governments record their data at different times these statistics do not line up - some of those that happen outside of England will be recorded by Whitehall tomorrow instead. A further 206 coronavirus deaths were recorded in London on Tuesday, taking the capital's total to more than 3,000 people. Pictured, paramedics work in protective clothing at a hospital in the city Yesterday's update comes as a different set of data published this morning, by the ONS, an independent governmental statistics department, revealed the true COVID-19 death toll may be 15 per cent higher than the Department of Health's daily announcements let on. The ONS found that, by April 3, the NHS in England had recorded 5,186 COVID-19 deaths but a count of death certificates on which the disease was mentioned put the true figure at 5,979 - a rise of 793 (15.3 per cent). Those 793 people were those who died in care homes, hospices and their own houses and are now being referred to as the crisis's hidden victims. If this same proportion is scaled up to Britain's current death toll - 12,107 - it could mean there are at least 1,816 people who have already died at home and not been counted. Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the ONS said: 'The latest comparable data for deaths involving COVID-19 with a date of death up to 3 April, show there were 6,235 deaths in England and Wales. Where are people dying of Covi in England? Every region in England has recorded hundreds of fatalities. The South West is the only corner of the country where fewer than 1,000 people have died after contracting the illness. Deaths by region: London: 3,071 Midlands: 2,289 North West: 1,450 North East & Yorkshire: 1,355 South East: 1,159 East of England: 1,156 South West: 525 At least 182 hospitals, both NHS and private, have recorded deaths of patients who had tested positive for the coronavirus. Those in London and Birmingham have consistently been the worst affected. Hospitals recording the most deaths: University Hospitals Birmingham: 460 Royal Free London: 328 London North West University Healthcare: 299 King's College Hospital, London: 270 Bart's Health NHS Trust, London: 246 Imperial College Healthcare, London: 224 Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals: 204 Frimley Health Trust, Surrey: 184 Croydon Health Services, London: 181 Source: NHS England Advertisement 'When looking at data for England, this is 15 per cent higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of COVID-19 on the death certificate, including suspected COVID-19, as well as deaths in the community.' The disparity in death tolls has drawn attention to the escalating crisis being faced by nursing homes across the UK, which say they are not being included in the Government's response despite elderly people being the most at risk of dying if they catch the coronavirus. Over-80s account for 52 per cent of all the coronavirus deaths in England's hospitals so far (5,669 out of 11,005) while 92 per cent of everyone who has died has been 60 or older (10,075 people). Despite this and the fact that there are more than 400,000 people living in nursing homes, according to Labour's Shadow Minister for Social Care, Liz Kendall, routine testing is not carried out at the facilities. Close quarters in the homes, physical contact with nursing staff and the likelihood of residents having other health problems make them potential havens for COVID-19 to spread. Calling for better tracking of the coronavirus in care homes, Ms Kendall said: 'We urgently need these figures on a daily basis to help deal with the emerging crisis in social care and ensure everything possible is being done to protect more than 400,000 elderly and disabled people who live in nursing and residential care homes. 'The Government has rightly said the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This must also apply to social care, which needs a much greater priority and focus than it has had so far.' HEALTH BODIES ARE 'WORKING TOWARDS' PUBLISHING DAILY CARE HOME DEATHS Health bodies are 'working towards' ensuring that coronavirus-related deaths in care homes are published daily, the head of Public Health England (PHE) said. Experts have called for care home deaths to be included with daily updates for deaths in hospitals, amid fears they are going 'under the radar'. Professor Yvonne Doyle told the daily Downing Street press conference that PHE was working with the ONS to get faster data on deaths in care homes, hospices, private homes and elsewhere. The PHE director said: 'In these very dispersed systems we just need to be absolutely clear that the cause of death that is attributed is correct, and that is what takes time on the death certificate to get right. 'But we would like to have much more rapid data, preferably on a daily basis, and that's what we're working towards.' Also during the briefing, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that care home residents and workers 'have absolutely not been forgotten' and pointed to the need for data that is 'consistent and accurate and timely'. Asked whether it would be more 'respectful' to publish care home deaths along with the hospital deaths, he said: 'There is absolutely no desire not to respect what's happening in care homes and to provide that data.' There are tens of thousands of social care settings from which to collect data, compared with several hundred NHS trusts with an existing consistent system for providing data, he added. Separately, the Care Quality Commission said from this week, care providers will be able to report which deaths were of people with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 to give a 'more accurate and timely picture'. It has not been confirmed how often this data will be shared publicly, or by which agency. Advertisement Care home bosses themselves have come forward to declare coronavirus outbreaks in their homes and just two companies that operate in the UK say they have more than 500 deaths between them - more than double the officially-recorded 217 to date. Sir David Behan, non-executive chairman of HC-One, the UK's biggest provider, revealed 311 residents and one member of staff have died in its homes as a result of suspected COVID-19 and it has had more than 2,400 infections. He told Radio 4 this morning: 'This terrible virus does target older people and people with underlying conditions. 'What that means is some of the frailest elderly people we've got in our society are in care homes and therefore those people are at increased risk.' Sir David said it was 'realistic' to assume that two thirds of all care homes in the country had coronavirus outbreaks and that the death tolls they were seeing were significantly higher than the numbers in the public domain. The UK is now entering its fourth week of lockdown after Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his pivotal 'stay at home' speech from Downing Street on March 23 before he fell ill. All but essential businesses remain closed, the majority of people are working from home or furloughed, and trips out of the home remain limited to one a day for exercise or essential shopping or medical appointments. The Government and its Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) will review the progress of the lockdown later this week but it is not expected to make any changes. Instead, the current situation is expected to last into May and potentially beyond, with measures being lifted gradually rather than an end date being set. Britain's economy, however, will face dire consequences of the enforced social distancing. The Government's watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, today warned the economy could shrink by more than a third this quarter alone with two million people made jobless if the lockdown continues for two more months. 'TWO THIRDS OF CARE HOMES COULD HAVE COVID-19 OUTBREAKS' The chief of one of the UK's largest care home operators has said the scale of the disease's spread in residential facilities has been grossly underestimated. Sir David Behan, non-executive chairman of HC-One, which cares for 17,000 people in 328 homes around Britain, said that the company had recorded 2,407 COVID-19 cases across its sites. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that suspected or confirmed coronavirus had been recorded in 232 of the company's 330 homes. And he said that proportion - around two thirds - was a 'realistic picture' of how he expected homes around the country to be affected. Speaking on Radio 4 this morning, Sir David - a former chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - said: 'This terrible virus does target older people and people with underlying conditions. 'What that means is some of the frailest elderly people we've got in our society are in care homes and therefore those people are at increased risk.' He added: 'COVID-19 deaths are representative of just about a third of all deaths we've had over the last three weeks.' Advertisement Shocking analysis from the OBR underlines the trade-offs being made to combat the deadly disease by putting the country into lockdown. It warns curbs staying in place for three months will slash GDP by 35 per cent, with unemployment soaring to 10 per cent and the government's deficit hitting 273billion - the highest level since the Second World War. The watchdog ominously said it was assumed 'for now' there will not be any permanent economic damage, and much of the crash will be unwound as pent-up demand is unleashed when the lockdown finally ends. However, the resulting 13 per cent year-on-year drop will still be worse than anything in the last century. Responding to the chilling scenario - which emerged as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted the worst global downturn since the Great Depression in 1929 - Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: 'People should know there is hardship ahead.' The apocalyptic figures emerged after Dominic Raab moved to quash the idea of an imminent loosening, with the UK now facing restrictions until at least May 7. But there is growing alarm about the potential death toll from economic misery, with life expectancy set to take a major hit. Doctors have also warned that suspending all non-urgent NHS operations to focus on coronavirus cases means more cancer and heart disease patients will die. The Cabinet is divided over whether to push to ease the lockdown soon, with some saying the public is obeying social distancing too well and that people must be urged to keep working where possible. But concerns have been raised that it is impossible to lift the curbs at the moment anyway because the public is so strongly in favour of them staying in place, and would simply refuse to go back to normal. To underline the sense of drift, a full Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled for the second week running as Boris Johnson recuperates from COVID-19 at Chequers. Responding to the OBR figures, Mr Sunak said it was 'clear this will have a very significant impact on our economy' adding it is 'important that we're honest about that'. 'People should know that there's hardship ahead. We won't be able to protect every job or every business as I've said,' Mr Sunak warned. 'It's clear we must defeat this virus as quickly as possible. That's not a choice between health and economics, that defies common sense. What we need is just to follow the rules and I'm grateful to everyone for doing that over the Easter weekend.' As the UK faces the prospect of further weeks or even months confined to their own homes, other countries across Europe, beginning to emerge from the worst of their epidemics, are start to return to normal life. Many regions of Italy yesterday started opening a handful of stores including bookshops and stationery shops in a trial to see how social distancing measures can work after the lockdown, which otherwise remains in force. And in Austria, which was the first European country to announce specific plans for ending the lockdown, shoppers were queuing outside hardware stores wearing compulsory masks as small shops re-opened on Tuesday. Experts are not expecting a surge in customers, because some people will still be too worried to make unnecessary shopping trips and certain stores may choose to stay closed. Meanwhile, industrial and construction work is resuming in Spain where some workers were back at their jobs yesterday while other regions are returning yesterday after an Easter Monday holiday. Some commuters in Spain said they felt reassured by the 10million masks which authorities are handing out this week. Elsewhere, Denmark is lining up a quicker-than-expected end to the lockdown after hospital cases continued to fall while Iceland says it will start easing restrictions next month. WHICH HOSPITALS IN ENGLAND ARE RECORDING THE MOST DEATHS LINKED TO THE CORONAVIRUS? (NHS England data) NHS TRUST DEATHS NHS TRUST DEATHS UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 460 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BRISTOL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 45 ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 328 GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 44 LONDON NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 299 WESTERN SUSSEX HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 42 KING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 270 THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, KING'S LYNN, NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 41 BARTS HEALTH NHS TRUST 246 AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 40 IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 224 ROYAL UNITED HOSPITALS BATH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 40 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF DERBY AND BURTON 215 GEORGE ELIOT HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 39 SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 204 ROYAL CORNWALL HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 39 FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 184 JAMES PAGET UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 38 CROYDON HEALTH SERVICES NHS TRUST 181 CHESTERFIELD ROYAL HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 38 LEWISHAM AND GREENWICH NHS TRUST 181 DONCASTER AND BASSETLAW TEACHING HOSPITALS 37 LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 176 EAST SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 37 ST GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 174 ROYAL BERKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 37 THE ROYAL WOLVERHAMPTON NHS TRUST 168 ROYAL SURREY COUNTY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 37 EPSOM AND ST HELIER UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 163 WARRINGTON AND HALTON TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 36 NORTH MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 161 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS PLYMOUTH NHS TRUST 34 SOUTH TYNESIDE AND SUNDERLAND NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 159 NORTH TEES AND HARTLEPOOL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 33 THE DUDLEY GROUP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 145 THE ROYAL BOURNEMOUTH AND CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITALS 33 BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS 135 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 32 MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 135 THE ROTHERHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 32 BASILDON AND THURROCK UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS 131 HULL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 30 PORTSMOUTH HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 123 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 27 EAST SUFFOLK AND NORTH ESSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 121 HARROGATE AND DISTRICT NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 25 CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 120 EAST CHESHIRE NHS TRUST 25 THE PRINCESS ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 118 SALISBURY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 25 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST 115 NORTHERN LINCOLNSHIRE AND GOOLE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 24 NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 112 POOLE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 24 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE 112 ROYAL DEVON AND EXETER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 20 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF MORECAMBE BAY 110 TORBAY AND SOUTH DEVON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 20 THE HILLINGDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 109 MEDWAY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 19 WEST HERTFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 108 DORSET COUNTY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 18 PENNINE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 108 WEST SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 16 SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 107 WYE VALLEY NHS TRUST 16 SURREY AND SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 106 ROYAL BROMPTON & HAREFIELD NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 15 WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 103 TAUNTON AND SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 14 SOUTH TEES HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 100 BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 11 WIRRAL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL 100 ISLE OF WIGHT NHS TRUST 11 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS 99 EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 9 WALSALL HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 98 KENT COMMUNITY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 9 SOUTHEND UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 97 ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 8 UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF NORTH MIDLANDS NHS TRUST 95 YEOVIL DISTRICT HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 7 GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 93 ROYAL PAPWORTH HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 6 SALFORD ROYAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 93 WORCESTERSHIRE HEALTH AND CARE NHS TRUST 6 MID YORKSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 92 SOUTHERN HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 6 EAST KENT HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 92 SUSSEX COMMUNITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 6 GLOUCESTERSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 92 GLOUCESTERSHIRE HEALTH AND CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 6 COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 89 ANGLIAN COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE CIC - FRYATT HOSPITAL 5 LEEDS TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 88 CENTRAL AND NORTH WEST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 HOMERTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 85 THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 MID ESSEX HOSPITAL SERVICES NHS TRUST 79 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 KINGSTON HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 78 TEES, ESK AND WEAR VALLEYS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 NORTHUMBRIA HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 78 THE CHRISTIE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 BOLTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 77 OXFORD HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 5 CALDERDALE AND HUDDERSFIELD NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 76 HCA UK - WELLINGTON HOSPITAL NORTH BUILDING 4 LUTON AND DUNSTABLE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL 74 NORTH EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 74 ROYAL HOSPITAL FOR NEURO-DISABILITY 4 EAST AND NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE NHS TRUST 72 DERBYSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SOUTHAMPTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 71 LIVERPOOL HEART AND CHEST HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 70 THE WALTON CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 WHITTINGTON HEALTH NHS TRUST 69 BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 68 DORSET HEALTHCARE UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 4 ST HELENS AND KNOWSLEY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 65 NORTHERN DEVON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 4 SHERWOOD FOREST HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 64 NORFOLK COMMUNITY HEALTH AND CARE NHS TRUST 3 NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 63 CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 3 UNITED LINCOLNSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 62 CORNWALL PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 3 STOCKPORT NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 61 WESTON AREA HEALTH NHS TRUST 3 MID CHESHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 60 HERTFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY NHS TRUST 2 BLACKPOOL TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 59 HERTFORDSHIRE PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 2 COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 59 CENTRAL LONDON COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 2 EAST LANCASHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 59 HCA UK - THE PRINCESS GRACE 2 BRADFORD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 58 SOUTH LONDON AND MAUDSLEY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 2 TAMESIDE AND GLOSSOP INTEGRATED CARE 57 THE ROBERT JONES AND AGNES HUNT ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL 2 GATESHEAD HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 56 THE ROYAL ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 2 WRIGHTINGTON, WIGAN AND LEIGH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 56 CUMBRIA, NORTHUMBERLAND, TYNE AND WEAR NHS TRUST 2 ASHFORD AND ST PETER'S HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 56 SHEFFIELD HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NHS TRUST 2 MILTON KEYNES UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 53 SOMERSET PARTNERSHIP NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 2 SOUTHPORT AND ORMSKIRK HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 53 CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 BEDFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 52 EAST COAST COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE - BECCLES HOSPITAL 1 THE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 52 HCA UK - THE LISTER 1 BRIGHTON AND SUSSEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST 51 OXLEAS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 KETTERING GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 50 SOUTH WEST LONDON AND ST GEORGE'S MENTAL HEALTH NHS TRUST 1 SHREWSBURY AND TELFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUST 50 WEST LONDON NHS TRUST 1 MAIDSTONE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS NHS TRUST 50 DERBYSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 NORTH WEST ANGLIA NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 48 LEICESTERSHIRE PARTNERSHIP NHS TRUST 1 YORK TEACHING HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 48 NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE COMBINED HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST 1 NORTH BRISTOL NHS TRUST 48 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 NORFOLK AND NORWICH UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS 47 BRADFORD DISTRICT CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 DARTFORD AND GRAVESHAM NHS TRUST 47 HUMBER TEACHING NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 46 ROTHERHAM DONCASTER AND SOUTH HUMBER NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 1 BARNSLEY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 45 KENT AND MEDWAY NHS AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP TRUST 1 LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST 45 ANGLIAN COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE CIC - CLACTON HOSPITAL 1 UK's coronavirus death toll could be 50% HIGHER than official figures show (and the week ending April 3 was Britain's DEADLIEST since records began in 2005) The true scale of Britain's devastating coronavirus crisis was yesterday laid bare by data suggesting there are potentially thousands of hidden victims. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the true number of people who have died of COVID-19 could be 52 per cent higher than official figures. Daily updates from the Department of Health may only account for between 45 and 65 per cent of the total number of deaths for any given day when hospital fatalities have been backdated, statistics have started to show. For April 3, for example, 3,939 deaths had been recorded by the DH but the ONS now knows there to have been at least 5,979 - an increase of 51.7 per cent. The ONS' death toll is also 15 per cent higher than the number given by NHS England, which only takes into account hospital deaths and not ones that have happened elsewhere, such as in care homes. The discrepancy - which is caused by backdated hospital deaths and those recorded outside of hospitals - is why Government scientists say people should not use the daily death figures as a yardstick for Britain's progress through the outbreak. ONS statistics also show that there is a gap of around 15 per cent between deaths in hospitals and the country's total when people who die at home or in care homes are included. While hospitals in England recorded 5,186 coronavirus deaths up to April 3, a count of death certificates put the true figure at 5,979. This marked a rise of 793 which, if applied to the UK-wide official death toll of 11,329, could mean an extra 1,699 people have died but not yet been counted. These are people who died in care homes, hospices or their own houses. Officials face mounting pressure to get on top of recording deaths in care homes, which insiders say are considerably more common than is being portrayed. The statistics come as the ONS revealed more people died in the week between March 28 and April 3 than in another week of the past 15 years. There were 16,387 fatalities recorded across the seven days, up more than 5,000 on the week before and 6,000 more than the average for that week. Nick Stripe, head of health analysis and life events at the ONS said: 'The latest comparable data for deaths involving COVID-19 with a date of death up to 3 April, show there were 6,235 deaths in England and Wales. 'When looking at data for England, this is 15 per cent higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of COVID-19 on the death certificate, including suspected COVID-19, as well as deaths in the community. 'The 16,387 deaths that were registered in England and Wales during the week ending 3 April is the highest weekly total since we started compiling weekly deaths data in 2005.' ONS data showed deaths in care homes made up 10 per cent of Britain's fatality toll WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FIGURES ONS RELEASED TUESDAY? The ONS released a series of startling figures yesterday which laid bare the true scale of England's coronavirus crisis. It broke down the deaths recorded from all across the country, not just the hospitals - which are the figures collated by NHS England. ONS data showed there had been 3,950 deaths registered across England by April 3, since the first fatality was officially announced on March 5. But this number jumped to 5,979 when accounting for a recording delay, including all deaths up to April 3 that were registered by April 11. In contrast, that is 15 per cent higher than the figure given by NHS England (5,186) - which tallies up the number of actual hospital deaths for each day. The ONS figures suggested there is an extra 793 deaths which mentioned COVID-19 that weren't recorded by health officials. This is because the ONS count applies to deaths in any location, such as care homes and hospices. It was also a massive 52 per cent higher than the 3,939 deaths in England that were announced up to April 3 by the Department of Health. This is because Government figures - also based on hospital deaths - are backdated (unlike the NHS) and do not relate to the day on which they're released. The ONS also releases a separate set of figures, which breakdown exactly where the deaths occurred in any given week. The data does, however, not include the full-set of figures. It only goes off the days of registrations - and not occurrences. It showed 195 of the 3,475 COVID-19 fatalities recorded in England and Wales during week 14 were in care homes - the equivalent of 5.6 per cent. Another 170 deaths were declared outside of hospitals, including in hospices or their own homes. ONS statisticians then crunched dating back three weeks, to when the first COVID-19 deaths were confirmed in care homes. It showed that 90.2 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths recorded up to April 3 had been in hospitals (3,716). The other 406 were in care homes (217 - 5.3 per cent), at home (136 - 3.3 per cent) and in a hospice (33 - 0.8 per cent). Advertisement This means coronavirus has pushed the death toll in England and Wales to its highest level since official weekly figures began in 2005. Professor Tom Dening, of the University of Nottingham, said: 'It is worrying that there appears to be a sharp increase in deaths in the community that are not known to be due to COVID-19. 'So far, we dont have good data on the possible reasons for this but there are a number of possibilities. 'The first is simply that many of these are in fact caused by Covid-19 that wasnt diagnosed. Testing remains extremely limited outside of hospitals so we probably wont ever know how many people had the virus during this period. 'There are probably multiple reasons for other deaths. These include people not feeling able to attend their GP surgeries, call an ambulance or attend A&E as they may have done in the past. 'Therefore, some serious conditions may present too late for effective treatment. Concern has been expressed by doctors working in childrens emergency care that they are not currently seeing the usual range of childhood emergencies. 'Another possibility is that some people with serious conditions, like cancer or chronic kidney disease, are either unable or unwilling to attend hospital on the usual regular basis, so their treatment regimes may lapse.' He added: 'Finally, there is already much known about the psychological effects of quarantine, especially when this is prolonged beyond a couple of weeks. 'Most of the mental health consequences will have a longer timescale and probably havent contributed to the excess mortality currently being seen. 'It is quite possible we will see an increase in suicides and self-harm over time, the longer the lockdown goes on. People with existing serious mental health issues may find the current circumstances particularly difficult, as they may have limited social networks or difficulty in accessing their usual sources of support.' The Government is now under mounting pressure to start recording all COVID-19 deaths on a day-by-day basis after a row broke out over how care homes are involved in the crisis. The care home regulator, the Care Quality Commission, yesterday said it was stepping in to collect daily numbers of coronavirus deaths. Currently the only data on care home deaths is released on a weekly basis - and is two weeks behind the date on which it comes out. The ONS statistics, released once a week on a Tuesday, are the only insight the public gets into how many people are dying behind care homes' closed doors. Bosses at two of the country's largest care home providers - HC-One and MHA -said they have unofficially recorded at least 521 COVID-19 deaths among their residents already. The true number is likely to be considerably higher because there are around 400,000 people living in residential care facilities around the UK. The Labour Party's Shadow Minister for Social Care, Liz Kendall, said it is vital that more is done to protect care home residents and workers, and to offer the public a clear picture of what is happening behind their closed doors. 'The increase in COVID-19 deaths in care homes is extremely worrying,' she said. 'But the true picture will sadly be even worse because these figures are only up to the week ending April 3. 'We urgently need these figures on a daily basis to help deal with the emerging crisis in social care and ensure everything possible is being done to protect more than 400,000 elderly and disabled people who live in nursing and residential care homes. 'The Government has rightly said the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. 'This must also apply to social care, which needs a much greater priority and focus than it has had so far.' Ms Kendall called on the Government to set out how it would improve the situation in yesterday's Downing Street briefing. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) New graduates of medical schools could be tapped to help in the battle against the coronavirus disease if there is a shortage of licensed doctors, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said Tuesday. The Department of Health has formulated the "interim guidelines for granting special authorization for the limited practice of medical graduates," which the task force adopted, subject to conditions, IATF spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a taped briefing. The limited authorization shall be used or issued as a last resort shall only be effective for the duration of the state of public health emergency in the Philippines, unless earlier withdrawn by the IATF upon recommendation of the DOH, he said. Under Section 12 of The Medical Act, graduates of medicine may be given limited and special authorization by the Secretary of Health to render services during epidemics or national emergencies whenever the services of duly registered physicians are not available. To ensure that the country has enough medical workers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration announced last week it has stopped the deployment overseas of some categories of Filipino health care workers for the meantime. Covered by the temporary overseas deployment ban are medical doctors, nurses, microbiologists, molecular biologists, medical technologists, clinical analysts, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, X-ray or radiologic technicians, nursing assistants or aide, operators of medical equipment, supervisor of health services and personal care, and repairmen of medical equipment who do not have employment contracts overseas as of March 8. There are a total of 172, 744 health professionals in the country, according to President Rodrigo Dutertes third report to Congress on his additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis. Of this number, 28,428 are doctors, it added. The IATF has also ordered the health department to facilitate the emergency hiring of additional health care workers to help ease the burden of hospitals and other treatment facilities, Nograles said. The DOH said on April 12 these personnel will be deployed to COVID-19 referral hospitals, temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, and public and private hospitals handling COVID-19 patients. Health Secretary Francisco Duque previously expressed hopes to hire at most 8,000 health workers such as medical technicians. The COVID-19 outbreak, which has been declared as a pandemic, has put an unexpected strain on the health care system of the Philippines and other countries. COVID-19 is a global crisis affecting the whole world. As the days go by the impact of the crisis becomes more visible and more general. Though hit later, Africa is already facing a synchronized and deep crisis. At all levels health, economic, social institutions are already overstretched. Africa is almost at a sudden stop economically even before the full brunt of the COVID19 reaches its shores. A heavy and durable economic toll, which will threaten progress and prospects, widen inequalities between and within countries, and worsen current fragilities is afoot on the continent. Unmanaged, it will in turn threaten developed countries recovery. This can be mitigated, but only if we act immediately and collectively. African leaders and policy makers across the board have met and are working together and have expressed their solidarity with the world and amongst themselves. They have agreed to work in a coordinated manner to address this scourge. Countries thank the international community especially the WBG and the IMF for being forward and for moving to repurpose funding of over $2.3 billion dollars already. However they ask for accelerated speed and increased scale to match the level of the crisis. African countries need support in managing the health crisis, and preparing for a durable economic fallout. The measures being taken in Asia, Europe and North America such as physical (social) distancing and regular hand washing are a particular challenge for countries with limited internet connectivity, dense populations, unequal access to water and limited social safety nets. While stimulus measures being put in place across the developed world already amount to over 10 percent of GDP in most countries, and include immediate unemployment benefits, mortgage suspension, loan standstills, food support, tax holidays, bridge financing for large corporates, additional measures for specific sectors $500 billion specific stimulus for the US airline sector for example, this is not a possible option for most of the continent. In line with the steps being taken across the globe, African countries are preparing for the worst effects of this pandemic and ensuing deep recession. Countries like Ghana have extended health insurance to all health workers, Senegal is supplementing nurses salaries, Kenya has removed the fee on mobile money transfers and Ethiopia has increased the amount of money you can send on these platforms. Despite all the efforts made, some support is needed and they also call for solidarity and support from the IMF, the WBG, the EU, the AfDB and The G20 leaders as they meet next week to specifically: Support for an immediate and emergency health and human response Raising awareness and prevention are the fastest way to flatten the curve. Institutions should support public health campaigns and access to information including through an expedited private sector partnership for internet connectivity to enable economic activity to continue during social distancing measures and to support the effective sharing of information about the pandemic. There is a gaping need for additional resources to support Africas health systems. At least $15 billion according to WHO is needed to ensure countries can procure the basic materials needed to save lives and, share and promote research, provide vaccines, manufacture, deliver and share emergency services. This will enable countries to focus on managing immediate health requirements. Support should be provided to WHO and CDC Africa with funds channelled through them, the Global Fund, and GAVI and others. Deliver an immediate, coordinated, and equitable emergency economic stimulus to African governments in their efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; namely: Endorse a complete temporary debt standstill package for two years for all African countries low and middle income included. Many countries, especially in Africa, have lost market access because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and must also confront the consequences of the pandemic which include substantial losses in major revenue sources. These pressures have made debt service unsustainable for most. Announce a US$100 billion to fund the immediate, social safety nets for the most vulnerable, feeding for out of school children, and to protect jobs. As a proportion of GDP this is consistent with measures taken in other regions. A doubling of the access to the Emergency Financing Facility of the IMF could substantially contribute to this objective. Accelerating disbursement of budget support through fast disbursing facilities like the Crisis Response Window, the Global Pandemic Window and reprogramming of regular programs at the WBG and similar measures from the EU and other G20 members bilaterally could provide the additional resources required. Support a move to raise Special Drawing Rights Allocations (SDRs) to provide additional liquidity particularly for the procurement of basic commodities, food, fuel, and other essential commodities as well as provide liquidity to the financial sector, private sector, corporates and in particular SMEs over the next two to three years. This could in part also serve as a bridge (SPV) facility for commercial debt servicing. Countries in return pledge to to build and strengthen systems to fight corruption, enhanced predictability, transparency and accountability of flows so finance ministers can plan effectively and civil society stakeholders can help track fund flows to ensure these reach those most in need expeditiously. Implement emergency measures to protect 30 million jobs immediately at risk across the continent, particularly in the tourism and airline sectors. Development Finance Institutions must be called to act counter-cyclically and accelerate support to the private sector, specifically in the pharmaceutical sector and the banking sector, as well as, in light of the looming food crisis, measures to support agricultural imports and exports, the pharmaceutical sector. An extended credit facility, refinancing schemes and guarantee facilities should be used to waive, restructure and provide additional liquidity in 2020 and potentially 2021. Relevant institutions, the AfDB, EU, EIB, development banks and others should support a liquidity line available to the private sector operating in Africa to ensure essential purchases can continue and all SMEs dependent on trade can continue to function. c. Similar to what is being done at domestic level, leaders should ensure that national and regional stimulus packages covering private and financial systems include measures to support African businesses though allowing for the suspension of leasing, debt and other repayments to global businesses. Open trade is important now. Effective supply chains and open trade in support of business will be crucial for a recover better strategy and can help safeguard more jobs. Call on countries to keep global trade, green, and humanitarian lines open. Countries call upon the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and Economic Commission for Africa, the World Bank Group and to support and help them in their call for countries to: monitor and all partners for support in keeping trade open, support a call to: Urgently suspend tariffs on imports of essential COVID-19 medical supplies; To make a diplomatic case against the imposition of export limits by certain countries on essential COVID-19 medical supplies. Secure trade and humanitarian corridors to allow for continuous trade; Allow for green lanes for agriculture and agriculture related commodities The case for a temporary across the board debt standstill as requested above There are at least three justifications for a standstill to allow countries to redirect financial resources towards fighting the pandemic. The shock is global and may soon overwhelm the like IMF, World Bank, and Paris Club. The crisis in developing countries will be so devastating that it will amplify the harm the pandemic is causing in the US, Europe and China. Countries are contending with an exogenous and transitory shock, which merits substantial and unconditional financial assistance. Concerns about moral hazard are outweighed by the urgent need to make sure that a transitory shock does not cause permanent damage. This means avoiding widespread sovereign defaults, contagion and chaos in the sovereign debt markets. Pandemic-related official assistance should not be used to allow private creditors to cash out of their positions. In the event this is not possible the fall back is the creation of a bridge facility (SPV) to honour the commercial debt. This document has been prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa ahead of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Virtual Spring Meetings. It was the most controversial opening monologue in Golden Globes history, which saw the host take aim at Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and 'woke' Hollywood'. And Ricky Gervais has discussed his explosive Golden Globes 2020 speech in January and revealed the motives behind the TV moment, seen by around 200 million people worldwide. Speaking to the Series Linked podcast, The Office star, 58, said: 'Do I pander to the 200 egos in the room or the 200 million people watching around the world? And there's no contest. Wow factor: Ricky Gervais has discussed his explosive Golden Globes 2020 speech in January and revealed the motives behind the TV moment, seen by around 200 million people worldwide (above) 'I know what I'm going to say. I'm not there to ruin their night, I'm there to make the people at home laugh.' The actor, who was hosting the awards ceremony for the fifth time, said the ceremony represented a chance for a presenter to use their best jokes in front of once-in-a-lifetime audience. He said: 'You've got to write seven minutes of your best jokes, you can't really use them again. It's a lot of work for seven minutes, but the payoff is amazing. I mean, there's no audience like that.' An unrepentant Ricky went on to hit back at criticism levelled at him over his speech, saying he was playing a 'brash character' in his role as host. TV icon: Speaking to the Series Linked podcast, The Office star, 58, said: 'Do I pander to the 200 egos in the room or the 200 million people watching around the world? And there's no contest (pictured January 2020) The Afterlife star said: 'People know David Brent and Tony are characters. 'They don't know that me doing standup and me at the Golden Globes is a bit of a persona as well. There I play this brash character who's come to ruin the liberal elites' night. 'I've honed those jokes. I've made those jokes bulletproof.' In January Ricky skewered 'woke' Hollywood, made jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein and Prince Andrew, and tackled topics such as MeToo and ISIS as he left his A-list audience wincing during his opening monologue at the 77th Golden Globe awards. Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, and Gwyneth Paltrow were left with stunned looks on their faces as Gervais mocked Felicity Huffman over the college admission scandal, branded James Corden a 'massive p****' and ripped Judi Dench for 'licking' her own private parts in his eight-minute speech. 5th time: He said: 'You've got to write seven minutes of your best jokes, you can't really use them again. It's a lot of work for seven minutes, but the payoff is amazing. I mean, there's no audience like that' (pictured at the Golden Globes 2020) In a particularly blunt moment, Gervais advised those receiving awards to avoid making political speeches because 'you're in no position to the public about anything' before adding: 'If you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and f*** off.' The British comic, hosting for the fifth time, underlined his point by jesting: 'You say you're woke but the companies you work for in China unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent, wouldn't you?' Social media lit up with posts praising Gervais's take-downs of the Hollywood establishment, relishing in the uncomfortable reactions from those in the room. - though others found his jokes hard to stomach. Piers Morgan congratulated the comedian on his 'finest 8 minutes' but a review of the night in the Chicago Sun-Times said Gervais was 'so intent on congratulating himself for being edgy' that he 'forgot to be funny'. In one moment which shocked the stars in the crowd, Gervais made a pointed remark about the death of pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein., In character: An unrepentant Ricky went on to hit back at criticism levelled at him over his speech, saying he was playing a 'brash character' in his role as host (pictured at a Golden Globes after-party in January 2020) He said: '[Netflix series Afterlife] is a show about a man who wants to kill himself .... Spoiler alert, season two is on the way so he didn't kill himself...just like Jeffrey Epstein.' As the audience gasped, he doubled down on the remarks, saying: 'Shut up. I know he's your friend, but I don't care.' Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York, in August while awaiting trial on numerous sex offences. An autopsy found he had hanged himself. Gervais also slammed hypocrite Hollywood stars for working for companies with controversial rights records while claiming to be 'woke', and warned winners against making political acceptance speeches. Reaction: Tom Hanks (left), sitting next to his wife Rita Wilson, looked shocked as Gervias' dropped several eyebrow raising jokes during his opening monologue Oh! Robert De Niro (left) and Martin Scorsese (right) at the Golden Globes awards, where Gervais poked fun at their latest film The Irishman for being three hours long He blasted: 'You say you're woke, but the companies you work for are unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney - If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent wouldn't you. 'So if you do win an award tonight don't use it as a platform to make a political speech. You're in no position to lecture the public about anything. 'You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. 'So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and then f**k off.' He also claimed that Apple, who began their streaming site in 2019, used 'sweatshops' to make their products, as owner Tim Cook watched from the crowd. Gervais also took aim at specific people including actress Felicity Huffman who was jailed over her role in the college admissions scandal this year. Ricky Gervais's most controversial Golden Globes jokes You say you're woke but the companies you work for in China unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent, wouldn't you? Once Upon a Time In Hollywood nearly three hours long. Leonardo DiCaprio attended the premiere and by the end his date was too old for him. Even Prince Andrew is like 'come on Leo, mate' I came in a limo tonight and the license plate was made by Felicity Huffman [Afterlife] is a show about a man who wants to kill himself because his wife died of cancer and it's still more fun than this. Spoiler alert, season two is on the way so he didn't kill himself...just like Jeffrey Epstein. I know he's your friend, I don't care [Birdbox is] a movie where people survive by acting like they don't see a thing. Sort of like working for Harvey Weinstein It was a big year for pedophile movies. Surviving R Kelly, Leaving Neverland, Two Popes The world got to see James Corden as a fat p****. He was also in the movie Cats, but nobody saw that Dame Judi Dench defended [Cats] saying it was the role she was born to play because she loves nothing better than plunking herself down on the carpet, lifting her leg and licking her [expletive] You're in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg Advertisement 'You came here in your limos. I came in a limo tonight and the license plate was made by Felicity Huffman,' he continued, as the cameras panned to a shocked crowd. Huffman recently completed an 11-day stint in jail after she pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to get one of her daughters into college. Gervais continued: 'It's her daughter I feel sorry for. That must be the most embarrassing thing to happen to her, and her dad was in Wild Hogs.' Several audience members broke out into shocked laughter, with Tom Hanks looking stunned. Gervais, who has not hosted in the #MeToo era before, took a shot there too. He said there was a wide variety of stars in the room, and they all have one thing in common: 'Theyre all afraid of Ronan Farrow,' Gervais said. New Yorker writer Farrow played a key role in outing sexual misconduct in Hollywood and exposing disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Later in the show, Gervais introduced a clip for the film Birdbox, describing it as 'a movie where people survive by acting like they don't see a thing. Sort of like working for Harvey Weinstein.' Gervais also mocked what he described as 'pedophile movies.' 'Taking of all you perverts, it was a big year for pedophile movies. Surviving R Kelly, Leaving Neverland, Two Popes,' he says, before breaking down at his own joke. 'Shut up,' he told the stunned crowd, 'I don't care.' He then turned to Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio to poke fun at the age gap between him and the women he dates. He said: 'Once Upon a Time In Hollywood [is] nearly three hours long. Leonardo DiCaprio attended the premiere and by the end his date was too old for him.' Cameras caught Leo's reaction. It seemed the actor - who is currently dating 22-year-old Camila Morrone - was able to poke fun at himself, blushing and smiling while the rest of the room cracked up. Amid laughter from the star-studded audience, Gervais added: 'Even Prince Andrew is like, ''come on Leo mate, you're nearly 50, son''.' 'The world got to see James Corden as a fat p****. He was also in the movie Cats, but no one saw that.' The star will next be seen on screens in the new series of his show, After Life. Banter: Gervais poked fun at Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured) in a long running joke that the Academy Award winner dates younger women 'I don't care anymore!' Read Ricky Gervais's Golden Globes opening monologue in full Ricky Gervais took aim at some of Hollywood's biggest egos as he hosted the Golden Globes for the fifth time Hello and welcome to the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards, live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel here in Los Angeles. I'm Ricky Gervais, thank you. You'll be pleased to know this is the last time I'm hosting these awards, so I don't care anymore. I'm joking. I never did. I'm joking, I never did. NBC clearly don't care either fifth time. I mean, Kevin Hart was fired from the Oscars for some offensive tweets hello? Lucky for me, the Hollywood Foreign Press can barely speak English and they've no idea what Twitter is, so I got offered this gig by fax. Let's go out with a bang, let's have a laugh at your expense. Remember, they're just jokes. We're all gonna die soon and there's no sequel, so remember that. But you all look lovely all dolled up. You came here in your limos. I came here in a limo tonight and the license plate was made by Felicity Huffman. No, shush. It's her daughter I feel sorry for. OK? That must be the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to her. And her dad was in Wild Hogs. Lots of big celebrities here tonight. Legends. Icons. This table alone Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro Baby Yoda. Oh, that's Joe Pesci, sorry. I love you man. Don't have me whacked. But tonight isn't just about the people in front of the camera. In this room are some of the most important TV and film executives in the world. People from every background. They all have one thing in common: They're all terrified of Ronan Farrow. He's coming for ya. Talking of all you perverts, it was a big year for pedophile movies. Surviving R. Kelly, Leaving Neverland, Two Popes. Shut up. Shut up. I don't care. I don't care. Many talented people of color were snubbed in major categories. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that. Hollywood Foreign press are all very racist. Fifth time. So. We were going to do an In-Memoriam this year, but when I saw the list of people who died, it wasn't diverse enough. No, it was mostly white people and I thought, nah, not on my watch. Maybe next year. Let's see what happens. No one cares about movies anymore. No one goes to cinema, no one really watches network TV.Everyone is watching Netflix. This show should just be me coming out, going, 'Well done Netflix. You win everything. Good night.' But no, we got to drag it out for three hours. You could binge-watch the entire first season of Afterlife instead of watching this show. That's a show about a man who wants to kill himself cause his wife dies of cancer and it's still more fun than this. Spoiler alert, season two is on the way so in the end he obviously didn't kill himself. Just like Jeffrey Epstein. Shut up. I know he's your friend but I don't care. Many of the guests packed into the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the award ceremony found themselves as the butt of Gervais's jokes Seriously, most films are awful. Lazy. Remakes, sequels. I've heard a rumor there might be a sequel to Sophie's Choice. I mean, that would just be Meryl just going, 'Well, it's gotta be this one then.' All the best actors have jumped to Netflix, HBO. And the actors who just do Hollywood movies now do fantasy-adventure nonsense. They wear masks and capes and really tight costumes. Their job isn't acting anymore. It's going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids, really. Have we got an award for most ripped junky? No point, we'd know who'd win that. Martin Scorsese made the news for his controversial comments about the Marvel franchise. He said they're not real cinema and they remind him about theme parks. I agree. Although I don't know what he's doing hanging around theme parks. He's not big enough to go on the rides. He's tiny. The Irishman was amazing. It was amazing. It was great. Long, but amazing. It wasn't the only epic movie. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, nearly three hours long. Leonardo DiCaprio attended the premiere and by the end his date was too old for him. Even Prince Andrew was like, 'Come on, Leo, mate.You're nearly 50-something.' The world got to see James Corden as a fat p****. He was also in the movie Cats. No one saw that movie. And the reviews, shocking. I saw one that said, 'This is the worst thing to happen to cats since dogs.' But Dame Judi Dench defended the film saying it was the role she was born to play because she loves nothing better than plunking herself down on the carpet, lifting her leg and licking her [expletive]. (Coughs) Hairball. She's old-school. It's the last time, who cares? Apple roared into the TV game with The Morning Show, a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. Well, you say you're woke but the companies you work for in China unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent, wouldn't you? So if you do win an award tonight, don't use it as a platform to make a political speech. You're in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and f*** off, OK? It's already three hours long. Right, let's do the first award. Brad Pitt watches on as Gervais pokes fun at his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for dating younger women Advertisement Six new episodes of the show will be available from April 24 - and continue the story of Tony, a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer. The show is set in the small fictitious town of Tambury and continues to explore Tony's struggle with immense grief for his wife. The plot sees Tony try to become a better friend to those around him - who are each grappling with their own problems. Things intensify when the threat of the local newspaper being shut down rears - sending everyone into a panic at the prospect of unemployment. The characters turn to Am-Dram as a way to lift spirits - with undoubtedly hilarious results. Back in October, Ricky posted a picture of himself in character as the provincial journalist with his late on-screen wife Lisa, [Godliman], and on-screen dog Brandy. He cryptically captioned the photo, which is clearly from a flashback scene, with: '#AfterLife2 Have a great day.' Inevitably, the Instagram snap sent Ricky's 1.9 million followers into meltdown as they shared their excitement over the new series. AFTER LIFE returns to Netflix on 24th April 2020 with 6 brand new episodes Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc granted an interview on the outcomes of the Special ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Summits on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc grants an interview on the outcomes of the Special ASEAN and ASEAN 3 Summits on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) On this occasion, the PM has granted an interview on the outcomes of these two important events. Asked about the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed to ASEAN in general and the Vietnam ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 in particular, PM Phuc stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge to humankind and an unprecedented global crisis since after the Second World War, and also the biggest challenge to the ASEAN during its more than half a century history of formation and development. After only over three months, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused devastating losses of human health and life as well as social and economic aspects, which are predicted to far surpass the impact of the 1997 financial crisis in Asia or the global crisis in 2008-2009, he said. He noted that at this moment, all countries in the ASEAN region have had COVID-19 infections with more than 18,000 cases and over 740 deaths. Not only causing great human loss, the pandemic also seriously affected all aspects of socio-economic life in ASEAN countries and cooperation and exchange activities among ASEAN members as well as between ASEAN and its partners. All ASEAN countries are forecast to suffer from strong decrease in growth, and some will even have negative growth. Regarding ASEAN cooperation, statistics of the ASEAN Secretariat showed more than 200 meetings of the bloc had to be postponed or cancelled, PM Phuc said. He went on to say that right from the beginning of this year, as Chair of ASEAN, Vietnam, together with other member countries, has actively and urgently made preparations for and got ready to organize activities during the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020. However, with the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented impacts on all fields, we had to make necessary adjustments to the plans for those activities. According to the PM, with the motto of putting peoples health first, maintaining connectivity and close coordination in preventing and fighting the epidemic, ASEAN member countries have organised many important ministerial-level meetings in the form of video conference, as well as meetings with partners such as China, the EU, the US and important international organisations like the WHO to share experience and help for the effective response to the epidemic. He added that at the same time, we continue to consider holding important ASEAN events when the epidemic is put under control. PM Phuc highlighted the quickly response of ASEAN member nations to the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak, saying that they have enhanced cohesion in policy and action coordination to effectively contain the spread of the disease. Vietnam early issued an ASEAN Chair's Statement on the bloc's collective response to COVID-19 (on February 14) and held many important meetings among ASEAN member states and between the group with its partners to ensure concerted coordination in epidemic prevention, and to share experience and support to effectively cope with the pandemic, he said. The PM called for closer cooperation and solidarity among ASEAN countries to fight the pandemic, saying that if we unite, no danger can subdue us. I think that individual efforts need to be reunited, becoming a joint action of the ASEAN Community, he stressed. Timely response and close coordination in policy and action among the 10 ASEAN member countries will be the decisive factor in containing the epidemic, he said. Apart from controlling the disease, ASEAN also needs to pay special attention to minimizing socio-economic impacts caused by the pandemic, PM Phuc said. It is necessary to take people as the centre and ensure social security in the region, leaving no one behind, he noted. In the immediate future, what needs to be done is to provide timely support to disadvantaged groups and financial and economic support packages for businesses to help them stabilise their production and business, and maintain trade activities, he went on. In the long run, each ASEAN member nation and the whole Community need to enhance their resilience and preparedness for future shocks, PM Phuc said, adding that promoting connection and intertwined interests, and reducing development gap among member would be the long-term solutions to challenges similar to COVID-19. PM Phuc expressed his belief that ASEAN will soon overcome the pandemic which he said will create a motivation for member nations to grow stronger together. PM Phuc underlined that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven that the theme Cohesive and Responsive that Vietnam has chosen for its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 is timely and completely right. Efforts by Vietnam as ASEAN Chair over the past time have reflected the spirit of the theme and that Vietnam has really turned words into specific actions. Joining hands in stamping out COVID-19 is the top priority of ASEAN. The way we are working together to tackle the pandemic will affirm the mettle and strength of the grouping, he said. Assuming the ASEAN Chairmanship in this especially hard time, Vietnam is deeply aware of its responsibility and resolved to stand side by side with other member countries to sail over the crisis. Right after the pandemic broke out, Vietnam has proactively taken swift actions, led and coordinated joint efforts of ASEAN, while cooperating with partners in containing and stemming the spread of the disease and mitigating its socio-economic impacts. The PM mentioned some specific actions, first of all the early issue of the Statement of the ASEAN Chair on the groupings collective response to COVID-19 in a timely manner, warning about the pandemic threat at an early date, calling for regional and international cooperation, emphasizing the spirit of intra-bloc solidarity and committing to joining hands in containing and preventing the spread of the disease, thus ensuring a safe life for the public. Secondly, Vietnam has flexibly pushed for the organisation of ASEAN meetings in the videoconferencing format. The solution helps the group maintain connectivity, close and comprehensive coordination, and prompt response to COVID-19. The meetings focused on three action orientations information and experience sharing, policy and action coordination. Thirdly, as ASEAN Chair, Vietnam have made efforts to enhance cooperation with other countries and international organisations in order to raise the efficiency of the fight against the pandemic, coordinated and joined many important meetings with such partners as China, the EU, the US, the WHO and the online G20 Summit to discuss cooperation for the early control of the epidemic. Such tireless efforts of Vietnam as Chair of ASEAN have brought about initial results in pandemic prevention and control, PM Phuc said, expressing his belief that together with countries and partners in and outside ASEAN, Vietnams efforts will contribute to duplicating good experience and lessons so that the region and the world soon stamp out the pandemic./. VNA Getty A crack unit of elite marshals and detectives stopped an alleged plot to blow up Central Parks iconic Alice in Wonderland statute. Officers from the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, a joint unit of the US Marshals Service and NYPD investigators, arrested 30-year-old Kevin Fallon at a hotel in the Theatre District on Saturday 11 April. Mr Fallon had allegedly threatened to blow up the famous New York landmark and kill his father and ex-girlfriends, saying this is going to hurt. None of you are safe. I am lethal, according to a criminal complaint reported by The New York Daily News. Depicting characters from Lewis Carrols classic novel, the Alice in Wonderland statue has been a fixture of Central Park since 1959. An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that Mr Fallon was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, making terroristic threats, and aggravated harassment. It is alleged the Upper West Side man sent a series of group text messages over the past week warning he would blow up the statue, with follow-up photos of what appeared to be a pipe bomb with a wristwatch wrapped around it. The alarm clock bomb is real, one the text allegedly read. When I give it to him it will be filled with powder and ready to detonate. The NYPD said they found Mr Fallon with multiple devices and upon further investigation, discovered that he had made threats to his father and ex-girlfriend and stating that he will blow up the Alice in Wonderland statue inside of Central Park. Mr Fallon was arraigned on Monday and ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination. Brenda Barry stopped to take a call before dropping a hamper, donated by a local GAA club, to a vulnerable client living alone in the Cork countryside. Hes outside our area but hes been a client of Friendly Call for years, hes vulnerable with no direct family so I wanted to make the extra effort, Ms Barry of Corks Friendly Call said while pulled into a lay-by outside Midleton. The service, through which volunteers telephone the isolated and vulnerable for a daily chat and check-in, has seen a 27% hike in phone calls since Covid-19 restrictions began. Some 40 volunteers now serve 390 people, physically isolated in their homes but kept connected to the outside world by the Friendly Call team. Run through Cork City Partnership and funded by the Cork ETB, HSE, and charitable donations, Friendly Call is now getting daily referrals through the Cork City Council Community Response Helpline, public health nurses, social workers, and Alone. And Friendly Call has augmented its service to fight isolation during the pandemic, they are now also arranging grocery deliveries, dog walks, prescription collections, and even birthday greetings. Yvonne Qullligan and Patricia Cotter with some of the packages of food for delivery. Friendly Call has augmented its service to fight isolation during the pandemic. Last week, a Friendly Call volunteer was reduced to tears when she saw how happy a new client who turned 93 that day was when she brought him a birthday cake and Easter egg on his special day. Some people dont have anyone, a birthday card from us is the only one theyll get, Ms Barry said. Anyone whos isolated or anxious, we can talk to them, and if they need anything practical we can help with that too. You get to know the person, and their needs. Her colleague Gary Hornibrook had dropped a donated TV to a woman who was cocooning alone with no television. Staff and volunteers from Cork City Partnership , providing a friendly call service , by doing shopping and deliveries for the elderly in Cork city. Pictured is Gary Hornibrook She has been locked in for weeks and her TV was broken, Mr Hornibrook said. So we brought her a TV along with a bag of groceries. She said shed be lost without the service. Some people havent been out of the house in four weeks because they have underlying health conditions or immunosuppressant illnesses that could make this virus fatal. A lot of people are really appreciative when were there to help. Friendly Call has saved people who fell in their homes, sending someone to investigate when their Friendly Caller could not get through. Tom Hosford getting things ready for a delivery. They build up trust and relationships over the calls, so the Friendly Callers can also help their clients access auxiliary services when necessary. We have regular volunteers who will call the same people, say every Monday, Ms Barry said. People get quite familiar. One of our ladies waits in bed until she gets the call every morning. A daily phone call can be so important. For more information on Friendly Call or to register, call Brenda Barry on 021 430 1700 or 087 636 6407. Human rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde surrendered in the Bhima Koregaon case on Tuesday following a Supreme Court directive. Navlakha surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi while Teltumbde surrendered in Mumbai where he was taken into custody by the anti-terror agency. Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists were booked for their alleged Maoist links and several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018. Bhima Koregaon probe was recently transferred to the central agency. A senior official, who didnt wish to be named, said Gautam Navlakha will be arrested by evening and produced before a court in Delhi on Wednesday. We have sufficient evidence against both Navlakha and Teltumbde in the Bhima Koregaon case, he said. The officer added that the Pune Police had collected some evidence against the two while the NIA was further investigating their presence at the Elgar Parishad and evaluating the technical evidence. The evening before coming to the NIA office for surrender, Anant Teltumbde, who is also a professor at the Goa Institute of Management, penned an open letter; in which he stated - In my voluminous writings comprising over 30 books, and numerous papers, articles, comments, columns, interviews, published internationally, not an insinuation of support to violence or any subversive movement could be found. But at the fag end of my life, I am being charged with heinous crimes under the draconian UAPA (unlawful activities prevention act). Gautam Navlakha said in a statement: My hope rests on a speedy and fair trial for myself and all fellow co-accused. This alone will enable me to clear my name, and walk free, having also used the time in jail to rid myself of acquired habits. Navlakha and Teltumbde were directed by SC to surrender within three weeks but he had moved a plea last week seeking an extension the coronavirus outbreak. The SC, however, rejected the application and asked them to surrender within a week. PUNE, India, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global radar sensor market size is projected to reach USD 35.88 billion by the end of 2026. The increasing applications of the product across diverse industry verticals will aid market growth. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled "Radar Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Pulse Radar, Continuous-Wave Radar, Radar Altimeter, and Others), By Range (Short-range, Medium-Range, and Long-Range), By Application (Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Monitoring and Communication, Security and Surveillance, Traffic Monitoring, Environment, and Weather Monitoring, Hump Yard and Rail Crossing, Health Monitoring, and Others), By Vertical (Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, Healthcare, Maritime, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026," the market was worth USD 8.57 billion in 2018 and will exhibit a CAGR of 19.7% during the forecast period, 2019-2026. Radar sensors are products that are used to detect obstructions and obstacles in the path of any vehicle or automotive. The product is widely used in numerous defense and military applications due to the ease of use. The low cost of the product, coupled with the exceptional properties of radar sensors have allowed widespread applications. Accounting to the huge potential held by radar sensors, large scale companies are looking to invest more towards the development of advanced products. Get Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/radar-sensor-market-102605 An Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market: The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic. We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future. To get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market.Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/radar-sensor-market-102605 Increasing Number of Company Collaborations Will Aid Market Growth The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the market in recent years. The increasing number of company mergers and collaborations has had a massive impact on the growth of the market. Several large scale companies as well as organizations are focusing on forming strategic partnerships, with a bid to establishing a stronghold in the market. In March 2017, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, and NVIDIA Corporation announced that they have forged a strategic partnership. This step was taken to develop software for a scalable system for new driver assistance systems. This acquisition will not just help these companies, but will have a massive impact on the growth of the market in the coming years. Europe Currently Holds the Highest Market Share; Presence of Several Large Scale Companies Will Aid Growth The report analyses the ongoing radar sensor market trends across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these regions, the market in Europe currently holds the highest market share. The increasing product applications across diverse industry verticals will aid the growth of the regional market. As of 2018, the market in Europe was worth USD 2.94 billion and this value is projected to increase further in the coming years. Besides Europe, the market in North America will witness considerable growth. Speak to Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/radar-sensor-market-102605 List of Key Companies that are operating in the Radar Sensor Market include: Robert Bosch GmbH ( Germany ) ) Continental AG ( Germany ) ) Infineon Technologies AG ( Germany ) ) DENSO CORPORATION ( Japan ) ) ZF Friedrichshafen AG ( Germany ) ) HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA ( Germany ) ) Lockheed Martin Corporation (US) s. m. s. smart microwave sensors GmbH ( Germany ) ) Oculi Corp (US) SICK AG ( Germany ) ) Socionext America Inc. (US) Industry Developments: March 2017- ZF Friedrichshafen AG announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 45 percent stake in Astyx Communication & Sensors GmbH. Through this acquisition, the company will look to utilize Astyx's attractive range of sensors for several applications. Quick Buy - Radar Sensor Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102605 Detailed Table of Content Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Global Radar Sensor Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Type (Value) Pulse Radar Continuous Wave Radar Radar Altimeter Others By Range (Value) Short Range Radar Sensor Medium Range Radar Sensor Long Range Radar Sensor By Application (Value) Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) Monitoring and Communication Security and Surveillance Traffic Monitoring Environment and Weather Monitoring Hump Yard and Rail Crossing Health Monitoring Others By Vertical (Value) Automotive Aerospace and Defence Healthcare Maritime Manufacturing Oil and Gas Others By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa and Latin America Continued..!!! Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/radar-sensor-market-102605 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Image Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (CCD Sensor, CMOS Sensor), By Processing Type (2D, 3D), By Application (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Healthcare, Surveillance & Security, Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Virtual Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solution, Services), By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premises), By End-User (Oil and Gas, Manufacturing and Utilities, Consumer Technology, Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, Healthcare, Chemical, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Automotive Active Safety Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application Type (Antilock Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Traction Control, Lane Departure Warning, Others), By Sensor Type (Camera Sensor, Radar Sensor, LiDAR sensor, Others), By Vehicle Type (Passenger cars, Commercial Vehicles) Others and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 3D Radar Systems Market Size, Share and Global Trend by Range (Short Range, Medium Range, Long Range), Application (Airborne, Ground, Naval), Frequency (C/S/X Band, E/F Band, L Band, Others) and Geography Forecast till 2026 Automotive Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Sensor Type (Temperature Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Speed Sensor, Position Sensor, Others), By Application Type (Powertrain, Chassis, Exhaust, ADAS, and Others), By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, LCV, HCV), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Temperature Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Thermocouple, Thermistor, Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD), Semiconductor Temperature Sensor, Infrared Temperature Sensor, and Others), By End-User (Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Food and Beverages, Energy and Power, Oil and Gas, Chemicals, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Industrial Gas Sensors Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Product Type (Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, NOx, Others), By Technology (Electrochemical, Semiconductor, Infrared, Others), By End-User Industry (Healthcare, Building Automation & Domestic Appliances, Automotive, Others) And Regional Forecast 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Phone: US: +1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/radar-sensor-market-9745 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154335/Radar_Sensor_Market.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/881202/Fortune_Business_Insights_Logo.jpg Fire and Rescue said the home was 'a complete write off' and will be destroyed Seven family members were in the home at the time aged between eight and 73 Firefighter said it was the result of 10 bug bombs and a gas stove The house exploded at about 7am in Ashbury, in Sydney's inner west A family-of-seven had to clamber out of the rubble of their suburban home after ten bug bombs were set off inside and the gas triggered a stove explosion that almost killed the residents. The house on Fifth Street in Ashbury, in Sydney's inner west, blew up at 7am on Easter Sunday with children as young as eight and their elderly grandparents inside. A firefighter who was on the scene said the explosion - which destroyed 90 per cent of the home - was a warning to everyone about the dangers posed by the bug bombs. 'If you are bug bombing your home, please read the instructions carefully and turn off power at the circuit breakers!,' he said. The Country Fire Authority has issued a warning over the use of the over-the-counter bug bombs, which are designed to kill insects in homes and businesses. Slide me The house on Fifth Street in Ashbury, in Sydney's inner west, blew up at 7am on Easter Sunday with children as young as eight and their elderly grandparents inside. Pictured: before and after the incident A firefighter who was on the scene said the explosion - which destroyed 90 per cent of the home - was a result of 10 bug bombs and a gas stove 'Only use the recommended number of containers for the size of the room (ensure that the room meets the minimum sized room for the canister) and eliminate all ignition sources prior to and during the use of bug bombs,' the authority said. 'To eliminate ignition sources, switch off the electricity at the mains and turn off gas fuelled pilot lights, such as pilot lights for stoves and hot water systems, ensure that these are turned off prior to and during the operation of bug bombs. 'You also need to ensure that there is no smoking in the vicinity of the room in which the bug bomb is to be used.' Bug bombs warning Only use the recommended number of containers for the size of the room Ensure that the room meets the minimum sized room for the canister To eliminate ignition sources switch off the electricity at the mains and turn off gas fuelled pilot lights, such as pilot lights for stoves Make sure there is no smoking in the vicinity of the room Advertisement Two children, aged eight and 12, their 41-year-old father and 38-year-old mother, and three grandparents in their 60s and 70s were in the home at the time. Five people were able to escape the collapsed structure themselves, but two of the grandparents had to be rescued by police. One child and one of the grandparents suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital in a stable condition. It's believed the family were all in the same room when the explosion happened. Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Superintendent Scott Dodson said some of the family members were found on top of the rubble, and were 'extremely lucky to have survived'. Mr Dodson said the home was 'a complete write off' and will have to be destroyed. 'There was no major earthworks required to remove the people, but it was quite dangerous for the firefighters entering the building,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Neighbours said the explosion sounded like a clap of thunder, followed by a rumbling noise. Police said seven people were in the home at the time aged between eight and 73. Three members of the family suffered minor injuries Chinese space industry insiders debunk Western media claims launch failures due to US chip restrictions Global Times By Deng Xiaoci Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/13 20:46:27 Chinese space industry insiders on Monday debunked Western media claims that attest China's recent rocket launch failures to US chip export restrictions on China, pointing out that the country's rocket control systems have mastered complete localization for a long time, and China's space development sector is independent of any Western influence. German public broadcaster DW's Chinese language channel on Saturday cited a Taiwan-based military expert, who floated a conspiracy theory alleging the rising failure rate of China's space industry as being caused by US chip export restrictions as part of the US-led trade war against China. China's space sector has recently encountered rarely-seen setbacks twice within a monthfirstly, the maiden flight of the newly developed variant of the Long March-7 carrier rocket, known as the Long March-7A on March 16 and the launch of the veteran Long March-3B carrying an Indonesian commercial satellite on April 9. An insider with the state carrier rocket developer approached by the Global Times said on the condition of anonymity that a probe into the two failures was underway, and the errors causing the failures have not been located as of yet, and therefore it has not yielded any conclusions. He also stressed that the chips used for Chinese rocket control systems "are not from the US, period." "The Chinese systems and related research have already achieved redundant capabilities [to increase reliability], and even errors of single point components will not affect overall performance," he said, noting that Western media claims were based on no evidence, and the so-called Taiwan-based expert clearly has no clue in regards to what he is talking about. Agreeing with the insider, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Monday that robust strides made in China's space development program lies greatly in its independence. "Components used in China's space sector have achieved full localization long ago, meaning they are entirely independent from Western suppliers," Song said. Insiders also shrugged their shoulders over Western media hype as well as Taiwan's pan-green pro-independence coalition's baseless claims, saying that "we just need to keep our strategic composure, and that current difficulties will only be temporary." As of April 12, there have been 27 space launches worldwide in 2020. China succeeded in 7 out of 9 attempts. In addition, a series of China's space projects are progressing well, as a trial version of China's new-generation manned spaceship has been tested at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan Province. The experimental spaceship is expected to be launched with no crew in mid to late April on the maiden flight of the Long March-5B carrier rocket. While the US' SpaceX, despite having successfully launched a new batch of its Starlink Satellites, its Falcon 9, missed a landing on a floating platform out at sea on February 17, the first time it happened in almost four years. Another SpaceX Falcon 9 mission on March 18 also experienced a rare in-flight engine failure with one of its nine first stage engines soon after launch, with an accident causing a loss of thrust that was fortunately compensated by other Merlin engines that fired a little longer, and the launch mission was eventually pulled off despite the error. However, its first stage again missed a landing attempt on SpaceX's drone ship anchored in the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Cape Canaveral, the second time within a month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Microsofts Deis Labs recently announced an intriguing direction for Kubernetes, one that offers a new, sandboxed environment for our code. Building on the increasingly popular WebAssembly, Krustlet is a tool for delivering Kubernetes-managed workloads to WebAssembly runtimes, with a v0.1.0 release now on GitHub. The name Krustlet comes from how theyre built and what theyre intended to do. Krustlets are Kubernetes RUST kubeLETs. They take a fundamental Kubernetes component, the kubelet, and implement it in a new programming language and on a new platform. Kubelets, like much of Kubernetes, are written in Go; Krustlet has been developed in Mozillas type-safe and memory-safe Rust. Its interesting to note the choice of Rust. Microsoft has been investigating Rust as a way to reduce the risk of memory-based attacks on systems, using it as a systems programming language where, in the past, youd have used C or a similar language. Rust is one of the main languages supported in WebAssembly, with both coming out of Mozilla-hosted research, making it a good candidate for applications that run on WebAssembly virtual machines. From kubelet to Krustlet A kubelet is a fundamental element of Kubernetes, sitting at the base of a node. Once running, a kubelet registers as a node with a Kubernetes controller, and then receives a PodSpec. This describes the containers that run on the node, and the kubelet manages those containers, ensuring they remain healthy. Without kubelets Kubernetes wont run. Microsofts Virtual Kubelets are an essential part of its Azure Kubernetes implementation, giving Azure and Deis a lot of experience in designing and implementing alternatives to the default Kubernetes kubelet. April 14, 2020--Clinicians grappling with the pharmacologic management of COPD in patients complaining of exercise intolerance or dyspnea now have new guidance. The American Thoracic Society has published an official clinical practice guideline in which a panel of experts strongly recommended LABA/LAMA combination therapy over LABA or LAMA alone. The complete guideline detailing all the recommendations was posted online ahead of print in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Pharmacologic management of COPD is focused on improving patients' quality of life while reducing the frequency of exacerbations. In this new clinical practice guideline, an expert panel addressed six "emerging questions around COPD management that were not covered in the previous guideline published in 2011," noted Shawn Aaron, MD, co-chair of the guideline committee and professor/senior Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and The University of Ottawa. "The panel's priority was to formulate questions that were of significant clinical importance to both health care providers and patients," added Linda Nici, MD, co-chair of the guideline committee and professor of medicine at Brown University and Chief of Pulmonary/Critical Care at the Providence VAMC. "This clinical practice guideline is the most rigorous, outcome-driven distillation of the scientific literature to date." The following is a summary of the recommendations, which were formulated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach (GRADE): Among patients with COPD who complain of dyspnea or exercise intolerance, we recommend LABA/LAMA combination therapy over LABA or LAMA monotherapy (strong recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). Among patients with COPD who complain of dyspnea or exercise intolerance despite dual therapy with a LABA/LAMA, we suggest the use of triple therapy with ICS/LABA/LAMA compared to dual therapy with a LABA/ LAMA in those patients with a history of 1 or more exacerbations in the past year requiring antibiotics or oral steroids or hospitalization (conditional recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). In patients with COPD who are taking triple therapy (ICS/LABA/LAMA), we suggest that the ICS can be withdrawn, if the patient has had no exacerbations in the past year (conditional recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). We do not make a recommendation for or against ICS as an additive therapy to long-acting bronchodilators in patients with COPD and blood eosinophilia, except for those patients with a history of blood eosinophilia and one or more exacerbations in the past year in whom we suggest ICS as an additive therapy (conditional recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). In COPD patients with a history of severe and frequent exacerbations despite otherwise optimal therapy, we suggest against using maintenance oral corticosteroid therapy (conditional recommendation, low certainty evidence). In individuals with COPD, who experience advanced refractory dyspnea despite otherwise optimal therapy, we suggest that opioid-based therapy be considered for dyspnea management, within a personalized shared decision-making approach (conditional recommendation, very low certainty evidence). Contributors to the guideline included expert clinicians and researchers with experience in COPD. The ATS has published nearly 20 clinical practice guidelines on various conditions, ranging from allergy and asthma to TB and other pulmonary infections. For ATS guideline implementation tools and derivatives, go here. ### The Justice Department has declined to join former secretary of state Hillary Clintons effort to block depositions of both herself and a key aide in a case concerning her use of a private email-server system to conduct Obama administration business. Though the DOJs decision will inevitably be reported as political retribution against President Trumps 2016 election rival, there is actually nothing much here. The Trump State and Justice Departments have defended the former secretary throughout the suit in question. The governments refusal to support Clintons latest gambit to avoid answering questions under oath is consistent with Justice Department policy and will have no bearing on the outcome of the case. The depositions of Clinton and Cheryl Mills, Clintons State Department chief-of-staff and longtime confidant, were ordered by federal judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia. The case is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit brought by Judicial Watch, the private-watchdog group. It focuses on talking points the Obama administration generated to guide official public statements following the 2012 jihadist attack in Benghazi, Libya, in which U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed. In the district court, Clinton was ordered to respond to interrogatories. As the National Law Journal reports, Judge Lamberth became frustrated by her performance: The court has considered the numerous times in which Secretary Clinton said she could not recall or remember certain details in her prior interrogatory answers, Lamberth wrote. In a deposition, it is more likely that plaintiffs counsel could use documents and other testimony to attempt to refresh her recollection. Lamberth added: The court agrees with Judicial Watch it is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton. Lamberth concluded that Clintons written answers about her email practices were either incomplete, unhelpful, or cursory at best. Simply put, her responses left many more questions than answers. Thus, on March 2, he ordered the depositions of Clinton and Mills. Rather than submit, Clintons longtime counsel, the Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly, decided to seek an extraordinary remedy in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit: a writ of mandamus directing Lamberth to vacate his order. Story continues In FOIA cases, discovery is rarely granted regarding internal government deliberations on policy questions. It is even more unusual for depositions of present and former high-ranking government officials to be ordered. Consequently, as the Justice Department recounts in a submission recently filed with the appellate court, the State Department (represented in court by the DOJ) joined with Clintons counsel in opposing discovery orders throughout the litigation. The DOJ took the position that the only relevant questions were (a) whether the State Department had conducted an adequate search for records that should be disclosed under FOIA, and (b) whether it had produced those records. It argued with due zeal that the answer to both questions was yes. It further defended itself and the State Department from allegations of bad faith, contending, for example, that when it became aware of the Clinton emails, it notified Judicial Watch before the emails became public knowledge. Given this record of support, Clintons legal team obviously hoped the Trump administration would join the mandamus petition. When it took no position, the D.C. Circuit ordered DOJ to advise the court on where it stood. So the Justice Department explained that, while it continues to argue that it was wrong for the lower court to issue discovery orders, including depositions, these errors do not create the kind of dire harm a writ of mandamus is meant to address. This is the default Justice Department position in mandamus matters. Secretary Clinton is not being singled out. Clearly, if the Justice Department had believed mandamus was warranted, it would have filed a petition. But mandamus is a remedy reserved for egregious errors and abuses of discretion, and the decision to seek mandamus calls for consideration of the totality of the circumstances. On that score, DOJ observes that Clintons case does not involve the usual situation in which discovery from a former cabinet official was sought for the impermissible purpose of probing internal government decisionmaking regarding official policy. Instead, the unique question presented is whether a former officials unusual decision to use a private email server to systematically conduct large volumes of official business has had an impact on the governments duty to comply with FOIA. Generally speaking, moreover, the Justice Departments practice manual admonishes government lawyers that mandamus is highly unusual, and should only be used in exceptional circumstances of peculiar emergency or public importance. It is hardly unreasonable to conclude that Clintons petition did not meet this high bar. Again, Clintons petition is not one the government sought to join, much less file on its own. And here, at issue is a former officials rationale for actions that were not merely unauthorized by the government, but that actually flouted government policies mandating that officials use official government channels to conduct official government business. The Justice Department has nevertheless made it abundantly clear that it believes Judge Lamberths discovery orders were improvidently granted. In deciding the petition, the D.C. Circuit will be fully apprised of the governments position on that, while Clintons very capable lawyers will make as good an argument as can be made in favor of mandamus. The most notable thing about the case is the extreme lengths to which Hillary Clinton is going to avoid answering questions under oath about her email practices a matter on which she has made a slew of contradictory public statements, some of them proven untrue by the FBIs criminal investigation. The Justice Departments decision to take a pass on her latest maneuvering is an unremarkable application of standard DOJ guidance, and it will make no difference to the appellate courts resolution of the case. More from National Review 14.04.2020 LISTEN The General of the ruling New Patriotic Party John Boadu has said, the National Executive Committee will be meeting today to consider the postponement of the impending Parliamentary and Presidential Primaries slated for April 25th, 2020 across the Country. According to the NPP Scribe, the contagious nature of the Coronavirus pandemic will endanger the lives of party members who will take part in the elections as they will not be able to practice the social distancing measure put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Speaking on Accra Okay FM on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, monitored by otecfmghana.com, MrJohn Boadu explained that as it stands now the party has not taken any decision to postpone the official date for the primaries. It would be extremely irresponsible on the part of our party leadership to put politics above the lives and well being of grassroots party delegates and party people, whom we need each alive Healthy for the non-negotiable Victory in election 2020'', he said. "Our date for the primaries remains unchanged though the government has asked for social distancing. The ban on public gathering and restrictions of movement in place, so it will be difficult to hold the primaries but NEC will do video conference later today to take a decision out of it. But looking at our current situation very well, we have no option than to have the parliamentary and presidential primaries postponed for about two or three weeks'' Mr John Boadu said. ---OtecfmGhana.com .@kaitlancollins: "You said when someone is president of the United States their authority is total. That is not true. Who told you that?" President Trump: "We're going to write up papers on this...the governors need us one way or the other..." pic.twitter.com/fg1nacXbPA CSPAN (@cspan) April 13, 2020 I don't know this reporter's name. But man, she would not let up even in the face of President Trump's attacks. pic.twitter.com/fUGUwGbEI6 Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 13, 2020 by the GOP More behind the cutYesterdays press briefing was a complete shtshow. Plays clip. Whatever. Going sidebar: He started with a taxpayer funded propaganda commercial put together by his WH staff to lie about his handling of the pandemic. Then he said he had ultimate authority over states [Narrator: he does not]. And he had a ranting meltdown when called out for doing nothing for the entire month of February. I mean, there is nothing to say but fck that guy. Also cheers for @kaitlancollins and @PaulaReidCBS. The media shouldnt be airing these gaslighting campaign rallies, but anyhoodle. The panel says exactly what youd think theyd say...................Here are the actual clips. Then later today he tweeted aboutwhich he clearly has never seen but must think likening himself to Captain Bligh is a positive. Tweet1 and Tweet2 Plays clip. Said over the weekend, if mitigation had started sooner, then sure lives wouldve been saved. Sunday night, T45 retweeted a right winger calling for firing Fauci. Then Fauci had to clarify at the bonkers press briefing yesterday. The panel says all the normal things, hes the only sane person in the room. Had to walk it back to keep from being kicked out. Definitely a last straw if he was ousted. [because there have been so many last straws beforehand]Hes an ABC political contributor now. Talks about his family holding up in NJ. All the family is isolating together, including all 4 kids. CC says the press has been in a death spiral with T45 that he then reacts to. They should be shorter, with T45 barely speaking, then letting the experts talk. Says both sides stuff. CC explains over the entire pandemic and since hes been in office, more both sides, too combative with each other. One of his grown sons says he cant watch cable news anymore because no one gives it to him straight. There would be a court battle if T45 tried to overstep with states rights. Expects there will be compromises between states and federal government because they need each other. Governors have better part of the argument. Sunny talks about 70 days of inaction again. Skipping this part, new day, same topic. CC and his whataboutism and GOP talking points.Meghan talks about economy and unemployment rate. CC says hes not an economist, and weve not been through this in over 100 yrs, times are different, says a lot without saying anything ~new. Sunny talks about safety of elections, Wisconsin, mail in voting. CC says its too early to tell, Governors will plan for what is necessary. Claims he sent people to jail for absentee ballot fraud, which is a partial lie, because the % of voter fraud is so statistically small as to never having affected a single race outcome. Oh, except the mail-in voter fraud committedin 2018 in NC, bloop.CC says its not a surprise that Obama would endorse Biden now that the primaries have determined the nominee. Wonders how Sanders will pull in his supporters to vote for Biden. Endorsements less important in era of pandemic, and the overall years of T45 in office. Joy asks about the retweet of firing Fauci. CC repeats what he said earlier, doesnt see it happening.Sesame Street will air a virtual playdate at 7PM eastern on HBO and PBS Kids. Check local listings for other viewing options.Source links are below each video or section Metro Manila (CNN Philipines, April 14) Senators and congressmen called on government agencies to recalibrate poverty estimates and enhance coordination with local government units on aid distribution, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte gave his updates on COVID-19 response. Members of the Senate on Tuesday slammed the snail-paced distribution of cash subsidy that is intended for the 18 million low income families who were seriously affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown. Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said while the national government is doing its best, the problem lies in the coordination between the Department of Social Welfare and some LGUs. "The delay is because of the DSWD and LGU coordination," Sotto said in a message to reporters. "I think the government is doing its best, but more than just cooperation is needed in some LGUs." For Senator Joel Villanueva, the distribution of up to 8,000 cash aid can be targeted per area instead of per household, as consolidating the list of all beneficiaries takes up so much time. "Right now, we should prioritize area targeting for assistance distribution instead of household or individual targeting," Villanueva said. "Example, all households in Payatas are poor. Let's give all of them assistance now instead of wasting time generating lists." Meanwhile, for House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, the DSWD and the Department of Finance should use more statistical references and expand the coverage of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to get more realistic response measures. "Kailangang i-recalibrate ang 4Ps estimates," Romero said in a statement. "Maaaring dumoble rin ang unemployment numbers. Kaya kailangan talagang mag-census ulit." [Translation: The 4Ps estimates should be recalibrated. Unemployment numbers may have doubled. So we need to do another census.] Citing Duterte's latest report to the Joint Oversight Committee on the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law, congressmen of the Makabayan bloc noted that only around one-fourth of the target beneficiaries has been reached despite clamor to expedite government efforts. "We in the Makabayan bloc strongly deplore this continued and inexcusable delay in economic relief programs for the vast majority of families suffering under the enhanced community quarantine," said the group, which consists of lawmakers from Bayan Muna, ACT-Teachers, Gabriela, and Kabataan Partylist. They claimed that only over 4 million out of the 18 million households have received aid through the social amelioration program, three weeks after the Bayanihan law was enacted. Duterte's report stated that this includes the 3.72 million out of 4.4 million 4Ps families; 40,418 beneficiaries of the Department of Transportation's emergency subsidies to drivers of public utility vehicles and transport network vehicle services; 300,994 beneficiaries of the Rice Farmer's Financial Assistance Program and 18,495 beneficiaries of Financial Subsidy for Rice Farmers, both by the Department of Agriculture; 167,841 recipients of the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program; and 118,086 beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers by the Department of Labor and Employment. Social Welfare Undersecretary Camilo Gudmalin told CNN Philippines on Monday that they are still targeting to reach out to 9 million more families this week. The Philippines has 5,223 COVID-19 cases, with 335 deaths and 295 recoveries to date. HELENA Montana is asking a judge to force a group of tobacco companies to make more than $43 million in payments to the state that they have disputed over the past 15 years, Attorney General Tim Fox said Monday. The payments are due under a 1998 settlement of lawsuits that alleged tobacco companies denied the detrimental health effects of their products, caused government-funded medical programs to spend additional money to care for those affected and that the companies marketed their products to children. Montana uses its settlement funds for smoking cessation programs, children's health insurance and mental health programs, Medicaid and other public health programs. The tobacco companies have conspired to dispute portions of the payments since 2003, forcing states to file legal actions, Fox said. However, even if a state receives a favorable ruling, the tobacco companies argue they must settle all of their disputes with every state before making that year's payment. Montana's litigation over the 2004 payment took place in 2017 and 2018 and the state received $3.3 million, Fox said. The state is still seeking payments dating back to 2005. At a hotel in Shanghai, a staffer placed a packaged meal into a robotic waiter and entered the room number of a suspected coronavirus patient on the waiter's touch screen. The robot then automatically made its way to the room. "Please take your meal," the robot said, notifying the guest to take the bento box -- eliminating the need for human-to-human contact. The coronavirus pandemic is boosting demand for robots in China's service sector, where automation is helping restaurant and hotel operators navigate staffing shortages and infection risks. The robot used by the Shanghai hotel was developed by Keenon Robotics, founded in that city in 2010. The startup's products are equipped with advanced sensors that allow them to safely maneuver around people and obstacles, and are used in hotels and hospitals across roughly 400 cities nationwide. Since the coronavirus began spreading widely in late January, Keenon has shipped about 100 units to medical facilities in Hubei Province and elsewhere. "We sold about 3,000 units in 2019, but demand among hospitals has surged in 2020 and we are aiming to top 10,000 units," a company spokesperson said. A Keenon robot carries objects while moving autonomously. A Keenon robot carries objects while moving autonomously. Keenon is partnering with food delivery app operator Meituan Dianping to expand into restaurants. The robots are priced at around 58,000 yuan ($8,220) each, "affordable not just for large chains but also for mom-and-pop restaurants," the Keenon spokesperson said. They could save businesses money in the long run, since they can serve 300 to 450 meals a day -- far more than human staffers. Big-name players are throwing their hats into the ring as well. Siasun Robot & Automation donated food and drug delivery robots to hospitals in its home province of Liaoning in February. E-commerce giant JD.com deployed autonomous delivery vehicles to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, to distribute medical supplies and daily necessities. Robots until now have largely been confined to factories and warehouses. But they are starting to spread into spaces with busy human traffic, thanks to advancements in autonomous technology like those used by self-driving cars and a surge in interest from the coronavirus outbreak. Huazhu Group was able to get about 90% of its 6,000 hotels back in operation as of February thanks to delivery robots from Yunji Technology. China has been one of the most aggressive adopters worldwide. The Chinese Institute of Electronics projected that Chinese sales of service robots would jump 33% in 2019 to $2.2 billion, growing more than twice as quickly as worldwide sales. Almost half the robots sold in China go to households in the form of vacuum cleaners and other devices, while medical- and retail-use robots each account for less than 30%. "Demand will increase even further" particularly in emerging fields, said Hao Yucheng of the China Robot Industry Alliance. The boost in robotics is fueled partly by a surge in labor costs. The average annual wage in China increased 60% in five years to 82,413 yuan in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Other Asian countries could also see heightened demand for robots as wages rise. Businesses were already experimenting with automated stores before the coronavirus struck, in an effort to alleviate labor shortages and to collect troves of data that can be used in product development and marketing. While concerns about privacy remain, the outbreak has shed light on the value of automation and could fuel further efforts to cut prices of service robots and boost their capabilities. A McDonald's restaurant in China has banned black people from entering the store out of fears that they might be coronavirus carriers. A video recently circulating online showed a customer holding a sign that read: 'We've been informed from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant.' The store is believed to be located in the southern Chinese city Guangzhou. The footage sparked uproar online after the fast-food chain was accused of fuelling the rising xenophobia, particularly towards African nationals, in the country. McDonald's said the notice 'is not representative of our inclusive values'. The US fast-food giant has temporarily closed the branch, according to a statement. A McDonald's restaurant in China has banned black people from entering the store out of fears that they might be coronavirus-carriers. Staff wearing face masks are seen at a McDonald's restaurant after the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan on April 8 The incident came after African officials confronted China publicly and in private over racist mistreatment of Africans in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The notice, written in English, said the prohibition was established out of concerns for the customers' health. 'For the sake of your health, consciously notify the local police for medical isolation, please understand the inconvenience caused.' The video, uploaded by a Twitter account Black Livity China, sparked outrage on social media. 'Banning black people is f****** insane. The world needs to know about this. China calls racism all the time, this is REAL racism,' one commenter wrote. Another one read: 'I feel sorry for what black people are going through in China. I'm Chinese, but I absolutely support you to fight for your rights. No one should be treated like this.' People wearing masks walk on the street in African Village in Guangzhou of southern China McDonald's said in a statement today that the Guangzhou branch has temporarily closed due to the incident. 'As a brand, as a company and as more than 2.2 million people serving nearly 120 countries around the world, this is not representative of our inclusive values,' the statement read. 'Immediately upon learning of an unauthorized communication to our guests at a restaurant in Guangzhou, we immediately removed the communication and temporarily closed the restaurant. 'As part of the temporary closure of this restaurant, we will take the opportunity to further educate managers and employees on our values, which includes serving all members of the communities in which we operate.' The US company's franchise businesses in mainland China and Hong Kong have been mostly owned by a state-owned company CITIC since 2017. A video recently circulating online showed a customer holding a sign that read: 'We've been informed from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant.' The store is believed to be located in the southern Chinese city Guangzhou The notice, written in English, said the prohibition was established out of concerns for the customers' health. A Chinese man wears a protective mask as he sits alone at a McDonald's As China prepares for a second wave of COVID-19 cases to hit their cities, Africans living in the commercial hub 'Little Africa' - found in the Yuexiu district - said they've been discriminated against and faced racism. A U.S. Embassy security alert on Saturday said that 'police ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin,' and local officials have launched mandatory testing and self-quarantine for 'anyone with 'African contacts'.' Some Africans have even described being suddenly evicted from their homes. Since April 4, Guangzhou Health Commission has screened 4,553 African nationals currently living in the city, according to an official yesterday. A total of 111 residents were found to be infected with the coronavirus. The city officials recorded 13,652 African citizens living in Guangzhou in December 2019. Less than half of them have remained in the city after the outbreak began, the authorities said yesterday. 'We have provided African nationals with the exact same nucleic acid testing procedures as we do for Chinese and other foreign nationals,' Chen Yongqiu, deputy chief police officer of Guangzhou, told the press. 'We appointed the same quarantine hotels and staff members. There is no discrimination or racism.' China was blasted by several African nations after Africans living in Guangzhou describe being shunned, targeted for additional COVID-19 screenings and evicted from their homes Nigeria's House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila (right) spoke with Ambassador Zhou Pingjian (left) last week to discuss his concerns over racism Africans in Guangzhou also claimed they have shunned by others in public and targeted for additional COVID-19 tests without ever seeing the results. 'There is an escalating scrutiny of foreign nationals, but they are targeting the Africans and the African American community. Since last Thursday we saw 114 new cases reported in Guangzhou of coronavirus infections and 16 of those were Africans,' said journalist Sarah Clarke for Al Jazeera. 'We've seen a number of reports from social media from members of the African community in Guangzhou making complaints of mistreatment, arrests, eviction and being denied access to restaurants and hotels, and some students are even claiming to be living on the streets and being denied food,' she added. It comes as authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have been 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 on April 7. The restaurant owner, along with her daughter and another child, later tested positive for the contagion. The Chinese city Guangzhou is situated 1,028 kilometres (638 miles) south of the former epicentre, Wuhan 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. Guangzhou is also 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 asymptomatic 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. Early on Feb. 1, John Inglis picked up his phone and checked Twitter, as he does most mornings. He was shocked at what fresh hell awaited. Since 2013, Dr. Inglis, executive director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press in New York, has been helping manage a website called bioRxiv, pronounced bio archive. The sites goal: improve communication between scientists by allowing them to share promising findings months before their research has gone through protracted peer review and official publication. But the mess he was seeing on Twitter suggested a downside of the service provided by the site, known as a preprint server, during the emerging coronavirus pandemic. The social media platform was awash with conspiracy theories positing that the new coronavirus had been engineered by the Chinese government for population control. And the theorists latest evidence was a freshly submitted paper on bioRxiv from a team of Indian researchers that suggested an uncanny similarity between proteins in H.I.V. and the new virus. Traditionally, the Indian researchers would have submitted a paper to a peer-reviewed journal, and their manuscript would be scrutinized by other scientists. But that process takes months, if not more than a year. BioRxiv, medRxiv another site co-founded by Dr. Inglis and other preprint servers function as temporary homes that freely disseminate new findings. For scientists on the front lines of the coronavirus response, early glimpses at others research helps with study of the virus. But there is a growing audience for these papers that are not yet fully baked, and those readers may not understand the studies limitations. The head of Russias coronavirus task force, Tatyana Golikova, assured President Vladimir Putin in mid-March that the country was ready to take on the pandemic Moscow: The head of Russias coronavirus task force, Tatyana Golikova, assured President Vladimir Putin in mid-March that the country was ready to take on the pandemic. From masks to ventilators, she said, Russias hospitals had everything they needed to weather the crisis. There is no reason at all to panic, she said. A week later, the head doctor of one of Moscows top hospitals caring for coronavirus patients quietly wrote to a medical charity asking for help. The hospital, he wrote, was in need of disposable materials and equipment to continue to serve the critically ill. Were used to always living, somehow, in the unspoken, looking through rose-coloured glasses, said Elena Smirnova, head of the charity, Sozidaniye. They cant hide this anymore. For weeks, the coronavirus pandemic had the makings of a Kremlin propaganda coup; even as western countries succumbed one by one, Russia appeared invincible, recording fewer than 100 new cases a day through late March despite its tightly packed cities, global travel connections and 2,600-mile land border with China. There was talk that Putins early move to shut down most travel from China, along with an extensive testing and contact-tracing effort rooted in the Soviet Unions disease-fighting legacy, was succeeding where Italy, Spain and the United States all had failed. So confident was the Kremlin that it dispatched planeloads of aid to Italy, Serbia and even Kennedy Airport in New York, signalling that Russia had stockpiled so many masks and ventilators that it was able to share some of them with less fortunate countries. But it has become clear in recent days that Russia is unlikely to escape a severe hit by the pandemic, presenting an existential test to the countrys teetering health system and a new challenge to the aura of rising confidence and competence projected by Putins Kremlin. We have a lot of problems, and we dont have much to brag about nor reason to, and we certainly cant relax, Putin told senior officials Monday in his bleakest comments on the crisis yet. We are not past the peak of the epidemic, not even in Moscow. Putin warned of overworked medical staff and shortages of protective equipment, acknowledging what critics said was long clear: that Russias health system could be strained beyond its breaking point by the pandemic and that the government needed to do more to get ready. There were also worrying signs of the pandemic spreading outside Moscow. The government airlifted a field hospital to an Arctic town near the border with Norway, where hundreds of workers at a construction site were feared infected. The town of Vyazma, 130 miles west of Moscow, was closed off because of an outbreak at a nursing home, and 1,000 people were reported to be under quarantine in a hospital in the south-central city of Ufa. As footage of hours-long lines of ambulances outside Moscow emergency rooms ricocheted through Russian social networks over the weekend, health officials went on state television and confirmed that the images were real. We objectively did not pay very much attention, Golikova, the task force head, admitted in an interview aired Sunday night, to how effectively the infectious disease service needs to be prepared. By Monday, Russias total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 had reached 18,328, double the level of five days earlier. The number of deaths stood at 148, a number widely seen as an undercount amid reports of other causes of death being declared for people who were ill with COVID-like symptoms. The epicentre of the pandemic in Russia is Moscow, the biggest city in Europe, with a population of some 13 million and about two-thirds of the countrys coronavirus cases. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Putins former chief of staff, has won praise, even from some Kremlin critics, for levelling with the public about the threat of the disease and taking aggressive measures to try to slow its spread. On 24 March, Sobyanin told Putin that the number of infected Russians was significantly higher than the official data. Days later, he ordered all Muscovites to stay home. But the Kremlin continued to play down the seriousness of the threat. There is de facto no epidemic in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S Peskov told reporters 26 March. Under the surface, however, Russian hospitals were scrambling to prepare, with limited resources. Smirnova, of the Sozidaniye charity, launched a drive in late March to help hospitals fighting the coronavirus buy equipment and supplies. The 19-year-old organisation has supported hospitals in the past but typically in relatively poor, far-flung parts of the country. Never in her two decades of charity work, Smirnova said, had she seen so many senior big-city hospital officials put their jobs on the line by asking for help. You must understand, a head doctor who says all is well is a good' doctor, she said. If he says, Things arent good at all; Ive reached out to a charity, he is taking a risk. Working with Russias biggest state-owned bank, Sberbank, Sozidaniye raised more than $120,000 for hospitals across Russia, including nine in and around Moscow. One of them, City Clinical Hospital No 52 in northwestern Moscow, has been relying on close to 100 volunteers to distribute food for medical workers and care packages for patients and even for help in setting up a new call centre. Inside, with the hospital flooded with virus patients, conditions resemble those of military field medicine more than typical hospital care, a surgeon, Dr Aleksandr Vanyukov, said in a phone interview. For now, he said, supplies of protective gear were sufficient. But he said he was increasingly losing hope that Moscow would be spared the fate of hard-hit western cities, in part because residents last week seemed to be relaxing their adherence to stay-at-home orders. When everyone was sitting at home and carefully observing the quarantine, it seemed like we were managing, Vanyukov said. But if the current pace of growth continues, he said, Well be in a New York-type situation rather soon, probably. Well just drown, he said. With the epidemic bearing down, Russias state news media which is adept at playing down domestic problems has started to acknowledge its severity. The evening news on State-run Channel 1 on Sunday showed the lines of ambulances outside Moscow area hospitals and spoke of the colossal pressure increasing with every day. The head doctor of the Filatovskaya hospital said it was treating 1,525 patients, despite a capacity of 1,350 beds. Another doctor said the hospital would enlist psychologists to help its workers handle the pressure. Moscows medical personnel, the news report warned, are being stretched dangerously thin. In terms of doctors, things are difficult but bearable, a Channel 1 reporter said. But nurses are in catastrophically short supply. In a videoconference on the pandemic with Golikova, Sobyanin and others Monday, Putin warned that things were getting worse, with the number of severely ill patients rising. He directed officials to take steps to remedy shortages in medical workers protective equipment and to share ventilators and medicine across Russias far-flung regions to respond to geographic differences in demand. All scenarios of how the situation could develop must be taken into account, including the most difficult and extraordinary ones, Putin said. Anton Troianovski c.2020 The New York Times Company Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:44:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Central SOEs Industrial Investment Fund for Poor Areas had invested in 91 projects in poverty-stricken areas by the end of March, with total investment of 22.58 billion yuan (about 3.2 billion U.S. dollars), official data showed Tuesday. The fund mainly invested in sectors including resource exploitation, industrial park construction and urbanization in poor areas, according to Wang Weidong, general manager of the fund, adding that projects that could create more jobs for those regions were prioritized. Meanwhile, to help companies tide over difficulties amid the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, the fund established a special anti-epidemic sub-fund worth 1 billion yuan, Wang said. The investment fund has so far enlisted 109 shareholders with a total funding of 31.41 billion yuan since it was launched in October 2016. Virginia's governor signed into law anti-discrimination legislation that offers new protections for LGBTQ people. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam made Virginia the first Southern state - and the 21st across the US - to pass a law protecting the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The legislation bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, public or private employment, public spaces and credit transactions. It also lays out causes of action that would allow individuals, or in certain circumstances the attorney general, to sue over alleged discrimination. The non-discrimination bill, called the Virginia Values Act and signed on Saturday, goes into effect from July 1. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam wearing a mask as signs a piece of legislation from the stack on Saturday - including the Virginia Values Act Sen. Adam Ebbin waiting to address a press conference ahead of the floor votes on the Virginia Values Act, which he sponsored Northam said in a statement: 'This legislation sends a strong, clear message - Virginia is a place where all people are welcome to live, work, visit, and raise a family. 'We are building an inclusive Commonwealth where there is opportunity for everyone, and everyone is treated fairly. 'No longer will LGBTQ Virginians have to fear being fired, evicted, or denied service in public places because of who they are.' The measure passed over the objection of many Christian organizations that raised religious liberty concerns. Openly gay lawmaker Sen. Adam Ebbin, who sponsored the act in the state Senate, said he was grateful to Northam for signing it into law, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ebbin said in a statement: 'Sadly, during times of crisis like these, discrimination rises, and its effects become more apparent. Policy Assistant Grace Kelly handed Virginia Governor Ralph Northam legislation to either sign, amend or veto on Saturday 'When jobs are scarce and housing unaffordable, the reality of who you are must be an additional hurdle to putting food on the table or providing shelter for your family. This law provides important new protections.' Northam signed a number of bills on Saturday while wearing a face mask, including another measure that gives localities permission to remove Confederate monuments. Northam's office announced in news releases that he had taken action on those and other measures ahead of the end-of-day Saturday deadline to amend, sign or veto most legislation passed during this year's legislative session, including the budget. But as of late Saturday afternoon, Northam's office had not said what action he would take on two closely watched issues: a bill raising the minimum wage and another allowing public sector collective bargaining under limited circumstances. Workers' advocates have said both changes are more needed than ever in light of the coronavirus pandemic that's crippled the economy. But business groups have lobbied Northam to delay or veto those measures, saying they would strain employers and add costs for taxpayers. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaking during his press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak on Friday Final passage of the Confederate monuments bill means that starting July 1, localities will have the ability to remove, relocate, or contextualize the monuments in their communities as they see fit. Virginia is home to more than 220 public memorials to the Confederacy, according to Northam's office. Many of those have been a long-running source of controversy. A violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017 renewed the debate over whether Confederate monuments are appropriate in public spaces, but localities that wanted to take them down were hamstrung by the previous law, which protected them. The new measure says a locality must hold a public hearing before voting to remove or otherwise alter a monument. If it decides to remove one, it must be offered to 'any museum, historical society, government or military battlefield,' although the governing body ultimately gets the say on the 'final disposition'. Northam also signed bills Saturday that begin the process of replacing Virginia's statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the US Capitol and remove racist language in old laws that technically still remain on the books. The Democrat-controlled General Assembly is scheduled to take up the governor's vetoes and amendments during a one-day session later this month. The union representing the largest number of Ontario paramedics is raising the alarm about the supply of personal protective equipment, saying some services could face shortages in the coming weeks. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 5,500 paramedics and dispatchers in Ontario, said paramedic services across the province are reporting concerns to the union about dwindling supplies of vital protective equipment as COVID-19 call volumes increase. Jason Fraser, a Peterborough paramedic who is the chair of CUPEs Ambulance Committee of Ontario, said having an adequate supply of face masks, gloves, gowns, goggles and more is crucial given that paramedics are likely to be the first point of contact with many new COVID-19 patients. I would go out on a limb and say that the majority of the COVID-type patients are probably going to be calling 911 they are not going to be walking into (the emergency department), Fraser said in an interview. And so we are going to be seeing an increase in this every day until this is done, and theres no end in sight. Many paramedic services are trying to be conservative in their use of protective equipment to keep their current supply level in decent shape anticipating a surge in COVID-19 cases, Fraser said. But even with these efforts, the union says some services may not be able to keep up with demand. It has also become increasingly apparent paramedics should be treating all calls as if the patient has COVID-19, Fraser said, adding that the province should both ensure paramedics have vital equipment and issue a new directive stating N95 respirators should be worn on every call. The only true way that a paramedic can be fully protected is to have an adequate supply of N95s in every paramedic service across the province, and wear those on every single call, Fraser said. The most current directive on protective equipment for paramedics was issued on March 30 in consultation with Public Health Ontario, said Hayley Chazan, a spokesperson for Ontarios Ministry of Health. That directive calls for, at minimum, the use of protective equipment including gloves, face shields or goggles, gowns and surgical masks whenever a paramedic is interacting with someone with a suspected, presumed or confirmed COVID-19 case. The province also directs paramedics to don an N95 mask or an equivalent if a patient suspected of having COVID-19 requires an aerosol-generating medical procedure, such as intubation. The province will continue to review the evidence on the most appropriate measures for personal protective equipment in collaboration with Public Health Ontario, health system partners and technical experts, Chazan said in an email. Asked about the giving protective equipment to paramedics, Chazan said the federal government has informed the provinces and territories they will receive an allocation of PPE from the federal procurements based on population size. Jamie Ramage, chair of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Ambulance Division, agreed he is absolutely concerned about shortages within the unions services. Im concerned about the paramedics, but also all health care workers, Ramage said. But Ramage disagreed that paramedics should be wearing full personal protective equipment on every call, saying that will unnecessarily deplete the equipment if its being used when it doesnt have to be. He stressed that calls are being screened for COVID-19 risks by dispatchers, and then again by the paramedics when they arrive on scene, giving them the time to choose the best option for the call. Fraser notes he is concerned about patients who do not have COVID-19 symptoms at the time of a call but develop them later; in the meantime, paramedics may have exposed others to the virus after becoming infected themselves, he said. Some of the services OPSEU represents have switched to N7700 respirators, nondisposable rubber masks that have filters that can last as long as 30 days. Ramage says relying on these kinds of masks could help reduce the shortage of single-use N95 respirators we are hoping that thats going to minimize the demand, he said. Andrew Moore, a member of CUPEs Durham Paramedic Services Board, agreed there is an active concern about shortages the fear is there, he said but noted paramedics are all trying to minimize their use of the equipment whenever possible. Moore stressed that paramedics best chance of being adequately prepared on calls is when patients provide the most thorough and accurate information about their symptoms; paramedics across the province have complained in recent weeks about patients not being fully honest about their health, potentially putting the paramedic and others at risk of contracting COVID-19 if they hadnt put on the proper equipment. No matter what, everybodys needs will be met, but accurate information protects the paramedic and the patient, Moore said. Fraser also called for the province to release its stockpile of expired N-95 masks. Chazan confirmed the ministry is working with manufacturers to explore whether the expired supplies, including N95 masks, could be used in some ways, like for training purposes or in lieu of surgical masks. Suman, a 28-year-old cancer patient from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has been stranded in Chandigarh since March 17 due to the curfew. She has been visiting the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research for treatment and is one among at least 15 other families from different regions who are now stranded here due to curbs on movement. My initial round of chemotherapy treatment is over. My 57-year old mother and my 8-year-old daughter are pleading with everyone to show us a way out by which we can go back home, she said. Her mother Ram Sevi, who works as domestic help in Kanpur, is the only earning member of the family which includes Sumans widowed sister and her 7-year-old son. She must be in dire straits. I dont know from where she is arranging for food. This time is tougher on me than the day my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Ram Sevi said. Similarly, 65-year-old patient Pushpa Devi, from Doda district in J&K, was to be operated at PGIMER on March 23. We left Doda on March 20 and reached here on March 23, but the lockdown was announced and surgeries were cancelled. Now, I am suffering pain in my abdomen due to a complicated condition of a urinary tract stone, and am unable to return home too. It is difficult situation, Pushpa Devi said. 11-year-old Manjesh Kumar is from Mansa Punjab. He is suffering from aplastic anemia, an autoimmune disease in which the body fails to produce blood cells in sufficient numbers. He was referred to PGI from Rajindra Hospital Patiala on 19 March, following which they consulted doctors here for a couple of days. The lockdown was suddenly announced and now we are stranded, said Chandan Dev, Manjesh father who works in a rice mill. UT health secretary, Arun Kumar Gupta, said the state governments concerned should provide assistance in this regard. We have requested their state governments to arrange for transportation and we will issue them transit passes considering the situation, he said. Director PGIMER Dr Jagat Ram said several patients have been sent home through the proactive approach of the governments and staff here. I will look into it again and ensure that no body suffers due to this issue, he said. The researchers who published an initial analysis in early March regarding the effect of temperature, humidity and latitude on the ability to predict the potential spread and seasonality of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are now working with a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to advance their research. The team's particular focus is to see if its hypothesis can be validated in the United States, "which has vastly different climatological areas within the continental U.S.," Mohammad Sajadi, one of the initial study's authors and an associate professor of medicine at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told AccuWeather. "We are going to be [collecting data] state by state - even county by county," Sajadi said. "We're interested in looking at the areas of highest risk." The U.S. has been the country hardest-hit by the pandemic with more than half of a million infected and more than 25,000 fatalities blamed on the illness, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. The team's first step is to use the data it collects to "refine our definition of what are meteorologically favorable atmospheric conditions for the virus," Augustin Vintzileos told AccuWeather. He also was an author on the first study and is an assistant research scientist at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland. "The big research question we are asking right now is: How long should these favorable conditions persist in order to have an impact?" he said. Voters masked against coronavirus line up at Riverside High School for Wisconsin's primary election Tuesday April 7, 2020, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) "If we end up being right that there are temperature and humidity requirements for the virus - that is, the virus does better in certain conditions - then that information could be used in terms of predicting at least in the temperate areas [of the world] when this problem could resurface or which places would be more at risk," Sajadi said. Story continues In their initial research published March 5, a week before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the crisis a pandemic, the authors of the study wrote that COVID-19 "has established significant community spread in cities and regions only along a narrow east-west distribution roughly along the 30-50 North latitude corridor at consistently similar weather patterns (5-11 degrees C [41 to 51 F] and 47-79 percent humidity)." "Notably, during the same time, COVID-19 failed to spread significantly to countries immediately south of China," the paper notes. "The number of patients and reported deaths in Southeast Asia is much less when compared to more temperate regions noted ... The association between temperature in the cities affected with COVID-19 deserves special attention." Last week, a panel from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine sent a report to the White House on how weather and seasonality may affect the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The report examined an array of coronavirus-related studies worldwide. The impact of higher temperatures and high humidity on the spread of COVID-19 was among the research studied and the chair of the panel, Dr. Harvey Fineberg, told AccuWeather, "In the end, I think it's inconclusive scientifically." One result regarding temperature and humidity, however, stood out for Dr. Fineberg. "It's pretty clear that when you look at this virus in the laboratory, if you raise the temperature and you raise the humidity, the virus does not do as well," he told AccuWeather. "It does not replicate as well. So, the virus is subject to success under different conditions of temperature and humidity." Sajadi and Vintzileos stress that "the climate is one factor - and there are many, many different factors that are important and certain situations may even be more important," Sajadi said. Some of those factors include population density, travel, air pollution, and public health intervention efforts such as isolation and social distancing. "What our research is highlighting is that we should also consider temperature and humidity in the modeling as we think about the spread of this disease," Sajadi said. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has advised Nigerians to wear a face mask, including improvised ones, while at public places, in order to protect themselves and others from contracting COVID-19. Mr Ehanire while responding to questions at the daily Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on Monday said the use of face masks is an additional way to protect oneself against the virus. An additional way thought to protect against corona infection, is the use of face masks, and it includes improvised and homemade face masks or face covering with handkerchiefs or scarves. A layered cotton fabric over the mouth and nose guards against particle emission during laughter, exclamation or loud talk and may offer mutual protection to wearers, especially where social distancing may not be achieved, or where close contact may not be avoided with certainty, such as markets, Mr Ehanire said. He also said persons without the N95 or surgical masks could make use of home made face masks, handkerchiefs or scarfs. He, however, appealed that the local masks must be properly washed every evening with warm water, dried and further ironed to kill any virus that may have settled on the mask. The one many of us are using here are single use which we have to throw away but you dont need that for day to day activities, he said. The homemade ones must be washed every evening, preferably with warm water and then dried and ironed. READ ALSO: If you do that, it is safe to reuse it the next day. We are making that a recommendation and particularly stretching it to those who handle food, he said. Controversial The use of face masks as a preventive measure against COVID-19 has drawn mixed reactions from medical experts and individuals alike globally. Face masks were initially designed to protect the patient from coughed or exhaled secretions by health workers during sterile procedures but recently, it has become essential protection for caregivers. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no evidence wearing a mask by a healthy person in a community setting can prevent infection with respiratory virus including COVID-19. Physical distancing Mr Ehanire said it is important to maintain physical distancing of about 6 feet and implement hand and respiratory hygiene at all times and places. He also applauded the efforts of state governments in pressing for physical distancing and maintenance of hygiene. He urged members of the public to abide by the stay at home directive issued by the federal government. COVID-19 As of Monday, 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have confirmed at least a case of COVID-19 bringing the total to 343. Lagos State has now reported 187 cases, followed by FCT 56, Osun 20, Edo 14, Oyo 11, Ogun 9, Bauchi and Kaduna 6, Akwa Ibom and Katsina 5, Enugu, Ekiti, Rivers has two cases each, Kwara 4, Kano, Ondo and Delta, 3 cases, while Niger, Benue and Anambra have recorded one each. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Heartillery Group, Ponte Vedra, FL We are at the ready to distribute your notes of support and gratitude to those who are serving our great country. Working together, we can lift the morale of so many active duty military personnel who are away from loved ones during this really scary time. - Emily Spencer, Heartillery Group Heartillery Group is excited to announce Operation Can-Do, a project with the goal of distributing 500,000 cards and letters of love and appreciation now through June 30, 2020 to US service personnel deployed in the USA and around the world. Deployment - under the best of circumstances - is challenging. Today's CORONA situation has exponentially increased stress and loneliness among many military personnel mobilized here in the US to fight COVID-19, as well as those abroad, away from family and friends. At the same time, housebound families are looking for boredom-busting, hands-on, and inspirational activities to do together during this period of social distancing. Operation Can-Do seamlessly and safely connects those who need support with those who want to give it during this worldwide public health crisis. It is fun and easy to join Operation Can-Do. Families are asked to create as many homemade cards and letters as they can from items including colored paper, pens, crayons, stickers, paint, and other arts and crafts materials. Each card should be signed, include an uplifting message, use a generic salutation such as Dear Service Member," and placed in a blank, unsealed envelope. Once a family's notes are completed, package and mail them as a group to: Heartillery Group, P.O. Box 2649, Ponte Vedra, FL 32004. Heartillery Group will make sure that every card gets into the hands of a hero quickly and safely. According to the CDC, the WHO, and the US Surgeon General, there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through the mail. Out of an abundance of caution, Heartillery Group asks that Operation Can-Do participants follow common sense hygiene procedures, wash their hands frequently, use gloves if possible, and use a disinfectant to clean card making materials before and after usage. Please allow all homemade cards and their envelopes to sit untouched for at least 1 day before mailing them to Heartillery Group. According to Emily Spencer, Founder and Executive Director of Heartillery Group, "My team and I are at the ready to distribute your notes of support and gratitude to those who are serving our great country. Imagine the impact of half a million surprise goodwill greetings! Working together, we can lift the morale of so many active duty military personnel who are away from loved ones during this really scary time. Our organization knows from experience how much it means to them to have them in our thoughts - as well as how empowering it is for those of us on the home front to focus on doing good for others." About Heartillery Group: Heartillery Group's mission is to show love and gratitude in simple ways to those who serve. The organization works with schools, churches, seniors, veteran's organizations, corporations and businesses, and other caring communities to collect, assemble, and mail care packages and greeting cards to US military personnel deployed across the globe. Heartillery Group, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, has sent nearly four million cards and 6,000 care packages to service personnel overseas since its inception in 2013. Heartillery Group was created by Emily Spencer, whose husband Scott was deployed to Afghanistan six months after their wedding. What began as a simple family act of support and connection has blossomed into an ongoing global campaign with the goal of ensuring no service member feels lonely or unappreciated. Today, Spencer oversees all aspects of Heartillery Group, including logistics, fundraising, communications, and execution. Please like and follow Heartillery Group on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. See http://www.heartillerygroup.org for more information on Heartillery Group and Operation Can-Do. Please consider donating to Heartillery Group's $100,000 GoFundMe campaign; all monies raised will be used to defray and fund operational, material, and mailing expenses associated with Operation Can-Do and other urgent global initiatives. Click here to make a gift today. Portland firefighters on Tuesday will begin teaming up with Multnomah County to pick up and deliver prescription medications to vulnerable adults in the city during the coronavirus pandemic. We really have a desire to touch those isolated, older folks and get some eyes on them, said Lisa Reslock, a Portland firefighter and registered nurse who is the care coordinator for Portland Fire & Rescue Bureaus Community Health Assessment Team, known as CHAT. The Fire & Rescue MEDS on WHEELS outreach program will serve Portland residents who are 65 or older and have a serious pre-existing medical condition, such as heart or lung disease, hypertension, diabetes or cancer. Its geared to the elderly who are most at risk of contracting the new COVID-19 virus, are encouraged to remain home and have no other way to pick up their prescriptions. The team of two firefighters will pick up prescriptions at pharmacies and deliver the medications to homes or to homeless people from a safe distance of at least 6 to 10 feet away. The firefighters also will touch base with the people and make sure theyre handling their isolation, Reslock said. The team of two firefighters may grow to include other firefighters and fire inspectors from battalions across the city. The firefighters will provide each person with a list of resources to contact if theyre having any problems, including a so-called Senior Loneliness Line,'' to speak with a specialist. If the firefighter has any concerns, the firefighter also may contact the countys Department of Aging, Disability and Veteran Services directly. Fire Chief Sara Boone said her firefighters seek to provide "a healing connection'' to vulnerable adults at a time when they may feel alone and afraid. This flyer will be distributed to the elderly who seek delivery of their prescriptions, giving them other contact numbers for services they might need. To use the prescription delivery service, residents must call the Fire Bureaus referral line at 971-288-7687 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Pickups and deliveries of prescriptions will be made from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The call taker will ask their name, address, phone number, date of birth, the prescription requested and the name of their pharmacy. The resident must contact the pharmacy and order the prescription, pre-pay by phone and advise the pharmacy that a city Fire Bureau member will be picking up the drugs. The delivery will be made at a designated time, arranged by the Fire Bureau. The person receiving the prescriptions will have to show a photo ID to get them. The Fire Bureaus community health assessment team typically works to try to curtail the number of people frequently calling 911 for non-emergency medical situations by connecting those callers to other medical resources or social workers, Reslock said. This new program falls within the teams mission and will be handled within the bureaus existing budget, she said. Some law enforcement agencies in Oregon have started similar programs. Portlands Fire Bureau consulted with Forest Grove police, for example, before rolling out its own prescription delivery service. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Subscribe to Facebook page Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 06:20:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has approved immediate debt service relief for 25 member countries as part of its response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said Monday in a statement. The countries that will receive debt service relief include Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and others, according to the IMF. The IMF's revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) enables the IMF to deliver grants for debt relief benefitting eligible low-income countries in the wake of catastrophic natural disasters and major, fast-spreading public health emergencies. The CCRT can currently provide about 500 million U.S. dollars in grant-based debt service relief, according to Georgieva. "I urge other donors to help us replenish the Trust's resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries," she said. In a speech delivered last week, the IMF chief said it is already clear that global growth will turn "sharply negative" in 2020. "In fact, we anticipate the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression," she noted. Georgieva said just three months ago that the IMF expected positive per capita income growth in over 160 of its member countries in 2020, but it now projects that over 170 countries will experience negative per capita income growth this year. "The bleak outlook applies to advanced and developing economies alike. This crisis knows no boundaries. Everybody hurts," she said, adding the crisis is expected to hit vulnerable countries hardest. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to further strengthen cooperation with each other to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region. In a special virtual summit of leaders from the region on Tuesday, ASEAN member states decided to share with each other real time information on their responses to the pandemic, including research on potential vaccines and treatments for the disease, and the enhancement of the capacity of public health systems. They also agreed to intensify cooperation to provide enough medicine, essential medical supplies and equipment, including diagnostic tools and personal protective equipment. Leaders of Southeast Asian nations also encouraged the development of regional reserves of medical supplies and the use of ASEAN reserve warehouses to support their nations needs during public health emergencies. The 10-member regional bloc reiterated their commitment to mitigating the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and maintaining the well-being of its people. They also called for the use of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve and the strengthening the regional supply chains to ensure food security in the region. The group gave a nod to boosting support for vulnerable populations, micro, small, and medium enterprises and other businesses to improve the stability of the regional economy. It also includes providing measures to prevent social disruption and implement responsive social protection systems. ASEAN leaders say they remain committed to their pledge to the international community to suppress the spread of the pandemic in the region. We pledge to remain united and vigilant against COVID-19 and commit to work closely with the WHO, ASEANs external partners and the international community to suppress the spread of the pandemic, protect peoples lives and livelihoods, maintain socio-economic stability while sustaining ASEAN Community building momentum for sustainable development, inclusive growth and leaving no one behind, the statement reads. The latest tally by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering shows the 10 countries in the Southeast Asian region have confirmed 21,195 COVID-19 cases with 931 deaths and 4,042 recoveries. The Philippines now has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the region, with 5,223 cases. Malaysia ranks second with 4,987 cases, and Indonesia is at close third with 4,839 confirmed cases. Indonesia recorded the highest COVID-19 death toll in the region at 459. While the Philippines is second in the most COVID-19 casualties in the region with 335. Malaysia holds the highest number of COVID-19 recoveries in Southeast Asia with 2,478. Thailand is in second place with 1,405 recoveries. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said that if three people are found positive for COVID-19 in an area, then that area will be contained and declared as a 'red zone.' Speaking to ANI, Jain said: "There are 47 red zones in Delhi now. We have made the criteria more stringent now. Earlier an area used to be declared a red zone if 10 or more positive cases were found there. Now, if three cases are found in an area, it will be declared a red zone and contained." He said that an area where one or two positive cases are found is considered an 'orange zone'. "We have not received the rapid testing kits yet, which greatly needed. The Central government is about to receive the kits which have been imported. Then we will get them too," he said. The Delhi Health Minister said the COVID-19 cases have been contained due to the lockdown imposed across the country, otherwise, India's condition would have been like that of the USA. "We will win this battle if the lockdown is imposed strictly for the next 20 days. 70 per cent cases in Delhi are related to the Under Special Operations," said Jain. So far, the capital has reported 1,510 COVID-19 positive cases. 30 people have been cured/discharged/migrated while 28 deaths have been reported here. The country has so far reported 10,363 COVID-19 cases. Out of these, 1,036 have been cured and discharged or migrated and 339 people have died due to the infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) Dairy farmers dumping milk is just one sign of an out-of-sync food chain. Another is the low price of asparagus in the US, writes Chase Purdy at Quartz. The veggie generally sold for $3 a pound in early January, but the price dropped to $2 early this month. A buck a pound may not mean a huge difference on the micro level, but the drop nonetheless has "big implications" in the grand scheme of world food prices, writes Purdy. In this case, asparagus in the US is cheap because Mexicoa major world supplier of the vegetablecan no longer ship as much to Asia because of coronavirus restrictions. Instead, that excess asparagus is flooding the US market and driving down prices. story continues below "To be sure, the overall impact of Covid-19 on the global food system has so far been minimal," writes Purdy, but he warns that could change fast. As CNN reports, conglomerates such as Nestle and Unilever are warning about a potential food crisis because the supply chain is international in scope. And at the UN, an agricultural agency is urging nations to work together to make sure that "global food security" remains stable amid the pandemic. "An unexpected and fast decline in commodity prices has hit producers while a strong depreciation of most currencies against the US dollar risks wiping out any price benefits for consumers: a combination that could potentially threaten global food security for some time to come," it states. (Read more food prices stories.) Rally order breaches case of Russian activist postponed until April 16 TASS, Andrey Vasilyev 12:48 14/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 14 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court has postponed the hearing of an appeal against a 4-year sentence of activist Konstantin Kotov for repeated violations of a rally holding order until April 16, according to a statement of the courts press service. At the next hearing the court will consider motions to watch some videos and question witnesses, the statement reads. In early March, the Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction returned the case of Kotov to a lower court. The Moscow City Courts ruling against Kotov was overturned, the court was orderd ordered to reconsider the matter by another bench. Kotov is to stay in detention until May 2. Moscows Tverskoy District Court convicted and sentenced Kotov to 4 years in jail in September. A month later, the Moscow City Court upheld the verdict. He filed a cassation appeal against the ruling. Moreover, in February, Russias Prosecutor Generals Office petitioned to reduce Kotovs sentence up to 1 year. According to attorney Sergey Golubok, prosecutors believe that the 4-year term given to Kotov is illegal and disproportionate. Investigators claim, the man, who was repeatedly brought to administrative liability for breaking an order of public events in the last 180 days, recently took part in an unauthorized protest action ignoring police demands to stop illegal actions. Investigative authorities claimed that his actions had an intentional nature. Kotov pleaded not guilty. His defense insisted that there were no elements of a crime in his actions.Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over mass riots. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority. With some Indian Country businesses still locked out of a $349 billion coronavirus relief fund , the Trump administration is finally getting around to consulting tribes about a program that is expected to run out of money before they even have a chance to benefit from it. The Department of the Treasury launched the Paycheck Protection Program to much fanfare on April 3. Secretary Steve Mnuchin boasted that loans could be approved in less than a day in order to help small businesses -- including those in Indian Country -- stay afloat during the worst public health crisis in decades. But as Mnuchin , government officials and bank executives have noted, the program is quickly running out of funds. As of Tuesday morning, more than $240 billion has provided to small businesses across America , all while some tribal operations -- mainly those in the gaming sector -- have been shut out. "All of this stuff is happening and tribes are still not in the mix," Dante Desiderio (Saponny), the executive director of the Native American Finance Officers Association , told Indianz.Com. "Every day, we keep getting left out," Desiderio said. HAPPENING TODAY: The Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration are holding tribal consultations on critical aspects of the #CARESAct. Check out the details from NAFOA @nafoaorg. #Consultation #Coronavirus #COVID19 https://t.co/gEX8NMYDV6 indianz.com (@indianz) April 14, 2020 With Indian Country in the dark, the Department of the Treasury is finally holding a tribal consultation on the Paycheck Protection Program on Tuesday afternoon. Officials from the Small Business Administration will be on the call but tribes and their advocates fear the Trump administration's efforts are coming too late. "I'm just concerned that SBA waited this long to fix it," Desiderio said. "Every day that goes by we are getting more and more shut out of that fund." Key members of Congress are also concerned. They argue that the SBA can easily adjust its guidance in order for small tribal gaming operations -- meaning those with 500 or fewer employees -- can benefit from the $349 billion loan program. "Tribal gaming enterprises provide thousands of jobs for both native and non-native employees, often in rural areas of the country," three Republicans in the U.S. Senate said in a letter to Secretary Mnuchin on April 7 . "Even small gaming operations under 500 employees are frequently among the largest employers in their communities." Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to make changes as well. They note that the SBA's restrictive guidance is hurting some tribal businesses, such as conference centers and performance venues, that are associated with casinos but not actually offering gambling. "Tribal governments are unique political entities with a government-to-government relationship with the United States, which owes trust and treaty obligations to all 574 federally recognized Indian tribes," an April 8 letter signed by 12 Democrats in the Senate read. "Congress helps fulfill these obligations in part by passing laws and ensuring access to federal programs for their benefit." Amid the concern, lawmakers from both parties are committed to providing more funding for the Paycheck Protection Program once the $349 billion runs out. But with the U.S. House of Representatives out of session until at least May, opportunities are running out for Congress to take action before tribes are forced to furlough hundreds of employees. Some in Indian Country have already started doing that after being locked out of loans. "This is a program that we know is going to need additional money," Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation , said in a video address on April 10. "Frankly, there's no disagreement about that," said Cole. The Senate has been meeting for daily sessions, though most of the time no work has been taking place. But an effort to add $250 billion was scuttled last week after Republicans, who control the chamber, were unable to come to an agreement with Democrats on the best way to move forward with the legislation. Further changes must also be made to the SBAs assistance initiative, as many eligible small businesses continue to be excluded from the Paycheck Protection Program by big banks with significant lending capacity," Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), the Speaker of the House , and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who is the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, said in a statement on Monday. Congress authorized the Paycheck Protection Program through H.R.748 , the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The new law, also known as the CARES Act , states that "any qualified small business concern, including those owned by qualified Indian tribes" are eligible for loans. But the SBA has relied on existing guidance to keep small gaming operations -- tribal and commercial alike -- from participating. "The National Indian Gaming Association condemns the SBA for its blatant disregard of the Congressional language in the Covid Relief Act," NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. said as the program was launched earlier this month. "The SBAs guidance fails to recognize the importance of the survival of Tribal Government Gaming for its citizens and non-tribal neighboring residents. The Bay Mills Indian Community has been among those shut out by the SBA. The tribe's gaming operation in Michigan employs about 400 people who are being paid through April 16. But without a loan guaranteed by the Paycheck Protection Program, or some other form of assistance, the tribal employees are in danger of being put out of a work, a move that will impact their families and countless others in the region. In addition to protecting the public health, we are also committed to taking care of our team members and protecting the Tribes long term economic health, President Bryan Newland said in an update shared on the Bay Mills gaming website . We are looking at how we can ensure that our team members have the money they need to quarantine effectively. "We need clarification now": With the $33 billion tribal gaming industry at a standstill, the Trump administration is sending mixed signals about the #Coronavirus Paycheck Protection Program. Issue is EXTREMELY time sensitive because applications start today. #COVID19 #CaresAct indianz.com (@indianz) April 3, 2020 As of 2018, the tribal casino industry employed more than 670,000 people, with more than $36 billion in wages paid to employees, according to a comprehensive study released by the American Gaming Association at the time. Overall, the American gaming industry, including operations in Indian Country, supported a total economic impact of $261.4 billion of output, with 1.8 million jobs and $40.8 billion in tax revenue, according to the AGA The tribal consultation on the Paycheck Protection Program will be followed by another one on a different CARES Act program of interest to tribes. The calls are closed to the media. More information can be found on the Indianz.Com COVID-19 section Join the Conversation Related Stories N Korean Media Says Annual Parliament Session Held Without Kim's Attendance Sputnik News 09:56 GMT 13.04.2020 TOKYO (Sputnik) - North Korea held a meeting of its Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday, two days later than originally scheduled, and the event took place without the attendance of the country's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Monday. According to the media outlet, Choe Ryong Hae, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who is considered to be the second most powerful politician in the country, presided over the session. The parliamentary meeting was originally scheduled for April 10, but KCNA gave no reason for why the session was delayed. The summer session of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly is annually held in April before the birthday of late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung that is celebrated on April 15. Pyongyang usually uses such meetings to discuss issues of utmost importance, such as the revision of the constitution, drafting the state budget or announcing cabinet reshuffles. Prior to the session, speculations have emerged that Pyongyang will use the meeting to deliver some message to the United States in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but no such message was voiced. According to KCNA, the Sunday meeting was devoted to budgetary issues and appointments, including electing the country's foreign minister, Ri Son Gwon, as a member of the State Affairs Commission. At the same time, this is not believed to represent any change in the power status of Ri, who took the office of the foreign minister earlier this year, because the foreign minister has always been a member of the commissions. During the session, new appointments to the posts of ministers of natural resources, engineering and light industry were also announced. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Phuket Governor holds to April 30 deadline to end COVID spread PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana today (Apr 14) maintained his goal of ending the spread of COVID in Phuket by April 30. COVID-19Coronavirushealth By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 14 April 2020, 06:36PM Governor Phakaphong delivered his expectation today (Apr 14). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Governor Phakaphong delivered his expectation today at a meeting of high-ranking Phuket officials to set goals and strategies for joint action to end the COVID-19 situation in Phuket. The Governor pointed out the many measures already rolled out to help prevent the spread of the virus, including the 14-day lockdown on all non-essential travel between sub-districts which began yesterday. The results have showed that the rate of COVID-19 patients found is decreasing, and if this continues the situation of the spread of COVID-19 infection in Phuket should be completely ended by April 30, 2020, therefore to ensure this happens relevant agencies have been invited to attend this meeting in order to achieve that target, he said. It was pointed out that key risks groups remained any persons living or working in Patong, and recent arrivals on the island, and now included people in the Bang Tao area. A team of 40 doctors and medical personnel from Songklanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, are to arrive tomorrow (Apr 15) to staff the second field hospital now set up at the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket campus, the Governor explained. He also said that according to the Ministry of Interior some 1,327 Americans are still in Phuket waiting to return home. Arrangements were being made to airlift them off the island, he added. Those left in Phuket may need to prepare to board a plane in Bangkok, or a flight may fly down to pick them up in Phuket, he said. Phuket Immigration reported that a total of 4,117 foreign visitors were still on the island, he added. Dr Thanit Sermkaew, Chief of Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), pointed out the countermeasures being rolled out in Patong to help early identification of people suspected of being infected with the virus. However, he also pointed out rising number of infections in Bang Tao, including a 97-year-old woman. Fortunately, she was not showing any symptoms of the disease, he said. Bang Tao is a community where residents consistently go about their daily lives. Changing the lifestyle of the community is quite difficult, Dr Thanit said. In the Bang Tao area of Cherng Talay, there is a need to search for infected patients to conduct screening tests to cover all cases, he continued. The Surin Beach Resort and one of The Kris venues in Bang Tao have both been dedicated as accommodation where infected people can stay, and both of them have already started to fill, Dr Thanit said. Therefore, the province is coordinating with Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation [OrBorTor] to procure one additional location in the Bang Tao area to provide accommodation for the growing number of infected patients, he said. Also discussed was the issue of 5,000 Thais who will start to return from Malaysia when the Sadao border checkpoint opens on April 16, allowing 350 people a day to enter Thailand. We are not certain how many of these people are from Phuket. I request that Phuket prepares to support these people when they return,: Dr Thanit added. Five days after suspending his campaign, Bernie Sanders finally endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee to take on US President Donald Trump and be the next President of the United States. The US Presidential elections are scheduled to take place later this year in November, though they have been put on the back-burner as the country struggles to deal with the Coronavirus. READ: New York Guv Gives Positive Response On COVID-19: 'Worst Is Over If Continued To Be Smart' Sanders endorses Biden I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse, the Vermont senator said in a virtual event with Biden. After endorsing Biden, Sanders said that he will be backing the former in every way he can in order to limit President Trump to just one term of the White House. Sanders added that the two have had issues over which they differ but agreed on the fact that they will fight together on a number of issues to win the elections. READ: Trump And NY Guv Cuomo Lock Horns Over 'opening Up US' As New York Sees 671 COVID Deaths We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history. I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement. https://t.co/AC3zh3ChX3 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2020 Biden, 77, has already made some overtures to progressives by embracing aspects of Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warrens policies. The day after Sanders exited the race, Biden came out in support of lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 while pledging to cancel student debt for many low- and middle-income borrowers. Hes also previously embraced Warrens bankruptcy reform plan. Sanders, 78, is sure to remain a force throughout the campaign. When he ended his candidacy, he said he would keep his name on the ballot in states that have not yet voted in order to collect more delegates that could be used to influence the partys platform. He didnt say Monday whether he would continue to fight for those delegates. READ: US Supreme Court To Hear Trump's Tax And Financial Records Disputes In May Sanders added, "I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse. READ: Biden Becomes Prersumptive Democratic Nominee As Sanders Quits US Prez Race New York, April 13, 2020 -- Zambian authorities should restore Prime TV broadcast license and cease harassing the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 9, the Independent Broadcasting Authority, Zambias broadcasting regulator, cancelled Prime TVs license in the interest of public safety, security, peace, welfare or good order, according to a statement from the regulator, which CPJ reviewed. The statement said that Prime TV must surrender its license and cease broadcasting immediately. It did not specify any broadcasts or actions by the stations employees that prompted the decision. On the same day, police arrived at the outlet's office in Lusaka, the capital, and forced staffers to leave the building and barred them from returning, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, who said that employees had not been able to return as of today. Prime TV, a popular television station known for its critical coverage of the government, had recently been covering the COVID-19 pandemic, according to that person, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. Prime TV had also covered the Bill 10 constitutional amendment, which was recently passed by parliament, and which detractors allege will keep the ruling Patriotic Front party in power indefinitely, according to news reports. Last year, authorities suspended Prime TVs license for 30 days for alleged unprofessionalism in response to a complaint lodged by the Patriotic Front, as CPJ documented at the time. The Zambian public needs credible information about the COVID-19 pandemic and other events in the public interest. Now is not the time for Information Minister Dora Siliya to retaliate against a popular private outlet that does not toe the government line, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. The Independent Broadcasting Authority should immediately reinstate Prime TVs broadcasting license, and authorities should allow the broadcaster to reopen and resume covering the news. The broadcasters suspension followed a month of heightened tensions between the government and Prime TV. On March 13, Prime TV owner Gerald Shawa, in his capacity as chairman of the Zambia Independent Media Association, a local trade group, told officials that independent outlets were not prepared to air the governments coronavirus-awareness campaign for free, because the government owed them money for airing previous advertisements and, unlike the public broadcaster, they were not subsidized by the state, according to media reports. On March 17, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya accused Prime TV of being unpatriotic and banned government officials from conducting any business with it, including appearing on its broadcasts and also barred the networks journalists from attending official events, according to local media reports and a copy of Siliyas press release seen by CPJ. On March 27, Top Star Communication Limited Company, a partly state-owned television signal carrier, informed Prime TV that it would stop carrying its broadcasts, according to news reports and documents from a complaint that Prime TV filed to the Lusaka High Court on April 1, which CPJ reviewed. Prime TV continued broadcasting on other signal carriers from March 27 until April 9, when its license was cancelled, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation. The Law Association of Zambia, an independent professional body, expressed concern about the license cancellation, stating that it had been conducted prematurely without following the law, according to an April 11 statement from the group, which CPJ reviewed, and news reports. The statement said that authorities retaliation against Prime TV raises a lot of speculation and reasonable doubts about the professionalism of the [Independent Broadcasting Authority] in this matter. The statement also expressed alarm over the fact that Zambian police had taken control of an outlet's premises "without a court order or any evidence of criminal activities perpetrated by Prime TV. The Independent Broadcasting Authority statement did not say that the outlets facilities would be evacuated and closed. Another person familiar with the case, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said that the revocation of Prime TVs broadcast license confirmed that the governments aim is simply to silence a key independent media house that has at times been critical of the governments stance on governance issues. Independent Broadcasting Authority Director-General Josephine Mapoma told CPJ via messaging app that the board had cancelled the license in the public interest and had no obligation to give examples of the outlet's coverage prompting the decision. She added that news about COVID-19 was still being broadcast on TV and radio stations throughout the country. When contacted via messaging app, Information Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga declined to comment and referred CPJ to Siliya. The minister did not reply to CPJ's emailed questions on Friday or a text message today. BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Infrastructure construction has gathered pace across China as the government ramped up funding to spur investment in the sector following basic containment of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Data from China Construction Machinery Association showed excavator producers reported record sales in March as production resumption accelerated nationwide. Total excavator sales, an important indicator of the vitality of an economy as demand is usually backed by growth in mining and infrastructure development, hit a record high of 49,408 last month, up 11.6 percent year on year. The industry data, which suggest a rebound in activities, was in line with the excavator index tracked by leading construction gear maker Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. that showed infrastructure construction had recovered to the average level seen in 2019 since March 20. In another sign of recovery, production and prices of construction materials, including cement and steel, saw visible climbs. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed work resumption rate of the cement industry reached 94 percent as of April 6. Transactions on the steel market became more active, with daily transactions reaching 238,000 tonnes in early April from 127,000 tonnes seen in early March, data from industry information provider mysteel.com showed. "Demand in the construction industry has basically recovered to last year's level driven by new and resumed projects," said Xu Xiangchun, an analyst with mysteel.com. As China looks to quicken the issuance of local government bonds, which are mainly used on infrastructure, investment in the area is likely to see double-digit growth this year. Earlier data showed China's local government bond issuance reached a record high in the first quarter as authorities allocated additional quotas for new sales as part of the more proactive fiscal policies to shore up the virus-hit economy. The value of local government bonds issued in March totaled 387.5 billion yuan (about 55 billion U.S. dollars), bringing total local government bond issuance to more than 1.6 trillion yuan in the first quarter. The officer got out of the cell, but the fight continued outside, where Jeffries allegedly choked him until he was unconscious. It is also is believed a sock filled with bars of soap was used to attack the guard, the office said. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - GCC Global Capital Corporation (TSXV: GCCC) (the "Company") announces the resignation of Mr. Andrew (ZhiZhen) Liu from his position as Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective April 7 2020. Mr. Liu informed the Board of his decision to step down to pursue other business opportunities. The Company would like to thank Mr. Liu for his outstanding work for the Company and offer our best wishes for his future success. About GCC Global Capital Corporation GCC Global Capital Corporation is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as an Investment Issuer. The Company focuses on Real Estate, Natural Resources and High-Tech industries. Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information please contact Alex(Yu) Wu, Executive Assistant at (778) 319-5171. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54437 Pope expresses support for 'universal basic wage' as COVID-19 harms global economy Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pope Francis expressed support for a universal basic wage for workers of all countries in an open letter sent out on Easter Sunday. In a letter addressed to popular movements, the head of the Roman Catholic Church said the coronavirus shutdowns appeared to economically harm the financially strapped more than most. The ills that afflict everyone hit you twice as hard. Many of you live from day to day, without any type of legal guarantee to protect you, wrote the pontiff. Street vendors, recyclers, carnies, small farmers, construction workers, dressmakers, the different kinds of caregivers: you who are informal, working on your own or in the grassroots economy, you have no steady income to get you through this hard time. Adding that he believed the the lockdowns are becoming unbearable for lower-income individuals, Francis then expressed support for a minimum income supplied by governments to every citizen. This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out, he continued. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights. In closing, he told the representatives of social movements to [s]tand firm in your struggle and care for each other as brothers and sisters. I pray for you, I pray with you. I want to ask God our Father to bless you, to fill you with his love, and to defend you on this path, giving you the strength that keeps us standing tall and that never disappoints: hope, concluded Francis. Earlier this month, Bloomberg News reported that Spain was considering the implementation of a universal basic income in response to the coronavirus lockdowns, with the likelihood that it will remain permanent. Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva was overseeing the project and it will be in place as soon as possible, Bloomberg reports. Calvino also said the government hopes the basic income stays forever and will become a structural instrument, a permanent instrument. Francis words came the same weekend that the Internal Revenue Service announced that the first of the $1,200 stimulus checks were being sent out to United States citizens. #IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; well continue issuing them as fast as we can, the IRS wrote on Twitter Saturday. Roberto Correa, a 44-year-old Brockton resident, was identified as the dead man found shot multiple times in a burning car in Sharon on Monday, authorities announced Tuesday. Police responded to a report of a car on fire off Edgehill Road near the Canton town line around 1 a.m., Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrisseys office said in a statement Monday. Officers extinguished the fire and discovered the mans body. He was the only person in the car, according to the Sharon Police Department. It is not known if the shooting happened in Sharon, Morrissey said. The car Correa was in had recently been rented by another person who has been contacted by law enforcement, the district attorney noted. Morrissey called the death suspicious, but he has yet to say the incident was a killing. Authorities have urged anyone with information about the incident to call the Sharon Police Department at 781-784-1587 or Massachusetts State Police at 781-830-4990. Related Content: Man found in burning car in Sharon had been shot multiple times, police say IN THE PAPERS - Monday, April 13: The Washington Post reports that Nicaragua's president is missing in action, as health and rights workers deplore the country's "laissez-faire approach" to the deadly virus. But first, the British press celebrates Boris Johnson's discharge from hospital. Yet left-wing papers point out that while the prime minister may be thanking National Health Service workers for saving his life, he has been failing to protect them. Finally, we bring you a story of solidarity in the age of coronavirus, as an elderly woman's plea for beer draws global attention. As the coronavirus pandemic deepens, resulting in more and more fatalities with each passing day, pharma/biotech companies are fighting a race against time to develop treatments to combat this contagious disease. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the pharma/biotech companies are currently evaluating every possible weapon in their arsenal to contain and fight this outbreak. While some are developing vaccines to prevent the spread, others are working to develop antibodies to cure the infected. Meanwhile, innovative therapies like stem cell therapy are also being evaluated to treat the infection and companies developing cell therapies for the treatment of COVID-19 are currently in the spotlight. Athersys, Inc. ATHX is evaluating its MultiStem cell therapy product in subjects with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), induced by the novel coronavirus disease. The MultiStem treatment modulates patients hyperinflammatory response to highly pathogenic respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and represents a promising approach to improving outcomes in these patients. The FDA recently authorized the company to initiate a phase II/III pivotal study to assess the safety and efficacy of MultiStem therapy in these patients. Shares were up on the news. Athersys recently completed a phase I/II study, evaluating the administration of MultiStem to patients with ARDS. Based on the promising data from the study, the program was recently granted a Fast Track designation by the FDA. Israel-based Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. PSTI recently announced that it has treated its first patient suffering from COVID-19 complications in the United States under the FDAs Single Patient Expanded Access Program. The patient was treated with PLX cell therapy in New Jersey. The patient was critically ill with respiratory failure due to ARDS and under mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU) for three weeks. Pluristems main aim is to initiate a multinational clinical study as soon as possible for PLX cells in the treatment of patients suffering from complications associated with COVID-19. Story continues Last week, Mesoblast Limited MESO obtained clearance from the FDA for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to treat patients with ARDS caused by COVID-19 with intravenous infusions of its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, remestemcel-L. The candidate will be evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 240 patients with ARDS caused by the coronavirus infection. While these therapies will need some time to be tested, investors will keep an eye on these companies as the pandemic is unlikely to die out soon. Pluristem currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Efforts to Develop Treatments Accelerate Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for the severe illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Given the alarming levels of spread and severity, some approved drugs or pipeline candidates are being tested to see if they are effective in treating the infected patients. Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD is pioneering the race for developing a potential cure for COVID-19. The company recently announced promising results on experimental antiviral, remdesivir, in patients hospitalized with severe complications of COVID-19. Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson JNJ recently announced that it has selected a lead vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Pfizer PFE too is developing an mRNA-based vaccine, antiviral compounds and a JAK inhibitor to fight COVID-19. The company signed a deal with BioNTech to jointly develop the latters mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162, to prevent the COVID-19 infection. Pfizer is also screening antiviral compounds and has confirmed a lead compound based on the results of initial screening assays. The company plans to start a potential clinical study of the lead molecule in the third quarter of 2020. It is also evaluating azithromycin for its antiviral properties. Moreover, an independent, investigator-initiated phase II study is being planned to evaluate Pfizers JAK inhibitor, tofacitinib, in patients with SARS-CoV-2 interstitial pneumonia in Italy later this week. However, the drugs and vaccines will need some time to be tested and a cure is not imminent. Meanwhile, many companies are repurposing their drugs for other indications to see if they prove effective in treating these patients. Regeneron REGN and partner Sanofi are evaluating their rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug, Kevzara, to treat patients hospitalized with severe infection due to COVID-19. Roche is evaluating Actemra for the same. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Athersys, Inc. (ATHX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Mesoblast Limited (MESO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Gabon on Monday began confinement measures in the capital and three nearby municipalities in restrictions enforced by security forces to contain the spread of coronavirus. Libreville on Monday was mostly idle, with shops and markets empty and police roadblocks set up at many crossroads as the measures came into force. Prime Minister Julien Nkoghe Bekale on Friday asked residents of the capital and three surrounding areas to stay at home after Gabon, with two million inhabitants, reported 57 cases and one death from the virus. Under the restrictions, drivers cannot leave their neighbourhoods without being able to prove that they are exercising a profession deemed essential by the government. While food stores are authorized to operate, many of them did not open on Monday, leaving some residents without stocks. "To see them closed is tough. There are moms who can't get out, it's complicated," said Levy, a 22-year-old student. Traders of the largest market in the capital, Mont-Bouet, claim they are struggling to get supplies as Gabon depends heavily on food imports, especially from Cameroon. Already last month, Gabon restricted international flights, closed schools and banned gatherings of more than 30 people in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, is in early talks with banks for a loan of about $10 billion to help finance its acquisition of a 70 percent stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), according to three banking sources. Aramco agreed last year to buy the controlling stake in SABIC from the kingdom's wealth fund for $69.1 billion, sealing one of the biggest-ever deals in the global chemical industry. "The financing would be for the SABIC deal, but the borrower is Aramco," said one of the sources, adding that the discussions were at an initial stage, with the company sounding out banks. "Ten billion dollars is where they want to get to, (it's) not clear if, in this market, they'll manage to reach that." A second source said banks involved in the talks included HSBC and JPMorgan, as well as lenders in the Gulf. In response to a Reuters request for comment about whether it was seeking such a loan, Saudi Aramco said: "The company continues to review its financial options as part of its normal course of business, while prudently preserving its pristine balance sheet and its resilience." JPMorgan declined to comment, while HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A third banker said Aramco was looking to borrow in U.S. dollars because it was cheaper than in Saudi riyals, in terms of interest, and to avoid pressuring Saudi banks' liquidity. OIL PRICES CRASH The SABIC stake acquisition from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will help Aramco's downstream expansion plans. The deal came after months of talks between the company and PIF and was one of the reasons for the delay of Aramco's blockbuster initial public offering late last year. The loan discussions come at a time when oil-producing nations have been hit by a plunge in demand for crude as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and a slide in oil prices. OPEC and its allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, have agreed to the largest oil output cut in history that could curb supply by up to 20 percent. But the agreement has done little to boost oil prices as many economies remain under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, curbing demand. Brent crude traded at around $30 on Tuesday, still less than half its close at the end of last year and below the $31.48 price before the output cut deal was reached. Also read: Gold prices likely to touch Rs 50,000-55,000 by end of 2020 Aramco's shares closed at $31.10 on Tuesday, below the $32 price of its IPO late last year that initially raised $25.6 billion and became the world's largest. Saudi Arabia, which owns more than 98 percent of the oil giant, is likely to sell new international bonds soon, according to sources, as the output cut deal further squeezes revenues hit by the plunge in oil prices. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday a guide to how California will reopen society and the economy across the state as officials weigh lifting restrictive orders meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Newsom became the first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19. He said Tuesday that the order and similar policies have successfully minimized California's Covid-19 outbreak, which has infected more than 22,348 people across the state and killed at least 687 people in California as of Sunday, according to California Health and Human Services. "While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order," Newsom said in a statement. "As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before." Local officials will have a "profound and outsize influence" on any decision to lift public health orders, Newsom said. He went on to outline six key indicators that will guide the state's decision as it considers lifting the stay-at-home order: "The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed; The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19; The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges; The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand; The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary." Even once the stay-at-home order is lifted, Newsom said society won't snap back to normal. For example, he said restaurants will likely have to limit capacity and face coverings in public will likely be common. "There's no light switch here. It's more like a dimmer," he said at a news briefing. "Normal, it will not be until we have herd immunity and a vaccine. You may be having dinner with the waiter wearing gloves and maybe a face mask...where your temperature is checked before walking in. These are likely scenarios." By AFP LONDON: Britain's economy could shrink by an unprecedented 13 percent this year in the case of a three-month coronavirus lockdown, according to a scenario published Tuesday by fiscal watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility. "The resulting 13 percent fall in annual GDP in 2020 would comfortably exceed any of the annual falls around the end of each world war or in the financial crisis," the OBR said. In the model, real GDP could fall 35 percent in the second quarter, but bounce back quickly once the coronavirus restrictions are eased. Unemployment could also rise by more than two million to hit 10 percent in the second quarter, with the recovery in jobs lagging behind GDP, said the OBR. "We're up to about 1.4 million people who have claimed Universal Credit (social security) and also other people who have claimed other things like Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment Support Allowance," social welfare minister Theresa Coffey told Sky News on Tuesday. The model suggested that half of those made unemployed by the crisis could return to work by the end of the year, but that the unemployment rate could still be around 1.5 percent higher than pre-virus levels at the end of 2021. Finance minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC that the study made "clear this will have a very significant impact on our economy". "There's hardship ahead," he warned, adding "it's clear we must defeat this virus as quickly as possible". Death toll rises Britain announced an initial 3-week lockdown on March 23, but with the death toll soaring, the government has extended the restrictions and there is little chance of them being lifted imminently. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from his own bout of COVID-19, warned the UK would not lift its nationwide lockdown anytime soon. The government must decide by Thursday whether to maintain its rules to keep schools and shops shut and order people to stay in their homes to try to stop coronavirus spreading. The country has recorded 11,329 deaths of people testing positive for the virus, although official data released Tuesday suggested that the true figure could be a lot higher. The government has already announced huge public spending measures to support businesses and those out of work, leading to a large increase in predicted borrowing. The OBR scenario envisages a net borrowing increase of 218 billion in 2020 to 14 percent of GDP, the largest single-year deficit since World War II. Public sector net debt could peak at over 100 percent of total economic output during the year, according to the model, ending 2020 at 95 percent. Measures taken by the government and the Bank of England are "likely to have only a limited effect... as the fall in output is largely the by-product of the impact of the health measures on the supply of, and demand for, goods and services," the OBR said. It warned that the scenario "should not be taken as our view of the most likely path for the economy", which is highly sensitive to underlying factors. "It would not require particularly large changes to the highly uncertain assumptions about prospects for individual sectors to alter the estimated fall in GDP significantly and it is quite plausible that the impact could be materially smaller or larger than in our reference scenario," it explained Political party sweeps at the polls have changed the culture among the Bexar County judiciary. Gone are the days when the majority of the judicial benches were held by long-tenured, well-respected jurists held in high regard by members of the legal bar. Instead, we find ourselves with a judiciary largely defined by a revolving crop of political newcomers with limited experience. There are a few judges fortunate enough to have weathered the political storms, managing to hold on to their benches, but they are in a small minority. Re-election to a Bexar County court bench is tough. History has proven political party affiliation, not a candidates breadth of experience and knowledge of the law, is what matters come election time. Every election cycle brings a hoard of candidates who barely meet the minimum filing requirements. Often these candidates dont even practice the kind of law handled in the courts they are seeking. We hear frequent complaints about judicial behavior. These are not just the usual grumblings from lawyers unhappy about rulings that did not go in their favor. In recent months, we have heard complaints about a judge who is frequently absent from court and another who contacts defendants without informing their legal counsel. We know of at least five current local judges who have had formal complaints filed against them with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in the past year. One of those cases was resolved recently. County Court-at-law No. 13 Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez was admonished by the commission for using social media to congratulate lawyers on their successes in her court. The commission ruled that the first-term judge was in violation of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct for lavishing public praise on members of the criminal defense and prosecutors following jury verdicts in their favor. Specifically, the commission found the judges Facebook postings violated the section of the judicial conduct code that prohibits members of the judicatory from using the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others. The first-term judge was ordered to participate in four hours of instruction with a mentor in addition to her regular annual judicial continuing training requirements. In the fierce atmosphere judges frequently find themselves in, it is easy to understand why some might feel compelled to maintain a strong social media presence to keep political competition at bay. However, that does not excuse this kind of behavior. Holding on to a judicial bench should be about much than political party affiliation and likes on Facebook. This is why we continue to support reform to Texas judicial elections. Google and Apple last week announced a partnership to work together on creating a contract-tracing system for COVID-19. In a press briefing at the White House today, U.S. President Trump was asked for his thoughts on the partnership between the companies and the tech that they have announced. The President called it an amazing thing but noted that a lot of people have some very big constitutional problems with it. He noted that a lot of other countries are also planning on using something similar, though not as good. Trump would discuss with a lot of people over the next few weeks about the contact-tracing tech from Apple and Google due to the constitutional problem it poses. We have more of a constitutional problem then a mechanical problem, but we will be making a determination on that. Thats something were gonna be discussing with a lot of people over the next four weeks. That would be a very accurate way of doing it, but a lot of people have a problem with it. As detailed by Apple and Google, they would release APIs with interoperability between iOS and Android using apps from public health authorities. A few months later, they would work on integrating a Bluetooth-based contract-tracing system right into their OS. Apple noted in its announcement that the contact-tracing feature would require explicit user consent and that it does not collect a users location data or any information that could identify them, and more. The entire contact-tracing system is also only meant for public health authorities and will not be available for use to other apps. Google, Apple, or other users will also not know when a person tests positive for coronavirus. A Houston health care startup has begun testing people in their homes for COVID-19 after becoming one of the first companies to receive federal approval for distributing at-home test kits. The company, imaware, has partnered with the Houston Health Department as part of an effort to increase the number of people getting tested for the disease spread by the novel coronavius. The at-home tests at least for now are allocated for those who are symptomatic, exposed and high-risk individuals who are unable to leave their own home, the Houston Health Department said. Unlike other at-home test kits that are designed to be self-administered, the swabs used to take specimens are administered by medical assistants and nurses to comply with federal regulations barring a patient from collecting their own samples. Imawares test could help alleviate test shortages as the country tries to bring the pandemic under control and bring the exams to those who cant access drive-thru testing sites whether because theyre bedridden or dont have a way to get to the testing sites. Who we want to catch is anybody who feels like they havent had a chance to be tested or screened, said imaware co-founder Jani Tuomi said. Driven by demand The appetite for the tests is high as of Tuesday morning, more than 23,500 people had taken imawares online screening quiz for coronavirus. But CDC guidelines on who can get tested hospital workers, first responders, people 65 and older, nursing home residents and people with underlying conditions with COVID-19 symptoms and a limited amount of personal protective equipment is keeping the company from administering it widely. Tuomi estimates that about 1 percent of people who take the online screening quiz are high-risk, meaning they fall in the CDCs priority groups. A clinician from Wheel, an Austin-based telemedicine company, video calls the prospective patient to confirm the symptoms, then orders the test. TESTING CONUNDRUMS: As companies race to produce COVID-19 test kits, FDA holds up at-home samples Medical professionals from temporary employment firms such as Pulse Staffing take the test kit to a persons home, where they insert a nasal swab that reaches into the upper throat, and then deliver the sample to a location operated by its partner, Clinical Pathology Labs of Austin. The results are available within 72 hours, and the imaware notifies public health authorities. Some possible COVID-19 patients who call the City of Houstons triage line will get tested for free this way, the Health Department said. Five people so far usually elderly or otherwise home-bound residents have been tested with the imaware kits. The company allocated 125 to the health department, and another 125 kits to the citys emergency medical services. Imaware is also administering tests privately for $135. Five Pulse medical assistants and phlebotomoists slip into head-to-toe protective gear to administer the tests. Each medical professional can test up to six patients a day. To date, imawares tests have reached more than 150 high-risk people in the Greater Houston region. The patients and their families are grateful theyd come out, subject themselves to active COVID-19 patients and be willing to take their swab, said Bruce Mowry, Pulses owner. The hurdles Other at-home testing kits have yet to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration because they would be self-administered, rather than given by trained medical assistants. It is more likely that the sampling process will be done properly if professionals are involved directly in the sampling, said Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo, director of Texas A&M Universitys Center for Airborne Pathogen Research and Tuberculosis Imaging Resources. The swabs hit an uncomfortable spot in the upper throat, where signs of infection are present at both early and late stages of the virus, Cirillo said. Most people wont be able to hit that hard-to-reach spot. Medical assistants from Pulse handle the swabbing process, which is approved by the FDA. The problem now is getting those test kits to those who need it. The city is only using at-home tests for those who have no way of getting to a drive-thru testing stadiums. FEMA EXTENSION: Federal government to extend support for drive-thru testing sites Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle Were trying to kind of stretch out our amount, said Dr. Letosha E. Gale Lowe, chief physician of the Houston Health Department. As with other companies, imaware is frustrated by the shortage of personal protective equipment, nasal swabs and slow-changing federal guidelines around test kits, which are used both to confirm that someone has coronavirus and when theyre no longer sick. For now, Tuomi will keep looking for supplies of swabs and face masks to get more medical assistants and nurses out there. The initial goal was to acquire 10,000 nasal swabs to create imawares sample collection kits by the end of April; imaware did not want to disclose the number of swabs it now has, but said it numbers in the thousands. Im glad we can test high-risk people, Tuomi said, but Im disappointed we only have limited supplies and we cant get any more tests for people to get cleared to go back to work. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com twitter.com/gwendolynawu [April 14, 2020] Cerevance Closes $45 Million Series B Financing BOSTON, MA, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerevance, a private drug discovery and development company focused on brain diseases, has closed a Series B financing, bringing in $45 million from new investors including GV (formerly Google Ventures), Bill Gates and Foresite Capital, as well as all of the companys previous investors, which include Takeda Ventures, Inc., the corporate venture arm of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., the Dementia Discovery Fund and Lightstone Ventures. Cerevance will use the proceeds of the financing to continue identifying novel therapeutic targets for central nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimers disease, by transcriptionally and epigenetically profiling specific neuronal and glial cell populations in thousands of post-mortem human brain tissue samples and advancing a diverse portfolio of therapeutic programs against them. Cerevance has a differentiated approach to neurotherapeutics and continues to apply its powerful NETSseq platform to central nervous system diseases, said David Schenkein, M.D., General Partner at GV. With excetional science, a strong sense of urgency and a leadership team that has previously succeeded together in drug discovery, Cerevance is well-positioned to deliver life-changing therapeutics for patients with brain diseases. Its hard to imagine a more stellar group of investors supporting us, said Brad Margus, chief executive officer of Cerevance. We look forward to drawing on their expertise in deep data analysis and therapeutic development as we mine our unique biological data sets to advance new, desperately needed therapies for brain diseases. About Cerevance Cerevance, a private, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on brain diseases, is applying a new technology, called NETSseq, to reveal transcriptional and epigenetic differences between specific cell types in mature human brains. NETSseq profiles neuronal and glial cell populations at depths not possible with other approaches, generating unprecedented data sets and insights. The company has thus far partnered with 14 brain banks around the world to assemble a growing collection of more than 7,000 clinically annotated, human brain tissue samples from healthy and diseased donors spanning nine decades in age. By applying NETSseq to specific cell types critical to circuits disrupted by disease and comparing vulnerable and resilient cell populations, Cerevances scientists have begun identifying targets and advancing a pipeline of novel therapeutics that modulate them for CNS diseases. All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. Contact: Cerevance Robert Middlebrook, +1-408-220-5722 Media Contact Andrew Mielach, [email protected] , +1.646.876.5868 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Taliban have drafted a charter with rules for the future governance of Afghanistan that virtually envisages a return to the era when the terror group was in power in Kabul during 1996-2001, according to a media report on Tuesday. The draft charter, which was shared with ToloNews channel by a senior Afghan government official, calls for establishing an Islamic emirate, has 149 articles on a broad range of topics including how laws will be passed, and states the Islamic emirate is not obliged to implement UN laws that contradict Islamic values. The development comes at a time when there is growing concern within government circles in India and other neighbouring countries that the Taliban, long accused of having strong ties with Pakistans military establishment, are trying to take advantage of the Covid-19 crisis to push through their agenda. The Taliban are acting as if they are already in power in Kabul. There has been no reduction in violence and the Taliban have done nothing to demonstrate that they will act against al-Qaeda in keeping with the agreement they signed with the US, said a person familiar with developments who declined to be named. The Talibans top leadership continues to be in Pakistan and there is little doubt that the group is acting at the behest of the Pakistani military to ensure India has little or no role in the current situation in Afghanistan, the person said, adding similar concerns were prevalent among diplomats of several Western nations. The Indian government, which has pledged more than $3 billion for the development of Afghanistan, has said it backs an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process for peace and reconciliation that ensures a peaceful and stable Afghanistan free from externally sponsored terrorism. ToloNews reported the Talibans draft charter is seen by the Afghan government as suggesting that the groups plans for their future government are not very different from policies of their former regime. According to the document, final decisions in all matters will be made by the emir or Taliban chief and free speech, human rights and civil rights will be implemented within the framework of Islamic teachings. The draft charter also suggests executive leaders will not be chosen through elections, as called for in the Afghan Constitution, but by the Ahl al-hall wal-aqd or a group qualified to appoint or remove a leader. Jalaluddin Shinwari, a former Taliban member who served as chief justice during the Taliban regime, said the group still wants an Islamic emirate. So far this is their demand, he said. Afghan rights activists said the charter could take the country back to where it was at the end of the Taliban regime in 2001. The head of Kabul-based Afghanistan Human Rights Organization, Lal Gul Lal, was quoted as saying that Afghans should not start from the beginning once again. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, however, told ToloNews the draft charter did not belong to the group. Over the past three weeks, as the impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic have led to more than 22,000 infections in California and many people losing their jobs, the state is reporting huge numbers of people signing up for health insurance. Since March 20, more than 58,000 Californians have signed up for insurance through the Covered California health insurance exchange, according to state officials. That's three times more than the number of people who signed up during the same period last year. "We know there are hundreds of thousands of people out there who have either lost their health insurance or were uninsured when this crisis began, and we want them to know there is a path to coverage ready for them," said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California. The surge in enrollment coincides with the state's decision to open the exchange through April 10 to people who need coverage, according to Covered California officials. People are able to compare plans and sign up for health insurance by visiting coveredcalifornia.com, which during the past three weeks has seen a surge of more than 885,000 new visitors, state officials said. There were also more than 129,000 unique page views to the Medi-Cal page. In addition to encouraging new signups, Covered California officials are urging people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic to visit the website to see if they are eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage. People can also call Covered California at (800) 300-1506 to get help navigating the sign-up process. All health plans offered through Covered California and by Medi-Cal provide "telehealth" options, which give people the ability to talk with a health care professional by phone or video. Also, all medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19 are free of charge, including telehealth or doctor's office visits as well as network emergency room or urgent care visits, according to state officials. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops over the past day. Russia's hybrid military forces on April 13 mounted seven attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "Armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire seven times on April 13," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on April 14, 2020. The enemy opened fire, employing proscribed 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Read alsoUkraine's envoy to UN considers deployment of peacekeepers in Donbas almost unrealistic Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Shyrokyne, Pisky, Pavlopil, Taramchuk, Opytne, and Krymske. According to intelligence data, two members of Russia-led forces were wounded on April 13. "Since Tuesday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near the towns of Avdiyivka and Krasnohorivka, using tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns and heavy machine guns," the update said. No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops over the past day. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Dalit icon and architect of the Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary. The President said that Ambedkar strived for a society based on justice and equity. "Tributes to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Our nation's icon and Chief Architect of the Constitution, he strived for a society based on justice and equity. Let us all take inspiration from his vision and values, and resolve to imbibe his ideals in our lives," Kovind said in a tweet. "A humble tribute to Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary from all the countrymen," Modi tweeted. The Prime Minister also tweeted a video in which he said, "Babasaheb advocated humanity. He used to neglect any inhumane thing. After independence, he gave a new policy and vision to India. He used to raise issues related to equal rights and opportunities for all. He is our inspiration." Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of untouchables, women and labourers. Born into a poor Dalit family on April 14, 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India. He also campaigned against the social discrimination of Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech giants Apple and Google have tied up to build a new technology that will alert people if they have recently come in contact with a person infected with coronavirus. Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. This contact tracing involves figuring out who an infected person has been in contact with and trying to prevent them from infecting others. Contact-tracing will available on Android 6.0 and above version, Marshmallow and Apple phone. The Silicon Valley firms have claimed that the tracing tool will not record any users' GPS location or any personal information. Also read: India Lockdown Extension Live Updates: 1,211 new COVID-19 cases, 31 deaths in 24 hours; total count at 10,393 "Privacy, transparency and consent are of utmost importance in this effort and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders," Apple and Google said in a joint statement. The contact-tracing system will be rolled out via update to Google Play services on Android smartphones. According to Google's blogpost, the plan will be implemented in two steps: First, in May, the companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores. Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. This will allow more participation if they choose to opt-in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities. Also read: Coronavirus: Barclays says Indian economy to lose $234 billion; cuts GDP growth to zero Also read: Coronavirus impact: This institute has developed new platform to make online classes immersive GREENVILLE, S.C., April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Community Banks, Inc. (UCBI) announces it will release its first quarter 2020 financial results on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 after the stock market closes. The company also will hold a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 to discuss its financial results, business highlights and outlook. To access the call, dial (877) 380-5665 and use the conference number 1559838. Due to anticipated high call volume, participants are encouraged to dial in 15 minutes prior to the call start time. The conference call also will be webcast and can be accessed by selecting Events & Presentations within the Investor Relations section of the company's website, www.ucbi.com. About United Community Banks, Inc. United Community Banks, Inc. (UCBI) is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia, with executive offices in Greenville, South Carolina. United is one of the southeast regions largest full-service financial institutions with $12.9 billion in assets, and 149 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It operates principally through United Community Bank, its bank subsidiary, which specializes in personalized community banking services for individuals, small businesses and companies. Services include a full range of consumer and commercial banking products, including mortgage, advisory, and treasury management. Respected national research firms consistently recognize United Community Bank for outstanding customer service. For five of the past six years, J.D. Power has ranked United Community Bank first in customer satisfaction in the Southeast. In 2019, Forbes magazine included United in its inaugural list of the Worlds Best Banks, and in 2020, recognized United for the seventh consecutive year on its list of the 100 Best Banks in America. United Community Bank also received the 2019 Greenwich Excellence Award for overall satisfaction in Middle Market Banking in the South and Small Business Banking Excellence Awards for both overall satisfaction and cash management in the South. Additional information about UCBI and the Bank can be found at www.ucbi.com. Story continues For more information: Jefferson Harralson Chief Financial Officer (864) 240-6208 Jefferson_Harralson@ucbi.com JACKSON, Mississippi The Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has given Mississippi an overall grade of D+ in its annual report card on the states infrastructure. The 2020 Report Card for Mississippis Infrastructure graded 12 categories of infrastructure, including aviation (C), bridges (D-), dams (D), drinking water (D), energy (C), inland waterways (D), levees (D), ports (B-), rails (B-), roads (D-), solid waste (C) and wastewater (D+). "Strong infrastructure is critical to supporting jobs and economic development, but unfortunately investment has not kept pace with demand, said U.S. Sen. Wicker. Although Mississippi has made good progress over the past several years, there is still much more to be done to bring our roads, bridges, water systems and flood control infrastructure up to date. "It will take a strong effort from every level of government to ensure that these projects continue to receive the resources and attention they deserve. Much of Mississippis infrastructure is aging and beyond its useful life, which impacts quality of life and suppresses economic growth for Mississippi residents. Of Mississippis 17,072 bridges (D-), more than 400 timber pile bridges have been closed to the public since 2018 due to the FHWA deeming structures unsafe and being insufficiently inspected -- impacting almost every county in the state. The bridge closures have affected routes for emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters. In 2018, 1,603 of the 1,702 bridges (9.4 percent) were structurally deficient, which is more than the 7.6 percent of bridges nationwide that were identified as structurally deficient the same year. Along with bridges, roads received the lowest grade (D-) in the report. Nearly 40 percent of major urban road miles in the state are in poor condition which is double the national rate. The average motorist in Mississippi spends $820 in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs due to poor condition of roads. In addition, the states fatality rate in 2018 was one the highest in the nation. Our infrastructure has faced numerous unprecedented challenges such has hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and floods yet when Mississippians are faced with a challenge, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and we face that challenge, said Jacob Forrester, chairman of 2020 Report Card for Mississippis Infrastructure. If we want to continue our long-standing tradition of hospitality and ensure good-paying jobs, we must focus on modernizing our roads, bridges, drinking water systems, airports and ports and more. Water systems and water resources are other significant concerns in the state. Mississippi has over 900 miles of concrete and earthen levees that protect approximately four million people and $21.8 billion in property. Nearly half of the states levee systems are rated unacceptable, meaning the condition of the system may prevent it from performing as intended -- or a serious deficiency has gone unaddressed. In addition, none of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi levees are in acceptable condition under USACEs standards and little to no information is available on the condition of non-USACE levees. Aging drinking water systems (D) are losing as much as 30-50% of their treated water to leaks and breaks. The high leakage rates and water main breaks are mostly due to the aging pipes of legacy water systems in the state. Some pipes were laid as early as the 1920s, while other water systems consist of pipes that were laid from the 1940s to 1980s. Many of these networks have aged past their useful life span. There were some bright spots in the report, particularly related to freight networks. Mississippis ports, one of the highest graded categories (B-), support over 125,700 jobs and nearly $5.4 billion in income, while generating nearly $17 billion in economic stimulus annually. Due to new investments and upgrades at the three largest ports Gulfport, Pascagoula and Bienville -- following Hurricane Katrina, all three ports are in good condition and have enough capacity to meet their current needs. Mississippis rails (B-) are also in fairly good condition. Within the past 10 years, the total railroad-related incidents in Mississippi have been reduced by half. Additionally, the states rail system is fairly resilient. They also have sufficient capacity to support higher level of train operations. The aviation (C) industry employs over 20,000 people with a total payroll of $721 million and a total economic output of $2.5 million; however, aeronautical revenues only account for a small portion of operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, as the industry relies heavily on federal and local government funding. Additionally, Mississippis Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) has remained flat for the past 17 years and, as the number of enplaned passengers has declined, the available funds from the PFC has also decreased, leaving necessary O&M underfunded, which threatens economic growth. Recommendations to raise the grades include, but are not limited to, the following: Establish a grant program for 21st century technical career training in the drinking water and wastewater sectors that retains Mississippis talent and mainstreams tools for data-driven decision-making, such as asset management software, life-cycle cost analysis and affordable rate structuring. Ensure that infrastructure investment is strategically focused on efforts that maximize good-paying jobs, promote the states economic competitiveness and enhance usability so that all Mississippians continue to be proud to call our state home. Design, operate, maintain and expand infrastructure using consensus-based codes, specifications and standards that reduce the potential loss of jobs, economic opportunity and critical natural resources, in accordance with federal leadership. Under President Trumps Administration, FEMA and other federal agencies have begun to pivot toward mitigation measures to ensure better use of taxpayer dollars, which is a strategy Mississippi should also employ. Develop and disseminate a comprehensive education campaign on the true costs and savings associated with investment in critical infrastructure around the state through publicly accessible channels and platforms such as Mississippi Public Broadcasting and social media forums. The Report Card was created as a public service to citizens and policymakers to inform them of the infrastructure needs in their state. Civil engineers used their expertise and school report card letter grades to condense complicated data into an easy-to-understand analysis of Mississippis infrastructure network. ASCE State and Regional Infrastructure Report Cards are modeled after the national Infrastructure Report Card, which gave Americas infrastructure a grade of D+ in 2017. A full copy of the Report Card for Mississippis Infrastructure is available at www.InfrastructureReportCard.org/Mississippi. Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald has confirmed that she received a positive diagnosis for Covid-19, having been tested on March 28. She has thanked everyone who has sent their good wishes over the past number of weeks and said she will be back at work next Monday. Deputy McDonald said: Yesterday afternoon, I received a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 having been tested on Saturday, 28th March. "The Public Health Doctor informs me that I am no longer infected or infectious, and this is a great relief after weeks of being very unwell. I had a setback in my recovery at the weekend and developed post-viral pleurisy in my right lung. I am on medication and responding very well, and I fully expect to be back at work next Monday. My thoughts and solidarity are with everyone who is sick at this time, and my gratitude is with our Doctors, nurses, carers and everyone who looks after us. My sympathy is with every bereaved family. I am heartbroken for you. My appeal to everyone is to stay safe, stay home and stay apart. You do not want to get this virus. Thanks to everyone who has asked after me and sent good wishes. Your kindness is much appreciated and I'll be back next week. There is much work to be done - Ireland must change for the better, she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 21:37:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Tuesday refuted the accusation that the comments by the central government and its liaison office in the HKSAR on the malfunctioning of the Legislative Council (LegCo) constitute interference. "I see no ground for that sort of accusation," Lam said when answering a question at a press conference. The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday urged the HKSAR LegCo to resume normal operation as soon as possible and condemned "despicable tactics" used by some opposition lawmakers to paralyze the LegCo for personal political gains. The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR also condemned some LegCo members who maliciously filibustered and delayed the discussion for multiple bills related to people's livelihood and the fight against COVID-19 outbreak. Lam said the central government has given Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy through the Basic Law under "one country, two systems," which, however, doesn't mean the central government has given up its power and authority on Hong Kong affairs. The central government has always been very supportive of the HKSAR government in improving livelihood and promoting Hong Kong's economic development, Lam said. "So when they (the two offices) see this very bizarre situation in which the LegCo is almost malfunctioning because the House Committee has not been able to elect a chairman for over six months, I find it only legitimate for them to express their concern," Lam said, stressing that the malfunctioning of the LegCo undermines the governance in Hong Kong. Lam said many functions of the LegCo including the making of legislation have not been discharged since October last year, which is unacceptable. Government business, especially in legislation, has been held up by the House Committee not having its proper function and operation, with much of the legislation having a direct impact on Hong Kong's economic development and the livelihood of people, Lam said, citing bills on maternity leave, fire safety and tax reduction, and stressing that efforts should be made to rectify the situation as soon as possible. The HKSAR government would have carried out better anti-epidemic operation if there were more cohesiveness, unity and solidarity, Lam said, calling for an end to political disputes to help Hong Kong weather out the pandemic as soon as possible. Hundreds of JB Hi-Fi staff members have demanded their stores close due to fears of contracting coronavirus. JB Hi Fi stores around the country remain open amid the pandemic, but 860 workers have signed a petition demanding that change immediately. Staff member William Millward believes he isn't safe at work and is constantly exposed to potentially infected customers. 'We've had customers come in who have basically said that they are supposed to be in lockdown,' Mr Millward told 7News. 'People are browsing, people are touching everything and we're supposed to be cleaning everything straight after they touch it.' JB Hi Fi staff have demanded their stores be closed due to fears of contracting coronavirus Many of JB Hi Fi's staff don't believe they should be considered part of the essential workforce as most of their products can be bought online or in a supermarket. All stores have implemented the Federal Government's social distancing measures and have placed a limit of 100 people in each store, depending on size. They have also banned cash payments and ramped up cleaning procedures. The petition has been opposed by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, who believe the electronics retailer is doing the right thing by keeping staff in their job and doing appropriate work in a safe environment. More than 100,000 retail workers have been left out of work since the coronavirus pandemic hit, with many casual staff unable to receive JobKeeper payments from the government. Mr Millward believes the business can run without staff in brick and mortar stores during the pandemic. 'We don't need to be open to the public to do that and we don't need everybody crammed into small spaces,' he said. JB Hi Fi staff member William Millward believes he isn't safe from coronavirus at work and is constantly exposed to potentially infected customers Employees previously expressed concerns about customers blatantly ignoring safety measures to slow the spread of the disease. According to workers, customers are entering the stores simply because they're 'bored', are ignoring social distancing, and coughing into their hands before touching items. A JB Hi-Fi employee who wanted to remain anonymous, said there was 'no regard' to staff as stores kept their doors open. 'Yesterday, a family of four came into our store and coughed openly ... multiple times, and then continued to touch multiple items while the children ran around without restraint,' the employee told Sydney Morning Herald. 'I'm grateful to have a job, don't get me wrong, but it gets to a point where [you ask], ''Is our safety being prioritised over sales?'' and, to be honest, I don't think it is. 'We are scared and desperate. Our business is doing the bare minimum of the government regulations, but as long as they continue to make money, we will be put at risk.' Union organisation Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) requested JB Hi-Fi management implement extra safety measures for employees. Recommendations include safety glasses at checkouts, gloves and masks for employees, and hampering down on those ignoring the rules. Daily Mail Australia has contacted JB Hi Fi for comment. The two Niger nationals who were recently found to be COVID-19 positive in Ghana have been returned from the Ga East Municipal Hospital which is Ghanas national coronavirus treatment centre. This is because the two are not cooperating with health authorities to be treated there. The two persons are currently being held in a secluded police facility. The two Nigeriens who tested positive to COVID-19 and were transferred from a Police holding facility of the Accra District Police to the National Treatment Centre have been returned to the Police facility as a matter of necessity, to enable health officials to manage them. The two refused to submit to treatment at the national treatment centre, making their management difficult, thus their return, a press release from the police said. A secular from the police said the government of Ghana is working with the Nigerien Ambassador in Ghana to decide on the management of the two cases. It is unclear if the government will consider repatriation as an immediate solution. Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service says its officers will not be in contact with any of the two Nigeriens as efforts are being taken by the medical team of the police service to safeguard Police Officers and our facility. The public is reminded to continue to cooperate with the Police and Security Services to help curb the spread of the COVID-19. Stay home and stay safe, as we keep the frontline, the police added. Arrest of Nigeriens The two Nigeriens were arrested on April 5, 2020 when a taxi they were in was stopped by police enforcing the lockdown directive. The two could not give tangible reasons for their movement, sparking suspicion hence their arrest. Further investigations by police triggered a medical test on them at the Ridge Hospital whose result came back on April 13, 2020. Citi News' Umaru Sanda Amadu reported that, on April 5, they [Police] found them moving with a taxi driver. The police noticed that there were inconsistencies in their answers. When asked where they were coming from, they said they came from Niger and had their luggage on them. The police took them into custody and then to the Police hospital and eventually to the Ridge Hospital where they had their samples taken. ---citinewsroom 14.04.2020 LISTEN In the face of the global unpreparedness towards the mythic coronavirus pandemic, the Akufo-Addo-led government has proven beyond all reasonable doubt by demonstrating a high-level leadership in combating, controlling and containing the coronavirus disease and it's spread through a number of measures and interventions. We at PALI - Center for Governance and Civic Engagement think that the government needs to be commended on the following: the comprehensive life insurance policy for our frontline workers in the combat of COVID-19; the setting up of COVID-19 National Trust Fund to support the vulnerable; the three months tax exemption on the emoluments of all health workers; the fifty percent (50%) of the basic salary as allowance for all frontline health workers for three months; the acquisition and supply of PPE's to frontline actors to deliver efficiently and safely. In addition to the above is the announcing and rolling of a number of social interventions for Ghanaians as the fight against the novel coronavirus intensifies, notable amongst them are: the absorption of three months water bill for all Ghanaians as well as the absorption of electricity bills from 0-50 units and 50% absorption of 50 units and above; the provision of shelter and food for the vulnerable in the lockdown areas; the plan to roll out a soft loan scheme up to a total of six hundred million cedis (GH600 million), which will have a one-year moratorium and two-year repayment period for micro, small and medium scale businesses. Nonetheless, PALI wishes to draw the attention of the government to engage our indigenous herbal medicine practitioners with their allied research institutes in the search for a cure for the disease. We also call on the government to, as a matter of concern, call the security agencies to desist from all unnecessary exertion of force and humiliation of the citizens in their effort to ensure strict adherence to control measures given by the government. Nevertheless, they should allow the full rigorous of the law to deal with "kamikaze" citizens who do not see the urgency of the situation. It is our prayer that the resurrection of Christ will blow off this deadly disease and its concomitant worries. We ask for God's divine blessings, guidance and protection for the President of the Republic and all stakeholders in this battle to defeat the virus. God bless our homeland Ghana!!! Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:05:42|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- In order to protect jobs in the shipbuilding industry during the coronavirus crisis, cruise shipping companies in participating European countries would receive financial support, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy announced on Tuesday. The national governments of France, Finland, Italy, Norway and Germany had agreed that cruise shipping companies could, upon application, suspend the repayment of their debts financed by state export credit guarantees for one year, the ministry explained. "We are providing liquidity relief for the cruise shipping companies and thus stabilizing the long-standing business relations of European shipyards in the current crisis situation," said Norbert Brackmann, the German government's coordinator for the maritime industry. The liquidity relief and stabilization were "urgently necessary" as the cruise business had come "almost to a complete standstill" due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brackmann said. The financing required for the acquisition of new cruise ships would be regularly secured by government export credit guarantees, the German ministry explained. According to the ministry, Germany alone has secured payment obligations for the financing of cruise ships built in the country to the amount of 25 billion euros (27.4 billion U.S. dollars). The measures taken to ease the burden on cruise shipping companies would additionally serve the purpose of reducing the risk of default of state-guaranteed ship financing for the German government, Brackmann said. Joseph Friday lost his mother, his brother and his income to coronavirus over a three-day stretch in March. As he tells it, a demon quietly entered the apartment the three of them shared in the Lambert Houses, across from The Bronx Zoo, on March 20. The only sign of its arrival was a cough. His brother Matthew Friday died on March 26 at nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, on the same day his test for COVID-19 came back positive. He was 50. Their mother, 77-year-old Yvette Judge, died at home on March 28 shortly after suffering a seizure. Its like this invisible beast just came and snatched them, said Friday, 51, who has been self-isolating for two weeks on the assumption he also was infected with the virus. I lost both of them. It hurts, he added. I watch the news now, just keeping track of that trying not to focus on the loneliness. Compromised Health Since June, Friday had been paid to take care of his brother through New Yorks Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), and he has also been caring for his mom. Before that, he took care of both of them for a year and a half without any financial compensation. Funded through Medicaid, CDPAP pays tens of thousands of New Yorkers to care for their ailing family members, a population particularly vulnerable to COVID death. For Friday, that care included doing laundry, going food shopping, taking them to their doctors appointments, and making sure they took their medications multiple times a day. He said he worked for many years as a restaurant chef when he was younger, until he was sidelined by a 2013 car accident. Judge, who had retired from the food industry, was a cancer survivor whose left side was paralyzed, her son says. Matthew Friday had been working as a security guard and caring for his mother before developing kidney and heart problems, and suffering four strokes, Joseph said. His mom and brother both had compromised immune systems that made Friday nervous when news reports of the coronavirus pandemic surfaced. I was trying to keep them from going outside, he said, but you cant keep a person in a bubble. Fatalities Across Families The loss of multiple family members to COVID-19 is not rare, in part because the requirements to social distance and stay at home leave many relatives living together in close quarters. In recent days, similar stories of tragedy within families have emerged: Of inseparable twin sisters in Wales; of a mother and son in Queens who died on the same day; and of a woman in Grand Blanc, Mich., who lost her husband and son. For the Friday family, Matthew first developed the telltale cough, which spread to all three of them within days. On March 24, Matthew fell to the floor when he was returning from the bathroom. He insisted he had only tripped, and didnt want to go to the hospital, Joseph says. But the following day, Matthew couldnt move out of his chair, so Joseph called 911 and the emergency medical workers took Matthew to St. Barnabas Hospital. That next day they called me and they told me that his heart stopped, Joseph said. The sadness over his brothers death was magnified by the news that Matthew had tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile their mother was getting increasingly sick, and now Joseph knew that in all likelihood she had the virus, too. The following night, Judge had a seizure and began to foam at the mouth. By the time emergency responders arrived, she was no longer breathing, according to Joseph. He said the paramedics worked on her for nearly 20 minutes, but couldnt revive her. It took the medical examiners office until the next day to retrieve Judges body, said Joseph. They left her there for a good eight hours, nine hours, he said. They left her there in the house. Thats what kept me breaking down, every time I seen her. I just kept breaking down. Workers from the citys medical examiners office took Judges body out of the apartment in a black bag on March 28. Joseph called us and told us I didnt know that they were sick, said his older sister, Deborah Watkins, who lives in Buffalo. They also have a 57-year-old brother, Anthony Judge, who is in a nursing and rehabilitation home in Norwood. Its a nightmare, because you didnt get to say goodbye, added Watkins, 61, a former state corrections official. Its like what are you talking about how can this be true? People arent supposed to go like that. System Overload The first case of coronavirus in the city was confirmed on March 1, in a health care worker who had traveled back from Iran, although researchers believe the virus was circulating in the New York City area even earlier. As of Monday, more than 100,000 people in New York City tested positive, while more than 6,000 have died. The pace and scale of the crisis including the sudden and widespread disruption to livelihoods has overburdened many of the systems that are designed to offer support. With his loss of income from the home care work, Joseph was among the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers struggling to connect to the state unemployment office in recent weeks. He was relieved to get a call on Friday saying someone would be in touch soon. Joseph also spent a long time trying to connect with funeral homes, many of which said they were too busy to help him. He feels lucky to have found Sisto Funeral Home in the East Bronx, which was able to schedule cremations for his mother and brother. Its not yet clear whether the death of Yvette Judge one of hundreds if not thousands of people who died at home in recent weeks, well above the normal rate will be counted in the citys tally of coronavirus fatalities. City officials only recently committed to begin accounting for deaths at home that might be COVID-related. The medical examiners office ruled Judges death as natural, caused by a combination of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, according to a spokesperson. Joseph is convinced his mother died because of the virus, but the spokesperson didnt say whether her case is among those being reviewed. While Josephs self-isolation period has elapsed, he says hes still too scared to venture out of the apartment because he doesnt want to risk transmitting the virus to someone else. In addition to watching TV, hes been spending his days fielding phone calls from family members, including his 28-year-old daughter in Brooklyn, and researching the antibody tests that might enable him to aid others who get sick. I want to just get tested and if Ive got enough antibodies take what you need, he said. Im willing to help, give some blood, plasma, fight this thing. In the meantime, hes considering seeking certification as a home health aide. I want to help people, he said. Want to republish this story? See our republication guidelines. SUPPORT THE CITY You just finished reading another story from THE CITY. We need your help to make THE CITY all it can be. Please consider joining us as a member today. DONATE TODAY! Two friends in different states told me similar stories recently about how social distancing was being enforced at parks with relatively isolated hiking trails. Because getting to the trails caused too many people to use the same narrow steps or park their cars too close together, access was blocked for everyone.Clearly government needs to take action in these kinds of situations, which it did in this case the way it knows best: by throwing a switch you are open or you are closed. But when the coronavirus nightmare begins to subside, state and local officials will face difficult decisions about when and how to begin reviving local economies by allowing residents to return to work and visit shops and restaurants. It will be a time for officials to embrace rheostat government, replacing the binary on/off switch with a dimmer. Instead of closing the park, perhaps meter the number of people climbing the steps or parking cars, or even the hours the park is open, to spread out usage.Nuanced, calibrated use of regulatory powers can help local governments in metering normal life back on. Mayors and county executives should use their public health and public safety authority both broadly and discretely. Fire departments that rate the safe capacity of spaces could take into account, for example, how a restaurant spaces customers or uses in-phone or disposable menus. Decisions on whether merchants can be open might vary by those willing to utilize only point-of-sale technology that doesn't require touching, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or contactless credit cards.Local building codes and related security rules should also be examined to include a new set of at least temporary requirements. Officials could immediately consider a range of new options, from revised regulations for air handling to controls on touching an elevator button or requiring a visitor to hand an identification card to a security guard.For large cities, the gradual movement toward full activity should be data-driven and calibrated by geography, using anonymized geocoded public health information to identify COVID-19 hot spots for special rules and assistance. Once coronavirus testing becomes widely available, for example, it may not be necessary to keep every school closed if only one remains a hot spot. Executive orders on masks and gloves can be tailored and eased depending on the data.Calibration should reach deeply into the processes of government as well, to protect both the public and its servants and to set a standard for private business. Cities have the capacity and authority to reduce the risk of contagion with contactless governance: Give every traffic officer hardware to scan, not touch, the driver's license of a person stopped. Don't leave parking tickets on windshields; scan violators' license plates and send the ticket electronically or by mail. Bag every parking meter and require the use of payment apps, while allowing the unbanked to use debit and other stored-value cards. Imagine dozens more examples of these rather basic steps.As for government offices, a gradual return to normalcy doesn't simply mean that some are opened and others remain closed. Rather, it means we change the way we produce government. Every bureaucratic process that switches from paper to digital reduces contacts and risks. Just as with private industry, many more public servants, from call-center agents to office workers processing digital forms, could work from home.Nuanced governance paves the way to normalcy just as much with rhetoric as with force. A better future depends on catalyzing broad, permanent changes in public behavior. Local campaigns that turn civic pride into safer behaviors can play a significant role. As chair of AmeriCorps, I remember working with White House officials within days of the 9/11 attacks to enlist Americans in helping others in their cities as a way to strengthen the civic infrastructure. We can do the same thing now, but it requires expecting residents to model good behavior and call out the bad.Enforcement may not seem much like nuance, but it allows a faster return to normalcy by not penalizing everyone because of the risks taken by a few. If changing containers used to package and pick up trash reduces contagion, for example, everyone should be expected to comply. And enforcement can be combined with large doses of discretion. Police officers increasingly are allowed to exercise their discretion to make fewer arrests for minor offenses.Binary government, just like binary thinking, may be easier but it often results in false choices. These times call for nuance. Let's dial that rheostat up by regulating and managing risk discretely, calibrated by what the data shows about the conditions and situations in specific communities. We will more quickly get millions of Americans safely back to work and school.GoverningGoverning New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (April 14, 2020) announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. In a nearly 25-minute televised address to the nation, PM Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in its second phase and detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday to ensure that outbreak does not spread to new areas. Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots, the PM said. "Follow the rules of lockdown with full devotion till May 3, stay where you are, stay safe," the Prime Minister told citizens. PM Modi said India has managed to contain the pandemic well compared to many developed countries due to its holistic approach in dealing with the crisis and sacrifices made by people of the country in the fight produced tangible results. The PM sought the support of the people in seven areas, including taking care of elderly people, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor and downtrodden. "If India would not have adopted a holistic approach if an integrated approach was not initiated, India's situation would have been different (compared to many developed countries). It is clear from the experiences of the past few days that the path we have chosen is right," the PM said. India, he said, received huge benefits from the 21-day lockdown in checking the pandemic, adding that the country has dealt with the situation better with "limited resources". The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire at midnight on April 14. The Prime Minister said some relaxation may be allowed in some areas and the scope of coronavirus testing will be expanded significantly. "Till April 20, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be tested on how much they are adhering to the lockdown; how much the areas have protected themselves from coronavirus. It will be observed. "Some necessary activities may be allowed in areas that will pass this litmus test; areas which will not be among the hotspots and are less likely to turn into hotspots," he said. The PM said India may have paid a big economic price, but there can be no alternative to saving human lives. Here are some quick reactions from the political fraternity: - Giriraj Singh, Union Minister , , 3 , , Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister A re-adapted #Saptapati from @PMOIndia @narendramodi 1. Care for elders 2. Stay within Laxman Rekha 3. Use homemade masks 4. Follow precautions from @moayush + use #AarogyaSetu app 5. Extend help to the poor 6. Pls dont lay-off employees 7. Respect doctors & medical workers P Chidambaram, Congress Poor left to fend for themselves for 40 days, practically soliciting food. BS Yeddyurappa, CM of Karnataka I welcome PM's decision. Our govt will implement GOI guidelines which will be announced tomorrow. I appeal to the people of Karnataka to help us to contain this disease. Mayawati, BSP After the Central government announced the lockdown, people who had gone to different states to earn livelihood were forced to go back to their native places due to neglect by the respective state governments and their owners. The Sharjah Book Authority, the cultural institution in the United Arab Emirates, has announced it is transitioning its annual Sharjah Childrens Reading Festival into a virtual event called the Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival. The original SCRF was celebrating its 12th year and was scheduled to begin on April 8 and run until April 20, but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Typically, the SCRF attracts more than 300,000 visitors and features writers from the Arab world and across the globe. The new virtual event will run for 10 days, from May 27 to June 5. A full schedule of online events, including author readings, panel discussions, and other interactive opportunities, is forthcoming. In these circumstances, our responsibility towards society, readers, and intellectuals has naturally doubled, and we intend to harness all means to contribute to their well-being by uplifting their artistic thought and creative processes, said Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of SBA. The launch of Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival underlines the necessity of making available cultural content and continuing to adapt projects in light of the extraordinary circumstances we are in. Now more than ever, the role of culture, books, and reading becomes more central to our lives. The festival has been designed to have a far-reaching impact on the creation of creative societies in line with Sharjahs cultural project, as knowledge and reading are key to the advancement of nations. SBA is the organization that is also responsible for running the annual Sharjah International Book Fair, held in November, and is responsible for the emirates presentations at other fairs around the world. This year, Sharjah was scheduled to be guest of honor at the London Book Fair and the Bologna Childrens Book Fair, both of which were canceled; it is still scheduled to be guest of honor at the Guadalajara International Book Fair later this year. (Photo : Twitter) Tons of Pressurized Oxygen Could Be Hiding Out in Earth's Molten Iron Core According to researchers from UC Davis and Aarhus University in Denmark, the Earth's molten core may be leaking iron as heavier iron isotopes circulate back down into the core. This effect might cause core material infiltrating the lowermost mantle to be enriched in heavy iron isotopes. Heavy iron isotopes are leaking Below the Earth's surface the boundary between the liquid iron core and the rocky mantle is located some 1,800 miles or 2,900 kilometers. The temperature drops by more than a thousand degrees from the hotter core to the cooler mantle at this transition. Isotopes although coming from the same element have different masses because they have different numbers of neutrons. In the study, those heavier iron isotopes transfer to the lower temperatures and into the mantle. Meanwhile iron isotopes with lighter weight circulate back down into the core. This effect could result in the core material entering the mantle's lowermost part to be enriched in heavy iron isotopes. Study lead author, professor emeritus of geology at UC Davis and Aarhus University's Earth system petrology professor, Charles Lesher, said that understanding the physical processes operating the core-mantle boundary is essential for understanding seismic images of the deep mantle. Moreover, it is also essential to modeling the extent of chemical and thermal transfer between the deep Earth and surface of our planet. As noted by Lesher, their analysis shows how iron isotopes move from between different temperatures when they conducted experiments under high temperature and pressure. It explains the anomaly found in lava emissions and eruptions. This also explains why there are more iron isotopes in mantle rocks than in chondrite meteorites which are ancient materials during the formative years of the Solar System. He added that if this is true, the results suggest that the Earth could have been leaking iron isotopes into the mantle for billions of years already. They published their research in Nature Geoscience on April 6. Read: New Images of the Sun Reveal Incredible Fine Magnetic Threads Filled with Extremely Hot Million-Degree Plasma Isotopes in volcanic island rocks The researchers conducted computer simulations to show that the core material can even reach the Earth's surface through the hot, and upwelling mantle plumes. Lesher and his team propose that the lavas erupted at oceanic hot spots like the ones in Samoa and Hawaii are enriched in heavy iron isotopes which could be a sign of a leaky core. In a separate study by an assistant professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Hanika Rio and her colleagues describe evidence that Earth's core may be interacting and maybe exchanging material with the lower mantle. Using the magma-derived rocks from volcanic islands above oceanic hotspots like the Reunion in the Indian Ocean, which many think that it is where the core-mantle boundary originates, their team were able to study these materials from the core getting into the mantle. She and her team were able to detect mantle plumes to be the path of these samples to the earth's surface using the newly precise measurements of a chemical isotope tracer. Rizo and her team published their study in the Geochemical Perspectives Letters. Read Also: LARGEST! 1 Million Square Kilometer Hole Opens in Ozone Layer Above the Arctic Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. With having published myriads of reports for global clients, Future Market Insights exhibits its expertise in the market research field. Our dedicated crew of professionals rides the wave of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and big data analytics, to project the adoption pattern and consumption trends regarding the market. A three-step quality check process - data collection, triangulation, and validation is paramount while assuring the authenticity of the information captured. 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And many more An aircraft carrier strike group returning from the Middle East will be held in the Atlantic after a coronavirus outbreak on another warship, the Navy announced. The flotilla, led by the USS Harry S Truman, had been steaming home to Norfolk, Virginia, following a month-long deployment when it was ordered to remain at sea. Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis said that the ship needs to be battle-ready, and that bringing it into base increases its vulnerability to the virus. The delay to the homecoming will last at least three weeks in a measure 'to maintain the strike group's warfighting capability while ensuring the safety of the crew'. Lewis said: 'The ship is entering a period in which it needs to be ready to respond and deploy at any time. 'Normally we can do that pierside, but in the face of Covid-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea.' An aircraft carrier strike group less by the USS Harry S Truman (file photo from 2018) returning from the Middle East will be held in the Atlantic after a coronavirus outbreak on another warship, the Navy announced Military chiefs instructed the Truman and its strike force to hold in the Atlantic after a sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt died yesterday with coronavirus (sailors from the ship listen to a virus briefing by Vice Admiral William Merz at the Guam base) Rear Admiral Andrew Loiselle said he appreciated the decision would be tough on the crew and their loved ones, but insisted it was an 'important mission'. Military chiefs instructed the Truman and its strike force to hold in the Atlantic after a sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt died yesterday with coronavirus. The crewman, whose name and other identifying information were not publicly released pending notification of relatives, had tested positive for the disease on March 30. He was taken off the ship and placed in 'isolation housing' along with four other sailors at the US Navy base on Guam. On April 9, he was found unresponsive during a medical check and was moved to a local hospital's intensive care unit. Over the weekend, four additional Roosevelt crew members were admitted to the hospital for monitoring of coronavirus symptoms, the Navy said. All are in stable condition and none are in intensive care or on ventilators. The transportation of US Navy sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who have tested negative for coronavirus disease to locations off base at Naval base in Guam The death was the first among the crew of approximately 4,860, of which 585 had tested positive for coronavirus as of Monday. A little over 4,000 crew members have been moved ashore. A number have been kept aboard to attend to the enormous ship's nuclear reactors and other sensitive systems. Head of naval operations Admiral Mike Gilday said: 'My deepest sympathy goes out to the family, and we pledge our full support to the ship and crew as they continue their fight against the coronavirus. 'While our ships, submarines and aircraft are made of steel, sailors are the real strength of our Navy.' Defense Secretary Mark Esper noted that the Roosevelt sailor was the first active-duty military member to die of coronavirus. One member of the New Jersey National Guard died of the virus in late March. USS Theodore Roosevelt is docked at Naval Base Guam in Apra Harbor on April 10 'We remain committed to protecting our personnel and their families while continuing to assist in defeating this outbreak,' Esper said in a statement. The Roosevelt has been in a coronavirus crisis that prompted the Navy's civilian leader, Thomas Modly, to fire the ship's captain Brett E Crozier on April 2. Five days later, after having flown to the ship and delivered a speech in which he insulted the skipper and criticized the crew for supporting Crozier, Modly resigned. Modly said he felt compelled to remove Crozier from command because he had distributed too widely via email a letter in which he called for more urgent Navy action to prevent a deeper coronavirus crisis aboard his ship. An Indian Army Doctor involved in the anti-COVID-19 operations has tested positive for Coronavirus taking the tally of infected person in the 1.3 million-strong force to five. "The Army doctor is posted in the capital as part of the Army headquarters and was involved in the anti-COVID operations," Army sources told ANI on Tuesday. As a precautionary measure, the contact history of the officer has been traced and all those people who came in touch with him have been isolated, they said. The Army doctor of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel has been involved in the preparation of facilities and infrastructure for tackling the menace of COVID-19. The Lieutenant Colonel is the second doctor and the fifth person in the force to have been infected with COVID-19. The first army personnel to have been infected was a jawan in Ladakh, who was infected by his father. The second case was that of another doctor in Kolkata who had returned from Delhi. Meanwhile, one case each from Dehradun and Pune have also been reported. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fifth inmate in an Illinois prison has succumbed from a COVID-19-related illness, state officials confirmed Monday. They were all men, the youngest in his 50s, and incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet. The fatalities occurred within a two-week span as officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections said they are working to thwart further spread of the virus in prisons across the state. The two most recent fatalities were last week. One man was in his 60s and the other in his 70s. Their names were not immediately available Monday. An earlier victim, Larry Bourbon, 65, died April 3 at Stateville. He is the only one of the five men who died at the prison rather than a hospital. He was incarcerated since the late 1990s while serving a 60-year term for the aggravated sexual assault of a minor in Winnebago County. Two days after he died, 66-year-old Ronald Rice succumbed to a virus-related death. Rice had been in prison since the early 1980s on charges related to child molestation when he admitted he earlier had kidnapped, raped and killed an 11-year-old Oak Forest boy. Rice received an additional 80-year term for the murder. Russell Sedelmaier, 59, was the first Stateville inmate to die from the virus on March 29. Sedelmaier was serving life for murdering a pastor and his adult daughter in their Buffalo Grove home in 2005. As on Monday, the Illinois Department of Corrections has announced confirmed cases in 14 of its nearly four dozen facilities. The problem at Stateville is particularly dire, where most of the systems 107 staff and 146 inmates who tested positive are located. Prison reform advocates have file lawsuits arguing Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration has been too slow to respond to the pandemic in prisons, putting inmates and staff at further risk. Late last week, a federal judge denied an effort to immediately release potentially thousands of inmates, saying that while the pandemic is clearly a serious threat there was no convincing reason for a federal court to intrude here and now." U.S. District Judge Robert Dow issued the opinion after a pair of lawsuits were filed by a consortium of advocates seeking the release of as many as 13,000 prisoners due to the COVID-19 crisis, including many who were convicted of non-violent offenses, are elderly, at elevated risk to get ill, or have already served most of their sentences. The judge acknowledged the serious of the situation, but he said that Pritzker and other stake holders have taken steps to contain the spread of the virus that plainly pass constitutional muster, even if it is not exactly what the plaintiffs were seeking. The Illinois Prison Project, one of the groups involved in the litigation, called the deaths senseless, preventable and predictable. Social distancing is impossible in prison, and is even more difficult for elderly and infirm people, who rely on other inmates for toileting, to eat and dress, and to get and from dialysis and other medical appointments, said Jennifer Soble, the groups executive director, on Monday. Unless Governor Pritzker and the Department of Corrections act quickly to protect elderly and medically vulnerable prisoners by relocating them out that congregate setting, I am afraid that these five deaths will be the tip of the iceberg. He grew up in the Inwood section of Manhattan, although that may conjure a different image to the reader of 2020 than it did almost a century ago. There was a farm across the street, Mr. Handman said in the documentary. A real farm. Thats true. I had such a happy childhood that I never wanted to leave Inwood. Mr. Handman graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx in 1938 and the City College of New York in 1943, later earning a masters degree in speech pathology from Teachers College at Columbia University. After graduating from City College he enlisted in the Coast Guard, serving on an icebreaker that was assigned to knock out a German weather station in the Arctic. The mission was a success, and a number of Germans were taken prisoner. When the Germans came aboard the ship, I didnt feel like saluting them, Mr. Handman, who was Jewish, said in the documentary, but his commander ordered him to follow protocol and do so. While at sea he would sometimes entertain his shipmates with skits, and the experience led him to think about acting once the war ended. He applied to the Neighborhood Playhouse, Sanford Meisners theater school, and studied there from 1946 to 1948. He wanted to act, but Mr. Meisner saw him as a director and in 1949 suggested he lead a summer theater in the Adirondacks where some Neighborhood Playhouse students were in repertory. Mr. Handman was reluctant, but Barbara Ann Schlein, whom he would marry the next year, urged him to try it. I found myself, my calling, that summer, Mr. Handman told Mr. Gerard in an interview for the biography. An Oregon State University-led research program has been awarded a $12.7 million grant to serve the Pacific Northwest by studying harmful chemicals found at federally designated hazardous waste sites. The Oregon State University Superfund Research Program received the five-year grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The program has now received more than $40 million from the NIEHS since 2009. The program, which includes research partner Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), will continue to focus on the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on human health. The pollutants, known as PAHs, are produced when coal, gas, oil and wood are burned. PAHs have been found to cause cancer, impede normal development and target neurological systems. A recent study showed a strong association between maternal exposure to PAHs and childhood cognition and attention deficit disorders, as well as obesity and asthma. Our program's research will help local, state and federal agencies, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, better understand the risk posed by PAHs." Robyn Leigh Tanguay, OSU Distinguished Professor and molecular toxicologist in the College of Agricultural Sciences Interacting with communities impacted by nearby hazardous waste or exposure to PAHs is an important additional component of the program's research. Approximately 53 million Americans -- about 16% of the population - live within three miles of more than 800 hazardous sites administered by the EPA Superfund program. For example, the EPA listed the Portland Harbor as a Superfund Site in 2000. The harbor is the subject of several Superfund Research Program's projects. Tribal lands are also a focus for the OSU-PNNL center. Researchers will work with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to identify and prioritize tribal environmental research questions and concerns, among other things. Under the new grant, Susan Tilton, an assistant professor in OSU's Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, will lead a project to assess the respiratory toxicity of PAHs in complex mixtures from Superfund sites. Her lab will build a 3D model of a lung using human cells. The model mimics a lung, even producing mucus, allowing researchers to more accurately study chemical toxicity to humans. PNNL brings unique expertise in chemical fate, transport and exposure across experimental systems and humans, as well as data analytics and advanced instrumentation for tracking chemical transformation and toxicity. In 2009, the NIEHS designated OSU as home to one of the nation's 18 Superfund Research Programs and awarded the university $12.4 million to study the health risks from PAHs in the Pacific Northwest and China. The NIEHS awarded the program a second five-year, $15.4 million grant in 2013. With the increase in coronavirus infections, Peru has recorded 2,265 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total toll to 9,784, President Martin Vizcarra reportedly informed on April 13. As per reports, according to Vizcarra, the sudden surge in the number of new cases is because of the increase in testing among the people. Coronavirus outbreak in Peru On April 6, Vizcarra reportedly said in a press conference that the government has derived 21,414 samples from people and in three weeks they have collected samples from 20,000 people. He added that the health ministry has carried out 87,166 tests to detect the dangerous virus, and out of the whole, 77,382 of the results came back negative. Out of the people who are contaminated by the deadly disease, 901 have been hospitalization while 143 are admitted in intensive care. Certain statistics depict that Peru is witnessing a decrease in the number of novel coronavirus cases and the rate of hospitalization has also seen a dip from 22 per cent to 14 per cent. he reportedly said. Read: Peruvian Navy Conducts Night Patrols Read: Peru And Argentina Extend Quarantine Measures Peru extends lockdown Seeing the situation of pandemic and its increasing effect, the Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra announced on April 8 that the state of emergency will be extended until April 26. The president reportedly explained that the decision of extension has been taken after analyzing several reports submitted by the Health Ministry and by his professional team of advisors. Apart from this, he also added that people who are caught violating the quarantine or curfew which runs from 6 P.M to 4 A.M, will be fined by the authorities. As per reports, police officials in Peru had been conducting nighttime enforcement patrol efforts since President Martin Vizcarra declared a state of emergency. Amid the lockdown, the navy while riding in tanks through the desolate streets of Lima, Peru ensured that the people abided by the rules and measures established to battle the deadly virus. Read: Desperate Hunt For Food By Peru's Poor Amid Virus Quarantine Read: Peru Manufactures Respirators For Virus Patients Image credit: AP As the nation continues to remain in a state of lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Varun Dhawan has been using his celebrity clout to urge everyone to stay at home and practice social-distancing. However, recently, when the young actor shared a throwback picture of himself with a cop to thank the Mumbai Police for their contribution during the lockdown, little did he expect that he would get trolled for it. In the picture, the Street Dancer actor is seen shaking hands with a cop. Neither of them is wearing a mask. A netizen commented, "Where is social distancing, mask and gloves. Idiot is shaking hands with policeman risking him of infection. Bad example set by this actor." (sic) Not the one to take such things lightly, Varun immediately clarified that the picture was not taken recently, but is from two months ago. He tweeted, "Idiot this is old picture clicked 2 months back love u." (sic) To this, the fan replied, "Hahaha, should have mentioned that. Love you too." In a recent Instagram live session with Zoa Morani, Varun revealed that one of his relatives in the US has tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus. "It's very close to home right now. Until it happens to someone you know, you don't take it seriously and understand the gravity of it," said the actor. Meanwhile, Varun Dhawan pledged to contribute Rs 30 lakh to PM-CARES funds for COVID-19 relief. Recently, he committed to provide to the needy and health workers fighting against the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. The actor wrote in his Instagram post, "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 further wrote, "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." Prior to this, the Coolie No 1 actor shared a rap video which featured a snippet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 21-day nationwide lockdown speech. In the video, Varun urged people to stay home and practice social-distancing amid the lockdown. Varun Dhawan Reveals His Relative Tested Positive For COVID-19; Appeals To Fans To Take It Seriously Varun Dhawan Commits To Provide Meals For Needy And Health Workers During Coronavirus Lockdown (Newser) McDonald's issued an apology this week after a branch in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou put up a sign declaring that "black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant." African residents of the business hub say they are being targeted over the coronavirus pandemic and the McDonald's sign was one of many cases of harassment and discrimination, the BBC reports. McDonald's says it temporarily closed the restaurant after learning of the "unauthorized" sign and carried out "diversity and inclusion" training. With China now claiming that the majority of new COVID-19 cases in the country are from overseas, all African residents of Guangzhou have been ordered to undergo testing and enter 14-day self-quarantines, regardless of their travel history. story continues below Residents of the city's "Little Africa" neighborhood say that after rumors circulated last week that African travelers were spreading the virus, hundreds of Africans ended up sleeping on the street after landlords and hotel owners kicked them out. "My friends have complained that they have gone to the shops and are then being told 'no-no, you can't enter here," Cameroonian citizen Herman Assa tells Deutsche Welle. "They have been told that Africans now have the highest epidemic rate and are importing the disease back into China." After a backlash from African countries that complained about their citizens being mistreated, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China has "zero tolerance" for discrimination. (Read more China stories.) The UK economy could shrink by 6.5 per cent this year as coronavirus dooms the world to its worst depression in 90 years, the International Monetary Fund warned today. British GDP will plummet by more than the US, which is expected to turn in a dire drop of 5.9 per cent. However, the fund predicts even that figure will be dwarfed by the problems in Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Those countries could see contractions of 9.1 per cent, 8 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. Overall the IMF forecasts that the global economy will get 3 per cent smaller during 2020 far worse than its 0.1 per cent dip in the Great Recession year of 2009 before rebounding in 2021 with 5.8 per cent growth. Its 'best case' scenario would see $9trillion wiped off global GDP over this year and next - greater than the size of Germany and Japan combined. But China, where the pandemic originated, is expected to eke out 1.2 per cent growth this year. It came as shocking analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted curbs staying in place for three months will slash GDP by 35 per cent, with unemployment soaring to 10 per cent and the government's deficit hitting 273billion - the highest level since the Second World War. Rishi Sunak tonight warned of 'more tough times to come' amid warnings the economy faces shrinking by more than a third this quarter with two million people made jobless. The IMF forecasts that the global economy will get 3 per cent smaller during 2020 far worse than its 0.1 per cent dip in the Great Recession year of 2009. Only China and India of the main economies are expected to grow The IMF today predicted that the hit to the UK this year will be dwarfed by the problems in Italy, Spain, France and Germany Chancellor Rishi Sunak tonight warned of 'more tough times to come' amid the grim warnings The global economy is expected to suffer its worst year since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the International Monetary Fund forecast Tuesday. Unemployed men wait in long lines for bread and handouts during the Great Depression, pictured Sunak warns of 'tough times' as OBR predicts 13 per cent cut to GDP Rishi Sunak tonight warned of 'more tough times to come' amid warnings the economy faces shrinking by more than a third this quarter with two million people made jobless. The Chancellor said people should brace for 'hardship' as he insisted the hit from the lockdown measures designed to combat the deadly coronavirus would be 'temporary'. And he flatly dismissed the idea that ministers must choose between propping up the economy and stopping people dying from the outbreak, saying the government would 'protect our people'. The comment came as shocking analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted curbs staying in place for three months will slash GDP by 35 per cent, with unemployment soaring to 10 per cent and the government's deficit hitting 273billion - the highest level since the Second World War. The watchdog ominously said it was assumed 'for now' there will not be any fundamental economic damage, and much of the crash will be unwound as pent-up demand is unleashed. However, the resulting 13 per cent drop year-on-year is still worse than anything in the last century. Advertisement China, the world's second-largest economy, which had gone into lockdown, has begun to open up well before other countries. While acknowledging that prospects for a rebound next year are clouded by uncertainty the bleak assessment represents a breathtaking downgrade by the IMF. In its previous forecast in January, before COVID-19 emerged as a grave threat to public health and economic growth worldwide, the international lending organization had forecast moderate global growth of 3.3 per cent this year. But far-reaching measures to contain the pandemic lockdowns, business shutdowns, social distancing and travel restrictions have suddenly brought economic activity to a near-standstill across much of the world. 'It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago,' the IMF said in its report. 'The Great Lockdown, as one might call it, is projected to shrink global growth dramatically.' Chancellor Rishi Sunak tonight warned of 'more tough times to come' amid the grim warnings. He said people should brace for 'hardship' as he insisted the hit from the lockdown measures designed to combat the deadly coronavirus would be 'temporary'. And Mr Sunak flatly dismissed the idea that ministers must choose between propping up the economy and stopping people dying from the outbreak, saying the government would 'protect our people'. Shocking analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility suggested the outcome could be even worse than the IMF believes. It said curbs staying in place for three months will slash GDP by 35 per cent, with unemployment soaring to 10 per cent and the government's deficit hitting 273billion - the highest level since the Second World War. The watchdog ominously said it was assumed 'for now' there will not be any fundamental economic damage, and much of the crash will be unwound as pent-up demand is unleashed. However, the resulting 13 per cent drop year-on-year is still worse than anything in the last century. Worldwide trade will plummet 11 per cent this year, the IMF predicts, and and then grow 8.4 per cent in 2021. 'This recovery in 2021 is only partial as the level of economic activity is projected to remain below the level we had projected for 2021, before the virus hit,' IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said in a statement. Under the Fund's best-case scenario, the world is likely to lose a cumulative $9 trillion in output over two years - greater than the combined GDP of Germany and Japan, she added. The IMF's twice-yearly World Economic Outlook was prepared for this week's spring meetings of the 189-nation IMF and its sister lending organization, the World Bank. Those meetings, along with a gathering of finance ministers and central bankers of the world's 20 biggest economies, are being held virtually for the first time in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Last week, the IMF's managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, warned that the world was facing 'the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression.' She said that emerging markets and low-income nations across Africa, Latin America and much of Asia were at especially high risk. In this Feb. 13, 1932, file photo, a long line of men wait along Broadway for their ration of a sandwich and a cup of coffee in Times Square in New York City during the Great Depression The IMF's forecasts assume that outbreaks of the novel coronavirus will peak in most countries during the second quarter and fade in the second half of the year, with business closures and other containment measures gradually unwound. A longer pandemic that lasts through the third quarter could cause a further 3 per cent contraction in 2020 and a slower recovery in 2021, due to the 'scarring' effects of bankruptcies and prolonged unemployment. A second outbreak in 2021 that forces more shutdowns could cause a reduction of 5 to 8 percentage points in the global gross domestic product baseline forecast for next year, keeping the world in recession for a second straight year. On Monday, the IMF approved $500 million to cancel six months of debt payments for 25 impoverished countries so they can help confront the pandemic. Just three months ago, the IMF had forecast that more than 160 countries would register income growth on a per-capita basis. Now, it expects negative per-capita income growth this year in 170 countries. On a hopeful note, the IMF noted that economic policymakers in many countries have engineered what it calls a 'swift and sizable' response to the economic crisis. The United States, for instance, has enacted three separate rescue measures, including a $2.2 trillion aid package the largest in history that is meant to sustain households and businesses until the outbreak recedes and economic life begins to return to normal. That package includes direct payments to individuals, business loans, grants to companies that agree not to lay off workers and expanded unemployment benefits. And Congress is moving toward approving a possible fourth economic aid measure. The IMF is also calling on countries to work cooperatively to fight the pandemic. 'Countries urgently need to work together to slow the spread of the virus and to develop a vaccine and therapies to counter the disease,' the lending agency said. The new forecasts provide a somber backdrop to the IMF and World Bank spring meetings, which are being held by videoconference this week to avoid contributing to the spread of the virus. The meetings normally draw 10,000 people to a crowded two-block area of downtown Washington. Calls to Bay Area suicide prevention hotlines are up some by as much as 100% with the stresses of staying at home, financial problems, job losses and fear of the coronavirus increasingly wearing on people. The hotline at Crisis Support Services of Alameda County usually fields about 100 to 110 calls per day, said Narges Dillon, executive director, but last week about 200 people a day called up from 150 the week before. A lot of basic needs are being exacerbated right now finances, housing, food then add on the isolation, the anxiety and people being in a heightened level of distress, she said. Van Hedwall, director of the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline and a licensed marriage and family therapist, said the volume of calls to the nations oldest suicide prevention hotline is also up, but what concerns him most is the increase in the number of calls from people deemed high risk ready to end their lives. We used to have two to three high-risk callers a week, he said. Now we have two to three a day. Thats a very drastic change speaking directly to peoples mental health. The intensity and risk level has gone up, especially over the past week, and its going to go up next week. Suicide hotlines in Bay Area counties all work through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) which fields calls, then routes them to local hotline counselors. The hotlines operate daily and around the clock. The national lifeline has not seen an increase year over year in calls, a spokeswoman said, but an affiliated line, focused on giving emotional support to people affected by disasters, saw a 338% increase in call volume compared with February 2020. Laurica Brown of Oakland is a counselor for the Alameda County hotline. Shes fielding calls at home instead of in the call center to protect her health. The two things I get lots of calls about now are people losing work, if not outright laid off, then furloughed; and theres lots of fear about having economic needs met, she said. Shes also seen a steep and sudden increase in the number of callers dealing with domestic violence in the past five days. Weve gone from before the quarantine helping people process existential issues to processing issues like physical violence and meeting economic needs, she said. The uncertainties of the coronavirus crisis when will this end? Will I be laid off? Can I pay the rent? lead many to feel helpless and hopeless, Dillon said. More Information If you need help The National Suicide Prevention Helpline- 1-800-273-TALK (8255) - is available 24 hours every day of the year. Calls are transfered to hotlines in the caller's area. See More Collapse It makes it harder to use the light at the end of the tunnel as a motivation, she said. Joyce Chu, a clinical psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University, a psychology and counseling school, said shes not surprised by the increase in calls to suicide prevention hotlines, since many people already have a full plate and something like unemployment or feeling alone and isolated could induce depression and even thoughts of suicide. Its unknown if suicide rates will rise because of the crisis. 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. Historically, in cases where communities came together, like in World War II, you didnt see higher rates, she said, noting that community-wide needs for social distancing have the potential to be a common problem or even a cause to unite around. More community eyes and ears are necessary at this point, she said. Reach out to people you dont usually reach out to. Brown encourages people to be kind to yourself, she said. The thing that makes most people feel hopeless is catastrophic thinking thinking that you cant control whats going on. I tell people to lean into what they can control: Give yourself a little grace. Dillon advises people to break their troubles into manageable pieces and to focus on what they can accomplish step by step in small blocks of time, say, the next hour or four hours. She also advised people not to be afraid to call a crisis or suicide hotline to deal with mental health problems or overwhelming worries even if theyre not thinking of harming themselves. Theyre more than welcome to call the national suicide hotline if they are not suicidal or thinking of suicide, she said. We want people to call us when theyre feeling distress. Its a myth that people only call us when they are suicidal. An earlier version of this story misrepresented Palo Alto University professor Joyce Chu's comments about historical changes in the rate of suicides. A quote and related comments have been corrected and clarified. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Posted on: April 13, 2020 11:25 PM [ACNS, by Staff Writer] In her first ever Easter Message, Queen Elizabeth II asserted that Easter isnt cancelled. Queen Elizabeth famously produces a Christmas message each year in which she has been open about her Christian faith; but she has not delivered an Easter message until this year. In her message, released on social media on Saturday (11 April), the Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, said: the discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that Coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be particularly for those suffering with grief light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. Her message was released shortly before the Anglican Communion Offices first ever digital Easter Day service was premiered on YouTube and Facebook. It is the third video released by the Anglican Communion Office since the global shut-down. The first one, for passion Sunday, was watched 2,825 times just over two weeks; the second, for Palm Sunday, has been watched 5,664 times in just over a week. As of this morning (Tuesday), the Easter Day service has surpassed both of these combined, having been watched by 13,500 people. The communications team of the Anglican Communion Office are planning additional weekly services which feature contributions from around the globe until the end of the global shutdown. They can be watched at anglicancommunion.org/worship. This Easter also saw the first ever international social media campaign to be co-ordinated by the Anglican Communion Office. Messages from around the world were broadcast on Twitter at 5am in the local time zone using the hashtag #GlobalSonRise. It began with Easter greetings from children in a Sunday School in the Solomon Islands in the Anglican Church of Melanesia to children in Anglican Sunday Schools around the world, and concluded with a message from the Anglican Church of Canadas Diocese of New Westminster. Churches around the world have put on digital worship services to provide a way for the faithful to come together despite the lockdown. The Church of England broadcast a service featuring the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, recorded in his kitchen at Lambeth Palace. It was broadcast in audio form across a number of BBC Radio Stations in the UK before being made available in video form by the Church of Englands digital communications team. It is one of more than 3,000 services put together in the Church of England. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, read the Gospel passage in a recoding made at his home at Birkhall, in Scotland, for a service broadcast by Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Communion. In a sign that many people are turning towards the Church for support, churches around the world are reporting that more people are taking part in their digital services than attended their usual Sunday services prior to the lockdown. Between 500 and 600 people usually attend the Sunday services at the Church of St Pauls and St Georges in Edinburgh, known as Ps and Gs its predominantly young membership numbers around 1,000. Yet it has seen this congregation quadruple for its service on Mothering Sunday and they have continued to grow. As of this morning, more than 5,600 people have taken part in its digital Easter service. But despite the technological advances, many are looking forward to the day when the Church can, once again, meet in person. I cant wait for the day when on that Sunday I can walk back into my church and see family, loved ones, and friends, for the first time, the Church of Englands Head of Digital, Adrian Harris, told the BBCs Click programme. I feel slightly emotional about that. Watch a composite video showing the messages posted by Anglicans for the #GlobalSonRise social media campaign. Australia's Chief Medical Officer has walked back from his accusation that a group of healthcare workers linked to the COVID-19 outbreak that led to the closure of two Tasmanian hospitals attended an "illegal dinner party" in breach of social distancing rules. Professor Brendan Murphy said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that while the dinner party hypothesis "had previously been mentioned to me following initial investigations, I am now informed that the contact tracing has not confirmed that such a dinner party occurred". "Tasmanian officials are continuing their investigations," Professor Murphy said. Earlier, footage emerged of Professor Murphy speaking to a parliamentary committee in New Zealand about Australia's efforts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic. New Delhi: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis, in which he has raised the issue of US sanctions impacting relief measures in the country. The letter was sent to PM Modi via diplomatic channels on March 29. The letter said, During the pandemic, the US government, instead of focusing on policies of global cooperation in health and prevention, has increased unilateral coercive measures, has rejected the requests from the international community to lift or ease the illegal sanctions that prevent Venezuela from accessing medicines, medical equipment and food. In March, the US government had announced sanctions against Venezuelan officials including President Maduro. In early March, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wrote to PM Modi seeking joint fight against COVID-19 crisis and also raised the issue of US sanctions impacting country's attempt to deal with the situation. Iran is one of the worst impacted countries in the world due to the deadly pandemic. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Spectrum Healths online coronavirus resource center is now available in Spanish. Officials with West Michigans largest hospital system say theyre working to provide the information in Vietnamese, Kinyarwanda, Burmese, Swahili and American Sign Language as well. The resource page in Spanish can be found here: https://www.spectrumhealth.org/covid19-in-spanish. COVID-19 is impacting all the communities we serve, and it is important that our messaging touch as many people as possible, said Darryl Elmouchi, chief medical officer for Spectrum Health. Along with the resource page, the health system is working to translate its online symptom checker and online screening chat tool to Spanish. Those tools, in English, can be found here. Of Kent Countys total 311 coronavirus cases, 14.5 percent are Latino residents, according to county data. The Kent County Health Departments resource page at https://www.accesskent.com/Health/coronavirus.htm can be translated to a number of languages by using the button on the top right of the page. Interpretation and translation services are offered to Spectrum Health patients for free. Email Language.services@spectrumhealth.org for more information. People experiencing COVID-19 symptoms can get screened by Spectrum via phone at 833-559-0659 or by online chat at www.spectrumhealth.org/covid19. Anyone with severe or life-threatening symptoms should call 911. 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. People are also advised to carry hand sanitizer with them and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Monday, April 13: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Group trying to put LGBT initiative on Michigan ballots turns to electronic signatures IRS deposits first round of coronavirus stimulus checks into bank accounts Microbiologist offers coronavirus cleaning tips for your home: Spray, dont wipe A coronavirus specimens trip from a patients nostril through a Michigan testing lab Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said the state government has deposited Rs 2,000 in the bank accounts of many Manipuris stranded in different states due to the lockdown as they are facing financial and other problems. In a video message, the CM said the state government has deposited Rs 2,000 in the bank account of some 2,700 stranded Manipuris till Monday. He said almost 17,000 Manipuris are stranded in different parts of the country due to the lockdown imposed to control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The chief minister said to help the stranded Manipuris, an IAS officer has been appointed as nodal officer for each state to monitor the situation on a daily basis. Many Manipuris stranded in different states have uploaded videos and messages in social media about the difficulties faced by them and have asked the state government to help them financially. The chief minister appreciated the extension of the lockdown till May 3 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the state has sufficient stock of essential commodities and the people should not have any apprehension about the availability of essential commodities. He urged the people of the state to download the AarogyaSetu App which provides all information related to COVID-19. Meanwhile, the chief minister all his ministerial colleagues, civil service officers, advocate general and other state government employees donated their one day salary amounting to Rs 25,90,607 to the Chief Minister's COVID-19 Relief Fund, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Soldiers made room in their barracks which now function as quarantine centres Nearly a dozen coronavirus patients were discharged from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) on April 10, increasing the number of successfully treated cases in Vietnam to 128. The number now stands at 144. This created happiness not only for patients, their families, and staff, but also for the country. Its wonderful. I was positive for the disease in the US and although I had a fever with 39 degrees Celcius in two weeks, they asked me to quarantine at home without hospitalisation. Luckily, I returned Vietnam and have been treated and recovered after 16 days, said one American-Vietnamese known as patient 137. According to the patient, doctors and nurses at the NHTD have been very careful and thoughtful. Being discharged on the same day, a 29-year-old doctor who had been infected with the virus while directly treating patients at the Emergency Department of the NHTD, became patient 116. The young doctor had been participating in the battle against the virus since the end of January. Without being able to go home, wearing tight masks and an unpleasant protection uniform, he and many other doctors and nurses knew clearly that they are at a high risk of being infected. However, they still continued with their tasks and retained love for the job. As physicians for infectious diseases, we are not allowed to hesitate in the case of an epidemic. We work harder than usual and do not take days off, said Do Thi Mai Phuong, deputy head of the Internal Medicine Department of the NHTD. According to Phuong, this coronavirus is a new type with an unclear disease-causing mechanism and no specific regimen. We must read a lot of foreign documents. We have considered a lot in order to minimise the added effects, she said. We have to wear a mask almost 24 hours a day, and many of us have not been home for a month. Along with Phuong and the young doctor who was unfortunately infected, all their other colleagues at the NHTD and other frontline hospitals have been working above and beyond normal capacities. Working at the Emergency Department of Bach Mai Hospital, when the disease broke out, doctor Ngo Duc Hung packed his clothes and got ready to work and stay at the hospital. But he was surprised with much higher levels of stress and danger when Bach Mai itself became the epicentre of the outbreak in Vietnam, and became embroiled in a quarantine situation. Over two continuous days, four doctors worked through nights with 16 serious patients. Most of them had to use machines supporting their breathing. While we were continuously changing drugs and doing procedures, the phone kept on ringing. Other hospitals were asking for professional advice and for transfer of complex patients, Hung said. Our masks create deep lines on the face with great pain caused to the ears. We are tired, very tired. But we must try because the profession has chosen us. According to Hung, doctors always face the risk of infection. We dont know when we may become a patient, but there will be other doctors to replace us. So we continue to be happy whenever we can. What Hung said is happening in every hospital across Vietnam, including Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (HOGH) where 63 doctors and nurses have been quarantined after being in contact with patient 243, who got the disease from Bach Mai Hospital. Among the 63 doctors and nurses, 17 directly were in contact with patient 243 but have been tested negative for coronavirus, Nguyen Duy Anh, director of the HOGH said. Examining and treating has still been carried out normally without impact from the quarantine people. While doctors and nurses are striving to save lives and fight against the deadly virus, many other people are also quietly contributing towards the nations battle. Soldiers at the borders work day and night in all weathers to limit the spread of the disease from neighbouring countries. At concentrated quarantine areas, the soldiers have slept on the ground in contemporary tents to give space to quarantine people, getting up at four in the morning and working up to 20 hours a day to ensure the best conditions for quarantine people. Military drivers are also mobilised to pick up doctors and quarantine people to the places in need. I have not been home for one month and have not slept well, said one driver. We dont have a stable timetable, and we go whenever we are mobilised. Getting ready to serve when the country requires it continues to be the common spirit for all people at the frontline, and with no deaths attributed to the pandemic thus far in the country, these efforts are paying off. New Delhi, April 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday commended people of the nation for celebrating festivals by staying at home during the lockdown period. "Baisakhi, Pohela Baishakh, Puthandu, Bohag Bihu, along with Vishu usher in new year in different states. The way people are celebrating festivals by staying at home during this lockdown is commendable. I wish you the best of health this New Year," PM said. In his address to the nation, Modi announced that based on the suggestions of the state governments and experts, the nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 3. Earlier, a 21-day lockdown was imposed in the country which was in effect till today. He credited the people for their "discipline and sacrifice", adding that because of this the country has been able to withstand the full force of the pandemic. "I know there have been many difficulties for people stuck away from home, but you have persisted in this fight. I bow to you," he added. Homeless people wait for food at a pavement during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Bengaluru. PTI Bengaluru: With Karnataka is facing an acute financial crunch due to the Covid-19 pandemic, chief minister B S Yediyurappa is looking for alternative options to mobilize resources. After conducting a meeting with senior ministers and top bureaucrats on Monday, Yediyurappa has decided to auction 12000 BDA corner sites in Bengaluru, which may mobilize Rs. 15000 crore. The government has directed the authorities concerned to speed up disposal of cases related to regularisation of unauthorised constructions which are pending before the High Court and Supreme Court. If the court decides to expedite matters, it would help thousands of people who own unauthorised houses to pay a penalty and have them regularised. To start development work, government has decided to bring an amendment to the law governing permission to allow sites in private and co-operative housing societies. Hundreds of societies are waiting for approval from the government for releasing the sites. Meanwhile government has decided to utilize Rs 1000 Crore available in Rajiv Gandhi Health University to upgrade medical college hospitals across the state. Yediyurappa assured that government will take positive decision on distribute liquor through MSIL retail shops. Within day or two, government will take a decision on this regard, we are ready to give the approval, but Centre has to give permission for the same, Chief Minister told media persons after the meeting. Government has requested the sugar factory owners to clear the pending payment to the tune of Rs. 2834 crore to farmers in 11 districts. Government has released Rs. 45 Crore compensation to loss of paddy crop in Raichur and Koppal District due to hailstorm based on report submitted by DCs. Due to surplus milk production from the KMF, the government has decided to distribute free milk to slums and poor for one more week. Like auctioning of corner sites of BDA, the meeting has also decided to allow auction of corner and vacant sites in respective urban development authorities across the state. Coronavirus deaths in the hard-hit United States were flat for a second consecutive day, with New Yorks governor saying the worst is over as many countries weigh a gradual reopening of their shattered economies. Since emerging late last year, the coronavirus pandemic has killed around 120,000 and infected nearly two million, tipping the world towards a fierce economic recession as more than half of the globe hunkers down at home. As countries reach different stages of the coronavirus curve, debate is raging over whether to return to normal life and possibly risk a second wave of infections. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his 1.3 billion citizens their lockdown would remain in effect until May 3 at least and Frances President Emmanuel Macron extended his tight measures by another month.- But Italy and Austria are reopening some shops and Spain is restarting construction and factory work while powerhouse Germany weighs restarting Europes top economy. In Washington, Trump stunned reporters by playing a campaign-style self-congratulatory video and bashing the media during a briefing in which he claimed to have saved tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of lives. The US death toll has hit 23,200 by far the worst-affected country but the president said: It looks like were plateauing, and maybe even in many cases coming down. He has repeatedly stressed he wants to open the worlds largest economy as swiftly as possible and is expected to announce a plan this week on how to jump-start stalled business. The US president appeared to be supported by the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showing 1,509 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours almost identical to the previous day. In New York, where the virus has killed more than 10,000 people and seen unclaimed victims buried in unmarked mass graves, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the nightmare might be coming to an end. The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy, Cuomo told reporters, as Trump said only the president had the ultimate authority to reopen businesses. The economic impact in the US and elsewhere could be seen as officials in the southern city of Houston wrapped food in plastic bags and threw them into cars. We went to the stores and they are closed. Yes, we had problems to buy food, said sales assistant Catalina Mendoza Cabrera. Opening a valve In France, one of Europes worst-hit countries, Macron said in a televised address the epidemic there was beginning to steady (and) hope is returning. However, he said a strict lockdown in force since March 17 would continue until May 11 after which schools and businesses could gradually reopen at a progressive rate. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told his citizens they must endure a little longer as he also extended a lockdown in key cities saying: We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. And in Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recovering after three days in intensive care with the virus, officials warned the peak was still to come and the lockdown there was likely to endure. In countries seen as further along in the epidemic, life was very gradually beginning the long process of returning to normal, with officials handing out masks to commuters returning to work in Spain. Its wonderful because its so necessary and it helps those of us who have to use public transport, said office worker Jose Antonio Cruces. Italy will reopen some bookshops and laundries on a trial basis Tuesday, as the number of critically ill patients dropped for the 10th straight day despite the death toll topping 20,000. Cuomo stressed that rebooting New Yorks economy was a delicate balance, likening it to opening a valve. Its not going to be, we flip the switch, and everybody comes out of their house, gets in their car, waves and hugs each other, and the economy will start. And World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned control measures must be lifted slowly, noting that coronavirus was 10 times deadlier than the 2009-10 swine flu outbreak. Australia and New Zealand appeared to be heeding the warning, steeling their citizens for longer restrictions, despite some success in flattening the virus curve. Weve been relatively successful I dont want to squander that success or the sacrifices New Zealanders have made, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when asked when the lockdown would be eased. But there were cautionary tales that the virus is not easily defeated. In China, where the outbreak first reared its head and the government says it has largely curbed the spread of the virus, officials announced scores of new imported infections. SOURCE: AFP SEATTLE, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmefex, Sync.MD and X-CELLSYSTEM, all U.S. companies based in the state of Washington, have formed an alliance to provide an urgently needed resource for our nation's ability to Open Our Country. Being the first in the nation to design the full end-to-end system of getting people back to work, this alliance of forward-thinking companies just completed the comprehensive demonstration of our approach which can be used as a model for the entire country and beyond. We call our integrated approach ImmuID. The program is designed to accelerate the speed at which large numbers of employees can safely return to work in confidence that they have already mounted an immune response to COVID-19. ImmuID is a unique and proprietary system with three key differentiators: A risk assessment algorithm based on twenty-five years of public health experience in assuring the safety of donated blood A state-of-the-art test for the presence of antibodies to COVID-19 A secure, HIPAA-compliant, user-friendly platform for storing and sharing test results and a certificate indicating immunity. X-CELLSYSTEM Founder and CEO Linda S. Barnes notes, "We saw the need for adaptive and innovative approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping our society get back to work, safely and responsibly." "It is precisely those who have been exposed to the virus, and have developed immunity, who can protect vulnerable colleagues who are still at risk of infection. Our systematic risk-based approach can avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases until we have other, more robust tools, like a vaccine." "We created the Sync.MD platform to solve critical issues our healthcare system faces daily in a variety of care coordination scenarios," said Eugene Luskin, CEO. "It is being used today by leading hospitals and physicians and is trusted by patients. The COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need to apply our proprietary technology to support full and efficient flow of data on screening, antibody testing and certificate issuance. This alliance with X-CELLSYSTEM and Pharmefex brings together, with VYRTY's Sync.MD, all the elements required to help get our country back to work." "Our mission at Pharmefex is to use our decades of experience in biological sciences and engineering to develop creative yet robust solutions to complex problems in a regulated environment. We are proud to play a role in helping our nation to re-emerge safely, quickly and efficiently," Said Ali Siahpush, President and Founder of Pharmefex. The ImmuID process has the following steps. 1. Employers request that their employees volunteer to participate in completing a risk assessment protocol and, where results indicate appropriate, have blood drawn and analyzed. Costs are borne by the employer (potentially with support by public funding). 2. Employees can opt-in voluntarily following informed consent protocols. Participating employers guarantee that employees who decline to participate will not have their employment status adversely affected. 3. Participating employees agree to all terms and conditions and then complete a confidential electronic questionnaire that serves to assess likelihood of exposure to COVID-19. In instances where an individual's responses indicate a likelihood of current COVID-19 infection, that would trigger an immediate recommendation to check with the appropriate health care provider. 4. Following completion of the questionnaire, employees may be scheduled for a blood draw. Blood samples are analyzed for presence of antibodies that indicate immunity to COVID-19. 5. When the analyses of blood sample and questionnaire responses are complete, employees are sent the ImmuID Certificate via their smart phones, using the secure Sync-MD app. This will include a readily recognized visual symbol that the employee can hold up and show on the smart phone. Employees also have the option to send the detailed results to their health care provider via secure digital transmission. The employer also receives an ImmuID Certificate for consideration to return the employee to work. The ImmuID Certificate indicates that there is evidence of exposure to COVID-19 and that there is evidence of an immune response to the virus that causes the disease. ImmuID enables employers to expedite return to work of employees without putting other employees, supervisors, vendors, customers, etc. at risk. ImmuID also provides employees with confidence that by returning to work they are not putting themselves or family members in jeopardy of becoming infected. For more information, press only: Cecilia Zapata-Harms Office: (206)602-3541 [email protected] For more information on Product: www.ImmuID.com Disclaimer: This test has not been reviewed by the FDA. Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in those who have been in contact with the virus. Follow-up testing with a molecular diagnostic should be considered to rule out infection in these individuals. Results from antibody testing should not be used as the sole basis to diagnose or exclude SARS-CoV-2 infection or to inform infection status. Positive results may be due to past or present infection with non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains, such as coronavirus HKU1, NL63, OC43, or 229E. SOURCE Sync.MD Related Links http://www.ImmuID.com [April 13, 2020] Traditional PC Shipments Saw a Sharp Decline in Q1 2020 Despite Increased Demand to Meet Remote Work and School Needs, According to IDC The global traditional PC market, comprised of desktops, notebooks, and workstations, declined 9.8% year over year in the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20), reaching a total of 53.2 million shipments according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. The stark decline after a year of growth in 2019 was the result of reduced supply due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, the world's largest supplier of PCs. While production capacity in January was pretty much on par with past years, the extended closure of factories in February and the slow resumption of manufacturing along with difficulties in logistics and labor towards the end of the quarter led to a reduction of supply. Meanwhile, demand rose during the quarter as many employees needed to upgrade their PCs to work from home and consumers sought gaming PCs to keep themselves entertained. "Though supply of new PCs was somewhat limited during the quarter, a few vendors and retailers were able to keep up with the additional demand as the threat of increased tariffs last year led to some inventory stockpiling at the end of 2019," said Jitesh Ubrani research manager for IDC's Mobile Device Trackers. "However, this bump in demand may be short lived as many fear the worst is yet to come and this could lead to both consumers and businesses tightening spending in the coming months." "IDC believes there will be longstanding positive consequences once the dust settles," said Linn Huang, research vice president, Devices and Displays at IDC. "Businesses that once primarily kept their users on campus will have to invest in remote infrastructure, at the very least, for continuity purposes. Consumers stuck at home have had to come to terms with how important it is to keep tech up to date. This should provide a steady, long-range tailwind for PC and monitor markets, among other categories." Regional Highlights Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ): Traditional PC shipments posted a double-digit decline in 1Q20. The closure of factories in China due to the COVID-19 outbreak resulted in a supply-side disruption throughout the region, while demand was impacted severely in China due to the suspension of business activities in the most affected provinces. As the pandemic spread throughout the world, most of the Asia/Pacific countries progressed into a partial or full closure by the second half of March, with non-essential activities suspended and business operations halted. Even though there was a short-term spike in demand for PCs due to work from home and e-learning, IDC expects a significant negative impact on demand, extending several months or even quarters. Canada: The Traditional PC market posted growth for the 15th consecutive quarter with several vendors managing to capitalize in these unique times. Strategic purchases for Windows 10 upgrades, government year-end, and to counteract possible component shortages were quickly consumed by the rush to address working and learning from home. Inventory levels in all areas of the channel have been decimated to meet this demand. As many retail locations and businesses close the need to replenish, inventory will fade as will the ability to receive goods through all levels of the supply chain and channel. Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA): Traditional PC shipments saw a single-digit year-over-year decline after three consecutive quarters of growth, driven by both desktops and notebooks. The lower than expected performance is attributed to the global pandemic. Despite strong PC demand from SMBs and an additional surge in demand for notebooks stemming from work or study at home amidst severe lockdown across the region, a constrained supply chain was primarily responsible for the decline. Japan: Commercial and consumer markets were expected to mark strong growth in 1Q20, led by demands for Windows 10 migration. However, the supply chain constraints created by COVID-19 drove the overall Japan PC market into a decline. Latin America: The Traditional PC market showed a slightly more pronounced contraction than expected. The biggest contractions were reflected in notebook devices, in both the consumer and commercial segments, due to important deliveries (principally for education and government deals) that had been postponed. United States: While the Traditional PC market saw growth for much of 2019, the first quarter of 2020 produced a significant drop in shipments in the US. Current volume estimates show a year-over-year decline of 4%, which would mark this as the lowest quarterly shipment volume seen in more than a decade. While the desktop market is expected to maintain low single digit year-over-year growth, the notebook market is expected to contract by upwards of 8%. Company Highlights Lenovo (News - Alert) once again managed to capture the leading position despite declining 4.3% during the quarter. Excluding the Asia/Pacific region and Japan, the company managed to grow across all the other regions thanks to increased demand stemming from new work from home policies. HP Inc. finished the quarter in second place while declining 13.8% year over year during the quarter. Despite the company's scale and brand recognition, it was unable to secure enough supply during the quarter leading to a slight reduction in share. Dell (News - Alert) Technologies once again ranked third overall. This was a rather successful quarter for the company as it was one of the few companies that managed to grow during the quarter-up 1.1% year over year-thanks to strong relationships with the supply chain. Acer (News - Alert) Group rose to fourth place with close to 3.4 million units shipped in the quarter. By pulling in inventory ahead of the shutdown in February, the company was able to negate some of the ill effects of the supply disruption. A strong gaming portfolio as well as success in the Chromebook market helped the company rise up the ranks. Apple (News - Alert) saw its Mac volumes decline by 20.7% year over year, one of the largest drops in recent history as almost all of its manufacturing is based in China and the company was one of the hardest hit by the shutdown of factories. Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Traditional PC Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q1 2020 (Preliminary results, shipments are in thousands of units) Company 1Q20 Shipments 1Q20 Market Share 1Q19 Shipments 1Q19 Market Share 1Q20/1Q19 Growth 1. Lenovo 12,830 24.1% 13,413 22.7% -4.3% 2. HP Inc. 11,701 22.0% 13,573 23.0% -13.8% 3. Dell Technologies 10,495 19.7% 10,379 17.6% 1.1% 4. Acer Group 3,364 6.3% 3,733 6.3% -9.9% 5. Apple 3,092 5.8% 3,896 6.6% -20.7% Others 11,757 22.1% 14,019 23.8% -16.1% Total 53,238 100.0% 59,013 100.0% -9.8% Source (News - Alert): IDC Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, April 13, 2020 Notes: Some IDC estimates prior to financial earnings reports. Data for all companies are reported for calendar periods. Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold. Traditional PCs include Desktops, Notebooks, and Workstations and do not include Tablets or x86 Servers. Detachable Tablets and Slate Tablets are part of the Personal Computing Device Tracker but are not addressed in this press release. In addition to the table above, a graphic illustrating worldwide market share for the top 5 Traditional PC companies over the previous five quarters is available by viewing this press release on IDC.com. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker gathers detailed market data in over 90 countries. The research includes historical and forecast trend analysis among other data. For more information, or to subscribe to the research, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or [email protected]. About IDC Trackers IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, company share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. Click here to learn about IDC's full suite of data products and how you can leverage them to grow your business. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights: http://bit.ly/IDCBlog_Subscribe. All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005417/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced on Tuesday night that a probe has been ordered to find out who spread the rumour that trains will be run to take migrant workers back to their states. "I have ordered an investigation into the rumour that claimed trains to take migrants back home. Those found guilty of sparking such rumours will be dealt severely invoking the fullest force of law. #ZeroToleranceForRumours, Deshmukh tweeted. More than 1,000 migrant workers, who are stuck in Mumbai for the last three weeks, gathered in Bandra around 3 PM on Tuesday, demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the coronavirus lockdown till May 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DMCC, a leading free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, is accelerating its digital outreach to support its member companies and attract new business to Dubai. For the first time, DMCC successfully hosted its flagship Made for Trade Live international roadshow event virtually with business leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, seeking to learn more about setting up a company in Dubai. This year and through virtual roadshows, DMCC will showcase its free zone offering in key markets including: China, the UK, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine, a statement said. Now more than ever, it is crucial to stay connected to our international prospects and our existing community. Today, we have a fully-fledged digital strategy that meets the needs of the business community, both at home and internationally. We are proud to bring Made For Trade Live roadshows and these educational webinars to market, attracting an even larger audience and providing real value to our member companies and the business community as a whole, said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC. During the session, DMCC highlighted the benefits of setting up a business in Dubai, and specifically in DMCC, for companies seeking to establish an international footprint and drive trade. In light of the current circumstances, questions from the audience ranged from the type of support offered to SMEs to questions on the dynamics of virtual offices. DMCCs executives emphasised their range of flexible office solutions before discussing the ways in which DMCC is supporting their member companies and new firms through their new, highly attractive Business Support Package. Since its inception, DMCC has attracted over 5,000 businesses from 17 cities around the globe to its series of international roadshows. The outreach programme brings together business leaders and organisations looking to expand their home base and offers them insights into the commercial appeal of Dubai and the opportunities the city offers for growth in the region and beyond. DMCC will continue to further support and attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Dubai in line with the eight principles of the Fifty-Year Charter announced earlier by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. DMCC is also hosting an array of educational webinars for their 17,000 member companies. Having historically supported member companies on various topics through face-to-face events, the new webinar series are delivered in collaboration with industry experts and cover a variety of topics to help businesses with day-to-day operations as well as overall business strategy. Subjects to be covered include the impact of the latest VAT guidelines, business planning in times of uncertainty and success through digitisation. Over recent years, DMCC has implemented a digital first agenda, providing smart solutions allowing member companies to access a wide range of business services from any device, anytime and anywhere. Company set up in DMCC is now fully digital. In line with Smart Dubai 2021, DMCCs digital strategy is bringing value to member companies through the latest technological advancements. In March, DMCC rolled out a Business Support Package which provides a range of waivers and discounts to support DMCCs business community in navigating the current economic environment, the statement said. Thiruvananthapuram, April 14 : Kerala Health Minister K.K.Shailaja on Tuesday said that there were eight new coronavirus positive cases, taking the total number presently under treatment to 173. Of the new cases, five came from Middle East, while 13 positive patients who turned negative was discharged. In all, those presently affected and cured cases stands at 384. "Today there are 1,06,511 under observation at homes and 564 at various hospitals in the state," said Shailaja. In the past few days, the total number of those in observation has been coming down steadily as at one point of time early this month, there were over 1.80 lakh people under observation in homes. Teachers today demanded clarity from the government over 'disturbing' suggestions about reopening schools . The National Education Union (NEU) has written to ministers asking to see the government's evidence on the impact of allowing pupils back. It warned acting too early in the coronavirus crisis will result in an 'increased risk' to staff and children, and could 'undermine people's resolve to stick to social isolation'. The alarm comes after headteachers suggested that schools should reopen for a period before the summer holidays - rather than in September - if scientific evidence says it is safe to do so. Schools in England closed more than three weeks ago to the majority of pupils, apart from the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils, due to the coronavirus outbreak. There is no indication yet as to when they may be able to reopen but the NEU is concerned that the idea is being pushed by 'unnamed Government ministers'. The National Education Union (NEU) has written to ministers asking to see the government's evidence on the impact of allowing pupils back. Pictured, a child of key workers at Oldfield Brow Primary in Altrincham last week The union - which represents 450,000 teachers and lecturers and it the largest in Europe - is calling on Mr Johnson to consider the increased number of cases and mortalities among children, parents and teachers if schools were to be reopened. The letter, from joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, says: 'Our members are disturbed, however, by increasing media speculation that schools will soon be reopened. 'We consider this speculation to be most unhelpful: it may undermine people's resolve to stick to social isolation.' The union warned it would be 'foolhardy' to assume any social distancing can be implemented in schools. The letter also called on Mr Johnson to clarify whether there are any plans to establish regular testing of children and staff, increase access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and enhance cleaning as these areas are all 'experiencing severe difficulties'. It adds: 'Given that an early return to full school populations will mean an increased risk to our members and the children in their care, we are writing to ask you to share your modelling, evidence and plans.' Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is understood to be deeply concerned about how school closures are affecting pupil progress. Sources said he does not want schools reopened until it is safe, but is worried about the lack of pupil-teacher interaction. It comes after Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director for Public Health England (PHE), suggested that one of the first lockdown measures to be lifted could be school closures. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Friday, he said: 'We do know that children are at very low risk of getting complications from this disease. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is understood to be deeply concerned about how school closures are affecting pupil progress 'The importance of children's education, children being in school, is paramount. 'I could conceive of circumstances in which some of the restrictions are lifted sooner and some are lifted later.' Last week, a study led by researchers at University College London indicated that school closures do not appear to have a significant effect on the spread of infections during outbreaks such as Covid-19. Researchers found that school closures alone were predicted to reduce deaths by around 2% to 4% amid the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK, which is less than other social distancing measures. Thats the critical thing here. Because some of the early decisions made in China, and also here in the United States, I think, were significant in slowing down the spread of this virus. The 195 passengers who were flown out of Wuhan and then put into quarantine at that Air Force base in Southern California that was important. I mean, we had not had a mandatory quarantine like that in this country since smallpox, 60 years ago. The reason that those were important decisions was because they slowed the spread of the virus and bought time. So the big question is, what do you do with the time that was bought? We had modeling numbers based on the federal governments own data that, if this turned into a moderate sort of pandemic, which it looked like it was, heres what you were going to need: this many hospital beds, this many ICU beds, this many ventilators, this many masks for personal protective equipment. Their own data. And yet, what surprised me, and I think a lot of people in the public health community, was that that wasnt acted upon. You bought the time, you know what you need to do, and then, for some reason, those things didnt connect. Its reasonable to expect that the federal government will act on that data. A recent report from the Reason Foundation walks the reader through a calculation of Arizonas complicated school finance formula, pointing out a number of funding inequities. It then sets forth 16 policy recommendations to change the funding system. David R. Garcia, a professor at Arizona State University, reviewed A Roadmap to Fix Arizona School Finance: Steering the Grand Canyon State Toward Fairness and Innovation in K-12 Education. He determined that it lacks the necessary analyses of impact to make its many policy recommendations useful. The report begins by describing how Arizonas lowest-income school districts receive less funding from state and local sources than higher-income school districts. As is the case in many states, Arizonas school districts with lower property wealth have higher tax rates and generate less revenue than higher property wealth school districts. The report then sets forth the 16 far-ranging policy recommendations that its author argues will improve the transparency, equity, and effectiveness of Arizonas school finance system . . . Collectively, these recommendations would amount to a fundamental overhaul of Arizonas school finance system. Yet the report is not a credible policy document because it does not provide any assessment of the impact of any of the recommendations. To illustrate, Professor Garcia calculates this impact for two of the policy recommendations, demonstrating how they would decrease Arizonas already meager per-pupil expenditures. Further, the reports policy usefulness is undermined by the lack of coordination among the many policy recommendations, which may entice legislators to pick and choose which recommendations to implement and which to ignore. Professor Garcia concludes that this would lend itself to the exact type of piecemeal approach that created Arizonas inequitable school finance formula in the first place. Find the review, by David R. Garcia, at: https://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/az-school-finance Find A Roadmap to Fix Arizona School Finance: Steering the Grand Canyon State Toward Fairness and Innovation in K-12 Education, written by Christian Barnard and published by the Reason Foundation, at: https://reason.org/wp-content/uploads/roadmap-to-fix-arizona-school-finance.pdf NEPC Reviews (http://thinktankreview.org) provide the public, policymakers, and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. NEPC Reviews are made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Visit us at: https://nepc.colorado.edu Amazon is hiring another 75,000 employees. This week Amazon announced it is hiring the new workers on top of the 100,000 additional workers it has hired over the last few weeks. "We continue to see increased demand as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire, creating an additional 75,000 jobs to help serve customers during this unprecedented time, the company said in a press release. Of the first 100,000 people hired, about 1,900 were hired in Pennsylvania to join Amazons workforce in Pennsylvania, which numbers around 10,000. Amazon expects to hire more than 2,400 new employees in Pennsylvania as part of the 75,000 additional new roles across the country. Amazon says that more than 500 new employees will be hired in the Harrisburg-Carlisle region. READ MORE: Amazon has a facility on Ames Drive. The range of jobs available in Pennsylvania include picking, packing, and shipping customer orders and delivering packages from delivery stations. The positions start with a minimum pay of $17 per hour through the end of April, which is an increase of $2 per hour since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Amazon. The company also said that full-time and some part-time positions come with company benefits. Amazon says it has a broad range of scheduling options. The company is holding virtual new hire orientation sessions, and providing training and information through online sessions. Those interested in applying for jobs at Amazon can apply here: www.amazon.com/jobsnow. --Sign up for PennLives newsletters 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. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness The National Pension Scheme (NPS) for central and state government employees, among others, needs to be modified so that a large part of the contributory fund, which is currently invested in the market, can be made available to governments to supplement their fight against COVID-19, said an employees' federation. Since January 2004, the Centre and state governments have implemented a share-market based pension system for their employees, including the ones in autonomous organisations, president of the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme's (NMOPS) Delhi unit Manjeet Singh Patel said. The non-profit organisation has over 13 lakh government employees as its members. He said the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has Rs 3.41 lakh crore assets under management in form of contributions from the central and state government, and their employees as on January 31. There are around 67.76 lakh subscribers of the NPS, 20.82 lakh in the central government and 46.93 lakh in state governments, Patel said quoting the PFRDA data. He said his organisation demands that the central and the state governments should come out with relevant legislations to modify this NPS, where both the employees and employer contribute certain sum of money, close on the lines of the Old Pension Scheme. The old scheme allows contribution of a definite amount of basic salary of the employees into the government's treasury by declaring it as general provident fund (GPF). The GPF, which would be in many crores of rupees, can then be used by the central and state governments to supplement their fight against COVID 19, as the amount will be with their respective treasuries which are under their control and free from the risk of the stock market, said Patel, who works with the Delhi government. For many years, the NPS is being criticised by some associations of central and state government employees and many protests have been held by them demanding restoration of a guaranteed older pension system for old age social economical security, he said. The NMOPS, formed to oppose the NPS system, is working actively in more than 16 states and union territories, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 13:03:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 839 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Loop Insights Inc. ( TSX.V: MTRX) (the "Company" or "Loop")-a provider of transformative artificial intelligence solutions to brick and mortar retailers- announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and intends to enter into a joint venture partnership, with Frontier Technology to access the lucrative Indonesian retail market.Frontier Technology's large network of clients opens up doors to several large-scale industries, including healthcare, convenience and retail chains, restaurant and hospitality chains, and smart city projects.Loop expects several revenue streams from these large-scale possibilities. In this market, Loop's re-seller distribution model will ensure the company is positioned for fast scalability, while maintaining an agile and low-cost operating structure. Its revenue share business model will also ensure a very strong, consistent revenue flow. With Indonesia's expanding population of nearly 256 million, Loop anticipates high engagement with the rapidly growing mobile-friendly market; and therefore, a high ARPU (average revenue per user) opportunity.Frontier Technology CEO Victor Rindanaung said: "Our clients are in search of transformative, cloud-based solutions-Covid-19 has turned this into an immediate need. Loop has demonstrated to us that their products offer our clients a low-cost, high-return solution to future proof their business. Loop's contactless ID verification platform and wallet pass technology is particularly disruptive, and we are very excited to bring it to the Indonesian market together." IDC (International Data Corporation) Indonesia sees 2020 as a major year for ICT spending as digital transformation awareness is increasing. The information technology (IT) spending alone, excluding communication spending, is expected to reach US$11.9 billion in 2020.Loop Insights CEO Rob Anson commented: "Loop is 100% focused on the execution and deployment of our products on a global scale. We intend to fully support and leverage Frontier Technology's network of clients to gain instant traction in the Indonesian market-one that is very mobile-driven and hosts a large population of users. This opportunity with Frontier Technology is a major development for Loop and marks the first of many global partnerships to come." About Frontier Technology: Frontier Technology, a division of the Frontier Consulting Group, connects clients to innovative technologies to increase sales and achieve growth targets. The Company is experiencing rapid expansion in Indonesia due to its founders' (Handi Irawan and Fandy Santoso) strong reputations in the industry-and is on its way to becoming the leading provider of digital marketing solutions in Asia.About Loop Insights: Loop Insights Inc. ( TSX.V: MTRX) is a Vancouver-based technology company that provides transformative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to level the playing field between brick and mortar retailers and their online competition. Particularly, Loop's technology aggregates online and on-premise data to enable real-time, data-driven marketing decisions for enhanced customer experience. To close the consumer loop, the Company provides retailers and brands complete, real-time redemption metrics-something that does not exist in the brick and mortar environment today. Loop's products integrate with clients' existing legacy systems, which supports a seamless and convenient digital transformation.LOOP Insights Inc.Soy Garipoglu, Manager, IRT: 778-990-8985E: ir@ loopinsights.ca CHF Capital MarketsCathy Hume, CEOT: 416-868-1079 x 231E: cathy@ chfir.com LOOP Website: www.loopinsights.ai Facebook: @LoopInsightsTwitter: @LoopInsightsLinkedIn: @LoopInsightsForward-Looking Statements/Information:This news release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Loop's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and competition from other industry participants, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Loop believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Loop does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of Loop should be considered highly speculative. There can be no assurance that Loop will be able to achieve all or any of its proposed objectives.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: LOOP Insights Inc. Mermaids are scantily clad at the best of times, meaning that trying to censor mermaid movie Splash was always going to be a big ask. Nonetheless, with the classic fish out of water romance now on Disney+, it appears that the Mouse House was keen to make the movie a tad more Universal than PG. Read more: Little Mermaid and Lion King animator dies at 91 As such, it's using an edited cut of the film, in which one scene has employed CGI to cover Daryl Hannah's bum as she head's back into the sea. But sadly its more Cousin Itt than Avatar. Splash (Credit: Touchstone Pictures) Disney+ didn't want butts on their platform so they edited Splash with digital fur technology pic.twitter.com/df8XE0G9om Allison Pregler (@AllisonPregler) April 13, 2020 The 1984 movie found Tom Hanks' fruit and veg wholesaler Allen Bauer falling in love with Hannah's mermaid, Madison. A second scene, with Madison nude at the Statue of Liberty has also been (rather clumsily) airbrushed too. Splash (Credit: Touchstone Pictures) Thanks to such flashes of flesh, the movie was released as a PG at the time. IMDb reads: There are many scenes of nudity in this movie, mostly female, but in one case male as well. This movie nevertheless gets a PG rating because the nudity is all non-sexual nudity, and it is all essential to the plot. All parts of the body are visible at one point or another except for pubic areas or genitalia, which we never see clearly. Read more: New Pixar movie Soul moved to November Indeed, the newly-launched Disney platform pre-warns: This film has been modified from its original version. It has been edited for content. It's not the only content that Disney has been reconsidered for release on its streaming platform. The controversial Jim Crow scene in the original Dumbo has been removed, as has an off-colour casting couch joke from Toy Story 2. Meanwhile, the We Are Siamese song from Lady And The Tramp is missing from the live-action remake, with another song replacing it. Vietnams Health Ministry confirmed three new cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday evening, including two from a cluster in a Hanoi village and one imported case in the north-central province of Ha Tinh. Two of the new cases are women, aged 60 and 24, from Ha Loi Village in Me Linh District, Hanoi. They were sampled on April 11 and the results came back positive for COVID-19 on April 13. The patients are now treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District. Ha Loi Village has been locked down since April 7, as at least 12 cases have been traced back to this place to date. The village has 2,711 households with a population of 11,077, according to government figures. The third patient is a 26-year-old Vietnamese man who traveled from Thailand to Vietnam via Cha Lo Border Gate in the north-central province of Quang Binh on March 23. He was brought to a quarantine camp in Ha Tinh Province after his arrival and was sampled on April 8 and 12. The results returned positive for COVID-19. He is now receiving treatment at Cau Treo Hospital in Ha Tinh. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.92 million people and killed more than 119,600 globally as of Tuesday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has confirmed 265 COVID-19 cases in total, with 145 having recovered. The country has yet to record a death from the disease. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A private hospital and a diagnostic centre were ordered shut and 20 staff members at government-run KGMU here quarantined after coming in contact with a coronavirus patient, officials said on Tuesday. The quarantined doctors and paramedics at King George's Medical University tested negative for the virus, a hospital statement said. The staff members at the two private facilities have also been asked to home quarantine themselves. Initially, KGMU sources said 65 staff members 13 of them doctors -- were asked to go into quarantine. However, the hospital later said only the 20 who came in direct contact with the 65-year-old patient are in quarantine. Now only these 20 people have been kept in quarantine. Rest 45 who were not in direct contact have been discharged," the statement, issued later in the day, said. The diabetes patient visited Lucknow's Medwell Hospital, complaining of fever and cough, over a week ago. He was told to get an X-ray done, for which he went to Charak Diagnostic Centre. As the man's condition deteriorated and he complained of breathlessness, he was brought to the KGMU trauma centre on Saturday. He then came under the treatment of the hospital's neurology department. Later, he tested positive for coronavirus and was sent to the isolation ward. Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said the KGMU staff members had tested negative but will remain in quarantine as a precautionary measure. Chief Medical Officer Dr Narendra Agarwal on Monday wrote to the private hospital and the diagnostic centre, asking them to shut all operations. He also asked them to provide a full list of their staff members who attended to the patient, so that they can be tested. "Ensure that all staff of the centre be kept in home quarantine for 14 days," the letter read. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By staying outdoors and away from others, surfers should be relatively free from coronavirus concerns while waiting for their waves, but mixed messages about safety are troubling the surfing community as much as the rest of us. Just as people in the United States, who had been told masks were ineffective, are now instructed to wear them in order to slow the spread of the virus, so surfers who thought they would be safe by keeping their distance at the beach are now hearing otherwise. More beaches in the United States and Australia are closing to enforce social distancing, with police guarding the shores from surfers who try to defy lockdown rules. In Japan, however, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state of emergency declaration on April 7 hasn't encouraged surfers to put their boards away. A surf shop owner in Kanagawa Prefecture said he intends to keep his surf school open, but is cleaning it diligently to limit the spread of the virus. "I disinfect the space regularly using alcohol solution and keep the number of students to a minimum," he said. But experts like Kimberly Prather, an atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, warn surfers the coronavirus can travel fast and far on an ocean breeze. Prather ignited a firestorm of controversy when she said in a recent Los Angeles Times article the 6-feet (1.8-meter) physical distancing rule doesn't apply at the beach. "If it's windy, the exhaled virus will travel farther than 6 feet. That rule only applies for still air or indoors. If a surfer is exhaling, the virus in those droplets could remain airborne and infectious for hours," Prather said. - Kyodo The popular free video conferencing application Zoom is now officially off-limits to Defense Department personnel due to increased security concerns, even as military officials are encouraging increased telework during the coronavirus pandemic. Service members, contractors and civilians can no longer use Zoom in an official capacity, said Air Force Lt. Col Robert Carver, a Pentagon spokesman. Voice of America was first to report the ban on Friday following a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigations last week stating the video meeting app has seen an uptick in uninvited participants infiltrating sessions -- a phenomenon known as "Zoombombing." "The department requires our workforce only use DoD-approved platforms when conducting official business," Carver said in a statement to Military.com Monday. Carver said that DoD users may not host meetings using Zoom's free or commercial offerings, but can use "Zoom for Government." Related: Army Follows Pentagon Guidance, Bans TikTok The reason Zoom for Government can be used is because it's been issued a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) provisional authorization, he said. According to FedRAMP, the program manages and matures information technology, standardizing practices with increased security for government agencies. With the addition of FedRAMP, Zoom for Government is allowed, but only to transmit or discuss "publicly-releasable DoD information not categorized as For Official Use Only," Carver added. Individuals are still free to access whatever applications they'd like on personal devices such as cell phones and computers. While conducting official business, however, only DoD-authorized devices or approved platforms are acceptable, he said. Additionally, there are a number of teleworking tools DoD personnel can use for collaborating on official business, such as Milsuite.mil, Global Video Services Unclassified, or GVS-U, among others. A full list can be found here. Zoom has sharply risen in popularity since the spread of coronavirus ended group gatherings forced many to work from home. But schools and businesses using the platform have lately issued their own warnings stating that "zoom raiders" have begun infiltrating meetings with malicious intent. The New York Times this month reported multiple instances of online abuse, ranging from unwanted pornographic images to instances of verbal harassment. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Read more: In the IRR? The Military May Want You Back Lara Logan has opened up about a brutal sexual assault that saw her raped by a mob of men in Egypt while covering the resignation of Hosni Mubarak for CBS News in 2011. The former 60 Minutes correspondent was at the peak of her career in 2011 when she was the victim of gang rape while covering the Arab Spring demonstrations from Cairo's Tahrir Square. 'People were celebrating. It seemed a pro-American crowd. Suddenly, our translator turned to me with a look of sheer terror and said, 'Run, run!' I felt people grabbing between my legs. I was quite stunned. Our security, Ray Jackson, and the rest of us ran, and others in the crowd were running with us. I thought we were getting away, but some of the men running with us became my rapists,' she told Newsweek. 'Ray told me to stay on my feet and hold onto him,' she said. Lara Logan has spoken about her brutal sex assault in Egypt in 2011 She was reporting from Cairo when a mob of hundreds stripped and violated her Logan told how she became separated from members of her crew after someone in the frenzied 200-strong crowd shouted 'Let's take her pants off.' 'If I was knocked down, I'd die. I fought the assault as best I could for 15 minutes, but they tore all my clothes off and raped me with their hands, with flagpoles and with sticks. They sodomized me over and over. They were fighting for my body. I couldn't hold on to Ray any longer.' Badly beaten, traumatized and in pain, she said she drew strength at one point in the attack by thinking of her two young children. 'There was a moment I gave up, but I kept thinking about my two babies,' Logan continued. Logan was a correspondent for CBS News and 60 Minutes between 2002 and 2018 Logan goes on to describe the horrific nature of the attack in graphic detail. 'It was so hard to breathe; there was so much pressure on my rib cage. They tried to rip my limbs off. I went down and I couldn't get up. It was a mad frenzy for a piece of me. They tried to scalp me with their hands, ripping out clumps of my hair.' Logan tells how she was dragged into an area where women and children had been camped out protesting and who ultimately saved her. 'I landed into the lap of a woman. I was naked and hysterical, and some boys stood between the men and this Egyptian woman. People threw clothing at me. It was amazing I could be so humiliated while so close to death. The moment I thought I was lost was when I lost Ray, but I realized later he went to force the Egyptian army to look for me,' she described to Newsweek. Logan was only rescued when the group of local women brought 20 Egyptian soldiers to her aid. A doctor sedated her at her hotel and she was immediately flown back to the U.S. where she spent a further four days in hospital. Last year, she sued New York magazine for $25 million over an article about the fallout that she claims tarnished her career 'Hillary Clinton acknowledged what happened to me, and President Obama called me personally on the phone to acknowledge it,' Logan said. 'What happened to me is not in dispute.' In her latest venture titled Lara Logan Has No Agenda, Logan is to release a 90-minute special on Fox Nation that explores 'liberal bias' in the media. 'You can't have a #MeToo movement standing up for women and righting the wrongs of the past but say nothing about a female journalist who was gang-raped and almost died,' Logan said. Last year, she sued New York magazine for $25 million over an article about the fallout that she claims tarnished her career. Journalist Lara Logan is pictured in 2006 in Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq Lauren Starke, a spokeswoman for New York magazine, said the 'article was thoroughly vetted and fact-checked, and we stand by our reporting.' CBS News admitted it was misled in Logan's report by a source who claimed he was on the scene of a 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, but whose account was later discredited. Logan later appeared on CBS' 'This Morning' and apologized to viewers, saying it was wrong to include in the report Dylan Davies, a security contractor who claimed he took part in fighting at the mission. Logan claims that a 2014 article in New York magazine about the report contained defamatory statements that hurt her reputation and led to a diminished role at CBS. Logan has since been hired by Fox Nation to create a series of independent style shows called Lara Logan has No Agenda Logan's last '60 Minutes' piece aired in 2018 and her contract was not renewed, according to the lawsuit. 'When someone says I was merely groped, I don't forget. And I don't forgive,' said Logan. 'I could not believe anyone would do that when the truth was known ... What also concerned me was that the truth would be adjusted and then rewritten over time and eventually lost.' 'I did not enjoy reporting on my colleagues and my profession,' Logan said to Newsweek about her upcoming documentary series. Logan's next show will look at the issue of 'liberal bias' in the media 'Journalists make a big deal about looking at stories from all sides, but they don't,' Logan said. 'There's been how many conversations about the bias at Fox? But we don't talk about the liberal bias. Why can't we have that conversation, as well?' 'One of the most significant things I learned over the past three decades is that liberal bias is framed as honest, an imperfect but noble struggle for the truth on one side, not on the other. Then, bias becomes intentional deception. If you're Fox News or talk radio, it's not noble and it's not truth, it's disinformation and propaganda,' Logan notes. 'It's probably the most stressful story I have done in my life, and difficult in many ways. But as my boss at 60 Minutes would say, 'If it was easy, everyone would do it.' Right?' Ukraine reinstates ban on food markets during quarantine 10:00, 14.04.20 11137 The move is a result of multiple violations of epidemiological rules across the country. The challenges facing nursing homes have been top of the agenda at a meeting between the Health Minister Simon Harris and the sector's representatives. Staffing and Personal Protection Equipment are key issues that need to be addressed according to the CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland. Tadhg Daly said the surge in cases is effectively in the sector and they must work to mitigate the spread of the virus. Mr Daly said: "The challenge is to ensure that where there are outbreaks that we up our game, but critically also for the significant majority of homes where there are no outbreaks, that we must remain on call to ensure the safety of the residents in those homes so that we can mitigate the virus at this point in time." It comes as Ireland saw its highest number of deaths in a 24-hour period today. Forty-one people diagnosed with coronavirus in Ireland died, bringing the states total to 406. With an additional 548 new confirmed cases reported by Irish laboratories and 284 confirmed cases reported by a laboratory in Germany, there are now a total of 11,479 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. As of midnight on Monday, some 90,646 tests have been carried out in Ireland. (PA Graphics) Earlier the National Public Health Emergency Team met to continue its ongoing review of the states response to Covid-19. Amongst the issues discussed was the impact of the virus on residential care settings, as well as a strategy to conduct a study to identify the proportion of the population who have ever had coronavirus, regardless of testing. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he remains concerned about the impact on nursing homes and residential care settings. 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 National Public Health Emergency Team is monitoring developments in these facilities and continues to advance supports and actions where needed, he said. From the beginning, we have been aware that vulnerable groups, including the elderly, are at greater risk from this virus. These groups will continue to be our priority. Chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry added: We are not seeing a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in our hospitals or our ICUs over the last number of days, and that is down to the efforts of every individual who has followed advice to stay apart and slow the spread of the virus. To everyone playing their part, the health service is grateful. [snippet1]987600[/snippet1] Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to download the Aarogya Setu app on their smartphones. In his address to the nation today announcing the extension of the lockdown till May 3 across India, he referred to the Aarogya Setu app as a critical link in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the country. Earlier, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that there is a possibility that the Aarogya Setu app could subsequently be used as an e-pass to facilitate travel from one place to another. One would believe this could be a reference to enabling essential travel as the lockdown continues in India, particularly for urgent or essential movement of people. The Aarogya Setu app has been downloaded more than 10,000,000 by Android users from the Google Play Store. It remains at the very top of the popularity listings on the Play Store as well as Apples own App Store for the iPhone family of smartphones. Banks are sending SMSes urging you to download and install the Aarogya Setu app on your phones. Your mobile service provider is doing the same. The Department of Telecom is sending messages. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India is sending messages too. You just cannot miss the existence of the Aarogya Setu app. Your child's school may have also sent a communication urging the entire family to sign ups for the Aarogya Setu app. That is before you even get to Twitter. But why is it such a big deal and why is it being pushed so aggressively? How the Aarogya Setu app started out Let us take a look at the very reason why Aarogya Setu app came into existence. It was designed as a Coronavirus, or COVID-19 contact tracing app that uses the Bluetooth and location tracking technology in phones to note when they are near another user who also has the Aarogya Setu app installed on their phonesand this is consistently happening. This data is then matched and kept, and in case someone you have come in close proximity to is confirmed as infected by the Coronavirus, the health authorities will alert you to get yourself checked. In my understanding, Aaroga Setu app is trying to accomplish two roles - one, is to enforce social distancing using Bluetooth-enabled app-installed devices coming in proximity of each other; and two, a post-facto contact tracing (over say, the last one week or event-based like his departure or arrival from an infected region) if a person is identified COVID-19 positive. In addition, may be used as an COVID-19 information App, says Prof Rajan K S, Head of Lab for Spatial Informatics at IIIT Hyderabad, or International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad. Contact tracing is critical in curbing the Coronavirus spread around the country and indeed around the world. A person who may be infected with the COVID-19 virus may not show any signs or symptoms for as many as 14 days more but can spread the infection in the meantime through cough, for instance. As and when a confirmed COVID case is taken in for treatment, health authorities scramble to track as many people this infected person may have met in the past few days. Apart from potential contact tracing, the Aarogya Setu app does what one would expect in times like theseinform users about the best hygiene, protection and cleanliness practices to protect against the Coronavirus. The data generated from the app could play a key role in the post lockdown strategy of the government. Understanding the hotspots, movements of people can provide swift, data driven policy interventions that could save us precious time, and help us recover better and faster as a country, says Kazim Rizvi, Founder, The Dialogue, an independent policy think tank. Aarogya Setu is an important step in our fight against COVID-19. By leveraging technology, it provides important information. As more and more people use it, its effectiveness will increase. I urge you all to download it.https://t.co/VaiPIjhxM2https://t.co/8Irj6ApmOQ pic.twitter.com/L91vaLlCCq Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 8, 2020 The government is confident, though That is perhaps to be expected. And a part of that surely comes from the fact that Aarogya Setu is popular among smartphone users in India. The Play Store and App Store data surely suggests as much. And parallels are being drawn with the partnership that tech giants Apple and Google announced a few days ago, which confirmed that the two companies are working on integrating tech for contact tracing apps to work better on their phones. India leads the way in contact tracing for COVID-19: privacy-first by design, secure, robust and scalable to billion users. Glad to see Apple and Google joining hands to develop contact tracing on the lines of #AarogyaSetu, said Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Ayog on Twitter. The World Bank has also praised the Aarogya Setu app. Digital technologies can also be used to monitor the spread of Covid-19. Such initiatives, largely voluntary, have been successful in helping combat the pandemic in East Asia. Incentives also can be provided to those who report symptoms. India recently launched an app, Aarogya Setu, that uses location data from persons smartphones to tell users if they have been near someone who tested positive for Covid-19, says the World Banks latest South Economic Focus report. India leads the way in contact tracing for COVID-19: privacy-first by design, secure, robust and scalable to billion users. Glad to see Apple and Google joining hands to develop contact tracing on the lines of #AarogyaSetu @tim_cook @sundarpichai pic.twitter.com/JDoSl0A5Qa Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) April 11, 2020 There are concerns about the privacy policy Head over to the Google Play Store on your Android phone or the App Store on your Apple iPhone, and the application download page of the Aarogya Setu app welcomes you with a rather vague description of what it can and cannot do. The description readsAarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the Government of India to connect essential health services with the people of India in our combined fight against COVID-19. The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Government of India, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19. "Understanding the hotspots, movements of people can provide swift, data driven policy interventions that could save us precious time" - Kazim Rizvi, Founder, The Dialogue Make of it what you will, but it doesnt talk about the potential use of tracking technologies, what data is being collected, where the data is being stored, how secure is the data and what the government intends to do with the data. All this is before the user downloads the Aarogya Setu app. You need to download the app to delve a bit deeper into the Privacy Policy, which reveals a bit more. This App uses Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, GPS and Bluetooth technology to identify a users interaction with other people. The Privacy Policy of the app itself states that it can be used by the Government for the purpose of generating reports, heat maps, and other statistical visualizations for the purpose of the management of COVID-19 in the country, says Virag Gupta, Cyber Law expert and Supreme Court Advocate. Gupta also points out that worryingly, India still doesnt have a Personal Privacy Law which would set down guidelines for how data is collected and stored as well as safeguard against the misuse of the collected data. This App is said to have been developed in 3 weeks, but the government failed to legislate a Privacy Law despite the Puttaswamy judgment given by nine judges of the Supreme Court, many years back. As per existing IT Act and rules, health records are classified as sensitive personal data and need to be secured with the highest level of protection, he says. There is no clarity on this particular clause in the Privacy Policypersonal information may also be shared with such other necessary and relevant persons as may be required in order to carry out necessary medical and administrative interventions. We do not know who these third parties might be, whether only government agencies will have access to this data or whether it may be shared with private entities too. This App is said to have been developed in 3 weeks, but the government failed to legislate a Privacy Law despite the Puttaswamy judgment given by nine judges of the Supreme Court, many years back" - Virag Gupta, Cyber Law expert and Supreme Court Advocate The Privacy Policy says that this one-time data is stored on the server/cloud, anonymized and a unique ID generated (DiD), which is then used for all the transactions. Two other points to note are that the data is stored on the device till the user is identified as positive; and that data older than 30 days are purged both on the device and on the cloud, if any, says Prof Rajan K S. And genuine concerns about social stigma Prof Rajan K S does point out the possibility of stigmatization, signs of which we are already seeing in the instances of harassment of doctors and health workers. Personal privacy point of view, what is disturbing is the open-ended wording on sharing the personal data (once identified as positive) with other necessary and relevant persons. And how these persons or agencies will use them. Any stigmatization of individuals publicly may infringe on individual rights and needs to be guarded, he says. "Any stigmatization of individuals publicly may infringe on individual rights and needs to be guarded" - Prof Rajan K S, Head of Lab for Spatial Informatics at IIIT Hyderabad Is it more than just a contact tracing app and is it here to stay? There is a definite opinion that we will not see the back of the Aarogya Setu app once the world is a better place and the Coronavirus is gone. The PMs hints at this being used to facilitate travel during the lockdown could also be an indication at a much wider scope for the app, in the post-COVID world. This creeping expansion of uses is unsurprising, especially when the official purpose described on the App Store has been notoriously vague. Also, the governments 3rd April Circular already revealed that the government was moving towards a centralized Citizen App that would be used for a range of COVID-19 related purposes, says Amba Kak, Director (Global Strategy & Programs) at the AI Now Institute at the New York University. The circular that Kak is referring to talks about creating a single nation-wide technology platform for on-boarding all citizensthe timely peg being it will be a powerful tool in fighting a pandemic. The 7-member committee includes Chairman of TRAI R.S. Sharma, Mahindra & Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra and N. Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons. This creeping expansion of uses is unsurprising, especially when the official purpose described on the App Store has been notoriously vague" - Amba Kak, Director (Global Strategy & Programs) at the AI Now Institute, NYU Anivar Aravind, the Founder Executive Director of Indic Project believes that the latest push as a travel facilitator comes because the previous attempts to popularize this app didnt really do the job. Since pushing their solution to states is failed, now we are seeing integrating same idea of e-passes for data capture for limited mobility scenario due to #covid19 via Arogya Setu, using PMO, Niti Ayog access, he says in a tweet. He also says that, Travel industry solutionism for smartphone users is now getting integrated with e-passes for travel during health emergencies violating both citizens rights and federal structure, and says that we should expect more identity integrations and also more protocol integrations for limited mobility. Aarogya Setu and WeChat in China: Are there any similarities? Are there any parallels with how China uses apps including WeChat to enable the access to multiple services, including travel permissions? The Chinese government has used the WeChat app as well for colour coded health tags to all citizens, which allowed authorities to enable movement and access to services as and when required. China is using colour coding patterns to identify individuals and their proximity to a COVID affected area. WeChat also has features where users have to input their temperature at certain times during the day. This App presently requires name, gender, age, profession and travel history. As it uses Bluetooth and location data, it can surely become a facilitator for travel in the post COVID world, says Gupta. Weve seen similar mobility applications in China. Various health code apps have been developed by local authorities where an algorithm gives users a color code (green or red) based on a questionnaire and location tracking. This decides whether you can enter your workplace, or leave city and state borders, says Kak. The Chinese government has used the WeChat app as well for colour coded health tags to all citizens, which allowed authorities to enable movement and access to services as and when required. The specific concerns of Aarogya Setu, particularly as a travel facilitator, is causing more privacy queries. People's lives can be at the mercy of non-transparent systems that don't allow you to understand, let alone question, their decisions. In China, there have been reports of complaints that peoples health code apps are flipping between green and red with no explanation. A false positive in this app can impact your ability to work, earn a living, or care for family, warns Kak. Rizvi believes that the Aarogya Setu app will not be used like how WeChat is used in China, simply because India is a democratic country governed by rule of law. The right to Privacy has been enshrined as a fundamental right after the Puttaswamy judgement. The judgement lays down the principles of proportionality and necessity as conditions precedent for processing of data. We may argue that the pandemic is one of those situations where community interests are a priority. That being said, this does not waive the fundamental right to privacy, he says. The matter of consent and the challenges in times of a pandemic Contact tracing apps are being used in many countries already, including China, Singapore and Vietnam, to name a few. Those who dont have it are quickly working on getting one ready. We are seeing globally, and not just with India, that contact tracing technologies are a work in progress when it comes to overcoming the challenges associated with obtaining true consent from the user, says Rizvi. In an unprecedented time like this, drastic steps are vital to protect the community at large and the government has a legitimate right to conduct targeted surveillance to fight the pandemic, with proper checks and balances, he adds. The numbers, either way, are mind boggling. According to market research firm techARC, India has already crossed the 502.2 million smartphone user mark as of December 2019, a number that has seen a significant boost in the past few years because of more affordable smartphones arriving in stores, as well as faster 4G data prices reducing significantly. There are reports that the Aarogya Setu app will also be rolled out for feature phones, which helps widen the potential user demographic significantly. Nicola Sturgeon was slapped down by Chancellor Rishi Sunak tonight after she went rogue and revealed her government would probe claims that protective clothing destined for Scottish care home workers was being hoarded in England. The First Minister announced an investigation into allegations made by the chief executive of Scottish Care, Donald Macaskill, despite her own government's national clinical director branding them 'rubbish'. Professor Jason Leitch told BBC Radio Scotland this morning that he had investigated the claims made and found them to be baseless. But Ms Sturgeon insisted on a separate probe saying any such move to block the movement of masks, gowns and gloves would be 'unconscionable and unacceptable', after Mr Macaskill alleged on the same station that the NHS in England was being prioritised by manufacturers. Her surprise comments at a press conference this afternoon as she announced Scottish deaths from coronavirus had reached 615. But at a press conference in London tonight, Mr Sunak said: 'There's no truth in those stories, that those companies had been told to prioritise PPE equipment. 'Rather, the contrary is actually happening... there has been incredibly close collaboration between our four nations in this regard.' And Professor Yvonne Doyle, the medical director of Public Health England added: 'Public Health England has not, in any sense, directed any of the devolved administrations to be at any disadvantage. We work really closely together.' The row came as the UK Government came under increasing pressure to increase the amount of PPE reaching not only frontline NHS medics but also care home staff. One in three NHS and critical key workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, official figures showed this morning. Chancellor Rishi Sunak used his press conference this afternoon to say: 'There is no truth in these stories that companies have been told to prioritise (over) PPE equipment' Scotland's First Minister said any such move would be 'unconscionable and unacceptable', after the chief executive of Scottish Care claimed the NHS in England was being prioritised by manufacturers. Speaking live on television this afternoon Ms Sturgeon said: 'I hope nobody thinks this is in any way a point of a political nature. 'It is a point about fairness and co-operation as all of us deal with the challenge of this virus. 'All parts of the UK right now are facing supply challenges on PPE, indeed this is a global issue. 'Any situation where supplies were being diverted from one part of the UK to another without consultation or any sense of co-operation would clearly be unconscionable and unacceptable.' But speaking to BBC Radio Scotland earlier this morning, Mr Leitch said: 'We have looked into it and we think it's rubbish.' He added: 'What we struggled a little bit with distribution over the last few weeks is distribution to the lesser well-known care home sector who haven't needed PPE in the past until they've had this virus. 'Now that is being sorted very, very quickly. I'm much more confident than I was even a week ago, that that is now working.' Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was savaged by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain as she faced the media to defend efforts to provide adequate masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment (PPE) Regarding reports that supplies earmarked for Scotland were being sent to England, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Our PPE strategy is UK wide, making sure that frontline workers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the PPE they need to stay protected while taking care of patients. Missed opportunities to get more masks and gowns for medics January 31: On the day of Brexit, a UK official attends UK meeting on the emerging virus. Four countries raise the potential need for more PPE - UK is not among them. February 4: UK attends meeting of EU and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials in Luxembourg. February 24: European Commission updates officials on PPE procurement and asks countries to outline their 'exact needs'. The UK was invited but did not attend. February 28: The EU makes its first join procurement of 1.2million of gloves and gowns. The UK is not involved. March 12: The procurement fails because of a shortage of suppliers and is relaunched on March 15, still without UK involvement. March 17: Two more rounds of procurement for masks, goggles and ventilators go forward without the UK March 19: The UK joins the procurement steering committee but does not join a tender sent out to firms the same day for lab supplies. March 23: Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits there have been 'challenges' with the supply of PPE but that he was taking the issue 'very seriously'. March 24: No 10 confirms it has not joined EU procurement effort in favour of its own plan. It later claims it did not join because it missed an email invitation. March 25: British officials do not attend a meeting at which countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day March 26: The Government says it has 8,175 ventilators, but asks UK firms to build an additional 30,000 within weeks. March 29: Two surgeons become the first UK medics to die from coronavirus, putting a spotlight on PPE supplies for the NHS. April 10: Mr Hancock appears to suggest NHS medics are being wasteful of masks and gowns, urging them to 'treat PPE as the precious resource it is'. April 11: Mr Hancock confirms that 19 medics have died from coronavirus, after initially saying it would be 'inappropriate' to reveal the death toll. April 13: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages rather than distribution issues only was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. Advertisement 'Through this four nation approach we are working closely with the devolved administrations to coordinate PPE evenly across the UK. We have not instructed any company to prioritise PPE for one nation over the others.' The UK Government was facing mounting questions over a lack of protective equipment for NHS staff today as a minister admitted she had no idea how many medics had died from coronavirus. Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was savaged by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain as she faced the media to defend efforts to provide adequate masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE). It was revealed this morning that the UK missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of such items. The EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. But supplies of equipment from abroad have been hampered since February, as factories in China were unable to ship out and then were swamped with orders from around the globe. The NHS has also been sourcing PPE from the UK and European suppliers and supplies are believed to have increased. Turkey has also flown plane-loads of equipment to the UK from Ankara. In a heated exchange this morning, Mr Morgan raged at Ms Coffey, asking: 'Do you know how many care workers have died of coronavirus or are currently seriously ill with it?' Coffey admitted she didn't know the answer, for the host to fire back: 'Do you know how many NHS workers have died from coronavirus?' When she again said she didn't know the answer, Piers raged: 'How can you not? I'm not being funny but how can a member of the British government sent out to talk to the media have literally no idea how many NHS workers or care workers have died? Ms Coffey replied: 'I do know that over 11,000 people have died, which is very sad, across the country. I do know that we are prioritising the clinical need assessment of those people particularly in hospital but also in a social care setting.' GPs have reportedly been told to buy their own PPE when they have contacted the Government's official supply helpline. And the Royal College of Nursing has previously highlighted problems medics have had accessing items including face masks, eye protection and hand sanitiser. Its chief executive today revealed that she will highlight a 'damaging' lack of working PPE and testing when she appears remotely in front of MPs on Thursday. Dame Donna Kinnair is to be quizzed by the Health and Social Care Committee - chaired by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Dame Donna said today: 'We call on the UK government to act rapidly and robustly so that it is without doubt that the safety of staff and the public is paramount in this crisis. 'Our members should not have to choose between their sense of duty, their personal safety, and the safety of their families.' The union has already warned nurses that they can refuse to treat coronavirus patients 'as a last resort' if they feel it is unsafe for them to do so, because of a lack of PPE. This morning new statistics revealed Britain's official coronavirus death toll is missing 10 per cent of victims because they died in care homes and not NHS hospitals. Data collected by the Office for National Statistics showed there were around 4,100 COVID-19-related deaths registered by April 3 in England and Wales. Slightly less than 10 per cent (406) of those deaths occurred in hospices, care homes and private homes, according to the analysis. But the daily death tolls published by the NHS and the Department of Health only count people who have died in hospitals. It increases the pressure on ministers to boost the rollout of PPE to care home staff as well as NHS medics. Yesterday foreign secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages rather than distribution issues only was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. But some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EU's procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation. Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised. After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19. However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. In a separate interview Ms Coffey said the UK 'is in a better place now than necessarily we would have been under the EU scheme'. 'The important point is that we have over 700 million pieces of PPE that are being delivered,' she told LBC radio. NHS nurse, 65, dies from coronavirus after warning about lack of PPE as he treated patients with just 'a paper mask, plastic gloves and pinny', family reveal A brave nurse who died after contracting coronavirus had warned his family about not having proper PPE - and was left working with just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny'. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis. But he became ill himself with coronavirus, and gradually his condition deteriorated. He died at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales on Saturday. His family have now hit out at the lack of protective equipment after the death of the 'much-loved and dedicated' member of the health team. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, (pictured) had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis Family friend Janette Leonard (left) said that Mr Roberts (right) did not have the correct PPE. She said he had been left wearing just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny' Family friend Janette Leonard said: 'He didn't have PPE. In the beginning he said he didn't have anything. 'For Gareth, he paid the ultimate price. Yeah we're angry. 'Why would you send a soldier on to the front line without combat gear? It's unthinkable.' Mr Roberts devoted 40 years of his life to caring for people in hospitals around Cardiff and spent his last shift at Llandough Hospital in the Welsh capital. He worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015. His wife Linda was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital. Mr Roberts (pictured) worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015 Mr Roberts' wife Linda (pictured together) was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital Ms Leonard said: 'They called Linda at three in the morning. 'They said: 'He's going, get over here'. They gowned her up - and she was with him.' Ms Leonard said the family have concerns about a lack of personal protective equipment for frontline staff. She said: 'He had a paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny. 'Well that's alright if you are making sandwiches but not when you are going to nurse people with the disease.' Ms Leonard has now set up a fundraising page to help his family with funeral costs, which raised 2,700 in less than a day. His friends say he was a kind man with a great sense of humour. Ms Leonard, a friend of Mr Roberts since childhood, said his sense of humour would 'make you weak' 'You couldn't not love him - his sense of humour, he was just so dry,' she said. 'Cariad [Welsh for darling] was his favourite word. The nursing sister in the ward was saying to me she'll miss him saying: 'Come on cariad, we can do this together'. 'That's how he was - a proper genuine, lovely guy.' Mr Roberts, of Aberdare, south Wales was father to Ceri and Dean and a grandfather to 16-year-old Zac - who he and Linda had brought up after their son Dean passed away 11 years ago. In a statement, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: 'Gareth had been part of our nursing family since the 1980's and worked across our hospital sites.' It added 'Gareth was well known by everyone and was an extremely popular, fun-filled and well liked person, always greeting everyone with - 'Hello Cariad' when he saw them.' A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: 'We are working with the rest of the UK to ensure there is sufficient supply of PPE and we're working with Welsh businesses to produce PPE in Wales. 'We are doing everything we can do ensure PPE is available for health and social care staff.' News of Mr Roberts passing comes after a plaster technician in Doncaster and a pharmacy worker in Merseyside were revealed to be among the latest victims on the frontlines to be identified. Donna Campbell, 54, tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted into intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has been described as a bubbly personality Kevin Smith, who worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died after catching coronavirus. Colleagues paid tribute to him as an 'incredible person' who 'loved his job' and as a man who was 'renowned for his warm personality' Donna Campbell, 54, worked as a nurse at the Velindre cancer hospital, Cardiff, where she was known for singing and dancing with patients. She had been at the hospital for 20 years after getting her first position there as a volunteer, and was known among staff and patients for her bright and bubbly personality. Ms Campbell was treated in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after she tested positive for the virus. Kevin Smith, who died after a short battle with coronavirus, had worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, South Yorkshire. He had been employed by the NHS for 35 years. His heartbroken daughter Ellie Whitley wrote on social media: 'It's so overwhelming to see so many amazing comments for such an incredible person who loved his job and everyone he worked with for many years. 'Thank you everyone. We will all miss him greatly but never forget him, ever!' Colorado Springs City Council deadlocked Monday over the appointment of Stephannie Fortune to fill Councilman Richard Skorman's seat on the board. Who among the 7 finalists should be appointed? You voted: A massive pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., closed on the weekend after almost 300 cases of COVID-19 infections were reported among the plants 3,700 employees. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A massive pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., closed on the weekend after almost 300 cases of COVID-19 infections were reported among the plants 3,700 employees. Its the largest of about 10 meat processing plants throughout Canada and the U.S. that have closed, at least temporarily, because of virus contamination, including an Olymel pork plant in Quebec thats creating some fears about food security issues, especially in the U.S. There are two large pork processing plants in Manitoba that cut up about 100,000 pigs per week into chops and roasts. Industry and union officials say those operations have not been disrupted. Andrew Dickson, general manager of Manitoba Pork, said the Maple Leaf Foods plants in Brandon and Winnipeg and the Hylife Foods plant in Neepawa are operating as usual. "They have taken significant extra measures to protect the workforce," he said. Maple Leaf Foods, which employs close to 2,000 people at its Brandon plant and several hundred more in Winnipeg, has taken a number of steps to beef up safety measures. Last week, the company suspended operations at its Brampton, Ont., poultry plant after three infections were reported there among staff. But in Manitoba, even union officials say the company is doing a good job with measures taken. Employee temperatures are being taken at the door to keep anyone showing signs of a fever out of the plant, and masks are to be provided. Lunchrooms have been expanded into other areas and break times have been staggered to allow for physical distancing. Maple Leaf Foods workers have also been provided an $80-per-week pay premium during this time as a form of appreciation. "Maple Leaf continues to consult with us and to take all reasonable steps to keep all staff safe," said Jeff Traeger, president of UFCW Local 832, which represents Maple Leaf Foods workers in Manitoba. Social-distancing situations are being established at the workplace and workers are being encouraged to practise the same at home. "They have spoken to workers to make sure they are OK at home and that daycare is available," Dickson said. "Also they are really restricting access to the plant by other service providers." Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it was closing the pork processing plant in Sioux Falls until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus a step the head of the company warned could hurt meat supply in the U.S. The plant has become a hot spot for infections. Health officials said Sunday that 293 of the 730 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Dakota work at the plant. With all but essential services shut down in much of Canada and the U.S., much effort has been made to keep the food supply chain operational. Dave Shambrock, executive director of the Manitoba Food Processors Association, said his members have had a constant stream of questions about all sorts of elements of their operations. "I dont think Ive ever worked this hard," he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Meanwhile, with the normal dynamics of supply and demand disrupted so significantly, prices for producers have come way down. Manitoba produces about eight million pigs per year and exports about three million of them as baby piglets to the U.S. for finishing. Dickson said although the export market is back up with shipments to China, Japan and South Korea and the flow of piglets to the U.S. has continued, prices have taken a significant hit. "In the last couple of weeks Manitoba producers shipping piglets to the U.S. are getting maybe $3 to $4 per pig where previously they were getting $25 to $30," he said. with files from The Associated Press martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca At 10am today (Tuesday, April 14), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce if and how India will exit the three-week lockdown, which came into effect on March 25 and is scheduled to end at midnight. For three weeks, life and work across India have been upended. There is no doubt that the lockdown has prevented the march of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) to some extent; people have spent time in self-isolation, and all establishments and offices other than those providing essential services have been closed (with people working from home or not at all), breaking possible chains of infection. But the economy has taken a hit and may take months to recover; millions have been rendered jobless (mostly in the unorganised sector); agricultural and industrial supply chains are broken. Also read: Covid-19 cases in India double to 10,000 in six days The government has to find a way of balancing two situations that, on the face of it, look like they cannot be balanced. The Prime Ministers comments during a meeting with chief ministers on Saturday and reports on the thinking within the government suggest that the lockdown could be partially lifted by geographies and businesses, and, even within these, in parts. Indias dilemma isnt unique. Other countries that have declared a lockdown to fight the spread of the disease are debating how and when to end it (even as they mull the health costs of not enforcing one, and the economic costs of enforcing one). Also read: Indias 5 most populous states adopt distinct Covid strategies Even Italy and Spain, two countries ravaged by the pandemic (20,465 and 17,489 dead till Monday) have announced steps to restart some business activity. The key to this, everyone agrees, is antibody testing. Widespread and rapid antibody testing can help identify those who have been exposed to the virus and are, therefore, immune to it. These people can then safely return to work without the risk of infecting others, or themselves getting infected. For almost two weeks now, officials in the health ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research have spoken of these rapid tests, which they plan to use to test for infections in clusters and so-called containment zones. These tests, it was held out by these people, would also improve Indias abysmal testing statistic (137 per million). The kits had been ordered (from China) and were on their way, the officials said. All good; except for one problem. The kits have already missed two deadlines. The officials are now hoping they will meet a third (April 15) (see page 1). Separately, Indian states have also been trying to order these kits, but without much success. A minister in Tamil Nadu said last week that kits his state ordered were diverted to the US. Theres clearly a shortage of these kits, and because countries have figured out that these are the easiest, fastest, and most efficient way of deciding who gets to return to work, that shortage could intensify. Meanwhile, the state-owned HLL Lifecare, which last week said that it would begin production of similar rapid testing kits on Monday (April 13), will now do so only later this week because it has just received clearances to do so. When Israel fell short of the RT-PCR kits needed to test for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, it deployed its spy agency Mossad to source kits. In March, the agency delivered, sourcing half-a-million kits (in two batches) from undisclosed countries. India has to realise that sourcing the rapid kits could mean the difference between a functioning economy (or, at the least, a partially functioning one) and an economy in lockdown. Asian leaders to meet on COVID-19 Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/14 0:33:41 China, ASEAN, Japan, South Korea to 'stabilize regional industrial chain' A special video conference on handling the COVID-19 pandemic will be held on Tuesday among top officials from China, South Korea, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and this first-ever high-level regional meeting on fighting the pandemic after the outbreak may boost regional efforts in joint prevention and control as well as stabilize the regional industrial chain, experts said. China and South Korea are the two countries that have contained the virus most efficiently on the continent and been acknowledged worldwide, and how they will jointly offer a solution to the region and the world in the pandemic battle could draw attention worldwide, experts noted. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the video conference, which will be hosted by Vietnam, the ASEAN chair in 2020. China expects exchanges of views within the ASEAN Plus Three (APT, ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea) to control the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining economic development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Monday's press conference. Zhao added China also expects to promote results in strengthening pandemic prevention and control, improve the level of healthcare collaboration in East Asia, advocate trade exchanges and promote regional economic integration during the meeting. Following the extraordinary virtual summit of G20 leaders on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in late March, Tuesday's conference embodies the determination and willingness of East Asian countries to join hands in fighting COVID-19 as well as maintaining regional economic development, Zhao said. Countries are mostly battling COVID-19 on their own since the outbreak, observers noted. Yet the common crisis is in need of joint efforts, to which experts believe Tuesday's video conference will likely provide suggestions and even institutional cooperation among regional countries. The APT mechanism used to focus on economic issues, including the establishment of a free trade zone in the region, and the upcoming meeting will see the expansion of its focal point to non-traditional security sectors, Lu Yaodong, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Japanese Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. China has accumulated some efficient experiences in containing the virus, Lu said, adding it will share its measures and lessons from its fight against the epidemic to regional countries. China has also been increasing its medical assistance to ASEAN, and relevant topics over the aid on non-traditional security sector will likely be on the agenda of the meeting, analysts said. A special foundation may be set up for that, said Su Hao, founding director of the Center for Strategic and Peace Studies at the China Foreign Affairs University. Regional leaders might discuss how to promote the role of the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to facilitate cooperation among regional countries in fighting the pandemic. Observers noted a pilot site may be considered on joint pandemic prevention and control through enhancing coordinated efforts in customs and immigration policies. "It is time to set up an APT healthcare and medical mechanism, and share relevant information and resources in the region to fight not only the pandemic, but also possible future crises like this," Su told Global Times on Monday. APT countries have held eight health ministers meetings as of September 2019. Experts from China and ASEAN have had multiple video conferences over COVID-19 since the outbreak. There are also forums between China, South Korea and Japan over infectious diseases. The region doesn't have an institutional mechanism for handling the pandemic, Su said, noting the pandemic may be an opportunity. The APT, as a mechanism which has been promoting regional economic integration since its foundation, will also discuss how to fix the supply chain which has been battered by COVID-19, observers noted. It is believed participants of the meeting will discuss how to adjust the countries' policies to maintain material flows, trade connections and the supply chain in the region to stabilize the regional economy, Lu said. The East Asian economy is the wind vane of the economy of not only Asia, but also the world, Ni Yueju, a senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Global Times. If the economy in the region is hit hard by the virus, it will also be a blow to the global economy, he said. "Take Hubei, a crucial auto production base in China. The epidemic has hit its automobile industry after the city suspended its economic activities," Ni noted, adding it's also the case in other industries in the region. But experts also noted the industrial chain cycle between China, South Korea and Japan is relatively complete, and if the East Asian countries can avoid disruption caused by the pandemic in their industrial chain, the region and Asia will recover from the crisis more quickly. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address / -- Ten-year-old Shoolini University celebrated its 16th Foundation Day on 13th April 2020. It was on this day in 2007 that the foundation stone of its first building was laid on the campus at Bajhol, Himachal Pradesh. In view of the closure of the campus due to the coronavirus outbreak, no festivities could be organised, but Vice Chancellor Prof. P K Khosla greeted the students, faculty and the staff through a video call to mark the memorable occasion. Greeting them on Baisakhi and the 16th Foundation Day, Prof Khosla said he was happy to share that the University had taken a lead over most other institutions in the country in quickly adopting e-learning through virtual classrooms. "We have been able to do so because our IT team has been working on this model for quite some time. It was several years ago that we embraced e-Univ technology," he said, adding that the University was able to start online classes within three days of the lockdown. Prof. Khosla said that with little likelihood of return to normalcy in the next couple of months, the University was working on taking end-term online examinations with the aim of saving the Semester for its diligent students. While examinations for the theory portion of various subjects would be taken online, practical examinations would be taken after conducting special practical classes on weekends or during extended University timings, once the campus re-opened, he stated. In order to enhance the learning experience of students, the University has also introduced daily Yogananda Webinars for students and faculty. Eminent persons from various fields throw light on subjects of their expertise through interactive media tools. Among those who have participated in webinars so far are former Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dr. Dinesh Singh, former IAS officer and inspirational speaker Mr. Vivek Atray, film critic and technocrat Mr. Pavan Jha and the 21Notes Valmiki Ramayan creator Yashoodeep Deodhar. Thanking the students and their parents, as well as the faculty for cooperating during these difficult times, the Vice Chancellor said measures were being taken to ensure that other significant activities of the University, such as placements and admissions, continued smoothly. "Our Placement team has been active since October last year - much before the outbreak of Coronavirus - and has finalised over 200 campus placements. It is now continuing the effort through organising online interviews," he added. About Shoolini University: Set up in 2009, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences is a research-driven private university with full-recognition from the UGC. A leading university of India, it is recognised for its focus on innovation, quality placements, and world-class faculty. Nestled in the lower Himalayas, the university has received accreditation from NAAC and it is ranked by the NIRF. For further information, please visit: https:hooliniuniversity.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1087576/Shoolini_10_year_logo_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 59-year-old man is fighting for his life after being attacked by a female date during their first meeting in Ukraine. The unnamed man was left with a knife in his head following the incident occurred on April 9 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Reports say the pair were drinking alcohol on a bench near a block of flats when a quarrel erupted between them. The video from a park in Ukraine shows a woman rummaging through the pockets of a man who is lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of his head Marina, 31, reportedly attacked a man with a knife, stabbing him in the head, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, before going through his pockets and leaving him on the floor During heated debates, the 31-year-old date, identified only by her first name of Marina, stabbed the man with a kitchen knife, letting the blade enter six inches into his head, police said. A video filmed by witnesses shows the man lying unconscious on the ground moments after being attacked by Marina. She can be seen rummaging in the man's pockets reportedly for his money while the knife is sticking out of the right part of his head. Moments later the woman grabs the knife handle trying to pull the weapon out of his motionless body. After failing, she goes away leaving her victim lying on the tarmac alone. The woman then attempts to pull the knife out of the mans head, but she's unable to dislodge it She tries to pull the knife out of the man's head again, lifting his head off the ground, but it won't budge. She then gives up and leaves the scene Marinas friend, named as Anton, who lives in the apartment block said to local media: 'She came to me and said she stuck a knife into the man's head. 'I did not believe her at first then looked out of the window and saw him lying near the bench. 'She said she became furious after he groped her bottom.' It is believed, Marina carried a knife for self-defence. Maria, pictured being taken into custody, faces 15 years in prison if found guilty Meanwhile, the witnesses called emergency services and the victim was rushed to hospital in critical condition. Patrol policewoman Kateryna Misina told: 'When we arrived the man was lying in the pool of his own blood. The suspect had pulled the knife out of his head trying to cover-up the incident.' Doctors from the Kharkiv City Clinical Hospital are still battling for the man's life. A source in the hospital said: 'The man's condition is very grave. He could have had higher chances to survive if the knife hadn't been touched until medical help came.' The incident took place on April 9 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, outside this block of flats near a park where the pair had been drinking alcohol when a quarrel broke out Police launched a criminal case for attempted murder against Marina, who was placed into custody. Police spokeswoman Evelina Cherepakhina commented: 'The suspect said she stuck the knife into the victims head during a row then pulled the weapon out and threw it away.' Marina faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The investigation continues. The coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe, forcing huge changes in the way we live our lives. And new MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has revealed Channel Ten's flagship cooking show hasn't gone unscathed. Speaking to Hit FM's Krysti & Bodge on Thursday, the chef said COVID-19 has had an enormous impact during filming. Pandemic: Social distancing, tilted cameras and absolutely NO hugging: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has revealed the show will look VERY different this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Pictured L-R: Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo 'We're just only halfway through [filming when it occurred],' Jock said, adding viewers will see the outbreak in later episodes. He explained production crews were forced to immediately take drastic measures to keep cast and crew safe. 'You'll notice about halfway through we talk about the social distancing rules even in the studio. We are 1.5 metres apart,' he said. Stay away! 'You'll notice about halfway through we talk about the social distancing rules even in the studio. We are 1.5 metres apart,' Jock said. Pictured: MasterChef contestants Jock added camera crews worked to make scenes look less awkward. 'The camera guys were forced to work full tilt on different camera angles to make it not look awkward, trying to minimise [the effect],' he said. He added contestants were told they could not hug each other after eliminations. Strict: 'So contestants can't hug each other if they get eliminated anymore. Stuff like that. It's pretty tough,' Jock revealed. Pictured L-R: Andy, Melissa, Gordon Ramsay and Jock 'So contestants can't hug each other if they get eliminated anymore. Stuff like that. It's pretty tough,' he finished. Jock also confirmed a recent report in The Daily Telegraph claiming the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 'dire situation' for producers. The article claimed that international judges Nigella Lawson and Heston Blumenthal have had to cancel their scheduled appearances, while challenges involving crowds have been shelved. Planned travel has also been cancelled, while shooting outside the set has been banned, according to the report. Meanwhile, producers are ensuring that greater hygiene procedures are followed on set, including contestants wearing gloves at all times. Further, contestants will serve up individually-sized dishes for judges to sample, rather than share plates. Star appeal: One drawcard for the program however, is that several segments featuring A-list stars have already been filmed in advance. Pictured: Andy, Katy Perry, Melissa and Jock One drawcard for the program however, is that several segments featuring A-list stars have already been filmed in advance, meaning that fans will still get to see guest appearances by Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and American pop star Katy Perry. It comes after the premiere of MasterChef: Back To Win skyrocketed in the ratings on Monday night, drawing a metro audience of 1,228,000 and a national audience of 1,562,000. In doing so, it became the highest-rated premiere of the year, up 42 percent from last year's opener and even topping's Married At First Sight's 2020 debut. Photo: The Canadian Press Shaw logos on display at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Jan. 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Shaw Communications Inc. says it is temporarily laying off about 10 per cent of its workforce effective Thursday as a result of "unpredictable conditions" created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Calgary-based telecommunications company said most of the affected employees work in retail and sales positions across the company. Shaw president Paul McAleese says government efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus have resulted in dramatic work stoppages that has led to the "hard decisions" announced Tuesday. He says the changes are necessary until its business activities resume to more normal levels. McAleese says Shaw will provide financial support to affected employees beyond applicable government programs. The company says it is ineligible for any emergency government assistance programs and will top up Employment Insurance payments depending on employee earnings and extend benefits and pension contributions for eligible non-unionized employees during the temporary layoff period. More than 2,100 US cities are bracing for huge budget shortfalls that will lead to thousands of layoffs, cuts in vital services and less cops on the streets during the coronavirus pandemic. Cities with less than 500,000 residents - including virus hotspots New Rochelle, Miami and Kansas City - have voiced fears that the federal government's $2.2 trillion bailout package will leave them empty-handed, because of the rules of the fund's allocation. This means less than 0.5 percent of all municipalities are eligible for the funding, and so the money may only reach 14 percent of the US population. Public services such as city police forces are already buckling under the strain of the pandemic, with officers off sick from the virus, spikes in crime in some areas, and rising demand for cops patroling the streets to enforce lockdown rules. Fears are mounting that budget cuts and job losses could now spark longer-term implications on cities and counties than the pandemic itself. The National League of Cities and the US Conference of Mayors report found that more than 2,100 US cities are bracing for huge budget shortfalls that will lead to thousands of layoffs, cuts in vital services and less cops on the streets during the coronavirus pandemic Several mayors and local officials are warning that the $2.2 trillion package will not go far enough in delivering aid to cities and areas across the US, according to documents and interviews with local officials representing around 93 million Americans released Tuesday. Almost nine in 10 cities (88 percent), ranging from smaller cities with populations of less than 50,000 residents to the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, have said they are preparing for a revenue shortfall, revealed the worrying research from the National League of Cities and the US Conference of Mayors. More than 1,100 cities are preparing to scale back their public services, and 600 say they may have to lay off some government workers as a result of lower budgets. More than half of all cities of all sizes warned that local police departments and other essential public safety agencies will be affected. 'There's no question that the coronavirus pandemic has had, and will have, a major impact on cities of all sizes,' Clarence Anthony, the executive director of the National League of Cities, told the Washington Post. The findings give a bleak picture of the extent to which the government's emergency coronavirus bailout falls short in supporting local economies and cities. The National League of Cities and the US Conference of Mayors have joined officials of several cities in pleading with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to ensure the relief fund money is fairly distributed across US communities as the package has been deemed to favor areas with higher populations. Smaller cities have found themselves ineligible for the Coronavirus Relief Fund altogether. Under the rules of the package, states, counties and larger cities with more than 500,000 residents can apply directly to the Treasury Department for cash infusions of $150 billion. Nine in 10 cities are expecting revenue shortfall this year due to the pandemic Cities of all sizes expect to have to cut and scale back public services More than half of all cities are expecting budget cuts to impact police and public safety Areas that fall under that bracket could be left struggling, as they cannot apply for the money directly and are forced to rely on state handouts. More than half of the US population lives in cities, towns and villages of fewer than 50,000 people, according to the National League of Cities. Just 130 of the 3,100 counties and just 36 of the US's 19,000 cities have more than 500,000 residents. In 16 states, including Wyoming, Alaska and Montana, there are no counties, cities or other municipalities at all with populations above 500,000. But the pandemic does not discriminate based on population size as the US has seen. New Rochelle, New York - which fast became a virus epicenter and faced one of the most stringent shutdowns in the country with a containment zone set up in the city - has just 80,000 residents. 'I cannot understand the logic,' said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson told Associated Press. 'Cities with fewer than 500,000 people have been just as heavily impacted as those with more than 500,000 people. It strikes me as a completely arbitrary cutoff.' 'The reality is that, if a city of 500,000 has challenges, [then] a city of 400,000 and a city of 300,000 and 100,000 has the same challenges,' Stephen K. Benjamin, the Democratic mayor of Columbia told the Post. Less than 0.5 percent of all municipalities are eligible for the federal government bailout funding, and so the money may only reach 14 percent of the US population and services such as local police will be cut A San Antonio food bank is stretched to limits. Almost nine in 10 cities, ranging from smaller cities with populations of less than 50,000 residents to the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, have said they are preparing for a revenue shortfall Cities including Miami and Kansas City, Missouri, also fall under the cutoff, according to the most recent Census Bureau figures available. 'Depending on who you believe, we're either at 470,000 or 510,000,' said Miamis Republican mayor, Francis Suarez. 'We're projected to lose about $20 million a month while our economy has ground to a halt. The state of Florida is slated to get $8.3 billion, but we're not sure if we're going to get any of it.' Each state will receive at least $1.25 billion in relief fund money under the bailout package. State governments get the biggest share of the total - New York, for example, is projected to receive $7.5 billion, according to estimates from the Tax Foundation. The state gets $5.2 billion of that amount, and local governments that have more than 500,000 residents are eligible for the rest in direct payments. Below-the-threshold counties and cities will then be forced to appeal directly to the state governor for a portion of the state's relief find allotment, according to Matt Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties. 'Each local government would have to go hat in hand to the governor and say, "Can we have part of your allocation?"' Chase told Associated Press, something he feels could turn the situation political. 'We don't need a lot of politics right now.' Unemployment claims have already reached a record high, with nearly 17 million Americans filing for unemployment in the past three weeks (above) New York state, the US epicenter of the crisis, has a budget deficit of more than $10 billion from its fight against coronavirus, meaning the $5.2 billion it will to receive from the relief fund could help close that gap but leave local governments without a dime. Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties, told AP it was unlikely local governments under the population threshold will get any of the state's money. 'The states will exert jurisdiction over that money, and the thousands of local governments who will have needs, it will be very difficult to get that money,' Acquario said. Local governments generally cannot run deficits, meaning they would face no choice but to cut spending on essential public services or up taxes. Cities and states are pressing the government to offer more protection and cash injections for cash-starved areas. The population cap on funding came about in the rush to pass the package through law, with lawmakers saying that 'to process applications and calculate payment calculations for every local government in the United States would have created a bureaucratic morass that would have held up the distribution of these critical funds.' Democrats have proposed new legislation that would go further in supporting state and local governments but Republicans have pushed back, instead focusing on small business loans. On Sunday, state governors including New York's Andrew Cuomo and Maryland's Larry Hogan begged lawmakers to allocate $500 billion funds to 'stabilize state budgets and to make sure states have the resources to battle the virus.' On Monday, President Trump said that 'certainly willing to look at' more federal aid but nothing has been passed yet. These latest concerns come as the pandemic continues to ravage the US economy, with nearly 17 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last three weeks. This pushed the jobless rate to its highest point since 1940 at 14.7 percent. A panel of top business economists warned last week that the US economy faces a slow and painful recovery with high unemployment through 2021. The net number of jobs destroyed by the US economy's crisis-driven sudden stop could top 4.5 million this quarter, according to the median estimate of 45 forecasters surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics. Fewer than 2 million of those positions will be recovered by the end of 2021, the economists expect, pushing the unemployment rate above 6 percent for the next 21 months in a massive blow to a labor market that had recently been considered among the best for workers in decades. In February, the US unemployment rate was about 3.6 percent. Small business layoffs surged by more than 1,000 per cent in March compared to February with April expected to be even worse. A data survey of more than 100,000 small businesses nationwide found that layoffs in March jumped by a staggering 1,021 per cent. Thousands of people across America lining up at food banks as the spread of unemployment takes its toll on families across the country. The IRS began depositing the first wave of $1,200 stimulus checks this weekend, but for many struggling families that money will not be nearly enough to keep food on the table as the pandemic persists. More than 25,000 Americans have died from coronavirus, with confirmed cases reaching almost 604,000. Estuaries on the south-east coast of Australia are warming at twice the rate of oceans and the atmosphere, a new study has found. Researchers say the apparent accelerated impact from climate change on estuaries could adversely affect economic activity and ecological biodiversity in rivers and lakes worldwide. Dr Elliot Scanes from the University of Sydney said: "Our research shows that estuaries are particularly vulnerable to a warming environment. This is a concern not only for the marine and bird life that rely on them but the millions of people who depend on rivers, lakes and lagoons for their livelihoods around the world." The researchers say that changes in estuarine temperature, acidity and salinity are likely to reduce the global profitability of aquaculture and wild fisheries. Global aquaculture is worth $US243.5 billion a year and wild fisheries, much of which occurs in estuaries, is worth $US152 billion. More than 55 million people globally rely on these industries for income. Professor Pauline Ross, who leads the research group in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, said: "Estuaries provide services of immense ecological and economic value. The rates of change observed in this study may also jeopardise the viability of coastal vegetation such as mangroves and saltmarsh in the coming decades and reduce their capacity to mitigate storm damage and sea-level rise." The results are based on 12 years of recording temperatures in 166 estuaries along the entire 1100-kilometre stretch of the New South Wales coast in south-eastern Australia. In that time more than 6200 temperature observations were taken. The data, which are publicly available, were taken by field officers of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment and used in a marine research collaboration with the University of Sydney. On average, the estuary systems experienced a 2.16-degree temperature increase, about 0.2 degrees each year. Dr Elliot Scanes said: "This is evidence that climate change has arrived in Australia; it is not a projection based on modelling, but empirical data from more than a decade of investigation." Studies on specific lake and river systems have found evidence of warming, such as along the North Sea, in Germany, in the Hudson River in New York and Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. This is the world's first long-term study that has considered a diverse range of estuary types on such a large scale. It is published today in Nature Communications. "This increase in temperature is an order of magnitude faster than predicted by global ocean and atmospheric models," Dr Elliot Scanes said. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, air and sea temperatures in Australia have increased by about 1 degree since 1910. And over the past decade, air temperatures have increase 1.5 degrees as compared to the 1961 to 1990 average. "Our results highlight that air or ocean temperatures alone cannot be relied upon to estimate climate change in estuaries; rather, individual traits of any estuary need to be considered in the context of regional climate trends," Dr Elliot Scanes said. "New models will need to be developed to help predict estuarine changes." The study also found that acidification of estuaries was increasing by 0.09 pH units a year. There was also changes to the salinity of estuary systems: creeks and lagoons became less saline while river salinity increased. Temperature increases in estuaries were also dependent on the type, or morphology of the system, the study found. Professor Ross said: "Lagoons and rivers increased in temperature faster than creeks and lakes because they are shallower with more limited ocean exchange." She said that this suggests industries and communities that rely on shallow estuaries for culture, income and food could be particularly vulnerable during global warming. "This is of concern in other dry temperate zones like the Mediterranean and South Africa where many of the estuaries are similar to those studied here," she said. The study suggests that estuaries that remain open may also soon begin to "tropicalise", and estuarine ecosystems could become colonised by tropical marine species and reflect a warmer environment. Professor Ross said: "This research will help local fisheries and aquaculture to develop mitigation strategies as the climate changes." DOWNLOAD research and photos of estuary collection points and Dr Elliot Scanes at this link. INTERVIEWS Dr Elliot Scanes School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney elliot.scanes@sydney.edu.au Professor Pauline Ross School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney pauline.ross@sydney.edu.au MEDIA ENQUIRIES Marcus Strom | marcus.strom@sydney.edu.au | +61 423 982 485 DECLARATION The data collection for this study was funded by NSW Department Planning, Industry and the Environment. Two of the research authors, Elliot Scanes and Peter Scanes, are related. ### I'm a Restaurant Worker in NYC. Here's How COVID-19 Has Affected Me and My April Rent Along with a game that assigns people animals they resemble (try it, its fun), Ive always enjoyed asking What would you do if the world was ending? among friends. In high school one of the best lunch breaks I remember was planning for an apocalypseshould it ever happenwith a friend group. These scenarios have always been wildly extremeinvolving zombies, outbreaks of Ebola or alien invasions. Still, its fun. Theres a whole genre of Hollywood movies made about imminent disasters, books written about post-apocalyptic worlds. As humans, we like to imagine the strangest and most unlikely possibilities and play them out, whether in a conversation with our friends or at 2 a.m when we cant sleep. I work at a restaurant on Wall Street. In nearly all corners of the place are televisions that occasionally show sporting or music events, but for the most part, play the news. Namely, Bloomberg news, which is heavily focused on business and stocks because of the clientele and location. When, in late December/early January, small parts of what the newscasters covered involved what was then called the Wuhan virus I, in poor taste, joked to my coworkers that this was it. The end. I even said, bring it on. Gradually, and then rapidly, it became the number one headline of what they covered. As I walked by tables and customers I began hearing the word coronavirus more often, too. On social media I found myself scrolling through more and more coronavirus news and reports. It was spreading. It was now in America; it was now in Italy; it was now in Iran. China was canceling flights and closing schools, then, they went on total lockdown. ADVERTISEMENT During this time of uncertainty, because no one really had a fucking clue what was coming, I was scared of the unknown. How bad was it? If it was just the flu, why is China and then Italy on total lockdown? The media and Facebook ranters repeatedly claimed it would only impact (and kill) older generations and those with underlying health conditions. Correct me if Im wrong, but they are still people, right? But it wasnt until coronavirus arrived in Tenerife, Spain, where my parents live and seemed so random, that I began to worry. My stepdad, who usually isnt afraid of anything, said that Spain would soon be on lockdown and if I wanted to come home it would have to be now. He also advised me that it was only a matter of time before coronavirus got to NYC and that we would also experience a lockdown. I didnt leave. I have a job here that pays my bills, I have a life here, I have a cat here. I couldnt just hop on a plane and sit in my childhood bedroom waiting for this to blow over. My work began cutting shifts earlier this month. The restaurant was dead during the day. Once, I came in for the night shift and a co-worker rolled their eyes and told me that they had only had two tables all day. Happy hour remained busy, though. As usual, people got off work and came to the bar in crowds. I tried to remind myself that this was a good thing, for the bosses and business in general, though moving through crowds of people as if it were a festival to do my job did make me nervous. If anyone had it and didnt realize, they would be exposing the whole staff and customers to the virus. Many restaurants across the city placed hand sanitizer on bars and tables, but it was becoming harder to buy, so I brought my own and left it at the computer for people to use. I didnt care if I ran out, it was better than risking getting coronavirus and passing it on. I also wiped down everything I could: Menus, screens, pens, books. All of that wouldnt have been enough, I know, but it was something. All of my co-workers had to interact with people to make money. We had to pass drinks, pick up empty glasses, collect finished plates and cutlery. Every time someone coughed or sneezed in the restaurant there would be silence and worried looks. As the military was patrolling the streets of my home with megaphones warning people to stay inside or face a fine or imprisonment, offices and businesses began to close in NYC. I saw enough posts on Instagram that said stay at home to make me want to delete the app. I couldnt stay at home; I had to work and hope to make some money to pay rent and live. On the other hand, I understood the rhetoric. Yet, it was very apparent that those who have the privilege to work from home and get paid to work from home were the first people to have that choice. It was insulting to see people doing their part and working from home and telling others to participate when I didnt have that option. I cant serve tables from my living room. Bus drivers cant operate a bus from home. Supermarket workers cant check people out from home. I was still conflicted with customers coming in. I needed the money, but many people who were out enjoying themselves complained that they were now working from home. The last day I worked was on Sunday the 15th. I came in at 1 and was supposed to close at 9-10. By 5 o'clock, after little to no tables or customers all day, my boss sent all the staff home. The next day would be the last day the restaurant was open, I knew it was coming, as I vigilantly scrolled through the news and hashtags of the city, that the mayor and governor would close restaurants and bars. I received a group text from my boss that day explaining the situation and that whoever could should seek unemployment benefits, due to the uncertainty of how long this would last. Just like that, no more paychecks for any of us. Im lucky enough that my parents are able to send me some money to help pay for my rent. Im also very aware that the vast majority of people I work with arent in a similar position. Furthermore, a lot of restaurant staff in this country are undocumented and wont be eligible to receive unemployment benefits. And it keeps me up at night. Wondering about those that dont have family to help or havent had the chance to save money for a situation like this. Really, a situation like this was the last thing I ever expected in my lifetime. Although my parents can help, my stepdad runs a bar and is worried that this will permanently close it. My mum is technically self-employed, so neither of them is earning any money. I applied for unemployment benefits and it was just as arduous as it sounds. Im shocked that at 24 when Im perfectly able to work and should be, Im having to ask the government for money that should be benefiting those that need it most so that Im not evicted. With rent coming up, I lay awake at night, hoping that my landlord will give me some leeway or time. After applying, I received an email stating that if I were accepted for benefits, it would still take up to three to six weeks until I saw a cheque. Rent is due in days. The lack of worker's rights, especially minimum wage workers, in this country and others is appalling. And right now, its evidently clear that there needs to be protections and laws set in place so that people arent left with anything. I could be out of work for months, but rent will still have to be paid. How am I supposed to do that in mandatory isolation? I could freelance write, but that alone would never be enough to pay a full NYC rent, food, and other bills comfortably in such a short amount of time. Nevertheless, currently, I have a home, I have food, I have running water and Im able to stay at home. There are so many people still working and putting themselves at risk, without enough supplies or a place to safely quarantine in. COVID-19 will hopefully teach the world a few lessons, one of them being that healthcare, service industry and other minimum wage workers deserve better pay and more protection of rights. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia More on BUST 9 Things To Not Do To Your Waitress This Beauty Company Wants To Help You Pay Off Your Student Loans It's Communism, Bitch: Britney Spears Calls For Wealth Redistribution & Strike Mayzie is a recent graduate from Tenerife (yes, from that Ed Sheeran song) who is trying her hardest to live her best life in New York City. She's a messy Virgo who loves cats. Follow her barely ever updated Instagram @mayzie_caitlin or her website https://mayziecaitlinhopkins.com/ Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Some government projects in Pasig may take a backseat soon as the city seeks to generate additional funds for families not covered by the nationwide COVID-19 cash aid program. Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto told CNN Philippines on Tuesday that the local government is looking to put on hold some "small" projects including those under infrastructure to help generate budget for the city's supplemental social amelioration program. He added officials have already identified around 1.5 billion available budget for cash assistance. "We looked at what projects we could cancel for now, especially infrastructure projects, what we could delay. We also looked into our bank accounts, kung ano 'yung mga naka-imbak na pera sa bangko (how much money we have in the bank)," Sotto said in an interview with The Source. "We made sure that we will scrap 'yung maliliit lang na projects. 'Yung iba, mga rehabilitation ng kalsada. Pwede naman siguro ipagpaliban natin sa susunod na taon 'yun," he added. [Translation: We made sure that we'll only scrap the small projects. Others are rehabilitation of roads. I think these projects can be moved for next year.] Pasig is currently home to over 300,000 families, as of the city's latest record. Sotto said around 250,000 families have sought for help amid the COVID-19 crisis, but only 93,000 were given the green light to receive aid from the nationwide subsidy program. The supplemental aid aims to distribute around 8,000 for the remaining families not covered the national government's assistance, the mayor added. The proposed move, however, will still have to be finalized by the city council. Currently, the government's SAP covers only the "poorest of the poor," with the low-income households expected to receive 5,000 to 8,000 worth of monthly assistance. Sotto said the Pasig government has already downloaded the fund from the Social Welfare department, but noted the local government is still awaiting the final list of approved beneficiaries for distribution. Increasing testing capacity As of Tuesday, the city has recorded 196 cases of the highly-contagious disease, including more than 20 fatalities. The local government has also ramped up its COVID-19 testing process, as it will be increasing its capacity to 50 to 60 tests administered per day. Sotto, however, reiterated that the "mass testing" will first cover suspected cases, symptomatic patients, frontliners and health workers, as well as individuals listed in their contact tracing diagram. The Philippines likewise began its "progressive" and expanded mass testing for COVID-19 detection on Tuesday, in an effort to soon "flatten the curve." The country has recorded 4,932 cases of the infectious disease, including 315 deaths and 242 recoveries. Emily Atack has shared further thoughts about being single in lockdown in a column for Grazia magazine. The comedienne and actress, 30, lamented not being able to indulge in her usual wine and cheese-filled Sunday routine with pals and that those conveying 'Instagram-perfect isolation' are not being truthful to their followers. Insisting that she can't complain about having to 'sit around', Emily also added that she is missing human contact and is allowing herself to feel sad when she feels alone. 'Being alone has always been my number one fear!' Emily Atack has shared further thoughts about being single in lockdown in a column for Grazia magazine 'It has been three weeks since I have physically touched another human being. I am isolating alone in the London flat I recently moved into. Like so many, I have been in shock,' she recounted. 'Ive woken up in the middle of the night with crushing anxiety like Ive never experienced before. My internal monologue is already knackered.' Emily admitted that 'there have been good days and bad days', but that she tries to call them 'moments'. She went on: 'Being alone has always been my number one fear. And yet here I am. In the middle of a pandemic, completely isolated from everyone and everything I know and love.' Emily is very close to her mother - actress Kate Robbins, who is also alone in lockdown - and revealed that she is sure to video chat her to pass the time, as well as 'take little swipes at an online dating app Ive rejoined out of sheer boredom'. Honest: Emily admitted that 'there have been good days and bad days', but that she tries to call them 'moments' She went on: 'Being alone has always been my number one fear. And yet here I am. In the middle of a pandemic, completely isolated from everyone and everything I know and love' The star also admitted she feels guilty at feeling sad and is 'scared to vocalise a bad moment especially on social media with the fear of the reaction Ill receive from those who insist my life is perfect'. She concluded: 'I am learning its OK to feel sad right now, its OK to admit youre a bit alone, and its OK to feel s**t. Especially if you suffer with mental health issues. Give yourself a break. Instagram-perfect isolation is not a reality.' The actress spoke to Lorraine Kelly last week on Good Morning Britain where she also revealed that getting glammed up for the supermarket makes her 'feel better'. Emily said about coping with the lockdown alone: 'I'm a very strong person, there's definitely been some difficult moments being on your own. I'm the least lonely person in the world, surrounded by family and friends in real life. 'It's [the pandemic] so awful, we have to look at the positives in life. If we've got our health it's the most important thing in the world. Everything is so difficult, but if you have your health, friends and family, it's good.' Sun-kissed: Emily was sure to use the sunny weather as a reason to get outside amid lockdown over the weekend, showing off her freckles on Instagram She said: 'Make sure your dressing gown doesn't become your depressing down! There's definitely days that I don't want to put make-up on. It makes me feel better. 'I now get glammed up to go to the local supermarket. I queue outside and stand the 2 metres. It's like queuing up for a bar! I do get glammed up for the supermarket, it makes me feel better.' Sharing the first thing she will do after the pandemic, Emily joked: 'I'm going to the nearest pub! Obviously, I should say I want to hug my friends and family, but we can do that in the pub!' 'Difficult': Emily recently admitted that she's had some 'difficult moments' while self-isolating alone during the coronavirus pandemic 'Strong person': Emily said about coping with the lockdown alone - 'I'm a very strong person, there's definitely been some difficult moments being on your own' Although the star importantly added that the NHS also needs credit, she said: 'I think the first thing we all want to do is give the NHS a big hug, and say we couldn't have got through this without them!' It comes after Emily admitted she feels lonely while self-isolating and would 'give anything to have a row with a husband right now'. The actress told Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live that the current situation around the coronavirus pandemic is 'bleak and miserable and awful'. She said: 'I'm just trying to use it all as another way of showing myself that I can cope and that I am capable and I am brave and strong. 'I think at times like this you've got to appreciate everything you have, but you know, I'd give anything to have a row with a husband right now.' The Motion Picture and Television Fund announced on Monday that Ann Sullivan, a longtime animator for Walt Disney Studios, became the third person to die from coronavirus at the organizations nursing facility in Woodland Hills. She was 91. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, and trained at the Art Center, Sullivan first got a job at Disney in the animation paint lab in the 1950s before leaving to start a family of four children. In 1973, she reentered the animation world with a job at Hanna-Barbera before eventually returning to Disney in time to work on ink and paint for some of the most famous films of the Disney Renaissance, including The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. She remained at the studio until her retirement in the early 2000s, working on films like Lilo & Stitch and even working in computer animation shortly before retiring. Also Read: 2 Motion Picture & Television Fund Nursing Home Residents Die From Coronavirus We called her Giggles at MPTF. You couldnt help but fall in love with her laugh, MPTF wrote in a statement. The nursing homes chaplain Dina Kuperstock added that Sullivan had the best laugh of any person Ive ever known. Ann didnt just laugh with a sound. When she giggled, her whole body would shake and light up with joy, and it was contagious for everyone in the room. Actor Allen Garfield, 80, and John Breier, 64, the husband of a longtime IATSE member, died at the MPTF facility last week. Like many other nursing homes, the coronavirus outbreak has hit MPTF hard, as 13 other residents have tested positive for the virus, with 10 currently being treated in isolation units. Eight caretakers have also tested positive. die Read original story Disney Animator Ann Sullivan Dies of Coronavirus at MPTF Nursing Facility At TheWrap Before the coronavirus pandemic, Irene Priestley, 91, would take a short bus ride to the nearest Santander branch and withdraw all the cash she needed for a month. But now, confined to her home and without internet access, she is running out of money. Santander, like all other UK banks, has this week outlined how vulnerable customers like Irene can get hold of cash with the help of trusted family and friends. Some will even deliver cash to your doorstep. Some bank branches are still open during lockdown, albeit with shorter hours, but customers are asked to go in only if absolutely necessary However, Santander and other banks have been swamped by a record number of customer phone calls. Irene's concerned son Geoffrey, 66, says he has been unable to get help from Santander as all lines are busy. Irene, whose name we have changed, has a cash-only account and no debit card. Neighbours in her Yorkshire village have been delivering food and vital supplies, but she has no way of refunding them. She was a customer with Bradford & Bingley Building Society for 40 years until Spanish bank Santander bought its branch network in 2008. Her nearest branch is two miles away, but it has been closed for a month. And without a debit card or the internet, she cannot get any cash. Son Geoffrey says: 'She has always dealt in cash and did not have a problem until the Government told us to stay in. There must be others. Not everyone goes online and has a smartphone. Why should they?' Former pensions minister Baroness (Ros) Altmann says it is very difficult to access cash in the lockdown: 'The reality for many, especially in remoter parts, is that they are used to paying for vital supplies, services or help in cash. Many of these individuals need to know how they can get cash or otherwise pay what they owe.' 'Digital payments don't yet work for everyone', Access to Cash Review chair Natalie Ceeney said Natalie Ceeney, chairman of the Access to Cash Review, also warned the pandemic had 'significantly quickened' the UK's cashless trend. She says: 'Digital payments don't yet work for everyone, and until they do, we are not ready to go cashless.' Some bank branches are still open, but customers are asked to go in only if absolutely necessary. Banking body UK Finance has put guidance online about managing money in the lockdown. It says most major banks have dedicated phone lines for vulnerable customers. Chief executive Stephen Jones has warned anyone wanting to let someone else make withdrawals for them to be aware of fraud and coercion. Santander says customers should use cheque and bank transfers where possible, and never hand over their Pin or card. It says customers can call its coronavirus line if they need cash urgently. They can also ask someone to pick up cash for them at a post office. UK banks have this week outlined how vulnerable customers can get hold of cash. Some will even deliver it to your doorstep Banking group Lloyds allows customers to give another person access to their account. It says it will carry out strict security checks and cap withdrawals at 100. Barclays is offering to deliver cash free of charge to vulnerable customers. Temporary third-party access to their account can also be arranged. Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest customers can get up to 500 delivered. The group is also giving codes over the phone that customers can give to someone to withdraw cash within hours. HSBC customers can nominate another person to help manage their money. TSB has a similar scheme and has also sent ATM cards to all those who had just passbooks before. Building society Nationwide says those needing cash could transfer some to a trusted individual who could then withdraw it and hand it to them. The Post Office this week launched two schemes that allow people to access cash for vulnerable people. The Payout Now service sends vouchers by text, email or post, which customers give to a trusted individual to withdraw cash. Fast Pace allows a nominated person to cash a cheque on their behalf at a post office in one to two days. All UK banks, building societies and credit unions can use the service, but just HSBC has signed up so far. See the UK Finance guide at ukfinance.org.uk/covid-19-making- payments-safely-lockdown b.wilkinson@dailymail.co.uk 1. California is inching forward with plans to gradually ease restrictions it imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak. But to do that safely, some rules will be necessary: Masks and face coverings are likely to remain a feature of public life; patrons of restaurants will probably have their temperatures taken before being seated and will be served by someone in a mask and gloves; in the fall, students may attend school in shifts to avoid crowded classrooms. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not give a time frame, saying he would revisit the question in two weeks, but assured residents: Normal it will not be. Lagos has recorded another death from coronavirus infection on Tuesday, while nine more patients have been discharged from the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos following their full recovery from coronavirus infection, the Incident Commander has said. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the state has seven deaths, 70 recovered cases and 198 confirmed cases, as at the end of Tuesday. This is an increase in the confirmed cases in the state by six. The news of the seventh death came hours after the state recorded its sixth death from COVID-19, making two deaths within 24 hours. The sixth death was a 56-year old Nigerian male who recently returned from the United States. He died of COVID-19 related complication, the Commissioner for Health said while announcing the death. Meanwhile, the state governor who gave an updated figure said nine patients recovered on Tuesday, three females and six males, and were discharged after having two consecutive negative results to the virus. The governor who earlier tweeted that there were eight new recoveries on Tuesday updated the figure during the press briefing. More great news today from our Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. 8 more people; 2 females and 6 males have tested negative and fully recovered from #COVID19. They have been discharged to return to their families. This brings the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our facilities to 69. Please, let us continue to adhere to all the safety advice from our health experts, Mr Sanwo-Olu earlier tweeted. As of Tuesday, Lagos has 198 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 116 active cases, 70 discharged cases, two evacuated cases, three transferred cases and seven deaths. The coronavirus cases in Lagos are more than half of the total 343 across Nigeria, as of Tuesday morning. Frontline doctors are having their pay cut while facing infectious coronavirus patients and as they become increasingly anxious about their exposure to the infection due to a shortage of protective gear. Doctors say they have seen their pay slashed by as much as 25 per cent since the outbreak began having an economic impact on hospitals, which have seen revenues drop. Fewer traumas resulting from stay-at-home orders, a drop in the scheduling of elective surgeries and deferrals of non-urgent treatments and visits have all affected the bottom line at medical facilities across the U.S. Frontline doctors are having their pay cut while facing infectious coronavirus patients and as they become increasingly anxious about their exposure to the infection due to a shortage of protective gear. A patient is rushed into New York's Mount Sinai Hospital last week Doctors say they have seen their pay slashed by as much as 25 per cent since the outbreak began having an economic impact on hospitals, which have seen revenues drop. Intensive care doctors are pictured with coronavirus patients in New York Physicians at the same time are increasingly anxious about their exposure to the virus due to shortages of Protective Personal Equipment, or PPE, and other supplies. 'Honestly, my life is hell right now,' an emergency medicine doctor in Los Angeles tells Fox News after she recently learned her pay will be cut by at least 25 per cent. The doctor, whose name was not given, treats patients afflicted with the deadly flu-like virus also known as COVID-19, at three California hospitals. She says she has already seen two of her colleagues infected with the virus, and the scarce supplies have forced her to turn to Craigslist for an N-95 mask, which includes an attached filter. At home, the doctor says she's isolating from her family to avoid putting them at risk. She also fears she won't be making $4,000 monthly medical school loan payments she owes. 'When the military gets sent out to a war zone, they get hazard pay for that,' the doctor told Fox News. '... We're taking on this risk. And if you're not going to give us hazard pay, at least don't cut our pay. Don't give us less for us having to take on more. It just doesn't really make sense.' There have been more than 588,400 confirmed cases in the US of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 23,675 deaths. There have been more than 588,421 confirmed cases in the US of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for close to 23,675 deaths How the number of new coronavirus infections in the US has escalated over time A day-to-day look at the number of deaths resulting from the coronavirus across the US Doctors interviewed said they earned $215,000 to $260,000 before the cuts, which is above the national average, but argued they did not live lavish lives. One said he lived in a one-bedroom apartment and drove a Honda. To put the impact of the wage cuts in perspective, the doctors said they owed $225,000 to $420,000 in student loans, and that they maintained tight budgets to make steep monthly payments on the college debt. Anxiety is especially high for doctors treating patients in COVID-19 hotspots, where the timing of pay cuts came amid already low morale and nerves that were at the breaking point. 'We were kicked while we were down,' said an emergency doctor in New York who had a 10 per cent cut and expects more. She has a $4,000 monthly student loan bill, in addition to her mortgage. Meanwhile, colleagues at her hospital are 'terrified' treating coronavirus-infected patients without the appropriate protection. Work in the emergency room now is 'absolutely more dangerous.' 'It's definitely more labor-intensive and it's just harder work. We're all in there every day ... basically terrified about what's going to happen,' she told Fox News. It is not clear how many healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19. There were at least 5,400 infections and at least 30 deaths reported from states that provided the data, Buzzfeed News reports. The dead include Dr. Frank Gabrin, a New York physician who became the first ER doctor believed to have fallen to the virus. Gabrin, 60, a two-time cancer survivor, died in his husband's arms on March 31. Gabrin had raised concerns about the lack of protective gear before his passing. Frank Gabrin, a New York physician, became the first ER doctor believed to have died from the coronavirus Emergency rooms and intensive care units around the country are the battlegrounds for the deadly pandemic but despite their outsized importance, hospitals say they are actually losing money during the pandemic, which has forced them to cut pay, reduce hours and layoff employees. While emergency rooms and intensive care units are packed handling the worst of the pandemic, hospitals say they are losing money during the outbreak. Elective surgeries are not being scheduled and stay-at-home mandates have resulted in fewer people suffering traumas. The volume of ER patients alone has dropped about 30 per cent since the virus began to spread, says the American College of Emergency Physicians. 'While most people are doing their part by staying home, emergency physicians and care teams are risking their lives each day as they combat the greatest public health challenge of our lifetime,' the organization said in a statement. 'Our profession is not known for hyperbole, so believe us when we say the situation is dire. Our friends and colleagues are dying alongside the thousands of patients we have taken an oath to protect,' the college explained. 'Despite the fact that we are fighting a war with insufficient armor, emergency physicians' commitment remains unshaken.' People also don't want to seek treatment for their ailments and risk exposure to the virus, the college said in an April 3rd letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar seeking $3.6 billion in emergency funds. People also have not wanted to seek treatment for their ailments and risk exposure to the virus, the American College of Emergency Physicians said in an April 3rd letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (pictured) seeking $3.6 billion in emergency funds The American Hospital Association, or AHA, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals and other health care providers, has similarly urged lawmakers. 'Unfortunately, like other sectors across the nation, hospitals and health systems have experienced an economic decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic,' an AHA spokesperson said in a statement. 'This strain has resulted in some hospitals having to furlough or layoff health care workers to respond to this public health crisis. Lost revenue is due in large part to the cancellation of elective surgeries and the deferral of other non-urgent treatments and visits.' A $2.2 trillion stimulus known as the CARES Act which President Donald Trump signed into law last month included $100 billion for hospitals and health care providers. Democrats are already pushing for at least another $100 billion in aid. A $2.2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act which President Donald Trump signed into law last month included $100 billion for hospitals and health care providers. Democrats are already pushing at least another $100 billion. 'Quickly making funds available from the CARES Act will help hospitals and health systems continue to put the health and safety of patients and personnel first, and in many cases, may actually ensure they are able to keep their doors open,' the AHA said. 'We are also supportive of bonus pay for front-line workers during the pandemic.' The hospital association adds that it wants Trump to fully use the Defense Production Act to increase the production of protective gear and other needed supplies. A 'heroes' fund proposed by Senate Democrats would assist essential workers, including health care professionals, providing up to $25,000 this year. A federal holiday tax for workers in the health care industry also has been proposed by Republicans in the House, led by Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan. Not getting what they are worth Some doctors say they feel undervalued, as nurse practitioners have become a cheaper option for treating ailments. 'Morale among doctors is very low,' said a Texas doctor. 'I don't feel like I'm respected at all. I feel like the general public values nurses much more than doctors now in this country. I think that they believe they can get whatever knowledge I have in my head from Google.' In New York, adding what some might consider insult to injury, doctors are being asked to volunteer at the hardest-hit hospitals, including Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, according to an email from NYC Health + Hospitals viewed by Fox News. In New York, doctors are being asked to volunteer at the hardest-hit hospitals, including Elmhurst Hospital (pictured) in Queens, Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, according to an email from NYC Health + Hospitals, the city's hospital agency Brooklyn's Woodhull Hospital is among the medical facilities in New York seeking volunteer doctors to help in treating patients during the coronavirus outbreak At the same time, nurses are getting offered $10,000 per week to come to New York, the nation's epicenter of the outbreak, plus money for expenses and even lodging, according to a Facebook ad posted by a recruiter for the city's hospitals agency At the same time, nurses are getting offered $10,000 per week to come to New York, the nation's epicenter of the outbreak, plus money for expenses and even lodging, according to a Facebook ad posted by a recruiter for the city's hospitals agency. NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation, did not respond to Fox News' request for comment about the offer. 'It was very upsetting. It almost seemed physician altruism was being manipulated by hospital systems,' said a Manhattan doctor who was asked to be a volunteer. 'It also made it seem like a physician's life was not worth as much. It would be one thing if they asked everyone to be volunteers, but that's not the case.' The US Department of Justice has weighed in on a case involving a Mississippi church that sued the city of Greenville after local officials fined residents for attending its drive-in religious services on Easter Sunday. In a Statement of Interest filed on Tuesday, the federal department sided with Mississippi church and suggested the citys actions were effectively targeting forms of religious conduct during the coronavirus pandemic. "The facts alleged in the complaint strongly suggest that the city's actions target religious conduct" in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, the lawyers wrote. The church has said that city police officers handed out $500 citations to those attending services. Greenville has since said it will not seek to collect the penalties, the Justice Department noted. The Greenville dispute is one of several around the United States in which religious groups have objected to state or local restrictions on gatherings, saying they infringe on religious rights. Most houses of worship have voluntarily complied with shutdown orders, with some holding services online. US Attorney General William Barr said in a statement the Justice Department will work to uphold the constitutional right to freely practice religion as states and cities seek to contain the spread of the coronavirus by limiting worship services. "Religion and religious worship continue to be central to the lives of millions of Americans. This is true more so than ever during this difficult time," he said. "The pandemic has changed the ways Americans live their lives. Religious communities have rallied to the critical need to protect the community from the spread of this disease by making services available online and in ways that otherwise comply with social distancing guidelines. The attorney general added: "The United States Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions." The Justice Department intervention follows a pattern in which the administration of President Donald Trump has sided with conservative Christians on various issues, including opposition to abortion rights and support of certain businesses which refuse service to LGBT people because of religious objections to gay marriage. Additional reporting by Reuters A total of 92 care homes have reported outbreaks of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, England's chief medical officer has said. Speaking at the daily COVID-19 news conference, Professor Chris Whitty said 13.5% of care homes have been affected by the virus. "If an outbreak is suspected, public health authorities will go in to do testing to assess if an outbreak has taken place," he said. It comes as it was confirmed that the 13 people have now died at Stanley Park Care Home in Stanley, County Durham after suffering symptoms related to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Wren Hall Nursing Home in Nottinghamshire has confirmed that nine residents have died after testing positive for the coronavirus. Professor Whitty said he would like to see testing increased at care homes. Asked if deaths were recorded properly in such homes, he said: "Everybody who sadly dies, the doctor will make an assessment based on her or his view about what the cause of death is, that's what the death certificate says in all cases." He added: "Doctors take it very seriously and try to make sure that they get as much information to give accurate data. "One of the things we want to do is to extend the amount of testing of people in care homes as the ability to test ramps up over the next few weeks. "Because clearly care homes are one of the areas where there are large numbers of vulnerable people and that is an area of risk and therefore we would very much... like to have much more extensive testing." Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said the lack of personal protective equipment and testing means COVID-19 is "running wild" in care homes. Along with leaders from Marie Curie, Care England, Independent Age and the Alzheimer's Society, she has written a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding a measures to support the social care sector. "The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter," she said. Story continues Labour's Liz Kendall said there was a "growing crisis" in care homes. The shadow minister for social care continued: "Ministers must publish daily figures of deaths in care homes so we know the true scale of the problem and how fast it is spreading. "They must also ensure social care has the resources it needs and that vital PPE and testing get to care workers on the frontline." Munira Wilson, health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said the latest figures were "incredibly worrying". She added: "The Liberal Democrats have long been calling for the staff at care homes, along with NHS staff and social care workers, to be provided with adequate personal protective equipment as well as tests to diagnose if they have the virus. "These frontline workers are caring for the most vulnerable in our society. It's vital the government acts quickly before we see even more care homes fall into crisis." A spokeswoman for Care UK, the group that runs the County Durham home, said the latest resident to die had symptoms that could indicate the virus, though no test had been done. Karen Morrison, regional director of Care UK, said staff were doing everything they could to keep residents safe. The first case at the home occurred at the end of March, when a resident died in hospital. Ms Morrison said: "My heart goes out to the families and friends of residents who have passed away over the past few days. "We are all thinking of them at this difficult time and send our condolences and best wishes. "The manager and her team at the home continue to be absolutely amazing and I cannot thank them enough. :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker "Despite all that has happened, they continue to deliver the very best care in a kind and professional way. "Their determination and commitment to support every resident, and each other, through these very challenging times is incredible." She added: "I'd like to reassure everyone, including relatives of those in the home, that we are doing everything in our power to keep people safe and comfortable. "We have all the necessary PPE and we continue to use it meticulously, as we have since the first case was seen at the end of last month." Among care homes that have been seriously affected have been Burlington Court Care Home, in Glasgow , where 16 people died, and Palms Row Healthcare in Sheffield where eight people died in under two weeks. In their book The Laughing Jesus, authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy expressed the belief that the Christian Bible evolved from other myths. Each mystery religion, they wrote, taught its own version of the myth of the dying and resurrecting Godman, who was known by different names in different places. In Egypt, where the mysteries began, he was Osiris. In Greece he became Dionysus, in Asia Minor, he is known as Attis, in Syria he is Adonis, in Persia he is Mithras, in Alexandria he is Serapis, to name a few. This quotation gets the gist of their opinion across. The authors like many non-believers think Christianity is interesting, but not that original. Despite taking numerous Bible and Christian philosophy classes, I only recently learned that a lot of people think this way. Since the concept of Christianity evolving from other religions is new to me, I would love to explore it with you. Well start by looking at why the belief is so prevalent, then segue into what makes it problematic. Why Its Popular According to apologist Dr. Pat Zukeran, non-believers think Christianity grew from pagan practices because there are remarkable parallels between the two. These parallels include: Mithras The Persian (and eventually Roman) god of the sun, oaths, and justice. According to Zukeran, Mithras was immaculately conceived, traveled with 12 disciples to whom he promised eternal life, and sacrificed himself for the world. Osiris The Egyptian king of the Underworld. He was killed by Seth, the embodiment of chaos and evil, but became judge over the dead and exercised power over the living through his son. Dionysus A Greco-Roman nature god of fruitfulness and merriment. Like Jesus, Dionysus was known for turning water into wine. The Epic of Gilgamesh A Mesopotamian poem about a two-thirds-divine king named Gilgamesh. His travels entailed forbidden trees and a worldwide flood. Why Its Wrong When faced with such a striking resemblance between Christianity and paganism, its no wonder non-believers feel secure in their non-belief. However, Zukeran pointed out two major flaws in the theory: One, its not logically sound; and two, it ignores the fundamental differences between the Christian and pagan narratives. 1. The Logical Fallacies As solid as the theory may seem at first glance, a closer look reveals some flaws in the logic. Zukerman calls the first one the composite fallacy. People commit it by lumping many or all pagan religions into one unit before comparing them to Christianity. More religions equal more common points equal more evidence. However, if you treat each pagan belief as its own entity before comparing it to our own faith, youll only find a few surface-level connections. Zukerman also pointed out something he called the terminological fallacy. He states that while some terms exist in both Christian and pagan faiths, theyre often used quite differently. The word resurrection is a great example: While Osiris is said to have resurrected from the dead, he doesnt come back to life fully. He has to stay put in the Underworld and settle for metaphorically living through his descendants. Jesus, on the other hand, came back to life quite literally. This difference of definition proves that terminology alone is a poor point of comparison between religions. Another common mistake non-believers make is committing the chronological fallacy. This is the assumption that the mystery religions existed before Christianity. There is no archaeological proof that other mystery religions were practiced in Palestine in the first century AD. Additionally, Jews and early Christians stressed the uniqueness of their religion to the point that they loathed the idea of adopting gods, stories, or practices from other beliefs. In other words, they were too darn stubborn to let other ideas seep into their religion. 2. The Narrative Fallacies Freke and Gandy cited the pagans early use of virgin births and death and resurrection as evidence that Christians were shameless copycats. But the phrase virgin birth means something radically different in each belief system. In pagan myths, a god lusts after and has a child with a mortal woman. While Zeus is no more human than God is, his many mistresses dont count as virgin births because there was sex involved. There may not have been sex in Mithrass birth story, but thats only because he wasnt born at all; he sprouted fully-grown out of a rock. Neither scenario is comparable to God sending the Spirit to touch the Virgin Marys womb. The little-G gods and the big-G God also disagree about the subject of death on several points: The amount of deaths Pagans viewed history as a cycle and not a line, so their gods repeatedly died and came back. In contrast, Jesus only died once. The causes of deaths In pagan myths, the gods never died voluntarily; they were killed by emasculation, hunting accidents, and other outside forces. Jesus is the only god who chose to die and did so for a selfless reason: to reunite humanity with the Father. The nature of deaths The death of a pagan god or demigod was always a humiliating instance of defeat. Jesus death, on the other hand, was the ultimate triumph against evil. What Does This Mean? We covered a lot of ground together today, but many more twists and turns await you as you explore this debate on your own. Its a long journey, but no matter where your search for knowledge leads you, know God is by your side and wants you to find the truth. Seek Him, and He will make it clear to you in His time. iStock/Getty Images Plus/MatiasEnElMundo Thirty four new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 12 hours, according to the state health department, taking the total number of infected people to 473. Nine people have so far died due to the disease, including a doctor who had treated a member of Tablighi Jamaat. According to latest bulletin from the state medical and health department on Tuesday, the 56-year-old doctor from Nellore got admitted in local government hospital on April 3 with symptoms of high fever and vomiting and later tested positive for Covid-19. He was already suffering from diabetes and hypertension. On the request of his family members, the doctor was shifted to Apollo Hospitals, Vanagaram in Chennai on April 6. He succumbed to the disease on Monday, the bulletin said, adding that the doctor was a primary contact of another Covid-19 patient having travel history to Delhi. An official in the health department in Nellore said the doctor, an orthopaedic surgeon, had treated a patient who returned from Tablighi Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi in the second week of March. He was a private doctor who had recently opened a clinic, where he treated the Jamaat returnee, the official said. Another person, a 55-year-old from Vijayawada, died of the disease in the last 12 hours, said authorities. He had come in contact with another Covid-19 patient having travel history of Jalandhar in Punjab. He was admitted to Vijayawada general hospital on April 5 and had been kept on ventilator from April 9 to 12. He was also suffering from diabetes and asthma and he succumbed on April 12, the bulletin said. Among the new Covid-19 positive cases reported in the last 12 hours, 16 were from Guntur, eight in Krishna, seven in Kurnool, two in Anantapur and one in Nellore. The maximum number of cases in the state are 109 from Guntur, followed by 91 in Kurnool, 56 in Nellore, 44 in Krishna and 42 in Prakasam. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The turning of calendar pages to April is usually the sign for snowbirds to leave Florida in droves for the north. Unfortunately, the arrival of coronavirus was missing from everyones version, leaving many still in Florida not only wondering what Gov. Ron DeSantis safer-at-home means for them but whether they can drive back with other states adopting similar measures. Before we get to that, lets just get one important point out of the way. While the governors order does not prevent them from leaving, health officials are still advising Americans to avoid all nonessential travel. Translation: Dont do it. To be clear, there are no restrictions on drivers passing through states. Some cities, though, have placed greater restrictions on nonessential travel so its important to check before planning a stop. In an attempt to answer the question, we looked at a few different routes from Florida to examine what a snowbird might face. For a trip to be viable, it depends on these essential elements: food, gas, rest stops, lodging and time to drive. Connie McCormack, whose home is in Rhode Island, is one of those snowbirds facing this dilemma. While shes resigned to staying in Florida until at least the end of April, she said she has important upcoming medical appointments and would feel safer there and closer to doctors who know her. And when she arrives home, she knows shell have to self-quarantine for 14 days. Hopefully we are able to find motels along the way, she said. We are pretty elderly and beyond the age of sleeping in our cars, but you do what you have to do. Worth noting is that 42 out 50 states have enacted some form of a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order as of Thursday. For example, the shortest route to Wisconsin, utilizing primarily Interstates 75 and 65, cuts through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, all states with some form of safer-at-home or shelter-in-place order. The quick answer to whether cheeseheads can reach home by sticking to the interstate is, in theory, yes. Georgia, which recently extended its shelter-in-place order until April 30, does ban short-term rentals but that does not apply to hotels, motels and campgrounds. Like Florida and the rest of the states on this route, Georgia has put restrictions on restaurants, allowing them to operate only for takeout or delivery. Gas stations along this route are also labeled essential services in each state, allowing them to remain open. Rest stops in Georgia also remain open to the public, according to the Department of Transportation. This is the case in many states but its important to contact each states Department of Transportation to get the most update-to-date information about specific areas. In Nebraska, for example, some stops on Interstate 80 were shut down briefly after the theft of toilet paper. In the northeast, states like New Hampshire and Vermont have closed their rest areas for the time being. As for curfews, some cities had enacted curfews weeks ago but Georgias statewide order, like all of the states along this route, does not impose one. Our next stop takes us to Tennessee, which enacted its safer-at-home order more than a week ago. Like Georgia, its hotels and commercial lodging remain open, though lodging establishments have been asked to close their dining services. The Bluegrass state is not under a shelter-in-place order per se. It calls it, healthy at home. Kentuckys first confirmed case of COVID-19 came from a person that had traveled to Florida for spring break providing yet another good reason to stay put. Although hotels are labeled as essential businesses, some in Kentucky have shuttered in response to the pandemic. The Louisville Courier-Journal, for example, reported that the Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville Downtown suspended operations Wednesday. The hospitality industry has taken a major hit with the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics projecting there will be a loss of 5.9 million travel-related jobs by the end of April. New York has a statewide stay-at-home order except for essential activities, such as getting groceries and medicine. Indiana issued a new stay-at-home order this week, extending its previous one by an additional two weeks. While hotel rooms are covered in the definition of homes or residences, campgrounds were closed on April 7 with the exceptions being made for recreational vehicles or cabins where the person has no viable place of residence. The new order also barred overnight stays in state parks. Illinois hotels have also been hit hard by the pandemic with thousands upon thousands of workers losing their jobs. With low occupancy rates, several large hotels in Chicago have gone dark during the states stay-at-home order including The Ritz-Carlton, Ace, The Blackstone, Loews, Omni Chicago, The Talbott and Four Seasons. Michael Jacobson, CEO and president of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, told the Chicago Tribune that it was a possibility that half of the citys hotels might temporarily halt operations. Chicago has also leased space at two hotels as a space for quarantining and for first responders. As a bonus for Michiganders, they can use a similar route, traveling through Ohio after reaching Kentucky. Gas stations and hotels are included in the list of businesses exempted in the states stay-at-home order. With so many empty rooms, some hotels though are being used to aid hospitals, healthcare workers and homeless shelters, according to The Plain Dealer. While the CDC does not generally issue travel advisories for domestic travel, it does list several questions to ask yourself to determine if it is safe to travel including: Is COVID-19 spreading in the area where youre going? If COVID-19 is spreading at your destination, but not where you live, you may be more likely to get infected if you travel there than if you stay home. If you have questions about your destination, you should check your destinations local health department website for more information. Will you or your travel companion(s) be in close contact with others during your trip? Are you or your travel companion(s) more likely to get severe illness if you get COVID-19? Do you have a plan for taking time off from work or school, in case you are told to stay home for 14 days for self-monitoring or if you get sick with COVID-19? Do you live with someone who is older or has a serious, chronic medical condition? Is COVID-19 spreading where I live when I return from travel? But when in doubt, stay inside, wash your hands and practice social distancing. By Devan Patel, Naples Daily News The Daytona Beach News-Journal A group of over 50 senior clerics in Pakistan has warned the government against the ban on religious congregations amidst the coronavirus outbreak and said the authorities should instead abide by religious norms and allow more worshippers in mosques to seek forgiveness from Allah. The government has banned prayer congregations of more than five people as part of its measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has infected over 5,715 people in Pakistan. Despite the government's pleas to observe social distancing, over 53 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia on Monday held a meeting in Jamia Darul Uloom Zakria here to discuss the ban on prayer congregations, the Dawn reported. The meeting -- attended by clerics representing various seminaries, banned groups, proscribed persons and political and non-political parties -- warned the authorities against the ban and said government leaders should abide by religious norms and seek forgiveness. The warning came before the government could come up with a plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramazan, which will begin in the last week of April. Pir Azizur Rehman Hazarvi, president of the Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria in Islamabad, said, "The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen." Hazarvi, who is also the patron of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), insisted that in order to get rid of the virus, it was imperative to seek forgiveness from Allah and increase the populace in mosques. A video clip released by the clerics on Tuesday showed leaders of various political and non-political organisations -- including JUI-F, Aalmi Tanzeem Khatam-i-Nabuwat, seminaries such as Taleem ul Quran Raja Bazar and a representative of banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat -- sitting in close proximity of each other. The meeting did not acknowledge the official directives of a maximum of five persons inside mosques for the collective prayers as the clerics said that the testing times demanded more time for prayers and announced that apart from the five times prayers, Friday and Taraweeh congregations will continue. The clerics, however, agreed to take precautionary measures like use of hand sanitisers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. Hazarvi said, "The senior clerics have noted that all efforts will be made to avoid clash and confrontations with the government and the state institutions." Lal Masjid's cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz also continued to challenge the authority of Islamabad Capital Territoty (ICT) administration by openly flouting the stipulated precautionary measures, the report saidEvery week, Aziz releases footages of huge congregations gathered for Friday prayers, denouncing the restrictions imposed by the government. As a result, the number of mosques organising large Friday congregations is increasing in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday said 342 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 5,716. Punjab recorded the maximum number of 2,826 cases, followed by Sindh at 1,452, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 800, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 233, Balochistan 231, Islamabad 131 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 43. While 1,378 people have recovered, 96 died and 46 are in critical condition, the ministry said. A total of 69,928 tests have been performed, including 3,157 during the last 24 hours, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 02:40:05|Editor: zyl Video Player Close A traveller arrives at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, April 14, 2020. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced a tougher quarantine measure for those returning to Canada from abroad to prevent the COVID-19 spread. As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday Canada Eastern Time, there were 26,897 COVID-19 cases and 898 deaths across the country, according to CTV. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua) OTTAWA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced a tougher quarantine measure for those returning to Canada from abroad to prevent the COVID-19 spread. The measure is to begin midnight Tuesday. Anyone who is asymptomatic and returning to Canada from abroad has to have a "credible quarantine plan" or they will be forced to spend 14 days in isolation in a quarantine location. Trudeau told a press conference that it is a strengthening of current policy of the Quarantine Act, which came into effect on March 25 and made it mandatory for those arriving in Canada from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days. Trudeau said the rule will give authorities the ability to evaluate the plan presented by the person coming into Canada and determine whether it is adequate or if they need to be placed in a location "like a hotel." "We now have the authority to require travellers to self-isolate for two weeks at a quarantine location like a hotel," he said. As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday Canada Eastern Time, there were 26,897 COVID-19 cases and 898 deaths across the country, according to CTV. An Irishman has been quizzed by detectives as part of a multi-national 15 million personal protective equipment (PPE) scam being investigated by Interpol. An Irishman has been quizzed by detectives as part of a multi-national 15 million personal protective equipment (PPE) scam being investigated by Interpol. The inquiry was launched after a German company was duped into paying over 2 million up front through a cloned website for face masks to be used for the Covid-19 crisis. Investigators have traced money to accounts in four separate countries after the fraud was realised late last month and two other people have appeared before a Dutch court as part of the large-scale probe. Last Friday gardai interviewed an Irish national in Roscommon on suspicion of money laundering after 1.5 million was traced to an Irish bank account which has since been frozen. Financial documents and electronic devices were also seized by members of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) who were assisted by local gardai. The items are now being forensically examined. The man was interviewed in relation to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 and 2018 which carries a maximum prison term of 14 years on conviction. He has not yet been charged and investigations are ongoing. The German company, with offices in Hamburg and Zurich, were contracted by their Government to purchase 10 million masks to deal with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The German District Service forwarded 15 million to the company who then attempted to acquire the PPE through a trusted Spanish company. However, they were unable to fulfil the order due to the high demand of face masks in the ongoing pandemic. An Irish intermediary was used to put the German company in touch with a Dutch supplier and an order was placed for 11 million masks. However, the order was made with a fraudulent entity who cloned the website and email address of the legitimate Dutch company. The fraudsters set up supply channels through the Irish middleman to provide 11 million masks valued at 7.7 million to the German Government. A down payment of 1.5 million was made to the bank account of an Irish company based in Roscommon for the delivery of nearly eight million face masks, while 880,000 was also paid to the account of the fake Dutch company. On March 27, members of the German and Irish companies met in Amsterdam for the handover of the masks shipment but it never materialised. The representatives then attended the offices of the Dutch company who informed them that no shipment was ever ordered or assigned to them. An multi-national investigation was launched which traced the money to different bank accounts in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Ireland. A sum of 880,000 was also transferred from the legitimate German company, with nearly 500,000 sent from a the UK to a Nigerian account which has since been recalled. A further 125,000 was moved to a Dutch account. On April 8 Dutch police arrested two men for alleged fraud, falsification and money laundering in relation to the 880.000 and they have since appeared in court. The investigation involved Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in Germany, Holland and Ireland who are being supported by Interpol, Europol and Eurojust. Cyber inquiries also uncovered that fraudsters had captured the address of an existing Dutch company who operate in this business and opened a bank account at the same Dutch bank as the legitimate company compromised in a similar manner. A Garda spokesman said that investigations into the incident are ongoing. A Michigan woman has lost her husband and son to the CCP virus just three days apart. Sandy Brown of Grand Blanc, Michigan, lost her husband, 59-year-old Freddie Lee Brown Jr., and her only son, 20-year-old Freddie Lee Brown III, in the last few days of March, reported CBS News. According to report, Brown was left devastated about her son passed away on March 29 and her husband on March 26 after contracting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. WWMT reported that Brown held a small visitation on Facebook Live before her husband and sons funeral on April 10. Brown placed a Michigan State jersey on her sons casket as he was supposed to attend university in the fall of 2020, according to CBS News. He attended Mott Community College prior to his death. My two men are gone. I am standing here in the strength of the Lord, not no strength of my own, Brown said. In the Facebook Live, she laid both of them to rest. Several other people also came to mourn with Brown and express their condolences and pay their respects. But they did so from their cars to adhere to the CDCs social distancing rules. Only Brown and those involved in the funeral were allowed inside Dodds Dumanois for the funeral. They all wore masks during the service. They knew they could only just come in their cars and support and so people have come and theyve done what we asked them o do and be able to show their support and presence, said Kiemba Knowlin, a pastor at the Jason Memorial Temple, according to WWMT. In an interview with Fox 66, Brown said that when she took her husband to the emergency room at Ascension Genesys, they were sent away because doctors informed her husband he did not meet the testing criteria. By the time of their second visit, he was needing to be put on a ventilator. Theres not even a word created to describe my pain. Its unimaginable. In three days, I lost my husband and my son to an ugly plague. I watched my son go from completely well and whole and happy to being gone in three days, Brown said. On April 13, Ford Motor (NYSE:F) released a preliminary look at its first quarter results. As expected under a global pandemic that has billions of people around the world under stay-at-home orders and global transportation at a standstill, it wasn't very good. Ford said sales were down 16% on a 21% drop in wholesales vehicle shipments, resulting in a $600 million pre-tax adjusted loss. It's likely that the first quarter offers just a small glimpse into how bad the second quarter -- and possibly longer -- could be for the company. Much of Ford's global manufacturing footprint is still shuttered, and it's not clear when its North America and European plants will reopen. Auto sales in the U.S. are likely to be far, far worse under what could be multiple months of the economy in park, and the company is set to lose many billions of dollars before the economy gets put back in drive. In about a year, medical experts are optimistic there should be a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and effective treatments are expected to be found before then. If that proves to be the case, the global economy, which has been forced to brake hard to reduce the spread of the deadly virus, should be accelerating once again. What does that mean for Ford? What should investors expect for the global auto giant over the next year? Let's take a look. A mountain of cash to bridge the gap For years, Ford has carried a substantial cash position on its balance sheet, and in large part because the company wanted to be able to maintain its dividend "through the cycle" as former CFO Bob Shanks described it. Shanks is no longer Ford's CFO, and the company pulled the plug on its dividend in March, but it has continued to prioritize a fortress-like balance sheet. In a highly cyclical industry like automaking, that's proving to be the smart move. When Ford pre-released its first quarter results on the 13th, it gave investors and update on the state of the balance sheet. As of April 9, Ford had $30 billion in cash, while Ford Credit, the company's auto lending subsidiary, carried $28 billion in liquidity at the end of the first quarter. That massive cash pile was expected to be helpful during a typical downturn in the economic cycle; management figured it would be plenty enough to help it ride out any downturn in sales and cash flows that comes along with a recession. But the coronavirus pandemic has proved anything but typical, and Ford management says that its current cash balance would be sufficient to last through the end of September, if there were no changes in its current operations. At present, that would mean only the company's joint-venture manufacturing in China is operating. A more likely scenario Chances are, Ford's global manufacturing footprint outside of China won't remain completely shuttered for the next six months. The fact that China -- the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic -- has started opening up its own economy and Ford has resumed operations there, offers some glimpse of what is more likely to happen. By early summer, more and more of the global economy is likely to be operating, and the demand for automobiles will start to pick up. As a result Ford should be operating at least a portion of its manufacturing base, likely its most-popular and in-demand vehicles including its F-Series pickups and other vehicles popular with both consumers and commercial operators. These are also some of Ford's most profitable vehicles, and that should help staunch the bleeding of cash the company will go through over the next couple of months. Even some limited recovery of the global economy will help Ford substantially, and that's the most-likely outcome in 2020. It's going to be at least another month or more before much of the world starts opening up for business, but when that happens Ford should be quick to get its plants back in production on a limited basis. In the interim, its plans to make respirators and ventilators will help with the fight against COVID-19 and provide some cash flow, but not nearly enough to offset the massive losses from the idling of essentially all of its business. Back in business, but not back to full speed The auto industry won't recover more quickly than the global economy, and will probably take longer. The follow-on impact of so many companies and people figuring out how to work remotely could result in some permanent -- if limited -- changes in how we work and do business, affecting demand for automobiles. Even the temporary impact of these changes -- and the financial repercussions for so many companies that are idled -- will result in delayed investments to expand or upgrade commercial vehicle fleets. And that's before even considering the millions of people around the world who will still be trying to recover financially, many of whom will delay vehicle purchases they otherwise might have made. I expect a year from now Ford's dividend will still be in the parking lot, but all of Ford's factories will be operating and global auto sales will be growing if still down from the peak. In that environment, and after months of burning through a substantial portion of its cash, the company will be focused on rebuilding the balance sheet and being competitive in every market it operates in. The dividend will eventually get reinstated, but until management knows the company is safe from the next economic shock, even the payout will be of secondary importance. WEST SPRINGFIELD The Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts is holding a Virtual Walk to End Hunger that is soliciting online donations, but that also has a drive-by component at the center, 377 Amostown Road, Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beneficiaries include the Parrish Cupboard whose services include an emergency food program as well as hot lunch program for needy families and individuals in West Springfield and Agawam. Every year we have been doing a Walk to End Hunger just about one week before the start of the month of Ramadan, which this year is April 24, said Dr. M. Saleem Bajwa, a Holyoke physician and a society member. So on April 18 we will be having a drive-by collection at the center while maintaining social distancing. Martha Tighe, cupboard executive director, and Mayor William Reichelt will join us. Bajwa added that because of current public health restrictions on gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019, members during Ramadan are all going to stay home and doing most of the activities there such as iftars (evening meal that breaks the daily fast) and prayers. However our charity works, such as donating for the needy, homeless and refugees will continue, said Bajwa of the society which usually holds an interfaith iftar at the center during Ramadan. Financial donations may be made now online. Bajwa said anyone making a donation to the drive-by box in the centers parking lot April 18 will receive a mask made by the ISWM Sisters Group which is looking for volunteers to participate in the mask-making project. Anyone interested or seeking further information should email iswmboard@yahoo.com The drive-by event will be held rain or shine. Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims who represent many different cultures and countries, and the practice of fasting to be closer to God is one of the five pillars of the faith. Acts of charity, along with prayer and reading of the Quran, whose first revelations were believed to have been given to Mohammed during the month of Ramadan, are encouraged during the month as well as extending hospitality to others to participate in iftar. He's now known as 'Big Ed' - a nickname that surely refers to his bulky physique. But there was a time when 90 Day Fiance star Ed Brown was muscled and in shape, as proved by a series of old photos which went viral this week. The reality star's old images were posted along with his present day appearance on Twitter, with a fan commenting: 'Fam, this use to be big Ed... #90DaysFiance.' As he is now: 90 Day Fiance's Big Ed is seen in season four of the hit TLC show; new photos show how different he once looked As he was: A shirtless tweet shows how Ed Brown looked back in the 80s, Engaged: At 54, Big Ed is 31 years older than 23-year-old fiance, Rose The viral tweet contrasted a shot of Ed's current overweight appearance, with a throwback, which he told TMZ was taken in 1988, on his second date with his now ex-wife. A second tweet showed two others throwback images, one of which showed a muscled, tanned, shirtless Ed, holding his young daughter - who today is a similar age to his 23-year-old fiance. Fans of 90 Day Fiance, will have seen Ed at age 54, overweight and completely unrecognizable from his younger days. Throwback: Ed is seen on a trip to the zoo with his ex-wife in 1988 Bulked up: Today Ed is 54 and engaged to a 31-year-old from The Philippines Reality star: San Diego-based Ed was seen visiting the Philippines to meet the family of his pretty, 31-year-old wife to be, Rose Memories: Big Ed shared a throwback on Instagram and wrote that he took part in Sam Walton's parade in 1984 San Diego-based Ed was seen visiting the Philippines to meet the family of his pretty, 23-year-old wife to be, Rose. Her family were surprised by Ed, with Rose's sister Maria commenting on camera: 'Now that I saw Ed in person, he is much smaller than me. And he is a little bit fat.' For his part, Ed said Maria had asked him for money, and was shocked at the open air home the family lived in. 90 Day Fiance follows couples who meet online and travel to one another's country for the first time. The 90 days refers to the time they have to marry under the terms of the U.S. fiance visa. Big Ed and Rose are one of eight couples featured on season 4 of the hit show. Set to wed: On the show, Ed visits Rose's family in The Philippines Viral: A fan shared the images on Twitter and wrote 'Fam, this used to be big ed!' The Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations and Consulate-General of Ghana has received with deep regret the sad news of the passing of a number of Ghanaians in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and wishes to extend deepest condolences and sympathy to the families and loved ones of our compatriots. The Mission further wishes to express solidarity with all affected Ghanaians especially with the families of the critically ill and joins in praying for their full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers go to all compatriots at this time and we wish to use this opportunity to reiterate our plea for all Ghanaians to strictly observe the guidelines announced by the World Health Organization as well as the City and State Authorities to avoid being infected with the virus. The Consulate is making every effort to track the welfare of the Ghanaian community in these difficult times and kindly requests that any Ghanaian living in the Tri-State area who has lost a relative or has knowledge of a Ghanaian who has succumbed to the coronavirus disease to duly notify the Consul-General or the Information Officer of the Ghana Mission. They may be contacted by phone on 929-342-9396 and 202-389-7855 respectively. The Ghana Permanent Mission and Consulate-General wishes to assure the Ghanaian community that it remains available to all Ghanaians in need of critical consular assistance. It is our hope and prayer that we will overcome this pandemic and be able to return to normalcy soon. Meanwhile, please stay safe. Information Officer Frederick Ameyaw. 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 Although there have been no reported cases of the coronavirus at the prison, Manafort since March 30 has been placed under a 14-day quarantine, making him eligible to be transferred to home confinement immediately under an April 3 directive by Attorney General William P. Barr, Manaforts lawyers said in the letter. The directive authorizes the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to place at-risk prisoners in home confinement for longer than normally permitted, Manforts lawyers said. [April 14, 2020] Wynnchurch Capital Invests in Western Forge & Flange Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. ("Wynnchurch") announced today that it has acquired the assets of Western Forge & Flange Co. ("Western"). Western is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, specialty forgings and flanges. Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Cleveland, Texas, Western has established a niche through its robust capabilities, infrastructure and ability to provide high-quality products and solutions with quick turnaround times on orders ranging from standard to highly custom. Western will unite under one platform with Pennsylvania Machine Works ("Penn Machine"), a Wynnchurch portfolio company. "We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality forging-solutions with quick turnaround times and industry leading service, and we are excited to partner with Wynnchurch and Penn Machine as we continue that mission," said Walt Pierce, CEO of Western. Walt added, "We are excited about the opportunities available through partnering with Penn Machine to better serve our current customers and to accelerate our growth plan." Joe Pro, President of Penn Machine, said in a statement, "We are very excited about partnering with Western to capitalize on the significant industry knowledge, expertise and resources of two leading specialty forging companies into one market leading platform." Greg Gleason, Partner at Wynnchurch, said, "Western and Penn Machine have both built strong reputations for providing customers with specialty forged products for the most demanding applications with industry-leading service levels. We look forward to partnering with Walt, Joe and their teams." Paul Ciolino, Partner at Wynnchurch, added, "We are excited to add Western to the platform to create one of the largest domestic, vertically integrated manufacturers of fitting and flanges with meaningful growth potential." Wynnchurch Capital is actively seeking investment opportunities for its $2.277 billion Fund V. In February, Wynnchurch acquired Pennsylvania Machine Woks, a fully integrated manufacturer of high pressure forged fittings and branch connections. Other recent Wynnchurch investments include: Clyde Industries, a leading designer and manufacturer of sootblowers, a critical component within recovery, power, and steam boilers; Eastern Metal Supply, a leading value-added distributor of aluminum extrusions and related products; MPL Holdings, a leader in cultured marble products for the hospitality and multi-family housing markets; and Premier Forge Group, a leading provider of high-value, complex forgings for the industrial and aerospace and defense markets. About Western Forge & Flange: Western Forge & Flange Co., headquartered in Cleveland, Texas, is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, specialty forgings and flanges used in petrochemical, nuclear, military and other industrial infrastructure applications. Founded in 1944, Western has established itself as the industry leader for specialty flanges through its robust capabilities, infrastructure and ability to provide high-quality products and solutions with quick turnaround times on orders ranging from stock jobs to highly custom projects. For more information, please visit: www.western-forge.com. About Pennsylvania Machine Works: Pennsylvania Machine Works, LLC, headquartered in Aston, Pennsylvania, is a fully integrated manufacturer of high pressure forged fittings and branch connections that are sold into downstream oil & gas, petrochemical, LNG, industrial and shipbuilding end markets. Founded in 1931, Penn has established itself as the industry leader for quick lead times, comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and high-quality products. Supported by its forging facility in Swedesboro, NJ and two machine shops in Aston, PA and Houston, TX, Penn is well positioned to meet the dynamic needs of its customers. For more information, please visit: https://www.pennusa.com. About Wynnchurch Capital: Wynnchurch Capital, L.P., headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, with offices in California and Canada, was founded in 1999, and is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch's strategy is to partner with middle market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. Wynnchurch Capital manages a number of private equity funds with $4.2 billion of committed capital under management and specializes in recapitalizations, growth capital, management buyouts, corporate carve-outs and restructurings. For more information, please visit: https://www.wynnchurch.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005068/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Actress and comedian Amy Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer are getting ready to celebrate their sons first birthday in May. Giving their son his unique middle name in honor of a good friend, the I Feel Pretty star recently shared that they are making a change to their babys moniker almost one year after his birth. Amy Schumer | Steven Ferdman/Getty Images Amy Schumer talks to Oprah Winfrey about motherhood During Oprah Winfreys 2020 Vision: Your Life In Focus tour, Schumer sat down with the media mogul and discussed her new role as a mom. I really have had a beautiful experience having a baby, Schumer told Winfrey, according to People. You know, its different for everybody. But I really have to recommend if youve got the resources to have a baby, have a baby. Its been so life-changing for me. And I really like the guy. Schumer endured a difficult pregnancy, where she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition affecting pregnant women that brings on severe nausea and vomiting. Though the health issue was extremely challenging at the time, the comedian was just grateful for her baby boy. This has been by far the best year of my life and I spent half of it vomiting everyday, she wrote on Instagram in December. Trainwreck star on the name change Schumer and Fischer, a professional chef, named their son Gene Attell Fischer. Born on May 5, the babys middle name was a tribute to the couples friend, comedian Dave Attell. Yet as time went on, the parents became aware that combining the first and middle names wasnt the best choice. Do you guys know that Gene, our babys name, is officially changed? Schumer told cohosts Rachel Feinstein, Bridget Everett, and Keith Robinson on her podcast 3 Girls, 1 Keith. Its now Gene David Fischer. Schumer clarified the switch to her co-hosts and listeners. It was Gene Attell Fischer, but we realized that we, by accident, named our son genital,' the actress shared. Her podcast guest and Trainwreck co-star, Claudia ODoherty, had already been aware of the pronunciation challenge. My mom pointed that out to me, actually, ODoherty revealed. My mum was like, Amys called her son genital.' Schumer and Fischers choice of Genes new middle name was strategic, where David is her fathers middle name and Attells legal first name. Amy Schumer is cooking up a show with her husband Hoping to bring some good news to her fans during the coronavirus crisis, Schumer just announced that she and Fischer will be launching their own cooking show on Food Network. Chris and I are excited to make this project with Food Network combining our two passions for Chris its cooking and for me, eating, the actress said, according to Today.com. With everything going on in the world right now, we are so grateful to be able to share an entertaining and informative experience with viewers. With the majority of Americans under quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Schumer realized that many people are finding comfort in their kitchens and wanted to give audiences a glimpse of how food prep is handled in her household. Entitled Amy Schumer Learns to Cook, each of the eight half-hour episodes will put the spotlight on a culinary theme such as brunch, pasta, or tacos. Schumer and Fischer, a James Beard award-winning cookbook author, filmed the episodes themselves. Baby Gene will appear in cameos. Amy and Chris will give an unprecedented look at this lives as they are quarantined in their house, Food Network President Courtney White said, as reported by Today.com. Shot entirely themselves, Amys boundless humor and Chris culinary skills show viewers how they navigate life while at home making the best of these turbulent times with some good laughs and good food. Fans of Schumer are already eagerly awaiting the shows premiere! My favorite fairy tale when I was a kid was Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Emperors New Clothes'. It's about a narcissistic, deluded, arrogant, materialistic and detached Emperor of a city who loves expensive new clothes. Two conman weavers persuade him they can create beautiful suits made of such fine fabric that they would be invisible to people who are unfit to hold office, incompetent or just very stupid. Of course, the conmen have made this all up, playing to the Emperors gigantic ego and chronic lack of self-awareness. There are no invisible suits, but the manipulative weavers present them to people as it if they really exist - so everyone, including the Emperor, refuses to admit the truth, because to do so would be to expose their ignorance. The Emperor is so determined to hide the truth even from his own eyes that he parades before his subjects wearing the new 'suit' when in fact hes stark naked and nobody dares say anything for fear that they will be branded unfit for office, incompetent or stupid. From the start of this crisis, President Trump has tried to rely on his usual political methodology attacking opponents, trashing the 'fake news' media, blaming anyone and everyone but himself, pretending things are better than they are, and congratulating himself repeatedly for making all the right decisions. But his tactics arent working this time Finally, one young child cries out: 'But he isnt wearing anything at all! This breaks the spell of fearful silence and the air is suddenly filled with everyone shouting the same thing, thus destroying the Emperors vain delusion and conceit. But even when confronted with cold, hard reality, the Emperor continues to pretend he is wearing an amazing suit, holds his head high and marches on prouder than ever. The moral of this story is simple: pride come before a fall. From the start of this crisis, President Trump has tried to rely on his usual political methodology attacking opponents, trashing the 'fake news' media, blaming anyone and everyone but himself, pretending things are better than they are, and congratulating himself repeatedly for making all the right decisions. But his tactics arent working this time, because Americans are dying in their droves from coronavirus at a rate faster than anywhere else in the world, and theyre seeing the stark, horrific reality in the shape of mass open-air graves being prepared and field hospitals being set up in parks. Theyre also seeing the US economy tank like never before, jobs being destroyed in historically bad numbers, and vast swathes of the American public being plunged into poverty, homelessness and misery. Its become an increasingly nauseating spectacle and last night, President Trump reached a new low with a press briefing performance that was frankly an utter disgrace. In a preposterous claim, Trump announced he has 'total authority' as President to make any decision he likes This is as bad as it gets; a grim Ground Zero for most Americans whove never had to even contemplate such terrible hardship, let alone actually endure it. Yet every day their President pops up for several hours on TV to pontificate about how its not really that bad, how things will all bounce back quickly, and how he couldnt possibly be doing a better job. Blah blah bloody blah. Its become an increasingly nauseating spectacle and last night, President Trump reached a new low with a press briefing performance that was frankly an utter disgrace. First he played a ludicrous, shameless campaign-style video to prove how his 'stable genius' had already saved thousands of American lives. Then came the questions from a press corps who thought theyd seen it all from the Trump White House but must have been slack-jawed with amazement. Time and again reporters asked him perfectly legitimate questions about his administrations handling of this crisis, and time and again Trump furiously abused, denounced and dismissed them with sneering contempt. He ranted, raved, mocked and derided in such an appalling manner that by the the time he finished, the hashtag #TrumpMeltdown was No1 trending topic on Twitter in America. CNNs Kaitlan Collins (above) challenged Trump's assertion that he has 'total authority' over states when it comes to lifting lockdowns. She then asked which governors had agreed that he could overrule them. 'I havent asked anybody,' Trump snarled back. 'You know why? Because I dont have to' This was worse than just a meltdown. This was the most undignified and pathetic display I have ever seen from any world leader, let alone the President of the United States in the middle of a global crisis. And where once I could occasionally defend his combative, abrasive style against what I have often felt has been an unfairly hostile media, I cannot defend this. America is now the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, and what is abundantly clear is that President Trump and his administration, like the government of my own country Britain, was shamefully late to recognize the severity of the COVD-19 threat and as a result has played catastrophically bad catch-up ever since. This complacency left the US, and Britain, woefully underprepared when its come to having enough of the right tools to fight the virus from Personal Protective Equipment for health workers to tests, ventilators, masks and other vital pieces of kit. My favorite fairy tale when I was a kid was Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Emperors New Clothes'. It's about a narcissistic, deluded, arrogant, materialistic and detached Emperor of a city who loves expensive new clothes Yet when CBS White House Correspondent Paula Reid rightly challenged him about this inarguable lack of preparedness, Trump branded her disgraceful, a 'fake', and boasted hed 'done a great job'. But that wasnt even his worst moment. In a preposterous claim, Trump announced he has 'total authority' as President to make any decision he likes. When asked if he could order state governors to remove lockdown restrictions and reopen the US economy, Trump replied: When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and thats the way its gonna be. Its total. Its total. The governors know that.' He was immediately challenged by CNNs Kaitlan Collins who said, 'that is not true', and asked him which governors had agreed that he could overrule them. 'I havent asked anybody,' Trump snarled back. 'You know why? Because I dont have to.' When Collins courageously persisted, saying 'but who told you the president has total authority? Trump simply raised his finger and said: 'Enough.' Yet she was right, and he was wrong. The 10th amendment to the US Constitution makes is crystal clear that all powers not expressly delegated to the federal government reside with the states and the people. State governors have specific power to regulate the lives of their citizens, especially during public health emergencies. The federal government does have special powers granted to it in a national emergency but they do not include opening or closing state economies. New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whose calm, authoritative leadership during the crisis has been a masterclass in how to handle such a seismic event, was quick to deny Trumps absurd claim. 'The president does not have total authority,' he said. 'We have a constitution, we dont have a king' That is why many states have responded differently to the Coronavirus pandemic, because different parts of the country require different strategies. New York governor Andrew Cuomo, whose calm, authoritative leadership during the crisis has been a masterclass in how to handle such a seismic event, was quick to deny Trumps absurd claim. 'The president does not have total authority,' he said. 'We have a constitution, we dont have a king.' Exactly. Still less does America have an Emperor, much as Donald Trump likes to think hes one. In fact, his assertion that he has 'total authority' was precisely the kind of tyrannical nonsense that drove Americans to reject being ruled by an English monarch and violently march to independence. And for the Founding Fathers to craft a constitution precisely engineered to prevent an American dictator from ever seizing power. Now, by trying to assert a non-existent authority over individual states, Trump is testing that constitution to destruction at a time when a national emergency demands national unity more than ever. His power play has already forced eight governors to form informal alliances to coordinate their emergence from lock-down in open defiance of whatever he and his ludicrously oversized committee decides. As the President stood at his podium last night, berating all and sundry, and making outlandishly untrue claims to his power, I saw an emperor with no clothes trying to pretend he was wearing a great suit. The nakedness it exposed was not a pretty sight. Property technology funding in the Asia Pacific region declined last year, a sign of general caution among investors toward the tech industry after a years-long boom. property technology funding Property technology funding in the Asia Pacific region declined last year Proptech start-ups raised US$625.9 million in 2019, compared to a record US$1 billion in 2018, according to data from tech media company Tech in Asia. The decline comes as investors take a step back after years of growth in a commercial real estate industry that has come to embrace technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality. But the shrinking numbers dont necessarily give the full picture, says Jordan Kostelac, director of Proptech, Asia Pacific, JLL. While venture capital interest in proptech start-ups may have peaked for now, in our work with clients and fellow corporates, we have seen that interest in proptech in Asia Pacific continues to grow and is now beginning to mature, he says. Globally, funding for proptech which includes the likes of sensors under office desks and drone inspections is still on the rise. After a banner year in 2018, last year the sector continued to register strong funding, reaching US$12.9 billion in mid-2019, according to research firm CREtech. Proptech funding plays out differently in Asia Pacific because investors and corporations are a less beholden to legacy systems, and more accustomed to the fast rate of technological adoption and changing market dynamics, Kostelac says. Investor watch for Proptech Funding The commercial real estate industry has typically lagged in picking up on new tech. This has allowed corporates the runway to play catch up, especially in Asia Pacific. Instead of investing in funds, companies have been collaborating with the tech firms to create products for them or work their solution within the corporates offering. Investors and corporates alike are taking their time to find start-ups which present the right balance of founder/product-market fit and possess deeper expertise to navigate a complex industry thats been slower to evolve, says Kostelac. Story continues Moreover, the APAC proptech eco-system is less mature than Europe and the U.S., he says. The challenge has always been how best to integrate start-ups or their solutions with the current real estate system to overcome the main points of friction. Property Technology Funding and Tech with an edge Recent IPO disappointments involving tech firms have also affected the growing proptech scene. Investors have become more stringent, focusing on start-ups and products with a clear innovative edge that could deliver benefit and results instead of simply being a start-up offering space as a service. This development is a good step forward for proptech start-ups to grow, scale and function meaningfully in the industry, Kostelac says. Investors are now aware its no longer about growth at all costs but investing strategically in start-ups that could make a difference to the industry or their portfolio performance. One of the worlds largest sovereign funds, Singapores GIC, started investing in proptech last year. Private equity firm The Blackstone Group recently made a strategic investment into Dealpath, a cloud-based platform which allows acquisition teams to manage deals. Such investor preferences can also be seen in the funding figures. Pre-series A start-ups experienced the biggest increase in funding between 2018 and 2019 from US$12 million to US$26.1 million. India, too, bucked the overall trend as property technology funding grew nearly 17 times, with US$56.8 million raised in 2019 compared to US$3.4 million in 2018. It makes sense for investors to invest in pre-series A start-ups to support initial market research and early product development, says Kostelac. As for India, it will always be on investors radars; its tech community has produced some of the most innovative solutions in different industries and its proptech sector has great potential as well as deep engineering expertise. With more than 60 percent of the worlds population but just 30 percent of the landmass, Kostelac believes that proptech solutions that address the regions needs will shape the industry for the next century. Even if Property Technology funding has decreased, the signs of the times are such where property agents must upgrade to keep up with technology or they must die, said Mr Paul Ho, chief mortgage officer of iCompareLoan. He noted that many property agencies struggle to keep up with all the regulatory changes in the industry, as well as the changing financial calculations for acquiring a property. He urged property agents to master the basics in property financing, refinancing, taxation and CPF. Mr Ho said that iCompareLoan.com runs a full 2 3 days course on how property agents can produce such reports for their customers. He added that the trademarked course teaches Property Agents how to generate complicated Financial calculations using Home Loan Report (TM) in 3 mins flat. This helps Property agents to close deals faster and serve customers more professionally. The Home Loan Report tool is a Singapores first one-of-a-kind analysis platform that provides latest updates of detailed loan packages and helps property agents, financial advisors and mortgage brokers to analyse home loan packages for their clients and give unbiased home loan / commercial loan analysis for their property buyers and home owners. As buyers of the future grow more discerning, agents cannot afford to just rely on their personality or their experience to attract clients. Buyers and sellers of the future will increasingly rely on agents to have knowledge on property finance calculations and this is where the Home Loan report comes in. This trademarked tool is a one-stop solution that can help deliver a detailed home loan report to property agents in 3 minutes flat. This is especially helpful when agents who do not have knowledge on property finance calculations make cold calls to potential clients and need to have a thorough analysis at hand in order to best direct each client on what their property buying and selling options are. Such a report will not only help agents deliver the best possible property options to their clients, it will also help prevent the agent or potential buyers or sellers from wasting each others time since they already have all the information they need on the potential clients buying or selling prospects at hand. Property agents who want to continue working in the industry must set themselves apart and position themselves as thought leaders, especially in this day and age where digital marketing largely drives the economy. The post What does Asia Pacifics proptech funding dip mean for real estate? appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources. KAMPALA President Yoweri Museveni has announced that Ugandas lockdown will be extended for anorher 21 days (three weeks). The President, while addressing the country on Tuesday April 14, acknowledged that Uganda was not prepared for a crisis that has killed several people worldwide. The 21-day lockdown extension runs till May 5, 2020 as the health professionals work hard to clear the infections in Uganda, as assess the emergency of new cases. Mr. Museveni says that out of 5,664 persons tested in Uganda, 54 have been found to be positive. As many as 4,015 were returnees coming back to Uganda from abroad, 1,232 were those who interacted with the returnees (contacts) and 402 were those who had not been in contact with the returnees or travelled out, but because they got some symptoms, they reached out to the health officials to be tested (alert individuals). Following the domestic testing, the health officials started to test the inter-state cargo transport drivers. On Monday, the President added, 372 drivers were tested at the Malaba entry point. All these were found to be negative of the coronavirus. At least 117,752 people have died worldwide from the novel coronavirus in 193 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally around 1900 GMT Monday based from official sources. There have been 1,889,410 reported infections since the virus emerged in China in December, 2019. The United States has the most deaths of any country with 22,935. It also has the highest number of reported infections with 568,176. Related GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- About one of every 10 Kent County residents are black. But for every 10 coronavirus patients in the county, two are also black. While its still too early to know if that disproportionate trend will hold, its a concerning one that health officials are keeping a close watch on, said Adam London, director of the Kent County Health Department. We're seeing what looks to be a disproportionately high rate of cases here in Kent County in that population, London said. But there are a number of variables that need to be considered as well. It is still a small sample size, so it's hard to draw firm conclusions right now. It is enough that we're concerned very much about that here in Kent County. London gave those remarks during a Tuesday, April 14, conference call held by the county to brief black community leaders on the coronavirus pandemic. Kent County isnt alone. The data for nearby Muskegon County also is disproportionately affecting more black residents, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently created a task force to address racial disparities in Michigan during the pandemic. If you can compare how were doing against the rest of the state I can say that were not doing too bad, but were not doing good enough and thats why were on this call today, said Kent County Administrator Wayman Britt. This is an opportunity for Kent County and for the rest of the state to really take a look at how community can respond to crisis. During the hour-long video call, the roughly 240 participants heard updates on the coronavirus pandemic situation in Kent County and were able to ask questions. As of Tuesday, Kent County had 328 reported cases of coronavirus and 14 associated deaths. Of the 328 cases, 69 of them, or about 21 percent, are among black residents. 10 Kent County coronavirus African American community briefing The health department does not publicize case totals by municipality. Most of the cases in the county are in or around Grand Rapids, where about 19 percent of residents are black. London said the exact cause of the disproportionate rate is not yet fully known. He said health officials do not think people who are black are more genetically susceptible to the coronavirus. We know that housing and that long-term historical institutional racism are factors, London said. We know that disparity in access to socio-economic resources are factors. There are any number of factors that need to be thought of and considered as we work through this. Black residents account for nearly a third of all coronavirus cases reported in Michigan but represent just 14 percent of the population, according to state data. In Muskegon County, health officials on Monday reported that of their 75 total cases, 42 of them, or 56 percent, were among black residents. Countywide, black residents account for about 14 percent of the population. The statewide statistic prompted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week to form a task force that will provide recommendations on how to address racial disparities in health care during the ongoing pandemic. Related: Gov. Whitmer announces task force to study impact of coronavirus on African Americans, minorities PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more Michigan coronavirus coverage here Tuesday, April 14: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan 6 reasons Michigan has four times more coronavirus cases than Ohio Cocktails to go? Bar, restaurant owners push Michigan to allow it during coronavirus Michigan DNR issues 323 warnings, handful of citations to boaters Michigan food assistance payments increased by $68M in March Joining the EUs procurement scheme to secure protective equipment and ventilators would make no difference, a cabinet minister has said as it was revealed that the UK passed on three opportunities to take part. Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said the government had sufficient stocks despite warnings by medics and care workers that there is a shortage thanks to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The government has made an assessment that by joining the schemes, it wasnt going to make any particular difference to the procurement of PPE, Ms Coffey told LBC radio. Thats still our basis of whether or not we attended a meeting in February or whether we attended the meeting in March. Thats still the outcome. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said on Friday that the government was trying to open new supply lines to buy extra equipment. He has, however, declined to apologise to nurses working without PPE. Downing Street previously claimed it only failed to join the scheme because of a miscommunication, but it was revealed at the end of March that British officials in Brussels had, in fact, taken part in four meetings during which bulk-buying was discussed, according to EU minutes reported by The Guardian newspaper. It is now reported that the UK missed three opportunities to buy protective equipment in contrast to No 10s claim that the confusion was down to a missed email. European clinicians are preparing to receive the first batch of 1.5bn (1.3bn) in personal protective equipment within days through the joint procurement scheme involving 25 countries and eight companies that uses the buying power of the 500 million-person single market to secure priority access to limited supplies. The European Commission says the amount of kit set to arrive is in excess of what was ordered. Asked whether she accepted there was a shortage of equipment, Ms Coffey said: We had sufficient stocks and we continue to need stocks, thats why we need to procure more. A survey by the Doctors Association UK found that only 52 per cent of clinicians carrying out high-risk procedures have the right full sleeve gowns, and the Royal College of Nursing has reassured staff in England that they can refuse to treat patients if they do not have the right protective equipment. High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Show all 18 1 /18 High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Najaf, Iraq A man holds a pocket watch at noon, at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Bangkok, Thailand Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, part of The Grand Palace) Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Prague, Czech Republic An empty street leading to the historic Old Town Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Washington DC, US Lawn stretching towards the Capitol, home of Congress Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Jerusalem's Old City A watch showing the time in front of Damascus Gate Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world London, UK The Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Wuhan, China Empty lanes in the city that saw the first outbreak of disease Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Havana, Cuba The Malecon road and esplanade winds along the city's seafront Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Cairo, Egypt A little busier than elsewhere: midday traffic in Tahrir Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Berlin, Germany The Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving city gate in the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Caracas, Venezuela Bolivar Avenue, opened in 1949 and the site of many demonstrations and rallies Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Moscow, Russia Spasskaya Tower (left) on the eastern wall of the Kremlin, and St Basil's Cathedral Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Istanbul,Turkey The harbourside Eminonu district is usually buzzing with activity Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New Delhi, India Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard that runs through the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Amman, Jordan The Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New York City, US The main concourse of Grand Central station in Manhattan Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Kiev, Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the site of many political protests since the end of the Soviet era Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Accra, Ghana The odd walker out in the midday sun on Ring Road Central Reuters The claims about the EU scheme also comes as the government admits that an earlier high-profile plan to buy ventilators from Formula 1 racing teams has fallen through. Authorities have judged that the product is not suitable for treating coronavirus patients. The prime ministers official spokesperson said: For the majority of PPE included in the EU scheme, the supply of items to participating countries is still subject to the European Commission signing off individual contracts with suppliers, the placing of orders and negotiations on delivery schedules. The spokesperson said 22 million pieces of PPE were delivered to 268 health organisations on Monday. The Government was facing mounting questions over a lack of protective equipment for NHS staff today as a minister admitted she had no idea how many medics had died from coronavirus. Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was savaged by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain as she faced the media to defend efforts to provide adequate masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE). It came as it was revealed that the UK missed three chances to participate in an EU scheme to buy huge quantities of such items. The EU has ordered 1.5billion (1.3billion) worth of protective masks, gowns and gloves for doctors and nurses but Britain did not take part in talks about the purchases. And Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed her government would investigating reports PPE destined for Scotland was being diverted to England, saying: 'Any situation where supplies were being diverted from one part of the UK to the other without consultation or any sense of co-operation would clearly be unconscionable and unacceptable.' One in three NHS and critical key workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, official figures showed this morning. But supplies of equipment from abroad have been hampered since February, as factories in China were unable to ship out and then were swamped with orders from around the globe. The NHS has also been sourcing PPE from the UK and European suppliers and supplies are believed to have increased. Turkey has also flown plane-loads of equipment to the UK from Ankara. In a heated exchange this morning, Mr Morgan raged at Ms Coffey, asking: 'Do you know how many care workers have died of coronavirus or are currently seriously ill with it?' Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was savaged by Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain as she faced the media to defend efforts to provide adequate masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment (PPE) Coffey admitted she didn't know the answer, for the host to fire back: 'Do you know how many NHS workers have died from coronavirus?' Missed opportunities to get more masks and gowns for medics January 31: On the day of Brexit, a UK official attends UK meeting on the emerging virus. Four countries raise the potential need for more PPE - UK is not among them. February 4: UK attends meeting of EU and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials in Luxembourg. February 24: European Commission updates officials on PPE procurement and asks countries to outline their 'exact needs'. The UK was invited but did not attend. February 28: The EU makes its first join procurement of 1.2million of gloves and gowns. The UK is not involved. March 12: The procurement fails because of a shortage of suppliers and is relaunched on March 15, still without UK involvement. March 17: Two more rounds of procurement for masks, goggles and ventilators go forward without the UK March 19: The UK joins the procurement steering committee but does not join a tender sent out to firms the same day for lab supplies. March 23: Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits there have been 'challenges' with the supply of PPE but that he was taking the issue 'very seriously'. March 24: No 10 confirms it has not joined EU procurement effort in favour of its own plan. It later claims it did not join because it missed an email invitation. March 25: British officials do not attend a meeting at which countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day March 26: The Government says it has 8,175 ventilators, but asks UK firms to build an additional 30,000 within weeks. March 29: Two surgeons become the first UK medics to die from coronavirus, putting a spotlight on PPE supplies for the NHS. April 10: Mr Hancock appears to suggest NHS medics are being wasteful of masks and gowns, urging them to 'treat PPE as the precious resource it is'. April 11: Mr Hancock confirms that 19 medics have died from coronavirus, after initially saying it would be 'inappropriate' to reveal the death toll. April 13: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages rather than distribution issues only was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. Advertisement When she again said she didn't know the answer, Piers raged: 'How can you not? I'm not being funny but how can a member of the British government sent out to talk to the media have literally no idea how many NHS workers or care workers have died? Ms Coffey replied: 'I do know that over 11,000 people have died, which is very sad, across the country. I do know that we are prioritising the clinical need assessment of those people particularly in hospital but also in a social care setting.' GPs have reportedly been told to buy their own PPE when they have contacted the Government's official supply helpline. And the Royal College of Nursing has previously highlighted problems medics have had accessing items including face masks, eye protection and hand sanitiser. Its chief executive today revealed that she will highlight a 'damaging' lack of working PPE and testing when she appears remotely in front of MPs on Thursday. Dame Donna Kinnair is to be quizzed by the Health and Social Care Committee - chaired by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Dame Donna said today: 'We call on the UK government to act rapidly and robustly so that it is without doubt that the safety of staff and the public is paramount in this crisis. 'Our members should not have to choose between their sense of duty, their personal safety, and the safety of their families.' The union has already warned nurses that they can refuse to treat coronavirus patients 'as a last resort' if they feel it is unsafe for them to do so, because of a lack of PPE. This morning new statistics revealed Britain's official coronavirus death toll is missing 10 per cent of victims because they died in care homes and not NHS hospitals. Data collected by the Office for National Statistics showed there were around 4,100 COVID-19-related deaths registered by April 3 in England and Wales. Slightly less than 10 per cent (406) of those deaths occurred in hospices, care homes and private homes, according to the analysis. But the daily death tolls published by the NHS and the Department of Health only count people who have died in hospitals. It increases the pressure on ministers to boost the rollout of PPE to care home staff as well as NHS medics. Regarding reports that supplies earmarked for Scotland were being sent to England, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Our PPE strategy is UK wide, making sure that frontline workers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the PPE they need to stay protected while taking care of patients. 'Through this four nation approach we are working closely with the devolved administrations to coordinate PPE evenly across the UK. We have not instructed any company to prioritise PPE for one nation over the others.' Yesterday foreign secretary Dominic Raab acknowledged that PPE shortages rather than distribution issues only was an issue and admitted supplies were running low because of 'a competitive market out there'. But some 25 European countries and eight companies are involved in the joint PPE procurement scheme and the first deliveries could be received within days, The Guardian reported. A spokesman for the commission said the joint scheme has led to offers of protective gear in excess of the amount requested. However, the UK will miss out on the PPE because it did not take part in any of the three rounds of bulk-buying which were first launched by the EU in February. The Government has previously said it was unable to join the EU's procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation. Whitehall officials reportedly only realised after all three rounds had been put out to tender that they had not received invitations to join the Joint Procurement Agreement steering committee where the orders are organised. After telling the EU commission that the invitation emails were being sent to an outdated address the UK finally participated in its first meeting on joint PPE procurement on March 19. However, British officials did not follow up that meeting and did not attend on March 25 when participating countries were invited to outline their requirements for future purchases by the next day. In a separate interview Ms Coffey said the UK 'is in a better place now than necessarily we would have been under the EU scheme'. 'The important point is that we have over 700 million pieces of PPE that are being delivered,' she told LBC radio. NHS nurse, 65, dies from coronavirus after warning about lack of PPE as he treated patients with just 'a paper mask, plastic gloves and pinny', family reveal A brave nurse who died after contracting coronavirus had warned his family about not having proper PPE - and was left working with just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny'. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis. But he became ill himself with coronavirus, and gradually his condition deteriorated. He died at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales on Saturday. His family have now hit out at the lack of protective equipment after the death of the 'much-loved and dedicated' member of the health team. Grandfather Gareth Roberts, 65, (pictured) had come out of retirement to work at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff and was doing extra shifts to cope with the crisis Family friend Janette Leonard (left) said that Mr Roberts (right) did not have the correct PPE. She said he had been left wearing just a 'paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny' Family friend Janette Leonard said: 'He didn't have PPE. In the beginning he said he didn't have anything. 'For Gareth, he paid the ultimate price. Yeah we're angry. 'Why would you send a soldier on to the front line without combat gear? It's unthinkable.' Mr Roberts devoted 40 years of his life to caring for people in hospitals around Cardiff and spent his last shift at Llandough Hospital in the Welsh capital. He worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015. His wife Linda was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital. Mr Roberts (pictured) worked as a nurse across the Cardiff and Vale health board area since the 1980s, coming out of retirement in January 2015 Mr Roberts' wife Linda (pictured together) was told to attend his bedside at 3am when it became clear he would pass away. Over the last few weeks, Mr Roberts worked extra shifts to help cover the wards at Llandough Hospital Ms Leonard said: 'They called Linda at three in the morning. 'They said: 'He's going, get over here'. They gowned her up - and she was with him.' Ms Leonard said the family have concerns about a lack of personal protective equipment for frontline staff. She said: 'He had a paper mask, plastic gloves and a pinny. 'Well that's alright if you are making sandwiches but not when you are going to nurse people with the disease.' Ms Leonard has now set up a fundraising page to help his family with funeral costs, which raised 2,700 in less than a day. His friends say he was a kind man with a great sense of humour. Ms Leonard, a friend of Mr Roberts since childhood, said his sense of humour would 'make you weak' 'You couldn't not love him - his sense of humour, he was just so dry,' she said. 'Cariad [Welsh for darling] was his favourite word. The nursing sister in the ward was saying to me she'll miss him saying: 'Come on cariad, we can do this together'. 'That's how he was - a proper genuine, lovely guy.' Mr Roberts, of Aberdare, south Wales was father to Ceri and Dean and a grandfather to 16-year-old Zac - who he and Linda had brought up after their son Dean passed away 11 years ago. In a statement, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: 'Gareth had been part of our nursing family since the 1980's and worked across our hospital sites.' It added 'Gareth was well known by everyone and was an extremely popular, fun-filled and well liked person, always greeting everyone with - 'Hello Cariad' when he saw them.' A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: 'We are working with the rest of the UK to ensure there is sufficient supply of PPE and we're working with Welsh businesses to produce PPE in Wales. 'We are doing everything we can do ensure PPE is available for health and social care staff.' News of Mr Roberts passing comes after a plaster technician in Doncaster and a pharmacy worker in Merseyside were revealed to be among the latest victims on the frontlines to be identified. Donna Campbell, 54, tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted into intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has been described as a bubbly personality Kevin Smith, who worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died after catching coronavirus. Colleagues paid tribute to him as an 'incredible person' who 'loved his job' and as a man who was 'renowned for his warm personality' Donna Campbell, 54, worked as a nurse at the Velindre cancer hospital, Cardiff, where she was known for singing and dancing with patients. She had been at the hospital for 20 years after getting her first position there as a volunteer, and was known among staff and patients for her bright and bubbly personality. Ms Campbell was treated in intensive care at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, after she tested positive for the virus. Kevin Smith, who died after a short battle with coronavirus, had worked putting plaster casts on patients at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, South Yorkshire. He had been employed by the NHS for 35 years. His heartbroken daughter Ellie Whitley wrote on social media: 'It's so overwhelming to see so many amazing comments for such an incredible person who loved his job and everyone he worked with for many years. 'Thank you everyone. We will all miss him greatly but never forget him, ever!' A 27-year-old grocery store clerk from Maryland wanted to keep working through the coronavirus pandemic, even though her job put her at risk. Leilani Jordan had a disability, but she told her mom she wanted to continue working at Giant Food because she wanted to help people, CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reports. However, Jordan's last day at work was March 16. Giant Food officials said on March 28, the store learned that Jordan was sick. She was hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms and tragically lost her battle with the disease, Giant Food confirmed to CBS News.. "She was my butterfly," Jordan's mother, Zenobia Shepherd, told WUSA. "I know she's in heaven and she's there welcoming everybody." Shepherd said her daughter worked at the store in Largo, Maryland for six years as part of Giant Food's disability program. "She just loved her little job," Shepherd said. "She did whatever they needed helping people." 47079668-1585681225729639-r.jpg Leilani Jordan GoFundMe/Leilani (Butterfly) Celebration of life Fund CNN reported that Jordan had cerebral palsy. But despite the risk of exposure to coronavirus, Jordan told her mother last month that she really wanted to keep working, especially because others weren't showing up. "'Mommy, I'm going to go to work. I'm going to still go to work. I want to help,'" Shepherd recalled her saying, WUSA reports. When she realized her daughter's cough was getting more serious, she took her to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment. "When she got out of the car, she fell. She collapsed in the parking lot," Shepherd told WUSA. "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.'" Jordan was put in an isolation room on a ventilator, her mother said, but she did not survive. Giant Food said in a statement that they were saddened to learn the news. "We were informed of her passing on Thursday morning by her family. We can only imagine the heartache they are experiencing and have offered our support during this difficult time," Giant Food spokeswoman Felismina Andrade said. Story continues CBS News has reached out to Shepherd for more details about her daughter. Shepherd has spoken to several publications about Jordan's death and told them her daughter had cerebral palsy. In a CNN interview, Jordan's stepfather, Charles, said he discovered a goodbye message that she recorded on her phone before she died. "She (had taken) her password off of her phone," so it wasn't locked, he said. "She made a video saying goodbye to all us, and wished everybody the best," he said, adding that Jordan addressed her sisters, friends and service dog, Angel, in the video. "She told them, 'See you on the other side,'" Charles said. The family has shared photos of Jordan in the hospital to show just how devastating the disease can be. 47079668-1586036150356815-r.jpg Shepherd said her daughter collapse in the hospital parking lot and was put in isolation on a ventilator. Jordan later died of COVID-19, she said. GoFundMe/Leilani (Butterfly) Celebration of life Fund In an emotional interview with MSNBC, Shepherd said her daughter told her the store was short-staffed and that Giant Food was not providing gloves and that she had to bring her own hand sanitizer to work. "No one knew just how much of an impact she made except for the customers," she said. "Leadership is not going out of their way to protect the vulnerable class like the seniors who shop there... and the people with disabilities who worked there." Through tears, Shepherd said Giant Food gave her a certificate marking Jordan's six years of service at the store, as well as her last paycheck. "She would've loved to receive this herself. Leilani's paycheck. I got this paycheck yesterday for twenty dollars," Shepherd said through tears. "Twenty dollars and sixty four cents. My baby's gone because of $20.64. You know what using the proper PPE could've done for my baby?" MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle also began crying during the interview. Shepherd said customers had been calling to thank her for all the help her daughter gave them. "What mother wants to lose their baby to a virus that we can't see?" she said. "For $20.64 they could've bought a box of gloves to give them. They could've kept that paycheck. She did this from her heart, not for the money." In response to Shepherd's MSNBC interview, Giant Food said at the time of Jordan's last day of work, the CDC was not recommending associates or customers wear masks, so they were not being provided by the stores. "The CDC has recently updated its recommendations and we have supplied all of our associates with plastic shields to wear if they choose," the company said in an email to CBS News. The company said stores always had hand sanitizer and/or cleaning products available. Employees have also always been allowed to wear gloves, but are only mandated to do so if they work as a food service associate, Giant Food said. The company said it has been "supporting Leilani's family during this difficult time and have been in direct contact with her mother to address her needs." "Our Giant Food family is mourning Leilani's passing, along with her family, as she was a valued associate who has been part of our Giant Food family since 2016," the statement reads. "Caring for associates in times of need is at the heart of our commitment to our associates. We are committed to providing resources and support to Leilani's family during this difficult time." The company said that as an essential business, it is "committed to providing food and essential products to our communities, but we want our team to stay home if they are having any symptoms and feel unwell or are uncomfortable coming to work." This week, Giant Food announced on its website that it was implementing additional social distancing policies in all of its stores, limiting the number of customers allowed in at a time and making aisles one-way traffic only. Jordan's family has made a website to memorialize her, writing that they are facing medical bills and need assistance caring for her service dog, "who has become part of the family." They have started a GoFundMe to raise funds for medical bills and Jordan's funeral. Lives to Remember: Reverend Dick Ottaway Lives to Remember: Baseball coach Ben Luderer Questions raised over antibody testing accuracy EastEnders fans were delighted on Sunday night when Sanjay Kapoor actor Deepak Verma made an unexpected appearance on the 10pm news. Deepak, 50, was interviewed in Hastings during a segment about how the beach was deserted- and eagle-eyed viewers were quick to recognise the 90's soap icon. Standing on the beach, the actor said: 'It's all just empty, it's like The Walking Dead. All the restaurants are all closed.' 'He's hardly aged!': EastEnders fans were delighted on Sunday night when Sanjay Kapoor actor Deepak Verma made an unexpected appearance on the 10pm news Viewers flooded Twitter after watching him on the TV screen. One wrote: '#eastenders Did anyone notice Sanjay on the BBC News last night?', while another fan added: 'He looks like Sanjay from EastEnders. But if it is he's hardly aged in 25 years.' A third chimed: 'He does look quite like Deepak Verma, who indeed played Sanjay in Eastenders. I was at drama school with him so he should look my age. Mind you, I haven't aged well!' 'Did I just notice Sanjay ( formerly of EastEnders) As a passer by, interviewed on the #bbcnews I see you fella', added a fourth viewer. Deepak, 50, was interviewed in Hastings during a segment about how the beach was deserted and eagle-eyed viewers were quick to recognise the 90's soap icon (pictured in 1998) Surprise appearance: Viewers flooded Twitter after watching him on the TV screen A fifth typed: 'Sanjay!! Long time no see. Eastenders'. Deepak has done many television shows over the years but is best remembered for his role as market stall trader in the long running soap opera. The actor played the cheeky chappy from 9 February 1993 to 24 September 1998. His take on coronavirus: Standing on the beach, the actor said: 'It's all just empty, it's like The Walking Dead. All the restaurants are all closed' The market trader was known for having an eye for the ladies and a weakness for gambling. He was always full of big ideas and get-rich-quick schemes, which never worked. BBC Reporter Dan Johnson joked about his run-in: 'On a bizarre day in an upside down world, accidentally interviewing Sanjay from EastEnders for the news wasn't the strangest thing that happened. 'As if I was going to say "and now the thoughts of Sanjay off of Eastenders". Then played the doof, doof doof doof bit after him'. T hree members of the same family - a mother, father and daughter - from Burton-on-Trent all died from coronavirus within two weeks of each other. Keith, 84, and Jean MacVicar, 82, died after contracting Covid-19 two weeks ago. Soon after, their daughter, Jayne Garvey, 62, a former crime analyst for Staffordshire police, developed symptoms. Her younger brother Richard MacVicar, 60, said losing half of his family within such a short space of time was like "someone had cut me open and stolen my heart". Richard announced that mother-of-two Jayne died from the virus on Saturday. Keith MacVicar, 84, who died of coronavirus two weeks ago, with his son Richard, 60 Facebook He wrote on Facebook: "Its with heartbreaking regret to say Jayne has lost her battle for life. "At least we have the comfort of knowing she is back with mum and dad. "To lose half your family in the space of two weeks feels like someone has cut me open and stolen my heart. So, so wrong." Jayne Harvey and her mother, Jean MacVicar, in 2017 / Facebook Before she passed away, Jayne shared several messages on Facebook, urging her friends to listen to the Government's lockdown measures. She also switched her profile picture to one which read: "Stay home, it could save lives". Richard told friends "it's like a horror movie" for the rest of the family from Staffordshire as they now have to organise a triple funeral amidst the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Due to the Government's strict social distancing rules, the funeral can only be attended by close family members. It had been unclear whether families of transit workers who died of the virus would qualify for line-of-duty benefits, which typically go to employees who die on the job, rather than the $50,000 in death benefits that is generally paid to families of workers who die of natural causes. Complicating the matter was the impossibility of determining whether someone contracted the virus at work. Tony Utano, the president of the Transit Workers Union Local 100, praised the agreement. We cant bring back our heroic co-workers but we can make sure their families are taken care of, he said in a statement. We will continue to fight in Albany for additional benefits to help the families left behind. Around 2,269 workers had tested positive for the virus as of Monday, officials said, and 3,660 were quarantined, down from a high of 6,000. Since the outbreak began, 2,020 workers have returned to work upon recovering after becoming infected. Crew shortages caused by the outbreak have crippled the authoritys ability to operate service, with wait times on some subway lines ballooning to 30 minutes or more. With fewer trains running, trains have become overcrowded at times, stirring public health concerns. Franklin Graham says he is being harassed over Central Park hospital. The Rev. Franklin Graham on Tuesday accused elected officials and others in New York of harassment over their criticism of his medical organization, which is operating a field hospital in Central Park for coronavirus patients that requires workers to sign a pledge that they are Christians who oppose same-sex marriage. Mr. Graham posted his accusation on Facebook hours before Mount Sinai Health Systems, which teamed up with his organization, Samaritans Purse, last month, informed state lawmakers that it would begin requiring those who work for the group to sign a second pledge vowing not to discriminate against patients. Amazon.com Inc. is hitting back at activists within its own ranks, terminating three employees who had criticized working conditions in its warehouses. The retailer confirmed on Tuesday that it had fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa for violating company policy. The two employees, who worked at Seattle headquarters, had taken to Twitter recently to voice concerns about the treatment of workers during the coronavirus pandemic; theyve also long been involved in an employee campaign urging Amazon to do more to fight climate change. A third employee, Bashir Mohamed, who worked in a warehouse in Minnesota, was also fired. The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News reported earlier on the firings, which took place last week. U.S. senators, labour leaders and some of Amazons own workers have expressed concern that the company hasnt been doing enough to keep employees safe as COVID-19 cases pop up in dozens of facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Groups of workers have staged walkouts at Amazon warehouses in New York, Illinois and Michigan. Amazon said the two employees at its headquarters had been terminated for violating its policy prohibiting employees from speaking publicly about company matters. We support every employees right to criticize their employers working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies, the company said in an emailed statement. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies. The company has also defended its work to keep warehouses safe, saying its following public-health guidance to limit employee contact in its facilities and supporting employees diagnosed with the disease. Amazon has offered temporary raises and more lucrative overtime to warehouse employees working during the pandemic. Cunningham and Costa were outspoken leaders in Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. Cunningham, a user experience designer, spoke on behalf of the group at Amazons 2019 shareholder meeting. Both were also among the workers who in January defied a stricter Amazon corporate policy on employees speaking in public without authorization. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, called the firings outrageous on Twitter. Amazon needs to stop retaliating and start making sure employees are safe, working in sanitary conditions with proper protections, he said. Trumka was among the signatories of a letter that leaders of the largest U.S. labour groups, joined by New York elected officials, sent Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos criticizing the companys decision to fire Chris Smalls, who led a walkout at Amazons Staten Island warehouse. The company says he was terminated for violating a company-ordered quarantine after coming into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Amazon on Tuesday also confirmed it had dismissed Mohamed. Kristen Kish, a company spokeswoman, said Amazon respected his right to protest. This individual was terminated as a result of progressive disciplinary action for inappropriate language, behaviour and violating social distancing guidelines. Read more about: Amaravati, April 14 : In his first telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the bitterly fought elections a year ago, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu lauded him for taking a bold and statesman-like decision to extend lockdown. Naidu said Modi was giving priority to saving the lives of people despite deepening economic crisis in the country. Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, who had bitterly criticized Modi during the election campaign, revealed on Tuesday that last night he called up Modi. "Today 8.30 a.m. I received a call back from the Prime Minister and we discussed the way forward in the fight against COVID-19," he said. "I told the PM that under his efficient leadership, the right decision was made on lockdown-1. That helped India stand in the forefront of the battle against the virus. Many other countries are facing problems. You are building national consensus in the right spirit. Now testing should be increased and people should be prepared for the future struggle," the TDP chief told a news conference. Naidu said that the whole world is shaken in this battle against the 'invisible enemy' even as 20 lakh people contracted the virus globally till today, while 1.15 lakh patients had lost their lives. Had Modi not announced lockdown-1, India's positive cases would have gone up to 8 lakh as per a forecast as against the present 10,500 reported from all over the country till now, he said Naidu recalled how the PM asserted no compromise in sternly implementing the lockdown-2 though relaxations would begin after April 20 for the sake of helping the poor and to make essential commodities available. At the same time, if virus spread is noticed, the toughest restrictions would be implemented in those areas. The infection transmission is very rapid in India as the first thousand cases were reported in 59 days, the second thousand cases in 3 days and the third thousand cases in two days with total reaching 10,450 now. Naidu expressed concern over the economic blow which has led to a spectrum of socio-economic and psychological problems that require a lot of courage and discipline to successfully stand against the 'unknown killer'. Even a super power like the US is totally shaken and not able to handle Coronavirus. The world's commercial capital of New York lies shattered with officials left alone to bury the dead with no family members turning up. The leader of opposition accused Jaganmohan Reddy government of adopting a "strange attitude". Naidu cautioned that it was no time for petty political advantages when other states and countries were vigorously fighting against the deadly disease. While the PM has announced lockdown-2 despite serious economic problems, AP State Election Commissioner asking his staff to prepare for elections is wrong and incorrect, he added. Naidu said the AP government should deliver essential services to the doorstep of poor families just like in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. (Natural News) Weve all heard about the high fever, dry cough and breathing troubles that appear to be hallmarks of a coronavirus infection, but now patients are increasingly reporting another symptom: an unusual buzzing sensation in their bodies thats been termed fizzing. This side effect is described as feeling like an electric sensation on the skin. Some people have said the burning feeling on their skin is so severe that it feels like their skin is truly burning, with some turning to aloe vera gel to get some relief. Although not everyone will experience this symptom, doctors have identified several potential reasons behind it. It could be part of an autoimmune response affecting patients nervous systems, although its not clear whether its the patients bodys response to the virus or the actual virus itself that is causing the feeling. One doctor told the New York Post that it could be related to a fever. Pack Health Clinical Director Dr. Vipul Shah said that people who arent accustomed to fevers may feel something like an electric sensation on their skin. He recommends using aloe or lotion to help. Other doctors say it could be a symptom of post-traumatic stress after recovering from the tumult of being on a ventilator or spending time in the ICU. The infection is leaving many people with a sense of fatigue that sticks around for a while. The so-called fizzing comes on top of other, more common symptoms that people are experiencing with the disease, such as extreme fatigue, breathlessness, aches and pains, diarrhea, headaches, and even sore eyes. Eye symptoms also being reported in coronavirus patients Another symptom that some coronavirus patients are experiencing that isnt getting much attention is eye problems. Some research has suggested that conjunctivitis could be a symptom of COVID-19. A study in China that was published in JAMA Ophthalmology linked problems like excessively watery eyes, swelling of the tissue that lines the eyelids and eye surface, and conjunctival congestion with the disease. Nurses treating coronavirus patients report that many of those who are suffering the greatest with the disease have red eyes. They say its not the white part of their eyes that is red; instead, theres the appearance of a red eye shadow along the outside of their eyes. In addition, eye pain is being linked to COVID-19 in searches around the world. In Italy, searches for the Italian equivalent of burning eyes were five times more than their usual level in March when the country was hit with the pandemic, while searches on eye pain climbed above fourfold in Spain from mid-February to mid-March. Iran saw a 50 percent rise in such searches in March. These searches, experts say, arent related to pollen concentrations. They do add, however, that searches on terms related to eye pain remain significantly lower than those on other COVID-19 symptoms, like the loss of smell. Theres also some evidence that the disease can spread through the eyes, which is why people are being told not to touch their eyes until theyve washed their hands. Although one study suggests the risk of spreading it via tears is low, its important to be careful. While some of these symptoms were starting to hear more about arent present in every case, its important to pay attention to your body and start isolating yourself from others within your home if you experience any of them out of an abundance of caution. And if youre considering heading to the doctors, be sure to call first as they may be able to help you over the phone, especially in the early stages, thus limiting the potential for you to spread it or be exposed if you dont already have it. Sources for this article include: NYPost.com Newsweek.com Varachha is the diamond polishing hub of Surat, giving employment to lakhs of workers from different parts of Gujarat and the country Surat: Hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Surat on Tuesday evening, demanding that they be sent to their native places despite lockdown, police said. The migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of the city and sat on a road demanding that they be allowed to go to their native places, police said. Varachha is the diamond polishing hub of Surat, giving employment to lakhs of workers from different parts of Gujarat and the country. Many textile units are also located here. "These migrant workers want to go to their native places. We have asked them not to be impatient because a lockdown is in force at present. Since some of them were complaining about food, we have called an NGO and immediately brought food packets for them. The situation is now under control," a police officer at the spot told reporters. Local MLA and minister of state for health Kishor Kanani went to the spot to convince the migrant workers, who are mostly from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "These migrant workers want to go home. They became impatient because they were hopeful that the lockdown will end today," he said. Migrant workers staged violent protests in Surat on Friday, demanding that they be sent to native places despite lockdown. Employees of Pouyuen Vietnam leave work in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa. Footwear maker Pouyuen Vietnam Co. Ltd. was ordered to halt operations for two days starting Tuesday due to Covid-19 safety concerns. The order came after HCMC health authorities inspected the Taiwanese-invested company on Saturday and found some employees without masks and a large number ignoring social distancing rules. The city had on April 6 inspected Pouyuens premises and found the novel coronavirus infection risk indicator to be 81 percent, while municipal regulations stipulate companies with an indicator over 80 percent must be closed temporarily. The city had asked prime ministerial permission to suspend company operations, but Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam held it could decide for itself. Pouyuen would resume operations Thursday as the 15-day nationwide social distancing campaign will end on Wednesday. The company is the largest employer in HCMC with almost 70,000 workers covering three shifts and employs over 800 vehicles for transportation each day. Local officials said if an outbreak occurs at Pouyuen, the consequences would be severe because Covid-19 could spread to nearby businesses and HCMCs four neighboring provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Tay Ninh. HCMC is home to 450,000 companies with 3.8 million employees. The city stands second after Hanoi in the number of Covid-19 cases at 54, of whom 40 have been discharged. Hanoi now has 127 cases and 59 discharges. Vietnam had 119 active cases after 146 discharges as of Tuesday morning. New Delhi, April 14 : The Congress has supported the extension of the lockdown till May 3 as announced by the Prime Minister, but has questioned the strategy of the government to "protect" the country during the lockdown. It has also asked the government to spell out the strategy to test the people on a mass level, and take action against those employers who are sacking their employees. "The Prime Minister has spelt out what the citizens what to do, but he has not told what the government is doing for the country and people," said Congress leader Manish Tewari. The Congress posed questions on the uniform strategy on testing and how it was going forward on this, whether the testing will be in hotspots or in the containment areas or every where. The party has asserted that the key to the containment was testing. The Congress also raised the situation of the quarantined labourers. "The labourers who had been quarantined and now test negative, will they be sent home or not. What will the government do about them," said Tewari. The Congress also raised questions about the harvest season as the machines were stuck at the state borders. "How the government will let the people in villages to go to the field and to the Mandi", asked Tewari. The party demanded that the government give free ration to everyone till September 2020, which was also a demand put forth by party's interim president Sonia Gandhi The Congress has also asked about the supply chains and check price rise, hoarding and black marketing. The party has demanded that action should be taken against those employers who are using the occasion for retrenchment of employee. A long lockdown may result in despair and stress for many. Heres a collection of mind-steeling quotes from those who suffered long bouts of confinements, but always kept their spirit alive and emerged victorious. (Image: News18 Creative) Mahatma Gandhi | Time spent in confinement: 2,338 days | Cause: Sedition, civil disobedience, etc. (Image: News18 Creative) Nelson Mandela | Time spent in confinement: 27 years | Cause: Conspiring to overthrow the state. (Image: News18 Creative) Martin Luther King Jr | No. of times confined: 29 times | Cause: Various acts of civil disobedience. (Image: News18 Creative) Ho Chi Minh | Time spent in confinement: 2 years | Cause: Revolutionary activities. (Image: News18 Creative) Bobby Sands | Time spent in confinement: 8 years in total | Cause: Possession of firearms. (Image: News18 Creative) Vaclav Havel | Time spent in confinement: Multiple times | Cause: Subversion of the republic. (Image: News18 Creative) Primo Levi | Time spent in confinement: 12 months | Cause: Nazi persecution of jews. (Image: News18 Creative) Elie Wiesel | Time spent in confinement: 13 months | Cause: Nazi persecution of jews. (Image: News18 Creative) Ken Saro-Wiwa | Time spent in confinement: 12 months | Cause: Allegedly masterminding the murder of 4 Ogoni chiefs. (Image: News18 Creative) President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted governors over plans to lift COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and closures in regional moves that he claimed flouted the presidents ultimate authority on reopening the country to business as usual after the pandemic. Democratic and Republican governors sounded alarm about a federal power grab a day after Trump asserted he had the ultimate say on when and how to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines. Trump, meanwhile, invoked the movie Mutiny on the Bounty" and said he was relishing the fight with state officials particularly those in hard-hit states run by Democrats who have voiced fears that Trumps ambitious timetable could lead to a resurgence of the virus. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020 A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain, Trump tweeted Tuesday, adding, Too easy! Anxious to put the crisis behind him, Trump has been discussing with senior aides how to roll back federal social distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month. But he repeatedly declined to offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump said at the White House. The governors know that. But governors in both parties made clear they saw things differently, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when its safe to begin a return to normal operations. The presidents position is just absurd, said New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an appearance Tuesday on CBS This Morning. Its not the law. Its not the Constitution. We dont have a king. We have a president. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers office on Monday confirmed that he joined discussions with governors across the Northeast on a possible regional reopening plan after the coronavirus surge. New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu told CNN that, All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that. Related Content: Canada's Green Beaver Company launches a 100% natural, non-toxic spray disinfectant that kills harmful viruses and bacteria. HAWKESBURY, ON, April 14, 2020 /CNW/ - The Green Beaver Company's founders, a biochemist and a microbiologist, have responded quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, working tirelessly with their team to provide Canadians with an organic, non-toxic disinfectant. Approved by Health Canada, the Antiseptic Spray Hand Sanitizer is already available on the Green Beaver Website. A gentle, yet effective formula. As most of us can attest, alcohol-based antibacterial gels can cause dryness and irritation, especially when applied repeatedly throughout the day. "To counter this problem while maintaining our hand sanitizer's antiviral properties, we have enriched our formula with vegetable glycerin, a highly effective natural moisturizer that soothes and softens the skin," explains Green Beaver co-founder Alain Menard. The power of ethanol. The Green Beaver line of personal care and cleaning products is 100% natural and free of harmful chemicals, and the Antiseptic Spray Hand Sanitizer's innovative formula meets the company's strict standards. "Most commercial disinfecting gels contain harsh antiviral agents such as triclosan, which irritate the skin and can be absorbed by the body," explains Alain Menard. "Our product, however, relies on ethanol, a plant-based alcohol that has similar properties, minus the toxicity. Our hand sanitizer is therefore safe for the whole family." Notable fact: Green Beaver's Antiseptic Spray Hand Sanitizer contains 70% natural alcohol, while the minimum percentage required by Health Canada for this type of product is 60%. The spray factor. Easy to use and perfect for the car (or purse), the Antiseptic Spray Hand Sanitizer is a practical alternative to gels. Its contactless application makes it easy to disinfect door handles, steering wheels, grocery carts and packages. It can even be used to clean children's hands when soap and water are not availablethough parental supervision is required! All natural, all good. Let's face it: Most disinfecting gels have a strong, rather unpleasant alcohol smell, but the Green Beaver formula is infused with the delicate fragrance of organic lavender, orange and mint extracts. "We use high-quality essential oils that are sourced locally, because sustainability is of the utmost importance for our company," concludes Alain Menard. The Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer Spray is available online at Greenbeaver.com. ABOUT THE GREEN BEAVER COMPANY Green Beaver is a Canadian brand launched in 2002 by two scientists and parents who are partners in life and in business. Our mission is to provide families with healthy, organic, 100% natural skincare, hair and cleaning products that are good for humans and good for the environment. We believe that we can make the world a better place. Together. SOURCE Green Beaver For further information: Public Relations: Maude Lapointe, 438-390-6669, [email protected] Related Links https://greenbeaver.com/ Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of a large number of people in Mumbai's Bandra area in defiance of the ongoing lockdown, officials said. Shah stressed that such events weaken India's fight against coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. "The home minister spoke to the Maharashtra chief minister and expressed concern over the large gathering of people in Mumbai's Bandra area," a home ministry official said. Shah also offered his full support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, the official said. About 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. A police official said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. In viral videos, police personnel were seen using mild cane-charge to disperse the migrants, who had gathered near the Bandra railway station in suburban Mumbai. Daily wage workers have been rendered jobless ever since the lockdown was announced late last month to stem the spread of COVID-19, making their lives a constant struggle. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In less than a decade, Shailene Woodleys career includes awards contenders and blockbuster franchises. Most recently, shes known for her work as Jane Chapman on HBO series Big Little Lies. But before she got the role, Woodley was struggling to take her career to the next level. Considering the success the actress has had, her fans might not realize what Woodley was dealing with behind the scenes. But now the Emmy-nominated star is letting fans in on the harrowing journey shes undergone over the past few years. Shailene Woodley | Stefania DAlessandro/Getty Images Shailene Woodleys career was in full swing in the early 2010s Throughout the 2000s, Woodley was a popular child star, mostly focused on TV. She appeared on several hit shows and even had recurring roles on Crossing Jordan and The O.C. Then, in 2008, Woodley landed her breakthrough role in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She continued to star on the show until 2013. Then in 2011, Woodley successfully crossed over into movies as George Clooneys daughter in Alexander Paynes comedy-drama The Descendants. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture and landed Woodley a Golden Globe nomination. But 2014 proved to be the actresss biggest year yet. She starred as Beatrice Tris Prior in Divergent, based on Veronica Roths popular young adult book series. She also led a cultural phenomenon with The Fault in Our Stars, which earned more than $300 million worldwide. Woodley and fellow rising star Ansel Elgort played cancer patients who fall in love. The actress got very ill, leading her to turn down a lot of acting roles Ironically, Woodley is still perhaps best known for playing someone facing down a debilitating illness. The actress too has now explained how her own health began to falter in the early 2010s. Ultimately, it stood in the way of her then-burgeoning career, she told The New York Times. I havent spoken much about this yet publicly, and I will one day, but I was very, very sick in my early 20s. While I was doing the Divergent movies and working hard, I also was struggling with a deeply personal, very scary physical situation. Because of that, I said no to a lot of opportunities because I needed to get better, and those jobs ended up going to peers of mine who I love. Woodley wanted to take the work Hollywood was sending her way. But she couldnt even tell for sure if she would be able to work at all. Amid her various advisors telling her to push through the unknown ailment, she wondered if recovery was even possible. I was in a place where I had no choice but to just surrender and let go of my career, she said, and it brought out this negative voice in my mind that kept spinning for years and years afterward. But now shes moved past her health crisis Although Woodleys output slowed in the late 2010s, shes back on top and getting her career back on track. Currently, the actress who has recovered from her illness stars in Endings, Beginnings, a romantic drama co-starring Jamie Dornan. The film received an early on-demand release, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, her health scare will stay with her, she told The New York Times. A lot of the last few years has been about focusing on mental health for me, and its a slow process. But because of that work, I feel very grounded and rooted in who I am and very clear about everything in my life, whether its my career or my relationships or my own internal worth. I feel very grateful to have walked that line of fire, because now I know what I dont want to ever go back to. Woodley also has a pair of projects in the works. But fans will be happy to hear the actress has fully recovered. Now that shes overcome her medical crisis, Woodleys ready to make up for lost time on screen. by Ngoc Lan The government decreed 15 days of isolation and quarantine. Misery and hunger for the poor, homeless, street vendors, the sick. Collaboration with companies, associations, volunteers to guarantee money, food, medicines to thousands of impoverished as a consequence of the virus. Hanoi (AsiaNews) - Caritas Vietnam is committed across the country to helping people whose poverty has worsened with the coronavirus pandemic. The epidemic that originated in Wuhan (Hubei, China) is in fact creating many difficulties for the population. The Vietnamese government has decided to quarantine and isolate all activities in the country from April 1st through to 15th. According to the Ministry of Health, the country currently has only 265 infections and no deaths. The first infections occurred in the Bach Mai hospital, but the origin of the cases cannot be traced. Nonetheless, the quarantine imposed on the country is creating problems for the poor, homeless, street vendors, the sick, who are already living in poverty and need. At the Caritas office in Hanoi they stress that "all these people are hungry and without money". In cooperation with the Joint Stock Company International Milk, Caritas was able to distribute 2 thousand gift packages containing rice, freeze-dried spaghetti, milk, cooking oil, fish sauce and sugar. Since the parishes are also closed, Caritas volunteers had to wander the streets to find people in need. Each volunteer must wear a surgical mask and stay at a distance, according to government guidelines. Even in Ho Chi Minh City the lives of the 8 million inhabitants are turned upside down. Due to isolation, people with precarious or day jobs can no longer earn anything for themselves and their families. These include lottery ticket vendors, street vendors, general workers, small shop owners ... In Ho Chi Minh City, Caritas Saigon receives cash support from associations such as Catholic entrepreneurs, and food from companies such as Mina Food Company, Pomina Steel Company, and Anh Hong Company. In this way it was possible to distribute money and food to about 5 thousand people. The Caritas groups of Haiphong (in the north), distribute money, food, medicine. Two weeks ago they took a course to learn how to respond to coronavirus with prevention measures. Caritas members consider themselves "soldiers" fighting the war against the "Wuhan virus". Microsofts Azure cloud enables us to deliver tailored, state-of-the-art analytics solutions in an enterprise-grade computing environment that meets our clients needs and requirements. G2M Insights, a business and technology consulting firm focused on supporting the go-to-market strategy and execution of Enterprise clients, announced today it has partnered with Microsoft Corp, one of the leading enterprise cloud infrastructure providers. As a Microsoft Partner, G2M Insights data analysts and consultants will have access to an expanded set of capabilities to provide state-of-the-art business analytics to clients across all industry verticals. G2M Insights data engineers and business analysts have a wealth of experience working with Enterprise clients to drive actionable, measurable outcomes across the full spectrum of go-to-market activities, from strategy to implementation. This partnership will provide a strategic advantage to G2M Insights clients by enabling the production of tailor-made business analytics at machine speed and scale. We are thrilled to become a Microsoft Partner, said Pierre Elisseeff, G2M Insights co-founder and Business Analytics Practice Lead. Microsofts Azure cloud enables us to deliver tailored, state-of-the-art analytics solutions in an enterprise-grade computing environment that meets our clients needs and requirements. Many enterprise businesses today recognize the potential of AI technologies to create significant value by enhancing their go-to-market strategy, but struggle with data engineering and AI enablement issues. Building on decades of experience, G2M Insights supports the needs of these businesses and helps them transform their customer-facing strategy and operations. About G2M Insights G2M Insights is a Denver-based business and technology consulting firm. We focus on developing tailored solutions that help Enterprise clients leverage their data ecosystem to improve their go-to-market strategy, operations, and execution. Our professionals bring deep expertise in Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Technology to support our clients in all areas at the intersection of go-to-market strategy, digital transformation, and AI enablement. For more information visit https://www.g2m.ai. Join us on twitter @g2m_insights. The Prosecutor General's Office has appointed the conduct of comprehensive forensic analysis of the UIAs Tehran-Kyiv flight crash in Iran and insists on creation of the international investigation team. The Prosecutor General's Office intensifies the pre-trial investigation within the criminal proceedings over downing UIAs Tehran-Kyiv PS752 flight in Iran on January 8, 2020, and insists on the creation of the international investigative team that would significantly speed up and increase the efficiency of the investigation, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office reports. It is noted that prosecutors of the department of crimes committed amidst armed conflict appointed the conduct of comprehensive forensic analysis. The purpose of its conduct is to elaborate on the causes of the plane crash, to find out the circumstances of TOR-M1 missile hit. In addition, the information about the flights that departed before Boeing 737 from the Tehran Airport will be analyzed and a number of investigative and other procedural actions are planned to be held within the framework of the criminal proceedings. At the same time, the issue of transfer of flight recorders, which may contain crucial information, to the Ukrainian side remains unresolved. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). They all died. Last month, an Iranian official at the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to hand over flight recorders to France or Ukraine for analysis, but this has not been done so far. ol As coronavirus cases look set to pass 2 million worldwide Tuesday, the pandemic's devastating march across the globe is casting a spotlight on the efforts of world leaders handling the crisis. In France, President Emmanuel Macron admitted failings and struck a humble note in a televised national address Monday evening, stating that his office had been insufficiently prepared and caught off guard, in particular, with a lack of medical equipment. "Were we ready for this crisis? Clearly not ready enough, but we have faced up to it," he said. "We had to adapt constantly because this virus was unknown and even today much about it remains mysterious. Let's be honest: Events revealed weaknesses, deficiencies." Although the number of patients in France's intensive care units was falling, he said, the epidemic was still not under control, as he extended lockdown measures until May 11. He added that testing and the hope of a vaccine would fully get the country back to work. Image: President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on Monday. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images) Hours later in the United States, which leads the world's death toll for the coronavirus, President Donald Trump held a combative daily press briefing hitting back at reports that suggested his administration had wasted time at the onset of the outbreak. "Everything we did was right," Trump told reporters after playing a campaign-style video defending the White House's response to the crisis. "I saved tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of lives," he said. On Tuesday, Trump is set to formally launch an "opening our country council," which will be made up of economic, medical and political experts to steer the country's reopening transition. Trump is eager to get the country back up and running, he told reporters Monday. "We're going to boom," he said. "It's going to go quickly. Our people want to get back to work, and I think there's pent-up demand." Story continues Trump has called the decision to ease the coronavirus measures the "biggest" of his life. There is likely to be a tussle on whether that decision comes down to the president alone or whether governors and local officials will exercise their authority to order states and cities to end public health measures, political experts say. Elsewhere, in Russia, President Vladimir Putin also struck a changed tone, acknowledging to officials in a televised meeting that the situation was becoming more serious. "We have a lot of problems, we dont have anything especially to brag about and we definitely mustnt relax," he said, urging officials to use the bought time to stem the flow of the virus. Putin also suggested that the Russian military may be called in to take on a larger role, having worked abroad aiding other countries in their coronavirus responsees. An earlier move to send medical aid to the United States angered Russian critics of the Kremlin, who cast it as a publicity stunt that squandered precious resources lacking in Russias own regions. The Kremlin denied that and said Moscow could now expect help from the U.S. in the future. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed his 1.3 billion population during a national television broadcast Tuesday, outlining his decision to extend the world's largest lockdown to May 3. Modi warned of the economic sacrifices needed to save lives as the number of coronavirus cases crossed 10,000, according to Reuters. Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak. "From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself," he said. Health experts in India have warned that widespread contagion could be disastrous in a country where millions live in dense slums and the health care system is overstretched. The initial scramble to shut down India sparked an exodus of millions of workers from urban industries such as textiles and construction to their villages, raising concerns about spreading the virus. Neighboring Pakistan is also due to decide on how to proceed once its lockdown ends Wednesday; the expectation is that some curbs will be lifted. Image: INDIA-HEALTH-VIRUS (NARINDER NANU / AFP - Getty Images) In Africa, meanwhile, countries previously hit by deadly Ebola outbreaks are using the lessons they learned to fight the coronavirus pandemic, experts say, because they know how to rapidly track down, screen and quarantine potential patients. Conflict-torn Somalia confirmed 35 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 60 across the country, with the health minister urging the public to stay home and maintain social distancing measures. In nearby Sudan, a comprehensive three-week curfew is to begin April 18 across the capital, Khartoum, to combat the pandemic, according to the state news agency. The World Health Organization has said progress is being made in African countries, with 47 nations on the continent now able to test for COVID-19, up from two at the start of the outbreak. Only Comoros and Lesotho have no reported cases to date, according to the WHO. Reuters contributed to this report. India extended its ongoing 21-day lockdown to May 3 on Tuesday, and indicated that if the spread of Covid-19 was contained in the next week, relaxations could be in the offing. India first clamped the curbs on March 25, and the lockdown will now be 41-days long by the time the government is ready to lift it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the country needed more time to contain the disease. A similar prediction was made in a modelling study by two researchers at the University of Cambridge two weeks ago. The paper, based on mathematical modelling of disease and demographic data, suggested that one 21-day lockdown period was inadequate to reverse the rise in Covid-19 cases. The researchers found that while the 21-day lockdown led to an immediate decrease in the number of cases, the number rose after the curbs were lifted. A second scenario where a 28-day lockdown was imposed after five days of relaxations also showed that the number of infected people increased once the second set of restrictions were lifted. The researchers found that in two scenarios, the rate of new infections could be contained. The first was three consecutive lockdowns of 21 days, 28 days and 18 days with a difference of five days between them. The other was a single lockdown of 49 days. The study highlighted the need to think of long-term containment strategies because our study showed that the rate of infection was steeper than the rate of recovery, said Ronojoy Adhikari, one of the authors of the paper. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Forest fires raged Tuesday in the contaminated area near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, but officials insisted there is no radiation threat. Hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft have been battling several forest fires around Chernobyl since last week. They managed to contain the initial blazes, but new fires are now raging close to the decommissioned plant. Volodymyr Demchuk of Ukraine's state Emergencies Service insisted that the situation is under control. "There is no threat to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, waste fuel storage or other critical facilities," he said. The emergencies service said radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv, about 60 miles south of the plant, were within norms. Activists warned, however, that the blazes were getting dangerously close to waste storage facilities. Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, a member of the public council under the state agency in charge of the closed zone around the plant, said one fire was raging about 1.2 miles from one of the radioactive waste depots. "The situation is critical," he said on Facebook. A view of a forest fire burning near the village of Volodymyrivka in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine, Sunday, April 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Yaroslav Yemelianenko)AP Last week, officials said they tracked down a person suspected of triggering the blaze by setting dry grass on fire in the area. The 27-year-old man said he burned grass "for fun" and then failed to extinguish the fire when the wind caused it to expand quickly. On Monday, police said that another local resident burned waste and accidentally set dry grass ablaze, triggering another devastating forest fire. They said he failed to report the fire to the authorities. The 1,000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was established after the April 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave. Zoom has announced that it will start allowing its paid customers to choose the data centre region their calls should be routed through. Starting April 18, Zoom customers who are on a paid tier opt-in or opt-out of a data centre region of their choice for "real-time meeting traffic." The announcement follows the recent discovery by the security researchers at Citizen Lab wherein Zoom was found routing some calls from North America through the China servers. Later, Zoom admitted that some calls were sent to the data centres in China. In a blog post, Zoom said either a paid user opt-in or opt-out of "specific data centre regions", which means that the paying customer will not be able to change the choice later and their default region will be locked. "The default region is the region where a customer's account is provisioned. For the majority of our customers, this is the United States," said Zoom. Zoom's data centres are located in the major regions, including the US, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, China, Latin America, and Japan/Hong Kong. For a majority of users who are on the free tier, Zoom will lock the United States region as the default. The data of Zoom non-paying users outside of China "will never be routed through China." Similarly, the users in China also need to opt-in for the China data centre latest by April 25, or else their account "will not be able to connect to our mainland China data centre for data transit." Earlier this month, the researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab claimed in a report that Zoom had been generating encryption keys for some calls that were made in North America but routed through the Chinese data centres. In the absence of E2E (end-to-end) encryption on video calls, Zoom could be asked by the Chinese government to hand over the encryption keys for undisclosed purposes. Zoom later admitted and explained that in the cases of a surge in call traffic, Zoom connectors offload some calls to the nearest data centre with the maximum available capacity. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said, "we failed to fully implement our usual geofencing best practices" while adding data centres to meet the surging traffic generated by video calls. In his apology, Yuan also mentioned the issue has been "corrected". Later, Zoom announced a 90-day freeze on feature updates and using that window to focus on the privacy and security of the app. There has been a myriad of controversies involving Zoom's dubious privacy and security norms, impacting users at large, in several ways that include what is called "zoom-bombing". Even the FBI has cautioned Zoom users against the increasing cases of "zoom-bombing" and said there will be legal implications for its practice. COVID-19: India's Congress Party Calls for a Bold Economic Stimulus Package Worth 5-6% of GDP Sputnik News 11:10 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 13:54 GMT 13.04.2020) New Delhi (Sputnik): Marooned by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian industries are awaiting a stimulus package from the government, which had already announced $22 billion in relief for marginalised sections of society on 26 March. India's principal opposition party Congress has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a "bold" economic stimulus package to help industries and businesses fight the COVID-19 pandemic-related blues. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress lawmaker Anand Sharma said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be bold in declaring an economic package of at least 5 to 6 percent of gross domestic product". Five to six percent of GDP translates to between $98 and $117 billion. Indian industries are eagerly awaiting help from a further package by the government to rescue the economy from the impact of COVID-19. The Indian economy had been slowing down even before the pandemic hit. From a high of 8.2 percent GDP growth seen in 2018, growth fell to 4.7 percent in 2019. Congress also said the government should not "discriminate and be unfair to states" by denying them the benefit of corporate contributions in the fight against COVID-19. Sharma on Monday said not allowing industry contributions from corporate social responsibility funds to state chiefs' relief funds is "unfair" on the part of the Modi government. While Indian corporations can contribute funds to the prime minister's PM-Cares fund, they are not allowed to make contributions to relief funds of state chiefs. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 26 March announced a $22.36 billion relief package for the poor and daily wagers who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown that began on 25 March. "We have responded and reached out to the poorest of the poor. The package will ensure food and money for poor people affected by the lockdown", Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while announcing the relief package. In the relief package, the government announced the intention to provide five kilograms of either rice or wheat per person for three months. The federal minister also announced a $66,000 insurance policy to cover "frontline warriors" in the COVID-19 battle like nurses, paramedics, and sanitation workers. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo: (Photo : pixabay.com) The coronavirus pandemic has made a lot of people extra careful. Not only is it a time when people are anxious about what is going to happen next but are also cautious so as not to be infected with the coronavirus. No one is unsusceptible to this disease, even babies. And to avoid the transmission of this virus, the World Health Organization has been continuously reminding the public to avoid close contact from people suffering from acute respiratory infections. One way to avoid transmission is to wear masks. But experts say babies should not wear masks. Here are some of the reasons: 1. The airways of babies are smaller compared to adults in children. Breathing through a mask is difficult for babies because of their small airways. That is the same reason why babies are not covered with blankets when they sleep at night. Because of this, experts say that it is more advisable that if there is a need to bring them outside the house, cover the carrier. This way, babies can breathe comfortably. 2. Masks can have a choking hazard. The particles of a mask, even the very small ones, can choke a baby. This could be true in cloth masks or even the surgical masks. 3. Masks can cause suffocation to babies. Breathing through a mask even to some adults is difficult, what more for the babies? Also, if the mask's fit is loose, this will only give lesser protection, and if it is too tight, then babies might have less access to air. 4. Babies are not yet capable of removing their masks According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), children below two years old should not wear masks. That is because if they are having difficulty breathing because of it, they cannot discard masks on their own and would need assistance to do so. This is risky and would only entail danger. 5. There are no N95 masks approved for infants. Considering that the fit of a mask is crucial in protecting a baby, it will only be improper to have babies wear N95 masks (the suitable type of mask) that are too big for the babies. Taking care of babies is already a very delicate job, especially nowadays, when a pandemic is testing the entire world. Specialists and authorities highly encourage families to stay at home. But if it still is inevitable for them to avoid public contact, precautionary measure like wearing masks is necessary. A mini face shield may also be helpful, just like the ones made for the babies in Thailand as temporary protection for them. Aside from wearing masks, babies may be protected by keeping their hands and the parents' hands clean. A good precaution is also to keep frequently held things (doorknobs, electronics, light switches, etc.) clean. For this is the time when we can attest that the saying, "Prevention is better than cure," applies to all of us. The world is racing to create a vaccine for COVID-19 or the viral infection brought upon by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, popularly known as the novel coronavirus that is currently inflicting suffering to the world. However, one coronavirus mutation strain that has been recently discovered in India--it could potentially hinder vaccine development for coronavirus. A Coronavirus Mutation Strain is Isolated According to a report by BGR, the coronavirus mutation strain has become so severe that it could threaten the current COVID-19 vaccine work, which would derail and delay the process that the whole world is counting on. In a study, researchers from Taiwan and Australia explained that the coronavirus strain that was isolated in India mutated and manifested on the spikes that the COVID-19 virus had, which it uses to hook itself to a healthy cell. "The observation of this study raised the alarm that Sars-CoV-2 mutation with varied epitope [something an antibody attaches itself to] profile could arise at any time," the researchers wrote. "[This] means current vaccine development against Sars-CoV-2 is at great risk of becoming futile." The mutation removed a hydrogen bond from the protein spike, which makes the virus bind less to ACE2 receptors that are found in the lungs and other organs of the body. How it Affects the COVID-19 Vaccine Development Researchers around the world are studying the various mutations and strains from the original variant of the new coronavirus, but nothing is as severe as what is explained in this study, mainly since it manifested in the protein spikes of the virus, which was unheard of in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the review hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, which means the study may contain errors or may not be accepted by the community. However, if the research is accurate, it could indeed threaten vaccine development as many of these targets the protein spike of the virus, which means patients that have the same coronavirus mutation strain may not benefit from such vaccines. It is possible that the researchers encountered a technical error during the sequencing process, which might have caused the result. Read Also: Coronavirus: Scientists Report First Case of COVID-19 Spreading From a Dead Body Based on the report, it appears that the coronavirus sample was taken from a patient in Kerala back in January, but was only sequenced last month. Furthermore, the patient was a medical student from Wuhan, China, where the COVID-19 outbreak allegedly started, but the strain acquired from the patient doesn't seem to have a close connection with the strains found in the region. The worst-case scenario is that the coronavirus mutation would continue and become more severe, meaning scientists would have to continue researching and developing new vaccines that could fight the disease. Working to Find the Answer For now, the world can do nothing but wait and hope that safety precautions like social distancing and encouraging everyone to stay indoors could mitigate and stop the spread of the disease. According to TIME, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that there are currently 70 COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are presently being developed and that three of them are already in human trials. Nevertheless, the latest we could get our hands to a vaccine is next year. Read Also: Fresno State Creates Temporary Lab for Coronavirus Tests Over Lack of Testing Centers Across the United States 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This series looks at how childrens bookstores are responding to the needs of their communities at a time when most stores are closed to the public because of the pandemic. When Kenny Brechner, PW blogger and owner of Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, read about the yeomans work that local schools were doing to deliver breakfast and lunch to families in his community, he wanted to assist by providing books for children and adults to promote family reading. Last spring Brechner created Little Free Library-style book houses to give away age-appropriate galleys, f&gs, and blads in all seven schools in the Mt. Blue Regional School District. But with schools closed and with no way for kids to use those libraries, Brechner culled the stores collection of ARCs and donated 500 for the school vans to deliver between March 31 and April 8. The selections ranged from picture books and early chapter books to YA titles and books for adults. To get even more books into the hands of readers, Brechner is also participating in what he describes as a very cool program called the 2,020 Maine Books Challenge. Created by local nonprofit Educate Maine, it helps bookstores, too, by encouraging Mainers to buy a gift certificate from an indie bookstore and donate it to Educate Maine. The gift certificates are then forwarded to teachers so that they can purchase and distribute books to students. The goal is to raise $20,200, for a total of 2,020 books (at roughly $10/per book) to be given to students. Although DDG is one of the designated indie bookstores, participants can purchase gift cards from any book retailer. For bookstores without a bricks-and-mortar location, the past month has been really, really interesting, said educator Rebekah Shoaf, owner of three-year-old Boogie Down Books, a bookstore without walls in the Bronx. Among the challenges she has encountered after being forced to close its longtime pop-up location and Saturday morning storytime at Mottley Kitchen because of Covid-19, is a lack of internet access for many of the people she serves. But Shoaf has found that she can reach some families in the Bronx and beyond by moving her storytimes online. When she canceled in-person storytimes in mid-March, she wasnt sure what direction to take. After her yoga teacher started offering classes on Zoom, she decided to use the same free platform for Boogie Down. With that decision came a new problem: she could no longer supply books to her storytime readers. So she conducted the next two storytimes. Since then, authors and publishers and others in the community have volunteered to read for Boogie Down. Last Saturday, April 11, Bronx educator Cristy Cuellar-Lezcano read Maybe Something Beautiful /Quizas algo hermoso by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez (HMH) in both English and Spanish. The week before, author Mahogany L. Browne read from her book Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice (Roaring Brook), written with Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III, and Woke Baby for younger readers. Shoaf estimates that online storytimes draw about three times as many families, roughly 40 to 50, as her in-person ones did. In fact, Zoom storytimes have been so popular that she is adding one more on weekdays. She also moved her middle-grade book club for ages 813 online last month, when the Mott Haven Library that usually hosts it closed because of the pandemic. At its largest the in-person club drew 15 kids, eight kids on average. The April 20 online book club meeting is already on track to exceed those numbers; so far, 19 kids have signed up for a session on Jerry Crafts New Kid (HarperCollins). Unlike storytime, Shoaf is limiting book club attendance to 30 kids, to encourage everyone to participate. All kinds of unexpected learning is happening as were forced to innovate, said Shoaf, who has also encountered a lot of new faces at the stores intergenerational Well-Read Black Girl Club on Zoom. Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, N.Y., asked to share the book club with its customers, and blogger Kristin White, owner of Long Story Short in Bermuda, was among the attendees, who discussed Zora Neale Hurstons Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick (Amistad) earlier this month. River Dog Book Co., which also operates without a permanent bricks-and-mortar location, had just gotten its license in March for its new home in Portland, Ore., when the coronavirus hit. The store opened in 2018 online and held pop-ups in Beaver Dam, Wisc., where it had planned to open a bookmobile. Obviously I cant do author events or pop-ups, said founder BrocheAroe Fabian, who is focusing on her online store for now. Having a nontraditional model gives me an edge, she added. Im very lucky in one way: I dont have much overhead. To empty her basement, which is filled with inventory, Fabian began putting together book bundles with books and activities for kids that she delivers for free in the Portland area or ships for a flat $5 fee elsewhere in the U.S. The bundles are grouped by age and include one for Storytime Picture Books for young children as well as an Inquiring Minds Activity Bundle with nonfiction titles on nature and science for ages 57, and a hardcover middle-grade bundle for ages 712. In a case of what Fabian calls cuteness overload, a three-year-old sent her best friend a bundle of books to read since they cant play together during the pandemic. Fabian is also using this time to partner with nonprofits like Howards Heart, to help them fulfill wish-list items for teenagers in foster care in the Portland area. And shes begun planning on other directions that her business can take. Public schools may be closed now, but homeschoolers have been less affected and will continue to need educational titles even after a coronavirus vaccine is developed. So shes begun contacting homeschooling groups about being their local bookstore and running online book fairs for them. Im looking at fulfilling their orders through Ingrams Consumer Direct Fulfillment or through Bookshop.org. Its not a huge money maker, but it is a point of connection, said Fabian, who despite the drop in her business, down by a third from last year, is finding ways to regroup. See our previous articles in the series, Bookselling in the Age of Covid-19: How Bookstores Are Connecting with Customers and Bookselling in the Age of Covid-19: How Kids Bookstores Support Literacy, and Each Other, in a Time of Crisis. Oppenheim A Fulton County site dedicated to restoring and advocating for beaver populations has been acquired by the Utica Zoo. The Florence J. Reineman Nature Center and Beaversprite Wildlife Sanctuary is a decades-old area in the rural town of Oppenheim founded by a local couple. The Utica Zoo has plans to reopen the nature center, as well as the home of Dorothy and Al Richards as Beaversprite: A Conservation Education Center of the Utica Zoo. The zoo said it will offer a range of STEAM-based education programs for school, families, Scouts, and learners of all ages and abilities. The zoo made the announcement April 7, annually celebrated as the International Day of the North American Beaver, as well as being Dorothy Richards' birthdate. In 1935, according to the zoo, the state released two beavers from Pennsylvania on Little Sprite Creek, approximately half a mile west of the house owned by Al and Dorothy Richards. It was done as part of a conservation project to restore beavers to the Adirondacks after they were almost extirpated due to over-trapping. Beaver pelts were a main reason for the 1600s New Netherland settlement, with Fort Orange which became Albany under the British colony of New York one of the main trade markets. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Richards, aka the "Beaver woman," took an interest in the industrious creatures and soon began her 50 years of beaver pond sitting. She became an active conservationist and animal rights advocate, devoting most of her life to the study of the American beaver, the zoo said. In 1938, after one of the original beavers was caught in a trap, Richards started buying up land and posting it, creating the sanctuary, according to the zoo. In 1966, the Richards donated their house and 900 acres to a Pennsylvania trust. It continued to add to the property and in 1973 opened a nature center. Dorothy Richards taught about 100,000 visitors about beavers over five decades and her book, "Beaversprite," reached many more, according to Times Union files. Richards died in August 1985 at the age of 92. More information will soon become available iat UticaZoo.org/Beaversprite. President Donald Trump is not considering firing Dr. Anthony Fauci, his top expert on infectious disease, even after appearing to publicly rebuke Fauci in a retweet Sunday night, according to White House spokesman Hogan Gidley Monday afternoon. "This media chatter is ridiculous -- President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci," Gidley said in a statement. "The Presidents tweet clearly exposed media attempts to maliciously push a falsehood about his China decision in an attempt to rewrite history. "It was Democrats and the media who ignored Coronavirus choosing to focus on impeachment instead, and when they finally did comment on the virus it was to attack President Trump for taking the bold decisive action to save American lives by cutting off travel from China and from Europe. Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump," Gidley said. Trump himself said later Monday he's "not firing" Fauci. Fauci said Sunday that the Trump administration "could have saved lives" had firm social distancing guidelines been enforced earlier, but there was "pushback about shutting things down." "We make a recommendation. Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes, it's not," Fauci told CNN Sunday, calling it a complicated decision. "It is what it is. We are where we are right now." At Monday's White House briefing, Fauci walked back the comments, saying said he used a "poor choice of words" in answering a "hypothetical question" and "that was taken as a way that maybe somehow something was at fault. MORE: 1st round of stimulus checks arrive via direct deposit Trump retweeted a former Republican congressional candidate's attack on Fauci, including the hashtag "#FireFauci," amid a flurry of tweets Sunday night, sparking questions around Fauci's fate on the task force as the president continues to reject any criticism of his response to the pandemic that has now killed more than 22,000 Americans. Story continues PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) MORE: Coronavirus updates: Trump retweets call to fire Fauci With the White House hoping to reopen parts of the country by May 1, and Trump set to announce as early as Tuesday what he's called the "opening up the country council," some experts, such as Fauci, have recommended a "rolling reentry" into normal lives, as the president weighs what he calls "the biggest decision of my life." While Trump and many in his administration are eager to find ways to get Americans back to work, they'll likely face some limitations, as several governors have already instituted stay-at-home orders through May. PHOTO: President Donald Trump gestures while he speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) MORE: Coronavirus economic updates: OPEC and allies reach 'historic' deal to cut oil production 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. Here are Monday's most significant developments in Washington: Fauci tries to clarify answer to what he calls a 'hypothetical question' about 'saved lives' Trump says he's not going to fire Fauci Trump plays campaign-style video to defend handling of his response Trump says a president's 'authority is total' and governors 'know that' Coronavirus stimulus checks arrive via direct deposit payments for some Americans this week Here are the latest developments in the government response: PHOTO: Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci speaks as President Donald Trump listens in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Fauci tries to clarify answer to what he calls a 'hypothetical question' about 'saved lives' President Trump opened Mondays briefing by tossing within minutes to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top expert on infectious diseases, who said in a Sunday talk show interview that the administration "could have saved lives" if the U.S. had acted sooner. Fauci said he wanted to clarify his answer then to what he called a hypothetical question," saying answering them can sometimes get you "into some difficulty." "The nature of the hypothetical question was if, in fact, we had mitigated earlier, could lives have been saved? And the answer to my question was, as I always do, and I am doing right now, perfectly honestly saying, yes. I mean, obviously," Fauci said, before saying that Trump took his first recommendation as soon as it was given. His answer, he said, was "taken as a way that maybe somehow something was at fault." The first and only time that Dr. Birx and I went in and formally made a recommendation to the president to actually have a quote shutdown in the sense of not really shutdown, but to really have strong mitigation, Fauci emphasized. Obviously there would be concerns by some that, in fact, that might have some negative consequence. Nonetheless, the president listened to the recommendation, he said. Asked why he was making the clarification, Fauci responded testily, saying, "Everything I do is voluntarily. Don't even imply that." JUST IN: Dr. Fauci clarifies answer to hypothetical question where he said earlier mitigation would have saved more lives. That was taken as a way that maybe somehow something was at fault, Fauci says, adding that Trump followed the advice of doctors. https://t.co/ZWxYfBx3Sz pic.twitter.com/PdyW7Keny9 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 13, 2020 "I'm not firing. I think he's a wonderful guy," Trump said later. Trump plays campaign-style video to defend handling of his response Refusing to accept any criticism of his administrations response, President Trump then played a roughly four-minute video of news clips in a campaign-style montage praising his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. PHOTO: President Donald Trump gestures toward a video monitor during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Please, if you could put it up, Trump said, before playing the video. We could give you hundreds of clips like that from governors including Democrat governors. We could give you hundreds of clips just like that. Asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl who out the video together, Trump said it was compiled by White House social media director and assistant to the president Dan Scavino in a period of less than two hours." We have the governors of California, New Jersey, New York, Trump continued. Ventilators were going to be a problem. They did not have a problem. They got tremendous numbers of ventilators. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was one of the first national figures to criticize the federal governments response and announced a geographically coordinated plan with at least six states in the hot-spot metropolitan area: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island earlier Monday. Meanwhile on the West Coast, governors of California, Oregon and Washington also announced an agreement Monday to work together as a compact on a framework for reopening. The coalitions do not appear to be coordinated with the federal government. NEW: Asked why he retweeted a fire Fauci post, President Trump tells @jonkarl and reporters this is just a persons view and he is not firing Dr. Anthony Fauci and thinks Fauci is terrific. https://t.co/ZWxYfBx3Sz pic.twitter.com/e7jMBYBFZw ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 13, 2020 Trump says he's not going to fire Fauci Asked why he had retweeted someone who used a #FireFauci hashtag, Trump answered, I retweet somebody. I dont know. Someone said they thought I was going to fire him. I am not going to fire him, Trump said, trying to brush off the tweet as healthy controversy. If I put somebody's opinion up, you know, I do not mind controversy. I think controversy is a good thing, not a bad thing. But I want it to be honest controversy, he said. Asked if he saw the hashtag before hitting send, Trump said, Yeah, I notice everything. PHOTO: Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx, Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin and Rear Adm. John Polowczyk listen during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) In insisting he doesnt have any plans to fire the nations top infectious disease expert despite his retweet of a tweet that called for just that -- Trump said they are on the same page and that I like him. But the president qualified that his professed admiration for Fauci is not shared by all. Not everybody is happy with Anthony, not everybody is happy with everybody. I will tell you we have done a job the likes of which nobody has done. The mobilization, getting of equipment. Nobody has ever done a job like this, Trump said. PHOTO: President Donald Trump answers questions from the press during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Trump says a president's 'authority is total' and governors 'know that' When asked directly about the two cohorts of regions, in the Northeast and along the West Coast, coordinating their responses to the pandemic, President Trump said he wouldn't undermine their efforts but also that "they can't do anything without the authority of the president." "The president of the United States has the authority to do -- what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots. If we weren't here for the states, you would have had a problem in this country like you've never seen before. We were here to back them up. We more than backed them up. It's a decision for the president of the United States," Trump said. "With that being said, we'll work with the states." "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. That's the way it's got to be," Trump added. "The governors know that." Of course theres economic risks in both directions, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tells @jonkarl when asked about the economic risk of reopening the economy too. Mnuchin adds that Trump will make decision on May 1 target "later in the week." https://t.co/KfL8UZCT8B pic.twitter.com/Kv8XshMoUI ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 13, 2020 Later in the briefing, Vice President Pence offered a stronger defense than the president did himself in explaining how the president might exert absolute authority because of extra powers available at times of emergency. In the long history of this country, the authority of the president of the United States, during national emergencies, is unquestionably plenary. You can look back through times of war and other national emergencies, Pence said. We are going to give them guidance, and as the president indicated, we will continue to respect the leadership and partnership we forged with every governor I America. But this is an unprecedented time. When pressed on his use of total authority over states, the president said he wouldnt have to use it because hes getting along with the nations governors -- while noting they rely on the federal government. "The fact that I don't want to exert my power is much different, Trump told ABC's Jonathan Karl when asked about previous comments that he wanted to leave decisions on closures at the state level. The federal government has absolute power -- it has the power. As to whether or not Ill use that power, well see, Trump said. I would rather work with the states because I like going down to a local government. It is not going to be necessary because the governors need us one way or the other because ultimately, it comes with the federal government. That being said, we are getting along well with the governors and I feel certain that there won't be a problem, Trump said. Trump also floated that new guidelines would be "coming soon" and a national reopening could come even sooner than the reported target date of May 1. We're close to completing plan to open our country hopefully even ahead of schedule. That's so important. We will soon finalize new and important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states, Trump said. Youll be hearing over the next few days, Trump says when asked if its possible to reopen the U.S. economy by May 1. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said earlier at the briefing there could be a decision by the end of the week. Trump gave a preview into how the economic task force will be structured, saying that there will be various committees such as transportation, religion and manufacturing, and that more details will come Tuesday. He noted that the committee already knows "what he wants" and that new guidelines will subsequently be coming soon. "Ideally we will be learning from them and we will be able to do that and put everything we learned from those calls into our new guidelines so we will have new guidelines coming soon," Trump said.He also said that daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner will not be on the task force. Moments after the president finished speaking, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a phone interview with CNN that if the president presented a plan that was irresponsible, I would oppose it legally. The Constitution does not go out the window in an emergency," Cuomo said. We dont have a king. We have an elected president. PHOTO: President Donald Trump listens as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, April 13, 2020, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP) Mnuchin: $1200 direct deposits 'ahead of schedule' Mnuchin also said the direct deposit of $1200 payments to many Americans was going smoothly. "We're very pleased that were ahead of schedule on delivering the economic impact payments. These were what was known as the checks in the mail that we want to deliver in direct -- direct deposit. This is ahead of schedule," he said. "We started processing those last Friday. We expect that over 80 million hard working Americans will get the direct deposit by this Wednesday. And we know how important that is to all of those hard working Americans, many at home not working at the moment," Mnuchin said. From earlier today: '#FireFauci' follow up: White House says Trump takes suggestions of Fauci and Birx ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl has asked the White House whether the president's "#FireFauci" retweet was an indication he is sending Fauci a message -- or if he no longer has confidence in him. A senior White House aide responded: "There has been three mitigation recommendations made to the President by his team of doctors and advisors. All recommendations have been met with immediate implementation orders and no ambiguity. Any suggestion that the President ignored Dr. Fauci or Dr. Birx's mitigation plan is incorrect." --ABC News' Jonathan Karl Trump says that his authority to open country overrides governors' orders After repeating for weeks that the federal government is a backup to the states as the U.S. battles the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump tweeted Monday morning that for many good reasons it is the decision of the president to reopen states, even if governors or local officials have their own conflicting orders in place. ....It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020 The president has repeatedly said that when it comes to personal protective equipment and ventilators, states should be responsible for procuring their own supplies, but he has not dictated whether states must enact stay-at-home orders or business closures. Most governors, instead, have taken matters into their own hands, with more than 40 enacting some form of stay-at-home order to date. Several of those local orders extend beyond the May 1 reopening that the White House is said to be eyeing. --ABC News' Elizabeth Thomas PHOTO: The U.S. Supreme Court building, March 27, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Supreme Court to teleconference oral arguments in May -- including Trump financial records cases In an unprecedented step, the United States Supreme Court will for the first time hear oral arguments by teleconference in May, seeking to resolve a number of urgent cases that include President Trump's appeal of subpoenas seeking his financial records, amid the ongoing pandemic. MORE: Supreme Court to hold teleconference arguments in Trump financial records cases The announcement confirms that justices will hand down several major decisions on politically-charged issues in time for the November presidential election. They will rule on whether the president must surrender his records to congressional and state investigators; whether states can require delegates to the Electoral College to cast ballots based on the popular vote; and whether the Obamacare contraceptive mandate is constitutional. The move to telephone conference is remarkable for a court steeped in tradition and famous for resisting pressure to use technology to make proceedings more accessible, ABC News' Senior Washington Reporter Devin Dwyer reports. --ABC News' Devin Dwyer PHOTO: The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) enters the port in Da Nang, Vietnam, March 5, 2020. (Nguyen Huy Kham/Reuters, FILE) Sailor on coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt dies A sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt has died from COVID-19 complications on Monday, four days after he was admitted to an intensive care unit in Guam, the Navy said. The sailor, whose name has not been released, tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30. The sailor was taken off the ship and put at an isolation house at the naval base in Guam where he received medical checks twice a day, according to the Navy. MORE: Nearly 10% of carrier's crew of 4,800 has coronavirus The USS Theodore has remained in the news since last week's resignation of Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who had dismissed the aircraft carrier's captain Brett Crozier -- calling him "stupid" or "naive" -- after the leak of a memo in which he urged Navy officials to promptly evacuate the ship amid the coronavirus outbreak. There have been at least 585 confirmed infections among the crew. --ABC News' Luis Martinez 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 Coronavirus government response updates: Fauci says his 'saved lives' comment not about Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The number of inmates at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin who have the coronavirus has decreased by six because six who tested positive have completely recovered, Alameda County sheriff's officials said on Monday. A total of 73 inmates have been tested so far, with 42 testing negative, 15 testing positive and 16 results still pending, according to the sheriff's office. File image: Congress leader P Chidambaram The Congress on Tuesday termed as rhetoric and hollow on specifics the prime minister's address to the nation, saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country," he said on Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Also read: PM Modi extends country-wide lockdown till May 3 to combat COVID-19 Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the PM's address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. "Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue," he asked. He said the PM be assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and will strictly observe lockdown. "After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle india and MSMEs," he said. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here A complaint has been registered against BJP spokesperson Shivray Kulkarni in Maharashtra's Nagpur district for allegedly posting a derogatory content against state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on social media, a police official said on Monday. The post in Marathi was written by Kulkarni on Facebook on April 10, the official said quoting the complaint filed by Akash Gajbe (25), a resident of Kondhali village. A non-cognisable offence has been registered by Kondhali police against Kulkarni under section 500 (Punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 02:03:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on April 2, 2020 shows scientists starting to test vaccines for COVID-19 at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Australia. (CSIRO/Handout via Xinhua) Experts with diverse backgrounds from the U.S., United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, China, Italy, Germany, France, and Italy, among others, are working towards the development of vaccines against COVID-19, WHO said in an online statement. GENEVA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- A group of scientists, physicians, funders and manufacturers, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), has vowed to enhance their efforts and "help speed the availability of a vaccine against COVID-19." "Under WHO's coordination, a group of experts with diverse backgrounds is working towards the development of vaccines against COVID-19," WHO said in an online statement on Monday. A researcher of Stermirna Therapeutics Co., Ltd. shows the experiment to develop an mRNA vaccine targeting the novel coronavirus in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) In a joint declaration published on the WHO website, they said that while a vaccine for general use takes time to develop, a vaccine may ultimately be instrumental in controlling this worldwide pandemic. "In the interim, we applaud the implementation of community intervention measures that reduce spread of the virus and protect people, including vulnerable populations, and pledge to use the time gained by the widespread adoption of such measures to develop a vaccine as rapidly as possible," the declaration said. "We will continue efforts to strengthen the unprecedented worldwide collaboration, cooperation and sharing of data already underway," it said, adding that "we will work tenaciously to increase the likelihood that one or more safe and effective vaccines will soon be made available to all." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) visits Mologic Laboratory in Bedford, Britain on March 6, 2020. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new funding package of 46 million pounds (around 60 million U.S. dollars) for urgent work to find a vaccine and develop a rapid test for the disease. (Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY Those who signed the joint declaration include experts with diverse backgrounds from the U.S., United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, China, Italy, Germany, France, and Italy, among others. African countries are seething over accounts that Africans are battling stigma and discrimination in China over the coronavirus pandemic, apparently linked to a cluster of cases in the Nigerian community in the southern city of Guangzhou. The African residents say they have suffered forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus tests and face discrimination in restaurants and hotels. "We saw images of Nigerians in the streets with their possessions and this was of course extremely distressing for us at home," Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told Chinese ambassador Zhou Pingjian on Tuesday. He said the situation was "unacceptable" to Nigeria's government and people, and demanded "immediate action" from the Chinese authorities. The African Union on Saturday expressed its "extreme concern" about the situation in Guangzhou and called on Beijing to take immediate corrective measures. The controversy coincides with a Chinese charm offensive in Africa. Diplomats said around 20 African countries are drawing up a joint letter to Beijing to say that mass virus tests and quarantines imposed specifically on Africans amount to "racism". The draft letter, a form of diplomatic correspondence called a note verbale, describes this as a "clear violation of human rights", the sources say. - Racism issue - Local authorities in Guangzhou, a city of 15 million, said at least eight people diagnosed with coronavirus had spent time in the city's Yuexiu district, known as "Little Africa". Five were Nigerian nationals who sparked widespread anger after reports surfaced that they had broken a mandatory quarantine and been to eight restaurants and other public places instead of staying home. Several Africans told AFP they had been forcibly evicted from their homes and turned away by hotels. One said he had been sleeping under a bridge for four days and could not find a store that would allow him to buy food. On Sunday, as international pressure mounted, the foreign ministry in Beijing issued a statement saying the country attached "great importance to the life and health of foreign nationals" and rejected all "racist and discriminatory" remarks. The US fast-food chain McDonald's apologised after a sign in one of its restaurants in Guangzhou told black people they were banned from entering. - Embarrassment - The global pandemic was caused by a novel form of coronavirus that scientists say leapt the species barrier to humans through a live animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China has reacted furiously to any references that it says could spur xenophobia because of the virus's origins. The US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Tibor Nagy, tweeted that the reports from Guangzhou "are appalling", adding: "Abuse and xenophobia has no place in our fight against this global pandemic. Chinese authorities must do more to stop these attacks against Africans living and working in China." In response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing that Washington "has taken advantage of this issue to try and drive a wedge between China and African countries." He said the "friendship between China and Africa is deeply rooted... and it is unbreakable." In the context of Africa, the affair is diplomatically embarrassing for China, as it has sent doctors, medical equipment and other help to impoverished countries in Africa imperilled by the virus. The hugely appreciated gestures include a team of 15 doctors who arrived in Abuja last week aboard a plane filled with anti-coronavirus gear including a consignment of 50,000 masks and 11,000 rubber gloves that landed Tuesday morning in South Africa, the continent's worst-hit country. The United States in recent years has seen its clout in Africa wane as China has thrown open the credit spigot, providing billions in loans for Chinese-made infrastructure projects. A storm has brewed over the treatment of people in the "Little Africa" district of Guangzhou Care package: 100,000 masks, 1,000 protective suits and 20,000 test kits are flown into Nigeria -- a donation from Chinese tycoon Jack Ma, who has vowed to provide similar help to every country in Africa ASHBURN, Va., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ID Technologies, a mission-driven IT partner to the US Federal Government, announced that it has been awarded the Information Technology Hardware Catalog 3 (ITHC3) contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville. The contract has an estimated ceiling value of just under $100 million and a period of performance of one year with one option year. Under this contract, ID Technologies will support the purchase requirements of various approved IT equipment and accessories through their Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS) Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 3 Hardware (ITES -3H) contract, managing a product catalog of approved items, configurations and pricing. This IT Hardware Catalog will be utilized to process requirements for desktop and laptop computers, peripherals, switches, routers, Video Teleconferencing (VTC), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Output Devices, accessories and other IT equipment. ID Technologies will assist the Army Corps of Engineers Information Technology (ACE-IT) group to operate a streamlined means for the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) users to procure mission-critical items. ID Technologies is uniquely qualified for this award, having served as the Prime contract holder on the previous Information Technology Hardware Catalog contract, dating back to 2017. On the award, Chris Oliver, President of ID Technologies, said, "We are honored to continue to support the mission critical IT needs of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Through this contract, our team will continue to deliver the ID Technologies value of making it simpler for Federal government customers to buy and use fit-for-purpose IT." With a strong track record of outstanding performance, ID Technologies will continue to leverage its extensive knowledge of the customer and the ever-changing IT landscape to deliver mission-centric solutions. "IDT's persistent investment into our Army business will bring continued engineered innovation and service delivery offerings to the Army's IT environment," said Mr. Oliver. About ID Technologies ID Technologies is dedicated to developing, delivering and integrating forward-thinking, proprietary, reliable solutions to government customers in the Intelligence, Civilian and Federal markets. Trusted with over 20 Government Contracts and partnering with industry leaders and innovators, ID Technologies pairs market leading technologies and supportive acquisition strategies with agility, expertise and mission-understanding to enable government agencies to achieve mission success. Their primary goal is to ease the customers' experience and minimize time-to-value, recognizing that the customer's job is already tough enough. ID Technologies calls this approach "Accelerating Simplicity" making it easier for their customers to buy and use IT that is fit-for-purpose, at mission speed. For more information, please visit www.idtec.com. Media Contact: Kelly Harris - Director of Corporate Marketing and Partner Programs (703) 840-6027 [email protected] SOURCE ID Technologies Related Links https://www.idtec.com Just imagine going to war against an enemy of unknown scale and not knowing the number of armed forces personnel at your disposal. It would make it almost impossible to determine a battle plan. But that is the situation we now find ourselves in as we try to contend with coronavirus. We have no idea of the true scale of the battle we face because we did not wake up early enough to the benefit of widespread testing. The hesitance of the authorities to embrace extensive Covid-19 testing came as little surprise to those of us with experience of general practice. For some years, I have been puzzled that while we doctors are cautioned not to unnecessarily prescribe antibiotics in an effort to prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to commonly used ones there has been no push to increase testing to identify which patients really require antibiotics, and which will work for them. We have no idea of the true scale of the battle we face because we did not wake up early enough to the benefit of widespread testing. (Stock image) The simple process of taking a throat swab to identify the bacteria that cause tonsillitis, then testing for their sensitivity to a range of antibiotics, seems to have been almost abandoned in general practice. The same is true of checking for bacteria that lead to bronchitis in a sample of sputum. This always used to happen when patients presented with respiratory illnesses. It let us know which were due to bacteria and which were viral and not amenable to treatment with antibiotics. Yet this practice started to decline around the 1990s, partly due to cost-cutting and partly due to increasing pressure on GPs to see more patients in less time. Such tests add time to a consultation, and further time is spent on communicating the results and the action needed. Will this current crisis change things? The value of confirming a Covid-19 diagnosis with a test is beyond doubt. Its not as simple as just revealing whether someone has the infection; what happens afterwards also provides vital insight into what proportion of people will recover at home and how many will need hospital care. This, in turn, helps the health authorities know what to plan for. Dr Martin Scurr (pictured) said testing brings objectivity and the benefit of that in medicine should never be underestimated Even results that identify a silent infection or a bout with minimal symptoms offer key information. We can look to Germany, with its lower death rate, to see the benefit of testing. The country has long embraced the idea that testing rather than educated guesswork is key not just in this crisis and it has numerous testing facilities already at its disposal. We, by contrast, have had to play a complicated game of catch-up. To be fair, the tests needed to identify Covid-19 are more complex than the sputum testing I mentioned, which merely requires that the sample is placed on a gel and watched to see what grows. The antigen test used to detect coronavirus demands the ability to identify a minute amount of nucleic acid that is part of the virus structure. To do this, you must initiate a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which makes the nucleic acid more visible. This entails adding chemical reagents to a minuscule amount of virus, to multiply the molecules of nucleic acid more than one million-fold. The technique first evolved in 1983, and it was many years before it became a useful, practical test in medicine. Its now used, for example, to detect certain genetic disorders, and traces of DNA left by criminals. Had the UK started sooner and got help from more institutions faster, we might now be further ahead in this race. (Stock image) Even now, PCR is not simple. It requires several components and reagents, and there are multiple steps to the process hence the problem with rolling it out as a reliable, reproducible test. At the same time, a blood test is being developed to detect the footprints that the virus leaves. It looks for the presence of antibodies which confirm that the immune system has spotted the virus and mounted an attack evidence, it is hoped, of continuing immunity. As this coronavirus was unheard of before December 2019, the creation and production of suitable tests takes time. Tens of millions of testing kits have had to be made available, with most nations working on their own to roll them out a massive task that we have never seen before. Had the UK started sooner and got help from more institutions faster, we might now be further ahead in this race. Last weeks announcement that health companies and universities are now involved in helping to hit the Governments target of 100,000 tests a day must be welcomed. Is it a case of too little, too late? Lets hope not. Let us hope, too, the Government realises that going forward, testing brings objectivity and the benefit of that in medicine should never be underestimated. Amid rising number of robberies during lockdown, residents form vigilante groups to keep guard against attackers. Two weeks ago, when Nigerias government ordered an impending lockdown of the three key states of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, residents were advised to stay at home and observe the quarantine. The announcement prompted Wasiu Kolawole to go on a last-minute shopping spree to stock up on food for the next 14 days, as well as buy petrol for a generator to power his home in Lagos. The 54-year-old, a commercial bus driver, was looking forward to spending some quality time with his four children. Most days, he leaves his house in Lagoss Iju-Ishaga area before they wake up and sometimes returns home after they have already gone to bed. Four days into the lockdown, however, this downtime with his family was interrupted when a criminal gang stormed a nearby street to rob residents of their belongings. I woke up around 1am and I heard some neighbours screaming and calling for people to come out and defend them. It was like a movie scene. I made my way to the entrance of the house and found out that other neighbours were all out with weapons [such as machetes and clubs], Kolawole told Al Jazeera. I quickly ran back into the house to fetch my machete and joined other residents to form a barricade to prevent the hoodlums from invading our street. We stayed awake until 7am before dispersing to our homes. The quick mobilisation resulted in Kolawole and his immediate neighbours not coming under attack unlike residents of two nearby streets. Armed with clubs, machetes and iron rod, the robbers ransacked homes, carted away valuables and injured some residents who put up a fight. That was not the first time the community was targeted by criminal gangs. Kolawole acquired his machete, which he keeps close to his bedside, after being robbed in 2018. Teacher Awosusi Ahmed keeping vigil in front of his Lagos home to prevent attacks on his family [Al Jazeera] With similar attacks also taking place in other areas of Lagos during the lockdown, some residents have now formed vigilante groups to keep guard against possible neighbourhood looters. Residents in Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, said they had also taken on the responsibility of defending their homes following an attack by a group of bandits. My decision to join the vigilante is to protect my home because the government is not doing their job, Awosusi Ahmed, a resident, told Al Jazeera. I would have been in my own abode, sleeping, with the confidence that the police is doing their job. But since Ive not received any help from the police, and Im not expecting any help from them as well, so I have to be strong, he said. Such incidents are not restricted to Lagos, Nigerias commercial capital, as some communities in neighbouring Ogun state have also reported similar attacks. On Monday, the police said they were bolstering forces in Lagos and Ogun in the wake of recent activities of hoodlums and street urchins in the border communities and announced the arrest of almost 200 suspects. PRESS RELEASE IGP DEPLOYS INTERVENTION SQUADS TO LAGOS AND OGUN DIG in charge of South-west to coordinate 191 Suspects arrested In the wake of recent activities of hoodlums and street urchins in the border communities between Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) April 13, 2020 It is a matter of life and death There are currently 343 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, including 11 deaths. Lagos is the epicentre of the pandemic in the country. The government was expected to lift the lockdown on Monday, but President Muhammadu Buhari announced a 14-day extension during a televised address. It is a matter of life and death, Buhari said of the nations response to the coronavirus pandemic. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable. There have been mixed reactions to the announcement as some residents were looking forward to returning to work and earning a living. I dont think this lockdown can work because there was no provision for the people, Adedayo Olamide, 43, told Al Jazeera. No salary, no nothing. When the groceries we have at home is finished, what do we do? Whats the next thing? Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced a 14-day extension of the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja during a televised address [Reuters] Nigeria is Africas most populous nation with a population of more than 200 million. Some 20 million reside in the megacity of Lagos, the majority of whom work in the informal sector. The extension of the lockdown is expected to add to the hardship of millions of Nigerians living hand-to-mouth, often on less than one dollar a day. Starting on April 1, the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry began paying 20,000 naira ($52) to families in the national social register of poor and vulnerable households. Buhari has also ordered that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programmes. But residents complained that the interventions do not go far enough. The governments failure to disclose key details of the cash transfer program has also cast doubt on how many people it includes and who will benefit, Human Rights Watch, a US-based NGO, said in a statement. Millions of Nigerians observing the COVID-19 lockdown lack the food and income that their families need to survive, Anietie Ewang, the groups Nigeria researcher, said. On April 6, Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said oil-rich Nigeria had requested $6.9bn from international lenders to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Already, Africas most populous country has seen its revenues slump following a drop in oil prices. On the 16th of March of this year, in a text exchange with my youngest son, I made what was at the time a bold forecast. I told him that based on some back-of-the-envelope calculations, the rapidly growing pandemic coronavirus disease, now known as COVID-19, would be essentially over in Michigan by no later than sometime between 21 April 2020 through 20 May 2020. It now appears I made about the right call, as the current models from credible sources (IHME, data current as of 10 April 2020) using data rather than assumptions are actually landing on about the 24th of April as the day that our need for hospital beds for COVID-19 patients falls well below 10% of our capacity, and our mortality curve from coronavirus in Michigan goes nearly flat, with few new daily deaths after those dates. The mortality curve does not flatten completely (with no new daily deaths forecast) until May 6, 2020. The point is not to brag, I give all the credit to the Lord God almighty, but I am immensely pleased the forecast is coming true, and hope that the boy will now perceive dad's crazy ideas in a more favorable light. This realization of more favorable outcomes means dramatically fewer deaths than previously forecast by the screeching Leftist media, cynically striving to make the epidemic a political win for themselves and their team. Despite the impending loss for their political ideologues, (as they must surely suffer terribly at the ballot box for sacrificing American lives, rights, and fortunes at the altar of their own political caste and ideology) it is a huge win for preservation of American lives, and another testament in a long history of witness to American fortitude and ingenuity. Way to go, U.S.A. However, our state governments should have done much better with their response, and not imposed unconstitutional restrictions on our liberties. The voluntary measures were working, Americans were cooperating with the recommendations, and the onerous orders actually made the epidemic worse. As of this writing (2 a.m. Eastern on 11 April 2020) the new infection rates are trending solidly downward, and although we must yet endure for some brief time the declining threat from the virus, our liberties are presently more threatened than at any time in 155 years, since the Civil War. I did not have the best data to work with when making those assumptions and compiling the trend analysis that landed me on that accurate date range. And I am no statistical genius. My back-of-the-envelope calculations that turned out to be accurate were produced with publicly available data, mostly taken from the experience of places that had already suffered the virus, and data from the Johns Hopkins site tracking new cases and deaths around the world. The State of Michigan government should have come to better conclusions, faster than me, and they should have implemented better policy decisions. People in government and academia had much better data, but apparently failed to make the right assumptions. That is distressing, not least because the previously overstated and hysterical forecasting has led to overreaction in policy decisions rolled out for the declared purposes of fighting the virus, with devastating human and economic costs. Our national economy threatens depression. In some parts of the United States our fundamental constitutional rights have been taken from us, and the authorities separating us from our rights are reluctant to return them. They are extending the time of the restrictions, and making them even more restrictive. Our governor has actually presumed to practice medicine from her office, by banning licensed pharmacists from the filling of hydroxychloroquine prescriptions for use against COVID-19. This was done through administrative actions with much fanfare, as a cynical political stunt, to counter the politically potent perception that the U.S. president was correct (perspicacious?) in his hopeful assessment that hydroxychloroquine might prove useful in the fight. Several days later she quietly rescinded the order when it became obvious that she was wrong, and that unnecessary suffering and death may have been the result. Such ill-intentioned political cynicism implemented as policy and imposed upon the citizenry is an outrage, and must be some kind of crime. Perhaps even homicide. Michigan presently suffers under numerous gubernatorial orders (42 this year!) separating citizens from their U.S. constitutional rights and rights under Michigan law. A good argument can be made that orders such as Whitmer's increased the spread of the disease. These orders caused a panic and an easily foreseeable rush to buy groceries, resulting in the inevitable press of the crowd in overcrowded stores, as newly-minted disaster-prepper citizens cleared the shelves. I know from personal witness such was the case here in Michigan, where we repeatedly observed about 20 minutes between a new executive order from Lansing, and the stores being bum rushed by the crowds. Our governor did this repeatedly, starting 10 March 2020, publishing 16 more (!) executive orders for a couple of weeks before releasing the first version of her Stay Home order on the 23rd of March. After the initial stay-home order was released, the rush on the stores lasted about three days, and stores previously open 24 hours had to start closing overnight. The result increased spread of the virus, although (hopefully) an unintended consequence, which had been observed and reported on during and after her previous orders. It was therefore, foreseeable, and completely preventable. As residents of Michigan, one such order we are presently subject to is EO #2020-42, that forbids us to work. This is not an exaggeration: 1. This order must be construed broadly to prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life. People who have jobs that can be done from home, or those with government jobs designated critical infrastructure positions are required to work, and are retaining their income, but I am not one of those folks. This is only one example of the abrogation of our constitutional rights imposed upon us by these onerous orders. First Amendment rights of freedom of assembly are quashed. Fourteenth Amendment constraints against the states taking our federal constitutional rights from us are clearly violated. An argument can be made that we have been deprived of our Fifth Amendment right to liberty. We are certainly being denied our right to property, without due process, as we are presently constrained by the executive orders of the governor against leaving our homes, or traveling between residences. Epidemics have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and we in Michigan are presently just past the middle, just barely beyond the peak of detrimental impacts; after yesterday (10 April) everything should improve some each day. Epidemics of highly contagious viral diseases run their courses in similar (not identical, but similar) statistical fashion, hence the easily understood trend "curve" we are all trying to flatten by avoiding face to face interactions. In Michigan we have passed the "peak" of our curve's demand for hospital resources, so demand for those resources is decreasing. Despite the dire forecasts, many of our smaller county facilities remain almost untouched by the disease to this day. Those large metro area hospitals around the state that did find themselves overburdened were relieved by the excess capacity of neighboring regional facilities. We are well along on the downhill side of our infection rate curve. With one exception, the downward trend in new infections has continued each day since 31 March 2020, and as of yesterday we set our third-day-in-a-row daily record for a new low in the percentage-increase of new cases, at 4.32% The cure has become worse than the disease, and the cure is getting worse as the disease fades. This epidemic in Michigan is presently a dead virus walking. It is still with us, but only for a few more days. Once we get past the first wave of this thing, we humans will have developed some significant "herd immunity." We may already have it, and an anecdote to support it, a Chicago hospital yesterday indicated as much as 30% to 50% of that population may already have the immunity. This should be obvious to anyone who understands that: 1) the virus is very contagious, so lots of people catch it quickly, 2) most people who do get it have had only mild symptoms, and therefore do not seek medical attention from a professional, and 3) since you have to have symptoms to get tested, none of those people appear in the confirmed cases statistics. There are lots of folks out there walking around who have had the disease, produced the antibodies, and are therefore presently incapable of catching it or spreading it to others. We still need to take extra precautions around folks who are vulnerable, such as grandma and your late middle aged friends and relatives with blood pressure, respiratory or heart conditions, but they need to be tested for COVID-19 antibodies too. We all do. I am certain all of my family has been through it, way back in February. (1) Based on the fundamental epidemiological notion that I personally have some immunity, I can neither contract the disease, nor pass it on to anyone else. Why am I still forced by government edict to remain in my home? As a nation, we have already built some herd immunity, and this immunity means that although the virus will probably become a regular recurring "flu season" illness, we will never again suffer the dramatic high rates of infection, nor raw numbers of fatalities. Better still, since we are daily improving our understanding of how to best treat for and vaccinate against the disease, we will reduce not only the transmission rates, but the virulence of the disease in those unfortunate enough to get it. Finally, briefly, some perspective. If your family is affected by the loss of a loved one, the disease is a tragedy. However, each day in the U.S., about 6,500 to 7,700 people die from all causes. The present forecast of about 60,000 to 70,000 COVID-19 deaths nationwide from this first wave of disease, means by the time we get to July we will have -- over five months -- experienced increased fatalities equivalent to about 10 days of ordinary daily American mortality. Are we really going to implode our economy for the sake of a 2.5% increase in mortality for this one year when the virus caught us all by surprise, especially knowing the death rate will never again be this high? Because, between better medications, vaccines, and herd immunity, the fatality rates for COVID-19 will never be this high again. It really is very comparable to shutting down our national productivity because of the annual flu season. So the arithmetic matters, and making the right assumptions matters. Understanding the infection rates and trend curves does not change the reality, but it gives us better understanding of the viral threats actual capabilities, and we are thereby made better able to deal with it, physically, socially, and psychologically. The idea that we shall continue to be forcibly isolated for months into the future is simply ridiculous. Its not quite over, but COVID-19 is a dead virus walking. The government imposed cure is already worse than the disease. It is time to move on, help heal the injured families, and plan the recovery. Get the big brains together quick and roll out the Re-open America program within the next couple of weeks. And please take very good care that they make the right assumptions. Endnotes: 1) We had no idea at the time that what we were experiencing was the COVID-19 virus, because the only significant symptom publicized at the time was the respiratory distress, and none of us had much of that. We all suffered from upper and lower GI symptoms, high fever, headache, prolonged exhaustion of 3 to 5 days, and changes to sense of taste and smell. Some experienced some non-productive coughing. All of those symptoms have now been correlated with the COVID-19 virus. Keralites in the UAE distributed sadhya', a traditional vegetarian feast, to 1,000 people in Dubai on Tuesday as part of Vishu, Malayalam new year, celebrations which were largely low-key due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to a media report. During this difficult time, we don't want anyone to miss the Vishu sadhya'. Keralites or not, anyone who is in need can come and collect the food kit, Shanavas Mohammed, owner of Uppum Mulakum restaurant where the sadhya' food bags were available, told the Gulf Sadhya, which literally translates to banquet in Malayam, is usually served on a banana leaf consisting of about 20 dishes ranging from a variety of dals, vegetable curries and desert items. Though it is a Hindu festival, we Malayalis celebrate Vishu, just like we celebrate Onam irrespective of our religion, Mohammed said. He thanked the kind-hearted' people who came forward for the contribution at a time when the world has been rocked by a pandemic. Apart from the Vishu meal, Mohammed's restaurant is giving food to the needy for the past three weeks. This year the Vishu celebrations have been low-key in the UAE. Sandhya Santhosh, a housewife here, told the Gulf that there were concerns on whether items used in religious rituals, like Konna flower, would be available. Everyone is home. But nobody is in a mood to celebrate. We will not even keep the Vishukkani (spread of auspicious items). I don't even know if Konna flowers are available in shops now, Santhosh was quoted as saying by the daily. Usually shops serving Keralites is flush with such prayer items but the coronavirus outbreak has hit operations this year. Perumal Flower Stores in Bur Dubai said they had few flowers to sell this time when last year they had a stock of about 2 tonnes of flowers, the report said. However, Indian-owned Lulu Group managed to stock Konna flowers to ensure minimum availability. These came along with most of the vegetables used in preparing the Kani and Vishu sadhya and the banana leaves on which the feast is served. All these came on the six aircraft we chartered to import vegetables from Kerala in the past two days, V Nandakumar, chief communications officer, Lulu Group, told Gulf He said fears of the coronavirus had hit footfalls massively which reflected in the stocks procured this year. The coronavirus which originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year has claimed 25 lives and infected 4,521 people in the UAE. Across the world, the virus has killed over 121,000 people with over 1.9 million positive cases so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Credit: CC0 Public Domain Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday brushed aside calls for an easing of tough restrictions on travel and public gatherings despite their success in curbing the spread of COVID-19. The number of new coronavirus cases in the neighbouring nations has fallen dramatically in the last two weeks, raising hopes that difficult social distancing measures may be relaxed. But Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country was still "many weeks away" from lifting any restrictions. "Patience has got to be our virtue here," he said, noting that countries like Singapore and South Korea had initial success against COVID-19 but saw a surge in new cases after travel and other restrictions were eased. Australia registered just 63 new infections on Sunday and Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 6,366 for a population of 25 million. It was the lowest two-day increase in a month. New Zealand, a nation of five million, saw just eight new cases on Tuesday for a total of 1,072, its lowest daily increase in more than three weeks. "We've been relatively successfulI don't want to squander that success or the sacrifices New Zealanders have made," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded Tuesday when asked when the lockdown will be eased. "Our goal has to be go early and go hard, so that we get into a position where we can ease up restrictions with confidence," she said, adding that no action would be taken for at least another week. Both countries have closed their borders to foreigners and imposed 14-day quarantines on returning residents. New Zealand has enforced a strict stay-at-home lockdown while Australia imposed tight restrictions on movement, gatherings and public activities. "Australians are doing magnificently, we've seen real progress," Health Minister Greg Hunt said Tuesday, linking the slowdown in new cases to people honouring lockdown rules. "The rest of the world would, overwhelmingly in a heartbeat, swap positions with Australia." But the clampdowns have caused significant economic damage, with Australian officials Tuesday predicting unemployment will double to 10 percent despite a massive government spending spree to counter the impact of the pandemic. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP The global death toll from the coronavirus is about 121,700 with 1.94 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness. Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions. Bulgaria Bulgarian prosecutors have charged the leader of the nationalist Attack party for threatening investigators and other comments he made urging people to violate public-health measures meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Sofia District Prosecutor's Office said on April 14 that Volen Siderov was charged for instigating a crime when he "repeatedly called for a breach of an order by the minister of health in connection with the pandemic of the new coronavirus." Among other things, Siderov called on Bulgarians during a television broadcast on April 12 to ignore social-distancing measures and not wear face masks during Easter mass. Investigators also cited a press release from Attack, in which the party leader directly called on people to attend Orthodox Easter mass on April 19 to "prove that God" is stronger than the head of national operations leading the countrys response to the coronavirus epidemic. In a second charge, Siderov stands accused of threatening a prosecutor during a televised broadcast on April 13, just after an investigation for his coronavirus-related comments was opened against him. "Make up your mind, those who are now preparing to charge me, how long you will live?" he said. "Those who have agreed to act against me, there will be no you." Siderov, who is also a Sofia city council member, appeared at the Interior Ministry on April 14 to be arraigned and will be able to post bail. Bulgaria has been in a state of emergency since March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has officially infected 713 people in the country and killed 35. Siderov has downplayed the outbreak, describing it as "a world hysteria that was created to rearrange the world and economic order." In the past, he has stirred controversy over xenophobic remarks and espousal of various conspiracy theories, Attack is part of the United Patriots alliance, which is a partner in Prime Minister Boris Borisov's GERB-led government. Siderov's party has traditionally defended positions in support of Russia and against the European Union and NATO. Armenia Armenias government has extended a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic until May 14 amid ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the disease. The state of emergency, declared on March 16 after the first confirmed coronavirus cases emerged in the country, had been due to expire on April 14. But the government in Yerevan said on April 13 that serious restrictions on peoples movements and business activity remain essential for slowing the spread of the virus. Under the extended emergency rule, Armenias government will be empowered to requisition hotels or other private properties in order to accommodate people placed under quarantine. At the same time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians government lifted nearly all restrictions on coronavirus-related news reporting. If further monitoring detects a rapid spread of so-called fake news, we could revert to those restrictions, Justice Minister Rustam Badasian warned. According to Armenias official count early on April 14, there have been more than 1,000 coronavirus infections in the country so far, including 14 deaths. Citing the government data, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian said Armenias lockdown is working and should continue to slow the spread of the disease in the coming weeks. Armenian authorities also plan to increase their controversial use of mobile-phone data to track potential carriers of the virus and continue to expand COVID-19 testing, Avinian told parliament later on April 13. If we manage to keep the downward trend in the spread of infections, the restrictions will be revised, Avinian said. Conversely, he said, the government will not hesitate to tighten restrictions if the infection rate rises. Pashinian admitted that the governments decision on April 12 to reopen some sectors of Armenias economy will increase the risk of an upsurge. But he said the affected companies and their workers can minimize that risk by following social distancing rules and taking other precautions. Armenian farmers, food retailers, public utilities, and banks are continuing to work through the lockdown as well as food-processing firms, mines, and cargo companies. Russia Dozens of employees of Moscow's famous Bolshoi Theater have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Bolshoi's director-general, Vladimir Urin, said on April 13 that 34 employees of the renowned theater had tested positive for the virus. They had been involved in preparations for a concert devoted to medical personnel fighting the pandemic. "They did not have fever or any other common signs of the infection, but all of them were suspended and sent to quarantine before the concert, Urin said. The concert called We Are Together was staged on April 11. Two days prior to the event, all participants and technical personnel were tested for the coronavirus, Urin said, adding that it was not possible for anyone to have been infected during the concert. Russias leading musicians and popular actors took part in the concert that was held on the Bolshois stage without spectators and was available online. Russian health authorities said on April 14 that the number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 21,102, including 170 deaths. Pakistan Pakistan's government has announced an extension of the nationwide shutdown in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but said it would allow what it identifies as low-risk industries to resume operations. The government on April 14 announced it had extended restrictions on public gatherings for another two weeks. Educational institutions will also remain shut during that period. Pakistan, which has already been in lockdown for three weeks, has reported 5,812 coronavirus cases and 100 deaths. Amid warnings that a prolonged economic halt could push half of Pakistans population into poverty, the government said a number of industries would be allowed to operate if they adhere to safety guidelines. Prime Minister Imran Khan said the first industry to reopen would be construction. The decisions come a day after a group of religious leaders demanded authorities relax restrictions on mosque prayers. The request was issued on April 14 at a gathering of the Wafaq-ul-Madaris, a board overseeing official madrasahs across Pakistan, said Maulana Qazi Abdul Rashid, who heads the organizations Punjab regional branch. "We are ready to adopt all precautions such as sanitizers, soap, and washing hands, but we cannot keep our mosques empty," he told RFE/RL. Rashid, however, stressed that the board would not get into a confrontation with the government if authorities didnt agree with its demand. Pakistan hasnt banned mosque prayers amid the coronavirus outbreak. Instead, the government relies on restricting the size of congregations attending mosques and advisories to stay at home from religious groups like the country's Islamic Ideology Council. Some provinces have issued their own lockdown orders to prevent gatherings at Friday Prayers. In the southern Sindh Province, a complete lockdown is being enforced from noon until 3 p.m., the time when the faithful gather for prayers. In the eastern Punjab Province, checkpoints have been set up in major cities to stop people from congregating. Central Asia The head of Uzbekistan's muslim community says that mass prayers and meals traditionally served during Ramadan have been canceled this year because of the coronacirus outbreak. The Directorate of the Muslims of Uzbekistan said on April 14 that mass tarawih prayers in mosques and iftar, the daily meals served to the public at mosques to break each day's fast, will not be allowed when the month of Ramadan, during which observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, and sex from sunrise to sunset, begins later this month. The directorate said the decision was made after discussions with the Muslim directorates of neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where similar measures will be undertaken. Last month, Uzbek religious authorities temporarily banned Friday Prayers at mosques to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The number of confirmed cases in Uzbekistan was reported at 1,113, including four deaths, while in Kazakhstan, the number of coronavirus cases reached 1,179, including 14 deaths. In Kyrgyzstan, 430 cases were reported with five deaths. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have not officially registered coronavirus cases so far, though experts are skeptical of the claims given the lack of transparency within their governments and a lack of independent media. With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian, Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz services and AP, TASS, and Novaya Gazeta Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has urged all businesses in the seven prefectures included in the state of emergency to reduce the number of in-office workers by at least 70%. Companies seem to be heeding the call, as the number of people traveling to Tokyoas 23 wards on the first Monday following the emergency declaration was down 33.4% compared to the first week in March. The government wants companies to have their employees apredominately work from homea to help reduce commuter traffic. Abe has asked the relevant ministries to urge firms, small and large, to make this a priority. Yahoo Japan has estimated the number of visitors to Tokyoas 23 wards by using positional data from mobile phones. The data shows that the central part of Tokyo, where large companies and government offices are concentrated, saw a drastic decline in visitors. Minato Ward was down to 54% of the number of visitors in the first week of March. Chiyoda Ward was down to 55% and Chuo Ward was down to 56%. On March 2, Minato Ward received about 806,000 visitors. The figure remained the same for around three weeks. But it dropped to 717,000 on March 30, after Tokyo governor Koike Yuriko held an emergency news conference calling on residents to refrain from non-essential excursions. This Monday, the number was down to 436,000, a drop of about 45% from six weeks ago. Some major companies have already implemented remote work systems to reduce the number of staff members at the office. But this is difficult for many small- and medium-sized companies. A survey by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry shows that only 26% of small- and medium-sized firms in Tokyo have introduced remote work systems. 19.5% say theyare considering it, while 54.4% say they have no plans for doing so. 57.1% of firms with more than 300 employees say they have a system in place. But only 14.4% of companies with less than 50 people have done so. The survey asked companies that havenat introduced remote work to their cite reasons. 42.3% say they havenat set up an internal system yet. 31.7% say their equipment, such as computers and other devices, isnat sufficient to support remote work. 21.7% cite security concerns. The survey covered about 13,000 companies in Tokyoas 23 wards. It was conducted between March 13 and 31. More than 1,300 firms responded. LONDON -- The death toll from COVID-19 in British hospitals rose to 11,329 on Monday and the government, which is having to operate without its convalescing leader Boris Johnson, signalled that there would be no easing of lockdown measures this week. The British death toll is the fifth highest globally and a senior scientific adviser to the government has said the country risks becoming the worst-hit in Europe. The government has had to defend its response to the outbreak, with complaints of insufficient testing and protective kit for medics and questions about whether Johnson, before he fell ill with COVID-19, was too slow to impose a lockdown. Amidst this sobering death toll, there are also some positive signs from the data that we are starting to win this struggle, said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, deputising for Johnson while he recovers. But we still have a long way to go, Raab said. Were still not past the peak of this virus. A man wearing a protective face mask is seen in Regent Street, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters The governments panel of scientific advisers is due to review the evidence on the effectiveness of social distancing measures this week, but Raab signalled that was unlikely to result in any easing of restrictions. We dont expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point, and we wont until were confident as we realistically can be, that any such changes can be safely made. That moment could be several weeks away. The Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said he expected the number of daily deaths from coronavirus to continue to rise this week, then to plateau for two to three weeks before falling. Johnson left Londons St Thomas Hospital on Sunday after spending a week there, including three nights in intensive care. He said things could have gone either way for him while he was hospitalised. He is now recuperating at Chequers, his official country residence, with his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds. It is not clear when he will return to work. A billboard with a message displayed thanking the NHS is seen in London, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters Human vs. economic cost There has been widespread sympathy for him over his illness, but in his absence the government faces daunting trade-offs between the needs of the health service and of the economy, with national morale also at stake. Finance minister Rishi Sunak has told colleagues Gross Domestic Product could shrink by up to 30% this quarter because of the coronavirus lockdown, The Times newspaper reported, adding Sunak was pushing for restrictions to be eased. The comments were neither confirmed nor denied by officials. An ambulance is seen in Trafalgar Square in London, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters On the other hand, a relentless flow of grim news ensured that the human cost of the outbreak remained in sharp focus. The governments chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, told the news conference 13.5 percent of care homes for the elderly across the country had reported coronavirus outbreaks, including 92 individual homes in the past 24 hours alone. In County Durham in northern England, the Stanley Park care home confirmed that 13 of its residents had died after displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Signs asking for people to stay at home are seen in Eyam, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Eyam, Britain, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters In Edinburgh, Scotlands top medical officer asked the public not to delay relatives funerals in the hope that social distancing measures would soon be lifted, because such delays would risk overwhelming mortuaries and funeral homes. At the Downing Street news conference, Raab was defensive when asked if the government should have introduced the lockdown sooner and whether to do so would have saved lives - a recurring question as the death toll has soared. I dont think it is clear. I dont think those comparisons [with other countries like South Korea] are like for like because of where we are on the curve, he said. Asked to apologise to National Health Service staff who have reported a lack of personal protective equipment on the frontline, Raab did not do so. Taiwan's WHO Ambitions Get Boost from Coronavirus Success By Natalie Liu April 13, 2020 Taiwan's long-running campaign for a role in the World Health Organization is getting fresh backing in response to its successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has included assistance to other suffering nations. The public in Taiwan, considered a breakaway Chinese province by Beijing, were ecstatic when the European Union, in a break with past policy, included an image of Taiwan's flag on a Twitter posting last week expressing appreciation for a donation of face masks. "Our flag has appeared on the EU's official tweet," Taiwan's Central News Agency gushed. It was a breakthrough of sorts for Taiwan after decades of being blocked from any significant role in the WHO by China, which opposes any action that would appear to confer nation status on the autonomously ruled island. Beijing has long been accused of using its economic and political power to pressure member countries to support its stand. The issue has become more immediate in the face of COVID-19 which has caused about 1.9 million reported infections and more than 118,000 reported deaths worldwide. Despite having one of the world's best records in fighting the disease Taiwan has been excluded from WHO emergency meetings on the crisis. However, Taiwan officials are encouraged by U.S. President Donald Trump's signing last month of the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, designed to bring pressure on countries whose actions serve to undermine Taiwan's alliances. Amid the diplomatic back-and-forth, Taiwan has made its case by simply doing a better job than almost any country of containing the coronavirus. Despite its close proximity to China where the contagion began and being one of the first places to be affected, it has held its caseload to just 393 people with a mere six deaths. Speaking electronically to a conference at the Hudson Institute in Washington last week, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu attributed that success to social unity, a prompt assessment and allocation of resources, and above all democratic governance. Wu cited the prompt delegation of authority to Taiwan's center for disease control, known as the CECC, and the competence of the center and its leader as critical. "The arrangement brought the whole government under the CECC command; which has the full backing of the president and the premier," Wu said. The agency's achievement has brought unprecedented popularity and authority to Chen Shih-chung, a dentist by training who currently presides over Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare. Referring to Chen, Wu told the Hudson Institute audience, "I think I am rather senior among my peers in the cabinet, but when the commander speaks, I can only say, 'yes, sir!'" Describing Taiwan's response to the crisis in more detail, Wu said his government was quick to identify potential needs and allocate resources for the fight against the virus. Medical institutions were "rearranged," he said, enabling the establishment of "160 testing facilities around the country," along with "134 facilities to treat milder cases, or 50 large regional centers for more severe cases." In order to prevent in-hospital outbreaks, Wu said, hospitals "were clearly demarcated internally." The minister also cited Taiwan's national health insurance policy, "which has 99% of the population enrolled," as key to enabling health authorities to trace patients' contacts and to permitting an equitable society-wide distribution of medical supplies. Each adult citizen, upon showing proof of citizenship, is allotted nine face masks every two weeks, which come at a cost of 17 cents apiece, and can be obtained at local pharmacies, and now even vending machines. Children are allotted a higher number of masks. At the heart of Taiwan's success story, Wu said, is its chosen way of governance. He contrasted the democratically ruled island with rule on the mainland by the Communist Party of China, which has been accused of failing to promptly report the initial contagion and is still suspected of hiding its full extent. "I would say the most important factor is transparency and honesty," Wu said. "[While] we in Taiwan cannot afford to conceal or to lie, Chinese communists are institutionally incapable of telling the truth." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: OSCE provided humanitarian assistance to Uzbekistan to prevent OVID-19 in penal institutions of the country, Trend reports with reference to Uzbek media. The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan John MacGregor delivered assistance to prisons operating in Uzbekistan. OSCE provided 15 types of protective equipment (face masks, medical gloves, protective suits), as well as laundry and personal hygiene products and antibacterial agents, totalling 180 million soum ($18,706). These supplies were delivered to juvenile convicts in the educational colony, to a special contingent serving a sentence in the women's correctional facility and to the staff serving in penal institutions. The leadership of the Penal Correction Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has expressed gratitude to John MacGregor for the OSCE's humanitarian assistance in preventing the coronavirus spread in penal institutions. The total number of coronavirus infected people in Uzbekistan is 1054, as of April 14. To date, 85 people in the country have fully recovered from the coronavirus infection, four have died. 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 Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images Former President Barack Obama finally weighed in on the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday by endorsing his former vice president, the only candidate left in the race. Joe Biden, the 77-year-old two-term VP to Obama, emerged as the nominee-in-waiting after rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) reluctantly dropped out last week. Sanders endorsed Biden on Monday. Obama released a 12-minute video on Tuesday, saying he was proud to endorse my friend for president of the United States. He referenced the coronavirus pandemic in his statement and said times of crisis make the need for good leadership more criticalthe kind of leadership thats guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace. I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now, he said. Biden rarely missed an opportunity on the campaign trail to remind everyone he was Obamas guy but, from the outset of the primary process, Obama made clear to every candidate that he would not endorse anyone until the primarys conclusion. Biden, who was discouraged from making a 2016 presidential run by Obama, even said himself that he had asked Obama not to endorse him so that whoever won the nomination would do so on their own merits. Obama was also sensitive to lingering hurt feelings from the 2016 race, when he endorsed Hillary Clinton before Sanders dropped out. But the former presidents radio silence still left many in the Biden camp personally offended after their candidate had to muscle his way through a rocky primary and fight back from consistently low polling in the lead up to his Super Tuesday wins. Why Obamas Endorsement Is More Important Now Bernie Is Gone I think that everyone is playing along with the campaign line on thaton Joes linebut, I mean, how could you not expect quote-unquote your best friend to support you? a Democratic source close to Biden told The Daily Beast last week. For fucks sakein what surreal world does a vice president not expect the support of their boss, someone that they were that close to, and oversaw so much of their foreign and domestic policy, and received the only Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction? Story continues President Trump had also seized on Obamas silence, saying it amazed him that Obama has not supported Sleepy Joe. He knows something that you dont know. That I think I know. But you dont know, Trump said last Thursday. Several people close to Biden said they believed he was a stronger candidate for not having Obamas endorsement as it forced him to break through a tough campaign on his own. However, now that Obama has weighed in on the race, the question is whether it will provide the balm needed to bring the Democratic party together ahead of November. I think it will definitely change the temperature of the race, Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist in South Carolina and senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee, told the Daily Beast last week. Obama made some overtures to unity in his endorsement message, saying victory was the only way to bring about a progressive agenda of green energy initiatives, climate change action, and expanded access to health care. Democrats may not always agree on every detail or the best way to bring about each and every one of these changes but we do agree that theyre needed and that only happens if we win this election, he said, adding that our countrys future hangs on this election. He praised Sanders as an American original and said the Democratic primary field was one of the best ever, filled with decent people with smart ideas and bold visions for the future. [Sanders] and I have not always agreed on everything but weve always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society, he said. Biden, a party centrist who may struggle to win over some of the Democratic Partys far-left flank, has the most progressive platform, based on real structural change to fix vast inequality, Obama said. He described Biden as a genuine and empathetic politician, a lifelong teacher, a parent of a veteran, and a steely man of God, who has consistently fought for the middle class and who personally knows the pain of grief and loss. Through all his trials hes never once forgotten his values or the moral fiber that his parents passed on to him, that made him who he is, he said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Leaving hospital after seven days, three spent in intensive care, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked his doctors and nurses and other National Health Service (NHS) workers who saved him from coronavirus. Speaking from his country residence, Chequers, Johnson said that the NHS has saved my life. No question. Waxing lyrical, Johnson declared: Were making progress in this national battle because the British public formed a human shield around this countrys greatest national asset, our National Health Service. We understood and we decided that if together we could keep our NHS safe, if we could stop our NHS from being overwhelmed, then we could not be beaten, and this country would rise together and overcome this challenge as we have overcome so many challenges in the past. Johnson put human faces to this collective effort by naming some of those involved, in particular two nurses who stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way, Jenny [McGee] from New Zealand and Luis [Pitarma] from Portugal. And the reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching, and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed. So that is how I also know that across this country, 24 hours a day, for every second of every hour, there are hundreds of thousands of NHS staff who are acting with the same care and thought and precision as Jenny and Luis. Soaring oratory indeedand rank hypocrisy. For over four decades, since the election of the Thatcher government in 1979, Johnson and his ilk have done nothing but attack the NHS and set out to destroy it. The NHS has suffered death by a thousand cuts alongside backdoor privatisation of its most profitable sectors by both Tory governments and the Labour government of Tony Blair and Gordon Brownequally hostile to the notion of universal public health care, free at the point of use. Over the last decade, the Tories ramped up the offensive against the NHSincluding seizing billions of pounds from its budget in efficiency savings. The result has been catastrophic during the coronavirus pandemic. NHS staff saved Johnsons life, but his government is responsible for the death of more than 40 NHS workers who caught the coronavirus while treating the untold thousands who ended up in hospital thanks to his governments herd immunity strategy allowing the untrammelled spread of the virus for weeks. Millions have been outraged at seeing frontline doctors and nurses working without even the most basic personal protective equipment (PPE). This week, we learned that Tory cuts to the NHS included a 40 percent reduction in the stockpile of PPE between 2013 and 2016. In June 2017, the same Tory MPs now lauding the NHS, Johnson among them, voted down a meagre Labour Party amendment to the Queens speech to give them a pay rise above the 1 percent level at which it was frozen for the previous seven years. Johnsons singled out nurses from New Zealand and Portugal, and migrant workers make up a substantial section of the NHS workforce. But his saccharine platitudes cannot conceal the fact that had the COVID-19 pandemic not broken out, both these nurses may have soon been booted out of the UK by Priti Patels Home Office. Earlier this month, the home secretary announced that doctors, nurses and paramedics with work visas due to expire before October 1 would have them automatically extended for a year so they can focus on fighting coronavirus. But this reprieve for 2,800 NHS staff was from Patels proposed new visa system, part of the Tories post-Brexit points-based immigration system. The media want this record of governmental criminality to be swept away by a tidal wave of public sympathy for Johnson, who has now undergone a Damascene conversion to the merits of the NHS. This is such a desirable political prize because of the anger and bitterness of workers towards the government due to its refusal to implement essential measures to defend their health and welfare. Ruling circles calculate that Johnson has been handed a golden opportunity to restore national unity by claiming that we are somehow all in this together, whether a prime minister or a nurse. Robert Shrimsley writes in the Financial Times, Critics will legitimately question [Johnsons] stewardship of this crisis. The UK death toll may end up being the highest in Europe and there are issues around the availability of protective clothing for health workers. But his personal crisis has replenished his political capital. The emotional film released soon after he left hospital was superbly pitched. Now, with his heartfelt praise for the organisation which saved my life, a Tory leader has made himself high priest of the institution, described as the UKs national religion. Simon Kelner in the Independent claims that no longer will it be conscionable for a Conservative government to present the NHS as a monolithic instrument of a bloated state, inefficient and overmanned. No longer will those on the right of politics be able to trot out the lazy trope that the only organisations which employ more people than the NHS are the Red Army of China and the Indian Railways. All of which is a toxic mixture of wishful thinking and mendacity. Memories are not so short, nor workers so forgiving. Even on Johnsons own Twitter post of his speech, workers commented: Remember when all the Tories cheered as they blocked a much overdue pay rise for nurses? Citing some of Johnsons past racist comments, another said, The irony of being saved in part by non-white folk that looked like Letter Boxes, and gave you Watermelon Smiles huh. A picture of Johnsons Brexit campaign battle bus pledging to direct 350 million a week away from the European Union and into the NHS, is posted with the question, Wheres the money? One person writes of Johnsons life being saved, thats nice because several NHS staff owe their deaths to Boris Johnson. Another comments: We are set to have the highest death rate in Europe. Doctors still begging for PPE. I hate you. Even as Johnson was preparing his platitudes, his ministers were making abundantly clear that NHS workers can expect only continued attacks and betrayals from the government. On Friday, Conservative Health Secretary Matt Hancock provoked an outpouring of public outrage when, during Fridays Downing Street briefing, he complained that NHS workers were using too many pieces of PPE! We need everyone to treat PPE like the precious resource it is. Everyone should use the equipment they clinically need, in line with the guidelines: no more and no less. Speaking to the BBC, Hancock repeated, I dont want to impugn blame on people who have used more PPE than the guidelines suggest, because I understand the difficulties. What I would say is it is very important to use the right PPE and not overuse it. Health workers responded furiously. Rachel Clarke, a palliative care doctor, tweeted, I can tell you, Matt Hancock, no kit is more precious than a nurse, a carer, a doctor. Staff who only too willingly risk their lives for othersas you fail to protect us. On Sunday, Hancock added insult to injury, telling Sky News he was not aware of any link between shortages of PPE and the deaths of health workers. On Saturday, Priti Patel was asked to apologise for the governments failure and replied through gritted teeth, I am sorry if people feel there have been failings. A Twitter user commented, In the last fortnight I have been scared and frightened over the lack of #PPE. But I was never angry. Today I am. She is not fit to govern. It will not be long before Johnsons words of praise for the NHS will be nothing but a bitter memory, cited by angry doctors and nurses as the Tories resume their efforts to destroy it. Those now being hailed in the media as our brave heroes will be told: Expect more cuts, more pain so that we can collectively pay for the 350 billion plus just handed out to the banks and corporations in the necessary spirit of national unity and shared sacrifice. And it will not be long before workers will be forced to give their answer to Johnson et al. by waging the necessary political struggle to bring down the Tories and fight for a workers government and socialism. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. Capitol Hill is mired in a stare down over the next round of the coronavirus bailout. After appropriating a woefully inadequate pot of money for the Paycheck Protection Program in their last bill, Republicans now want a quick, clean vote to add an extra $250 billion to the crucial small business rescue effort, which is quickly running out of funding (as pretty much everyone predicted would happen). Democrats, however, are resisting, because they want the new legislation to also include cash for hard-pressed states and hospitals, among other things. Advertisement To some, it might seem as if Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are holding the needs of Americas restaurants, auto repair shops, and retailers hostage to other priorities. But thats not really the case. In fact, the Democratic list of demands includes a much more complete plan to help small businesses than the insufficient fix Republicans have proposed, which would still leave many mom and pop operations struggling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Ive written, Washingtons attempt to help small businesses survive the era of social distancing is built on two key pillars, both of which are looking pretty shaky right now. First theres the Paycheck Protection Program, which Republicans urgently want to fix, perhaps because it has drawn approximately 98 percent of the political and media attention devoted to this issue. It essentially offers businesses forgivable loans to cover their operating expenses and keep paying workers, instead of dumping them onto the unemployment rolls. The program debuted less than two weeks ago, and by Tuesday, the Small Business Administration said that it had already approved $247 billion of lending, or two thirds of its $349 billion limit. At the rate things are going, the cash will likely be tapped out before the end of the month, and there is almost certainly not enough to meet all the demand. Advertisement Advertisement But while the Paycheck Protection Programs cash allotment may be running low, it is in vastly better financial shape than the other key piece of the small biz rescue. That would be the governments Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which Republicans have shown no strong interest in repairing, but Democrats have. Advertisement While the disaster lending effort has received far less fanfare than the Paycheck Protection Program, it is equally crucial to making sure restaurants, bars, hardware stores, yoga studios, and other businesses dont get completely wiped out. Paycheck Protection loans are mostly designed to subsidize pay (hence the name). Businesses can only borrow amounts up to 250 percent of their average monthly payrolls and are required to spend 75 percent of the proceeds paying workers. As a result, theyre not necessarily that helpful for some businesses. If you run a large fitness studio that pays a lot of rent but doesnt employ a ton of full-time workers, the Paycheck Protection Program might not be that useful. If you own a bar that has been shut down and you dont know when it will reopen, same problem, since PPP money has to be spent within eight weeks. The disaster loans, on the other hand, have fewer strings attached so they can be used more flexibly to cover long-term expenses like rent. They are especially important for small businesses with small staffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the past, the disaster-lending program has offered businesses up to $2 million of low-interest loans. As part of the coronavirus relief bill, Congress also made businesses eligible for an advance grant of up to $10,000 through the program, which they wont have to pay back even if their application is deniedbasically, fast free money. Advertisement Advertisement The problem? Congress only appropriated enough lucre for $10 billion of grants and $7.3 billion worth of loans. Meanwhile, by late last Thursday, small businesses had already applied for $383 billion of funding through the program. Faced with this shortfall, the Small Business Administration has quietly resorted to dramatic rationing. It appears to be capping its initial loans at $15,000, as the New York Times recently reported, and dolling out grants to business based on the number of workers they employ, an especially stinging blow for truly small businesses that have just a handful of employees. (Bizarrely, the agency has mostly refused to confirm any of these changes to the media; instead, the information has largely leaked out from borrowers.) Advertisement Advertisement In short, the Paycheck Protection Program may be about to run out of money in the coming weeks. But the governments disaster lending has already turned into an immediate catastrophe of its own. In order for the small business rescue to work so that our towns and cities still look the same once the health crisis is over, both of these efforts need to function. They are complementary. Thats why the Republican plan to quickly top off the Paycheck Protection Program and move on doesnt make much, if any, sense. It would fix one pillar of the small business rescue while allowing the other one to crumble, meaning the whole thing would crash into rubble. (Its not entirely clear why Republicans are only paying attention to one half of the equation, though it might have something to do with the fact that the Paycheck Protection Program is run through private banks while the disaster loans are being made directly by the government.) Democrats, to their credit, have said that they want to infuse more cash into PPP and the disaster loan programs while also tweaking them to streamline the lending process (since bureaucratic snafus have slowed both programs). Specifically, theyre looking to beef up the Paycheck Protection loans so theyre worth up to 300 percent of a businesss payrolls while adding enough funding for $300 billion in disaster loans and $15 billion in grants. That still might not be enough cash for these programs as this crisis wears on. But its at least a move in the right direction. Small businesses should hope Chuck and Nancy get their way. For more on the impact of the coronavirus, listen to Tuesdays What Next. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: In a first, Bihar is going to start door- to- door screening in state's four districts where from maximum number of Covid 19 positive cases have been reported. Aimed at tracing out the people with symptoms of Covid 19 , the door to door screening round would start from April 16 by thousands of health personnel in meticulously planned way. Confirming this to The New Indian Express, principal secretary of health department Sanjay Kumar,who is overall monitoring the activities against the outbreak of Covid-19 in the state, said: "No doubt that this would be first such kind of door to door screening started by any state in the country. This will help trace and test the people in four districts namely Nawada, Nalanda, Begusarai and Siwan, having symptoms either akin to Covid 19 or other influenza like illness". Around 8000 villages in these four districts would be covered under the door to door screening. Quoting official figures of emigration department, Kumar said around 22000 people have arrived in Bihar from abroad between March 1 and 23. "As is estimated,at least 50% of them would certainly have moved to other states or places but remaining 50,% would throughly screened and covered under the door to door screening drive",he said. A strong pool of approximately 86000 health personnel would be involved in screening the people from home to another home. Besides this, the houses located in the radius of three km from the house of anyone tested positive in other districts, would also been screened. Till date, Bihar reported total number of 66 positive cases and out of them 29 positive cases have recovered and rest 36 active are under quarantine and one had already died. Despite all the hype about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, anti-body based COVID-19 drugs might get a head start. Most drugs touted have shown problems in studies, but compelling evidence for anti-bodies are gaining attention, though not as popular as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. The world is waiting for a new drug, but finding the right one is reaching snags. The great hope from malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine has moved nations to hoard the drug, though it still needs more studies. Overall, most of the drugs like Remdesivir and others like Camostat Mesylate (has less severe effects) have side effects. Blood plasma is a quicker option One other treatment that is getting more interest is plasma transfusions that have anti-bodies from survivors of COVID-19. There are some ongoing clinical trials, but the supply of available plasma is the problem. For many pharmaceutical companies who are focusing on natural-based anti-bodies, that will be the most probable first generations of drugs that are engineered to combat COVID-19. Why are anti-body drugs more compelling? Instead of direct plasma transfusions, these drugs based on antibodies that are effective, consistent, mass-produced based on natural anti-bodies that give artificial immunity. Developing natural immunity gained by exposing cells to a pathogen is risky because there is a 50/50 chance of dying. The next best alternative is harvesting anti-bodies for other unexposed systems to process. Many drugs are used to cure ills like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, infectious diseases like Ebola, and other conditions. Developing anti-COVID drugs will be a good mine for doctors who are treating coronavirus infected patients. Since the endorsement of Chloroquine, it has been selling like hotcakes, but it has nasty side effects. Also read: Chloroquine Causes Lethal Poisoning in Nigeria, Death of Man in Arizona Realizing the problems presented by drugs under study indicates that it will take longer to test. Some companies are going ahead with ant-body based COVID-19 drugs while some are daring to sell them by fall. How anti-body based COVID-19 drugs will be more advantageous. When a pathogen is detected by the immune system, it sends antibodies to destroy the invading proteins or anything considered alien to the host cell. To be more efficient, anti-bodies (Y-shaped proteins) comes in variants to deal with many kinds of pathogens, except most anti-bodies are dissolved once the danger is gone. Nature has given the cell an ability to have an immune memory. This is what survivors have and what needs to be harvested. The goal is to obtain that specific anti-body at the right time and recreate them in a lab to disperse in many doses as needed. It will give protection to high-risk health workers. To protect them from infections, these anti-pathogen cocktail are either for one virus or more than one virus, monoclonal or polyclonal. Tom Moran the director of the Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development at Mount Sinai, School of Medicine said it can be a 'bridge' to getting a vaccine also monoclonal drugs are top sellers. Meanwhile, there are pharmacies like GlaxoSmithKline, Vir Biotechnologies, Pennsylvania-based CSL Behring, and Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions are racing to sell the most efficient anti-body therapy soonest. Takeda and Vir are analyzing anti-pathogens from human blood-based off SARS epidemic survivors and using it for the coronavirus if it works. Some blood donations from COVID-19 survivors are looked at for anti-bodies. When the antibodies are found, they can be reproduced artificially. What's next? Whether an antibody-based COVID-19 drug will be monoclonal or polyclonal, that is left to be seen. One question is whether plasma from donations can be recreated in many doses. Does the pharma have the right to sell it? These types of medicines are the quickest option for a cure. Related article: Blood Plasma From COVID-19 Survivors Can Be Used to Fight Infection @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 15.04.2020 LISTEN The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has suspended its April 25 parliamentary primaries indefinitely in accordance with the Presidents ban on public gatherings in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. The decision to suspend the primaries was decided at a National Steering Committee meeting held today, Tuesday, April 14, 2020. NPP was to use the primaries to elect parliamentary candidates in constituencies where it has sitting Members of Parliament ahead of the 2020 general elections. The National Steering Committee, by reason of Article 10(10)(1) of the party's constitution, is the body responsible for overseeing the daily management of the party, and thus, mandated to act on behalf of the party on urgent matters such as in the circumstances we find ourselves as a party and nation owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the party said in a statement. Portions of the NPPs statement concluded by saying: In the light of this development, the party is unable to hold the primaries as planned, and has accordingly postponed same till further notice. The party regrets all inconveniences that this may occasion, and hopes to hold this crucial exercise, sooner than later. The NPP has 169 sitting Members of Parliament out of the total 275 seats in parliament. The party has already held primaries for orphan constituencies; areas that did not have sitting Members of Parliament. Nomination fee for the parliamentary primaries was pegged at GH20,000 and an additional GH200,000 for filing of forms. The leadership of the party also charged all aspiring parliamentary candidates other than the sitting Members of Parliament a Party Development Fee of GH30,000. Nominations were opened on January 20, 2020 and closed on Thursday, February 20. President Nana Akufo-Addo also filed his nomination forms to contest in the NPPs presidential elections scheduled for the same date as the parliamentary primaries. He is expected to contest unopposed as he was the only one to have picked forms and submitted same as at Thursday, February 20, the deadline for filing of nominations. ---citinewsroom Reading, PA (19601) 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 17:20:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHONGQING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Two Francois' leaf monkey cubs, one of which is in the process of changing its fur color, were spotted and caught on camera in a nature reserve in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the reserve said. Li Bin, a local television reporter, captured the endangered monkeys earlier this month at the national nature reserve of the Jinfo Mountain. In the video provided to Xinhua, one of the cubs with the orange crown was trying to get out of her mother's arms and learn how to climb. The other little monkey, which has turned into entirely black, was jumping up and down on the treetops. Shen Ling, a senior engineer of the nature reserve administration, said Francois' leaf monkey cubs will go through a fur color change period from orange to black while growing. "Through the footage, we can see the tail and part of the body of the langur have turned black, while the top of the head is still orange, indicating that the color change is a process from bottom to top," Shen said. Francois' leaf monkeys are usually born at the end of the winter, and March and April are a critical period for their growth. "This footage also tells us that during this period, we should strengthen the monitoring and protection of them," she said. Also known as Francois' langurs, the species is one of China's most endangered wild animals and an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. They are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing as well as the northern mountain areas of Vietnam. The adult Francois' langurs have a black body, measuring 60 to 80 cm long, and weigh 6 to 8 kg. There are about 2,000 Francois' leaf monkeys worldwide, of which 1,500 live in China. The latest survey in 2015 showed the number of Francois langur was 151 in the reserve, which increased significantly compared with 70 in the 1990s and 140 in 2004. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 00:15:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member works at the construction site of the Yellow River tunnel in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Kai) "The Chinese economy is a resilient one. The temporary setback in the first quarter will be followed by a swift recovery in the second quarter," U.S. economist Khairy Tourk said. CHICAGO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Despite the negative impacts of COVID-19 in the first quarter, the Chinese economy will soon recover and the country is well on track toward the goal of building a moderately well-off society, said a U.S. scholar. "We can simply say that in the first quarter the virus has a negative effect on Chinese (economic) growth, in part because of the decline in exports...Yet, in the Chinese economy, consumption is the major source of growth," said Khairy Tourk, professor of economics with the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, in a recent interview with Xinhua. China's consumption grew 8 percent in 2019, which, to a certain degree, can cushion the export decline, Tourk said. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Chinese government in mobilizing the public as well as grassroots organizations such as community health centers, "China is getting its economy on track with more than 90 percent of workers back to work; real estate activities are picking up; there has been an increase in electricity consumption; there is also an increase of traffic density," Tourk noted. "The Chinese economy is a resilient one. The temporary setback in the first quarter will be followed by a swift recovery in the second quarter," Tourk said. A worker lashes rebars at a girder producing area which is part of the construction site of a railway line in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, April 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Li An) Tourk holds that the Chinese economy is "a rosy one, because of the investment in the new infrastructure, such as 5G, artificial intelligence, Industrial internet-of-thing, and cloud computing." American experts give China high marks for its achievements in containing the virus and American financial advisors are recommending China as an attractive place to invest funds, he said. Talking about some pessimistic calls for the decoupling of the U.S. and Chinese economy, Tourk said bluntly, "this is a myth." While there has been transfer of some labor-intensive activities from China to lower-cost countries, "there is no country that can compete with China in terms of size and the sophistication of its supply chain." "China is a complete supply chain from A to Z. China is the only country where producers could find supply chain that practically covers full range of the industrial sources," Tourk said. China's response to the pandemic has won the admiration of the world, "it is sending supplies to Italy, France," Tourk noted. "China has been giving generous humanitarian aid to afflicted countries, rich and poor. It has sent medical volunteers to different parts of the world." Tourk also expressed the hope that the United States and China would strengthen cooperation to fight COVID-19. "With both nations enjoying high-level scientific technology in the medical field, it is natural to expect that if they combine the effort, cooperate to find the vaccine not only for the COVID-19, but also for future epidemics, it will not only benefit the humanity, but also serve the cause of peace," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 13:50:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Staff members talk beside the virus culture/inactivation area of a vaccine production plant of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2020. China has approved two COVID-19 inactivated vaccine candidates for clinical trials, according to the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against the coronavirus Tuesday. The two vaccine candidates are developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd, a company based in Beijing. Clinical trials of the two vaccines have started. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China has approved two COVID-19 inactivated vaccine candidates for clinical trials, according to the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against the coronavirus Tuesday. The two vaccine candidates were developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), and Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd, a company based in Beijing. Clinical trials of the two vaccines have started. The two vaccines are China's first batch of inactivated vaccines for COVID-19 that have obtained clinical trial approval. Using killed pathogenic microorganisms for enhancing the immunogenicity, inactivated vaccines have advantages of mature production process, controllable quality standards and wide protection range. They can be used for large-scale vaccination, and their safety and effectiveness can be judged by internationally accepted standards. China has laid a solid foundation for research in inactivated vaccines over the past years. Inactivated vaccines have been widely used to fight hepatitis A, influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth disease and poliomyelitis. The vaccine developers have the capacity for large-scale production. According to sources from the Sinopharm, the company has allocated one billion yuan (about 142 million U.S. dollars) for vaccine research and development in two technological approaches. Besides the approved inactivated vaccine, the company is also working on another inactivated vaccine and a genetic engineering vaccine. Drawing on previous experience in SARS vaccine research and development, the other vaccine developer Sinovac has maintained close cooperation with many institutions, including Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Sinovac's inactivated vaccine has shown a good cross-neutralization reaction to different COVID-19 strains at home and abroad. The National Medical Products Administration has also accelerated the approval procedures for COVID-19 vaccines on the premise of their safety and efficacy. China adopts five technological approaches to develop COVID-19 vaccines, including inactivated vaccines, recombinant protein vaccines, adenovirus vector vaccines, nucleic acid vaccines and vaccines using attenuated influenza viruses as vectors. The recombinant adenovirus vector vaccine developed by the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences started its clinical trial on March 16. Donations to the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Rhineland-Palatinate BASF creates production capacities for 1 million liters of disinfectants in Germany alone and supplies healthcare facilities free of charge As part of BASFs Helping Hands campaign in the fight against the corona pandemic, BASF is donating 100 million protective masks to the Federal Republic of Germany. The company is also donating 1 million masks to the State of Rhineland-Palatinate. BASFs corporate headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate. With around 35,000 employees, it is BASFs largest production site worldwide. The masks will be purchased in China and prepared for shipment to Germany. BASF expects the first delivery of masks at Frankfurt Airport at the beginning of next week. There, they will be handed over to the Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn and the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Malu Dreyer. An emergency situation such as this can only be managed by all of us together, said Martin Brudermuller, Chairman of BASFs Board of Executive Directors. We are therefore using our purchasing networks and logistics in China to help. BASF is responsible for the costs of purchasing and transporting the masks. The masks will be distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health and, in Rhineland-Palatinate, by the State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Welfare. The mask donation is one of several initiatives of BASFs Helping Hands campaign. BASF is committed to fighting the pandemic worldwide with a total of approximately 100 million. Another focus is the production of hand sanitizer. BASF has created new capacities within a short time at sites such as Ludwigshafen, Dusseldorf and Munster-Hiltrup and is able to produce up to 1 million liters of hand sanitizer with the raw materials purchased. Around 150,000 liters have already been distributed free of charge to hospitals and other healthcare facilities (doctors, nursing homes) in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and around other BASF sites. Throughout Germany, sanitizing products are now also being distributed free of charge via the digital marketplace of the German Chemical Industry Association, VCI, (Emergency Supply Sanitizer). BASF has also started producing hand sanitizer in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey and the United States in order to donate them to fight the virus. Across the world, BASF currently provides around 175,000 liters of sanitizer per week free of charge. BASF is closely connected with its neighbors and society at its sites. This help is a matter of course for us. A special thanks goes to the many employees who show exemplary commitment, said Brudermuller. Thanks are also due to the authorities, which have granted the necessary special permits without red tape. New raw materials, such as bio-ethanol, were also approved for the production of sanitizing products. Previously, BASF did not manufacture hand sanitizer, but sold some raw materials for them. In addition to the production of hand sanitizer, BASF teams around the world are highly committed to helping the neighborhood around their sites with donations and other activities to alleviate the effects of the corona crisis. Further examples of BASFs worldwide commitment are available from BASF Media Relations team on request. Though the number of coronavirus infections in Egypt increased this week, officials believe they are close to flattening the curve According to figures released by the Ministry of Health, the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt increased by 1120 in eight days to reach 2,190 by 13 April. Government officials nonetheless continued to issue reassuring statements. Mohamed Al-Amari, chairman of parliaments Health Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that while it took 51 days to report more than 1,000 coronavirus it took only eight days to reach more than 2,000 cases. This means the virus is spreading faster, with reported cases in the eighth week ranging between 100 and 120 a day, said Al-Amari. This increase was expected. The World Health Organisation [WHO] and Ministry of Health officials long anticipated that the seventh and eighth weeks would see the highest number of infections. The Ministry of Health and the government now need to keep the numbers steady and push the curve of the infection down, said Al-Amari. In a public statement on 11 April, Minister of Health Hala Zayed said 88 per cent of coronavirus patients in Egypt present simple symptoms. We also have 10 per cent with moderate to advanced symptoms. Only two per cent can be described as severe cases, said Zayed. Worldwide, Egypt remains in the low rates of infection category. Zayed said the number of doctors infected with coronavirus in Egypt is also low compared to many other countries. In some countries infection among doctors stands as high as 25 per cent, said Zayed. Zayed revealed a committee was formed on 11 April, charged with stemming coronavirus infections among medical staff in public and private hospitals. It will make sure strict anti-infection measures are in force, that medications are available, and that there will not be any infiltration of the virus into hospitals, said Zayed. Ministry of Health Spokesperson Khaled Megahed said in a TV interview on 11 April that the course of coronavirus infections in Egypt looks similar to Japan. There is the China scenario and the Japan scenario, and so far we seem closer to the Japan scenario, said Megahed. Indeed, compared to Japan, we have fewer infections. Japan had reported more than 7,000 coronavirus cases by 11 April (with infections ranging between 400 and 500 per day), and a death toll of just five. I hope that the number of coronavirus cases will slow by May or June, and the curve of infections will go down and then disappear, said Megahed. Al-Amari noted that while the number of infections increased slightly in the eighth week, the death toll rose from 78 by 5 April to 159 by 12 April. It took almost two months to report 85 deaths and just one week to report 81 more, said Al-Amari. This may have been expected, though it could suggest more stringent measures should be taken to contain the tide. Megahed stressed that most, if not all, of the patients who have died had underlying health conditions. Coronavirus is most serious for those with chronic conditions, particularly high blood pressure, diabetes and heart and kidney failure. What is most significant about the eighth week, argued Megahed, is the number of patients, 488, who fully recovered and were released from hospital. This is a very positive development. While the number of reported coronavirus cases increased in the eighth week, the number of patients recovering is also rapidly increasing. John Jabbour, WHO representative in Egypt, also said on Monday that all the patients who died from coronavirus in Egypt had underlying health problems and some died before they reached hospital. According to Jabbour, WHO is looking into the reasons behind the high rate of deaths in Egypt, which stands at 7.6 per cent. Around 30 per cent of Covid 19 patients died before being sent to quarantine hospitals or receiving medical treatment. About 85 per cent of the patients have recovered without receiving medical treatment as they had very mild symptoms. Egypt took very serious anti-coronavirus measures, using rapid response teams and effective surveillance systems to track infections and isolating citizens from other countries, said Jabbour. While coronavirus infections differ from one country to another, the basic rule is that the virus mainly targets people, particularly older people, suffering from chronic illnesses, said Jabbour. Jabbour said he could not give a date for when the virus will disappear in Egypt. All we can say is that the country should continue implementing stringent measures to contain the virus, said Jabbour. And we are closely coordinating with the government to review measures taken to stem the rate of deaths. Minister of Information Osama Heikal said in a TV interview on 12 April that the coronavirus in Egypt could subside in June if Egyptians complied with precautionary measures, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan, which is often marked by family gatherings, is expected to start on 23 April. Egypt will also celebrate the Sham Al-Nessim holiday and orthodox Easter on Sunday and Monday. The unfolding of the crisis during Ramadan is worrying, but if citizens show commitment, coronavirus in Egypt will subside in June, Heikal said. Heikal insisted Egypts healthcare system is capable of containing a gradual rise in cases. What would be problematic, he said, is a sudden spike in the number of cases. A government emergency committee is closely monitoring the situation and citizens behaviour during the crisis, he added. On 13 April Egypt ranked 53 among 215 countries with the pandemic. Egypt ranked fifth among 22 Arab countries in terms of infections, trailing Saudi Arabia (4,934), the United Arab Emirates (4,521), Qatar (3,231) and Algeria (1,983). Egypt, however, is second only to Algeria in terms of the number of fatalities. Algeria has recorded 313 deaths and Egypt 146. The death toll in Saudi Arabia is now increasing by around five each day. Morocco is facing a surge in infections for the second week, and has recorded 1,763 cases and 126 deaths. Iraq also continues to see a spike. The number of infections increased from 1,000 on 5 April to 1,378 and 78 deaths on 13 April. In comparison with Iran, Turkey and Israel, Egypt is also faring well. Turkey has recorded 61,049 cases and 1,296 deaths. Iran has recorded 73,303 cases and 4,585 deaths, while recorded cases in Israel reached 11,586 and 116 deaths. According to the World Bank, economic growth is expected to slow down to 3.7 per cent from the expected 6 per cent before the pandemic, while Fitch forecasted it will slow down to 4.1 per cent. Both however agreed however that Egypts figures fare best compared to other Arab countries. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Australian police have launched a new child abuse investigation into Cardinal George Pell, less than a week after his previous convictions for raping and assaulting two other boys were overturned. Cardinal Pell, the former Vatican finance chief and highest ranking Catholic official to be caught up in the Church child sex abuse scandal, was freed from jail last week after the Australian High Court overturned his 2018 convictions for child sexual assault. Cardinal Pell has always denied the allegations against him. Following the decision, the Pope dedicated a mass in his Vatican residence to people who are unjustly imprisoned, a veiled reference to Cardinal Pell's successful appeal. The Vatican also said it "welcomed" the decision to quash the conviction. Cardinal Pell now faces fresh claims over an alleged incident in the 1970s, according to the 'Herald Sun' newspaper. Victoria Police have not yet approached the cardinal or his lawyers in regards to the inquiry. The investigation comes ahead of a television interview in which Cardinal Pell is reportedly set to argue that Australia's justice system is skewed too heavily in favour of alleged victims. The senior cleric, who served 13 months in prison for his now overturned 2018 convictions, will appear on Sky News tonight. In the interview with News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt, shot before the new investigation came to light, Cardinal Pell also says he "wouldn't be entirely surprised" if Victoria Police pursued opportunities to prosecute him in the future. Cardinal Pell said he "didn't know how you explain it", but described the 26 charges laid against him by Victoria Police as "certainly extraordinary". His overturned 2018 convictions for the alleged abuse of two boys in the 1990s have given rise to at least one civil case, pursued by the father of one of the alleged victims, who died of a heroin overdose in 2014. The other alleged victim, Witness J, said he came forward after the death of the other choirboy. After the court overturned Cardinal Pell's conviction, Witness J said he accepted the decision, saying he realised child sexual abuse was difficult to prove to the level the court required. But he also said he hoped victims would not be prevented from coming forward. "I would hate to think that one outcome of this case is that people are discouraged from reporting to the police," he said. The High Court ruled last Tuesday that, contrary to the findings of the Victorian Court of Appeal, it was not open to the trial jury to dismiss reasonable doubt in regards to Cardinal Pell's guilt. Rutgers University researchers have received US government clearance for the first saliva test to help diagnose COVID-19, a new approach that could help expand testing options and reduce risks of infection for health care workers. And through the school's private sector partner, patients will be able to collect their own saliva test at home, under the supervision of a telemedicine health professional. Vault Health says that under the Trump administration's expansion of telemedicine, their protocol fits the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) definition of the sample being collected under provider supervision. It comes after the FDA warned a number of other companies against selling their kits direct-to-consumers. But the collection of saliva samples is worlds easier than gathering the previously required samples, which had to be taken from far up the nostril toward the back of throat. Vault started selling and shipping the first kits to patients who received prescriptions for them Monday - and only time will tell if the FDA agrees with their interpretation of provider oversight. In this April 3, 2020, photo, blue preservation solution is shown at Spectrum DNA in Draper, Utah. The company has developed a test kit to detect the coronavirus in patients' saliva. At least two Utah companies have developed tests and gotten emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: molecular diagnostics company Co-Diagnostics and ancestry-testing kit maker Spectrum DNA. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) The FDA authorized the test under its emergency powers to quickly clear new tests and therapies to fight the outbreak, the New Jersey university said Monday. The test initially will be available through hospitals and clinics affiliated with the school. The announcement comes as communities across the US continue to struggle with testing to help track and contain the coronavirus. The current approach to screening for COVID-19 requires health care workers to take a swab from a patient's nose or throat. To lessen infection risks, many hospitals and clinics instruct staff to discard gloves and masks after close contact with anyone who may have the virus. And many institutions are struggling with shortages of basic medical supplies, including gloves, masks and swabs. In clinic settings, patients taking the new saliva test are given a plastic tube into which they spit several times. They then hand the tube back to the health care worker for laboratory processing. 'This prevents health care professionals from having to actually be in the face of somebody that is symptomatic,' said Andrew Brooks, who directs the Rutgers lab that developed the test. An infectious disease expert not involved with the new test said it would help overcome some of the patient discomfort and difficulties in taking swab samples. 'You want to be in all types of situations with all types of options so that we can have as much testing as possible in whatever form is suitable,' said Dr Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins University. Adalja noted that similar saliva tests have helped expand testing for HIV and other conditions. A technician holds blue preservation solution in a clean room where saliva collection devices are assembled at Spectrum DNA in Draper, Utah. The company has developed a test kit to detect the coronavirus in patients' saliva. At least two Utah companies have developed tests and gotten emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: molecular diagnostics company Co-Diagnostics and ancestry-testing kit maker Spectrum DNA (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Rutgers tested the accuracy of its method by taking both saliva and swab samples from 60 patients. The results from patients' saliva samples had a 100% match with results from the swabs. Rutgers developed the laboratory method for the test using saliva collection kits from Spectrum Solutions, a Utah company that provides similar devices for DNA-based ancestry testing services. The Rutgers lab can currently process 10,000 patient samples per day, according to Brooks. In its authorization letter to Rutgers, the FDA said the test should only be performed 'in a health care setting under the supervision of a trained health care provider.' The FDA has not cleared any COVID-19 tests for use at home, though several companies have announced plans to make them available. One of those companies is Vault, a men's health start-up, which is going ahead and sending out the newly-approved saliva test to patients' homes after they receive a prescription to be tested from a telemedicine professional. But its CEO, Jason Feldman believes that the way his company is going about distributing sample collection kits for people to use at home doesn't conflict with the FDA's insistence on the setting and supervision required for the collection of a sample to be tested for coronavirus. 'What we're doing is managing the whole process very medically,' Feldman told DailyMail.com. Nearly 23,000 Americans have died of coronavirus and more than 573,000 are infected Experts say the US needs tens of millions of coronavirus tests to help stem the virus's spread across the country. More than 1,000 Americans have died of the virus every day this month save one 'A doctor prescribes the test to you' - virtually - 'you don't open the kit until you meet with a practitioner and then you verify your ID and the bar code on the kit itself' - also virtually. Feldman's argument is that anywhere you're having a telemedicine appointment is now a health care setting. 'This is fundamentally different from what is traditionally thought of as at-home collection because it's being supervised by a telehealth provider,' he says. Effectively, Vault is banking on seeing 'health care setting' through the lens of the Trump administration's expansion of telehealth benefits and relaxation of some privacy laws to allow for this. Feldman said that there are tens of thousands of collection kits ready to ship for $150 a piece. Each kit is intended to be used while on a video call with a provider, then shipped back to the lab at Rutgers within 48 hours, where several thousand tests an be analyzed each week. He says that within a matter of 10 days, the company and its partners an wholly replace its stock of the sample collection kits. 'There's no reason that should limit or slow down the process' Feldman says. The FDA doesn't have purview over the way that medicine is practiced and has not explicitly approved - or to Vault's mind, disapproved of - but Feldman is confident that his company is bringing Americans' the at-home testing they've long wanted, without risking an FDA warning. 'We do believe that we've designed this for the way that regulators would want it to be done,' he said. 'There's no mythology to it.' The former chairman of Ganye Local Government Transition Committee in Adamawa State, Sabastine Samsu Kaikai, was shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday by yet to be identified gunmen. The incident occurred in the village of the deceased, Kaikai. Family sources said Mr Kaikai was in the village for the Easter celebrations amidst the lockdown of the state over the coronavirus epidemic. They came in the midnight wielding guns, firing into the air to scare everyone that might come to his rescue, a relative of the deceased narrated the incident. He tried to sneak out from his residence but they killed him instantly. We are yet to establish their identity, but they could be assassins or kidnappers, said the relative who declined to give his name. The information officer, Ganye local government council, Kabiru Njidda, confirmed the incident. Report reaching me from family sources said that Hon Sabastine Samsu Kaikai was attacked and killed by unknown gunmen in his village, Kaikai. The corpse of the late chairman was brought to the Ganye General Hospital mortuary this morning, Mr Njidda said. Late Sabestine The police spokesperson in the state, Sulaiman Nguroje, also confirmed the incident. He said the police are on the trail of the killers. Adamawa State has of late witnessed attacks by gunmen on law-abiding citizens, with many of the cases linked to kidnap for ransom. Recently, a prominent community leader, Ahmadu 44, the Sarkin Shanu Sugu, was killed in an attack by unknown persons. Turkeys stance on its S-400s hasnt changed, even as the United States appeared to dangle support in Syria in exchange for Ankara abandoning the controversial Russian missile defense systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. It is not appropriate to put preconditions when an ally is in need, an urgent need, like [is] happening in Idlib, said Cavusoglu during a webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council and the Turkish Heritage Organization. Earlier this month, US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison suggested a package to assist Turkeys military operations in northwest Syria was conditioned on Ankara rejecting the missile defense system, which she said was deterring some of the capabilities that we would be able to give [Turkey] to fight against the Syrian aggression. Turkeys acquisition of two Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile systems remains a source of friction between the two NATO allies. In early March, US Syria envoy James Jeffrey said that the S-400 issue left US officials split over whether to provide further support to Turkey in rebel-held northwest Syria. Why it matters: Ankara and Washington have been at odds over the S-400s, which the United States says pose a threat to NATOs air defense capabilities and may compromise the security of its own F-35 stealth fighter jets. The United States threatened sanctions in response and booted Turkey from the joint strike fighter program in July. Although CAATSA, a sweeping sanctions law passed in 2017, mandates financial penalties for countries doing business with the Russian military, the Trump administration has held off on imposing sanctions for Turkey's S-400 purchase. As the crisis in Idlib heated up earlier this year, Turkey asked its NATO allies for help amid the Russian-backed Syrian regime offensive, which left dozens of Turkish soldiers dead and sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing north toward the closed Turkish border. Ankara, which supports some of the opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, requested in February that the United States deploy Patriot batteries along its southern frontier to defend Turkish troops. Cavusoglu reiterated Tuesday his country is ready to buy them if made a good offer by the United States a nonstarter for the Pentagon unless Turkey returns its S-400s. We prefer to purchase from our allies. If not, I have to take alternatives, Cavusoglu said. Whats next: The S-400s, the first shipment of which arrived in Turkey in July 2019, have not yet been activated. Cavusoglu didnt say whether the Russian military hardware would be made operational later this month, as expected. After a summit with his Russian counterpart March 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the plan remains for the S-400s to be fully deployed in April. Know more: Fehim Tastekin takes a look at Turkeys military deployments in Syrias Idlib and operations in the countrys northeast. Kadri Gursel has more on how the coronavirus pandemic may impact US-Turkey relations. BUNKER HILL - State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is emphasizing the importance of mental health wellness and encouraging Illinois residents to use resources and services available for those experiencing heightened levels of stress related to COVID-19. This pandemic has cast a great deal of stress into our lives over a very short period of time, Manar said. If you are dealing with heightened levels of anxiety or depression as a result, please know that you are not alone. We are all in this together, and there are people and resources available to help you work through this. Brussels, April 09, 2020 (SPS) - The Representation of Frente POLISARIO to Europe has called upon the NGO amnesty international office in Brussels to urge the council and commission of the European Union to intervene to protect the safety of all Saharawi political prisoners held illegally in Moroccan jails, outlining that Beyond the immediate release of them, these prisoners need urgent protection from the COVID-19 virus. In a letter addressed to the human rights NGOs director in Brussels Eve Geddie, the frente POLISARIO writes "While the challenge in securing a just political settlement in Western Sahara remains difficult, there are steps that can be taken now to deter retribution against those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Moroccan authorities should be sent a clear and strong message that they cannot use the current health emergency to retaliate against political detainees and further curtail the rights and dignity of the Sahrawi people". The statement mentions the urgent letter sent by the Saharawi President, Mr Brahim Gali last March 2020 to the UNSG on appalling situation afflicting the Sahrawi political prisoners held illegally in Morocco jails. Where the President warned that the outbreak of this dangerous virus and the urgent measures required, in particular relating to avoiding large gatherings and overcrowding, totally contradicts the situation in which these civilian prisoners are held in overpopulated Moroccan prisons. Several days later, on 27 March 2020, over 400 signatories wrote a letter addressed to UN Members States warning of the threat COVID-19 poses for the people of Western Sahara and calling for a UN Human Rights mechanism to urgently visit the detention facilities in which Sahrawis are being held and to call on Moroccan authorities to respect and protect their physical integrity. The statement concludes "In response to the growing COVID-19 crisis in Morocco, the EU announced a 450mn aid package to help Morocco counter coronavirus. The Frente POLISARIO would never stand in the way of assistance to ease the suffering of civilian populations. However, this support from the EU must also be accompanied by clear demands to ensure that Moroccan authorities address the crisis comprehensively, and do not use it as an excuse to target political prisoners".SPS 125/090/TRA The New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Tamale Central Constituency, Dr. Ibrahim Imoro Anyars, popularly known as Dr. Barhama Anyars has once again run to the aid of his constituents with handwashing facilities. Dr. Anyars on Sunday, April 12, 2020, through his constituency Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, popularly known as "Shidimyinyaa" in a brief ceremony donated 50 Veronica buckets and 250 bottles of liquid soap to 50 public toilets in the Tamale Central Constituency to augment handwashing protocols in the wake of the novel coronavirus officially known as COVID-19 in the Tamale Central Constituency. Assembly members of the 18 electoral areas of the constituency received the items for installation at the premises of all public toilets in their areas and are expected to ensure it's efficient and effective usage in the constituency. In an interview with the Voiceless Media during the presentation, Mr. Musah Mutawakil, NPP Tamale Central Constituency Secretary stressed the need for today's donation. "You quite agree with me that somewhere last week we gathered around here and reached out to various Electoral Areas within Tamale central constituency with such donations. After sober reflections over what went on, Dr. Barhama saw the need to come out again, because we all do know that regardless of how we try to fight COVID-19, we cannot do so leaving out public toilets and public places. Indeed we have made provision for all 50 public toilets in the Tamale central constituency", he stated. Dr. Anyars told the Voiceless Media when contacted that he cares very much for the less privileged hence his interventions in the constituency This is one of Dr. Anyars' series of donations of PPEs in the Tamale Central Constituency since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana. As of April 12, 2020, Ghana Health Service (GHS) reports 408 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 205 were reported from routine surveillance, 88 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale. Dr. Barihama has always indicated that the health and wellbeing of his people remains his topmost priority and has over the years and most recently practicalized and demonstrated his love for his constituencies through several interventions including free medical treatment and screening in the constituency. Some of the constituents who spoke to the Voiceless Media said the support they were receiving from the NPP Parliamentary Candidate in the constituency was unprecedented and never done by any Parliamentary Candidate in the area. They added that Dr. Anyars has indeed shown that he cares about them and promised to vote for him as their MP come December 7. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:55:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Procuratorial organs across China prosecuted 36,711 suspects in 23,695 cases on charges of jeopardizing public security last year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Tuesday. The organs approved the arrest of 24,279 suspects in 14,661 such cases in 2019, according to the SPP. The Chinese procuratorial authority vows to swiftly crack down on crimes involving guns and explosives according to the law, the SPP said. The logo for NBCUniversal's upcoming streaming service, Peacock. Comcast is entering the crowded streaming market, dominated by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, at a time when the U.S. economy is facing an unprecedented recession and companies are pulling back on advertising spending. Read more As the coronavirus crisis keeps consumers stuck at home, Comcast will launch its new video streaming service Wednesday to millions of its cable and internet customers. The streaming service, called Peacock, will be available at no additional charge to Xfinity customers using its X1 TV platform and Flex streaming device. Peacock will launch nationwide on July 15, when it will offer a free tier and a premium version with more content for $4.99 a month, both with advertisements. Comcast customers will be able to pay $5 a month to watch Peacock with no ads, while everyone else will pay $9.99 for ad-free streaming. The Philadelphia cable giant is entering a crowded streaming market dominated by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, at a time when the U.S. economy is facing an unprecedented recession and companies are pulling back on advertising. And unlike some streaming rivals, Peacock will be supported by advertisements. Rather than seek more revenue from consumers through higher subscription fees, Comcast hopes to lure viewers with cheap or free content and show them ads. During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Comcast executives said their approach could work well at a time when many are stuck at home and on tighter budgets. The company said on-demand consumption is up 50% year-over-year for the week ending March 29, and voice remote searches for free content are up almost 250%. We all know theres a lot of turbulence and uncertainty in the economy," said Matt Strauss, chairman of Peacock and NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises. Amid what was already a growing wave of subscription fatigue when it comes to streaming services, delivering Peacock, a quality, ad-supported streaming platform that is free, is arguably more relevant now than at any other moment in time. The streaming service will feature 15,000 hours of content, largely from the NBCUniversal library, from the Friday Night Lights TV series to the Jurassic Park film franchise. Peacock will also have live news, linear channels, and access to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, hours before they air on TV. Although the pandemic may give consumers a reason to try Peacock, the outbreak did disrupt Comcasts plans to roll out the product. The coronavirus forced the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Summer Games in Tokyo. NBCUniversal owns the broadcast rights for the Olympics and planned to use the event to promote Peacock. The pandemic has also paused production of original series that are set to air exclusively on Peacock, Strauss said. Everyone on the Peacock staff is working from home, but Strauss said the service is still on schedule to be launched nationwide on time in July. Peacock will air roughly five minutes of commercials an hour. Comcast has booked ads from 10 sponsors, including State Farm, Target, Capital One, and Subaru. Strauss said there are no material changes to the financial guidance or targets the company provided in January, when Comcast said it expects to reach about 35 million active accounts by 2024. By then, the company estimates, Peacock will generate $2.5 billion in revenue. Asked how the pandemic and free-falling economy could affect advertising, Strauss said launch sponsors signed up for long-term deals, though he wouldnt share more information. We really believe there is this void of premium ad-supported content in the streaming market, he said. On Tuesday, Publicis Groupe, one of the worlds largest ad-agency conglomerates, told the Wall Street Journal that it expects the pullback in ad spending to be worse than during the 2008-09 financial crisis, when ad buys shrunk 10%. That sentiment was echoed in Interactive Advertising Bureaus survey of almost 390 media buyers, media planners, and brand executives, which found that 44% expected the impact on advertising to be substantially worse than in 2009. Comcast is embracing streaming as its customers flee costlier pay TV. In 2019, Comcast reported losing 733,000 TV customers. At the same time, Comcasts broadband business has boomed, signing up 1.4 million new high-speed internet customers last year. The company now gives internet-only customers a streaming box called Flex that comes with a voice remote. By bundling Flex with Peacock, Comcast steers customers who dont want traditional TV to its own cord-cutting option. 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. Harlso who can balance objects on his head including an Easter egg to keep people entertained during lockdown Harlso who can balance objects on his head including a sandwich to keep people entertained during lockdown A Belfast dog who became an internet star is joining forces with other canine celebrities across social media in a bid to keep people entertained during the lockdown. Paul Lavery and Jennifer Scott (both 30), the owners of Harlso the Balancing Hound, will be hosting a daily Instagram Live with in a series called 'Stay Home with Harlso!' The six-year-old dachshund from east Belfast boasts thousands of fans around the world thanks to his unique balancing acts, and last year he was a winner in the internet 'Oscars', picking up a Webby Award in the Best Social Animal category. His ongoing recovery from a back injury means he is unable to entertain his fans at the moment. Instead he is reaching out to other talented pooches who will be showcasing their tricks while their owners offer tips on coping with the lockdown. Paul explained: "We will be chatting to those behind some of our favourite online accounts who have featured Harlso in the past or who we partnered up with to do something a bit different. " The videos will be available live at 7pm each week night on the Harlso the Balancing Hound Instagram page. Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle is defending the legality of the organizations National Emergency Library initiative to a U.S. Senator who last week raised concerns that the effort may be infringing the rights of authors and publishers. You raise the question of how this comports with copyright law, Kahle wrote to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). Fortunately, we do not need an emergency copyright act because the fair use doctrine, codified in the Copyright Act, provides flexibility to libraries and others to adjust to changing circumstances. In an April 8 letter to Kahle, Tillis, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee, suggested the Internet Archive was unilaterally creating an emergency copyright act, and expressed concern that the library may be operating outside the boundaries of the copyright law that Congress has enacted and alone has jurisdiction to amend. The Internet Archive announced the National Emergency Library project on March 24, in response to the widespread closures of libraries and schools during the Covid-19 crisis, making its 1.4 million scans of mostly 20th century print books available for unlimited borrowing until June 30, or until the crisis is over. After some positive initial headlines, the move has drawn rebukes from some individual authors and publishers, as well as accusations from trade associations, including the Association of American Publishers, which has accused the Archive of an "opportunistic attack on the rights of authors and publishers," and the Authors Guild, which accused the Internet Archive of acting as a piracy site. In his three-page response to Tillis, Kahle rejected those criticisms, and explained the creation of the National Emergency Library using the Senator's constituents to illustrate its utility. Your constituents have paid for millions of books they currently cannot access, Kahle explained, adding that North Carolinas public libraries house more than 15 million print book volumes in 323 library branches across the state. The massive public investment paid for by taxpaying citizens is unavailable to the very people who funded it, he writes. The National Emergency Library was envisioned to meet this challenge of providing digital access to print materials, helping teachers, students and communities gain access to books while their schools and libraries are closed. While commercial e-book providers provide access to e-books, the Internet Archive is providing stopgap digital access to the millions of copies of paper books locked away in shuttered libraries and schools. Kahle further maintained that the vast majority of the books in the National Emergency Library, mostly 20th Century books, are not commercially available in e-book form, and said the collection contains no books published in the last five years. [For] access to those books, readers and students can continue to turn to services like OverDrive and hoopla, Kahle explained, making what defenders say is a critical distinction: commercial providers offer patrons access to e-books; the National Emergency Library is providing stopgap digital access to scans of paper books that are locked away in shuttered libraries and schools. That is where the National Emergency Library fills the gap, Kahle wrote. In a blog post this week, the Internet Archive also shared testimonials from educators who are using the NEL to provide students with access to works when the institution's physical copies are inaccessible. In the first two weeks of the National Emergency Library, Kahle said the total number of books checked out is comparable to that of a town of about 30,000 people, with about 90% of people who check out a scan looking at it for 30 minutes or less, suggesting most people are "browsing" the collection, or using it to research something specific. Kahle also sought to blunt the Authors Guild contention that the Internet Archives scanning and lending is tantamount to a pirate site, explaining to Tillis that the National Emergency Library scans must be checked out and returned, are DRM-protected, and cannot be kept, copied or redistributed. And he reiterated that the Internet Archive will remove any authors book from the National Emergency Library with an email requestauthors do not need to submit a formal DMCA takedown letter. The letter closes by accepting Tillis's invitation to engage with the Senate on a potential modernization of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. "We welcome further discussion on these topics including what new legislation may be needed to preserve and extend the role of libraries in the digital age," Kahle concludes. "We recognize that in our haste to respond to the urgent needs of teachers, students, and librarians,we did not do enough to engage with the broader information ecosystem, like authors, publishers and policymakers. We are engaging in those conversations now and we would welcome your participation in discussions about how to meet the urgent access needs of our country during this crisis and beyond." [April 14, 2020] Dates Set for Moody's Earnings Release and Investor Teleconference Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) will release its first quarter 2020 results before the start of NYSE trading on Thursday, April 30, 2020. A copy of the release will be posted on Moody's Investor Relations website, ir.moodys.com. Moody's Corporation invites you to participate in a teleconference on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its first quarter 2020 results. Raymond W. McDaniel, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Kaye, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will jointly host the call. Their remarks will be followed by a question and answer period. Individuals within the United States and Canada can access the call by dialing +1-877-400-0505. Other callers should dial +1-720-452-9084. Please dial in to the call by 11:20 a.m. Eastern Time. The passcode for the call is 7297711. The teleconferenc will also be webcast with an accompanying slide presentation which can be accessed through Moody's Investor Relations website, ir.moodys.com under "Featured and Upcoming" within "Events & Presentations". The webcast will be available until 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on May 29, 2020. A replay of the teleconference will be available from 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, April 30, 2020 until 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, May 29, 2020. The replay can be accessed from within the United States and Canada by dialing +1-888-203-1112. Other callers can access the replay at +1-719-457-0820. The replay confirmation code is 7297711. For further information, please contact Investor Relations at +1-212-553-4857. ABOUT MOODY'S CORPORATION Moody's (NYSE: MCO) is a global integrated risk assessment firm that empowers organizations to make better decisions. Our data, analytical solutions and insights help decision-makers identify opportunities and manage the risks of doing business with others. We believe that greater transparency, more informed decisions, and fair access to information open the door to shared progress. With over 11,000 employees in more than 40 countries, Moody's combines international presence with local expertise and over a century of experience in financial markets. Learn more at moodys.com/about. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005200/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 15 2020 The reaper: A scary-looking statue wearing a mask stands in a housing complex in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten. The residents built the statue to remind their fellow peers about the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan) Low public trust in the capability of the Indonesian government in handling the global pandemic was partly caused by an influx of false information. Hoaxes and half-truths spread just as fast as the coronavirus, according to independent monitoring groups. The misinformation that caused public panic and confusion could be overcome by information from the authority. The government should act as the sole authority for the dissemination of information, said Elina Ciptadi of KawalCOVID19.id. The government should provide routine, thorough and accurate information and it has to be delivered as quickly as possible, complying with the World Health Organization standard of transparent, reliable and timely health information, she said. The Singapore-based mass communications practitioner was among the pro-data activists who worked independently as a group to discern information during past elections. KawalCOVID19.id existed on various social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook. The group includes Indonesian diaspora in countries affected early by the virus outbreak. The members come from various professions, such as medical practitioners, virologists, epidemiologists, medical researchers, medical and life science analysts, as well as communications specialists living in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom. The members started the data monitoring after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, last year, on both the spread of the virus and hoaxes, before creating their social media accounts one day before the Indonesian government announced the countrys first two cases of COVID-19. Learning from how it spread, at that time we thought that at some point it would arrive in Indonesia. It was only a matter of time and how severe it would be, said Elina. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login MIDDLETOWN The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce recently hosted several virtual meetings and webinars to connect business owners from around the county with information and resources that may help them through the Covid-19 crisis. The chamber has held several important online session with business leaders and elected officials over the past week to help members unpack the new stimulus package and other programs based on impacts of the coronavirus, according to a press release. The first featured U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, who broke down the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, better known as the CARES Act, and provided important insight for chamber members on which programs might be most appropriate for their business, the release said. Second was a productive webinar featuring Jim Jackson, Connecticut Small Business Development counselor, who detailed the many small business relief loan options available through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Finally, the week closed with an in-depth discussion with U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, who represents Connecticuts 2nd congressional district. All three of these segments can be found on the chamber website. I continue to be very inspired and proud of the efforts of my chamber team, and by the strong and continued leadership of our public officials during this crisis, chamber president Larry McHugh said in a prepared statement. I am also very proud of the business community who has continued to step up to the plate to volunteer and deliver goods and services most needed at this time. The chamber website provides many informational and important resources that can assist the business community during this difficult time, the chamber said. Visit middlesexchamber.com to find helpful resources such as the Coronavirus Tool-Kit, which includes tips and best practices for employers and the community at large. Also, the new Facebook group, Shout It Out!, assists members and local businesses to interact with the community by providing what goods, services, creative initiatives businesses have been implementing, and what businesses are still open for business. People can provide information via a business survey at middlesexchamber.com. Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Salman Khan has been winning over the internet with his kind gestures to help the needy in this time of crisis. The superstar recently pledged financial support to 25000 daily wage workers in the film industry, who have been hit by the nationwide lockdown. And now, the superstar is being hailed for one more noble gesture. As per a report in Times Of India, the superstar recently came forward to help 50 female ground workers in Malegaon after he heard that they were running out of basic necessities. Politician Baba Siddique took to Twitter to break the news and wrote, "Thank you @beingsalmankhan @tweetbeinghuman for your generous contribution towards the daily wage workers. You are always one step ahead of everybody when it comes to helping people and you have proved that yet again." "Thank you @BeingSalmanKhan @tweetbeinghuman for joining us in our fight against #CoronaVirus and making sure no one sleeps hungry!", read his next tweet. Salman's manager confirmed the news and said that the actor's team is doing active research on whoever needs urgent help and the superstar is providing them with essentials. The Race 3 actor is currently in quarantine in his Panvel farmhouse, away from his family. Recently, his father Salim Khan told Hindustan Times that he is constantly in touch with his actor-son through video calls. Meanwhile, the superstar has been posting videos on his Instagram page to give his fans a sneak-peek into his quarantine life. With respect to work, Salman will next be seen in Prabhu Dheva's Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. The film is slated for an Eid 2020 release. However, the recent reports suggest that the film might get postponed owing to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Shah Rukh Khan Donates 25000 PPE Kits To Health Workers In Maharashtra To Contain COVID-19 Pandemic Kartik Aaryan Shares Important Message On The Dangers Of Self-Medicating For Coronavirus Women are now taking the lead in business, politics, finance, and industry. Even though we are surrounded by famous and powerful women, you have probably never heard of some women on this list. This is a good chance to catch up because they have been running the world for a while now. Their success is remarkable, especially considering we know that being a woman on top of male-dominated industries is not easy. These ten women managed to do just that and are now holding power in their hands. 10. Angela Merkel Angela Merkel. Image credit: Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia.org Angela Merkel is currently serving her fourth term being the Chancellor of Germany. She is the first female chancellor in Germany and has been on the position since 2005. She surprised many by making a decision in 2018 to step down as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union. She also announced that she would not be competing for another term in 2021. Still, Merkel holds a lot of power. She practically serves the role of a European leader. During her terms as chancellor, Merkel led the greatest European economy through the crisis and managed to steer it into economic growth. Merkels leadership is remarkable. She is often credited with having a steely attitude but is also a leader of class and honor. She successfully stood up to Donald Trump on the one hand, but also allowing more than a million Syrian refugees to come to Germany. 9. Christine Lagard Christine Lagarde. Image credit: European Parliament from EU/Wikimedia.org Have you ever heard of the European Central Bank? Well, it is one of the most prominent financial institutions in the world. Since, 2019, Christine Lagard is the president of the ECB, making her the first woman to head the institution. And she had a difficult task being in charge during the time of political uncertainty and the slowed growth of the economy. Lagard was also the head of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 until 2019. You guessed it right she was the first woman to hold that position as well. In her speech on the 10th anniversary of the great bank collapse in the 2008 crisis, Lagarde defined the banking industry as the male-dominated industry and pointed out the need for gender reform. 8. Ursula von der Leyen Ursula von der Leyen. Image credit: European Union 2019 Source: EP/Wikimedia.org Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman to serve the role of the president of the European Commission. The EC is the executive branch of the EU (European Union) and it is directly responsible for legislation that directly or indirectly affects the lives of more than seven hundred million Europeans. No one is surprised with von der Leyens success: before this appointment, she served in the cabinet of Angela Merkel where she gathered all the needed nuts and bolts to carry out her current political task. Under her serving, the EC is currently counting eleven female commissioners to fifteen male ones. 7. Nancy Pelosi Pelosi speaking at the United States Department of Labor on Equal Pay Day. Image credit: US Department of Labor/Public domain Nancy Pelosi is acting in the role of 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. That makes her the highest-ranking female in the U.S. politics, and, traditionally, second-in-line for the presidency. She is currently in her third term. During the presidency of Donald Trump, Pelosi gained more and more political and media recognition. In 2019, she started impeachments proceeding against President Trump. By doing so, she already wrote history as these were only the fourth such proceedings in U.S. history. In February 2020, Pelosi ripped the speech President Trump gave during his State of the Union speech. She later told her peers she ripped it up because she could not find a page without a lie written on it. She received full approval in the Democratic party and the media. 6. Mary Barra Mary Barra. Image credit: US Government/Public domain Mary Barra has been in the role of General Motors CEO since 2014. She inherited an industry that was still grasping for growth after suffering an incredible blow in the 2008 crisis. In 2018, she earned over 21 million dollars which made her the highest-paid leader among the leaders of the Detroit Big Three automakers. Barra successfully widened and modernized GMs investments by investing in self-driving cars and electric vehicles. Her supervision of the company helped GM to rank as number one in the 2018 Global Report on Gender Equality, being one of only two multinational companies in the world to have no gender pay gap. Currently, Barra made the headlines by offering GM to produce ventilators to help the overwhelmed hospitals combating COVID-19. 5. Melinda Gates Melinda Gates. Image credit World Economic Forum/Wikimedia.org Presenting Melinda Gates as Bill Gates wife would be, quite frankly, shameful. Her career in business and philanthropy earned her the right to stand on her own. She is undeniably the most powerful woman in philanthropy as she co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Their foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the world, with a trust endowment of more than $40 billion. Gates leads the foundation in helping with many global challenges such as poverty, education and sanitation. She devoted a lot of her work to womens rights. Her next venture? To close the gap in funding when it comes to female founders. 4. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Image credit: Franmarie Metzler; U.S. House Office of Photography/Public domain The truth is if we are to look only in the business world, some very powerful women will not make the list. Being rich and in power over financial destiny is not the only way to hold power. Alexandria, also known as AOC, is the U.S. Representative for New Yorks 14th congressional district and the member of the Democratic party. Cortez took office in 2018 and became the youngest woman in history to serve in the U.S. Congress. The next generations of voters are relying on her more and more to provide the political voice for them. It is no wonder that in 2019, the TIME magazine included her among the Top 100 influential people in the world. 3. Marillyn Hewson Marillyn Hewson. Image credit: NASA/Public domain Luckily, we live in a world where it is now possible to have a woman as the CEO of the defense, security, aerospace, and technology company. And that is Marillyn Hewson, the CEO of Lockheed Martin since 2013. She developed numerous innovative programs for the company, which helped to increase its value to almost $100 billion. Under hew watch, the stock of the company has risen more than 300%. In the last couple of years, there are hardly any annual lists of powerful people in the world that do not include Hewson. She was recently awarded the prestigious Edison Achievement Award. 2. Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg at the "Fridays For Future" event in Turin. Turin, Italy - December 2019Greta Thunberg at the "Fridays For Future" event in Turin. Turin, Italy - December 2019. Image credit: Mike Dotta/Shutterstock.com Some like her, some not so much but whatever your position is, it is undeniable that climate change is our reality. In such reality, Greta Thunberg became a poster face for activism related to climate change. She began by being an activist in Sweden, her home country, only to continue to protest and inspire on a global scale. Even though she is a youth activist, her reasoning is often very mature. One of her many powerful statements is that if we are to change the world, we cannot play by the rules as those rules are exactly what need to be changed. 1. Abigail Johnson Abigail Johnson. Image credit: Singhaniket255/Wikimedia.org Since 2014, Johnson has acted as president and CEO of Fidelity Investments, the U.S. investment firm. Her grandfather founded the company with her father involved later in business. Johnson comes from a business family and she is successfully continuing the excellent work. Johnson modernized the firm by embracing cryptocurrency and she is still managing to keep the company private by avoiding pressures to make it public. Currently, she is the most successful woman in finance and a multibillionaire with a net worth of over $16 billion. ALBANY Hundreds of lawyers have agreed to volunteer their legal services to help unemployed New Yorkers amid the coronavirus pandemic. The effort, spearheaded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo working with the New York State Bar Association and Unified Court System, will provide attorneys to assist unemployed New Yorkers applying for benefits, the bar association said. New York has about 325,000 registered attorneys. On Monday as of 3 p.m., 771 lawyers had volunteered to provide their services pro bono free of charge. The bar association said the states existing network of pro bono and public defense attorneys was strained prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It said it and the court system took the action to ensure all New Yorkers can exercise their right to legal counsel at a time when the need for legal services will likely be higher than ever before. NYSBA president Henry Greenberg said in a statement that just as Cuomo called on health care professionals to volunteer on the front lines against COVID-19, we are calling on lawyers to do what they do best -- help New Yorkers put their lives back together. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The network leading the effort is being coordinated by retired Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. The network will focus on New Yorkers who have lost their jobs and, going forward, will address other legal needs that arise from the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. Interested lawyers were asked to sign up at https://nysba.org/covidvolunteer/ or, if they have questions, send an email to: covidvolunteer@nysba.org. In Washington, it's politically expedient to point a finger at China. Though President Donald Trump has softened his rhetoric about Beijing's initial concealing of the novel coronavirus that then sparked a global pandemic, he is now directing his scorn at the World Health Organization for the U.N. body's role in praising China's handling of the crisis and endorsing a narrative of the outbreak's spread that suited the Chinese regime. Blaming China and international agencies helps Trump obscure the evidence of how his administration early on failed to prepare for the virus's spread through the United States - preparations that could have saved lives. For hawks in Congress, the pandemic has provided epochal proof of China's perfidy and alleged dishonesty. Bipartisan anti-China bills are circulating, including one condemning Chinese censorship and blaming Beijing for the spread of the virus and another that demands China shut down its wet markets (where the disease is thought to have emerged from animal-to-human transmission). The most vociferous anti-Beijing voices are pressing for measures to decouple the two nations' economies and sharpen the lines of geopolitical confrontation. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) declared over the weekend that it's time "to quarantine China from the civilized world." Chinese officials and the country's state-controlled media launched a counteroffensive, aggressively pushing back against foreign criticism while proliferating conspiracy theories that alleged a U.S. origin to the virus. At the same time, Chinese authorities see the pandemic as a vehicle with which to exercise their fledgling soft power, offering its experience in curtailing the spread of the virus as a model for others and casting itself as a benign global actor eager to come to the rest of the world's rescue. But it's not just the Americans who have their doubts about Beijing's approach. "It is obvious that such narratives are being worked on," said German foreign minister Heiko Maas in an interview with Der Spiegel last week. "But I can only warn against anyone falling for it." Throughout the world, various governments and politicians have directly challenged China or are now more wary of engagement with its regime. The pandemic has prompted Britain's two main spy agencies to reportedly warn the government about Beijing's assertive behavior and call for tighter control of Britain's digital communications and artificial intelligence industries. As part of its coronavirus stimulus, the Japanese government allocated at least $2 billion to encourage its companies to shift production supply chains out of China. Meanwhile, both Taiwan and Vietnam have undercut Beijing's coronavirus diplomacy, dispatching their own shipments of medical aid to beleaguered countries in the West. In some places, nationalist politicos are echoing American grievances. Some officials in India's ruling BJP party - and their legion of online supporters - have embraced the stigmatizing rhetoric of the "Chinese" or "Wuhan" virus popular in America's right-wing media sphere. As part of his own feuds with rival factions in Rome, Matteo Salvini, the far-right Italian leader, scoffed at Chinese offers of assistance and accused Chinese authorities of engineering new viruses in their laboratories to spring on the world, a claim that has no evidence. "If the Chinese government knew [about the virus] and didn't tell it publicly, it committed a crime against humanity," Salvini said during a debate last month. Allies of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro - another leader accused of bungling his country's response to the pandemic - have sought to turn media attention east. "It's China's fault," Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the president's sons, tweeted last month, while retweeting a message that said: "The blame for the global coronavirus pandemic has a name and surname: the Chinese Communist Party." The tweet drew a tough response from the Chinese Embassy in Brasilia, which demanded an apology for the "evil insult" and suggested the president's son had contracted a "mental virus." But there was more to come. Last week, Brazil's education minister Abraham Weintraub, who, unlike some other Cabinet-level officials, remains staunchly loyal to the president, warned of Beijing manipulating the crisis to its advantage. "Geopolitically, who will come out stronger from this global crisis?" he wrote in a tweet that was later deleted, which in its original Portuguese replaced the "r" in "Brazil" with an "l" - an apparent mockery of a Chinese accent. "Who in Brazil is allied with this infallible plan for world domination?" Chinese officials once more protested, aggrieved by Weintraub's perceived racism. But it is actions in China that have governments in Africa accusing Beijing of xenophobia. Social media was agog over the weekend with footage of African expatriates living in China's major cities - particularly Guangzhou, a southern metropolis with possibly the biggest African diaspora in Asia - sleeping on sidewalks or huddled outside the buildings from which they had been arbitrarily evicted by authorities. An intensifying nationalist climate within China has also led to reports of foreigners, especially Africans, being refused entry at bars and restaurants or forcibly quarantined in their apartments, even if they haven't traveled anywhere where they would have contracted the virus. "The Chinese authorities' actions triggered protests from African governments - an embarrassment for Beijing as it seeks to woo African states with promises of loans and investment - and prompted U.S. diplomats over the weekend to warn African Americans to avoid the Guangzhou area," noted my Washington Postcolleague Anna Fifield. "This is pure happiness... Now I can breathe the air and talk normally, which is so precious." Bui Thi Hanh spoke haltingly as she walked slowly, one hand on her chest. She was coming out of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. Her sense of relief at getting a literal weight off her chest was palpable. "Every unfortunate event happening to me has passed," she said. Bui Thi Hanh, a nurse at Bach Mai Hospital, is all emotional as she is discharged from Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases on April 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. Hanh, 54, is a nurse at Hanois Bach Mai Hospital, a major hospital in northern Vietnam that became the nations biggest Covid-19 hotspot with at least 45 related cases. She works at the HIV Outpatient Clinic of the hospital's Center for Tropical Diseases, and was confirmed to have contracted the Covid-19 virus on March 19, becoming Vietnams "Patient 86." On April 10, she was discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Her voice was weak and she spoke laboredly, still having some breathing difficulties. "For now, its still a difficult task for me to catch my breath if I talk a lot. But the most severe period has gone and Im getting better." A team of ten doctors and eight other Covid-19 patients saw her off at the hospital. "Thank you! All of you doctors, thank you for everything," Hanh said, overwhelmed with emotion. In the sun-soaked front yard of the hospital, she said: "We say the hot weather makes us feel comfortable, but doctors who treat Covid-19 patients have to wear thick protective clothes all day long, and sweat pours down their glasses. They have all been working hard, really hard." Before she tested positive, Hanh felt some chest tightening on March 11, but had no cough or fever. She was admitted in Bach Mai's Heart Institute to treat hypertension and tightness in the chest. The day it was confirmed that she had contracted the novel coronavirus, Hanh was resting in a room for employees at Bach Mai. Another nurse at the hospital who had close contact with her was confirmed infected the same day and is still receiving treatment. The news about their infection triggered a "chaotic" atmosphere, she recalled. The hospital immediately had to suspend several departments, started to list thousands of staffs and patients to be tested for the virus, before a two-week lockdown was imposed on March 28. For Hanh, a nurse with 30 years of experience in the infection field who had joined the fight against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 17 years ago, the result was a shock. At that time, she was still asymptomatic apart from feeling a bit tired and a fast heartbeat due to hypertension. She was immediately moved to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, still in her nurses uniform. There was no time for her to see her family. The second day after she was admitted, she developed a fever, at 37.5 degrees Celsius. The fever got more severe in the next five-six days, going up to 38-39 degrees Celsius and she began having difficulties breathing. X-ray images revealed some damage to her lungs. "I was worried. I couldnt sleep nor eat." Nothing I could do Bui Thi Hanh is checked on by doctors at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, March 24, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. She was in quarantine when she heard that the Bach Mai Hospital had been locked down. It made her even more depressed. "I wondered if I had transmitted the virus to others." Her entire family had already been placed in quarantine and her daughter went on to become "Patient 107," discharged a week before her mother. "It hurt. But there was nothing I could do. It just got more and more difficult to breathe." A few beds away from her was a foreigner. His condition worsened and doctors rushed to put him on a ventilator. "I was scared and felt highly stressed. I am a medical worker myself and I know how serious it is when a patient needs a ventilator." That image worked as an alarm bell for Hanh. She decided not to put herself in such a condition. "I tried to sit up and almost crawled on the bed to put myself together. Then I tried my best to have some rice porridge." "Though I could not feel any taste for the food, I still tried to swallow it down. If I didnt eat, I would not have enough strength to breathe, and I might also have to rely on the ventilator," Hanh said. Aside from forcing herself to have some food, she also tried to do some breathing exercises and avoid staying still for too long in the bed. After a few days, she started to recover. When she finally got to contact her family and inform them about her latest condition, she found unfriendly comments that people had posted about her on the internet. "As someone who consults with HIV patients, helping them to overcome discrimination, I had not imagined that I would be in a similar situation one day. That was painful," she said. At 2 a.m. on March 26, Hanh was informed that she had tested negative for the first time. The news was passed on by a doctor in the dark room with a gesture that said the news was good. Hanh felt a great lightening of her burden. A few days later, the test came back negative for her the second time. Hanh was sent to the Department of General Infection at the hospital and stayed there until she was discharged. "One of the reasons that helped me get through such a difficult period is the care and encouragement from doctors and nurses. And it was not because I was a nurse that I was treated differently; every Covid-19 patient was treated like me," she said. The Bach Mai Hospital, her workplace, has now been freed from a two-week lockdown and there has been no new case recorded at the hospital. "That was such a relief for me to hear." "I should be able to get back to work soon enough." (This April 8 story corrects to clarify that 30% contraction is the annualized rate) By Kate Duguid NEW YORK (Reuters) - The forced closure of businesses across the United States and surge in unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic will force U.S. growth to contract by 30% at an annualized rate in the second quarter and 5% overall in 2020, Pacific Investment Management Co (PIMCO) wrote on Wednesday. In a blog post, Tiffany Wilding, a North American economist at PIMCO, wrote that evidence from recent jobs reports suggests the unemployment rate may rise as high as 20%. The 30% contraction in growth in the second quarter, measured at an annualized rate, would likely be followed by two quarters of recovery, Wilding wrote. While two quarters of contraction is shorter than the four recorded in the 2008 financial crisis, the depth of the shock is far greater - quarterly contractions did not rise above 8%, also at an annualized rate, during that time. California-based PIMCO is one of the worlds largest investment firms with $1.91 trillion assets under management as of Dec. 31 2019. The speed and magnitude of the U.S. labor market disruption has been sharper than any weve seen in recent history, suggesting that the decline in overall activity has also likely been much more severe, wrote Wilding. In spite of the already enormous spate of layoffs, the number of jobs lost is likely to continue to rise as more states close non-essential businesses. The figures are also expected to rise as unemployment offices work through a backlog of claims. Wilding notes that the governments March employment report showed that layoffs had begun earlier than suggested by weekly unemployment data, and were spread across industries, including healthcare, which PIMCO had expected to remain resilient. In spite of the U.S. governments unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus programs, there are still meaningful risks to the U.S. economy, the post said. The stimulus may not be large or fast enough to prevent waves of bankruptcies, and the pandemic experience may fundamentally change U.S. consumer behavior. Additionally, there are segments of the market that are excluded from the stimulus and bond-buying programs, including speculative-grade companies, which are likely to experience a surge in bankruptcies. Those defaults, and the loss of millions of jobs, could ultimately worsen the economic crisis. After the peak of the pandemic in the United States, which is currently forecast for May or June, PIMCO expects a recovery in growth as businesses reopen and rehire workers. Some sectors may bounce back faster than others. Construction and some manufacturing, along with other industries dependant on advanced lending and project planning are likely to recover more slowly. Launched in 2017, Peek is a free platform for creative businesses anywhere in the country to showcase their craft and design products directly to local and international consumers. Currently, there are 480 registered businesses on the platform, showcasing over 3,000 products. Over a quarter of Peek visitors are from countries abroad, includinge the US, France, UK, Canada and Germany. The platform was made possible by funding from the Department of Small Business Development.Group CEO of the CDI, Erica Elk, says the CDI is aware that small businesses are severely affected by the national Covid-19 lockdown. For that reason, the Institute is encouraging the public to continue supporting small businesses using online platforms while physical market opportunities are constrained.Our thoughts are with everyone affected by Covid-19, particularly all small business owners, their staff and families who are grappling to come to terms with this unprecedented crisis. We have already received a significant amount of feedback from the small businesses we work with regarding the severe impact they are seeing unfold. For small business owners, sales are the lifeblood."We call on South Africans to visit www.peek.org.za to support these talented creatives. We hope that South Africans will show their love of local and take time to browse and connect with local makers online. Contact details for each business are on the site so you can contact them directly to arrange a purchase, says Elk.Elk encourages all small craft and design businesses to join the platform to showcase their products if they have not done so yet.The CDI helps develop creative people, small businesses and the craft and design sector at large in South Africa. It currently supports over 5,600 businesses and individuals in the country's craft and design sector, ranging from startups to exporting enterprises which are based all over South Africa from rural towns to urban centres. Married At First Sight's Hayley Vernon has called out Mikey Pembroke for being a paid actor, after he released a bizarre video on his Instagram. The shirtless 29-year-old played the role of 'little Jimmy', explaining in a high-pitched voice he had done a 'little poo' in bed and 'a wee' in his shorts on Tuesday. Hayley, 32, immediately referenced the rumours many of the Married At First Sight cast were paid actors, commenting: 'Actor, I knew it!' 'Actor, I knew it!' Married At First Sight's Hayley Vernon called out co-star Mikey Pembroke (pictured) for being a paid actor, after he shared a bizarre Instagram video on Tuesday In the footage, Mikey pouted dramatically as he told the camera about his 'little accident'. 'Look I'm going to be honest with you, it's not an ideal situation,' Mikey said. He continued: 'I've had a little accident in bed. I've had a few bad dreams about a few things and I've done a little poo on the bed. 'I've had a little accident in bed': The shirtless 29-year-old played the role of 'little Jimmy', explaining in a high-pitched voice he had done a 'little poo' in bed and 'a wee' in his shorts But why? 'And I've also done a wee in my shorts. They both have to be cleaned,' he finished, before storming off, revealing his grey jocks as he left 'And I've also done a wee in my shorts. They both have to be cleaned,' he finished, before storming off, revealing his grey jocks as he left. 'In the age of TikTok, how about you voice it ya self. By popular demand let me introduce Little Jimmy,' Mikey wrote in the caption of the video. Fan favourite Seb Guilhaus seemingly thought the gag was hilarious, writing: 'Omg hahahahahahaha.' Hayley, 32, immediately referenced the rumours many of the Married At First Sight cast were paid actors, commenting: 'Actor, I knew it!' Fan favourite Seb Guilhaus seemingly thought the gag was hilarious, writing: 'Omg hahahahahahaha' He wasn't the only one, as Mikey's comments were filled with fans telling him how hilarious the toilet humour was, with many adding it was needed amid the current circumstances. In the background of the video, Mikey's new girlfriend Kelly Burke could also be heard giggling at his antics. The loved-up couple have been isolating together in Sydney, sharing videos and photos online with their followers. Black Guangzhou residents have suffered an uptick in xenophobia as the country fears a second wave of the coronavirus. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Black residents of Guangzhou, China, have been facing increased racism as the country fears a second wave of the coronavirus, according to a report in The Washington Post. Some businesses, including a McDonald's, have refused service to black customers. Some black residents have been kicked out of their apartments and forced to sleep in hotels or on the streets. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In a video that was widely shared online, a McDonald's employee in Guangzhou, China, held up a sign that read: "From now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant." McDonald's China apologized Monday for the discriminatory incident. "As a brand, as a company and as more than 2.2 million people serving nearly 120 countries around the world, this is not representative of our inclusive values," a spokeswoman told Insider. "Immediately upon learning of an unauthorized communication to our guests at a restaurant in Guangzhou, we immediately removed the communication and temporarily closed the restaurant." During the temporary closure, staff will be retrained, the spokesperson said. But the ban of black residents has highlighted systemic racism that has bubbled up in the city which hosts the largest African diaspora in Asia as China fears of a second wave of the coronavirus. Black Livity China (@BlackLivityCN) April 11, 2020 Aside from being refused service at some restaurants and bars, many Africans living in China have been kicked out of their homes and forces to sleep on the streets or pay for hotels. "People are not happy because they're being forced out of their apartments and into hotels where they have to pay [$30] a night for 28 days," Maximus Ogbonna, the president of a Nigerian community group in Guangzhou, told the Post. Story continues Last month, China banned entry to all foreigners, although 90% of the country's newest cases have been from Chinese citizens returning from countries like Italy, the United States, and Iran, according to the Post. In Guangdong province, of which Guangzhou is the capital, 183 people have returned from abroad with the virus since it began spreading outside the country. Of them, 22 were from Africa, according to official figures viewed by the Post. As the Chinese government works to push back against a second wave of the virus, foreigners are being targeted. And while black residents of Shanghai and Beijing have also reported incidents of xenophobia, the discrimination appears to be more widespread in Guangzhou, according to the Post. Videos circling social media over the weekend appeared to show Africans sleeping on the streets. In one, Nigerian diplomats delivered food to people standing in the rain. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) April 11, 2020 The spike in discrimination could be, at least in part, related to recent news events in the region, the Post reported. Last week, Chinese state media reported that five Nigerians reportedly tested positive in Guangzhou, broke their quarantine, and infected the owner of a local restaurant and his 8-year-old daughter. Another Nigerian man who tested positive for the coronavirus was accused of assaulting a nurse while trying to escape from quarantine at a hospital, according to the Post. The backlash has prompted the US consulate in Guangzhou to warn African Americans about discrimination in the region. Several officials from African nations have also spoken out against the treatment of Chinese residents. "As a government, we will not allow Chinese or other nationals to be maltreated just as we will not allow Nigerians to be maltreated in other countries," the speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, wrote on Twitter. Speaker of the House of Representatives (@SpeakerGbaja) April 10, 2020 Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana's Foreign Minister, also condemned the treatment of African residents of China. Chinese officials, though, told the Post that the actions were motivated by concern for "the life and health of foreign nationals in China." "We treat all foreigners in China equally and we reject discrimination," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told the Post Monday. "In response to the African side's concerns regarding their citizens in Guangdong, provincial authorities have rolled out new measures and we believe that by working together, we can resolve this properly." Read the original article on Business Insider Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:38:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian hi-tech company and a science-based firm in Turkey are jointly producing test kits for COVID-19, Iran's Press TV reported on Tuesday. Ali Seifpour Abolhassani, managing director of Iran's Parsian Seismograph, said that his company is cooperating with a Turkish firm on developing the coronavirus test kits which has already received international certificates. The two companies are ready to produce 1 million of the kits per week to help speed up the detection of patients infected with COVID-19, Abolhassani said. The British Business Group Vietnam donates $21,740 to help Vietnam cope with COVID-19 According to Alex Falter, vice chairman of the BBGV, the donation represents the groups appreciation of the Vietnamese government' s efforts to keep all safe in this unprecedented health crisis. This sum will be donated to facilitate the purchasing of 2,700 N95 masks and 2,000 protective suits to support the COVID-19 fight in Vietnam. This donation will benefit healthcare workers and people on the frontlines managing COVID-19 response in five major hospitals and testing institutes across Vietnam, including the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital Hanoi, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, and the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Hanoi. Dr. Phan Minh Hoang, vice president of the Vietnam Young Physicians Association, emphasised their mission: Get the expertise to serve the community, and asked each young doctors to continue ethical, creative work. We highly appreciate the British community and are looking forward to having further collaboration with the BBGV in community service, Hoang said. Sharing at the ceremony, Ian Gibbons, consul general to Ho Chi Minh City, also expressed his appreciation to the Vietnamese government for its huge efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Kingdom, including UK businesses, would like to ensure its full support and co-operation with Vietnam to get through this unprecedented coronavirus challenge, said Gibbons. The BBGV was founded in 1996 with 250 member companies, working with communities in Vietnam to support its development. ROME - Couples in the United Arab Emirates can still get married during the time of coronavirus, but only online through videoconferencing. Al Arabiya said the justice ministry has launched a service for digital weddings, in line with the temporary ban on in-person weddings. According to the announcement by the ministry, for videoconference wedding ceremonies couples have to first submit all the required documents online, signed, pay the required fees and get everything approved by the ministry. It said no announcement has thus far been made regarding divorce procedures, which were suspended in Dubai together with weddings on last Wednesday and "until further notice". The Saskatchewan government announced late last month that it will be adding new affordable housing supply, but officials on the ground noted that issues with red tape remain. As a response to Saskatoons in-need individuals reaching out to the citys homeless hub for help, the provincial government said that it is contemplating granting organizations access to the 2,000 empty units held by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC). People who normally wouldnt be seen as rough sleepers, or sleeping on the street, are now in that circumstance because of COVID-19, COVID-19 Community Response Team member Colleen Christopherson-Cote told Global News. CLEVELAND, Ohio Twenty-eight inmates in jails across Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus, another 46 are in isolation and 280 more under quarantine in their cells, according to data released Tuesday by state officials. The Cuyahoga County Jail has by far the most inmates who tested positive for the virus with 23. The jail in downtown Cleveland also leads the state with 103 inmates in quarantine and 22 in isolation, according to statistics provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said on Tuesday that seven more inmates, one woman and two men, are showing symptoms of coronavirus and are being held in isolation, pending the outcome of their tests. About 15 percent of the jails population of 990 inmates is affected by the virus, according to state and county statistics. The state prison system is tracking the number of coronavirus cases in all of Ohios jails. Jail officials self-report the statistics to the state, prison spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said in an email. The numbers released to cleveland.com represent the first accounting of the number of jail inmates across the state affected by the virus. The states prisons report the number of coronavirus cases daily, as do federal prisons. Only five Ohio jails have reported a positive coronavirus test so far Butler, Franklin, Lucas and Cuyahoga counties, and the Middletown City Jail in southwest Ohio. One of the 23 Cuyahoga County Jail inmates with coronavirus was released. Another refused testing, but officials consider that inmate to have contracted the virus, according to the state. A Lucas County Jail inmate who tested positive for the virus was also released, and an inmate in the Middletown Jail was transferred to federal custody. Eleven jails reported an inmate in isolation. That means the inmates are separated, and their movements are restricted because they are sick with symptoms of coronavirus, Smith said in an email. Behind Cuyahoga County, Butler County Jail has six inmates in isolation, down from 9 on Monday. Mahoning dropped from three inmates in isolation Monday to one Tuesday. Lorain has one inmate in confinement, according to the ODRC. Three county jails Brown, Clark and Highland stopped reporting the number inmates they have in isolation, according to the ODRC. The number of inmates in quarantine means that those inmates are separated from others because they were exposed or potentially exposed to coronavirus, but have not yet become sick, Smith said. Twenty jails reported putting inmates in quarantine, including 95 inmates in Summit County, second behind Cuyahoga. Franklin Countys two jails combine for the next highest number, with 49, including 43 at their Jackson Pike facility. Other Northeast Ohio county jails reporting at least one inmate in quarantine include one inmate in Geauga, three in Lorain and two in Mahoning. The Medina County Jail reported having one inmate in quarantine but did not give the ODRC an update on Tuesday. cleveland.com reporter Eric Heisig contributed to this report. Read more from cleveland.com: Cuyahoga County Jail coronavirus cases rise to 14 in one week Cuyahoga County Jail officer tested positive for coronavirus, one day after six inmates tested positive, union says First Ohio prison inmate dies of coronavirus Fourth inmate dies at sole federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus spreads among inmates, staff In recent years, local governments have been forced to adapt to a wildly changing world, especially as it pertains to sending bills and collecting payments. A third prime minister-designate may produce a new government, but the possibility of ending Iraqs political deadlock seems as far away as ever Thursday 9 April marked the 17th anniversary of the fall of the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as a result of the US-led invasion of the country. The invasion unleashed chaos that has shattered the country and left it paralysed by decades of military occupation, terrorism, sectarian struggle and political crisis. This year the anniversary saw the nomination of a third prime minister-designate in just over a month as Iraq grapples with its worst political crisis since Saddams ousting. Iraq is woefully afflicted by a raft of other problems caused by falling energy revenues, the coronavirus epidemic, anti-establishment protests and deteriorating security. In the midst of all these calamities, the key question is not if Iraq can have a new government five months after the resignation of outgoing prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, but whether it will ever stumble out of them. Iraqs President Barham Salih has named Intelligence Chief Mostafa Al-Kadhimi to form a new cabinet as the country struggles to replace Abdul- Mahdis government that fell in November after months of deadly protests. Al-Kadhimi is the latest candidate tasked with forming a government after Adnan Al-Zurfi quit his bid following his failure to obtain support among Iraqs political parties. Al-Zurfi, an MP and former governor of the city of Najaf, cited internal and external reasons behind his withdrawal. He reportedly faced opposition from Shia factions with close ties to Iran. Before Al-Zurfis botched nomination, Mohamed Tawfik Allawi found himself in a similarly impossible situation in trying to form a government when political factions rebelled against his choice of ministers that did not conform to Iraqs quota system of power-sharing. In view of Iraqs long-running political deadlock, however, the choice of Al-Kadhimi, who has no political affiliation or record of statesmanship, risks another failure in forming a government, which could push Iraq into a renewed period of crisis and uncertainty. Upon his nomination Al-Kadhimi promised that his government would focus on providing services to the public, fighting corruption, controlling the countrys unruly militias and halting foreign influence in Iraq. He also pledged to address the two pressing challenges of the coronavirus epidemic and Iraqs ailing economy. But for many Iraqis, these pledges seem to be taken from the empty promises book that each and every one of their government leaders has used since regime change in 2003 in their bids to gain power. Of course, whether Al-Kadhimi will be different from his predecessors remains to be seen, but one key factor should be remembered: he is a member of the same corrupt and greedy elite that was empowered by the US Occupation Authority which is responsible for the disastrous policies that have paralysed the country for 17 years. Until his nomination Al-Kadhimi had led the Iraqi National Intelligence Service since 2016, working under former prime minister Haidar Al-Abadi and his successor Abdul-Mahdi. Al-Kadhimi has not published an official biography or resume, but a footnote accompanying articles he used to send to the US-based Monitor newsletter described him as specialising in the defence of democracy and human rights. Information shared on social media, however, shows that Iraqs PM-designate was born in 1967 in Baghdad to a Shia family that had migrated from southern Iraq. He adopted Al-Kadhimi as a pseudonym while in the United Kingdom where he sought refuge after fleeing Saddams ruthless rule in 1985, though Iraqi dissidents recall that he was not active in the anti-Saddam opposition. After the US-led invasion, Al-Kadhimi returned to Iraq to join the Iraqi Memory Foundation established by the Occupation Authority to document the Saddam regimes inner workings and atrocities. It is not clear why Al-Abadi chose Al-Kadhimi for the key post of Iraqs intelligence chief even though he had no background in political, public service, security or academic affairs, though family connections were widely mentioned. Al-Kadhimis nomination as prime minister has come as Iraqs ruling class has walked into a cul-de-sac, with their mismanagement and rampant corruption sparking extended protests and sit-ins by citizens since October. The Covid-19 epidemic has come just in time to save the ruling elite from collapse under Iraqs unprecedentedly massive protests, increasing instability, and increasing economic difficulties. Al-Kadhimi, therefore, was not a candidate of choice but rather of necessity after Abdul-Mahdis forced resignation and the failure of Allawi and Al-Zurfi before him in forming a government. As such, the critical question now is not whether Al-Kadhimi will succeed in assembling a cabinet, but rather if the ruling cliques will let him act as a true leader in his own right. The fact that many Iraqi politicians and factional leaders were present at his nomination ceremony does not necessarily suggest that Al-Kadhimis candidacy has a greater chance of success than the two previous appointees. Given the uncertainty surrounding Iraqs political process, the sleazy nature of Iraqi politicians, and the power struggle between rival sectarian and political groups, Al-Kadhimi is unlikely to speed on his way without hurdles. Soon after Al-Kadhimis nomination, Iraqi political groups reverted to the art they seem to have perfected of teetering on a knife-edge where anything can happen, even nothing at all. Key political blocs that hold sway inside Iraqs parliament immediately engaged in back-door bargaining over allocations of seats and sharing benefits in the new government. Meanwhile, pro-Iran factions that exercise enormous influence outside parliament have their own agendas and were quick to raise doubts about Al-Kadhimis intentions. The Kataib Hizbullah faction even went as far as to blast Al-Kadhimis nomination as an act of treason. The shadowy Iranian-backed militia had earlier accused Al-Kadhimi of being an American agent and called his choice for the job as a declaration of war. Remnants of the protesters who have remained in Baghdads Tahrirs Square, the epicentre of the anti-government demonstrations, also rejected Al-Kadhimi for being part of the establishment. Iran and the United States, the two foreign powers which compete for influence in Iraq, are expected to keep a close watch on Al-Kadhimi and his government before showing him any sign of acceptance. Against such a complex background it is hard to imagine that Al-Kadhimi will succeed in meeting the protesters demands to end their countrys deadlock or even preserve his job. Analysts, therefore, would do better to focus on the broader question of the post-Saddam leaderships failure, which is responsible for Iraqs dysfunctional governance and its political and economic incompetence. Since the US-led invasion, the political leadership has been one of the most daunting challenges for resource-rich Iraq and its inability to develop and expand as rapidly and efficiently as it should. While the US-led invasion is largely to blame for the countrys current stalemate, Iraqs own political leaders bear a huge responsibility for the nations failure to chart a sustainable course for recovery and development. Iraq sits on the worlds fifth-largest proven oil reserves, and it is the second-largest producer of crude oil in OPEC. It also has some 111.52 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas. Other natural resources include two large rivers and millions of hectares of fertile land. Iraq boasts all kinds of the human resources needed to make it compete favourably with its global counterparts. Once known for having the most highly educated population in the Middle East, Iraq has the potential of becoming a political, economic and technological regional powerhouse. It is unfortunate, therefore, that the enormous resources in Iraq cannot be judiciously exploited because of the inability of its leaders to unleash the countrys potential. The situation in Iraq is compounded by the corruption and avarice of these leaders who spend more time acquiring wealth than serving their people. For months, Iraqis have taken to the streets to protest against the rampant corruption, government mismanagement and lack of public services in their country. Yet, nothing has ranked higher on the protesters long list of grievances than their disgust and loathing for their greedy and self-serving political class. As the hectic endeavours to find a new prime minister over the last five months have shown, this ruling oligarchy has progressively succeeded in paralysing the country and draining it of its skilled and talented people in order to impose its hegemony over public space. Under the rule of this political class that has been running to stay in power for as long as possible, Iraq has become a barren political landscape that cannot attract good and talented people into the political leadership. It will likely not be too long before people realise that the choice of Al-Kadhimi for the premiership is a repeat of the game of the thrones episodes that have been going on in Iraq for the last 17 years. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: LONDON, April 14, 2020 /CNW/ - Materia Ventures ("Materia" or the "Company"), a medical cannabis and wellness company focused on the European market, today announced an exclusive license and distribution agreement with Feather Company Ltd. ("Feather") to bring its premium CBD brand Hiatus to the United Kingdom. "We're delighted to bring Hiatus to the United Kingdom as we curate a portfolio of some of the most respected brands in the industry," said Deepak Anand, CEO of Materia. "Vape pens are the second largest CBD product segment in the UK1 and consumers are placing their trust in companies that do not compromise on safety and quality. We believe Hiatus, Feather's CBD brand, embodies these principles, making it an ideal addition to our portfolio." Added Nick Pateras, Managing Director, Europe at Materia: "Over a quarter of UK CBD consumers report using vapes as a format, representing a segment worth 80M last year and growing quickly2. In light of the serious health issues reported from some off-label products, consumers need to be vigilant in the products they choose. Hiatus applies best-in-class practices in producing their innovative hardware and Materia's formulations adhere to the highest quality standards for manufacturing and testing - making health and wellness the absolute priority." Hiatus is a premium brand designed to appeal specifically to sophisticated consumers. The vaporizer pen is constructed of the highest quality materials and offers an iconic but discrete consumption experience. Hiatus will be offered in three varieties, targeting the largest need states of Rest, Focus and Revive. The launch will focus on established online distribution channels, subsequently broadening to brick-and-mortar stores as the UK retail environment permits. Under the terms of the agreement, Materia will manufacture and attain exclusive rights to market and distribute Hiatus' CBD disposable pen and cartridge and battery pen technology. "At Feather we believe good design has universal appeal and the opportunity to bring our intuitive product experiences to a broader audience is what drives us," said Patrick Lehoux, CEO of Feather. "Materia shares our passion for quality and customer experience and brings extensive expertise in navigating the competitive and regulatory environment in the UK. We're excited to partner with them to launch Hiatus and bring an elevated CBD consumption experience to all Britons." About Materia Ventures Materia Ventures' vision is to be the enabler of global cannabis access. Materia is developing a robust manufacturing and distribution ecosystem to grow the legal cannabis market across the European continent. With its expert, research driven team and state-of-the-art technology, Materia focuses on the high-margin downstream activities of processing, formulation and distribution into markets wherever there is a patient in need of cannabis medicine or CBD consumers seeking innovative new products. _____________________ 1 New Frontier Data, 2020 2 Materia Ventures CBD Consumer Segmentation Study, 2019 About Feather Company Feather Company Ltd. is a lifestyle design brand. We believe that good design combined with quality cannabis makes for great intuitive experiences. Our mission is simple, we make great products that elevate the everyday, one person and one moment at a time. With offices in Toronto, Sudbury and Ottawa, our multidisciplinary teams include brand, product design, research & development and marketing. Hiatus is a CBD premium brand with a mission to deliver elevated experiences for the sophisticated and educated consumer class. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and legal uncertainties; access to financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Neither Materia Ventures nor Feather assumes any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. Dennis Fong, Investor Relations, Materia, Telephone: 1-416-283-9930, Email: investors@materiaventures.com; Website: http://www.materiaventures.com/; Patrick Lehoux, CEO, Feather, Email: investors@feather.com SOURCE Materia Ventures Ride-hailing major Uber on Tuesday said the 'Essential' category on its platform is facilitating travel to locations like hospitals and pharmacies in Bengaluru, Nashik, Gurgaon, and Hyderabad amid the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. "With the full consent of authorities, this limited mobility solution has been providing efficient and reliable transportation for riders to essential service locations such as hospitals and pharmacies, as permitted and approved by local authorities," Uber said in a statement. All riders on Uber Essential are mandated to carry relevant documentation to validate their purpose of travel to authorities, it added. With the implementation of the lockdown across the country to contain the spread of COVID-19, the government has allowed only people in essential services like healthcare, banking and media to commute. With the extension in the lockdown period, such services will be beneficial for people who need to travel to hospitals for checkups. "Through Uber Essential, we are selectively offering rides for essential services only to cater to crucial travel requirements in select cities. Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we are leveraging our technology and network of driver-partners to enable citizens to access essential services, while simultaneously also helping authorities contain the spread of COVID-19," Uber India and South Asia Director-Operations and Head of Cities Prabhjeet Singh said. Uber said 'Essential' driver-partners are being provided masks, gloves, sanitizers, and safety training. "They are also being issued curfew passes by local law enforcement authorities to ensure seamless movement to essential service locations," the statement said. Uber Essential riders will receive reminders through in-app messages and emails about basic steps they can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. Riders in these cities can open the app to check the availability of UberEssential in their area and accessible locations nearby. The app, it said, has been designed to facilitate urgent travel needs to essential service areas only and has been live for the past few days. Uber's rival Ola has a similar service - Ola Emergency - that is operational in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Vizag, Bhubaneshwar, Nashik and Varanasi. The service, which is aimed at enabling medical trips that do not require an ambulance, will be expanded to other major cities soon, Ola had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The headquarters of technology company Imagination Technologies is seen on the outskirts of London, Britain, June 22, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Executives from Imagination Technologies have been summoned by MPs on Tuesday to answer question over concerns that the companys Chinese owner is planning to transfer ownership of its security software to a Chinese state-controlled investor, according to a BBC report. Imagination Technologies, one of the UKs most important chipmakers, was bought by Chinese state-owned investment company Canyon Bridge in 2017. Canyon Bridges main investor is state-owned venture capital fund China Reform, which was based in the US, but is now headquartered in the Cayman Islands. Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee told the BBC that he was worried that technology developed by Imagination Technologies, could be used to develop "backdoors" that would compromise strategically important digital networks in the UK. "The world has changed and companies - particularly tech companies - are on the frontline," Tugendhat told the BBC. "Whoever writes the code, writes the rules for the world There's no point in taking back control from Brussels, only to hand it over to Beijing." Sky News reported on Saturday (11 April) that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US had launched an investigation into China Reforms plans to take over Imagination Technologies. Imagination Technologies CEO Ron Black recently resigned over concerns about the companys Chinese owners. Sky News reported that chief product officer Steve Evans and chief technical officer John Rayfield, also handed in their resignations earlier this month over China Reforms attempt to seize control of the Imagination board by nominating four of its own directors. The boardroom coup was averted. The debate over Imagination Technologies is part of a larger debate in the US and Europe over allowing Chinese companies to be part of national digital infrastructure. So far, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has been the key concern, as governments discuss whether or not it should be allowed to supply components for the build out of 5G networks or if it could ultimately be compromised by having to answer to Beijing. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Germany beefs up law to block foreign takeovers A proposal by Delhi University officials to hold exams online by directing students to record video clips in response to questions has met with opposition from deans of various departments, sources said. During a meeting of deans various departments with senior university officials and Dean of Examinations Vinay Gupta over video link, officers suggested that eight questions will be sent to students and they would have to answer four of them by uploading a five-minute video clip in response. However, a number of deans termed it practically impossible and not feasible, the sources said. According to a professor who was part of the meeting, Deans said many of the students live in areas where there are connectivity issues and many of them might be good in writing but not fluent in speaking. The mode of examination will not test a student properly. Another apprehension raised by deans was that if a department has 2,000 students, professors would have to prepare 16,000 different questions. A professor wont be able to repeat the questions asked to one student for another. So, if a department has 2,000 students and each student has to be given a choice of eight questions, the professor would have to prepare 16,000 questions which is impossible, the professor said. According to sources, the DU is mulling to hold online exams but is awaiting for a directive from the University Grants Commission. Meanwhile, the Academics For Action and Development (AAD), a Congress-supported teachers group, condemned the arbitrary and authoritarian proposal of the university administration for online examinations. The examination in DU is a statutory process which can not be altered without approval of Academic Council and Executive Council. The online process of paper setting, submission of answers and evaluation has very high chances of tampering and pilferage, it said. Last week, the university had postponed practical and written exams till further notice and said all the date sheets stand withdrawn. PTI SLB NSD NSD Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the national lockdown for 19 more days, till May 3. This means India will have a lockdown of 40 days the longest any country, especially of Indias size, population and complexity, has had in the world so far. To be sure, there is a caveat. Depending on the spread of the disease over the next week, there will be relaxations, starting April 20, for necessary activities in states, districts, or subregions which have not witnessed cases, have brought it under control, or have succeeded in the controlling the situation in hotspots clusters with a high number of cases. The PM is right about the lockdown. Till there are medical remedies to deal with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), social distancing remains the most effective tool to prevent the transmission of this highly contagious virus. India, with its weak health infrastructure, does not have the capacity to deal with a high number of cases. The hope remains, just as it was when the lockdown was originally announced on March 24, that this period will help India flatten the curve; it will also give time and space to the government to enhance testing, focus on containment zones, provide personal protective equipment to health workers, embark on antibody testing, and gradually prepare the country for a return to economic life. But this can only be one part of the story. The public health strategy has enormous economic costs. It is true lives have to be saved. But along with the lockdown, India should have announced a comprehensive stimulus for the economy just as other countries have. Around the world, countries have unveiled economic relief packages for everyone individuals, businesses, and provinces. Just as India has led on the lockdown front, it has lagged on this. India should have, by now, outlined specific measures for businesses which are becoming increasingly unviable; workers who stare at long-term unemployment; the poor who are already confronting the possibility of starvation and hunger; and states, which are at the frontlines of the battle but are fiscally constrained and have been seeking support. It was not enough for the PM to acknowledge that he was aware of these difficulties; it was time to show, in detail, how the Centre plans to help specific sectors, vulnerable citizens, and state governments in this battle. This must be the next step in the governments plan and the PM should take personal ownership and announce it himself. Finance Ministry on Monday held a review meeting with the heads of public sector banks, and instructed them to extend all possible help to all sectors of the economy within prudential guidelines to tide over the crisis following COVID-19 outbreak and consequent lockdown. The review meeting - held via video conference - reviewed banks functioning during the lockdown and also took stock of liquidity situation, sources said. The ministry asked the banks to devise strategy for the post lockdown period and readiness for meeting the future challenges. The two-hour long meeting took stock of disbursement of financial assistance through direct benefit transfer (DBT) under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to help poor and daily wagers to sustain during the lockdown triggered by outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the Rs 1.70 lakh crore relief package, the government announced cash doles to women, poor senior citizens and farmers to mitigate the hardships faced due to the lockdown. According to the sources, it was reiterated that banks should ensure cash availability to meet the demands of customers. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Also read: PMs message: Fighting the virus the priority, the economy will have to wait The meeting also deliberated on the deterioration of asset quality due to extended lockdown, the sources said, adding bankers were of the view that there were risks of rising defaults but difficult to make assessment till the system stabilises. Currently, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed a three months mortarium for all kinds of term loan, including retail and crop loans as well as working capital payments. After the moratorium is over, banks will be in position to assess the stress in the system due to coronavirus outbreak. Indian Banks' Association (IBA) plans to request the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for extension of moratorium period beyond three months. Last week, SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar had said banks through IBA will request for raising the loan moratorium period from the existing three months to may be 5-6 months depending on evolving situation. For revival of the economy, sources said, banks have been asked to prepare a roadmap. Banks pitched for government guarantees against their loans to certain risk prone sectors in order to revive flow of credit in the economy post lockdown. "In the current circumstances, this (government guarantee) would be the best way and this is what we have been telling the government. The risk capital comes from the government, liquidity comes from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the intermediation is done by the public sector banks. So that is a workable model because the risk appetite of banks is limited. Also read: COVID-19 | Bhilwara and Kerala offer hope during this pandemic "I believe there are various suggestions and the government has appointed empowered groups. All this information will be gathered, analysed and then we can expect some package and an exit plan from the lockdown," Kumar had said. Last month, the Prime Minister's office (PMO) constituted 11 empowered groups including on economy and welfare. The group headed by Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty is not only looking at the pain points of the economy but also the distress and misery being faced by a large section of the society who have been rendered jobless due to the outbreak. Besides Chakraborty, the other members of the panel are Expenditure Secretary T V Somnathan, Labour Secretary Hiralal Samariya, Rural Development Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Department of Financial Services Additional Secretary Pankaj Jain, Joint Secretary in Prime Minister's Office Arvind Shrivastava and Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat Amrapali Kata. The panel is also looking at the rural distress. News that parliament has been dissolved in Hungary is fake, the foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, said in an interview to CNN. Parliament is sitting. This week, for example it met for three days, he told the news anchor who pointed out that the French National Assembly, the British Parliament and the US Congress were all functioning. Questioned why the government felt that it needed to rule by decree indefinitely when it already had an overwhelming majority, Szijjarto said the powers granted to it by parliament were needed in order to curb the coronavirus epidemic and only related to that imperative. Further, he said parliament was empowered to end the state of emergency. Security Service General Valeriy Shaitanov met with executors of the assassination attempt on Osmayev in four European countries; the video of Shaitanovs arrest also appeared The Security Service of Ukraine has made public audio recordings evidencing that Major-General Valeriy Shaitanov worked for Russian special services and was preparing the murder of volunteer Adam Osmayev. The SBU press service published the record of telephone conversations. During the investigation, it was discovered that Shaitanov had been secretly meeting with representatives of Russian special services not only in Ukraine but also in France, Germany and Croatia. On audio recordings of conversations, it can be heard that the parties planned to commit terrorist attacks. They also discussed the amount of reward and ways of the murder of Adam Osmayev, the concealment of evidence of a crime, as well as the ways of retreat to Russia. The SBU claims to have evidence that, on task of the Russian special services, the Major-General planned terrorist acts in Ukraine and as a reward for this, an FSB representative allegedly promised a $200,000 reward and a Russian citizen's passport. According to the investigator, Shaitanov collected and transferred to the Russian side information on covert operations in the Donbas conflict area and provided many other classified information. On April 14, the counter-intelligence service of the SBU detained Security Service Major-General Valeriy Shaitanov, who allegedly planned the assassination of a volunteer Adam Osmayev on the task of the Russian special services. According to the case file, Shaitanov, who is one of the former heads of the SBU Special Operations Center A, was actually in an agent under the pseudonym Bobyl and was in connection with FSB Colonel Igor Egorov. Valeriy Shaitanov was arrested in Holosiivky district of the capital on Vasylkivska Street. 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. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, life-sustaining" businesses that remain open have taken several steps such as cleaning, putting shields between their employees and customers, starting curbside services to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Now many grocery and drug stores, banks, hardware stores, beer distributors and others are taking yet another step: Limiting the number of people allowed in their stores and offices. To further promote social distancing, many banks have closed their lobbies, directing most customers to their drive-thrus. Retailers, larget and small, have limited customers in their stores by varying methods. Heres a look at some of those central Pennsylvania businesses are doing: READ MORE: Aldi Last week, Aldi began restricting the number of shoppers to five people per 1,000 square feet. Store employees are enforcing the rule by tracking the number of customers who come in and out, the company said on its website. Theyre also requesting just one person per family complete shopping trips when possible. Health care workers are allowed immediate access to the store if they provide proper identification. Americhoice Federal Credit Union Multiple locations AmeriChoice has closed its branch lobbies, and continues to serve its members through its drive-thru lanes and by appointment at its branches. AT&T (retail stores): Multiple locations The company is limiting the number of customers allowed in its stores at the same time to ensure proper social distancing - 1 to 1 ratio, customer to employee. AT&T is asking customers to first go online to handle bill payments, troubleshoot, upgrade devices, activations or service requests for wireless, internet and video. Existing customers can get curbside pick-up for online orders at an open AT&T store. Batteries Plus Bulbs Stores in Lower Paxton and Lower Allen townships. The owner of the Harrisburg area stores is limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time to four customers. Battery Warehouse 5399 Jonestown Road, Lower Paxton Township The store is open. If customers would prefer not to enter the store, they can call once they are parked and an employee can help them at their vehicle. If at any point a stores occupancy reaches 10 people, the store will ask that any additional customers wait to enter the premises until occupancy falls below 10. Best Buy There are locations in Lower Paxton and Silver Spring townships. Best Buy is open for business but only employees are allowed inside its stores. The electronics retailer is offering a curbside pickup service. Customers may shop online or on the company app. They select Use Curbside Pickup on the Review and Place Your Order screen. Customers will then receive an email when their order is ready. The confirmation email will include instructions on where to park and how to let the store employees know when youve arrived. When the customer gets to the store, they will arrive at the store, pop the trunk and wait for someone to deliver their order. Blossers Brew-Thru 222. E High St., Carlisle The store has asked customers to stay in their cars. Brass Rail Beverage 2828 Horseshoe Pike, South Londonderry Township The store is asking customers to voluntarily help to limit the total number of customers in the store to four at any time. Breski Beverage 1170 Eisenhower Blvd., Swatara Township Breski Beverage is no longer allowing customers inside its building and will provide curbside service only until further notice. Centric Bank Multiple locations The bank has limited branch service to its drive-thru lanes only, but will provide in-person appointments for its existing customers. Citizens Bank Multiple locations Branch lobbies will only be open by appointment and limited to two customers at a time. All drive-ups will remain open. In-store branches installed plexiglass teller windows and will service one customer at a time while adhering to social distancing protocols; bankers will be available by appointment only. Costco 5125 Jonestown Road, Lower Paxton Township Costco allows no more than two people to enter the warehouse with each membership card. CVS Pharmacy Multiple locations CVS has implemented a limit of 40 customers per location nationwide. If a state or city has a more stringent mandate, they will abide by those standards. CVSs MinuteClinic is only accepting patients by appointment. If a patient arrives at the clinic without an appointment, there will be signage to let them know CVS is not accepting walkin patients for the time being. The signage will direct them to make an appointment at MinuteClinic.com or with the CVS Pharmacy app. F&M Trust Multiple locations F&M Trust closed all of its community office lobbies. Customers can still access the banks drive-up services during normal banking hours, with offices providing access to safe deposit boxes and banking services that require an in-person meeting by appointment only. Giant Multiple locations The Giant Company announced it will be cutting down on the number of people who can shop in stores at one time. The number of permitted customers will vary based on location and the size of the store, management. This week, Giant employees began standing out front and tracking the number of shoppers entering its stores. Once it has reached capacity, customers will be asked to wait in line outside until more people exit. The company is requesting only one person shop per family when at all possible. Golden Brew Distributing 3995 N. George St. Ext., East Manchester, York County Only 10 people can be in the store at a time. Home Depot: There are Home Depot stores in Lower Paxton Township, Swatara Township, South Middleton Township and Hampden Township. The retailer says it is limiting the number of customers it is allowing into its stores at one time. IVX Health Locations in Hampden and Lower Paxton townships. The company has limited center access to patients and essential staff only. Unless for physical or safety reasons, the company will require guests to wait outside the center until the infusion is complete. Karns There are multiple Karns locations. Karns says it is monitoring the number of customers that are shopping within its stores and for the past two weeks Karns has been monitoring its hour-by-hour sales and customer count. From there it has been putting those numbers into the formulas that it says other major grocery retailers are using to set and enforce their limits which is five customers per 1,000 square feet of store space. But the store has not yet placed an associate at the entrance to do a firm count and either deny entry or permit entrance because it has yet to reach the five customers per 1,000 square feet in any of its locations but will continue to monitor the situation. Keystone Pharmacy 830 Fifth Avenue, Chambersburg, Franklin County The Keystone Pharmacy is open and offering curbside service only for prescriptions and over the counter medications. Lowes Lowes has stores in Lower Paxton, South Middleton and Hampden townships. Lowes has developed an app to implement a new customer limit protocol. Each store manager can now monitor foot traffic and limit entrance based on CDC and local guidelines. M&T Bank Multiple locations All drive-up windows remain open. Branch lobbies are open by appointment only. Members 1st Federal Credit Union Multiple locations The credit unions offices will be only available by appointment only. Members can still use the drive-thru lanes. Mid Penn Bank Multiple locations Mid Penn Bank closed all of its branch lobbies. Customers have access to the banks drive-thru lanes during normal banking hours. Northwest Bank Multiple locations Lobby access is by appointment only but the banks drive-thru lanes are open. Ollies Bargain Outlet Stores in Hampden and Lower Paxton townships The chain is limiting the number of people in its stores to no more than 50 at a time. Orrstown Bank Multiple locations The bank has temporarily closed all branch lobbies for transaction purposes. Clients are welcome to utilize any of the banks drive-up facilities. The bank has implemented a by-appointment only process where it will meet with clients face-to-face for critical and essential needs that cannot be serviced remotely or via a drive-up, such as a loan settlement or safe deposit box access request. Pet Valu Multiple locations Grooming Salons and Self Serve Dog Wash are temporarily closed and only two customers are permitted in the stores at a time for safe social distancing PeoplesBank Multiple locations PeoplesBank announced that it has limited the majority of its financial center locations to drive-thru only service. PNC Bank Multiple locations The bank operates primarily in a drive-up only mode, augmented with select branches that do not provide drive-up capability. Rite Aid Rite Aid has numerous stores in the midstate. Rite Aid is adhering to any limits set by local municipalities regarding the number of customers allowed to shop at any one time in stores. S&T Bank Multiple locations All branches with a drive-up will operate as drive-up window service only and all branches without a drive-up are temporarily closed to the public. Sherwin Williams Multiple locations The sales floors are closed to customers. The retailer is using a curbside pick up service for all orders. Customers have to call in their orders and then pick them up curbside. Staples Staples has stores in Derry township, Lower Paxton Township and Camp Hill Staples says it is limiting the number of people inside its stores and requiring social distancing Target Target has stores Lower Paxton, South Middleton, Silver Spring and Swatara townships. Target is monitoring the number of customers in stores nationwide. The retailer said occupancy limits will vary based on location and each stores size. Truist Multiple locations Truist, includes BB&T and SunTrust branches. For most locations, the banks are open through the drive-thru lanes with in-branch consultations by appointment only. Some branches without drive-thru lanes that serve a critical community need will remain open, but with regular enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols, the bank announced. The UPS Store: There are a number of UPS Stores in the midstate. With the store locations practicing social distancing, customers limits are up to the individual franchise owners, and largely depends on the square footage and layout of the location, a spokesperson said in an e-mail to PennLive. Walmart: Walmart has several midstate locations. Starting this past Saturday, Walmart limited the number of customers who can be in a store at once. Stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a stores capacity. To manage this restriction, the associates at a store will mark a queue at a single-entry door (in most cases, the grocery entrance) and direct arriving customers there, where they will be admitted one-by-one and counted. Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a 1-out-1-in basis. Wegmans 6416 Carlisle Pike, Silver Spring Township Wegmans is operating its stores at 15 to 20 percent of its maximum occupancy. This is a company-wide initiative and something the chain has been enacting at the store level as needed. The store team monitors traffic and determines when they need to implement the policy, and as customers exit, the next customers are let in. Wells Fargo Multiple locations Some locations are closed. Most drive-thru locations are open while other banking needs are available by appointment only. Xfinity store by Comcast 5094 Jonestown Road, Lower Paxton Township The store does not have a specific limit on the number of customers in its store at a time but if there are too many people in the store they will ask people to wait outside until there are fewer people in the store. --Sign up for PennLives newsletters 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. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a telephonic conversation with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and the two leaders discussed challenges posed by the COVID-19. As per an official release, "the two leaders discussed the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and apprised each other of the steps being taken in their respective countries to control the situation." Prime Minister Modi also appreciated the measures taken by Abbas' authorities to protect their population from the virus and assured all possible support from India for these efforts. The two leaders will stay in touch over various issues regarding the global pandemic. Palestine has so far reported 308 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Junko Horiuchi, KYODO NEWS - Apr 14, 2020 - 10:31 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Recent decisions by major Japanese retailers including Seven & i Holdings Co. and Takashimaya Co. to forego the release of earnings guidance due to the coronavirus outbreak highlights the seriousness of Japan's consumption slump. Convenience stores, supermarkets and drugstores, exempt from the government's business closure requests, are among the small number of companies benefitting from changing consumer behavior as people spending more time at home stock up on frozen and processed foods as well as basic necessities. But analysts say the new consumption pattern won't lift the economy out of slowdown and that questions remain about how effective the state of emergency through May 6 will be in containing the coronavirus. "It's true some retailers and online grocery stores are benefiting from demand from people staying home," said Hideyuki Araki, an analyst at Resona Research Institute. But while the economic effect of increased sales at convenience stores and supermarkets in offsetting the impact on overall consumer demand "remains unclear," they will not be enough to make up for lost sales in other areas of consumption such as dining out, he said. Coronavirus: List of shops closed in Tokyo following emergency declaration Among major retailers, Seven & i, which operates the Sogo and Seibu department store chains, Takashimaya, which operates the Takashimaya department store chain, and Ryohin Keikaku Co., which runs the Muji chain of stores, said they cannot provide their year-to-February earnings forecast due to the uncertain consumption outlook. Supermarket operator Aeon Co. omitted a net profit outlook in its earnings estimate for the year through February. "There are so many uncertain factors, and we do not want to cause confusion by making a forecast," Seven & i President Ryuichi Isaka told a press conference last week. Operating profit in its department store business for the year to February fell 78.7 percent from a year earlier to 797 million yen ($7 million), hit by plunges in duty-free sales to inbound travelers since late January and to domestic consumers. But overall, Seven & i logged a record operating profit of 424.27 billion yen, up 3.1 percent, helped by increased earnings by Seven-Eleven convenience stores in Japan and abroad. Takashimaya President Yoshio Murata said at a press conference Monday, "The outlook for the containment of the coronavirus outbreak remains uncertain, and calculating the impact of the government's declaration of a state of emergency and its economic stimulus package is difficult. We are also not sure how long our outlets will remain closed." J. Front Retailing Co., operator of Daimaru and Matsuzakaya department stores, said Friday it expects a 76.5 percent drop in net profit to 5 billion yen for the year through February. (A worker wearing goggles and a mask informs a car driver of the closure of a department store in Fukuoka.) Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, revised down its group net profit estimate for the year ending in August to 100 billion yen from the previously projected 165 billion yen, saying the figure is based on its current assumption that sales will gradually recover from June. Convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. said it expects its net profit to grow 37.8 percent in the year to February to 60 billion yen but added the guidance could be revised as the outlook is murky. Wakaba Kobayashi, analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research, warns that more companies may be forced to take further cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, consequently prolonging the economic slump. "If more employees see their salaries cut as a result of workforce adjustments, the recovery in private consumption even after the containment of the coronavirus would be moderate," Kobayashi said. Resona Research's Araki predicts that a drop in private consumption due to the pandemic will push down Japan's gross domestic product by 10.8 percentage points in the currently planned period of the state of emergency from April 7 to May 6. Related coverage: Japan PM Abe criticized over stay-at-home video showing him lounging 82% say gov't should compensate for business suspension: Kyodo poll Wearing face masks, many go to work despite Abe's call for telework People with underlying medical conditions who would be at high risk if they contracted coronavirus are being effectively denied healthcare due to their immigration status, under measures that are inappropriate and dangerous to maintain during a pandemic, doctors have claimed. Medical groups including the British Medical Association and Doctors of the World UK are calling on the government to suspend NHS charging regulations and data sharing, which they say risk undermining national efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19. The current NHS charging policy, introduced in 2018 as part of the hostile environment, charges non-EU patients 50 per cent more than it costs the NHS to treat them, and requires hospital staff to demand proof of entitlement to free healthcare. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, ministers introduced regulations on 29 January that meant no charge could be made to an overseas visitor for diagnosis or treatment of the virus, saying it was very important, for public health protection, that overseas visitors are not deterred from seeking treatment for Covid-19. But in a letter to the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care, the organisations stated that even this policy forced medics to spend time establishing whether a patient should be charged or not, which they said was wholly inappropriate. They also said the rule failed to ensure that those with pre-existing conditions were able seek the care they needed without fear of charging or exposure to immigration enforcement. The letter said: In accordance with the regulations, which increase workloads and take time away from patient care, for the purposes of billing, doctors are required to not only make decisions about the urgency of any overseas patients care, but now must also determine whether treatment is being provided in relation to Covid-19. This is a wholly inappropriate use of NHS time amid the current crisis. Doctors of the World UK supports patients who are seriously unwell and fall into the Covid-19 high-risk groups, and whom it claims are being effectively denied NHS services. These people are at increased risk of requiring inpatient care if they contract the virus but, if hospitalised, would not be entitled to free NHS treatment for their pre-existing condition, the letter stated. It argued that suspending charging regulations, and associated immigration checks and data sharing, at least for the duration of the crisis, was a sensible and necessary step in the fight against coronavirus that would ensure the most vulnerable could safely and confidently access medical care. A government spokesperson said: The government has added coronavirus to the list of infectious diseases for which everyone from overseas can receive treatment or testing free of charge. Given that charges do not apply for coronavirus treatment, NHS trusts have been reminded that immigration checks to establish entitlement to free care are therefore not required. We have clearly communicated this and will soon be publishing information about the free treatment of coronavirus in around 40 different languages, to ensure the messaging is clear. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The enhanced community quarantine imposed over Luzon and other regions in the country helped slow down the spread of COVID-19, a new local study revealed. Experts from the University of the Philippines' COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team said the quarantine along with other safety measures undertaken by the government was "relatively" successful in curbing the spread of the infectious disease, as case doubling time also slowed down. "Time-series analysis shows it now takes a little longer for the number of confirmed cases to double in number," the team said in a policy note released Tuesday. "What took 3 days for the total number of cases to double now takes about 6 days to happen." The study noted that based on estimates, the Philippines would have logged around 9,000 to 44,000 possible cases of COVID-19 by the end of April. "In general, this indicates the relative success of the ECQ along with other interventionsin containing the spread of the virus." The study also attributed the effectiveness of the quarantine measures to the current mortality rate in the country, which stands at 5.38 percent with a reproduction number of 0.6398 (lower than 1). Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesperson of the government's COVID-19 Task Force, also backed the data, noting that the country would have reported hundreds of thousands of COVID-related deaths if a lockdown was not implemented. The whole of Luzon has been placed under quarantine until the end of April with the country still battling the pandemic. Several local government units in other regions followed suit. Under enhanced community quarantine measures, movement of residents expect for essential workers in select sectors is restricted in an effort to stop the virus' spread. Mass transportation was also banned. 'Not sustainable in the long run' The group of experts from the state university, however, noted that a region-wide quarantine may not be sustainable in the long run. "Prolonged restriction on the movement of goods and services over a large area (i.e. region-wide) can unnecessarily paralyze local economies," it added. The team then proposed for a "graduated activation" of the quarantine after April 30 particularly for COVID high-risk areas. It suggested that only provinces and other local government units reporting numbers of cases near the outbreak threshold may be placed under ECQ. Those with less cases can instead practice measures like social distancing and contact tracing, among others. The study also pushed for the rollout of a nationwide barangay-level COVID-19 data, saying real-time information makes it easier "to project the rate of spread and identify locations of hotspots and outbreaks on a daily basis." Latest DOH records show the Philippines has 4,932 cases of the contagious disease, with 315 fatalities and 242 recoveries. Flamingos form friendships that last for years, new research shows. The five-year study reveals that, despite being highly social as part of large flocks, flamingos consistently spend time with specific close "friends". They also avoid certain individuals, suggesting some flamingos just don't get on. The University of Exeter study examined four flamingo species at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, and found social bonds including "married" couples, same-sex friendships and even groups of three and four close friends. "Our results indicate that flamingo societies are complex. They are formed of long-standing friendships rather than loose, random connections," said Dr Paul Rose, of the University of Exeter. "Flamingos don't simply find a mate and spend their time with that individual. "Some mating couples spend much of their time together, but lots of other social bonds also exist. "We see pairs of males or females choosing to 'hang out', we see trios and quartets that are regularly together. "Flamingos have long lives - some of the birds in this study have been at Slimbridge since the 1960s - and our study shows their friendships are stable over a period of years. "It seems that - like humans - flamingos form social bonds for a variety of reasons, and the fact they're so long-lasting suggests they are important for survival in the wild." Dr Rose said the findings could help in the management of captive flamingos. "When moving birds from one zoo to another, we should be careful not to separate flamingos that are closely bonded to each other," he said. The study - which used data from 2012-16 - examined flocks of Caribbean, Chilean, Andean and Lesser flamingos. The flocks varied in size from just over 20 to more than 140, and the findings suggest larger flocks contained the highest level of social interactions. "The simple lesson of this is that captive flamingo flocks should contain as many birds as reasonably possible," Dr Rose said. The study found that seasons affected social interactions, with more bonds forming in spring and summer - the breeding season. In three of the four flocks, the study also looked at condition of the birds (measured by the health of their feet) to see if there were links between social lives and health. No link was found, and Dr Rose said this could mean that socialising is so important to flamingos that they continue to do it even if they are not feeling at their best. ### The paper, published in the journal Behavioural Processes, is entitled: "Evaluating the social networks of four flocks of captive flamingos over a five-year period: Temporal, environmental, group and health influences on assortment." [April 14, 2020] Ibotta Launches New Campaign to Bring Attention to Wasteful Paper Couponing Industry DENVER, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ibotta, the leading mobile rewards and payments platform in the United States, today announced the launch of its inaugural sustainability event to raise awareness of the more than 37,000 trees wasted every day on unused paper coupons. To assist in the efforts, Ibotta has assembled a coalition of purpose-driven CPG brands, including Post Consumer Brands, and more than 20 others. In advance of Earth Day's 50th Anniversary, Ibotta will help offset the enormous environmental impact of paper coupon production by partnering with Trees for the Future to plant up to 1 million trees during the month-long sustainability campaign starting April 14. The company will feature a real-time tree tracker on its website to capture progress towards the 1 million tree goal throughout the duration of the campaign. The website will also showcase CPG partners who have committed to reduce or eliminate paper couponing by 2021. The Life of a Paper Coupon Every year, roughly 13 million trees are cut down for paper coupon production . However, consumers redeem less than one percent of the 256.5 billion paper coupons printed every year. The result is more than 1 million trees wasted every monh on unused paper coupons, and residential households owning the waste management burden. "In 2012 we set out to digitize coupons and disrupt an inefficient industry. This mission is even more critical now as we continue to examine our role and responsibility in protecting the environment," said Bryan Leach, founder and CEO of Ibotta. "By empowering our Savers and partners with the proper tools, resources, and support to make an impact at such a pivotal time for environmental awareness, we strongly believe that together we will work toward a better future and help drive sustainable change toward permanently cutting coupon waste in the next few years." Each Offer Redeemed Helps Reach Goal of 1 Million Trees Planted Beginning April 14, Ibotta will amplify special cash back offers and promotions to its users from CPG brands they know and love, including: American Licorice Company Ban Deodorant CLIF Danone Edgewell Personal Care Elmhurst Honest Company John Frieda Hair Care JUST Company Luvo Nestle New Belgium Brewing Pacific Foods Perfect Snacks Post Consumer Brands Rosina Foods RXBAR Similasan Trans-Ocean Two Good "New Belgium believes in honoring nature at every turn of the business and we're thrilled to partner with another thoughtful company like Ibotta," said Katie Wallace, director of social and environmental impact, New Belgium Brewing. "Among their many environmental benefits, healthy forests are some of our favorite playgrounds and they provide essential water for beer. By using electronic offers and planting more trees, we can preserve our forests for adventure, celebration, and to sustain life. Cheers to that!" "Forests help clean our air and water, provide habitat for wildlife, support a healthy climate, and so much more," said a spokesperson at Clif Bar. "Today, wildfires, drought, and other climate changerelated impacts have put forests at risk. That's why Clif Bar is on a mission to plant one million trees by 2025 and partnering with Ibotta and other groups to support critical tree planting programs. Working together, we believe that one day soon we'll all breathe a whole lot easier." "As thought leaders in the CPG industry, we know how challenging it is for our partners to convert entirely to digital promotions, despite the low redemption rates of paper coupons," continued Leach. "We're proud to have so many household, mission-driven brands join our efforts to bring attention to the unnecessary waste caused by paper couponing." To learn more about Ibotta's inaugural sustainability event this month, including the full list of CPG brand partners and cash back offers, and to view the real-time tree tracker in partnership with Trees for the Future, visit Ibotta's website here . About Ibotta, Inc. Headquartered in Denver, CO, Ibotta ("I bought a...") is a free-to-use cash back rewards platform that has delivered nearly $700 million in cumulative cash rewards to its users for making purchases in-store, on mobile apps, via websites or through Pay with Ibotta. Launched in 2012, Ibotta has more than 38 million downloads, is one of the most frequently used shopping and payments apps in the United States, and offers cash back on purchases at more than 1,500 leading brands and retail partners. Ibotta was named to the 2019 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., after debuting on the list in 2018, and the company has also been named as a Top Workplace by The Denver Post three years in a row. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibotta-launches-new-campaign-to-bring-attention-to-wasteful-paper-couponing-industry-301039939.html SOURCE Ibotta [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] This weekend, OPEC and its partners managed to agree on a historic oil production cut to the tune of 9.7 million bpd. The initial number the cartel eyed was 10 million bpd, some 300,000 bpd higher than what it managed to agree upon. Most global oil producers were happy to cut output in the face of the greatest glut in history, but one nation wasnt keen on participating. As Oilprice.com reported last Friday, Mexico was asked to cut oil production by 400,000 bpd, a large cut for a producer that has seen its production gradually decline over the last decade. The North American country would have suffered a double whammy of low oil prices and falling production if it wasnt for their hedging strategy. Mexicos hacienda hedge is the worlds largest of its kind. The country buys put options on oil from banks, trading houses, and oil companies in a series of about 50 transactions. Like Russia, Mexico expected lower oil prices this year and adjusted their fiscal budget accordingly to $49 per barrel for 2020, this was also the price at which it hedged its crude exports. With its exports hedged at pre-oil crash prices, its not a surprise that Mexico wasnt eager to agree to deep output cuts. The success of the hedging strategy has not gone unnoticed. Today, a researcher for Chinas largest state-owned oil company CNPC floated the idea of copying the Mexican model. While China is a major importer of crude oil, the countrys oil companies produced 3,78 million bpd in December 2019, most of which is unhedged. And while Chinese refineries seized the opportunity to stock up on cheap crude last month, its drillers saw their upstream revenue evaporate, forcing them to cut capital expenditure and postpone or cancel new projects. CNPCs oil market research department head Dai Jiaquan said that Chinese oil companies could mitigate risks by using derivatives in order to ensure more stable returns. Shanghai crude futures, which started trading on March 26 of last year, have now become somewhat of a regional benchmark, and according to Dai Jiaquan, the yuan-denominated crude contract makes the process easier, stating that Now that Shanghai crude oil futures are listed and functioning well, it is necessary to make full use of financial means to hedge the risk of price fluctuations, Story continues Related: Trump Strikes Deal With Mexico To Help Cut Oil Production In OPEC+ Deal The use of derivatives in crude trading wouldnt just benefit Chinese producers, it could also benefit the Chinese state as it looks to lock in a steady flow of crude for its petroleum reserve at a reasonable price. Chinas large oil companies have used hedging strategies before with mixed results. Back in 2018, Chinas largest refiner Sinopec posted a large trading loss after wrong calls on the market led to disappointing results. The large losses even prompted Chinese regulators to tighten its rules for state-owned companies in the commodities sector, capping hedging of commodities-related trades at 80% of physical volumes. Under the new rules that the Chinese state asset regulator approved in January of this year, state-owned enterprises with high debt ratios that continue to post losses could be banned from trading derivatives entirely. By Tom Kool of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com The wife of a former Bloomberg news correspondent says the company spiked her husbands investigative piece about Chinese communist party elites to protect its business interests, and then tried to silence her into signing a non-disclosure just as he had done. They assumed that because I was the wife of their employee, I was the wife, journalist Leta Hong Fincher told NPR in a story that was published Tuesday. I was just an appendage of their employee. I was not a human being, she added. Fincher is married to former Bloomberg News Beijing correspondent Mike Forsythe. He was part of a team who published an award-winning investigation into the wealth of members of the Chinese ruling class in 2012, which Fincher says earned their family death threats and made them move to Hong Kong. Also Read: Bloomberg Offers to Release 3 Women From Nondisclosure Agreements Over His Past Comment In late 2013, a follow-up story on the countrys richest man and his ties to elites, including President Xi Jinping, was suddenly cut, with Bloomberg editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler and other editors saying that additional reporting was needed to run the story. However, NPR obtained an audio recording of Winkler explaining on a conference call that the countrys communist party could shut us down if it were to run. It is for sure going to, you know, invite the Communist Party to, you know, completely shut us down and kick us out of the country, Winkler said on the call. So, I just dont see that as a story that is justified. After the first story ran, according to NPR, China held up not only processes Bloombergs news division, but the leases for state-owned businesses Bloomberg terminals, the machines that earned former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg so much of his money. Eventually, Forsythe was benched, then fired, after being accused of leaking about the situation to other outlets. He signed an NDA, but his wife Fincher didnt. Fincher says Bloomberg News tried to pressure her into one. Story continues There was no reason why I should have to sign a nondisclosure agreement because I didnt possess any damaging material about the company, she said. Later, she added that Bloomberg News assumed Forsythe would be able to silence her. Thats not the kind of relationship that we have, she said. At the time, Michael Bloomberg denied that the 2013 story was spiked. The topic of his companys use of non-disclosure agreements came up again during his unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination this year. At the February 2020 debate, then-candidate Elizabeth Warren attacked Bloomberg over his use of non-disclosure agreements in settlements with former female employees who brought sexual harassment lawsuits against his company. They decided when they made an agreement that they wanted to keep it quiet for everybodys interest. They signed the agreements and thats what were going to live with, he replied. Days later, Bloomberg said the female employees would be released from their NDAs. A spokesperson for Bloomberg News declined comment on the NPR piece. You can listen to NPRs report above. Read original story Bloomberg News Fired Reporter After Spiking China Investigation, Then Tried To Silence His Wife, She Says At TheWrap Getty Hoping to ward off a global pandemic with no known cure, Americans have turned to increasingly desperate options: swallowing fish tank cleaner, popping colloidal silver, chugging Alex Jones Superblue Silver Immune Gargle. But the latest trend comes from a source a little closer to home: human breast milk. Milk sellers across the country told The Daily Beast they have seen an increase in buyers reaching out to purchase breast milknot to feed their babies, but to boost their immunity against the new coronavirus. While the practice is rare, and highly discouraged by health experts, the principle behind it is being studied by at least two prominent universities. Its an interesting idea, said Lars Bode, chair of Collaborative Human Milk Research at the University of California, San Diego. Maybe not the right thing to do for multiple different reasons. But the idea that human milk could contain COVID-fighting properties? That, he said, is not too far-fetched. Is Breast Milk Really Best? Online breast milk sales are an established market in the U.S., if not a well-regulated one. On websites like Only the Breast and Happy Bellies Happy Babies, self-described overproducers market their milk to mothers who underproduce, or to single fathers or gay men who cant produce milk of their own. Because breast milk is classified as food, it can be traded without the troublesome regulations that apply to most bodily fluids. Sellers have described making up to $20,000 a year hawking their milk for up to $3 an ounce. But the unregulated nature of the trade means it's also susceptible to scammers and creeps. Sites like Only the Breast are plagued with fetishists who get off on drinking breast milkand who will pay a pretty penny to drink it directly from the source. Body builders have also gotten in on the action lately, avowing that breast milk is liquid gold for muscle growth. Even before coronavirus, adults were seeking out breast milk because of its known benefits to infants immune systems. When exposed to certain viruses, mothers make antibodies that are passed down through their breast milk. Complex sugars called oligosaccharides found in human milk can also help ward off nasty gut bacteria. Some mothers have previously reported selling their milk to people with chronic autoimmune disorders. Story continues Ari Marquez, a seller at Only The Breast, said she often sells to mothers looking to boost their babies immune systemsa common request during flu season. But in recent weeks, a man in his midthirties reached out about securing the milk for himself, saying something about how the human hormones would boost his immunity to the coronavirus. (He also liked that this supposed cure was basically organic.) Marquez said she sold him 30 oz. Christie Denham, the founder of Happy Bellies Happy Babies, told The Daily Beast her site has also fielded requests from grown men seeking coronavirus protection in the form of breast milk. One female donor even drank her own breast milk after she came down with what she believed was the virus, hoping to speed her recovery. That mom, Crystal Nelson, said she got the idea from other women posting similar ideas in her breastfeeding Facebook group. "Nobody has reached out to me specifically for antibodies, but what they are saying is, Can I drink my own breast milk, will it help me? she said. Along with drinking her own milk, Nelson continued to donate milk to two other mothers throughout her illness. One of the moms had a baby with gastrointestinal problems and felt that the benefits of the breast milk outweighed the negatives of potentially contracting the virus. She was fine with it and she said, If you had COVID, I know there would be antibodies in the milk. For the baby, it makes me feel better to have the extra, additive antibodies, Nelson said. Buy That Breast Milk! Eats on Feetsa website that supports sharing, not selling, breast milksaid the site had seen a spike in virus-related requests as well, though they declined to comment further. We have had increased requests for milk from donors who have supposedly recovered from Covid because of the assumed antibodies, administrator Maria Armstrong said in an email, adding that she cannot hypothesize about the effect of these antibodies at this time. Bode, meanwhile, is happy to hypothesize about the antibodiesthough he is less enthusiastic about buying milk online. He compared the process he is studying to the blood treatments currently under development at other universities, in which antibodies from recovered coronavirus patients are passed on to current sufferers through their plasma. Bodes lab is still trying to figure out whether the virus can be spread through breast milk. Later, theyll move on to testing whether the milk contains antibodies or oligosaccharides that can ward off the virus, and whether those oligosaccharides can be synthetically produced at a larger scale. The downsides of such a cure, Bode said, are pretty low. Theyre made by humans for humans. We don't have to expect any side effects there because you give them to babies every two to three hours, he explained. Not only do you have a fairly cheap alternative here, but its also a very safe agent to use against the virus. Researchers at New Yorks Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are running a similar study on whether breast milk contains coronavirus antibodies. The researchers were seeking hundreds of samples and as of last week had already surpassed their goal. Can New Test Help Build an Army of Immune Medical Workers? Despite the hope posed by the research, Bode actively discouraged people from buying breast milk online. First, its unclear if milk even contains coronavirus antibodiesand even then, they would need to come from someone who had recovered from the virus. Second, milk has the potential to pass on other diseases like HIV or hepatitis. Buying human milk online from someone who is not tested, not regulated is not the best thing to do, he said, adding that the more adults that take human milk, the less babies that get human milk that really need it. While it may not be a proven cure at this point, Denham said shed be happy to donate milk to someone for coronavirus-related reasons if they asked. If they came to me and theyre professional about it, I honestly don't really ask them what theyre using it for because I believe in respecting people's privacy, she said. But if they said to me, I want to do it only for the COVID-19 reasons, I would say, Absolutely, whatever you need to do to protect you and your family. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. 9 in 10 Singaporeans received SGD 600 COVID-19 Solidarity Payment on April 14 About 9 in 10 Singaporeans each received SGD 600 Solidarity Payment on Tuesday, April 14, as part of the governments efforts to support households with direct cash in hand during the COVID-19 outbreak. These recipients have previously provided their bank account details for Government payouts, and will receive the payment directly in their bank accounts. Screen grab from DPM Heng Swee Keat's parliament speech The one-off Solidarity Payment was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat on April 6. It aimed to help Singaporeans and their families during the period of heightened measures due to COVID-19, said Heng. The remaining 10 per cent of Singaporeans will have to provide bank account details no later than April 23 to receive the Solidarity Payment on April 28. Adult Singaporeans who have not provided bank account details by April 23 will receive the Solidarity Payment through cheques sent to their NRIC-registered addresses in stages from April 30 onwards. The Singapore government is also providing a one-off Solidarity Payment of SGD 300 to Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs) aged 21 and above who have Singaporean parent(s), spouse or child(ren); as well as Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+) holders aged 21 and above in 2020. Eligible SPRs may sign up for the one-off Solidarity Payment at using their SingPass from now until May 10. Those who provide their bank account details while signing up will receive the Solidarity Payment directly in their bank account on May 19. Those who do not provide their bank account details when signing up will receive cheques in stages from end May onwards. LTVP+ holders will receive their Solidarity Payment via cheques in stages from end-May 2020 onwards. No application is needed. 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 (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration) A test tube with fake blood and COVID-19 label and a 3D printed Google logo are placed near an Apple Macbook Pro in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. Governments can't urge their citizens to use technology constructed by Apple and Google for tracking and mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, tech giants said on Monday, Apr. 13. Apple and Google, commonly arch-rivals, said on Friday, Apr. 10, that they teamed up to build technology that enables public health organizations to trace down touch-tracing apps. The Silicon Valley giants are responsible for the two dominant mobile running structures globally, iOS and Android, which together run nearly 100% of smartphones sold, Statcounter said. Contact tracing helps health agencies locate people who have been infected with a pathogen. Contacting individuals who may also be in close contact with the patient would be informed to self-isolate or take other measures. Contract tracing apps have been endorsed by experts who've seen the effectiveness of "syndromic surveillance" in tracking and slowing ailment outbreaks. Around the world, governments are turning to touch-tracing apps as a tool to help organizations and businesses re-open after coronavirus lockdowns. Singapore launched a contact-tracing app called as TraceTogether in March. England's National Health Service and numerous French ministries are operating on their own apps. ALSO READ: COVID-19 Update: France Is Officially Working on 'StopCOVID' Contact-Tracing App, Minister Says The reality that the apps work best when many people use them has raised fears that governments could force residents to use them. But representatives from each company insist they won't allow the technology to come up as mandatory. Drawing the line Starting in May, CNBC reported Google and Apple are planning to update their phone operating systems with new application programming interfaces (APIs). With the latest update, mobile apps can track other phones nearby through Bluetooth signals. Recognized public health groups might then use those APIs to build virtual touch tracing apps, with some improvement help from Google and Apple. ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Bluetooth Apps Are Bad at Discovering New Cases of COVID-19, Experts Say When someone tests positive for COVID-19, local public health agencies will confirm the test. Officials will then use the apps to notify each person who may have been in the 10 or 15 feet range in the past few weeks. The identity of the individual that tested positive would never be disclosed to the groups or to other users. Their information would be tracked by the use of scrambled codes on phones that are unlocked most effectively while they test positive. Only public health authorities can be allowed to access those APIs, the agencies said. Only optional? The agencies have drawn a line in the sand in one area. Governments will not be able to require their citizens to install a touch-tracing software program constructed with these APIs. In essence, customers will opt-in to the gadget, senior representatives stated on Monday, Apr.14. The more people in a location who downloaded the area's track tracing app, the more effective it's going to be at identifying folks who may also be infected. To succeed, then, the organizations and public health officers will want to persuade people to trust them with their information. Users who don't want to take part can stop, delete the apps and inform the software to forestall tracing them, an Apple representative said. Apple and Google said that they may close down the system per region when the pandemic slows down. The corporations stated they'll offer sample apps that as a starting point for public health companies rolling out those apps. Then, later, the companies plan to build the software to each Android and iOS so that downloading an app won't be necessary when contract tracing begins. ALSO READ: Spying on Coronavirus: Governments Tries to Temporarily Revive Spy Tools To Fight COVID-19 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Ecstacy cruise ship is docked at the Port of Jacksonville amid the CCP virus outbreak in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 27, 2020. (Greenwood/Getty Images) Carnival Extends Suspension of Cruise Operations Through Late June Carnival Cruise Line is suspending all cruises through late June and canceling some trips through the end of the year, the company stated in an update. All trips scheduled through June 26 are canceled, Carnival stated. Carnival Sunrise trips are canceled through Oct. 19, Carnival Legend trips are canceled through Oct. 30, and all Carnival Radiance trips are canceled through Nov. 1. Additionally, all sailings to or from San Francisco are canceled for the rest of the year. The cancellations stemmed from the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement. Important update regarding all North America sailings through June 26, 2020. pic.twitter.com/Y5UUHLkVFo Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) April 13, 2020 People who booked cruises are being offered future cruise credit or a 100 percent refund. Carnival Corp., which owns Carnival, Princess Cruises, and Costa Cruises, initially canceled trips from the United States in mid-March, along with other companies. Carnival later canceled all trips worldwide. The company on March 30 extended the suspension of cruises through May 11. Other lines have also extended suspensions of service through May. Carnivals decision came several days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its No Sail Order for all cruise ships until one of three triggers happens: the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency; the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order; or 100 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. People look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak in Miami, on April 4, 2020. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo) We are working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship points of entry, CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. The extension is aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. At least 10 cruise ships have reported crew members or passengers showing symptoms similar to the CCP virus, some of whom later tested positive. About 100 ships remained at sea in waters off the United States as of April 9, as well as 20 ships being at port or anchorage in the United States, with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. Evacuating, caring for, and repatriating crew members has incurred financial cost and diversion of resources away from other pandemic response efforts, according to the CDC. The Cruise Lines International Association said its concerned about the order, which it claimed is singling out the cruise industry. While its easy to focus on cruising because of its high profile, the fact is cruising is neither the source or cause of the virus or its spread. What is different about the cruise industry is the very stringent reporting requirements applicable to vessels that do not apply to comparable venues on land where the spread of communicable disease is just as prevalent, the group said in a statement. It would be a false assumption to connect higher frequency and visibility in reporting to a higher frequency of infection. Major General planned the murder of volunteer Adam Osmayev on the assignment of the Russian special services The counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained Major General of the service Valeriy Shaitanov who planned the murder of volunteer Adam Osmayev on the assignment of the Russian special services, as the SBU reported. The SBU gathered enough evidence, which shows clearly that Shaitanov is the agent of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. It is confirmed by the materials of the case, which include audio- and video-recordings, the message said. Unfortunately, a person who received a general rank after the Revolution of Dignity and had to protect Ukraine worked against it, in fact. We held a difficult, long-term, multilevel special operation. It is the most important exposure of the Security Service during Independence, SBU Head Ivan Bakanov stated. According to the materials of the case, Shaitanov, who is one of the former heads of the Special Operations Center A of the SBU, was in the secret service under cover name Bobyl with FSB Colonel Igor Yegorov. Yegorov is the employee of Counterintelligence Operations Department of the First Service of the FSB; the department, which deals with the planning, organization, and holding of counterintelligence and subversive and terrorist actions in the territory of Ukraine and in the territory of other states. The investigation also possesses undeniable evidence that on the assignment of the Russian special service, Major-General Shaitanov planned holding of the terrorist acts in the territory of Ukraine. The FSB official guaranteed remuneration in the sum of $200,000 and the passport of the Russian citizen. Shaitanov selected a person from former fighters of the special units for the role of the perpetrator. The preparation for these crimes is clearly set out in the materials of the case. Moreover, Shaitanov gathered and passed to the Russian side such information: circumstances of holding of particular secret operations in Donbas Conflict zone and employees involved in them; international cooperation of the Ukrainian special services in the national security and defense sphere; employees of the leadership of the Counterintelligence Department, operative detachments of the SBU and Special Operations Center A; selection, consideration and involvement of the officers of special and intelligence bodies to the work for FSB. The secret meetings in the territories of the European countries were spotted. Yegorov met Shaitanov and other citizens of Ukraine who were involved in the fulfillment of the tasks of the Russian special service. Currently, the urgent investigative actions take place. The searches are held at the place of residence and temporary stay of Shaitanov and citizens of Ukraine suspected in the involvement in the undercover unit of the FSB employee Yegorov. The circumstances of their illicit activity will be established. Using his position, Shaitanov got intelligence information about senior and general officers of the SBU. During the pretrial investigation, their involvement in the disclosure of information with limited access will be identified. Shaitanov might be served with charges on commitment of state treason and terrorist action, which will lead to the choosing of the restrictive measure for him. The procedural guidance in the proceeding is held by Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine. As we reported, the SBU uncovered bot farm with 5,000 accounts, which spread fakes about coronavirus on social networks and urged to unseat the constitutional order in Ukraine. 4:11pm: The Yanks will receive the Nationals' Rule 5 pick for Bruney, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. 12:51pm: The Nationals confirmed the deal via a press release. They released Saul Rivera to make room for Bruney. Rivera, 32 today, posted a 6.10 ERA in 38.3 innings for the Nats this year. Releasing a man on his birthdayfor shame! Saul did receive one gift: he's now on our 2010 free agents list. 11:56am: The Nationals acquired reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees for a player to be named later, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Bruney, who is arbitration-eligible, is due a small raise on this year's $1.25MM salary. He's under team control through 2011. The hard-throwing righty, who turns 28 in February, posted a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings this year, striking out 36 but walking 23. Plagued by elbow troubles, Bruney was bumped from the Yankees' set-up role for Phil Hughes in July. He figures to be high in the pecking order of Washington's pen, perhaps even a closer candidate if Mike MacDougal is non-tendered. A first "solidarity flight" of medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday for distribution in Africa, the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) said. The 1 million masks, goggles, gloves, gowns and other protective gear for health workers, as well as ventilators for patients, will be flown on later in the day to 5 African countries - Djibouti, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Tanzania. "From those five hubs they will be dispatched in as many countries as possible," WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told a U.N. briefing in Geneva. The supplies are enough to protect health workers while treating more than 30,000 patients across the continent, she added. Search Keywords: Short link: YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS/ARTSAKHPRESS. Amid fears of the coronavirus, voters in the Artsakh presidential runoff are told to maintain social distancing in the polling stations, the head of the 1/8 polling station of Stepanakert Naira Petrosyan said. She said voters are provided with face masks, gloves and single use individual pens at the polling stations. Observers and the news media are monitoring the elections at the polling stations. So far, no violations have been recorded and the voting is proceeding normally, she said. 282 polling stations, including 1 in Yerevan for citizens of Artsakh, were opened as of 08:00, April 14. President of the Free Fatherland Party Arayik Harutyunyan and incumbent Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan are running for the presidency in the second round. They garnered 49,26% and 26,4% of votes respectively in the first round. 103,637 people are eligible to vote. Mayilyan, however, has called on voters not to participate in the election due to the danger of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As of the latest data, there are 6 cases of the infection in Artsakh. A state of emergency is enforced in the country. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Particle billiards with three players When the American physicist Arthur Compton discovered that light waves behave like particles in 1922, and could knock electrons out of atoms during an impact experiment, it was a milestone for quantum mechanics. Five years later, Compton received the Nobel Prize for this discovery. Compton used very shortwave light with high energy for his experiment, which enabled him to neglect the binding energy of the electron to the atomic nucleus. Compton simply assumed for his calculations that the electron rested freely in space. During the following 90 years up to the present, numerous experiments and calculations have been carried out with regard to Compton scattering that continually revealed asymmetries and posed riddles. For example, it was observed that in certain experiments energy seemed to be lost when the motion energy of the electrons and light particles (photons) after the collision were compared with the energy of the photons before the collision. Since energy cannot simply disappear, it was assumed that in these cases, contrary to Compton's simplified assumption, the influence of the nucleus on the photon-electron collision could not be neglected. For the first time in an impact experiment with photons, a team of physicists led by Professor Reinhard Dorner and doctoral candidate Max Kircher at Goethe University Frankfurt have now simultaneously observed the ejected electrons and the motion of the nucleus. To do so, they irradiated helium atoms with X-rays from the X-ray source PETRA III at the Hamburg accelerator facility DESY. They detected the ejected electrons and the charged rest of the atom (ions) in a COLTRIMS reaction microscope, an apparatus that Dorner helped develop and which is able to make ultrafast reactive processes in atoms and molecules visible. The results were surprising. First, the scientists observed that the energy of the scattering photons was of course conserved and was partially transferred to a motion of the nucleus (more precisely: the ion). Moreover, they also observed that an electron is sometimes knocked out of the nucleus when the energy of the colliding photon is actually too low to overcome the binding energy of the electron to the nucleus. Overall, the electron was only ejected in the direction one would expect in a billiard impact experiment in two thirds of the cases. In all other instances, the electron is seemingly reflected by the nucleus and sometimes even ejected in the opposite direction. Reinhard Dorner: "This allowed us to show that the entire system of photon, ejected electron and ion oscillate according to quantum mechanical laws. Our experiments therefore provide a new approach for experimental testing of quantum mechanical theories of Compton scattering, which plays an important role, particularly in astrophysics and X-ray physics." ### Publication: Kinematically complete experimental study of Compton scattering at helium atoms near the ionization threshold. Max Kircher (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany (GU)), Florian Trinter (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany, and Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin), Sven Grundmann (GU), Isabel Vela-Perez (GU), Simon Brennecke (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Nicolas Eicke (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Jonas Rist (GU), Sebastian Eckart (GU), Salim Houamer (University Setif-1, Algeria), Ochbadrakh Chuluunbaatar (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia (JINR); National University of Mongolia, Ulan-Bator), Yuri V. Popov (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; JINR), Igor P. Volobuev (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia), Kai Bagschik (DESY) M. Novella Piancastelli (Sorbonne Universites, Paris, France; Uppsala University, Sweden) Manfred Lein (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Till Jahnke (GU), Markus S. Schoer (GU), Reinhard Dorner (GU) Nature Physics, DOI 10.1038/s41567-020-0880-2; https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41567-020-0880-2 Pictures may be downloaded here: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de/ 87402622 Caption Graphics: Artist view of the process and cross section for Compton scattering (front) and the COLTRIMS reaction microscope which enabled the experiment (back). Photons (wiggly line) hit an electron in the atom in the centre of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope knocking out an electron (red ball) and leaving an ion (blue ball) behind. Both particles are guided by electric and magnetic fields toward detectors (red and blue discs.) Copyright: Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany Caption Photo: Selfie of Max Kircher in front of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope. Further information: Professor Reinhard Dorner Institute for Atomic Physics Goethe University Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Strasse 1 60438 Frankfurt Telephone +49 69 798 47003 doerner@atom.uni-frankfurt.de http://www. atom. uni-frankfurt. de Current news about science, teaching, and society can be found on GOETHE-UNI online (http://www. aktuelles. uni-frankfurt. de ) Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt am Main. The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is one of the three largest universities in Germany. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it is a partner in the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www. uni-frankfurt. de Publisher: The President of Goethe University Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The governments chief scientific adviser has admitted that coronavirus testing should have been ramped up more quickly in the UK. Sir Patrick Vallance said Public Health Englands testing of suspected Covid-19 cases had started well, but had then failed to increase scale as fast as it needs to scale. The chief scientific adviser also claimed it was too simple to say testing saves lives, but conceded that boosting the rate of testing was an important part of managing the pandemic. Testing at the beginning was at the right level, he told ITV on Monday evening. At the beginning Public Health England got off to a good start in terms of testing to try and make sure they caught people coming into the country with it [coronavirus]. Sir Patrick added: I then think its not scaled as fast as it needs to scale and thats being done now. But I do think testing is an incredibly important bit of this. It needs to be done at scale and it needs to be done rapidly enough to be able to look at outbreaks and isolate. Amid criticism over the lack of testing among NHS staff, health secretary Matt Hancock claimed at the weekend that all health and social care workers who need a test will now be able to get one. Acknowledging the slow rise in NHS testing in recent weeks, the chief scientific adviser said: Theres no question, in my view, testing is an incredibly important part of how we need to manage this going forward. It was something that we raised right at the beginning as something that needed to be in place, and we need to get more testing, and thats happening at the moment. Asked why Germany had done far more widespread testing than the UK, Sir Patrick said it wasnt possible to equate Germanys relatively high rate of testing with the countrys relatively low number of deaths. There are all sorts of reasons why [death] rates may be different in different countries. I dont think testing alone is the major reason for that, he said. So yes, testing theres a lot that weve got to get right on that and thats being looked at now by Public Health England and the Department of Health, and they are getting that right but I dont think its as simple to say lots of testing saves lives. Because that isnt quite right I think, he added. Responding to Sir Patricks comments, prime minister Boris Johnsons official spokesperson said: The government has been very clear on the need to rapidly scale up our testing capacity and that is what we are doing. We have spoken throughout about the need to carry out testing. Thats why we have set out a strategy to get to 100,000 by the end of this month. The most recent official figures show that 14,506 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, including 2,489 tests of NHS staff and their families at 23 drive-through centres across the country, said the spokesperson. So far, a total of 47,784 health staff and their relatives have been tested, and tests are now being made available to care home staff, with 505 completed to date. Sir Patrick was also asked why the coronavirus appeared to be disproportionately killing ethnic minorities in Britain. Labour has called for an inquiry into the higher incidence after a report on the first 3,883 patients critically ill with Covid-19 found that just over a third were non-white, compared with 18 per cent of the total UK population. The chief scientific adviser said it was something the health experts are still trying to understand, adding that it was particularly noticeable amongst some of the health care practitioners who weve seen who have unfortunately succumbed as a result of this. At Mondays Downing Street press conference, Sir Patrick said he expected the number of daily deaths from coronavirus to continue to rise this week, followed by a plateau for a period of two to three weeks. After the plateau, the number of daily deaths should begin to decrease, he added. (TNS) In what was billed as Floridas test week for its backlogged unemployment system, the state appears to be falling further behind, as hundreds of thousands continue to wait for benefits in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.Its only for $211, but I desperately need it, said Deborah Collins, of Summerfield, just north of The Villages, whos been trying to get benefits since mid-February, when the Aunt Fannies restaurant in Belleview where she worked as a server shut down after a fire.Were completely broke. I have some medication I cant even pick up, Collins said. Ive got one pill left for today, and then Im going to have to borrow the money, I guess from somebody, and go get that medication.Floridas CONNECT system, which manages jobless benefits, was difficult to access even before much of economic life was shut down in mid-March and social distancing measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus. But with the inundation in claims, some people trying to apply for benefits say the systems dysfunction makes it nearly impossible to get paid.Gov. Ron DeSantis and administration officials have cited progress in accepting more claims after making upgrades to the system, creating a new website, accepting paper applications, adding more servers and adding more workers to take calls on the helpline.At a news conference in Jacksonville on Friday, DeSantis said there were 225,755 initial claims filed this week so far, compared with the 170,000 last week and the 228,000 for the week ending March 27. DEO also received 12,000 paper applications.DEO executive director Ken Lawson on Monday cited a goal of processing 80,000 claims this week, despite having a backlog of more than 560,000 claims. Lawson said this would be a test week for the system and the administrations improvements.But its hard to assess just how far behind the state is in getting out payments. A DEO spokeswoman did not answer repeated requests for data this week on the amount of daily calls, the number and amount of claims paid or the average claim amount paid.Nationwide, there were 6.6 million unemployment claims last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.This is a shock like weve never seen before so were shifting as many resources to this as we can to be able to meet this real crushing demand, DeSantis said.But even with system improvements and increased capacity, the delays are likely to continue for thousands of applicants. Even after getting a claim filed, it must be reviewed, processed and approved. And even then, problems can occur.After being initially approved, Collins said her check is being held up because she didnt meet the work search requirements, even though DeSantis administration has waived that requirement until May 1. That delay has consequences. She and her husband have paid their bills and bought groceries, but shes waiting on the unemployment benefits to buy the medication she needs for her rheumatoid arthritis.Calling the DEOs helpline hasnt helped, she said. After a series of menu options is given and buttons pressed in an attempt to get an operator, she receives an automated message saying all lines are busy and to check DEOs website for more information.DEO signed a contract with a call center to add 250 people to take calls. That contract showed that in one recent week DEO answered less than 2 percent of calls, and while some were able to be helped by the automated system, 90 percent of callers were disconnected or gave up waiting on hold.At the beginning yes, I tried the number and it wouldnt even ring, said Scott Fox, who worked at the Pio Pio restaurant off Kirkman Road in Orlando until he was indefinitely furloughed on March 19. I tried a few times the first couple of days and that was it.When Fox has tried the CONNECT system, he hasnt gotten very far. And the job search requirement is still tripping up the application process, despite being waived.Ive gotten six pages in and then it would kick me back to the beginning, Fox said. I had to lie and say I was looking for a job. It wont let you go any further unless you fill out that information.If Pio Pio is able to get a business loan through the Paycheck Protection Program designed to help small businesses make payroll and hires Fox back, he said hell be able to stop filing for unemployment. Fox said hes also counting on relief from the $1,200 stimulus payment that is supposed to arrive in the coming days. But until then, the uncertainty over the loss of income is gnawing at him.I havent had any income for three weeks, so I would really just like to get the first round of benefits, Fox said. I had a month of income in my savings account, so Im going to be okay. But its stressful.Other delays, at least for the $600 in extra weekly benefits as part of the federal stimulus package known as the CARES Act, have been out of the states hands. That money hasnt been given to Florida or other states yet to even administer.But the never-ending string of requirements continues to jam the system. Even those who have received a payment previously have to re-file every two weeks.You click submit and it grinds away for a minute or so and then kicks you back out, puts you back to the home screen, said Phil Dunkle, a technical director for the Orlando Magic. He was paid until this week but has been unable to get through on the system.The new website didnt work either and while he said hell be fine financially, he worries about fellow out-of-work colleagues two weeks from now if the system continues to sputter.As the frustration builds, hope remains among some that the state will be up to the challenge.But worries persist about those in dire financial conditions.Everything that theyre trying is moving at the speed of dark. But I have faith that theyll get the kinks worked out and people will be okay, Fox said. Im going to be fine. I dont have kids or anything, but there are other people with kids, and they have to feed their kids. Those are the ones I feel bad for. WASHINGTON, D.C. Along with extended support for a McLean County COVID-19 community testing site, part of a national pilot program, a news release from the office of Congressman Rodney Davis laid out the response received from the U.S. government since the novel coronavirus pandemic was declared. On March 4, Congress passed the first emergency coronavirus package, which was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 6. This package included funding of $7.8 billion to increase testing capabilities across the U.S., bolster state and local response efforts, provide relief to small businesses, and purchase essential equipment and supplies. Nearly $36 million directly went to coffers for Chicago and in general the state of Illinois, through grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). On March 27, Congress passed the third emergency coronavirus package (H.R. 748, as amended) by voice vote, which was later signed into law by Trump the same day. This package provided almost $2 trillion in relief, including direct financial assistance to Americans, which has not begun to land in taxpayers mailboxes or bank accounts; funds to support health care workers and hospitals; emergency loans for small businesses; expanded unemployment insurance; and, direct funds to state and local governments. The CARES act, unveiled last week, is supplemental funding to Illinois, from HHS agency, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Those funds total $51.6 million to support 45 health centers in Illinois, according to the news release, sent via email last week to The Telegraph from Davis press office. In late March, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a pilot community-based COVID-19 testing program, which includes a facility in Illinois McLean County, for which it will continue to be supported by the federal government despite an original agreement to transition the site to the state of Illinois. The aim was for the federal government to provide enhanced testing support for the states, for which Illinois support has been extended. Once the states paperwork is submitted, the community-based testing site will continue to be supported and funded by the federal government through May 30. Under the federal governments leadership, there are two state-run COVID-19 testing locations for Illinois and three private sector COVID-19 testing locations, of which are entirely supplied by the U.S. Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and partially staffed by the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, overseen by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome M. Adams. Also, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is supporting alternate care sites, including the designing and building out of those sites, at Chicagos McCormick Place Convention Center; West Lake Hospital, in Melrose Park; Sherman Hospital, in Elgin; and, Metro South Hospital, in Blue Island, along with 10 additional sites under review as of April 9. Total allocation of supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) delivered to Illinois as of April 9 includes two total shipments and one pending state verification: Total 450 ventilators provided to Illinois, a request for additional 100 ventilators from Chicago is pending 540,523 N95 respirators 1,585,657 surgical masks 260,330 face shields 213,230 surgical gowns 7,621 coveralls 1.5 million gloves Last Thursday, U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, visited a COVID-19 community testing site location in McLean County, according to the news release. They were there to announce that the federal government is extending its support, as well as funding, to the testing facility located at the McLean County Fairgrounds, which is situated roughly in Central Illinois. Sumi Sukanya dutta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A statistical analysis of active coronavirus cases has revealed a significant decline in reproductive number of SARS CoV 2 virus in India, possibly due to the lockdown and social distancing. The factor to arrive at how many people could catch a disease from a single infected person in a population that hasnt been exposed to the disease before, is R0, also called R-naught. If R0 is below one, the epidemic eventually would die out. Above one, it keeps growing, possibly exponentially. An analysis by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai showed that R0 for the novel coronavirus was 1.83 from March 5 to April 5 in India but dipped to 1.53 from April 6 to April 13. Globally, R0 for SARS CoV 2 has been between 2 and 4.A close analysis of the R0 graph pattern suggests that there has been a statistically significant lowering of the rate at which the number of cases has been growing, said Sitabhra Sinha who led the team of analysts. Assuming this is a genuine new trend, I guess we can attribute it to the lockdown, as in any case we were expecting the response to the lockdown to be manifested after about two weeks from its beginning. This is because for the first two weeks of the lockdown period, the increase in numbers would be mostly due to people who had gotten infected before the start of the lockdown, he said. While a few states like Telangana do seem to be showing a similar kind of reduction in the growth rate starting April 6, which is consistent with what we see nationally, there is no such reduction in the data from Maharashtra, he added. Linear trend in TN, Kerala seen The researcher added that both Tamil Nadu and Kerala are showing linear, rather than exponential trends, suggesting the epidemic is spreading at a far slower rate than expected. The analysis by the IMSc coincides with a report by the Centre for Disease Dynamics and Policy, Johns Hopkins University, and Princeton University in which researchers modeled the impact of the 21-day lockdown on the spread of Covid-19 in India in March and April; before, during, and after the lockdown is lifted. Indias 21-day lockdown is predicted to avert a large number of Covid-19 infections in the short term, although it is unknown how the outbreak will unfold once the lockdown is lifted, noted the report. ICICI Group said on Tuesday it has committed Rs 100 crore to support the country in its fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. Of this, the group pledged to contribute Rs 80 crore to the PM Cares Fund and Rs 20 crore to state governments and local authorities in their efforts to battle the pandemic. The sum of Rs 100 crore is being contributed by ICICI Bank and all its subsidiaries. "The outbreak of COVID-19 has thrown an unprecedented challenge to the nation and its citizens. It demands us to stand together and fight the challenge," said ICICI Bank President Sandeep Batra. As part of the contribution to state governments and other authorities, ICICI Group including ICICI Foundation, the CSR arm of ICICI Group, is working actively to assist them in their efforts to safeguard citizens. So far, the ICICI Group has provided over 2.13 lakh surgical masks, over 40,000 N95 masks, 20,000 litres of sanitisers, 16,000 gloves, 5,300 personal protection equipment (PPE) suits, 2,600 protective eye gear and equipment like 50 thermal scanners and three non-invasive category ventilators to various state departments and hospitals. The group said it will also continue to serve people who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is no secret to anyone that the President of the United States and New Yorks governor, Andrew Cuomo do not agree on much. This morning, Governor Cuomo warned that, if the President attempted to reopen our state, as he has threatened to do, we would enter a constitutional crisis. It would be a crisis "like you haven't seen in decades," he added. Personally, I never thought Id find myself on the states rights side of the democratic argument, but then again, I never thought a lot of things would be true in 2020. It has become difficult to watch the Presidents rambling, incoherent press conferences, especially as a journalist. (Theres no joy, after all, in watching a member of my own profession be cut down by the leader of the free world, which is what happens on a regular basis.) It is Trumps belief that he is autonomous in his control of the country. The President of the United States calls the shots, he said, in a particularly unhinged briefing this week. They cant do anything without the approval of the President of the United States. But thats not how democracy in the United States works. If it were, there would be no reason to have governors at all. And this morning, Cuomo reminded Trump that New York like every single state in this union makes its own decisions, whether or not the President agrees. He is not a king. Not yet. New York has seen tough times before tough times that have been ignored by other leaders, again and again and again. While other Americans co-opted the pain and devastation of the tragedy of the September 11, 2001 attacks, it took a comedian and activist, Jon Stewart, to show up at Congress to get funds delivered to the dying first-responders. For almost two decades, legislators did nothing to serve the New Yorkers who put their lives on the line for the nearly 3,000 men and women who perished on 9/11. For almost two decades, Americans across the country posted about how they would Never Forget, while never remembering that people were dying of mesothelioma from heading into burning buildings, where asbestos from towers built in the 1970s was slowly chipping away at their lungs. For almost two decades, Americans spent 364 days a year thinking of everything except the destruction of New York City and the rising phoenix that came back from that ash. The men and women who faced the tragedy in New York on that day were ignored by the federal government when they developed life-ending medical crises following their brave acts. They were ignored, and many of them died, and no one was there to help them. In short, it took a New Yorker to save New York, not a president, and thats because we look out for our own. Does New York, again in peril, need President Trump, who fancies himself a king? President Trump didnt save us when we needed more ventilators; our governor did. President Trump has not been our beacon in times of need. That role has fallen to Andrew Cuomo. New York, it turns out, does not need a king. We never did. The only thing New Yorkers have ever needed to survive has been one another, a truism we have relied on throughout history as tragedy has felled us but not obliterated us. If Trump wants a monarchy, he can do it without the help of New York. Push us too far and we may decide we dont need this nation at all. After all, we have survived without the help of those who consider us hedonists and elitists (except for when they wish to use our pain for political gain). We are the coastal blue to them, except for when it comes to what we contribute jobs, wealth, product. Without us, there is no righted economic ship. And what will Trump do when he realizes how much he needs us? What will he do when he realizes that it is New York who holds the power? New York has been on our own forever, and we can take care of ourselves, well into the wide, blue expanse of the future. But if we choose to go, the United States cannot survive without us. And that will be a cold, hard lesson for Trump to learn once we are gone. ISTANBUL Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced April 13 that another round of weekend curfews will be imposed on Turkeys largest cities to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Yet medical groups are questioning the efficiency of state efforts to contain the fast-growing COVID-19 pandemic and safeguard workers throughout the country. To date, the Turkish government has ordered the temporary closure of restaurants, cafes and bars, restricted foreign and domestic travel while imposing relatively strict curfews on senior citizens and on people under 20 years of age who are not working. While the measures are helpful in limiting new infections, many Turkish workers continue traveling to and from job sites on weekdays, posing risks to the employees, said Fadime Kavak, Sisli branch co-chair of the Trade Union of Employees in Public Health and Social Services. Kavak, referring to compensation payments that would be avoided by keeping the workdays curfew-free, told Al-Monitor, The reason for the weekend curfews is very obvious, they wont have to put workers on paid leave. She added, Most [workers] live in slums where buses are more packed than in the city center. It appears the workers lives are not worth much for the state. As of April 14, Turkish health officials had reported 65,111 confirmed cases and 1,403 coronavirus-linked deaths as the country remains in the top 10 nations most impacted by the pandemic. The first weekend curfew was announced only hours before its imposition April 10, causing citizens to rush out in a bout of panic buying. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, among others, criticized the way the curfew was carried out, saying it was a poorly executed government intervention. On April 12, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu offered to step down over the weekend curfew imbroglio, but Erdogan rejected the resignation. To avoid a repeat of what happened April 10, Erdogan announced the second weekend curfew well in advance, allowing citizens time to plan accordingly, while leaving the door open for more temporary curfews in the coming weeks. These curfews could be beneficial to prevent new infections, Dr. Bulent Nazim Yilmaz, secretary-general of the Turkish Medical Association, told Al-Monitor. If we dont pursue our habits of having picnics and outings on the weekends, we could reduce [social] contact. However, this is not a pandemic management method. In a press release Aprl 13, the medical association recommended that the Health Ministry focus its resources on high-risk areas and neighborhoods where panic shopping was most severe the evening of April 10. The association advised state officials to shut down mines, factories, small and medium-sized enterprises and to provide paid leave for workers. The association also suggested health authorities use local medical centers for COVID-19 tests and the distribution of information. If they informed the public and the protocols were transparent, then people would make more informed choices and decide to stay at home. They wouldnt have to be forced to stay at home, Kavak told Al-Monitor. In recent days, additional measures have been rolled out, including the distribution of face masks to Turkish citizens. Turkish Airlines also extended the suspension of international flights until May, while domestic flights have been grounded until April 20. This week, a mobile tracking application designed by the Turkish Health Ministry and cellphone operators appeared on the Google Play Store, but is not yet available for download. Created to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the app is named Hayat Eve Sgar(Life fits inside the home in English) and sends automated messages or calls to patients diagnosed with the coronavirus when they leave predetermined quarantine areas, oftentimes their homes. While similar apps are being designed and implemented around the world, the technology has raised concerns among privacy advocates who say citizens data could be vulnerable to exploitation or abuse. According to information in the Play Store, the app will also allow all mobile users to view urban maps showing areas of high coronavirus prevalence so they can adjust their travel plans accordingly and reduce their risk of exposure. In addition, mobile users will have the option to track family members movements on urban maps if individual relatives give them permission to do so and keep their location-sharing data activated. Previous reporting by Al-Monitor has highlighted an increase in reported domestic violence incidences in Turkey as more families self-quarantine amid the pandemic. Womens rights advocates warn the expansion of tracking tools could pose risks for people in abusive relationships. In other coronavirus-related precautions, the Turkish parliament passed a law April 14 to release about 90,000 inmates in effort to reduce the risk of contagion in state prisons. While the initiative is a welcome move amid the pandemic, human rights defenders have criticized the measure for excluding political prisoners, which amount to about 50,000 inmates, and include prominent politicians, journalists and civil society members. It is deeply disappointing that the tens of thousands of prisoners in pretrial detention a measure that must only be used when there are no alternatives to custody will not be considered for release, Milena Buyum, a Turkey campaigner for Amnesty International, said in an April 14 statement, Those convicted in unfair trials under Turkeys overly broad anti-terrorism laws are also now condemned to face the prospect of infection from this deadly disease. On April 13, Turkeys Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul announced that 17 Turkish prisoners had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and that three had died from the disease. Pastor Chen broke the bread and held the wine as he gave his blessings, following the Good Friday Holy Communion tradition that has been celebrated by Christians around the world for centuries except there was no one to distribute the bread and wine to. We are facing a situation that has never been experienced before in the last 2,000 years, said Chen (not his real name) to his congregation of about 1,000. They were taking part in an online service held over Zoom. Today we are separated in different places in our motherland and around the world. Maybe you are at home with your family, or even alone, Chen said. But we know that the coronavirus cannot intervene in Gods work in our lives, and our distance does not separate us from coming as one in Christ. We now commemorate Jesus who sacrificed for us. He then asked his congregation who were standing in front of web cameras to take the bread and wine, representing Jesus Christs body and blood in crucifixion, that was prepared at home by each of the church members. Christian churches around the world have gone digital for one of their most important festivals including Good Friday and Easter Sunday that commemorate Jesus Christs resurrection from the dead. The digital path avoids mass gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic that has infected more than 1.8 million people around the world, killing over 110,000. In China, church groups have turned to WeChat and Zoom for their services since late January after religious gatherings were banned as part of the strict social distancing rules imposed to contain the virus. The internet has provided a space for Christian communities to grow their congregations in a country where the government has intensified religious persecution and imposed stricter rules for managing churches. Chens church is a house church, also called an underground church. In China, only state-controlled churches can operate legally, although some house churches can survive despite state surveillance and regular harassment by authorities. Story continues Chens congregation was forced to disband as part of a crackdown on house churches, long before coronavirus hit the country. But with people confined at home during the epidemic, Chens church group has welcomed new members now that services are just a button away for believers who have never attended in person before. In Wuhan, where the epidemic was first reported in China, prominent house church Root and Fruit Christian Church, has held daily prayers and Sunday services as well as Bible study groups on Zoom for its more than 500 members. Since the city was put under lockdown in late January, Root and Fruit has also been active in providing support and distributed supplies to local residents. Pastor Huang Lei of Root and Fruit said the church had received donations including protective gear, daily necessities and some cash that was estimated at more than five million yuan (US$711,000) in value. Volunteers from the church have since been handing donations to underprivileged church members, hospitals, and community workers who have been in close contact with suspected patients. Huang said some local officials had demanded the church stop distributing the donations and conducting online gatherings, but the members were defiant. We have already stopped offline gatherings to reduce the risk of infection Why cant they allow us to do it online? Huang said. We cannot listen to everything that the government says, or we will get nothing done. The Chinese government has in recent years tightened control of Christian groups in the mainland, closing down a number of house churches, jailing outspoken pastors and stepping up surveillance of private religious gatherings. But the clampdown could lead to discontent among Chinas expanding Christian community. Protestant Christianity has been one of the fastest-growing religions in China in recent years. Estimates of their number range from tens of millions to 100 million followers. In an Easter greeting notice, the State Administration for Religious Affairs acknowledged the contribution made by Chinese Christians in following social distancing orders and carrying out charity work. But it also asked Christians to follow the Communist Party leadership in the epidemic control, to suspend religious activities and stay home during the Easter weekend. Fuk-tsang Ying, dean of the divinity school of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the Chinese government had been on high alert for the spread of the religion through the internet since Chinese President Xi Jinping took power in 2012. A priest listens to confessions through the fence of Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel church before Easter Holy Mass in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Easter Sunday. Because of Covid-19, Guangzhou government banned all gatherings, so Catholics gathered in front of the church to celebrate. Photo: EPA-EFE A draft regulation titled Internet Religious Information Management Measures that was released for public consultation in September 2018 was a step towards indicating the stricter approach, Ying said. The measures, when officially adopted, would require all religion-related websites to be registered and monitored by the State Administration for Religious Affairs. No organisation or individual may broadcast or record on the internet by means of words, pictures, audio and video, or other religious activities, such as worshipping Buddha, burning incense, ordination, chanting, worship, mass, and baptism, an article inside the proposed document said. Ying said that during the coronavirus epidemic, it appeared that some local governments might decide to allow online church gatherings some leeway, while others might take a more heavy-handed approach. Virtual gatherings might become a survival tool for some house churches. After experiencing this period of time when churches were made to shift operation through mediums like Zoom, when things return to normal, religious groups may still explore the possibilities of using such platforms in the future, Ying said. Pastor Li (not her real name), from a southern Chinese province, said despite running a state-approved church, she also faced difficulties in her ministry. We are not organising anything special for Easter this year, Li said. It is surely a pity, we originally scheduled dozens [of members] for baptism on Easter Sunday. Yet, Lis church has not acquired a licence from the government to live-stream or release records of its services, such as a few big state-approved churches in Shanghai and Beijing have done. It therefore relies on sending its congregation internet links to streamed services from other official churches and Bible schools in China. However, Li also said there could be problems as believers became increasingly reliant on online materials that had been shared by sources from around the world. There had been cases in which believers wrongly interpreted certain concepts or became misled by cults that had elements of Christianity. And it could be more challenging for some elderly churchgoers to rely on a mobile device for access to church life than it was for younger people, Li said. However, Li had witnessed how the coronavirus had drawn more Christians closer to their beliefs. The congregation now held small group meetings over WeChat every day, a step up in frequency from twice a week before the epidemic. I was worried that peoples hearts would grow cold, Li said. But I realise for many, they have got the time and space to reflect on what they really believe in at the time of an epidemic, in which they realise they cannot control even the most basic things in life health, freedom of movement and this has made them even more passionate about their spiritual growth. Believers say the virtual churches have helped them survive the worst of the epidemic, when they were worried about the health of family members, food supply and lost income. I think my Christian faith has helped me remain peaceful and hopeful when the virus first broke out because I am confident in Gods timing and I know that this will be over some day, said Zheng, a Shanghai Christian in her 50s. The house church cell group she belongs to has been holding conference calls instead of regular gatherings every Sunday since late January. My children are living apart and I would get very worried about their health and well-being in this period of time but through prayers and my faith I know they are in Gods hands, she said. Xu Yan, a Wuhan Catholic who goes to a state-sanctioned church, said that when anxiety kept her awake at night, she calmed herself by praying and reading the Bible. She also watched live-streamed services of Catholic churches in America. The fear of uncertainty and danger is extremely real, Xu said. If our life had been normal, I would not have understood the Bible verses about the apocalypse. Sign up now and get a 10% discount (original price US$400) off the China AI Report 2020 by SCMP Research. Learn about the AI ambitions of Alibaba, Baidu & JD.com through our in-depth case studies, and explore new applications of AI across industries. The report also includes exclusive access to webinars to interact with C-level executives from leading China AI companies (via live Q&A sessions). Offer valid until 31 May 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article Underground Christians in China use faith and tech to reach out to followers at Easter amid Covid-19 crisis first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. With gyms closed and exercise among the few legitimate reasons people now have to leave their homes, fitness fanatics have taken to jogging along some of Sydney's favourite paths in numbers far greater than usual raising the question of whether it's safe to go for a walk outside amid all that heavy breathing. On Saturday, the popular Bronte to Bondi coastal walk had to be temporarily closed as joggers and walkers ignored pleas from Waverley Council to keep their distance. People flocking to other popular paths, including the Bay Run in Sydney's inner west, have also caused concern although authorities have not yet taken the step of shutting them down. Leichhardt resident Amanda Crompton usually walks the Bay Run every day with her dog, but she has noticed it's become much busier now than at "usual peak times" on weekend afternoons. While most people are "really good" and doing their best to maintain the correct distance, she said "there are definitely some that seem oblivious" including people who appear to be exercising in groups. Shanna Moakler shared a stunning before and after photo of her body this week. The Playboy model, 45, said that she is doing much better now after she got off hormones and had surgery. The Meet The Barkers star also mentioned her eating habits improved one she left a toxic relationship. 'I wanted to post my progress over a year, now I know people are gonna say you look fine on the photo on the left ( and thats sweet) I hid my weight pretty well but I wasnt fine, I was super unhappy, miserable and I was working out like an animal with no results,' began the mother of three who was in a relationship with Oscar de la Hoya from 1998 until 2000 and was wed to Travis Barker from 2004 until 2008. Her big change: Playboy vet Shanna Moakler shared a stunning before and after photo of her body this week Her notes on this change: The bikini model said she used to eat Jack In The Box, Taco Bell and In-N-Out. But now she goes through David Allen Nutrition Then the Pacific Blue actress listed her reasons for getting slim. '1) I had a doctor lie to me and give me hormones I didnt need which made me gain 40lbs ( this is common as the more they sell the more bonuses they get, like trips to Hawaii!),' she said. '2) even though I was working out I ate like sh*t because I was in a completely unhealthy relationship.' The Goldbergs star does not name the man but she was reportedly dating Bryan Sollima, starting in 2014. The blonde beauty has also been linked to Billy Idol, Gerard Butler and Dennis Quaid in the past. The NCIS star also brought up the surgery she had. 'I first had my mommy make over with @drleifrogers this was to fix my muscles which was probably the best thing I ever did in my life!!... Fuller four years ago: InMay 2016, the TV star showed off a rounder shape at the Jovani store opening celebration in Los Angeles 'And if you have had c sections or recti diastassis from babies look into it!... '3)! I started working with @davidallennutrition who finally got the hormones out of my system and got me eating properly, he custom makes plans to your bloodwork!! Its epic! I stopped eating for emotional pleasure and started eating to fuel my body.' Shanna also changed her workout routine as she started weight lifting. 'I also started using @bombshell_news workouts and conquered my fear of weights... and finally got out of a relationship that didnt empower me." Overall she said there was no easy fix, no overnight plan to losing weight. Last year was a game changer for her: In 2019 she won back her body after surgery The changes were quick: She had a tummy tuck and liposuction to change her shape A good look: In April 2019 she said she was in great form again and now confident 'Ive learned soooo much from the whole experience the last two years! I hear from moms and newly divorced women everyday who are in the thick of things and I wanted to show if I can do it, I know you can too! ' Last year she was candid about her tummy tuck and liposuction. '6 months post op from my #mommymakeover with @leifrogersmd I am so thankful and so happy with my results,' said the former beauty queen. She added, 'This wasnt for weight loss! It was to fix my tummy muscles! I finally feel confident in a bikini again. Her first love: She was with professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya; seen in the 1990s Her second love: With Travis Barker and family attend Rob Dyrdek Foundation SK8 4 Life Benefit in May2010 in Los Angeles 'It was a long healing process but Im really glad I did it! Thanks to all the other moms who sent me encouraging messages! p.s ignore my messy room.' She was standing in her bedroom and there was clothes strewn on her bed. The actress was in a green string bikini and her waistline looked very small. In December she also posed in a bikini. She took to Instagram to share a stunning photo where she looked slender in her undies. She said the recovery process was not easy, but she is feeling better than ever. She was with boxer De La Hoya for several years and together they have Atiana. Funny girl: This month the pinup left this note about social distancing amid COVID-19 In 2004 she wed Travis Barker and they have kids Alabama and Landon. They divorced in 2008. Moakler got her start as the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was eventually crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe. In 2001 she landed a Playboy magazine cover after Hugh Hefner approved of her. After signing with manager Robert Semon, she landed the USA Network television series Pacific Blue in 1998. Then in 2005 she went on to star in the reality television series Meet the Barkers with Travis of Blink-182. Then came E!'s Bridalplasty in 2010 and the VH1 reality series, Hollywood Exes in 2014. [April 14, 2020] Catalyst Launches Crisis Response Support Services for Government Agencies Amid COVID-19 CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc. ("Catalyst") announced today its "Catalyst Cares" support services to assist local and state governments in effectively responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the offerings of the "Catalyst Cares" support services are readiness management services, technical advisory, and cloud-based solutions that can be deployed rapidly. Catalyst Cares aims to equip organizations with tools and processes that boost collaboration among internal staff now working remotely, as well as address the influx of Coronavirus-related constituent needs. Catalyst Cares is founded upon six elements that form a comprehensive crisis response and preparedness plan: readiness management, business continuity, communication management, emergency response management, constituent relationship management (CRM), and reporting and analytics. These elements guide agencies' internal staff through their transition to a fully digital workforce, as well as enable organizations to meet constituent needs quickly amid the pandemic. In keeping with these six elements, Catalyst is offering its services - whether it be technical advisory to help agencies get the most of their existing technology or an implementation of new software entirely to ensure public sector agencies are adapting to the "new normal," addessing the pressing needs of their constituency, and preparing for a return to "business as usual" in the months ahead. Catalyst recently supported one major American city in its COVID-19 response in March 2020 after it experienced a surge in constituent outreach related to COVID-19 to their CRM. By working with the city to implement a communication plan, over 7,000 COVID-19 calls were received by the non-emergency call center, deflecting calls from 911 and easing pressure on emergency responders. Through the CRM, the city can also collaborate with organizations like the Salvation Army to close out Emergency Food Requests in 2.5 days. "While the path ahead is uncertain, one point is absolute: Government must be a responsive and nimble outlet to whom communities can report concerns, especially during a crisis," says Tim Smith, Managing Principal and COO of Catalyst. If your organization is interested in learning how Catalyst can support in shaping your municipal emergency response, visit https://catconsult.com/catalyst-cares/ or contact [email protected]. Catalyst is a Chicago-based IT consulting firm that holds a three-decade long track record of leveraging custom application development to transform business processes for clients in local and state government, as well as in the aviation, transportation, and utilities industries. Learn about Catalyst's team of government technology experts at www.catconsult.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catalyst-launches-crisis-response-support-services-for-government-agencies-amid-covid-19-301040440.html SOURCE Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The extension of Frances coronavirus lockdown means the countrys economic outlook is even more dire than previously projected, the government has warned. Bruno Le Maire, the finance minister, said the French economy is expected to shrink by 8 per cent this year instead of the 6 per cent stated last week. Figures from the Bank of France previously showed that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the sharpest economic slowdown since the Second World War and caused the country to enter recession. France went into lockdown on 17 March for 15 days, forcing all non-essential workers to stay at home unless they were taking exercise or buying food or medical supplies. The initial period has been extended twice, most recently on Monday by Emmanuel Macron. The French president said in a televised address that strict lockdown measures would remain in place for a further four weeks until 11 May. After this date, schools and some workplaces would reopen but social gatherings, leisure activities and international travel would remain banned until at least mid-July. In the first two weeks of the lockdown, economic activity in France fell by nearly a third. Among the hardest hit industries of the eurozones second-biggest economy were construction, tourism and transport. A 100bn rescue package to help the economy recover was announced last week, offering more than 900,000 firms a lifeline to defer tax and payroll charges. If we need to do more, then we will do more. We will be there, Mr Le Maire told BFM TV on Tuesday. There have been more than 130,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in France, resulting in nearly 16,000 deaths. Only the US, Spain and Italy have recorded more infections of the deadly virus. Frances public health authority reported that patients being treated in intensive care for Covid-19 fell for a fifth consecutive day on Monday, suggesting that the peak of the outbreak may have been reached. The positive trend appears to justify the strict containment measures, however medical experts have warned that ending them early could result in a second wave. ALBANY Scientists at SUNY Polytechnic Institute are working with the state's public health lab and a Connecticut company to develop an advanced COVID-19 test that would check both for the disease and also the body's immune response. The State University of New York, which oversees the state's public higher education system, is funding the research, which will be done in collaboration with Dr. Klemen Strle, an infectious disease expert at the state's Wadsworth Center, and with Ciencia, a small medical device company outside Hartford, Conn. The testing technology will be loaded on special chips that will be made in a SUNY Poly cleanroom. Two top research professors at SUNY Poly, Nate Cady and Scott Tenenbaum, are leading the project. SUNY Poly was awarded $7,500 from SUNY for the project, which is expected to take a year or more to create the final product to be used in hospitals, although the research team is already using patient samples in the lab. 8 new pieces of positive coronavirus news across the globe Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage The disposable chips would be analyzed by a special machine that is also in the development stage, a SUNY Poly spokesman said. The key to the chip would be that it would test for the viral "load" on the body while testing the immune response at the same time. The chip could also potentially be used in clinics for a rapid test of one patient or to measure multiple patient samples all at once. Cady is a scientific collaborator at Ciencia, according to the company. I am grateful to our partners (Ciencia) and the Wadsworth Center, along with our research team who, while employing additional precautions and social distancing measures in the labs, continue their work that we hope can help put critical information in the hands of front-line healthcare workers who could then treat patients in ways that could lead to improved outcomes, Cady said in a statement. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Cady and others at SUNY Poly have recently been involved in making face masks for medical staff treating COVID-19 patients at local hospitals in partnership with SUNY New Paltz. The SUNY Poly research team explained that the new testing chips could provide "faster detection" of COVID-19 and additional data points that would tell doctors whether or not a patient is "clear of the infection" and whether they have developed antibodies that fight the coronavirus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, a potentially deadly respiratory illness. This targeted funding is proof that SUNY Polys resources can help address a number of current critical challenges, and we hope it may inspire improved human health outcomes," Tenenbaum said. SUNY Poly said the tests could also provide an earlier indicator whether or not a patient may need more intense care sooner on in their treatment. "By measuring the level of antibodies in a patients blood, the same test could provide an estimate of how long it has been since they were infected and what stage of recovery they may be experiencing," the Albany school said in a statement explaining what the test is expected to achieve. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) The first death from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been registered in the Republic of Burundi in east Africa, the country's Health Ministry said. A ministry spokesman said that a person in intensive care who had tested positive for COVID-19 died from complications related to other pathology April 12. Overall, five coronavirus cases have been recorded in the country so far. The Oregon Health Authority reported two new cases of COVID-19 in the mid-Willamette Valley, one in Linn County and one in Benton County, and Inside Hook According to a recent article by The New York Times, the Google search term why am I having weird dreams lately has quadrupled in the United States over the past week. Americans are having some crazy dreams at the moment, and before heading back to bed to go 12 rounds with a giant Peep wearing an N95 mask (just me?), theyd like to know why. COVID-19 is playing a massive role, obviously, but not in the exact way that you might think. The countrys resident dream expert, Harvard Medical Schools Deirdre Barrett, has been collecting data in a handy online survey (which you can take here) and has explained to publications like the Times, The Cut and Vice that the weird dreams or even nightmares people are experiencing right now can be attributed in part to more sleep. The initiative will support more than 30 African communities in Egypt by providing cleaning materials and food The African Dream Foundation 2063 has announced the launch of a new initiative under the slogan One Continent, One Fate, to support African communities in Egypt amid the coronavirus pandemic through the distribution of sterilisation tools and disinfectants. The initiative, launched in Addis Ababa during President Abdel Fattah El Sisi presidency of the African Union, will support more than 30 African communities in Egypt by providing cleaning materials and food. Sally Atef, president of the Egyptian foundation, said that most of the African communities in Egypt are made up of labourers who work day-to-day or students who are in dire need of these services in light of the crisis, within the framework of the social responsibility and the foundations work to support African communities. The initiative began on Monday with the distribution of bags containing alcohol disinfectant, masks, chlorine, and foodstuffs to more than 300 families, Atef said. The bags were distributed to families at home to avoid mixing. Atef said that the foundation's main goal is to work together for the benefit of our one continent, stressing the need for solidarity and support for communities, especially the most needy groups. She said that the initiative will continue through Ramadan. Search Keywords: Short link: Washington, April 14 : More than 30 people were killed after tornadoes ripped through states in southern US, authorities have said. The tornadoes hit Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolinas and Tennessee, reports Xinhua news agency. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said Monday that at least 11 people had been killed there, while the death toll in South Carolina was nine and that of Georgia was seven. Besides, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas reported at least one fatality each. More than 1 million homes and businesses also suffered power outage, according to poweroutage.us. The storms also caused injuries, destroyed homes, toppled trees, and closed roads. LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Wizz Air is making plans to fly jets only two-thirds full to allow more space between passengers, it said on Tuesday, as airlines voiced concerns that anti-coronavirus measures could blight their profitability long after travel restrictions end. Wizz (WIZZ.L) Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi and the head of global airline trade body IATA both said single-aisle planes may be required to leave the middle seats on each side vacant to allow a degree of social distancing aboard. We would basically be blocking a third of the airplanes, Varadi told Reuters in a telephone interview. A 180-seater would become a 120-seater. Beyond the open-ended lockdowns and travel bans that have brought air travel to a near-halt, deep uncertainty remains over the pace of an eventual recovery and the potential for lasting restrictions that could pile up yet more losses. Raising its coronavirus impact forecast to $314 billion, IATA described worrisome signs of governments doubling down on international travel restrictions even when lifting lockdowns - citing developments in China and South Korea. Alexandre de Juniac, the Geneva-based organisations CEO, said leaving the middle seat vacant was among likely conditions for a resumption of air travel to be discussed with governments in a series of coordinated meetings around the world. Operating aircraft with more seats has been a key element of profitability for airlines, which typically break even above 75% seat occupancy, De Juniac said. Taking out one-third of passengers would be a reshuffle of the business model, he added. It changes the way they operate short-haul aircraft completely. The effect could be felt more keenly by low-cost carriers, which typically operate at higher load factors - the proportion of seats filled, weighted for distance flown. But stronger balance sheets and labour flexibility could make Wizz Air, Ryanair (RYA.I) and easyJet (EZJ.L) better able to withstand virus-related losses than older peers Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA). Citi analysts say Ryanair and Wizz Air may be the only major European carriers that can avoid raising new capital or government-backed debt. Wizz Air, a London-listed carrier based in Hungary and focused on central and eastern Europe, said it was cutting 1,000 jobs, about one-fifth of its total workforce. It nevertheless reiterated plans to increase capacity by 15% annually once markets return to normal and will take delivery of 12 narrow-body jets this year and another 30-40 aircraft in 2021-23. It has Airbus A320neo and A321neo jets on order. Germanys Lufthansa, by contrast, last week predicted it would be years before air travel returned to pre-crisis levels. EasyJet has also said it would defer delivery of 24 Airbus (AIR.PA) jets. Besides the additional effects of a broader economic slump on travel, airlines are nervous about passengers readiness to return to security lines, boarding lounges and plane cabins. Wizz Air is exploring all sorts of measures to put in place, especially in the initial period, Varadi said - including protective gear for passengers. The airline may need to make sure that people actually travel in masks to protect themselves and protect their fellow passengers, he said. Hundreds of people, including scores of migrant labourers stranded in Mumbai due to the nationwide lockdown, gathered outside the Bandra West railway station on Tuesday, demanding the resumption of railway services hours after the central government extended the restrictions till May 3, according to a railway official and a minister in Maharashtra. The Mumbai Police stopped the workers, who were desperate to return home in different parts of the country, from entering the station premises. The labourers were protesting against extension of the lockdown, saying they do not have access to food and other essentials, a Western Railway official, who was present outside the Bandra station, said. The city police tried to convince the workers to move away from the area. The crowd dispersed after a lathi charge, this official, who did not want to be named, said. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement of extending restrictions --- a three-week lockdown was first imposed on March 25 --- the government suspended all domestic and international flights, and passenger trains till May 3. These services, according to an earlier order, were banned till the midnight of April 14. Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted about the incident. He said migrant workers are desperate to return and many are refusing to eat and stay in camps opened for them. The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home. Thackeray posted, referring to an incident in Gujarats Surat where migrant workers resorted to violence last week fearing the extension of lockdown. A mutual road map set by the union government will largely help migrant labour to reach home from one state to another safely and efficiently. Time and again this issue has been raised with the centre. The law and order situation in Surat, Gujarat, largely has been seen as a similar situation and the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar. Many are refusing to eat or stay in. Currently more than 6 lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maharashtra, he tweeted. After the lockdown was announced in March, the plight of migrant labourers walking hundreds of kilometers to reach their villages hit the headlines. Finally, states opened shelters to house them and feed them during the lockdown. SHARON Residents and the first selectman are objecting to an executive order to use Sharon Health Care Center for COVID-19 patients, saying the move would unfairly uproot people who now reside there and could bring the virus to an area where cases are low. In his weekly email to the community, Sharon First Selectman Brent Colley asked residents to contact the Gov. Ned Lamonts office to share their opinions on using Sharon Health Care as a designated COVID-19 facility. My personal opinion is that this is a poor decision, Colley said. What the state is planning/considering, needs more thought and more information from the people it directly impacts. Colley met with state Reps. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, and state Sens. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield, and Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, along with Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Director Brian Mattiello and Torrington Fire Chief Peter Towey to discussLamonts executive order, which was first announced April 2 and has been in development since that time. Moving COVID-19 patients who must be isolated is driving the order, as more and more nursing homes find patients and residents are infected with the coronavirus. We had all the main people on this call, who are trying to understand whats going to happen next, Colley said. It was during that call that we were told an executive order may take place, designating facilities for patients. Then at 5 p.m., the order came. The thing is, were not involved in any dialogue or decision-making process on this, Colley said. So I did the only thing I could do. I listened hard to who was on the call, and listened for whos making decisions for us. And I reached out to the community, and told them what was happening. I told people to reach out and tell (state officials) why you think its a bad idea or a good idea. Im trying to delay the process. Much of the concern from Colley and other residents surrounds the impact moving residents now living at the center will have. They have special needs, Colley said. If you dont know them and theyre moved, its going to put them in a place where everyone involved is going to be unhappy. On the other side if it, people are concerned about exposure. Our (infection) numbers are flat. Residents sent emails to legislators and Colley this week, voicing their opinions. He shared some of the opinions with the Register Citizen. My primary concern is that IF the healthcare facility were used, we, in (Connecticut) could be overwhelmed by patients from N.Y. State, since we are on the border, and the hospital is now part of NUVANCE, and thus involved with the hospitals in Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck. Residents of our county would not have the services which are currently provided at the Sharon Healthcare facility, wrote resident Marie Whitehead. In another message, resident Michael Zients wrote, The northwest corner is currently fortunately relatively lightly infected with people suffering from coronavirus. Even a small possibility of creating a new hot spot is unnecessary and unwise, the potential risk far outweighs the potential reward. The state should seek to treat people in or near their home towns and in areas with high incidence of the disease. This is in the best interests of the patients, their families and all the people of Connecticut. The idea of disrupting elderly residents is heartless, wrote resident Leslie Moore. Many of residents consider Sharon Health Care Center their home, and without the benefit of family visitation, the staff are the virtually family. The staff are also the link for families who cannot visit their loved ones. This seems to me a cruel and poorly thought out idea. Emails were sent to the governors office seeking comment. Horn said a Sharon Board of Selectmens meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m. on Zoom, to continue the conversation about relocating uninfected residents at Sharon Health Care. I have invited a long-term care ombudsman, and others involved in this plan, to attend that meeting, Horn said. Weve been on calls with groups for the last week, and when Sharon showed up as a list of potential sites, it grew out of the fact that in order to create capacity space in ICUs, our hospitals have to have places to discharge those patients who need a nursing home. Its an urgent situation. The state is trying to set up a framework quickly. Owners volunteered Horn said Sharon Health Care Centers owners volunteered to be a COVID-19 facility. The state has volunteered compensation ($600 per person) to add additional staff, supplies and to compensate for the increased risk for all involved, she said. This was a conversation between the state and a private business. She has also heard objections to the idea of paying the facilities more money to take the patients, but said it made sense. The facilities that are taking this one do need the resources, she said. Theres nothing coercive going on here. There will remain a need for accountability, transparency, to make sure the money is spent the way it was intended. We are all very much geared up to do that. For her part, Horn has had her own conversations with state officials, to make sure any chosen facilities have what they need to care for people who have the virus. Do they have supplies? What about the level of staffing? Will they have everything they need to do this? Those are the things to be concerned about now, she said. Horn said people in leadership roles at Sharon Health Care, as well as staff members, have confidentially reached out to her to discuss the idea. Thats where the conversation rests right now, she said. Ive had excruciating conversations with families, with people who have spent their lives caring for people in nursing homes. They feel caught in the middle do they move these people to save their lives, or keep them comfortable? This is about saving lives, Horn said. In the meantime, Sharon Hospital has installed a field hospital on its grounds to cope with any surges of patients that might come. That is not related to Sharon Health Care, Horn said. But like Sharon Health Care, the hospital has to be a place where people who are COVID-19 positive can go. Once theyre released, they can go to a designated place. Horn said that confusion is also on social media conversations, where people dont have all the facts. There are extensive conversations going on with ombudsmen, staff, doctors, families ... everyone wants (having a person moved) to be a voluntary decision, where residents have options, Horn said. I want to say, also, that as of April 10, Sharon Health Care had 8 virus-positive residents, and there were a large contingent of residents awaiting test results, so there may be more, she said. Its already there. If a resident tests positive for the virus, they would stay put, Horn said. Along with Sharon Hospital, Lamonts administration has named Northbridge in Bridgeport, the now-closed Wolcott Hall nursing home in Torrington, and a fourth now-closed facility in Meriden as designated places for COVID-19 patients. Keeping the virus out When the pandemic first began, Sharon assembled a group of volunteers to help people stay at home, Colley said. Weve done things for ourselves, to keep people safe, he said. Many of our residents are from Brooklyn or Manhattan, and even though theyre not elderly, they want to self-quarantine, and we have volunteers to help do that. There are people who are nervous about going out, and weve been able to help, with shopping, the pharmacy ... its worked very well. Colley is concerned about the impact on the towns resources, too. We have no police force. We have a volunteer ambulance association, a volunteer fire department. Whats the impact going to be on them, he said. (Is the state) thinking about that at all? Or is is just convenience? Women and children fell to the ground, bloodied and trampled in a desperate surge for food being handed out in a Nairobi slum, as police fired teargas and men with sticks beat the hungry. As African countries grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, observers warn that the traumatic scenes which played out last Friday will not be the last if governments fail to help millions of urban poor who live hand-to-mouth. "I give them (the government) one to two weeks before things get worse. Not in terms of coronavirus, but in terms of hunger," said Kennedy Odede, who runs Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement which works in the Nairobi slum Kibera and other informal settlements in Kenya. "If it continues like this, we might be playing with fire." Kenya has so far cordoned off the capital and parts of its coastline and imposed a night-time curfew and other social distancing measures. Many these restrictions are having a wrenching impact on the poor, causing many to lose their jobs, said Odede. While President Uhuru Kenyatta has wielded the threat of a full lockdown to get citizens to comply with the rules, officials admit it is an agonising choice, especially as 60 percent of Nairobi's residents live in slums. "Locking up people in the slums will be the last option. A lot needs to be done before that," a high-ranking security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. 'Unenforceable and unsustainable' The coronavirus arrived late in Africa, but is slowly taking hold with over 15,000 cases and 800 deaths across the continent. While much of the developed world waited weeks to begin taking action, countries in Africa rapidly shut borders and banned mass gatherings. Empty: The bus station in the Rwandan capital Kigali after the government imposed a travel ban. By Simon Wohlfahrt (AFP) Mauritius, Rwanda and Tunisia were the first to impose full lockdowns -- with Mauritius going so far as to shut supermarkets and bakeries for 10 days. South Africa is the biggest economy on the continent to completely confine its citizens, while Nigeria imposed lockdowns on Lagos -- the continent's largest city -- and its capital Abuja, which on Monday were extended for another two weeks. Both have millions of people packed tightly in urban slums. "The inevitable reaction has been to follow what the rest of the world is doing," said Jakkie Cilliers at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), who has called for Africans to come up with a "unique solution" to stave off the virus. "A lockdown is unenforceable and unsustainable across much of Africa. You are trying to do something that is not possible and you are condemning people to a choice between starving and getting sick. "It's not possible for 10 people living in a tin shack... to not go outside for three weeks." 'Make ends meet' In sub-Saharan Africa, Liberia and Zimbabwe have also imposed full lockdowns. However most nations across the continent have stopped short of forcing all of their citizens to stay indoors. Madagascar and Ghana have completely locked down selected regions and towns, while Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger have imposed states of emergency and night-time curfews. A group of reclaimers -- people who pick up and sell recyclable rubbish -- cook food at the Bekezela slum in Johannesburg. Most people here are depending on food donations to survive during the country's lockdown. By Emmanuel Croset (AFP) Like Kenya, Benin has cordoned off key cities -- preventing movement in and out -- while the capitals of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger are also cut off. Ethiopia, with a population of over 100 million, has closed borders and schools and discouraged large gatherings, but has yet to restrict citizens' movement. "We can't impose a lockdown like more developed nations, as there are many citizens who don't have homes," said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "Even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily." On the other end of the spectrum are Burundi and Tanzania, where life largely continues as normal and whose governments have so far downplayed the dangers of the epidemic. "Coronavirus should not be a reason to destroy our economy at all," said Tanzanian President John Magufuli. 'Ineffective and unproductive' Experts agree that for the different levels of confinement to work in Africa, significant state support is needed -- a challenge in a continent where many countries are already heavily reliant on donor aid. Kenya has lowered taxes and is delivering free water to slums, Senegal's government is paying electricity bills and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged landlords to let people live rent-free until the crisis is over. Children wait in line for water, distributed for free in the Nairobi slum of Kibera last week. Health experts say close queueing breaks the rule of social distancing to prevent virus infection. By Gordwin ODHIAMBO (AFP) However political commentator Rachel Strohm said such measures mainly benefit people "in the formal sector". In Lagos, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa and elsewhere, governments are distributing food, however often only to a "fraction of the vulnerable", said Strohm. She argued that many of the measures taken are "ineffective and unproductive" -- curfews on top of transport restrictions create greater crowds as citizens rush to get home in time, and thus enhance the risk of infection. Strohm and Odede back the idea of direct money transfers to citizens -- especially to avoid the inequality and chaos of food distribution. Foreign donors -- battling their own virus-induced economic crises -- will need to step in, they say. Cilliers argued you need to try and "get the maximum economic activity going so people can survive, but try to keep opportunities for infection limited." A policeman in the Ugandan capital Kampala beats an orange hawker for defying stay-at-home instructions. By Badru KATUMBA (AFP) Another solution to avoid complete lockdowns and economic collapse is mass testing, with South Africa so far the only country seeking this approach. But only around 70,000 tests have been conducted so far, a level that is still "way too low", Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has admitted. The majority of countries are still only able to do limited testing. Meanwhile, ever-stricter measures across the continent have led to a rise in police violence as authorities struggle to get desperate citizens to comply. "I think we will continue to see excesses and relatively substantive brutality," said Cilliers. burs-fb/np/ri JOS, Nigeria, April 14, 2020 (Morning Star News) Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria decapitated two Christians in Benue state on Monday (April 13), and another group of herdsmen in Plateau state on Saturday (April 11) shot a Christian farmer dead, sources said. In Benue state, residents of Ologba village, Agatu County told Morning Star News that herdsmen ambushed two members of a Catholic church in the village at about 8 a.m. on Monday. Oche Alaade and his friend who had visited the village were traveling out of the village on their way back to Obagaji town where they reside when they were ambushed by the Fulani herdsmen and their heads cut off, area resident Louis Oguche told Morning Star News in a text message. Oyaje Sule, uncle of Oche Alaade, confirmed the killings in a statement issued to local press on Monday evening. My nephew, Oche Alaade, and his friend had come to the village for a visit and were returning to Obagaji town today in the morning where they reside, when they were ambushed by armed Fulani herdsmen, who killed them by cutting off their heads, Sule said. And because of the nature of their death, the two of them have been buried without their heads. The murders follow a herdsmen attack on two Christians the previous week who are receiving hospital treatment for their wounds, Sule said. Agatu, a predominantly Christian area in the north-central state of Benue, has been under siege by herdsmen in the past four years, with many Christians killed and displaced. Farmer Killed In Plateau state, Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 30-year-old Christian farmer Mabur Mallo Gwang on Saturday (April 11) in Maiduna village, Daffo District of Bokkos County, area residents said. Four armed herdsmen attacked him at his house while he was resting that evening, they said. Mabur Mallo Gwang was attacked in his house at about 8 p.m. and was shot dead by the Fulani herdsmen, John Machief told Morning Star News by text message from Bokkos town, where he had fled. The herdsmen were armed with guns and machetes. They forced their way into the victims house by shooting and breaking doors into his house. Hearing the sounds of gunshot as they broke into his house, Machief and other neighbors fled into the nearby bushes, he said. As the herdsmen were retreating after the attack, we heard them communicating in Fulfulde, which is the Fulani language, Machief said. He said Gwang was a member of the local Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) congregation. Yusuf Machen, chairman of the Bokkos Local Government Council, confirmed the attack when contacted by Morning Star News. We are deeply saddened about such incessant attacks on the communities in Bokkos Local Government Area, Machen said. The body of one of the alleged assailants, Musa Audi, a herdsmen from Tunduk village in Daffo District, was found dead at the site according to one local report, but authorities were uncertain how he died. Herdsmen have attacked Christian communities in Bokkos County over the past three years, as well as Christians in the counties of Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos South, Mangu and Riyom, residents told Morning Star News. In the Daffo area in the past two years, more than 40 Christians have been killed, 11 communities destroyed and more than 7,000 people displaced, they said. 16 Christians Killed in Benue Last month in Benue state, Muslim Fulani herdsmen also killed 16 Christians and kidnapped several others, sources said. The attacks by the herdsmen occurred in the Christian communities of Div-Nzaav, Chongu, Abaji and Mbanyiar in Kwande and Guma counties. Herdsmen attacked Div-Nzaav village in Kwande County on March 22 as Christians were about to begin worship in the village church, said area resident Solomon Amande. The Fulanis attacked us on Sunday, March 22; they shot and killed Tarfa Simon, while Ngusonon Kighir, a woman and member of our community, was cut with a machete, Amande said in a text message to Morning Star News. The attacked members of the Universal Reformed Christian Church (Nongu u Kristu u i Ser u sha Tar, or NKST) who escaped fled to Jato-Aka village, he added. The herdsmen also kidnapped two Christian women from the village who were rescued a few days after the attack, Amande said. These attacks against us by the herdsmen have become incessant for several years. In Abaji village three weeks earlier, also in Kwande County, armed herdsmen stormed the area in droves, residents said. They attacked at about 10 a.m on March 3, according to area resident Aloysius Yaga. Eight of our people were killed, and six others were kidnapped by the herdsmen during the attack, Yaga told Morning Star News by text message. The herdsmen shot indiscriminately at us and injured many others through machete cuts. I narrowly escaped being killed. The names of those kidnapped are Mnena Athanisius, Lydia Tange, Pius Kwanh, Tyavkase Zaki, Aondoaver Achin and Raphael Tarvihi, Yaga said. In Guma County, seven NKST members were killed when Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked villagers at a funeral wake in Chongu village on March 6, sources said. Chongu resident Zaki Usuah he and others were holding a wake at about 11 p.m. when the Fulani herdsmen attacked. The wake was for one of our deceased elders in our church, NKST church, who was to be buried the following morning at Chongu, Usuah said. Suddenly we heard sounds of gun shots all around us. Those killed in the attack include Chikwa, Taza Abuur, Tarnum Yanum and four others. Herdsmen also attacked Mbanyiar village in Guma County at about 2 a.m. on March 5, residents said. Oliver Tyoor Chado of Mbanyiar said the herdsmen kidnapped his wife and destroyed houses, food and animals belonging to Christians. The herdsmen, who were about a dozen, were armed with AK-47 rifles, Chado told Morning Star News. My wife and two other members of our village were kidnapped and taken away by the herdsmen; but they were eventually rescued by security agents after they were tortured by the herdsmen. He said displaced Christians have fled to Daudu town. On Jan. 30, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) issued a genocide warning for Nigeria, calling on the Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council to take action. CSI issued the call in response to a rising tide of violence directed against Nigerian Christians and others classified as infidels by Islamist militants in the countrys north and middle belt regions. Nigeria ranked 12th on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution but second in the number of Christians killed for their faith, behind Pakistan. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Pixabay Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan and former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kannan Gopinathan booked were booked by Gujarat police over their social media posts on Sunday. While Bhushan was charged for allegedly using objectionable tweet against the Ramayana, Kannan Gopinathan was booked for using government orders on social media to mislead people. The first information report (FIR) was registered at Bhaktinagar police station of Rajkot city on Sunday evening. Later, the investigation was transferred to the special operations group (SOG). A complaint was submitted by a retired captain from the army identified as Jaydev Bhai Joshi, a native of Rajkot. In his complaint, Joshi accused Bhushan of using word opium with Ramayana and Mahabharata in a tweet made on March 28 which has hurt the sentiments of many Hindu people, Rohit Rawal, a police inspector with SOG, said. Rawal is also the investigating officer of the case. Also read: Govt asks former IAS officer to return citing Covid-19, but he says no As crores starve & walk hundreds of miles home due to forced lockdown, our heartless ministers celebrate consuming & feeding the opium of Ramayana & Mahabharata to the people, Bhushan had tweeted on March 28. The complainant also alleged that Gopinathan and Ashlin Mathew, the news editor of National Herald newspaper, tweeted government orders in a misleading manner which can lead to a disturbance of peace in society. On the basis of the complaint, we have registered a case against the trio under section 34 (criminal act done by several persons), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or the religious beliefs), 505(1) (publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report which can cause fear and alarm amongst people) and section 120 B (criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code. We are verifying the tweet. Further investigation is on, Rawal added. Also read: All you need to know about Covid-19 lockdown extension Prashant Bhushan refused to comment. Gopinathan had tweeted on Monday that Gujarat police registered an FIR against him for allegedly misinterpreting government order. Nice try. You can arrest. But you wont silence. No one is afraid of you here, he said. The former IAS officer was recently asked to join his duty immediately in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic but he said he will extend his services in health, wealth and mind to the government in this fight against Covid-19 pandemic, it will be as a free and responsible citizen and not anymore as an IAS officer. Gopinathan had quit the service alleging growing intolerance and curtailment of freedom of speech. Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus would host the OnePlus 8 series online launch event on April 14. Under the new OnePlus 8 series lineup, the company is confirmed to launch two new smartphones, the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro. Before the event goes live at 8.30 pm IST, here is everything you need to know about the two new OnePlus 8 smartphones. OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8 launch: Where to watch the live-stream Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, OnePlus will host an online launch event for the OnePlus 8 series starting at 8.30 pm on OnePlus Indias official website and YouTube channel. OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8 price (expected) OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the OnePlus 8 series will not be priced more than USD 1,000 US (roughly Rs 76,500). Other reports suggest that the OnePlus 8 Pro with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration will be priced at EUR 929 (roughly Rs 76,900), whereas the 12GB + 256GB variant will be launched for EUR 1,019 (roughly Rs 84,200). The vanilla OnePlus 8, on the other hand, could be priced at EUR 729 (roughly Rs 60,400) for the 8GB + 128GB variant, whereas the 12GB RAM + 256GB variant could be priced at EUR 829 (roughly Rs 68,700). Keep in mind that these are speculated prices, and the Indian variants are typically priced lesser than the European variants. OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8 specifications (confirmed and expected) OnePlus has already confirmed some of the key OnePlus 8 Pro specifications. Without revealing the display size, the company has confirmed that OnePlus 8 Pro will feature a 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display. Leaked OnePlus 8 Pro specifications reveal that the Pro flagship will feature a 6.78-inch display with a punch-hole cutout on the top-left corner. The company recently announced that the OnePlus 8 Pro recently broke 13 records in DisplayMates tests while scoring an A+. The Pro variant will also feature Qualcomms Snapdragon 865 processor with X55 for 5G, as per a recent teaser. The performance unit is said to get paired with 8GB/ 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/ 256GB storage. In optics, the device would reportedly sport a quad-camera setup on the back with a 48MP Sony IMX689 f/1.78 sensor and another 48MP Sony IMX586 f/2.2 camera which will be a 120-degree ultra-wide lens. The other two lenses include an 8MP f/2.44 telephoto lens with 30x digital zoom and a 5MP colour filter sensor. OnePlus 8 Pro will also reportedly pack a 4,510 mAh battery with 30T Warp Charge, 30W wireless charging and 3W reverse wireless charging. The OnePlus flagship will also get water and dust resistance certification in the form of IP68 for the first time. For selfies, there will be a 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor housed inside the punch-hole cutout. OnePlus 8 Pro is expected to come in three colours Onyx Black, Ultramarine Blue, and Glacier Green (confirmed). The standard OnePlus 8 will share some specifications with the Pro variant like a Snapdragon 855 SoC, up to 12GB RAM (LPDDR4x) and 256GB storage. The display will be 6.55-inch tall and feature 90Hz refresh rate support, as per the leaked specifications. The camera setup on the vanilla OnePlus 8 will also be significantly different from the Pro model. According to rumour mills, the OnePlus 8 will sport a triple-camera setup with a 48MP + 16MP + 2MP sensor setup. The 16MP front camera is said to be the same as the OnePlus 8 Pro. The battery unit will house a 4,300 mAh cell with 30T Warp charging tech and no wireless charging support. The smaller flagship will also not have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The Delhi government has directed all district magistrates to identify paid-quarantine facilities in their respective areas in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Last month, the government had identified paid quarantine facilities at three private hotels - Lemon Tree, Red Fox and IBIS - located at Aerocity in the national capital. The district magistrates have been asked to identify the facilities within three days and submit a report to the health department. "The exercise will follow the same pattern adopted in Aerocity," the official said. In Aerocity, people using paid quarantine facility at the three hotels had to pay Rs 3,100 per day. Later, the government had waived taxes on the room rent. On Monday, the national capital reported a sharp rise in number of COVID-19 cases in a day with 356, taking the tally to 1,510, while four people died of the disease within 24 hours. Of the total cases, 1071 are those who have been brought to facilities through special operations. Government authorities had last month carried out measures to quarantine people who had attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area in March or had come in contact with the attendees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Implementation is always a challenge, particularly in an organization thats 2.2 million- people strong, thats in 140 countries around the world [and] has a variety of different missions, Esper said. So the key thing is to keep pushing and keep talking about it, keep amplifying it so that everybody gets the word and the commanders at successive levels . . . keep pushing it and keep filling in the blanks. All domestic, international flight operations have been suspended till May 3 in view of the extended nationwide lockdown announced earlier today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight the coronavirus pandemic. All domestic and international scheduled airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of 3rd May 2020, the civil aviation ministry said. To be clear, India at present, is also not allowing flights to rescue stranded Indian citizens abroad. The PM underlined that the energy of we the people will have to be harnessed to fight the coronavirus battle. In my discussions with the state governments, and various stakeholders, one thing was unanimous: That we should extend the lockdown. So, I announce today that the lockdown will be extended till May 3, PM Modi said this morning. On April 3, national carrier Air India was the first to stop advance bookings for all flights till April 30. All modes of conveyance, including rail traffic, road and air transport, have been suspended after the lockdown came into effect. Initially, international flights were suspended for a week from March 22 but later extended until April 15 coinciding with the lockdown. Domestic flights were suspended from the day the lockdown started on March 25. On April 11, Hindustan Times reported that suspension of commercial flights and railway travel may be extended till month-end. Indias airport sector has prepared a business continuity plan for probable opening of commercial flight operations post lockdown. In a letter written to the civil aviation ministry, which has been reviewed by the Hindustan Times, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has asked for extra security measures to be implemented for the safety of its personnel. The CISF has prepared a Business Continuity Plan for opening of commercial aircraft operations from the security perspective of aircraft operators, airline operators and CISF personnel, once restrictions are lifted. The plan includes setting up of separate earmarked, isolated security checking facilities across airports for carrying out security checks of passengers, crew and others, who have undergone home quarantine or hospital quarantine during the last one month. It also proposes airlines should spread out the flight timings, to avoid a large number of passengers. Reporting time for passengers at the airport should be increased up to 120 minutes, so that passengers may smoothly pass through all the channels like access control, random screening, check-in, Immigration (in case of International passengers) by maintaining appropriate distance, according to the plan. Aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is also preparing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure social distancing among passengers and reducing contact with staff on board. This includes measures like leaving the middle seats empty. Airports started screening passengers for coronavirus since 18 January. On 23 February, authorities at Mumbai's international airport tightened the screening process, according to the guidelines of the Central government While announcing the extension of a lockdown due to the coronavirus on Saturday, Maharashtra's chief minister Uddhav Thackeray slipped in the hint of a lapse at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport that could have added to the number of people infected by COVID-19 in the state. He said, "When we started screening passengers at the airport, we tested people coming from the list of countries given by the Centre. But some of the countries were not included in this list and certain incoming passengers slipped through." He was referring to travellers from the UAE and the USA. Airports started screening passengers for coronavirus since 18 January. On 23 February, authorities at Mumbai's international airport tightened the screening process, according to the guidelines of the Central government. Passengers coming in from China, where the virus first broke out, along with Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan were on the radar. On 3 March, the Bureau of Immigration issued another travel advisory. Its sixth and last point read, "Passengers (foreign and Indian) other than those restricted, arriving directly or indirectly from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan must undergo medical screening at port of entry." The list did not include the UAE or the USA. Between the time the first set of restrictions were put in place (23 February) and when the immigration bureau sent out its advisory (3 March), a group of tourists landed in Mumbai (on 1 March) from Dubai, one of the busiest cities in The UAE. On 17 March, when Maharashtra had clocked 40 positive cases of coronavirus, 40 percent of those were traced to this group. The first case of the coronavirus in Maharashtra was a Pune couple, which was part of this group. And the first two cases in Mumbai were traced to that couple. The first three cases in Yavatmal were traced to this group as well, threatening the spread of the virus into vast swathes of rural Maharashtra, for Yavatmal is an agrarian district. So far, Maharashtra has seen over 1,700 cases of coronavirus, and Mumbai accounts for more than half of them. The state has also recorded 127 deaths. Dubai is a transit hub, and one of the busiest airports where most flights from Europe and the US have a layover. With 17 Dubai-Mumbai flights a day, around 8,000 passengers reportedly come into the city on a daily basis. Mahesh Kumar, Deputy Secretary (PR), Ministry of External Affairs said the advisories were based on the number of infections in the countries. "On 3 March, we did not feel the need to include USA and UAE, for the USA only had 127 cases of coronavirus and the UAE had only 27 cases," he said, "There is no story behind leaving these two countries out. It was just a low number of cases. You have to respond to data. We were getting our inputs from our embassies." Senior journalist, Rohit Chandavarkar, who writes regularly on aviation, said the load at Indian airports was too high to screen passengers coming from all sides. "They had to be selective," he said. But Ajay Awtaney, Mumbai-based aviation journalist and editor of livefromalounge.com, said the thinking behind this process was to go about it as less disruptively as possible, and inconvenience as few people as possible. "However, we are in lockdown now," he said, "It should have been an all-round assessment process, because it is easy to slip up when you are selective. When transit hubs like UAE or Qatar started taking this seriously, they screened everyone." As far as the USA is concerned, Awtaney said he was surprised that it was missing from the list. "People had started to talk about cases starting to rise in the US, and there were no precautions being taken in the country either. If the MEA was responding to data, then there were no testing protocols in place in the US at the time. The lawmakers kept saying it is not a problem, and they were not treating it like a pandemic," he said. The 3 March advisory also said, "All foreign and Indian nationals entering into India from any port are required to furnish duly-filled self-declaration form (including personal particulars ie phone number and address in India) and travel history, to health officials and immigration officials at all ports." In other words, it put the onus on the passengers to be truthful and forthcoming. But there was ample evidence to show the passengers did not do so. The advisory was updated on 6 March, which also emphasised universal screening and self-declaration. On 13 March, the government suspended all visas. On 26 March, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba wrote to the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories that 15 lakh international passengers entered India between 18 January and 23 March, and that there is a "gap" between the ones being monitored and the ones who arrived. "As you are aware, we initiated screening of international incoming passengers at the airports with effect from 18 January, 2020. I have been informed that up to 23 March, 2020, cumulatively, the Bureau Of Immigration has shared details of more than 15 lakh incoming international passengers with the states/UTs in order to monitor COVID-19. However, there appears to be a gap between the number of international passengers who need to be monitored by the states/UTs and the actual number of passengers being monitored," said Gauba in his letter. Chandavarkar said the Centre originally issued orders to the Bureau of Immigration at Indian airports, to screen passengers coming only from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. "But by that time, the spread of COVID-19 had already occurred in Europe and even in the United States. The Bureau of Immigration followed orders and started screening the passengers coming from East Asia. However, by that time it had become clear that even the UAE had the pandemic," he said, adding, "Most cases in India now seem to have come from the west of the country and not the east. The multiplicity of agencies and the communication gap between them may have resulted in many passengers from Europe and the UAE coming into India without being properly screened at the airports." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) A summon for Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III over his breach of quarantine protocols will be out Tuesday, Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento confirmed to CNN Philippines. Malcontento said the preliminary investigation on the case filed against him by former University of Makati law dean and lawyer Rico Quicho is temporarily set on May 20. Quicho said Pimentel who accompanied his wife, who was about to give birth, to Makati Medical Center even if he was supposed to be under home quarantine after getting tested for the new coronavirus violated laws related to nondisclosure of his health status and guidelines under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. Pimentels test results later confirmed that he did contract the disease and potentially exposed a number of health workers at the hospital and staff at members-only supermarket S&R. Quicho said in a Facebook post that he has received an order from the Justice Department to appear within five days after the lifting of the quarantine to file a hard copy of the complaint against Pimentel and swear under oath. Legal experts said Pimentel may be fined up to 50,000 or face a jail term of one to six months for failing to disclose that he is suspected of having COVID-19. For violating the enhanced community quarantine, he can be fined between 10,000 and 50,000 or jailed for up to a year. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier that his department will immediately schedule the preliminary investigation at a proper time as there is still enhanced community quarantine enforced over Luzon. He vowed to be impartial. Pimentel has apologized for his actions, saying that his trip to the hospital was essential. CNN Philippines Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. Now that southern Europe seems to be past the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak, the hard-hit region is starting to look ahead to what comes after lockdown. Under pressure from companies, Italy is weighing when and how to reopen its economy after more than 20,000 deathsthe most per capita in the worldand more than a month under shutdown. Even if the virus abates in Mayan optimistic projectionthe countrys GDP is projected to contract by 6 percent this year, and thousands of small businesses could go under, a devastating blow for a country that still hasnt fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Italys population skews older, which experts have said helped the coronavirus wreak havoc in the country. With a median age of 46 years and nearly a quarter of its population over the age of 65, Italy is the fourth-oldest country in the world. (At 43.9 years, Spain, which has had the third-most-confirmed deaths so far, isnt far behind.) The virus has decimated seniors. According to a March 23 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association, people over 70 represented 37.6 percent of cases in Italy, and this group had a staggering 22.7 percent fatality rate. Throughout Europe, more than 95 percent of those who have died of the disease have been over 60, according to WHO. Advertisement The demographic profile that made Italy more vulnerable to the disease is likely to make recovery from the economic devastation more difficult as well. With seniors incapacitated and young people facing unstable futures, the lurching road to recovery may further exacerbate generational resentments. With seniors incapacitated and young people facing unstable futures, the lurching road to recovery may further exacerbate generational resentments. Graying societies were already struggling with economic growth before the virus forced them to shut down most businesses. An older population means fewer working-age people to hire, fewer people in a position to start businesses, and more people dependent on social security systems and expensive medical care. Advertisement Fertility rates were already falling in places like Italy, and Greece, and Spain. And now this is going to have such an economic impact on their country. Theyre going to have a harder time getting their economies going again, says Brienna Perelli-Harris, a professor of demography at the University of Southampton. Advertisement Advertisement Just like they were in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, countries will be caught in a vicious cycle. Lack of economic opportunity (Spains youth unemployment rate is over 45 percent) makes young people more likely to emigrate and less likely to have children. Then, smaller working-age populations slow economic growth. Italy is on the leading edge of this trend, but its hardly alone. Birth rates are falling below or approaching death rates in every region of the world. Advertisement Advertisement This is mostly good news: Lower birth rates correspond with lower infant mortality rates, higher rates of education and employment for women, and generally more prosperous societies. And while the economic challenge posed by aging societies is undeniable, its probably not insurmountable. Advertisement Advertisement The era of social distancing has underlined the need for early child care, not just for parents sanity but for economic resilience. This massive global experiment in teleworking might also make some employers more open to flexible working arrangements for working parentsboth factors could make it more likely for young adults to have children and remain in the workforce while they do so. Advertisement Advertisement But in other respects, the aftermath of COVID-19 could make it more difficult for societies to confront their challenges. A number of countries have responded to aging populations by raising retirement ages. This was controversial alreadymassive protests forced the French government to abandon a plan to raise the retirement age to 64 earlier this yearand its hard to imagine governments encouraging seniors to join the workforce now, at least until a reliable vaccine for COVID-19 is available. Leaders like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have suggested restarting the economy by having younger workers return to their jobs first. This is going to be difficult in countries where those workers were in short supply to begin with. Advertisement Same goes for optimistic plans to prod companies to tap into the growing silver economy of services and experiences aimed at older adults. Another obvious solution for a shrinking, aging population is to simply bring in new people via immigration. Recent immigrants and their descendants now account for nearly all U.S. population growth. Japan, the worlds oldest major economy, has finally been forced to ever-so-slightly relax its immigration lawsamong the worlds most restrictive. This was already a tough sell. The far-right parties that have been ascendant in many Western democracies see falling birth rateswhich they blame on liberalism and feminismcombined with immigration as threatening traditional cultural identities. Are we as a country facing extinction? Unfortunately yes, wrote Matteo Salvini, former Italian deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right Lega Nord party, in 2018. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the coronavirus has led to tight travel restrictions being imposed around the worldat least some of which are unlikely to be lifted once the crises abates. It has also led to an uptick in xenophobia, initially aimed at Chinese and Asian immigrants in the West, but now increasingly at Europeans in China. Its going to be an even more difficult atmosphere for advocates of open borders, immigration, and multiculturalism. And as millennials face their second once-in-a-generation economic crisis, simmering tensions between generations may well boil over. Phillip Longman, a demographer at the Open Markets Institute and author of The Empty Cradle, worries that the aftermath of the outbreak is likely to to pit young and old against each other. Advertisement Already, he says, Theres a prevailing attitude among millennials in the United States at least that many of their problems are brought to them by out-of-control baby boomers, as evidenced by the worldwide popularity of the OK Boomer meme. Now, Longman explains, Theres an almost literal conflict of generations when theres an 85-year-old on a ventilator and meanwhile theres an automobile accident outside and two millennials are wheeled in and the capacity isnt there to deal with them. He points out that if and when a vaccine is developed, its likely to be given to the most vulnerable populations first, further underlining the divide. Beyond that, the younger folks are going to take the brunt of the economic collapse while older folks sit home and collect their pensions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already, in the United States, weve seen calls for older people to ignore the risks to their health and return to work in order to prevent economic collapse. Ironically, these have mainly come from Republican Party politicians and Fox Newsinstitutions that rely heavily on older Americans for support. But Longman suggests that as the brunt of the economic impact is felt, Some of that stuff is going to have more resonance than us older folks would like. Advertisement Advertisement This is already manifesting in some ugly ways. A column in the U.K.s Telegraph newspaper recently suggested that COVID-19 could actually benefit economic growth in the long run by culling elderly dependents. Ukraines former health minister has suggested that older people were already effectively corpses. Both comments were cited in a Human Rights Watch report warning that In addition to the greater risk of severe illness and death from the virus, discriminatory attitudes and actions threaten older peoples rights. As pressure grows to restart teetering economies around the world, its often suggested that most people could go to work as long as measures are taken to protect those most vulnerable to the disease. Theres a thin line between this sort of protection and suggesting that older people ought to simply remove themselves from public life for their own safety. A more optimistic way of looking at this moment is as one of intergenerational solidarity. After all, many younger people who are less vulnerable to the virus are shouldering an economic burden to protect the lives of people at greater risk. One of the many challenges for governments and societies going forward will be to keep this solidarity from curdling into resentment. Kenyan newspapers on Tuesday, April 14, lead with surging tension between allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto over recent Jubilee Party changes conducted secretary-general, Raphael Tuju. The dailies also report on various measures the government has continued to put in place to stem out the coronavirus menace even as the number of cases crossed the 200 mark on Monday, April 13. READ ALSO: Education CS Magoha rules out postponement of national exams due to coronavirus Newspapers on Tuesday, April 14, report about tension that is building up by the hour in Jubilee Party. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua's mother-in-law dies in US, family unable to fly her home 1. The Standard A freshly released study from Amref Health Africa Africa has projected that between 800,000 and 2 million Kenyans could die of coronavirus in case of a full-blown crisis. According to the study, most of the people who will die from the respiratory disease are those aged above 65 years and the deaths are estimated to hit 878,988. The 2019 population census caps the number of this population (above 65 years) at 1.46 million. Among those who will be hardest hit are those in this age bracket and are suffering from diseases like cancer, hypertension and diabetes. According to the experts, Kenya has a prevalence of 86,596 cancer cases out of which some 51,957 patients are likely to be directly affected by the pandemic. Data shows that even countries with robust healthcare systems have 50% of people with severe coronavirus succumb to the infection. READ ALSO: Serikali yajitetea kuhusu mazishi ya kutatanisha yaliyofanyika Siaya 2. The Star Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu is this week expected to make a ruling on bonafide leaders of the Jubilee Party after claims emerged that there was an illegal ploy by outsiders to take over management of the political outfit. Deputy President William Ruto led in protesting changes made in the party's leadership stating that the exercise was conducted by fraudsters with divided allegiance. Nderitu said she had received at least 100 protest letters shortly after she published a Gazette Notice with names of five new members forwarded to her by Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju. Firebrand politician David Murathe poked holes in the DP's protest arguing that everything Tuju did had been sanctioned by the President, and as such, the second in command needed to confront party leader Uhuru Kenyatta and not the secretary-general. READ ALSO: 3 Kenyan firms develop app that alerts you when near COVID-19 patient 3. People Daily The daily reports of a couple that took marriage vows on Monday, April 13, in a church ceremony attended by 15 people. Kennedy Mureithi and Pauline Waithera said they resisted the temptation to cancel their wedding because of government's directive restricting gathering to help curb the spread of coronavirus. According to the newlyweds, cancelling the wedding was not among options on the table as they considered it tantamount to recalling a covenant with God. Both of their parents were unable to travel to the venue in Thika, which is currently under 21 days lockdown. They watched their children walk down the aisle on Facebook. READ ALSO: Learning continues at Mount Kenya University, despite COVID-19 pandemic 4. Daily Nation Family of a Siaya man who succumbed to coronavirus and buried at 1am on Sunday, April 12, has said that it had made arrangements for a coffin to be bought. The members, however, said country officials could not listen to them and they resorted to dumping body of James Onyango in a shallow grave during the deep of the night. His remains were wrapped in a body bag. According to public health guidelines, burial or cremation are supposed to take place during the day and not at night. However, according to some Luo elders, traditional practices allow a person to be buried at night depending on circumstances surrounding their death. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My husband left me for our househelp - Justina Syokau of Twendi Twendi | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday moved to pre-empt a repeat of migrant workers exodus from the national capital, seen last month at the beginning of the first phase of three-week-long national lockdown, by issuing a clarification in advance that it was impossible for anyone to take them home right now and that they should stay put in the national capital until May 3, when the second phase of the national lockdown-- announced today-- comes to an end. Kejriwal was forced to issue the clarification after a similar crisis erupted in Mumbai, where migrant labourers, said to be mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, gathered at a bus stop near the Bandra railway station demanding the resumption of transport services enabling their return home. They had to be lathicharged first followed by assurances that they will be provided food and taken care of in the migrant camps in the state till the duration of the lockdown. The scene was an instant reminder of the crisis that unfolded on Delhi streets and its borders with Uttar Pradesh last month when hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers gathered at the interstate bus stations near UP border in the false hope that they will be provided transport home. The incident had led to a political war of words between the UP and the Delhi government with the former alleging that the Delhi government conspired to drop the migrants at Anand Bihar Bus Terminal using Delhi Transport Corporation buses in violation of the lockdown norms. The incident also led to action against senior bureaucrats in the Delhi government. Kejriwal, on this instance, made it clear that the migrants should not believe even if told that there were DTC buses ready to ferry them to some other place. People may try to spread rumours. Someone will say they can take you to your home if you pay them so much. No one can take you to your home or village right now. Someone might tell you DTC buses are standing somewhere. No DTC bus is taking you anywhere.., Kejriwal said. He asked migrants from other states to show little bit more patience so that the gains made in the first phase of lockdown are not lost by showing impatience. Several of you have come to Delhi from other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Haryana. Some of you are desperate to return to your home. I pray to you with folded hands to wait till May 3. Control your anxiety and desperation now, because chaos at this stage will create huge problems, Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister added that his government had made more than sufficient arrangements for food in the national capital and no one needed to worry on that count. For Coronavirus Live Updates We are arranging for medicine and food. If you want anything we will have it delivered at your home, Kejriwal added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, told people this morning that the country needed to extend the lockdown by another couple of weeks if India was to not go the way of the European nations overwhelmed by the pandemic, and the resultant loss of thousands of lives. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-13 21:42:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo shows that a side event titled "Progress of Human Rights in China" was held on the sidelines of the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The appointment of a Chinese official into the Consultative Group of the UN Human Rights Council demonstrated once again the international community's recognition of China's achievements in human rights development, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday. The appointment of Jiang Duan, minister of the Chinese mission to the United Nations in Geneva, also showed the world's recognition of China's active participation in international human rights exchanges and cooperation, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing. China has been actively engaged in the work of the UN Human Rights Council and other multilateral institutions on human rights, Zhao said, commenting on a letter sent by some U.S. senators to United Nations expressing opposition to the appointment. With the poor human rights record of the United States, which has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, it is ridiculous that the U.S. senators meddled in the affairs of the council as well as the human rights situations of other countries. The Chinese side advises them to prioritize solving the human rights problems of the United States, and promote the human rights and well-being of the American people through practical actions, the spokesperson said. The all-electric Formula E series could run races without spectators and away from city centres to finish a season put on hold by the novel coronavirus pandemic which has led to two of its top venues being turned into temporary hospitals. London: The all-electric Formula E series could run races without spectators and away from city centres to finish a season put on hold by the novel coronavirus pandemic which has led to two of its top venues being turned into temporary hospitals. Chief executive Jamie Reigle told Reuters all options were being considered. The current calendar is scheduled to end at Londons ExCeL Exhibition Centre on 25-26 July with cars racing through the building on a circuit that also takes in the Royal Docks waterfront. The facility has been converted into the Nightingale Hospital, which will eventually be able to treat about 4,000 COVID-19 patients. The round in New York on 11 July uses the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal site that is being transformed into a temporary hospital. New York has been the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Clearly I cant look you in the eye and say were going to race (on those dates in London and New York) given that pattern, Reigle said in an interview. Could we race later in the year? Were looking at all options right now, he added. In simple terms if you work backwards from next season, which starts in the middle of December, were trying to shrink that off-season period as much as we can to create space in the calendar to race in August and September. Reigle said the sports teams, manufacturers and partners were supportive. He added that there was a regular dialogue with ExCeLs owners over dates but other options were under discussion for a city-based series that runs on temporary street layouts to promote electric vehicles and cleaner energy. We find ourselves of course in a very different moment and I think everyone is in improvise mode so we need to look at all alternatives, said Reigle, speaking from Singapore. Well look at behind closed doors, well look at tracks, well look at venues that otherwise wouldnt be a natural Formula E venue. That doesnt signal a change in the overall strategy, its just a reflection of the current circumstances. Sound Proposition Reigle hoped next season would start as planned and saw two main ways of getting this one done. One is some races in Europe and in Asia in July and August and September, which are more typical Formula E races in cities, and then theres the behind closed doors at tracks and in remote locations, he said. Ill be very disappointed if we dont start our next season in December. But I suspect if thats the case well be dealing with much bigger issues than racing calendars. Reigle remained optimistic about Formula Es future, despite the shock to the global economy. I fundamentally believe that Formula Es proposition is sound for the medium term. Theres a trend toward electric vehicles, consumers want them, theres regulatory pressure for auto manufacturers to shift towards electric vehicles, he said. With people stopping moving around, the pollution levels have come right down... its really demonstrated that human activity has a direct impact on the climate and not just in the long term but the very short term. We think that lends credibility to our story. So the business model for Formula E is sound. Theres no doubt we face headwinds though. I dont want to sugar coat that in any way. Formula E has already postponed the introduction of its new Gen2 car for a year as part of cost-saving measures. It announced on Tuesday a partnership with the UN childrens fund UNICEF to support a global coronavirus appeal. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak More than half a dozen volunteers have banded together in India to launch a crowdsourced tool to help people in the nation identify and locate nearby grocery stores, pharmacies, and cash machines as New Delhi extends the nationwide lockdown to May 3. The service, called Covidmaps, allows people to locate operational grocery stores, pharmacies, cash machines in their vicinity and find up-to-date details such as when the store opens and closes, the items it has in stock, and whether the store uses a queuing system. Covidmaps relies on people to add new stores, explained Phani Kishan, one of the founding members, in an interview with TechCrunch. Users are also tasked with updating details about different stores. India ordered a 21-day nationwide lockdown last month that has restricted peoples movement and shut most stores in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown to May 3. Kishan said seven people are today collaborating on Covidmaps, all of whom are working on it as a side project. At his day job, he works at Swiggy, Indias largest food delivery startup. The two-week-old service has already amassed more than 50,000 visitors, including some from outside of India. Covidmaps is currently seeing most traction in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Vancouver. Know about the essential services providers around you by a click on https://t.co/WAnYzxhTDi. Thanks to the developers. Information is convenience in these difficult times @cpbbsrctc @bmcbbsr @SarangiSudhansu @nilamadhabpanda Anup Kumar Sahoo (@anupkumarsahoo) April 10, 2020 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Story continues People in Delhi and other places are also beginning to participate. But it takes some time before there are enough stores listed in a vicinity before the service gets popular there, said Kishan, who added that he was hopeful people outside India would find this service useful, too. Kishan said that some services in India such as startup Dunzo has also started to use Covidmaps as their delivery personnel try to find stores in different localities to serve customers. On Monday, Google unveiled Nearby Spot on Maps that allows users to find some stores in their vicinity. The company sources this information when a person uses Google Pay to complete a transaction at a store. Kishan said Google had provided free credit to Covidmaps so that it can use Maps Platform. CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas will contribute more than $ 1 million in funding, as well as personal protective equipment, to help 42 community organizations across the region provide vital services in response to the COVID-19 emergency. "COVID-19 has touched every community we serve in Chicago and the northern suburbs," said Charles Matthews, president and CEO Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. "Thousands of people in Chicagoland are facing financial hardship, serious health issues or loss of a loved one. We're proud to step up and help organizations on the front lines of this crisis as we continue to deliver the natural gas our customers are depending on at this critical time." The Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Community Funds will provide about $400,000 to community nonprofits directly addressing the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding will provide food and shelter for those in need and support health care workers on the front lines of the crisis. Organizations receiving support include the Community COVID-19 Response Funds of United Way of Metro Chicago and United Way of Lake County, as well as organizations like the American Red Cross, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, and Dixon Center for Military and Veterans. The Community Funds also will provide $630,000 to support ongoing community partners of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas that have been impacted by the crisis, including a domestic violence shelter, arts and education nonprofits, and organizations focused on economic development, homelessness and youth empowerment. "In such a challenging time, the thing that gives me great hope and inspiration is seeing Chicagoans come together as a community to meet the changing needs of our neighbors," said Sean Garrett, president and CEO of United Way of Metro Chicago. "We're incredibly thankful for the support from Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas and applaud their dedication to ensuring that our community partners on the front lines have the resources they need to make their work possible." Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas and its parent company, WEC Energy Group, also donated more than 10,000 masks and 10,000 pairs of surgical gloves to the City of Chicago's Department of Public Health to address the acute need for personal protective equipment in the region's health care system. "We are here for Chicagoland during these unsettling times," Matthews said. "We are proud of the work we do year-round to support our communities and will go above and beyond for our customers and neighbors in the weeks ahead." Customers can find additional information on the companies' response to the COVID-19 emergency at peoplesgasdelivery.com and northshoregasdelivery.com or by calling 866-556-6001 for Peoples Gas or 866-556-6004 for North Shore Gas. Peoples Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 867,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Chicago. Find information about natural gas safety, energy efficiency and other energy-related topics at peoplesgasdelivery.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @peoplegaschi. North Shore Gas, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC), is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves more than 163,000 customers in Chicago's northern suburbs. For more information, visit northshoregasdelivery.com. SOURCE Peoples Gas; North Shore Gas MOSCOW, April 14 -- A team composed of 10 Chinese medical experts to help Russia fight against COVID-19 flew by the Russian military aircraft and arrived at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow at 4:00 p.m. on April 11, local time. The aircraft carried a batch of anti-pandemic supplies donated by China to Russia, including various types of protective masks and medical protective gears. This was an unusual flight. Anti-pandemic supplies were piled up high, almost occupying the entire cabin. The 50-cm-wide iron seats next to the cabin wall became the only place for the medical team to have a rest during the flight. There was an aisle with a width of less than 50 cm between the seats and the cargo, and one had to walk sideways to pass it. The anti-pandemic supplies are piled up in the cabin of a Russian military aircraft, and the Chinese experts aboard can only rest on makeshift seats. (Photo source: Global Times) Seeing the Russian crew's apologetic gaze, the Chinese medical experts said with optimism, "This is much better than what we experienced in the pandemic period, because at least we can take a rest. Russia, please hold on, we are here!" When COVID-19 broke out in China, Russia immediately sent an expert team to assist China. Now Russia is at the critical juncture of fighting against the pandemic and China sent a medical expert team to Moscow to help. Such mutual-assistance deeply reflects the uniqueness of the relationship between the two countries. The members of the Chinese medical expert team to Russia specialize in laboratory testing, infectious disease prevention and control, respiration, intensive care, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), etc. After arriving in Russia, the expert team will exchange and share experience with the Russian side, provide training and assistance on prevention and control, as well as diagnosis and treatment, and hold video conferences with representatives of Chinese or Chinese expats in Russia, to introduce knowledge and experience of pandemic prevention and deliver anti-pandemic supplies. According to information released by stopcoronavirus.rf, Russia's official source of COVID-19 information, as of April 12, local time, there were 2,186 new cases in Russia with a total of 15,770 confirmed cases. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on April 8 that the next two to three weeks will be a crucial period for Russia to fight the pandemic. Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar are one of most loved couples in Bollywood. Their bond of so many years is living testimony of not just love and affection but humour as well. Shabana did a Facebook live recently to prove the point. Taking to social media, Shabana said how recently while having soup Javed was spilling more than he was drinking. Seeing him do so, she reprimanded him saying Javed, iss tarah tum khaoge toh kitna tum giraoge? Then, as repartee, Javed decided to sing a song giving a hilarious twist to hit Hindi film song from the golden era of Bollywood music Abhi Naa Jao Chhod Ke, Ke Dil Abhi Bhara Nahin. His version went as follows: Jo iss tarah se khaoge, toh kitna tum giraoge. Joh soup iss pe gir gaya, toh jaante toh hoga kya? Yeh daag dhul na payega, Yeh daag dhul na payega... jo dhoyega, bataayega, ke saabun iss pe ghis diya, yeh daag par mitaa nahin (If you have soup this way, imagine how you will spill. And if it gets spilt, do you know what will happen? One wont be able to wash away the stains, the person who washes it, will tell the tale of how much he scrubbed it soap but the stain remained). Finding it hard to control her smile, she later said: Isnt it delightful? Whats hard to miss is how well Shabana sings. Also read: The real reason Marvel fired Edward Norton from Avengers, replaced him with Mark Ruffalo as Hulk Like many in Bollywood, Shabana has also been doing her bit in the fight against Covid-19. After some members of the medical fraternity were attacked in Indore in April, Shabana had condemned the attack. Respect. Dr Trupti and Dr Raziya are true role models. And the behaviour of those who pelted them with stones is shameful and condemnable, Azmi had written on Twitter. Amid national lockdown, Shabana had once recited a poem by Kitty OMeara to spread positivity. The senior actor posted a video of her recital of the poem in March-end, which spoke of small but significant things that people can do while at home to help in healing mankind and the Earth. (With PTI and ANI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more -The Yellow fever outbreak was discovered at the border point of South Sudan and Uganda - In a statement, WHO said at least two people had tested positive for the disease - The health organisation warned the risk of the disease spreading across South Sudan was high due to the spontaneous return of displaced persons from Uganda and a weak health system - The international health body said it would partner with the Ministry of Health in South Sudan to launch a reactive vaccination campaign in the affected region - Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and has the potential to spread rapidly and cause serious public health impact As countries across the globe continue to grapple with COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed yet another epidemic in South Sudan, Yellow fever. Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and has the potential to spread rapidly and cause serious public health impact. READ ALSO: Kenyans rally behind Uasin Gishu women who got soaked in busaa by area chief WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom. The Health the organisation has confirmed Yellow fever outbreak in South Sudan. Photo: WHO. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Nyamira: Mwandishi wa habari aponea kwenye tundu la sindano kutekwa nyara In a statement, WHO said at least two people have tested positive to the disease which was discovered in the southern part of Africa's youngest nation. "On March 3, 2020, the Ministry of Health of South Sudan reported two presumptive positive cases of yellow fever in Kajo Keni county, Central Equatoria State, South Sudan. Both the cases were subsequently confirmed positive by plaque reduction neutralisation testing (PRNT) at the regional reference laboratory, Uganda Viral Research Institute (UVRI) on March 28," read the report in part. READ ALSO: Heartbroken comedian Mulamwah quits comedy, burns signature jacket over online trolls Mosquitoes have been listed as the frequent transmitters of yellow fever. Photo: WHO. Source: Facebook The cases were identified through a cross-border rapid response team tasked to investigate and arrest the spread of the disease at border points neighbouring Uganda where the epidemic was first reported. During the investigation, the team collected 41 blood samples from five villages which were in close proximity to the area bordering Moyo district, Uganda. According to WHO, of the 41 individuals whose samples were collected, nine (22%) had history of fever, but none had history of jaundice. Most of the individuals investigated were between 20-45 years of age, and 18 (44%) of these individuals were female. In addition, a rapid entomology survey in the villages found evidence of multiple mosquito breeding sites and abundant Aedes species mosquitos like Aegypti, Albopictus and Simpsoni. As of 28 March 2020, these are the only two cases (no deaths) that have been confirmed from Kajo Keji county," read the report. The health organisation, however, warned that the risk of the disease spreading across South Sudan was high due to the spontaneous return of displaced persons from Uganda, gaps in surveillance and weaknesses in health services in the country. To help combat the outbreak at its initial stages, WHO indicated it would partner with South Sudan's health ministry to launch a reactive vaccination campaign in the affected region. "South Sudan is classified as a high-risk country in the Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) initiative. Epidemic spread of Yellow Fever is a risk in South Sudan as the estimated overall population immunity is negligible with nearly 0% immunity in Kajo Keji county," added the report. South Sudan has experienced several yellow fever outbreaks in the past. The last outbreak was declared on November 29, 2018, in Sakure Payam, Nzara county in Gbudue State. Prior to this outbreak, in May 2003, a total of 178 cases with 27 deaths were reported in Imatong region. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke The domestic steel players have started re-working their business plans for the next phase of the lockdown, which was announced earlier in the day by the prime minister, industry sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is necessary to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. He said detailed guidelines on implementation of the new lockdown will be announced on Wednesday, and some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots. The industry players who were planning to scale up production have now started to re-work their strategy in the wake of the extended lockdown period, sources said. Any decision regarding scaling up the output levels will be now taken after April 20, they said. The demand for steel fell due to the outbreak of COVID-19 followed by the lockdown period, which ultimately led to reduction in production level. Some of the major steel producers like Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and Tata Steel Ltd (TSL) which together contribute about 20 per cent to India's total steel production had slashed production by almost 50 per cent. At the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), daily production level of hot metal came down to 12,000 tonne from 18,000 tonne. Last week, Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel had even announced that it has started preparations to scale up its production levels. The domestic players are also concerned about the inventory levels which has built up during the lockdown, sources said adding there is no issue in movement of raw materials. "After the government's intervention, supply of raw material remains unaffected but due to lack of demand inventories have built up. If things continue, storage will be another issue," one of the source said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A cross-Border manhunt is under way for the chief suspect in the killing of an 18-year-old in Co Fermanagh at the weekend. The victim, named locally as John McDonagh, was originally from Dublin but had been living in Northern Ireland for some time. The teenager was fatally injured after a fight broke out involving a number of men in the Coolcullen Meadow area of Enniskillen on Saturday night. A number of weapons, including knives and bottles, were used in the assault which was also captured on video. Mr McDonagh and another 24-year-old man suffered serious injuries to their legs during the incident and were taken to hospital. However, despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead. Relatives of the dead man took to social media to pay tributes to the teenager. One wrote: "18 years of age, his whole life ahead of him, he didn't deserve this." Another added: "RIP John, really can't believe you're gone you will always be remembered, never forgotten, fly high." A bare-knuckle boxer living in the North but with links to the Republic has been identified as a chief suspect in the killing of Mr McDonagh. The PSNI is liaising with gardai who are trying to find out whether the suspect fled across the Border after the fatal assault. Detectives from the PSNI have launched a murder inquiry into the incident, which happened at around 8.40pm on Saturday. The PSNI said it attended the scene and found two men, including Mr McDonagh, who had sustained wounds to their legs and who were subsequently taken to hospital. A 19-year-old male was arrested and he has since been released on bail, pending further enquiries. A fourth man fled the scene before police arrived and is still at large. Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said they are appealing for anyone who captured images on mobile phone footage to contact them. "Tragically, the 18-year-old male victim passed away in hospital and I want to express my condolences to the victim's family, friends and loved ones at this very sad time," he said. "Our investigation continues, and I am appealing to the public to help us establish exactly what happened and who was involved. "If you witnessed the altercation, please get in touch with us by calling 101 and ask for detectives investigating this murder. "If you captured footage of it on your mobile phone, or if you were driving in the area and captured it on your dashcam, I would urge you to bring that forward to us. "I would also appeal to the male who is also believed to have been involved in the incident, and who had left the scene before our officers arrived, to make contact with us today and tell us what happened. "Anyone who has any information which could help our investigation is asked to call detectives on 101, and quote reference number 2257 of 11/04/20. Alternatively, if you have information which can help our investigation, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111." On the evening of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife went to see a performance of Our American Cousin at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. At 10:15 p.m., John Wilkes Booth slipped into the Lincolns private box and fired a .44-caliber derringer into the back of Lincolns head. As Booth was escaping, he broke his leg but managed to leave the theater and escape on a horse. A 23-year-old doctor was in the audience. He raced to Lincoln and found him slumped in his chair, paralyzed and struggling to breathe. Soldiers carried Lincoln to a house across the street. When the surgeon general arrived at the house, he concluded that Lincoln could not be saved and would die during the night. Lincoln was pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m. April 15, 1865. The last photograph of President Abraham Lincoln was taken by Alexander Gardner in Washington on April 10, 1865, after the news of Lee's surrender had marked the unofficial end of the war. Four days after the picture was taken, Lincoln was shot. The original photograph is in the collection of the Library of Congress. (AP Photo/Alexander Gardner)ASSOCIATED PRESS The Cleveland Plain Dealer gave a report on the foulest crime ever committed upon earth. The newspaper reported that people in Ohio had been rejoicing over the expected closing of the rebellion, and the near advent of Peace when they received the news of Lincolns death. On Saturday morning the dreadful intelligence burst upon the country that ABRAHAM LINCOLN had been assassinated! in the city of Washington, in the very presence of his wife, in the midst of a gay and fashionable assemblage, by a lawless desperado and most cowardly miscreant. So unexpected was the announcement, that no words are adequate to unfold the consternation and grief of the people. The thought that within the limits of our nation there was a man so wicked and desperate as to take the life of the President of the United States, was almost beyond credence. But the news was confirmed. At 7 oclock and 22 minutes on the 15th of April, 1865, Abraham Lincoln ceased to exist and was ushered into the presence of the God of the universe. This is the Deringer pistol that was recovered from the state box at the Ford Theater and used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. (AP Photo/FBI)AP J. Wilkes Booth, an actor, is the villain who committed this most perfidious act. It was a fiendish deed of massacre, so bloody and desperate, so ferocious and cruel, as to shock all with horror. It seems impossible that upon the earth there should exist a man so lost to the infamy that will attach to his memory in all time, and the punishment that will be meted out in the world to come, as to commit this infamous, wicked crime. Mr. Lincoln had a kindly heart, amiable temper and a forgiving disposition, and was undoubtedly more anxious than any of his party to stop the flow of blood, stay the hand of strife and re-establish order. Had his death been a natural one, it would have been calamitous, but at an hour when he held in his hand the olive branch when the prospect of healing our national differences was so bright, when grim war, with his relentless, stony heart was about to be banished and the reign of Fair Peace, dove-eyed child of Christ, inaugurated it is a calamity that all true men must most sincerely deplore. The death of Mr. Lincoln, deeply regretted in the North, is a calamity to the South, and the assassin in putting him to death not only inflicted a severe blow to the North but a grievous injury to the South. He, probably, would have been more lenient in his terms to the vanquished insurgents than any other of the leaders of the opposition party, and the Southern people as well as those of the North should therefore be anxious that the guilty perpetrator of this wanton wrong should be brought to justice and punished. The president's body was taken to the White House, and on April 18 it was carried to the Capitol rotunda to lay in state. On April 21, Lincolns body was boarded onto a train headed to his hometown of Springfield, Ill. Thousands of people lined the railroad route through 180 cities in seven states to see the funeral train, which was in Harrisburg April 21-22. Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He saw the country through the Civil War and abolished slavery. His Gettysburg Address was delivered on Nov. 19, 1863. Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Kentucky. According to history.com, Lincoln had little formal education because he had to work to support his family. A scene in front of the Capitol during Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, 1865, just six weeks before his assassination. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS After his family moved to Illinois he became involved in local politics and won election to the state legislature in 1834. Lincoln taught himself the law and passed the bar exam in 1836. A year later, he moved to Springfield. He worked there as a lawyer for several years. In 1842, he married Mary Todd. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was not popular because of his objection to the U.S. war with Mexico. He returned to Springfield in 1849. He joined the Republican party mostly because of its opposition to slavery. This photo was taken by Calvin Jackson, in Pittsfield, Ill., on Oct. 1, 1858, and provided by The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum shows Abraham Lincoln during the time of the famous debates with Stephen A. Douglas. (AP Photo/The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Calvin Jackson) AP Lincoln ran for the senate in 1858 and lost but gained a reputation that resulted in the Republicans choosing him as their candidate for president. He won and was inaugurated in March 1861. His election, however, caused seven southern states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America. On Jan. 1, 1863, Lincoln issued an emancipation proclamation that freed all of the slaves of the rebellious states but those in border states in bondage, according to history.com. In November 1863 he delivered the Gettysburg Address. He ran for re-election in 1864 and won. In April 1865, just a month after his second inauguration, he urged everyone to welcome the southern states back. He did not live to see the Reconstruction. President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania State Archives, MG-32,5 Pine Street Presbyterian Church Photograph Collection 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. Hopefully, when Congress gets done allocating several trillion dollars simply to keep the economy afloat, we will be able to have another discussion: What should we invest in so we dont just burden young Americans with a mountain of new debt, but also arm them with the tools to grow out of it and still prosper in the 21st century? These could be the most important and precious dollars we spend, so we need to invest them wisely, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt did in the 1930s by creating the Works Progress Administration and the Rural Electrification Act giant infrastructure programs that not only helped lift us out of the Depression but also made us more productive to this day. There are many things that I can think of surely improved public health facilities will be on the list but here are three less obvious investments that Im certain would make America more resilient, more prosperous, healthier and more equal in the A.C. After Corona era: More cheap, domestically produced, low- and zero-carbon energy so we become less vulnerable to the oil price manipulations of Saudi Arabia and Russia and less likely to court Mother Natures next curve ball: climate change. Expanded high-speed internet connectivity everywhere, but particularly in rural America, so more people can participate in the innovation economy. Deployment across America of more affordable tools of invention, design and manufacturing so more people can build more hardware at the points of need and help innovate our way out of this crisis not just wait to be bailed out or for the next shipment from China. Let me offer examples of each, starting with energy. A lot has been going on behind the scenes on the global energy front that actually holds the promise of not only making America more energy independent, but doing it based more on clean energy than fossil fuels if we play our cards right. But Donald Trump has not been playing our cards right. Trump has been dancing with Russia and Saudi Arabia the opposite of investing in a clean energy economy. For decades now Saudi Arabia has been the worlds swing producer, adjusting its oil production to steer the price to the level of its liking usually higher. The Saudis grew comfortable doing this because they viewed their 260 billion barrels of oil in the ground as savings in the bank, so they did not care if they pumped a little more or less in any year, as long as they satisfied the needs of their growing economy. WASHINGTON Roughly 2% of small businesses in New York have been approved for loans through the Small Business Administration's new Paycheck Protection Program to help companies hurt by the coronavirus, according to new data obtained by the Times Union on Tuesday. The program, created by the recent federal stimulus bill and launched April 3, has been overwhelmed by demand and peppered with glitches. Congress is now negotiating over more funding for the program. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Tuesday he expected funding for the popular program to run out "this week, maybe on Thursday or Friday." In New York, 40,975 PPP loans were approved for small businesses, data from the SBA shows. The PPP loans for the state totaled more than $11.7 billion as of Monday. SBA said it did not have numbers on how many small businesses have applied for the program, which offers forgivable loans to businesses that retain their payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. This data is the first time the SBA has released information specific to New York about the PPP loans. "The PPP will be a valuable lifeline to many businesses in all sectors," said Mark Eagan, CEO of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce. "While there had some frustration in the delay in getting applications submitted and processed by businesses that had applied, its encouraging how many businesses have been approved in the first two business days of this week, therefore we now expect hundreds of thousands more to be approved this week." Nationally, 1.035 million loans had been approved as of Monday night, SBA data shows. Although eligible companies can qualify for up to a $10 million loan, the average loan size was $239,152. Less than 1% of the loans were over $5 million and less than 5% were over $1 million. Across the country, 4,664 private lenders are administering the loans. But bank CEOs told President Donald Trump last week that as much as one-third of community banks were not eligible to administer the SBA loans, meaning their clients would be forced to find a new bank to get the help. In some states, a higher percentage of small businesses have been approved for the loans than others. North Dakota had 8,232 loans approved for its 72,723 small businesses, according to SBA or roughly 11 loans per 100 businesses. Delaware had 1,974 approved for its 79,417 small businesses about 2.5 loans per 100 businesses. New York had 40,975 PPP loans for its 2.1 million small businesses approximately 2 loans per 100 businesses. An extreme outlier, Arizona had just 1,089 loans for its 553,779 small businesses or just 2 loans per 1,000 businesses. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. A total of $247.5 billion in PPP loans had been approved nationwide as of Monday night, SBA data shows. Congress allocated $349 billion for the program. The administration requested an additional $250 billion for the program last week. Senate Republicans sought to pass the measure by unanimous consent on Thursday, but Democrats blocked the measure and have floated their own proposal. Senate Democrats want $125 billion for the PPP loan program, along with $60 billion for community-based lenders for small businesses and $65 billion for disaster loans and grants for small businesses. They also want to make tweaks to the program including increasing the amount of the loan that can be forgiven and ensuring by law that farmers can access it. Democrats have also included $100 billion in new aid for hospitals and health providers, $150 billion in new funding for states and tribes, and an increase in food stamp benefits. The two parties remain in a stand-off, but hope to pass the emergency bill unanimously this week. "Given the high number of applications in the pipeline, its incumbent on Congress to act quickly to replenish PPP funds to process all the worthy applicants," Eagan said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19. The information about PM Modi's address had come from a tweet from the official handle of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO India) on Monday. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am on 14 April, 2020," PMO India's tweet read. Prior to this, the Prime Minister had on Saturday held consultations with Chief Ministers through video-conferencing, during which talks were held over the need for extending the lockdown further after taking into consideration the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. During the course of the meeting, the Prime Minister had said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the States on the extension of lockdown by another two weeks. He underlined that the motto of the government earlier was 'jaan hai to jahaan hai' but now it is 'jaan bhi jahaan bhi'. Talking about the way ahead post the end of the 21-day lockdown period, the PM had said that the coming three to four weeks would be critical in determining the impact of steps taken to curb the spread of the disease and had also suggested specific measures for agriculture and allied sectors, including those needed to facilitate the sale of farm produce. Three weeks ago in his address to the nation in which he announced the lockdown in the country, Prime Minister Modi had talked of 'jaan hai to jahaan hai', stressing the urgent need to save lives. There have been suggestions that going forward the country could be divided into red, orange, and green zones based on the number of COVID-19 cases and that some industries could be allowed to operate in orange and green zones while taking precautions against the disease. However, several States such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, among others have already announced the extension of lockdown taking into account the rising number of cases in the respective States. As of Monday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 9,341, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In February, the Chinese Consulate of Chicago asked a Wisconsin lawmaker to propose a resolution praising Chinas efforts to stop the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Sen. Roger Roth, a Republican from Wisconsin, at first brushed the email off as a joke because it was sent from a Hotmail address. But the Chinese consulate followed up with him in March and passed on a revised version of the resolution. You know, I couldnt believe the brazenness that they would have to try and influence what were doing here, said Sen. Roth in an interview with NTD News. Ive never had thatever had thatwhere a foreign government passed us a resolution to introduce for anything. Roth said he was able to confirm that the email was valid, and that Chinese officials use Hotmail for speedier communication. Some officials from the Chinese consulate of New York have Hotmail email addresses under their contact information. In the first email, Consul Ting Wu of the Consulate General of P.R. China in Chicago said: the Consulate General wonders if the Wisconsin State Senate could consider adopting a resolution expressing solidarity with the Chinese people in fighting the coronavirus. But included in the consulates resolution were several praises, like how the CCPs measures were effective in curbing the virus from spreading to other parts of China and the world. Window of Opportunity In short, the senator wasnt having it. Instead, he proposed a resolution in March condemning the CCP for hiding information that could have slowed the spread of the virus. The Chinese Consulates resolution said, China has been transparent and quick in sharing key information of the virus with the [World Health Organization] and the international community, thus creating a window of opportunity for other countries to make timely responses. Sen. Roth cited this line in his resolution, calling it propaganda and misinformation. So they say that they were creating a window of opportunity, he said in our interview. The only window the Chinese Communist Party created was a window of opportunity for this virus to spread from the Wuhan province to the entire world, thus creating the pandemic that we have now. The senators resolution says the State of Wisconsin stands with the Chinese people, who are held hostage by the oppressive regime. Roth said the resolution would move forward in either May or June. OPEC plans to include the declines by non-OPEC producers may not be enough to reassure traders that have tried to weigh the loss of up to 30% of global demand as economies have shut down to slow the spread of coronavirus, Financial Times writes. Traders have said co-operation by producers removes the fear of a market in freefall but storage capacity could still become overwhelmed in the coming weeks, depending on how long lockdowns and other measures last. Oil prices plunged 30% on March 9 after Russia refused to accept Saudi's proposal to reduce production amid coronavirus pandemic. In response, Riyadh decided to ramp up output and sell its oil at huge discounts. As a result, the oil market began to plummet. After lengthy negotiations, the OPEC + member countries signed a new deal on April 12. They agreed to cut output by 9.7 million barrels daily. Russia and Saudi Arabia will cut their daily oil output by 2.5 million barrels each from the level of 11 million barrels. Other nations will decrease production by 23% on the October 2018 level. Mexico, which refused to accept a quota of 400,000 barrels a day, will cut production by 100,000 barrels. The remaining 300,000 barrels will be compensated by the United States, which has committed to cut daily production by 250,000 barrels a day. Coronavirus testing has resumed in the Gaza Strip after Israel allowed five testing kits purchased by the World Health Organization (WHO) into the enclave, a Gaza health ministry spokesman said on Monday. But the spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidra, said the kits would be of limited immediate help because they could be used to test only about 500 people in a densely populated territory of two million. We began testing immediately after receiving the kits late (Sunday) night, Qidra said. We need to carry out these tests all the time and therefore, we are in need of thousands of testing kits. On April 8, health officials in Gaza said they had run out of testing kits and voiced concern that a shortage of medical supplies could lead to the rapid spread of infection in the territory. Gaza has 13 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, all in quarantine. Israel has maintained a blockade of the enclave for more than a decade, saying the measure is necessary to stop weapons and funds from reaching its enemy Hamas, an Islamist group that runs Gaza. But Colonel Sharon Biton of COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry office that liaises with the Palestinians, said it was cooperating with representatives of the international community to maintain public health in Gaza. Israeli and Palestinian officials said that in addition to the testing kits, Israel has allowed a PCR machine into the territory. The equipment analyses testing samples to determine whether they contain the genetic fingerprint of the coronavirus. The machine was donated by a U.S.-based charity, Qidra said. During the next week we aspire to be able to buy a good quantity of testing kits to bring into Gaza, said Abdelnaser Soboh, director of the World Health Organizations sub-office in the territory. By Sarah Young and Laurence Frost LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Wizz Air is making plans to fly jets only two-thirds full to allow more space between passengers, it said on Tuesday, as airlines voiced concerns that anti-coronavirus measures could blight their profitability long after travel restrictions end. Wizz Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi and the head of global airline trade body IATA both said single-aisle planes may be required to leave the middle seats on each side vacant to allow a degree of 'social distancing' aboard. 'We would basically be blocking a third of the airplanes,' Varadi told Reuters in a telephone interview By Sarah Young and Laurence Frost LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Wizz Air is making plans to fly jets only two-thirds full to allow more space between passengers, it said on Tuesday, as airlines voiced concerns that anti-coronavirus measures could blight their profitability long after travel restrictions end. Wizz Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi and the head of global airline trade body IATA both said single-aisle planes may be required to leave the middle seats on each side vacant to allow a degree of "social distancing" aboard. "We would basically be blocking a third of the airplanes," Varadi told Reuters in a telephone interview. "A 180-seater would become a 120-seater." Beyond the open-ended lockdowns and travel bans that have brought air travel to a near-halt, deep uncertainty remains over the pace of an eventual recovery and the potential for lasting restrictions that could pile up yet more losses. Raising its coronavirus impact forecast to $314 billion, IATA described "worrisome" signs of governments "doubling down on international travel restrictions" even when lifting lockdowns - citing developments in China and South Korea. Alexandre de Juniac, the Geneva-based organisation's CEO, said leaving the middle seat vacant was among likely conditions for a resumption of air travel to be discussed with governments in a series of coordinated meetings around the world. Operating aircraft with more seats has been a "key element of profitability for airlines", which typically break even above 75% seat occupancy, De Juniac said. Taking out one-third of passengers would be a "reshuffle of the business model," he added. "It changes the way they operate short-haul aircraft completely." The effect could be felt more keenly by low-cost carriers, which typically operate at higher load factors - the proportion of seats filled, weighted for distance flown. But stronger balance sheets and labour flexibility could make Wizz Air, Ryanair and easyJet better able to withstand virus-related losses than older peers Lufthansa and Air France-KLM. Citi analysts say Ryanair and Wizz Air may be the only major European carriers that can avoid raising new capital or government-backed debt. Wizz Air, a London-listed carrier based in Hungary and focused on central and eastern Europe, said it was cutting 1,000 jobs, about one-fifth of its total workforce. It nevertheless reiterated plans to increase capacity by 15% annually once markets return to normal and will take delivery of 12 narrow-body jets this year and another 30-40 aircraft in 2021-23. It has Airbus A320neo and A321neo jets on order. Germany's Lufthansa, by contrast, last week predicted it would be years before air travel returned to pre-crisis levels. EasyJet has also said it would defer delivery of 24 Airbus jets. Besides the additional effects of a broader economic slump on travel, airlines are nervous about passengers' readiness to return to security lines, boarding lounges and plane cabins. Wizz Air is exploring "all sorts of measures to put in place, especially in the initial period", Varadi said - including protective gear for passengers. The airline may need to "make sure that people actually travel in masks to protect themselves and protect their fellow passengers", he said. ($1 = 0.9153 euros) (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Jane Merriman and Mark Potter) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Hon. Philip Bassoah 14.04.2020 LISTEN The legislative branch of government has the task of writing, amending, and repealing laws. Effectively they are simply required to make laws. Members of parliament are also supposed to police the Executive and Judiciary, given power to impeach people in those branches. In Ghana Members of Parliament seem to have been vested with more power and have a greater responsibility to their constituents in the area of advocacy for development and monitoring and evaluation of development activities. They even have the capacity to implement through allocated MPs common fund and the sourcing for sponsorships from donors, non-governmental organizations and benevolent institutions. Some Members of Parliament however swindle their electorates with unrepentant lies and fabrications to win power and even after being elected become dictators and Lords over their constituents and even over other government officials in the constituencies. The self-aggrandized autocrats abuse their legislative power and no room for respect of the rule of law, traditional leaders and even divergent opinions and this simply impedes development in their various constituencies. I am worried because, this is part of the topmost reasons why we are where we are as a country and as a continent - poor, abusive leadership. The worst part of it is the stinking corruption with lack of probity and accountability that has crawled into some of these members of parliament who perpetuate corrupt acts with no iota of remorse. I write this piece because I have one of such corruption infested MPs in my constituency who apart from his disrespect to community leadership is also unrepentantly abusing the meagre common fund allocated to support the constituency through him. For the benefit of doubt and the disabusing of any imagination of this piece coming out of sycophancy or stoogeism, I will show my identity. I am Ebenezer Ofori Sarpong, popularly known as Citizen Ebenezer, an indigene and citizen of the Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region who is fully going to exercise my franchise in the upcoming NPP primaries. By now, you know I am talking about my MP, Hon. Philip Bassoah. The MP for Kumawu, Hon. Philip Bassoah has a lot of corrupt deals under his carpet and I will release all of them gradually but for now I will only through this epistle ask him about the botched financing of a DVLA structure in the constituency. QUESTION 1: hon., you are quoted to have spent 340000 Ghana cedis (3.4billion old Ghana cedis) on renovation of an existing building. This amount per my little procurement knowledge can build at least a fully furnished 6-unit classroom block. This means you could put up a building from the scratch. How did you spend such a whopping amount on just renovation? Where is the money honorable? We dont want to think you inflated the cost for your personal gains. QUESTION 2: Hon. You lied that, the money is from your common fund, meanwhile we are aware that the ministry of Special Initiatives as part of their 1million dollars per constituency project allocated funds for a NEW building. You have not put up a new building but used the 3.4billion old cedis to renovate. Hon, why did you lie that the money will put up a new building when it is renovation? You have also not told us the true source of your funds. Hon can you please come clear on this? Else we will think that you have taken the fund twice for a single project. And let me remind you Honorable that we may be heading to court, because the Special Initiative Ministrys money per the law should only be used for new projects, not renovations. QUESTION 3: DVLA has outsourced and privatised the road worthy aspect of their responsibilities, given that the project is wholly private per the arrangement of DVLA who only set standards to the private investor, the big question is; how come public funds is used to renovate private interest project? That exisiting structure being renovated is a public one and so is the private investor under any agreement to pay monthly rent? We as citizens want to know and see the agreement. Hon who is the Investor? Our investigations show that he is related to you sir. Can we know the details? QUESTION 4: Honestly, we were made to understand that drivers license would be issued and renewed at the 3.4 billion renovated office and work to start last year June, but aside the shady and shoddy deal allegedly found in the process and the execution of the project, the office is still not in operation. More revealing, the Kumawu DVLA is not going to issue and renew licenses as you promised but will only focus on other petty things. Hon. Why did you lie about this too? We are being shortchanged and the people of Kumawu demand answers from the Member of Parliament who stood before the people and said on record that he's spearheading the construction of DVLA at 3.4billion. Please come clear and clean for we are in to support government agenda not to smartly profit unduly from it. This is deception at the greatest level. Our District hospital is left crying for continuation of which our MP has never commented on the floor of Parliament or outside yet he lies to that he's working on it. Braonwam side of the constituency which was originally billed to benefit from the K3 project is still wallowing in anticipation and has never even raised it in parliament to the minister. Our eyes must be on Kumawu constituency for to take its rightful place. Kumawu is made up of strong men with enviable tradition and we must rise to defend it. I SHALL BE BACK. 3BO)BA!!! Citizen Ebenezer Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:44:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Many German citizens had adhered to the restrictions of daily life over the Easter festivities due to COVID-19, said German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Tuesday. It was an "unusual Easter for all of us," said Spahn. Although many family celebrations had seen "cuts and changes," the acceptance and support of the restrictions was "very, very high," he said. Spahn said new infection numbers in Germany were decreasing. This would be an important basis for the upcoming decision about an exit strategy from anti-COVID-19 measures. On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister presidents of Germany's federal states will hold a telephone conference to discuss a possible reduction or extension measures in Germany after April 19. The process would involve "cautious first steps" towards a "new normality," said Spahn. "It is about living with the virus and learning to live with it." "In the end, it is a matter of finding the right balance between health protection, public life and the economy," Spahn said, noting that many hospitals had used the given time to prepare and increase their capacities. Hospitals in Germany currently had enough intensive care beds with breathing support equipment to cope with the coronavirus crisis, said Lothar Wieler, president of Robert Koch Institute (RKI). "With the current dynamics, no bottlenecks are predicted." Without the restrictions governors put in place, the number of deaths certainly would have been much higher. And, if restrictions are lifted too soon, we risk seeing infections and deaths rise again. Plainly, we cant sustain what has become an economic disaster. But just as clearly, life wont be normal again until we can test widely for infections and antibodies, which could happen soon-ish, and until we have a vaccine, which wont be for a while. In the interim, reopening the country could be playing Russian roulette. [April 14, 2020] iQor Rapidly Scales Work-at-Home Solution with Over 50% of the Company's Workforce to Deliver Uninterrupted Customer Interactions iQor (News - Alert), a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions, announced today that it has successfully scaled its work-at-home solution with over 15,000 of its customer experience workforce transitioned to work remotely. The transition protects employees while they provide world-class customer service to support consumers' most pressing needs during the current coronavirus pandemic. "Over the several weeks we have transitioned thousands of employees around the globe to work at home and that number continues to grow rapidly," said Gary Praznik, President and CEO of iQor. "This is due in part to the flexibility of our global network and highly virtualized infrastructure, which allows us to launch agents quickly with minimal disruption to our clients' so they may continue to meet the needs of their customers through this unprecedented and uncertain time." iQor's virtualized environment allows the company to rapidly deploy its global workforce within the agent's home and mirror the same experience provided onsite. Agents at home simply log into their company-provided virtual desktops, known as thin clients, to access their software and start taking calls. Data is safeguarded via remote datacenters. For quality monitoring, iQor's supervisors have access to multiple remote management, productivity, and speech analytics applications, which help deliver the same results achieved at a contact center. "No matter if onsite or at an agent's home, the customer experience remains the same," said Praznik. "Thin clients simply connect to our secure datacenters to provide everything an agent needs while our proprietary speech analytics platform continues to detect signals from agents and customers to point out quality concerns--customer sentiment, productivity, audio quality--so we can solve issues quickly." "We are extremely proud to have remained nimble and fast-acting in responding to our clients' needs, which wouldn't be possible without our massive support system that spans across our operational leaders, IT teams, executive leadership, HR departments and many, many frontline managers," said Praznik. "We're in deep gratitude to all our employees and their dedication to serving our clients during this challenging time." About iQor iQor is a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions. With 45,000 employees in 9 countries, we partner with many of the world's best-known brands to deliver aftermarket product and customer support solutions that span the consumer value chain, from customer care and receivables management to product diagnostics and repair services. Our award-winning technology, logistics, and analytics platforms enable us to measure, monitor, and analyze brand interactions, improve business processes, and find operational efficiencies that lead to superior outcomes for our partners across the customer and product life cycles. For more information, please visit us at www.iqor.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/iqor. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005871/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Opinion Article 14 April 2020 There's no denying that the past weeks have been incredibly challenging and confusing for everyone in our industry, with new bookings almost coming to a halt, a surge in cancelations, and hoteliers making tough decisions to close their doors. Our industry is now in crisis management mode and all eyes remain focused on the development of COVID-19 and its disruption to hotel operations and the global travel economy. Putting People & Wellbeing First When the health crisis began to escalate across our core markets in Europe and the US, so too did my focus on protecting our people. In early March our business moved to a completely remote workforce - continuing to leverage technology to support hoteliers in their response to the pandemic and in building proactive strategies for the future. Supporting The Hospitality Industry during COVID-19 STR's latest figures show steep declines for the top 25 markets in the US, with occupancy down more than 66% to just over 26%. While data for the third week in March held approximately 20 to 30% across key markets in Europe, now it is down to 5 to 20% as more cancellations come through and hotels close. We are in uncharted territory, but we also know that this crisis will pass. The hospitality industry has weathered many a storm and will continue to do so. We are a resilient, imaginative and eminently human industry and by working together and acting swiftly, we can plan successfully for the upturn. Crisis is not the same as Paralysis When an athlete is injured, a physiotherapist will generally recommend the continuity of moderate physical activity to maintain form. Gains or growth are no longer the primary objectives in the recovery stage. Instead, the focus is to maintain what has been built and prepare for such time that the athlete can train to full capacity again. The same can be said for the hospitality economy which is currently undergoing a major recession. But rather than dwell on the gloom and doom, we must do our best with the downtime we have. When the market is great, it's a good time to engage in commerce and business generation. When the market is terrible (as most will agree it is now) it's a good time to support each other and build for a brighter future. It is with this view that we have been proactively reaching out to hoteliers who want to use the downtime to review and improve their online and revenue management strategies - training teams to be more effective in preparation for when demand picks up again, hopefully soon. Creativity with Tech & Data to Help Hoteliers Manage The Crisis But talking the talk is not enough. As a tech business, we strive to lead by example, using creativity to develop innovative technologies in response to the times we live in. With this goal, the first week of the crisis we adapted our technology to give hoteliers critical real-time information on how the crisis is unfolding and provide them with signals their businesses are positioned for the turn-around. Information, analysis, and planning are critical for all hoteliers currently facing operating conditions due to the current economic climate. While it can be difficult to predict with any certainty what might come next, we continue to analyze similar events that have previously unfolded, developing our solutions to include more actionable data to help us and our partners make informed decisions. Giving back to the Community Working together and supporting each other is paramount to overcome these challenging circumstances and emerge stronger than ever. Tech leaders are well-positioned to innovate and support a vast array of industries during these uncertain times. While many have the privilege to self-isolate from COVID-19, healthcare professionals continue to put their lives on the line to protect the health of the general population worldwide. The increased risk of catching COVID-19 means that thousands of healthcare professionals are focused on protecting their families from exposure. The increased demand on healthcare services combined with extended periods of separation from loved ones can make an already stressful situation even more challenging. The truth is that we cannot stop COVID-19 if we don't look after our healthcare professionals who are in the front line fighting the virus, first. The goal of Rooms Against Covid is to support healthcare professionals with convenient access to accommodation during this pandemic. Thus, alleviating the burden of them having to share accommodation with families and friends and risk exposing their loved ones to COVID-19. With this in mind, Guestcentric joined forces with over 100 tech startups and lodging associations to launch the non-profit Rooms Against Covid initiative. Our teams of over 4,000 volunteers have mobilized properties to support relocated healthcare professionals with complimentary accommodation. We launched the project in Portugal, where our European headquarters are based. Our goal is to expand to other countries quickly because we see that this is a global issue. Demand is high, as is to be expected. Nearly 2,000 reservations poured in within just a few days of launching the platform. By the end of March, we listed more than 1,500 rooms and accommodated more than 300 doctors, nurses, and other medical workers on a complimentary basis. We need more properties to open their doors. We are currently seeking complete hotels for this use and to meet the global demand, as we cannot risk cross-contamination from healthcare professionals and guests. So far we have onboarded two hotels, but we need many more. I am proud to say that our team volunteers have already helped thousands of our front-line heroes protect their families by staying away from their homes at alternative accommodation. How Hotels can Build for a Brighter Future All this to say, in these uncertain times, it is critical for the industry to work together and build toward a brighter future. What goes down must come up, and while the spread of COVID-19 is having a direct impact on many hoteliers' forward-reservations, there are opportunities to make the best possible of this downturn. Below are my top tips for hoteliers to make the best possible use of the downturn to maximise the upturn: 1. Maintain Pricing When demand is close to zero, price is not a factor. So, make sure you hold the line on price, now and when the rebound comes. There is plenty of data showing that destinations and properties that compromised on price in the last downturn of 2008 took significantly longer to recover in the upturn that followed. 2. Reclaim control of your Brand Online You may have noticed, but Google advertising from OTA giants such as Booking and Expedia has all but vanished. Hoteliers can now see their properties come out on top in the search engine. Once again, organic is king! This is the way it should be always, and it is for Marriot, Hilton and all the other big hotel brands. With independent hotels doing a reset on their distribution strategy, it's important to pursue the same brand protection clauses that Hilton and Marriott demand: no advertising on the property name. While it may be difficult for hoteliers to achieve this on their own, working together can help strengthen the organic presence of hotels across the board. 3. Train your People Retaining and enhancing the skills of your workforce now is an important step to take so you're ready to hit the ground running when the economy improves. As a business, we are using this downtime to support hotel managers in training their employees on vital skills for long-term success. Not only has enhanced training been shown to boost employee morale during these uncertain times, but it also proves beneficial for business success further down the road. The emergence of the COVID-19 has proven that quick adaptation is necessary to maintain productivity and up-skill the workforce. Currently, opportunities to learn and up-skill are being maintained because of online options. In the future, virtual learning may just prove to be the industry's best practice. 4. Think Local We predict that local leisure and business travel will be the first to return in the transient segment of guests. Hoteliers should focus on keeping their communities engaged, continuously communicating with negotiated accounts and nurturing domestic business travel relationships. If the trend seen in China holds, domestic travel will pick up, therefore, planning and investing in local tourism is also advisable when planning ahead. When travel bans are released, tourist arrivals will rebound, and hoteliers will have opportunities to attract new guests from new markets. Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from http://www.hotelexecutive.com/ "To publicly advocate hydroxychloroquine as the magic bullet 'game changer' for the pandemic at this stage is dangerous and could constitute medical malpractice," argue the malaria specialists who penned our latest Local Opinion. AUSTIN With the world on lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Knoebel said he wasnt concerned about coming to the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center on Monday to donate blood. "With all the procedures theyre doing, theyve met all my expectations," said Knoebel, of Austin. David Kelley, an account manager with the Red Cross, said its important to keep in mind that the virus that causes COVID-19 cannot be transmitted through blood transfusion. Still, the Red Cross is checking donors, taking temperatures of potential donors, and not allowing donations from individuals with a temperature of 99.5 or higher. Also, staff are wearing masks, rubber gloves and wiping down donation equipment. Kelley said the current blood supply in the United States, and in Southern Minnesota, is good, partly due to the reduction in elective surgeries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ADVERTISEMENT "Weve had to cancel literally thousands of blood drives across the United States," Kelley said. "But weve seen tremendous support in Minnesota." Kelley said the Red Cross office that covers Southern Minnesota has canceled 295 blood drives and about 9,800 donation appointments since March 25. "Were in a good spot, but were encouraging people to continue donating as we head into May and June," he said. "Blood has a shelf life of 42 days." Kevin Fox, a Red Cross worker from Albert Lea who was helping at the blood drive, said his Red Cross office in Mankato has five teams that cover an area from Huron, S.D., to Hutchinson in the north, northern Iowa in the south, and the Minnesota/Wisconsin border in the east. Fox said each blood drive theyve held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been filled with donors. "Every blood drive Ive been on, weve been over our goal," Fox said. Jim Hahn, of Austin, said he was glad to find an opportunity where he could donate "double red," which means a double helping of red blood cells, without platelets or plasma. "I donate on a regular basis, and twice a year, I do double red," he said. "Ive given over 100 times." ADVERTISEMENT Fox said most donors in recent weeks have been repeat donors, which is usually the case, but seems even more slanted toward repeat donors since COVID-19 hit. Hahn said he likes the new feature from the Red Cross where they can track where your donation goes so you can see how your blood has helped. They also tell you how many times youve given. Knoebel, another frequent donor, said he thinks the pint of blood he donated Monday put him at the 16-gallon mark for his lifetime donations. "I give every 56 days," he said, which is the limit allowed by the Red Cross. "Its easy to do, and its the right thing to do." Getting out of the house and making a trip to the Nature Center were two of the reasons Diane Petrik, of Austin, came out to donate Monday. "Im a big fan of the Nature Center," she said. "Thats another reason that brought me out." Petrik donates blood about once a year, she said. But donating now during the pandemic didnt concern her. "Theyre always very conscientious about everything they do, but the additions of the masks and the distance is appreciated," she said. ADVERTISEMENT To find an American Red Cross blood drive near you, visit www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive and enter your ZIP code. ABC/Randy HolmesSting was among the many music artists who took part in a six-hour telethon Sunday seeking to raise money for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica. The event, titled Telethon Jamaica, Together We Stand, which was broadcast around the world, underscored the hardships ahead not only for smaller countries like Jamaica but bigger ones like the U.S., which is still battling the coronavirus. "Please donate to support your healthcare workers, who are fighting this amazingly courageous fight against COVID-19," Sting said in a pre-recorded video show on the program. "Stay at home, and donate." Among the many other artists who took part in or contributed video messages to the telethon were Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Jimmy Cliff, Gloria Estefan and the late Bob Marley's sons Ziggy, Damian and Stephen. Sunday night's unified message for Jamaicans echoed one that authorities began pushing weeks ago inside the U.S., as stateside hospitals, police departments and other first responders scrambled to secure enough masks and other gear to protect themselves. "The people of the United Statessee how disastrous this is as a disease, and the impact it can have on even the most well-resourced health service," Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, said during the telethon. The show is viewable at VP Records' YouTube channel. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. When you share your last crust of bread with a beggar, you mustn't behave as if you were throwing a bone to a dog. You must give humbly, and thank him for allowing you to have a part in his hunger. - Giovanni Guareschi In a country of about 32 million people, the few that are privileged to serve others in the national assignment must do so to the best of their ability for God and Country. No action should justify undermining the dignity of a fellow citizen ironically in an attempt to serve. Not even beggars deserve food to be thrown at them. The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has not only caused huge financial and human resource burden on families and countries, it has also questioned the resilience and preparedness and/or the lack of it in every aspect of our systems. As Ghana, like many other countries across the globe grapple to fully understand and effectively respond to the virus, many approaches are been adopted, some based on evidence, some just knee-jerk. A series of initiatives ranging from mobilizing resources to provide food aid by Civil Society Groups, Private Sector Actors and Government, to procurement of crucial Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) initiated by the outspoken Businessman, Honourable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central, to rebranding and re-direction political party campaign vehicles to provide essential information on COVID-19 initiated by Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for the North Tongu in the Volta region, arguably one of Ghanas youngest, proactive and innovative Politicians. Whereas most of these initiates are commendable and have gone well and proven our individual and collective sense of belonging and care, the distribution of food has unfortunately been chaotic, haphazard and could serve as a breeding ground for spreading the virus to the millions of Ghanaians who cue daily for food rations. There got to be a better way. In two other opinion pieces, one on protecting human rights in this COVID-19 era (https://www.modernghana.com/news/994019/is-the-upper-east-regions-response-to-covid-19.html?fbclid=IwAR1_K4MrTGIC2bMSXz8oAGZtK33oZklz4ctQqymWpF05q0Jqhl8fxxFCfEY) and another on why recommending self-isolation is a dangerous precedent, (https://www.modernghana.com/news/994862/stop-asking-health-workers-and-contacts-to-self.html?fbclid=IwAR2qYM5ip7RFTMSIvxrKa2PNM4YXJYlWqbcT6T8r-a8pMUu21dEp452X3Wc) I outlined some proposals and questions and urged citizens to demand accountability. Citizens like Alhaji Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation need commendation for their strong Social Media Campaign which drew attention to the mind-boggling food distribution arrangements in parts of the lockdown areas and Mr. James Nana Tsiquaye and the Management of Sunshine FM in Bawku in the Upper East Region holding discussions to amplify citizens voices for accountability on COVID-19 during their morning shows. A country of 32 million can not lack ideas on how to deliver food in a dignified manner to its citizens that are in need. We must reflect and get it right. The following are some ideas that could help the food distribution more dignifying and orderly. The food distribution provides a two opportunities; (a) reducing hunger and (b) reducing poverty. The various REGISTERED food vendors in the area and adjoining area should be engaged to provide the service to specific numbers of people at assigned times at different collection centres. This approach will provide them continued taxable incomes (reduce poverty) and reach more people (reduce hunger). Following keenly, the transformation of the National Food Buffer Stock Company under its young and affable Leader Alhaji Abdul-Hanan Aludiba into an innovative company with multiple of service providers and a strong distribution chain, NAFCO could harness its nation-wide systems in this difficult times to salvage the situation. The potential of Ghanas Security forces who are currently enforcing social distancing measures can be further harnessed to help support the process. The need for a properly working digital address system and national identification must be fully operational so that, we can automate some of these services using technology to reach those who qualify in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Whereas National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is legally mandated to provide emergency services, the organization needs to re-strategize and adopt a multi-sector approach by involving other institutions and CSOs with the appropriate expertise to ensure smooth operations. Religious institutions such as Churches and Masjids and other agencies like Hajj Board could play an advisory role by sharing their expertise in dealing with large crowds and handling food distribution schemes Lets endevour to promote access to appropriate food and nutrition but in dignity as enshrined in the letter and spirit of our national constitution. For We don't need to cure hunger - we know how to solve hunger - it's food, it's nutrition, and it's really a question of access- Lauren Bush Thank you. Awal Ahmed Kariama Executive Director RISE-Ghana (NGO) Mobile: +233 248498703 Email: [email protected] Vision: A world in which Human Rights and Sustainable Development informs all actions to empower people to live in DIGNITY. Core Values: Accountability, Equal Opportunities & Diversity, Mutual Respect, Inclusion, Equity & Justice. Mission: To facilitate and initiate processes/programs that empower poor peoples movements to access and utilize the social, human and natural resources they need in a sustainable and timely manner to become self-reliant. Help India! By Musheera Ashraf, TwoCircles.net New Delhi: Living in a one-room house in Bawana area of Delhi, 40-year-old Savita, a domestic worker, has been denied to do household chores in houses she works due to the total lockdown announced on March 25. Support TwoCircles Jab tak bimaari chal rahi hai, mat aana (Dont come till the disease is over), told Savitas mistress. Savita, who had migrated a few years back from Mahoba city of UP, now faces the grim reality for which she had left her hometown years back. She is worried because the ration she had is about to finish and can hardly last 5-6 days. With only flour and no sugar, rice or any other staple, she and her three children are struggling to survive without any work. Her husband lives in the village. When my son asks for lunch, I tell him I will make dinner and try to lull him to sleep, says Savita. She doesnt have a ration card so she is not eligible to get anything from the government, nor has she received any help yet. Many female domestic workers like Savita had migrated from different parts of the country to Delhi with the help of NGOs working to provide employment to domestic labourers. I dont have any money left to buy eatables now, says Sylvia who migrated from Jharkhand to Delhi. Before being asked to come for work, she was given her balance money which was Rs 1000, which she has already spent on buying essential like surf, soap, cooking oil and flour. She is yet to pay the rent of her room in Kotla where she lives with her family of three children. I can feed my family for 4 more days from the ration I stored, says Sylvia. She said that once the ration gets over she would try to borrow some from the shopkeeper, but if she manages to do so, she fears without work how she would be able to pay him back. Amid these harsh circumstances, Sylvia claims that her kids understand the situation and eat whatever she gives them. Shops open time to time but she cant go to buy because she doesnt have money. Till now she was surviving on 5kg rice, half litre oil and half kg pulses that were distributed by someone. She doesnt know what the future has in store for her. She is also scared that if she somehow manages to go to her village in Jharkhand, neighbors would not allow them to enter because of the fear that they might carry coronavirus. It is estimated that the number of domestic workers in India range from official estimates of 4.2 million to unofficial estimates of more than 50 million, of which women are a significant majority. They are a crucial part of an informal and unregulated sector, obscured in private homes, not recognized as workers but rather as informal help. Many domestic workers are migrants from poorer states and are among the most marginalized and socially discriminated populations in India, mostly Dalits and other tribal minorities. They are usually landless, illiterate and innumerate, which increases their vulnerability and disempowerment. Sumit Garg who is the head standard and assurance at the Domestic Workers Skill Council in Delhi informs, More than 60 % of the domestic labourers are part-time workers and due to coronavirus people have denied taking their help in their houses which is affecting them adversely. He adds that their health is also a matter of concern because they live in compromising conditions. In order to at least improve their living conditions, Sumit said, the Council is trying to build an online module through which they intend to circulate the videos related to hygiene and health among the workers. Monica Kashyap, a 28-years-old migrant domestic labourer, originally from Jharkhand and presently working in Delhi, pours her heart out saying, Hunger is the biggest challenge for us, we get paid only if we work and this crisis has reduced my income to zero. The NGOs and placement agency is trying to provide food but how much will we provide, says Silvester Kujju who owns a placement agency in Delhi to provide employment to domestic labourers. He says that several voluntary groups and individuals who are working for their upliftment have themselves gone empty over weeks. Silvester also guides domestic laborers to access food in government schools but the disparity between number of workers and available help is too much to be bridged at a time of a global pandemic when resources are limited. Since they dont have ration cards in Delhi, some of the domestic workers have even taken a high risk to travel back to their native places by foot which itself is worrisome, Silvester adds. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Rapid antibody tests may not give accurate results on whether a patient has coronavirus disease or not, the Department of Health cautioned, after the President gave the order to purchase the kits. Ang paggamit ng rapid antibody tests ay maaaring magresulta sa false negative results. Ang ibig pong sabihin nito ay kahit negative lumabas sa resulta sa rapid test kit maaaring positibo pa rin ang pasyente sa COVID-19, said Ma. Rosario Vergeire, Health Spokesperson during agency's daily online briefing. [Translation: Using rapid antibody test kits may result in false negative results. This means that even if the result is negative a patient may actually be positive with COVID-19.] Vergeire said that should these tests be used, patients will have to undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction test afterwards. The rapid tests are also not recommended for mass testing and self-testing, she added. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he ordered to purchase rapid test kits despite the product still lacking approval from the countrys Food and Drug Administration. The DOH warned that products without FDA approval may bring harm to the user. The agency added that once the rapid test kits arrive only licensed medical professionals should administer them and interpret their results. "Tanging mga lisensyadong doktor lang ang maaaring magriseta o maginterpret nitong rapid test kits. Hindi po ito pwedeng bilhin over the counter, said Vergeire. [Translation: Only licensed doctors can prescribe or interpret the rapid test kits. Buying over the counter is not allowed.] Those who wish to get tested for COVID-19 must first consult with a licensed doctor, DOH reminded, and avail of the agencys telemedical consultation. The consulting doctor will then recommend the patient to a testing facility if needed. Residents in Metro Manila can seek a telemedical consultation through (02) 8424-1724 or (02) 7798-8000 while those outside the region may reach the service via 1555 894-COVID hotlines. The first consignment of a new Irish-manufactured decontamination wipe that can help prevent the spread of coronavirus has been delivered to the Defence Forces. It has been developed to save the lives of first responders and emergency workers, whether they are in the military or civilians. It can significantly reduce or prevent the transmission of a pathogen or virus. The Anti-Bioagent Wipe (ABwipe) is the result of a five-year project involving members of the military's Ordnance Corps and Aquila Bioscience, a pioneering Irish biotechnology company which is based at NUI Galway. Ordnance Corps personnel have been taking an active part in designing the concept and in product trials. "The concept for this technology was driven by the Defence Forces and an identified capability need in the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection measures," said Professor Lokesh Joshi, who is the co-founder and director of Aquila Bioscience, and is the vice-president for research and innovation at NUI Galway. He said that it has support from the European Defence Agency and the product was now ready for mass manufacture. "It could be a valuable technology in the fight against the coronavirus. "This unprecedented situation requires unprecedented measures. "And the Defence Forces have committed to the purchase of a consignment of the ABwipes for troop protection measures," he added. Prof Joshi said that at a time of global urgency and the unknown impact on human lives and the economy because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, ABwipes would serve as an essential tool in the arsenal against the virus to stem its spread and to save lives. Many existing decontamination solutions contain chemicals that can prove to be harmful to the skin, health of the user and to the environment. But ABwipes do not contain harmful elements. And they can be used on skin and on sensitive areas of the body, such as the eyes, nose and mouth. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today chaired a regular consultation devoted to the anti-crisis policy for neutralization of the consequences of the coronavirus with government officials. The Prime Minister said the following in the beginning: The government has been working on a daily basis for almost a month, and our goal has initially been and still is to approve measures aimed at mitigating the social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, the government has approved 11 measures, and another measure was approved through a written procedure today, meaning there are 12 measures, and I believe the time has come for the government to sum up the activities of this stage in order to understand which of the measures are efficient and which are inefficient and what changes we need to make to our approaches and tactics. Head of the Central Bank Artur Javadyan presented the results of the first and second measures. Based on the results, 214 loans have been approved, part of the amount of the loans will be used to pay salaries of 2,055 employees, 770 loan applications have been approved (there are 479 microloans for the agriculture sector), and based on the results of monitoring, most of the 479 approved agricultural loans are already serving their goal. Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan touched upon the course of implementation of the third measure and stated that 102 loan applications have been approved. Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Davit Ananyan reported that 6,149 beneficiaries have already been paid through the fifth social support measure. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan reported on the course of implementation of the social assistance programs, stating that 964 beneficiaries have been provided with assistance through the fourth social support measure and 6,723 beneficiaries have been supported through the sixth social support measure. She also stated that the beneficiaries are still being identified and that the circle might be expanded. While exchanging views, the government officials stated that the measures for neutralization of the economic consequences of the coronavirus are effective and considered the implementation of measures to mitigate the social consequences. The Prime Minister assigned to continue monitoring, track the progress of the programs and submit interim reports on a daily basis. Depending on the morning, I wake up feeling some semblance of that hope or, just as likely, a mixture of dread and fear that tens of thousands of more people will die from COVID-19 and a vaccine will never be developed and our children will grow up surrounded by grief and the economy will take a decade or more to recover and whole cities and towns will descend into the dual grips of poverty and unemployment and the wealth gap and life expectancy gap will grow even wider and the arts will dry up and college will become accessible only to the uber wealthy left among us. Analysis | 11 January 2022 | News Why or why not: The dilemma for startup investors There have been tremors within the startup community worldwide with the latest Theranos scandal. Though startu...Read more CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio Three people were cited early Monday with violating Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home after police say they found some three dozen partygoers at a Cleveland Heights home. Cleveland Heights Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg said officers issued three misdemeanor citations for violating the order, which limits gatherings to 10 or more people. The charge is a second-degree misdemeanor. The trio also were cited for disorderly conduct, Mecklenburg said. UPDATED: Cleveland Heights man cited twice in three days for violating Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at home-order after two large house parties Formal charges have not yet been filed in Cleveland Heights Municipal Court and Mecklenburg did not identify the trio charged. Cleveland Heights police were called about 3 a.m. to the home on Oxford Avenue, south of Monticello Boulevard for a fight that broke out at the home, Mecklenburg said. Officers reported seeing several people running from the home and heard shouting coming from the backyard, Mecklenburg said. About 30 people ran from the home as officers arrived, Mecklenburg said. The officers checked inside the home and found eight people and a juvenile. Read more from cleveland.com 10 arrested, gunshots fired at large party at AirBnb rental in Willoughby Hills, police say Elyria man lied about positive coronavirus test in attempt to avoid jail, police say Two people accused of stealing from Brunswick Giant Eagle, violating stay-at-home coronavirus order, police say Officers break up several house parties violating stay-at-home orders: Rocky River Police Blotter Lorain County couple charged with violating Ohios stay-at-home coronavirus order, Elyria police say Also read: 60 awesome tools and services made freely available amid the Coronavirus pandemic This Sunday, Google posted a video, which highlights the most common search topic these days, and one of those topic is How to help ?This is the second video message by Google amid coronavirus pandemic. The earlier footage was focusing on thanking the front-line health care workers The data analysis of Google Trends, and the annual Year in Search recap help in recognizing worldwide queries, and how to help medical workers was one of the most popular searches so far.So, as per the analysis, Googles video ads shine a light on the most popular and most searched topics these days. For example, when a user types how to help in the search bar, it basically reflects how people are keen and looking for ways to extend help to their communities, works, health care workers, small businesses and elderly people in their surroundings. This has always been a hot topic of search, but now it has become more popular owing to the critical phase the world is going through, since the beginning of 2020. The new video is one minute and thirty seconds long with a tag line Where theres help, theres hope, and the instrumental version of St. Vincents New York playing in the background.The message of the video is very profound, and it says that the whole world is indebted to every essential worker and healthcare provider who is facing this pandemic head-on and fighting it on the front lines, and grateful for whoever is helping and supporting these people.The world thanks to them for every late night, every extra shift, and every missed dinner at home. The world will always remain thankful to them for all their sacrifices, but also for the sacrifices their families and loved ones are making in kind.The first video ad by Google that was posted last in March was also a Thank You message, which was aimed towards the medics, paramedics and all the healthcare providers, including experts and researchers too. This video was made in recognition of the global surge in searches for how to thank healthcare workers. It also featured answers to queries like how to flatten the curve? and How can I help hospitals? How can I help nurses and doctors? was also amongst the popular searches.Googles message in both the video ads is simple and beautiful. It is To everyone sacrificing so much to save so many, thank you!But Google is not thanking and appreciating with these video massages alone! It is doing a lot more.On Momday, Google.org has announced a $1 million donation to GiveDirectlys Bay Area COVID-19 Fund that aims to raise $5 million to help support 5,000 families with direct cash transfers in the San Francisco Bay Area.Alphabet and Google CEO is also contributing $1 million for the community in this crucial time.These kind gestures and helpful measures by this tech giant are truly appreciable.Thank you, Google!Read next: Google Will Now Allow To Easily Connect With Telehealth Services During the Global Pandemic Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:42:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Serbia have once again demonstrated their brotherly bond and sincere friendship with concrete actions in the face of the COVID-19 challenge. He made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic. The China-Serbia relationship is the most profound type of relations between countries, Xi pointed out, adding that the Chinese side empathizes with the COVID-19 threat the Serbian people are facing right now. Noting that China has provided Serbia with urgently needed medical and protective supplies and sent high-level medical experts to the European country, he said China will continue to offer help and support for Serbia's fight against the coronavirus disease. Xi said he believes that under the strong leadership of Vucic, the courageous Serbian people will surely overcome the epidemic at an early date. The profound and special friendship between China and Serbia was forged with blood and will, Xi stressed, adding that all risks and challenges, whatever they might be, will only make the two countries' iron-clad friendship even more indestructible. China, he said, is willing to work with Serbia to steadfastly safeguard international morality and push for solidarity and cooperation of the international community. Xi said he is confident that through the test of the joint fight against COVID-19, the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership will usher in a better future. He also expressed his sincere hope that the China-Serbia friendship will flourish forever. State Duma gives regional authorities right to suspend charging of resort fees 19:32 14/04/2020 MOSCOW, April 14 (RAPSI) The State Duma has approved a bill permitting regional authorities to suspend charging of resort fees amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement on the official website of the lower house of Russias parliament. The regional authorities charging the fee are to have the right to suspend the tax in all or certain municipalities taking part in the experiment. The subjects of the Russian Federation are to determine the terms of the respective moratorium at their discretion. The tight economic and epidemiological situation prevents resorts to get visitors at their full capacity this tourist season, the explanatory note to the bill reads. Therefore, the cost of administration of the tax may exceed the collected funds, the authors of the bill observe. Earlier, the issue of suspension of the resort fee was in the jurisdiction of municipalities, which spent the collected sums for resort infrastructure development; according to the amended law no consent on the part of respective local governments is required as to this measure. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday discussed the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak and other regional developments. Listen | Pandemic Podcast: Weight of the lockdown on the unorganised sector "Welcomed a call from FM @JZarif of Iran. Discussed respective responses to the #Coronavirus challenge. Also exchanged views on regional developments," Jaishankar said in a tweet. Welcomed a call from FM @JZarif of Iran. Discussed respective responses to the #Coronavirus challenge. Also exchanged views on regional developments. Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 13, 2020 Iran's Foreign Ministry, in a tweet, said the two leaders also discussed the latest political developments in Afghanistan, especially the peace process in the country, during their telephonic conversation. Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths "They also exchanged views on the latest situation of COVID-19 outbreak in the region and the world as well as the collective ways to cope with it and illegal and unilateral US sanctions against the Iranian nation," Iran's Foreign Ministry said. Iran recorded about 73,000 coronavirus cases with over 4,500 deaths. Senior Tory MPs have demanded an international investigation into the origins and development of the coronavirus outbreak as they accused China of a 'cover-up'. Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat said a global probe is needed because 'false data from Beijing is undermining our ability to respond'. His call was backed by Defence Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood who said the investigation needed to establish the 'patient zero' and 'ground zero' of the outbreak. He suggested the Chinese government had attempted to 'hide the outbreak from the world' as he warned Beijing it 'must change' so that the world is better prepared if another virus strikes. The comments from the leading Conservative MPs are likely to spark a furious response from Beijing which has faced repeated questions about the accuracy of its coronavirus death toll figures. The salvo from Mr Tugendhat came after his committee summoned the chiefs of a Chinese-owned UK-based IT firm amid fears control of crucial security software could be shifted away from US and British regulation under the cover of coronavirus. Mr Tugendhat wants answers from Imagination Technologies over claims it has reneged on agreements with the government. The company today agreed to answer the committee's questions. Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat has demanded an international investigation into the coronavirus crisis Mr Tugendhat said a prove is needed because 'false data from Beijing is undermining our ability to respond' Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood backed the call for a probe and warned Beijing it 'must change' Many countries are increasingly angry about the Chinese government's approach to the coronavirus outbreak. Some MPs are demanding a reset in relations while Downing Street sources have previously suggested the regime faces a 'reckoning' after the pandemic is over. Mr Tugendhat said today that there must be an international investigation into the current outbreak to establish the facts. He tweeted: 'We need an international investigation into the Covid-19 epidemic. It has already cost too many lives and will take many more. 'We cannot allow cover-ups or lies to put us all at risk. Even now, false data from Beijing is undermining our ability to respond.' Mr Ellwood said he agreed with Mr Tugendhat and added: 'Theres been no effort to establish who was patient zero, where ground zero was and true cause. 'With no lessons learnt from SARS - other than attempting to hide outbreak from the world, China must change. A virus will strike again.' The comments came after Mr Tugendhat's committee demanded Imagination Technologies' bosses answer its questions. The company was originally founded in 1985 and makes microchips which are used in products including Apple smartphones. The company was bought in 2017 for 550 million by the private equity firm Canyon Bridge which was US-based but is effectively Chinese state-owned. Mr Tugendhat said that purchase had been given the green light by Theresa May's government on the grounds that Canyon Bridge was licensed and regulated by US law. But since then it has moved its headquarters to the Cayman Islands which means it is no longer a US-regulated entity. MPs are concerned that Imagination Technologies' owners could now try to shift some of the company's sensitive technology patents to mainland China. Imagination Technologies HQ on the outskirts of London. MPs have today summoned the firm's bosses to answer security questions The select committee's demand for the company to give evidence comes after several senior executives - including the chief executive Ron Black - stepped down apparently over the direction of the firm. The BBC reported that chief product officer Steve Evans recently stepped down and said in his resignation letter: 'I will not be part of a company that is effectively controlled by the Chinese government.' The firm's chief technical officer John Rayfield is also believed to have recently quit. Canyon Bridge's main investor is China Reform Holdings, a Chinese state-owned company. China Reform reportedly recently tried to stage a boardroom coup to take control of Imagination Technologies but the attempt was aborted. Some MPs are worried that the current coronavirus crisis is effectively being used by the Chinese state as cover to pursue controversial technology transfers. It comes amid growing disquiet in Westminster about the involvement of Chinese firms in key sectors, with the government still under pressure to reverse its decision to allow Huawei a role in building Britain's 5G network. Mr Tugendhat told the BBC that he was worried software developed by Imagination Technologies could be used in the design of so-called 'backdoors' into the UK's critical digital infrastructure. He told the broadcaster: 'They make an extremely high end processing system, some of the most advanced graphics in the business. 'They also have developed various cyber technologies including being able to identify various forms of cyber attack that would be extremely useful to a hostile state actor. 'This isn't just about back doors. Just as in the 19th century concepts of accountancy and law wrote into the international community a trading architecture, so today the danger is what we see is an authoritarian dictatorship like China coding into the international architecture state control, violations of privacy and indeed suppression of individual rights that frankly many of us are deeply concerned about.' Mr Tugendhat added: 'The world has changed and companies - particularly tech companies - are on the frontline. 'Whoever writes the code, writes the rules for the world, more than any regulation passed by bureaucrats. 'There's no point in taking back control from Brussels, only to hand it over to Beijing.' In response to being summoned by MPs, a spokesman for Imagination Technologies said: 'We welcome the opportunity to respond directly to any questions the committee may have and address any misunderstandings.' Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said at the weekend that the UK government needed to take action to stop the 'drift into over-dependence on China for so many of the products and systems which run our lives'. Writing for the Mail on Sunday he said: 'China's utter dominance of the computer and mobile phone market where, from microprocessors to lap tops and from mobile phones to antennae, China now dominates the global market. 'Worse, the government will add to this dominance by including Huawei in our new 5G system. It came as Imagination Technologies' chief executive Ron Black (pictured) quit in the wake of attempts by Beijing-linked China Reform Holdings to seize control of the firm Tory former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is urging the government to curb the involvement of Chinese firms in key UK sectors 'This dominance is because the totalitarian government of China has implemented strategic plans to secure these markets for China, one by one. 'Of course, this has been made easier by our complacency, our rush for cheaper and cheaper products and the absence of a government strategic view about crucial areas of production.' The US has urged its allies not to use Huawei products because of security concerns - concerns vehemently rejected by the tech giant. The government announced in January that the firm would be allowed to help build non-core parts of the nation's 5G network. The decision reportedly prompted US President Donald Trump to vent 'apoplectic' anger at Boris Johnson during a phone call at the start of February. Tory MPs are now pushing for the government to reverse the Huawei decision and to commit to a goal of removing the company from involvement in the 5G infrastructure within the next few years. Kerala High Court on Tuesday notified the procedure to be followed by those concerned in moving pleas during the court's midsummer vacation. Petitions will be taken up by the court via video-conferencing during this time. It has been intimated that all participants of the video conference would need to download the required app on to the device that they plan to use for video conferencing, the court said. The High Court said that all participants must adhere to the prescribed dress code while attending the video conference and added that the participants shall also refrain from using any recording device to record the proceedings during the video conference. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US recognised India as a 'Major Defence Partner' in 2016, the designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with that of the US' closest allies and partners Washington: The Trump administration has notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes worth USD 155 million to India to enhance its deterrent capabilities against "regional threats" and to bolster its homeland defence. The US recognised India as a "Major Defence Partner" in 2016. This designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with that of the US' closest allies and partners. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles is estimated to cost USD 92 million, while 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost USD 63 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Monday in two separate notifications to the Congress. The US State Department made this determination following a request for these two military hardware made by the Indian Government, the Pentagon said amidst China flexing its military muscles in the strategic Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes while enhancing inter-operability with the United States and other allied forces. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces," the Pentagon said. While the Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing, the torpedoes would be supplied by Raytheon, the notification said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve India''s capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft. India will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces, it said. In both the notifications, the Pentagon said that the proposed sale of these equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. A laundry list of powerful Oregon politicians asked Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday to use her coronavirus emergency powers to fast-track a privately operated 100-bed inpatient mental health facility in Wilsonville. Universal Health Services, which already operates Cedar Hills in Southwest Portland, is several months into a second attempt to earn state approval to build an inpatient mental health hospital. The Oregon Health Authority usually must issue a certificate of need -- essentially saying that these 100 beds would be helpful to the states mental health system -- before Universal can start building. The letter argues that Brown could, however, waive the need for that certificate under the states COVID-19 emergency declaration. But at least one mental health advocate says he is uncomfortable with anyone bypassing the state process because it requires consideration of the entire systems needs. Universal officials have long maintained they are ready to start construction on the $40 million project immediately. Three years ago, the Oregon Health Authority denied Universal Healths application in favor of protecting the fledgling Unity Center for Behavioral Health from perceived competition. Unity, a collaboration between Legacy Health, Adventist Health, OHSU Hospital and Kaiser Permanente, opposed that application and continues to oppose the current one. This is the second time Universal Health Services has tried to circumvent the states evaluation process. After being denied the first time, the company worked with lawmakers to introduce a bill in the 2017 legislative session that would have allowed the creation of mental health facilities that served veterans -- a main component of Cedar Hills and the proposed hospitals caseload -- to proceed without the states approval. But the bill died after passing out of committee. At the time of Universals denial, state health officials said the four hospital systems that created Unity had successfully made the case that their joint venture would meet the Portland metro regions need for more inpatient beds. Unity did not have to go through the same certificate of need process because it was built as an off-site extension of Legacy Emanuel, which already had state approval. But Unity as a solution to Portlands mental health problems has not come to bear. Before the coronavirus pandemic came to Oregon, Unity leaders asked the state for funds to keep operating and complained of a facility too full to properly care for some of the Portland areas sickest patients. Part of the problem was that the Oregon State Hospital had closed its doors to nearly all new patients except those awaiting trial. That is still true. And Unity says it is socially distancing people in its already crowded psychiatric emergency room, which normally places people side-by-side in reclining chairs. A group of elected officials and prominent organizations have used the opportunity to push for approving Universals application. The list includes U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a Democrat from Clackamas County; Metro President Lynn Peterson; Metro Councilor and City Council candidate Sam Chase; Oregon Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, who is also running for secretary of state; several other Washington and Clackamas county local officials and state senators. They are joined by the Portland Business Alliance, behavioral health advocacy organization Oregon Recovers and others. The prominence and length of the list of supporters is notable because it is an about-face from the first time Universal applied to build the Wilsonville site. Then, the state received significant pushback from mental health advocates. With the capacity of our mental health and hospital systems already so far behind, Oregonians in crisis do not have time to wait, the letter said. Universal is one of the largest mental health providers in the country. It opened Cedar Hills opened in 2008 with 36 beds. It has added more beds since then and now has 94, which are regularly occupied at 80% to 90% capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the capacity limits of our healthcare system, said the letter. The Oregon Health Authority has made clear that we dont have enough hospital beds to meet our basic needs in this moment. Emergency departments are closing to all but the most serious cases, which has left Oregonians in mental health crisis without anywhere to receive safe treatment. Browns office did not immediately return a request for comment. Chris Bouneff, head of Oregons chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is discouraged by the letter. He said he he hasnt observed many of the state and local officials who signed on to advocate for hospital fast-tracking raise their voices on mental health funding much before. He is worried that those voices could drown out the arguments that he and other advocates have made for years -- that the state needs more community-based treatment, more outpatient care, more options for patients too poor for private insurance. That the mental health system in Oregon is broken isnt new to COVID-19, he said, and the flaws it has highlighted arent either. The virus certainly doesnt do anything to reveal theres some crisis in inpatient capacity, Bouneff said. If he is wrong, that would only be determined by going through the states certificate of need evaluation process, he said. We have these evaluation processes for a reason, Bouneff said. Because once its built, its there. It draws down money and you cant undo that. -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday welcomed the extention of the COVID-19 lockdown till May 3, though it flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not announcing any programme to support the slowed down economy. Reacting to the lockdown extension, Congress president D K Shivakumar said it was much needed to control the virus but expressed his displeasure for not offering any relief measure to uplift the economy which is witnessing slump. "We had expectation that some package would be offered but that was not done. The manufacturing sector, service sector, agriculture sector and even the medical sector was looking for some relief but that was not the talking point of the Prime Minister," Shivakumar told reporters. However, he maintained that the party would cooperate with the Centre in its fight against COVID-19. Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said he was "disappointed" that there was no programme announced to improve the economy, which is at the lowest level in 30 years. "The economy has collapsed. Never ever in 30 years it had witnessed such a downfall. Industries are closing down. Agriculture in bad shape. poeple have no money. Villages are in distress," the former chief minister said. He opined that Modi should have make some announcement with regard to economic programmes and assistance to the weaker section. "Labourers today are on the streets. Their programmes do not touch them. People had lots of expectations which are now meaningless," Siddaramaiah said. However, he underlined that he does not oppose the lockdown and appealed to the people to support it wholeheartedly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The coronavirus pandemic has forced a change at the Supreme Court that justices have long resisted: live audio of the court's oral arguments, including President Donald Trump's legal battle to prevent congressional committees and a New York prosecutor from obtaining his financial records. The court announced Monday that it will hold oral arguments via teleconference for the first time in its history next month, on a set of cases that had been postponed in March and April. Supreme Court public information officer Kathleen Arberg said audio of the teleconference hearing will be released through a network pool, and thus immediately available on media platforms. She said it is not likely to be posted live on the court's website due to concerns over the site's capacity to handle a high volume of users. However, the court expects to post the audio on the same day the arguments are heard, she said. What might sound like a simple technological advance to the rest of the world marks a stunning change at the Supreme Court, where cameras are not allowed and justices have resisted repeated calls for live audio of oral arguments. The sessions are the only times the justices discuss cases in public, and those who want to hear them in real time must vie for one of a coveted few spots in the courtroom. Members of the public often camp out for days to attend oral arguments in major cases. The court announced the change in a news release. "In keeping with public health guidance in response to COVID-19, the justices and counsel will all participate remotely," the statement said. "The court anticipates providing a live audio feed of these arguments to news media. Details will be shared as they become available." That would eliminate a concern some justices have cited in opposing the live broadcast of arguments: the threat of disruption in the courtroom that would violate the court's normal decorum. But groups and individuals who watch the court see potential for lasting change. Dan Epps, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis and a former Supreme Court clerk, tweeted: "Once the Court does this once and the sky doesn't fall, it will be hard to justify not providing live audio for arguments in the future." While state supreme courts in Texas and Kansas last week held oral arguments via video conferencing, the Supreme Court will not go that route. Lawyers representing their clients will not be able to see the justices. The court normally concludes oral arguments in April, so it may concentrate on opinion-writing before its normal conclusion at the end of June. It is unclear whether that usual deadline will hold. The court's news release said it would hold argument sessions on May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13. The justices last met in public on March 9. They have since issued opinions on the court's website. They have met in private via teleconference, with only Chief Justice John Roberts in the room where justices gather to discuss the court's business. The court said a schedule of which cases would be heard on the May dates will be released after consultation with advocates. Lawyers in cases accepted by the court but not selected for the May hearings said they have been told that the court would hold oral arguments early in the term that begins in October, rather than decide the cases without oral arguments. That could have an effect on whether another big case - a third effort to strike down the Affordable Care Act, this time from conservative states and the Trump administration - will be heard before the presidential election. The court did not say how it decided which cases to hear and which to delay. Among the cases not making the cut was a long-running, $9 billion copyright battle between Google and Oracle. The cases sure to draw the most attention are the ones involving Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and three Democratic-led congressional committees have won lower-court decisions granting them access to a range of Trump's financial records relating to him personally, his family and his businesses. The court in December accepted Trump's request to review the decisions. The justices will hear another time-sensitive case. It involves whether presidential electors can be required to honor their state's instructions to vote for the candidate who wins the state's popular vote. In many presidential elections, several members of the electoral college - "faithless electors," detractors call them - have voted for other candidates. States had urged the court to decide the issue now, while it is unclear how a ruling would affect a specific candidate in the fall elections. The court will hear arguments in a case that it did not reach agreement on last term, when it was heard by eight justices. It concerns whether much of Oklahoma should still be considered part of an Indian reservation, an issue with broad implications on how crimes there are prosecuted. And it has scheduled two cases of importance to religious conservatives. One concerns which employees of religious schools are exempt from federal anti-discrimination laws, and the other involves an employer's responsibility to provide women with birth control access under the Affordable Care Act. Beyond those, the court has heard argument, but not ruled, on other major cases: a challenge to a Louisiana abortion law; whether federal laws protecting workers apply to LGBT employees; and whether the Trump administration moved unlawfully to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects those brought illegally to the United States as children. By Terje Solsvik and Victoria Klesty OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Air plans to convert up to $4.3 billion of its debt into equity and to issue new shares as it seeks to stay in business following the COVID-19 outbreak that has grounded almost all of its fleet, the budget carrier said on Wednesday. The move would allow the airline to tap government guarantees of up to 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($292 million), which are dependent on the company reducing its ratio of debt to equity. Growing rapidly in the last decade to become Europe's third-largest low-cost airline and the biggest foreign carrier serving New York and other major U.S. cities, Norwegian had accumulated debts and liabilities of close to $8 billion by the end of 2019. On March 16, the company announced temporary layoffs of 7,300 employees, about 90% of its workforce, and the following day called on Norway's government for help, saying it needed cash "within weeks, not months". "The proposed measures are necessary in securing the next tranches of the Norwegian government state guarantee program," Chief Executive Jacob Schram said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing the measures on the eve of Norway's Easter break. "They are also necessary for the future of the company by strengthening the company's balance sheet," added Schram, who joined the airline only last year, adding work had begun on building the future "New Norwegian". VOTE NEXT MONTH The company must convince its creditors to agree to the plan before it is put to a shareholders' vote on May 4. If approved, Norwegian would convert part or all of its bonds worth 5.68 billion crowns into shares as well as leasing debt of up to 38.82 billion crowns, the company said. It would also aim to raise at least 300 million crowns of fresh cash by selling new shares, with the aim of reaching a total of 400 million to meet government terms for its aid. Story continues Those deals are far in excess of the company's market capitalisation of 1.4 billion crowns and will significantly dilute existing equity. Asset manager Sissener AS, which holds bonds in Norwegian with a nominal value of $5 million, but also shorted some stock, said creditors may have few options but to accept the proposal. Seizing the underlying assets would make little sense in the current situation, the fund's founding partner Jan Petter Sissener told Reuters. "One of the bonds has a hangar as security, who needs a hangar today? And the others, with security in slots at Gatwick, they don't have much value today either," Sissener said. On the other hand, foreign creditors may not see it the same way, he added. "It's the American bond holders that are calling the shots and they may have a different agenda, I don't know how they will react." The stock has plunged almost 80% over the past two months as the crisis has engulfed the airline industry and deepened Norwegian's existing financial difficulties. While Norwegian quickly qualified for access to 10% of government guarantees introduced to help businesses weather the coronavirus crisis, it must convince financial creditors to temporarily forego payments if it is to access the second tranche, worth 1.2 billion crowns. To access the final tranche, of 1.5 billion crowns, the company must also raise equity, the government has said. GRAPHIC: European airlines stocks plunge - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/jbyvrxnoveo/airlines.PNG (Editing by Jan Harvey, Josephine Mason and Keith Weir) President Donald Trump stepped to the lectern Monday on a day when the virus death toll in the United States ticked up past 23,000. He addressed the nation during a period where unemployment claims have shot past 15 million, and lines for food banks stretch on towards the horizon. Yet in the middle of this deadly pandemic that shows no clear signs of abating, the president made clear that the paramount concern for Trump is Trump his self-image, his media coverage, his supplicants and his opponents, both real and imagined. Everything we did was right, Trump said, in a sometimes hostile two and a half-hour news conference in which he offered a live version of an enemies list, brooking no criticism and repeatedly snapping at reporters who dared to challenge his version of events. Trump has always had a me-me-me ethos, an uncanny ability to insert himself into the centre of just about any situation. But Mondays coronavirus briefing offered a particularly stark portrait of a president seeming unable to grasp the magnitude of the crisis and saying little to address the suffering across the country he was elected to lead. At one point after praising himself for implementing travel restrictions on China at the end of January and griping about being brutalized by the press Trump paused to boast with a half-smirk: But I guess Im doing OK because, to the best of my knowledge, Im the president of the United States, despite the things that are said. The news conference began when Trump turned to Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious-disease specialist, and asked him to say a few words before we go any further. With that, Fauci stood and offered a not-quite-apology for comments he made over the weekend to CNNs Jake Tapper, in which he confirmed that he and other health experts had made mitigation recommendations to Trump as early as the third weekend of February and said that earlier mitigation could have saved lives. On Monday, Fauci tried to walk back his comments, saying he had been responding to a hypothetical and had not intended to criticise the president, who he praised for implementing the recommendations of public health officials like himself. Trump played a propaganda-style video that he said had been pulled together by White House aides earlier in the day (EPA) That was the wrong choice of words, said Fauci, whose relationship with the president has been tense at times. One reporter asked him whether he was speaking voluntarily or at the behest of the president. Everything I do is voluntary, Fauci said. Please dont even imply that. Next, Trump played a propaganda-style video that he said had been pulled together by White House aides earlier in the day. In a short hagiography more in line with a political event than a presidential news conference, clips critical of the media were interspersed with footage of loyalists praising the president. US media have said for weeks that Trumps coronavirus briefings have taken on the feel of campaign rallies (AP) The president has been outstanding through all this, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, says in the video. The vice president has been outstanding. Members of the coronavirus task force very responsive. Since the pandemic began, Trumps almost daily news conferences have increasingly taken on the feel of campaign rallies a simulacrum for the raucous, Keep-America-Great-fests he has had to forgo amid the global contagion. And on Monday, he brought many of those trademark campaign moments into the briefing room. You know, I dont mind controversy, Trump said, offering something of a guiding life principle. I think controversy is a good thing, not a bad thing. He also criticised sleepy Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, because Biden, he said, had previously criticised him, and jousted with the fake news. High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Show all 18 1 /18 High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Najaf, Iraq A man holds a pocket watch at noon, at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Bangkok, Thailand Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, part of The Grand Palace) Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Prague, Czech Republic An empty street leading to the historic Old Town Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Washington DC, US Lawn stretching towards the Capitol, home of Congress Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Jerusalem's Old City A watch showing the time in front of Damascus Gate Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world London, UK The Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Wuhan, China Empty lanes in the city that saw the first outbreak of disease Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Havana, Cuba The Malecon road and esplanade winds along the city's seafront Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Cairo, Egypt A little busier than elsewhere: midday traffic in Tahrir Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Berlin, Germany The Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving city gate in the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Caracas, Venezuela Bolivar Avenue, opened in 1949 and the site of many demonstrations and rallies Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Moscow, Russia Spasskaya Tower (left) on the eastern wall of the Kremlin, and St Basil's Cathedral Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Istanbul,Turkey The harbourside Eminonu district is usually buzzing with activity Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New Delhi, India Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard that runs through the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Amman, Jordan The Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New York City, US The main concourse of Grand Central station in Manhattan Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Kiev, Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the site of many political protests since the end of the Soviet era Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Accra, Ghana The odd walker out in the midday sun on Ring Road Central Reuters Shortly after Trump played the video, CBSs Paula Reid pressed him on how his administration failed to use the month of February to ready itself for the coming virus, after sharply limiting travel from China. You didnt use it to prepare hospitals, you didnt use it to ramp up testing, Reid said, before Trump cut her off, calling her disgraceful. Reid forged ahead. What did you do with the time that you bought, the month of February? she asked, as Trump talked over her. That video has a gap the entire month of February. What did your administration do in February with the time that your travel ban bought you? A lot. A lot, said Trump, without offering specifics, before turning his frustration back on Reid. You know youre a fake, he said. At another moment, seemingly eager to assert his dominance over the nations governors, Trump declared incorrectly: When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. Later, CNNs Kaitlan Collins followed up: You said when someone is president of the United States, their authority is total. That is not true. Who told you that? The president declined to answer, saying the governors need us before abruptly silencing Collins with a sharp: Enough. About halfway through, Trump finally departed, leaving the remainder of the briefing to Vice President Mike Pence and the public health professionals. But the first hour of the news conference was a paean to the president and his ego, orchestrated by Trump himself. For one fleeting instance, the president seemed poised to reveal a flicker of self-awareness. Asked why he shared a tweet from a supporter with the hashtag #FireFauci, the president said that while he personally thinks Fauci is terrific, not everybody is happy with him. Not everybody is happy with Trump said, before pausing briefly. He seemed about to say himself; not everybody is happy with Fauci, and not everybody is happy with Trump. But then, never one for self-criticism, he concluded: Not everybody is happy with everybody. The Washington Post Squatters moved into a 300,000 beachside holiday home during the coronavirus lockdown - only to be caught out by neighbours. The pair drove 200 miles from their home in Surrey to stay at the rental property in Cardigan Bay, Wales. But neighbours quickly became suspicious when they turned up out of the blue. Squatters moved into this 300,000 beachside holiday home in Cardigan Bay, Wales, during the coronavirus lockdown - only to be caught out by neighbours The couple told locals they had bought the 1,500-a-week cottage and arrived with all their own pots and pans. Unconvinced, one neighbour rang the police who came and arrested them on suspicion of burglary. They were later released without charge but given a fine for non-essential travel. A neighbour said: 'They must have spotted the place on a holiday cottage website and realised it was empty because of Covid-19. 'They turned with a car, a van towing a motorcycle - they also had their own pots and pans. 'To start with they said they had bought the cottage - then they changed their story and said they were thinking of buying it. I smelled a rat and called police.' The neighbour added: 'It has amazing views and is completely isolated - they must have thought it would be a perfect spot to be locked down. 'They even pretended they had bought the cottage - what a cheek!' Eight officers, including a dog handler, turned up to eject the couple and send them back to Surrey. A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: 'We were called to a report of a possible break in at a property in the Cardigan area. The pair drove 200 miles from their home in Surrey to stay at the rental property in Cardigan Bay, Wales (pictured) 'Two people were arrested on suspicion of burglary. Following police enquiries they were released no further action at this time for the burglary and given a fixed penalty notice for non-essential travel.' Welsh officials have been urging tourists not to flock to the country in search of somewhere rural since the UK lockdown began. They have warned that driving to the Snowdonia National Park does not constitute 'essential travel' and told non-locals to stay away. A huge sign saying 'Tourists go home' was seen at the entrance to the site last week, while one couple due to check in to a nearby AirBnB were scared off by a neighbour. The man in Snowdownia, Wales, slammed the pair and accused them of breaking coronavirus lockdown rules. A huge sign saying 'Tourists go home' was seen at the entrance to the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales last week after non-locals flocked there Footage that surfaced on Facebook shows the man demanding to know why they were staying in the village of Penmachno. Police were contacted over the incident but no action taken. Thousands of AirBnB and other rental properties are sitting empty while Britons are confined to their own homes during lockdown. Some forced to live apart from their relatives because they are at higher risk of the deadly virus have opted for rental homes, but the vast majority cannot be used. Those in rural or remote parts of the country have urged people not travel to second or holiday homes because their hospitals cannot cope with added pressure. Wales has been particularly badly hit by the deadly COVID-19 bug, with almost twice as many cases per capita than Scotland or Northern Ireland. As of Sunday, a total of 5,610 people out of Wales' 3.1million population had been diagnosed with the life-threatening infection. It means more than one in 600 people have caught the virus in Wales, compared to one in 1,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Italian Foreign ministry celebrates poet Gianni Rodari 'Thanks to maestro and teachers who do their jobs' (ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 14 - The Italian foreign ministry is recalling Gianni Rodari on the 40th anniversary of his death, as a "writer, journalist, and poet of incomparable imagination". On its social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), the foreign ministry paid tribute to "the only Italian winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, who enchanted generations of children around the world with his countless verses". "But above all, we recall a maestro: and together with him all the teachers, who with inventiveness and a spirit of sacrifice are continuing to carry out their work. Thank you," the ministry wrote. To celebrate Rodari, the foreign ministry published one of his most famous nursery rhymes, especially timely in the current period, titled "Nursery Rhyme of Hope".(ANSAmed). Volunteers in protective suits help curb the spread of the coronavirus prepare to disinfect public areas in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has dispatched health teams to far-flung provinces to confront the coronavirus. Read more In Afghanistan, the Taliban has dispatched health teams to far-flung provinces to confront the coronavirus. In Mexico, drug cartels are offering aid packages to those feeling its economic impact. In Brazil and El Salvador, gangs enforce curfews to prevent its spread. As governments around the world have responded to the coronavirus, so too have armed insurgents and terrorist groups and drug cartels and gangs, a parallel underworld of public health policy and strategic messaging. It is hardly the first time such groups have attempted to fill the role of government. But few crises in modern times have tested the limits of the world's nation-states as the coronavirus has, providing an opening for armed groups to step in where presidents, police forces and parliaments have failed. Some groups have attempted to weave governments' failures to control the virus into their own propaganda narratives. In Somalia, al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab fighters say the pandemic was spread "by the crusader forces who have invaded the country." The Islamic State has told followers to prepare to exploit their enemies while they are overwhelmed by outbreaks. In Yemen, Houthi rebels have accused Saudi Arabia of airdropping masks infected with COVID-19. In eastern Afghanistan, where the Afghan government and the Taliban have clashed for nearly two decades, the rivalry over which group has a more effective health policy is now on full display. Esmatullah Asim, a provincial council member from Wardak province, watched the arrival of Taliban forces in medical gear this month and was impressed. Asim said the government quarantines only those who show symptoms at the border, but the Taliban quarantines every person who has returned recently from Iran. "The Taliban quarantine is much better than the government," he said. The group also raises awareness about the virus in the territory it controls, he said. "They stop the vehicles, telling the passengers how to prevent the spread of the virus." Even the U.S. State Department conveyed kudos. "We join the Afghan Ministry of Public Health in welcoming the Taliban's efforts to raise awareness against #COVID19 and their offer of safe passage to health workers & international organizations working to prevent the spread of the virus," the department wrote in a tweet. Analysts who study the organizational structure of armed groups are now cataloguing dozens of instances of rebels and bandits making forays into public health policy. "In some cases, the government just isn't coming to help, so this is a chance for nonstate armed groups to appear to be the responsible, accountable actor," said Sarah Parkinson, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at Johns Hopkins University. "In other cases, it's concern for their own members. And in others, it's an attempt to use a piece of evidence in their own propaganda war." Some governments have acknowledged that armed groups could exploit their weaknesses after the virus fades, seizing on the aftermath of economic dislocation. The mayor of the Italian city of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, warned this month that "a den of Mafia jackals" is poised "to exploit the desperation of the new poor from coronavirus." Other Italian officials have suggested that the mafia could provide its own loans or cash handouts to undermine the government. In Mexico, at least two drug cartels have begun providing aid packages to residents in places partially controlled by armed groups. In Michoacan, a video emerged last week of the Los Viagras cartel handing out plastic bags of food to hundreds of people. In Tamaulipas, a Mexican state that borders southern Texas, photos circulated of boxes full of sugar, oil and other staples distributed in large piles. On the top of each box was plastered the name of the donor: "Gulf Cartel," they said, "in support of Ciudad Victoria," the state capital. Falko Ernst, an analyst with the International Crisis Group in Mexico, said there was an "obvious tension" in the effort. "These groups are trying to be seen as catering materially and providing a notion of security in places where they are also directly preying on the population through extortion and kidnapping and violence," he said. "But in a lot of places, these groups are the least bad solution for populations that don't have anywhere else to turn." In Brazil's favelas, the messages come through WhatsApp. "Whoever is caught on the street will learn how to respect the measure," one gang warned a Rio de Janeiro slum. "We want the best for the population. If the government is unable to manage, organized crime resolves." Last month, as the Salvadoran government was enforcing one of Latin America's earliest and most stringent lockdowns, leaders of MS-13 decided that they would institute their own curfew. It was a rare overlap of policy between the gang and the government, which have fought each other for years. But it also reflected a reality in much of El Salvador: The police have limited access in neighborhoods under criminal control, and in those places, only a gang-enforced curfew would be observed. MS-13 explained its reasoning to the San Salvador newspaper El Faro: The policy was about protecting its own members, who probably wouldn't have access to medical treatment if they were infected. "If there are no respirators left and one of us is gravely ill, all tattooed, and an old woman appears who is in serious condition, they are going to disconnect the gang member and they are going to let him die," one member said. A similar overlap in policy has occurred in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has dispatched teams that distribute gloves, soap and masks in areas under its control. But while the insurgents and the government agree on the need to combat the virus, they continue to fight each other. "We can't completely stop our attacks," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. He blamed the government for "compelling" them. Advocacy groups have encouraged more coordination between the Taliban and the Afghan government to tackle the coronavirus. Human Rights Watch proposed videoconferences with "representatives from the Public Health Ministry, the Taliban's health commission, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and key international humanitarian agencies." In many countries, police have been redeployed from rural to urban areas, giving criminal groups more room to operate with impunity and to enforce their own health policy as the pandemic spreads. In some cases, "criminal groups will play the role of enforcer with full agreement and even at the request of the state," wrote Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution. "Such deals in which governments outsource the rule of urban and rural peripheries to criminal groups long preceded COVID-19." Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the militant group that dominates Syria's northern Idlib province, has used the virus to burnish its credentials as a legitimate governing body, issuing orders restricting gatherings and distributing health information to the public. No cases have been reported in the province. Public health officials and aid workers say the spread of the virus in the crowded refugee camps of Idlib, among a population with little access to health care, would be calamitous. "The large number of our people gathered in a small geographic space, and the monumental population density in the camps, forecasts disastrous results if the epidemic spreads," said Ayman Jibis, the health minister for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-created Salvation Government. ___ Sieff reported from Mexico City. George reported from London. Fahim reported from Istanbul. The Washington Posts Sharif Hassan in Kabul; Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan; and Sarah Dadouch in Beirut contributed to this report. Over half a million people are now in receipt of a Covid-19 payment in Ireland according to the latest information from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Today the department issued payments to 533,000 people in respect of their application for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Around 54,000 are receiving a payment for the first time. These payments are in addition to the 210,000 people on the Live Register and over 42,000 employers have now registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy scheme. All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment payments issued will be in recipients bank accounts or at their local post office today, Tuesday 14th April. Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today said, with just over 50,000 additional payments approved in the last week, these figures would suggest that we are perhaps reaching a plateau in terms of those on the Covid payment. Furthermore, increasing numbers of employers are participating in the wage subsidy scheme and approximately 1.4m are still in full time work. It is clear that we are living through the most challenging of times. Never before has there been such a need for welfare support from workers and employers, with more than three years worth of claims being processed in less than a month. My Department has risen to the challenge and has enhanced our online facilities making it quick and easy for people to apply for an emergency Covid-19 unemployment payment, the enhanced Illness Benefit or indeed to close their Covid-19 claim, or change their payment details. I am very proud of the quick and efficient response of my Department and all that the staff have achieved over the past month. This is a temporary health crisis but it neednt be a permanent economic emergency. As we reach the plateau of those on income support, we hope to bend and lower that curve also - getting as many back to work as soon as possible as and when the health environment permits. Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment In total (since launch on the 16th March, 2020), and excluding duplicate claims, the Department processed applications from 625,000 people for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or a jobseekers payment. To date, over 40,000 people have contacted the Department to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The majority of these requests are because employers are taking people back onto their payroll under the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme. However, approximately 68,000 payments have been withheld for a variety of reasons. These include the people concerned who were still in employment, who had not been in employment prior to claiming the Covid-19 payment, a Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy was being paid in their name, who were not resident in the State or because they submitted incorrect details including invalid PPSNs and IBANs. The Department is continuing to resolve any issues, such as invalid IBANS or PPSNs, with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. We wish to remind people to take care when submitting applications, to ensure that critical information such as dates of birth, PPSN and IBANs are entered correctly. An IBAN has 22 characters and people should take care that it is entered correctly. Any errors by individuals in submitting their incorrect IBAN or PPSN will cause their application to be rejected by the Department. Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme There are now over 42,000 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Workers whose employers have registered them on the scheme are not eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment. In addition workers who were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment but who have now been registered by their employers on the TWSS are no longer eligible to receive a payment pandemic unemployment payment The Department is aware that some workers may be incorrectly registered as part of the TWSS or may face difficulty in transitioning back from the pandemic unemployment payment to the employer payroll. Such a situation may arise, for example, because a worker has been registered in error by their employer, or because an employer having registered for the TWSS has since ceased operating their payroll, or, due to differences in the weekly payment pattern of the pandemic unemployment payment as compared with a monthly or fortnightly payroll from the employer. Any worker affected by these issues can contact the Department and arrangements will be made to restore their payment or provide them with interim income support as appropriate. Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment The Department has to date received 27,300 applications for the Covid-19 enhanced Illness Benefit. This predominantly relates to applications in respect of people who have been advised by their GP to self-isolate together with a smaller number in respect of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19. Islamabad: A group of over 50 senior clerics in Pakistan has warned the government against the ban on religious congregations amidst the coronavirus outbreak and said the authorities should instead abide by religious norms and allow more worshippers in mosques to seek forgiveness from Allah. The government has banned prayer congregations of more than five people as part of its measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has infected over 5,715 people in Pakistan. Despite the government's pleas to observe social distancing, over 53 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia on Monday held a meeting in Jamia Darul Uloom Zakria here to discuss the ban on prayer congregations, the Dawn News reported. The meeting -- attended by clerics representing various seminaries, banned groups, proscribed persons and political and non-political parties -- warned the authorities against the ban and said government leaders should abide by religious norms and seek forgiveness. The warning came before the government could come up with a plan to curb the spread of Covid-19 during the holy month of Ramazan, which will begin in the last week of April. Pir Azizur Rehman Hazarvi, president of the Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria in Islamabad, said, "The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen." Hazarvi, who is also the patron of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), insisted that in order to get rid of the virus, it was imperative to seek forgiveness from Allah and increase the populace in mosques. A video clip released by the clerics on Tuesday showed leaders of various political and non-political organisations -- including JUI-F, Aalmi Tanzeem Khatam-i-Nabuwat, seminaries such as Taleem ul Quran Raja Bazar and a representative of banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat -- sitting in close proximity of each other. The meeting did not acknowledge the official directives of a maximum of five persons inside mosques for the collective prayers as the clerics said that the testing times demanded more time for prayers and announced that apart from the five times prayers, Friday and Taraweeh congregations will continue. The clerics, however, agreed to take precautionary measures like use of hand sanitisers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. Hazarvi said, "The senior clerics have noted that all efforts will be made to avoid clash and confrontations with the government and the state institutions." Lal Masjid's cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz also continued to challenge the authority of Islamabad Capital Territoty (ICT) administration by openly flouting the stipulated precautionary measures, the report said Every week, Aziz releases footages of huge congregations gathered for Friday prayers, denouncing the restrictions imposed by the government. As a result, the number of mosques organising large Friday congregations is increasing in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday said 342 new Covid-19 cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 5,716. Punjab recorded the maximum number of 2,826 cases, followed by Sindh at 1,452, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 800, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 233, Balochistan 231, Islamabad 131 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 43. While 1,378 people have recovered, 96 died and 46 are in critical condition, the ministry said. A total of 69,928 tests have been performed, including 3,157 during the last 24 hours, it said Leading Central American business group is protecting staff and consumers; and donating food and cleaning supplies to local authorities, relief agencies and people in need TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dinant a leading consumer products manufacturer in the central American region is stepping up as a force for good in the fight against COVID-19. A proud Honduran company, Dinant directly employs 7,200 people, supports a further 30,000 jobs, and for many years has been contributing greatly to local neighborhoods up and down the country. But, in todays unprecedented times, Dinant is doing more to protect and serve the people of Honduras and beyond. Company spokesman, Roger Pineda, said, We are all in this together. Here at Dinant we are working closely with our customers, suppliers, and government officials to do our part. We are fortunate to have so many talented staff, and so we are using that capacity and knowledge to develop solutions to protect the most vulnerable in society. It is truly inspiring to witness the many acts of service that Dinants people are undertaking to support and care for each other, and our local communities. No matter how long it takes for the crisis to end, Dinants COVID-19 Crisis Response Team is committed to mobilizing the companys time, talent and technical capabilities to meet four objectives: Protecting the health and wellbeing of staff, business partners and customers. Securing every staff job. Continuing to serve customers the trusted brands they rely on including food and cleaning products. Supporting local communities and emergency services on the frontline of the fight against the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Dinant has strengthened its industry-leading practices all certified by the SQF Safe Quality Food Program with a range of pre-emptive measures to keep staff and products safe. Under the guidance of medical professionals, the company is providing protective face masks to all staff, ensuring everyone can work at safe distances apart, and increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing of high traffic areas throughout all facilities. As a result, Dinant staff have been able to safely continue their important roles of manufacturing, packaging and delivering Dinants trusted brands to help support peoples basic nutritional needs and keep family homes clean and sanitized. Story continues Mr. Pineda continued, We are proud of our Honduran heritage and have a long history of supporting local communities in times of need. And we are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our talented staff and loyal customers. As a business leader in Honduras, we know we have to step up and do all we can at this challenging time to be a force for good. That is why we are providing financial support, as well as free products, to those most in need. Dinants Social Team community liaison professionals working at the heart of local towns and villages adjacent to the companys facilities has identified local people most impacted by COVID-19, enabling the company to target food and cleaning products donations where they are most needed. In total, Dinant has donated over 78,000 lbs. of food, as well as cleaning products, benefiting more than 25,000 families and around 100,000 people throughout Honduras. Many Dinant products are key to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly those that are used on a daily basis to clean and disinfect businesses, hospitals and clinics. The company has donated 14,500 liters of disinfectant products produced at Dinants factories in Comayagua and Choloma including bleach, floor cleaners and detergents to medical professionals and other emergency staff, such as the national police, fire departments, local Mayors, and the Red Cross. And there will be more to come. Furthermore, the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), of which Dinant is a leading participant, has donated 20 respirators, electric beds, infusion pumps, lecterns, medical care beds, and biosafety equipment, among other hospital supplies, for use by frontline healthcare professionals. Mr. Pineda concluded, We cannot predict when this crisis will be over but, in the meantime, were committed to stepping up of a force for good and being a part of the solution whatever it takes to support our employees, consumers, business partners and local communities. About Corporacion Dinant Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras in 1960. Its products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic. For nearly 60 years, Dinant has been leading efforts in Honduras to implement and update protocols that keep its staff and customers safe. Dinant has retained many internationally-renowned certifications such as ISO 14001, ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, and the SQF Safe Quality Food Program that rewards a culture of safe quality and encourages responsible manufacturing and agricultural processes. This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporacion Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Attachment Roger Pineda Pinel Corporacion Dinant +504 2239-8271 roger.pineda@dinant.com Rising value of vehicles may lead to property tax increase Amazon fired three more of its workers who were campaigning against the condition for workers in Amazon warehouses amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Bashir Mohamed, who worked at Amazons Minnesota warehouse was fired last week, Buzzfeed News reported. Two other Amazon employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who had publicly denounced the conditions at its warehouse were also let go, The Washington Post reported. Mr Mohamed, who has worked at the companys Minnesota warehouse for three years, told the outlet that he had been campaigning for safer working conditions to protect workers from the transmission of the coronavirus. He said that Amazon told him they terminated his employment because he refused to speak to his supervisor. He did not deny the allegation but accused his supervisor of treating him unfairly according to the report. Kristen Kish, an Amazon spokesperson told The Independent: We respect the rights of employees to protest and recognise their legal right to do so; however, these rights do not provide blanket immunity against bad actions, particularly those that endanger the health, well-being or safety of their colleagues. This individual was terminated as a result of progressive disciplinary action for inappropriate language, behaviour, and violating social distancing guidelines. Ms Cunningham, a user experience designer and Ms Costa, a principal user experience designer, were also fired last Friday according to The Washington Post. An Amazon spokesperson said the two employees were fired for repeatedly violating internal policies. The women had spoken out on social media against working for conditions for those working in warehouses, with both tweeting in support of activist warehouse workers hitting out at the company over conditions during the pandemic, the report said. We support every employees right to criticise their employers working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies, the spokesperson said. Both women were also part of the employee group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which encourages Amazon to take leadership in the climate crisis. Theyve wanted me gone for a while, Ms Cunningham told the newspaper. They were targeting the most visible leaders in an attempt to silence everyone, Ms Costa said. The three terminations come two weeks after the company came under scrutiny for firing a worker who was involved in organising a protest of the firms handling of coronavirus. Christian Smalls said that senior warehouse staff had not engaged with calls for the Staten Island site to be closed for sterilisation and organised a walkout in protest. Amazon denied that Mr Smalls was fired for the protest and said his employment was ended because he breached health and safety regulations. We did not terminate Mr Smalls employment for organising a 15-person protest. We terminated his employment for putting the health and safety of others at risk and violations of his terms of his employment, Ms Kish said. Mr Smalls received multiple warnings for violating social distancing guidelines. He was also found to have had close contact with a diagnosed associate with a confirmed case of Covid-19 and was asked to remain home with pay for 14-days, which is a measure were taking at sites around the world. Despite that instruction to stay home with pay, he came onsite further putting the teams at risk. Both New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called for investigations into Mr Smalls termination last month. Amazon would rather fire workers than face up to its total failure to do what it should to keep us, our families, and our communities safe, Mr Smalls said in a statement. I am outraged and disappointed, but Im not shocked. As usual, Amazon would rather sweep a problem under the rug than act to keep workers and working communities safe. The online retailer has come under increasing pressure by workers over safety concerns at their warehouses, with The New York Times reported that 50 of their 75 fulfilment centres in the US have had employees test positive for Covid-19. T he UK economy could fall off a cliff edge, potentially suffering a 35 per cent drop in GDP, but should recover by the end of the year, a new report shows. The Office for Budget Responsibility expects the economy to shrink by 35 per cent and unemployment to hit 3.4 million by the end of June, if the coronavirus lockdown lasts three months followed by a partial lifting for three months. But, once restrictions are lifted, Britain's independent tax and spending watchdog said it expected no permanent damage. The group predicts the economy will recover quickly, with the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) jumping 25 per cent in the three months to September and a further 20 per cent in the final three months of 2020. The OBR also expects the steep rise of 2.1 million unemployed workers, around one in 10 of the working population, added to the 1.3 million already out of work. 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 It said: As with GDP, the rise in unemployment is likely to be very fast, as the sharp rise in new claims for Universal Credit already attests. Indeed, we might expect almost all the rise to happen within the first month. The organisation added that the unemployment numbers could shift again due to uncertainty over whether Government schemes to cover salaries will be extended. Public sector net borrowing is also expected to increase by 218 billion this year, compared with March forecasts, hitting 273 billion, or 14 per cent of GDP. Chancellor Rishi Patel announced the Government's plan to cover 80 per cent of furloughed worker's salaries / Getty Images The OBR said: That would be the largest single-year deficit since the Second World War. The sharp rise in borrowing this year largely reflects the impact of economic disruption on receipts, with smaller effects from policy measures like the business rates holidays, and policy measures that add to public spending, with smaller effects from higher unemployment. The Governments plan to cover 80 per cent of the salary of furloughed workers could cost up to 40 billion in just three months as more companies decide to take up the scheme, a think tank has said. Between 30 billion and 40 billion could flow from Government coffers as at least a third of workers in the private sector are likely to be sent home, the Resolution Foundation said. 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 OBR said the effect of the coronavirus crisis and the policy response is likely to be a "sharp, but largely temporary" increase in Government borrowing that will leave public sector net debt permanently higher as a share of GDP. However, the longer the period of economic disruption lasts, the more likely it is that the economys future potential output will be scarred, thanks to business failures, cancelled investments and the unemployed becoming disconnected from the labour market," it said. If that happens, the budget deficit would reverse less of its temporary rise as economic activity recovers, leaving the Government to confront a larger structural deficit and not just higher debt. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast KYODO NEWS - Apr 14, 2020 - 14:29 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.9 percent in fiscal 2018 from the previous year, thanks in part to an increased reliance on nuclear energy, the Environment Ministry said Tuesday. The equivalent of 1.24 billion tons of carbon dioxide was emitted in the year ended March 2019, a fifth annual decline and representing a low among comparable data going back to fiscal 1990. However, Japan remains far from achieving its commitment under the Paris Agreement on climate change. Emissions fell 12 percent compared with fiscal 2013, against its pledge for a 26 percent reduction by fiscal 2030, a target that Japan has itself said is not ambitious enough. "We can't be overly optimistic that the target can be reached, and we'll be working with the private sector to further cut emissions," a ministry official said. While many of Japan's nuclear reactors were taken offline in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima crisis, output from the nine active units doubled from the previous year, reducing the need for coal and other methods of power generation that produce more emissions. An increase in renewable energy such as solar and wind power also contributed, as did low demand for household heating due to a relatively warm winter. Meanwhile, Japan's emissions of hydrofluorocarbons -- used as a refrigerant in air conditioning units as a substitute for ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons, but which still have a strong global warming effect -- continued to increase. Hydrofluorocarbon emissions rose 4.7 percent from the previous year, with the government this month placing stricter regulations on the disposal of such gases. Related coverage: Climate change sending Hakuba's snowfall fortunes downhill Greta Thunberg to continue climate activism, keen to visit Japan in 2020 Global warming brings Pinot Noir cultivation to Japan's north Funny You Should Mask , to run simultaneously on WebMD and Medscape Facebook pages April 16 beginning 8 pm, ET will feature Corddry and fellow comedians Dr. Ken Jeong (The Masked Singer, Dr. Ken), Eric Andre (BAD TRIP, The Eric Andre Show), Sasheer Zamata (Best Friends Podcast, The Weekend), Nicole Byer (Best Friends Podcast, Nailed It), and Kumail Nanjiani (Lovebirds, The Big Sick) talking with doctors and nurses on the Covid-19 front lines about what they are experiencing and what healthcare workers need. For information click here: http://www.medscape.com/projectcure Conversations include a nurse working in an underserved community, two New York City transplant surgeons who have transformed their office into a Covid-positive facility, an emergency medicine doctor in Los Angeles who continues to work from home to support her staff and patients, an epidemiologist who is pushing for increased testing, and an emergency medicine doctor from Portland OR caring for Covid patients. "There's nothing funny about coronavirus, but that doesn't mean a little levity won't lift the sagging spirits of any healthcare professional who needs it," said Corddry. "As the largest news, clinical tools and continuing education resource for healthcare professionals around the world, Medscape seemed like a natural fit for the collaboration," said Ivan Oransky, M.D., Medscape's vice president of editorial. Similarly, WebMD is the most popular site for consumers seeking information on health-related topics. Both sites have seen dramatic increases in engagement since the Covid-19 outbreak began. "We were excited that Rob and his comedy buddies wanted to work with Medscape, particularly to support a charity focused on addressing the critical shortages in masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE)," he said. "These are extraordinarily difficult times for healthcare workers, and bringing some laughter, and importantly support for the work that they do, is a great effort." "Besides, we're not very funny," said Oransky. Project C.U.R.E, the world's largest distributor of donated medical relief, including masks, gloves and PPE is now devoting all its resources to support healthcare workers in the U.S. "We have been working hard to take care of the brave women and men who are fighting the COVID-19 fight on the frontlines of our community," said Douglas Jackson, PhD, JD, President and CEO, Project C.U.R.E. "To partner with WebMD/Medscape and Rob Corddry on this project is an incredible encouragement, both to the nurses and doctors that we are working to help and to the thousands of Project C.U.R.E. volunteers who are in the warehouses, driving the trucks and committed to winning the battle. The idea that we can do serious work and put a smile on the faces of these terrific people is really magical. It's this type of thing that will get us through." All the proceeds from Funny You Should Mask will go to purchasing and distributing essential medical supplies to U.S. healthcare workers. About Medscape Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for health care professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free C.M.E. and C.E. courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals. Medscape is a subsidiary of WebMD Health Corp. About WebMD WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands Company, is the leading provider of health information services, serving patients, physicians, health care professionals, employers, and health plans through public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, Jobson Healthcare Information, prIME Oncology, MediQuality, Frontline, Vitals Consumer Services, Aptus Health, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, OnHealth, Medscape Education, and other owned WebMD sites. WebMD, Medscape, CME Circle, Medpulse, eMedicine, MedicineNet, theheart.org, and RxList are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries. About Internet Brands Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Internet Brands is a fully integrated online media and software services organization focused on four high-value vertical categories: Health, Automotive, Legal and Home/Travel. The company's award-winning consumer websites lead their categories and serve more than 250 million monthly visitors, while a full range of web presence offerings has established deep, long-term relationships with SMB and enterprise clients. Internet Brands' powerful, proprietary operating platform provides the flexibility and scalability to fuel the company's continued growth. Internet Brands is a portfolio company of KKR and Temasek. For more information, please visit www.internetbrands.com. SOURCE Medscape CALIFORNIA Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled six key indicators that he says will guide Californias thinking for when and how to modify the stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom said he wont loosen the states mandatory, stay-at-home order until hospitalizations, particularly those in intensive care units, flatten and start to decline. And he says the state will need more testing, treatments and the ability for businesses, schools and childcare facilities to continue the physical distancing that has come to dominate public life. While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order, Newsom said. As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before. Governor Newsom says there is not a precise timeline for when the state will open back up but says the following six factors need to be met before it does. The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed; The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19; The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges; The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand; The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary. But Newsom cautioned that when things reopen, they wont be the same. Restaurants will have fewer tables and waiters will wear gloves and masks. Thermometers will be common in public spaces, as will masks and other protective gear. Schools could stagger arrival times of students to enforce physical distancing. And large gatherings like sporting events, concerts and fairs are not in the cards, he said. This is not about going back to where we were before. Its about going forward in ways that are healthy for all of us. But it wont look the same, said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health. Newsom announced that ICU hospitalizations were mostly flat, declining 0.1% on Monday. But the state reported 71 deaths, the highest single day total since the outbreak began. California has been under a mandatory, stay-at-home order since March 19. But the virus has been disrupting the state since January, when people from all over the world were first sent to quarantine at California military bases. This cant be a permanent state. Its not it will not be a permanent state, Newsom said. Fort Bend County has made it easier to track positive coronavirus cases in the community with a new website launched yesterday. The interactive site, updated at 8:30 a.m. daily, allows you to see more specific location data on coronavirus cases in the county, including zip code, precinct and jurisdiction. California churches are suing governor Gavin Newsom, for the right to keep their parishes open during the coronavirus pandemic. Three churches, based in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties of California, argue that social distancing measures brought in by the state violate their right to religious freedom and assembly. Mr Newsom, a Democrat, is named alongside state attorney general Xavier Becerra and employees of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to the Los Angeles Times. Under the states stay-at-home order, religious services are not listed as essential, but in the lawsuit, the churches claim they should be. One of those challenging the the measures, James Moffatt, the senior pastor at Church Unlimited, says that social distancing makes his job impossible. He believes that scripture commands him as a pastor to lay hands on people and pray for them, this includes the sick, the suit said. Moffatt also believes that he is required by scripture to baptise individuals, something that cannot be done at an online service. The pastor was fined $1,000 earlier in the month for holding a Palm Sunday service, according to the Times. The suit was filed by the Centre for American Liberty, a nonprofit organisation based in California, and its chief executive, Harmeet K Dhillon, slammed the governments involvement in religious activities. The state does not get to dictate the method of worship to the faithful, she said. If a Californian is able to go to Costco or the local marijuana shop or liquor store and buy goods in a responsible, socially distanced manner, then he or she must be allowed to practice their faith using the same precautions. John C Eastman, a professor of law and community service at Chapman University in Orange, told the publication that the suit has merit. Services with only a single family in a pew, and spaced three pews apart, with everyone wearing masks and gloves, would accomplish the governments purpose in a much less draconian way, he said. Earlier in the month, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne closed his church in Florida after being arrested for holding Sunday services. He was unhappy with the decision but said: I have to do this to protect the congregation not from the virus but from a tyrannical government. According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 482,634 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 23,649. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 13:00:08 Kymab announces that the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board rejects requests for invalidation filed by Regeneron USPTO upholds 4 Kymab patents covering Human Antibodies and Platforms Cambridge, UK: 14 April 2020: Kymab, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing fully human monoclonal antibody therapeutics, announces that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (Regeneron) has been unsuccessful in recent attempts to invalidate four of Kymabs US patents covering genetically modified mice and the human antibody therapeutics produced from these mice. The patents are US patent numbers 9,434,782; 9,505,827; 9,447,177; and 10,165,763 known as the Bradley Patents. Equivalent patents have been granted by the European Patent Office and in other jurisdictions including Japan. Regeneron had filed oppositions against the Japanese Bradley patents, but these were upheld in unappealable decisions by the Japanese Patent Office. Regeneron had requested that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) commence inter partes reviews (IPRs) of the four patents in question, contending that certain prior art references invalidated the patents. However, Regeneron did not persuade the PTAB who instead declined to continue the IPR proceedings. The PTAB found that Regenerons IPRs presented arguments concerning [the prior art] references that are substantially the same as those the Examiner considered and the applicants overcame during examination. Petitioner has not demonstrated that the Examiner materially erred in considering the prior art and arguments. As a result, the IPR proceedings did not go forward. These recently issued decisions of the PTAB follow the August 2019 decision from IP Australia (Australian patent office) rejecting on all grounds an opposition by Regeneron against Kymabs patent AU2011266843. In this opposition, Regeneron relied upon its own earlier patent application (WO2002/066630, the Murphy Application which is directed to mice containing reverse chimeric human-mouse antibody loci) as an alleged prior art reference. IP Australia found, however, that the Murphy Application does not provide sufficient information to put the reverse chimeric invention into practice, and therefore does not provide an enabling disclosure as required for the purposes of assessing novelty or inventive step. Thus, IP Australia disregarded Regenerons Murphy application, finding instead for Kymab on novelty and inventive step for chimeric antibody technology as detailed in the Kymab patent application. Regeneron has appealed this decision in Australia. Counterparts of the Murphy Application have been litigated by third parties in the US where an equivalent Murphy patent was also found to be invalid for indefiniteness. Regeneron also relied on the Murphy disclosure in their unsuccessful IPR requests. In litigation against Kymab in the United Kingdom based on the Murphy patents (EP (UK) patents 1360287 and 2264163), the High Court found that they were non-enabling, although this decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal. Kymab appealed this decision on the test for enablement; this appeal was heard by the UK Supreme Court in February 2020 and a decision is pending. ###ENDS### NOTES TO EDITORS About Kymab Kymab is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a deep pipeline of novel antibody-based therapies in a broad range of indications. The Company generates its product candidates using its proprietary, integrated platforms collectively called IntelliSelect. Kymabs platforms have been designed to maximize the diversity of human antibodies produced in response to immunization with antigens. Selecting from a broad diversity of fully human antibodies allows for the identification of antibodies with optimal drug-like properties. For more information on Kymab please see http://www.kymab.com . Forward-looking statements This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law. For further information contact: Kymab Anne Hyland anne.hyland@kymab.com Brandon Lewis brandon.lewis@kymab.com +44 (0) 1223 833 301 Media UK Consilium Strategic Communications Mary-Jane Elliott / Sukaina Virji / Melissa Gardiner kymab@consilium-comms.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 Risk Placement Services (RPS) has announced a new public-entity program for clients through a partnership with Munich Re Specialty Insurance (MRSI), the insurance business operations of affiliated companies in the Munich Re Group. The new program expands on an existing partnership between RPS and MRSI to offer a first-dollar, low-deductible insurance product for public entities and special districts. The packaged insurance program includes standardized coverages including general, auto, law enforcement, public officials and employment practices liability. They can be supplemented by active-shooter liability, special events, cyber liability and workers compensation. NEW HAVEN Police Chief Otoniel Reyes told an aldermanic committee Monday that his goal is to fill the department ranks as soon as he can, but he is a month behind in seating a new class and, depending on how long the coronavirus wreaks havoc, may have to go to a virtual academy. Our primary focus is to fill the ranks, Reyes told members of the alders Finance Committee as they held a workshop on portions of Mayor Justin Elickers proposed $569,115,077 general fund budget in a virtual meeting shared on Zoom. Reyes was then straightforward about serious structural changes that will have to be made in the department to keep overtime down and live with the reduced number of personnel. We are streamlining our services in the detective bureau, putting plainclothes people back in patrol. Right now we have district managers that are managing two, and in some cases three, districts, the chief said. The thing is that when we talk about saving money, the things that are required to do that, are things that are going to be very difficult for the community to really wrap their head around, he told aldermanic President Tyisha Walker-Myers. He said he plans to discuss all this with residents by attending every community management meeting. Elickers proposed police budget eliminates vacant positions and reduces others to $1 as a placeholder to try to find savings of $3.4 million in a tough budget year. In fiscal 2019, the Police Department had 466 fully-funded sworn positions, which dropped to 430 this year with 90 vacancies after officers bolted for other departments over a long-stalled contract. In the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, there will be 389 funded sworn positions. Reyes pointed out that the overtime budgets for the past four years have shown deficits ranging from $2.5 million to $4 million and this year the total cost of overtime is projected to be $8.2 million. In the proposed budget for fiscal 2020-21 however, the overtime figure drops to $7.1 million. The police chief said they are trending toward spending $180,000 a week in overtime, while they should be closer to $135,000 to stay on target. But he did hope that there will be some savings in the salary accounts with the upcoming retirements that will balance out some overtime. Asked by Alder Anna Festa, D-10, how likely it is that the department would be able to stay within the $7.1 million overtime allocation, Reyes said it will be very difficult given the increase in the hourly rate of overtime and the number of officers either out sick or waiting for test results connected to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the additional work associated with COVID-19, the first class of recruits was delayed when the background checks slowed down in the era of social distancing. The training, when it takes place, will be the first at the Wintergreen Avenue site. The actual number of sworn officers right now is 340 with 49 vacancies, although Reyes said that could grow to 60 when retirements and vacations start in a few months, all of which will drive up overtime. Reyes told the alders that the department is welcoming back two officers who had gone to the Stamford Department, but want to come back in light of the new contract. While the money will be there for the 389 positions, Reyes has to train two classes of recruits to fill the 49 vacancies, with each class taking about nine months to cycle through. Walker-Myers asked Reyes whether he was comfortable with the budget he was presenting to the board. At the end of the day we have to balance the safety of our residents and saving money and I dont think the quality of life should come at that high of a cost, she said. Reyes said he was not comfortable with a department that has 389 positions, but he will have to work hard in this short term and this budget cycle to even fill the two new classes of recruits. He hopes to seat the first class of recruits in May, which means it would not hit the streets until February with another class seated next spring. He said he has several-dozen candidates who are good prospects for a new class. In the end, Walker-Myers said she wanted to see the protocols the department will put in place to control overtime. On another topic, in answer to a question from Alder Jeannette Morrison, D-21, Reyes said they will do a Citizen Academy and a Clergy Academy every year after the pandemic gets under control. He sees having more of them using Zoom. He also told the alders that the Yale School of Management did a study on better recruitment models that will be available by the end of the month and he promised to share it with them. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 (Newser) Out of Thailand, a coronavirus first: a case in which the virus appears to have spread from a corpse to a medical examiner. "According to our best knowledge, this is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit," researchers write in a study in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. The discovery is now serving as a warning to professionals in different industries that deal with the deceased, a pathology professor at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice tells BuzzFeed. "Not just the medical examiners, but morgue technicians and the people in funeral homes need to take extra care," says Angelique Corthals. "It is a real concern." At the end of March, amid reports that temples were refusing to hold funeral services, Thailand's Department of Medical Services had said that corpses couldn't spread the disease. story continues below Health agencies have since put up varying messages. The CDC, for example, notes "we are still learning how [the virus] spreads" and advises that "people should consider not touching the body of someone who has died of COVID-19." The World Health Organization says although contagious agents "do not survive long in the human body after death," those who work with dead bodies are at risk of contracting illnesses such as E. coli, cholera, and tuberculosis. Meanwhile, Public Health England notes that "those handling bodies should be aware that there is likely to be a continuing risk of infection from the body fluids and tissues of cases where coronavirus ... infection" is identified, per Business Insider. In the meantime, Corthals recommends all those who work with corpses wear personal protective equipment. "We need to take care of the people who take care of the dead," she tells BuzzFeed. (Read more coronavirus stories.) The total number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Western Balkan countries rose to 12,340, with nearly 750 deaths in the region. In Serbia, the number of cases on Monday increased by 424 to reach 4,054, while 85 people have so far lost their lives in the country. A Chinese company has provided infrared thermometers, thermal cameras and masks to Serbia's Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure. Serbian Transport Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said that the assistance provided by the Chinese company will be used in the railways. Meanwhile, Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Rasim Ljajic stated that they will start exporting yeast and oil as of Monday. An official at the Gerontology Center in Nis city was detained on the grounds that 139 people were infected at the center because the necessary measures were not taken to prevent the spread of the epidemic. In Montenegro, the number of people infected with COVID-19 rose to 273, with three people died so far. In another Balkan country Albania, there are 467 cases, while 23 people died from the virus. In Croatia, the number of cases increased by 50, reaching 1,650, while the deaths in the country rose to 50. Numbers of cases and deaths in the Balkan countries are: Slovenia 1,212/55, Romania 6,633/318, Greece 2,114/98, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,030/39, North Macedonia 854/38, Bulgaria 676/31, and Kosovo 362/8. Image Credit: AA Lee said the hearing may take place with a limited number of people present or may occur using a virtual platform such as Zoom. At the heart of the 25-page petition, Lee and others contend the citys order only allows traveling to and from work, or engaging in work associated with a critical infrastructure sector; obtaining medication, groceries and gasoline, visiting medical providers and being outside for personal mental health and exercise. But doing anything, whether taking a drive or walking the dog, is only allowed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. because of the curfew. Other than that, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, citizens are prohibited from leaving their home, unless it is for one of the six reasons, Lee said. No other reason is provided to be away from ones home. Lee said the vagueness of the citys ordinance, along with the apparent constitutional issues affecting various freedoms found within the Bill of Rights, leaves it open to too much interpretation by law enforcement officers. School Bus Logistics, LLC, the leader in logistics consulting and support to school districts across North America, has added two new staff members. Established in 2010, School Bus Logistics (SBL) has helped school districts optimize routing to aid in budgetary efficiencies and the safe transportation of school children. Route logistics analysts, Ralitsa Getova and Samantha Rasor, bring day-to-day logistics support to the SBL team. Both hires are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where they will implement Transfinder routing software and provide routing for North America Central School Bus. Getova and Rasor bring knowledge from their positions with First Student where they worked in daily routing and communication for the transportation team. In addition to their work with North America Central School Bus, they will allow SBL to provide increasing levels of support to their clients. We are excited about the growth of our team and the ability to continue building our partnership with North America Central School Bus and support their endeavors in the Texas area, said Robert Jacobus, CEO and founder of School Bus Logistics, With each new hire, our goal is to ensure we continue to provide industry-best practices and to bring the highest level of service to our clientsRalitsa and Samantha both uphold our standards. SBL plans to attend this years STN Expo in Reno, July 1015, 2020. During the event, they will showcase Route Management Services which provide districts with complete turn-key routing with a focus on improving customer service to schools and families. For additional information about SBL, email sales@schoolbuslogistics.com. #### School Bus Logistics was created in 2010 to provide logistics consulting and support to school district officials and school bus contracting companies. With more than 60 years of combined routing software experience and routing operations, their focus is solely on pupil transportation routing and the challenges it brings to school districts and the communities they serve. A Chinese research firm attached to the military has become the first organisation to enter the second clinical-trial stage in the global race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus infection, which has claimed nearly 120,000 lives across the world so far. China has approved three COVID-19 vaccine submissions for clinical trials, state-run Xinhua agency quoted a Ministry of Science and Technology official as saying on Tuesday. An adenovirus vector vaccine, developed by a research team led by Major General Chen Wei of the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army, was the first to be approved to enter clinical trial. The first phase of the clinical trial was completed at the end of March, and the second phase started on April 12. It is the first COVID-19 vaccine in the world that has entered the second phase of clinical trial, the Xinhua report quoting the World Health Organization as saying. On Sunday, the vaccine developed by the Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences of China, entered Phase II of a human clinical trial with 500 volunteer participants. The eldest volunteer is a 84-year-old Wuhan resident, Xiong Zhengxing, who completed the vaccination on Monday morning. The vaccine is developed by genetic engineering methods and is used to prevent diseases caused by novel coronavirus infections, state-run China Daily reported on Monday. The first phase of the vaccine clinical trial focused on its safety, while the second phase weighs more on its efficacy. Unlike the first phase, the second phase recruited more participants and introduced a placebo control group. Volunteer recruitment for the vaccine began on Thursday. It is China's first candidate for the virus that entered clinical human testing. The Phase I trial was conducted in March. Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, many other Chinese institutes are also stepping up efforts to develop vaccines for the deadly disease that has killed over 120,000 people and infected 1,929,000 across the globe. China has stepped up the process to finalise vaccines to counter COVID-19 after Kaiser Permanente research facility in Seattle and Washington stole the march and began human trials. On Monday, the WHO said a safe and effective vaccine would be needed to fully halt the spread of COVID-19. "Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID-19 will continue," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva, stressing that "ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission." There is a global race to develop the vaccine. India's Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech lab are also developing vaccines besides firms in Australia and the UK. Currently, there are no effective drugs for the deadly disease, although several candidate drugs are in clinical trials. Scientists say China may have a head start on the development of the vaccine as it was the first to map out the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus after it surfaced in Wuhan city in December last year. China subsequently shared the genome sequence with the WHO, the US and other countries, setting off the race to develop the vaccine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man has become the second person to be wrongfully convicted under new coronavirus laws, Britain's largest police force has today admitted. The 21-year-old, who has not been named as he faces outstanding charges, was arrested outside Tooting Leisure Centre on Saturday, March 28. He was later charged with possession of Class B drugs, going equipped to steal and breaching part of the Coronavirus Act. The act, which came into force last month, allows officers to remove or detain a 'suspected infectious person' for screening and assessment with 'reasonable force' if necessary. Police were given separate powers to break up gatherings and fine people breaching restriction of movement rules under the Health Protection Regulations 2020. The man pleaded guilty to all three offences and was all offences two days later at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court and was fined 200 for possession of drugs and 60 for the offence under the Coronavirus Act. But the Metropolitan Police has since admitted he was incorrectly charged. The man pleaded guilty possession of Class B drugs, going equipped to steal and breaching part of the Coronavirus Act at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court (pictured) and was fined 200 for possession of drugs and 60 for the offence under the Coronavirus Act The charge and the 60 fine have since been put aside, police have confirmed. Police powers to tackle people flouting the coronavirus lockdown Up to two years in prison if you cough deliberately on someone after spate of attacks on police and emergency service workers People who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and can be arrested as part of new enforcement powers announced by the Home Office. Officers can also tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area and ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law. Those who refuse to comply could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of 60, which will be lowered to 30 if paid within 14 days. Second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of 120, doubling on each further repeat offence. Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose fines up to 1,000 or more; Advertisement A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'It was identified this legislation had been applied incorrectly. 'The charge and fine were subsequently set aside. The charges for possession of Class B drugs and going equipped to steal were not overturned and the 200 fine stands. 'In this case officers were rightly dealing with an individual suspected of a separate crime and who was also in a public space without a valid reason. 'However, (he) was incorrectly charged with an offence under the Coronavirus Act 2020. This legislation only relates to 'potentially infectious persons' which was not applicable in these circumstances.' The spokesperson added: 'This is very new legislation and we have been working with all of our frontline officers to help them interpret and understand it. 'This includes sharing the recent guidance from the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing. 'The officers involved have been spoken to and reminded of the way the legislation should be applied.' It comes after Marie Dinou, 41, the first person to be prosecuted in the UK under the coronavirus laws, was wrongly fined 660 under the legislation after she was arrested at Newcastle Central Station by British Transport Police. Marie Dinou (pictured), 41, the first person to be prosecuted in the UK under the coronavirus laws, was wrongly fined 660 under the legislation She was arrested at Newcastle Central Station by British Transport Police because she 'refused to speak' to officers after being seen 'loitering between platforms' As previously reported by the MailOnline, British Transport Police, who carried out the arrest, said she was detained because she 'refused to speak' to officers after being seen 'loitering between platforms'. What is the Coronavirus Act - and how did police get the railway prosecution wrong? The Coronavirus Act 2020 was rushed through Parliament last month and received Royal Assent March 25. It gave emergency powers to enable the government to respond to the pandemic - and gave police emergency powers to enforce the Government. Police have handed out hundreds of 60 fines to those flouting the new law so far. Experts say that Marie Dinou should also have been treated in this way - or used existing legislation. But instead police pursued a prosecution using Schedule 21 of the act. Schedule 21 grants powers to public health officers, the police and immigration officers which relate to people who are, or may be, infected with coronavirus. People can then be forced into self-quarantine at home or be forced to take a coronavirus test. But in Ms Dinou's case police admitted they didn't believe she was infected. And they also claimed that she 'failed to give her identity' or 'reason for journey' - but the Coronavirus Act does not make that illegal. Advertisement She was fined at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court after she was found guilty of 'failing to provide identity or reasons for travel to police, and failing to comply with requirements under the Coronavirus Act'. But legal experts including QC Kirsty Brimelow quickly established the case had been bungled by the police, CPS and the courts because she was found guilty using the wrong legislation. Ms Dinou's case will be listed again at court - but detectives will not seek a new trial, meaning the case will be dropped and her conviction dropped. UK civil liberties group Big Brother Watch said it was 'astonishing' the legislation was still being misused. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, said: 'It's astonishing that after a string of damaging failures the emergency legislation is still being misused. 'These sweeping powers to fine and detain people are so broad that police may try to apply them to any one of us. 'We are in truly dangerous territory with such expansive powers and the police's inability to use them adequately is severely damaging public trust as well as the rule of law.' The Met said another case, involving a 15-year-old boy, was being 're-examined' by the CPS. The teenager was arrested in Kingston, south-west London, on Thursday April 2 and later charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place and failure to comply with a restriction contrary to paragraph 23(1)(a) and (2) of schedule 21 to the Coronavirus Act. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court the following day and is due back before the same court on May 6. A CPS spokesman said: 'We keep cases under review and that will be considered at the next hearing.' The spokesman said no figures were yet available on the number of charges brought under the Coronavirus Act or how many were being reviewed. [April 14, 2020] Axcient Recognized by CRN as Top Data Protection Company on 2020 Storage 100 List DENVER, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axcient , a leader in business availability and cloud security solutions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , has named Axcient to its first ever 2020 Storage 100 list. This new list, selected by a panel of respected CRN editors, acknowledges leading storage vendors who provide transformative, cutting-edge solutions. It is an honor to be named one of the coolest data protection companies in the industry by CRN, said David Bennett, CEO at Axcient. The innovation of Axcient X360 empowers MSPs to protect everything for their clients by bringing together SaaS backup, protected Sync & Share, and BC/DR into one platform. Even today through these challenging times, we are continuing to update our technology and accelerate releases to meet the evolving needs of our partner community. The Storage 100 companies push the boundaries of innovation and offers solution providers and MSPs a valuable resource to find vendors who can guide them through the intricate storage technology market. The Storage 100 list will become an annual reference for solution providers who are seeking out vendors offering superior storage solutions in areas such as software-defined storage, data protection, data management and storage components. CRNs Storage 100 list is our newest recognition of the best of the best in storage innovation, said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. These companies are on the forefront of storage technology advancements, delivering state-of-the-art solutions that are built for the future. We acknowledge and congratulate them for their investment in R&D, engineering and innovation. Their efforts enable solution providers to offer the best technology for their customers. The 2020 Storage 100 list will be featured in the April 2020 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/storage100 . To learn more about Axcient or start a free trial, please visit www.axcient.com . About Axcient Axcient is an award-winning leader in business availability and cloud security solutions for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The Axcient Business Availability suitewhich includes Replibit , BRC , CloudFinder , Anchor , Fusion , and the Axcient Cloud enables MSPs to build secure technology stacks for their clients, automate processes, and acts as the last line of defense for MSPs. Trusted by MSPs worldwide, Axcient protects businesses data and continuity in the event of security breaches , human error, and natural disasters . For more information, visit Axcient at www.axcient.com . Follow Axcient on LinkedIn , Facebook and Twitter . About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook 2020 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Media Contact ARL Strategic Communications for Axcient Email: [email protected] or [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MORE than 1.3m of assets has been seized from major Northern Ireland criminals in the past year. The items, including houses linked to Carrickfergus UDA boss Clifford Trigger Irons and dissident republican Roy McAuley, were sold off with the proceeds donated to good causes. Justice Minister Naomi Long revealed the figure following an Assembly question by Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie. She also detailed how in the past six years confiscation orders have led to the recovery of 6.3m from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act. That number is now set to increase with the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) in Northern Ireland. The legislation, which is active in England and Wales, is specifically aimed at paramilitary godfathers who use family members to hide their assets. It is expected to be introduced by the Assembly later this year. Expand Close Gary Fisher / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gary Fisher Among those being targeted are South East Antrim UDA chief Gary Fisher whose drug dealing gang has murdered three people in the past three years and wealthy south Armagh cigarette smuggling dissident Aidan Grew. Expand Close Aiden Grew / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aiden Grew Fishers paramilitary group, which stretches 20 miles from Larne to north Belfast and takes in chunks of Newtownards, takes in excess of 2.5m per year from drug dealing. Police chiefs believe this has allowed him to amass a property and business empire in the name of close associates. Fearing civil recovery action Fisher recently moved from his powerbase in Newtownabbeys Rathcoole estate to the town of Greenisland five miles away. He knows he is a target for investigators after members of his South East Antrim UDA murdered innocent Glenn Quinn in January, and rival loyalists Geordie Gilmore and Colin Horner in 2017. Expand Close Roy McAuley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Roy McAuley The same applies to Aidan Grew who has been the subject of several investigations into his assets and who served a prison sentence for evading duty on millions of illegal cigarettes smuggled into Northern Ireland from China. After the 63-year-old former IRA bomber was jailed, his sister Patricia ONeill tried to secure his release by showing up at the gates of Maghaberry Prison with 500,000 in cash, which was also confiscated. Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said Unexplained Wealth Orders will be a key part of the PSNIs arsenal in tackling organised crime and paramilitaries, both of which go hand in hand. Unforutnately because of the coronavirus situation it is unlikely that the Assembly can legislate for UWOs until the autumn, he added. A UWO forces a person to provide a detailed account of how they obtained cash, property or goods. It does not require any criminal charges to be filed and can be issued against items valued at more than 50,000 if the owner is considered politically exposed, or is alleged to have been involved in serious crime. The legislation eventually leads to a civil recovery order, which grants the authorities powers of confiscation. While this process is ongoing, courts can issue freeze orders preventing property from being sold or transferred. Items held outside the jurisdiction can also be seized, with the secretary of state requesting assistance from the government of the receiving country. UWOs cover bank accounts, property, vehicles, jewellery, art, vouchers and even postage stamps. They also take in vouchers and cash won through gambling. Another key component is that the items seized do not have to be in the name of a criminal, and can belong to associates. By PTI ISLAMABAD: A group of over 50 senior clerics in Pakistan has warned the government against the ban on religious congregations amidst the coronavirus outbreak and said the authorities should instead abide by religious norms and allow more worshippers in mosques to seek forgiveness from Allah. The government has banned prayer congregations of more than five people as part of its measures to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has infected over 5,715 people in Pakistan. Despite the government's pleas to observe social distancing, over 53 senior clerics of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia on Monday held a meeting in Jamia Darul Uloom Zakria here to discuss the ban on prayer congregations, the Dawn News reported. The meeting -- attended by clerics representing various seminaries, banned groups, proscribed persons and political and non-political parties -- warned the authorities against the ban and said government leaders should abide by religious norms and seek forgiveness. The warning came before the government could come up with a plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramazan, which will begin in the last week of April. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES Pir Azizur Rehman Hazarvi, president of the Jamia Darul Uloom Zakaria in Islamabad, said, "The closure of mosques, shutting down Friday prayers and Taraweeh is unacceptable to the countrymen." Hazarvi, who is also the patron of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), insisted that in order to get rid of the virus, it was imperative to seek forgiveness from Allah and increase the populace in mosques. A video clip released by the clerics on Tuesday showed leaders of various political and non-political organisations -- including JUI-F, Aalmi Tanzeem Khatam-i-Nabuwat, seminaries such as Taleem ul Quran Raja Bazar and a representative of banned group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat -- sitting in close proximity of each other. The meeting did not acknowledge the official directives of a maximum of five persons inside mosques for the collective prayers as the clerics said that the testing times demanded more time for prayers and announced that apart from the five times prayers, Friday and Taraweeh congregations will continue. The clerics, however, agreed to take precautionary measures like use of hand sanitisers, removal of rugs and carpets, washing of floors, cleaning of hands with soaps and social distancing. Hazarvi said, "The senior clerics have noted that all efforts will be made to avoid clash and confrontations with the government and the state institutions." Lal Masjid's cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz also continued to challenge the authority of Islamabad Capital Territoty (ICT) administration by openly flouting the stipulated precautionary measures, the report said Every week, Aziz releases footages of huge congregations gathered for Friday prayers, denouncing the restrictions imposed by the government. As a result, the number of mosques organising large Friday congregations is increasing in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday said 342 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 5,716. Punjab recorded the maximum number of 2,826 cases, followed by Sindh at 1,452, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 800, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 233, Balochistan 231, Islamabad 131 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 43. While 1,378 people have recovered, 96 died and 46 are in critical condition, the ministry said. A total of 69,928 tests have been performed, including 3,157 during the last 24 hours, it said. Coronavirus doubters follow climate denial playbook Posted on 14 April 2020 by dana1981 This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections For the climate community, observing U.S. national political leaders responses to the coronavirus pandemic has been like watching the climate crisis unfold on fast-forward. Many particularly on the political right have progressed through the same five stages of science denial in the face of both threats. For climate change, the denial process began decades ago. NASA climate scientist James Hansen testified to Congress in 1988 about the dangers posed by global warming; the fossil fuel industry formed the Global Climate Coalition the very next year to launch a campaign casting doubt on mainstream climate science. In November 1989, President George H.W. Bushs chief of staff, climate denier John Sununu, sabotaged efforts to develop the first international climate change treaty. Exxon in particular spent the following decades and tens of millions of dollars funding a network of think tanks to propagate climate science denial. In a memo leaked in 2003, Republican strategist Frank Luntz advised G.O.P. politicians, You need to continue to make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue in the debate. Analysis The same denial process has unfolded with coronavirus, but over a far more compressed time frame. In both crises, early warnings from scientific experts went unheeded and were often discouraged or suppressed. As a result, the American government began responding only after each threats impacts had become widespread and undeniable. At that point, due to the missed opportunity to prevent the outbreak of impacts, much of the response came in the form of damage control. Americas efforts to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases, like its efforts to bend the carbon emissions curve, were deployed too slowly. The five stages of denial In 2013, as the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was due to be released, the five stages of climate denial were on display in many conservative media outlets. Watching the reactions to the unfolding coronavirus crisis in early 2020 created a sense of deja vu, as many leaders exhibited the same stages of denial. In fact, many of the same actors who deny the climate crisis also were (or still are) denying coronavirus threats. Some observers have remarked that the Venn diagram of coronavirus and climate deniers is nearly a circle. Stage 1: Deny the problem exists. This is denial at its most basic, as there is no need to solve a problem that doesnt exist. If the issue is a hoax, as the president repeatedly has asserted about both global warming and coronavirus, the status quo can be maintained. But denying a problem doesnt change its physical or epidemiological properties, so in the face of real scientifically quantified threats, Stage 1 denial cannot last very long. Stage 2: Deny responsibility. Upon accepting the threat posed by coronavirus outbreaks, numerous conservative politicians and pundits have tried to shift the blame to China, with many including the president labeling it the Chinese virus, echoed over 100 times on Fox News. Similarly, after accepting that climate change is happening, many have tried to blame it on natural cycles, or, if they accept humanitys responsibility, to likewise blame it on China. But here again denial falls short; shifting blame does not slow a physical or viral crisis. Stage 3: Downplay the threat. President Trump spent weeks downplaying the threat of coronavirus, early maintaining that it had only infected one person in America, that one day like a miracle it will disappear, that within a couple of days [the number of infected Americans] is going to be down to close to zero, and so on. Fox News and other conservative media outlets followed his lead in downplaying the risks. Similarly, Trump has said the climate will change back, and conservative media outlets have spent decades arguing that climate change is no big deal. Yet, as the devastation of coronavirus and climate change impacts has become a reality, doubters have been increasingly forced to move beyond Stage 3 denial. Stage 4: Attack the solutions as too costly. Trump has claimed that coronavirus curve-flattening measures recommended by experts like long-term social distancing are too costly. He instead suggested preemptively loosening social distancing measures to reopen the national economy sooner rather than later (an approach Fox News has also championed), as well as various unproven drug treatments, with Fox News again following suit. A number of ideologues have argued that older Americans would rather die than cause the economic disruption associated with extended social distancing. Some partisan policymakers and pundits similarly oppose virtually all large-scale climate solutions as too expensive, instead proposing worthwhile but inadequate steps like simply planting trees or capturing carbon from power plants to inexplicably use for extracting yet more fossil fuels. Stage 5: Its too late. Some have proposed, once it became obvious that the coronavirus outbreak had become widespread, that governments should just maintain the status quo, try to build herd immunity, and cope with the consequences (such as overwhelmed health care systems that could result in millions of deaths). Climate justice essayist Mary Heglar coined the term de-nihilist to describe those who have similarly succumbed to the fear that its too late to stop climate change. Such attitudes only hamper efforts to constructively address both problems. Coronavirus is a learning opportunity for climate change Because American leadership proceeded through these stages of denial, it wasted valuable months that could have been spent preparing for and curbing the spread of coronavirus. For comparison, South Korea diagnosed its first case of COVID-19 on January 20 the same day as the U.S. but almost immediately launched an aggressive program of testing, tracing, and quarantining. By March, South Korea was conducting over 10,000 coronavirus tests per day, and its new cases fell below 150 per day by mid-March. Despite a population six times larger, the U.S. had reached the threshold of 10,000 new tests per day only on March 16, and has consistently lagged in testing on a per capita basis. As testing in the U.S. finally began to catch up to the viral spread, the number of new coronavirus cases in America accelerated past 10,000 per day by March 23, reaching 580,000, by April 14 compared to 10,564 South Korean cases (222 deaths) as of that date. After this late start, Trump has regularly argued that the U.S. cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. Those who oppose climate solutions similarly argue that making investments to bend the carbon emissions curve would be worse than the consequences of climate change consequences that include increased food insecurity; intensified hurricanes, wildfires, heatwaves, droughts, and floods; and more species extinctions, violent conflicts, and death. Both arguments run counter to expert advice, misunderstand the problem, and present a false choice. In reality, failing to make the necessary early investments to head off each threat will result in economy-crippling consequences, whether in the form of overwhelmed health care systems in the case of coronavirus or more deadly extreme weather events in the case of climate change. Experts agree that to protect both the economy and public health, government responses must focus on flattening the coronavirus curve and making investments to rapidly curb carbon pollution. In fact, a new study on the 1918 flu pandemic found that measures like social distancing not only lower mortality, they also mitigate the adverse economic consequences of a pandemic. Nipping the problem quickly and aggressively yields the best outcome for both the economy and public health. Put simply, suffering and death are costly. Observing the damage resulting from denial of both the coronavirus and climate crises raises the question, how did humans evolve this apparent psychological flaw? Physician-scientist Ajit Varki has hypothesized that comprehending ones own mortality is a psychological evolutionary barrier for most species, because this realization would amplify the fear of death and thus would have then reduced the reproductive fitness of such isolated individuals. Varki posits that humans may have overcome this barrier by developing denial as a coping mechanism, but that If this theory turns out to be the correct explanation for the origin of the species, it might ironically also be now sowing the seeds of our demise, since denial now obstructs efforts to address threats like climate change and coronavirus. As climate activist and author Bill McKibben put it, You cant negotiate with physics and chemistry, you cant compromise with them or spin them away coronavirus is teaching us precisely this lesson about biology as well. Reality is real and sometimes it bites pretty hard. Or, as Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said more bluntly, Denial is not likely to be a successful strategy for survival. But because of its compressed time frame, coronavirus has provided humanity an opportunity to learn this lesson and apply it to curbing the worst of the climate crisis. Contrary to Stage 5 denial, its not yet too late to avoid the most severe climate change impacts. All Bar One giant Mitchells and Butlers has secured breathing space from their lenders to weather the coronavirus crisis (Mitchells and Butlers/PA) All Bar One giant Mitchells & Butlers and cocktail bar owner Revolution Bars have become the latest firms in the sector to secure vital breathing space from their lenders to weather the coronavirus crisis. M&B, which also owns the Toby Carvery and Harvester chains, said it had agreed a waiver with lenders until May 15 to avoid a debt default after being forced to close all of its 1,700 sites amid the lockdown. It has furloughed 99% of its employees, with basic pay for all its employees including board members reduced to between 60% and 80%, depending on how senior they are. Great uncertainty remains not only as to the extent of the current shutdown but also the profile of any reopening and recovery period back to normality Mitchells & Butlers The group also said its costs have been slashed to the minimum necessary to keep the estate of pubs and restaurants secure and safe. It added it has sufficient funding that should see it well into the second half of the year But shares in the group tumbled as much as 12% despite its assurances as it warned about uncertainty over the length of the UK coronavirus lockdown. The group said: Great uncertainty remains not only as to the extent of the current shutdown but also the profile of any reopening and recovery period back to normality. Revolution Bars was enjoying better fortunes as shares soared nearly a fifth, having jumped as much as 40% higher at one stage, as it said its lender NatWest had agreed an extension to its borrowing limits. The group, which has furloughed 98% of its workforce, said it has been able to extend its credit facility by nearly 10 million to 30 million until the end of August, when it will reduce to 24 million. NatWest will also waive all the groups financial covenant tests at March and June, Revolution Bars said. The group said it had been able to cut its weekly running costs to around 400,000 after actions including halving the pay of senior bosses and board members, including the chief executive. It has also agreed rent relief with landlords. Rob Pitcher, chief executive of Revolution Bars, welcomed support from NatWest, staff, suppliers and landlords. But he called on the Government to do more to help the sector and offset the property costs faced by bar chains and their landlords. He said: There is still more which needs to be done to ensure the protection of the 3.2 million jobs in our sector along with the 39 billion of direct tax receipts paid annually to the UK Government. Specifically, this includes more support in connection with property-related costs during this enforced closure period and beyond, including support for landlords themselves and we encourage the UK Government to take swift action in this respect. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Last week, the governor directed the Corrections Department to begin the early release of some inmates, due to fears of novel coronavirus spreading in prisons around the state. As of Monday, six days after the order, only 10 inmates had been released from eight prisons, according to the Corrections Department. That leaves about 6,600 in facilities around the state. No inmates or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, said Eric Harrison, Corrections Department spokesman. However, advocates, including defense attorneys and public defenders, say the order does not go far enough in reducing the prison population and therefore the risk of the virus spreading among inmates and staff remains high. On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, the Law Offices of the Public Defender, and the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association filed a petition against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero, and Melanie Martinez, the director of Probation and Parole, asking the state Supreme Court to order them to drastically reduce the prison population beyond what has already been ordered. The current order applies only to inmates who are less than 30 days away from release and who are serving time on certain charges. The petition instead asks for the release of inmates who are serving sentences for probation or parole revocation, inmates who are over 60 or with a medical condition that increases their risk of serious illness from COVID-19, pregnant inmates, inmates serving sentences for a nonviolent offenses and any others for whom release might be appropriate. The petition also asks that the state stop the arrests of people on technical parole violations and increase the regularity and expediency of parole hearings. It proposes the appointment of a special master to oversee the releases or a mediation for the parties to develop a plan to reduce the population. The risk to inmates, corrections staff, and the broader community is profound, ACLU attorneys Lalita Moskowitz and Leon Howard wrote in the petition. This Court has the authority and opportunity to stop preventable mass deaths and additional tragedy. The letter that arrived in my mailbox from the local public health department sounded definitive: "This person has been cleared to return to normal activities without restrictions," it read. I received it three weeks after I got sick from the coronavirus, and it was supposed to serve as an official declaration that I had won the battle against Covid-19. The buzzer sounded. Game over, my clenched gloved hand raised in the air! But the outcome doesn't feel quite so obvious to me. How can I return to "normal activities" when almost all of those activities are still shut down? What "restrictions" are now safe for me to abandon especially considering there's debate on what those restrictions should be in the first place? Does this mean I can ditch the mask at the grocery store? Or does it just give me permission to leave the house? I live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., which the White House has flagged as one of the next potential hot spots. Across the country, more than 580,000 people have been infected with the virus in America, according to data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. More than 23,000 have died. But nearly twice that number more than 40,000 infected patients have recovered. And like me, many are trying to figure out what comes next. As our nation's leaders begin to contemplate when and how to reopen the economy, those of us who have survived the virus could hold the key. President Donald Trump is set to launch an "Open the Country Council" on Tuesday, and the administration is reportedly hoping that at least some businesses can resume operations on May 1. But Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health has cautioned that the economy won't turn back on like a light switch, while Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell warned against a "false start." Whatever the date, the arc of the rebound will depend not only on broad public policy decisions in Washington, but also individual choices of Americans about their own next steps. And I'm quickly learning there's no road map for my recovery. Intense illness My symptoms started about a month ago: achiness and exhaustion so severe that I could barely get out of bed. A dry, hacking cough that made my chest sore. And a stubborn fever that reared its head every night for two weeks. It was the sickest I have been as an adult. That's saying a lot. As a mom to three young children, I have battled some pretty nasty bugs. After six days, I finally was able to get tested. A week later, my results came back positive. By that time, my husband had fallen ill, and the kids all complained of similar symptoms. Our doctors told us to just assume that everyone had it and stay at home until we all felt better. I consider us fortunate: None of us had to be hospitalized. I still have a mild cough but mostly feel like myself. My husband can exercise again. The kids throw the Frisbee in the yard nearly every afternoon. My family recovered. While we were sick, we had to isolate ourselves from the world. All the experts agree on that much. But it's not clear when we are supposed to reenter society, much less how. My primary-care physician told me we could start leaving the house after three days with no fever in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the public health department didn't send me a clearance letter until my eighth day without a fever. And the guidelines from the World Health Organization are even more stringent, calling for two weeks of quarantine after my symptoms resolve. My family decided to play it safe and stayed holed up for the full two weeks. Now that that has ended, I feel like there's no guidance at all. We're just winging it, making up the rules of recovery as we go. "The frustrating thing, of course, is there's no answer," said Dr. Jeremy Faust, who works in emergency medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In the best-case scenario, he told me, my family and I now have the super power of immunity. The antibodies in our bloodstream mean that we can ditch the masks. My kids could be the first to return to school and day care, the first ones back on the playground. My husband and I could venture out for date night at one of our favorite restaurants without fear. We could be the start of the herd. "You might assume that people like you ... are great resources," Faust said. "Go shopping. Do the stuff we need to do. Take public transportation." Intellectually, I know this is the medicine the economy needs. JPMorgan is forecasting a devastating 40 percent decline in GDP this quarter. Economists estimate the unemployment rate is about 13 percent, the worst reading since the Great Depression. But personally? I don't feel superhuman. I still feel scared. One of the key metrics to watch is "consumer confidence in the public health response," said Melissa Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Maryland. "That's not a usual economic indicator." Because my husband and children were not approved for coronavirus tests, I am not totally sure that they had it especially the children, who experienced mild symptoms. To put it another way, it's possible that they had some other virus, which would mean they're still vulnerable. Ylan Mui | CNBC That's why new blood tests for immunity-granting antibodies are so important, Faust said. Then I could know for sure that my whole family has the weapons we need to fight the disease. The CDC has begun rolling out what are known as serology tests, and some private companies are reportedly using them as well. But no one has reached out to us about them not our doctors or our county health department. I have no idea how to get one for myself, much less obtain them for my family. And even if we have immunity, no one knows how long it would last. On Monday, the World Health Organization warned that it's unclear whether recovered patients could get sick again from the virus. That may be especially true for my children. Since their cases were not as serious as mine, they may be more susceptible to reinfection. "My guess is you are not contagious," Faust said. "The real money is when did your kids get it and how long were their courses?" Navigating a new normal Presiden Moon speaks at the ASEAN+3 video summit at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap The following is an unofficial translation of President Moon Jae-in's remarks during the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Special Summit on COVID-19 Response. It was provided by his office, Cheong Wa Dae. I would like to thank the secretary-general for his briefing and the leaders for their valuable insights. In the course of responding to COVID-19, the Republic of Korea has consistently adhered to the three principles of openness, transparency and democracy. To contain the spread of infectious diseases and reduce mortality, I believe the best way is to conduct intensive contact tracing and diagnosis to promptly identify, isolate and treat infected persons and their contacts, and also take other necessary measures. Such actions need to be backed up by swift and timely diagnostic tests. Through the "Emergency Use Authorization" system, Korea commercialized highly accurate diagnostic reagents early on. In addition, apart from designated screening centers, drive-thru and walk-through testing sites and other creative methods were introduced to accelerate the pace of testing. To overcome infectious diseases, the public should be the principal actors in quarantine efforts. If we are to practice social distancing effectively, without having to resort to containment or lockdowns, it is imperative that we secure the active participation of the public in such efforts. In addition, there can be greater efficacy in the self-quarantine process if we utilize IT technology, such as the Self-Quarantine and Self-Diagnosis smartphone applications. Above all, information gathered through contact tracing, as well as all relevant epidemiological data, has been made available in a timely and transparent manner, and this has been instrumental in encouraging the voluntary participation of the public. Together with quarantine measures, the Korean government is also focusing on economic stabilization. The people will be able to feel emotionally safe and secure and join in the quarantine efforts of the government only when the economy stands firm. In order to prevent contractions in consumption, investment and industrial activities, Korea has implemented an economic stimulus package to the tune of $120 billion. In addition to other measures, we have also extended financial assistance to micro-business owners and the self-employed while relieving their tax burden in order to protect vulnerable groups. With a view to strengthening solidarity and policy coordination to overcome the COVID-19 crisis among ASEAN+3 members, I would like to propose the following. First, active bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the region will be essential to provide quarantine and medical supplies in a timely manner to those in urgent need. Korea will secure additional funding for humanitarian assistance and respond to the fullest extent possible to any calls for help from other countries, including ASEAN members. We are also discussing ways to utilize the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund. The judges action came as ICE announced that no detainee at the three centers one in Pennsylvania in Berks County and two in Texas in Dilley and Karnes City has tested positive for the virus. The agency said populations have fallen from 51 percent to 36 percent of capacity at Karnes City; 21 percent to 18 percent at Berks County; and 23 percent to 19 percent at Dilley. Its wrong to say that there is no exit strategy from the anti-coronavirus lockdowns that have proliferated across the world. There is, and the first phase is to keep the lockdowns going long enough to bring new COVID-19 infections down to a manageable number. Maybe by June. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Its wrong to say that there is no exit strategy from the anti-coronavirus lockdowns that have proliferated across the world. There is, and the first phase is to keep the lockdowns going long enough to bring new COVID-19 infections down to a manageable number. Maybe by June. Then you start playing whack-a-mole until there is a vaccine (minimum 18 months). If there is no effective vaccine, then you have to keep doing it until your population has developed "herd immunity" (two to four years for most places, but only if surviving the infection confers lasting immunity). But at least you can reopen most of your economy. These are the best options left for the countries that missed the bus when the coronavirus first appeared three months ago which is to say practically all of them, with the exception of China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The most important (and startling) statistic of the current pandemic is that Americans are 120 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than Chinese citizens. We know the Chinese death toll with some precision, because the dying has stopped in China, at least for the moment. The official total is 3,331, most of them in Wuhan or the surrounding province of Hubei. Almost all new cases now being reported in China are in citizens returning from abroad. The predicted death toll from COVID-19 in the United States, according to no less an authority than President Donald Trump, is 100,000. You may be sure that that is the lowest number Trump thinks he can get away with. His chief infectious disease adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on March 29 actually said "looking at what were seeing now, I would say between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths," but lets stick with the lowball figure. One hundred thousand American deaths is a toll 30 times higher than the 3,331 reported Chinese deaths, but that still leaves one important factor out. The population of China is four times larger than that of the United States. So in proportion to its population, COVID-19 will kill Americans at 120 times the rate it is reported to have killed Chinese people. That is shockingly high, but the comparable rates for major European countries are just as bad. Italy and Spain have just passed the peak rate of deaths the daily rate has been falling since late last month and will probably end up with around 20,000 deaths each. The United Kingdom is still climbing the curve, but will probably end up in the same place. Each of these countries has about one-fifth the population of the United States, and is facing about one-fifth the number of deaths. If the American death toll climbs well above 100,000, then you can start blaming Trump for the excess deaths, but there is something more fundamental happening here. All these countries moved very late to act against the virus, so late their only remaining option was lockdown. Whereas all the East Asian countries reacted at once. China, where the coronavirus originated, was blindsided by the wave of deaths in Wuhan, but as soon as the virus had been identified, Beijing locked the city down, and soon after the whole country. A week or two were lost to the Chinese regimes denial and its reluctance to damage the economy, but the reaction was still fast enough. The lockdown worked, and most Chinese citizens are now back to work. 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. South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong got the warning at the same time as everybody else. No country other than China needed to go into lockdown at that point, because the coronavirus had not yet gained a firm foothold in their populations. The East Asian countries have some serious experience with pandemics, however, so they immediately started testing frantically to identify new clusters of infection, tracing all the contacts of the infected people, and isolating everybody involved to break the chains of infection. These methods never detect all of those infected, and the ones that are missed will cause new clusters of infection to emerge a few weeks later, so this is a neverending game of whack-a-mole which requires a small army of testers and contact tracers. But it keeps the death toll down and the economy open. Western countries did not use the ample time they had to put a similar system in place. They didnt even stock up on masks, ventilators and protective clothing. They let the infection spread so widely that only a long, full lockdown could contain it. Why? Arrogance, wishful thinking, and a determination not to harm economic growth. A great many unnecessary deaths later, when the remaining number of infections is down to South Korean levels, Western countries will finally be able to reopen their economies. But by that time, of course, the pandemic will be rampaging through Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America. Back to normal is still a long way off. Gwynne Dyers latest book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work). Kushinagar : , April 14 (IANS) A 35-year-old man has been booked by the police for refusing to eat food at a quarantine centre on the ground that it had been cooked by a Dalit. Reports said Siraj Ahmad, a native of Bhujouli Khurd village under Khadda police station in Kushinagar district, had returned from Delhi on March 29, and was staying at the quarantine centre at the village primary school along with other four people. On Friday, village head, Lilawati Devi, in absence of the cook, prepared food in the quarantine centre for all the five people but Siraj refused to eat it. Police, after conducting investigation, registered a FIR against him under the SC/ST Act on Monday. The village head had lodged a written complaint with the police on Friday and also informed sub-divisional magistrate Desh Deepak Singh and block development officer Ramakant. SHO Khadda police station, R.K. Yadav said that a case against Siraj was registered under the SC/ST Act. Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, Vijay Dubey, the local BJP MLA, went to the house of village head and asked her to serve him food cooked by her. "Untouchability is a social evil that cannot be tolerated at any cost," he said. Leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to extend the lockdown saying he has taken the hard decision keeping in mind the people's health and safety. "The danger is not over yet. We support the steps announced by the prime minister," JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said while requesting Prime Minister Modi to prioritise the needs of farmers and labourers. Whenever the government announces any relief measure, it should prioritise the needs of farmers and labourers so that the poor could return to their occupation and peasants get appropriate price for their crops, Tyagi said. Echoing similar sentiments, LJP supremo and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said his party supports the decision to extend the lockdown. The prime minister has taken the hard decision keeping in mind people's health. If people adhere to seven suggestions made by him, then our victory against the coronavirus is certain, Paswan said. Welcoming the decision, BJP president JP Nadda urged people to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's instructions and continue sticking to the various lockdown regulations with full devotion till May 3 to win the battle against COVID-19 pandemic. Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the lockdown, imposed initially for 21 days from March 25 to check the spread of coronavirus, till May 3. He asked people to follow seven steps in the coming days to help the government in its fight against coronavirus including wearing masks, adhering to social distancing, taking care of elders and not sacking people from jobs. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address Union Home Minister and former party president Amit Shah assured people that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other essential commodities and therefore no one should worry for the extended period of lockdown. He also urged the affluent people to come forward in this time of crisis and help the needy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 14:23:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (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. - - - - CANBERRA -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Australia has increased by fewer than 50 for the second straight day. There have been 6,366 confirmed cases of the virus in Australia as of Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Health. - - - - NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the countrywide lockdown till May 3 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. India has been under a lockdown since March 25, which was planned to end on Tuesday midnight. - - - - HARBIN -- The city of Suifenhe, at the China-Russia border in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, reported a total of 322 confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases from overseas by Monday, local epidemic prevention and control authorities said Tuesday. The city also saw 38 asymptomatic COVID-19 infections by the end of Monday. - - - - WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday his administration is close to completing a plan to open the economy, noting that he would have "total" authority to do that. "We will soon finalize new and important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. - - - - CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that Australia is still "many weeks away" from easing COVID-19 restrictions. The National Cabinet, established on March 13, which is comprised of Morrison and state and territory leaders, is scheduled to meet this week to "look at the sort of prerequisites." - - - - NEW YORK -- After initially reporting that global COVID-19 cases topped 2 million on Monday night, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University has lowered the figure to 1,918,855. At 8 p.m. local time on Monday (0000 GMT on Tuesday), the CSSE said the global COVID-19 cases surpassed 2 million, while at around 9:30 p.m. (0130 GMT on Tuesday) it reported the total number stood at 1,918,855. - - - - BEIJING -- China has approved two COVID-19 inactivated vaccine candidates for clinical trials, according to the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against the coronavirus Tuesday. The two vaccine candidates were developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd, a company based in Beijing. Clinical trials of the two vaccines have started. - - - - GUANGZHOU -- A total of 111 African people in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, had been tested positive for COVID-19 by Monday, local authorities said. Among them, 19 were imported confirmed cases, Chen Zhiying, executive vice mayor of Guangzhou, said late Monday. - - - - CAPE TOWN -- The COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated in South Africa as the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 2,272, up by 99 from the previous count, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Monday. The death toll has reached 27, up by two from the previously announced figure, Mkhize said at a media briefing in Pietermaritzburg, capital of KwaZulu-Natal Province. - - - - SEOUL -- South Korea reported 27 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,564. The daily caseload hovered below 50 for the sixth straight day. Of the new cases, 12 were imported from overseas. - - - - PHNOM PENH -- Fourteen more COVID-19 patients in Cambodia have recovered, raising the total number of patients cured in the kingdom so far to 91, according to a Ministry of Health (MoH) statement on Tuesday. The latest discharged patients are 10 French tourists, two Indonesian men, and two Cambodian men, the statement said. - - - - NEW YORK -- Confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide topped 2 million on Monday evening local time, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The fresh figure reached 2,019,320 with 119,483 deaths as of 8 p.m. local time (0000 GMT on Tuesday), the CSSE said. - - - - BRASILIA -- Brazil's total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 23,430, and the death toll climbed to 1,328, for a mortality rate of 5.7 percent, the Health Ministry said on Monday. The total figures rose after 1,261 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours and 105 more people died. - - - - LIMA -- Peru detected 2,265 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people who have tested positive to 9,784, President Martin Vizcarra said on Monday. According to Vizcarra, the high number of new cases is due to a significant increase in testing among the population. "Last Monday, I said we had taken 21,414 samples, that's to say that in three weeks we had taken samples from 20,000 people. Now, in a single week, we have taken samples from 60,000 people," Vizcarra said at a press conference. - - - - DUBLIN -- A total of 992 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ireland on Monday, bringing the tally in the country to 10,647, according to the Irish Department of Health. Of all the cases confirmed in the day, 465 cases were reported by a laboratory in Germany, said the department in a statement, adding that the remaining 527 cases were reported by local laboratories. - - - - TORONTO -- The Canadian government has urged long-term care homes to control COVID-19, as nearly half of the country's coronavirus deaths are linked to them. Canada has reported more than 25,500 COVID-19 cases, including 735 deaths, as of Monday afternoon, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. - - - - GENEVA -- Following the Easter weekend, Switzerland reported 280 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, the smallest daily increase in three weeks. Official data from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) shows that this is the fourth day of decline in new confirmed cases in the country. - - - - PARIS -- France would remain under a nationwide lockdown until May 11 to stem the spread of COVID-19 and reduce its impact on domestic health institutions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday evening. "The epidemic is starting to slow down. The results are there. Thanks to your efforts, everyday we have made progress," the president addressed the nation in his third TV appearance since the epidemic started. - - - - TUNIS -- Tunisian Health Ministry reported on Monday 19 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 726. The ministry added that 34 deaths from the coronavirus were reported in 13 out of the 24 provinces in the country. - - - - UNITED NATIONS -- A United Nations spokesman said Monday that as of Sunday evening, there were 189 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the entire UN system across the world, including three deaths. "As of Sunday evening, there were 189 confirmed cases among the UN worldwide, and that included 3 deaths in the UN system that have happened since the start of the pandemic," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at a virtual briefing. - - - - JERUSALEM -- The number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 11,586 in Israel after 441 new ones were added on Monday, the Israeli health ministry said. The ministry also reported 11 new deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 116. - - - - WASHINGTON -- A sailor assigned to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on Monday died of COVID-19-related complications days after he was admitted to an intensive care unit in Guam, according to the U.S. Navy. The sailor, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus on March 30, was removed from the ship and placed in an isolation house at Naval Base Guam with four fellow crew members, it said in a statement. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. FCX stated that in order to contain the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the government of Peru has extended the declaration of National Emergency till Apr 26, 2020. Freeport has 53.56% interest in Cerro Verde, which operates one of the largest concentrating facilities near Arequipa, Peru. Cerro Verde is conducting limited operations per government regulations. It is also completing actions for additional onsite facilities and enhancing health protocols that will boost production in compliance with the government order. Notably, Cerro Verdes concentrator has operated at roughly one-third of planned rates from Apr 1 to Apr 11. Cerro Verde is reviewing health guidelines with the government to return to normal operations as quickly as possible. In 2019, Cerro Verde produced 1 billion pounds of copper and 29 million pounds of molybdenum. Freeports shares have lost 39.4% in the past year compared with the industrys 33.2% decline. In March, Freeport stated that it is reviewing plans at each of its global copper and molybdenum operations to reduce costs and capital expenditure for achieving the maximum cash flow in the current market conditions. Per Freeport, the revised operating plans may lead to a temporary reduction in copper and molybdenum production in the Americas, which are witnessing low commodity prices. The company is expected to report its revised operating and financial plans along with first-quarter 2020 results. Per management, given the sharp decline in copper prices, Freeports actions to address costs and capital spending as well as preserve a strong liquidity position are necessary to maintain flexibility in the current global economic uncertainties. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Freeport currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Novagold Resources Inc. NG, Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV and Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. Novagold has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.1% for fiscal 2020. The companys shares have surged 147.8% in the past year. Franco-Nevada has an expected earnings growth rate of 15.9% for 2020. Its shares have returned 63.7% in the past year. Barrick has an expected earnings growth rate of 41.2% for 2020. The companys shares have rallied 78.8% in the past year. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Barrick Gold Corporation (GOLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novagold Resources Inc. (NG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Bruising and lesions on the feet could be a sign of coronavirus, doctors in Spain suspect. Patients with either purple chickenpox or chilblain-like marks on their toes have tested positive for the killer infection. 'Numerous cases' have been reported in Spain as well as Italy and France, as the disease continues to rage across Europe. One of the first reported cases was a 13-year-old boy in Italy, whose lesions - initially thought to be caused by a spider bite - erupted and crusted over. Experts warn the mysterious symptom has primarily been spotted in children and teenagers. But skin manifestations potentially caused by the virus were seen in one in five patients in an Italian hospital. Typically the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes a persistent cough and fever. But recently studies have alerted diarrhoea, skin marks, testicular pain and a loss of taste and smell as 'atypical' signs. A large number of people who contract COVID-19 also experience headaches and dizziness, according to a study in China. Bruising and lesions on the feet could be a sign of coronavirus, doctors in Spain suspect. One of the first reported cases was a 13-year-old boy in Italy (pictured) The teenager in Italy saw his lesions - initially thought to be caused by a spider bite - turn black and crusted. He and his family had symptoms of the coronavirus Experts warn the mysterious symptom has been spotted in children and teenagers the most HEADACHES AND DIZZINESS A SIGN OF COVID-19 More than a third of coronavirus patients develop neurological symptoms including headaches and dizziness, a study in China suggests. Researchers analysed 214 patients hospitalised in Wuhan who tested positive for COVID-19. Most (60 per cent) were not seriously ill. Neurologic symptoms were seen in 36.4 per cent of patients and were more common in patients with severe infection - based on their respiratory symptoms. The researchers said 13 per cent reported a headache, 17 per cent dizziness, 19 per cent nerve pain and 19 per cent muscle inflammation. Patients whose condition became severe went on to develop more intense neurological problems, including confusion, seizure and stroke. All neurologic manifestations were reviewed and confirmed by two trained neurologists, the team wrote in their paper, published in the medical journal JAMA Neurology. They explained that the neurological symptoms may be due to the way in which the virus attaches to cells in the body. In January 2020, a receptor called ACE2 was identified as the 'door' into cells. The receptor is found in multiple human organs, 'including nervous system and skeletal muscles'. Advertisement The Spanish General Council of Official Podiatrist Colleges shared a statement revealing the 'curious finding'. It described patients who had purple lesions which are very similar to those of chickenpox, measles or chilblains - caused by the inflammation of tiny blood vessels. The symptoms are 'increasingly being detected in patients with COVID -19, especially children and adolescents', according to podiatrists and dermatologists in Spain. The marks have also been seen in adults, and normally heal without leaving a scar or similar. The college, which has 7,500 members, said it was aware of similar findings in Italy and France. Medical experts in Spain are now collecting a database of people who have tested positive for the virus as well as having marks on their feet. And dermatologists from different Spanish health centers are leading the 'COVID-Skin' study, to categorise lesions which have been spotted in COVID-19 patients. The General Council of Official Colleges of Podiatrists opened a registry last Thursday, and told its members to 'be very vigilant'. It advised to quarantine children when such marks are spotted - but not to act with 'unfounded alarmism'. The International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP-IFP) reported one of the first cases of the symptom in a 13-year-old boy from Bari, southern Italy. Podiatrists and dermatologists have been advised to quarantine children when such marks are spotted - but not to act with 'unfounded alarmism' WHAT ARE THE COMMON AND 'ATYPICAL' SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? The NHS website states that the symptoms of COVID-19 are: A high temperature A new, continuous cough The World Health Organisation says other indicators include fatigue, aches and pains, a blocked nose, sore throat and diarrhoea. As the coronavirus infects millions globally, anecdotal and scientific studies have spotted some other 'atypical' symptoms: Headaches and dizziness A study in China found that 13 per cent of 214 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 had headaches, and 17 per cent reported dizziness. Overall more than a third reported neurological symptoms. The team explained the symptoms may be due to the way in which the virus attaches to cells in the body - through ACE2 receptors found in human organs and tissues within the nervous system. Loss of taste and smell Data gathered by ENT UK, which represents ear, nose and throat specialists, suggests an inability to smell and often taste may be the very first symptom and can start within hours. Those with the symptom are thought to be mostly healthy young adults whose immune systems react sufficiently to the virus to contain it within the nose, preventing it spreading to the lungs, where it can cause potentially fatal pneumonia. Testicular pain In February, scientists in China claimed the virus could attack the male reproductive organs - but there is not enough robust research to prove it. The virus binds to the ACE2 receptors on cells which are found in abundance in the testes, and could lead to 'tissue damage', the team speculated in their paper, which has not been peer-reviewed. A 42-year-old man from America tested positive for the coronavirus after going to hospital with testicular pain, even though there were no signs of abnormalities. Skin changes A study of 88 coronavirus patients at Alessandro Manzoni Hospital in Lecco, northern Italy, found one in five complained of skin manifestations. They had not taken any medications or drugs in the preceding 15 days, which could have caused a skin reaction. 'Numerous cases' of chickenpox-like marks on the feet have been reported in Spain, Italy and France, mostly in children. The phenomenon is not well researched. But one theory is that skin eruptions are caused by the closure of tiny blood vessels, which might be induced by the nervous system in response to the virus. Advertisement Doctors attributed his violet, round lesions to a brown recluse spider bite, and sent him away with medication on March 8. The teenager developed a fever, muscle pain, a headache and intense itching on the feet two days later. After images of lesions on the feet of COVID-19 patients began circulating on Italian social media and among dermatologist sites, the doctors suspected the boy may have the disease. After studying his familys medical history, they found his sister and mother had a fever, cough and difficulty breathing six days before he first had the lesions. However, due to the severe outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy, the team admitted they hadn't been able to test and follow up with the boy. As it stands there is not enough 'scientific evidence' to say for certain that small lesions on the feet are an official symptom - which was recognised by the college. After all, it could be entirely coincidental that these marks, which look like blood blisters or bruises, occurred around the same time someone became unwell. However, NHS GP Dr Daniel Gordon, based in London, told MailOnline: 'It would be far from surprising if it turned out to be true that COVID-19 causes symptoms in the skin. 'Many viruses cause skin rashes and marks. Viruses tend to affect multiple parts of the body rather than just one system, although in the case of COVID-19 it is certainly the lungs that are most heavily hit. 'These findings are just case reports at present, and more work will need to be done by scientists to find out if there is a significant association.' One theory is that skin eruptions are caused by the closure of tiny blood vessels, which might be induced by the nervous system in response to the virus. Dr Randy Jacobs, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, said COVID-19 can 'feature signs of small blood vessel occlusion' - clotting of the blood - according to The Hospitalist. He said: 'Many have wondered if COVID-19 presents with any particular skin changes. The answer is yes.' One study of 88 patients at Alessandro Manzoni Hospital in Lecco, northern Italy, found 20 per cent complained of skin manifestations. They had not taken any medications or drugs in the preceding 15 days, which could have caused a skin reaction. Fourteen patients had a reddish rash, three had hives, and one patient had chickenpox-like marks. These skin manifestations 'are similar to cutaneous involvement occurring during common viral infections', author of the report Dr Sebastiano Recalcati said. Doctors in Thailand - the first country outside of China to report a coronavirus case - have raised concerns that skin problems potentially caused by the coronavirus will be wrongly diagnosed as something else. They described how a Thai man with COVID-19 was first falsely diagnosed with dengue fever because he had the typical tiny purple, red, or brown spots on the skin. As many as 204 prisoners, including 45 who were arrested under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), were released this month to decongest jails across Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, a senior government official said on Tuesday. In addition, the Home department has also revoked the PSA of 41 prisoners who are held in different jails outside the Union Territory and ordered their release, the official said. "A total of 204 prisoners have been released from various jails of the Union Territory between April 1 and 13. They include 45 prisoners arrested under the PSA, 78 undertrials through the undertrial review committee, nine undertrials falling under section 107, 109, 151 of the CrPC," a senior government official told PTI. Among the 204, 16 prisoners were released on parole, he said. On April 1, a three-member high powered committee headed by Executive Chairman J-K State Legal Services Authority (SLSA), Justice Rajesh Bindal along with Principal Secretary, Home Department,Shaleen Kabra and DGP (Prisons), V K Singh as its members, passed directions for the release of jail inmates except those involved in militancy related cases to decongest the prisons in the Union Territory. The committee was constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir government following an order by the Supreme Court on March 23, directing the states and the UTs to decongest jails to ensure social distancing among the prisoners, while observing that overcrowding of prisons is a matter of serious concern in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. The official said the highest number of 39 jail inmates were released from central Jail in Srinagar followed by 28 each from central jail in Kot Bhalwal and district jail in Rajouri, 24 from district jail in Anantnag, 19 from district jail in Udhampur, 18 from district jail in Jammu and 16 from district jail in Kupwara. As many as 15 prisoners were released from sub-jail in Hiranagar, 10 from special jail (correction home) in Pulwama, two from district jail in Bhaderwah and one from district jail in Baramulla, he said. The official said the process for the release of 41 more prisoners from Kashmir, who are under detention in different jails outside Jammu and Kashmir since August last year, was also set into motion with the Home department revoking their PSA. The prisoners included 15 from Baramulla, eight from Pulwama, seven from Anantnag, three from Kupwara, two each from Ganderbal, Bandipora and Budgam and one each from Kulgam and Srinagar, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australians will be asked within weeks to sign up for a mobile app that can alert them to the risk of catching the coronavirus, using their movements to find out whether they have been close to someone already infected. The federal government will ask Australians to opt in to the project in the hope of gaining support from millions of people so the country can emerge from shutdown measures as quickly as possible. The government is working to roll out an app that people can use to track their contacts with coronavirus cases. Credit: E+ Someone who used the app and contracted the virus, for example, could notify health authorities and ensure an alert was sent to anyone he or she was in contact with over the previous 24 hours. While the government expects a debate on the privacy of the scheme, it is hoping a majority of Australians will download the app to help save lives. The Callipogon relictus, right, an endangered species of longhorn beetle, was given another chance to escape extinction as two beetles from different habitats produced viable larvae. Designated as Natural Monument No. 218, it is a rare species of longhorn beetle found in Korea, China, Russia and Japan and is one of the largest species of beetle. Courtesy of NRICH By Kwon Mee-yoo Callipogon relictus, an endangered species of longhorn beetle, has been given another chance to escape extinction, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced Monday. Two beetles from different habitats were able to produce viable larvae for the very first time, improving genetic diversity of the species. The Natural Heritage division of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH), an affiliate of the CHA, said it succeeded in producing the first filial generation in 46 years of the rare beetle from Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on April 3, after discovering and preserving five larvae there in August 2019. Callipogon relictus, designated as Natural Monument No. 218, is a rare species of longhorn beetle found in Korea, China, Russia and Japan and one of the largest kinds of beetles. Before the larval discovery in Chuncheon last August, the endangered insect's only known remaining habitat in Korea was Gwangneung Forest in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Chuncheon was designated as Natural Monument No. 75, Chuncheon Callipogon relictus Origin Site, back in 1962, but it lost the status in 1973 as the habitat was submerged due to the construction of the Soyang River Multipurpose Dam. The five larvae were discovered near the former site last year and the NRICH preserved them. Of the five larvae, one female developed into an imago and the NRICH mated her with a male Callipogon relictus from Gwangneung Forest in cooperation with the Korea National Arboretum. The NRICH said the rediscovery of the beetle in Chuncheon after 46 years as well as the success in breeding a filial generation of the species will contribute to the genetic diversity of Callipogon relictus in Korea. "With the successful hatching, NRICH will be able to secure a foundation for which they can continue their research to preserve the Callipogon relictus and through artificial breeding and propagation, they plan to restore its habitat. In addition, it will operate exhibitions and education programs using breeding subjects in addition to the research to enhance the public's understanding of the cultural value of the Natural Monument Callipogon relictus," the CHA said in a statement. Los Angeles, April 14 : Comedian-host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are delivered boxes of supplies to firefighters in California amid the COVID-19 crisis. DeGeneres recently received backlash for a joke she made about quarantine amid the pandemic, comparing self-isolation to prison -- despite spending the time in her luxurious mansion. After announcing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that de Rossi's company is producing face shields, which are in short supply in California, the couple took a trip to deliver what appeared to be box loads of the products to local frontline healthcare workers, reports aceshowbiz.com. Said de Rossi: "We are now making face shields for hospital workers that will be distributed around Southern Californian hospitals. We're slated to make about 2,100 tomorrow, but we can make in the tens of thousands." About half the deaths from coronavirus are happening in care homes, according to data from five European countries, amid fears that elderly people in care in the UK are being treated like lambs to the slaughter. Data collected from official sources in Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and France by the International Long Term Care Policy Network (LTCPN) showed 42-57 per cent of all deaths linked to Covid-19 were among care home residents. The figures came after care home bosses warned the UKs daily death tolls, which only show hospital deaths, were airbrushing out hundreds of older people who have died in the care system. Matthew Reed, chief executive of the charity Marie Curie, has said the government figures published every day are lagging behind the big number as care home deaths are not included. However, Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, insisted on Tuesday that the government was only reporting hospital deaths on a daily basis because they were accurate and quick to produce. When asked about whether older people were being airbrushed out of the death toll, Ms Coffey said figures from care homes would be collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and published on a weekly basis. I think that is a fair system of getting that unfortunate picture across the country of where deaths are happening due to coronavirus, she added. And I think thats a trustworthy way to go about this, by the medical certificates signed off by doctors. ONS figures released on Tuesday showed more than 2,000 extra deaths linked to Covid-19 had occurred in England and Wales by 3 April compared to the number reported by the Department of Health and Social Care at that time. The ONS data included deaths in community setting such as private homes as well as care homes, recording deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate. The LTCPN report suggested that the clearest data for coronavirus mortality in care homes came from Ireland, where there is a centralised system to collect information relating to Covid-19. As of Saturday, there had been 6,444 cases of Covid-19 and 288 deaths in the country, of which 156, or 54 per cent, were care home residents. The most recent figures from Belgium suggested 1,405 care home deaths from coronavirus, 42 per cent of the total, while figures from Spain were based on media reports of regional government figures for the month to 8 April that cited 8,345 deaths in aged care facilities, or 57 per cent of the total. Although the studys authors noted that the definitions of care homes differed between countries so the data was not comparable, they argued that it was still important to monitor the levels of infections and deaths for care residents. There is a danger that, by not attempting to measure them even if imperfectly, opportunities to inform the decisions that policymakers make in terms of resource allocations to the care sector may be missed, they said Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said on Monday about 13.5 per cent of care homes in the UK had registered a coronavirus outbreak and acknowledged he would like to see more testing in such settings On Tuesday, Sir David Behan, the non-executive director of HC-One, Britains largest care home operator, said Covid-19 was present in two-thirds of their care homes. Weve been monitoring these numbers since the beginning of the outbreak and, as of yesterday evening at 8 oclock, wed had 2,447 of either suspected or confirmed Covid-19 within our care homes, Sir David told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Its present in 232 of our homes, which is about two-thirds of the total number of homes that we run. And again, as of last night, there have been 311 residents who have died as a result of, or suspected, Covid-19. And indeed sadly over the weekend weve lost one member of staff. Meanwhile, Baroness Ros Altmann, a Conservative peer and former work and pensions minister, said one or two people from care homes have told her they feel as though elderly people are being treated like lambs to slaughter during the epidemic. We seem to have this artificial distinction between the NHS and what is called social care or elderly care in particular, and that is being overlooked, it seems to me, she told BBC Radio 4. You know the government has real problems and of course it has got difficult decisions to make, but we must not forget that the mark of a civilised society must reflect how it treats its most vulnerable and oldest citizens. Additional reporting by PA The USNS Mercy in San Diego, March 23, 2020. Mike Blake/Reuters Seven medical personnel serving aboard the big US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy have tested positive for COVID-19, the Navy said, confirming earlier reporting. The Navy says that the outbreak aboard the ship has not affected its ability to carry out its mission. The USNS Comfort has had four personnel test positive, but three have made a full recovery and have already returned to work. The USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy were deployed to New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, to relieve the pressure on overwhelmed local medical facilities combating the coronavirus. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The Navy is working to defeat a novel coronavirus outbreak among personnel serving aboard a hospital ship on the West Coast, the service told Insider on Tuesday, confirming earlier reporting by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Seven members of the medical staff aboard the USNS Mercy, currently pier-side at the Port of Los Angeles, have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. All infected personnel have been taken off the ship, as have individuals believed to have come in close contact with them. In addition to the seven who definitely have the coronavirus, another 112 personnel were quarantined ashore as a cautionary measure. A spokesperson for the Navy's Third Fleet said that the outbreak has not affected the ship's operations. The Navy explained to Insider that the ship is taking precautions to protect the health and safety of the crew, adding that the ship, like hospitals ashore, has infection control procedures. USNS Comfort in New York. Mike Segar/Reuters The Navy's massive hospital ships, USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy, were deployed to New York City and Los Angeles to relieve the pressure on local hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus. The USNS Mercy left San Diego on March 23 and arrived in Los Angeles a few days later. The USNS Comfort was rushed out of maintenance and sent quickly to New York City on March 28. Story continues Since they arrived at their respective destinations, the two ships have consistently operated under capacity. The USNS Mercy is presently treating 20 non-coronavirus patients, including one ICU patient. The USNS Comfort, which was retasked to treat both people with the coronavirus and those with other ailments, is currently treating 70 patients, including 34 people who are in intensive care, the Pentagon told Insider. In total, the USNS Comfort has treated 120 people, 50 of whom have been discharged. About half of the patients treated had the coronavirus. The USNS Comfort has had four members of its crew test positive for the coronavirus. Three have fully recovered and returned to work, and one is in quarantine. The Navy says there has been no impact to the USNS Comfort's mission. "The Comfort was set up to provide assistance and care for patients, and that is exactly what we are doing," a service spokeswoman said in a statement. In addition to small outbreaks aboard the Navy's hospital ships, the service is battling outbreaks aboard other ships, the most serious on the deployed aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which has nearly 600 coronavirus cases. Several sailors have reportedly been hospitalized, and one sailor aboard the carrier died of related complications. Read the original article on Business Insider The upshot is FOID card holders will be able to keep their FOID cards current during the coronavirus crisis and for one year after termination of the disaster, the groups executive director, Richard Pearson, said in a statement. These emergency rules help ensure that honest gun owners will not be blocked from making firearm purchases. It has taken some time to get to this point, but we are pleased with the end result. Aprio, LLP, a nationally recognized, CPA-led business advisory firm has been named a top 50 accounting firm by Accounting Today, continuing its climb up the publications rankings. The firm climbed three spots in the 2020 rankings, breaking into the top 50 firms. Aprios rapid revenue growth of 15 percent between 2018 and 2019 was driven by both organic growth and business combinations. In 2019, Aprio achieved two successful business combinations with Administrivia and LBA Haynes Strand. Aprios combination with LBA Haynes Strand expanded Aprios footprint into the Carolinas, while adding new services, including Enterprise Risk Management and the establishment of a national dental practice. The combination also added four new Aprio offices across North Carolina. Aprios combination with Administrivia broadened the firms outsourced accounting offerings to include Managed Accounting Solutions, a technology agnostic accounting solution that provides both onsite and remote support for businesses across all industries looking to outsource part or all of their accounting and finance function. In addition to the new services acquired through combinations, in 2019 Aprio launched new, innovative services, including Treasury Optimization Services and Business Technology Consulting, and expanded its R&D Tax Credit Services practice internationally. Aprio recognizes that a strong growth strategy starts internally with the development of its team members. In 2019, Aprio launched new leadership and advisor programs to develop the next generation of firm leaders and arm team members with the skills necessary to be true business advisors. Becoming an Accounting Today Top 50 firm has been a strategic goal of the firm for several years, and were excited to have reached this important milestone this year, said Richard Kopelman, CEO and Managing Partner. Since 2013, Aprios revenue has grown by 93 percent. This tremendous growth has been achieved through a strategic focus on organic growth and growth through business combinations, as well as the launch of new services, strong client service and effective cross-selling. In addition to this recognition as a Top 50 firm in the U.S., Aprio was also recently named a Top Work Place by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the fourth year in a row. For more information about Aprio, visit http://www.aprio.com. About Aprio Aprio is a premier full-service, CPA-led business advisory firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, that advises clients and associates on how to achieve whats next. Aprios associates work as integrated teams across advisory, assurance, tax, outsourced accounting solutions and private client services, bringing the best thinking and personal commitment to each client. Across practices, Aprio brings together proven expertise, deep understanding and strategic foresight for industries including Manufacturing and Distribution; Non-Profit and Education; Professional Services; Real Estate and Construction; Retail, Franchise and Hospitality; and Technology and Blockchain. In 65 years, Aprio has grown to over 475 employees and nearly 80 partners. To serve clients wherever life or business may take them, Aprios teams speak more than 30 languages and work with clients in over 40 countries. In addition to its Atlanta headquarters, Aprio also operates in Birmingham, Ala. and Sarasota, Fla. and across the Carolinas. For more, visit https://www.aprio.com. [April 14, 2020] RedMarlin Rebrands to Bolster, Launches New Program to Offer At-Cost Web Fraud and Phishing Protection Services To Non-Profits For Life RedMarlin, a deep learning-powered fraud prevention company protecting the world's leading brands from counterfeit activity, today announced the company's new name, Bolster, and the launch of a first-of-its-kind online customer protection services program specifically for non-profit organizations. The new program, Bolster for Good, allows non-profit organizations to arm themselves forever with industry-leading online phishing and fraud prevention technology at-cost to defend themselves from online scams and account takeovers. The Bolster for Good program aims to help non-profits of all sizes defend themselves against the sophisticated phishing and online scam attack campaigns by hackers and fraudsters, which have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In April 2020, the overall number of phishing sites leapt to 110 percent of their March level, according to Bolster's COVID-19 Global Online Phishing and Scams Dashboard. Online phishing and counterfeit websites contributed to $3.5 billion in losses to individual and business victims in 2019 alone, according to the FBI's 2019 Internet Crime Report. Overall financial losses due to fraudulent sites are trending to be even higher in 2020, as malicious hackers and fraudsters look to take advantage of COVID-19 and the public's need for supplies, information and news. "At Bolster, we deeply care about the wellbeing of not only our partners, customers and stakeholders, but also the interet community as a whole," said Abhishek Dubey, Co-Founder and CEO, Bolster. "During this unprecedented time, we want to ensure non-profits that are serving the community are properly protected - that donations are going to those in need, not to fraudsters - and organization's resources that are in short supply can be focused on critical tasks, instead of combating hacker scams. It is Bolster's mission to help organizations protect their user base with the most powerful technology available to stop online phishing and scams in its tracks." Unlike traditional online web phishing and scam technology that relies on user reporting and blacklisting, Bolster utilizes deep learning and computer vision to provide real-time monitoring and automated detection and immediate takedown of fraudulent sites and products. The Bolster platform paves the way for a new, proactive approach to fraud detection and prevention - offering truly unique features like zero-day detection - allowing the platform to find, scan and take down a site upon its very creation without any additional resources. The Bolster platform has also been significantly improved with its April 2020 release. New features and capabilities include a modernized dashboard, more powerful detection technology, and enhanced enterprise admin controls. For more information about Bolster For Good and to enroll, please visit: https://bolster.ai/for-good About Bolster Bolster is a deep learning-powered fraud prevention platform protecting the world's leading brands from counterfeit activity. Bolster provides a comprehensive platform to defend brands from online scams and account takeovers through capabilities like real-time phishing detection. These techniques allow organizations across various industries and sectors to increase business revenues as well as customer loyalty and trust. By utilizing artificial intelligence to automate tasks and increase productivity, Bolster has introduced an unprecedented, proactive approach to online customer protection and counterfeit site takedown. Encouraging organizations also to check and detect potential fraudulent websites and phishing scams, the company created CheckPhish.ai, a free, open-source community tool. Bolster is committed to giving back to the internet community-at-large and, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has implemented the COVID-19 Global Online Phishing and Scams Dashboard - a consortium for the cybersecurity community to share and identify data on coronavirus phishing and scams. Bolster's team has more than 91 years of combined cybersecurity experience from industry-leading companies, including Cisco, Symantec, McAfee (News - Alert), Bell Labs, and Open DNS. Founded in 2017 and based in Los Altos, California, Bolster has raised $10M in Series A funding led by Thomvest Ventures and Crosslink Capital. For information about Bolster, please visit Bolster.ai and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @BolsterAI. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005557/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Five police personnel were injured in the Charulia area of Asansol on Tuesday in clashes with locals over setting up of a quarantine centre, officials said. The civic body decided to convert a local health centre into a quarantine facility, they said. On Tuesday afternoon, when health and civic body officials visited the area for inspections, locals gathered and started heckling them, according to police sources. The locals started pushing and abusing them, following which the police were called in, a senior officer of the Asansol police commissionerate said. Seeing the police, the locals started hurling stones at their vehicles, he said. "We then had to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to control the situation," he added. Five police personnel, including the officer-in-charge of Charulia police station, were injured, he said. "We also have reports about a few locals getting injured," the officer said. An investigation has been started and a hunt is on to nab those behind the incident, police said. The decision to set up the quarantine centre in the area was taken after a few positive cases of COVID-19 were reported from Asansol, in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, over the last few days, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UKs coronavirus death toll has risen to 12,107, marking a rise of 778 from Mondays figure of 11,329. This is the first time in four days that the governments daily death toll has increased. After a record increase of 980 deaths on Friday, the daily death toll slowed down to 917 on Saturday, 737 on Sunday and 717 on Monday. However, experts had previously warned the bank holiday weekend could have skewed tallying of the daily figures, as the number refers to the deaths recorded on one day, rather than the deaths which occurred on a particular date. A death may not be recorded in the figures for some days, for example if a hospital needs to check a test result before they are sure a patient died of COVID-19. University of Oxford Professor James Naismith said: The bank holiday and the weekend could have exacerbated the known volatility in these numbers. We will have to see further data before making any firm judgment as to trends. An NHS worker helps prepare a line of ambulances outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London on Tuesday as the UK's coronavirus death toll rose to 12,107. (PA) As of 9am 14 April, 382,650 tests have concluded, with 14,982 tests on 13 April. 302,599 people have been tested of which 93,873 tested positive. As of 5pm on 13 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 12,107 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/xK3AdMiVZC Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 14, 2020 Meanwhile, the Department of Health said 93,873 people had tested positive for COVID-19 as of 9am on Tuesday. This is the sixth highest rate in the world. Some 302,599 people have been tested. It came as the government insisted it is on course to meet the daily COVID-19 testing target of 100,000, with the new mega-lab near Manchester now in operation and carrying out 500 tests, to join the Milton Keynes facility. The Glasgow laboratory is due to begin work at the end of this week. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Story continues 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 Downing Street also said Boris Johnson is continuing his recovery at Chequers following the prime ministers coronavirus ordeal in intensive care last week. He has not been involved in making decisions, taking phone calls or receiving official papers. Johnsons official spokesman said: The priority is for the PM to rest and recover and his medical team have advised him not to immediately return to work. Meanwhile, UK pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca revealed plans to launch a global clinical trial to look at using one of its drugs to help treat the immune response triggered by COVID-19 in severely ill patients. It said it was testing Calquence which is currently used to treat some blood cancers after encouraging early clinical results suggested suppressing the inflammation caused by the immune response could reduce the respiratory harm caused by coronavirus. This could cut deaths from COVID-19 and the need for ventilation in patients with life-threatening symptoms of the virus, AstraZeneca said. Coronavirus: what happened today UK completes three weeks of lockdown The Volta River Authority (VRA) has cautioned the public to be wary of fraudulent persons seeking to recruit on behalf of the Authority. It has come to the attention of the management of VRA that an unscrupulous person posing as the Head of Laboratory Unit at the VRA Hospital at Akosombo is issuing fake letters to unsuspecting potential employment seekers, purporting to be appointing them into roles at the VRA Hospitals. The VRA in a statement, however, indicated that it had not requested any such person to undertake any recruitment exercise. It said this individual is defrauding unsuspecting job seekers and the general public by this act. The VRA has a recruitment process and at no stage in the process is the payment of any sort required from the candidate. We, therefore, caution the public to be wary of information from such fraudulent persons and further advise that under no circumstance should they part with money for appointment into VRA because that is not part of our recruitment process. When in doubt, kindly contact us at [email protected] for verification. VRA wishes to assure all that the Authority is an equal opportunity employer committed to a fair recruitment process. Job seekers and the general public must, therefore, disregard the activities of such fraudulent persons at any point in time, the statement added. We are not recruiting staff for newly created offices NIA The National Identification Authority (NIA) recently also denied commencing a recruitment exercise in some parts of the country. Some messages circulating on various social media platforms, particularly Whatsapp had suggested that the NIA was undertaking staff recruitment for its newly created offices. The NIA in a statement however clarified that it had neither commenced a recruitment process nor created new offices for the exercise. The National Identification Authority (NIA) has noted with grave concern fake messages circulating on various social media platforms, particularly Whatsapp, concerning alleged staff recruitment drive by NIA for its so-called newly created offices. For the avoidance of doubt, the NIA has not created any Regional, Municipal or District offices, neither has it commenced a recruitment process to staff any offices; claims or representations to the contrary by any person or entity whatsoever are false, the NIA said in a statement. ---citinewsroom Chinese authorities on Monday urged efforts to send medical experts and resources from inland areas to border regions to help fight novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The instruction was given 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. The meeting called for continuously improving the measures to prevent imported COVID-19 cases, stressing identifying and eliminating the potential risks of an epidemic rebound to create the necessary conditions for work resumption. The working teams of medical experts will support and guide local epidemic prevention and control work, the construction of makeshift hospitals, the setting-up of designated quarantine facilities and medical institutions, and the treatment of patients. Testing kits and facilities, and diagnosis and treatment equipment should be sent to border regions and port cities, according to the meeting. The meeting stressed strict supervision of the quality of export medical materials, and punishments for unqualified and substandard production and the practices of driving up the prices of epidemic prevention products and raw materials. Requiring strengthened nucleic acid testing of travelers leaving Wuhan, the hardest-hit city in the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the meeting also called for the expansion of testing and better management of travelers' health conditions. Those who are set to work as teachers, medical workers or service providers at public places after leaving Wuhan should all undergo nucleic acid testing, noted the meeting. The meeting demanded further prevention and control efforts at the community level, stressing that Chinese and foreigners should receive equal treatment. It also stressed the need for epidemiological investigations and management of asymptomatic cases and their close contacts. Testing capabilities should be further improved and the testing time should be shortened, according to the meeting. 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. While racist attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic have been reported across the country, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday they have no hate crime investigations in the state. Just because we dont have any reports, doesnt mean it isnt occurring, state police Lieutenant William Slaton, head of the Heritage Affairs Section, said during a media call on Tuesday. Theres a strong possibility hate crimes against Asian Americans are occurring, theyre just not reporting it. The Heritage Affairs Section works with federal, state and local agencies to both monitor and respond to hate and bias crimes in Pennsylvania. Slaton said his division has not investigated any hate crimes against Asian Americans, or any other demographic, related to the coronavirus. The FBI has warned of an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans, and news reports have described verbal and physical attacks from California to New York City. In Texas, 19-year-old Jose Gomez is accused of stabbing three Asian American family members, including a 2-year-old and 6-year-old. The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus," the FBI said in a report obtained by ABC News. Reporters from across Pennsylvania on Tuesdays call said residents have reported being harassed, and that local Asian-owned businesses, specifically restaurants that deliver, have shut down during the pandemic. State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, previously told PennLive.com, we are hearingthat members of our Asian-American community are being attacked and malignedAnecdotally, we know this is happening. Victims may not want to report a hate crime, Slaton said, for a number of reasons: Fear of embarrassment, fear they wont have community support, or that law enforcement wont take their concerns seriously. We are encouraging (victims) to call, he said. Hate crimes can be reported anonymously by calling 1-800-4-PATIPS (1-800-472-8477) or emailing tips@pa.gov. Slaton was asked about referring to the coronavirus as the Chinese virus, or the Wuhan virus. The terminology maligns a certain demographic of people, and can make people incorrectly believe Chinese citizens or other Asian Americans are carriers of the virus, Slaton said. That creates a high potential of increasing hate crimes against those demographics. I do not recommend calling it anything other than scientific name, COVID-19, he 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. 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. Congressman John Moolenaar's office released updated information for the annual Congressional Art Competition in the Fourth District. The new process for the annual contest will allow students across the Fourth District to showcase their artistic talents and stay safe. In past years, participants have been required to physically submit their artwork to the office. This year, participants will be required to submit their entries electronically. Any student who wishes to participate in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition needs to email the following to Luke Derheim in Moolenaar's office at Luke.Derheim@mail.house.gov no later than Friday, April 30, 2020: A clear photo of the artwork by itself A clear photo of the student holding their entry A scan or photo of the completed student information release form All other guidelines for the competition remain the same and can be found at Moolenaar.House.Gov, along with the student information release form. All submissions will be displayed on Moolenaar's website at Moolenaar.House.Gov for the month of May and winners will be announced on May 11. Moolenaar's office will then make arrangements with the winners for transporting the winning entry to Washington as well as the regional winning entries to the district office locations. Moolenaar represents Michigan's Fourth Congressional District, which is made up of Clare, Clinton, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon, Shiawassee, and Wexford counties, and parts of Montcalm and Saginaw counties. -- Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net Chinese infrastructure construction sees boost 14 April 2020 Chinese infrastructure construction has reportedly been stepped up across the country as the government increases funding in the sector, states Xinhua News Agency. The production and prices of construction materials, including cement and steel, have also seen an increase. The work resumption rate of the cement industry reached 94 per cent as of 6 April, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Published under An airline hostess wearing a facemask amid the concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus holds her smart phone next to empty check-in counters (R) at Beijing Capital International Airport. AFP photo Beijing: Beijing has virtually walled itself off to outsiders with drastic measures to protect China's seat of power against the threat of a second wave of coronavirus infections from other regions. After largely getting the outbreak under control, China has banned foreigners from entering the country as authorities fret over an increase in cases imported from abroad -- though most have been Chinese citizens. But Beijing has gone a step further, imposing a strict 14-day quarantine on people arriving from other parts of China, regardless of whether they test negative for COVID-19 -- a measure not required in other cities. Beijing, of course, is not like any other Chinese city. The ruling Communist Party postponed its once-a-year congress, known as the "two sessions", in March and experts said it likely wants to make sure the thousands of delegates who participate are not at risk before a new date is set. "Strengthening management of people returning to Beijing has become the most critical priority, otherwise it is impossible to create the right conditions for the two sessions to start," said Ma Liang, a professor at Renmin University's School of Public Administration and Policy. The measures are ultimately meant to shield the Communist Party elite from the virus, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy. "In this moment, the central government and core leadership are highly protected, so ordinary people will have to pay the price," he told AFP. - Wuhan stigma - Beijing has imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all returning students, who must test negative to attend school. All hotel guests must test negative within seven days prior to their stay. The measures have already deterred some from going back. Chen Na, a carer from Anhui province, cannot return to her former employer in Beijing because her area was labelled "high-risk". "When they see where I'm from, the conversation stops. I can't even get an interview. I've been out of work since February," she said. But the toughest conditions are reserved for people travelling to Beijing from Wuhan, the central city where the virus first emerged late last year. Those leaving the city, whose months-long lockdown was lifted April 8, must test negative within seven days before their return date, undergo a 14-day quarantine once they arrive, and test negative again in order to be released. Other cities only require those from Wuhan and Hubei province to produce a green health code on a special app and a negative nucleic acid test result. They must first request to return to Beijing through an app when they receive their negative diagnosis. If approved, they have to submit another request to purchase train tickets to the capital, which are limited to 1,000 seats per day on two services. "I originally bought tickets for the 12th, but I was told on the evening of the 7th that I needed a negative test result in order to return," said Wuhan resident Liu Shiyi, who arrived in Beijing by train on Sunday. One day before her train was due to leave, her residential compound said she needed to obtain a paper copy of her negative certificate from the hospital. "The whole time, my compound received orders from above in a very delayed fashion, making me waste time going back and forth," she said. - Special lanes - At two major Wuhan train stations, AFP saw that special lanes for Beijing-bound travellers had been set up and were crewed by several volunteers. There are an estimated 11,000 Beijing residents stranded in Wuhan, officials said last week, but the city has lately seen a surge in asymptomatic cases which are notoriously difficult to detect. During a recent visit to the Beijing West Railway Station, AFP saw that arrivals from Hubei were handled in a separate area and boarded designated buses bound for each district. Between April 8 and April 13, some 1,037 people returned to Beijing from Wuhan. None tested positive for COVID-19. (Newser) The November vote is all but certain to be President Trump vs. Joe Biden. But now a third well-known name might be added to the mix: Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian-leaning independent from Michigan, announced on Twitter that he is considering a third-party run, reports MLive. It all began when Amash posted a tweet critical of Trump's assertion Monday that "when somebody's president of the United States, the authority is total, and that's the way it's gotta be." Amash's response: "Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option." When a supporter wrote that it should be Amash himself, he responded, "Thanks. I'm looking at it closely this week." story continues below Amash left the GOP last year after becoming the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump. He has since repeatedly declined to rule out a run for the White House. It's possible he could grab the nomination of the Libertarian Party when it chooses its candidate late next month, notes the Washington Post. An Amash candidacy might be bad news for Trump, theoretically giving voters on the right who are unhappy with his White House another option, writes Elliot Hannon at Slate. "Amash likely wouldn't reach the support necessary to qualify for the presidential debates, but a persistent, coherent, and principled critic on the right could do damage." (Read more Justin Amash stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 06:39:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS/PARIS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Europe remained the continent in the world hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as nearly 900,000 people here had contracted the novel coronavirus and nearly 80,000 patients succumbed to the disease, according to a global tally. Two-faced progress in fighting the virus has led to different readings of results from anti-coronavirus measures among European countries. Hardest-hit countries like Italy, Spain, and France extended their coronavirus lockdowns, while fellow European Union members including Denmark and Austria are easing their restrictions. Worldwide, the death toll related to COVID-19 was more than 114,000, and the number of confirmed cases neared 1.9 million, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the COVID-19 spread in real-time. MORE SIGNS OF HOPE European countries, including those hardest-hit, have seen more signs of encouragement -- slowdown in daily new infections and new deaths, and a flattening virus curve. In Italy, 566 more COVID-19 patients had died in the past 24 hours, against Sunday's 431, taking the country's toll to 20,465. The number of total confirmed cases -- combining active infections, fatalities and recoveries -- rose to 159,516. In addition, 3,260 people are in intensive care as of Monday, down by 83. It was the tenth consecutive day that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units showed a decreasing trend, said Italy's Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli. In Spain, fresh figures showed that the number of both new cases and deaths in a 24-hour span dropped. The total deaths rose to 17,489, a daily increase of 517, compared with the 619 deaths in the previous 24-hour span. This was accompanied by a fall in the number of new cases: 3,477 new cases reported compared to 4,167 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 169,496 in Spain. Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said that his country has reached the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, adding that it is still "in the lockdown phase" though people in some non-essential sectors are back to work on Monday. In neighboring France, the day-to-day growth of new cases slowed to 4,188, taking the total infections to 136,779. But Monday also saw the first increase in the daily death toll in four days. Fatalities linked to the virus rose by 574 on Monday, against Sunday's 561, raising the total deaths to 14,967. EXTENSION OF LOCKDOWN French President Emmanuel Macron, in a televised national address on Monday evening, announced that the country will extend its coronavirus lockdown measures until May 11. "The epidemic is starting to slow down. The results are there," he said. "Hope is reborn but nothing is settled ... The health system is under pressure and the epidemic is not yet under control." "We must therefore continue our efforts and apply the rules. The more we respect the rules, the more lives we save. This is why the strictest confinement must continue until Monday, May 11," Macron said. France's current confinement measure, which started on March 17, is due to end on April 15. Macron said May 11 will mark the start of a new phase in France. From then on, nurseries and schools will re-open gradually, universities will remain closed, along with restaurants, cafes and hotels. All people showing COVID-19 symptoms will be tested. The Italian government had announced the decision to extend the national coronavirus quarantine, which was first applied on March 10, until at least May 3. But the new rules allow some minor concessions, including the re-opening of stores that sell goods for children as well as those selling stationery and books, beginning April 14. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on April 9 that his government would seek to extend the coronavirus "state of alarm" beyond April 25. "I'm telling you now that in 15 days I will have to once again extend the state of alarm," Sanchez said. In London, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, also First Secretary of State, said the government does not expect to relax or lift the coronavirus lockdown later this week. "We are still not past the peak," even though there are some "positive signs" from the data that show "we are starting to win this struggle," said Raab. "We don't expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point." MORE WARNINGS FROM WHO Also on Monday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates fast but decelerates much more slowly. "In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up," he told a press briefing, adding that control measures must be lifted slowly and it cannot happen all at once. "Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including significant capacity for contact tracing," Tedros said. He also said WHO will soon publish updated strategic advice to support countries and regions in making decisions on when they can lift the current social and economic restrictions for COVID-19 containment. "The decisions must be based first and foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what we know about the virus and how it behaves," he said. According to the WHO chief, the new strategic advice will include six criteria for countries as they consider lifting restrictions, including controlled transmission, enough health system capacities, minimized outbreak risks, and preventive measures, among others. At a press briefing last Friday, Tedros sounded a similar warning against lifting restrictions too soon. "Some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions... Lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence," he said then. ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador's premier says the province's food supply is not at risk after a major shipping company suggested shipments to the island could be reduced due to the pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Oceanex Sanderling arrives at the South End Container Terminal in Halifax on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Oceanex runs weekly trips from Montreal and Halifax to St. John's and claim their weekly losses are in the millions due to a drop in volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company delivers 75 per cent of all goods to the heavily populated St. John's area and is seeking federal assistance to maintain their service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador's premier says the province's food supply is not at risk after a major shipping company suggested shipments to the island could be reduced due to the pandemic. Sid Hynes, chairman of shipping company Oceanex, told CBC Monday that weekly deliveries of food and other supplies to St. John's may be affected without a federal subsidy to cover his company's losses. He said Oceanex is about $2 million short of its required weekly operating costs due to the pandemic. The company did not immediately respond to a request for an interview. Premier Dwight Ball said Tuesday that the province has been reassured that trucking companies and Crown corporation Marine Atlantic can step up to meet demand. He said people don't need to be worried and should not rush out to stores to stock up in light of the news. "Shop once a week, shop for essential items," Ball said. "There will be food security in Newfoundland and Labrador." Ball added he has been talking with federal MP Seamus O'Regan to discuss solutions to the Oceanex issue, which he called "too critical to ignore." O'Regan posted a statement to Twitter Tuesday saying talks about Oceanex were ongoing with Transport Canada and Finance Department officials. "We're looking at all options to make sure food and medical supply chains stay in place," O'Regan said. A spokesman for Marine Atlantic said in a statement Tuesday that two of its four vessels are in service to meet demand, and those ships are sailing about half full. "Marine Atlantic is committed to meeting the needs of our customers and maintaining our essential ferry link to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador," the statement read. "Should demand increase and additional capacity be required, Marine Atlantic has the ability to add additional crossings to the schedule with the two vessels currently on standby mode." Gerry Byrne, provincial minister of fisheries and land resources, said the province values the jobs and supplies provided by Oceanex but said there's no evidence that fewer deliveries by the company would lead to a food shortage. "It's very premature and somewhat dangerous to be asserting such statements without evidence or without fact," Byrne said by phone. 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. He said Marine Atlantic already delivers the majority of the province's perishable goods, including food and medicine, and said the federal government has reassured the province that there will be no food shortages. Justice Minister Andrew Parsons, who represents Port aux Basques, where Marine Atlantic's terminal is located, wrote on Twitter that the situation "is not as dire as reported." "No need to hoard, panic or fear," Parsons wrote. The Seafarers' International Union of Canada, whose members work on Oceanex vessels, called for federal aid to the company, saying hundreds would lose their jobs if the company tied up some vessels. "Taking into account the current circumstances, now is not the time to turn our backs on the people and companies essential to the well-being of Canadian communities," union president James Given said in a statement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic. The calls we've been getting are frantic, said Julie Burkhart, who manages clinics in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. We've seen more women coming sooner than they would have because they're scared they won't be able to access the services later. Some clinics are seeing patients who traveled hundreds of miles from states such as Texas, which has banned abortions during much of the pandemic on grounds they are nonessential. Dr. Allison Cowett of Family Planning Associates in Chicago said one recent patient was a teen who drove from Texas with her mother. In Atlanta, Dr. Marissa Lapedis said her clinic accommodated a woman who received her initial abortion consultation in Texas but flew to Georgia when the Texas ban postponed a second visit to receive the abortion pill. An influx of women from Texas contributed to the upsurge of abortions at Burkhart's clinic in Wichita. She said it performed 252 abortions in March, up from 90 in March 2019. Dr. Jen Villavicencio, an abortion provider in Michigan, predicts that demand for abortions will continue to increase during the pandemic. I hear it in my patient's voices and questions daily, she said via email. They're worried about how they will make their rent, feed their family, access a ventilator if the need arises. The pandemic has prompted Planned Parenthood, the national's largest abortion provider, to make adjustments. In New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., Planned Parenthood has modified medication abortion procedures to minimize travel and potential COVID-19 exposure for patients and staff. Dr. Meera Shah is chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, which serves New York's northern suburbs. She says her staff is expanding telemedicine as they see an uptick in patients seeking abortions, often convinced that having a child right now isn't best for them. We provided a medication abortion to an EMT while she was sitting in her ambulance, Shah said. We provided abortion care to a mother who was at home with her children running around behind her. Dr. Anne Davis, an OB-GYN at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said all services at her hospital are under stress and COVID-19 patients are numerous. In most cases, her team refers women seeking abortions to non-hospital clinics. She cited one patient who had wanted to be pregnant but requested an abortion when it became clear her medical condition would require multiple hospital visits. Davis said the woman had received comparable treatment during her first pregnancy but decided this time that the hospital wouldn't be as safe. One of the biggest challenges in counseling pregnant women, is uncertainty, Davis said. We don't know enough about this to say it's going to be fine your pregnancy will proceed in usual fashion and there will be no impact from COVID-19, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Martes, 14 de Abril de 2020 | 13:34 (actualizado a las 13:35) imprimir | A+ A- | By Sigmar Gabriel The Federal Government on Tuesday said that poor communication between the Chinese authorities and African consulates in Guangzhou, China, was responsible for the tensions that arose concerning the alleged maltreatment of Nigerians. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abuja in company with the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian. Mr Onyeama said the lack of communication made a lot of Nigerians and Africans to misunderstand what was happening in China. The minister said that if there was effective communication, African consulates would have assisted the Chinese authorities in the action it was taking. Last week, several videos were circulated on social media showing Chinese authorities harassing Africans, including Nigerians, throwing them out of their homes and forcing them to sleep on the streets of Guangzhou, in Guandong Province of China. The videos drew a hashtag #ChinaMust Explain as Nigerians on social media prevailed on the government, as well as the foreign affairs ministry, to intervene. Referring to the videos, Mr Onyeama explained that the Chinese authorities were trying to contain some Africans including a Nigerian restaurant owner, who came into China and tested positive for the virus. And so, automatically demanded and insisted that they all be quarantined, with nobody allowed to come out in 14 days and if anybody came out from that quarantine, that they should not be allowed in if it was a hotel, back into that hotel or that residence. So, they put in very, very strict measure to try to contain this outbreak which to them at that time, clearly seemed to have been within that community. And so, they put in place, these very strict measures. Now, it was misinterpreted it appeared, by some of the Nigerians and Africans who could not understand why it seemed to be selective and targeting only themselves, Mr Onyeama said. Mr Onyeama further said after seeing the new video which had a different narrative, he immediately alerted the Nigerian Embassy and officials in Guangzhou at the consulate, particularly the acting consul-general. He added that the consulate confirmed that that narrative was true, that the Chinese authorities were trying to quarantine a set of Africans who came into China and tested positive. But what our officials in China made clear was that the communication could and should have been better. If the authorities in Guangzhou had informed the African Consulates in Guangzhou that this was the situation and this were the measures they were putting in place, it could have become a joint effort. That mutual suspicion would not be there. That was not done and it led to counter-narrative and it exacerbated the situation, he said. Mr Onyeama, however, disclosed that both the Nigerian and Chinese authorities were working closely to resolve the issue. He stressed that the Nigerian government took very seriously the issue of the human rights and wellbeing of Nigerians anywhere and everywhere in the world. He said wherever there might be any issues in that regard, the Nigerian Government considered it an absolute obligation to intervene to ensure the rights and dignity of Nigerians are protected anywhere in the world. In his remarks, Mr Pingjian said the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China took note of the seriousness which the minister and the Nigerian government placed on the issues raised by Nigerians in China. Mr Pingjian added that China respected and admired the working cooperation between China and Nigeria, saying that China would never forget the invaluable support it received from Nigeria during the most challenging stage in the fight against COVID-19 in China. The minister, I should say, has said all that. We are totally on the same page, Mr Pingjian said. The Chinese envoy further said nothing had changed in Chinas policy of friendship toward Africa, adding that China cherished its strategic partnership with Nigeria. He added that Guangzhou was only fighting COVID-19 and not any Nigerian, African, foreign nationals or even Chinese. Advertisements (NAN) In rural Poland, an unidentified motorist celebrated Easter by launching a third-generation Suzuki Swift off a roundabout and into a building owned by a church. The jump was captured by a security camera. Polish news site Remiza published the 20-second video on its official Twitter account. The resolution is on par with what you'd expect from a security camera, but we can clearly see the gray, four-door Swift approaching the roundabout way too fast about eight seconds into the clip. The driver seemingly tried to make an evasive maneuver, but it was too little, too late. He went straight where the road didn't. Wczoraj po godzinie 18:00 doszo do nietypowego zdarzenia w miejsowosci Rabien. 41- letni kierujacy samochodem osobowym wjecha na nasyp ronda i ... polecia wprost na zabudowania przykoscielne. Kierowce trzeba byo wydobyc z wraku za pomoca hydrauliki. Prawdopodobnie by pijany. pic.twitter.com/xpuQaVbpya Remiza.pl (@Remizapl) April 13, 2020 He hit the stone embankment, which was luckily sloped rather than perpendicular to the road, and it pelted the Suzuki into the air at an angle we thought was only possible in Grand Theft Auto. He snapped a tree in half, allowing the local fire department to calculate he got about 23 feet off the ground, and flew for 209 feet until he hit a building that's part of a church. It was sturdy enough to end his impromptu flight. Suzuki didn't design the Swift to fly, so its landing was about as rough as it sounds. First responders used the Jaws of Life to cut open the hatchback and extract the 41-year-old driver. Remiza wrote police officers said the man smelled like alcohol, though the results of his breathalyzer test haven't been published. He was hospitalized, and the mangled, cut-up Swift was hauled away to the nearest junkyard. No one else was injured. Story continues Related Video: Click here to See Video >> Three persons, who had tested positive for COVID-19, were discharged from Fortis Hospital in eastern suburb of Mulund in Mumbai, after they recovered from the infection following treatment. In a release issued on Tuesday, the hospital said a 42-year-old woman, her 69-year-old mother and 15-year-old son were admitted to its facility on March 29, after they tested positive for coronavirus. As per the release, the trio was discharged on Monday after they made full recovery following treatment and were counselled by the medical team to follow the health ministry's guidelines of home quarantine. The woman, who had no history of foreign travel, was first admitted to the hospital on March 28 with complaints of chills, fever and cough, it was stated. Throat swabs of the woman's elderly mother and son, who showed no symptoms of the infection, were also collected and the duo tested positive for coronavirus soon after. The hospital has so far discharged seven COVID-19 patients following their recovery, the release stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA FSE:1WZ:GR OTC PINK:PEMTF) (the "Company") is excited to announce its First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands acquired over 6,000 new customers from April 1st through April 11th. Additionally, during this time period over 1,700 of the new customers purchased products from the Immune Support line. During the month of March, the Company experienced a record number of new customers enrolling in a monthly subscription, totaling 18,962. The Immunity Blend is currently the Company's top seller in the Immune Support line. The all-natural blend is made from 100% pure essential oils, including cinnamon leaf, lemon, clove bud, lime, eucalyptus globulus, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint and oregano. The line also features Immune CBD oil containing CBD, B3, B12, Vitamin C and Zinc and Immunity Gummy Bears contain 100% natural Elderberry extract. First Class and Nature's Exclusive offer a CBD hemp-oil formulation intended to provide users with the therapeutic benefits that hemp may offer. The hemp oil used in the products is derived from hemp grown and cultivated in the United States. The extraction process is designed to maintain all the beneficial qualities that hemp may offer. First Class and Nature's Exclusive offers a range of products, which include CBD oil drops, CBD gummies, CBD pain relief cream, CBD skin serum and CBD coffee. The Company plans to continue its significant growth in U.S. operations over the balance of 2020, as well as an expansion into the European market. "I am pleased at the incredible number of monthly subscriptions acquired during the month of March. We continue to see overwhelming interest in our Immune Support products and higher CBD content oils. We operate a very responsive and agile business, which allows us to identify consumer trends and execute upon the demand we are seeing in the marketplace," stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company. Story continues About Mota Ventures Corp. Mota Ventures is an established eCommerce direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands. Within Europe, its Sativida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer, sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota Ventures. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MOTA VENTURES CORP. Ryan Hoggan Chief Executive Officer For further information, readers are encouraged to contact Joel Shacker, President at +604.423.4733 or by email at IR@motaventuresco.com or www.motaventuresco.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statement All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to the sale and marketing of products under the First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands, its plans to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand, its plans to cultivate and extract cannabis to produce CBD and high-quality value added CBD products in Latin America for distribution domestically and internationally and its plans to acquire revenue-producing CBD brands and operations in Europe and North America. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. SOURCE: Mota Ventures Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584736/Mota-Ventures-Announces-Record-Number-of-Subscriptions-Year-To-Date-in-March-and-Over-6000-New-Customers-in-April Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arwin Rasyid (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 15 2020 There are no signs that the COVID-19 pandemic will ease up any time soon. In fact, it looks set to worsen, particularly in Indonesia. While various efforts to contain the pandemic continue, the reality is that the pandemic has led many countries to the brink of absolute crisis. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund has declared that the world is experiencing a far worse recession than that caused by the 2008 global financial crisis. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has stated that Indonesias 2020 growth will decline to 2.3 percent. However, most observers agree that the economy will suffer a contraction should things turn out worse than expected. In response, the government has reallocated some Rp 405.1 trillion (US$24.5 billion) from the 2020 state budget to fund the fight against COVID-19. This figure comprises Rp 75 trillion for the health sector, Rp 110 trillion for social protection, Rp 70.1 trillion in tax incentives and loans for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Rp 150 trillion for national economic recovery. All this is warmly welcomed. Similarly, appreciation is due to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) for its new regulation that offers the prospect of special debt-restructuring facilities for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) borrowers that are experiencing difficulties as a result of COVID-19 and those with loans amounting to less than Rp 10 billion. However, the big question when facing any economic crisis is, what is the most important factor for fast economic recovery? In my experience as a banker who was deeply involved in the response to the 1998 crisis, the answer is liquidity. During the 1998 crisis, not all sectors suffered equally. Indeed, some sectors actually prospered despite the general economic devastation. Those that were worst affected were corporations that had made highly aggressive investments and large banks owned by conglomerates that violated the principles of good corporate governance. Even at the height of the 1998 financial crisis, solutions were still available for maintaining liquidity, such as tapping the global market. This was because the economies of many other countries outside Asia continued to be quite strong. In the end, the crisis in Indonesia gradually receded as increasing flows of global financial liquidity entered the country. Many investors bought Indonesian corporations and banks at low prices. I remember how well-heeled individuals jetted into Jakarta from abroad just to buy luxury watches and expensive jewelry at knockdown prices from desperate Indonesian entrepreneurs looking to raise cash. By contrast, todays monetary issues are global in nature. Almost all countries are experiencing economic contraction. In fact, according to a report by McKinsey on March 25, the gross domestic products of the developed economies will experience negative growth, with the recession expected to continue until next year at least. Unlike 1998, this time around the service sector, the backbone of the Indonesian economy, has been badly hit. The stay-at-home policy and the imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) will severely hit a wide range of businesses: hotels, restaurants, cafes, travel, transportation, aviation, tourism and even manufacturing. Economic activity has almost ground to a halt, domestically and globally. We need to urgently find solutions so as to maintain the liquidity flow to business. This is the key to survival and to avoid a prolonged economic crisis. Simply put, a companys liquidity comes from revenue (sales), while an individuals liquidity comes from their income. Liquidity can be boosted by drawing on reserves, surpluses, cashing in time deposits or selling surplus assets, as well as by borrowing from financial institutions or from family and friends. The pandemic directly disrupts the circulation of liquidity, because first, the income of both MSMEs and individuals has decreased; second, it is not easy to secure liquidity from financial institutions according to information I have received, many banks have stopped providing new loans; third, it is not easy to secure liquidity by selling assets with few buyers around as now is not an ideal time for a shopping spree the willingness to buy is closely related to the feel good factor, whereas the present time is one of concern and worry. The OJKs policy of providing an economic stimulus so that banks can maintain asset quality and nonperforming loans (NPL) ratios is welcome. Also welcome are Bank Indonesias (BI) latest policies to address the impacts of COVID-19, which focus on maintaining monetary, financial and payment system stability, particularly in regard to the rupiahs stability. However, what is most important and requires the most attention is ensuring that banks and other financial institutions can maintain liquidity, especially in the case of small and not so well-managed banks and other financial institutions. Therefore, the following steps are urgently needed: First, an in-depth review of banks or other financial institutions: Are there any banks or other financial institutions that are likely to experience liquidity problems in the short term? This is particularly important following the introduction of the OJKs policy to allow the postponement of payments on loans for borrowers have been adversely affected by COVID-19. The impacts of this policy will be far reaching. For example, if large numbers of borrowers postpone installments on their motorcycles to finance companies, these companies will be unable to repay the loans from the banking sector. Meanwhile, large and medium enterprises are experiencing severe delays in being paid. Consequently, they are unable to repay their own trade debts and loan interest, let alone principal. Many face the prospect of having to halt production and lay off workers. Ultimately, all this means that NPLs in the banking sector will soar, resulting in many banks experiencing liquidity problems. Thus should the above review find that a bank or other financial institution is suffering from liquidity problems but has good financial performance and management, provision of liquidity assistance should be considered, as happened through the BI liquidity support (BLBI) program during the 1998 crisis. Liquidity assistance will be essential to allow such banks to continue lending. Meanwhile, in the case of a bank or other financial institution identified as suffering liquidity problems due to evident mismanagement (such as lending to its own group companies through nominees, failing to address NPLs resulting in real cash flow, etc.), then policies will be required to force them to immediately consolidate or accept rescue. Second, all mutual funds and investment products must be reviewed to identify as soon as possible a potential for default (remember the state-owned life insurance firm Jiwasraya and other similar cases). This review should be accompanied by focused and effective communication with investors to avoid panic in the financial markets. Third, offshore US dollar corporate bonds needed to be monitored. If a potential for default is identified, an analysis of the systemic impact of such default should be conducted would a default be tolerable or would it have an adverse domino effect on Indonesias entire economy? Fourth, the countrys top 10 banks need to continue to lend selectively, especially to companies experiencing liquidity problems but with good business prospects overall, including MSMEs. Fifth, liquidity flow to the market needs to be maintained through the top 10 banks by providing them with liquidity assistance so that they can continue lending, albeit at lower interest rates (both loan and deposit interest rates). ______ to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Over the past day, Ukraine reported 23 recoveries and five fatalities. Sixty-four medics tested positive for COVID-19 on April 13, which is a quarter of all confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov told a Kyiv briefing broadcast via a video link. "Over the past 24 hours, lab centers across Ukraine PCR-confirmed 270 new COVID-19 cases, including 64 medics. Sixty-nine people were admitted to hospitals, including three children," the minister said, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoUkraine reports growing number of coronavirus recoveries Four patients are on lung ventilators, 23 people recovered, while five died, Stepanov noted. A secret memo has revealed that police are being told to ease up on coronavirus fines after a string of infringements were handed out to people doing everyday tasks. Police have been enforcing stage-three lockdowns across Australia banning all non-essential travel in an attempt to curb the number of people infected with COVID-19. On-the-spot fines for rule-breakers who leave their homes for reasons other than attending school, visiting a terminally ill relative or excising start at $1,652 in Victoria. The memo from Victorian police bosses revealed on Monday showed that top cops have concerns that the public are losing faith in law enforcement officers. It comes after 'inconsistent' fines were handed out to those who were unaware they were breaking the new laws. Last Sunday, 17-year-old Hunter Reynolds was learning to drive with her mother when she was pulled over and fined $1,652. 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) The policewoman said she was breaking social distancing rules by not keeping 1.5 metres away from another person, even though she was only in the car with her mother. A cyclist was fined $1,652 last Wednesday for breaching laws after being stopped by police while driving to a mountain bike trial. The police officer who stopped him scolded him for leaving the house for reasons other than work. 'If you want to exercise you should do a run around your local area,' he said, before slapping the cyclist with a fine. A motorist was given a $1,652 fine for visiting a car wash at 2am in Melbourne. An 'essential worker' has been fined for washing his car at 1.15am. The man shared video footage of him clashing with two Victoria Police officers at a Melbourne car wash on Wednesday (pictured) The man - who took his dog to the car wash with him (pictured) - also accused the officers of breaking social distancing guidelines by stepping within two metres of his personal space The man explained he was working 14-hour days providing fresh product to supermarkets and didn't have time to wash his car during daylight hours. Officers said washing his car was a non-essential reason for leaving the house. THE MOST RIDICULOUS REASONS FOR BEING FINED OR QUESTIONED AMID CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWNS Multitudes of 'inconsistent' fines have been handed out to bewildered Victorians who were unaware they were breaking the new laws. Others claimed they have been 'interrogated' by police. Some of these include: - A 17-year-old was learning to drive with her mother when she was pulled over and fined $1,652. - A married couple were fined $3,000 after posting year-old photos on Facebook. - A cyclist was fined $1,652 for leaving his local area to exercise. - A man was slapped with a fine for washing his car at 2am. - Someone claimed they were scolded by for walking along the beach with their 81-year-old father. Advertisement Earlier this month, Jazz Mott and her husband Garry were fined $3,000 after posting year-old photos of their holiday on Facebook. The couple were shocked when police arrived at their home days after the post. Each case was revoked, spurring police bosses to send an email to their colleagues urging them to only issue fines for blatant and intentional breaches of the lockdown regulations. 'I am concerned that there continues to be an inconsistent approach from our members when enforcing the directives of the Chief Health Officer,' Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said in the internal memo, according to The Age. He explained the lack of discretion when handing out fines undermined the efforts by people trying to do the right thing across the state. The message was sent to sergeants and senior sergeants to pass on to their juniors and included an example of a case where people were fined for painting the inside of a closed cafe. He said the fines were designed to keep the community safe rather than as an enforcement model. 'It is imperative that our actions reflect a community health approach and we rely on enforcement only for high-risk behaviour which is blatant, obvious and deliberate.' Jazz Mott (left) and her husband Garry (right) were issued with two fines totaling $3,300 for 'non-essential' travel after they shared this year-old holiday picture on Facebook When police showed up to give Ms Mott (pictured) the breach notices, they had no idea the holiday snaps at Lakes Entrance (shown above) were actually from 2019 Mr Patton encouraged officers to weigh up whether a person's actions are putting other members of the community at risk when decided whether to issue someone with a warning or a fine. Victorian police issued 250 fines over the Easter long weekend. More than 20,400 spot checks have been carried out by police ensuring people are following the new protocols since March 21. As a result, the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre launched a website so residents can report whether police have acted inappropriately. Reports ranged from people feeling inconvenienced by police questioning to claims of interrogations, searches and arrests. One person reported being told to go home while walking on the beach with their 81-year-old father. 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) They said police followed them home. Legal centre chief executive Anthony Kelly told the publication that many rules are 'ill-defined' and police are causing people 'distress'. 'It's changing people's behaviour, and not in a positive way, to just increase social distancing because people are already doing that.' Queensland police hand out more than $800,000 in coronavirus fines in one day More than $800,000 worth of fines have been handed out to people blatantly ignoring coronavirus restrictions in Queensland. State rules say that people who gather in groups of more than two or leave their homes for non-essential reasons, such as attending school, visiting a terminally ill relative or excising, risk on-the-spot fines of $1,334. A wealthy businessman was fined twice last week after he was allegedly caught picnicking on a beach on Moreton Island - a luxury holiday destination off the Queensland south coast. Days later, police found him on the same beach with his helicopter, where he was fined a total of $2,668. 'The fellow with a helicopter who thought it would be OK to fly to an area against the requirements of the directions, not only once but twice,' Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said on Monday. 'So on both occasions actions have been taken ... that's not on.' A 27-year-old man from Cairns, in the state's far north, was also fined after driving one hour to Port Douglas for a Tinder date. 'The dinner date proved costly, with the man not only springing for the takeaway meal, but also for a $1,334 fine,' police said. Several people were also fined for taking rubbish to Willawong tip, south of Brisbane. Dumping rubbish was not deemed an essential trip, even though the tip remains open to the public. Anna Carter, from NSW, also appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court last week after she was caught twice breaking quarantine. The 45-year-old arrived in Brisbane via train and was ordered to spend two weeks in the Ibis Hotel at Brisbane Airport. She left the hotel the first time to find a Band-Aid for a blister on her foot, then a second time because the hotel didn't provide fresh towels each day. After spending one night in the watchhouse, a magistrate fined her $2,000. Advertisement Victorian police also issued more than $100,000 worth of fines over a 24-hour period on Saturday to people blatantly ignoring restrictions. Nine friends who went to a park in Wyndham Vale, south west of Melbourne, to play a game of rugby were fined. Police also reported multiple instances of private house parties, including nine people who gathered at a short-stay apartment in Melbourne's Southbank. In Queensland, $230,782 worth of fines were given out in just 24 hours on Friday, as police stopped 39,000 cars at the border in just one week. New South Wales police issued 50 fines of $1,000 each to people allegedly breaching public health orders in the same 24 hours. Barriers and digital warning signs to keep people off the beach at Maroubra Beach on April 12. New South Wales police issued 50 fines of $1,000 each to people allegedly breaching public health orders over the weekend A person dressed in an Easter bunny costume meets professional lifeguard at Maroubra Beach on April 12 amid coronavirus lockdowns They included a couple who were spotted out twice in one day and a woman who claimed she was visiting her father 'in the bush' in the Blue Mountains. Another 32-year-old woman was slapped with the fine after being found in Sydney's Surry Hills wandering the streets. Despite being given an official warning the day before, the woman alleged told police 'it's a free country' - and was given a fine. Across Australia, about $1 million worth of fines have been issued since the coronavirus lockdown began. US imperialism more dangerous than coronavirus for international community: Iran president Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 5:11 PM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says US imperialism is a virus, which is "more dangerous" than the new coronavirus for the international community. "Independent and freedom-seeking nations like Iran and Venezuela have always been under pressure as a result of the US statesmen's excessive demands and bullying," Rouhani said in a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday. "Iran and Venezuela have been successfully resisting the aggressive and old virus of the US for years through solidarity and expansion of cooperation," he added. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president pointed to the country's plans and measures to counter the deadly coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, and meet its needs, including with regard to the production of diagnostic testing kits, and expressed Tehran's readiness to share its experience in the fight against the virus with Caracas. Rouhani stressed the importance of further strengthening of bilateral cooperation, saying, "The expansion of cooperation and relations between the two countries will certainly serve the interests of the Iranian and Venezuelan nations." 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. Backed by the Armed Forces, the Iranian government has 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. On Tuesday, Babak Shokri, research deputy at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, said that domestically-developed coronavirus diagnostic test kits, light-weight ventilators and virus-killing facemasks will soon enter the mass-production stage. His comments came after Ali Akbar Velayati, the head of Iran's Masih Daneshvari Hospital, one of the leading medical centers treating patients with the new coronavirus infection in Tehran, said Iran has produced favipiravir for the first time as it continues its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. "Fortunately, favipiravir was produced for the first time at Shahid Beheshti Medical University's School of Pharmacy and has been made available to Masih Daneshvari Hospital to be used for treatment of coronavirus patients," Velayati said. Tehran has repeatedly said it does not seek 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 administration of Donald Trump has not only defied international calls on the US in recent weeks to halt its draconian sanctions on Iran, but has even slapped more such restrictive measures on the Islamic Republic. Washington re-imposed its sanctions on Tehran in May 2018 after unilaterally leaving a historic UN-endorsed nuclear accord with Iran and five other major powers -- the UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany. Iran, Venezuela united in fight against imperialism: Maduro The Venezuelan president, for his part, said Tehran and Caracas have always been united and in the same front in the battle against imperialism. Maduro also hailed the great achievements made by Iran in its fight against coronavirus, saying that all countries are now engaged in a common battle against coronavirus. The Venezuelan president also indicated his country's willingness to take advantage of Iran's experience in fighting against the coronavirus infection. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Military Authorities to initiate a probe into two alleged assault incidents on two journalists by some soldiers. It also called on the Military Authorities to investigate the two cases expeditiously for the culprits to face the full rigors of the law. A statement issued and signed by Mr Kofi Yeboah, General Secretary of the GJA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday, condemned the alleged assaults by the soldiers against the two journalists; Mr Samuel Adobah, a TV Africa Reporter; and Mr Yussif Abdul Ganiyu, a Correspondent of Deutsche Welle, in the line of duty. Mr Adobah was alleged to have been assaulted by one Damfour, a Soldier with Operation Calm Life, at Olebu in the Ga Central Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, where the former was covering a fire outbreak incident on Good Friday. The second incident, involving Mr Ganiyu occurred at Akrem in the Asokore Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region. The reporter was said to be conducting an interview outside Saint Patrick Hotel when he was assaulted by a soldier identified as 2nd Lieutenant Betrot Ampoma. The statement described the two assault cases as highly unprofessional and a stain on the image of the military institution held in high esteem due to their renown in various peacekeeping operations across the world. It said the latest incident was particularly unfortunate as it happened barely 24 hours after the President had delivered his broadcast to the nation on COVID-19 Update 6, in which he had called on the security agencies enforcing the law on lockdown to refrain from human rights abuses. We find the actions of the soldiers unwarranted, arbitrary and barbaric. It is in this light that we urge the Military Authorities to fish out the culprits for sanctions in order to redeem its image from the damage caused by the unprofessional conduct of the soldiers in question. We wish to reiterate that in a democratic dispensation, the rule of law must prevail and be upheld at all times. There are better and more civil ways to enforce the law on lockdown than the resort to brute force, it said. The statement said the GJA is also exploring legal options to find justice for the aggrieved journalists. 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 Smithfield, N.Y. One person was killed and another was injured Tuesday when a car crashed into a tree in Madison County. The deadly accident happened around 1:30 a.m. in Smithfield, Madison County. The Madison County Sheriffs Office is investigating. The vehicle was travelling south on Old County Road when it went off the road and hit a tree, said a county spokeswoman. One person was ejected from the vehicle, she said. A second person in the vehicle was injured. The person thrown from the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The person who survived the crash was transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, the spokeswoman said, and is now in stable condition. For now, the sheriffs office is not releasing additional information about the crash including the names of the people involved in the accident or whether they were wearing seat belts, the spokeswoman said. Deputies were assisted by the New York State Police, Greater Lenox Ambulance and the Smithfield Fire Department. Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety for Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Have a tip or a story idea? Contact her at shouse@syracuse.com. Moscow, April 14 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the military could be deployed to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the country, after the number of cases in the country rose sharply. On Monday, Russia recorded its largest daily rise in confirmed cases, with 2,558 new infections, taking the total to 21,102, with the vast majority of those in Moscow, the BBC reported. The death toll currently stood at 210. "We see that the situation is changing almost daily and, unfortunately, it is not changing for the better," the BBC quoted Putin as saying during a video meeting with top officials on Monday. "The number of sick people is increasing, including more and more cases specifically of the severe form of the disease. The next few weeks will be decisive in many respects," he added. He also pointed to other European countries, such as Italy, that have utilised the military in their response to the global health crisis. "We need to use this experience," he said, adding: "The capabilities of the Russian Defence Ministry, if necessary, can and should be used here." Although Russia' death toll was far lower than in many other European nations such as Italy, Spain and France, experts have warned the country was in the early stages of the epidemic. Lockdown measures have been introduced in the capital Moscow, the worst-hit area, as well as several other regions. People have been asked to stay at home unless there was an essential reason for them to go out. Moscow has introduced an electronic system that issues permits to people who need to leave their homes. But it has been beset by technical issues, which officials have blamed on cyber-attackers, said the BBC report. This is not a major threat to the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States should be worried about right now, Dr. Fauci told Newsmaxs Greg Kelly on January 21. "It isn't something the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about, because we have ways of preparing and screening of people coming in [from China]," National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y., per The Hill. January 26 Fauci doesn't want people to worry about coronavirus, the danger of which is "just minuscule." But he does want them to take precautions against the "influenza outbreak, which is having its second wave." February 17- USA Today FAUCI: No. Right now at this moment, there is no need to change anything that youre doing on a day-by-day basis. Right now the risk is still low, but this could change. Ive said that many times, even on this program. You got watch out, because although the risk is low now, you dont need to change anything youre doing. When you start to see community spread, this could change, and force you to become much more attentive to doing things that would protect you from spread. Today Show 2-29 If you are a healthy young person, there is no reason if you want to go on a cruise ship, go on a cruise ship. White House press conference March 9. Douglas Jones Ooltewah * * * Anybody that wants a test can get a test. Thats what the bottom line is--President Trump March 6, 2020. Steve Perry Chattanooga * * * I totally agree with Mr. Jones' paraphrased article by Dr. Fauci and want to add some statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. " At least 14,000 people have died and 250,000 have already been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 26 million Americans have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms." In other words, you are more likely to contract and die from influenza than COVID-19. So why all the pandemonium and fear from this virus? A lot stems from the fact that we have had vaccines for influenza for decades but there is not one for COVID-19. Government officials ignoring experts like Dr. Fauci and Internet propaganda through social media such as Facebook and Google have caused unnecessary fear and panic. The two social media outlets are putting stop gap measures in place very soon. We have to stop this insanity and put people back to work. If the economy and unemployment get any worse, nothing else really matters. Congress and the Senate are on recess while businesses desperately need support and people need to go about daily life and back to work. Jack Varner * * * "If the economy and unemployment get any worse, nothing else really matters." Really? Death doesn't really matter? If you return to work, come down with COVID-19 and die, it doesn't really matter. I guess that is a matter of perspective. If it's me it really matters! I agree that we have had 24 million cases of flu and 14,000 deaths this flu season which started in September. We have now had 540,000 cases of coronavirus and 24,000 deaths. However, the first coronavirus death was in Washington state on Feb. 29. That's just over six weeks ago! Obviously, COVID-19 is highly contagious and much more dangerous. Both Hong Kong and Singapore restarted their economies after the initial outbreak subsided and had a second wave of the disease that was worse than the first. We need to be very deliberative about restarting our economy. Death in large numbers can be numbing. Death on an individual basis is real personal! Ken Baker * * * Cherry picking quotes is always interesting. I link here a review of 1918 pandemic written by NIH staff. Read it and draw your own conclusions. All of this historical account is replaying medical leaders leading, political infighting, and strong man machinations. Mother Nature really hates humans right now, and she loves a weakness. Collectively, we are giving her our best shot at that. Prentice Hicks * * * It would be a lie if I said that some of these responses are astonishing. To ignore a pandemic (see definition) or minimize it is ignorant at best and criminal at worst. Dr. Fauci has been doing his job for decades and through several presidents...of both parties. He has no reason to placate any of them if hes doing his job correctly. Apparently he is since hes still there. A doctors job is to tell you what you need to hear based upon the information available. At the time that these cherry-picked quotes were made, he was basing those statements on an assumption that widespread testing was available or soon would be. He wasnt the only one that was deceived was he? Once it became apparent that the federal response was woefully inadequate, impossibly overconfident, and not based in reality, Dr. Fauci began to deliver solid information to an unwilling listener in the President. I praise Dr. Fauci for recognizing it is his job to give us, the American people, a voice of controlled reason that neither lies nor sugarcoats facts and without regard to placating the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. What a refreshing difference to hear a voice of solid intelligence, experience, and truth. He has so much respect for the office of the president that he takes the criticism that he does not deserve and absorbs it. He then does it again the next day, and the next. His audience of one has not ever owned a mistake. I suspect thats a tough audience. When history writes this account in our chapter 2020, the differences in his leadership and the president will be obvious. One will read history and the other is furiously rewriting it minute by minute. And incidentally, were the small letter after the presidents name a d instead of an r, those castigating Fauci today would be his biggest fans. Im so discouraged that so many apply the lens of politics to everything which makes it impossible to see truth. And that may be an illness that lasts longer than this pandemic. Todd Rudolph * * * I agree with Mr. Baker and Mr. Rudolph in their rebuttals to the article Anthony Fauci in his own words. I enjoy reading the opinion articles from everyday folks and while I agree with some I am also disturbed by some who really upset me with their words. I too, believe that this virus is a serious crisis that our country as a whole needs to adhere to and help defeat it. But, the remarks by the author of this article and one more upsets me because of their remarks concerning Dr. Fauci and how important getting our economy back to its past state. Dr. Fauci is highly respected in the medical community and statements he made early in this crisis do not need to be misconstrued, he was working with the facts that were available at the time but still offered a word of caution. His previous statements in no way reflect a medical professional who has no idea what they are talking about. He deals in facts and research only. This is not unlike our president who assumes the role of See-All, Knows-All overseer of the daily coronavirus briefings and consumes it with his political statements and videos. The health professionals and cabinet members hardly have a chance to present their findings and opinions relating to this pandemic. And to mention as one citizen implied that the economy must get back at all costs, when this virus could get many times worse due to the lessening of social distancing just to revive the economy is unbelievable. My friends and family are worth more to me than anything economy related in this world. The Texas lieutenant governor and one senator have said the loss of life is a cost to pay to revive our economy. If it was their parents, children, relatives or close friends that was lost due to this virus I suppose they would have a different outlook. We just must pray to our Lord above and practice the advice and recommendations of our health professionals and we will exit this pandemic sooner than later. Clifton W. Duggan Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday said extending the lockdown in Lagos by another 14 days by President Muhammadu Buhari was a tough decision the government had to take in a bid to defeat Coronavirus. Buhari had on Monday announced an extension of the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja in a bid to effectively fight Coronavirus. According to Buhari, in view of rising cases of Coronavirus cases in the country, it had become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight, he said. Reacting to the extension of the lockdown on his twitter handle on Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu said Dear Lagosians, yesterday H.E President Muhammadu Buhari announced a 2 weeks extension of the lockdown. This was a tough decision but like we have seen in countries that couldnt stop the spread of #COVID19, the effects have been catastrophic. My biggest focus now is security and welfare. We are encouraged by the success rate of our isolation and treatment initiatives for #COVID19. Working with the NCDC and Lagos State Ministry of Health Our testing capacity for #COVID-19 has increased and we will continue to do all we can to stop the spread of the virus. As a state, we understand that this lockdown will stretch us because of some structural problems we are contending with, however I want to thank Lagosians for rising up with empathy and strength. We have to do more and the government will do more, lets beat #COVID19 together, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates 'No discrimination' against Africans amid pandemic Global Times By Leng Shumei and Chen Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/14 0:48:40 The controversy over suspected maltreatment and discrimination against Africans in Guangzhou has made headlines on Chinese social media platforms and caused many Chinese authorities, including the Guangzhou government, China's Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies in African countries, to respond, reiterating China's firm stance to equally treat foreigners and domestic residents. China's Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong met with ambassadors or representatives from more than 20 African countries in China on Monday. He discussed China's stance and efforts in detail, reiterating China's friendly policies toward Africans. In terms of China's policies on international arrivals amid controversy over management of Africans in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with reports alleging discrimination against Africans, Chen said that Guangdong, as an open province, faces a huge risk of imported cases. Only strict management and plugging all loopholes can the province sustain the hard-earned achievements in the battle against the epidemic. It is a responsible move not only to Chinese people but to foreigners including Africans in Guangdong. Wang Bin, an official at the National Health Commission (NHC), again stressed that China now requires 14-day quarantine at designated centers for all international arrivals and applies strict management over their close contacts. Guangzhou is applying the same measures as other places across China, she said. A social worker who helps foreign residents in Guangzhou's Yuexiu district report their special needs to communities, told the Global Times on Monday that "there's no such discrimination against the African community," he said, who preferred not to be named. "We collect the special needs of foreign residents, who usually report inconveniences in daily necessities. And then local communities would follow up on food deliveries or the purchase of necessities," he said. "We haven't seen cases of stigmatizing African people here, who account for the most number of foreign residents in the area," he said, noting that a large part of them undergo self-quarantine at home. The Guangzhou authority announced on April 6 an upgrade in the risk level of Yuexiu and Baiyun districts from low to medium to enhanced control against the COVID-19. Five Nigerians living in Kuangquan Street, Yuexiu, were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus while in quarantine. Four of them had frequently visited a local restaurant called Emma Food. The restaurant's owner, a woman surnamed Zhuang, was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus on April 2, the Guangzhou authority said. Guangzhou is a diversified metropolis so it surely is difficult for the government to manage the residents when implementing policies, a teacher surnamed Wang living in Guangzhou told the Global Times on Monday. Wang, a native from Hubei, a province hit hardest by the COVID-19, said that the strict policies apply to all rather than targeting foreigners as reported. "I, a Hubei native who has not gone back to Hubei for two years, was stopped by a guard of the school once I forgot to take my campus card. The guard checked my ID and found out that I am from Hubei and he just did not allow me in until I completed filling out documents." Wang said she was so angry at that time but the move was understandable. "People are not scared of Hubeiers or foreigners, they are just scared of the virus," she noted. "Chinese and foreigners are equal on this. We should make efforts together for our safety and health," she said. Detailed management Wang Bin, the official from the NHC, explained in detail how China is dealing with different categories of international arrivals. First, confirmed and suspected patients as well as people showing symptoms such as fever will be sent to designated medical institutes for isolation and treatment immediately and receive nucleic acid tests. These people's close contacts will be sent to designated quarantine centers for a 14-day quarantine and will also be sent to medical institutes once they show any symptoms. Second, international arrivals aside from those mentioned above can receive two nucleic acid tests at their own expense during the 14-day collective quarantine, separately on the third and the fifth day. They can also receive a test for IgM antibodies. If all three tests show negative results, they can leave the quarantine centers after seven days at the collective quarantine venue and stay at home for a further seven-day quarantine. Third, silent coronavirus carriers confirmed by medical institutes have to complete a 14-day quarantine at designated centers and receive two nucleic acid tests within 24 hours. They can only leave if both tests show negative results. The Chinese mainland had a total of 867 imported cases as of Sunday. Wang said 70 percent of these cases were discovered during quarantine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Retno LP Marsudi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 14:59 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1ccafc 3 Opinion Retno-Marsudi,#COVID19,#coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus,ASEAN-Plus-Three,ASEAN-Summit Free This week, the world saw the COVID-19 infection rate top 1.7 million, with more than 100,000 deaths globally. Although cases in ASEAN countries only account for 1 percent of worldwide cases, the numbers will likely increase as testing continues. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that this pandemic is far from over in the Asia-Pacific region. The specter of a new wave of infection is on the horizon if we do not act swiftly and collectively. COVID-19 is not simply a health crisis. It is a humanitarian tragedy with devastating socio-economic implications. Our region is not immune to such predicament. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected that growth in the Southeast Asia region would drop to 1 percent in 2020. The economic fallout could drive an additional 11 million people in East Asia and the Pacific into poverty, according to the World Bank. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that the share of employment in sectors that were at a high risk of disruption due to COVID-19 in the Asia Pacific was as high as 37.9 percent. Meanwhile, the IMF said it was anticipating the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Therefore, there is no time to be complacent. Proposed by Indonesia to respond to this urgent situation, ASEAN leaders held a special summit, followed by an ASEAN Plus Three Special Summit via video conference on Tuesday, aimed at bolstering regional coordination and response against COVID-19 and mitigating its socioeconomic impact on the region. The ASEAN Summit is especially important as ASEAN countries had the opportunity to hear from China and South Korea, which were hit earlier by the virus and have shown results in flattening the curve. These summits take place at a time whereby a collective regional response is highly needed. In both summits, President Joko Jokowi Widodo addressed that urgency by underlining the importance of strengthening unity, solidarity, synergy and collaboration in the region. From Indonesias perspective, our regional cooperation must be focused on four important areas. First, suppressing further spread of COVID-19. We all share the responsibility to ensure all countries in the region have the necessary support and capacity to prevent, detect, control and respond to the pandemic. Concrete collaboration could make a big difference in terms of how many lives we could save. This could translate into joint development of an antivirus and vaccine for COVID-19, and capacity-building for medical professionals and healthcare workers, including through the ASEAN+3 Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN). We should also consider developing a platform for private sectors involvement to support these efforts. Equally important is intensifying exchange of information on the latest developments, best practices and lessons learned in real-time more regularly as some countries have shown positive signs in flattening the curve. Breaking the chain of COVID-19 requires each country to prevent the virus from spreading beyond its borders. Therefore, during the ASEAN Summit, President Jokowi suggested that ASEAN develop a protocol for cross-border public health responses to help contact tracing and outbreak investigation, as an important element of ASEANs standard operating procedure for public health emergencies. Additionally, Indonesia also welcomes the proposal to establish a COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund to scale up our efforts to contain COVID-19. Second, preserving the sustainability of regional supply chains. At this critical juncture, a steady supply of food, medicine and medical equipment are essential. Temporary restrictions on the movement of people should not restrict trade within the region. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that experience from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa shows restrictions of movement and disease containment efforts affected food production and access. We certainly do not wish for this health crisis to spiral into a food security crisis. To avoid this calamity, countries in the region might consider the utilization of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR). Indonesia remains committed to keeping its critical infrastructure for trade and trading routes open. In this respect, President Jokowi proposed that ASEAN adopt a special arrangement to ensure the unimpeded flow of essential goods during this outbreak. Third, protecting our people. As each ASEAN country adopts their own national measures to contain COVID-19, we must not lose sight of our commitment to assisting and protecting our nationals, particularly the vulnerable ones, in other ASEAN countries. Nearly 7 million workers migrate within ASEAN countries. I believe that they are at the heart of our community building process. With more than 1 million Indonesians working in Singapore and Malaysia, I have been in close contact with my counterparts to ensure the protection of our migrant workers in their respective countries. Fourth, mitigating economic consequences of COVID-19. The two summits resulted in the commitment to boost confidence and improve the regional economy, including through policy stimulus and assistance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). President Jokowi called for the strengthening of existing mechanisms to support regional financial stability, such as the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) and Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization. We must contribute to revitalizing international trade as a means to promote regional economic recovery. This includes instilling confidence in Southeast Asia as a trade and investment hub. All in all, it is only by strengthening our unity and solidarity can the region win this battle against COVID-19. It is in the DNA of ASEAN as one family to always stand ready to help each other. Now is the time to translate that into concrete actions to jointly fight this common challenge. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The leftward transformation of Virginia since President Trump was elected crescendoed over the weekend, with the governor signing into law protections for L.G.B.T. residents, gun background checks, no jail time for simple marijuana possession and early voting. The flurry of new measures enacted by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a Democrat, came five months after members of his party took control of the Legislature back from Republicans for the first time in more than 20 years. Mr. Northam had been facing a deadline of midnight Saturday for signing bills into law. In Virginia, Democrats have developed a political advantage in the heavily populated northern suburbs of Washington, where Hispanic and Asian voters make up a growing part of the electorate, as well as in places with a significant African-American population like Norfolk. Democrats have used that upper hand to remake a state that was once the seat of the Confederacy and known as a conservative bastion, one that the political scientist V.O. Key Jr. described as political museum piece. He wrote that, by comparison to Virginia, Mississippi was a hotbed of democracy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 02:15:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of the Joint Statement of the Special ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) issued on Tuesday. WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, held the Special ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via videoconference on 14 April 2020. The Summit was chaired by H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Viet Nam, in his capacity as the Chair of ASEAN. DEEPLY CONCERNED about the unprecedented and severe challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the well-being, livelihood and safety of our peoples and its adverse impact on the socio-economic development of our respective countries and the world at large. EXPRESSING deepest condolences and sympathies for the loss of life and suffering caused by the pandemic. RECOGNISING the exponential spread and severity of COVID-19, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. EMPHASIZING our gratitude and support to all medical professionals, healthcare workers and other frontline personnel who have been working with all their hearts and minds to fight the pandemic, saving people's lives. ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of people's participation in preventing and controlling COVID-19. WELCOMING steps taken by International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to support countries in need by using and enhancing their instruments in response to their members' urgent needs. SUPPORTING the call by the United Nations Secretary-General for all nations to respond decisively, innovatively and collectively to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socio-economic impact of COVID-19. NOTING the commitment expressed by the G20 Leaders in their Extraordinary Summit statement of 26 March 2020 to present a united front against the common threat of COVID-19. STRESSING the important role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the global campaign to control and contain the spread of COVID-19, recognising the importance of implementing the health measures under the International Health Regulations (2005) and underscoring the necessity for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in addressing public health challenges such as COVID-19; COGNISANT of the important role of APT cooperation for peace, security and prosperity in the East Asian region. Emphasising the significance of health cooperation and its existing mechanisms in addressing public health challenges, including our successful partnership in fighting the SARS pandemic in 2003. COMMENDING the timely and active efforts by the APT Health cooperation platforms and among the Plus Three partners in jointly responding to COVID-19 from its early outbreak. NOTING with satisfaction the encouraging outcomes of the Special Video Conference of the APT Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development on 3 February 2020, the China-Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers' Special Video Conference on COVID-19 on 20 March 2020; the Special Video Conference of the APT Health Ministers in enhancing cooperation on COVID-19 on 7 April 2020. RECOGNISING the decisions to re-organize a number of major events including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. WELCOMING the ASEAN Chairman's Statement of 14 February 2020 and the Declaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 of 14 April 2020 that demonstrated ASEAN's highest-level commitment on collective response to the outbreak of COVID-19, in the spirit of a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN. Supporting ASEAN's multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder, whole-of-community approach to address the multi-faceted challenges posed by COVID-19. REAFFIRMING our shared commitment to strengthen solidarity, enhance cooperation and mutual support among the APT countries to control and contain the spread of the pandemic, addressing the adverse impact of the pandemic on our societies and economies. To this aim, we hereby resolve to: 1. STRENGTHEN the early warning system in the region for pandemics and other epidemic diseases as well as regular, timely, and transparent exchange of real-time information on the situation on the ground and measures taken by each country in combating COVID-19; sharing of experience and best practices, extending mutual technical support in the prevention, containment and control of transmission as well as clinical treatment of infected cases. Support strong, collective and orchestrated response for control and treatment to harness synergies for effective curbing of COVID-19 measures that are relevant and appropriate to the severity and further evolution of the disease in Member States and within the region, as guided by: national risk assessments; the periodic reports on Risk Assessment on the International Dissemination of COVID-19 in the ASEAN Region; and, subsequent video conferences of the ASEAN Plus Three SOMHD on policy and strategic matters, and the ASEAN EOC Network on technical concerns. 2. ENHANCE national and regional capacities to prepare for and respond to pandemics, including the protection of healthcare workers and other frontline personnel, and the provision of adequate medicines and medical supplies, especially diagnostic tools, personal protective equipment, medical equipment, by adhering to the objectives of efficacy, safety and accessibility. 3. CONSIDER setting up an APT reserve of essential medical supplies that enables rapid response to emergency needs. Encourage tapping on existing regional emergency reserve facilities including the warehouses managed by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), among others, further consider the utilisation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR). 4. SUPPORT ongoing regional collective efforts by the APT health cooperation sector and by ASEAN to enhance capacities to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats, leveraging on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and through existing mechanisms, including, among others, the ASEAN Emergency Operations Center Network for public health emergencies (ASEAN EOC Network) and the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Centre. 5. STRENGTHEN scientific cooperation in epidemiological research, including through the APT Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN), coordination, including with the private sector, towards rapid, research, development, manufacturing and distribution of diagnostics anti-viral medicines and vaccines, adhering to the objectives of efficiency, safety, equity accessibility and affordability as well as actively share and leverage on digital technologies and innovation to promote a science-based response to combat COVID-19. 6. ENCOURAGE mutual support and assistance between ASEAN and the Plus Three countries in the development of human resources and capacity for the public health sector, including support for upgrading of health facilities for infection prevention and control, training of public health workers and provision of scholarships for students from ASEAN Member States to study in educational and training institutions and related fields of sciences of the Plus Three countries and strengthen the national health systems. 7. ENDEAVOUR to ensure adequate financing to contain the pandemic and protect our peoples, including through the proposed establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund for public health emergencies which would be reallocated from existing ASEAN+1 and APT cooperation funds, with possible additional support from ASEAN's external partners. 8. ENHANCE cooperation to provide appropriate support and assistance to nationals of the APT countries, especially the most vulnerable, who stay, work, and study in each other's countries, working towards the dignity, health, well-being, safety and fair and effective treatment of those affected by COVID-19 as well as facilitating the movement of people as appropriate. 9. INTENSIFY efforts to promote effective public communication, involving multiple forms of media, including timely updates of relevant government policies, public health and safety information, of clarifications on misinformation and fake news, and efforts to reduce stigmatisation and discrimination. 10. REAFFIRM commitments to keep markets open for trade and investment, and enhance cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three countries with a view to ensuring food security, such as the utilisation of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), and strengthening the resiliency and sustainability of regional supply chains, especially for essential goods such as food, commodities, medicines and medical supplies through smooth and continued operation of the logistics networks, while ensuring that measures deemed necessary for public health emergency response are targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary and that they do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to regional supply chains, and are consistent with WTO rules. 11. ENCOURAGE to maintain necessary interconnectedness in the region by facilitating to the extent possible the essential movement of people, including business travels, while ensuring the safeguarding of public health in line with our efforts to combat the pandemic as well as to minimize socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19. 12. REAFFIRM our commitments to strengthen joint efforts toward post-pandemic recovery, stimulate economic development and financial resilience, restore growth, connectivity and tourism, maintain market stability, and prevent potential risks of economic recession. 13. IMPLEMENT appropriate and necessary measures to boost market confidence to improve stability and resilience of the regional economy in a preemptive and concerted manner, including through economic stimulus, and to assist people and businesses suffering from the impact of COVID-19, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and vulnerable groups. Leverage technologies and digital trade to allow businesses, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to maintain operations. 14. STRENGTHEN efforts to stabilise the manufacturing and supply of essential goods and services, including vital medical supplies, critical agricultural products, maintain necessary flow of goods and services and sustain supply chain connectivity within the region and beyond by making the supply chain more resilient, sustainable and less vulnerable to shocks in order to support economic development, reaffirming our commitment described in the Joint Leader's Statement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership released in 2019 15. REMAIN vigilant to the potential risks to regional financial stability, foster closer regional financial cooperation and policy coordination and support the ASEAN Plus Three Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) in monitoring the economic and financial development in the region and providing timely risk assessment and policy advice. Reaffirm our commitment to the readiness of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), the Regional Financial Arrangement (RFA), as a reliable layer of the Global Financial Safety Net. 16. COMMIT to work closely with the WHO, relevant organisations and the international community as well as encourage public-private partnership (PPP) and a whole-of-society approach in the global fight against the pandemic, while tackling the profound social and economic consequences of COVID-19, protecting people's well-being and sustaining growth. 17. STAY united on high alert and be ready to take any further action that may be required. 18. TASK the APT Foreign Ministers to serve as the main coordinating body, in close collaboration with the relevant sectoral bodies within the APT framework, to monitor the implementation of the commitments and agreements underscored in this Statement. Adopted on this 14th day of April, 2020. If US states ease national lockdowns and oil demand improves, oil prices could recover to $40-$45 a barrel by the end of this year, the chief executive of Gazprom Neft told Russian business daily Kommersant in an interview. However, Alexander Dyukov said this was an optimistic scenario that envisaged a relatively quick recovery of economic activity during the second half of the year. Right now, he said, it is not easy to predict where oil demand will go and expecting a sharp rise in prices would be unrealistic. When asked about the OPEC+ deal that was this time joined by other producers, including Brazil, Norway, and the United States, Dyukov said it was too early to tell whether it was a success. Dyukov noted that a production cut is necessary for all producers. OPEC+ agreed this weekend to remove 9.7 million bpd of oil from global markets, beginning in May. The cuts will be in effect for two months, after which they would relax to 7.7 million bpd until the end of 2020. The cuts will then drop to 5.8 million bpd, which will remain in effect until April 2022. Russias portion of the total OPEC+ cuts is 18 percent, Dyukov said, adding that this was the same portion that the country had in the first OPEC+ deal. With the new non-OPEC participants are factored in, Russias share of the total cuts falls to less than 15 percent. Premium: U.S. Oil Production Has Already Peaked Oil prices reacted weakly to the news about the OPEC+ deal and the news that G20 oil producers will also contribute to the production cuts. After an initial spike, they trimmed their gains. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $32.22 a barrel with West Texas Intermediate at $22.72 a barrel, suggesting that market players are still concerned about the demand side of the oil equation. Speaking of demand, Gazprom Nefts Dyukov told Kommersant it was time to change the way the oil market is regulated. Over the long term, he said, it is important to move away from targeting the five-year supply average to targeting the rise in oil demand. Simply put, according to the executive, OPEC+ can choose part of the global oil demand, say 50 percent, and plan its production in such a way as to satisfy this portion. This, Dyukov says, will, on the one hand, prevent the squeezing out of other oil market players and, on the other, demotivate investments in costly new production projects. In the end, this would allow it to keep prices at an acceptable level, which Duykov sees at $50 a barrel. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Photographs taken by a worker at Detroits Sinai-Grace hospital have revealed an institution overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases struggling to find facilities to store and dispose of bodies. In the images, which were released to CNN by an emergency room worker, full bodybags are seen piled up in rooms usually used for storage and medical studies. Others are seen piled up in refrigerated units in the hospitals parking lot. CNN confirmed the validity of the images with two anonymous hospital workers. The scenes resemble images from hospitals in New York, which is struggling to cope with the number of Covid-19 victims. There, refrigerated trucks have been repurposed as mortuaries, while unclaimed bodies are being buried on Hart Island. Sinai-Grace recently saw emergency room nurses stage a sit-in as they demanded more nurses be brought in to help them manage the influx of new patients. However, the hospitals intensive care caseload has reportedly dropped in recent days as the number of hospitalisations begins to fall. Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, which has so far recorded around 1,600 deaths. While the rate of new infections there is said to be slowing down somewhat, governor Gretchen Whitmer has warned that lifting the states stay-at-home order could be disastrous. Ms Whitmer, a Democrat, recently found herself in a spat with Donald Trump, who referred to her as that woman in Michigan and complained she was not appreciative enough of his administrations assistance. She has lately reiterated that her states hospitals are dangerously low on personal protective equipment needed to safeguard medical workers against infection, while the states top doctor acknowledged that hospitals are still overwhelmed. Detroit recently lost a bus driver to coronavirus two weeks after he raised the alarm about riders with symptoms failing to take responsibility for others safety. Jason Hargrove posted a video on Facebook in mid-March warning that the virus is for real and recounting how a woman boarded his bus only to cough in close proximity to several other passengers. One in five of the citys bus drivers is now in quarantine. A 93-year-old woman self-isolating in her home has received 150 cans of beer from a brewing company after a photo of her holding a handwritten sign asking for beer went viral. Olive Veronesi has been told to stay indoors at her home in Seminole, Pennysylvania, because of the coronavirus pandemic. But when she began running out of beer, she wrote a message on a miniature whiteboard asking for more. A relative took a photo of Ms Veronesi smiling with a can of Coors Light beer, while holding her sign which reads: I NEED MORE BEER! The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA The picture has been shared far and wide on social media, eventually reaching the attention of brewing company Coors Light. The makers of the beer decided to gift Ms Veronesi a number of cases, containing a total of 150 cans of beer. Loading.... When the delivery arrived, Ms Veronesi immediately drank a can on her porch. She told KDKA-TV: "I was on my last 12 cans, I have a beer every night, you know what, beer has vitamins in it, it's good for you, as long as you don't overdo it." Molson Coors' Mark Linder, who delivered the beer, said: "My associate and I put in 10 cases of beer, and drove up, and made sure Olive got her beer so she can continue her healthy regimen of a Coors Light a day." The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it would provide immediate debt relief to 25 member countries under its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to allow them to focus more financial resources on fighting the coronavirus pandemic. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the fund's executive board approved on Monday the first batch of countries to receive grants to cover their debt service obligations to the fund for an initial six months. She said the CCRT had about $500 million in resources on hand, including new pledges of $185 million from Britain, $100 million from Japan, and undisclosed amounts from China, the Netherlands and others. The fund is pushing to raise the amount available to $1.4 billion. About $215 million of the total would be used for grants to the first 25 countries over the next six months, with extensions possible up to two years, an IMF spokeswoman said. "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," Georgieva said in a statement. She urged other donor countries to help replenish the CCRT and boost the fund's ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to its poorest member countries. Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, a non-profit group, said the grants would help the IMF's poorest members, including the Central African Republic, which has only three critical-care unit beds for a population of 5 million. "It's a great start, but we need more donors to be able to offer this relief," he said, adding that the IMF should also consider selling some of its gold reserves, now worth an estimated $140 billion, as was done in past crises. An IMF spokesman said the fund was looking at actions that could be taken quickly, but "another sale of gold reserves is not currently on the table." The IMF in March approved changes that would allow the CCRT to provide up to two years of debt service relief to the fund's poorest members as they responded to the outbreak of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The changes enabled countries to request the aid even if the outbreak had not yet caused significant impact. More than 1.8 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 115,242 have died, according to a Reuters tally. 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 A precursor of the CCRT was used for Haiti after the devastating earthquake that struck the island nation in 2010. Renamed CCRT, it was also used to provide relief to countries affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The first countries that will receive debt service relief from the CCRT are Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo and Yemen, the IMF said. Also read: World Bank says coronavirus severely disrupted Indian economy, pegs FY21 growth at 1.5% at worst Also read: PM Modi Speech Live Updates: Lockdown extended till May 3 TEHRAN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian government spokesman said Monday the United States cannot obstruct Iran's request for an emergency loan from International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight the novel coronavirus. "The U.S. is legally in no position to disrupt the activities of international institutions, and international institutions are not the private properties of the White House," said Ali Rabiee. "Iran has paid the IMF its share and now the people of Iran have a legitimate right to enjoy the facilities provided by the fund," he added. On March 12, the Central Bank of Iran announced that it had asked the IMF for a 5-billion-dollar loan to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. However, reports said later that the United States had blocked Iran's request for the emergency loan. A supernova at least twice as bright and energetic, and likely much more massive than any yet recorded has been identified by an international team of astronomers, led by the University of Birmingham. The team, which included experts from Harvard, Northwestern University and Ohio University, believe the supernova, dubbed SN2016aps, could be an example of an extremely rare 'pulsational pair-instability' supernova, possibly formed from two massive stars that merged before the explosion. Their findings are published today in Nature Astronomy. Such an event so far only exists in theory and has never been confirmed through astronomical observations. Dr Matt Nicholl, of the School of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, is lead author of the study. He explains: "We can measure supernovae using two scales - the total energy of the explosion, and the amount of that energy that is emitted as observable light, or radiation. "In a typical supernova, the radiation is less than 1 per cent of the total energy. But in SN2016aps, we found the radiation was five times the explosion energy of a normal-sized supernova. This is the most light we have ever seen emitted by a supernova." In order to become this bright, the explosion must have been much more energetic than usual. By examining the light spectrum, the team were able to show that the explosion was powered by a collision between the supernova and a massive shell of gas, shed by the star in the years before it exploded. "While many supernovae are discovered every night, most are in massive galaxies," said Dr Peter Blanchard, from Northwestern University and a coauthor on the study. "This one immediately stood out for further observations because it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. We weren't able to see the galaxy where this star was born until after the supernova light had faded." The team observed the explosion for two years, until it faded to 1 per cent of its peak brightness. Using these measurements, they calculated the mass of the supernova was between 50 to 100 times greater than our sun (solar masses). Typically supernovae have masses of between 8 and 15 solar masses. "Stars with extremely large mass undergo violent pulsations before they die, shaking off a giant gas shell. This can be powered by a process called the pair instability, which has been a topic of speculation for physicists for the last 50 years," says Dr Nicholl. "If the supernova gets the timing right, it can catch up to this shell and release a huge amount of energy in the collision. We think this is one of the most compelling candidates for this process yet observed, and probably the most massive." "SN2016aps also contained another puzzle," added Dr Nicholl. "The gas we detected was mostly hydrogen - but such a massive star would usually have lost all of its hydrogen via stellar winds long before it started pulsating. One explanation is that two slightly less massive stars of around, say 60 solar masses, had merged before the explosion. The lower mass stars hold onto their hydrogen for longer, while their combined mass is high enough to trigger the pair instability." "Finding this extraordinary supernova couldn't have come at a better time," according to Professor Edo Berger, a coauthor from Harvard University. "Now that we know such energetic explosions occur in nature, NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope will be able to see similar events so far away that we can look back in time to the deaths of the very first stars in the Universe." Supernova 2016aps was first detected in data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS), a large-scale astronomical survey programme. The team also used data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Keck and Gemini Observatories, in Hawaii, and the MDM and MMT Observatories in Arizona. Other collaborating institutions included Stockholm University, Copenhagen University, California Institute of Technology, and Space Telescope Science Institute. The research was funded through a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellowship, along with grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Horizon 2020 European Union Framework. Notes to editor: The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries. Nicholl et al (2020). 'An extremely energetic supernova from a very massive star in a dense medium'. Nature Astronomy. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. The European Union has donated N21 billion to help Nigeria in the fight against coronavirus. This was disclosed Tuesday by the spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, in a statement. Mr Adesina said President Buhari thanked the EU for the donation and commiserated with EU Member States for the losses suffered from COVID-19. Read the full statement by Mr Adesina below. COVID 19: PRESIDENT BUHARI LAUDS EU DONATION OF N21 BILLION President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja commended the European Union for donating the sum of N21 billion (50 million Euros) to support Nigerias efforts at controlling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Receiving the EU delegation to the country, led by Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, President Buhari said the donation would go a long way in supporting Nigerias efforts at controlling and containing the virus to prevent community spread, as well as revitalise the national health care systems. The president used the occasion to express sincere condolences of the Government and people of Nigeria to EU-member countries and families who lost their loved ones as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and communities impacted. We are confident from history that the resilience of Europe and our global collective will enable us to emerge stronger from this tragedy. Although the EU is facing significant challenges due to this pandemic, I am indeed touched and grateful that the European Union still had the vision and foresight to remember its friends, partners and allies across the world, he said. The president also lauded EU on the recent launch of the Team Europe package to support countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. The president noted that the intervention, which is a collaboration between EU, its member states, and financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, would go a long way in ensuring the impact of this pandemic was controlled and contained. Indeed, this brotherly support will save millions of lives. Nigeria, Africa and many beneficiary countries across the world will remain grateful for generations to come, he said. The president told the delegation that his administration had done a lot to date in the fight against COVID-19. So far, the number of confirmed cases in Nigeria is 343. Our efforts as a Government have focused on controlling and containing the virus to prevent community spread. I want to assure you that in this fight, Nigerians are united and by the grace of God and the continued support from our partners, we shall succeed, he said. In his remarks, Ambassador Karlsen described the donation, channelled through the UN COVID-19 basket fund as, so far, the largest single contribution to the response in Nigeria and the largest support that EU is providing anywhere outside Europe. We heard your call for assistance and the EU has reacted swiftly as a demonstration of our true partnership, he said. The EU ambassador congratulated the president for a very powerful address to the nation last night, stressing indeed the current situation is no joke and we wish to commend you for taking bold and necessary measures. He also announced that the Union was mobilising other sources of funding, noting that they have already paid 1.2 million euros to UNICEF, and goods purchased through that funding are expected in the country soon. Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) Advertisements April 14, 2020 When the American physicist Arthur Compton discovered that light waves behave like particles in 1922, and could knock electrons out of atoms during an impact experiment, it was a milestone for quantum mechanics. Five years later, Compton received the Nobel Prize for this discovery. Compton used very shortwave light with high energy for his experiment, which enabled him to neglect the binding energy of the electron to the atomic nucleus. Compton simply assumed for his calculations that the electron rested freely in space. During the following 90 years up to the present, numerous experiments and calculations have been carried out with regard to Compton scattering that continually revealed asymmetries and posed riddles. For example, it was observed that in certain experiments energy seemed to be lost when the motion energy of the electrons and light particles (photons) after the collision were compared with the energy of the photons before the collision. Since energy cannot simply disappear, it was assumed that in these cases, contrary to Compton's simplified assumption, the influence of the nucleus on the photon-electron collision could not be neglected. For the first time in an impact experiment with photons, a team of physicists led by Professor Reinhard Dorner and doctoral candidate Max Kircher at Goethe University Frankfurt have now simultaneously observed the ejected electrons and the motion of the nucleus. To do so, they irradiated helium atoms with X-rays from the X-ray source PETRA III at the Hamburg accelerator facility DESY. They detected the ejected electrons and the charged rest of the atom (ions) in a COLTRIMS reaction microscope, an apparatus that Dorner helped develop and which is able to make ultrafast reactive processes in atoms and molecules visible. The results were surprising. First, the scientists observed that the energy of the scattering photons was of course conserved and was partially transferred to a motion of the nucleus (more precisely: the ion). Moreover, they also observed that an electron is sometimes knocked out of the nucleus when the energy of the colliding photon is actually too low to overcome the binding energy of the electron to the nucleus. Overall, the electron was only ejected in the direction one would expect in a billiard impact experiment in two thirds of the cases. In all other instances, the electron is seemingly reflected by the nucleus and sometimes even ejected in the opposite direction. Reinhard Dorner: "This allowed us to show that the entire system of photon, ejected electron and ion oscillate according to quantum mechanical laws. Our experiments therefore provide a new approach for experimental testing of quantum mechanical theories of Compton scattering, which plays an important role, particularly in astrophysics and X-ray physics." ### Publication: Kinematically complete experimental study of Compton scattering at helium atoms near the ionization threshold. Max Kircher (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany (GU)), Florian Trinter (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany, and Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin), Sven Grundmann (GU), Isabel Vela-Perez (GU), Simon Brennecke (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Nicolas Eicke (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Jonas Rist (GU), Sebastian Eckart (GU), Salim Houamer (University Setif-1, Algeria), Ochbadrakh Chuluunbaatar (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia (JINR); National University of Mongolia, Ulan-Bator), Yuri V. Popov (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; JINR), Igor P. Volobuev (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia), Kai Bagschik (DESY) M. Novella Piancastelli (Sorbonne Universites, Paris, France; Uppsala University, Sweden) Manfred Lein (Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany), Till Jahnke (GU), Markus S. Schoer (GU), Reinhard Dorner (GU) Nature Physics, DOI 10.1038/s41567-020-0880-2; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0880-2 Pictures may be downloaded here: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/87402622 Caption Graphics: Artist view of the process and cross section for Compton scattering (front) and the COLTRIMS reaction microscope which enabled the experiment (back). Photons (wiggly line) hit an electron in the atom in the centre of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope knocking out an electron (red ball) and leaving an ion (blue ball) behind. Both particles are guided by electric and magnetic fields toward detectors (red and blue discs.) Copyright: Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany Caption Photo: Selfie of Max Kircher in front of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope. Further information: Professor Reinhard Dorner Institute for Atomic Physics Goethe University Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Strasse 1 60438 Frankfurt Telephone +49 69 798 47003 doerner@atom.uni-frankfurt.de http://www.atom.uni-frankfurt.de Current news about science, teaching, and society can be found on GOETHE-UNI online (http://www.aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de) Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt am Main. The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is one of the three largest universities in Germany. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it is a partner in the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de Publisher: The President of Goethe University Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de. Post-coronavirus catastrophe in Bangladesh's New Year economy April 14,2020 | Source: Daily Industry A messy situation has been created in the businesses of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangladesh calendar, due to onslaught of deadly novel coronavirus putting the countrys economy at a stake. Bussinessmen, who took preparation to run a brisk business rounding the Pahela Baishak, also the countrys biggest cultural festival, are now apprehending to incur losses at around Tk 30,000 crore in this season as they cant carry their trading under the lockdown imposed by the government centering the novel coronavirus epidemic. As a result, they see darkness and are looking for way how to survive. It is known by everyone that, Pahela Baishakh is a largest traditional festival of Bengali culture. Businesses get momentum each year during this season rounding the Baishakhi festival. Cities or towns even remote villages used to wear with a festive mood centering the Pahela Baishakh each year. Baishaki fairs used to arrange at different places in the country along with availability of various local goods including earthenware and native dresses. People used to take taste of different traditional foods like Panta-Ilish (Hilsha), Doi-Chira on the first day of Bengali year. But, this year, all the arrangements have become inverted due to onslaught of deadly coronavirus across the world. The government has already stopped all the function in a bid to tackle the outbreak of coronavirus. Consequently, a negative impact has fallen on the Pahela Baishakh related all businesses that may cause of incur Tk 15,000 crore directly and Tk 30,000 crore indirectly, experts said. Local traders said, each year, clothing industries earn huge amount of money centering the Pahela Baishakh. The sale of Hilsha fishes goes up and trade of potteries gets momentum. But, this year all the businesses have been halted as people cant get out of homes in fear of coronavirus infection under the undeclared lockdown. All the Pahela Baishakh based businesses are now facing catastrophe. Among the traders, entrepreneurs of small and medium sector are worst affected as there is a high demand of SME goods rounding the Pahela Baishakh festival. Nogen Chandra, a potter of Bhadraghat village in Sirajganj district told The Daily Industry that he has no way to reclaim the losses as he produced huge number of earthenware ahead of Pahela Baishakh after taking Tk 3 lakh as loan from a local NGO. But now, his all products have remained unsold due to lockdown for corona outbreak. Abdul Kashem, a fish trader of Karwan Bazar said, I used to run brisk business of Hilsha fishes and earn good profit each year ahead of Pahela Baishakh. But, this year, there is no selling and purchasing of Hilsha fishes due to lack of customers in the market during the Pahela Baishakh, he said. Like Nogen and Kashem, many traders have now sat on the way incurring huge losses for want of selling. Even, they dont have any idea how to overcome the situation, many sufferers said. Helal Uddin, President of Shop Owners Association said, Businessmen especially the small and medium entrepreneurs invested around 20 percent higher money than the previous years. But, all the preparations have wasted due to onslaught of coronavirus. Many traders cant pay the salaries of their workers. They are now leading miserable life along with their family members. Dr Khandakar Golam Moazzem, Research Director of CPD said, Only the government can protect the small and medium entrepreneurs by creating various opportunities for them. Otherwise, they will face dire consequences in future damaging the backbone of countrys economy. Daily Industry Theme(s): Others. Vijayawada, April 14 : A month-long ordeal of a group of Telugu students finally ended on Tuesday as they finally returned to their native state Andhra Pradesh, after they were evacuated from COVID-19 affected Italy. The group comprising 33 students had started off for home from Delhi in a bus four days ago, with 28 of them arriving in their home state early Tuesday. One student got down on the way in his home state Chhattisgarh, whereas four alighted in north Andhra. The remaining 28 reached Vijayawada. Officials noted down their details and handed them over to their parents. The students belonging to Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Kadapa and Nellore districts left for their homes while those from Krishna district were taken to a government-run hospital in Vijayawada for medical checkup. The group faced hardships on the way from Delhi due to the lockdown. The bus was stopped in Chhattisgarh for lockdown violation. They were kept in a government school and it was only after the intervention of Andhra Pradesh government and Ministry of Home Affairs that the bus was released and allowed to proceed further. The group -- including five girls -- was earlier airlifted from Milan and other COVID-19 affected areas of Italy by a special Air India flight and arrived in Delhi on March 15. They said their immigration formalities were cleared on the runway itself and they were whisked away to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp at Chhawla for 14-day quarantine. However, they spent another fortnight in the camp due to the lockdown. The students said they were regularly checked and all of them tested negative on March 15 and 29. Thereafter, they hired a bus with their own money and with help from friends. "We had to pay Rs 3 lakh as we were told at the ITBP camp to arrange our own transport to go back home," a student said. Correctional officer prison guard supervisor Shutterstock The Florida Department of Correctional Facilities and Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises announced on April 11 that some prison inmates would begin producing cloth face masks. However, the face masks they will produce will go to correctional officers, probation officers, and staff before they go to inmates. The news comes as the coronavirus has swept across correctional facilities, which doctors told Insider are often "fertile grounds for infectious disease." Concerns over the infection spreading within prison walls have prompted some states to release thousands of prisoners. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. As the novel coronavirus sweeps across Florida correctional facilities, inmates will begin making face masks. However, inmates, the most vulnerable group to contracting COVID-19 in prison, will be the last in line to get the protective gear they're producing. The Florida Department of Correctional Facilities (FDC) and Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises, an employment training program within FDC, announced on Saturday that prison inmates who work in clothing production would transition to making cloth face masks according to guidelines set by the CDC. "It's critical we take all precautions necessary to minimize the potential risk to the inmate population and staff charged with their care and custody," FDC Secretary Mark Inch said in a press release. The statement from the FDC added that the use of cloth face coverings were recommended to help curb the infections in FDC facilities, where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. The FDC noted that correctional officers would get first dibs on the cloth face masks produced by inmates, followed by probation officers and other staff in "high-risk geographic areas of the state." That leaves sick Florida inmates at the back of the line to get the protective gear. Story continues The announcement comes as FDC grapples with how to get the coronavirus under control within prison walls. As of Saturday, there were 35 inmates and 44 employees statewide who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Miami Herald reported. At Blackwater River Correctional Facility, a private prison owned by the GEO Group, inmates are only released from their cells an hour a day to curb the spread of infection. "I think it's ironic that you would make the sick inmates make masks for the guards," one woman whose son is locked up at Blackwater told the Herald. "I'm just thankful that at this point my son is not sick." Inmates are among the most vulnerable populations in the novel coronavirus outbreak Inmates and their advocates have demanded more protection for prisoners, who are essentially powerless from protecting themselves. Dr. Burton Bentley II, an emergency medicine physician and founder of the consulting firm Elite Medical Experts, told Business Insider that the confines of US prisons are often "fertile grounds for infectious disease" because of how tightly packed they are. Some local governments in Texas, California, and New York, have begun temporarily releasing elderly and low-level inmates to help ease the crowded prison populations. The lack of social distancing compounded by pervasive issues with access to health care and poor living conditions within American prisons only make inmates more susceptible to the deadly virus. As their health hangs in the balance, Florida inmates who do not appear to have been stricken by COVID-19 have been enlisted to help make various essential items amid the pandemic, including hand sanitizer, hand wash, and protective gear. Inch acknowledged the challenges with social distancing due to the prison environment in a letter to families with incarcerated loved ones. However, Inch claimed that FDC staff would be the first to get the facemasks because "they are the greater risk to your loved ones." "I will start issuing the coverings first to staff because they are the greater risk to your loved ones," Inch wrote. "But over the next two weeks, we hope to have all our staff and your loved ones in cloth face coverings. We have sufficient protective equipment for inmates displaying symptoms, and for those staff that work in direct contact with those in medical isolation." However, Linda, a mother whose son is incarcerated at Blackwater fears the masks may come too late. "It's spreading really bad in there," she told the Washington Post. "I pray so hard for my son who's in there now They definitely need to be protected." Read the original article on Insider Professional advisors engage during an NSSA Social Security certificate program. this is an excellent opportunity for advisors to own their own Social Security Help Centers (SSHC)-- a revolutionary lead generation tool we offer to advisors that results in additional clients and revenues. The coronavirus has closed Social Security Administration offices nationwide, emphasizing the need for National Social Security Advisors competent in the Social Security program to help workers maximize Social Security. Marc Kiner, partner at Premier Social Security Consulting in Cincinnati, said folks preparing for retirement seek competent Social Security advice. While its unsettling that all Social Security offices are closed, said Kiner, this is an excellent opportunity for advisors to own their own Social Security Help Centers (SSHC)--a revolutionary lead generation tool we offer to advisors that results in additional clients and revenues. To use the Social Security Help Centers tool, advisorsfinancial advisors, insurance agents, CPAs, attorneys, and enrolled agents-- must be educated and knowledgeable about the Social Security program, said Kiner. Premier teaches the National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certificate program to advisors so they can in turn counsel clients on how to maximize Social Security benefits. The Social Security Help Centers lead generation tool is a great asset for advisors as folks across the country are seeking out competent and educated advisors about Social Security benefits, he said. Every day, 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 years old. Folks close to retirement this year will be Googling questions on Social Security, said Kiner. We purchased the SSHC tool so our NSSA advisors can use it to help promote their knowledge and competency in this area. Prospects will also receive a free retirement planning book." Kiner had a 39-year career as a certified public accountant and sold his CPA firm in 2012 to create Premier with business partner Jim Blair. Blair was a 35-year Social Security Administration employee and SSA branch office manager. The men coined the phrase "Situational Social Security" because everyone has a unique Social Security situation that warrants scrutiny in order to create the optimal plan to maximize benefits. Whether a person is single, married, divorced, widowed, has dependent children or is a public employee can determine which plan is optimal, said Kiner. No matter what situation our NSSA advisors come across with their clients, we can help, he said. The Social Security scenario for older workers is complicated further by the fact that staff at Social Security Administration offices do not counsel or give advice, said Blair. They will generally only take your application and answer simple questions. Its up to each individual to ultimately do the research and decide when and how to access Social Security. Thats where NSSA comes in. People work their entire adult lives and deserve to retire with the maximum amount of Social Security benefits due to them, said Blair. Yet its estimated that 90 percent of retirees claim Social Security too soon or fail to coordinate spousal benefits, which can leave up to $200,000 on the table over the course of a 20-year or even longer retirement, he said. NSSA can help advisors make sure retirees reduce the chance of folks outliving their money. The NSSA program is the nations only accredited Social Security certificate education program. Accreditation is from the Institute for Credentialing Excellence in Washington, D.C. More than 2,100 professional advisors nationwide have taken the NSSA program, passed an assessment and earned the NSSA certificate. The NSSA certificate denotes advanced Social Security education and knowledge. Premier Social Security Consulting teaches the NSSA Social Security Advisor certificate program live to advisors in 10 cities nationwide this year. Live classes are taught in-person during one, all-day session. Premier also offers web-based training workshops for advisors participating in a live, one-day program with an NSSA instructor; and in a 19-module, video-based, on-demand course taught by NSSA instructors. On-demand students can complete workshop lectures and activities at their leisure. NSSA certificate holders receive ongoing support and resources throughout the year. Ongoing support includes questions answered and monthly webinars. The webinars help NSSA certificate holders maintain Social Security knowledge and keep up to date. Premier also offers private, on-site classes for organizations that need to provide in-house Social Security training to multiple professional advisors, said Kiner. Costs vary for each type of instruction and additional, ongoing support, with pricing listed on the Premier website. Premier is dedicated to educating and supporting NSSA advisors as they navigate the Social Security system and counsel clients on maximizing Social Security benefits. Premier has a number of strategic partnerships and partners that make it the nations more effective Social Security education program for professional advisors, said Kiner. The Wealth Engineering Institute in Orlando, Fla., recently announced its selection of Premier Social Security Consulting as the exclusive provider of Social Security consulting and educational services for its network of over 2,100 wealth management firms, investment and insurance advisors, CPAs and attorneys. Were excited to add Premier to our expert sourcing team, said Nick Gregory, CEO and managing partner at WEI. Social Security consulting and education are extremely important for advisors serving the needs of 76-plus million baby boomers. Social Security knowledge is a necessity when it comes to comprehensive financial management. Premier Social Security Consultings national presence and expertise in this market make them a natural fit for our team. For information about The Wealth Engineering Institute, call (407) 878-3520. For information about Premier Social Security Consulting, visit http://www.premiersocialsecurityconsulting.com. To learn about the National Social Security Advisor certificate program and a complete listing of services and prices, visit http://www.nationalsocialsecurityassociation.com or http://www.premiernssa.com or call Kiner at (513) 218-8505. ### Contact: Marc Kiner Premier Social Security Consulting Email: mkiner@mypremierplan.com Phone: (513) 218-8505 About Premier Social Security Consulting: Premier Social Security Consulting, LLC of Cincinnati educates professional advisors nationwide on the national Social Security program so they can counsel their clients on how to maximize Social Security income. Partners Marc Kiner and Jim Blair teach the NSSA Advisor certificate program. About the National Social Security Advisor program: Marc Kiner and Jim Blair are partners at Premier Social Security Consulting of Cincinnati, which teaches the National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certificate program. NSSA is the nations only accredited Social Security education certificate program. Deep Staff Cuts Expected At Billboard, Hollywood Reporter Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter staff will reportedly be dramatically reduced next week by parent Valence Media. The cuts will total $9-$10 million of personnel and headcount expenses, according to an insider at the company told The Wrap. Deeper cuts were initially planned since losses at the media company are said to be $18-$19 million per year, according to the source. The Hollywood Reporter will reportedly be the hardest hit. On Monday editorial director Matthew Belloni exited abruptly after clashing with Valences chief executives over journalistic ethics and editorial oversight. Valence Media has declined to comment. Share on: Economy Boost (Photo : Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay ) Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Advertisement KEY POINTS Six northeast states are forming a council to determine the best ways to get their economies starting again The governors participating in the project said it's essential they work together based on data and science to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 The number of deaths nationwide topped 23,000 Monday afternoon New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is leading an effort in the Northeast to determine how the region can reopen its economy safely. Cuomo is being joined by Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, John Carney Jr. of Delaware and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island - all Democrats. The governors said in a video news release Monday they would form a council including a health expert, an economic development expert and the chiefs of staff from each of the states. "[The] council will develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states' stay-at-home orders while minimizing the risk of increased spread of the [corona]virus," the governors said. "Everyone is very anxious to get out of the house, get back to work, get the economy moving. Everyone agrees with that. What the art form is going to be here is doing that smartly and doing that productively and doing that in a coordinated way," Cuomo said. President Trump has been pushing for the economy to reopen sooner, rather than later, with an eye on May 1, and tweeted Monday that it's up to him, not the governors - a statement plainly rejected by the Founding Fathers and tested in subsequent court cases. All 50 states have been granted federal disaster declarations for the first time in history. Experts warn lifting restrictions too soon will result in a resurgence in infections, which had topped 572,600 nationwide along with more than 23,000 deaths by late Monday afternoon. "We do know this, that an economic recovery only occurs on the back of a complete healthcare recovery and that order is essential. And getting that wrong, transposing those steps or jumping in too early, or maybe jumping in by ourselves," Murphy said, emphasizing coordination in the region based on data and science is essential. Lamont said he has looked at the information coming out of Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which are seeing a resurgence. He said if that happened in the New York region it "would be so demoralizing for our economy." Wolf said it is important to assure citizens there is a future. "And this is as important as coming up with the specific elements of this plan. It has to be responsible but it has to show us that we do have a future. As we figure out how we are going to reopen our schools, how we reopen our businesses and our homes, we are also going to recognize that we are trying to figure out how we are going to res BSP Chief Mayawati on Tuesday paid tributes to father of the Indian Constitution and Dalit social reformer, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, on his 129th birth anniversary. "On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, I pay respects to him on behalf of the party and crores of his followers. He spent his life ensuring that Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalized communities live with dignity. BSP was established today in 1984 to fulfil his dreams," said Mayawati. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. Born into a poor Dalit family on April 14, 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India. He also campaigned against the social discrimination of Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON As Britain closes in on 100,000 reported cases of the coronavirus a solemn milestone in a contagion that has ravaged its political leadership a raft of new statistics suggests that the government is undercounting the human, and economic, cost of the epidemic. The governments Office of National Statistics released data on Tuesday revealing that the death toll from the virus could be at least 10 percent higher than the official toll of 12,107 because that number does not take into account people who die in nursing homes or in their own residences. At the same time, the Office for Budget Responsibility, a fiscal watchdog group, said the lockdown could shrink Britains economy by 35 percent in the second quarter and throw two million people out of work a prediction even worse than the governments darkest warnings. Taken together, these new numbers cast a grim shadow over Britains response to the epidemic, which has already been dogged by shortfalls in testing and questions about the supply of ventilators and protective gear. An 18-year-old told officers that he was shot Monday morning in the parking lot of Morton Middle School. Kier Chance was able to drive himself to Immanuel Medical Center after the shooting, police said. Officers were called to the hospital just before 10:45 a.m. Chance told police he was in the parking lot of the school, which is south of Fort Street near Interstate 680, when an argument broke out and someone fired a gun. His injuries were not life-threatening, police said. The school, like others in the Omaha Public Schools district, has been closed since March 9, which was the start of the district's spring break. Classes were canceled the next week because of the coronavirus outbreak and will not resume this school year. Early this month, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts told schools statewide to operate without students in their buildings through May 31. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Liberal Wisconsin state Supreme Court challenger Jill Karofsky defeated conservative Justice Daniel Kelly in the biggest battle of Wisconsin's April 7 elections. But the war over voting in Wisconsin and other states isn't even close to ending. Karofsky's victory over Kelly, who was backed by state Republicans and President Donald Trump, comes after Democrats threatened lawsuits over the election, which was marred by last minute chaos, including significant numbers of polling places closed due to coronavirus and disagreement between the Democratic governor and the Republican legislature over whether to postpone the vote. Its an early preview of the raw, intense legal fights over voting rights and ballot access set to multiply across other states this year, as the two parties prepare to contest a presidential election amid the pandemic. "Its a victory for justice and democracy in an election that should never have taken place in person," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said in a statement following Karofsky's victory. Earlier in the day, Wikler and other Democrats sounded more pessimistic about the race. Every legal option is on the table, Wikler said at a virtual press conference Monday morning, when asked about possible litigation. Were in constant touch with attorneys as we gather new information. At the same press conference, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called Wisconsin's election "voter suppression on steroids." Wikler also said at the time he expected lawsuits from individual candidates from across the state, separate from the party. The Democratic presidential primary and the state Supreme Court race with its potential impact on future redistricting and other state laws were the highest-profile races on the ballot this month, but hundreds of local government elections were held as well, with what looks set to be much lower turnout than the equivalent contests four years ago. Story continues The victory reduces the state Supreme Court's 5-2 conservative margin to 4-3. Democrats tried and failed to flip a state Supreme Court seat in 2019, with both races pointing to the competitiveness of the state heading into this year's general election. The statements from Perez and Wikler following the Karofsky's victory did not mention any litigation. "Democrats are working to ensure no voter should have to choose between risking their health and participating in an election," Perez said in his statement. The coronavirus turned Wisconsins April elections inside-out in the days leading up to last Tuesdays vote. Facing worries about public health, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called for the election to be postponed on April 3, four days before the election and after saying in previous weeks that he did not want to move the vote. The Republican-controlled state legislature rejected Evers late request, leading Evers to issue an executive order delaying the election, citing his emergency powers. But the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Evers did not have the authority to postpone the election after the legislature challenged his order. That meant in-person voting happened as planned, even though some counties were not able to staff anything near their normal number of voting locations. Municipalities across the state had to scramble to run an in-person election, with many closing polling places and National Guardsmen being drafted to serve as poll workers in most of the states counties. In Milwaukee, the biggest city in the state, just five of 180 planned precincts were open on Tuesday, as volunteer poll workers dropped out due to concerns about coronavirus. The U.S. Supreme Court also ruled that ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day and received by 4 p.m. local time on Monday, adding another complicated wrinkle to the election. In Wisconsin, ballots must typically be returned to clerks by 8 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of when theyre postmarked. Municipalities had to determine how to interpret the postmark ruling for ballots that didnt have a postmark or had an unclear one, which could become another possible subject of post-election litigation. The battles in Wisconsin foreshadow the political and legal fights set to play out across the country before the November general election. Both Democrats and Republicans are standing up significant operations to fight over voting laws in the states. And Trump, in particular, has taken a hard-line stand against mail voting. He has said, baselessly, that mail balloting will lead to widespread voter fraud. In the Democratic presidential primary, Joe Biden claimed victory over Bernie Sanders by a wide margin, the Associated Press declared early Tuesday. Sanders dropped out of the race on Wednesday, the day after in-person voting in the state, and endorsed the former vice president on Monday . Voters who cast their ballots on Tuesday in Milwaukee waited in lines for hours, some in the middle of a hailstorm , with many wearing masks and gloves, for one of the most dangerous elections in modern American history. The election took place while the state was under a stay-at-home order and while the state Supreme Court, which effectively allowed in-person voting to continue, met virtually. Voters masked against coronavirus line up at Riverside High School for Wisconsin's primary election Tuesday April 7, 2020, in Milwaukee. 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/Morry Gash) Democrats have homed in on problems with absentee voting as they consider possible legal action. The 2019 spring election saw a record amount of absentee voting in the state. Nearly 1.3 million ballots were requested and about 1.1 million were reported returned as of Monday morning, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission . But some voters who spoke to POLITICO on Election Day said they or someone they knew had requested an absentee ballot but never received one, forcing them to choose between going to the polls and staying inside to avoid risking exposure to coronavirus. Youre risking yourself both ways, Judy Gardner, a Milwaukee-based activist who said her niece requested but never received her absentee ballot, told POLITICO last week. Either with the health scare or not being able to vote at all. Democrats hinted that the issue could be at the center of future litigation. Dan Feyen, a Republican state senator represented Fond du Lac, also tweeted last week that a postal worker told the state elections commission that three tubs of undelivered absentee ballots were discovered. It is impossible to submit an absentee ballot by Election Day when you havent even received the damn ballot by Election Day, Perez said at the Monday press conference with Wikler. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, April 15 2020 Interconnected: President Joko Jokowi Widodo (center), accompanied by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (left) and Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, attends the special ASEAN Plus Three Summit through videoconference from Bogor Palace, in West Java, on Tuesday. The summit discussed the COVID-19 outbreak. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office/Lukas) The leaders of Southeast Asian countries agreed on Tuesday to establish an ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund to help procure crucial medical supplies and equipment for frontline response and preventive efforts in all member states, as the deadly virus that causes the disease continues to tear through the region. As of Tuesday, the virus has infected more than 20,000 people in the region, killing nearly a thousand. It has also ravaged the regions economy, forcing member countries to shave almost 4 percent off previous growth forecasts, according to one estimate. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login RIO RANCHO, N.M. - The mighty Rio Grande is looking less mighty as U.S. forecasters predict spring flows will be less than half of average or worse and that signals potential trouble for the already stressed waterway. One of the longest rivers in North America, the Rio Grande delivers drinking water and irrigation supplies to millions of people from southern Colorado into Texas and Mexico under a decades-old water-sharing agreement. With more dry years than wet ones over the last two decades, how much water ends up flowing downstream has been a point of contention among the states. As New Mexico and Texas battle over their shares before the U.S. Supreme Court, forecasters with the federal governments Natural Resources Conservation Service say river and stream flows across New Mexico have dropped noticeably following a somewhat dry March. The models show drought is expected to keep its hold over the mountains along the New Mexico-Colorado border that feed the Rio Grande, while California, Nevada and other southwestern states arent likely to see a reprieve from dry conditions through June. ___ ALARM BELLS In southern New Mexico, irrigation officials are expecting flows into the states largest reservoir to top only 34% of the 30-year average. Theres some water in storage from 2019, but officials say that will likely be used by summer and New Mexico will be prohibited from storing any additional water to keep from violating the water-sharing compacts. Phil King, an engineering consultant with the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, describes the 2020 runoff forecast for northern New Mexico and southern Colorado as increasingly bleak. That basically means the water supply for the Rio Grande Project, including EBID, is in pretty bad shape, he said. The irrigation district is home to some of the nations top producing pecan orchards and many farmers in the region grow chile, New Mexicos signature crop. Upstream, environmentalists are concerned about the rivers overall health and the implications of another dry year for minnows and other imperiled species. Galen Hecht with WildEarth Guardians visited the Rio Grande south of the Otowi Bridge gauge on Saturday. The water in some spots wasnt high enough to cover the boulders that make up the riverbed. In a decade of forecasts, only twice did the Natural Resources Conservation Service estimate above average flows at Otowi. Hecht said the alarm bells are ringing again, as the latest outlook calls for flows that are about half of average. History shows that less than average water years and existing demands result in low flows, consolidated pollutants and river drying, which harms the environment and impacts the health of our communities, he said. A large reach of the Rio Grande did dry up below Albuquerque in 2018, with the drying starting as early as April. Just a year earlier, biologists marked unprecedented numbers of adult Rio Grande silvery minnows in the river due to wet conditions, but the subsequent low flows ended up decimating the population. ___ EVERY DROP Federal officials said during a meeting Monday there wouldnt be any big releases this year to augment flows for the minnows since theres no extra water to go around. All they can do is jiggle the flows in hopes of encouraging spawning so eggs can be collected for the captive breeding effort. That means the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which serves farmers in central New Mexico, will hold back some water for a day and then release more a couple days later to mimic a pulse of spring runoff. Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say if the river dries during or right after the minnows spawn, that could be tough on the larvae. If flows improve, it could be an average season for the fish but likely no better. While neighbours in Nevada and Arizona were in shorts and T-shirts on Monday, New Mexico got a late dose of winter. Several inches of snow were reported in the higher elevations as rain fell elsewhere. Officials say theyll take it as federal data indicates the snowpacks moisture content is down to about two-thirds of average and that drought is lingering in the Rio Grande Basin from the headwaters in southern Colorado south to around Albuquerque. A pocket of drought also has been centred over the Four Corners region since last year. Colorado started diverting its share of the Rio Grande in early April, meaning little water has been coming across the state line, said David Gensler, the water operations manager for the conservancy district. Irrigation demand often rises in April faster than the river does depending on snowpack and temperatures. He said 2020 is proving that, pointing to the low flows at the Otowi gauge. As the nickel-sized snowflakes fell Monday, Gensler and others were thankful. I know were going to need just about every drop we can get, he said. Cash-strapped businesses have said they may not be able to stay afloat long enough to apply for grants of 25,000, which open for application on Monday. Economy Minister Diane Dodds announced the process of applying for the loans for retail, hospitality and tourism firms, with applications taking 15 business days to process. The Minister also extended the 10,000 grant scheme to small industrial businesses. Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the 25,000 scheme was being launched much later than had been expected. The Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance has also said operators may not be able to remain in business long enough to apply. Mr Roberts said: "While it is welcome that we have clarity on a start date for the 25k grants, we are concerned that many cash-strapped businesses may not survive until they receive the payment early next month. "Many businesses also assumed that they would get the grant well before then to keep them going until they receive furlough payments. "The 10k and 25k small business grants also need to be altered to support those companies with multiple premises rather than just a single payment." Ken Sharpe, the owner of two restaurants in Co Down, has said he may not able to able to continue paying staff, even in part, as he waits for assistance. Already, he said he was paying some staff a percentage of their wages. Mr Roberts also urged the Executive to extend a holiday on business rates from three months to 12 months, as is the case in the rest of the UK. "Again, we believe this should be targeted to businesses that need urgent assistance," he said. Meanwhile, Mr Sharpe, who owns The Salty Hotel and Bistro in Bangor, as well as the town's Boat House restaurant, said he felt there had been little clarity about when government help would arrive. Applications under the Chancellor's UK-wide job retention scheme open on April 20, the same day as applications to Northern Ireland's 25,000 grant scheme. After examining his cash reserves and cashflow at the outset of the crisis, he said it was clear he could not even pay staff 80% of their wages - the percentage which government has said it will refund under its job retention scheme. He has nearly 50 staff and says he has reached an agreement to only pay 50% of wages to some. Mr Sharpe added: "I haven't even been able to pay very understanding suppliers but now with the applications for assistance not opening until April 20, five weeks after the promise from the Prime Minister of 'immediate' support, I am sitting here at Easter while Stormont executives enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend, staring at my cashflow forecast like staring into an abyss. "I have no idea how I am going to be able to pay my staff anything for the last two weeks of April so I would appeal to our elected representatives to help my staff as they fight to keep a roof over their heads." The Small Business Support Grant Scheme has now paid 10,000 out to over 14,000 small businesses. Now it's also been extended to 2,500 small firms which benefit from industrial de-rating. Minister Dodds has said it's aimed at supporting up to 27,000 businesses. Both measures, the 25k scheme and the 10,000 Small Business Grant Scheme, close for applications on May 20. MOBILE INDUSTRY INTERVENTION TO GHANAS FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT) wishes to highlight interventions rolled out by its members to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the general public while supporting our collective efforts as a Nation in dealing with the pandemic. Our vision at the Chamber is to unlock the power on telecommunications, technology and connectivity during these times so that our people, society and the industry can thrive beyond this crisis. Below is a summary of our mobile industrys interventions categorized and under consumer, government, network resilience and our people that is common to all our members CONSUMER Free access to over 100 educational online sites, e-learning platforms and libraries (public, private, foreign). This industry move supports a total of over 240,000 customers consuming over 3,000 GB (3TB) per day for educational purposes. Free calls to the National COVID-19 response number (112) as well as other emergency service numbers. In consultation with the Ghana Health Service, our members are leveraging their infrastructure to broadcast emergency communications to educate over 30 million customers on COVID-19, daily safety tips using Ring Back Tones, SMS, Social Media etc. Optimization of remote channels such as customer care lines, digital platforms and others to reduce visit to service centres currently operating from 8am-2pm daily excluding weekends. List of operational service centres attached to release. Collaborating with the Bank of Ghana to offer free of charge Mobile Money transactions below GH100 to promote digital forms of payments and augment social distancing rules which reduce the rate of new infections. The industry fraud team is equally working assiduously with Internet experts, content providers and social media platforms to fight COVID-19 related fraud and misinformation on our networks. GOVERNMENT Fee access to critical websites and Government portals that provide COVID-19 awareness and safety protocols to enable citizens access information for free. On-going Collaboration with National Information Technology Authority (NITA) to zero- rate Government of Ghana Smart Workplace Portal to enable government workers work from home. Provision of network related data through our regulator to facilitate contact tracing assistance and infection monitoring led by the COVID-19 taskforce and GHS teams. Zero-rate calls to the National COVID-19 response number 112. NETWORK RESILIENCE Optimization of our networks and capacity boost to support surge in voice and data usage due to mass behaviour shift to working from home, e-learning, increased streaming, online gaming, virtual meetings and movies and TV viewing online. Deployment of additional infrastructure in the ensuing weeks to enhance our charging systems and intelligent networks to cater for increase in volumes for voice and data. Following ongoing deliberations with our Regulator for additional network resources to maintain acceptable customer experience, further sites to be rolled out, additional international bandwidth to be expanded as well as fibre redundancy projects to be undertaken across the industry. OUR PEOPLE Health, Safety and Compliance process have been put in place, our staff and partners have been educated on what to know about COVID-19 as well as protocols implemented to protect them. Comprehensive training undertaken to our staff at all offices and branches. We have provided hand washing facilities, sanitizers and protective gear to curtail the spread of any new infections within our premise. Introduction of remote working policies for our staff to encourage flexibility and commitment, which allows for service availability and smooth business continuity. Other Initiatives by our Members Our members are independently rolling out commercial offers such as no disconnection policy for postpaid business/enterprise customers, huge bonuses on airtimes purchased through mobile money platforms, double data allocations on selected bundles, and data offers which do not expire all through these difficult times. Some of our members have: Activated short codes 199, 769 for the Ghana Health Service and 311 for the Ministry of Information to assist with enquiries and complaints from the general public on COVID-19. Other provisioned lines for the Information Ministry to be used for social media services. o Our members, using their CSR Foundations have pledged and donated in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service medical supplies worth millions of cedis to complement Governments efforts in the fight against COVID-19. o Deployed of mobile financial service(MFS) merchant accounts as collection conduit to support Government Institutions like the Ministry of Finance and the First Ladys Fund mobilization for COVID-19. o Using data science techniques to leverage the production of rapid mobility estimates using anonymised and aggregated mobile phone data to support Governments interventions against COVID-19. o Supplied wireless internet connectivity (routers, network devices, data) to Greater Accra Regional Teleconsultation Centre (TCC) at Ridge Hospital and Information Ministry to facilitate education and psychological support under the Mental Health Authority. o Supplied over 2,500 SIM cards with over 4TB of data to support the national contract tracing effort. Our industry is working meticulously during these difficult times to keep lives saved, emergency and educational services online, together with businesses, families and friends connected, said Dr. Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, CEO of GCT. As we assure you of our continued support to the Nations combat to the COVID-19 pandemic, we entreat the general public to refer to the zero-rated Ghana Health Service website, https://ghanahealthservice.org/covid19/, for relevant information in addition to the graphical visualization provided by the Chamber to the Ghana Health Service data on https://www.covidgh.com/# and stay home as well as align with the partial lockdown directive. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In view of the coronavirus outbreak, women rights groups have demanded that anti-CAA protesters, human rights activists and journalists who have been arrested must be released and proceeding against them withdrawn immediately. A statement signed by All India Democratic Women's Association, National Federation of Indian Women and All India Progressive Women's Association said the government must stop the "witch-hunting and targeting of dissidents". "We demand that all arrests, proceedings and any criminal prosecution of human rights defenders, anti-CAA protesters and journalists should be withdrawn forthwith," the statement said. Kavita Krishnan, activist and Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) said they have demanded that all human rights defenders, anti-CAA protesters and journalists who have been arrested must be released in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The Centre and state governments should also withdraw all orders that violate civil liberties guaranteed under the Constitution, the statement said. "On this day, the birth anniversary of Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, we call upon all democratic minded people to expose the fascistic character of this government and voice their protest with all possible means," it said. The recent developments show that the government has been targeting intellectuals and activists as well as prominent journalists who have been questioning the government's faulty policies, it said. "This is a serious attack on their democratic, civil and legal rights. FIRs, arrests, imprisonment without evidence have become the new norm," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YEREVAN. The government of Armenia has met with the MPs requirements and made a number of changes to the legislative package criminalizing hate speech. Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan said this Tuesday at the sitting of the National Assembly to debate, in the second reading, on the package of bills on making amendments to the Criminal Code and related laws. Thus, according to her, if there are expressions and thoughts in cultural and scientific works that recall calls for violence and contain elements of legislative initiative presented by the government, as well as the dissemination of scientific and fiction literature in which such calls exist, they will not be persecuted by the state. To note, according to this legislative package, criminal proceeding shall be launched in Armenia for making public calls for carrying out violence against a person or a group of people. Japan needs 13 million N95 masks in the coming months to fight the coronavirus pandemic. It can secure only 700,000 this month. The N95, which can block extremely small viral particles, is normally a disposable mask. But with the shortage so severe, the health ministry has begun calling for hospitals to reuse them as an emergency measure. Amid a global run on the coveted masks, countries such as China -- where most of those masks are produced -- are focusing on meeting their own needs, limiting the amount that can be exported. The search is on, therefore, for domestic Japanese suppliers that do not produce in China. Tokyo-based mask maker Koken is one such company, and is the reason its stock prices have risen 82% in the past month. Its factories in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture and Thailand's Chonburi Province have shifted to three-shift, two-shift teams respectively to handle the increased production. During the January-March quarter, Koken boosted production of disposable masks by 80%, supplying them primarily to hospitals. But Koken is a small company that employs less than 300 people and rang up just 8.6 billion yen ($80 million) in revenue last year. It lacks the wherewithal to undertake a massive expansion in capacity. Before COVID-19, the company was already considering ways to reduce its dependence on face masks, as the shrinking population of Japan signaled weak demand ahead. It was toying with new products such as ventilation devices for factory clean rooms. It is upon these small companies that Japan now relies upon to secure the needed surgical masks and hazmat suits. The health ministry projects major shortfalls of personal protective equipment, including 270 million surgical masks and 9 million face shields. But the market is relatively small in normal times and is expected to shrink again after the current crisis passes. Without a government pledge to buy excess inventory, companies remain reluctant to ramp up production. Actor Shriya Saran has revealed her husband Andrei Koscheev had Covid-19 symptoms like dry cough and fever but was turned away from the hospital in Barcelona and was asked to live in quarantine. The two have been living in Spain, which is among the countries worst-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sharing the experience, Shriya told Times of India in an interview, Andrei began to develop a dry cough and fever. We rushed to a hospital but the doctors were overwhelmed and urged us to leave. Chances are that even if he doesnt have Covid-19, he will get it if he stays here, the doctors told us. So we decided to go home and self-isolate ourselves and get treatment at home. We slept in different rooms and maintained a safe distance from each other. Thankfully, hes feeling better now, so I hope the worst is behind us. Shriya also opened up about their second marriage anniversary on March 13, which turned out to be the day when they realised the seriousness of the situation. She said, We had made a reservation but when we got to the restaurant, we saw that it was shut. Thats when it dawned upon us that things are really serious; the whole of Spain was under lockdown. From then on, everything changed. The police passed a rule allowing only one person per household to step out and that too only if absolutely unavoidable. In fact, Andrei and I were once stopped by the cops but since he is white and Im brown, they didnt realise we were together, so they let us go. Shriya and Andrei got married as per Hindu traditions in Udaipur. Shriya is known for her role of Ajay Devgns wife in the 2015 hit film, Drishyam. She was last seen in Jimmy Sheirgill starrer Phamous in 2018. She has also been working in South cinema and made a guest appearance in the Telugu film NTR: Kathanayakudu last year. Follow @htshowbiz for more A CNN reporter has called out Donald Trump's "temperament issue" after he lashed out at the press during an extraordinary daily press briefing. During the press conference on Monday, the US president played a campaign-style video produced by White House staff, made up of news clips praising the his response to the Covid-19 outbreak. Some news channels, including CNN, cut away from the live coverage of the briefing, calling the video "propaganda". Reporters asked Mr Trump why the video had been made, using time and resources which would be better spent elsewhere. Trump: I will decide on easing coronavirus guidelines Mr Trump replied: Because were getting fake news and I like to have it corrected." The president snapped at reporters who questioned the administration's steps in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, calling one reporter "fake" and "disgraceful". "You know you're a fake, your whole network," Mr Trump said to Paula Reid, a White House correspondent from CBS, in response to her question about preparing hospitals and ramping up testing. Later, calling the media "guilty", he said: "We really have done this right. The problem is, the press doesn't cover it the way it should be." It comes as the death toll in the US from Covid-19 topped 23,000 on Monday, out of more than 575,000 infections. New York's Coronavirus outbreak - In pictures 1 /34 New York's Coronavirus outbreak - In pictures The Supermoon rises behind the Empire State Building while it glows red in solidarity with those infected with coronavirus as the outbreak of the disease (COVID-19) continues in the Manhattan borough of New York City Reuters A nearly empty Times Square AFP via Getty Images Riders, some wearing masks and gloves as a protective measure over coronavirus concerns, enter a New York City subway train AP People try to keep a social distance while they enjoy a sunny day at Central Park Reuters Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo, that the zoo said on April 5, 2020 has tested positive for coronavirus disease WCS/Handout via Reuters People wear face masks AFP via Getty Images A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan Reuters US President Donald Trump looks on during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on March 31, 2020, in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Felix Hassebroek waves to his classmates, who he has not seen in 2 weeks through a livestream video meet up during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Brooklyn, New York Reuters Friends and neighbors, Sarah and Elizabeth, talk about their weekends from opposite sides of the road as they maintain social distance in a neighborhood in Syracuse, New York Reuters Light morning traffic seen on the FDR drive on March 24, 2020 in New York City AFP via Getty Images A subway customer uses a tissue to protect her hand while holding onto a pole AP Workers construct what is believed to be a makeshift morgue behind a hospital during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Manhattan borough of New York City Reuters Beds separated by black fabric are set up as a temporary field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Queens, New York AFP via Getty Images New York's Hart Island where the department of corrections is dealing with more burials Reuters Medical workers wait for patients at a special coronavirus intake area in New York Getty Images Patients wear personal protective equipment while maintaining social distancing as they wait in line for a COVID-19 test at Elmhurst Hospital Center AP The One World Trade Center tower in Manhattan is seen illuminated in blue light Reuters Pictures drawn by children as part of the Quarantine Rainbow Project in Brooklyn, New York Reuters U.S. Army National Guard personnel load boxes of free food provided by multiple New York City agencies into a taxi for distribution to local residents in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID19) in New York Reuters Traders work during the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 17, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City AFP via Getty Images A man in a wheelchair crosses a nearly empty 7th Avenue in Times Square in Manhattan Reuters Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS After the briefing, CNN's David Gregory called for Mr Trump to "take responsibility", rather than just "asserting authority". Speaking with CNN host Don Lemon, he said: The president, to me, if you really pick apart this briefing today, this is a temperament issue. "You can agree or disagree with his decision-making. You can say, Wow, he really missed weeks here, missed some opportunities, maybe it costs lives but lets move forward. "But what you see out of the president is what Gloria [Borger] alludes to, this is a temperament issue where hes consumed with ego and insecurity and people saying bad things about him." Loading.... He added: By the way, hes not the first president to deal with an annoying press corps that constantly asking you questions and holding you accountable and bringing up your previous words against you. As Tim Russert would say when I worked at NBC when I worked for him: Any leader worth his or her salt can take the tough question'. "Not this president. Not with his temperament. Not with that lack of responsibility and defensiveness. It comes as Mr Trump claimed he has total power to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in the US despite state governors planning their own reopenings. Pressed on the question of whether governors or federal government would make the decision to re-open schools and businesses, the US leader insisted he had ultimate authority. For those looking to help amid the coronavirus pandemic, Wachusett Brewing Company and Atlas Distributing created a way to offer aid by staying home and drinking beer. The two Central Massachusetts companies collaborated to create Glory American IPA, which will benefit three non-profits that are providing relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During these difficult days, we are humbled to partner with Wachusett Brewing and United Way to offer some assistance to our local communities, said Jamie Salois, of Atlas Distributing based in Worcester. We are so grateful to both Wachusett and United Way for their continued work in the community we serve every day. Glory American IPA will be released this week. Its described as an approachable and modern expression of the IPA style that is double dry-hopped with Galaxy, Citra and Azacca hops. Money raised from sales of the beer will go to the United Way of North Central Massachusetts Stand United Fund, the United Way of Tri-County Community Response Fund and Worcester Together fund, which is a joint effort between the United Way of Central Massachusetts and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. We could not be more grateful, President & CEO of United Way of Central Massachusetts Tim Garvin said.. Atlas and Wachusett both have a long history of philanthropy in Central Massachusetts and to do something like this during this crisis is incredible. The Worcester Together fund has raised more than $4.2 million as of Monday night. Its two branches focus on both long term and short term needs experienced during the coronavirus pandemic. The United Way of Central Massachusetts is helping nonprofits respond to people in immediate need, while the Greater Worcester Community Foundation is helping with long term rebuilding within the area. We are incredibly proud to be partnering with Atlas Distributing and United Way President of Wachusett Brewing Company Christian McMahan said. We work in these communities, our employees and their families live in these communities, and we want to do everything we can to help support these communities when they need it the most. These are crazy times, if we can find a way to do some good through of all of this, thats exactly what we will do." Related Content: SAO PAULO, April 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's biggest lender Itau Unibanco Holding SA on Monday confirmed it would make a 1 billion real ($195.05 million) donation to fight the coronavirus pandemic, according to a securities filing. nL2N2C002J The bank said the proceeds will be managed by a group of health experts and actions be focused on testing, providing medical equipment and educating the population on hygienic conditions. ($1 = 5.1270 reais) (Reporting by Carolina Mandl; Editing by Christian Plumb) Attorney Robert Hamparyan Its a tremendous recognition... This ranking is well respected in the legal industry. I am humbled and grateful that it recognized me and my team. After a rigorous selection process, lawyer rating service Super Lawyers has just revealed its list of top 50 San Diego attorneys for 2020, and the overall number 1 is Robert Hamparyan. The San Diego Top 50 Super Lawyers list spans various legal fields, from corporate law and business litigation to employment law and civil appeals. It also includes law firms of various sizes, from solo practices to multinational firms. Robert Hamparyan, who handles personal injury cases at his home-grown San Diego firm, is immensely honored to top the list. Its a tremendous recognition, he says. This ranking is well respected in the legal industry. I am humbled and grateful that it recognized me and my team. Super Lawyers is an established attorney rating service run by Thomson Reuters. Every year, it puts out a list of the most outstanding attorneys in each locality, selected from more than 70 areas of the law. The Super Lawyers selection process is meticulous, involving 12 criteria of professional achievement and peer recognition. Attorneys cannot self-nominate and they cannot campaign for a spot on the list. This means that the chosen lawyers are deemed first-rate in their work with clients and respected by other legal professionals. This ranking also means that he has made the San Diego Top 10 Super Lawyers list for the eighth consecutive year now. Though the top ranking is a major accomplishment, Hamparyan sees it as a challenge to keep serving Californians. Hamparyan says, Our firm wasnt competing for awards. We are only focused on helping our clients win and in serving our community. I think thats what Super Lawyers saw, and were grateful for the recognition and are intent on keeping that focus. Hamparyans firm, Hamparyan Personal Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC has repeatedly obtained multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for injury victims throughout Southern California. Among these are multiple million dollar settlements and verdicts in trucking, auto, motorcycle, wrongful death and insurance bad faith cases. Mr. Hamparyan himself is a multi-awarded attorney with more than 25 years of experience. Aside from his many Super Lawyers honors, he has been repeatedly named a San Diego County Top Attorney since 2009, and awarded as the 2008 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. Apart from working with injured individuals, the firm sponsors a bi-annual scholarship for students college education. I have lived in Southern California for over almost 40 years. I got my education here, says Hamparyan. Its hard to ignore the call to give back. This scholarship is only a small contribution. Their main commitment, he says, is towards their clients. The most important thing for us is to never let our clients down, Hamparyan explains. Its not easy for individuals and families to suffer due to the negligence of others, so my team and I work hard to help them find legal relief. Thats more valuable to us than awards. About Hamparyan Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC In Southern California, Hamparyan Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC is a highly trusted law firm helping those suffering from accident and abuse injuries. Their practice handles cases such as car crashes, bicycle or motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, truck wrecks, boating accidents, elder abuse, wrongful death, medical malpractice and more. Contact the firm by calling (619) 550-1355 or by visiting https://www.hamparyan.com. Hamparyan Personal Injury Lawyers San Diego, APC 275 W Market St UNIT 1000 San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 550-1355 A total of 406 people across the country have been arrested for flouting the government's movement restrictions directive over the coronavirus pandemic. The Head of Prosecutions for the Greater Accra Region of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Lydia Donkor, said out of the number, 103 are in custody and that 248 have been granted bail. ACP Donkor, who was speaking at a media briefing in Accra on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, as part of government's initiative to update Ghanaians on the coronavirus pandemic, said quite a significant number of people are flouting the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1020), the primary legal instrument in the government of Ghanas fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. She said "people are still having parties, going to the beaches as well as organising weddings ceremonies, which are in clear violation of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, which bars such activities. According to her, the police and its allied agencies will deal with all those violating the governments movement restriction directive. ACP Donkor explained that "If you are arrested, you will be prosecuted after successful investigations", pointing out that "if you are found guilty, you are likely to pay a fine ranging from GH12,000 to GH50,000 or term of four up to 10 years or both. "It is in your own interest to comply with the rules and regulations," she advised the public to stay at home to help contain the coronavirus pandemic. Break Down of the Regions Greater Accra= 161 Ashanti Region=70 Volta Region=67 Western Region=8 Eastern Region=6 Tema = 31 (Tema was not added to the Greater Accra Region) Bono Region=3 Northern Region=9 Ahafo Region=0 Savannah Region= 0 North East= 1 Western North= 8 Oti Region= 0 Upper East=8 Upper West=2 Bono East= 0 Central Region=24 Source: graphic.com.gh 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 Daniel Bilak is the former head of UkraineInvest, the Ukrainian governments investment promotion agency To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Ukraines parliament finally did the right thing after it had exhausted all of the other possibilities. With the passage of the law establishing a land market and the first reading of legislation prohibiting the return of nationalized banks to their former owners, President Volodymyr Zelenskyys administration is on track to unlock more than US$10 billion of support from the International Monetary Fund and other partners. This funding is crucial to alleviating the tragic human and economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic sweeping Ukraine. Given this breathing space, Ukraines policymakers should also start considering Ukraines place in the post-COVID-19 world. The pandemic set to significantly accelerate the decoupling of China and America into two geo-political and economic constellations, with dire consequences for the worlds existing supply chains. French Finance Minister, Bruno Lemaire put the issue in stark national security terms, declaring in the Financial Times that Europe can no longer depend on Asia, on China, for goods that are strategic for us, whether in the aerospace or medical sectors, or in other supply chains. In the result, damaged global supply chains will need to be reset to accommodate the new geo-political reality. This reality presents Ukraine with a unique opportunity to become a key Eurasian technology, infrastructure, manufacturing and agribusiness nexus, a critical link in the new 21st century global supply chain economy. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Ukraines biggest investor, believes that Europes companies should address these global supply chain disruptions by setting up global value chain supply capacity in countries like Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine may emerge out of the global economic shutdown less impacted than most: the EBRD forecasts a proportionally shorter and less dire shock to Ukraines economy than other countries, since it has not yet fully completed the process of integration into the added-value global supply chain. Nevertheless, with the EU consuming 43% of Ukraines exports, Ukraine is already an integral component of the European supply chain. As a result of aggressive economic reforms and the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, even before the pandemic investors saw Ukraine as a stable and predictable emerging market for investment. Attracted by its macro-economic stability and fifteen quarters of solid economic growth, a reformed robust and liquid banking sector, the scalability of investments, improved infrastructure and logistics, a competitive highly-skilled workforce and exchange rate, and low asset values, investors understand the capacity of Ukraines two main growth drivers brains and grains to power innovative supply chain solutions in the IT, agribusiness, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. All of these fundamentals remain intact and with some additional fit-for-purpose measures, President Zelenskyy can cement Ukraines position as the economic gateway into Europe. First, the administration should boost economic growth by launching major strategic infrastructure projects backed by public-private partnerships. Supported by international financial institutions, the European Union and G7 partners, an Infrastructure Investment Authority should be created by the government to leverage the approximately $6 billion in undisbursed IFI funding to promote project financing necessary to build roads, ports, bridges, railway and river logistics and power generation plants. Enhanced by bold incentives for investors needed to compete with the state aid granted by the EU to Ukraines neighbours this initiative would provide a major stimulus to private sector investment. Second, the government should secure Ukraines place as the Worlds Digital Workshop by doubling-down on efforts to digitize the economy and promote scientific research. The post-coronavirus global economy will likely be innovation and bio-technology driven. Promoting Ukraine as a global R&D centre and supporting start-up and advanced technology production companies through enhanced incentives for venture capital investment, will propel Ukraine to achieving a globally competitive Industry 4.0 economy. Third, Ukraine needs to immediately harness the productivity and experience of the 500,000 Ukrainian workers who the president estimates have returned home from other European countries. These are people who can facilitate domestic investment and readily provide the local supply capacity of goods and services necessary to feed into the global supply chain. To encourage them to remain in Ukraine, long-delayed Labour Code reforms that will promote productivity must be passed at once and financial and regulatory support for the SME sector should be turbocharged across Ukraines regions. Finally, the president must secure Ukraines reputation as a stable and attractive investment destination by unwaveringly and resolutely protecting the sanctity of investor property rights. He must (i) continue to prove that vested interests no longer control key sectors of the economy; (ii) complete the reform of the lower courts and law enforcement agencies; and (iii) unequivocally protect the independence of the countrys anti-corruption institutions, which have now begun to function properly. With some strategic foresight and planning, Ukraine has everything to play for to become a key portal in the worlds post-coronavirus supply chains. More than a third of medical staff responding to COVID-19 during its peak in China may have suffered from insomnia, according to a study which suggests that the pandemic is not just a physical health threat, but may also be triggering a mental health epidemic. According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness following their hospital shifts were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious, and have stress-based trauma. "Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days," said Bin Zhang, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and study co-author. "But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, the insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," Zhang said. In the study, the scientists used the social media platform WeChat to survey 1,563 participants with self-administered questionnaires. The surveys were conducted between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, they said. Of the 1,563 participants, the study noted that 564 people, or 36.1 per cent, had insomnia symptoms. According to the scientists, the current study statistic is consistent with previous research conducted on the psychological effects of the 2002 outbreak of SARS -- a related coronavirus that also causes severe respiratory distress. Based on earlier studies, the researchers said 37 per cent of nurses who worked with SARS patients experienced insomnia. In the current study, the insomnia group experienced significantly higher levels of depression than the non-insomnia group -- 87.1 per cent versus 31 per cent, especially in moderate and severe cases, they said. The percentages and differences between the groups was also similar for anxiety and trauma, the researchers noted in the study. "The most important factor was having very strong uncertainty regarding effective disease control among medical staff," Zhang noted. This strong uncertainty, the scientists added, was 3.3 times higher for those exhibiting insomnia than not. The researchers found the risk of insomnia among medical staff with a high school education, or below was 2.69 times higher than those with a doctoral degree. They speculated that less education may be leading to more outcome-based fear. The study also noted that the healthcare workers were under incredible stress in general. Since the workers were in close contact with infected patients who could pass on the disease to them, they were worried about infecting their own family and friends. The medical staff also had to wear a full array of personal protective equipment (PPE) for more than 12 hours at a time, often without being able to take a break because they risked infection by removing PPE, the study explained. "Under these dangerous conditions, medical staff become mentally and physically exhausted, and therefore experience an increased risk of insomnia due to high stress," the scientists wrote in the study. According to the researchers, some strategies may help mitigate sleep disorders, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI), which includes sleep hygiene education, relaxation therapy, stimulation control, sleep restriction, and cognitive therapy. The scientists suggested that health officials screen medical staff based on the risk factors identified in the study. "A longitudinal study to track the changes of insomnia symptoms is needed among medical staff, especially when the death of medical staff during COVID-19 will be officially announced and updated," Zhang added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Severe weather swept across the South Monday, killing at least 19 people and damaging hundreds of homes from Louisiana into the Appalachian Mountains. Many people spent part of the night early Monday sheltering in basements, closets and bathroom tubs as sirens wailed to warn of possible tornadoes. Eleven people were killed in Mississippi, and six more died in northwest Georgia. Two other bodies were pulled from damaged homes in Arkansas and South Carolina. The storms blew onward through the night, causing flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas, and knocking out electricity for nearly 1.3 million customers in a path from Texas to Maine, according to poweroutages.us. Striking first on Easter Sunday across a landscape largely emptied by coronavirus stay-at-home orders, the storm front forced some uncomfortable decisions. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey suspended social distancing rules, and some people wearing protective masks huddled closely together in storm shelters. Andrew Phillips crowded into a closet-sized safe room with his wife and two sons after watching an online Easter service because the pandemic forced their church to halt regular worship. Then, a twister struck, shredding their house, meat-processing business and vehicles in rural Moss, Mississippi. The room, built of sturdy cinder blocks, was the only thing on their property left standing. Im just going to let the insurance handle it and trust in the good Lord, said Phillips. The National Weather Service tallied hundreds of reports of trees down across the region, including many that punctured roofs and downed power lines. Meteorologists warned the mid-Atlantic states to prepare for potential tornadoes, wind and hail on Monday. The storms knocked down trees across Pennsylvania, and an apparently strong tornado moved through southern South Carolina, leaving chaos in its wake. Everything is up in the air. Power lines are down, trees are all over the place. Its hard to get from one place to the other because the roads are blocked, Hampton County Sheriff T.C. Smalls said. A suspected twister lifted a house, mostly intact, and deposited it in the middle of a road in central Georgia. In Louisiana, winds ripped apart a metal airplane hangar. Deaths were tallied in small numbers here and there, considering the storm fronts vast reach and intensity. Mississippis death toll rose to 11 early Monday, the states emergency management agency tweeted, promising details later in the morning. In northwest Georgia, a narrow path of destruction five miles long hit two mobile home parks, killing five people and injuring five more, Murray County Fire Chief Dewayne Bain told WAGA-TV. Another person was killed when a tree fell on a home in Cartersville, the station reported. In Arkansas, one person was killed when a tree fell on a home in White Hall, southeast of Little Rock, the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management said. And in South Carolina, a person was found dead in a collapsed building near Seneca as an apparent tornado struck, Oconee County Emergency Management Director Scott Krein said. Apparent tornadoes damaged dozens of homes in a line from Seneca to Clemson. Emergency officials also were working to open shelters in the North Carolina mountains after heavy rainfall there. North Carolina authorities said one person died when a tree fell on a home during severe storms that moved through the area. Davidson County Sheriffs Office Capt. Mike Burns said by phone that the person died around 6 a.m. Monday when the storms knocked over the tree. Burns declined to release the persons identity. Davidson County is northeast of Charlotte along Interstate 85. The National Weather Service said there were reports of snapped trees and high winds in the area. Multiple tornado and thunderstorm warnings were in effect for the central part of North Carolina Monday morning. No other deaths were immediately reported statewide. A woman in Charlotte was injured after a large tree fell on her residence. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, at least 150 homes and commercial buildings were damaged and more tha n a dozen people treated, but none of their injuries appeared to be life-threatening, Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman said. Its widespread damage that happened extremely fast, Hyman said. I advise people to stay in their homes at this point. As far as safety is concerned, we still have active power lines that are down. The deaths in Mississippi included a married couple _ Lawrence County sheriffs deputy, Robert Ainsworth, and a Walthall County Justice Court deputy clerk, Paula Reid Ainsworth, authorities said. This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter, said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who declared a state of emergency Sunday night. As we reflect on the death and resurrection on this Easter Sunday, we have faith that we will all rise together. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries in Louisiana, even though the storm damaged between 200 and 300 homes in and around the city of Monroe, Mayor Jamie Mayo, told KNOE-TV. Flights were canceled at Monroe Regional Airport, where airport director Ron Phillips told the News-Star the storm caused up to $30 million in damage to planes inside a hangar. ___ Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, and AP photographers Rogelio V. Solis in Carson, Mississippi, and Brynn Anderson in Georgia contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Windstorm Louisiana Georgia North Carolina Aviation Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Amid ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has decided to extend the stay of the non-immigrants beyond the authorised period. Operational under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency announced that the H-1B visa holders can file an application for extension of stay or change in status, as per media reports. The application forms and petitions are available online. Moreover, the USCIS has reportedly granted flexibility on temporary worker visas for late applications. It has also issued the revised guidelines for entrants under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) that previously required departure of overseas workers in case of unemployment after the expiration of authorised 60 days validity period. The H-1B visa holders can now extend the legal stay for at least 30 days in the United States, according to reports. Read: Coronavirus Deaths In Sweden Pass 1,000 Mark "Where applicable, employment authorisation with the same employer, subject to the same terms and conditions of the prior approval, is automatically extended for up to 240 days after I-94 expiration when an extension of stay request is filed on time," said the DHS as per reports. Earlier, a petition to the White House was filed by the foreign labour workforce in an appeal to President Donald Trump to protract their legal stay duration in the US. Mounting fears among H-1B visa holders loomed amid massive lay-offs speculation due to the coronavirus pandemic that hit the US economy hard. Read: Lawmakers Call Special Session To Cope With Coronavirus COVID-19 Crisis Over 1,985,135 people have been infected worldwide with the novel coronavirus COVID-19, out of which, the US accounts for 605,354 cases with a death toll of 25,394. Earlier, Trump thanked India for the supply of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to the US, deemed as a 'game-changer" in the fight against the deadly coronavirus. He said that India's help in the extraordinary times "will not be forgotten". Anticipating that the drug will work, given initial positive results, the US administration has bought more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine for the potential treatment of COVID-19, as per the media reports. Read: Army Doctor Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Contact Tracing Begins Read: Health Care Workers Are 10-20% Of US Coronavirus Cases World has been in a tailspin since the coronavirus pandemic came to light. Matters have turned worse for India which was already going through a phase of economic slowdown. In March, employment rate fell to its all-time low, whereas unemployment rate saw an unprecedented rise to enter double digits for the first time. According to data from Centre for Monitoring Economy (CMIE), unemployment rate almost tripled in the week ended March 29 to 23.8 per cent from 8.4 per cent a week ago. The next week, which ended on March 5, it was recorded at 23.4 per cent. Unemployment has been progressively growing since January, when the first cases of coronavirus emerged. "The unemployment rate in March was 8.7 per cent. This is the highest unemployment rate in 43 months. Or, since September 2016. The rate has climbed rather steeply from the 7.16 per cent level of January 2020," the Mumbai-based think tank said in a recent report. ALSO READ:Coronavirus impact: COVID-19 may push half million people into poverty, says Oxfam ALSO READ:Coronavirus impact: Layoffs, closures to wipe out 6.7% of working hours in Q2, says ILO Employment rate in March fell to an all time low of 38.2 per cent, and the "scene gets much worse as we move into the lockdown period," CMIE said. Things have not returned to normal during the first two weeks of April. As on April 12, the 30-day moving average of unemployment rate was 13.5 per cent. India has reported double-digit unemployment rate in urban areas before, but it has never been the case in rural India. The ongoing nationwide lockdown has changed that. As agricultural activities remain suspended due to lockdown, unemployment in rural areas has reached 13.08 per cent, whereas it reached 14.53 per cent in urban areas. "What has happened between January and March is that the number of employed fell from 411 million to 396 million and the number of unemployed increased from 32 million to 38 million. So, the 9 million fall in the labour force consists of a 15 million fall in the count of employed and a 6 million increase in the count of unemployed," the CMIE report said. ALSO READ:400 million workers in India may sink into poverty amid coronavirus pandemic: ILO ALSO READ:Coronavirus impact: Nasscom seeks govt help for IT sector's vulnerable employees An Australian cruise ship passenger who was rescued from a ship riddled with coronavirus has slammed the 'appalling' conditions in her quarantine hotel. Jan Richards got into a tense discussion with Today host Karl Stefanovic as she bemoaned the 14-day tax-payer funded stay in Melbourne. She had been a passenger on the Greg Mortimer cruise ship, which spent two weeks stranded off the coast of South America. The Australian government repatriated its citizens on Monday and brought them to safety, despite 128 of the ship's 217 passengers testing positive for COVID-19. Despite this, Ms Richards said she felt 'let down' by the government, and said she was treated better in Uruguay. The Greg Mortimer (pictured) departed on March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South Georgia, but was stuck off the coast of Uruguay for two weeks because of a COVID-19 outbreak 'I feel very let down by our government,' she said on Tuesday morning's show. 'I didn't get the same care and compassion as I received when we were in Uruguay. 'We're now stuck in this hotel. I have no real idea of what my expectations was other than I thought it would be clean and we would have access to fresh air. 'Well, the hotel rooms are dirty, I mean really dirty. We have no access to fresh air. 'I'm not expecting five-star. I do expect some level of compassion from our own government. It's been a nightmare of a journey.' While Stefanovic said he 'wholeheartedly sympathised' with her ordeal, the action had to be taken to protect other Australians from potential harm. Passengers from the coronavirus-riddled Greg Mortimer cruise ship took this flight from Montevideo to Melbourne (pictured on Saturday) over the weekend 'You do get that, don't you?' he asked her. 'One hundred per cent,' Ms Richards replied. 'Not one of us would ever want to pass this on to anybody. But I do think we should be treated like Australians and be given a clean environment. 'No one is asking for five-star. We expected to do this. We want to do this. We certainly don't want to pass it on to anybody. But this treatment is appalling.' The plane, filled with coronavirus-infected passengers landed in Melbourne on Sunday morning after leaving Uruguay. The plane carrying 112 Australian and New Zealand passengers touched down at Tullamarine Airport shortly before 7am. Jan Richards (pictured, right) got into a tense discussion with Today host Karl Stefanovic (left) as she bemoaned the 14-day tax-payer funded stay in Melbourne. The Greg Mortimer cruise ship is seen off the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, on April 7 (pictured) Around 80 coronavirus-infected Australians were on board the 16 hour mercy flight. 'We were stuck in a country where the people were kind and compassionate, and we couldn't have asked for more help,' she went on. 'On the trip from the boat to the plane, at 11.30 at night, the streets were lined with people with banners and flags, waving and clapping us goodbye. 'It was very emotional'. Unlike the passengers of the Ruby Princess - who were allowed to walk freely onto Australian shores without testing or imposed quarantine - medical staff checked all travellers from the Greg Mortimer before they left the plane. A handful of passengers were given the all-clear to disembark from the front of the plane. They were seen making their way towards a fleet of waiting Sky buses, who will transport them to quarantine hotels, where they will remain for the next 14 days. Passengers began disembarking via the front of the plane within an hour of touching down in Melbourne on Sunday (pictured) Passengers given the all clear to disembark the plane collected their luggage before heading towards a fleet of buses (pictured) on Sunday Those who showed any type of coronavirus symptoms were taken to hospital by a fleet of ambulances waiting on the runway. A charter plane then transported the small group of New Zealanders on board home, who also went into quarantine. The cruise, ran by Aurora Expeditions, set sail four days after the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus a pandemic. Despite the roughly $35,000 cost, the company is not offering refunds or any money back. 'They made a decision on commercial basis,' Ms Richards said. 'We had to pay all upfront 90 days before the cruise. The world was not the crazy place it is now. The Ruby Princess arrived in Sydney on March 19 (pictured) and unloaded thousands of passengers without health checks. Several went onto test positive for coronavirus 'Quite a few of us rang the company to say, 'are you cancelling this trip?' We were all concerned. 'They said 'no'. Cancel (and) you lose 100 per cent of your money.' The Today host then said the cruise company was '100 per cent' to blame. 'Some of these cruise ships, a small number have done the right thing,' he said. 'There have been others that blame lay squarely on them and they need to accept responsibility for that. 'They need to accept responsibility for the complaints you're making.' The U.N. secretary general, Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis have both called for a cessation of all global conflicts to focus on what Mr. Guterres called the true fight of our lives. Last week Saudi Arabia announced a cease-fire in its war against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and armed groups have indicated a desire to stop fighting in Colombia, Cameroon and the Philippines. The Afghan government and the Taliban have both begun efforts to stem the spread of the virus. And Russia may find the burden of supporting Syrian troops or secessionists in eastern Ukraine excessive if Covid-19 begins to take a heavy toll on the economy. But the Islamic State has called on its followers to ramp up their efforts. The Houthis have not reciprocated Saudi Arabias cease-fire, and fighting has escalated in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is understandable that governments of rich nations have focused first and foremost on the crisis within their own borders. Nothing like the coronavirus has ever overwhelmed so much of the world in such short order, or with such cataclysmic force. Yet it is dismaying that a danger that confronts the entire world, that is likely to hurt the entire global economy, has led to so little global cooperation and has been met with so little global leadership. This is a crisis in which the United States could have emerged as the leader. The country still may do so. But on top of the widely chronicled failures at home, the Trump administration has provided little inspiration for the world. The response in Europe has also been marked by confusion and disunity: The president of the European Unions main science organization resigned last week in protest of the bloc's handling of the crisis. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, is under heavy fire from critics who say its complicated relationship with China may have undermined its mission. That is not likely to change, especially while the disease continues to ravage the United States, Italy, Spain and many other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, and most especially in an American presidential election year, when the struggle against Covid-19 is likely to become only more politicized. But the weakness of Washington should not prevent the brain trust of the developed world the think tanks, news media, universities and nongovernmental organizations from focusing on a strategy for the next and possibly most brutal front in the struggle against the scourge of the coronavirus. Many organizations have already begun to do so, recognizing that this may be the defining struggle of our era, and that if ever the world demanded a global response, this is it. 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. PHOENIX Another 95,000-plus Arizonans filed for unemployment benefits this past week. The new claims are short of the record set the prior week when nearly 130,000 filed for initial jobless benefits in Arizona. But they boost the number of people who have filed for unemployment benefits in Arizona since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak to nearly 350,000. The Department of Economic Security began on Monday, April 13, distributing the additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits, on top of the state maximum of $240, with the additional dollars provided under a federal relief package. Our target is to make all retroactive payments to eligible claimants by the end of this week, said department spokesman Brett Bezio. But the number of applicants and active recipients of benefits may not provide a true picture of the people who have found themselves out of work. There are any number who previously applied who are not yet receiving benefits as they work their way through the system. There also are those who have not yet gotten through to apply. DES Director Tom Betlach acknowledged last week that many people are finding it difficult to even apply for benefits. The system is built to handle what has been the typical average of only 3,000 applications a week, he said. Betlach said his staff has been expanded, with more hiring to come and efforts being made to work with private groups to process applications. Notice of first quarter 2020 results and conference call Luxembourg, April 14, 2020 Millicom will announce its first-quarter 2020 results on April 30, 2020 at approximately 12:00 (Stockholm) / 11:00 (London) / 6:00 (Miami) via a press release. The company will host a conference call for the global financial community on April 30, 2020 at 14:00 (Stockholm) / 13:00 (London) / 08:00 (Miami). The conference call will be webcast at www.millicom.com Dial-in information: Please dial in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time to register your attendance. Dial-in numbers for the call are as follows: Sweden: +46 (0) 8566 18467 Luxembourg: +352 2786 0549 UK: +44 (0) 8444 819752 US: +1 646 7413 167 The access code is: 2382113 Replay information: A replay of the call will be available for 7 days beginning on April 30, 2020, at: UK: +44 (0) 3333 009785 US: +1 (917) 677-7532 Replay passcode is: 2382113 For further information, please contact Press: Vivian Kobeh, Corporate Communications Director +1-786-628-5300 press@millicom.com Investors: Michel Morin, VP Investor Relations +1-786-628-5270 investors@millicom.com Sarah Inmon, Investor Relations Manager +1-786-628-5303 investors@millicom.com About Millicom Millicom (NASDAQ U.S.: TIGO, Nasdaq Stockholm: TIGO_SDB) is a leading provider of cable and mobile services dedicated to emerging markets in Latin America and Africa. Millicom sets the pace when it comes to providing high-speed broadband and innovation around The Digital Lifestyle services through its principal brand, TIGO. As of December 31, 2019, Millicom operating subsidiaries and joint ventures employed around 22,000 people and provided mobile services to approximately 52 million customers, with a cable footprint of more than 11 million homes passed. Founded in 1992, Millicom International Cellular S.A. is headquartered in Luxembourg. Attachment Authorities are blaming a hoverboard malfunction for starting a fire that damaged a two-family home north of Boston. Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield and State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said investigators determined the hoverboard which had been charging on the first floor of the home ignited the blaze Thursday afternoon. No injuries were reported but the building suffered an estimated $325,000 worth of damage and five residents were displaced. Hoverboard fires became a problem nationwide in 2016 after they became popular holiday gifts. The toys are powered by lithium-ion batteries that have been known to spontaneously combust. In a statement, Mansfield cautioned owners to use only the cables supplied with the hoverboard and to take care not to overcharge the devices. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Massachusetts By IANS NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has suggested that the government should isolate virus hotspots and allow business to reopen in other areas. He slammed the government for the blanket lockdown as the poor have suffered. In a tweet on Monday, he said, "The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering to millions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners. " he tweeted The former Congress President said, "It needs a smart upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots and allowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen," he said further in his tweet. After the Prime Minister's announcement of the extension of nationwide lockdown, the Congress has questioned the government strategy to help the poor. It has also asked the Centre to spell out the strategy with regards to testing people for coronavirus. The Congress had earlier demanded the phase wise lifting of the lockdown and suggested slew of measures, while party President asked for free ratio to poor the party and senior leader Anand Sharma demanded stimulus package for MSME and Industry. The Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said on Monday, "Ten kg grain per person may be provided free for six months to those who may be facing food insecurity but not having ration cards. I would like to bring to your notice that all migrant labourers may not be holding NFSA cards. In addition, many deserving people have been excluded from the NFSA lists." At the Haldwell School, the posh Pennsylvania boarding school that serves as the location for Tayarisha Poes Selah and the Spades, they call the student cliques that dominate campus life factions. But they might as well call them families, because a few minutes at Haldwell in Poes quietly commanding film will convince you that these five factions run the show in a way that isnt too far removed from the way the Mafias five families ran the underworld in New York City starting in the 1930s. Sure, there are fewer things like contract killings in this particular story, but Selah and the Spades takes the model of high-school movies like Clueless and Pretty in Pink and throws in a hefty dose of The Godfather. Poes feature debut, though, has a style all its own, spare but rich and able to make the umpteenth teen movie weve all seen feel fresh. The film is premiering on Amazon Prime on April 17, 15 months after its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Also Read: 'Selah and the Spades' Star Lovie Simone Wants You to Know 'There's Not One Way to Live Black' (Video) An opening voiceover thats breezier than anything that follows sets up the premise: At Haldwell, the five factions control everything that goes on behind the administrations back. One is made up of teachers pets who help other students cheat, one is in charge of gambling, one oversees all illegal parties, one keeps the school officials blissfully unaware and one, the Spades, deals in the most classic of vices: booze, pills, powders, fun. The five factions have a sometimes uneasy coexistence, with one rule binding them all together: nobody rats anybody out. Naturally, though, there are power plays and infighting particularly since the leader of the Spades, 17-year-old Selah (Lovie Simone), is adamant that she should be the one who runs the show at all times, with a little help from her sidekick Maxxie (Jharrel Jerome). Story continues Selah also heads the schools spirit squad, a group of cheerleaders who choose their own outfits, choreograph their own routines and do everything they can to control their own destinies. When youre a 17-year-old girl, youve got the whole world telling you what to do with your body, Selah announces. Youve gotta grab onto that power whenever you can. Also Read: 'The Gentlemen' Film Review: Guy Ritchie Gets His Mojo Back in a Tale That Recalls His Early Breakthroughs So she does, which causes resentment among the party faction, the Bobbys. (Selah is black and the head Bobby is white, but race is never an issue in the film, at least not overtly.) At the same time, Selah is trying to groom a successor to take over the Spades when she graduates at the end of the school year, latching onto a sophomore photographer, Paloma (Celeste OConnor), who proves to be quite capable and uncomfortably (for Selah) ambitious. Simone makes for a fiercely assertive Selah, but she lets the strain of being that fierce show: When she tells her mother over the phone that she got a 93 on her calculus test and her mom responds, What happened to the other seven points? she stammers and slips and knows how inadequate her answer seems. But shes determined not to show weakness, to the point where she refuses to date because she sees other girls crying in the bathroom over boys and could never allow herself to be that vulnerable. When things get tense between her and Maxxie, who has made what she considers an unforgivable mistake, or when Paloma becomes too assertive a protege for Selahs taste, she has no option but to get harder, meaner and more controlling. (Her drive to have agency in her own life makes her a real heroine to root for until shes not.) Also Read: Hollywood Scrambles to Meet Surging Demand for Animation, Children's Content During Coronavirus By this point, the lightheartedness in the films early stages is long gone, not that Poe ever seemed interested in spending any real time in traditional teen-comedy territory. Selah and the Spades is stylish and controlled, with Poe and cinematographer Jomo Fray reveling in the shadows, playing with angles and unafraid to back off from their characters. It also makes striking, judicious use of music, with Japanese-born composer Aksa Matsumiyas sparse, sometimes eerie score dropping out for long stretches and then comes back to play a central role every so often. The sound design is also subtle but tremendously effective, particularly in a druggy, doomy party scene that moves to heavy beats layered deep in the background. At times the storytelling may make the story look and feel more interesting than it is, particularly in an ending that feels as if it rushes to find a bit of forced redemption. But Poe is an assured first-time director who has created a high-school movie that feels distinct from all the high-school movies that preceded it. And distinct from the mob movies, too. Read original story Selah and the Spades Film Review: Teen Mobsters Run the Show in Stylish High School Drama At TheWrap Workers deemed essential have had to face numerous additional challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, but one of the major stressors for those with families has been how to care for small children. Many day care centers have closed, while those that still are open raise parents concerns about the contagion risk among active youngsters who can be hard to corral at the best of times, let alone in these unsettling days. Grandparents arent the usual handy option they have been in the past because those 60 and older and those who have underlying health conditions, such as diabetes and weakened immune systems, are at higher risk for the disease. Laura and T J. Mayes, parents of toddler Marisa, are among the parents facing those issues. Both are considered essential and continue to go into their offices: Laura Mayes is the assistant director of San Antonios government and public affairs office and attorney T.J. Mayes is host of KLRNs weekly news show, On the Record. With a 21/2-year-old, there's no way I could continue doing my job and not having some kind of child care, Laura Mayes said. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases Day care centers long have been a necessity for many who both are parents and essential employees law enforcement officers; health care, transportation, infrastructure and restaurant drive-through workers; journalists. But the pandemic has created additional layers of stress staying open while adjusting to continuously updating Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to ensure the safety of those they serve, themselves and their families. Licensed child care facilities are exempt from the stay-at-home orders, meaning they are allowed to continue to operate. But they only can care for children of workers deemed essential or in court-ordered child protective cases. However, not all child care facilities chose to stay open. San Antonios Department of Human Services Child Care Services Program, which works with 564 providers, reported 90 temporary closures and 18 centers with reduced service hours. The state has seen an even greater decline in operational child care facilities nearly 41 percent fewer facilities and individuals are caring for kids. In February, there were 17,279 child care operations, including listed family homes, said Danielle Pestrikoff, a spokeswoman for Texas Health and Human Services. As of Tuesday, that number had dropped to 10,251. Jason Jauregui, the CEO of Discovery World Learning Center in San Antonio, said he chose to keep his day care center open for two reasons: to continue to care for the children it serves and to ensure his employees continue to have an income during the crisis. But it came at a price. We are currently at 10 percent capacity, Jauregui said. Thats about 15 children. Jauregui added that in order to avoid layoffs, staff hours had to be cut in half. We are barely hanging on, he said. Marisa Mayes day care also remained open. They were following the states order. So until somebody says, No, you absolutely have to close, it was their perspective that a lot of people who send their kids there are essential workers and they need the help, Laura Mayes said. On ExpressNews.com: Youd be amazed how many San Antonio businesses are essential However, Mayes added, the day care now has only about five children attending. The citys child services program also isnt at full capacity. Annually, the program serves about 13,000 children, and as of Wednesday 11,295 were enrolled, said Roland Martinez, a spokesman for the department. A gut choice Brittany Espinosa, a San Antonio mother to a 4-month-old, is one parent who made the difficult decision to remove her boy from his day care in March. At the time, I just had this feeling deep in my stomach and I couldnt bear to send him out to potentially be exposed daily while his parents were both at home, she said. Espinosa said she and her husband have been able to work from home while the stay-at-home order is in force. A couple of weeks later, the day cares doors closed and word spread that a parent of one of the students had tested positive for COVID-19. I understand why day cares are considered essential. But at the same time, I feel that its very unsafe because who knows what these children are being exposed to, Espinosa said. To my knowledge, babies cannot be taught to wash their hands or cover their mouths when they cough, she said, adding, however, I dont want to talk down on anyone who still has their children in day care because I understand some people dont have other options. Lauren Macias, a single mother and an Intensive Care Unit nurse at University Hospital, had been working on getting her 11-month-old daughter enrolled in day care before the novel coronavirus outbreak. But once COVID-19 cases began to appear in San Antonio, everything changed. Macias takes care of patients who have tested positive for the disease. While she couldnt bear the thought of being apart from her daughter, the fear that she might infect her daughter was worse. So she opted to have her daughter live with her parents until the pandemic subsides. Its been 16 days since Macias has seen her daughter in person. She occasionally gets to see the baby on Facetime, but typically shes asleep by the time Macias gets home from work. Still, Macias said, it gives her peace of mind knowing her daughter and parents may be a little bit safer because of her decision not to be with them. Accessible options While making decisions for child care during the crisis may be tough, all kinds of entities private and public are working to ensure essential workers have numerous accessible options. Elizabeth Allen, spokeswoman for University Health System, said administrators have created an online platform so employees can connect with co-workers to share babysitters or family members willing to help. Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Care.com is increasing in-home child care access for essential workers responding to the COVID-19 emergency. As part of the initiative, Care.com is offering 90 days of free, premium access to its services. In addition, the state launched a new Frontline Child Care portal that helps connect essential workers with available child care near their homes or workplaces. The portal also includes information on financial assistance to cover the costs of child care. The United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County has partnered with the citys Department of Human Services and San Antonio Area Foundation to offer up to three weeks of assistance. Safety first While child care facilities are allowed to stay open, they follow strict guidelines to ensure children are safe, including limiting outside visitors, taking the temperature of individuals before allowing them in the facility, requiring parents to pick up and drop off their children outside the facility or home, ensuring each child is provided individual meals and snacks, sanitizing operations, washing hands, having staff members and children stay home if they are sick and, of course, practicing social distancing. At Discovery World Learning Center, Jauregui said the temperatures of children and staff are checked every day and anyone with a temperature above 99.4 degrees is not allowed inside. Children have their lunch 6 feet apart from each other, he said. Lke Jaregui, most child care facilities in the San Antonio area seem to be following the new rules. Based on data provided by the city, in the first week of April there were only six complaints regarding child care facilities, claiming social distancing was not taking place. Four of the complaints resulted in warnings issued to the child care centers by law enforcement. The new normal Before the crisis, Mayes and her daughter had established a routine: Go into the day care center together, sit, play for a little, talk about what friends Marisa would hang out with that day and hug Elmo goodbye. Now the routine is much shorter: Drop Marisa off outside, have Marisas temperature checked and say goodbye. Mayes said the changes were daunting at first for her daughter, who is too young to fully comprehend the pandemic. On ExpressNews.com: Balancing work at home and kids is a job in itself during coronavirus shutdowns But Marisa quickly got used to the new pattern, her mom says. In fact, the youngster has brought some of it home playing with a toy doctors kit, she frequently checks her parents temperatures and sings a song she learned at the center about handwashing. Having a routine has brought a sense of normalcy to this new life, Mayes said. Its something early childhood experts urge parents to do. Mayes still has her worries but now its more about contracting the virus at work and spreading it to her daughter. Each night Mayes gets home, before she sees her daughter, she takes off her shoes, changes her clothes, washes up and sanitizes. Thats hard, because the second she sees me she wants to run up and give me a big hug, Mayes said. Theres definitely a lot of bedtimes that Ive missed and moments that I havent seen her over the last 10 weeks, Mayes said. But, from my perspective, I guess if I can do my part being an essential worker and Ive been fortunate enough to work on the citys response with this then that means it is safer for her overall. The total number of those infected with the coronavirus in Turkey has reached 61,049, with 4,093 more people testing positive, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Monday, although the recovery data has offered some signs of hope. The death toll hit 1,296, with 98 having passed away as a result of the illness in the last 24 hours, while the total numbered discharged increased to 3,957. A total of 511 patients recovered in a single day. Turkey has imposed restrictions on daily life in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Though an early response to the crisis has stemmed the number of those infected, the country has had mixed success in limiting public mobility, especially on weekends and given rising temperatures. READ: COVID-19 cases in Turkey continue to increase, yet recoveries offer ray of hope Turkey to continue weekend COVID-19 curfews Turkey will continue with its weekend curfews to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the countrys president announced on Monday, with the next curfew to be imposed on April 18-19. As part of the fight against the epidemic, we decided to continue the curfew on weekends as needed in the coming period, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following a three-hour virtual Cabinet meeting. Measures will be taken to prevent unnecessary disorder which occurred in some places after the announcement of first weekend curfew, he said. READ: Turkey to continue weekend COVID-19 curfews: Erdogan British citizens living in Fethiye thank Turkey for medical supplies sent to UK Mick Scarsbrook (Mck Amca) says thank you What better way to spend Easter Sunday than expressing thanks to Turkey for, what is now two shipments of medical supplies they have sent to the UK. Thank you to Mick Scarsbrook, Carol Vaughan, Angela Sowten, Viv Oldham, Jan Jones and Paul Watts for taking part. Thanks also to Yavuz Topates and Ali Riza Akkr for organising the video and article. No need for translation as the video says it all WATCH: http://video.haber7.com/video-galeri/160653-fethiyede-yasayan-ingilizler-gonderilen-tibbi-yardim-icin-tesekkur-etti New state hospitals for Marmaris and Seydikemer Work is to start soon on two new state hospitals in the Mugla region. A 150-bed facility will be built in Seydikemer and a 125-bed hospital in Marmaris both to be completed over the next two years. Consultation and the tender procedure for both projects has been completed with construction to begin as soon as possible. Source: http://www.muglaturk.com/haber/marmaris-ve-seydikemer-devlet-hastaneleri-basin-duyurusu-2422.html?fbclid=IwAR3OzwLE0QK8kEpYM1AnG74o8BT15zprBjZibJJBi1OXtIv1TgqOvI6s_F8 126 people in Fethiye fined a total 80,000 TL for violating the curfew Fethiye Governor, Muzaffer Sahiner 126 people in Fethiye were fined a total of 80,000 TL for violating the curfew over the weekend. Law enforcement teams set up checkpoints around Fethiye and patrolled the streets challenging those who ignored the curfew warnings. Amongst the exceptions to the curfew were Vefa Support Groups helping citizens over 65 years of age and meeting any urgent needs of other citizens due to the curfew. Vefa helped approximately 250 households in the two days providing a 24 hour service. 17 people over the age of 65 were taken to hospital and health institutions for medication and illnesses. Fethiye Governor Muzaffer Sahiner thanked the citizens who complied with the curfew in Fethiye. Sahiner said, Our Police, Gendarmerie, and Vefa Support Groups have worked extensively during the two-day curfew. I would like to thank our citizens for their patience by respecting the curfew. We look forward to understanding in the future. Lets strictly follow the coronavirus outbreak measures. I am delightful to follow the social distance and hygiene rules . Source: https://gercekfethiye.com/126-kisiye-80-bin-tl-para-cezasi/26684/ COVID-19 treatment free for Turkish citizens even without social security A recovered COVID-19 patient leaves a hospital amid applause from the staff in Konya, Turkey, April 11, 2020. (DHA Photo) A new regulation implemented today allows Turkish citizens to receive free COVID-19 treatment even if they do not have social security. The regulation published in the Official Gazette gives free access to tests and medicine for COVID-19 patients. READ: https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/covid-19-treatment-free-for-turkish-citizens-even-without-social-security/news Turkey completes 1st phase of COVID-19 vaccine development Two researchers working at a laboratory in Izmir, Turkey, Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (AA Photo) Scientists in western Turkey began Tuesday lab tests of an antigen they designed as a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The research work is being conducted jointly by the Drug Development and Pharmacokinetic Research Application Center (ARGEFAR) at Izmirs Ege University and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). A total of 32 scientists specializing in different branches are working together to conduct the studies. READ: https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-completes-1st-phase-of-covid-19-vaccine-efforts/news Fethiye Mayor warns against phone scam Fethiye Mayor, Alim Karaca has today issued a notice warning citizens to beware of anyone cold calling, introducing themselves as municipal personnel and asking for money on behalf of the Municipality and the Mayor. This is a phone scam! Legal action will be taken against the culprits once identified. Global statistics There are now 1,947,855 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, of which 460,229 have recovered. The number of fatalities stands at 121,793. Source: Worldometer. An important notice from Fethiye Times The following notice is now pinned to the top of the Fethiye Times Facebook page as a reminder of our code of conduct. Please help us to continue to bring you regular, accurate and verified updates by adhering to our code. Thank you As some still seem inclined to use this page as a platform for their own opinions and bearing in mind the governments warning that it will be taking a more rigorous approach to those who use social media to criticise its performance we have taken a reluctant decision to step up our moderation of the content on our Facebook account. Please feel free to continue to share our reports but can we remind everyone yet again that our resources are limited and we believe they are best used for reporting or sharing accurate information from reliable sources. We have neither the time nor the inclination to act as mediators in online arguments. From now on, any comment which we deem to be unnecessary, unhelpful or based entirely on personal opinion will be deleted. In particular, if you have an opinion on how the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled locally or around the world, please express it on your own timeline. Like every other group or page admin, we bear the ultimate responsibility for what we publish. As a result, we have a duty to ensure that everything we share is in good faith, verified as far as possible and adheres to the principles and regulations of our host nation. We hope we can rely on your help and support. You can read more about the Fethiye Times Code of Conduct here: https://www.fethiyetimes.com/uncategorized/29298-fethiye-times-our-code-of-conduct.html Follow Fethiye Times on social media for regular updates. Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Todays featured image: Fethiye Bay by Lyn Ward Antibody badges = surely a German import Antibody tests = It seems that nobody tests. AOC = See, emissions went down during shelter in place. Best and Brightest = being wrong on modeling, human infectiousness, test-kit availability, travel bans, masks, and anti-malarial drugs, without ever having to say yourre sorry Joe Biden = Beware of Ezekiel Emanuel! Big Pharma = Leave! Come Home! Bioweapon = the next Chinese summit Boomers = Hey man, so, so sorry about the debt. Michael Bloomberg = oddly melted down and exited the national stage before the Chinese virus struck Border security = yesterdays Neanderthalism; todays prescience The CDC = Wearing masks is bad; masks for some are better than for others; all masks are good. China = yesterdays inevitable new hegemon; todays global pariah, tomorrows 1.4-billion-person infectious nightmare Chinese Communist Party = Without its news bulletins, apparently Democracy Dies in Darkness. CNN = We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, drive away any viewing audience in order to assure the destruction of Trump. Conspiracy theory = Did China shut down all travel out of Wuhan while continuing Wuhan-to-U.S. direct flights? COVID-19 = now tasked with doing what neither Robert Mueller nor Adam Schiff could Cuomo on Cuomo = Learn how the nations most infected and lethal state proved to be its most successful in fighting the virus. Denominator = When in doubt, make it up. Durham = Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye Emanuels = Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste, I hope to die at 75, and all that sick jazz EU = In matters of money, a borderless currency is one thing; but in times of death, a borderless humanitarian response is quite another. Experts = better to be wrong with an M.D. and a Ph.D. than right without one Farmers = Please, please, keep digging holes and dropping in seeds! Anthony Fauci = remembered for being a genius today, forgotten when being wrong yesterday Story continues FDA = Lets not be hasty. Fish-tank cleaner = an imaginative viral cure supposedly advocated by Donald Trump Flattening the curve = pausing for the next outbreak without herd immunity The flu = a federal felony to mention it in comparison with COVID-19 Globalists = now investing in a cheaper Chinese global vaccine Globalization = We are all residents of Wuhan now. Gray matter = capitalizing Chinese Communist companies with Western liquidity Gun control = only for the little people Hand cleanser = said to cure cancer, heart problems, and diabetes Hedge fund = For now, it wont feed or warm you. Hydroxychloroquine = a formerly safe drug, but now to be avoided as toxic and proof of Trumps quackery unless you come down with a bad case of the virus Iran = out-terrorized by a stealthier terrorist Italy = If only Gucci and Versace had made masks and ventilators. Keep on truckin = literally Masks = Worn to save you or them or neither or both? Angela Merkel = There will be no corona bonds. Mexico = Its now racist to cross the border. Modelers = certified geniuses who nobly erred so grievously only to force the public to do what they did not know was supposed to be good for them. Numerator = dying with the coronavirus or from it? Obama = Barack who? Outsourcers = Chinese masks and ventilators were in-the-know investments. Nancy Pelosi = first to warn of the existential viral danger by urging visits to Chinatown after the travel ban Racism and xenophobia = Chinese institutionalizing of both provides proof of embracing neither. Bernie Sanders = gone to buy another home on the lake Shelter in place = Amazon plot Silk Road = the quickest way to Wuhan Social distancing = a nice way to avoid what or whom you didnt like Socialism = Shut down, stay in, dont work, get paid, keep angry vote accordingly. Taiwan = Are democratic, brave Chinese really such a bad thing? Touching your face = now far worse than scratching your groin 2.2 million dead Americans = so why not 20.2 million? Your seventies = the new nineties Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus = explains why WHO always used to have a doctor as its director Toilet paper = Either hoard it, or I will. Travel ban = bad idea that the racist and xenophobic Trump should have done earlier United Nations = for once, passed an admirable resolution praising itself for doing nothing Vaccination for COVID-19 = For anti-vaxxers, some vaccinations will be more equal than others. Ventilators = part of a conspiracy to provide governors far more of them than they need Virology = the science of dealing with deadly viruses that are smarter than you are Vote by mail = and often Wet markets = where old bats, snakes, and pangolins go to die so that new vira can be born White House press corps = How come just one more smear doesnt give the president the hoped-for fatal heart attack? WHO = the art of ridiculing America a democracy that gives ten times the amount of WHO contributions as antidemocratic China for enacting a life-saving travel ban, while parroting the Chinese propaganda that is killing thousands The world is flat = A coronavirus from Wuhan can reach Malibu more rapidly than most parts of China. The Wuhan Institute of Virology = Hmmmm . . . More from National Review Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: A woman, said to be mentally-challenged, continued to remain stranded on an islet along the Tripura-Bangladesh border as India refused to grant entry to her. Official sources said the middle-aged woman was intercepted by the Border Security Force (BSF) on April 2 when she was being pushed into the Indian side by some Bangladeshis with the help of the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB). As she remained stranded in the open since then, some Bangladeshi nationals were taking care of her basic needs. Over the past few days, the BSF and the BGB held a series of meetings at various levels but those failed to break the ice. South Tripura District Magistrate (DM) Debapriya Bardhan said the woman was not carrying any papers that established she was an Indian. Not only she speaks with a Bangladeshi accent, the places that she knows are all in Bangladesh. The BSF and the BGB are holding meetings almost every day. But so far, there is no breakthrough, the DM told this newspaper. He said it was still not verified if the woman was mentally-challenged. The BSF said there was no change in the status of the case. It will be wrong to say that she is holed up at no mans land or zero point. Zero point is an imaginary line. The boundary is demarcated by pillars. She is on the other side. As far as we are concerned, she is sitting on the Bangladeshi side near a river, a senior BSF official said. He added: We got nothing in her that establishes she is from our side. Some words that she uttered during a discussion with a journalist the other day indicated her relationship with Bangladesh. Muscatine County added six more positive cases and one death. It now has two deaths, the latest an adult between the ages of 61-80. With national news talking about numbers possibly leveling off and President Trump talking about reopening the country, both health department leaders stressed Monday it is no time to let up on efforts like social distancing and other plans to combat the virus. Its certainly not time to let up, Rivers said. Any reduction in cases that we are seeing has to be because of our social distancing. So to let up at this time would undoubtedly bring another wave of cases. Ludwig agreed. Certainly, if we were to let up we might see a rise in infections, she said. And we dont want to undo the progress that weve made so far. The pair refused to say exactly when the peak is expected locally. Citing the Easter family gatherings missed, spring sports and cultural events that have been wiped from the calendar, Ludwig said:, We miss everything right now. But the only way we keep making progress over this pandemic is doing everything weve been doing over the last month. Consumer electronics major Samsung India on Tuesday committed Rs 20 crore towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of its commitment, Samsung will donate Rs 15 crore to the PM-CARES Fund and Rs 5 crore to relief funds of state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where it operates manufacturing units, the company said in a statement. Samsung is already providing support to the local administration and community in Noida by equipping hospitals with medical equipment required in the preventive drive against the pandemic along with infra-red thermometers, public addressal systems and air purifiers, it said. Samsung is also providing food packets to local communities in Noida on a daily basis. "In our continuous endeavour to support the fight against Covid-19, Samsung today pledged a contribution of Rs 20 crore to the Union and State governments in India. Samsung will be donating Rs 15 crore to the PM Cares Fund, and Rs 5 crore to the states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, to support the country's challenge against the pandemic, Samsung said. In addition, employees of the company across India are contributing a portion of their salaries. The company said it will match the employee contributions and donate the total amount to the PM-CARES Fund in the coming weeks. According to the latest report from the Union Health Ministry, the total number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 10,363, with the death toll at 339. Over the last few weeks, Samsung has also hastened deliveries of digital X-ray and digital ultrasound machines that it provides to government hospitals as part of its Samsung Smart Healthcare program. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection. Meanwhile, in a BSE filing on Tuesday, OnMobile Global said it is contributing Rs 50 lakh from its CSR fund to the PM-CARES Fund. Corporate India has been rushing in to help the government and citizens fight the pandemic in India. Tata Trusts and Tata group together have pledged Rs 1,500 crore, while Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore. A number of other companies are also extending support by providing sanitizers, masks and meals to people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A handful of colleagues, including the Commander of the Navy in the Caribbean, Brigadier General of the Marines Peter Jan de Vin, stood on the jetty of naval base Parera on Monday morning to see Zr. Ms. Wish Groningen a good return trip. With the arrival of Zr. Ms. Zeeland in the Caribbean, Groningen can start its journey across the Atlantic sea, back to the Netherlands. General De Vin threw one of the bunches together with his Chief of Equipage, adjutant of the operational operations Hans Hijman. "The two-year pilot of the concept of a crew change is interrupted, but I soon see the ship again in the West after her maintenance period in the Netherlands," said the general. Since April 2019, the Royal Netherlands Navy has started a pilot involving the station ship Zr.Ms. Groningen will remain in the Caribbean for two years and the crew as a whole will change. However, Groningen is going to the Netherlands for a short period of maintenance. This return was not planned. The switch between the Groningen and the Zeeland is a direct result of the closure of the airspace of Curacao for incoming flights, due to the coronavirus. These flight restrictions mean that the crew of the Zeeland, who would fly to Curacao to take over the Groningen crew, is now sailing to the Caribbean. The travel restrictions also have consequences for maintenance personnel of the Royal Netherlands Navy, who would carry out maintenance on the spot in Groningen. They now do this in the Netherlands, as soon as Groningen is back. Operations Besides maritime presence and the provision of emergency aid, counterdrug operations and support of the Coast Guard CARIB are important tasks of the station ship. During the coronavirus, the station ship mainly performed the latter task (supporting the Coast Guard CARIB). In addition to the station ship, Defense in the Caribbean also supports the Coast Guard with soldiers from the army and the Marine Corps and with the Aruban and Curacao militia, both on land and on water. Marines of the Detachment on Sint Maarten support the local authorities in enforcing the measures announced by the government. Karel Doorman Monday morning the joint support ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Zr.Ms. Karel Doorman, left from the Netherlands. Defense sends the navy ship to support the local authorities of the (egg) countries in fighting the corona crisis if the situation calls for it. The support and supply vessel is initially deployed for 3 months. Asian universities close gap on US schools in world rankings by increasing STEM funding BUFFALO, N.Y. - China and South Korea are surging in the international brain race for world-class universities, as schools in the East Asian nations are replacing institutions in the United States in international college rankings, according to new University at Buffalo-led research. The research, which analyzed the effects of government policy on universities across the globe, found that China and Korea raised the number of their universities among the top 500 schools in the world through increased government funding and a focus on developing research programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. However, U.S. universities continue to dominate the top 100 rankings, suggesting limitations to the approach taken by China and South Korea, says Jaekyung Lee, PhD, lead researcher and professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the UB Graduate School of Education. "China has already surpassed Japan in world rankings and is closing the gap with the U.S. fast," says Lee. "Yet the 'Asian catch-up model' of building world-class universities relies heavily on government funding and central planning without creating an environment for intellectual autonomy and sustainable innovation. Chinese and Korean schools are hardly seen among the top 100 universities. The model may work better for the early stages of development, but not for the advanced stages that require innovation and leadership." Closing the gap on Western universities For policymakers in many East Asian nations, research universities are viewed as a key driving force for economic development, says Lee. Using U.S. or other Western top-tier research universities as benchmarks, schools in East Asian countries made strategic investments in higher education with a priority toward STEM programs to create their own world-class universities. To examine the effectiveness of the Asian catch-up model, the researchers reviewed the QS World University Rankings from 2008-14 and the Academic Ranking of World Universities from 2003-13. The study, published in March in Educational Research for Policy and Practice, also observed the amount of academic citations - a critical factor in ranking methodology - and funding spent on university research for the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan. China experienced the largest rise in the number of entries in world rankings. The increase was supported by several government initiatives that poured more than $20 billion in funding into more than 100 institutions. The funds were concentrated in STEM disciplines and fueled a 94% increase in research publications. These universities produced 8.6% of the world's research citations in 2012, a dramatic rise from 0.8% in 1996. South Korea universities also improved in international rankings, as the nation added three schools to the top 500 lists. To increase the competitiveness of its institutions, South Korea invested $1.2 billion in handpicked university programs, funding graduate student stipends and scholarships, and improving research infrastructure. The country produced 2.2% of the world's research citations in 2012, quadruple the amount created in 1996. The rise of Chinese and South Korean universities coincided with a drop in the number of Japanese schools in the top 500 rankings. An early employer of the catch-up method, Japan's success made it an initial leader in higher education among East Asian countries. During the previous two decades, Japan shifted from university-wide support to the funding of select research programs. Despite a slight increase in government support, Japanese institutions experienced a decrease in citations. The U.S. maintained the highest number of universities in the top 100 and 500 rankings, even with several schools dropping from the lists. Unlike East Asian nations that focused on rankings, research and graduate education, U.S. policy initiatives prioritized undergraduate education with an emphasis on graduation and retention rates and job placement. In fact, the U.S. did not actively compete in the international brain race and few U.S. universities benchmarked themselves against peer institutions in other nations, says Lee. U.S. federal and state governments continue to invest billions of dollars in university research, but the U.S.'s percentage of the world's academic citations were nearly halved between 1996-2012, falling from 41% to 24%. Stronger growth in China may be attributed to its strategy of lifting whole universities, whereas Japan and South Korea concentrated funding on select research programs, says Lee. Japan's progress may also have been limited by the maturation of its higher education system and weaker financial incentives. "In spite of the rapid growth in university rankings by Chinese and Korean universities, progress was limited to the second and third tiers," says Lee. "This finding might be related to the diminishing returns between citations and rankings. South Korea and China may fall into the trap of benchmarking, following Japan's suit if they fail to evolve from the 'catch-up' model to 'first mover' strategies for leading innovations." Limitations of STEM Although the development of STEM programs helped East Asian universities rise in international rankings, concentrating funding on STEM programs typically harmed institutional success. China, South Korea and Japan are outliers, says Lee. China's government allocated 100% of its research funding to top universities with concentrations on STEM disciplines, whereas South Korea and Japan allotted 62% and 35%, respectively. In contrast, the U.S. universities in the top 100 rankings were more likely to have a greater balance in funding between STEM fields, the humanities and social sciences. An underlying cause of the imbalance, says Lee, may be the language barriers and biases that restrict access to international scholarly networks and journals for non-English speakers in non-STEM fields. "Asian nations should reframe the question for world-class university development to, 'How should we distinguish ourselves from our American counterparts?'" says Lee. "This strategic differentiation is more likely to create win-win results when each nation pursues more comprehensive yet distinctive world-class universities. Then, the challenge is not so much catching up with established leaders as distinguishing from one's peers." ### Additional investigators include Keqiao Liu, PhD, at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in China, and Yin Wu, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at McGill University in Canada. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has discussed the Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Ponsen major infrastructure projects and projects to restore Donbas, in particular the construction of a water treatment plant in Mariupol. "I am grateful to France for helping to return the citizens of Ukraine. I also hope that France will not take any measures against Ukrainians who cannot leave the country for objective reasons," the government press service quoted Shmyhal as saying. In addition, the parties agreed on cooperation in two strategic areas: large infrastructure projects and projects for the restoration of Donbas, including the construction of a water treatment plant in Mariupol. Another project concerns the production of locomotives. Under this program, Ukrainian enterprises that can become part of a large production chain. "I am grateful to the authorities of France, who have developed and will finance this project. For this, a gesture of political and economic support," the prime minister said. One aspect of the program may be the allocation by France of EUR 100 million for the modernization of railway sections and rolling stock. Among other things, the parties discussed cooperation in the energy sector. During the meeting, it was agreed to hold an online meeting in the near future to discuss the implementation of these initiatives. OTTAWAThe ravages of coronavirus on nursing homes and long term care centres must come with a silver lining that forces Canadians to rethink how we care for people in them, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says. Calling this a large project for Canada, Hajdu said the country places too little value on caring for vulnerable people and that the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to change how we compensate caregivers, maintain facilities for the elderly and even conceptualize aging. Facing concerns about staffing and equipment shortages at facilities bearing the brunt of the pandemic in Canada, the federal government is also now in talks with the provinces to boost wages for long term care workers. But Hajdu said the country needs to go beyond that and reimagine a system that she characterized as placing more value on people who cared for vehicles than people who cared for people in nursing homes. All of us in this room are going to end up there, and these are our mothers and our fathers and our grandparents and our aunts and uncles, Hajdu told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. In every crisis theres a silver lining, and the silver lining for us is to think about how we will move forward from this time and really refocus our efforts to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to age in dignity with the care that they deserve at the end of their lives, she said. The novel coronavirus has so far hit seniors the hardest in Canada, with federal data which is reported to Ottawa by the provinces and still doesnt include information for all cases suggesting people aged 60 and older represent the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. On Monday, Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said about half of those killed by the virus were linked to long-term care homes where the virus has exacted a grim toll in recent weeks. One expert told the Star this week that risks in these homes are skyrocketing as the risk of death for people in long-term care is 10 to 20 times higher than the same age-groups living outside facilities. On Tuesday, Ontario imposed a mandatory order to restrict employees of long term care facilities to working at a single location. Premier Doug Ford said Ontario will send new medical teams of doctors and nurses to help care for people in hard-hit facilities. COVID-19 outbreaks have struck 93 nursing homes in Ontario where at least 135 people have died, healthy ministry officials said Tuesday. That includes the Pinecrest home in Bobcaygeon, where almost half the residents have died during the pandemic. Quebec has identified about 30 long term care facilities in which more than 15 per cent of residents were infected. In the Montreal-area city of Dorval, police have launched a criminal investigation after what Premier Francois Legault called gross negligence at the Residence Heron, where a volunteer nurse reported finding patients abandoned by staff and begging for water, while lying on bed sheets soaked with urine and feces. Legault said Tuesday that the situation in long term care homes is the province's great priority, with growing shortages of care workers that now amount to 1,250 absent staff. The province is working to transfer hospital workers to fill in, and called on doctors, nurses and health-care teachers across the province to volunteer to work in these homes. We need you, he said. Speaking outside Rideau Cottage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that terrible and tragic stories have emerged from long term care homes. His government recently released new voluntary guidelines to curb the spread of the virus in these centres, but Trudeau said more needs to be done to protect seniors. Trudeau said Ottawa is in talks with provinces to follow Quebecs decision earlier this month to increase wages for long term care workers and may chip in federal dollars to make it happen. We are willing to participate in sending money to the provinces to help and were having discussions with the provinces about what that is. But there are very different needs and situations right across the country, and were continuing to work with different provinces on their different priorities, he said. Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos added later that the Canadian Armed Forces have medical expertise that could be useful if provinces call for help from the military. With the pandemic hammering Canadas seniors the hardest, Trudeau said the crisis still requires all Canadians to stick to social distancing and isolation measures. The government moved to place stricter regulations on that front, with a new order coming into effect overnight Tuesday that will force Canadians returning from abroad to quarantine in government-paid hotel rooms for two weeks if they fail to produce a credible isolation plan. Since March 25, Ottawa has ordered all travellers arriving in Canada to sequester themselves at home for 14 days, under the threat of fines of up to $1 million and up to three years in prison for the most serious violations that put others lives in danger. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said people arriving in Canada will be forbidden to isolate in a place where they would be in contact with people who are vulnerable, such as adults who are 65 or older and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Travellers will also need to confirm they have a place to stay for two weeks that has access to necessities like food and medicine. If they dont, the government will force them to quarantine for two weeks in facilities like a hotel paid for by Ottawa, she said. At his own news conference Tuesday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said recently released government documents and security reports suggest the federal government was not sufficiently prepared for the pandemic, and was slow to restrict travel into the country. Our borders remained open, even as others closed theirs to protect the health and safety of their citizens, Scheer said. Canadians were repeatedly told that the public health risk was low. Strict public health measures were brought in just a few days later. The federal government has repeatedly insisted it has followed the advice of public health experts, which has evolved as the pandemic grew in recent weeks. With files from Rob Ferguson, Sandro Contenta and Alex Boutilier A wave of hunger strikes and sit-in protests continue to spread throughout US immigrant detention centers across California and beyond in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crowded facilities detain over 55,000 people and like the US prison system, are proving to be epicenters of the deadly disease. The Men of Dorm C appeal for protection. (Still from video courtesy of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity) Nearly 200 immigrants, in male and female cell blocks, are currently staging a hunger strike and sit-in at the Mesa Verde Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center in Bakersfield, California, to protest unsanitary conditions in the facility and demand their immediate release amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a fight for their lives and concern for public health and safety, the protesters urge ICE to release them from detention as soon as possible and have put forward a list of interim demands including: No new detainees be brought into the facility All staff, including kitchen staff, wear masks and gloves The provision of hygiene supplies like soap, sanitizers and paper towels Testing for COVID-19 and adequate, offsite medical care ICE officials are denying the existence of hunger strikes at the facility, despite interviews by detainees and lawyers validating conditions within the facilities and notifications by both men and women in different cell blocks that they are engaging in a hunger strike. According to a press statement on Friday, Jonathan C. Moor, a spokesman for ICE, stated that [t]here is no hunger strike occurring at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Mesa Verde Detention Facility, referring to allegations of a strike as disgusting false propaganda. Donovan Grant, a hunger striker, told the San Francisco Chronicle Monday that he was among 98 out of 100 male inmates in his unit who have refused to eat since breakfast on Friday, after women in a separate unit started the protest. Grant and other detainees have remarked on the lack of sanitation and preventative measures taken to help mitigate the disease within the facility. Preventative measures such as social distancing cannot be effectively practiced by detainees since there can be upwards of 100 people in a given dorm. A video recording compiled by the advocacy group Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity captured the reading of a petition to ICE signed by 85 Mesa Verde Detainees. The petition stated, Many of us have underlying medical issues from asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, and valley fever to heart issues like Ahn [detainee], who is 75 and suffered a heart attack last week. This will turn our detention into a death sentence because this pandemic requires social distancing and that is impossible in this environment. US immigrant detention centers are well known for their appalling conditions, lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters. The complete disregard to any systemized and heightened measures to mitigate the disease within the facilities has created conditions for COVID-19 to spread rapidly within them. A spike in cases inside the detention centers is also a major concern for the health and safety of the public in the surrounding areas as staff and ICE agents come and go from work. Drone footage showing male detainees holding a sit-in in the recreational area of the Mesa Verde facility The Mesa Verde Detention Center, a private center owned and operated by the for-profit GEO Group, is one of the smaller facilities within California, holding up to 400 detainees. It is used by ICE to hold immigrants scheduled for deportation or awaiting court appointments. Recently, four medically vulnerable people being held in Mesa Verde and Yuba County Jail were released after filing a lawsuit that claimed holding them in confinement while COVID-19 was prevalent in the country violated the US Constitution. Protests and lawsuits are breaking out in other detention centers across the state where unsanitary and cramped conditions have also created hotbeds for the virus to spread. In response to conditions and the highest reported number of COVID-19 cases in a detention center, several detainees at the Otay Mesa detention center in San Diego, California, also began hunger strikes over the weekend following revelations that at least 16 detainees and 7 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday afternoon. Their protests were met with physical abuse, pepper spray and brutal retaliation from ICE agents. Audio of an attack was recorded in a call from female detainees to Pueblo Sin Fronteras, an immigrant advocacy group. The women explained that [t]hey are coming to throw food at us like a dog, we have rights, we are not criminals. Later in the call, through horrible and sometimes inaudible screams, women in a cell cry out, Please help us get out. All the cells have been pepper sprayed... They are taking a girl who has mental illness This is abuse! The physical repression by guards at the Otay Mesa facility follows weeks of complaints by detainees that they did not have adequate protective gear and sanitation. In order to receive face masks which had only arrived last Friday, staff distributed contracts written in English, a language which many cannot read, for detainees to sign in order to obtain them. The waiver included verbiage that they would hold harmless CoreCivic and its agents and employees from any and all claims that I may have related directly to my wearing the face mask, in order to absolve the facility from liability that the masks provide any protection against the virus. The pandemic threatens to engulf and overwhelm not only the detention centers, but the hospitals when detainees are brought for treatment. Dorien Ediger-Seto, a San Diego attorney with National Immigrant Justice Center, told the San Diego Union-Tribune, Human beings at Otay Mesa Detention Center will die if ICE continues to detain them at current levels. These deaths are preventable, and they are unnecessary. The pandemic is unfolding in what were already brutal and inhuman conditions throughout the for-profit prison and migrant detention center industry. As of March 30, ICE said it had identified about 600 vulnerable detainees and released more than 160, as of last Tuesday. The fact that hundreds have been and are slated for release point to the fact that the detained immigrants, like so many of the two million in the US prison system, are kept for punitive and profit-driven measures and have never posed any threat to society. Bahrain has turned a car park near the capital Manama into an intensive care unit with 130 beds for patients infected with the novel coronavirus, in a first in the Gulf. The new ICU in the covered car park was set up as a precautionary measure in case of a spike in cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, officials said. The small Gulf country, whose population stands at 1.5 million, has recorded more than 1,500 cases, of whom seven people have died and 645 have recovered. According to official statistics, only three people are currently in critical condition. "The new ICU is a precautionary step in case there are any developments," Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al-Khalifa, the Royal Medical Services commander, told reporters at the inauguration on Tuesday. "We are able in record time, in seven days, to establish this unit with 130 beds... working day and night. "This is the first time that such an equipped (temporary) unit has been established in the Gulf." The Gulf emirate of Dubai is meanwhile setting up a field hospital in the World Trade Centre which once hosted events and business conferences to prepare for a any potential surge of the virus. The hospital will have 3030 beds, 800 of which will be allocated to the ICU, according to Ali Abdulqader, director of engineering at the centre. The United Arab Emirates has so far recorded more than 4,500 cases of coronavirus, including 25 deaths. Bahrain's new ICU was set up by the defence ministry in cooperation with other government bodies, on the third floor of a military hospital which had served as a parking lot. The beds were lined up in three rows as medical staff tested respiratory equipment on Tuesday. Some 800 doctors and nurses have been training to deal with infected patients in critical condition since February, when Bahrain recorded its first cases, according to Nayef Lori, director of the ICU project. Bahrain has taken strict measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, including restricting movement and halting all flights. The bridge connecting Bahrain with Saudi Arabiawhich has the highest number of cases in the Gulf with nearly 5,000 infectionshas been closed for weeks. Although many measures remain in place, Bahraini authorities loosened some restrictions last week by allowing some retail stores to open their doors. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- Mississippi hit two grim milestones Tuesday morning, with the Mississippi Department of Health reporting the state had surpassed 3,000 cases and 100 deaths attributed to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The MDH reported 145 new cases statewide and 13 new deaths -- exceeding the previous high of 11 for deaths in a single day. The news was better on the Mississippi coast. For a fourth straight day, there were no new deaths reported in the three coastal counties. Jackson County had 10 new cases reported for a total of 157. Harrison County had 9 new cases (121 total); and Hancock County had six new cases (46 total), bringing the coastwide total to 324, or 10.5 percent of the state total. With no new deaths reported, each countys total remained at five. Hinds has by far the largest number of cases in the state with 263, followed by DeSoto County with 188 and Jackson County with 157. Lauderdale County has the most deaths with 11, while Pearl River County has eight and Tippah and LeFlore counties with six each. Those three counties have accounted for nearly 30 percent of all COVID-19 deaths statewide. The MDH also reported there are now 60 long-term care facilities across the state with COVID-19 outbreaks, including two in each of the three coastal counties. The health department also updated statistics on total statewide testing. As of Sunday, 37,733 Mississippians had been tested for the virus, with the 3,087 positive cases representing .08 percent of all tests. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. African-Americans in Mississippi continue to be hardest hit, with 56.2 percent of all cases and 67 percent of all deaths related to COVID-19. More than 60 of the 111 deaths involved patients found to have cardiovascular disease, which continues to be the most prevalent of the underlying conditions found in patients who succumbed to the virus, followed by diabetes and hypertension. As has been the case from the outset, the 60-and-above age group continues to represent the largest bulk of both COVID-19 cases and deaths. As of Tuesday morning, there had been 1,105 cases, or 32.9 percent of the state total, in that age group, with 97 deaths, representing 87.4 percent of all virus-related deaths in the state. In the remaining age groups, the totals were (as of Tuesday morning): 50-59 : 586 cases, nine deaths. 40-49 : 583 cases, three deaths. 30-39 : 454 cases, two deaths 18-29 : 373 cases, no deaths. Under 18: 76 cases, no deaths. The 60+ age group has also accounted for 65 percent of all cases requiring hospitalization, although the total percentage of those requiring hospitalization is less than 30 percent. Females continue to account for nearly 60 percent of all cases. The number of sites offering COVID-19 testing continues to expand. Here is the list of testing sites in Jackson County as of Tuesday afternoon: Moss Point: Coastal Family Health Center; 228-474-9511 Ocean Springs: Singing River Health System Clinic; 228-809-5044 Ocean Springs: Memorial Physicians Clinics Surgery Center; 228-867-5000 Ocean Springs: Alpha Urgent Care; 228-300-5945 Ocean Springs: Maxem Health Urgent Care; 228-382-9222 Pascagoula: Singing River Health System Clinic; 228-809-5044 Pascagoula: Maxem Health Urgent Care; 228-372-6040 Vancleave: Singing River Health System Clinic; 228-809-5044 Vancleave: Coastal Family Health Center; 228-826-4711 The MDH notes that these providers require these symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested: a fever of 100.4 or greater and severe cough or chest pain. It is also strongly recommended those suspecting they have COVID-19 call ahead to make testing arrangements. Pastors, Christian entertainers host 2-hour Easter Across America Sunday special Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As most church campuses in the U.S. remain closed due to restrictions meant to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease, church leaders are hosting a two-hour national video streaming event called Easter Across America, featuring speaker Nick Vujicic and megachurch pastors Max Lucado and Miles McPherson among others. Easter Across America is a faith-filled, hope-bringing, positive message for all Americans, says the Facebook page of the online event, which will be hosted by author and pastor Nona Jones. The speakers of the event, to be livestreamed Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern time, include Lucado of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas; North Point Community Church Senior Pastor Andy Stanley; Australian motivational speaker Vujicic; Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Foreman; pastor McPherson of Californias Rock Church; and author Bob Goff. Social distancing and shelter-in-place quarantine measures have been in effect for weeks in various parts of the country and many Americans are starting to feel the effects of isolation and an uncertain future, says a statement announcing the event, which is sponsored by the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision and the health care sharing ministry Medi-Share. Its time to place a pause on the pandemic and be reminded of the treasured message of hope and renewal in the Easter story, said Kenny Jahng, co-lead of ChurchCommuncations.com alongside Katie Allred. Were seeing that people are yearning for a sense of unity and shared experiences again." As of Sunday afternoon, there were more than 1.8 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 112,241 deaths worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. In the United States, there were more than 532,200 cases with 21,418 deaths. All speakers, presenters, comedians and musicians are volunteering their time and talent out of a common desire to bring hope, joy, and inspiration to America during the COVID-19 pandemic, say the organizers. Recently, a 10-hour livestream event called Leader Check In was hosted by PULSE and Year of the Bible founder Nick Hall. It was organized in partnership with thousands of churches and organizations worldwide, and every speaker volunteered their time to give a word from God to a hurting world. Underemployment numbers are just as important as the unemployment rate, writes independent economist Stephen Koukoulas. (Source: Getty) Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has pulled a swifty his release of Treasury forecasts shows that the $130 billion JobKeeper stimulus measure was as much to do with quirks on how the Australian Bureau of Statistics measures unemployment than genuinely protecting the labour market and the number of hours people actually worked. To be sure, the policy response is a useful and important step in the path to limit some of the problems in the economy as the coronavirus is contained, but it is what Mr Frydenberg does not reveal in the Treasury forecasts that is enlightening. According to Mr Frydenberg, Treasury research shows that without the JobKeeper payment, the unemployment rate was heading to around 15 per cent, a shockingly bad result as the economy spirals into recession. With the JobKeeper payment, which pays employers a subsidy to pay some of their workers $750 a week even if they work zero hours, the Treasury is forecasting the unemployment rate to peak at just 10 per cent, a whopping 5 percentage points lower than the no policy change forecast. At face value, this is great news. But it is a remarkably misleading portrayal of the state of the economy and labour market. This is because many of those 5 per cent who are not measured as unemployed will be working zero hours as their employers shut up shop and ride out the impact of the virus. Mr Frydenberg has not released labour market forecasts on the peak number of people underemployed nor the slump in hours worked in the economy, both of which are the bedrock of understanding the health of the labour market. Underemployment is a measure the ABS calculates based on people who are counted as employed but would prefer to work more hours. Story continues The JobKeeper payment moves a large number of people from unemployed to underemployed, a definitional issue, not a health of the labour market issue. Even before the onset of the coronavirus crisis, underemployment was hovering around 8.5 per cent of the workforce. This was more than 1.1 million people. It was a terrible reflection on the performance of the economy over recent years and reflected the dislocation of the labour market with the rise of the gig economy, casual work and heightened job insecurity. While Mr Frydenberg may be delighted by the 5 percentage point cut in the forecast peak in the unemployment rate, it is clear to Blind Freddie that underemployment is set to skyrocket, certainly to 12 per cent and perhaps as high as 15 per cent. There will be a lot of people who will be receiving the JobKeeper payment but be underemployed. CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during a press conference following a Cabinet meeting at Parliament House on March 20, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Sam Mooy/Getty Images) In the end, the best measure of the health of the labour market is labour underutilisation, which is the sum of unemployment and underemployment. On that measure, the JobKeeper payment will have a marginal effect. Indeed, as has been clear in the past month or so, labour underutilisation is on track to hit a peak of between 20 and 25 per cent. Whether this is made up of 15 per cent unemployment and 10 per cent underemployment or vice versa is largely immaterial. The labour market is in dire straits. It does, however, beg a different question about whether the sum of the stimulus packages of the government and the Reserve Bank of Australia have been enough to lessen the depth and duration of the recession. While every dollar that goes into the economy at the moment is a benefit for businesses and householders alike, it is clear not enough has been done. A focus on the unemployment rate in isolation may be leading to policy complacency which will mean the recession will be deeper and last longer than if more aggressive policy action was taken to support growth and jobs. Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news. Follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 02:09:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) on Tuesday pledged to enhance cooperation in jointly fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and stabilizing and invigorating the regional economy. In a joint statement of the special ASEAN Plus Three meeting on COVID-19, the 13 Asian countries agreed to pool more efforts to guarantee the health and safety of people and keep markets open and free in the region. They committed to enhancing national and regional capacities to prepare for and respond to pandemics, including the protection of healthcare workers and other frontline personnel, and the provision of adequate medicines and medical supplies, the statement said. It added that the countries will strengthen scientific cooperation in epidemiological research, as well as actively share and leverage on digital technologies and innovation to promote a science-based response to combat COVID-19. Meanwhile, they said they will intensify efforts to keep markets open for trade and investment, and enhance cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three countries with a view to ensuring food security, and strengthening the resiliency and sustainability of regional supply chains. Thirty-one out of the thirty-two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Eastern Region are Indians, the National Identification Authority (NIA) has said, denying rumours circulating on social media, attributed to JoyNews that three of its field staff in the region have tested positive for the virus. In a statement, the NIA said the only Ghanaian among the thirty-two cases in the region, is a farmer who has nothing to do with the NIA. NIA checks with JoyNews (Multimedia Group) indicate that the story is not authentic and has not been reported by any outlet of the Multimedia Group, the Authoritys statement signed by its Head of Corporate Affairs, Francis Palmdeti, said. It explained: 31 are Indians working for AFCON while the local farmer has no connection to the NIA as a staff, registration official or any other capacity whatsoever. 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 GATINEAU, Quebec and OTTAWA, Ontario, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for health care providers both in Long-Term Care and in hospital settings to have the ability to assess and monitor the health status of their front line to both mitigate risks and respond accordingly. Screening is a primary line of defense in keeping COVID-19 out of our Long-Term Care and hospital settings, yet the screening process can be time-consuming. Be it on paper or on a web-based solution it adds an extra step to the start of the shift at a highly stressful time. Lining up for screening also creates challenges with respect to adherence to physical distancing, within an essential workforce. "With everything that our health care workers are juggling in the response to COVID-19, we are looking for ways to remove all of the barriers we can. Making it easier for them to get into the building every day is one of the small things we can do to help and show our gratitude." - Guy Chartrand, President and CEO of Bruyere. "As a member of the Ontario Centers for Learning Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (LTC), we see significant potential for LTC and other healthcare facilities across the country to deploy a solution like this, removing barriers for their staff and getting better access to real-time data." - Heidi Sveistrup, CEO & Chief Scientific Officer of the Bruyere Research Institute and VP, Research and Academic Affairs. Leveraging Macadamian's HealthConnect solution, the team at Macadamian and Bruyere collaborated to deliver an occupational health and safety screening solution that could be completed by hospital staff in less than 15 seconds while capturing critical data for reporting and analytics. Bruyere is unique in that they are both an academic hospital and an LTC provider. The solution has been developed to scale support to all long-term care residences across Ontario and Canada. "We are extremely proud to be able to help. I believe for the foreseeable future we need to do things differently as individuals and employers to be mindful of the experience of employees who need to deliver essential services face to face." - Frederic Boulanger, CEO Macadamian Technologies. The COVID-19 mobile screening application is a valuable tool in the line of defense against this virus. By providing results in real-time it can enable more informed decision making for the organization and the system and improve the experiences of those on the front line. Macadamian designs and develops custom digital health and connected medical device applications to improve healthcare. Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12818249 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Macadamian Technologies Related Links https://www.macadamian.com Food delivery services GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats are being sued in a class action lawsuit for levying heavy commission fees on restaurants that leave customers paying higher prices, including during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court by three New York customers, accuses the companies of exploiting their dominance in the food delivery industry by imposing 'exorbitant' commission fees. The customers argued that the defendants violated US antitrust laws by forcing restaurants to charge delivery and dine-in customers the same price. The lawsuit raises how these third party services have imposed high commission fee charges on restaurants which they allege range between 10 percent to 40 percent of each order. Food delivery services GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats are being sued in a class action lawsuit for levying heavy commission fees on restaurants that leave customers paying higher prices, including during the coronavirus pandemic. An Uber Eats food delivery courier pictured above The lawsuit claims these companies, including Seamless which is owned by Grubhub and Caviar which is owned by Doordash, put restaurants in a difficult position with commission. As a result, restaurants are forced to make the 'devil's choice' and charge customers more to make up for those costs. Before the coronavirus crisis the spike in prices made it hard for restaurants to keep their tables full. Now with the pandemic, it only adds to the strain restaurants face as theyre forced to make only pick-up and delivery meals. The lawsuit notes restaurants have no choice but to comply with the excessive fees because the delivery companies dominate the market. 'For example, in New York City Grubhub has a whopping 66 percent market share of the meal delivery market,' the complaint says. The suit seeks triple damages, including for overcharges since April 14, 2016 for dine-in and delivery customers in the US at restaurants using the defendants delivery apps. 'Plaintiffs bring this claim for relief on behalf of all Americans who would still [like] to enjoy a nice dinner out with their family before defendants make that impossible,' the complaint said as per CNBC. The lawsuit raises how these third party services have imposed high commission fee charges on restaurants which they allege range between 10 percent to 40 percent of each order - and in turn lead to a surge in menu prices. Food delivery service Postmates is included in lawsuit Before the coronavirus crisis the spike in prices made it hard for restaurants to keep their tables full. Now with the pandemic, it only adds to the strain restaurants face as theyre forced to make only pick-up and delivery meals. Grubhub app pictured above 'Their fees are outrageous,' Mariam Davitashvili, a plaintiff in the suit who lives in Brooklyn, said to the New York Post, adding she believes she shouldn't be 'paying more for my food' to protect these apps. In light of the coronavirus crisis, some apps like Grubhub promised to suspend commission fees for restaurants, but theyve come under fire for their fine print contracts that end up deferring fees instead of eliminating them altogether. But this isnt a new complaint against these companies. Similar concerns were raised by New York lawmakers in February when they introduced legislation in the City Council to try to limit delivery company commission fees at 10 percent of each orders. The legislation also calls for companies to be more transparent about how much they charge restaurants to use the service. Amid the coronavirus crisis the restaurant industry has suffered a major blow as locals are ordered to stay at home. Now lawmakers and trade groups are calling for Mayor Bill de Blasio to enact an emergency commission fee cap on delivery services to ease the financial burden on restaurants. The food delivery services are yet to comment on the lawsuit. Congratulations, gravity-mafia.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Gravity-mafia.com scored 87 Social Media Impact. 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Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/pages/Gravity-Mafia/330218416574 DESCRIPTION Gravity Mafia has created a new brand of mountain bike t shirts LIKES 603 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 17 PAGE TYPE Clothing TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK FOUND TWITTER PAGE twitter.com/#!/gravitymafia DESCRIPTION Gravity Mafia has created a new brand of mountain bike t-shirts ACCOUNT CREATED ON 10 Nov 2009 LOCATION UK TWEETS 115 FOLLOWERS 147 LISTED 7 Bouquets of flowers line the sidewalk outside long-term care homes in many communities. Why did we never offer our support and encouragement to the residents and staff of these institutions until COVID-19 struck? There are daily salutes to the caregivers who spend 12-hour days dressing, feeding and bathing dozens of frail seniors per shift, at risk to their own health. Why did it never occur to us before how hard they work? We wonder and worry about elders who live alone in small apartments or empty houses. Why did it take us so long to realize how lonely and vulnerable they were? If the COVID-19 pandemic has had one tangible benefit, it is that it has exposed the ageism embedded in our society. Its not overt discrimination; it is an unspoken assumption that individuals who can no longer contribute to society have little value. It wasnt always like this. In Canadas not-too-distant past, multiple generations of the same family lived under one roof, elders were respected and cared for by their children and grandchildren. Farms and businesses were handed down from one generation to the next. Today, that is a sepia-tinged memory for most of us. Our homes and apartments are not designed to accommodate aging parents. Both parents in most families work to pay the household bills, leaving no one at home to care for children or elders. We have turned to a government-regulated array of subsidized seniors apartments, retirement residences and long-term-care homes some public and some privately-owned to take care of our seniors. It is easy to explain why a disproportionate number of the COVID-19 infections and deaths have occurred in long-term-care settings. The residents of these institutions typically have one or more chronic conditions. Many take medications that make them susceptible to infectious diseases such seasonal influenza, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. According to the 2010 chief public health officers report on the state of public health among seniors in Canada, more than half (56 per cent) have high blood pressure, 43 per cent have arthritis, 39 per cent have some form of cancer and 21 per cent have diabetes. Many have a combination of diseases such as angina, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. When people with underlying morbidities are concentrated in retirement or long-term-care homes, all it takes is one infection to precipitate an outbreak. What is not easy to explain is why we allowed our political leaders to underinvest in facilities for elders for so long. Most long-term-care homes are chronically understaffed. They cant afford to provide residents with healthy, nutritious meals using the funds they receive from governments. Their tight budgets dont permit them to stockpile high-quality personal protective equipment. Until recently, the wages of personal support workers and cleaners were miserably low and the turnover was high. None of this is a secret. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario has been sounding the alarm for decades. So has CUPE (The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents thousands of health-care workers.) There have been anguished calls for help from Canadians whose parents arent getting the support they need. And there have been repeated exposes in the Star and other newspapers, on air and online of the conditions in the institutions. For the most part, these warnings have gone unheeded. A few have prompted government inquiries and investigations, but even then, the followup has been minimal. Families, neighbours and charities have tried to fill the gaps. But theyre not trained or equipped to deal with complex needs of residents requiring round-the-clock care. Nor can they provide the resources to upgrade the quality of care in these homes. What is saddest, perhaps, is that seniors have to line up to get into long-term-care homes usually for months, sometimes for years. The median wait time in Ontario is currently 23 weeks. This demographic imperative has been clear for years. But we looked the other way. There was no crisis. Now there is. Nearly 100 senior-care homes in Ontario are reporting outbreaks of COVID-19. The death toll from the virus is rising three times as rapidly in these institutions as in the general population. So many caregivers are infected that some institutions are struggling to provide basic support to their residents. Belatedly, governments have responded. On March 29, after a prod from seniors activists, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $9 million in financial support to allow local United Ways to deliver groceries, medications and other essentials to isolated seniors and connect those who needed additional help to community organizations. That was 18 days into the global pandemic. Ottawa had already injected $1 billion into Canadas hospitals; announced $82 billion in financial aid to businesses and families; closed Canadas borders; sent repatriation flights to Morocco, Peru, and various points in the United States to bring home stranded Canadians and launched a $30-million advertising campaign to promote physical distancing and enhanced personal hygiene. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was slightly faster off the mark. On March 17, he declared a state of emergency in the province. Eight days later, he announced $243 million to provide surge capacity in the long-term-care sector. The following day, in his economic statement, provincial Finance Minister Rod Phillips announced that Ontario was doubling its guaranteed income system for the next six months, targeting the additional funds at low-income seniors. What still hasnt happened is an acknowledgment from any level of government that Canadas long-term care sector is overstretched, underfunded and ill-prepared for the tsunami that will hit when baby boomers reach their vulnerable years. What isnt clear in Ontario at least is whether long-term-care workers will be treated equitably when it comes to the distribution of personal protective equipment and respirators for gravely ill residents. What we dont know is whether age will be a determinant of who gets scarce health equipment. Assigning blame is not useful while people are dying. Yes, a handful of seniors residences cut corners and put their residents at risk. It is clear, with hindsight, that policy-makers took too long to include seniors in their relief packages. And it is painfully obvious that we, as citizens, failed to speak up for Canadas seniors at budget time, election -time, indeed most of the time. But in midcrisis, the imperative is to fix what we can and to vow not to let the long-term sector fall off the radar screen again, when this pandemic has passed. First, we can properly equip caregivers in nursing homes and retirement facilities and their colleagues providing home care to vulnerable seniors. Second, Premier Ford announced Tuesday that the province would rightly start preventing caregivers from working in multiple long-term-care homes. But if the province wants caregivers to provide consistent, trusted care to residents of just one long-term care facility, it will have to start providing them with a living wage. Third, we can applaud and donate to the organizations whose volunteers are out there ensuring that isolated seniors get groceries, medications, incontinence pads, diabetic supplies and personal notes. Fourth, we can take a hard look at our values and attitudes. Do we really want to treat our elders with benign neglect? Do we want to devote so few resources to Canadas seniors that we deprive them of their well-being and dignity? Would we be content with the kind of support our forebears are receiving? Finally, those of us with the luxury of time during this pandemic, can reflect on what weve lost: the wisdom, the life lessons, the stories and the principles of those who faced and overcame adversity in the past. Flowers and placards and notes and cards help the survivors locked in retirement and long-term homes hang on. Waves and honks send a message of inclusion. Now we have to build on this small, tentative start. Carol Goar was a Toronto Star columnist for 40 years. The US State Department has cleared two deals to sell India Harpoon Block II air launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth $ 155 million. The anti-ship missiles and the torpedoes would be integrated with the P-8I aircraft, also called the submarine killer. The 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air launched missiles that have a range of about 124 km is estimated to cost $ 92 million. The 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are expected to cost $ 63 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in two separate notifications to the Congress. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes while enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allied forces. India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces, the Pentagon said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve Indias capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing and will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft, the Indian variant of Boeings P-8s. This is a multi-mission aircraft designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission. The 3.84 metre long missile has a 500-pound penetration, high-explosive blast warhead that gives it enough firepower to destroy coastal defence and surface-to-air missile sites, industrial installations and docked ships. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend, according to news agency PTI. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shishir Gupta Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel. ...view detail [April 14, 2020] Arman Financial Services Limited: COVID-19 Business Update AHMEDABAD, India, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Arman Financial Services Limited (Arman) would like to formally provide a brief business update amid the COVID-19 outbreak to various stakeholders. Below is a gist of how things are shaping up on the ground and what measures Arman is taking to deal with the situation. Key Business Metrics as on 31st March 2020 FY20 Consolidated AUM stood at ? 862 Crore - higher by 26% over FY19 and 6% over Q3 FY20 - higher by 26% over FY19 and 6% over Q3 FY20 COVID related disruption led to a lower booking in AUM of around Rs 75 Crore . Excluding this, the AUM would have seen a growth of 35-40% YoY (AUM in Feb-20 was ? 890 Crore - compared to ? 650 Crore in Feb-19) Segment-wise AUM Breakdown Microfinance AUM: ? 624 Crore (+29% YoY) (+29% YoY) MSME AUM: ? 145 Crore (+46% YoY) (+46% YoY) Two-Wheeler AUM: ? 93 Crore (-8% YoY) (-8% YoY) Consolidated disbursements for FY20 stood at ? 871 Crore (higher by 11% over FY19) (higher by 11% over FY19) Adequately Capitalized - Consolidated debt-to-equity ratio stood at 4.05x (excludes direct assignment) 'Business as Usual' till 20th March 2020 Collections: For the 'Microfinance' and the 'MSME' segments , ' collections are carried out on a cash basis' (via 'center collections in Microfinance' and 'door-step collections in MSME'). In the case of '2-wheeler loans,' collections are received via 'NACH / Direct Debit.' , (via 'center collections in Microfinance' and 'door-step collections in MSME'). In the case of MFI and MSME: On-time center meetings and door-step collections continued till 20 th March March Collection efficiency in the first 2 months of Q4 FY20 (Jan'20 - Feb'20) stood at 98.7% (marginally better than Q3 FY20 ) Bulk of the collections are completed within the first 12 days of every month (>85%). Hence, even for March, Arman was able to collect ~95% of the amount due (despite the announcement of nation-wide lockdown) (despite the announcement of nation-wide lockdown) Two-wheelers: Collections for Q4FY20 were in-line with the previous quarter (average bounce rate of 19.6% versus 21.5% in Q3FY20). Overdue recovery in all the segments was hampered - but the amount is negligible Disbursements: Consolidated disbursements grew by 33% YoY for the first 2 months of Q4FY20 (Jan'20 - Feb'20) In March, most of the disbursement pipeline could not be completed as majority of the disbursements occur in the last week of the month. Therefore, disbursements were only 20% of targeted volumes for march. This resulted in a minor 3% decline in AUM during the month. Business Continuity Arman had anticipated the possibility of disruption in operations due to COVID-19, and accordingly, were ready with the 'Business Continuity Plan (BCP)' two weeks before the shutdown. 'Arman is now executing the best it can' two weeks before the shutdown. 'Arman is now executing the best it can' Following the government advisory, Arman has temporarily closed all the Branches and the Head Office awaiting further notice. Centre meetings and door-step collections have been suspended awaiting further notice. Branch managers (BMs) and field officers (FOs) have been asked to return to their homes till lockdown ends Salaries for March have been paid, no plans to lay-off any of the staff or cut salaries at present. Pleased to say that all the employees are safe. Arman has made arrangements for staff that could not return home. Pleased to say that all the employees are safe. Arman has made arrangements for staff that could not return home. Working from Home: All the employees are 'working from home' the best they can. IT systems have been set-up to facilitate seamless remote operations. The LOS/LMS systems are cloud-based and easily accessible remotely or via smart-phones. Critical on-site services, such as reasury was also made accessible remotely via VPN as a part of the BCP. However, it is worth noting that the 'high-touch' business model is not conducive to work-from-home operations, and disbursements and collections for all practical purposes will be shut-down for the duration of the lockdown. All the employees are the best they can. IT systems have been set-up to facilitate seamless remote operations. The LOS/LMS systems are cloud-based and easily accessible remotely or via smart-phones. Critical on-site services, such as reasury was also made accessible remotely via VPN as a part of the BCP. However, it is worth noting that the 'high-touch' business model is not conducive to work-from-home operations, and disbursements and collections for all practical purposes will be shut-down for the duration of the lockdown. Maintaining Constant Customer Connect: Field officers are in regular touch with the customers (via phone calls) - 'to enquire about their safety, understanding of the situation on the ground, and assessing the income impact. The data collected is being relayed to the management team.' Multiple SMSes are also being sent to the customers. Field officers are in regular touch with the customers - 'to enquire about their safety, understanding of the situation on the ground, and assessing the income impact. The data collected is being relayed to the management team.' Multiple SMSes are also being sent to the customers. Arman has received an encouraging response so far - as majority of the customers have not been impacted much on the income side and have indicated their ability to repay post the lockdown. - as majority of the customers have not been impacted much on the income side and have indicated their ability to repay post the lockdown. The Management team is completely hands-on and making necessary decisions while closely monitoring the evolving situation (based on the data collected from FOs, RBI announcements, Government announcements) Resilient Customer Base in Microfinance & MSME Majority of the customer base in the 'Microfinance' and the 'MSME' division is based in rural areas (comprising >80% of the AUM) . Fortunately, the impact of COVID has been limited in Rural India so far . Fortunately, the impact of COVID has been Moreover, the recently announced food security and economic relief measures by the government will hopefully aid in augmenting the repayment ability of borrowers in Rural India Customers engaged in essential activities (such as dairy activities, grocery retailing, etc.) form the bulk of the portfolio, and for initial data available to Arman, they have not witnessed any major disruptions in their supply chains yet. Healthy Liquidity Position and Liability Profile Raised ? 160 Crore of debt capital in Q4 2020 and ? 104 Crore in the month of March 2020 . of debt capital in Q4 2020 and ? in the month of . Considering the existing cash reserves and the debt capital raised recently, Arman has enough liquidity to cover the: (1) Necessary operational expenses for the next 6 months, and (2) Other immediate liabilities Arman has requested the lending partners for a moratorium on repayments to maintain the cash liquidity. Many of them have responded positively. As there is some confusion on the applicability of the RBI-announced Moratorium on 'intermediaries' such as NBFCs, most NBFCs and industry associations such as MFIN are requesting the RBI to provide clarity on the eligibility of NBFC's to avail moratorium on its loan repayments to its lending partners till 31 st May 2020 . . De-risking Balance Sheet: 'Direct Assignment' and 'Securitization' transactions comprise 14% of the AUM (? 122 Crore ) as on 31 st March 2020 transactions comprise (? 'Direct Assignment' constitutes 8.3% of the consolidated AUM ( ? 71 Crore ) as on 31 st March 2020 . In these transactions, the underlying portfolio risk lies with the assignee as on 31 . In these transactions, the underlying portfolio risk lies with the assignee Arman will increasingly focus on executing more assignment transactions going forward Credit Rating has remained stable at BBB+ (CARE Ratings) Action Plan - Post the end of Lockdown Once the lockdown period is over, the field officers and branch managers will be determined to restore operational normalcy on the ground at the earliest possible with the highest focus on collections. As it seems today, the lockdown will be extended for many of the Districts/States that Arman operates in. Collection Plan It would avoid providing a blanket moratorium and will start the collection process after the lockdown ends as most of the customers have indicated their ability to repay If a customer requests for a moratorium it will educate them about the additional interest burden, and if they agree to pay additional interest, it will provide the moratorium along with the revised repayment schedule with extended tenor. Disbursements Will resume disbursements in a particular geography, only once the repayment rate stabilizes in that region. Many customers will also need incremental loans. Arman will support them without compromising on the credit discipline (protecting the asset quality of the book has always been and will remain Arman's top priority) Preserving Resources & Liquidity is the Need of the Hour: Arman has implemented hiring freeze till conditions settle and put all expansion plans on hold. Disbursement have also been put on hold until repayments are on track. Going forward, it will maintain a strict vigil on our 'operating expenses' and look to implement steps to improve operational efficiency. Collections will remain our top priority for the next 2 quarters. Arman has implemented hiring freeze till conditions settle and put all expansion plans on hold. Disbursement have also been put on hold until repayments are on track. Going forward, it will maintain a strict vigil on our 'operating expenses' and look to implement steps to improve operational efficiency. Collections will remain our top priority for the next 2 quarters. Given the current dynamic environment, the company will closely track the on-ground developments and regulatory announcements, and pro-actively take appropriate steps to protect its asset quality going forward. To conclude, sure, these are unprecedented times, and it is difficult to estimate what kind of impact this crisis will have on the microfinance space, the broader NBFC sector, the economy, and the world as a whole. There are no blueprints for dealing with such crisis but is something businesses have to face from time-to-time. However, this is not the first crisis that the industry has faced, and companies with strong and sustainable business models have not only been able to survive but thrive in the aftermath of multiple such crises in the past. Arman is no stranger to crises, and has successfully navigated its way through each one of them in the 28-year history. During the demonetization period as well, its collection efficiency was much better compared to the rest of the industry and Arman was able to grow strongly and profitably once the situation normalized. Arman firmly believes that it has the necessary resources (both personnel & financial) along with the managerial experience to steer the company through these tough times and emerge stronger on the other side of this crisis. About Arman Financial Service Limited Arman Financial Services Ltd (BSE: 531179) is a category 'A' Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) active in the 2-Wheeler, MSME, and Microfinance Lending business. The Microfinance division is operated through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Namra Finance Ltd, an NBFC-MFI. The group operates mostly in unorganized and underserviced segment of the economy and mostly serves niche rural markets in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan through its network of 223 branches and 55 dealer touchpoints. Arman's big differentiator from a Bank and other NBFCs is the last mile credit delivery system. They serve areas and clients where it is simply not possible for banks to provide financial services under the current market scenario. For more information, please visit our web site www.armanindia.com. Media contact: Vivek Modi, CFO Arman Financial Services Ltd Tel: +91-79405-07000 [email protected] Mandar Kapse Investor Relations Dickenson World Tel: +91-98675-50004 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] How are the 3- and 5-year-olds today? I have been just generally letting them float along and whatever they want to do. Occasionally theyll get sick of the TV, and theyll want to just come upstairs and do something non-TV-related, and its good and bad. Its like, oh, thats nice. Youre using your imagination. But on the other hand, its like, please just go watch TV and dont destroy the house. The little one just likes to kind of run laps around the house, which is great because that kind of wears him out a little bit. I think, generally, were settling into a routine. That first two weeks was rough. Why? Just having a hard time accepting that, Oh, my God, all three of my kids are going to be home all the time and Im going to be pretty much by myself with them the entire time. And, Oh, my God, how am I going to handle this? Because Ive never had to do this. Right now theyre used to being at home, theyre used to this, whatever this is. Thats it for this briefing. See you next time. Chris Thank you Melissa Clark provided the recipe, and Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh provided the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. P.S. Were listening to The Daily. Todays episode is about an allegation of sexual assault against Joe Biden. Heres todays Mini Crossword, and a clue: Make laugh (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. Times journalists will discuss the role of gender in coronavirus research with Caroline Criado Perez, author of the award-winning book Invisible Women, during a group call with readers at 4 p.m. Eastern today. R.S.V.P. here. Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, has called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris, to immediately investigate how many Nursing Homes are being sent inappropriate and unusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by the HSE. Deputy Nolan made her comments after it was reported that at least one Nursing Home in the south of the country reported that it had received a delivery of 200 disposable aprons which were deemed inappropriate for the care of Covid-19 residents: We all accept that there is enormous pressure on the HSE with respect to accessing sufficient amounts of PPE and that this has been compounded by the design flaws that were present in the deliveries that initially came from China. "But that does not adequately explain how our nursing homes are being sent equally inappropriate and unusable types of disposable PPE. "If we could identify the design flaws in the PPE that came from China then it should have been possible to identify deficits in the material that was being sent to our nursing homes. "Again, I absolutely accept that the work of the HSE and the National Public Health Emergency Team has been tireless and selfless. "But what I do not want is for nursing homes, who are preparing and who are actively engaging with patient management, to face additional delays in accessing PPE gear because of their belief that the HSE was sending supplies. "It is vital that we do all we can to ensure that even minor delays are avoided-especially as we now know there are about 120 clusters within the 600 or so nursing homes in the state, concluded Deputy Nolan. Critically sick people are being told they should still go to the hospital even during the coronavirus pandemic, after one man suffered a heart attack in his house because he did not want to be a 'burden' to busy medical staff. Health experts have said the public needs to know that even during the COVID-19 crisis, hospitals can also treat people for other serious conditions. 'The message we really need to get out to the public is that we have the capacity to look after sick people,' head of trauma anaesthesia at The Alfred hospital, Associate Professor John Moloney, told the SMH on Tuesday. Sick Australians are being reassured they can still get treatment at hospitals (Medical professionals administer COVID-19 tests at the Bondi Beach drive-through COVID-19 testing center on April 06, 2020 in Sydney) 'We know there are patients already staying home with heart attacks because they don't want to be a burden. If a person needs acute healthcare, they should absolutely get acute healthcare. We want people to know that we are here and ready to treat them.' The Victorian man had been suffering chest pains for five days before he had the heart attack and was revived by paramedics. He later told doctors he did not go the the hospital earlier because he 'did not want to be a burden to busy hospital staff'. Professor Maloney said new hospital cases at The Alfred were down by 50 per cent which he estimates would be the same for many hospitals in the country. Australia's pathology sector has also recorded that routine tests have plunged by 40 per cent in the last month. Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia CEO Dr Debra Graves assures patients it is still safe to visit a laboratory for tests, as pathology providers were experts in infectious diseases and following best practices. One of the four reasons people are allowed to leave their house during COVID-19 lockdowns is to get medical care. Telehealth consults are also being covered under Medicare for some people. In a historic agreement, OPEC+ alliance has decided to slash the oil production by about 20 million barrels per day contrary to 9.7 million barrels as reported earlier, President Donald Trump said on Monday. Indicative that he brokered the deal, Trump quoted the figures the double to what was made public of the negotiation taking to his official handle on Twitter. Furthermore, he thanked Russia and Saudi Arabia for resolving a month-long price war that inflated gasoline prices for the US markets. Due to the slump in the economy during the coronavirus pandemic, production decline in the US, Brazil, and Canada will be counted in the agreement. An estimated decline of 2.8 million barrels per day in Iran, Venezuela, and Libya will also be included, as per media reports. "Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 Million Barrels a day, not the 10 Million that is generally being reported," Trump tweeted. "Thank you to all of those who worked with me on getting this very big business back on track, in particular Russia and Saudi Arabia." OPEC plus chaired by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia conducted a meeting on videoconference to reach a global deal. In a bid to limit a crash in prices, Oil-producing countries had reportedly decided to formulate a tentative deal to pump less crude to the consumers to prevent straining government budgets and rescue energy suppliers out of bankruptcy. Theyre getting close to a deal thats OPEC and many other countries outside of OPEC, and well see what happens, Trump was quoted as saying at a White House News Conference. Theres so much production nobody even knows what to do with it, thats how its working he added. Read: Flathead County Resident Is Montanas 7th Coronavirus Death Read: Indiana Reaches 350 Deaths From Coronavirus Outbreak Mexico disrupted the agreement Mike Sommers, President of American Petroleum Institute, which constituted majority U.S. oil and gas producers among its members said, While this move will help stabilize world oil markets, significant challenges remain throughout the supply chain since current market disruptions are driven largely by this historic drop in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, US media reported. However, earlier, Kuwaits Oil Minister Khaled al-Fadhel was quoted as saying, At the meeting for the OPEC group that ended at 3 am, Mexico disrupted the agreement of all the countries to reduce the production of oil by 10 million barrels a day. Mexicos Energy Minister, Rocio Nahle, wrote on his official handle on Twitter saying that Mexico proposed cutting its output by 100,000 barrels a day for the next two months. However, there was no immediate official response from the government of Mexico. Read: ABC's Stephanopoulos Is Positive For Coronavirus Read: Iran Vows To Protect People From Economic Impact Of Coronavirus As California's COVID-19 cases reach a plateau, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled at a Tuesday press conference a plan to slowly and safely reopen the state while controlling the spread of the virus prompting more questions than answering them as he seeks to temper the expectations of a restless public. Newsom did not give a date for when the new framework will be implemented, but he did say that in two weeks early May if cases are declining, he will present a timeline for a modification to the current shelter-in-place order. I know you want timelines, but we cant get ahead of ourselves, Newsom warned. Lets not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early, as much as we want to. I dont want to make political decisions that put peoples lives risk and the economy at risk by extending the period of time before we can transition to get people moving again. Thats the sober reality, but the reality I think that provides a little light that this is not a permanent state. The governor said new guidelines will take less of a "population approach," where everyone is required to stay at home, and call for more "individual accountability," such as requiring masks and temperature monitoring at certain facilities. Large gatherings are likely to be prohibited until herd immunity is established, and schools and businesses will need to operate under new rules that allow for physical distancing. "Normal it will not be," Newsom said. Dr. Sonia Angell, the director of the California Department of Public Health, reiterated that the new road map is a modification and not a return to normal. "This is not about a turn-on and a turn-off," Angell said. This is not about going back to where we were before. Its about going forward in ways that are healthy for all of us. But it wont look the same. Newsom explained this next stage will be "the bridge" that will get the state to the point when a vaccine becomes available. He made clear that while the conversation is starting about lifting some of the social-distancing requirements, the state may need to issue further stay-at-home orders in the future. The state will be monitoring six "frames of focus" in the process of "architecting" the next phase in the pandemic, Newsom said. Those include the following: Testing and contact tracing: Increasing testing and tracking and isolated exposed individuals will be crucial to prevent a surge of coronavirus cases as the shelter-in-place orders are loosened. Newsom said the new system will require increased technology and infrastructure. Protecting the most vulnerable populations: Those with immune issues, seniors and the homeless population will be closely monitored. Ensuring hospitals are well-equipped to handle a patient surge. The state will continue to address the ongoing need for equipment and beds in the hospital system the need for protective gear among healthcare workers. Engaging research partners to develop therapeutics. The governor emphasize the need for public-private entities to develop treatments to help COVID-19 patients recover quickly and not overwhelm hospitals with severe illness. Redrawing the floorplans of businesses, schools and childcare facilities. Newsom said these places will open under new guidelines that allow for social distancing and require workers to wear protective gear. Restaurants will have fewer tables and waiters will wear gloves and masks. Schools could stagger arrival times of students to enforce physical distancing. In the new framework, schools will also be looking for ways to reduce large gathering of students at assemblies, lunch and recess. Developing the capacity to reinstate more vigorous controls. Newsom explained that the state will likely toggle between more strict and looser restrictions, as things change, as data comes in, as health concerns make them real, we will need the capacity to pull you back in. "That process will be the most challenging," Newsom said Newsom said the state has teamed up with Oregon and Washington two other Western states with encouraging numbers to create a shared vision for modifying stay-at-home orders. A joint announcement released Monday night said "the states will work together to share best practices." California has been under a mandatory stay-at-home order since March 19. But the virus has been disrupting the state since January, when people from all over the world were first sent to quarantine at California military bases. In February, California had the first confirmed case in the country of someone who had not traveled internationally or been in contact with someone who had, an unofficial announcement that the outbreak had reached U.S. soil. 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. The Elk Grove School District in Northern California closed on March 7. Five days later, Newsom banned all gatherings of more than 250 people. The NBA canceled its season after a player tested positive. Disneyland closed its gates. Since then, more than 2 million Californians have filed for unemployment insurance. State officials have delayed tax deadlines, mortgage payments and evictions as they try to slow the economic carnage wrought by unprecedented disruptions in modern life. This will not be a permanent state," Newsom said. 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. Shah Cement distributes food items to construction workers and families 14 April 2020 Shah Cement Industries Ltd of Bangladesh has taken an initiative to provide food items and handwash to construction workers and their families considering that many workers have become jobless during the coronavirus situation, says a press release. The cement company had selected 80 points across the country to distribute the items and since 30 March, a total of 10,000 construction workers have gotten the benefit under the supervision of Shah Cement officials and its distributors of respective districts during the distribution programmes. The cement brand is continuing to support construction workers at the selected points throughout the country, the release adds. Published under A wonderful and passionate nurse has died after contracting coronavirus, while her husband remains critically ill in hospital. Leilani Medel, who was originally from the Philippines but lived and worked in Bridgend, south Wales, was described as the kindest of souls by her colleagues. Mrs Medels friends have shared their heartbreak at the loss of the warm-natured health worker, and have set up a fundraising campaign to help her family overseas. So far donations have reached more than 8,000. Her husband has also reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 and is being treated at an intensive care unit. Rhian Eccleshare, director of nursing at Cardiff-based Hoop Recruitment, said: Leilani Medel was not only a nurse, she was a mother, a wife, and our friend. Having known Leilani for several years, she never had a bad word to say about anyone and was so passionate about her work. Her smile was infectious and she had the kindest of souls. We are completely heartbroken at learning the news of Leilanis passing, and are devastated that this world has lost such a wonderful and caring person. The nursing profession has lost a warm-natured and beautiful nurse who cared for so many vulnerable people during her nursing career. Her absence will be felt and missed. We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to her family and our thoughts and prayers are with you at this tragic time. Thank you for everything you gave us Leilani. May you rest in peace. Mrs Medel had worked as an agency nurse at hospitals within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Hospital Board area. Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences are extended to all families and friends who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 and our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time, a board spokeswoman said. Helen Whyley, director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales, said nursing staff had been at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus. I am devastated to learn that another nurse has passed away. This is the third reported death of a nursing professional in Wales due to Covid-19, she said. During this difficult time, I would like to express my condolences to all of their families, friends and colleagues. Our nursing community has stepped up in extraordinary ways to deal with this health crisis from coming out of retirement to being redeployed to specialised clinical areas. Nurses have been at the forefront of the battle against Covid-19. Cosmic tempest Researchers using the Gemini North telescope on Hawai'i's Maunakea have detected the most energetic wind from any quasar ever measured. This outflow, which is travelling at nearly 13% of the speed of light, carries enough energy to dramatically impact star formation across an entire galaxy. The extragalactic tempest lay hidden in plain sight for 15 years before being unveiled by innovative computer modeling and new data from the international Gemini Observatory. The most energetic wind from a quasar has been revealed by a team of astronomers using observations from the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF's NOIRLab. This powerful outflow is moving into its host galaxy at almost 13% of the speed of light, and stems from a quasar known as SDSS J135246.37+423923.5 which lies roughly 60 billion light-years from Earth. "While high-velocity winds have previously been observed in quasars, these have been thin and wispy, carrying only a relatively small amount of mass," explains Sarah Gallagher, an astronomer at Western University (Canada) who led the Gemini observations. "The outflow from this quasar, in comparison, sweeps along a tremendous amount of mass at incredible speeds. This wind is crazy powerful, and we don't know how the quasar can launch something so substantial". [1] As well as measuring the outflow from SDSS J135246.37+423923.5, the team was also able to infer the mass of the supermassive black hole powering the quasar. This monstrous object is 8.6 billion times as massive as the Sun -about 2000 times the mass of the black hole in the center of our Milky Way and 50% more massive than the well-known black hole in the galaxy Messier 87. This result is published in the Astrophysical Journal and the quasar studied here now holds the record for the most energetic quasar wind measured to date, with a wind more energetic than those recently reported in a study of 13 quasars [2]. Despite its mass and energetic outflow, the discovery of this powerhouse languished in a quasar survey for 15 years before the combination of Gemini data and the team's innovative computer modeling method allowed it to be studied in detail. "We were shocked - this isn't a new quasar, but no one knew how amazing it was until the team got the Gemini spectra," explains Karen Leighly, an astronomer at the University of Oklahoma who was one of the scientific leads for this research. "These objects were too hard to study before our team developed our methodology and had the data we needed, and now it looks like they might be the most interesting kind of windy quasars to study." Quasars - also known as quasi-stellar objects - are a type of extraordinarily luminous astrophysical object residing in the centres of massive galaxies [3]. Consisting of a supermassive black hole surrounded by a glowing disk of gas, quasars can outshine all the stars in their host galaxy and can drive winds powerful enough to influence entire galaxies [4]. "Some quasar-driven winds have enough energy to sweep the material from a galaxy that is needed to form stars and thus quench star formation," explains Hyunseop (Joseph) Choi, a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma and the first author of the scientific paper on this discovery. "We studied a particularly windy quasar, SDSS J135246.37+423923.5, whose outflow is so thick that it's difficult to detect the signature of the quasar itself at visible wavelengths." Despite the obstruction, the team was able to get a clear view of the quasar using the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) on Gemini North to observe at infrared wavelengths. Using a combination of high-quality spectra from Gemini and a pioneering computer modeling approach, the astronomers uncovered the nature of the outflow from the object -- which proved, remarkably, to be more energetic than any quasar outflow previously measured. The team's discovery raises important questions, and also suggests there could be more of these quasars waiting to be found. We don't know how many more of these extraordinary objects are in our quasar catalogs that we just don't know about yet," concludes Choi "Since automated software generally identifies quasars by strong emission lines or blue color -- two properties our object lacks -- there could be more of these quasars with tremendously powerful outflows hidden away in our surveys." "This extraordinary discovery was made possible with the resources provided by the international Gemini Observatory; the discovery opens new windows and opportunities to explore the Universe further in the years to come," said Martin Still, an astronomy program director at the National Science Foundation, which funds Gemini Observatory from the U.S. as part of an international collaboration. "The Gemini Observatory continues to advance our knowledge of the Universe by providing the international science community with forefront access to telescope instrumentation and facilities." ### Notes [1] The colossal energy carried by the quasar outflow is a product of both the speed of the wind and the amount of mass it carries. An intuitive way to understand this is to compare a freight train and a champion sprinter -- while both travel at roughly the same speed, the more massive freight train has far more momentum and energy. [2] This result is independent of the recent NASA/STScI press release on quasar winds which focused on strong winds in 13 other quasars. [3] Quasars take their name from their first identification in the 1950's at radio wavelengths. Quasar is a contraction of quasi-stellar radio source, a name chosen to reflect the starlike appearance of these radio sources when viewed at visible wavelengths. [4] The gas feeding a quasar surrenders energy in the form of light as it falls into the central black hole. This emitted light is both the origin of a quasar's luminosity and the source of the energy that drives outflows. More information This research was presented in the paper Discovery of a Remarkably Powerful Broad Absorption Line Quasar Outflow in SDSS J135246.37+423923.5 in the Astrophysical Journal. The team was composed of Hyunseop Choi (The University of Oklahoma, USA) Karen M. Leighly (The University of Oklahoma, USA), Donald M. Terndrup (The University of Oklahoma, USA and The Ohio State University, USA), Sarah C. Gallagher (Western University, Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency), and Gordon T. Richards (Drexel University, USA). NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the international Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC-Canada, ANID-Chile, MCTIC-Brazil, MINCyT-Argentina, and KASI-Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du'ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai?i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O'odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively. Contacts Peter Michaud NewsTeam Manager NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory Gemini Observatory, Hilo HI Desk: +1 808-974-2510 Cell: +1 808-936-6643 Email: pmichaud@gemini.edu Karen Leighly Professor The University of Oklahoma Email: leighly@ou.edu Sarah Gallagher Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy Western University Ontario, Canada Email: sgalla4@uwo.ca This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CROWN POINT A proposed zoning change needed to enable construction of a 200-megawatt solar farm on 1,400 acres east of Interstate 65 and north of State Road 2 is set to be considered by the Lake County Plan Commission. The Lake County Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to direct the commission to determine how the county's zoning ordinance should be revised to permit large solar installations in Lake County, instead of only the small residential or agricultural solar power uses currently authorized. Invenergy, a Chicago-based international energy producer, last week announced its interest in developing what it calls the Foundry Works Solar Energy Center on agricultural land in unincorporated south Lake County. The solar farm would use crystalline silicon panels on trackers that follow the sun over the course of the day to generate solar power Invenergy then would sell to utility companies to power an estimated 40,000 homes. While only four permanent workers would be needed to maintain the solar farm after operations start in 2024, Invenergy estimates that building the $200 million solar farm will require an average of 350 construction workers for two years when work begins in 2022. RACINE Racine Unified voters approved the districts $1 billion referendum question by an incredibly narrow five votes 16,748 to 16,743 in last weeks election. While the election results are close, a recount is not automatic. An individual who voted in the referendum election would need to request a recount of the referendum results, according to a Wisconsin Election Commission's manual. The voter would need to file a petition within three days of the board of canvass meeting. The filing officer for a school board office or referendum is the school district clerk. Racine Unified's Board of Canvassers is scheduled to conduct its canvass of the School Board election and referendum returns at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, in the Mygatts Room, Building 1 of the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Center, 3109 Mount Pleasant St. The referendum question asked voters to allow Racine Unified to collect $1 billion beyond its state-imposed revenue limit over the next 30 years. That money would have funded the renovation of some buildings as well as the construction of new ones to replace those set to close. The referendum money is set to fund $598 million in construction as well as debt service for that work. I want to thank our community for their support, not only on election day but over the past year," said Racine Unified Superintendent Eric Gallien on Monday night. "With your partnership, the District was able to develop a smart, data-based long-term facilities master plan that meets the needs of the District and that our community supports." In the days leading up to the election, both presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, winner of the Wisconsin primary, and his challenger, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, endorsed the Racine Unified referendum. Sanders has since dropped out of the race and on Monday endorsed Biden. Its hard to say what the outcome would have been if it would have been a typical election, but the April 7 one was far from it. Workers at some polling places dressed in masks and gowns to protect themselves from the threat of the new coronavirus, and others conducted drive-up voting only. Untold numbers of Wisconsinites who requested absentee ballots ahead of the election did not receive their ballots in time to have them postmarked by Election Day, giving them the choice between not voting or heading to the polls and possibly putting their health at risk. "Over the last several months, we have spoken with hundreds of community members," Gallien said. "We appreciate your engagement and your consideration of the referendum. We know this plan will benefit not only our students, but the entire community. We also want to acknowledge the effort made by our voters last week. This election was unprecedented and we thank every community member who made significant efforts to ensure their voices were heard." The construction the referendum money is set to fund is based on an extensive long-range facilities master plan developed by the district in conjunction with Nexus Solutions, a facilities planning company with offices in Madison and Milwaukee. The average age of Racine Unified buildings is 79 years old. Love 14 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 24 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By Park Si-soo South Korea has confirmed 116 cases of coronavirus reinfection (as of Monday noon) with most cases reported in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, two epicenters of the domestic outbreak. The tally added five more cases from Sunday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). With 10,564 cumulative cases and 7,534 patients recovered (as of Tuesday noon), reinfection data showed nearly 1.5 percent of the recovered people had been infected again for unverified reasons. The first domestic case of reinfection was reported on Feb. 28 a woman in her 70s was confirmed to be reinfected six days after she had been declared as recovered. Health authorities are exploring possible causes of reinfection, but have yet to find a clear answer. "With limited information and data, we find it difficult to determine why and how they got infected again," KCDC director Jung Eun-kyeong said in a Tuesday briefing. Of the 116 cases, 48 were reported in Daegu, 35 in North Gyeongsang Province and 10 in Gyeonggi Province. "Those in their 20s and 50s have the biggest portion, but there are cases across all age groups," the director said, noting that age did not factor into reinfection. Earlier, health authorities said the virus was highly likely to have been reactivated, instead of the people being reinfected, because they tested positive again in a relatively short time after being released from quarantine. They said the COVID-19 virus may remain latent in certain cells and attack the respiratory organs again once reactivated. Even though classes are set to resume on June 1, Central Okanagan school trustees are being advised by district staff to cancel all school buses for the remainder of the year. Malta on Tuesday urged the European Union to launch an "immediate humanitarian mission" in Libya to help stem the flow of illegal migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. The Mediterranean island nation's foreign minister said the EU teams should distribute food and medical supplies worth at least 100 million euros ($110 million). Evarist Bartolo's letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell came a day after border guards reported locating four dingies between Libya and Malta with a reported 258 people on board. Both Malta and Italy have closed their ports to migrants to curb the spread of COVID-19. Germany's Sea-Watch International said it feared that one of the boats carrying 85 people had actually capsized and those aboard had drowned. "Malta denies us safe harbour," the group said on Tuesday. "We demand safe harbour." The Spanish rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo Humanitario said the migrants it had been in contact with came from sub-Saharan Africa. The Maltese foreign minister's letter said "the only sustainable and realistic option to avoid this humanitarian crisis... is for the EU to launch an immediate humanitarian mission in Libya". He estimated there were "over 650,000 people waiting to leave Libyan shores for Europe as the rate of departures accelerates due to conflict, disease and lack of basic needs." The Maltese foreign ministry argued that delivering aid to Libya -- and not the migrants' sub-Saharan home nations -- was "the quickest way of alleviating and minimising the difficult circumstances that migrants are living in". Italy has officially attributed 20,465 deaths to COVID-19 -- second only to the United States. Malta has reported three virus deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 16-year-old was wounded in the abdomen just after 2 p.m. in the 3600 block of South Marshfield Avenue, police said, citing preliminary reports. The teen was rushed to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The teens identity wasnt immediately released. The death of two elderly persons on Tuesday shot up the COVID-19 related fatalities to double digit in Karnataka, where 13 new positive cases were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 260, the health department said. Expectedly, the state government welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement extending the COVID-19 lockdown till May 3 and said it would be strictly implement the Centre's guidelines which will be issued on Wednesday. A total of ten coronavirus deaths have been reported so far in the state with two men, aged 76 and 69, becoming the latest fatalities to the disease in Bengaluru and Vijayapura respectively. The city man, who was tested positive on April 12, had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and died at a designated hospital here while the other, husband of a positive patient, at a hospital in Vijayapura. Two patients, a 55-year-old man from Kalaburagi and a 65 -year-old man from Bengaluru urban had passed away last night. As of 5 PM on Tuesday, cumulatively 260 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state and it included ten deaths and 71 discharges, a health department bulletin said. Out of 179 active cases, 175 patients (including 1 pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while four are in ICU. Thirteen new positive cases, including the two people who died in Bengaluru on Monday night and Vijayapura on Tuesday. The eleven others are three each from Bagalkote and Kalaburagi, two each from Bengaluru Urban, one each from Chikkaballapura, Belagavi and Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district. Among the 13, nine are contacts of patients already tested positive, two are with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), one with travel history to Delhi and the other is with a history of travel from Hindupur by a two- wheeler. Contact tracing was in progress for all the cases, the department said. Nine out of total 260 cases detected and confirmed in the state so far, are transit passengers of Kerala. From across the state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru with 69 cases, followed by Mysuru 48 and Belagavi 18. Among those dead are three from Kalaburagi, two from Bengaluru urban, and one each from Chikkaballapura, Bagalkote, Vijapura, Gadag and Tumakuru. A total of 11,107 samples were collected for testing so far, out of which 1,090 on Tuesday alone. So far 10,554 samples have reported as negative, and out of them 982 reported negative on Tuesday, the bulletin said. Welcoming the lockdown extension, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa appealed to the people to voluntarily co-operate with the government to contain the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown came into effect on March 25 and was to end on Tuesday midnight and Karnataka was among those states which sought extension. State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the lockdown would be tightened further by imposing more restrictions on unnecessary movement of people, erecting more barricades and intensified checks among others. He said the Centre, in the days to come, would micro manage things aimed at controlling the spread of the virus by effectively implementing the lockdown. He pointed out that Modi had said that after April 20, the situation at taluk at district level would be analysed, based on which a decision on easing curbs would be taken area wise. Bommai said orders have been issued through the DGP to ensure that an ADGP rank official is sent to monitor and supervise measures in districts like Bidar, Gulbarga, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada, where there are more coronavirus cases. The Karnataka labour department has directed private sector employers in the state not to lay off workers and pay them wages on the due date without any deduction during the lock down. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A team of researchers from the Royal Womens Hospital, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital has successfully tested, in a simulated environment, the potential to ventilate two lungs of different compliances from a single ventilator using only commonly available hospital equipment. While the authors do not condone the practice of ventilator splitting and say the findings must be interpreted and applied with caution, the experiments demonstrate the hope of simultaneously ventilating two test lungs of different compliances and modify the pressure, flow and volume of air in each lung, in case of extreme emergencies. Patients with COVID-19 may develop progressive viral pneumonitis leading to severe respiratory failure, said lead author Dr. Alexander Clarke, a researcher in the Department of Anaesthesia at the Royal Womens Hospital. The combination of unprecedented disease burden and global supply chain disruption has resulted in worldwide shortages of medical equipment. Despite our advances in the practical application of ventilator splitting, the practice is unregulated and under tested. But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, some countries, like the USA, may consider ventilator splitting on compassionate grounds. The U.S. FDA has passed emergency use authorization for the splitting of ventilators. While ventilator splitting has, at face value, validity in addressing ventilator shortages, we agree that on sober reflection, it is a solution that needs to be weighed up carefully as it may cause more harm than good. The basic principle of ventilator splitting is simple two or more patients are connected to one ventilator and both are exposed to the same circuit dynamics. This presents many challenges including ventilator and patient synchronicity ventilation requirements are different for a 100 kg male and a 50 kg female, cross-infection from inter-patient gas exchange, oxygen concentration, and the lack of monitoring for individual tidal volume, flow and pressure. Irregularly pressurized air supply can kill patients. To counter this, Dr. Clarke and colleagues connected a flow restrictor apparatus, which consisted of a Hoffman clamp and tracheal tube, to the inspiratory limb of the ventilator to the high compliance test lungs. The breathing circuit ran from the humidifier to a hospital-commodity Y-connector splitter. From the splitter, two identical limbs were created, simulating the ventilation of two pairs of patient lungs. The resistance was modified to achieve end-tidal volumes of 500 ml 20 ml. The addition of the flow restrictor was critical to the way this setup works without the restrictor, we werent able to control air flow to each simulated patient, said co-author Dr. Shaun Gregory, a scientist in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Monash University. While the findings are exciting for crisis and trauma medicine, they need to be interpreted and applied with caution. Our experiment has demonstrated that in order to deliver a safe tidal volume and airway pressure, a resistance mechanism is required on at least one inspiratory limb of the circuit, Dr. Gregory said. One way of achieving this is through the use of a tracheal tube and Hoffman clamp common, practical items found in hospitals. While the discovery is promising, the use of this method in the clinical context has not been validated and we dont recommend its wider use without further trials. We are hopeful of one day being able to get great surety with this approach to ventilator splitting so we can help save lives in dire cases of emergency. The teams paper was published in the journal Anaesthesia. _____ A.L. Clarke et al. Coping with COVID-19: ventilator splitting with differential driving pressures using standard hospital equipment. Anaesthesia, published online April 9, 2020; doi: 10.1111/anae.15078 This article is based on text provided by Monash University. Public Service Company of New Mexico gave a hearty shout-out of thanks to Farmington-area front-line medical workers and to plant employees with 150 meals and thousands of Girl Scout cookies. The utility on Monday morning provided 300 boxes of cookies to personnel at the San Juan Regional Medical Center and the San Juan Generating Station. A local Girl Scout troop delivered the goodies to doorsteps of each recipient while observing proper social distancing, PNM said in a news release. The company also bought 150 meals from the popular Los Rios Cafe to be delivered to San Juan Regional Medical Center later this week. PNM has been a part of the San Juan community for 40 years. We are grateful to these men and women at the hospital and at our power plant who are keeping our families healthy and safe, Omni Warner, plant manager at the San Juan Generating Station, said in a statement. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. WICHITA, Kan., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: SPR] (the "Company") is announcing today that Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. ("Spirit"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is offering $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2025 (the "Notes") in a private offering. Spirit plans to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including to repay all or a portion of its revolver. The Notes will be guaranteed by the Company and Spirit AeroSystems North Carolina, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spirit (collectively, the "Guarantors"), and secured by certain real property and personal property, including certain equity interests, owned by Spirit, as issuer, and the Guarantors. The Notes and guarantees will be Spirit's senior secured obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with all of its existing and future senior indebtedness, effectively junior to all of its existing and future first-priority lien indebtedness to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness (including Spirit's senior secured credit facility and its Senior Notes due 2026), effectively junior to any of its other existing and future indebtedness that is secured by assets that do not constitute collateral for the notes to the extent of the value of such assets, and senior in right of payment to any of its existing and future subordinated indebtedness. The offering is being made pursuant to an exemption under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The initial purchasers of the Notes will offer the Notes only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act or outside the United States to certain persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or under any state securities laws. Therefore, the Notes may not be offered or sold within the United States to, or for the account or benefit of, any United States person unless the offer or sale would qualify for a registration exemption from the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes described in this press release, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, sale or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. On the web: www.spiritaero.com On Twitter: @SpiritAero About Spirit AeroSystems Inc. Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.SpiritAero.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that may involve many risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "continue," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "forecast," "intend," "may," "might," "objective," "outlook," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," and other similar words, or phrases, or the negative thereof, unless the context requires otherwise. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown. Our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements and that should be considered in evaluating our outlook include, without limitation, the timing and conditions surrounding the return to service of the 737 MAX and any related impacts on our production rate; our reliance on Boeing for a significant portion of our revenues; our ability to execute our growth strategy, including our ability to timely complete and integrate our announced Asco and Bombardier acquisitions; our ability to accurately estimate and manage performance, cost, and revenue under our contracts; demand for our products and services and the effect of economic or geopolitical conditions in the industries and markets in which we operate in the U.S. and globally; the length of the Boeing production suspension affecting its Washington and South Carolina facilities; our ability to manage our liquidity, borrow additional funds or refinance debt; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations, including on the demand for our and our customers' products and services, on trade and transport restrictions, on the global aerospace supply chain, on our ability to retain the skilled work force necessary for production and development and generally on our ability to effectively manage the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations; and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors are not exhaustive and it is not possible for us to predict all factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. These factors speak only as of the date hereof, and new factors may emerge or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact our business. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. Related Links http://www.SpiritAero.com Embarrassing Bodies host Dr Christian Jessen has hit out at a US doctor for spreading dangerous bulls*** during the coronavirus outbreak. The TV doctor attacked health activist Dr Joseph Mercola on Twitter, after the natural health advocate recommended people protect themselves from Covid-19 by creating DIY ventilators and inhaling household hydrogen peroxide. You are a SHAMELESS f***ing crook, Jessen tweeted. Reported for spreading dangerous bulls***. According to The Sun, the US Food and Drug Administration has previously issued multiple warnings to Mercola after making illegal claims about his products' ability to treat illness. In March, Jessen came under fire after suggesting that Italians were using the coronavirus as an excuse to have a long siesta. Asked about the outbreak, the 43-year-old said: This might be a little bit racist to say this, [and] youll have to make apologies, but do you not think its a bit of an excuse? The Italians, any old excuse to, you know, shut down everything and stop work for a bit and have a long siesta. Jessen then went on to downplay the virus impact, adding: This is like a bad cold really, lets be honest. Italy is the worst-hit area in Europe with nearly 20,000 coronavirus deaths, although on Monday they recorded their lowest number of deaths since 19 March. Car journeys plunged by 80 percent on Easter Sunday while a police force reported the lowest traffic levels since the 1950s as Britons stay off the roads amid the coronavirus crisis. Towards the end of the Bank Holiday weekend daily car trips dropped to their lowest level yet during the lockdown, with Easter Monday travel barely adding another 10 percent, according to a review conducted by AA of more than 15,000 journeys. The data, gathered from AA Smart Breakdown devices, shows 60 percent less weekday journeys, falling another 10 percent on Saturdays and then plunging even further by 80 percent on Sundays. On Easter Sunday daily car trips dropped to their lowest level yet during the lockdown with Easter Monday travel barely adding another 10 percent (file photo) The Easter period saw a 10 percent increase in journeys on Thursday, then staying at around two fifths of the pre-lockdown period. Despite the sunny weekend, it is thought pre-Easter food shopping likely accounted for most of the elevated levels. Meanwhile police in Craven, North Yorkshire, said cyclists taking to the roads for daily exercise has reduced traffic to levels not seen since the 1950s, according to Craven Herald. Edmund King, the AA's president, said: 'For the most part, families and car drivers respected the lockdown and didn't revert to the usual Easter exodus, travelling to see friends or out into the country for exercise. 'Empty motorways were testament to car owners heeding government advice and not taking a holiday from the lockdown. 'Overall, we expected some increase in car journeys after the initial collapse as essential workers and volunteers took to the road again. 'However, the AA thinks that measures, such as police clamping down on cars parked at beauty spots away from where people live, may keep car journeys at their current low level for a while yet.' He added: 'Police have also said that although the roads are quieter, they have seen some excessive speeding. There is no excuse for speeding even if the roads and motorways are almost empty. 'Speeding has led to several crashes over the last few days which ties up the resources of the emergency services, the NHS and potentially takes up precious hospital beds.' The Bauchi State Government has been criticised for its decision to deduct from its workers salaries to fund the fight against coronavirus in the state. The state government is being accused of taking that decision without consulting the workers. The states deputy governor, Baba Tela, who is also the chairman of the State Task Force on COVID-19, had last week announced that he and other top officials of the state government, including the chief of staff, commissioners and permanent secretaries had agreed to give 10 percent of their next three months salaries in support of the state governments efforts against the spread of COVID-19. The deputy governor added that civil servants on the rank of directors have also agreed to give five percent of their salaries, while others below that rank would give one percent of their salaries for the next three months. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Bauchi State had reportedly endorsed the planned deduction. This dragged the NLC into public censure for alleged collusion with the government. Though the deputy governor had said the deductions would take effect from April, concerns have been raised that the decision was taken without consulting the workers. The governments plan has since generated heated reactions in the state as many of the workers, including top civil servants, criticised it. The majority of those condemning the planned deductions are civil servants who demanded anonymity while speaking with PREMIUM TIMES for fear of victimisation. A senior civil servant said it has become one deduction too many in Bauchi State. We have been forfeiting one percent of our monthly take home for the state government to fund the Bauchi Orphans and Vulnerable Childrens Agency, (BASOVCA) even that was done without seeking the express permission of the workers before it was carried out. A female civil servant, who identified herself only by her first name, Maimuna, said she would not forgive them if they deduct her salary. They are yet to increase my salary to the current approved minimum wage because Im on grade level 8, and now they want to deduct another one per cent in addition to the old one per cent they have been deducting from our salary in the name of BASOVCA. If they deduct that money, it means I will forfeit two per cent to the government for the next three months. 0 BASOVCA was established during the tenure of former governor Isa Yuguda to cater for orphans and vulnerable persons, funded by the deduction of one per cent of workers salary. A Bauchi-based lawyer, Idrees Gambo, had told journalists that the planned deduction was at variance with the Nigerian Labour Act. Quoting relevant sections of the Labour Act, Mr Gambo said all the provisions under the sections that talked about workers employment clearly underscore the issue of consent. He said Section 5 (1) of the law made it clear that Except where it is expressly permitted by this Act or any other law, no employer shall make any deduction or make any agreement or contract with a worker for any deduction from the wages to be paid by the employer to the worker, or for any payment to the employer by the worker, for or in respect of any fines: Provided that, with the prior consent in writing of an authorized labor officer, a reasonable deduction may be made in respect of injury or loss caused to the employer by the willful misconduct or neglect of the worker. Quoting subsection (2) of the same Section, the lawyer said An employer may with the consent of a worker make deductions from the wages of the worker and pay to the appropriate person any contributions to provident or pension funds or other schemes agreed to by the worker and approved by the State Authority.. Mr Gambo further shed light on the powers of the NLC and where the workers union cannot take the decision on behalf of a worker unless with the latters consent. He said subsection (4) the relevant section expressly says that No deductions shall be made from the wages and salaries of persons who are eligible members of any of the trade unions specified in Part B of the Schedule 3 to the Trade Unions Act except the person concerned has accepted, in writing, to make voluntary contributions to the trade union, . The lawyer who went on to quote several other sections of the Labour Act said no employer has the right to make any rebate from the salary of any worker without prior documented consent. Therefore, any attempt by any authority or person in that direction to deduct from workers salary remains an illegality, unless those deductions that are done in accordance with the Labour Act or any other relevant law in that regard, said Barrister Gambo. The Bauchi NLC had in a statement last week said it endorsed the move by the government to deduct in April, May, and June as part of the workers contribution to the fight against COVID-19. The NLC statement states that under the resolutions reached, Permanent Secretaries and their equivalents will contribute 10 percent from their salaries for the months of April, May and June 2020. Advertisements Directors on Grade levels 16 to 17 both in the State and Local Government will contribute 5 percent of their salaries for the period of 3 months. PREMIUM TIMES contacted the NLC Chairman in Bauchi State, Danjuma Saleh, to find out if the union consulted with the workers before endorsing the plan of the state government. The chairman declined to comment but quickly added that the NLC will be holding a press conference today or Wednesday to clarify their position on the matter. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit concluded that Courtney Wilds appeal of a Florida judges ruling had to be rejected because no federal charges were filed in Florida against Epstein at the time. He was later charged federally in New York and died of an apparent suicide in jail on Aug. 10, 2019, at age 66. SHENYANG, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Liaoning Province has dispatched a medical team and equipment to the city of Suifenhe, at the China-Russia border in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, to support its prevention and control of imported COVID-19 cases, local authorities said Monday. The team consisting of 12 staff from the First Hospital of China Medical University, together with "mobile hospital" equipment, mobile X-ray and CT machines, set off from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, to Suifenhe Monday afternoon, said the provincial health commission. As of midnight Saturday, Suifenhe had reported 194 confirmed cases and more than 100 asymptomatic coronavirus carriers. In these times of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the unhealthiest industries around is the newspaper (print) industry. Most of its troubles are of its own making, but going by its matchless chutzpah, you would not think it was so In these times of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the unhealthiest industries around is the newspaper (print) industry. Most of its troubles are of its own making, but going by its matchless chutzpah, you would not think it was so. Over the years, the print industry has painted itself into a corner, but instead of taking the knocks on the chin and moving on, it has brazenly sent a threat in the form of an SOS to the government. Follow all the latest coronavirus updates here Industry members are demanding a reduction in customs duty on imported newsprint, a two-year tax holiday, a massive increase in government advertisement rates and spend etc. The alternative, which resembles holding a gun to their own head, is shutting down, which, they warn, would affect the 'domestic newsprint manufacturing industry and the ripple effect that would affect large number of employees, their families, allied industries, printing presses, distribution mechanism, newspaper vendors and delivery boys'. And why would all of this happen? Organisations that have been in business for decades some for more than 100 years and over that time, have accumulated awesome power, prestige and money, now suggest they are unable to look after their staff because of a two-month coronavirus-induced slowdown. To repeat: The accumulated wealth of over a 100 years pales into insignificance if they have to look after their staff for two months. It is this inconceivable scenario that makes one wonder whether COVID-19 was a golden opportunity for some organisations to trim expenses, reduce flab and goad the government into providing sops that would shore up their bottom line. Sure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have stated that no employee in any industry should be sacked in these challenging times, but newspaper owners have their own way of circumventing issues. In earlier eras when wage boards determined salaries, it was they who threw a spanner into the works when they pointed out that 'ability to pay' had not been factored in the wage board awards. Later, they ended up paying far more than the wage board's recommendations, but only to those permanent employees who agreed to become contract employees. Over a period of time, this became the norm. Currently, many of those staring at termination are high-cost individuals whose contracts have ended or are coming to an end. Usually these contracts are renewed, but these are not usual times. Rather it is a rare opportunity to bring some to heel or get rid of others. Of course, once journalists became contract employees, they lose all rights and thus have to simply grin and bear whatever is dished out to them. The marginalisation of the rights of the employee notwithstanding, the revenue model of Indian newspapers is deeply flawed, lopsided and almost exclusively dependent on advertising. It is the primary reason why they could be in deep trouble when the advertising tap is reduced to a trickle or dries up. Indeed, it does not require any great deal of insight to fathom that undue dependence on either subscription or advertising is fraught with risk and leaves the organisation open to pressures and manipulation. But, our newspapers were eternally on the lookout for short-cuts. Thus, when the economy was thrown open in the 1990s, a couple of them saw it as a great opportunity to grab windfall revenues from a plethora of consumer goods and durables flooding the market. But they needed to rapidly ramp up their subscription base and become more attractive to advertisers. They thus dropped cover price of the newspaper to as low as Re 1. This cheap subscription model, complete with gifts and other incentives gave them an instant boost in circulation. But it also locked the newspaper down to an eternally low cover price. To put this low pricing into perspective, a comparison in pricing of English language newspapers in India's neighbourhood is an eye-opener. Dawn's (Pakistan) cover price is Rs 25 while The Island (Sri Lanka) is priced at Rs 30 per copy. Sri Lanka's Sunday Observer sells for a whopping Rs 60. On the other hand, India's market leader, The Times of India, is priced at Rs 4.50. There is little doubt that this sort of predatory pricing has led to the print media being boxed into a corner. Had it increased its costs gradually, like toothpaste, cigarettes, beer or soft drinks (selling newspapers was often equated with selling toothpaste in the 1990s and 2000s), these papers would not have been in the state they currently find themselves. Any attempt at course correction and suddenly taking the price to a more equitable Rs 25 or 30 will almost certainly wipe out their subscription base. In short, the over-dependence on advertising is deeply encoded and flawed. This still does not explain why some newspapers are shedding staff, especially those whose cost to company is high. After all, these newspapers must have accumulated solid reserves and surpluses and could easily look after their long-serving staff; unless the aim of the entire exercise was to arm-twist governments into providing sops. Sadly, in the days to come this perceived crisis in the industry will have political parties rushing to play Santa Claus to media owners and journalists alike. The ruling party will be dragged into a muddle not of its making. But who cares? The Opposition and newspaper owners have a dream scenario at hand: Heads I win, tails you lose. TUCSON, Ariz., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's unprecedented challenge to protect healthcare workers on the front lines as they battle coronavirus, one Arizona company is providing a unique nebulizer system designed to mitigate caregiver exposure to contagions like COVID-19, while they administer aerosol therapy to their patients. Nebulizers have long been used by medical professionals to treat a variety of respiratory diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and COPD. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, the safe use of nebulizers has become particularly challenging for healthcare workers as they treat patients with COVID-19, since nebulizers break up medications into small aerosol droplets that can escape into a room during therapy and potentially expose the healthcare worker to viral particles in the air. The Circulaire II Aerosol Drug Delivery System (https://westmedinc.com/circulaire-ii/) is a quasi-closed device that features an integral Exhalation Filter with bacterial (>99.99%) and viral (>99.98) efficiencies that reduce healthcare worker exposure to exhaled droplets and medication during nebulizer therapy. While not a complete solution, the Circulaire II from Westmed is the only aerosol delivery system currently available that includes an integral Exhalation Filter as a standard feature. Westmed, Inc. is headquartered in Tucson, AZ, with additional manufacturing facilities in Nogales, Sonora and Tecate, Baja, MX. During the coronavirus pandemic, the company intends to donate $100,000 to local food banks in all three cities. About Westmed (https://westmedinc.com) Westmed Inc. is a global market leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of specialized disposable and reusable medical devices used in Respiratory Care, Anesthesiology, Neonatal & Pediatric, EMS and Home Care. The company's primary product focus is in Pulmonary Medication Delivery, Oxygen Delivery, Airway Management, Gas Delivery, Heated Humidification, Arterial Blood Collection, Capnography, Resuscitation and Wound Prevention. *Data on file at Westmed, Inc. SOURCE Westmed, Inc. Related Links http://westmedinc.com The US now has the largest number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world, with the toll reaching 23,604 as of Tuesday morning. US-based Cable News Network (CNN) published an op-ed on April 12 analyzing the reasons why the US tops global coronavirus deaths. According to CNNs article, Americans will continue to die in large numbers until the country mounts a coherent response to the epidemic. President Donald Trump has failed. The US still lacks even a basic plan for controlling the epidemic and restarting the economy. The article makes a comparison between the US' death toll and that of Asian countries to demonstrate the scale of the Trump administration's failure. The US now has about 62 deaths per million people. Meanwhile, the Chinese mainland, South Korea and Singapore each have under five deaths per million, it said. Unlike these Asian countries, Trump failed to prepare for the pandemic even after the alarm bells went off. He ignored urgent warning signs, the article said. It further noted that Trump, meanwhile, repeatedly fails to put public health experts truly in the lead. He ignores the rudiments of basic public health and seems to view the epidemic in political and electoral rather than public health terms. As usual, Trump blames others for his own disastrous failings, with his latest target of attack being the World Health Organization (WHO), which plays a key role in helping governments around the world fight this disease. Trump tweeted on February 24: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart." Yet now, he is turning on the WHO. His allies in Congress follow his lead, calling for the US to cut off funds for the WHO in the midst of the pandemic. It's hard to think of a more shameful policy that would put an end to any semblance of US global responsibility, the article said, adding the Congressmen should be focusing on the unfolding tragedy at home, rather than being agents of Trump's propaganda. According to the article, the attacks on the WHO are nonsensical. All countries had access to the same information at the same time, it said, adding that the WHO was just one source of information for the US and other countries, and the US has its own experts, intelligence agencies, and a network of epidemiological surveillance that could directly observe China's growing alarm and dramatic actions. The alarm bells were ringing from late December onward, the op-ed said. The director of the China Center for Disease Control personally called the director of the US Centers for Disease Control on January 3. Trump, it said, will continue to fulminate against the WHO and China and any other targets in order to distract attention. Yet the record is clear: China got the epidemic under control while the US did not. China implemented a strict national lockdown while the US did not. China deployed its top technologists and companies to do the job. In fact, Trump repeatedly praised China during February, only turning on China when the situation got tough in the US. Unlike China, which turned to its public health experts, Trump turned to Vice President Mike Pence and son-in-law Jared Kushner, it said. Thousands of Americans are dying unnecessarily as a result and we are still far from any coherent national plan. The opinion writers advice for a national plan is to contact symptomatic individuals and quickly isolate them, trace and test their contacts, use phone apps and online registries to support the process, screen the public for symptoms in public spaces, and require people to wear face masks in public and use hand sanitizers relentlessly. We would be doing, in short, what the Asian countries have been doing to control the epidemic, it said. America's failure is plain for all to see, even if Trump loyalists are blind to it, the article said. We are at the end of the Wizard of Oz tale. The curtain has been pushed aside to reveal the con man behind the curtain. Our choice is like Dorothy's: to go home to the country of competence we once knew, or to remain in the deadly dream kingdom of Trump. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday modified its April 8 order which asked private labs to conduct free COVID-19 tests and said the benefit will be available only to "economically weaker sections" who are covered under a government scheme such as the Ayushman Bharat. The top court said it never intended to make testing free for those who can afford to pay. It had on April 8 directed that private labs, which were allowed to charge Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 tests, would not charge for the tests observing that they need to be philanthropic in the hour of national crisis. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat took note of the pleas of two persons, including orthopedic surgeon Kaushal Kant Mishra, who said that if the testing is made free for all, private labs will be overburdened financially and would slow down the tests for the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. ALSO READ | COVID-19 testing, treatment free for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at private labs, empanelled hospitals "Having heard, counsel for the parties, we are satisfied that sufficient cause has been made out to clarify and modify our order dated April 8, 2020," the top court said. It added: "The order dated April 8, intended to make testing in private Labs of COVID-19 free for economically weaker sections of the society who were unable to afford the payment of testing fee as fixed by ICMR for COVID-19. "We further clarify that the order never intended to make testing free for those who can afford the payment of testing fee fixed by the ICMR for COVID-19". The top court took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi that according to the directive of National Health Authority under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the COVID-19 tests were being conducted free of cost in all private laboratories even when the order was passed on April 8. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES "We make it clear that the benefit of free testing by a person can be availed only when he or she is covered under any scheme like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. "We are also of the view that looking to the plight of persons belonging to economically weaker sections of the society, the Government may consider as to whether any other categories of persons belonging to economically weaker sections of the society can be extended benefit of free testing of COVID-19," it said. The court said it was conscious of the fact that framing of the scheme and its implementation were in the government's domain who are the best experts in such matters. Modifying the order, the bench said, free testing for COVID-19 shall be available to persons covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and "any other category of economically weaker sections of the society as notified by the Government for free testing for COVID-19, hereinafter". It said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare may consider as to whether any other categories of the weaker sections of the society may be granted the facility of free testing. "The Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare may issue necessary guidelines for reimbursement of cost of free testing of COVID-19 undertaken by private Labs and necessary mechanism to defray expenses and reimbursement to the private Labs," it said. The court said the central government was required to give "appropriate publicity" the modified directions. Rohatgi , appearing for some private labs, submitted that ICMR has fixed moderate charge of Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 tests to cover the expenses of labs and moreover, persons covered under the 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana' are tested for free of cost. In case the Labs are not to charge any fee for the tests, it will be impossible for them to carry on the test due to financial constraint, he argued. Law officer Mehta referred to the ICMR affidavit and submitted that the government is taking all necessary steps for conducting the COVID-19 test and as on date, 157 government labs and 67 private labs are conducting COVID-19 test. "All government hospitals and government labs are conducting COVID-19 test free of cost," Mehta said. Lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi, who had filed the PIL in personal capacity, said there are large sections of society who are unable to afford even Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 test and the government has to take responsibility of getting every person tested. Orthopedic surgeon Mishra had moved the top court seeking a modification of the courts April 8 order directing authorities to ensure COVID-19 tests in approved private laboratories be conducted free of cost. He had filed the intervention application in a pending PIL, saying that the private labs be allowed to do COVID-19 testing "as per the rates stipulated in the ICMR Advisory dated March 17". The application said forcing private labs would create a sharp dip in an already below par testing rate for COVID. Assiniboia, Sask., Mayor Bob Himbeault says his constituents are concerned about the ongoing construction of a wind power plant that employs mostly out-of-province workers. There are worries the workers will bring COVID-19 into the town. He's now sent a letter to the provincial government, asking them consider putting the project on hold. "We've been getting lots of phone calls and, really, I guess our first thought was, 'Would it be feasible to postpone this project?' and if it's not feasible, could we get some safeguards put in place that would would limit the interaction with our community." Himbeault is caught in the middle of a precarious situation. In August 2019, he touted the Golden South Wind project, telling The Assiniboia Times it would be provide a "shot in the arm" for the community. CBC Now, he's having to juggle that economic boon with the safety concerns of some residents. At the end of the day, he said it's not within his jurisdiction to make a final decision. "It's the [provincial] government's decision. They're the ones who oversee that," Himbeault said, about the continuing construction. "We've had communication and I believe there could be some response coming maybe [Tuesday]." The province said it's aware of the concerns of the residents of Assiniboia, and will conduct a review of the Golden South Wind Project in order to respond to them. In a statement to CBC, it said a health inspector has already been in contact with the local motel housing some of the workers and was "satisfied overall with the operation of the facility." Resident says health should be prioritized over economics Dwayne Woolhouse is one of the citizens concerned about an influx of out-of-town workers in the community. The organic farmer said he and the rest of the town's residents have been careful about protecting themselves and others. He said it's irresponsible to have people from out-of-town continuing to work in the community. Story continues "If it was put on hold for two months it's not going to risk anybody's health," he said. "We're not going to run out of power, and I think people's health and their lives are more important than economics." These are tough times and I think you've got to look at the big picture here and we all have have a role to play in this. - Bob Himbeault, Assiniboia mayor Woolhouse is worried about his 90-year-old mother, who also lives in Assiniboia. He said he's doubtful the province will force the project to stop, but he hopes the company in charge, Potentia Renewables, decides to put a pause on the project without government intervention. Company not planning to stop Jeff Jenner, Potentia's CEO, said the company isn't considering putting the project on hold or scaling back operations at this time. "The government of Saskatchewan has deemed construction a critical service," Jenner said. "As such, we continue to meet and exceed the protocols set out by Saskatchewan Public Health, the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, as well as South Saskatchewan COVID Response." Jenner said by the end of April, 90 people will be working at the site. Of those, approximately 36 will be from Saskatchewan, 18 from Alberta and the rest from other provinces. Jenner said when the project hits its peak, several months from now, there will be about 170 workers on site. He said all employees have "industry knowledge and experience critical to a project of this magnitude." Jenner said the company understands there is a large amount of stress and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and the company has continually been revising its protocols. All incoming employees are required to abide by the following rules before coming to work in Assiniboia: Complete a questionnaire to assess risk factors for COVID-19 infection. Self-isolate for 14 days before travelling to Saskatchewan work site if they have been out of the country. Stay home if they show symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The company said out-of-province workers will also be required to avoid contact with the local community for 14 days in which they are only permitted to travel between the work site and their lodgings. Accommodations will be made to have supplies delivered to the workers when needed. Submitted by Cheri Cowan Woolhouse thinks it's ironic that he can't make the short trip south of the Canadian border to pick up supplies he needs in the United States, while a company is allowed to bring in employees from all over Canada. As for Himbeault, he's encouraging his constituents to continue taking physical distancing precautions seriously. He said that's the best way to ensure one doesn't come in contact with an infected person. "These are tough times and I think you've got to look at the big picture here and we all have have a role to play in this," he said. "It's not just the government or the municipality or the companies, It's the general public. And they've actually got a bigger role to play than anybody: adhere to the guidelines." Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Trump. (Associated Press) To the editor: Our national institutions and warning systems failed us miserably when it mattered the most. ("We were caught flat-footed by COVID-19. How can we do better?" editorial, April 12) Billions spent on the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the national stockpiles, and still we were caught unaware. It seems that there were reports and memos written and sent, but what good are they if no one reads them and acts on them? Our leaders ignored (and some continue to ignore) the seriousness of the threat. Because we live in "the greatest nation in the world," we thought nothing could harm us. Well, we were wrong. Steve Miller, Encino .. To the editor: My compliments on your even-handed editorial. As you point out, there is no single answer. You note a lack of government leadership at all levels. You rightly point out that human nature is another big factor people are not good at dealing with threats that seem far off. I suggest another factor: regulations that initially made the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the sole diagnostic laboratory for coronavirus tests. This over-regulation delayed testing in the U.S., making informed leadership more difficult. Opening up the U.S. market for tests from other countries or from private labs in the United States would have been lifesaving. Steve Murray, Huntington Beach .. To the editor: Your editorial about the pandemic catching us unaware had valid points. However, it missed some of the causes for us being caught "flat-footed." Not mentioned were the budget cuts for the CDC and National Institutes of Health. Not mentioned was the disbanding of the agency within the National Security Council that was supposed to coordinate the national response to a pandemic. Not mentioned was the dismissal of a CDC epidemiologist in Beijing. Most important, the editorial failed to mention the agendas of politicians in both China and the U.S. who tried to downplay the severity of the virus. Story continues In China, the government attempted to suppress news about its epidemic, arresting doctors who tried to inform the public. In the U.S., the president initially claimed that the Democrats' criticism of his response to the coronavirus was a hoax. Both Chinese and American politicians delayed a proper response. David E. Ross, Oak Park Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-13 22:36:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo taken on Jan. 28, 2020 shows a Huawei 5G mobile phone testing speed in Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain. Huawei is "focused on keeping Britain connected" and that is "the biggest contribution we can make" to its national effort against the COVID-19 pandemic, said Huawei's Vice President Victor Zhang in an open letter released on April 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) LONDON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Huawei is "focused on keeping Britain connected" and that is "the biggest contribution we can make" to its national effort against the novel coronavirus pandemic, said Huawei's Vice President Victor Zhang in an open letter released Monday. Since COVID-19 first hit Britain, data usage has soared by 50 percent or more, which has placed significant pressure on telecoms systems. "That's why reliable mobile and broadband networks are crucial," said Zhang. During the pandemic, Huawei's engineers, designated "essential" workers, are striving around the clock to keep Britain connected, said Zhang. "We're working with the likes of Vodafone, BT, EE and Three to keep businesses online and loved ones in touch. To support the effort, we've set up three new warehouses and are redistributing key spare parts around the country to ensure continuity of supply," said Zhang. To support the effort, Huawei has set up three new warehouses and are redistributing key spare parts around the country to ensure continuity of supply. Saying that the crisis has highlighted many Britons still remain stuck in a digital slow lane, Zhang said Huawei is helping to turn that around so that no one is left without a decent connection. "Our objective is the same as the UK Government's -- secure and resilient 'GigaBit broadband' networks," he said. Zhang pointed out that despite this there has been groundless criticism from some about Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G rollout, and "there are those who choose to continue to attack us without presenting any evidence." The British government has announced its new plans to safeguard the country's telecoms network, which is widely seen as approving a restricted role for Huawei in helping build the country's 5G network. "In my experience the UK has always chosen to work together with the frontrunners in any field, whether they come from the U.S., China or Europe....When we emerge from this crisis, we look forward to continuing to play our role as a key partner in improving the networks, benefiting the economy and ultimately everyone in the UK," he said. "It is only by working together that we can overcome this global pandemic," he added. Express News Service BENGALURU: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed COVSACK (COVid SAmple Collection Kiosk), a unique kiosk for swab testing of COVID-19 patients, which ensures zero physical contact with the doctor. COVSACK was designed and developed by Dr Jaiteerth Joshi, Sc 'G', DRDL, Hyderabad. This kiosk was installed in ESI Hospital, Sanathinagar, Hyderabad on Tuesday. This reduces the need for PPE kits among health care workers who take samples from suspected patients, according to DRDO. There is zero human intervention even in disinfecting the kiosk, because of the auto-disinfection system in place. In this, only the patients enter the kiosk. The shielding screen (or glass window-like structure on one side of the Kiosk) protects the healthcare worker from the aerosols of the patient while taking the sample. The door of the kiosk is also made airtight with a rubber gasket. A glove compartment allows a doctor to reach the patient. A two-way communication system is set up so that doctors can pass on instructions and patients can also clarify the doubts, said one of the developers of the kiosk. Auto-disinfection After the patient is swabbed and leaves the kiosk, two nozzles on top and two on the sides spray sodium hypochlorite (1%) solution, to disinfect the walls of the empty chamber for the next patient. Then, the inbuilt sprayers rinse down the chemical, that is let out through a drain at the base of the kiosk. The kiosk will also undergo UV light disinfection. The disinfection process will be complete in 70 seconds, said the DRDO scientist. Dual Mechanism This kiosk can also be reversed to make the doctor sit inside while the patients remain outside, in case the number of tests is more. Funding will help Canadian employers to implement the mandatory 14-day isolation period required of all travellers arriving from abroad Canada allocates $50 million for temporary foreign workers to complete self-isolation period Funding will help Canadian employers to implement the mandatory 14-day isolation period required of all travellers arriving from abroad Canada allocates $50 million for temporary foreign workers to complete self-isolation period Funding will help Canadian employers to implement the mandatory 14-day isolation period required of all travellers arriving from abroad Canada allocates $50 million for temporary foreign workers to complete self-isolation period Funding will help Canadian employers to implement the mandatory 14-day isolation period required of all travellers arriving from abroad Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada is providing funding so that employers who have hired foreign workers can comply with mandatory coronavirus measures for new arrivals. The $50 million is intended to help employers meet the current health regulations to keep foreign workers safe during their two-week quarantine. Employers and temporary foreign workers share the responsibility of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Work permit holders are still allowed to come to Canada because of their integral role in the food sector. Get help with Canadian work permits Like all new travellers to Canada, foreign workers must quarantine or isolate for 14 days as soon as they reach the Port of Entry. The government is strengthening that measure as of April 15. Any returning travellers who are asymptomatic, who cant explain a credible quarantine plan, will be forced to spend the two weeks in a hotel. Employers are expected to provide workers with transportation and accommodations as well as access to food and basic sanitation supplies. The government will provide employers with up to $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker, to ensure public health requirements are being fully met. The funding is conditional on employers not being found in violation of the 14-day protocols or any other public health order, a government media release says. This program will be available as long as the Quarantine Act is in force and the isolation protocol is followed. Employers and workers who do not comply could face fines, jail time or both. Before the pandemic, the food sector was already challenged by significant labour shortages. Each year, the agricultural sector receives about 60,000 foreign workers, and yet around 15,000 jobs remain vacant. Fruit and vegetable farms, as well as fish, seafood, and meat processing plants, are reliant on temporary foreign workers. Foreign workers in the agricultural sector account for more than 60 per cent of all who come to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Temporary foreign works have long been key to our food supply, Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, said in a press release. We will work with farmers and food processing employers to ensure they get the workers they need and that plans are in place to meet mandatory isolation requirements. Need assistance with the Temporary Work Permit application process? Contact wp@canadavisa.com. 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Bay Area artisan cheese makers are making tough decisions right now. Some are laying off staff. Others are switching up the cheeses they produce, hoping to wait out the coronavirus in the aging room. Thats because just about all of Californias boutique cheese makers have seen their sales drop since state and local shelter-in-place orders went into effect, forcing restaurants to close their dining rooms and suspend their typical cheese orders. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. in Point Reyes Station lost about 40% of its total business as restaurants, hotels, wineries, catering companies and corporate dining rooms vanished as customers. That resulted in layoffs and furloughs, with the creamery quickly contracting its cheese production and no longer ordering milk from other dairies, relying only on its own herd. Its going to take some time to readjust the long-term strategic plan, because the food service industry isnt going to come back overnight, co-owner Jill Giacomini Basch said. Maybe its new cheeses, maybe its new retail, maybe its more exports. Im not sure. Point Reyes Farmstead is one of the Bay Areas larger and more well-known creameries, nationally famous for its distinctive blue cheese. Basch said people are ordering cheese online all over the country at a rate in line with the holidays since theyre at home and avoiding grocery stores. But Anthea Stolz, executive director of industry group the California Artisan Cheese Guild, worries about the states smallest cheese makers. The industry is centered in Marin and Sonoma counties, which have the highest concentration of artisan creameries about half of the states total. They typically bring in about $120 million in annual sales, according to UC Cooperative Extension. Its really a question of how long do they have the resources to sustain themselves if restaurants arent reopening or if farmers markets get shut down, Stolz said. You might have dad milking the cows and his daughter in the cheese house. They know they need to sell more cheeses direct-to-consumer, but they dont have a marketing team to build them a website. The challenge facing farmstead cheese makers, who produce cheese from animals raised on the same farm, is they cant simply stop making cheese because they cant stop milk production. Since sales are down, creameries such as Bivalve Dairy in Point Reyes are making less fresh cheese because of its poor shelf life. Instead, theyre turning to aged cheeses ones that can sit for three months to a year in the hopes that the economy will be stronger by the time the cheeses are ready. Of course, thats a bet with some risk involved what if sales dont bounce back in eight months? Creameries dont have infinite space in their aging rooms. Even if the pandemic is over and everyone can go back to stores, we will still feel the effects of this for another year, said Bivalve co-owner John Taylor. The timing could not be worse for Tomales Farmstead Creamery, which operates on Marin Countys Toluma Farms with 200 goats and 100 sheep. While cows produce milk year-round, goats and sheep are seasonal. We have the most milk that we have all year long right now, said co-owner Tamara Hicks. Thats the terrible part, and there are so many terrible parts. Toluma Farms nor any of the other creameries The Chronicle interviewed hasnt had to dump any milk like Californias large dairies due to distribution issues during the coronavirus. But Hicks is worried milk or cheese could be wasted in the future. If restaurants still arent buying cheese at their normal levels come fall, she might breed a smaller portion of animals to avoid throwing out milk. But that would have impacts on the following years cheese production, and she would still have to spend money to feed the animals once the grass dries out in August. Frankie Frankeny / Special to The Chronicle For Toluma Farms, about 40% of business is typically restaurants. The creamery sells at farmers markets and some small grocery stores, but Hicks said sales are down there as well. People just arent buying their cheese like before Hicks suspects its because artisan cheese is associated with cheese boards, which are associated with parties. It never occurred to me the food we make relies on people coming together and being social, she said. Other creamery owners said sales at farmers markets have been steady, as the shoppers who frequent them specifically want to support local businesses. But they agreed sales at grocery stores have been down or unpredictable. Unfortunately, a lot of the distribution network is responding to the surge in retail for the center of the store, for the basics, Basch said, referring to items like pasta, canned beans and flour. Specialty cheeses dont always make the deliveries. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Cheese makers are trying to convince shoppers that artisan cheese isnt just for boards with charcuterie theyre also good for cooking. But the pandemic has led many home cooks to be more price sensitive, and local artisan cheese costs a lot more than a block of commodity cheddar. Cowgirl Creamerys famous Mt. Tam, for example, can retail for $31.95 per pound. Cowgirl Creamery is in better shape than many other Bay Area cheese companies. Its more diversified, with only about 15% of its business relying on the restaurant industry, and has its own retail channels with a shop in the San Francisco Ferry Building and in Point Reyes Station. Yet the creamery is thinking about repackaging and other ways to make its cheeses more appealing to big retailers in the future, said Cowgirls managing director Amanda Parker. The company is considering a potential future where grocery stores no longer want to cut and wrap artisan cheeses because of the human contact involved. Unusually busy grocery store workers might prefer simple packages with a barcode instead of big wheels or other presentations that require more work, Parker said. Beyond restaurants reopening, creameries are also looking forward to the return of tourism. Roughly 40% of Toluma Farms business is agritourism, with farm stays, tours and cheesemaking classes that have all come to a halt. The closure of Marin County parks was an immediate blow to Cowgirls Point Reyes Station retail shop. Nicasio Valley Cheese also typically sells cheese at its own creamery store in the Marin County town of Nicasio to tourists exploring the California Cheese Trail throughout Sonoma and Marin counties. Thats down to almost nothing, said Nicasios Rick Lafranchi, who stopped staffing the store. Small creameries like Taylors Bivalve, a long-standing dairy company that expanded into cheese in 2016, are racing to get an online ordering system up. Taylor is also exploring collaborating with other Marin County farmers and purveyors to collaborate on farm-box deliveries, similar to community supported agriculture, which other small farmers have successfully started during the coronavirus. Taylor has even tried showing up at a town square at a designated time with cheese for anyone who wants to buy some. We got a huge response, he said. Were looking at every little avenue to get our product out there. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker Superintendent of Police, Shivpuri, Rajesh Singh Chandel, said that an investigation is being conducted to find out the details Shivpuri: A youth from Shivpuri, who had contracted coronavirus and was released following treatment and testing negative for the infection, has alleged that his family is being harassed by his neighbours, which has forced him to put his house on sale. "I have been working outside for the past eight-nine years. Upon learning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to India on 18 March, on 19 March I went to the hospital and tests were conducted on 21 March which showed that I was borderline positive for COVID-19. The hospital management and administration fully cooperated with me and motivated me. Following the treatment, my results came out negative and I was released from the hospital," Deepak Sharma, the youth, told ANI. "On 4 April, upon returning to my house I was taunted and jeered at by the neighbours. My parents too had been tested and their reports came out as negative, but still, they were being mistreated by the people in the locality. It got so bad that we had to call the police to settle the matter. But it did not stop, so I had to put up the 'for sale' sign at my house," he said. Meanwhile, Janki Prasad Sharma, Deepak's father too alleged that they want to sell their house and move to a different locality as they were not being allowed to purchase essential commodities by their neighbours. "I want to sell my house as the residents of my colony are not letting me get even the essentials such as drinking water and are always shooing off the vegetable vendors," he said. Superintendent of Police, Shivpuri, Rajesh Singh Chandel, said that an investigation is being conducted to find out the details. He, however, added that the neighbours had entered into an argument with the youth after he was seen roaming outside his house earlier following his return. "As soon as the people got to know that he had returned from outside and had tested positive they started harassing him. There is no such threat per se to the family, but the administration is taking care of the whole family and they are being provided all essentials as they are in home quarantine. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak There had been an argument earlier with his neighbours as he was roaming around in the area following his return from outside, but we will see what the matter is currently," Chandel said. Meanwhile, as many as 604 people have tested positive for coronavirus in entire Madhya Pradesh, with 43 deaths being reported due to the disease according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday evening. Ellen Novar, a lecturer in marketing, holds a bag of coffee beans during one of her online Zoom classes as she discusses with students a planning tool that organizations use in their strategic and marketing planning processes and how one national coffee chain is utilizing the tool to explore new markets. (Photo provided) Faculty and students step up to the challenge of a quick change to online education by Christi Mathis and Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. Like teachers across the country, Ellen Novar had to adapt to online teaching quickly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures enacted nationwide to stop the spread of the virus. While it hasnt been easy, Novar said Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she is a marketing lecturer, provides access to the technology tools and the expertise faculty and students need to succeed. Im very pleased with how well its working out, Novar said, adding that while she looks forward to when she can meet with students, the switch to all online instruction has forever changed how I teach class. Ellen Novar: Students need a sense of normalcy Novar was already using the TopHat online platform, displaying PowerPoints in class as her lecture appeared on the projector and students devices and for proctored in-class exams. She used it to integrate live quizzes into her lectures to hold students interest and allow her to assess their understanding. She continues to use it for post-lecture quizzes. One benefit is that online learning can be synchronous or asynchronous, Novar said. Students can watch her online presentations live, asking questions if they desire. Its important to have a set time for the class because you feel like theres a sense of normalcy, and one of the things students really need right now is a sense of normalcy. Students can also watch the lecture later on D2L, an online teaching and learning program. They have 48 hours after a live class to log on and take a quiz via TopHat. As classes were transitioning to the completely online/alternative format, Novar hosted optional, interactive orientation meetings via Zoom. Many students participated, and Novar said their input helps her better meet their needs. For instance, a student requested consistent delivery of weekly informational emails. Now she emails her classes every Sunday afternoon. Novars Zoom sessions open early, giving her a chance to chat with students and answer questions. Students can also post chat questions during live lectures, which she or her teaching assistant answer or post anonymously on a discussion page, enabling even the shyest student to get involved. Zoom also allows breakout rooms where students can meet virtually in small groups. Novar said last week she completed eight group meetings with her small business marketing class students via Zoom, during which she shared documents from her screen. It is fantastic and easier to schedule since not everyone has to be in the same (physical) room, she said. Novar said having an online class option will be beneficial in the future as well because she can still have class, during inclement weather or if she must be out of the area. With this technology, you wont ever fall behind again, she said. Novar strives to maintain a feeling of normalcy in her online classes. When teaching a virtual marketing class about the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) planning tool that organizations use in for strategic and marketing planning, she held a bag of beans from a popular coffee franchise as she discussed how the company utilizes SWOT to explore new market opportunities. Online learning doesnt mean easy cheating either. Novars quizzes are carefully crafted and timed; students have a short time to answer each question so there simply isnt time to look up answers. The change to all-online has been going well, but hasnt necessarily been easy for anyone, Novar said. You really have to be on your A-game, she laughs. She takes frequent short breaks during online presentations bit but recently forgot to hit the record button when class resumed so she had to repeat the second half of her lecture for online viewing. The students are Novars top priority. One student in the Netherlands studies online as his father battles the virus in the hospital and his mother is sick at home. Another student has been called up for active duty in the National Guard. Im giving my students every chance I can to participate and learn, Novar said. I know this is a very challenging time and I want my students to know, Im here for you Nicole Laskowski: Students are adapting Nicole Laskowski said faculty members have been absolutely amazing. A junior agribusiness economics major with triple minors in marketing, agricultural systems and education, and event management, Laskowski is from Marissa and has lived at SIU for three years. Experienced with online classes, she signed up for upper-level courses this semester on campus so she could easily ask professors questions during and after class. While the move to online instruction was worrisome and stressful, Laskowski said faculty members, including Novar, have been very helpful in numerous ways including: Emailing often to check on their students. Asking if students need help or support. Notifying students of deadlines and sending guidelines for online learning. Reaching out in multiple ways, even providing personal telephone numbers to make it easier for students to contact them. Being flexible and adaptive, taking into account whats happening in the world and in their students lives. Making use of available technology to deliver course content effectively, stay connected with students and keep them connected with one another. Laskowski especially misses face-to-face interaction with her classmates and professors. But in this time of uncertainty, she is grateful for compassionate faculty and for the way SIU has been proactive in keeping students informed even as things rapidly change. She offers a few tips for fellow students: Set up a designated homework area. Stay on a normal schedule as much as possible. Call or text family, friends and fellow classmates to stay connected and check on one another. Remember its okay to step away from the computer and take a break when you need to. Realize that the transition is difficult for faculty too and be respectful of them. Remember that Salukis take care of Salukis and we are all in this together. Dwight Sanders: Taking difficulties into account Dwight Sanders, professor of agribusiness economics, is doing everything he can to help his students, including keeping in mind the difficulties online learning may present for some. A few of the things hes doing for his online classes include: Not setting hard deadlines on the classwork because some students live in areas with poor internet service or there are access issues. He sends frequent emails reminding them of target completion dates. Emailing worksheets with sample questions to students and then providing answers the following day to help them study. Being accessible by phone and email. Administering exams through D2L and giving students two attempts to take regular hourly exams with the highest score counting. After the first attempt, they get the correct answers and can contact Sanders for explanation. The idea is for it to serve as a learning tool, Sanders said, noting that for the final exam, there wont be multiple tries. Identify all possible useful online resources and avoid reinventing the wheel. If there is already a good YouTube video explaining a particular topic, then I share that with the class via email, Sanders said. This allows him to instead use his time to help students in other ways. Checking on his students frequently and emailing individually anyone fails to log into class for a few days to make sure they are okay. When you arent seeing students face-to-face, I think its important to let them know that you are thinking about each of them individually, Sanders said. William Rowley: New to online teaching William Rowley, an associate professor in cinema and photography, had no prior experience teaching online or with Zoom video conferencing, which he is using for two classes, including Writing the Short Film. The Center for Teaching Excellence provided access so he could have meetings longer than the 40 minutes allowed in Zooms free version. A pattern of introductory lectures and in-class critiques was established prior to spring break, Rowley said. Student writers created short scripts on deadline for face-to-face critiques. We sat in a circle and did a live read-through so writers could hear the rhythm of events in their scripts. Zoom and a Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage account have made it possible to continue that pattern. In Zoom, I can put a script on-screen so that readers can do the read-through and the rest of us follow along, Rowley said. In the discipline of screenwriting, its very important to us to see the page. The screenplay page is an apparatus for cinematic storytelling. Novelists write across the page. Screenwriters write down the page in implied shots. Having in-class meetings prior to the online transition was important, Rowley said. We had a strong sense of community in this class coming into our use of Zoom and OneDrive, he said. Im uncertain if we would be able to establish that if the entire course ever has to be taught online. After our face-to-face class meetings, this group of writers usually visited with one another, slowly leaving the classroom. Now, I mute the sound on my computer, go back to my own work, and let the meeting run until theyve all left. Rowley noted that he is immensely grateful for the help he received from Mark Stoffel, an instructor and digital media systems specialist in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts. I told Mark what I most wanted to preserve in my classes, and he was the one who recognized how the Zoom app and OneDrive could be utilized. Jane Pivovarnik: Change easier than expected The transition was easier than anticipated for Jane Pivovarnik, assistant professor of theater, with her typically hands-on Beginning Stagecraft-Costumes class. Comprised predominately of theater majors, this semesters smaller-than-usual class of five enabled Pivovarnik to develop relationships early so she could better anticipate their needs. Pivovarnik, a two-degree SIU alumna, had never taught online and taken just one online class over a decade ago. After bracing myself for a transition to an online delivery format, she researched how colleagues were handling the same situation and notes that working in theater prepares a person to creatively problem-solve. A major course objective for her students is working on theater department productions, and several events were originally planned during the last half of the semester. But then instruction moved online. Fortunately the biggest production costume-wise, "Musical of Musicals (the Musical!) has already been mounted this semester so students have gotten the experience of seeing their work on the stage, she said. As heartbreaking as it is to no longer be working on productions, it frees up the class to explore other aspects of costume stagecraft. Pivovarnik said teachers constantly re-evaluate their instruction, seeking ways to teach concepts more effectively and help students succeed. She was already contemplating working in more background information about the how and why of the costume design and production process when the transition happened, and now she has time to do so. I am so grateful that I am able to use this as an opportunity to develop new presentations and projects, she said. It's forced me to get better acquainted with digital modes of teaching and I look forward to incorporating them into future classes. Grace Nowak: A different direction Grace Nowak, a junior in musical theater, said Pivovarniks class transition has been one of the smoother ones, as it has evolved from a hands-on class for learning sewing and costuming skills to more of an informational course on costuming and its origins. Pivovarnik has well thought through how to put a technical class into an online setting, Nowak said. The online format is not without its difficulties though, and Nowak believes her major is one of the hardest to transition. She is concerned the cancelled events could impact her future career, and she notes that much of her study involves working with others and having constant communication with professors and directors. Ive never taken an online class because I enjoy and learn better from in-person instruction, she said. Im now having to do things like tape myself without the appropriate space to do so and sing through a Zoom call where the sound eventually cuts out. Im learning more every day how to adjust to this change and trying to learn as much as I can. Tim Marlo: Online experience expands Teaching online classes is not new for Tim Marlo, clinical assistant professor of finance, but teaching all classes online is. Hes found university and College of Business and Analytics staff very helpful in showing him the ropes for developing effective online content. One thing he quickly learned is that the traditional residential classroom format with a 50-75 minute lecture is not effective virtually. So, he delivers his online lectures in shorter segments. I recognize that the most effective technique to be successful for my students is to keep them engaged, Marlo said. I developed an amateur recording studio in my living room to record multiple lectures using resources available to all faculty at SIU. Among the tools he utilizes are: Echo 360 to record. An iPad which he uses to write notes during presentations rather than presenting PowerPoint slides, which he finds keeps his students more engaged. Having a live weekly question and answer session using Bongo virtual classroom, enabling him to check on his students and make sure they are staying on track. Connecting by Skype individually with students who need more assistance, sharing his screen to go over problems with them. Emailing frequently to keep students updated and check on them. I understand that this transition is not only hard on faculty, but also on the students. I let my students know that I am here for them during this remote learning experience, Marlo said. I reach out to the students often and I am here for them to learn. By keeping the virtual doors open, I want to make sure that any student gets the same opportunity they would if we were still teaching residentially. The head of the Wisconsin state senate recently received multiple emails from the wife of the Chinese Consulate-General in Chicago asking him to propose a resolution to praise China for its handling of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. In a pair of February emails sent to State Senate President Roger Roth, which were provided to National Review, a woman named Wu Ting, who claimed to be responsible for China-Wisconsin relations, asks Roth to consider adopting a resolution expressing solidarity with the Chinese people in fighting the coronavirus. The Chicago Chinese Consulate Generals official website matches the name to that of the wife of Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian, and Ting confirmed her identity when reached for comment. The Consulate General wonders if the Wisconsin State Senate could consider adopting a resolution expressing solidarity with the Chinese people in fighting the coronavirus. It [sic] yes, it would be a great moral support to the Chinese people combating the disease, Ting wrote in the email. Much appreciated if you could give it a serious consideration. We have drawn up a draft resolution just for your reference. The attached draft resolution, which was first reported by the Wisconsin Examiner, states: The State of Wisconsin will continue to support China in its effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and says Beijings efforts have been effective in curbing the virus from spreading to other parts of China and the world. China has been transparent and quick in sharing key information of the virus with the WHO and the international community, thus creating a window of opportunity for other countries to make timely response, the resolution continues. In a Monday interview, Roth told National Review that he thought the first email, dated February 26 one day after U.S. officials warned of the imminent coronavirus pandemic was obviously a hoax because it came from a personal Hotmail account, and because he had never before been contacted by the Chinese. But after the same account sent a similar follow-up email on March 10, Roth said he told his staff to follow up and determine whether the request might actually be legitimate. Story continues In the course of vetting the authenticity of Tings email, Roths staffers were told by officials at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation that Chinese diplomats routinely use private email accounts to conduct official business since it allows them to avoid internal red tape. Upon learning that Tings email was authentic, Roth says he became very angry. Consuls reach out periodically with governors, periodically theyll come and talk to me as senate president, the speaker of the assembly, and so forth. But I have never had someone give me a resolution that they wanted me to pass on the Senate floor never, he explained. So just the fact that they felt it was ok for them to do something so brazen . . . for this communist party, to so desperately crave for and look for legitimacy, wherever they could get it including in Wisconsin by passing this sham of a resolution that they wrote, tells you just how worried they must be right now on how theyve reacted to the outbreak here of the coronavirus. Reached by a phone number listed in the signature block of the emails sent to Roth, Ting confirmed her identity, but declined to comment on whether she had sent the emails to Roth. Ting complained that the request for comment was not sent through the proper channels and said she had to verify the request before commenting. Last month, Roth proposed a different resolution to publicly acknowledge that the Communist Party of China deliberately and intentionally misled the world on the Wuhan Coronavirus and standing in solidarity with the Chinese people to condemn the actions of the Communist Party of China. The bills text cited the emails he received from Ting. I was like screw this, we are passing a resolution on China, but its not going to be the one that the Chinese Communist Party wanted, were going to give them one that really strips naked the Communist Party of China for all of its aggressions and lets the world hopefully see, at least the people in Wisconsin see, what this regime is really capable of, Roth explained to National Review. Chinas U.S. embassy failed to return a request for comment on whether Ting was authorized to propose the resolution draft. Earlier this month, Ting using the same email account also approached the District Chief of Staff for Representative Mike Gallagher (R., Wisc.), to pass along a letter from her husband to the congressman after Gallagher joined a House resolution from Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind.) to condemn the CCP for their handling of the virus. We are firmly opposed to racial discrimination and xenophobia against the local Chinese community and stigmatization of China and the Chinese people over the virus, the letter reads. I sincerely hope that you could take an objective view of Chinas commitment and effort in fighting the pandemic and would not support this resolution or anything that is harmful to the interests of the local communities and the overall U.S.-China relations. The CCPs attempts to cover up the extent of the coronavirus epicenter in Wuhan have been well documented, including the gagging of laboratories which discovered in December that the novel outbreak closely resembled the deadly SARS virus of 2002-2003. Contrary to the claims of transparency made in Tings resolution, Beijing has refused to provide live samples of the virus to American researchers, delaying the development of a badly needed vaccine. They didnt make the virus available to anyone, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told National Review editor Rich Lowry last week on The Editors podcast. . . . They didnt make the live virus available. The United States eventually got the live virus, but they got it weeks later than they otherwise could have, and that delayed development of diagnostic tests. Beijing has also been engaged in state-sponsored propaganda campaign to stoke conspiracy theories that the virus originated in the United States. That campaign began in earnest on February 27 the day after Roth received the first email. A top Chinese foreign ministry spokesman claimed on March 12 that the U.S. military had planted the coronavirus in Wuhan. The spokesman subsequently attempted to walk back the claim, blaming stigmatization of China for his initial remarks. Later in March, Chinese state media cited an American conspiracy theorist to theorize that coronavirus was brought to China in October by a U.S. military athlete. Chinese state media organ, the Global Times, also used footage from the U.S. mainstream media criticizing President Trumps use of the term Chinese virus to suggest that scrutiny of Chinas handling of the coronavirus is racist. More from National Review "And I know he'll surround himself with good people experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government, and know how to work with our allies, and who will always put the American people's interests above their own." "Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery," Obama said. Obama praised Biden for his efforts during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, helping "to prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we're seeing now." While Obama's lengthy statement never addressed President Donald Trump by name, the remarks centered around the need for strong, principled leadership in the White House especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic . "Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now," Obama said in a video posted to Twitter. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden, his two-term vice president, on Tuesday morning in the race for the White House. Biden said in a tweet that Obama's endorsement "means the world to Jill and me. We're going to build on the progress we made together, and there's no one I'd rather have standing by my side." "There is no better partner in the battle for the soul of this nation, and no one I'd rather have standing by my side," Biden said in a statement later Tuesday. "We need to restore the qualities of presidential leadership President Obama provided and that is what I intend to do." The endorsement came only after Biden emerged as the last candidate left standing in the Democratic primary to take on Trump in November. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist from Vermont and Biden's final opponent, dropped out last week and endorsed his former rival on Monday. In his speech, Obama extended an olive branch to Sanders. "Bernie's an American original a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to working people's hopes, dreams, and frustrations," Obama said. "He and I haven't always agreed on everything, but we've always shared a conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just, more equitable society." Obama's decision to steer largely clear of the primary fight raised eyebrows among some political watchers, who questioned why the 44th president did not immediately offer his endorsement when Biden launched his campaign. Biden said at that time that he asked Obama "not to endorse" him. "Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merit," the former vice president said. Biden was considered the clear frontrunner. But his momentum slowed as the competitive nominating contest wore on, and he fell well behind Sanders in the polls following the first few primary elections. A crucial endorsement in February from Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, the influential House majority whip, marked a major shift back to the top of the field for Biden, who won the South Carolina primary with resounding support from the state's highly diverse electorate. The Trump campaign mocked Obama's endorsement. "Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him. Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it," campaign boss Brad Parscale said in a statement. In the 2016 election, Obama did not endorse Hillary Clinton his former secretary of State until June, when she had secured enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee. Clinton lost to Republican nominee Trump in November 2016. But Obama's popularity has grown since leaving the White House a fact evident in polls and in the rhetoric of many former Democratic presidential candidates, who regularly praised Obama's achievements in office. In his endorsement, the former president advocated for a progressive approach to the 2020 election "If I were running today, I wouldn't run the same race or have the same platform as I did in 2008. The world is different; there's too much unfinished business for us to just look backwards. We have to look to the future," Obama said. "Bernie understands that. And Joe understands that. It's one of the reasons that Joe already has what is the most progressive platform of any major party nominee in history," Obama said. "Because even before the pandemic turned the world upside down, it was already clear that we needed real structural change." Obama said that the Affordable Care Act, the signature legislative achievement of his presidency, should be expanded to provide a public and expand Medicare. He also said that America should return to the Paris climate agreement, from which Trump withdrew the U.S. "Our country's future hangs on this election. And it won't be easy," Obama said. "The other side has a massive war chest. The other side has a propaganda network with little regard for the truth." Since Trump's inauguration in January 2017, Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have maintained a consistent, and tightly controlled, public presence. Obama's official Twitter account remains wildly popular, boasting more than 30 million more followers than Trump's handle despite the current president's more frequent use of the platform. The Obamas have branched out into other popular media, as well. In May 2018, they signed a multiyear Netflix deal with the stated goal of promoting "greater empathy and understanding between peoples." "American Factory," the first film produced by Barack and Michelle's Higher Ground Productions, won an Oscar for best documentary. Academician Anand Teltumbde, grand son-in-law of B R Ambedkar, and civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha were on Tuesday placed under arrest by the National Investigation Agency in connection with Bhima Koregaon case after both of them surrendered. Both had to surrender after the Supreme Court had rejected their plea seeking more time to appear before the NIA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teltumbde walked into the South Mumbai office of the NIA on a day when the 129th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, architect of country's Constitution, was being celebrated. He and Navlakha were wanted by the NIA in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case popularly known as 'Bhima Koregaon' case. Navlakha surrendered in the agency's headquarters in the national capital. Teltumbde was later produced before a special NIA court in Mumbai which remanded him in NIA custody till April 18 even as the agency sought 10-day custody. Navlakha will be produced before a special court in Delhi where the agency will seek his transit remand to take him to Mumbai, officials said. Earlier, the agency had planned to produce Navlakha through video conferencing before the Mumbai special court but special NIA judge A T Wankhede said since the accused surrendered in Delhi he would have to be produced before a court in the national capital. The agency in its remand application filed through special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty has alleged Teltumbde had links with the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned terrorist organisation. In its application, the agency also sought permission to handcuff him to avoid physical contact with the accused amid the COVID-19 outbreak. However, no such request was made before the court. The NIA in its application said Teltumbde was the convenor of the Elgar Parishad programme held on December 31, 2017 at Pune. It is the prosecution's case that during that programme, inflammatory speeches were made which triggered caste-based violence at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018 in Pune. "During preliminary investigations it was revealed that accused Anand Teltumbde was recipient of funds from the central committee of Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned terrorist organisation," the agency alleged in its remand application. Teltumbde has links with the banned organisation, the agency alleged, claiming the call data records of the academician has revealed that he was in contact with the other accused in the case. "It is also revealed that there is a conspiracy hatched by the accused persons to promote enmity between caste groups. This conspiracy led to violence resulting in loss of life and state wide agitation," the application alleged. Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and for conspiring to overthrow the government. Teltumbde and Navlakha, who were initially granted interim protection from arrest, were on March 16 directed by the Supreme Court to surrender within a period of three weeks following dismissal of their pre-arrest bail pleas. On April 8, the apex court extended the time period by one week rejecting Navlakha's plea seeking extension of time on the ground that going to jail during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence". "Though we expected that the accused would surrender, honouring the order of this court, they have not done so. We are told that in Mumbai, the courts are functioning. It would have been appropriate for the accused to surrender as the courts are open and not totally closed" the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had said. In a statement, Navlakha said the "draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are not accompanied by stricter procedures regarding evidence, especially electronic, considering the stringent punishment provided for under the Act; the procedures, which otherwise provide tighter rules regarding evidence, are instead made elastic." "Under this double whammy, jail becomes the norm and bail an exception. In this Kafkaesque domain, process itself becomes punishment," he said. He said he can now begin to face the actual legal process, which accompanies cases where provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are invoked. He said such acts turn the normal jurisprudence upside down and added no longer is it the axiom that 'a person is innocent unless proven guilty'. The Bhima Koregaon violence case which was probed by Pune Police was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). All the accused have denied the allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T he number of people claiming Universal Credit as a result of the coronavirus crisis has hit 1.4 million, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said. The figure is an increase of 200,000 on the total Therese Coffey gave last week. She said the welfare system was capable of processing and managing those claims amid concerns of financial hardship for people who are unable to access any of the coronavirus bailout measures. Were up to about 1.4 million people who have claimed Universal Credit and also other people who have claimed other things like Jobseekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance, Ms Coffey told Sky News. So we are capable of processing and managing those claims. 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 Ms Coffeys comments represent an increase from the figure she gave on April 8 of around 1.2 million people who had made claims since March 16. Due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown measures, the Government increased Universal Credit by 1,000 a year for 12 months. Last month Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Government's Job Retention Scheme and unveiled a similar package of grants for self-employed workers. But for those who started new jobs in March, they could be subject to unpaid leave as the furlough scheme only applies to workers who were on the company's PAYE payroll before February 28. Tony Buchanan, 52, from Warwickshire recently started a new job working for an opticians and its software company. The company said they weren't able to furlough him and, as he started his job March 2, he was let go. He told the Evening Standard: "It's been a traumatic time. I've gone from a salary of slightly over 25,000 to being on Universal Credit. Rishi Sunak announces financial support for self-employed during Covid-19 pandemic "I was in a queue on the phone for days. In total the process took about four days where my heart was beating, I was sweating and I just had no idea whether I was on their system. "I think you get just over 400 which is the kind of salary that would have you seen you through in 1979. "It's very scary because you feel as if you've fallen through a crack." After he followed the #newstarterfurlough hashtag on Twitter, Mr Buchanan noticed how many people are in a similar position as him. Laura Corkery, 27, from London added: "It's just incredibly unfair, I've paid tax since I was 18 and because I changed jobs after February 28 I'm not eligible for furlough and because I have to apply for Universal Credit as a joint claim rather than an individual, I will get either get nothing or between two to 3 per cent of what my actual wage has been. "I'm honestly terrified of the future. We were saving up for our wedding in 2022 but now because I'm getting zero help from the Government we are having to use everything we have painstakingly saved. "New employers desperately want to furlough their staff but because of the cut-off date they can't, old employees refuse to help meaning our only option is Universal Credit which most aren't eligible for." Last week MPs on the Work and Pensions Select Committee launched an inquiry into the DWPs response to the coronavirus outbreak following the increased strain on the system. They want to understand how well UC is working given the unprecedented number of new claimants, if there have been improvements in the delays faced by claimants in the second half of March, and how quickly people are receiving an advance on their first payment. The departments permanent secretary Peter Schofield said calls to the UC helpline are extremely high and noted approximately 1.8 million calls were made between March 23 and 27. Mr Buchanan has applied for parcel delivery jobs at local airports but with one application he noticed that more than 1,000 people had already applied for the job. "There's got to be tens of thousands of us out there who are all in the same position," he said. "I just don't think Universal Credit is a benefit that is fit for purpose during a global pandemic. The Centre has transferred cash in the accounts of poor across the country under various welfare schemes during the lockdown utilising 14 per cent of the rural development ministry's total budget within first month of the fiscal to ease the troubles faced by them, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday. Sharing details of the measures taken by the Centre in the wake of the lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus, the rural development minister said the government has cleared all pending payments of beneficiaries under the employment guarantee scheme of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. "Government has cleared all pending payments of Rs 7,300 crore to beneficiaries under MGNREGA. Rural development ministers from various states thanked me for the same saying that it was much needed during this time of crisis," Tomar said. To kick-start the work under MGNREGA after the lockdown is lifted, the government has already prepared plans and states have also submitted their work plans, he said. The wages under the employment guarantee Act have been increased and now the national average wage is Rs 202 per person per day as against Rs 182 earlier. Individual-oriented work under MGNREGA such as that carried out by beneficiaries belonging to SCs and STs themselves and small and marginal farmers on their own land may continue, he said. Similarly, the work done by women who are bread-earners of their families on their own land may also continue during the lockdown, the minister said. All these works are allowed as they don't violate the norms of social distancing, he said. A sum of Rs 500 per account has been transferred to 20.39 crore women account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which amounts to nearly Rs 10,000 crore. Similarly, Rs 800 crore has been distributed among beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana. The first instalment of the two such payments of Rs 500 ex gratia as promised under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana is being transferred in the accounts of 2.82 crore beneficiaries such as widows, senior citizens and the differently-abled. This payment is over and above the monthly pension given to these beneficiaries under the National Social Assistance Programme. Within first month of the 2020-21 financial year, the rural development ministry has utilised 14 per cent of its total budget and has expedited the payments to ease the pain faced by the poor across the country due to the lockdown, he said. Besides cash, the poor are also receiving grains so that they don't face any troubles and observe the lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. He had earlier announced a 21-day lockdown from March 25. The novel Coronavirus has claimed the lives of around 1,20,000 people so far across the world and the number of confirmed cases has crossed the two million mark. The deadly virus has created havoc and has instilled fear in the mind of people. The COVID-19 cases in India are also dismally increasing despite a 21-day long lockdown. However, Amethi, a town in Uttar Pradesh where around 22 lakh people reside, has managed to remain COVID-19 and has not reported any cases yet. BCCL This has only been possible because the lockdown has been taken very seriously in the town. Smriti Irani has been guiding the police to make sure that the lockdown is adhered to properly. The police are making sure that people dont turn social distancing into a joke and the rules are followed at all times. There are around 294 quarantine centres in Amethi and approximately 7000 people have been quarantined at these centres to contain the virus from spreading. TOI Recently, Priti Gandhi (National Incharge of Social Media - BJP Mahila Morcha) took to Twitter and wrote, Smriti Irani's timely care & good governance has ensured that Amethi with a population of 22 lakhs, continues to remain a 'Zero Corona District. Checkout the tweet here- Smriti Irani's timely care & good governance has ensured that Amethi with a population of 22 lakhs, continues to remain a 'Zero Corona District'. 22 https://t.co/gjDWhh5wzn Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) April 13, 2020 Most people are praising Smriti Irani for here governance and heres what they have to say about this- Yes She is an inspiration and leader to be followed Saee (@curlykrazy07) April 13, 2020 So true! Wow. Nice job @smritiirani mam. You are ideal for other MPs. I hope lazy @BJP4JnK leaders will learn from you. ROOH (@_Rooh07) April 13, 2020 Congratulations! Congrats to Smritiji for keeping out both Corona & Pappu out of Amethi Padmavati (@Padmavavati41) April 13, 2020 Woah.. Congrats Amethi Better than Us, Japan, Singapore or France Punit Kumar (@punit12551) April 13, 2020 Okay. Then Let us entrust her with the care and governance of the entire country. You should have disclosed it earlier. Jacob Abraham (@jacobabrah1) April 13, 2020 We are too!! Proud of you mam @ Milee jha (@Jhamilee3122) April 13, 2020 The medical staff of Amethi was also well prepared to handle the situation. At all times paramedics were on duty for the public and there wasnt any shortage of protective gear for them. BCCL The police are also monitoring the district at all times and section 144 has been imposed in the town to protect the people from the deadly virus. Now, this is a sigh of relief for us and a win-win situation for the people of Amethi and the government! Miss Ghana Foundation, the charity wing of the Miss Ghana pageant has donated some 400 pieces of face masks to health workers at the Ga West Municipal Hospital at Amasaman to combat covid-19. The gesture was part of the foundation's widows mite to support frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Among other items donated were 80 packs of Bel Aqua water and Bel Beverage courtesy Blow Chem. The donation was also made possible by the kind support of Lydia Seyram Alhassan, MP of Ayawaso West Wuogon. Presenting the items to Diana Ofori Larbi Head of Nursing and the Medical Superintendent Dr. Eric Sarpong Ntiamoah, reigning Miss Ghana, Rebecca Kwabi and Head of Projects at Miss Ghana Foundation, Isaac K.Y. Quainoo commended the health workers for their efforts so far and promised the foundation is firmly behind them. Let's all remember to ease the pressure on our frontline workers by religiously practicing the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other approved precautionary measures. Please stay at home, frequently wash your hands, keep our homes and environment clean and let's all respect social distancing, Miss Ghana 2019 added. The grand finale of the 2020 edition of Miss Ghana pageant previously scheduled to take place in May 2020 has been postponed until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic. Inna Miriam Patty, CEO of Exclusive Event Ghana, organisers of the Miss Ghana pageant indicated earlier that a new date will be communicated depending on how the world fares with the pandemic. President Akufo-Addo in his sixth address of the nation on the national progress made against the virus on Thursday evening, said although the efforts have been successful, the country was not yet out of the woods. ---Daily Guide Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz have received a two-day extension to try to seal a power-sharing deal. President Reuven Rivlin agreed to extend Gantz's mandate to form a government until midnight Wednesday after the rivals signaled that an agreement was near. The country has been mired in more than a year of political gridlock wrought by three inconclusive elections, and Netanyahu and Gantz have invoked the need for unity to fight the coronavirus outbreak and avert a fourth round of voting. Unity government negotiations had faltered after Netanyahu demanded veto power over the appointment of judges, a tool he could use to control which justices are involved in his three corruption cases. Before the extension request was announced, the Ynet news website reported that Netanyahu's allies in the six-seat Yamina party ended their partnership in his nationalist-religious bloc, citing what they said were his concessions to former military chief Gantz regarding the courts. The nationalist party with a largely religious constituency wants to weaken the country's Supreme Court, which currently has the power to override legislation. The urgency to form a governing coalition and avoid another round of voting has grown as the toll from the coronavirus mounts. The number of confirmed cases has topped 11,000, with more than 110 dead. A near-lockdown has crippled the economy, which is forecast to shrink by 5.3% this year, according to the Bank of Israel. Minister reassures fire service Wales is not in the same position as England says testing referral process exists for firefighters This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Apr 14th, 2020 Fire and rescue personnel urgently need coronavirus testing, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned as firefighters and control staff are lost to self-isolation. The FBU say in the UK nearly 3,000 fire and rescue staff are in self-isolation and unable to work, representing 5.1% of the UKs overall fire and rescue workforce. Just under 2,600 of them are operational firefighters and control staff, making up 5.3% of the total. 36 staff are in isolation in North Wales, with 178 across Wales. The FBU has been critical of the response in England, pointing out that Welsh Government committed to testing other emergency service personnel once tests have been secured for NHS staff. But in a letter to the FBU, Englands Security Minister James Brokenshire made no commitment to testing fire and rescue personnel in isolation in England, of which 2,300 are in isolation. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: The Westminster government is playing with fire by not testing firefighters and control room staff for coronavirus. Currently, crews are maintaining services, but this will become increasingly difficult as the virus spreads. There are already thousands of firefighters and control staff in self-isolation, only a fraction of which will have the disease. If we arent able to find out exactly who is infected, and more staff isolate unnecessarily, services will be put on a dangerous knife-edge. Of course testing of NHS staff has to be a priority, but firefighters and other emergency service personnel are also at serious risk. The very safety of the public relies on them being able to attend work. There needs to be a clear and deliverable testing strategy for all workers required to continue at work. The government failed to secure test kits in sufficient numbers early in the pandemic and now frontline services are paying the price. Devolved governments have begun to take steps in the right direction, but in Westminster time is standing still ministers need to get to grips with this crisis and ensure that all emergency service personnel are tested as soon as possible. Today at the daily Welsh Government press conference, we asked the Health Minister Vaughan Gething: The Fire Brigade Union says there are 178 personnel in isolation in Wales. They note Welsh Government committed to testing other emergency service personnel once tests have been secured for NHS staff. Has any fire service personnel been tested, and if not, can the Minister give a target date for that starting? Mr Gething replied: I dont know the figures of fire service personnel who have been tested but as Ive said earlier, the facility already exists for local resilience fora to refer in other Coronavirus critical workers, and firefighters are a good example. The absence rates within fire service in Wales are different parts of England. Youll have heard yesterday the general secretary of the FBU, saying that in some areas, they have absence rates of over 12%. Our understanding is that absence rates in Wales are less than 5 per cent. Were not in the same position. But if for the sake of argument, if the main station in Swansea had a very high absence rate that compromises the ability of that part of the service to function and the LRF (local resilience forum) have the ability to refer in firefighters from there, and to say, actually to maintain the critical infrastructure the Fire Rescue Service represents in Swansea those people can be referred in and be tested. Thats the level of trust that we provided within the system to local resilience fora more generally, but to local authorities for their staff in the social care sector. It comes with some responsibility to make use of those referral mechanisms if that is what is required. You can view the full briefing , plus the Q&A session on the below video: In late March, Anna Fahr, a 38-year-old independent filmmaker, went down an internet rabbit hole. She Googled and tweeted and posted on Facebook: She wanted to know why she couldn't find any mainstream outlets' stories about Tara Reade - a woman who alleges former vice president Joe Biden sexually assaulted her when she was working in his Senate office in 1993. First, a friend had sent her the link to a March 24 Intercept article that detailed how the legal advocacy organization Time's Up declined to fund Reade's allegation. Then, Fahr listened to a March 25 interview in which Reade told her story to progressive podcast host Katie Halper. It "set off alarm bells" that an allegation against the leading Democratic presidential candidate seemed to be "hush-hush," says Fahr, an American citizen who's splitting her time between Toronto and Beirut. In the age of #MeToo, she wondered: "Why in this particular case are we not having a conversation about this?" Fahr had followed the several allegations of Biden's inappropriate touching when they first arose last spring. Reade, now 56, had been one of those women - she said Biden touched her neck and shoulders when she worked in his Senate office. But a year later, on the podcast, Reade said that Biden pinned her against a wall, reached under her skirt and pushed his fingers inside her when she was a 29-year-old staff assistant. Biden's campaign has strongly denied Reade's allegations. While the initial allegations of inappropriate touching were "huge concerns for anybody who's about to endorse and elect a candidate for presidency," Fahr says, "it wasn't until I had actually listened to the entire interview with Tara Reade - it went beyond the sniffing the hair, putting hands on shoulders." To Fahr, Reade's account constituted "assault." With Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee, the general election in the fall will pit two white men, who have both been accused of sexual misconduct, against each other. Across the board, it's this "lesser of two evils" argument that has left women feeling frustrated. "It says a lot about our political system that the leading candidates on both the right and the left have both been accused of sexual assault and have very questionable track records when it comes to women," says Fahr. On Sunday, controversy over Reade's allegation erupted onto the national stage after the New York Times published an analysis of the allegation, which found "no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden." A day later, The Washington Post published a piece based on three weeks of examining the allegation: "The former vice president has been accused of unwanted hugging and other physical contact, but The Post found no other allegations against him as serious as Reade's," the article read. The reports came after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday, clearing way for Biden to become the presumptive nominee. For some women, Reade's allegation has cost Biden their support; for others, it won't necessarily affect how they approach the polls. But many agree that coverage of the allegations has been too little and too late. When Laura Krome, a retired social worker and therapist living in New Jersey, first heard about the allegations of Biden inappropriately touching women a year ago, she "didn't really know" what to make of it all. "I mean, look, I'm 70 years old," she says. "I've known men like this my whole life." But even for Krome, the media's coverage of Reade's allegation - Krome says she thinks that Reade, as well as the other women, are credible - has been "soft." Krome had been a Sanders supporter since 2016, when he ran against Hillary Clinton in the primary. Now, looking toward the general, she is putting her policy values above all else. "My main issues are economic justice and climate change, but it would be nice to have a candidate who had a clean record with women," she says. Karlyn Borysenko, a 39-year-old organizational psychologist living in New Hampshire, is less concerned about the allegations against Biden specifically. (She believes that people "should have due process no matter what," she says.) Instead, it comes down to how Democrats and proponents of the #MeToo movement have handled this particular situation. Borysenko sees a difference in how the party has dealt with these allegations and the ones against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, for example. "This person has come forward, which is always a difficult thing for anyone," she says. "That woman should be taken just as seriously as Christine Blasey Ford was." This tracks with most partisan scandals, according to Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. Brown says that within the Democratic Party, there does appear to be a "higher standard for Tara Reade" than there was for Christine Blasey Ford, who in 2018 alleged that Kavanaugh, then a nominee to the Supreme Court who would solidify the court's conservative majority, sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school in the 1980s. "And I think that is the nature of scandal in politics, that they are viewed through a partisan lens," says Brown. "The Democrats want someone who can beat Donald Trump, and to Democrats, all of Trump's scandals are so far beyond the pale that maybe we don't really know what's happened with Biden." Many mainstream outlets have pointed out the slew of allegations against President Trump in light of Reade's against Biden. Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women. As Brown points out, when an "Access Hollywood" tape emerged a month ahead of the 2016 election - in which Trump was recorded as saying that "when you're a star, they let you do it" - many Republicans chalked it up to "locker room talk." But the comparisons between the two candidates are moot for women who see any allegation of sexual assault as a dealbreaker. Such is the case for Alannah Raitt, a 25-year-old bus driver and barista who's also a volunteer aide for Joshua Collins, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Tacoma, Washington. "I will not support people who can't seem to respect people's bodily autonomy or can't seem to understand the concept of consent," says Raitt, who identifies as a victim of sexual assault. "I don't understand how so many people can say 'Oh, well, Trump's done it too.' That's the lowest bar on the planet, and that's not an excuse." The same goes for Sarah Ann Masse, who was one of the first women in October 2017 to allege sexual misconduct by disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. It doesn't matter which party the accused stands for, she says: "For me, sexual violence is not a partisan issue. If we're going to believe survivors, we have to believe them regardless of the politics of their abuser and regardless of whether we like their policies." Although Trump may try to capitalize on the latest allegation, the allegations likely won't be a big talking point for either candidate, according to Brown. Scandal matters more in primaries, because those are to a certain degree "character elections," she says. "In this situation, I do think most Democrats are going to say to themselves, even if Biden is tarnished, Donald Trump is far worse. So on a relative scale, this isn't even an issue to be discussed." Although Fahr, the filmmaker, had been a Sanders fan throughout the primary, she thinks that progressives who are pro-Biden, as well as centrists, should do "soul-searching" about how to win over voters like her. "What kind of concessions can they make voters who are on the fence feel more at peace with themselves about casting a ballot for someone who has potentially sexually assaulted somebody?" Fahr wonders. Masse, the actress, is daunted by the choice of what to do when it comes to the general election. "I don't know how to proceed, because it is an agonizing situation," she says. "And I look forward to a world where that's not the choice we have to make anymore." (Newser) South Korea says North Korean fighter jets have fired missiles off the Norths east coast, the AP reports. A South Korean defense official says the North launched several fighter jets after it conducted suspected cruise missile tests on Tuesday morning. The official says the North Korean fighter jets fired an unspecified number of air-to-surface missiles toward the Norths eastern waters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. story continues below The launches came on the eve of the 108th birthday of North Koreas late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. They also came a day ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections. In recent weeks, North Korea has carried out a series of short-range missile and other weapons tests amid stalled nuclear talks with the United States. Most of the weapons tested were ballistic missiles or long-range artillery shells, and its unusual for North Korea to launch a cruise missile. (Read more North Korea stories.) Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman line up for a group photo, during the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on Nov. 30, 2018. (JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images) Oil Expert: Trump Seals His Biggest and Most Complex Deal WASHINGTONOil-producing nations reached an agreement over the weekend to reduce output by a record amount, ending a weeks-long price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that devastated oil markets. President Donald Trump was personally involved as a mediator, playing a crucial role in sealing the deal, according to oil experts. After four days of intense virtual meetings and negotiations, the group called OPEC-Plusthe Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and others, including Russiaagreed to slash crude oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) starting May 1, for an initial period of two months. Its the single largest output cut in history, representing about 10 percent of global supply. The agreement involves 23 countries committing to collectively withhold production. According to the deal, the adjustment will be 7.7 million bpd for the remaining six months of the year and go to 5.8 million bpd for 16 months after that. Trump pressured Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin for a cease-fire and intervened to help resolve a SaudiMexico standoff that threatened to derail the deal. Trump, who has repeatedly criticized OPEC for years, is the one who put it together, says Daniel Yergin, energy expert and vice chairman at IHS Markit. Of all the deals hes done in his life, this has to be the biggest and most complex, Yergin said in a note. He had to be not only dealmaker but also divorce mediator, after the OPEC-Plus relationship split up six weeks ago. On March 8, Saudi Arabia initiated a price war with Russia after Moscow refused to support OPECs earlier call for deep cuts. After that, both sides threatened to flood global markets with cheap oil. According to Yergin, the national security implications of the price war on the U.S. oil industry prompted Trump to step in. US Shale Oil Before the pandemic, the U.S. energy sector was already under significant financial distress as most shale oil producers are debt-ridden. The steep drop in oil prices hurt their cash flow and pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy. West Texas Intermediate crude oil price was down by more than 60 percent since the beginning of the year. As a result, many producers had to shut drilling sites and rigs, laying off tens of thousands of workers. In the week to April 9, the oil rig count, which is an early indicator of future output, was down 39 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Reuters. The shale oil revolution, which refers to the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, has made it commercially feasible for oil producers to recover more oil and gas. Americas energy independence is the result of the shale revolution. It enabled the United States to significantly boost its production over the past decade, making it the worlds largest oil and gas producer. President Trump worked to save the deal and now that it is done, U.S. oil producers may have a fighting chance to, at the very least, survive, Phil Flynn, a senior energy analyst at Price Futures Group, said in a note. The cut should buy the market some time and reduce the chances that storage around the globe will overflow, he added. While many are dismissing this historic cut as too little too late, the reality is that it will provide the market some hope. 20 Million Barrels After the announcement of the deal on April 12, Trump stated on Twitter that the price truce would save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States. On April 13, he wrote on Twitter that the U.S. energy industry will recover far faster than currently anticipated with the oil production cuts and economic rebound post-coronavirus. Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 million barrels a day, not the 10 million that is generally being reported, he wrote. According to estimates, the oil demand will decrease by around 20 million bpd due to the pandemic. OPEC officials have already indicated that the cuts could end up being much higher to balance the market. The group of producers is mindful of the scale of the demand collapse and will likely match this with further supply cuts, according to an IHS Markit report. OPEC-Plus nations decided to meet again on June 10 via videoconference, to determine if further action is needed. Trump said that market forces naturally curbed output in the United States. According to IHS Markit, production cuts by OPEC-Plus, paired with the expected declines and shut-ins in the United States, Canada, and some other countries will likely remove up to 14 million bpd in May and June. The Diamondbacks added an innings eater for the stretch drive today, acquiring righty Jason Marquis from the Nationals for shortstop prospect Zach Walters, the teams announced. Marquis returns to the NL West, where he won 15 games in '09 for the Rockies. Marquis, 32, has a 3.95 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 54.0% groundball rate in 120 2/3 innings this year. Our projected Elias rankings have him well short of Type B status. Aside from last year, the veteran righty is known for taking the ball every fifth day, and he'll slot in nicely at the back end of Arizona's rotation. The D'Backs take on all of the $2.47MM remaining on Marquis' contract. The Diamondbacks selected Walters in the ninth round of last year's draft. The 21-year-old has a .302/.377/.485 line with 42 extra base hits in 412 plate appearances at Class A South Bend this season. He has mostly played short, but has also appeared in ten-plus games at second and third. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi broke the story and Jim Bowden added detail. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI. The forces of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar rained rockets on Tripoli on Tuesday after being ousted by government loyalists from a string of strategic towns west of the capital. The capture Monday of the coastal towns of Sorman and Sabratha and smaller settlements further south was seen as a major blow to Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. Sorman and Sabratha lie respectively 60 and 70 kilometres (40 and 45 miles) west of the Libyan capital, about half-way to the Tunisian border. The oil-rich but poverty-stricken North African country has suffered almost a decade of conflict since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers. The UN says hundreds have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since Haftar launched his battle for Tripoli last year, which then quickly ground to a bloody stalemate. Late Monday, salvo after salvo of rockets began raining down on Tripoli, the city where the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is based, and loud explosions could still be heard Tuesday morning, AFP correspondents said. A Turkish-made armoured personnel vehicle drives through the Libyan coastal city of Sorman Monday after the unity government seized it from troops backing military commander Khalifa Haftar. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP) Several homes were hit around Mitiga airbase in the eastern suburbs, the capital's sole and only intermittently functioning airport. One person was wounded, rescuers said late Monday. Since then there have been no casualty updates. The latest escalation comes as concern runs high over the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Libya, where 25 cases and one death have been officially confirmed. The UN has warned that health services in the country are already fragile and that many hospitals near fighting zones south of Tripoli have been damaged or closed. 'Taking out anger' Libya has suffered almost a decade of conflict since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP) Fighting also raged Tuesday south of the capital, a GNA military source said. The GNA accused pro-Haftar forces of pounding Tripoli, saying they were taking revenge against the civilian population following Monday's losses. "The criminal militia and mercenaries have taken out their anger on residential neighbourhoods of Tripoli to avenge their defeat, firing dozens of rockets and missiles on the capital indiscriminately," spokesman Mohamad Gnunu said. The commander of pro-GNA forces, Oussama al-Jwili, late Monday said the operation to capture Sabratha and Sorman was launched after he received information that Haftar fighters were moving west. The strongman's forces were planning to advance on the city of Zouara near the Tunisian frontier in an attempt to seize it and then push further towards the Ras Jedir border post. GNA forces were now also surrounding the key Al-Watiya airbase southwest of Tripoli, a rear base for Haftar forces and launchpad for the aircraft they use to bombard the capital. Fighting was also raging between the rival forces east of Tripoli, between the cities of Misrata and Sirte. Fayez al-Sarraj, Prime Minister of Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord), holds a press conference in the capital Tripoli on Monday. By - (AFP) Misrata is the hometown of many GNA loyalists while the strategic coastal city of Sirte was captured in early January by Haftar forces. Fighting was also reported in the region of Abu Grein, southeast of Tripoli and halfway between Misrata and Sirte. Significant victory The seizure of Sorman and Sabratha was the GNA's most significant victory since June last year, when its forces retook the town of Gharyan, the main supply base for Haftar's forces southwest of the capital. Jalal Harchaoui, a Libya analyst at The Hague-based Clingendael Institute, said Monday's setback meant Haftar had lost the entire coast west of Tripoli. According to Harchaoui, the Turkish-backed GNA forces have in recent week been more "aggressive... on multiple fronts, often successfully". "High-precision artillery on the ground, Turkish drones and better coordination" were proving a "formidable" combination against Haftar forces, he said. Advanced drones supplied by the United Arab Emirates have given Haftar, who also relies on backing from Russia, an advantage in the skies. Several UN-backed attempts to reach a ceasefire between Libya's two rival forces have failed, and the world body has slammed repeated violations of a 2011 weapons embargo. COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co., Ltd. (HKG:1919), which is in the shipping business, and is based in China, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the SEHK over the last few months, increasing to HK$3.32 at one point, and dropping to the lows of HK$2.03. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether COSCO SHIPPING Holdings's current trading price of HK$2.22 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at COSCO SHIPPING Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Check out our latest analysis for COSCO SHIPPING Holdings What's the opportunity in COSCO SHIPPING Holdings? Great news for investors COSCO SHIPPING Holdings is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 2.95x is currently well-below the industry average of 11.6x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because COSCO SHIPPING Holdingss beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the companys shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. What does the future of COSCO SHIPPING Holdings look like? SEHK:1919 Past and Future Earnings April 13th 2020 Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Though in the case of COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, it is expected to deliver a highly negative earnings growth in the next few years, which doesnt help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Although 1919 is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, the negative profit outlook does bring on some uncertainty, which equates to higher risk. I recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to 1919, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 1919 for a while, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you research further into the stock. Given its current price multiple, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on COSCO SHIPPING Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about COSCO SHIPPING Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Pakistan has appealed to international stakeholders for urgent debt relief for developing countries so they can deal more effectively with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the government said on April 12. Pakistan has recorded 5,374 cases of the virus, with 93 deaths. The country's already-struggling economy has been hit hard by nationwide preventive lockdowns that have brought economic activity to a halt and caused widespread unemployment. Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a video message released by the foreign office, said he was worried people in the developing world would die of hunger as a result of lockdowns. "Pakistan with a population of 220 million, so far the best stimulus package we can afford is $8 billion," Khan said in the video, adding that highly indebted countries lack fiscal space to spend on health and social support. Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates on the novel coronavirus pandemic and its impact 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 Pakistan, which is over $100 billion in debt to foreign lenders and spends the largest chunk of its budget on debt servicing, last week began a $900 million cash disbursement programme to 12 million poor families rendered unemployed due to lockdowns. Khan said he appealed to world leaders, the heads of financial institutions and the secretary-general of the United Nations to get together to announce a debt relief initiative for developing countries. Pakistan will receive $1.4 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of organisation's Rapid Financing Instrument to help finance the country's response to the virus. It is also currently in the first year of a three-year $6 billion IMF programme to help its ailing economy. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the complete inability of the capitalist system to serve the basic requirements of society at every level. In addition to the death and destruction of human life taking place across the planet, the capitalist system must be particularly indicted for the detrimental impacts upon the youngest and most vulnerable. The broader impact of such a crisis on the childcare system is impossible to calculate. In the case of small childcare business owners, many will be followed by a trail of debt which will haunt them for years to come. Parents, under immense economic and social pressure to return to work, will find limited options for childcare available. Families will be uprooted, deeply affecting young lives in the process. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood development Early childhood development programs which serve children at pre-Kindergarten ages (0-5 years of age) are vital to the cognitive and social functioning of the young in the first stages of their lives. According to the federal government, there are roughly 21.4 million pre-Kindergarten children and 1.7 million childcare workers in the United States. Reports from the Hunt Institute show that as of last week, 17 states in the US have closed all childcare facilities for fear of contagion. All other states still allowing such facilities to remain open are doing so at risk to their staff and the families they serve. As the pandemic has forced governments to enact social distancing protocols, many teachers and businesses have sought to maintain relationships with their students through online instruction. In early childhood development, such a medium holds little value. An article published in March by Rhian Evans Allvin, CEO of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), titled Making Connections: Theres No Such Thing as Online Preschool, plainly states: The reality is that there is no online equivalent to preschool. The article references a 2015 National Research Council report on childhood development which establishes the first eight years [as] a profound developmental period that impacts the whole life. Crucial, complex areas of development include the relationship between language and mathematics, self-regulation, social and emotional development, responsible decision-making, physical development, self-management, and relationship skills. For a child, such a period of life requires the most attentive care. A childs future development may be forever altered amid a COVID-19 pandemic, in which they are forced to remain indoors in isolation due to social distancing, or are forced to keep physically separate from peers and adults in public. For my older son, online classes have already started [but] I havent heard anything yet from my younger sons teacher, a mother in California with school-aged children told the World Socialist Web Site. My younger son thinks that school at home is the new norm now, he doesnt really understand whats going on. He might end up repeating the third grade if he has a difficult time, she said. Childcare providers In addition to the impact on the individual child, an entire social ecosystem has been upended by the crisis. In a comment to Education Dive, NAEYC head Allvin stated that over 70 percent of child care facilities in the US were shuttered within a single week last month. Were in a position that so many providers are making decisions about whether they lay off their staff, she said, that schools cant even start to wrap their heads around making content available for families. Allvins estimate does not include smaller entities and organizations which provide child care outside of the NAEYC accreditation system. An article in the Connecticut-based Greenwich Times notes: myriad small-business childcare providers that are not incorporated into school readiness programs, and are therefore cut off from subsidy funding, are being excluded from the various state-level support programs. A 2019 report produced by Child Care Aware of America found that in over 20 states a majority of childcare establishments were home-based. Lacking corporate sponsorship, such facilities have been forced to consolidate expenses and focus simply on keeping their businesses open for the duration of the pandemic. Theres no corporate entityit is just us, stated Allison Morton, owner of Portland, Oregon-based Small Wonders to USA Today. According to the National Womens Law Center, 30 percent of Americas childcare providers will be forced to go out of business after a closure of two weeks or more. Furthermore, a NAEYC survey found that 63 percent of childcare providers would go out of business after a month. The recently-passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security (CARES) Act provides merely $3.5 billion to cover childcare costs for essential workers and support some childcare providers, but is totally inadequate to cover the costs of a $99 billion industry in which most providers normally operate on a shoestring budget. The $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) contained in the bill will be on a first-come, first-served basis, states the same article in USA Today. Smaller businesses, lacking paid accountants and other financial advice, are at a disadvantage in securing such loans. For many smaller businesses which operate based upon payment from families rather than state-provided subsidies, the impact of the coronavirus will lead to bankruptcy as working parentsthemselves in dire financial straits after going a lengthy time without employmentwill not be able to afford to re-enroll their children. Childcare workers Before the COVID-19 pandemic, early childhood caregivers represented one of the lowest paid and most exploited sections of the working class. According to Vox, the average hourly wage within the childcare industry is $10.82. Were overworked, were underpaid, and we dont even exist, remarks Miren Algorri, a childcare provider from Chula Vista, California, of her situation. Teachers and childcare staff can hardly afford the cost of a doctors bill, and are even less likely to be able to afford the cost of a major medical emergency. As in many industries, coming to work during an illness rather than staying home to recover while forgoing a paycheck is a regular part of daily existence. Likewise, many parents, knowing the health hazards which are posed in a preschool environment, will decide to withdraw their child, leading many facilities to cut staff hours due to a lack of enrollment. Inside a preschool, a virus can spread like wildfire, Suzanne, a childcare worker from San Diego, California, told the WSWS. We encourage teachers to scan the children in the morning at drop-off; if the child appears unwell, we tell the parent the child has to go home, but if its the middle of the day, its much harder to get hold of parents and parents are much more hesitant to pick up their child. Theyll say Im working right now, I cant come get them or parents will try to bring in their child the next day while they are still exhibiting symptoms. While some facilities have continued providing childcare services to workers deemed essential, state regulators have sought to roll back staffing requirements and other safety regulations in order to allow providers to remain open at minimal costs. In the name of offering necessary regulatory flexibility, the New Jersey Department of Families and Children last month waived requirements that childcare facilities hire qualified staff while allowing schools to eliminate fire drills, limits on class sizes, and other rules. After outcry from childcare providers, the state was forced to reinstate its previous standards. As the COVID-19 pandemic cuts deeper into the heart of modern society, the necessity for independent rank and file organizations representing the interests of all working people becomes all the more imperative. While essential workers such as health care workers and workers in logistics, transport, grocery and other industries deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare professionals are tasked with the critical job of caring for their children, posing the objective need for the class unity of all workers involved in the vital tasks of social life. As the pandemic exposes the failure of capitalism to address societys basic needs, the working class must step in to pose a revolutionary challenge to the profit system through the strategy of international socialist revolution. The Cabinet of Ministers has dismissed Pavlo Kukhta as Ukraine's first deputy minister for economic development, trade and agriculture. A respective order, No. 408-r of April 13, has been published on the government portal. Kukhta was dismissed from the post in accordance with Paragraph 4, Part 2, Article 9 of the law of Ukraine "On Central Executive Government Bodies." By another order, No. 409-r of April 13, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Serhiy Nikolaichuk as deputy minister for economic development, trade and agriculture of Ukraine in accordance with Paragraph 4, Part 2, Article 9 of the law of Ukraine "On Central Executive Government Bodies." Kukhta has held the post since September 9, 2019. According to a Cabinet of Ministers decision of March 10 this year, he was vested with the temporary fulfillment of the duties of Ukraine's economy minister. On March 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Ihor Petrashko as Ukraine's minister for economic development, trade and agriculture. Nikolaichuk was appointed deputy economy minister on September 18, 2019. op Bay Area-based U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, teamed up with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, on Monday to propose a federal "Essential Workers Bill of Rights," demanding that frontline health care workers, federal and state workers, grocers, pharmacists and janitors be covered in the next COVID-19 coronavirus federal stimulus package. The proposed Essential Workers Bill of Rights asks for 10 specific things directly related to the health and wellness, physically and financially, of workers deemed essential during the pandemic. The 10 rights would include: health care, child care and worker safety provisions, bolstered workplace protections - including oversight of employers and safeguards for whistleblowers to allow employees to report unsatisfactory work conditions - and "truly universal paid sick leave and family medical leave," among other things. "Nearly 60 million Americans are still working to keep our internet running, to deliver our groceries, to make sure we have electricity and to care for the sick," Khanna said in a statement. "In an age of automation, we are reminded of the dignity and importance of work that is not remote. This crisis needs to open our eyes to the value of workers who are often invisible, and we need to give them the pay and benefits they deserve." Warren, a 2020 Democratic primary candidate for president who dropped out of the race in March, said essential workers are the backbone of the country's coronavirus response. "We have a responsibility to make sure the essential workers have the protections they need, the rights they are entitled to and the compensation they deserve," she said in a statement. A full breakdown of all the proposed rights is available at: https://khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/release-sen-elizabeth-warren-and-rep-ro-khanna-unveil-essential-workers-bill. 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 copper roof on Mechanics Hall, a historic building in Worcester, was significantly damaged in Mondays storm that brought heavy rain and high winds across Massachusetts. Kathleen Gagne, executive director for the 163-year-old building, said the roofing in the southeast corner of the building nestled in the heart of Main Street peeled loose from its anchors, exposing the underlayment, causing leaking and damage to the roof insulation and plaster and flooring damage in the Great Hall. Gagne said the damage could have been worse but is crediting Harvard Maintenance Company employee, Alfonso Orellana, for alerting her to the situation. Orellana was shampooing carpet on the ninth floor of a neighboring MCPHS University Foster Street building when he spotted the damage. Without him, the Great Hall would have been filled with water, Gagne said in an interview with MassLive. "About 12:20 p.m. on Monday, I received a call at home from Mr. Orellana, who told me he could see the damage to our roof from his birds-eye view," Gagne said. "He sent me a photo. It was a shocking image. Mechanics Halls Senior Assistant Facilities Director Joseph Ocasio had left the building within the very same hour, but nothing in the view from the street would have indicated the problems on the roof, Gagne said. Thirty minutes after receiving the call, Mechanics Halls facilities staff and workers from George A. Barnard Company were on-site. The Barnard crew are heroes in my eyes. They were out on that slippery inclined roof in high wind and pouring rain conditions to remediate the situation as best they could, Gagne said. Water began leaking rapidly into our attic space at just about the same time. No staff was due back in the Hall until this morning. Without Alfonso Orellana, damage to the Hall would have been unthinkable." George A. Barnard Company and Raymond James Restoration were able to fold the copper roof onto newly laid tarp which had been secured to the roof. The high wind gusts caught the lip of the roof and the force yanked the copper strips away from the anchors and caused the copper tiles to peel back. The wind is known to hit the building hard in downtown Worcester. Gagne said the hall stopped flying the American flag in recent years because wind slams the building with enough severity to shred any flag. The roof and interior damage is extensive and comes at a time when Mechanics Hall has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gagne said. We have lost all of our spring events, which is a devastating blow to our budget. Spring is typically the busiest season of the year at Mechanics Hall, bringing in more than one-third of our annual earned income. The roof damage could not have come at a worse time, she said. Our insurance will likely cover most of the damage, but as with many historic non-profit properties, we keep our deductible amounts high to lower premiums. Staff stayed at the hall and used roughly 20 buckets to collect the water falling inside. The 32-gallon buckets were hauled up and down from the attic labyrinth and in the Great Hall. Gagne made sure to thank Orellana and contacted the halls trustee, Jessica Morris, who is senior associate dean of students at MCPHS. Gagne let them know how grateful Mechanics Hall was for the fast action. The Barnard family put the first roof on Mechanics Hall in 1857. The company installed the second roof on Mechanics Hall in 1917 and the third, and current roof, in 1979. Mechanics Hall does have a Bridge the Gap fundraising campaign up on its website, mechanicshall.org. We are in need of support right now as never before, said Gagne. I know we are not alone. The rich arts and culture community in Worcester has been hit very hard by the shutdowns. We will get through it, but not without long-term consequences and surely not without support from our community." Meghan Markle and Buckingham Palace staff had a 'clash of cultures' because aides didn't approve of her celebrity past or her lack of respect for the hierarchy, a royal expert has claimed. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, who is now living in California with Prince Harry and their 11-month-old son Archie after quitting their royal duties, apparently failed to impress aides with her showbiz history. Speaking to The New Yorker, The Telegraph's Camilla Tominey suggested Palace staff were 'less enamoured of the very qualities that made her irresistible to the press: her showbiz lustre, self-confidence, and feminist habits of assertion'. Camilla, who covered the royal family for more than a decade before Meghan's arrival, claimed that Harry and Meghan's 'demands' did not go down well with royal aides. Meghan Markle (pictured in London in March) and Buckingham Palace staff had a 'clash of cultures' as they didn't approve of her celebrity past plus her lack of respect for the hierarchy, a royal expert has claimed The Duchess of Sussex, 38, first shot to fame playing Rachel Zane on American legal drama Suits (pictured) Camilla said that there was a 'clash of cultures' between the Duchess, who found fame on US legal drama Suits before marrying Harry, and royal staff, because she didn't understand the many unwritten traditions in the institution. 'Its a bit like Downton Abbey - theres a hierarchy of staff who have been at Buckingham Palace for years and years, to serve Queen and country. 'And, therefore, for Harry and Meghan to be making demands, there was a bit of below-stairs chatter, particularly with the Duchess, that was, "Well, hang on a minute, who do you think you are?".' Harry and Meghan moved to California from Vancouver at the end of last month, having officially stepped back from royal life on March 31. Pictured, at the Commonwealth Day Service on March 9, 2020 in London Harry and Meghan moved to California from Vancouver at the end of last month, having officially stepped back from royal life on March 31. The couple upped sticks to Los Angeles, Meghan's home town and where her mother Doria Ragland lives. But the Duke is finding life a bit challenging following his move to North America, his friend Dr Jane Goodall has revealed. Dr Jane Goodall, 86, told Radio Times she had 'been in touch' with Prince Harry since he quit royal duties and moved to Los Angeles (pictured together in 2019). She said he is finding life a bit challenging following his move The 86-year-old primatologist has been in touch with Harry following his move and told Radio Times: I dont know how his career is going to map out, but, yes, Ive been in touch though I think hes finding life a bit challenging right now.' The couple are both fans of the world-renowned activist and invited her to their Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor last summer. Dr Goodall believes she may have been one of the first people outside the family to hold Archie. She is currently in lockdown in Bournemouth where she opened up about Harry and his new life. At the suggestion that Harry and his brother William are champions of the natural world, she added: Yes except they hunt and shoot. But I think Harry will stop because Meghan doesnt like hunting, so I suspect that is over for him. By Kim Hyun-bin SK Telecom and KT have been busy strengthening their respective legal teams by recruiting prominent judicial officials as competition among the telecom companies is expected to become fiercer. Both firms have new project launches scheduled throughout the year that could require more extensive legal review. Earlier this month, KT, the country's second largest mobile carrier, recruited Ahn Sang-don, former director of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutor's Office, to head up the company's legal office. The mobile carrier has also strengthened its compliance committee by combining the compliance executive office, and ethical management and compliance risk departments, which will be led by Kim Hee-kwan as chief compliance officer. Kim previously headed the Justice Institute. "We have recruited outside legal experts to enhance company compliance and any administrative legal issues," a KT official said. However, many believe the move was made after KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo was appointed in late March, with the task of preventing issues related to compliance and management risks that could hinder company operations. This came because in the past many key executives were summoned during investigations by the prosecution. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo Ku himself is among the executives that allegedly violated the Political Fund Law. KT's incumbent top executives, including Ku, created a 1.1 billion-won ($970,000) slush fund between May 2014 and October 2017, and spent about 438 million won of the money to bribe 99 lawmakers. On April 6, SKT, the country's leading mobile carrier, appointed Jung Jai-hun as the head of its Law Affairs II Group. Jung was the chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Court and will oversee legal affairs related to security, commerce, media and artificial intelligence matters, as well as the new projects sector for the firm. Just before recruiting Chung, SKT divided its legal department into two, which the company says was to increase the efficiency and speed with which the company could address legal issues. The Law Affairs 1 Group is in charge of mobile communications and New ICT sector led by Vice President Park Yong-ju. "We have established the Law Affairs II Group as we have expanded our ICT businesses, which require more legal assistance," an SKT official said. "Chung graduated from Seoul National University Law School and is a legal expert with 20 years of experience in the field." SKT says separating the legal department was part of President Park Jung-ho's vision to establish a dual operating system to enhance administrative support. The company went through restructuring and split the mobile communications and the New ICT departments in two aiming to better enhance efficiency. SKT President Park Jung-ho However, many industry watchers are skeptical regarding the moves and believe the telecom companies have strengthened their legal circle to better prepare for legal battles ahead from fierce competition and clashes that could occur while expanding their market share in newly launched businesses. "The competition among the telecom companies has become fierce as they continue to expand their new businesses and this needs more legal attention," an industry official said. "There are possibilities that the new businesses could engage in legal battles so to offset these the telecom companies seem to have strengthened their legal structures." Photographed by Kristin-Lee Moolman, Vogue, May 2020 Growing up in small-town South Africa in the early aughts, Thebe Magugu spent his childhood dreaming of elsewhere. Huddled in front of the satellite television in his mothers living room, he was mesmerized as an eight-year-old boy by runway shows broadcast from Paris and New York. Even so, it was in Ipopeng, a township on the outskirts of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape province, where the 26-year-old designer was born, that his keenest fashion instincts were formed. Though unassuming in appearance, the place is auspicious by nameIpopeng means to beautify oneself in Setswana, a language of the Tswana people spoken across southern Africa. Theres this narrative around small towns being backward thats so negative and one-sided, says Magugu, who in his late teens moved to Johannesburg, where he attended the Leaders in the Science of Fashion school. It wasnt until I left that I felt this yearning to go back and showcase the beautiful side. Photographed by Kristin-Lee Moolman, Vogue, May 2020 Magugus latest collection is a life-affirming tribute to his hometown. Guests who attended the debut presentation for his eponymous label at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris this past February were greeted by a series of large-scale portraits of the township and its people, captured by South African photographer Kristin-Lee Moolman and Sierra Leoneborn stylist Ibrahim Kamara. In a photograph in one corner of the gallery, a group of schoolgirls was gathered, dressed in smart blue-and-white uniforms to echo the designers crisp shirting looks. In another, his childhood friend Bernelee Ndubula was photographed donning Magugus take on Sunday besta striking retro floral trench coat inspired by his grandmothers kitchen tablecloth. I remember hearing the church bells and watching the women pass by in their pleated skirts, says Magugu. These were my earliest references. Several other subtle nods to everyday life were threaded through the collection, including a photo print of his aunts corrugated-iron roof, cleverly abstracted to look like distressed denim, on an ostrich-feather-trimmed button-down and cropped trousers. Story continues Portrait: Aart Verrips In addition to telling a very personal story, Magugus clothes are a form of social commentary that speaks to the changing landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. One illustration on a polo shirt, of two black women consoling each other, stands out in particular: As the designer explains, the print was made in collaboration with Johannesburg-based artist Phathu Nembilwi as a political statement about the countrys rising femicide rate. Clothing is a way that I can engage with the issues that are close to my heart, close to whats happening, and close to my country, Magugu says. He pays homage to the sartorial traditions of his ancestors, too: The distinctive Basotho blanket worn by the Sotho people is reimagined on a blue poncho; the swirling motif on an asymmetric skirt is hand-painted with terra-cotta-colored mud formulated by a local healer. All of these traditional visual cues were erased or stifled during apartheid, he says. I think its so important to celebrate that heritage in a way that can live in the modern world and preserve the craft so that its not lost. That soulful and considered approach to making fashion caught the worlds attention last fall, when Magugu was awarded the prestigious 2019 LVMH prize, the first African designer to win in the competitions seven-year history. Hes now using his newfound global platform to shine a light on the burgeoning creative industry bubbling up at his front door. I think people assumed I would just move my production to Europe because it would be easierbut how could I lament the brain drain in my country if I up and leave? says Magugu, who relies on factories and artisans based in Johannesburg and Cape Town to make his collections. Im committed to being here, regardless of the challenges. Im just happiest when Im home. Originally Appeared on Vogue D onald Trump has claimed he has total power to lift the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in the US despite state governors planning their own reopenings. Legal experts said the presidents power on the issue is limited under the US Constitution. But pressed on the question of whether governors or federal government would make the decision to re-open schools and businesses, the US leader insisted he had ultimate authority. "The president of the United States calls the shots," Mr Trump told a White House briefing on Monday evening. Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday / AP He added: That being said, we're going to work with the states. The death toll in the US from Covid-19 topped 23,000 on Monday, out of more than 575,000 known US infections. The US, with the world's third-largest population by country, has recorded more fatalities from coronavirus than any other nation. Loading.... Mr Trump said he had unilateral authority for ending the lockdowns that have strangled the US economy, throwing at least 17 millions Americans out of work in just three weeks. He did not offer specifics about his claim of authority over the states or any details of his plan to reopen the economy. Political leaders said a reopening of the economy may hinge on more widespread testing to better determine the full extent of infections. They cautioned that lifting stay-at-home orders prematurely could reignite the outbreak. But seven Northeastern US states and the three West Coast states banded together on Monday in regional pacts to forge coordinated, gradual economic reopenings. There has been announcements from the New York-led group of East Coast governors, and a similar compact formed by California, Oregon and Washington state. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was teaming up with his counterparts in adjacent New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island to devise the best strategies for easing stay-at-home orders imposed last month to curb coronavirus transmissions. Massachusetts later announced it was joining the East Coast coalition. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast "Nobody has been here before, nobody has all the answers," said Mr Cuomo, whose state has become the US epicentre of the coronavirus, during an open conference call with five other governors. Rita Ora has joined the line-up of a virtual concert to mark the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic and celebrate frontline workers. The One World: Together At Home event will be broadcast live around the world on April 18. The concert, which is being staged in conjunction with Global Citizen and the World Health Organisation (WHO), was announced by Lady Gaga, who will bring together stars including Billie Eilish, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and John Legend. Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morissette, David Beckham and Idris Elba, who tested positive for the virus, will also appear. Ora wrote on Instagram: ONE WORLD: TOGETHER AT HOME!!! I am so honoured to announce that I will be joining the One World: Together At Home special on Saturday 18th April for the @who and @glblctzn!! Together well be performing to celebrate healthcare workers around the world in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO. Please stay safe and stay at home! Ora has recently spoken of the pride she feels in her mother Vera, who returned to the front line as an NHS doctor to help in the fight against coronavirus. Video of the Day The global broadcast of the concert will be adapted and shown on BBC One on April 19. The BBC One programme will feature highlights from the live event, as well as exclusive performances from UK artists and interviews with frontline workers. Virgin Australia has halted trading of its stock as the airline waits to find out whether it will receive a federal government bailout to keep flying domestically. The embattled airline requested an immediate halt to trading on the Australian Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning ahead of an announcement later in the day. The trading halt comes amid reports Virgin and its biggest rival Qantas are closing in on a multi-million-dollar deal with the federal government to support domestic flights between capital cities. 'Virgin Australia has requested a trading halt as it continues to consider ongoing issues with respect to financial assistance and restructuring alternatives,' a Virgin Australia statement read on Tuesday. 'This has arisen due to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis which has particularly impacted the aviation sector. 'Virgin Australia has been keeping the air fair in Australia for 20 years and we want to continue to provide a valuable service to all Australians, the 16,000 people employed directly and indirectly, and enable the broader economy to restart quickly once we emerge from this crisis.' Virgin Australian has halted trading pending an announcement to the ASX. Pictured are grounded planes at Melbourne Airport on Sunday after the airline suspended domestic flights Both airlines have been hard hit during the pandemic and there are fears Virgin could soon go into administration. Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah has previously urged the federal government to help the airline stay afloat with a $1.4 billion loan. Virgin cited ongoing discussions involving financial assistance and restructuring alternatives. The airline also emailed its Velocity frequent flyer members to thank them for their support and understanding during the challenging times. 'Velocity is set up in a way that safeguards member value by having a trustee that looks after the interests of members,' the email says. Virgin Australia has suspended all but one domestic flight, weeks after grounding its entire international fleet. Pictured: Virgin Australia cabin crew greet a chartered Virgin Australia flight as it arrives at Hobart International Airport Prime Minister Scott Morrison said any public funding for aviation would be spread across the entire sector. "We've been very consistent in the support we've provided in the economy has been sector-wide," he told Channel Nine's Today show on Tuesday. "We haven't been picking any winners or picking any favourites here. What we're doing is ensuring we're giving sector wide support which has been significant to the aviation sector." The government has already confirmed it will provide financial support for regional routes and stump up $100million to address the cash flow crisis among a dozen small airlines. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is working directly with Qantas and Virgin on ways to subsidise flights between major cities. 'They have already worked together on international routes that are vital not just for bringing people home or getting people to their homes, but also to support much-needed freight and the transfer of medical supplies,' Mr Morrison said. Pictured is Virgin Australia's deserted self-service check-in area at Melbourne Airport Labor has welcomed plans for the government to cover the cost of some trunk routes, but said it would not be enough to save Virgin from going broke. Opposition transport spokeswoman Catherine King said thousands of Australian livelihoods were at stake. 'The Morrison government must stop this piecemeal approach to our aviation industry and actually extend an urgent lifeline to Virgin Australia to support the airline and its 10,000 employees through this crisis,' she said. 'If Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack do not, they are making an active decision to see one of our major airlines fail. 'Such a result will have a devastating impact on Virgin's employees and on our tourism, freight and services sectors, and will slow our recovery once the COVID-19 outbreak passes.' Robert Kwame deGraft Agyarko, a lead Advisor on Outbreaks and Epidemics of South Africa-based Africa Risk Capacity (ARC), is advocating the planning and implementation of some strong measures before the partial lockdown in some parts of Ghana is finally lifted. As part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a two-week lockdown was declared by government. In a recent address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo extended the partial lockdown by one more week. Some were hopeful that the lockdown will be lifted since it's having a huge impact on the vulnerable. Speaking to this on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Mr Agyarko urged that strong measures must be put in place before the lockdown is lifted otherwise there will be an upsurge of infections. "....when partial lockdowns are lifted and care is not taken, there can be an upsurge of infections and so government must study the trend and ensure that everything is under control before going ahead (to lift restrictions)..." he counseled. Listen to the discussion in the video below Kwame deGraft Agyarko has 18 years of international experience working in development and public health, including management and coordination roles in national and international organisations.These include, working for WHO on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on older persons (1999-2003, based in Geneva), Coordinator in WHO AFROs Regional Malaria technical support team (2003-2007, based in Zimbabwe); portfolio Manager for South Africa and Namibia (2007-2009, based in Geneva) at the Global Fund; West and Central Africa Malaria Advisor (2009-2010, based in Dakar) at UNICEF.In 2015, he served as the Technical Advisor to the Incident Commander and Coordinator of the Ghana Public Health Emergency Operations Center. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video - A sad news was announced today by the Makati Medical Center - MMC revealed that one of its seasoned doctors passed away because of the novel coronavirus - Dr. Roberto Anastacio died on April 10 at the age of 79 - He was described as a committed, dedicated, and friendly employee PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Another medical frontliner has succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19. KAMI learned that Dr. Roberto Anastacio, a Filipino cardiologist, was not able to survive after contracting the said dreadful virus. He passed away on April 10 at the age of 79. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! The said dedicated doctor worked at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST). In a statement issued by MMC, Anastacio was described as a committed employee who bravely accepted the challenge of serving on the frontline against COVID-19. Dr. Bobby was part of the institution for 30 years. His dedication and legacy will continue to serve as an inspiration among us, and his selfless sacrifice shall not be in vain as we all unite as one in fighting this battle, the hospital said. MakatiMed salutes Dr. Bobby and the many health heroes who poured their hearts into the medical vocation to the extent of sacrificing their lives so that others may live, it added. In a previous article by , the chief nurse of a hospital in Mandaluyong also passed away because of COVID-19. The novel coronavirus pandemic has greatly affected more than 200 countries including the Philippines. The Department of Health (DOH) said that at least 12 doctors have died of the said virus. Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! A Filipino found his own way to help frontliners amid pandemic. They had to walk an hour, an hour and a half to get to work. I mean, coming from an 8-hour shift sa hospital, tapos palalakarin mo pa yung nurse o kahit security guard. Parang hindi makatarungan, diba? on HumanMeter! Source: KAMI.com.gh Advertisement Grim footage has shown lines of cars stretching for miles outside a Los Angeles food bank as droves of desperate Americans continue to line for hours across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of cars were spotted crawling along the street to receive food items being distributed by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank at the The Forum arena in Inglewood at the weekend. More than two million people in California have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March when the coronavirus started to spread rapidly throughout the US. In other scenes across the country in recent days, hundreds of people lined up in their cars on Tuesday in order to get free food from the Feeding South Florida food bank in Opa-Locka. About 10,000 families lined up in their cars for hours at a food bank in San Antonio, Texas and cars lined for more than a mile at a drive-up food bank site in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the weekend. Crowds of people were also spotted huddling together in the rain outside a soup kitchen in New York City on Monday despite social distancing guidelines being enforced by the city. The coronavirus outbreak has now thrown at least 16.8 million Americans out of work since mid-March as tough measures to control the coronavirus abruptly brought the country's economy to a halt. CALIFORNIA: Thousands of cars were spotted crawling along the street to receive food items being distributed by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank at the The Forum arena in Inglewood at the weekend CALIFORNIA: More than two million people in California have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March when the coronavirus started to spread rapidly throughout the US Food banks across the country have warned they are struggling to cope with the huge surge of Americans needing food as the unemployment toll from coronavirus continues to grow. Non profit groups and relief organizations say they are scrambling to keep up with unprecedented demand for food and other basic essentials at emergency distribution sites in dozens of cities. The San Antonio Food Bank's CEO Eric Cooper told NBC's Today on Monday that the current demand is the worst he has since in his 25-year history with the organization. Last Thursday, some 10,000 families lined up in their cars for hours at a massive SAFB distribution event called Mega Giveaway. 'We were blown away and overwhelmed at the need in the community because of COVID-19,' Cooper said. 'We typically feed about 60,000 a week. The need has risen to 120,000 people a week and we are just working as hard as we can to meet that need.' He said the people queuing in their cars included hospitality workers, Uber drivers and others whose place of employment has shut down because of the pandemic. Cooper said many of those coming to the food bank sites had never needed to turn to the organization before. 'Their last paycheck ran out, and there's just nowhere else to go,' he said. 'They know the food bank maybe from volunteering but they have never had to ask for help. 'This is the case with food banks across the country. We're one of 200 food banks part of the Feeding America food bank network. 'All of my peers in other cities are struggling to have enough food to meet the needs of that line. It's been overwhelming.' FLORIDA: Feeding South Florida volunteers deliver bags of food to Opa-Locka's residents at a food distribution facility FLORIDA: Volunteers placed food into the back of waiting cars in Florida on Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic FLORIDA: Hundreds of people lined up in their cars on Tuesday in order to get free food from the Feeding South Florida food bank in Opa-Locka KENTUCKY: A volunteer with Highpoint Charitable Services registers hundreds families as they wait in line for food donations at a food bank in LaGrange on Monday KENTUCKY: Amee D'Amico, the Executive Director of Highpoint Charitable Services, directs traffic as hundreds of local families line up to have donated groceries loaded into the cars of families in need, at a food bank in LaGrange Asked if SAFB has enough food, volunteers and money to keep the Mega Giveaway efforts going, Cooper said: 'We really need all three. We're struggling to keep up. Our inventories are going fast. Hundreds of people lined up in the rain on Monday to get a free meal at the Bowery Mission in Manhattan. The line leading to the homeless charity snaked around the block as volunteers tried to enforce social distancing. Meal distribution traffic at the Bowery Mission has doubled in the past week - a startling indication of growing food insecurity in hard-hit New York City. The Bowery Mission served about 60,000 meals on Easter Sunday alone and organizers expect the demand will continue to surge. In Pennsylvania, cars lined for a mile as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank held a drive-thru distribution event with enough supplies for 1,300 families last Friday. Workers at Los Angeles International Airport were invited to a specially-organized food bank last Friday, DailyMail.com reported exclusively. At least 5,000 cars were expected at that event, according to LA Food Bank President and CEO Michael Flood. In Miramar, Florida, the line of cars outside a giveaway by Feeding South Florida and Farm Share Food Distribution extended for five miles. The staggering lines for food comes as a record 6.6 million new claims for unemployment benefits were filed across the United States in the first week of April, according to the latest Labor Department figures. NEW YORK: People wait in line in the rain on Monday to receive lunch at the Bowery Mission in Manhattan NEW YORK: The lines outside the Bowery Missions stretched around the block as volunteers reminded people about social distancing CALIFORNIA: Anaheim police officers riding horses monitor the traffic of people waiting in their cars during an Easter drive-thru food distribution at the Honda Center on Sunday CALIFORNIA: A volunteer directs the traffic during an Easter drive-thru food distribution at the Honda Center in Anaheim TEXAS: About 10,000 families lined up in their cars for hours at a food bank in San Antonio, Texas last week That number of first-time claims was on top of the more than 10 million applications filed in the last two weeks of March. California leads the country with the highest number of new unemployment claims with more than two million people filing in just three weeks. Pennsylvania has seen more than one million new claims. The states with the next highest number of claims include: New York (791,840), Texas (745,443), Ohio (694,779), New Jersey (535,965) and Georgia (534,135). Illinois (493,475), Washington (489,585), Massachusetts (469,457) and North Carolina (403,801) all reported more than 400,000 new claims. Congress, the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve have mounted the largest financial intervention in history in recent weeks to try to help America survive the crisis. It includes expanding unemployment benefits, mandating sick leave for some, distributing $1,200 checks to individuals and allocating rescue aid to employers. The rescue plan extended unemployment benefits for the first time to part-time and gig workers such as Uber drivers. It added $600 a week to existing state unemployment payments but states have been swamped by claims for jobless benefits and are struggling to deliver the new federal aid. It comes as the International Monetary Fund forecast on Tuesday that the global economy is expected to suffer its worst year since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Beaten down by the coronavirus outbreak, the world economy will shrink by 3 per cent during 2020 - far worse than its 0.1 per cent dip in the Great Recession year of 2009 - before rebounding in 2021 with 5.8 per cent growth. NEW YORK: People receive free groceries at Community League of the Heights food pantry on Saturday NEW YORK: People lined to get free meals and groceries from the Community League of the Heights food pantry on Saturday The Meghalaya government on Tuesday launched an intensive drive to locate the silent carrier who infected the states first patient - doctor on Monday. Nearly 2,000 primary and secondary contacts of the doctor at Shillongs Bethany Hospital have been traced and samples collected from 90 of them, almost half of the primary contacts. Results are expected later. Initial investigations suggest that the doctor, who doesnt have a travel history outside the state, could have been infected by his son-in-law, a pilot with Air India who had returned from New York last month, but was asymptomatic for Covid-19. Follow coronavirus latest updates here. Preliminary investigation suggest that one of the relatives of the concerned person had a travel history to one of the infected countries and he was back in Shillong before the 14-day quarantine period was over, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Tuesday in a video shared on Facebook by his office. According to a letter written by the Meghalaya health department to the union health ministry, the patients son-in-law travelled from New York to Delhi on March 16. He travelled from Delhi to Imphal on March 17 and returned to Delhi on March 20. On March 24 he travelled from Delhi to Shillong on March 24 and was placed under home quarantine from March 24 to April 7 after registering with the state government. The letter adds that surveillance team of heath department had visited him during the quarantine period. Though the person took all precautions, but sometimes we see asymptomatic cases as well, who dont show any signs but could be a carrier. Therefore there is a high chance that it could have been passed on from there. We are looking at all possibilities of how this could have happened, Sangma said. The Meghalaya government has asked its Assam counterpart for support in the testing of the 2,000 contacts. The Shillong-based North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) is the lone Covid-19 testing lab in Meghalaya. Our basic strategy would be to identify, isolate and test all contacts for the first few days till we are able to zero down and close the loop of transmission, Sangma said in Shillong after a cabinet meet. Both branches of the private hospital where the doctor worked have been shut and the staff placed under quarantine. The government has asked everyone who may have visited Bethany Hospital on or after March 22 to register themselves by calling 108 or getting in touch with the health department. Meghalayas capital Shillong has been placed under curfew for 48 hours beginning 6:00 am on Tuesday. Patient commits suicide at Bethany Hospital Meanwhile, a patient who was admitted to Bethany Hospital, the hospital where Meghalayas first Covid-19 patient works, committed suicide by jumping out of his room early on Tuesdaya day after the institution was sealed. This case has nothing to do with coronavirus. This individual who committed suicide was a substance user (drug addict) and he was admitted for rehabilitation. He also had some psychiatric problems and in all likelihood the suicide may be result of withdrawal symptoms and psychiatric problems, the chief minister told journalists in Shillong. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It would be easier to know what to do with Tara Reades accusation that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her if her tale were more solid, or if it were less. In the past few days, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press all reported on a story thats been circulating through the left- and right-wing media for the last few weeks. Reade, a staff assistant in Bidens Senate office in the early 1990s, is one of the women who last year spoke out about Bidens handsiness. When The A.P. interviewed Reade last April, she said that Biden rubbed her shoulders and neck and played with her hair. She also told The Union, a California newspaper, last year that she didnt feel sexualized. She instead compared her experience to being a lamp, the paper reported. She told the reporter, Alan Riquelmy: Its pretty. Set it over there. Then when its too bright, you throw it away. But last month, in an interview with the left-wing podcast host Katie Halper, Reade added new, more serious details to her story, claiming that Biden pushed her against a wall and penetrated her with his fingers. (The Biden campaign has said, This absolutely did not happen.) The governors of Oregon, Washington and California pledged Monday to coordinate plans to reopen their states economies. The three West Coast governors pushed back after President Trump said the decision would be his. Still, they said each state would develop its own formal plan. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has said she will spell out her framework for reopening the state during an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday. Check back to The Oregonian/OregonLive to watch the conference and read more about Browns plans. Here are more developments to know Tuesday: CASES: A 66-year-old Washington County woman was the latest patient to succumb to COVID-19, bringing the pandemics death toll statewide to 53. More than 1,600 people statewide have contracted the virus, including three Hillsboro Police employees. JOBS: Oregon state officials say they have fixed a computer issue that told some laid-off workers to restart jobless claims. The lapse was the latest in a series of setbacks for the employment department. #TEAMOREGON: Two Roosevelt High School students created a free grocery delivery service for senior citizens. Their classmates are taking and fulfilling orders in English and Spanish. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter LAW: With less-crowded streets, Portland-area patrol officers are seeing high-speed, dangerous driving. They arent, however, responding to many calls about the lack of social distancing. The count for the holiday weekend was 82 complaints, compared to 71 the prior weekend. TRANSPARENCY: The governors office has received a list of inmates who may be potential candidates for early release amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the office declined to make the information public -- and instead directed The Oregonian/OregonLive to submit a public records request for the information. BUSINESS: After a monthlong hiatus, some of Portlands most popular restaurants have resumed takeout orders. Other top eateries are helping to arrange meals for medical workers fighting coronavirus. CANCELED: The annual Street of Dreams home tour has been canceled for the first time in 45 years due to the coronavirus. LIFE TODAY: Oregons governor and her peers across the country have enacted stay-at-home orders and banned large gatherings over the last month to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Those measures appear to be working, but they have had devastating effects on funerals. LISTEN: -- The Oregonian/OregonLive Mumbai, April 14 : "Bigg Boss 13" contestant Arti Singh urges people to practice yoga during these times of COVID-19 stress. The quarantine has given a chance to people to do the things that they didn't otherwise get time for, owing to their busy work schedules. Apart from doing daily household chores, cooking and catching up on films and web-series, Arti has also been practicing yoga. "I used to practice yoga daily when I was in Lucknow but I lost touch in between. Now that we are all home and have time in our hands, I have got back to doing it daily. Usually, I try to do it as soon as I wake up or in the evenings, depending upon how I am feeling that day," she said. "Yoga has positively affected me as it helps calm down my mind. I encourage everyone to do a short session of yoga every day, as these are testing times we are all facing. Yoga will essentially keep you calm and patient," she added. A construction worker miraculously survived a long metal rod piercing through his body after he fell off a high scaffolding platform while working at a site in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh. Bai Chay Hospital in Quang Ninh on Monday said its doctors had successfully saved N.N.M., 34, of Hoai Duc District in Hanoi, from a severe injury owing to the accident. M. was admitted to the hospital suffering from multi-trauma shock, excessive bleeding, pain, shortness of breath, and pale skin on Sunday after he had fallen off a 15-meter-tall scaffolding structure while working on a construction site in Quang Ninh. An iron rod about two meters long which had pierced through his abdomen during the fall remained attached to his body at the time of hospitalization. The worker was immediately rushed to an operation room as doctors said the rod had caused multiple internal trauma and damaged the right lower lobe of his lungs, resulting in blood and air accumulation in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall and about two liters of blood in the abdomen. A team of surgeons rushed to perform a grueling surgery to remove the rod. Surgeons remove an iron rod from a mans body at Bai Chay Hospital in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam, April 12, 2020. Photo: Dinh Hai / Tuoi Tre After four hours of surgery, the rod was safely removed with hardly any acute bleeding or damage to other organs in the surrounding area. The patient regained consciousness six hours after the surgery, according to Nguyen Thai Binh, deputy head of the surgery department at Bai Chay Hospital. The man is currently receiving postoperative care in the infirmarys intensive care unit with stable vital signs. He is in recovery and now able to make eye contact with, listen, and talk to doctors. Dr. Binh commented that such an injury as M.s is a rare and extremely dangerous workplace accident, in which the patient often dies quickly from multiple trauma and shock from blood loss. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The last election, like the two before it, produced no clear winner. Mr. Gantz, a former army chief and leader of the centrist Blue and White party who entered politics not much more than a year ago, came out in a slightly better position than Mr. Netanyahu, the conservative incumbent and Israels longest-serving prime minister. With more endorsements from members of Parliament, Mr. Gantz was afforded the first chance to build a coalition. But the anti-Netanyahu camp, encompassing Arab, Islamic and Jewish ultranationalist parties, proved too disparate to form a government. Mr. Netanyahus Likud party and his right-wing and religious partners fell short of a majority to form their own government in the 120-seat Parliament. The only way forward was for Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gantz to join forces in a national unity government. Mr. Gantz resisted at first because it meant reneging on his repeated election promises not to sit in a government with a prime minister under indictment. Mr. Netanyahu is facing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He has denied any wrongdoing. Then the coronavirus hit Israel. Mr. Netanyahu, a canny political survivor, publicly beseeched Mr. Gantz to join him in a national emergency government to combat the health crisis. He proposed sharing the job of prime minister, with Mr. Netanyahu holding it for the first 18 months, and Mr. Gantz taking over for the next 18. 14.04.2020 LISTEN Farming in Gambia, photo: Pan African Visions Agriculture is being defined in different ways by scholars, but one thing is very common about its definition is that: it involves the growing of crops and rearing of animals for either home consumption or commercial purpose. Agriculture has a predominant impact on the economies of many countries in the world. It is considered as the backbone of many countries economy. Countries rely on it to overcome food insecurity and earn revenue for their Governments, and The Gambia is not an exception. In The Gambia, according to statistics, it contributes about 32% of the gross domestic product, providing employment and income for almost 80% of the countrys population. The country is being characterized by arable lands (i.e. a land capable of being used for cultivation). Generally, the agricultural sector has been the key player in the economic development of The Gambia during the era of the first president, late Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (May Allah have mercy on his soul). Today, the agricultural sector of The Gambia has significantly declined due to several reasons. Many of these reasons are believed to be: inadequate rainfall, lack of proper policies and management in the sector, poor farming equipment, and lack of credit facilities for the youths and women who are actively involved in this sector for food production. Fishing is one of the sectors of agricultural production in The Gambia that is faced with some challenges. The country is blessed with the Atlantic Ocean which is one of the best fishing zones of the world according to the report of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO. It is a sector that is known for bringing good revenue to the country, and to most of the indigenous people who are directly or indirectly involved in the sector. However, the local communities where fishing takes place are the least satisfied with the way fishing activities take place in their communities. This is because of the fact that most of the fishermen and mongers participating in the sector are known for causing environmental hazards which significantly affects these local communities. The use of the improper fishing net by some fishermen is also common in this sector. Most commentators attributes this to one reason or the other. Others believe that most of the ships or boats dwelling in the sea are owned by foreigners and thus give less regard to measures that are meant to conserve the small fish for sustainability. Sometimes they (the foreigners in the sector) give less priority to the local fishmongers and thus, sell their fish to the Chinese companies plying their trade in this sector. Also, another challenge in this sector is the less participation of the local people in the sector due to one reason or the other. One of the reasons is that not many Gambians have the ability to own a fishing boat. They instead join the boats of the foreigners to make a living for themselves. Most of these foreigners who are plying their trade in the fishing sector of The Gambia usually go back to their country to observe Tobaski or Koriteh feasts, and thereby creating fish scarcity for the local people during the course of the aforesaid feasts. The other reason is that most of the youths dont have the desire to do fishing as a career as they consider as a low-class job. The forestry sector is as well as facing serious challenges. The forests and bushes are being dilapidated. You hardly set your eyes on a thick forest now in The Gambia. Most of them are deforested for the purpose of timber and firewood production without any form of reforestation. According to experts, this led to the wild animals in our forests and bushes being scared away, making the sector less attractive to tourism. It has also led to the shortage of rainfall during the course of rainy seasons in the country, which significantly affects farming and thus, creates scarcity of agricultural products in the market. Animal husbandry and horticultural farming sectors are facing some difficulties in the country. Animals like: goat; sheep; cow; chicken etc. are commonly reared in the country for mainly commercial purposes. This is mostly done by the rural indigenous people who contribute significantly towards overcoming food insecurity in the country. They usually rear these animals on a small scale due to their financial inability to do it on a massive scale. These reared animals are usually taken to the urban centers to be sold out in order to generate income for the farmers. However, these farmers are going through a lot of huddles. For instance, many young poultry farmers are crying because of the exorbitant cost of various types of chicken feeds. This has led to most farmers quitting the sector eventually as they hardly make any meaningful profit after deducting all their expenses. The other problem that the poultry farmers are faced with is the competition between the locally produced eggs and the imported ones. The importers of the foreign eggs are now aware that most people prefer the locally produced eggs for health reasons, and most of these locally produced eggs are mainly in white color. This has prompted most of the importers known for importing brown eggs to shift to the importation of white eggs instead of the brown eggs pretending that the imported white eggs are locally produced, thereby, creating the difficulty for local farmers to sell their eggs. The cultivation of crops is as well accustomed to the rural people whose plights cannot be exempted. Different varieties of crops are cultivated in The Gambia. one of the predominant ones is rice. Rice is one of the main staple foods for the country which is mainly cultivated in rural areas. Nowadays, the production of rice is significantly affected by the inconsistent rain seasons which could be associated with factors like deforestation. Some of these crops cultivated in the country are classified as cash crops (e.g. groundnut and cashew), and thus, are being exported to other countries in order to generate revenue for the Government. However, the rural dwellers being generally responsible for actively playing almost all the production roles in the agricultural sector, they are being marginalized. They lack the necessary empowerment from the Government to make their food production on a large scale. The farmers in the horticultural sector usually struggle to buy fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides due to their financial incapability. They instead resort to cultivating a small area that they can take care of because they dont have the ability to hire a tractor to talk less about buying enough fertilizers for their farms. The other problem that these horticultural farmers are facing is market competition. Certain crops and vegetables are coming from Senegal and thereby making it difficult for local farmers to have a good market for their farm produce. Access to credit facilities for expansion is another problem that most farmers are facing. Most farmers in the country are willing to expand their agribusiness in order to generate more income and create job opportunities for the youth folks, but they hardly access funds from the government agencies due to the cumbersome prerequisites that in place for accessing those funds. Also, inadequate water supply has hampered food production in the agricultural sector. The rain seasons being very inconsistent in recent years, have cost farmers to lose significantly a lot of income from their produce. Alternative measures like boreholes are not easily affordable for these local farmers as most of them are characterized by poverty. Going forward, the government should look into the aforementioned concerns and come up with possible solutions like the following: 1, Provide cheapest and affordable fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides to the local farmers, thereby encouraging them to improve on their yield. 2, Mechanize the agricultural sectors by providing tractors and other plowing tools to the rural farmers in order for them to produce rice and other crops in large quantities so as to reduce the exportation of rice and other food commodities in the country. 3. Put quotation on the importation of poultry eggs into the country in order to encourage the local farmers to grow; 4. Encourage the giving out of interest-free loans to already established farmers and agribusiness people in the country, in order for them to expand and increase their productivity. This would significantly complement the governments effort in eradicating poverty and food insecurity in the country. 5. Establish special programs for the farmers regarding ways to overcome inadequate rainfall e.g.water harvesting programs, aquaponics, etc. 6. As forests have a connection with rainfall put in place strict regulations against reckless cutting down of trees without replacement. This will conserve our forest and biodiversity and thus, enhance stable rainfall for our agricultural sector. 7. Encourage better post-harvest management, while also actively supporting agri-food processing mechanisms. 8. Give adequate support to the fisheries department and encourage young Gambians to participate in this sector, and as well encourage aquaculture in order to maintain high performing fish seeds in the country. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said the gathering of migrant labourers at Bandra railway station is the result of the manner in which the lockdown has been extended. "It is the result of the manner in which the lockdown has been extended. People who were stuck in Mumbai were expecting that lockdown will end and they will be allowed to go home but they were disappointed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address today. Their anger burst out on streets of Bandra," said Deshmukh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of migrant workers in Bandra. The Union Home Minister stressed that such gatherings weaken India's fight against the coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. He also offered his full support to Maharashtra government. Around 1,500 people, mostly migrant workers, gathered at Bandra railway station premises on Tuesday and wanted to go to their native places but were later dispersed, said the Mumbai Police. "Today at 4 pm, around 1,500 people gathered at Bandra railway station. Many of them were migrant labourers. They were unhappy with the extension of the lockdown and wanted to go back to their homes. They had placed their demand before the administration," said the Mumbai Police PRO DCP Pranaya Ashok. He said the police officials went to the spot and light force had to be used as a section of the crowd turned violent. "Local police officials went to the spot, talked to them and tried to convince them. During this, a section of the crowd turned violent. So light force had to be used to bring them under control. The crowd was dispersed. Police are deployed there. The situation is normal and peaceful," he said. The 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, has been extended till May 3. The lockdown has been enforced to prevent the spread of coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving blood is one way to make a difference during a public health emergency. But, is it safe to donate blood and plasma during a global pandemic? It is safe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said multiple steps are being taken protect the countrys blood supply from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Blood donors must be completely healthy and feel well on the day of donation, according to agency guidelines. Screening measures are already in place to prevent individuals with any type of respiratory infections from donating blood. Donors will also have their temperature taken. Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is accepting blood and platelet donations by appointment only. Appointments are spaced out to promote social distancing and patient blood usage, and the Houston center is encouraging people to make appointments in May and June. Convalescent plasma, the liquid part of blood collected from patients who have recovered from coronavirus, is already being used to treat some patients in Houston. It is under an emergency investigation by the FDA. COVID-19 patients develop antibodies in the blood against the virus; antibodies are proteins that might help fight the infection, the FDA said. Convalescent plasma is being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 because there is no approved treatment for this disease, and there is some information that suggests it might help some patients recover from COVID-19. It is not yet known if convalescent plasma being given to coronavirus patients could shorten the duration of their illness, reduce morbidity or prevent death. The COVID-19 convalescent plasma should only be collected from recovered patients if they are eligible to donate blood, according to the agency. Individuals must have fully recovered from the virus, with complete resolution of symptoms, for at least 28 days before donation of convalescent plasma. On HoustonChronicle.com: Methodist transfuses blood into 2 more COVID-19 patients The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is working with Houston hospitals to assess their needs. A system is in place to contact donors when the blood center is ready to collect recovered patients plasma. Allergic reactions and other side effects are possible after a plasma transfusion, but the procedure is considered safe and well-tolerated by most patients, according to the blood center. Its estimated that every two seconds a person in the U.S. needs blood, according to the Red Cross. The Red Cross encourages blood, platelet and AB Elite plasma donations at this time to ensure weeks of supply during the pandemic. Blood banks are considered essential during shelter-in-place orders. If you have given blood or plasma recently and have tested positive for COVID-19, contact the blood center immediately so your donation is not used. On HoustonChronicle.com: Blood plasma therapy coming for COVID-19 patients coming to more Houston hospitals To help deal with blood shortages, the FDA has expanded the scope of who can give blood. The deferral period for men who have had sex with another man has been lowered from a year to three months. For those with recent tattoos and piercings, the recommended deferral period is now three months. More information on who can give blood and plasma can be found at www.fda.gov. julie.garcia@chron.com Twitter.com/reporterjulie President Trump offered his condolences to the family of New York real estate developer and friend Stanley Chera on Monday, who recently died after contracting coronavirus. Chera died from complications of COVID-19 aged 78 on Saturday, having been admitted to the intensive care unit of New York Presbyterian Hospital in late March. Speaking during a White House briefing on Monday evening, President Trump said: 'Stanley Chera was a friend of mine for a long time. He was a great real estate person, great, great, sort of a legend in New York real estate.' Trump revealed that Chera, the co-founder of Crown Acquisitions, called him last month shortly after testing positive for COVID-19. 'He went to the hospital and never came out,' Trump said. 'He went into a coma. He was unconscious for a long period of time and he never made it. A great man.' President Trump offered his condolences to the family of New York real estate developer and friend Stanley Chera on Monday, who recently died after contracting coronavirus Speaking during a White House briefing on Monday evening, President Trump said: 'Stanley Chera was a friend of mine for a long time. He was a great real estate person, great, great, sort of a legend in New York real estate' Chera - said to be worth $4billion as of 2017 - was a longtime supporter of the Republican party and a major donor to the Trump campaign, reportedly donating over $400,000 since 2016. Trump said Chera was 'so excited when his friend from New York became the President of the United States.' 'He was like a young boy, he was so excited,' Trump continued. 'He thought wed do such a good job and was so happy and very proud of what we have done in this Administration. 'But he was tested positive and, unfortunately he didnt make it. To me, its a very sad thing.' As New York quickly became the epicenter of COVID-19 cases in the country, Trump reportedly advised Chera to leave the city and travel to his summer home in New Jersey. Numerous reports suggest it was the news of Chera's diagnosis that prompted the president to reconsider abandoning social distancing guidelines by Easter as he'd previously declared. Chera was diagnosed with coronavirus along with his wife, Frieda. Though she recovered, the 78-year-old was admitted to intensive care and placed on a ventilator, before being induced into a coma and later dying. Over the weekend, Trump also paid tribute to Chera in a tweet, writing: 'My deepest sympathies go out to Frieda Chera and the family of the late, great, Stanley Chera, one of Manhattans most brilliant real estate minds. 'Stanley was charitable, kind, and a wonderful friend. He will be truly missed!' 'Stanley loved the chase,' Steve Witkoff, a known New York real estate investor and developer, told The Real Deal. Chera (left), pictured with his wife Frieda (right), reportedly left New York City to escape the rising COVID-19 infections, but contracted the disease anyway The Cheras (pictured), ardent supporters of President Trump, reportedly donated $514,000 to his campaign as of August 2018 'He knew what the trend lines looked like before anybody else does. Its not dissimilar from being a great hedge fund manager someone who can see through a particular environment, a particular marketplace, and see how a customer is going to buy.' New York has recorded 188,902 confirmed cases and 9,385 deaths. On Sunday, the city had 98,715 infections and 5,742 people had died. Trump had spoken at recent White House briefings about a friend who had fallen ill with the virus, which has infected more than 588,000 Americans and killed over 23,000. Trump first spoke about his friend as he described the 'viciousness' of the disease on March 29. 'I had a friend who went to a hospital the other day. He's a little older, and he's heavy, but he's tough person,' Trump said. 'And he went to the hospital, and a day later, he's in a coma...he's not doing well.' President Trump referred to Chera when discussing the severity of COVID-19 during a daily briefing in March 'The speed and the viciousness, especially if it gets the right person, it's horrible. It's really horrible,' he said. The president, who is 73, alluded next to having 'friends' who were ill. 'I have some friends that are unbelievably sick,' Trump said. 'We thought they were going in for a mild stay. And, in one case, hes unconscious - in a coma. And you say, "How did that happen?"' Trump left the impression that having personally knowing someone who had become sick with COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, had influenced his decisions about how to handle the outbreak. According Vanity Fair, the severity of Chera's illness reportedly caused Trump to take a more serious approach to the coronavirus and may have stopped his call to re-open the economy by Easter. But asked at a later briefing whether his friend's case had marked a turning point in his thinking, Trump said it had not because he had been seeing the statistics and the rising case numbers. 'He's sort of central casting for what we're talking about, and it hit him very hard,' Trump said April 1. 'I've never seen anything like it.' Trump called out his friend and campaign donor at a 2019 rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, describing him as 'one of the biggest builders and real estate people in the world.' 'He's a great guy, and he's been with me from the beginning,' Trump said. Trump (pictured) lauded Chera at a 2019 rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and called the 78-year-old 'a great guy' New York City has reported more than 98,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 6,000 people have died since the disease appeared in early March During Trump's 2016 election, Chera hosted a fundraiser for the current president and donated thousands of dollars to his campaign. As of August 2018, Chera and his wife donated $514,000 to the Trump Victory fund. Before Chera's death, day-to-day operations at Crown Acquisitions were spearheaded by two of his sons, Isaac and Richard Chera. Haim Chera, the middle son, leads retail at Vornado Realty Trust after Crown Acquisitions purchased a 24 percent stake in the company's Manhattan retail portfolio. Chera reportedly took on the role similar to an advisor, counseling his three sons navigate their respective verticals, deals, politics, finances and leveraging business relationships. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness in some people, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions. The vast majority of people recoverTrump has been tested at least twice for the virus, with negative results each time, the White House said. Police officer Mark Dumas knocked on the door of a Windcrest resident Friday afternoon. He had no warrant, he was not there to arrest anyone, nor was there an emergency inside the home. Instead, Dumas stood on the porch and spoke with the elderly resident to make sure she was alright and to see if she needed anything. He talked with her a few minutes. The city of Windcrest is expanding its senior welfare check program to include daily drop-in calls with some of its more elderly residents. Police Chief Darrell Volz said the program expansion, a relatively new offering, represents the citys attempt to open lines of communication with elderly who may need help during the current stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic. Volz said he recently fielded a call from a Dallas resident, asking if the chief could have an officer drop by the residence of his elderly mother, who was practically a shut-in due to the stay-at-home order that had been in place for the past few weeks. He just asked if we could look in on her, to make sure she was OK, that everything was alright, Volz said. I thought, What a great idea, we could offer this to any senior who needs it. Patrol officers currently have a handful of residents they check on daily to make sure they are safe and to see if they need any essentials. A large segment of Windcrests population is elderly, he said, with its fair share of widows and widowers as well. Weve only got four signed up for it right now. We just recently put it out through social media, and were just trying to put the word out, he said. Volz said the department has contacted the Windcrest Lions Club and the Windcrest Womens Club, asking them to spread the word to see if any family members, neighbors and friends might benefit from such a routine check-up. Were already out there, so its no problem for us, he added. Volz said the department sends the same officers to each of the program enrollees so the residents recognize and relate to the same individual. Its about building that relationship. Sometimes they just enjoy the (officers) visit, the chief said. And of course we are going to maintain our safe distancing. We dont want to take anything to them that would be bad for them. Volz said the stay-at-home order has interrupted the routines of many seniors, whose primary socialization may be activity in the citys organizations, attendance at church and shopping. These activities have been disrupted and Volz said seniors, especially the widowed, might be feeling isolated and lonely as a result. He said he expects more people to take advantage of the program once they know it exists. I have not seen the sense of community anywhere else that we have here in Windcrest, said Volz. People look out for each other. The sense of community here is strong, and that just adds to keeping our citizens safe. He recommends that any Windcrest resident or anyone in the area that has an elderly relative or friend in the city wishing to take advantage of the senior check-up program call the department at its non-emergency number, 210-655-2666. A staff member will take the pertinent information and the department will reach out to the senior. Well give (the resident) a call and set something up, to see exactly what their needs may be, what time would be good, if they want us to stop by every day, every other day, etc., Volz said. This is just another way we can help out and make it safer and more comfortable for our fellow Windcrest residents, he added. jflinn@express-news.net Amid the nationwide lockdown because of COVID-19, there have been instances across the nation where there have been violent attacks on the police force, in the last few days. Ayushmann Khurrana is troubled reading about the number of cases of violence against police personnel in various cities of India amid COVID-19 crisis. The socially conscious actor is deeply disturbed about such acts of crime against cops who are risking their lives daily to protect the citizens of our country. Ayushmann took to social media to condemn such violent acts. He wrote, "I feel terrible reading about the heinous attacks on cops and security personnel that is happening across the country. The police force is risking their lives every single day to keep us, our families and our friends safe and I condemn such attacks on them." Several instances of violence like a cop's hand being chopped off in Patiala while on duty to prevent people from stepping out of their homes, mob attacks on policemen in Bhopal and Cuttack, Ahmedabad have been surfacing in the last couple of days. Ayushmann urged all Indians to appreciate the hard work that our police force is putting in to keep COVID-19 pandemic at bay. "They are putting us and our lives before theirs and we should respect how they are fighting for us to keep us all protected. All Indians should celebrate the police force and salute them! Jai Hind!" the actor further wrote in his post. Meanwhile, Ayushmann is currently in quarantine at home with his family. From penning songs to beautiful shayaris, the actor is quite a wordsmith and has been entertaining his fans with his posts on his social media page. Recently, the Dream Girl star even dedicated a heartfelt poem to the frontline workers. Speaking about work, the actor will be next seen in Shoojit Sircar's Gulabo Sitabo. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan. Ayushmann Khurrana Pens Powerful Poem To Frontline Workers: 'Bollywood Heroes Hai Bas Naam Ke' Ayushmann Khurrana Gives Surprise To Quarantined Women On Her Birthday Amid Coronavirus Lockdown Two Ukrainian servicemen were injured on Tuesday as a result of shelling attacks by illegal armed groups operating in eastern Ukraine, the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on Facebook. "As of 5:00 p.m. ... on April 14, the armed forces of the Russian Federation opened fire four times on the positions of the Joint Forces ... Two soldiers from the Joint Forces were injured. The soldiers received the necessary assistance, they were evacuated to a military medical facility," it said. S cientists at Latin America's largest medical research centre have captured images of the coronavirus infecting healthy cells under a powerful electron microscope. The photographs were taken while experts at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), in Brazil, studied the replication of the virus, which has killed more than 120,000 people across the world since emerging in China in December last year. The telescope they used magnifies objects up to two million times their normal size and allowed the team to peer inside a cell and witness virus molecules piercing the membrane and infecting it. The cells studied were isolated from the African green monkey and are frequently used in lab tests as stand-ins for human ones. "Scientists used viruses isolated from samples collected from the nose and throat of an infected patient," the Fiocruz institute said. The record is unprecedented in Brazil," it added. China suffers biggest rise in new coronavirus cases for weeks after travel ban lifted Their images show a series of dark points that are actually viral particles of the pathogen, known as Sars-CoV-2. The most crucial pictures reveal the virus breaking through the cell membrane wall and entering the cytoplasm - inside which is the cell nucleus that contains its genetic material. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast Research institutions around the world are racing to study Covid-19 in close detail in order to try and find out how to stop it. The World Health Organisation has said countries should consider protecting human health first while making decisions on whether to lift lockdown restrictions or impose them. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the recommendations on Monday during the virtual briefing in Geneva while updating journalists on the status of COVID-19 across the world. Mr Ghebreyesus said some countries are considering when they can lift these restrictions; others are considering whether and when to introduce them. In both cases, these decisions must be based first and foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what we know about the virus and how it behaves, he said. This advice came some hours before the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari extended the lockdown measures imposed on three states in the country. Mr Buhari, on Monday evening, extended the lockdown order on Lagos, Ogun and FCT for an additional two weeks as a means of containing the spread of the disease in the country. This, he said, would assist the health workers trace people who might have been exposed to the virus from a positive patient. While some countries are considering how to ease restrictions, others are considering whether to introduce them especially many low and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Mr Ghebreyesus said some countries and communities have now endured several weeks of social and economic restrictions. Yet, some countries are considering when they can lift these restrictions; others are considering whether and when to introduce them. In both cases, these decisions must be based first and foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what we know about the virus and how it behaves, he said. He said countries with large poor populations are likely to practice the stay-at-home orders and other restrictions used in some high-income countries. Many poor people, migrants and refugees are already living in overcrowded conditions with few resources and little access to health care, he said. How do you survive a lockdown when you depend on your daily labour to eat,? He asked. Since the beginning, this has been an area of intense focus for WHO. News reports from around the world describe how many people are in danger of being left without access to food. Mr Ghebreyesus enjoined countries to ensure that where stay-at-home measures are used, they must not be at the expense of human rights. Each government must assess their situation while protecting all their citizens, and especially the most vulnerable. Every country should be implementing a comprehensive set of measures to slow down transmission and save lives, with the aim of reaching a steady state of low-level or no transmission, he said. He said countries must strike a balance between measures that address the mortality caused by COVID-19, and by other diseases due to overwhelmed health systems, as well as the social-economic impacts. As the pandemic has spread, its public health and socioeconomic impacts have been profound, and have disproportionately affected the vulnerable. Many populations have already experienced a lack of access to routine, essential health services. Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue. Ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission, he said. According to a Tweet released on April 14, 2020, General Dynamics Electric Boat operations team made some terrific progress over the weekend in rolling out the 793 Oregon. This team includes hundreds of trades personnel. Transfer cars started rolling precisely on schedule on Friday, April 11, 2020, morning at 7:00 a.m. According to a Tweet released on April 14, 2020, General Dynamics Electric Boat operations team made some terrific progress over the weekend in rolling out the 793 Oregon. This team includes hundreds of trades personnel. Transfer cars started rolling precisely on schedule on Friday, April 11, 2020, morning at 7:00 a.m. General Dynamics Electric Boat rolls out US Navy SSN 793 Oregon Virginia Class nuclear attack submarine on April 11, 2020. (Picture source General Dynamics Electric Boat) General Dynamics Electric Boat was christened Oregon (SSN 793), the U.S. Navys newest and most advanced nuclear attack submarine, at a ceremony at its shipyard on Saturday, October 5, 2019. The submarine Oregon is the 20th ship of the Virginia Class. The central characteristic of the class is the modularity derived from the design/build approach, which supports efficient construction and mission capability. This provides the U.S. Navy with a submarine class that advances the state-of-the-art with each succeeding ship. Oregons adaptability makes it highly responsive to changing mission requirements. The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines, currently in the military service in the United States Navy. Designed by General Dynamics's Electric Boat (EB) and the Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Virginia-class submarines are the American Navy's latest undersea warfare platform which incorporates the latest in stealth, intelligence gathering and weapons systems technology. The Virginia class submarine is equipped with 12 vertical missile launch tubes and four 533mm torpedo tubes. The vertical launching system has the capacity to launch 16 Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) in a single salvo. There is capacity for up to 26 mk48 ADCAP mod 6 heavyweight torpedoes and sub harpoon anti-ship missiles to be fired from the 21in torpedo tubes. According to open-source budget documents, Virginia-class submarines are planned to be equipped with a high-energy laser weapon likely to be incorporated into the photonics mast and have a power output of 300500 kilowatts, based on the submarine's 30 megawatts reactor capacity. UTICA, N.Y. Congressman Anthony Brindisi is urging the government to provide much-needed assistance to New York and other states to help offset the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Brindisi is still working with his colleagues, by meeting virtually, to discuss stimulus funds and how they should be distributed. With hospitals across the state canceling all non-emergency surgeries, they are in a tough situation financially without receiving any revenue. They are literally bleeding money right now because they have no revenue coming inso what they've had to do is focus entirely on the pandemic which is what they should be doing, said Brindisi. However, if they don't get an infusion of cash from the federal government to keep their doors open, what we're going to start seeing in the next few weeks, is having to cut back on staff and having to cut back on salaries. Brindisi said if the state does not receive sufficient assistance from the federal government, they may have to make difficult budget cuts across the board. "New York itself is facing a $10 billion budget hole because of this pandemic. If they're forced to close that hole on their own, they're going to cut things like education and infrastructure and healthcare and aid to localities so we've got to get some funding to our state," he said. Brindisi has created a section on his website for coronavirus information and resources, which can be found at: brindisi.house.gov. John Paul McDonagh, the teen who died after a street altercation in Enniskillen A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of John Paul McDonagh in Fermanagh. The man has been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including murder, and he remains in custody. Mr McDonagh (18) died of his injuries in hospital on Monday after he and another man were stabbed at Coolcullen Meadows in Enniskillen on Saturday night. The teenager lost his leg following the stabbing, which followed a public dispute understood to involve members of the travelling community. Coronavirus: Home Minister Amit Shah talked to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on phone over the Bandra incident where a thousand migrants had gathered and assured him to provid every possible help. While on the other side, a Congress MLA has been tested coronavirus positive in Gujarat. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday late evening to take account of the Bandra Station incident where more than a thousand migrants gathered defying nationwide lockdown. These people were demanding transport to take them back to their native places, said reports. On the phone call, Shah told CM Thackeray that such incidents weaken India and will ruin the hardwork done so far. The administration needs to stay vigilant and take stringent actions to deal such incidents. These migrants gathered at the Bandra Railway Station after a fake news surfaced over social media that trains will run today after Prime Minister Narendra Modis address, said reports. However, Prime Minister, in his address had clearly said that people should stay wherever they are till May 3. The Centre and the state governments will provide every essential service and facility to them including ration and money in their bank accounts. Later, to control the situation, Police baton charged to disperse the crowd. Meanwhile, a Gujarat Congress MLA has been tested positive, said reports. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda told media that Congress lawmaker Imran Khedawala has been declared was coronavirus positive. Reports said Khedawala also met Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. He was called for a meeting along with Dariapur MLA Gyasuddin Sheikh and Shailesh Parmar of Danilimda. Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel and Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja were also present there. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App By Nupur Anand MUMBAI, April 14 (Reuters) - State-owned banks in India have barred employees from posting pictures, video clips or messages on social media on issues such as overcrowding at bank branches during the coronavirus crisis, according to multiple sources and documents seen by Reuters. Banks have seen a surge in traffic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined a package of anti-crisis measures including direct cash payments to millions of poorer Indians, who have been queuing at branches to access the funds. Some branch staff have complained on social media of the difficulty in imposing social distancing in such conditions, earning a rebuke from employers and even from the police. State Bank of India, the country's largest lender, said in a notice sent to its employees that disciplinary action would be taken for violating the code of conduct if they spoke on social media about the functioning of its branches. "On scrutiny of these posts it is observed that many of these social media users are our employees," said the letter, adding that some posts had made disparaging comments about the bank, its management and policies. A similar memo warning employees against social media posts has also been issued by other state-owned banks including Punjab National Bank, a communication seen by Reuters said. Emails sent to both banks seeking comment remained unanswered. Asked about the memos, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry said the Department of Financial Services, which oversees state-owned banks, had not issued any gag orders and was "always looking for honest feedback to improve the customer services". THREAT OF ARREST Bankers say they are now also being harassed by police for failing to ensure the social distancing required to help curb the spread of coronavirus. "Instead of helping us the police are threatening to arrest us," said one bank official, who asked not to be named due to the restrictions imposed by the state-owned bank where he works. Story continues The All India Bank Officers' confederation, a union of bank employees, has raised the matter with federal and state authorities, requesting them not to penalize bank employees. "So far we're neither getting help to manage the crowds, nor are we being allowed to voice complaints... about the critical lapses and failures of social distancing at banks," said another bank employee who also requested anonymity. The Finance Ministry spokesman said the government had ordered state authorities "to render all possible help to the bankers in implementing social distancing". Bank unions said they had also asked for protective gear for branch officials but this had not yet been provided as India is still struggling to meet the safety requirements of health workers. India has extended a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people until at least May 3 to combat the spread of coronavirus. India has so far reported more than 10,000 cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus, including 358 deaths. (Reporting by Nupur Anand Editing by Gareth Jones) It has been a month since Hyderabad-based software engineer Ram, Telanganas first Covid-19 patient, was discharged from a hospital in Secunderabad after recovering from the disease, but his days in isolation continue to haunt him. He was alone in the hospitals isolation ward located in a corner of the facility and did not see a single human face during his treatment. Doctors who examined me twice daily were in protective gear and other paramedical staff, too, had their faces covered completely. I felt like I was in a different world, said Ram on condition of withholding his surname. It is not easy...especially when you are alone in the hospital room and nobody neither your parents nor friends can meet you for two weeks. Ram, who tested positive on March 2, had just one visitor, Telangana health minister Etela Rajender, who came to meet him briefly on March 6. He was very encouraging, Ram said. Ram had high fever and pneumonia but he was more worried about his family. My main worry was what if my family members had contracted the virus? I was especially concerned about my father, who is diabetic. But luckily they all tested negative. And the doctors gave me the confidence that since I am young and physically strong, I can easily get cured, he said. Ram was given heavy doses of antibiotics as doctors advised him not to read too much about the disease. Luckily for me, there was no television in my room nor were any newspapers. I was completely cut off from the rest of the world without knowing what is happening outside, he said. Ram mostly slept for the first few days at the hospital because of heavy medication. I had my mobile phone and an iPad. I spent most of the time reading books on Kindle. Twice a day, I used to make video calls to my parents and that gave me a lot of peace, he said. Rams mother would also sent him home-cooked food. Ram was discharged on March 14 but advised home quarantine for another 14 days before his locality was declared a containment zone on April 10. During this period, I realised how society can stigmatise you for no fault of yours. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had declared my colony as a containment zone though there were no other positive cases there. They told me it was because I had suffered from Covid-19, though I got cured a month ago. This social stigma is more traumatic than the disease. Telangana has 246 containment zones, out of which 126 are in Greater Hyderabad. The city also has nearly half of the 472 Covid-19 cases in the state. There are over 25,000 people under home quarantined in the state as well. Ram also featured in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Mann Ki Baat radio address last month and the latter asked him how he contracted the virus. I would like you to make an audio of your experience and share it on social media. It will remove fear from the peoples minds and at the same time make them aware of the necessary precautions to protect themselves, Modi told him. Ram said he wanted the society not to stigmatise Covid-19 patients. I felt relaxed [after talking to Modi] and have learnt to deal with such crisis situations, he said. Ram is back to his routine now and working from home. I went out to buy provisions from the supermarket nearby recently. Of course, nobody could recognise me, as I had a face mask on. Ram is back to his routine now and working from home. I went out to buy provisions from the supermarket nearby recently. Of course, nobody could recognise me, as I had a face mask on. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court of India has reportedly urged Indians to stay put where they are and adjourned the hearing of all the petitions related to their evacuation for a month. Living in a labour camp 250 kilometres away from Abu Dhabi, 42-year-old mechanical technician Hitendra Solanki spends his days on phone tracking every piece of news on the coronavirus situation. Solanki who hails from Kutch is among thousands of Indian workers stranded in the UAE even after their work visa expired. Thankfully, for Solanki, his company has allowed him to live in the camp but he is itching to go back home to his ailing mother, wife and three children. My old visa expired on 14 January 2020, but my company did not tell me that my new visa was rejected and I continued working, Solanki said adding that he still hasnt received his salary for the last two months. Tweeting their troubles With over 3.4 million Indians in the UAE, it is no surprise that many are stuck due to the lockdown in India. The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai have received requests from over a thousand Indian nationals that include visitors, jobseekers and those who lost their jobs. Many have taken to Twitter to post their grievances. I am stuck in Dubai without employment and request your help for the flight to Bangalore. I have self-quarantined, and healthy, read a tweet from Pradeep Kumar. Another Indian national Pallavi Saxena tweeted, Stranded herewant to go back to India soon please help. Yet another user wrote, I am in the UAE and my visa is expired and I have my cancellation paper. In my home there senior citizens so I should be there this lock down times (sic). The Indian consulate has also received an additional request from an employer who has laid-off around a thousand Indian workers. Consulate assisted a group of 15 Indian workers who are stranded in Ajman without employment. We provided them with food provisions through Indian Association, Ajman. India in Dubai (@cgidubai) April 10, 2020 (2/2) Food items were also arranged for some individuals and families in Deira, Bur Dubai and Hor al Anz. India in Dubai (@cgidubai) April 11, 2020 We continue our work of assisting Indian nationals in this difficult time both directly and through community. Today we sent food provisions to a group of 200 workers in Al Quoz, thanks to generous support of a prominent community member. (1/2) India in Dubai (@cgidubai) April 11, 2020 Al-Ain based social worker and former general secretary of the Indian Social Centre Russell Mohamad points towards the plight of hundreds of school bus owners and drivers, who have been left high and dry with schools in the UAE opting for e-learning until September. Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates Mohamad says the schools have been asked to stop collecting transportation fees from parents and hence they have stopped paying the bus owners and the drivers. The UAE has the highest number of international schools in the Gulf -- 511 at the last count. The UAE government has clearly stated that travel arrangements for the expats who are COVID-19 negative can be made if they want to go home provided there is permission from the Indian government to let them land, explains Mohamad adding that the Indian consulate or the Embassy should take this up with the government of India. Mohamad cited the example of the Philippine Embassy, who is working on the repatriation of Filipino crew members stranded in ships at Abu Dhabi and other ports in the UAE. Filipino residents and visitors wanting to return have been told to coordinate with their respective embassies. Future consequences It is perhaps this dire situation that has led to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) in the UAE to make a startling announcement. The ministry is now reviewing its labour relations with partner countries. A ministry official quoted by UAEs official news agency WAM said the ministry is looking into revising current partnerships concerning labour relations with nations refusing to cooperate with evacuation measures undertaken by the UAE to repatriate private sector expatriates who wish to return home. The official noted that the ministry's move comes after a number of countries did not respond to requests by their nationals to return home following the COVID-19 developments. The official stated that the options currently being studied include halting of any memoranda of understanding between the ministry and the concerned authorities of non-cooperative countries as well as the introduction of restrictions or quotas for future recruitment. This even as the Supreme Court of India has said that repatriating the overseas Indians now would be a violation of the COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by the Central government. The apex court has reportedly urged Indians to stay put where they are and adjourned the hearing of all the petitions related to their evacuation for a month. Back in the UAE, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai have maintained that so far they have not received any official communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) regarding the revision of labour relations with India. Both the missions have opened 24x7 helplines to assist stranded Indian nationals. NEW YORK, N.Y. -- In the next few weeks, New York City will have at least 100,000 coronavirus test kits at its disposal, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. New York City will start producing 50,000 test kits a week on its own at the beginning of May with the help of local companies and universities and will purchase another 50,000 more a week from Aria Diagnostics, a private firm in Carmel, Indiana, which has already donated 50,000 test kits to New York City. Starting in a few weeks we will be producing here in New York City 50,000 test kits per week with components put together right here with companies, universities, New York City workers right here, building a brand new supply chain, de Blasio told reporters during a press conference Tuesday. The new testing will be administered at NYC Health and Hospitals locations across the city the mayor named over the weekend. On Staten Island, more coronavirus testing will come online at the NYC Health and Hospitals/Gotham Health Vanderbilt clinic located at 165 Vanderbilt Ave. The mayor did not elaborate on who would be prioritized for the new testing, only saying it would be for the most vulnerable groups of New Yorkers and would lay out a specific criteria in the coming days. He also did not say how much the additional testing would cost and declined to elaborate on which companies and universities he had partnered with to produce the tests. The general criteria weve discussed previously, folks with pre-existing conditions, folks who are older and particularly those who have both, he said. And thats the number one concern, folks who are over 50 and have preexisting conditions. Well lay out the exact focal group, the exact priority group for the grassroots testing, its going to be limited to begin, so we want to make sure it gets to those who need it most and well have more to say in the next few days, he continued. Though New York City will have the ability to test more New Yorkers on its own in the coming weeks, the mayor said the federal government was not off the hook from getting the city and the country more coronavirus testing. This does not let the federal government off the hook, de Blasio said. Not only do they have to deal with the fact that for months and months they didn't do what they needed that could have helped us stop this crisis from growing the way it has, but they still have to come through now, because the amount of testing were going to need, the amount of testing thats going to be needed all over the country is vast, he continued. The mayor also said Tuesday there are now eight companies in Brooklyn manufacturing 240,000 face shields a week and another five companies producing 30,000 surgical gowns a week. By the end of next week, he said those companies will be able to produce at least 465,000 face shields and 100,000 surgical gowns a week. As of Monday afternoon April 13 there were 106,813 confirmed coronavirus cases across New York City, including 8,198 cases on Staten Island as of Monday morning, according to the citys latest coronavirus figures. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CourtCall, the industry leader in remote appearances, welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to conduct oral arguments by teleconference for the first time in response to the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. By embracing the use of remote appearance technology, the Supreme Court has taken a significant step validating its use. "While it is unfortunate that circumstances require the Supreme Court to move away from traditional in-person oral argument, tens of thousands of attorneys and thousands of Judges have used CourtCall's full-service telephonic appearance services for millions of hearings since 1996," said Bob Alvarado, Chief Executive Officer of CourtCall. "Regardless of the platform utilized, this action by the Supreme Court will hopefully give confidence to those courts that have not historically viewed telephonic or video appearances as effective and suitable alternatives to in-person appearances." About the Company CourtCall was established in 1995, with the desire to make remote Court Appearances simple, accessible and affordable for all parties and has completed more than 6.000,000 remote appearances. With this objective in mind, CourtCall developed the Remote Appearance Platform, creating an organized and voluntary way for attorneys to appear for routine matters in Civil, Family, Criminal, Probate, Bankruptcy, Workers' Compensation and other cases from their offices, homes or other convenient locations. Designed with reliable and user-friendly technologies, courts and remote participants experience seamless communication during cases, while benefiting from significant time and cost savings. Today, CourtCall is the industry leader in facilitating remote Court Appearances throughout the United States, Canada and Worldwide. Technologies continue to expand, such that remote Court Appearances can be conducted with audio, video, and when necessary, remote interpretation services. Contact: Edie Liu, Chief Operating Officer (888) 882-6878, Ext. 856 or [email protected] Related Images image1.png Related Links www.CourtCall.com SOURCE CourtCall Related Links http://www.CourtCall.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Margaryta Chornokondratenko and Alexander Marrow (Reuters) Kiev, Ukraine Tue, April 14, 2020 10:05 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1b33a4 2 World chernobyl,forest-fires,Russia,Ukraine Free A huge forest fire in Ukraine that has been raging for more than a week is now just one kilometre from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant and poses a radiation risk, Greenpeace Russia warned on Monday, citing satellite images. Ukraines Emergency Situations Service said it was still fighting the fires, but that the situation was under control. Video footage shot by Reuters on Sunday showed plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky and trees still ablaze, with firefighters in helicopters trying to put out the fires. Wildfires are tearing through Chernobyls exclusion zone because 2020 seems intent on finding unique ways to express its hatred of us. ARTICLE: https://t.co/7wT1UwexRc pic.twitter.com/I5KMCEjNq7 RT (@RT_com) April 13, 2020 Aerial images of the 30 km (19 mile) exclusion zone around the plant, site of the worlds worst nuclear accident in 1986, showed scorched, blackened earth and the charred stumps of still smouldering trees. The Emergency Situations Service said radiation levels in the exclusion zone had not changed and those in nearby Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, did not exceed natural background levels. Greenpeace Russia said the situation is much worse than Ukrainian authorities believe, and that the fires cover an area one thousand times bigger than they claim. On April 4 Ukrainian authorities said the blaze covered an area of 20 hectares, but Greenpeace cited satellite images showing it was around 12,000 hectares in size at that time. According to satellite images taken on Monday, the area of the largest fire has reached 34,400 hectares, it said, adding that a second fire, stretching across 12,600 hectares, was just one kilometre away from the defunct plant. Ukrainian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those claims. Rashid Alimov, head of energy projects at Greenpeace Russia, said the fires, fanned by the wind, could disperse radionuclides, atoms that emit radiation. A fire approaching a nuclear or hazardous radiation facility is always a risk, Alimov said. In this case were hoping for rain tomorrow. Chernobyl tour operator Yaroslav Yemelianenko, writing on Facebook, described the situation as critical. He said the fire was rapidly expanding and had reached the abandoned city of Pripyat, two kilometers from where the most highly active radiation waste of the whole Chernobyl zone is located. He called on officials to warn people of the danger. Satellite images taken by NASA Worldview and seen by Reuters showed the two fires had extended far into the exclusion zone. #NASA images show continuing spread of fires in high-radiation #Chernobyl zone from April 8 to April 9https://t.co/gQ0RMdojmc pic.twitter.com/MfIVcbL6aD Reinhard Uhrig (@reinharduhrig) April 11, 2020 The fires, which follow unusually dry weather, began on April 3 in the western part of the exclusion zone and spread to nearby forests. Police say they have identified a 27-year old local resident who they accuse of deliberately starting the blaze. It remains unclear if the person, who has reportedly confessed to starting a number of fires for fun, is partly or fully responsible. The number of firearms purchase checks conducted by state police shot up in the first quarter of 2020, and so did the number of denials. State police reported Tuesday that they conducted 304,876 checks between January and March, nearly 40,000 more than for the same period in 2019. Police nationwide and the FBI have reported that gun purchase background checks have smashed records over fears relating to the coronavirus and its possible impact on society. Of the 2020 checks conducted through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, 4,866 resulted in denials, compared to 3,260 denials for the first quarter of last year, police said. They said 1,226 of the denials were referred to law enforcement for investigations regarding false statements made on the applications. That is more than double the number referred during the same time frame in 2019. Police said 42 people were arrested on outstanding warrants as they tried to buy guns. Skullduggery: noun. Def: underhanded or unscrupulous behavior. In 1991, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill known as the Anti Skullduggery Act (ASA). This Act was sponsored by then State Senator Steve Cohen of Memphis to address a problem he saw as a result of the most recent November elections. Senator Cohen was rightfully upset that a sitting incumbent legislator filed papers to qualify for the next election. He was in a relatively safe Republican seat and, as it turned out, no one filed papers to run against him in the primary and the Democrats opted to pass on the seat as they knew the odds of winning against a long term incumbent were not worth the investment, right? So the incumbent would have been the only candidate on the ballot in November. That is not really unusual in these situations. There is an old saying in politics; the two best ways to run for office are scared or unopposed. In this case, the incumbent was running unopposed. But, what the incumbent didnt tell anyone at the time was that he was planning to retire and had no intention of actually running that year. So, he talked a friend of his into waiting until the very last day to file qualifying papers and be prepared to file his candidacy for that office and the incumbent would then withdraw his name from the ballot. No one else knew about the plans so no one else had time to get the necessary signatures and file paperwork before the noon deadline on that particular date. The new candidate then went on to run unopposed in the primary and general election and then served very well in the Tennessee General Assembly for several terms. But, that did not sit well with Senator Cohen. It appeared to him, rightfully so, that this was trickery, deceit, and yes, even skullduggery. Senator Cohen introduced his bill, the Anti Skullduggery Act, and made a strong and logical argument for its passage. And it did pass both chambers with strong support. Very simply the ASA now provides that if any incumbent for any office withdraws his/her candidacy on the last day of the qualifying period, the qualifying deadline will then be extended for another seven days to allow others to enter the race. It actually made a lot of sense to address skullduggery in the election process. Now, fast forward to Hamilton County in 2020 and the District 2 County School Board election. The incumbent, Kathy Lennon, an unapologetically vocal and left leaning representative to the Board of Education, filed her papers to be on the August ballot. She knew, however that she would likely be targeted by a more conservative candidate who would be a better fit for that district and faced an uphill battle. She was not up for that fight. But then, another candidate also qualified to run. This candidate, Marco Perez, had actually served as Lennons campaign treasurer in the last election and was considered to be one of her political lieutenants. Strange, right? Well, not so strange if you participate in Skullduggery. On the last day that a candidate could withdraw from the race, April 9, Ms. Lennon withdrew her candidacy, leaving Mr. Perez as the only candidate to appear on the August ballot from District 2. Sound familiar? As it turns out, the provisions of the Anti-Skullduggery Act then kicked in. The qualifying period was then opened for another seven days under the Tennessee statute. And along comes a very qualified candidate to serve, Mr. Tom Decosimo. Tom was already planning to run in August as a write in candidate after it appeared there would be no opposition to the acolyte candidacy of Ms. Lennon. Tom was then made aware of the Anti-Skullduggery Act and quickly quipped if what the incumbent and her lieutenant did is not skullduggery, I dont know what is. And he is right. The ASA was specifically crafted to address this type of deception. Tom has now qualified to be on the August ballot. He will be an outstanding candidate and an exceptional member of the Hamilton County Board of Education. I strongly urge anyone who lives in District 2 to support Tom Decosimo and lets begin to see some real progress on the School Board, working toward real solutions while managing a half a billion dollar budget funded by taxpayers. Ken Meyer Former Member of the Tennessee General Assembly who voted for the Anti Skullduggery Act. Health bosses have identified ten danger zones across Sydney where residents are being urged to get tested for coronavirus even if they have very mild symptoms. The areas have been flagged as possible virus hotspots because patients have tested positive without knowing where they caught the disease, suggesting that community transmission is happening. Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Westmead and Penrith have all been marked by NSW Health as potential hubs in Sydney's western suburbs. Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick in Sydney's east and Ryde in the city's north-west have also been identified as areas at risk. These are the suburbs in Sydney that have been identified as possible hotspots by NSW Health, because locals have tested positive to disease without any obvious links to clusters Outside Sydney, Manning Valley and Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Region have been put on alert. Residents of the impacted regions qualify for testing even if they have not come into contact with a known case or recently returned from overseas. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant told reporters this morning: 'In those areas, we have identified cases of COVID-19 where there aren't clear links to clusters. 'We want to assure ourselves that there is not broader community transmission occurring in those areas.' NSW Health is urging anyone who is feeling unwell with a cough, fever or runny nose to get assessed at any of the free COVID-19 clinics. People who test negative will be texted their results on the same day of their test while those who test positive will be contacted by officials. 'Using our new statewide SMS notification solution, patients who register will receive an automated SMS test result within six hours of the completion of the laboratory test,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said today. To continue testing for coronavirus in Bondi, a drive through testing clinic was set up. Pictured: Patients using the facility 12 CORONAVIRUS DANGER ZONES Penrith Inner West Liverpool Randwick Waverley Woollahra Blacktown Cumberland Westmead Ryde Manning Valley Lake Macquarie Advertisement New South Wales recorded only seven new cases on Monday, although testing was reduced due to the public holiday. Victoria has also relaxed testing criteria, urging anyone with a fever or breathing difficulties to get checked. Testing is available in the state at 40 pop-up GP clinics. There were 10 new cases recorded in Victoria on Monday. Australia's coronavirus infection curve may be flattening but it is still too early to relax strict social distancing rules, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has said. Professor Murphy said it was important Australia maintained social distancing measures for the time being, as every single undetected community transmission could infect a lot of people. 'The scale of measures at the moment are something that we clearly do have to review... but it's not now, it's within the next few weeks,' he told ABC radio on Monday. 'I think we need to look at all of the data, look at our preparedness, and the national cabinet will be making a lot of decisions about what, if anything, can be relaxed in the coming weeks.' Professor Murphy said he would be very concerned if social restrictions were relaxed before public hospitals were fully prepared and the country had enough personal protective equipment. People were given hand sanitiser and had their temperatures checked before entering Sydney Fish Market on Friday, April 10 Health Minister Greg Hunt on Monday said the aim was to work towards 'effective eradication' of the disease. The federal government has announced an extra $3 million to boost the nationally co-ordinated emergency response to COVID-19. It is also considering subsidising domestic flights for airlines hammered by the pandemic. Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham says there are no guarantees international flights will resume by December. He is encouraging people to take domestic holidays instead once the pandemic subsides. Medics were pictured performing COVID-19 tests at a drive through facility while potential carriers sat in their cars At the regional level and worldwide, the occurrence of large shallow earthquakes appears to follow a mathematical pattern called the Devil's Staircase, where clusters of earthquake events are separated by long but irregular intervals of seismic quiet. The finding published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America differs from the pattern predicted by classical earthquake modeling that suggests earthquakes would occur periodically or quasi-periodically based on cycles of build-up and release of tectonic stress. In fact, say Yuxuan Chen of the University of Missouri, Columbia, and colleagues, periodic large earthquake sequences are relatively rare. The researchers note that their results could have implications for seismic hazard assessment. For instance, they found that these large earthquake sequences (those with events magnitude 6.0 or greater) are "burstier" than expected, meaning that the clustering of earthquakes in time results in a higher probability of repeating seismic events soon after a large earthquake. The irregular gap between event bursts also makes it more difficult to predict an average recurrence time between big earthquakes. Seismologists' catalogs for large earthquakes in a region might include too few earthquakes over too short a time to capture the whole staircase pattern, making it "difficult to know whether the few events in a catalog occurred within an earthquake cluster or spanned both clusters and quiescent intervals," Chen and his colleagues noted. "For this same reason, we need to be cautious when assessing an event is 'overdue' just because the time measured from the previous event has passed some 'mean recurrence time' based an incomplete catalog," they added. The Devil's Staircase, sometimes called a Cantor function, is a fractal demonstrated by nonlinear dynamic systems, in which a change in any part could affect the behavior of the whole system. In nature, the pattern can be found in sedimentation sequences, changes in uplift and erosion rates and reversals in Earth's magnetic field, among other examples. Chen's Ph.D. advisor Mian Liu had an unusual introduction to the Devil's Staircase. "I stumbled into this topic a few years ago when I read about two UCLA researchers' study of the temporal pattern of a notorious serial killer, Andrei Chikatilo, who killed at least 52 people from 1979 to 1990 in the former Soviet Union," he explained. "The time pattern of his killings is a Devil's staircase. The researchers were trying to understand how the criminal's mind worked, how neurons stimulate each other in the brain. I was intrigued because I realized that earthquakes work in a similar way, that a fault rupture could stimulate activity on other faults by stress transfer." "Conceptually, we also know that many large earthquakes, which involve rupture of multiple and variable fault segments in each rupture, violate the basic assumption of the periodic earthquakes model, which is based on repeated accumulation and release of energy on a given fault plane," Liu added. The factors controlling the clustered events are complex, and could involve the stress that stimulates an earthquake, changes in frictional properties and stress transfer between faults or fault segments during a rupture, among other factors, said Gang Luo of Wuhan University. He noted that the intervals appear to be inversely related to the background tectonic strain rate for a region. ### The Devil's Staircase pattern can be found in large earthquakes in the Great Basin of the U.S. West, in Australia, on the Africa-Eurasia plate boundary off the coast of western Algeria, along the Dead Sea Transform Fault, and potentially in the New Madrid seismic zone of the central U.S., said Liu, noting that the specific details of the pattern vary from region to region. Harris County stopped accepting applications for its $10 million small business loan program 28 hours after its website launched, after requests far exceeded the available aid. By 5:45 p.m. Friday, the site had received requests from 7,135 business owners seeking more than $152 million, a sign of how hard-hit small firms have been hit by the novel coronavirus and Harris County restrictions on commerce intended to slow the spread of the disease. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who proposed the program, said the county decided to suspend applications to avoid giving business owners false hope. Theres obviously not going to be enough to go around for everybody, so why leave the site up, have people frustrated that they applied to something that already effectively ran out? Garcia said. The first-term commissioner said he hopes to expand the program by committing additional county funds or through a partnership with the state. The loans are particularly attractive to struggling small firms because Garcia said the county hopes to pay out more quickly than similar federal government programs. Unlike funds from private lenders, Harris County is offering no-interest loans that can be forgiven after five years. More than 1,100 businesses in each of four commissioner precincts submitted applications, including 2,324 in Precinct 3. The average loan request was $21,410. The maximum businesses can seek is $25,000. Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce President Jenna Armstrong said she expected applications to flow in quickly, so she urged member businesses to file when the site launched at 2 p.m. Thursday. Still, she was surprised at the volume of requests. I think that underscores the great need thats out there, Armstrong said. Its limited funding and everyone is trying to grasp on to whatever they can. Now Playing: 'COVID-19 in 60': Houston coronavirus news in a minute Video: Houston Chronicle J. Goodwille Pierre said he successfully submitted an application for his law firm and consulting business a few hours after the site launched. He said many of his clients are restaurants who have been struggling since Harris County restricted food service to takeout and delivery almost a month ago. Pierre said the application process was surprisingly easy compared to federal programs. My experience with the SBA program hasnt been positive, so its a godsend, Pierre said. It will help me with short-term cash flow. To be eligible, firms must be up to date on taxes, in business for at least a year and be able to demonstrate harm caused by the pandemic and meet other criteria. Armstrong said she has heard from firms in business less than 12 months whose owners have nowhere to turn for aid. Ingrid Robinson, president of the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, said the program could help some of the groups member businesses survive the pandemic. She said some business owners were puzzled by a requirement to post collateral for a relatively small loan principal. If Im already struggling with my business, do I really want to put up my car? Robinson said. The loans will be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis. Garcia said business owners must promptly respond to communications from loan servicers, such as requests for additional documents, to avoid losing their places in line. Harris County contributed the $10 million from its $300 million rainy day fund, which usually is reserved for hurricanes and economic downturns. The Houston-Galveston Area Council is administering the loan program. Garcia said he wants to analyze which businesses receive loans through the program. He may consider asking his Commissioners Court colleagues to again dip into the rainy day account for another tranche of funding, this time with stricter rules to ensure the neediest businesses receive the limited aid. At last Tuesdays session, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis suggested reserving funds for women and minority-owned businesses. The three Democratic members voted for the loan program. Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack criticized the idea as an inappropriate use of taxpayer money; the courts other Republican member, Precinct 4s Jack Cagle, expressed support for the idea but voted against it saying he needed more time to study the proposal. The proponents acknowledged the damage to businesses caused by the stay-at-home order is greater than the aid county government can provide. We cant bail out our entire countys economy, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. Garcia said last week that he hoped the city of Houston would contribute to the loan fund. The city has yet to do so, but it has contributed $25,000 to a relief fund for artists. zach.despart@chron.com You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close More than 100 million children could be at risk for measles because countries around the world are suspending national immunization programs in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, international public health leaders warned on Monday. So far, 24 low- and middle-income countries, including Mexico, Nigeria and Cambodia, have paused or postponed such programs, according to the Measles and Rubella Initiative, a consortium whose members include UNICEF, the American Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike wealthier countries, where parents typically make appointments to follow a routine vaccine schedule at clinics or private pediatric offices, these countries inoculate large numbers of infants and children in communal settings, like marketplaces, schools, churches and mosques. Dr. Robin Nandy, the chief of immunization for UNICEF, acknowledged that finding the balance between guarding against the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and preventable diseases like measles was delicate and difficult. In our quest to vaccinate kids, we shouldnt contribute to the spread of COVID-19, he said. But we dont want a country that is recovering from an outbreak of it to then be dealing with a measles or diphtheria outbreak. Nandy said that public health organizations had endorsed new immunization guidelines from the WHO, which recognize that while campaigns advocating mass inoculations should be sustained as long as safely possible, temporary suspensions might occur because of reasonable concerns about transmission of COVID-19 to patients and health care workers. We have to acknowledge the disruption, whether we like it or not, Nandy said. But he urged countries to plan for shipments of vaccines and syringes to be available as soon as an easing of COVID-19 restrictions permitted and, given the limited number of international flights, even to be prepared to charter planes. Countries should be compiling immunization registries, tracking earlier campaigns and doing risk assessments, to prioritize regions where outbreaks would be most likely and children most vulnerable, he added. But Dr. Beate Kampmann, director of the Vaccine Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said many countries that already have weak and fragmented health care systems would not be able to collect reliable immunization data. There are virtually no registers for vaccinations in West Africa other than parent-held records, she said, adding that an entire birth cohort of infants could miss out on vaccinations altogether with serious consequences. Before the coronavirus pandemic, measles was already making a resurgence in some places. In 2017, there were 7,585,900 estimated measles cases and 124,000 estimated deaths, according to the World Health Organization. By 2018, the last year for which international figures have been compiled, there were 9,769,400 estimated measles cases and 142,300 related deaths. In 2019, the United States reported 1,282 measles cases, its highest in more than 25 years. The measles vaccine has been available for more than 50 years. Countries including Brazil, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are currently fighting outbreaks of measles. Among the countries that have postponed their vaccination programs are Bolivia, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Paraguay, Somalia, South Sudan and Uzbekistan. Kampmann was also concerned about potential outbreaks in wealthier countries in North America and Europe, which do not have national inoculation programs. Because of COVID-19 fears, American pediatric practices are beginning to report significant drops in well-child visits, including those for routine vaccines. Even in resource-rich settings there is a danger of measles raising its ugly head in the not-too-distant future, Kampmann added, hence it is even more important to sustain routine immunizations. Dr. Melinda Wharton, director of the CDCs Immunization Services division, said that one upside of current social distancing measures was that if outbreaks of measles occur, transmission might be limited. She said that in recent years, many cases entered the United States from common travel destinations and that the sharp decreases in air travel because of the pandemic might also keep a lid on measles cases. As of last week, there were 12 confirmed cases of measles in seven jurisdictions in the United States. The CDC is monitoring vaccination rates, Wharton said. We will work with state and local health departments to ensure children who were not able to get vaccinated because of the COVID-19 response get the necessary catch-up vaccinations, she said. Read more about: Advertisement A stunning rainbow stretching over New York has helped lift the spirits of the city's 8.4 million residents left battered by COVID-19 pandemic. The arch of colors appeared in the skies over Manhattan Monday evening, just hours after Gov Andrew Cuomo declared that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak was 'over' for New Yorkers if they 'continue to be smart'. Housebound residents noticed the rainbow after flocking to their windows to clap for essential workers - a new tradition which takes place at 7pm each evening. Several snapped stunning photos of the hopeful symbol and shared the results to social media. A stunning rainbow stretching over New York has helped lift the spirits of the city's 8.4 millions of residents left battered by COVID-19 pandemic One photographer shared this snap showing the rainbow over Manhattan's Financial District, as an American flag flew in the foreground Photo editor Gary Hershorn took photos from his home in nearby Jersey City, which showed the rainbow stretching from the Empire State Building all the way down to the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. 'I have shot a lot of rainbows over New York City in the last few years that either went over One World Trade Center or the Empire State Building, but to be in a spot where the rainbow bridged these two iconic buildings on the NYC skyline was an incredible stroke of luck,' he told Fox News. 'It was a very hopeful for the people of New York City,' he added. Hershorn remarked that the moment was all the more striking as the buildings in Lower Manhattan were shimmering in the setting sun and resembled 'a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow'. Buildings in Lower Manhattan were shimmering in the setting sun and resembled 'a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow'. The arch of colors appeared in the skies over Manhattan Monday evening, just hours after Gov Andrew Cuomo declared that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak was 'over' for New Yorkers if they 'continue to be smart' Meanwhile, other residents stopped to take snaps while out walking in Manhattan amid a break in the rain. One striking image showed the rainbow over the iconic Roxy Theater, above a sign reading: 'New York will roar on'. Another photo saw the arch of colors above an empty street in the SoHo neighborhood. The neighborhood would normally be bustling with crowds of people enjoying the warm spring evening, but was deserted as the city struggles amid the COVID-19 crisis. As of Tuesday, more than 106,000 New York City residents have tested positive to the contagious virus. More than 7,000 have died. One striking image showed the rainbow over the iconic Roxy Theater, above a sign reading: 'New York will roar on' Another photo saw the arch of colors above an empty street in the SoHo neighborhood On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers that the worst of the crisis could be 'over' if they continue to be smart. He pointed to a drop in intensive care admissions and what appeared to be a plateauing death rate. 'We think we are at the apex,' Cuomo stated. Nationwide, nearly 600,000 people have tested positive to COVID-19, and more than 23,000 have died. The rainbow appeared at 7pm - the same time that residents opened their windows to cheer for essential workers who are battling the coronavirus pandemic (pictured) NAIROBI A group of refugees held a demonstration outside United Nations High Commission for Refugees offices in Westlands, Kenya on Easter Monday after one of their colleagues committed suicide over hunger. Aneste Mweru, 28, used a white scarf to hang himself on a tree on Waiyaki way. Refugees who were with Mweru in the morning said he had complained of hunger before proceeding to ask for food donations outside the UNHCR offices. Since Easter Monday is a public holiday most UNHCR officers were out on holiday enjoying life with their loved ones during this lock down period. He was ordered by security guards but he refused to relent until he was roughed up. The refugees said he crawled to the nearest tree, climbed it and hanged himself. Kilimani Sub-County Police Commander Lucas Ogara said investigations are underway to ascertain the circumstances that led to the death of the refugee. Amid the lockdown over coronavirus, several refugees in Kenya have complained of being abandoned by government. However, the Kenya government ordered the refugees to go to camps where they could be assisted. UNHCR regretted the death in the following statement. We, at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are profoundly shocked and saddened by the tragic death and apparent suicide of a refugee today in Nairobi. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends. We ask everyone to kindly respect his dignity and the dignity and privacy of his family, and to desist from circulating pictures of the deceased. The deceased person, a Ugandan national was recognized as a refugee by the Government of Kenya. We are in close contact with the Kenyan police, who have launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding his death. UNHCR is also in regular contact with the refugee community and relevant authorities to ensure that any required support is provided and to prevent the spread of misinformation. UNHCR is concerned about the growing challenges faced by refugees and asylum-seekers as well as communities hosting them, in meeting their basic needs in the current difficult context. UNHCR will continue to do its utmost to deliver critical protection and assistance to the nearly 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers living in Kenya, especially during these challenging times. Related Continue Reading One Killed, Four Injured as Artillery Firefight Continues Between India, Pakistan Sputnik News 06:56 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 09:57 GMT 13.04.2020) The two South Asian foes have been engaged in firefights and shelling for the past several days following the killing of five Indian troops near the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Indian Charges d'Affairs amid ceasefire violations, hours after one Pakistani soldier was killed and four injured as a result of an artillery firefight. The day before, three civilians were killed when Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged heavy artillery fire. Hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC) resumed last week following the killing of five Indian troops. The Pakistani Army has accused Indian troops of disregarding a ceasefire agreement and international conventions by initiating "unprovoked ceasefire violations" along the Line of Control (LoC) and "deliberately targeting" the civilian population in the Baroh, Dhudnial, Rakhchikri, and Chirikot sectors. India, for its part, issued a statement to say that its army was responding to a ceasefire violation by Pakistan. While tensions between India and Pakistan spike from time to time, a recent major escalation occurred in August 2019 after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, a move considered by Islamabad as a violation of an existing bilateral agreement. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Buy now, pay later giant Afterpay will take a "surgical" approach to modifying its complex lending algorithm in a bid to shelter the business from a potentially severe coronavirus-induced downturn. The $5.8 billion fintech told investors on Tuesday that it can keep insulating its business model from high-risk clients and protect it from any uptick in bad debts from cash-strapped customers. The coronavirus has so far had a minimal impact on Afterpay's rocketing third-quarter sales. Credit:Joe Armao Afterpay uses a proprietary algorithm which assesses "hundreds" of different attributes about a consumer and their intended purchase, providing them with a score which determines their spending limit. "We can be surgical in terms of what limits or restraints we put on transactions, both in terms of size and frequency," chief executive Anthony Eisen told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Two first responders were attacked Easter Sunday morning by a patient who battered them inside Richmond University Medical Centers emergency room, allege prosecutors. William Wood, 23, of Crystal Avenue, Port Richmond Center, assaulted two female emergency medical technicians in the West Brighton hospital at about 5:05 a.m., a criminal complaint said. The defendant struck one victim with his fist and forearm, said the complaint. Wood punched the second victim multiple times in the face, the complaint said. Both victims were knocked to the ground. One EMT suffered substantial pain to her head, the complaint said. The other victim suffered substantial pain to her head and arm, said the complaint. Wood was arrested and charged with two counts each of felony and misdemeanor assault. Hes also accused of two lesser counts of harassment. Obviously, were now investigating the matter, said defense lawyer Joseph Sorrentino. There is allegedly a video which well have to review. Mr. Wood has an absolutely clean record, comes from a law-abiding family and has the utmost respect and appreciation for first responders. Wood was arraigned remotely Monday in Criminal Court. Sorrentino said Judge Gerianne Abriano released Wood on his own recognizance based on his lack of a record and his strong community ties, both residential and employment. His case was adjourned to July 13. ISTANBUL: Turkey is pushing its credentials as a major humanitarian power in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic by sending medical equipment to Italy and Spain, detection kits for Palestinians and even medicines to Armenia. Turkey is hard hit itself by the virus outbreak which has killed nearly 1,300 people but it is still finding the resources to help other countries in need. In recent weeks, Turkey has supplied masks, hazmat suits and hydroalcoholic gel to Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, all among the worst hit in Europe. Turkey's humanitarian aid reflex is not new, Jana Jabbour, a Turkish diplomacy expert at Sciences Po university in Paris, pointed out. "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always wanted to position Turkey has a 'humanitarian power'," quick to rescue those in need, whether they are oppressed Muslim minorities or countries hit by natural disasters, Jabbour told AFP. But unlike Ankara's usual interventions, Turkey is now also supporting developed countries -- which are more used to helping than being helped. Turn the tables It is also an opportunity to turn the tables for Erdogan, who professes nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire, infamously described as "the sick man of Europe" by Western powers before its collapse at the end of World War I. "It is a question of showing that Turkey is a strong power which has the means to offer aid to European states, now themselves 'sick', both in the literal and figurative senses," Jabbour said. To cultivate this idea, each delivery to Europe is carefully staged, from the plane's take-off broadcast live on television to the beneficiaries' warm thanks spread across the newspapers. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quick to point out that "Turkey is the first country in NATO to send help to Spain and Italy," who are also members of the US-led military alliance. Ties with the West and Europe in particularly have been strained for several years. The latest spat with the European Union came earlier this year when Erdogan said migrants, fleeing conflict in Syria and across the Middle East, would not be prevented from leaving Turkey for Europe, causing huge numbers to gather on the Turkish-Greek border. Erdogan insists repeatedly that Europe has not done enough to support EU membership candidate Turkey, which hosts around 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Relations deteriorated badly as the migrant crisis grew in 2015 and got worse still in 2016 when the EU criticised Erdogan's crackdown after a failed coup. Erdogan in turn lambasted Brussels for failing to show solidarity with a fellow democratically-elected leader. "Turkey's candidacy for the European Union is good for Turkey, but it's also good for Europe. In fact, this pandemic has proved us right," Kalin said. According to Kalin, nearly 100 countries have asked for help from Turkey while Erdogan said on Monday supplies had reached 34 states. 'Strategic angle' Beyond the PR operation, "there is a strategic angle in terms of the countries that Turkey has picked to send pandemic-related assistance," said Soner Cagaptay, of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy. When the government last week sent equipment to five Balkan countries, a region once under Ottoman rule, Turkey sought to reinforce its image as a "generous uncle," he told AFP. Another example is Ankara's decision to send medical equipment to Libya where a civil war between the Turkey-backed government in Tripoli and dissident forces supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have wreaked havoc with the health system. "Turkey is making sure that the Tripoli government doesn't collapse under the burden of the pandemic. It's part of the wider clash between Turkey and the UAE-Egypt axis," Cagaptay added. The crisis created by Covid-19 has also offered Turkey an opportunity to extend an olive branch to countries with which it has had frosty relations for many years. Kalin on Sunday said Erdogan had thus approved the sale of drugs to Armenia. Despite tensions between the two countries, Turkey agreed to sell medical supplies to Israel, Kalin said, adding that material would also be sent to the Palestinians, for free. She has said she would 'love to fall madly in love with someone'. And Elizabeth Hurley, 54, certainly won't be short of suitors if her latest Instagram snap is anything to go by. She proved to be the perfect advert for her own swimwear range as she put on a very busty display in the striped nautical number to promote her sale line. Nautical but nice: Elizabeth Hurley, 54, put on a very busty display in a striped bikini on Instagram on Tuesday as she said she would 'love to fall madly in love with someone' Her post comes after she told Hello! that her hopes of meeting a new man have been scuppered by the coronavirus lockdown. She is currently isolating at her Hertfordshire home with her son Damian, 18, and her mother Angela. Elizabeth said: 'I'd love to fall madly in love with someone, which certainly won't happen whilst I'm locked down with blood relatives. 'Maybe when it's over I'll put my headlamps on full beam and make an effort.' Toned: Elizabeth was pining for sunnier climes on Tuesday as she shared a sizzling swimsuit snap to Instagram The beautiful brunette was pining for sunnier climes on Tuesday when she shared another sizzling swimsuit snap to Instagram. The Austin Powers actress was typically age-defying as she slipped her toned frame into a fuchsia one-piece, with a cleavage-baring cut-out section. The halterneck swimsuit hugged the star's slender waist and drew the eye to her bronzed legs as she sat by a tropical pool Sizzling: Elizabeth shared a racy lingerie snap on Saturday as she urged fans to stay at home on her 11th day in self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic Her brunette tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow and liner. It comes just days after the actress shared a racy lingerie snap on Saturday as she urged fans to keep themselves safe on what was her 11th day in lockdown. She sported a lacy black negligee for the post as she told fans she was holed up in her Herefordshire home with eight others, including her elderly mother and aunt. Candid: The actress told fans she was 'incredibly lucky' to be isolating in her countryside home, and revealed she had been isolating with eight other people In her post, Elizabeth admitted that after days of going makeup free in her home she decided to get dressed up in her best lingerie for her latest post. The star explained that she'd been self-isolating with her son Damian, 17, her mum Angela, 79, and her elderly aunt, as well as a close friend who was considered high risk. As Elizabeth urged her followers to self-isolate to try and prevent the spread of the virus, she said she felt 'incredibly lucky' to be in her country home during this time of social distancing. She penned: 'Day 11 of my family's lockdown in Herefordshire and I finally washed my hair, put on some make up and found time to post. 'In these scary times I feel incredibly lucky to live in the countryside and have lots of outside space. 'As well as my son, I have seven other people living with me including my 79 year old mother and her sister- also in her late 70's- and one of my best friends who is in the highest risk group with severe respiratory problems. 'Keeping everyone as safe as possible (and fed) is a full time job. We all are full of the highest admiration for our wonderful NHS staff and are doing everything we can to not add to their burden. 'Thank God it's Sat night and we can r-e-l-a-x and take a break from being glued to the news #stayhome #staysafe #nhsheroes.' Open: Among those joining Elizabeth in isolation were her son Damian, 17, along with her elderly mother and aunt The first major mass extinction in Earths history was linked to a severe and prolonged lack of oxygen in the oceans, according to a new study which could help scientists understand modern climate change. Some 85 per cent of all species perished during the Late Ordovician die-off about 444 million years ago a time when the vast majority of life was marine-based and most of our present day continents formed a single land mass, Pangaea. A first wave of extinctions was caused by global cooling. When that ice age ended, sea levels rose and oxygen levels plummeted, resulting in a deficiency of oxygen, or anoxia. In a new study, researchers at Stanford University found evidence that these anoxic conditions lasted for more than three million years significantly longer than similar extinction events. For most ocean life, it was indeed a really bad time to be alive, said co-author Erik Sperling, an assistant professor of geological sciences at Stanford University. On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Show all 15 1 /15 On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives ALAMY On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives H Lansdown / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Indian Gypsy / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Indian Gypsy / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives tbkmedia.de / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Top-Pics TBK / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Photoshot Holdings Ltd / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Kevin Schafer / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Orokiet / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Terry Whittaker / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Terry Whittaker / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Terry Whittaker / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives A & J Visage / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Kevin Schafer / Alamy On the brink of extinction 25 of our closest relatives Kevin Schafer / Alamy The study, published in Nature Communications, examined the geological record on the boundary between the Hirnantian and Rhuddanian ages in an attempt to bolster the theory. A new model was created by Richard George Stockey, a graduate student at Stanford Earth, to incorporate previously published metal isotope data as well as new data from samples of black shale from the Murzuq Basin in Libya. Taking into account 31 different variables, including the amounts of uranium and molybdenum that settle on the sea floor, it concluded that severe and prolonged ocean anoxia must have occurred across large volumes of Earths oceans. We can confidently say a long and profound global anoxic event is linked to the second pulse of mass extinction in the Late Ordovician, said Mr Sperling. The researchers said the findings have relevance for today given that global climate change is contributing to declining oxygen levels in the open ocean and coastal waters. Last December, another study found that the overall level of oxygen in the oceans has dropped by roughly 2 per cent, while the number of known hypoxic dead zones has skyrocketed from 45 known sites in the 1960s to at least 700 areas today, some encompassing thousands of square miles. We actually have a big problem modelling oxygenation in the modern ocean, Mr Sperling said. And by expanding our thinking of how oceans have behaved in the past, we could gain some insights into the oceans today. Mr Stockey, whose research was supported by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation, National Science Foundation, Packard Foundation and Nasa, added: There is no way that low oxygen conditions are not going to have a severe effect on diversity. Lack of oxygen in the oceans may also have played a part in the Devonian mass extinction 375 million years ago. The most famous mass extinction is the Cretaceous-Paleogene event that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs some 65 million years ago as a result of an asteroid strike that acidified the planets oceans. Our focus now should be on ensuring that we get the most bold, progressive agenda possible from our Democratic candidate because that is what Americans want, Ms. Omar said in a statement. It was an undeniable political success for Mr. Biden to secure the swift endorsement of his chief primary rival, who dropped out of the Democratic primary just last week. The hope among Mr. Bidens allies is that the move by Mr. Sanders will be a catalyst for a united Democratic Party to defeat President Trump, a sign of party-wide political alignment against a common enemy. At the very least, Mr. Biden has seemingly avoided problems faced by Mrs. Clinton in 2016, when she spent weeks being needled by Mr. Sanders even after it was clear she would be the nominee. Though Mr. Sanders did endorse Mrs. Clinton, and she embraced some of his more left-wing priorities as he campaigned for her on the trail, she never had the full-throated backing of the partys progressive base, and fell flat on Election Day. This time, Mr. Sanders backed Mr. Biden just five days after leaving the race himself. However, for Mr. Sanderss endorsement to have maximum political impact, his most energized supporters mainly young people, progressives and many Democrats in Western states with heavy Latino populations have to come along, too. Young people were a key part of President Barack Obamas winning coalitions, but they did not support Mr. Biden in the primary. Polling has consistently shown that Mr. Bidens voters skewed older and Mr. Sanders had more support not only among Gen Z voters at the far end of the spectrum, but also among millennials and voters up to 45. The legions of activists who backed Mr. Sanders will also be important in state and local races, as Democrats seek an all-hands effort to win back the state and local seats that they lost during Mr. Obamas presidency. MY GENERATION is no stranger to apocalyptic scenarios like what we have right now with Covid-19. In my pre-teen years, we had cold feet over the Skylab and the three days of darkness that highlighted the possible end of the world and also the behest of hoarding food to live through. The Skylab, the first United States space station that failed to reboot, was rumored to fall anytime and would crash the spot where it would dive. Talks circulated that survival is only possible if one hid in underground bunkers and accumulate adequate food to last until the radiation clears up. The three days of darkness, on the other hand, spread information about the attack of evil that could only be averted by prayers and the lighting of candles blest by priests. People also hoarded food since they were told not to go out. Fortunately, the two apocalyptic predictions by doomsayers did not happen. But, what brought my generation scrambling for food was the shortage of rice in the early 1980s when the government started to import rice from Thailand and China. This was the time when the price of rice spiked from P2.50 per kilo at retail in Tabo-an Market to P6 per kilo for the fancy variety. To ensure stable distribution, the government opened up Kadiwa Centers where imported rice from Thailand and China were sold around P 3.00 a kilo, but each one can only buy a maximum of five kilos every day. There were three Kadiwa Centers in Cebu City, one in Sanchez Building along Sancianko St., the second one in T. Padilla near the public market and another inside Cebu City Hall, mostly serving government workers. Due to limited stocks, there were times that rice was available once a day, which explained why people had to endure long lines to get cheap supply. It was also in Kadiwa where Maling Luncheon Meat was first publicly sold at one can per customer. The consumption of rice and luncheon meat from China during those days was still devoid of the tale of fake foodstuff, unlike nowadays when anything from China is suspected of being unsafe and phony including the dreaded Covid-19 believed to be originating also from China. Story continues Currently, the long queue in Carbon market due to the imposition of social distancing is reminiscent of the snake-like lines in Kadiwa centers where my mother, brother and I have to endure to replenish our rice supply until the next payday. As what I can observe from my limited trips to the grocery amid the threat of Covid, there is enough food supply, what is restricted however, is our mobility to prevent contracting the fearsome disease. My experience in lining up for the cheap China rice and Maling at the defunct Kadiwa taught me the value of sacrifice and frugality towards food, which many of the millennials no longer possess until their lives turned inconvenient by the declaration of the enhanced community quarantine. While we still dont have the vaccine, let us follow all government directives because like the childhood horror of the Skylab and the "three days of darkness," Covid too will pass and we can all regain our freedom to move around. The patch may say "Be Prepared," but a troop of Southern California Girl Scouts were unprepared for the hassle of obtaining a refund after their event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Associated Press) If we've learned anything from the coronavirus pandemic, it's that once a business gets its hands on your money, it really, really doesn't want to give any back. Airlines, cruise ships, hotels each has displayed reluctance in providing refunds to customers for virus-related cancellations, offering instead credits for future bookings. How bad have things gotten? Bad enough that even the Girl Scouts have reached out for help. Adriana Leyva, 50, contacted me the other day to say that her Pasadena troop of nearly two dozen 10- and 11-year-old girls had to cancel a planned trip this month to Northern California for what's known as a "bridging ceremony." That's when a Girl Scout marks her advancement to the next level say, from Brownie to Junior. "Its a defining moment when a Girl Scout becomes aware of her achievements and is ready for new adventures and responsibilities," the group says. Leyva told me her troop pooled its funds and paid about $7,000 to a travel agent, Adventures America, to book the trip, including round-trip flights on Southwest Airlines. Southwest, like all airlines, has been canceling flights right and left. When the Scouts' flight was grounded, Southwest informed Adventures America that it would provide a credit for a future booking, which the travel agent said it would hold on the girls' behalf. Trouble is, not every member of the troop might be able to make a future trip, or may no longer qualify for bridging because of her age. "We would prefer to have the money back," Leyva said. "It seems unfair for the travel agent to hold on to the money." It does. And it's a situation many consumers can relate to. I've written about how most airlines have been willing to waive change fees but have been highly reluctant to offer refunds for canceled flights. Similarly, cruise lines have been much more eager to provide credits for future voyages than give customers their money back. Story continues Last week, most major car insurance companies stepped up with temporary discounts of between 15% and 25% after I wrote about the ridiculousness of consumers having to pay the same rates at a time when most cars are parked in the driveway. On Monday, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered car insurers to return partial premiums for at least March and April. "With Californians driving fewer miles and many businesses closed due to the COVID-19 emergency, consumers need relief from premiums that no longer reflect their present-day risk of accident or loss," he said. The river that runs through all these experiences is that it can be like pulling teeth to receive refunds from companies that don't want to erase profits from their ledgers even though the cancellations are for circumstances beyond most people's control. It's a struggle I've heard about again and again in recent days. Don Geller, 65, had booked a trip to Las Vegas for an equestrian event that was subsequently called off. Delta Air Lines made a credit for a future flight available to Geller's travel agency, Expedia, which wanted to hang on to the money until the Irvine resident was ready to travel again. "This isn't what I want," Geller told me. "It's not what I need." A Delta spokesman said customers can request refunds, but they'll be granted on a case-by-case basis. Christie Hudson, an Expedia spokeswoman, said the company is working with travel and hospitality providers "to help our customers with disrupted travel plans." The vagueness of that stated commitment speaks volumes about what consumers are up against. Deborah Vogel, 61, told me about the difficulty she's having receiving a full refund for an Airbnb booking that had to be canceled because the college reunion she was planning to attend next month is no longer happening. "The landlord's policy is only to provide a 50% refund when a booking is canceled," the South Pasadena resident said. "They aren't willing to change." An Airbnb spokesman pointed me toward a policy stating that, because of the pandemic, the company "will either refund, or issue travel credit that includes, all service fees for covered cancellations." But an email sent by the company to Vogel informed her that her cancellation "does not fall within our COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy." It's difficult. We're dealing with mixed corporate signals and a long-standing unwillingness to return money that's been paid for a good or service. These are clearly extraordinary times. My advice is to not hesitate to prod businesses into doing the right thing. Car insurers, for example, dragged their feet for as long as possible before committing to coronavirus rate reductions. Yet I heard from a number of people who said they were successful in contacting their insurer and requesting a discount based on lower mileage related to staying home. Take the initiative. Many businesses seem to have adopted a quiet policy of stepping up, but only when asked. As for the Girl Scouts, I'm pleased to report they have nothing to worry about. Rip Hunter, senior vice president of Adventures America, told me the travel agency won't insist that it hang on to the money. Instead, he said, the company will reimburse the troop from its own pocket if Southwest doesn't switch from a future-flight credit to cash. "We're in business for the long term," Hunter said. "We're going to do what our clients need us to do." Give that firm a merit badge. Dramatic footage captures the moment a pair of drinking buddies scuffled over a bar tab before one realised a knife had plunged into his chest. Mark Coughlan and Robert Stewart, 82, got into a confrontation at the Camelia Grove Hotel in Alexandria, in Sydney's inner-city, in June last year. Mr Coughlan had just collected his lunch from the bistro and was holding a steak knife in one hand. Neither man seemed to notice the knife plunged into Mr Stewart's chest during the brief scuffle. Mr Coughlan was refused bail and spent nine months in jail before police withdrew charges of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Mark Coughlan (pictured) has been cleared of all charges after spending nine months in prison accused of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm Mr Coughlan and Robert Stewart, 82, got into a confrontation about an unpaid bar tab - with neither noticing at first a steak knife had plunged into Mr Stewart's chest CCTV footage inside the pub showed the pair arguing over the unpaid tab, before Mr Coughlan's lunch went crashing to the ground. Mr Coughlan then left the pub while Mr Stewart could be seen backing up holding his chest. Eight minutes later, the footage showed police lowering Mr Stewart on to the floor. Paramedics can then be seen treating him for the wound. Mr Stewart was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for emergency surgery, and a court heard he told police Mr Coughlan was to blame, The Daily Telegraph reported. Court documents said the 82-year-old's right heart ventricle had been lacerated. CCTV footage (pictured) inside the Camelia Grove Hotel in Sydney's inner-city showed the pair arguing over the unpaid tab and Mr Coughlan's lunch going crashing to the floor After being arrested and charged, Mr Coughlan was refused bail. He was released last week after charges were withdrawn by prosecutors and he has now hit out at the charges laid against him. 'I was portrayed as a knife-wielding maniac when all I was doing was simply about to dig into my steak,' Mr Coughlan said. He is reportedly considering taking legal action. The USs confirmed Covid-19 death toll is now the highest in the world, with more than 23,000. But instead of focusing on how the numbers got so high and how to stop their growth, Donald Trump spent much of his latest daily press briefing railing against a favourite enemy: the media. At what the BBCs Jon Sopel called the most dizzying, jaw-dropping, eyeball-popping, head-spinning news conference I have ever attended, Mr Trump not only let rip at fake reporters who challenged him, but also showcased a campaign-style montage of footage assembled to imply that the American media was responsible for downplaying the threat from coronavirus and that he himself should be credited for slowing its spread with decisive action. Also included were clips of governors from both parties acknowledging help from the federal government as they managed their states response to the pandemic. The strangeness of the video compilation, which Voxs Aaron Rupar called straight up North Korea-style propaganda, was not lost on those in the room. One journalist asked who had actually put the montage together. Ive never seen a video like that played in this room, said ABC Newss Jon Karl. It looks a bit like a campaign ad. Who produced that video for you? That was done by just a group in the office said Mr Trump, We just put some clips together. Ill bet you I have over a hundred more clips even better than them, they were just pieced together over the last two hours. After Mr Trump confirmed the clips had been compiled by a team in the White House, Mr Karl asked: Why do you feel the need to do that? Because were getting fake news, and I like to have it corrected. Among the videos main features was a timeline of the president's "decisive action" over the course of the pandemic, a timeline that jumped abruptly from early February to the start of March. It was on this point that Mr Trump finally lost his temper at CBSs Paula Reid, who attempted to grill him on what exactly his administration did to combat the epidemic during that missing month that is, with the time Mr Trump continually boasts about having bought with his ban on travel from China. As Ms Reid refused to back down in her questioning, Mr Trump seemed to snap, and went on the attack: You know youre a fake. You know that. Your whole network, the way you cover it is fake. And most of you and not all of you but the people are wise to you, thats why you have a lower approval rating than youve ever had before, times probably three. Undeterred, Ms Reid asked the president: How is this sizzle reel or this rant supposed to make people feel confident in an unprecedented crisis?. Mr Trump shifted the discussion to the topic of Joe Biden. Mr Trumps fury at journalists who dare to challenge, criticise or contradict him was complemented by his pronouncements on presidential power, which he described as total. As was pointed out by a reporter, the constitutions 10th amendment makes clear that any rights not specifically granted to the federal government reside with the states. Asked what provisions in the US Constitution grant him absolute power, Mr Trump responded: Numerous numerous provisions. We can give you a legal brief if you want. Speaking on MSNBC, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the president was wrong. To say I have total authority over the country because Im the president, its absolute, that is a king. We didnt have a king. We didnt have King George Washington, we had president George Washington. Baisakhi, which is among the main festivals of the Sikh community, was a low-key affair here on Tuesday to prevent the spread of deadly coronavirus that has so far killed 100 people and affected over 5,000 people in Pakistan. The main ceremony of Baisakhi festival, which is to commemorate the formation of Khalsa panth and celebrate the harvest season, was held at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hassanabdal in the country's Punjab Province as a simple event with only a handful number of people attending the programme. Special prayers were also carried out for the safety and prosperity of people in the country in these testing times when the whole world is affected by the coronavirus. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. In Pakistan, a total of 5,715 people have been affected while 100 killed due to the deadly coronavirus. Earlier, Pakistan had cancelled major celebrations of Baisakhi festivities in connection with coronavirus in the country. Evacuee Trust Property Board spokesman Amir Hashmi on Tuesday said that the government had cancelled Baisakhi festival because of coronavirus but a "very simple ceremony" was held in Hassanabdal to mark the festival. As per the earlier plans, a major Baisakhi event was scheduled to begin here on April 12 with the main programme on April 14 at Gurdwara Hassanabdal. He said only a few people participated in the event held on Tuesday. Last year some 2,200 Indian Sikhs and thousands of local Sikhs had participated in the festival. The Pakistan government was to issue over 2,000 visas to Indian Sikhs for Baisakhi but the process was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of local Sikhs in addition to pilgrims from India and other parts of the world participate in this event every year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In recent years, the unionized construction workforce has been pushing for an expansion of New Yorks prevailing wage to cover any project that receives public subsidies. This year, with Gov. Andrew Cuomos support, construction unions got the legislation across the finish line but with a later implementation date than originally planned, due to the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The industry has also been grappling with the health and safety risks of coronavirus, with all non-essential projects put on hold. In a Q&A with City & State, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera discussed the details of the prevailing wage law, how the industry is implementing new safety protections, and how workers are responding. The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity. The state passed a law expanding the prevailing wage law as part of the state budget. This was something you had supported for some time. Whats in the law that you like, and what, if anything, did you not like? The prevailing wage has been before the Legislature and the governor for a number of years. This year it was in the governors executive budget, obviously prior to any of the coronavirus issues. That clearly raised concerns and made it a bit more complicated. All in all, I think that the building trades as a whole is very pleased that we have finally got this legislation in place. The effective date of this is January 2022. It was originally going to be in July of 2021. That was because of the current situation and the economic uncertainty. So I think that was a very responsible approach by the Legislature and by the governor. Look, what the bill does is it establishes a prevailing wage threshold for certain private work that receive subsidies. The view that the building trades is that subsidies are intended to incentivize construction, and those projects should be paying good wages with benefits. One of the things thats really significant is given the uncertainty of the economy, we are going to need to have projects that go forward that do provide good wages and benefit. The legislation also allows for private agreements between developers and the building trades, so thats important as well. And I think many parts of the state, that will be pursued. So all in all, I think it was a responsible approach to an issue that has been lingering in the Legislature and before the governor for many years. Theres a lot of work to be done in terms of, as projects move forward, to enter into private agreements with owners. I think it will lead to more productive outcomes and more productive relationships. Last month, the governor has suspended all non-essential construction work. How is that playing out? The New York City building trades does and has supported the governors decision to deem certain construction essential and certain construction projects that are not essential. The overall construction industry is in the same place. We all deem it appropriate and were supportive of it. There was new guidance issued just last week its transportation, utitilities, hospitals, certain projects that have affordable housing components to them. Those all to us make perfect sense. The issue isnt whats essential or not essential, thats water under the bridge. The decision has been made and everyone is supporting and biding by it. The real issue is where construction work is going on, the priority there has to be the safety and health of the workers that are working on those projects that are a priority is paramount. To that end, the New York State Building Trades, along with the Real Estate Board of New York and the Contractors Association, we have protocols that we put in place on these projects, and some of them are pretty significant. For example, on many of the projects, were doing them early, at 4 oclock in the morning. There are projects where common areas are being fogged, which is a form of sanitizing the site. Thats very important. Were pursuing having running water, hand-wash stations, thats very uncommon, thats something new and something very positive for job sites. PPE is critical, masks, gloves, etc. And where its possible, to have social distancing. I say where its possible because with certain aspects of social distancing, its very difficult, obviously, its the nature of construction. But where it is possible, to engage in responsible social distancing practices. Thats really what the key is here is now, that where workers are working on essential projects, that all these precautions are taken. Many if not most of the projects, and more will be moving to it, were engaging in temporal scanning. Anyone thats coming onto the site, temperatures will be taken to ensure that nobody has a fever or somebody getting symptoms. We have a notification policy, that if an individual does get sick and tests positive, while we respect all of the privacy issues, we will notify workers that were in the same proximity, often sites will be shut down for a period of time to be deeply sanitized and cleaned. The issue now becomes beyond essential and non-essential, the issue now is making sure all the sites that are working are engaging in the highest protocols and mitigation procedures and policies to prevent the spread of infections. Were getting better at it, candidly, and the sites are improving. And were closely monitoring that. The other point that comes up a lot is how the construction workers feel about going to these sites. I will tell you that its a two-sided coin. Obviously there are workers who have not reported to work, and in many cases some of these workers may have underlying conditions, or family members may have underlying conditions. So throughout the industry, no one is being forced to go to work on any projects. Nobody is going to be forced to go if they have issues or fears or concerns about that. To date, I havent had any reports of staffing problems on the essential work, so thats a positive sign as well. Its really about building confidence within the workforce, so that when workers are going to work, members are going to work, that they feel confident that theyre going to be in a safe and healthy environment. So thats really whats happening in the industry right now. Obviously at some point, like with every other industry, wed like to be able to remobilize and we are talking as an industry, between the Real Estate Board and New York City Building Trades Council and the contractors associations on what that will look like. Clearly, the timing of that is uncertain and that will be a much broader conversation. But we are actively discussing best practices in terms of remobilization when the time comes. Were taking this situation day by day, like everyone else is, but we are certainly trying to make sure that the first priority right now in the industry is safety and health for our workers on these sites. A set of five volumes based on the works of Dalit icon and chief architect of Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar will be released soon, publishing house Oxford University Press (OUP) announced on the occasion of the 129th anniversary of Indias first Law and Justice minister. Ambedkar was born on this day in 1891 in Kali Paltan area of the Mhow town (Madhya Pradesh). The set of books, titled B.R. Ambedkar: The Quest for Justice, explores the multifaceted idea of justice in social, political, legal, economic, gender, racial, religious and cultural terms. It is edited by author Aakash Singh Rathore. It (the five volumes) offers critical analyses of the realities of social inequality, diversity, exclusion, and marginality that Ambedkars work has drawn our attention to, as well as of his writing itself. The effort behind these volumes is to question the continued relevance of his ideas of justice and to suggest constitutional and policy responses to these ideas, the publishers said in a statement. Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. He was conferred Bharat Ratna on March 31, 1990. While volume one focuses specifically on the theme of political justice, including explorations in political theory inspired by Ambedkarite thought, the second and third volume examine key issues in social justice -- especially in terms of Indian democracy -- and literature on the Constitution of India and its institutions, the idea of constitutional morality, rights and the rule of law, and Ambedkar jurisprudence, respectively. Volume four explores Ambedkars impact on gender justice in India and the ways in which the movements for racial justice and caste equality can learn from one another and seek strategies of synergy. Volume five addresses religious justice and cultural justice, covering topics such as conversion, Navayana Buddhism, and liberation theology, it added. After months of high drama and unceasing tedium, the OPEC+ group of countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, finally granted President Trump his wish and agreed to pull some by 9.7 million barrels/day from the market in response to the epic collapse in demand. Trumps second act is here already: Exhorting Americas allies to buy America First as U.S. storage bursts at the seams. Yet, Trump might do well to first look at an antiquated law that places limits on shipping oil and gas to customers in the U.S.: The Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The century-old law, colloquially known as the Jones Act or simply J.A., regulates maritime commerce in the United States in a way that could curtail the nations efforts at energy independence. Jones Act: The Drawbacks JA demands that vessels undertaking shipments between two U.S. ports be U.S.-built, U.S.- owned and U.S.-manned. Even foreign steel used in repair work on a J.A. vessel should not exceed 10% of the vessels original weight. However, that same requirement does not apply to shipments going from a U.S. port to a foreign port or vice versa, meaning any ship can make that trip. Originally meant to protect U.S. fleets after suffering heavy losses in World War I, JA is now coming under scrutiny because it limits shipping oil and gas to customers in U.S. ports, encouraging American producers to send their low-cost oil and gas to consumers abroad. In many cases, its much cheaper to ship U.S. products to foreign buyers in foreign ports considering that J.A. ships cost up to five times as much as their foreign-built counterparts. Further, a 2010 study by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) revealed that the average operating cost of a US-flag ship was 2.7x greater than that of a foreign-flagged vessel. This can lead to significantly higher prices for goods transported domestically, making them less competitive against imported products. Premium: A Global Oil Cartel? J.A. has been detrimental for the U.S. energy industry because it limits inter-state trade in oil products and LNG with the high costs for US-built vessels forcing producers to turn to less efficient forms of transportation oil products. The average cost of oil transport by huge oil tankers amounts to only US$5 to $8 per cubic meter ($0.02 to $0.03 per U.S. gallon), the second cheapest after pipeline transport. Noncontiguous states and territories, like Puerto Rico, Alaska, or Hawaii, are even more disadvantaged since no pipeline, rail, or truck transport of U.S. energy products can reach them, forcing them to rely on imports. This problem hits Puerto Rico, in particular, quite hard, with economists estimating that the Jones Act cost Puerto Ricos economy $29 billion between 1970-2012. Reforming JA could potentially save consumers in Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii as much as $15 billion per year, and possibly prevent Puerto Rico from going bankrupt again. Shale Producers Disadvantaged Refineries searching for light oil make up the principal demand for fracked oil. Unfortunately, the refineries at the epicenter of the shale boom are located in the Midwest and the Gulf Coast, where many have upgraded to handle heavy oil from Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico. This leaves refineries on the U.S. east coast as the most obvious destination for light fracked oil. Unfortunately, it costs ~3x to ship oil from Texas to refineries on the U.S. East Coast compared to shipping it further to refineries in Canada, thanks to the Jones Act. There are simply not enough JA-compliant ships to transport oil from Texas to the U.S. East Coast, meaning it must be shipped abroad. Similarly, it costs more than 3x for northeastern U.S. refineries to ship oil from Texas compared to shipping from West Africa or Saudi Arabia. Premium: There Is Still Hope For Oil Prices As a result, the northeastern U.S. is forced to rely heavily on foreign crude. U.S. LNG markets face a similar problem. Massachusetts import facilities take in gas from Trinidad & Tobago while new LNG facilities along the Gulf Coast are exporting cargoes across the Pacific Ocean to Japan because there are no U.S. flagged LNG tankers that can carry LNG between U.S. ports. Repealing Jones Act Modern-day JA proponents argue that it helps to promote economic growth, national security, and domestic employment by allowing the U.S. to better monitor labor, environmental, and safety standards. But given the heavy burden that J.A. imposes on domestic energy producers and consumers, it is not surprising that its now meeting with heavy opposition. Will they succeed? Unfortunately, history does not seem to be on the anti-JAs side. J.A.s basic structure has remained unchanged for decades, with the last major challenge to the law coming two decades ago when free-market advocates sought to weaken or repeal the act. Unfortunately, they were soundly defeated by a maritime industry coalition consisting of US-flag domestic carriers as well as shipyards and their suppliers. They did score a minor victory though in 2017 after forcing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to withdraw a proposal that would have tightened US-flag shipping requirements by redefining components such as pipes and valves used in domestic offshore oil and gas construction as merchandise subject to J.A. But given Trumps America First ethos, the pursuit of energy independence, and the fact that the U.S. shipping industry is currently not reaping many benefits from the high demand for crude oil and storage from an oversupplied market, J.A. opposers just might have a fair shot this time around. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Seoul, April 14 : North Korea fired what appeared to be cruise missiles off its east coast and air-to-ground missiles from fighter jets on Tuesday on the eve of Pyongyang founder's birthday, according to the South Korean military. The surface-to-ship cruise missiles were fired northeastward from areas near its eastern coastal town of Munchon at around 7 a.m. during a time period of more than 40 minutes, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, adding they flew around 150 km, reports Yonhap News Agency. Along with the missile launches, the North also flew multiple Sukhoi-variant fighter jets above the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, and fired multiple anti-ground missiles into the East Sea, the JCS added. It was not immediately known if leader Kim Jong-un guided the latest firings. "The military is closely monitoring the situation for possible additional launches, while maintaining a readiness posture," Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying in a statement. The firings came on the eve of the 108th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the North's national founder and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. The founding leader's birthday is one of the North's biggest national holidays along with the birthday of the current leader's father, Kim Jong-il, and the communist nation has often held massive parades and other military events to celebrate the holiday. It is the latest in a series of military actions by the North. The last known test of cruise missiles took place on June 8, 2017, when it carried out the first-ever test of its Kumsong-3 coastal defence cruise missile from Wonsan. The system was first seen at a military parade held in Pyongyang on April 15 of the year to mark the 105th birthday anniversary of the founding leader. "The projectiles fired today (Tuesday) appear to be similar to those fired in June 2017. More analysis is under way by the South Korean and the US intelligence authorities," Yonhap News Agency quoted a JCS officer as saying to the media. Along with smaller-scale artillery firing drills, the communist country has conducted major weapons tests four times so far this year, all in March. The latest round took place on March 29, when it launched two short-range projectiles from a large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system into the East Sea. During the three previous tests, the North showed off its super-large multiple rocket launcher and its version of the ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles, according to the JCS. Oil surrendered gains after rising in early trading yesterday as investors weighed whether an unprecedented deal by the world's biggest producers to cut output would steady a market reeling from the coronavirus. Futures in London were down 0.6pc after the Opec+ alliance agreed to slash production by 9.7 million barrels a day (bpd) starting in May. The group reached a deal following days of intense negotiations after Mexico declined to endorse the original agreement reached Thursday. The US, Brazil and Canada will contribute an additional 3.7 million barrels in nominal production cuts as their output declines, and other G20 nations will cut 1.3 million more. Those numbers don't represent real voluntary cuts but rather the impact that low prices have already had on output, and they would need months to take effect. Saudi Aramco reduced pricing for all its grades to Asia, signalling the state company's intention to defend sales in its biggest market even while paring output. "The global market remains very oversupplied, and Aramco is still prepared to fight for its market share," said Ole Sloth Hansen, head of commodities strategy at Saxo Bank. Brent for June delivery dipped 20 cents lower at $31.28 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract earlier jumped as much as 8pc. It lost 7.7pc last week and has fallen from $66 at the end of last year. West Texas Intermediate for May delivery was up 11 cents, almost unchanged at $22.87 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after dropping almost 20pc last week. With oil prices in freefall since February and storage at a premium, Goldman Sachs called the Opec+ agreement "historic yet insufficient". Bloomberg India has ordered 15 million personal protection gears besides a few million testing kits from China to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the country and their smooth procurement at stable prices will send the "best signal possible" for Sino-Indian ties, India's Ambassador here Vikram Misri said on Tuesday. As its factories resumed operations after over two-month of grim battle against coronavirus, China is busy tapping into the vast business opportunities of export of key medical goods, specially ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE), across the world, including India, where both private and government bodies are placing orders for the import of these products. Addressing an online press briefing here, Misri highlighted India's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The envoy said India is procuring a host of medical equipment from both domestic and international firms as part of its efforts to expand hospital facilities across the country to deal with coronavirus cases. "The requirement in India at this time is medical equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and kits, masks, gloves, ventilators, etc, and China is a very large and significant producer of these products, Misri said. He said orders are being placed to procure 15 million medical kits from China. India, Misri said, also plans to procure three million COVID-19 testing kits, half of which have already been delivered. "I think facilitation of our needs and our requirements in a timely manner, in a smooth manner, on a predictable timeline at prices that are stable and orderly, would be the best signal possible to send for the India-China relationship," he said. Misri said India's current target is to produce and procure a total of 17 million PPE sets and tens and thousands of ventilators. This offers us opportunity of cooperating in smooth manner. We are identifying bonafide suppliers and entering into agreements. What is important is quality material continues to be available at reasonable and stable prices and we are able to re-establish freight and cargo lines (which were disrupted by initial impact of the coronavirus crisis), Misri said. "When China was at the height of dealing with this outbreak, we had offered and provided medical assistance, the envoy said, referring to India dispatching 15 tons of medical supplies to China. Misri said India appreciated efforts by China to ensure the quality of goods being exported and requested the Chinese government to expedite the new registration process of the local companies, which have been supplying the materials to India in the past. China on Friday last stepped up quality checks on exports of 11 categories of medical products, including masks, protective suits, goggles and ventilators, following a string of complaints from several countries about the faulty and substandard supplies. Commenting on reports of Chinese firms diverting supplies due to the burgeoning demand, Misri said, We have seen media reports. But we have not come across authoritative reports of supplies intended for India having been diverted. Replying to a question, he said India has extended visas of foreigners till April-end and hotlines have been set up to address individual issues. Misri also highlighted India's effort to convene the video conference of the heads of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations and the establishment of the SAARC COVID-19 emergency fund. He underlined India's delivery of the much-needed medical supplies and assistance to Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan combat the coronavirus outbreak. New Delhi has also provided medical assistance to Myanmar, Seychelles and Mauritius, all of which are part of India's extended neighbourhood, he noted. Explaining how India and China can cooperate in controlling COVID-19, Misri said, Given our size, our position, there is considerable space for both to cooperate in controlling the spread of this pandemic. India and China have repositories of large pools of scientific and technological manpower and there is enormous scope to cooperate in research and development in dealing with COVID-19 as well as general public health issues, he said. I think it would be mutually beneficial to intensify engagement between our biologists, our epidemiologists and other scientists and relevant national institutes in these fields, including on efforts such as developing a vaccine, he said. The envoy said India has dispatched medical supplies, including anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to the US, Spain, Brazil, Israel and 25 other countries in South Asia, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean region. We remain committed to larger international efforts to both find a vaccine ad improve treatment protocols, he said. Misri said countries can cooperate on pharmaceuticals, specially the active pharmaceutical indicators (APIs). We import a considerable amount of APIs from China to manufacture pharmaceuticals that we export to the rest of the world. And in certain cases, Chinese companies import APIs from India to manufacture certain drugs that they need for domestic consumption as well as export, he said. Misri also spoke about the differences between China and India in handling the coronavirus crisis. While China poured its resources in coronavirus epicentres -- Hubei province and Wuhan -- to contain the spread there, India has to deal with the problem at a national level, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A review of lockdown procedures will take place later this week. (PA via AP) The UK will enter its fourth week of lockdown after the Easter bank holiday weekend with a confirmed coronavirus death toll of more than 11,000 people. A review of lockdown measures will take place later this week. UK ministers have said they want to be sure the country is past the peak of the outbreak before easing the restrictions, but 10 Cabinet members are reportedly calling for the lockdowns relaxation amid concerns about its impact on the economy. The Times quoted one unnamed minister as saying it was important not to do more damage, and that measures could be eased after another three weeks. 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 Scientific advisers will meet on Tuesday ahead of a formal review of the measures on Thursday. Wuhan, in China, where the outbreak appears to have started, has been back to work for a week after nearly three months in lockdown. Meanwhile, several European countries, including some of the hardest-hit, are this week slowly easing their restrictions as non-essential workers get back to work. They provide a glimmer of hope that the continent could soon start returning to some semblance of normality. Spain A local police distributes face masks to commuters at Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, on Monday. (AP) Spain will allow some non-essential employees, such as factory and construction personnel, to return to work on Monday as the death rate in the country slowly falls. Workers returning include builders, metalworkers, cleaners, factory workers and people involved in sanitation and security. The country has been under a general lockdown since 14 March, and the measures were toughened even further on 30 March when all non-essential business was shut down for two weeks until Easter. Other businesses including bars, nightclubs, pubs and restaurants are closed and may remain so for weeks. On Monday, police were pictured handing out masks at metro stations and those returning to work were being advised to maintain social-distancing. Story continues And the countrys cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the Health Ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day. The worst day for the virus in Spain was 3 April, when there were 950 deaths. Italy Police officers stop cars at the Melegnano highway barrier entrance, near Milan, Italy, over the Easter bank holiday weekend. (AP) Italy, which has the second highest coronavirus death toll after the US, will let bookstores, stationery shops and childrens clothing shops reopen, and allow forestry-related work to resume, from Tuesday. The move comes after the country recorded its lowest number of deaths in three weeks on Easter Sunday, with 431 new fatalities. Strict lockdown conditions that have been in place since 9 March meant only food stores and pharmacies were permitted to stay open, with Italians only allowed to leave their homes for essential needs. The country's worst day for COVID-19 fatalities was 28 March, with 971 deaths. Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Via Crucis or Way of the Cross ceremony in front of St Peter's Basilica, empty of the faithful following Italy's ban on gatherings during a national lockdown on Friday. (AP) The number of people given intensive care treatment and rates of people admitted to hospital have also been going down for nine straight days. Italy was one of the earliest countries in Europe to be affected by coronavirus and saw a rapid acceleration of cases in March. The country is in its fifth week of lockdown to control the spread of the virus, and the strict measures are set to remain until at least May 3, said prime minister Giuseppe Conte. Italy has recorded 19,899 deaths in total, with a total of 156,363 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Austria Police officers block the road to the skiing resort Saalbach Hinterglemm, in the Austrian province of Salzburg, on Friday. (AP) Austria has said it will begin to reopen kindergartens and schools. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced last week that shops under 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) will be allowed to open their doors from 14 April, followed by larger ones from 1 May. It is hoped that all restaurants and hotels will follow from mid-May. Other public health measures, such as requiring people to wear face masks in supermarkets and pharmacies, will remain in place. The face mask rule has also been extended to other shops and public transport. Austrias death toll is 368, while the total confirmed cases is 13,974. Denmark Anders Gadegaard performed a livestream Good Thursday worship in front of more than one hundred selfies all sent by the congregation via the internet, in Copenhagen on Thursday. (AP) Schools and daycare centres will reopen in Denmark on Wednesday, allowing some parents to return to work. Denmark was one of the first European countries to impose a strict lockdown on its citizens, and it has been successful in avoiding a spike in coronavirus cases. Once the schools return, the Danish government will then consider allowing smaller businesses and shops to reopen on a gradual basis. However, there has been anger and disbelief from a number of parents at the proposal that primary school children should return to class immediately after Easter. A Facebook group with thousands of subscribers has been set up by concerned parents called "Mit barn er ikke forsgskanin for Covid-19" My child is not a guinea pig for COVID-19. The page has attracted more than 37,000 members since prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced the partial lifting of lockdown measures. Denmark has had 273 people die after contracting the virus, with 6,369 cases. Meanwhile, senior politicians in Germany have begun debating a potential easing of restrictions ahead of a meeting with leader Angela Merkel on Wednesday. On Monday, Merkel and premiers of Germanys 16 states expect to get recommendations from the German National Academy of Sciences. The chancellor said they will take heavy considerations for a possible loosening in movement and social distancing rules. Germany's mortality rate of 2.3% 23 deaths per 1,000 confirmed patients is conspicuously lower than that in Britain, France, Spain or Italy. Germanys death toll is 3,022. The country has recorded 127,854 cases. What the World Health Organization thinks Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, warns against the easing of lockdown measures. (PA) The World Health Organization has warned that ending lockdowns early could be dangerous, especially exit strategies are not managed properly. "Lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence," said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a virtual press conference. The current number of coronavirus cases confirmed globally currently stands at 1,851,531. Coronavirus: what happened today Scale Computing, the market leader in edge computing, virtualization and hyperconverged solutions, today announced Goodwill Central Coast, a regional chapter of the wider Goodwill nonprofit retail organization, has implemented Scale Computings HC3 Edge platform for its IT infrastructure for in-store across its 20 locations. Scale Computing HC3 has provided Goodwill Central Coast with a simple, affordable, self-healing and easy to use hyperconverged virtual solution capable of remote management. Spanning three counties in southern California, Goodwill Central Coast serves Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo. Goodwill Central Coasts mission is to provide employment for individuals who face barriers to employment, such as homelessness, military service, single parenting, incarceration, addiction and job displacement. To fund its mission, Goodwill Central Coast is also a retail organization, which provides job training and funds programs to assist individuals in reclaiming their financial and personal independence. As a nonprofit with a small IT staff of three people and 20 locations to service, Goodwill Central Coast was in need of an affordable virtual hyperconverged infrastructure solution capable of managing the regions file systems and databases out of a central database in Salinas, CA. Since implementation of Scale Computing, Goodwill Central Coast has upgraded its point of sale system, increased drive space, saved resources, and saved 15% on the initial IT budget. The cumbersome nature of managing our previous technology led me to look into other solutions, and Im so glad I found Scale Computing, said Kevin Waddy, IT Director, Goodwill Central Coast. Migration from our previous system was so quick and easy! I migrated 24 file servers to the new Scale Computing solution during the day with little to no downtime, spending 20 minutes on some servers. The training and support during the migration was comprehensive and Ive had zero issues with the system in the six months Ive had it in place. Scale Computing HC3 is a single pane of glass thats easy to manage, and it has saved us so much time on projects. Before turning to Scale Computing, Goodwill Central Coast was using an outdated legacy virtualization system that required physical reboots every other month. The nonprofit was looking to save management time by replacing their IT infrastructure with a virtual server system capable of simply and efficiently managing remote servers. Waddy was also interested in looking for a hyperconverged system for its ability to migrate from physical servers to virtual, ultimately turning to Scale Computing for its affordability and ability to maximize uptime. When an organization is providing a service to its community, the last thing they should worry about is stretching their resources, said Jeff Ready, CEO and Co-Founder, Scale Computing. For a nonprofit like Goodwill Central Coast, saving time and money is critical to the work they do. With Scale Computing HC3, Goodwill Central Coast now has a simple, reliable and affordable edge computing solution that is easy to manage with a fully integrated, highly available virtualization appliance architecture that can be managed locally and remotely. With Scale Computing HC3, virtualization, edge computing, servers, storage and backup/disaster recovery have been brought into a single, easy-to-use platform. All of the components are built in, including the hypervisor, without the need for any third-party components or licensing. HC3 includes rapid deployment, automated management capabilities, and a single-pane-of-management, helping to streamline and simplify daily tasks, saving time and money. For more information on Scale Computing HC3, visit: https://www.scalecomputing.com/hc3-virtualization-platform About Scale Computing Scale Computing is a leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions. Scale Computing HC3 software eliminates the need for traditional virtualization software, disaster recovery software, servers, and shared storage, replacing these with a fully integrated, highly available system for running applications. Using patented HyperCore technology, the HC3 self-healing platform automatically identifies, mitigates, and corrects infrastructure problems in real-time, enabling applications to achieve maximum uptime. When ease-of-use, high availability, and TCO matter, Scale Computing HC3 is the ideal infrastructure platform. Read what our customers have to say on Gartner Peer Insights, Spiceworks, TechValidate, and TrustRadius. A medic has warned that the Islamic festival of Ramadan could lead to a 'big spike' in coronavirus infections when British Muslims celebrate holy month. This year Ramadan is set to begin on April 23, with around three million Muslims across the UK celebrating the religious holiday. But a consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham has now claimed that more social interaction during the holy month could lead to an increase in cases. Dr Adnan Sharif said the amount of social interaction during the festivities could be a worry. 'People traditionally gather to open and close prayers and break fast at sundown with friends and neighbours, which could cause a big spike in infections.' Dr Adnan Sharif warned that Ramadan could cause a spike in cases of the coronavirus across the UK During Ramadan people gather on a regular basis for prayer and to connect with their local communities. Pictured above, worshippers praying in London before an evening meal at a previous Ramadan celebration Dr Adnan works at a hospital where four in 10 Covid-19 patients are from a black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME). His warning regarding Ramadan echoes concerns from the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMA recently launched an inquiry into why people from BAME backgrounds are more susceptible to such respiratory conditions. Speaking to The Times Dr Adnan added: 'They usually have households of multiple occupancy, where grandparents, parents and children all live in the same home and there is lots of communal activity.' Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of community, fasting, prayer and reflection. It is a commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad's first revelation and the observation of Ramadan is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam. There are worries that this increased sense of community may lead to people breaking social distancing rules. One of the main events of Ramadan is the Iftar dinner, that signifies the end of the fast. This is usually when family and friends would gather to eat together. What is Ramadan and how will it be different this year because of Covid-19? This year the holy month of Ramadan will begin on April 23 and will end on Saturday 23 May. It is the first celebration of the Islamic calendar and is believed to be the month when the Quran is said to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammad by God. Most mosques, like churches and other places of worship are currently closed at the moment in order to prevent mass gatherings and to make sure people are not passing on the virus from household to household. During Ramadan Muslims have to refrain from consuming food and drink - including water, during daylight hours. Smoking, sex and masturbation are all banned during the holy month and prayer is encouraged. This is a means of celebrating and reflecting on their Islamic faith. The Islamic calendar is based on the cycle of the moon - which is why it falls on a different date every year. The fast begins before dawn and a light meal called a suhoor is consumed. At sunset people will gather for Adhan prayers which signify the end of the fast. When the fast is fully broken at the end of the month, families come together to enjoy the meal of Iftar. The Iftar is the event where most Muslims gather and many local mosques are said to be launching virtual dinners. The Ramadan Tent Project said such virtual events will help people celebrate the end of the fast safely. People will celebrate from home this year with their loved ones, they will pray at home and if they so wish, can join virtual events set up by different organisations across the country. When Ramadan comes to an end Muslims observe Eid al-Fitr. This is a celebration often marked with lights, gift giving, and worshippers often dress up and decorate their homes. This will begin on the evening of Saturday 23 May and will end on the evening of Sunday 24 May. Advertisement Virtual Iftars have been scheduled by some groups, so people can still celebrate and enjoy a traditional Iftar without breaking social distancing guidelines and putting others at risk. The Ramadan Tent Project said such virtual events will help people celebrate the end of the fast safely. People will celebrate from home this year with their loved ones, they will pray at home and if they so wish, can join virtual events set up by different organisations across the country. Speaking to MailOnline Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said: 'When it comes to the coronavirus crisis, the majority of mosques suspended all congregational activities even before the government required their closure and not a single mosque has been found to be breaking the guidelines. 'In fact, we are seeing unprecedented innovation as mosques are adapting to social distancing measures and acting as a virtual hub for volunteering and supporting our NHS. We can only hope the accurate reality can be portrayed rather than the musings of one individual'. Last week Church of England vicars across the UK threatened to revolt and go to churches to host Easter Sunday services despite the Archbishop of Canterbury's orders to stay at home. It followed Tory MP Jack Lopresti, for Filton and Bradley Stoke, calling for churches to open on Easter Sunday to give hope to Christians during the crisis. His call, made in a column for the Telegraph, sparked criticism over his suggestion people broke lockdown. There were similar concerns around the Jewish Passover festival after many gathered to celebrate Purim earlier this year. The festival, dating back 2,500 years, took place on March 9 and March 10, shortly before social distancing rules were brought into place, and lockdown on March 23. Archbishop Welby even pre-recorded his Easter Sunday service himself and urged others to do the same in order to avoid them attending churches and going outside unnecessarily. Those who said they would defy the rules set out by Mr Welby claimed they were being threatened with disciplinary measures over the weekend. One vicar said 'it was time to revolt' and another claimed they had 'been going to church since lockdown'. They said they would continue to do so, adding they would be attending at 10.30am on Easter Sunday. The Rector at London's St Luke's Wimbledon Park Rev James Paice told the Telegraph over the weekend: 'If people can go to supermarkets and get food and stand less than two metres apart from others, then why can't clergy go into an empty building on their own? Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby recording his Easter Sunday sermon in the kitchen of his flat at Lambeth Palace in London 'The advice that clergy should get shopping but not enter their buildings alone to minister online elevates the humanistic and practical above the spiritual.' He added: 'I've been going every Sunday to a room in my church. Ever since the lockdown I have been doing it, and I will do it at 10.30am on Easter Sunday. Other clergy are doing it from the main body of church.' So far in the UK 12,107 people have died from the coronavirus and there have been over 93,000 confirmed cases of the virus. Public Health England is currently reporting the deaths on a daily basis. However the figures could actually be much higher, as this is just the number of patients that have died in hospitals from the virus over the last 24 hours. The Obuasi Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) has launched an operation to enforce the social distancing directives in the Obuasi Central Market. Obuasi is one of the high risk spots for COVID-19 in Ghana and the Security Committee was working to ensure that all preventive protocols and restrictive measures were strictly observed by the people to prevent further spread of the virus in the municipality. The Security Committee as part of the operational measures have moved some of the traders from the Central Market to the Kunka Market to create space and enhance spacing at the markets. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Martin Asenso told the Ghana News Agency at Obuasi that, the social distancing protocol was crucial in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. He said it was mandatory for the market women to comply, hence the need to launch the operation to ensure total compliance in all markets in the Municipality to maintain the safety of both the traders and buyers. Some of the traders who spoke to the GNA asked the Security Committee to find a suitable place for them instead of the Kunka Market since that place could not accommodate all of them. 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 Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton was spotted getting some fresh air at Port Melbourne beach with a personal bodyguard. The 26-year-old was joined by her good friend Anthony Hess as she stepped out of a $260,000 Mercedes Benz while donning slim fitting activewear on Tuesday. The blonde beauty flaunted her surgically enhanced decolletage as she strutted down the pier, her perfectly styled curls staying in place despite the strong breeze. Stunner: Married At First Sight star Stacey Hampton (pictured) put on a busty display in slim fitting activewear Safety first: Stacey headed out with a personal bodyguard to walk and stretch on Port Melbourne pier Stepping away from her normally brand-emblazoned style, Stacey kept things simple in a low-cut white ribbed tank top, high-waisted $119 Lululemon leggings and Chanel $2500 white sneakers. Stacey accessorised with a silver name pendant necklace, silver bangle and her Rolex Oyster DateJust, which start at $6,850. The iconic timepiece features a black dial, crystal numerals and steel band, but despite the hefty price tag, it is actually considered an 'entry-level' watch for the designer brand. Luxury! She stepped out of a $260,000 Mercedes Benz while donning slim fitting activewear on Tuesday Beach buddies: The 26-year-old was joined by her good friend Anthony Hess Taking in the scenery: The group walked down the beach path before turning off onto the Port Melbourne pier Talent! Her perfectly styled curls stayed in place despite the strong breeze For makeup, Stacey donned a full coverage foundation, contour, false lashes and a subtle smokey eye. Her styled ice blonde curls added a glamorous touch to the otherwise casual athleisure ensemble. After taking in the scenery from the adjacent pathway, Stacey and Anthony stepped out to the pier to do some light stretching. Work it: The blonde beauty flaunted her surgically enhanced decolletage as she strutted down the pier Something different: Stacey took a step back from her normally brand-emblazoned style Casual: Stacey styled a simple low-cut white ribbed tank top, high-waisted $119 Lululemon leggings and classic white sneakers Stacey even stepped up onto a seat, towering over her friend and bodyguard as she precariously leaned against the old wooden railings. Stacey was closely followed by a personal bodyguard, which she has hired multiple times for her outings with her bitcoin trader friend while in Melbourne. She seemingly used the professional guard to carry her belongings, as he strapped a $2320 women's Louis Vuitton bum bag around his chest. Designer taste: Stacey accessorised with a silver pendant necklace, silver bangle and her Rolex Oyster DateJust, which start at $6,850 Take a look! The iconic timepiece features a black dial, crystal numerals and steel band, but despite the hefty price tag, it is actually considered an 'entry-level' watch for the designer brand And stretch! Her styled ice blonde curls added a glamorous touch to the otherwise casual athleisure ensemble The mother-of-two held her $1750 iPhone 11 Pro in the air as she tried out some simple stretches, giggling with her friend at her lack of flexibility. Anthony made headlines last year for his clash with PR queen Roxy Jacenko, resulting in her filing an AVO against him. He donned a Balmain jumper and navy blue chino joggers, topping the look off with a patterned cap. Look at me! Stacey even stepped up onto a seat, towering over her friend and bodyguard as she precariously leaned against the old wooden railings Stunner: For makeup, Stacey donned a full coverage foundation, contour, false lashes and a subtle smokey eye Namaste! Stacey took in the ocean views while having a light stretch Precarious: The mother-of-two held her $1750 iPhone 11 Pro in the air as she tried out some simple stretches The friends were spotted shopping at the Mercedes Benz showroom with a different bodyguard earlier this month. When in Adelaide, the reality star drives a $90,000 Range Rover Velar and boasts a $20,000 designer shoe collection. In March, Married At First Sight fans slammed Stacey after she admitted she wanted to be a 'trophy wife'. Does she look the part? In March, Married At First Sight fans slammed Stacey after she admitted she wanted to be a 'trophy wife' That's a stretch: 'I had my own financial stability [before MAFS] with more than Michael could have provided,' Stacey said recently, hitting back at claims she's a 'gold digger' Look at me go! Stacey has slammed MAFS' portrayal of her, insisting she is financially secure herself and doesn't need anybody else's money However, she has slammed the show's portrayal of her, insisting she is financially secure herself and doesn't need anybody else's money. Many viewers were left wondering how the single mother could afford such luxuries - but Daily Mail Australia later revealed the heartbreaking truth behind her fortune. Stacey inherited a significant sum of money from her father and brother's estates following their deaths several years ago. Notorious: Anthony made headlines last year for his clash with PR queen Roxy Jacenko, resulting in her filing an AVO against him Stylish: Anthony donned a Balmain jumper and navy blue chino joggers, topping the look off with a patterned cap On the look out: Stacey was closely followed by a personal bodyguard, which she has hired multiple times for her outings with her bitcoin trader friend while in Melbourne Expensive: She seemingly used the professional guard to carry her belongings, as he strapped a $2320 women's Louis Vuitton bum bag around his chest She put the money into a family trust, which she later used to start several business ventures in South Australia. 'I had my own financial stability [before MAFS] with more than Michael could have provided,' Stacey said recently, hitting back at claims she's a 'gold digger'. It comes after she sold a $5,500 Louis Vuitton handbag that her millionaire former 'husband' Michael Goonan gifted her during the experiment. Luxury lifestyle: She likes the high price tags, even her basic leggings cost more than $100 A different Stacey! Despite appearing cold on MAFS, she laughed with her friend Stacey has since donated the $3,000 proceeds of the sale to a suicide prevention charity, speaking openly on social media about the generous donation. Stacey previously joked that her ex-fiance, Rebels Adelaide boss Shane Michael Smith, who is the father of her two children, was funding her lavish lifestyle. During her MAFS audition, executive producer Tara McWilliams asked her: 'You've got a Rolex and a Givenchy bag. I'm gonna be really honest, how do you afford that?' Nearly there! She giggled with her friend Anthony at her lack of flexibility Can you spot the label? Her simple sneakers are actually Chanel, worth around $2500 'You might have to ask my ex,' Stacey laughed in response. Stacey later clarified that her 'ask my ex' comment was in response to another question, but producers had apparently edited the footage to make her look bad. While Stacey currently calls South Australia home, she could be headed for the bright lights of Hollywood soon. Oops! Stacey previously joked that her ex-fiance, Rebels Adelaide boss Shane Michael Smith, who is the father of her two children, was funding her lavish lifestyle During her MAFS audition, executive producer Tara McWilliams asked her: 'You've got a Rolex and a Givenchy bag. I'm gonna be really honest, how do you afford that?' How does she do it? 'You might have to ask my ex,' Stacey laughed in response On Monday, the mother-of-two raised eyebrows by uploading a photo of herself looking stylish on the streets of Sydney, captioned: 'Hey, come waste your time with me in California.' The glamorous blonde's caption was a direct quote from Bryce Vine's hit song La La Land, but many fans wondered whether Stacey was hinting she's planning to launch a Hollywood career. If the busty blonde does decide to head to the bright lights of LA, she will have to wait until the coronavirus pandemic ends and international travel bans are lifted. No more cloudy skies! While Stacey currently calls South Australia home, she could be headed for the bright lights of Hollywood soon Change of scenery: On Monday, the mother-of-two raised eyebrows by uploading a photo of herself looking stylish on the streets of Sydney, captioned: 'Hey, come waste your time with me in California' Kabul, Apr 13(UNI) The Afghan government released the third batch of 100 Taliban prisoners after a decree was issued by President Ashraf Ghani reported Tolo News on Monday. The prisoner release is as per the US-Taliban peace agreement whereby the Afghan government has agreed to release 5,000 Taliban fighters in several batches and the militant Islamist outfit in return would release 1,000 prisoners. The Taliban also released 20 Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, handing over the men to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Kandahar. The Afghan government till now has released more than 300 Taliban fighters over the past week as they had previously released two batches of 100 prisoners each on April 8 and April 9. The Ashraf Ghani led government hopes that release of Taliban prisoners would spur the Taliban to come to the negotiating table hence giving a push to the peace process. On April 10, the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan Gen. Austin S Miller had met the Taliban representatives in Doha. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad in a tweet praised the moves by both the Taliban and the government urging both the parties to step up efforts to implement the US-Taliban agreement. UNI XC RKM JTS 1215 NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander later said he thought it was a softball question, giving President Donald Trump an opportunity to reassure the public. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared? Alexander asked Trump at one of the televised White House briefings on the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic. I say you are a terrible reporter. Thats what I say, the president snapped. I think its a very nasty question. For four years, Trump has been bashing media outlets for their fake news that is, news not favorable to him. Now hes making it personal, denouncing individual reporters for doing their jobs. At the briefings, he loves to play the insult comedian when reporters ask reasonable questions or persist in asking reasonable questions hed rather not answer, according to Jack Shafer, senior media writer for Politico. When Jonathan Karl, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News, pressed Trump about the availability of ventilators, Trump said; Look, dont be a cutie pie, OK? Nobodys done what weve been able to do. After an exchange between Karl and the president over a possible backlog of coronavirus tests at hospitals, Trump told him, Youre a third-rate reporter. He later added, You will never make it. When Kristin Fisher of Fox News asked the president about delays in testing and getting results, Trump told her: You should say, Congratulations, great job, instead of being so horrid in the way you ask a question. It apparently made no difference that Fisher works for the cable news channel the hosts of which strongly support Trump. When Yamiche Alcindor of the PBS NewsHour asked the president about equipment sought be governors, Trump said: Come on, come on. Why dont you people why dont you act a little more positive? Its always get ya, get ya, get ya. And you know what? Thats why nobody trusts the media anymore. Alcindor tried to resume her questioning, but Trump interrupted her: Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Dont be threatening. Be nice. When Francesca Chambers of McClatchy newspapers, asked the president about the federal governments new Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, she noted it got off to a confusing start. Trump responded: Why dont you say its gotten out to a tremendous start, but there are some little glitches, which, by the way, have been worked out? It would be so much nicer if you do that. But youre just incapable of asking a question in a positive way. Ill let Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times, have the last word. In a posting on Twitter, she said, As long as hes fighting with reporters, he can attempt to shift focus from where the government has lagged in its response. Paul Janensch, of Bridgeport, was a newspaper editor and taught journalism at Quinnipiac University. Email: paul.janensch@quinnipiac,edu. From swastikas sprayed on the walls to Hitler salute selfies, far-right provocations are a growing problem at the sites of former Nazi concentration camps in Germany. Museum directors have sounded the alarm over a spike in incidents, which include visitors writing messages of Holocaust denial in the guestbook and challenging tour guides on the facts of the genocide. "Messages glorifying Nazism or demanding the camps be reopened for foreigners have become more common," Volkhard Knigge, museum director at the former Buchenwald concentration camp in eastern Germany, told AFP. "There have always been incidents at memorial sites, but we have noticed an escalation due to the far right's breaching of language taboos," he said. At Buchenwald, where 56,000 people died between 1937 and 1945, the number of reported incidents has doubled since 2015. Right-wing extremists have also been known to take smiling selfies in front of furnaces used to cremate victims and leave stickers glorifying their fellow revisionists, Knigge said. More recently, a growing number of tour guides have been interrupted by extremists propagating revisionist theories. Uwe Neumaerker, director of Berlin's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, said that his museum faced similar problems. "Visitors are questioning the truth of the genocide. That is something which we didn't experience even a few years ago." - Remembrance culture - This year marks 75 years since the liberation of most of the Nazi death camps in Europe. The rise in incidents at memorial sites also comes as the generation of Germans who lived through World War II is beginning to die out and attention is shifting to making sure that the horrors of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were systematically murdered, are not forgotten. But recent years have seen the anti-immigrant AfD party establish itself as the most electorally successful far-right movement in Germany's post-war history. Founded in 2013, the AfD is now the largest opposition party in Germany's parliament, and many of its key figures have attacked the long-standing culture of atonement for Nazi crimes. Regional leader Bjoern Hoecke has called for a "180 degree reversal" in German remembrance culture, and labelled the Berlin Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame". Former AfD chairman Alexander Gauland has dismissed the Nazi dictatorship as a "speck of bird shit" in German history, and called on citizens to be proud of soldiers who fought for the Nazi Wehrmacht, or army. "The far right and the AfD always adopt a strategy of pushing boundaries in order to normalise their thought," said Bianca Klose, of the Berlin-based organisation Mobile Counseling against Right-wing Extremism (MBR). Since the party won seats in all of Germany's regional parliaments, several AfD MPs have also tried to influence the cultural-historical programmes of memorial sites, she added. "They question the pedagogical choices and attempt to erase certain historical aspects. Even worse, they intimidate people by demanding information about their private life or political orientation," Klose told AFP. - Security measures - There are 15 former concentration camps on German soil which have been turned into memorial sites. The most well-known among them, Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Neuengamme, Bergen-Belsen, Ravensbrueck and Buchenwald, received almost three million visitors in 2018. But faced with the new challenge from the far right, many of the sites have been forced to adapt. In Berlin, Neumaerker allows his tour guides to choose themselves whether or not to accept groups from the AfD, and has provided staff with special training in how to react to provocations. Like his colleague Knigge at Buchenwald, he has blacklisted certain members of the AfD. At Neuengamme, any delegations from the AfD are accompanied by extra tour guides. Certain sites have also introduced a so-called "extremist clause", prohibiting access to anyone wearing clothes which reference the Third Reich. Yet financing CCTV cameras and security personnel diverts funds which "would be more useful in education... especially for younger people," said Knigge. The Buchenwald director also said he regretted that schools had cut back on lessons dedicated solely to teaching the history of Nazism in their busy timetables, an issue that has provoked concern in Germany and a parliamentary study two years ago. "The memorials can't compensate for what schools are no longer doing," he said. Far-right provocations are a growing problem at the sites of former Nazi concentration camps in Germany, such as Buchenwald By Robert Muller PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech government will allow stores and restaurants to reopen gradually over the next two months to reawaken an economy paralysed by the coronavirus lockdown, officials said on Tuesday. In March, the nation of 10.7 million people imposed some of the earliest - and toughest - measures in Europe to curb the outbreak and now joins a group of European countries seeking to cautiously return to business as transmission rates slow. While cautioning that the plan could be revised should the rate of infections spike anew, authorities said they would start by letting craft shops reopen on April 20, larger stores on May 11, and restaurants and shopping malls on June 8. "This scenario is based on a parameter where the coronavirus will be under control, as it has been until now," Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek told a news conference. Czech authorities had reported 6,101 cases with 161 deaths as of Tuesday with the number of new infections below 300 per day in the past 10 days and hospital admissions below the maximum capacity of the health system. Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula said the virus reproduction or transmission rate, dubbed "R", was now less than 1 - meaning a person with the virus typically infects less than 1 person on average, and that the epidemic is in decline. Nevertheless, Czechs will need to continue wearing face masks until further notice and summer festivals and other events for large groups of people will probably not take place, officials said. Theatres, other culture venues for up to 50 people and indoor sections of restaurants would be the last to open on June 8 after beer gardens resume on May 25 under the current plan. "We managed to get this epidemic under control in some way, the reproduction number has dropped below 1, meaning that the epidemic has a downward trend here," Prymula said. The plan also foresees a partial reopening of schools for student admission and graduation exams but normal schooling will not restart before the new academic year in September. Story continues Borders would also remain shut except for travel related to business, medical and family reasons with a 14-day quarantine required on return. Any wider reopening would have to come in coordination with other European countries, officials said. "Ordinary travel will depend on how the situation develops in Europe, it has to be in concert with other countries," Havlicek said. The lockdown has pummelled the Czech economy and cost the services sector an estimated 50 billion crowns ($2.04 billion) in losses through the end of April due to a lack of foreign tourists to Prague and other cities. The export-dependent economy received some good news on Tuesday, however. Hyundai Motor Co's Czech car plant became the first automaker in the country to get back to work after a three-week outage, and tire maker Barum Continental also reopened. The plan to gradually revive the Czech economy comes as the European Commission warned that European Union member states should coordinate any easings of lockdown measures or risk new outbreaks of the coronavirus. In Italy, the first EU country to be hard hit by COVID-19, the lung disease caused by the coronavirus, dozens of businesses were allowed to resume activity on Tuesday, although harsh confinement measures remain in place. Other countries went further, with Denmark due to reopen schools on April 15 and Austria allowing large shops to restart activities on Tuesday and reopening shopping centres from May 1. (Additional reporting by Jan Lopatka, Writing by Michael Kahn, Editing by Mark Heinrich) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 13:39:43|Editor: Liu Video Player Close SEOUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired multiple unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. The JCS said in a statement that the projectiles, believed to be short-range cruise missiles, were launched near the DPRK's east coastal city of Munchon towards the eastern waters. The South Korean military was closely monitoring additional military moves by the DPRK, while maintaining a firm defense preparedness, the JCS noted. By Trend The ability and willingness of the government of Azerbaijan to support the banking sector, in particular, the biggest banks, will remain strong, Trend reports referring to Moody's. "Despite the stringent measures being taken by the government of Azerbaijan (Ba2 stable) to curb the spread of coronavirus, will undermine economic activity, the ability and willingness of the government of Azerbaijan to support the banking sector, in particular, the largest banks, will remain strong, given large reserves compared to the size of the banking system," the message said. The spread of coronavirus will disrupt economic activity and together with lower oil prices will erode the debt service capacity of households, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and corporates, leading to an increase in problem loans, the message said. Banks' profitability will weaken due to increases in provisioning charges and funding costs. The share of foreign-currency loans in total loans still remains at 35 percent as of the end of 2019, which raises asset risks for borrowers, the message said. Probability of government support to the largest banks remains high in Azerbaijan, the message said. With total reserves accumulated by State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan Republic (SOFAZ) amounting to about 90 percent of GDP at the end of 2019, the government is well positioned to provide support to the economy and the banking system, which is small, with total gross loans equalling 19 percent of GDP. Therefore, in terms of an increase in problem loans and provisioning charges, the government has good capacity to provide support to the economy and SMEs, the message said. The sectors reliance on wholesale market is limited while refinancing risks are relatively low. In addition, about 50 percent of banking sector assets are in liquid forms, which provide a strong cushion against external shocks. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Mayor Jim Kenney, left, and Managing Director Brian Abernathy have declined to say how many police officers and firefighters have the coronavirus. Read more As the number of Philadelphia first responders testing positive for the coronavirus grows, Mayor Jim Kenneys administration is facing pressure to be more transparent about how many city workers have contracted the disease. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Washington have all released, at a minimum, the number of police officers or first responders who have tested positive. But Managing Director Brian Abernathy said he is withholding the Philadelphia totals out of concern for the workers privacy. Even in these challenging times, people public servants included have rights to privacy and confidentiality," Abernathy said last week during a virtual news conference. "If we reported the number of police officers with this infection, youd want to know what unit they were in. If we reported the number of firefighters with this infection, youd want to know what station house. Youd want their ages. Abernathys position hasnt stopped word from getting out. City employees regularly reach out to journalists about coronavirus cases in their workplaces, often to raise concerns about working conditions, such as a lack of personal protective equipment or decisions on which employees are essential. Its not a matter of privacy, because the employees themselves want people to know: This is what happened to me, this is the environment that I had to go into, and this is the same environment that I had to take home and I dont know what Im taking home, said Eric Hill, business agent for AFSCME Local 159, which represents corrections officers in city jails. The number means a lot.... We need to know how many of our members are being affected. As of Tuesday, 81 firefighters and paramedics had tested positive for the coronavirus, according to department sources. And 129 police officers have the virus, sources in that department said. In both cases, the sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to release the numbers. Because administration officials wont confirm those reports, information about cases has come out in piecemeal fashion and can quickly become dated without official updates. Abernathy said the city would alert the public if it has to take extraordinary measures to ensure public safety because a large-enough share of the citys 6,500 police officers and 3,000 firefighters cannot go to work, either because they are sick or because they are quarantining. That hasnt happened yet, he said. When someone tests positive, they are taken off shift. We trace their contacts, and we notify those contacts about the infection, Abernathy said. There is no risk to public safety, and theres no benefit to telling you whether there are 10 police officers or 50 as long as we are able to maintain our deployment levels. John McNesby, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said he didnt understand why the city is being tight-lipped about the totals. The Boston Police Department releases the number of officers and nonuniformed staff who have tested positive but does not disclose the parts of the city in which they work or the number who are in quarantine but havent tested positive, said Sgt. Detective John Boyle, a department spokesperson. No officers have had their privacy compromised, he said. Its simply a statistic. Theres no way of knowing who the person is, Boyle said. Washington has published daily reports disclosing how many officers have tested positive since the pandemic reached the capital, Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Kristen Metzger said. Being that police department officers are out there every day interacting with the community, its definitely a way for us to build upon that trust and let the public know the precautions that were taking as an agency in order to protect them and also maintain a level of public safety for the community, Metzger said. We havent had any issues." City Councilmember Cindy Bass said disclosing the number of municipal workers who have coronavirus would help to drive home the gravity of the pandemic. People have been more cooperative with social distancing rules, she said, when they have understood the extent of the problem. That just lets people know how dangerous it is, how serious it is and the people have responded," Bass said. Right now, because of everything thats happening, people are in fear, people are concerned, and we need to take transparency to a level that weve never seen before. Staff writers Chris Palmer and Mike Newall contributed to this article. The shortage here has prompted continued restrictions on who gets tested; as of Monday, only a select group of people -- those that have been hospitalized and health care workers, to name two -- are able to be tested. Hospitals and health care workers have been told to send non-priority tests to private labs. Harrist, through a Health Department spokeswoman, told the Star-Tribune that "there was much discussion (in the Fauci call) of the need for more widespread and quicker testing, as well as some of the related challenges we face as a more rural state such as having just the one public health laboratory in the state." Pearlman said that Fauci talked about anti-body testing -- the process of doing widespread sampling to see how many people were infected by the disease and have anti-bodies to it. While that effort may be helpful down the road, a Teton County official said last week that Wyoming is still trying to figure out the spread of the disease now. The governor's spokesman added that Harrist and Gordon told Fauci that the state was more focused on diagnostic testing -- meaning getting a handle on who has the disease right now -- rather than anti-body testing, which may be more helpful down the road. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved on Monday the empanelment of 28 top bureaucrats to the secretary level. Tarun Bajaj, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1988 batch of Haryana cadre, and his batchmate from Gujarat, Arvind Kumar Sharma, have been empanelled as secretary, or secretary equivalent, officers. Significantly, both the officers are currently posted in the prime ministers office. Among others who have been empanelled to the secretary-level rank are: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Chairperson Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairperson Anita Karwal.Both the officers belong to the 1988 batch. Others who are now eligible to join as secretaries are IAS officers Ajay Tirkey of the 1987 batch, Madhya Pradesh, Rameshwar Prasad Gupta of Gujarat cadre and his batchmate from Jammu and Kashmir Sudhanshu Panday. Former CBSE chairperson Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, a 1987 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has also been empanelled for holding secretary-level post at the Centre. Currently, he is posted as an additional secretary and financial advisor in the ministry of culture. In addition to 28 officers empanelled as secretary or secretary equivalent, six officers were empanelled as secretary equivalent. These include IAS officers Jyoti Arora of the 1987 batch of Haryana cadre, and Alka Tiwari of the 1988 batch of Jharkhand cadre. Fairfax Software (Fairfax) and Indicium Solutions (Indicium) have signed a cooperative alliance agreement to commercialize Fairfax's Quick Payments software alongside Indicium's eFactura software for the Mexican marketplace. As part of this agreement, Fairfax will provide Indicium's more than 7,000 existing customers in Mexico using indicium's landmark product eFactura the ability to allow their invoiced customers to pay invoices online in a one-stop shop. For those Indicium invoicing customers that accept While parents are waiting for school fee waiver during the lockdown due to COVID-19 situation in the country, several schools have announced a fee hike adding to their woes. Parents have started an online petition to the HRD Ministry demanding a directive to schools for not implementing fee hike this academic session at least till schools reopen. While the Gujarat government had on Monday announced that private schools will not hike fees for an year, the West Bengal government had appealed schools to refrain from hiking fees. However, no clear instructions have been issued on fee hike in Delhi-NCR. "With no information when normalcy will return, when we could head back to our respective workplace is the question that remains unanswered and here, I receive an intimation from the school regarding the hike in fee. I was baffled that how would I be able to cope up? I am anxious to know about the school fee hike and transport fee hike which the school says is to meet the cost demands for the academic year 2020-21," said Pivit Joshi, whose son studies in a prominent school in Noida. He did not wish to identify the name of school. Jagriti Shukla, a parent in Gurgaon, said, "We understand the schools' concern that they need to pay salaries and cannot waive fees but at least hike can be avoided at such crucial time. Why the government has not passed any order in this regard?" Similar concerns were shared by Rajesh Kumar, who said the fees hike has added to the financial woes already caused by pay cuts or loss of incentives. "We are getting basic pay but the performance linked incentives have been suspended for the lockdown period. The appraisals have been deferred to next financial year but the school's fee hike is going on as per usual," he said. The schools were closed by mid March, ahead of the nationwide lockdown announcement due to the spread of coronavirus. The 21-day lockdown, which was scheduled to end today, has now been extended till May 3. However, several schools have already begun teaching and learning activities online. Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments have announced that schools should not force parents to pay fees during the lockdown. However, there is no clarity among parents about whether no fees will be charged during the period or they will have to be paid later. While the Delhi government has not issued any directive about any possible fees waiver, the private schools in Delhi are supposed to get clearances on fee hike from government's fee review management committee. The death toll due to coronavirus infection in the country rose to 339 while the number of cases soared to 10,363 on Tuesday, said the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 8,988, as many as 1,035 people have been cured and discharged and one had migrated, it said. The total number of cases include 72 foreign nationals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A teenager has been charged with the murder of a Marine veteran who was allegedly thrown in front of a moving train and dragged along the platform. Ryan Munn, 18, is accused of killing Mamadou Balde, 29, during a violent confrontation at the Jackson Red Line station in Chicago last Tuesday evening. Munn and two accomplices, who have not been named or charged, reportedly punched the ex-infantryman before shoving him on to the train Balde, of West Rogers Park, fell between two cars, with the 'lower half of his torso between the train cars and his upper torso sticking out on the platform,' according to a Chicago police document seen by CNN. Ryan Munn, 18, (left) is accused of killing Mamadou Balde, 29, (right) during a violent confrontation at the Jackson Red Line station in Chicago last Tuesday evening As the train rumbled forward, Balde's body was dragged along the platform before eventually coming to a stop at the station. He was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple blunt force injuries. CCTV seen but not released by cops reportedly showed Balde, a two-tour Afghanistan veteran laughing and smiling in the moments before he was assaulted. After 'jokingly' raising his hands as if he were preparing to fight, police said Munn and the accomplices rained blows on him. Munn told police he had intended to harm Balde and bring him to the ground, but not push him on to the train. The 18-year-old is being held in custody without bail before he appears in court on Friday for first degree murder charges. Balde, of West Rogers Park, fell between two cars, with the 'lower half of his torso between the train cars and his upper torso sticking out on the platform,' according to Chicago police Balde's father Al, who has seen the Chicago Transit Authority surveillance footage, said his son was walking away when he was attacked. The cab driver, who moved his family from the Republic of Guinea when Balde was nine, told the Chicago Tribune: 'He didn't want to fight. Yes, I am mad, that is correct. He added: 'This guy gave his life for his country and three people throw him on the train.' Al revealed that Balde lost his mother to cholera aged three and joined up to the Marines when he was 18. After returning from his second tour and watching 'most of his friends die at one time in front of his eyes,' Balde suffered PTSD. "We just love it. We love the apocalypse," says author Mark O'Connell. (Richard Gilligan) A long, long time ago, in 2019, when Irish writer Mark OConnell needed an epigraph for his new book, Notes From an Apocalypse, he chose one addressing what looked like (and might still be) the greatest looming threat to humanity. He quoted Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. I dont want you to be hopeful, Thunberg told the United Nations last year. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire. Because it is. Years ahead of Thunberg (and the coronavirus), OConnell had started panicking not long after the birth of his son, in 2013. Then, prompted in part by the election of Donald Trump, he set out on a globe-spanning investigation into the world of preppers planning for TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it), when we are left WROL (without rule of law). It turns out that preppers, like the military, appreciate a good acronym. The timing of this volume couldnt be better, with each of us in our own private bunker, hoarding survival supplies and only venturing out in our homemade "Mad Max"-ish face masks to stand in the vicinity of Trader Joes, desperadoes one and all. OConnells previous book, To Be a Machine, focused on the obsession of Silicon Valley with transhumanism. He revisits California in his new book as well, this time focusing on Los Angeles, where he attends a meeting of people who hope to colonize Mars before SHTF (stuff hits the fan). His end-of-the-world tour also takes in prepper bunkers in South Dakota, billionaire Peter Thiel's New Zealand hideaway, an Edenic settlement in Scotland and Ukraines Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. But, as OConnell made clear when reached by phone in his Dublin home, the journey he documented was as personal as it was global. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. So, you just published a book about the end of the world in the middle of the closest thing weve seen to it. Dumb luck? Story continues I finished the reporting for the book in 2018 and then took another year to wrestle it into shape, but yes, it is strange just how relevant it turned out to be. Honestly, in this book I really just wanted to explore my own anxieties, preoccupations and obsessions. And then I wanted people to come away with a sense of the peculiarity of our times. As you know, the apocalypse is not ever really far from our minds. I come from a place, Ireland, that has already experienced as close to a total apocalypse as any country on Earth, the potato famine. History never leaves us. Its like that Joyce quote: History is the nightmare from which we are all trying to wake. Why are we so obsessed with such stories? We just love it. We love the apocalypse. When I told people what I was working on, they would say, I love the apocalypse. And in a really un-ironic way. When I was younger, I was really into Freud, and the entry point for me was an interest in what he calls the death instinct. I think it starts early in all of us. I got into a dialogue with my son about The Lorax, which is a kind of post-apocalyptic picture book about climate change. I think all writers at some level are drawn to channeling the death-seeking energies of the culture. Nearly all the preppers you meet are white men, and you point out that they seem fixated on race. True, prepping is an overwhelmingly white, male milieu. What really shook me, and I could not ignore, was just how racially encoded their anxieties were and how much they were focused on cliches of urban black populations turning to civil unrest, particularly in their WROL fantasies. There is almost a frontier colonialist cast to their thinking. I talk about that in the chapter on the meeting I attended with people who want to colonize Mars the idea that a certain class of people can insulate themselves by either moving to another planet or by trying to establish a post-technological utopia, like in Alladale [Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands]. (Doubleday) The book begins with your son watching cartoons while you glimpse a dying bear on YouTube, and it ends with you reading your wife the news of insect civilizations collapsing while she breastfeeds your daughter. Did you write this for your children? I used to fear that it was morally wrong to have children in the first place. But I am no longer agonizing over that. The emotional and intellectual engine of the book is the sense of cognitive dissonance that arises between my private life as a man with children and the need to inculcate them with the belief that the world is a beautiful place and what you read when opening a newspaper or looking at Twitter. Its really hard to keep a balance between those two competing narratives, but that is what I try to do. Is that why you keep returning to the image of people dancing sometimes to the music in their own heads? It crops up randomly several times in the book. It may be more literary than journalistic in intent. Theres an image of a kid headbanging and shredding air guitar on the street in South Dakota, and the old man bouncing up and down outside the gas station in Los Angeles holding a cross, or even my young daughter dancing when I play her music. They all resonate as a kind of rapture or ecstasy. For me, it was like going into a fugue state. Its unexpected and, to be honest, seems discordant. Im hugely influenced by movies. Im a big fan of Werner Herzog and his dancing chickens and breakdancing ghosts. And the films of Claire Denis. My favorite moment of any film is the ending of Beau Travail, with Denis Lavant dancing to Europop in a nightclub. It is so hypnotic and strange. It seemed important to me to have moments in the project that seemed volatile and inexplicable as well. California has always seemed poised on the edge of the abyss. Does it have a special relationship with the idea of the apocalypse? My first memory of California is of the L.A. riots in 1992, which was a very dystopian scene. I still cannot visit Los Angeles without thinking of The Terminator and my favorite apocalypse movie of all time, Miracle Mile. But it all makes sense in a way: California is the literal end of America, the apotheosis of the country. And the thing is that it is a very Californian thing to maintain an absolute, resolute refusal to die. So ultimately, when it comes to California, the apocalypse serves as a useful metaphor, a way of metabolizing our uncertainty about the future, the foreboding. But, as we know, the thing about the apocalypse or the end of the world is it's never really the end. History has proven to us the world will go on. Even now. It just will. Nawotka is the bookselling and international editor of Publishers Weekly. Beneficiaries of the Federal Governments National Social Investment Programme, N-Power, in Kogi State, have urged the Federal Governm... Beneficiaries of the Federal Governments National Social Investment Programme, N-Power, in Kogi State, have urged the Federal Government to pay their stipend for March 2020. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja, some beneficiaries said the payment of the stipend would enable them to take care of their needs during the COVID-19 lockdown. Mr James Abayomi, an N-power-teach beneficiary, said that the non-payment of their March stipend had brought untold hardship to them. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the payment, noting that the programme, which the president initiated had really helped us a lot. Another beneficiary of N-power-Agro, Abdullahi Umar, decried the delay in the payment of their monthly stipends, especially under the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. Umar urged the minister, Hajiya Sadiya Farouk to address the challenge without any further delay. Our stipend was not delayed when the programme was under the Office of the Vice President; so, we are calling on the minister to address the issue once and for all, Umar said. On her part, Mrs Felicia Oladele, a teacher at Army Day Children School, Lokoja, said we are begging the minister to pay our March stipend to enable us buy food. Asking us to stay at home without paying our March stipend is impacting negatively on us; we celebrated Easter on empty stomach. Also, Mrs Florence Ameh, an N-teach beneficiary, said the non-payment of March stipend made it difficult for her to contribute toward taking care of her family needs amidst the COVID-19 stay at home directive. The payment of March 2020 stipend of N30, 000 each to about 500, 000 beneficiaries would have been one of the stimulus packages for COVID-19. But up till now, we have not been paid, she said. In a chat with NAN, the Unit Head of N-Power Programme in Kogi, Mr. Femi Bolaji, called on the beneficiaries to exercise patience, assuring them that their March stipend would soon be paid. When I reached out to the Abuja office to get an update last week, I was informed that the March 2020 stipend would be paid soon. The ministry enjoined us to encourage the volunteers to exercise some patience. (Getty) If one of the countrys largest realtors is right, even the coronavirus pandemic wont be enough of a catalyst for significant price declines for Canadas real estate markets. Royal LePage outlines two potential scenarios in a new report. If restrictions are lifted by the second quarter it forecasts a 1.0 per cent year-over-year price increase nationally, to $653,800. But if lockdowns remain in place through the summer, Royal LePage expects prices to fall by a modest 3.0 per cent ($627,900) year-over-year. The impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy has been swift and violent, with layoffs driving high levels of unemployment across the country, said Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage. While it is sad that these cuts skewed strongly to young and to part-time workers, for the housing industry, the impact of these presumably temporary job losses will be limited as these groups are much less likely to buy and sell real estate. Soper says price declines come when inventory of homes for sale is high and that isnt the case right now. He also says we shouldnt read too much into a few homes selling for less than we would expect. It is easy to mistakenly equate a handful of transactions at lower prices to a reset in the value of the nations housing stock, said Soper. Distressed sales that occur during an economic crisis are a poor proxy for real estate value. A similar story The forecast is echoed across the countrys biggest markets. If restrictions are lifted by the second quarter, aggregate Greater Toronto home prices are expected to rise 1.5 per cent to $861,100. Otherwise, Royal LePage sees a 0.5 per cent drop to $844,200. In the best case scenario, Vancouver prices are expected to rise 0.5 per cent to $1,086,800. The flip side is a 2.5 per cent drop to $1,054,400. Prices would fall in either scenario in Montreal. With a resumption, a 0.5 per cent drop to $434,500 is forecast. If were still locked down, prices are expected to fall 3.5 per cent to $421,400. Story continues Though Soper expects an eventual return to normal in Canada, he says sales practices like public spring open houses wont be coming back any time soon. Instead, realtors will focus on using technology for virtual showings. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android Mr. Obama offered a preview of how he plans to pitch Mr. Biden, less as a traditional stand-alone candidate than as the standard-bearer for a larger Democratic coalition bound by decency and competence. And after drawing Mr. Sanders into that fold, calling him an American original, a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to working peoples hopes, he concluded the video with: Join us. Join Joe. The camps are still working out the details of engaging Mr. Obama in fund-raising. But David Plouffe, who remains Mr. Obamas most trusted political adviser, has offered to pitch in, and plans to participate in several virtual Biden fund-raisers that could be a dry run for Mr. Obamas participation, according to people briefed on the plans. Mr. Bidens emergence as the Democrats presumptive nominee relatively early in the political calendar is unwelcome news to Mr. Trump, his bluster notwithstanding, several of the presidents advisers said. Last Thursday, after trying to goad an anti-Biden revolt among Sanders supporters, the president suggested dark motives for Mr. Obamas hesitancy in endorsing Mr. Biden. You know what? Ill tell you, it does amaze me that President Obama hasnt supported Sleepy Joe, Mr. Trump said at a White House coronavirus briefing, in between questions about his administrations response to the crisis. It just hasnt happened. When is it going to happen? When is it going to happen? Why isnt he? He knows something that you dont know, that I think I know, but you dont know. So itll be interesting. That claim was Trumpian misdirection. Mr. Obama timed his video to follow Mr. Sanderss endorsement on Monday. But the Biden-Obama relationship, which deepened from a congenial partnership into a real friendship in 2015, when the president consoled Mr. Biden during his son Beaus illness and death, is not without complications. Mr. Biden is grateful for Mr. Obamas friendship but increasingly proud of his historic comeback. When news reports surfaced that Mr. Obama had called to congratulate Mr. Biden on his victory in South Carolina, the candidate made it clear to his staff that while his connection to Mr. Obama played a role in delivering African-American voters, Mr. Obama had not lifted a finger on his behalf, according to a senior Democrat with knowledge of his remarks. With India under lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, drones are proving to be a crucial tool in the functioning of law enforcement authorities and other government agencies which are deploying these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for carrying out surveillance, sanitisation and to reach out to people, minimising the risk of infection for their personnel. While Gujarat Police is using 200 drones across the state to monitor people's movements, Delhi Police has deployed them to ensure people follow social distancing in Asia's largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market Azadpur Mandi. Municipal authorities in Madurai are utilising them to disinfect areas near the coronavirus wing of a city hospital. These are only a few examples of UAVs being used in the fight against coronavirus. However, government agencies aren't the only ones to tap into technology in these tough times, media organisations are also using drones to show people confined indoors the impact of the world's biggest lockdown. "It is fair to assume that out of 20,000 drones registered with the government, about 450-500 drones are already being used all across India to assist different states and law enforcement agencies," Smit Shah, Director - Partnerships, Drone Federation of India (DFI) told PTI. The DFI is an industry body that has companies like Asteria Aerospace, Quidich Innovation Labs, AutoMicroUAS, Aarav Unmanned Systems and Indrones as its members. "Drone startups have come out and extended their support to the government on a no-cost basis. Most of the drone service providers are not charging for the services they are providing," Shah noted. India has remained under lockdown since March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, which has so far infected 10,815 people and claimed 353 lives in the country. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown, which was originally for 21 days, will be extended by 19 days to May 3 as the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Shah said drones are being used for carrying out a host of tasks like surveillance to ensure that people are maintaining social distancing, spreading awareness about COVID-19 in densely populated areas, spraying disinfectants and checking people's temperature. During the initial days of the lockdown, drones were used by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to announce restrictions on movement of people in Srinagar's busy Lal Chowk. Delhi Police is also using drones to monitor people's movements in Ghazipur Mandi, which witnesses a steady stream of buyers throughout the day. The municipal corporation of Warangal in Telangana has collaborated with a private company, Binford Robotics, to deploy its UAVs for surveillance and spraying disinfectants in the city. According to experts, as the number of coronavirus cases in the country mounts, the use of the UAVs is also expected to rise. Ankit Mehta, co-chair of a FICCI committee on drones, told PTI, "Right now, the need of the hour is that the Ministry of Home or state police departments should take a call on whether they need drones with megaphones as a reinforcement tool, otherwise their containment strategies won't work." "This is the time to go for mass procurement and leverage the entire drone production capability of the country. It will take us two-three weeks to start delivering," said Mehta, who is also the CEO of ideaForge, a drone manufacturing company. He called for stepping-up the use of drones. "Containment zones are going to be around for a while, and they are going to extend because it is a contagious virus. What is required is 24x7 deployment of drones for surveillance to enforce containment and not sporadic usage. "My estimate is that we have 640 districts. If about 2,000 drones are inducted, assuming that each district needs around 3 drones, we can enable a broad level of persistent surveillance in the major containment zones," he said. Mehta said several state police departments are already customers of ideaForge and they had procured surveillance drones well before the lockdown. "Some of these departments, which were planning to place orders with us, have asked us to deliver drones quickly since the beginning of lockdown," he said. DFI's Shah, however, recommended incentivising the approximately 20,000 drone operators who are registered with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. "This would be much more cost-effective for the governments as against procuring new drones at this time as that would involve management of equipment, training programmes and capacity building, which might not be feasible as of now," he said. For media organisations too drones are proving to be a boon at a time when many parts of the country have been sealed and are out of bounds for outsiders. Remote-controlled UAVs allow media organisations to shoot videos or click photographs and cover various aspects of the lockdown. For instance, The Times of India's Chennai supplement on Sunday posted online a 5-minute video, which was shot using drones, showing how the once-bustling city has come to a standstill during the lockdown. A senior executive of a organisation said the media companies in India generally use "micro drones", which weigh between one to two kgs. "The drones are registered with the central government. Before deploying them, a organisation generally takes permission from the local police department," the executive said. organisations also make sure that while recording a video, the drone does not enter any restricted areas like an airport's airspace, etc, the executive noted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There are more than 70 vaccines for COVID-19 currently in development, with three leading candidates, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). All three one from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology with Hong Kong's CanSino Bio and two from companies in the US are currently undergoing human trials, a list published by WHO this weekend shows. Another 67 vaccines, developed by scientists worldwide including teams from the UK, are also working towards trials in humans. WHO's list comes as the global death count from COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has passed 100,000. Inovio Pharmaceuticals began human testing for its coronavirus vaccine, the second to enter such trials in the US, the company announced last week 'Under WHOs coordination, a group of experts with diverse backgrounds is working towards the development of vaccines against COVID-19,' WHO said in a statement on Monday. 'The group makes a call to everyone to follow recommendations to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus and protect the health of individuals.' The list shows Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, working together with Hong Kong's CanSino Bio, are leading the charge with their vaccine, called Ad5-nCoV. HUMAN CLINICAL TRIAL PHASES Preclinical: Testing of drug on non-human subjects. Phase I: Studies that assess the safety of a drug or device. Usually includes a small number of healthy volunteers (20 to 100). Phase II: These test the efficacy of a drug or device. Most phase II studies are trials where one group of patients receives the experimental drug, while a second control group receives a standard treatment or placebo. Phase III: Randomized and blind testing in several hundred to several thousand patients, which can last several years. 70-90 per cent of drugs that enter Phase III successfully complete this phase. Once complete, a pharmaceutical company can request government approval for marketing the drug. Phase IV: Studies that are conducted after a drug or device has been approved for consumer sale. Source: WCG Advertisement In a listing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, CanSino Bio said it plans to move to phase II clinical trials with the genetic engineered vaccine candidate in China 'soon'. Of the two US-based drugs companies, Massachusetts-based Moderna received regulatory approval to move to human trials last month, while Pennsylvania-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals began human trials last week. The remaining 67 on WHOs list are in preclinical evaluation at institutes including Osaka University in Japan, the University of Queensland, Australia, and the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. The drug industry is hoping to shorten the time it takes to get a vaccine to market usually about 10 to 15 years to within the next year, Bloomberg reports. But public health officials say it will still take a year to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine despite human trials beginning. The University of Oxford team has previously said that it could have a vaccine ready to go as soon as September. Researchers there are confident they can roll out a jab for the disease within the next eight months. Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford said her team is 80 per cent confident that their vaccine will work based on previous work with similar vaccines. 'The best-case scenario is that by the autumn of 2020 we have the results about the effectiveness of the vaccine from a phase III trial and the ability to manufacture large amounts of the vaccine,' University of Oxford researchers told the Telegraph. They admitted that this time frame was 'highly ambitious' many things could get in the way of that target. 'At the moment it is not possible to identify who has already been infected, and if the virus is spreading quickly throughout the population it might be difficult to find unexposed people to take part in the trial,' they said. Most of Inovio's work focuses on HPV-associated cancers, but it also began developing a vaccine for MERS, a deadly coronavirus that emerged in 2012 'Conducting trials after the peak subsides presents another problem, because so many people will have developed a natural immunity by then, and the amount of transmission will have dropped so that those who are still not immune will take longer to be exposed to the virus.' The scientists warned they were still struggling to get funding to scale-up production of the potential drug so it can be issued to the masses. Of the two US developers at the top of the WHO list, Inovio Pharmaceuticals has Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permission for a safety test of a vaccine against the new coronavirus in 40 healthy volunteers in Philadelphia and Missouri. It gave its first dose of the experimental vaccine to participants on Monday, April 6. Dozens of research groups across the world, including Massachusetts-based Moderna, have taken a different route to traditional vaccine techniques Inovio's approach is what's called a DNA vaccine, made using a section of the virus's genetic code packaged inside a piece of synthetic DNA. While in March, the first safety test in people of a different vaccine candidate began in Seattle, developed by Moderna with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Forty-five participants in Seattle received the experimental jab in March to test its safety. There is no chance participants could get infected from the shots, because they dont contain the virus itself rather the goal is to check the vaccines show no negative side effects, setting the stage for larger tests. Dozens of research groups across the world, including Moderna, have taken a different route to traditional vaccine techniques. Normally a weaker bug is planted in the body so a patient can adapt to fight off the infection like the MMR vaccine. But Modernas sees messenger RNA stimulate the immune system to make similar proteins to the killer virus, which it can then combat. (Newser) As COVID-19 found a foothold across the US, plenty of young adults "expressed indignation at failing to convince their parents to stop running to the grocery store for milk, or to abandon vacation plans, a strange inversion of roles that has left many of us boomer-reared sons and daughters vexed and anxious," writes Leslie Pariseau in the New York Times. Pariseau had a bigger challenge: attempting to get her 66-year-old father to abandon his dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail, already in progress. He had set out Feb. 10, before COVID-19 even had a name. Over the following weeks, as the spreading coronavirus became a pandemic, he continued his trek from Georgia's Springer Mountain. To tackle the 2,193 miles north to Maine was an adventure three years in the making. And he didn't want to call it quits. story continues below "Despite my increasingly frantic phone calls, despite my offer to drive 11 hours to drop off his car so he could safely get home, even despite the Appalachian Trail Conservancy issuing a plea for all hikers to leave the trail, he continued on," Pariseau writes. It was very much in character for the retired engineer, who'd hitchhiked from Ohio to California as a teenager before enlisting in the Army. And because he was so isolated, the "seismic shift" the world was experiencing "never registered" with him. Yet the "the sense of security lent by an empty stretch of ridge or a stand of ancient, moss-covered oaks is a false one," Pariseau writes, noting that an injured hiker was rescued recently by six EMTs, who were badly needed elsewhere. Read her full column, which ends with a phone call from her father announcing his safe return home. (Read more opinion stories.) Fastenal Co (NASDAQ:FAST), Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) and Omega Healthcare Investors Inc (NYSE:OHI) announced quarterly dividends on Monday, April 13. These companies are loyal payers, as they have been releasing dividends for more than two decades. Fastenal Co The Winona, Minnesota-based wholesale distributor of fasteners and other industrial and construction supplies in North America and internationally announced that on May 26, it will pay a 25 cents quarterly cash dividend per common share, which is on par with the prior payment. The dividend is for shareholders of record April 28. The ex-dividend date is scheduled for April. 27. Based on Monday's closing share price of $32.27, the quarterly dividend produces a forward dividend yield of 3.08%. The S&P 500 yields 2.16% as of April 13. Fastenal Co Inc has been paying dividends for almost 30 years and increased them by a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% over the past five years. The company backs the payment of the quarterly dividend with cash available on hand and cash flows generated by operating activities. As of the most recent quarter, which ended on Dec. 30, 2019, the balance sheet had $175 million in cash and cash equivalents, while the cash flows statement reported $843 million in trailing 12-month operating cash flow. In the past year, the share price declined by 6.2%, determining a 52-week range of $26.72 to $39.31. The market capitalization is approximately $18.54 billion, the price-earnings ratio is 23.37 versus the industry median of 9.74 and the price-sales ratio is 3.47 versus the industry median of 0.36. Wall Street sell-side analysts recommend a hold rating for shares of Fastenal Co and have set an average target price of $34 per share. Story continues Unum Group The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based international life insurance company announced that on May 15, it will pay a quarterly cash dividend of 28.5 cents per common share to shareholders of record as of April 27. The ex-dividend date is scheduled for April 24. The payment is in line with the prior distribution. Based on Monday's closing share price of $15.75, the quarterly cash dividend produces a forward dividend yield of 7.26%. Unum Group has been paying dividends for more than three decades. The company has grown the dividends at a CAGR of nearly 12% over the past five years. The company sustains the payment of the quarterly dividend with cash on hand of approximately $1.4 billion as of the most recent quarter, which ended on Dec. 30, 2019. Activities for the prior 12 months to Dec. 30, 2019 brought in operating cash flow of $1.74 billion. In the past year, the stock price has decreased by 57.4% determining a 52-week range of $9.58 to $38.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.2 billion, a price-earnings ratio of 3.01 versus the industry median of 9.32 and a price-sales ratio of 0.28 versus the industry median of 0.83. Wall Street sell-side analysts recommend a hold rating for shares of Unum Group and have established an average target price of $24.36 per share. Omega Healthcare Investors Inc The Maryland-based real estate investment trust company focusing on assisted living healthcare facilities announced that on May 15, it will pay a 67 cents quarterly cash dividend per common share, which is on par with the prior distribution. The payment will be made for shareholders of record as of April 30. The ex-dividend date is scheduled for April 29. Based on Monday's closing share price of $33.77, the quarterly dividend generates a forward dividend yield of 7.92%. The S&P 500 offers a dividend yield of 2.16% as of April 13. Omega Healthcare Investors Inc has been paying dividends for more than two decades. The dividend grew at a CAGR of 5.6% over the past five years. The company funds the payment of the quarterly dividend with $24.12 million of cash on hand and with trailing twelve-month operating cash flow of $553.75 million as of Dec. 31, 2019. In the past year, the share price has declined by 8.5%, which has determined a 52-week range of $13.33 to $45.22. The market capitalization currently trades at around $7.7 billion; the price-earnings ratio is 21.37 and the price-sales ratio is 8.1. The industry has a median of 12.66 for the price-earnings ratio and of 5.77 for the price-sales ratio. Wall Street sell-side analysts recommend an overweight rating for shares of Omega Healthcare Investors Inc and have established an average target price of $32.90 per share. Disclosure: I have no positions in any securities mentioned. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Two people fish from a boat on the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, in Detroit, Mi., on April 8, 2020. (Elaine Cromie/Getty Images) Canadians Want Serious Progress on COVID-19 Before Returning to Work, According to Poll Most Canadians want to see significant progress in the fight against COVID-19 before they would feel comfortable with people being allowed to return to work, a new poll suggests. The poll says 29 percent of Canadians believe restrictions on workplace and leisure activities should only be lifted once the country is free of any new cases for at least two weeks. One quarter of respondents said they would want to see only sporadic cases being discovered before such restrictions are lifted, and assurance there is no pressure on the health system. Just over 20 percent think Canadians should continue to physically isolate and stay away from work until there is a vaccine to protect against the virus. The poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies between April 9 and 12, surveyed 1,508 adult Canadians and 1,012 adult Americans randomly recruited from its online panel. The internetbased survey cannot be assigned a margin of error because online polls are not considered random samples. We wanted to look at that aspect because were now in that phase where people are starting to reconsider when are we going back to normal, said Christian Bourque, executive vice-president of Leger. The Ferris Wheel of Montreal located in the tourist district of the Old Port, and illuminated in the colours of the rainbow in support of victims from the coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic, Canada, on April 4, 2020. (Eric Thomas /AFP via Getty Images) They seem to be favouring the mid- to long-term more than the short-term, he said. Recently released federal projections show that it could be mid-summer, or even late summer, before the first wave of Canadas epidemic is over, and that is the best-case scenario. As for a vaccine, that is likely still many months away. Canadians seem highly dedicated to obeying the rules set out by public health, as 98 percent of the poll respondents said they abide by social distancing. Until current restrictions are lifted, 40 percent say they would report someone whose is not obeying public health rules, with the largest number of would-be snitches in the Atlantic provinces, at 50 percent, and Quebec, at 48 percent. Its as if Canadians are saying, not that were comfortable but that we feel its the right thing for now and maybe a few weeks more, Bourque said. Those results show a serious departure from Canadas neighbours to the south, where 46 percent say they would not report rule-breakers to the authorities. The United States has become the new worldwide epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, and has now reported more deaths than any other country. But attitudes there about physical distancing and public health measures appear more lax than in Canada, according to the poll results. Pollsters offered a list of public health measures, including staying two meters away from others, and only going out for necessities. They found the rate of non-compliance with at least one of those measures in the U.S. was 46 percent, compared to 26 percent in Canada. It probably explains in part why were doing so much better than our southern neighbour, Bourque said. Sixty-five per cent of Canadians polled were fearful about the impact our southern neighbours could have on the pandemic here. Americans are decidedly less worried about how the Canadian epidemic is playing out, with only 19 percent concerned that it will impact their country. People in the states also appear far less satisfied with measures put in place by President Donald Trump, with only 44 percent in support. In Canada, the federal government is enjoying 76 percent support for the measures its institutes to right the virus. Bourque said Canadians trust in institutions appears to be helping in Canada. On April 13, Canadas chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Canadas epidemic curve is starting to show positive signs, as the growth of cases begins to slow down. It is also helping Canadas Liberal party, which is enjoying growing support for its response to the pandemic, he said. The pollsters asked who respondents would vote for if an election was held today, compared to responses from January 22, before the COVID-19 crisis hit Canada. Opposition parties have seen a slight decline in support among decided voters, whereas Liberal support has climbed to 39 percent from 31 percent earlier this year. By Laura Osman Despite being housebound because of the novel coronavirus, a League City woman has found a way to help protect those on the front lines of the pandemic. Beth Hubbert and several of her friends in Gateway Community Churchs Prayer Quilt Ministry have been hard at work using their skills to make reusable face masks for several hospitals and the League City Volunteer Fire Department. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus live updates: Appeals court reopens access to early-stage abortions in Texas Hubbert said her group has made about 300 masks so far, with the latest batch of 125 earmarked for League Citys emergency medical technicians. When that project is finished, she said the group will move on to the next one. Theres a list (of organizations that want the masks), she said. Im kind of hold until I finish these before I take on any more. CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Jail inmates sew face masks for fellow inmates Hubbert said the prayer quilt ministry was first contacted by HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, which inquired about getting masks. After that, the Webster branch hospital of the University of Texas Medical Branch and Kelsey Seybolds Clear Lake unit followed with requests. At that point, Hubberts husband, Trent, reached out to the League City Fire Department to see if it needed any. It was a natural thing to do. Hes a volunteer firefighter and works out of Station No. 4. Trent also gives a hand in making the face masks. Ive been helping her, he said. She does all of the sewing. I do some of the cutting, the basic stuff that I can help her with. The masks have two layers. The inner layer is made of thin cotton and has a stabilizer ironed on. The outside layer is made of quilt-quality cotton. The masks also come with a pocket. The EMTs have bought HEPA air filters and cut them up and put them inside the pocket; so that if they cant use their N95 masks, they will have something, Beth said. Others have been using her masks in conjunction with an N95 mask, a type of mask that can filter small particles but that is in high demand because of the pandemic. Theyre starting to use them over their N95 masks so they can have those last longer, she said. Beth said the group is making an effort to make the masks festive by using different quilt material. Weve had Superman and Batman, she said of themes used for the masks. Weve got a lot of firefighter (themed) fabric for the firefighters. Weve had cats and dogs and all kinds of novelty stuff. The materials used have come from her personal stockpile. Im taking it out of my stash, she said. Lots of quilters have a stash. It will take a long time for the material supply to dwindle. Beth owns Little Bit of Fabric, an online fabric store. John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has revealed she has been very unwell after battling coronavirus and developing an inflammation in her lung. Ms McDonald spoke of her great relief at being well enough to return to work on Monday after testing positive for Covid-19 and spending several weeks fighting the virus. In a statement, Ms McDonald said she had waited two weeks for a result after being tested for coronavirus but she had been informed by doctors on Monday that she was no longer infected with the virus. She said: The public health doctor informs me that I am no longer infected or infectious, and this is a great relief after weeks of being very unwell. I had a setback in my recovery at the weekend and developed post-viral pleurisy in my right lung. I am on medication and responding very well, and I fully expect to be back at work next Monday. My thoughts and solidarity are with everyone who is sick at this time, and my gratitude is with our doctors, nurses, carers and everyone who looks after us. Ms McDonald said she was heartbroken for bereaved families and urged everyone to stay at home, adding: You do not want to get this virus. She said: Thanks to everyone who has asked after me and sent good wishes. Your kindness is much appreciated and Ill be back next week. There is much work to be done Ireland must change for the better. It comes after Irelands rival parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael hammered out a draft agreement to form a new government, which is expected to be considered by party leaders in the coming days. No single party won enough seats to govern in Januarys election, leaving Fine Gaels Leo Varadkar to lead a caretaker government during the coronavirus epidemic. Both of the centre-right parties have been resistant to forming a government with Sinn Fein, which won the largest share of first preference votes in the election. The International Monetary Fund says it will provide immediate debt service relief to 25 of its poorer member states so they can focus more financial resources on fighting the coronavirus pandemic. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the IMF's executive board on April 13 approved the first group of countries that will receive grants to cover their debt-service obligations to the IMF for an initial six months. They include Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as war-torn Yemen and debt-stricken countries in Africa and Asia. Georgieva said the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) currently has about $500 million in resources available, including new pledges of $185 million from Britain, $100 million from Japan, and undisclosed amounts from China, the Netherlands, and others. The IMF is pushing to raise its available resources to $1.4 billion. "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," Georgieva said. More than 1.9 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and more than 119,000 have died, a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University said early on April 14. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP A 69-year-old man from Vijayapura became the ninth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 11 new cases of the virus were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 258, the health department said on Tuesday. The deceased was the husband of a patient who tested positive earlier. He expired at a designated hospital in Vijayapura, the department said in a mid-day situation update. Two patients, a 55- year-old man from Kalaburagi and a 65-year-old man from Bengaluru urban had passed away last night. Eleven new positive cases have been reported in the state from Monday evening to this noon, including the person who died in Vijayapura. Till date 258 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 9 deaths and 65 discharges, the department said. Other than the dead person from Vijayapura, those newly tested positive are three each from Bagalkote and Kalaburagi, two from Bengaluru urban, one each from Chikkaballapura and Belagavi. Among the 11, seven are contacts of patients who tested positive, two are with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), one with travel history to Delhi and the other is with a history of travel to Hindupur. From across the state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru with 80 cases, followed by Mysuru 48 and Belagavi 18. Those discharged include 31 patients from Bengaluru, 10 from Mysuru, eight from Dakshina Kannada, six from Chikkaballapura, three from Davangere, two each from Uttara Kannada and Kalaburagi, and one each from Udupi, Dharwad and Kodagu. Among those dead are three from Kalaburagi, two from Bengaluru urban, and one each from Bagalkote, Vijapura, Gadag and Tumakuru. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'They were only chanting one slogan, "Ghar jaana hai (we want to go home)".' IMAGE: A large crowd of migrants gathered outside the Bandra station in north west Mumbai on Tuesday, April 14, afternoon wanting to go back to their villages. Photograph: Arun Patil All of a sudden, at around 3.30 pm on Tuesday, April 14, a crowd of around 1,000 people assembled outside the Bandra railway station in north west Mumbai. Who were these people, and why did they assemble, and that too after Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi had declared earlier in the day that the national lockdown would be extended till May 3, 2020? Syed Firdaus Ashraf spoke to Raja Rahebar Khan, a former Mumbai municipal corporator who was present at the spot. All these were migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. They stay around this area of Bandra West, the old slaughter house compound, Maharashtra compound, Shastri Nagar. Some of them came from Bandra East too. Due to the lockdown they are stuck. We are providing them with food, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation is providing, even the Mumbai police is providing them with food daily. They assembled because they felt after Prime Minister Modi's address the lockdown would be lifted and they could go back to their villages. But that did not happen. These migrant labourers are frustrated. Now they just want to reach their homes. They do all kind of odd jobs -- some are cutters in factories, some work in showrooms nearby, some are tailors, masons. They do all kind of odd jobs. Every day they earn between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. Now their earning has stopped for the last 15 days and they are only dependent on the food that is supplied to them by us or government authorities. They were only chanting one slogan, 'Ghar jaana hai (we want to go home).' Now they are saying they want to go back to their respective states by bus or if the government cannot provide them transport, they are willing to walk down so open the highways for them. Some of them were complaining about the quality of food they were being provided as they felt it was dry and pale food. There is no gravy being provided. They felt that only if they sit on a dharna will the government budge and agree to their demand by sending some buses or open some special trains. We (local leaders and the police) told them that we can solve the food problem immediately, but as far as going out of the state or traveling is concerned, we didn't have the authority. We promised them that we will take their concerns to the higher authorities about them going back to their respective villages. And we would need time for that. We told them we cannot talk to all of them. So we told them they must form a committee who can interact with government officials for future negotiations as no one will speak to a crowd of this huge size. Some outside elements -- I have no idea where they came from -- said they wanted a decision to be taken right then and there. We told them it was not possible as we did not have that kind of power. At this very moment, food packets arrived for the crowd which we started distributing. All of a sudden, some people within the crowd started snatching these food packets from the hands of people who were trying to open and eat it. The police then intervened and stopped these mischief-mongers from creating trouble. Some of them tried to attack the people who were picking up the food packets. The police then had to intervene and there was a mild lathi-charge after which they dispersed. Senior Mumbai police officers were on the spot to defuse the tension and it was over by 5.30 pm. We were telling them to maintain social distancing, but they were adamant. It was only after the mild lathi-charge that all of them left. Four UW Faculty Members Selected for CAES Summer Visiting Faculty Program at INL Four University of Wyoming faculty members were selected to participate in the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) third annual Summer Visiting Faculty Program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). UW faculty members selected and their areas of research during the program are: Dilpuneet Singh Aidhy, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, nuclear energy; Mike Borowczak, an assistant professor of computer science, cybersecurity; Nga Nguyen, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, innovative energy systems; and Xiang Zhang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, advanced manufacturing. CAES is a research, education and innovation consortium consisting of INL and the four public research universities of Idaho and Wyoming: Boise State University, Idaho State University, the University of Idaho and UW. Students and researchers perform collaborative research at locations at all five institutions and at the 55,000-square-foot CAES building in Idaho Falls. This collaborative program was created in 2018 to promote one-on-one partnerships and collaboration between university faculty and researchers at INL to create unified research teams to address critical issues in energy-related science and engineering. Collaborations are in seven focus areas: nuclear energy; energy-water nexus; cybersecurity; advanced manufacturing; innovative energy systems; energy policy; and computing, data and visualization. The annual program begins in May, when university faculty spend a week in residence at INL to brainstorm ideas with their INL counterparts and learn about capabilities. The faculty then return home and work remotely, but collaboratively, for two months on proposal writing. Plans are underway this year to hold the kickoff week online rather than in person due to the novel coronavirus. While I have several open research contracts with INL, this particular collaboration is focused on investigating the security implications of using existing programs and tool chains for generating machine learning models, Borowczak says. Our focus for the summer is developing a larger collaborative proposal to build out additional research within this domain. Ultimately, we want to be able to answer questions about how the 'security properties' of one machine learning model compare to another. Zhang says his current research focuses on multiphysics and multiscale modeling of high-performance materials -- including metals and composites -- and advanced manufacturing processes. He adds this works in concert toward his long-term goal of establishing the microstructure-processing-performance relationship for material design and manufacturing through the development of advanced computation models and active interactions with experiments. I am currently investigating a novel composite manufacturing process -- called frontal polymerization using coupled thermo-chemo-mechanical modeling -- to understand and design this manufacturing process to improve and broaden its application, Zhang says. I also am developing new research programs to develop computational models to predict the microstructure evolution during metal additive manufacturing and subsequent mechanical performance. As a new faculty member at UW, Nguyen says the CAES program gives her a unique chance to set up a connection between her research group and INL for her focus on innovative energy systems. She points to INLs facilities in power systems as having the ability to develop and implement her teams theoretical research into industrial applications. Our group would like to develop a fast-screening tool to detect the instability of voltage in a large power system. This tool will use stochastic techniques instead of current traditional numerical methods, Nguyen says. The new methods will improve the speed of remedial actions in case of system contingencies and prevent the system from a blackout. Aidhy says his program will help develop a key collaboration with a new INL initiative called the Nuclear Materials Discovery and Quantification Initiative. This initiative is focused on enabling rapid discovery and qualification of nuclear materials, where machine learning and data science are expected to play an anchoring role in the design and discovery of new materials, Aidhy says. The computational program is centered on developing a fundamental understanding of materials from electronic structure to microstructure levels. The investigative tools include density functional theory, molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning, he says. An understanding of mechanical properties of new high-entropy alloys -- alloys that are formed by mixing equal or relatively large proportions of five or more elements -- will be developed. The CAES program allows faculty members to learn about the inner workings of a national laboratory, its capabilities and expertise, and to build lasting networks. Additionally, it gives INL researchers the opportunity to build new academic connections, access diversified funding sources and connect with students supporting the faculty member. Students are involved throughout the process, which provides training for a new generation of energy-related scientists and engineers. This also provides faculty-researcher connections that create a diverse pipeline for students to transition from university to employment at the national laboratory. I am a strong proponent of collaboration making us stronger and more effective, Borowczak says. Being selected for this CAES Summer Visiting Faculty Program enables me to extend my collaborative network to help support University of Wyoming students, researchers and faculty to, in the long term, bring and develop Wyoming talent within the realm of cybersecurity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a telephonic conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. During his telephonic conversation with Abbas, the prime minister appreciated the efforts being made by the Palestinian authorities to protect their population from the virus, and assured all possible support from India for these efforts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. Prime Minister Modi conveyed greetings to the President and the people of Palestine, for the forthcoming holy month of Ramzan, it said. "The two leaders discussed the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and apprised each other of the steps being taken in their respective countries to control the situation," the statement said. Modi and Abbas agreed to remain in touch at appropriate levels to explore avenues of cooperation at this challenging time. In the last few days, the prime minister has held telephonic conversations with US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Vietnamese premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, focusing on the need for concerted global efforts to deal with the crisis. Modi has also spoken to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik and Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is stipulated by means of Supreme Decree No. 068-2020-PCM , published Tuesday in El Peruano official gazette, which bears the signatures of Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and various State ministers. Said regulation provides that people affected by the novel coronavirus must undergo mandatory social immobilization at home 24 hours a day until they are discharged. This applies to cases in which doctors urge them to stay home. The same decree mandates the establishment of "Te Cuido Peru" (I Take Care of Peru), a working group formed to provide surveillance and assistance to COVID-19 patients and those who live with them during the period of compulsory social isolation. "Te Cuido Peru" will be released on a digital platform that will use geolocation to identify the aforementioned people and their direct environment, as well as other instruments or functional structures to conduct a clinical follow-up, surveillance, and monitoring of patients. (END) MJP/RRC/RMB/MVB COVID-19 patients who can stay home by medical recommendation shall be quarantined 24 hours a day and will be geolocated by the Government to verify that they comply with social isolation.Published: 4/14/2020 Total modern office stock in Budapest now stands at around 3.7 million sqm according to the Budapest Research Forum (consisting of CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, Colliers International, Eston International and Robertson Hungary). The overall vacancy rate has fallen to a record low of about 5% from 8% in 2015 according to JLL. Total leasing demand for 2019 amounted to 637,00 sqm, which is the highest annual volume on record, annual take-up has been rising since 2016. The Budapest office market has a potential pipeline of more than 570,000 sqm. Cushman & Wakefield have traced what it sees as record high demand at 630,000 sqm for 2019 with a record low overall vacancy of 5.5%. The consultancy forecast an improved pipeline of 230,000 sqm for 2020, although much of this space will be absorbed by the time of delivery. CPI has delivered the 15,500 sqm Balance Hall in the Vaci Corridor. This third phase of Balance Office Park on Vaci ut brings the total space at the complex to 35,000 sqm; there still remains the possibility for a fourth phase of the development. JLL has traced 14 office projects that are due to be delivered this year, the largest of which is the 34,500 sqm Agora Hub and the 34,000 sqm Agora Tower, collectively representing the first phase of the 136,000 sqm Agora Budapest project. New High CBRE put the supply expectation for the year at 265,00 sqm, which would represent a new high in this cycle. However, further development delays are likely and hence some of the 2020 pipeline is expected to shift [back to ] later. In terms of leasing status, the volume currently scheduled for handover in 2020 is currently 70% committed, says Aniko Kovacs, head of office advisory and transactions at CBRE Hungary. For 2021, JLL has traced 280,00 sqm of new supply or soace under construction, of which 160,00 sqm is already let. Delays could occur towards to the end of the year as well, but it is still early to accurately judge the likelihood of projects pushing into 2021, Kovacs adds. The new supply currently scheduled for 2021 amounts to 211,000 sqm, all of which is currently under construction, while the new supply expectations for 2022 is circa 280,000 sqm, though the vast majority of the latter volume is still in the planning phase and is, therefore, at risk of kick-off delays in addition to the actual timeline dragging out, she explains. Southeast Asian leaders pledged to keep trade routes open to protect food supplies and stockpile medical equipment at a summit held online Tuesday, as they warned of the crippling economic cost of the coronavirus. Led by Vietnam -- which chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting -- leaders agreed to share resources and fight to limit further damage to the region's tourism and export-reliant economies, already ravaged by COVID-19. But an emergency fund proposed by Hanoi to tackle the pandemic did not appear to have been given the go-ahead. In a joint declaration, leaders committed "to keeping ASEAN's markets open for trade and investment... with a view to ensuring food security". They also pledged to cooperate to ensure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tools, as well as using "reserve warehouses to support the needs of ASEAN Member States in public health emergencies". China later said it planned to set up a special fund to help ASEAN countries combat the pandemic, but declined to say how much money will be allocated. Following the summit -- which was joined by leaders from China, Japan and South Korea -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also declared his support for a $5 billion recovery package proposed by Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). "We welcome the AIIB's proposal of a COVID-19 Recovery Facility with an initial capitalization of 5 billion U.S. dollars," Li said, according to state media. - 'Badly impacted people's lives' - In opening remarks via video conference, Vietnam premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the work of ASEAN in fighting the virus. But he warned the disease "has badly impacted people's lives, their socio-economic situation... challenging stability and social security". Vietnam has had some success in containing the virus through extensive quarantines and social distancing. It has recorded 265 infections and no deaths, while Thailand has also kept its numbers relatively low with just over 2,500 cases and 40 deaths. The situation is mixed elsewhere across the region, with fears that limited testing in Indonesia has played out into the low caseload -- and under 400 deaths -- for the country of 260 million. Similarly, threadbare health systems from Myanmar to Laos are widely believed to be missing the true scale of infections. A recent surge in cases in Singapore has raised fears the pandemic could rebound in places which had batted back the initial outbreak. Vietnam used the 10-member summit to propose funding to deal with the pandemic, an idea backed by both Malaysia and the Philippines. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte warned he was "particularly concerned with food security". The whole region has been hit hard by the virus. In Vietnam many factories are still running, but, in a sign of the ongoing risks, dozens of workers at a Samsung unit in the north were ordered into quarantine after one tested positive for the virus. The Thai economy, the second-largest in ASEAN, is expected to shrink by 5.3 percent this year -- a 22-year low -- with millions left jobless in the politically febrile kingdom. The Lehigh Valley and Poconos have the highest concentration of coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania. So the state is stepping in to set up a both a mass testing site and field hospital for recovering patients. Both will be in East Stroudsburg, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed. The borough about 20 miles north of Easton is in Monroe County, which as of Tuesday has the states highest per capita rate of COVID-19 cases, followed closely by Lehigh County. (Dont see the map above? Click here.) The temporary hospital is now being set up at East Stroudsburg Universitys Koehler Fieldhouse, with equipment moved up from Delaware County, officials said Tuesday. University spokeswoman Brenda Friday said the National Guard was on campus making the preparations. An opening date has not been disclosed. Once operational, the field hospital will house patients recovering from COVID-19 those who no longer need the emergency room but cannot yet return home. State Health Secretary Rachel Levine on Tuesday said that will reduce the burden and free up space in the regions hospitals. A COVID-19 mass testing center for residents in Warren County opened April 8, 2020, at Warren County Technical School. One will be set up in the coming days in East Stroudsburg.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com A mass testing site will also be set up in East Stroudsburg by the state Health Department and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. It will open by early next week, Levine said Tuesday. That location has not been disclosed, but it will not be at the university, state health officials confirmed. The site will prioritize patients, granting the test to first responders, vulnerable populations and people showing symptoms, Levine said. (Dont see the chart above? Click here.) The federal government has operated mass testing sites in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. One was set up in Warren County, New Jersey, immediately to the east. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure asked that one be set up in the Lehigh Valley as well. There are more than 25,000 reported cases of coronavirus across Pennsylvania and at least 584 people have died. But densely populated eastern Pennsylvania has been closely watched by the Health Department as the virus propagated via community spread. Philadelphia has by far the most cases (7,121) and deaths (131) of anywhere in the state. But when adjusted for population, the Lehigh Valley and Poconos are hardest hit. Monroe County has 506 cases per 100,000 residents, the highest per capita rate in Pennsylvania. Lehigh County has 499. Luzerne and Pike counties both have rates higher than Philadelphias 454 cases per capita. Northampton County has 391 cases per 100,000 people. As of Monday, April 13, Pennsylvania is averaging 197 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The Calcutta High Court will take up on Thursday a letter by its Bar Association as a PIL, which sought direction on the Bar Council of West Bengal to provide financial assistance to lawyers in distress due to the long period of suspension of work owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Claiming that the Council takes subscriptions from lawyers registered with it, the Calcutta High Court Bar Association sought that it comes to the assistance of the distressed lawyers who are not in a good financial position at this hour of crisis. With the professional practice having come to a standstill following the lockdown and the high court deciding to hear only very urgent matters since March 15, financially weak lawyers should be given assistance by the Council, which is the parent body of all registered lawyers, Bar Association president Ashok Dhandania said. He said that he has written to the Registrar General of the high court seeking that the Bar Council be asked to come to the assistance of lawyers in financial distress. The letter, which will be treated as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), will be listed for hearing before a division bench presided by Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan, a senior official in the high court administration said. According to Bar Council sources, it maintains a fund from which monetary assistance is given to lawyers who are ill and in case of death, funeral expenses of Rs 10,000 is given to the spouse, who is also given Rs 2,000 per month for the next three years. The benefit is given to those lawyers or their spouses who contribute a fixed amount of Rs 1,000 during enrollment, the sources said. There is also a welfare fund maintained by the West Bengal government, wherein if a lawyer contributes a token amount annually, his or her nominee is entitled to Rs 50,000 in case of natural death and Rs 1,00,000 if the death is unnatural, the sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bill passed by Turkeys parliament will see 45,000 prisoners temporarily released to limit the spread of COVID-19. Turkish MPs have agreed to free nearly one-third of the countrys prisoners to reduce the threat from coronavirus in jails, but the move was criticised for excluding government opponents imprisoned on terrorism charges. The bill, introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AK Party), will see 45,000 temporarily released to limit the spread of coronavirus. A similar number will be freed permanently under plans proposed last year to cut chronic overcrowding. Those convicted of or awaiting trial for terrorism offences including many government opponents jailed on what have been slammed as trumped-up charges are exempt from the amnesty. The bill was passed by the parliamentary majority enjoyed by the AK Party and its nationalist allies by 279 votes to 51, said Sureyya Sadi Bilgic, the deputy parliamentary speaker, on Tuesday. Since a failed military coup in 2016, tens of thousands of politicians, journalists, rights campaigners, civil servants, judicial officials and military personnel have been jailed in a crackdown. Grave injustice Justice Minister Abdulhamid Gul said on Monday that 17 prisoners from open prisons had contracted coronavirus, including three who died. However, overcrowding has led to fears the virus could exacerbate an outbreak in the countrys 355 prisons. Turkeys Human Rights Association last week called for those prisoners with critical illnesses, above 60 and pregnant women or those jailed with their children to be released. One of the most prominent prisoners excluded from the amnesty is Selahattin Demirtas, the former co-chair of Turkeys second-largest opposition party. Accused of leading a terrorist organisation, he has been held in prison since November 2016. The 46-year-old was hospitalised in December following chest pains. His lawyer Mahsuni Karaman said Demirtas is at high risk from coronavirus due to high blood pressure and because he has undergone surgery for respiratory problems. Another prisoner at risk is 70-year-old Ahmet Altan, a leading journalist jailed for life in 2018 on the charge of aiding a terrorist group. The sentence was later overturned and he was released, only to be jailed again the following week. Turkey, Europes second-biggest jailer with some 294,000 inmates, also has the continents highest number of older prisoners more than 3,500 aged 65 and above, according to Council of Europe data from January 2019. This age group is among those subject to a government order to stay at home due to the high risk they face from coronavirus. The opposition has previously said it would take the bill to the Constitutional Court if passed. However, given the 15-member court is dominated by Erdogan appointees, it is unlikely to interfere. Can Dundar, the former editor of the Cumhuriyet newspaper who fled to Germany after being charged over the papers coverage of arms shipments to Syria, called the bill a grave injustice in the Washington Post last week. He described a scenario in which a bureaucrat who accepts bribes could be released, while the journalist who reports on the bribery would remain imprisoned. Faik Oztrak, a spokesman for the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), said: Youre holding dissidents, journalists and intellectuals inside [while] you set the vicious thief free. This is clearly called political opportunism. Under the law, prisoners will be initially released until May 31, with an option to extend this further. They will still serve their terms, Naci Bostanci, the AK Partys parliamentary chairman, said. This is not a political matter People will be punished if they commit a crime but we have to look at it from the perspective of rehabilitation and how such sentences will impact their lives in the long term. The Navy is offering lower-ranking officers being forced into retirement a chance to remain on active duty a little longer as part of the service's all-out response to the coronavirus pandemic. The sea service released a naval administrative message April 9 explaining that officers in the rank of captain or below, who must retire between now and Dec. 1, may be eligible to remain on active duty but in a retired status until Dec. 31. "Those who are required by law to retire because of statutory age limits, years of commissioned or active service or for failures of selection to the next rank may be eligible, if already retirement eligible," an accompanying release states. "The offer is part of the Navy's plans to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, while helping the service maintain operational, sailor and family readiness." Related: The Army Asked Retirees in Medical Fields to Come Back. The Response Was Overwhelming Officers in this category can submit a request to serve longer under a provision known as "retire/retain," the release states. Officers approved for retention under the program would still retire on their scheduled dat,e but would then continue to serve with active-duty pay and entitlements until the end of the year, unless they request an earlier date, according to the release. It also states that they will remain in their current rank and stay at their current command. "Due to the need to ensure health of the force, there are no limits on the number of retired officers authorized to be retained in an active status," the release states. To allow for the necessary processing and review, requests must be submitted to Navy Personnel Command prior to the officer's retirement date, and in all cases no later than July 1, according to the release. Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Read More: Navy Is Hardest-Hit Military Service in Coronavirus Outbreak Care home nurse Elsie Sazuze lost her life doing the job she loved, a friend said yesterday. The 44-year-old self-isolated after showing symptoms of coronavirus but had to be taken to hospital and put on a ventilator as her condition deteriorated. The married mother-of-two, pictured, died earlier this month at the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Her husband Kenneth, 45, said she had understood the risks of continuing her job after the coronavirus outbreak began but had wanted to carry on working. Mrs Sazuze, who was originally from Malawi in Africa, trained and worked at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton before starting work at a care home in Cannock, Staffordshire. Mr Sazuze, who is training to be a nurse, said he was not allowed to see his wife of 24 years after she was admitted to hospital. Care home nurse Elsie Sazuze lost her life doing the job she loved, a friend said yesterday But she called him just before she was put on the ventilator. She started telling me, Ken, if I dont come back, be strong, I love you, be strong for the kids, he told the BBC. I was like, no, no, no, dont tell me that. I dont want you to start telling me that in a negative way... we will be all right. She said, Im just telling you in case. She understood the risks of working on the front line but was happy to help people, he added. Family friend William Fungatira said: Elsie was a naturally quiet person but very caring, friendly, cheerful and resilient. She had a passion to always help others. She was dedicated to helping people. Its a great loss to all of us who knew her and, indeed, to the wider community because she lost her life doing the job she loved. Its been a harrowing and lonely battle with no help Nicola Richards, 46, who runs Palms Row Healthcare, said she has been pulled apart by the illness, which is tearing through her facilities The manager of three care homes where 11 residents have died from Covid-19 has said she is fighting a harrowing and lonely battle against the virus. Nicola Richards, 46, pictured right, who runs Palms Row Healthcare, said she has been pulled apart by the illness, which is tearing through her facilities. A quarter of the Sheffield homes 200 residents are infected, 30 staff have also tested positive and one nurse is in intensive care. Its another one and another one and another one, she said. Im not getting to sleep. Ive not switched off. I cant describe the stress. Mrs Richards said the mental health of her residents is deteriorating because they have to be kept in their rooms and cant receive visitors. How do you explain to elderly residents that their wife or daughter isnt coming to see them today? I have residents crying because they cant see their loved ones. If weve got residents who are dying weve been told people cant come and see them only one visitor is allowed. It is soul-destroying. Theyre at the end of life and seeing workers in masks its just so clinical. The mother-of-two added: Im trying to keep staff morale but its really tough ...a lonely journey. I feel like Ive had no support from the authorities. We have only had one PPE delivery. The lack of awareness has been something else. Our elderly have been forgotten. Its like were the bottom of the pecking order. Ive got to hope lessons are learnt. Its just been so dark. Staff had begged the public to give masks An 86-year-old great-grandfather died at a care home where managers had reported a shortage of face masks. Reg Amison passed away at the Bradwell Hall nursing home last month, after testing positive for the coronavirus. Days earlier the home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, had appealed for donations of face masks from the public because its stocks were low and suppliers were unable to confirm delivery dates. At least one member of staff has tested positive for the coronavirus and several others have gone into self-isolation. Mr Amisons son Robert, 58, called on the Government to improve access to protective equipment and virus testing for care home workers. Reg Amison passed away at the Bradwell Hall nursing home last month, after testing positive for the coronavirus He told the Daily Mail: The staff had almost no equipment to stop the disease spreading. Im not blaming the home, they looked after my dad really, really well. But the Government should be ramping up testing, and frontline nurses and carers should get tested first. Mr Amison said it was heart-breaking that he and his mother Dorothy, 83, (pictured with Reg) had not been able to visit his father before his death. He said: Its one of the hardest things, to be told your dad is dying but you cant go and sit with him and hold his hand. It broke our hearts not to be there. Bradwell Hall confirmed that one staff member had tested positive for the illness and was recovering at home, and others are self-isolating. Residents who showed symptoms of Covid-19 were being kept isolated in their rooms and barrier-nursed in line with national guidance, meaning staff must wear protective equipment, the home said. Therapist died in hospital where she used to work Retired NHS carer Dianne Harvey died in the hospital where she used to work, her family said. Mrs Harvey, 77, lived in the same care home as Reg Amison, and her family suspect that both of the pensioners caught coronavirus there. Mrs Harvey, pictured with her late husband Peter, was a retired NHS occupational therapist and had lived in Bradwell Hall for four years after she developed dementia. Mrs Harvey, pictured with her late husband Peter, was a retired NHS occupational therapist and had lived in Bradwell Hall for four years after she developed dementia The former Sunday School teacher and Scout leader was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Staffordshire after she became seriously ill with coronavirus. She failed to recover and died there. Mrs Harvey had two sons, Paul and Roger, with her husband who was an ambulance driver. Paul, 51, said: She loved to help out in the local community every way she could. He added: She was so selfless always putting others above herself. New York: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday hit back at US President Donald Trump for his comment on having total authority over states, saying America does not have a king. Cuomo was responding to the comments made by Trump during the White House briefing on Monday when he said that the President has total authority over when the restrictions imposed across the country due to coronavirus can be lifted. The federal-state relationship is central to our democracy. We have to remember today that the balance between the state and the federal articulated in the constitution is the essence of our democracy. We don't a have a king in this country, we didn't want a king so we have a constitution and we elect the president, Cuomo said in his daily coronavirus briefing. Trump had said that when somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total and that is the way it has got to be. The authority of the President of the United States having to do with the subject we're talking about is total, he had said, adding that "They can't do anything without the approval of the President of the United States. Cuomo said the President's comment that he has total authority for determining how and when states reopen is not an accurate statement in my opinion. He said Trump's remarks that he has total authority over the states and the nation cannot go uncorrected. It's just a factual statement that is factually wrong. That statement cannot stand. It is not only violative of the constitution, it is violative of the very concept of democracy, he said. Cuomo said the total number of hospitalisations continues to go down and remains flat, a good sign we think we are at the apex on the plateau. New York state recorded 778 more deaths on April 13, taking the death toll to 10,834. You look at the past few days and the number of lives lost, it's basically flat at a devastating level of pain and grief, he said, adding that other evidence suggests that the state is seeing a flattening of the curve. Cuomo said in his briefing on Monday that the President was clearly unhappy. The Governor also referred to a number of tweets by Trump attacking him and state governors. Cuomo's been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state's responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won't happen! a tweet by Trump read. Another tweet said: Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty' was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Cuomo said he did not follow the exact meaning of the tweet but added that he understood that Trump was not happy with Governors. The President is clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue. The worst thing we can do in all of this is start with political division and start with partisanship. The best thing we have done throughout this past 44 days is we work together and we haven't raised political flags, Cuomo said, adding that even though this is an election year, we said not here, not in this. This is too important for anyone to play politics. Cuomo recalled that he had seen a poster in his grade school which had the message suppose they gave a war and nobody came, meaning that what would happen if people just refused to engage, refused to fight. He said sometimes it is better to walk away from a fight than engage in it. Sometimes it takes more strength frankly to walk away from a fight than engage in it. The President will have no fight with me. I will not engage in it, Cuomo said, adding that he has been clear this is not about me, it's about we. The Governor said this is no time for politics and no time to fight. I put my hand out in total partnership and cooperation with the President. If he wants a fight, he is not going to get it from me. Period, he said. Cuomo warned that there is a real challenge ahead and just because the curve appears to be flattening, it does not mean one can relax. We are not out of the woods. In this reopening, we could lose all the progress we made in one week if we do it wrong, he said. The Governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Delaware have joined forces to coordinate a regional plan for restoring the economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and getting people back to work, Cuomo said, adding that the worst is over for the state. Cuomo along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo on Monday announced the creation of a multi-state council. The coordinating group will comprise one health expert, an economic development expert and the respective Chief of Staff from each state and will work together to develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states' stay at home orders while minimising the risk of increased spread of the virus. WESTCHESTER, Ill., April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to the food manufacturing industry, will release its 2020 first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2020, before the market opens on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Jim Zallie (https://www.ingredionincorporated.com/AboutUs/executiveleadershipteam/Zallie.html), president and chief executive officer, and James Gray (https://www.ingredionincorporated.com/AboutUs/executiveleadershipteam/Gray.html), executive vice president and chief financial officer, will host a conference call on May 5 at 8 a.m. CT to discuss the Company's financial performance. The conference call and accompanying slide presentation will be webcast live at https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/events-and-presentations (https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/events-and-presentations). Participants are encouraged to log on to the webcast approximately 10 minutes before the start of the presentation. A replay of the presentation will be available on the Company's website. ABOUT THE COMPANY Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2019 annual net sales of more than $6 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com (https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/) for more information and the latest Company news. CONTACT: Investors: Tiffany Willis, 708-551-2592 Media: Becca Hary, 708-551-2602 Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 11:02:38|Editor: zyl Video Player Close CANBERRA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The peak body representing Australian universities has predicted that more than 20,000 jobs in the sector will be lost as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Education Minister Dan Tehan on Sunday announced an 18 billion Australian dollars (11.5 billion U.S. dollar) higher education relief package, which he said was "unashamedly" focused on domestic students. Universities Australia, which represents 39 universities, welcomed the announcement but said it would not be sufficient to save jobs. "We estimate 21,000 jobs at Australian universities will go within the next six months," Deborah Terry, the Chair of Universities Australia, said in a recent media release. "Individual universities are already cutting costs across the board through very substantial reductions in operational spending, deferral of vital capital works, and reductions in senior staff salaries." "However, this will be nowhere near enough to cover what we conservatively estimate as a revenue decline of between 3 billion and 4.6 billion AUD (1.9 billion and 2.9 billion USD)." The University of Melbourne, the top university in Australia and 32nd-best in the world according to Times Higher Education's global rankings for 2020, earlier in April revealed that it expected revenues to fall by 500 million Australian dollars (319.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2020 alone, according to The Australian. Somali medic Yasin translates documents for asylum seekers on lockdown in France. UNHCR/admin The COVID-19 crisis has sparked an outpouring of solidarity from people around the world and that includes refugees, keen to help in the countries where they now live. Many refugees in Europe involved in medicine in their home countries are finding new ways to use their skills to help care for those in need. Below are two examples from France. Mohameds Story Mohamed, 39, worked as a doctor in his home country of Libya and was training to become a surgeon until violence forced him to flee to France in 2016. The hardship of the sea crossing did not diminish his desire to serve and pursue his career. He passed the French language exams required to start the process of registering as a doctor and completed internships where he shadowed senior doctors at hospitals in the northern city of Rouen and Limoges in the centre west of the country. He also volunteered for French charities including Les Restos du Cur," and is prepared to go wherever he is needed. My dream is to work as a doctor. Its my life. Its my oxygen, Mohamed says. When the COVID-19 crisis began in France, he immediately registered on the emergency roster set up by the Ministry of Health to support medical staff in hospitals. "I am ready to do anything to help." Refugee doctors can contribute to support and fight the virus. I have seen that in other European countries, refugee doctors are also called to work and help with the emergency situation, Mohamed says. I am ready to do anything to help. I can work in the emergency room in a hospital at any position. I can be an assistant nurse; I can help in giving information. For all these positions, its very important to have staff in hospitals who know how to deal with such a situation. You have to be very careful, even in carrying the garbage, he said. Mohamed says his experience of war in Libya has taught him to remain calm and focused in difficult situations. An epidemic can be stressful, but its nothing compared to war. I am not scared. I am ready to go anywhere in France to help, he said. Yasins Story Before Yasin fled Somalia three years ago, he studied medicine and qualified as a doctor. When he arrived in France he was eager to continue his work as a medic. In the event, he was unable to find work and eventually spent time living on the streets of Paris. Undeterred, he founded an NGO, Network of Exiles in France, to make a difference in his new home country. Refugees and asylum seekers are heavily involved in the organization, participating in language exchanges and volunteering to translate documents. The pandemic has given the charity an opportunity to contribute directly and has also made them extra busy. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, volunteers translated around 10 documents per week, primarily helping asylum seekers with the asylum process in France. Now they are translating documents that provide information on the lockdown in France and advice on who to contact if a person is feeling unwell. In all, they have translated over 220 documents. "Stay home. Stay strong." Hospitals, charities and accommodation centres have been sending us documents, certificates and flyers, and we have been translating them for free, Yasin said. Some asylum seekers dont understand the lockdown, so we help to explain in their own language. During difficult times, the language barrier can become frustrating. We want to help. Once the lockdown is over, Yasin and the other volunteers plans to chart a new way forward but for now they have a simple message: Stay home. Stay strong, Yasin said. Vaughn Ridley/Getty ImagesDrake is a man of many titles and now he's earned one more to the list. The Canadian rapper has made history to become the first male act to debut in the top spot for a third time, according to Billboard. Even more impressive, the rapper is only the second artist overall to etch a No. 1 debut atop the Hot 100 -- and it's all thanks to his brand new single "Toosie Slide." The 33-year-old's new accolade now has him tied with Mariah Carey, who also nabbed three No. 1 debuts on the coveted chart back in 1995-97. Before "Toosie Slide" was released on April 3, it became a viral TikTok challenge when a snippet was leaked online, which likely aided in the success of the new record. The new single also marks Drake's seventh No. 1 hit over the last 10 years. His prior hits to roll on top of the charts are "What's My Name?" and "Work" -- both of which featured Rihanna -- along with "One Dance," "God's Plan," "In My Feelings, "and "Nice for What." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The following statement was issued by Andy Niklaus, a worker at the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe BVG (Berlin Transport Company) and a member of the SGP, the German section of International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). Since its publication on March 26, the statement has found a strong response from transport workers in Berlin and throughout Germany. Millions of people worldwide risk contracting the highly dangerous coronavirus. The pandemic has revealed the merciless and inhuman character of capitalist society and the nation-state system on which it is based. Governments around the world are endangering the lives and health of working people in a criminal fashion. The Berlin Senate, composed of the SPD (Social Democratic Party), the Greens and the Left Party, has displayed a particularly arrogant and contemptuous attitude towards the needs of the working class. The Senate allowed schools and day-care centres to stay open for a particularly long time and has failed to take any comprehensive measures to protect public service workers. This is very obvious in the case of the Berlin Transport Company (BVG), which is responsible for all large-scale transport services in the German capital. Under condition where the coronavirus spread rapidly throughout Germany and Berlin, we were forced to drive crowded buses and trains without any personal protective equipment (PPE). We had to transport workers to factories carrying out non-essential work, factories that should have been closed long ago. This situation has not fundamentally changed. Many workers still travel to offices, schools and factories, including public sector services, even though home working is possible and unnecessary work is being carried out. Rudimentary protective measures for drivers and passengers were only implemented after massive protests and a growing number of workers reported sick. These completely inadequate measures remain in force. The situation at the BVG Only after the number of infections had skyrocketed was the decision made on March 12 to close the front access doors on buses. Instead of Plexiglas or similar protective measures, a mere strip of red and white tape was stretched to separate drivers from passengersa measure that does little to protect the drivers of overcrowded buses. On March 18, regular services were scaled down on the instructions of BVG management, thereby increasing the risk of infection for drivers and passengers in overcrowded vehicles. The scaling down of services was then partially reversed following vigorous protests by passengers. In order to pacify angry BVG workers and passengers, management introduced some minor health-control measures, which in no way corresponded to the risks facing employees. Drivers were allocated face masks that fail, however, to meet the standards necessary to combat the coronavirus. The World Health Organization has warned against the use of these masks, explaining they provided a false sense of security. The masks actually increase the risk to drivers rather than enhancing their security. Co-workers also often receive new masks only every two days. The official instructions assert we should put the masks on, but then take them off if passengers ask questions or we are required to assist them. A similar false sense of security prevails in regard to the cleaning of vehicles. Learner BVG drivers and reserve workers have been instructed to clean vehicles at depots and at some final destinations since March 7. These workers are not professional cleaners, nor do they work with the disinfectants necessary to reliably remove the virus from surfaces. BVG spokeswoman Petra Nelken even had the nerve to tell Radio Berlin Brandenburg that vehicles would not be disinfected because they would only be re-contaminated. The same outrageous argument could be used to justify ignoring every health and cleaning measure. There has also been no improvement to the already poor hygienic conditions existing in toilets at bus turning points. At some terminal stations drivers can no longer even wash their hands properly. Soap and paper towel dispensers are often empty, and there are no disinfectants available. At the same time there is no testing of drivers, which is necessary to contain the virus. Build independent workers committees! The red-red-green (Social Democratic PartyLeft PartyGreens) Senate and BVG management are only able to continue this irresponsible and criminal policy, which encourages mass contagion, because they are supported by the unions. The public service union Verdi is doing everything it can to suppress the anger of workers and force them to work even under dangerous conditions. Verdi and the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) high-handedly responded to workers who asked about the lack of protection as follows: It is part of the general risks in life, whether at work or during leisure time, that one can injure oneself or contract an illness. This also applies to employees with a pre-existing medical condition which, although it does not make them unable to work, places them at greater risk of developing a more severe course of the disease following a coronavirus infection. In fact, there are many older BVG workers and those with a previous medical condition at risk of severe illness or even death from the disease. The lives of these co-workers and all of our relatives are evidently a matter of utter indifference to both the unions and management. To protect their health and that of passengers, transport workers must organise independently of the unions and conduct a united struggle against the Senate and management. All over the world, workers are starting to fight back and demanding safe working conditions. To achieve this, they have to join forces internationally. This applies in particular to public transport. In Detroit bus drivers at the citys transport companies took the initiative against the policy of the management and unions by reporting sick en masse and not turning up for workas part of their fight for basic security measures. Similar developments are taking place in New York. Independent workers committees must insist on the following basic demands against the conspiracy of the government, companies and trade unions: No work without testing and adequate protective measures! The cancellation of regular driving schedules to be replaced by specially equipped buses capable of being properly disinfected. The buses should be manned by specially protected personnel to transport key medical, public service, food and shop workers from their residences to place of work. Full wage compensation, regardless of infection or health, for all those affected by short-time working, workplace closures or other wage losses caused by the pandemic! Billions of euros to be immediately invested into health care to expand treatment capacity and protect workers. Special protective measures for the elderly, prisoners, homeless people and refugees in unsanitary camps! For a socialist answer to the pandemic These demands must be part of a broad movement of the entire working class. Just as the safety of our buses and trains is of the utmost importance for the health of all workers, we can only protect ourselves and our families on the basis of massive efforts by society as a whole. A serious fight against the coronavirus pandemic must focus on the interests of the broad masses of the population, not the profits of the wealthy few. We are a long way from achieving this. The ruthlessness of the red-red-green Senate is part and parcel of the criminal behaviour of the entire ruling class. The countrys privatised and crippled health system lacks the most necessary protective materials. Its employees are continually on the verge of collapse even in times of normal operation. But instead of investing hundreds of billions in the construction of new hospitals and intensive care units to save lives, 600 billion are being made available to the banks and corporations. Small and medium-sized enterprises, in which 58 percent of all employees paying social security contributions work, will receive just 50 billion. Ordinary workers are being forced to accept short-time working allowance and many have to forego up to 40 percent of their salary. Hundreds of thousands are unable to pay their rent and face life on the streets. The capitalists are not only prepared to play with workers lives in order to protect their wealth, they are also using the crisis to increase their fortunes. Now the talk in official circles revolves around how to force workers back to the job, thereby accepting mass infections and deaths to maximise the profits of large companies. The coronavirus is not the source of the crisis of capitalism. It has only exposed and exacerbated that crisis. It confirms that a social system based on nation states and the private appropriation of social wealth is unable to deal rationally with such a global crisis. That is why the ruling classes are increasingly relying on fascist and authoritarian forms of rule to maintain this irrational and anti-human system. Under these conditions, an international, democratically controlled economy based on rational planning is an objective necessity. The implementation of such a socialist program, however, requires the overthrow of capitalism and the mobilisation of the international working class. I therefore call on all my colleagues in the BVG and in other concerns to take up this fight. The building of an international socialist and revolutionary movement is the central issue of our epoch. It is a matter of life and death. Write to me if you want to support the establishment of independent workers committees and register today as an active supporter of the Socialist Equality Party (SGP), the German section of the Fourth International. By The Associated Press Apr. 14, 2020 | 05:44 AM | WASHINGTON Every day, a team of public health officials turns up in the White House briefing room to lay out measures being taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic . A different team, expected to be formally announced as early as Tuesday, has begun meeting behind closed doors in the West Wing to tackle another matter paramount to President Donald Trump: how to begin reopening the American economy The council, which is not expected to include health officials, could bring to the forefront the push-pull tensions within the White House between economists and public health officials over how quickly to reopen the economy vs. proceeding cautiously to ensure the virus doesnt spike again. With the country barreling toward a likely recession ahead of November's election, Trump is eager to spur an economic revival, hoping to steady financial markets and restore some of the 16 million jobs already lost due to the pandemic. He originally hoped to have the country stirring again by Easter but now wants at least a partial reopening by the end of the month. Many medical experts in the government, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, have cautioned that easing up on social distancing too soon could lead a new wave of the disease that would require shuttering the economy again, with disastrous results. As for the new council, Trump said he expected they will give us some also good advice but no, we want to be very, very safe. At the same time weve got to get our country open. Some ethics experts and participants in past councils created by Trump voiced concerned that the president may not be open to using the new panel to explore diverse viewpoints and hard truths about the best path forward. It doesnt work if you bring in the hallelujah chorus, said Thea Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning Washington think tank. Lee served on a short-lived manufacturing council that Trump established early in his presidency. Among those expected to be part of the new team: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and White House economic advisers, past and present, Kevin Hassett and Larry Kudlow. New White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is expected to chair the effort. Senior White House aides Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump had been expected to be part of the team, but Trump, who previously declared the group would be comprised of the greatest minds," said Monday they would not be included. It would work separately from the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence, though there could be some overlap of participants. Some outside business leaders and perhaps governors also may join the group of administration officials who already are informally meeting and holding conference calls with the president. The new council is expected to act as an internal West Wing counterbalance to health experts who want Trump to go slow in reopening the nation. The president said Monday the new panel would seek counsel from various industries and include committees representing fields like manufacturing, transportation and religious interests. Arthur Laffer, an economist Trump has praised, acknowledged that the economy was severely damaged but said it was difficult to tell when it should reopen. Theres nothing smart about doing it too early, said Laffer. The expected new group, so far, largely resembles the upper echelon of the Trump administration: white and wealthy. Carson is the councils most prominent African American. The U.S. economy is so vast that the council will need to consider the needs of workers in food services, health care, transportation, construction and other sectors in which a diverse workforce that often makes lower wages will be on the front lines of a re-opened economy. You do need a range of opinions and a range of experiences, said Jay Shambaugh, an economist at George Washington University and director of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. This is one of those cases where the minority report is really important you need people who arent all thinking the same thing. Danielle Brian, executive director of the Washington watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, said she is concerned that Trump may not be open to contrary opinions, citing his recent ouster of government inspectors general who had criticized administration actions. Weve seen very starkly recently how, even when it comes to the sort of the fundamental questions of oversight, people are discounted or fired when they say something that he doesnt want to hear, said Brian. Donald Sherman, deputy director for the oversight group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Trump's track record of choosing patrons and sycophants to run significant parts of his government leaves him skeptical the council will be much more than a rubber stamp. The White House said Trump's decision-making process would be measured and involve consultation with the public health officials. The President wants to see this economy open again so people can get back to work, but scientific data will drive the timeline on those decisions because his number one priority is to protect the safety and well-being of the American people," said deputy press secretary Judd Deere. During his first year in office, Trump put together several high-profile advisory economic groups, which included Intels Brian Krzanich, Teslas Elon Musk and AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka. Those panels fell apart as executives resigned in protest against Trumps response to violent, race-infused protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, and his decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, served on Trumps now-defunct manufacturing council. He said the administration used the advisory group in a self-congratulatory manner meant to spotlight a bunch of CEOs talking to the president about something that was important to him. There were a lot serious people on the advisory council, Paul said, but I didnt see it as doing serious work. A series of tornadoes killed 32 people, downed power lines and ripped apart homes on the Eastern coast of US. According to the coun try's National Weather services. According to reports, a minimum of 40 tornadoes spanned 1,200 miles from Texas to South Carolina and other southern states. Reports suggest that many tornadoes in Mississippi travelled more than 100 miles. Ripping across the East Coast, the storm system destroyed hundreds of properties and killed many people across as many as six states. In addition to that, the storms eventually led to a loss of power supply in many regions causing extensive damage. Affected States The tornadoes killed 11 people in Mississippi alone, international media reported citing the Department of Emergency Management. Meanwhile, at least nine people have reportedly killed in storm-related accidents in South Carolina. The state governor, Henry McMaster speaking to international media said that out of those killed, one was a security guard killed at a BorgWarner plant in Seneca. In South Carolinas Hampton country, nearly five people died, whereas, in Geogia, a total of eight people were killed including five in Mourray County and one in Cartersville. Media reports revealed that one person was killed in Jefferson county in Arkansas after a tree fell on his house. On April 13, North Carolina's governenor Roy Cooper reportedly announced that a woman was killed after tree fell on her home. Meanwhile, two deaths were reported in Tennesse. Read: Trump Offers Condolences To Tornado Ravaged States Read: Storms, Tornadoes Damage Homes, Businesses In Midwest, South According to reports, the strongest tornado packed winds up to 175 mph (280 kph) and lasted for eight miles (nearly 13 kilometers) in Putnam County, reaching EF-4 strength. Before that twister touched down, a tornado reached EF-3 strength, hitting peak winds of 165 mph (265 kph) and carving a 60-mile (95-kilometer) path across Nashville and Wilson counties. Weaker EF-0 tornadoes touched down in Smith and Putnam counties; another hit Putnam County, and Cumberland County saw one as well. Humphreys County experienced an EF-1 twister, international media reported. Read: An Easter Marked By Tornadoes, Storms Across The South Read: Weather Service: At Least 6 Tornadoes Hit Middle Tennessee (Image Credits: AP) WEST HAVEN A city man was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday on drug possession and firearm offenses, according to federal authorities. Denzil Stewart, 25, was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison time served followed by three years of supervised release. The charges against Stewart stemmed from an investigation years earlier. In February 2017, ATF special agents and task force officers made three controlled purchases of narcotics from Stewart, authorities said. Two of those purchases involved heroin, the third heroin and crack cocaine. Then, on March 2, 2017, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of a West Haven apartment Stewart was staying at and found a loaded semiautomatic pistol, about 90 grams of cocaine, more than 160 grams of marijuana, about 166 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms, oxycodone, items used to package narcotics for street sale and $6,386 in cash. Stewart was arrested on state charges the day of the search. While free on bail in relation to his state case, he was arrested on March 23, 2017, on a federal criminal complaint. Authorities said a search of his home that same day led investigators to marijuana. Back in December 2010, Stewart was convicted in Florida on charges of burglary and attempted burglary. It is a violation of federal law for a person convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition. Stewart has been detained since his federal arrest. On Oct. 9, 2019, he pleaded guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday he wants to reopen the economy as soon as possible but not until it is safe and healthy for people to do so. In a series of tweets, the governor said that, for the moment, he is still looking at April 30 the current end date of his stay-at-home order as a time to consider allowing people to go places as well as to see what kinds of businesses can reopen. But the governor said there are multiple variables to be considered, ranging from how business leaders tell him they will be able to safely begin serving customers to the daily data he gets from his Department of Health Services about the number of cases of COVID-19. Duceys announcement comes as governors in several other states are making their own plans. In a joint announcement Monday, Jay Inslee of Washington, Gavin Newsom of California and Kate Brown of Oregon put out their own set of principles to work together to restart public life and business. And the governors of six northeast states also said Monday they will work together on how to go forward and do it in a way that does not put each others residents at risk. Ducey, for his part, made it clear that while he wants the Arizona economy moving again, he also will not be rushed. The governor said he does not want residents to think they can let down their guard. Arizonans efforts to physical distance and make responsible choices are working, Ducey said. Its critical that we keep those efforts up as we plan for the future and a time when we can begin to return some normalcy to peoples lives. Mia, a 2020 graduating senior at Desert Mountain High School, shows off her Proud of My Grad yard sign Too many kids work hard to earn a high-school diploma, only to have that accomplishment go unrecognized, says Randall White, co-founder of Proud of My Grad. While this cant replace those senior-year activities, a Proud of My Grad yard sign is a fun way to draw attention to this major milestone. This spring, families with a student graduating from high school can express pride in their seniors and help resource-strapped teachers at the very same time. Proud of My Grad is a new online venture that sells yard signs parents can customize to proclaim how proud they are of their teens academic achievement. Unlike other sign companies that serve a school or a school district, it can deliver signs to the parents of seniors at more than 7,300 high schools across the country. In its first week of operation, it has successfully put Proud of My Grad signs in the yards of high school seniors in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri and other states. While Dallas business partners Randall White and Jeff Herrington conceived the idea nearly a year ago, the product is being embraced by families whose sons and daughters are now missing senior proms, graduation ceremonies and celebrations due to the COVID-19 fallout. Too many kids work hard to earn a high-school diploma, only to have that accomplishment go unrecognized, says Randall White, co-founder of Proud of My Grad. While this cant replace those senior-year activities, a Proud of My Grad yard sign is a fun way to draw attention to this major milestone. Proud of My Grad can produce a yard or window sign for any of the 7,000-plus public and private high schools listed in its database. (As of now, Alaska and Hawaii are not included.) The vibrant, 18 x 24-inch signs feature a jaunty mortar board with tassel, the name of the school the senior is graduating from and the students class year. The weather-hardy signs also include a metal, H-shaped stand similar to those that come with political signs. Purchasers can customize a sign with the students first name, first and last name, or a nickname (up to 14 characters). NOTE: Schools not included in the database can be quickly added by Proud of My Grad when notified by the purchaser. Our research revealed customers wanted some say in the look of the sign as well as the way their graduates name is represented for security reasons, White says. However, weve kept the customization simple to keep the cost of a sign under $25, making it quicker and easier to purchase. White adds they are even offering a discount to those who want to purchase another sign for a friend or neighbor who may not be able to afford one. Additionally, the company will donate a percentage of its profits to adoptaclassroom.org, a nonprofit that helps educators across America secure the classroom supplies they often pay for themselves. Once this years graduation season is in the record books, Proud of My Grad will calculate its profits and donate between 2.5-4% to adoptaclassroom.org. Too many teachers struggle to equip their classrooms with the proper learning tools, often digging into their own pockets to purchase the items they need, said Herrington. So, by purchasing a Proud of My Grad sign, the parents of those completing their high school education are helping the next generation of students to pursue theirs. Herrington says the signs are already proving they will have value well beyond the time of graduation. Some students are planning to ask their fellow graduates to write a message on the back of their signs, so they become keepsakes the way mortar boards and tassels have been in the past, he says. Also, graduates will be able to bring their signs to future class reunions to use as decorations. This year, all signs express pride for someone in the Class of 2020. For following years, the company will customize the signs for each class (i.e., Class of 2021, Class of 2022). Like a good education, we want our Proud of My Grad signs to never go out of fashion, said White. Learn more at proudofmygrad.com. and follow @proudofmygrad on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recipients are encouraged to share photos of themselves with their signs on social media via #proudofmygrad #beproud and #classof2020. ABOUT PROUD OF MY GRAD. Launched in early 2020, Proud of My Grad offers yard and window signs that commend a high school graduate for their academic achievement. The Dallas-based organizations ultimate goal is to encourage more students to get their high school diploma and view that as the first step toward launching their careers. Along the way, Proud of My Grad will also strive to help make achieving an education easier, through donations to education non-profits and other programs that ennoble the quest for knowledge. Learn more at proudofmygrad.com, and follow @proudofmygrad on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. CONTACT: Becky Mayad 214-697-7745 becky@mayadpr.com Ireland wanted to get to 4,500 tests per day but that number has already been massively outstripped (Brian Lawless/PA) Medical staff put on their personal protective equipment (PPE) at an MOT testing centre in Belfast which is being used as a drive through testing location for Covid-19. Justin Kernoghan/PA Wire A nurse at a drive-up testing faciility in the US. Picture: AP Keep informed of these unprecedented times with the latest coronavirus updates on Independent.ie's live blog. 21:00 14/04/2020 Dozens of Northern Ireland care homes affected by coronavirus health minister Some 32 care homes in Northern Ireland have been affected by coronavirus, the health minister has said. Robin Swann confirmed the figure on Tuesday which represents a rise from the announced figure of 20 last week. The number affected is out of a total of 484 care homes in Northern Ireland. The regions death toll of those who tested positive for Covid-19 rose by 10 to 134. 17:55 14/04/2020 Breakdown of the latest figures The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 41 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ireland have died. 36 deaths located in the east, four in the west, one in the south of the country The people included 16 females and 25 males The median age of todays reported deaths is 85 31 people were reported as having underlying health conditions There have now been 406 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of 1pm today, the HPSC has been notified of the following cases: An additional 548 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by Irish laboratories An additional 284 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by a laboratory in Germany With the latest figures from Germany included, there are now a total of 11,479 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. As of midnight yesterday, 90,646 tests had been carried out. Of these tests: 62,952 have been completed in Irish laboratories 27,694 completed in a laboratory in Germany Over the past week, 20,468 tests were carried out in Irish laboratories and of these 4,233 were positive, giving a positivity rate of 21pc. Dr. Cillian De Gascun, Chair of NPHETs Expert Advisory Group said: "Having come through a challenging few weeks, we have significantly strengthened testing capacity and will continue to do so over the coming week, to put us in a very strong position to identify and suppress the virus. Todays data from the HPSC, as of midnight on Sunday, investigation of 10,385 cases reveals: 54pc are female and 45% are male, with 408 clusters involving 1,999 cases The median age of confirmed cases is 48 years 1,903 cases (18%) have been hospitalised Of those hospitalised, 275 cases have been admitted to ICU 2,707 cases are associated with healthcare workers Dublin has the highest number of cases at 5,438 (52pc of all cases) followed by Cork with 780 cases (8pc) 17:35 14/04/2020 41 further deaths in Republic of Ireland and 832 new Covid-19 cases Dr Tony Holohan has confirmed that 548 new Covid-19 cases in Ireland and an additional 284 cases reported by a laboratory in Germany bringing the total number of new cases in the Republic of Ireland to 832. In total in the Republic,13,446 have now tested positive for the virus. A further 41 patients in Ireland have died after contracting the coronavirus. It brings the total number of deaths associated with Covid-19 here to 406. It brings the total on the island of Ireland to 13,446 cases and 540 related deaths. 15:20 14/04/2020 10 more Covid-19 patients die in Northern Ireland hospitals A further 10 people in Northern Ireland have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. This brings the recorded death toll in the region to 134. A further 85 cases have also been confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 1,967. So far a total of 13,095 people have been tested for the virus. In the UK as a whole 778 more deaths were announced today, taking the UK's total to 12,107 after three weeks of nationwide lockdown. 12:32 14/04/2020 Garda operation finds more than 140 individuals breaching coronavirus restrictions More than 140 individuals are believed to have potentially breached temporary restriction legislation over Easter, gardai have confirmed. Gardai manned 150 permanent checkpoints on major routes and more than 500 shorter and mobile checkpoints as part of Operation Fanacht, which ran from last Wednesday until Monday night. The operation was carried out in an effort to persuade members of the public to stay at home to stop the spread of the virus. Gardai said the vast majority were adhering to the public health guidelines but in seven cases individuals did not adhere to the guidelines and the regulations under new temporary restriction legislation. In addition, there were 144 Covid-19 related incidents that started as potential breaches of the regulations, but during the incidents other offences were disclosed. In those instances, legislation for offences such as public order, assault, road traffic, and drugs was used instead. Gardai are to consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the decision to charge individuals in all cases where arrests were made. Commissioner Drew Harris said: "There was a very high level of compliance with the public health guidelines over the Easter weekend. I want to thank the public for that. This has helped saved lives. We now need people to continue that high level of compliance over the coming weeks. Working together we can reduce the spread of COVID-19. "Regrettably, there was a small minority who did not adhere to the guidelines or other legislation and Garda members had no option but to use the regulations or other legislation. "This demonstrates the need for the regulations not only from an enforcement point of view, but also to support those who are willingly living their lives in line with the public health guidelines, he added. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland 11:45 14/04/2020 Public urged to ignore theories linking 5G to coronavirus The public has been urged to ignore conspiracy theories that are attempting to link 5G mobile networks to the spread of Covid-19. Elizabeth Canavan from the Department of the Taoiseach today said: "There is absolutely no truth in the rumors of a link between Covid-19 and 5G and this has been confirmed by the European Commission and the WHO, among others. "You are urged to ignore misinformation circulating on social media, and not to spread it further reputable information about Covid-19 can be found from official sources, such as the health service executive." Read More 11:38 14/04/2020 Three month mortgage payment break made available for local authority borrowers Forbearance arrangements have been put in place to ensure that a mortgage payment break of up to three months will be made available to local authority borrowers who are needed, the Department of Housing planning and local government has confirmed. No additional cost to the original home loan balance will arise for the borrowers who avail of these measures as they are not charged interest for the duration of the break. The break is for those who have faced mortgage difficulties due to the pandemic, and those who may encounter difficulties in the future. 11:30 14/04/2020 Apology issued to i ndividuals wrongly told they are not entitled to Covid-19 support scheme The Department of Employment Affairs and Social protection has apologised to individuals who were wrongly sent an email advising them that their Covid-19 payment has been stopped, or that have been deemed ineligible. At a briefing this morning, Elizabeth Canavan, assistant secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach, said: "As you may be aware the department mistakenly issued an email to a number of individuals who had applied for the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment, and the email suggested that these individuals were not entitled to receive the payment or that they would not be receiving a further payment. "As soon as the department became aware of the issue, it carried out an investigation, and it has determined the source of the error," she added. "It has apologised to these individuals for the error and distress it caused them. It has emailed all individuals affect to advise them of the error, and to reassure them that their Covid-19 payment will continue." 11:19 14/04/2020 More than 42,000 employers register with temporary wage subsidy scheme A total of 42,100 employers are registered with revenue for the temporary wage subsidy scheme, Elizabeth Canavan, assistant secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach, has said. The revenue has today generated further refunds of over 44 million into the scheme. Ms Canavan said payments will be in the bank account of the majority of prospective employers by tomorrow. Payments made under the scheme have now reached 199 million. She added that approximately 532,000 people will today receive their weekly payment of 350 under the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payments scheme. 10:30 14/04/2020 Public warned of burglaries taking place while families leave the house for exercise or shopping Heartless thieves are targeting houses for burglaries while families take their daily exercise as a relief from Covid-19 restrictions. Communities have now been urged to unite to report any suspicious activity to gardai following a spate of break-ins nationwide. Neighbours have also been urged to work together to ensure that while a family leaves a home for exercise or shopping, it is watched by another resident. Gardai believe some burglaries are being conducted on an organised basis with homes deliberately targeted while people go for exercise or for shopping as part of the pandemic lockdown. Read More 'Face masks will be the norm' - WHO expert A senior World Health Organisation (WHO) figure has said facial protection is going to become the norm in the wake of coronavirus. Dr David Nabarro, the WHO's Covid-19 envoy, said people would need to become accustomed to a "new reality". "Some form of facial protection, I'm sure, is going to become the norm, not least to give people reassurance," he said. "But, I would say, don't imagine that you can do what you like when you are wearing a mask." Read More 08:20 14/04/2020 Irish family businesses call for recovery grant Family Business Network Ireland (FBN), an organisation representing family-owned businesses, has called for government grants to help companies navigate the coronavirus crisis. Among the businesses that have board representation on the FBN are supermarket owners Musgrave, clothing company Portwest, and the Roche family, of the Doyle Hotel Group. FBN proposes that firms would not pay the cash back directly to the government. Instead, it would be repaid through the income tax receipts and increased spending of those employed at the various companies, it said. The scheme which it is recommending would avoid adding further debt to businesses and enable them to focus on rebuilding post Covid-19. Read More 08:02 14/04/2020 Irishman quizzed as part of multi-national 15m PPE scam An Irishman has been quizzed by detectives as part of a multi-national 15 million personal protective equipment (PPE) scam being investigated by Interpol. The inquiry was launched after a German company was duped into paying over 2 million up front through a cloned website for face masks to be used for the Covid-19 crisis. Investigators have traced money to accounts in four separate countries after the fraud was realised late last month and two other people have appeared before a Dutch court as part of the large-scale probe. Last Friday gardai interviewed an Irish national in Roscommon on suspicion of money laundering after 1.5 million was traced to an Irish bank account which has since been frozen. Read More 07:20 14/04/2020 Worldwide coronavirus cases near two million New Yorks coronavirus death toll has topped 10,000 and the worldwide number of confirmed cases is closing in on two million as discussion moves to easing lockdown restrictions. The brunt of the disease has been felt most heavily in New York, Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, but grim projections of a virus that would spread with equal ferocity to other corners of America and the world have not yet materialised. An online dashboard that tracks the global number of confirmed coronavirus cases, maintained by Johns Hopkins University, showed the number of cases passing 2,000,000 in the early hours of Tuesday. The site was later adjusted to show 1.9 million cases worldwide, with the reasons for the change not immediately clear. Read More 07:00 14/04/2020 Probe after 100 people wrongly told Covid-19 test was negative An investigation is under way into how nearly 100 people who tested positive for the coronavirus were wrongly told by text they were negative. They were told they were in the clear although their test result was "indeterminate". Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he only found out about it yesterday, and it appeared they were part of a batch of the backlog of older tests sent to a German lab which should have been given a second reading. It will be discussed at the meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team today. Earlier HSE chief Paul Reid said the mistake, which happened on Saturday, is currently being investigated. The people involved would have been asked to self-isolate from the point at which they were referred for a test. South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association (SEMRA) were called into action on Saturday after a sheepdog who was rounding up sheep on the Comeragh Mountains became stuck on a narrow path high up on the cliffs at the back of Coumshingaun Lake. Members of SEMRA received a call from Waterford Gardai on Saturday afternoon at 3pm to assist with rescuing the animal. The dog was rounding up sheep when she ended up 50 metres down the 300-metre cliff and was unable to get back to the top. Four members of the SEMRA team were brought up to the top of the mountain behind the cliffs of Coumshingaun by Rescue 117 which was training in the area at the time. A member of the team was lowered to the area near the dog but a rescue could not be affected as he could not safely approach the dog from his position. WATCH THE RESCUE BELOW: Two other members of the team who had followed on foot had brought more equipment. The helicopter also returned and collected additional equipment from a seventh member of the team and dropped it on top of the mountain. With the extra equipment and extra members a second set of ropes was set up and a second team member was lowered to the other side of the dog. This was a prolonged technical rescue that involved several ropes and climbing equipment. Given that there was no human casualty or injuries it was possible to carry out the rescue safely and no time pressure. "Given that it was a working sheepdog which a farmer was using to bring down sheep for the lambing season the team were very happy to respond to the incident. It was the right thing to do in the circumstances. As no human casualty was involved it made the situation easier to manage from a Covid-19 point of view," said a spokesperson. SEMRA wish to thank Rescue 117 for their assistance in transporting team members and equipment to the scene of the incident. With the assistance of Rescue 117 it was possible to complete the rescue with a relatively small team on site. One of the team members who himself is a sheep farmer was able to hunt the dog across into a nearby gully and the dog was then able to make her way back up to the top to the happy owner. The team of six made their way back down the the mountain with all the heights rescue equipment and were safely on their way home by 9pm. A good news story with a positive and happy outcome in difficult times. SEMRA would like to thank all the walkers who are staying away from the mountains at the moment. No other walkers were seen on the mountain or at the car parks during the incident. Following President Buharis broadcast last night announcing the extension of the lockdown in some parts of Nigeria, Reno Omokri has reacted. According to Omokri, the president was merely making noise rather than updating the masses. Read Also: You Fasted And Prayed But Still Got Denied Visa Reno Omokri Gives Reason For This In his words; A Broadcast of Noise, Not News General Buharis broadcast was empty and shallow. He told us nothing new. He did not tell us what specifically he has done, is doing and will do to ease life for Nigerians during this #CoronaVirus lockdown. It was a national waste of 20 minutes we could have spent better General boasted about what he should be ashamed of. In a country of 200 million citizens, how can you boast of training 7,000 health workers. Was he not ashamed? This is what a local government chairman should be boasting about General Buhari man said nothing. This was not news. It was noise. He says we are on the right track to defeat #COVID19 (thank God he could pronounce it). How? We are not testing. We dont know who has it. We dont know who has died due to #CoronaVirus General Buhari boasted that his government has traced 92% of identified contacts of #CoronaVurus patients. This is blatantly false. For instance, have they traced and identified the contacts of all those who attended AMMA Awards General Buhari did not address the breakdown of law and order in parts of Lagos and Ogun. People cant sleep at homes. They are now vigilantes in their communities. Not one word. Not one word. It is as if their sufferings dont exist. Very insensitive! General Buhari is himself like a virus. He does not know what he is doing. If you say you want to protect the life of Nigerians, then how come your conditional cash transfer is lopsided towards the North, were over 80% of beneficiaries are located Boris Johnson, who was just released from hospital gave a broadcast to the UK that was more informative and power-packed than what General Buhari gave. Boris took questions. Buhari just stood there reading English that someone else typed for him. So uninspiring! General Buhari has extended the #CoronaVirus lockdown in Lagos and Ogun. Does it not make sense that that is where he should focus his conditional transfer? Instead, he is focusing it on the North. Even in such a life threatening thing, he cant hide his nepotism General Buhari announced that his government has been sharing food. Why such an obvious lie? To who and where and when? If you have rec. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Attorney Generals Office filed an antitrust lawsuit on Tuesday accusing a Chagrin Falls man of selling N95 face masks on eBay at a nearly 1,700 percent mark-up during the coronavirus pandemic, and calling a nurse who questioned it greedy. Mario F. Salwan, and as many as 100 others whose identities are not verified, stockpiled more than 1,200 masks as hospitals and medical providers scrambled to find enough, and sold them on the online bidding platform under the online store Donkey476, the lawsuit says. The masks, which usually sold for about $2 before the COVID-19 pandemic, sold for about $36 each, the lawsuit says. Attorney General Dave Yosts office filed the lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court under the states antitrust law and the Consumer Sales Practices Act, accusing Salwan and Donkey476 of unreasonable and unlawful restraint of trade and capitalizing off of increasing demand due to a public emergency. Theres another word for donkey that immediately comes to mind when thinking about these folks, Yost said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. We will continue to take action against anyone else in this state price gouging during this pandemic. Yosts office asked a judge to order the group to stop selling the masks immediately, and asked the court to order Donkey476 to surrender all of its N95 masks to the state in exchange for reasonable compensation. The suit also asks for the judge to order the group to pay a $25,000 fine for each sale that the judge found violated the states laws. The N95 masks help prevent the wearer from breathing in airborne particles that carry the extremely contagious virus that has infected at least 6,000 and left hundreds dead in Ohio. Hospitals, frontline medical workers and first responders have been Attorneys general across the U.S. have pledged to crack down on people hoarding such personal protective equipment and selling them to make a profit. Yosts lawsuit says that during March, Salwan and Donkey476 collected more than 120 boxes that contained 10-packs of the masks, and sold each 10-pack for anywhere from about $360 to $375. A Cleveland woman was among two people who paid the highest price for the masks, the lawsuit says. A woman who is an emergency room nurse whose husband is an ER doctor found the listing on March 28 and sent a private message to Donkey476 urging the store to reconsider the price hike, the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, Salwan responded: You and your husband should work for free during this crisis, you are greedy! More stories MetroHealth video shows how hospital tests for coronavirus Fourth inmate dies at sole federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus spreads among inmates, staff I want you to survive: South Euclid women work together to make masks for all Amazon limiting sale of N95 masks to hospitals, government organizations, company announces Apple donates 100,000 N95 masks to Ohio for coronavirus response Press Release 14 April 2020 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Booking.com, one of the world's largest online travel companies and a digital technology leader, announced the winners of its Technology Playmaker Awards 2020, an initiative launched in 2017 to recognize the achievements of women in tech and celebrate diversity of all kinds across the global technology sector. Winners were selected from among 45 finalists spanning 20 countries. Advertisements With the world in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, due to the impact of coronavirus (or COVID-19), recognizing change-makers and inspirational forces making a difference to individuals and communities, both global and local, takes on special significance. This year's winners represent five continents and come from Argentina, France, India, Nigeria, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. From a business leader revolutionizing women's health and lifestyle through smart technology, to a FinTech entrepreneur redefining online security and payments through biometrics, and a software developer empowering African women technologists through training and mentorship, the winners represent the achievements that visionary women are making in technology every day. With a number of impressive nominations for initiatives contributing to solving community, sustainability or societal issues, two winners have been awarded in the Social Impact category this year. Booking.com "With nearly 850 nominations received this year, selecting 45 finalists and whittling that down to ten winners and one Technology Playmaker of the Year has certainly been a challenging, but inspiring process for the judging panel. That reflects not only the high quality of entries we've seen, but also the scale of impact and influence that women are having in the global tech industry," said Gillian Tans, Chairwoman at Booking.com. "While we are unable to celebrate the winners in person this year as we had planned in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, at this time of such great global uncertainty, it remains more important than ever to recognize those who are making such lasting and impactful contributions in technology, as well as inspiring each other." The winners of the Booking.com Technology Playmaker Awards 2020 are: Champion of Change and Technology Playmaker of the Year 2020 - Leanne Robers, co-Founder and co-CEO of She Loves Tech, an accelerator program which has helped over 2,000 female tech entrepreneurs and women-impact tech start-ups (Singapore) and co-Founder and co-CEO of She Loves Tech, an accelerator program which has helped over 2,000 female tech entrepreneurs and women-impact tech start-ups (Singapore) Rising Technologist - Hannah Blair , only three years into her tech career, she is a Senior Front-end Developer at Defty, a website building software, and co-Founder of vrcalm, an uplifting Virtual Reality experience created to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia (United Kingdom) , only three years into her tech career, she is a Senior Front-end Developer at Defty, a website building software, and co-Founder of vrcalm, an uplifting Virtual Reality experience created to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia (United Kingdom) Role Model - Ada Nduka Oyom, Founder of She Code Africa, an organization that provides skills training, mentorship and support for African women in technology, and co-Founder of Open Source Community Africa, a group for open-source enthusiasts across Africa (Nigeria) Founder of She Code Africa, an organization that provides skills training, mentorship and support for African women in technology, and co-Founder of Open Source Community Africa, a group for open-source enthusiasts across Africa (Nigeria) Entrepreneur - Seema Khinda Johnson, co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nuggets, a blockchain payments and ID platform that is redefining online security and privacy through biometrics (United Kingdom) co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nuggets, a blockchain payments and ID platform that is redefining online security and privacy through biometrics (United Kingdom) Academic Achievement - Reina Camacho Toro , a particle physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), who is also modernizing the Latin American education system with the first free virtual courses on particle physics through an online education platform she co-founded in 2014 (France , a particle physicist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), who is also modernizing the Latin American education system with the first free virtual courses on particle physics through an online education platform she co-founded in 2014 (France Employer - Sparta Global , a UK training and consulting company whose dedicated Diversity and Inclusion function is investing heavily in female technology professionals to unlock their potential (United Kingdom) - a UK training and consulting company whose dedicated Diversity and Inclusion function is investing heavily in female technology professionals to unlock their potential (United Kingdom) Social Impact - ElsaMarie DSilva , Founder and CEO of Red Dot Foundation, which created an online crowdsourced platform that documents incidents of sexual harassment and abuse in public places (India); and Sheila Harkatz , Founder of Mujeres En Carrera, a platform providing financial education to women and girls in Latin America (Argentina) - , Founder and CEO of Red Dot Foundation, which created an online crowdsourced platform that documents incidents of sexual harassment and abuse in public places (India); and , Founder of Mujeres En Carrera, a platform providing financial education to women and girls in Latin America (Argentina) Business Leader - Tania Boler , Founder and CEO of Elvie, which aims to improve female health through smart technology and connected lifestyle and health products (United Kingdom) - , Founder and CEO of Elvie, which aims to improve female health through smart technology and connected lifestyle and health products (United Kingdom) Technology Innovator - Funmi Adewunmi, co-Founder and CEO of Bright Technologies, an internet service provider that launched an app through which customers can make card payments and conduct online services (Nigeria) TPA Winners - From Left to Right: Leanne Robers, Funmi Adewunmi, Tania Boler, Reina Camacho Toro, Sheila Harkatz, Hannah Blair, Seema Khinda Johnson, Ada Nduka Oyom, ElsaMarie DSilva, Sparta Global Booking.com To select the Booking.com Technology Playmaker of the Year 2020, the judging panel reviewed the individual category winners for one stand-out entrant demonstrating leadership, technological innovation, impact and serving as a role model. The award has been granted to Singaporian tech visionary and "tireless agent of change" Leanne Robers, co-Founder and co-CEO of She Loves Tech, for her efforts to bridge the gender gap for women in technology. She Loves Tech was founded in 2015 as a global platform to bring together entrepreneurs, companies and investors to create more opportunities for women tech entrepreneurs. Additionally, by hosting the world's largest tech startup competition focused on women-led or women-impact businesses, Leanne is eliminating the misconception that "women don't build good tech startups." Leanne and her team have helped support and scale more than 2,000 women-impact tech startups, and provided mentorship and skills training in more than 20 countries. "We launched the awards three years ago as a platform for women to be celebrated for the important and far-reaching work they do across the tech industry every day," said Tans. "Today, the under-representation and under-recognition of women in tech remains as prominent as it was then, but I am pleased to see that gender diversity is increasingly becoming a key part of business discourse and the global agenda. At Booking.com, we look beyond just numbers to focus equally on inclusivity and belonging, and ensure that technology is an industry that is open and welcoming to all." Each winner received a prize of 5,000 within the overall winner received an additional prize of 10,000. Notes to the Editor: Iran said on Tuesday that the number of lives lost in the country to the novel coronavirus dropped to double figures for the first time in one month. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 98 deaths from the COVID-19 disease were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 4,683. "Unfortunately, we lost 98 of our compatriots infected with the disease... but after a month of waiting, this is the first day that the death toll has been double figures," he told a televised conference. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cunningham and Costa, who worked at Amazon for 15 years, said they were fired via phone on Friday afternoon. The employees said the action was in retaliation for the continued criticism of Amazon and after sharing a petition from Amazon warehouse workers highlighting their concerns. The spokesperson added in a statement that it supports workers' rights to protest and criticize their employer's working conditions, "but that does not come with blanket immunity against bad actions, particularly those that endanger the health, well-being or safety of their colleagues." Amazon also confirmed Tuesday that it fired a warehouse worker in Minnesota who had spoken out about his facility's treatment of employees who continue to come to work amid the coronavirus outbreak. An Amazon spokesperson said the company fired the worker, Bashir Mohamed, as a result of "progressive disciplinary action for inappropriate language, behavior and violating social distancing guidelines." News of Mohamed's firing was first reported by BuzzFeed News . The company confirmed to CNBC that it fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, both of whom were user experience designers, for "repeatedly violating internal policies." Amazon's external communications policy prohibits employees from speaking about the company's business without approval from management. News of Costa and Cunningham's firing was first reported by The Washington Post . Amazon fired two employees late last week who were outspoken critics of the company's labor practices, including, most recently, its treatment of warehouse workers during the coronavirus outbreak. Costa has publicly shown support for warehouse employee advocacy groups, recently tweeting that she would donate $500 to support fulfillment center workers on the front lines. In a statement, Costa said Amazon attempted to intervene in her attempts to set up meetings between tech workers and warehouse employees to "hear what it is like working in warehouses during the coronavirus." "Why is Amazon so scared of workers talking with each other?," Costa said. "No company should punish their employees for showing concern for one another, especially during a pandemic!" Cunningham said in a statement: "When warehouse worker colleagues asked us for support to get better coronavirus protections, we knew we had to do something. Warehouse workers are putting their lives on the line and are under real threat right now. We have to do all that we can to support workers on the frontlines, now more than ever." Cunningham tweet Costa tweet Both of the employees are members of an employee advocacy group, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which has called for the company to develop a comprehensive climate change plan, among other environmental initiatives. At Amazon's shareholder meeting last year, Cunningham called for Amazon to reduce its use of fossil fuels. Costa and Cunningham also appeared in a video with Sen. Bernie Sanders, a frequent Amazon critic, to criticize Amazon's climate stance. Amazon previously threatened to fire Costa and Cunningham if they continued to violate the company's external communications policy. The policy has been a subject of criticism from employees. In January, more than 340 Amazon employees signed onto a letter in protest of the policy. In response, Amazon said it would continue to enforce the policy and would "not allow employees to publicly disparage or misrepresent the company." The company's labor practices have attracted attention in recent weeks as warehouse workers have staged protests at Amazon facilities in Staten Island, New York; Detroit and Illinois. Amazon drew further criticism after it fired a Staten Island warehouse worker who organized a strike to demand greater protections for employees amid the coronavirus outbreak. Chris Smalls, a management assistant at the facility, said he was fired for organizing the strike, but Amazon said it fired Smalls because he violated social distancing rules while he was supposed to be under quarantine after being exposed to a coworker who tested positive for the coronavirus. In addition to growing concerns from warehouse workers, Amazon has also faced criticism from union officials and legislators about a lack of protective measures for employees who continue to work during the coronavirus outbreak. During the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania had to fill a gap in leadership. Read more Monday night, shortly after President Donald Trump used the White House coronavirus briefing to berate the media and insist that he has total authority by virtue of his office to open the economy (he doesnt), Gov. Tom Wolf addressed Pennsylvanians in a video that was notable for its balance of hard truths and compassion. The contrast is a striking reminder that the leadership gap in the White Houses response to the pandemic has been filled, with a few exceptions, by governors. Before Trumps briefing, governors on both coasts announced something the White House has been unable to do: work together California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast, and Pennsylvania and six other states on the East Coast to create plans for reopening their economies when the time is right. They will be guided by data and experts. The regional pacts are another reassuring example of governors stepping into the leadership void that is left by the White House. Governors all over the country have had to make tough decisions and communicate information, including bad news. READ MORE: Coronavirus social distancing is causing the curve to flatten in Pa. and N.J.; Wolf, Murphy join regional coalition to plan for reopening Epitomizing the latter role is New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has become a national figure due to the contrast in his poise and demeanor during New Yorks daily briefings with Trumps. But New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf have also exhibited impressive fortitude each with their own style. Murphy patiently answered questions on radio and shared data graphics on Twitter, and Wolf took early action, but mostly let Health Secretary Rachel Levine be the main communicator. Even with a functioning White House, it is likely that governors would have had a critical role at this moment. Governors are crisis managers. According to Bill Harder, a scholar of governors at American University, in times of crisis, power tends to flow into the hands of governors simply because they are executives with expansive powers who are also closest to citizens. Gov. Murphy has signed 23 executive orders in about a month likely setting a record. Governors in the region have responded to the crisis differently. Murphy, for example, was one of the few governors who had the foresight to establish a coronavirus task force back in February when there were only eight COVID-19 cases in the country. It took 10 days following the first case in Pennsylvania for Wolf to close schools statewide, while Cuomo waited 18 days. Similarly, Pennsylvania closed all businesses statewide 12 days after its first case, New Jersey 17 days after its first case, and New York 22 days after. In all three states, the list of essential businesses has changed over time, raising questions about transparency. The waiver process for businesses that all states have has come under scrutiny in Pennsylvania. It will take time to evaluate how much Gov. Wolfs overall actions contributed to Pennsylvanias infection rate being less than a fifth of New Yorks and less than a third of New Jerseys. There are many other factors to consider. But we can take comfort from the fact that swift and decisive action matters and our regional governors are taking it. 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his nation-wide address today, urged companies to not fire employees due to coronavirus lockdown, which has been extended by 19 more days till April 19. "Be kind to people who work with you in your business, your industry. Do not expel anyone," he said during the televised address. The PM said India might have paid a big economic price for the lockdown but there was no alternative to saving human lives. Some companies have reportedly started cut jobs as the coronavirus pandemic has dented their financial prospects. In some cases, companies have asked employees to take pay cuts to keep businesses running. In March, startups like Bounce and Drivezy fired staff members. A majority of the startups have, however, said they are gauging the situation and will take measures after the lockdown. As part of his 7-point appeal to citizens, the Prime Minister, while asking people to follow lockdown and social distancing norms, urged them to care of the elderly, especially those who have health issues. He also said people should follow the AYUSH guidelines to boost the immunity of their body and eat healthy food. He asked people to the poor and respect frontline workers. Also read: PM Modi's speech on coronavirus lockdown: 9 key highlights PM Modi said the Centre would come out with detailed guidelines on the extension of lockdown on Wednesday. He assured the country there was adequate stock of medicines and ration. He said some relaxations might be allowed after April 20 in areas with no hotspot. He added the fight against coronavirus would become more stringent in the next one week as new hotspots would create a new crisis. PM Narendra Modi said people had gone through hardships to save India. "I know how many difficulties you have faced. I respectfully bow to the people of India for their sacrifice," he added. Even when India did not have a single coronavirus patient, India had begun screening passengers from COVID-19 affected countries, Prime Minister Modi said, highlighting India's advanced preparedness to tackle the pandemic. Currently, there are over 10,363 positive cases in India, of which 1,036 recovered and 339 died. Also read: Coronavirus Lockdown India Extension Live Updates: No trains till May 3! Railway extends suspension duration The Member of Parliament (MP) for Mpohor constituency, Hon. Alex Agyekum, on Easter Sunday, put smiles on the faces of over 1,000 people with various degrees of vulnerabilities, by providing to each of them, a sumptuous hot meal and some sanitary items to enable them stay healthy in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The lawmaker, accompanied by some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the constituency, moved from door to door and distributed the food (Jollof with chicken and soft drink and water) and sanitary items (liquid soap and hand sanitizers) mostly to the blind, aged, bedridden, the physically challenged and the sick in the deprived communities in the constituency. He spent some quality time to interact with each beneficiary by educating him or her on simple hygienic measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not the first time the Mpohor lawmaker has attended to the poor in the deprived communities in his constituency. Each festive occasion, especially, during Christmas and Easter holidays, Hon. Agyekum, always rise to the occasion, by providing to the poor some provisions to keep the body and soul together. He told journalists in an interview moments after reaching out to the poor that he has always been inspired by God to attend to the needy whenever he can. In times like this never forget the destitute, the blind, aged and physically challenged who depend on the benevolence of friends and family members whose daily struggles and hustle feed them. But COVID-19 has curtailed this kind gesture because of restriction on movement and marketing. These deprived suffer abandonment, especially, those who are childless. I, as their representative, have been attending to such people by offering them the needed support, he noted. He drew the attention of the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Hon. Ignatius Asaah Mensah, to ensure that the vulnerable in the deprived communities are the ones to benefit from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) policy and not the able bodied individuals. Hon. Agyekum also appealed to the privileged in the community to always remember such people everyday and not to throw away their excess food during this pandemic period, noting that a friend in need is a friend in deed. This mantra must be practicalized. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Alec Shelbrooke said plans being arranged by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle alongside Tory ministers including Jacob Rees-Mogg risked becoming a 'vanity project' A Tory backbencher blasted 'narcissistic' fellow MPs today who want to set up a 'virtual parliament' using webcams, claiming they 'just want to get their faces on TV'. Alec Shelbrooke said plans to use video-conferencing technology to allow ministers to be questions without MPs gathering in Westminster risked becoming a 'vanity project'. The Elmet and Rothwell MP, 44, claimed that ministers could be questioned and held to account using simple conference telephone call technology that has been around for decades. Sir Lindsay has already suggested that MPs should be allowed to participate in proceedings virtually if the 'physical presence of members, or too many members, in the palace is not appropriate'. And the Tory Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed at the weekend he was looking at extending the use of video-conferencing used by select committees for when Parliament is due to return on April 21. 'The conversations about a virtual Parliament are being totally over-complicated by those who just want to get their faces on TV,' Mr Shelbrooke told MailOnline. 'You can easily question ministers through dial-in. You don't need to be bringing all the Zoom technology and everything else. 'MPs who are pushing for it to be video conferencing I think are just narcissistic.' Voicing fears that technology could delay Parliament's return he added: 'If we are going to delay things because they are trying to get technology up and running, that is a vanity project.' But constitutional experts today also suggested the 'virtual' return of the Commons, with extensive opportunities for MPs to question ministers about the coronavirus response. Boris Johnson has used Zoom for cabinet meetings and it has also been used for select committee meetings during recess. A spokeswoman Mr Rees-Mogg on Sunday said: 'Parliament will return on April 21 to fulfil its essential constitutional functions of conducting scrutiny, authorising spending and making laws' They suggested that lower priority parliamentary business should be sidelined to increase the ability of MPs to hold Boris Johnson and his Government to account. Zoom to allow users to opt-out of China-based servers after security fears Zoom is to let users opt-in and out of specific data centre regions as part of the video conferencing app's latest security update. The new option comes in response to concerns that data from meetings were sometimes being routed through data centres in China, which critics argued was a security risk. Zoom said its centres in the country have 'always been' geofenced, meaning that data generated outside of China would not move through the country, however chief executive Eric Yuan admitted that in the rush to meet demand during the coronavirus lockdown some best practices were not implemented and some meeting data may have been routed through China. Mr Yuan said this issue had since been corrected. Now, the company has said it will allow its paying subscribers to directly choose which data centre regions are happy for their meeting data to transit through. The firm currently has eight data centre regions: the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, China, Latin America, and Japan/Hong Kong. From April 18, every paying Zoom user will be able to opt-in and out of each specific region, the company confirmed. However, users will not be able to opt-out of their default region, where their account is provisioned, Zoom said, adding that for the majority of customers, this was the United States. The company also said that free users will be locked to data centres within their default region and will not be able to opt-in or out of others, but that 'data of free users outside of China will never be routed through China'. The video conferencing app has grown exponentially during the Covid-19 lockdown as millions of workers and students attempt to stay connected for jobs and study, while family and friends have turned to Zoom and similar apps as a means of staying in touch. Zoom has admitted struggling to handle waves of new users on the service and has now postponed all new product development in order to focus on correcting security issues discovered on the platform, some of which have come to light thanks to the new, wider use of the service. Advertisement Professor Meg Russell, from University College London, and Dr Ruth Fox, from the Hansard Society think- tank, said any changes must be temporary and should not be used to shift power away from Parliament to the Government. Prof Russell, director of the constitution unit at UCL, and Dr Fox suggested that 'as far as possible' MPs should stay away from Westminster 'in the interests of safety and to set a national example'. The suggestions from Prof Russell and Dr Fox include: The introduction of electronic voting; The ability to have three or four urgent questions, lasting up to 15 minutes each, every sitting day; Giving MPs the chance to ask follow-up questions at Prime Minister's Questions; An increased frequency in appearances by the Prime Minister, or whoever is deputising for him as he recovers from coronavirus, before the Liaison Committee; The possible introduction of a Coronavirus Select Committee. The pair acknowledged that a shift to a virtual Parliament may present difficulties for media coverage. But they argued that 'if live broadcast is temporarily compromised, that may be a necessary price to pay - and committees have already experimented with delayed broadcasts and video clips'. Prof Russell said: 'There is clearly a widespread desire to get Parliament up and running again, and members will be keen to co-operate and will hopefully be flexible, accepting that virtual working will require some compromises. 'But it's really, really important that the Government does not just present members with a fait accompli - there needs to be proper consultation, and any changes should be strictly time-limited, with opportunities for feedback and regular review.' It came after Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg revealed on Sunday that plans were being made for Parliament to return on April 21 as planned but without MPs having to physically attend. Ministers, Commons' authorities and opposition leaders will sit down this week to discuss how technology can be used to avoid the need for MPs to return to Westminster from their constituencies across the country. Although MPs are classed as key workers and are able to travel, such movement and the resulting close proximity of politicians in the Palace of Westminster would risk jarring the public mood while millions of people are stuck at home. Parliamentary committees have continued remotely during the recess using video-teleconferencing technology and the talks will look at ways this can be used for the wider chamber. The move came after new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wrote to Commons' Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, demanding 'urgent talks' about reopening Parliament. A spokeswoman Mr Rees-Mogg this morning said: 'In these unprecedented times, technological solutions have already been implemented for select committee and options are being prepared for the Speaker, the government and other parties to consider next week. 'It is important that we have a comprehensive solution that does not inadvertently exclude any members.' Meanwhile Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has insisted that Parliament can re-open remotely before April 21. He said: 'I see nothing to prevent questions to ministers commencing this week, perhaps using the same technology as the Government's daily video-conferences with journalists. 'MPs could enter a ballot for questions via the usual e-Tabling procedure. There seems no reason we cannot get this kind of Parliamentary activity started now, or certainly within a day or two.' Globally, Nissan has been promoting the potential of its e-Power technology, and it seems to be the more logical fit for markets that haven't had widespread success yet with full-electric vehicles (i.e. ours) because it requires no special charging stations. Instead, e-Power uses an internal combustion engine as a generator unit to charge up the batteries, allowing the electric drive system to propel the vehicle forward. It's a hybrid system but unlike the one in the Prius, the engine plays no direct part in driving the wheels. But there is another matter that needs to be resolved. While Nissan has confirmed the launch of the Leaf EV in the Philippines for 2020 (likely to be delayed by the current pandemic, of course), what about e-Power? By now, many of you know that the Juke is close to being replaced in the Philippine market. We won't get the new generation Juke because it's meant for Europe primarily; that's been confirmed by Nissan already. Instead what we will get is the Kicks, and we base that on the information we've been getting from several Nissan executives. Nissan has, in the past, dropped hints that e-Power will be instrumental in their electrification strategy in South East Asia, and now that seems to be getting closer to fruition. Our friends over at the Thai automotive website Headlightmag.com have found a document stating that Nissan intends to manufacture vehicles there with the e-Power drive system. The document (translated from Thai by Google and cleaned up) from Thailand's Board of Investment states: Nissan Motor (Thailand) Company Limited expands the production of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and batteries for EV electric vehicles with a total investment of THB 10.96 billion baht. The factory is located in Bang Sao Thong District, Samut Prakan Province. The company plans to use raw materials in the country worth THB 15.92 billion per year in the production of e-Power hybrid electric vehicles which was previously only made in Japan. The technology is considered to be at the core to change automotive technology from the current engine system to an electric drive. The intention of Nissan to start manufacturing the e-Power in Thailand is important because it means they can supply the ASEAN markets (ours included) at competitive prices due to the free trade area. This is actually in line with what Nissan Regional Senior Vice President Yutaka Sanada said to AutoIndustriya a while back, confirming that e-Power is coming to South East Asia. Now here is where it gets conflicting: the Thai BOI document did not indicate what vehicle will actually get the e-Power system. According to Headlightmag, the vehicle will likely be the new Kicks e-Power; that makes sense given that the ASEAN market (and ours, specifically) responds very well to crossovers of all shapes and sizes. But according to another inside source from Thailand, the model could be the Sylphy e-Power; the next-generation version of Nissan's compact car. That would be very interesting indeed given that Toyota has just started selling the Thai-made Corolla Altis Hybrid, and a Sylphy e-Power is a direct competitor in terms of size and drivetrain. As to what the e-Power model will actually be made by Nissan in Thailand is still unclear, but hopefully, we won't have to wait long to find out. SOURCE: Headlightmag.com [April 14, 2020] OneConnect Appointed as Technology Partner to support Abu Dhabi Global Market's (ADGM) Digital Lab OneConnect Financial Technology Co. Ltd. ("OneConnect", NYSE: OCFT), a leading TaaS company for financial institutions in China, has been appointed by Abu Dhabi Global Market ("ADGM"), the award winning International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi, to support the development of the ADGM Digital Lab. The ADGM Digital Lab is a digital platform where financial institutions ("FIs") and FinTech firms can collaborate, test and develop innovative solutions for the financial services sector, with direct participation from ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority ("FSRA"). In recent years, digital innovation has become a focal point in Abu Dhabi's plans and initiatives in building a knowledge-based economy to support economic growth and diversification. Since its establishment in October 2015, ADGM has led significant efforts in accelerating the digital transformation of the financial services sector in the Middle East. The Digital Lab is one such initiative to address the key hallenges FIs and FinTechs encounter in their ability to deploy and scale innovation. In particular: - FIs lack access to platforms to test and experiment with prospective FinTech solutions prior to procurement approvals and commercial agreement; - FIs encounter major difficulties and costs to integrate their legacy banking systems with FinTech solutions; and - FinTechs are overburdened with procurement processes and costs incurred each time they interact with the banks. Leveraging the ADGM Digital Lab, FIs such as banks can enable rapid prototyping by: - Replicating their operating systems within the testing environment of the Lab; - Choosing from an ecosystem of FinTech solutions to test new product offerings or replace legacy infrastructure; and - Developing new business models and picking and choosing components from different FinTech providers. Through collaboration between industry and regulators, the Digital Lab aims to create a trusted marketplace for experimentation to build the enablers for the smart financial centre of the future. OneConnect's collaboration with ADGM on the Digital Lab is its first landing project in the Middle East. As early as July 22, 2019, OneConnect signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ADGM to jointly promote and develop FinTech innovation, ecosystems and market opportunities that will support and connect the economies in both the Belt-and Road corridor and the Middle East and North Africa region. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005405/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] With more than 50,000 armed services members helping to combat COVID-19 across the country and about 2 million military personnel grappling with social distancing and travel restrictions, Pentagon officials say it will take several weeks before operations return to normal. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters on Tuesday that military leaders would review a range of restrictions every two weeks or so. He said the decision to shift into normal operations would be driven by science and an understanding of how the virus spreads, while efforts to ramp up testing continue. Esper noted that many in the military, including married members and families, have suspended their lives at a time when they would otherwise be moving to other parts of the country and getting settled into new communities, new schools. We dont know how long this will play out, he said. But he noted that the crisis in the nations biggest hotspot, New York where the military has deployed medical personnel, a Navy ship and equipment was plateauing," according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. I want to make sure I can do my top two missions: protect my people and ensure the readiness of my force, Esper said. Before I start moving people around, I want to do that with a high degree of confidence that I wont spread the virus. Meanwhile, Esper said the military would keep supporting Americans by having an active presence in multiple areas during the pandemic. He noted that Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces would deploy to a number of cities, including Boston, Columbus, New York and Tacoma. He said the U.S. military has already sent more than 4,000 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to support facilities in the most impacted areas, including more than 2,000 personnel to New York alone. More than 15,000 from the Army Corps of Engineers have helped ramp up bed capacity in cities like New York, Detroit and Chicago. And more than 30,000 National Guardsmen have helped deliver food and supplies in all 50 states and constructed 150 alternate care facilities with 83,000 beds for COVID-19 patients. While officials are reviewing whether to modify an order restricting personnel movement, Esper said the order was a necessary measure to keep people safe. It will take time, but we will get through this together and stronger as a result, he said. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said military leaders would take a leading role in an interagency after-action review, because theres going to be lots and lots of lessons learned from the outbreak, including logistics, public affairs, and managing social distancing and safety on ships, submarines and planes. We intend to do that rigorously, Milley said, adding that the military would not simply return to business as usual. The impact the virus had on the economy, on fragile states overseas, on resources and on daily interaction and safety warrants a hard look at how we as a military and Department of Defense conduct operations in the future and how we learn those lessons and continue to be effective in a post-COVID-19 world, Milley said. Milley added that the government would also review preparation efforts in terms of logistics, equipment and manufacturing, noting many masks and other protective gear are currently made overseas. Related Content: Last Updated on April 10, 2020 No country is immune to the spread of COVID-19. The virus has killed over 95,000 people and infected over 1.6 million people in 209 countries globally. The virus has put many major mining operations at risk. Mines are being shut down across the world, either by government mandate or by the company due to the virus. The knock-on effects of the mine shutdowns will be significant. For example, in Namibia, mining contributes to 25% of the countrys income and the whole industry has been put on hold. Despite mining being an essential service in many regions Over 500 Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Coal and Uranium mining, development and exploration assets across the globe have ceased or scaled back production (meaning operating stockpiles and with limited workforce). This has had a significant impact on many companies that are not well capitalized to weather the storm. The virus has put a company like First Quantum in a serious predicament. First Quantum has current total liabilities of over $11 billion while it has a market cap of $5 billion. First Quantums largest operating mine, Cerro Panama, has been put on care and maintenance this week because of the virus. I visited this project in 2007, back then its name was Cerro Petaquila. After spending 3 days at the site and going through all the drill core and data, I wrote in my report to subscribers an alert that the project would be a producing mine within a dozen years. I organized a Private Placement for my subscribers in early 2007 that returned a 50% gain in 4 months that I personally was the lead order. We took a Katusa Free Ride on the company 4 months after our initial recommendation and it worked out well for us in the end. Its a good mine that the virus took down. The First Quantum team are among the top and best mine builders in the world. And if a company like First Quantum can be impactedeveryone can be impacted. I dont know how First Quantum gets out of this predicament with their debt obligations, but this brings me to a bigger point. Real World: Bringing Back a Mine Isnt Like Turning the Lights Back On You cant just flick a switch. The mining world has never seen such a rapid shut down. A good example of rapid mining shutdowns is the Yugoslavian mine shutdowns in the early 1990s. The world has pretty much forgotten that during the 1960s, Yugoslavia had one of the largest operating copper mines and had the 5 largest operating silver-lead-Zinc mines. Yugoslav leader, Marshall Tito understood the importance of mining. Trajan, one of my personal favourite Roman Emperors also understood the importance of Balkan mines to the Roman Empire during his reign from 98AD to 117AD. The reason I am sharing the Yugoslavian mine shutdowns of the early 1990s is because the mine managers expected the mines to be reopened quite quickly (they were shut down due to the civil war). Back in the 1990s, The Yugoslav army was the 6th largest military in the world and expected a quick defeat of the rebel Croats. The Yugoslavs lost and most of the mines remained shut down. In the early 2000s I went on my own quest to buy these past producing mines within the Trepca complex. So, in 2004, with a rental car full of geologists I hired (fluent in Serbian Cyrillic), paying out of own pocket, we travelled across Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia. We visited mines and smelters that were operating in the 1990s that never came back online. I literally walked through dozens of mills, mine head offices and mines that looked like everyone left on a Friday afternoon and never came back for a decade. Most of the mills we visited were rusted out and all but one came back online. After one mine visit, and after going through the historical drill data and production numbers, I asked the former mine ????? (boss) why the mine never came back online? He shared with me that they tried many times, but they just couldnt make it work for various of reasons. I just want to remind everyone; its not guaranteed every one of the publicly and privately owned mines (that I list below) will come back online. If the former Yugoslav authorities couldnt bring back their mines (and these Slavs had mining in their blood), whos to say the mine you are invested into can? Again, Im just sharing the Yugoslav mining experience, and maybe all the mines will come back online without a hiccup. I just dont think that will be the case. Its very rare that mines, when they are built, come online without hiccups (production delays and cost overruns). At a minimum expect the same for bringing back the mines that have been shut down. Either way, many of the shutdown mines will face financing hardships and will be at the mercy of their bankers. Much like First Quantum, which is run by some of the best mining guys in the world. How Many Mines are Shut Down? The chart below shows the number of mines that have been impacted on a daily basis over the last 30 days. The data includes public and privately owned and operated mines. We overlaid that data with the number of Covid-19 infections globally during the same time. This is to show you visually the infection rate globally compared to mine shutdowns. Will There be More Mine Shutdowns? Yes I expect more shutdowns. No new mine shutdowns were announced over the last two days (April 8th & 9th) however, I do expect more shutdowns. I do want to mention that we have contacts that have messaged us stating a major underground gold mine has employees who contracted the virus and the company has not announced the infection nor shut down the mine yet. I expect this will be announced shortly but is NOT in our data above because the information is not been confirmed by the owner. I also emphasize that there will be hiccups in many of the mines listed above in trying to bring the metal back online. Precious metals mines were the hardest hit and that is because of the nature of the operations. For obvious reasons, underground mines were harder hit than open pit operations. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the globe has surpassed the 1.5 million mark. Some countries have been ahead of the curve trying to flatten the curve while others have lagged behind. And this is especially important in resource reliant producing countries. Two countries that we are keeping a close eye on are Australia and Kazakhstan. Will the Land Down Under Go Under? Most of the world has gone into their bunkers, quarantining down and stocking up on staples to ride out the storm. However, Australia has not been taking the coronavirus seriously until very recently. For some of the Aussies have been business as usual This was the scene on March 20th. Only a few days later did officials shut down the beach as people were not maintaining social distancing. This behaviour may see the virus spread into the Australian mining operations. Coronavirus Impacts on the Uranium Market The uranium market is controlled by a handful of players. The top 10 uranium producers account for over 80% of global uranium production. In North America, Cameco shut down its underground Canadian Cigar Lake Uranium project for 1 month because it is a remote fly-in fly out operation. Social distancing cant be maintained. That shutdown takes 13% of the global uranium production off the table. In Namibia, production has been shut down for 3 weeks including its uranium projects, that takes another 10% off global production offline. And the biggest catalyst to the uranium price has been Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has reduced uranium production in its 12 largest uranium ISR mines by 17.5%, which is about 11 million pounds of uranium (if annualized) offline. To put that into context, that is about 60% of Cigar Lakes 2019 uranium production of 18 million pounds. To the uranium market, Kazakhstan is like Saudi Arabia, Russia and all of OPEC to the oil market. The Kazakh state-run operation Kazatomprom is the worlds largest, lowest cost uranium miner in the world. Kazatomprom produces over 40% of the worlds uranium. Recently, Kazakhstan shut down its biggest cities and declared a national emergency. Visas for foreigners have been pulled and they have shut down most essential businesses, except for its uranium mines. They have been over 780 cases reported to date with 8 deaths and Kazak officials hope that it will peak at 3,500 over the next few months. Many of the state-owned uranium sites are in remote regions. Workers live in close quarters. It is in everyones best interest that no one gets sick. All eyes in the uranium world are on Kazakhstan. Do Mine Shutdowns Lead to a Price Shock? In normal times, a decrease in supply leads to higher commodity prices. However, these are not normal times. The reason is, there has been an equal if not larger reduction in the global demand for commodities. Take the oil market for example Current oil production is soon to be 103 million barrels per day. In April, with most of the worlds major economies shutdown, demand is set to crater by over 15%. The same can be said for other industrial commodities like copper, zinc and iron ore. So, the answer to that question is, it depends. Copper is lower today than pre-shutdowns. Uranium, gold and silver are higher today than pre-shut down numbers. Those who are well capitalized can survive the downturn. But those with large debts denominated in US dollars will struggle mightily. Stay Safe, LUO JIE/China Daily It's hard to miss the angry chorus of rising voices, mostly from US leaders and their nativist acolytes, selfishly politicizing the current health emergency and groundlessly blaming China for the novel coronavirus pandemic that has changed the way we live and work. There are myriad reasons for this, both recent and historical. While it's easy for some to use hindsight to criticize officials in Wuhan and its parent province of Hubei in the face of a massive, cascading health emergency that has dwarfed any other in living memory, at the moment even the most biased observer has to concede that China has tamed a frightening disease until one or more of the numerous vaccines and other treatments being tested can be developed and distributed to people across the world to drive a stake through the heart of the monster called the novel coronavirus, which is invisible to the naked eye. It's also a fact that China cooperated with the World Health Organization by making public the identification of the novel coronavirus on Dec 31 and sequencing its genome 10 days later, which are necessary to develop diagnostic tests and treatments. By contrast, it took five months for Canadian scientists to do so during the 2002-03 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. But it's racist to unleash hatred against the Chinese people in the United States, and many other Asians (since to most Americans "they all look alike"); in fact, in the tribal society that the US has become, its chief gave his bigoted followers permission to savage Asians physically, verbally and psychologically. Racism in the US targeting Chinese people is nothing new. Chinese flocked to the US to do the back-breaking work during the California gold rush and to build the transcontinental railroad. Their reward: the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers, the first American law preventing the members of a specific ethnic group from immigrating that was not replaced until 1942. There have been numerous other outrages such as the one in 1899 when Honolulu's Chinatown was torched due to the misperception that Chinese-Americans carried the bubonic plague. Why did some US politicians play the racist card? The most logical answer is that consistent with their sociopathic self-centered personality, they needed a scapegoat to hide their profound failure to act for nearly 11 weeks from when China informed the WHO of the discovery of a new virus, belittling the possibility of the coming health emergency in the hope of propping up the stock market and gaining brownie points in the domestic political game. The US federal government wasted precious time doing nothing to mobilize federal resources and coordinating with the US states. Sadly, millions in the US and elsewhere suffer as a result. It didn't have to be this way. The US administration's quick action would have dramatically reduced the number of deaths and blunted the direst economic consequences. Indeed, much of the more than $5 trillion allocated globally by G20 members to inoculate people across the world and prevent a global economic meltdown could have instead been repurposed to prepare the world to deal with new pandemics and building a community with a shared healthy future for mankind. In a more ideal world, as it has done beforefor example, during the 2008 global financial crisisthe US would work with China and other countries to contain the pandemic, and join forces with China and other economies to overcome profound economic shocks. In our real world, however, the leadership the US has provided in times of crisis during the past years is conspicuous by its absence, leaving China to step up to the plate and fill the vacuum. The author is a senior fellow at Center for China and Globalization. Workers prepare masks, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, to be distributed among the needy people, at GSB hall, Sion, in Mumbai. PTI photo Mumbai: The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra on Monday crossed the 2000-mark, with 352 more people, including 242 from Mumbai, testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection, a Health department official said. While the number of total cases has gone up to 2334, the COVID-19 death toll increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday. Notably, Maharashtra had crossed the 1000-mark of COVID-19 cases on April 7. The country's financial capital now alone accounts for 1540 COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths, he said. Across the state, a total of 229 people have so far been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the viral infection. The 11 fresh deaths were reported from the worst-hit Mumbai (9) while one death each was reported from Mira-Bhayandar region near Mumbai and Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, the official said. Among the 11 deceased, eight patients were suffering from diabetes, Asthma and heart disease, he added. In neighbouring Thane circle, which consists of Thane city as well as several municipal corporations in Thane and Palghar districts, the total number of COVID-19 cases is 1790 with 116 deaths, the official said. In Nashik circle in north Maharashtra which covers districts like Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar and all civic bodies, the number of patients who have contracted coronavirus infection stood at 64 with four deaths. Notably, 29 of the total 64 cases from the Nashik circle are reported from the Malegaon municipal corporation, where two people have succumbed to the infection, the official said. The Pune circle comprising Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad area, and Satara and Solapur districts has 315 COPVID-19 cases with 34 deaths. In Kolhapur circle in western Maharashtra, the number of coronavirus positive cases stood at 38 with one fatality, the official added. The Aurangabad circle in Marathwada region has reported 25 cases and one death so far, while the tally for Latur is 13 cases, but no death. In Akola circle in east Maharashtra, a total of 40 COVID-19 cases have been found with two deaths, he said, adding that Nagpur has reported 40 cases and one death so far. A total of nine patients from other states are being treated in Maharashtra for the virus infection while one person has died, the official said. "Of the total 43,199 laboratory samples in Maharashtra, 39,089 samples have tested negative and 2334 positive," the official said. Out of the 755 members of Tablighi Jamaat from Maharashtra who had attended the religious event in Delhi last month, 50 have tested positive from various cities, the official added. Moreover, six contacts of these people have also been found to have contracted the infection in Ahmednagar and one in Pimpri-Chinchwad, he said. "As per the guidance from the Centre, a cluster containment action plan is being implemented in places where groups of patients have been found in the state," he said, adding that a total of 4223 surveillance squads have been deployed across the state and 15.93 lakh people have been surveyed. Our brain contains tens of billions of nerve cells (neurons) which constantly communicate with each other by sending chemical and electrical flashes, each lasting a short one millisecond (0.001 sec). In every millisecond, these billions of swift-flying flashes altogether traveling in a giant star-map in the brain that lights up a tortuous glittering pattern. They are the origins of all body functions and behaviours such as emotions, perceptions, thoughts, actions, and memories; and also brain diseases e.g. alzheimer's and parkinson's diseases, in case of abnormalities. One grand challenge for neuroscience in the 21st century is to capture these complex flickering patterns of neural activities, which is the key to an integrated understanding of the large-scale brain-wide interactions. To capture these swift-flying signals live has been a challenge to neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. It would take a high-speed microscope into the brain, which has not been possible so far. A research team led by Dr Kevin Tsia, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Programme Director of Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU); and Professor Ji Na, from the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) offers a novel solution with their super high-speed microscope -- two-photon fluorescence microscope, which has successfully recorded the millisecond electrical signals in the neurons of an alert mouse. The new technique is minimally invasive to the animal being tested compared to the traditional method that require inserting an electrode into the brain tissue. Not only is this less damaging to the neurons but also can pinpoint individual neurons and trace their firing paths, millisecond by millisecond. The result of this ground-breaking work has recently been published in the academic journal Nature Methods. The project was funded by the National Institute of Health, U.S. At the heart of the high-speed microscope is an innovative technique called FACED (free-space angular-chirp-enhanced delay imaging) -- developed by Dr Tsai's team earlier (note 1). FACED makes use of a pair of parallel mirrors which generate a shower of laser pulses to create a super-fast sweeping laser beam at least 1,000 times faster than the existing laser-scanning methods. advertisement In the experiment, the microscope projected a beam of sweeping laser over the mouse's brain and captured 1,000 to 3,000 full 2D scans of a single mouse brain layer (of the neocortex) every second. To probe the genuine electrical signals that pulse between the neurons, the team inserted a biosensor (protein molecules), developed by Dr Michael Lin of Stanford University, into the neurons of the mouse brain. "These engineered proteins will light up (or fluoresce) whenever there is a voltage signal passes through the neurons. The emitted light is then detected by the microscope and formed into a 2D image that visualises the locations of these voltage changes," said Dr Tsia. "This is really an exciting result as we now can peek into the neuronal activities, that were once obscured and could provide the fundamental clues to understanding brain functions and more importantly brain diseases," he added. Apart from electrical signals, the team also used the microscope to capture the slow-motion of chemical signals in the mouse brain, such as calcium and glutamate, a neurotransmitter, as deep as one-third of a millimeter from the brain's surface. A notable advantage of this technique is the ability to track the signals that do not trigger the neuron to fire -- weak neuronal signals (called sub-threshold signals) that are often difficult to capture and detect, which could also happen in many disease condition in the brain, but have yet been studied in detail because of the lack of high-speed technique like the one developed by the team. Another important feature of the novel technique is that it is minimally invasive. The classical method for recording electrical firing in the brain is to physically embed or implant electrodes in the brain tissue. However, such physical intrusion could cause damage to the neurons, and can only detect fuzzy signals from a couple of neurons. "This is so far a one-of-its-kind technology that could detect millisecond-changing activities of individual neurons in the living brain. So, this is, I would say, the cornerstone of neuroscience research to more accurately "decoding" brain signals."Dr Tsia said the team would work to advance the capability of the microscope. "We are working to further combine other advanced microscopy techniques to achieve imaging at higher resolution, wider view and deeper into the brain in the neocortex, which is about 1 millimeter. This will allow us to probe deeper into the brain for a better and more comprehensive understanding of the functions of the brain." he added. 'If you look at the deaths that are occurring across the state or country, I think out of these 25 not even one required ICU care. That's what we are proud of.' IMAGE: Workers clean the floor at the NMMC General Hospital, a COVID-19 treatment centre at Vashi in Navi Mumbai. Kindly note the image has been posted for representational reasons. Photograph: PTI Photo Do you remember the scene from The Godfather where Al Pacino shifts the injured Marlon Brando from one ward to another just so that his life could be saved from imminent death? Or the scene in Ram Gopal Verma's Sarkar where Abhishek Bachchan does the same for Amitabh Bachchan? Well, a similar scene, on a much, much bigger scale and in real life unlike the scenes in The Godfather and Sarkar, was enacted on the evening of March 28 at the Miraj Hospital in Maharashtra's Sangli district. Three doctors from Mumbai's J J Hospital were coordinating the effort, ably assisted by doctors from the Miraj Medical College, and with all the might of the district and state administration, as they shifted 200-odd patients from the Miraj Hospital to the Sangli Hospital by the morning of March 29. When Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of the J J Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Vinayak Savardekar, associate professor, and Dr Prashant Howal received a mail late night on March 27 from the hospital's director asking them to move to Sangli at the request of state Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh, the three doctors packed immediately and reached the Miraj Hospital the next evening. Soon after, they began shifting the 200-odd patients from the Miraj Hospital and completed the task by the morning of the 29th. This Herculean effort was needed because Sangli district in western Maharashtra, which had reported no case till March 27, suddenly woke up to 25 cases of COVID-19 positive patients. By April 13, all these 25 COVID-19 positive patients were sent to institutional quarantine because two consecutive swab tests performed on them reported absence of coronavirus. Dr Saple tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com how and why the evacuation was done, the learning from the Sangli success that other states and districts suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic could follow in the fight against the deadly virus and how they won the battle in Sangli. The first of a two-part interview: Why were you chosen to deal with the situation in the district where out of blue 25 people tested COVID-19 positive? I was called probably because I was posted as the dean here (of the Miraj Medical College) till six months ago. I was there for three years from 2016 to September 2019, after which I was posted to the J J Hospital (in Mumbai as dean). I happened to work here for one to three years and also during the floods in Kolhapur, Sangli in July-August (2019). Some of that (the work done in providing medical relief to those affected by the floods) was acknowledged probably, the way we handled the situation and managed it, probably that was that was one of the reasons why I was called (to handle the situation in Sangli). Suddenly in four days (Dr Saple was called on March 27 when the cases came to light), where we had no case of COVID-19 positive patients there were 25 in one go in like a short span of less than 72 hours, all from the extended family of the index case who had returned from abroad. It was essentially four people who had travelled from abroad and were COVID-19 positive when they came to India. Contact tracing helped district health officials to find out 21 more people from the extended family who were infected when they came in contact with these four people. I received a call on the night of March 27 and I was asked to join the district administration almost immediately. Fortunately, the three of us -- Dr Prashant Howal, Dr Vinayak Savardekar and I -- who received the call left early morning the next day and reached Sangli in the evening. We had no idea as to how long we would have to wait. We thought it won't take many days, but since that day we have not moved out of the town. When we joined the district health officials and met the collector (Abhijeet Chaudhari), he gave us a brief that we need a hospital for these patients. The hospital facilities were not up to the mark, training of (health) personnel had not happened, equipment was in short supply, and doctors were needed. That was the brief that we were given. Since I had worked here, I knew what was unique here was that it (Miraj Medical College) is a medical college but with two hospitals. Not many medical colleges have that luxury. We immediately took the unique decision to shift all the non-COVID patients to Sangli Hospital. Literally, in the next few hours after joining on the 28th, we shifted almost 200-odd patients from the Miraj Hospital (attached to the Miraj Medical College) to Sangli. In fact, today (on April 13) we got a directive from the chief secretary that while treating and concentrating on COVID-19 patients, non-COVID-19 patients should not be ignored. They also need critical care like dialysis -- a chronic requirement -- and diabetes treatment, and other medical treatments. We were very clear that we would be focusing equally on both these categories of patients. Today, (on April 13) that hospital (in Sangli) had 400 cases. Every day, 150 to 200 deliveries are happening, 60 to 70 Caesareans are happening; every other medical need is being taken care of at Sangli Hospital. We got the medical facilities at Sangli Hospital up-to-date immediately and also got a reverse osmosis dialysis machine there. Now, when the lockdown opens, we'll get many more patients, but we are prepared to handle the medical needs of non-COVID-19 patients also at Sangli Hospital. Clearly demarcating the two different hospitals for COVID-19 and non-COVID 19 patients helped us to prevent the numbers (of COVID-19 patients) from swelling. From reading about what had happened in Italy, where they put the first (COVID-19 positive) patient in the ICU of the same general hospital where other non-COVID-19 patients were being treated. What that led to was that the whole hospital suddenly became coronavirus positive, including the doctors. That decision (of separating the two types of patients) helped us from preventing the number from swelling up. These 25 (COVID-19 positive) people were first brought and kept in the hospital (at the Miraj Medical College). The entire staff there was devoted to treating COVID-19 patients. Suppose (if the doctors had not sent non-COVID-19 patients to Sangli Hospital), (then) right next door we would have had the delivery ward where we were to perform 15 to 20 deliveries each at Miraj and Sangli along with COVID-19 patients. Every pregnant woman comes with two-three relatives and the relatives would obviously loiter around the campus leading to mixing up of COVID-19 patients with other patients and their relatives. Also, there would have been high probability of the hospital staff treating these two different set of patients interacting with each other in the changing room, or while walking along their respective wards or while going home. Keeping the serious consequences of such mixing up, it was very necessary to split everything physically, geographically and that became possible because we had the backup of hospital at the Miraj Medical College. We also ensured that those who were due for their immunisation doses would not miss them. Even the chief minister (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) had emphasised the importance of it (not affecting the immunisation programme in the times of coronavirus) lest we may end up conquering coronavirus only to face heightened polio cases which we have already kind of conquered. Since the immunisation programme (in Sangli district) was ongoing from a month-and -a-half we didn't want to hamper its progress. So while it (vaccination) is not happening at Miraj (hospital as it was exclusively treating the 25 COVID-19 positive patients)) now we have made all the preparations for it at Sangli (hospital). We have tied up with the municipal office for immunisation. Even senior citizens are given medicine. Normally, they get medicine for 15 days or for a month. Now, we have started giving all of their medicines for three months, so that they don't have repeated visits to the hospital. And also while commuting back and forth, they don't pick up an infection from somebody. So they can now sit at home with three months's medicines taken care of. For any minor trouble, they go to their local doctor. These measures, which we took after careful planning and discussion with all the stakeholders from the local, district and state administration proved to be the masterstroke that helped the district administration restrict it (the number of COVID-19 positive patients) at 25 patients. Doing this also ensured we could focus our attention in treating these 25 patients. To help reduce the (physical and mental) stress on the hospital staff at the Miraj Medical College Hospital, we give our nurses only four hour duties. The PPEs (personal protection equipment) they wear are very cumbersome. And if you discard them and wear them again, somehow the integrity gets broken. Again, I figured this out from the Chinese experiment. We told our nursing staff to have their fill of water before starting their shift, visit the washroom, eat something and then don't change out of your PPEs for four hours for whatever reason. And they were very comfortable doing that. For four hours, they concentrated on their work. Initially, we weren't aware of this situation, but soon enough we realised that our nurses were not willing to go home for the fear they may infect their children, parents or in-laws, so we set up a facility for them to stay in the campus. We have a residential campus just across the road so they stay there after completing their duties. They kind of do a quarantine -- although we don't call it quarantine because it is not mandated for them. But they rather have a 15-day quarantine and then they go home. If they develop any symptoms along the way, we check them. Around five to six nurses developed some mild symptoms of cough, but they were all COVID-19 negative. The rule is that those who are in contact with COVID-19 positive patients only should be checked. So they were checked and fortunately all of them tested negative. That is one of our goals that we should not lose a healthcare provider to coronavirus. Because they have been treating these patients, their safety, their nutrition is paramount. They get their three meals and other daily nutrition requirements from the hospital. These things helped and because we had only 25 patients to concentrate, their blood pressure was monitored regularly, their sugar levels checked, then milder symptoms were checked for. We were kind of or over-prepared, plus their natural immunity would also help. If you look at the deaths that are occurring across the state or country, I think out of these 25 not even one required ICU care. That's what we are proud of. Today, all of them have tested negative, but even a few deaths would have shattered our hopes and efforts. We are proud that all of them were safely discharged. The only thing was because of the social issues they were not sent home, but sent for institutional quarantine for another 14 days's quarantine before they will be sent home. Anyway, they had to stay in home quarantine for another 14 days. All these 25 patients are otherwise fit for discharge. A forest fire burning at a 30-kilometer (19-mile) Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine, not far from the nuclear power plant on April 12, 2020. (Volodymyr Shuvayev/AFP via Getty Images) Ukraine Wildfires Within Half a Mile of Abandoned Chernobyl Plant, Poses Radiation Risk Raging forest fires in Ukraine that have been burning for more than a week have spread to an area located just over half a mile (1 km) from the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant and pose a radiation risk, according to reports. Greenpeace Russia on Monday said that satellite images from April 4 showed one blaze covered an area of around 12,000 hectaresone thousand times bigger than what Ukrainian authorities had claimed at that time. According to satellite images taken on Monday, the area of the largest fire has reached 34,400 hectares, Greenpeace added. According to the NGO, on Monday, a separate fire covering an area of 12,600 hectares, was just over half a mile (1 km) away from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plantsite of the worlds worst nuclear accident in 1986. Chernobyl tour operator Yaroslav Yemelianenko said on Facebook Monday that one forest fire had reached the town of Pripyat, which served the power plant and has been abandoned since the 1986 disaster. Yemelianenko, who is a public advisory board member of Ukraines emergency service, described the situation as critical, adding that the zone is burning. The fire is 1.24 miles (2 km) from where the most highly active radiation waste of the whole Chernobyl zone is located, he wrote. Yemelianenko posted a video that appeared to show a plume of smoke rising close to the protective shelter over the remains of Chernobyls Unit 4 nuclear reactor. Changes in radiation levels in the 19 miles (30 km) exclusion zone around the plant had not been recorded, according to Ukraines Emergency Situations Service, adding that in Ukraines capital, Kyiv, radiation levels did not exceed natural background levels. Rashid Alimov, head of energy projects at Greenpeace Russia, warned that if the wind fans the forest fires, it could cause the dispersion of radionuclides, atoms that emit radiation. A fire approaching a nuclear or hazardous radiation facility is always a risk, Alimov said. In this case, were hoping for rain tomorrow. Kateryna Pavlova, head of the Ukraine State Agency for Management of the Exclusion Zone, told the New York Times that they cannot say the fire is contained, but that they plan to water bomb the fires. We have been working all night digging firebreaks around the plant to protect it from fire, she said. Ukraines emergency service on Monday urged the public not to pay attention to apocalyptic messages. The main thing we can say is that there is no threat to the nuclear power station, the spent fuel storage, and to other critical sites in the exclusion zone, the agency said, the Guardian reported. The blaze is being tackled by more than 300 firefighters on the ground, while efforts to extinguish it from above are being assisted by six helicopters and planes. The fires started on April 3, and police say they have identified a local resident, 27, who they claim started the blaze deliberately by setting fire to dry grass near the exclusion zone. Reuters contributed to this report. Hyderabad: Disinfectant tunnels are the new rage in the age of Covid-19. Tunnels which spray a fine mist of sodium hypochlorite solution on those passing through them have been set up with great enthusiasm in several locations across the state over past few days. These disinfecting tunnels, or chambers, have become very popular across the country in the past few weeks, with one of them installed even at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. But these will do more harm than good, the state health department has warned. The department, in a circular on Sunday, said the chemical spray is not safe for human health, even in very small volumes. People can develop skin irritation, can have their soft tissues in their respiratory tracts affected by the chemical. Our advice is that no one should use these tunnels, a health department official told Deccan Chronicle on Monday. Sodium hypochlorite, when dissolved in water, forms hypochlorous acid. The chemical in powder form and in liquid form is popularly referred to as bleaching powder or liquid bleach and is a powerful oxidizing agent. No one every checked with the health department on the utility or safety of these tunnels. With several people and offices wanting to set them up, it was time to put an end to these tunnels, which are unsafe, the official said. The facilities were possibly set-up with good intentions but without really going into the utility and safety aspects, the official said. Incidentally, one such tunnel was inaugurated with great fanfare at office of the Director-general of police (DGP) in Hyderabad. Similar tunnels were installed and inaugurated at Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, at the Balasamduram vegetable market in Warangal, and even at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Adilabad. The Telangana police also set up a mobile disinfectant vehicle for use by policemen on duty at various check posts here in the city. The World Health Organization says that such attempts to sanitise or disinfect people using Sodium Hypochlorite can be unhealthy and actually do little to kill Coronavirus or other viruses. The chemical works only on inanimate surfaces and can cause serious irritations and reactions among people exposed to the chemical, the WHO said, in one of its myth-buster posts on its website. Among those who have developed such tunnels in India are the Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO), Indian Railways and a slew of private entrepreneurs. Depending on the manufacturer, costs range between Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh for each of such units. Loss: Health workers at a tribute to colleague Esteban, a male nurse who died of the coronavirus in Leganes, Spain. Photo: Susana Vera/reuters Spain, one of the worst-hit countries in the world by coronavirus, came under heavy criticism yesterday for "rashly" easing lockdown without sufficient protection for workers. The accusations came as Europe's leaders debated how far and fast to lift confinement amid signs the epidemic was slowing and with pressure increasing to restart paralysed economies. The latest figures suggest Spain's lockdown is stemming infections, which grew by only 2pc yesterday, the lowest daily rate so far. Almost 170,000 Spaniards have now contracted the virus. The health ministry reported 517 deaths in a day, also a drop, taking the total toll to 17,489. Millions were allowed to travel to work yesterday, particularly factory and construction workers, after a 10-day freeze on all non-essential economic activity lapsed. Coronavirus has already cost 900,000 jobs in Spain since mid-March. Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, warned: "We are still far from victory, from the moment when we can pick up our normal lives again, but we have made the first decisive steps in the path towards victory." With workers allowed to travel, Spanish security forces yesterday launched an official drive to distribute face masks from a stock of 10 million, handing them out at public transport hubs. However, many employers complained that no direct supply lines had been organised for their workers. "It's pathetic that it is a question of luck if a worker gets handed a face mask at a station. It is impossible to obtain masks, even though the recommendations say we must provide them for employees," Antonio Moraleda, a builder who employs six workers, said. Unions have told workers to down tools if they do not feel protected on the job, while Quim Torra, the president of Catalonia, called the partial lifting "hugely rash". Debate over easing restrictions was equally fierce in Italy, where the death toll topped 20,000. While daily deaths rose to 566 from 431 on Sunday, the number of critically ill patients fell for the 10th successive day and the rise in new infections also dropped to a new low of 2pc. With the country due to gradually start lifting lockdown measures from May 4, many local authorities are pushing for firms to reopen earlier. Italy's northern Liguria region was the latest to announce autonomous steps to restart some activities, from forestry to beach club maintenance. Meanwhile, Germany, where deaths (2,799) and new infections are lower than in most EU states, is considering a radical shift in confinement rules. With restrictions set to expire on Sunday, Angela Merkel and the heads of Germany's 16 regions are due to decide tomorrow whether to heed the advice of the nation's Academy of Sciences Leopoldina to ease rules. The body advised the phased reopening of schools as soon as possible, starting with primary and middle, along with shops and restaurants, as long as social distancing measures are rigorously respected, and for government offices to get back to work. France, however, where the death toll is just under 15,000, was more cautious last night, with Emmanuel Macron, the president, announcing no easing of confinement until May 11. In a televised address, he said schools would be progressively opened starting from that date and a growing number of people allowed to return to work. Restaurants and cafes would remain shut, however, and borders with non-European countries will remain closed until further notice. By May 11, France would be able to test anyone presenting symptoms, he pledged. His comments came after a French study led by Inserm, the national research institute, warned: "Lifting confinement without an exit strategy would prompt a second wave that would largely crush the health system." ( Daily Telegraph, London) By Kim Bo-eun Son Tae-seung Chennai, April 14 : Amid lockdown due to coronavirus spread, people across Tamil Nadu welcomed the Tamil New Year or "Saarvari" with traditional fervour. People greeted each other by saying "Puthaandu Vazhthukkal". The Tamil New Year is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai which normally falls on April 13 or 14 annually. Houses are decorated with 'kolam' (rangoli) outside the front door. Mango leaves adorn the door frames. While in normal days temples will be crowded from early hours, due to the lockdown people were tied down to their homes. At home, Tamilians normally feasted on dishes like vada and payasam (sweet dish) and other savouries. But due to lockdown and shortage of groceries at retail outlets, the traditional feast in some homes was cut short. However, the special dish of the day the 'mango pachidi' made with neem flowers, jaggery, mango, green chilli, salt and tamarind juice representing the six major human emotions was made. Are you like most people? Youve got a ton of photos on your smart phone or digital camera but arent quite sure what to do with them. You want to organize them, maybe get some printed off but arent quite sure where to begin. That help is out there and it starts with Megan OHare and OHare Photography, whose studio is located in the former Bell Clinic Building located at 2011 North Lincoln Avenue, York. My background is that Im a corporate marketer turned photographer and photo organizer, said OHare. I am passionate about preserving memories and teaching others how to do the same. I would love to help you organize and print your memories for generations to come. OHare graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and worked in the marketing industry for over ten years. During that time, she used her skills as a photographer as well as graphic design, videography, and web/social media marketing. Once I left my corporate job to pursue photography there were tons of things I had to teach myself, said OHare. I did that by learning from others through online courses. Once I discovered that I could also create online courses for you, I was all over it and here we are. No one should seek to read much into the economic predictions at the moment with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in full flow. However, Covid-19 is likely to profoundly impact the way governments, companies and citizens behave, changing public life as we know it. Former United States President Ronald Reagan famously said that the nine most scary words in the English language are: Im from the government and Im here to help. This approach influenced political thought for a quarter-century. But Covid-19 has put governments at the forefront of the response. There is now a greater questioning of why the role of the government has been needlessly reduced in many countries. India too has edged towards an erroneous consensus that we need to keep government small. This is likely to change. Former national security adviser and foreign secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon, wrote in Foreign Policy that governments will take on a renewed confidence in their power to shape the destinies of their nations. In responding to the crisis, governments have perhaps found powers they either did not know they had or were unwilling to use. This new-found power will influence how other matters of state are dealt with later. The climate crisis fraternity may now see greater receptiveness to demands for more stringent environmental emission standards. Demands for strengthened health care, better social security nets and the like have been denied for long, due to various fiscal reasons. The boundaries of the envelope of what government can do has clearly been expanded way beyond what people would have expect only a few weeks ago. For long, there has been an uncritical acceptance of lower wages in some jobs such as nursing and teaching. Caught in the middle of a pandemic, we now see that these groups take on an unusual level of importance. To this list of critical roles are included not just doctors and nurses but also teachers, delivery staff, store clerks and bank tellers. While granting that, in most cases, wages will be determined by market forces, other forms of benefits such as additional income support could be promised to such groups to partially offset the personal risks taken by these groups when they are expected to keep essential services afloat. Historically, governments have claimed an absence of fiscal space to fund such welfare activities. In India, there should now be a strong case to increase spending on health care and insurance. Budget 2021 will hopefully place greater importance on these. As we debate how adverse individual health outcomes impact society at large, there will also be a recognition that large-scale unemployment, partly caused by a potential economic slowdown, too damages the economy. Governments will need to implement Keynesian steps to create more jobs and would be well advised to breach their current fiscal target. Now they should have the confidence to push back on the deficit hawks. Fiscal deficits in the United States rose to 10% of GDP under Roosevelts New Deal in the mid-1930s. That was a major factor in enabling the US economy to recover. Indian must move to a 5% fiscal deficit for some years as long as the money is used in a directed manner. Greater governmental powers do come with their own risks. Kishore Mahbubani, dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, has pointed out that at a cultural level, so far, East Asian economies have demonstrated better capability in handling the pandemic. Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, all stand as poster children of good administration. This crisis will be a shot across the bow of those in the West who claim that their models of government have little to learn from others. Citizens, in many countries, seeing governments with stronger hand work well could perhaps push democratic nations towards greater authoritarianism. Another medium-term impact of Covid-19 should be a greater openness to using technology. Telemedicine, which has been untapped, will see a surge. It has always seemed unambitious that this market is estimated by India to be just about $32 million, roughly one days revenues of one of the many IT majors. In the sphere of education, several lobbies have taken the position that no version of online education will be acceptable for the award of formal degrees. Now, they have scrambled to find ways to make online learning and assessment possible. In a similar vein, for long, working mothers, those with ageing parents, and the disabled have requested organisations to display greater flexibility in offering work-from-home (WFH) options. However, even enlightened companies have generally offered WFH facilities for a maximum of two or three days a month. The pandemic has shown that it is indeed possible to manage some parts of our business on a remote basis. This is a dramatic change in lifestyle for those who need it. One would expect the share of women in the workforce, which has been dropping in India in recent years, to see some revival. The 2008 financial crisis led to a distrust of experts, especially those prone to making economic prognostications. This distrust of a small part of the educated elite spilt over into scepticism of other classes of experts who indeed had something useful to say. A consequence of this trust deficit was the inclination to vote persons without meaningful expertise in public office. Governance is for serious persons who have dedicated their time to politics and administration. It is no surprise that the best administrative responses have come from thoughtful leaders in Singapore, South Korea, or Germany. One hopes that we will see a diminished enthusiasm to vote for TV stars, actors and sportsmen. Several of these changes may well usher in a period of more egalitarian growth, driving investments the government should always have made and enabling a wider base of consumption. The trente glorieuses (three decades of high growth) in France and the Golden Age in the US were driven by deep-rooted and sensible governmental interventions. India has to do the same. Govind Sankaranarayanan, former COO and CFO at Tata Capital, is currently vice chairman at ESG Fund ECube Investment Advisors The views expressed are personal Hartsville, S.C., Corrugated Medium Machine Converting to URB by Early 2022 New Paper Machine to be Worlds Largest, Lowest Cost URB Producer Investment Expected to Deliver Incremental $24 Million Annualized Cost Savings HARTSVILLE, S.C., April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco (SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved an $83 million investment to strengthen its uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) mill system in the United States and Canada. The majority of the investment includes transforming its Hartsville, S.C., corrugated medium machine (No. 10 machine) into a state-of-the-art URB machine with annual production capacity of approximately 180,000 tons. The new Hartsville machine will be designed with the goal of being the largest and lowest cost URB machine in the world, with the capability of producing a wide range of high-value paper grades to service Sonocos industrial and consumer converted products businesses and external trade customers. Sonoco is one of the worlds leading producers of URB, with 12 mills and 20 machines in the U.S. and Canada. As a result of the Hartsville No. 10 machine conversion, Sonoco will be exiting the corrugated medium market by the end of 2021, and the expected efficiency of the converted machine will give the Company the opportunity to rationalize some of the higher cost assets in its mill system. We are calling this investment Project Horizon, as we will be creating a much brighter future for our domestic URB mill system while resolving the volatility we have experienced as an independent producer of corrugated medium from our No. 10 machine. These investments will drive significant operating cost savings, ensure the long-term viability of our Hartsville paper mill complex and place our U.S. and Canada URB mill system into the top quartile of performance from a cost perspective, said Howard Coker, Sonoco president and chief executive officer. Story continues The Hartsville No. 10 machine conversion will start with the development of a new recycled fiber stock prep system, which will allow the Hartsville paper mill complex to use a wide range of low-cost mixed paper and Old Corrugated Containers (OCC). The No. 10 machine is a high-speed fourdinier machine that will be upgraded with new forming, pressing and roll finishing/handling capabilities as well as new electronics and controls technology. Design work and stock prep development will begin in the second half of 2020, and the machine conversion should be completed and on-line by early 2022. As part of the mill system optimization program, Sonoco will also increase capacity of its Wisconsin Rapids, WI, mill. After the full ramp up of production, the mill system investment is projected to provide approximately $24 million in annual cost savings starting in 2023, while delivering returns well above the cost of capital. Sonoco also expects to drive additional savings from supply chain optimization, increased consumption of low-cost mixed paper along with environmental and power consumption savings. In a related announcement, Sonoco is permanently closing its No. 3 URB paper machine in Hartsville and its Trent Valley, Ontario, Canada paper mill due to market conditions. The Company will work with affected Hartsville employees to transition them into other roles in the Hartsville mill complex or provide retirement or other benefits. In Trenton, the Company will work with Unifor Local 1489 to develop a Memorandum of Closure agreement. Earnings Conference Call Webcast Sonoco management will host a conference call and webcast to review its first quarter 2020 earnings, provide a COVID-19 update and discuss the URB optimization investment beginning at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, April 16, 2020. The live conference call and a corresponding presentation can be accessed via the Internet at www.sonoco.com, under the Investor Relations section, or at http://investor.sonoco.com. About Sonoco Founded in 1899, Sonoco (SON) is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.4 billion, the Company has 23,000 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 36 countries, serving some of the worlds best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies for 2020 as well as Barrons 100 Most Sustainable Companies. For more information, visit www.sonoco.com. Contact: Roger Schrum +843-339-6018 roger.schrum@sonoco.com Mark Wineman / Getty Images Police arrested a 29-year-old man after officers found him, bloody and nude, on Easter morning at a burning residence in San Francisco. A woman believed to be his family member was dead inside, officials said. Officers responded around 9:20 a.m. Sunday to a residence on the 1300 block of Natoma Street in the Mission District on a report of a person having a mental health crisis, San Francisco police said. City records currently show that African Americans account for 52% of Philadelphians who have died from the novel coronavirus. Philadelphia is not unique. In cities across the country, black communities are being ravaged by the virus. The question is why. Some politicians and pundits place the blame for high black mortality rates on the shoulders of black folks, claiming were not adequately embracing social distancing, or else vulnerable because of our health habits. Perhaps thats part of it. But nobody blamed the white kids who contracted the virus after they partied on Florida beaches in the midst of the outbreak. So please stop telling me that black people are doing this to ourselves. In reality, the story of black folks and the coronavirus started hundreds of years ago with systemic racism, medical bias, and lack of access to health care. That story continues in a system where testing for the coronavirus is limited. The rules skew toward those with more resources, fewer preexisting conditions, and ready access to primary care physicians. In the words of Bernie Sanders, the system is rigged. READ MORE: Black men cant wear face masks and not expect negative reactions | Jenice Armstrong The first thing is because you dont have enough tests, you have to create a tier system of who should get tested first, surgeon Ala Stanford told me. Typically, that means prioritizing those at high risk for worse outcomes, including the elderly, health-care workers, and people with preexisting conditions. The scarcity of tests creates a situation in which some people who need to be tested ultimately arent. But somehow, those with more money have managed. Epidemiologist Usama Bilal of Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health reviewed city data and found that Philadelphians living in higher-income communities have gotten tested for the coronavirus six times more often than those in lower-income neighborhoods. African Americans are not often the lucky ones. For the majority of testing sites, you have to be in a car, Stanford said when I asked about barriers facing black patients who seek tests. People were taking buses to get out to testing stations, only to be turned away because they werent in a car. Another [barrier] is that you needed a referral from your primary care doctor to get tested. So you show up at a site with a prescription to get tested, but your doctor is from Jefferson and you show up at Einstein. They might tell you that your doctor is not in our system, so you cant get tested here. READ MORE: How does Philadelphias coronavirus outbreak compare with other big cities? Thats if you even have a doctor. Many in Philadelphias poorer black neighborhoods dont have primary care physicians. In fact, a 2016 study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that black neighborhoods in Philadelphia were 28 times more likely than white neighborhoods to be low-access, with fewer primary care doctors per resident. So in Philly, if youre black, youre less likely to have a doctor, less likely to get a doctors note, and less likely to get tested for the coronavirus. Then lets say a black person seeking a test somehow makes it to a testing site. The outcome often turns out negative. I come all this way to get tested, and you turn me away because Im not in a car, Stanford said or because I dont have a referral. You turn me away because I have a referral, but Im at a location that doesnt accept a referral from my doctor. You turn me away because Im not quite 50. You turn me away because Im not quite 65. Im 62. I asked Philadelphias Health Department if the city has a strategy to deal with the disparities affecting African Americans. I got this response in a statement: The Health Department has made an extra effort to ensure that stay at home messages are heard by African-Americans through many channels. And the Health Department has been working to address racial disparities in health in all of its other programs. Here in Philadelphia we have been working on decreasing these disparities through a combination of policy, systems, and environmental strategies. Thats fine, but black folks are still dying. Stanford, along with three other doctors from the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, will take to the streets in a van this week and test anyone who registers at realconciergemedicine.com. The only requirement to get tested is that you have symptoms, or you have been exposed to someone who is known or presumed to have been positive within the last 14 days. Thats a start. Hopefully its enough to save black lives. The migrant labourers staying at a shelter home in a government school in Jhajjar complained about poor quality food being served to them. The migrant labourers alleged that the food provided to them is so bad that even the animals will not eat it. Rajni, a native of Uttar Pradeshs Jhansi said that they were receiving substandard quality food and milk. The meals are never served on time. The quality of the food is substandard. Many pregnant women are also staying with us. If the administration cannot provide adequate facilities to us, they should make arrangements to send us back home, she said. A group of women, who were accompanying Rajni complained that they were getting semi-cooked rotis, rice and vegetables. The administration should allow us to leave this shelter home so that we can go back to our village, the women added. The women further claimed that they do not have money left. If not coronavirus, hunger will kill our families. The government is least concerned about us, the labourers added. Jhajjar DSP Shamsher Singh reached the shelter home and assured the labourers of good quality food. We have asked the authorities to provide good quality food and milk to labourers, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 11:45:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Fatima AbdulKarim RAMALLAH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian city of Bethlehem turned from a bustling tourist destination to deathly quiet once the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed on March 4. The city fell under quarantine the next morning. Empty streets, closed souvenir shops and evacuated hotels brought life to a halt, a reality unrelated to the territory's military occupation. The next day after the first seven cases were found in a visiting Greek tourist group at a Bethlehem hotel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency, under which the Palestinian government empowered district governors to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus under clear guidelines -- isolation, movement limitation and sterilization. Schools, churches, mosques, shops and restaurants were closed, gatherings banned, hotel reservations canceled, people were asked to stay at home and movement between cities was restricted to the minimum based on necessity, emulating the Chinese experience in containing the coronavirus. One city after another, the entire West Bank was locked down to protect the citizens from an outbreak. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry Ghassan Nimer told Xinhua that a crisis management committee was created as early as Feb. 23, when initial signals of the deadly virus became apparent. "We looked in depth at all attempts to fight the virus, but we found two basic experiences to rely on; the first being the Chinese experience that was based on isolation and physical distancing, which proved successful in cornering the disease, and the other was the widest possible testing of monitored and random cases, but that was not possible due to the shortage of testing kits," Nimer said. "Therefore, we implemented what was done in Wuhan in Bethlehem," he added, noting that the city is now recovering, but the crisis is not over yet. The lockdown has put the Palestinian economy in a serious financial crisis since the decades-long Israeli occupation of the West Bank has left Palestinians with no control over their borders and a struggling economy highly dependent on Israel. In light of shrinking revenues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Palestinian government declared an emergency austerity budget for six months starting from April, giving top priority to funding the healthcare system and providing a safety net for the poor. The crisis prompted the Palestinian government to ask Israel for 140 million U.S. dollars to support its emergency budget. Living in the center of the busy Ramallah city and working for a private company, Reem Qawasmi, 35, told Xinhua she yearns for life as it was before the lockdown. "I think the precautions taken by the Palestinian Authority to limit the spread of the virus will have a significant effect on the economy; however, I still think they were put in place early enough in a way that protected our healthcare system," she said. "Seeing what happened to countries that didn't take enough precautions, I think our approach was good." Away from city centers, local residents formed emergency committees in their villages and towns to make sure movement restrictions were not violated and those under home quarantine have their needs met. The Interior Ministry spokesperson said that the role of those committees was essential to managing the situation outside of the Palestinian Authority's control. The Palestinian measures were applauded by the World Health Organization (WHO). Gerald Rockenschaub, the head of WHO in Palestine, told Xinhua that containment measures followed by Palestinians helped keep the outbreak to a minimum. The number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Palestine since the start of the outbreak stood at 268 as of Sunday, including two deaths. Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party Bassam Salhi told Xinhua that Palestine has learned from China's prompt and bold decision to isolate certain areas. "All precautionary measures we followed were important and early, and it was all inspired by China's work, including providing medical equipment and setting up quarantines," Salhi said. "We have deep respect for China, which is Palestine's old friend," Salhi said, "and we hail their supportive positions, including a willingness to help the Palestinian people face the pandemic through their experience and know-how." A primary school teacher sets up his phone before recording a video lesson in an empty classroom, for his students who have had their classes suspended due to the Covid-19 in Hong Kong on March 6, 2020. Hong Kong's education chief is weighing the pros and cons of reopening schools and universities after ten weeks of closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the situation outside Hong Kong will have to be considered as well. Education facilities in Hong Kong have been shut since early February, much earlier than many other countries in the region like Singapore, which moved schools to online learning about a week ago. Based on the experience during the 2003 SARS outbreak, it was safer to close schools which were "high risk" areas, said Kevin Yeung, the territory's secretary for education, on Tuesday. He said part of the consideration was also due to the fact that many Hong Kongers were going to the mainland for the Lunar New Year, either to visit their relatives or for a holiday. But as the outbreak worsened, the government decided to extend the school closures until further notice. Going forward, whether schools in Hong Kong can reopen will have to depend on three factors advice from health experts, "preparedness" of schools in preventing the spread of the disease, and the supply of "preventive materials" like masks to provide a safe environment for students, Yeung told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia." It is also important to consider the handling of the outbreak beyond Hong Kong's borders. Yeung said it's not just about whether the number of cases in Hong Kong can come down to zero. "We need to consider the whole situation what's happening in Hong Kong and what's happening in the rest of the world. As Hong Kong has always been a open city, we are easily influenced by what's happening in the rest of the world," he added. Hong Kong's first reported infection emerged on Jan. 22, weeks after China reported its first case to the World Health Organization in late December. Chennai, April 14 : A Covid-19 patient from north India who was discharged mistakenly by a hospital in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram has been traced and sent back to hospital, a police official said on Tuesday. "He was found at Palladam near Chelgalpattu on the highway. A local electric shop owner after seeing our poster with the patient's picture spotted him with some lorry drivers at the truck bay," Villupuram's Superintendent of Police S. Jeyakumar told IANS. The Villupuram police had formed several teams and started their hunt for the Covid-19 patient who was discharged from the hospital by mistake on April 7. For a long time, the police had hit a dead end as the two mobile numbers the patient had given to the hospital authorities were Delhi numbers which were not reachable. It was then the police decided to stick posters with his pictures along the highway, which lead to him being traced. "A local electrical shop owner spotted him and alerted the local Inspector. The Inspector had asked the electrical shop owner to take a picture of the patient and send it to him, which was duly done," Jeyakumar said. Soon a police team arrived at the spot where the patient was sitting. An ambulance to transport the patient was called. "The patient has just been sent to Villupuram in the ambulance," Jeyakumar said. Now the other issue is to trace the contacts of the Covid-19 patients. The hospital had discharged four persons by mistake on the same day. Three of them were locals and were traced and brought back to the hospital soon after the mistake was noticed. But the Delhi youth was not traceable. Patients Podcast: Supporting telemedicine in Italy to fight COVID-19 with Nicoletta Luppi, senior vice president and managing director, Italy Listen as Nicoletta breaks down what we are doing as a company to help the people of her homeland in Italy and our patients during the COVID-19 crisis. Nicoletta discusses the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on the people of Italy, from brave and exhausted physicians and health care workers to people facing COVID-19 first hand. Learn more about how Nicoletta is focused on our number one priority of serving our patients and inspired by Italys efforts to act now and be part of the solution. Read more from Nicoletta Luppi We can get through this. Read the transcript. During the Easter holidays China continued to supply protective gear to Hungary to support its fight to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic. An aircraft from Shenzhen landed in Budapest on Sunday morning, carrying 1,365,000 protective masks, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook post. Another six aircraft arrived in the early hours of Monday, carrying 5.3 million face masks, 6 million pairs of gloves and 86,000 protective gowns from Beijing and Shanghai, he said. The minister said that Chinese customs regulations are being tightened up to guarantee quality standards, and that shipments are prepared in line with them. In another development Azerbaijans minister of economy has assured Szijjarto that health care consignments and aircraft landing in Baku and heading for Hungary would be cleared as quickly as possible at the airport. Szijjarto said in a Facebook post that he had conducted talks with Mikayil Jabbarov over the phone late on Sunday. Hungary is supplied with medical personal protective equipment from the East, and shipments from China will continue to play a key role in the fight against novel coronavirus in the coming weeks and months. This is why it is important for the cargo aircraft to have multiple route options, he said. MTI Photo: Gergely Botar Naperville, which has the largest population of any city in the county, also had the most COVID-19 cases as of Monday, with 100. Addison had the next most, with 84, followed by Bensenville and Lombard, with 70 each. Contributed photo STAMFORD A New York based chocolate company is partnering with a Stamford candy manufacturer to donate snacks to Stamford Hospital, as the healthcare facility battles against the COVID-19 pandemic. Miss Chocolate Fundraising, based in Long Island, has been donating snacks and candy to hospitals across New York, and will be at Stamford Hospital on Wednesday morning, along with Stamford company YumEarth, an organic candy seller. GB Foods, producers of the Gino range of products, has donated 100,000 Ghana cedis to the COVID-19 trust fund. The company also donated food products and a range of Veronica buckets worth 250,000 cedis to the fund. At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House managing director of GB Foods, David Afflu, indicated the company was touched by the exemplary leadership showed by President Akufo-Addo hence the donation. GB Foods has been in operation for over 40 years spanning several African countries. GB Foods, with Gino, Jumbo, Pomo tomato paste as some of the flagship products, originates from Barcelona, Spain and has a flourishing production factory that employs hundreds of Ghanaians. Mr. Afflu said the company will continue to partner with the government in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. "We as a company takes safety and health issues very seriously and that is why we are here to donate to the fund. We are doing so because we trust and believe in the leadership of the President to see the country through this unfortunate pandemic. It is only in an atmosphere of peace and a disease-free environment that a business like ours can grow," Mr. Afflu added. GB Foods also donated hand sanitisers to the Noguchi & Accra Regional Hospital. Receiving the cash and items the chairperson of the COVID-19 Trust Fund, Sophia Akufo, acknowledged the contribution of GB Foods to the Ghanaian economy. "I must admit Gino is a household name and a regular feature in most meals at home. We are particularly happy with this donation and we promise every penny of it will be used for the benefit of the vulnerable in society," she added. Doctors have made the terrifying claim that even if a person is found to have antibodies against COVID-19, it does not necessarily make them immune to the killer virus that has crippled the world. Many are hinging their hopes of reopening society and getting back to work on a so-called immunity 'passport' that means they have had the virus, recovered from it and cannot be reinfected because of antibodies in their blood. But none of the dozens of tests being rushed through production and scaled up around the world are full-proof. Some are not sensitive enough to detect the antibodies and some cannot differentiate them from antibodies against other illnesses. Now, doctors are warning that even if the test is nailed down, it might not serve in the way people think it will. Stanford University volunteers carried out drive-thru testing over the weekend. Now doctors are warning that even if a person does have antibodies, they might not be immune 'Just because you have antibodies doesnt mean you have immunity,' Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of the Emory School of Medicine in Georgia, said on Friday. 'Everybody is being optimistic you have some sort of sustained immunity for at least the ensuing months to a year. 'But it is still somewhat an assumption,' Kelly Wroblewski, the Association of Public Health Laboratories director of infectious diseases, added in a statement to Politico. On Monday, officials from the World Health Organization admitted that they are not confident a person cannot be infected a second time too. 'With regards to recovery and then reinfection, I believe we do not have the answers to that. 'That is an unknown,'Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHOs emergencies program, said at a press conference in Geneva on Monday. HOW DO 'STRIP' BLOOD TESTS FOR CORONAVIRUS WORK? Simple blood tests for coronavirus, like Premier Biotech's, work much like pregnancy tests. After the sample of blood is collected, a technician injects it into the analysis device - which is about the size of an Apple TV or Roku remote - along with some buffer, and waits about 10 minutes. The blood droplet and buffer soak into the absorbent strip of paper enclosed in the plastic collection device. Blood naturally seeps along the strip, which is dyed at three points: one for each of two types of antibodies, and a third control line. The strip is marked 'IgM' and 'IgG', for immunoglobulins M and G. Each of these are types of antibodies that the body produces in response to a late- or early-stage infection. Along each strip, the antibodies themselves are printed in combination with gold, which react when the either the antigen - or pathogen, in this case, the virus that causes COVID-19 - or the antibody to fight are present. Results are displayed in a similar fashion to those of an at-home pregnancy test. One line - the top, control strip - means negative. Two lines - the top control line and the bottom IgM line - in a spread-out configuration means the sample contains antibodies that the body starts making shortly after infection. Two lines closer - control and IgG - together mean the person is positive for the later-stage antibodies. Three lines mean the patient is positive for both types of antibodies. Advertisement Dr. Ryan also made the frightening comment that the virus could 'reactivate' in a person's body, causing them to become infected a second time without coming into contact with a new infection source. 'There are many reasons why we might see reactivation of infection either with the same infection or another infectious agent. 'There are many situations in viral infection where someone doesnt clear the virus entirely from their system,' he said, adding that while a person might clear the initial virus, they may develop a secondary, bacterial infection. There is a global race to develop not just accurate antibody tests but easy, at-home diagnostic tests to tell if a person currently has the infection. The FDA recently approved the first saliva diagnostic test that was developed by the Emory School of Medicine. It has only approved one antibody test but it remains unclear when and where it will be rolled out. In the meantime, nearly 100 private companies have made and are selling their own kits under relaxed FDA rules which means they can be sold without having approval. The rules were loosened in light of the catastrophic delay in diagnostic testing in the US at the beginning of the pandemic. While it allows more people to have tests done and have them done quickly, the accuracy or legitimacy of the tests remains unconfirmed. It has created a 'wild west' scenario where governments and private companies are rushing to get their tests into the mass market to get people back to work to restart the economy. Separately, scientists are running different types of tests to try to find out how prevalent the virus was and still is in society. They hope it will help them understand the pandemic better and avoid it happening again. Republican Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank boss who oversaw 2008 recession bailout says antibody testing is key to reopening US - but the country is YEARS away from carrying out millions of tests The Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank boss says antibody testing is the key to being able to slowly reopen the country but that the United States is months, if not years, away from being able to carry out widespread tests. In an interview with NBC's Today on Tuesday about the prospects of reopening the country, Neel Kashkari said it would have to happen slowly and officials would have to track any coronavirus flare ups until a treatment or vaccine was developed. 'We should be pursing all widespread testing. I've talked to health experts who think that we are months if not years away from being able to test millions of people on a given day,' Kashkari said. Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank boss Neel Kashkari says antibody testing is the key to being able to slowly reopen the country but that the United States is months, if not years, away from being able to carry out widespread tests 'We're going to have to slowly reopen things and then very carefully see if we're getting flare ups again.' If there is a surge in new cases, Kashkari said the US would 'have to lock things down again and keep doing that for the foreseeable future until we get an effective treatment or vaccine'. Kashkari, who helped run the US bailout program during the 2008 recession, said the US would need to be targeted in trying to reopen the country, including looking at which businesses could reopen. He said, as an example, that it would make sense to initially reopen optometrists instead of cinemas to still maintain some form of social distancing. 'I think we're going to have to be much more targeted as we try to reopen the economy,' he said. 'Until you really extinguish (coronavirus) with a vaccine or treatment, there is always that risk of a flare up. We have to be very careful and think over the long term,' Kashkari said. 'To me, it's not about the next couple weeks or the next month even. It's about how do we get to that destination of a vaccine or a therapy.' Kashkari said it was likely that the economy could take at least 18 months to recover from the disruptions caused by the coronavirus. 'I don't think we're going to go back to the way life was like in January and February for the next year or next 18 months,' he said. His comments echoed an interview he gave on CBS at the weekend during which he said the US was facing a 'long, hard road' to recovery. 'This could be a long, hard road that we have ahead of us until we get to either an effective therapy or a vaccine,' he said. 'It's hard for me to see a V-shaped recovery under that scenario.' Kashkaris comments came amid signals from President Donald Trump that he wants to re-open the economy as soon as possible. Health experts have warned that the death toll could surge to 200,000 over the summer if unprecedented stay-at-home orders that have closed businesses and kept most Americans indoors are lifted when they expire at the end of the month. Kashkari said additional support was needed for small businesses beyond the $350 billion provided in the coronavirus aid package passed in March, but he was optimistic that Congress would approve more funding. A staggering 16 million Americans have filed for jobless claims in the three weeks to April 4 and economists expect unemployment spiking to Depression-era levels in coming weeks as entire sectors remain shut down to try and contain the pandemic. The government has announced an immediate support package for tertiary students. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Roberton updated the media at the post cabinet conference live from the Beehive this afternoon. Full-time students will now be able to borrow $2000 of course-related costs. The $1000 increase is in place temporarily. Financial support will also continue for students that are unable to study online for up to eight weeks. The Prime Minister says this immediate support will help students stay in their studies. Students wont be unfairly disadvantaged if they cannot to continue their studies, she says. The package will make technical changes to ensure that where students are unable to complete a course of study in 2020 due to Covid-19, this will not affect their entitlement to Fees Free tertiary study. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says these pragmatic measures, coupled with the support MSD can already give, will provide an immediate response to the financial impact Covid-19 is having on tertiary students. "It will support students to stay engaged in their education. "We are also working on a second package of changes to prepare the system for significant growth in participation in key strategic areas as greater numbers of New Zealanders are expected to look to retrain and some industries need bigger workforces." The cost of the package is $35 million in operating funding and $98 million in capital expenditure. Domestic students who are enrolled in full-time tertiary study can access these supports from tomorrow, Jacinda says today is a "sad and sobering reminder of the need to stay the course", with an increase of four COVID-19 deaths in New Zealand in the past 24 hours. Grant says tomorrow he will discuss the governments next steps to support businesses. He says the Treasury forecast shows the government was right to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19. Earlier: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is delivering her post cabinet conference live from the Beehive this afternoon. She will be live from 4pm. What has already been announced Economic scenarios released today back the Governments decision to go hard and early in the fight against COVID-19. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the scenarios also back the Government's plans in putting significant measures in place to protect jobs and support businesses through the lockdown. The Treasury has released a range of scenarios for the economy, based on assumptions of different amounts of time under the Alert Levels. The report shows how extra Government spending will cushion the blow by protecting jobs and supporting businesses, says Grant. This global pandemic is dramatically affecting countries and their economies around the world. We are seeing dire forecasts for global growth and unemployment levels rising rapidly in many countries. As an open export-led economy, New Zealand will feel these global effects for some time to come. New Zealand is in a good position to fight COVID-19 due to our strong public health system, low debt and growing economy heading into this situation. "The best way to protect the economy is to fight this virus, which is why weve acted swiftly and decisively to stamp out COVID-19. This will give our businesses and the economy the best chance to get going again on the other side. The scenarios released today were guided by a range of previously released public health modelling. The Treasury has purposefully included scenarios that show what might happen if the lockdown has to be extended, or if the country has to return to Alert Level 4 in the future. These should not be taken as any guide as to the Governments thinking or decision on changing alert levels. That decision will be taken on April 20 as the Prime Minister has foreshadowed. What they do show is how important it is that we continue to unite against COVID-19 and follow the public health guidelines; stay home and save lives we know its working, Grant Robertson said. The scenarios show: That unemployment can be kept below 10 per cent, and return to 5 per cent in 2021 with additional Government support. Work is already well advanced on further fiscal support. Without additional support, unemployment could have hit 13.5 per cent under scenario 1 (four weeks in Level 4), while scenarios requiring more time in Level 4 showed a peak of 17.5 per cent-26 per cent. New Zealands underlying strength means the economy can bounce back to be $70 billion larger by 2024 than in 2019. Work on further significant Government investment to protect jobs, support cashflow, and prepare the economy for recovery is well advanced. The next steps in the Governments plan to support businesses will be released later this week. The Budget is also another important part of the response, and it will include significant support to respond to and recover from COVID-19. "As is usual with the Budget, there may well be pre-announcements, especially where they relate to urgent COVID-19 response activities." The Government has already provided support to businesses including: $9.6 billion through the wage subsidy to protect the jobs of over a million working New Zealanders and keep them connected to their employers during the lockdown. Changes to the business tax system worth $2.8 billion to boost cashflow, encourage investment, and support working from home, including: Allwing businesses to immediately claim tax deductions for low value assets like computers, mobile phones, cameras, microphones, headphones and other equipment required to work from home Raising the threshld for provisional tax to support cashflow Writing ff penalties for late tax payments to take pressure off business owners Restring the ability to depreciate some buildings to support cashflow and investment Working with the banks to deliver a six-month mortgage deferral scheme so Kiwis dont lose their homes as a result of COVID-19, and a $6.25 billion Business Finance Guarantee to encourage bank lending to small and medium-sized businesses. We can do this because we entered this situation with strong Government books and a growing economy. "Net debt at 19.2 per cent of GDP is well below the OECD average around 70 per cent, giving us greater ability than many to protect jobs and incomes with the Governments strong balance sheet." Read the Treasury Report here. H eres an unfashionable view. Centricas new boss may not have just got the worst job in the City. Yes, this has for years been perhaps Britains most unloved company; both by consumers and investors. Yes, Theresa Mays caps on energy bills have destroyed profit margins. Yes, technology has made it easier than ever for customers to switch suppliers (as 742,000 have already). But all that is already in the share price. You know, the share price that fell from 300p when former chief Iain Conn arrived to just 35p today. After the tumult of Conns era, marked by profit warnings, disposals and redundancies, expectations for newly elevated Chris OShea are so low it would take a herculean effort to disappoint investors from here. And, whisper it softly, but he might be taking charge just as the shares have bottomed. Much of the recent collapse in the share price were the result of the fall in oil prices, which will have an impact on its stake in Spirit Energy, an oil and gas explorer Conn was trying to sell. Arguably, the tumble was partly unmerited as Spirit is more exposed to gas than oil. More worrying is the fundamental loss of British Gass dominant position in the UK home energy supply market. In 2005, it had more than 55% of the gas market. Today its nearly half that. Again though, this is already in the share price. Conns cost saving could see Centrica deliver a profit margin of around 3.5%, which would more than offset the impact of losing customers. If OShea finds a buyer for Centricas stakes in Spirit and nuclear power stations, hell bring in about 1.9 billion, securing future dividends. Those divis, by the way, currently yield more than 9%. If OShea pulls all this off, Centrica could just prove a tasty takeover candidate itself. New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday (April 14) decided to work together with Google India Maps to ensure easy accessibility of food and night shelters to help people facing difficult situations due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the capital. The Chief Minister took to social media and tweeted, "As we prepare for an extended lockdown, we are proud to work together with @GoogleIndia Maps in ensuring easy accessibility of all our food and night shelters. We are committed to doing everything possible to make life easy for those most affected by the lockdown." As we prepare for an extended lockdown, we are proud to work together with @GoogleIndia Maps in ensuring easy accessibility of all our food and night shelters. We are committed to do everything possible to make life easy for those most affected by the lockdown. https://t.co/fMvYzFmLPn Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 14, 2020 Notably, Google India Maps is facilitating people to find out food and night shelters in Delhi and 32 other cities if they are in need. Prior to making an announcement about this initiative, Delhi Chief Minister also vowed to fully implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s lockdown measures till May 3 amid surging coronavirus cases in the country. He also tweeted, "Delhi will fully implement PM`s lockdown measures." Earlier today in his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country will remain under lockdown till May 3 to contain COVID-19 cases. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today. Several states including Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry have already announced the extension of lockdown. On Monday, the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi rose to 1,510 and four deaths were reported within 24 hours, as the Delhi government set up a task force to identify suspected coronavirus cases in all districts of the city. Kejriwal government has launched massive sanitisation drive in those areas to prevent further spread of the disease with the number of COVID-19 containment zones in the capital rising to 47. On Sunday, the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 1154. India`s total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/ discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today. The key to keeping a tidy refrigerator is to be aware of how much food you have and make sure you can see it at a glance, Kondo says. This way, you wont overbuy or let food go to waste. Toss out any items that are expired or past their prime. Next, throw out the items you never use, such as individual sauce or seasoning packets. If youre not sure whether to keep something, she says, ask yourself whether it would spark joy to eat or cook with it. When you have decided what to keep, organize by category, and use small storage containers for individually wrapped items. Storing taller items behind shorter ones will make it easier to see what you have. Avoid stacking items on top of one another. YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. The oldest voter in Artsakh has cast her ballot at the age of 111 in the second round of the presidential election. Presidential candidate Arayik Harutyunyans spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan shared a video online showing the woman at the polling station. He said the voter is a resident of the Taghavard village of Martuni region. According to her family, as much as they tried to persuade her to stay home due to the danger of the pandemic, not only didnt the woman disobey the advises, she went on to say that I will vote in the next election also, Poghosyan said on social media. The voter, who only revealed her first name Arevhat, told a reporter that she has made the right choice in the vote and that everything will be alright. 282 polling stations, including 1 in Yerevan for citizens of Artsakh, were opened as of 08:00, April 14. President of the Free Fatherland Party Arayik Harutyunyan and incumbent Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan are running for the presidency in the second round. They garnered 49,26% and 26,4% of votes respectively in the first round. 103,637 people are eligible to vote. Mayilyan, however, has called on voters not to participate in the election due to the danger of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As of the latest data, there are 6 cases of the infection in Artsakh. A state of emergency is enforced in the country. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are holding an online summit Tuesday to discuss ways on how the regional bloc can collectively address the coronavirus pandemic. A nationwide lockdown in Vietnam has been enforced until April 15, although it has been reported that mayors of major cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, have requested to extend the shutdown until the end of the month. The country has reported a total of 265 cases, with no deaths. The famous Marina Sands Bay hotel in Singapore towered over deserted streets, where 'circuit breaker' measures being enforced enters its second week, 386 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the total in the city state to 2918, with nine deaths. Streets were largely empty in Malaysia, where the government has extended its lockdown until the end of April, the total number of cases has risen to 4817, with 77 deaths. Indonesia, where stricter coronavirus measures have been enforced in the capital Jakarta since last Friday, the total number of cases has increased to 4,557. The country's death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak is at 399, the second highest in Asia after China. Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, as current ASEAN chair, hosted a virtual meeting with his ASEAN counterparts in Hanoi on Tuesday. The ASEAN leaders will hold a separate meeting with leaders from China, Japan and South Korea later Tuesday to discuss the pandemic. In a meeting last week, ASEAN foreign ministers endorsed several collective steps to fight the pandemic, including the establishment of a special response fund, the sharing of information and strategies and ways to ease the impact of the global health crisis on people and the economy, based on a statement released by the Philippines Foreign Affairs department. There are over 20,000 cases, and over 800 deaths collectively reported among the ten countries that make up the ASEAN regional grouping. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death. Researchers and clinicians are scrambling to find ways to combat COVID-19, including new therapeutics and eventually a vaccine. In a commentary published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, Miller School of Medicine professor and endocrinologist Gianluca Iacobellis, M.D., Ph.D., suggests the DPP4 enzyme presents an interesting target for further research, and DPP4 inhibitors could help some COVID-19 patients. We potentially have a mechanism for how the virus is getting into the body. And we potentially have a way we can partially inhibit that mechanism. We should consider clinical trials for DPP4 for patients who have mild or moderate COVID-19 with type 2 diabetes." Dr. Gianluca Iacobellis, Miller School of Medicine professor and endocrinologist DPP4 is found throughout the body, but its activity is only partially understood. The enzyme does play significant roles in inflammatory responses and insulin regulation. DPP4 inhibitors increase insulin and GLP-1 secretion and are commonly prescribed for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. In the current crisis, type 2 diabetes patients are at much higher risk. Data from Wuhan and Italy have shown they have higher mortality and higher ICU admission rates. Building on previous research, conducted on earlier coronaviruses, as well as a recent paper that demonstrates DPP4 interaction with COVID-19, Dr. Iacobellis believes the enzyme may play a significant role in these outcomes by interfering with the immune response. "The body is overreacting with this inflammatory response to the virus," said Dr. Iacobellis. "This could be partially mediated by DPP4. The virus binds to the enzyme and the enzymatic activity of DPP4 overexpresses inflammatory cytokines, exaggerating the inflammatory response. Previous studies, of SARS and MERS, showed that, if you blocked DPP4 activity, there was a reduction in the inflammatory response. This could ameliorate the immune response to the virus." Dr. Iacobellis notes that clinicians will need more data before embracing DPP4 inhibitors to treat COVID-19 patients. However, he also points out that early evidence has shown these drugs reduce inflammation. He believes the enzyme's potential role in a COVID-19 therapeutic regimen certainly deserves further study. "Starting with diabetes patients, we should be conducting randomized studies to test whether treating those with mild or moderate symptoms improves outcomes," said Dr. Iacobellis. "These drugs are well tolerated and may provide therapeutic benefit." The military is temporarily allowing soldiers to make video calls on their smartphones as they are virtually in lockdown in their units due to the coronavirus outbreak. The military said Sunday that the eased restrictions have been implemented since April 8. Soldiers have not been able to take leave or receive visitors since mid-February. Instead, now they are allowed to make video calls during off-duty hours and on weekends. The military expects the move will boost morale by increasing communication between soldiers and their friends and families as the nation battles the epidemic. Soldiers were first allowed to use their smartphones last year, but were ordered to turn off the video, bluetooth and GPS functions on their devices for security reasons. Chinese aircraft carrier task group conducts regular training in South China Sea PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Li Wei 2020-04-13 20:58:21 BEIJING, April 13 -- The task group of Chinese PLA Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning recently sailed through the Miyako Strait and Bashi Channel and headed toward the relevant waters of South China Sea for training, according to a written statement by the PLA Navy Spokesperson Senior Colonel Gao Xiucheng on April 13. This is a routine arrangement within the PLA Navy's annual training plan, and also conforms to international law and related conventions. In the future, the Chinese PLA navy will continue to conduct such training activities as planned, in a bid to accelerate the upgrading of aircraft carrier task group's combat capability, said the statement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Workers protest in front of the Laos Comfort Garment Manufacturing Co. factory in the Nasaythong district of Vientiane over delayed wages and coronavirus policy, April 10, 2020. Hundreds of workers staged a protest last week at a Chinese garment factory in the Lao capital, saying the firm did not pay their wages for March and ignored government orders to close the factory to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Nearly 300 workers rallied in front of the Laos Comfort Garment Manufacturing Co. factory in the Nasaythong district of Vientiane on April 10, the date they were promised their paycheck for March. The firm had postponed payday until April 21. They didnt pay us the money that we have worked for in March, a female garment worker told RFA Monday. This company is not fair and not transparent like other companies and they did not comply with the government rules, she said. She told RFA the company did not heed Lao government to stop working from March 31 to April 19 as part of efforts to halt the coronavirus outbreak. On the orders of the government, all workers from other companies stopped working and followed orders to stay home, but this Chinese company did not allow that, she said. RFAs Lao Service tried to contact the company for a comment on the dispute, but received no reply. An official from the Lao Ministry of Commerce and Trade told RFA that he was unaware of the protest, but that government policy allowed some exceptions to the March 31-April 19 shutdown measures. Some garment factories requested to stay open in order to fulfill previous orders, and the trade ministry allowed them to do so, but on the condition that they protect the health of workers. If not, we will close them, he said. A Lao Federation of Workers official said he was unaware of the protest and was awaiting new orders from the government once the coronavirus situation had eased up. In 2017 the workers at Laos Comfort Garment Manufacturing Co. staged a protest over the firms alleged failure to pay a government mandated minimum wage and for taking large deductions from paychecks. The maker of shirts and slacks for export to China set up in Laos in 2015, and two factories in Laos. Reported by RFA, Lao Service, Translated to English by Sidney Khotpanya. Written top English by Paul Eckert. '... so that the hospitals do not get overwhelmed. We have to avoid it at all costs.' IMAGE: Medical and healthcare personnel enter the Jijamata Nagar area on Worli, south central Mumbai, April 13, 2020. Photograph: Arun Patil Dr Abhay Shukla -- a public health physician with vast experience in working on health issues at the grassroots in western India -- is the co-covenor of the Jan Swastha Abhiyan or People's Health Movement. "The situation in Mumbai is serious and worrisome, but it is not disastrous like in Italy or Spain," Dr Shukla tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding segment of a two-part interview. Part 1: Why Kerala has succeeded and Maharashtra is struggling Mumbai's municipal commissioner said in an interview that the cases would peak this week and the city may see 3000 to 3,500 cases. How critical will this week be for Mumbai? The situation is temporarily going to worsen. We have to be prepared for that. Probably we didn't act effectively enough in time by doing many more tests, contact tracing, islolation. Testing is very important even now, but an important opportunity was missed earlier. The situation is likely to worsen if community transmission starts. Then it will be very difficult to control. It is not impossible, but it becomes very difficult. That required containing and sealing of certain areas so that no one goes out and no one comes in and those who fall ill in that area are isolated, treated, their contacts are isolated. The challenge becomes twenty-fold more. Unfortunately, Mumbai is in for that and perhaps parts of Pune. Moreover, I feel public mobilisation and public communication is still inadequate in Maharashtra. In what way can public mobilisation be put to the anti-COVID-19 effort? A suggestion that I am trying to communicate to the government in Maharashtra is that the state has a very active civil society. There are thousands of NGOs and civil society groups which can be involved in the anti-COVID-19 effort in a very organised and systematic way. Some NGOs with large networks have offered to work with the district administration. This will mostly be non-medical help, but every kind of help is also very important in a lockdown situation. What Kerala is doing through volunteers, Maharashtra can do through civil society organisations. It is a very important front and I don't know why it has been put to use. In a war, the entire army marches in one direction, but here there is no coordination between the private sector and public sector. Some hospitals are treating COVID-19 patients, some aren't. Some hospitals are charging exorbitant amounts for treatment of COVID-19 patients. All these decades of neglect of the private sector is coming back to haunt us. The government should regulate the private sector because this is a public health emergency. They should contribute to public health and treat patients according to the existing protocol. Of course, the entire private sector is not like this, some are doing good work, but there has to be an entire unit of the health department focused on regulating and harnessing the private sector. In Maharashtra, the private sector is three times larger than the public health system. As a public health activist, what would your suggestions be to deal with this epidemic? There are four areas -- 1. Public communication and mobilisation. 2. Involving civil society organisations in large scale. 3. Regulating the private sector with rigorously imposed norms on practices, costs, PPE and harnessing the private sector and 4. The core public health strategy itself. Just containment is not enough. It is one part of the strategy, the other parts are about testing, tracing, tracking of contacts, isolation, home quarantine. An integrated public health strategy is the only thing that will work. Isn't the high population density in Mumbai one of the reasons for the increased cases, compared to Kerala? That is partly true, but look at Wuhan, a major city where the outbreak took place. They were able to contain it. South Korea also had large clusters with large number of cases, but they were also able to contain it. This shows that even when the epidemic has spread it is not impossible to control it. The situation in Mumbai is serious and worrisome, but it is not disastrous like in Italy or Spain. It will likely spread to more areas. The point is that public heath strategy can be implemented even at a later stage. In China, at first, they didn'o;t even know what they were dealing and yet they were able to contain it. So rigorous integrated health measures will have to be implemented -- tracking, treatment, isolation -- just physical containment is not enough. We also have to learn from the innovations -- this is a cluster-based epidemic spread -- we need to analyse information coming from all parts of Maharashtra's private and public hospitals about acute respiratory infections. We need a system of epidemiological analysis like Kerala. They even have a team of mathematicians doing mathematical modeling. It is not as if Maharashtra does not have a pool of intelligent resources, but public health is not been a priority in India and we are dealing with those consequence. We still have policy choices if we want to avoid a worsening situation. We have to avoid an explosion of numbers so that the hospitals do not get overwhelmed. We have to avoid it at all costs. That is what we have to target and that is why we need two arms -- 1. The clinical arm which readies the hospitals, takes over some private hospitals equipped with ventilators, ICUs and puts in place protocols and manages them properly; Second is the epidemic control arm which isolates all the contacts and home quarantines largest number of people required so that less people reach the hospital in the first place. Action needs to be taken on these two arms simultaneously. We can still contain it even though the situation is bad. OTTAWA Manitobans on provincial welfare are waiting to see whether they'll qualify for a much more generous federal benefit, as Ottawa urges the provinces to stop clawing back COVID-19 support. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitobans on provincial welfare are waiting to see whether they'll qualify for a much more generous federal benefit, as Ottawa urges the provinces to stop clawing back COVID-19 support. "I feel like I am being pushed aside," said Gregory Liverpool, a Winnipegger who has been on provincial welfare, known as Employment Insurance Assistance (EIA), for a decade. Liverpool had a part-time retail job to supplement his EIA, until his boss cut back due to coronavirus. The province gave him just over $1,000 a month last year in EIA and Rent Assist, alongside the roughly $3,700 he earned over the six months he had the part-time job. The new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) offers a monthly $2,000 for people who have lost their job, including part-time workers. Its meant to help pay living costs while also propping up the economy. But Liverpool and other EIA recipients have been told that if they get the CERB, the Manitoba government will either claw back the funds, or ask them to withdraw from the EIA program. In Liverpools case, he can only hold $4,000 in his bank account at any given point; the rest must go into a trust which can only be accessed for specific disability needs. Ottawa has so far offered Canadians four months of CERB cash; Liverpool was told that if he took the total $8,000, hed be frozen out of EIA until March 2021. Regardless, Liverpool was on bereavement leave for half of last year, and so he earned less than the minimum $5,000 of taxable income needed to qualify for the federal CERB. "I'm screwed six ways to Sunday," said Liverpool. "The provincial and the federal governments, in my position, have unequivocally failed people who are on the low-income end of the spectrum." While upset with Ottawas CERB criteria, Liverpool is even more frustrated that the province is incentivizing EIA recipients to live off of less. He said the province is effectively eschewing the CERB for low-income people, even though if they had more money from Ottawa, they would help stimulate Manitobas economy. On April 2, the British Columbia government announced it would not claw back provincial income-assistance funds for those who receive the CERB. Federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough asked her provincial counterparts, during an April 9 call, to follow B.C.s lead in making sure welfare recipients "are not penalized" by having the CERB clawed back. "Our government believes the CERB needs to be considered exempt by provinces and territories in the same way as the Canada Child Benefit, to ensure vulnerable Canadians do not fall behind," wrote Qualtroughs spokeswoman, Marielle Hossack. "We commend steps that have been taken at the provincial level on this to date, and urge all provinces and territories to do the same." 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. Manitoba Families Minister Heather Stefanson was not available Tuesday for an interview. Her department suggested welfare recipients could get off the provincial welfare roll and reapply after receiving CERB payments. "At this time, funding received from CERB is counted/not exempt when determining eligibility for EIA. Manitoba is continuing to review this issue and how the two programs interact going forward," wrote a provincial spokeswoman. "We will work directly with clients who may be eligible for CERB to discuss their options and provide information about their participation in this program." The Trudeau government has said it is looking at added supports for people who dont qualify for the CERB, like students and people who made less than $5,000 last year. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca As thousands of businesses in Michigan struggle with the idea of essential vs. non-essential services under the states Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the issue has made its way to the abortion debate. Pro-life and pro-choice organizations in Michigan are engaging in a war of words on how important their respective missions are, and why their opponents should not be considered essential. Genevieve Marnon, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan, argues the organizations goal is to save lives, which falls in line with the messages of state officials on essential work, and that pro-choice advocacy does not. That should be totally considered non-essential during a pandemic, Marnon said. The organization that ends lives should be non-essential. Marnons argument is based on a belief that abortions should be treated as an elective procedure. She contends that as doctors offices and hospitals across the state have stopped performing non-emergency surgeries, abortion clinics should also end non-emergency abortions for the remainder of the stay-home order. I wouldnt expect Right to Life to understand that because they dont provide medical services, said Angela Vasquez-Giroux, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, in response. Vasquez-Giroux argues that delaying an abortion can jeopardize a womans ability to have the procedure at all. Still, Marnon says its not fair that some Michiganders are being forced to delay needed surgeries to preserve supplies and beds, but abortions are continuing. Real Michiganders are going without medical procedures during a pandemic to preserve resources, Marnon told MLive. Last month, Right to Life and the Michigan Heartbeat Coalition pushed pro to stop abortions during the stay-home order. The groups argued that abortions require use of vital resources and require doctors and patients to be close, which could contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Marnon said abortion facilities are using personal protective equipment that could be going to hospitals that are helping patients with COVID-19. Because those resources are in short supply and very essential to hospitals, Marnon says abortion clinics should be shuttered for the time being in order to do their part in preserving resources. Women who want an abortion can still get one, Marnon said, theyd just have to wait until the stay-home order is lifted. Theyd essentially be making the same sacrifice as others who are in need of surgeries, Marnon argues. The issue has been hotly contested across the country as more states move to stay-at-home orders. In Alabama, a judge ruled Sunday that the state cannot ban abortions during the pandemic. In Ohio, a judge ruled Friday that Gov. Mike DeWines abortion ban could not continue. DeWine has said the ban was originally issued to preserve personal protection equipment. Vasquez-Giroux said medical facilities across Michigan are adjusting their practices to avoid wasting resources, while still providing essential medical services, and abortion clinics are no different. Vasquez-Giroux also said delaying an abortion even by a few weeks can cause more problems for women, whether that be financially, medically or otherwise. People should be able to get abortions when they want to get them. If youre six weeks pregnant now and want an abortion, you should be able to get that now, Vasquez-Giroux said. For instance, Vasquez-Giroux said, if a pregnant woman is healthy and wants an abortion, but waits, she may not be able to get one in a few weeks if she contracts COVID-19. Its pretty disgusting even for them to use a global pandemic where thousands of people are dying around us to push a political and dangerous agenda. Its opportunistic in the grossest possible way, Vasquez-Giroux said. I hope people know that they have options to get the care they need and that they should seek care from doctors, not from Right to Life. Marnon remained firm in her belief that Right to Life is providing guidance and resources to pregnant women in need who want to save their babys lives, while also obeying the states directives. Our work is very essential toward the goal of saving lives, Marnon said. In response to Marnon, Dr. Jen Villavicencio, an OB-GYN and family planning specialist who is also a lecturer at the University of Michigan said basic abortion procedures do not require the use of personal protection equipment that is in short supply. In an op-ed published by Bridge, Villavicencio explained how supplies are used in the majority of abortion procedures and her belief that closing abortion centers would not help alleviate the PPE shortage. This is because a medication abortion, which is offered through the first trimester of pregnancy (when 90 percent of abortions occur), can be accessed entirely without touch or need for any personal protective equipment (PPE). Villavicencio wrote. 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 Michigan cites possible testing lag as coronavirus cases drop Kroger, Meijer report deaths of grocery store workers in Michigan from coronavirus Michigan begins sending $600 payments, sets date for expanded unemployment eligibility Monday, April 13: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan The State Controlling Board at its most recent meeting approved several novel coronavirus relief measures as Ohio grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. The boards approvals included the creation of an Ohio Coronavirus Relief Fund, which allows state agencies to use funds from the federal CARES Act. In that fund, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services was allocated $76 million to purchase 2,000 ventilators and five million N-95 masks. The Ohio Department of Public Safety was allocated $50 million for personal protective equipment to be dispersed to county emergency management agencies, hospitals and other medical facilities. It also allocated $39 million to the Ohio Department of Health. Those funds will be used for supplies for specimen collections, different testing kit materials and lab equipment for testing. The Ohio Adjutant General of the National Guard is receiving $8.8 million to pay for operating costs for temporary medical facilities and 600 National Guard and service members across the state. Ohio Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord Township, was recently appointed as a member of the State Controlling Board. He said he sees the funding as essential for communities across the state. This is not something either our state or our nation has dealt with in many decades, we must ensure that our medical facilities and patients across Ohio can have access to the proper equipment and care they need in order for us to save lives, Callender said. In another measure, the controlling board approved an additional $20 million in each of Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The board also approved $25 million of support for the federal Summer Food Service Program. Callender said those funds will be used to support school lunch programs throughout the state and help to make sure children at home due to the coronavirus continue to receive regular meals. Additionally, $9.9 million over the next two years was allocated for emergency food distribution. As our state faces shortages and families are confronted with financial hardships, we need to make sure low-income families are not going hungry, Callender said. By increasing funding for both SNAP and food distribution, this will provide families with more opportunities to get a decent meal and allow for quicker distribution to these individuals at food banks and pantries throughout Ohio. Fellow Lake County area state Rep. John Rogers, D-Mentor-on-the-Lake, said he supported the State Controlling Boards decisions, but urged continued action at the state and federal level. He said this is just the beginning of long-term response and recovery efforts. These resources represent an important step towards taking care of both the immediate medical and nutritional needs of Ohioans during this unprecedented crisis, Rogers said. Frontline medical workers need to know that the state is working to support them. During this state of emergency, when so much of our economy has been shuttered and so many unemployed, Ohios families and children in need should be assured of access to basic needs such as food. The State Controlling Board provides legislative oversight over certain capital and operating expenditures by state agencies and has approval authority over various other state fiscal activities. The board consists of seven members: the Director of the Office of Budget and Management (or an employee of the Office of Budget and Management designated by the director), the chair or vice chair of the Ohio Senate and House Finance Committees, a majority member appointed from both the Senate and the House, and a minority member appointed from both the Senate and the House. Nurses and medical workers of a public hospital in Mexico immensely hit by COVID-19 outbreak revealed they were instructed by their managers to avoid wearing protective masks at the start of the epidemic to prevent stirring panic among patients, according to a recently-published article. At this time of the COVID-19 crisis, the health and safety of essential workers, especially in the healthcare sector, must be a top priority. Still, IMSS General Hospital in Monclova proved otherwise. In late March, the coronavirus infection has already claimed the lives of two doctors and a hospital administrator in the hospital located at the northern state of Coahuila and infected least 51 staff members, according to the state health department. READ: Family of Dead COVID-19 Patient Attacks Hospital Staff Charly Escobedo Gonzalez, a nurse who works at the Monclova hospital, disclosed that managers "said that protective equipment wasn't necessary" at the beginning of the outbreak. Another nurse surnamed Hernandez Perez, who asked not to disclose her full name revealed she was ordered by the deputy head of nursing to take off her N95 masks because it was not necessary. "In a morning clinical class, the sub-head told us not to create panic...that we shouldn't wear facemasks because we were going to create a psychosis," said Hernandez Perez, who has now contacted the disease and rests at home. Another nurse backed Hernandez Perez's statement. Despite the pandemic slowly hitting hospital staff, hospital floor managers instructed healthcare workers not to wear facemasks, which some had bought for themselves due to the lack of hospital equipment, according to seven workers. One added even soap and bleach are becoming scarce in the hospital. One nurse, who asked not to be named for fear of backlash, shared that during the third week of March, she was repeatedly instructed not to wear a facemask while working in high-risk areas such as the ground floor of the hospital, where the emergency room is located. As of this writing, at least four of the infected workers are currently hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. ALSO READ: BUSTED! FBI Uncovers International Scam After 39 Million Masks Failed to Reach California In an interview, Raul Pena Viveros, a senior official at Mexico's principal public health service IMSS, which operates the hospital, said that the health workers should be believed, however, not confirming details of the reports. "Specifically, if they are saying that, then, of course, we have to believe it," said Pena Viveros. He added that it is possible to have misunderstandings inside a hospital as to where it is appropriate to wear protective equipment. "Not all of the workers have to wear the same equipment inside the hospital. And when this type of equipment is used badly, it runs out more quickly, and they put workers who are in contact with patients at risk," he said. Pena Viveros said some staff at the hospital were also wearing inappropriate industrial-style masks that were donated to them due to a lack of proper N95 masks. He said the hospital has already contracted nurses and doctors from other facilities to address the personnel shortage after more than 300 other workers were temporarily sent home as the hospital scrambled to contain the outbreak. Still, some staff said the hospital's ability to care for patients had been impeded. READ MORE: Lopez Obrador and the Price of the Pandemic In the most recent update, Mexico has registered 4,661 people with the coronavirus and 296 deaths. It is also worthy to note that although Mexico has recorded only a fraction of the figures in the neighboring United States, the coronavirus arrived weeks later in the Latin American country. Health officials have not elaborated why so many Monclova healthcare workers became infected. Due to the media backlash caused by the lack of equipment to deal with COVID-19, Zoe Robledo, IMSS chief announced last week April that the director of the Monclova hospital had been temporarily replaced. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Young four-wheel-drivers have been slapped with a $1,344 each after police caught them using a car on private property in breach of social distancing requirements. 'Clearly, when education and communication don't work, we have to use enforcement,' Sunshine Coast Acting Superintendent Jason Overland told 7 News. 'People were indicating they didn't know we are in the middle of a pandemic and should maintain social distance. That's difficult to accept.' The four young people who were fined are among 897 other people who received infringement notices for breaching coronavirus restrictions in Queensland, including 73 in the past 24 hours. Young four-wheel-drivers have been slapped with a $1,344 each after police caught them using a car on private property in breach of social distancing requirements (stock image of four-wheel-driving) As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been 998 cases of coronavirus in Queensland and four people have died. State rules say that people who gather in groups of more than two or leave their homes for non-essential reasons, such as attending school, visiting a terminally ill relative or excising, risk on-the-spot fines of $1,334. In just 24 hours on Friday, $230,782 worth of fines were given out, as police stopped 39,000 cars at the border in just one week. A wealthy businessman was fined twice last week after he was allegedly caught picnicking on a beach on Moreton Island - a luxury holiday destination off the Queensland south coast. Days later, police found him on the same beach with his helicopter, where he was fined a total of $2,668. Queensland Police have been contacted for comment. As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been 998 cases of coronavirus in Queensland and four people have died CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement In Victoria, 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. Hunter received a lot of support after sharing her story online, leading to police reviewing and eventually withdrawing the fine. Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said discretion should have been applied with the handling of the teenager's case. A memo from Victorian police bosses revealed on Monday showed that top cops have concerns that the public are losing faith in law enforcement officers. L abours new leader has a chance to address a deadly divide in his party the anti-Semitism it has tolerated as a result of its lurch to the wilder shores of ideology about geo-politics, and failures to redress the resulting alienation from a swathe of the Jewish community. An internal investigation launched in the dying weeks of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, and now leaked , was a bald diversionary tactic based on a convenient delusion. It contends (after a Stasi-like trawl of internal mails and messages in search of disloyalty) that the widespread concern over anti-Semitism within the party was confected for reasons of factional hostility. We can translate that into people who did not think Corbyn could win (the fools) or should win (the wreckers), and who allegedly resorted to an exaggerated account of the problem to damage the leader. As conspiracy theories go, this one is up there with 5G equipment spreading Covid-19. But it has a far longer history, in the form of the Soviet insistence that there can be no mistakes or failures taken by the revolutionary cause only sabotage by internal enemies of the project, who must be acting in bad faith. According to this view, anti-Semitism went untackled for two years because of a lack of robust processes, systems, training, education and effective line management, which makes the matter sound like a glitch in accounting software, rather than the ideological offspring of deep-seated grudges against the state of Israel and deeper unease in the Marxist tradition about the intellectual role of Jewishness and Zionism. Starmers early task is to clear up this toxic mess. His approach to this will set the tone of his leadership and test his ability to steer a path that is more clearly distinctive from Corbyns acolytes and ideas than he signalled in a tactically savvy but evasive campaign for the leadership, which traded on a Neither-Washington-nor-Moscow positioning about where his instincts really lie. Anne McElvoy Arriving at the helm of the Opposition when the country is under lockdown, preoccupied by a killer virus, and with the Prime Minister recovering from the infection is not an easy start. Tonally, Starmer is constrained by a mood of solidarity, which plays well to some centre-Left strengths (appreciation of the NHS and BBC and relishing a moment of collectivism which might not turn out to be as durable as the Left imagines, when more divisive trade-offs come home to roost). He has the forensic skills to hold others to account. What he cant do is resort to whats been called the Keir shuffle As a skilled lawyer, Starmer also has the forensic skills to hold the Government to account and will doubtless have the opportunity to use them. Britains response to the virus will come in for uncomfortable scrutiny when the emergency gives way to greater accountability and a bleak reckoning with the high death toll and lack of contingency planning. What he cannot do is resort to what one member of his shadow cabinet wryly terms the Keir shuffle: the sort of manoeuvre that saw him quit the front bench under Corbyn after the EU referendum result, only to rejoin it as Brexit spokesman after a chicken coup against the leader failed. His leadership campaign flirted with both Labour moderates, using his strong Remain credentials, but made sweeping nationalisation pledges over rail, mail and water, and expanding trade union rights. Much of this looks like never-never land, as the ground shifts to which party can better guarantee a Lazarus recovery for UK Plc. Whatever the balance of trade-offs we reach when Westminster combat resumes, a recipe for strikes and nationalisations does not look like the most likely winning combination. We might also question the wisdom of leaving education a powerful fiefdom in shadow cabinet to the thought processes of Rebecca Long-Bailey, and hitching himself to the dead-end bandwagon of a National Education Service (code for a retreat from any of the diversity of the academies programme). Many reshuffles and pivots lie ahead, however, and Starmer can now make a fresh start by dealing with an inexcusable period in Labours history. A telling line in his response to the duff internal investigation is that an urgent independent review will be set up to look at the circumstances in which the report was commissioned. Now there is a lawyerly way of saying that you know what the old crowd were up to. How he sets the tone and terms of repentance will define his early days at the helm. So no room for shuffling on this one, Sir Keir its time to clean house. SEYMOUR A local family confronted with apparent racially motivated threats at their Asian restaurant has been overwhelmed by the community response. I didnt expect the community to react the way that it did, said Meng Zheng, whose parents Ju Zheng and Xuemei Chen own Sushi & Wok. Im glad that it did, though. The restaurant has been swamped with orders, received more than 150 messages of support on social media and got an offer of $1,000 to be used to pay for the meals of local emergency responders and health workers. The incident that put it all into motion occurred April 3 just before noon, Zheng said. It was right as the lunch rush was starting, she said. The restaurant received six calls from two different phone numbers blaming Chinese people for the COVID-19 pandemic and threatening to shoot up the restaurant in a profanity-filled rant, she said. The caller also seemed to be trying to disguise his voice, Zheng said. The calls were sufficiently alarming that her parents called Zheng at her job at Yale New Haven Hospital. She notified the police, relaying the information herself since her parents face a language barrier. Seymour police confirmed a report had been filed but did not respond to a request for further details. Later, Zheng said, she began growing angry that her family had been the target of racial bias and took to the restaurants Facebook page to vent. As we struggle to keep our business open, not only do we face the challenges of paying rent and dues, but we also deal with harassments from people who threaten to do harm to our employees and business, she wrote. Many people have no idea how difficult it is to continue operating a small restaurant with the constant fear that someone will come in and tear the place down. There is no need to spread ignorance, hatred, and destruction in our community in a time like this. The response was immediate. Im so sorry that some individuals have so much hate in their hearts and are so ignorant as to blame an entire culture for something that is a worldwide issue, wrote Alison Vance, a customer since the restaurant opened in 2013. Much love to you and your family. Julie Mary agreed. This broke my heart to read, she wrote. No one is immune to this virus; it does not discriminate. I think its fair to say its showing us all of us are equals. No one should be threatening anyone, least of all the people are working hard to continue to provide food to their community. Jacklyn Meeker was more blunt. Dont let all the (expletives) bring you down, she wrote. Though the night passed without incident, Zheng said the community support ironically caused her a brief moment of alarm. I called around 5 oclock to check in, and no one answered the phone, the line was just dead, she said. I texted and called their cellphones, and when no one replied I rushed over there. It was probably an overreaction, but I was thinking the worst-case scenario. Everyone at the restaurant was fine, just busy, she said. So many people were calling and ordering from them, I ended up staying there and working for the night, she said. After work, Zheng made a follow-up post thanking the Seymour Police Department for having a patrol car check in on the restaurant throughout the night. A few days later, the towns Board of Selectman took time in their April 7 meeting to voice their support too for her parents restaurant. These people are Seymour residents just as much as all of us, First Selectman Kurt Miller said to the board. There is no place for this negativity in town, and I love seeing all the support. Miller chalked the threats up to a keyboard warrior, a slang term generally used to describe someone who makes aggressive comments online, where he can conceal his identity. Other selectmen echoed the sentiment, referring to the threats as reprehensible and expressing their pride at the communitys coming together behind the family. Tom Haynes, owner of a local construction materials and hardware business, took note of the incident and was waiting at the restaurant when it opened the day after the selectman meeting, offering $1,000 to buy meals for health care workers and emergency responders. Zheng said the family was grateful for the offer, and was trying to think of a way to implement the donation since they currently have no way of knowing who is placing orders. Were only accepting orders through the apps right now, she said. Perhaps, when the pandemic subsides, the donation could be used to host a thank-you party for those who fought the virus, Zheng said. That would be great, she said. The coronavirus lockdown in Goa has left several senior citizens, who live alone, feeling helpless and dejected as many of them are unable to get essential supplies and medicines for themselves. Goa has a sizeable number of elderly people who live alone as their children are based abroad. Divar Island, located across the Mandovi river near Panaji, is one such place where several senior citizens have been living alone in their Portuguese-era houses. The island is water-locked from all sides and accessible only through ferry boat service. During the lockdown, those residing on the Divar Island have been facing severe difficulties to get the essential items. Mafaldin Almeida, 70, a cancer survivor and mother of three daughters, has been living alone on the island since her husband died six months back. "Two of my daughters live in Goa's Taleigao and Merces villages while the third one is in Dubai. They cannot reach me due to the lockdown, Almeida told PTI. "The advisory mentions that senior citizens should not move out of their homes as they are most vulnerable, but there is no help coming in," she rued. Almeida is now worried as her stock of medicines and essentials is exhausting. "No one has come to enquire about me. Nobody is moving out of their houses. How will I get help?" she wondered. Another elderly woman residing in Almedia's neighbourhood said she is facing similar problems. But, she requested anonymity, fearing that she might be targeted for her statements. Both the women say they try to console each other by chatting over phone. Jerry DSouza, a wheel-chair bound differently-abled man, who lives on the island with his cancer survivor wife, said he was stuck at home without essential items for days before he approached the Disability Rights Association of Goa president Avelino DSouza, who managed to reach out to him. "Efforts should have been made to help those who are more in need," DSouza said, adding that as of now one of his friends, who is a former local sarpanch, has come forward to him at this crucial time. An organisation working to fight discrimination of people on the basis of age said many elderly people are facing a similar situation across the country. With the lockdown in place, a majority of Indians are experiencing isolation for the first time, CHAI Kreative and Return of Million Smiles director Kewal Kapoor said. "While people below the age of 60 have jobs and familial responsibilities to keep them busy, senior citizens are struggling to cope up with the uncertainty, anxiety and fear that comes with the isolation, he said. Kapoor said many senior citizens "live on fixed pensions with undiagnoseddepression:, and the lockdown may end up amplifying their existingproblems. "While aggressiveisolation is necessary to keep seniors safe from coronavirus, we need to make sure they stay connected and active," he said. Elderly people get along well with children, who can really help the senior citizens stay active and in good spirits during the lockdown, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per day testing site. Im an introvert anyway so not socialising is not too difficult. Plus, Ive just moved in with my partner so we have each other as well as a lot to occupy our time trying to get the place organised. I still have my job, I travel to work every day on public transport. Train travel made me very nervous of exposure when all this started but Im not too worried anymore as the trains are practically empty now. Homelife is pleasant and normal, work chugs along like normal, I get on with my day to day as normal. Apart from everything being super quiet and empty and the obvious differences at the supermarket, life mostly feels pretty normal. Then I see the news coming out of Italy, Spain and now the US and suddenly nothing is normal and I have a moment of being absolutely terrified - Matthew I have been feeling uncontrollably stressed and worried by this crisis. I have been trying to cope by checking for updates regularly, but it seems to be making me unable to focus on anything else. The only thing that's vaguely helped me is talking with others about it for reassurance, and telling myself that I will be okay. I think you need to have a really strong and clear mindset with this virus and make sure to practice good hygiene! Reassure yourself in any way you can. - Anonymous I'm a teacher. My colleagues and I are very, very busy right now. We stopped classes at the end of the second last week of term and we spent much of last week getting our skills up to be ready to deliver lessons online next term. This will require significant preparation to make the material remote-ready but I believe we are getting there. All of us will be working flat out throughout these school holidays and have been quickly getting used to the technology which allows us to collaborate...I'm very proud of my colleagues and thankful for those that have worked very hard to help us get ready and trained us in the tech. All my colleagues feel very fortunate that we have a job and an income (especially prior to the government's job help initiatives) and that we have something to focus on right now even if it is a bit exhausting. Some of us have already met with our senior students online and they are feeling confident about working through next term with us and working towards end of year exam success. I have been worried about my students, particularly the Year 12s who must be very concerned about how things will work for them this year. I know we are doing our very best. - Anonymous Loading I'm a mature age student with two jobs, one of which I work from home, my husband is working from home and our school-aged kids are at home. Concerned about the quality of schooling that will occur - our public school is pushing for a complete online system of delivery ...yet my kids have never learnt online. That's a skill in and of itself. I don't have anywhere to go to study as libraries at universities are closed. My husband's job looks like it will be made redundant. So we are concerned about money. We have a lot to be thankful in many ways - we live in Victoria, Australia being one of them...but right now, it is starting to feel like the walls are closing in. - Anonymous I am actually still working. My biggest fear at the moment is never seeing my family in the Netherlands again. We now have three daily video calls, and I speak to my brother every day. If we go into full lockdown...I will be running and exercising. There is always something to do, and always ways to share experiences. I think setting up group chats and Facebook groups is a great way to keep each other sane. Would love to see a rent and mortgage freeze though. I think if that happens, people will actually listen to the advice better and won't be going out of their house for unnecessary reasons. - Anne Loading Although I'm truly thankful to be WFH, the reality is that I'm slowly becoming crazy. I'm almost at my limit for my broadband because I've suddenly had to WFH and the systems I have to use zap up my quota. Prior to this pandemic, I had already been living between two households. One is where I live alone and the other is where I care for my family (and live with over weekends). While police officers can use their discretion, I have had to ask for a letter from my GP to prove that I do this and have done this prior to the introduction of Stage 3. No, I did not need to obtain a letter, but as the Deputy Commissioner said, it could make the police officers' lives easier. And frankly, just for my sanity of not having to repeat myself or to prove myself over time. All I do is drive from my household directly to my other household. Will the police officers believe my words? I truly won't know until I get stopped. I'm just afraid of what might be. - Anonymous We have been asked by my company that they pay us for only four days a week for now but I am worried they will soon let us go and close, I am so scared and have little kids to support. I am really worried!!! - Anonymous Nothing has changed. Still at work as a salesman for a local blind, awning and security screen manufacturer in Brisbane. It's a worry knocking on a stranger's door for an appointment, not knowing if this will be the person I catch the coronavirus from and then pass it to my family. - Anonymous Very concerned about the number of visitors coming to the Mornington Peninsula...People are coming to beaches and filling holiday homes with limited shopping facilities our essential food stores social distancing will not be possible. - Cameron Joggers and bike riders in Princes Park are not observing social distancing. They are overtaking walkers within inches and not making any attempt to pass at a safe distance.- Shaun I am a teacher, so I am going to a school with hundreds of other staff and students, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and face-to-face with them for up to an hour and a half at a time. All of my recreational time activities have been postponed and cancelled for the time being, in the interests of slowing the virus down. My work has been defined as safe by the people in charge, so in their eyes all is officially good. - Anonymous Five terrorist associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba were arrested in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Tuesday. Arms and ammunition were recovered based on disclosures made by them, the police said. Security forces nabbed five terrorist associates belonging to LeT on Monday night, a police official said. Incriminating materials, including five hand grenades, one under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) and one UBGL grenade, were recovered at their instance, he said. Further investigation is underway, the police official said. Russian bakery brand Len & Grechka has made its debut in the UK after partnering with gluten-free bakery and distributor Artisan Bread Organic. The Fermented Buckwheat & Linseed Bread is the first of Len & Grechkas loaves to be sold in the UK. It is described as organic and gluten-free and is made with untreated green buckwheat via a 12- to 15-hour sourdough fermentation process. It contains no yeast, sugar or additives, according to the brand, but Irish Seaweed (or Irish Moss) has been added as an alternative to salt. Each 365g loaf, made up of seven slices, costs 5.15 and is available online at Artisan Bread Organic, which also acts as Len & Grechkas UK-based production partner. The Russian bakery said both companies shared the ethos of creating organic, handmade bread. Len & Grechka was founded in 2017 by Lena Perminova a health enthusiast and style influencer with over two million followers on social media with her husband Alexander Lebedev. It claimed to be the first additive-free bakery in Russia and now offers more than 40 products, including buckwheat crisps and vegan desserts alongside bread which are stocked in 12 high-end retailers in and around Moscow. Launching Len & Grechka in the UK is about offering British people a greater choice of bread and crisps to allow people to make better-informed decisions about the nutrients they put in their bodies. If we can get people to switch away from nutrient-devoid white bread to our buckwheat, that would be a beautiful thing, said Perminova. She added that products including the buckwheat crisps, as well as other sprouted loaves and gluten- and sugar-free vegan treats, are expected to roll out in the UK in the future as the brand focuses on the direct-to-consumer and health food retail markets. The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 617 after 45 more people tested positive for the disease, a health official said on Tuesday. Out of these 45 new cases, 31 have been reported from Ahmedabad, nine from Surat, two from Mehsana, and one each from Bhavnagar, Dahod and Gandhinagar. A 20-year-old patient was also discharged from a hospital in Ahmemdabad, taking the total number of those who recovered from the disease to 55. The state has so far reported 26 deaths. Ahmedabad has so far reported 351 COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, while Vadodara has reported 107 cases. All the new patients found in Ahmedabad and Surat are from hotspot areas, principal secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi said. "The patient from Bhavnagar was in quarantine. The two new patients from Mehsana had travelled to Mumbai following the death of their relatives, while the patient from Dahod is a health worker who was involved in treatment of a child infected with COVID-19," he said. So far, the state has tested 14,980 samples, of which 617 tested positive and 14,363 came out negative. Out of 536 active cases in the state, nine are on ventilator support, the health department said. Out of the nine critical patients, seven are in Ahmedabad and one each in Bhavnagar and Kutch, Ravi said. District-wise, Amedabad has reported the highest number of cases at 351, followed by Vadodara-107, Surat-42, Bhavnagar-24, Rajkot-18, Gandhinagar-16, Patan-14, Bharuch-11, Anand- nine, Kutch and Mehsana- four each, Porbandar and Chhota Udepur- three each, Gir Somnath, Panchmahal, Dahod and Banaskantha- two each, and Jamnagar, Morbi and Sabarkantha- one each. "Random testing in 14 other districts revealed two cases in Banaskantha reported yesterday. The situation is under control. But, we will have to continue to follow the lockdown rules and also increase our immunity using AYUSH guidelines," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The forces of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar rained rockets on Tripoli on Tuesday after being ousted by government loyalists from a string of strategic towns west of the capital. The capture Monday of the coastal towns of Sorman and Sabratha and smaller settlements further south was seen as a major blow to Haftar, who in April last year launched an offensive to seize Tripoli. Sorman and Sabratha lie respectively 60 and 70 kilometres (40 and 45 miles) west of the Libyan capital, about half-way to the Tunisian border. The oil-rich but poverty-stricken North African country has suffered almost a decade of conflict since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers. The UN says hundreds have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since Haftar launched his battle for Tripoli last year, which then quickly ground to a bloody stalemate. Late Monday, salvo after salvo of rockets began raining down on Tripoli, the city where the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is based, and loud explosions could still be heard Tuesday morning, AFP correspondents said. Several homes were hit around Mitiga airbase in the eastern suburbs, the capital's sole and only intermittently functioning airport. One person was wounded, rescuers said late Monday. Since then there have been no casualty updates. The latest escalation comes as concern runs high over the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Libya, where 25 cases and one death have been officially confirmed. The UN has warned that health services in the country are already fragile and that many hospitals near fighting zones south of Tripoli have been damaged or closed. - 'Taking out anger' - Fighting also raged Tuesday south of the capital, a GNA military source said. The GNA accused pro-Haftar forces of pounding Tripoli, saying they were taking revenge against the civilian population following Monday's losses. "The criminal militia and mercenaries have taken out their anger on residential neighbourhoods of Tripoli to avenge their defeat, firing dozens of rockets and missiles on the capital indiscriminately," spokesman Mohamad Gnunu said. The commander of pro-GNA forces, Oussama al-Jwili, late Monday said the operation to capture Sabratha and Sorman was launched after he received information that Haftar fighters were moving west. The strongman's forces were planning to advance on the city of Zouara near the Tunisian frontier in an attempt to seize it and then push further towards the Ras Jedir border post. GNA forces were now also surrounding the key Al-Watiya airbase southwest of Tripoli, a rear base for Haftar forces and launchpad for the aircraft they use to bombard the capital. Fighting was also raging between the rival forces east of Tripoli, between the cities of Misrata and Sirte. Misrata is the hometown of many GNA loyalists while the strategic coastal city of Sirte was captured in early January by Haftar forces. Fighting was also reported in the region of Abu Grein, southeast of Tripoli and halfway between Misrata and Sirte. - Significant victory - The seizure of Sorman and Sabratha was the GNA's most significant victory since June last year, when its forces retook the town of Gharyan, the main supply base for Haftar's forces southwest of the capital. Jalal Harchaoui, a Libya analyst at The Hague-based Clingendael Institute, said Monday's setback meant Haftar had lost the entire coast west of Tripoli. According to Harchaoui, the Turkish-backed GNA forces have in recent week been more "aggressive... on multiple fronts, often successfully". "High-precision artillery on the ground, Turkish drones and better coordination" were proving a "formidable" combination against Haftar forces, he said. Advanced drones supplied by the United Arab Emirates have given Haftar, who also relies on backing from Russia, an advantage in the skies. Several UN-backed attempts to reach a ceasefire between Libya's two rival forces have failed, and the world body has slammed repeated violations of a 2011 weapons embargo. Fighters loyal to Libyan's UN-recognised Government of National Accord celebrate after the capture of the coastal city of Sabratha from forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar A Turkish-made armoured personnel vehicle drives through the Libyan coastal city of Sorman Monday after the unity government seized it from troops backing military commander Khalifa Haftar Libya has suffered almost a decade of conflict since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers Fayez al-Sarraj, Prime Minister of Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord), holds a press conference in the capital Tripoli on Monday While COVID-19 has been dubbed the great equalizer by some, emerging data suggest that minorities in the U.S. are more vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic on multiple levels. In New York City, for example, preliminary data showed that 34% of fatalities as of April 8 were within the Hispanic community, despite their making up only 29% of the citys population. Nationwide, Hispanic and Latinx Americans are also the largest uninsured group. In addition, only 16% of Hispanic workers can do their jobs from home. That means many are essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic fight in New York City, they make up about 40% of employees at grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores and others are unable to work at all. Nationwide, about half of Hispanic people say a household member got a pay cut or lost a job, or both, as a result of COVID-19, compared to 33% of U.S. adults, per a Pew Research Center survey conducted March 19-24. That disproportionate impact is part of the inspiration for a new video, launched Tuesday, that aims to pay tribute to the roughly 60 million Hispanic people in America and their work on the front lines of this crisis. It also provides a reminder of an often-forgotten slice of American history: the creation of the official Spanish-language national anthem. In the above video, Jeidimar Rijos, the 2019 winner of the singing competition La Voz, performs El Pendon Estrellado The Star-Spangled Banner. The non-profit We Are All Human Foundations Hispanic Star campaign commissioned the video to raise awareness of its Hispanic Recovery Plan program to help connect Hispanic small businesses and workers with resources to weather the fallout of the pandemic. The video was released the week of the 75th anniversary of the April 12, 1945, death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, because this Spanish translation of the National Anthem came about as part of his Administrations broader strategy to appeal to the Spanish-speaking population during a different global crisis. Story continues Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter In 1945, the U.S. Department of State, working with the Music Educators National Conference, put out a call for Spanish and Portuguese translations of the National Anthem. The campaign was part of the Roosevelt Administrations Good Neighbor Policy, an effort to promote good feelings about the United States in Latin American countries so that they didnt fall under the influence of Axis countries during World War II and so they would remain valuable markets for U.S. products, according to the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. The government also recruited Hollywood to participate in this Good Neighbor Policy; Walt Disney went on goodwill tour of South America, hoping to find a new market for his films, and ended up producing two movies inspired by the trip: Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944). The Brazilian star Carmen Miranda also got a boost, and her role in The Gangs All Here made her even more famous in the U.S. And alongside these cross-cultural exchanges, the U.S. government decided it needed an anthem that could reach Spanish speakers. Clotilde Arias, a Peruvian immigrant and New York-based composer of advertising jingles, submitted the winning lyrics. Arias had already worked on Spanish-language market campaigns for brands like Ford Motor Co., IBM and Coca-Cola. She had just become a U.S. citizen in 1942, about two decades after arriving in New York City from Iquitos, Peru, at the age of 22 to study music during the Harlem Renaissance. She would rise to oversee Spanish-language advertising at the Robert Otto agency. A circa 1930s headshot of Clotilde Arias, who worked in advertising in New York City and composed the Spanish translation of the Star-Spangled Banner that is In 1946, the government paid Arias $150 for her translation (worth about $2,100 in January 2020). Her version is the only official translation of the national anthem allowed to be sung, according to the Smithsonian. But Arias translation of the Star-Spangled Banner never became widely known. For a 2012 retrospective on Arias, the Smithsonian could not find a recording of her translation, so it commissioned a local choir, Coral Cantigas, to perform it. The fact that the song was at risk of falling through the cracks is representative of the Hispanic communitys struggle to see its concerns prioritized in American society, says Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder and CEO of the We Are All Human Foundation. Thats a symbol of how theres never been full recognition of Hispanics in America, Romo Edelman says. She hopes Rijos performance raises awareness of the contributions of Hispanics so theyre better seen, heard and valued. Helping Hispanic people at the front lines of the COVID-19 fight, she says, is helping America. Italys death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 20,000 on Monday but its number of critically ill patients dropped for the tenth successive day. The 566 new deaths reported by the civil protection service take Italys fatalities total to 20,465 - officially second in the world behind the US. The drop in patients in intensive care from a peak of 4,068 on April 3 to 3,260 on Monday confirmed a general improvement in Italys Covid-19 trends. The rise in new infections dropped to a new low of just 2%. But a top Italian infectious diseases expert said data were hard to read because new cases showing up now could have occurred up to three weeks ago, given the incubation period. The Mediterranean country last week extended its national lockdown until May 3. In contrast, Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the epidemic, on Monday started to ease tough lockdown restrictions that have kept people confined to their homes for more than a month and put a brake on economic activity. Spains cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the health ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day. However, in a sign that the situation was taking a turn for the better, some businesses, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to reopen. But most of the population are still confined to their homes, and shops, bars and public spaces will remain closed until April 26. People at main transport hubs were handed face masks as they went to work on Monday morning. The health of workers must be guaranteed. If this is minimally affected, the activity cannot restart, interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Cadena Ser radio station. The lockdown has helped slow a spiralling death rate that reached its peak in early April. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Supplier News 14 April 2020 As we continue to navigate the uncharted waters of this crisis, affecting families, business communities, and indeed the very fabric of our society, I am awed by the selfless dedication of so many people to help others less fortunate during this difficult time. Our best wishes for a speedy return to healthy normalcy go out to everyone impacted by the virus. Since the start of the outbreak, our management team, shareholders and colleagues around the world have remained steadfast in our focus on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our employees and travelers, and to helping and supporting you as your travel, meetings and events programs are impacted, while preparing for the evolving future. We deeply value our relationship and business with you, and I am proud of the personal and professional support and customer-first ethos being demonstrated daily by our global team. In addition to maintaining our regular communications updates, we effected our Crisis Task Force in early February, and implemented our business continuity processes and plans - which are based on decades of experience in handling global health scares (SARS, Swine Fever, Bird Flu, BST, etc.). These include global, regional, national and localized checklists and protocols, which are rigorously and regularly tested by our dedicated specialists across the CWT Business Continuity and Incident Management teams. Before many government restrictions were in place around the world, we also encouraged our colleagues to work from home, where possible, and so our technical teams have been upgrading our systems to cope with changing demands, access requirements, and varying internet speeds, to ensure our service remains as reliant as humanly possible. And, we have asked you to increase the use of our digital channels for the foreseeable future. As the impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented in its severity and potential duration, you may be aware that we are taking steps to reduce our operating spend while we weather this storm. Our approach in doing this has been almost entirely on temporary measures and non-essential activities, honoring our commitments to our clients and with the knowledge that our employees are our greatest asset. I regret the impact these actions will have on our people, all of whom have played a material role in driving excellent performance and growth over the past several years. Notably, the overwhelming support and esprit de corps exhibited by my 16k CWT friends and colleagues around the world is testament to their character, and my heart goes out to each of them with gratitude and admiration. I am encouraged by the fact that, historically, business travel is one of the first industries to recover from global interruptions - and although small, we are already seeing some early-stage positive developments in parts of Asia. We will be there for you when things improve, continuing to support your needs and as an industry leader. In the meantime, we maintain our absolute dedication to you and value your input, and we will continue to keep you updated with developments as the situation progresses. I salute the worldwide family that is CWT as well as our clients and partners, and wish you and yours the best of health. Kurt Ekert, President and CEO, CWT The board of auto components major Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (MSSL) has given in-principle approval to raise Rs 1,000 crore to enhance liquidity during the uncertain times of coronavirus pandemic, according to a company statement. The firm, which has plants in India, Europe and Americas that are currently temporarily closed, said it has received positive reopening dates for vast majority of the plants by end of April/early May. However, the situation being dynamic there could be further delays in reopening plants in case the local governments extend lockdowns, of which there are no current clear indications, the company said in a statement. Stating that the company is fully prepared to tackle the Covid-19 situation, MSSL said it has created multiple internal task forces to monitor the situation on a daily basis across all its plants. Reassuring its investors, MSSL said it had instituted many projects across the globe aimed at cost rationalisation, controlling non-critical business investments and generate cash flows. "To further enhance liquidity in these uncertain times, the board of directors has accorded in-principle approval to raise up to Rs 10 billion and delegated its committee of directors to evaluate and decide on various borrowing proposals," the statement said. It further said, "We are also proactively working to leverage on various government support schemes to enhance liquidity." Stating that its liquidity is strong, the company said as of March 31, 2020, it had a consolidated cash Rs 4,690 crore. MSSL Chairman Vivek Chaand said: "Our team has done a phenomenal job in almost doubling MSSL's turnover over the last five years to USD 9.6 billion on an unaudited basis. He further said, "Our aspirational 5-year plans cannot be timed perfectly, and the unprecedented Covid-19 situation has hindered us in closing many target acquisitions. However, we believe that these same opportunities have become more attractive in valuations since the Covid-19 crisis." With the company's strong financial position and with customer faith intact, Chaand said, "We are also being asked by many of our customers to look at more specific companies which are in trouble and we believe can be acquired at low valuations."He said MSSL had planned to showcase its plans to investors in June but keeping in mind the current environment, it will probably do so in October. On the impact of the pandemic on employment, MSSL said governments in various parts of the world have instituted employment protection schemes during this shutdown period where they are bearing part of the employee costs. "We are actively working with the governments to further reduce fixed costs during this period of non-production," it said. At present, the company said all of its plants and offices are adhering to all local and international safety guidelines. It has also instituted work from home wherever possible, while all domestic and international travels for employees have been temporarily suspended since early March. "Wherever manufacturing facilities are deemed essential or have opened adhering to local guidelines, we have provided them a safe environment, meeting all safety guidelines," the company said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah urged the central government to bring back the local residents who are stranded in parts of the country because of the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Omar suggested the government to make use of the nine-seater Beechcraft aircraft for the evacuation, that according to him is not doing much these days. Over the last few weeks, since the lockdown was first announced, my father & I have been flooded by calls & WhatsApp messages from Kashmiris stuck in various parts of the country, especially North India. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 13, 2020 A 21-day nation-wide lockdown was enforced by the government on March 24 and on April 14 was further extended to May 3 to contain the spread of coronavirus infection. Omar said that he and his father Farooq Abdullah have been flooded with calls and messages from Kashmiris stuck in various parts of the country, especially north India. "The stranded people include labourers, shawl traders, businessmen and also other walks of life who have been repatriated to India and have completed their quarantine. Its been frustrating to not do as much, as one would have liked for them," Omar tweeted. Over the last few weeks, since the lockdown was first announced, my father & I have been flooded by calls & WhatsApp messages from Kashmiris stuck in various parts of the country, especially North India. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 13, 2020 "Now, that the Modi government is planning an extension to this lockdown something will have to be done for the people stuck in other states. A lot of them dont have much money and cant access anymore. There is no work available for them to earn," he added. Omar said that the stranded Kashmiris would die of hunger rather than get infected of coronavirus if they are made to stay away from their home further. Now that the Modi government is planning an extension to this lockdown something will have to be done for people stuck in other states. A lot of them dont have much money & cant access any more. There is no work available for them to earn off. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 13, 2020 A common sentiment expressed by most of them had been long before Corona gets us we will die of hunger. The Govt will have to work out some way of bringing these people home & pending that needs to do a better job helping them with food & emergency funds. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 13, 2020 He made the suggestion after Iltija Mufti, the daughter of another ex-J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti, had tweeted about 14 Kashmiri girls stuck in Amritsar because of the lockdown restrictions. The former J&K leader also appealed to the people to follow the lockdown orders and cooperate with the authorities to avoid a further extension in May. Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. RIO DE JANEIROMarielis Isabel Fonseca first became familiar with Brazil through soap operas: the ravishing seaside, the rich culture, the cordial, hardworking people. Still, when she left her native Cuba in August 2016 to work as a doctor in Campinas in the state of Sao Paulo, she felt insecure. Fonseca was assigned to a primary health care unit in a neighborhood plagued by crime. Language was proving to be a barrier. But Fonseca was also a psychiatrist and had a way with people. She had spent five years since 2003 practicing in Venezuela, an experience she says improved her both personally and professionally. Advertisement Soon, her Brazilian patients, whom she treated mainly for diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory diseases, and substance abuse, were telling Fonseca, Doc, you take care of us and we take care of you, as they walked her to the bus stop nearby. With some, Fonseca formed even stronger ties. She currently lives with the widow of one of her patients, who passed away in his 70s from stomach cancer. Its a Cuban idiosyncrasy, Fonseca says. If you work in the community, you become family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As many as 20,000 Cuban doctors have moved to Brazil to work as part of the Mais Medicos (More Doctors) program, an initiative launched by Brazils then-governing Workers Party in 2013 to place primary care physicians in some of the countrys most underserved and poor regions, including indigenous villages. The cooperation agreement between the Brazilian government, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the island ties in with a long-standing fixture of Cubas soft power. With its a high number of doctors per capita and investment in a public health care sytem, Cuba exports medical workers through humanitarian missions like the one in Brazil. Since the aftermath of the 1959 revolution, Cubas international medical outreach efforts have served as a strategy to counterbalance the isolation and embargo imposed by the United States, earning the island billions of dollars in revenue every year. Advertisement Advertisement There are currently 28,159 Cuban doctors and nurses working in 59 countries. Over the years, Cuban doctors have served 60 million Brazilians across 4,000 localities and 34 indigenous villages. More than 700 of the countrys more-remote communities had a resident primary care physician for the first time as a result of the More Doctors program. Advertisement But in November 2018, Fonseca learned that she would have to stop practicing in the country that had welcomed her two years earlier. And she wasnt alone. In the aftermath of President Jair Bolsonaros election, as many as 8,500 doctors suddenly became jobless when the Cuban government decided to end the 5-year-old agreement, citing as a reason the Brazilian far-right presidents direct, contemptuous, and threatening comments. During his terms as a congressman and throughout his campaign, Bolsonaro promised to expel the doctors, questioning their credentials and saying they were in Brazil to form guerrilla groups. Ecuador and Bolivia have also withdrawn from similar agreements under pressure from the U.S. government, which accuses the Cuban regime of exploiting medical workers by keeping 75 percent of their salaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the cooperation came to a halt, thousands of doctors were faced with a dire choice: to remain in the country that had become their home and risk being punished as deserters by the Cuban government, or go back to the island. At the time, Cubans made up roughly half of the More Doctors programs total workforce of 18,000 physicians. About 2,000 stayed in Brazil but lost their authorization to practice medicine. Fonseca, who held a temporary resident status, was among them. In order to make a living, she tried working at nursing homes and drugstores, but people kept asking her what a doctor was doing behind a counter. Fonseca took massage and holistic therapy lessons and eventually landed a temporary gig at a beauty clinic. She has been unemployed for five months now, relying on the support of family and friends living abroad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Cuban doctors left, or were barred from practicing, the Brazilian government scrambled to replace them. Although spots quickly filled up with the Brazilian doctors who have priority to enroll in the program, many left their posts soon after or failed to present. Not every doctor is willing to go anywhere in the country, says Socorro Pena da Gama, a public management and regional development professor and lawyer supporting the cause of a group of 83 Cuban doctors in the northern Brazilian state of Para. But [Cubans] have an ethical commitment. "The whole world is begging for more doctors and were here, being wasted. Marielis Isabel Fonseca When Yulia Molina Hernandez joined the program in March 2014, she became the first doctor at a new primary health care unit in Cabaceiras, a 5,000-person town in the state of Paraiba. The patients were curious to meet the foreign doctor, she says. They wanted to hear my accent. Hernandez tended to between 20 and 25 people a day. But in 2017, she decided not to go back to Cuba to renew her contract. Hernandez was pregnant and at risk for a preterm birth, so her doctor instructed her not to travel. She has since been barred from going back to Cuba, where she has an 11-year-old daughter, for at least eight years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Margaret Garcia Torres, who was part of medical diplomacy missions in Pakistan during the 2005 earthquake and spent two years fighting malaria and cholera in Angola, now works as an administrative assistant at a Rio de Janeiro state hospital. I spend the entire day in front of a computer producing documents, Torres says. But this is going to have to change because theyre going to need us. Indeed, the shortfall created by the programs cancellation has only become more dire over the last month. Hundreds of Cuban doctors have recently joined the fight against COVID-19 in at least 14 other countries, including some of the worst-hit areas of Italy. But in Brazil, Cuban physicians, many of whom have hands-on experience in preventive medicine and a track record of being at the forefront of response efforts to major disasters and epidemicssuch as the outbreaks of Ebola in western Africa and cholera in Haitiare being pushed to the sidelines. Advertisement The whole world is begging for more doctors and were here, being wasted, Fonseca says. We feel unappreciated. Since the termination of the agreement that placed Cubans in the More Doctors program, these doctors havent been allowed to practice in Brazil unless they validate their diplomas through an equivalence test, which hasnt been offered since 2017. But in December 2019, some had their hopes of going back to work renewed when Bolsonaro signed a law establishing a new program to gradually replace the old one. The legislation would allow Cuban doctors who met certain legal requirements to reintegrate with the program for two years. Advertisement Advertisement Then, in late March, hope turned into disappointment. The government issued a public call for Cuban doctors to join the efforts against the coronavirus, but many were surprised to learn they were being left out. Only those on a list published by the Ministry of Health were eligible to apply for reinstatement. While 1,879 names were listed, as many as 1,200 qualifying candidates have been excluded, according to lawyer Humberto Jorge Leitao de Brito, who is representing Cuban doctors in legal actions. More than 15 doctors I spoke with told me their names were not on the list, even though they fulfilled all the conditions set forth in the legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The list includes doctors who have gone back to Cuba or moved to Uruguay, Mexico, and the United States, and even some who are deceased, says Wilder Gonzales Diaz, whose name wasnt on the list. Since the end of his participation in the program, Diaz has been living in a small town in the northeastern state of Alagoas, where jobs are few and far between. He has turned to cleaning houses and working in the fields. A federal judge recently sided with the Cuban doctors, but the Ministry of Health has yet to respond. Email exchanges shared with me show that the Ministry of Health told doctors that the PAHO, a subsidiary of the World Health Organization, was responsible for the list, while the organization denied having any information about it and advised the doctors to contact the ministry. When asked about the dispute for this article, a government spokesperson said it would offer an opportunity to all Cuban professionals who meet the conditions set out in the law. The PAHO didnt respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement The government estimates that 90 percent of cases of COVID-19 in Brazil can be treated in the kind of primary health care units that are at the core of the More Doctors program. In response to the increasing number of confirmed cases and deaths23,944 and 1,361 respectively, as of Tuesdaythe government has put out a call for 5,811 doctors to serve for one year in densely populated areas, where the spread of the virus has been most severe. The recruitment process, however, favors Brazilians and professionals who had their diplomas validated, to the detriment of most Cubans. It also ignores Brazilian doctors who received their degrees from foreign institutions. Many of them were also active in the More Doctors program for years and are now facing the end of their contracts. When asked if the Ministry of Health intended to call these physicians to fight the pandemic, a spokesperson said it would consider all the possibilities of administrative measures for future deliberation according to the need and opportunity that the situation requires. So far, the government has focused its outreach on late-stage medical and physiotherapy and pharmacy students as well as other professional categories like veterinarians and nutritionists. In the meantime, Cuban doctors are trying to help in whatever way they can. They are talking to patients from the drugstore counter and advising people to stay at home via social media. Fonseca says she wakes up at 6 in the morning and goes to bed at 1, answering peoples questions about the virus over the phone. And like that, they hold onto the only thing no one can take from them. The lab coat is just an attire, she says. We havent stopped being doctors. At least 64,584 people were confirmed as infected with the coronavirus in New Jersey as 3,219 new cases were announced Monday. The latest report from state officials included 94 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, increasing the states death toll from the virus to at least 2,443. To put that in perspective, that is more than the number of New Jersey who gave their lives in the Korean and Vietnam wars," Gov. Phil Murphy said. These numbers hit us right square in the gut. Our hearts are with every family. There were 7,781 patients at hospitals with coronavirus or suspected of having the virus statewide as of Sunday night, according to the state health department. Of those, 1,886 were in critical or intensive care, and 1,611 are on ventilators, making about 55% of the states capacity for ventilators. Officials reported 556 patients have been discharged in the last 24 hours. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage Heres a roundup of coronavirus news: N.J. joins 5 other states in coordinated planning to re-open after the coronavirus surge: New Jersey will join five other states around the region to develop a plan to rebound from the coronavirus outbreak and the widespread shut down put in place to stop the fast-spreading virus, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. An economic recovery only occurs on the back of a complete health care recovery, Murphy said during a afternoon phone call with the other governors, who joined in the initiative. "Were not yet there, Murphy said, adding, Getting this right, both the timing (and) the infrastructure from ... both health care experts, as well as economic development experts in addition to our government colleagues, seems to me and to us to be an incredibly smart way to go. Coronavirus is in most, if not all our nursing homes, health official says: State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said 324 long-term care facilities have confirmed cases. That up from 81 nursing homes with at least one case less than two weeks ago. Were making the assumption that COVID-19 is in most, if not all, of our nursing homes, Persichilli said at a press briefing in Trenton. 645 N.J. cops have tested positive for coronavirus, another 2,300 in self-isolation: Officials on Monday said 645 police officers tested positive for the coronavirus while another 2,310 officers at home under self-quarantine. That figure has increased from the 562 police officers who had tested positive as of April 7. Phone, internet providers banned from cutting off N.J. residents during coronavirus outbreak: Phone and internet companies cant shut off or reduce service to New Jersey residents during the coronavirus pandemic under an order signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Some providers have loosely interpreted what it means to stay connected. Today, were forcing them to do whats right, or get with the program. the governor said. When will we get back to normal? Heres the way out of coronavirus quarantine in N.J: The way out of the current state of mass business closures and quarantines could take a series of extreme measures, including some not in place yet, according to interviews with health experts. New coronavirus testing site in South Jersey ready to open after weeks of delays: Camden County will open a testing center on the campus of Camden County College in Gloucester Township. The facility is slated to open Wednesday and provide testing for first responders, essential employees and Camden County residents. Where is the coronavirus in N.J.? See the latest map, update on county-by-county cases. A new Rutgers coronavirus test based on a simple spit into a tube will come to a N.J. testing site this week: A COVID-19 test developed at Rutgers University that uses saliva samples instead of nasal and throat swabs was granted emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration. 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, Brent Johnson, Ted Sherman and Bill Duhart contributed to this report. The rapid progression of technology has led to a huge increase in energy usage to process the massive troves of data generated by devices. But researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have found a way to make the new generation of smart computers more energy efficient. Traditionally, silicon chips have formed the building blocks of the infrastructure that powers computers. But this research uses magnetic components instead of silicon and discovers new information about how the physics of the magnetic components can cut energy costs and requirements of training algorithms -- neural networks that can think like humans and do things like recognize images and patterns. "Right now, the methods for training your neural networks are very energy-intensive," said Jean Anne Incorvia, an assistant professor in the Cockrell School's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "What our work can do is help reduce the training effort and energy costs." The researchers' findings were published this week in IOP Nanotechnology. Incorvia led the study with first author and second-year graduate student Can Cui. Incorvia and Cui discovered that spacing magnetic nanowires, acting as artificial neurons, in certain ways naturally increases the ability for the artificial neurons to compete against each other, with the most activated ones winning out. Achieving this effect, known as "lateral inhibition," traditionally requires extra circuitry within computers, which increases costs and takes more energy and space. Incorvia said their method provides an energy reduction of 20 to 30 times the amount used by a standard back-propagation algorithm when performing the same learning tasks. The same way human brains contain neurons, new-era computers have artificial versions of these integral nerve cells. Lateral inhibition occurs when the neurons firing the fastest are able to prevent slower neurons from firing. In computing, this cuts down on energy use in processing data. Incorvia explains that the way computers operate is fundamentally changing. A major trend is the concept of neuromorphic computing, which is essentially designing computers to think like human brains. Instead of processing tasks one at a time, these smarter devices are meant to analyze huge amounts of data simultaneously. These innovations have powered the revolution in machine learning and artificial intelligence that has dominated the technology landscape in recent years. This research focused on interactions between two magnetic neurons and initial results on interactions of multiple neurons. The next step involves applying the findings to larger sets of multiple neurons as well as experimental verification of their findings. The research was funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and Sandia National Laboratories, with resources from UT's Texas Advanced Computing Center. (Bloomberg) -- ByteDance Inc. just kicked off a wave of hiring it envisions hitting 40,000 new jobs in 2020, hoping to match Alibabas headcount at a time technology corporations across the globe are furloughing or reducing staff. The worlds largest startup is recruiting people for 10,000 open positions, of which about a third are high-level research or software coding jobs, according to an internal website provided to staff for candidate referrals and shared with Bloomberg. A ByteDance representative didnt respond to an emailed request for comment. New hires around the globe will support the Chinese companys universe of apps from video platform TikTok to news aggregator Toutiao, while strengthening its operations in new arenas such as e-commerce and gaming. Its the first salvo of ByteDances goal to reach 100,000 staff globally by the end of the year, outlined by Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming in an internal memo last month. Once complete, the company will boast roughly the same number of employees as tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ByteDance is seeking to consolidate its social media strongholds in China and the U.S. while spurring expansions in new markets. Its hiring spree contrasts with other startups, including SoftBank-backed Oyo Hotels & Homes, Zume Pizza Inc. and Brandless Inc., that have been cutting jobs or shutting down altogether. As part of the recruitment drive launched last week, ByteDance is seeking to fill more than 100 vacancies in Mountain View -- Googles home turf -- from a summer software intern to a lead engineer for augmented reality and Apple iOS developer. Like rival Tencent Holdings Ltd, ByteDances social media channels have seen usage spike after the Covid-19 pandemic confined millions of people to their homes. Now, as life in China begins to return to normal, the employee referral program is looking to find candidates for some 9,900 positions, according to the website viewed by Bloomberg. Just over 1,100 of those openings were for interns as of midday Tuesday. Story continues The job listings offer a rare window into how the eight-year-old internet giant is investing in future growth. For example, its seeking dozens of online tutors to capture Chinas online education boom during the virus outbreak, while acquiring talent for music licensing in places from Miami to Mumbai. The Chinese app factory is also orchestrating forays into gaming, live-streaming commerce and even enterprise software, taking on deeper-pocketed rivals like Tencent and Alibaba. Overall, ByteDance is filling some 3,000 coding, engineering and research roles, and about as many positions in products and operations, according to calculations by Bloomberg. Beyond China, its looking to boost headcount by adding more than 100 posts per location in London, Los Angeles, Mountain View and Singapore. Read more: ByteDance Plans Assault on Tencents Mobile Gaming Kingdom ByteDance, last valued at $75 billion according to CB Insights, is one of Chinas most ambitious tech outfits. It has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users across its portfolio of products from Toutiao to mini-video platform Douyin, TikToks Chinese twin app. (Updates with details of Mountain View hiring in the fourth paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Our mission is to equip young minds who will impact their world with an authentic faith, for life and eternity. This has not changed, and we are so thankful that God continues to protect and provide so we can still offer our students a quality education. San Clemente Christian School (SCCS) is located in the heart of San Clemente, in Orange County, California. They offer one class per grade level to intentionally make learning an individualized experience. San Clemente Christian School strives to focus on educational and spiritual growth and refuses to let learning cease during this trying time. When other schools took weeks to sort out online learning, SCCS was up and running within days of Californias order to close schools. Dr. Nicky Magnuson, Head of School, states, "Our teachers and staff are working around the clock to continue our goal of educational excellence. San Clemente Christian School is offering live teaching sessions, recorded workshop-style activities, and individual online conferences with students and parents. SCCS is taking education to the next level. Students are still receiving standards-based lessons that offer rigorous activities and, believe it or not, hands-on learning. In addition, each week SCCS holds an online Chapel with Pastor Chris Bristow, with recorded worship through music and prayer. Their focus on STEAM and enrichment offerings of Physical Education, Music, and Spanish continue. Creating an opportunity for students to keep learning is vital to their continued success. Tessa Samuelsen, Principal, shares, Our mission is to equip young minds who will impact their world with an authentic faith, for life and eternity. This has not changed, and we are so thankful that God continues to protect and provide so we can still offer our students a quality education. Bill Dyer, parent, says, SCCS is an amazing school. Our daughter, who is in Kindergarten at SCCS, is having virtual class via Zoom, watching videos from the schools pastor, and doing worksheets. Even her teacher uses a puppet to meet with her on Zoom to cheer her and the other students up. The teachers at SCCS are truly amazing Christian men and women and we feel blessed to be part of the school. San Clemente Christian School is looking forward to being back on campus and continuing its student-centered instruction and using these newly developed skills to enhance learning and engage students. If you are interested in finding out more about San Clemente Christian School's outstanding Christ-centered education, please contact Dr. Nicky Magnuson at nmagnuson@sccsstaff.com. SCCS is accepting new students, please apply online here. A 38-year-old Montevallo man is facing multiple charges following a drug investigation by Shelby County authorities. Tierra Tavarish Cathey was first arrested in February on charges of trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence, attempting to elude law enforcement and resisting arrest. He posted bond on those charges and was released shortly after he was taken into custody. During his release, investigators with the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force continued their lengthy drug trafficking investigation of Cathey, said Capt. Clay Hammac, commander of the task force. While Cathey was out on bond, task force investigators obtained an additional charge of methamphetamine trafficking, which led to the revocation of his bond. Additional charges of distribution of a controlled substance is pending. He has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2002. Cathey is being held without bond. Hammac said more arrests are expected in connection with the drug enterprise. Hammac said the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals and the Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorneys Office have assisted in the probe. Passenger airlines are said to have accepted the terms of a $25 billion offer for government payroll aid amid the coronavirus pandemic. American Airlines Group Inc. announced Tuesday that $5.8 billion in financial assistance from the Payroll Support Program (PSP) had been approved through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The federal funds, which are targeted to support team member salaries and benefits, will come in two forms: a direct grant of $4.1 billion, and a low-interest rate loan of $1.7 billion. In addition to the $5.8 billion, American expects to apply for a Treasury loan of around $4.75 billion. Further announcements on the exact details of the plan and how they will effect each airline will come later Tuesday, CNBC reports, but under proposals the U.S. government would receive warrants equal to 10 per cent of the loan amount. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said on Monday he expects decisions to come out 'very quickly.' Brent McIntosh, the Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, said Monday the agency was not planning to change the terms laid out on Friday, which require 30 per cent of the funds allotted to each airline to be repaid. Raymond James airline analyst Savanthi Syth estimated that if the government exercises the warrants, it could wind up with 3 per cent of American Airlines, 2 per cent of United Airlines, and 1 per cent each of Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. Those four carriers control more than 80 per cent of the U.S. air travel market. United Airlines boarding gates sit empty at San Francisco International Airport on April 12 The Treasury Department and leading airlines had continued their negotiations Monday over terms of coronavirus-relief payments, with Treasury sticking to a proposal that could give the government an ownership stake in the nations leading carriers. 'We've attempted to come up with an equitable methodology that works for all passenger air carriers, and we don't want to engage in individual negotiations that would require us to make changes across the carriers,' McIntosh said. Payments were supposed to begin a week ago but the airlines had fought the Treasurys proposal. According to sources the major holdup in recent days was Treasurys insistence that 30 per cent of the aid for larger airlines would be in the form of loans that must be repaid and with the government getting warrants equal to 10 per cent of the loan amount. The airlines thought they had a better deal last month: Congress agreed to give passenger airlines $25 billion in cash grants to cover payroll costs for six months, through September. The amount of each airlines stock that the government could get would depend on several factors including 2019 labor costs and recent stock market value. Based on wages and benefits in the second and third quarters of 2019, American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines Holdings Inc were each eligible for about $6 billion in grants, Delta Air Lines Inc about $5.6 billion and Southwest Airlines Co about $4 billion. However, one airline official said major carriers may receive only about 75 per cent of the payroll assistance sought because the total amount of funds sought exceeded $25 billion. Delta Air Lines passenger planes are seen parked due to flight reductions made to slow the spread of coronavirus disease at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama Earlier, officials told Reuters all of the large U.S. airlines were increasingly resigned to the terms. Once they accept, the money could arrive soon. 'We intend to get as much money out as quickly as possible, consistent with our obligation to taxpayers to know that it's going for the right purposes,' McIntosh said. U.S. passenger airlines, suffering an unprecedented downturn in demand due to the coronavirus, are also eligible for a separate $25 billion loan package under the CARES Act. They had lobbied for the grant portion to be free cash for employee payrolls to prevent layoffs through September 30, helping to ensure a trained staff is on hand for flights to resume and support an economic rebound once consumer sentiment recovers. American, United, Delta and Southwest have said they were evaluating the aid terms but had no additional comment. On Sunday, just 90,510 travelers went through U.S. security checkpoints, down from nearly 2.5 million a year earlier. McIntosh said Treasury arrived at the compensation plan after a substantial analysis that it said shows 'approximately 70 per cent of those payments becomes a direct benefit to taxpayers' in the form of avoided unemployment benefits, taxes that come back to the federal government, and the benefits of continued air service. Airline stocks fell Monday on indications that the carriers were not having an easy time getting federal help. United Airlines and American Airlines both saw their stock fall 8 per cent while Southwest fell 6 per cent and Delta dropped nearly 5 per cent. Findings may explain why Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders impact one side of the body before the other GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (April 14, 2020) -- Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained." The answer lies in how certain genes on each side of the brain are switched "on" and "off" through a process called epigenetic regulation. The findings may explain why Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders frequently affect one side of the body first, a revelation that has far-reaching implications for development of potential future treatments. The study was led by Van Andel Institute's Viviane Labrie, Ph.D., and published in the journal Genome Biology. "The mechanisms underlying brain asymmetry have been an elephant in the room for decades," Labrie said. "It's thrilling to finally uncover its cause, particularly given its potential for helping us better understand and, hopefully one day, better treat diseases like Parkinson's." Each cell in the brain has the same genes but it is epigenetics that dictate whether those genes are switched "on" or "off." Labrie and her collaborators found numerous epigenetic differences between the hemispheres of healthy brains that are linked to variations in gene activity. Notably, these differences, or asymmetry, could make one side of the brain more vulnerable to neurological diseases. For example, epigenetic abnormalities on one side of the brain could make that hemisphere more susceptible to the processes that cause the death of brain cells in Parkinson's. The differences in cell death across hemispheres leads to the appearance of the disease's hallmark symptoms, such as tremor, on one side of the body before the other. As the disease progresses, symptoms on the side first affected often are more severe than symptoms on the other side of the body. The findings also give scientists a vital window into the various biological pathways that contribute to symptom asymmetry in Parkinson's, including brain cell development, immune function and cellular communication. "We all start out with prominent differences between the left and right sides of our brains. As we age, however, our hemispheres become more epigenetically similar. For Parkinson's, this is significant: people whose hemispheres are more alike early in life experienced faster disease progression, while people whose hemispheres were more asymmetric had slower disease progression," Labrie said. "Many of these changes are clustered around genes known to impact Parkinson's risk. There is huge potential to translate these findings into new therapeutic strategies." Labrie is already starting to look at this phenomenon in other neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. The study is one of the first to parse the molecular causes of brain asymmetry. Early research on the left versus right brain was conducted in the mid-20th century by Roger Sperry, whose groundbreaking work with split-brain patients earned him a Nobel Prize. ### Authors include Peipei Li, Ph.D., Elizabeth Ensink, Sean Lang, Lee Marshall, Ph.D., and Meghan Schilthuis of Van Andel Institute; and Jared Lamp, Ph.D., and Irving Vega, Ph.D., of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. The Flow Cytometry Core, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core and Pathology and Biorepository Core at Van Andel Institute and Integrated Mass Spectrometry Unit at Michigan State University also contributed to this work. Brain tissue was provided by the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank, the NIH NeuroBioBank and the Michigan Brain Bank. This work was supported by Van Andel Institute. Labrie is supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research Materiel Command through the Parkinson's Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award under award no. W81XWH1810512. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Army. Labrie also is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21NS112614 and by Michigan State University through the Gibby & Friends vs. Parky Parkinson's Disease Research Award. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or other granting organizations. ABOUT VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 400 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute's scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson's and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K-12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org. WOOD RIVER While the numbers of Illinois coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise, the rate of that increase is leveling off, which state officials say is a good sign the curve of the pandemic may be starting to flatten. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike on Tuesday announced 1,222 new cases and 74 deaths, bringing the statewide total to 23,247 and 868, respectively. She also noted that surveys are showing that those testing positive for the COVID-19 virus are recovering. As you can imagine, people are getting better with time, she said. Of those surveyed after seven days, 44 percent said they are in recovery. For 14 days that rises to 50 percent; at 21 days, 61 percent; and at 28 days, 69 percent. People are getting better. People recover from this disease, she said. It is important to note that not everyone responded to the survey, so the averages may be higher. The Madison County Health Department on Tuesday reported 128 cases, up eight from Monday. That figure includes two previously reported deaths. More Information COVID-19 cases by county Madison - 128 (2 deaths) Jersey - 6 Macoupin - 16 Greene - 1 Calhoun - 1 Clinton - 38 Bond - 4 Washington - 2 Montgomery - 9 (1 death) St. Clair - 202 (8 deaths) Monroe - 47 (3 death) Sources: Illinois Department of Public Health and Madison County Health Department Pritzker notes stimulus protections, guidance SPRINGFIELD - Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday he is suspending laws that permit the service of a garnishment summons, wage deduction summons or a citation to discover assets as part of consumer debt collection proceedings. This step protects the use of the stimulus money for food, shelter and transportation. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation also issued "Best Practices" to licensed lenders encouraging them to work with struggling borrowers to extend the time for payment, waive late charges and defer collection measures. Illinois residents can take temporary measures to protect their household income by considering a stop to automatic loan payments and rescinding wage assignments. For more information, visit the IDFPR website. Borrowers should know they will still owe their debt and should immediately reach out to creditors to discuss hardships they are experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. See More Collapse The majority of the cases, 74, are women. A total of 30 patients are currently hospitalized and 45 are recovered, meaning they have completed isolation. IDPH information by ZIP code on Tuesday showed additional cases in the Alton, Edwardsville, Granite City/Pontoon Beach, Madison and Collinsville areas. Wood River (62095) also reported six case; the area had shown up in past reports, then was removed until Tuesday. By ZIP code, Madison County cases also include 27 in 62040 (Granite City/Pontoon Beach), 20 in 62002 (Alton), 18 in 62025 (Edwardsville), eight in 62034 (Glen Carbon), seven in 62060 (Madison) and six in 62035 (Godfrey). Additional cases were reported Tuesday in Montgomery, St. Clair and Monroe counties in the Metro East, according to the IDPH website. Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent much of his briefing time talking about numbers, specifically the rate of doubling or the number of days it takes for the number of cases or deaths to double. The higher that number is, the slower the growth, he said. On March 22, it was two days for cases to double. That increased to 3.6 days by April 1 and 8.2 days by April 12. He noted the mortality rate showed similar changes. And while there is nothing good about twice as many people having this virus, or dying from it, he said the deceleration of the virus spread shows we are, in fact, bending the curve. It may not flatten, and it may go up again if we dont adhere to the stay-at-home order, Pritzker said. Both he and Ezike said the order, social distancing and hand-washing remain important. It will make a difference, it has made a difference, and it will continue to make a difference, Ezike said. Pritzker also said state officials must define a new normal that will allow a way of life to carry us to the other side of the pandemic. No one looks forward to that day more than I do, he said. For the latest information on COVID-19 or coronavirus resources, visit the Madison County Health Department online at www.madisonchd.org or on Facebook @MadisonCHD. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us for more news and a daily update or on Facebook @MadisonCountyIL. - KFCB CEO Ezekiel Mutua has condemned the song Utawezana saying it glorifies immorality in the guise of creativity - The moral police boss said there was nothing creative and comical about it and even Femi One would be ashamed to sing the song in front of the mom - Mutua also voiced his discontentment with media houses for giving airtime to such artistes Moral Police boss Ezekiel Mutua has voiced his displeasure at the song Utawezana by Mejja and Femi One that has taken the country by storm. Mutua condemned the song saying it "glorifies immorality in the guise of creativity" calling it a shallow and bizarre sexual connotation. READ ALSO: Go die: Pastor Ng'ang'a curses French doctors who wanted COVID-19 vaccine tested in Africa READ ALSO: Akothee introduces young girl giving her son Oyoo sleepless nights In a lengthy statement shared on his Facebook page, the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) boss said there was nothing creative and comical about it and even "the lady" would be ashamed to sing the song in front of the mother. "There's absolutely nothing creative there. That lady would be ashamed to sing such (stuff) before her mother. While comic relief is an integral part of art, it doesn't have to be dirty or sexualized to be entertaining," Mutua said. Mutua bemoaned the content as indecent and challenged the local artistes to come up with music that can inspire hope and help the society deal with the COVID-19 scourge. "That content lacks rigour and defies common decency. At a time of a national crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, our artistes should focus on creating content that inspires hope and helps society to deal with the current challenges," he advised. READ ALSO: TV journalists Ahmed Faizal, Zeynab Ismail wed in beautiful Islamic wedding READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Uhaba wa maski wapelekea wakazi wa Lamu kutumia sidiria na soksi kujilinda Mutua indicated he would take action against artistes promoting immoral content, branding them enemies of the society who would not benefit from government's funds. "The Board will take stern measures against artistes who misuse digital technology to promote immorality. Such people should not be considered as artistes but enemies of society and a threat to the well being of our children. They should not benefit from any Government funds," he added. He promised to never engage with such artistes and voiced his dissatisfaction with media houses for giving airtime to such artistes. This was not the first time Mutua bashed Kenyan artistes for composing what he considers immoral music. Back in November 219, the moral police boss wrote to Youtube asking them to pull down Gengetone group Ethic's song Tarimbo. He said the song advocated for violence against women in a sexual manner, something that he and many others found disturbing. Mutua went a step further asking the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to arrest members of the group in line with the provisions of the constitution. The Gengetone group had to apologise for the lyrics in the song, saying they had no intention to hurt anyone and sought forgiveness for any harm caused. 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. Kenyans in China speak out on the discrimination of Africans by Chinese citizens | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Q. My cousins husband died. She made calls to a creditor related to a medical bill and was told she was not responsible. She is now being told that another company bought the original debt and she is responsible. She has not yet filed a tax return for the estate. Is there a time period she can put off the creditors so she can see if taxes are due and what money is left in the estate, if any. There was no life insurance and she is not entitled to his Social Security. The only asset is their home. Trying to help A. Were sorry for your loss. As New Jersey is not a community property state, a surviving spouse if not held liable for debts left behind by a deceased spouse, said Karra Kingston, a bankruptcy attorney in Union City. She said community property states give spouses the ability to choose whether they want to assign their debts as community property. In community property states, the debts are held equal between two spouses. Want more personal finance news? Enter your email address to be the first to know: Because New Jersey is not a community property state, a surviving spouse is not held liable for debts unless the surviving spouse signed for the debt. If the surviving spouse didnt sign for the debt, there should be no impact on his or her credit score, she said. Keep in mind that the deceased persons estate can be held responsible to repay outstanding creditors, Kingston said. If a deceased spouses estate is small there are some protections. In New Jersey, a simplified probate system is used when a deceased has no more than $20,000 in assets. The surviving spouse would be entitled to that total number. Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com. Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. When Michael Keenan became principal of Thornbury High School in 2017, one of the first things he did to improve the year 12 experience was speak to those who knew it best: the recently graduated cohort. Two clear messages emerged: we want teachers that work as a team, and we want our own space. The school's year 12 study rooms couldn't handle the number of students. Every day was a battle for space, forcing study groups to split up. "So we expanded the private study centre," Mr Keenan said. Students' attendance in their free timetable slots every day became compulsory. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that the country had begun screening people coming from abroad long before even a single coronavirus positive case was found in the country. In a tweet in Hindi on Tuesday, the former UP chief minister said, "It was claimed that the screening started at different airports when there was not even a single corona case in the country." "But the question then is how much serious and meaningful it proved. If it is true, then it should be told how the country got its ... Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on Tuesday pushed back against President Trumps claim that, as president, he has the authority to decide when to lift business closures imposed by governors to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Its the governors that are going to make decisions about when certain activities are allowed. Obviously, itll be tough for a governor to do that if the federal government and its experts at the CDC are advising against it, Rubio said in an interview on CNBC. But just understand, the people who ordered these shutdowns, it was done at the state level. And that is the appropriate place where I think some of these orders will begin to be modified, but obviously, the guidance from the federal government coming from the White House is going to be very influential. Rubio wrote on Twitter, the Constitution and common sense dictates these decisions be made at the state level. Trump on Monday asserted that he had the power to decide when to lift business closures and other restrictions imposed by the states. For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Governmentthis is incorrect, Trump wrote on Twitter. It is the decision of the President. Trump continued on Tuesday to complain his interaction with Democratic governors, saying New York governor Andrew Cuomo had been begging for medical supplies from the federal government. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That wont happen! Trump tweeted. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies, the president wrote later Tuesday morning. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Story continues These statements stand in contrast to Trumps assertions as recently as Friday, when he said he would rather have governors decide to ease lockdowns. I like to allow governors to make decisions without overruling them, because from a constitutional standpoint, thats the way it should be done, Trump said at a White House press conference. If I disagreed, I would overrule a governor, and I have that right to do it [but] I would rather have them make their decisions. The federal government only issued a set of guidelines to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, and the various lockdowns and closures currently in effect across most of the U.S. can only be lifted by state governments, which instituted the closures in the first place. However, it is possible that the federal government could pressure states to lift lockdowns by other means, such as withholding federal funding. More from National Review A mother, employee and recently recovered Covid-19 patient recalls her difficult experience, mulls future tribulations. On April 10, Truong Thi Thanh Thuy's 12-year-old son recovered from Covid-19 with 14 more days of quarantine left. However, she remains worried about loss of work and community discrimination. Thuy lives in Ham Thuan Bac District, the central province of Binh Thuan with her husband and two young children. Before infected with the virus, the 37-year-old worked in a construction materials shop owned by Dang Thi Linh Trang. Each afternoon at about 16:00, Thuy stopped by the head office about 200 meters away from the shop to report inventory data. Thuy has met her boss many times since the latter returned from the U.S. in early March, often sitting only a meter from each other. In addition, she has also frequently met with her son and husband during the course of work. On March 3, when a sales team promoting sanitary equipment from Ho Chi Minh City visited Phan Thiet Town of Binh Thuan, Thuy was taking stock while the others discussed business. "At the time I had heard about the new coronavirus spreading across the world, but could not imagine it would affect my company," Thuy recalls. On March 9th, Trang showed symptoms of coughing, fever and had to attend hospital. The store had to close and all 20 employees were required to stay home. The day after, Trang was confirmed Covid-19 positive, the first case in Binh Thuan Province and the 34th in Vietnam. Following the confirmation, Thuy and all other employees were immediately taken to a quarantine zone at La Gi Town. At the time, Thuy still felt healthy and experienced no clear symptoms. "My neck felt itchy once, but nothing other than that. Another colleague had a headache and coughed, making everyone nervous," Thuy said. "Yet I turned out to be Covid-19 positive. Everything seemed to collapse in front me, I was worried whether I would live or die." Acknowledged by the Ministry of Health as "Patient 37" on March 11, Thuy was taken from La Gi to Binh Thuan General Hospital for treatment. Local health authorities quickly assembled about 50 people who had come in contact with her, including her husband, son, daughter, relatives, and neighbors at the La Gi quarantine area. Thuy worried she may have infected a great number of people, especially her 2-year-old daughter and her already-ill parents and parents-in-law. In the end, only her 12-year-old son tested positive and was transferred to the same provincial hospital as his mother. "Luckily, my 2-year-old daughter was not infected. I thought she might, since she slept with me and I always fed her myself", she stated. In quarantine, Thuy contacted her family via video chat each day. Thanks to the phone, her son could play games and watch movies to lessen his boredom at hospital. In her 20-meter-square-meter hospital room, Thuy received three meals at 6 a.m, 10:30 a.m., and 4:00 p.m. Meals included porridge for breakfast and meat, fish and soup for lunch and dinner. Patients could also switch to beef noddle soup or rice with roasted pork rib. "Doctors are very devoted and always encouraged patients when checking on us," Thuy said. Based on symptoms, doctors prescribe 2-4 tablets a day, in addition to supplements to boost the immune system. Everyone reminded her to relax and eat properly to quickly recover. "Thanks to eating well, I did not lose weight," she noted. When first admitted to hospital, Thuy was very worried, yet the dedication of doctors and nurses calmed her down during treatment. "I read on the news my boss had destroyed furniture at the hospital and demanded to be transferred. That was completely untrue. Everyone was grateful to nurses and doctors, and no one would do that," Thuy confirmed. The day she was informed of her recovery together with six other patients, she could not sleep since her son remained ill. "I was very concerned about my son and could only pray for his recovery, so we could leave hospital at the same time." On April 3, Thuy was discharged along with her boss and her five family members. Thuy subsequently requested to stay in the room opposite her son. After three tests, on April 9, the boy was confirmed free of the virus. The exhilarated mother and son were taken to Eastern Medical Provincial Hospital for 14 more days of quarantine. Thuy and her son leave the hospital on April 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Viet Quoc. After their recovery, Thuy worried about community discrimination since her extended family in Ham Thuan Bac District faced ridicule following their 14-quarantine period. Every time a relative passed by, neighbors would close their doors. Her cousin, employed at a bank, is also treated with suspicion even though she didn't interact with Thuy. "I am most worried about my son, who is a good student. If his classmates tease or alienate him, it will affect his mentality," Thuy said. Before Covid-19 infection, Thuy earned about VND6 million ($257.29) a month. Her husband worked as an accountant. Both had little time to cultivate dragon fruit, as per local custom. Now, the couple is unemployed and faces tremendous financial strain. Thuy said that, though the past few days of the epidemics had been terrible, she was grateful both her and her son had survived. She plans to stay home to care for their children for a while. "My family is the priority. We can overcome any difficulties together," she maintained. A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has strongly urged Europe to produce enough goods of critical importance in order to reduce "excessive dependence on China." The remarks from Urmas Paet came as Europe continues to grapple with China-originated coronavirus. "The current crisis has shown that the European Union must be able to produce enough goods of critical importance on its own, even if it costs a little more than what is made in China," ERR News quoted Paet as saying on social media. Underlining how a pandemic cripples the supply-chain system, the Estonian leader particularly emphasised on Europe's dependence on Chinese medical protective equipment. It may be noted that as coronavirus crisis heightened in Europe, perishing hundreds of people, Beijing sold medical equipment to various European countries like Italy, Spain and Czech Republic. These Chinese face masks, ventilators, protective gears, test kits were later found to be faulty, thereby putting lives at stake besides adding insult to the injury. "Europe found itself in a situation of being vitally dependent on Chinese medical protective equipment production," wrote Paet, who served as Estonia's foreign minister from 2005 to 2014. The continent has been hit hard by the outbreak of the virus and became an epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming thousands of lives in just few days. "We now need to rethink here in Europe what is included among such products of critical importance, regarding which we must not depend on third countries. Definitely at the top of the list are medical supplies and medicinal products. But quite a bit more, too," Paet suggested. The leader also highlighted how 'dishonest techniques' were used in the middle of the pandemic. "If, due to the crisis, the factories and borders there were to be closed and the necessary products did not reach Europe on time, there would be trouble here. Just take the lack of protective masks and other medical protective equipment, for example, which has created a situation where dishonest techniques are being used to obtain masks. For example, Germany accused the United States of a new kind of piracy, in that Germany ordered protective masks, but these were confiscated at Bangkok airport and sent to the United States instead," ERR News quoted the MEP, as saying. European countries like Italy and Spain have reported over a lakh positive cases of the virus within few weeks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New research from American climatologists shows for the first time that China, where the headwaters of the Mekong river spring forth from the Tibetan Plateau, appears to have directly caused its record low water levels by limiting the rivers flow Bangkok: As China was stricken by the coronavirus in late February, its foreign minister addressed a concerned crowd in Laos, where farmers and fishers across the Mekong river region were contending with the worst drought in living memory. His message: We feel your pain. The foreign minister, Wang Yi, said China was also suffering from arid conditions that were sucking water from one of the worlds most productive rivers. But new research from American climatologists shows for the first time that China, where the headwaters of the Mekong spring forth from the Tibetan Plateau, was not experiencing the same hardship at all. Instead, Beijings engineers appear to have directly caused the record low water levels by limiting the rivers flow. The satellite data doesnt lie and there was plenty of water in the Tibetan Plateau, even as countries like Cambodia and Thailand were under extreme duress, said Alan Basist, who co-wrote the report, which was released on Monday, for Eyes on Earth, a water resources monitor. There was just a huge volume of water that was being held back in China, Basist added. The Mekong is one of the most fertile rivers on earth, nurturing tens of millions of people with its nutrient rich waters and fisheries. But a series of dams, mostly in China, have robbed the rivers riches. Those who depend on its inland fisheries say their catches have declined precipitously. Persistent droughts and sudden floods have buffeted farmers. Beijings control of the upstream Mekong, which provides as much as 70 percent of the downstream water in the dry season, has raised hackles, even though the Southeast Asian nations depend on trade with China. While the Chinese government has introduced a global development program that it says will benefit poorer trading partners, a backlash is growing among countries that feel they are losing out. The problem is that the Chinese elite see water as something for their use, not as a shared commodity, said Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Centers Southeast Asia programme and author of Last Days of the Mighty Mekong. As Chinas geopolitical weight has grown, its leaders have cast the nation as a different kind of superpower, one that is concerned, as the Chinese phrasing goes, with win-win relationships with other nations. But some countries, like Sri Lanka and Djibouti, have fallen into what critics fear are debt traps, as strategic projects end up in Chinese hands. Other African and Asian nations are worried that China is simply another imperial power eager to vacuum up natural resources without concern for the local populace. This is part of Chinas business development, said Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer and Mekong expert at Mahasarakham University in northeastern Thailand. The lay people who depend on the resources of the Mekong River for their livelihoods and income are automatically excluded. The data modelling created by Basist and his colleague Claude Williams measures the various components of a rivers flow, from snow and glacial melt to rainfall and soil moisture. The scientists found that for most years, the natural, unimpeded flow of the upstream Mekong roughly tracked water levels measured downstream at a gauge in Thailand, with occasional exceptions when dam reservoirs in China were being filled or released. When there was a seasonal drought in China, the five downstream nations Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam would eventually feel it. When there was overabundant water in China, floods ensued in the Mekong basin. But during last years wet season, the fortunes of the rivers two parts diverged in dramatic fashion. As Chinas section of the Mekong welcomed an above average volume of water, downstream countries were stricken by a drought so crushing that parts of the river dried up entirely, leaving cracked riverbed exposed in a season when fishing should have been plentiful. At one gauge in Chiang Saen, in northern Thailand, such low water levels had never been recorded before. Overall, during the 28-year period they studied this gauge, Basist and his colleague calculated that dams in China had held back more than 410 feet of river height. While addressing regional foreign ministers in February, Wang, the Chinese foreign minister, contended that China, too, was suffering. He suggested that the Chinese leadership was being magnanimous by sending water downstream, especially at a time when Beijing was contending with a severe coronavirus outbreak. Though China itself has also been afflicted by the drought and a serious shortage of precipitation in the upper reaches, it has overcome various difficulties to increase the water discharge, he said. Basist disputed this take. You look at our mapping, and its bright blue with plenty of water in China and bright red from an extreme lack of water in Thailand and Cambodia, he said. China can regulate this rivers flow through dams and that appears to be exactly what its doing. Adding to the downstream pain were sudden releases of water from China, which often came unannounced and drowned crops that had been planted near the banks because of the drought. The water release by China is political, said Chainarong, of Mahasarakham University. Its made out to be them doing a favour. They create damage, but they ask for gratitude. While the Mekong is a lifeline for residents of downstream nations, the river rushes through narrow gorges in China, making it impractical for economic activity other than hydropower. At the turn of this century, the Chinese government, whose leadership at the time was dominated by engineers, began accelerating plans to dam the Lancang, as the Mekong is known in China. Today, the Chinese section of the river in the nations southwest is punctuated by 11 major dams, which produce far more power than the region needs. Other great rivers that begin in the icy reaches of the Tibetan Plateau, like the Brahmaputra, have also been dammed in China. The existing energy glut was one reason Chinese environmentalists succeeded in persuading the government to shelve plans to dam another river in the region, the Nu, which becomes the Salween when it enters Myanmar. Yet even as Beijing began its hydropower push on the Mekong, it refused to join Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos in a regional group dedicated to the rivers health. In one survey commissioned by the group, the Mekong River Commission, scientists warned that a dam boom on the Mekong could rob the river of 97 percent of the sediment that flows to its mouth in Vietnam. The river will be dead, said Niwat Roykaew, a community organiser and conservationist in northern Thailand. Instead, Beijing created its own Lancang-Mekong Cooperation initiative and financed a lavish building for the group in Cambodia, where Prime Minister Hun Sen has brought the country firmly into Beijings orbit. Critics accuse the Beijing-funded initiative of being less a mechanism for protecting the river and more a mouthpiece for Chinas campaign on the Mekong. But even Hun Sen, Asias longest serving autocrat, appears to have been shaken by the devastating lack of water in the Mekong, which accelerated last July. The energy ministry announced last month that Cambodia was suspending plans for dams on the Mekong, which would have been mostly funded by China. Meanwhile, the water reserves in China swelled, as dam reservoirs filled with the glacial melt that has fed the Mekong for millenniums. Glaciers are bank accounts of water but with climate change theyre melting fast, Basist said. The Chinese are building safe deposit boxes on the upper Mekong because they know the bank account is going to be depleted eventually and they want to keep it in reserve. Hannah Beech c.2020 The New York Times Company 14 Apr Vivien Yeo recently showed her ability to speak in the sign language on social media to help promote her new drama, "Brutally Young". As reported on Mingpao, the Malaysian actress who is stuck in her home country due to the movement control order (MCO) and couldn't join her co-stars at the promotional event of the said series, recently posted a video on Instagram to express her thoughts about missing the promotions by writing about it, speaking on video, and doing the sign language at the same time. She wrote, "It took me a lot of effort to perform my role in "Brutally Young", and never have I thought that I would not be able to attend the promotional events. I am currently in Malaysia, and since last month, a travel ban has been implemented to prohibit people from going abroad. As a citizen, you have the responsibility to stay home and reduce the burden on medical staff." "When I found out that the series will be airing this time, I felt very helpless indeed. I believe that each and every actor would like to contribute to the promotions, but it is a conclusion that it's impossible to return to Hong Kong now. Since everything is unpredictable, the only thing you can do is to be at ease and let it go," she added. Vivien then concluded that just like everybody else, she would stay home and watch the series on television. In the said drama, the actress plays the role of Tse Ka Sin, a deaf and mute girl who develops a crush on Sam King Yat (Joel Chan), who rescued her when she was younger. (Photo Source: Vivien Yeo Facebook) Coronavirus fatalities in Uttar Pradesh rose to eight as three more people succumbed to the infection on Tuesday, a day when the state reported 99 fresh cases, taking the count to 657, an official said. Among the fresh deaths, two were reported from Agra and one in Moradabad. Agra has reported the maximum fatalities in the state with three people succumbing to the infection in the district till now. State Surveillance Officer Dr Vikasendu said the rest six five deaths were reported from Basti, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Varnasi and Moradabad. Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters, "A total of 657 coronavirus positive cases have been reported from 44 districts. Of them, 49 have been treated. So far, eight deaths have been reported from the state. He added that those who died of the infection were suffering from other health problems too. They are mostly elderly or had some medical condition," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Research will show how the virus binds to human cell receptors and will aid the development of vaccines and therapeutics Computational chemist Mahmoud Moradi will develop enhanced, 3D simulations of the molecular dynamics of coronavirus spike glycoproteins to gain better understanding of how the virus binds to human cells. Mapping how these proteins undergo conformational changes to bind to host cell receptors is critical to the development of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics. Simulations are especially important because a framework for drug design will require dynamic, three-dimensional visualizations of cell structures and behavior, rather than a static picture. "As with other viruses, a crucial step in the coronavirus infection process is viral entry," said Moradi, assistant professor in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "With coronaviruses, we know these spike glycoproteins mediate entry into the human cell. Both SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, and SARS-CoV, the cause of the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic, have spike proteins that attach to the same receptor in human cells." Moradi's work is part of the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, a collaboration of government, industry and academic partners focused on computing resources for COVID-19 research. Spearheaded by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Department of Energy and IBM, the consortium volunteers free compute time and resources on some of the world's most powerful supercomputers. To perform the simulations, Moradi has been granted access to Frontera, a National Science Foundation-sponsored supercomputer housed at the University of Texas at Austin. Frontera is the largest supercomputer on any university campus. Moradi's project benefits from several recent, high-resolution 3D models of the coronavirus spike proteins. These models can be used as initial structures to begin simulations that will enable analysis of the detailed mechanisms of the proteins and their behavior upon viral entry. Enhanced, detailed simulations of such molecular dynamics will provide a complete picture of proteins' structural changes, as well as how they bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the specific human cell receptor. Moradi's research lies at the intersection of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics and computer science. His biomolecular simulations and computational theories explain how proteins, the workhorse molecules of cells, function at the molecular level. His work improves geometric models to describe how proteins change their shape and how these changes affect a protein's behavior. In February, he received a $650,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development award for this work. ### Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. This week, the White House has escalated its plans to push for the reopening of the economy following the shelter-at-home measures taken by governors across the nation in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, President Donald Trump declared that he had the total authority to do this. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo then pushed back with an argument about states sovereignty and the 10th Amendmentwhich says that any power not specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution belongs to the states, or to the people.* In response, the president appeared to suggest that he would suppress any mutiny by governors resisting his demands that businesses reopen. Cuomo responded simply on Tuesday that there are laws and there are facts, even in this wild political environment, adding that if push came to shove and he had to go to court to defend his authority to protect New Yorkers from COVID-19, he would cite the Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id call Alexander Hamilton, Cuomo said of what his litigation strategy might look like. How has the Constitution been interpreted in cases of epidemics, and who actually has the authority to quarantine states? When it comes to opening up states in the face of a pandemic, the answer is fairly straightforward: Governors will have the final say. But when it comes to closing them, its more complicated. In any event, federal officials may have profound leverage to try to force reluctant governors to accede to the whims of the president. Its worth examining the constitutional history to consider how the situation might play out over the coming weeks and months should conflict between federal and state authorities escalate. More than 100 years ago, during the smallpox era, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two decisions about the right to interstate travelwhich, by the way, does not appear in the Constitution that are most relevant here. First, in 1902s Compagnie Francaise de Navigation a Vapeur v. Board of Health of State of Louisiana, the court stated: Advertisement Advertisement That from an early day the power of the states to enact and enforce quarantine laws for the safety and the protection of the health of their inhabitants has been recognized by Congress, is beyond question. That until Congress has exercised its power on the subject, such state quarantine laws and state laws for the purpose of preventing, eradicating, or controlling the spread of contagious or infectious diseases, are not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States, although their operation affects interstate or foreign commerce, is not an open question. Advertisement In other words, until Congressnot the president, who cannot enact law by himselfsays otherwise, each state has the power to protect its own citizens from pandemic harms, in ways it sees fit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, in the 1905 case Jacobson v. Massachusetts, the Supreme Court held: Upon the principle of self-defense, of paramount necessity, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members . every well-ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand. More recently, in 1965 Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for the Supreme Court in Zemel v. Rusk that while [t]he right to travel within the United States is of course also constitutionally protected that freedom does not mean that areas ravaged by flood, fire or pestilence cannot be quarantined when it can be demonstrated that unlimited travel to the area would directly and materially interfere with the safety and welfare of the area or the Nation as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the Supreme Court has been consistently clear that this is a question for the states and for Congress, the next question should be: What has Congress said about the ability to restrict interstate movement in a time of public health threats? The answer is that Congress, in the past, has delegated power to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to authorize the surgeon general to make regulations necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession. That means, while the presidents authority to reopen businesses in the face of pandemic orders to do the opposite from governors is limited, he has more authority around placing restrictions on states. Advertisement Advertisement In response to Ebola and earlier threats, for instance, such regulations have been enacted and used. One authorizes that if the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determines that the measures taken by health authorities of any State or possession (including political subdivisions thereof) are insufficient to prevent the spread of any of the communicable diseases from such State or possession to any other State or possession, he/she may take such measures to prevent such spread of the diseases as he/she deems reasonably necessary. Again, the authority runs toward more action, not less. Advertisement Indeed, on Thursday, the CDC extended a no sail order banning all cruise ships from boarding new passengers and placing restrictions on disembarking passengersmany of them Americansin any American port. The CDC director also has the legal authority to issue a similar no nonessential travel order nationwide, restricting interstate travel to essential commercial and health needs. Trump does have leverage he can use against governors who dont go along with his wishes, as he suggested when he said on Monday the governors need us one way or the other. That leverage might include withholding medical supplies in the federal stockpile from states, or vetoing legislation that might offer states badly needed federal funding to make up for coronavirus-related budget shortfalls. Advertisement As Cuomo noted in his press briefing on Tuesday, though, now is not the time for partisan politics and it should be in the presidents interest to cooperate with states. I put my hand out in total partnership and cooperation with the president, Cuomo said. If he wants a fight, hes not going to get it from me. Period. This is going to take us working together. Ultimately, a states stay-at-home restrictions should lawfully be allowed to continue for as long as its governor deems it necessary. And if there are other governors who disagree with continuing such orders for her or his own state, then if the CDC or Congress does not mandate a nationwide protection of everyones lives and resources to avoid a second surge of deaths, residents of the lenient states should not be allowed to travel into those states with ongoing stay-home orders. As a matter of law, public health, and federalism, each state has the final say. Leaders have set a target to start construction of the 88-storey tower by the end of 2020, Photo: Le Toan The joint venture for the $1.2 billion Thu Thiem Observation Tower complex in District 2 is set to be Vietnams tallest such tower. According to Vo Sy Nhan, general director of Empire City the joint venture backing the project the company recently sent documents to competent bodies of the city to ask for the pushing ahead of legal procedures related to the project. Nhan had suggested five proposals to help the venture develop on a planned schedule. Among those, Nhan suggested the local authorities to reissue the revised investment certificate after the joint venture had increased its contribution capital from $76 million to $240 million in 2018, and extension of the contribution progress from within 36 months from the day it received investment certificate in June 2015, to right after it receives the revised investment certificate. The joint venture also suggested the local authorities issue land use right certificates for five land plots in the project, approving investment plan for the second phase of this project, granting the announcement of having enough condition to be sold residential units in land plots 2-16 and 2-17, and confirmation of a fund contribution of VND756 billion ($32.8 million) to be a part of the projects contribution for land using rent. According to Nhan, the company has finished the frame of the 30-storey apartment building of this project, and estimates handover to buyers in the first quarter of 2021. We have so far disbursed around VND10 trillion ($434 million) into this project with thousands of labourers working at the site every day. We have been trying our best to complete this project on time, Nhan said. Ho Chi Minh City Department for Planning and Investment said that some of the above suggestions of Empire City were recently met. Nhan meanwhile committed that after all barriers are evaded, the company would start the underground basement for the 88 stories Observation Tower - the landmark construction of this project at the end of 2020. The Thu Thiem Observation Tower complex was granted an investment certificate in 2015 with the total investment capital of $1.2 billion. The project is built in a 14.5 hectare land area in Thu Thiem New Urban Area. Empire City consists of the two domestic companies of Tien Phuoc Real Estate JSC and Tran Thai Real Estate JSC, as well as two foreign investors Corredance Pte., Ltd. of Singapore and Denver Power Ltd., of the British Virgin Islands. According to the construction plan, the whole project is to be completed in 2022 and has been divided into four phases since 2016. Some of the buildings were erected in the second phase from 2017 to 2019, while the 88-storey tower complex itself is being built in the third phase to 2021, with the remainder to be built before 2022. As per a representative from Ho Chi Minh City Department for Planning and Investment, the revised investment certificate (the first change) was issued to the investor at the end of last year to increase the contributed capital to implement the project from $76 million to $240 million and adjusting the capital contribution schedule to implement the venture. After adjustment, the contributed capital to implement the project is equivalent to $240 million, accounting for 20 per cent of total investment capital. The ratio was shared among the four sides with Tran Thai and Tien Phuoc in equal share of 15 per cent each, Denver Power with 30 per cent, and Corredance with the highest proportion at 40 per cent. Right before Lunar New Year, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong had assigned competent bodies of the city to actively solve the projects outstanding issues in order to speed up the venture. New Delhi: Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday after the Supreme Court had refused to extend his plea in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Navlakha, who has been accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for alleged involvement in the Bhima Koregaon riots in 2018, was asked to surrender by the Supreme Court. Editor of Mumbai-based Economic and Political Weekly journal for years, Navlakha was one of the five human rights activists arrested for alleged Maoist links and involvement in the Bhima Koregaon violence on January 1, 2018, but was granted protection from the arrest by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. He was directed by the Supreme Court on March 16 to surrender within three weeks but he had moved a plea seeking an extension of time on the ground that going to jail during the COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence". A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on April 8 had said the accused should have honoured its decision of dismissal of the anticipatory bail and the direction to surrender themselves within three weeks. He has denied all charges against him. Grey's Anatomy actress Caterina Scorsone, has revealed she has had a change of heart about her baby daughter's name, pictured here in March 2019. (Getty Images) Greys Anatomy star, Caterina Scorsone has revealed she has changed her daughters name, four months after she was born. Sometimes, no matter how much time and care you take in choosing a moniker for your newborn, it just doesnt feel like the right fit. So, instead of living with baby name regret forever more, some parents decide to change it. Just ask Caterina Scorsone. The actress headed to Instagram to explain the reasons behind her name switch while sharing a sweet snapshot of her cuddling her baby daughter in a comfy chair. Scorsone and husband Rob Giles welcomed the newest addition to their family in December, just a couple of months after Scorsone announced she was pregnant with the couples third child. Although Scorsone previously revealed the family had opted to name their littlest arrival, Arwen, the mum-of-three has now confirmed their youngest daughter will now go by what was her middle name Lucinda, or Lucky for short. Read more: Britain's most unpopular baby names revealed Back in December, the actress announced the arrival of baby, then referred to as Arwen, by sharing two adorable pictures of her eldest daughters, Eliza, 7, and Paloma, 3, cuddling up to the newborn. But, the actress revealed on Instagram that the family have now opted to go by the babys middle name, Lucinda or Lucky for short. Read more: Banned baby names from around the world, from Lucifer to Nutella Kim Kardashian West recently admitted shed toyed with the idea of changing daughter Chicagos name, in a chat with Ellen DeGeneres. The reality star confessed that shes not super keen on her daughters moniker, despite the fact shes nicknamed her Chi (pronounced shy). We were gonna name her Jo, cause my Grandma, Mary Jo. Or we were gonna go with Grace and then it was Chicago, Kim shared. We ended up with Chicago. Story continues It kind of messes with me, Im not going to lie. I really liked the one syllable thing. In a further explanation of the name change, Kim says she doesnt believe the longer name flows. Chicago just looks really long to me and doesnt flow, so I call her Chi, Kim explained in a video posted on her website, KimKardashianWest.com. Thats it, she can decide later if she wants to be called Chicago or Chi. But like shes so girly. When she first came out I was like what do we name her? It was the hardest decision ever and I could not think of a name. And it isnt just celebrities who can have a change of heart about their childs moniker. According to a survey, by parenting site Mumsnet, one in five mothers feels namers remorse and would pick another name for their child if they had the choice. Of the 245 mothers who regretted the names they gave their children, 12% always knew it was the wrong choice, 3% knew from the moment the child was born, 8% knew within a couple of days, 32% knew within the first six weeks and almost a quarter (23%) began to regret their choice when their children first started nursery or school. The main reason for regretting the name was that it was too commonly used, while just over one in five mums who regretted their choice claimed the name just didnt feel right. A fifth said they had never liked the name but had been pressured into using it. Just over 10% of mothers said the problem wasnt that they didnt like the name, but more that it didnt suit their baby. Read more: Britain's biggest family, the Radfords, reveal name of 22nd child How do you go about changing your babys name? In the UK, if you decide that youve picked the wrong moniker for your little one, you can change the moniker youve given them. You actually have 12 months from the time the birth was registered in which to change it, but there are some conditions. Forenames can be changed only once on the birth register and it has to be their new, regularly-used name, or the name theyve been baptised with. Only parents or guardians can make the name change and if theres a baptism involved, the minister who performed the baptism may also be required to provide a form. However, if it has taken longer than 12 months to realise youve made the wrong name choice, you have to do it by deed poll, as you would any other name change. So if youre suffering the same baby name regret as Caterina, maybe give it some time and see if your little one does grow into their name. But if you really cant live with it, youll either have to rely on a nickname, use their middle name or get it officially changed by deed poll. In which case the search for the perfect moniker will have to begin all over again. A federal appeals court on Monday halted Texas Governor Greg Abbotts temporary ban on abortions as a nonessential medical procedure during the coronavirus pandemic, potentially staving off a Supreme Court battle over the issue. The three-judge panel on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that Texas cannot temporarily block abortions in which a woman takes a pill to terminate her pregnancy. Abortion providers had asked the Supreme Court over the weekend for emergency permission to continue administering medication abortions. The high court will likely not have to address that request now that the appeals court has decided in their favor. Abbot said the ban was intended to ration personal protective equipment, items like masks and paper gowns for doctors, and other resources that are running low as hospitals deal with an influx of coronavirus patients. Texass stated desire to enforce [the ban] against medication abortions despite the executive orders apparent inapplicability is a strong indication that the enforcement is pretextual and does not bear a real or substantial relation to the public health crisis we are experiencing, wrote Judge James L. Dennis, a Clinton appointee, in his concurrence. The appeals court cited the Texas Medical Boards specification that the states coronavirus medical restrictions do not apply to taking pills, implying that medication abortions may not even qualify as a procedure. The judges also noted that personal protective equipment is not required for a medication abortion. However, surgical abortions will remain restricted. Several other states, including Oklahoma, Ohio, Mississippi and Alabama, are also enmeshed in legal battles surrounding their attempts to ban abortions during the coronavirus outbreak. More from National Review New Delhi: IANS Executive Editor Deepak Sharma and Parmod Jha with Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan during an exclusive interview with IANS, in New Delhi on Feb 21, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 14 : Witnessing a very low turnout in offices over COVID threat, a Central ministry has asked its officials to clarify their unwillingness to join services so that they can be relieved. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution headed by Ram Vilas Paswan in an office memorandum dated April 13 sought "intimation by all officer/staff of Department of Consumer Affairs regarding their unwillingness/continuation of their services in the department". The memorandum, accessed by IANS, stated: "... all the officers/officials who are unwilling to continue in this department may intimate the same to establishment section by April 20 so that necessary action may be taken for relieving them." Amid COVID threat, the Department of Consumer Affairs has a crucial role to play as it is responsible for maintaining food supplies and distribution. The Department of Consumer Affairs is one of the two departments under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. It was constituted as a separate department in June 1997 to give a fillip to the nascent consumer movement in the country. In fight against the deadly coronvirus pandemic, the department is responsible for the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act, implementation of the Essential Commodities Act and prevention of black marketing and maintenance of supply under the Essential Commodities Act. The department's main task is also to monitor the prices and availability of essential commodities. In view of the coronavirus infection and the subsequent lockdown, it was found that many officers and staff were not attending offices and it became a tough task to manage the department, sources said. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Crestview Exploration Inc. (CSE: CRS) (FSE: CE7) ("Crestview" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a lease with an option to purchase a 100% interest in the Divide Mine, a high-grade precious metal vein target located in Elko County, north central Nevada. This property is comprised of 12 unpatented lode claims covering 247 acres (110ha). The claims cover the majority of the old workings and potential strike extension of the Divide Mine. Location map To view an enhanced version of this image, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7042/54406_afef196a1457298a_002full.jpg See the following hyperlink to view our news release video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itr4OOc9hqs The Divide Mine is located in the northwest portion of the Tuscarora Mining District which is centered 7 miles to the southeast of the Divide Mine. Historic mining from underground and surface placer mines produced 200,000 ounces of gold and 7.27 million ounces of silver as reported in Nevada Bureau Mines and Geology Bulletin 106, Mineral Resources of Elko County, Nevada. In more recent times (1989-1991) 39,976 ounces of gold and 254,000 ounces of silver were produced from the Dexter open pit by Horizon Gold Corporation and Chevron, as reported in "Technical Report Describing the Tuscarora Project, Centered on 565568E/4573240N, UTM WGS84 Zone 11 N in Elko County, Nevada USA, Prepared for American Pacific Mining Corp. by E.L. (Buster) Hunsaker III, CPG 8137, Effective date January 15, 2018. Currently American Pacific Mining Corp. is exploring for high-grade gold on their claims located in the central portion of the Tuscarora district. The Carlin Trend lies about 22 miles south-southwest of the property and the mines of the Jerritt Canyon Mining District lie about 18 miles to the east of the property. The Divide Mine sits on the eastern flank of a prominent upthrown block exposing sedimentary rocks surrounded by 40-million-year-old volcanic rocks. The sedimentary rocks exposed here are known to closely overlie favourable sedimentary gold mineralization host rocks in the region. Further, the age of the volcanic rocks is important because the age rocks is coincident with the age of gold and silver mineralization in the region; and there is a relationship with volcanism and mineralization. There is evidence on the property of igneous rock intrusions. Fault structures on the east edge of the host block provide conduits for multiple episodes of dikes as well as plumbing for the gold bearing mineral system. Story continues Gold and silver mineralization occur in banded quartz veins and quartz breccia veins deposited in north-south and north-northeast oriented fissure systems. The Divide Mine contains silver, cinnabar (mercury), minor copper oxides and up to 0.224 ounces of gold per ton (7 g/tonne) in rock samples. Additionally, historic drill logs from Homestake mining report drill results that hit Carlin-style sulfide gold mineralization and geochemistry from a hole located just north of the claims. Near term plans are to acquire aeromagnetic data to assist in outlining the intrusive rocks we believe are related to the mineralization at the property; then focus on geochemical sampling and geological mapping to delineate drill targets. M. J. Abrams, Crestview's Vice-President Exploration commented "The Divide Mine has many similarities to our nearby Rock Creek project located one mile to the west. Given the geologic environment, location and tenor of mineralization, the Divide property has compelling exploration potential deserved of a major drill campaign. We plan to incorporate what we have learned there into our work at the Divide Mine; as well as utilize the synergy of having two similar projects in close proximity to lower overall exploration costs on both properties". The agreement is a third-party agreement with Geological Services Inc., a Utah corporation with an office located at #3 Knob Hill Road, Park City, Utah 84098 USA. The terms of the agreement are as follows (US$): Advance Minimum Royalty On or before 15 April 2020: $25,000 1st Anniversary: $35,000 2nd Anniversary: $50,000 3rd Anniversary: $75,000* 4th Anniversary: $100,000* 5th Anniversary: $150,000* (And each year thereafter) Payments can be recovered from production. 1-mile Area of Interest on locatable land. $2,000,000 buyout *can be exercised at any time, subject to a retained 2% NSR. * = indexed to CPI. 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: Crestview Exploration is a technology driven, well funded and experienced exploration company focused on finding gold and silver deposits in mining friendly jurisdictions. The company flagship project Rock Creek is located in north-central Nevada, in Elko County. For further information please contact: Glen Watson, Chief Executive Officer Tel: 1-604-803-5229 Email: Glen@crestviewexploration.com www.crestviewexploration.com NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE 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 financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, and those additionally described in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities authorities. 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/54406 Black Americans are dying disproportionately from COVID-19 and there is a reason for it. History has shown us that the consequences of contagion are not equally felt by all communities. Almost 100 years ago, a 1926 syphilis survey conducted in the US state of Alabama showed that 36 percent of the people in Macon County had syphilis. Only 60 years after the legal abolition of slavery, Black Americans made up the majority of that county, barely keeping a living through sharecropping. In 1932, the county was chosen to become a living laboratory in which for the next few decades, Black men would be tested and examined to track the development of syphilis. The study was led by what was then known as the Tuskegee Institute, which recruited hundreds of residents, misleading them that they were receiving treatment. In the late 1940s, effective treatments became available for the disease, but the unwilling participants in the study were not given access to it. They did not become aware that they were being lied to until local media uncovered the truth in 1972. This story was not an isolated accident but was rather part of the systematic disregard for African American lives by public and private institutions during the Jim Crow era. At that time, medical professionals openly espoused anti-Black racist beliefs and were convinced treatment for some diseases, like syphilis, was not possible among Black communities. For instance, Thomas W Murrell, a doctor at the University College of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia, wrote in 1906: Those that are treated are only half cured, and the effort to assimilate a complex civilization drives their diseased minds until the results are criminal records. Perhaps here, in conjunction with tuberculosis, will be the end of the negro problem. Disease will accomplish what man cannot do. Fast forward to 2020, when the United States is battling a pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, and a similar racialised pattern of contagion and treatment has come to the fore. In early April, the online media outlet ProPublica reported that African Americans are getting infected by the novel coronavirus at a faster pace than white communities. In the state of Michigan, Wayne County where the black-majority city of Detroit is located accounts for 47 percent of the states coronavirus cases. In New York City, Black people account for 28 percent of fatalities and account of 22 percent of the citys population. The contagion by now is known to wipe out whole families, as happened with Sandy Brown, an African American woman living in a suburb of the black-majority working-class town of Flint, Michigan, who lost her husband and son. Inequality is ingrained in America and the latest statistics concerning this are damning. Unfortunately, the US government so far has not taken adequate action; instead, it has put the responsibility entirely on minority communities to protect themselves against health inequities they are not responsible for. On April 10, Surgeon General Jerome Adams acknowledged during a press conference that Black Americans are more prone to COVID-19 because of social issues. He advised African Americans and Latinos to adhere to the White House task force guidelines but did not say anything about how the US government planned to alleviate the social circumstances which have made these communities more susceptible to the virus. The American medical-industrial complex likes to explicitly or implicitly blame Black Americans for their health outcomes rather than provide the resources and tools to eradicate health inequities. This is not too different from the Jim Crowe years when doctors believed that lust and immorality, unstable families among Black people were the reasons why there was a higher incidence of illness in their community. In the past as in today, social factors that are beyond the control of communities of colour are responsible for the increased incidence of illness and are now putting them at a higher risk of a fatal outcome in case of a COVID-19 infection. As Dr Lisa Cooper, a physician at Johns Hopkins University explained in an interview for US News: This is because as a group, African Americans in the US have higher rates of poverty, housing and food insecurity, unemployment or underemployment, and chronic medical conditions and disabilities. In other words, racism has a biological impact on black and brown bodies; the chronic stress of everyday racism makes people sicker. African Americans are more likely to experience racial disparities which translate into higher rates of hypertension, asthma, diabetes, etc pre-existing conditions that are linked to higher death rates from COVID-19 infections. Many of these chronic illnesses emerge from environmental factors such as Black Americans living in underserved neighbourhoods that are disproportionately subjected to a lack of clean water such as in Flint, Michigan or higher rates of air pollution such as in the historically black neighbourhood of Harlem in New York City. Apart from environmental racism, Black communities also face lower rates of healthcare coverage and are less likely to be taken seriously by a doctor, which also exacerbates health inequities. Of three Black Americans who had COVID-19 interviewed by The Root recently, two said they were initially sent away when they tried to get tested. One, 27-year-old Geniece Ward, noted that she was experiencing a lot of pain and her temperature was 101.9 F (38.8 C), but she was told she had to have every single symptom in order to get tested. Some Black physicians have already sounded the alarm that amid the pandemic, the Black community may suffer disproportionately because of unequal access to health care. In an interview for Slate, Dr Uche Blackstock said: When its time for clinicians to ration resources, I think we can already assume that Black patients are going to be disadvantaged because theyre not going to be listened to. That African Americans are disproportionately more likely to suffer from a lack of adequate care is particularly dangerous amid this pandemic because their living conditions and employment may prevent them from following social distancing guidelines and put them at a higher risk of contracting the disease in the first place. African Americans are more likely to have essential jobs which keep the country going amid lockdowns, including in home health assistance, sanitation, public transportation and grocery stores. In New York City, at least 1,167 Metropolitan Transit Authority employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 33 have died. African Americans are also facing health inequities in the prison system, where they are also disproportionately represented (a third of Black men are likely to spend time in prison). There is already a history of epidemics of infectious diseases, such as HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and hepatitis C spreading in the US prison system, and public health experts are worried that problems with health provision and hygiene could make outbreaks of COVID-19 that more deadly in private and public detention centres. The Cook County Jail outside of Chicago has already become the largest place of prison infection in the US with more than 251 inmates and 150 employees ill with the virus. The risk of Black people dying disproportionately is not new and is all too familiar for those born and raised in America. Coronavirus is not racist, rather, it reveals racism in American society one that speaks to a massive wealth gap, healthcare gap and housing gap. A century ago, when African Americans were subjected to medical testing, experimentation and racial terror, we had less information about the life of viruses. Today, we have the power and resources to provide universal healthcare in the United States, yet, this is withheld because of the political myopia of the majority of the elected officials and the greed of private insurance companies. If we want to disrupt the racial health inequalities that we are witnessing today with African Americans, that requires employing holistic and humane health policies that speak to the material concerns, where access to healthcare is an indisputable human right for some, but a benefit for all. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. As it approves billions of dollars to support hospitals and health care workers besieged by Covid-19, Congress can reinforce some of the worst elements of Americas broken health care system or it can begin to transform the system by making permanent the reforms the pandemic has forced through. At least three major changes have been the unanticipated silver lining of Covid-19. Telemedicine is now everywhere. For years doctors resisted telemedicine, either because it was too hard to learn or, worse, because they made more money from an in-office visit. Last year just 22 percent of family physicians surveyed used video visits, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Overnight, the pandemic forced doctors to close their offices and shift almost exclusively to telemedicine. For normal pregnancies, many obstetricians are now doing most prenatal check-ins with virtual visits. Dermatologists are diagnosing less threatening skin conditions by using cellphone cameras. This is crucial because telemedicine is cost-efficient for matters that do not need physical contact and easier to work into patients daily life, and it frees up office visits for patients with complex conditions. It also makes it easier for doctors to provide after hours care, reducing costly emergency room and urgent care clinic visits. When federal investigators toured a housing unit at New Jerseys only womens prison, they discovered there was only one male officer assigned to patrol the sprawling building holding 50 inmates. Camera coverage was spotty in the units remote areas and non-existent in its storage room. Inside the storage closet lay a mattress on the floor. It was among dozens of disturbing findings made public Monday in a scathing report on conditions at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, where the U.S. Department of Justice concluded officers coerce prisoners into sexual acts, grope them during strip searches and routinely demean them as bitches, dykes" and other slurs. Current and former prisoners and staff described the rampant sexual abuse as "an open secret, the report found. Those conditions violate the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito. In a statement, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, Matthew Schuman, placed blame on the previous administration and said Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks has since launched a third-party all female board of trustees to advise the state on problems at the prison. The statement said the department has created an early warning system" in order to identify patterns of problematic behavior that can jeopardize offender safety," among other reforms. The federal findings are the latest development in a years-long effort to curb the abuse and exploitation of prisoners at the Hunterdon County prison, which were documented in a series of NJ Advance Media reports on Edna Mahan. Seven staff members in recent years have been convicted of sexually abusing inmates, and investigations into still more cases are ongoing. Yet women at Edna Mahan continue to be raped and harassed to this day, the inquiry found. Indeed, credible allegations of sexual abuse by both correction officers and civilian staff continued to surface throughout 2018 and into 2019, despite the attention focused on the issue," said the report, detailing the results of a nearly two-year federal inquiry by U.S. Attorney and the departments Civil Rights Division in Washington. (The Department of Corrections) and Edna Mahan have been aware that their women prisoners face a substantial risk of serious harm from sexual abuse, and they have failed to remedy this constitutional violation. Now officials in Gov. Phil Murphys administration have just seven weeks to act on more than a dozen minimal remedial measures before the Justice Department could bring a federal suit to enforce stricter controls to protect the prisons 500 inmates. The explosive report comes at a time New Jerseys corrections officials are already grappling with staffing shortages and outbreaks of the coronavirus behind bars amid a global pandemic. A spokesman for Murphy declined comment. Schuman, the corrections spokesman, said the department remains committed to ensuring the safety of all those in its care, and in service of that goal continues to regularly monitor and evaluate its operations, programs and services. The Justice Departments report concluded what current and former inmates say they long knew: The culture at Edna Mahan allows corrections officers and staff to exchange contraband with inmates for sexual favors or coerce them against their will. That supervisors and administrators often look the other way. And officials at the highest levels of state government have long known but have done little to stop it. Lydia Thornton, a prison reform advocate and former Edna Mahan inmate, said she was stunned by the report not because of the findings, but that finally, a federal investigation had confirmed them. This is not a problem of one or two bad apples, she said. This is a problem of a cultural, systemic thing thats been allowed for decades. In sometimes graphic detail, the report alleges sworn law enforcement officers make efforts to watch prisoners as they shower, undress, or use restrooms. It relays inmate complaints that officers inappropriately grope, and sometimes expose, prisoners breasts and genitals during searches. And the report details how women who complain of abuse are, by matter of prison policy, removed from their regular cells and placed in isolation a practice corrections officials say is for their protection but prisoners see as punishment for speaking out. In one case, a third party reported to corrections officials that a woman who had been sent to a halfway house was being abused by a staff member of her community release program. State authorities responded by bringing her back to the prison and placing her in isolation even though the accused staff member was not at Edna Mahan and could pose no threat to her, federal investigators found. The Justice Department called on state authorities to end the practice. Although Carpenito, the U.S. Attorney, said in a statement his office was encouraged by the states cooperation throughout our investigation, and stated commitment to ending sexual abuse at Edna Mahan," the federal report assails nearly every level of oversight of the prison, from internal investigators and the outside auditors who visit in compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act to the ombudsman assigned to address complaints from inmates and their families. The departments Special Investigations Division, which performs internal affairs probes, enjoys a too-cozy relationship with regular officers, the report found. In one case, an investigator assigned to investigate a senior officer for potential misconduct involving a relationship with, and marriage to, a former prisoner failed to disclose he had made a social visit to the officers house and met his wife. Adrian Ellison, the president of the union that represents officers in the Special Investigations Division, said they have been hamstrung by state corrections officials. Weve been petitioning management for a long time to have additional staff at Edna Mahan, and they just havent complied with it, he said. State officials have spent years pledging reforms, but federal authorities say they dont go far enough. Legislative hearings spurred by NJ Advance Medias reporting and a spate of arrests resulted in laws requiring more training for corrections officers, codifying standard reporting practices for abuse claims and limiting cross-gender strip searches. Corrections officials have also touted the number of cameras theyve installed in recent years. Federal investigators found that, often, nobody is watching those cameras. Lieutenants and other high-level officers indicated a reluctance to review footage for evidence of staff misconduct, which they would then be required to report to the administrator for corrective action, the report said. The federal report found the state still needs to hire significantly more female officers for the prison and concluded a culture of denial and ignorance persists behind the walls, finding that state corrections officials have been reactionary to press coverage and arrests of staff members rather than proactive. Some officers were candid in disparaging the recent focus on sexual abuse, based on the view that prisoners abuse the system, and supervisory staff reinforced, rather than correct, this perception that sexual assault received undue focus, the report found. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. 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. After recording a spike in the past few days, Tamil Nadu reported a marginal dip in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with only 31 testing positive for the contagion while 81 people were discharged following recovery, a senior Health official said here. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 1,204 and out of the fresh cases, as many as 21 were linked to the the Jablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, one person had a history of inter-state travel and nine others were their contacts, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told reporters here. The state had reported 98 fresh cases on Monday, 106 on Sunday and 58 on Saturday. Among those who were confirmed to have been infected by the virus, five belonged to Chennai, taking the total number of cases in the city to 210. Of the 31 infected, 15 were men and 16 women, Rajesh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Navy's Naval Aircraft Yard here has developed a smart evacuation pod for evacuation of COVID-19 patients safely from remote areas such as islands and ships. The indigenously designed and fabricated an Air Evacuation Pod (AEP) will help the evacuation team to safely shift coronavirus-infected persons from ships and islands in a fully sealed patient transfer capsule. There will be no risk of cross infection to pilots and evacuation team using the pod with no requirement of sanitation of aircraft post evacuation, a Defence spokesman said here. The evacuation pod was designed under guidance of Principal Medical Officer of the naval air station here, INS Garuda in consultation with specialist from the naval hospital INHS Sanjivani and Head Quarters of Southern Naval Command, the spokesperson said. It is made of aluminum, nitrile rubber and perspex. The highlight of the pod is that it weighs only 32 kg and has incurred a manufacturing cost of Rs 50,000 which is only 0.1 per cent of cost of an imported equivalent (Rs 59 lakh), the spokesman said. "Trials of patients inside AEP were undertaken on board Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dornier aircraft of Indian Navy at Southern Naval Command and successfully completed on April 8. Twelve AEPs are planned for distribution across Southern, Western, Eastern and Andaman and Nicobar Naval commands," the spokesman said. The successful induction of the AEP will vastly increase the Indian Navy's abilities in its relentless efforts towards aiding COVID prevention across the nation, the spokesman added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dong Baek and Han Su Mi captured their suspect, Jae Gyu, who is responsible for all the crimes that happened 20 years ago. They admitted him to the hospital after he almost died from the recent brawl. In the recent episode of Memorist, Dong Baek continued to get information from Jae Gyu. He touched him while he was asleep, but he picked up nothing as his memories of the crimes he committed got erased. He confirmed that Jae Gyu is not The Eraser. Then, he convinced his team that they need to search leads from Jae Gyu's past that may point them to the mysterious person. Jae Gyu opened his eyes and went back to sleep. Dong Baek touched his shoulder to check if his memories will wander. A memory came up, wherein Jae Gyu and his wife were together with their daughter, Sang Ah. It showed Jae Gyu's life after he was released from a mental hospital. He discovered that his wife tried to poison him and had an affair with another man. Jae Gyu's tale as a murderer started when his wife cheated on him. He inherited a huge fortune from his family, but he suffered from depression and health issues because of them as well. Instead of taking care of what he needed to get better, she tried to poison him with the food she prepared for him. His wife got pregnant with another man and gave birth to a child he taught of his own blood. When he found out everything, he began to worship spirits and used his power to kill for injustice. Su Mi interviewed Jae Gyu as soon as he woke up. She believed that Jae Gyu is the murderer with her own judgment. Jae Gyu insisted that The Eraser knows everything about him. The Eraser would take out his memories so he may forget every crime. Jae Gyu confessed that he was responsible for the crimes 20 years ago. But the current murders that happened, he doesn't know anything about it. Su Mi insisted if he is also responsible for her father's death. Jae Gyu did not answer. Instead, he made a deal with her in exchange for information. He will expose what happened to Su Mi's father's death as soon as Song Ah and her family were sent abroad. Shin Woong arrived in the holding room, hearing the interrogations Su Mi did to Jae Gyu. He sent everyone out and watched the recordings alone. Meanwhile, Dong Baek and his team went to the apartment where Jae Gyu stayed after he left the mental institution. They searched for the man with marks on his right hand and suspected him to be The Eraser. Reaching the place, Dong Baek found the name of the person they were looking for. He found out that the man had mental illness left untreated. With the help of his old father, the man continued to live. However, he struggled with no medicines on hand. Dong Baek touched the man's head and found nothing relevant in his memory. Jae Gyu continued to share his life with Su Mi at the hospital. He mentioned what urged him to come back to Seoul is to protect Song Ah. He preferred to stay abroad to live away with fear and stay away from The Eraser. A few months ago, he received pictures from his daughter with a written note that says, "come back." He is worried about Song Ah and her family's welfare. The written words are from The Eraser, and he threatened Jae Gyu to return to spare Song Ah's family. They found Jae Gyu when the crimes a few months ago happened that link his name and about his past. Jae Gyu mentioned his experience about the deaths in the past when he saw The Eraser and what he looks like. Dong Baek and Su Mi decided to check on Song Ah and her daughter. At Song Ah's house, they asked questions that relate to his father and her childhood. Dong Baek asked Song Ah to let him scan her memory. Song Ah agreed and asked if he can also track her husband. Dong Baek started to check telepathy and found nothing that leads to his father, Jae Gyu. They asked to scan her daughter's memory. After Su Mi saw a drawing from the child that resembles red eyes and a black face, Dong Baek touched the child's head. He saw The Eraser's face below the underground tunnel that stands at Jae Gyu's backyard. Dong Baek confirmed to Su Mi that he saw The Eraser and touched his shoes to make contact with his memory as well. Dong Baek and Su Mi hurriedly went to Jae Gyu's backyard and opened the tunnel. They got in and checked the area. It was dark but Su Mi saw a man wearing a black mask sitting in the corner. He approached her even if she told him to step back. Su Mi shot the man. Advertisement China has taken advantage of the USS Theodore Roosevelt being crippled by the coronavirus by sending an aircraft carrier and fighter jets close to the disputed territory of Taiwan. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier, and five accompanying warships passed first through the Miyako Strait, located between Japan's islands of Miyako and Okinawa, to the northeast of Taiwan, on Saturday. The USS Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are the only two US carriers in the Pacific, but both have been forced to dock due to confirmed coronavirus cases onboard, which effectively gives China free range in the region. With the US vessels in port, the Liaoning, which can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, is currently the only aircraft carrier active in the western Pacific. On Sunday, the Liaoning's carrier group, which includes two missile destroyers, two missile frigates, and a supply ship, sailed in waters on Taiwan's east coast and then into seas to the south of Taiwan, carrying out exercises, the ministry said. In response to China, the US Air Force and Navy put on a show of strength with a runway formation of a dozen B-52 bombers and other aircraft on Monday. Taiwan also said its armed forces monitored the carrier group's progress throughout and 'completed relevant actions in response to ensure national security and protect regional peace and stability'. There was no immediate response from China's Defense Ministry. Scroll down for video Liaoning and accompanying warships passed first through the Miyako Strait over the weekend. Pictured here, the Liaoning sailing with a flotilla of Chinese ships in April 2018 Members of the People's Liberation Army navy are seen on board China's aircraft carrier Liaoning as it sails into Hong Kong, China, in July 2017 On Sunday, the Liaoning's carrier group, which includes two missile destroyers, two missile frigates, and a supply ship, sailed in waters on Taiwan's east coast China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's legal status. The Chinese government and many Chinese people consider Taiwan as a part of its territory, but many Taiwanese consider the territory a separate nation. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. The USS Roosevelt, which is currently docked in Guam, reported its first death of a sailor who previously tested positive for the virus on Monday. Nearly 600 sailors on the aircraft carrier have now tested positive for COVID-19 with about 92 per cent of the ship's crew having been tested. Officials said the USS Reagan is currently docked in Yokosuka, Japan, for maintenance, but crew members have also reported coronavirus cases onboard. With the US vessels in port, the Liaoning (pictured in July 2017), which can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, is currently the only aircraft carrier active in the western Pacific In response to China, the US Air Force and Navy put on a show of strength with a runway formation of a dozen B-52 bombers and other aircraft on Monday The USS Carl Vinson, which is docked in Puget Sound naval base in Washington for maintenance, also has sailors diagnosed with the bug. The USS Nimitz recently became the fourth US aircraft carrier with a confirmed coronavirus case onboard. In addition to the Liaoning, China has a recently-completed Shandong, rumored to have cost $9billion and stationed at Hainan Island, the country's southernmost point. The US has 11 aircraft carriers - but two are deployed to the Middle East, and five are in US ports undergoing long-term services and overhauls. Taiwan has complained of an increased Chinese military presence near the island in the past few weeks, and has told China is should be concentrating on fighting the new coronavirus rather than menacing the island. The USS Roosevelt (pictured in 2017) and USS Ronald Reagan are the only two US carriers in the Pacific, but both have been forced to dock due to confirmed coronavirus cases onboard, which effectively gives China free range in the region Officials said the USS Reagan (pictured in 2018) is currently docked in Yokosuka, Japan, for maintenance, but crew members have also reported coronavirus cases onboard The US military has also been active in waters near Taiwan recently. A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day that Chinese fighter jets drilled in waters close to the island. Last month, the US destroyer USS McCampbell sailed through the Taiwan Strait. The guided missile destroyer had transited the strait on a 'routine mission' through the waterway, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry. The potential crippling of the US Navy in the Pacific is alarming news given escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Beijing and Washington have traded barbs over the origin of the coronavirus, with President Donald Trump angering Beijing by calling it the 'China virus'. Senior Chinese officials have also spread conspiracy theories about the virus' origin. POWER AND MIGHT: CHINA'S TWO AIRCRAFT CARRIERS China has made drastic advancements in its military capabilities in recent years, and will boast the world's biggest Navy by 2035, according to the US Naval Institute. The country already has two aircraft carriers, and is said to have plans to construct two more in the next few years. China's government first purchased a partially completed carrier from Ukraine in 1998, and spent more than a decade completely refurbishing it. The carrier - named Liaoning - is docked at Dalian Naval Base in the country's northeast. It entered into service in 2012. Like the Liaoning, the Shandong uses a ski-jump style ramp to launch its planes (pictured) China then funneled a reported $9billion into its second aircraft carrier - Shandong. The 65,000 ton warship can hold up to 6,000 crew, and is strategically based at Hainan Island, China's southernmost point. The carrier only entered service this past December, and Chinese President Xi Jinping's attended an official commissioning ceremony. Like the Liaoning, the Shandong uses a ski-jump style ramp to launch its planes. Last month, South China Morning Post reported that Naval officials had tightened restrictions on the ship amid fears that coronavirus could spread among sailors. Those embarking and disembarking underwent medical screenings. According to the newspaper, crew members were prohibited from going ashore unless they had permission from Captain Lai Yijun or Political Commissar Pang Jianhong. The ship was also subject to increased cleaning measures, with 'each and every corner of the vessel disinfected'. Advertisement Taiwan is China's most sensitive territorial issue and a potential military flashpoint. China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China's Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. But the island was under the Republic of China's ruling again after World War II, with the consent of its allies the US and UK. The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang's son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratising Taiwan. In 1980, China put forward a formula called 'one country, two systems', under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. China still claims Taiwan is part of its territory awaiting reunification and views any passage through the strait as a breach of its sovereignty. The US and many other nations say it is an international waterway and Washington regularly carries out so-called 'freedom of navigation' operations to press the point. Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan ever since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge its concept that the island is part of 'one China'. But the pressure campaign has won few friends among the Taiwanese. In January, Tsai was re-elected for a second term with a landslide against an opposition that favored warmer ties with Beijing. China sent its first domestically built aircraft carrier - the Shandong - through the Taiwan Strait in December just weeks before the election. That move was condemned by Taiwan as attempted intimidation. A US bipartisan panel that monitors religious freedom around the world has expressed concern over reports that Pakistans Hindu and Christian minorities were being denied food aid amid the Covid-19 crisis. According to several media reports, Hindus and Christians in some parts of the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi were denied aid during the distribution of relief materials by the NGO Saylani Welfare International Trust last week. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is troubled by the reports of food aid being denied to Hindus and Christians amid the spread of Covid-19 in Pakistan, the panel said in a statement early on Tuesday. These actions are simply reprehensible, said USCIRF commissioner Anurima Bhargava. As Covid-19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy. Food aid must not be denied because of ones faith. We urge the Pakistani government to ensure that food aid from distributing organisations is shared equally with Hindus, Christians, and other religions minorities. The USCIRF pointed to the reports that Saylani Welfare International Trust, a NGO established to aid the homeless and seasonal workers, had refused food aid to Hindus and Christians, arguing the aid is reserved for Muslims alone. USCIRF commissioner Johnnie Moore said, In a recent address by Prime Minister [Imran] Khan to the international community, he highlighted that the challenge facing governments in the developing world is to save people from dying of hunger while also trying to halt the spread of Covid-19. This is a monumental task laying before many countries. Prime Minister Khans government has the opportunity to lead the way but they must not leave religious minorities behind. Otherwise, they may add on top of it all one more crisis, created by religious discrimination and inter-communal strife. In its 2019 annual report, USCIRF had noted that Hindus and Christians in Pakistan face continued threats to their security and are subject to various forms of harassment and social exclusion. Following the reports about Hindus and Christians in some parts of Karachi being denied food aid, other NGOs such as the Edhi Foundation and JDC Welfare Organisation had delivered rations to members of the two minority communities. The Jamaat-e-Islami carried out disinfection spraying in temples and churches in Korangi and Clifton areas of Karachi and distributed cooked food and rations among Hindu and Christian families. Karachi is home to a substantial number of Hindus and Christians. A majority of Pakistans Hindu minority live in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital. The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government entity that monitors and reports on threats to religious freedom across the globe. Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government has said in a press release that the total number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra has jumped to 2,334 and 160 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state so far. According to Maharashtra government, a total of 352 new cases were recorded in the state in last 24 hours and 11 people have died during the same time period. The total number of coronavirus patients in Mumbai is 1,540 and 101 people have died in the city so far due to the deadly viral disease. In Maharashtra, 229 people have been cured of coronavirus so far. In Karnataka, two people have died due to coronavirus on Monday (April 13), taking the death toll in the state to 8. According to government official, a 65-year-old male patient from Bangalore died at RGICD, Bangalore on Monday. He was later tested positive for coronavirus. In Odisha, five COVID-19 patients, all of Bhubaneswar, have recovered and tested negative for the disease. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday and it is expected that during his address to the nation the prime minister will talk about the further course of action to deal with the crisis posed by COVID-19 pandemic. A post from the official Twitter handle of PMO read, "PM Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday." Last week, PM Modi held a meeting with state Chief Ministers through video conference and at least 10 CMs had reportedly advocated for an extension of the ongoing shutdown to contain COVID-19 pandemic. While some Chief Ministers advised him to extend it 'at least for the rest of April', some had advocated 'caution' if he decides against extending it. Today the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced the launch of the Liberia COVID-19 Rapid Assessment System (RAS), a public health tool to enable Liberians to assess their symptoms while allowing MOH and NPHIL to collect real-time information on potential COVID-19 cases nationwide. NPHIL urges all members of the public who wish to check if their symptoms match COVID-19 to dial *747*19# on the Lonestar Cell MTN network. The RAS is provided free of charge to the public; no phone credit will be deducted for anyone who uses the service. The tool was developed by a team led by Dr. Mosoka Fallah, Director General of NPHIL in collaboration with the Private Sector Engagement Committee. The RAS software platform was built by Cookshop Food Services, Inc. (Cookshop.biz), a Liberian tech company that has a track record of developing advanced software solutions for the local market since 2014. The RAS utilizes USSD services provided by Lonestar Cell MTN which make it easily accessible across the country through their nationwide GSM network. According to Dr. Fallah The IMS teams are collaborating quickly to develop solutions like the RAS that allow us to track and reduce infection rates on a large scale. Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Minister of Health of the Republic of Liberia, also stated, This will expand our ability to gather information about the outbreak and save many lives. The RAS was designed to address the need for an easy to access tool for members of the public to quickly assess their symptoms which will aid in the reduction of the spread of COVID-19 in Liberia. The system also meets the need for a simple tool for public health response teams to conduct contact tracing and case assessment without dependence on expensive devices that require access to the internet. Anyone with a simple mobile phone within range of a mobile network will be able to use the system with no data or airtime required. Nepal reported two new coronavirus cases on Tuesday taking the total number of infected persons in the country to 16. The two new cases are related living in the same apartment in east Kathmandu, the Ministry of Health and Population said. The new coronavirus patients -- a 58-year-old man and an 81-year-old woman -- returned to Kathmandu from London last month. Another member of the same family has tested negative for corona. The new patients are being treated in isolation. The Nepal government has imposed nationwide lockdown till April 15, which is most likely to get extended. "The lockdown will not be lifted any time soon," Prime Minister KP Oli said during his video conference with chief ministers of all seven provinces. Globally, the novel coronavirus has killed over 120,000 people and infected over 1.8 million people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Chicago are being kept in the dark about the identities of hundreds of inmates released in Cook County amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Washington Times, prosecutors and public defenders handling the special coronavirus court hearings are refusing to share information on those released with the public or with other law enforcement. It has been branded the 'greatest fear' by police officers who have no idea about the extent of the crimes committed by those who have been released. There have been roughly 1,000 detainees released from the Cook County Jail over the past month. Not all of these were because of coronavirus. Privacy has been cited as an issue, as the sheriff's office and state attorney argue over who has responsibility for tracking names of those released. It comes as releases are being scrutinized nationwide. In Utah, a man was rearrested after he allegedly tied up a woman and threatened to kill her unless she handed over her PIN codes for her bank cards. Two Cook County employees leave the Cook County Jail on Friday. There have been 1,000 inmates released from the jail in the past month but police have not been provided with information on who they are and what their crimes were, sparking concerns they will reoffend Police in Chicago are concerned that information on the inmates released from Cook County Jail has not been shared with them. The jail has one of the worst coronavirus clusters in the United States and inmates have shared messages for help in the windows, pictured 'The greatest fear people have is the fear of the unknown,' Kevin Graham, president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, told The Washington Times. 'We don't know what is occurring, we don't know why people are being released, we don't know their offenses, and we don't know if these people pose a danger to society.' According to Beth Huebner, a recidivism researcher at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, privacy issues may be involved in the decision to keep the information about released inmates from the police and public. 'We need to make sure we protect the names of these individuals and their identities because they could be opened up to further stigma,' she said. 'This information could be used in nefarious ways.' Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, argues that it should not be kept from the public, however. 'It is really stunning, and I don't use that word lightly,' he said. 'For a public defender to say we don't want to release information on who is coming into and out of the system is a betrayal of the legitimate need of the public's right to know. I think it is very shortsighted and kind of ironic that an office titled public defender can be so antagonistic to the safeguards the public requires.' The state attorney has said it is the responsibility of the sheriff's office to provide the information but the sheriff's office claims it lies with them. 'The sheriff handles the custody and release of detainees from the jail, so all inquiries for information regarding the inmates they have released from Cook County Jail should be directed to them,' the state attorney's office said in a statement. A Cook County sheriffs employee talks on his phone outside the maximum security unit of the Cook County Jail. Police have not been told who has been released from the jail because of coronavirus. There have been 1,000 released in the past month as a result Cook County Jail in Chicago is one of the largest in the country and has become the source of a large coronavirus cluster as over 500 inmates and staff are infected and three inmates die Cook County is among many jails across the country releasing prisoners amid the coronavirus pandemic with the aim of reducing the prison population to limit the danger to inmates. An outbreak in a prison can spread quickly, endangering inmates and staff, as social distancing can not be properly maintained and prisoners have more limited access to cleaning facilities. The rate of infection in Chicago's Cook County Jail, one of the country's largest, is already higher than it is anywhere in the country and three inmates have died from complications caused by COVID-19. With over 500 now infected, inmates have begun to place signs in the window of the jail calling for help. Detainees make up two-thirds of these cases. In order to bring down the risk to the prison's population, hundreds are being released after the county's public defender, the state's attorney, the sheriff and other officials agreed it was the safest measure. Inmates have begun to write messages for help in the windows of Cook County Jail A plea for help is written on a window of the maximum security unit of the Cook County Jail Those released are said to be detainees charged and still awaiting trial and others serving less than a year for low-level crimes. Inmates are released after a case-by-case review and nonprofit bail groups, such as the Chicago Community Bond Fund, use their money to get people out, according to NPR. However, Cook County Sheriff's Office, who run the jail, said they do not know who has been released because of coronavirus. During the first week of hearings, roughly 300 people exited the jail because of the pandemic and 1,000 have been released in the past month. The exact numbers released because of coronavirus are not known as the special coronavirus hearings are not held on the public docket. 'I think people have a right to be concerned, and I think the Chicago Police Department should be notified and they are not being notified,' Graham said, adding that he believed withholding the information 'smacks in the face of what is decent and right'. 'Many of these are repeat offenders who are more than likely going to have contact with police in Chicago, Hinsdale [Illinois], Milwaukee or wherever they wind up,' he said. Cook County employees fist bump at a gate on Friday. The jail reportedly has the most infections of any single location in the US as health officials warn about overcrowding Women arrive at the Cook County Jail in Chicago on Friday. The jail with nearly 4500 inmates has been hit hard by the coronavirus and three inmates have died so far His concerns come after other releases are facing scrutiny across the country. In Utah, a man was rearrested after he allegedly broke into a woman's home, tied her up at knifepoint and threatened to kill her if she didn't give him the PIN codes for her bank cards. In Greece, New York, the police chief said he learned from a TV report that three convicted child rapists had been released and were staying at a Holiday Inn Express in his town. And in Buffalo, New York, eight registered sex offenders were released, three of whom were deemed potential reoffenders. In Cook County, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network criticized the release of 64-year-old Dexter Ford. The homeless man was released after he was deemed at risk because he is HIV-positive and because he had only been arrested on charges of trespassing after he washed himself in the bathroom of a grocery store. Yet in 2007, he was sentence to ten years for rape. 'Being HIV-positive, homeless and having a record for a sexually violent offense makes this individual extremely high-risk in terms of the danger he poses to the public,' said Camille Cooper, vice president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. 'Just releasing him and saying you can go be transient again is an additional risk to him,' she said. 'If the judge wants to come at it from a compassionate standpoint, she could have provided social support to this individual who has multiple risk factors. It is kind of an irresponsible thing to do to a multiple offender.' Cook County Jail staff have said that any inmate who displays signs of coronavirus is immediately removed from where they are being housed and given medical attention. The jail has one of the the largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who have seen deadly encounters in Jammu and Kashmir and in Naxal infested areas of Chhattisgarh are now helping other jawans to fight an equally important and decisive battle, the one against COVID-19. These jawans, whose unit is currently situated in RK Puram in New Delhi, are making masks and personal protective equipment (PPEs) round the clock for their brothers-in-arms. One such jawan, Constable Abdul Hamid, who was born and brought up in Kulgam, Jammu-Kashmir, and is currently engaged in manufacturing masks for CRPF jawans told ANI that it was an unexpected challenge for him and his team members. Hamid said that along with other team members they were manufacturing 40-50 thousand masks on a daily basis, without a break. "I belong to Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district and joined CRPF in 2006. I was deployed in various areas including Jammu and Kashmir, but I never expected that I would have to fight a completely different battle by making protective gear for our men," Hamid told ANI. "Here we are working in shifts and making masks. We have got basic training of making these masks and after that, we have been working consistently, round the clock, to make masks as the demand is very high. It makes us feel great that we are contributing to our personnel and the society in some way during this period," Hamid said. Another CPRF Constable who was deployed in Chhattisgarh before being posted to Delhi also shared his experiences from fighting with Naxals to fighting with COVID-19. "Before getting posted to Delhi, I was posted in Chhattisgarh where I have dealt with Naxals. For this new experience I got a basic training to operate an expensive machine which cuts the material into pieces to make three-layered masks. It is also a different experience," the Constable said. With the sharpest ever increase of 1,463 new positive COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus cases in India on Tuesday climbed to 10,815, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The COVID-19 figure includes 9279 active cases, while 1190 patients have been cured and discharged or migrated as of Tuesday. The total deaths due to the infection stood at 353. As per the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra with 2337 confirmed cases has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country, followed by Delhi (1510) and Tamil Nadu (1173). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former celebrity cook who survived five heart attacks has joined the battle to maintain the nation's mental health amid the current pandemic, sharing her tips to banish fear and negativity surrounding the coronavirus. Sally Bee, 52, of Stratford-upon-Avon, was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening heart condition 16 years ago - forcing her to fine-tune the art of positive mental thinking. Last month she launched her Daily Positive videos on her website and social media channels. They are also being shared by ITV's Lorraine show via its YouTube channel and the programme's other social platforms. Sally is currently reaching around half a million people each day, teaching them the tools to look after their mental health. Sally Bee, 52, of Stratford-upon-Avon, was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening heart condition 16 years ago - forcing her to fine-tune the art of positive mental thinking Speaking to FEMAIL, Sally admitted she feels everybody else is now experiencing the kind of fear she's lived with with for almost two decades. 'I've lived like this for a long time - the fear that if I caught an infection it could kill me,' she said. 'I kind of feel like everybody else has come into my world now. I've lived with the fear of getting any kind of infection and the fear that if something gets me it will grab me much harder than it maybe would other people. 'I'm used to living in this way, it's really no surprise to me. But I had to learn to overcome those dark thoughts so I wasn't overwhelmed by them on a daily basis and I could still enjoy life. Sally, pictured with Lorraine and Maxine Jones, admitted she feels everybody else is now experiencing the kind of fear she's lived with with for almost two decades Sally has survived five heart attacks - three of which happened at the age of 36 - and her family were told to say their goodbyes as she wasn't expected to survive. Pictured in hospital after her fourth and fifth heart attack 'When coronavirus reached us in the UK, it didn't cause me any extra fear or worry, because I'm already in that "vulnerable" group. It just meant lots more people having to adopt the same attitude towards life that I have. 'I realised that the tools I've learned and taught myself could offer support to many others, and I've had lots of messages from people saying it's keeping them going.' Nobody is better equipped to offer advice towards overcoming deep-seated fear than Sally. Her own heart-wrenching story started in September 2004 when she suffered a heart attack while taking one of her three children to a friend's birthday party. Nobody is better equipped to offer advice towards overcoming deep-seated fear than Sally She recalled: 'I handed my baby girl Lela to a friend and ran to the toilet. It was as if a big black cloud was looming over me and I knew something very serious was happening to me. 'I collapsed on the floor, feeling as if my chest was being crushed and struggling to breathe. I felt sick and hot and sweaty. The pain I was enduring was so much worse than giving birth to any of my three babies.' Sally was rushed to hospital but doctors ruled out anything serious, as she was only 36, led a healthy lifestyle and had no family history of heart problems. But two days later at home serving tea it happened again, and Sally was back at the hospital having suffered the same agony. That night a third episode hit. After her first heart attack, Sally was rushed to hospital but doctors ruled out anything serious, as she was only 36, led a healthy lifestyle and had no family history of heart problems. Pictured in hospital after falling over and breaking her arm - two day later she had her fourth heart attack, with doctors suggesting the fall could have been sparked it due to the adrenaline An angiogram revealed Sally had suffered three heart attacks, causing massive damage to her heart. Doctors told her husband Dogan, now 56, and children Tarik, then five, Kazim, two, and baby Lela, nine months, to say their goodbyes, as it was unlikely Sally would survive. 'They said I'd die before the morning, then they said I would die the next day and then that I wouldn't last the week, because I'd suffered such catastrophic damage to my heart,' she said. 'My lifestyle and positive thinking is definitely what saved me. In that situation it was sink or swim. It would have been easier to sink because I was afraid of everything. Doctors told her husband Dogan, now 56, and children Tarik, then five, Kazim, two, and baby Lela, nine months, to say their goodbyes, as it was unlikely Sally would survive 'I spent a year recovering, laying on the sofa watching the children play and struggling with the fear it would happen again. But I realised that I was more afraid of living in fear than I was afraid of dying. I decided I would take control of my life, push the boundaries and move forward. 'I resolved to never, ever, give up breathing, and threw myself into thinking positively, staying fit and eating healthily, so that I could be there for my children. 'The healthy lifestyle I'd led before had been down to pure vanity. I was prone to putting on weight and had to be careful to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Had I not led such a healthy lifestyle I would have died. 'This time it was about survival. It became apparent that my mindset and eating habits had the ability to heal me or harm me. It's the same for everyone.' Pictured with her husband Dogan, Sally overcame her fear of dying by consciously changing her mindset Her condition was diagnosed as SCAD Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection which causes bleeding or tearing of the innermost lining of the artery wall. Courageous Sally pushed onwards, leading a healthy and mostly happy life for 12 years, before her worst nightmares came true. In November 2016 she suffered two more heart attacks within a week. She admitted: 'Those were my darkest moments so far. I woke up every day and my first thought was, "I'm alive" immediately followed by "will this be the day I die?".' For months she was plunged back into the fear of dying, but once again overcame it by consciously changing her mindset. Sally says staying positive is about noticing the tiny bits of joy. 'It's not about feeling that the whole world is beautiful and therefore I'm happy, it's more about getting through the day,' she adds Sally said: 'If you struggle with depression, anxiety or mental health something like the coronavirus can seem too big to deal with, but there are things you can do to empower yourself. 'I think a lot of people are still in shock. When I was ill there was a period of grief I was grieving for my health. I think currently people are grieving for the innocence of their lives and their freedom. 'But I think as the weeks pass people will lose momentum and lose sight of the benefits of staying in, which is when positivity will be more important. 'It's about noticing the tiny bits of joy. It's not about feeling that the whole world is beautiful and therefore I'm happy, it's more about getting through the day. So many other people didn't have that approach because they didn't have to, but now it's being forced upon us. Sally, pictured with Lorraine and Maxine Jones, is sharing her free Positive Messages with the nation each day, from her home 'There's so many stories and posts about how it's making people nicer, and it think it does have that effect. You do realise and appreciate the small things in life.' Before the current health crisis Sally was throwing herself into motivational speaking and her online movement Being the Best You, which also teaches self-care. That's currently suspended so she can concentrate on sharing her free Positive Message with the nation each day, from her home. Sally said: 'I'm working much harder on mental health than usual for myself and those around me. 'I'm not superwoman, there are always days when the negativity gets to me, but just because I'm having a bad day doesn't mean the next day will be the same, I just expect it to be a better day. 'I've got a year's worth of messages, so I'll keep going as long as people need.' Sally's top tips for staying positive and banishing fear during lockdown 1. Understand that fear, although a natural reaction, is not helpful. Worrying doesn't change the situation and in fact, it will impact on your health and wellbeing. So cut off the supply of fear by replacing it with positive thoughts. 2. Just making the decision to be more positive isn't enough. You actually have to action that plan. Positivity needs feeding, both emotionally and physically. 3. Motion changes our emotion. Change the way you sit, stand, walk, smile. Every action you demand on the outside of your body also demands a physiological response inside. So, deciding to tense muscles and stand tall will release more happy hormones to help change your mindset too. 4. Your old routine may be out of the window, so develop a new one. If you are struggling with anxiety, knowing what to expect next is really helpful. Even if your routine consists of reading a chapter of your book, walking for an hour, resting for 30 mins, doing a puzzle for 30 mins it will help you to know what you have got to do next! 5. Try to flip your thoughts. Every negative has a positive, sometimes you just have to look a little harder for them. There are no flowers without rain, no stars without darkness, and no real understanding of how wonderful life is until it comes under threat. 6. Mind your language - particularly to yourself. Changing the way you speak to yourself can totally transform your state of mind. Kind words rule. 7. Keep moving forwards - mind and body. It's much easier to change gear when you are already moving, so although you might feel that everything around you has stopped, you still need to plan for the future, and keep going in a forward direction. 8. Don't be afraid of being alone with yourself. You might discover you are the best company around. 9. Today is still your day, so own it and make it the best that you can. 10. If you are struggling with a low day, simply be gentle on yourself, allow a day to feel a bit sorry, but then don't expect that feeling to continue to the next day. Always expect tomorrow to be fabulous. Advertisement To keep up with Sally's daily positive videos visit www.sally-bee.com or follow her on Instagram. Warren Countys representatives in Congress announced Tuesday $38 million in federal coronavirus stimulus funding was awarded to St. Lukes University Health Network. That includes the former Warren Hospital that St. Luke's operates in Phillipsburg, said U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Tom Malinowski. Along with Sussex, Hunderdon and Salem counties, Warren County did not receive any funding directly through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) or Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) included in the $2 trillion stimulus bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Members of Congress from all four counties sent New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy a request Friday for a share of about $15 million in discretionary funding awarded to the state through the grant programs. We can debate the failings and lack of oversight of this legislation after the pandemic is over," Warren County Freeholder James Kern III said in a statement Tuesday echoing the Congress members request. "What is crucial now is that Warren County receives funding. The county went live with a COVID-19 testing site last week and has yet to receive a penny of federal aid. I hope the Governor will consider and implement this request from our congressional delegation. Only metropolitan cities of at least 50,000 people, urban counties with at least 200,000 people or principal cities named by the U.S. Census Bureau in designated metropolitan statistical areas were eligible to receive money directly in this round of grants, nj.com reported. In Warren County, Phillipsburg is in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA and is not considered a principal city in that grouping. Allentown and Bethlehem have that designation and received $2.1 million and $796,862, respectively, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. Lehigh County received $757,860 from CDBG and Northampton County received a combined $1.94 million from CDBG and ESG. Easton was also shut out of the initial round of direct CARES grant funding. Pennsylvania received just under $45 million in grant funding to distribute among so-called non-entitlement cities. Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said during an Easton virtual town hall Tuesday afternoon he requested additional funding for cities in letters to Casey; U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat representing the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District. Thats absolutely ridiculous, Panto said of the formula that cut Easton out. We need a way to use federal funding to plug a hole in revenue that all cities across the country are going to experience this year. The CARES Act funding formulas are beyond the control of Congress, according to the New Jersey letter signed by Gottheimer from New Jerseys 5th Congressional District and Malinowski from New Jerseys 7th District. Both are Democrats. The stimulus bill also includes checks that have begun going out directly to citizens to help with the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The money they announced for St. Lukes comes through the first release of $30 billion in federal investment distributed to hospitals through the bipartisan CARES Act, which included $100 billion to support hospitals and health care providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital systems across the United States are struggling, due to an increase in COVID-19 patients, but also because of a lack of revenue due to the cancellation of elective procedures and fewer people visiting the doctor, the House members said in a news release Tuesday. 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. The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai has approved the release of 72 convicts from the Kaduna and Kafanchan Correctional Centres. This according to the State Government was done as part of governments efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Also Read: Governor Fayemi Extends Lockdown By Two Weeks In Ekiti This was made known by the Commissioner of Justice cum Attorney General in the State, Aisha Dikko, on Tuesday. She revealed that 69 of the convicts were released in Kaduna while three were freed in Kafanchan. She also revealed that 42 inmates who were freed from the Kaduna Correctional Centre were convicts who were given an option of fine not exceeding N50,000. The Attorney General further said that four inmates were serving three years and above, with less than six months of their sentence to serve. The Nationals acquired Gregor Blanco from the Royals for a player to be named later, according to the team's Twitter account. Blanco, 27, is a career .258/.358/.324 hitter who came to the Royals with Tim Collins and Jesse Chavez in the trade that sent Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel to Atlanta last season. Ironically, Blanco may be an option to challenge Ankiel for playing time in Washington. The Nationals have been looking for center field options after trading Nyjer Morgan to Milwaukee and making Ankiel their everyday center fielder. Ankiel has struggled with just a .221/.302/.288 slash line in 118 PAs. Blanco's best assets are his ability to draw a walk (career BB% of 12.8%) and his speed. He owns 209 minor league stolen bases to go along with 26 at the Major League level. While he struggled early in his career, his success rate has improved over the past few seasons. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that health and economic officials from the states were starting work immediately on developing strategies for easing restrictions that have brought much of daily life to a halt. Of the seven states, only Massachusetts has a Republican governor. The officials participating in the effort, Mr. Cuomo said, would study the data, study the research, study the experience of other countries and give us guidelines and parameters to go forward. [Get the latest news and updates on the coronavirus in the New York region.] The worst is over if New Yorkers remain resolute, Mr. Cuomo said. Mr. Cuomo said on Monday, for the first time, that he believed the most horrific phase of the coronavirus outbreak may have passed. I believe the worst is over if we continue to be smart, Mr. Cuomo said at his daily briefing. I believe we can start on the path to normalcy. Mumbai, April 14 : Handling of the Yes Bank crisis and its rescue process brings to light the weaknesses in the government's support for the distressed private sector banks, according to a report by Moody's Investor Services. "Yes Bank's rescue highlights weaknesses in the process to support a distressed private sector bank. While authorities, together with financial institutions across the public and private sectors, have rescued Yes Bank's depositors and senior creditors, this case indicates that in dealing with a distressed private sector bank, authorities will onlystep in to provide support after imposing a moratorium on depositors and creditors, which effectively constitutes a default by the bank" said the report. While in the Yes Banks case, senior creditors were not bailed in, the Moody's report said that imposing a moratorium as part of the rescue process means that creditors of a bank with rapidly deterioratingsolvency can suffer permanent losses before authorities step in. Also, while holders of Yes Bank's Tier II bonds did not take any losses, it is not clear if authorities will protect this class of creditors in a future bank rescue, itadded. In the rescue process, Yes Bank's Rs 84.15 billion of Additional Tier (AT1) securities were written down in full. Terms and conditions of the Basel III compliant AT1 securities specify that such securities will be written down before authorities can step in to support a bank. "While the write-down of such securities is consistent with the approach regulators use globally to minimize the cost of a bank bailout on taxpayers, nevertheless, before the Yes Bank case, Indian regulators never imposed losses on junior creditors," it said. Moody's also noted that the public-private partnership model to support Yes Bank suggests that authorities prefer to spread the burden of a bank rescue with the private sector rather than just impose the responsibility on PSBs as it has in the past. Before the Yes Bankcase, the government rescued weak private sector by merging them with PSBs. This shift is in line with efforts by regulators globally to reduce the use of taxpayer money to bail out failing banks, it said. A goat walks past a closed stored, near Trinity Square, in Llandudno, north Wales, Tuesday March 31, 2020. (Pete Byrne/PA via AP) The UKs independent budget watchdog has warned that Britain faces a large (but hopefully temporary) shock to the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said on Tuesday that the UK economy could contract by as much as 35% in the second quarter of 2020 if the current lockdown persists for 3 months. In this scenario, unemployment is expected to rise to 10%, compared to 3.9% at the start of the year. That would equate to 2 million extra people out of work. The OBR said the figures outlined were a scenario rather than a forecast, based on the illustrative assumption that peoples movements (and thus economic activity) would be heavily restricted for three months and would get back to normal over the subsequent three months. The watchdog didnt make a judgment on whether this was likely or necessary, saying that was a job for the government. READ MORE: UK unemployment 'will more than double' to 27-year high The OBR, which was set up in 2010 to audit the Treasurys budget forecasts, also warned that statistics and models were more uncertain than usual due to the fast-moving nature of the COVID-19 crisis. However, the scenario paints a bleak picture for the UK economy, which has all but ground to a halt due to the pandemic. The government four weeks ago ordered all non-essential businesses to shut and told the population to stay at home as much as possible in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19. The government has put in place a package of support aimed at supporting businesses and jobs through the crisis, including state-backed loans for businesses and wage support fo furloughed employees. The OBR said the spending package would likely push up government borrowing by 218bn ($273bn) this year and total 14% of GDP. Public net debt is forecast to be around 260bn higher by 2024-25, remaining around 10% of GDP. The watchdog said this spending spree should help protect the UK economy in the long run and drive GDP to bounce back quickly after social restrictions are eased. Story continues The immediate cost of the Governments actions may be high, but we can be confident that the cost of inaction would ultimately have been much higher, the OBR wrote. READ MORE: UK economy could shrink by quarter if lockdown persists However, the watchdog warned that even billions of pounds of government support may not be enough to prevent permanent damage to the economy if the lockdown persists. The longer the period of economic disruption lasts, the more likely it is that the economys future potential output will be scarred (thanks to business failures, cancelled investments and the unemployed becoming disconnected from the labour market), the OBR wrote. Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey said on Tuesday that jobless claims had already climbed to around 1.4 million, roughly 200,000 more than just a week ago. The OBRs warning on long-term damage came a day after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said restrictions were likely to be in place for the foreseeable future. We still have a long way to go, Raab said at the daily Downing Street press briefing on Monday. We dont expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point, and we wont until were confident as we realistically can be that any such changes can be safely made. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Cookies op Tweakers Tweakers maakt gebruik van cookies Tweakers is onderdeel van DPG Media en maakt gebruik van cookies, JavaScript en vergelijkbare technologie om je onder andere een optimale gebruikerservaring te bieden. Functionele en analytische cookies die door Tweakers zelf geplaatst worden, worden gebruikt om de website goed te laten functioneren, bezoekersstatistieken bij te houden en a/b-testen uit te voeren. Ook kan Tweakers hiermee het gedrag van bezoekers vastleggen en analyseren. Cookies kunnen daarnaast worden gebruikt om op Tweakers advertenties te tonen die aansluiten bij je interesses. Daarbij kan gebruikgemaakt worden van bezoekersprofielen die door derden zijn opgesteld. Ook kunnen derden je internetgedrag volgen, zoals bijvoorbeeld het geval is bij embedded videos van YouTube. Tot slot kunnen cookies worden gebruikt om op sites van derden relevante advertenties te tonen. Content van derde partijen, zoals embedded videos van YouTube, wordt met een trackingvrij abonnement standaard uitgeschakeld. Indien je deze content wilt zien, kun je hier expliciet toestemming voor geven. Wil je meer informatie over cookies en hoe ze worden gebruikt? Bekijk dan ons cookiebeleid. Accepteer cookies ... Om deze pagina op Tweakers te kunnen bekijken, moet je cookies accepteren. Cookies accepteren Heb je al een account? Dan kun je hier inloggen! Bhubaneswar, April 14 : The total number of coronavirus cases in Odisha surged to 56, with another man testing positive on Tuesday, said the Health department. The patient is a 66-year-old man from Jajpur district with travel history to Kolkata, informed district Collector Ranjan Kumar Das. The number of active cases stood at 37 in the state as five more people recovered on Monday, taking the total number of patients cured of the disease to 18. "It is indeed a pleasure to share that another five Covid patients, all of Bhubaneswar, have recovered and tested negative for COVID-19. With the combined efforts of all, Odisha is winning the fight against Covid!," tweeted the Health department. The state has seen one casualty so far. IANS cd/sdr/ U.S. states may face budget deficits of $500 billion (U.S.) combined over the next two years as the deep economic slowdown causes revenue to plunge, paving the way for deep spending cuts or tax increases that could exert a drag on the recovery. The estimate from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank based in Washington, D.C., shows how long the consequences of the virtual economic shutdown will continue to ripple through state governments. The response to the coronavirus is threatening every major source of states revenue as businesses are shutdown, millions are thrown out of work and the sell-off in the stock market this year diminishes capital gains taxes. The scale of the deficits has led governors to push for more help from Washington as Congress weighs another stimulus measure to help revive the economy. Marylands Larry Hogan and New Yorks Andrew Cuomo, the chair and vice chair of the National Governors Association, asked Congress to give states $500 billion in stabilization funding. The year ahead will be extremely damaging to state budgets, resulting in budget shortfalls much worse than even the worst year of the Great Recession and dwarfing the fiscal harm caused by the 2001 recession, unless Congress and the President provide significantly more aid, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said a report released Tuesday. The group said the size of the shortfalls forecast through June 2022 may fluctuate based on whether states can close revenue shortfalls with the Treasury Departments relief fund, which covers public health expenditures incurred by the coronavirus. If they cant do so, states may face shortfalls of $360 billion even if they withdraw $75 billion in rainy day fund balances. Quang The Ha, a 10th grade student, in a hut he built on a hill near his home in the central province of Nghe An so he could get 3G signal to study online. Photo courtesy of Viet Bac Highland High School. Minutes before 7 a.m., 10th-grader Quang The Ha scales a hill to catch 3G signal before his online lesson starts. Ha, a Thai ethnic minority student in the north-central Nghe An Province, does not have electricity at home, which runs on solar energy. Theres also no Internet, which makes it difficult for Ha to access online lessons provided by Viet Bac Highland High School in Thai Nguyen Province, 404 kilometers north of his hometown. E-learning has become the new normal for students in Vietnam since schools have remained closed since February due to Covid-19. Since his school launched its online program via Zoom and Microsoft Teams on April 1, studying has become more of a challenge. Now, Ha has to first find a stable Internet supply to receive and submit assignments. Adapting to circumstance, he decided to climb a hill 10 minutes away on foot to access a usable 3G connection, erecting a small study hut in the process. Since, he has not missed a single lesson. He spends each morning in the hut studying and returns home in the afternoon to complete his homework and help with housework. Nearby, 12th-grader Xong Ba Chia, a H'Mong student from the same school, has been studying in a similar hut, though closer to his home and built by local farmers to store harvested corn. A corn hut where Xong Ba Chia has been studying online each day in Nghe An Province. Photo courtesy of Viet Bac Highland High School. Though the Internet signal remains unstable, Chia manages to follow the gist of most lessons. After class, he helps his parents in the field to share the burden of earning an income for their seven-member household. Tran Thi Thanh Hue, head of the student affairs and security department and secretary of the school union, said there are over 2,500 students from 20 mountainous provinces attending the school. Most live in far-flung areas where Internet and electricity are unstable. "Not only it is difficult for them to study online, it is also hard for teachers to contact them, especially those from small minorities with populations under 1,000 like Cong, La Hu, and Pu Peo," Hue explained, adding teachers had to rely on friends, parents, and sometimes local authorities to reach students. It is tough for teachers sometime to encourage parents to let their kids study online. Many are more inclined to let their children drop out due to the long school closure. Viet Bac has failed to contact a few students of late. School officials have provided those facing financial difficulties with phone credit worth VND200,000 ($8.58) each to purchase 3G or 4G data packages to facilitate e-learning. The school has also launched slogans on social media to boost student morale and encourage them to stick to their lessons. Since, many alumnus and sponsors have donated money and even bought phones for students. The rate of participation in e-learning has gone from 50 in the beginning to about 90 percent currently. "The school will continue to support those with difficult backgrounds. Students who cant study online will be given extra lessons once back at school," Hue noted. Viet Bac Highland High School is a public school established in 1957. It consists of high school students and those enrolled in a university preparation program. 22 million students in Vietnam had completed the 20th week of school in the new academic year before they began a fortnight-long Lunar New Year holiday that started January 17. They have not gone back to school since, with the break extended multiple times on safety considerations. The Ministry of Education and Training stated schools could be reopened by June 15 at the latest and that graduation exams would commence from August 8-11. The important exam has been pushed back two months from previous years given the historic school closure. The ministry has devised various measures to help students study online or via televised lessons. It has also held conferences with teachers in localities to guide them in online teaching. As of Monday afternoon, Vietnams Covid-19 count stood at 265, with 146 discharged after recovery. Globally, Covid-19 death toll has jumped to almost 120,000 as it attacked 210 countries and territories. PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown unveiled a framework Tuesday explaining what steps are necessary before the state can begin slowly easing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown said efforts made by the state have helped to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread. She said her framework for restarting public life and business in the state is driven by science and has three prerequisites: Slowed growth: fewer cases of COVID-19 Adequate PPE to protect health care workers and first responders A robust public health framework: increased testing, contact tracing and effective isolation The governor said she couldn't give a specific time frame for when the state will begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions. "Im not going to put a date on this," she said. "This is going to move much slower than any of us want, but that is the only way to protect the health and safety of Oregonians," Brown tweeted. Not only is working from home about to get a lot more popular over the next few months, advances in technology have made the fabled home-office a more attractive option for a lot of modern workers. So whether you have a freelance side-hustle, indulge in occasional telecommuting, or work from your home-office full time, there are a lot of ways you can make that experience more efficient and (most importantly) significantly more pleasant. Let's tackle this section by section. Working from home doesn't mean you should be on the couch, laptop on your PJs, with Netflix streaming in the corner. Never underestimate the value of a dedicated work space, which may mean extra purchases that pay off in productivity. For example, if you dont have a desk, youre going to need one. Amazon has several that are reasonably priced, and some that are more elaborate. Thats a personal choice; we wouldnt dare get involved, but weve picked out a few options and sorted them by price: More specifically, youre going to want to make that desk feel like a place where productivity happens. Stacking files might be fine for your normal, day-to-day existence, but if youre trying to pay the bills, youre going to need a file organizer, a desk protector (depending on how nice the desk is), a shredder (to quickly erase the evidence of your crimes and/or mistakes), and a printer (to create stuff that can be shredded). Youre also going to want a cord organizer (you probably need one, regardless). These are some of the best deals on those we could find: Personally (I know this isn't for everyone) I'd also add a home device, like an Amazon Echo ($59.99 at Amazon) or Google Nest Mini ($49 at Target). They play music, set timers, and can give you news and weather updates all with voice activation, which can make being alone for hours a little more tolerable, and provides a nice break from just letting "The Office" reruns play in the background all day. Of course, there's another aspect of this that's just as important (if not more so). The perfect chair You wouldnt know it from how good it feels, but sitting wreaks diabolical havoc on your entire body. The best way to mitigate this is to get a standing desk, but those things are also exhausting or an impractical option for many people. In that case, the best you can do is make your chair as ergonomic as possible, either by buying a specially designed chair, or getting inserts to make your chair more comfortable and ergonomic. Or you can just get a desk-ball, like some kind of ultra-healthy office worker from the future. I'd also add an appropriate floor protector. If you have hardwood floors, your chair's wheels can cause permanent damage; if your floors are carpeted, it's annoying to roll around without a solid plastic surface beneath you. That takes care of the basics. Now were going to get into the advanced stuff. This isnt for the faint of heart; if youre easily frightened by new technology, turn back now. Youve been warned. Connectivity The key to successfully working outside the office is to be as present in the office as possible, and that means mitigating dropped calls, bad connections, or misheard phrases. For all the marvel of modern cell phone cameras, their phones are still just electrical signals transferred through the air. Luckily, if you pick up a VTech DS6671-3 DECT 6.0 ($73.50 at Amazon), you can use bluetooth to sync your phone with your landline, eliminating cell phone deadspots. If you need to type while you talk on the phone, you can grab the B350-XT 203475 BlueParrott Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headset ($97.00 at Walmart), which comes with the added bonus of drowning out the screaming children that run around your neighborhood (or possibly home) all day. And to solve the Wi-Fi issues, you can grab a NETGEAR Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender with Ethernet Port -- ($32.99 at Best Buy, normally $54.99) Finally, the comfort section. I put this last, right after the connectivity section, because I wanted to scare away the wimpy work-from-homers. They dont deserve this stuff. You, on the other hand, have earned it, because you spent all this time reading about connectivity. Comfort Lets admit it: Working from home is going to be a lot more fun than working in the office. For one thing, youre skipping your daily commute, and for another, you can wear your favorite comfy pants or, oh gee I dont know, listen to At The Drive Ins album Relationship of Command at full volume on repeat all day. Im just spit-balling here. Odds are, you already have a few of these, but I still consider it of vital importance that you pick yourself up: Those Sonys are the best headphones I've ever owned. For coffee, I recommend the Aeropress Coffee Maker ($29.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond). Not only does it make a delicious cup of coffee, but it makes exactly one serving, and has far easier clean-up than any other coffee machine Ive ever used. Its as close as youll ever get to using the fancy coffee machine they have at work, but at home. And if you feel like treating yourself to cozy work-socks, check out Darn Tough Socks from Vermont. Theyre expensive, but theyre renowned for being super comfortable and lasting forever -- in fact, theyre guaranteed for life, making them the best-possible sock investment you can make (provided you don't lose them). Quips, japes, and one-liners aside, perhaps the most important thing is something that nobody can sell you: Remember to actually get up and get dressed every morning, even if people arent going to see you. Walk around, go outside, talk to people. The real danger of working from home isnt being lazy; its messing up your health by never moving or breathing fresh hair. Make sure you're too smart for that. Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com. More than 100 Australians are back on home soil after a Qantas mercy flight rescued them from Peru and touched down at Brisbane Airport late on Tuesday. It was the first flight from South America to Brisbane, according to Brisbane Airport Corporation, and the flight was carrying 115 passengers, plucked from a novel coronavirus lockdown. Australians evacuated from South America due to COVID-19 were met by police at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday. Credit:Darren England - AAP The flight took off from the Peruvian capital of Lima on Monday afternoon local time and was due to touch down in Brisbane about 5.40pm on Tuesday, but was delayed by three hours. All travellers arriving in Australia by air or sea must be isolated in quarantine accommodation for two weeks from their arrival, according to Queensland Health travel restrictions. (Photo : Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement After weeks of talks and negotiations, the world's top oil producers have finally agreed to cut global crude output by a historic margin. The deal closed by the OPEC, Russia, and other global producers will effectively put an end to the global oil price war that has sent prices to record lows over the past months. The bilateral talks and four days of video conferences between the world's top energy ministers had resulted in the historic deal. During the initial talks, the deal nearly fell apart after Mexico had exited after expressing disinterest in the proposed cuts. Fortunately, Mexico went back to the negotiating table over the weekend after diplomacy finally won it over. Under the deal member countries of the OPEC Plus have agreed to cut a total of 9.7 million barrels per day, slightly lower than the initially proposed 10 million barrels per day. The United States, Canada, and Brazil have agreed to cut a combined 3.7 million barrels per day. Other members of the Group of 20 nations (G20) have yet to formally announce their respective commitments. Among all of the countries involved in the deal, Mexico came out with the least production cut, committing to only lessening its output by 100,000 barrels. Mexico had agreed to the terms partly due to pressures placed on the country by the United States. After it balked at OPEC's terms, the country had threatened to bolster its oil production to gain further market share. The cooperation between the world's largest producers comes at a crucial time for the industry given the rapidly declining demand. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders imposed by governments are still widely in place. With travel restricted, gasoline and oil demand has dropped dramatically. The demand slump coupled with the oil price war threatened the future of the industry, particularly the stability of oil-dependent states such as major producers in the Middle East. With the oil price war now at an end and all major producers agreeing to cooperatively cut output, the question remains if the efforts will be enough to stabilize the market. What is worrying some analysts right now is how the economic effects of the pandemic could be detrimental to consumption in the long term. With the supply now under control, further decline in demand could render the effort moot. OPEC has acknowledged this possibility and stated that the demand fundamentals in the short term are "horrifying." Advertisement Tagsopec, Global Producers, Cutting Output Stocks in Asia rose on Tuesday as Chinese exports for March fell less-than-expected. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 jumped 3.13% to close at 19,638.81 while the Topix index gained 1.96% to end its trading day at 1,433.51. Shares of Japanese conglomerate Softbank Group recovered from an earlier drop of more than 3% to close 5.24% higher. The firm announced on Monday that it expected its Vision Fund to book a loss of 1.8 trillion Japanese yen ($16.73 billion) for fiscal year 2019, citing a "deteriorating market environment." Mainland Chinese stocks also closed higher, with the Shanghai composite up 1.59% to around 2,827.28 while the Shenzhen composite gained 2.223% to approximately 1,745.42. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index advanced 0.65%. China's dollar-denominated exports declined 6.6% year-on-year in March, Reuters reported Tuesday citing customs data. Still, that was better than the 14% drop in exports expected by analysts in a Reuters poll. Investors have been watching such data from China as the country returns to business following its lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has severely impacted economic activity. "On average, we forecast Chinese merchandise export and import growth to be negative this year," Nick Marro, global trade lead at The Economist Intelligence Unit, wrote in a Tuesday note. "Pressure on global demand will persist through the second quarter, with a high risk of these shocks bleeding into the second half of 2020, although much of this is contingent on when or if the Covid-19 pandemic comes under control," Marro said. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi advanced 1.72% to close at 1,857.08. Shares in Australia also saw gains as they returned to trade following holidays on Friday and Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 closing 1.87% higher at 5,488.10. Virgin Australia's stock, however, was placed on a trading halt pending an announcement as the airline deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was 1.28% higher. Markets in India were closed on Tuesday for a holiday. In response, Intermountain has created two COVID-19 Response Teams that will deploy to the New York City area to assist hospitals. Intermountain is partnering with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Northwell Health, both located in the New York City area. These healthcare systems will aim to return the favor by supporting Intermountain as much as they can when Utah faces its own surge with COVID-19 patients. Each Intermountain team will have 50 caregivers who will serve for a maximum of 14 days. These voluntary teams are made up of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other caregivers. "I'm incredibly proud that so many of our caregivers want to help others in need, and we have the capacity right now to share our staff with others in the middle of their COVID-19 surge," said Paul Krakovitz, MD, Intermountain Healthcare's chief medical officer for specialty based care. "Not only will they provide care for patients in New York, they will bring back knowledge and experience to share with their Utah colleagues that will help us serve Utah patients." The first team flew out of Salt Lake City today and will assist caregivers at Northwell Health. Experts anticipate that Utah's COVID-19 surge will happen in May or June, so caregivers will be back to the Intermountain service area when help is needed most. "This temporary sharing of staff experienced in treating COVID-19 will greatly benefit patients in Utah and elsewhere," said Dr. Krakovitz. Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainhealthcare.org. SOURCE Intermountain Healthcare Related Links intermountainhealthcare.org Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs decision to leave the royal family might have initially come as a shock to many, but Harry dropped a huge hint about it in 2019 to Dr. Jane Goodall. The anthropologist shared an exchange that she had with Harry which seemed to indicate he and Meghan were thinking of their exit long before they announced it to the world. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry and Meghan announced their plan in January After an extended break from their royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan dropped what seemed like a bombshell. In January, the couple took to Instagram to share their plan to step back from royal life. Queen Elizabeth worked to finalize the details and set Mar. 31 as the official date when they would leave the royal family, giving up the use of their HRH titles, public funding, and the Sussex Royal brand. Following the queens statement in support of their plan, Prince Harry delivered a speech, remarking how he and Meghan felt that this was their only option to have a normal life out of the spotlight. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I havent always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option, he said during a dinner for supporters of Sentebale in January. Prince Harry and Meghan had dropped a hint about their exit months earlier While their decision seemed surprising, Prince Harry had noted that it was a decision that wasnt made lightly and it was believed the couple had been discussing the move for some time before making their announcement. Dr. Goodall, a friend of the Sussexes who was interviewed by Prince Harry for the Vogue issue that Meghan guest-edited in 2019, had some insider knowledge about the couples desire to quit the royal family. During an interview with the Daily Mail Weekend Magazine, Goodall recalled visiting the couple at Frogmore Cottage and spending time with Harry for their interview. It was after their chat for the magazine that Prince Harry hinted that he and Meghan might be breaking away from royal life. At the end [of the conversation] Meghan came in to listen with Archie, Goodall recalled. He was very tiny and very sleepy not too pleased to be passed from his mummy. I think I was one of the first to cuddle him outside the family. Goodall shared a moment with their baby and Prince Harry seemed to hint at their desire for normalcy. I made Archie do the queens wave, saying, I suppose hell have to learn this,' she explained. He said No, hes not growing up like that, Goodall said of Harrys reaction. Prince Harry and Meghan want to bring up Archie out of the spotlight The couples decision to raise their son out of the spotlight after they endured such harsh public and media scrutiny themselves was not surprising and their statement in January reflected their thoughts on the matter. At the time, the couple shared their intention to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity, they shared in their Instagram post. Hong Kong is fighting a "twin battle" fending off the coronavirus pandemic and trying to save its battered economy at the same time but the city remains "highly resilient" despite the challenges, its commerce secretary said Tuesday. Hong Kong's recovery depends on global trade and will be determined by when the world gets back on its feet, Edward Yau, Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development, told CNBC on Tuesday. The Asian financial hub's economy has been hit hard by consecutive crises over the past year: from the U.S.-China trade war that intensified in 2018, to the months-long protests which shuttered shops and severely hit tourism last year. Now, the city is faced with a health and economic crisis brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 1,000 people in the Chinese territory, and killed at least 4, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. "Hong Kong, and in fact the global economy, are fighting a twin battle one is the fight against the epidemic and the other is in fact fighting to save the economy. The second battle could not be (won) without winning the first one," said Yau. Vincent Martin was convicted and sentenced to death by a jury of his peers for the execution of Police Officer Michael Connors, an officer who had simply made a traffic stop and was ambushed on his approach to the vehicle. I am personally dismayed by the actions of the Virginia Parole Board and I know that all Richmond police officers, past and present, expect that their lives and sacrifices would carry more weight and value in society than to allow this persons release. I am further concerned that the investigation was conducted by the Parole Boards chair, an investigation that did not include the department nor the evidence of the crime. I would hope that an immediate review of this entire proceeding be conducted by an impartial body and afterwards his release can be weighed given all evidence and testimony of family, officers and investigators. Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said efforts were underway to block Martins release. It was not clear Tuesday what the process would be to stop the release. EPISODE 1; how are you managing? January 2019, Sarah thought to herself, if only I had a lot of time, I would start building the empire I wish to own. Hypothetically speaking, she is just a young lady who is trying to get her life sorted out. Entangled in the stress of academics and work, Sarah presumes time is not on her side as she cannot really do the things she loves. Today in March 2020, what am I doing? In the last few months; the rise of this pandemic, the use of social media has taken a serious toll on individuals everywhere. Google has received millions of searches and Tiktok has been one of the most downloaded apps in this decade and the most circulating trend is virtual technology. For sure, one light we see in this pandemic is virtual technology is the leading innovator in this century as many institutions including churches have resorted to this. Glad to have you read this, the terror in this technology shows how less beneficial you will be if you are negligent about this trend. I mean, if you are not able to do anything during this lockdown period, it means you are way behind technology. The pandemic reveals something fascinating, what am I worth after school, or job or my daily routine? It means, what can I achieve on my own if there is nowhere to turn to? What you are currently doing in this lockdown period shows your area of interest. Is it profitable or meaningful? All the time you ever imagined to have is all at your disposal, the person you may become, wish to become or try never to become is all duly on what you are doing now. In my next episode of covid19 diaries, I will be revealing some interesting theories and tell you what you need to do. Like this, drop a comment or email at [email protected] and share. A California woman who last year said Joe Biden touched her neck and shoulders when she worked in his Senate office in 1993 is now accusing him of sexually assaulting her that year in a semiprivate area of the Capitol complex, an allegation the Biden campaign denies. The Washington Post has been examining Tara Reade's allegation over the past three weeks, since she said on a podcast that Biden had pinned her against a wall, reached under her skirt and pushed his fingers inside her. At the time, she was a 29-year-old staff assistant. The Post has interviewed Reade on multiple occasions - both this year and last - as well as people she says she told of the assault claim and more than a half-dozen former staffers of Biden's Senate office. In interviews with The Post last year, Reade said Biden had touched her neck and shoulders, but she did not mention the alleged assault or suggest there was more to the story. She faulted his staff, calling Biden "a male of his time, a very powerful senator, and he had people around saying it was OK." She acknowledged in more recent interviews that she twice voted for the Obama-Biden ticket, saying she strongly supported their political positions. Since January, Reade has been a vocal supporter of Biden's former rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. She said political considerations played no role in her decision to raise the sexual assault allegation. President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and the president's campaign manager, Brad Parscale, sought to inject Reade's allegation into the presidential campaign on Saturday by accusing the media on Twitter of not covering it. After The New York Times published a story about Reade's account Sunday morning, social media lit up as partisans either rushed to equate it to widely publicized claims against other powerful men or to point out ways in which hers is different. The former vice president has been accused of unwanted hugging and other physical contact, but The Post found no other allegations against him as serious as Reade's. More than a dozen women, by contrast, have accused Trump of forced kissing, groping or sexual assault, and he has been recorded on audio boasting about grabbing women between their legs. On Thursday, Reade filed a complaint with District of Columbia police. She told The Post that she did so because she is being harassed online and wanted law enforcement to be aware of her claim. A public record of the complaint does not name Biden but says Reade "disclosed that she was the victim of a sexual assault" in 1993. Reade told The Post that she gave police a long interview describing the alleged assault by Biden. The portion of the police report detailing her allegation is not public. Filing a false report is a crime punishable by up to 30 days in jail. Reade, now 56, said in recent interviews that she was afraid to report the assault or talk about it publicly last year, when she accused Biden of unwanted touching in online posts and media interviews. In those accounts, she said she complained to supervisors about the alleged neck and shoulder contact and a request from a supervisor that she serve drinks at a reception. She said the supervisors later ostracized her and told her to look for another job. "I didn't have the courage to come forward" about the assault, Reade said. "I couldn't get the words out. . . . As time has progressed, I felt stronger about speaking my truth. I realized I had to do this." Reade said she described the alleged assault soon after it happened to her mother, who died in 2016, and to a friend, a former intern for another lawmaker. In an interview, the friend corroborated Reade's account of their conversation but declined to be named in this report. In another recent interview, Reade's brother, Collin Moulton, said she told him in 1993 that Biden had behaved inappropriately by touching her neck and shoulders. Their mother urged Reade to contact the police, Moulton said, adding that he felt "ashamed now for not being a better advocate" for his sister. Several days after that interview, he said in a text message that he recalled her telling him that Biden had put his hand "under her clothes." Reade said she told a therapist this year about the alleged assault. The Post asked Reade for the therapist's notes of that conversation, but she has not produced them. Biden's presidential campaign called Reade's accusations false. "Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women," said Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager and communications director. "He authored and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard - and heard respectfully. Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen." The campaign also released a statement attributed to Marianne Baker, who was an executive assistant in the office and one of the supervisors to whom Reade says she made a harassment complaint. "In all my years working for Sen. Biden, I never once witnessed, or heard of, or received, any reports of inappropriate conduct, period - not from Ms. Reade, not from anyone," Baker said. "I have absolutely no knowledge or memory of Ms. Reade's accounting of events, which would have left a searing impression on me as a woman professional, and as a manager. These clearly false allegations are in complete contradiction to both the inner workings of our Senate office and to the man I know and worked so closely with for almost two decades." Baker did not respond to messages seeking comment. Reade worked for Biden's office from December 1992 to early August 1993, according to Senate records. She said she complained about feeling uncomfortable - but not the alleged assault - to two other supervisors in the Senate office: Dennis Toner, deputy chief of staff; and Ted Kaufman, chief of staff. "I would remember something like this if it ever came up," Toner, a Delaware-based consultant, told The Post in an interview. "I think it's an outrageous accusation that's totally untrue." Kaufman said: "It never came up. And I sure would have remembered if it did." Kaufman has no formal role on the campaign but remains a close confidant. Reade initially oversaw a group of interns. Two recalled that Reade abruptly stopped overseeing them in April - just a few weeks after the interns arrived - but neither was aware of the circumstances that led to her departure. Reade stopped working in the office several months later. The 2020 presidential campaign will be the first since the #MeToo movement in late 2017 began inspiring women to share stories of abuse by powerful men. Near the end of the 2016 campaign, The Post uncovered a 2005 videotape in which Trump bragged that because of his fame he could grab women between the legs, comments he dismissed later as "locker-room banter." In the days after that audio was published, about a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct going back decades. Their stories ranged from Trump groping their breasts and buttocks to him kissing them on the lips without consent. Trump called the women liars. More recently, he has denied a New York writer's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room more than two decades ago. Last spring, as Biden was preparing to formally enter the presidential race, about a half dozen women came forward with stories of unwanted touching or displays of affection. None alleged sexual assault. Among them was Lucy Flores, who said that in 2014 the then-vice-president touched and kissed the back of her head during her campaign for Nevada's lieutenant governor. Biden pledged to be "more respectful of people's personal space." But he joked about the criticism two days later, and he has remained physically affectionate during campaign events, where some supporters ask for hugs. Flores' story inspired Reade to offer her own account to her local newspaper, The Union, in Nevada County, California, Reade said. The details in that article matched the narrative Reade gave The Post the next day in a telephone interview. She said in that interview, on April 4, 2019, that on at least three occasions Biden put his hands on her shoulders and the base of her neck. She also said she walked in on an argument between two staffers, in which one suggested that Reade was being asked to serve drinks at a reception because Biden thought she was pretty and liked her legs. She said the supervisors she later complained to dismissed her concerns, told her to wear less provocative clothing and took away responsibilities before finally asking her to resign. In The Post interview last year, she laid more blame with Biden's staff for "bullying" her than with Biden. "This is what I want to emphasize: It's not him. It's the people around him who keep covering for him," Reade said, adding later, "For instance, he should have known what was happening to me. . . . Looking back now, that's my criticism. Maybe he could have been a little more in touch with his own staff." The Post last year published other accusations of unwanted touching by Biden but not Reade's. A friend who she said she had told of the harassment did not respond last year to requests for comment. That friend - the same one who in recent days confirmed that Reade told her of the alleged assault - said she had no memory of receiving calls from The Post. After Reade went public with her account of harassment, she faced a backlash on social media. Her effusive praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin - she described him in a Medium post in December 2018 as a "compassionate, caring, visionary leader" - led to attacks that she was seeking to advance Russian interests. Reade told The Post that she had gained admiration for Putin while doing research on Russia for a novel. She said she took down the Putin-related posts because of the attacks. Throughout the rest of 2019, she tweeted dozens of times at several Democratic contenders and at least once at Trump, saying Biden sexually harassed her when she worked in his Senate office years earlier. "I don't have an agenda other than I just wanted my story told," said Reade, who has a law degree and was working part time assisting families with special-needs children when the coronavirus pandemic hit. On Saturday, she retweeted Trump's son's admonishment of the news media with a comment: "Please Republicans do not use my assault for political gain. Help me pressure @cnn, @nbc, @wapo, @newyorker to question Joe Biden. Thank you" Reade's allegations gained traction among some supporters of Sanders, who quit the race last week amid mounting pressure as Biden swept most primary voting states. Reade said she only recently backed Sanders and previously leaned toward some of his Democratic rivals. She gave $5 through the ActBlue fundraising website to then-candidate Marianne Williamson in August 2019, public records show. But since January, Reade has repeatedly plugged Sanders' campaign while criticizing Biden on social media. A March 5 tweet called Biden "a misogynist pred" while touting a potential ticket led by Sanders with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as his running mate. "Tell Bernie to stay in! voters deserve to hear my silenced history w Biden," Reade said on Twitter on March 22. Two days later, The Intercept posted an article describing the alleged harassment and Reade's appeals for help in January from the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, a project of the National Women's Law Center that offers sexual harassment victims financial support and referrals to lawyers and public relations professionals. The Intercept story did not mention her assault allegations. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the fund said it does not offer financial assistance in every case. Uma Iyer, vice president for communications with the law center, said the group's nonprofit status prohibits it from underwriting cases involving allegations against political candidates. "In Ms. Reade's situation our determination was based on the fact that her allegations were against a presidential candidate in an election year and primary season," Iyer said. The group's nonprofit designation, Iyer said, "mandates a strict and absolute prohibition on participating in electioneering or political activity, and we could not fund a public relations effort around these allegations without significant risk of running afoul of these strict legal rules." The day after the Intercept article published, another media outlet, a podcast co-hosted by Sanders supporter Katie Halper, released an interview in which Reade described the alleged assault. In the recent interviews with The Post, Reade said she could not remember exactly where in the Capitol complex she was when she met Biden to deliver a gym bag to him. She was wearing a skirt and no stockings because it was a warm day in April or May, she said. "He put me up against the wall and took the bag," she said. "He reached up underneath my skirt. . . . I remember two fingers. . . . It was such a nightmare." She said he asked, "Do you want to go somewhere else?" She said that when she pulled away, he said, "Come on, man, I thought you liked me," then told her that she meant "nothing" before finally grabbing her shoulders and saying, "You're OK." The friend who Reade said she told about the incident at the time had interned on Capitol Hill and was in college in Virginia at the time of the alleged assault. "I still remember that she handed off the gym bag and then she was pinned up against the wall," Reade's friend said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she feared online harassment and professional consequences. "His hands went under her skirt. . . . He pushed his fingers into her, not at her invitation. Not at her request. She was confused about why he thought it was OK to do that." Reade's younger brother, Moulton, said she had told him parts of her experience with Biden but not the alleged sexual assault. "I heard that there was a gym bag incident . . . and that he was inappropriate," Moulton said. "I remember her telling me he said she was nothing to him." A few days after that interview, Moulton sent the text saying he wanted to clarify his remarks. He wrote that he recalled Reade telling him in the early 1990s that Biden had cornered her and put his hands under her clothes. Another friend of Reade's said that in 2006 or 2007 Reade told her Biden had touched her arm and behaved inappropriately. She had no other details, she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of concern she might face online attacks. Reade said that in 1993 she filed a complaint with a congressional human resources or personnel office but did not remember the exact name. Her complaint dealt only with the alleged harassment, not the assault, she said. The Post could find no record of the complaint, and Reade said she never received a copy. The Senate Office of Fair Employment Practices, which fielded complaints starting in 1992, was replaced under a 1995 law and is now called the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. Biden staffers who might have been alerted to such a complaint said they do not recall hearing of one, and Biden's official Senate papers were donated to the University of Delaware but remain sealed from the public. In interviews with six former Biden staffers who overlapped with Reade, many were hesitant to cast doubt on an individual woman's account but said Reade's story did not match their experience in a tightknit office with high-ranking female staffers. None of those reached by The Post recalled witnessing Biden putting his hands on Reade or the request that she serve drinks. "There was never anything like that that was ever a part of the culture of working on the Hill at that time for Biden," said Melissa Lefko, who worked as a staff assistant in 1993. "There were plenty of other senators I could point in your direction as known for their sexual predatory behavior of female staffers. Biden was never, ever one of those senators. Never. Never." In Medium posts in January and one in April 2019, Reade said no one on Capitol Hill would hire her after she complained about Biden's behavior and the request that she serve drinks. In late 2018, she wrote that she left Washington to pursue an acting and artistic career, turned off by what she called the U.S. government's "xenophobia" toward Russia. In a 2009 essay that noted Biden's work on the Violence Against Women Act, she discussed moving from Washington to the Midwest to be with a boyfriend. She occasionally has tweeted positively about Biden, saying in 2017, "My old boss speaks truth. Listen" with a link to a BBC story about Biden calling for the tech industry to help fight cancer. Reade told The Post in a recent interview that she tweeted support of him because she admired some things about Biden despite the alleged assault. Heres the person I admire, who stands for all I believe in, she said. At the same time, thats what happened to me personally. 'ahniu' : I think she had tried, but ... AUSTIN, Texas The twin economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic and a collapsing oil market has upended the political landscape in Texas driving Republicans into an unfamiliar defensive crouch and giving restive Democrats an unexpected election-year lift. Republicans who'd been running on a familiar platform of gangbusters job growth and small government suddenly find themselves without a clear message as unemployment skyrockets and plummeting oil prices ravage the state budget. Their fealty to limited government is under threat with Congress massive stimulus spending and they likely will have to defend even more government spending or slash state spending on core services like education and health care. This pandemic has put Republicans in a tough position, said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist based in Austin. You are having to swallow bitter pills. Democrats have long hoped to transform the stubbornly red state. Though it was overshadowed by Beto ORourkes narrow loss to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz two years ago, Democrats flipped 14 seats combined in the GOP-controlled state House and state Senate, plus two congressional districts. While the pandemic is exceedingly unlikely to swing the biggest contests in 2020, more than a dozen Texas politicians and strategists told POLITICO that fallout from the virus could hasten the states drift away from Republicans spurred by demographic shifts in burgeoning areas repelled by President Donald Trump. The economic impact threatens to hurt down-ticket Republicans, who for decades have hitched their fortunes to a robust economy. Democrats are targeting seven U.S. House seats and defending two, mostly in the suburbs of the largest cities: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso and Fort Worth. Winning the state House is not out of the question for Democrats. They need to flip nine seats and are targeting districts that O'Rourke carried two years ago to get there. Story continues In an interview, O'Rourke said Republicans' handling of the coronavirus and the huge economic and health toll the coronavirus is taking on Texas have altered the political dynamics in the state. We have yet to feel the full brunt of this pandemic in Texas," O'Rourke said. He rebuked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for what he described as a feeble confrontation of the virus, praised local Democratic leaders and said the disparity would resonate with Texans in the fall. "Thats really going to affect a lot of what you see in November up the ballot weve got 38 Electoral College votes on the line for [Joe] Biden or Trump and down the ballot for these statehouse races. ... People are horrified at Republican leadership right now. Abbott has defended his handling, saying Texas hasn't been as hard hit as other states. He said his administration has taken decisive action in lockstep with White House recommendations, while allowing local leaders to tailor their own approach. On Monday, he pointed to the number of full recoveries as evidence that his approach is working. Members of both parties are accusing their rivals of botching the response to the coronavirus as they compete for the upper hand. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) who supported the $2 trillion financial stimulus package, recently likened social distancing measures supported by Democratic opponent, Wendy Davis, to police state tactics used in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Davis countered that Roys approach to the pandemic would endanger public health and further damage the economy. Roy, she said in an interview, should spend less time on radio shows comparing mayors and judges to dictators, and "more time working to make sure Texans are getting the critical medical and economic support they need. Other early flaps have involved statewide leaders who arent even on the ballot this fall. Abbott in particular has taken heat from Democrats and in the press for moving too slowly to stamp out the spread of the virus positions his critics contend were meant to accommodate businesses in rural counties that form his voting base, but also where the virus hasnt increased as rapidly. We were leaning blue after ORourke ran. But people felt like that was the high-water mark, Chad Cantella, a lobbyist in Texas who is not registered with a political party, said of the uncertainty over the virus spread and who voters will blame over its impact. This could have the same effect. It could really charge up the Democratic base to get over the hump. Without a statewide candidate to coalesce around Democrats have yet to settle on a Senate nominee to challenge Republican John Cornyn they are using Trump as a national foil. Meanwhile, a new crop of Texas Democrats who hold obscure but powerful offices are embracing their roles as counterbalances to Abbott and his handling of the crisis. Some 13,827 Texans of more than 133,000 who were tested so far for Covid-19 were positive for the virus. Nearly 2,000 are in the hospital and 286 have died. Of the total number of positive cases, 2,269 Texans are now characterized as having recovered. Ray Sullivan, who served as chief of staff to former Gov. Rick Perry, said Abbott has done an admirable job of looking out for his states diverse interests and was skeptical voters would back Democrats over heat-of-battle differences in their approach to the virus. But Democrats say Abbott's resistance to closing down the economy quickly will come back to haunt Republicans in competitive races this fall. The governor ultimately issued what amounted to a statewide stay at home order, though he chafed at that description. Ancillary scuffles followed over his exemptions for religious services and including abortions in an elective procedure ban. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, another conservative Republican, raised eyebrows when the former talk radio host suggested that seniors like himself would put their health or even their lives at risk to help rescue the economy for future generations. Texas Gov.Greg Abbott gives an update on the coronavirus, Friday, March 13, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Abbott declared a state of disaster Friday as the coronavirus pandemic spread to all of the state's biggest cities. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) That reluctance came up against Democrats who pushed for more aggressive action. They included big-city mayors and elected county judges in the largest metropolitan areas whose powers increase significantly during declared disasters. Voters were suddenly seeing rolling announcements and even friction over timelines for closures. Republican officials clashed with judges led by Clay Jenkins in Dallas County, Sarah Eckhardt in Travis County (Austin), who is running for a newly vacant state Senate seat, and Lina Hidalgo in Harris County (Houston), a political novice who ousted a longtime Republican leader in 2018. Its been a generation in Texas since the public has been able to see Democrats play a significant and sustained role on a statewide basis, said Matt Angle, a Democratic strategist and director of the Lone Star Project. That lack of a megaphone stymied Democrats from touting their proposals to much effect or amplifying what they consider Republican failures. People just didnt know it because the Republicans didnt have anything to be compared against, Angle added. Democrats are hopeful that many of their social programs now resonate with voters who are used to championing limited government. Nathan Johnson, a Democratic state senator, has called on Abbott to expand Medicaid Texas is one of 14 states that has opposed doing so and the governor is suing to overturn Obamacare. Advocates, meantime, are also calling on conservatives to drop a lawsuit against Austin and San Antonios paid sick leave ordinances. Democrats have also looked to expand vote-by-mail rules to more people to help shape the November vote. Right now, to qualify for a mail-in ballot, Texas voters must either be 65 or older, have a disability or be traveling outside the country during voting. Jenkins, in an interview, said those voting restrictions in his state amid the pandemic continue to animate him the most. He called an expansion the only political issue Ill engage in right now. I am trying to ensure that everyone under the age of 65 [can get a mail ballot] regardless of how they want to vote. The battering of the oil industry has put Texas in its own category of economic pain. Tens of thousands of oil industry workers have been laid off as crude prices have plummeted. Oil and gas regulators are weighing cutting statewide oil production for the first time since the 1970s. State Comptroller Glenn Hegar, a Republican, said last week hes imploring state offices to slash spending in response to declining oil tax revenue and the reeling economy. The 20-year low in oil prices has startled politicians even in a state where Republicans and Democrats have become accustomed to fluctuating markets. Between coronavirus and oil, hundreds of thousands of Texans have lost their jobs. On Monday, Abbott, who spoke over the weekend with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, said he plans to move forward in the coming days with an executive order and guidelines to start reopening businesses in the state. Abbott said his order would be gradual and indicated there may be different rules for various parts of the state given some areas have been hit harder. Only businesses that have essentially no impact on the spread of Covid-19 will be allowed to open at first, Abbott said. Other Republicans have tried to get ahead of Democratic attacks. In Bastrop County outside Austin, Madeline Eden, a Democratic state House candidate, said shes received a growing number of constituent emails from the Republican incumbent defending the GOP's actions on the coronavirus. But "youll know when they are really concerned when they call a special session to expand Medicaid," Eden said of the unlikely scenario. "Thats when youll really know. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 01:28:50|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after attending a cabinet meeting via teleconference in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 13, 2020. Erdogan on Monday announced a new two-day curfew which would be put into effect on April 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua) ISTANBUL, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a new two-day curfew which would be put into effect on April 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19. Speaking in Istanbul after attending a cabinet meeting via teleconference, Erdogan said the lockdown would start at midnight on Friday and would last until midnight on April 19. "We decided to continue to impose these bans if necessary," the Turkish leader added. Turkey's previous curfew last weekend covered 31 provinces, including Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the western province of Izmir. Erdogan stated that the country recorded significant progress in controlling the pandemic thanks to the measures. He also noted that two new hospitals are being established in the Hadimkoy neighborhood of Istanbul and Derince district of the Kocaeli provinces with a total of 350 bed-capacity. "We will open the first phase of the Basaksehir City Hospital (in Istanbul) on April 20 and the second part on May 15," he said. The hospital will have a 2,862-bed capacity when completed. Turkey has so far recorded a total of 61,049 confirmed cases and 1,296 death, according to the data released by the Health Ministry on Monday. Press Release 14 April 2020 WASHINGTON - All but shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. travel industry submitted a fresh list of urgent policy requests to Congress to protect the 15.8 million Americans whose livelihoods depend on travel. Advertisements At the top of the list: adding $600 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and expanding eligibility to small businesses that were previously left out; and ensuring loan forgiveness can cover both payroll and other operating expenses during the shutdown. A key example of small businesses that were unintentionally excluded from the PPP under the CARES Act: local and regional destination marketing organizations (DMOs), whose work is absolutely crucial to driving travel and tourism business in every pocket of the country. "The CARES Act was an ambitious step, but now the urgent problem is that assistance is simply not getting where it needs to go," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "Major adjustments and more aid are needed immediately to support small businesses, including local non-profits that are essential engines of the travel economy that employs one in 10 Americans." The latest economic data indicates that travel in the U.S. has a long way to come back: weekly travel spending in the U.S. has fallen 85% from the same point a year ago, according to figures prepared for U.S. Travel by the analytics firm Tourism Economics. That puts the economy squarely on pace to lose 5.9 million travel-related jobs by the end of April, as had been predicted earliermore than a third of the travel-supported workforce. The policy measures proposed by U.S. Travel include new relief as well as some corrections to the provisions of the CARES Act. Among them: Expand eligibility for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) to DMOs that are classified as 501(c)(6) non-profits or "political subdivisions" of their local governments, as well as to small businesses that operate multiple locations (with fewer than 500 employees per location). to DMOs that are classified as 501(c)(6) non-profits or "political subdivisions" of their local governments, as well as to small businesses that operate multiple locations (with fewer than 500 employees per location). Appropriate an additional $600 billion for the PPP and extend the coverage period through December 2020. The PPP is currently slated to expire on June 30the economy will not realistically be in recovery by thenand the initial round of funding is expected to run out in just a few weeks. The PPP is currently slated to expire on June 30the economy will not realistically be in recovery by thenand the initial round of funding is expected to run out in just a few weeks. Revise the PPP maximum loan calculation to 8x a business' monthly outlays, and allow it to cover both payroll and non-payroll expenses. Currently the formula is 2.5x and covers payroll only, not other expensesinadequate for immediate needs. Currently the formula is 2.5x and covers payroll only, not other expensesinadequate for immediate needs. Provide loan forgiveness to large businesses under the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) , rather than just loan guarantees, and clarify ESF eligibility for 501(c)(6) non-profits. , rather than just loan guarantees, and clarify ESF eligibility for 501(c)(6) non-profits. Increase Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funding to $50 billion, raise the loan cap from $2 million to $10 million, and allow a second EIDL if a business is still unable to meet its ordinary expenses. "Congress must move swiftly to correct and supplement the CARES Act with additional rounds of aid," Dow said. "Travel-related small businesses will be vital leaders of an economic recovery, but first they need to survive until the point when travel demand returns. In order to make it, these businesses need to be able to access the resources that will enable them to keep the lights on and retain their employees." Click here for a detailed treatment of the U.S. Travel proposals for subsequent rounds of coronavirus relief legislation. Prue Leith appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to talk about helping her adopted daughter find her biological parents in Cambodia for a new documentary. The 80-year-old Bake Off star had said she was reticent to go to Cambodia at first because they 'nearly killed her daughter' but said the experience was a positive one. Prue said: 'When I married my husband, [the late Rayne Kruger], he had already brought up three children with his first wife and he didnt want kids. 'I didn't like Cambodia, they nearly killed my child': Bake Off's Prue Leith spoke to GMB on Tuesday about helping adopted daughter Li-Da to find her biological parents Special bond: Prue, pictured alongside Li-Da, adopted her daughter when she was just 16 months old 'I wanted two kids we came to an agreement, he worked in Thailand and China and he said we could adopt from there.' They had a biological son called Daniel, now a key aide to Boris Johnson and adopted Li-Da, 46, when she was just 16 months old. Prue said: 'We had one homemade bread and one adopted bread. She was saved from the from the Khmer rouge Pol Pot regime. Family: Prue already had one-year-old son Daniel with late husband Rayne Kruger, when she decided she wanted another child. Pictured with daughter-in-law Emma in October 2010 Li -Da knew little about her biological family - her parents were thought to be victims of Cambodia's killing fields, in which more than a million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. She said: 'I grew up with this story that my mother had been killed by a rocket attack and my father was a soldier who was injured and had to leave me in an orphanage somewhere, [however she did not know if this was true.] 'I left the country with my birth certificate and adoption papers there was a nurse who organised my adoption literally days before... weeks before they [Khmer Rouge] took power.' Tragic: Li -Da knew little about her biological family - her parents were thought to be victims of Cambodia's killing fields, in which more than a million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979 She said: ' I grew up with this story that my mother had been killed by a rocket attack and my father was a soldier who was injured and had to leave me in an orphanage somewhere'[however she did not know if this was true.] She admits she had tried to find her biological family for years but had no luck. She said: 'I started looking researching my story 20 years ago and I hit brick walls and I kind of felt that well it's fine. 'But then I realised when filling in the adaption forms to adopt our son that these details are important to our identity and also the realisation that Im not getting any younger and everyone in my story may not be around much longer so its about doing it before its too late.' Li-Da wanted Prue, who married her second husband John Playfair in 2016 after Rayne died in 2002, to be involved with her journey. Searching: Li-Da admits she had tried to find her biological family for years but had no luck Prue said: 'Li-Da wanted me to understand why she was so obsessed with finding her parents and Cambodia. I love her and she wanted me to go there... I dont like Cambodia, they very nearly killed my daughter and then I went there and its an amazing country' Prue said: 'Im such a practical go ahead kind of person, and Li-Da wanted me to understand why she was so obsessed with finding her parents and Cambodia. 'I love her and she wanted me to go there... I dont like Cambodia, they very nearly killed my daughter and then I went there and its an amazing country. 'The people are so positive... we found lots of things, we had a wonderful researcher, thats the great thing about modern life. When she first tried to find them she didnt have access to DNA testing, or afford a researcher but then we could do that.' And now Li-Da has her adopted son by her side Prue has said it's been hard not seeing him during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Interesting: GMB host Piers Morgan was very interested in this tale of love and family Li-Da and her husband Matt spent four years trying to become parents through the process, before finally welcoming a one-year-old son into their home in March 2019. She said: 'I see a lot of my grandson on FaceTime and all I can say is he's not really interested in me. 'He wants to see the dogs, I see him every day so Li-Da calls me because he's very young, only two years old, and all he says is "woof".' And Li-Da had some lovely words to say about Prue. She said: 'Im very proud of my mum but I think most daughters are proud of their mums. I had an amazing life with my mum and family I had no complaints.' Prue Leith: Journey with my Daughter is on Tuesday April 14, 9pm, Channel 4 Local elementary and middle school students can get free online tutoring from Texas A&M University engineering students to help with homework, reading assignments or general learning. The A&M chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers has 150 volunteer tutors ready to provide 30- to 60-minute sessions weekly for students who sign up. Registration is available via the Texas A&M SPE website at spe.tamu.edu. After signing up, a volunteer tutor will be paired up with the student. The tutoring will be done through Google Hangouts, a videoconferencing tool that is free to download and is compatible with Apple and Android operating systems. Many of the volunteers are bilingual and will be able to help students whose first language isnt English. The program was developed by volunteers, led by Russell Pinheiro, a chemical engineering sophomore and director of SPEs University Affairs Committee, to assist with online learning across the College Station and Bryan school districts due to the COVID-19 school closures. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced on Tuesday that a curfew will be imposed in Old City and Danilimbda areas of Ahmedabad from 6 am on Wednesday to contain COVID-19 cases. The curfew will continue till April 21, he said. Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases of coronavirus and most of them are from the Fort area (Old City). "We have decided to impose a curfew in the Old Fort and Danilimbda areas of the city from Wednesday morning, Rupani said in a video message on Facebook. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Crestview Exploration Inc. (CSE: CRS) (FSE: CE7) ("Crestview" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into a lease with an option to purchase a 100% interest in the Divide Mine, a high-grade precious metal vein target located in Elko County, north central Nevada. This property is comprised of 12 unpatented lode claims covering 247 acres (110ha). The claims cover the majority of the old workings and potential strike extension of the Divide Mine. Location map To view an enhanced version of this image, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7042/54406_afef196a1457298a_002full.jpg See the following hyperlink to view our news release video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itr4OOc9hqs The Divide Mine is located in the northwest portion of the Tuscarora Mining District which is centered 7 miles to the southeast of the Divide Mine. Historic mining from underground and surface placer mines produced 200,000 ounces of gold and 7.27 million ounces of silver as reported in Nevada Bureau Mines and Geology Bulletin 106, Mineral Resources of Elko County, Nevada. In more recent times (1989-1991) 39,976 ounces of gold and 254,000 ounces of silver were produced from the Dexter open pit by Horizon Gold Corporation and Chevron, as reported in "Technical Report Describing the Tuscarora Project, Centered on 565568E/4573240N, UTM WGS84 Zone 11 N in Elko County, Nevada USA, Prepared for American Pacific Mining Corp. by E.L. (Buster) Hunsaker III, CPG 8137, Effective date January 15, 2018. Currently American Pacific Mining Corp. is exploring for high-grade gold on their claims located in the central portion of the Tuscarora district. The Carlin Trend lies about 22 miles south-southwest of the property and the mines of the Jerritt Canyon Mining District lie about 18 miles to the east of the property. The Divide Mine sits on the eastern flank of a prominent upthrown block exposing sedimentary rocks surrounded by 40-million-year-old volcanic rocks. The sedimentary rocks exposed here are known to closely overlie favourable sedimentary gold mineralization host rocks in the region. Further, the age of the volcanic rocks is important because the age rocks is coincident with the age of gold and silver mineralization in the region; and there is a relationship with volcanism and mineralization. There is evidence on the property of igneous rock intrusions. Fault structures on the east edge of the host block provide conduits for multiple episodes of dikes as well as plumbing for the gold bearing mineral system. Gold and silver mineralization occur in banded quartz veins and quartz breccia veins deposited in north-south and north-northeast oriented fissure systems. The Divide Mine contains silver, cinnabar (mercury), minor copper oxides and up to 0.224 ounces of gold per ton (7 g/tonne) in rock samples. Additionally, historic drill logs from Homestake mining report drill results that hit Carlin-style sulfide gold mineralization and geochemistry from a hole located just north of the claims. Near term plans are to acquire aeromagnetic data to assist in outlining the intrusive rocks we believe are related to the mineralization at the property; then focus on geochemical sampling and geological mapping to delineate drill targets. M. J. Abrams, Crestview's Vice-President Exploration commented "The Divide Mine has many similarities to our nearby Rock Creek project located one mile to the west. Given the geologic environment, location and tenor of mineralization, the Divide property has compelling exploration potential deserved of a major drill campaign. We plan to incorporate what we have learned there into our work at the Divide Mine; as well as utilize the synergy of having two similar projects in close proximity to lower overall exploration costs on both properties". The agreement is a third-party agreement with Geological Services Inc., a Utah corporation with an office located at #3 Knob Hill Road, Park City, Utah 84098 USA. The terms of the agreement are as follows (US$): Advance Minimum Royalty On or before 15 April 2020: $25,000 1st Anniversary: $35,000 2nd Anniversary: $50,000 3rd Anniversary: $75,000* 4th Anniversary: $100,000* 5th Anniversary: $150,000* (And each year thereafter) Payments can be recovered from production. 1-mile Area of Interest on locatable land. $2,000,000 buyout *can be exercised at any time, subject to a retained 2% NSR. * = indexed to CPI. 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: Crestview Exploration is a technology driven, well funded and experienced exploration company focused on finding gold and silver deposits in mining friendly jurisdictions. The company flagship project Rock Creek is located in north-central Nevada, in Elko County. For further information please contact: Glen Watson, Chief Executive Officer Tel: 1-604-803-5229 Email: Glen@crestviewexploration.com www.crestviewexploration.com NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE 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 financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, and those additionally described in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities authorities. 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/54406 Washington: Asserting that America is continuing to make critical progress in the war against the novel coronavirus, US President Donald Trump on Monday said the number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide over the weekend, sending clear evidence that the aggressive strategy to combat it is working. "America is continuing to make critical progress in our war against the virus. Over the weekend the number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide; hospitalizations are slowing in hotspots like New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana," Trump told reporters during his White House press conference on coronavirus. On Tuesday, as many 1334 died in the US because of coronavirus and 24,895 new cases were reported. The number was far less than the fatalities hovering around 2,000 for the past several days and over 30,000 new cases being reported daily. "This is clear evidence that our aggressive strategy to combat the virus is working and that Americans are following the guidelines. It has been incredible what they have done," Trump told reporters at the top of his news conference. So far 5.8 lakh Americans have tested positive with coronavirus, which is almost equal to the next four countries taken together: Spain (170,099), Italy (159,516), France (136,779) and Germany (130,772). The United States, which has emerged as the hotspot of the coronavirus globally, has so far reported 23,352 fatalities. "This was really a bad week they are still going to be a lot of deaths but we are starting to see in some areas now that kind of flattening particularly in a place that was a hot spot like New York," said Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health and a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. New York City, which has been the epicenter of coronavirus in the US, with 10,017 deaths and 195,459 cases, now has been registering fewer deaths and new cases than had been the case till last week. On Tuesday 6,765 new cases were reported from the city as against near and over 10,000 every day and fatalities were 722 as against nearly 1,000 on an average daily last week. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters during a separate news conference that the worst is over. "I believe the worst is over if we continue to be smart, and I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy, and we can have a plan where you start to see some businesses reopening understand -- understanding the delicate balance," he said. New York and New Jersey metro areas alone account for more than 250,000 cases, said Dr Deborah Brix, a member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus in Washington DC. This level of new cases and fatalities has been prevented in other metropolitan areas of the country, including Chicago and Detroit areas because of the strict implementation of the social mitigation measures and ramping of the health preparedness including hospital beds, she said. Early this month, members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus, based on various models had projected between one lakh and two lakh deaths, even with the implementation of the social mitigation measures, which has now been extended till April 30. "We are going to be hopefully way, way below that number so that will be a sign of people doing things right, but it is still just a horrible thing all over the world," he said. Trump told reporters that a new social mitigation guideline would be brought out soon. He asserted that the death toll in the US is far less than in Europe, mainly because of the measures his administration took beginning a travel ban on China in the last week of January. So far the United States has conducted nearly three million tests for the virus, he said, adding that the per capita testing in New York is higher than the rest of the world. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 18:59 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e067e 1 Politics Jakarta-police,unrest,looting,Anarcho-syndicalism-Indonesia Free The Jakarta Police have launched an investigation into a so-called anarcho-syndicalist group, which they claim has committed acts of vandalism and provocation in order to trigger social unrest across the island of Java amid public anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities arrested last week five people suspected of being involved in the group after they had allegedly painted graffiti inciting people to riot with messages such as "it's a crisis now; it's time to burn", "kill the rich" as well as "die ridiculously or fight", on the walls of a shopping complex in Tangerang, Banten. They had been charged under articles 14 and 15 of the 1946 Misinformation Law and Article 160 of the Criminal Code on public provocation, which carry sentences of up to 10 years imprisonment. Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said that the police were currently investigating the groups plan to carry out mass looting in some areas across Java on April 18. The plan for [mass looting] on Apr. 18 was announced through social media. [...] We are still investigating the possibility of the presence of a mastermind who might also be funding the plan, Yusri said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co. During the arrest of the five people, authorities also seized several books as evidence, including Aksi Massa (Mass Action) by Tan Malaka, Corat-coret di Toilet (Toilet Doodles) by Eka Kurniawan and Indonesia Dalam Krisis 1997-2002 (Indonesia in Crisis 1997-2002) by Kompas Research and Development Center, which the police believe to have influenced the suspects' thoughts. The arrests came as authorities prepared for possible social unrest in response to the government's policy over the coronavirus pandemic, including social restrictions that aim to slow down the disease transmission, but which have also dealt a devastating blow to the earnings of millions of workers. Manpower Ministry data show that over 1.5 million workers in both the formal and informal sectors have either been furloughed or laid off as companies temporarily halt operations, raising concerns that social unrest may erupt, especially if the government's social assistance for the affected, as well as poor and vulnerable households, is not distributed equitably. Read also: Anarcho-syndicalism in Indonesia: Real threat or boogeyman? Despite such concerns, human rights activists have warned the police not to act arbitrarily and make arrests simply based on the ideology of certain people without sufficient evidence to prove their crimes. National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara demanded the police substantiate their claims and allegations against the anarcho-syndicalist activists. I think the police have overreacted about the books, which [they] consider to be influencing vandalism," Beka told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. For instance, Tan Malaka's Aksi Massa includes the narrative of a movement against colonizers and injustice, which Beka said was opposite to the ideology of anarcho-syndicalism. "Dont let the abrogation of the right to gain knowledge in the name of social order happen again like what had happened during the New Order era, he added, Rights group Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) coordinator Yati Andriyani also criticized the arrests made by the police, asking them not to arrest anyone on baseless charges. The arrests should not be based on suspicion or certain analyses targeting a certain group with a certain ideology or the expression of certain political beliefs," Yati told the Post, "Without a proven base, it can lead to stigma and persecution." She went on to question the validity of the police's claim about the group's plan to conduct mass looting across Java Island next Saturday, saying that the police should not make public their premature conclusions as this would "only create unrest among society". Several acts of vandalism allegedly committed by people linked to an anarcho-syndicalist [group] does not justify the persecution of any group," Yati said, We are worried that the arrests might contravene human rights." The King of Thailand has been spotted on a bicycle ride in Germany with members of his female entourage, which is reportedly 20-strong. King Maha Vajiralongkorn (nicknamed King Rama X) is reportedly self-isolating with 20 women at a luxurious German hotel he has rented out. He is spending time at the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is a ski town near the Austrian border that is usually full of tourists. The hotel's website currently reads: "Thank you for your interest in the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl. Due to the COVID-19 situation, we are currently unavailable for bookings. We look forward to welcoming you back to our website as soon as the situation returns to normal." Getty Images The King found himself in hot water in April, after he took a trip to Bangkok and picked up his wife on the way. He broke coronavirus lockdown protocol by traveling more than 12,000 miles to attend a party with his wife by his side. The quick trip was to celebrate Chakra Day in Thailand, which is a national holiday that celebrates his royal dynasty. While he was there, he met with the prime minister and the head of armed forces. AFP/Getty Images Apparently, King Rama X, 67, stopped in Zurich, Switzerland, to pick up his wife Queen Suthida, who had been self-isolating there, before dropping her off on the way back from his trip. Queen Suthida is his fourth wife and she previously served as deputy commander of the Kings bodyguard unit. She was his long-term partner before they wed and they made frequent public appearances together. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn was initially removed from the list in case the reference caused offence / AFP via Getty Images After his trip, he is said to have returned to the luxurious Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Bavarias Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he has been isolating ever since. He has received some criticism for not staying with his people in Thailand, which has recorded 27 deaths and 2,250 cases of coronavirus. The guard wearing protective masks to prepare for the arrival of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida / Getty Images This isn't the first time he has left Thailand during a time of crisis. Queen Suthida / Getty Images He previously set up camp at a five-star hotel in the Hampshire countryside when his nation experienced political violence. The British couple were overjoyed knowing that they had survived the coronavirus in Vietnam (Photo: The Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi) Dixong John Garth, 74, and his wife, Shan Coralie Barker, 67, were diagnosed with the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease after flying the VN54 flight to Vietnam from the UK on March 2. Unlike Barker, who was released from hospital on April 2, Garth did not respond well to treatment at Hanoi-based Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Having suffered from acute leukemia for 10 years made his condition worsen, forcing leading doctors to closely monitor his health and continuously change treatment therapy. After more than 10 days in the intensive care unit, he stopped using a ventilator, enabling him to communicate with doctors. The patient tested negative for the virus on April 14, and this was the fourth consecutive time his test results had come back negative. Barker was filled with happiness as she saw her healthy husband walking out of the room. She recalled she was shocked knowing that they both contracted the virus and her husbands was transferred to the intensive care unit. As a medical worker, Barker was aware that Garth was in grave danger. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief when knowing her husband had succeeded in his battle for life. Expressing special thanks for Vietnamese doctors who saved their lives, Barker said on April 13 they might have not survived if they had stayed in the UK. The couple immediately took a flight to the UK after leaving the hospital in the evening. As of April 13, Vietnam had recorded 265 cases of coronavirus infection, of which 146 had fully recovered and received discharge from hospital. Chef-prepared meals from Frenchy's fried chicken and South African restaurant Peli Peli are heading to Kroger. To help support the struggling restaurant industry, Kroger Houston Division announced last week partnerships with Burns Barbecue and Kim Son to offer chef-prepared meals at pop-up locations at select stores. Peli Peli and Frenchys were added this week, along with new pop-dates and locations. More grocery news: H-E-B offering meals-to-go from Underbelly Hospitality, Brennans, Cherry Block Offerings from Burns Barbecue, including ribs, brisket and sausage links, will be available April 16 at Kroger at 1440 Studemont St. and April 19 at the 5150 Buffalo Speedway store. Kim Sons to go meals will be offered at both 5150 Buffalo Speedway and 1801 S. Voss on April 15 and April 17. Choose from dishes from egg rolls to chicken lo mein. Selections from Peli Peli will be available at Kroger 15802 Champion Forest Dr. on April 17 and April 18. Options include pan-seared Atlantic cod, curry chicken and grilled cauliflower steak. Frenchy's fried chicken will be offered at the Kroger locale at 1440 Studemont St. on April 17 and at the 1035 N. Shepherd outpost on April 18. One of my favorite things about Texas is the food. We are thrilled to support our local community and local businesses by offering prepared meals through this partnership, Kroger president Joe Kelley said in the release. We are excited to be able to extend this program and support our local community. Its something we are very proud of. Its a matter of life and death, in more ways than one. On one hand, there is the coronavirus, a pandemic that as of Friday has infected 54,000 and killed 1,900 in New Jersey alone. To prevent the easy spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, the governor has ordered businesses to shut down and residents to stay home, even closing state parks to prevent people from congregating. On the other hand, there are people with addictions desperately trying to get well, people who, in the midst of their fight to stay sober, now have to contend with isolation and the temptation of the liquor store, one business that is allowed to stay open. To them, both are questions of essential health. And for at least one group of Alcoholics Anonymous, the risk of in-person meetings is second to that of returning to the bottle. "This is the risk: Either I come to these face-to-face meetings or Im in the parking lot of the liquor store, drinking again, says V, 29 years sober and a senior member of the meetings in Phillipsburg, describing the attitude of those who attend, people she says come from the Lehigh Valley and Poconos just to have that interaction. The risk," she said, "is do I want to live or do I want to die? Its a difficult stance to take in these tense times, when the public health risk of infectious disease is hammered home daily. Stay home. Wear masks if you go out. Avoid groups. Warren County isnt the hardest-hit area of New Jersey, but still more than 400 people have been infected and at least 24 have died, according to county and state figures. Phillipsburg itself has at least 64 infections. V, who has been granted anonymity for this story, told lehighvalleylive.com that at least one of her peers was facing eviction for going out to meetings and that she herself has been yelled at, told shes killing others by holding these meetings. In the last few weeks, police have been called on their meetings at least twice after someone saw the cars in the church parking lot. The first time, V said the matter was handled over a phone call, that the police chief told her to limit meetings to 10 people or fewer. She said OK, but if an 11th shows up needing help, she wont turn them away. The second time, an officer appeared and the group got upset. Phillipsburg Mayor Todd Tersigni said no violation was found in either case. He said the AA meeting place, Grace Lutheran Church, has been advised of and is complying with all guidance during the pandemic. The meetings are continuing. "I havent really heard anything negative about it, the mayor said. Grace Lutheran Pastor Bernie Kelly said the church is willing to help within the guidelines set by the state during these difficult times. His wife, Karen, a deacon and a nurse, has seen what alcoholism can do to people. Were committed when people are trying to make better choices and lead better lives and try and connect with a higher power," Kelly said. "Thats a good thing. The general services office of Alcoholics Anonymous has recommended that groups adhere to social distancing guidelines while focusing on the mission of recovery. It suggests digital meetings like Zoom or Google Hangouts, but it has no authoritative role over how meetings are conducted. Many have made the switch. Nearly 1,000 local meetings of the Northern New Jersey chapter of AA have been canceled, replaced with links to virtual meeting spaces. Thats a change that V said wont work for her. She refers to her meetings as treatment facilities. We need to see faces, she said. We need to see human beings. We need to be there." Theres a reason for that: For some, isolation can be an invitation to relapse. I think the important thing for the community to remember, from an addiction and stigma-free standpoint, is that social isolation can be a trigger for returning to previous addictive behaviors, said Laura Richter, the mental health administrator and coordinator of addiction services in Warren County. Often during public health emergencies, there is an increase in return to usage by many in recovery, for both new and long-term recovery, Richter said in an email through the county spokesman. Even if an individual is not alone at home, they may feel isolated in their recovery without their usual support meetings. If the meetings are being held with the proper protocols they should be allowed to continue, but online resources should also be encouraged as alternatives. (The county has published a list of phone numbers and other resources for mental health and addiction services.) The proper protocols include following Gov. Phil Murphys executive orders, wearing masks and limiting meetings to up to 10 people. V said her group is diligent about keeping their distance six feet apart. She said there is a greeter at the door giving members a squirt of hand sanitizer, that there is an hour worth of prep work ahead of each meeting, wiping down chairs, door handles, faucets, toilets and other surfaces, and the same is done afterward. According to V, her group is aware and diligent of the public health crisis and understands why people may be upset with them. She asks that the public be aware of their personal crisis as well. "They don't have the right to tell us not to get healthy, she said. "We are aware and fearful of (the coronavirus). But we're more aware and fearful of the disease we already have." Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. 50 Years At The Opry Rating: Springtime On The Farm Rating: What a repertoire Dolly Parton has. Not just the string of classic country songs she has written, but the one-liners. Jokes about dumb blondes don't offend her, she says: 'Cos I know I'm not dumb . . . and I also know I'm not blonde!' Much of her humour is defiantly self-deprecating: 'I haven't aged that much, but I have certainly aged my plastic surgeons.' And then there's her No 1, top-of-the-hit-parade gag: 'It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.' Dolly Parton has a string of classic country songs... and some blistering one-liners Dolly's big quips were to the fore as she celebrated half a century of success and fame in 50 Years At The Opry (BBC2) with a command performance at the Ryman Auditorium, 'the mother church of country music' in Nashville. She delivered some of her greatest numbers with lashings of American sincerity, thanking God and her fans in equal measure, before launching into Joleen, Coat Of Many Colours and 9 To 5. Away from the audience, just talking to the camera, she revealed a softer side to her voice with a solo version of the Hank Williams gem I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. She's still got that aching throb in her tone that made her a star. The 75-minute special featured too many filler performances by other acts. Where the show really fell down, though, was its failure to recognise what an influential figure Dolly Parton was in an era when country gals were supposed to sing loud and then shut up. Ken Burns's eight-part documentary Country Music on BBC4 told her story much better last year, tracing how she broke free from the shackles of a music business run entirely by men in the 1970s. In her gold stiletto platforms and a cleavage full of rhinestones, she doesn't look like a feminist icon. She dropped one hint of it, saying: 'There was a lot of good ol' boys in those days, and if they didn't have double standards they'd have no standards at all.' But she performed probably her greatest song without explaining that it was written expressly to enable her to break her contract with her oppressive, manipulative manager and go solo. Lost paradise of the night: We watched through mists and from the air as Lake District shepherd Andrew Harrison guided his flock down Scafell Pike on The Great Mountain Sheep Gather (BBC4). Right now, you'd have to be a sheep to be allowed out there. Advertisement Knowing she needed every ounce of flattery and charm to escape, she called the song I Will Always Love You. If you don't know Dolly's version, you'll definitely remember Whitney Houston's. The woman from the Smoky Mountains wasn't the only diva on display. Villanelle returned, as a new episode of Killing Eve arrived on iPlayer. It airs on BBC1 this Sunday, though the Mail published a sneak preview last week. If you happened to have missed that, the verdict is that the international assassin has gone awfully dowdy. Dolly's wardrobe easily trounces Villanelle's. Another strong woman was strutting her stuff on Springtime On The Farm (C5) not presenter Helen Skelton but Louise, the lop-eared sow, had just delivered three female piglets in the sty at Highclere Castle. Highclere is where Downton Abbey was filmed, and Lady Carnarvon who runs the farm was toying with the idea of calling the litter after Lord Grantham's girls: Mary, Edith and Sybil. That wouldn't be smart. One will dump every male that dares to try it on, one will find her suitors mysteriously vanish in the night, and the third will run off with a highly unsuitable pig from the wrong background. It's a recipe for disaster. If this show does not suit costume drama addicts, it's ideal for fans of James Herriot. Deft editing means the stories switch back and forth with plenty of pace, and there was lots of 2am lambing. It's a welcome escape. The Eastern Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has directed its staff to desist from engaging the media in conversations and discussions on the Coronavirus disease. Staff who defy the directive will only have him or herself to blame, a letter dated April 13, 2020 from the Eastern Regional Director of Health Services and addressed to all heads of health facilities in the region said. The letter, signed by Director, Dr Mrs Alberta Adjaben Biritwum-Nyarko, read: I write to you in no uncertain terms to warn all staff in all seriousness to desist from engaging the media in conversations and discussions on COV1D-19 other than education. The recent spate of media engagements that have set our teeth on edge are one too many and must stop with immediate effect. Anyone found to have given any information to the media on COVID-19 without the express permission of the Regional Director of Health Services will only have his or herself to blame. This is the last note of caution on this matter. Kindly treat it with the urgency it deserves. The Eastern Region has recorded 32 cases of the Coronavirus disease. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Britain was in full bloom yesterday as the recent sunny spell continued - and temperatures in the UK are now set to top those in Mediterranean cities later this week. Weather experts predict temperatures could reach 70F in parts of the UK on Thursday. Parts of the South and North Wales are predicted to beat highs of 63F in Athens and 68F in Rome. It comes after a boiling Easter Bank Holiday weekend, when temperatures peaked at 77.9F in St James's Park, central London, on Saturday the warmest day of the year so far. Yesterday, stunning pictures showed how carpets of flowers in Britain's woodlands have come into bloom up to a fortnight early in areas from the South Coast to Surrey. And bluebells are just beginning to flower in Derbyshire and Yorkshire, helping to lift the spirit of the nation in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown. The fragrant carpets of flowers in Britains woodlands are providing a tranquil haven for many taking their daily permitted walk. Experts say lots of sun and rain last summer helped the bulbs soak up plenty of nutrition. Wood larks: Cockapoo Cookie in Peterborough. The bluebells should be in flower for two to three weeks, said Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist for the Royal Horticultural Society Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist for the Royal Horticultural Society, said: The bluebells are certainly putting on a good display. They should be in flower for two to three weeks, he said, adding that fruit trees are also producing wonderful blossom. Other flowers expected to benefit from the settled conditions are meadow orchids, clematis and rhododendrons. Around half of the worlds bluebells are found in the UK. They are a protected species it is illegal to pick, uproot or destroy them and walkers are urged to stick to paths rather than wander through the flowers. Everly Fidler, four, in Surrey yesterday. Other flowers expected to benefit from the settled conditions are meadow orchids, clematis and rhododendrons The early-flowering comes as the good weather is set to continue. Today and tomorrow are set to be mostly dry and sunny. Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 64F-66F today inland, but only 57F-59F around coastal areas. Porthmadog in Gwynedd is predicted to enjoy the warmest day tomorrow along with parts of the South. A Met Office spokesperson said of today: Following a further cold and frosty start another sunny day follows for the majority. Tomorrow is set to be the warmest day of the week. The highest temperatures are likely to be in sheltered locations, with figures of 17-19C (63-66F) elsewhere. Experts say the fine and settled weather is being caused by a dominant area of high pressure. But a weak weather front is set to drift across the country into Friday, bringing showers and pegging temperatures back. Forecasters say Friday is likely to see highs of 63F in the South and 57F in the North. However, next week will bring the return of fine weather. The Met Office said: The weather is due to remain mostly fine and dry on Saturday with many places seeing sunny spells once early mist patches clear. It will be generally warm, but cooler in the breeze. Looking further ahead, settled conditions seem likely to continue for much of the country with some good spells of sunshine and dry weather. 'Temperatures should be above average for most, but there is still the risk of the odd isolated frost in rural areas by night. The fine weather means pollen counts will be high today and tomorrow. Nanterre (France), April 14, 2020 FAURECIA STRENGTHENS ITS LIQUIDITY BY 800 MILLION EUROS TO FACE ANY POTENTIAL SCENARIO RELATED TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS Faurecia announced that it signed on Friday, April 10, 2020 a Club Deal of 800 million with four of its main banks (BNP Paribas, CA-CIB, Societe Generale and Natixis) with the following conditions: Maturity: 18 months (12 months + 6 months option at Faurecia's initiative) Senior unsecured loan, unguaranteed, pari passu with the rest of the Group's long-term debt Drawn on Friday, April 17, 2020 This 800 million liquidity is in addition to the 600 million not drawn from the 1.2 billion syndicated credit line (maturity: June 2024) of which half was recently drawn, in anticipation of the expected decline in factoring of receivables. With 1.4 billion of available liquidity, in addition to its current cash position, Faurecia estimates to be able to cope with any scenario related to the Covid-19 crisis. Michel FAVRE, Group Chief Financial Officer of Faurecia, declared: "Since the beginning of the crisis, we have taken all necessary measures to strengthen our liquidity and be able to pass the peaks of cash requirements that we will have to face, including in the most demanding scenarii. The signing of this Club Deal is part of our financial strategy in the face of the crisis and demonstrates the confidence of our banks in the quality of our signature and our ability to weather this global crisis." Contacts Presse Eric FOHLEN-WEILL Corporate communications Director Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 72 58 eric.fohlen-weill@faurecia.com (mailto:eric.fohlen-weill@faurecia.com) Analysts/Investors Marc MAILLET Head of Investor Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 75 70 marc.maillet@faurecia.com (mailto:marc.maillet@faurecia.com) Anne-Sophie JUGEAN Deputy Head of Investor Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 71 31 annesophie.jugean@faurecia.com About Faurecia Founded in 1997, Faurecia has grown to become a major player in the global automotive industry. With 248 industrial sites, 37 R&D centers and 115,000 employees in 37 countries, Faurecia is a global leader in its four areas of business: Seating, Interiors, Clarion Electronics and Clean Mobility. Faurecia has focused its technology strategy on providing solutions for the "Cockpit of the Future" and "Sustainable Mobility". In 2019, the Group posted sales of 17.8 billion. Faurecia is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC Next 20 index. For more information, please visit www.faurecia.com Attachment Collapsing demand for gasoline and jet fuel is pushing Valero Energy Corp., San Antonios largest publicly traded company, into the red. The independent oil refiner said Monday that it expects to post a first quarter loss of between $1.83 billion and $2.1 billion. The company also announced the temporary shutdown of eight of its 14 ethanol plants, all in the Midwest. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Valero said social distancing and travel restrictions imposed by government authorities in the U.S. and Europe have spawned economic turmoil in its two main markets. The restrictions have significantly reduced global economic activity and resulted in airlines dramatically cutting back on flights and a decrease in motor vehicle use at a time when seasonal driving patterns typically result in an increase of consumer demand for gasoline, company officials said. Valero benefits from the low oil prices that energy producers are wrestling with its cheaper for refiners to process crude into gas and other fuels. But that plus is more than offset by fallout from the restrictions in private life and industry. Demand for gasoline has dropped 44 percent since late February, according to AAA. The average price of a gallon of regular gas nationally hit $1.86 on Monday down 44 cents from a month ago and nearly $1 from a year ago. To boost liquidity and safeguard the company from more economic turbulence, Valero officials also disclosed that theyre borrowing an additional $875 million. The refiner estimated that it held as much as $1.6 billion in cash as of March 31, the end of the first quarter, with debt between $11 billion and $12 billion. Cash is king, said Dennis Elam, a professor at Texas A&M University-San Antonio who specializes in oil and gas accounting. Especially when a companys operating income has fallen dramatically. Elam said Valeros decision to increase its reserves is no different from what other hard-hit companies including airlines, cruise lines and major oil producers are doing. The company employs about 10,000 workers, including several thousand at its North Side headquarters next to the University of Texas at San Antonios main campus. Valeros stock closed at $49.70 per share Monday, down 1 percent. The stock had recently fallen as low as $30, but rebounded last week to $50. Still, the stock has lost 48 percent of its value in the last three months as the economic downturn has ravaged every part of the oil industry. In a Monday note to investors, CFRA analyst Stewart Glickman advised them to hold the stock, saying, All told, we see (Valero) battening down the hatches for what promises to be a rough 2020. Valeros complete first quarter results, which it expects to release April 29, will likely be a significant reversal. The company reported a profit of $2.4 billion for 2019, down from earnings of $3.1 billion in 2018. The refiner also plans to cut its capital budget, though it did not say by how much. Thats in addition to deferring tax payments of $100 million. Valero had reported in January that it expected to invest about $2.5 billion in capital projects in 2020, 60 percent of which would be for continuing operations and 40 percent for new projects. Valeros 15 oil refineries operated at more than 90 percent capacity last year. In Mondays filing, the company said it had reduced production at its facilities. The companys 14 ethanol plants, which supply the corn-based fuel additive to Valero facilities and other refiners, have been especially hurt by the downturn. Valero has temporarily idled eight of the plants and reduced operations at the other six. The ethanol plants employ more than 1,200 workers. We are not thinking about furloughs or layoffs at this time, Valero spokeswoman Lillian Rojas said in response to questions about the companys ethanol plant employees. Valero and other refiners operate on thin margins, as low as 2 or 3 percent, said Ed Hirs, a lecturer at the University of Houston who specializes in energy economics. When there is no volume, there is no income, Hirs said, comparing refiners thin margins to those of grocery stores. This is what oil refiners are contending with: Hirs said hed just filled his car with gas for the first time in five weeks. There is no reason to drive, he said. Randy Diamond covers aviation, energy and manufacturing in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Randy, become a subscriber. randy.diamond@express-news.net Dogs Trust, Irelands largest dog welfare charity, is delighted to announce one of their most beloved residents, Porkie the Pit Bull cross, has found the perfect family after waiting almost four years. Porkie was born in the charitys Rehoming Centre in Finglas after his pregnant mum, Penny, arrived into their care in April 2016. Porkie, the largest of his litter and hence his name, had difficulty controlling his excitement from a very young age and sadly this resulted in him being overlooked as many families were choosing less energetic pups. Porkie needed a very specific home, and he had no prior experience of home living! Everyday things that people often take for granted such as a bed being made, or the dishwasher being emptied were all foreign concepts to him. On top of all that, Porkie became quickly frustrated and overwhelmed with anything new or exciting, so the introduction of everyday items and events needed to be done in a controlled manner. Karla Dunne, Head of Operations, Dogs Trust Ireland explains: We were searching for people who were willing to get to know Porkie at his own pace and put in both the time and the effort to understand his many quirks and how to deal with them. Potential adopters would need to visit him multiple times to build a strong bond. They would also need to be understanding of the fact that Porkie had never lived in a home before and that every day would be a new experience for him while he settled in. They also needed to live in a relatively quiet area, with no children that Porkie could bowl over with his over-enthusiastic ways! With such specific requirements, it was no easy task to find Porkies paw-fect family but in October 2019, Brian Murphy and Regina Byrne Murphy arrived into the charitys Rehoming Centre, hoping to foster a dog. Regina Murphy-Byrne, Porkies adopter said: Porkie was suggested to us by the Rehoming team who explained all about his quirks and his struggles to control his excitement. As soon as we met him, we fell head over heels in love and knew then and there that we were prepared to do anything asked of us to be able to adopt him! We visited the Centre 35 times and Porkie visited our house with his Canine Carers. Dogs Trust implemented the Porkie Plan to get him accustomed to life in a home and together, we worked on his excitability. What a change there has been in his behaviour! We were thrilled to be able to take him home last month and now he enjoys nothing more than snuggling with myself and my husband on the sofa. Hes a completely different dog to the one we met back in October and we couldnt be prouder of him and everything he has overcome; we simply adore him! To continue to be able to care for dogs like Porkie, Dogs Trust are urgently appealing to dog lovers for their help. Like many businesses and charities, they have had to make the difficult decision to close the Rehoming Centre to the public temporarily. They need your support, now more than ever, to keep caring for Irish dogs as usual behind the scenes. As a charity that receives no Government funding, they are solely reliant on the generosity of the public to continue their life-saving work across Ireland. In these challenging times, your generosity will save lives, and ensure unwanted dogs and puppies can continue to receive the love and expert care they need to get them back on their paws again. Please donate what you can through their website or by Sponsoring a Dog or a Puppy Playgroup online. For more about Porkies story and to see the huge level of work and commitment our specialised team of behaviourists and canine carers put into finding him a new home, please see Porkies blog here: www.DogsTrust.ie/Porkie More than $18 million worth of cultivated cannabis has been seized across NSW this month, after police uncovered a $1.65 million crop in the state's central west, the third such discovery in two weeks. Three men were arrested, including the president of the Sydney chapter of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang, when detectives from Strike Force Hyperion stormed a remote 115-hectare property near Mudgee on Monday. Alleged Bandidos president Bradley John Duff, 45, Jason Noel Keep, 47, and and Justin Herlihy, 21, were arrested at the property on Cainbil Road, Coolah, near Mudgee around 11am. All three were taken to Dubbo police station and charged with cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis, supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and participating in a criminal group. After hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Mumbai and Surat, Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev on Tuesday directed police and district magistrates to not allow "any large gatherings" in the national capital. A government official said that the orders have also been issued to the Delhi Transport Corporation and divisional commissioner to ensure that lockdown, imposed in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is strictly enforced. Only buses placed at the disposal of the police and health department will operate and the rest will be confined to depots, the chief secretary said in his order. "Special Commissioners of Police, Joint CPs, DMs and SDMs have been asked to be on ground to monitor situation closely," the official said. Dev in his order said that "any gathering will not be allowed as curfew and lokdown are in force". "There is no question of large gatherings," he directed officers. The direction comes in the wake of over 1,000 migrant workers in Mumbai defying the lockdown to gather in suburban Bandra, demanding that transport arrangements be made for them to go back to their native places. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to migrant workers not to fall prey to rumours about bus arrangements being made to ferry them to their native places and asked them to stay put wherever they are. In a video appeal, he said the Delhi government has made sufficient arrangements for their accommodation and food. "Don't fall prey to rumours about bus arrangements," he said in a video message. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Its a zonkey! That was the birth announcement made in an April 8 press release by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a charity animal rescue and rehabilitation organization in Kenya. But what is a zonkey and how did it come to be? According to the press release, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust/Kenya Wildlife Service Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit received a call from a KWS Community Warden last May. A stray zebra had moved out of the Tsavo East National Park and had for many weeks made herself at home with a local womans cattle herd. The story was aired on local media, so for the zebras safety, the SWT/KWS team was asked to help transfer her to a protected area. Keeping in mind that the zebra had become fairly accustomed to community life, the team chose the Kenze Anti-Poaching Teams base in Chyulu National Park, where she was seen frequently over the coming months at the water hole and salt lick. Fast forward to earlier this year, when workers at Chyulu National Park caught just a glimpse of a zebra with a tiny foal by her side. Several weeks later they were able to get a good look at the pair, revealing a whole new surprising twist. While zebra foals are born with white and brown stripes that eventually turn black, this little ones body was suspiciously light on stripes and overwhelmingly tawny in color. At first, we thought that it had just been wallowing in the mud bath, but then the truth dawned on us: Our wayward zebra had given birth to a zonkey! the press release said. A zonkey is a highly unusual hybrid between a zebra and donkey. Because the gestation period of a zebra is twelve months, connecting the dots was quite easy. During her time living within the community last year, she had obviously become acquainted with an amorous donkey, states the press release. With the sturdy body of its donkey sire and the striped legs of its zebra mother, the zonkey is an eye-catching creature, but because a zonkey is a mule, once it reaches maturity it will be unable to successfully breed. Otherwise it should lead a normal life. The announcement states that mum and baby are thriving." Their new home is in an area not plagued by heavy predation, and due to the lush conditions, with water and grass plentiful "it is a good place to call home. A statement by the rescue group said, Working with wildlife, one learns to expect the unexpected. Even the most seemingly straightforward story can eventually reveal its true stripes and end up surprising us all. READ MORE: 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. Five police personnel were injured in the Charulia area of Asansol on Tuesday in clashes with locals over setting up of a quarantine centre, officials said Asansol: Five police personnel were injured in the Charulia area of Asansol on Tuesday in clashes with locals over setting up of a quarantine centre, officials said. The civic body decided to convert a local health centre into a quarantine facility, they said. On Tuesday afternoon, when health and civic body officials visited the area for inspection, locals gathered and started heckling them, according to police sources. The locals started pushing and abusing them, following which the police were called in, a senior officer of the Asansol police commissionerate said. Seeing the police, the locals started hurling stones at their vehicles, he said. "We then had to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to control the situation," he added. Five police personnel, including the officer-in-charge of Charulia police station, were injured, he said. "We also have reports about a few locals getting injured," the officer said. An investigation has been started and a hunt is on to nab those behind the incident, police said. The decision to set up the quarantine centre in the area was taken after a few positive cases of COVID-19 were reported from Asansol, in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, over the last few days, officials said. This is the shocking moment a speeding vehicle slams into a roundabout and launches into the air like a stunt car before landing in a graveyard. The silver Suzuki Swift cut down a pine tree in mid-air and narrowly missed a statue of the Pope before crashing into buildings at a cemetery in Rabien, Lodz, Poland, at around 6pm on Easter Sunday. The car burst into flames on impact and was left totally destroyed. Somehow, the 41-year-old driver remained conscious as brave firefighters were able to cut him free from the wreckage. This is the shocking moment a speeding vehicle slams into a roundabout and launches into the air like a stunt car before landing in a graveyard The silver Suzuki Swift cut down a pine tree in mid-air and narrowly missed a statue of the Pope before crashing into buildings at a cemetery in Rabien, Lodz, Poland, at around 6pm on Easter Sunday He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said his breath smelled of alcohol but they are awaiting the results of a blood test to confirm whether he was drunk, Polish Radio SA reports. Horrifying CCTV footage released by authorities in Poland shows the car hurtling along a deserted road towards the roundabout. The driver accelerates, ploughing through the junction without looking and slamming straight into the ramp-shaped island embankment. The vehicle catapults into the air and flies over the roundabout, littering the ground with shrapnel before landing in the cemetery. Pictures released by local emergency services show the full extent of the damage to the car - with its front end completely demolished. Horrifying CCTV footage released by authorities in Poland shows the car hurtling along a deserted road towards the roundabout The vehicle catapults into the air and flies over the roundabout, littering the ground with shrapnel before landing in the cemetery Toppled trees are also seen lying on the ground and a building has one of its walls smashed in. Viewers on social media were stunned by the video. Bogdan Zarebski commented: 'It's a good thing no one was passing by at that time. At what speed did he have to go to jump like this?' Roman Feliks said: 'Good thing he didn't kill anyone alone. Idiot.' Wojtek Ferdek wrote: 'He didn't think there was even a roundabout there.' Adam Em quipped: 'I thought all flights were cancelled.' Like most of the countries in Europe, Poland has banned non-essential travel during the coronavirus crisis to limit the spread of the disease. People are allowed out but only in pairs and only for approved reasons such as shopping and medical appointments. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 23:43:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MADRID, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will begin talks with the leaders of his country's main political parties on Thursday to formulate a national pact aimed at helping recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. In a televised press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting, Finance Minister and government spokesperson Maria Jesus Montero said that the first meeting would be with People's Party (PP) leader Pablo Casado on Thursday. "We need to start building tomorrow's prosperity now," said Montero, adding that "The prime minister will start his meetings with Mr Casado on Thursday, and will continue on Thursday and Friday with meetings with the leaders of other parties, starting with those that have the strongest representation in the Spanish parliament." "Everyone who wants to make a proposal will be able to do so and we hope that the offer will be accepted ... The coronavirus crisis has changed everything, all of the priorities and the perceptions of the people," she said. "It is not just about going to a meeting, but about how everyone can work together," said the minister. Montero also commented on the predictions published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday that the crisis would cause Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by eight percent this year, with unemployment climbing to 20 percent. She described the prediction as "very important," but insisted that this was one of the reasons the country needed agreement between all of its parties "so that next year we will be able to have growth at the same level as the countries around us." Spain on Tuesday reported 567 new deaths from COVID-19, taking the total number of lives lost to 18,056. It also reported 3,045 new cases of the virus, taking the total number of cases to 172,541. With the 1.8-percent daily increase in newly-recorded cases, Spain has now turned to a downward curve in infections, Health Minister Salvador Illa said at a press conference, stressing that nevertheless people had to "remain in confinement." Obviously, one of the easier ways to help the country, India's several states and law-officials is to stay indoors. In addition to staying indoors and working from home, you can also help the country by downloading the Aarogya Setu App. Want to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest clarion call? Want to contribute your wee-bit in helping the nation contain the growth of covid-19 in lockdown ver 2.0? This is a Government of India app that has been designed to help control the spread of coronavirus and make information accessible to common people. The ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) says that the app helps a user find corona-positive people nearby. The app is reportedly used by over 10 million Indians and is available in 11 languages. Using or downloading the app is a breeze. We will recommend users to head to their respective playstore or iOS store and search for the app. It is advised that you do not download any versions from an unknown source for security purposes. The government has been relentlessly promoting the Aarogya Setu App and it is quite possible that APKs from an untrustworthy source could fraudulently misuse your data and credentials. Once you have downloaded the app, a simple survey asks if you are facing cough, fever, or have trouble breathing. The app will place you in a green zone on understanding no problems. How it works? The app asks users to keep their mobile phone's Bluetooth and location services in the on-mode. On visiting a crowded place, the app prompts messages to the user about other users who may be at a higher risk rate. The app does this by sharing information via Bluetooth and GPS features. In the unlikely eventuality of a passerby turning coronavirus positive after a few days, the app-user is alerted about the episode. After the alert, the user can opt for a Covid-test. Also explained are Covid hotspots that could allow users to alter route. With the Covid-19 lockdown extended for another 19 days, this app can come in handy for users who are either emergency covid-warriors or are normal citizens who may have stepped out to buy essential groceries. Concerns: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens to download and use the app in his recent address on the extension of lockdown in the country on April 14th. However, readers should be explained that there have been concerns related to privacy of the app. Software Freedom Law Center, a non-profit legal services organization has listed the concerns on collection, processing of personal data during the ongoing Covid-crisis. The agency wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, and Minister for Information Technology & Law - Ravishankar Prasad explaining their concerns. The letter is reportedly also signed by other entities such as CCAOI, Digital Empowerment Foundation, Free Software Movement of India, Internet Democracy Project, Internet Freedom Foundation, Internet Society-Delhi Chapter, IT For Change, SFLC.in and Swathanthra Malayalam Computing. The agency says that the app has been launched at a time when a law related to personal data protection was yet to be promulgated. The agency has also sought the app makers to make the source code open-source to improve transparency. Also explained are several legal parameters related to the use of the app and collection of personal data. This link talks about the suggestions and concerns in detail. While the debate continues about the risks and concerns, Sify.com advises users to take an informed decision. Turkey is pushing its credentials as a major humanitarian power in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic by sending medical equipment to Italy and Spain, detection kits for Palestinians and even medicines to Armenia. Turkey is hard hit itself by the virus outbreak which has killed nearly 1,300 people but it is still finding the resources to help other countries in need. In recent weeks, Turkey has supplied masks, hazmat suits and hydroalcoholic gel to Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, all among the worst hit in Europe. Turkey's humanitarian aid reflex is not new, Jana Jabbour, a Turkish diplomacy expert at Sciences Po university in Paris, pointed out. "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always wanted to position Turkey has a 'humanitarian power'," quick to rescue those in need, whether they are oppressed Muslim minorities or countries hit by natural disasters, Jabbour told AFP. But unlike Ankara's usual interventions, Turkey is now also supporting developed countries -- which are more used to helping than being helped. - Turn the tables - It is also an opportunity to turn the tables for Erdogan, who professes nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire, infamously described as "the sick man of Europe" by Western powers before its collapse at the end of World War I. "It is a question of showing that Turkey is a strong power which has the means to offer aid to European states, now themselves 'sick', both in the literal and figurative senses," Jabbour said. To cultivate this idea, each delivery to Europe is carefully staged, from the plane's take-off broadcast live on television to the beneficiaries' warm thanks spread across the newspapers. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quick to point out that "Turkey is the first country in NATO to send help to Spain and Italy," who are also members of the US-led military alliance. Ties with the West and Europe in particularly have been strained for several years. The latest spat with the European Union came earlier this year when Erdogan said migrants, fleeing conflict in Syria and across the Middle East, would not be prevented from leaving Turkey for Europe, causing huge numbers to gather on the Turkish-Greek border. Erdogan insists repeatedly that Europe has not done enough to support EU membership candidate Turkey, which hosts around 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Relations deteriorated badly as the migrant crisis grew in 2015 and got worse still in 2016 when the EU criticised Erdogan's crackdown after a failed coup. Erdogan in turn lambasted Brussels for failing to show solidarity with a fellow democratically-elected leader. "Turkey's candidacy for the European Union is good for Turkey, but it's also good for Europe. In fact, this pandemic has proved us right," Kalin said. According to Kalin, nearly 100 countries have asked for help from Turkey while Erdogan said on Monday supplies had reached 34 states. - 'Strategic angle' - Beyond the PR operation, "there is a strategic angle in terms of the countries that Turkey has picked to send pandemic-related assistance," said Soner Cagaptay, of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy. When the government last week sent equipment to five Balkan countries, a region once under Ottoman rule, Turkey sought to reinforce its image as a "generous uncle," he told AFP. Another example is Ankara's decision to send medical equipment to Libya where a civil war between the Turkey-backed government in Tripoli and dissident forces supported by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have wreaked havoc with the health system. "Turkey is making sure that the Tripoli government doesn't collapse under the burden of the pandemic. It's part of the wider clash between Turkey and the UAE-Egypt axis," Cagaptay added. The crisis created by Covid-19 has also offered Turkey an opportunity to extend an olive branch to countries with which it has had frosty relations for many years. Kalin on Sunday said Erdogan had thus approved the sale of drugs to Armenia. Despite tensions between the two countries, Turkey agreed to sell medical supplies to Israel, Kalin said, adding that material would also be sent to the Palestinians, for free. This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 12, 2020 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a pursuit assault plane group under the Air and Anti-Aircraft Division in the western area of North Korea. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has set up a secret organization, referred to as the Military Government Guidance Department, with the intent of reining in military corruption, sources in the reclusive country said. The new organization, established Dec 12, 2019 at the fifth plenary session of the seventh term of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers Party, has been granted enough power to monitor even the heads of the North Korean militarys General Political Bureau and other core commands, and has the authority to observe the private lives of military officers as high as the rank of general. The new Military Government Guidance Department began operations in early March, a military source in Pyongyang, who asked not to be identified, told RFAs Korean Service recently. Currently, members of the [organization] have been dispatched to the corps headquarters to examine the lifestyles of high-ranking military officials, including corps commanders, looking into their capabilities and incomes, the source said. Until now, it has been the General Political Bureau thats in charge of stopping abuses in military power, but since the [new organization] is under the direct control of the supreme command [headed by Kim Jong Un], officials of the Political Bureau, who wield enormous power, are themselves now subject to inspection, the source added. Describing how the organization was formed, he told RFA: On Kim Jong Uns orders, the members of the Military Government Guidance Department were selected by the Central Party, and deputized while dressed in military uniforms. The organization was made to protect and maintain the Central Committee and the supreme leader, the source added. According to the source, the departments inspections into military and government leaders can also be done without their knowledge. In addition to the official inspection, the Military Government Guidance Department can secretly investigate the ideological trends and private lives of corps leaders, division leaders, and brigade commanders, as well as arrest suspects immediately if any elements are found against the regime, the source said. Another military source who asked not to be named, from North Pyongan province, told RFA that although the department is relatively new, the creation of such an organization had been discussed towards the end of the administration of Kims late father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, who ruled from 1994 to 2011. I understand the Military Government Guidance Department was conceived of during the Kim Jong Il era, when Kim Jong Un was in charge of the military operation department of the General Staff department, the second source said. Since the inauguration of Kim Jong Uns administration, the supreme leadership has mobilized the General Political Bureau to clean up the party and the militarys power base. So now there is a closed-door organization to inspect the high-ranking officials of the General Political Bureau, the second source added. According to the source, political conflict with the United States, over North Koreas nuclear capabilities and sanctions meant to suppress those capabilities, has served as a catalyst for corruption. Even the General Political Bureau officials are worried about the instability of the regime, so corruption is rampant. This has made the supreme command nervous, so that is why they created the Military Government Guidance Department, the second source said. They want to tighten discipline in the Peoples Armed Forces and eliminate the possibility of reactionary military officials, the second source added. The second source confirmed that the department was specifically made to watch the watchers. Above all the main task of the Military Government Guidance Department is to assess ideological trends, corruption and combat readiness of the high-ranking military officials, and report this assessment to the supreme command. Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Abby Reinhard was expecting her 76-year-old father to be discharged from the hospital earlier this month after a fall. Instead, the 41-year-old mother of three from Rochester, New York, heard from the hospital that her father, Donald Adair, tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Two days later, on April 6, Reinhard learned that her dad passed away from complications due to COVID-19. "I still fully havent taken in what happened with my dad," Reinhard told "Good Morning America." "It still feels surreal somehow." PHOTO: Donald Adair poses with his daughter Abby Adair Reinhard on her wedding day. (Danielle DiNatale/13 One Photography) Reinhard and her three siblings -- who live around the world -- spent the last nearly two days of their dad's life on the phone with him, as he lay in the hospital struggling to breathe, with a phone propped up by his ear and they listened for his every breath and said their goodbyes. MORE: Coronavirus updates: 21 NYC public school teachers dead She wrote about the experience as it unfolded so she would have a memory of her dad's last hours on Earth. Reinhard later shared her thoughts in a moving Facebook post that gives a glimpse into what it is like for the thousands of families separated from their loved ones in critical condition due to COVID-19. "When I looked down at my phone, still connected to your hospital line, I wanted so badly to talk to you again, even though I knew you werent really there," she wrote. "I pictured your body lying on the bed and your spirit rising. 'I love you, Dad,' I said into the phone. I paused for a few moments and pressed the red button to end the call." PHOTO: Donald Adair, of Rochester, N.Y., poses with his four children in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Abby Reinhard) At least 23,070 people in the U.S. have died as a result of COVID-19, including more than 10,000 people have died from COVID-19 in New York state alone. Reinhard though said she wants her dad and the thousands of other COVID-19 victims to be remembered as more than just statistics. She also wants people to understand how quickly COVID-19 can turn into a deadly serious illness and how hard it is for those left behind who were not allowed to be at their loved ones' hospital bedside. Story continues "Its easy to feel at a distance from numbers," she said. "If we totally take in the extent of whats happening, its almost too much. But when we humanize a tragedy we understand it better." MORE: This mom has helped hundreds of people per day get tested for COVID-19 Reinhard's father, Adair, was a Rochester native who graduated from Harvard University on scholarships before graduating from Cornell Law School. He was an attorney and a grandfather of five, according to Reinhard. "He was one of the smartest people I ever met and he was also very humble and kind," she said. "He loved his kids and was very proud of us. He had a big heart, a big brain, an incredible work ethic and a lot of love." PHOTO: Donald Adair hugs his daughter Abby Adair Reinhard on her wedding day. (Danielle DiNatale/13 One Photography) Here is Reinhard's full Facebook post, her account of her dad's final hours, reprinted with her permission. April 5th, 2020, Evening: The terror Ive felt today is unlike anything I've ever experienced, and I can only imagine how hard it has been for you, Dad. Im so sorry you are going through this nightmare. You went to the hospital after falling, and you were supposed to be discharged soon. But COVID spread, unsuspected, down the hall, before you had a chance. On Saturday night I read that the test came back positive. I cant describe the fear I felt in that moment, and I thought, This cannot be happening to my family. Somehow I was able to regain a sense of calm and went to bed hopeful, because the signs of your health were encouraging. This morning, I got the call and your dire prognosis. Aspiration... deterioration... suffering... not much time. Your lungs got ravaged so fast. I couldnt fully take in what the nurse was saying it didn't feel real. Then I heard myself say, How are you going to make sure this doesnt happen to other families? Why did you all wait so long to wear masks, and why wasnt there more testing? This never should have happened! I caught myself and remembered that she was an innocent messenger working on the frontline of the pandemic, and I told her I was grateful for her. PHOTO: Donald Adair poses with his daughter Abby Reinhard and other family members during a trip to Copenhagen in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Abby Reinhard) What was done was done. The weight of this reality hit hard, the dam broke, and I sobbed, realizing I couldnt go to be by your side. No visitors. COVID wing. Oh my God. I felt a huge rush of fear and then anguish. But I couldnt stay stuck there. I needed to talk to you, Dad, as soon as possible. The nurse offered to call me from your hospital phone and nestle it by your ear, so I could hear you breathe, and you could hear me talk. I love you... Thank you... Im sorry... I forgive you, I said, as I heard you struggle to breathe and eject the ooze from your lungs. Hearing the retching sound of your cough, I knew you were suffering -- and there I was, powerless, on the other end of the phone. But I was so thankful for the nurses. Yes, Don, get that out, they said. You can do it, Don. Thats good. You settled down in between coughs, and I searched my heart for what to say. I hope you could hear me. I talked about our precious times at the lake. I remembered you playing your guitar around the campfire, and I clung to that image as if it were my saving grace. I hope you could hear through my tears as I sang our old campfire songs. Some of the lyrics seemed so fitting -- Milk and honey on the other side and Hes got the whole world in his hands. I paced back and forth in my bathroom, trying to contain my crying, as I attempted to get the words out. I worked hard to breathe -- but not as hard as you. After a half-hour or so, I realized I could join Tom, Carrie and Emily to the call. Over the next many hours, our conversation with you is one I will treasure for the rest of my life. Although we were each sitting in Dallas, Raleigh, Copenhagen or Rochester, we were together, unpacking memories we had stored away long ago. The lake, the Cape, and our Europe trip. Games, projects, and important conversations. We also sang more campfire songs. I pray that you could hear it all. I had to break away from the call a few times to talk to doctors. I needed opinions. I needed data. Until today Id actually forgotten I was your health-care proxy, and I was unprepared for the decision I had to make. An unthinkable decision. The doctors shared information and context, and it was clear that they were clear on the hard call I needed to make. But I did not have that same clarity. You always have been so strong, Dad, and I wanted to grasp on to any shred of hope. I read your living will, over and over, meditating on each life-and-death phrase. I tried to put myself in your shoes. I also checked in with my intuition, which I've learned over the years is almost always right. The clear voice inside was leading me to the same answer as the doctors. I hated that answer, but I knew it was right and that I couldnt wait too long, because you were suffering. So I made the horrifying but loving decision. "Comfort care." The doctor sounded relieved. Through all of this, I want you to know, Dad, that I havent had the feeling that its too much too bear. Ive known deep down, that as hard as this is, I could handle it. And Im eternally grateful to your sister Robin, who helped me sort out the right course of action. Its now early evening, and Ive been sitting at my desk writing while connected to our call. Im glad to have documented what has happened up to this point. Now Im trying to absorb this precious moment of being together virtually, giving thanks for you, Dad. It feels so good to laugh and cry. To be connected on the phone with you and my brother and sisters. To bring the images of us from earlier years back to life. PHOTO: Donald Adair holds one of his five grandchildren in this undated family photo. (Courtesy Abby Reinhard) It also feels good to hear you breathe. That rhythmic, white noise is the background music to our call. Although weve had a few excruciating periods of silence on your end -- maybe a minute long each time. When you dont breathe, I hold my own breath, afraid its the end. And we all chime in, Breathe, Dad -- we need to hear you breathe. Then we finally hear you inhale. Then I let out a sigh of relief, grateful to know you're still with us. I have never loved and appreciated breath the way I love and appreciate breath right now. April 6th, Morning: Around midnight last night, I dozed off, with you still in my ear and all five phone lines connected. I dont know how much sleep I got. Each nap was punctuated by our mantras, We love you so much... Were here for you Your kids are all here, Dad. Today your breath is more sporadic and thick, like youre straining to suck paste up a straw. All I can do is listen on the other end of the phone, and write this down. My own chest is feeling tight now, as I imagine your lungs filling, while the virus seeps in. You just moaned softly, and I dont know if youre trying to say you love us, or if youre in pain. Were listening to you and loving you. I wish desperately we could be with you in person, and I hate picturing you in that room alone. But I keep coming back to my faith, which tells me youre surrounded by love. I pray you can see angels behind your closed eyes. That you can feel their love -- and ours. That you can hear us on the other end of the phone. That you can sense the stirrings of your soul even while your body is becoming numb. April 6th, Afternoon: Its been ten minutes since we last heard you, Dad. I know there's likely just an issue with the phone, but I'm really scared. But I keep thinking, if you were gone, surely by now the nurses would have come in, and wed hear them through the phone. Right? Please...Dear God. Youre back! The phone had slipped. Thank you, God. Now we hear short, shallow breaths -- each one a miracle. Youre here. Were here. With obvious relief, we're each telling you again how much we love you. Baby Skylar is hiccuping on Carries line. This is life, and this is death. The newborn baby on the phone with the grandfather shell never meet. Then silence again. This one is a dark, harrowing silence... Ok, here come faint, short flicks of white noise. I hope thats you. Yes, its louder now. Its you! Thank God. I just said the Lords Prayer, in short bursts between my attempts at squelching my sobs so my kids cant hear me. I feel the pressure of the wailing behind my eyes, as I whimper like a dog, and wipe the tears away. I feel it in my throat now too, the pressure. Grief is a strange thing. It comes in unpredictable waves. At one point earlier, I felt slightly guilty because I actually felt ok. And now here I am, pushing back against a huge wave of pain as it crests and I try to breathe through it. Im breathing. You're breathing. Were ok. ...Im back and feeling much better. While it was silent on the phone, I breathed in and out when you did for about 15 or 20 breaths -- and it's all I focused on. A breathing duet and a meditation. I felt so connected to you, and my mind calmed more than ever today. Thank you. ...Were all getting tired. The cadence of our conversation continues to slow. April 6th, Early Evening: The pain just hit hard again. I exhaled out a sob for so long and so hard, I felt my stomach muscles seize up. These are quiet wails, with just the hiss of air escaping my wide-open mouth. Now that Im on the other side of that release, Im feeling much more peaceful. This is lasting much longer than the doctor predicted yesterday. I start to question my decision until I speak with the with the new, kind doctor on the floor, who uses the phrase "terminally ill." Yesterdays doctor is off for the week -- in quarantine, I assume. I also just read an article in the New York Times by an MD giving a gruesome account of intubation and the small chance of recovery it affords. I feel more at peace again with what's happening. Im grateful Tom stopped telling you to keep fighting, Dad. But I grieve the loss of his hope -- the hope I played a part in taking away, with the decision Tom is so reluctant to accept. The first-born -- the only son. The one running for office, who needed his dad to last at least through November. His very proud father. Tom just stepped away from the call, and Carrie and Emily say, I love you, Dad. Silence again. I realize now that some of the silent patches on your end of the line are due to your faint breaths that arent loud enough to cue the phone line to pick you up. So the line sounds almost dead, as we wait and listen hard. I miss the in-and-out sound of your breaths, but the silence isnt as scary now. I even manage to eat a slice of pizza. ...Youre back! We hear you, Dad. The phone line picked you back up thanks to background noise in the COVID wing, as the nurses opened your door to reposition you. They are superheroes, putting themselves at risk so you can be as comfortable as possible. We hear one of the nurses with a kind, lilting voice narrate as they move your body. Before leaving, she said, Goodnight, Don. Ill see you tomorrow. I can't help but wonder if shes right. I feel the need to sing to you again, so here goes, with Our Love is Here to Stay. A bit more upbeat than yesterdays Amazing Grace. And just now I played Country Road from YouTube, so you could hear one of your favorite John Denver songs. ...Youre now making a new sound! A gentle, guttural sigh. Is this a new phase? Are you having a sweet dream? Are you seeing something? Now its gone silent again. How fleeting peace can be. I'm glad I reveled in it while it lasted. Now we wait, and listen, and pray again. The flavor of tonights call is so different than last nights. Only a few stories. Our tired grief is slowing our brains and wearing on our spirits. The silence has been going on for several minutes now. But no nurses have come. Maybe the phone slipped again. Eight-year-old Caroline just popped in to my room asking if Grandpa Don sounded better. I told her honestly that you have been sounding much more calm. Yes! she said, with a huge smile. There have been a lot of recoveries, and, as her smile faded away, she added, ...and a lot of deaths. I wonder how the coronavirus will shape my kids and their generation? I think now about what shaped you and your fellow Boomers. Vietnam....a war against communism in a distant land. Today its the coronavirus...a war waged against droplets in the air, all around us. I hear you breathing again, Dad. So grateful for that sound. Late Evening April 6th/Early Morning April 7th: The four of us just agreed we need more sleep tonight, and that youd want us to take care of ourselves. It could be hours or days, and theres no way to know. We couldnt stay as connected on the phone as we were last night. I stayed muted on the line with you, as I tucked in the kids and got ready for bed. I journaled and fell asleep around 11. None of us hung up the line, in case we wanted to reconnect at any point during the night, but we agreed to step away from our phones and get some sleep. Then came the call, just after midnight. I knew what I was going to hear, and braced myself. Gone. Youre gone. Cause of death: Respiratory failure in the setting of aspiration and COVID-19. Time of death: 11:50 p.m. If I'd stayed on the phone just one more hour, I could have been with you. We'd been on the line together for almost 36 hours. What are the chances you would pass within an hour of our break? Maybe you didnt want us to hear you go. Or maybe you didnt have the space to leave while we were hanging on your every breath. If Im honest, maybe part of me didnt want to hear your last gasps of air. When I looked down at my phone, still connected to your hospital line, I wanted so badly to talk to you again, even though I knew you werent really there. I pictured your body lying on the bed and your spirit rising. I love you, Dad, I said into the phone. I paused for a few moments and pressed the red button to end the call. Here comes the pain again, so heavy. I cannot believe this is happening. Dear God,Thank you for welcoming my dad.He is such a good soul. Dad,I know we can still continue our conversation. Thank you so much. I love you forever. Love,Abby Daughter chronicles dad's death from COVID-19: 'I cannot believe this is happening' originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Registration for the summer semester is now underway at Mid Michigan College. Summer semester courses begin May 18 through remote-delivery options only. Lab courses may begin on that date, but no face-to-face labs will be available prior to June 29. "All of us at Mid Michigan College know that staying healthy and safe are top priorities during this difficult time. That's why the college continues to expand the number of courses, programs, credentials and services that are available remotely via online delivery methods," said Karry Kiste-Toner, assistant vice president of student success at Mid. "From getting one-on-one help registering for courses to guidance on how to edit an essay, our teams are ready to help students every step of the way." By Express News Service VELLORE: A 62 year old woman tested positive for COVID-19 in Vellore taking the tally to 16, officials said on Tuesday. The woman, residing at Konavattam, in Vellore city, had contracted the viral infection from Delhi returnees. According to district collector A Shanmuga Sundaram, A 62 year old woman tested positive today. Presently, she is in CMC Hospital. She is reported to have contacts with Delhi returnees, he added. Follow up action has been initiated as per the containment plan in the locality where her house is located. With the addition of one more positive case, the numbers rose to 16 in Vellore district while Tirupathur and Ranipet did not report any positive case on Tuesday. Regional monitoring officer nominated to supervise corona preventive measures in Vellore region Mangat Ram Sharma (Commissioner of Archives and Historical Research) took stock of the situation in Tirupathur district on Tuesday. He reviewed the activities at a high level meeting, in which, district collector MP Sivanarul and SP P Vijayakumar were also present. Meanwhile, the total lockdown enforced in Ambur entered its second day on Tuesday without any violations. Things are moving on the lines of what we have expected, said Sivanarul. He noted that vegetables were being reached to the doorsteps of the local residents through volunteers. Ambur alone had reported 13 corona positive cases so far raising concerns. The total lockdown to restrict movement of the people was enforced to check social transmission of the pandemic. With 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths reported in last 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India climbed to 10,363, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Out of the total number, 1,036 people have been cured/discharged/migrated and 339 persons have died. According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 8988 active patients in the country, while Maharashtra has the highest number of cases (2,334), followed by Delhi (1,510) and Tamil Nadu (1,173). On the last day of 21-day nationwide lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 10 am. He announced the lockdown on March 24 as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The nations top expert on infectious diseases and a member of the COVID-19 task force for the White House will keep his job, at least for now. President Donald Trump, in the middle of a tirade against the news media and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, said he was not going to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci despite his Sunday night retweet of a post that advocated the public health advisers ouster. Im not going to fire him. I retweeted somebody, Trump said. When asked if he noticed the #FireFauci hashtag in a tweet by DeAnna Lorraine an unsuccessful congressional candidate whos downplayed the COVID-19 crisis and promoted a #FilmYourHospital hashtag frequently shared by conspiracy theorists Trump said, I notice everything. Sorry Fake News, its all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up. Thank you @OANN https://t.co/d40JQkUZg5 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020 Trump denied that he elevated Lorraines message to his nearly 77 million followers, but said he doesnt mind controversy. I think hes terrific, he said of Fauci. Not everybodys happy with Anthony. Not everybodys happy with everybody. Trump added that he and the doctor, who has openly disagreed with some of the presidents public statements, have been on the same page from the beginning. The president, who opened the daily news briefing by inviting Fauci up to the podium to clarify statements he made in a Sunday interview with CNNs Jake Tapper, claimed he had not orchestrated the moment and didnt talk to Dr. Fauci before the briefing. Dr. Fauci asked people if he could speak, Trump said. On Sunday, Fauci said health officials faced pushback in late February when they pressed for greater mitigation including social distancing, which the Trump administration did not recommend until mid-March. But Fauci noted that a number of factors played into the crisis, and said were not where we are now because of one fact. You could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and if you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives, Fauci said Sunday. But what goes into those decisions is complicated. There was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then. On Monday, Fauci told reporters that pushback was the wrong choice of words. He implied that his comments the day before were focused on debate among medical experts on how and when to implement mitigation against the spread of the virus. He added that as soon as he and Dr. Deborah Birx presented strong recommendations for social distancing to the president, he heeded their advice. More than half a million Americans have contracted COVID-19 and more than 23,000 have died as of Monday. The president spent much of his remarks bashing the press, chastising reporters for their work by arguing it treated front line workers unfairly. He frequently targeted the The New York Times for its recent story examining his administrations response to the virus. The Times reported that Trump, who in late January said the disease was totally under control in the U.S., played down the crisis even as top experts and intelligence agencies warned that more aggressive action was needed to block the viruss spread. We did the right thing and our timing was very good, Trump told reporters. He again touted his move to restrict overseas travel before experts advised and said he followed the advice of his experts when implementing stay-at-home guidelines. He claimed his decisions may have saved tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of American lives. The president also showed a video including clips of Fox News interviews with experts on the crisis and a host of governors thanking him for his administrations assistance. ABC News Jon Karl likened the video to a Trump campaign ad and asked the president who had produced it. I wouldnt use the word produced," Trump replied, indicating White House employees put it together in less than two hours. We could give you hundreds of clips like that. Related Content: Dublin, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Refrigerated Trucking Market in the US and Canada - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Get an in-depth analysis of COVID-19 impact on refrigerated trucking market in the US and Canada. The refrigerated trucking market in the US and Canada is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4% during the period 2019-2025. This study considers the present scenario of the refrigerated trucking market in the US and Canada and its market dynamics for the period 2019-2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The study offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent companies operating in the market. The challenge of perishability and the need to preserve food and non-food categories at optimal temperatures to prevent spoilage are the major growth enablers for the refrigerated trucking market in the US and Canada. The growth in refrigerated warehouse capacities in the US and Canada has a positive impact on the refrigerated logistics market. Being geographically vast countries, the US and Canada need to have refrigerated truck transport and trailers for long haul transportation to avoid food spoilage, thereby influencing the market. The demand for temperature-controlled logistics continues to grow upward trajectory as perishable food items and medicines need to be maintained at optimal temperatures throughout the cold chain until they reach end-consumers. This demand pushes more opportunities for vendors to increase their investments that could benefit both refrigerated trucking companies and perishable food manufacturers as well. Pharmaceutical products need to be maintained at a precise temperature to maintain their efficiency. Time and temperature are two vital factors to be taken into consideration when transporting medicines. Transporting biological materials such as blood, tissue samples, reproductive material, etc. must be carriage at a cryogenic temperature less than -150C. Therefore, it is critical to transport clinical products under temperature-controlled trailers over a long distance. The pharmaceutical market in the US and Canada continues to grow at a steady rate of YOY. Hence, refrigerated trucking companies are exploring to deliver advanced solutions for biological researches, needing transportation of specimens, or even entire research labs at times. Therefore, pharmaceutical products are mandatory to be transported in temperature-controlled trucks becomes a driving force for the refrigerated trucking market. Market Dynamics Opportunities & Trends Story continues Growing Organic Food Market Increasing Multi-Temperature Trucking Solar Powered Refrigeration Units Usage of Freight Optimization Software Growth Enablers Growing Consumption of Perishable Goods Growing Need for Pharmaceutical Shipping Growth in Frozen Foods Restraints Fuel Cost Fluctuation Competitive Market Place Shortage of Drivers Refrigerated Trucking Market in US and Canada: Segmentation This research report includes a detailed segmentation by service, temperature compartment, end-users, vehicle, and geography. The refrigerated trucking market by less than truckload (LTL) is growing at a steady pace driven by end-users such as F&B and pharmaceuticals. The (LTL) industry in North America is composed of numerous vendors. The industry has high entry barriers across the region on account of the complexity of operating thousands of depots, driver shortage, and intricacy with respect to the spoke hub system used for pickup and deliveries. The growth of e-commerce has a high positive impact on the overall LTL industry. However, dry freight has a higher share compared to refrigerated freight. LTL carriers commonly employ covered or enclosed van trailers. The usage of LTL refrigerated trailers is less compared to dry freight LTL carriers. The majority of temperature-controlled transporting through LTL is limited to regional levels compared to inter-regional or national levels. Online retail is a major driver for the LTL segment. Also, several start-up companies are trying to disrupt the LTL, consolidate the market with new technology-based solutions to address the complexity associated with the LTL segment. The single temperature and multi-temperature logistics segments supplement each other's growth. Currently, single temperature refrigerated trucking services dominate the industry. However, the growth of multi-temperature refrigerated trucking services has been higher. Reduced weight and improved fuel economy are the characteristics of single-temperature refrigerated truck trailers. Local manufacturers meet a large part of the demand for transportation refrigeration units in the US. However, low-cost imports from China and Mexico are also available in the market. The food & beverage industry dominates the reefer truck market. The logistics cost in the food industry accounts for 710% of the total product cost. The increasing number of quick-service restaurants and retail outlets has fueled food consumption, which has increased the demand for chilled and frozen food and beverages. Foods that are expected to see high demand for packaging include organic foods, dairy, and meat. Scaling up of tier 2 brands in the US food industry is expected to bring high volumes, while larger food corporations will drive the steady need for refrigerated transportation. Canada is one of the most potential markets for launching new and innovative products due to its multi-ethnic society. Food consumption differs significantly across the country. Also, a vast majority of people are health-conscious, and hence, the market has observed an increased demand for organic food products that require refrigeration in their supply chain. While refrigerated trailers reduce operating expenses by reducing fuel and/or power consumption, they are complex to manage. Vendors boost the trailer revenue by charging for loading and unloading, detention of tractors and trailers, fuel surcharges, and other services. The market for trailers is also dependent on inventory levels, customer needs, trucking capacity, and availability of the driver. The availability of long-haul drivers is a major concern both in the US and Canada. The FTL and LTL segment use trailers for delivering cargo. However, the utilization of vans is limited to the LTL segment. Since the FTL demand is currently high, and also the regional LTL demand is growing, the usage of the trailer is growing. Market Segmentation by Service FTL LTL Market Segmentation by Temperature Compartment Single Multiple Market Segmentation by End-users Food Poultry, Meat, and Seafood Dairy and Beverages Bakery, Confectionery, and Others Pharmaceutical Others Insights by Geography Chilled or perishable food items have multiple challenges in transportation; therefore, cold chain management is increasing its complexity significantly. Due to technical advancements, refrigerated trucks that can hold goods with multiple segments at different temperatures are gaining popularity in recent years in North America. Multi segmented refrigerated trucks can maintain different optimum temperature levels. Multiple temperature trucks are more particularly used for the retail application, where temperature-controlled models are required to replenish store stock with relatively small quantities from regional distribution centers. Canada stands out to be on top as the largest country both in the production and consumption of food and beverages. Canadian organic food products are at the highest demand being exported across all major countries of the world. The agriculture and food and beverage processing industries in Canada contributes around 6.8% toward GDP annually. Quebec and Ontario hold leading two positions in agriculture and food and beverage processing industries. Key Profiled Countries US Canada Insights by Vendors The US and Canada refrigerated trucking industry is large, fragmented, and highly competitive with thousands of FTL and LTL carriers. No single vendor dominates the market. The three major factors on which the competition is dependent include - tariff, capacity, and customer service. The competitive factors change as and when the market conditions change. For instance, in the low demand market scenario, the tariff for hire refrigerated trucking company becomes significant, while in the times of high customer demand, the capacity and service quality make become more vital. The pricing of a truckload refrigerated carrier is in North America depends mainly on supply and demand factors. Vendors H. Robinson Worldwide Americold Logistics B Hunt Knight-Swift Transportation FedEx DB Schenker U.S Xpress DHL Lineage Logistics ABF Freight Marten KLLM Logistics Prime Inc Covenant Transportation Services Stevens Transport Burris Logistics Total Quality Logistics Henningsen Cold Storage Expeditors XPO Logistics Trenton Cold Storage RLS Logistics Matson Logistics Conestoga Cold Storage Agro Merchants Group Congebec Logistics Hanson Logistics Confederation Freezers Ruan Transport Penske Atlanta Bonded Warehouse Corporation Alliance Shippers Midwest Refrigerated Services Estes For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nttr6m Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. 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 A member of the Delhi Waqf Board has suggested that the panel be entrusted with the job of burial of Muslim victims of coronavirus whose bodies have not been claimed so far by their families. Himal Akhtar, citing media reports, said that bodies of some Muslims who died due to coronavirus were kept at hospitals as their relatives were unable to reach there due to the nationwide lockdown, which is in force since March 25 and has now been extended till May 3. In a letter to Delhi Waqf Board CEO S M Ali, Akhtar said performing last rites according to one's religion and tradition is also a fundamental right. "A few reliable media houses have made us aware of few Muslim dead bodies which have not been buried as the hospital is not releasing and their relatives cannot come because of the lockdown, so it is the duty of the Waqf board to provide them with this fundamental right by burying them in the demarcated area," Akhtar wrote in his letter. A copy of the letter was also sent to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said. The Waqf Board, currently running without a chairman, has proper personnel for burying the dead by following the rules and the guidelines of the government. The board already has been arranging burials of unclaimed bodies, Akhtar said. He urged Ali to seek guidance of the Delhi government and the Centre about burial of the bodies of coronavirus victims kept at hospitals, so that the Waqf Board could discharge its duty. The Waqf Board last week designated a graveyard near Millennium Park for burial of coronavirus victims due to objections on such burials at other graveyards. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four civilians killed in exchange of fire between India, Pakistan troops in Kashmir Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 5:00 PM At least, four civilians, including a two-year-old boy, have been killed during an exchange of fire between troops of Pakistan and India across the restive Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between the two countries. Following the deadly incident, examples of which are not uncommon in the region, the Pakistani army said in a statement on Monday that heavy artillery fire by the Indian military had "deliberately targeted civilians" on the Pakistani side, where another civilian, a minor, was killed. "Due to indiscriminate Indian fire of heavy weapons and mortars, a two-year-old minor Muhammad Haseeb in Dhudnial sector, embraced 'shahadat' (martyrdom)," the statement said, adding that four citizens, including a woman and a 72-year-old man, sustained serious injuries. On the other hand, Shri Ram Ambarkar, an Indian police officer, said in reciprocal statements that three civilians, including a woman and a child, were killed when shells fired by the Pakistani side hit homes in two locations along the LoC in the Kupwara area of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday evening. The most recent round of tensions between India and Pakistan was triggered on Sunday, when both armies targeted civilian areas. Since Friday, Pakistan's military has charged India with repeated violations of the ceasefire along the frontier. The latest string of clashes has seen for the first time this year the use of heavy artillery targeting civilian areas. Earlier this month, five Indian special forces and five Kashmiri fighters were killed in the border area. Pakistan summons Indian official to protest at shelling In a related development, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned an Indian diplomat on Monday, condemning the latest ceasefire violation. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "This year, India has so far committed 749 ceasefire violations." Despite the ceasefire agreement that was reached between India and Pakistan in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes continue in Kashmir. India and Pakistan frequently exchange heavy fire across the militarized de facto border in the disputed Kashmir valley. Indian troops are in constant clashes with the armed groups seeking independence across the Muslim-majority region. Kashmir has long been a flash point between India and Pakistan, which have fought three of their four wars over the disputed Himalayan territory. Both countries rule parts of Kashmir while claiming it in full. India has scrapped the semi-autonomy of its part of Kashmir, sparking the new wave of tensions over the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A man was detained by police in neighbouring Navi Mumbai over messages on his social media accounts which may have contributed to the gathering of a large number of migrant workers in suburban Bandra on Tuesday afternoon, an official said. The man, identified as Vinay Dubey, was apprehended from Airoli in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday night, an official said. After handing him over to the Mumbai police, he will be in custody of the Azad Maidan police, where the process of registering an offence against him was going on, he said. Dubey had uploaded a video of his on social media account in which he had demanded the Maharashtra government make travel arrangements for migrants, who are stranded due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown and want to go back to their native places, he said. He had also tweeted about the issue and called for a national-level protest if trains are not arranged till April 18 to ferry migrants workers to their native places, he said. The police suspect his social media messages contributed to the protest by more than 1,000 migrant workers, most of them from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, near suburban Bandra railway station. They were demanding that the state government make transport arrangements so that they can go back to their native towns and villages. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Locations and in-service statuses of social service assets such as nursing homes, child care centers, and health-care providers; School enrollment; Canonical, no-frills, parcel-boundary data; Calls for social, emergency, and general municipal services The U.S. is in the middle of the most severe public health crisis of the past century. But, as we know from other recent disasters, the immediate response is half the battle. If the lessons of disaster recoveries hold such as post-Katrina New Orleans (where this author was data analytics director from 2010-2017) the long-tailed recovery from COVID-19 will be as consequential in shaping communities as the immediate crisis itself. To prepare, state, local, and community leaders must prioritize their data capacity now infrastructure, practices, and governance to ensure recovery is conducted as swiftly, efficiently, and equitably as possible.Consider two groups of public servants. Group A serves on the front lines of the crisis, caring for critical patients, delivering meals, and housing vulnerable populations. Group B is everyone else, many of whom are working from home supporting their colleagues from afar. They include economic development professionals, city planners, data specialists, and the others who work to improve our communities in normal times.Group A works around the clock doing their best to save lives. When the crisis peak passes and triggers the arduous task of recovery, Group B takes over. Just as hospitals prepare by stocking supplies, now is the time for Group B to shore up their data capacity so they can ensure recovery is intelligently executed and delivered to those most in need.The historic $2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed is a critical resource, but as experience with post-Katrina New Orleans shows, money alone isnt enough. Public leaders need data to guide the intelligent administration of funds, to facilitate coordination of governmental and non-governmental partners, to build public trust and to ensure equity. Preparing data is critical in facilitating compliance with grant-makers so more time is spent on the substance of meeting community needs during recovery and less on the minutia of reporting requirements.Here are three practical steps public leaders can take now to prepare their data practices for recovery.To manage recovery, two reference data points are vital. The first is the landscape of your community before the pandemic. If you can restore economic and social activity to this point, youve recovered to a state of normalcy. The second is the crisis peak, when economic and social systems are the most stressed. This is the trough from which your community will measure progress. This point is obvious in climate-related disasters: it is directly after the storm makes landfall. In this public health crisis, however, it is less clear.Now is the time to analyze data on these reference points one of which we know (early February 2020), and the other of which will occur in the coming weeks or months. In post-Katrina New Orleans, one important data point was total blighted housing units before and immediately after the hurricane so housing recovery could be tracked accordingly. With no centralized data collection of building conditions, New Orleans data professionals, especially Allison Plyer of the nonprofit Data Center, turned to obscure sources, including U.S. Postal Service data, to identify baselines for housing recovery.Particularly important in this crisis will be labor market data. Inventory your own administrative data tax records, business licenses, and fire inspections to identify the location and statuses of buildings. Other non-traditional sources, such as pedestrian traffic, parking, and social media data, can illuminate how busy those businesses are before, during, and after the crisis.Administrative data is not only important to policymakers, it is also critical to a range of community stakeholders like nonprofits, entrepreneurs, community advocates and partners from other jurisdictions. They will need vital data sets during the recovery, and the best way to share that data at scale is through authoritative, frequently updated data sets on your open data portal. Without a central, single source of data, a patchwork of end-arounds will ensue, creating fragmentation and confusion among stakeholders who need to coordinate to be effective.Denice Ross, a fellow-in-residence at Georgetowns Beeck Center, laid out a data set wish list for state and local governments to publish to help communities recover after disasters. It included:After Baton Rouges floods in 2016, the city created an app using business license data from their open data portal that residents could use to indicate whether businesses were open. It facilitated an organic crowdsourcing effort that provided the community with vital information on the pace of business recovery after a disaster.Data on the businesses, individuals, and places requiring targeted recovery services is siloed among bureaucracies. Government leaders should think how to link data sets to common entities, such as parcel number or business ID, so recovery is coherent and integrated.Superstorm Sandy caused more than $65 billion in damages and crippled businesses throughout the Northeast, including the working-class neighborhoods of south Brooklyn and Queens. The New York City Mayors Office of Data Analytics created a coordinated, small business recovery effort by stitching together tax, licensing, utility, and parking data (among others) to create a comprehensive picture of businesses and whether they were important nodes of commercial activity for neighborhood revitalization. This intelligence allowed the city to deliver targeted and proactive business recovery services, shorten the recovery time, and ensure resources were used by people who needed them.The story of the COVID-19 crisis isnt over when ICU beds free up again. That is the first chapter. The second and more consequential chapter is the years-long recovery and whether we can make our communities more resilient, healthier, and equitable than before. Now is the time for government leaders to get their data houses in order so recovery is as swift, targeted, and equitable as possible.Government Technology More Japanese voters disapprove than approve of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration for the first time in nearly two years, a survey showed, as criticism mounts over his handling of the virus outbreak. A poll released Tuesday in the Yomiuri newspaper, a right-leaning major daily that typically backs Abe's policies, showed his government's disapproval rating at 47%. The number topped his approval rating at 42% for the first time in the poll since May 2018, when his government was mired in a scandal related to a real estate deal. Polls released Monday by Kyodo News and another by the conservative Sankei newspaper also showed that his support rate was under water. The latter showed 64% of the respondents did not approve of Abe's handling of the virus, up 25 percentage points from the previous survey in March. While the polls are a blow for Abe, he is unlikely to face any immediate threat as opposition parties have also failed to attract voters. Abe, the country's longest-serving prime minister, must hold elections for the powerful lower house of parliament by the autumn of 2021. Support for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was steady at 5% in the Yomiuri poll while Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party was relatively steady at 34%. Respondents in polls have faulted his government for being too slow to declare an emergency over the virus and for not providing enough support for residents and businesses struggling to make their way through the crisis. Compounding the problem have been gaffes where Abe has seen to be out of touch with the problems faced by citizens making their way through the crisis -- the most recent of which was a social media post over the weekend to show support for those staying at home that was lampooned for being tone deaf. Abe's government has announced a 108 trillion yen ($989 billion) stimulus package, Japan's largest ever, to rescue the coronavirus-hit economy. The package, equivalent to about 20% of the nation's economic output, will include cash handouts worth 6 trillion yen for households and small businesses hit by the virus. He faces another public test with a special election to the lower house in Shizuoka prefecture April 26, which will be the first to be held under pandemic conditions. Japan has had the fewest confirmed coronavirus infections among Group of Seven leading democracies but cases have more than tripled in Tokyo in April to hit 2,158 as of Monday, raising worries it could be the next global city to be overwhelmed by an explosive surge. In neighboring South Korea, President Moon Jae-in has seen his support surge by 14 percentage points in a little over month to hit 56% in early April as confirmed infections have dropped after an aggressive testing and containment campaign that has won international praise. This has given Moon's beleaguered progressive party a boost as the country holds parliamentary elections on Wednesday. Whether these are airtight examples of culture is debated. But by living among the animals, in their world, Safina and the field scientists he visits show us something else, something too often overlooked in research and in conservation: who the animals are, and how they live. Though researchers study species, this category is less interesting than thinking in terms of families and communities, each making its way at a particular pace and in a particular place. More compelling than facts about species are tales of individuals characters, with personality living among peers or kin. So its the stories of Safinas days with these animals that move us: the distinctive rhythms of the whales vertical lives (they travel from surface to depths to hunt, and sleep vertically); the social complexities of chimpanzee life; the sometime silliness of macaw life, as when the birds goof off together, hanging upside down. To truly comprehend any creature including people you must watch them live on their own terms, Safina writes. To find the whales, researchers drop a hydrophone into the water and listen through the zillion sounds of the ocean for the distinctive sonar clicks or characteristic codas, group names, of sperm whales, then head in their direction where the whales may be a mile below, or not there at all. It goes on like this for days, sometimes without finding one and these are the expert whale-finders. The difficulty in merely locating them is an apt metaphor for the profound distance we have from these animals worlds, from an understanding of them that is anywhere near complete. The paradox of trying to get others to appreciate wild animals lives is that often we have to simply let them be: not cage them, hunt them, gawk at them. The ideal way to observe animals is to see them through the words of others, frankly which is what Safina lets us do. One month later, that campaign has yielded mixed results. In many cases, it has outright backfired. Defective masks, late arriving goodies, and outrageous propaganda that has been publicly blasted by America's leadership is generally behind the failure. Their big mistake is in thinking that this is a problem that public relations can fix. Fact is, the central problem is that the Chinese leadership covered this matter up and allowed a highly contagious disease to spread throughout the world, killing more than 100,000. They hid the source of the problem by denying that there was a problem at all and telling organizations they seem to easily manipulate, such as the World Health Organization, that there was no human to human transmission. Nothing to see here, nothing to worry about. They failed to shut their airports to travel until 5 million potentially exposed people got out, spreading the problem throughout the world while still hiding the problem. They hoarded medical supplies and bought up quite a few on world markets, leaving the rest of the world with nothing, and revealing their unreliability as a global supplier, a pretty selfish one at that. Worse still, they jailed dissident medics who first sounded the alarm (the main one died in jail), threw the sick by force into pens, and may have thrown at least some of the infected into furnaces. They also covered up the source of the problem by scrubbing clean the wet market where the virus is believed to have either originated or else taken off. And there is still that unsolved issue of whether the novel coronavirus started in a lab, or maybe started in a lab and accidentally spread into a nearby wet market, or something else. U.S. investigators who sought to help pinpoint the origin in order to devise a plan to prevent its spread, were of course kept out of the country. Vilest of all, once they realized they had soiled their image and made themselves internationally unpopular, they spread the absolute lie that the killer virus was brought in by visiting U.S. servicemen. These aren't problems that a good public relations campaign is going to fix. The Chicoms who did this are going to be lucky if they just lose their special status as the only representative of China and the rest of the world doesn't go ahead and extend recognition to Taiwan, whose response to the outbreak has been exemplary. After that, they can decide if they want to still trade with the world or not trade with the world, the U.S. is more than capable of replacing them in manufacturing. There are plenty of Americans who want to sue the pants of off them and some are going to try. Meanwhile, U.S. investors already are showing leeriness toward investing in U.S. stocks after that performance, Thursday's IBDLive revealed just that sentiment. People who work in public relations can tell you that when a screwup is so big, so global, so mighty, so overwhelming, spin control does not work. The only way out when the problem is big is to admit guilt, pay reparations, and put in place significant reforms. We see that approach going on with the FBI scandal, and we see that with the Catholic Church pedophile scandals. Germany after Hitler is pretty much the original model for this. China still thinks its problem is one that spin control can handle. Which is why it's backfiring, as the WaPo notes. They have in fact killed off all confidence in their global ambitions and aren't likely to get out of this one. So long as President Trump is president and their enablers are out on their ear, their efforts are going to fall flat. Sure, some lefties are attempting to repeat their propaganda in a bid to Get Trump (CNN here), but the ugly reality remains widespread that China is guilty here, in so many ways, and needs to make real amends. The Chicoms who did this need to admit their coverup guilt, to start, on all fronts where they attempted to hide the truth. They need to end the wet markets with exotic animals, a relic of the Mao starvation period where people learned to eat anything. No more bat soup. No more pangolin chops. They need to provide a full reckoning of the laboratory theory of the disease's orgin, and how it may be connected to the wet market origin theories. They need to come clean about their own death tolls, which most experts believe are a lot higher than they are claiming. They need to answer questions about those furnaces. They need to leave their own citizen journalists, who first alerted the world to the problem, alone. They need to drop their underhanded sponsorship of the World Health Organization and end their medding in such bodies in general. They need to repudiate their propaganda blaming America and apologize. Outside that, any PR is total nonsense. If they can't do that, their legitimacy remains in question and one can only hope that their time in power remaining is short. Let what happens, happen. Image credit: Pixabay public domain A 33-year-old man was arrested and charged with arson after setting a porch on fire Monday afternoon in Washington, police report. Borough and Washington Township firefighters responded at 3:55 p.m. to 56 Broad St. and it took about 15 minutes to put out the fire, which was contained to the porch, according to township police, who patrol the borough. Christopher Ayala, of Washington, was arrested when an officer arrived and Ayala was charged with arson, criminal mischief and person not to possess a weapon, in this case a knife, police said. Ayala was housed in Warren County jail to await a court appearance, police said. Authorities did not release a motive. The incident remains under investigation, police said. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. When one teacher heard that her local hospital needed wipes, her mind immediately went to the disinfectant wipes sitting in her currently empty classroom. Now she's organizing a national drive to get unused school supplies into hospitals that need them. "One of the moms I spoke with mentioned that she is a nurse and she needed wipes," said Rebecca Talaia, who was making calls to check in with the families of sixth graders she teaches at Indialantic Elementary School in Brevard County, Florida. "Initially I thought she meant for her home, but I quickly realized she meant for the hospital she worked at." Rebecca Talaia, a sixth grade teacher in Indialantic, Florida, with the first donation of disinfectant wipes she collected from the school where she works. (Rebecca Talaia) Talaia, who has been teaching for 23 years, thought of the supply of disinfectant wipes she and her fellow teachers request as part of each student's school supply list at the beginning of the school year, wipes that were sitting untouched in classrooms that may or may not re-open. "I contacted my principal, Lori Braga, to see if we could gather disinfectant wipes from our classrooms, and she supported me 100%," said Talaia, who has a 12-year-old daughter and twin 10-year-old sons. "The teachers in my school readily shared where their wipes were located so we could collect them and supply them to the unit where the student whose mom I spoke with works." Nurses at Health First Community Hospitals were so grateful to receive Talaia's initial donation of disinfectant wipes that she reached out to her local school board to enlist more schools to donate. (Health First Community Hospitals) Talaia says she collected more than 60 canisters of disinfectant wipes to donate, explaining that teachers request one canister of wipes per student at the beginning of the year so they can clean desks, laptop computers and other areas of their classrooms. Motivated to organize the entire school district to do something similar, Talaia reached out to Tina Descovich, her local representative in the school district, for help. Descovich brought the idea to the school district superintendent, who helped orchestrate a delivery of more than 600 canisters of disinfectant wipes to Health First Community Hospitals, a health care system that manages four hospitals in addition to outpatient and wellness facilities. Story continues "The idea that Mrs. Talaia came up with is just one glowing example of the types of teachers serving in Brevard Public Schools," said Descovich. "Not only are they working hard to transition from traditional school teachers to virtual school teachers, but they're using what resources they have to help those on the front lines battling COVID-19." Rebecca Talaia with Ana Sanchez, a representative of Health First's distribution center, and Tina Descovich, a member of the Brevard County, Florida school board. (Keith Betterley/Health First Community Hospitals) The most recent wipes donation was delivered to Health First's distribution center on April 13 and will be used by the respiratory isolation units located inside their hospitals. A spokesperson for Health First told TODAY that with the national supply of disinfectant wipes dwindling, their facilities have been running extremely low on wipes. In addition to cleaning surfaces and common areas in the hospitals, the donated wipes will be used for cleaning areas and items that do not require hospital-grade disinfection and giving patients the ability to disinfect their own personal devices brought into the hospitals. Barbara Seymour is vice president of nursing at Health First Community Hospitals and says her team is grateful for the donation. "It allows us to continue caring for those coming to us for this critical care," said Seymour. After helping organize the donation of more than 600 wipes to her local hospital system, Talaia hopes to organize similar donations across the country. (Keith Betterley / Keith Betterley/Health First Community Hospitals) To spread the idea nationally, Talaia started From Our Classrooms to Our Nurses: American Schools Care, a website where schools can enter products they have to donate and hospitals can list their needs. At present, Talaia is manually matching requests that come through the website. "The program matches schools and hospitals within a certain distance of each other and, if the amounts are appropriate, they get matched," Talaia explained of the program created by her neighbor, Jordan Wiens, who wanted to help her cause. Talaia has already received requests from around the country. Talaia also recommends checking the nationwide #GetUsPPE website, another resource for finding organizations in need of personal protective equipment. Talaia with her husband, Gerry, and their children, Hannah, 12, and Mark and Jack, 10. (Rebecca Talaia) "Amongst all this sadness and angst, there is still so much joy," said Talaia. "Americans need to do as much as we can to help get needed supplies into the hospitals. We need to protect our healthcare workers because without them, we will perish." Related video: PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 01:40:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 625 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CONROE, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 13, 2020 / Custom Protection Services Inc. (OTCPINK:CSPS) (Custom Protection', or the Company'), today issued the following statement: "It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected death of our Director and President, George M. Rutherford. The entire Custom Protection family mourns this loss. On behalf of the Board, we extend our deepest sympathies to George's family." DeLane Potter will continue in his role as CEO and step in and take over the responsibilities of President. The untimely death of Mr. Rutherford in no way will affect the ongoing business of the Company and everything is moving forward as planned.In accordance with the Company's succession plan, the Board of Directors of Custom Protection Services has appointed Larry E. Lunger, Ph.D., as director. Larry E. Lunger, Ph.D., United States Army and US Army Lt. Colonel (Retired), BPG, 1st BDE, 75th DIV (E.), served in the United States Army for over 20 years where he was responsible for coordinating and integrating staff sections during military exercises, providing technical support and battle simulations training requirements, automating battle staff training exercises, assisting in defining civilian support contract requirements, coordinating and monitoring the command inspection programs and coordinating unit compliance activities. Colonel Lunger was also President of the Netherlocks US, an oilfield security company located in Houston, Texas. Mr. Lunger has an MBA and Ph.D. in Industrial Technology from Lorenze University. Mr. Lunger will step in and take over the vacancy left by George Rutherford on the Company's board of directors.About Custom Protection Services Inc.Custom Protection Services Inc. is a Delaware incorporated company with head offices in Conroe, Texas. It offers a comprehensive portfolio of security and protection services which can be tailored to meet specific needs and situations. Services offered include personal protection, risk analysis, crisis response, guidance & strategic planning, maritime protection, travel security, legal investigation and POA security programs. Client contracts range from hourly to yearly depending on the type of service being provided. The Company can fulfill any client contract by utilizing a network of specialized consultants. Management has 100+ combined years of experience conducting security and protection operations.Company Contact Information:Tel: 936-703-5855Email: info@ customprotectionservices.com Website: https://www.customprotectioninvestor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/customprotectioninvestor Twitter: https://twitter.com/customprotect Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Custom Protection Services Inc.'s filings with OTC Markets, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.Safe Harbor StatementThis release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. 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.SOURCE: Custom Protection Services Inc. Millions of African smallholder farmers who grow fruits and vegetables (FFV) for export have lost market access as flights are canceled and borders restricted around the world. Morocco, Kenya, and South Africa are the most affected countries in Africa. Global disruption of supply chains is also affecting the import of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and insecticides. NAIROBI, 14 April 2020 Millions of family farmers across Africa are facing economic devastation as COVID-19 pandemic disrupts exports and global food supply chains. This is according to the Impact of Coronavirus on Africa's Agriculture April 2020 report released by Selina Wamucii that gives a most-recent and ground-up perspective on how the pandemic is affecting African farmers. According to John Oroko, CEO of Selina Wamucii, intra-Africa trade is around 2% while exports from Africa to the rest of the world range from 80% to 90% of total exports, of which a huge share is made up of agricultural produce. "The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately come at a time when our farmers depend largely on exports to markets outside the continent and also before the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that was scheduled to commence on July 1, 2020, thereby creating a single continental market of more than 1.3 billion people. Now, unlike no other time, we can see a demonstration of why the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area will be directly linked to securing the livelihoods of African farmers in the future," says Oroko. COVID19 is severely disrupting trade in key markets for Africa's agricultural produce and African farmers are bound to experience a nightmare in export market access., adds Oroko. African farmers are a relatively elderly demographic and 70% of Africa's food is currently produced by women, who are also primary caregivers across many of Africa's rural regions. This means therefore that a key segment of the farmers in the region is also at a higher risk of contracting COVID19. Morocco tops the list of African countries whose agricultural exports face the highest risk largely due to the country's over-reliance on the European market given its close proximity and well-established traditional trading ties. In 2018, Morocco's FFV, fish, seafood and cut flowers, worth $3,024,724,000 was exported to the European Union, translating into over 78% of the FFV, fish, seafood and cut flowers worth $3,846,083 exported by Morocco to the rest of the world in that year. Kenya's agricultural exports also face a great risk mainly due to the over-reliance on fresh-cut flower exports, the bulk of which end up in the European Union. Additionally, over 50% of Kenya's FFV exports and nuts go to the European Union and China, which are markets that have already been shaken up. In 2018, Kenya's FFV and nut' exports worth $223,113,000, out of the total $482,559,000 exported, went to European markets. Before the COVID19 pandemic, farmers in Kenya and other East Africa countries were already suffering severe locust invasion and now COVID19 has worsened the situation. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that a new wave of locust swarms are starting to form, representing an unprecedented threat to farmer livelihoods specifically in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. As a result, farmers are facing a double catastrophe from the impact of COVID19 and the locusts at the same time, a combination that will negatively affect their farm yields. While the agricultural production in South Africa has not been adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, logistics and border restrictions are likely to affect South Africa's agricultural exports. The country has closed 35 land borders and two seaports. Coupled with the fact that the county also has prohibited crew changes in all of its ports amidst a looming container shortage, the export volume is bound to go down especially for fish, seafood and fresh vegetables. Other African countries that will experience significant drops in the FFV, fish and seafood exports are, in order of the projected severity: Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda, Mauritania, Tanzania, and Egypt. Impact of Coronavirus on Africa's Agriculture April 2020 Report available at: https://www.selinawamucii.com/impact-covid-19-africas-agriculture/ About Selina Wamucii Selina Wamucii is the platform for food and agricultural produce from Africa's agricultural cooperatives, farmers' groups, agro-processors and other organizations that work directly with family farmers across 54 African countries. Selina is putting all Africa's producers ( 80% of whom are family farmers) and their products in one platform where buyers from anywhere in the world can reliably find and buy produce from Africa. Chennai: The RBI and the Central government should allow small housing/non-banking finance companies to function for a limited period or with limited staff so that the three month loan moratorium could be worked out for the benefit of borrowers, a top official of National Trust Housing Finance Ltd said on Monday. "Customers of companies like ours would not be technology savvy nor would have internet connectivity. The Reserve Bank of India and the Central government should allow companies like us to operate with limited staff or for couple of days so that the loan moratorium announced by the central bank could be worked out," Managing Director Alok Aggarwal told IANS. According to him, there is a lot of confusion in respect of moratorium and company staff have to reach out to the customers over phone for taking necessary action. "Customers of many housing/non-banking finance companies are not able to tell their banks to stop deduction of equated monthly instalments," Aggarwal added. On the impact of lockdown on business, he said fresh business will be impacted and self-employed professionals will take one/two months time to attain their full earning potential after the lockdown is lifted. On non-performing assets (NPAs), he said: "There may be a short term spike in NPA after the lifting of lockdown." According to him, all the 200 employees of the Rs.300 crore loan book size company have been paid the March salaries in full and April salaries will also be paid soon. "We are talking with our landlords to take a rent cut as no business was done during the lockdown," Aggarwal said. You have filled out the visa application, provided your life's details and now handed them over to the consulate. Once your documents are submitted, it's a waiting game. It seems to remind people of the look on parents' faces when a child comes home. You know, the one when parents are trying to imagine what nonsense the kid may have been up to before coming home later than expected. Then, In the wake of global Coronavirus crisis, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Executive Board has approved immediate debt service relief to 25 poor countries. IMF Executive Director Kristalina Georgieva issued a statement saying the IMF executive board approved the immediate debt service relief for 19 African countries, Afghanistan, Haiti, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan and Yemen. 'I urge other donors to help us replenish...' She said, "Today I am pleased to say that our Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF's member countries under the IMF's revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund's response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic." "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," she added. The countries that will receive debt service relief today are -- Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen. READ | IMF: Over 170 countries likely to experience negative per capita income growth in 2020 "The CCRT can currently provide about USD 500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent USD 185 million pledge by the UK and USD 100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources. Others, including China and the Netherlands, are also stepping forward with important contributions. I urge other donors to help us replenish the Trust's resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries," said Georgieva. READ | Imran Khan's S.O.S answered; IMF to consider $1.4 bn loan to Pakistan to deal with COVID Last week, the World Bank said it would roll out $160 billion in emergency aid over 15 months to help countries stricken by the virus, including $14 billion in debt repayments from 76 poor countries to other governments. READ | IMF ropes in former RBI guv Raghuram Rajan to COVID-19 related external advisory group READ | IMF chief says pandemic could trigger worst global recession since Great Depression (With agency inputs) Technavio has been monitoring the business information market and it is poised to grow by USD 32.04 bn 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/20200414005403/en/ Technavio has published its latest market research report titled Global Business Information 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. Bloomberg, Equifax, Experian Information Solutions, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer are some of the major market participants. Although the need to adapt enterprise business strategies will offer immense growth opportunities, threat of data misappropriation and theft 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. Need to adapt enterprise business strategies has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, threat of data misappropriation and theft might hamper market growth. Business Information Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Business information market is segmented as below: End-user BFSI Healthcare and Life Sciences Manufacturing Retail 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=IRTNTR30019 Business Information 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 business information market report covers the following areas: Business Information Market Size Business Information Market Trends Business Information Market Industry Analysis This study identifies automation in gathering business information as one of the prime reasons driving the business information market growth during the next few years. Business Information Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the business information market, including some of the vendors such as Bloomberg, Equifax, Experian Information Solutions, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the business information 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 Business Information Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist business information market growth during the next five years Estimation of the business information market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the business information market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of business information 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 Market definition PART 04: MARKET SIZING 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 BFSI Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Healthcare and Life sciences Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Manufacturing Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Retail Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC 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 PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Bloomberg Equifax Experian Information Solutions Thomson Reuters Wolters Kluwer 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/20200414005403/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/ Johns Hopkins experts publish 'guidebook' for blood plasma therapy A team of Johns Hopkins experts has created a clinical guidebook to help hospitals and medical centers rapidly scale up their ability to deliver so-called convalescent plasma therapy, which leverages immune system components found in the plasma portion of blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness. "We've received many inquiries from health care providers looking to ramp up their ability to deliver this therapy," says Evan M Bloch, M.D., M.S. an associate professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who is part of the team working on convalescent therapy. "There is historical precedent for its use to prevent and treat viral illness. However, during the chaos of an epidemic, the therapy is often deployed without rigorously studying its effects. Carefully conducted studies are critically needed to understand which people are most likely to benefit from this therapy and how best to apply it to optimize that benefit." The guidebook was published online April 7 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In recent weeks, infectious disease expert Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., has led a team of physicians and scientists from around the United States to establish a network of hospitals and blood banks that can begin collecting, isolating and processing blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors. "This paper details the nuts and bolts of how to deploy convalescent plasma, and this information should be very helpful to colleagues worldwide who are preparing to use this therapy against COVID-19," says Casadevall, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor who holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for researchers at Johns Hopkins to proceed with clinical trials to test convalescent plasma therapy in people who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness and have been exposed to people who have tested positive for the virus. Like most therapies, Bloch says, convalescent blood plasma's best potential for effectiveness is early in the disease's progression. Currently, there are no proven drug therapies or effective vaccines for treating COVID-19. The guidebook outlines a range of clinical trials underway or planned at hospitals taking part in the Johns Hopkins-led network for convalescent plasma therapy. Among the protocols outlined in the guide are criteria for eligible donors of blood plasma, how hospitals can mobilize donors and work with local and national blood centers, methods for prescreening donors, and the risks and potential benefits of the therapy. Bloch, also an expert on global health, says convalescent blood plasma therapy can be deployed in low-resource communities. There is a difference, however, in how blood plasma may be collected in communities with low versus high resources. He says high-resource communities typically rely on apheresis machines to remove a donor's blood, filter the plasma from it, and return the rest of the blood, plus a replacement for the collected plasma (i.e. a protein called albumin), back to the donor. Using the apheresis method, a single donor could produce enough plasma to potentially benefit up to three other people. In low-resource communities where apheresis machines may be unavailable, the output of plasma would be less per donor. This is because doctors have to perform a typical whole blood donation from the donor and manually separate the plasma in a laboratory by using a centrifuge machine or letting gravity separate the blood products. Among the most common challenges to scaling up convalescent blood plasma therapy, Bloch says, is rapidly developing in-house testing for whether the blood plasma of donors contains key antibodies the immune system needs to recognize and help destroy the virus in the body. There are also logistical challenges associated with identifying donors and performing repeat COVID-19 nasal swab tests for the virus in them. "This field is moving so fast that a problem today is solved tomorrow," says Bloch. "We aimed to publish a baseline document that can serve hospitals globally. It will, undoubtedly, evolve." ### In addition to Bloch and Casadevall, experts who contributed to the guidelines include Aaron Tobian, Shmuel Shoham, Andrew Pekosz, Bryan Lau, Amy Wesolowski, Paul Auwaerter, David Thomas, David Sullivan and Eric Gehrie from Johns Hopkins; Bruce Sachais and Beth Shaz from New York Blood Center Enterprises; Jeffrey Winters, Camille van Buskirk, Michael Joyner and Wayne Nicholson from the Mayo Clinic; Brenda Grossman and Jeffrey Henderson from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; Louis Katz from Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center; Hua Shan from Stanford University; Nigel Paneth from Michigan State University; Steven Spitalnik, Eldad Hod from Columbia University; Lewis Pollack, a consultant; Liise-anne Pirofski from Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Jeffrey Bailey from Brown University. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. I keep saying that If you can trust China, then you can equally trust the devil! China remains one of the few Communist remnants in the world currently rooting with rogue nations such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea. ... so don't hasten to dismiss what some conspiracy theorists are asserting that COVID19 is China's invention meant to brush the world aside for its economic control. But before you read this, hey ! know that, In China Democracy is a farce and a hoax! The media reports only on information that has gone through govt's filter processes! The Geopolitical dimensions of this ravaging Coronavirus have brought up the flip side for interrogations by various theorists: And this is " This deadly virus was created deliberately in a bio lab located in the outskirt of Wuhan as a bioweaponry by Chinese scientists to be used against other countries to cement China's economic superiority but unfortunately the virus accidentally got leaked before schedule "! As it stands now : there are two separate Class-action lawsuits filed against the Chinese government for its involvement in COVID19 pandemic : (you can verify) Assumptions ...How True Can This Be! If the COVID19 virus was created in the lab by China, what it means is that China has an antidote to it! But their fear is that at this point if China quickly comes out to tell the world that they have remedies for the virus, there will be a lot of questions and such move will again give credence to suspicions other countries and cynical theorists harbour about the development, so this is what China is doing .... playing their usual communist tactics by lying to the world that they have discovered local herbs which has become a breakthrough medication against the virus ....Fact : currently cases of new infections have suddenly stopped in China for weeks and those who got exposed are recovering at a miracle speed as economic activities in China prep to bounce in the coming days while US and Europe, China's main competitors are helplessly drowning in this Chinese Tsunami !...funny enough, China is yet to tell the world what those herbs are exactly ! Facts ( verifiable ) The Chinese government at the early stage of this outbreak took advantage and bought shares of foreign companies that were fleeing china because of the virus ..and those shares were sold at a cheaper cost to the Chinese govt and Chinese companies ...remember that the state has absolute control over private setups in communist regimes such as China! Fact !!! Now US is losing its economic footing because of the COVID-19 crises, investors are running from the US and are looking in China's way because the situation there is stable and under control while US and Europe have become the epicenter of this death-bound virus ! Fact !! You can check ! As we speak China's stockmarket is the best performing one in the world despite this COVID19 outbreak ! Source : The Economist.com Again currently some big Chinese companies have resumed work and it's expected that China's economic force would click to full working gear in the coming days leaving the rest of the world in misery and desperation ! Fact ..question to answer !!! Why will China ship fake PPE's to some European countries in the midst of this merciless death storm ! The Netherlands, Spain and Turkey have all claimed there have been problems with products including masks and tests,...the Dutch govt recently recalled over 600,0000 PPE'S shipments from China because they were all fake and faulty Interestingly unlike other viral infections in the past, this Chinese Virus has a surprise way of finding some key personalities but in the heydays of this outbreak in China, the situation was different ! So is this some kind of a covert Target attack on world ? If you have doubt about this notion of mine, Just relax, sit back and do a diagramatic analysis of all the key persons who have tested positive to this virus and link your sketch to my analysis here ! At this point, death toll in China has remained same for a stretched period while Italy and Spain have both become worse victims of this Chinese Curse with countless body counts, leaving the world in an ewe of mass hysteria SARS originated from China, Hantavirus originated from China, now COVID19 from same place ! This is why Ghana must be careful with shipment brought in by Jack ma and his Alibaba Inc.......It could be a mousetrap!! Have we checked and verified the items: The Nepal incident is still fresh on my mind! I'm Ivan Kyei Innocent, I'm no cynic, just telling you to be Informed!! ... Ivan Kyei Innocent/ [email protected] (Newser) The FBI has issued its first poster in a Native American language, seeking information in Navajo on the death of a man six years ago on the New Mexico portion of the vast Navajo Nation reservation. Wilson Joe Chiquito, 75, was beaten to death at his home in the community of Counselor in February 2014. The FBI recently released the poster that offers a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction, the AP reports. It has been shared on social media and posted in Navajo communities, grocery stores and trading posts, said Navajo Police Chief Phillip Francisco. "Having it in both languages, it obviously helps the ability to get tips," he said. "It's a positive thing and it shows the FBI's dedication to helping solve crimes on Navajo by embracing the culture and the language." story continues below James Langenberg, special agent in charge of the Albuquerque division of the FBI, said employees who speak Navajo helped translate the information for the poster. "We already work closely with the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, but we hope this effort will improve our communication with the rest of the Dine," Langenberg said. The FBI said it hasn't produced posters in any other Native American language. "The FBI plans to continue translating regularly in order to ensure we are receiving any and all information possible that may lead us to the perpetrators of these crimes and bringing them to justice," the agency said. The Navajo Nation spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. It covers more than 27,000 square miles, making it larger than the state of West Virginia. (Read more Navajo stories.) Utica, N.Y. A 40-year-old man is wanted by police Monday night after he attacked a woman and threatened to kill her, Utica police said. Police released a photo of Kendall Jackson, the suspect wanted on felony domestic-related charges, and asked anyone who sees Jackson to call them at (315) 735-3301. Jackson is accused of physically assaulting a woman and threatening to kill her at a home Monday in the 1500 block of City Street in Utica, police said in a news release. Utica police and METRO SWAT responded to the scene. The victim told police she thought Jackson was still inside the home, although he did not live there, according to a news release. Police were not sure whether he had a weapon. Officers surrounded the home and eventually went inside, but Jackson was nowhere to be found, police said. Utica police thanked METRO SWAT and neighbors who helped in the investigation, which is continuing. Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call (315) 470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook The Dassault Mirage is one of the most iconic combat aircraft designs of its era, and while the type has virtually disappeared from the skies today, with only Pakistans air force still operating them on the front lines, there are still passionate devotees for the type. Our very own Stephen Chapis has provided this wonderful article, magnificently illustrated by Rich Cooper, which describes both the the history of the type in Switzerland and the efforts of Mirage-Verein Buochs, a small Swiss organization which is keeping this exquisite design and its history alive in the public eye We feel sure you will all enjoy this story Alpine Mirage A Former Swiss Air Force Mirage IIIRS Still Roars! by Stephen Chapis The Dassault Mirage III dates back to the early 1950s and therefore possesses the quintessential design element of so many Cold War jet fighters of that period the delta wing. Aircraft such as the Convair F-106, MiG-21, and Saab Draken so exude the sense of immense speed even standing still. The passage of a half-century has done little to diminish their powerful aura. When one remembers that the Mirage IIIA was the first Western European fighter to exceed Mach 2.0 in level flight, it clearly has the performance to back up its sleek looks. Indeed, the Mirage III proved itself in combat during numerous conflicts, including the decades-long South African Border War (1966-1990) and the Falklands War (1982), but perhaps more importantly, in the Middle East during The Six-Day War (1967), War of Attrition (1967-1970), and Yom Kippur War (1973) where Israeli Air Force pilot Giora Epstein scored 17 aerial victories while flying Mirage IIIs and IAI Neshers (an Israeli variant of the Mirage 5). In Switzerland, the types history began in 1958 when the Federal Council canceled their order for the indigenously-designed FFA P-16 ground-attack fighter. In 1959, a new doctrine emphasizing air defense capabilities was presented in the nations Parliament. As part of this fresh strategic concept, a new combat aircraft underwent testing, although its evaluation had already begun in 1957. A number of aircraft from Britain, Italy, Sweden, and the United States took part in the competition, but by November 1960, just two designs remained on this list; the Saab J-35 Draken and Dassault Mirage III. A month later, the Swiss government selected the Mirage. By the next year, Switzerlands Federal Council had approved a procurement loan of CHF 871 million for 100 Mirage IIIS/RS/BS combat aircraft. In 1962, the Swiss received a single Mirage IIIC for weapons testing, and two years later they acquired a brace of two-seat Mirage IIIBSs for pilot training and retraining. However, the procurement process for the Mirage was not without turmoil. To keep the manufacturing base within the country (Switzerland has a robust aircraft industry), the Swiss produced their Mirages under license at the Federal Aircraft Factory F+W Emmen and other facilities within the nation. Additionally, the basic Mirage III had to be adapted and modified to comply with the unique Swiss Air Force fighter aircraft operation out of mountain caverns. For instance, they had to have hoist points for overhead crane maneuvers in the confined spaces underground and JATO-capability for taking off from short airstrips. The Swiss also decided against the installation of standard French equipment in their Mirages. For instance, Swiss-built Mirages IIIS fighters dropped the original (under-performing) Cyrano IIbis radar coupled with its Matra R.530 radar-guided, air-to-air missile in favor of the American Hughes TARAN-18 radar with late-model AIM-4 Falcon and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. This major design alteration required the modification of the standard Mirage IIIC airframe into the longer IIIE airframe with ATAR 9C engines. Of course, this option, plus other factors, demanded a bigger budget leading to an additional loan application of over CHF 576 million a 66% expansion over the original request! The Swiss Parliament balked at this dramatic increase. They rejected the budgetary request in late 1964, although they did grant an additional loan of CHF 150 million in the following year. While this did allow for the upgrades to occur, it forced a reduction in overall airframe acquisition down from 100 to just 57 examples, which comprised 36 newly-built Mirage IIIS along with 18 Mirage IIIRS to supplement the single Mirage IIIC and two IIIBs already in use. This debacle went down in Swiss aviation lore as the Mirage Affair and, unsurprisingly, the fallout cost some senior personnel their jobs. The government relieved Air Force Commander, Major General Etienne Primault of his duties, while the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Jakob Annasohn, and the Minister of Defense, Paul Chaudet, both stepped down from their posts The Swiss Air Force presented the Mirage to the public in flight for the first time during National Exposition EXPO 64, while the initial tranche of aircraft entered service in 1966 with Fighter Squadron 17 and (shortly after) with Fighter Squadron 16. The last Swiss-produced, license-built Mirage IIIS rolled off the production line in 1969. Recce Squadron 10 took delivery of the Mirage IIIRS reconnaissance variant, operating from Buochs Air Base in early 1969. By 1970, the last Mirage IIIRS had arrived, marking the successful completion of all 57 approved aircraft. And speaking of the Mirage IIIRS, while this design retained the AIM-9 capability and the two DEFA 30mm cannon of its fighter brethren, it replaced the nose-mounted radar with four Omera high-performance cameras. The Swiss Mirages received upgrades throughout the types career, with the most notable perhaps being the addition of intake-mounted canards, which greatly improved maneuverability. In addition, the fleet received new Martin-Baker ejections seats, radar warning receivers and AN/ALE-40 chaff/flare dispensers. Over and beyond these upgrades, the recce Mirage IIIRS could carry reconnaissance pods under the fuselage equipped with a Litton INS navigation platform and TI infrared scanners. As the alpine Mirages entered their third decade of service, it was clear that the types days were numbered when the first Swiss Air Force F/A-18A squadron reached operational status in 1997. On October 22, 1999, the final 29 Mirage IIIS interceptors retired formally during a celebration dubbed Mirage 99. On October 17, 2003, Major Markus Zurcher, Recce Squadron 10s final commander, conducted the last ever Swiss Air Force Mirage flight. Even so, just a few months earlier, he and another recce pilot, participated in (and won!) a NATO-wide recce competition in Belgium, thus proving the Swiss recce Mirages, and their pilots, were still in top competitive form in the European environment. While the Swiss Air Force phased out the last of its Mirages in 2003, the all-volunteer MirageVerein Buochs maintains one example in ground-running condition. This is Dassault Mirage IIIRS c/n 17-26-141/1034. This aircraft first took to the sky on March 9th, 1968, and formally joined the Swiss Air Force on January 20th, 1969 with serial number R-2109. R-2109 served the Swiss Air Force faithfully for more than three decades, logging 3,005 hours in the air by the time of her final flight on July 10, 2002. However, while this particular recce Mirage served mainly as a test airframe to evaluate new equipment for the Mirage fleet, e.g. RWS and INS, it did not survive its career without incident. Indeed, the aircraft suffered three bird strikes between July 1977 and May 1992; the initial incident broke the window over the nose camera, while the latter caused damage to the vertical stabilizer. On November 11th, 1978, then-Captain Ferdinand Ferdi Meyer was airborne in R-2109 conducting a standard maintenance check flight at high altitude when the aircraft suffered a flameout while transitioning from supersonic into subsonic flight. Thankfully, after applying normal re-light procedures, Meyer was able to land R-2109 without further incident. (Interestingly, Ferdi Meyer is presently the president of the Mirage-Verein Buochs which is looking after R-2109.) Now dormant, Buochs Air Base was home to Swiss Air Force Mirage operations for 35 years. Nestled beside a lake high in the Alps near the city of Lucerne, Buochs is a civilian airfield now, but still maintains some of the military infrastructure in case of national emergency, and occasionally reactivates for brief periods. Swiss aircraft manufacturer, Pilatus, has a facility on site, using the airfield to test all of its aircraft before delivery. Back in the day though, Air Base Group 10, with its predominantly reserve personnel-staffed headquarters, maintenance and repair companies, supported Mirage squadron operations from Buochs. Many of its former reserve officers, NCOs and airmen are now members of the Mirage Association Buochs. Thanks to the support of former pilots, air base commanders, staff officers, ground staff, crew chiefs, technicians and military aviation enthusiasts, the Mirage-Verein Buochs association acquired AMIR (Aufklarer MIRage) R-2109 at the official government disposal auction which took place at Buochs on November 26, 2004. This occurred just a few weeks after the associations foundation (on the initiative of retired Colonel Ferdi Meyer). The all-volunteer specialists were, and are, ready and able to participate for the long-term with the implementation of the organizations plans to preserve the legacy of Swiss Mirage operations. They conduct guided tours of the former military facilities, including the mountain cave hangar where R-2109 resides, as well as presentations which can feature the Mirage perform everything from engine ground runs, all the way up to full afterburner operation and taxi demonstrations. Not only does the group possess intimate knowledge of the Mirage and the operation of the now former Buochs Air Base, but they also have access to the broadest possible range of information thanks to an extensive network of contacts within the Swiss Air Force, the RUAG MRO organization and similar outfits. After 15 years of existence, Mirage-Verein Buochs currently has 300 members who are as active as ever and maintain R-2109 in great shape! Capt Jean-Jacques Joho of Recce Squadron 10 performed the last flight in R-2109, taking off from Dubendorf Air Base on Wednesday July 10, 2002, almost twenty years ago. Even on her final flight though, R-2109 had a recce assignment to perform. Thirty-three minutes later Capt Joho and R-2109 alighted at Buochs for the last time, shutting down her engine, presumably for ever. No one at that time could have expected that AMIR 09 would still be in great shape and running order 18 years later, but here we are today. Even so, Mirage-Verein Buochs still counts on a lot of public support, be it financial, human or material, to continue their operations. Indeed, there is still much to do before the groups vision of a Mirage Museum Air Base Buochs is realized. For more information please do visit the German language website www.mirage-buochs.ch if you use Google Chrome as your browser, it should be automatically translated into your preferred language. We wish the organization good fortune in preserving this important history, and hope some of our readers will find ways to contribute! Many thanks indeed to Stephen Chapis and Richard Cooper for this report! For those interested, Rich Cooper maintains the fabulous Center of Aviation Photography, organizing exclusive trips for aviation enthusiasts to exotic locations worldwide. Indeed the photographs for this article emanate from a trip Cooper organized in late January Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday thanked and praised all those who are fighting against the coronavirus pandemic from the frontline as she urged people to follow rules during the lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms. In her video message, which came hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation, Gandhi spoke about doctors, health and sanitation workers, policemen, non-profit organisations who are helping others without thinking about their personal safety. I hope that you are staying safe at your homes during this hour of the coronavirus pandemic. At the very beginning, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the citizens for maintaining peace and keeping patience and resolve during this tough time, she said in the nearly six-minute video. There is no greater patriotism than the persistence of these warriors during the time of coronavirus crisis, the Congress president said in her message. We will defeat corona with a sense of unity, discipline and self-confidence, she said. I can never forget the sacrifice of your family members, wife, husbands, children. Despite the dangers, it is only because of your cooperation and support that we are able to fight this war. I do not have words to thank them,. Dear citizens, these warriors are helping us win this war despite the lack of personal security. Our doctors, health workers and non-government organisations are treating people despite the lack of personal protection equipment, she said. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage Police personnel and soldiers are making sure that people are following the norms of lockdown. Sanitation workers, she said, are working without the safety gears to stop the infection from spreading. Government officials are also working hard to make sure essential services reach people. But if we dont support them they wont be able to do their jobs. We have to honour them, she said. She mentioned reports of people misbehaving with doctors. This is quite wrong because this is against our culture. We have to help and support them. She thanked all those who are working on their personal levelfeeding the poor, giving away sanitisers, mask and dry ration to those who need themto extend help in any way they can. Every Indian has come together and fulfilled their responsibility to fight this war against corona. All of you must be thanked, she said. The Congress party and its workers are always ready to do their bit to help anyone who needs it. When the country is fighting such a big war, very Congress worker understands their responsibility too and will be there to help all the warriors. You can contact our central control room or those in the states for help or in time of any need. Congress soldier will help in any way they can, she said. I want to assure you that we are standing shoulder to shoulder with you in this war either we are in power or in the opposition. I am sure that we will come out of this danger soon with our resolve, she said. A longtime ER doctor has opened up about the heartwarming reunion she had with a recovered COVID-19 patient after she fought to save his life, saying the kindhearted teacher will be her 'silent warrior and guide' for the rest of her career. Dr. Halleh Akbarnia, 50, from Glenview, Illinois, took to Facebook last week to share a photo of herself in the hospital with the patient she called 'Mr. C,' as she recounted the emotional second meeting they had in the coronavirus recovery unit. 'I have been an Emergency Medicine Physician for almost 20 years. I have worked through numerous disasters, and Im used to the daily grind of heart attacks, gunshots, strokes, flu, traumas, and more,' she wrote in the now-viral post. 'Yet nothing has made me feel the way I do about my "job" as this pandemic has.' Reunioin: Dr. Halleh Akbarnia, 50, from Glenview, Illinois, took to Facebook last week to share a photo of herself in the hospital with a COVID-19 patient she called 'Mr. C' Dr. Akbarnia explained that when she heads to work, she has a knot in the pit of her stomach that can only be tamed by her colleagues' 'empathetic faces' and the knowledge that they are going through the exact same thing. 'I met my patient, Mr. C., on my first real "pandemic" shift, when what we were seeing that day was what we had been preparing for,' she recalled. 'He was classic in his presentation, his X-ray findings, his low oxygen levels we just knew.' Dr. Akbarnia said he was 'the nicest man' she had met in a while, noting that he kept asking the medical workers if they needed anything and assuring them 'that it would all be okay' while he was gasping for breath. 'He told us he was a teacher but that he was learning so much from us, and how much he respected what we were doing,' she said. 'The opposite could not be more true.' Despite their best efforts, the man's oxygen levels kept falling, and they needed to put in on a ventilator. Mr. C admitted that 'he didn't feel great about this,' but he told Dr. Akbarnia that he trusted her and was putting himself in her hands. 'That uneasy feeling in my stomach grew even more in that moment. But he, with his teacher's steady voice, kept me grounded, where I was supposed to be,' she said. 'I saw his eyes looking at me, seeing the kindness in them, even as we pushed the medications to put him to sleep. Looking back: In her candid post, she recounted the emotional second meeting they had in the coronavirus recovery unit nearly two weeks after she had to intubate him Inspiring patient: Dr. Akbarnia (center) said the patient was the 'nicest man' she had met in a while, and even as he gasped for breath, he assured the hospital staffers he would be okay 'To say this was an "easy" intubation is an understatement. It was not,' she added. 'He nearly left us a few times during those first minutes, but he kept coming back. We fought hard to keep him with us. The patience and strength of my team that day, truly remarkable.' After they were done with the intubation, she handed the patient over to her friend and colleague Dr. Beth Ginsburg and her team in the ICU. 'And then for the next twelve days, I waited and watched his progress, knowing the statistics, and how sick he was when he got to us,' the doctor explained. When Mr. C was extubated, Dr. Akbarnia decided to go 'meet' him again in the COVID step down unit, where he was recovering alone. She explained that because the coronavirus is highly contagious, no one was allowed to visit the man in the hospital. 'Even worse, his wife had been home alone in isolation for the past fourteen days, too. My heart broke thinking of how that must have been for her,' she said. Dr. Akbarnia wore her personal protective equipment to go see Mr. C, and when she walked into the room, it was clear that he recognized her. Stats: There are nearly 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. as of Tuesday. There have been 23,675 deaths across the country Around the globe: There are more than 1.9 million coronavirus cases in the world 'I introduced myself. "Im Dr. Akbarnia, Mr. C. I was the last person you saw in the ER. You told me you trusted us to get you to this side. Looks like you did just fine,"' she told him. 'He started to cry. He said, "I remember your eyes." And I started to cry. 'What he didnt know is that, at that moment, I realized that we do what we do exactly for people like him, for moments like these. His strength, his kindness, his calming words to me meant everything,' she explained. Dr. Akbarnia said her heart 'finally slowed down' in that moment, and she sat down to talk with him, assuring him that he wasn't alone. 'I told him that while he is here, we are his family. He will always have a place in my heart,' she recalled. 'And whether he knows it or not, he will be my silent warrior and guide as I take care of every patient, COVID or not. He will fuel me until the day I hang up my stethoscope.' Dr. Akbarnia's Facebook post has been shared more than 164,000 times and has received thousands of comments from people who were touched by her story. 'Thank you for all you do and your caring attitude. Thank you for sharing this uplifting story,' one person wrote, while someone else commented: 'We so often do not know what a kind word, or just a kind thought will do!' 'Without the doctors, nurses, and everyone that help we would be lost. Thank you all for everything you do prayers for all,' another added. CRPF ASI Padmeswar Das is on leave at his home in Assam but he is not off-duty as he prepares ration packets, using his savings, for the poor in his village who are worst hit by the coronavirus lockdown. The 48-year-old trooper, whose unit is deployed in south Kashmir's terrorist violence-hit Shopian district, is helping those affected by the lockdown in his tiny village of Chatanguri, about 76 kms from the district headquarters of Morigaon district. Moved by the plight of the distressed, Das discussed with his mother and wife about the possible help they could extend and they enthusiastically joined him in the endeavour. "I came home for my scheduled leave on March 3 and by the time I was supposed to return, the lockdown was declared in the country. My unit based in Kashmir valley also sent in a message asking me to stay put and not return." "Had I been with my force, I would have had an army of my colleagues and officers to help the needy. Then I thought I can be one-man army," Das told PTI over phone from his village. "My force stands for the motto 'service and loyalty' whether a jawan is alone or in a group," he said. The Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), who joined the CRPF as a constable in 1991, said he took his scooty and went to the nearest market to fetch about 80 kg of rice and other dry rations. The next day he and his family prepared over 50 packets containing 2 kgs of rice, 1 kg potato, a small bottle of mustard oil, a packet of salt, onions and half kg pulses in each. "I spent about Rs 8,000-10,000 for purchasing and packing these items, Das says hesitatingly as he does not seem keen to share the cost of his noble deed. Das says he used his uniform for the service of the people. "I donned my uniform as movement of civilians was barred due to the lockdown, used my 'gamocha' (traditional Assamese scarf) as a mask and got a handcart to distribute the packets among the needy. When reminded that he acted like a good samaritan, Das says he only knows that "efforts of any kind always count". "My colleagues in my delta company unit in Shopian and in the entire force are spread out to help in fight against coronavirus and the lockdown affected people in whatever way they can. I am just one among them," Das, who has a young son and daughter, said. His boss and Commandant of the 76th battalion of the force (based in Jammu) Neeraj Pandey is all praise for his "tough and dedicated" colleague. "I am proud of what Das did to help people despite being on official leave. He has gone beyond his call of duty but that is what our ethos and regimentation are all about," Pandey said. Unfazed by the continuing lockdown, Das plans to replenish the stocks for those who need his help again. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 76-year-old man from rural China can consider himself lucky to be alive after he had a four-inch-long rusty knife surgically removed from his brain, 26 years after being stabbed in the head. The case of Duorijie, an old farmer from the rural county of Haiyan in Chinas north-western Qinghai Province, can be considered nothing short of a miracle. Stabbed in the head in 1994, during a violent mugging, Duorijie had reportedly been living with a long knife blade stuck in his brain ever since. Lucky to have survived the attack, the farmer had been experiencing all kinds of troublesome symptoms because of the knife blade in his brain, like lost vision in his right eye and chronic headaches. Now, thanks to a team of doctors, he is finally able to enjoy a pain-free life. Duorijie initially sought medical assistance in 2012, when his headaches became too hard to bear. However, after taking X-ray of his skull and shockingly discovering the four-inch-long blade stuck inside the farmers brain, doctors decided that attempting to remove the foreign object was to dangerous, so they declined to operate on him. Luckily for the 76-year-old, his unique case was recently rediscovered. The farmer would have most likely perished with the long knife blade stuck in his brain, if not for doctors touring the countryside of Qinghai Province last month. They learned of Duorijies case and he was once again in the spotlight. When we found him while on a medical tour of Qinghai, we learned that experts had decided on more conservative treatment, prescribing only painkillers, Doctor Zhang Shuxiang said. But his symptoms began [to get] increasingly severe and unbearable. Due to the limitations of local hospitals, we decided to bring him to Shandong for the best possible treatment. He was flown to more than 3,000 kilometers for free treatment, seeing as she couldnt afford to pay the medical help. Because of the blade in his brain, he had not only lost vision in his right eye, but also suffered near-full paralysis in his left arm and leg. CT scans and X-rays performed at the hospital of Shandong First Medical University in Jinan showed that the blade was located at the base of the patients skull, lodged against his eye socket and pressing against his optic nerve. Removing it would be difficult, but according to chief neurosurgeon Dr Liu Guangcun, it was the only way to resolve the pensioners suffering once and for all. Apparently, neurosurgery has come along way since 2012, and this time doctors were confident enough to attempt the blade removal, so on April 2 and 8 Duorijie underwent two delicate surgical procedures to finally have the long knife blade removed. During the two-hour surgery, surgeons removed the rusty 10-centimeter (4-inch) blade, Dr. Zhang told reporters. On April 8, he underwent a second operation to clean his wound. Hes recovering well and can already walk around on his own. His head pains are gone, and he has regained full sight in his right eye. He can also open his mouth and no longer coughs. Duorijies case has been making news headlines both in China and abroad for the past week, and for good reason. Its not every day that you read about a man who lived with a four-inch knife blade stuck in his head for 26 years, and survived its surgical removal. Speaking about his ordeal, the 76-year-old farmer said I couldnt laugh, yawn or even cough. The doctors have given me a second chance at life and ended my nightmare of more than 20 years. OTTAWA - Northern leaders and businesses are saying $130 million from Ottawa to shore up supply chains and health care during the COVID-19 pandemic can't come soon enough. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 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 Tuesday, April 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Northern leaders and businesses are saying $130 million from Ottawa to shore up supply chains and health care during the COVID-19 pandemic can't come soon enough. Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq said his territory made its first call for help in mid-March. "Four weeks is a long time to wait," he said. On Tuesday, Ottawa announced $73 million is to go to territorial governments for health and social services. Of that, roughly $18 million is for Yukon, $20 million for the Northwest Territories and $18 million for Nunavut. Nunavut and the N.W.T. are to receive extra cash for temporary structures to help people self-isolate. Businesses with needs that aren't met by federal emergency aid such as the wage subsidy program are to receive a total of $15 million. Northern air carriers are to get $17.3 million to help maintain supplies of food, medicine and other essential goods. Another $25 million is for Nutrition North to subsidize food costs. Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal said the money is on its way. "It's going to go out near immediately," he said. "Days." Savikataaq said Nunavut, which has no confirmed COVID-19 cases, will spend the money on personal protective equipment. It will also help pay quarantine costs for Nunavummiut stranded in the south 230 people were finally able to return home on the weekend. Nunavut still has no testing equipment and has to wait weeks for results, he said. "If you do get a case in a community, then that would just not be adequate." Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane said her territory will use part of the money to set up virtual health care, so people can consult professionals without having to travel. "There's less demand on the health centres, less visits, less chances for transmission of COVID-19," she said. The N.W.T. will also buy protective equipment and improve its testing capacity, she said. "Having a package to help with the issues specific to the North is a really good sign the federal government is willing to recognize the needs of our residents," Cochrane said. She pointed out that ice roads are beginning to melt and the support to air carriers will help keep supplies heading North. Getting the money out quickly is crucial, said Kirt Ejeesiak of the Inuit Business Council. "For us in the North, we don't have the luxury of having a huge selection of businesses that do the same thing. We need to keep those businesses running." Last week, Ejeesiak's group said it needed forgivable loans, zero-interest lines of credit and fewer restrictions on the wage subsidy program. Vandal said the $15 million announced Tuesday doesn't have to be repaid. "(The business money) is to help them stay afloat and it's non-repayable." Yukon Premier Sandy Silver said the funding addresses specific concerns from his government. "Todays announcement of further supports for the territories is appreciated. Aspects of this announcement are in direct response to requests we have made," he said in a statement. Vandal said the health-care money comes with few strings and is designed to let the territories decide where to spend it. He said future funding announcements are likely. "I'm not under any delusion that this is going to be the end of it." That's good, said Savikataaq, who noted Nunavut had asked for $42 million. Northern air carrier Canadian North said it was still evaluating the funding. 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. "This is an encouraging recognition of the essential service we provide and follows our efforts over the last month to have the government take note of our unique role," spokesman Dan Valin said in an email. Northern communities, because of their remoteness, are considered the most vulnerable if COVID-19 begins to spread to them. "We don't have the resources to deal with it if we get an outbreak in the communities," Savikataaq said. "It would be hard to isolate people." So far, there have been eight confirmed cases in Yukon and five in the Northwest Territories. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020 By Bob Weber in Edmonton. Follow @row1960 on Twitter Read your overview of news in Slovakia from Tuesday, April 14, 2020. President Zuzana Caputova meets with experts to discuss the coronavirus and its impact on Slovak economy in Bratislava on April 14, 2020. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled This is your overview of news from April 14. For all news about the coronavirus in Slovakia click here. Read more about the measures currently in place in Slovakia. Coronavirus in Slovakia (updates) - Slovakia has 66 new coronavirus cases. Altogether 47 of the positive cases are in the retirement home in Pezinok that has since been quarantined. See detailed statistics here. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement - Pezinok Mayor Igor Hianik filed a criminal complaint based on an anonymous letter that described alleged violations of epidemiologic rules in the retirement home in Pezinok, where an outbreak of the coronavirus was recently detected. - Most infections have been detected in people aged 30 - 44 years (246 people). Another 221 persons who tested positive are 15 - 29 years old. In the 45-59 years old category, 171 persons are positive, while 152 of those infected are above 60. Children up to 14 years of age comprise 42 cases, and the age has not been given in three positive cases. There are now 101 infected people in the at-risk category of 65+. A man wearing a gas mask walks into an underpass on Hodzovo Square in Bratislava on April 14, 2020. (Source: TASR) - The police have detected 1,165 cases of obligatory quarantine violations so far. (Facebook of the Police Corps) Coronavirus measures in Slovakia - Some planned surgeries will proceed again. Read more. - The government will present a plan to ease the anti-coronavirus measures next Monday, April 20. They want to make sure that the number of infected people does not increase while the economy is able to take a breath, PM Igor Matovic said. - Slovakia will provide humanitarian aid to Italy. The cabinet assigned the Finance Ministry to earmark 250,000 for this purpose. The assistance should include sending health care staff to Italy, providing or lending health care materials and protective equipment, and placing patients in health care facilities in Slovakia. - Most Slovak soldiers will return from Afghanistan, the Defence Ministry announced. (SITA) - A face mask vending machine has been put into operation at the Bratislava main bus station at Mlynske Nivy. (Sme) Crossing borders - As of April 14, only those who are able to prove their health condition with a no more than four-day-old negative COVID-19 test are able to enter Austria. The test result must be in German, English, French or Italian. The measure does not apply to cross-border workers (pendlers). (Radio Slovakia International) - Checks at border crossings with Austria, Czechia, Poland and Hungary have been prolonged until May 7. The cabinet greenlighted the proposal on Tuesday. Only selected airports and border crossings are open for incomers. (SITA) Coronavirus in business (updates) - The Slovak government agreed on April 14 to introduce kurzarbeit, although the term itself is not mentioned in any document. The parliament will have to approve the measure first. Read more on who will be entitled to help. (Index) - President Zuzana Caputova held a meeting with a group of experts in economics and epidemiology to discuss the prospects of opening up the Slovak economy again. One month in a partial lockdown will not damage the economy irreversibly, but maintaining the lockdown for several months might leave scars on the economy, said head of the budgetary responsibility council Ivan Sramko. The economy is not in a total risk scenario right now, but if the measures continue for another few months, the risks are expected to increase, he said. We are destroying 10,000 small, mostly Slovak stores to the benefit of big retailers offering the same goods. Economy Minister Richard Sulik on the earliest possible opening of small shops that have to remain closed while big retail stores offering the same goods are allowed to be open. - Furniture maker Ikea has halted production lines in its plants in Trnava and the nearby municipality of Majcichov for one week due to the coronavirus. Its employees are on paid leave. - The Stara Tura-based Chirana T. Injecta company sold 2.5 million certified protective masks to Slovakia for 0.39 apiece. The governmental special plane will bring the material from China, most likely this Friday. - The government approved, on April 14, changes submitted by the Justice Ministry that are to help the business community during the pandemic. A proposal will introduce the temporary protection of entrepreneurs against liquidation, including suspension of liquidation proceedings already initiated by creditors. Read more on Spectator.sk: Good news from Slovakia: A mechanical engineering company has disinfection gates as Plan B for the coronavirus Read more Ministers of agriculture and environment signed an Easter agreement on forests Read more Slovakia expects frosty night Read more Zoom Videos ZM popularity has exploded as more businesses and people use its video conferencing platform to connect during the coronavirus-induced push for social distancing. ZM shares have soared nearly 100% in 2020 as investors clamor for stay-at-home stocks. Zooms Pitch Simply put, Zooms platform allows people to connect via video, voice, chat, and content sharing. The firm, which went public in April of 2019, boasts that it can connect thousands of people in a single meeting across disparate devices and locations. Therefore, Zooms offerings seem tailor-made for todays globally-connected world from businesses and beyond. The San Jose, California-based firms Q4 fiscal 2020 financial results wowed Wall Street on March 4. Zooms Q4 revenue surged 78%, with fiscal-year sales up 88% to $622.7 million. ZMs adjusted quarterly earnings of $0.15 a share also destroyed our $0.08 Zacks estimate. In fact, it has blown away our bottom-line estimate by an average of 340% in the trailing three quarters. Wall Street was also happy to see the firm add larger clients. Zoom closed the year with roughly 82,000 customers with more than 10 employees, up 61% from a year ago. Coronavirus Growth & Worries The coronavirus has forced many people to stay at home and businesses to shift to remote working, if possible. This environment has seen millions of people start to use Zoom for both work and school, as well as for chatting with family and friends. Founder and CEO Eric Yuan wrote in an April 1 blog post that usage of Zoom has ballooned overnight. He noted that as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million. This figure skyrocketed to more than 200 million daily meeting participants, both free and paid, in March. Story continues This surge in user and usage has brought about security concerns, some of which have become known as Zoombombing, where people crash Zoom chats. We have strived to provide you with uninterrupted service and the same user-friendly experience that has made Zoom the video-conferencing platform of choice for enterprises around the world, while also ensuring platform safety, privacy, and security, Yuan wrote. However, we recognize that we have fallen short of the communitys and our own privacy and security expectations. For that, I am deeply sorry, and I want to share what we are doing about it. Whats Next? Zoom is currently working to address its privacy and security concerns and noted that its platform was built primarily for enterprise customers large institutions with full IT support. Meanwhile, the new users are mostly from consumers. The chief executive said that this has helped Zoom uncover unforeseen issues with our platform We are looking into each and every one of them and addressing them as expeditiously as we can. Zooms recent issues have brought about legal scrutiny, including from the New York attorney generals office. The video-conferencing firm has also been hit with a class action lawsuit by one of its shareholders over its privacy and security issues. Despite the legal worries, ZM stock is still up nearly 100% in 2020. This includes a 9% jump during regular trading hours on Monday that saw it close at $135.92 a share, as it tries to race back toward its March 23 highs. Investors should also note that Zoom shares have crushed fellow 2019 IPO standouts such as Uber UBER and Lyft LYFT. Looking ahead, our current Zacks estimates call for ZMs Q1 sales to jump over 65%, with fiscal 2021 revenue projected to surge another 48% higher to $922.7 millionthis would mark a slowdown compared to last years 88% top-line expansion. Zooms adjusted Q1 earnings are projected to soar 233% to $0.10 a share. Meanwhile, its full-year EPS figures are projected to jump 20% and 35%, respectively. The nearby chart also shows how strong the companys earnings revision activity has been since it reported its Q4 resultsup 55% for the current year. Bottom Line Zooms earnings revisions have remained positive amid some of the scrutiny. This helps ZM hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now. The company looks poised to grow as part of our digitally connected world. And the coronavirus might reshape how people and businesses communicate, especially in the near-term. Zoom does face competition from Microsoft MSFT and others, and its stock has already been on a wild climb in 2020. That said, investors looking to take a chance on a growth tech stock might consider ZM. Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained and impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (ZM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lyft, Inc. (LYFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research SEATTLE, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Persona, a Nestle Health Science (NHSc) company and leading personalized vitamin subscription program, is thanking the country's essential health care workers by giving up to 1,000 workers three months of free personalized vitamins delivered to their doorsteps. Health care workers including providers, administration and staff can visit Persona's Instagram or Facebook now to complete Persona's brief nutritional assessment to curate their personalized packs of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The company previously gifted first responders through the same initiative. "This is another step in protecting those who are protecting us. We're happy to provide our health care workers with free access to high-quality nutritional supplements as our way of showing appreciation," said Jason Brown, founder and CEO, Persona Nutrition. "These workers are putting their own health at risk to take care of others right now. We could not be prouder to provide the gift of nutrition." How to Redeem Persona's Gift Health care workers including providers, administration and staff can visit Persona's Instagram or Facebook to register for free vitamins from Persona. Since all of Persona's vitamin packs are customized for individual needs, each participant will complete a brief questionnaire to receive three-months free (up to an $80 per month value) of personalized vitamins delivered to their doorsteps. More details can be found on Instagram and Facebook @PersonaNutrition. Persona Nutrition continues to extend monetary and product donations to those in need during this uncertain and disruptive time. In the past month, Persona has donated more than $500,000 through this program and its legacy charitable partner Vitamin Angels as well as through Meals on Wheels America. Persona is taking measures to protect and support all of its employees those working remotely as well as essential staff reporting to Persona's facilities. "We are pleased to continue our donation efforts to now include health care workers," continued Brown. "We are all in this together whether you're staying safely indoors or providing essential services. It is our honor to give back and provide recognition to those serving on the front-lines during these critical times." To learn more about Persona or to take the free nutritional assessment, please visit www.personanutrition.com. About Persona Persona, a Nestle Health Science (NHSc) company, creates science-backed, uniquely personalized vitamin programs. Each customized program uses high-quality, bioavailable ingredients, delivered to customers' doorsteps. The proprietary algorithm used for the assessments is based on scientific research reviewed by the company's team of MDs, RDs and nutritionists, and factors in lifestyle, individual needs, and prescription medications to deliver vitamin and supplement recommendations as unique as the consumer. Persona Nutrition is available in more than 60 countries via worldwide shipping. Persona is a supporter of Vitamin Angels. With every Persona vitamin pack order, at least two children who are at risk of malnutrition receive a full year of vitamins. To learn more, please visit www.personanutrition.com or www.nestlehealthscience.com. About Nestle Health Science (NHSc) Nestle Health Science (NHSc), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nestle, is a globally recognized leader in the field of nutritional science. NHSc is committed to empowering healthier lives through nutrition for consumers, patients and their healthcare partners. The company offers an extensive consumer health portfolio of industry-leading medical nutrition, consumer and VMS brands that are science-based solutions covering all facets of health from prevention, to maintenance, all the way through to treatment. NHSc is redefining the approach to their management of health in several key areas such as pediatric health, allergy, acute care, oncology, metabolic health, healthy aging, gastrointestinal health, and inborn errors of metabolism. Headquartered in Switzerland, NHSc employs over 5,000 people around the world, who are committed to making a difference in people's lives, for a healthier today and tomorrow. For more information, visit https://www.nestlehealthscience.com. SOURCE Persona Related Links http://www.personanutrition.com The media space is evolving at such a quick pace in part because of the incredible technological strides that allow content and advertising to be viewed and shared on any and every screen, said Cynopsis Publisher Robbie Caploe. Cynopsis Media has opened the call for entries for the inaugural Cynopsis Adtech Awards, celebrating the advances in the technology that underpin the media business. Entries are being accepted from now through June 24th. The media space is evolving at such a quick pace in part because of the incredible technological strides that allow content and advertising to be viewed and shared on any and every screen, says Cynopsis Publisher Robbie Caploe. Thats why we are honoring these problem solvers and big thinkers because they deserve it, and because theyre such vital participants in our industrys success. From outstanding ad and brand safety solutions to deft achievements in strategy and implementation, Cynopsis is shining a well-deserved spotlight on those who are making a difference in the digital media supply chain. Winners and honorable mentions for the Cynopsis Adtech Awards will be awarded in the following categories: Best Addressable TV Collaboration Best Audience-Based Buying Platform Best Use of Blockchain and Cryptography Best Video Marketing / Advertising Platform Best New Performance Metric Most Innovative Implementation of Addressable Most Innovative Use of AI to Optimize Campaigns Outstanding Advance in Transparency Outstanding Attribution Measurement Outstanding Brand Safety Strategy Outstanding Data Solution Outstanding Display and Programmatic Advertising Platform Outstanding Example of Custom Data Strategy Outstanding Local Advertising Solution Outstanding New and Innovative Ad Units Outstanding New Audience-Based Ad Offering Outstanding Post-Campaign Analysis Outstanding Programmer Enablement Solution Outstanding Proprietary Analytics Outstanding Reporting and Analytics Outstanding Supply Solution Outstanding Targeting Capabilities Outstanding Utilization of Data The entry process is done entirely online (click here to get started) and involves a brief synopsis of your entry and some optional supporting materials. The Cynopsis Adtech Awards are open to all individuals and teams worldwide including: digital media publishers, TV and online video networks, MSOs, studios, production companies, producers, brands, ad agencies, interactive media agencies, ad platforms, technology providers, developers and marketing and PR firms. Vendors are also eligible to compete on behalf of a client. The program is open to national and international entrants. For entry questions, contact Cathy Pearson at cathyp@cynopsis.com. For advertising or sponsorship information, contact Robbie Caploe at rcaploe@accessintel.com. About Cynopsis: Cynopsis is what the TV industry reads first every day. The Cynopsis family of products includes the media industry's most-read daily, Cynopsis, plus sister daily Cynopsis Sports; weekly Media Tech, and weekly Esports, the Cynopsis Jobs board and special reports. Serving TV, agency and brand professionals, Cynopsis Media produces conferences and awards programs that are second to none. Find out more at cynopsis.com. Gov. Tom offered a timeline in a televised address Monday evening on how he plans to get Pennsylvanians from the middle of the current coronavirus pandemic to what he called the new normal. "I want to thank every one of you for facing this crisis in such masterful ways, " Wolf said. In the end, I believe we will get through this because of the kind of people we are." Speaking for about 10 minutes, Wolf said he sees three stages that Pennslyvanias will go through during the COVID-19 pandemic to get to a new normal, whatever that may look like. Though he didnt give any possible dates for these stages, he gave landmarks on what getting to each stage would take. READ MORE: Gaps in Pa.s coronavirus testing procedures led to systemic failure to collect critical patient info Wolf said the state is currently in the first stage, still buying time for the healthcare system to build capacity and not get overwhelmed. Wolf has frequently talked about the need to keep COVID-19 patient numbers from increasing at a high rate, which would prevent the healthcare system from effectively treating patients due to scarce resources. Though the stay at home methodology has meant many sacrifices of family gatherings, school and work, Wolf said the strategy is working. There are still losses of life and losses in the economy, Wolf said, but the curve is bending. Wolf said in order to get to the next step that there needs to be a drop in new cases and an ability to sustain an increase in the availability of needed materials. It also requires more personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and more ventilators and hospital beds. The transitional second phase also will depend on more and better testing, which will help people understand when theyre sick and when theyre immune, Wolf said. Healthcare workers, in particular, will rely on immunity tests to know when they can treat patients without the risk of infection. These factors will help get people back to school and work. Wolf said he hopes it can be done in a reasonable amount of time. The third stage, which will mean fully resuming normal life, will require time and could be very different from the old normal people know, he said. This means stockpiles of supplies at hospitals, time to develop better treatments and possibly a cure or vaccine, Wolf said. We need to recognize the fact that we will get through this, and therein lies our hope, Wolf said. He called healthcare workers on the front lines heroic, saying they are doing what they can to get people through this. I recognize what is being asked of us is very hard, Wolf said solemnly but determined. Now we must isolate ourselves, stop doing what we were doing, what we were making, how we were interacting. Though this is difficult, Wolf said by following through this the restrictions, Pennsylvania residents are making a difference. By doing nothing, we are doing something truly extraordinary, and for that I thank you, Wolf said. Read more on PennLive: The French foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest a string of controversial comments by Beijing's embassy in Paris on the coronavirus. "I made clear my disapproval of certain recent comments when the ambassador... was summoned this morning," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a ministry statement, adding that the remarks were not in line with the "quality of the bilateral relationship" between the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The closing of schools around the world is sure to hurt most students in some way, but it is girls from marginalized countries whose education will be affected the most, experts say. With some 1.5 billion students affected by school closures around the world, according to a U.N. agency, more than 111 million of them are girls who live in the world's least developed countries, where education is already a struggle for them because of family and societal pressures. And it they who are more at risk than boys of never returning to school, according to officials at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO. "We are only beginning to understand the economic impacts of covid-19, but they are expected to be widespread and devastating, particularly for women and girls," Stefania Giannini, UNESCO's assistant director general for education, and Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, chief executive for Plan International, a development and humanitarian organization, wrote in a paper. "In the global south, where limited social protection measures are in place, economic hardships caused by the crisis will have spill-over effects as families consider the financial and opportunity costs of educating their daughters," they wrote. "While many girls will continue with their education once the school gates reopen, others will never return to school." A new report by the nonprofit international organization called the Malala Fund analyzed data from the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic in several African countries, and concluded that as many as 10 million secondary school-age girls who were in school before the coronavirus pandemic began this year will not return. The fund was founded by Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient in history for her advocate of girls' education, along with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. "We find that marginalized girls are more at risk than boys of dropping out of school altogether following school closures and that women and girls are more vulnerable to the worst effects of the current pandemic," said the report, titled "Girls' Education and covid-19. As an example, at the height of the Ebola epidemic, more than 10,000 schools, affecting nearly 5 million children, were closed in the African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. When schools reopened more than six months later, in 2015, students had lost an approximate 1,848 hours of education, ranging from 33 weeks in Guinea to 39 weeks in Sierra Leone, the fund said. "Prior to the outbreak in Sierra Leone, girls' education already lagged behind that of boys, with girls acquiring just 1.8 years of schooling on average in comparison to the four-year average for boys," the report said. "Likewise, girls in Guinea completed only 0.9 years of schooling as compared to the 2.7-year average for boys. "This gendered difference in educational attainment is a recurring theme in countries where girls face the greatest challenges," it said."Consequently, the simple loss of even six months of education as a result of covid-19 will have a proportionally greater impact on girls in low- and lower-middle-income countries; in some countries, they could lose 50% of their total years of education." Both Giannini and Albrectsen, as well as the Malala Fund report said that after schools reopened, many girls became the chief source of income for their families and could not attend school if if they had re-enrolled. Giannini and Albrectsen wrote that during Africa's Ebola crisis in Africa, girls not only saw their education interrupted but also, some studies found, "that the closure of schools increased girls' vulnerability to physical and sexual abuse both by their peers and by older men, as girls were often are at home alone and unsupervised." "Transactional sex was also widely reported as vulnerable girls and their families struggled to cover basic needs," they said. "As family breadwinners perished from Ebola and livelihoods were destroyed, many families chose to marry their daughters off, falsely hoping this would offer them protection." Girls living in refugee camps will be hardest hit, with refugee girls at secondary school-age only half as likely to enroll in schools as their peers, they wrote. [April 14, 2020] New Option From Priority Health Helps Those Losing Employer Health Benefits Avoid a Gap in Coverage, Get Credit for Deductible Balance Priority Health has created a unique, affordable new option to help those who have lost their employer-based health benefits due to COVID-19. By combining a short-term plan, to bridge any coverage gap, with a special enrollment in an individual ACA plan, consumers can safely move from their employer-sponsored coverage to a new plan without the risk of going uninsured during the ongoing outbreak. Priority Health is the only health coverage carrier in Michigan who can offer this unique combination that provides gap-free, same day coverage. Priority Health is also offering a deductible credit to all new individual members transitioning from an employer group plan. "At this time, more than ever, it is crucial that every person in this country has health insurance," said Joan Budden, President & CEO, Priority Health. "We have pushed ourselves to get creative with solutions to address this pandemic, and our new combination plan makes it possible that no one will have to go a day without health insurance." These new options help anyone forced to make an unexpected change secure affordable new coverage, while also allowing them to maintain any progress they had already made against heir deductible during this calendar year - even if the individual's previous employer-sponsored plan was with another carrier. Priority Health offers ACA plans as low as $0 per month for those that qualify for subsidies, and short- term plans that start at less than $100 per month. The company is also waiving enrollment screenings for the short-term plan for anyone who chooses this combination approach. Priority Health is also offering Medicaid eligible Michiganders a no-cost Priority Choice Healthy Michigan plan with coverage that starts right away. The plan provides free transportation and coverage for doctor visits, preventive care, hospital stays, emergency services, maternity care and prescription drugs. Individuals can learn more about these plans and find out which solution best fits their situation and needs by calling Priority Health plan advisors toll-free at 833.514.1116 or contacting a Priority Health licensed agent. For more information on resources and options, go to: www.priorityhealth.com/covered About Priority Health: With over 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second largest health plan in Michigan offering a broad portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than one million members each year and offering a network that includes 97 percent of primary care physicians in Michigan, Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Priority Health is the smart choice for people seeking affordable, quality health insurance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005948/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked India Inc to clear huge outstanding payments to micro, small and medium enterprises at the earliest in order to ease the distress in the sector and inject liquidity into market New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked India Inc to clear huge outstanding payments to micro, small and medium enterprises at the earliest in order to ease the distress in the sector and inject liquidity into market. In a discussion with senior industry members of FICCI via video conferencing, the MSME minister exhorted the industry to clear pending dues owed by them to the units. "I would like to request you, major industries also have huge outstanding dues of MSMEs. We were earlier considering framing a law entailing stringent rules regarding such payments. However, now is not the right time for this. We do not wish to go down that road," the minister said. The government's endeavour was to protect MSMEs, which contribute 29 percent to the country's GDP (gross domestic product), from the coronavirus-induced crisis. "We have decided to raise (turnover) limits for MSMEs. An order to this effect should hopefully be out in 8-10 days, which will naturally enhance their coverage," Gadkari said. The Union Cabinet had in 2018 approved changes in the basis of classifying micro, small and medium enterprises from "investment in plant & machinery/equipment" to "annual turnover". The MSME ministry had said that section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 will be amended to define units producing goods and rendering services in terms of annual turnover. Under the new definition, a micro enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover does not exceed five crore rupees; a small enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover is more than five crore rupees but does not exceed Rs 75 crore, and a medium enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover is more than seventy-five crore rupees but does not exceed Rs 250 crore. Observing that this was a difficult time from an economic standpoint, the minister said he believes this could turn out to be a "blessing in disguise" for India's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)". Citing the examples of countries like Japan and US who desire to shift their investments out of China and set up industries elsewhere, Gadkari said India was the only nation which can take an advantage out of this situation. "We have insured loans given to MSMEs by paying a premium of 1.5 percent to banks on loans amounting to a total of Rs 1 lakh crore and taken 75 percent guarantee while the banks have to bear 25 percent of the collateral. "Obviously, we are trying to reduce the collateral limit. We will also ask the finance ministry to increase the limit of the quantum of loans to Rs 5 lakh crore from Rs 1 lakh crore, so that it is easier for MSMEs to avail credit," Gadkari said. Treasury: Business Taxpayers Can Pay Monthly, Quarterly Sales, Use and Withholding Tax in May Treasury: Business Taxpayers Can Pay Monthly, Quarterly Sales, Use and Withholding Tax in May See contact information below. April 14, 2020 Certain businesses that have experienced disrupted operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic now have even more time to make monthly or quarterly sales, use and withholding tax payments, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. Business taxpayers scheduled to make sales, use and withholding tax payments for March and April or for the first quarter of 2020 can postpone filing and payment requirements until May 20, 2020. The state Treasury Department will waive all penalties and interest. "Our administration is doing everything we can to support Michigan businesses during this crisis," said Governor Whitmer. "Postponing payment and filing deadlines, and waiving penalties and interest will provide much-needed relief to business owners." Specific information about Treasury providing continued tax assistance to businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic can be found in Penalty and Interest Waived for 30 Days for Monthly and Quarterly Sales, Use and Withholding Returns due April 20, 2020. Business taxpayers are encouraged to file sales, use and withholding tax returns and pay taxes owed as of the original due date if able to do so. Under Governor Whitmers leadership, across state government we are utilizing a variety of options to assist Michigan businesses during this global pandemic, State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. By moving sales, use and withholding tax payment deadlines from March and April to May, it gives small businesses critical time to figure out the next steps as we continue to move forward. On March 18, the state Treasury Department first announced tax assistance for businesses scheduled to make their sales, use and withholding payments in March. The waiver is not available for accelerated sales, use or withholding tax filers. Businesses with questions should inquire through self-service options using Michigan Treasury Online. To learn more about Michigans taxes, go to www.michigan.gov/taxes or follow the state Treasury Department on Twitter at @MITreasury. Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Contacts: Ms. Danelle Gittus (gittusd@michigan.gov) or Mr. Ron Leix (leixr@michigan.gov) Subscribe to Treasury Press Releases Debenhams in the UK threw their Irish operation "under the bus" last week according to aggrieved former employees who have expressed horror at being told of their job losses through a generic email on Holy Thursday. Debenhams have closed their 11 shops around the country with the loss of over 1,200 jobs. The company said it was "desperately sorry" to have to liquidate its Irish business. However, staff believe that the company used the Covid-19 pandemic to quietly shut Irish stores knowing that their former employees couldn't even hold a protest to mark their dissatisfaction. Cork Debenhams worker, Valerie Conlon, told Red FM that staff were devastated to lose their jobs particularly as they were given reassurances of their job security just weeks earlier. Valerie has 24 years of service at the Patrick Street Store in the city having commenced employment onsite under Roches Stores. "We kept being told the Irish side of Debenhams was okay and that the Irish side and English side were two different companies anyway. "It was announced in the UK that they were going in to adminstration and we questioned it and we were told we were okay on this side. Then they announced we were going in to liquidation by email. It was a generic email sent out to all staff. "It was a shock because we kept being told we were okay. Reading between the lines they are letting the Irish business go to save the English business. "They did it knowing that there was a whole weekend for it to go dead." She added: "Covid-19 is very important and we are not taking away from that but we do count." Ms Conlon told the Neil Prendeville show that staff were treated "very shabbily" particularly given all their years of loyal service. She said: "We are lucky that we have Mandate behind us. But there will be retailers watching what is happening with this and what they (Debenhams) will get away with. "We want to get what is owed to us. I am only 24 years there. There is people 30, 40 and 50 years there. There is a person retiring this year after working 50 years and he is going to come out with statutory redundancy. Nobody deserves that. In a statement last week, the company said a liquidator would be appointed to the Irish branch of the company this week. British and Irish stores were shut down in the last month due to lockdown measures. The letter read: It is anticipated the application will be made and a Provisional Liquidator will be appointed next week. In these unprecedented times, Debenhams is having to make exceptionally difficult decisions. Unfortunately, our Irish business has had trading challenges which were exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19. In the UK, Debenhams has entered into administration in order to protect its business. Regrettably, due to the challenges facing Debenhams Retail (Ireland) Ltd, it is anticipated that an application will be made to appoint a liquidator to the Irish operations. As you know Debenhams has already suspended trading in the Republic of Ireland stores and we can confirm that these stores are not expected to reopen. The company thanked the invaluable service of their staff and wished them success in the future. Debenhams opened its first outlet in the Republic in the Jervis Shopping Centre in 1996. Its big expansion in the Republic came in 2006 when it bought the lease for nine Roches Stores outlets nationwide. This article was updated at 9.30am on April 15. WILMINGTON, Del., April 13, 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 Cincinnati Bell Inc. (Cincinnati Bell or the Company) (NYSE: CBB) common stock in connection with the proposed acquisition of Cincinnati Bell by Red Fiber Parent LLC (Red Fiber) and RF Merger Sub Inc. (Merger Sub), announced on March 13, 2020 (the Complaint). The Complaint, which alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against Cincinnati Bell, its Board of Directors (the Board), Red Fiber, and Merger Sub, is captioned Palkon v. Cincinnati Bell Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-00411 (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-cincinnati-bell-inc,join. On March 13, 2020, Cincinnati Bell entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) with Red Fiber and Merger Sub. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, shareholders of Cincinnati Bell will receive $15.50 in cash for each share of Cincinnati Bell 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 financial projections and the analyses performed by Cincinnati Bells financial advisors. The Complaint seeks injunctive and equitable relief and damages on behalf of holders of Cincinnati Bell common stock. Story continues If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than June 12, 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. Instacart employee Eric Cohn, 34, searches for an item for a delivery order in a Safeway grocery store while wearing a respirator mask to help protect himself and slow the spread of the CCP virus disease in Tucson, Ariz., on April 4, 2020. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) From Deliveries in Arizona to Fish Markets in California, CCP Virus Changes How We Buy Our Food Eric Cohn used to wear a respirator mask, goggles, and gloves only to protect against mold and asbestos as he restored homes in Tucson, Arizona. Now he dons the same gear in his new jobshopping for quarantined customers. Instacart employee Eric Cohn, 34, heads to his car outside a Safeway grocery store while wearing a respirator mask to help protect himself and slow the spread of the CCP virus disease in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. on April 4, 2020. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) People ask me where I get this mask every day, the 34-year-old said. They say: you look good! I say Im not trying to look good. Im trying to be safe. With over 90 percent of the U.S. population under orders to stay home to slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, Cohn is among a new class of front-line workers delivering food to peoples houses. Instacart employee Eric Cohn, 34, delivers groceries to a residence while wearing a respirator mask to help protect himself and slow the spread of the CCP virus disease in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. on April 4, 2020. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) These workers risk their own health every time they touch doors to enter supermarkets and restaurants, or approach homes where someone inside could be sick. Butwith a record 10 million Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks of Marchmany feel they have little choice if they want to pay their bills. Instacart employee Eric Cohn, 34, loads an order into his car outside a Frys grocery store while wearing a respirator mask to help protect himself and slow the spread of the CCP virus disease in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. on April 4, 2020. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) Cohn said he often feels vulnerable in the supermarket checkout line as other customers get closer to him than the recommended 6 feet. Once safely back in his car, he disinfects his gloved hands, steering wheel, door handles, and phone. He often works 14 hours with a goal of making $200 a day. Instacart employee Eric Cohn, 34, sprays his gloves with disinfectant while wearing a respirator mask to help protect himself and slow the spread of the CCP virus disease in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. on April 4, 2020. (Cheney Orr/Reuters) If I didnt have my own PPE, I dont know if I would be OK with doing this, he said, referring to personal protective equipment. Concerns about staff safety led a family in New Yorks Brooklyn neighborhood to decide to close their three restaurants. Last week, Ix (pronounced eesh) made its last free deliveries of Guatemalan food to police, firefighters, doctors, and nurses. Printed signs are taped to the outside of Ix restaurant announcing its closure, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., on April 2, 2020. (Anna Watts/Reuters) This was our baby. It was the dream come true. Its hard to say goodbye to that, said Ana Prince, one of the owners of Ix, which opened over three years ago. Chef and part-owner Jorge Cardenas, 41, hands customers free shots of broth while they wait for their takeout order outside of Ix restaurant in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., on April 2, 2020. (Anna Watts/Reuters) Chef Jorge Cardenas shares an elbow bump with regular Ix customer Lorenzo Bernasconi outside of Ix restaurant in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., on April 2, 2020. (Anna Watts/Reuters) I feel like I want to cry because you never want to see your business closing, she said. But everyone is healthy and we dont want them to get sick. It could get worse. So for the health of everybody, we made the decision [to close], but it wasnt easy at all, said Prince. Ix, now closed for customers, is seen through the front windows as employee Daniel Gonzalez, 34, finishes cleaning and sanitizing the upstairs, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., on April 2, 2020. (Anna Watts/Reuters) With restaurants closing and so many people ordering food from their homes, many Americans have found delivery slots at grocery stores evaporating. Some providers have tried to get around that by going direct to the consumer. In Lodi, Ohio, farmers have created a website offering weekly deliveries of vegetables, meats, cheeses, and other fresh items. Tim Kelly and Jimmy Myers run one of four pickup spots in Madison Park, Lakewood for Front 9 Farm where they have started offering weekly deliveries of vegetables, meats, cheeses and other fresh items following the CCP virus outbreak, in Ohio, U.S., on April 4, 2020. (Dane Rhys/Reuters) Its nice for us using the online order forms, said Jimmy Myers, 33, one of the owners of Front 9 Farm. We know that everything we harvest is going to be sold. Theres very little waste We sell out of eggs within about two hours of loading the order form. Corinne Henslee and her sister Ellen prepare orders at Front 9 Farm where they have started offering weekly deliveries of vegetables, meats, cheeses and other fresh items following the CCP virus outbreak, in Ohio, U.S., on April 4, 2020. (Dane Rhys/Reuters) In California, Jordyn Kastlunger, who fishes commercially with her father Martin Kastlunger, sometimes sells the catches at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego. About 300 people recently lined up to buy fish at the market, standing on tape markers 6 feet apart. Police later asked them to increase the spacing to 12 feet. Commercial fisherman Ben Stephens cuts an opah fish onboard the Gutsy Lady 4, a fishing vessel, docked in Tuna Harbor in San Diego, Calif., U.S., on April, 2020. (Bing Guan/ Reuters) My dad fishes for a variety of things so the only thing thats really been impacted is crab, since processors dont have as much bait to give, Kastlunger said. Weve been doing OK. Its definitely slower and harder. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. President Donald Trump, flanked by officials and business leaders, announces a national emergency with regard to the coronavirus in the White House Rose Garden in Washington on March 13, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Trump Admin Releases $3 Billion in Education Relief Funds for Governors Governors can now apply for their share of the $3 billion made available to make sure education continues during the public health emergency, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Tuesday. The $3 billion Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund is part of the $2.2 trillion aid package, known as the CARES Act, which was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month. It is designed to be a flexible block grant that would allow governors to decide how much of the money goes to public and private K-12 schools, postsecondary institutions, and other education-related organizations. DeVos said in a press release that the department has streamlined GEERs application process to get those emergency funds to the states as quickly as possible. She also wanted governors to take the opportunity to truly rethink and transform the approach to education during this national emergency and ensure learning continues. At a time when so many school boards and superintendents have shut down learning for the balance of the school year, I want to encourage each and every governor to focus on continuity of education for all students. Parents, families, teachers, and other local education leaders are depending on their leadership to ensure students dont fall behind, said DeVos. Daisley Kramer helps her kindergarten daughter, Meg, with schoolwork at home in San Anselmo, Calif., on March 18, 2020. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) According to the Education Department, the amount of money each state is eligible to receive largely depends on the states relative population of people ages 5 to 24, and the number of children counted under the Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The department started to distribute $6.3 billion CARES Act funds to colleges and universities last week. The money is meant to be used as cash grants to help students cover expenses related to disruptions to their education because of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak, including course materials, technology, food, housing, health care, and childcare. The CARES Act funds are available to all types of higher education institutions, including public and private nonprofit four-year universities, community colleges, and for-profits. How much money each institution will receive is based on a Congress-approved formula, which is weighted toward institutions that enroll more low-income Pell Grant recipients. For example, New Jerseys Rutgers University, with 30 percent of its student receiving Pell Grants, will be given $54 million. Whats best for students is at the center of every decision we make, said DeVos in a press release. Thats why we prioritized getting funding out the door quickly to college students who need it most. We dont want unmet financial needs due to the coronavirus to derail their learning. Stopping an outbreak of COVID-19 among Chicagos homeless population has absolutely been one of the most challenging aspects of this response," she said. "We are not done. We have a lot of cases already and we are working very hard to limit the spread in all of the situations where we can. Radhika Ramaseshan reports on why the Karnataka chief minister risked crossing swords with his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and its ideological wellspring, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa went with the general tide running through the southern states, spoke up against faith profiling in the aftermath of the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) episode, and earned kudos from the Opposition. In the process, he risked crossing swords with his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and its ideological wellspring, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The TJ's large congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, attended by the sect's adherents from all over India and the world, became a major controversy after several participants were found infected with coronavirus and became vectors among larger communities. While the TJ was justifiably criticised for the irresponsibility it displayed by hosting a gathering amid the pandemic, the episode led to a virulent attack on the Muslims in the mainstream and virtual media, as well as by politicians. Shobha Karandlaje, Yediyurappa's political confidante and Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, led the anti-Muslim chorus. She was joined by BJP legislators MP Renukacharya, who is also Yediyurappa's political secretary, and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. Together, they constructed a narrative that painted the pandemic as 'corona jihad' and warned the Muslims of 'death by bullet' if they evaded quarantine or misbehaved with doctors and paramedics at hospitals. It was a defining moment for the CM who had to either support or rebuff the BJP's minority baiters. "There was a trend that all the southern CMs followed during the TJ fallout. Every one of them -- K Chandrasekhar Rao, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, E K Palaniswami and Pinarayi Vijayan -- stressed the incident must not be communalised. "They were joined by Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra CM). In these circumstances, Yediyurappa demonstrated he was a leader," remarked a Bengaluru-based political observer. The CM called an all-party meeting and separately met Muslim leaders and MLAs. In his interaction with the latter, he exhorted upon the Muslims to pray at their homes and not mosques for some time and share details of TJ members who attended the Delhi event. "They are cooperating," Yediyurappa was quoted saying. A BJP source explained: "If you don't demonise a religion or stigmatise a community and induce fear, people of all faiths will voluntarily come forward and share their histories. "That's why Yediyurappa decided to go against the party's grain. It helped that other leaders later supported him." BJP President J P Nadda, too, directed party leaders to refrain from giving a 'communal colour' to the pandemic. A day after his meeting with the Muslims, Yediyurappa told a Kannada news channel: "Nobody should speak a word against the Muslims. If anyone blames an entire community for an isolated incident, I will take action against them without a second thought." "He was annoyed with Shobha and Renukacharya for going ballistic," a BJP source said. However, Shobha and Renukacharya were unrepentant. Shobha claimed: "I spoke the truth... We (the government) are not going enough after the culprits." Renukacharya claimed: "I am not blaming an entire community. Those who don't come for a test are anti-national." A Yediyurappa aide maintained Shobha's stance was 'provoked' by the 'alienation' she increasingly felt in the Karnataka dispensation after 'calling the shots' in the previous BJP regimes. "This is because Yediyurappa's younger son (B Y Vijayendra) has acquired a strong hold over his father," said the aide. Yediyurappa's stand on the TJ controversy did provoke some backlash in the BJP -- a section which allegedly included 'active' members of its IT cells, were upset and pushed the #WeLostHopeBSY trend on Twitter. Although the hashtag inspired a counter in #IStandWithBSY, BJP sources conceded there was 'no way' Yediyurappa could ignore the dissent against his leadership. "He was under pressure to soften the line but he did not relent. He thinks the whole thing will blow over," the aide maintained. Since he installed himself as the CM by engineering a majority with the help of Congress and Janata Dal-Secular defectors, Yediyurappa was hemmed in by problems. Although he withstood them, he awaits the big test in pacifying the BJP loyalists who were left out of his Cabinet. In the last expansion, he inducted 10 of the 12 MLAs who were re-elected in the by-elections and all of them were turncoats. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 13, 2020 | 08:43 PM | FULTON While on patrol, Officer Austin Matheny noticed smoke and fire coming out of a home on Kentucky Avenue. Matheny contacted the Fulton Fire Department, then spoke with one of the residents of the home who had just returned from a store. The man told Matheny that there was a woman and two children still inside the home. Matheny and the man entered the home through heavy smoke and were able to rescue the woman and children. The children were checked by the ambulance service and released. The Fulton Police Department praised Matheny's courage to act. "We are thankful that he serves the citizens of Fulton everyday." A Fulton police officer saved a mother and two children from a house fire on Monday. >>> Argentinian newspaper lauds Vietnams success in COVID-19 fight The USs The Strategist newswire said Vietnam has followed a budget-friendly approach that has proven equally effective. The Vietnamese Government tightened border controls and put hospitals and local health departments on high alert before the first fatality in China and only three days after confirmation of the outbreak there. Its recent study of Vietnams COVID-19 policy response attributed the countrys initial success in slowing the rate of infection to the authorities focus on communication and public education through technology platforms and systematic tracing of pathogen carriers. The article also noted that citizens have been voluntarily sharing personal health information via a government-launched app called NCOVI while authorities have actively interacted with citizens via the social media. It concluded that by focusing on early risk assessment, effective communication and government-citizen cooperation, an under-resourced country with a precarious healthcare system can manage the pandemic. At the same time, the ASEAN Post said other nations in ASEAN and the rest of the world can learn from Vietnams swift response to handling the pandemic. Frances Liberation paper attributed Vietnams impressive achievements to the healthcare systems efforts to ensure the safety and health of the people instead of heeding profits of insurance companies. About this, Russias Novosti Petrozavodsk paper quoted a woman of the country returning from Vietnam as saying that the Vietnamese State has offered all possible support for citizens, always ready with available food, necessities and masks to meet public demand with discounts. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese people fully follow the State rules without hesitance. The Times of India said the Vietnamese Government has actively protected citizens against the epidemic as it promptly suggested initiatives and understood the exact nature of challenges. The article stressed that the success could be reached if each citizen heightens the sense of responsibility and cooperates with the government. The UKs The Guardian published a poster and post stamps designed by Vietnamese painters that sent clear messages of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the USs New York Times said despite insufficient resources and financial capability, Vietnam still sent masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK along with its neighbours Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam also handed over 450,000 Dupont protective suits to the US. German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) on April 13 underlined that Vietnam's response to the COVID-19 pandemic can offer lessons to nations struggling to contain the outbreak, noting that much of Vietnam's success can be ascribed to its social unity. Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday here after the Supreme Court had refused to extend his plea in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Navlakha, who has been accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for alleged involvement in the Bhima Koregaon riots in 2018, was asked to surrender by the Supreme Court. Editor of Mumbai-based Economic and Political Weekly journal for years, Navlakha was one of the five human rights activists arrested for alleged Maoist links and involvement in the Bhima Koregaon violence on January 1, 2018 but was granted protection from the arrest by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. He was directed by the Supreme Court on March 16 to surrender within three weeks but he had moved a plea seeking extension of time on the ground that going to jail during the COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence". A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on April 8 had said the accused should have honoured its decision of dismissal of the anticipatory bail and the direction to surrender themselves within three weeks. He has denied all charges against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, have bought up not just one, but two gigantic ranches in the Wyoming wilderness. These LA natives might just be fans of big sky country, but some speculate that they are collecting land to build a future compound for their Sunday service followers. Kanye West | Randy Holmes/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Kanye Wests connection to Wyoming If youve been paying attention to what Kanye West has been up to lately, you may be surprised to note he is now, seemingly, in the land acquisition business. Were not talking about his $20 million dollar mansion in LA either. The couple has recently purchased two large tracts of land in mid-Wyoming. The millionaire superstar is known for his own personalized clothing line, his political aspirations, his Sunday sermons and now, apparently, owning thousands of acres of ranch land in Wyoming. His first purchase was last September. West bought 1,400 acres of land, known as Monster Lake Ranch, not far from Yellowstone National Park. Shortly after that, they added another ranch to their real estate portfolio by scooping up Big Horn Mountain Ranch, a property in Cody, Wyoming. Their second purchase totaled more than 6,700 acres and combined they have reportedly spent nearly $30 million dollars amassing property in the wild west. Fans and Wyoming locals are intrigued. What exactly is Kanye planning to do with all this property? The West/Kardashian land has many uses Currently, his ranches are home to bunches of already existing, luxury amenities. His ranches include amenities already on-site like convenient helicopter landing pads which are reportedly heated to keep them open from the snow, as well as a saloon. Theres an established hotel, several guest cabins, a pond, horse barns, a shooting range, and even a restaurant. The star has already begun recording some of his music on site too. Kanye West has big plans for his big property Kim Kardashian West did confirm that Kanyes dream is to eventually live in Wyoming. She tells Jimmy Fallon that the whole family loves Wyoming, but her dream would be to spend summers and weekends there to get away from LA. But, what exactly is the famous family doing with that much land? The New York Times reports that Kanye has announced some big-time plans for what he wants on his property and in the Cody area. Hes hoping to establish an entire production company for his Yeezy fashion line from farming to manufacturing all in that area. Hes even already moved some members of his Yeezy team into the area. He wants to grow both cotton and hemp, in order to create American jobs. Hes got big dreams for his ranch. Fans wonder if West is planning to start a commune People reported that Kanye West intended to create the home for his spiritual services at Bighorn Mountain Ranch. In fact, he even began construction on a giant amphitheater to function as a stage. The source explained, Kanye is elated and wants to make sure anyone who wants to attend his service is able to. He doesnt want to have to turn people away. He needs a home for the service and decided to make the home Wyoming. This is why he bought another property. However, after he started to make big changes to the plans (which were not included in his original permit) his building plans have stalled out. Fans have been speculating if Kanye is secretly trying to buy the whole state to create a spiritual compound, some are even calling it a cult. One Reddit user even renames the state, aptly calling it Yeomying. Other opinions include wondering if perhaps he hopes to build a compound big enough to hold all his followers or starting a cult, which fans joke they will readily join. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:55:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities on Tuesday made public several criminal cases of producing or spreading harmful content including pornography. The cases that have been cracked cover the illegal activities of organizing porn livestreaming, setting up porn websites or apps, selling porn videos online and publishing unauthorized online games, according to the National Office Against Pornography and Illegal Publications. In one case cracked by police in the city of Tianjin in April 2019, 29 suspects were arrested for organizing obscene online shows. Over 500 performers were recruited by the group. In another case in Jiangsu Province, a group was busted for selling porn videos to tens of thousands of WeChat users and earning over 2 million yuan (about 284,000 U.S. dollars). Three in the group were sentenced to over 10 years in prison. The office said it will maintain the crackdown on pornography and illegal publications. Over 9,000 persons suspected to have come in contact with COVID-19 patients have so far been traced, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said. Mr Ehanire, while speaking at the daily Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on Tuesday, said 99 per cent of the Individuals have exceeded the 14 days observation period. We have made significant progress in contact tracing and have to date, followed up 9,029 persons of interest, 99 per cent of whom have exceeded their 14-day observation period, he said. He did not elaborate further. The minister noted that the daily COVID-19 testing capacity has increased due to more capable laboratories situated in the country. We have increased daily testing capacity by activating more COVID-19 capable laboratories and shall work with the private sector to outsource and diversify sample collection sites and also improve logistic support. Details of sample collection sites will be made known in due course, he said. About two weeks ago, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said it was hoping to increase its testing capacity to 1, 500 tests per day. The countrys COVID-19 testing regime is limited to only those with travel history and people who have made contact with them. As a result, testing has not been widespread. Nigeria is currently processing 1,500 COVID-19 tests per day, according to Mr Ehanire Increased cases Mr Ehanire said the increase in the number of discovered cases is the fallout of improvement in testing capacity. Increase in the number of discovered cases is the fallout of improvement in testing capacity, he said. We are gathering more epidemiological information on coronavirus disease, such as understanding sources of new cases and planning new lines of action. We shall continue to aggressively pursue our policy to detect, test and isolate cases, he said. As of Monday, 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have confirmed at least a case of COVID-19 bringing the total to 362. Adherence Mr Ehanire emphasised the urgency of physical distancing and strict adherence to the lockdown measures as parts of ways to prevent the spread of the virus. He appealed to Nigerians to take responsibility and protect themselves, family and friends from contracting the virus. We have early evidence of community transmission already, which reinforces the urgency of physical distancing, use of face masks, maintenance of hand and respiratory hygiene, as well as strict adherence to the lockdown measures and regulations as announced by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday. READ ALSO: From a medical point of view, I wish to again stress that these measures will reduce the risk of positive persons carrying the virus from place to place, especially those who are asymptomatic and may not know they harbor coronavirus. Staying at home also increases the probability of tracers finding persons of interest at home when they call. I urge citizens to take the measures in good faith, as announced by the President yesterday, he said. Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, appealed to Nigerians to understand the situation at hand and bear the burdens of the lockdowns a little while longer. Such a monumental decision has been taken at great pains and we continue to appeal to Nigerians to show a lot of understanding, comply with orders, observe social distancing, keep a high level of personal and respiratory hygiene, stay at home, unless it is compelling to go out and generally take responsibility for playing your individual role in this war, Mr Mustapha, who doubles as the chairman of the PTF, said. Health conscious Americans, under stay-at-home order for the past several weeks due to the severe outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, are enthusiastically responding to the free online yoga classes being organised by the Indian embassy here. The Indian mission started the yoga classes from March 30 for the millions of Americans to keep them 'healthy' and 'cheerful' while they are forced to stay indoors and work from home. Yoga is an ancient Indian system of physical exercise and meditation. "The practice of yoga, as Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has emphasised, offers a holistic way of keeping mentally and physically fit during these challenging times," India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu told PTI. There has been a very encouraging response from the US audience to the online yoga classes that the embassy started two weeks ago, the Indian diplomat said. Every day hundreds of yoga enthusiasts join free online yoga classes by Moxraj, Teacher of Indian Culture. In the first week, he conducted Yogasana and in the second week he taught Pranayama aimed at strengthening the respiratory and immune system. In a fortnight the number of views of his yoga classes has crossed 100,000, reflecting the interest of health enthusiasts in such a move by the Indian Embassy here. Early this month, Ivanka Trump, who is a senior advisor to the US President Donald Trump, described the Yoga Nidra video tweeted by Prime Minister Modi as wonderful. This is wonderful! Thank you @narendramod! #TogetherApart, she said. In fact, top American universities and physicians have encouraged Americans to practice yoga and meditation during their days of stay at home. And online yoga classes have become popular during the coronavirus pandemic. The Baltimore Sun, carried a photo feature of yoga instructor Jayne Bernasconi teaching class using FaceTime because gyms have been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Corepower Yoga, which has shut down all its nearly 20 yoga studios in the Washington DC metropolitan area, has started online yoga classes through mobile app. The classes range from one minute to 60 minutes. Joshua Gordon, Director, national Institute of Mental Health, in his tip to Americans on mental health during the coronavirus pandemic has suggested exploring wellness programmes, like meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Many nationwide fitness studious like YMCA, Gold's Gym and Peloton, which have been shut down are offering online yoga classes. At the start of the social mitigation measures, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell in an email to her constituents asked them to take care of their body, which she said important for health and mood. Figure out how to keep active and moving. Even in a small space you can do yoga or use exercise apps, she said. Yoga is being used by healthcare workers too. An Instagram photo showed nurses from across the University of Washington system pause for a brief yoga session between drive-thru testing of coronavirus. The local Daily Caller from Colorado recently reported that Boulder-based virtual yoga, meditation and workouts have been thriving in the wake of coronavirus. Taking the great leap into the virtual landscape felt disheartening at first, but since then my perspective has shifted, Yoga instructor Lauren Gennett Lewis was quoted as saying by the local media outlet. As I opened my first Zoom classroom, students faces popped up not only from our Boulder community but from all across the country and beyond, she said. Today, all one needs to keep up an exercise routine and a spiritual practice is a strong Wi-Fi connection and an even stronger desire to not fall victim to the couch during these slow-paced days of solitude and snacking, Daily Camera reported. Yoga Loft Studios in Chicago, Oak Park and Forest Park are offering daily virtual classes for students of all levels, local ABC7 channel said. As people turn to exercising indoors during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, many fitness studios are offering virtual classes so people can stay active, the local ABC affiliate from Chicago said. In Boston, Yoga teacher Rebecca is offering 20 minute nightly meditations via Instagram Live. Given the unprecedented circumstances in which we find ourselves, feeling anxious is a very human and understandable response, she told Boston.Com. The United States has more than 550,000 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus. It has recorded 1,509 deaths related to the pandemic over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally at 23,529, the most of any country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 15:42 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1cfbbb 1 Business COVID-19,CJ-Indonesia,test-kits,South-Korea,BKPM,donation Free CJ Indonesia, the local arm of South Korean conglomerate CJ Corporation, donated on Monday rapid test kits and hand sanitizer worth Rp 4 billion (US$255,000) to healthcare facilities and app-based motorcycle taxi drivers, as demand for these crucial items remains high in the fight against COVID-19. The company, which manages bakery franchise Tous Les Jours, among other businesses, has prepared 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 200,000 pieces of bread and 200,000 milk packages to be distributed to state-owned hospitals and community health centers (Puskesmas) handling COVID-19 patients, as well as ojek drivers impacted by the government's large scale social restrictions. Read also: COVID-19 news is not all bad. Read this to stay positive The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) will distribute the donations gradually over the next 20 days. Meanwhile, the rapid test kits are expected to arrive later this month from South Korea. "This is a real symbol of the close ties between Indonesia and South Korea," BKPM head Bahlil Lahadalia said in a statement on Monday. "The BKPM will help with the distribution so that medical staff and app-based ojek drivers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak can benefit accordingly." CJ Indonesia, which has operated in the country since 1988, joins other companies in donating medical equipment amid the unfolding pandemic. The BKPM previously received 50,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits from another South Korean conglomerate, LG Group. Hospitals across the country are in need of medical supplies and test kits as the number of infected patients continues to rise amid calls for more aggressive testing. Official figures showed that more than 4,500 people have contracted COVID-19 in Indonesia, with the death toll reaching nearly 400. As we forge relations with the BKPM and Indonesia during our 32-year operations, we have a sense of belonging and togetherness, said CJ Indonesia business development director Wahju Onasis. "We want to help ease the burden caused by this outbreak. Two-Wheeled Movement Union (Garda) leader Igun Wicaksono added: "The donations we received today [Tuesday] from CJ Indonesia and the BKPM will be of great help to us the app-based motorbike taxi drivers who have suffered as a direct impact to support our daily operations. Read also: TikTok donates Rp 100 billion for COVID-19 medical workers App-based ojek taxi drivers are among the vulnerable groups that have been hit the hardest by the governments social restriction policy to contain the spread of the virus. According to Online Driver Association (ADO) head Wiwit Sudarsono, drivers earnings have plunged nearly 80 percent, especially for those who usually transport passengers. A report by big data firm Statqo Analytics showed that Grab and Gojek had seen a 16 and 14 percent downturn, respectively, among their active ride-hailing users within the last week of March. A significant drop was seen on March 19, three days after schools and many businesses closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Editor's note: This article has been revised to reflect that the donation worth US$255,000. Lying intensive care patients with coronavirus face down on their beds could make them more likely to survive, doctors say. Prone positioning, in which patients who struggle to breathe are laid on their front instead of their back in a hospital bed, works by reducing pressure on the lungs. Doctors in the UK, US, Italy and Portugal are all known to be using the technique to try and boost the survival odds of patients on life-support ventilators. A study published in 2013 by doctors in France and Spain who were treating a different type of lung infection said patients' survival was 'significantly higher' if they were laid face down. Medics using it in the COVID-19 outbreak now say it is 'simple' and 'saving lives' simply by virtue of reducing pressure on the lungs. The technique is being used within the NHS and one doctor in Essex, who said it is the 'only way' to get air deep inside the lungs, explained how people with mild breathing problems can even help themselves by doing it at home. It works, experts say, by reducing the amount of pressure put on the lungs by the chest and opening up larger sections of the airways, lessening the damage caused by air being forced in by the ventilator and also improving oxygen uptake. Medical workers in Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, are seen flippin a ventilated patient into the prone position to help with his breathing Images emerged of coronavirus patients lying face down in intensive care in the Cremona Hospital in northern Italy Only the most seriously ill patients are taken into intensive care and put on a ventilator, a life-support machine which forces purified air into the lungs. Although the machines can save a dying patient, they also cause irreparable damage to the lungs because of the way they force air into the failing airways. The lungs' inability to expand naturally means that air pushed in by the ventilator may be contained in only a small section of the airways, leading to a ballooning effect known as 'overdistention', in which the elastic tissue stretches. This can cause permanent damage my making the smallest parts of the airways burst or by tearing previously healthy tissue. WHY DOES LYING FACE-DOWN HELP PATIENTS WITH LUNG FAILURE? Doctors say laying patients face down if they have lung failure which stops enough oxygen getting into their blood can improve their chances of survival if they are on a ventilator in intensive care. This is because lying on your back causes the fat, muscle and organs on the front of your body to weigh down on the lungs, limiting their ability to expand. Ventilators, which force air into the lungs when they cannot breathe on their own, can also damage the insides of the lungs by putting too much air pressure into small areas and stretching or even bursting them. Reducing pressure on the lungs allows them to open up more widely and distribute this pressure over a greater area. One NHS doctor, Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex, explained: 'The majority of your lung is on your back, not on the front. By lying on your back you're closing off more of the smaller airways and this is not good during a period of infection.' Advertisement If people are laid on their backs, downward pressure from the fat and muscle in the chest may reduce the already-weakened lungs' ability to expand, raising the risk of this damage and in turn making the process more deadly. Flipping the patient over may relieve some of this pressure, doctors say. And one NHS doctor, Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex, said there is a greater surface area in the back of the lungs than at the front, meaning oxygen absorption is more efficient if air can reach those parts. One team from France and Spain published a detailed study about the procedure in 2013 in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. They wrote: 'Prone positioning, as compared with supine positioning [belly-up], markedly reduces the overinflated lung areas while promoting alveolar recruitment. 'These effects (reduction in overdistention and recruitment enhancement) may help prevent ventilator-induced lung injury by... the distribution of stress and strain within the lungs.' The technique is now being used for COVID-19 patients, the most seriously ill of whom suffer devastating lung failure caused by severe pneumonia. 'We're saving lives with this, one hundred percent,' one regional critical care director working in New York, Dr Mangala Narasimhan, told CNN. 'It's such a simple thing to do, and we've seen remarkable improvement. We can see it for every single patient.' In the UK, doctors' guidance given by the Intensive Care Society and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine says prone positioning 'should be considered' for people who have very low levels of oxygen in the blood (hypoxaemia). Low blood oxygen level is one of the most noticeable effects of the coronavirus and is what leads many patients to needing intensive care in the first place. It is caused by lungs being so damaged by the virus and the body's own immune response that patients cannot draw enough oxygen out of the air to circulate it round the body. The Intensive Care Society's guidance says: 'Over the last two decades randomised controlled trials have consistently demonstrated that oxygenation can be significantly improved in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) when ventilated in the prone position.' Acute respiratory distress syndrome is the medical term for when someone's lungs fail to get enough oxygen into the blood and it becomes life-threatening. One NHS doctor said flipping a patient onto their front is, in some cases, the 'only way' to get air deep into their lungs. Dr Sarfaraz Munshi said the practice is used on intensive care patients but can help anyone fight off infection - even if they only have mild problems and are still at home. Dr Munshi explained in a video that his nursing colleagues rely on the technique to help patients in intensive care every day. But patients who are self-isolating at home suffering symptoms can also benefit if their condition is only mild. Anyone who has serious trouble breathing should call NHS 111 if it is tolerable or 999 if they are struggling to breathe at all. Dr Munshi said to do the breathing technique twice before lying flat on the stomach and breathing deeply for ten minutes. He said: 'The majority of your lung is on your back, not on the front. By lying on your back you're closing off more of the smaller airways and this is not good during a period of infection. '[It can] lead to atelectasis. This can then lead to a secondary pneumonia.' Atelectasis is a complete or partial collapse of the entire lung. It occurs when the tiny air sacs, called alveoli, become deflated or filled with fluid. Dr Munshi went on: 'The most important thing is laying in bed for prolonged periods, on your back, is going to close off the small airways. '[It will] increase your risk of secondary pneumonia, that can make your condition deteriorate much further - bearing in mind the patients that are deteriorating are deteriorating because of respiratory problems.' Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are imposing more controls on free expression in response to the coronavirus crisis. (Mikhail Klimentyev / Pool) Over the past two decades, three countries that were once on a path to greater openness and respect for human rights have decidedly reversed course. Leaders in Russia, Turkey and Venezuela have pioneered a new form of authoritarianism, one in which the government systematically seeks to hollow out the core institutions of democracy the court system, a free press, civil society, an autonomous legislature to the point where they become irrelevant. What also unites these regimes is a track record of using crises to accelerate the erosion of institutional checks on their power. With a global pandemic now raging, all three are signaling that they plan to exploit the current emergency. A number of other countries are poised to do so as well most alarmingly Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban was recently granted power to rule by decree indefinitely. In many ways, Russias Vladimir Putin has been a trailblazer for his peers in capitalizing on emergencies. He repeatedly used a stubborn insurgency in the North Caucasus region as a pretext to build up his authority, beginning with his first stint as prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin. In 2004, as president, he responded to a bloody confrontation with terrorists at a school in the town of Beslan by pushing through legislation that ended the popular election of regional governors. Among many other examples, he has cited the supposed threats of color revolutions and a fascist uprising in Ukraine to justify crackdowns on the media and nongovernmental organizations. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imposed a state of emergency after a failed 2016 coup attempt. The ensuing campaign of repression featured round after round of arrests and firings that crushed the civil service, education system and military. His government also imprisoned scores of journalists and media workers, closed hundreds of associations and media outlets, and seized the assets of hundreds of businesses. The state of emergency was lifted in 2018, but only after Erdogan had secured constitutional amendments that greatly strengthened the presidency. Story continues The late Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez similarly leveraged a failed coup in 2002 to gain dominance over the economy, military, media and trade unions. One post-coup measure, the 2004 Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television, introduced state censorship and allowed for the shuttering of critical television and radio outlets. Indeed, both Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, have consistently used the specter of U.S.-backed coups and imperialism to tar their domestic opponents and justify further attacks on democracy. The coronavirus pandemic differs from these previous crises in a crucial respect. It is truly global in scope, threatening more than one nation or one leaders hold on power. Practically all governments have taken extraordinary steps to protect their citizens from the contagion. This includes democracies, which have imposed unprecedented restrictions on public gatherings and economic activity, even postponing elections in some cases. As a result, the pandemic provides a particularly convincing cover under which autocrats can pursue their agendas. The regimes in Russia, Turkey and Venezuela are already maneuvering to exploit the health crisis to further entrench their rule. The Russian government has started to impose new censorship and surveillance measures. At the same time, the pandemic has diverted attention from Putins controversial plan for constitutional amendments that could extend his rule until 2036. Turkish authorities have arrested more than 400 people for provocative posts on social media about the pandemic, reflecting the governments penchant for punishing free speech. Meanwhile, Maduros regime is moving to arrest journalists and activists who question the countrys preparedness for COVID-19 cases. All three of these nations are kleptocracies and abusers of human rights. Venezuela has become a humanitarian disaster, with millions struggling to meet basic needs even before the coronavirus struck. Turkey has driven its economy to the brink of disaster by funneling cheap loans to Erdogans cronies. Russia has incurred sanctions through its international aggression and hoarded its energy wealth in state coffers, even as its people face stagnant or declining living standards. The coronavirus poses a new kind of threat to these governments, one that brute force cant easily crush. The focus on self-preservation and the gutting of independent institutions has left these regimes unprepared to confront a fast-spreading contagion, with systems designed to hide failures rather than expose them. Unfortunately, in a pandemic the whole world may pay a price for the consequences of authoritarian rule. Michael J. Abramowitz is president of Freedom House. Arch Puddington is a senior scholar at Freedom House. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohios response to the coronavirus pandemic has garnered national attention, with experts crediting state officials for taking aggressive action to mitigate its spread. Dramatic social distancing measures like a statewide stay-at-home order have altered the outlook in Ohio, which could peak near 1,600 new COVID-19 cases per day later this month. Earlier projections estimated the state could see a peak of up to 10,000 new cases per day. Infectious disease experts have known for centuries that social-distancing measures are the gold standard for mitigating the spread of viruses. Theyve been used to combat everything from the Black Death bubonic plague to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Ohios improved outlook is just the latest example of distancings efficacy. Aggressive social-distancing measures do have their drawbacks. Ohios order to close non-essential businesses has resulted in more than 696,000 people applying for unemployment benefits in the last three weeks. The economic damage has some calling for a quick return to normal, even as public health experts caution that easing social-distancing measures too soon could result in a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Is there another way? If social distancing is the gold standard for mitigating the spread of a virus, is it possible theres a platinum standard that could keep us safe while limiting the economic damage? Experts say that its possible a massive increase in testing for COVID-19 could help us quickly identify and isolate cases. The rapid production of masks and other gear could also provide more protection. But even those approaches have drawbacks and are not feasible once the virus is widespread. If youve got small numbers, I think that [extensive testing] makes sense, said Dr. Karin Byers, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Pittsburghs School of Medicine. When you have larger numbers, especially when you have it spreading in the community and you dont know where people are acquiring it, then social distancing is really the only way of trying to control it. Even masks and other protective gear carry risks. The medical-grade N95 masks that offer the most protection require training to use correctly, and touching your face to take off a mask could expose you to the virus. Experts also caution that masks could give people a false sense of security against COVID-19. People overestimate our ability to control infections, said Daniel Tisch, the director of the public health program at Case Western Reserve Universitys School of Medicine. The U.S. missed its chance to react like South Korea Experts have contrasted the U.S. response to the coronavirus to steps taken in South Korea. The two countries confirmed their first cases of COVID-19 on the same date, Jan. 20, but South Korea ramped up its ability to test for the virus so it could isolate anyone who was infected. By the middle of March, South Korea tested 290,000 people in a country of 51 million. The U.S. lagged far behind, testing only 60,000 people in a country of 327 million, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. has now performed more than two million tests, but that number still represents less than 1 percent of the American population. Its possible the U.S. could have rapidly developed and mass-produced COVID-19 tests after the virus surfaced late last year in China, and contained its spread, Byers said. But even that approach would require rigorous testing and tracking over a prolonged period, perhaps until a COVID-19 vaccine is available to the public in an estimated 12 to 18 months. It would have been possible, but extremely difficult, to have controlled it early on, Byers said. But there would have been ongoing exposure, so we would have had to be pretty vigilant for a long time. Overall, public health experts are skeptical of the prospect of using methods other than social distancing to contain the virus. Even South Korea has complemented testing by banning mass gatherings and closing high-risk facilities. The country also closed its schools and moved to online-only classes. South Koreas approach also carries downsides concerning civil liberties. International travelers into the countrys capital, Seoul, are required to download a cellphone app and self-report any symptoms every day. The app tracks a persons movements, and sends alerts to other nearby users, according to Foreign Affairs. Given the dearth of testing in the U.S., the current approach of social distancing measures is the best option for mitigating the spread of the coronavirus, said Dr. Thersa Sweet, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor at Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health. Beyond the measures were doing, I cant think of any type of magical [solution], Sweet said. Unless somebody can think of something. I certainly havent. Are there other options for combatting the coronavirus? One controversial suggestion involves doing nothing and purposefully letting people become infected with the coronavirus. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially said the approach could result in herd immunity, a medical term for a large portion of a population becoming immune to a virus through previous infections or vaccination. Johnson backed off the approach when it became clear it would overwhelm the U.K. healthcare system; he has since been hospitalized with the coronavirus but was moved out of an ICU on Thursday. In Ohio, officials estimated that taking no action against COVID-19 would have resulted in a peak of 62,000 new cases per day last month. That level of infection would have overwhelmed hospitals throughout the state, officials said. Sweet said a do nothing approach is particularly dangerous because experts dont have evidence that recovering from COVID-19 will protect a person from future infections. In fact, South Korea reported Friday that 91 people who recovered from the coronavirus tested positive a second time. At this point, I dont think we know enough about the virus and how our immune system reacts to the virus to just willy-nilly go out and purposefully expose ourselves, Sweet said. That just seems foolhardy to me. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently changed its stance on face masks and recommended that people wear them in public to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Experts do not feel the widespread use of masks and other PPE would be a particularly effective strategy on its own. Some argue it could give people a false sense of security. I dont want people to feel like just because theyre wearing a mask, that theyre invincible, Sweet said. For the time being, the U.S. does not have enough masks and other PPE to ensure everyone has the gear they need to protect themselves anyway. Nor are there enough COVID-19 tests to check everyone for the virus. So Ohio and other states need to use the best option available, and thats social distancing. The problem is we dont have any other tools right now, Tisch said. Social distancing is our tool. Villagers use makeshift rope ladder to rescue trapped elephant from canal in Sri Lanka Villagers and wildlife officers in Sri Lanka worked together to help an elephant that had become trapped in a canal for more than 10 hours. The elephant was rescued from Maduru Oya's Z.D main canal near Medagama on Monday, after wandering out from the nearby Aluthwewa forest reserve. The animal fell into the main canal from the Verarana area in Aralaganwila, but was washed around 10km downstream before being hauled out. The elephant, estimated to be around 40 years old, was then pushed into the nearby forest. See what happened in the video above. Pictures of the week: April 12 - 1830 NEW YORK In a ruling of particular interest to those who post photos and other creative works on social media platforms, a federal judge yesterday dismissed a copyright infringement case against Mashable, which published an image that was originally posted by a plaintiff on Instagram. The ruling is significant for the creative community, including adult models, because it shows off the strength of terms-of-service agreements that grant sweeping license and re-license rights. Instagram, like Facebook, compels users to sign off on such agreements that allow photos to be published for third-party use. The plaintiff in the case, Stephanie Sinclair, a professional photographer who is known for works that explore gender and human rights issues, was contacted by Mashable, which wanted to re-use an Instagram-posted image for a story on female photographers. Mashable offered $50, but she declined. Later, Mashable went ahead and used the image anyway, embedding her Instagram post in its news item. Sinclair immediately filed suit, claiming copyright infringement. Yesterdays opinion, made by U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood of New York, said that pursuant to certain Instagram policies, users can use the API to embed Instagram posts in their websites. That is exactly what happened here: Mashable used the API to embed, in the article, the copy of the photograph that plaintiff previously posted to her public Instagram account. Plaintiff claims the agreements between Instagram and plaintiff cannot confer a right to use the photograph upon Mashable because Mashable is not an intended beneficiary of any of the agreements, Wood said in her ruling. But Mashable need not be an intended beneficiary of the agreements by which plaintiff authorized Instagram to sublicense the photograph in order to receive a valid sublicense from Instagram. Indeed, plaintiff authorized Instagram to grant a sublicense to, inter alia, anyone who uses Instagrams API. San Diego attorney Leslie Burns, who practices in copyright and contract law and has been following the case, said that Kimbas ruling is broad, profound and could lead to exploitation. Now, this ruling does not say that it would be OK for a defendant to copy or download a photo it saw on Instagram and use it on its website for any purpose, but the door is open to defendants to try that, even if it might not be a winner, Burns wrote on her website. Defendants will lock on this ruling and argue it, even in cases where the facts do not include API use." Burns said that visual artists should consider the costs and benefits of posting works on social media. I know many of you would argue that you wont be seen unless you use these platforms, she said. [But] I have to tell you that it is simply not true and rather are stories told by the platforms and by clients/users, neither of whom have your best interests in mind. If you have Instagram or Facebook accounts, I suggest deleting them ASAP and leaving a post directing your followers to your own website, instead, Burns said. If they ask why, tell them you value your work and cant afford to give away your rights. Technavio has been monitoring the automotive drivetrain market and it is poised to grow by USD 45.36 bn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of about 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/20200414005671/en/ Technavio has published the latest market research report titled Global Automotive Drivetrain 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. American Axle Manufacturing, BorgWarner, GKN (Melrose Industries), Magna International, and ZF Friedrichshafen are some of the major market participants. Although the surging demand for automobiles will offer immense growth opportunities, improper balancing of propeller shafts 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. Surging demand for automobiles has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, improper balancing of propeller shafts might hamper market growth. Automotive Drivetrain Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Automotive drivetrain market is segmented as below: Application 2WD AWD/4WD Others 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=IRTNTR30713 Automotive Drivetrain 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 drivetrain market report covers the following areas: Automotive Drivetrain Market Size Automotive Drivetrain Market Trends Automotive Drivetrain Market Industry Analysis This study identifies use of carbon fiber for making drivetrain components as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive drivetrain market growth during the next few years. Automotive Drivetrain Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the automotive drivetrain market, including some of the vendors such as American Axle Manufacturing, BorgWarner, GKN (Melrose Industries), Magna International, and ZF Friedrichshafen. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the automotive drivetrain market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Automotive Drivetrain Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive drivetrain market growth during the next five years Estimation of the automotive drivetrain market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the automotive drivetrain market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive drivetrain market vendors Table Of Contents : PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Market segmentation by application Comparison by application 2WD Market size and forecast 2018-2023 AWD/4WD Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Others Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by application PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023 South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023 MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 North 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 PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors American Axle Manufacturing BorgWarner GKN (Melrose Industries) Magna International ZF Friedrichshafen 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/20200414005671/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 witness told police that the man got into an argument with another man around 8:20 p.m. in a parking lot in the 5600 block of North Lincoln Avenue in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood. The other man then fired several shots at the 40-year-old man and fled southbound on Lincoln Avenue in a sedan, authorities said. 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) The Chinese Communist Party Must Pay The world must make China pay in ways that the Party leadership cant avoid Commentary Despite Chinas ongoing propaganda campaign denying responsibility for the global CCP virus pandemic, theres absolutely zero doubt about where the virus originated. It came from Chinafrom the city of Wuhan, to be precise. Whats more, the world also knows with deadly accuracy just how long the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allowed its infected citizens to travel to Europe, North America and other places. It was almost two months of denials and lies from the time Beijing knew about the outbreak in Wuhan until travel restrictions were put in place. In a word, China deliberately infected the world with its CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. In doing so, it has effectively de-railedif not destroyedthe global economy. Millions of companies and small businesses are going out of business. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have lost or will lose their jobs and livelihoods. If one didnt know any better, one could conclude that the Chinese regime has declared war on the West, and particularly, on the United States. Consider, for the moment, that few other acts of war could inflict so much widespread and lasting damage than what the CCP virus has accomplished in just a few weeks. And it has done so without having to fire a single shot. Beijings Big Gamble to Weaponize the Virus Where did the virus come from? Did it spring from Wuhans wet market? Although questions remain as to the exact origin of the virus, for the moment, that is a secondary matter. (Maybe thats why theyre censoring research on its origins.) But regardless of how the CCP virus came into being, what is apparent is that the virus was weaponized by Beijing. But why would the Party leadership do such a thing? What other explanation is there for the CCP allowing it to spread to the rest of the world? Didnt they realize that by infecting the rest of the world, that it would crush their economy as well? Of course they did. The open secret is that the Chinese economy was already crashing well before the virus showed up in late 2019. President Trumps tariffs leveling the playing fields and thereby eliminating Chinas competitive advantages of slave labor, massive subsidization of industries and forced technology transfers, were destroying Chinas highly inefficient manufacturing processes. But even before that, Western companies were already leaving China. As I wrote in my book, The China Crisis, back in 2012, Chinas cannibal capitalism economic model was utterly unsustainable. I estimated that China would reach a crisis point within five to seven years and that the Party would tip the world into a Great Depression in order to save itself. And here we are. China is bringing the world economy down because its own development model is simply unsustainable. Holding China Accountable China is not just a strategic competitor or even an adversarial one. Harsh realities deserve to be expressed clearly. The CCP is a wicked, destructive and inhumane regime that poses a mortal threat to the civilized world. The civilized world, therefore, must hold the Chinese regime accountable for its actions. A public censure at the U.N. or any other kind of diplomatic gesture is meaningless. We need to take much more serious and drastic steps. The Western world, which ultimately, are the nations that created modern China, must make the CCP literally pay for what theyve done to the world. The CCP is directly responsible for the destruction of economies across North America, Europe and Asia, and the suffering of literally billions of people. Many millions have lost their jobs, their savings, and quite likely, will have lost their homes before too long. We are, quite literally, on the brink of a global depression. China must not benefit from its actions in any way against the world, nor in its efforts to pass the blame to others. On the contrary, it must pay for destroying the world as we used to know it. The CCP must pay and it is up to usthe rest of the worldto make them do so. Make China Pay in Every Way Some, such as Rep. Jim Banks and Sen. Martha McSally, have suggested that Trump should force China to forgive the $1.1 trillion they hold in U.S. Treasury bills. Thats a good start. But the damage far exceeds that amount. An additional option would be to immediately seize Chinas foreign assets. All of them. That means property and assets from Vancouver to Manhattan, from San Francisco to Boston, in London, Paris, Milan and Rome, and Tokyo, and everywhere else in the world that China felt so comfortable infecting with the virus. Such an asset seizure would evenand especiallyinclude the personal assets of the CCP. Every Party member should have all their off-shore bank and brokerage accounts frozen. Furthermore, all access to capital markets should be denied. Foreign homes and investment properties could be seized, stock and bond holdings impounded, all other business interests and any all other forms of investments outside of China should be deemed illegal by the host-country and taken from them. That would also include every technology agreement, every trade agreement, every shipment of food, of raw materials, of IP and whatever ever else is supporting the existence of the current murderous government in Beijing. Were spending trillions to support our economies in the United States and Europe now, so whats the difference? Every source of value, income, leverage and political access must be stripped from the CCP. All academic appointments, scientific coordination, manufacturing and laboratories must be taken from those with ties to mainland China. When the CCP is out of power, then we discuss returning those assets. Communist China has shown that it has no place among the family of nations. The thugs in Beijing think they can destroy the West by letting the virus spread. Its time to deprive the CCP leadership of its financial resources and international income sources. Let them sell their slave labor products to Kazakhstan, Iran and Zanzibar, and see how well they do. This should be done as soon as possible. Then let the CCP leadership face their people. James Gorrie is the author of The China Crisis and the blog, TheBananaRepublican.com. He is based in Southern California. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. W ere a few weeks in now, and the UK like the rest of the world is still in the grips of the coronavirus lockdown. Things are tough out there, but theres a silver lining the UKs cultural output has moved online, and millions of us have been tuning in for theatre shows, live comedy and art exhibitions from our sofas. Nightlife, too, has been making its way into peoples homes through virtual club nights, and people are finding ways of enjoying live music during testing times. These are our top picks of the things to get up to online today make sure to check out our main guide for things to keep yourself occupied with at home, too. Take a pub quiz with Sink the Pink Sink the Pink are bringing the party to the living rooms of the nation tonight with its first virtual pub quiz. The LGBTQ+ collective is teaming up with Wildcat Gin to open up "The Queens Head" for its first weekly event expect an appearance from Ginger Johnson, as well as cabaret, fantastic cocktail recipes and lockdown prizes like booze and bog roll. Tune into Sink the Pinks Instagram from 7.30pm to get involved. Learn how to pair beer with food Learn how best to partner up your favourite booze with your favourite food with Camden Town Brewery, who are hosting an online session on Instagram live from 7pm. Beer expert Mark Dredge will talk viewers through the science behind food pairing, as well as his top tips for getting the most out of your beer. The brewery is also encouraging viewers to donate and support the industry via JustGiving. Head to Ross Nobles comedy bunker Your browser does not support the video tag. The activations include soldiers from Kewanee and Springfield, along with airmen from Bloomington. About 40 members of the National Guard manning the Harwood Heights Community Testing site in Chicago and the McLean County Community Testing site in Bloomington will establish a third COVID-19 test site in Markham. The test site is scheduled to open Tuesday and will provide between 250-500 COVID-19 tests daily. Criteria for this third site will be determined by health officials. About 20 National Guard members will be conducting logistical support missions at hotels in Schaumburg, Springfield and Mount Vernon that are being established as alternative housing facilities. The facilities will help when health officials recommend that an individual self-quarantine but that individual does not have the housing needed to do so. About 10 soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Urbana, will be assigned to provide medical support at Sheridan Correctional Facility in Sheridan. The soldiers assigned are medically trained and will be providing health screenings to the inmates at the facility, augmenting the Illinois Department of Corrections' health professionals at the prison. The team will work closely with the Illinois Department of Corrections to ensure the safety of soldiers and inmates while conducting health screenings. The 44th Chemical Battalion Unit Ministry Team, based in Bloomington, consisting of a chaplain and religious affairs specialist as well as a religious support team from the Air National Guard, was activated to provide religious support operations over Easter weekend at various locations where service members are on duty. Three additional medics have been activated to support medical screening operations at Statesville Correctional Center in Crest Hill. One soldier is from Company C, 634th Brigade Support Battalion, based in Springfield, and two soldiers are from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry Regiment, based in Kewanee. They reported to their readiness center for in-processing and screening April 10. About 40 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment, with headquarters in Chicago, have been activated to assist the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. The soldiers reported April 11 for in-processing and screening and received training regarding the care and ethical considerations of providing mortuary assistance. In addition, the 634th Brigade Support Battalion Unit Ministry Team, consisting of a chaplain and religious affairs specialist, both with headquarters and Headquarters Company, 634th BSB, based in Sullivan, have been activated to provide religious support to the mortuary assistance teams. This brings the total number of Illinois National Guard service members directly supporting the COVID-19 response to about 640, including 43 members of the Air National Guard's 182nd Airlift Wing, based in Peoria. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 1 Four people from China's Hubei province have been diagnosed with the coronavirus after travelling out of the former ground zero with health certificates that proved they were virus-free. The patients tested positive in three different Chinese cities outside Hubei after they were allowed to leave using the official barcodes on their smartphones. Hubei authorities said the new cases revealed a loophole in the 'health code' system, but they couldn't identify 'who is responsible for it', according to the press. At least 2.8million migrant workers have been allowed to leave Hubei to resume work after the province lifted its travel restrictions on March 25. Four Hubei citizens have been diagnosed with the coronavirus after travelling out of the former ground zero with green health codes that prove they are virus-free. Pictured: A passenger scans a QR code to get his green pass at a subway station in Wuhan At least 2.8million migrant workers have been allowed to leave Hubei to resume work after the province lifted its travel restrictions on March 25. Wuhan is pictured yesterday with the city's traffic resuming normal after the former epicentre lifted its 76-day lockdown Guangzhou Health Commission recorded a new infection on Saturday, marking the fourth case from Hubei residents who travelled out of the former epicentre. On April 10, another traveller with no symptoms also tested positive in Guangzhou after visiting a doctor for back pain. The first infection was detected on March 26 in Huizhou of southern China after the resident left Hubei with a virus-free QR code. Another case was spotted in Lanzhou, Gansu Province of western China on March 29. Green is the 'health code' that says a user is not a coronavirus-carrier and cities around China have required residents to use it to travel or enter public places. Obtaining a health code is simple: Users fill out an electronic form with their identity details, address and whether they have a cough or fever. Those who are under quarantine are given a yellow or red code depending on how many days they have isolated themselves for. If they have just started their quarantine, they will be tagged with a red code; but if they have isolated themselves for more than a week, a yellow code will be issued. Green is the 'health code' that says a user is not a coronavirus-carrier and cities around China required residents to use it to travel or enter public places. A passenger wearing a face mask walks past a Wuhan city health QR code, to be scanned before entering Tianhe Airport Residents who have no records of infections or quarantine history are assigned with the green code. But experts fear the self-diagnosis system makes it difficult to detect patients with no symptoms or people who lie about their health status. 'Some asymptomatic patients don't have any records, so it is difficult to find them,' Yu Chuanhua, a professor from the public health college of Wuhan University, told Health Times. 'Several cases have emerged in various places, showing that some loopholes exist in the Hubei health code system,' said Song Jianxin, a member of the Hubei Provincial Epidemic Prevention Expert Group. But authorities haven't been able to identify exactly where the problem lies or who is responsible for the flaw in the health app. Cities across China have offered free coronavirus tests for arriving Hubei residents in a response to the new infections. Officials said at least 2.8million migrant workers left Hubei to resume work after the province lifted its travel restrictions on March 25. 55,000 Wuhan residents reportedly left the city on April 8, the day it lifted its draconian lockdown after 76 days. Passengers queue at Wuhan city's main rail station as the lockdown is lifted after 76 days The smartphone app has also sparked fears of the country's deepening controls and mass surveillance on its 1.4billion citizens. People are pictured traveling on the subway in Wuhan The smartphone app has also sparked fears of the country's deepening controls and mass surveillance on its 1.4billion citizens. The codes are issued through the popular WeChat messaging service of internet giant Tencent Ltd. and the Alipay electronic payments service of Alibaba Group, the worlds biggest e-commerce company. Some 900 million people use the system on WeChat, according to the newspaper Beijing Youth Daily and other outlets. No total for Alipay has been reported. Chinese officials have warned about a potential second wave of the outbreak, following a surge of imported cases from inbound travellers and asymptomatic cases. China has now shut its 2,670-mile border with Russia, as well as the northern autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, after 332 infections were detected at the border city Suifenhe. The country has reported 86 new imported cases today, bringing the total to 1,464. More than 82,000 people in mainland China have been infected with the coronavirus and the death toll now stands at 3,341. China Wet Markets a World Health Risk: Australian PM Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is puzzled why the Chinese regime has allowed wet markets to reopen, doubling down on a previous comment he made that the World Health Organisation (WHO) should deal with them as a serious world health risk. The prime minister said it was unfathomable that the Chinese regime is allowing wet markets to reopen, including the one in Wuhan where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, is thought to have originated. We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses. Its happened too many times, said Morrison in an interview with Karl Stevanovic on Today on April 14. The prime minister had previously told Alan Jones on 2GB radio that Chinese wet markets were a real and significant problem that the World Health Organisation should do something about. I mean, this virus started in China and went round the world. And thats how it started. We all know that. And these wet markets can be a real problem when it comes to what can occur in those markets, said Morrison. The WHO is under increasing pressure because of its handling of the outbreak of the CCP virus. There is an international petition with nearly 1 million signatures as of end of day April 14 (Australia time), calling for the resignation of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 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 U.S. President Donald Trump said the organization has become China-centric and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said the WHO should be renamed the CHO or Chinese Health Organization for its failure to alert the world to the threat. Amid criticisms, the WHO has launched an appeal to raise $2 billion (AU$3.1 billion) to fund operations for the pandemic. Ghebreyesis said on Twitter that US$800 million had already been pledged by countries around the world. .@WHO will be releasing an updated strategy & revised Strategic Preparedness & Response Plan in the next few days, with an estimate of the financial needs for the next phase of the response. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 9, 2020 According to the WHO statistics, Australia has contributed an estimated $8.3 million (US$5.3 million) to the WHO in 2020 so far. Distrusting the WHO The Australian governments chief medical officer called on the WHO to declare the epidemic a week before they did so, the prime minister told Alan Jones on 2GB on Feb. 6. Not waiting for the WHO to act, Morrison said the government made proactive decisions about what was best for Australians, including implementing travel bans from China, Iran, and Italywhich is not what the WHO advised at the time. Youve got to always in this environment, I think, be careful about the information youre using. Youve got to interrogate it, said Morrison. Australia has managed to slow the transmission of the CCP virus throughout the community. To date, the department of health reports 6,366 cases of infection with 61 deaths. For the majority of these cases infections occurred while they were overseas. The rate of new infections has decreased, with only 44 new cases identified on April 14. The rate of COVID-19 cases in Australia over the past 4 months April 13, 2020. (Department of Health Australia) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brendan Murphy said on April 9 that while the number of new cases has reduced, and while Australia has the lowest death rate in the world, we cannot become complacent. He said we must keep measures in place until the CCP virus is eradicated. The second post-mortem report of the slain journalist Aziz Memon indicates that he was murdered. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemn the alleged murder and call on the Pakistan government to swiftly investigate on the case to punish the guilty. The second post-mortem report issued by forensic experts Rizwana Khanzada Mohammad Hussain, Dr Ali Muhammad and Professor Muhammad Akber reveals that traces of at least two others DNA has been found under the nails of the deceased journalist.The report also states that Memon resisted before being murdered. The body of Kawish Television Network (KTN) TV and Sindhi-language Daily Kawishjournalist, Aziz Memon, was recovered from a irrigation ditch on February 16 with a wire wrapped around his neck. Memons body was exhumedon March 15 after the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)found the initial post-mortem report unsatisfactory. In the first post mortem report issued on March 6, doctors at theMehrabpur Rural Health Center, stated Memon died of asphyxiation, as a result of suffocation. After the second post-mortem report was made public,JIT, investigating the alleged murder, met on April 12. The meeting concluded that further investigation is required before any conclusion could be reached. JIT chair also cautioned against jumping to conclusion since more medical report is yet to come. Earlier Hyderabad Additional Inspector General Police Dr Waliullah Dal and his team briefed the National Assemblys (NA) standing committee on March 4, stating that Memon died the natural death. Following public criticism regarding the impartiality of the probe, Dal wasremovedfrom the team on March 7. Memon, known for his brave reporting, had earlier accused the regional Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership as well as Naushehro Feroze police of threatening him for his critical reports on party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Last year, he received a threat from a Member of National Assembly (NMA) in Pakistan. PFUJ said: The PFUJ urges the government of Pakistan to investigate the case further to provide justice and punish the culprits. PFUJ president GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem vow to continue to follow- up on the case and stage protests if justice is not done. IFJ said: "The first post-mortem report, second post-mortem report and circumstantial evidence clearly reveal that Aziz Memon was murdered. We are concerned how the case will be handled and call on the JIT to conduct the investigation without political bias or meddling. Workers at Foxconn factories in China are subject to strict new surveillance measures to protect against potential future outbreak of COVID-19. At one of the company's facility in Zhengzhou, a city of 10 million in north-central China, workers are assigned to small crews of 20 and required to stay together throughout the workday. The groups live together in dorms on the Foxconn factory campus, eat meals together, travel to the factory floor together, take breaks together, and return home after their shifts, which management says will help them quickly isolate new cases of COVID-19. Foxconn has implemented strict new employee monitoring policies as its factories across China have resumed operation, assigning workers to groups of 20 who move together from campus dormitories to the factory floor At the beginning of each new shift, workers are issued fresh face masks and have their temperature checked, according to a report in The Washington Post. At lunch they're required to scan themselves in at individual seats in the cafeteria, each of which are marked with QR codes to keep track of who was where and at what time. 'There are boards on the tables between people so we dont see each other or talk,' one Foxconn worker, who asked not to be identified, told the Post. The factory has been equipped with thermal camera checkpoints to monitor workers with elevated temperatures, and factory windows are required to be opened three times a day for at least 30 minutes. Before entering the dormitories after their shifts, crews leave the coats and bags in a special area where crews disinfect them. Employees are required to scan a QR code to register which seat in the cafeteria they ate their shift meal at, to help company management trace all the people a newly infected worker might have exposed Workers are issued a new face mask before leaving their dormitories at the beginning of each shift, and after they return their bags and jackets are left in a decontamination room where a separate cleaning crew cleans them Foxxconn claims its factory campuses are also equipped for chest X-rays and nucleic acid tests to diagnose workers with preliminary symptoms. The company also says it will manufacturer as many as two million face masks a day for its million-plus employees. The measures are part of a set of nationwide guidelines for the country's various businesses allowed to resume work as the country begins to emerge from its COVID-19 lockdown. China's State Council has crafted a 'One person, one file,' policy that requires employers to register daily health reports for each active worker at a business. Foxconn says it will manufacturer two million face masks a day to keep its million-plus workers supplied with fresh protective equipment Foxconn says it will also have chest X-ray machines and nucleic acid tests at its factories in order to rapidly diagnose any workers with symptoms of COVID-19 Many of the country's policies were modeled after an American system of pandemic response called Hierarchy of Controls dating back to the 1950s, which recommends that the 'highest feasible level of control should be used to control every hazard.' According to David Levine, a business professor at UC Berkeley, the radical measures aren't just meant to ensure the safety of workers but to prove to Foxconn's business partners that its products will be safe to handle and distribute. 'Manufacturers are going to have to convince consumers of the safety of their products,' he said. 'You need procedures in place.' In a Situation Room meeting in the second week of February, Fauci said there was not yet evidence of community spread in the United States. But Joe Grogan, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, asked whether the case count was so low because officials werent testing enough people and the criteria was still limited to people with recent travel to China and those who had come into contact with a confirmed case, officials said. Chef Adam Glick from Below Deck Sailing Yacht has been hot and cold when it comes to his romance with Jenna MacGillivray. Jenna MacGillivray, Adam Glick |Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Early this season, Glick insisted that he wanted to resist getting into a relationship with MacGillivray after getting burned during his first season of Below Deck Mediterranean. When viewers met Glick he was having a secret romance with deckhand Malia White. The two had a clandestine meeting before the crew started filming. The couple decided to keep their romance a secret from producers and the crew as Glick fell hard for White. Unfortunately for Glick, another crew member turned Whites head and she ended up choosing the other crew member over Glick. This led Glick to fall into a depression, which ultimately impacted his performance on the yacht. Upon learning that MacGillivray and stew Georgia Grobler dated the same guy, Glick suddenly becomes jealous and actually pretty angry. Is he now kicking himself for diving in headfirst into another boatmance? He tells MacGillivray that it is gross she and Grobler dated the same person Grobler and MacGillivray think its funny they both dated the same guy, but Glick seems furious. It makes me f**king sick to my stomach, Glick says to MacGillivray upon learning the news. Grobler and MacGillivray giggle that they hooked up with the same guy, but it makes Glick become even angrier. The fact that Jenna dated someone that Georgia did, I find repulsive, Glick says in a confessional as he storms out of the galley kitchen. I now have drama. And I f**king hate drama. MacGillivray and Grobler huddle by the bar as Grobler cant figure out why Glick is so upset. But MacGillivray says shes used to people with anger issues as she witnessed her fathers temper. So when Adam has these temper tantrums, it feels normal to me, MacGillivray says in a confessional. She suggests to Grobler that she go back into the kitchen and say that MacGillivray never had sex with the guy to ease his anger. Awkward. Glick was burned before Grobler tries to smooth things over, telling Glick she was just joking. He acts like he doesnt care but then reiterates how hearing that they both dated the same person is gross. I dont wanna share, Ive been there and done that, he says in a confessional. Cameras flash back to the romance he had with White during Below Deck Med season 2. But flashbacks also show Glicks anger toward the crew member White ultimately chose too. I cant have that again. Foods for sharing. Not my significant other. He tells Grobler to just drop the topic. Later he talks to MacGillivray. You two joking around about the boy you dated, he says. Cant even describe how much it makes me want to throw up. She reiterates it was all a joke. I cant swallow things that easily, he says. Despite his negative reaction, Glick ultimately apologizes to MacGillivray the next day. Hey, Im sorry, he says while the guests enjoy breakfast. As he hugs her she says, That means a lot. He shares in a confessional he got caught up in the heat of the moment. Its inherent to be jealous when you hear about someone else involved, Glick admits. I have definitely developed some feelings for Jenna at this point. So I wanna try to let it be water under the bridge. ALTON Alton native Angela Gray helps to empower young women in the Alton School District and the community through her work as a social worker at Alton High School and her volunteer work that embraces the mission of the YWCA of Alton. In 2016, Gray and co-workers Rosa Burton, Jane Higgins and Linda Wittman developed the Empowered 2B Me initiative, focusing on helping young women develop more self-esteem. This led to I Am Empowered 2B Me teen leadership conferences, which included guest speakers from the Alton community offering words of empowerment, wisdom and networking opportunities. Grays work as a social justice warrior also embraces the YWCAs mission, eliminating racism, promoting peace, dignity and justice through its program Pipeline to Success, also developed by Gray and her co-workers. We saw that African American students, particularly girls, had the highest number of physical and verbal altercations, Gray explained. We didnt want them to be a part of the school-to-prison pipeline narrative, so we created Pipeline to Success. The Pipeline to Success leaders took the group on a tour of the Madison County Jail and the courthouse, where they talked to inmates, judges, deputies and attorneys about ways to avoid the legal system. The students learned coping strategies and anger management skills. In 2006, Gray, Burton and Benjamin Golley formed the A-Town Steppers, a step-dance competition group comprised mainly of African American youth, but is open to all students who meet the criteria to participate. Though it was met with opposition along the way, Gray said their faith and perseverance made it worth the effort. The Steppers have excelled academically and socially, and received numerous awards. Gray described herself as down-to-earth, an introvert, caring and determined, and an advocate for others, especially youth at risk. She considers her biggest accomplishments to include her healthy daughter, Amoriah, despite having been born prematurely, having a supportive husband, Chris, writing two books, Girl, Check that Attitude and Help! I Have an Attitude Problem, and helping students to overcome obstacles and graduate from high school. She earned a bachelors and a masters degree in social work, as well as a specialist degree in education administration, from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is SIUEs 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award recipient and the Social Work Alumni Award recipient. Also while attending SIUE, she was an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and a member of the Illinois Association of School Social Workers. Currently, Gray volunteers with St. Louis Childrens Hospitals Guardians of Childhood campaign as a guardian. I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected as a YWCA Woman of Distinction, Gray said. It means a lot to me to join these distinguished women who do so much for our community. Senior officials from Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health and Harare City Council participate in the China-Africa Video Conference on COVID-19 in Harare, Zimbabwe, March 18, 2020. Africans have hailed China's efforts and measures taken to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, expressing their keen interest to learn its experience as the African continent reported more and more confirmed cases.(Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang) "China's friendly policy toward Africa will never change, our friendship with African countries and their people will never waver, and we will never discriminate against our African brothers," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian. BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday refuted the U.S. accusation that the Chinese province of Guangdong has taken discriminatory practices toward Africans in the process of epidemic prevention and control, and said the United States was provoking confrontation, which was not only immoral but also irresponsible. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a news briefing when answering a question regarding the accusation from a U.S. State Department spokesperson. Zhao said China urges the U.S. side to focus on its own pandemic prevention and control. Attempts to provoke confrontation amid China-Africa friendly relations will never succeed. "During our fight against coronavirus, the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the lives and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally, and we reject differential treatment," said Zhao. China's medical supplies for 18 African countries arrive at the Kotota International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, April 6, 2020. China's medical supplies for 18 African countries have arrived here on Monday, and are scheduled to be delivered to the other 17 countries within a few days. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) China and Africa have always been good friends, good partners and good brothers, said Zhao, adding that African countries had supported China during China's most difficult times fighting the epidemic. As the situation is getting more severe in Africa, the Chinese government and people have swiftly delivered aid to Africa, which has been highly acclaimed by African countries and their people. "China's friendly policy toward Africa will never change, our friendship with African countries and their people will never waver, and we will never discriminate against our African brothers," said the spokesperson. He noted that of the more than 3,000 African students in Hubei Province, only one was infected when the coronavirus epidemic was at its severest time, but this student received prompt treatment and recovered quickly. All the others are in sound conditions. The Guangdong authorities have carried out investigations and implemented a series of new methods regarding some African countries' concerns, Zhao said, adding that he believed the issue will be properly handled with the joint efforts of the two sides. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Monday said it was "troubled by reports of food aid being denied to the minority Hindus and Christians in Pakistan" amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. "These actions are simply reprehensible. As COVID-19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy. Food aid must not be denied because of one's faith," said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. The Commissioner urged the Pakistan government to "ensure that food aid from distributing organisations is shared equally" with Hindus, Christians, and other religions minorities. The Hindu community forms a minuscule portion of Pakistan's population and are subjected to rampant discrimination and often denied basic human rights. The USCIRF noted that in Karachi, for example, there have been reports that the Saylani Welfare International Trust, a non-government organisation established to assist the homeless and seasonal workers, has been refusing food assistance to Hindus and Christians, arguing that the aid is "reserved for Muslims alone". USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore said: "In a recent address by Prime Minister Khan (Imran Khan) to the international community, he highlighted that the challenge facing governments in the developing is to save people from dying of hunger while also trying to halt the spread of COVID-19." "This is a monumental task laying before many countries. Prime Minister Khan's government has the opportunity to lead the way but they must not leave religious minorities behind. Otherwise, they may add on top of it all one more crisis, created by religious discrimination and inter-communal strife." In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF had noted that Hindus and Christians in Pakistan "face continued threats to their security and are subjected to various forms of harassment and social exclusion." Pakistan has often been criticised internationally for cracking down on the minorities in the country. Meanwhile, according to the latest data, the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan stands at 5,537, while the death toll is at 96. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) What might save us? More than 70 vaccines are being researched. The Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an international public-private collaboration started in 2017, has been funding a number of experimental projects. One of them, created by Moderna of Cambridge, Mass., and the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is attempting to use synthesized genetic material, known as messenger RNA, that would help the body recognize the virus and target it, rather than the established method of using attenuated pathogens or protein particles from the real virus. The approach underscores the value of acquiring the whole genome sequence so early. Other vaccine development efforts are also delving into whether it is possible to manipulate genetic material to create an effective vaccine in a new way. Two companies are experimenting with taking a snippet of genetic code and entwining it with a harmless virus, hopefully spurring the body to produce antibodies that would go after a coronavirus invasion. More than 450 health care workers in Alabama had been infected with COVID-19 as the total cases in the state neared 3,000, the Alabama Department of Public Health said Friday. The Alabama Department of Public Health said that 464 employees in hospitals and doctors offices have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began in Alabama. Infections in health care workers accounted for more than 15% of all cases in the state. Alabama reached nearly 3,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday- increasing by 1,000 over just five days. The virus has been blamed for at least 80 deaths in the state. We are still climbing. Thats why social distancing, staying at home, wearing a mask is so important, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones said in a Friday news conference with Jefferson County Health Officer Mark Wilson. Another 116 employees at long-term care facilities and 97 patients at long-term-care facilities had tested positive for COIVD-19, as of Friday. South Haven Health and Rehabilitation Hoover nursing home confirmed to news outlets this week that 17 residents and 19 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. The facility said they began testing residents and employees as a proactive measure to contain the spread of the virus. At the end of the week, African Americans accounted for about 55% of COVID-19 deaths in Alabama, although the state is 26% black. Wilson said they are reviewing data for Jefferson County but noted the historical disparities in health and access to health care resources. This pandemic basically puts a magnifying class on existing disparities, Wilson said. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms or be fatal. Topics COVID-19 Alabama Medical Professional Liability Research News Study finds government policies push schools to prioritize creating better test-takers over better people By MARCENE ROBINSON 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. 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 UB-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 lead researcher Jaekyung Lee, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the 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 the few studies to examine the influence of education policies on school principals priorities, rather than on student achievement or teacher practices. A school leaders 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 studys findings about the NCLB policy impact on narrowing educational goals resonate with Lees previous studies, including a recent report published by the Rockefeller Institute of Government that called for renewed education policy actions to improve childrens 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, Centenary Professor of education at the University of Canberra in Australia, co-authored the study with Jaekyung Lee. Hyderabad, April 14 : As liquor shops in Telangana continued to remain shut due to coronavirus induced lockdown, some criminals are duping gullible people by promising door delivery of liquor. After such incidents came to light in Cyberabad police commissionerate limits, the police have cautioned people against falling in the trap of such fraudsters. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crimes) Rohini Priyadarshini, tech-savvy criminals are using Google search options and siphoning off money from the gullible public promising home delivery of liquor. In some cases that have come to light, cyber criminals uploaded their contact numbers as those of small neighbourhood liquor shops on Google, offering doorstep delivery to callers and demanding digital payment. After the payments are made, they are neither delivering the orders nor receiving calls. In the wake of the spread of coronavirus pandemic, the state government has suspended the sale of liquor across the state. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao last week ruled out allowing sale of liquor during the lockdown period. Some states are allowing door delivery of liquor but the Chief Minister said there was no question of allowing sale of liquor in any form in Telangana. The country's financial capital now alone accounts for 1540 COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths A doctor inside a protective chamber before collecting a swab sample at a newly installed Walk-In Sample Kiosk (WISK) for COVID-19 test at a government-run hospital during the nationwide lockdown. PTI photo Mumbai: The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra on Monday crossed the 2000-mark, with 352 more people, including 242 from Mumbai, testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection, a Health department official said. While the number of total cases has gone up to 2334, the COVID-19 death toll increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday. Notably, Maharashtra had crossed the 1000-mark of COVID-19 cases on April 7. The country's financial capital now alone accounts for 1540 COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths, he said. Across the state, a total of 229 people have so far been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the viral infection. The 11 fresh deaths were reported from the worst-hit Mumbai (9) while one death each was reported from Mira-Bhayandar region near Mumbai and Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, the official said. Among the 11 deceased, eight patients were suffering from diabetes, Asthma and heart disease, he added. In neighbouring Thane circle, which consists of Thane city as well as several municipal corporations in Thane and Palghar districts, the total number of COVID-19 cases is 1790 with 116 deaths, the official said. In Nashik circle in north Maharashtra which covers districts like Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar and all civic bodies, the number of patients who have contracted coronavirus infection stood at 64 with four deaths. Notably, 29 of the total 64 cases from the Nashik circle are reported from the Malegaon municipal corporation, where two people have succumbed to the infection, the official said. The Pune circle comprising Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad area, and Satara and Solapur districts has 315 COPVID-19 cases with 34 deaths. In Kolhapur circle in western Maharashtra, the number of coronavirus positive cases stood at 38 with one fatality, the official added. The Aurangabad circle in Marathwada region has reported 25 cases and one death so far, while the tally for Latur is 13 cases, but no death. In Akola circle in east Maharashtra, a total of 40 COVID-19 cases have been found with two deaths, he said, adding that Nagpur has reported 40 cases and one death so far. A total of nine patients from other states are being treated in Maharashtra for the virus infection while one person has died, the official said. "Of the total 43,199 laboratory samples in Maharashtra, 39,089 samples have tested negative and 2334 positive," the official said. Out of the 755 members of Tablighi Jamaat from Maharashtra who had attended the religious event in Delhi last month, 50 have tested positive from various cities, the official added. Moreover, six contacts of these people have also been found to have contracted the infection in Ahmednagar and one in Pimpri-Chinchwad, he said. "As per the guidance from the Centre, a cluster containment action plan is being implemented in places where groups of patients have been found in the state," he said, adding that a total of 4223 surveillance squads have been deployed across the state and 15.93 lakh people have been surveyed. The Finance Ministry on Tuesday informed that over 32 crore people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore and 5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package and Ann Yojana amid the COVID-19 lockdown. "Swift implementation of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package is being monitored at the highest level. As of yesterday, more than 32 crore poor people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore under the package," said Rajesh Malhotra, Ministry of Finance here during a press conference. "5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. 3,985 metric tonnes of pulses have been dispatched to various states or union territories for distribution," he said. The Finance Ministry said that more than 97 lakh free LPG gas cylinders delivered to beneficiaries under Prime Minister Ujjawala yojana. As many as 1 lakh members of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) have taken benefits of online withdrawal of non-refundable advance from EPFO accounts amounting to Rs 510 crore.In order to provide support to farmers in view of the lockdown, Rs 14, 946 crore have been transferred to 7.4 crore farmers towards first installment of PM Kisan Yojana.Moreover, Rs 9,930 crore have been disbursed to 19.86 crore women, who are Jan Dhan Account holders through DBT and Rs 1,400 crore have been disbursed to about 2.82 crore old age persons, widows, and disabled people under social assistance programme.More than 2 crore building and construction workers have received financial support amounting to Rs 3,071 crore, Malhotra said. The 21-day nationwide lockdown in India, which was imposed till April 14, has been extended till May 3 with strict restrictions in place till April 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a decision on easing restrictions will be taken after a week, only at places which do not have COVID-19 hotspots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 03:44:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- One civilian was killed and four others wounded on Monday when an explosive device went off in the central province of Hama, state news agency SANA reported. The explosive device, left by the rebels, exploded in the Khashabiyeh area in the countryside of Hama, said SANA. Dozens of people have been either killed or wounded by similar explosions in formerly rebel-held areas in the country amid government efforts to find and remove these explosives. The Texas Roadhouse location in Bethlehem Township has reopened after several employees tested positive for the coronavirus, a chain spokesman said. A sign posted on the front door of the restaurant this past Friday announced to patrons a positive test led to the restaurants closure at Southmont Plaza off Freemansburg Avenue and Route 33. By Monday, the eatery reopened, said Travis Doster, a chain spokesman. Doster said several employees tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the eatery to shut down as a temporary precaution Monday, April 6. All employees were paid who missed shifts due to the seven-day closure, he said. Out of an abundance of caution, we voluntarily closed the restaurant to give fellow employees peace of mind, Doster said. ... We want to thank our guests for their thoughts and prayers. All employees were notified of the closure by phone or text message with the exception of one employee who had an incorrect number filed with the restaurant, Doster said. Prior to reopening, the eatery underwent an extensive cleaning and sanitation process, Doster said. Additionally, the chain now is not allowing anyone sick to work and those who call in sick must have a physicians note to return to work. Those who might be exposed to anyone sick also must stay home until they are cleared by a physician to return to work, Doster said. The eatery also is performing symptom surveys and conducting temperature checks on all employees prior to entering the building. Those with fevers are being sent home, Doster said. Texas Roadhouse expanded its to-go and curbside services during the coronavirus pandemic. It also announced this week the chain will be selling ready-to-grill steaks directly to the public from all locations, including the Bethlehem Township and 6268 Hamilton Boulevard, Upper Macungie Township. Patrons can choose from ribeye, strips, sirloin and filet cuts. Doster said the decision to sell the steaks came from both patron demand and helping to fill voids in grocery store meat shortages. The chain also is selling family value packages, which include a choice of an entree, large salad, four side dishes, fresh-baked rolls and honey cinnamon butter. The packs allow patrons to pick up the food without leaving their vehicles. 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. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Vilnius, Lithuania, April 14, 2020 Authorities in the Russian republic of Dagestan should immediately release journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and drop all the charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Security agents in Makhachkala, the capital, arrested Gadzhiev, who edited the religious section of the independent Chernovik newspaper, on terrorism charges on June 14, 2019; he has been held since in pre-trial detention, as CPJ documented at the time. On March 27, authorities filed new charges against Gadzhiev, accusing him of participation in an extremist organization, according to Chernovik chief editor Mairbek Agaev, who spoke to CPJ via phone, and news reports. Agaev said he learned about the new charges today, and said he believed they were in retaliation for Gadzhievs journalism. If convicted of participating in an extremist organization, Gadzhiev could face up to 10 years in prison under the Russian criminal code. If convicted on the original terrorism charges, he could face another 20 years, according to that code. Authorities in Dagestan should stop cooking up new charges against journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, and instead should release him immediately, said Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. As the COVID-19 virus has spread into the Northern Caucasus and will inevitably hit its prisons, holding a journalist in custody on absurd charges means putting their life at even greater danger. Agaev told CPJ that he believed authorities invented the new charges against Gadzhiev because the first case is falling apart due to lack of evidence. When CPJ called the Investigative Committee of Dagestan in Makhachkala, a press officer who introduced himself as Rasul said, if another case was opened, it means there were reasons for it. He refused to elaborate. In late March, CPJ wrote an open letter to world leaders urging them to immediately release all journalists behind bars amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) reopened trading on Tuesday after the Easter holidays with a growth of 2.32 per cent in spite of lockdown extension in some parts of the country. The federal government on April 13 extended lockdowns in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State for an additional 14 days to contain the coronavirus transmission. Specifically, the All-Share Index improved by 495.92 points or 2.32 per cent to close at 21,879.95 in contrast with 21,384.03 achieved on Thursday. Similarly, the market capitalisation which opened at N11.144 rose by N258 billion to close at N11.402 trillion. The upturn was largely boosted by capital appreciation recorded in the shares of the following mid and large capitalised stocks Dangote Cement, MTN Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Nigerian Breweries and Guaranty Trust Bank. This week, analysts at United Capital Plc expected trading activities to remain on a positive note, as investors continue to lock in, at the current relatively low prices. They added that the positive developments in the oil market was expected to reduce the risk of sentiment of Foreign Portfolio Investors and local investors toward Nigerian equities. Market breadth closed positive with 29 stocks in contrast with 12 losers. Oando led the gainers chart in percentage terms, gaining 10 per cent to close at N2.40 per share. Nigerian Breweries followed with 9.91 per cent to close at N24.40, while Conoil appreciated by 9.89 per cent to close at N14.45 per share. Stanbic IBTC Holdings rose by 9.62 per cent to close at N28.50, while Chams appreciated by 9.52 per cent to close at 23k per share. Conversely, PZ Cussons dominated the laggards chart in percentage terms, dropping by 9.09 per cent, to close at N4 per share. Red Star Express followed with a decline of 5.86 per cent to close at N2.73, while Lasaco Assurance dipped 4.35 to close at 22k per share. Transcorp lost 4.29 per cent to close at 67k, while Neimeth shed 3.85 per cent to close at 50k per share. In all, a total turnover of 557.82 million shares worth N2.62 billion was exchanged by investors in 5,310 deals. This was against a turnover of 314.91 million shares valued at N5.02 billion in 5,427 deals on Thursday. Transactions in the shares of Omoluabi Mortgage Bank topped the activity chart with 293 million shares valued at N161.15 million. FBN Holdings followed with 51.82 million shares worth N243.45 million, while United Bank for Africa transacted 35.65 million shares valued at N220.52 million. Zenith Bank sold 35.59 million shares worth N505.51 million, while Fidelity Bank transacted 25.99 million shares valued at N53.45 million. (NAN) Val Arkoosh, center, chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners, said Monday that the county will use the services of Real Time Medical Systems to track possible COVID-19 hot spots in nursing homes. Here she spoke during a news conference about the coronavirus at the county's emergency operations center in Eagleville in March. Read more Montgomery County officials said Tuesday that one of its long-term care facilities has more than 50 cases of COVID-19, a disclosure that highlights the risk of outbreaks in buildings filled with frail seniors. A total of 67 residents in senior facilities have died, comprising 61% of the countys fatalities from the virus. In all, 364 residents and 223 staff members of long-term care facilities in the county have tested positive, officials said, though County Commissioner Valerie Arkoosh has stressed that the vast majority of the 75 state-licensed facilities in Montgomery County have just one or two cases. In a bid to prevent more outbreaks in the countys 59 nursing homes, Arkoosh announced this week that the county will start using the services of Real Time Medical Systems, which taps into nursing homes existing electronic medical records to find warning signs of infectious diseases and other problems. By identifying a problem within a facility early, we can focus limited resources and equipment and we hope save lives of patients and staff," Arkoosh said. Montgomery County has been forthcoming about problems in nursing homes, but its not clear whether the problems there are worse than in other counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Bucks and Delaware Counties are not providing numbers for nursing home infections, though Bucks said Sunday that 30 congregate living facilities in the county had COVID-19 cases. Philadelphia is providing the number of deaths in nursing homes, but not the number of infections or information on their specific locations. Chester County is also providing very little information, though its website says nine residents and one staff member at the county-owned Pocopson Home have tested positive for COVID-19. Philadelphia, as of Tuesday, has reported 103 deaths in nursing homes, which amounts to one for every 63 nursing home residents in March. That figure for Montgomery County is one in 94, and possibly higher because the county may not be distinguishing between nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, such as assisted living or personal care. Resident counts for those facilities are not readily available. ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters. The current reporting regimen makes it hard to catch problems early in a nursing home. Pennsylvania regulations require that nursing homes report positive test results for COVID-19 to state and local health departments, but theres no requirement or official mechanism for nursing homes to report worrying collections of symptoms to public health officials. Meanwhile, it still takes three to five days for the virus test results to come back. That means health departments are inevitably late to act. "By five days, you went from two cases in a nursing home to everybody, said Scott Rifkin, founder and executive chairman of Real Time, which is based in Linthicum Heights, Md. Real Time works by monitoring patient data that nursing home staff already collect such measures as temperature, breathing rate, pulse, and oxygen saturation of the blood. The system then combines the indicators to flag facilities where trouble might be brewing. In a sample surveillance report, Rifkin pointed to an unidentified facility that had nine residents with a fever and a low oxygen level. You have at least nine patients that Id want to know what was going on with, Rifkin said. The problem in the nursing homes is putting A and B and C together. You might have eight units and have one patient with a fever on unit 3 and two patients on unit 5 and theyre not necessarily putting all that data together. This does that, said Rifkin, whose company already provides services to 55 Pennsylvania nursing homes, including four in Montgomery County. Rifkin is known in Montgomery County because his former company acquired the county nursing home, Parkhouse in 2014. He sold that facility and other Pennsylvania holdings in 2017. Real Time is not charging Montgomery County for three months, Rifkin said. After three months, if they want to continue it, well figure something out, he said. It will take about 10 days to get all of the countys nursing homes on the Real Time platform, he said. Arkoosh said that representatives from the countys health department are in daily contact with administrators at the hardest-hit facilities, and that the facilities have been receiving regular supplies of personal protective equipment from the county. Two of those facilities particularly burdened by the coronavirus are in Upper Gwynedd Township and Springfield Township, according to Arkoosh. On Friday, she said that six senior citizens living at those facilities had died from the virus. She declined to identify the facilities. Last week, as the number of cases rose in the county, a local firm was tapped to join a statewide effort to mitigate the virus effects The ECRI Institute, a Plymouth Meeting-based watchdog that evaluates the effectiveness of medical devices, is contracting with the state Department of Health to test PPE being used at long-term care facilities, as well as develop best practices to help staffs at these facilities keep their residents safe. Karen Schoelles, ECRIs vice president of clinical excellence and safety, said the institutes engineers and researchers have experience working with long-term care facilities. They can research and quickly answer questions on a variety of pressing concerns, from which equipment to prioritize purchasing to how best to dispense a staff stretched thin. Its messy right now in that a lot of the questions from these facilities come from people getting one set of directions from their management, and then they hear different things from other sources, Schoelles said. They just need somebody to talk them through their particular circumstance. The retail trade has suffered a loss of Rs 3.15 lakh crore during the lockdown, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said on Tuesday, even as it "strongly supported" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to extend the curbs to fight coronavirus. CAIT has also assured the government that the traders will continue to run the supply chain of essential goods in a "most efficient and effective" manner so that citizens do not face any difficulty. CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said in a statement that there are about seven crore traders in the country, of which about 1.5 crore traders deal in essential commodities but only 40 lakh of them have been able to continue operations because of difficulties in obtaining passes from the authorities and also non-availability of transport. "On the other hand nearly 80 per cent of the employees of traders have migrated to their villages at the time of earlier lockdown while only 20 per cent of employees are working with traders for supply of essential goods," according to the statement. CAIT's Delhi NCR unit Convener Sushil Kumar Jain said the traders' community "strongly supports" the Prime Minister's decision to continue the lockdown in the country. "It is a logical and extremely important step desired under the present circumstances due to COVID-19 and we have assured Prime Minister that the traders under any circumstances will continue to run supply chain of essential goods in a most efficient and effective manner so that citizens of the country may not face any difficulty in obtaining essential commodities," CAIT said. "Due to the lock down of the past 21 days in the country, the retail trade has suffered a loss of business to the tune of Rs 3.15 lakh crores," it added. Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is necessary to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. He said detailed guidelines on implementation of the new lockdown will be announced on Wednesday, and some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI LOS ANGELES: Actor Joaquin Phoenix says he doesn't like to rehearse and because of this habit he had a clash with 'Joker' co-star Robert De Niro, who prefers having a read-through while working on a film. In a lengthy profile piece with GQ, Phoenix said the anxiety of not knowing helps him perform better and hence he was unwilling to join De Niro and rest of the cast for a read-through. The 45-year-old actor, who won this year's best actor Oscar for his performance in the movie, revealed that De Niro even called director Todd Phillips to make sure he turns up. "Tell him he's an actor and he's got to be there. I like to hear the whole movie and we're going to all get in a room and just read it," De Niro told Phillips. Phoenix said he was adamant to give read-through a miss and told Phillips, "There's no f****** way I'm doing a read-through." However, the actor, who is also a huge fan of DeNiro, attended the meeting at the veteran star's production office. He murmured his way through the script and after the meeting, De Niro invited him to his office to talk where the two eventually cleared the air. The actor said De Niro took his face into his hands and kissed him on the cheek. "It's going to be OK, bubbeleh," said De Niro, who played talk show host Murray Franklin in the film. Pheonix made a clean sweep winning all the major awards this year for his portrayal of DC supervillain. The 31-year-old from Houston knew she did not want another baby. She already had three her youngest, a boy, was just 6 months old. And she had just been laid off from her job in a medical billing office, another casualty of Americas growing unemployment crisis. So she scheduled an abortion at a local clinic. But when she arrived for her appointment four weeks ago, the doors were locked and a sign was taped inside the glass: The clinic was closed. Abortions in Texas were off after the state included them on a list of medical procedures that were not essential and needed to be postponed during the coronavirus pandemic. The woman, who asked that her name not be used to protect her privacy, walked back to her car, took out her phone and immediately started Googling her options. Her search would eventually involve four states and six clinics. Last week, she was 18 weeks pregnant and considering driving nine hours to a clinic in Wichita, Kansas, with her infant son in the back seat. Im just kind of overwhelmed and frustrated and stressed, the woman said last week. I just know I cant handle another baby. I just know. I know physically, emotionally, financially. The fight over abortion rights, rather than receding into the background during the pandemic, has intensified as several states banned the procedure in recent weeks as part of emergency measures to fight the virus. In six states, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, state authorities have included abortion as a nonessential medical procedure, arguing that postponement is necessary to preserve medical and protective equipment. We believe that merely delaying abortion procedures a few weeks is reasonable and necessary, said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life said on Monday. Abortion providers should not get special treatment that puts health care providers fighting COVID-19 and their patients at unnecessary risk. Abortion rights groups say the pandemic is being used as a pretense to restrict abortion, and have sued five of the states to stop them. On Saturday night, the fight in Texas reached the Supreme Court, with the clinics asking for relief. Perhaps because of that plea, in a surprise move late Monday night the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed itself on medication abortion, which involves taking two pills early in pregnancy, and is a significant portion of abortions in Texas. The clinics, and much of the medical community, say that abortion is time-sensitive and that it could be months before emergency measures are lifted. The appeals courts reversal allows many more women access, they say, but does nothing to lift the ban on most surgical abortions, which make up a substantial share of abortions in the state. For now, the 5th Circuit has righted the wrong of Texas unconstitutional ban on medication abortion, Nancy Northup, president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in an email Monday night. The center is representing some of the clinics. The surprise ruling means that, at least for now, the case is no longer in front of the Supreme Court. But lawyers for the clinics say one of these cases probably will be sometime soon, and it quite likely will be Texas. Getting an abortion, not easy in many states under ordinary circumstances, has become even harder in recent weeks. Women following social distancing rules now wait in their cars for appointments at clinics, where anti-abortion protesters sometimes yell at them. Many are recently out of work and no longer have child care, which means that getting to appointments and paying for them is more difficult. Women in states or cities with stay-at-home orders are nervous they will be stopped by the police on the way to clinics. Out of the states trying to limit abortion, only Texas had been successful; the others have been blocked by judges, but that could change. Even in Texas, several weeks of legal back-and-forth have caused confusion for patients and their doctors. Dr. Amna Dermish had just finished a surgical abortion in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin when she got a call from her administrator saying that the governors order, which had been blocked briefly by a federal judge, was back in effect. The 261 patients they had called to cancel appointments and then in attempts to reschedule had to be reached again in less than 24 hours. I had to sit down when I got that call, Dermish said last week. I couldnt believe it. Dermish said she had to tell the 10 remaining patients at the clinic, all waiting for ultrasounds, that she could not schedule their abortions. One woman had a diagnosed fetal anomaly. Another was starting school to become an ultrasound technician. Dermish said they referred women to clinics outside the state, but also warned them that travel during the pandemic could be risky. In Texas there is another scenario where an abortion is still allowed: women who would be past 22 weeks gestation, the legal limit in Texas, by the time the governors order lifts. But that would mean waiting until the last minute to have the procedure, something few women do. About 88% of abortions in the United States are performed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Overwhelmingly, abortions happen in clinics, not hospitals, but the clinics have also changed their rules to account for the coronavirus. A 24-year-old college student from Arlington, Texas, said in court papers that before an ultrasound she sat alone in her car in the parking lot of a Fort Worth clinic for two hours. She said protesters stood about 10 feet away with signs and screamed at me and other patients. The night before she was scheduled to go in for her medication abortion, she got a call from the clinic saying her appointment had been canceled. She ended up driving 12 hours to Denver with a friend and wiping down surfaces in the cheap Airbnb they stayed in. On the way back they drove into the night. We didnt want to take breaks or rest because I was worried about having my abortion in the car, she said in court papers filed by lawyers for clinics in Texas. Not every clinic closed right away. The Houston mother found one that squeezed her in for an ultrasound. But when she parked in front of another clinic early the next morning, hoping to be seen for an abortion, it never opened. She had tried to be careful. In December, she had her tubes tied. But last month, a home test showed she was pregnant. When the pandemic began, she had been trying to find her feet financially. She had signed up for weekend classes toward her real estate license, hoping to earn extra income to supplement child support from the father of her children, who works in a plumbing supply store. But now here she was, more than 15 weeks pregnant, making dozens of calls a day to apply for unemployment last Tuesday her cellphone showed 40 calls by 9 a.m., mostly met with busy signals while looking for an abortion clinic in another state. Other women seeking abortions said they could not afford to travel out of state and were looking for ways to end their pregnancy on their own by illegally buying an abortion pill online. An 18-year-old in San Antonio who is pregnant and wants an abortion said her job at Kentucky Fried Chicken was reduced to 10 hours a week, from more than 40. I am barely able to get the basics, she said on Facebook Messenger, declining to give her name to maintain her privacy. She said she was sheltering in place with her grandfather, who was in ill health and did not know she was pregnant. I cant tell anyone about my situation because its just too scary at this point, she said. Im not sure what to do. I feel mostly stuck, lost and alone. When abortion stopped in Texas last month, Julie Burkhart, the founder and chief executive of Trust Women, which operates abortion clinics in Oklahoma City and Wichita, received a flood of new patients. On Tuesday, March 24, her two clinics had a total of 90 appointments, she said, up from about 25 on a normal day. About half the patients were from out of state, she said, many from Texas. Our phones started ringing off the hook, she said. One of the calls was from the mother in Houston. She was worried about finding a clinic. But she was also worried about the virus. She looked at West Virginia, which had an abortion clinic, and not very many virus cases. But it was too far and too expensive to fly. She settled on Oklahoma City because she could drive there in 6 hours. But as she was talking to Burkharts clinic, Oklahoma followed in the footsteps of Texas. (A judge has since allowed most abortions to continue in Oklahoma, and the state has appealed.) So the Houston mother scheduled an appointment at the Trust Women clinic in Wichita for 8 a.m. days later. But she knew she would need someone to drive with her, so she could tend to her 6-month-old. Wichita was nine hours away, too far for her mother. Her sister, who was still managing the night shift at a vitamin plant, could not take time off. I was going in circles, the woman said. Every time I tried something, its like I found a solution, and then it was like, nope. Last week she found a fund that would help pay for her travel. On Wednesday, she, her mother and her 6-month-old flew to Louisville, Kentucky, where there was another clinic willing to take her. At noon on Friday, she had her abortion. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. BAY CITY, MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the shelter-in-place order until the end of April, but some Bay County restaurants are ready to serve you safely through takeout and pick-up. Here are five local favorites still open for business. Blossoms Asian Bistro In the mood for Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Malaysian? Bay Citys Blossoms Asian Bistro has you covered. Located at 4124 Wilder Road, they remain open for takeout Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. Call 989-778- 1155 to place your order. Eudicis Pizza You can still order your favorite pizza to go and for delivery from Eudicis Pizza, located at 404 E. Midland St., Bay City. Theyre open 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays. Call 989-892-4222 to order takeout. Coco Loco Mexican Grill and Bar This local Mexican favorite is still open for carry out. Located at 201 N. Euclid Ave., the restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 989-439-1128 or visit their website to place an order. Mandarin House Satisfy your craving for Chinese takeout with Mandarin House, open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. for takeout only. You can find their menu on their Facebook page. Theyre located at 3000 Center Ave, Essexville, and you can call 989-893-9499 to place an order. CJs Sports Grill This Pinconning favorite is still offering its full menu as well as daily specials, posted on its Facebook page. No matter if you want a salad, burger, sub, burrito or a plethora of other options, theyre open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for takeout or delivery. The 201 N. Mable St. location has two numbers you can call if one is busy: 989-200-2255 or 989-200-2152. You can also order online. Read More Letter from the Editor: You can support MLives vital reporting by subscribing today Whos the best Bay City-area softball player well miss seeing this season? What Saginaw-area softball player will you miss watching most this season? Let's do something different: Tech giants have been tweaking their advertising policies ahead of the 2020 election, with Twitter banning political ads altogether. Reddit, on the contrary, has chosen a different approach that combines increased transparency and gives people a way to interact with political ads. If you go by the last official count, Reddit has over 430 million monthly active users. Given the controversy around raising money from Chinese investors and the looming 2020 election, the company has been trying to put that cash infusion to good use. At this point, Reddit users aren't that valuable for advertisers, with the average revenue per Redditor being 30 times smaller than what Twitter makes from its users. For this reason, the company has launched a new subreddit called r/RedditPoliticalAds to keep track of political advertising on the platform. The new subreddit will list all advertisers along with campaigns dating back to January 1, 2019, and information about their reach, targeting, impressions, total spending on a per-campaign basis. "We plan to consistently update this subreddit as new political ads run on Reddit, so we can provide transparency into our political advertisers and the conversations their ad(s) inspire," the company said. The move is accompanied by a policy change, which now requires political advertisers to work directly with the company's sales team, as well as leave comments open on any given campaign for at least 24 hours. The latter decision is tied to Reddit's effort to improve the overall quality of the conversation. Still, it's worth noting that advertisers will be able to moderate comments, which could leave the door open for silencing public dissent. Reddit says each political advertising campaign will be subject to manual review before it goes live, and advertisers will have to send documents to verify their identity. Misleading ads are banned altogether, and the company only accepts "political advertisements within the United States, at the federal level." Vice president and general counsel Ben Lee told Politico during an interview that the move is "basically about two things that are pretty important to us: One is encouraging conversation around political ads and the second is transparency." He also believes that rejecting all political ads doesn't sound like the right approach. Meanwhile, Twitter remains the only social giant to have banned all political advertising from its platform. Others like Google and Snap have chosen to restrict microtargeting and reject ads that don't measure up to high standards of integrity. Facebook continues to believe that all would-be leaders should have a voice regardless of what they shout on its platform, although you can choose to see fewer political ads in your news feed. New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and top political leaders on Tuesday (April 14, 2020) paid tributes to the architect of the Indian Constitution BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. "Tributes to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Our nation`s icon and Chief Architect of the Constitution, he strived for a society based on justice and equity. Let us all take inspiration from his vision and values, and resolve to imbibe his ideals in our lives," the President said in a tweet. The President also paid a floral tribute to Ambedkar at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Prime Minister also took to Twitter and wrote, "A humble tribute to Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary from all the countrymen." PM also attached a video highlighting the achievements of Ambedkar. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, "My tributes to the great social reformer and chief architect of our Constitution, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkarji on his Jayanti." Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891, in Madhya Pradesh`s Mhow. Every year, Ambedkar`s birth anniversary is celebrated to honour his countless contributions in the making of present-day independent India. His birth anniversary is also known as the Bhim Jayanti and is celebrated as a public holiday across India since 2015. Founded in 1886, Chapman & Chapman is based in Cleveland, OH. According to a statement by Chapman & Chapman CEO Walter Chapman, his company has a hard-earned reputation for delivering innovative solutions and service to both businesses and individuals. The company has also been largely family-owned, he added, noting that throughout the firms 130-year history, 12 members of the Chapman family spanning five generations have joined the business. This partnership with USI marks an exciting milestone for our firm and one that will advance our longstanding legacy for delivering client-centric solutions built on a shared sense of commitment, innovation and integrity, the chief executive said. USI is an established leader in the risk management, employee benefit and retirement consulting market, known for their best-in-class solutions, commented Chapman & Chapman partner Kristin Chapman. The cultural fit for our internal teams and the aligned approach to exceptional client service is our priority. We are excited about the depth of resources USI provides to enable us to deliver the most innovative and customized solutions to our clients. Partnering as one, we look forward to strengthening USIs employee benefit and retirement consulting expertise in service to our current and future clients throughout northern Ohio and beyond, said USI regional CEO Thomas Cassady. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkeys export of cement to Kazakhstan increased by 203.07 percent from January through March 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $3.5 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend. In March 2020, Turkeys export of cement to Kazakhstan increased by 494.19 percent compared to March 2019, and amounted to $1.9 million. From January through March 2020, export of cement from Turkey to world markets increased by 9.6 percent compared to the same period of 2019, exceeding $915 million. Over the reporting period, Turkeys cement export amounted to 2.1 percent of country's total export. In March 2020, Turkey exported cement to world markets worth $317.5 million, which is 0.3 percent more compared to the same month of 2019. Meanwhile, export of cement from Turkey amounted to 2.4 percent of country's total export. From March 2019 through March 2020, Turkey exported cement worth $3.5 billion. Turkeys foreign trade turnover in February 2020 exceeded $32.2 billion. In February 2020, export from Turkey increased by 2.3 percent compared to February 2019, exceeding $14.6 billion. Turkey's import increased by 9.8 percent in February 2020 compared to the same month of 2019 and exceeded $17.6 billion. From January through February 2020, Turkey's trade turnover exceeded $66.1 billion. Meanwhile, Turkeys export increased by 4.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, reaching $29.3 billion. Over the reporting period, Turkeys import increased by 14.3 percent compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $36.8 billion. The foreign trade turnover of Turkey exceeded $374.2 billion in 2019. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu RAY & LIZ (2019) Rent or buy on Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu. The British photographer and artist Richard Billingham documented much of his life through intimate portraits of his family. This somber drama, Billinghams debut as a writer and director, is an extension of that work. It revisits the photographers troubling childhood in Englands Black Country, with this alcoholic father, Ray, his chain-smoking mother, Liz (the younger version of whom is played by Ella Smith), and younger brother. We catch a glimpse of Ray in his older years, played by Patrick Romer, living alone in a single room and guzzling what he calls home brew. Then two extended flashbacks bring us to Billinghams childhood, one of poverty, neglect and squalor. The film stars actors playing real-life characters, but Billingham shot it with a documentarians touch, capturing rich details and hard-hitting moments. CHRIS DELIA: NO PAIN (2020) Stream on Netflix. The comedian Chris DElia (Whitney, Undateable) bursts with energy in this irreverent stand-up special. Performing in Minneapolis, DElia jumps from bit to bit with razor-sharp speed, shifting accents and topics before you get a chance to digest his earlier jokes. His targets include fans of the fashion brand Supreme, white men and self-censorship. These are extraordinary times and we all are in uncharted territory. There is a lot of fear and negativity in all spheres due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. While the Corona Warriors are doing a tremendous job fighting from the frontlines, we at Adgully are embarking on an endeavour to highlight the positive developments during these challenging times. Over the next few weeks, Adgully will be featuring a series of brief interactions with industry leaders in India and find out how they are keeping their spirits up as well as keeping their employees motivated, also how they are joining in the fight against the adverse impact of the global pandemic. Madan Bahal, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Adfactors PR, has an important message for the industry during these challenging times assuring job security to employees and decisive leadership. While crises may come and go, being prepared for any eventuality can make all the difference. What steps are you and your organisation taking to help out the society at large or those engaged in the war against Covid-19? To begin with, we made a humble contribution of Rs 50 lakh to the PM Care Fund. Secondly, we took another important decision, where our 8 verticals have been empowered to at least take up one organisation which is leading a war against Corona, which could be an NGO or any governmental body, to provide pro-bono communication support. After all, we are from the business of communication and we are experts in communication, so let that expertise be used to amplify the work they are doing by creating awareness for the same. Public Relations, like media, is the most critical service. To set the context right, managing businesses and serving our clients is most important. Today at Adfactors, we have around 400 clients, whose market capitalisation is approximately 35-40 per cent of Indias market capitalisation or GDP, so for us to keep the service flowing 24x7 is very pivotal. Serving these clients 24x7 is itself a significant contribution to the society, because these large businesses have to communicate to their stakeholders day and night. And we have done everything possible to see that there is not even a single minute of service interruption. I can proudly say that we are not in a business mode as usual, but we are in business as usual with a plus mode. How are you keeping your employees motivated and are encouraging them to give their best, even as they are working from home? First and foremost is assuring job security. Adfactors is the only company that has announced that there will zero job cuts and the same has been communicated to the employees. This will be for the financial year 2020-21 due to Coronavirus. This is a bold step from our side to reassure the employees. So, instead of pampering with talks, we wanted to make it more tangible. The reassurance of job security will also boost the morale and increase productivity. We have empowered everyone to work from home. The empowerment came in the form of a laptop for every individual in Adfactors with connectivity tools and setting up special protocols even before one started working from home. Right in the first week we set up all processes, protocols, guidelines and communication with the clients happened regularly with all delivery process. There is a lot of negativity floating around like job losses, bankruptcy and companies shutting down, which we have tackled by announcing that none of the 816 employees of Adfactors will lose their jobs. We had taken a similar step in 2008-09 during the time of the economic slowdown. We have also emotionally trained our people to work from home with complete 24x7 technology support, HR support. While 24x7 seems like an exaggeration, but between 8 am and 10 pm you can escalate any grievance and it will be answered in real time. Staying connected with the employees is what we are ensuring. An Account Director talks to his people three times a day, the Vice-President talks to everybody once a day. And I myself have spoken to all our 816 employees once in the last two weeks. The HR has also been given a mandate to connect with all the employees once a week, addressing all their concerns and boosting their morale and reassuring about their job safety. To keep our clients happy, we are working overtime and doing more in terms of what normal service delivery would happen. Earlier, work would commence at 9 am and end at 6.30-7.00 pm, but now work starts as early as 8.30 am and goes on till 10.00 pm. Clients have several issues on various matters and we are making all efforts to seriously over-service them. The problems of our clients are bigger than our problems and while they are busy tackling their problems and serving the rest of the world, we should be busy helping them at peak capacity. And that is why we have taken the call that there will be zero job losses. I dont want anybody to look out for jobs. What is most needed in challenging times such as these: (a) From the general public: The public has to serve well by simply setting a good example of citizenry. Be more disciplined and exercise restraint and dont throw any tantrums. There is a problem and everybody is tackling it and, therefore, show more understanding in discipline and behaviour. Please stay at home and dont create any ruckus. (b) From the authorities: The government is doing a reasonably good job. My expectation is that the government should be more decisive, because world over there is indecisiveness prevailing. We have seen this in the case of President Trump and heads of other countries like Spain, Italy, etc. In contrast, our government both at the center and the states has been far more decisive. I want our government to continue maintaining this decisiveness. There is need to be more proactive by anticipating the future scenario and being prepared for it and also preparing the country for it. We should not be caught on the backfoot like other countries. We have the learning curve of where other countries failed or succeeded, which our policy makers can factor in while planning the strategy for the country. (c) From business leaders: There is a crisis of leadership at three levels in the society today there is healthcare crisis, economic crisis that is looming large, and there is the leadership crisis. At this point of time, business is an important constituent of the society, as the entire wealth of the society is vested in the hands of business. The society should demonstrate a fine example of responsible leadership. And the leadership should come in the form of prudent decision making by demonstrating compassion and empathy. Any corporate action that they take should be viewed from the lens of public interest, even if it is a bit inconvenient for businesses at this point of time. Read More: #HTSalutes COVID-19 bravehearts in heartfelt film Big Bang Music and upGrad's new anthem #AageKiSoch (Natural News) Driven largely by the numbers from New York, daily deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus have peaked in the USA and may be headed for a slow downward trend over the next six weeks. This is, of course, due to the social distancing lockdowns that were put in place from March 15th March 20th, breaking the cycle of exponential spread of the virus. It now looks like we may be able to keep total deaths in the USA under 60,000 by the end of July. Had no lockdowns been initiated, there would have been over 2 million deaths by July. The lockdowns, in other words, have averted at least two million deaths by July. Interestingly, had the lockdowns been delayed by just one week, the estimated 60,000 deaths we will experience over the next few months would have been 240,000 deaths. Thats because the number of infections in the USA was doubling about every 3.5 days, meaning there are two doublings in a week. So 60,000 x 2 x 2 = 240,000 deaths. Similarly, had the lockdowns taken place just one week earlier, the estimated 60,000 deaths we are going to experience could have been reduced to just 15,000 deaths (because 15,000 is 1/4th of 60,000). When it comes to exponential growth, timing is everything. Every day counts. Thats why we were sounding the alarm in early March, urging President Trump and state leaders to initiate the lockdowns as soon as possible. Had the lockdowns taken place on March 1st instead of around March 15th, the deaths could have been reduced to 1/16th of what were facing now, or just 3,750. Although the media is trying to blame Trump for all this, the truth is that any governor could have initiated a lockdown at any time, so the blame for acting too late should actually be applied to all the mayors and governors, too. In truth, all the leaders were slow to react, and most remained in a state of denial for far too long. Many conservative publishers now claim the lockdowns werent necessary because they worked Sadly, we are still dealing with conservative indy media outlets that still fail to grasp the importance of the lockdowns as an early intervention. One broadcast host that I covered yesterday believes that the regular flu has a 10% fatality rate and kills 9,600 Americans each day, on average. The real number is about 95, or about 1/100th what that host is reporting. Amazingly, the people saying the flu kills 9,600 Americans per day still dont realize their numbers are off. They insist the regular flu kills 10% (it really only kills less than 1 in 1,000), and they refuse to look at the obvious errors in their bad math. The number of people who die in the USA from all causes of death combined is normally about 7,700 as you can see from IndexMundi.com. Thats all causes: Cancer, heart attacks, suicides, pharmaceutical side effects, shootings, car accidents, etc. That number does not include covid-19 deaths, so over the last few days the actual total deaths in the USA has been closer to 9,500+, since covid-19 has been killing between 1,800 and 2,000 per day (although yesterday it fell to around 1,500). On this very day, covid-19 remains the No. 1 leading cause of death in America on a day-to-day basis. Nothing is killing more Americans right now than the Wuhan (Chinese) coronavirus, an engineered bioweapon that was produced by a communist laboratory which was funded, in part, by Obamas NIH (where Dr. Fauci is a top propagandist for the vaccine industry that actually serves as a front for the bioweapons industry). Because they dont grasp exponential math, many conservative, pro-Trump publishers are now retroactively claiming the lockdowns werent necessary. The projections were wrong, they say, not realize how silly they sound when its the lockdowns, of course, that halted the spread of the virus and prevented the fatalities from exploding exponentially. Thats sort of like having a fire in your kitchen, calling the fire department, watching fire fighters put out the blaze, saving your home, and then concluding, Well I guess we didnt need to call the fire department after all. The only reason the daily deaths are falling is because the lockdowns worked. Because the virus spreads through community infection, separating people was the best initial way to block the replication until we learned more about the importance of wearing masks, taking zinc, using elderberry, protecting the elderly and so on. So anyone arguing the lockdowns werent necessary isnt being honest. Without the lockdowns, we would be on track to 2+ million deaths by early July, or perhaps much sooner since my projection models were too conservative. Yet just as I predicted in early March, those of us who saw this coming and demanded the lockdowns will, of course, be blamed when the lockdowns prevent millions of deaths. Thats because most people cant grasp the unseen deaths which were averted. And since they cant do exponential math, the number of deaths which would have occurred arent real to them. Many people can only see whats in front of them. They cannot project into the near future and anticipate future events. This is especially true when those events take place along an exponential timeline. Thus, even though all of us who called for the early lockdowns have now averted at least two million deaths, we will be blamed for overreacting when far fewer people die. Thats the cost of acting early and saving lots of lives: You get blamed by people who are mad that more people didnt die. You see, the lockdowns were going to happen sooner or later. The only question was how many dead people you wanted to endure before the lockdowns were initiated. Do you want to see 60,000 dead Americans, or do you prefer 240,000? How about five million? Using very conservative numbers, I have calculated that getting America to so-called herd immunity (about 83% infected ), would require about 5 million Americans to die. Thats where this was headed. And if 5 million Americans died, how devastating would that have been for the US economy? It would have been even more devastating that what has taken place already, due to the lockdowns. The lockdowns, in other words, were the least bad option in a world of horrifically bad choices. Doing nothing would have been catastrophic. Shutting down the economy for 4-6 weeks was painful, but its working and bringing us back to a level of infections that we can now track and manage by encouraging everyone to wear masks in public places (among other important suggestions). Now we actually have an opportunity to reopen the economy without seeing millions of deaths. We can protect public health and restart the economy at the same time. We now have the knowledge and experience to know how to proceed with cautious, avoiding worst-case scenarios. The lockdowns were necessary in March, but I dont think we need to return to such measures if we can achieve high compliance with the wearing of masks and sensible distancing in public for the next few months. This is how we beat the virus and get America running again, ending the lockdowns and restoring our freedom of movement and travel. And no, I dont see a second wave of this unless people get lazy and stop wearing masks. As long as we keep the masks on in public places (workplaces, public transportation, grocery shopping, etc.), we likely wont see a second explosion this Fall. And thats a huge victory, if we are willing to earn it. But if we get lazy, all bets are off. If people stop wearing masks and start gathering in groups again, the virus will explode yet again, and well be right back to square one. Heres a short documentary on how we end the pandemic and restart America while protecting public health: Stay informed by reading Pandemic.news. Cork County Council is calling on the government to introduce a six-month rates write-off for businesses which have had to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr Danny Collins got support for the measure after successfully seeking a suspension of standing orders to discuss the plight of many businesses at a meeting in County Hall today. Mr Collins, a publican based in Bantry, said he knew colleagues and hoteliers through all of West Cork who are extremely worried about their futures. He said businesses are not happy with the two-month deferral of rates announced by the government, because they still have to pay them with no income coming in for the foreseeable future. Some have told me they can't see themselves reopening. I, like many others, am a ratepayer, mortgage payer and insurance payer, Mr Collins said. He said he knows of one hotel paying 50,000 in rates every year and some bars paying up to 13,500. Clothes shops, hardware stores etc are all feeling the pressure. We don't want a deferral of rates, we need to have them written off, Mr Collins said. Cllr Seamus McGrath said while Ireland has dealt faster in many respects with the Covid-19 outbreak than Britain, it lags behind when it comes to supports for businesses. He said the hospitality sector is badly hit and will probably be the last to come back. We need more robust supports for businesses as they have done in Britain. A rates deferral is not a clean break. Far more needs to be done, Mr McGrath said. Cllr Declan Hurley said: If businesses don't open a lot of people will have to go on the live register and the government will have to foot the bill for it, which could cost a lot more in the long-term than writing off rates. Cllr Gillian Coughlan maintained the entire economy will need to be on life-support by the end of the year. We need to begin the process now of asking the government to support businesses in the long-term and a rates write-off is needed, she said. Lutheran Life Village at Kendallville, pictured above, suffered one of the states worst outbreaks of COVID-19, with 69 residents and 27 staff members testing positive for the virus and 13 residents went on to die of COVID-19, according to statewide nursing home data released earlier this year. For the first time in months the facility is experiencing another outbreak. Texas Governor Greg Abbott arrives for his COVID-19 press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on March 29, 2020. (Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images) Texas Abortion Clinics Withdraw Emergency Supreme Court Plea After Appeals Court Allows Medical Abortions After a federal appeals court issued an order allowing some so-called medication abortions to proceed in Texas, abortion advocates have withdrawn their request to the Supreme Court for an emergency stay on Texass temporary ban on most abortions, which had been justified as part of CCP virus-containment measures. The litigation between abortionists and state officials has been bouncing back and forth between federal judges at the district and appellate levels for weeks now. Texas officials say their abortion ban is a prudent and reasonable way to conserve health care resources during a pandemic, but abortion providers say the state is taking unfair advantage of an emergency situation to crack down on medical procedures they oppose but have had difficulty outlawing in normal times. Abortionists say the state is exploiting a public health crisis to advance an extreme, anti-abortion agenda. Pitched legal battles over abortions are also being fought in states such as Alabama and Oklahoma. A federal judge in Alabama ruled on April 12 that the state cant prevent abortions from taking place during the pandemic. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, unveiled the ban March 22 that forbids elective medical procedures, in an effort to conserve hospital space and personal protective equipment for care for patients who have COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Abbotts executive order, which is set to lapse April 21, states that all licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities shall postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without immediate performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patients physician. The next day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, also a Republican, clarified that the ban encompasses abortions, except when the womans life or health is at risk. He warned that abortionists who continued operating in defiance of the ban would face criminal charges. The Texas ban is considered one of the strictest of the temporary state-level abortion curbs. Violators could be fined $1,000 or jailed for 180 days. Abortion providers convinced U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel to issue a temporary injunction blocking the Texas ban as it applied to abortions. The judge found that the order prevents Texas women from exercising what the Supreme Court has declared is their fundamental constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is viable. But days later, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state and lifted Yeakels injunction. The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood Federation of America held off for a few days on taking the matter to the Supreme Court as the litigation continued to work its way through the lower courts. They then apparently hedged their bets April 11, filing an emergency application for a stay with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to allow abortions to resume in the Lone Star State. The applicants claimed in a filing with the high court that the ban was the most restrictive abortion policy in the nation, and that its continuation would deny hundreds of Texas residents their constitutional right to obtain an abortion, compelling women to either remain pregnant and endure the physical, economic, and emotional consequences of pregnancy or to undertake risky and expensive travel to other states where abortion is still available. That could heighten the possibility that the virus would be transmitted, lawyers claimed, because patients getting an abortion late in their pregnancy or giving birth require more personal protective equipment and hospital resources than an abortion early in the process. Meanwhile, a panel of the 5th Circuit revisited the increasingly complex case, ruling late April 13 that medication abortions in which the patient aborts by swallowing pills, will be allowed in Texas despite the governors executive order. Such abortions are done in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and are said to consume little protective equipment. The Circuit Court has held the Texas ban is valid overall as a public health measure and that it doesnt single out abortions for special treatment. Constitutional rights may be reasonably restricted during an ongoing public health crisis, the judges ruled, adding Abbotts order should be seen as a temporary postponement and not an absolute ban. The abortion providers withdrew their application to the Supreme Court on April 14. On March 4, before preventive lockdowns had been ordered across the United States, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. The litigation challenges a Louisiana law that requires abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges close to where the procedure takes place. The high court has yet to render a decision. Frances lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak will be extended until May 11, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, but added that the restrictions could start to be eased from then if current positive trends continued. While giving France a concrete date for a possible ending of strict confinement, Macron acknowledged that the country had not been prepared for a crisis that has killed nearly 15,000 people in the country. The strict confinement must continue until Monday, May 11, Macron said in a TV address, adding that it could then be eased if we continue to be good citizens, responsible and respect the rules, and if the spread of the virus has indeed continued to slow. The lockdown has confined the French to their homes since March 17 with only brief trips allowed outside for shopping and other essential errands.- The epidemic is beginning to steady hope is returning, he said, acknowledging France was obviously not sufficiently prepared when its first cases were reported last February. We lacked gowns, gloves, gel and we were not able to hand out as many masks as we would have liked, he said. Schools and daycare centres could gradually reopen as well as some businesses, he said. But cafes, restaurants and other places with large public gatherings will remain shut and universities are unlikely to resume any classes or testing until the summer, he added. Older and vulnerable people will have to continue to stay home and the government will provide face masks to others when they venture outside. For the most exposed workers and in certain situations such as public transport, their use could become systematic, Macron said. May 11 will be the start of a new phase. It will be progressive and the rules can be adapted according to our results, he said. Testing capacities will be ramped up as well so that anyone showing symptoms can be diagnosed, with those testing positive placed in quarantine a measure doctors have urged as a key method for containing the outbreak. The government will also work on developing an app for phones that could identify people who had come into contact with an infected person. Better days- Frances daily death rate was once again below its peak level on Monday 574 new deaths from COVID-19 for a total of 14,967 since the outbreak began. The number of people in intensive care fell for the fifth day in a row, with 24 fewer people, leaving 6,821 in a serious condition. We will have better days, Macron said. And the virtues allowing us to hold out today are the ones that will help us build our future: our solidarity, our confidence, and our will. A study by Frances INSERM health research institute and others published Sunday warned that lifting the confinement rules too soon could spur a crushing second wave. Critics say Macron and his government have muddled their coronavirus messages, in particular by initially claiming that widespread use of face masks was not necessary, only to say weeks later that people should be wearing them in public. SOURCE: AFP An NHS hero who Boris Johnson credited with helping to save his life told his mother he was surprised at how 'down-to-earth' the Prime Minister was. Portuguese expat Luis Pitarma, 29, was one of the two nurses singled out for praise by Mr Johnson after he left St Thomas' Hospital in central London following three nights in intensive care battling coronavirus. The Conservative party leader, 55, told how Luis and a New Zealand nurse he named only as Jenny but was later identified as Jenny McGee, 35, had 'stood by his bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way.' Mr Pitarma has shied clear of speaking publicly about his experience. But his proud mother Edite said today he had spoken highly about the PM in conversations they have had since Mr Johnson won his Covid-19 fight. Portuguese expat Luis Pitarma, 29, (pictured) was one of the two nurses singled out for praise by Mr Johnson after he left St Thomas Hospital following three nights in intensive care battling coronavirus Mr Pitarma, from Aveiro, Portgual, circled in red, with colleagues. The nurse helped save Mr Johnson's life and was praised by Portugal's President Luis told her in a phone call last Thursday he was looking after Boris, although she confessed today she 'had a feeling' already because she knew her son worked at the London hospital where the PM was a patient and had not tried but not managed to get through to him for several days. Speaking from her home in Aveiro near the northern Portuguese city of Porto where Luis was born, Edite told Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias: 'Luis has said he was pleasantly surprised by how nice and down-to-earth Mr Johnson was. 'He asked him to call him Boris and he wanted to know who he was, where he had been born and how long he had worked in England for. 'Luis told him he was from Aveiro near Porto and he obviously remembered that. He told Luis he loved Porto and Portugal.' She also revealed the PM personally thanked her son when he left intensive care and promised they would meet again, sparking speculation Luis and Jenny may get an invitation to Downing Street when Boris is better and Britain's coronavirus lockdown is lifted. Explaining her son's reluctance to go public with his experience, Edite added: 'He just wants to continue to be anonymous. 'He hasn't even been staying in an apartment he moved into a few weeks ago. He's been living in a hotel his hospital booked him so he could stay out of the public eye.' Luis Pitarma's (pictured) firefighter cousin Ivo Pitarma, who lives in Aveiro, said: 'I'm obviously very proud' Ms McGee (left) and Mr Pitarma (right) were singled out for praise by Prime Minister Boris Johnson after treating him during his stay in intensive care Ms McGee, pictured left, has been in the UK for eight years after undertaking her Overseas Education (OE) here then moving to St Thomas' in central London Yesterday Luis' little sister Sonia told a Portuguese TV interviewer Edite had steered the hero NHS nurse away from his original career plan, adding: 'At one time he wanted to become as much an actor as a doctor.' Sonia, who was also a health worker before getting a job with a ceramics firm, said on broadcaster TVI: 'What's happened is a great source of pride for our family. 'I knew my brother is a wonderful professional but I wasn't expecting it to have such an impact. 'Luis would look after anyone in the same way, whether it be a Prime Minister, a rich person or a poor person. 'I know he's my brother but I have to say he's a very humble person.' Proud Edite also revealed her son was still grieving the loss of a young female patient when he was asked to care for Boris Johnson. She told Cristina Ferreira, a presenter on Portuguese TV channel SIC: 'Luis told me last Thursday he was looking after the British Prime Minister. 'He said that when they rang him and told him who he was going to care for, he started shaking. 'All patients are important but obviously a Prime Minister is someone who holds a great position of responsibility.' Recalling Luis' departure for the UK for professional reasons when he struggled to find employment in Portugal after qualifying as a nurse, she added: 'I still remember the day Luis left for England. It was June 12 2014. It was the saddest day of my life. 'He had no work here. He sent more than 200 CVs out and no-one called and he had to leave. 'The day before he started looking after Boris Johnson, a 22-year-old girl who was ill died and he was very sad.' Mr Johnson's video message from inside no 10 this afternoon, after he was discharged from hospital The Prime Minister is spotted in the back of a car in Downing Street on Sunday afternoon A statement issued by the Portuguese president's office on Sunday after his UK counterpart name-checked Luis, said: 'Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa would like to highlight the special recognition the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given Portuguese nurse Luis Pitarma for his work and care during his time in intensive care. 'The President of the Republic has already personally transmitted his gratitude to the nurse Luis Pitarma and in his name, he also thanks the commitment of all Portuguese health professionals who in Portugal and around the world are providing decisive help in the fight to the pandemic. A word of encouragement that is also addressed to professionals of other nationalities who, reinforcing the National Health Service, provide an invaluable service to Portugal.' Luis' firefighter cousin Ivo Pitarma, who lives in Aveiro, said as news seeped out about the identify of the hero NHS worker: 'I'm obviously very proud. 'I knew of course that Luis was a nurse in London but had no idea he had been looking after Boris Johnson so this has come as a real surprise for me.' In a video recorded shortly after he was discharged from St Thomas's Hospital, Mr Johnson thanked the 'utterly brilliant' doctors, and praised the nurses for their 'astonishing' care. He said: 'I want to thank the many nurses, men and women, whose care has been so astonishing. I am going to forget some names, so forgive me, but I want to thank Po Ling and Shannon and Emily and Angel and Connie and Becky and Rachael and Nicky and Ann.' Mr Johnson - who has now been reunited with fiancee Carrie Symonds - reserved special acclaim for two more, who he described as 'Jenny from New Zealand, Invercargill on the South Island to be exact, and Luis from Portugal, near Porto'. He continued: 'The reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed.' Yesterday the family of hero NHS nurse Jenny McGee when he was fighting for his life said they were 'exceptionally proud' of their 'absolutely amazing' daughter. Rob McGee, Jenny's brother, heaped praise on his sister and NHS staff. He told MailOnline last night: 'She is very humble and is back at work now for another night shift. 'She said she was just really pleased to see all the hard working people in the NHS be recognised for the amazing work they are doing.' Jenny McGee's family have been full of praise for her efforts in helping patients during the coronavirus pandemic Ms McGee is pictured centre wearing a scarf with friends Ms McGee's proud parents Caroline and Mike said their daughter brushed off any praise and is just please the NHS is getting the recognition it deserves Mr McGee added: 'She is just doing her job, and that is how she sees it. This is what she was trained for, helping people who need care. [Medics are] special people.' Ms McGee has been in the UK for eight years after studying here then moving to St Thomas' in central London. She previously worked at the Royal Melbourne Hospital for six years where she did her intensive care training. Her other brother, Michael, told 1 News, he was also immensely appreciative of his sister. He said: 'We are all very proud of Jen, and to get acknowledged by Boris is something else.' Her mother Caroline described her as an 'exceptionally friendly person' and a dedicated nurse. She told Stuff that her daughter hadn't told anyone she was nursing the PM until the news became public, making for a 'bit of a surprise' when her name was read out, but the whole family was 'absolutely astounded and exceptionally proud'. The mayor of her home city Sir Tim Shadbolt branded her actions 'absolutely amazing'. He said: 'It's not very often a nurse from Invercargill saves the life of the British Prime Minister.' A northeast China province is offering cash rewards of up to 5,000 yuan ($700) for help in catching people who illegally cross the Russian border after a flood of imported coronavirus cases. Weeks after it drastically cut international flights and banned entry to foreigners to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus crisis, China is still struggling to contain a spike in imported cases. Most of the new infections have been in Chinese citizens returning home. A new front has emerged in Heilongjiang province, which on Tuesday reported 79 new cases in arrivals from neighbouring Russia, taking its total of imported infections to 326. Provincial authorities said Monday that people who report illegal border crossings will receive a 3,000-yuan reward. "If the citizen captures and hands over (offenders) to relevant departments, there will be a one-off reward of 5,000 yuan," the virus prevention and control working group said in a statement. This is "to step up prevention and control work against imported cases in the province", it added. Most of the province's imported cases were discovered in the remote border city of Suifenhe, whose land crossing -- the busiest between China and Russia, with over one million travellers annually -- has been closed since April 7. The city with a population of some 70,000 has been under strict lockdown since last week, with all public gatherings banned from Sunday. Local officials said a makeshift hospital was completed and ready for use on Tuesday, and medical experts have been dispatched from nationwide to the area. Suifenhe and the provincial capital of Harbin now require all overseas arrivals to quarantine for 28 days and undergo tests for the virus. Russia on Monday reported more than 2,500 new infections -- its highest daily rise yet -- and President Vladimir Putin warned officials to brace for "extraordinary" scenarios. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged local governments in China and Russia on Tuesday to "take the necessary measures" to prevent and stop illegal border crossings. Zhao estimated that there are currently more than 100,000 Chinese citizens in Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Communist Party of India leader D Raja on Tuesday said that the lockdown extension announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "nothing unexpected" and warned that the health crisis must not end up becoming a hunger crisis as the government apparently lacked any road map for fulfilling the needs of the poor amid the pandemic. "The Prime Minister hads announced that the lockdown would be extended till May 3-- there is nothing unexpected in that. The Prime minister also talked about saving the lives of people in the time of economic hardships. How does he plan to save the lives of the people?" Raja said while speaking with ANI. He added: "He (PM Modi) did not make an announcement about any livelihood package for the poor, daily wage workers, migrant workers, all those who have lost their jobs and earnings in the informal and formal sector." The CPI leader further said that saving lives means that the government must ensure a certain livelihood for the poor. "The Prime Minister has not said anything substantial, as we had expected," he said, adding that the lockdown has "caused enormous difficulties" to the poor people. "The lockdown has caused enormous difficulties to the poor people, daily wagers etc for whom the Prime Minister should have come out with a comprehensive package," Raja said. "How can people live with just 5 kg of rice. We have been saying that the government must ensure that full ration to all the poor people. People must not starve, they must not stay hungry. The health crisis must not lead to a hunger crisis," he added. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi announced that the lockdown will be extended till May 3. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services will begin extending emergency benefits promised under the federal coronavirus relief act to eligible workers by the end of this month, the agency announced Tuesday. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act at the tail end of March to provide economic relief to businesses and workers hurting from the coronavirus pandemic. But the state had to develop a system to distribute the new aid first. Workforce Services anticipates starting to process applications for the federal relief by the end of this month. Workers who have lost their jobs must meet several requirements before qualifying for traditional unemployment compensation. But the federal governments $2 trillion economic recovery package extends unemployment benefits to more of the jobless, including self-employed workers or independent contractors, among others. The CARES Act expands unemployment benefits to many people who would not otherwise have been covered, Holly McKamey Simoni, the departments workforce programs administrator, said in a statement. This will be a great help to the people of Wyoming. Governor (Mark) Gordon signed the agreement that authorized Wyoming to receive the funds immediately, but we had to wait for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor before building a system from the ground up to administer the funding, she added. Many Wyoming workers who may have been ineligible for traditional unemployment will soon have access to federal emergency benefits. The coronavirus relief bill also increases the amount of compensation available to unemployed workers during the pandemic by $600 per week. The state will distribute this compensation retroactively through March 29 to eligible workers, according to Workforce Services. Whats more, claimants will be able to accept unemployment compensation for 13 more weeks than they typically would have, thanks to the relief package. Thousands of Wyoming residents have found themselves without work as the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic persists. The state received 4,885 new claims for unemployment insurance the week ending April 4. That number does not include the over 10,000 applications the department is still processing from previous weeks. State data shows the number of claims received that week jumped nearly 860 percent compared to the week of March 8. Workforce Services plans to announce the opening of its new system at wyomingworkforce.org. Because of high call volumes and the need for social distancing, the department encourages people to file applications for benefits online at wyui.wyo.gov or call 307-473-3789. Workers filing for unemployment who need a password or PIN reset can now email the department at dwscspui.benefits@wyo.gov. The email should include their name, the last four digits of their social security number and their phone number. Follow the latest on Wyomings energy industry at @camillereports 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. Frances Mc Dormand and Joel Coen (Credit: Silvia Lore/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Joel Coen, one half of the Coen brothers, is planning to make a new movie version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. But this adaptation of the Scottish play will have a twist to it. To be called The Tragedy of Macbeth (Shakespeare's full title), it will star long-time Coen collaborator and the directors wife Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington in the lead roles. McDormand and Cohen took part in a 30-minute interview with Italian director Damiano Michieletto as part of a fundraiser for the Teatro Le Fenice opera house in Venice. Read more: New Pixar movie Soul moved to November Were calling it The Tragedy of Macbeth, which I think is an important distinction. In Joels adaptation, we are exploring the age of the characters and our adaptation the Macbeths are older. Both Denzel [Washington] and I are older than what is often cast as the Macbeths, said McDormand. Were postmenopausal, were past childbearing age. So that puts a pressure on their ambition to have the crown. I think the most important distinction is that it is their last chance for glory. She went on: Something thats very important to me is that they are an older couple and its very important for my performance that they are a childless couple, but that there have been many pregnancies and perhaps child born that have died either in stillbirth or very young. Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington attend the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Denzel Washington (Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI) I think that it is her personal tragedy that fuels her ambition to give her husband the crown because she has not been able to give him an heir. For me, that is the essence of the character. Coen added: Its interesting how Shakespeare sort of pre-figured certain tropes in American thriller and crime literature that were common in the early part of the 20th century, which just had to do with, in crime novels, a story centred around a husband and a wife who plotted a murder. Read more: Casino Royale voted the best Bond movie So thats something that Shakespeare is obviously doing in Macbeth that you see echoes of in crime fiction, in American anyway, in the early part of the 20th century. That kind of fiction I used to read as a kid. I thought it would be interesting to bring certain aspects of that to the production of the movie. Story continues LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: Ray Fearon as Macbeth and Tara Fitzgerald as Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth directed by Iqban Khan at The Globe Theatre on June 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images) The only thing I did, as is common in these adaptations, some more of less, theres a certain amount of editing. But I would say the movie is about 85% of the language in the play. Theres about 15% which has been cut. Another key difference, he added, is that the play's Witches will be voiced by one actor, Kathryn Hunter, and rather than witches, they will birds. As yet the movie, which is being distributed by A24, has no scheduled release date. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said his government welcomes the Prime Minister's decision to extend the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, till May 3, and will strictly implement it in the state. He appealed to the people of the state to voluntarily cooperate with the government to contain the spread of COVID- 19. "I welcome Prime Minister's decision to extend lockdown till May 3. Our government will strictly implement the government of India guidelines which will be issued tomorrow," Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters here, he said the lockdown will be enforced strictly till April 20 and the situation will be closely monitored. "I appeal to the people of Karnataka to voluntarily cooperate with us to contain this disease," he added. The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire on midnight of April 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the pandemic in the country. In a televised address to the nation, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly enforced in coming days to ensure that the virus does not spread to new areas. Making it clear that there was no scarcity of medicines, essential services and goods, Yediyurappa said we will make all efforts to carry out agriculture activities without any hurdle. Appealing to migrant labours to stay wherever they are and be safe, he said, "I once again appeal to all to follow lockdown guidelines without fail. Stay home and be safe." Referring to Prime minister's statement that health care facilities and infrastructure have been improved considerably in the last two months in the country and the state as well, the CM appealed to people to follow seven measures advised by Modi. He sought the support of people in taking care of elders in the house, especially those suffering from chronicle illness, strictly maintaining social distancing; enhancing immunity by following guidelines of Ayush Department, and helping the poor and downtrodden. The CM also asked companies to be considerate of their employees and not to sack them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Paola Luelmo and Estelle Shirbon MADRID/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. coronavirus deaths set a single-day record on Tuesday, a grim milestone as the country debated how to reopen its economy and as Spain and Austria allowed partial returns to work but the UK, France and India extended lockdowns. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that infections had "certainly" not yet peaked. Nearly 2 million people globally have been infected and more than 124,000 have died in the most serious pandemic in a century, according to a Reuters tally. The epicentre has shifted from China, where the virus emerged in December, to the United States, which has now recorded the most deaths. World leaders, in considering easing curbs, have to balance risks to health and to the economy as the lockdowns have strangled supply lines, especially in China, and brought economic activity to a virtual halt. The shutdown is costing the U.S. economy perhaps $25 billion a day in lost output, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said, calling for widespread testing and risk-management strategies so the economy can restart. President Donald Trump, who has declared he will decide when to lift lockdowns, suggested some Democratic state governors were "mutineers" after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would refuse any order that risked reigniting the outbreak. Trump also said he was halting U.S. funding to the WHO, which he criticized for not sharing information in a timely manner to prevent the outbreak. The White House said Trump would hold a video teleconference with leaders from the Group of Seven nations on Thursday to coordinate responses. The global economy is expected to shrink by 3% this year, the International Monetary Fund said, marking the steepest downturn since the Great Depression. The WHO said the number of new cases was tailing off in some parts of Europe, including Italy and Spain, but outbreaks were growing in Britain and Turkey. Story continues "The overall world outbreak - 90% of cases are coming from Europe and the United States of America. So we are certainly not seeing the peak yet," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a briefing in Geneva. But world stocks gained after Chinese trade data came in better than expected and as some countries partly lifted restrictions. Some Spanish businesses, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to resume. Shops, bars and public spaces are to stay closed until at least April 26. Spain was flattening the curve on the graph representing the rate of growth of the outbreak, Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Tuesday. The overnight death toll from the coronavirus rose to 567 on Tuesday from 517 a day earlier, but the country reported its lowest increase in new cases since March 18. Total deaths climbed to 18,056. Some Spanish workers expressed concern that the relaxation of restrictions could trigger a new surge of infections. But for Roberto Aguayo, a 50-year-old Barcelona construction worker, the restart came just in time. "We really needed it. Just when we were going to run out of food, we returned to work," he told Reuters. Italy, which has the world's second-highest death toll at 21,067, maintained some tight restrictions on movement, while Denmark, one of the first European countries to shut down, will reopen daycare centres and schools for children in first to fifth grades on Wednesday. The Czech government will gradually reopen stores and restaurants from next Monday, although people will continue to be required to wear masks. Thousands of shops across Austria reopened on Tuesday, but the government cautioned that the country was "not out of the woods". Austria acted early to shut schools, bars, theatres, restaurants, non-essential shops and other gathering places about four weeks ago. It has told the public to stay home. The Alpine republic has reported 384 deaths in total, fewer than some larger European countries have been suffering each day. Hospitalisations have stabilised. LOCKDOWNS EXTENDED Britain, where the government has come under criticism for its slow approach to testing and for not getting protective equipment to the frontlines of health care, has the fifth-highest death toll globally. The toll in British hospitals rose to 12,107 as of Monday but is expected to be much higher when deaths in the community are included. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said there would be no easing of lockdown measures when they come up for review this week. The Times newspaper said on Tuesday that Raab, deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is recuperating from a COVID-19 infection, would extend the curbs until at least May 7. In France, President Emmanuel Macron on Monday extended a virtual lockdown to May 11. India, the world's second-most populous country after China, extended its nationwide lockdown until May 3 as the number of coronavirus cases crossed 10,000. Neighbours Pakistan and Nepal also extended their curbs. Russia might need to call in the army to help tackle the crisis, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. Moscow warned the capital might run out of hospital beds in coming weeks. China's northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases on Monday - all Chinese citizens travelling back from Russia, state media said. As of Tuesday, China had reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. There were no deaths in the past 24 hours. Health ministers from the Group of 20 major economies will speak by videoconference on Sunday to address the outbreak's impact. (Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in a separate browser for an interactive graphic to track the global spread.) (Reporting from Reuters bureaux across the world; Writing by Nick Macfie, Philippa Fletcher and Lisa Shumaker; Editing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Mark Potter and Peter Cooney) Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK The National Cabinet will discuss lifting Australia's coronavirus restrictions for the first time on Thursday - as the Federal Government prepares to roll out a mobile app it believes could bring the country out of lockdown but which has raised privacy concerns. The rate of coronavirus transmission in Australia is slowing, with latest figures showing more people are recovering from the illness than are battling it for the first time since the pandemic struck the country. Some 6,400 Australians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and more than half of them have recovered. Sixty-two people have died. This apparent 'flattening' of the coronavirus infection curve has raised hopes Australians could return to their normal lives sooner rather than later. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with the National Cabinet on Thursday to discuss reopening the economy Rules rolled out in March have helped flatten the curve of coronavirus infections in Australia Some 6,400 Australians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and more than half of them have recovered. Sixty-two people have died in total State and federal leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss when restrictions on travel and gatherings of people can be relaxed. Scott Morrison has stressed that a premature relaxation of all restrictions risked a rise in infections, but said the government was ready to discuss plans to gradually re-open the economy. 'That's what we're working on as a National Cabinet,' he said on Tuesday. '[Today] we will be considering further plans about how we can chart that way back to get the economy operating at a much higher level than it is now so it can support people's incomes.' Treasury modelling shows Australia's unemployment rate is expected to nearly double to 10 per cent because of the pandemic. It had been slated to reach as high as 15 per cent without government measures that had cost over $300 billion. Mr Morrison said 'a lot of scientific work' was being put into the plan and the government was also looking at measures being taken by other countries. Mr Morrison said a lot of 'scientific work' is going into plans for the next phase of coronavirus measures Australia has made significant progress in the fight against coronavirus, with a clear flattening of the curve on the graph that measures the daily infection rate 'So we are hopeful that at some point we can move from the phase we are currently in, to a new phase, but I do want to caution Australians that we're not in that phase yet we're many weeks away I think from being in a phase like that,' he added. Any easing of restrictions would need to be backed up by a strong health system and even stronger testing and monitoring regime. As part of that, the government is also floating the idea of digital tracking of the individual's movement via mobile phones, as used in Singapore and Taiwan. But chief medical officer Brendan Murphy acknowledged there would have to be community support for such a move. The government is also considering rolling out a mobile app designed to help slow the spread of infection TraceTogether is currently being used in Singapore to help track the spread of the disease. It uses Bluetooth to detect other users in close proximity, with encounters stored on a person's phone The app, which will be optional, will also require at least 40 per cent of the population to be on board for it to be effective, according to the ABC. WHAT AUSTRALIA NEEDS TO DO TO END THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN Scientists at the University of New South Wales said that until a vaccine is available, we have four measures to combat the outbreak. - Identifying every case rapidly with extensive testing, and isolating cases - Tracking and quarantine of contacts - Travel restrictions - Social distancing (including lockdown) to reduce contact (and therefore spread of infection) between people Source: UNSW Advertisement The TraceTogether application is currently being used in Singapore to help track the spread of the disease. Australia has been given the code to develop the surveillance software and it was expected to be rolled out within the next fortnight. TraceTogether uses Bluetooth to detect other users in close proximity, with those encounters stored on a person's data. They then have to share those records with authorities when asked to be part of a tracing investigation. 'We're very keen to use it and use it perhaps even more extensively than Singapore,' Dr Murphy told a New Zealand parliamentary hearing. 'There's a conversation to have with the community about the acceptability of it but we think that idea, the TraceTogether app, is a really excellent one,' he said. Two women walk along Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Easter Monday. Australia's health minister has said 'three elements' must be met before the nationwide coronavirus lockdown can be eased Australians should expect current measures to be in place for the next six months, however it is possible some restrictions could be lifted within that time frame 'We're actively looking at that as part of a measure that might be used to perhaps consider some relaxation of measures.' Early relaxation measures were expected to include allowing an increase in the number of people at gatherings, which would allow offices, restaurants, bars, gyms et cetera to reopen, but among the last measure to be lifted will be restrictions on international travel. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters on Tuesday it's 'unrealistic' to think the border restrictions will be relaxed anytime soon. 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 Health authorities say the pandemic is moving into a containment phase. They want to keep a close eye on possible community transmissions, where new diagnoses aren't linked to known cases or people who have brought the virus back from overseas. Peter Collignon from the Australian National University said the timing of the global pandemic meant the country had dodged the worst of COVID-19. 'If you look at any respiratory virus, they transmit much more readily in winter,' he told AAP on Tuesday. Professor Collignon expects an uptick in coronavirus cases as more people retreat inside and the weather cools. 'All the factors aren't clear but what's beyond doubt is viral infections, respiratory infections are more common in winter and early spring.' He believes rules rolled out since March had helped flatten the curve of coronavirus infections. Australia has shut down its borders, returned visitors have been quarantined, hospitality businesses have been closed and social gatherings dramatically curtailed. 'All those things that are pretty drastic and put a million people out of work, we're going to have to continue mostly till the end of winter,' Professor Collignon said. Funny how you spend your life longing for time to do the things you love and then, when you have it - unexpectedly, abundantly - it's hard to enjoy. I am one of the fortunate ones still employed and able to work from home. Even so, in lockdown, there is a lot more time. There are two hours each day when I'm not commuting. We can't have people around, so the house stays clean. We can't go out. All appointments are cancelled. Sunday morning devoid of church and the associated travel and socialising, is yawningly empty. Take up the piano? Credit:Michele Mossop In ordinary times, the activities I long for more time to indulge in are reading, walking, writing and meditating. I wouldn't mind taking up the piano again too. Not to mention getting more sleep. All solitary activities perfect for a time of plague. But I find myself beset with a kind of lassitude that means it's hard for me to revel in less busyness the way I would like to. I suspect there are several reasons for this. My aunt was tall and slender. Her black hair, already turning gray, was kept in a neat bob that reached her chin. As she was from that mysterious place called the mainland, she wore short white kid gloves to Mass on Sunday. She used a dusting powder from Elizabeth Arden called Blue Grass. There was a prancing horse on the lid of its round box, and its scent mingled with the strong smell of her Chesterfield cigarettes. My mother had been spirited and funny, even mischievous, and I was surprised to discover that despite my aunts appreciation of wit, she was a bit prudish. She would turn away when I changed my clothes in her presence, which was fine with me, but not a gesture to which I was accustomed. I noticed, too, that she was a wary and fretful driver, refusing to make a left-hand turn in an intersection, a habit that added fifteen minutes to any drive, and which lasted for all of the years that I knew her. [ Return to the review of Miss Aluminum. ] There was immediate tension between my aunt and my father, evident in her expression when he appeared to take things too lightly, and in his refusal to acknowledge her disapproval. Her role as caretaker to her dead sisters children was not clearly defined and must have at times caused her to feel like a servant, a role that held a certain shame, given her mothers former employment. My aunts displeasure increased when my father soon began to behave as if he were a bachelor, content to leave his five children, the youngest only two years old, in her dutiful care. He went out to dinner most nights and sometimes returned late, which naturally offended my aunt, who, like me, must have been listening for him. His name was Richard Dixon Moore, a radiologist, forty years old, good-looking and charming, with the distinction and social position then conferred on doctors in small cities and towns. I knew that my father was fond of women, and his recent bereavement did not appear to have lessened his interest. That he had many children at home seemed not to bother anyone but Mary. A neighbor once hinted that my aunt was jealous, but my aunt was so unlike my father, who was pleasure-loving and weak, that even as a child I understood that something as seemingly simple as friendship between them was impossible. It is also likely she blamed him for my mothers death. He would sometimes take me to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on a Sunday night. I would order decorously, a little shyly, even when he encouraged me to try things unknown to me like chicken Kiev or peach melba. His own eating fascinated me. It seemed to me very old-fashioned, habits perhaps inherited from his Quaker ancestorsradishes with butter, cheddar cheese on apple pie, salt on cantaloupe. In anticipation of these evenings, I found a tube of Tangee lipstick at Woolworth, soft orange wax in a flimsy metal tube, which I wore for a dinner concert given by the Kingston Trio at the Royal Hawaiian. It had a very cheap, sweet smell and I dont know how my elegant father tolerated it, but he never said a word, certainly not the compliment I hoped I would receive. I wore one of my full-skirted, tight-waisted Lanz dresses, with a stiff crinoline that scratched pleasantly against my legs. My fathers attention, which had been amiable but distracted before my mothers death, could not have come at a more precarious moment in my life, but I did not know that. There I was in my lovely dress, happy in my prettiness and eager to please my father, yet all the while thinking in a vague, flitting way, Be careful, dont like this too much. You are here because your mother is dead. After one of our Sunday night suppers at the Royal Hawaiian, my father gave me my mothers pearls, and an amethyst ring, large and rectangular, set in gold, known, rather glamorously I thought, as a cocktail ring, with the admonition that I was not to wear it or the necklace until I was older. I once wore the pearls to bed, but I was so afraid that the strands would break that I couldnt sleep, and I never did it again. I was able to wear the ring on my middle finger if I wrapped a Band-Aid around the back of it, but only in my room and at night, my hand heavy with the weight of it. The necklace and the ring were my only souvenirs of my mother, other than a shoebox of photographs that I had taken from my fathers desk and kept hidden under my bed. One day, however, as I left the house, I pushed the ring onto my finger, and then my hand into a pocket of my shorts so that no one would see it. I walked the mile to the bus stop at Lunalilo Home Road where Mr. Silva, the bus driver, stopped for me. We traveled past Kuliouou and Niu Valley and Aina Haina before Mr. Silva handed me my paper transfer and I boarded the bus waiting at the roundabout at Star of the Sea church for the rest of the trip, through Kahala, past Diamond Head and Kapiolani Park into Waikiki. The ride was a pleasant one, the bus plump and jolly like a bus in a cartoon, with open windows and leather seats. My hand was no longer in my pocket, but rested, somewhat awkwardly, wherever I thought someone might notice it, and admire it. I left the bus at Kalakaua Avenue and crossed the street to the Outrigger Canoe Club for my weekly surfing lesson with the beach boy, Rabbit Kekai. I changed into my new white sharkskin two-piece bathing suit and went to meet Rabbit. As I was afraid that I would lose the ring in the water, I asked the man on duty at Beach Services if I could leave it with him. He handed me one of the small brown envelopes people used to hold their keys and money and wrist watches when they were on the beach, and I put the ring inside the envelope and sealed it and wrote my name on it. Rabbit was waiting for me in the water, holding his long wood board with one hand to keep it from floating away. I lay at the front of the board on my stomach, my legs spread, my toes trailing in the water. Rabbit pushed off and slid onto the board behind me, his head just above my bottom, the customary position for students and their teachers. We paddled to the breaking surf, which was rarely very big at Waikiki, and he caught a wave easily, getting to his feet and then lifting me under my arms so that I stood in front of him on the board, seldom falling, until we came to the end of the little wave, when we would again assume our positions and paddle to the break. In late December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases caused by an unknown pathogen was reported in Wuhan, a city of 11 million residents. A novel coronavirus was identified as the etiological agent and human-to-human transmission of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) has been since confirmed. Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is now a global terror. Everybody in the world is worried and scared about it. As there is neither a vaccine nor a specific drug treatment for COVID-19, and a lot of the relevant information about the virus is still unknown, a range of public health (non-pharmaceutical) interventions has been used to control the epidemic. The city of Wuhan was locked down from 23 January 2020. At that time, I was on a tour to the UAE. As a foreign doctor who has lived in China for many years, I immediately cancelled my further plans and returned to Beijing the next day. I had first-hand experience of this war and will share the measures taken by China, which may be categorized as below: Lockdown Prevention is better than cure. China took the appropriate approach to the virus. As there is no vaccine or medicine, the best idea was to isolate all confirmed cases and put all suspected cases under quarantine. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease in China, was totally isolated from rest of the country through a lockdown. With a few exceptions, nobody could enter or leave the city. Daily and emergency essentials such as food and supplies flowed through organized and government-controlled arrangements. Infectious disease care and management facilities were introduced to isolate, monitor and treat positive cases. The wearing of masks in public was encouraged, which played an effective role in preventing the virus. Later, similar measures were also taken in other parts of China, which successfully reduced the spread of the virus. Quick identification and detection Within a week of the emergence of this new unknown virus, China reported its genetic information to the World Health Organization (WHO). In order to control a major epidemic, it is important to have reliable, specific, accurate and fast detection methods to screen infected and non-infected people. There were no test kits available to identify the infected in the early days of the outbreak apart from screening that depended on laboratory nucleic acid sequencing analysis, which is a labor-intensive and costly method. The immediate action taken by Chinese biotech companies in developing detection kits resulted in the first kit being introduced on 13 January. Time management China took the necessary decisions at the right time for the right people. Chinas unprecedented systematic and proactive risk management, based on collaboration between government officials and health experts, has proven to be effective in controlling COVID-19. The risk management response was raised to the highest level in the early days of the outbreak. Health databank A health databank was found to be very effective in controlling the spread of the virus. Each individual was asked to inform their respective authorities of their details including location, body temperature, symptoms, and so on to in order to maintain their health status level on a daily basis, and immediate actions were taken if anyone was found to have clinical symptoms or risk of contracting COVID-19. Electronic recording and tracking systems were established and local response teams were ready 24/7 to handle the identified cases. Moreover, QR Codes were introduced for everyone entering or leaving their locality. The green code allows one to move freely. The yellow code requires a seven-day self-quarantine, while the red code requires a 14-day self-quarantine. Mobilization of resources The government immediately mobilized and allocated resources to manage and monitor the evolving epidemic in a proactive fashion, achieving impressive results. The shortage of protective medical supplies and lack of knowledge about COVID-19 were the main factors causing the large number of healthcare workers to contract the virus in the early weeks of the outbreak in Wuhan. Some 42,000 doctors and nurses were sent to the city to combat the outbreak. Educational institutions such as Peking University and Capital Medical University, where I studied, also sent medical teams to Wuhan. Two new hospitals with over 1,000 beds each were built in less than 10 days in Wuhan. Public participation China continuously provided factual and scientific information to people and led the way in fighting the disease. Clear guidance about the degree and scope of lockdowns was given. Centralized reporting and communication channels were established to keep people informed. Major news outlets provided daily updates on the number of COVID-19 cases. Clinical treatment outcomes, plans to be implemented and guidelines on which procedures to follow were disseminated to the people. Educational institutions have been fully engaged since the beginning of the outbreak. They developed easy-to-understand educational materials for students and the public with information about COVID-19 and how to prevent the disease. Effective implementation Careful planning and clear guidance are very important. All government orders, decisions and guidelines were successfully executed. A tracking system was implemented covering individuals, apartments, houses, communities, organizations, public facilities and city management. In fighting COVID-19, everyone has the same responsibility. The key to success is making everyone responsible, getting every unit involved and holding officials accountable. People also changed their lifestyles in response to the new challenges. Many businesses, organizations, schools and universities such as Peking University and Capital Medical University successfully implemented computer-based online learning using technology, which can serve as models for future development. The victory China successfully utilized robotics and many advanced technologies such as 5G to play a vital role in this war. After months of combatting the virus, China is restarting its economy, reopening schools and returning to normalcy. China may have lost billions of dollars by essentially stopping all business, but in the end, this was a wise decision and the correct action to take. The Wuhan lockdown ended and communications were established again. In short, COVID-19 teaches us the importance of preparedness to prevent and control an infectious disease outbreak as well as to modernize disease control and prevention around the world. Dr. Nazmus Sakib is a Bangladeshi pediatrician, received his MBBS and MD at Capital Medical University, and has worked at Beijing Childrens Hospital. He is currently a PhD Fellow at Peking University First Hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his address to the nation that the lockdown will be extended till May 3. Not only did the Prime Minister announce the extension of nationwide lockdown, he also asked Indians to cooperate in the fight against coronavirus. The Prime Minister spoke of seven ways to cooperate. "If we Indians will keep patience and follow the rules, then we can defeat the coronavirus pandemic. With this faith, towards the end, I am asking your support on 7 points," he said. Here's the 7-point appeal made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi: 1. As coronavirus is more common among people with weak immunity and senior citizens, PM has appealed to the citizens to take 'extra care' of senior citizens in their family, especially those who suffer from diseases. 2. Prime Minister urged the people to comply with the restrictions enforced during the lockdown as "Social distancing and lockdown have given India a major benefit". 3. Apart from taking special care of senior citizens, he urged the people to adopt guidelines issued by the Ayush Ministry to boost immunity. 4. He requested the people to download the Aarogya Setu App launched by the central government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. PM also urged the people to convince their fellow citizens to download this app. The Aarogya Setu App is available both on Google Play Store and Apple App store. 5. Apart from appealing Indians to follow Ayush guidelines to increase immunity and to respect the frontlline workers, the Prime Minister also appealed to them to "Help the poor within their means and fulfill their basic needs such as food." 6. He also asked businessmen and companies to not terminate their employees in this time of crisis. 7. In this appeal, the Prime Minister has urged the people to respect 'corona warriors', i.e, doctors, nurses, sweepers and police officers on ground. As of April 14, 08:00 am, the total number of coronavirus cases in India stands at 10,363. Out of these, 8,988 are active cases and 339 people have died due to novel coronavirus. According to the Health Ministry data, 1,035 people have been cured or discharged and 1 patient has migrated. INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic Also read: PM Modi's speech on coronavirus lockdown: 9 key highlights Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India enters lockdown 2.0 as COVID-19 cases cross 10,000 mark BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Germanys BASF company aims to grow in Azerbaijans petrochemicals industry, Tolga Baysinop, BASF Azerbaijan LLC, Managing Director told Trend. "In 2020, we aim to grow in petrochemicals industry and by this way we would be playing a role in the development of non-oil sector. For non-oil sector, affordable and high quality raw materials are key to produce successful end products. As BASF we have plans to supply products to food & beverage, human nutrition, pharmaceuticals, textile, automotive sectors which attracted significant investments in recent years," he said. The managing director noted that currently, BASF has contracts with customers in agriculture and petrochemical sectors in Azerbaijan. "These sectors were developed significantly in the recent years. As BASF, we have a deep expertise in agriculture industry not only in products but also supporting farmers to safeguard their harvest and increase their yield. We are glad that we can present this expertise to Azerbaijani farmers," he said. As for the companys operations with lower oil prices, Baysinop said that BASF assumes an average oil price of $60 per barrel Brent crude oil for 2020. "The current weakness in oil prices leads to a reduction in prices for key raw materials, which could positively impact earnings. The extent will depend on how long these lower oil prices will last as well as supply and demand for chemicals," added the managing director. BASF portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Selling a home can be a headache. It often takes longer and costs more than you think, and it can be an emotional drain. Thats in normal times. Selling a home during a pandemic will add a slew of new safety concerns to the mix. But even during the COVID-19 crisis, real estate transactions are moving forward. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently classified real estate as an essential service, although local laws might affect what's allowed and might ban certain activities like open houses. (Be sure to check what's OK in your area.) Suffice it to say, many sellers are still listing their homes, and buyers are still buying, too. Yet selling a home during a pandemic is new for everyone. And were here to offer guidance through our series Home Selling in the Age of Coronavirus. This second installment of the series offers insight into how sellers and real estate agents are adapting to the COVID-19 outbreak to make selling a home as safe as possible. Heres an overview of some of the new processes. Virtual showings could be the new norm Selling a home during a pandemic or uncertain market definitely left some of our sellers unsure on what they want to do, says Ressie Krabacher, a residential broker with the Chicago Home Partner team of At Properties. We do have sellers who do need to sell now, and we have implemented safety protocols and plan to take the necessary precautions to protect them. For instance? Eye-catching photos and video have long been a must for any home listing, but thats more important than ever now, since so many people are sheltering in place at home and likely house hunting online. These days, sellers are taking their listings up a notch by offering virtual tours of their homes to drive interest among buyers and provide a more in-depth glimpse of the property. Sellers love virtual tours because typically what would be the inconvenience of leaving the residence for 20 to 30 minutes to allow potential buyers access now have the opportunity to allow them access without having to leave, says Michelle Mumoli, CEO of the Mumoli Group, a residential and commercial sales and leasing firm in Hoboken, NJ. Doing a virtual tour reduces the number of in-person visits to only those who are truly interested, says Angela Hornburg, team leader at the Hornburg Real Estate Group in Dallas. We are using virtual tours to pre-qualify interest to ensure that potential buyers don't tour a home and say they didn't like the flooring in person or something small like that, Hornburg says. Agents are taking extra precautions for in-person showings Open houses with large groups of people are mostly canceled for now, but many buyers still want to view a home in person before making an offer. Sellers, however, may worry about having strangers in their homes. So, in places where face-to-face showings are still happening, real estate agents are taking some extra steps to protect homeowners and only allowing them in on a case-by-case basis. This is not a time for looky-loos, says Mumoli, who is limiting in-person showings to buyers with loan pre-approval letters. Along with a pre-approval, Hornburg says she makes sure the potential buyer has viewed the virtual home tour and the sellers property disclosure statement before being allowed in. We also have delivered showing kits to our listings that contain sanitizer, booties, and gloves for people to use during the showing, Hornburg says. Before a home showing, she advises sellers to clean and disinfect high-touch areas, like countertops and doorknobs, and to leave lights on and doors, closets, and cabinets open to limit what visitors need to touch. And, put a sign on the front door requesting people viewing the home to take off their shoes. Also, make hand sanitizer and soap available with signs encouraging hand-washing. Once the showing is over, clean and disinfect thoroughly to lower your exposure risk to whatever the buyers may have brought in with them. Inspections and appraisals may not need in-person contact Home sellers usually have to allow the home buyer's inspectors and appraisers into their homes before the real estate deal can go forward. But, these days, social distancing orders are allowing many inspections and appraisals to be done with minimal contact. National home inspection company HomeMaster, for instance, now asks sellers to stay secluded in part of the home away from the inspector. Inspectors are also following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, with buyers wearing booties, masks, and gloves, and sellers wiping down everything with disinfectant wipes when the potential buyers leave. If the lender allows it, appraisals can be done by driving by the home, or viewing photos of the property, so the appraiser never has to set foot in the home. So be sure to ask whether such options are acceptable in your area. A remote closing may be possible Remote home closings have been an option for buyers and sellers in some states even before the COVID-19 crisis. But, theres a push to expand this practice nationwide. Currently, 23 states have remote online notarization policies, allowing a notary and signer to execute electronic documents while in different physical locations. The National Association of Realtors recently sent a letter to Congress asking lawmakers to expand the policies nationally to make real estate transactions safer and easier during the pandemic. The ability to close remotely also depends on the buyers lender, and some dont have the technology to offer a fully virtual closing or work with buyers in states that dont allow them, says Tendayi Kapfidze, chief economist at LendingTree. This is definitely a hot topic right now, he says. Most lenders are working toward trying to make this happen, lobbying to get laws in place to allow this, and focusing on how they can make mobile closings with notaries more safe. If remote closing is possible, title companies prepare the required documents and mail, and then email or upload them to a portal. The title company verifies personal information and identification by video, and the documents are signed electronically. Another option is using a mobile notary, who travels to a buyer or sellers home or workplace to complete the closing to limit in-person contact, Hornburg says. Weve had one done this way so far and saw the notary wearing a mask, booties, gloves, and she opened up new pen packs for the sellers to sign with, she says. They also sat 6 feet apart. Social distancing is also affecting in-person closings. To limit contact, only the parties signing are allowed at the closing these days, says Maggie Wells, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty Greater Lexington in Kentucky. Closings are starting to be delayed because people are limiting in-person contact and working from home. Selling a home during the pandemic is an adjustment for everyone, but Wells says buyers, sellers, and agents are working together to make transactions run as smoothly as possible. I'm not sugarcoating anything or making guarantees to sellers, she says. I just let them know everyone is taking every precaution possible. The post How Do You Sell a Home Safely During the COVID-19 Crisis? Here Are the Steps To Take appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/13/2020 -- Advance Market Analytics recently introduced Global Oral Care Products Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2025. Global Oral Care Products effective study on varied sections of Industry like opportunities, size, growth, technology, demand and trend of high leading players. It also provides market key statistics on the status of manufacturers, a valuable source of guidance, direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Major Key Players in This Report Include: Johnson & Johnson (United States), ToiletTree Products, Inc. (United States), Colgate-Palmolive (United States), Dr. Fresh Inc (United States), Amway (United States), Procter & Gamble (United States), Unilever NV (United KIngdom), GlaxoSmithKline (United KIngdom), Jordan AS (Norway), Sunstar Suisse S.A. (Switzerland) Our new sample is updated which correspond in new report showing impact of COVID-19 on Industry. The global pandemic of Covid19 calls for redefining of business strategies. This report includes the impact analysis necessary for the same. Taking into account rapidly changing economic conditions, Analyst of AMA has estimated best and worst-case scenarios for global growth till 2025. Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/17556-global-oral-care-products-market-1 The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the market's competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Oral Care Products market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities. Brief Overview on Oral Care Products: Increasing awareness about dental hygiene and the rising prevalence of dental caries among patients are driving the Global Oral Care Products market. Oral Care Products includes various Oral health product which is an important aspect for overall human health and well-being. There are different oral care products available in the market like gels, pastes, and powder as toothpaste, deep clean, daily clean, tongue cleaning, whitening, and massaging as total mouth cleaning techniques which are aiding to the growth of the market. Poor oral hygiene can lead to oral diseases such as dental cavities, gum diseases, and it can lead to Oral cancer, Diabetes and heart diseases too. Oral hygiene is leading to a shift from traditional products to innovative Appliances, Formulations, and Implements are some of the factors driving the Global Oral Care Products. Electric oral care products are used to maintain oral Hygiene. Most of the products use a battery to store electricity and possess advanced functionality as compared to their traditional counterparts. Market Drivers: - Increasing oral problems among children due to poor eating habits - Innovation in technology leading to new products like electronic toothbrush Market Trends: - Increasing Demand for Electric flossers Due to its Advanced Features of Preventing Plaque Formation Market Restraints: - Side effects from oral care products leading to oral mucosa damage is restraining this market - Economic slowdown leading to less purchase of oral products by customers Competitive Landscape: Mergers & Acquisitions, Agreements & Collaborations, New Product Developments & Launches, Business overview & Product Specification for each player listed in the study. The Global Oral Care Products Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below: by Type (Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Flosses, Teeth Whitening Products, Oral Deodorization, Other), Application (Dental Clinics, Home Care), Distribution Channel (Offline, Online), Oral Imaging (Oral X-ray, Dental CBCT, Dental Optical Imaging, Other Oral Imaging Types) Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc. In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Oral Care Products Market are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2018 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025 For Early Buyers | Get Up to 20% Discount on This Premium @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/17556-global-oral-care-products-market-1 What benefits does AMA research studies provides: - Supporting company financial and cash flow planning - Open up New Markets - To Seize powerful market opportunities - Key decision in planning and to further expand market share - Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis - Assisting in allocating marketing investments Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Oral Care Products Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Oral Care Products market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Oral Care Products Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Oral Care Products Chapter 4: Presenting the Oral Care Products Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Oral Care Products market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions. Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/17556-global-oral-care-products-market-1 Key questions answered - Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Oral Care Products market? - What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Oral Care Products market? - What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Oral Care Products market? - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors? **Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. Monday, April 13, 2020 at 11:19PM Photo by Tofros.com from Pexels One of the critical questions Google needed to answer about the COVID-19 contact tracing system it was co-developing with Apple is how it would deploy the technology to its devices. The company has since confirmed that it will use Google Play Services infrastructure to make this happen. It guarantees that more Android phones will receive the capability promptly since full operating system updates are unfortunately fraught with delays from both carriers and manufacturers. Releasing the system on Google Play Services also means it will be available on handsets running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or above. According to Google, the update system will be used for both phases of the Bluetooth contact tracing framework, which starts with the initial API rollout expected next month and then with the release of the APIs built into the OS arriving in the "coming months." Another hurdle Google has to deal with is that there's a massive set of Android phones that don't have access to Google Play Services. These include Android phones in China, especially Huawei devices, which have restrictions imposed on them by the US government that won't allow them to add Google services to their devices. Google plans to publish a framework that these companies can adopt to replicate the secure, anonymous tracking system that the company, along with Apple, are developing. But then, it will be up for Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese manufacturers to decide whether they will use the system. It isn't clear, though, if the system will be open-sourced, but Google said that it will offer code audits to companies looking to adopt a similar system. Source: The Verge New Delhi: Migrant labourers mostly from Bihar and West Bengal took to the streets in Mumbai on Tuesday (April 14, 2020) to protest against the coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown extension in India. The labourers in thousands gathered near the Bandra bus stand in Mumbai to show their disagreement with the nationwide extension till May 3 and demanded permission to return to their home states as they allege of facing problems in getting food, essential items amid the complete lockdown in the country. Pranay Ashok, DCP PRO, Mumbai Police said, "Around 1,500 people had gathered in Bandra to go to their homes, and while talking about the situation with the labourers, some of them got aggressive. For this, we had to use light force and the crowd was removed, now the situation is back to normal in the area." The daily-wage workers have been the worst affected people due to the coronavirus crisis in the country. Their source of income has come to zero since March 24, when the Indians were restricted to their homes to maintain social distancing and stop the spread of the global pandemic. Even though there have been several arrangements by the official authorities and various NGOs to help the migrants during this crisis, the labourors want to go back to their native places and reunite with their families. Maharashtra's Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted about the incident and said, "The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home." The son of present CM of Maharashtra also said, "Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the State had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray Ji raised this issue in the PM- CM Video Conf as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home" Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the State had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji raised this issue in the PM- CM Video Conf as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) April 14, 2020 He added, "A mutual road map set by Union Govt will largely help migrant labour to reach home from one state to another safely and efficiently. Time and again this issue has been raised with the centre." "The law and order situation in Surat, Gujarat, largely has been seen as a similar situation and the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar. Many are refusing to eat or stay in. Currently more than 6 lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maharashtra," said Aaditya Thackeray. The law and order situation in Surat, Gujarat, largely has been seen as a similar situation and the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar. Many are refusing to eat or stay in. Currently more than 6 lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maha. Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) April 14, 2020 Congressman Sanjay Nirupam also attacked the central government and said, "What is happening in Bandra had to happen. Because they are not getting food. They have been stopped from returning to thier villages. After all, how long will it be closed in the aviary? Government reliefs are just paper figures. How many people can any government feed free food and for how long? Is there no other option?" , ? ? ? Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) April 14, 2020 Earlier on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation to announce the extension by 19 more days till May 3 to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The countrywide complete lockdown that was officially imposed on March 24 for three weeks was supposed to end today, but the PM's third address to the nation during the COVID-19 crisis, made it even longer for such labourers across India to go back to their native places. As of 5 PM IST on Tuesday, India has reported over 10,815 COVID-19 positive cases and has seen around 353 deaths. COLUMBUS, Ohio As Ohio elections officials have begun processing mail-in voting applications for the states extended primary election, theyre seeing some common mistakes causing delays in ballots being turned around. The applications must include the voters name, the type of ballot they want Republican, Democrat, issues-only, etc. and personal information like address, date of birth and drivers license number or last four digits of their social security number. If someone makes a mistake, and the county elections board has their contact information on file, elections workers are allowed to call or email and get the correct information, under guidance issued by Secretary of State Frank LaRose. But the ballots must also have a signature a common mistake, elections officials said something that cant be fixed over the phone. Time is of the essence. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by April 27, or physically dropped off at a county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on April 28, for them to count, under the elections plan Ohio lawmakers approved after Gov. Mike DeWine canceled in-person voting scheduled for March 17. Voters who previously have cast early ballots dont need to vote again. We certainly appreciate that voting by mail is new to a lot of Ohioans, and mistakes are going to be made in the short time frame provided us, said Maggie Sheehan, a LaRose spokeswoman. Thats why weve provided the flexibility and tools necessary so county boards of elections can quickly respond to voters when there are issues, and help those who may not fulfilled all the necessary requirements." State officials are providing postage-paid ballots to anyone who requests one. But voters are on their own to find a way to obtain an application, which must be signed and returned to their county boards of elections, a process that most commonly will involve finding a stamp and envelope and mailing it in. Anthony Perlatti, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, described one common scenario through which some voters have failed to sign their applications after misunderstanding how to use a website set up by LaRoses office that generates a PDF ballot application. The site directs users to complete required fields like name, date of birth, etc. and then uses the information to create a custom document that can be printed off, signed and mailed in. But some Perlatti estimated more than 100 have just hit print in their browser and mailed in what amounts to a multiple-page screen shot of the website. That means theres no signature, he said. In some conversations with some of my colleagues in other counties, theyre seeing the same thing, he said. So it doesnt seem unique to people only in Cuyahoga County. Obviously, we notice it right away We go ahead and place another application in the mail, he said. Still, he said the problem can set voters back three to five days, depending on the post office. LaRoses office has modified its website to try to make it more clear that voters, after filling in all the fields, must scroll to the bottom of the page and click Download and print. Theyve also added a section that allows voters to bypass printing and request that a ballot application be mailed to them receiving about 160,000 requests so far. Some voters, Perlatti said, have mailed in hand-written forms, something state officials have recommended voters to consider if they dont have access to a printer. But some have either forgotten signatures, or forgotten to include legal language identifying themselves as a qualified elector, he said. (Note: In addition to name, date of birth, the election date and other information, the applications must literally include the statement Im a qualified elector.) Another common problem is some voters forget to check whether they want a partisan ballot Republican, Democrat, etc. or nonpartisan ballot, according to Carol Lawler, director of the Medina County Board of Elections. Thats always a big problem, and Im hearing thats the case right now with this one, said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. Thats something that elections officials are allowed to call voters and try to clear up. But if they dont have contact information on file, they mail a new form and inform voters there was an error in processing their application. Lawler said her office is swamped with requests, and staff have been contacting voters to fix application problems. She recommended that voters who still want a ballot application visit the county board of elections website, call or email them. A complete list of contact information for county board of elections offices can be found here. https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/elections-officials/county-boards-of-elections-directory/ We are hoping to get this information out and save time that can be spent on getting the ballots out, Lawler said. Soon our focus will be on processing all the voted ballots that will be submitted to the BOE for counting." Perlatti estimated Cuyahoga County has received more than 50,000 applications. Thats a lot of mail-in voting happening at once, but still just a fraction of the roughly 200,000-plus who would have voted in person, he said. Were definitely nowhere near that number, he said. But people are definitely engaged. Theyre still interested, and theyre still asking for ballots. Read this story for more information on how to vote absentee in Ohio: If you have more questions about the rules for the election, read this detailed Q&A from cleveland.com, check out this mailing from the Ohio Secretary of State, or visit www.voteohio.gov. Read other recent related coverage: Cuyahoga County will begin mailing absentee ballots soon for the delayed primary election. Heres how to get one. Heres how to vote in Ohios vote-by-mail wrap-up to its 2020 primary election: Q&A Ohio lawmakers sets all-mail primary election through April 28 Viewers got a glimpse of Stacey Hampton's modest suburban home on Married At First Sight this year. But this week, the mother-of-two shocked her loyal fans when she gave them another glimpse inside her Adelaide abode in a new video on her fledgling YouTube channel. In the video, the 26-year-old showed off her cluttered bathroom sink and messy living room. Home: Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has given fans a look inside her humble Adelaide home (pictured) Like any busy mum's living area, Stacey's lounge room was filled with various items, like an empty juice bottle, children's toys and two baby bouncers. Despite the aspiring lawyer's passion for wealth and luxury, her home is a fairly standard suburban house. However, the blonde beauty has attempted to add some designer flair to the brown brick residence by decorating the place with photography books from Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Clutter: In a YouTube video, the 26-year-old showed off her cluttered bathroom sink To ensure that the designer brands are noticed by all, Stacey placed the Chanel book in the middle of her living room coffee table. The blonde bombshell has become notorious for flaunting her wealth and designer goods on social media. Just last week, she happily showed off her $7,000 Rolex watch and Louis Vuitton bag collection, worth a cool $7,800. She also revealed that her favourite perfume is Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford, which costs $480 for a 100ml bottle. Mum life! Like any busy parent's living area, Stacey's lounge room was filled with toys and other items Stairway to heaven! The aspiring lawyer kept a number of items stuffed underneath her staircase The reality star also drives a $90,000 Range Rover Velar and boasts a $20,000 designer shoe collection. In March, Married At First Sight fans slammed Stacey after she admitted she wanted to be a 'trophy wife.' However, she has slammed the show's portrayal of her, insisting she is financially secure herself and doesn't need anybody else's money. Out the back: The doting mother-of-two also briefly showed off her backyard area Stacey inherited a significant sum of money from her father and brother's estates following their deaths several years ago. She put the money into a family trust, which she later used to start several business ventures in South Australia. 'I had my own financial stability [before MAFS] with more than Michael could have provided,' Stacey said recently, hitting back at claims she's a 'gold digger.' Designer flair! Stacey attempted to add a luxury twist to her living area with a Chanel book placed on the coffee table Good living: Stacey's kitchen looked elegant when it was featured on an episode of MAFS (pictured) this season While Stacey currently calls Adelaide home, she could be headed for the bright lights of Hollywood soon. On Monday, the mother-of-two raised eyebrows by uploading a photo of herself looking stylish on the streets of Sydney, captioned: 'Hey, come waste your time with me in California.' The glamorous blonde's caption was a direct quote from Bryce Vine's hit song La La Land, but many fans wondered whether Stacey was hinting she's planning to launch a Hollywood career. Bag lady! Stacey loves to show off her designer handbags and accessorises on Instagram If the busty blonde does decide to follow the bight lights of LA, she will have to wait until the coronavirus pandemic ends and international travel bans are lifted. Thanks to her large social media following, Stacey could easily launch a career as a professional Instagram model and work from anywhere in the world. She currently boasts 193,000 followers, and has already tagged fashion brands and a cosmetic surgery clinic in her posts, indicating that she may already be sharing sponsored content. The wife of NRL star Tim Lafai has spoken out after he was hit with an AVO for allegedly punching several walls in their home. The alleged incident at the St George Illawarra Dragons centre's home south of Wollongong on Good Friday came after an argument with his wife Jacqui. The 28-year-old has since checked himself into hospital where he is seeking help for mental health issues. He has not been charged. There is also no suggestion Lafai was physically violent towards his wife or their four children. Jacqui has opened up about the incident in a post on Instagram where she described Lafai as a 'loving husband and wonderful father'. Dragons star Tim Lafai was issued with apprehended violence order following a verbal argument with his wife Jacqui (pictured together) on Friday. No charges have been laid Jacqui has spoken out after he was hit with an AVO for allegedly punching several walls in their home (Both pictured) 'I feel its important that everyone understands that this is a mental health issue and has nothing to do with domestic violence,' her post read. 'The police and ambulance came only for Tims safety and welfare. He is a loving husband, and wonderful and patient father to our beautiful babies. 'I am so proud of him for seeking help despite knowing this would cause him personal pain and media scrutiny. He did that because he put his family first. 'It hurts us all to see the media community attack him when he was at his most vulnerable. Perhaps that is why it has taken him so long to confront his mental health wellbeing and reach out for professional support. 'He is in the right place and will be home with us in no time.' Police will allege when officers arrived around 1pm, Lafai's wife Jacqui told them the pair had a verbal disagreement over him wanting to train in his home gym with a friend rather than spend time with his children, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Jacqui has opened up about the incident in a post on Instagram, where she described Lafai as a 'loving husband and wonderful father' The 28-year-old has since checked himself into hospital where he is seeking help for mental health issues (Pictured is Lafai with his wife) Police also allegedly spoke to Lafai, who told them he was going downstairs to 'release some frustration', the publication reported. Police returned to the home a hour later following reports Lafai was allegedly 'smashing up his house and being aggressive.' He was found on the back verandah with red marks on his forehead and his knuckles covered in blood. 'Officers from the Lake Illawarra command were called to a home in Warrawong following a concern of welfare report,' a NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. Tim Lafai (pictured) was taken to hospital for treatment after he allegedly punched holes into walls at his home 'A 28-year-old man was located lying in the backyard of the home and was taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment for a hand injury.' 'Police were told the man had allegedly become aggressive after a domestic-related argument with a 27-year-old woman in the home, before he allegedly punched a number of walls throughout the house.' Lafai was issued with an apprehended violence order after he was later discharged from hospital. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The execution of the national ID system could have helped speed up the government's aid distribution amid the continuing lockdown brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said in his address late Monday night. Duterte said the public should not blame the government because leftist groups stood in the way of its implementation. "Yung national ID, makatulong kaya lang ayaw 'yung mga left, kaya kita mo ngayon wala tayong ID system until now," he said. [Translation: The national ID could have helped but the left did not like the idea, that's why we don't have an ID system until now.] "'Wag kayo magturo sa gobyerno. Gusto namin may ID, maniwala naman kayo sa left, sa komunista, eh 'di bahala kayo, 'yan ang problema," Duterte added. [Translation: Don't point fingers at the government. We wanted to have an ID, if you believe in the leftist groups, the communists, it's up to you, that's the problem.] Duterte also defended Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista from criticisms on his slow distribution of cash aid to 18 million low-income households, three weeks after the Bayanihan to Heal as One law was enacted. Duterte said the Commission on Elections has a list that could help identify potential beneficiaries but "flying voters" only contribute to the problem of distribution as they cannot be located. "We are distributing to 18 million low income families. Ang problem ngayon (The problem now is), everybody wants to have it, too. After a reevaluation or revalidation at malaman na namin (and we get the findings), I'm sure Secretary Bautista can act immediately," the President said. Duterte signed Republic Act 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act of 2018, which requires all Filipinos to personally register with the Philippine ID system. Under the law, all citizens will have a single official identification card that integrates and interconnects various government-issued IDs. 'Do not use the Left as scapegoat for delay in aid' Meanwhile, leftist lawmakers of the Makabayan bloc noted that the problem lies in the lack of urgency and comprehensive analysis of data among government agencies which have caused the delay in the distribution of cash subsidy to those who need it the most. "Pinondohan na ito ng bilyon bilyon. Hindi ito ang dahilan kung bakit bigo at kulang pa rin ang ayuda sa ating mga kabuhayan. Ang dahilan ay kakulangan ng komprehensibo at malinaw na plano sa mga national government agencies," said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, who earlier warned against the implementation of the national ID system law. [Translation: This was already funded by billions. This is not the reason why the government failed in providing enough aid for our means of livelihood. The reason lies in the lack of comprehensive and clear plan among national agencies.] Zarate earlier warned that the national ID system would not only violate the public's right to privacy, but would also threaten the country's sovereignty. Meanwhile, ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro shared the same sentiment and noted that the government is only "looking for ways to cover its inefficiency" in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Senate President Vicente Sotto III, on the other hand, said that he will call on the Senate to conduct investigation on the delayed implementation of the national ID system. Last Sunday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases excluded from the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine the officials of the Philippine Statistics Authority in order for them to conduct data gathering for the enforcement of the national ID system. Officials earlier said the printing of the ID cards will cost at least 3.4 billion and they are expected to be distributed by 2022. In recent weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsoms daily news briefings have helped Californians and the world become better acquainted with his preferred vocabulary. California, the nations largest state, will, he has assured, meet this moment. Newsom has vowed that his administration will marshal resources, in real time. But none of the governors linguistic tics have generated as much debate as his repeated use of the term nation-state. On March 15, for instance, he described California as such in explaining the challenges of developing a plan for school closures that addressed the huge range of districts. We have to meet the needs of all our diverse communities, he said, in a nation-state with 6-plus million children. And April 7, he told MSNBC that a huge deal to buy personal protective equipment for workers across the state, including 200 million masks per month, was made possible by Californias enormous purchasing power as you guessed it a nation-state. He said that efforts to get enough equipment through the federal government werent moving quickly enough. Its not a cheap shot; at the end of the day, they dont have the masks at the national stockpile, Newsom said. We decided, enough of the small ball. On Monday, states and governors announced alliances outside the federal government, and they are pushing back against President Donald Trumps insistence that he has total authority over the decision to lift sheltering orders in the states. So the repeated suggestion that California is in some way its own nation is touching nerves and prompting concerns about the future of American federalism. But its far from new, William Deverell, a history professor at the University of Southern California focusing on California and the West, told me. California, of course, has always held a unique position within the United States and hasnt been shy about it. While California isnt unusual among states in that its first residents were Native Americans who were violently removed from their land by Europeans, its geography and its long history under Spanish and Mexican control have made California distinct. Briefly, in 1846, a group of American settlers rebelled against Mexican authorities and declared a Republic of California. In September 1850, California became a state. The historian in me wants to go back to the days of the Gold Rush, and the notion that California was so far beyond the reaches of the union itself, Deverell said. More recently, in the late 1960s, California pushed for many of the environmental regulations that would eventually become federal law. And during the AIDS crisis, Californians activism was far ahead of the federal government, he said. Still, in the Trump era, the divide between Californias leaders and the federal government has become wider and more explicit, and the response to the pandemic has made it even more stark. The union is set up with this glorious tension, Deverell said. Newsoms description of California as a nation-state is a recognition of that tension, which has been exacerbated in recent years by the blueness of California and the redness of the administration. Still, the question of whether California is a nation-state doesnt have a clear answer, said Henry Brady, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. California is a state. California is not a sovereign country. But whether its a nation is complicated, Brady wrote in a brief memo to me. A nation is an imagined community of people that typically share a language, territory, religion or culture, he wrote. But there are exceptions, and furthermore, Californias embrace of diversity itself constitutes a kind of shared culture. Brady wrote that there is nothing wrong with using nation-state colloquially, if you also allow that states like Texas or New York could claim the same. Nevertheless, he cited the viscount James Bryce, a British historian, who wrote in 1887 that California is a state on which I dwell the more willingly because it is in many respects the most striking in the whole Union, and has more than any other the character of a great country, capable of standing alone in the world. Newsom on Monday said he favored the term because it adds a sense of scale and scope, when youre describing a state that has the worlds fifth-largest economy, and a population thats larger than roughly 20 other states combined. He didnt say how the conception of California as a nation-state is shaping its relationship with the federal government but said he believed that people had been a little literal in their interpretations of his language. Newsom said that California is a place defined by its bounty of resources and culture and by its resistance to one size fits all governance. So describing the Golden State as something more than another united state is a point of pride. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference, detailing EU efforts to limit the economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, at EU headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AP European governments are being urged by the EU to coordinate their plans to exit lockdowns, including giving each other advance warning before restrictions are released. According to an internal paper seen by the Financial Times newspaper, the European Commission wants governments to give each other advanced warning of plans including to relax border controls and reopen shops. The Commission is reported to have circulated a four-page document on Monday urging a common approach. Austria and Denmark have already begun to loosen their Covid-19 lockdown regimes and more member states are set to follow. Brussels was on the sidelines in the initial phase of the Covid-19 outbreak as national governments rushed to contain individual outbreaks. The European Union came close to "tearing itself apart" as individual member states implemented sometimes conflicting Covid-19 lockdowns, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. The Commission paper says exit from lockdown should be gradual, with a one-month gap between different steps given that their effect can only be measured over time. Bhopal, April 14 : At a time when the whole country is struggling against the deadly coronavirus, opportunists don't want to let go of any chance to make money. And a large number of these allegedly come from the mediators whom the government and companies contact to spend funds for public welfare. The government and donors are busy helping the needy during the coronavirus pandemic. Many big companies are resorting to intermediaries to provide relief to the people but these middlemen are reportedly trying to take advantage of this opportunity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the country-wide lockdown on March 25. The lockdown lasted for 21 days before being extended. The month of March marks the end of the financial year and many NGOs were required to spend the money given by donors for various projects by March 31. But they had money left over, which could not be spent on the schemes. So they asked the donor agency to allow the remaining amount to be spent to help the corona victims and the donor agency agreed. During the period of the lockdown, in just six days from March 26 to 31, these NGOs were very active and appeared to help the needy. Social activist Manish Rajput said that "Even in this time of crisis, many people associated with NGOs and government staff are finding a way to benefit. They have nothing to do with the troubled people, they just care for their own benefit. That's why although the corona affected people received unprecedented help, but in April only a few people opted to help." Both the Central and state governments have prepared an action plan to help the affected people. Many NGOs want their share in this scheme and are promoting themselves as the biggest advocates of the society by declaring themselves as experts. They are questioning the governments, their effort is that the governments should hand over the work to them. Amulya Nidhi of the Public Health Organization does not rule out that "any disaster is an accident for someone, an opportunity for someone. If the victim takes decades to stand up, opportunists get a better chance. So, it is government's responsibility to play a role and not to let the so-called social workers come into the ambit. In the name of helping the coronavirus affected people, many people benefit, but it should not be done." According to experts, there is a glut of NGOs everywhere who do not fail to declare themselves as experts in various fields . Along with the government schemes, they also get schemes from various donating agencies and for this they get crores of rupees. But there is no account of what happens on the ground or how much the affected people get from the scheme, because we do not have the tradition of social audit. (Sundeep Pouranik can be contacted at sundeep.p@ians.in) What is the origin of the famous interstellar object 'Oumuamua? How was it formed and where did it come from? An article published on April 13 in Nature Astronomy by ZHANG Yun from National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) and Douglas N. C. Lin from University of California, Santa Cruz, offers a first comprehensive answer to this mystery, which involves tidal forces like those felt by Earth's oceans and explains all of the unusual characteristics of this interstellar object. 'Oumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017, by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS1) located at Hawaii. As the first known interstellar object to visit our Solar System, 'Oumuamua is absolutely nothing like anything else in the Solar System.Its dry surface, unusually elongated shape and puzzling motion even drove some scientists to wonder if it was an alien probe. "It is really a mystery," said ZHANG Yun, first author of the study, "but some signs, like its colors and the absence of radio emission, point to 'Oumuamua being a natural object." "Our objective is to come up with a comprehensive scenario, based on well understood physical principle to piece together all the tantalizing clues," said Douglas Lin, coauthor of the study. It was generally assumed that the first discovered interstellar object would be an icy body, like comets. In effect, icy objects are constantly tossed out of their host systems. They are also much more visible due to their apparent coma. However, 'Oumuamua's dry appearance, similar to rocky bodies, like asteroids in the Solar System, indicates a different ejection scenario. "The discovery of 'Oumuamua implies that the population of rocky interstellar objects is much larger than we previously thought. On average, each planetary system should eject in total about a hundred trillion objects like 'Oumuamua. We need to construct a very efficient scenario." said ZHANG. "In space, some objects occasionally come very close to a bigger one. Tidal forces of the bigger one can disrupt these small ones, like the things happened to comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 when it closely passed by Jupiter." ZHANG and Lin ran high-resolution computer simulations to model the dynamics of an object closely flying by a star. They found that the star can dramatically split the object, if it comes enough close to the star, into extremely elongated fragments,and then eject them into the interstellar space. "The elongated shape is more compelling when we considered the phase transition of material during the stellar encounter. The long-to-short axis ratio can be even larger than ten." ZHANG said. Due to the intense stellar radiation, the surfaces of fragments melt at very short distance to the star and re-condense at further distances. Like melting chocolate beans, the surface materials stick together to maintain the elongated shape. "Heat diffusion also consumes large amounts of volatiles.These fragments become dry and have 'Oumuamua-likesurface." ZHANG added. "However, some water ice buried under the surface can be preserved. These residual water ice could be activated during its Solar System passage to causeits non-gravitational motion." "The tidal fragmentation scenario not only provides a way to form one single 'Oumuamua, but also accounts for the vast population of rocky interstellar objects." ZHANG said. Their calculations demonstrate the efficiency of stellar tides in producing this kind of objects. Possible progenitors, including long-period comets, debris disks, and even planets, can be transformed into 'Oumuamua-size pieces during stellar encounters. The inferred number density of interstellar objects is consistent with 'Oumuamua's occurrence rate. This work highlights the prolificacy of 'Oumuamua-like interstellar object population between stars. Since these objects pass through the domains of habitable zones, the prospect of transport of matter capable of generating life by these objects cannot be ruled out. "This work provides a plausible narrative that links its strange properties to the process of planet formation that is ubiquitous in the Milky Way Galaxy," said Gregory Laughlin, a professor of astronomy at Yale University. " 'Oumuamua is just the tip of the iceberg. We anticipate many more interstellar visitors with similar traits will be discovered by future observation with the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory," Lin said. "This is a very new field. These interstellar objects could provide critical clues about how planetary systems form and evolve, and how life started on the Earth." ZHANG said. "This work does a remarkable job of explaining a variety of unusual properties of 'Oumuamua with a single, coherent model." said US Naval Academy astronomer Matthew Knight, co-leader of the 'Oumuamua International Space Science Institute team, "As future interstellar objects are discovered in coming years, it will be very interesting to see if any exhibit 'Oumuamua-like properties. If so, it may indicate that the processes described in this study are widespread." Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. TANZANIA, Tanzania - The United Nations released $2.5 million from its emergency humanitarian fund on Monday to help thousands of people in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu affected by Cyclone Harold and offered support to other hard-hit countries. The cyclone made landfall on the largest island in Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, on April 6 before hitting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga. The UN cited media reports saying the storm left more than two dozen people dead, and destroyed homes, buildings and crops in the four countries. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep solidarity with the people of the Pacific as they face the impact of this cyclone along with other climate-related challenges, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, which adds a worrying new dimension to existing vulnerabilities. The secretary-general stands ready to support recovery efforts, he said. In Vanuatu, the UN humanitarian office said, Initial assessments suggest as much as 90 per cent of the population in Sanma, the most affected province ... lost their homes, and more than half of all schools and almost a quarter of health centres were damaged. It said crops have been destroyed and many communities are now cut off from help because of flooding and the destruction of roads. UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who announced the release of the $2.5 million for Vanuatu on Monday, said: Thousands of people urgently need shelter, water and food to survive. He praised the government and first responders for ensuring people were safe before the storm and meeting immediate needs immediately after. But Lowcock said: As the extent of the destruction becomes clear, this UN funding will ensure aid supplies are maintained and reach the people who need it. He said it was especially important to support Vanuatu at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic touches us all, adding that the UN aid will help the country rebuild which is essential if it is to successfully fight the virus. The UN said that to facilitate the movement of aid supplies, the government has eased in-country travel restrictions and lifted restrictions on domestic air and sea operations. Vanuatu, with roughly 80 islands stretching about 1,300 kilometres and a population near 300,000, was jointly controlled by the United Kingdom and France as the New Hebrides before it gained independence in 1980. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. A lay(wo)man's thoughts about the next steps out of the Corona Virus crisis in Luxembourg. So far Luxembourg has been doing remarkably well. And I am genuinely proud of our government, of our health system, and of the population at large for its display of discipline and of solidarity. The latest numbers hint to a flattening of the curve in terms of new cases and we all hope that among the severe cases losses will be contained as much as possible. Whats next? The Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force has announced the launch of CON-VINCE, a study which will evaluate the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population. The study 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. The aim is to 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. A similar survey has been performed recently in the German municipality of Gangelt, near the border with the Netherlands. After searching blood from 500 residents for antibodies to the virus, scientists say they have determined that one in seven have been infected and have therefore acquired immunity some without displaying any symptoms. While I have no doubt that CON-VINCE study will disclose valuable information along those lines, I am also looking at the timeline and I am wondering how long the current confinement situation is tenable from a socio-economic perspective, and I am wondering why we, here in Luxembourg, a small country with a high GDP, dont dare think bigger. Here is why. All we know is that we dont know enough As the Corona Virus pandemic unfolds the results of first scientific studies based on testing of symptomatic and diseased persons are starting to trickle in. It is estimated that roughly up to 30% of infected individuals remain asymptomatic, although a study performed by an Icelandic biotech company in Iceland that has tested more than 9,000 people found that around 50 percent of those who tested positive said they were asymptomatic. remain asymptomatic, although a study performed by an Icelandic biotech company in Iceland that has tested more than 9,000 people found that around 50 percent of those who tested positive said they were asymptomatic. We know that high age and medical pre-conditions constitute a risk factor although outliers cannot be excluded. A new study by Italys National Health Institute found that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses. More than 75% had high blood pressure, about 35% had diabetes and a third suffered from heart disease. The average age of those whove died from the virus in Italy is 79.5 (men) respectively 83.7 (women). although outliers cannot be excluded. A new study by Italys National Health Institute found that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses. More than 75% had high blood pressure, about 35% had diabetes and a third suffered from heart disease. The average age of those whove died from the virus in Italy is 79.5 (men) respectively 83.7 (women). It is likely that children are a potential group of asymptomatic carriers . The Lancet looked at 36 children who tested positive for coronavirus between January 17 and March 1 in three Chinese hospitals. Half of those children had "mild disease with no presenting symptoms," the authors wrote. Another study - not yet peer-reviewed - found that 56 percent of 700 children infected with COVID-19 in China had mild, if any, symptoms. . The Lancet looked at 36 children who tested positive for coronavirus between January 17 and March 1 in three Chinese hospitals. Half of those children had "mild disease with no presenting symptoms," the authors wrote. Another study - not yet peer-reviewed - found that 56 percent of 700 children infected with COVID-19 in China had mild, if any, symptoms. And a lot of questions remain regarding transmission. Research that examined 23 coronavirus patients in two Hong Kong hospitals found that individuals' viral loads peaked during the first week of symptom onset, then gradually declined. As a rule, infected people start to show symptoms within five days. But in some cases, the incubation period can last as long as three weeks. And we also have asymptomatic transmitters as well as individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic. In a nutshell, we are in desperate need of more data and of accurate data. Back to Luxembourg As mentioned, the 1,500 individuals CON-VINCE study has set out to investigate some these questions and should give us a rough estimate of the size of the infected population, provided the panel is statistically relevant. But why not think bigger? Why not test the entire population, or at least a significant part of the population? We are at the age of artificial intelligence and data-mining, after all. And with the right tools a large enough database could reveal hidden and potentially useful patterns, which smaller sample sets cannot offer. Studying the asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic population, for instance, may disclose precious clues, especially as future pandemics of this type we are being told cannot be excluded. Such a database would therefore benefit research and medical care at both national and international level. Nationwide testing would also allow to identify the real number of immune individuals and to adopt a more targeted approach for the return to whatever normal will mean. No matter what we wish for, no matter how much public money can be made available, no matter whether business will be able to evolve for the better, we all know that this pandemic is taking a toll on our economy; we know that even the best designed financial aids will always be imperfect; we know that the burden will not be equally distributed among the population; and we all know that the aftermath of the economic crisis triggered by COVID19 is likely to be a long one. Not to forget that transforming the economy will also require additional investments. When we launched Luxembourgs biotech initiative back in 2008 the chosen focus on personalised medicine had been driven by two rationales: a) with its national health system and single identifier per patient the country was ideally positioned to collect the relevant information needed for research purposes and facilitate evidence-based medicine; b) the Grand Duchy had engaged early on in a broad effort to improve its communications network in terms of internet access, calculation capacity, use of technology and secure storage of data, all of which are prerequisites for data-driven science and medicine. Thanks to this initiative Luxembourgs research capacity has greatly improved in the past decade, both in quality and size, as has the crucial cooperation and coordination between research and healthcare. So maybe the time has come to seize the opportunity of the current COVID19 crisis to think big and unleash the full potential of what the patrons of this bold move had originally envisioned. Just a thought. -------------------- Patrizia Luchetta Entrepreneur and Independent Director Former Director of Health Technologies at the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy Buon Ma Thuot, the biggest city in Vietnams Central Highlands, covers 370 square kilometers. Ako Dhong village in Buon Ma Thuot City It is also the most populated city, with half a million people from the Kinh and various ethnic minority groups, such as the E De, KHo, Co Tu, Xo Dang, and Gia Rai. Under a plan to 2030 with a vision to 2045, Buon Ma Thuot, the capital of Dak Lak province, will become an urban center in the Central Highlands. In the past decade, Buon Ma Thuot has received large investments to upgrade the Buon Ma Thuot airport, the trans-national Ho Chi Minh road, and the Central Highlands Regional General Hospital. The average annual economic growth rate of Buon Ma Thuot is 13%, higher than other localities in Vietnam. The Tan An and Hoa Phu industrial parks are now the locomotives of Buon Ma Thuot, where 60 new urban areas with new schools and hospitals have sprung up. Tu Thai Giang, Secretary of the Buon Ma Thuot municipal Party Committee, said, The local economy and income per capita have increased steadily. Industrial activity has expanded. We have fulfilled all phase 1 criteria of the new rural development program. Tourism, finance, banking, and insurance services continue to grow. At the heart of the busy city, Ako Dhong village of the E De people is one of three villages piloting an ethnic culture promotion program. Tourism has helped Ako Dhong villagers improve their lives. Village elder Ama Loan said, We are trying to preserve our ethnic culture, which includes gongs and other musical instruments, and brocade weaving. We make bamboo musical instruments and grow coffee and peppers. The government has allocated funding for us to build paved roads, schools, and communal houses. Our lives have changed significantly. Artisan Ama Loan and his daughter Dak Lak authorities have created a plan to capitalize on Buon Ma Thuots rich natural resources, diverse culture, and strategic location to make it a trading hub of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Economic activities will be shifted toward the processing industry, green energy, services, and eco-tourism. Health care, education, tourism, and technology will be tied to regional standards. New expressways will connect Buon Ma Thuot with Nha Trang (in Khanh Hoa province), Lien Khuong (in Lam Dong province), and Tuy Hoa (in Phu Yen province). The heart of Buon Ma Thuot city Bui Van Cuong, Secretary of the Dak Lak provincial Party Committee, said, We have submitted our plan to the Prime Minister, asking for permission to hire foreign consultants and build expressways which will expand the national highway system. We are working on a medium-term public investment plan until 2025 and other coordinated measures to ensure Buon Ma Thuots central role in the Central Highlands. VOV Gia Lai, a lesser known gem in the Central Highlands If you are looking for a place with lakes, waterfalls and an inactive volcano, the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai will meet your expectations. The incident occurred on April 14. One serviceman has been killed and another eight have been injured in a blast of a mortar during drills at a firing range in Donetsk region. "According to the investigation, a mortar exploded during planned drills at a firing range in Donetsk region on April 14, 2020. As a result, a 24-year-old Private First Class from a special unit of the special operations detachment was killed. Another eight members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sustained injuries of varying severity," the Prosecutor General's Office said on its website on April 14. Read alsoJFO update: Two Ukrainian servicemen injured in Molot rupture, no threat to their life The injured were hospitalized, it said. Urgent investigative actions are ongoing, forensic tests are to be appointed. The pretrial investigation is being conducted by the Kramatorsk department of the State Bureau of Investigation under the procedural supervision of the military prosecutor's office of the Donetsk garrison. The violation of the weapons safety rules (Part 2 of Article 414 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) is considered as a major theory. A US professor charged with the murder of his boyfriend has asked a judge to be freed on bail so his research skills could be used in the fight against coronavirus. Microbiologist Wyndham Lathem, 45, is accused in the 2017 stabbing of 26-year-old hair stylist Trenton Cornell-Duranleau. Lathem asked a judge to be freed on bail claiming his academic knowledge could be useful and health issues put him at a greater risk if he contracted Covid-19. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing court records, reported Judge Charles Burns denied granting Lathem bail in an emergency hearing conducted via teleconference. Stabbed to death: Trenton Cornell-Duranleau Lathem, who worked at Northwestern University in Chicago, is accused of attacking Trenton while he was sleeping. Mr Cornell was found with more than 40 stab wounds on July 27 in 2017. The microbiologist's alleged accomplice, ex-Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty last year in a deal that calls for him to testify against Lathem, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, 56, and Wyndham Lathem, a US college worker The two academics were on the run for eight days before handing themselves in. Dr William Goldman, chair of Microbiology and Immunology at University of North Carolina, in an email appended to Lathems motion, said: With his background and experience, Dr Lathem is well-suited to advise and participate in studies that are aimed at understanding SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope. Loading.... The Professor's lawyer Adam Sheppard said the microbiologist was disappointed by the ruling, adding his client reported mild symptoms of Covid-19 on Friday. We are deeply concerned about his health, Mr Sheppard said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Another doctor at the frontline of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen. The Makati Medical Center confirmed on Tuesday that Dr. Roberto Bobby Anastacio, a cardiovascular medicine specialist who had been working at the hospital for 30 years, has died. The cause of death was not disclosed. [His] oath, commitment and dedication led him to fight at the COVID-19 frontline, the hospital said. Dr. Bobby was not just a health hero for MakatiMed, but also a friend and family. MakatiMed salutes Dr. Bobby and the many other health heroes who poured their hearts into the medical vocation to the extent of sacrificing their lives so that others may live, the hospital added. Anastacio was also a cardiologist at the University of Santos Tomas Hospital and member of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. In a previous recognition award, UST Hospital described Anastacio as "a great pillar" and "enduring inspiration" of the institution. The late physician was also a former chairman of the Cardiac Graphics Section of the Philippine Heart Center. According to the Health Department, 12 healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19, but did not specify their professions in the health sector. Earlier, the Philippine Medical Association gave a different number, saying 17 doctors died from the coronavirus. 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. A local government official checks a voting stamp and other items needed for voting at a polling station in central Seoul, Tuesday, a day ahead of the general election to form the 21st National Assembly. The vote will be held at 14,330 polling stations nationwide, where special measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus will be carried out, such as temperature checks, providing disposable plastic gloves and operating a separate booth for those with high temperatures or respiratory symptoms. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Jung Da-min Voters will cast ballots at 14,330 polling stations, Wednesday, to elect 300 lawmakers through two votes, one for 253 single-member constituencies and the other for the remaining 47 proportional representation seats. Voting will be held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attention is focused on whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) can ride on its high approval ratings seen in a series of surveys to secure a majority of seats, or the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) can pull off an unexpected result to win a large enough number of seats to hold the ruling bloc in check, something it claims is necessary. Dominant issues are how the COVID-19 situation will affect voter turnout, and who swing voters and "shy" supporters of the conservative or liberal camps will cast their ballots for. While early voting conducted between Friday and Saturday recorded its highest-ever turnout since its introduction in 2014 at 26.69 percent, analysts are focusing on whether the overall turnout will also be the highest for a general election. According to a survey of eligible voters conducted April 4 and 5 by Gallup Korea at the request of the National Election Commission (NEC), 79 percent of respondents said they would "definitely vote" in the 21st General Election, up 12.8 percentage points from the 66.6 percent in a poll for the 20th General Election four years ago. Combined with the 15.1 percent who said they would "vote if possible," 94.1 percent of respondents said they were willing to vote this year. The total number of eligible voters is 43.9 million. Some political watchers, however, say the high turnout in early voting may not necessarily lead to a high overall turnout as it could be that many voted early to reduce their possible exposure to COVID-19 at crowded polling stations. Local government officials spray disinfectant at a polling station in Seoul's Jongno constituency, Tuesday, a day before the April 15 general election. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Puthandu is known as the Tamil New Year. Puthandu is celebrated on April 14, every year. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar it is celebrated as the first day of the Tamil New Year. Puthandu is observed by Tamilians across the world, in Tamil Nadu as well as Sri Lanka. This year, people will be observing Puthandu in their homes by cooking some delicious dishes and celebrating it with their families with enthusiasm. Here are some beautiful wishes to wish your family on this auspicious day. Also Read: This Bihu Song Of Assam Police Is Winning Hearts Amid Covid-19 Lockdown For Its Message Puthandu wishes in English Source: Bhupendra Singh-Pixabay Also Read: Significance Of Rongali Bihu; Why And How Is The Festival Celebrated? New HopesNew AspirationsNew DreamsIts a new beginning! May the year ahead be full of success and happiness! Puthandu Vazthukal! Let this Tamil New Year bring cheer, love and peace in your life. May the Divine power give you enough strength for tolerating highs and lows of life with calmness and patience. Keep smiling! The first day of the New Year is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write something worthy. Happy Puthandu! From this beautiful day of Puthandu till the next, may each of your days be replete with cheer, new resolutions and success. Have a Happy Tamil New Year. May this year's Puthandu bring in abundance, joy and prosperity to your life. Have a blessed Tamil New Year! Also Read: What Is The Meaning Of Easter Baskets? Why Exactly Are Easter Eggs Put In Baskets? May You and All of Your Family Members Be Blessed With Good Health and Good Fortune This Puthandu. Happy Tamil New Year! Puthandu Vazthukal 2020! On This Tamil New Year, I Wish That You Are Showered With the Best of Divine Blessings That Fill Your Life With New Opportunities and Heart With Eternal Happiness. Puthandu Vazthukal 2020. Sending My Warmest Greetings to You This New Year. May You Fulfill All of Your New Years Resolutions. Puthandu Vazhtukal! Happy New Year to You and Your Family, May You Have a Great Time All Through the Year. Puthandu Vazthukal! On this auspicious occasion, May you be showered with the divine blessings of happiness and prosperity. Also Read: Puthandu Wishes That You Can Send To Friends And Family In 2020 File Photo: Xinhua A Vero-cell-derived inactivated COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese healthcare giant Sinopharm's subsidiary Wuhan Institute of Biological Products has been approved for clinical trials by China's National Medical Products Administration. It is the world's first Vero-cell-derived inactivated COVID-19 vaccine cleared for clinical trials, according to the website of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) on Monday. SASAC supervises China's state-owned enterprises, which include Sinopharm. Clinical trials were kick-started on the same day when the approvals were obtained. Preparation for emergency usage is being carried by relevant laws and regulations, according to the SASAC report. Sinopharm allocated 100 million yuan ($14.2 million) to jumpstart research and development on its Vero-cell-derived inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in January, led by renowned Chinese vaccine scientist Yang Xiaoming. The regulator go-ahead paves the way for a "sprint" in the development of the Vero-cell-derived inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Sinopharm produced over 50,000 doses for the initial clinical trial. After production is normalized, the output could reach 3 million doses per batch with annual output at 100 million doses. China is simultaneously pursuing five COVID-19 vaccine research studies. Clinical studies on COVID-19 vaccines based on adenoviral vector entered Phase II human trials on Sunday, marking a first worldwide. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has suspended the license of a southern Oregon bar that violated restrictions meant to stem the spread of coronavirus, authorities say. Cave Junctions Sportsman Tavern is the first Oregon establishment to have its license suspended for allegedly defying an executive order that, among other mandates, bans on-premise consumption of food or drink. The suspension was handed down Friday, the day after an Oregon Liquor Control Commission inspector checked out an email tip from a concerned citizen who noticed activity at the bar, according to agency spokesman Mark Pettinger. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter The inspector discreetly parked and observed people going in and out of the building, Pettinger said. The inspector went inside, Pettinger said, and there were drinks at the bar. Owner Kim Sanders told The Associated Press the bar hasnt been open, he wasnt trying to violate Gov. Kate Browns executive order and that he plans to challenge the license suspension. We are law-abiding citizens, he told the Associated Press, noting that when the inspector arrived, his employees were done for the day, sitting apart and having pizza and a drink. Im trying to go by this (order) and I dearly, dearly care about people. I would never try to do anything that would hurt anybody. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has investigated 59 complaints of establishments allegedly violating Gov. Kate Browns executive order since March 15, Pettinger said. In nearly all cases, the establishments were closed or serving food-to-go when inspectors arrived, Pettinger said. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. SHIJIAZHUANG, China, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 14, 2020, Yiling Pharmaceutical announced that Yiling Pharmaceutical and its subsidiary Beijing Yiling Pharmaceutical had received the approval document of drug supplement application concerning the application for new indications of Lianhua Qingwen capsules and Lianhua Qingwen granules issued by State Drug Administration. Lianhua Qingwen capsule and Lianhua Qingwen granules were approved to add "functional indications" to the originally approved indications: "In the conventional treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia, it can be used for a light, common type of fever, cough, and fatigue", "Usage and dosage" increased "COVID-19 light, normal treatment for 7-10 days" and so on. In this domestic epidemic, Lianhua Qingwen capsules (granules) became the most frequently recommended Chinese patent medicine for COVID 19. In the fourth to the seventh edition of the novel pneumonia diagnosis and treatment scheme infected by coronavirus published by the state health commission and the state administration of traditional Chinese medicine, it is recommended to take the Chinese patent medicine Lianhua Qingwen capsule (granule) for the prevention and treatment of patients with fatigue and fever during the medical observation period. The efficacy of the Lianhua Qingwen capsule (granule) in the treatment of COVID-19 has been confirmed by basic experiments and clinical studies. Zhong Nanshan's team recently published a paper entitled "The antiviral and anti-inflammatory effect of the antipyretic plague on novel coronavirus" in the international journal "Pharmacology Research", which was the first basic research article of effective Chinese patent medicine against SARS-Cov-2. In this study, it was found that Lianhua Qingwen could significantly inhibit the replication of novel coronavirus in cells, and the expression of virus particles in cells was significantly reduced after the treatment of coronavirus. It is reported that this approval is in the originally approved indications based on the addition of the "COVID 19 light, ordinary type" of the new indications. At the same time, the new batch of prescription drug specifications did not deny the original non-prescription drug positioning. Up to now, Lianhua Qingwen capsules have been registered in Hong Kong (SAR of China), Macao (SAR of China), Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Mozambique, Romania and other places as "Chinese patent medicine", "medicine", "plant medicine" and "natural health products", and have been approved for marketing. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1155048/Yiling.jpg Tceq.sharepoint.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. 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Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND ISLAMABAD - Washington peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Pakistans military chief Tuesday, a day after discussing the lagging U.S.-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan with the chief negotiator for the insurgent movement. The meetings included Gen. Scott Miller, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Statements from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the U.S. military in Kabul said Washington was engaged in ongoing efforts to find a sustainable peace after decades of relentless war but the U.S. officials released no details. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the insurgent groups chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, used Mondays meeting at the Talibans political office in Qatar to protest attacks against Taliban fighters in their homes, contrary to provisions of the Feb. 29 agreement. Our men have been targeted in their residential areas while there is no room for such attacks in the agreement, either by the U.S. or their internal (Afghan) supporters, he said, a reference to Afghan National Security Forces. The U.S. military has refused to address the Talibans specific complaint but has said that it is abiding by the agreement and will continue to come to the aid of the Afghan military. At the meeting with Pakistans Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistans military leaders reaffirmed their support for U.S. efforts and renewed their commitment to act to advance a political settlement to the conflict, according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in the Pakistani capital. At the heart of most of the talks, say Taliban and U.S. officials, is the demand for a reduction of violence. The Taliban have not been attacking U.S. and NATO troops since the agreement was signed, instead attacking Afghan forces in outlying areas. Washington wants a reduction to those attacks. Shaheen said the Taliban are ready to negotiate a countrywide cease-fire but only during intra-Afghan negotiations, the next critical step of the deal. However, getting to intra-Afghan negotiations, which Washington had hoped would begin weeks earlier, has mostly been held up by political turmoil in Kabul as dueling presidents fight over who is the real winner in last years presidential elections and the government squabbles over the deals call for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government prisoners. The Kabul regime is creating hurdles in the way of intra-Afghan negotiation by not releasing our prisoners as it is a prerequisite for commencement of intra Afghan negotiations, Shaheen told The AP. The government has freed 300 men they say are Taliban but who have yet to be verified by the insurgents and the Taliban have freed 20 government employees. The call for a reduction in violence has taken on greater importance as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to overwhelm Afghanistans beleaguered and war-ravaged health care system. The U.N. secretary-general has asked for a cease-fire to conflicts around the world to focus resources on fighting the pandemic. Afghanistan has more than 700 confirmed cases and 23 deaths, but testing is limited and more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home in recent months from neighbouring Iran, where the virus has infected nearly 75,000 and killed more than 4,600. Maryellen McLaughlin faces death daily. Its her job as owner of a funeral home. But the rate at which Hudson County is experiencing death is unprecedented, she said. We do this because we want to ease peoples burden, but weve seen so much that it will be a while before we process the sheer enormity of this, said McLaughlin, owner and executive director of McLaughlin Funeral Home in Jersey City. Hudson County funeral homes are all bearing the same weight as the coronavirus ravages New Jersey and New York: immense demand and a shortage of space for the bodies, while comforting families who are not allowed to grieve together. Funeral directors said they are working 18-hour days while fighting exhaustion. The level of stress that we are under right now is something that I dont think many of us have ever experienced and the challenge is you never want to portray that stress and anxiety to the family that youre serving, said Nick Grillo, the director at Riotto Funeral Home in Jersey City. Youre supposed to be the beacon for them. He said he has seen demand increase tenfold. Jersey City already had a small number of funeral homes compared to its population density, Grillo said. When more and more young people started settling there, funeral homes began to close, he said. In the past 10 years about six funeral homes have closed, so theres really not that many funeral homes in Jersey City, he said. Crematories and cemeteries are backed up, and funeral homes are grappling with how to store bodies for much longer than to which they are accustomed. Currently, Hudson Countys crematories often have up to a four-week delay, McLaughlin said, and they are accepting bodies from New York City. Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery does not have any space for new burials beyond sites that are pre-reserved. It typically only has two to three burials a year. Now, its getting calls from people in Manhattan looking for somewhere to bury a loved one, said Eileen Markenstein, volunteer president of the cemetery. Her organization has decided to offer cremation niches, or above-ground burial space, for free beyond the cost of opening them, she said. We just feel bad, and were hoping that local people will take advantage of it, Markenstein said. To prevent the spread of the virus, funeral homes and cemeteries must limit gatherings, making traditional grieving practices near impossible. Most cemeteries only allow one family member to attend the burial and funeral homes can only welcome a small group of immediate family members for brief visitations. For many families, that visitation is the final goodbye they didnt have when their loved one died in the hospital. I just feel like if the rest of the world saw what the hospitals, nursing homes and funeral directors are seeing you would be so content to be home, McLaughin said. By Trend The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday it has no convincing evidence that the anti-tuberculosis BCG( Bacille Calmette-Gurin) vaccine can help reduce risks of coronavirus infection. Trend reports citing TASS. "There is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Gurin vaccine (BCG) protects people against infection with COVID19," it said in its daily bulletin. "Two clinical trials addressing this question are underway and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available," it said. "In the absence of evidence, WHO does not recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID19." In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 1,800,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 114,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 428,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The South Jersey Transportation Authority has not provided enough information to the public about how much money it expects to raise from a proposed 38% toll increase on the Atlantic City Expressway, and how much it plans to spend on improvements to the Atlantic City Rail Line, according to state Sen. Chris Brown, R-Atlantic. Only 10 of your 12 proposed projects have a dollar figure, Brown wrote in an April 10 letter to the agency. He said the agency has not specified how much it will spend on a planned new Glassboro to Camden high speed line, or on improvements to the Atlantic City Rail Line, even though both are listed as beneficiaries of the toll increase. SJTA spokesman Mark Amorosi was not available for comment on Monday, but recently Amorosi said the agency plans to spend $200 million on the Glassboro line. He declined to say how much was designated for the Atlantic City Rail Line. At least 29,000 laid-off workers in Louisiana received a big boost in unemployment benefits Monday as a state agency began wiring payments to their banks. The Louisiana Workforce Commission sent each jobless person at least one $600 weekly payment from the federal government along with a state benefit of up to $247, or a maximum of $847. Workers who had filed their unemployment claim two weeks ago should receive two weeks worth of benefits, or a lump sum of up to $1,694 in combined state and federal payments. Steven Sheffrin, professor of economics at Tulane and the executive director of the universitys Murphy Institute, called the payments a cushion for the unemployed in Louisiana. This will help them meet their fixed commitments rent, credit card payments, mortgages, he said. They were in a difficult position to meet those commitments without those funds. In all, the workforce commission sent out nearly $90 million Monday that will go to jobless workers with claims, the workforce commission said. Of that, $66 million was federal money and $23 million consisted of state funds. The additional $600 weekly payment is part of the federal stimulus and relief package approved by Congress in late March to help keep the coronavirus economy alive. Unemployed people who file for unemployment insurance can keep collecting the $600 weekly payment through July 31. Exactly when laid-off workers will receive their money is not clear. Robert Wooley, assistant secretary for unemployment insurance, said the Workforce Commission normally wires money directly into individual bank accounts. But since it was sending out so much money Monday, the cash went in one lump sum to each bank. He expects banks will need a day or two to distribute it to individuals. Wooley said not all of the nearly $90 million may have reached banks Monday because jobless people checking to see whether their money had gone out clogged the workforce commissions computer system. If people could limit themselves to checking once or twice a day, that would be helpful, Wooley said. Guy Williams, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust in New Orleans, said that his institution will have the money in individual accounts by Wednesday. Wooley, who served as state insurance commissioner from 2000-06, said the Workforce Commission was so focused on getting out the money Monday that he could not say exactly how many people were covered by the payments that went out to banks. The money went out to at least 29,000 jobless self-employed workers who file 1099 tax returns, he said. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Some of those people have been sitting with no money. Zero, Wooley said. Those are people who are in big trouble. Thats why we were focused on that group of people. Wooley said he expects the commission will continue sending out more payments throughout the week. He could not provide specifics, however, because his agency is carrying out work it has never done before. The Workforce Commission has come under fierce criticism from many people saying the phone system and website are too overloaded to handle their applications. Were delivering. The system is working, said Remi Braden, an agency spokeswoman. Its taking some time. Its a first-of-its-kind thing. There will be some hiccups. As of Thursday, 216,000 in Louisiana had filed claims for benefits, the agency reported last week. Over the past two weeks, the commission has been receiving more than 10,000 claims a day, or more than 30 times the normal average of 300 per day. Congress provided the extra $600 weekly payment to provide desperately needed aid as the coronavirus was tanking the national economy. Its not really a stimulus package, Sheffrin said. Theyre not going to go out and buy a new car and go to a restaurant. The $600 payment works out to $15 an hour over a 40-hour week, he noted. Its a high-level minimum wage, greater than a lot of people were getting. This will make a big difference for them, on top of the other unemployment insurance. The federal legislation made self-employed workers eligible for the $600 weekly payment, along with a state payment of $107 per week, for a total of $707. Self-employed workers were not eligible for unemployment benefits previously. As a result, many self-employed workers who have applied for unemployment insurance have had the Louisiana Workforce Commission reject their applications because the software hadnt yet been updated. At a press briefing in Monroe, where he had gone to tour the devastation of Sundays tornado, Gov. John Bel Edwards said anyone who has been rejected ought to apply again. They could then become eligible for the $707 weekly payment. We need you to continue to pursue those, he said. After Twitter had suspended the official account of Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, on April 14, the microblogging site reinstated the account and reportedly said that it was a systematic mistake. The embassy took to Twitter and stated that after they made a solemn representation twice, the social media platform reinstated their Twitter handle @ChinaEmbSL. The embassy also added that freedom of speech must be honoured and should not be misused to spread groundless, racist or hate speech, nor be treated with double standards. On 13/4, Twitter suspended official account of the Embassy, without any specific reason. The Embassy made solemn representation twice, requesting to clarify and correct. This morning, Twitter replied for a "systematic mistake, apologized and unsuspended our account. Statement pic.twitter.com/55XCEk6i7q Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) April 14, 2020 READ: Polish Gov't Defends Attendance Of Ceremonies In Lockdown The Embassy feels regretful to this systematic mistake, and would like to reiterate that the #FreedomOfSpeech must be honored, while not be misused to spread groundless, racial or hatred speech, nor be treated with #doublestandards . Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) April 14, 2020 The embassies Twitter handle had been suspended on Monday, however, the microblogging site said that it was a systematic mistake. According to the embassy, the website also apologised. This is not the first time that their Twitter handle had been suspended. READ: Russia FM Rejects Making Virus Battle Political 'Can you unban Twitter in China?' The embassy had previously also engaged in war of words with several users on Twitter and the microblogging website had suspended the account. However, in recent days, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had been posting information about the pandemic and still their account got suspended. In a series of tweets, the embassy also said, Whether or not Twitter freezes its account will not affect the unremitting efforts of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, which is dedicated to China-Sri Lankan friendship and pragmatic cooperation, nor will it hinder China's leading role in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. When a user asked if they could unban Twitter in China, the embassy replied saying, We follow the rules of Twitter, so they apologized for the mistake and reopened. We believe if Twitter could follow the laws and rules of China, the market might also be opened to them. Billions of users on WeChat & Weibo. SL banned Twitter too when they violated domestic laws. READ: Putin Urges Jont Virus Response From EEU Leaders READ: Tour De France Called Off Amid Virus, No New Dates Set OTTAWAThe new coronavirus will keep killing people in long-term care facilities even after the overall spread of COVID-19 starts to slow, Canadas top public health officer warns. The federal government responded to the stark caveat from Dr. Theresa Tam with voluntary safety guidelines for the provinces Monday, while Ontario faced more questions on how it has managed the pandemic wreaking havoc in the provinces nursing homes, with outbreaks in at least 89. Tam said close to half the countrys 724 COVID-19 deaths as of midday Monday were in long-term care, where aging and vulnerable residents live and eat in close proximity to each other and where staff have been carriers or become infected. This is driving the severe outcomes in Canada, she added. The risk to seniors in nursing homes is skyrocketing at the same time risk in the general community is coming under better control, said Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana School of Public Health. The rate of death in long-term care is somewhere between 10 and 20 times higher than the same cohort outside long-term care, he told the Star, based on computer modelling with recent data. There is no time to waste in fixing the problem, said a senior Ontario hospital executive who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely. Its a tragedy in the making. The federal guidelines to better protect nursing home residents comes amid widespread reports detailing the horrors of a private-care home in Dorval, Que., where 31 residents died over the past month. In what Quebec Premier Francois Legault called gross negligence, residents were abandoned by staff during the outbreak, prompting a criminal investigation by Montreal police. One volunteer nurse told the Star she arrived at the home on March 29 to find residents begging for water and soaked in urine and feces. The pandemic has hit other long-term care facilities hard. In Bobcaygeon, Ont., 29 residents have died at the Pinecrest Nursing Home. In North Vancouver, more than a dozen people died at the Lynn Valley Care Centre an outbreak that raised the alarm last month about the vulnerability of elderly Canadians to this new virus. Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged workers who hold down jobs in more than one nursing home have helped spread the potentially deadly infection even as visitors have been restricted. I agree. You cant be jumping from home-to-home, said Ford, whose Progressive Conservatives have, nevertheless, not banned the practice despite repeated calls from critics to do so. A recommendation from Ontarios chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, that personal support workers and other staff work solely in one nursing home has failed seniors and their families who are terrified of the rising number of COVID-19 casualties, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Facilities often schedule each staffer for only part-time hours. Until the government requires that to change, staff will continue to be forced to work at several facilities to cobble together enough wages to get by, she added. The hospital executive called on Ford to take firm action. Its clear the governments overall response is rudderless and the premier needs to take responsibility like he did with getting supplies of PPE (personal protective equipment), the health- care industry veteran added. Deb Schulte, the seniors minister in Justin Trudeaus Liberal government, said Monday that long-term care like health care in general falls under provincial jurisdiction, but that new federal advice to prevent infections of people most vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus will be exceedingly helpful. The new guidelines include: limiting visitors and volunteers to these facilities; screening workers and visitors for COVID-19 symptoms; requiring people entering the facilities to wear masks at all times; more training on infection control; limiting the number of locations where health-care providers work; and implementing routine additional cleaning practices. While Ottawa has earmarked $2 billion to procure new medical equipment for all health-care providers including in nursing homes the federal government is leaving it to the provinces to fund measures designed specifically to protect people in long-term care facilities. The initiative at this point is to work co-operatively across the country and not spend all our time fighting over jurisdiction, Schulte told reporters when asked why Ottawa isnt devoting resources to help enact its new guidelines for long-term care facilities. She pointed to recently announced spending in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec that amounts to $386 million. Ontario took similar restrictive measures to protecting long-term care residents weeks ago but infections and deaths have continued to climb in nursing homes, with at least 120 dead. Some of the workers were working in two or three different care settings and they inadvertently brought the virus into the homes, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday. Ford acknowledged its common sense you dont want to have people going from home to home to home. But he warned suddenly ending the practice would leave nursing homes short of staff at a time when theyre struggling to keep up with patient care. How do you fill those gaps? Theres going to be gaps if we start requiring that, the premier said. Ontarios associate medical officer, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, agreed that changing the staffing rules is not a simple thing but it said it has been discussed several times recently at pandemic meetings of federal and provincial officials across the country. I know it is being strongly considered, she told a news conference Monday. Others are thinking about it. I think it could still have an effect. The federal governments collection of national pandemic data, while incomplete, also indicates older Canadians are more vulnerable to the disease. Of the 9,292 cases for which hospitalization data is available as of April 12, people who are over 59 years old accounted for 63 per cent of patients admitted to intensive care and 94 per cent of deaths, according to data published by the federal government. Even as widespread health measures like isolation and social distancing start reducing the spread of the virus, Tam said deaths will continue to climb because of outbreaks in these care facilities. We cannot prevent every death, but we must prevent every death we can. We need to protect our seniors, she said. Read more about: A private hospital and a diagnostic centre were shut and 65 staff members of the government-run KGMU in Uttar Pardesh's Lucknow were quarantined after a patient who came in their contact tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. According to officials, a 65-year-old man who had diabetes visited the Lucknow's Medwell Hospital for the treatment of fever and cough over a week ago. He was told to get an X-ray done, for which he approached Charak Diagnostic Centre. As the man's condition deteriorated and he complained of breathlessness, he was brought to the trauma centre of Lucknow's King George's Medical University on Saturday. As his condition was serious, he was shifted to the emergency ward, KGMU sources said, adding that from there the man was taken to the neurology department after primary treatment. Later, he tested positive for the infection and sent to the isolation ward, the sources said. As a precaution, 65 employees of the trauma centre with whom he had come in contact have been quarantined, they said. At present, the patient is on ventilator. Of the 65 staffers, 52 are nurses, paramedics and others," the sources added. Chief Medical Officer Dr Narendra Agarwal on Monday wrote to the private hospital and the diagnostic centre, asking them to shut all operations and to provide a full list of their staff who attended to the patient. Ensure that all the staff of the centre be kept in home quarantine for 14 days. Besides, a list of doctors and paramedical staff attending the patient be provided at the earliest so that they can be tested," the letter read. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Have a city you'd love to visit but want to see a different side of it? This list helps you find just that and then some! Here's the perfect inspo for your next adventure Unleash Your Inner Bookworm in London, the UK While some of the worlds greatest writers sought inspiration in the cafes of Paris, writers in London always found themselves making a beeline for local pubs. Pepys and Chaucer plucked their iconic characters from the pubs of London, John Dryden was beaten up in a pub, and Dylan Thomas famously drained the kegs of the capital. If youre looking for inspiration or just for a good time, sign up for a literary pub crawl in Fitzrovia and Soho. One of the three Islamic State terrorists who was arrested for the attack on Gurdwara in Kabul that killed at least 25 people provided sensational insight into their lives. The Afghan intelligence agency released a video of Mohammad Tanweer, a Bangladeshi national, who was involved in the horrifying terror attack on the Gurdwara. During the interrogation, Tanweer confessed that he took over as commander-in-chief of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Achin, the southern district in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan, after arriving from Dhaka. He said that the local commander had tasked him with the responsibility of keeping records of the IS families living in the region. Read: Pakistan Demands Extradition Of Regional ISIS Chief Captured By Afghan Intel; Kabul Denies Assisted with bills and daily needs In the videotaped confession, the IS terrorist said that he kept the record of the families on a laptop and assisted them for daily needs and paid their bills. Tanweer further revealed that around 1,200 ISKP families lived there for six years and each family had three to four members on average. The ISKP member had the task of taking notes and making calculations which he did about three times in 18 months. Tanweer said that he later orphans and widows in their household chores and worked as a baker in an IS camp. Read: NIA Initiates First Overseas Investigation; To Probe Kabul Gurudwara Terror Attack On March 25, IS terrorists and suicide bombers stormed the gurdwara in the Shor Bazar area at around 07:45 (local time) when 150 worshippers were inside the Sikh religious premise. After the attack, India conveyed sincerest condolences to the immediate family members of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said that India stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the affected families of the Hindu and Sikh community of Afghanistan. Such cowardly attacks on the places of religious worship of the minority community, especially at this time of COVID-19 pandemic, is reflective of the diabolical mindset of the perpetrators and their backers, said MEA. Read: Kabul Gurdwara Attack 'mastermind' ISKP Chief Mawlawi Abdullah Arrested Read: Kabul Gurudwara Attack: EAM S. Jaishankar Assures Safe Return Of Families To Their Homes (With agency inputs) For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. Models projecting the course of the coronavirus pandemic usually display something resembling a symmetrical bell-shaped curve, which indicates that the amount of time it will take to "come down" the curve will be the same as the time it took to approach the peak. With evidence suggesting the San Francisco Bay Area may be peaking this week and California Governor Gavin Newsom set to announce the state's plan for reopening Tuesday, the question on many minds is just how long it will take before shelter-in-place orders can be lifted. UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford believes the bell curve is not symmetrical and will have a "long tail" on the way down. If this were a totally unperturbed biological system, theres some logic in expecting to see a symmetrical expansion and contraction of infection," he said. "But this is not an unperturbed biological system. We are doing all sorts of things to limit transmission, whether it's shelter in place, wearing masks, eliminating transmission in hospitals, all the things were doing to screw up the virus. As a result, the curve is going to have a jagged peak and long tail down, reflecting it hitting a wall of humans not cooperating. Intuitively, one may be led to believe that aggressive social-distancing measures would prompt the curve to decline precipitously on the way down, since the pre-peak portion of the curve was comprised of pre-social distancing transmission and the latter portion of the curve is comprised of limited transmission due to social distancing. However, while the transmission on the curve's downward-sloping portion is limited, there's enough of it to ensure a "long tail" before coming back down to zero. Theres plenty of residual transmission if you think of being sheltered in place with other people," Rutherford said. "In some cases, people are sheltered in place with eight roommates, and then you have health care workers bringing it home and people coming from the outside that havent been socially distancing bringing it in to the community. You also have essential workers running cash register at Safeway potentially getting the virus, which will contribute to smaller chains of transmission and a much larger tail. Will this long tail stop the region from reopening when it gets far enough away from the peak? Rutherford doesn't believe this will be the case, citing the four criteria laid out in a widely circulated American Enterprise Institute report. "The four criteria are low rates of transmission, huge testing capacity, very robust contract tracing and available hospital beds, but I'd add a fifth thing: Strategy to maintain social distancing short of shelter in place," he said. "So masks, restricting large gatherings, et cetera." Rutherford stated that the Bay Area has "plenty" of hospital beds, and added that he expects widespread testing and a workable contact tracing policy to be in place in three to four weeks. As for when the rate of transmission is sufficiently low, Rutherford is particularly sanguine. "It may well be right now," Rutherford said, in reference to the region's encouraging hospitalization data and the leveling off of new cases. "I just dont know and we cant prove it just yet. Measuring how much transmission is falling is not easy as you're mostly looking at the cases reported, but you can also look at the number of people admitted to hospitals." UCSF is working on a number of reports and plans for measuring transmission as well as the implementation of contract tracing, which will involve each locality putting together a task force of workers who will keep tabs on each new case and work to test and quarantine close contacts. Rutherford stated that all the information Newsom needs before deciding to pull the trigger on reopening should be available in the not-too-distant future. "Contact tracing will be robust, testing capacity will expand, and we may be in a position to make an informed decision relatively soon," he said. "But it's not my decision, the governor will make it, county and city governments will make it, and they will want as much data as possible." If contact tracing is done effectively and precautions such as masks in public and bans on large gatherings remain intact, Rutherford is optimistic the Bay Area won't ever have to return to shelter in place. However, if the virus is not contained in other locations and brought back to the Bay Area by travelers without anyone realizing it, that could change things. Thats the real question," he said of potential travel restrictions across the state and country. "How do you do this piece-meal? Whats to stop a plane from Dallas with 50 people positive coming in because they did not shelter in place long enough? How do we maintain our island status? In any case, policymakers will have to find a way to strike a delicate balance between mitigating economic damage while still keeping the virus on a steady "long tail" with no dramatic increases. The worst-case scenario would be a second wave that prompts officials to call for the return of stay-at-home orders. "I dont know that people will have great tolerance for it," Rutherford said of another round of shelter-in-place. "We have to try not to get back into it since even though it works great for disease control, it does not work great for economics." MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting Tyler Pletsch | The Intelligencer EDWARDSVILLE State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to act as quickly as possible to get unemployment benefits to independent contractors, self-employed individuals and others who do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits but are being hurt by this shutdown. Self-employed gig workers, according to ADP Research Institute, make up 18 percent of Illinois workforce. Under the recently signed federal stimulus law, these gig workers are now eligible for unemployment benefits, and states must modify their websites in order to review these claims. Unfortunately, no modification has been made to the Illinois Department of Employment Securitys (IDES) website. Therefore, no claims can be submitted. NEW HAVEN Health care workers and COVID-19 patients at Yale New Haven Hospital are being tested to see if those exposed to the coronavirus have developed antibodies to the disease and what effect those antibodies have on the body. The tests, designed by Yale University scientists, will help better explain how COVID-19 spreads and how widely the coronavirus has spread, according to a release. Health care workers who have developed antibodies may have developed immunity and be able to care for COVID-19 patients without fear that they will be infected again. We want to know what proportion of people were infected and if antibodies protect you from re-infection once you come out of lockdown, said Dr. Albert Ko, chairman of the Yale School of Public Healths Department of Epidemiology. The test has not been approved for general use in patients. Giving the test to hospitalized COVID-19 patients will help establish accuracy, the release said. Researchers hope the tests will help determine whether antibodies to the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, give immunity to COVID-19 or whether they may worsen the illness. The concern is that antibodies in some cases can trigger an immune response known as a cytokine storm. Ko and team are also investigating whether antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus can in some cases be harmful by helping trigger the devastating cytokine storm immune response that can fill lungs with fluid and cause heart and kidney failure, the release said. Cytokines are proteins created by cells, including interferons and interleukins, which may be overproduced and result in excess fluid in the lungs. It is considered a likely cause of deaths in the 1918 flu pandemic, according to Physicians Weekly. Understanding the quality of a patients antibody response is therefore very important in giving assurance that a person is immune, said Aaron Ring, assistant professor of immunobiology, in the release. Also, if harmful antibody responses can be identified, this may suggest new therapeutic strategies for COVID-19. While the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve antibody tests this week, the lack of tests has slowed the ability to investigate the development of antibodies. Ko, Ring and others began using tests developed at Yale. Hundreds of health care workers and COVID-19 patients have been tested and new tests are being developed to check whether antibodies are being produced in response to other viral proteins, the release said. Antibodies are the part of the bodys response to infection. The flu virus produces antibodies, but there are different strains of the flu, and antibodies are only effective against one strain. On the other hand, antibodies also are created by exposure to the common cold, also a coronavirus, One key question they hope to answer is whether antibodies generated by COVID-19 actually prevent re-infection, as they do against strains of flu virus. If so, policymakers may be able to relax social distancing guidelines for those who possess these antibodies, and allow them to re-enter the workforce. However, antibodies created after exposure to the common cold, which is also a coronavirus, do not protect from being exposed again. Not all antibodies are created equal, Ko said. We need to know what drives protective responses to the virus to help spur vaccine development, Ko said. Other members of the research team included Dr. Camila Odio, associate research scientist Arnau Casanovas Massana and bioengineering graduate student Feimei Liu. Developers behind the Parker lands project have accepted a settlement agreement with dozens of defendants named in a lawsuit stemming from a blockade nearly three years ago. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Developers behind the Parker lands project have accepted a settlement agreement with dozens of defendants named in a lawsuit stemming from a blockade nearly three years ago. The civil suit first landed on the Court of Queens Bench docket in July 2017, when demonstrators camped out on the roughly 47-acre plot of south Winnipeg land. At the time, real estate developer Gem Equities and land owner Andrew Marquess had moved heavy equipment onto the property and levelled a significant portion of an existing tree stand. The so-called Rooster Town Blockade named after a historic Metis settlement that existed nearby before being razed in the 1950s for commercial development set up shortly after, halting tree removal on the site. The camp stood for two months, until a court injunction filed by two numbered companies tied to the development was granted in September, forcing the demonstrators to vacate the site. Kevin Toyne, the lawyer representing the two companies, said Tuesday the settlement agreement when satisfied will conclude court proceedings against more than 50 defendants. In addition to the injunction, the companies had pursued damages, claiming significant costs and revenue losses related to the blockade action. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Details of the settlement agreement are confidential, Toyne said. However, he confirmed there is a monetary component to be paid to the two companies connected to Gem Equities. As a result of the settlement, the injunction issued in September 2017 will be made permanent. "Anyone that has notice of the injunction is prohibited from trespassing or broadly stated otherwise interfering with the development of the Parker lands that are to be developed," Toyne said. A crowdfunding campaign with a goal of $10,000 was launched Monday by defendants to raise money toward the settlement agreement after paying "significant costs out of pocket," according to the campaign description. Thomas K. Reimer, a lawyer who represents a number of the defendants (but not the entirety of those named in the lawsuit), said his clients "are satisfied with this resolution and will have further comment once the terms of the settlement have been completed." Gem Equities is moving forward with plans to build a mixed-use residential development on the site, featuring some 1,900 units. danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca OGIG is designed to own large cap stocks of e-commerce and internet businesses, over sixty stocks selected for strong balance sheets and strong revenue growth. Change is coming, due to the global health crisis, and investors should take notice. Many more people are choosing or are forced to stay-play-work-shop at home, accelerating important investment trends, so Im making investment changes mostly using ETFs, exchange traded funds. OGIG is one Im buying to own giant e-commerce and internet companies that I think will benefit from accelerated trends. Look at how my life has changed. Instead of traveling almost every day, Im set up in Miami and working with the networks and over 50 companies I own, mostly by videoconference. Most of my groceries and other shopping is online. Its going to be a long time before I go back to crowded airports, shops, restaurants and theatres, and many more people are probably changing their ways. Companies like Amazon, Alibaba, Netflix and Shopify, as well as others like Atlassian, MondoDB and ServiceNow1 providing cloud computing services and more, already had over 20% sales growth and this growth will probably accelerate. OGIG gives me a diversified portfolio of these companies, said Kevin OLeary, Chairman, OShares ETFs. Look at the portfolio for yourself at oshares.com. 2020 is becoming a tipping point for the way people and their employers learn the efficiencies of the at-home trend. Less time is being wasted commuting. Leverage technology for teamwork on product development, sales and more. Lose less time in shopping malls, parking lots and grocery stores, and get what you need by shopping online. Online retail in the US has actually grown gradually to only 11.4% share of total retail in Q4 20192 so there is ample room for accelerated growth. OGIG is an ETF that allows investors to invest in a diverse portfolio of stocks likely to benefit from the stay-work-play-shop at home trends, said Connor OBrien, CEO of OShares ETFs. OGIG is the quality and growth internet and e-commerce investment provided by OShares ETF Investments, a family of ETFs that includes OUSA, OUSM and OEUR. OGIG is an exchange traded fund (ETF) that seeks to track the performance (before fees and expenses) of the OShares Global Internet Giants Index (the Target Index). The Target Index is a rules based index intended to give investors a means of tracking stocks exhibiting quality and growth characteristics in the internet sector, as defined by the index provider, OShares Investment Advisors, LLC. OShares ETF Investments OShares Investments provides ETFs for long-term wealth management, with an emphasis on quality across our family of ETFs. The OShares ETFs are designed for investors with objectives ranging from wealth preservation and income to growth and capital appreciation. Each OShares ETF reflects our rules-based investment philosophy, including quality as an important characteristic. OShares ETFs are all managed according to rules-based indexes, and all are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more Information please contact info@oshares.com OShares ETFs: OUSA | OUSM | OGIG | OEUR 1. OShares ETF OGIG holds: Amazon (6.36%), Alibaba (5.75%), Netflix (1.98%), Shopify (1.85%), Atlassian (1.29%), MondoDB (1.33%), and ServiceNow (1.58%), as of 3/31/2020. Holdings subject to change. OGIG, Top 10 Holdings. 2. Source: Statista, "Quarterly share of e-commerce sales of total U.S. retail sales from 1st quarter 2010 to 4th quarter 2019". Before you invest in OShares ETF Investments Funds, please refer to the prospectus for important information about the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus containing this and other important information, please visit http://www.oshares.com to view or download a prospectus online. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest. There are risks involved with investing including the possible loss of principal. Concentration in a particular industry or sector will subject the Funds to loss due to adverse occurrences that may affect that industry or sector. The Funds may use derivatives which may involve risks different from, or greater than, those associated with more traditional investments. A Fund's emphasis on dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform the market. Also, a company may reduce or eliminate its dividend after the Fund's purchase of such a company's securities. Returns on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Exposures to foreign securities entail special risks, including political, diplomatic, economic, foreign market and trading risks. In addition, a Fund's investments in securities denominated in other currencies could decline due to changes in local currency relative to the value of the U.S. dollar, which may affect the Fund's returns. See the prospectus for specific risks regarding the Funds. Companies involved with Internet technology and e-commerce are exposed to risks associated with rapid advances in technology, obsolescence of current products and services, the finite life of patents and the constant threat of global competition and substitutes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), are not individually redeemable, and owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from the Funds and tender those shares for redemption to the Funds in Creation Unit aggregations only, consisting of 50,000 Shares. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. The market price of Shares can be at, below, or above NAV. Market Price returns are based upon the midpoint of the bid/ask spread at 4:00 PM Eastern time (when NAV is normally determined), and do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded Shares at other times. OShares ETF Investments Funds are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside Fund Services, LLC is not affiliated with OShares ETF Investments or any of its affiliates. John Paul McDonagh died following a street brawl that was caught on video A cross-border manhunt is under way for the chief suspect in the killing of an 18-year-old in Fermanagh over the weekend. The victim, named as John Paul McDonagh, was originally from the Finglas area of Dublin but had been living in Northern Ireland for some time. The teenager was seriously injured after a fight broke out involving a number of men in the Coolcullen Meadows area of Enniskillen on Saturday night. A number of weapons, including a slash hook and bottles, were used in the assault which was captured on video. Mr McDonagh and another 24-year-old man suffered serious injuries to their legs during the fight and were hospitalised. Tribute However, despite the best efforts of paramedics, Mr McDonagh was pronounced dead yesterday morning. Relatives of the deceased teenager took to social media to pay tribute after news of his death emerged. One wrote: "18-years of age his whole life ahead of him he didn't deserve this." Another added: "RIP John really can't believe you're gone you will always be remembered, never forgotten fly high." A bare-knuckle boxer living in the North, but with links to the Republic, has been identified as a chief suspect in the killing of Mr McDonagh. The PSNI are liaising with gardai, who are attempting to establish if the suspect fled across the Border after the fatal assault. Detectives from the PSNI's Murder Investigation Team have launched an inquiry into the incident which happened at 8.40pm on Saturday. The PSNI said they attended the scene and found two men, including Mr McDonagh, who had sustained wounds to their legs. A 19-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident and he has since been released on bail, pending further enquiries. A fourth man who was also present fled the scene before police arrived and is still at large. Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell yesterday appealed for anyone who captured the incident on mobile phone footage to contact them. "Tragically, this morning, the 18-year-old male victim passed away in hospital," he said. "I want to express my condolences to the victim's family, friends and loved ones at this very sad time. Our investigation continues...and I am appealing to the public to help us establish exactly what happened and who was involved. Footage "If you witnessed the altercation, please get in touch with us by calling 101 and ask for detectives investigating this murder. "If you captured footage of it on your mobile phone, or if you were driving in the area and captured it on your dash cam, I would urge you to bring that forward to us. "Our enquiries are continuing and I would continue to appeal for anyone who has information which may assist our investigation to call us on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 2257 of 11/04/20," he said. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111." Legacy Health on Tuesday released a detailed count of active coronavirus hospitalizations following inquiries from The Oregonian/OregonLive. This marks the first time Legacy has released tallies for each of its six hospitals rather than only an aggregate tally. Legacy reported 26 active hospitalizations as of Monday, with specific counts of: Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland: 8 Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center in Tualatin: 7 Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Clark County, Washington: 5 Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham: 4 Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland: 2 Legacy Silverton Medical Center in Silverton: 0 The 21 Legacy hospitalizations in Oregon represented about one-seventh of the states total. Oregon reported 145 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 who were hospitalized Monday. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Providence Health & Services, meanwhile, had 46 patients hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus. The number of people being treated at Providence Portland Medical Center has been rising in recent weeks, as the number of cases in Multnomah County also climbs. Providence Portland Medical Center: 28 Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Washington County: 12 Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City: 3 Providence Newberg Medical Center in Newberg: 2 Providence Milwaukie Hospital: 1 Kaiser Permanente, meanwhile, reported 21 hospitalizations as of Tuesday morning. Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas: 15 Kaiser Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro: 6 OHSU Hospital, which posts its tally online, reported 13 active COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Monday. Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis had three coronavirus patients Monday, according to an internal email obtained by the newsroom. None of the other four hospitals in the Samaritan Health Services network had active COVID-19 patients. Oregons social distancing efforts have helped hospitals avoid a crush of COVID-19 patients. Hospitals statewide have more than 330 intensive-care-unit beds available, nearly 2,100 non-ICU beds open and 770 unused ventilators. The Oregon Health Authority has so far declined requests to publicly release hospital-level COVID-19 hospitalizations, although a spokesman said it was under consideration. A Legacy spokeswoman said the hospital system decided to release detailed counts after internal discussions that followed several weeks of inquires from The Oregonian/OregonLive. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A status report of the Centre has highlighted logistical hurdles related to Covid-19, including a lack of testing centres, which some northeastern states like Assam and Sikkim were facing even as the region has reported fewer cases of the disease. Experts have repeatedly called ramping up testing the best way to slow the advance of the pandemic. The report, a copy of which HT has seen, has highlighted that road blockades were leading to interruptions in supplies of food and other essential items. There is a requirement for more masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for doctors, the report said while underlining the challenges the northeastern states face. The report prepared with development of north eastern region ministrys help was submitted to the Centres empowered panels on Covid-19. The eight northeastern states--Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura--are home to 45 million people as per 2011 census and have reported 36 Covid-19 cases as of Tuesday. An official, who did not wish to be named, said that state and region-wise reports were being collected to tackle all logistical issues amid the lockdown, which was on Tuesday extended until May 3. A second official called the status report from the northeast important since communication between other parts of India and the region were minimal due to the lockdown. But in the integrated approach to tackle the pandemic, we cannot afford to overlook the problems of the region, the official added on condition of anonymity. Assam, which has reported 30 Covid-19 cases and 1 death, has requested expeditious medical supplies and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)s approval for setting up Covid-19 testing labs at Tezpur and Dibrugarh medical colleges, according to the report. The state has said there was no testing facility for the region along the Brahmaputras northern banks covering a part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, it added. The Assam government has argued that such a testing lab there can be very useful for Arunachal Pradesh too. Assam has five testing labs. An Assam official said testing for Covid-19 is now being carried out at the medical colleges in Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Tezpur, Silchar and Barpeta. As for the PPEs, we are managing with our own funds and some private donors, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sikkim, which has reported no cases, has requested the Centre to test at least 250 samples and to designate a testing lab for the state. The Sikkim government has highlighted it has been unable to send any samples for testing to West Bengal since April 12 as it was asked not to do so until April 14. The samples from Sikkim were being tested at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital but it has exhausted all its testing kits. The status report said the Arunachal Pradesh government has reported that due to road blockades and construction works, the Food Corporation of India and Food Supplies Department were facing problems in replenishing stocks in Upper Subansiri, Tawang, Dibang Valley and Upper Siang districts. These districts are some of Indias remotest with limited communication links. An official from Arunachal Pradesh health department said they have asked for PPEs, too. We have enough masks, but we will need more than 15,000 PPE suits to last us the next few months, said the official. The remaining states, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram, have not reported any shortage of supplies. Former United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday endorsed his former vice president Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate for the November elections, saying he can unify and "heal" America which is struggling through some of its darkest moments. "Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend. And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a President right now, Obama said in a nearly 12-minute video filmed at his Washington-area home and posted online. Biden, 77, will be formally nominated by the Democratic party during the National Convention in Wisconsin in August. This past week he emerged as the presumptive nominee, as his main rival Senator Bernie Sanders withdrew from the race. A day earlier Sanders endorsed him. With this, decks are now clear for a direct contest between Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump, who is seeking his re-election. Under US laws, an individual can serve a maximum of two four-year term. Obama's endorsement of Biden is expected to give a big boost to his presidential campaign at a time when questions are being raised over the handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has resulted in the death of more than 23,000 Americans and have brought the country's economy to a standstill. "Now Joe will be a better candidate for having run the gauntlet of primaries and caucuses alongside one of the most impressive Democratic fields ever. Each of our candidates were talented and decent, with a track record of accomplishment, smart ideas, and serious visions for the future, Obama said in his endorsement video. Biden served as his vice president for eight years. Obama said, Biden was there as his administration rebuilt from the Great Recession and rescued the American auto industry. "He was the one asking what every policy would do for the middle class and everyone striving to get into the middle class. That's why I asked him to implement the Recovery Act, which saved millions of jobs and got people back on their feet because Joe gets stuff done, he asserted. Obama is expected to campaign aggressively for Biden in the coming months. Joe helped me manage H1N1 and prevent the Ebola epidemic from becoming the type of pandemic we're seeing now. He helped me restore America's standing and leadership in the world on the other threats of our time, like nuclear proliferation and climate change, he said. Obama said Biden has the character and the experience to guide the country through one of the darkest times and heal through a long recovery. "And I know he'll surround himself with good people experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government, and know how to work with our allies, and who will always put the American people's interests above their own, he said. The Trump campaign in a statement said that Obama had no other option but to endorse Biden. "Obama spent much of the last five years urging Joe Biden not to run for president out of fear that he would embarrass himself. Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him, said Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 Campaign Manager. "Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it. Obama was right in the first place: Biden is a bad candidate who will embarrass himself and his party. President Trump will destroy him, Parscale said. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said that the party is now uniting around Biden. "This is the most important election of our lifetime because Donald Trump is the most dangerous president of our lifetime. He has failed every test of presidential leadership, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his incompetence has cost people their jobs, their businesses, and even their lives. We need to defeat Donald Trump, Perez said. And that means we can't afford to have anyone stay on the sidelines. We need everyone in this fight, working together to put Democratic leadership back in the White House and in seats down the ballot in every corner of the country, he said. Egypt on Tuesday reported its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases with 160 new infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,350, the health ministry said. The death toll now stands at 178, with 14 new fatalities, the ministry added. The ministry also said that 26 Egyptians have fully recovered and left isolation hospitals on Tuesday, which brings the total number of recoveries from the virus so far to 514. The number of cases who have re-tested negative for the virus, including those who have left hospital after recovering, has now reached 683, ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said. The newly detected cases include two foreigners and 158 Egyptians. They were detected through the ministrys investigation and contact tracing protocols, Megahed added. Health Minister Hala Zayed has issued directives that all medical teams should be tested before leaving isolation hospitals, and when they return to work, the statement added. She has also ensured that psychological support teams are constantly present at isolation hospitals in order to provide moral support to the medical staff. An official from the ministrys preventive measures committee is also present at all such hospitals. The committee deals with protecting medical staff at isolation hospitals through infection control protocols. Search Keywords: Short link: ABC/Randy HolmesApril is Parkinson's Awareness Month, and Ozzy Osbourne is using his merch to support efforts to find a cure for the disease. The metal legend is selling a batch of t-shirts, posters and other memorabilia from past solo and Black Sabbath tours, and he's donating 10 percent of the proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research. Visit Stores.eBay.com/Ozzfest for more info. It was just this past January that Ozzy revealed on ABC's Good Morning America that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's. The Prince of Darkness has also battled a number of health issues over the past year or so, including neck surgery and a bout with pneumonia, which caused him to postpone his 2020 tour dates. Ozzy was scheduled to travel to Switzerland for additional treatment for his Parkinson's earlier this month, but the trip was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Little Mermaid (Credit: Disney) Ann Sullivan, veteran animator for Disney who worked on a host of the studio's biggest movies, has died at the age of 91 after contracting coronavirus. Sullivan worked on classic movies including The Little Mermaid in 1989 and the original Lion King in 1994. She is the third resident of the Woodland Hills retirement home in Los Angeles, run by the Motion Picture and Television Fund, to die after testing positive for coronavirus. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Sullivan began working at Disney in the 1950s in the studio's animation paint lab before leaving to have a family. Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world Fact-checker: The number of COVID-19 cases in your local area Explained: Symptoms, latest advice and how it compares to the flu She then returned to the industry in 1973, first working for Hanna Barbera, and then once again at Disney. Once back at the Mouse House, she worked on Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, The Prince and the Pauper, The Pagemaster, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000, The Emperor's New Groove. Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet. She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Eighty-year-old actor Allen Garfield, who was also resident at the home, died last week. Several other residents, and some members of its staff, are currently being treated for the virus after also testing positive. [April 14, 2020] CACI Awarded $83 Million Task Order to Support Portsmouth Naval Shipyard CACI International Inc (NYSE: CACI) announced today that it has been awarded a single-award task order for one base-year and four option-years, with a ceiling value of more than $83 million, by the U.S. Navy to provide engineering, technical, and planning expertise to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Under the task order, which the Navy awarded under its SeaPort-NxG contract vehicle, CACI engineers and technicians will provide expanded mission expertise, including planning maintenance and repair for submarines by assisting the Ships Availability Planning and Engineering Center (SHAPEC) and Deep Submergence Systems Program (DSSP). The task order is CACI's first award under the SeaPort-NxG vehicle. CACI technical expertise across submarine engineering disciplines, such as structural, mechanical, electrical, and combat systems, will help the Navy to safely return submarines to the fleet as quickly as possible. For example, CACI has developed the Shipyard Planning Engineering Automated Reports (SPEAR), the software tool SHAPEC uses to more effectively conduct its planning. John Mengucci, CACI President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "CACI engineers and technicians help Navy shipyards overcome hurdles in their maintenance and repair efforts with expertise earned through long-standing support of the mission. CACI stands ready to support the Navy shipyards in any way they may need, including by providing acquisition and engineering support." CACI Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board Dr. J.P. (Jack) London, said, "CACI is proud to play a critical role in helping the Navy maintain its submarine fleet and continue to project power around the world." CACI's 23,000 talented employees are vigilant in providing the unique expertise and distinctive technology that address our customers' greatest enterprise and mission challenges. Our culture of good character, innovation, and excellence drives our success and earns us recognition as a Fortune World's Most Admired Company. As a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies, the Russell 1000 Index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Index, we consistently deliver strong shareholder value. Visit us at www.caci.com. There are statements made herein which do not address historical facts, and therefore could be interpreted to be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in CACI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, and other such filings that CACI makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Any forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon and only speak as of the date hereof. CACI-Contract Award View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005058/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Two young men from Kathmandu Valley were seen on the countrys eastern frontier, Kakarbhitta, inside the car (Ba 6 Cha 7019) on Sunday last week. Dil Kumar Shrestha, 33, of Lalitpur and Ganesh Adhikari, 28, of Kathmandu introduced themselves as medical persons and stated that they had come to Kakarbhitta for a health camp. But, officials of the local police post say the duo did not look like health workers. Further, their identity cards were blurred. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rajendra Pokharel says, As soon as we started inquiring about the health camp in detail, they seemed inconsistent. We had to call another doctor in order to find out the reality. The local doctor came to support the police investigation and asked the suspects their registration numbers with the Nepal Medical Council. They were answerless. Only then, the two admitted their mistake. Officers involved in the investigation say, Finally, during the interrogation process, it was revealed that both men were not medical persons, but drug abusers. They had also confiscated Rs 125,000 cash from them. As they did not find drugs in the valley, they seem to have gone there seeking the substances. The police have now quarantined them in Mechinagar. According to Basanta Lama, the acting chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau, addicted drug users are ready to go anywhere to get their drugs. So despite the lockdown, the drug addicts are running here and there, SSP Lama tells Onlinekhabar, But with the lockdown practised even in the neighbouring country (India), the supply of drugs is almost impossible at present. Meanwhile, the bureau is also aware that previously-stocked materials may be traded, Lama says. How lockdown served as an opportunity for murder Due to the lockdown, Urmila Devi Pandits family was in the house at Ramnagari, Bahudarmai municipality-8, Parsa. She would have rarely thought that she would breathe her last on April 3 night. However, as the neighbours were also locked in their houses, her father-in-law Suresh Pandit, mother-in-law Phul Kumari Devi and sister-in-law Malwi Devi murdered 27-year-old Urmila, reveals Ganga Pant, the chief of Parsa District Police Office. According to police, the family tried to destroy the evidence by burning her body the next day, seizing the chance of the lockdown. However, the police surrounded the ghat and took control on time, before the body was burnt. Initially, the family claimed that Urmila Devi committed suicide, but in that case also, it was against the law to burn the body without informing the police. During the investigation, it is found that they killed her suspecting that she was having an extra-marital affair while her husband was abroad, SP Pant tells Onlinekhabar, adding, Further investigation is underway. Big fish got arrested On Tuesday last week, the police arrested businessperson Sulav Agarwal from Naxal on the charge of black-marketeering. An owner of the Shanker Group, Agarwal was accused of selling infrared thermometers, which cost around Rs 3,000-5,000 per unit, at Rs 15,000 each. SSP Sahakul Bahadur Thapa of the Metropolitan Police Crime Division says Agarwal, also the honorary consul of Kyrgyzstan in Nepal, was arrested during a covert operation carried on the basis of a tip-off. Thirty-eight thermal guns were confiscated from him. Meanwhile, he is also found to have misused a vehicle of a diplomatic agency having blue number plate. Police also confiscated the vehicle. Theft and violence against women Theft cases have also been reported in the valley during the lockdown. A few days ago, within a couple of hundred metres away from Basundhara Chok, an unidentified gang barged into a house and stole Rs 100,000 in cash. According to DSP Hobindra Bogati, there was no one in the house during the theft. According to DSP Rungam Kunwar, chief of the Metropolitan Police Circle in Kalimati, a theft case has been reported in his area also during the lockdown, whose investigation is in progress. Meanwhile, many verbal complaints have been registered in the Women and Children Cell in Kalimati during this period. As the lockdown got extended, cases of domestic violence may increase, says one official there. But the lockdown has made it difficult for many to file a complaint, she adds, hence the number of written complaints is comparatively low. Violence happening in educated families comes out, but most of the problems are in the uneducated class, she adds, The class which is in a state of great suffering does not want to come to the police. The chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range, Uttam Raj Subedi suggests, telephoning the police control helpline number 100 or contacting the nearest police station in such cases, assuring the police would go to the victims doorsteps whenever needed. Cybercrime on the rise According to the Metropolitan Police Commissioners Office, Ranipokhari, so many cybercrime complaints have been registered in the valley during the lockdown. Just in Kathmandu district, three incidents of electronic crime have been registered. Nabendra Aryal, an official of the Central Cybercrime Bureau, says 37 complaints have been received in the bureau in this period. According to him, most of the applications are on issues like social media profile blocking and fake IDs. During the lockdown, as most people are at home only, busy on their computers and the internet, the crime has increased, SSP Aryal tells Onlinekhabar. He adds, We also have sent letters to the Facebook office to assist in many cases in the investigation. However, the answer has not come yet. Nevertheless, Aryal assures that required and best possible analysis and investigation of the incidents are going on. According to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bishwa Raj Pokharel, there have been 78 cases registered in various charges throughout the valley from the beginning of lockdown till April 6. Before that, nearly 300 criminal cases used to be registered in just one week. In the lockdown period, the highest number of cases registered is of accidental deaths (40). Although there has been only one theft case registered, more than 10 such incidents have been made public. Three rape cases and a few drug-related cases have been registered in this period. SSP Umesh Raj Joshi, the central spokesperson of Nepal Police, however, claims the rate of crime is negligible during this period as the movement of people across the country has slowed down. International trends in the pandemic and Nepals challenges International media have also reported similar trends across the world. The number of arrests has decreased during the lockdown; however, the number of theft and other property crimes has increased in many places. Some American media have reported that medical material such as surgical mask has been stolen from clinics. The news of assaulting Chinese citizens in the US has also come out. The number of frauds has increased in different countries. In some countries, the general public has been found to be abusive to feverish persons. Likewise, other types of abuses including coughing at the side of a person one dislikes or envies or with whom one is angry have been reported. Retired Nepal Police AIG Devendra Subedi says as the lockdown continues, its byproducts are becoming more visible in the society and it is not surprising at all. This is a new experience for everyone. But, as the lockdown goes on, it can lead to a point where a citizen has to choose between hunger and disease, Subedi tells Onlinekhabar, Then criminal activities will increase. However, he says Nepal is not in a dire state now. According to sociologist Kailash Nath Pyakurel, with the extension of the lockdown, people might suffer from anger, frustration, depression and anxiety. As a result of that, different types of crime will happen. He adds, Middle-class families and labourers are making a living by doing small businesses. They have no alternative to livelihoods during long days of the shutdown which can lead society in the wrong direction. Hence, it is crucial for all the units of the society along with the government to be aware of this issue, he suggests. As of now, the working class is getting support from the local government or other organisations. However, as the situation gets worse, scarier situations, when one fears helping them as well, could come, says Hemant Malla Thakuri, a retired DIG of Nepal Police, adding, If such a situation comes, the working class who are starving may become the biggest threat. CLEMSON, South Carolina -- Scientists believe about 25 percent of the differences in human life span is determined by genetics -- with the rest determined by environmental and lifestyle factors. But they don't yet know all the genes that contribute to a long life. A study published March 5, 2020, in PLOS Biology quantified variation in life span in the fruit fly genome, providing valuable insights for preserving health in elderly humans -- an ever-increasing segment of the population. The paper titled "Context-dependent genetic architecture of Drosophila life span" is the culmination of a decade of research by Clemson University geneticists Trudy Mackay and Robert Anholt. It remains difficult to address the genetic basis for life span in humans, so researchers conduct their experiments with model systems. Mackay, the Self Family Endowed Chair of Human Genetics, is one of the world's leading experts on the Drosophila melanogaster model (aka the common fruit fly), which is an excellent model for comparative analysis of human disease and aging. About 70 percent of the fruit fly genome has a human counterpart. "The fly lines are representative of a natural population and they are very diverse, with more than two million variants captured in these lines," said Mackay, who conducted the study using sequenced, inbred lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). In their experiment, Mackay and her team used the DGRP lines and an outbred population derived from these fly lines to examine variation in life span among male and female flies raised in three different temperature environments (18, 25 and 28 degrees Celsius). In the process, they addressed which genes and variants are associated with increased life span and whether these genes and variants are the same in males and females and in different environments. A variant, which is a change in a single DNA base of a person's DNA code, is introduced into a population as a mutation. The laws of natural selection indicate that variants with favorable characteristics will survive and be passed down to subsequent generations, while those with deleterious effects will not. After conducting quantitative genetic analysis of life span and the micro-environmental variance of life span in the DGRP line, the researchers discovered that the genetic architecture of life span is context dependent. The same genes and variants had different effects in males and females and also different effects based on the temperature in which they were grown. According to Mackay, understanding variants is much more complex than what the scientific community has previously believed, and emphasized that the male and female differences were particularly surprising. "If average life span of a variant was increased in females, it was decreased in males," said Mackay, director of Clemson's Center for Human Genetics in Greenwood, South Carolina. "This is an example of what is called antagonistic pleiotropy, meaning the same variant has opposite effects on different traits. In this case it's the same trait, but its effects are opposite in males and females." This is significant, Mackay said, because it has been predicted in theory that variants with opposite different effects in males and females would be maintained in natural populations and cause variation in life span. However, experimental examples of such variants have not been observed previously. Mackay and her team had another major finding in their study. Of all the genes they identified as being associated with increased life span, 1,008 of them overlapped with genes previously identified as such by other researchers who had selected fruit flies for increased life span. "We were very pleased to find out that even though life span is a very complicated trait caused by variation on a large number of loci, which is true for most complex traits, the number of loci that are in common is a totally finite number. So, we can imagine going on to the next stage and investigating one gene at a time and in combination," Mackay said. ### Much of this research was conducted by Mackay and her team when she was a faculty member at North Carolina State University. She joined Clemson University in July 2018. Mackay's collaborators on this research include lead author Wen Huang, now a faculty member at Michigan State University; NCSU senior researcher Terry Campbell; NCSU research assistant professor Mary Anna Carbone; NCSU lab technician W. Elizabeth Jones; NCSU graduate student Desiree Unselt; and Robert Anholt, Clemson's Provost Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry. This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health through grant numbers R01 AG043490 and R01 GM45146. The researchers are wholly responsible for the content of this study, into which the funders had no input. Ciaran 'Zack' Smyth was arrested for breach of his licence on Friday 27th March 2020. JAILED dissident Ciaran 'Zack' Smyth is suspected of being behind a New IRA plot to mortar bomb a Belfast PSNI station. Sunday Life understands that this, along with death threats he is alleged to have made against Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Kelly, was the key reason for the recent suspension of his early release licence. Last month the PSNI dramatically increased its vehicle checkpoints on the Crumlin Road in the north of the city after intelligence warned of a New IRA bomb attack on Musgrave Street station in the city centre. The information was passed to the PSNI by MI5's counter-terrorism command and came from a terror gang informant, who also disclosed that the mortar bomb had been stashed in Ardoyne. Ex-Provisional IRA prisoner Smyth is alleged to have been central to the bomb plot. A source said: "Zack was boasting about it in pubs in west Belfast in front of people he hardly knew, then he was openly threatening Sinn Fein leaders while he had drink in him. He basically talked himself back into jail." Michelle O'Neill and Gerry Kelly were warned in February that they were under threat from the New IRA - claims denied by the hardline republican group. But it was not until Smyth was linked to a possible New IRA bomb bid on a Belfast PSNI station that his early release licence was revoked a fortnight ago. The 60-year-old now faces the prospect of serving the remaining seven years of a 14-year sentence for invading the home of and burgling a man in his 80s. A security source said the PSNI Tactical Support Group's ebony and navy sections were involved in trying to intercept the bomb to which Smyth has been linked. "Every unmarked van or suspicious vehicle, especially in north Belfast, was being stopped and searched," explained the insider. "It is believed the New IRA was keeping the ordinance in Ardoyne." The mortar bomb was identified as a Mark 15 type, which was known as a 'barrack buster' during the Troubles. An early version of the devastating weapon was used by the Provisional IRA to bomb a 1991 meeting of the Cabinet at Downing Street in London. It usually consists of home-made explosives packed into an empty gas cylinder and fired from a range of up to 275 metres. The New IRA has been behind several failed bomb bids on security targets in recent years. Last September cops acting on a tip-off discovered a primed mortar bomb aimed at a PSNI station in Strabane. This led to searches in the Creggan area of Londonderry, which located another booby-trap bomb. When Zack Smyth was active in the Provisional IRA in west Belfast, his gang carried out several bomb attacks. Smyth, jailed for nine years for IRA activity in the 1970s and who took part in the blanket protests, is currently caged at the Roe House dissident republican wing of Maghaberry Prison. For all its familiar contours, Selah and the Spades feels realistically grounded and surpassingly strange, with its slightly surreal atmosphere growing more foreboding as Selah and the school descend into paranoia, competition and jealousy. Poe may not stick the landing with 100-percent success, but along the way she builds a world of imagination, daring and genuine substance. She gives Selah a magnificent soliloquy early in the film, when she describes the impossibly high standards teenage girls are subjected to as a matter of course; although race is never explicitly invoked in Selah and the Spades, its woven through the text with gossamer finesse. The fact that Selahs faction takes its name from an offensive and damaging racist slur, and that Poe never comments on that fact, might be the best proof of all that this is an artist unafraid to take whatever language shes given cinematic or social and use it to tell her own truth, on her own terms. Increased safety for rescue forces: New system tracks movements of persons for better positioning. (Photo: Robert Fuge, KIT) In the event of fires, earthquakes, or in other emergency situa-tions, rescue forces are often called to free persons caught in buildings. These rescue missions are very risky: Dangers are difficult to assess in advance and the helpers themselves may suddenly need help. To support them as quickly as possible, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a system to locate injured or buried rescue forces in buildings. For positioning, no GPS signal is needed. Conventional positioning methods that work well outdoors reach their limits when applied indoors. Satellite positioning by GPS, for instance, is very unprecise as soon as obstacles prevent direct vis-ual contact to the satellite. In crisis situations, a WLAN signal for radio positioning may be lacking and construction plans of buildings are not always available, says Nikolai Kronenwett of KITs Institute for Control Systems. A technology for reliable indoor positioning is still lacking. Together with Gert Trommer, retired professor of KIT, Kronenwett has now developed an autonomous system for locating rescue forces in buildings without any radio connection to the outside. System Fixed to the Shoe Measures Direction and Speed The measurement system of a few centimeters only in size can be fixed easily to the shoe of the user. From the accelerations and rotation rates measured by sensors, the direction and speed of movement of a person can be determined a technology that is also used in smart watches. The unique selling point of the measur-ing system is smart stance phase classification. A persons gait is analyzed and four different phases are distinguished: The stance and roll-off phases, the swing phase, and loading response, Kronenwett explains. This corresponds to a normal step forward. The sensors also detect when movement stops. These zero-speed measurements help estimate and compensate sensor errors and considerably improve positioning accuracy. Before entering a building, the system determines the current posi-tion by GPS. Then, no further signals are needed. A person is posi-tioned with the help of an algorithm that calculates its current posi-tion from the movement information supplied by the sensors. Via an external, independent radio connection, current positions of all res-cue forces are transmitted to the commanders computer. In case of an emergency, the exact locations of the persons are known and the commander can react quickly. System on the Wrist Scans the Surroundings In addition to the measurement system fixed to the foot, Kronenwett is also working on a system worn on the wrist. The foot system precisely determines the position of the user, but does not transmit any information about the surroundings and the structure of the building, the scientist says. The hand-carried system contains a camera that scans the surroundings with infrared radiation and gen-erates a 3D model of the rooms through which the person moves. In this way, the commander is given a better idea of the situation inside the building. The measurement system cannot only be used for the positioning of rescue forces in distress. It can also be applied to locate police forces and security staff at airports, in shopping centers, or at train and underground stations, to find miners in underground caves or tunnels, or as an orientation aid for the blind. Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence. ITV's latest primetime programme, Quiz, which dramatises Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's famous coughing scandal, has thrown Charles and Diana Ingram back into the spotlight. The army major was convicted, alongside his wife, of cheating his way into winning 1million on the popular British quiz show in 2003, and both were given an 18 month prison sentence suspended for two years for cheating and fined 15,000 apiece. The pair cheated their way to the win assisted by a secret syndicate of quizzers who would help contestants on the show, including alleged co-conspirator Tecwen Whittock and Paddy Spooner. Here, FEMAIL reveals how Charles and Diana have recently declared bankruptcy for the fourth time, and now sell handmade jewellery in Bath, while Paddy lives in a 750,000 detached house just yards from the beach on the South coast. Charles and Diana Ingram (played by Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford) Charles Ingram (pictured earlier this month, left) and his wife Diana, who notoriously conned their way to win the 1million prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, are now flogging jewellery on a market stall. Pictured right: Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Charles Ingram and his wife Diana, who notoriously conned their way to win the 1million prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, are now flogging jewellery on a market stall. The war veteran became known as the 'Coughing Major' when he sensationally cheated his way to the jackpot in 2001 with the help of another contestant and his wife, who coughed when the correct multiple-choice answers were read out. But the winning cheque was taken off him before it was cashed and he was subsequently convicted - along with his wife - of deception. He and Diana were given an 18 month prison sentence suspended for two years for cheating and fined 15,000 apiece. Now, the couple live in Bath and continue to sell handmade jewellery created using 'Murano glass beads, Swarovski crystals, seawater and freshwater pearls or crystals', according to Diana's (pictured left recently) website. Pictured right: Sian Clifford as Diana in Quiz Ingram later persuaded magistrates to cut his fine to 5,000, while his wife had her fine quashed on appeal, but he was forced to resign his commission by the Army Board In the same year, Ingram was convicted of an unrelated insurance fraud, which took before the recording of the episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, when he made a claim for an alleged burglary at his home. Despite their legal woes, the Ingrams continued to live comfortably in an 18th Century rented cottage in a leafy close in Westbury, Wiltshire. They also still managed to send their three daughters to boarding school at Westonbirt School in Gloucestershire which charges 10,000 a term after the scandal. In 2016, Charles (pictured) was spotted at a market in Somerset selling his wife Diana's homemade glass brooches and necklaces for as little as 5 For the first couple of years following their scandal, the husband and wife duo boasted surprisingly successful TV personality careers. They appeared on The Weakest Link, Hells Kitchen, Celebrity Poker Club, Celebrity Fear Factor UK and Wife Swap. But, the father-of-three - complained he could not find work because of the notoriety of the case, and was plagued by neighbours teasing him by coughing behind his back wherever he went in Wiltshire. Yet because of legal fees and fines, in 2019, the couple declared bankruptcy for a fourth time. In 2016, Charles was spotted at a market in Somerset selling his wife Diana's homemade glass brooches and necklaces for as little as 5. Now, they live in Bath and continue to sell handmade jewellery created using 'Murano glass beads, Swarovski crystals, seawater and freshwater pearls or crystals', according to Diana's website. The couple were involved in the creation of the three-part series, and spoke with writer James Graham throughout the production's development and even met the cast on set. Tecwen Whittock (played by Michael Jibson) Tecwen Whittock (pictured left, in 2003), a college lecturer from South Wales, was convicted of helping Charles cheat his way to the winnings. He is played in the drama by Michael Jibson (pictured right) Tecwen Whittock, a business studies lecturer from South Wales, was convicted of helping Charles cheat his way to the winnings. The show's production crew believed the fellow contestant and game show devotee had been in league with Charles by coughing loudly from elsewhere in the studio to indicate the correct answer. It was suggested that pagers and mobile phones had been used, and that Diana was involved too. Tecwen was given a suspended sentence of twelve months and fined 25,000. After the trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2003, Tecwen quit his job at Pontypridd College ahead of a formal disciplinary hearing, and reportedly had to sell his home to pay fines and costs from the trial. Whittock, appeared on Channel 4's Richard and Judy show, where he claimed he'd decided to resign before being sacked. 'Even in my own mind, I would know that with a charge of deception and cheating there's no way I could now be teaching youngsters in education,' he said. Despite his conviction, he continued to protest his innocence, and said the case had been 'torture' for his family. 'A big problem is that this tape with this notorious soundtrack, which is basically put together by experts, was used against us in an unfair manner,' he said. Now 70-years-old, he is assumed to be retired after reportedly trying to have a career as an after dinner speaker. His now abandoned website said he would occupy audiences with 'very interesting and humorous anecdotes' from his part in the scandal, 'Tecwen is available for any occasions which require a speaker in the UK or abroad. He is a qualified teacher and has many years of experience in speaking to groups of people,' it read. It offered two types of speech - one dealing with the cheating scandal for a general audience, or a talk on the theme of coping with change for business audiences. It's not known whether his public speaking career ever took off, and while his son visited the set of Quiz during filming, Tecwen now tries to stay out of the public spotlight. Paddy Spooner (played by Jerry Killick) Paddy Spooner, 53, (pictured in 2000, left) is portrayed in Quiz by Jerry Killick (pictured right). In ITV's drama, he has been shown as the mastermind behind a syndicate that arranged to have their members on the quiz show and provide them with answers by exploiting the Phone A Friend option Paddy Spooner, 53, appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in three different countries - in London and before that in Australia (where he scooped 100,000) and Ireland (1,000). The dodgy quiz gang who won at least 5 million The makers of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? were hoodwinked by a syndicate of quiz cheats who netted at least 5 million in prize money. In a highly organised operation, the consortium secretly provided contestants with answers and played the system to plant their members on to the ITV show. Applicants who paid a fee, thought to be around 500, would be slipped the answers to the questions that researchers used to pick who would be invited into the studio. And if they made it to the hot seat opposite host Chris Tarrant, the player could call on the syndicate to get help using the 'Phone A Friend' lifeline. Producers believe the gang netted 'at least' ten per cent of the 50 million prize money paid out on the show from 2002 to 2007. Paddy Spooner has been identified as the mastermind behind a syndicate that arranged to have their members on the show and provide them with answers by exploiting the Phone A Friend option. Spooner spent two months studying that information so he could provide paid-up syndicate members with the correct answer on another phone line when they were contacted by the show's researchers. Dedicated quizzers would also be on hand for the 'Phone A Friend' lifeline during the recording of the shows. If the expert posing as the friend was sure of the answer, he would signal so by saying: 'I am 90 per cent certain.' It is believed that the participants also agreed to share their winnings with the consortium. Advertisement In ITV's drama, he is portrayed as the mastermind behind a syndicate that arranged to have their members on the quiz show and provide them with answers by exploiting the Phone A Friend option. Waiting to take the call at the other end of the line were dedicated quizzers who took a cut of the prize money after answering the question correctly. 'Theyd use a speakerphone so they could all hear it, explained a member of the quizzing community claiming knowledge of Paddy's operation. Speaking to the Daily Mail, they said: 'Then [they'd] press the mute button while they quickly conferred before unmuting the phone to give the answer as if just one person had come up with it. Reference books were also on hand [Google was still in its infancy].' Paddy himself did not cheat when he appeared on the show, but the programme producers believe that afterwards, millions of winnings went to the university drop-out and his associates. The syndicate leader also prepared his clients for the Fastest Finger First round, practising with buzzers similar to the one on the show. The round saw numerous contestants asked one question. The first to press the buzzer with the correct answer went through to face quizmaster Chris Tarrant. Today, trained computer programmer Paddy, is married and lives in a 750,000 detached house near the beach on the South coast. Parked outside this week was a black Jaguar saloon and a Volvo 4x4. He did not wish to comment about his past when approached by the Daily Mail. His syndicate - named The Consortium - was one of several organised groups around the country targeting Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. It was revealed that Paddy helped with Quiz, having given a detailed account of his activities to Paul Smith, the executive who devised Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, who went went to his home last year, and took him out to lunch as part of a fact-finding mission for the drama. Paddy is adamant he did nothing illegal and he was not convicted in the Ingram case. Adrian Pollock (played by Trystan Gravelle) Adrian Pollock (pictured left) is the brother of former nursery nurse Diana. The businessman and his sister, both huge quiz fans, were obsessed with Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Separately, they ended up in the hot seat winning 32,000 apiece. Pictured right: Trystan Gravelle playing Adrian Adrian Pollock is the brother of former nursery nurse Diana. The businessman and his sister, both huge quiz fans, were obsessed with Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Separately, they ended up in the hot seat winning 32,000 apiece. Quiz viewers saw Adrian even build his own Fastest Finger First machine and rack up a staggering phone bill by obsessively applying to be on the quiz show. Adrian, from the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, finally got the chance to appear opposite Chris Tarrant on December 23, 2000. He failed to answer the 64,000 question but took home a 32,000 victory. He appeared on the show three times for the first round before finally reaching the final stage. Meanwhile, Adrian's sister claimed in court that the four phone pages she had used during the competition were not to signal her husband but to contact her sibling, who had reportedly disappeared after running up gambling debts. It is unclear where Adrian is now, or what he is doing. He was not convicted in the Ingram case. Chris Tarrant (played by Michael Sheen) Chris Tarrant (pictured left, yesterday), 73, was the extremely popular presenter of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014. Pictured right: Michael Sheen playing the presenter in Quiz Chris Tarrant, 73, was the extremely popular presenter of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014. Since then, he has continued to present both on radio and television, as well as conducting a voice over for the film Johnny English, where he played himself. Most recently, Chris can be seen on Channel 5 with documentaries about trains, including 2012's Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways, 2018's Intercity 25: The Train That Changed Britain and 2019's World's Busiest Train Stations. Speaking on This Morning in November 2019, Chris said he was pleased Michael Sheen was playing him because he was a 'good actor' and said he hoped the drama would not be sympathetic to the Major, who was 'so guilty'. The presenter is currently social distancing at his second home in Berkshire and said yesterday that he was relieved not to be spending the lockdown in London. During Mondays session, 52 of the more than 300 Will County area residents who signed up to speak were called by phone to make public comment. Of the 52, nine either did not answer or when reached decided they did not wish to make a comment, city manager Steve Jones said. The city also received emailed comments, many of which were in favor of the project, officials said. Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven attends a video conference in The Hague with European Ministers on April 14, 2020, during the worldwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo | AFP) Chennai: Hacked Zoom accounts are reportedly being sold on the dark web where hackers can buy details of users passwords and email addresses, making them vulnerable to phishing and identity theft. Cybersecurity firm Cyble saw a spike in Zoom accounts being sold since April, a report by BleepingComputer said. Over 500,000 Zoom account credentials were being sold to hackers, some of them genuine, Cyble was reported as saying. These were being used for Zoombombing by hackersshowing up on private meetings uninvited. The credentials being sold were from earlier hacks, reports said. That is, if a Zoom account holder was using the same password as on his/her email or other apps, which might have been hacked before, hackers gained easy access to the persons Zoom account using the same password. The hackers then collected the Zoom account details and put them on sale online. Cyble's experts were able to purchase 530,000 credentials such as email addresses, paswords, personal meeting URLs and host keys (a 6-digit pin number used to host Zoom meetings) for as little $0.002 per account. Some were even available free of cost. Some of these account details were verified by Cyble, which confirmed they belonged some high-profile clients of theirs. Chase and Citibank were among big companies whose Zoom credentials had been sold by hackers, the cybersecurity firm said. Zoom had become the go-to videoconferencing web and mobile app as countries restricted movement of people to fight the coronavirus pandemic and most people began working from home and socialising online through video meetings. As popular as it became, Zoom has also been facing major security issues. Apart from hackers Zoombombing meetings, the videoconferencing company was also criticised for routing calls through servers in China. Although CEO Eric Yuan apologised for what he called a mistake, data privacy advocates warned that using Chinese servers and Chinese encryption keys made the Zoom meetings open to eavesdropping by the Chinese government. Other problems Zoom faced included data from the app being sent to Facebook on Apple devices, which Zoom is said to fixed since. Due to the hacks and data breaches, companies such as Google and Spacex banned its employees from using Zoom on their office laptops. Even the Government of India sent out an advisory asking government officials to shun third-party apps as they are unsecure. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Singapore records new single-day increase of 386 cases, reports 9th death The number of new COVID-19 cases in Singapore reached a new single-day high of 386 on Monday, April 13, said Ministry of Health (MOH) in a media statement. The previous high of 287 cases was recorded last Thursday, April 9. The increase brings the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 2,918. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Lawrence Wong Of the new cases, none were imported. 280 patients are linked to known clusters and many of them are work permit holders in dormitories. Contact tracing is ongoing for 94 cases. Of these, 21 are Singaporeans or permanent residents; five are S-Pass holders; 64 are work permit holders; and the rest are long-term pass holders. MOH also identified four new clusters of infections. They are: facade installation company CitiWall (34 Kaki Bukit Crescent), ABC Hostel near Rochor (3 Jalan Kubor), Tech Park Crescent dormitory in Tuas (43 Tech Park Crescent) and Kranji Dormitory (17 Kranji Way). A ninth death from COVID-19 infection was also reported. A 65-year-old Singaporean man (Case 1836) has died from complications due to the disease on April 13 in the afternoon. He was confirmed to have Covid-19 on April 9. MOH said Khoo Teck Puat Hospital has reached out to his family and is extending assistance to them. Five people were reported dead after a tornado swept through the region around Nixville, South Carolina, early on the morning of April 13. The fatalities were reported in Hampton County, where it was estimated that the damage spanned up to 20 square miles, local media reported. Violent storms caused damage across several southern states including Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama during the night of April 12 and 13. This video shows damage around Nixville following the storm, with destroyed homes and shredded trees visible in the footage. Here we are in the middle of it. God, somebody help these people, a voice can be heard saying in the background. Credit: Rodney T Housey via Storyful Donald Trump tapped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine whether to lift the decades-old US arms embargo on the disputed island of Cyprus. Trump tasked Pompeo with the decision today via a presidential memorandum after signing two separate bills to lift the embargo in December legislation that Turkey had unsuccessfully sought to forestall. Why it matters: Turkeys attack on Kurdish forces in northeast Syria last year unleashed a flurry of punitive legislation on Capitol Hill, including the two identical provisions to lift the Cyprus arms embargo in a defense authorization and spending bill. The United States has maintained an arms embargo on the disputed island since 1987. Turkey relies on its occupation of Northern Cyprus to bolster its claims to offshore oil and gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara has become increasingly aggressive in blocking Cypriot ships from drilling in recent years. Cyprus has signed contracts with several foreign companies to explore for oil in the disputed waters, including the US-based Exxon Mobil, Israels Delek, Qatar Petroleum, Italys ENI and Frances Total. Whats next: Congress laid out specific criteria that Cyprus needs to fulfill before it is allowed to procure arms from the United States. Specifically, the law requires Cyprus to deny Russian military vessels to its ports despite a 2015 agreement with Moscow to do so. It also requires Cyprus a financial haven for wealthy Russians to evade US sanctions to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. But even if Cyprus fails to comply with these conditions, the law gives Pompeo the freedom to lift the embargo anyway via a national security waiver. Know more: Joshua Krasna examines the US-backed nexus that Cyprus has formed with Israel and Greece to take on Turkey in the Mediterranean. And Congressional Correspondent Bryant Harris took a look at some of the pro-Israel groups that lobbied to lift the arms embargo last year, securing a significant victory against Turkey. A French man ejected himself from a fighter jet last year after taking a surprise joyride through the skies, an incredible French government report published last week revealed. A French man ejected himself from a fighter jet after taking a surprise joyride through the skies, a French government report published recently revealed. According to documents first obtained by BuzzFeed News, the 64-year-old man participated in flight training last year at the Saint-Dizier airbase in eastern France. To make matters worse, the man, who was not identified in the report, didn't even want to be on the jet a Dassault Rafale B, which is used by the French Air Force. He is an executive at a military weapons company, and the flight was a surprise from his co-workers. According to the report, he had no military experience and expressed no desire to be on a fighter jet. The situation, according to the report, caused him distress but he felt as if he couldn't turn down the offer because of "social pressure" from his colleagues, one of whom was a former Air Force pilot. His heart was beating at a rate of 120 to 145 beats a minute leading up to the flight, the report said. During the flight, the man stressed and overwhelmed neglected to tighten his seat straps or his helmet, causing him to float in the jet while in midair. He tried to hold on to his seat handle and accidentally pushed the eject button opening the parachute and losing his helmet in the process. He was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries after landing in a field by the airbase. French military health regulations advise that passengers aboard a fighter jet must undergo a medical assessment 10 days before the flight. Given the surprise element of the man's flight, the military ignored the recommendation and performed his medical visit just a few hours before takeoff. Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: French man ejected himself during surprise trip on fighter jet The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Friday, April 10 10:24 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a Larkin Township residence, for a disorderly 83-year-old man who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The man's wife said she could no longer control or take care of him. He was transported by EMS to the ER for an evaluation. 7:19 p.m. -- Deputies spoke with a 48-year-old Midland Township woman regarding an online purchase. The woman was concerned the company she sent her money to was fake. Deputies assured the woman the company is not fake, and explained that due to the current coronavirus pandemic, it might take longer to receive items then normal. 6:51 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Mills Township. 3:49 p.m. -- A 58-year-old Midland County woman had concerns her recent ex-husband/live-in has been traveling to unknown locations with a relative. She said he is not concerned about the coronavirus. She said he has a pre-existing conditions. She was not sure where he was going to or what he was doing, but said it's somewhere in Bay City. A deputy gave the woman common sense advice and recommended ways to keep herself safe from COVID-19. The deputy also recommended her to contact Shelterhouse as she was no longer happy living with her ex-husband and his recent behaviors. 9:31 a.m. -- Officers responded to a larceny in the 4000 block of Wellness Drive. 8:43 a.m. -- Officers performed a death investigation in the 6000 block of Swede Avenue. 7:56 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Coleman residence after a 95-year-old woman thought she heard someone in her home. The deputy checked the residence and no one was located. All exterior doors were locked and there was no evidence anyone had been in the home. 7:21 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Geneva Township. Thursday, April 9 9:32 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of criminal sexual conduct in the 5200 block of East Clark Road. 5:44 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and Dilloway Drive. 5:13 p.m. -- A 57-year-old Porter Township man called about a neighboring business he has had problems with in the past. The man said a delivery truck backed into his yard, causing ruts. It did not appear intentional and the man just wished for the company to remind their drivers to use caution and not turn around in his yard. The man said he believes it was not the normal driver as well. Contact was made with the business and they were asked to remind drivers to be aware and not utilize his property to turn around on. 4:25 p.m. -- Deputies responded to an Edenville Township residence for a report of a juvenile boy being disorderly at his grandmother's residence. The boy shoved his grandmother and ultimately punched out a window during the skirmish. The boy was transported to the MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland ER for treatment of a laceration. The 55-year-old grandmother requested charges due to the boy's behavior. 3:18 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of methamphetamine possession and obstructing justice in the 900 block of West Baker Street. 12:43 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 800 block of Townshend Street. 12:12 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash and an unlicensed driver in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard. 7:38 a.m. -- A 31-year-old woman put her car in a ditch in Warren Township after backing out of a driveway. The woman left the vehicle in the ditch and left the scene prior to deputies arriving. The vehicle was removed by a local tow company and taken to their yard. The woman was later located and issued a citation. 5:16 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to the area of North Dublin Road near East Mier Road in Larkin Township for a car-deer crash. 2:05 a.m. -- Deputies assisted Michigan State Police troopers with an investigation of an intoxicated driver in Jasper Township. A deputy found a loaded handgun in the vehicle, which was turned over to MSP. The driver was lodged at the Midland County Jail for operating while intoxicated and resisting/obstructing arrest. New dividend proposal for fiscal year 2019 Following actions previously undertaken to support companies facing difficulties and the economy as a whole, Societe de La Tour Eiffel, a leader in office properties within Greater Paris and high-potential regions, is responding to calls by French public authorities by proposing a reduced dividend of 2.0 per share, compared to the 2.25 announced when the company published its annual results on March 5, 2020. The dividend will be distributed on June 15, 2020, subject to approval at the Shareholders' Meeting of 27 May 2020. This decision was taken by the company's Board of Directors on 14 April 2020. The proposed dividend is sufficient to meet the Group's distribution obligations for the 2019 financial year as per the SIIC regime. The distributions to be retained in the Company amount to 4.1m. This strengthens the property company's room for manoeuvre, given the support system recently established to assist tenants, in order to better cope with fallout from the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. "Our financial strength and the resilience of our business model make it possible for us to meet all of our commitments. It therefore devolves to us, and to the shareholders who support us in this process, to answer the call by France's public authorities for solidarity, a value we count among our own, by adjusting our dividend," affirmed Thomas Georgeon, CEO of Societe de la Tour Eiffel. Postponement and arrangements for holding the General Meeting behind closed doors The Board of Directors of the Societe de la Tour Eiffel met on 14 April 2020 by conference call in order to postpone the Extraordinary and Ordinary General Meeting of the Company initially scheduled for 30 April 2020. It was thereupon determined to convene the Extraordinary and Ordinary General Meeting (hereinafter the Meeting) of the Company on 27 May 2020 at 10:00 am. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic and ensuing containment measures and travel restrictions imposed by the French Government, the Board of Directors decided in accordance with the provisions of Article 4, Order No. 2020-321 of 25 March 2020, that the Meeting would exceptionally be held through a closed session, that is to say without any presence of shareholders and other persons understood as entitled to participate, whether physically, by telephone or via audio-visual conference. Prior notice of the Meeting, including the Meeting agenda, the text of those resolutions submitted for approval at the Meeting and procedures for participating and voting at the Meeting, will be published within the regulatory timeframe in the Bulletin des annonces legales obligatoires (BALO). Given the fact that shareholders will have no opportunity to attend the Meeting in person or to be physically represented at the Meeting, they may only vote by mail or assign proxy to the Chairman by mail using the form provided for this purpose. The mechanism for proxy voting will be adapted pursuant to new regulations soon to be published by the government. Exceptionally, in view of the fact that shareholders will not be able to ask questions orally, nor propose amendments or new resolutions during the General Meeting, the Company has resolved to accept, process and address shareholders' written questions after the regulatory deadline and until 25 May 2020 at 8:30 am, when sent via e-mail to actionnaires@stoureiffel.com accompanied by the certificate of account registration. Shareholders with questions relating to the Meeting of 27 May 2020 should send us an e-mail to the dedicated address actionnaires@stoureiffel.com. Generally speaking, shareholders are invited to regularly consult the section dedicated to the Meeting on the website http://www.societetoureiffel.com/en/general-meetings for updated information. Contact Press relations Laetitia Baudon - Head of Consultancy at the Shan agency Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 50 58 79 +33 (0) 6 16 39 76 88 laetitia.baudon@shan.fr Investors relations Florent Alba - Head of Consultancy at the Shan Agency Tel: +33 (0)1 44 50 51 71 florent.alba@shan.fr About Societe de la Tour Eiffel Societe de la Tour Eiffel is an integrated commercial real estate company with 1.9 bn in assets and a powerful service culture. It operates across the real estate cycle, supporting companies of all sizes and sectors, and directly manages assets in strong growth regions via a rigorous management process. The real estate company manages its real estate portfolio, which is currently growing fast, for the long term. It is implementing a strategic refocus on 100% office property, 80% in Greater Paris and 20% in the regions and is now established as a leading actor in the sector. Societe de la Tour Eiffel is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment B) - ISIN Code: FR0000036816 -Reuters: TEIF.PA - Bloomberg: EIFF.FP - A member of Indexes: IEIF Foncieres, IEIF Immobilier France www.societetoureiffel.com ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: mW+dlcpvaJmanp5tlcebbGeYZ29hxpXHaGaVxZRxY8eZbGtgnZdjnJvHZm9jnmtp - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-62963-press-release-societe-de-la-tour-eiffel-proposed-2019-dividend-per-share-revised-to-euro2.0-annual-general-meeting-postponed-to-27-may-2020-to-be-held-through-a-closed-session.pdf I n a win for those sick of store-cupboard stews, KFC has announced it's re-opening some its restaurants for delivery and Londoners won't miss out. The fried chicken giant has set-up stores for delivery at 11 restaurants across the UK, though its unclear it more will follow suit soon. Over the past week, restaurants have opened in London, the north west and Scotland, among others, for deliveries only, operating with a skeleton staff serving a limited menu. The fast-food behemoth has also announced it will be providing free meals for NHS workers. New measures: the fast food giant is taking precautions to maintain social distancing guidelines / Getty Images A spokesperson told the Standard: "Over the last week, weve reopened 11 of our restaurants in the UK. "Theyre open for delivery only and are serving a limited menu, operated by fewer team members with new procedures in place to help ensure were following social distancing guidelines. "Theres still a need for affordable, accessible food at this time - so we want to do our part. "Weve also donated thousands of meals from all our open restaurants to those on the frontline, including the NHS and key workers, in partnership with Deliveroo, and will continue to do so each week whilst the situation continues." The following restaurants have opened for delivery: Enfield - Coliseum Retail Park Manchester - Deansgate Heaton Chapel Tamworth New Oscott Manchester Hulme Portsmouth Aldershot Ipswich - Cardinal Park Glasgow - Pollokshaws Road Glasgow - Great Western Retail Park KFC says they are looking at additional restaurants to open over the next few weeks, but they said if they can't do it responsibly they won't do it at all. The news comes just three weeks after KFC said all of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland would close amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The chain said in statement on Twitter in March that it would begin shutting stores shortly after the Government ordered pubs and restaurants to close amid the fight. A spokesperson told the Standard at the time: "Our team have done an incredible job in such tricky and uncertain circumstances. "In all of our KFC restaurants, up and down the UK & Ireland, our team's jobs will be waiting for them when we reopen. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more By Trend The food aid campaign initiated by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia continues, Trend reports citing Georgian media. On April 14, boxes of groceries were delivered to low-income families living in Tbilisi by the embassy representatives led by Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia Dursun Hasanov. In addition, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia delivered humanitarian aid to the Rustavi and Gardabani municipalities in the Kvemo Kartli region on April 11. In total, 200 socially vulnerable families living in these municipalities received food assistance. Kvemo Kartli Governor Shota Rekhviashvili and Gardabani Mayor Ramaz Budagashvili took part in the distribution of the humanitarian aid. I want to once again thank the Azerbaijani people. This is the best example of friendship and mutual assistance. This humanitarian action is accompanied by bilingual leaflets. The inscription reads Its still relevant to stay home, the governor said. Meanwhile, on April 10, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia handed over food packages to needy families of the Bolnisi municipality. Food packages were handed over to over 2,100 socially vulnerable families, people with disabilities, retirees and needy citizens. "The Embassy of Azerbaijan has provided us with food packages for vulnerable groups of different categories. I would like to thank the Azerbaijani side for this initiative. Their support is especially important for us during this period," said David Sherazadashvili, mayor of the Bolnisi municipality. On April 9, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia delivered humanitarian cargo to Marneuli district. As reported, 600 parties with humanitarian aid were distributed to the most needy residents of Marneuli. According to Dursun Hasanov, these steps once again testify to the close friendship between Azerbaijan and Georgia. We have one goal - to fight the coronavirus with all our might, and I know that soon we will overcome this threat. The Georgian government will make every effort for this, the ambassador said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday remanded Dalit scholar and activist Anand Teltumbde in the custody of the National Investigation Agency till April 18 in Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case. IMAGE: Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde arrives to surrender before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, in Mumbai, on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo Teltumbde was arrested by the National Investigation Agency earlier in the day after he surrendered before it following the Supreme Court's directives. He is the grandson-in-law of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar, whose 129th birth anniversary is being observed on Tuesday. Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, a co-accused in the case, also surrendered before the NIA in Delhi. His anticipatory bail plea was also rejected by the apex court. Navlakha was to be produced before special NIA court in Mumbai through video conference, but the court said since he had surrendered in Delhi, he will have to be produced before a court there first. An NIA lawyer said he would be produced before a court in the national capital for seeking his transit remand after which he will be brought to Mumbai. Teltumbde reached the NIA office here in the afternoon with his wife Rama Teltumbde and brother-in-law and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar and surrendered. In the court, the NIA sought ten-day custody of Teltumbde, but judge A T Wankhede granted it remand till only April 18. The Supreme Court on March 17 this year had rejected pre-arrest bail pleas of Anand Teltumbde and Navlakha, and directed them to surrender before the investigating agency. In a statement, Navlakha said the 'draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are not accompanied by stricter procedures regarding evidence, especially electronic, considering the stringent punishment provided for under the Act; the procedures, which otherwise provide tighter rules regarding evidence, are instead made elastic'. 'Under this double whammy, jail becomes the norm and bail an exception. In this Kafkaesque domain, process itself becomes punishment,' he said. Navlakha had been asked to surrender by the Supreme Court. Activist and journalist with Mumbai-based Economic and Political Weekly journal for years, Navlakha was one of the five activists arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case but was granted protection from arrest by the Supreme Court and the Bombay high court. 'As I prepare to leave to surrender before the NIA Headquarters in Delhi, I am glad that Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee gave me another week of freedom when they passed the order on April 8. A week of freedom means a lot in my condition, even in the age of lockdown,' he said. Navlakha said their order resolved the predicament he encountered in complying with the March 16 order of the apex court, which obliged him to surrender by April 6 before the NIA, Mumbai. 'The lockdown that followed prevented me from travelling. Also, there was no direction from the NIA (Mumbai) regarding what I should do under the circumstances. I know now that I have to surrender myself to the NIA Headquarters in Delhi,' he said. Navlakha said the prime minister has likened the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to a state of 'national emergency'. 'Meanwhile, the apex court recently intervened in the matter of jail conditions, and issued guidelines to authorities regarding overcrowding of jail inmates and the threat posed to prisoners and detenues, jail staff and other personnel assigned jail duties,' he said. Navlakha said this concern remains although no case of COVID-19 has been reported in any jail so far. 'However, I am affected by the fear that my near and dear ones harbour about my captivity amidst COVID-19. I cannot help but feel disappointed that the terse order of the Supreme Court on April 8 had no reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has overtaken the world, including all of us in India,' he said. He said he can now begin to face the actual legal process, which accompanies cases where provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are invoked. He said such Acts turn the normal jurisprudence upside down and added no longer is it the axiom that 'a person is innocent unless proven guilty'. Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and conspiring to overthrow the government. The activists were booked initially by Pune Police following violence that erupted at Koregaon-Bhima in the district. According to police, the activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence the next day during 200th commemoration of the battle of Bhima Koregaon. The police also said these activists were active members of banned Maoist groups. The case was later transferred to NIA. New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering the stand of various Chief Ministers to extend the nationwide shutdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday jumped the gun to tweet that the PM had decided to Image Source: PK New Delhi, April 14 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday joined short video platform Likee to reach out to more people and make them aware about the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Kejriwal's first live session on the app, addressing various steps being taken by his government and urging people to adhere stay-at-home guidelines, clocked more than 20 million views within an hour, informed the company. Kejriwal's profile carries videos of his various press conferences conducted in the wake of the pandemic, and streams government's press releases up to thrice a week. The profile also includes snippets from his joint press meet with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, wherein directives concerning the lockdown were first shared with media. Delhi chief minister has been quite active on various social media platforms such as Facebook, micro-blogging site Twitter and photo-sharing app Instagram. The Delhi government has formed about 14,000 'coronavirus foot warrior' teams which will go from door-to-door to check for cases and create awareness about the dreaded virus. Two Officers Reportedly Killed as Suspected Militants Open Fire at Police Unit in Kashmir Sputnik News 10:04 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 11:03 GMT 13.04.2020) The reports come as Indian and Pakistani forces continue clashing near the Line of Control (LoC), exchanging heavy artillery fire. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire, while the death toll in the recent incidents continues to grow. Militants opened fire on two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Dachhan district in Kishtwar municipality, Jammu and Kashmir, killing both. Law enforcement officials stated that the militants managed to flee the scene, also taking weapons from the dead officers. "What I have learnt is that militants attacked a police party resulting in the death of two cops. They have also snatched their service rifles", Ajaz Ahmed Wani, a police official in the area, said. Police forces have been dispatched to catch the assailants. This is the second attack on police in the region in the last 48 hours, as tensions in Kashmir are still high amid another round of confrontation between Islamabad and New Delhi. Hostilities along the Line of Control resumed last week following the killing of five Indian soldiers. Sunday saw three civilians killed amid an exchange of fire, and on Monday one Pakistani serviceman was killed, and four others injured. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address If you own shares in Nevada Exploration Inc. (CVE:NGE) 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. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second 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 see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated 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. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. See our latest analysis for Nevada Exploration What does NGE's beta value mean to investors? Given that it has a beta of 1.12, we can surmise that the Nevada Exploration share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). If this beta value holds true in the future, Nevada Exploration 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 Nevada Exploration fares in that regard, below. Story continues TSXV:NGE Income Statement April 14th 2020 Could NGE's size cause it to be more volatile? Nevada Exploration is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of CA$13m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It takes less money to influence the share price of a very small company. This may explain the excess volatility implied by this beta value. What this means for you: Since Nevada Exploration tends to move up when the market is going up, and down when it's going down, potential investors may wish to reflect on the overall market, when considering the stock. In order to fully understand whether NGE is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Nevada Explorations financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Past Track Record: Has NGE 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 NGE'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 deadline to end Israels never-ending political drama had been set for April 13, at the stroke of midnight, by which time Blue and White leader Benny Gantz would have conceded defeat or announced success in assembling a new government. In Israel, however, after one deadline comes another deadline. At the end of every dead end there's an escape route. At every crossroads lurks a path unknown by any GPS system. By comparison, the drama surrounding the prime ministers residence in Jerusalem makes the House of Cards look like Little House on the Prairie. In the early morning hours of April 14, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin agreed to extend Gantzs mandate to assemble a government, but only for 48 hours. Usually, if a Knesset member tasked with assembling a government asks for time beyond the designated 28 days, the president should grant an additional 14 days. Given the low degree of trust in the political abilities of Gantz and in the political credibility of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, the president granted only two days. If Gantz and Netanyahu don't have a deal on a unity government by midnight April 15, the mandate will go to the Knesset for another 21 days of zigzagging, libels, intrigue and conspiracies. Should no one succeed in that challenge, Israel will hold a fourth round of elections somewhere between the end of July and the end of August 2020. This is a scenario that no one on earth could have predicted a year and a half ago. It took more than a year, but Netanyahu has finally succeeded in dismantling the rare alternative to his regime the Blue and White, led by three former military chiefs of staff (Gantz, Moshe Yaalon and Gabi Ashkenazi) and a former finance minister (Yair Lapid). He did it the way he prefers with extraordinary political precision, aggressiveness and deception. Netanyahus luck is that none of the opponents who successively arise against him learn the lessons of their predecessors. Netanyahu identified the crack in Blue and Whites leadership and then infiltrated. He knew that Gantz and Ashkenazi were worn down, realizing that there was no way to beat Netanyahu at the ballot box. In the ultimate standoff, it would be better to deal with him in reaching a unity deal, at the end of which the Netanyahu family would finally leave the prime minister's residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem. Opposite Gantz and Ashkenazi stood the resolute Lapid and Yaalon, backed by Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman, three men aware that no deal exists that Netanyahu has failed to violate. With every Netanyahu promise reneged on, they felt it better to follow their original plan: replace the Knesset speaker, take control of the parliament through the 61 members who supported Gantz and then pass legislation targeting Netanyahu, by prohibiting criminal defendants from assembling a government. Only that will force Netanyahu into a truly fair deal, Liberman had told Al-Monitor. It is the only thing that will put him in a position where hell have nowhere to go and will be forced to accept the decision. This was considered the only effective weight in Gantz hands that would force Netanyahu to agree to a deal with advantages for Blue and White. This was the only lever that could eject Israels eternal ruling family, the Netanyahus, from the sanctum they've established on Balfour Street. Gantz, however, came hampered with a number of problems, among them naivete, a lack of political expertise, and no killer instinct. His timing was also bad. He let Blue and White implode before he had a signed agreement with Netanyahu in his hand. According to one of Gantz's associates, the Blue and White leader told him that during the early hours of April 10, he had sat opposite Netanyahu and shook hands with him. The coalition agreement was ready. All that remained was to print four copies and pour two glasses of wine. That was a few hours after Blue and White had fallen apart because of Gantz's deal with Netanyahu. What did Netanyahu do at that point? Enjoy himself. Quickly realizing that Blue and White, his mighty opponent, had fractured in two, Netanyahu decided to make new demands in the negotiations, ostensibly small things that he supposedly recalled at the last minute. If Gantz had picked up the phone and talked to former Zionist Camp seniors Tzipi Livni, Avi Gabbai or Isaac Herzog, Presidents Barack Obama or Bill Clinton, or presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, among many others, every one of them would have told him that this was a tried-and-true Netanyahu technique. When negotiating, Netanyahu always follows the same pattern: Initially, he wages a war of political attrition in the form of endless negotiations that make the person on the other side of the table ready to commit (political) suicide. Next comes agreement to a deal that he will (almost always) want to change one minute before or one minute after the last possible moment. That is exactly what happened with Gantz. Now, Gantz is in Netanyahus hands. If they reach an agreement before their new deadline, Gantz might ultimately have the last laugh: a deal, if according to the already agreed-upon rotation, in which Netanyahu will have one and a half guaranteed years in power, but with an expiration date stamped on his forehead. Netanyahu finds this difficult to swallow because current polling gives him as many as 40 mandates to Gantz's 19 if elections were held today. If the negotiations fail and a deal is not signed, Netanyahu will try to take advantage of the three weeks in which the mandate remains in the Knesset for the use of any MK who can put together a coalition. What will he do? With possibly 59 Knesset members already in his camp, hell try to hunt down two willing defectors from the opposing camp. There are numerous candidates, but at the moment this seems an unlikely route to success. So if all else fails, Israel will return to elections in which Netanyahu will face only fragments of parties and weakened rivals. The great Blue and White threat has dissipated. The chiefs of staff have parted ways. The anyone but Netanyahu public no longer believes that Gantz can deliver. One thing is certain: Netanyahu knows that when it comes to elections, one never knows how things will turn out. As coronavirus cases continue to soar around the world the royal family in Luxembourg has revealed their heartache after losing a beloved family member to COVID-19. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg's uncle, Victor Batista Falla, passed away at the age of 87 on Easter Sunday. The Luxembourg royal family have lost a beloved member to COVID-19. Photo: Getty Images "It is with great sadness that their Royal Highnesses, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, report the passing of Mr Victor Batista, Falla, the Duchess' uncle and last living brother of her mother, the royal family wrote on their Instagram page. "Mr Victor Batista Falla, who lived in Madrid, had gone to visit his native country, Cuba, where he had not returned for 60 years. He died there on Easter Sunday at the age of 87 from COVID-19. Victor Batista Falla was a recognised publisher and one of the greatest patrons of Cuban literature in exile. His death is a great loss for the whole family of HRH the Grand Duchess." Its been a hard year for the Cuban-born Duchess, who married The Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1981 at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg and now have five children and four grandchildren. In January, she cancelled all official events after her brother, Luis Mestre, was taken into intensive care. Then her husband defended his wife from his brother-in-laws hospital bedside following accusations she had created a hostile working environment in the palace. "Why attack a woman? A woman who speaks up for other women? A woman who is not even being given the right to defend herself? Since I came to the throne, it has been our shared desire to help modernise our constitutional monarchy, and we wish to continue to contribute to this process, he wrote. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg has had a hard year so far. Photo: Getty Images "The causes my wife has fought for, which I have always supported and which we will continue to fight for, are vitally important. This work includes campaigning against dyslexia, fighting sexual violence, improving the status of imprisoned children in Africa, helping to develop microfinance and promoting education for young girls and women. "I am proud of the commitment, intelligence and energy my wife brings to bear in all this work. The devotion she has shown over the past 39 years to serving our country by my side is exemplary and is of essential importance to me. We will continue to serve you; to be there for you and for Luxembourg. Especially at this crucial time when our children are setting out on a family life of their own, we feel bound as parents to ensure that they can make the most of these precious years as our heirs." Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com See Full Image Gallery >> General Motors announced today that it has officially started mass production of ventilators at its plant in Kokomo, Ind. The automaker will ship more than 600 ventilators in April and will fulfill the 30,000-unit order from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by the end of August, with additional capacity for production to continue past that date. The automaker's $489.4 million contract to produce ventilators came as a result of the Defense Production Act, which President Trump put into action on March 27. In a statement, White House Assistant to the President Peter Navarro said, GM has moved swiftly in Trump time to manufacture one of the most critical lifesaving devices in Americas war against the coronavirus. GMs rapid mobilization of Americas manufacturing might in defense of our country is a proud salute to the ingenuity of its engineers, the true grit of its UAW workers on the line, and Americas doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals fighting for our lives at the front lines." GM worked with Ventec Life Systems to produce these ventilators, beginning with an introductory conference call on Tuesday, March 17. Put another way, it took less than one month for GM and Vantec to put these lifesaving devices into production, a truly impressive timetable. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> A Northern Ireland expert in viral epidemics has warned the public not to be fixated on comparing and contrasting death rates from Covid-19 between various countries until all the statistics are known. Instead, clinical epidemiologist Dr Michael Donnelly said the focus should be on getting through this week's expected surge in the number of cases rather than playing blame games. Dr Donnelly was reacting to an online debate prompted by writer and researcher in the history of medicine, Elaine Doyle. Ms Doyle laid out statistics around death rates, comparing England to Ireland and citing the "slow" reaction of the UK Government as the reason why the death rate for those contracting the virus is 2.5 times greater in England than in Ireland. "We should not be clutching at inaccurate straws as to the reason on death rates," said Dr Donnelly. "It's like looking at a car speedometer. If it's faulty, do we go by what it reads and say that we are right? "We will find out more about the figures next week when this really hits. Only then should we be looking more closely at the statistics. "There are inaccuracies built into the reporting of statistics. Who's to say how many deaths there have been in the community in each country? "Speculation isn't helpful unless all the facts are laid out before us, and right now that's not something we can say with any accuracy. "There are differences in reporting between countries. "Pointing fingers now, saying this or that would have made a difference, is not something we can realistically do with any certainty at this point. "If we look at a country like Canada, it has a relatively small death rate through coronavirus, but it's essentially a very rural country where the population is spread across widely, similar to Ireland. But we still can't say for certain if that is a factor. There will be plenty of time afterwards to analyse curves and death rates. "It may well suit a government to be putting out the idea that they're staying on top of this. "And when it comes to the timing of school closures, we still don't know for certain if that had any real benefit. Was it wise to send children home to grandparents and family if it turns out they were carriers of the virus without displaying symptoms? "There is far too much guesswork about it all at the minute for anyone to be making assertions on which was, or was not the right course of action. "I have stated before that the people, the epidemiology (how the cases are distributed), the health systems and the mechanisms of death certification are all different, making meaningful comparisons difficult, like comparing apples and oranges to bananas." On her Twitter thread which attracted thousands of responses, Elaine Doyle laid out which she said were the differences in approach between Ireland and the UK governments to managing the Covid-19 spread. "So you have two English-speaking countries, with close cultural and historical associations, both with underfunded health systems, and comparable levels of ICU beds (almost half the EU average) going into the pandemic. "But England has more than 2.5 times the deaths? Why?" she asked. "But wait, it's worse! Because if you compare the per capita death rate between Ireland and England, rather than the UK as a whole, England has almost 2.5 times the number of deaths as Ireland (14.81 deaths per 100,000 versus 6.5 deaths per 100,000). "As of Saturday, April 11, there have been 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people in Ireland. "There have been 14.81 deaths per 100,000 people in the UK." Ms Doyle was also critical of testing rates across the UK. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:48:20|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HANOI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Police in Vietnam's central Quang Binh province have arrested four men and seized more than 300 kg of methamphetamine, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, the province's police caught two men aged 20 and 24, both residents of northern Dien Bien province, who were driving a semi-truck with 307 kg of methamphetamine, according to the news agency reported. The two men confessed that they had been hired to carry the drug from central Ha Tinh province to southern Ho Chi Minh City for sale at the wage of 300 million Vietnamese dong (about 13,100 U.S. dollars), the news agency reported, adding that through further investigation, the police arrested two other men aged 26 and 42 from central Dak Lak province. According to the Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty. People in Kolkata had to give restaurant-hopping a miss this 'Poila Boisakh' (Bengali New Year) amid the lockdown, but that did not stop them from gorging on scrumptious meals on the occasion, with several restaurants delivering food online. One thing is for sure, Bengalis, although not in the right frame of mind in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, will yearn for their quintessential favourites on this day, Debaditya Choudhury, a top restaurateur in the city, said. "Being a Bong (Bengali) myself, I knew people here will crave for good food today. We are ready with signature items including Awadhi Handi Biryani, Qalmi Kabab, Chicken Irani, Metiabruz Biryani. Anyone can order them online via food apps," Choudhury, owner of Oudh 1590, said. "Since Good Friday, we, too, have also been supplying food items at doorsteps. Currently, our services are available in parts of south Calcutta, Salt Lake, Rajarhat and north Calcutta," he said. Ishtiaque Ahmad of Shiraz Golden resturant said, foodies are locked up at home, and many of them are not keen to order food online, but Poila Boisakh is an exception. "Since Kolkatans are known for their love for biryani, kebab, rezala and basic non-vegetarian mughlai dishes, we are anticipating an increase home delivery orders today - say by round 10 per cent," he said. Ranjan Biswas, the managing director of Saptapadi a sought-after restaurant serving Bengali cuisines said the outlet had decided on a few innovative items for the occasion, but the lockdown has dealt a blow to its resources and led to losses worth Rs 6 lakh. Asked why the eatery has not opted for the online delivery model to partially offset the losses, Biswas said, "We are not taking any chances. Safety of our employees and customers is of primary concern for now. If the staff remains healthy we can run the show, once the situation gets better." A group of women entrepreneurs, running a home delivery business, have also whipped up traditional fare, comprising 'Basanti pulao', 'fried eggplants', 'mutton curry' and 'chutney', for south and central Kolkata residents. "We have got 52 online orders so far. We will try our best to cater to our customers with the help of our delivery boys. However, there are certain sensitive pockets, where movement has been barred. I am not sure if we will be able to reach out to our customers in those areas," Bibi Mukherjee, a member of the startup, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it has commenced community outreach to test persons with coronavirus symptoms and avert further spread. The Director of Public Health of the FCT, Josephine Okechukwu, stated this in a notice shared with PREMIUM TIMES. We have started the community active case search in Mpape yesterday by sentization and sample collection of eligible clients. It will be expanded to other communities, she said. The deployed personnel, she said, will screen everyone with history of cough, fever, catarrh, chest pain and difficulty in breathing. This is to detect everyone with COVID-19 and get them treated promptly to break the chain of transmission in the FCT, she said. Ms Okechukwu, a medical doctor, said the testing will extend to Gishiri, Utako and Mabushi on Wednesday and Thursday. Likely upsurge The chairperson of the FCT COVID-19 response committee, Aliyu Umar, told PREMIUM TIMES the community testing may witness upsurge in the number of cases in the city. We are lucky for three days no new case was recorded in the FCT. But with this community tracing we may experience rise in the cases. But this is very important so that cases are detected before further spread, he said. Mr Umar, a former minister of the FCT, urged residents not to panic in case of any discovery as it was better to discover the cases than allow them to quietly spread the virus. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mpape was selected to begin the community tracing because of its proximity to Maitama were most of the FCT cases were found. Appeal for help On the further lockdown of the FCT for additional two weeks, Mr Umar said palliatives are being planned both from government and private sector. He appealed to wealthy persons in the FCT to complement the government efforts by buying and donating food items to the needy for the success of the lockdown. We appeal to public spirited individuals to buy as much food as they can to help the poor. We dont want them to give us the money, let them buy the items themselves. If they come to us we can help them with the appropriate protocols for distribution and we can provide them with security clearance to enable movement of the food items, he explained. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan deputed top cop Vijay Sakhare to the northern district of Kasaragod as a special officer on March 23, when it was emerging as India's biggest COVID-19 hotspot. Three weeks down the line, the district is slowly turning into a safe haven for people, paving the way for a discussion on "Kasaragod Initiative of the Kerala Police"-- a model that could be emulated in other heavily-hit areas in the country. On March 31, the number of COVID-19 cases in Kasargod had touched 106. They became 164 on April 6 and now in the last six days only 14 cases have been reported, a significant drop in the number of cases in the district. "It was possible only because of our containment strategy. Basically our strategy was based on three locks-- Lock 1, Lock 2, and Lock 3 to ensure that the people do not mix up and infection does not spread,"Sakhare, who is the commissioner of Kochi city police told PTI. Taking the charge as special officer, the Inspector General rank officer enforced three locks in the district in line with the lockdown measures taken by the central and state governments to arrest the spread of the deadly virus there. The locks were put as part of a three-pronged strategy to completely isolate the persons who were primary and secondary contacts of the COVID-19 positive persons came from abroad, particularly Gulf countries, Sakhare said. "Lock 1 was implemented doing traditional policing methods like road block and mobile patrolling and all. Through this measure we were able to control the people coming out of their homes", he said. The second strategy was implementation of Lock 2, creating a Geographical Infromation System, mapping all the positive cases, all home quarantined persons, all the expatriates who came from the foreign countries and primary and secondary contacts of the positive persons. "Very interesting picture emerged. We saw that all the positive cases are concentrated only in seven areas of the district spread over five police stations. We isolated those areas by cordoning them off. All roads leading to the areas were blocked and nobody was allowed to go in or come out," the IPS officer said. The police then put the third lock, declaring the seven areas as Covid Containment Zones to isolate the worst-affected places from rest of the district. Based on the inputs that COVID-19 positive persons who came from abroad had stayed at their homes, met their friends and mingled with family members, the police included all of them in the list of primary contacts and secondary contacts. "After identifying these contacts, we put them under the Third Lock. They were locked in isolation using technology as well as traditional policing methods," Sakhare said. "As part of the third lock, we put police guards in front of their homes. We created a beat patrol policing covering 10 to 12 houses of the affected persons. Visiting their homes, the police personnel educated the people on importance of staying their homes", he said. Besides, all the houses, where the primary and secondary contacts resided were brought under the drone surveillance, Sakhare said. He said COVID-19 safety apps were also installed in the phones of the primary and secondary contacts. "If somebody tries to leave his home, then we get an alert. In that case, we go and shift such people to government quarantine facilities besides initiating legal actions against them. Three days after implementing the third lock, we have moved 107 people into government quarantines because their actions were dangerous to the society. The app was installed in the phones of over 10,700 home quarantined people," the officer said. The district police launched home delivery service in COVID containment zones to deliver essential items at the doorsteps of the people to ensure that they remained indoor. The door delivery programme was later extended to all parts of the district. The police also launched a 'Kasargod Suraksha App' to provide telemedicine to those isolated and wanted to consult with doctors for their various ailments. The top police official said after April 14 upto April 21st "we expect 12 to 14 cases only" in the district. It will further come down to single digit by the month end and "four weeks from now I expect the case will be zero. No report of COVID cases," he added. Out of the 166 who were infected in the district, 73 got cured. No fresh cases were reported on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India Ratings (Ind-Ra) on Tuesday said it has revised Tata Steel's outlook for non- convertible debentures to negative with the "risk of a substantial deterioration in the company's credit profile" caused by the COVID-19 containment measures. The rating agency, however, considered Tata Steel to be well-equipped to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with free cash of close to Rs 75 billion and committed credit lines against a short-term debt of Rs 80 billion at end-March, 2020. "A prolonged lockdown of the businesses will lead to considerable curtailment of demand for an extended period, thereby impacting the companys credit metrics beyond FY21," Ind-Ra said in a note. The outlook revision reflects "the risk of a substantial deterioration in the company's credit profile caused by the COVID-19 containment measures, and the overall impact of the lockdown on key end-user segments, including construction, infrastructure and automobiles," the rating agency said. The steel maker Monday said it has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 7,000 crore through non-convertible debentures (NCDs). Tata Steel officials earlier indicated that the operation level at its key sites was at about 50 per cent during the lockdown. The agency expected the steel maker's "near-term profitability to be impacted" by both fall in metal prices and reduction in capacity utilisations. "Along with inventory losses due to the falling metal prices, higher competitive intensity to exhaust the inventory build-up could exert pressure on gross margins," the rating firm said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has relieved Oleksiy Perevezentsev from the duties of his representative in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and assigned these functions (non-staff) to head of the Coordination Center for Interaction with the Cabinet of Ministers Volodymyr Kladiyev. The corresponding decrees of the head of state were signed on April 14, according to his official website. Perevezentsev was appointed to the post of the presidential representative in the government (non-staff) on November 11, 2019, earlier serving as State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. He replaced her in this position parliamentarian from the Servant of the People party, head of the Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services Andriy Gerus. Cyberattacks more prevalent as online work comes into fashion As Vietnam called for nationwide social distancing and people are unable to leave their homes due to the health crisis, work-from-home software is becoming essential for companies and the providers of these services have been blossoming for months now. Eric Yuan, founder of the United States-based Zoom Video Communications, Inc. was reported by Bloomberg to have earned about $4 billion in the past three months, raising his total asset value to $7.6 billion and making it on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Since last December, the global user base of Zoom has risen by 1,900 per cent as major schools and offices have been forced to take their business online to avoid the spreading coronavirus. About 90,000 schools from more than 20 countries have been using the application for online education. Similarly, Microsoft in late March also saw a hike of 70 per cent or 40 million users for its video call application Skype. However, the impressive growth of these applications also expose users to higher risks of privacy invasion and cyberattacks. Most recently, the New York State Education Department banned the use of Zoom at all schools in the state because of security concerns. The FBI in early April warned of cybersecurity and personal data attacks called Zoom-booming where hackers have joined online classes on the platform to threaten and share pornographic content with other users. About 50 students of Grovecrest Elementary School in Utah state received pornographic videos during an online lesson with the principal. While Zoom-booming does not strictly constitute a breach of private information, the extent of these security breaches have not been verified which means they could potentially lead to more serious breaches. Reacting to the phenomenon, a Zoom spokesman reiterated the companys commitment to protecting the privacy of children as well as the data of learners. Its founder Yuan later sent an apology to users and announced halting the launch of new features for 90 days to focus on fixing the shortcomings of the software. Vietnamese schools that are depending on Zoom to organise online classes are facing the same risks. Since the pandemic broke out, most schools in the country have applied Zoom to hold online courses. The hazard in Vietnam may be even more serious because the nations cybersecurity index still ranked rather low in February 50th in the world, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications. Accordingly, about 288 cyberattacks took place in Vietnam, up 1.8 per cent on-month, and down 49.7 per cent on-year. In 2019, according to a survey by software security solution provider Bkav Vietnam, computer viruses caused damage to the tune of VND20.89 trillion ($908.35 million) for local users, far exceeding the VND14.9 trillion ($647.83 million) in 2018. The total number of malicious-code infections last year reached 85.2 million, up 3.5 per cent on-year. Moreover, the latest report from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security showed that its Department of Cybersecurity and High-technology Crime Prevention discovered a cyberattack campaign, spreading malware via emails with content related to COVID-19 to draw the attention of users. Since late March, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has been constantly flagging harmful files with the extensions .pdf, .mp4, and .docx made to look like official documents related to the new coronavirus. To make them more credible, the criminals made the e-mails appear like they were sent by the World Health Organization. Kaspersky Lab also discovered 93 harmful software in Bangladesh, 53 in the Philippines, 40 in China, and 23 in Vietnam, among others. Over the past few weeks, US cybersecurity firm Cisco Systems Inc. received 10 times as many requests for security support from companies than usual. Similar to Kaspersky, the company also issued warnings about hackers sending malware under the cover of content related to coronavirus. According to Wendy Nather, senior advisor at Cisco Systems, the abrupt shift in working forms has enlarged many security vulnerabilities. High-tech criminals can easily take advantage of these to steal passwords of users and commit fraud. David Emm, a security researcher at Kaspersky, said that once staff members enter any wireless network outside the supervision of their company, the risk of data leak will increase significantly. Therefore, now is the right time for organisations and companies to enhance their security networks before the criminals attacks. Businesses can protect their employees by ensuring anyone who connects to their networks uses a virtual private network. They can also make sure the office and all endpoints are secure and up-to-date with cybersecurity programmes, and that systems will only run authorised applications, Emm told SC Media UK. A disgraced headmaster who bombarded a female pupil with 'inappropriate' messages is setting up a 12,500-a-year online school. Toby Belfield, 47, was sacked by Ruthin School in Denbighshire, North Wales, after sending dozens of Instagrams to 15-year-old Cat Hughes - giving her 'nightmares'. He has spoken about the allegations that saw him forced out of his job at the 35,000-a-year school, admitting some of the messages were inappropriate. Toby Belfield (left), 47, was sacked by Ruthin School in Denbighshire, North Wales, after sending dozens of Instagrams to 15-year-old Cat Hughes (right) - giving her 'nightmares' Belfield said: 'I am biding my time to tell my side of the story, as what I've seen so far has been very one-sided. 'I wasn't allowed to talk at the time, as legally I couldn't as I was still an employee of Ruthin School. 'I don't agree with a lot that has been written about me, and I don't think it was a fair representation of what happened. The truth will be told and not just speculation.' Belfield was sacked by the school's governors in February but plans to open his new venture Cambridge School Online. He has spoken about the allegations that saw him forced out of his job at the 35,000-a-year school, admitting some of the messages (pictured) were inappropriate It 'provides a British education to students around the world, enabling them to enter top UK Universities'. Its website adds: 'Students study in their own countries, using the latest technology, alongside support and tuition from our experienced teachers.' On the site, Belfield says he has 'spent over 20 years educating some of the best students in the world, with hundreds of them going to a university ranked in the top 10 in the UK'. He adds: 'But, these former students have all been lucky enough to be able to travel to the UK for their high school studies. Belfield was sacked by Ruthin School (pictured) governors in February but plans to open his new venture Cambridge School Online 'I now wish to help those students who wish to remain in their own countries for high school, but who ultimately still want to attend a top ranking university in the UK.' The former headmaster told North Wales Live: 'I'm moving on with my life. I see this as an opportunity to do something else. 'I'm glad I turned Ruthin School around, but I'm sorry that the current staff and the pupils will have been rocked by what has happened and I wish them all the best. 'I turned that school during the past decade, from being under threat of closure to one of the best school's for A-level results in the country, and I could do it all over again.' Belfield was sacked after the Welsh government warned the school could lose its registration and be shut down if it did not address concerns. These centred on child protection raised in the wake of the messages between Belfield and 15-year-old pupil Cat Hughes. In the messages, Belfield boasted about his seniority and said 'flirting is fine,' sent love hearts and emojis and commented on the size of TV star Rachel Riley's breasts. He said he liked women 'small and petite' and asked one student if she had an eating disorder because she was a 'thin girl' before going on to tell her she looked good. Asked today if he recognised that any of the messages were inappropriate, he said: 'Yes, I can see some of them were.' But he added: 'There is no reason why I should not be able to continue in this field.' A spokesman for Ruthin said: 'Toby Belfield was dismissed from Ruthin because the school had clear evidence that he had contravened our safeguarding policies on numerous occasions by contacting children with inappropriate and suggestive messages over social media. 'We also have evidence that he has continued to communicate with existing and former Ruthin students since his removal from the school and we are taking official steps to attempt to prevent him from doing so, to the extent we are legally able. 'As part of our disciplinary process we have reported him to the DBS which is responsible for safeguarding in the UK, and to the TRA, which is the body responsible for maintaining standards in the teaching profession. 'We terminated Mr Belfields employment because we were advised he was unsuitable to teach children and would present a significant safeguarding risk were he to be allowed to continue to do so. 'In this context, we are very concerned that he is in the process of setting up an online school and have reported our concerns to the relevant professional and safeguarding authorities.' The unprecedented situation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has forced Honda two wheelers to review each of its decisions aided by inputs coming from its ground teams. Speaking exclusively to Moneycontrol, a senior executive of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) - the second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the country, has said that cross-functional teams are meeting every day and providing reports that will decide which projects need to be continued with. The executive, however, cautioned that it was too early to finalise any suggestions. Y S Guleria, director (sales and marketing), HMSI said, There will be a lot many things that will need to be realigned and reorganised to deal with this unprecedented crisis. When such decisions can be finalised will depend on upon (when) the lockdown (will be lifted) or any economic package announced by the government. Definitely everything will be reviewed. HMSI recorded its second straight yearly fall in domestic sales during FY20. The manufacturer of Activa and Unicorn clocked a fall of 14.75 percent during last year to 4.7 million. In FY19, the company reported a fall of 4.4 percent to 5.52 million units. Despite the fall, HMSI managed to improve its market share to 27.02 percent in FY20 from 26.06 percent in FY19. COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates With no certainty of demand getting back on track this year companies are forced to relook at mid to long term business decisions made prior to the lockdown including investment on new capacity creation or venturing into the new vehicle segment. All developments are being monitored very closely; cross-functional teams are meeting on a daily basis. We have R&D team working on new model development, we have dealer development and sales teams and after sales teams who are updating on a daily basis the situation on the ground. Based on that there is discussion about realigning and reviewing each and every plan. This could be about launch of new models, development of network infrastructure or even assessing the capacity utilization for the future added Guleria. To help its business partners tide over the situation HMSI announced a financial package of Rs 1,700 crore that was used to make advance payments of incentives and reimbursements to its dealers, suppliers and service providers. In pics: Hope, despair and emptiness abound as people in Asia-Pacific battle COVID-19 crisis Honda also said that it would take back the unsold units of Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) inventory lying with a few dealers in the Delhi-NCR region and also entirely bear the interest cost of BS-VI inventory (physical and transit). Maruti Suzuki and Honda Cars India have also declared financial aid packages. When asked if the financial package is the final one, Guleria replied, The situation is very dynamic and it is too early to say if this is the final help we are providing. And, it is not to say that we are creating another hope but all the company has to reassess its own business area. We have to continuously monitor with our dealers and vendors. The board members are meeting function heads on a daily basis. As and when some intervention is required from our side then definitely be reviewed and executed. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here. Mobile police issued 17 citations of $100 each for curfew violations so far, the most among the largest cities in Alabama that have adopted local ordinances aimed at keeping people at home during overnight hours. The citys 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew went into effect on Tuesday as a way to minimize exposure during the coronavirus pandemic. A dozen of the citations were issued over the weekend. Police made 105 contacts with people violating the curfew order, who received warnings, according to police spokeswoman Charlette Solis. Given the situation and that we have already had issues with citizens not taking it seriously enough, I believe citations should be issued, Mobile City Council Vice President C.J. Small said. If we are going to stop this devastating disease from ravaging our communities, we must flatten the curve. The health and lives of our citizens are on the line. In Birmingham, where a shelter in place curfew has been in effect since March 24, no citations have been written. The fines are hefty, carrying the potential of $500 per offense, but police spokesman Sgt. Rod Maudlin said that everyone has been in compliance for the most part. As of right now, the approach we are taking in Birmingham is if we see anything going on, were in an education phase and asking for compliance and cooperation, Maudlin said. We did not run into anything last week where we didnt gain compliance and had to take enforcement measures. He added, Our officers made contact with individuals and asked them to disburse if they were in a large group. We didnt have any instances where those individuals didnt comply. Montgomery has made two misdemeanor arrests for curfew violations, according to Montgomery police spokeswoman Captain Regina Duckett. She said it will be up to a municipal judge to assess a fine. Tuscaloosa, which first began enforcing its curfew ordinance this weekend, issued only one ticket and gave 30 warnings. Huntsville is the only large city that did not adopt a curfew. But handful of smaller cities and towns, especially in hard hit areas like east Alabama, did adopt curfews, often running from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfews followed Alabama Gov. Kay Iveys stay at home order issued on April 3. But none of the cities reached by AL.com reported any citations or arrests. We havent had any problems, said Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan Floyd. The Tallapoosa County community of about 3,200 residents voted in the curfew last week. We have not had any issues like some of the other cities have had. In Smiths Station, a city of 5,400 residents in Lee County near the Alabama-Georgia state line, a curfew assessing $500 fines upon a second offense against violators has been in place since April 6. The town added the curfew to prevent house parties or parking lot gatherings, according to Mayor F.L. Bubba Copeland. The curfew also comes at a time when Lee County has experienced a high amount of coronavirus cases. As of Monday night, the county had 250 confirmed cases and six deaths related to the illness. We havent had any fines, but were not wanting any fines, said Copeland. We are just trying to tell people you cannot congregate. Cranfield University is collaborating with partners in Pakistan and Madagascar to evaluate how effective a mobile phone app is in helping remote smallholder farmers better fertilise their land. The research is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering's Frontiers of Engineering for Development scheme. Both Peshawar in Pakistan and Madagascar have remote areas with limited resources, so farming land must be managed effectively. In both areas, farmers are vulnerable to shocks to their agricultural system either from natural disasters or political instability. Vegetable production is key for smallholder farmers (SHF) and a new mobile phone app could help them target fertilisers to optimise yields. Cranfield University is leading the 12-month project to assess this system and compare it to conventional methods of land management. Project lead, Dr Ruben Sakrabani, Senior Lecturer in Soil Chemistry said: "Fertiliser use is key in this subsistence system, but there's little data available to help farmers take measures to improve their current practices and management. This simple tool could make a huge difference to their farming yields, saving cost and improving their livelihoods." The international team of researchers will work with SHFs to assess the mobile phone app for precision fertiliser management. The system uses a paper strip to analyse soil nutrients. The strip changes colour when inserted into soil extracts, and its colour intensity is measured by the app, which then recommends levels of fertiliser to use. ### Notes to editors: The project team for 'Evaluating deployment of mobile phone Apps in smallholder fertiliser management' is Ruben Sakrabani, Cranfield University Harinaivo Ramanantoanina, Engineers Order of Madagascar Lina Raharasoavelohanta, AIM - Action Intercooperation Madagascar Afia Zia, Peshawar Agricultural University 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. Royal Academy of Engineering As the UK's national academy for engineering and technology, we bring together the most successful and talented engineers from academia and business - our Fellows - to advance and promote excellence in engineering for the benefit of society. We harness their experience and expertise to provide independent advice to government, to deliver programmes that help exceptional engineering researchers and innovators realise their potential, to engage the public with engineering and to provide leadership for the profession. We have three strategic priorities: Make the UK the leading nation for engineering innovation and businesses Address the engineering skills and diversity challenge Position engineering at the heart of society We bring together engineers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, academics, educators and the public in pursuit of these goals. Engineering is a global profession, so we work with partners across the world to advance engineering's contribution to society on an international, as well as a national scale. http://www.raeng.org.uk Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the backdrop of a protest in Mumbai by migrant workers demanding that they be sent back to their native places in view of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. Thackeray said he has been speaking to leaders across political spectrum in view of the coronavirus crisis. Thackeray, in a live webcast, said leaders of all political parties were together in time of the current crisis. "Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi (a few days ago), I spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah today. I have spoken to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. "(NCP president) Sharad Pawar is also with us, (MNS leader) Raj Thackeray is also with us," he said. He warned that his government will not allow anybody to play with the sentiments of poor migrant workers and disturb the law and order situation in the state. "I will not let the situation go out of control," he said, adding culprits will be punished. The chief minister's warning came after more than 1,000 migrant workers assembled near suburban Bandra railway station on Tuesday afternoon to demand that transport arrangements be made to send them back to their native places. Thackeray appealed to migrants to stay calm and not to panic. "We, Indians, can face this challenge together," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SPRINGFIELD A fund created to support Pioneer Valley nonprofits working with communities that are among those most vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic has just received a $500,000 boost. The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation made the donation to the COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley established in March by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. These are extraordinary times requiring that business and philanthropy in Western Massachusetts come together to address this unprecedented crisis and its impact on the people of our region," said Steven A. Davis, senior director of the Davis Foundation. Mary Walachy, the Davis Foundations executive director, said the organization has worked closely with the Community Foundation for many years. We thought it would be best to partner with our friends at the community foundation, and not duplicate their work," she said. We are trusting them and the research and data they are collecting to make informed decisions about where the greatest needs are." The donation brought the total raised for the fund to $3.3 million. The fund has already awarded $1 million to nearly 30 local nonprofits. Unlike the typical grant funding process, the COVID-19 Response Fund does not require organizations to submit an application. Money is awarded to organizations based on the highest need. The main reason not to have an application is to make it as easy as possible for these organizations which are serving on the front lines, said Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Our focus is on the most urgent needs of the traditionally marginalized and vulnerable in our communities whether its those who are homeless or food insecure or the elderly and disabled. We are really thinking about their food, shelter and healthcare needs. Walachy said it is important to streamline the grant process for the organizations. Its easier for the nonprofits doing the work in the communities to have one central clearinghouse where they can access funding, she said. Zobel said many nonprofits do not have the resources, the time or the staff to fill out lengthy grant applications. The organizations doing this work are very busy and stretched to the max. We wanted to figure out how to distribute much needed dollars to them in an easy way, Zobel said. Her staff has been reaching out to over 50 nonprofit organizations and elected officials in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties weekly to gather information about their needs. We also have a listening tool on our website that we are encouraging nonprofits to use and share information about how this crisis is affecting them and the population they are serving, she said. We are also using state and regional survey data coming in. We take in all of that information and it informs our decisions. The grants are given out on a weekly basis and have ranged from $10,000 to more than $150,000. Some of the organizations that have received grants include the Gandara Center in West Springfield and Springfield, Enlace de Familias in Holyoke, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield, Grow Food Northampton and several others. The needs change so quickly whether its social distancing or testing, so we are looking at small organizations and large organizations and taking into consideration the populations they serve and what their needs are, Zobel said. Lois Nesci, chief executive officer for Gandara Center, said the organization recently received a $30,000 grant from the fund. This gracious donation will allow us to continue to fulfill our mission of providing culturally competent bilingual behavioral health and social services to some of the states most vulnerable individuals, she said. The funding continues to help us ensure that we have the staff and the tools needed, including personal protective equipment to serve the community during this challenging time. Staff writer Jim Kinney contributed to this report. Related content: The Way It Was: The One and Only Lakota Times 1984 Editor Tim Giago checks over news story with his editor Amanda Takes War Bonnet in the newsroom of the Lakota Times when it was located in Martin. The mainstream media is making a laughing stock out of the seldom used national press conferences. Every time Trump and his lineup of sycophants take the podium to tell lies to the American people they are given the air time. The press conferences are even more comic because Trump will spout a bunch of lies and then one of his sycophants is forced to correct it. Former Vice President Joe Biden has a truck load of videos to use in his commercials as a candidate running against Trump. If Biden had a staff of advisers with any smarts at all they would be looking over every one of the videos of Trumps press conferences and of his rallies to weed out the lies and deceptions that are the focal point of all of them. For example, before a large crowd in North Carolina, Trumps last rally before the coronavirus epidemic shut him down, he stood at the podium doing his best impression of Benito Mussolini and called the coronavirus a hoax perpetrated by the media and the Democrats. A clever campaign video by Joe Biden would use this same video of Trump spouting about how the virus is a hoax and doing a simultaneous video showing the number of deaths attributed to the virus. It has reached the point in America that even a pandemic is being used as a political tool by Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues. The GOP (Greed Over People) has come totally under the spell of Trump and his lies. The fact that only one Republican Senator, Mitt Romney, has found the backbone to question the authenticity of nearly all of Trumps fibs. He was the only Republican voting to impeach Trump and now that every American can see what a total mess Trump has made about the coronavirus pandemic, it is apparent that many lives could have been saved if Trump had taken the pandemic more seriously. Wopila: Native Sun News Today is temporarily suspending publication for 2 weeks in order to protect employees from the spread of the #Coronavirus in #SouthDakota. #COVID19 https://t.co/JbvLWz8XCl indianz.com (@indianz) April 9, 2020 The Republicans are organizing a reelection campaign for Trump that will be touting what a great job Trump did in addressing the coronavirus pandemic. And they will do it in such a clever way that Trumps diehard supporters will believe every word of it. But there is too much evidence out there that can easily refute any of the false advertisements about to be unleashed by the GOP. There is no way of knowing how long this pandemic will last. Not only are many Americans dying because of it, but every American is feeling the changes it has brought to their lives. Schools and colleges are closed and the students are learning to finish this school year on their computers. So far South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has said that the State Parks will remain open. Does that mean that tourists from states like New York, Michigan, Washington and others states with massive coronavirus deaths will be able to come to South Dakota and freely continue to spread the virus amongst the locals? We apologize to our readers for not publishing for 2 weeks, but we have several employees with diabetes and other illnesses that make them very vulnerable to the virus. We may be taking a chance to publish this particular issue, but we are abiding by all of the quarantine restrictions while we work. Lets hope that next week is a better and safer week for all of us. Contact the Editorial Board of Native Sun News Today at editor@nativesunnews.today. Copyright permission Native Sun News Today Join the Conversation Governors of the three Pacific states presented a joint plan to loosen restrictions on socio-economic life after the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19, abates. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the three states cooperative plan during his Monday morning COVID-19 news briefing. Newsom shared with the assembled press that he, along with the other two west-coast Democratic governors Kate Brown of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington, were brainstorming over the past week about what it would look like and how we could begin the process of the incremental reopening in safe, a strategic and a responsible way, Monterey County Weekly reported. COVID-19 has preyed upon our interconnectedness. In the coming weeks, the West Coast will flip the script on COVID-19with our states acting in close coordination and collaboration to ensure the virus can never spread wildly in our communities, the governors said in a statement Monday. We are announcing that California, Oregon, and Washington have agreed to work together on a shared approach for reopening our economiesone that identifies clear indicators for communities to restart public life and business, they added. Newsom also said that each state will adhere to its own crisis plan as all three have imposed strict lockdowns on their citizens and businesses, and that they are trying to move forward in a coordinated manner. COVID-19 doesnt follow state or national boundaries, the governors added, saying they will also each develop state-specific plans. It will take every level of government, working together, and a full picture of whats happening on the ground. New York Working On Reopening Plan With 5 Other States New York officials are also working on a reopening plan with five other states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The governors of those four states have already made lockdown announcements, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is hoping to draw up a plan with them for reopening the economy, as the hardest-hit state in the nation starts to see declining hospitalizations and new cases. The states, along with Rhode Island and Delaware, announced on Monday a regional advisory committee that will explore how to get people back to work and restore the economy. The six governors announced the committee during a one-hour conference call led by Cuomo. We cannot act on our own. We must be smart and tactical in how our region comes out of this, or else well be right back to square one, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, Delaware Gov. John Carney, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf were also on the call. The reopening plan will be designed by public health and economic experts, not politicians, Cuomo told reporters in Albany. Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this article. Green divide: Farmers are allowed a carbon tax rebate on their purchases of green diesel, but contractors are not A delay on the carbon tax increase on diesel is being sought by the country's agri-contractors. The Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) warned in a recent letter to the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, that the decline in beef and milk prices as a result of Covid-19 crisis was already being "converted into increasing debt" for its members. FCI chairman Richard White called on Minister Donohoe to postpone the planned carbon tax increase given the "huge uncertainty" in the economy, and to instigate a full review of the measure. The carbon tax is due to increase from 20/t to 26/t from May 1. This converts to an additional cost on diesel of around 1.5c/litre, plus VAT. Despite diesel prices falling by around 40pc since the start of the year - from 70-75c/l to 45c/l, which could deliver savings to the sector of around 30m this year - the FCI insisted that the imposition of the higher carbon taxes will exacerbate debt levels for contractors. FCI has called on Minister Donohoe to: Postpone the 6/t carbon tax increase due on May 1; Include agricultural contractors in stakeholder meetings to review the issue; Allow agricultural contractors equal access to the double deduction for carbon tax already offered to farmers; Provide farmers with financial support mechanisms that are ring-fenced to fund the payment of contractor services in 2020. It is understood that contractors use close to two-thirds of the 240m litres of agri-diesel sold in Ireland each year - around 160m litres. FCI says the increased carbon tax will cost contractors around 5m. It estimates that plans to ultimately increase the carbon tax to 80/t could cost farmers up to 100m a year in the future. By Online Desk India has recorded 11,933 coronavirus cases and 392 deaths so far, as the government permitted reopening up of some industries in rural areas after April 20 in an effort to reduce the economic impact caused by the lockdown. Maharashtra, which is India's worst affected state with 2916 coronavirus cases, now has the highest death rate in India at 6.8 per cent. The Ministry of Home Affairs, earlier today, issued revised guidelines for the extended lockdown, in which it gave relaxation to agriculture, e-commerce and select industrial activities from April 20. Meanwhile, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said that after April 20, restrictions will be eased in some districts depending on the cases in that area. With the extension of the lockdown, the Indian Railways and the aviation regulatory body DGCA stated that rail and air services will also remain suspended till May 3. Here are the LIVE UPDATES: ABC/Image Group LAMiranda Lambert just dropped a bomb on fans with a throwback photo of her and Tiger King star Joe Exotic. Miranda revealed on Twitter Monday that she had a brief encounter with the big cat enthusiast in 2017, not knowing who he was at the time. She explains that after Hurricane Harvey ravaged parts of her home state of Texas, including Houston, Miranda ventured to the city with her nonprofit Mutt Nation to help displaced animals. She put out a call for volunteers to help transport existing shelter dogs to Oklahoma to make space at the Houston shelter for animals that had been separated from their owners during the storm. One of those volunteers was Joe, who offered his trailer to help move the animals. "I've never been to his zoo and I didn't even know he had tigers," Miranda discloses, alongside the photo of her posing with Joe and his staff. "OBVIOUSLY I'd never condone animals being treated badly." She also captions the photo with #WayTooPrettyForPrison, nodding both to the title of her duet with Maren Morris off her latest album, Wildcard, and the fact that Joe is currently in prison on federal counts of animal abuse and murder for hire against Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin. Joe is the subject of the wildly popular Netflix true crime series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, that documents his life as a tiger breeder and former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The Ukrainian government has made progress in the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), the World Bank said in the 2019 Ukraine Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment report published on April 13. "The 2019 PEFA Assessment indicates that the Government of Ukraine has made progress in the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)," the World Bank's press service said. According to the report, the government improved its macroeconomic and budget forecasting tools, as well as increased transparency in public financial management through the introduction of an open budget portal and e-procurement system ProZorro. For Ukraine, this was the fourth PEFA Assessment at the national level. Previous PEFA Assessments were conducted in 2006, 2011, and 2015: the latter informed the country's Public Finance Management Reform Strategy for 2017-2020. The current Assessment has laid the basis for the Ukrainian government's new 2021-2024 PFM Reform Strategy. The World Bank said that the comparison of the 2019 and 2015 PEFA Assessments reveals that many indicators and dimensions have improved, specifically those related to fiscal discipline, the strategic allocation of resources, and the efficient use of resources for service delivery. However, some indicators have deteriorated since the last PEFA. For instance, the time for budget preparation was shortened, and there was a reduction in competitive procurement bidding and fewer payroll audits compared to the previous PEFA. "Why does the PEFA matter to ordinary Ukrainians? Because it measures whether taxpayers' money is spent where it's meant to be spent. It helps understand what needs to be done in order to minimize waste and corruption risks in public spending," said Alexander Kremer, Acting World Bank Director for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The Ukraine PEFA Assessment Report is now available on the websites of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the World Bank, and the PEFA Secretariat. The assessment was carried out by the World Bank as part of the Parallel European Commission-World Bank Partnership Program for the Reform of Public Administration and Finances (EURoPAF) and closely coordinated with the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. To date, almost 640 PEFA Assessments have been conducted in 152 countries. op Actor Ana de Armas says she was "shocked" when director Cary Fukunaga offered her a role in "No Time To Die" as she associated the character of a Bond girl with beauty standards that go "beyond the normal". The film marks the fifth and final appearance of franchise star Daniel Craig as the iconic spy James Bond. "Bond girls have been portrayed for so many years with a specific type of woman," Ana told Cinema Blend magazine. The "Knives Out" star said Fukunaga called her up saying he wanted to cast her but the character was yet to be written. "I associate it with some sort of perfection and beauty standards beyond the normal. Things that I didn't match, I was shocked when the director called me to say, 'The character is not written yet but we want you to do it'," the Cuban actor added. Ana, 31, plays Paloma, a CIA agent assisting Bond, in the film. The actor said she wanted to do something different with her character in "No Time to Die", instead of being "rescued" or "evil". "I needed to read that script. And it took a little, but they sent me the scenes. It's important, because I want to bring something else to the story," she added. "No Time To Die" is now scheduled to be release on November 12 in the UK and on November 25 in the US. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UnityPoint Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) is currently providing care for four positive COVID-19 patients. The medical center has implemented significant operational changes and ramped up personal protection equipment (PPE) collection efforts in response to the pandemic, acting in compliance with recommendations issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in order to quell community spread of the virus. According to Leah Van Rees, senior marketing communications specialist at Unity Point GRMC, one of the most significant changes has been the implementation of new visitor restrictions intended to limit the number of people coming to the medical center. As a result of these restrictions, GRMC is encouraging all patients to call the hospital before coming to the facility. Anyone seeking healthcare should call first, whether its for a standard appointment that has nothing to do with potential COVID-19 or whether its someone who does think they might be exhibiting symptoms of a respiratory illness, said Van Rees. Phone assessments are more effective in protecting both the patient and the provider from potential exposure to the novel coronavirus. To further decrease the chances of spreading the virus within the medical center, GRMC has established a respiratory care clinic in a building located away from the main hospital that includes COVID-19 testing resources. But Van Rees stressed that GRMC is not providing drive-through testing. As with other health concerns, people seeking to be tested for coronavirus must call ahead and be approved by a healthcare provider. GRMC is using the current testing criteria of the CDC and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), which prioritizes those who most urgently need a diagnosis and who are more vulnerable to the virus. This includes hospitalized patients with fever and respiratory symptoms, older adults with COVID-19 symptoms and underlying conditions, residents of congregate settings such as nursing homes and treatment centers, healthcare workers, essential services workers and first responders. The hospitals distribution of PPE has also shifted in response to the developing situation. All GRMC healthcare workers are required to wear face masks, but non-direct workers, like Van Rees, are using hand-made cloth masks, as surgical masks and N95 respirators are essential equipment for workers interacting directly with patients. GRMC has spearheaded the effort to secure enough PPE including N95 masks, disinfectant wipes/spray, gloves and gowns in order to meet the need of medical workers. Unity Point has put forth guidelines on how the public can help, covering everything from monetary support to PPE donations. So far, Van Rees said, these efforts have a lot of support from the community, ranging from businesses and organizations to individuals. Donations have even been cross-continental; 150 Grinnell alumni and parents of Chinese students have donated money or PPE to Grinnells healthcare workers in recent days. In addition to PPE, concerns about ICU care availability and ventilator shortages are growing as the virus makes its way to under-resourced rural areas. GRMC is the only hospital in Poweshiek county, a county with an estimated population of around 18,500, 20.8 percent of which are persons over the age of 65, making the area more vulnerable to severe cases of COVID-19. Currently, the center has five ICU beds and three step-down beds, which provide higher-level care. According to Van Rees, the supply of ventilators is flexible and can hopefully increase if demand for ventilators increases. Similar to PPE, its kind of a moving target in that we are always looking to make sure that what we have matches the needs of the community, she said. Across health care at this time, everyone is looking to make sure they have the supplies to handle a potential influx of COVID-19-positive patients. Grinnell College student Gyana Singh 23 faced the stringent testing restrictions and heightened precautionary measures at GRMC when she visited the medical center last week after experiencing several days of severe body aches, fever, exhaustion and a dry cough that kept her up at night. When she arrived, Singh was directed straight to the emergency room and given a mask. From the moment she entered, a rigorous cleaning regimen was underway. From the moment I entered, every nook and cranny was being cleaned. They were being really careful. Even at the reception desk, they were being extra cautious when touching things, said Singh. She was isolated in a small room for the entire duration of her check-up and described the atmosphere at the hospital as tense. Singh was tested for mononucleosis and strep, but the doctors stopped short of testing her for COVID-19. She wasnt showing enough symptoms to be tested for coronavirus and was told her illness was probably due to another viral infection. If I did have coronavirus, I wouldnt have known, said Singh. In the meantime, UnityPoint is emphasizing preventative measures, primarily social distancing practices. After all, the best way to keep tests and hospital beds available to those who need them is to avoid being infected in the first place. Van Rees explained, If you can stay at home, stay at home, if you can. Work from home if youre able. And come out into the community for essential needs. So, to get your groceries, to have your healthcare appointments after youve called ahead and confirmed with your physician that those are the steps you need to take. Heathrow airport, normally the busiest in Europe, has just experienced its worst month since the 1980s. The west London airport, which has remained open throughout the coronavirus pandemic, has reported a 52 per cent slump in passenger numbers in March 2020, to 3.1 million. The fall in traffic is worse than during the first Gulf War in 1990-1, the financial crash of 2007-8 and the volcanic ash airspace closure in 2010. Heathrows links to the European Union were worst affected, with 60 per cent fewer passengers in March 2020 compared with a year earlier. The smallest reduction was to and from Latin America, though this figure has been boosted by a number of repatriation flights from Peru organised by the Foreign Office. Heathrow is handling many times more cargo flights than usual. The average number of freight-only movements in normal times is seven per day; yet 38 dedicated cargo flights were handled on one day alone, 31 March 2020. But the amount of freight handled by Heathrow is down one-third compared with 2019. During normal operations, 95 per cent of cargo usually travels in the belly hold of passenger planes. The airports initial forecasts show passenger demand in April is set to decrease by over 90 per cent, with lasting and significant industry-wide effects predicted. Last week, Heathrow previously the worlds busiest two-runway airport moved to single-runway operations. It is also closing Terminals 3 and 4, to consolidate operations into Terminals 2 and 5. There has been speculation that even when unrestricted international air travel resumes, Terminal 4 which is awkwardly located south of the runways, rather than between then may not re-open for some years. But Heathrow might decide instead to keep Terminal 3 closed and rebuild it as a modern, midfield facility. Heathrow is doing better than other British airports. London City has closed completely until May, while Gatwick the UKs second-busiest airport is opening only for eight hours a day. The sole remaining link between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is from Heathrow. The airports chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: Heathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open and helping people get home. Now is the time to agree a common international standard for healthcare screening in airports so that when this crisis recedes, people can travel with confidence and we can get the British economy moving again. 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 Heathrow has installed hundreds of hand sanitiser dispensers, and deployed signage and floor stickers to remind passengers of the need for social distancing. No mention is made in the announcement about the plans for a third runway at Heathrow. Frankfurt airport is currently busiest in Europe, with Heathrow in second place. A week-long curfew will be imposed in Old City nd Danilimbda areas of Ahmedabad from 6 am on Wednesday to contain the spread of coronavirus, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced on Tuesday. The curfew in the two localities, which have a large minority community population, will continue till 6 am on April 21, he said in a video message. However, there will be relaxations for a few hours everyday to allow residents to buy food items and essential commodities. For an effective implementation of the curfew, over 2,100 uniformed men from local police and para-military forces will be deployed in both the areas, said Ahmedabad police commissioner Ashish Bhatia. Several COVID-19 cases have been reported from Old City (walled city) and Danilimbda. Before making the announcement, Rupani held a meeting with Congress MLAs Gyasuddin Sheikh, Imran Khedawala and Shailesh Parmar who represent assembly constituencies falling in the two localities. Gujarat has so far recorded 650 COVID-19 cases, a bulk of them from Ahmedabad city. "Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases and many of them have come from the Fort area (Old City). We have decided to impose curfew in the Fort and Danilimbda areas from Wednesday morning," Rupani said in a video on Facebook. "These areas have many (infection) hotspots. Nobody should come out of their houses in these two areas for the next few days. Police will ensure strict implementation of the curfew," he added. "Our health department team will work hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in these areas in the next few days and everybody should cooperate with it," he said. People of the two localities will not face any problem in getting essential commodities, the chief minister assured. "We will relax curfew from 1 pm to 4 pm everyday when essential items such as milk, vegetables, groceries or medicines can be bought. "But only women will be allowed to venture out during the period of relaxation," he said. The CM welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the nationwide coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. "The lockdown will be strictly observed in the entire state till May 3 to defeat coronavirus. I urge people to cooperate with the state administration in implementation of the lockdown as they have done in the last 21 days," he said. Addressing the media in Gandhinagar, Bhatia said the curfew will be clamped in localities falling under the jurisdiction of Shahpur, Karanj, Kalupur, Khadia, Gaekwad- Haveli, Dariyapur police stations of walled city and Danilimda police station. "For effective enforcement of the curfew, we have created 374 check-points and deployed 159 police vans to keep a watch on people's movement. "We have also called in the BSF and the Rapid Action Force. In total, 2,158 uniformed men from local police and para-military will be deployed in those areas," Bhatia said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israel's coronavirus deaths rise to 117 According to the official data, at least 2,000 patients have recovered from the virus so far. The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has topped 11,800, with 117 deaths, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. ONE DIED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS In the last 24 hours, one person died and 282 people tested positive for coronavirus, raising the total number of cases to 11,868, including 181 who are in critical condition. As many as 9,459 tests were administered during the said period. The government has taken a number of steps to stem the spread of the virus, including closing all educational institutions and banning gatherings of more than 10 in open or closed public areas. All businesses except supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and banks remain shut since March 15. Tel Aviv also banned the entry of foreign citizens except those with Israeli residency. With no fanfare, national anti-poverty group Campaign 2000 last week released its report card on Manitoba. The title Broken Promise, Stolen Futures: Child and Family Poverty in Manitoba says it all. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion With no fanfare, national anti-poverty group Campaign 2000 last week released its report card on Manitoba. The title Broken Promise, Stolen Futures: Child and Family Poverty in Manitoba says it all. It was a follow up to the organizations national report in January, which stated Canadas child poverty rate is at 18.6 per cent (decreasing only 3.4 per cent in 30 years) and 1.35 million children live in poverty with a disproportionate amount being Indigenous, racialized and immigrant children, and children in female-led single-parent families. If you missed it last week, youre not alone; almost no media covered the report, as the COVID-19 pandemic held the spotlight. On any other day, it would have been front-page news. The Manitoba report card echoes the claim by national Campaign 2000 advocates that Canada is masking the amount of children and families in poverty by using the Market Basket Measure (MBM, calculated by taking a "basket" of essential goods and services and subtracting a familys average income) instead of the Census Family Low Income Measure (CFLIM, calculated by using 50 per cent of median income divided by family size). MBM, the report argues, "allows for claims of much less poverty than actually exists." This results in huge discrepancies. Canadian officials, using MBM, state 26,000 Manitoba children live in poverty; Campaign 2000, using CFLIM, says the number is more than 85,000. Even if the truth was somewhere in the middle, thats 50,000 Manitoban children in poverty. Theres more: the report points out Manitobas reduction rate of child poverty is the third-slowest in the country, behind only Ontario and Nova Scotia. At that rate, child poverty in Manitoba will be eradicated by the year 2717. One out of every six children in a two-parent home in Manitoba live in poverty; the same for one out of every 1.6 children in a single-parent home. Manitoba leads Canada in children under six years of age in poverty (31 per cent), second only to Nunavut (37 per cent). On-reserve child poverty in the province is even worse. "Indigenous children on reserve exhibit the shameful rate of 65 per cent, while more than half (53 per cent) off-reserve live in poverty," the report card states. "Also, more than one in four (26 per cent) of Metis children and almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Inuit children are living in poverty. This compares with a rate of 17.1 per cent of non-Indigenous children in Manitoba." The Manitoba government has made the problem even worse, according to the new report. Since October 2017, the province has cut nearly $100 million from the child-welfare systems, imposed "block" funding on child and family agencies that has hampered programs, and "clawed back" money earmarked for Indigenous children in care. This has resulted, according to the report, in children in care turning 18 and being "immediately propelled into homelessness." The neglect, mistreatment, and overwhelming ineptitude is costing Manitobans. "We know that austerity, cuts and cancellations, and policies that favour the wealthier, have made income inequality in Canada and Manitoba grow rapidly over the last three decades," the report states. "And, while cuts have served to reduce budget expenditures in the very short term, poverty is costly, putting a burden on health, policing, justice, and family budgets." Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, things are getting worse. In March, nearly one million jobs in Canada were lost, with around 25,000 of these in Manitoba. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Economists suggest Canadas unemployment rate is now around 20 per cent (four times what it was in February). Manitobas unemployment rate has doubled from the 6.4 per cent it sat at before the pandemic hit, according to Statistics Canada. This means more children in poverty. The report, while released last week, is already outdated. In the days leading to the COVID-19 crisis, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister was asked by the NDP to support school-level breakfast programs for hungry children. He rejected the call, blaming parents for not "fulfilling their responsibilities." He was widely criticized for being out of touch and not understanding many Manitobans must work multiple jobs to make ends meet. They are not neglectful, but overworked. Many of these parents are now at home, unemployed. To fix this impending disaster, a breakfast program is going to be the least of Pallisters worries. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca A care home group in England, which took its "Adopt a Grandparent" program virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic, has received an influx of virtual volunteers from across the globe. Over 67,000 volunteers signed up for the virtual "Adopt a Grandparent" program over the last three weeks, according to the facility, and theres a waitlist. PHOTO: Over 67,000 people from all over the world have signed up to be 'virtual volunteers' in the 'Adopt a Grandparent' program. (CHD Living) "We had no idea that it would create the kind of movement it did across the world," said Shaleeza Hasham, the Head of Hospitality, Communications & Commissioning at CHD Living. MORE: Woman takes on 3rd job to work at mom's nursing home during coronavirus pandemic Hasham launched the "Adopt a Grandparent" program in October 2019 hoping people in the community would visit the care facilities and mingle with the residents. "I wanted other people to experience the value in learning from older people because they have so much to share and so much life experience," Hasham told "GMA." "I think its a very, very valuable thing for people to be involved with." Hasaham said the program started with 130 locals who would come into the nursing home and visit, but when COVID-19 prevented the home from welcoming visitors, they made the program virtual. MORE: Seniors receive special bouquets from couple who put wedding flowers to good use Adopted grandparent and grandchild matches are chosen from all over the world by the staff based on common interests. PHOTO: Adopted grandparents and grandchildren are hand matched based on their interests and where they are in the world. (CHD Living) One nursing home resident, 88-year-old Rosie, was matched with a woman who works as a nanny in Hawaii named Annette. "She lives in Hawaii and she calls me every now and again and shes lovely," Rosie said. "We talk about life, she was interested in how I lived and everything and I was interested in how she lived." MORE: Dog brightens the day for seniors living under coronavirus quarantine While the Adopt a Grandparent program has provided companionship and support for the elderly residents of the care facilities, its also been a beneficial program for volunteers. Story continues "The primary goal was really for the older person," Hasham noted, but, "what we found is the benefits for everybody involved are quite phenomenal." With thousands signed up to be volunteers and only a few hundred residents, Hasham said her group care home is reaching out to other facilities from around the world hoping to expand the program. Hasaham encourages anyone who is interested to continue to sign up and place themselves on the waiting list. Hasham hopes that the relationships made in this program will go beyond the coronavirus pandemic and encourages people from all over the world to send cards, letters and flowers to care facilities where older people may be isolated due to COVID-19. "This really is cross generational, and its about providing support, companionship and sort of building relationships that we hope will be sustained far past what is happening right now with coronavirus," Hasham said. 'Adopt a Grandparent' program sees influx of virtual volunteers from across the globe originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Villagers and wildllife officers in southeast Sri Lanka worked together to rescue an elephant that had become trapped in a canal for more than 10 hours. The elephant was rescued from Maduru Oya's Z.D main canal near Medagama on April 13, after wandering out from the nearby Aluthwewa forest reserve. The elephant, fell into the main canal from the Verarana area in Aralaganwila, but was washed around 10km downstream before being rescued. The wildlife officials of Veheragala followed the elephant for a while and rescued the elephant through the iron sluice gate at the Medagama power generation unit. The rescued elephant was then pushed into the nearby forest by the wildlife officials. The wild elephant was around 9-foot-tall and estimated to be around 40 years old. Coronavirus: On Tuesday morning, PM Narendra Modi at 10 am sharp announced the lockdown extension till May 3, the step has been taken by looking at the staggering rise of infected cases in the country. So, lockdown extension is the only way to combat the spread of the enigma virus. Here's how Bollywood and TV celebs reacted to the lockdown 2.0. Coronavirus: Lockdown 2.0 has begun, as honorable PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning at 10 am sharp announced another 20 days of quarantine to mitigate the spread of the enigma virus. The decision has been taken by looking at the staggering and unfathomable rising numbers of infected coronavirus cases in the nation, likewise South Korea, PM Modi taking no risk of unlocking the nation right now. Bollywood and TV celebs also welcomed the decision and lauded PM Modi for taking stern action in the time of the COVID-19 crisis. Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, Arjun Bijlani, Vivek Agnihotri, Ameesha Patel, Gaurav Kapur, Rajeev Khandelwal, Kangana Ranauts sister Rangoli Chandel and others expressed their views on social media with a motivating note for their fans. Actor Neil shared a video and captioned it with a cryptic note, all future plans ready? While Rangoli Chandel praises the PM Modis decision and wrote: Glad to hear the news, even state ministers took the right decision to extend the lockdown for another few weeks. Applauding, Ameesha Patel wrote: an absolutely needed decision, its a bit difficult, but small sacrifices will bring good for the nation. Check the post here: Friends, You can achieve all this before 3rd May: lose weight/ be fitter learn about food learn a new skill throw away what you dont need/live light discover new ideas and be ready for #NewWorld discover your #CreativeConsciousness be succesful #Lockdown2 Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 14, 2020 Lockdown extended till 3rd may .. we will stay strong .. #stayhome pl . #quarantine . Salute to all our fronliners.. https://t.co/36tt1ivoKP Arjun Bijlani #MajorNikhilManikrishnan (@Thearjunbijlani) April 14, 2020 Lets respect what our Prime Minister just said. It is in the interest of the entire country. Stay indoors, stay safe. #CoronaUpdatesInIndia Rajeev Khandelwal (@RK1610IsMe) April 14, 2020 Glad Modi extended the lock down, I also liked the decision about the states where its increasing will remain shut while others which become Corona free can start to operate, good jo karega woh Bharega, but the speech was too short, wish Modi ji would motivate us little more. Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) April 14, 2020 Indeed, it was a righteous decision taken by PM Modis with an aim Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi, which means life and country both are important to run the nation. PM Modi also gave 7 mantras for the people in quarantine which are as follows: Take intensive care of senior citizens in your home, especially those who are suffering from chronic disease. Second, dont flout the lockdown and wear a face mask, if in case a person doesnt have, wear a homemade mask. Address to the nation. https://t.co/26sVP2br5n Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2020 Third, follow the AYUSH ministry directives for boosting immunity. Fourth Aarogya Setu Mobile App is a must App. Fifth, do your bit by taking care of the needy people around you. Sixth, respect essential workers. Seventh, in the time of coronavirus crisis dont furlough the workers. For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App ABC has revealed the full lineup for The Disney Family Singalong, which will include performances from top stars such as Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera. The star-studded event, which will take place Thursday, April 16 at 8 PM, features celebrities singing Disney tunes from the comfort of their own homes. The special will also feature, 'PSAs with talent from across Walt Disney Television to raise awareness about Feeding America's vast network and resources' during the COVID-19 outbreak. Stars: ABC has revealed the full lineup for The Disney Family Singalong, which will include performances from top stars such as Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera Home show: Ryan Seacrest will host the star-studded event, which will take place Thursday, April 16 at 8 PM, featuring celebrities singing Disney tunes from the comfort of their own homes PSA: The special will also feature, 'PSAs with talent from across Walt Disney Television to raise awareness about Feeding America's vast network and resources' during the COVID-19 outbreak Lovato will sing A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella with Michael Buble, while Aguilera will sing Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King. Grande will belt out I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules, while Auli'i Cravalho sings her How Far I'll Go tune from her hit movie Moana. Country artists Little Big Town will sing A Spoonful of Sugar from Mary Poppins while Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert sing Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast with a special appearance by Julianne Hough. Ariana sings: Grande will belt out I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules, while Auli'i Cravalho sings her How Far I'll Go tune from her hit movie Moana Tori Kelly will sing Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas while Thomas Rhett belts out Do You Want to Build a Snowman from Frozen James Monroe Iglehart with Broadway Company of Disney's Aladdin will sing Friend Like Me from, while live-action Beauty and the Beast stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans will sing Gaston with Alan Menken"How Far I'll Go" - Auli?i Cravalho Grande will also be singing I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules, while Darren Criss sings I Wan'na Be Like You from The Jungle Book. Tori sings: Tori Kelly will sing Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas while Thomas Rhett belts out Do You Want to Build a Snowman from Frozen Other performances will be I'll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan by Donny Osmond, It's a Small World by John Stamos, Let It Go from Frozen by Amber Riley, The Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book by Erin Andrews, Bobby Bones, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marcus Scribner, Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid by Jordan Fisher and You've Got a Friend In Me from Toy Story by Josh Groban. There will be an 'epic performance of We're All In This Together from High School Musical, with director Kenny Ortega and High School Musical stars Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, KayCee Stroh and Raven-Symone. They will also be joined by stars of other Ortega productions such as Descendants," High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Zombies, such as Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Sarah Jeffrey, Meg Donelly and more. Musical: They will also be joined by stars of other Ortega productions such as Descendants," High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Zombies, such as Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Sarah Jeffrey, Meg Donelly and more The one-hour event will also feature a 'vocal warm up' by Kristin Chenoweth, along with a special introduction by Elle Fanning. For fans who want to sing along at home, there will be 'an animated character to guide the on-screen lyrics,' so audiences, 'can follow along in perfect harmony with their favorite celebrities as they sing beloved Disney melodies.' Ryan Seacrest will host the star-studded event, which will air Thursday, April 16 at 8 PM ET on ABC. Singalong: For fans who want to sing along at home, there will be 'an animated character to guide the on-screen lyrics,' so audiences, 'can follow along in perfect harmony with their favorite celebrities as they sing beloved Disney melodies' Is Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. building a longer range version of its "less expensive" Model 3 sedan for China? Apparently yes. The company is set to release one for the Chinese market soon, with the longer-range variant built in the company's factory in Shanghai. The model is said to go at 650 kilometers (km) of driving range (based on China's rating system), compared to the current Tesla Model 3's 590-km range using the same metric. If we translate these range numbers to US-specific EPA ratings, the longer range variant can run up to 571 and 587 km of range, translating to around 53 to 69 km farther than the US-spec, original Model 3 that runs only at 518 km. Bloomberg reported that the locally-built, Model 3 sedan will be offered from as early as this week, with the most basic version starting at 350,000 yuan (PHP2.5 million). This would be around half a million pesos more expensive than the current Tesla Model 3 we have today, which is priced at 323,800 yuan (or PhP 2 million). Tesla 3 Still, many are left asking: why build a Model 3 that can drive faster at farther distances? Perhaps the reason is to add uniformity to its lineup. The company has already released a "Long Range Plus" variant for its Model X and Model S models, so it's only normal for them to extend this with the Model 3's lineup, as well. Another reason for this may be to fend off brewing competition. Electric models are starting to become popular in China, with the likes of BMW AG and Volkswagen AG also positioning themselves at the forefront of the EV race in the country. It's a known fact that Tesla's technologyalthough admittedly impressivecan easily be duplicated by these giant car makers. If that's the case, then we can't help but wonder how Tesla can remain afloat once the Chinese market gets saturated with electric vehicles. Can they remain financially buoyant when that happens? Or will they once again sink near bankruptcyand never recover? Story continues Tesla's advantage is that it already has established itself in the country. Its Shanghai Gigafactory can produce around 150,000 Model 3 sedans a year. This is despite falling sales that started last 2019, with an 8 percent dip in year-over-year revenue since 2012. Of course, the Coronavirus pandemic isn't making things easier for Tesla this year as well. The company's registrations have fallen for two consecutive months in China following the COVID-19 scare. The company also shut down operations, but was able to bounce back relatively quickly and resume operations on February 10. Impressively, Tesla was able to surpass its production capacity before the shutdown, reaching a weekly production of 3,000 cars. Whatever the case, Tesla Inc. still believes that China will be its strongest market for their Model 3and fingers-crossedwill be the same as well for its longer range variant. So let's wait and see what happens next. Right now, we don't have any exact details when this version will be released in the market. Despite reports saying that it will be offered as early as this week, Tesla has yet to confirm this bit of information. Also Read: To create awareness about the danger of COVID-19 infection and also to ensure that guidelines of social distancing are adhered to, the Srikalahasti police, through a series of drawings on roads in front of the temple, urged people to stay home in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The drawings depict a house and a lock with a message that read: "Stay Home--Stay Safe. Let us break and beat coronavirus." Police inspector Nagarjuna Reddy said that the SP and DSP wanted them to come up with a unique way to spread awareness among people. "Our SP and DSP wanted to spread awareness among the public about this deadly virus and how to contain it. So we painted this drawing," said Reddy. He added: "We are there for the service of the public. We request them to kindly cooperate with us for another 14 days. Then the country will overcome this menace. We appeal to one and all to be in your houses, and save the country." Police officials from across the country are indulging in innovative methods to ensure that people are aware of the impact the coronavirus can inflict. From wearing coronavirus themed helmets to performing jingles matching to the current scenario. Last week, a cop took to the street streets singing 'Bohot tedha hai corona, teri himmat aazmaega' - an adaptation of the classic 'Hai apna dil to awara' from the 1958 film 'Solva Saal'. Apart from that, in Chennai, Inspector Rajesh Kumar visited different markets in Villivakkam area to spread awareness about the COVID-19 wearing a coronavirus themed mask, shield, and mask. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 432 positive coronavirus cases were reported in Andhra Pradesh as of Tuesday. Out of the total tally, 11 people have recovered while seven people have lost their lives due to the deadly virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has confirmed plans to launch a global clinical trial testing one of its drugs in treating the extreme immune response triggered by Covid-19 in severely ill patients. The Cambridge-based drugs group said it was rushing through testing for Calquence - which is currently used to treat some blood cancers - after encouraging early clinical results suggested that suppressing the inflammation caused by the immune response could reduce the respiratory harm caused by coronavirus. This could cut deaths from Covid-19 and the need for ventilation in patients with life-threatening symptoms of the virus, Astra said. It marks the group's fastest ever trial launch, which is expected to open in the coming days across the US and several countries in Europe. Jose Baselga, executive vice-president of oncology research and development at Astra, said: "With this trial we are responding to the novel insights of the scientific community and hope to demonstrate that adding Calquence to best supportive care reduces the need to place patients on ventilators and improves their chances of survival. "This is the fastest launch of any clinical trial in the history of AstraZeneca." Covid-19 can trigger an exaggerated immune system response in some patients with the virus, which increases the impact on the respiratory system and is one of the factors that makes the virus so deadly. Astra's trial, called Calavi, will look at the use of Astra's drug Calquence - or acalabrutinib - in supportive care for Covid-19 patients to boost their chances of survival. Louis Staudt, chief of the lymphoid malignancies branch at the National Cancer Institute, said: "Given the well documented role of the protein BTK in regulating inflammation, it is possible that inhibiting BTK with acalabrutinib could provide clinical benefit in patients with advanced Covid-19 lung disease. "As with all new treatments, it will be necessary to gather data from clinical trials in order to understand the best and safest treatment options for patients." PA Guwahati/Shillong/Imphal, April 14 : With one more coronavirus positive case reported in Assam on early Tuesday, the total number of such cases in the state reached 31 and 38 in the northeast region. Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a tweet, said: "A person from Goalpara, and secondary contact of people associated with Nizamuddin Markaz (in Delhi), has been confirmed as COVID-19 positive. The total number of Covid patients in Assam now stands at 31." With the latest case, 38 cases have been found in the northeast so far, these include Assam's 31 (after one death), two each in Manipur and Tripura, and one each in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Of the 38 people, 31 had attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. Assam reported its first coronavirus death in Hailakandi district on April 10. It was also the first in the northeast. In Meghalaya, a senior doctor of the private Bethany Hospital in Shillong tested positive for novel coronavirus on Monday night, the first Covid-19 case in the mountainous state and first doctor with nCoV infection in the entire northeast region. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said the health authorities have established several hundred contacts of the 69-year-old doctor of the private hospital. The woman doctor has no travel history except that her son-in-law, who is a pilot, had been to COVID-19 infected countries, and had returned home on March 22. According to health officials in Shillong, the pilot, however, did not show any symptoms of coronavirus and was an asymptomatic case. Meanwhile, a 26-year-old youth admitted in the hospital on Tuesday leaped to his death from the window. Officials said that the suicide was related to withdrawal symptoms and psychiatric problems but not coronavirus related. In Shillong, the District Magistrate has imposed a curfew for 48 hours starting from 6 a.m. of Tuesday to prevent gatherings of people. In a related development in Manipur, the health authorities in the state on Tuesday traced 11 close contacts of the Shillong-based Air India pilot, who spent three nights in Imphal from March 17 after returning from New York. Manipur Health and Family Welfare Department's Additional Director and spokesperson Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang told IANS over phone that although all the 11 are asymptomatic and under surveillance now, their swab samples are being tested at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. A 23-year-old woman, who had returned from the United Kingdom last month and become the first Covid-19 case in the northeast, has been declared negative and discharged from the hospital on Sunday. In Mizoram, Health Minister R. Lalthangliana said in Aizawl that a 22-year-old woman from the state has tested positive for novel coronavirus in Mumbai. "The woman reached Mumbai in February and was admitted to a private hospital with some ailments. As she was suffering from fever, her swab sample was tested and the result was found to be positive on Monday," he said. She was then shifted from the private hospital to the ICU of a designated Covid-19 facility, he said. Health officials in Aizawl said that the 50-year-old Mizo man, who had tested positive last month after he returned from the Netherlands, was still in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zoram Medical College and Hospital in Aizawl. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) The conversation Ill remember with Ruth Mandel came in 2015 as a flood of Syrian refugees banged on Europes door. Look at their faces, she told me, look at their eyes. Look at how they hold their children, shielding them. Then you can understand their hearts. Its that look, that face, she said. Some of it is fierce and determined. But its also hauntedThey are taking to the water in these little boats, then crossing these borders on foot! The only explanation is that what they are trying to get away from is so frightening and so terrible, that with the clothes on my back, Im grabbing my child and going. Its a matter of life or death." Mandel, who passed away Saturday, ran the Eagleton Institute of Politics for more than two decades until retiring last year, and before that ran its groundbreaking Center for American Women in Politics. She was one of the states foremost public intellectuals, a warm-hearted person, an unpretentious treasure. Mandel saw the humanity in those faces because she herself was a refugee as an infant, one of 937 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany aboard the infamous SS St. Louis. The ship never made it ashore in the New World. It was turned away by Cuba, America, and Canada before returning to Europe with its desperate human cargo still aboard. Mandel and her family got off in England. But most were sent to the European mainland, and historians estimate that 1 in 4 of the ships passengers were later killed by the Nazis, as were several members of Mandels extended family She knew she was lucky as a child who was able to escape, and that was the engine that really drove her, says John Farmer Jr., who is Mandels chosen successor at Eagleton. She came from an environment where individual lives were treated as if they didnt matter, and she lost a lot of her extended family. Here, her life was her antidote to that. To her, every life matteredThat was the passion that drove her. Whether it was the Center for Women or Eagleton, it was the notion that public service is an honorable calling, that the stronger you make democracy, the less likely someone like Adolf Hitler can emerge and take power. Eagleton is housed in an 1830s mansion at the New Brunswick campus, a place where Mandel presided over a political calendar stuffed with visits from governors and senators, workshops on political activism, campaign debates, and, always, a steady stream of wide-eyed students who seemed thrilled to be part of it. Mandels first role here was as a co-founder of the Center on Women, started in 1971, a time when the feminist movement was expanding its focus from cultural issues to electoral politics. Women were only starting to run for office, mostly in state legislatures, but Mandel in 1972 organized a nationwide conference for them to gather and swap tips on this new world. That was a first, says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center on Women today. Eagleton has sponsored others since and helped establish similar workshops nationwide. She was bringing them together to understand their story, Walsh said. To figure out, almost as an anthropological study, who were these characters? What got them to run? How would we learn from who they were to see if we could get more women to do the same? And to make these institutions into places that accommodate women and welcome them. Mandel, who earned a doctorate at the University of Connecticut, later wrote the first book on women candidates in America, In the Running: The New Woman Candidate in 1983. Ruth Mandel was a force, Walsh says. She was passionate. But she was also somebody who created community. I think about that with women office-holder who were so isolated really before the Center started convening these meetings. She saw the value of coming together and she created that here. You didnt just come to work, you because part of a family. She instilled that in the Institute as a whole. Mandel was an infant aboard the St. Louis, too young to remember any of it. But the terror came close enough. My interest in politics didnt come out of a political party, she said in 2014. It came much more out of a family background of escaping the Holocaust and thinking that unless we had good government and good democracy and the world got to be a better place none of us would make it through. The story of the St. Louis became a book, and then a movie, both entitled Voyage of the Damned. If there is one consolation from that horror, it is that Ruth Mandel, far from being damned, would go on to live such a full and rewarding life where she was respected and loved so widely. She was 81 when she passed peacefully on Saturday, surrounded by her family, at her home in Princeton. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. A minivan fitted with speakers drives through the outskirts of Kabul informing residents about measures to prevent COVID-19 infection. Similar awareness-raising campaigns are underway across Afghanistan. Watan's Social and Technical Services Association/Arif Sideqi UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, urges greater support to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that leaving Afghans and their host communities behind will have a far-reaching and negative impact on global efforts to fight the virus. The coronavirus poses a very great threat to developing nations. An outbreak would put extraordinary strain on already fragile local health-care services and likely result in avoidable suffering and death. As the race against time continues globally, UNHCR appeals to the international community to boost solidarity with all three countries, and have at this critical time to prevent a larger-scale outbreak of the coronavirus among the most vulnerable communities. Despite persistent risks and insecurity, Afghans continue to return from both Iran and Pakistan. Tens of thousands of Afghan citizens have crossed over from Pakistan to Afghanistan since the temporary re-opening of the border last week. From Iran, while the number of Afghans nationals returning peaked at some 60,000 in March, around 1,500 individuals are currently returning every day. Afghanistan faces the prospect of overwhelmed medical and social services, with a dramatic increase in Afghans returning home, hundreds of thousands of people living in displacement sites and rising poverty levels. Pakistan and Iran, which host some 90 per cent of the worlds 2.7 million Afghan refugees are experiencing immense strain on their health systems and economies. Lockdown measures and a sharp downturn in economic activity have left many Afghan refugees confronted with an inability to meet even their most basic needs. For Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan, the impacts of COVID-19 go far beyond health. In both countries, those who are employed are commonly hired as daily labourers. Amidst various levels of lockdown across the region, such work has abruptly ceased and refugees with no income and their hosts are now faced with economic threats to their survival. Afghans in Iran and Pakistan widely report serious difficulties in paying medical expenses and meeting the most basic living costs of food and accommodation, leading to many being forced to borrow money. Over the last month, Irans State Welfare Organization has reported a very sharp increase in the number of requests for psychosocial support related to COVID-19 in domestic contexts a critical trend that is being noticed in other COVID-19 affected countries around the world. All three Governments are making concerted and commendable efforts to include displaced people in national plans and responses, but desperately need international support. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, facing the epicentre of the outbreak in South-West Asia, has facilitated exemplary inclusion of Afghans on its territory. UNHCR welcomes Irans recent confirmation that COVID-19 related tests and treatment are free of charge for all individuals, including for refugees. Additionally, the countrys Universal Public Health Insurance has been automatically extended for refugees as well as Iranian nationals ensuring uninterrupted access to healthcare for all refugees. In Pakistan, relevant departments have also been directed to include both refugees and internally displaced people in relief and response measures. In all three countries, UNHCR is adapting our operations constantly to these unique circumstances. UNHCR has temporarily suspended supporting voluntary returns of refugees from Iran and Pakistan in an attempt to limit the risk of refugees and staff contracting the virus. In Afghanistan, UNHCR is supporting the Governments prevention efforts through awareness-raising in the most vulnerable communities and priority areas of return. Speakers mounted atop cars and trucks drive through towns and villages to spread accurate and reliable information that will save lives. UNHCR is also helping the government better manage the flow of people into Afghanistan through hiring additional staff to boost the teams at the border and improving reception facilities allowing for more space. UNHCR has provided masks, disinfectants and other protective gear to government officials working at the border and in the communities so that they can protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19. We are in the process of procuring more hygiene kits to be distributed among returnees and displaced communities as well as for the frontline staff of government institutions and our partners; scaling up the construction of water and sanitation facilities and further enhancing support for border surveillance and returnee monitoring in Afghanistan. In Iran, UNHCR has airlifted essential medicines, medical equipment and personal protective equipment to support and strengthen national health services. To address the critical and urgent lack of hygiene materials in Iran, UNHCR has also distributed soap and disposable paper towels to some 7,500 refugee households living in refugee settlements across the country, whose living situations in close-quarters make then more vulnerable to COVID-19. More airlifts are expected in the coming weeks. UNHCR has increased its capacity at Afghanistans borders to Iran to better be able to support tracking and contact tracing of individuals. Psychosocial support services continue to operate via phone. In Pakistan, renewed emphasis has been placed on water and sanitation projects. UNHCR has provided 10 fully equipped ambulances and 28 large housing unit facilities to the provincial health departments and disaster management authorities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Medical equipment and sanitation products are also being distributed to rural health facilities in support of refugees and their host communities. More support is desperately needed for Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan as part of collective efforts to combat COVID-19 worldwide. Despite the work being done across the subregion, the risk of the pandemic become unmanageable is now acute. UNHCRs funding appeal of some US$315 million required for the Afghan situation is merely 17 per cent funded. For more information on this topic, please contact: donate By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministers discussed measures taken by both countries to fight COVID-19 pandemic during a phone conversation held on April 13, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported in its official website. During the phone conversation, the situation on the border between the two countries was discussed and the sides underlined that the temporary closure of the borders in no way should have an impact on the international transportation of goods between them, as well as with relation to the other states, the ministrys website reported. The foreign ministers agreed to continue consultations after the situation with regard to COVID-19 pandemic was settled. The ministers also exchanged views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russian Foreign Ministry Sergay Lavrov said that possible further steps on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement are considered taking into account the proposals of the representatives of Russia, the USA and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Another point of the telephone conversation between two ministers was the cooperation with the United Nations and Non-Aligned Movement. Azerbaijan suspended air and rail traffic with Russia from March 31 on the basis of mutual agreement in connection with coronavirus. The Samur border checkpoint on the border of the two countries operates in a limited mode and according to the special schedule. On April 12, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu urged Azerbaijanis in Russia not to cross the border as the entry into the country is prohibited until April 20, warning that there are no conditions for waiting on the border. [April 14, 2020] Indacoin Adds Bitcoin SV Support to Enable Easy Access in Nearly 170 Countries LONDON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, digital currency exchange Indacoin announced its support of Bitcoin SV (BSV), enabling BSV to be purchased with Visa & Mastercard payment cards through their global fiat-to-crypto exchange platform and partner network. Indacoin services are available in nearly 170 countries, making it easy for global customers interested in Bitcoin SV to easily purchase BSV. Indacoin will facilitate BSV purchases in USD, EUR, GBP and a dozen other fiat currencies via debit and credit card, in addition to ensuring security with its proprietary anti-fraud system using AI & Machine Learning. Bitcoin SV is the only Bitcoin project that adheres to the vision set out in Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper in 2008. It has restored the original Bitcoin protocol, while committing to keeping the protocol stable with the ability to massively scale to become the global blockchain for payments and enterprise alike. Bitcoin SV prioritizes the ability to enable cheap peer-to-peer transacting - right down to a range of microtransaction capabilities - as part of its core value proposition. Bitcoin SV was quick to become one of the top-10 digital currencies in terms of market capitalization and is actively traded on most digital currency exchanges. Indacoin's addition of BSV support is another logical step to meet growing demand, and simplify the purhase of BSV for everyday customers around the world. Indacoin is one of the pioneers of authorized fiat-to-crypto exchanges. Its service provide another option for customers to easily buy BSV using payment cards. While some other services already exist to buy BSV using credit and debit cards, Indacoin has an extensive geographic reach - providing such capability in nearly 170 countries. Another primary advantage of Indacoin is the security of both funds and data, guaranteed by its own anti-fraud system that analyzes more than 200 different parameters while staying completely GDPR compliant. An additional bonus is a broad spectrum of available fiat currencies, which helps to avoid extra fees for converting funds. Indacoin has a remarkable partners' portfolio: OKEx, Changelly, Waves Platform and many others, and those partners will be able to support bank cards to purchase BSV with this integration. Jimmy Nguyen, President of Bitcoin Association commented on the move by Indacoin, saying: "Demand for BSV has rapidly grown, as we are building genuine value by enabling real utility for enterprises on the Bitcoin SV blockchain. To meet this demand, it is terrific to have Indacoin make it even easier for everyday people in so many countries to purchase BSV. Indacoin's security and anti-fraud measures also reflect the level of professionalism which the digital currency industry needs and is consistent with our vision for Bitcoin's global adoption." Chief Business Development Officer of Indacoin, Guilherme Jovanovic, also spoke on the move, saying: "Enabling BSV direct purchase with the most popular payment methods on the internet - Visa & Mastercard - is a big step to help increase its global adoption. We are thrilled to help bring Bitcoin Satoshi Vision to a whole new level." About Indacoin Indacoin is a digital currency exchange and iOS/Android app that offers the unique ability to buy over 100 digital currencies with Visa & Mastercard credit and debit cards. Operating in the UK since 2014, its primary focus is to provide secure bank card payments and enabling other projects to accept Visa and Mastercard instant deposits through a fully branded gateway. Indacoin services are available in nearly 170 countries. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indacoin-adds-bitcoin-sv-support-to-enable-easy-access-in-nearly-170-countries-301040028.html SOURCE Bitcoin SV [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial. So why are we talking about Mutiny on the Bounty all of a sudden? Donald Trump, who is our president, referenced the movie in a tweet this morning, which reads: Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Advertisement Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is he talking about? Trump seems to be referencing the attempts by the Democratic governors of states like California, Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania to assert that the authority to end stay-at-home orders and end the coronavirus lockdown is theirs and theirs alone, in contradiction to Trumps unconstitutional assertion that he has total authority over the states in that regard. Advertisement Advertisement What does that have to do with Mutiny on the Bounty? Good question! Mutiny on the Bounty is based on the true story of a mutiny that took place aboard the HMS Bounty in April of 1789 (the same year the U.S. Constitution on which Trump seems so fuzzy came into force). As described in historical accounts, the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, and the Oscar-winning 1935 movie, the ships commander, William Bligh, was a tempestuous and paranoid man. In the Hollywood version, which has been remade numerous times, Bligh is also a brutal disciplinarian, ordering men flogged to death and keelhauledan often fatal punishment in which sailors were dragged underwater from one side of the ship to the otherfor minor infractions. In the 1962 remake, Bligh steals cheese from the ships stores, and when he is accused of the theft by one of his sailors, has the man flogged. At dinner in his quarters, Bligh, played by Trevor Howard, explains his reasoning to his second in command, Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The typical seaman, Bligh tells Christian, is a half-witted, wife-beating, habitual drunkard, and the only thing that will keep him in line, especially when it means risking his own safety for the sake of the ship, is fearfear of punishment so vivid in his mind that he fears it even more than sudden death. Flogging a man for questioning his superior officer is indeed excessive, even cruel. But, Bligh concludes, Cruelty with purpose is not cruelty. Its efficiency. (One might even say the cruelty is the point.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So what does that have to do with Donald Trump? Also a good question! The answer is, quite possibly, nothing. Although Trump claims that Mutiny is one of my all time favorite movies, theres no apparent record of him having mentioned it before this morning, and the language of the tweetan exciting and invigorating thing to watchis just elaborate enough to raise that doubt that Trump wrote it himself. But stipulating that a) Trump has seen the movie and b) he wrote the tweet himself, he would seem to be likening himself to Bligh, who, at least in every filmed version of the story, is its villain. In fact, the American Film Institute named Charles Laughtons Capt. Bligh, from the 1935 version, the 19th greatest villain of all time, one after the shark from Jaws. Advertisement The American Film Institute once ranked Capt. Bligh No. 19 on its list of cinemas greatest villains, one after the shark from Jaws. Trump has shown a truly heroic ability to misread movies in the past, notably Citizen Kane, whose moral he concluded was Get yourself a different woman. And its not hard to imagine him identifying with Bligh, a high-handed authoritarian who demands that his subordinates obey his every command, even when it means committing outright fraud. But Bligh was overthrown, and though a contemporary trial cleared his name and the mutineers were hanged, his name has become synonymous with paranoia and despotism. Bligh is, in short, a loser, and thus a pretty darn odd person for Trump to cite in a bring-it-on boast to Democratic governors. Advertisement Advertisement If theres a logic behind the tweet at alland its likely that, in writing this, I have put more thought into the comparison than any of the people behind itit may be in tying the governors assertion of their rightful authority to the word mutiny, and to the only reference point most people have for it. It may not matter to Trump that Bligh lost, if he even knows that much. It may be simply that Bligh is famous. Better the 19th-best villain of all time than some well-meaning chump no ones ever heard of. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Iloilo City has joined the list of localities conducting targeted mass testing for COVID-19. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas said they have started using rapid test kits to examine those suspected to have contracted the disease. Once they get positive results, the patients would be isolated and shall undergo confirmatory PCR testing, he said. Among the first batch they have tested for COVID-19 are three undocumented overseas Filipino workers who came home to Iloilo. According to the mayor, one of the three OFWs was found to have been infected using both rapid and PCR tests. Meanwhile, all three initially tested positive using only the rapid tests. The other two are still awaiting confirmatory PCR test results. The mayor has earlier expressed his frustration towards the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for allowing the said undocumented passengers to join the group of other repatriated OFWs, who have already finished their mandatory 14-day quarantine. I was terribly shocked to learn that there was a violation of protocols established by the IATF, he said in a statement. Protocols established by the IATF are there for a reason, and we should adhere to them. According to Trenas, they are still waiting for more test kits coming from Manila, which are PCR-based, as well as additional test kits from Korea donated by Ilonggo businessmen. They are also purchasing test kits developed by the University of the Philippines. Meanwhile, the city of Mabalacat in Pampanga is also preparing to begin localized mass testing next week. Mabalacat Mayor Crisostomo Garbo said they aim to conduct around 100 to 200 tests per day. Dito sa ating data, di pa naman gano'n kalaki pa ang ating mga PUMs, Garbo told CNN Philippines. [Translation: Here in our data, the number of our persons under monitoring is still not that large.] He added that out of the 804 persons they are monitoring so far, 607 have already completed their quarantine. Rapid tests not recommended The Department of Health earlier reiterated it does not recommend using rapid tests for COVID-19, as there is still no clear evidence that these are reliable. The reminder came after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Monday the immediate purchase of rapid test kits, saying he will take the risk. READ: Duterte orders purchase of rapid COVID-19 test kits The usage of rapid tests for COVID-19 still lacks approval from the countrys Food and Drug Administration. Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said that should these tests be used, patients will have to undergo a confirmatory PCR test afterwards. She also stressed that only licensed doctors may administer or interpret rapid test kits. There is an insidious idea being put about that Boris Johnson is now some sort of paramount national leader, a Churchillian figure whose personal battle with coronavirus endows him with a unique status. To criticise him and his government, it is implied, has become a form of national betrayal. Well, forgive me if I beg to differ. For a start, we have a perfectly good symbol of the nation and indeed its effort to defeat Covid-19: Elizabeth II. Respected, dignified and above all, apolitical, a politician could never fulfil such a role. In this crisis, the Queen has rightly been praised for her two moving and sensitively-pitched broadcasts. By contrast, and to be plain, even if Johnson wished to fulfil such a role, he carries far too much political baggage to do so. Too many people have been appalled by his remarks for him to serve as a unifying figure. Single mums, gay people, Muslims, people of colour there are few Johnson hasnt offended over the course of his career. The scars of Brexit, too, are far from healed. Johnson has tried to repair his deeply divisive image. He crafted a powerful broadcast of his own on his recovery from a terrifying experience, no doubt sincere. But his record and that the longer one of his party on funding the NHS and social care goes before him. It is not unworthy or unpatriotic to mention these barriers to acceptance of Johnson as a national leader. He is a political leader, same as every PM, and he cannot be placed beyond scrutiny or reproach. It is a disgrace that the government is resisting further parliamentary scrutiny right now. For now is when we can do something about it. Even Churchill had to face the Commons immediately after military setbacks. I resent the attempts to make Johnson into my national leader, rather than just the current PM. It as if criticising the government is the same as giving aid and succour to an enemy in a real war it isnt. Coronavirus might be brilliant, as President Trump says, and a formidable threat to life but it is still a microorganism. It is not the dictator of an enemy power; it doesnt care what the Labour Party says; it doesnt read the papers; it isnt on Twitter and it isnt intent on installing a Quisling puppet government led by Robert Peston to pursue its interests in the UK. In fact, the nation needs no national leader. It is united in doing its bit social isolation, social distancing, working from home. We need no figure to create national solidarity. I never liked Johnsons politics and I certainly dont want him glorified, but I didnt, therefore, wish him dead from Covid-19, as some argue must be my motivation. The cult of Boris is getting ridiculous. Of course, I can see how some argue that the coronavirus is beyond political point-scoring and that the media and MPs should just shut up about it because its a global natural disaster and, well, what could anyone do? The feeling quite genuine is that everyone should just give the government the benefit of the doubt and let them get on with it, unmolested. They know best. The evidence, though, is that the government could have done more sooner, as other countries did. If anything, in the early days of the crisis when the government reassured us that so long as we washed our hands, everything would be okay the media and opposition MPs were too soft. Even now we know better, new failures a lack of testing, ventilators and PPE, overcrowding in care homes and prisons remain unresolved. Nurses and doctors and others have died for want of a face mask. Someone has to answer for that before some long-distant public inquiry. The point about scrutiny is that it makes for better policy and that saves lives. Elevating Johnson to a generalissimo beyond scrutiny is, when you think about it, just the kind of thing we used to fight real wars to prevent. A pharmacist gives Jennifer Halle (L), the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle on March 16, 2020. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo) First Person in World to Get CCP Virus Vaccine Trial Describes Shot, 45-page Waiver The first person in the world to receive the CCP virus vaccine described getting the shot. Jennifer Haller, a 44-year-old mother of two from Seattle, told The Telegraph that the vaccine was comparable to the regular flu shot but said the test had a ton of risks. Haller said she responded to a request posted on Facebook for volunteers to partake in the trial for the vaccine. Even at that time we were all feeling so helpless, she added. There was nothing I could do to stop this global pandemic. Then I saw this opportunity come up and thought: Well, maybe there is something I can do to contribute. Hallers family had expressed concerns about her getting the vaccine after she underwent a number of medical tests just to get it. She was injected on March 16, as it was reported by The Associated Press. A doctor injected her with the experimental vaccine, named mRNA-1273, making her arm sore, NPR reported. Besides that, [there were] no side effects, she said. I wanted to do something because theres so many millions of Americans that dont have the same privileges that Ive been given, added Haller, who now works from home. Theyre losing their jobs. They are concerned about paying bills, feeding their family. Haller, according to the report, said she had to sign a 45-page waiver to enroll in the vaccine trial. The injection was developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna Inc. During the trial, which is run by Seattles Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, participants get two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart before officials monitor the patients for a year, according to reports. There were a ton of risks involved. But Im a real positive person and the benefits of this far outweighed any risks in my mind, Haller was quoted by the Telegraph as saying. Forty-four other adults joined her in the trial. After receiving the shot, Haller said she had to keep a log for two weeks. The first day I had a slightly elevated temperature, she said. The second day my arm was pretty sore. But that was iteverything was all right after that. 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. More than 30 people are dead after severe storms that spawned tornados, ripped through Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas earlier this week According to the Associated Press, a string of storms developed on Easter Sunday, setting loose tornadoes and causing flooding and mudslides. More than 60 tornadoes are reported to have ripped through the southern states over two days wrecking countless homes and businesses, The Weather Channel reports. The intensity of the storms caused Alabamas Governor, Kay Ivey, to temporarily suspend social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, so that citizens, some of whom were adorned with personal protective equipment, could huddle together in storm shelters to take refuge. The storms, which raged on into Monday, also dropped at least six inches of rain on the Tennessee Valley and according to the National Weather Service, downed hundreds of trees and handfuls of powerlines across the region. According to poweroutage.us, by Monday, the storm had initially caused power outages for more than 1.3 million people from Texas to Maine. At the time of this writing, however, only 202,000 people are still without power. USA Today reports that the two-day spree of tornadoes is the nations deadliest tornado outbreak since late April in 2014. From April 25 to April 28, 2014, tornadoes in central and southern U.S. claimed the lives of 35 people. At the time of this writing, 34 people are reported to have died in the tornadoes earlier this week, Storm Prediction Center reports. Mississippis Governor, Tate Reeves, said in a statement that 12 Mississippians were killed in the storms which he describes as bad or worse than anything weve seen in a decade. We are used to tornadoes in Mississippi, he added, No one is used to this. The strongest twister in Mississippi is reported to be an EF-4 tornado that reached winds of up to 170 mph. Tennessee and South Carolina both endured EF-3 tornadoes while Louisiana and South Carolina were hit by EF-2 tornadoes. In South Carolina, nine people are reported to have died as a result of the storms. An additional eight people were killed in Georgia, while three perished in Tennessee and several others were killed in Arkansas and North Carolina after being trapped under a fallen tree and stuck inside of a collapsed building, respectively. Clean-up efforts are underway. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Sean Rayford/Stringer Kayla Koslosky has been the Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com since 2018. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has written on her blog since 2012 and has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com. The irony hasnt been lost on anyone that as the Jewish community prepares to celebrate Passover, the Festival of Freedom, we are confined to our homes. Our country and the world is in the midst of a pandemic. Physically, our activities and movements are restricted. Emotionally, many may feel enslaved to feelings of fear and anxiety. It may not feel like an easy time to celebrate freedom. But then again, it often doesnt. Passover has been celebrated in the concentration camps with matzah baked in makeshift ovens from scraps of flour. It was celebrated in cellars by Spanish Jews who faced death if the Inquisition found them. It was celebrated under inhumane persecution time and again, because freedom is more than a state of being. Freedom is a state of mind. We may not always be able to control our physical circumstances, but we have the power to overcome them, to find the mindset of freedom regardless of where we find ourselves. During the first Passover, the Israelites were told by the L-rd that in order to be safe, they must shelter in place. This year, as the Jewish community sits down to the Seder the traditional Passover meal the foods we eat and the prayers we say will have new significance. As we eat the matzoh unleavened bread that reminds us of the haste in which our ancestors left Egypt we will remember that matzoh is called the food of healing and we will pray for an end to illness everywhere. We will remember that it is also called the food of faith and we will strengthen our trust in G-d to guide us through this difficult time. And as we drink the four cups of wine that symbolize our freedom, we will reflect on the inherent freedom we will always possess. As we shelter in our homes to save lives, we will recall another time when we were quarantined, instructed not to leave the house during the very first Passover. As the Plague of the Firstborn smote their oppressors, G-d instructed the Jewish People to shelter in place. You shall not go out, any man from the entrance of his house until morning. (Exodus 12: 22.) And for those who stayed home, G-d promised the Lord will pass over the entrance, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to smite. (Ibid. 12: 23.) Indeed, the name of the holiday Passover comes from this very verse. We are all the children of G-d, and once again we are saving our own lives and the lives of those who are most vulnerable by staying indoors. Just as each family gathered together in their homes for the Passover feast, may we see the opportunity in our current situation and use this time to improve our relationships with our loved ones. This Passover, let us pray that we will be sheltered as they were, let us strengthen the bonds of family now more than ever, and let us find inspiration in our lifesaving acts. Note: This year, Passover Begins at sunset of Wednesday, April 8, and ends at nightfall of Thursday, April 16. To learn more about the holiday go to Passover.org (Rabbi Mendy Katzman is the director of the Chabad of the North Shore.) El presidente @MartinVizcarraC, acompanado del Consejo de Ministros en pleno, informa sobre la situacion del Estado de Emergencia en el #Dia30 y las acciones que realiza el Gobierno para contener la propagacion del COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/qvqAfF1O4e https://t.co/2JVCq2T3I0 [April 14, 2020] MetricNet Publishes 2019-2020 Contact Center and Technical Support Benchmarks INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MetricNet has published the results of their global 2019-2020 Contact Center, Service Desk, and Desktop Support Benchmarks. The updated benchmarks are now available for immediate download via MetricNet's website. These benchmarks contain more than 40 key performance indicators, and cover cost, quality, productivity, service levels, handle time, chat, channel mix, and agent metrics. Included in this release are benchmarks for insourced and outsourced Contact Center, Service Desk, and Desktop Support organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and the Philippines. With a global database of nearly 4,000 benchmarks, MetricNet has the most comprehensive database of IT Support and Contact Center benchmarks in the industry. "MetricNet is the first and still the only company to offer downloadable industry benchmarks directly from its website - for service desk, desktop support, and contact centers," said Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner of MetricNet. "MetricNet's instantly downloadable industry benchmarks contain far more data and are priced an order of magnitude less than other available benchmarks!" MetricNet's downloadable benchmarks are delivered in PDF format. Also available wih each benchmark are the accompanying Excel data files and consultation sessions with an industry subject matter expert. MetricNet sources its benchmarking data from organizations worldwide. Those interested in benchmarks for other geographic regions, as well as specific vertical markets, such as Health Care, Higher Education, and Financial Services, are encouraged to contact MetricNet directly. Mr. Rumburg is the winner of the Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award, was named to HDI's Top 25 Thought Leaders list for four consecutive years, and has served on HDI's Strategic Advisory Board. He is co-founder and Managing Partner of MetricNet, LLC, where he is responsible for global strategy, product development, and client engagement delivery. As a leading expert in benchmarking and re-engineering, Mr. Rumburg authored a best- selling book on benchmarking, and has been retained as a benchmarking expert by such iconic companies as American Express, USAA, Coca Cola, and Emory Healthcare. If you would like more information about benchmarking your service and support functions, please visit https://www.metricnet.com or email MetricNet at info(at)metricnet(dot)com. About MetricNet MetricNet is the global leader in IT Service and Support and Contact Center Benchmarking and Performance Improvement Consulting. More than half of the Global 2000 rely on MetricNet benchmarks and best practices advisory to improve and optimize their performance. MetricNet is the first, and still the only company to offer downloadable industry benchmarks from their website. With a global benchmarking database of nearly 4,000 Service and Support benchmarks, MetricNet has the most comprehensive database of process and performance metrics in the industry. Related Images metricnet-logo.png MetricNet Logo View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/metricnet-publishes-2019-2020-contact-center-and-technical-support-benchmarks-301039582.html SOURCE MetricNet, LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Offaly councillor John Foley has called on the Government to do more for small businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "As the Irish people continue to work together to ease the effects of the Covid-19, businesses and those involved in the tourist industry have had to close their doors. The lockdown measures which were introduced combined with the ban on non-essential travel are all important measures in the effort to battle the coronavirus and I want to acknowledge the wonderful work being carried out by our staff in the hospitals, the other frontline workers and the many people who have volunteered to ensure the elderly who are cocooning have the necessary food and medication they need. "The Irish people have rallied together in what is the most difficult situation this generation has had to encounter. However, I do believe there will be serious financial issues in Ireland for some time to come, while the Government has introduced a number of measures to assist those who have lost their jobs and those who are in business, I would like to see the Government going a step further in relation to small and medium size businesses and those involved in the tourist industry. "The issue of rates is one I have highlighted on many occasions before the coronavirus came to Ireland. I have always felt that the level of rates for small and medium size businesses is too high but far too often my concerns have fallen on deaf ears. I am now calling on the Government to abolish rates for a period of three months to give these businesses a chance to recover and give those that have had to close an incentive to reopen. "Far too often many public representatives forget that these small and medium size businesses and enterprises are the back bone of many communities both urban and rural and when the total number of people employed in them is added up it amounts to many thousands of people. "We as a country cannot afford to sit back and see many of these businesses feel that they have no other option but to keep their doors closed and leave those they have employed out of work. "I will be submitting a motion to the next meeting of Offaly County Council and I will be calling on my colleagues to abolish the payment of rates for a three month period for these businesses and I will be seeking this same request is submitted to all the other county councils for support. "After the Celtic Tiger crash a reduction in the VAT charged in the tourist industry was introduced to give that vital part of our economy a boost. The records show that the reduction in VAT helped the tourist industry at a time when it was on its knees and I believe such a move now could have the same result in increasing the number of visitors to the country, encouraging many hotels etc. that have closed to reopen and re-employ the staff they had to let go. "The reduction in the rate of VAT for the tourist industry as well as the abolition of the payment of rates by small and medium-size businesses will have a major impact in boosting our economy which has taken a hard hit and will take some time to recover. "We as a nation have shown that by working together we can bring this virus under control. We came back strong after the economic crash and by introducing these small measures for the businesses and tourist industry we can come back even stronger again. "I am very confident that these two proposals will receive the full backing of the business community and gain the full support of not only my fellow members of Offaly County Council but also the members of all county councils in the country." CEAT Tyres has initiated a sanitization drive of trucks, delivering essential goods across Mumbai amidst the ongoing pandemic. CEAT has partnered with All India Truck Worker's Association (AITWA), Bombay Goods & Transport Association (BGTA) and Western Union LPG Association (WULA) to sanitise trucks across various vehicle loading point such as Nhavasheva, Mahul, Jasai and area around the airport, which are key points of entry/exit of vehicles that bring goods to the City . The sanitisation drive includes sanitisation of the truck cabin, distribution of face masks, sanitisers and food packets to the drivers and cleaners. So far, the sanitisation drive has been carried out for over 811 trucks and the plan is to cover 1000 truck by the end of 19 April 2020. To reach out to the needy people during this lockdown, CEAT has also initiated voluntary distribution of food packets across India. Till date, more than 68,500 food packets have been distributed in Mumbai, Nashik, Chennai, Vadodara, Jaipur and Jabalpur with an average of 5,800 freshly cooked food packets distribution on a daily basis. Commenting on the support, Arnab Banerjee, Chief Operating Officer, CEAT Tyres said, CEAT Tyres along with RPG Foundation and other relevant authorities has undertaken various tasks with a commitment towards helping the society in every possible manner to fight this pandemic. The sanitisation drive, distribution of food packets and deployment of our ever ready COVID-19 Warriors are all initiatives that are aimed at providing essential care during these unprecedented times. Maruti Suzuki S-Presso 3.78 Lakh Onwards Maruti Suzuki | S-Presso | Maruti Suzuki S-Presso Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for action to shore up the Moscow-led economic alliance of ex-Soviet nations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking in a conference call with leaders of four other nations which make up the Eurasian Economic Union, Putin called for a joint response to the outbreak. He said virus containment measures must not result in rupturing economic links and freezing trade between the member nations. The Eurasian Economic Union includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The Russian leader said the grouping has taken coordinated steps to bar the exports of essential medical supplies. He proposed to slash tariffs to encourage trade and take additional steps to help the industries hurt by the pandemic. Russia has registered 21,102 virus cases and 170 deaths as of Tuesday. Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of April as part of a partial economic shutdown to stymie the spread of the coronavirus. Two deaths due to coronavirus and 34 new positive cases of the disease were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, a state government bulletin said on Tuesday. With this, the overall toll has now increased to nine and the number of affected in the state to 473. Two persons were discharged on Tuesday, taking the total number of patients cured and discharged to 14, the bulletin said. The fresh COVID-19 cases were reported since Monday evening till 9 AM on Tuesday. Till date, 9,827 samples were tested in the state and 9,354 of them turned negative. In the last 24 hours, 2010 samples were tested of which 41 came out negative, it said. Guntur district, where the first COVID-19 case of a Tablighi Jamaat attendee was reported on March 25, now crossed the century mark with a total number of 109 cases. As many as 16 new coronavirus cases were registered in the district since Monday night. In neighbouring Krishna district, eight new cases were added while in Kurnool there was an addition of seven positive cases. Anantapuramu reported two and SPS Nellore district one fresh case overnight. Kurnool district now has a total of 91 cases, followed by SPS Nellore with 56. With nine deceased and 14 discharged, the number of active cases in the state was 450. The two north coastal Andhra districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram continued to maintain a clean slate with zero cases of the pandemic. A 56-year-old private doctor in Nellore, who contracted the coronavirus from a Tablighi Jamaat attendee, succumbed while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Chennai on Monday. He was a diabetic and also suffered from hypertension, the bulletin said. The doctor was first admitted to the government hospital in Nellore on April 3 and shifted to the private hospital in Chennai on April 6. A 55-year-old man in Vijayawada, who contracted the disease from another COVID-19 patient who returned from Jalandhar in Punjab, died on April 12, it added. He was a diabetes and asthma patient and had been on ventilator from April 9. Two women, who contracted coronavirus from their kin, who returned from England to Visakhapatnam on March 28, had recovered and been discharged from hospital on Tuesday, the bulletin added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Me Joseph Mbah Ndam Archives The National Communication Secretariat of the Social Democratic Front, SDF has announced that in a bid to immortalise the memory of late Hon. Joseph Njang Mbah Ndam, it will publish a special edition of the SDF Echo. To this intent, we are coming up with a special edition of SDF Echo as a requiem to the deceased. This special edition shall be uniquely online, Denis Nkemlemo, SDF National Communication Secretary said Tuesday. 65-year-old Hon. Mbah Ndam, National Legal Adviser of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, party died Monday, April 13, 2020 in Yaounde shortly after he was rushed to hospital for medical care, SDFs National Communication Secretary said. Mbah Ndam became Member of Parliament for Momo West Constituency (Batibo) following the May 17, 1997 Parliamentary Elections in Cameroon that saw the SDF win 43 of the 180 seats at the National Assembly. He was voted out on March 22, 2020 after close to 23 years of service. The SDF says some personalities have started writing special tributes in honour of the memory of the departed politician. We will compile them and many others that interested persons will write and publish them in this special edition during this mourning period, said Nkemlemo. Contributions are welcomed from everybody, whether you are an SDF member or not, because he was a man of party, national and international dimensions. You write how you knew him, how his ideas, actions and positions on issues, whether in the Party or national, touched you. In short, how you felt about his presence here on earth. Special photos on some of his actions are also welcomed. You can send your write-ups or photos directly to the SDF Echo editorial board through [email protected], or contact the SDF Secretary-general - Senator Jean Tsomelou, Grace Ngwafor in Bamenda, Senator Haman Paul in Ngaoundere, Kejang Henry or Ngameni Joseph in Douala and Jean Robert Wanko in Germany. For any more information you may want to have, I respond on +237675637789, [email protected]. Mbah Ndam was born on February 28, 1955 in Batibo, Momo Division of the then North West province. He has been a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the SDF since 1991. Besides being a politician, he was a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Yaounde from 1988-92. Until his death, he was the adviser on legal and judicial matters of National Financial Credit Bank and chair of Union of cultural and development association of Momo division. He was a practicing Protestant Christian; was married and a father of many children. His house in Batibo was burnt down to ashes by armed separatist fighters on Sunday, December 15, 2019. London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/14/2020 -- EduCav Group, one of the most reputed recruitment agency and educational consultancy is now offering a wide variety of programs and tools to assist the international students with their academic and career needs. Deciding to study overseas is a huge decision and a very expensive one too. This agency was established keeping in view the hardships that the international students face while landing in a totally different place. Headquartered in the hub of international activities, the team here at EduCav is well-versed and experienced in student placement irrespective of where the students come from whether it is Egypt or the USA. Right from assisting the students with resume building to assignment writing, facilitating their E-learning courses to helping them with online degrees, the team here is there for the students at every step of the way. "Excellent agency with professional staff and a lot of experience. Fiona showed me some of their online materials which helped me a lot in finishing my project and improving my presentation skills. Really recommended", says Francesco Fiengo. EduCav helps students in every way possible. For new students or students who are admitted into their doctoral or master studies, can contact the team here to understand the procedure including scholarships, enrollment, accommodation, visa issuance, etc. It doesn't end here. As the students are getting closer to course completion, EduCav also assists them with programs preparing them for a career in the most suitable field. "We have designed several programs where young people have the opportunity to develop their business skills and skills through a challenging environment and thus develop their potential. With the support and mentorship of top experts, they get the opportunity to work on the right business projects, perfecting for the job they want", says Ahmed Abdelhamid, the CEO of EduCav Group. To know more visit https://www.educavgroup.com/ About https://www.educavgroup.com/ EduCav Group based at London, United Kingdom is a recruitment agency and an educational consultancy for international students studying in the UK. From assisting the students with placements including part-time jobs, summer jobs, internships and graduate jobs to CV writing, assignment writing, post landing and other services, EduCav offers effective tools and programs necessary for these students to build a new academic career. Media Contact EduCav Group Address: 71-75 Shelton St. West End, London WC2H 9JQ, UK Phone: +44(0)20-8036-4947 Email : info@educavgroup.com Website: https://www.educavgroup.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 16:22 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1d47ca 1 National cruise-ship,raja-ampat,Papua Free A mysterious ship cruising in the Raja Ampat waters in West Papua has surprised local residents amid a travel restriction in the popular destination over concerns of COVID-19. Cruise liners have made headlines recently as one of the critical hotspots for the coronavirus spread, causing many countries to refuse their request to dock at their ports. Authorities in Raja Ampat said the cruise ship had not been detected by their radar. Authorities have yet to find out the name of the ship, its origin and destination. Matius, a local resident of Mansuar Island in Raja Ampat regency, said the ship was seen cruising the waters between Mansuar and Batanta Island at around 11 a.m. local time on Monday. The sighting raised questions among residents as to where the ship was heading and its activity in the area as all of Raja Ampat, famed for its Coral Triangle, had been closed following the start of social restrictions to stem the spread of the COVID-19. We have contacted the relevant authorities about the matter. We were informed that the ship was not activating its Automatic Identification System [AIS], he said as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday. Read also: COVID-19: Crew members return to Indonesia as cruise liners halt global operations Anggiat P. Marpaung, the head of the Raja Ampat Port Management Office, confirmed that no cruise ships had contacted his office for permission to sail in Raja Ampat waters that day. Meanwhile, Raja Ampat Investment Agency and One-Stop Integrated Services (PTSP) head M. Said Soltief also said his office had not issued a permit to any cruise ship to enter the waters of Raja Ampat due to the pandemic. From our discussions with relevant institutions, we can say that the cruise ship was just passing through, he said. (asp) As a former Montana state auditor, commissioner of securities and insurance, I know what type of leader it takes to fight for and protect insurance and securities consumers. In my opinion, Shane Morigeau is the best candidate to serve as Montanas next state auditor. While Shane Morigeau and I were raised on opposites ends of Montana, we both grew up in working-class families who lived paycheck to paycheck and grew up with the same desire to fight and advocate for others. I fought every day to make sure Montanans were treated fairly by insurance companies, that rates were based on sound data, that perpetrators of securities fraud were brought to justice, and that victims of fraud were made as whole as possible. Morigeau is committed to these same goals. This office requires a leader who will put politics aside and work with both sides of the aisle, a governor of any political party and the industry to find common ground and do what is best for consumers. Morigeau proved this type of leadership as a legislator who tirelessly worked with all parties to pass important legislation that provided strong protections for students and child sex abuse victims. Morigeau began his career as an advocate and attorney representing the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. During this time, he joined me, the governor and the legislature as a leading voice for the tribes in the coordinated effort to pass Medicaid Expansion in 2015. The result led to the percentage of uninsured Montanans dropping from 15% to 7.4%. Before earning his law degree at the University of Montana and a Master of Laws at the University of Arizona Law School, Morigeau spent his summers fighting fire, obtaining his pilots license and earning a Bachelor of Science in resource conservation. These experiences only served to deepen his appreciation for our public lands. Morigeau's love for Montana and the quality of life provided by our wilderness areas, public lands and state and national parks began under our big blue sky in the shadow of the Mission Mountains. He is an avid hunter and angler and will serve us well as one of five members of our State Land Board, which oversees Montanas millions of acres of public land. Morigeau will never shrink from the duty to ensure public access to public lands. I watched Morigeau as an advocate, a legislator and a leader fight for Montana and the values we all share. He has the passion and desire to make a difference and will help lead Montana in a positive direction. Morigeau will bring dedication, hard work, compassion, common sense and strong leadership to the office. Please join me in supporting and voting for Shane Morigeau as our next Montana state auditor, commissioner of securities and insurance. Monica Lindeen was Montana State Auditor from 2009-2016. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Bay of Plenty Our client has plenty of work in the pipeline and as such they are in need of qualified or experienced carpenters for an... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky won a dominant victory in last weeks Wisconsins Supreme Court race, defeating Justice Dan Kelly after more than a week of high drama over whether the election should go on amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The result was a major boost for liberals, who last year had their hopes of flipping the Supreme Courts conservative majority in 2020 dashed when their candidate lost by a half-percentage point. They next have a chance to retake the majority in 2023 when Chief Justice Patience Roggensack, a member of the four-member conservative majority is up for re-election. Karofskys win follows a flurry of executive and legal action to delay the election, which was set against a backdrop of coronavirus pandemonium and a surge in absentee voting. SUPREME COURT SUPREME COURT All precincts reporting x-Jill J. Karofsky 856,470..........55.3% Daniel Kelly 692,976..........44.7% Democrats sought unsuccessfully through executive action and lawsuits to move the election date, but Republicans resisted and state and federal courts ruled the election must go on as scheduled. The results, however, couldnt be released until six days after the vote to accommodate a court-ordered extension for absentee ballots. Democrats said the choice by Republican leaders to hold the election during the COVID-19 pandemic represented the worst in voter suppression for making people choose between their health and voting. Republicans said the attempts to delay caused voter confusion. In the end, voters turned out in far greater numbers than last year to support the liberal-backed candidate, an outcome that had long been expected given the Democratic presidential nomination was still being nominally contested. Im honored to have earned the trust of people across this state who believe in a tough, fair, and independent judiciary and I promise to never forget those principles as their Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Karofsky said in a statement. Kelly conceded shortly after The Associated Press declared Karofsky the winner based on early results that showed her outperforming last years liberal-backed candidate by thousands of votes in counties where Kelly only did slightly better than last years conservative-backed candidate. It was Kellys first election bid after being appointed to the seat by former Gov. Scott Walker in 2016. It has been the highest honor of my career to serve the people of Wisconsin on their Supreme Court these past four years, Kelly said in a statement. The expiration of the time and authority loaned to me is a reminder that our system still works that our Constitution endures through every test and trial, and that here in America the lawful will of the people shall always prevail. Karofsky is the first challenger to beat an incumbent justice since 2008, when conservative-backed Judge Michael Gableman defeated liberal-backed Justice Louis Butler. Before that, the last time a challenger unseated an incumbent was 1967. While state Supreme Court races are nominally nonpartisan, they are run in an intensely partisan fashion, with political parties and outside groups spending large sums to back their preferred candidates. Special interest groups spent a record of nearly $5 million on advertising and other electioneering activities to support either candidate. Karofsky benefited from $2.4 million in spending and Kelly $2.5 million, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Karofsky also received $1.3 million direct support from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The sway of the court could have major implications for a variety of highly contentious political issues, including the powers of the Legislature and governor, and the states decennial redistricting process. Race gained national attention The states April 7 election drew national attention after Republicans in the Legislature declined to postpone it amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which health experts warned would put voters and poll workers at higher risk of contracting the disease. Some cities, including Milwaukee and Green Bay, didnt have enough poll workers to staff more than a few polling locations, resulting in long lines on Election Day. Karofskys win could be challenged via lawsuits over problems that occurred with both absentee ballots and how the in-person election was conducted. But given the results firmly favor Karofsky, it is unlikely any legal action would give Kelly a win. Karofsky declined to say shed support any litigation related to the election but slammed what she called voter suppression tactics used by Republicans last Tuesday in declining to postpone the election. Every single person who wanted to vote and wanted to have their voice heard in the election on Tuesday should have had their voice heard, Karofsky said. We can never ever ever in this state or this country have a repeat of the voter suppression tactics that we saw on Tuesday. A typically partisan campaign Campaigning was upended midway through the Supreme Court race due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the candidates to conduct nearly all their operations online and battle to find their voice in a news cycle that has been almost fully consumed by the shutdown of society. Up until the COVID-19 curve ball, the race had followed the same intensely partisan trend set over the past decade of Wisconsin Supreme Court races. Karofsky focused her campaign on repeatedly claiming Kelly was corruptly ruling in favor of groups and interests that supported him which he forcefully denied. Kelly, mirroring the approach taken by prior conservative-backed candidates, focused on his legal approach of following the letter of the law, and criticized Karofsky for failing to distance herself enough from her progressive politics. Karofsky has faced several lines of criticism from conservatives and her opponents, who say she would be a social justice warrior on the bench, that she doesnt have sufficient experience with civil cases, and that she is soft on crime. Kelly was slammed for past blog writings in which he said former Democratic President Barack Obamas re-election was a win for the socialism/same-sex marriage/recreational marijuana/tax increase crowd, that Social Security and other safety net programs were akin to slavery and that the U.S. Supreme Courts gay marriage ruling was illegitimate. Karofsky, supported by liberals, won a seat on the Dane County Circuit Court in 2017 and served as assistant and deputy district attorney in the Dane County District Attorneys Office from 1992 to 2001. She has also held two posts in the state Department of Justice, as violence against women prosecutor and as head of the Office of Crime Victim Services. Photos: Wisconsinites vote in spring primary despite COVID-19 risks Love 9 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 After piloting a crippled spacecraft around the far side of the moon, the crew of NASA's stricken Apollo 13 received a rare bit of good news on April 14, 1970. It turns out, they'd made a moonquake. A new video of Apollo 13's flight, NASA has pieced together synchronized video, audio and imagery to chronicle the moment when Mission Control radioed the success of the mission's seismic experiment. That experiment, which crashed an upper stage booster from Apollo 13's Saturn V rocket into the moon, was detected by a seismometer delivered to the lunar surface months earlier by the Apollo 12 crew. "Looks like your booster just hit the moon, and it's rocking it a little bit," capsule communicator Vance Brand told the Apollo 13 crew from NASA's Mission Control in Houston in the video, which was released by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. He was referring to data gathered by Apollo 12's seismometer 85 miles (136 kilometers) from the crash site. Related: Apollo 13's Jim Lovell and Fred Haise on their mission 50 years later Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell as seen in the lunar module. (Image credit: NASA) Apollo 13 mission commander Jim Lovell, who a day earlier had seen his Odyssey command module spacecraft suffer the effects of an explosion in the service module that ripped away vital connections for power and breathing air, laconically responded from a distance of roughly 200,000 miles (322,000 km) from NASA. "Well, at least something worked on this flight," said Lovell, who was fighting for survival alongside crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert while dealing with the realization that his long-planned moon landing would never come to be. In NASA's new video, Brand begins to speak again, but stops when he hears a second transmission coming from the three-astronaut crew. At the time, Lovell, Haise and Swigert were using their lunar lander the Aquarius lunar module (LM) as a lifeboat to return to Earth since their command module was disabled. "Go ahead," Brand said. "I say, I'm sure glad we didn't have a LM impact, too," joked Haise. Brand paused, then drawled out his response: "Right." On April 14, 1970, the Apollo 13 Saturn IVB upper stage impacted the moon north of Mare Cognitum. The impact crater, which is roughly 30 meters in diameter, is clearly visible in this image from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter released in 2010. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University) The worldwide rescue effort to bring home the astronauts succeeded days later, when Odyssey splashed down successfully in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970. All three astronauts emerged in relatively good health, given they had spent much of the past week in cold conditions with little water available. Lovell is now 92 years old and Haise 86, although Swigert died of cancer in 1982. Decades after the perilous flight, Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger wrote a book about the mission, originally titled " Lost Moon ," that inspired the popular 1995 Hollywood film , "Apollo 13." Seismometers placed by most of the Apollo landing crews allowed scientists to learn more about the structure of the moon, including monitoring moonquakes and examining seismograph waves when Saturn V rocket stages were deliberately thrown onto the surface. That said, nobody knew exactly where on the moon Apollo 13's S-IVB upper stage left its mark until 2010, when high-definition imagery from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed the crater left behind . While the crew's reaction to the impact has been available in transcripts for decades , the audio lay dormant in the National Archives and Records Administration since NASA donated it to the institution in 1970, Goddard said in the same statement . Audio equipment available at the facility could not play the footage, which necessitated a new rescue effort 45 years after the mission. In 2015, the National Science Foundation funded work to refurbish audio equipment at Johnson Space Center that could play the footage, allowing for 7,200 hours of Apollo 13 audio to be digitized. The audio was then released publicly in 2020 on ApolloInRealTime.org . The usual anniversary celebrations for an Apollo milestone are not taking place this week, due to restrictions put in place to address the spread of novel coronavirus. That said, NASA and other entities do have Apollo 13 multimedia and other resources available online , including a new NASA documentary. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . The government on Tuesday set up 20 control rooms all across the country under the office of Chief Labour Commissioner to tackle issues around wage workers in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. The control rooms have been given the mandate to address issues on two broad parameters - wage-related grievances of workers employed in the central sphere and to mitigate problems of migrant workers through coordination with various state governments. The call centres can be accessed by anybody through phone numbers, WhatsApp and emails. "All the concerned officers/officials have been advised to adopt a humane approach to assist the aggrieved workmen to the maximum possible extent and ensure delivery of timely relief to the needy ones," the government said in a statement. The setting up of the call centres comes in the wake of India extending lockdown across the country for another 19 days till May 3. The first round of lockdown ends today. Also read: Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0: Govt suspends domestic, international flights till May 3 Migrant workers across the country bore the brunt of the economic hardship due to the lockdown, including loss of livelihood. A large number of workers have returned to their native towns and villages on foot, travelling thousands of kilometres from industrial hubs near Delhi and Mumbai after the first lockdown was announced on the evening of March 24. A survey for the week ended April 5 by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy pegged India's unemployment rate at 23.4 per cent, the highest ever. This survey, however, did not cover the unorganised sector that accounts for all the migrant population. This segment typically fares worse than the organised sector in times of distress. The government's unemployment data, last released for 2019, had pegged the rate at a 45-year high of 6.1 per cent. Also read: GST laws relaxed! Tax paid on cancelled order to be adjusted in returns Also read: Coronavirus lockdown 2.0: Be kind to employees, don't fire anyone, PM tells companies Amid the current market turmoil, this is our regular report on hedge fund managers who are bucking the trend. Prior issues: Report 1; Report 2; Report 3; Report 4; Report 5, and Report 6. Specialist energy traders make the most of volatility Energy specialist firm HITE Hedge Asset Management outperformed in March despite some of the worst drawdowns some oil traders have ever seen. HITE Energy was up +6.10% in March and is up 0.26% YTD. HITE Carbon Offset was up 22.32% in March and is up 32.93% YTD. Finally, HITE Hedge was up approximately 1.5% in March, according to investor materials reviewed by Opalesque. HITE offers a suite of niche energy funds. The HITE Energy fund, which launched in February of 2018, is a systematic relative value strategy that limits commodity exposure and focuses on finding opportunities throughout the energy value chain. HITE Carbon Offset, which also launched in 2018, is a market-neutral carbon strategy. The fund shorts legacy parts of the carbon value chain and puts a greater emphasis on energy transition opportunities. HITE Hedge, the firm's flagship fund, launched in 2004 and has a concentrated portfolio with a midstream focus. The fund sees opportunity in the energy sector right now despite oil prices falling through the floor. HITE notes that billions of relative value capital have left the space. With the combination of volatile price action and a liquidity squeeze in high yield, there are opportunities for energy specialists to find value. The volatility in oil markets is also helping to highlight the need for more sustainable energy which is driving returns in the carbon offset strategy. Despite volatility a CTA catches the trend Swedish CTA RPM Risk & Portfolio Management AB was able to catch the trend in March and end the month positively. The firm's RPM Evolving CTA Fund was up 1% in March and is up 3.3% YTD. RPM Evolving is a multi-CTA fund that focuses on crisis alpha and trend following CTAs. Short-term Trading, Volatility (VIX), and Fundamental CTAs are diversifying and balancing components. Profits in bonds and energies offset losses in equities as performance was mixed across managers and substrategies within the fund in March. A performance outlook sent to investors summed up RPM's view of what lies ahead this way: "In the blink of an eye, the macroeconomic outlook has changed from "cyclical slowdown" to "major recession". After Covid-19 forced a large-scale global shutdown, it is now widely expected that output will contract substantially in 2020H1. However, it is also expected that the global economy will rebound significantly in the second half of the year. When and to what extent will depend on how long the virus crisis will last and how well governments will be able to cushion its economic effects. That being said, after last week's rebound, RPM portfolios are now well-balanced, i.e. long both equities and bonds, indicators are largely neutral, while portfolio risks remain well-controlled slightly below long-term average levels." LatAm comes into view LatAm Consumer Credit's flagship strategy is up 0.76% year to date and is up +67.53% inception to date from 2017. The strategy is focused on consumer credit opportunities throughout the region. In a performance update to investors reviewed by Opalesque, the firm says that it sees significant opportunity focusing only on the over-compensation for credit risk in Argentina and a few other countries in the LatAm. Countries like Argentina, with a history of defaults, capital controls and forced conversion of savings into domestic currency, don't create the necessary appeal for domestic savers. This creates a structural opportunity for the firm. The strategy involves purchasing portfolios of loans and senior tranches of consumer finance ABS from originators in the marketplace. The loans typically have less than 5 months weighted average life and are performing. And others... The Athena UI Fund, from Conservative Concept Portfolio Management AG in Germany, was up +5.47% in March and is up +5.08% YTD. The strategy is an options trading fund that looks for systematic differences in the implied volatilities throughout the option chain. The fund is offered as a daily liquid product. Highmore's Trade Finance Fund was up +0.64% net in March and is up 1.94% for 1Q; April estimate is up approximately +0.70%. The strategy offers short duration financing growth for under-banked small and medium sized enterprises. The fund generates income for investors through this approach while also maintaining a low correlation to the broader market. *** Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. Opalesque has not verified this information and gives no warranty of accuracy or completeness. Past performance is not indicative of future results. See our Terms & Conditions for more information. *** WEBINARS: The Corona Fighters: Meet the asset managers that actually delivered during the meltdown Episode 1: Monday, April 20th, 10 am EST Opalesque will present several investment managers who will give a succinct presentation on how and why their strategies delivered positive returns and/or protected during the Corona led market meltdown, with Q&A session. For investors only - register now as seats are limited: www.opalesque.com/webinar/corona/ - COVID-19 Survival Training for Family Businesses April 15th, 10 am EST Register: www.opalesque.com/webinar/covid_survival/ People in Gujarat have been consuming and stocking up hydroxychloroquine, being touted as 'game changer' in the fight against coronavirus, prompting the state government to issue a warning against its health hazards and a directive to chemists not to sell it over the counter. India is the world's largest manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine, which is used in the treatment of malaria. But, its demand has now increased after US President Donald Trump requested the Indian government to allow its export to America to treat COVID-19 patients. "We have come to know that people were rushing to medical stores to buy hydroxychloroquine after it came in and was also mentioned as an effective medicine by US President Trump for those infected by COVID-19," Gujarat Food and Drug Control Authority Commissioner H G Koshia told PTI. It has come to light that many people are taking the medicine or stocking it due to the coronavirus fear, he said. "This is a scheduled H drug, which can be sold by chemist on a prescription of a registered medical practitioner. It is not in the interest of normal people to take the scheduled H drug if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms, he said. This type of self-medication can cause harm and side effects if not taken under proper care of doctors, he warned. "Therefore, we have advised people not to take the medicine without the prescription of doctors. We have also asked chemists not to sell the drug to patients coming without the doctors' prescription," the official said. Chemists have been asked to maintain a register of purchase and sale of the drug, which they have to do for all the scheduled H drugs, he said. A chemist in Bopal area of Ahmedabad said many people come to his store asking for hydroxychloroquine in a day, but he sells it only to those who have proper prescription. Koshia said the Gujarat government has enough stock of the medicine, but an advisory has been issued so that there is no shortage of the drug in the open market. "If everybody starts stocking or consuming the drug, it will create shortage in the market. This advisory is issued so that this anti-malarial drug is available for patients who need it, he said. The Gujarat government stockpiled over one crore shots of the medicine as it became clear that this can be a useful medicine against coronavirus, he said, adding that the drug is manufactured in a large quantity in the state. "The Food and Drug Control Authority of Gujarat has given approval to 28 companies to produce hydroxychloroquine. Of these, three companies produce active drug ingredients, which are raw material for production of the medicine, he said, adding that Gujarat will not face its shortage. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani recently said three companies from the state have been asked to produce hydroxychloroquine to export it to the US, after President Trump asked the Indian government for its supply. On the effectiveness of the drug in the fight against coronavirus, Koshia said some studies, especially in France, say that it works. "The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended that this drug should be given to frontline health workers who are involved in treating those suffering from COVID-19, he said. Earlier, India had banned the drug's export after it was found that it can be key to the treatment of COVID-19. However, after requests of US President Trump and from other countries, the export curbs were partially lifted. Gujarat has so far reported over 570 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several meat processing plants have temporarily closed because workers are sick with COVID-19, raising concerns about possible meat shortages. On April 12, the nations largest pork producer Smithfield Foods indefinitely shuttered its Sioux Falls, South Dakota plant after 300 out of 3,700 workers tested positive for the virus. Smithfield CEO and President Kenneth M. Sullivan warned in a message the companys plant closure combined with other plant shutdowns in the industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply. READ MORE: Grocery store etiquette: How not to be a jerk during the coronavirus pandemic It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nations livestock farmers. These farmers have nowhere to send their animals, Sullivan said. So far, carnivores shouldnt worry. And there is no need to hoard meat. Grocery stores in central Pennsylvania report ample inventory of beef, pork, chicken and more. At this point, we have not seen any issues with deliveries. All deliveries are coming through as planned. All of our suppliers have told us they have had no issues, said Scott Karns, CEO and president of Karns Foods. Giant spokeswoman Ashley Flower said the Carlisle-based chain is monitoring the situation and cautioned its too early to tell if there will be any impact. Meanwhile, Weis Markets spokesman Dennis Curtin called it an emerging issue and said its stores are stocked with meat. In addition, Curtin said Weis has contingency plans in place in case of a disruption. Smithfield said the Sioux City plant provides 4% to 5% of pork sold in the United States. Its not the only plant in the country to close. Meat-processing plants across several states Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska along with Pennsylvania are reporting COVID-19 outbreaks. Last week, Cargill Meat Solutions in Hazleton temporarily closed after 130 hourly workers tested positive for the virus. The plant packages meat in plastic for supermarkets in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. One of the nations largest beef companies, JBS SA, closed facilities in Souderton, Pa., and Greeley, Colorado after employees tested positive and at least three died. The Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office confirmed to the family of a 70-year-old union steward at the Souderton slaughterhouse in Souderton, died April 3 from respiratory failure brought on by the pandemic virus. In Pennsylvania at least two other companies - CTI Foods hamburger-grinding plant in King of Prussia and Empire Kosher Poultry Inc. in Mifflintown, in central Pennsylvania, - have closed, according to Wendell Young IV, president of the 35,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776. These environments are almost impossible for workers to adhere to safe-distancing protocols," Young said. "We want our folks back to work, but we want them back safely. Safe is more important than fast. As for the supply chain, Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University told the Associated Press the reduced production so far has been offset by the significant amount of meat that was in cold storage. Producers are also working to shift meat that would have gone to now-closed restaurants over to grocery stores. READ MORE: Karns noted there are so many meat processing plants in operation in the United States that it would take a massive amount of plant closings to impact stores. It just isnt there yet, he said. At the very least, Karns suggested shoppers may notice limits on certain cuts as packing houses try and fill the pipeline with the most popular pieces and cuts. In the meantime, federal and state officials have emphasized the virus is not transmissible through food and the food supply chain is secure. Pennsylvanias Secretary of Health Rachel Levine on Saturday calmed fears and raised confidence about the food supply. She said her department is working with the agriculture department to issue new COVID-19 guidance for food processing plants, grocery stores and really the whole food chain. 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. Im currently on maternity leave and am staying with my parents in Copenhagen, but Im still on the job. This is what Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazian, who is currently pregnant, said during a live video call from Denmark, adding that she is doing fine. Asked when she will return to Armenia, Revazian said she will return as soon as possible, that is, when her baby is a couple of months old. I want to return, but its clear that it also depends on the flights since there are no flights at the moment, she added. The Internet and social media are among the most frequently used sources of information today. Students, too, often prefer online information rather than traditional teaching materials provided by universities. According to a study conducted by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Goethe University Frankfurt, students struggle to critically assess information from the Internet and are often influenced by unreliable sources. In this study, students from various disciplines such as medicine and economics took part in an online test, the Critical Online Reasoning Assessment (CORA). "Unfortunately, it is becoming evident that a large proportion of students are tempted to use irrelevant and unreliable information from the Internet when solving the CORA tasks," reported Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia from JGU. The study was carried out as part of the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) alliance. Critical evaluation of online information and online sources are particularly important today Learning using the Internet offers many opportunities, but it also entails risks. It has become evident that not only "fake news" but also "fake science" with scientifically incorrect information is being spread on the Internet. This problem becomes particularly apparent in the context of controversially discussed social issues such as the current corona crisis, but it actually goes much deeper. "Having a critical attitude alone is not enough. Instead, Internet users need skills that enable them to distinguish reliable from incorrect and manipulative information. It is therefore particularly important for students to question and critically examine online information so they can build their own knowledge and expertise on reliable information," stated Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. To investigate how students deal with online information, Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia and her team have developed a new test based on the Civic Online Reasoning (COR) assessment developed by Stanford University. During the assessment, the test takers are presented with short tasks. They are asked to freely browse the Internet, focusing on relevant and reliable information that will help them to solve the tasks within the relatively short time frame of ten minutes, and to justify their solutions using arguments from the online information they used. CORA testing requires complex and extensive analysis The analysis of the results is based on the participants' responses to the tasks. In addition, their web search activity while solving the tasks is recorded to examine their strengths and weaknesses in dealing with online information in more detail. "We can see which websites the students accessed during their research and which information they used. Analyzing the entire process requires complex analyses and is very time-consuming," said Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. The assessments have so far been carried out in two German federal states. To date, 160 students from different disciplines have been assessed; the majority of the participants studied medicine or economics and were in their first or second semester. Critical online reasoning skills should be specifically promoted in higher education The results are striking: almost all test participants had difficulties solving the tasks. On a scale of 0 to 2 points per task, the students scored only 0.75 points on average, with the results ranging from 0.50 to 1.38 points. "The majority of the students did not use any scientific sources at all," said Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, pointing out that no domain-specific knowledge was required to solve the CORA tasks. "We are always testing new groups of students, and the assessment has also been continued as a longitudinal study. Since we first started conducting these assessments two years ago, the results are always similar: the students tend to achieve low scores". However, students in higher semesters perform slightly better than students in their first year of study. Critical online reasoning skills could therefore be promoted during the course of studies. In the United States, a significant increase in these kinds of skills was observed only a few weeks after implementing newly developed training approaches. The study shows that most students do not succeed in correctly evaluating online sources in the given time and in using relevant information from reliable sources on the Internet to solve the tasks. "As we know from other studies, students are certainly able to adequately judge the reliability of well-known media portals and Internet sources. We could build on this fact and foster the skills required to critically evaluate new sources and online information and to use the Internet in a reflected manner to generate warranted knowledge," concluded Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. In research on this topic, skills related to critically dealing with online information and digital sources are regarded as an essential prerequisite for learning in the 21st century. However, there are still very few training approaches and assessments available for students to foster these skills, especially online. "The RMU study is still in the early stages of development. We have only just developed the first test of this kind in Germany," Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia pointed out. "We are currently in the process of developing teaching/learning materials and training courses and of testing their effectiveness. The analysis of the processing will be particularly useful when it comes to offering students targeted support in the future. ### The Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) As outstanding research universities in the Rhine-Main area, Goethe University Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Technische Universitat Darmstadt have joined together to form the strategic Rhine-Main Universities alliance. The universities have worked in close cooperation with each other for more than ten years, signing a framework agreement to form a strategic alliance in 2015. The Rhine-Main Universities are situated in close vicinity to one another in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region and offer a wide range of disciplines from medicine and the natural sciences to the humanities and social science through to engineering. With more than 100,000 students and 1,460 professors, the Rhine-Main Universities collaborate closely in research, learning and teaching, the promotion of young researchers, and the transfer and exchange with business and society. Related links: https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb03-business-education/ - Business and Economics Education at the JGU Gutenberg School of Management and Economics https://www.plato.uni-mainz.de/cora/ - Critical Online Reasoning Assessment (CORA) https://cor.stanford.edu/ - Civic Online Reasoning (COR) Read more: https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/11073_ENG_HTML.php - press release "Brief entrance test can predict academic success within the first year of study in Economics" (12 March 2020) https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/10544_ENG_HTML.php - press release "SUCCESS project identifies potentials for promoting refugee students' access to higher education around the world" (18 Dec. 2019) We asked the director of an Irish wildlife park what he made of the controversial Netflix series. Not surprisingly, he had some strong opinions, writes Des ODriscoll SEAN MCKEOWN is director of Fota Wildlife Park in Cork. Originally from Co Monaghan and now living in Midleton with his family, McKeown was one of millions of people who has watched Netflix sensation Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in recent weeks. While many of us were distracted with the gripping human sub-plots playing out in the documentary series, McKeown says he was appalled by much of what he saw on the show. Words such as disturbing and disgusting pepper his conversation while talking about the programme and the treatment of the animals at Joe Exotics facility. Overcrowding, small enclosures, and exploitation of both animals and staff were some of the standout issues for him. He also had fears about what we didnt see, from proper veterinary care to other practices to subdue the animals. McKeown is well qualified to talk about such matters. He holds the stud book in Europe for the breeding programme for the northern cheetah that Fota has been a very successful part of, and in recent years has brought in Asiatic lions and Sumatran tigers to the Cork facility as part of international programmes. Removing cubs At Joe Exotics zoo, photo opportunities with cubs were a big money-spinner, and to facilitate this, young tigers were removed from their mother at a very young age. McKeown says tigers and other carnivores can have trouble with a first litter, and intervention may be necessary, but in general European zoos would try to give the mother the experience. Sometimes the animals go through a difficult time, but its better that the mother gets the chance to rear them. And then the next time he has cubs, she stands a better chance of being successful. But here, where they showed them being taken away as soon as they were born, to help make them very tame as pets, and then sold on... the European Association of Zoos are totally against that. Breeding practices Sean McKeown, director of Fota Wildlife Park in Cork. Picture: Darragh Kane One of the zoo owners in Tiger King makes the claim that breeding tigers is beneficial in a world where such animals are declining in the wild. McKeown discounts this, and says they was little or no conservation value to what he saw in the show. Breeding unrelated animals is crucial to keeping the general population healthy, but he says a lot of the animals in Tiger King were obviously inbred. We have breeding programmes where certain animals are recommended to breed, because theyre more genetically important in the population, and not as related to the rest of the population as others would be. Some animals parents bred very well, so their offspring wouldnt be recommended for breeding as theyd be related to a lot of others. But an animal who hadnt bred widely would be recommended. For instance, with some of the Sumatran tigers, they have come in [to captivity} because of conflict with people... They might have been injured in a trap. So theres a possibility of using them in a breeding programme to help ensure a more genetically diverse population. McKeown also frowns on the breeding of selected gene mutations for show purposes. For instance, white tigers come from a very small gene pool, and develop crossed eyes, scoliosis of the spine, and other problems. The cross-breeding of lions and tigers in the huge ligers that we also saw in the show can create similar health issues. Waste meat The limited feeding budget in Joe Exotics zoo meant that the animals relied on waste meat from supermarkets. As the facility ran into trouble we also saw a big group of hungry animals waiting to be fed. Its obviously a far from ideal situation for big cats. All our cats get meat on the bone, explains McKeown of Fota and the meat they buy from approved abattoirs. Its more natural they lick the bone, they get calcium from it. The animal also takes more time eating it so its more enriching for them. Not just the animals One of the other bizarre scenes in relation to the animals being fed was a shot of some of the low-paid staff going through the cast-off meat so they could find cuts to feed themselves. McKeown is aghast at the treatment of staff he witnessed throughout the show. They were being exploited. Joe Exotic was picking people who had issues, and using that to take advantage of them and get them working with animals. And many of them would have had no experience. Contrast that to Fota, where many of the staff come from a background in zoology, or would have undergone a two-year training programme via a university in the UK. Safety issues were also a big concern. In Tiger King, we see how one staff member lost part of their arm to a tiger, and we also see Joe Exotic having a narrow escape when hes dragged by the foot. At Fota, strict safety procedures such as multiple doors keep staff separate from the lions and tigers. People going in the enclosure with animals is an absolute no-no. No way would you go in with an animal like that. Their instinct is to kill you. Even in Fota, the animals associate you with food and thats a very dangerous link to have. If somebody went in the enclosure here, theyd be killed. That natural instinct is still there. America v Europe In Ireland and other parts of Europe, the type of facility run by Joe Exotic would not be permitted, and regulations are much stricter about keeping exotic animals as pets. The US does have a similar association of zoo facilities as the European organisation, but a low proportion of zoos are affiliated with it, and legislation isnt as strongly enforced by the state. McKeown says facilities such as Joe Exotics are very common. They feel their individual rights mean they can do these things its like the right to bear arms. And its that sort of person thats attracted to it. Its about the exploitation of animals for their pleasure, and for nothing else. The Monaghan man also points to the fact that exotic animals are still allowed in American circuses, and refers to wider issues with the current political leadership. US president Donald Trump and his family have a poor reputation on conservation and environment issues. For a country thats so well developed, its so weird to have such regressive ideas, concepts and policies. It might have happened [in Europe] in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, but not now. Were supposed to have become more aware of nature and the environment but that doesnt seem to have happened in the US. And even look at the policies of the current American government towards wildlife and nature. They have backtracked on a lot of legislation designed to protect nature. They have allowed a lot of areas to be mined and exploited. To me, it shows a sad lack of leadership. Bloomberg editors and news executives prevented reporters from following up on an award-winning 2012 investigation into Chinas wealthy elite over concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could retaliate by kicking the outlet out of the country, according to audio recordings obtained by NPR. In late October 2013, Bloombergs founding editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler explained in a conference call with members of his China-based investigative team which had been working for over a year on a story exposing the corruption surrounding Chinese President Xi Jinping and his family that their efforts were not justified. It is for sure going to, you know, invite the Communist Party to, you know, completely shut us down and kick us out of the country, Winkler explained in the recording, comparing the situation to Nazi-run Germany. . . . The inference is going to be interpreted by the government there as we are judging them, and they will probably kick us out of the country. Theyll probably shut us down, is my guess. At the time, Winkler publicly pushed back on claims that he was killing the story over fears of Chinese repercussions, telling The New York Times which cited the call but did not report its exact contents that what you have is untrue. The stories are active and not spiked. The team, which included Mike Forsythe, a former Beijing correspondent for Bloomberg News who now works at The New York Times, had won a George Polk Award a year earlier for its reporting on the corrupt financial holdings of Chinas ruling class. We are grateful to be recognized by our peers for reporting that advanced the public interest by providing transparency in China, Winkler said in a statement following the award. Michael Bloomberg also responded to reports of the 2013 call while serving as New York City mayor, saying at a City Hall press conference. Nobody thinks we are wusses and not willing to stand up and write stories that are of interest to the public and that are factually correct, he stated. Story continues But after he had left office two months later, Bloomberg admitted in a town hall for his global newsroom that the story was an example of shoot the messenger. If a country gives you the license to do something with certain restrictions, you have two choices, Bloomberg told his staff in the January 2014 recording. You either accept the license and do it that way, or you dont do business there. He stood by his assessment in a May interview with CNBC. In China, they have rules about what you can publish. We follow those rules. If you dont follow the rules, youre not in the country, he said. Bloomberg drew criticism during his 2020 presidential run for being reticent to criticize China out of a desire to protect his financial interests in the country. (Bloombergs main source of revenue, the sale of expensive financial terminals, is heavily dependent on access to the Chinese market.) This is the kind of stupid you cant script, Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) said in a statement after Bloomberg argued in a September interview that Xi Jinping is not a dictator and the Communist Party wants to stay in power in China and they listen to the public. In the February Democratic debate, Bloomberg claimed India is even a bigger problem then China to the global effort to slow climate change, even as China remains the worlds largest emitter of carbon dioxide. More from National Review ALBANY The effort to keep the novel and highly contagious coronavirus out of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities has become increasingly difficult, with at least seven facilities in the Capital Region reporting new cases in the last week alone. The largest known local outbreak has been at the Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the Columbia County town of Philmont, where 23 residents have tested positive and six have died, county public health director Jack Mabb confirmed Monday. In the past week, clusters have also been reported at Diamond Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation in Schaghticoke, where three residents had died as of Monday, as well as The Pines nursing and rehabilitation centers in Catskill and Glens Falls, which are operated by the same private parent company. Other area nursing homes with new or previously unreported cases include the Eliot at Troy Senior Living, the county-run Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Colonie, and the Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Columbia County. Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements The latest coronavirus numbers in NY Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter Full coronavirus coverage Looking for good news or stories of helping others during the pandemic? Join our Facebook group. Local and state health officials are racing to tamp down on clusters as they arise and, ideally, prevent introduction of the virus at all into nursing homes and residential facilities, which house the elderly and the sick two populations at high risk for severe symptoms of COVID-19, including death. All visitors, with a few compassionate exceptions, were banned from nursing homes on March 7, and all communal dining and group activities were canceled March 20. Health screenings of both residents and staff were implemented, with the state urging homes to conduct them at least once every eight hours. Still, the virus has made its way in. As of Sunday, 340 nursing homes statewide had 5,650 confirmed cases of the virus and 1,979 deaths attributed to the disease it causes, according to the state Department of Health. Adult care facilities that dont rise to the level of skilled nursing facilities had 459 known deaths from the virus. That means that as of Sunday, 26 percent of all deaths in New York were residents of a nursing home or adult care facility. We've said from the start that protecting our most vulnerable populations including people in nursing homes is our top priority and that's why the state acted quickly and aggressively to issue guidance specifically for these facilities on testing, infection control, environmental cleaning, staffing, visitation, admission, readmission, and outreach to residents and families, DOH spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said. The department will continue to work with administrators of private and county nursing homes to do everything possible to protect the health, well-being and privacy of the residents who call these facilities home. In the 17 days after Columbia County reported that four Pine Haven residents had tested positive, confirmed cases at the home increased nearly six-fold to 23 and had affected all three wings of the 120-bed facility. The first death was reported March 28 in an elderly individual who had multiple underlying medical conditions. The county has attempted to prioritize a limited supply of test kits for staff and residents of the home and other long-term care facilities, Mabb said Monday. Last week, it received 100 kits from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and made them available to Pine Haven and other area homes. Its been a tough situation for them, but theyve been aggressive and up front about whats going on there, he said of Pine Haven. On Monday, the county was informed that a resident of the Livingston Hills Nursing & Rehabilitation Center had tested positive, marking that facilitys first confirmed case. In Rensselaer County, officials are working with the state to contain a cluster of cases that has turned deadly at the Diamond Hill nursing home in Schaghticoke. The 120-bed facility has had seven confirmed cases to date, with the first case reported to county officials on April 4. The state was notified the next day and asked to conduct widespread testing at the facility, Rich Crist, the countys director of operations said. On April 7, a 77-year-old man who was exhibiting symptoms of the virus died. The county conducted testing on him afterward and learned he had been infected with COVID-19. Two more deaths have occurred since. The most recent a 95-year-old woman was reported Monday. Still, Crist said the outbreak appears to be coming under control. It is not at this point getting worse, he said Monday. Any other resident of the facility who dies but does not have a known case of COVID-19 will be tested anyway to confirm, he said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The county also learned Monday that a second resident of the Eliot at Troy Senior Living had tested positive. The first known case at the facility was confirmed March 20. The person was hospitalized and has since recovered and returned to the home, Crist said. A receptionist who answered the phone at the Eliot on Monday said she was told not to release details to the media, and referred questions to the facility's corporate headquarters, whose voice mailbox was full. In Albany County, three staff members and two residents of the county-run Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Colonie have tested positive for COVID-19, county spokeswoman Mary Rozak confirmed Monday. The county reported the first known case affiliated with the home on March 27, saying that a staff member who was sent home with a high fever following a temperature check had tested positive. Officials did not reveal the four other cases until Monday when asked, and said the three staff who tested positive did so in unrelated incidents. The two residents, who both lived on the same floor, were being treated in the hospital in unknown conditions Monday. Our protocols that have been in place continue to protect our most vulnerable population and we have healthcare workers taking care around the clock to provide physical, psychological and compassionate care to our residents during normal times and now, during an incredibly stressful situation, Rozak said. She didnt know if any other long-term care facilities in the county had confirmed cases, she said Monday. Clusters of unknown size and scope have also been confirmed at The Pines nursing homes in Catskill and Glens Falls, which are operated by National Health Care Associates, a private chain. Greene County public health officials reported Sunday that a huge increase in confirmed cases (from 41 to 67) in the county was the result of new test results that had come in from area nursing homes, employees and patients. The county was only seeing a few new cases each day in recent weeks but, along with Columbia County, received a shipment of 100 test kits from the state in the last week. The county said it was unable to report the exact number of cases from the Pines because it was a private facility. In exchanges with people on social media, however, it said both residents and staff have tested positive at The Pines. An epidemiologist from the state Health Department was sent to the site to help control the spread, it said. A call to the facility Monday was referred to an administrator, who did not respond to a message from the Times Union seeking more details. Further north, The Pines in Glens Falls is also dealing with a cluster of cases among residents. Again, the facility itself did not publicize this. Rather, Warren County officials announced Sunday they were monitoring confirmed cases at the 120-bed facility, along with state and federal health officials. The county did not say how many residents had tested positive. The Post-Star reported that Fort Hudson, a nursing home in Fort Edward, was brought in to help test the homes entire third floor. On Monday, Warren County reported its first known death due to COVID-19, but would only confirm that it was a resident from the northern part of the county. The novel coronavirus pandemic and the resultant nationwide lockdown and financial woes may prompt the Indian equity broking industry to adopt the work-from-home concept permanently, at least for a significant number of its workforce, experts say. The work-from-home structure adopted during the 21-day lockdown period may alter the format of the broking sector forever as the cash-strapped industry is looking for cues to slash cost without actually cutting manpower. Says Rajendra Bhambhani, Joint Managing Director of Philip Capital, who deals mainly with foreign institutional investors: "We are analysing the changing dynamics of the functioning of our company now. We might allow some departments to work from home 3 to 4 days a week. We can even call people to the office on a rotational basis. Departments like back-office or sales could work from home". In fact, some surveys have shown that a significant number of the global workforce who have been forced to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic may find themselves permanently working from home. According to brokers, around 20-25 percent of the workforce could be allowed to work from home in the Indian context. An HR official at a broking firm told Moneycontrol: "When we start allowing work from home, we will take a more formal approach to tasks such as updating daily diary, which we usually don't do when employees are in office. We may have to keep an eye on employees to ensure that they are working only for our company. More importantly, salary cuts and job cuts may also happen since the supply of employees will go up when we allow people to work from home. Around 20-25 percent of job loss may happen in the financial sector". 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 trend would have an impact on commercial real estate as more companies may opt for smaller offices with limited infrastructure. "Commercial properties may correct approximately 30 percent if the effect of COVID-19 will not get diluted by September. The life of people will be different after coronavirus pandemic and companies will consider smaller offices especially when you have experienced successful business meetings and deals during the lockdown," said Pankaj Kapoor, Managing Director of Liases Foras Real Estate Rating. Niranjan Hiranandani, Chairman of Hiranandani group, also echoed this view. "The change in trend will have an initial impact on commercial real estate like office spaces which will see a muted demand in the short term. This means numbers will drop, human resource deployment at work will be reduced in densely populated locations, and entry of workforce in a staggered pattern with a shift cycle to be devised, resulting in a new world with revised rules of social engagement and distancing," he told Moneycontrol. Hiranandani further sees an opportunity for India in the new world order: "If the global outrage against China for the perceived role it played in the COVID-19 pandemic going international actually happens, we might see MNC manufacturing units in China relocating and India stands to gain the most from this shift. If this happens, we may see an influx of MNCs, and demand for office spaces may return to the levels before the pandemic," he opined. But many believe that the COVID-19 impact on real estate wont be restricted to commercial properties. "Commercial real estate is about 15 percent of the total market, but the repercussions of change could be felt in the residential segment too. As there is economic uncertainty, the new entrants may not buy a property. However, 2019 was one of the best years for the commercial property market, and the COVID-19 pandemic will have a huge impact on this segment," Ghulam M. Zia, Executive Director, Knight Frank told Moneycontrol. In the broking business in India, margins have been shrinking and the cost of operations has been increasing steadily. Now, the work-from-home concept, though forced by the pandemic, has prompted these firms to think out of the box to cut costs. Says Rakesh Bhandari, Director, Nirmal Bang: "We are a broking firm with sufficient technology backup. We thought about work-from-home culture but never implemented it. Now, accidentally we have implemented it, and we are analysing it. Some departments like compliance can easily work from home. The sales department can also conduct meetings on apps like Zoom and meet clients personally only when they think a deal will materialise." "Novel creative jobs can emerge in the broking sector like moderator or trainer for financial markets. In the current scenario, we pay for transportation and accommodation to those who give training, which can be saved if we implement work from home. It is also a good opportunity for people who are reluctant to work now due to family commitments," Bhandari further added. Jayakumar, President, Prime Securities Limited, mentioned in an online discussion conducted by Pantomath: "We have 25 people working currently in my office at a time. But we are thinking of keeping 4-5 people to work from the office and others can work from home or come once in three days." Another broking firm CEO told Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity: "Anyway, there are numerous software to check the efficiency of employees. The software will tell us how much time a particular employee has worked in a day and how many times he/she has gone for breaks. So, accordingly, a company can set parameters for employee efficiency. In metro cities, people spend at least two hours a day commuting, which can be used effectively if they work from home. So, work-life balance will also improve." As far as the broking sector is concerned, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India also needs to relax certain rules, which it has done during the lockdown period. "SEBI and exchanges have allowed the relocation of the trading terminal to unauthorised locations now. Usually, a trading terminal cannot be shifted beyond the company headquarters or branch offices. The relocation is now allowed until April 30," a source told Moneycontrol. DERBY First responders, as a way to say thanks to others working on the coronavirus front lines, led a parade of vehicles to Griffin Hospital. The fire, police, and EMS vehicles gathered at Nolan Field in Ansonia and rode in a parade along Wakelee Ave. on Tuesday. They then stopped briefly at the hospital to greet health care workers. Businessolver, the leader in SaaS-based benefits technology and services, is teaming up with EVERFI to provide Endeavor, an online Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education program for middle school students. Sponsored by the Businessolver Foundation, this interactive program will be provided at no cost to schools across the U.S. where Businessolver has a significant local presenceCharlotte, North Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Des Moines and Iowa City, Iowa and Louisville, Kentucky. Planned prior to the COVID-19 emergency, this virtual learning resource is now more important than ever as schools shift to online learning in response to the pandemic. As a technology company, weve always been dedicated to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers, who someday may be Solvers themselves, said Businessolver President and CEO, Jon Shanahan. Now with schools nationwide moving to virtual learning, the need to provide high-quality, engaging STEM educational materials is even more vital. The Businessolver Foundation is proud to support expanding teachers and students access to these tools at this critical time and in the future. Developed and implemented by EVERFI, the leading social impact education innovator, the Endeavor program emphasizes STEM learning and career exploration, including big data, predictive algorithms, and game development. Through the Businessolver Foundations sponsorship, teachers at schools using Endeavor have access to one-on-one training resources as they implement the curriculum. The program also includes a new parent portal, which is facilitating access to this program as teachers and parents navigate the current shift to virtual learning. This online resource addresses career options, health and wellness, and social and emotional readiness for students, said Jon Chapman, founder and president, EVERFI. Were delighted to work with the Businessolver Foundation to invest in STEM education, particularly at such a challenging time. With STEM-related job opportunities expected to grow in the coming years, its increasingly important for U.S. schools to empower students with the skills theyll need for the future. Endeavor utilizes playlist building and game development to provide relatable activities for young learners, and it offers personalized takeaways about students interests, skills, and relevant career choices. As Charlie B., aged nine said, This program taught me how to work on projects and solve problems. I learned I could be a boss one day! To learn more about the Businessolver Foundation visit https://www.businessolver.com/who-we-are/businessolver-foundation. About Businessolver Since 1998, Businessolver has delivered market-changing benefits administration technology supported by an intrinsic responsiveness to client needs. The company creates client programs that maximize benefits program investment, minimize risk exposure, and engage employees with easy-to-use solutions and communication tools to assist them in making wise and cost-efficient benefits selections. Founded by HR professionals, Businessolvers unwavering service-oriented culture and secure SaaS platform provide measurable success in its mission to provide complete client delight. About EVERFI, Inc. EVERFI is an international technology company driving social change through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to prescription drug safety to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) community engagement platform and has reached more than 30 million learners globally. Recognized as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2020, EVERFI powers community engagement in a sustained manner to empower individuals and organizations to make an impact within their communities. The Company also convenes Networks to bring together financial institutions, colleges and universities, and some of the largest corporations to leverage insights and connections to drive impact. Some of America's leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, as well as Advance, Rethink Education and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI. MADISON Wisconsin voters by large margins have approved a controversial and significant constitutional amendment that alters state law by providing stronger protections for alleged victims of crime. The measure is known as Marsys Law and is promoted by a California billionaire and supported by crime victims who say it makes their rights just as strong as those of the accused by enshrining them in the Wisconsin Constitution. The Associated Press declared the race in favor of Marsys Law with results still coming in. As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, 76% of voters had approved the measure, while 24% voted against it with 24% of precincts reporting. In a statement, State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said, Today is the day crime victims across Wisconsin have long been waiting for the day victims have equal rights in court. Since I first started working in the Legislature, making sure crime victims are treated fairly by the criminal justice process has been one of my top priorities. He continued, To those victims, and victims all over the state. I can now say, officially, Wisconsin and Wisconsins constitution stands with you. Among the list of constitutional protections for victims would be the rights: To be treated with dignity, respect, courtesy, sensitivity and fairness. To privacy. To proceedings free from unreasonable delay. To attend, upon request, all proceedings involving the case. To reasonable protection from the accused through the criminal and juvenile justice process. To reasonable and timely notification of proceedings. To confer, upon request, with the attorney for the government. To be heard, upon request, in any proceeding during which a right of the victim is implicated, including release, plea, sentencing, disposition, parole, revocation, expungement, or pardon. To have information pertaining to the economic, physical, and psychological effect upon the victim of the offense submitted to the authority with jurisdiction over the case and to have that information considered by that authority. To receive, upon request, timely notice of any release or escape of the accused or death of the accused if the accused is in custody or on supervision at the time of death. To refuse an interview, deposition or other discovery request made by the accused or any person acting on behalf of the accused. To receive, upon request, reasonable and timely information about the status of the investigation and the outcome of the case. In May 2019, the measure was approved a second time by the Legislature and put on the April ballot. The measure received overwhelming support in the state Assembly, with just 15 Democrats and Republicans voting against. In the Senate, just five of the 33 members voted against it: four Democrats and one Republican. The national campaign for Marsys Law has spent about $102 million in at least a dozen states where ballot measures were approved between 2008 and 2018. In Wisconsin, the state group spent nearly $1.2 million on lobbying in the 2017-18 legislative session and $384,500 more in the first six months of 2019. Marsys Law was named after Marsalee (Marsy) Ann Nicholas, a University of California-Santa Barbara student who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Just a week after the murder, Marsys mother, Marcella, was confronted by her daughters murderer at a local market. She hadnt been told he had been released on bail just days after Marsys murder. Henry Nicholas III is Marsys brother, and the billionaire founder of the Marsys Law national campaign. While popular among lawmakers of both parties, the measure does have its detractors, including defense attorneys and some criminal justice advocates, say Marsys Law would create havoc because of what they view as the amendments unclear language and say it could undermine the rights of defendants, who are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Opponents of the measure say it could increase the likelihood of exculpatory evidence being thrown out by a judge. Supporters of Marsys Law say it simply makes the rights of alleged victims just as strong as those of the accused. Some rights for victims are already delineated in the Wisconsin Constitution, and others are outlined in statute, which carries less weight. Marsys Law would add 16 new rights for victims while eliminating reference to a fair trial for the defendant. Still, both U.S. constitutional protections for defendants as well as others included in the Wisconsin Constitution would still apply. By Tracy Rucinski (Reuters) - When Reuters photographer Carlos Barria boarded American Airlines flight 4511 from Washington Reagan National Airport to New Orleans on Friday for an assignment, he was the only passenger on the 76-seat jet. 'There were some awkward moments,' Barria said By Tracy Rucinski (Reuters) - When Reuters photographer Carlos Barria boarded American Airlines flight 4511 from Washington Reagan National Airport to New Orleans on Friday for an assignment, he was the only passenger on the 76-seat jet. "There were some awkward moments," Barria said. Like when the gate agent announced a formal boarding process only to remember that Barria was the sole passenger who would board, or when the pilot approached his seat to personally explain a delay in take-off due to a mechanical issue, rather than speak over the PA system. The two flight attendants invited Barria to sit in a first-class seat and went through the safety demonstration for Barria alone. "I felt I had to pay attention," he said. Nearly vacant flights have become the norm for U.S. airlines, despite a drastic reduction in the number of planes they put in the air each day as passenger traffic has diminished in the midst of the new coronavirus gripping countries across the globe. American Airlines Group Inc flew 119 flights out of Washington Reagan National on Friday; eight of those departures had only one passenger (including Barria's) and many had just a handful, an American official said. On the same day last year, American operated 254 flights out of the same airport. "Pretty soon we'll even run out of people to cancel on U.S. airlines," American's senior vice president of network strategy Vasu Raja told Reuters on Thursday. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 129,763 travelers on Friday versus 2.48 million on the same day a year ago, according to daily data it is providing on its website. U.S. airlines, who say they are burning through cash every day, have applied for government aid meant to help them meet payroll and ensure they have trained staff available once the health crisis subsides and demand recovers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 277,205 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 37,926 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,150 to 6,593. Flight attendants continue to do their jobs, despite some telling Reuters that they fear contracting the virus and infecting at-risk family at home. One of the flight attendants on Barria's flight said she would be flying from New Orleans on to her hometown Miami, where she was due to take her father for a cancer treatment after her four-day trip rotation that included sleeping in hotels every night. "Our elected officials want us to continue to provide safe air travel through this crisiswe need to continue flying as requested and serving those that need to travel," American Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker said in a video message last week. In an effort to protect passengers and crew, airlines have scaled back beverage and snack services, increased cabin cleaning procedures and allow flight attendants to wear gloves, though they are not given masks. By the end of Barria's flight, he felt a camaraderie with the crew. "I was thanking them for what they do and they were thanking me for what I do," he said. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; additional reporting by Maria Caspani; editing by Diane Craft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Gunnison County is believed to house the largest population of the Cora community outside of Mexico. In their hopes of attaining a better economic standing, as well as making a living, they have migrated to the US. Still, developments in the global pandemic have prevented them from achieving this. The Cora Community Magdaleno Diaz, left home in 1985 when he was still 17 years old. From the Sierra Madre Occidental Range in the west of Mexico, he moved to Gunnison County in Colorado. In this place considered to have the highest Cora population known outside of Mexico, Diaz strived to make a living in various fields like packing candies at a factory, running cattle in the mountains, or offering cleaning services to different commercial areas. However, this changed to a more voluntary nature when he decided to help his fellow Cora amidst the COVID-19 crisis. He has volunteered to reach out to the Cora community since most residents in Gunnison County have not been reporting themselves of having COVID-19 symptoms Language Barrier in the Community Having noticed that the Spanish and Cora speaking population has not complied with their online self-reporting program, The Gunnison County Department of Health has asked for the help of Diaz and other leaders in the Gunnison Cora community. In a tally, only four Spanish or Cora speakers out of 707 residents have self-reported online that they are symptomatic of COVID-19. Additionally, no Latino or Cora community members participated in the onsite testing for the past three weeks. "I think they are afraid to talk to anybody," Diaz explained. "These people--they know me, so I try to explain what to do if they need help." Fear of the Unknown Appointed on March 6, Multicultural Resource Coordinator for Gunnison County, Devan Haney, said she went around the neighborhood where the residents include Spanish and Cora speaking people. During this time, she gave information to 200 households and used various social media platforms to reach out to the community. At Least 400,000 Immigrants Left Hanging for their Oath Ceremony after USCIS Postpones Operations until May 3 On top of this, she put up a 'translation team' who will help ease the communication regarding all information related to COVID-19. She also invited some Latinas to contribute to the prevention of spreading the disease by making face masks. Despite these efforts, the Hispanic community still has not reported more symptomatic conditions. Now, Haney says that the community might be 'struggling with a fear of the unknown.' "They are afraid to come to the screening sites," Haney said. "There is a language barrier. And if you are undocumented, the strict county orders are very scary." This was about county orders that limited traveling to only essential businesses. As a rule, residents who decide to leave the county and soon come back are to be quarantined for two weeks. In addition to this, travelers who want to visit the county have been asked to leave. Those who do not comply will be charged with fines and will possibly be asked to spend some time in jail. Effective Leadership Recently, Haney approached several Hispanic community leaders, one of which being Diaz, to come up with a list of people and their contact information. Since then, Diaz and the other leaders have been working on contacting people from a list of 160 residents in the county. Judge James Boasberg Denies Request for the Release of Detained Migrants She believed this would help make the people more comfortable in coming out as symptomatic. This method seemed to prove effective as some residents have finally agreed to be tested and to receive aid in rent and food from a food bank. Some of them were also able to reach out to their employers to inform them that some workers are symptomatic and are being quarantined at home. Are Detachment and Fear Saving the Community? Both Diaz and Haney have explained that it was an obstacle for them to reach out to this community because the Cora population typically do keep to themselves, except when they are working. Being a naturally close-knit community may be saving them from the pandemic because they have not interacted much with anyone outside their own circle. "They already know how to isolate," Diaz said. "They have mostly been staying home when they heard of this sickness. They are afraid." Amazon Defender Found Dead From Gunshot as Forest Faces Rapid Destruction / -- In these unprecedented times, the world is battling a disease of a scale no one imagined. Amid this pandemic, SpeakIn brings to the audience the top voices across all domains who are a guiding light to navigate through this darkness. Deepshikha Kumar, Managing Partner at SpeakIn, comments on the release of this issue, "Managing change is all about adapting to the new normal. With the changes in both individual and organizational behaviour because of the pandemic, SpeakIn is constantly striving to connect you to the most relevant thought leaders to help you embrace this change." Aditya Ghosh - Adapting to the Downturn in Economy Aditya Ghosh is a Board Member for Oyo Hotels & Homes, which is one of the companies that moved into quick action against coronavirus and leaders such as him can guide the economy during times of duress. Aditya is a veteran with over 21 years of experience, he continues to drive growth while delivering high-quality customer experience and sustained returns. He advises business at this time, "Stick to basics: This is not the time to go experimenting with something new. Focus on what's core to your, your hero product or service."Dr Anil Lamba - Financial Management during CrisisDr Anil Lamba is a chartered accountant, bestselling author, financial literacy activist and international corporate trainer, and the founder-director of Lamcon School of Management. A well-renowned writer with several books and numerous articles to his credit, his training programs are held internationally with a client spreading across India, the US, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. For investors, he advises in an interview, "Since no one knows when normalcy will return, we should be prepared for the worst and so sit on liquid cash that can last you for a fairly long time."Barkha Dutt - Media and On-ground ReportingOne of India's finest journalists and TV anchors, Barkha Dutt has been constantly reporting from ground zero about the state of affairs in India during the lockdown. She was the first to interview the expert epidemiologist, Dr Laxminarayan at the onset of coronavirus. Through her tough reporting skills, she has bagged many honours in her name including the youngest journalist to receive the Padma Shri. In a recent op-ed, she comments, "India's poor will need the government's urgent focus. The security guard at AIIMS, who has to walk two hours to the hospital; the municipal sweeper and rag pickers who will not get one day off; the migrant workers with no roof over their heads; and the small shopkeepers who are keeping supply lines going - they will all need significant economic assistance."Davuluri Sucheth Rao - Leading a Family businessDavuluri Sucheth Rao is the Vice-Chairman and CEO of Neuland Laboratories Limited, a leading manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). He led the firm to multi-fold growth under his leadership and made Neuland Laboratories a global name for reliable solutions and services to the pharmaceutical industry. As a second-generation entrepreneur, he is an esteemed speaker for the pharmaceutical industry and how to lead a family business efficiently towards profitability and growth. Lisa Belanger - Mental Health and Wellness Dr Lisa Blanger is an expert researcher and the CEO of ConsciousWorks, a consulting firm that educates people on how small habit adjustments can have a positive effect on one's well-being, productivity, and happiness especially during times of duress. She holds a PhD in behavioural medicine, is a certified exercise physiologist and a published author of the book 'Inspire Me Well: Finding Motivation to Take Control of Your Health'. Explaining the concept of 'Gratitude from Solitude', she says, "Investing your time and energy becomes even more important when we're in solitude and by finding things we are thankful for and recognizing those helps during uncertainty." Dr Naresh Trehan - A Doctor's Perspective on COVID-19 Chairman and Managing Director of Medanta, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Dr Naresh Trehan is an eminent cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon. With more than 50000 surgeries performed by him and over 41 years of professional experience, he is the most sought-after medical professional for advice. In a recent interview he explains, "While SARS was recognised early and hence could be controlled, COVID-19 was recognised late and the rapidity and magnitude of this virus is unprecedented. Every effort must be made now to curb the spread of the virus and urged people to act responsibly." Dr Pradeep Chowbey - The Healthcare Industry Chairman of Max Institute of Minimal Access, Padma Shri Dr Pradeep Chowbey is one of the pioneer laparoscopic surgeons in India. He established the Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery Centre which is also recognized as a Global Centre of Excellence in the field of endo-surgery. In a session with SpeakIn on COVID-19, he explains, "We are equipped at the moment for a reasonable number of patients. If the patients are staggered over a few months, the country would be geared with a large number of medical personnel, PPE and medications. If the curve gets flattened, we can fight this disease and win over it." Saurabh Srivastava - Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Investors Saurabh Srivastava is the Chairman Emeritus of TIE Delhi, is Co-Founder and Director of the Indian Angel Network and Chaired Infinity Ventures, India's first early-stage Venture Fund. He laid the foundation for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India and is revered as the architects of the Indian IT Industry. To entrepreneurs, he advises, "Priority should be to conserve cash and cut down on non-essentials, then you need to focus on your product so that you are in a better position when this end." Shiv Shivakumar - Strategy in the Time of Coronavirus: Shiv Shivakumar is the Group Executive president at Aditya Birla group for Strategy and Business Development. He is known to be among the youngest CEOs in India and has been constant at this position for half his career. He has worked with over 50 brands such as PepsiCo, Nokia and HUL and witnessed numerous business transformations. On the COVID-19 crisis, he comments, "This should teach us that we are interdependent and we need each other to do our best, we are not islands in our homes." Zenobia Rustomfram - Family and Relationships Zenobia Rustomfram is the Consultant Counselor at ISB and Founder Director of Greenfields Centre for Outdoor and Development Programs. With counselling and training are her forte, she has been an advisor to many educational institutions where she set up their Counseling Services and framed School policies. She was awarded the Rotary Award for Excellence in Counselling. For a webinar with SpeakIn, she remarks, "This is a toll bell for everyone to slow down. Be calm, be reassuring, be caring and try to look out for things that bring joy and togetherness to you." About SpeakIn: SpeakIn is India's finest and largest tech-enabled network of speakers and thought leaders, aka. experts. With over 15,000 experts in our network globally, SpeakIn is engaged by business organisations, academic institutions, associations and investment management companies to access curated experts for one-on-one discussions or forum-based knowledge sessions. Similarly, Individuals engage our experts to gain individual guidance and seek mentorship for personal development. SpeakIn has recently launched SpeakIn Webinars as a special product launched in response to the COVID-19 crisis that our personal and professional world today faces. With this non-profit product, SpeakIn ensures organizations and individuals world over stay connected to learning from the best of experts. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/842025/speakin_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While the whole country continues to struggle against the COVID-19 crisis, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's name has been added to the list of renowned personalities who have come forward to give the frontline workers a boost to help them in their battle against the deadly infection. The ace actor has contributed 25,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the Maharashtra Health Department for the safety of the doctors and healthcare workers in the State. However, Khan's generous contribution came to light only after the Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope took to Twitter to thank him. by Kamel Abderrahmani Handing out copies of the holy book and using loudspeakers to read passages from it are supposed to help fight the coronavirus. In reality, by giving the current health crisis an apocalyptic character, those in power are using religion to stay in power. Paris (AsiaNews) A young Muslim intellectual slams the use of religion, specifically Quranic chapters (Surah), to fight the coronavirus. Recited and broadcast with loudspeakers, this keeps people in ignorance. His criticism underscores the tragic situation of Algerias civilian hospitals, which lack everything compared to military hospitals, reserved for the elite, which are well stocked. (Translation by AsiaNews). Ridicule may not kill but ignorant people can do by themselves what their enemy dare not do. This is what is happening in Algeria right now. Whilst our Mediterranean neighbours are using all medical resources at their disposal to stop and defeat the COVID-19, in Algeria, to achieve this goal, the Religious Affairs Ministry has undertaken two completely outlandish, abject, inconceivable, dishonest, and even laughable initiatives. Rest assured that the first initiative is not about handing out masks to poor people or providing some of its budget money to help our underequipped hospitals. No, it involves handing out copies of the Quran across the country. This is a way to push people towards irrational and religious arguments, which are useless vis-a-vis the pandemic. In order to carry out this "important project", the state has mobilised Islamic associations, local Salafist militants who ensure that neighbourhoods and villages tow the line, and is providing residents with copies of the Quran, inviting them to "deal with" the health crisis through religion. Meanwhile, public hospitals endure severe shortages of the most basic means of protection against the coronavirus, except for the right to a copy of the Quran; whilst military hospitals, which are reserved for the powerful, have proper equipment that cannot be found in regular hospitals. In short, the Qur'an is for the poor and medicine is for VIPs and their families. I have the impression that the Algerian state and Islamists would like us to reserve our place "up there". Put another way, Algerian authorities seem more concerned with the faith of ordinary Algerians in the present and in their fate in the afterlife than in their health and their need for hospital beds in the here and now. The second initiative is more controversial and trickier than the first. The Algerian state, faithful to its old modus operandi, uses the sacred to silence people and manipulate the masses, through Religious Affairs Ministry. The latter issued instructions to imams to broadcast Quranic readings via mosque loudspeakers even if mosques themselves are still closed. Thus, Surah are recited for about 30 minutes before noon prayers. According to the Ministry, this stems from popular demand! I wonder who asked for this? How did they ask for it? The demand came from social media, petitions and Islamist associations, Minister. This argument is entirely disingenuous. The request came from Islamist associations which try every which way to keep up religious appearances as a way of holding the ground and attach an apocalyptic character to this health crisis. This suits the authorities too as they try to paralyse the population. In other words, the use of the sacred is far from being a healthy practice. The authorities seek to distract the people from the real issues and the major problem; in this case, the health emergency that threatens people and the dismal, if not catastrophic state of Algerian hospitals. This goes to show that Islamism has always been the friend of dictatorship and social deprivation. What is the use of this? Will it save us from the tragedy that COVID-19 can cause? Wouldn't it have been better to inform people and teach them how to protect themselves, how to manage confinement? Instead of reciting the Holy Quran with loudspeakers, which can upset the sick, the elderly, children, or focus on invocations, mosques should try instead to influence people by appealing for civility since the personnel of these religious establishments are supposed to be role models. For their part, instead of providing needed care and basic products to help people avoid endangering themselves as they rush to buy bags semolina, as we see every day, the authorities and their institutions have chosen to leave people in ignorance and obscurantism, feeding them an archaic notion of religion. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Pacific Ventures Group, Inc. (OTCPINK:PACVD), a food and beverage holding company specializing in the distribution of consumer food, beverage and alcohol-related products, today announced a 1:500 reverse stock split that had been approved by majority shareholder action and effected as of this morning Monday, April 13, 2020. The Company's symbol (PACV) will be appended with a "D" for 20 business days after which it will return to "PACV". The Board and Executive management team strongly believe this share restructuring is in the best interest of all shareholders and the time is right, given the recent combination and integration of Seaport Meat Company, San Diego Farmers Outlet and SnoBar under Pacific Ventures Group. The recently combined companies have achieved operating efficiencies and identified revenue growth opportunities that include, but are not limited to, increasing distribution points for each business for produce, dairy, meat, seafood and all other restaurant supplies. Combined, San Diego Farmers Outlet and Seaport Meat Company generated $33 million revenue in 2019 and is well-positioned for growth with its larger customer base, expanded range of products, an expanded network of retail and institutional accounts. Ms. Shannon Masjedi, Pacific Venture Group's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "It has been a lengthy process to get to this point and has required a tremendous amount of teamwork. Working together with the Company's shareholders, note holders, legal counsel and regulatory agencies, management strongly believes we have accomplished a significant step in preparing for the future of Pacific Ventures Group and the growth of Seaport Meat Company and San Diego Farmers Outlet." Masjedi, concluded, "We have many goals to still accomplish, including a capital raise to prepare us for the growth of our businesses. Our team is focused on organic and acquisitive growth opportunities and believes over time our valuation will improve as we attract new shareholders. This action also puts us in better position to meet the stock price threshold to eventually list onto a major national exchange. Thank you to all our shareholders for their support, we remain excited about the future of Pacific Ventures Group." About Pacific Ventures Group, Inc. Pacific Ventures Group, Inc. (OTC: PACVD) is focused on expansion within the consumer products, food, beverage and alcohol-related industries. For more information on PACV, please visit www.pacvgroup.com. (You need to be at least 21 years of age (legal age to consume alcohol) to visit the section of the web site dedicated to SnoBar.) Safe Harbor Statement Forward-Looking Statement: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which include but are not limited to, the inability of the company to obtain financing sufficient to maintain its operations and execute its acquisition strategy; the inherent uncertainties associated with smaller reporting companies; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors Contact: ir@pacvgroup.com SOURCE: Pacific Ventures Group, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584962/Pacific-Ventures-Executes-Reverse-Split-to-Enhance-its-Share-Price-to-Attract-Additional-Shareholders Based on Google Search analytics, the world's interest in COVID-19 has continued to decrease since the third week of March; last week, worldwide interest reached its lowest level since the beginning of March. As the people of the world hunker down in their respective homes amid quarantine orders and adapt to the stay-at-home lifestyles, interest in the very cause that led to such mandates continues to decrease. In fact, according to Google's Search analytics, interest in the coronavirus has continued to decrease for about a month now. Last week, the week of April 5 to April 11, global search interest in COVID-19 reached its record low since the third week in March which marked the all-time high; last week will have been the fourth week in a row that worldwide interest has decreased albeit the number of cases and deaths across the planet still steadily increasing. Right now, Italy, Spain, Qatar, Ireland and the UK are contributing the most to the amount of search interest in the virus even though none of these countries have the highest number of cases, deaths, or ratio of either compared to their population size. Those currently suffering from the most reported cases and deaths are the USA, Italy, Spain and France. According to WorldOMeter.com, the current number of cases across the world is 1,929,633, the number of deaths is 119,785, and the number of recoveries is 453,018. With the coronavirus keeping Israelis indoors, dozens of jackals have taken over a deserted park in Tel Aviv, scavenging for food in what is usually a playground for joggers and families. The normally timid animals wander freely among palm trees and across the grass of Hayarkon Park, an oasis in the Mediterranean city that was also a magnet for cyclists and picnickers until the arrival of COVID-19. The disease has cost almost 120 lives in Israel. Hayarkon prides itself as the lung of Tel Aviv, complete with a river and enough space for tourists to pitch tents during last year's Eurovision song contest, when hotels were fully booked. Now, rare human visitors wear masks and use their phones to photograph jackals, the park's new occupants. Normally, the dog-like animals would only venture out from their burrows or the bushes at night in more secluded parts of the park to search for scraps left by visitors, zoologist Yariv Malichi told AFP. "But once you take away the trash people are littering in the park, jackals have a problem -- they need to find another food source," he explained. "They are wandering far from their territories searching for food," before nightfall, he said. "They really feel comfortable in the park without people." The official from the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority said the lack of food has been more acute because the coronavirus crisis has struck right in the middle of the jackals' breeding season. On pathways lined with yuccas and prickly pear cacti, the occasional helmeted cyclist can encounter the animals, who also appear undisturbed by joggers. Malichi said he has not heard of any incidents with the animals, but warned against them growing too familiar with humans. "Our concern is that jackals will change their behaviour and get used to people because some people are throwing meat" to them, he said. "Once a wild animal is making the connection 'human equals food', the danger is there, they'll start approaching people expecting to get food," he said. "It can be a small kid or a grown-up man, they don't care," Malichi said. "Leave them alone, don't feed them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (CNN) The United States is turning to South Korea a country with an aggressive testing regime that US President Donald Trump previously downplayed to bring approximately 750,000 more coronavirus tests to the US, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, an agency within the US Department of Homeland Security, awarded contracts to manufacturers in South Korea last week to provide approximately 750,000 tests, according to a FEMA spokesperson and federal records. Over the weekend, the first shipment of 150,000 tests were delivered to the US by SolGent. The next shipment of 600,000 tests will arrive by April 15. They are being provided by two South Korea-based companies, SD Biosensor and Osang Healthcare. The intent, the FEMA spokesperson said, is to move the tests to a cold storage facility in Louisville, Kentucky, for distribution. Urgent needs will be given priority, according to a FEMA advisory obtained by CNN. The Trump administration has waffled on its praise of South Korea's testing capabilities. Trump acknowledged on Twitter in late March that South Korea has been very successful regarding testing. By April, Trump claimed that US tests are faster and more accurate than South Korea's. But facing a testing shortage and governors desperate to bolster their testing capability, the US has had to look abroad. FEMA will pay $5.2 million to SD Biosensor for its test kits, and $3 million to Osang, according to federal contracting records. Another company, the Virginia-based medical equipment distributor YTS Global Inc., will earn another $3.2 million to bring Covid-19 test kids to Maryland, according to federal contracting records. The additional test kits flown in from overseas "will protect citizens of the United States from potential biological harm," FEMA noted in its purchasing records with the companies. Experts attribute South Korea's recent decline in new coronavirus cases to its early testing efforts, a successful example of what is now commonly referred to as "flattening the curve." South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha appeared to allude to the incoming tests in an interview with France 24 posted online Monday. Earlier on Monday, an official with South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN the country will send a shipment of testing kits to the US. When asked if reports that the US had ordered 600,000 kits, Kang said, "Yes, we're in fact, I think these are FDA approved, preliminary approval for these, quickly approved as a result of conversation between my President and President Trump last month. I think the contracts have been signed and they should be ready for shipment anytime soon." Over recent weeks, the Trump administration indicated it'd be pulling back federal support of testing sites. The so-called Community-Based Testing Sites program was intended to jumpstart initial testing capabilities to critical areas across the US, according to the agency. But given FDA approval for individuals to self-administer nasal swab tests at sites, the demand for personal protective equipment and trained health care providers will be reduced, a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement. The move received mixed reactions. While some localities may need federal support, others have already moved toward managing their own sites. The administration, though, has since underscored that the federal government would continue to help states as needed. "We want to assure people and communities all across the country that we'll continue to partner with states to the extent that they prefer us to be a part of it," Vice President Mike Pence told reporters last week. Tired and hungry, nurse Nuno Delicado had a pleasant surprise when a local Syrian restaurant sent food to the Lisbon hospital where he has been battling the coronavirus outbreak. But it was the humbling story behind those who cooked the meals that left him surprised. The Tayybeh restaurant is the brainchild of a refugee couple who fled war-torn Syria years ago. Since mid-March, Ramia Abdalghani and Alan Ghumim have been offering free food to health workers fighting the pandemic in the capital. We were helped by people who lived through a dramatic situation, Delicado said. It was a big life lesson for all of us. It showed us that as a society we must be there for each other, he said. Portugal has more than 16,900 confirmed cases of the virus and 535 reported deaths. Most health workers no longer have time to prepare their meals at home and, with hospital cafeterias shut due to a nationwide lockdown, they have been relying on restaurants like Tayybeh for food, Delicado said. The couple moved to Portugal four years ago but it was only last year, after a few other ventures, that they opened the restaurant in Lisbon, where they live with their two children. They wanted to show the Portuguese what Syrian food was all about. We are not only tanks and shotguns. We have a culture, historic cities, we have so many things thats what we try to show our customers, Alan said. They felt at home as soon as they landed in Portugal, he said, so when the coronavirus hit they wanted to do their bit to help their new community. When you flee a war, you feel the disaster but you also realise who is there for you, Alan said. So in all things we do here in Portugal we try to give back to the people who welcomed us with open arms. Health workers just need to call, tell the restaurant how much food they need and the couple gets to work. They make everything from the popular Daoud Basha to creamy hummus. Workers can collect the food straight from the restaurant, day or night. On their Facebook page, the restaurant owners wrote: We want to thank all medical teams who deserve a restful family dinner at the end of the day so they can return to the battlefield they are facing for all of us every day. Reuters COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our lives. And it has been an even more challenging time for our doctors and medical staff in the frontline, trying to contain the novel coronavirus while risking their lives. If we are locked down in our homes right now, practicing social distancing whenever we risk going out, we're doing that to not overwhelm our doctors and nurses from too many COVID-19 cases. Twitter In this battle, PPE or Personal Protective Equipment is their most crucial arsenal and is truly indispensable, and without it their health can be severely compromised. And now, researchers at IIT Guwahati have found a way to make PPE more effective against COVID-19. Theyve developed a microbial spray based coating that kills microbes when they come in contact with the surface. Reported first by IANS, the spray solution consists of a cocktail of active ingredients like copper, silver that act as an antimicrobial agent. With the spray on the PPE, scientists believe it can help in limiting secondary infection that normally occur due to transmission of microbes. Reuters The solution can be sprayed or dip-coated on any kind of surface including textiles, as well as medical equipment surfaces to eliminate microbes. However, whats more noteworthy is that it can allow reusability of PPEs without the fear of transfer of microbes. Along with this novel spray solution, the researchers also created ear guards made using 3D printers for face masks. The guard possesses an ergonomic design that holds the face mask strap in place without putting too much pressure on the ear -- a common problem that weve seen doctors around the world experience after wearing masks for hours. The guards are free-size and can fit a variety of face and ear sizes with ease. Dr Biman B. Mandal, Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati said in a statement, Effective yet affordable technologies are the need of the hour for India. We at IITG under the leadership of our Director, Professor T.G. Sitharam, are committed to contributing to the nation's immediate need at this hour of COVID-19 crisis. Reuters While everything else seems great, one thing that concerns us is reusing of PPE and its effectiveness against COVID-19 since its just an antimicrobial spray and previous instances have indicated that microbial sprays havent been the most effective against viral outbreaks. Well surely have to wait and see how this one fares in the real world. Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 has been hitting the headlines since its inception. The show is one of the most-viewed and top shows on the TRP chart. Earlier, we had revealed that the makers are planning to bring Khatron Ke Khiladi special edition, which was titled as Best Of Best. The show was supposed to have at least 10 episodes, and the contestants from the previous seasons would be competing for the trophy. But, as per the latest report, the reality show has been scrapped due to the Coronavirus outbreak. As per the Spotboye report, the show was supposed to have the following celebrities: Hina Khan, Sidharth Shukla, Rashami Desai, Rithvik Dhanjani, Ravi Dubey, Karan Wahi, Bharti Singh and Karishma Tanna. As per the report, Hina, Rithvik, Ravi, Karan and Bharti had already signed on the dotted lines. The celebrities were supposed to fly to Thailand this month between April 2-22. But due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the plan has been called off. The special edition was supposed to air immediately after Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 ended. Well, after knowing the probable list of celebrity contestants, we are sure that fans will be disappointed with the news. We hope the makers rethink about their decision after the situation gets back on track. Meanwhile, although the shoot of Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 is over, the channel has stopped airing it, as the final episode is yet to be shot. There is a buzz that Karishma Tanna, Balraj Sayal and Karan Patel are the top three finalists of KKK 10. Also Read: Sidharth Shukla To Replace This Popular Actor As A Reality Show Host; Shehnaz Gill To Join Him? For its first seven months, the Maine Climate Councilwhich has a roster of nearly 200 peopleconducted five-hour monthly meetings in Augusta. The COVID-19 crisis has not slowed it down. The last meeting Slayton attended, via videoconference, lasted six hours. "That was quite something," he said recently, via another videoconference call. The goals of the Maine Climate Council are to recommend policy proposals to help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050, fortify its resilience against changes wrought by greenhouse warming, and identify job prospects in a greener economy. Slayton, who grew up in Blue Hill, Maine, was invited to apply for a council seat as a youth by Hannah Pingree, who heads Governor Janet Millss Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Pingree recommended him to the position after overhearing him give a presentation on electric school buses. (This was part of the capstone project for his summer fellowship last year with the Brunswick-based Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) Slayton joined the council along with seven other college students. He is the only one from Bowdoin. "The council has been outspoken about wanting youth involvement," he said. "As a youth member, I see my role as pushing the council to view proposals through a broader lens and not get bogged down in politics or the feasibility of things." Fittingly, since he had spent weeks researching electric school bus fleets, Slayton was placed on the Climate Council's transportation subcommittee, which has about thirty members. "Transportation accounts for 54 percent of all of Maines carbon emissions," Slayton said. "Far and away, it is Maines biggest greenhouse gas emitter. And in order to reduce those emissions by 80 percent in a state as rural as Maine requires coming at it form many different angles and creative funding solutions." Joyce Taylor and Sarah Cushman, the two chairs of the transportation subcommittee, said Slayton's participation has been critical. "In 2050, Beckett will be thirty years into his career," said Taylor, who is the chief engineer of the Maine Department of Transportation. "So it's important for someone like him to have a voice in their future." Both Taylor and Cushman praised Slayton's contributions, especially when the topic turned to the electrification of automobiles. "Hes been great to work with," Taylor added. "Hes thoughtful, he reads the studies and looks at the information. He is helpful because he is not judgmental, and hes fit into this groupwhich frankly is an intimidating group of people who have been picked because they either represent a community or an industry, are experts in their field, or are advocates." The Climate Council is filled with stakeholders from across the stateleaders in business, energy, the environment, government, and technologyand at times Slayton admitted he has struggled to feel he has a legitimate voice. "I am in room of experts in their field, and sometimes I dont feel like I have a place to speak on these things," he said. One way he has tackled his lack of experience is to emphasize the stakes of younger generations. Earlier in April, he organized a webinar with twenty Maine high school and college students, through the Maine Youth For Climate Justice group, to gather ideas on transforming the transportation system. "One way I have tried to strengthen my voice is to try to speak for my generation," he said. As an environmental studies and government and legal studies major, Slayton says he's interested in working one day in the area of environmental policy. He added, however, that climate change will more and more bleed into most every area of policy. "It has become increasingly clear to me that almost any future policy field will involve consideration of climate and environmental protection," he said. After seven months of participating in the initial stages of policy making, Slayton has gained a new insight into government in action. "It has shown me that coming up with a climate action plan is a slow and difficult process," he said. "We can talk for a long time about ideal solutions to these questions, but the reality is when you're working with public policy, questions of money and feasibility will infringe on a lot of what we do." And that, he added, has piqued his interest in private sector solutions. Next year, he plans to pursue an honors project on that subject and carbon accounting in Maine's agricultural sector. 14.04.2020 LISTEN iWatch Africa condemns in no uncertain terms the alleged assault of two journalists by soldiers and calls on the Military Authorities to conduct an expedited, independent and transparent investigation into these two separate instances of military brutality, with findings made public. We find the actions of the soldiers completely unwarranted and wish to remind all security officers deployed across the country during this COVID-19 pandemic that they must desist from brutalizing citizens and use the law to deal with recalcitrant citizens. iWatch Africa also wishes to remind all of the import of Article 15 (1), and (2) of the 1992 Constitution which provides for the respect for human dignity as follows: (1) The dignity of all persons shall be inviolable. (2) No person shall, whether or not he is arrested, restricted or detained, be subjected to(a) torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (b) Any other condition that detracts or is likely to detract from his dignity and worth as a human being First Incident: The first incident, which happened at Olebu in the Ga Central Municipality in the Greater Accra Region on Good Friday, involved a TV Africa reporter, Samuel Adobah, who had gone to a fire scene around 10:30am on that fateful day for coverage. According to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Upon arrival on the scene, and realizing that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) had not arrived yet, he called a colleague reporter at Adom FM to make an announcement on-air to the GNFS for help. That initiative, obviously, demonstrates that Samuel Adobah is not only a journalist interested in the news but also a good citizen interested in saving life and property. Second Incidence: The second incident, which occurred at Akrem in the Asokore Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region, involved a correspondent of Deutsche Welle, Yussif Abdul Ganiyu, who was assaulted by a military officer on April 5, 2020. While conducting an interview outside St Patrick Hotel, Yussif Abdul Ganiyu was assaulted by a military officer identified as 2nd Lt Betrot Ampoma, for no just reason. We also call on the police to investigate these two cases expeditiously to bring the culprits to face the full rigors of the law. We appeal to the President, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, to denounce the unprofessional conduct of the soldiers and call his men and women to order so that they would refrain from such acts of brutality against media practitioners or civilians in the future. Journalists continue to play a crucial role in deepening Ghanas democracy and informing the public and we all have a responsibility to protect them from abuse and brutality by some rogue elements in military uniforms. Signed. Gideon Sarpong (Director, iWatch Africa) Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock reiterated Tuesday it's too early to lift a statewide stay-at-home order enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19, while Republican state lawmakers called on him to roll back restrictions that have stifled the economy. Their messages offer divergent views on the best way to proceed as Montana reached just shy of 400 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, marked its seventh death earlier this week and has tracked almost 200 recoveries since the four cases here were announced March 13. "The decisions are going to be guided by the ongoing data and the science, not politics," Bullock said in a call with reporters Tuesday. "... I know that this is incredibly hard, but the data and the science does tell us that we need to continue these efforts at this time." The letter, which was signed by Speaker of the House Greg Hertz, Senate President Scott Sales, as well the two leaders below each of them, called some of Bullock's directives unconstitutional and said Montanans would need "just a simple ask from their governor" to follow the social distancing measures that prevent the virus's infection rate from growing exponentially. "It is past time to rethink your response to COVID-19 as it pertains to the citizens of Montana and implement more strategic measures in an effort to re-engage our economy once again," the letter reads. Bullock has emphasized often that he understands the severe financial hardships his orders have caused, but has also said they are drafted with input from consumers, business owners and public health experts and are necessary to keep people safe. He was critical of the GOP leaders' letter, calling it "disappointing" and saying "it certainly isn't time to politicize these efforts." "I want to get the economy going, just like every Montanan does. But I want to do it in that way where we can make sure that the steps that we take today won't put us in a worse spot," Bullock said. He also acknowledged that even when the state starts to reduce restrictions, a risk will remain. "I don't think until and maybe even after there's a vaccine, we're ever going to be zero risk-free again," Bullock said. "It's balancing the risk to our overall health care systems, to our economy even longer-term if we have future flare-ups again. It's balancing those and then trying to take those measures that would be the most proactive going forward and most proactive in responding to any additional positive cases or outbreaks that occur." In recent press conferences, Bullock has been asked more and more about when and how he would lift some of his orders. The governor said he is consulting with public health experts, neighboring states and others about what he'd need to see in terms of Montana's COVID-19 case growth slowing or other metrics, but is also stressing that what the state returns to might look different from life even two months ago. "It'll need to be a measured and calculated and gradual approach, because that's what will really allow our economy to get back on track," Bullock said. "We can't just flip the switch. ... We could walk back all of the progress we've made over the past month." The state's 1.06 million residents have been under a stay-at-home order since March 28; it is set to expire April 24, though that could be extended. It limits travel and business operations to only what is deemed essential and, following a previous order that closed down many businesses where people congregate like bars and theaters, has put people out of work. Though national hot spots like Seattle and New York City have still not reached their predicted peaks in cases, in Europe some countries are starting to take small measures to loosen restrictions and discuss what the "new normal" might look like as the virus continues to circulate but economic pressures mount. In Montana, the past two days each saw an increase of five cases to the statewide COVID-19 tally, which is down from daily jumps of 20 or more a week ago. Gallatin County, which has the most cases in the state at 138, has not added new confirmed cases since Saturday. The public health officer in Bozeman said last week to take those signs of encouragement as reasons to continue following the stay-at-home order and other directives, not to prematurely return to how things operated before. Hertz, from Polson, said Tuesday he wants to see Bullock first focus on making sure the state unemployment system is up and running and that people can access benefits in a timely manner. Many have reported issues getting through to sign up for payments as a crunch of applicants overloaded the system. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Monday it added additional staff and made more than 59,000 unemployment insurance payments totaling over $19.5 million since April 6. Bullock said he's doing everything he can to provide economic stability, while acknowledging some of the challenges the department has faced in processing more than 167,000 claims since March 13. "Let's recognize also what a Herculean exercise this is; 32,000 benefit payments are being processed today to the tune of about $20 million," Bullock said. Also Tuesday, the state said it started paying the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefit, which is an additional $600 to those who have lost jobs or incomes, on top of state unemployment payments. Second on his list, Hertz said, would be allowing school districts to make their own decisions on when to reopen. Bullock has put all of his directives, including the closure of public K-12 schools, on a two-week schedule for reevaluation. Hertz said that makes it difficult for districts to plan. The letter from the GOP legislators says Bullock should lift his orders and let counties make decisions on letting businesses reopen to stave off a steep decline in the state's economy. "A rural community in Montana many not have many cases at all, yet our metro centers are where cases are, so there just needs to be different circumstances and different modes of operation in the different areas we have," Hertz said. Bullock said that could be part of the approach he wants to see to reopening. Montana was the 22nd state to impose a stay-at-home order. The CDC has told people to stay home if at all possible to slow the spread of the virus, which can be transmitted through respiratory droplets in the air and on surfaces. Only eight states do not have any statewide measures like Montana's. Bullock used one of those states, South Dakota, as an example of what can go wrong if precautions aren't taken. South Dakota has 988 cases with a population of about 885,000 and a governor who again Tuesday rejected a stay-at-home order. The GOP lawmakers also called a directive from Bullock that pauses evictions and foreclosures for those affected by COVID-19 unconstitutional and said he should have worked with landlords, tenants and banks directly. Bullock said at some point he would respond to the letter, and that all directives are in line with the Constitution and state law. Hertz said the GOP leaders sent the letter to try to open pathways to working with Bullock. "Even though we called out the governor for some of the issues that we had with some of his directives, we still want to work together and do what's best for the people of Montana," Hertz said. 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. Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, has advised all and sundry to back President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the fight against the new coronavirus regardless of their political affiliations. According to him, the country is going through difficult times just as the rest of the world as everyone is dealing with something that they have not dealt with before, requiring a lot of sacrifice to deal with the pandemic. Speaking during the launch of the COVID-19 Tracker, Vice President Dr Bawumia called on the need for Ghanaians to stay together as a country and support President Akufo-Addo irrespective of ones political party in the fight against the new coronavirus. It is very important that we stay together as a country and support the President regardless of your political party and leave politics aside for now, lets support the President to fight this battle together and lets speak with one voice in Ghana, he appealed. Describing President Akufo-Addo as a visionary leader, the Vice President of the Republic assured that he [Nana Akufo-Addo] will bring the country together in the pandemic period and put things right as he relies on science and data to make decision for the country. We have thankfully got a very visionary leader in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is setting the tone and bringing this country together. The President and the government will take the decisions as the data and the evidence in strategy evolves and I think that we should wait for that to happen, he stated. Without revealing the next line of action of the Akufo-Addo government, the Vice President insisted that the government will continue to base its decisions on data and then follow the advice of the science. I dont want to signal that there is going to be more stringency or less stringency. We will have to look at the data and make decisions on that basis and then follow the advice of the science, he indicated. He, therefore, cautioned Ghanaians to follow the directions that will keep them, their families and neighbours safe. 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 The benchmark VN Index has rebounded 15% in April, becoming the worlds best performer, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That follows last months 25% slump on concern about the coronavirus impact. The gauge, which has been in a bear market since 2018, is trading at about 11 times estimated earnings for the next year, less than the five-year average of 14 times. Vietnamese investors on the ground feel that the government has taken swift and effective measures to manage the virus outbreak, said Patrick Mitchell, director of institutional equities at ACB Securities Co. in Ho Chi Minh City. The market is dominated by retail flows and the buyers have come back to super cheap valuations in the companies they like, so it makes sense to buy more at these levels with a longer investment view.Like many other countries, Vietnam has been in isolation since April 1 to avoid further virus spread, even though the number of confirmed cases has remained below 300. The government is now considering extending previous mandates such as wearing masks and maintaining a distance among people after the lockdown ends April 15. The nation is also preparing a 180 trillion dong ($7.7 billion) stimulus package for companies and 61.6 trillion dong in relief for citizens who have been economically hurt during the pandemic. The VN Index fell as much as 31% this year, hitting its lowest level since December 2016 on March 24. While it has rebounded 15% since then, it remains marred in a bear market while Southeast Asian peers Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines entered bull territory in recent days. The Vietnamese gauge, which was down 0.9% as of Tuesdays midday break, remains 37% below its record in 2018. It seems the market is looking beyond 2020 earnings as there are some very well run businesses especially in consumption-related sectors, which were trading at very attractive valuations, said Ruchir Desai, a fund manager at Asia Frontier Capital Ltd. Any major increases from here could suggest it could be getting ahead of itself as the near-term hit to exports, tourism and income levels is still to be felt fully. Bloomberg Afghan government, Taliban exchange prisoners Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 9:51 AM The Afghan government has released 100 more Taliban prisoners, and the militant group has freed 20 captive security forces, as a shaky peace process between the two sides gains momentum in Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday posted several photos of freed Taliban prisoners on Twitter, saying they had been released a day earlier. The health condition, age, and length of the remaining time of their sentences had been the factors considered for their release, according to the NSC. The Afghan government has freed 300 Taliban militants since Wednesday. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that the Taliban had on Sunday released 20 captive Afghan security forces in Kandahar in exchange. The prisoner exchange came despite the fact that the militants walked out of talks with Kabul last week. In related news, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter that the prisoner exchange between the Afghan government and the militants was an "important step" toward peace. "The release of prisoners is an important step in the peace process and the reduction of violence," he tweeted on Monday. He urged both sides to continue the process more quickly given the added threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was referring to a February deal between the US and the Taliban that, among other things, called for the prisoner exchange. The Afghan government, which was excluded from the talks and was thus not a signatory to the accord, is required to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The militants are obliged to free 1,000 pro-government captives in return. Washington is compelled under the deal to pull out American forces and foreign troops from Afghanistan by July next year, provided that the militants start talks with Kabul and adhere to other security guarantees. About 14,000 US troops and approximately 17,000 troops from NATO allies and partner countries remain stationed in Afghanistan years after the invasion of the country that toppled a Taliban regime in 2001. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thank You Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that there are tough times ahead as the Treasurys official forecaster said that the economy could shrink by a third and unemployment soar to 10 per cent as a result of coronavirus. Speaking at Downing Street, Mr Sunak admitted that the governments response to the fatal outbreak had not been perfect and that it had not been able to protect every business and every household. But the chancellor insisted that the impact of the outbreak should be temporary and said he was hopeful that the economy will bounce back swiftly once the medical crisis is brought under control. Mr Sunak was speaking as the coronavirus death toll in UK hospitals topped 12,000, with 778 people dying in the 24 hours to 5pm on Easter Monday. But figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested that the true tally could be 10 per cent higher when deaths in care homes, hospices and the community are included. High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Show all 18 1 /18 High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Najaf, Iraq A man holds a pocket watch at noon, at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Bangkok, Thailand Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, part of The Grand Palace) Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Prague, Czech Republic An empty street leading to the historic Old Town Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Washington DC, US Lawn stretching towards the Capitol, home of Congress Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Jerusalem's Old City A watch showing the time in front of Damascus Gate Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world London, UK The Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Wuhan, China Empty lanes in the city that saw the first outbreak of disease Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Havana, Cuba The Malecon road and esplanade winds along the city's seafront Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Cairo, Egypt A little busier than elsewhere: midday traffic in Tahrir Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Berlin, Germany The Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving city gate in the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Caracas, Venezuela Bolivar Avenue, opened in 1949 and the site of many demonstrations and rallies Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Moscow, Russia Spasskaya Tower (left) on the eastern wall of the Kremlin, and St Basil's Cathedral Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Istanbul,Turkey The harbourside Eminonu district is usually buzzing with activity Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New Delhi, India Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard that runs through the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Amman, Jordan The Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New York City, US The main concourse of Grand Central station in Manhattan Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Kiev, Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the site of many political protests since the end of the Soviet era Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Accra, Ghana The odd walker out in the midday sun on Ring Road Central Reuters Amid anger over the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus testing in care homes, Mr Sunak told staff and residents: You have absolutely not been forgotten. There is an enormous amount of focus, whether its at the NHS, whether at Public Health England or elsewhere to make sure that care homes get the PPE they need, they get the testing they need, they get the support they need in every aspect of what they are doing. The latest daily death total was higher than those announced over the Easter weekend, but remained significantly below the record of 980 announced on 10 April. NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis told a Downing Street press conference that the latest figures suggest the number of new cases and hospital admissions is stabilising and plateauing in London and other areas thanks to strong compliance with social distancing rules. But Mr Powis warned that it was too early to relax restrictions, saying: We absolutely need to make sure that we keep the benefits of this going forward and we dont take a foot off the pedal, we dont become complacent. Experts on the governments Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) are believed to have agreed at a meeting today to recommend that ministers keep lockdown provisions in place when they come up for review on Thursday. And Mr Sunak made clear that a return to normality was still some time off, saying: These are tough times and there will be more to come. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility today set out a potential post-outbreak scenario in which UK GDP could fall by 35 per cent in the coming months and unemployment rise by more than 2 million to 10 per cent as the state deficit soars to 273bn. Mr Sunak stressed that this outcome was not a prediction but an illustration of what could happen if the current lockdown lasts three months, followed by a three-month period when it is partially lifted. A 35 per cent drop in GDP would be the largest quarterly decline for at least a century, while the extra borrowing envisaged by the OBR would be considerably higher than during the financial crisis of 2008. Mr Sunak acknowledged that government cannot protect every business and every household with its unprecedented package of bailouts. Asked if mistakes had been made, he said: When you are faced with such an unprecedented challenge, are we going to be absolutely perfect on every single thing we do at the pace we have to do it? No of course not. But he added: While the economic impacts are significant, the OBR also expect them to be temporary, with a bounce back in growth. The OBR today have been clear that if we had not taken the actions we have, the situation would be much worse. In other words, our plan is the right plan. The chancellor played down suggestions of a growing rift in the cabinet between ministers who want to extend tight social distancing guidelines and others who want them lifted to revive the economy. Right now, the single most important thing we can do for the health of our economy is to protect the health of our people, he said. It is not a case of choosing between the economy and public health. Common sense tells us that doing so would be self-defeating. At a time when we are seeing hundreds of people dying every day from this terrible disease, the absolute priority must be to focus all of our resources not just of the state but of businesses and all of you at home as well in a collective national effort to beat this virus. Mr Sunak rejected suggestions that the UK would be feeling the financial cost of coronavirus for a generation to come, insisting that measures such as the governments furlough scheme would allow the UK to bounce back as quickly as possible. This is going to be hard, our economy is going to take a significant hit and people are going to feel that in their jobs and in their household incomes, he said. But he added: What I would say and what the OBR report confirms is that the measures weve put in place can significantly mitigate that impact. Liberal Democrat acting leader Ed Davey said too many people had been left out of Mr Sunaks plans, including those who changed jobs in the weeks before the lockdown, many self-employed people and businesses which had found themselves unable to secure the loans he has announced. Our economy is falling off a cliff, but it seems the chancellor has no more help to offer, said Davey. Facing the possibility of an economic downturn of historic proportions, the chancellor needed to be absolutely clear about planning for additional interventions to protect jobs and livelihoods as the crisis evolves. Instead the chancellor fell back on rhetoric about having the right plan. [April 14, 2020] Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Veteran Jeff Smith Joins Braun Intertec MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Braun Intertec, a Minneapolis-based engineering, consulting and testing firm with offices throughout the United States, is pleased to announce Jeff Smith, a 30-year veteran of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), has joined the Braun Intertec Environmental Consulting Group as a principal scientist and director of environmental compliance and permitting for the Upper Midwest. In his new role, Smith will be responsible for developing the environmental permitting and compliance practice and providing clients with best-in-class regulatory services. "I am delighted to welcome Jeff Smith to Braun Intertec," says CEO, Jon Carlson. "As we expand our permitting and compliance practice, Jeff's deep knowledge of environmental regulation and permitting and his strong leadership will allow us to add a lot of value to our clients, especially in the agricultural and industrial sectors." Prior to joining Braun Intertec, Smith worked with businesses, individuals and federal, state and loca governments for nearly 30 years on behalf of the MPCA to provide efficient and effective multimedia regulatory services. As director of the MPCA's Industrial Division for the last 12 years, Smith partnered with industry, communities, and governmental agencies to build relationships and provide services in the areas of permitting, compliance assistance and auditing, enforcement negotiations, environmental review, licensing and certification, and community engagement. Smith's specific areas of program knowledge include: air, wastewater, stormwater, feedlots, solid waste, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/Minnesota Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and underground storage tanks. Smith also has his Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Minnesota and has led numerous teams to design and implement process improvement efforts. About Braun Intertec Based in Minneapolis, employee-owned Braun Intertec (www.braunintertec.com) is a premier engineering, environmental consulting and testing firm with more than 1,000 employees located in Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Braun Intertec also owns Agile Frameworks, LLC, a subsidiary of Braun Intertec based in Minneapolis and W&M Environmental, a division of Braun Intertec based in Allen, TX. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minnesota-pollution-control-agency-veteran-jeff-smith-joins-braun-intertec-301039511.html SOURCE Braun Intertec [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Kriti Sanon Wants To Feature In Mr And Mrs Smiths Hindi Remake With Tiger Shroff; Reveals Having A Soft Corner For Him T he UK missed three chances to be part of an EU scheme to bulk-buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers battling the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. Officials missed opportunities to procure critical items such as masks, gowns and gloves under the EU initiative, according to the Guardian. The bloc's procurement scheme involves 25 countries and eight companies, according to internal EU documents cited by the newspaper, with European medical staff set to recieve the first of 1.3bn worth of PPE within the next two weeks. The report comes as the Government continues to face pressure over shortages of such equipment for frontline NHS staff, with at least 19 health workers having died amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Coronavirus in numbers: UK passes 11,000 deaths A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: We are working round the clock with industry, the NHS, social care providers and the Army to ensure the supply of PPE over the coming weeks and months and will give our NHS and the social care sector everything they need to tackle this pandemic including working with countries around the globe. We are also working with a number of firms to scale up production of existing UK ventilator manufacturers, as well as designing and manufacturing new products from scratch, and procuring thousands more machines from overseas. We will continue to work with European countries and others in order to make sure that we can increase the capacity within the NHS, and we will consider participating in future EU joint procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time. The UK Government said last month it had been unable to join the EUs procurement schemes as it had not received an email of invitation, but that it could join future schemes. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said at the time there had been "communication confusion" after the Government missed the deadline to join an EU initiative to get extra ventilators - a critical piece of equipment in the fight to prevent Covid-19 deaths. It has also not been involved in two rounds of bulk purchasing of PPE, which were launched by the EU on 28 February and 17 March respectively. UK completes three weeks of lockdown First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab meanwhile acknowledged on Monday the Government was trying to address shortages of protective equipment. Speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing on the coronavirus emergency, Mr Raab said: We understand the importance of getting PPE to the front line, whether its in care homes or the NHS. I think the strongest practical reassurance they will want and that we can give them is that, over the bank holiday weekend, over 16 million items were delivered and we are straining every sinew to roll them out even further and even faster. The British Medical Association last month sounded the alarm over gaps in PPE supply for frontline health workers, saying many hospitals and GP practices were facing "life-threatening shortages. A report published last week by the Guardian alleged medics were being bullied and shamed into treating patients with Covid-19 despite not having the masks, gowns and eyewear they need to protect themselves from the virus. The e-commerce giant was urged to improve working conditions after cases of COVID-19 were reported at some facilities. Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday that it terminated two employees, who criticised the working conditions at the e-commerce giants warehouses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, for repeatedly violating internal policies. The termination of Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who worked as user-experience designers in Seattle, comes two weeks after the company fired another employee Christian Smalls after he came to its Staten Island warehouse for a demonstration in violation of his paid quarantine. The Seattle-based firm has been facing public scrutiny over safety and working conditions of warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the United States after cases of COVID-19 were reported in some of its facilities. Amazon said it supported every employees right to criticize their employers working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies. The worlds largest online retailer is racing to update safety protocols, keep warehouses functional and ship essential goods to shoppers who have been told by their governments to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It has now said it will roll out temperature checks and face masks for staff at all of its US and European warehouses. Last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the citys Human Rights Commission to open an investigation to look into Christian Smallss allegations. Five Democratic lawmakers also wrote a letter to the company last week questioning the allegations. Workers have clashed with Amazon in the US and elsewhere over the extent to which protective guidelines are implemented. On Tuesday, Amazon in France was ordered to limit deliveries to essential goods only within 24 hours to allow for a deeper assessment of coronavirus risks at its sites in the country, trade union Sud said. Some unions had been calling for the complete closure of Amazons activities in France, or at the very least a further clampdown, after raising concerns over working conditions as the outbreak continues. The basic goods Amazon will be allowed to ship include food and hygiene products or medical items, Sud said after receiving the ruling by the Nanterre court just outside Paris. The court also ruled that Amazon will have to pay a penalty of one million euros per day of delay in complying with the order, the union added. The Amazon website was receiving many orders for craft kits or home-improvement goods during Frances broad lockdown to contain the coronavirus. Some employees said that, in recent weeks, they were packing video games and sex toys. Amazon came under scrutiny from labour inspectors and was told to improve conditions at five French sites. Of those, health conditions have now been met at three warehouses. Amazon has said it has provided employees with sanitiser gel and other equipment, and that it has gone beyond government guidelines on safety distances. The e-commerce company has reported virus cases among warehouse staff and faced several demonstrations. Amazon has also been contending with a surge in demand and on Monday said that it would hire 75,000 more US workers for jobs ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers. The St Stephens Hospital management, which sacked some of its support staff from its Gurgaon facility after the coronavirus outbreak, has agreed in the Delhi High Court to pay these employees an amount equal to their salary for March and April. Justice Rekha Palli on Monday held that the hospital would be bound by its statement to pay these amounts to its sacked employees for the months of March and April and listed the matter for further hearing on May 4. The order came on the ex-employees' plea challenging their termination by the hospital management, on March 30, after it shut down its Gurgaon facility. The ministries of labour and home affairs, represented by central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, supported the petitioners and said that their services should not have been terminated at this stage when the country was facing the COVID-19 pandemic and there was urgent requirement of people engaged in healthcare. A similar stand was taken by the Delhi government's labour department which was made a party on the oral request of the petitioners. The hospital management, in its defence, said the termination had nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic and it was a decision taken in the first week of March, much before the government issued advisories not to terminate casual or contractual staff. The petitioners, in their plea, contended that the decision was in violation of the advisories issued by the labour ministry on March 20 and March 23 which had "specifically directed that persons engaged contractually or casually with either public or private establishments not be terminated during the coronavirus outbreak". The petition, moved by the five ex-support staff of St Stephens Hospital healthcare facility in Gurgaon, contended that the decision was taken without giving any notice or opportunity of hearing to them. The decision was taken on March 30 by the management of St Stephens Hospital, located at Tis Hazari here, as it was closing its Gurgaon facility, the plea said. However, no one else was terminated by the hospital, the petition claimed. The petitioners said that due to their termination, they have been left without any means of livelihood during this crisis situation. "That such termination at this catastrophic juncture is inhumane and in the teeth of the two advisories," their petition said. They sought quashing of the March 30 decision taken by the hospital management or a direction to continue employing them while COVID-19 pandemic subsists in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rongali or the Bohag (spring) Bihu is Assams most colourful festival. The day is celebrated as Assamese New Year. It marks the time of harvest in Assam and holds a great significance for the farmers. Just like Baisakhi in Punjab, Poila Baisakh in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Vishu in Kerala, Bihu is also celebrated in the month of April. This year, Rongali Bihu falls on April 14. Bihu is celebrated thrice in a year including Bhogali, Rongali and Kongali. The Rongali Bihu is the most important festival for the Assamese people. It starts on the last day of the Assamese calendar month of Chot, which normally falls on April 13 or 14 annually. The first day is known as Goru Bihu and it is dedicated to the cattle. People in different parts of the state take their cattle to ponds and rivers and give them a ceremonial bath, rub off their bodies with `dighalati pat` (leaf of a plant having medicinal value), which ward off the flies and insects. People recite traditional hymns while praying for good health of the animal. The second day, which falls on the first day of new Assamese Calendar month of Bohag, is known as Manhu Bihu. People wear new clothes and celebrated with much fan-fare. On this day, youngsters visit their elders and seek blessings. Bihuwan (the traditional Assamese towel known as Gamocha) is exchanged as a mark of respect. Although Rongali Bihu is a week-long festival, celebrations continue for the whole month various cultural programmes and functions. On this auspicious occasion of Bihu, we have compiled a list of messages which you can send to your loved ones. * May this Bohag Bihu bring you joy, health, wealth and good luck throughout the year! * Let's welcome this New Year with great hope, eagerness & anticipation. Let us look forward to a plentiful of joy, satisfaction, peace & prosperity. * On this Rongali Bihu, let us look forward to New Life, New Hope, New Aspirations, New Beginning. Lets make each day a new day. * With a smile and a spirit of giving a sense of humanity a pledge to spread peace and happiness. Happy Bohag Bihu! * Fortunate is the one who has learned to Admire, but not to envy. Good Wishes for a joyous Bihu and New Year with a plenty of Peace and Prosperity. * May all your wishes come true on this Bohag Bihu, may you get the best of all worlds. * Wishing you a very happy New Year! Let the memories of moments shared with your loved ones fill your heart this Rongali Bihu! * Bohag Bihu'r ulekh jonalu. WASHINGTON The surprise defeat of a conservative justice in a statewide Wisconsin election despite a show of support from President Trump drove Republicans and Democrats back to their 2020 electoral playbooks on Tuesday, as both parties examined whether a surge of enthusiasm and on-the-ground organization among Democrats could help them capture that critical battleground state in November. Leaders of both parties said that the victory, by an overwhelming margin of more than 120,000 votes, could provide a road map for Democrats trying to beat Mr. Trump in November in Wisconsin (which he carried by 22,748 votes in 2016) and other states where he narrowly prevailed. Democrats did have an advantage, though: A presidential primary was on the ballot, which probably raised turnout. Wisconsin was also the first major test of vote-by-mail efforts for the parties since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Democrats by all accounts had the superior program, forcing Republicans to reckon with what could be a challenge for Mr. Trumps re-election efforts. Mr. Trump and some Republicans have attacked vote-by-mail efforts in response to the virus, arguing without evidence that they enable fraud and favor Democrats. But the Wisconsin result was a clear sign for both parties that a strong mail-in strategy could be important in the general election. SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - To help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in jails, the system is releasing some inmates early. By 5 p.m. on Monday, 13 inmates out of 47 were released back into the Shasta County streets. Sheriff Eric Magrini says the other 34 inmates either didnt meet the requirement or are ineligible for release. The inmates released served time for low-level felonies or misdemeanors. Last week, the California Judicial Council decided to set bail at zero-dollars for this early release. Action News Now spoke to several people in Shasta County who were not happy with this decision. I dislike it a lot, said Terry Winberry of Redding. I think that what our police department go through, and what we go through as taxpayers to incarcerate them and keep them in jail just for them to release based on whatever reason is not good. Sheriff Magrini tells Action News Now he fears crime could increase in the area because of this. Action News Now reached out to the Tehama County Sheriffs Office to see how many inmates they plan to release, but have not yet heard back. Meanwhile, the Shasta County Jail wants to make sure that people coming in and out of the facility don't have coronavirus. The jail is taking extra precautions making sure that inmates and people working inside don't catch the coronavirus. The jail set up a screening process for anyone who comes into the facility. It is done through an outside medical provider and if an inmate does test positive, there are specific cells set up for those people. Our bookings are down and our population is down, we were able to dedicate a pod of the jail as another mechanism for inmates that test positive, said Magrini. The Shasta County Sheriff's Office says they have no reported cases of the coronavirus in the jail. BEIJING (AP) China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the epicenter of Wuhan, where it has all but declared victory in the battle against the pandemic. The frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units rushed to the area to prevent travelers from bringing the virus back from overseas. The virus originated in China, which is now striving to keep it out while the U.S. and other countries struggle to bring their own epidemics under control. The long, porous border of sprawling Heilongjiang province and neighboring Inner Mongolia has much less travel than major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But it is a popular alternative route into the country. Many Chinese live and work in Russia, where China has major investments encouraged by warm ties between Beijing and Moscow. By Monday night, a field hospital was operating in the city of Suifenhe along the Russian border, equipped with a negative pressure lab to diagnose new cases. Staffed by 22 experts from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it will conduct nucleic acid tests and other forms of research to aid in virus control and prevention, allowing the city to test up to 1,000 cases per day, according to the China CDC. Suifenhe, a city of just under 70,000 that is frozen-in for much of the year, has at least 243 imported COVID-19 cases out of nearly 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases, according to official figures. More than 100 people in the area have tested positive for the virus but showed no symptoms. Recent arrivals from Russia account for nearly half of Chinas imported cases. We are facing a truly grave situation in the northeast as represented by Suifenhe, National Health Commission expert Wang Bin said Monday at a news conference. Up to now our medical resources in the area have just not been sufficient. China CDC said the field hospital has been supplied with negative pressure tents, nucleic acid extractors, virus detection kits, throat swab sampling tubes and thermal cyclers used to enhance segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction. Story continues Suifenhe is roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) northeast of Beijing. Its markets, selling warm clothing, cellphones and daily items, usually do a thriving business with Russian visitors starved for choice on their side of the border. That trade has gone quiet in recent weeks, dimming prospects for a sparsely populated region whose residents have been migrating to major cities seeking jobs and better living standards. Russia requires 14-day quarantines for all travelers arriving in Primorsky Krai and its regional capital Pogranichny, across the border. It has closed hotels to visitors and is requiring travelers to have a pass showing they are not carrying the virus. Russia closed its land border to travelers from China in January. On the Chinese side, quarantines have been extended to a full month for people arriving by air in Suifenhe and in Heilongjiang's capital, Harbin. All land border crossings were halted last week. The Chinese Consulate again strongly reminds Chinese citizens not to summarily make trips to the border region, the consulate in the nearby Russian city of Vladivostok said in a notice posted Monday. As Wuhan and other regions get back to business, Chinese authorities say they will remain vigilant against a second wave of infections, particularly from those arriving from outside the country. New cases of local infection in China have fallen to near zero after more than two months of strict travel bans and social distancing measures, officials say. Of 89 cases reported on Tuesday, all but three were detected in people arriving from abroad. It wasnt immediately clear if any came from Russia. No new deaths were reported in the country on Tuesday, suggesting the outbreak is running its course. Last week, authorities lifted a 76-day quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year, an indication that the worst may have passed. China had recorded 82,249 cases and 3,341 deaths as of Tuesday, while 1,077 people suspected of having the virus or testing positive without showing symptoms were under isolation and monitoring, officials said. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstans Foreign Ministry has officially protested an article published on a Chinese website that questioned Kazakhstans territorial integrity. The ministry said on April 14 that it "held talks with the Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, Zhang Xiao, during which the ministry protested against the publication of an article on the website sohu.com in China titled 'Why Is Kazakhstan Eager To Get Back to China?'" The article's author wrote that Kazakhstan is located on territories that historically belong to China. According to the ministrys statement, Ambassador Zhang was informed that the publication of the article in question does not correspond to the spirit of the eternal multilateral strategic partnership stressed in the joint statement," a reference to an accord signed by Kazakh and Chinese leaders in September 2019 that aims to develop closer ties between the neighboring countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted people on the occasion of Poila Boishakh, Vishu, Puthandu, Bohag Bihu being celebrated across the country. "Greetings to people across India on the various festivals being marked. May these festivals deepen the spirit of brotherhood in India. May they also bring joy and good health. May we get more strength to collectively fight the menace of COVID-19 in the times to come," the Prime Minister said in a tweet. "Shubho Nabo Barsho! Greetings on Poila Boishakh. Have a wonderful year ahead, where everyone is healthy and prosperous," he said. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister wished the people celebrating the New Year in the respective regional languages and in English. He tweeted in Bengali: "Shubho Nabo Barsho! Greetings on Poila Boishakh. Have a wonderful year ahead, where everyone is healthy and prosperous." For the people of Kerala on the occasion of Vishu, he said: "Happy Vishu to everyone! A new year brings new hope and new energy. May the coming year bring good health and well-being in everyone's lives," the PM wrote on the micro-blogging site in Malayalam. On the occasion of Puthandu, he said that he was "praying for a year full of joy" for the people celebrating the auspicious occasion. "Puthandu wishes to all. Praying for a year full of joy and wonderful health," wrote the PM. "Best wishes on the auspicious occasion of Bohag Bihu," he wrote in Assamese. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a recent conversation published in NJ Cannabis Insider, David Nathan, a Princeton-based psychiatrist and the founder of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, spoke about the challenges and opportunities physicians serving medical marijuana patients are currently navigating amid the COVID-19 crisis. Below is an edited transcript from a Q&A conducted by Justin Zaremba, NJ Cannabis Insiders assistant editor. On Wednesday from noon-1 p.m., you can tune-in for a free live video chat with Nathan as well as Jahan Marcu, editor in chief of The American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine; Monica Taing, a New Jersey pharmacist and member of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation; and Ken Wolski, executive director of Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. The hour-long webinar COVID-19 and Medicinal Cannabis webinar is being produced by the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, the states largest industry trade group. The associations president, Scott Rudder, will moderate. David Nathan, a Princeton-based psychiatrist and the founder of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation. Zaremba: What are the challenges facing physicians, nurses, and pharmacists right now? Nathan: So right now there are essentially two groups of clinical physicians out there those who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis and everybody else. Im in that latter category of physicians who has largely switched to telehealth in order to treat our patients. Im a psychiatrist so my specialty lends itself to video conferencing. But even physicians in other specialties are needing to meet with patients through telehealth. The major issue there is the lack of ability to do a physical examination, and so were all essentially making compromises in our ability to deliver health care. Normally telehealth or telemedicine is limited by the need to preserve all of the HIPAA statutory and regulatory requirements, but the government has actually, wisely, decided that relatively secure means of communication like Skype and Facetime will be allowed throughout the time of the COVID pandemic. Thats a really good thing, because while I use Doxy a HIPAA compliant way of communicating with my patients a lot of them really cant see doing anything beyond Skype or Facetime. Older patients especially are having a hard time navigating the technology required to do telehealth, though I havent yet had a patient who I wasnt able to successfully and expeditiously connect with a video conference. Zaremba: How about with respect to the patient-physician relationship in the time of mandatory social distancing? Nathan: Patients and doctors alike are concerned about a degradation of the patient doctor communication thats so vital to good diagnosis and treatment. Studies on tele-psychiatry have shown that at least for diagnostic purposes, video conferencing is as effective or has outcomes that are as good as in person evaluations. So thats reassuring but at the same time its nothing like being there. So, as Ive now applied it into practice myself, after the first couple of patients, its become really routine for me. The issue is that patients arent so used to it, and so theyre the ones that are sometimes having a little bit of a harder time adapting to the new format, but I think thats also going successfully. Zaremba: Should we expect to see developments for telemedicine? Nathan: If theres a silver lining to the crisis right now, its that some of the technology that were developing out of necessity is going to be applicable once the crisis is over. So the online (Continuing Medical Education) conferences that were doing now will eventually allow us to have our on-site conferences be streamed to doctors offices when they can make it to the hospital for grand rounds. So there will be positive spin-offs from the adaptations were making now. Weve been talking for years about doing online CME and it was always getting hung up because there were other fish to fry both on the I.T. side and in the CME side. So, you know, within a week weve gotten the whole thing up and running and tomorrow is the acid test of whether it works properly. Zaremba: Given the respiratory impact of COVID-19, what concerns do you have with respect to patients consumption? Nathan: If were only going by evidence in the scientific literature, we have very little to go on in terms of what we would expect about the effect of smoking or vaping on either acquiring or getting worse from a COVID infection. That said, I think that the same principles that apply to cannabis consumption generally will also apply here that vaping is in general a safer means of consumption than smoking because its less caustic on the throat and lungs. The way to dispense with the whole question of whether vaping could be a problem is to consume edibles instead, but edibles have a very different half-life and onset of action for people who are consuming cannabis that way. Its not exactly equivalent. Vaporization of flower is generally safer than vaporization of concentrates, given that the latter has additives that may not have an established safety profile. Overall, non-inhalation methods are likely safer among those who continue consuming cannabis during the pandemic. Zaremba: Only three of New Jerseys seven operational alternative treatment centers currently sell lozenges: Curaleaf in Bellmawr, Breakwater in Cranbury, and Rise in Paterson Nathan: Right. And some people are making their own but thats a harder thing to dose. Zaremba: Are there any other developments patients should know about consuming cannabis in relation to COVID-19? Nathan: Im now part of a discussion among physician advocates and public health experts considering the possibility that the immunosuppressive effects of cannabis (though still largely theoretical) may make people more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and getting sicker from it. Theres also a chance that it could calm a hyperactive immune system (like steroids can), but we cant make that assumption without much more evidence. NJ Cannabis Insider is a weekly subscriber-based trade journal produced by NJ Advance Media, which also publishes NJ.com, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated papers. https://www.nj.com/shopping-deals/2020/03/how-to-avoid-or-repair-cracked-skin-from-washing-your-hands-constantly.html https://www.nj.com/shopping-deals/2020/03/how-to-avoid-or-repair-cracked-skin-from-washing-your-hands-constantly.html If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. On the 75th anniversary this month of the death of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ryle Dwyer recalls the political reaction to his death in Ireland [timgcapimported=]fd14f116-4837-40b9-8879-a74e11a3c59b__37e249ff-037a-49fe-9fd6-b10ad496fc6a.jpg[/timgcapimported] When US president Franklin D Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, the response of the Taoiseach Eamon de Valera was certainly not neutral. He had the regular sitting of Dail Eireann suspended next day, and a special session convened as a tribute to the deceased American president. President Roosevelt will go down to history as one of the greatest of the long line of Americans presidents, he said. Personally, I regard his death as a loss to the world, for I believe his whole career has shown that he could ultimately be depended upon, when this war had ended, to throw his great influence behind and devote his great energy to the establishment of a world organisation which would be just, and which being just, could hope to save humanity from recurring calamities like the present war. After the other party leaders paid short tributes, the Dail adjourned as a mark of respect. All flags on Leinster House and Government Buildings were flown at half-mast, as well as on many public buildings, private businesses, and offices throughout Dublin. I thought I knew this country and its people but this was something new, David Gray, the American minister, wrote to the presidents widow. There was a great deal of genuine feeling. Why was Gray so surprised? For the answer to that intriguing question, one must look back over five years, because ever since his arrival in Dublin in 1940, Gray had been highly critical of de Valera, whom he believed was quietly sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazis, even though Grays intelligence advisers had assured him strongly to the contrary. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Ireland was virtually defenceless, and de Valera was in no position to allow the British to use the naval bases that had been very valuable to the Royal Navy during the First World War. But he did secretly assure the British he would provide all the help he could, short of war. He implemented this promise by authorising extraordinary secret co-operation with the British in many ways. A telegraph cable that connected Ireland directly with continental Europe was cut, and de Valera agreed that Ireland would only use a continental cable link that passed through England. No efforts were made to restrict British diplomats using radio transmitters to contact Britain, but the German legation was instructed not to use its radio transmitters, and the Irish kept the legation under electronic surveillance. As a result, the German Legations only means of electronic communication with the continent was through the cable that passed through Britain. The Irish also helped Britain by setting up their defence system in such a way that any belligerent sightings by Irish Lookout Posts (LOPs) around the coast were reported to Dublin by radio on an agreed frequency. The British and Germans were free to listen in, but German forces were too far away to make much use of this information, while the British were close enough to react. At the request of the British, reports from the LOPs were later transmitted in a code secretly supplied by the British. Thus, the LOPs sightings were essentially being sent to Dublin and the British at the same time. The British were allowed to set up and operate radar equipment on the Cork and Donegal coasts, and the Royal Navy was allowed to base a seaplane at Foynes to search for German submarines, while an armed admiralty tug was based in Killybegs, Co Donegal, for air-sea rescue purposes. The Irish indicated that the same facility could possibly be provided in Cobh, or Berehaven, if the British desired, but they never followed up on this offer. During the war, 18 German military aircraft came down on Irish territory and all but two of their survivors were interned for the duration of the conflict in a special internment camp at the Curragh. The two exceptions were a seriously incapacitated airman, who was handed to the British for repatriation to Germany by the Red Cross in October 1943, and an internee who escaped from the Curragh but was handed over to the British when he was discovered as a stowaway on a ship bound for Portugal. Over 140 Allied planes came down in Ireland during the war. About 100 of those were based in Britain. Twenty-nine were quietly allowed to fly away, many after being refuelled. Another 17 were salvaged and returned by road. While all the German airmen were interned, 225 of their Allied counterparts were quietly let go, though 46 were officially interned for a time in order to preserve a semblance of neutrality. After the United States entered the war in December 1941, 39 US aircraft came down in Ireland. Eighteen were refuelled and allowed to fly away, and 10 were salvaged and transferred by road to Northern Ireland. All 265 American survivors were promptly released. No Allied seamen were interned in Ireland, but 213 German sailors were interned in the Curragh camp, even though over 150 of those should, under international law, have been released as stranded mariners. They had been rescued by the Irish freighter Kerlogue in the Bay of Biscay after their naval vessels was sunk by the British. The Kerlogue was supposed to put into a British port before returning to Ireland, but some of the men were in such dire need of medical treatment, that the ship radioed that it was heading straight for Cobh for prompt medical assistance. John Maffey, the British representative to Ireland, learned of this and tried to insist that the ship head for a British port, or transfer the German sailors to a British destroyer, but these suggestions were rejected as they could lead to fatal delays. Maffey, therefore, insisted the Germans should be interned, at least. I replied that I felt certain that that was the intention of the Taoiseach, Joseph P Walshe, the secretary of the Department of External Affair reported. All of the survivors were duly interned. This was just another of the many ways in which de Valera implemented his promise of secretly providing Britain with all possible help short of declaring war. In reality, there was precious little semblance of neutrality in the Irish treatment of the two sides in the conflict, but some prominent Allied authorities refused to recognise the true situation. Following the fall of France in the summer of 1940, the stationing of German aircraft in France rendered the sea route around the south of England too vulnerable to German air attack, so Britains transatlantic shipping went around Northern Ireland, through the North Channel. Thus Irish naval bases would no longer have been of value to the British, who already had the use of sea bases in Northern Ireland. They also had a base for seaplanes on Lough Erne, that provided invaluable air coverage for the north Atlantic shipping. de Valera facilitated the British by allowing their aircraft from Lough Erne to fly directly to and from the Atlantic over what was called the Donegal corridor. It was a British aircraft flying that route that actually located the German battleship, Bismarck in the Atlantic on May 26, 1941. It was then sunk the following day. After the US entered the war in December 1941, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the wartime forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, stationed three undercover agents in Ireland. The first was Ervin Spike Marlin, who was designated as an economic adviser at the American legation. He was an American, who had studied at Trinity College Dublin from 1929 to 1932. One of his first tasks was to assess the sympathies of Irish politicians. He reported that three Fianna Fail deputies were pro-German backbenchers Dan Breen and Tom McEllistrim, and the minister for posts and telegraphs Patrick J Little. As this report was being transmitted in the diplomatic bag, Gray insisted on reading it, and then demanded to know Marlins source for the information on Little. Marlin reluctantly told him it was Erskine Childers, a junior minister in de Valeras government. Marlin received a call a few days later from Childers, who said that Gray had not only protested to the government about Little being pro-German, but had gone on to commit the appalling indiscretion of naming Childers, as the source of this information. Realising that Marlin was an OSS agent, Joseph P Walshe, secretary of the Department of External Affairs, offered that Irish Intelligence (G2) would co-operate with the OSS through Marlin. Walshe had already arranged a similar set-up between G2 and Britains MI5. Gray vigorously opposed the suggestion, but the OSS accepted the offer. G2 gave Marlin voluminous reports on German spies already captured, as well as the names and addresses of over 4,000 people in the US to whom German nationals living in Ireland, or pro-German Irish people, were writing. Gray was so sour over this co-operation, that the OSS moved Marlin to London, from where he would travel back to Dublin when necessary. G2 kept in contact with him with regular reports that were sent to London through the Department of External Affairs in the Irish diplomatic bag. Walshe was so helpful that Marlin suggested that the Irish might agree to use their diplomats on the continent to collect information for the OSS. R Carter Nicholas, the head of the Eire Desk at OSS headquarters in Washington DC, visited Dublin to explore this possibility in September 1943. Nicholas asked Walshe about the possibility of the Americans receiving information from Irish diplomatic sources. With de Valeras approval, Walshe acceded to the request. He read out excerpts from reports from Irish diplomats on the continent in which Nicholas and Marlin might be interested. He also agreed to transmit to the Irish Charge dAffaires in Berlin, a request for information on the political situation in Germany at the top. In the following weeks, Marlin supplied questions to Walshe for the respective Irish representatives in Berlin, Rome, and Vichy. Walshe asked the questions of the respective diplomats and then forwarded their replies to Marlin. The Irish diplomats were, in effect, being used as US spies. WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI The outlook at Keith Weidmayers farm was improving as the new year dawned. After several years of depressed wholesale milk prices, trade war tariffs on dairy exports to China and an impossibly wet planting season last year, Weidmayer was pleased to see things on the rebound. Then came the coronavirus. We were starting to make money again, which we hadnt done in a few years, said Weidmayer, who milks about 65 cows at a farm southwest of Ann Arbor. Now, with this COVID-19 bug, the prices have dropped quite a bit already. The horizons are scary. Michigan dairy farmers are struggling with a market thats changed drastically in the past two months. Although demand for milk and other dairy products is up at grocery stores, restaurants and schools nationwide are purchasing significantly less butter and cheese than normal while most business is curtailed by state government quarantine orders. The nationwide surplus has triggered a plunge in prices on the futures market at a time when the weather warms and cows naturally begin producing more milk. Michigan farmers say theyre getting paid nearly half what they were making a couple months ago and theyre worried those prices will drop further without federal market intervention. Agriculture leaders in Michigan warn that farmers here may soon be forced to start dumping milk, as some farms in Indiana, Wisconsin, Vermont and California have already done. Some farmers say dumping in Michigan is already happening. More: Michigan coronavirus coverage Industry leaders are asking for assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), warning that without federal intervention, farmers who are able to weather the immediate crisis may not be able to supply enough milk to meet overall demand when conditions improve. In an April 10 letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, a coalition of Michigan commodity and agri-business leaders asked for a comprehensive federal market intervention for pork and dairy producers. Ken Nobis, a dairy farmer in St. Johns, north of Lansing, who sits on the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) board, said the dairy industry will be decimated if nothing is done. On April 7, the NMPF and International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) asked USDA to consider a federal aid package that would include, among other things, payments to farmers to cut production and compensate them for dumped milk, and loans for processors to help them carry more inventory. The groups also want USDA to redirect excess supply to food banks and remove restrictions on fat levels and container size in food assistance programs. The industry groups estimated overall supply exceeds demand by at least 10 percent. Thats potentially about 22 billion pounds of milk, based on 2019 U.S. production totals. That gap could widen as spring flush causes cows to naturally increase milk production. Its not something thats going to make a profit for any dairy farmer, Nobis said. But it will help keep them in business and avoid flooding the market with cows going to slaughter. Like many other small businesses that have been thrown into financial stress by the coronavirus pandemic, farmers are scrambling to cut costs and save money right now, Nobis said. Many have been culling their herd to sell animals on the beef market. Prices paid for dairy cows sold for beef have also dropped. Weidmayer said he received 25-cents per-pound a week ago, versus 47-cents per-pound in March. Youre faced with what the hell do I do next? Nobis said. Fred Vliestra milks about 300 cows at Vliestra Dairy Farm near Kalamazoo. He got a call last week from the White Eagle Cooperative Association with some bad news. Because the co-op was unable to take any more milk, he was advised to dump his product. Vliestra held off because the farm can hold about a two-day supply. The co-op soon called back and said the Continental Dairy processing facility in Coopersville would turn it into powdered milk. It was a relief, even though we took a huge beating on it, he said. Vliestra said wholesale prices have dropped from about $17-$18 per hundred pounds to around $9-$10 per hundredweight. Thats a break-even price after paying labor and farm expenses. He wishes he could shut off the cows. We have to keep going, keep our chin up, he said. Well get through but its going to take a huge chunk out of our income, no doubt. Hes heard of farms in the area whove been forced to dump but declined to name them. It just isnt moving at all, Vliestra said. Dairy leaders say milk dumping is a bad image for the industry, which looks like its wasting food at a time when theres heightened retail demand in grocery stores and millions of people are suddenly out of work and turning to food banks that are also struggling to meet demand. Some farms can sell directly to consumers, but many lack the financing, equipment and distribution system needed to market dairy products that are legal and ready for sale. They rely on processing plants and cooperatives that buy raw fluid and sell it food manufacturers. Joe Diglio, president of the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), a cooperative and milk processor serving about 750 Michigan farms, said the milk surplus at the processor level is a stress point in the supply chain thats causing milk to be dumped. Restaurants account for a high percentage of butter and cheese sales. With demand down, manufacturers are sitting on excess supply. The effect is cascading down to the farm, which produces a perishable product from cows that need to be milked every day. Its not bad milk, Diglio said. Theres no outlet for it because of this pandemic. Diglio said the past five years have been tough on dairy farmers. A USDA relief package to offset losses due to President Donald Trumps trade war with China was starting to help prices rebound last fall. This year was supposed to be a story of industry turnaround. If theres not assistance in this area getting more money to farmers to help them survive during these downturns I think youre going to see quite a bit of folks going out of business just based on the new environment were in today, Diglio said. Read more coronavirus coverage at mlive.com/coronavirus Related stories: Michigan tourism engine idled, waiting for coronavirus storm to pass Without coronavirus aid, point of no return looms for Michigan small businesses New Michigan factory farm permit restricts winter manure application Tempers are getting short. Supplies of ground beef even shorter. People are looking into each other's shopping carts. Is that guy really going to use all four cans of chickpeas? That's a lot of emergency hummus. But maybe a little supermarket paranoia is warranted after all. A month ago, as the economy began to shut down and Americans started hoarding canned goods and other foods out of fear of shortages, industry giants offered assurance there was plenty of food and no reason for worry. Yet availability remains spotty around the country, some shelves stocked and others empty, with Americans having particular difficulty locating all-purpose flour, yeast and beef. And even as the industry rushes to get distribution problems smoothed out, other red flags are emerging. JBS, the world's top meat company, shuttered its beef facility in Greeley, Colorado, this week because of a coronavirus outbreak. In South Dakota, more than 300 workers at a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant tested positive for the virus, shutting the plant down. The closure of the latter plant, which accounts for 5% of the nation's pork production, is "pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply," said Kenneth Sullivan, president and chief executive of Smithfield. Experts agree there is no aggregate shortage of food or other retail items offered at the supermarket. But many factors are causing product deficits in particular regions and in particular stores. The biggest is that while about half of American expenditures for food used to be at restaurants and other such establishments, now almost all meals are being made in the home kitchen, so a distribution system that was built to supply restaurants with bulk items is struggling to adapt to far smaller packaging for home use. In addition, while supermarkets and food companies have based their business model in the past on offering a wide variety (grocery stores often have 40,000 items), now most consumers focus on a smaller sliver of products, so supply chains are overwhelmed. Consumer goods become hot-ticket items with little warning: This week's unexpected supermarket product is hair dye, as people go without a visit to the salon. And finally, both in grocery stores and in the food distribution system, significant new efforts are being undertaken to protect workers - but they introduce delays and complications in getting food to its final destination. Fred Boehler, president and CEO of Americold, which provides a temperature-controlled supply chain to manufacturers, said U.S. grocery stores, food-service distribution centers, regional distribution centers and manufacturing facilities traditionally each hold up to about 30 days of product. Together, that's four months of food in the system. "But at the flip of a switch, the food-service sector slowed down and people wiped the grocery stores clean," he said. "It's sitting in everyone's home fridges and freezers, and we have to backfill the grocery stores." In one of the two Safeway stores in Butte, Montana, cashiers work behind sneeze guards and daily customer traffic has slowed from 2,000 a day two weeks ago to 1,400 last week. As with many stores around the country, this Safeway reduced hours to allow for deep cleaning and restocking, instituted special hours for seniors and people with compromised immune systems, and will soon install one-way paths through the store to maximize space between customers. Nonetheless, essentials are flying off the shelves: toilet paper, hand soap and sanitizer, pasta, rice and beans. For the most part, people have been friendly and understanding, but more customers than usual have been short-tempered. "I haven't been yelled at as much in nine years as I have in the last two weeks," said Ellen Ott, store administrator and bookkeeper at that Butte Safeway. At a Kroger in north Dallas on a recent morning, there was no corn or bananas. And where toilet paper normally would have been were two pallets in the middle of the aisle. Tacked to the empty shelves were signs that read, "1 each per customer." On Wednesday evening, at the Hy-Vee store on the east side of Iowa City, there were no potatoes. Forty people shopped with a one-person-per-cart rule and one-way arrows on the floor. The place felt empty and eerie. Two weeks ago, a store employee was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Before that, a DJ who had done a music gig in the store's dining area had tested positive. Small behavior changes are having huge effects, and the industry is having trouble keeping up, said Karen Smilowitz, a professor of industrial engineering at Northwestern University. Trying to minimize the risks associated with frequent shopping, people are buying greater quantities less frequently, relying on shelf-stable foods that may have a longer supply chain. And then manufacturers, pressed to produce more, are decreasing the number of discrete items to maximize efficiency. So there will be empty grocery store spots as a company's 20 flavors of yogurt winnow down to eight. "In companies there is always conflict between operations and marketing," Smilowitz said. "Marketing wants more variety; operations says anytime you have to change out something in your machinery, that costs time." The fundamental problem is that so much of America's food supply was heading toward restaurants in massive packages before covid-19 hit. Now, a 50-pound bag of flour or a 48-ounce tub of sour cream doesn't have many takers at Kroger or Safeway. Nutrition labeling also frequently doesn't comply with Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration guidelines for consumer sales, said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, a trade organization for the food industry. A company that sold hamburger buns to major fast food outlets could try to pivot to retail, but that entails changing packaging on the fly, a relaxation of labeling requirements and new distribution contracts. The shifts being spurred now could be long-lasting. Freeman predicts consumers will see "a greater volume of fewer products. And in theory we'll see fewer new products on the market." Ananth Iyer, a department head at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, said Americans are in a cycle of hoarding. Not only are people buying more food at the grocery store to eat at home, they're seeing reports of price gouging or import restrictions or stricter stay-at-home orders, which drives consumers to stock up even more, which leads to photos of empty shelves, which sends the cycle into a faster spin. Grocery stores are having a hard time pivoting. The business is extremely competitive, and stores gain customer loyalty by offering wide variety. But 20% of the individual products account for 80% of the sales. As manufacturers cut back on different items, the grocery store is still stocked with things people don't necessarily need. At a Whole Foods in Manhattan, shoppers on a recent evening spaced themselves out to socially distance alongside potted hydrangeas for $18 and bagged soil for $5. The deli counter was quiet and the pizza oven cold. Beef and produce options were limited, but the chicken section was fully stocked, and there were plenty of cheeses and prepared foods - more than enough available to put together proper meals for weeks. Still, there was no ground beef. Jayson Lusk, head of the agricultural economics department at Purdue, said because agriculture is seasonal, commodity grains and meats were produced months and months ago, but that the real vulnerability lies in the people. "We have plenty of hogs, chickens and cows. But they all have to go through these packing plants that are big enough that if one closes down because workers get sick, it's not a trivial amount." And imports, he said, could be a problem. The United States imports about half of its fruit, such as grapes and bananas, and about 20% of its vegetables at this time of year are from Mexico. "Trade of goods isn't being hindered at the moment, although global trade has fallen in the last month pretty significantly," he said. "There are some pressure points, but by and large it's a very positive story." This pivot from restaurant to grocery store purchases doesn't come without risks, said Matt Wadiak, Blue Apron co-founder and CEO of Cooks Venture, which sells pasture-raised, slow-growth, heirloom chickens. The USDA and FDA have deregulated labeling and packaging for 60 days to allow food to be redistributed. While there are usually four or five USDA food recalls each month, there hasn't been a single one since the beginning of February, worrying food safety experts about lack of oversight. Still, Wadiak said, the pandemic may change for the better the paradigm of how people shop. "I'm seeing folks interacting with real foods in a way that I haven't seen in my lifetime, buying whole chickens, pork butts, things they might have previously thought of as daunting. They have the time now; they are learning and YouTubing." Outside the Dallas Kroger, customer Eric True loaded half a dozen plastic bags full of groceries into his car. The retired 72-year-old described his anxiety level as low. "This is the first time I've been to the store in four weeks," he said. "I pay attention to the rules and follow the Boy Scout motto, 'Be prepared.' I have friends who are in a state of denial who don't understand the consequences." There are segments of the food system that might endure long-term stress because of supply-chain shifts. Sean Wittenberg, the president of Safe Catch, a company that specializes in canned and pouch tuna, sardines and salmon, is feeling strain that worries him. "Canned tuna is up 200%; Safe Catch is up 400%," he said. "People are concerned about their future, and canned tuna is a cost-effective protein." Canned tuna is the third-most-popular seafood item in the United States. If there is a disaster somewhere in the world, he said, there are four major hubs where most of the shelf-stable fish is produced. "Because of this pandemic, the demand has exploded worldwide," he said. "The stress on the production system is everywhere. We can't hire more people to build up our lines. We have certain limitations, and all of the infrastructure is under stress, from the fisherman to the clerk putting cans on the shelf." - - - The Washington Post's Shayna Jacobs in New York City; Shirley Wang in Iowa City; Kathleen McLaughlin in Butte, Montana; and Lisa Kanarek in Dallas contributed to this report. As Idlib braces for virus outbreak, only one machine to test samples available in area with over three million people. The last opposition-held stronghold in Syria is bracing for its fight against the coronavirus pandemic with just one machine equipped to run a test to detect the rapidly spreading pathogen. Mohamad Shahim Makki, a doctor in Idlib province, a war-battered region in northwest Syria that is home to more than three million people, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the machine is the only available device outside government-held areas that is equipped to run a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. As of a few days ago, just 120 tests had been carried out at Makkis Epidemiological Surveillance Laboratory on just 300 samples. While all have been negative so far, doctors and relief agencies fear that crowded camps for displaced people, and medical facilities ravaged by years of conflict, would make any contagion rapid and lethal. Samples have begun to come into the lab faster, with 5,000 received in the last two days, though it is not yet clear how many of them can be processed or how quickly. The machine is not sufficient to serve all these people, so there is pressure on the device. And since it is the only one, strict criteria are being used to select samples, Makki told Reuters news agency. Northwest Syria is the last part of the country still held by fighters trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Health professionals and United Nations officials have warned that an outbreak in Syrias northwest would be devastating. It would be a catastrophe. It would spread in the whole region because of the lack of capacity to contain an epidemic, the overcrowdedness of camps, the inability of the hospitals to treat a large number of infected people and the lack of aid to support them, a doctor told Al Jazeera last month. Targeting of hospitals Plans to equip other centres with PCR test devices have been slowed by their high cost and the training needed to run them. In the liberated areas we have major weaknesses in the health sector because of the war and because of the systematic targeting of hospitals and health centres, Makki said. A group of first responders has been raising awareness about COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the virus, in Idlib city and in the provinces overcrowded camps near the border with Turkey. The White Helmets or Syrian Civil Defence is a volunteer search-and-rescue group that operates in rebel-held parts of Syria. Last month, it launched an awareness and sterilisation campaign amid mounting fears over a major outbreak after the government confirmed the countrys first cases in Damascus. The government, backed by Russia and Iran, launched a push earlier this year to capture Idlib that displaced nearly one million people, many of whom amassed in the already packed camps. In recent days, thousands of Syrians have begun to leave camps near the Turkish border, some wary of the virus reaching tightly packed quarters, choosing instead to return to Idlib after a ceasefire struck last month that has restored calm. In the rest of Syria, Damascus has reported 25 coronavirus cases and two deaths in government-held areas. It has shut businesses, halted flights, and imposed a curfew to curb the spread of the virus. Eamonn Holmes has found himself in hot water over This Mornings coverage of 5G conspiracy theories. The ITV programme gave airtime to the comprehensively-debunked idea which has already resulted in arson and vandalism of wireless towers and telecoms equipment that 5G infrastructure is linked to the spread of coronavirus. Holmes, wholly unnecessarily and wildly irresponsibly, appeared to give the theory credence by saying on air that dismissing it suits the state narrative. This incident is emblematic of the both sides culture in British media, one that has allowed misinformation to gain legitimacy. Take, for example, the BBCs infamous climate denial interview with Nigel Lawson. As a neoliberal, I believe in freedom above almost all else, but those defending the freedom to air these kinds of ideas are disingenuously weaponising the notion of freedom. This speech is dangerous; quite simply, spreading the 5G conspiracy theory is likely to lead to further damage to property. Put plainly, censorship works. Now that climate denialism has been a taboo in mainstream media for some time, its public support is tumbling. Similarly, the decisions of social media companies to suspend the accounts of the likes of Milo Yiannopoulos, Alex Jones and Tommy Robinson have collapsed their public profiles. My belief in the importance of a small state goes hand-in-hand with allowing the private sector to act against harmful speech. Everyone should have the right to free speech, but no one has the right to a platform. Eamonn Holmes is free to quit his job at ITV and start an obscure livestream where he can ponder conspiracy theories to his hearts content, but he has no right to do so on the This Morning sofa. Arresting Eamonn Holmes for his questionable stance would be wrong, but sacking him would be justifiable, given the demonstrable harm of his words. The difference is that the state is not doing the censoring, so there is no centralised decision-making over what counts as harmful speech, nor unaccountable shutting down of individuals, which reeks of authoritarianism and would give rise to much more understandable objections from those concerned with the preservation of liberties. Recommended Ofcom to review This Morning after Eamonn Holmes 5G comment Rather, under the types of censorship I seek to defend, private corporations independently censor the words of the public-facing employees, like ITV with Holmes, or deny their services to individuals who misuse their platforms, like Facebook with Yiannopoulos. That is why it is possible to believe in both freedom and censorship. Private censorship is perfectly compatible with pro-freedom ideologies. Organic censorship of dangerous speech, free from government interference, such as restricting what morning TV presenters can blithely discuss on air or removing hate preachers from Facebook, is not a threat to free speech. Rather, it shows that the market of ideas is working well in filtering out bad ideas. We can see the market at work when dangerous speech emerges. ITV has already suffered a huge amount of bad press over the 5G incident. Its brand has been dragged through the mud online. On Wednesday, Holmes engaged in a lengthy row-back in an attempt to erase his ill-considered comment, presumably following an angry phone call from upstairs. This episode also serves as a self-sufficient warning against making similar mistakes in future. Other broadcasters are already treading very carefully. For instance, BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones was at pains to stress on the Radio 4 Today programme that the alleged link between 5G and coronavirus is a particularly deranged theory. Similarly, when Facebook and Twitter removed Yiannopoulos et al from their platforms, the coverage they received was overwhelmingly positive and their brands images enjoyed a notable boost. People liked the fact that there has been a crackdown on the dissemination of hate speech. Only a tiny minority abandoned the mainstream social media sites in favour of niche uncensored ones like Gab and Telegram, where the exiled bigots had been forced to migrate. Promoting conspiracies and serving as vehicle for hate, as well as being morally troubling, are bad for business. As is so often the case, the direction of market pressure aligns with the public good. This is the market doing what it does best. Those who, like me, believe in the power of the free market ought to drop their fetishisation of individual liberty on this issue and recognise the censorship of harmful speech and the no-platforming of contrarian morons as the valid market forces they are For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect. It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly. Trump on Twitter, April 13 Trumps tweet comes as he weighs whether to extend his stay-at-home guidelines, which expire April 30, a decision he has described as the biggest decision Ive ever had to make. Reopening businesses, schools and public facilities is a decision with major implications for public health, the economy and education. But Trumps tweet is misleading because governors do have power to shut down and reopen businesses and public spaces in their state. Trump has traded barbs with governors during the pandemic, especially over where responsibility lies in securing medical supplies for the states. But governors have largely made their own calls about what to close down. Its not surprising, then, that governors pushed back against Trumps comments on who has authority to "open up the states." Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and chair of the National Governors Association, said on CNN: "Governors made decisions to take various actions in their states based on what they thought was right for their states, based on the facts on the ground, talking with doctors and scientists. And I think individual governors who made those decisions will have the ultimate decision about what to do with their states." New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said on CNN that "all these orders are executive state orders, so therefore it would be up to the state and governor to undo all of that." We contacted the White House to ask for evidence behind Trumps claim and did not get a reply. Governors have power to issue closures On March 16, Trump issued guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19, which included recommendations on social distancing and to "listen to and follow the directions of your state and local authorities." But it was the governors who issued more specific directives that closed non-essential businesses and many other facilities, such as schools, bars, swimming pools and beaches. Many legal experts and political scientists have said that governors have the authority to make such decisions. States provide licenses for businesses and hold the primary responsibility for making decisions about public health. The simple answer is governors have way more legal authority than the president of the United States to make these decisions about closing and opening facilities, closing and opening the economy, said David Schultz, professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University. University of Texas law professor Robert Chesney told PolitiFact that Trump has no inherent or statutory authority to command the governors to change shelter-in-place or business-shutdown orders. While federal powers are supreme, they are limited in scope, Chesney wrote in the Lawfare Blog in March. State governments are independent entities, not mere subordinate layers underneath the federal government, he wrote. "The federal government cannot commandeer the machinery of the state governments (or, by extension, of local governments)," Chesney wrote. "That is, the federal government cannot coerce the states into taking actions to suit federal policy preference. And so, the federal government cannot compel state and local officials to promulgate different rules on social distancing and the like." No existing federal law including the Public Health Service Act and the Stafford Act can be read to confer such authority on the president, Chesney wrote. And there is little chance that this Congress will pass a law that gives Trump power to override state and local rules. James Hodge Jr., a health law professor at Arizona State University, said the president cant simply command states to re-open. "He can strongly encourage, advise, or even litigate whether states authorities to restrict public movements re: shelter in place or stay home orders are warranted, but cannot tell sovereign governors to lift these orders all at once just because the federal government determines it is high time to do so," he told PolitiFact in an email. There are other ways Trump could pressure governors, tweeted University of Texas law school professor Steve Vladeck. He could pull emergency funding, or call the federal workforce back into work, Vladeck listed as examples. Still, most action has been taken by local authorities. Wendy K. Mariner, Boston University health law professor, said the governors have the authority to end their closure orders, though that isnt the same as ordering them to reopen, which some may not be able to afford to do. Also, in most states, the state legislature can end the emergency declaration if the governor keeps it going beyond the period specified by statute. Trumps tweet raises some practical implications. Congress can pass legislation to regulate interstate commerce, but it would be exceedingly odd for the federal government to require businesses to open. "As a practical matter, such an unprecedented action would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce," she said. Trump also tweeted that hes making a decision "in conjunction with the Governors and input from others." But governors dont necessarily speak with a collective voice, said Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political scientist, who noted that some states have not enacted statewide stay-at-home orders. Though Trump has criticized some governors, he has generally not interfered with their powers. In a press briefing April 10, Trump said that he had faith in Floridas Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to make the right decision about whether to reopen schools in May. "I like to allow governors to make decisions without overruling them, because from a constitutional standpoint, thats the way it should be done," he said. "If I disagreed, I would overrule a governor, and I have that right to do it. But Id rather have them you can call it federalist, you can call it the Constitution, but I call it the Constitution. I would rather have them make their decisions." Our ruling Trump said "it is the decision of the President," not governors, to "open up the states." The White House provided no evidence to show that it is up to Trump and not the governors to reopen the states. The governors used their authority to issue emergency orders to close non-essential businesses and public spaces such as beaches and swimming pools, and they can use their powers to reopen them. Trump can pressure governors to act as he sees fit, but he has not provided evidence that he can decide whether to reopen the states. We rate this statement False. Our sources President Trump, Tweet, April 13, 2020 White House, Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing, April 10, 2020 White House, 15 Days to Slow the Spread, March 16, 2020 Lawfareblog by Robert Chesney, Can the Federal Government Override State Government Rules on Social Distancing to Promote the Economy? March 24, 2020 New York Times, Torn Over Reopening Economy, Trump Says He Faces Biggest Decision Ive Ever Had to Make April 10, 2020 University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck, Tweet, April 13, 2020 CNN opinion Elie Honig, What Trump can and can't do to reopen the US, April 12, 2020 Brookings, Trump or governors: Whos the boss? March 25, 2020 Telephone interview with David Schultz, professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University, April 13, 2020 Associated Press, States Largely Have Authority Over When to Shut Down, Reopen, April 13, 2020 Reuters, Explainer: Trump has little power to restart U.S. economy, April 13, 2020 The Council of State Governments, Gubernatorial Executive Orders Washington Post, Live updates: Sailor from USS Theodore Roosevelt dies of coronavirus complications; White House says Trump wont fire Fauci, April 13, 2020 PolitiFact, Cuomo correctly says no quarantine without state approval, March 20, 2020 PolitiFact, Clarifying whats accurate, and not, in claims about quarantines, March 16, 2020 Telephone interview, David Schultz, professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University, April 13, 2020 Email Interview, Wendy K. Mariner, professor of health law at the Boston University School of Public Health, April 13, 2020 Email interview, Bill Galston, Brookings Institution senior fellow in governance studies, April 13, 2020 Email interview, Chris Cooper, Western Carolina University department of political science and public affairs department head, April 13, 2020 Email interview, Robert Chesney, University of Texas law professor, April 13, 2020 Email interview, James Hodge Jr., a health law professor atSandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, April 13, 2020 Email interview, Thomas Merrill, former general counsel, New York State Department of Health, April 13, 2020. ___ PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Public Joint-stock Company TNS energo Mari El (MCX:MISB) as an investment opportunity by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. I will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward. We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. View our latest analysis for TNS energo Mari El The calculation We have to calculate the value of TNS energo Mari El slightly differently to other stocks because it is a electric utilities company. Instead of using free cash flows, which are hard to estimate and often not reported by analysts in this industry, dividends per share (DPS) payments are used. This often underestimates the value of a stock, but it can still be good as a comparison to competitors. We use the Gordon Growth Model, which assumes dividend will grow into perpetuity at a rate that can be sustained. The dividend is expected to growth at an annual growth rate equal to the 10-year government bond rate of 6.4%. We then discount this figure to today's value at a cost of equity of 13%. Relative to the current share price of 11.0, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate) = 0.8 / (13% 6.4%) = 11.0 MISX:MISB Intrinsic value April 14th 2020 Important assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at TNS energo Mari El as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 13%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Story continues Next Steps: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldnt be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For TNS energo Mari El, We've put together three further aspects you should further examine: Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for TNS energo Mari El (of which 2 are concerning!) you should know about. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every RU stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt. Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Verona Pharma (LON:VRP) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. Let's start with an examination of the business's cash, relative to its cash burn. View our latest analysis for Verona Pharma When Might Verona Pharma Run Out Of Money? A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. In December 2019, Verona Pharma had UK31m in cash, and was debt-free. Importantly, its cash burn was UK34m over the trailing twelve months. So it had a cash runway of approximately 11 months from December 2019. That's quite a short cash runway, indicating the company must either reduce its annual cash burn or replenish its cash. Importantly, if we extrapolate recent cash burn trends, the cash runway would be noticeably longer. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below. AIM:VRP Historical Debt April 14th 2020 How Is Verona Pharma's Cash Burn Changing Over Time? Because Verona Pharma isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage 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 a very significant 86%. While this spending increase is no doubt intended to drive growth, if the trend continues the company's cash runway will shrink very quickly. 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 Can Verona Pharma Raise More Cash Easily? Given its cash burn trajectory, Verona Pharma shareholders should already be thinking about how easy it might be for it to raise further cash in the future. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash to fund 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 UK42m, Verona Pharma's UK34m in cash burn equates to about 80% of its market value. That suggests the company may have some funding difficulties, and we'd be very wary of the stock. So, Should We Worry About Verona Pharma's Cash Burn? We must admit that we don't think Verona Pharma is in a very strong position, when it comes to its cash burn. Although we can understand if some shareholders find its cash runway acceptable, we can't ignore the fact that we consider its cash burn relative to its market cap to be downright troublesome. After considering the data discussed in this article, we don't have a lot of confidence that its cash burn rate is prudent, as it seems like it might need more cash soon. Taking an in-depth view of risks, we've identified 4 warning signs for Verona Pharma that you should be aware of before investing. 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. Chartered flights could be used to transport up to 1,500 seasonal workers into Ireland to pick fruit and vegetables through the summer and early autumn. With travel restrictions in place across the EU due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fruit and vegetable growers have been in touch with Government to secure clearance for the workers to enter the country. The vast majority of the pickers who work on Irish farms each year come from Romania and Bulgaria. However, with only a restricted schedule of commercial flights now available to these countries, the possibility of chartering airplanes to bring in workers is being considered. The EU has defined seasonal farm labour as essential workers and they are therefore allowed to travel within the Union. Germany recently relaxed the rules and is allowing 80,000 seasonal workers into the country from Eastern Europe during April and May. The vast majority of the labour used on Irish fruit and vegetable farms pick strawberries and raspberries from May. Broccoli and iceberg lettuce are two other crops that require significant numbers of workers. While close to 500,000 Irish people have lost their jobs recently due to the pandemic, sources in the fruit and vegetable sector explained that many of the Bulgarian and Romanian workers have been employed on the same Irish farms for years and are fully trained and experienced. Farm owners say that low margins in the vegetable and fruit sector meant that employing experienced staff was essential. Due to the rules around Covid-19, foreign workers coming to Ireland will need to self-isolate for two weeks following their entry to the country. "It is very important to stress that the workers will be following all guidelines issued by the Government in relation to Covid-19," an industry official said. In light of the additional restrictions and protocols that are required due to the Covid-19 crisis, IFA president, Tim Cullinan, said growers had incurred considerable extra costs. Mr Cullinan called on retailers to "dig deep in recognition of the extra costs and considerable effort from growers" which ensure locally-produced fresh produce is supplied to supermarkets. The IFA has also engaged with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) in relation to sourcing workers from among those who lost their jobs recently or students who are off from college. Meanwhile, British farmers have estimated that up to 70,000 seasonal workers are needed to pick fruit and vegetables this summer and autumn. A massive increase in the number of British people expressing an interest in working on fruit and vegetable farms has been reported by employment agencies. However, the expectation is that significant numbers of workers from Eastern Europe will still be required by British farmers this year. There are 27 listed firms in SCICs divestment proposal, including Bao Viet Holdings (HSX: BVH), Bao Minh Insurance (HSX: BMI), Tien Phong Plastic (HNX: NTP), and Binh Minh Plastics (HSX: BMP). On the other hand, SCIC is a major shareholder owning more than 50 per cent of capital in a string of other companies on the list, for example VNSteel (94 per cent), Vietnam Plastics (66 per cent), Seaprodex (63 per cent), and A Chau Food Technology JSC (79 per cent). In the first two months of this year, only VND79 billion ($3.43 million) of state capital was divested at four businesses. Last year, SCIC offloaded VND82 billion ($3.57 million) state capital in 12 businesses, taking back VND314 billion ($13.65 million) in proceeds, equal to 3.8 times the initial value. SCIC is looking to stage near a hundred divestments of varying scales this year The situation is attributable to two major reasons which are the stock market sliding into the doldrums and the introduction of a more stringent capital divestment scheme. This is expected to still drag on this year, Nguyen Duc Chi, chairman of SCIC told VIR in a previous interview. The market will likely get worse this year due to the implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Despite our efforts to announce auctions and completing the necessary procedures, many cases failed due to the lack of attention from investors, Chi added. SCIC aims to achieve a tally of VND6.916 trillion ($300.7 million) in revenue, up 6 per cent on-year, and pre-tax profit of VND4.839 trillion ($210.4 million), contributing VND3.470 trillion ($150.87 million) to the state budget. The donations from PepsiCo Vietnam, including food and other essential items, will be handed out every three days during the Millions of Meals programme Through the Millions of Meals programme, the funds will help provide nutritious meals to groups at risk of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Vietnam, as part of PepsiCos global Give Meals, Give Hope initiative. The programme was launched yesterday (April 13) in partnership with the Central Committee of Vietnam Youth Federation, as a response to the prime minister's current call for to leave no one behind to support the hardest-hit communities. The Millions of Meals programme seeks to inspire the business community and society to join hands in creating one million meals or more for vulnerable communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of millions of people worldwide. But this impact has been acutely felt by those most vulnerable in society and those on the very front lines of this crisis in our health and social care services. At PepsiCo, we want to use our expertise in food to make sure were playing a part in the national relief effort. I do hope that by joining hands with communities and the youth nationwide in Vietnam, this Millions of Meals programme will grow stronger and together we will combat the effects of COVID-19. Wei Wei Yao - Senior vice president and general manager, Asia, PepsiCo PepsiCo Vietnam and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages gave out VND7 billion ($304,350) for food packages, with an additional VND1.8 billion ($78,260) worth of products donated from its brands to initiate the Millions of Meals programme in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, before extending the programme to three other cities in Vietnam. The first 200 beneficiaries, who are hemodialysis patients in Thanh Nhan, Hanoi, received 600 food packages for three-day use, delivered by PepsiCo and Suntory volunteers and members of the Vietnam Youth Union. Besides, 600 other food packages have been delivered to underserved communities in Ward 1, Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City. Additional food packages will be delivered in Danang, Haiphong, and Can Tho in the coming weeks. In addition, PepsiCo Vietnam has also committed VND4.7 billion ($204,350) to support frontline hospitals in five locations in Vietnam. Specifically, the beverage giant will work with local non-profits nationwide to provide additional medical supplies to individuals in need and support local communities where it operates. Not only in Vietnam but globally, PepsiCo and The PepsiCo Foundation have committed more than $45 million so far to combat the impacts of the devastating coronavirus by providing vital local humanitarian support as well as distributing more than 50 million nutritious meals worldwide. The Millions of Meals programme is one example of how PepsiCo is providing critical support to communities affected by COVID-19 around the world, and is partly funded by The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo. As one of the leading global food and beverage companies, PepsiCo is working closely with the public sector to help stabilise food and beverage supply operations and help meet consumers needs with products available in the market. While Mazda broke a lot of hearts when it decided and announced that it wont develop a Mazdaspeed6 based on the outgoing Mazda6, recent talk about a driving dynamics-oriented new-generation Mazda6 has got our blood pumping. If this info is accurate, the Mazda6 will be an out-and-out drivers car The 6, just like the 3, have seen a spectacular improvement over the years as Mazda has focused on climbing the ladder to a more upmarket area. The rise of Mazda has seen a lot of improvements inside and outside the cabin of its cars, as well as under the hood, after the divorce with FoMoCo. According to Car and Driver, though, the new Mazda6 is slated to debut in 2022 with a German twist, in the sense that the mid-size sedan is en route to receiving a longitudinal-engine platform with rear-wheel drive and an inline-six. Well, how about that? The same outlet goes on to say that the new 6 will get Mazdas Skyactiv-X gasoline engine, albeit in an electrified flavor thanks to a 48-volt hybrid setup a la Mercedes-Benz. Whats more, in implementing the technology, Mazda might ask for a helping hand from Toyota, which will want to use the hybridized Skyactiv-X inside the likes of Lexus IS and RC. Obviously, Mazda hasnt released any official info to support or deny these rumors, but hear this out: Car and Driver believe the new hybrid powertrain might churn out in the region of 350 horsepower and, for what its worth, it could also power a two-door, coupe version of the new Mazda6. Look at it from any angle you wish, but this is exciting news. Couple that with the fact that the new 6 will take a lot after the sleek 2017 Mazda Vision Coupe shown in Tokyo and youve got the recipe for a well-rounded car thats, at least on paper, able to tick all the boxes on a customers shopping list. However, its also interesting to see how Mazda manages to offer a cabin thats roomier or at least on par with the 6s rivals, as well as same levels of storage space - as we know very well that Mazdas are generally behind their counterparts in the practicality department specifically due to the attractive body kits they flaunt. Intrigued to know your pets DNA? These kits will help you learn their breed and any underlying health issues. (Getty Images) Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. There is nothing more entertaining than watching your pet while away the hours chasing their tail, or just observing their movements. While you may think you have your dog, or cat, sussed out, their behaviours may not always match their breed. Others may be wondering what their pets make-up really is, or if they have any underlying health issues, especially if they have been adopted. There are super easy ways to find out your furry friends DNA, without being too invasive. Cat owners can buy a basic test, which only requires your felines saliva to find out more about its genetics. The Basepaws test comes complete with a swab, which you brush around the inside of their mouth, before sending off to the LA laboratory to be assessed. Buy it: Cat DNA Test Kit | $99 (78.93 GBP) from Basepaws Cat DNA Test Kit The results will then come back to you within six to nine weeks. While those living in USA will receive free shipping, for an added cost of $15, which is approximately the equivalent to 12, the company will ship internationally. For those who want to know more about their pooch, can buy a DNA kit especially for dogs on Amazon for just 55.99. Wisdom Panels 2.0 DNA test has been recognised as the worlds leading DNA test for canines. This test assesses your pets DNA across a database containing over 350 breeds and varieties. Similar to the Basepaws creation, Wisdom Panels test requires you to take a swab of your dogs mouth before sending it off, after which you will receive an in-depth report. The report will include a detailed description of the breed, as well as a three-generation family tree, weight profile and nutrition guidance. Buy it: Wisdom Panel 2.0 Dog DNA test | 55.99 from Amazon Wisdom Panel 2.0 Dog DNA test The Wisdom Panels test has received glowing reviews from customers, as one praised it for its accuracy, although some have noted some limitations in the kit. Story continues They shared: Spot-on. Correct without any input from us about size or anything. Another customers review read: Easy to use DNA test for dogs. Consists of a couple of swabs used for obtaining cells from dog's gums, plus a postage-paid envelope for sending to the laboratory. That done, a few days later (although it can be 2-3 weeks if I remember correctly) details of the dog's ancestry can be accessed through a web-site, together with estimated weight range for the type of dog, and estimated life-expectancy. There are some limitations in the database and algorithm, so it may not provide complete information...Very impressed. While the world is busy dealing with a global pandemic brought by the deadly coronavirus, Meghan Markle is reportedly considering the offer to sit down for a tell-all interview in exchange for a whopping $1.2 million. According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex has been offered the said massive amount by a US-based television network if she will spill the tea on her and Prince Harry's controversial decision to step down as senior members of the royal family. In case she accepts the offer, it will be the much-anticipated and biggest interview of the decade. It is also expected to echo Princess Diana's famous 1995 television interview with Martin Bashir, where she dished all the dirt about her failed marriage with Prince Charles. A source close to the 38-year-old former "Suits" actress said that Meghan is considering to accept the interview as her way to win back the public enthusiasm. "Now she's very much her own boss, and it has put her under pressure feeling that the public have lost their 'love' for her and Harry after they took the big step of going on their own," the source told a UK news outlet. Public Warning While a no-holds-barred interview may sound like a good idea to redeem Meghan and Harry's reputation, some people think it is a very risky decision. Twitter users warned the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to avoid having such kind of interview as it may only backfire on them. "Not a good idea. It's backfired on so many Royals when they tried to 'tell their side' (most recently Andrew of course but Charles & Diana also)," Twitter user @TheRoyalCrownUK said. Others said that if Meghan's objective is to win the public's trust, then an explosive interview would not work. But if the motivation is to earn money, it could work but will still stain her image. "If she does the tell-all, it really doesn't set the best example. Everyone will believe she really did marry Harry for money and publicity," another Twitter user added. Previous Royal Tell-All Interviews Back in 1995, Prince Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales also did a historical tell-all interview with Martin Bashir. While the public admired her for such bravery to spill the tea, royal author Penny Junor said that it did not sit well with the royal family. Penny said that the interview led to Queen Elizabeth losing her patience with her daughter-in-law. "The Queen finally lost her patience. This public mud-slinging wasn't just harming the monarchy, it was damaging for the young princes," the royal author said. Prince Andrew also recently had a bombshell interview with BBC to clear his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. But instead of clearing his name, the messy interview also backfired at him and received major backlash from the public. A few days after the said interview, the Duke of York decided to step down from his royal duties due to the height of the controversy. Ukraine halves deficit of foreign trade in goods in two months, China becomes biggest partner 23:30, 14.04.20 20982 Ukraine traded with partners from 206 countries and regions. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has instructed all concerned officials to pay more attention to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area as there are more COVID-19 patients in the region than anywhere else in Telangana. KCR, according to a release by the CMO on Monday, has advised that Hyderabad City should be divided into zones and each of them should be treated as a separate unit which will then function under the guidance of a special officer. "More cases are getting registered in the Greater Hyderabad area. In Hyderabad there are more chances of the persons with positive cases quickly spreading it to others. Hence there should be a special strategy for Hyderabad. Divide 17 circles in the city as 17 units. In every unit, appoint a special medical officer, municipal officer, police officer, revenue officer. The entire Municipal administration department should involve themselves in the prevention of the coronavirus programme... Appoint senior medical officers to the 17 circles," the CM instructed. The CM held a high-level review meeting on measures taken to contain the spread of coronavirus, implementation of lockdown and other issues on Monday at Pragathi Bhavan in which Health Minister Etela Rajender, Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, and DGP Mahender Reddy among others participated. The officials informed the Chief Minister that there were 32 new coronavirus positive cases in the State and one death took place on Monday. They also said that infrastructure was ready in the State to conduct upwards of thousand tests on a daily basis. The CM also advised the Health Minister, Municipal Administration Minister and other senior officials to review the GHMC area circle-wise every day from the Pragathi Bhavan and asked for necessary action to follow the review meeting. As per the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Telangana government, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stood at 472 as of 10 pm on April 13. 103 patients have been cured and discharged in the State, while 17 deaths have been reported due to the infection so far. GHMC, with 216 active cases, has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the State. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India plans to completely fill its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) by the third week of May by moving about 19 million barrels into the sites by then, the managing director of the countrys SPR said on Tuesday New Delhi: India plans to completely fill its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) by the third week of May by moving about 19 million barrels into the sites by then, the managing director of the countrys SPR said on Tuesday. India is moving the oil to the SPR to help the countrys refineries reduce their excess crude as the lockdown to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, has dented transportation and industrial fuel consumption in Asias third-largest economy. Indias fuel demand in March declined by 17.8 percent, the lowest in over two decades. India will be diverting cargoes for loading in April already bought by refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. The refiners cut their crude processing after local fuel demand collapsed and are unable to store the excess oil themselves. As of now the plan is to fill the caverns by (the third week of May), before the arrival monsoon rains. We are buying oil from state refiners, H.P.S. Ahuja, the managing director of the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd said. ISPRL is responsible for building and filling of SPR sites. ISPRL wants to receive the cargoes before Indias monsoon begins in May as the single point mooring system that can unload very large crude carriers (VLCC) at the port of Mangalore, which will feed two SPR sites, is shut during the three-month rainy season. Reuters last month reported India planned to buy oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia to fill its SPR to gain from low prices. We are taking advantage of low oil prices, he said, adding most of these cargoes are linked to official selling prices (OSP) for April. Saudi Arabia drastically cut its OSPs for April to boost its oil sales after major producers failed to agree to extend a supply curtailment agreement that expired at the end of March. Ahuja said ISPRL hopes to receive the last oil cargo on 21 May, while IOC supplied a VLCC containing oil from the UAE on Monday. The SPR is divided between three locations in southern India and can store about 37 million barrels of oil, equivalent to about 9.5 days of Indias oil demand. A portion of the SPR is already filled. The federal government has allocated about Rs 3,800 crore ($498.18 million) for the oil purchases, he said. The situation prompted some kind of show of solidarity for the health care community and other essential workers, she said. After generating ideas from messages on Facebook about the need for individuals to display support, she turned to making signs and raising proceeds for the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund. HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's largest tech event Slush, which was scheduled for November 2020, said on Monday it has decided to cancel the conference due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Founded in 2008, Slush, which gets its name from the typical Finnish weather late in the year, has grown into the largest startup event in Northern Europe, gathering around 20,000 people to Helsinki in November or December. "It would have been irresponsible to overlook the possible financial ramifications not only to Slush, but also to our partners, vendors, and visitors, (in the case that we were) forced to cancel the event closer to November," Slush Chief Executive Miika Huttunen said in a statement. Slush, which is a meeting place for startup companies and venture capitalists, said it was working on alternative ways to connect startups with investors and to facilitate their collaboration with corporations. "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, startups are now facing unprecedented challenges, and help is needed perhaps more than ever," Huttunen said. (Reporting by Tarmo Virki in Tallinn; Editing by Anne Kauranen and Jan Harvey) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:58:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, communicates with epidemiological investigation workers at a community in Wuchang District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 14, 2020. Sun, who is leading a central government group to guide the COVID-19 epidemic control work in Hubei, on Tuesday inspected on-site epidemiological investigation and COVID-19 containment work at communities, mass transit hubs and farm produce markets in the hardest-hit city by the coronavirus. (Xinhua/Li He) WUHAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have stressed unremitting efforts in taking regular epidemic control measures in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Tuesday inspected on-site epidemiological investigation and COVID-19 containment work at communities, mass transit hubs and farm produce markets in the hardest-hit city by the coronavirus. Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was leading a central government group to guide the COVID-19 epidemic control work in Hubei. According to Sun, 965 disease control and prevention professionals across the country rushed to Hubei to actively participate in epidemic checks in communities, on-site epidemiological investigations and the management of residential areas, covering 11 million residents. These professionals have provided training to more than 260,000 people, she said. Demanding continuous efforts to carry out epidemic prevention measures including body temperature and health QR code checking in communities, Sun also required strengthened management of asymptomatic cases. A new asymptomatic case should be reported within two hours to local centers for disease control and prevention, and the epidemiological survey should be completed within 24 hours, Sun stressed. The vice premier urged efforts to carry forward a nationwide health campaign, devise specific rules and plans for regular epidemic control and implement daily epidemic containment measures such as ventilation and disinfection. Sun also underlined the need to popularize health knowledge and raise the awareness of self-protection among the public to further consolidate the outcomes in epidemic control. Indore, April 14 : Indore's journey from the country's cleanest city to the corona capital of Madhya Pradesh has run parallel to that of the one man Shivraj Singh Chouhan ministry that runs the state. Before the new government took charge, Indore had not registered any positive coronavirus cases. A day after the BJP replaced the Kamal Nath government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Janata Curfew. That evening saw hundreds of people gathering at the iconic landmark of Rajwada to hail the Prime Minister with the noise of thaalis and taalis on his call to cheer corona warriors. The government and the ruling party shrugs this off lightly. Crucial time to tackle the outbreak was lost because of the change in administration. As it is, the then Health Minister Tulsiram Silwat was among 22 Congress MLAs who had raised a banner of revolt against then Chief Minister Kamal Nath and subsequently quit. The city is a major transit corridor, with at least 70 flights touching Indore's airstrip daily. What is disturbing is that health officials and workers were unable to identify the source of the infection. Many of those who have tested positive don't have international travel history. in the past two weeks, the restrictions have been enforced rigidly. The BJP would like everyone to believe that the blame should be placed solely at the door of Tablighi Jamaat whose members arrived from Delhi and suddenly the scene changed. It could be partially true. But soon it has become clear the government and the ruling party can't afford to be on the same page on the issue. Tuesday's explosion of 83 coronavirus cases at Indore out of 127 overall in the state says it all. Indore also accounts for 37 out of the 53 deaths in the state. Indore witnessed the death of two doctors in two days last week. The Chief Minister knew them and was effusive in homage. One of them, Dr Shatrughan Panjwani, was reportedly treating many people in a crowded clinic and succumbed to the virus. He had thrown caution to the winds. On Tuesday, one of his assistants was found in the Tikamgarh district infected by the virus. How did he travel to Tikamgarh hundreds of kms from Indore when no travel was being allowed? If he had travelled even before the restrictions were enforced, then the virus must have spread far and wide. Four days after Chouhan took charge transfer orders were issued for Indore Collector Lokesh Jatav and Deputy Inspector General of police Ruchivardhan Mishra. Amid this political drama, the mechanism to combat the virus, plan to establish labs for testing samples and create isolation wards in hospitals for suspected coronavirus people remained disrupted. Indore has also been the transit point for thousands of daily wage earners from Madhya Pradesh who have travelled to Gujarat and have returned to their homes after the lockdown in huge crowds on all modes of transport. Some were packed tightly in small auto rickshaws travelling through hundreds of kilometres. The government refuses to acknowledge this as a possible cause for the spread of the virus. Fake messages on social media instilled fears in the minds of the minority community. Instead of opening up about the symptoms of the disease, they clammed up. Tatpatti Bakhal, densely populated with minority community people became a hotspot for the disease and a flashpoint for communal violence. This is where stones were pelted at a team of health officials who went to screen suspected coronavirus cases. "This was not our first visit to the place," said Dr Trupti Katdare, who was among those who had been attacked. The police came in the nick of time and rescued them. Another doctor Zakia Khan who was also injured in stone pelting has been a regular visitor in the past. Trouble makers had charged the atmosphere in the area. The state government has taken strict action and has arrested several people in connection with this attack. The team did not face any problem when it visited the area again, but the negative publicity about the area has caused a big scar. Chief minister Chouhan does admit there was delay in assessing the situation in Indore. A week after. he acknowledged that the city is still struggling to come to terms with the crisis. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi: Zoya Akhtar's 'Made In Heaven' web-series released in March last year. It received all the love from the viewers and was hailed as being bold, original and long-awaited on the Indian digital domain. After one year and amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak which has called for a complete lockdown in the country, people are binge-watching old shows, movies and web-series. So, if you liked 'Made In Heaven', then there's good news in the store you for! Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has started scripting of 'Made In Heaven' season 2. And she shared a glimpse of her writing on social media as well. 'Made In Heaven' introduced former beauty queen and Sobhita Dhulipala into the world of acting on OTT platform. Arjun Mathur as one of the leads found a solid fanbase as well. Actors like Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh, Shashank Arora, and Shivani Raghuvanshi were hailed for their performances and managed to impress one and sundry. If you haven't watched 'Made In Heaven' as yet, make most it during this quarantine and self-isolation period and go binge-watch all the episodes. We guarantee, you won't be disppointed! BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 Trend: The system of issuing permits for movement created in Azerbaijan due to the introduction of the coronavirus quarantine regime, has caused interest in a number of countries, Trend reports referring to a message from ASAN Service, a state agency for public services to citizens of Azerbaijan. Many countries, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the UAE had already expressed their intention to apply this system domestically. Owing to the joint activity of the E-Government Development Center under the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan (ASAN Service) and the Interior Ministry, System for issuing and monitoring permits during the application of a special quarantine regime was developed. In order to ensure movement of the employees of related state and private organizations,Azerbaijan provides issuing of permits for movement of the persons. The movement restriction has been imposed in the country within a special quarantine regime which is used to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan has made such a decision in connection with 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. The following persons are allowed to move after an employer has provided information about them: - employees of state bodies, state-owned legal entities, including public legal entities created on behalf of the state; - employees of enterprises and organizations, the operation of which is permitted in the directions established by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated March 30, 2020 No. 120, and individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities without creating a legal entity, and their employees; - employees required to ensure the protection and technical safety of private legal entities, the operation of which is not permitted. - volunteers of the ASAN Volunteers Public Association, the Regional Development Public Association, the Agrarian Development Volunteers Movement, Bir volunteer students, volunteers of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan. WASHINGTON Closed for the first time in 28 years, the entrances to the sprawling Foxwoods Resort Casino are now blockaded. Ninety-nine percent of the resorts more than 5,000 employees are on furlough. The resorts CEO resigned. Each week, the closure costs the Mashantucket Pequot tribe over $5 million, said tribal chairman Rodney Butler, while all revenue is wiped away. Now, like so many businesses, Connecticuts two tribal casinos are eyeing federal aid to help them survive the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. The tribes participated in talks with the Department of Interior regarding federal support available for reservations and theyre also considering going after a portion of the $425 billion in corporate loans the coronavirus stimulus bill made available. As one of the industries thats been hardest hit in the initial wave of the social distancing measures, we appreciate the federal response and will explore every option available to us, said Chairman James Gessner, of the Mohegan Tribe, which operates Mohegan Sun. The problem is not unique to Connecticut. Across the country, casinos have shuttered their doors, but in some states, they maintain limited revenue through online gambling sources. Some larger casino operators say they have the cash to ride out the outbreak, but for some regional and tribal operators, coronavirus is likely to prove a calamitous hit particularly for small New England casinos that have already seen revenues decline as Massachusetts casino competition grows. Theyve clearly been hurt, said Rich McGowan, an associate professor at Boston College who studies the gambling market. Help may come to Connecticut casinos in the form of federal aid. Casino operators lobbied Congress and met with President Donald Trump to win aid in the recent federal coronavirus stimulus package. This aid was not previously available to casinos during the 2009 recession. Its part of the sin industries, McGowan said. You tolerate the casinos because of the amount of money they give to the government, but the last thing you want to do is the government giving them money to keep them open, thats the rationale. But this time, casinos could argue that they were mandated to close by state governments and should be eligible for federal assistance. Casinos can also qualify for federal employee retention tax credits if they keep their employees on the payroll and defer their portion of Social Security taxes, among other benefits. Past federal responses to natural disasters and financial crises excluded gaming companies from assistance available to the rest of the business community. Some called to do so again in the CARES Act, Bill Miller, CEO of the American Gaming Association, said in a statement. The AGA convinced lawmakers that gaming deserves the same access to economic relief available to every other industry. MGM Resorts International, which has casinos in Springfield, Mass., Las Vegas, Yonkers, N.Y., and other locations, will not take direct financial aid from the federal government, Bloomberg News reported. The company is paying health premiums through June 30 for employees and has donated to food to local food banks across the country. Wynn Resorts, which operates the new Encore Boston Harbor Resort minutes outside Boston, is examining the provisions of the bill and has not yet made a determination, Communications Director Michael Weaver said. The company said it will pay its more than 15,000 Encore and Wynn employees through May 15. Foxwoods will continue to pay health care costs for its furloughed employees, while it seeks unemployment benefits, Butler said. Foxwoods chief executive officer John James resigned Tuesday, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council announced Tuesday. James left the job to spend more time with his family, a statement from the council said. Native American tribes, some of which operate casinos, can also access other aid to support health care and other operations on their reservations. The stimulus bill set aside $8 billion specifically to support increased costs faced by tribal governments. Tribal gaming really is the sole source of revenue, or tax base, for tribes, Butler said. Its a dual-edged sword. Its a loss of revenue at the gaming enterprise that results in expenses that we have to cover continued health care, unemployment, basic utilities that cost us several million dollars a week but it also limits the funding for critical services going back to the government as well. We provide full public safety, we have a court system, health care, education on our reservation similar to any other state. Construction of the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes joint venture, Tribal Winds in East Windsor intended to cut off traffic to MGM Springfield is indefinitely stopped due to the coronavirus, Butler added. Slashed casino revenues is another blow for state coffers because many states tax gambling transactions. In Connecticut, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods pay a quarter of their slot machine revenue to the state. So far in 2020, Foxwoods contributed about $9 million to the state in January and February, and Mohegan Sun about $11 million both of those months, data from the state Department of Consumer Protection shows. Data from March is not yet available. In 2019, total casino contributions to Connecticut were $113 million from Foxwoods and $142 million from Mohegan Sun, state data shows. Those payments will undoubtedly be lower in 2020. Like slot revenues, these payments have already declined tens of millions since the early 2000s, state data shows. Its another bad hand for Connecticut, struggling under rising costs from COVID-19, while state revenue sources contract. The states get more addicted to gambling revenue than I think any gambler does, McGowan said. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson Cargo trucks stand idle along a road in northern Myanmar's Kachin state after being denied entry to Yunnan province by Chinese authorities amid border restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, April 13, 2020. Chinese border authorities are not letting cargo trucks from Myanmar pass through a key entry point into China from northern Myanmars Kachin state under a new cross-border cargo policy to control the spread of the coronavirus, drivers and a state government official said Monday. The 300 trucks that transport bananas and watermelons to China each day via a border crossing in the Myanmar town of Lweje near Longchuan County in southwest Chinas Yunnan province were not permitted to enter China on Monday, drivers said. Chinese authorities have restricted their drivers from entering Myanmar and since April 1 have required Myanmar traders in abutting northern Shan state to pay Chinese drivers 10 yuan each (U.S. $1.40) to transport truckloads of rice and fruit from border crossings to local cargo facilities, RFA reported on April 10. Now, truck drivers say, Chinas policy of handing over their vehicle keys to Chinese drivers is being enforced at border crossings in Kachin state. Previously, Myanmar drivers could enter Chinese territory in our trucks, but now they are not letting us drive the trucks, said truck driver Ye Min Zaw. Chinese drivers drive them from the border to the Chinese towns. Chinese authorities said only Chinese drivers can drive the trucks on the China side, but Myanmar truck owners are worried that they may damage their vehicles, he added. Another cargo driver, Ko Oo, echoed the sentiment. The trucks that the Chinese use in their country are not the same as those we use in our country, he said. As they dont know about our trucks, we are worried that our trucks will be damaged or break down, and that we might lose them because the trucks are very expensive. Drivers and owners alike are worried about it, he added. Kan Paik Ti crossing Government officials meanwhile have met with Chinese authorities to try to resolve the issue and come up with alternatives. We have talked to the Chinese authorities about letting Myanmar drivers drive their trucks into Chinas territory through the Kan Pite Tee [Kan Paik Ti] border crossing, offload the goods, and return within 24 hours, said Zaw Win, Kachin states minister for immigration and human resources. In March, the Kachin state government signed a memorandum of understanding with a majority Chinese-owned development company to create a border trade zone in Kan Paik Ti township in the city of Waingmaw near the border, the Myanmar Times reported. When completed, the border trade zone will be incorporated into the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a subsection of the massive Belt and Road Initiative. People from both Myanmar and China have been barred from crossing at land border trade gates in Kachin state since the first week of April, though the passages have remained open for cargo traffic. China has refused to let Myanmar drivers pass through entry points in Kachin state since Myanmar announced its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on March 23, though neither side closed the border crossings when the virus began to spread in China. The Myanmar government has restricted travelers from China and elsewhere from entering the country, while Myanmar citizens returning from abroad are permitted back in but subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine to ensure they do not have the virus. On Monday, Myanmar registered 62 confirmed coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases, including four fatalities. Reported by Elizabeth Jangma for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. The World-Herald on Tuesday announced that it has a new publisher. Julie Bechtel, formerly executive vice president of BH Media Group, moves into the role, while current Publisher Todd Sears becomes World-Herald general manager. Bechtels previous role included oversight of The World-Herald. Sears, a Nebraska native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, became publisher in October 2018 and led the paper as it transitioned to management by Lee Enterprises, which then bought The World-Herald and other BH Media properties in a sale concluded in March. His role shifts to leadership of The World-Heralds business operations. Bechtel, an Iowan who attended the University of Iowa, will be a Lee Enterprises group publisher, overseeing The World-Herald and Lees Iowa locations, including the Quad City Times, Sioux City Journal, Waterloo Courier and Mason City Globe Gazette, among others. She was a Lee group publisher before joining BH, having served as president and publisher of The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois, and the Herald & Review in Decatur, Illinois. During her 20 years with Lee Enterprises, she served as publisher in Bismarck, North Dakota; Davenport, Iowa; and Lincoln. Bechtel began her career in 1987 at the Des Moines Register. ABC News Former President Donald Trump, his sister Maryanne Trump Barry and the estate of his late brother Robert Trump tried on Tuesday to convince a New York judge to dismiss a lawsuit by Mary Trump that accused her family of swindling her out of at least $10 million. Attorneys for the Trump siblings argued Mary Trump's claims are time-barred by a six-year statute of limitations and prohibited by legal releases she signed in 2001 when the family settled the estate of Fred Trump Sr., the former president's father. The Trumps also argued Mary Trump possessed "boxes and boxes of information" about the estate settlement that should have given rise to any claims at the time. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 01:05:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FUZHOU, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed and eight others injured after a semi-trailer truck crashed into roadside buildings in east China's Fujian Province Monday, local police said. The accident occurred at about 6:20 a.m. when the truck loaded with concrete pipes lost control on a downward slope of a road and then plowed into roadside buildings in Luoyuan County, the county's public security bureau said. After the accident, local authorities organized an immediate rescue operation and as of 4:00 p.m., the flow of traffic at the spot had been gradually restored. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 650 after 78 fresh infections were reported on Tuesday, while the death toll increased to 28 with the addition of two more fatalities, a health department official said. The count of cases in Ahmedabad rose to 373 after 53 new infections were reported on Tuesday, while in Vadodara, the tally went up to 113 with the addition of six patients, the official said. Two coronavirus patients died in Gujarat, one each in Bhavnagar and Vadodara, taking the toll in the state to 28. A 50-year-old coronavirus positive man with diabetes died in Bhavnagar, while a 58-year-old man with no underlying condition succumbed in Vadodara, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi said. Ahmedabad district has reported the highest number of deaths at 13. Among other districts that reported fresh cases are Bhavnagar (3), Surat (9), Chhota Udepur (2), Anand (1), Mehsana (2), Dahod (1) and Gandhinagar (1). The state also reported recovery of five more COVID-19 patients, taking the number of such people to 59, she said, adding among them two each were from Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad, and one from Surat. As many as eight out of 563 active patients were on ventilator currently, while the health condition of 555 others is stable, Ravi said. "As per our strategy to cover districts which have reported no coronavirus case so far, we tested 660 samples from 14 such districts, out of which only two samples turned out to be positive, both in Banaskantha district," she told reporters. Among them is a five-year-old boy, whose family members had returned from Surat on March 24 and are now under quarantine, the senior bureaucrat said. In the last 24 hours, 1,733 samples were tested for COVID-19. A total 15,984 samples have been tested so far in the state, with 650 coming out positive and no result awaited. "In terms of test per million, Gujarat now stands third after Kerala and Maharashtra," she said. She said out of the 28 deaths reported from the state so far, only two were less than 40 years of age. One of them was a 14-month-old boy, while the other was aged 27. As many as 22 out of the deceased patients had some co-morbid conditions, she said, adding four others, all aged above 60, had no pre-existing illnesses. District-wise, Ahmedabad has reported 373 cases, Surat 42, Rajkot 18, Vadodara 113, Gandhinagar 16, Bhavnagar 26, Kutch and Mehsana four each, Panchmahal, Banaskantha, Dahod and Gir Somnath two each, Chhota Udepur five, Porbandar three, Patan 14, Bharuch 11, Anand 10, and Jamnagar, Morbi, and Sabarkantha at one each. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor react to PM Modi's decision on extending lockdown. Take a look at the tweets After various demands and suggestions from the Chief Ministers of the states, finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3 in the battle to fight COVID-19. Recently, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi came up with a unique way of referring to PM Modis speech comparing it to Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. He added that Modi should have also discussed about GDP allocation and monetary injections but unfortunately no word. Not just Abhishek but many others also shredded PM Modis idea of extending the lockdown. Further, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram also reacted minutes after PM Modis speech and said that the poor class of people are left for the first 21 days and now 19 more days without food and jobs. He added that there is no money and food but still the government is not ready to release food or money. Further, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor also reacted and revealed that though he supports PMs decision on the lockdown, he should have also announced something important about serious reliefs. Also Read: Coronavirus India: Take care of elderly, download Aarogya Setu app, here are the 7 guidelines issued by PM Modi regarding lockdown 2.0 But beyond the lockdown, what was new in PMs new year message? It is obvious that livelihood for the poor their survival is not among the priorities of the government. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 I support the announcement by @PMOIndia @narendraModi of #Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states,&aid to sweeten the pill. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 14, 2020 Apart from the Congress leaders, Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal also reacted on Modis decision and announced that the national capital will purely abide by the lockdown measures. Further, after Maharastra, Delhi hits the charts at the second position in the number of positive COVIS-19 cases in India with total 1,510 cases and 28 deaths. Further, India reports total 10,363 cases that include 8, 988 active cases with 1,035 discharged from the hospital and 339 deaths. India's total number of #Coronavirus positive cases rises to 10,363 (including 8988 active cases, 1035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/Ie7tMvDstv ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 For all the latest National News, download NewsX App T he majority of Brits support the coronavirus lockdown rules, but many fear years of financial problems as a result, a new poll has found. The survey of more than 2,000 Brits on Easter Sunday found that 48 per cent back the Government's measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. But 84 per cent of those surveyed by YouGov for the Telegraph expected years of economic hardship after the crisis. It comes as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is expected to extend the UK's lockdown measures until May 7. 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 Just 11 per cent of Brits believe the economy will bounce back quite quickly once the pandemic is over, while 45 per cent say it will be weakened for a few years, and 39 per cent believe it will be damaged for many years. It comes as 19 per cent of mainly younger workers have been made unemployed or forced to take a lower salary. Loading.... A similar proportion of people said they are worried about their future and even more said they feel more lonely and unhappy as the mental health impact of the restrictions starts to take its toll. With regards to contracting the virus, only 20 per cent believe it is unlikely that they will catch Covid-19, while 39 per cent rate their chances as 50:50. Thirty-nine per cent of Brits believe the pandemic will claim several million lives across the world, while 26 per cent believe many millions will die. Coronavirus in numbers: UK passes 11,000 deaths Chris Curtis, YouGovs political research manager, said the data showed that the vast majority of Brits are willing to abide by the lockdown measures despite recognising the economic ramifications. People are more accepting of the restrictions than previously assumed, he told the Telegraph. The question is how is it going to look after 12 to 24 weeks. I would suggest that the surprising finding is this willingness to accept. The public are probably going to be more willing to follow these guidelines in the long run even when it becomes harder and damages the economy as it inevitably does. It comes as a staggering 92 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the statement: "I will probably follow the advice of the Government even if I don't agree with it or find it pointless." But, despite the readiness to abide by the rules, 44 per cent feel the Government should have taken a tougher stance and implemented stricter lockdown measures. Mr Curtis added: When it comes to the exit strategy, there is one thing the Government does not appear to have to worry about that is whether the public are going to comply with these measures over the longer term. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:50:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Plasma therapy has so far reduced COVID-19 deaths by 40 percent in Iran, Hassan Abolqasemi, who leads the plasma therapy project for the novel coronavirus in Iran, was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency on Tuesday. "We started plasma therapy some 40 days ago, and to date, 300 people (who recovered from the novel coronavirus) have donated their blood plasma, and the result was a 40-percent decline in the number of deaths," said Abolqasemi. Earlier, authorities in Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Iran's capital Tehran said that they were considering the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma, which may contain anti-bodies to the virus and might be effective against the deterioration of health condition of newly affected patients. Iran on Tuesday reported a total of 74,877 COVID-19 cases, of whom 4,683 have died. Almost 70% of Ukrainians consider the quarantine to be an effective measure to combat the spread of coronavirus, according to a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group during April 10-12. "Nearly 70% think the quarantine introduced is effective, whereas a quarter holds the opposite view," according to the survey. It shows that 61% of those polled consider measures introduced by the authorities to combat the spread of coronavirus to be optimal, whereas 17% think they are too soft. "Fifteen percent are convinced that measures are too stringent. Over the past two weeks, the number of those who consider measures to be too soft has decreased from 28% to 17%, while the number of those who consider them to be too stringent has increased from 7% to 15%," the pollster said. In addition, 55% of those polled consider President Volodymyr Zelensky's response to the threat of coronavirus in Ukraine to be effective, whereas 31% hold the opposite opinion. "With regard to the Ministry of Health, 41% of those polled consider the actions of the agency to be effective, 44% consider them to be ineffective. As for the Interior Ministry, 39% consider the actions of this institution to be effective, 35% consider them to be ineffective, and 25% could not evaluate them. As for the effectiveness of Prime Minister [Denys] Shmyhal's actions, 43% found it difficult to answer, 28% estimated his actions as effective, and 29% as ineffective," the poll shows. The survey was conducted among residents of Ukraine aged 18 years and over in all regions of the country, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. A total of 2,000 respondents were interviewed. The poll's margin of error does not exceed 2.2%. According to the Public Health Center, 3,372 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were registered in Ukraine as of 09:00 on April 14. Ninety-eight people died of the disease, and 119 recovered. A total of 270 new cases have been recorded over the past 24 hours. op New Delhi, April 14 : The Ministry of Ayush on Tuesday issued self-care guidelines for preventive health measures and boosting immunity with special reference to respiratory health, amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The ministry recommended that it will be good to take preventive measures which boost immunity as there is no medicine for COVID-19 as of now. As a part of his 7-point appeal to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also advised everyone to follow the guidelines laid down by the Ministry of AYUSH to help everyone build their immunity and fight against the pandemic. The guidelines are based on measures, recommended by eminent Vaidyas from across the Country as they may possibly boost an individual's immunity against infections. The Ministry said that the recommendations are supported by Ayurvedic literature and scientific publications. The key recommendations are: drinking warm water throughout the day and practising Yogasana, Pranaayama and meditation daily for at least 30 minutes. The Ministry advised having 'Chyawanprash' in the morning and 'golden milk' (milk with turmeric) daily. "Diabetics should take sugar-free Chyawanprash" suggested the Ministry. It stressed taking herbal tea or decoction ('kadha') made from Tulsi (basil), dalchini (cinnamon), kalimirch (black pepper), shunthi (dry ginger) and munakka (raisin) once or twice a day, with jaggery or fresh lemon juice in it for better taste. The ministry also suggested oil therapies such as application of sesame oil or coconut oil or Ghee in both the nostrils. The ministry suggested that steam inhalation with fresh 'pudina' (mint) leaves or 'ajwain' (caraway seeds) can be practised once a day to help during dry cough and sore throat and 'lavang' (clove) powder mixed with natural sugar or honey can be taken 2-3 times a day in case of cough or throat irritation. "These measures generally treat normal dry cough and sore throat. However, it is best to consult doctors if the symptoms persist," said the ministry, adding "These measures can be followed to the extent possible as per an individual's convenience". The advisory does not claim to be treatment for COVID 19. Technology firms including Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon have pleaded that they should not have to pay a newly-imposed UK digital services tax. Trade body TechUK, which represents hundreds of technology companies in Britain including the four giants, said the Government should 'look again' at the new levy. It has asked for 'a bit more breathing space' by liabilities being delayed for a year, with the tax expected to generate 440million for the Treasury. But the plea was criticised today as a 'shameless' attempt to exploit the coronavirus pandemic which has already resulted in more than 11,000 deaths in Britain. Members of staff stand outside the Apple Store on Regent Street in London on March 14 as they tell customers that the shop is shut in response to the coronavirus pandemic The 2 per cent tax came into force this month as the Government tries to clamp down on profits and cash being moved to countries with lower tax levels. It will affect at least 30 firms with more than 500million of global revenues, but TechUK said it fears more companies will be caught by the tax than intended. The new levy will mean California-based Google alone will see 2 per cent of its 1.6billion sales in the UK taxed, bringing in an extra 32million for the Treasury. But the firms have asked that payment should be delayed as the pandemic stretches their resources and provokes concerns about future revenue, reported The Times. TechUK deputy chief executive Antony Walker said: 'HMRC now expects many more companies across the sector to begin allocating resources to determine liability. Packing and processing at an Amazon fulfilment centre in Peterborough in November 2017 'This is all at a time when, due to Covid-19, resources are stretched and future revenue is uncertain. The Government is creating a large degree of uncertainty. 'It would therefore be wise to seek to look again at how the tax has been designed and how and when it should be implemented.' But George Turner, director of investigative think tank Tax Watch UK, said: 'It is pretty distasteful to see lobbyists attempt to use this unfolding tragedy to extract millions from the taxpayer on behalf of their very wealthy clients.' And Alex Cobham, chief executive of campaign group Tax Justice Network, added: 'This is completely shameless of the tech companies even by their low standards.' The Google offices for its UK arm at Granary Square in London are pictured in November 2018 Paul Monaghan, chief executive of tax transparency campaign group Fair Tax Mark, told MailOnline the move by TechUK is 'reminiscent of the two-faced whisperings in the shadows of Big Tobacco over recent decades.' What tech firms are doing during the virus pandemic and how much tax they paid Facebook: Voice and video calls on Messenger and WhatsApp are at more than double usual levels. Facebook's UK arm paid 28million in corporation tax in 2018. It had pre-tax profits of 97million and revenues of 1.6billion. The company is trying to deal with coronavirus conspiracy theories and has given cash grants and advertising credits to thousands of small firms. Amazon: The lockdown has caused a huge leap in online shopping but the company has been criticised for an alleged lack of safety precautions at its warehouses. Amazon's UK division paid 14million in taxes in 2018, when it had a pre-tax profit of 75.4million and a turnover of 2.4billion. It is helping the NHS to predict where ventilators, hospital beds and medical staff will be most needed. Google: Google searches of 'coronavirus' no longer show adverts, suggestions or links to profit-seeking sites. News, government sites, health services and approved advice on prevention are prioritised instead. It has pledged $800million to support small businesses. It paid 44million in corporation tax in 2019. The UK branch recorded 1.6billion in revenue. Apple: Apple paid 3.8million in UK tax in 2018. It had 1.2billion in sales, and its pre-tax profits were 33.7million. The European Commission ruled that Apple's banking of European profits in Ireland is unlawful, and that it must pay 12.3billion in back taxes and interest. Apple is collaborating with Google to add software to smartphones which would make it easier to use Bluetooth technology to track down people who may have been infected. Advertisement He added: 'They are lobbying in the UK to kill the digital services tax, which is already pretty weak-kneed at just 2 per cent of income. 'TechUK is even demanding that the US multinational tech giants should be exempt from the proposals for a new minimum corporation tax in each country, which is designed to undermine the tax dodging of the silicon giants and their use of tax havens.' However a source at one of the tech giants said it was 'really surprised' by TechUK's announcement and it was not something their company wishes to be drawn into. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is currently working to develop a new international framework for how digital companies are taxed. Google, Apple and Facebook declined to comment to MailOnline this morning, while Amazon has also been asked for its response. However a source at Facebook said the statement issued by TechUK 'isn't a statement we support, have signed up to or were consulted on'. They added that TechUK represents hundreds of smaller technology companies, which are likely to be those that the group is thinking of rather than the giants. Last week it emerged Google paid only 44 million in corporation tax in the UK last year while its staff in Britain earned an average of 234,000 per person. Its UK arm spent more than 1billion on pay and bonuses in the year to the end of June 2019, up by a quarter from the 829million figure in the previous year. Google's UK operation is mainly used as the marketing and sales division of its European operation, which is headquartered in Dublin, where taxes are lower. On Saturday, Google and Apple announced a joint effort to help public health agencies worldwide leverage smartphones to contain the pandemic. New software the companies plan to add to phones would make it easier to use Bluetooth technology to track down people who may have been infected. The idea is to help national, state and local governments roll out apps for so-called 'contact tracing' that will run on iPhones and Android phones alike. The technology works by harnessing Bluetooth signals, with contact-tracing apps gathering a record of other phones with which they came into close proximity. Such data can be used to alert others who might have been infected, after the phones' owners get the app and agree to share data with public health authorities. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Despite calls from activists and city supervisors to house homeless people of all ages in hotel rooms after nearly 100 at a San Francisco homeless shelter were found to be infected, city officials on Monday defended their plan to only house those who qualify. So far, the city has secured 2,082 hotel rooms across 13 hotels and has already placed some 750 people in rooms. More hotel rooms will be secured on a rolling basis, according to city officials. The city has maintained the rooms will go to homeless people in the shelter system and to single-room occupancy hotel residents who either have tested positive for COVID-19 or may have been exposed; homeless people who are over 60 or have underlying health conditions, regardless if they're living in shelters or on the streets; and first responders who need to quarantine. Advocates for the homeless and city supervisors, however, have called on the city to place some 8,000 homeless people in vacant hotel rooms, whether or not they're in the shelter system or are part of a vulnerable population. However, Mayor London Breed has cited staffing as the biggest challenge in securing hotel rooms for the city's thousands of homeless residents, many of whom have addiction or mental health needs. "Although we have access to a number of hotel rooms and we have moved hundreds of people out of the shelter system, including every person who was at MSC South, there continue to be challenges," Breed said, citing the shelter where the nearly 100 infections occurred. "The bigger issue here is we have to make sure that we have around the clock staffing because this is like nothing we've ever experienced before," she said. "The reality is the problems that have existed with people who struggle with substance abuse disorder and who struggle with mental illness have not gone away with this pandemic," Breed said. "In fact, it's been so much harder to really care for this population, especially when they won't comply with simple directions or orders that we're implementing. And we have no means in some cases to force them to comply," she said. "So, I just ask for understanding; I ask for patience as we deal with this. Sadly, sometimes leaders in our city put out information that is not entirely accurate. It's not as simple as 'we can do one thing versus another,'" she said. Abigail Stewart-Kahn with the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing said by the end of Monday, the city would have completed placing in hotel rooms all homeless people within the shelter system who fall in the vulnerable population category. In the coming days, the city will begin to move vulnerable homeless people who aren't in the shelter system into hotels. "At this stage in the epidemic, we need to, according to the department of public health, work toward preventing mortality amongst the most vulnerable," she said. Last week at the city's largest shelter, Multi-Service Center South, 91 people tested positive, including 10 staff members and 81 shelters guests. Ninety-one others have tested negative, according to city officials. In response, everyone has been moved out of MSC South so it can be cleaned. Next, the city will convert it into a medical facility, rerouting nurses and other health care workers to care for homeless people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but are not in a vulnerable population and don't require hospitalization. On Monday, homeless activists, including some with the Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco, held a demonstration from inside their cars outside the San Francisco Emergency Operations Center. The activists are calling on the city to provide all shelter residents with COVID-19 testing, as well as to provide all of the city's homeless residents with hotel rooms amid the stay-at-home order, set to last until at least May 3. On Tuesday, supervisors are expected to vote on an emergency ordinance that would require the city to secure by April 26 at least 8,250 private rooms for homeless people on the streets during the stay-at-home order. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A former Darien schools crossing guard has been arrested for possession of child pornography charges in the second degree, according to Darien Police. Daniel Poccia, 66, of Hollow Tree Ridge Road, turned himself in around 1 p.m. Tuesday, accompanied by his Attorney Mark Sherman. Sherman, while declining to comment on specifics of the case, said that his client has no criminal history of any kind. Darien Police also confirmed Poccia has no previous criminal history and was subjected to a pre-employment background check prior to being hired by the Town of Darien. On Feb. 28, a Darien Police officer assigned to the Tactical Investigation Unit of Southwestern Connecticut received a Cyber-Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, indicating that images of suspected child pornography had been downloaded to an IP address located in Darien. An investigation was initiated which included obtaining search warrants to obtain more detailed information about the location and ownership of the IP address. On March 3, an Ex Parte Order for disclosure of records was submitted to the Internet Service Provider for the IP address in question. On March 20, the Internet Service Provider indicated the basic subscriber information belonged to Daniel P. Poccia of Hollow Tree Ridge Road. Police then determined that Poccia was currently employed in a part-time capacity as a crossing guard for the Town of Darien. Poccia was hired as a crossing guard on Aug. 26, 2019, and last worked on March 11, just before Darien Public Schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the next week, officers secured a search and seizure warrant for Poccias residence. On March 31, Darien Police detectives, assisted by patrol officers, searched the house. Officers seized 20 printed images depicting child pornography. Several electronic items were also seized, police said. At this point, Poccia was advised that his employment with the Town of Darien was terminated based on this investigation. Evidence seized from the residence was forensically examined and analyzed. It was determined that no additional evidence related to child pornography were present other than the printed images seized during the execution of the search warrant. At the conclusion of the forensic examination, officers submitted an arrest warrant affidavit to the Stamford Superior Court. On April 14, the arrest warrant was approved and signed by the Honorable Judge White. Poccia was then fingerprinted, photographed, and fully processed for second-degree possession of child pornography. He was released on a $150,000 court set bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 15. Darien Police said there is no evidence to suggest that Poccia had any inappropriate contact with any minors from Darien or any other area, nor is there any evidence that local minors are depicted in the images. Schools Superintendent Dr. Alan Addley could not be reached for comment. No further details are being released pertaining to this investigation, according to police. Sherman said the Covid-19 quarantine has pushed the internet to its legal limits, at times making the line between legal content and illegal dark web content blurry. Connecticut arrests arising from dark web searches are not always the product of an intentional search for illegal child pornography. Some dark web sites can transfer child pornography without the users knowledge. We will investigate these accusations and respond at the appropriate time during the court process, Sherman said. An investigation by the Associated Press has found that sexual abuse of children by Islamic clerics is widespread in religious schools in Pakistan, where many of the country's poorest study. AP documented the cases of abuse through dozens of police reports, as well as interviews with law enforcement officials, doctors, and abuse victims and their relatives. One victim, 8-year-old Yaous from the remote northern Kohistan region, described how the mullah at his Mansehra religious school grabbed his hand, dragged him into a room, and locked the door when the other students had gone out. The boy was held prisoner for two days and raped repeatedly, until he was so sick the cleric feared he would die and took him to the hospital, AP reported, citing the boy, his relatives, and a doctor. At the hospital, examinations by a doctor, Faisal Manan Salarzai, revealed brutal and repetitive assaults. The cleric has since been arrested. Another victim, 11-year-old Misbah from Punjab, said she was raped by a cleric who taught religious classes to young girls in the village mosque. "He suddenly grabbed me and pulled me into a nearby room. I was screaming and shouting and crying," the child recalled. Misbah was rescued by her uncle, Muhammad Tanvir, who heard screaming from inside the mosque and smashed the door down, AP reported. The cleric was arrested but later released on bail. Police officials told AP that sexual abuse of children by clerics was prevalent in Pakistan, but clerics continuously escape conviction as religious groups enjoy enormous clout and often accuse victims of blasphemy or defamation of Islam. Deputy Police Superintendent Sadiq Baloch, in the country's northwest, said the victims' families were often coerced into "forgiving" clerics, fearing shame and stigma in the deeply conservative society. There are more than 22,000 registered madrasahs in Pakistan, teaching more than 2 million children. But there are many more unregistered religious schools that are typically run by a local mullahs in poor neighborhoods, attracting students with promises of meals and free lodging. In Pakistan, there is no central body of clerics that governs madrasahs, nor is there a central authority that can investigate or respond to allegations of abuse by clerics. The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised to modernize the curriculum and make the madrasahs more accountable, but such an overhaul has yet to materialize. With reporting by AP CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously reinstated the convictions of two men who pleaded guilty in 2016 to setting fire to a Parma home. The justices reversed a 2018 decision from a panel of 8th District Court of Appeals judges tossing the mens pleas because Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Janet Burnside told the men they had a right to take the case to trial if they pleaded not guilty. However, the judge did not explicitly tell them they gave away that right when they pleaded guilty. Justice Patrick Fischer, writing for the full court, wrote that Burnside used easily understood words to explain the mens rights, and that common sense showed her comments satisfied the states law requiring judges to advise defendants of their rights. To reach any other result would raise form over substance, Fischer wrote. We refuse to require trial courts to use particular words during the plea colloquy. Shawn Miller, now 29, and William Looby, 31, pleaded guilty in November 2016 to aggravated arson and felonious assault charges that accused them of using gasoline and road flares to light a blaze that engulfed an occupied home on State Road. One man in the home was hurt and required treatment at a local hospital. Several other people in the house at the time were unharmed. Burnside sentenced both men to eight years in prison. Another man, Robert Bailey-Burline, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated arson and attempted felonious assault charges and received a two-year sentence. Lawyers representing Miller and Looby filed an appeal in 2017, arguing that Burnside did not explicitly advise them that they were waiving their Constitutional right to go to trial and to confront his witnesses by pleading guilty. A transcript from Miller and Loobys plea hearings showed that Burnside said the men had those rights, but did not come out and say that they were giving them up by admitting their guilt. In a 2-1 vote at the 8th District, judges Eileen T. Gallagher and Kathleen Ann Keough sided with Miller and Looby. Then-Judge Melody Stewart said in a dissenting opinion that she would have upheld the convictions. The full 8th District panel refused to revisit the panels decision, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalleys office appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court. Stewart, elected to a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court bench in 2019, recused herself from considering the appeal. Tenth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Sadler heard the case in her place. Read more stories Ohio AG files price-gouging lawsuit against Chagrin Falls man accused of hoarding N95 masks needed for coronavirus response Fourth inmate dies at sole federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus spreads among inmates, staff Medina County Domestic Relations Court gets grant to hold video hearings during coronavirus pandemic Groups seek release of hundreds of inmates from Ohio federal prison where 3 inmates died from coronavirus Eleven Ohio prisons under full quarantine as coronavirus spreads among inmates, guards President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone conversation with Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and thanked for the humanitarian assistance provided to Ukraine. The Head of State thanked the UAE for its humanitarian assistance - high quality means of protection for health workers, as well as for the assistance in the return of thousands of Ukrainian citizens from the UAE and other countries, the press service of the Head of State reports. Thank you very much for the humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian doctors in combating the spread of coronavirus, which will save numerous human lives. The United Arab Emirates is an example of an effective fight against the pandemic, Volodymyr Zelensky said. The President offered to intensify the joint efforts of Ukraine and the UAE in the fight against the spread of coronavirus in the world. The interlocutors discussed separately the prospects of trade, economic and investment cooperation, in particular in the field of agriculture, development of road and medical infrastructure in Ukraine. "Coronavirus should not destroy international trade and economic ties between the countries. Building infrastructure is critically important for Ukraine, first of all modern hospitals and high-quality roads. After coronavirus, life will go on and we can plan investments now, the President of Ukraine said. The Office of the President reminds that on April 10, 2020, a flight of Etihad Airways arrived at Boryspil International Airport delivering from the UAE 11 tonnes of humanitarian aid and 113 Ukrainian citizens to Ukraine. ol CONVERSE, Ind., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- First Farmers Financial Corp. (OTCQX:FFMR), announced that at its April 14, 2020 board meeting, the Board of Directors approved a plan to repurchase up to $1 million in the Corporation's outstanding common stock on the open market during the second quarter. The timing, price, and quantity of purchases under the stock repurchase plan will be at the discretion of management and may be discontinued, suspended or restarted at any time. The program will be funded from current available working capital. The board feels the stock repurchase plan will provide capital management opportunities and add value for the Company's shareholders depending upon market and business conditions. First Farmers Financial Corp is a $2.0 billion financial holding company headquartered in Converse, Indiana. First Farmers Bank & Trust has 29 offices throughout Carroll, Cass, Clay, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vigo and Wabash counties in Indiana and 6 offices in Coles, Edgar and Vermilion counties in Illinois. As of April 14, 2020, the Corporation had 7,115,907 common shares outstanding. SOURCE First Farmers Financial Corp. Related Links http://www.ffbt.com The novel coronavirus will have a significant impact on the global economy, the regional economy and on the national economy. There are a variety of ways it will affect the economy, including a slow down or complete halt of production activities, restrictions in the movement of people to work and to places of socialisation and debilitating supply chains. REGINASaskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the government may soon release a plan on reopening the economy if COVID-19 case numbers remain low. The Ministry of Health announced two new cases on Monday, bringing the total in the province to 300. Moe said residents cant become complacent, but the current infection rate seems to be flat and the government can start thinking about what reopening parts of the province will look like. There is no magic switch that we can flip that sends everything back to normal overnight, he told a news conference. Moe said officials will spend this week looking at how to reopen the economy and, if cases remain low, the plan will be released sometime next week. When officials do start lifting restrictions and reopening businesses, Moe said it will be done gradually. The government would need to see case numbers remain steady over a number of days to a couple of weeks before it starts relaxing restrictions, the premier added. We are only one outbreak away from interrupting those numbers. Saskatchewans chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said the volume of new cases from international travel in the province has decreased. He said officials continue to look at how COVID-19 patients are becoming infected to track the spread. The line of destructive tornadoes that descended on South Carolina Monday was a sucker punch: Amid a pandemic that kept many confined to their houses, a violent wave of storms left at least 200 people suddenly homeless. The twisters spun off a fast-moving wave of severe weather that rolled over two days from Louisiana to North Carolina. In South Carolina, at least nine people died. The total number of tornadoes has not been finalized but the National Weather Service has confirmed nine so far, stretching from the Upstate to the coast. The number of tornadoes will likely rise in the coming days because no twister has yet been confirmed in the coastal area covered by the Weather Service's Charleston office. Employees of the forecasting service can pick out potential rotation in radar but have to take observations on the ground to make it official. While a few of the tornadoes Monday were exceptional, their presence this time of year is not. Spring is prime time for the destructive phenomenon in South Carolina. The state is most likely to get hit, according to historical trends, in April and May. The front that moved in a nightmarish wave across the Southeast followed a common springtime pattern: A cold front colliding with warm moist air out of the Gulf of Mexico spurred the rolling tempest. As early as last week, forecasters with the Weather Service warned a dangerous front was brewing; that signal only got clearer as Sunday approached. In a few cases, the twisters that spun off were more like the long-range powerhouses that tear through the Midwest's Tornado Alley. Richard Okulski, a meteorologist at the Weather Service's Columbia office, said the severe weather event was the most significant in South Carolina since 2008 in a post-storm media briefing Monday evening. The longer tracks of some of the tornadoes, he added, are "a very rare situation that I've only faced working in different parts of the country." One EF3 estimated to reach a wind speed of 140 mph tore a 31-mile path through Barnwell, Orangeburg and Calhoun counties shortly before 6 a.m. It's been blamed for at least two deaths and injuries to seven other people, according to a Weather Service assessment from the Columbia office. With a shorter track, another EF3 twister ripped 16 miles through Seneca. Damage on the ground indicated winds could have reached 160 mph, the Weather Service reported. A tornado with an intensity of EF2 also spun around Murrells Inlet and off the coast, happening to pass over or near a weather-recording station that clocked winds at 114 mph. "For it to pass right over a center like that is pretty unique, but it definitely gives a good picture for how strong winds can be in a tornado," said Michael Kochasic, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C. Though far afield of the Great Plains corridor that's most famous for twisters, tornadoes have long been a threat in South Carolina and have been recorded touching down in every county of the state. In 1879, one tracking from Walterboro to approximately Givhans Ferry leveled more than 100 homes and churches and injured about 60, according to a S.C. State Climate Office timeline of historic severe weather. That office conducted an analysis of tornado trends in 2017 showing that in the 67 years prior, the state averaged about 14 twisters a year. The more intense ones have tended to hew to the Midlands and farther north, but the coast is not immune, particularly because hurricanes can also spur tornadoes. But the occurrence of tornadoes varies wildly from year to year, which can challenge researchers trying to pick out long-term trends. It's still a hot topic of debate how climate change, or the steady increase in temperatures around the world, will affect tornadoes in the United States. Because the warming planet has started to alter the Jet Stream an atmospheric river that flows west to east across the country there's an expectation that the regions and seasons in which tornadoes occur will change, said Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. There's still some disagreement, however, about whether the data are showing any differences yet, Mann said. Some investigators have picked up early signals. Zoe Schroder, a doctoral candidate at Florida State University, has found an increase in "bulk shear" in the lower atmosphere, or changing winds that can lead to rotation. Her professor, James Elsner, also found an increased incidence in wintertime tornadoes in the Southeast in a 2018 study. But the connections to climate aren't yet clear. "It's definitely difficult to say these current changes or these current results were seeing are direct results of climate change," Schroder said. On Sunday, the New York Times published its first piece on Tara Reades sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The article includes an unusually frank explanation of the reporting process that went into it. Lisa Lerer and Sydney Ember, who wrote the piece with support from three other colleagues, explain that their reporting began soon after Reade told her full story on Katie Halpers podcast, which was released on March 25. It took nearly three weeks to get a piece to printSundays NYTimes.com article also ran on Page 20 of Mondays New York edition of the paper. Advertisement Reade was one of several women who accused Biden last year of giving them unwanted and inappropriate kisses, hugs, and touches. In late March, she told Halper he also digitally penetrated her without her consent when she was a staff assistant in his Senate office in 1993. Biden denies the allegation. The Times reporters spent the weeks since the release of Halpers podcast interviewing nearly two dozen Biden employees from the early 1990s and two of Reades friends: One said Reade told her about the alleged assault soon after it happened; the other said Reade shared her story in 2008. Reades brother has also confirmed to journalists at Current Affairs and the Intercept that Reade confided in him at the time of the alleged assault, though he didnt speak to the Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite this corroboration of contemporaneous disclosure from Reade, the Times article registers some notes of skepticism. No other allegation about sexual assault surfaced in the course of reporting, nor did any former Biden staff members corroborate any details of Ms. Reades allegation, the piece reads. The Times found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden. Lerer and Embers unusually detailed description of their reporting timeline reads as slightly defensive but is perhaps a response to the criticism the paper has drawn from both ends of the political spectrum for the lapse between Reades public airing of her claim and the Times first acknowledgment of it. From a certain perspective, the framing of Reades allegation makes sense in the context of the Times own role in the #MeToo movement and the broader landscape of contemporary reporting on sexual assault. Each of the papers major investigations, which have led to a rapists conviction and the end of a serial harassers career, turned up several related stories of sexual violence or inappropriate sexual behavior. A pattern of sexual misconductplus documentation of monetary settlementshelped justify the Times reporting on allegations that hadnt been evaluated in courts of law. Perhaps this helps explain why, instead of reporting on Reades allegation on its own terms, Lerer and Ember made a point of indicating the pattern they didnt find. On the other hand, is that really necessary? If theyd left that qualification out, readers still would have assumed as much: that if the journalists had discovered a pattern of alleged misconduct, they would have reported it. The absence of such reporting indicates a lack of such findings. Advertisement Advertisement Whether they intend to or not, the explicit framing around the lack of pattern ends up making a statement about Reades believability. Not every sexual abuser makes a habit of committing multiple similar assaults in a span of a few years, but in recent years, both readers and reporters have become accustomed to gauging accusers credibility by counting their numbers. If an abuser leaves a trail of survivors in his wake, we demand they all make their allegations known to the press if any one of them is to be believed, in defiance of the personal and professional risks. (Reade says she didnt tell her full story sooner because she was doxed after merely alleging that Biden had harassed her.) Weve been spoiled, in the worst possible sense of the word, by the proliferation of stories detailing yearslong patterns of sexual violations committed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes, Matt Lauer, Bill OReilly, Charlie Rose, and Donald Trump. Weve come to expect every abuser to come with an entire fleet of women giving the same details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lerer and Ember, as they take pains to make clear, have not exposed Biden as a serial sexual abuser. That doesnt mean theres no troubling pattern there. In addition to Reade, several women have accused Biden of treating their bodies as if they were his to touch and acting with complete disregard for their comfort or consent. How might a person who does these things make a sexual advance on a subordinate? With deference and care, or with reckless entitlement? Generally speaking, a man with a healthy regard for womens bodily autonomy does not make a habit of manhandling and infantilizing them in the course of his job duties. When confronted with his accusers versions of events last year, Biden responded by mocking the concept of consent and admitting to nothing more than being a pathologically friendly old-timer. He also tried to erase the gendered aspect of his behavior: Whether theyre women, men, young, old, its the way Ive always been, he said in a video response to the initial allegations. (For the record, no men have accused Biden of inappropriate kisses or squeezes.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At any rate, anyone else who professes certainty about the alleged incident is lyingnobody but Biden and Reade know whether her story is true. This includes deputy Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield, who told the Times in a statement, What is clear about this claim: It is untrue. This absolutely did not happen, and the interns, whom Reade supervised in Bidens office, who the Times takes pains to note did not know about the alleged incident. (Imagine confiding in the interns you manage that your boss just sexually abused you.) If the backdrop of how the journalists reported the story is bizarrely present in the piece, so too is their assessment of why it matters. The Times article attempts to address the inevitable calculus voters will have to make in November by providing a thorough accounting of the pattern of behavior laid out by the more than 20 women whove accused Trump of sexual harassment or assault. Indeed, before they describe Reades allegation in any detail, Lerer and Ember write that the allegations against Trump go far beyond the accusations against Mr. Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Its not wrong to consider how a sexual assault allegation might affect a political candidates chances. But Lerer and Ember chose to forgo any informed political analysis in favor of a simpler comparison: Whose sexual assault allegations are worse? Its a crude calculation that bears little relationship to the way actual voters think or behave. It also suggests that the allegation against Biden primarily matters because hes the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Why else would completely unrelated allegations against a completely different politician have a place in a story about Reade? Advertisement Sexual assault allegations against public figures matter, full stop; their effects on political candidacies should be ancillary concerns. Immediately comparing the sexual assault allegations against one politician with those raised against his competitor is no way to evaluate claims of sexual misconduct, which should be considered on their own terms. One assault allegation from 1993 doesnt seem so bad when its held up against decades of alleged groping, forced kisses, and rape, but is that how we should be assessing the consequences of sexual violence? Advertisement Theres a reason why Trump brought Bill Clintons accusers to a 2016 presidential debate. By reminding voters of another set of sexual abuse allegations, Trump sought to minimize and deflect from his own. There may well be voters wholl choose their vote for president based on who has drawn a longer list of sexual assault allegations, and they should feel free to compare Biden and Trump by that measure. But journalists should know better than to engage in this obfuscating exercise of relativity. For more discussion of the Biden allegation, listen to the latest episode of the Waves. A man riding an electric unicycle at almost 30mph on a main road was pulled over by police for wobbling too much. Officers filmed the extraordinary moment the unicyclist zipped across a roundabout in Gloucestershire on Easter Sunday while looking decidedly unsteady. The powered unicycle was clocked at 28mph by police, who described the man as 'a danger to himself and other road users.' The moment a man riding an electric unicycle zipped across a roundabout at nearly 30mph in Gloucestershire on Easter Sunday, shortly before being stopped by police The man wobbled from side to side on the powered unicycle as he tore along main roads After being pulled over, officers issued some 'words of advice' and took the unicyclist's details. A tweet by Gloucestershire Constabulary said: 'Words of advice and details taken from a male riding a powered unicycle. 28mph+. 'Quedgeley to Moreton Valence via the A38. Danger to himself and other road users. Unstable upright riding at speed. Good use of issue bodycam.' In a reply to another tweet, the police added: 'Full details and contact number, address were taken and strong words of advice also given. A man rides a similar electric unicycle in Madrid during the Covid-19 lockdown this month The four-mile route between the villages of Quedgeley and Moreton Valence, to the south-west of Gloucester, taken by the unicyclist as police followed Gloucestershire Constabulary tweeted about the unicyclist incident over the Easter weekend 'The unicycle was electric charge. Not safe for the conditions of the road and other road users should he hit a pot hole and fall off. If reported in future we have his details.' The journey mentioned between the two villages, located to the south-west of Gloucester is four miles via the A38 and would usually take less than 10 minutes in a car. Electric unicycles, or EUC, have become increasingly popular in recent years. The rider controls the speed by either leading forwards or backwards and steers by twisting the wheel using their feet. They have a mechanism that uses gyroscopes and accelerometers to maintain balance. A police officer has had his hand chopped off by a sword-wielding attacker while he was enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in northern India. Assistant sub-inspector Harjeet Singh was manning the police checkpoint at a vegetable market in Patiala, Punjab state, when a group of Sikhs armed with swords apparently objected to being asked to show curfew passes and rammed their pickup truck through the barricade. A video of the incident, which has been widely shared on social media in India, shows several police officers surrounding the car as it gets stuck on the barriers, but they then retreat as armed men in the blue robes of the Nihang warrior sect emerge from the vehicle. ASI Singh, armed only with a lathi or wooden stick, tried to stand his ground but was struck on the wrist with a sword, and can be seen falling down and crying out in pain. A separate graphic video shows the officer being helped by locals, carrying his own severed hand as he gets on a scooter headed for hospital. The incident took place shortly after dawn on Sunday morning, and has prompted outrage across India after the footage was viewed hundreds of thousands of times online. India has been under coronavirus lockdown for three weeks, and on Tuesday prime minister Narendra Modi gave a national address saying the measures would be extended until 3 May. In his speech, broadcast on TV and radio, Mr Modi urged people to respect and honour coronavirus warriors - including the police and other emergency services. Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of Punjab state and legislative assembly member for Patiala, said ASI Singh was in surgery by 10am on Sunday and underwent a successful seven-and-a-half hour operation to reattach the hand. Mr Singh spoke to the officer via a video call on Monday, he said on Twitter, to wish him a speedy recovery. The composure and bravery with which he spoke today is truly worthy of admiration, the chief minister said. According to local media reports, the men who attacked the police fled to a rural gurdwara, which later became the scene of an armed standoff with the authorities. "Seven persons have been arrested," one of whom suffered gunshot wounds, Punjab director-general of police Dinkar Gupta later told the Press Trust of India. Despite the nature of the attack on their colleague, police carried out the raid on the gurdwara with maryada" (calm/dignity), Punjab's special chief secretary KBS Sidhu. There were also women and children inside, who were unharmed, he told India Today, adding that of the seven arrested, five were believed to be part of the group who launched the unprovoked murderous assault on a police party, with sharp-edged weapons. Dr RK Sharma, head of the plastic surgery department at the Chandigarh hospital where ASI Singh was treated, told the Hindustan Times blood circulation had been restored to the officers hand. The arteries and veins will take two to three weeks to heal, following which he will be discharged. We are expecting 90 per cent recovery, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) The Interior Department has ordered local government units (LGU) to have designated crematoriums to accommodate the remains of COVID-19 related cases. Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said this is to prevent problems concerning the management of unclaimed remains in hospitals like what happened at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City last week. Malaya reiterated that the remains must be cremated within 12 hours after the patient's death except for Muslims who need to buried based on their religious belief. "Na-identify na natin lahat ng Muslim cemeteries in Luzon. And we're giving a heads up to all the Mayors that they cannot deny the burial of a Muslim within 12 hours. Otherwise, we will issue a show-cause order against them gaya ng ginawa namin sa Montalban," Malaya told CNN Philippines. For LGUs without a crematorium in their respective areas, the undersecretary said a cemetery must be designated where the remains will be buried. "Preferred ang cremation pero kung wala naman crematorium, how can we apply that? So it will be the usual standard burial. But should be within 12 hours and should be in sealed cadaver bags," Malaya clarified. Malaya added the local government must shoulder the cremation expenses if the victim is from a poor family. The LGUs have the power to revoke the license to operate crematoriums and cemeteries should they refuse to accommodate those whose death is related to the new coronavirus. And they have also the authority to impose price ceilings. "Ang suggestion namin sa LGUs especially dito sa Metro Manila kasi marami tayong COVID-19 positive patients dito, our suggestion is marami na silang kausap na crematorium, hindi lang isa. Wag silang mag-rely sa sarili nilang crematorium," Malaya said. "They should talk to several para walang backlog. Kasi they need to do the cremation as fast as possible," he added. Malaya said the local government must take care of all those who died within their area of jurisdiction, even if the patient was a resident of another city or municipality. "Kahit hindi mo residente pa yan, for example, taga Quezon City unfortunately namatay sa ospital sa Paranaque or ospital ng Muntinlupa, bahala na si Muntinlupa diyan. Ganon talaga yun, hindi tayo pwedeng maging masyadong bureaucratic about it," the undersecretary clarified. Local government action In Valenzuela City, Mayor Rex Gatchalian told CNN Philippines that since the beginning of the enhanced community quarantine, they already signed a memorandum of agreement with a crematorium in the city to handle the remains of COVID-19 related cases. Gatchalian said the crematorium management even agreed to lower the price of the cremation services provided that the local government supplies the protective gear and training for the staff. "We struck a deal with the Ever Memorial wherein they are going process two cremations a day, sometimes three depending on the load. In return, they give us a discount at cost na yun, P10,000 which the city will shoulder. Dati P22,000," the Mayor said. But Gatchalian admitted that during the Holy Week, they had a backlog in the cremation because the facility was closed for a few days. The Mayor said that they are now catching up. "Wala na kaming problema. By tomorrow, tapos na kami sa backlog namin," Gatchalian clarified. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said the city has no issue on remains piling up in hospitals and other cremation-related issues. Zamora said they have accredited funeral service companies for the cremation of the remains. "San Juan gives free cremation for all deceased San Juanenos including of course those who have died due to COVID-19. They just have to coordinate with the Mayor's office," Zamora said in a text message. On Monday, the Quezon City Council passed a resolution penalizing funeral parlors and crematoriums that will refuse to accommodate remains of COVID-19 related cases. There is a local government operated crematorium in Quezon City and at least three privately operated ones. Between March 2011 and March 2018, Baca sexually assaulted and sexually abused two victims whom he knew, prosecutors said. Both of the victims were younger than 13 years old when the crimes began. A protest by migrant workers in Mumbai wanting to go back to their native places amid the lockdown triggered a war of words between the government and the opposition in Maharashtra on Tuesday. Hundreds of migrant workers who earn daily wages in Mumbai came out on road here on Tuesday demanding that authorities make transport arrangements so that they can go back to their native places. The Mumbai protest came close on the heels of rioting by migrant workers in Surat last week. The workers, number around 1,000 and most of them hailing from West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, held the protest at the bus depot near the Bandra railway station, hours after Prime Minister announced an extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. The protest led to a war of words between the Shiv Sena-led government and the opposition BJP. Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Centre for the protest and sought a road map to facilitate their journey back to their native places. In a series of tweets, Thackeray said, "The current situation in Bandra, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the union government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home migrant labour." The migrant workers might have expected that the Prime Minister would order reopening of state borders, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said. The migrants were assured that the state government will make arrangement of food and accommodation for them, following which the crowds dispersed, Deshmukh said. BJP leader and former minister Ashish Shelar said the protest shows failure of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in enforcing lockdown. Shelar said, All these labourers hail from Bandra (East), Bandra (West), Khar and other adjoining areas. How they reached the protest site under the lockdown situation? Why the government did not have any intelligence about the assembly of these workers. It shows the government failure." Lockdown should be made successful because it is for the safety of people, who should be provided with foods and other essential commodities at their doorstep, Shelar said. Additional CP Manoj Sharma said, These all are local residents. A large number of people reside in this locality (Bandra), no legal action has been taken yet." BJP leader Kirit Somaiya also hit out at the government over the protest. "This is a very serious issue. the Uddhav Thackeray government has failed to fight the coronavirus pandemic," Somaiya said. The government should make proper arrangements to distribute essential commodities to people, he said. "Hope the Thackeray government will treat this incident seriously, this is an eye opener," said Somaiya. Local Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique said this situation arose when people came to know about the lockdown extension. "This is not a government failure, because we are also monitoring the situation from the very beginning. I personally distributed essential commodities to more than 50,000 people. Under such a situation police should talk politely with the common man," Siddique said. An official from Bandra police station said initially food packets were distributed by policemen to workers when they came to the spot. "But after sometime their number swelled and workers started snatching food packets, everything is under control, the mob was disbursed using lathicharge," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) B ritains biggest drug companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline today revealed major breakthroughs in the fight against Covid-19 with a ramp up in virus-fighting technologies. AstraZeneca is fast-tracking a clinical trial for its blood cancer drug Calquence amid hopes that it can boost the survival chances of severely ill Covid-19 patients. It is now undertaking the fastest launch of any trial in the history of the company. GSK has also struck an unprecedented partnership with rival Sanofi as the pair look to develop a vaccine for the disease that will be available in the second half of 2021. Clinical trials for the vaccine are expected to begin later this year. It is one of seven collaborations GSK has entered into hoping to find a successful vaccine for Covid-19. The disease has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 people worldwide. Cambridge-based AstraZeneca is examining whether Calquence is able to reduce the severity of Covid-19-induced respiratory distress, with the potential to cut death rates and the need for assisted ventilation in patients with life-threatening symptoms. The drug has already been approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in the US and several other countries. However, a new two-part trial is being developed in record time to accelerate data capture and analysis for its potential as a Covid-19 treatment. The first part will involve patients hospitalised with Covid-19 who are not in intensive care before looking at how it performs when added to the best supportive care for patients in ICUs. The pandemic has brought an unprecedented response from the pharmaceuticals industry, with clinical trials for many other diseases on hold and normal rivalries suspended. This includes a joint initiative by Glaxo, Astra and the University of Cambridge to support the Governments drive to ramp up testing. As part of the collaboration, fast-growing AIM stock Novacyt is providing its Covid-19 test to generate results data at Cambridge universitys Anne McLaren laboratory. Glaxos partnership with Sanofi will see the UK company contribute its proven pandemic adjuvant technology to Sanofis S-protein Covid-19 antigen. An adjuvant is added to some vaccines to enhance the immune response, and has been shown to create a stronger and longer-lasting immunity against infections than the vaccine alone. It can also improve the likelihood of delivering an effective vaccine that can be manufactured at scale. Glaxo CEO Emma Walmsley said: By combining our science and our technologies, we believe we can help accelerate the global effort to develop a vaccine to protect as many people as possible from Covid-19. Simply voting absentee is the traditional way of voting by mail Trump himself now does so and 34 states including Illinois now allow voters to do so without providing any excuse whatsoever. You dont have to be out of town, medically indisposed, scheduled to work during the entire time the polls are open or otherwise unavailable to cast a vote on Election Day to request and have mailed to you an absentee ballot. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 08:53 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1abc13 1 Editorial ASEAN,ASEAN-Summit,COVID-19,coronavirus,multilateral-relations,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,pandemic,editorial Free It is past due for ASEAN to step up its regional cooperation in the fight against the pandemic. No longer can it rely on its lumbering business-as-usual approach to address a virus that has infected over 18,000 people and killed around 700 in Southeast Asia alone. As all eyes are glued to the emergency ASEAN Summit on Tuesday, collective efforts must be sped up and all underutilized potential mobilized. As a regional organization, ASEAN needs now to dig deep into its reservoir of mechanisms and tap into its rich experience accumulated over the years, as was the case in the response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. However, it still must learn to cut through red tape to make itself immediately useful. Read also: ASEAN leaders to meet online over COVID-19 A few weeks ago, the groups humanitarian arm, the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center), was not yet mobilized against COVID-19, with one official saying the agency did not have the mandate to respond. Indonesia, meanwhile, relies on its own National Disaster Mitigation Agency to combat the COVID-19 outbreak at the national level. Such a mentality can no longer be tolerated in a crisis that has deepened in just a few months. The pandemic has become a veritable stress test for the ASEAN Community, which has been built on the regions interconnectedness and geographic proximity. The disease has led member countries to put their respective national interests before ASEAN unity and centrality, even though member states are realizing their connectivity far outweighs their differences in the methods, budgets and politics of their COVID-19 responses. The pandemic has proven that even the most developed and well-prepared nations can still fall victim to the outbreak, even when they focus all the resources they can muster including those of other countries on themselves without contributing to a global solution or helping other countries facing similar challenges. Greater openness and a willingness among ASEAN governments to share invaluable resources are essential in fostering a greater sense of regional connection and community. Read also: WHO expects Malaysia's coronavirus cases to peak in mid-April At a time when the multilateral diplomacy of the United Nations and the Group of 20 seems tied down or ineffective, ASEAN must look at this pandemic as an opportunity to prove its relevance as an entity that belongs to and looks after its 650 million-strong population. To borrow the term that Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has thrown about in the past few years, ASEAN must remain grounded and care for the people most vulnerable to the pandemic, which includes migrant workers, the stateless and other disenfranchised communities. No one can be left behind. ASEAN needs to recalibrate its use of the principle of the lowest common denominator: if the weakest link continues to be weak, it can break even the strongest chain. If some countries remain less well prepared in facing the heath crisis than others, everyone will inevitably suffer the consequences, in this pandemic and in other contexts as well. But if ASEAN succeeds in weathering this storm together, it will come out commanding more respect from other countries and, more importantly, the respect of its own people. It becomes more adorable with each passing day to reminisce about how we spent a year following the twists and turns and what-ifs of a Democratic presidential primary between 20-some candidates. After all the noise, Joe Biden just had to hold on to South Carolina to get Democratic voters to effectively nominate him by acclamation. Cool. So much of that time, too, was spent debating whether Democrats needed a return to the halcyon days of the Obama administration or a bolder agenda of structural overhaul. Did Barack Obama go far enough? was a fundamental question of the primary. It was mostly unspoken, as answering with the negative risked taking the most popular Democrats name in vain. Advertisement And then, the day after the last remaining competitor drops out and endorses the presumptive nominee, Obama himself comes out with the answer: Hell, I certainly wouldnt run on the Obama platform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, I could not be prouder of the incredible progress that we made together during my presidency, Obama said in a video released Tuesday morning, in which he endorsed Joe Biden. But if I were running today, I wouldnt run the same race or have the same platform as I did in 2008. Advertisement Advertisement He added that now is not the time to simply tinker around the edges with tax credits or underfunded programs. While its important to protect the gains we made with the Affordable Care Act, he said, its also time to go further. We should make plans affordable for everyone, provide everyone with a public option, expand Medicare, and finish the job so that health care isnt just a right, but a reality for everybody. Advertisement In the last presidential debate in March, Biden had emphasized the need to rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Bernie Sanders got some heat for responding by saying that in terms of whats needed on climate policy, its not a question of reentering the Paris accord. Thats fine. Who cares. Its not a big deal. But Obama, in his endorsement video, made a similar, if more artful, point. We have to return the U.S. to the Paris agreement and lead the world in reducing the pollution that causes climate change, he said. But science tells us we have to go much furtherthat its time for us to accelerate progress on bold new green initiatives that make our economy a clean energy innovator, save us money, and secure our childrens future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Obama was emphasizing in his video that its not enough to return to the policies of the Obama administration, its because the video was more than just an endorsement of Joe Biden. It was his first pitch-in to the cause of party unification. Obama did not scrimp on the praise of Bernie Sanders in the endorsement. He described Sanders as an American original who has devoted his life to giving voice to working peoples hopes, dreams, and frustrations. Advertisement Advertisement We both know that nothing is more powerful than millions of voices calling for change, Obama said. And the ideas hes championed, the energy and enthusiasm he inspired, especially in young people, will be critical in moving America in a direction of progress and hope. Because for the second time in 12 years, well have the incredible task of rebuilding our economy. And to meet the moment, the Democratic Party will have to be bold. Advertisement Advertisement Obama also delivered perhaps his choicest words against President Donald Trump, and the Trump administration, since leaving office. Because one thing everybody has learned by now is that the Republicans occupying the White House and running the U.S. Senate are not interested in progress. Theyre interested in power. Theyve shown themselves willing to kick millions off their health insurance and eliminate preexisting condition protections for millions more, even in the middle of this public health crisis, even as theyre willing to spend a trillion dollars on tax cuts for the wealthy. Theyve given polluters unlimited power to poison our air and our water and denied the science of climate change just as they denied the science of pandemics. Repeatedly, theyve disregarded American principles of rule of law and voting rights and transparencybasic norms that previous administrations observed regardless of party. Principles that are the bedrock of our democracy. So our countrys future hangs on this election. And it wont be easy. The other side has a massive war chest. The other side has a propaganda network with little regard for the truth. On the other hand, pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us of what is real and what is important. This crisis has reminded us that government matters. Its reminded us that good government matters. That facts and science matter. That the rule of law matters. That having leaders who are informed and honest and seek to bring people together rather than drive them apartthose kind of leaders matter. No, hes not at the point where he will actually use Trumps name as the idiot to whom hes referring. But its only April. Welcome to the party. MIDDLETOWN Middletowns community college is accepting funds to help students affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Middlesex Community College Foundation established a special emergency funding campaign, MxCC Cares, during the Covid-19 outbreak, according to a press release. Many of our students already juggle work, family and college responsibilities. Some may now be facing unemployment, caring for children suddenly at home due to school closures, attending to family members who may be ill, and struggling to adapt to college classes that are now fully online, Laura Krueger, chairwoman of the foundation, and Steven Minkler, campus CEO, said in a prepared statement. MxCC Cares will provide emergency funds to students immediately. Donations can help students struggling to pay their bills while also trying to finish the semester. These gifts will also allow scholarships for summer courses when traditional financial aid is limited and for short-term job retraining workshops once the public health crisis subsides, the news release said. The foundation a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity with a twofold mission: to support the college and its students by receiving, managing, and distributing funds for scholarships and other educational purposes, and to generate and strengthen communication and collaboration between the college and the foundation and business, industry, professional, civic, and educational leaders in the communities served by the college. They include all of Middlesex County, Meriden, Wallingford and Rocky Hill. To contribute to the fund, visit mxcc.edu/foundation/mxcc-cares. Australian politicians from both major parties have called on the World Health Organisation to give Taiwan membership, blasting the UN body's performance in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. The intervention by federal MPs comes after Taiwan accused the WHO of ignoring its early warnings at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, part of what it says is a long history of sidelining it because of pressure from China. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation has been criticised by Taiwan for being too close to Beijing. Credit:AP The bipartisan push will place pressure on the Australian government to support Taiwan's next bid for membership of the WHO. While Australia has called for Taiwan to be included in key meetings and dialogue, it does not have a position of supporting the push for membership. The WHO has been criticised by Taiwans government for parroting Beijing's lines on the global pandemic, particularly in January when it repeated Chinese claims that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Dole payments hit record high in March A major unemployment crisis is looming in South Korea like other countries amid fears of a worldwide recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A report released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Monday, illustrates the grim reality faced by the country, and the dismal outlook for the job market. It was shocking, but the general belief is that the worst is yet to come. According to the report, the country's unemployment benefit payments hit a record high of 898.2 billion won ($736.4 million) in March, up 40.4 percent from a year earlier. The number of people who filed dole applications in the month rose 24.8 percent year-on-year to 156,000. Considering that the self-employed, freelancers and short-term employees are excluded from these benefits, many more people may have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A related report from the Korean Statistical Information Service released on the same day showed job openings in the country fell at the fastest pace in more than eight years in February amid the fallout from the pandemic. The number of job openings stood at 139,485 at the end of February, down from 202,803 last year. The data indicates layoffs are spreading across the economy as the coronavirus pandemic is hitting Korea Inc. hard. In particular, temporary workers and short-term contractors are most vulnerable to the fallout. A social safety net is urgently needed for these people not to mention extraordinary financial support programs for struggling companies. Referring to the report from the labor ministry, President Moon Jae-in said Monday the soaring applications for unemployment benefits may represent "the beginning of the pain." Surely, this is only the latest snapshot of the economic devastation that has resulted from the spread of the coronavirus; the situation may worsen further. To minimize the fallout, it is important to put priority on helping private enterprises survive the crisis through bold and aggressive support programs. This will be the most effective way of protecting the job market. The government said in the near future it will submit to the National Assembly another supplementary budget plan, which is centered on supporting the labor market and companies hit by the outbreak, in addition to the 11.7 trillion won extra budget plan approved last month. The administration needs to focus on providing support to vulnerable companies in a timely and adequate manner. In its recent report, the International Labor Organization described the coronavirus pandemic as "the worst global crisis since World War II," expecting it to wipe out 195 million full-time jobs or 6.7 percent of working hours globally in the second quarter of the year. These will be challenging times for South Korean companies and workers as well, and we should brace for them. On this weeks episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick spoke with Marc Elias, chairman of Perkins Coies Political Law Group, who represents the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, about what the coronavirus pandemic means for the 2020 election, specifically in light of the election held last week in Wisconsin, in which the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to insist that voting must go on. Read a portion of their conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, below Advertisement Dahlia Lithwick: I want to start, if we could, by defining the problem. Ive heard from people worrying that Donald Trump is going to, in the manner of authoritarians everywhere, cancel the 2020 election. But thats not actually the issue, correct? Marc Elias: Correct. I have a good news and bad news. The good news is Donald Trump cant cancel the election. He cant move the election. Federal Election Day is set as the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, and we will have an election on that day. The only way that that date could move would be a new act of Congress, and obviously thats not going to happen. Thats the good news. The bad news is were going to have an election on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, and were going to have that election whether as a country we are prepared for it or were not. What everyone needs to focus on is how do we take the steps now to make sure that when we get to November, we dont have a circumstance like we had in Wisconsin. Theres no moving the election. Weve got to spend the time now to get ready so that we dont have a problem in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happened on the ground for Wisconsin voters? Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said thousands of voters will be disenfranchised in her dissent. Is that what happened? Oh, its going to be more than thousands. Its going to be tens of thousands. It could be even higher than that. Milwaukee had five open polling locations in the entire city, and we saw debilitating long lines. Post offices hadnt even delivered the absentee ballots for people to vote by Election Day. We saw hourslong lines, and the fact is that nobody wants to wait in line for five hourseven when the skies are blue, the birds are chirping, and everyone is healthy. They certainly are not going to want to wait in line for five hours when theres a pandemic going on and people have to risk their lives. Its going to be a staggering number of voters who ended up being disenfranchised. Advertisement How damaging is this, when you have voters who witness a spectacular failure of the franchise and just walk away from Wisconsin and everything else saying, Theres just no point. The whole thing is cooked and fixed and the courts are in on it too.? Advertisement If that takes hold, that will be devastating. That narrative has taken hold with redistricting. In both cases, you have the U.S. Supreme Court sort of throwing its hands up and saying, Well, I guess theres really nothing for us to do here. In the case of redistricting, they literally threw up their hands and said, We have no role here. In the Wisconsin case, they claimed that there was little that they could do but the very little they did was counterproductive. I wish that someone at the Supreme Court would have looked at the caption of this case and said, Do we really want in an election year in which we know passions are going to run high and there is going to be a lot of judicial activity around voting, do we really want a case titled Republican National Committee v. Democratic National Committee to be the case in which the conservative justices are lined up supporting the Republican National Committees effort to restrict voting rights? I really think this was just an unforced error in that regard in terms of public confidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im struck by the fact that part of whats happening is the window is clearly closing for either federal changes or state changes to solve the COVID problem we saw in Wisconsin. I think what youre saying is this doesnt necessarily have to be a thing that Congress lashes on to the next relief bill. This is something that states need to be pressed to do. Are you saying that pushing for massive federal money to do this may not be our best bet? That this is something we should be doing state by state as quick as we can? Advertisement Advertisement Its two different pieces. No. 1: Congress needs to appropriate money to the states so that they can fund the elections. The fact is the Postal Service right now is set to run out of money in June, and it plays a vital role in elections, and states are right now taxed under the pressure of COVID as a health epidemic and thats taxing their budgets. Remember most states have a balanced budget requirement in their state constitutions so they need money in order to simply be able to do the blocking and tackling to hold elections. Advertisement But we cant overlook the things that states can and need to do to make sure that not only is there access to vote by mail but that there is safe and available access to in-person voting. We saw seven-and-a-half-hour-long lines before COVID in Texas. We saw long lines in California before COVID, and we obviously saw debilitatingly long lines in Wisconsin during COVID. Our election system is quite rickety, and it is not set up to handle the kind of external pressures and shocks that come either from high turnout or from COVID or from other crises. There are some simple things states can do that shouldnt be partisan, but well see. Like making sure that we recruit a new generation of poll workers. In 2018, more than two-thirds of all poll workers are over the age of 60, 25 percent were over the age of 70. One of the things I proposed in that Atlantic piece, for example, is that colleges and universities give course credit to students who are willing to be trained and work as election workers and that they receive pay as well, and that states turn their civil servants into poll workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We expand curbside voting so that people can vote in their cars. We set up the voting booth so to speak right on the street corner or right on the curb by the school, you get checked in, you get a ballot in your car, you voted. I would note that the National Review had an article online that endorsed this that I tweeted. I was happy to say that I thought that made sense. There are things that states can do now that should be nonideological, that dont help Democrats or Republicans, they just help everyone vote. Nobody wins when a city goes from having 180-some odd polling locations to five. I mean a candidate may win or a party may win, but the system really fails and Democratic and Republican local election officials need to band together to take these kinds of steps to ensure that everyone who wants to vote by mail can do so and have that ballot counted and not be rejected erroneously, and people who prefer to vote in person need to be given the opportunity to do so without waiting in lines and without jeopardizing their health. Listen to this episode of Amicus below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. SUMMERVILLE, S.C., April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Defense (DoD) seeks information from the industrial base on their capability to replenish critical medical supplies. These supplies will protect frontline healthcare workers and identify and treat those affected by the virus. DoD has established a Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) to address needs not only within the DoD but more broadly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security and other Federal agencies. The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), at the request of the DoD JATF, appeals to manufacturers and suppliers to take a survey to share their capacity to provide swabs, PPE, ventilators, and testing supplies. The impact of the coronavirus has strained hospital supplies, and the government is looking for companies who can provide materials to restock these essential resources. As part of their efforts to manage the nation's investments in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense equipment, they seek manufacturers and suppliers of bulk quantities of swabs, swab kits, N-95 masks, gowns, face shields, ventilators, suction equipment, and more. The survey is open to all companies that can help, particularly those that do not traditionally do business with the government. Due to the urgent need, your participation is imperative in helping the JPEO-CBRND understand the current capabilities of manufacturers and suppliers. Please respond to the survey within 48 hours. If you have questions, reach out to [email protected]. About ATI - Advanced Technology International (ATI) is a nonprofit who builds and manages collaborations that conduct research and develop new technologies to solve our nation's most pressing challenges. We bring together experts from multiple disciplines, organizations, and industries to deliver innovative capabilities in areas as diverse as defense technologies, shipbuilding, medical technologies, advanced materials, and space technologies. ATI is the consortium manager for two JPEO-CBRND consortia. SOURCE ATI (Advanced Technology International) Related Links https://www.ati.org Most refugees in Egypt are reliant on daily wages or are domestic workers, and these are among the forms of employment that are hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic Afghan refugee Mohammad Elias Khanjar had recently moved to Egypt in search of a safer life shortly before the corornavirus crisis exploded, but he has since been struggling to get registered amid the ensuing shutdown. The fallout from the global pandemic has put Egypts already vulnerable refugee community in an even tougher situation, with services from refugee agencies significantly disrupted by the recent measures. The majority of refugees in Egypt are reliant on daily wages or are domestic workers, and these are among the forms of employment that are hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt and its partner organisations have suspended many of their services due to the outbreak. Earlier this week, UNHCR Egypt announced it is prolonging a suspension of some of its activities and postponing all interviews including those for refugee registration, refugee status determination, resettlement and voluntary repatriation except for emergency cases. It said, however, that it has maintained financial assistance to support refugees and is proceeding with essential services related to sexual and gender-based violence and child protection, albeit in reduced capacity. Protection and counselling now take place through phone and emails. I had worked with the US government and international organisations in Afghanistan for almost 11 years, but I had received threats from unknown people, mostly terrorists, Khanjar told Ahram Online. I moved to Egypt to have a safe and better life, the father of two said. Registration with the UNHCR protects refugees and asylum-seekers from detention and deportation, and entitles them to obtain legal residence permits, legalising their stay in Egypt. Registered refugees and asylum-seekers also get access to several social services. Khanjar arrived in Egypt more than a month ago, and had sought to register with the UNHCR before he learned that it had partially suspended its operations amid restrictive measures to contain the spread of the virus. When he contacted the organisation, he was told to follow up with their website and Facebook page. I am worried that if the crisis continues my visa will expire, and I dont know if I will be able to support my family and legalise my stay here in Egypt, Khanjar said. Egypt hosts 249,709 registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 57 countries, according to a fact sheet published by the UNHCR in August 2019. Syrians represent more than half of the figure with a population of 130,371, followed by Sudanese at 45,106 and South Sudanese at 17,197. The agency said funds requested for refugee operations in Egypt were $104.2 million as of August 2019. My card is expired and I need assistance," another refugee said on the UN agency's Facebook page, adding that he sought assistance from the organisation though he is having trouble communicating through the phone due to the language barrier. A source at the UNHCR told Ahram Online that while the agency is aware that the precautionary measures are impacting refugees and their access to services, safety is a core principle for the organisation. Those who would come to the organisations premises for interviews and services usually live far away, and they would have to take public transportation, putting their own lives and those of others in danger, the source, who requested to remain anonymous, explained. The waiting area at the organisations premises is also usually very crowded, which makes it difficult to implement the necessary safety measures, the source added. The UNHCR currently operates a referral system through its infoline to provide protection services and organise emergency interviews, including for those who need urgent registration to access medical services, the source said. Compounding woes Local and international refugee organisations in Egypt typically provide different types of services like livelihood grants, tuition grants, cash transfers, educational training, and protection against gender-based violence. Most of these refugee agencies, whose primary donor and partner is the UNHCR, have also suspended many of their services and switched to phone communication instead of receiving the beneficiaries at their premises, which has made life harder even for the registered refugees. Hassan Norein, a registered Sudanese refugee, has never relied on assistance from relief organisations since he moved to Cairo two years ago. Instead, he has been taking different jobs to eke out a living, which often are hard, low-paying and require long and unsocial hours and barely cover his flat rent and basic everyday needs. But now that he lost his job as a waiter after his restaurant shut down amid restrictions to stem the spread of the virus, he needs help more than any time before. I am now totally unable to pay for neither the rent nor bare essentials, and the landlord has threatened to kick me out if I dont pay him in a week, Norein said. My neighbours were kicked out of their flat three days ago, they now live with me without the permission of my apartment owner, he added. We have been trying to reach out to the UNHCR and other organisations to help us during this tough time, but we received nothing. The challenge is even more daunting for those dealing with violence. This is the case with Mai Tarek, who handles sexual and gender-based violence cases at a Geneva-based aid organisation that assists marginalised communities in Egypt, which she requested not to be identified. Case management in response to gender-based violence is hard under normal circumstances, and the current crisis has made it even more challenging, Mai told Ahram Online. The usual work involves interviews with victims of gender-based or sexual violence, and based on these interviews we decide on the suitable type of assistance, she explained. Since now we have to work only with urgent cases, we are forced to make a difficult decision by choosing between victims who have been subjected to violence at their homes, and its extremely hard to decide whose suffering is worse. There are also difficulties in working with female victims through phones, because many of them may not have access to phones, and, as Mai asserts, might not even have credit balance to make a phone call. The coronavirus crisis has compounded other struggles facing the refugee community in Egypt, she said. Many refugees have reported an increase in racism and xenophobia, and say they are now stigmatised as people fear that refugees are more likely to contract the virus because of their poor living conditions, Tarek said. Some refugees who live in apartment buildings with Egyptians are facing harassment from their neighbours over fears that foreigners transmit the virus, and many were asked to leave their apartments, she says. Many refugees make a living through working as domestic workers, and many of those workers have been recently laid off because of the pandemic and they have lost their source of income, she adds. Mohamed Osama, who works in a refugee education program at another US-based refugee service agency, which he requested not to be named, also says their services have been significantly disrupted by the crisis. The program typically provides educational services, academic assistance and study skills to child refugees many of them unaccompanied and separated children. But since Egypt decided to suspend schools last month, the NGO also suspended all its activities. It has, however, been looking for alternatives to continue providing help to those in need, but the limited resources of these families remain a hurdle. The NGO wants to virtualise its work with children, Mohamed said, but the problem is that many of the beneficiaries do not have internet access or even mobile phones. We reached out to our beneficiaries through surveys to know how they are able to continue with their lives, and to see what kind of means they have especially internet connections and computers in order to figure out the possible method by which we can continue our activities, Mohamed told Ahram Online. Mohamed is primarily involved in the monitoring and evaluation process as well as in strategic planning for the program. He said that since the crisis started, they have been creating work plans in order to be responsive to the crisis. It is especially hard now since the program heavily relies on field work and we have the problem of limited resources, Mohamed said. The whole global situation is very vague, but we are trying our best to cope with the challenges. Search Keywords: Short link: Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Lee Arenberg says a sixth movie is 'definitely' being discussed. The 57-year-old star - who played bumbling pirate Pintel in the original trilogy - has not been involved in the franchise since 2007's At World's End, but he suggested a new film is on the horizon. 'They're definitely talking about it, as far as I know,' he told Kendall Talks TV about a sixth Pirates. Back for more! Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Lee Arenberg says a sixth movie is 'definitely' being discussed after talk Johnny Depp will reprise his role as Jack Sparrow (seen in 2003) It's unclear whether the new installment will be another sequel or a reboot of the original franchise - which starred Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow - but last year, Disney brought Ted Elliot and Craig Mazin on board. Elliot co-wrote the first three films in the seafaring saga, while Mazin created Chernobyl. While details are being kept under wraps, Arenberg - whose character formed a double act with Mackenzie Crook's alter ego Ragetti - would be up for a comeback, if the opportunity arose. He added: 'I mean yeah, of course, obviously. But they've already done two without us [laughs]. He said there is interest: While details are being kept under wraps, Arenberg - whose character formed a double act with Mackenzie Crook's alter ego Ragetti - would be up for a comeback, if the opportunity arose. Seen in At World's End in 2007 The originals: Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Depp on Pirates Of The Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest in 2006 'I love it, though, I love that part. But it's not up to me.' The highly anticipated sixth film in the swashbuckling saga follows 2015's Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Stuart Beattie - who served as a screenwriter on the first film Curse of the Black Pearl - previously suggested the studio was looking to the future. He said: 'I think [Depp's] had a great run. Obviously he's made that character his own and it's become the thing that he's most famous for now. 'It's been great for him and it's been great for us... There's that saying, 'Don't frown because it's over, smile because it happened'. 'The fact that they're rebooting something that you did means that you did something that was worth rebooting. It's an honour.' The cast: Depp with Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce, Jack Davenport on Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl The sixth part of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will be directed by Joachim Ronning, who had also helmed the previous part of the franchise. Disney has hired Ted Elliot and Craig Mazin to write a treatment for the 6th Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The release date of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is still not announced but there are reports that the next sequel could come out in late 2021. His pal: One of the Pirates films starred Johnny's longtime friend Penelope Cruz and now producers are looking for a new female lead, it has been claimed; seen in 2011 In early March, it was claimed Depp may be reprising his role as the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow. Due to recent 'revelations' made in the court case between Depp and ex wife Amber Heard, Disney executive have allegedly been 'lobbying' for the 56-year-old actor's return, We Got This Covered reported. Back in 2016, it was rumored that Disney purposely attempted to 'distance' themselves from Depp when abuse allegations made by Heard were made public. Pictures of Heard's face adorned with bruises, which she claimed were caused by Depp throwing his phone at her, were later published. Depp denied the claims, but Heard received a $5 million payout from the actor upon signing a non-disclosure agreement, as part of the couple's divorce settlement. 'The recent turn of events in Depps legal battle and the overwhelming support from the public in his favor has some of the Mouse House executives now lobbying for his return behind the scenes,' wrote We Got This Covered. The couple met in 2011 when they co-starred in the movie The Rum Diary and were married in 2015. Depp first portrayed the iconic role back in 2003 in Disney's Pirates Of The Carribean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl. He would go on to reprise the role in four Pirates films that followed. There are no present details regarding the script's plot, but the report claimed that Disney is currently looking to make the film female led. Which means Depp's character will play 'more of a supporting role' in the highly anticipated film. COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine on Monday repeatedly declined to say directly whether he or President Donald Trump will be the one to decide how and when to lift Ohios coronavirus restrictions once the pandemic starts to die down. Trump tweeted Monday morning that It is the decision of the President to decide when to open up the states. DeWine, who has drawn international attention for his early actions to build up an effective set of social-distancing restrictions, including a stay-at-home" order, didnt disagree with Trumps assertion when repeatedly asked about it by reporters at his daily briefing. Ill leave that to the lawyers. This is not a confrontational issue between us and the White House. This is -- we work together, and well continue to work together, DeWine said, adding later: I'm confident that the Ohio plan we lay out, the White House will think it's fine. DeWine said he and his administration have had a good relationship with the White House, noting Vice President Mike Pences willingness to spend up to two hours on the phone during regular coronavirus conference calls with governors from both parties. I think that no one should look at this as Is the president going to do this? or (Are) the governors going to do this? DeWine said. This is a work in progress. ...We all have the same agenda. So long as the DeWine administration and the White House are in agreement as the governor described, the issue of who has final say over Ohios re-emergence from the virus lockdown -- the governor or the president -- is largely academic. But in the first several weeks of the pandemic, DeWine and Trump, both Republicans, have taken different approaches to the coronavirus crisis, with the governor and his administration taking earlier and sterner measures to curb the spread of the virus. The governor also went against Trumps earlier stated desire to reopen the U.S. economy by Easter, saying last month, When people are dying, when people dont feel safe, the economy is not gonna come back. Trump later retreated from that stance and extended federal social-distancing guidelines. Read more Ohio coronavirus coverage: 274 dead, 6,975 now infected with coronavirus in Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine limits liquor sales in six border counties to Ohio residents to curb coronavirus spread Ohio panel OKs using federal coronavirus funds on tests, ventilators, masks Gov. Mike DeWine facing increasing pressure from state lawmakers to roll back coronavirus closures To say that the global outbreak of COVID-19 has changed the way Americans conduct business, at least for the immediate future, would be a vast understatement. With the unprecedented wave of limited public access, social distancing and workplace restrictions meant to stem the spread of the disease, we have entered a period of adjustment for businesses that we likely havent seen since the Great Depression and World War II. Yet during this time, there are opportunities for many companies to adapt on the fly and maintain a solid level of productivity, despite the dramatic shift in how business is conducted. One way for businesses to do this is to strategically embrace the idea of teleworking, which simply put is having employees shift their operations to a home office during this public health crisis. There are some businesses that have implemented the practice of teleworking for several years, though it has never been as widespread a business necessity as it is now. Even for those businesses with a longstanding culture of working within the structure of a traditional office setting, there is a playbook they can follow to seamlessly integrate teleworking into their overall strategy without missing a beat. Virtual Private Network Teleworking begins with a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, a tool which connects remote users (as in people working at home or in remote offices) to a companys private internal network by using the internet for connectivity. With cloud-based technology, VPNs can be relatively simple for a company to establish providing they have the capacity to make it work company-wide. While a VPN can provide access to company resources, it may not be enough to enable a useable end-user experience. Some legacy applications are not well optimized to run over a VPN and the lack of responsiveness can be frustrating to end-users. Fortunately, there are solutions called Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI, that provide a remote desktop experience. A VDI reduces the amount of bandwidth being consumed, allows the application to run within the secure confines of the business network and provides a more responsive experience for the end-user. Some VDI solutions can be deployed in the cloud providing both a fast deployment time and metered billing so that you only pay for what you need. Ensuring productivity Once a VPN is established and employees are given the capability to perform their jobs from home, the business then needs to develop a system of monitoring remote users to ensure productivity. This has to be implemented with a sense of balance the company doesnt want to inject a lack of trust into the process, but it does want to ensure the appropriate amount of work is getting done from home. Employees and employers can work together to determine what defines productivity for them and what level is expected while teleworking. This is a good starting point. The next step is to define parameters for the home workspace and set expectations for the work day. Employers should stress that an appropriate space should be established, that proper workplace etiquette is transferred to the home office and that the employees have the right tools, such as access to instant messaging and internal communication chains, headsets and hardware needed to operate properly. The truth of the COVID-19 outbreak is we dont know how long current restrictions on personal interaction and the need for social distancing will take place, so remote workspaces need to be established with an eye on the long term. Security As with every aspect of the modern work environment, proper security is paramount for teleworking, given the persistent threat of cybersecurity attacks which loom over most businesses. Supporting a telework capability is not open season on tried and true security practices. It is not the time to open up servers/services to outside users by relaxing firewall rules and restrictions. Any changes to your infrastructure to support remote work should include a review of the security approach to ensure youre not increasing potential exposure. It should go without saying that all protocols followed by a company for on-site users password protections, encryption, alertness to and notification of potential scams and more should be put in place in the home office as well. In fact, in many circumstances, vigilance needs to be heightened as not all network traffic on the users PC is necessarily protected by the corporate firewall. As with all aspects of doing business in the digital age, everything needs to be done with security in mind Telework has evolved into something much more than simply opening up a laptop at the kitchen table; it truly should be viewed as a direct extension of the main office, with all necessary rules and processes in place. But during a time as extraordinary as this, telework is a vital tool which not only can help businesses stay afloat, but continue to thrive and even grow. It is a new way of thinking for many companies, but it can bring tremendous value and stability during a time of such uncertainty. Michael Pelletier, MBA, MSCS, is the Chief Innovation Officer for blumshapiro, the largest regional business advisory firm based in New England, with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. The tvN cable network is currently preparing to start their production on the newest drama titled "LUCA" (still a tentative title). The drama is a tale based on Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" that tells about a person who was born into a full of mystery world of genetics and pushed alone into society. Having a seasoned production team, and now including two talented stars in its cast, the viewers are thrilled to see what "LUCA" will bring to the table and also what new horizons they have in store for us. The drama is helmed by Director Kim Hong Sun, who is also the creative mind behind "Voice" and "The Guest," and penned by Chun Sung Il, the writer who also did the films such as "The Pirates" and "My Girlfriend is an Agent." Since this is an all star project, drama fans can anticipate a high quality story and production. "LUCA" symbolizes actor Kim Rae Won's first-ever drama in two years. He will portray the character of Ji Oh, an introverted man who is shoved into the world without knowing who he is and what he is capable of doing. He has a unique strength and secret compared to ordinary people. Ji Oh must work to uncover the answers to the numerous questions surrounding his own existence after endless conflicts with those who are also searching for themselves. Kim Rae Won is really eager in getting to participate in the drama. He expressed that he is excited since its been a while since he has filmed anything. The story of the drama is quite interesting and the chance of working with such a renowned director and writer for him is really exciting. Kim Rae Won continued that with the creative writing mixed with the directors' delicate touch is what he this will make a really great project. The actor also added that he hopes that the viewers are as excited as he is about this drama. In this drama, actress Lee Da Hee, with her unparalleled charm, shifted into the hardworking detective Gu Reum who is relocated from the Major Crimes Investigative Unit while investigating the corruption of a superior officer. Gu Reum is a person who acts before she thinks and once she makes her decision there is no stopping her. However, her life shifted 360 degress when she meets Ji Oh while on the case of a missing child. The "LUCA" production team shared about the project stating that the viewers can anticipate the birth of a new genre that is as turbulent and differential as the material it covers. Since having some of the best actors and producers working on this project, the viewers can expect a great result to come out of the drama. "LUCA" is currently scheduled to premiere in the latter half of the year 2020. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for extending the nation-wide lockdown and said that it has been taken to protect lives of the people of the country. Praising the decisions taken by the government of India to contain the spread of COVID-19, Shah said that today the world is facing a global pandemic and the people of India, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, have set an example for the whole world in fighting the disease. This is evident in all the timely decisions taken by the government and participation of the people in them, he said. Describing the coordination between the Centre and the States as very important to deal with this epidemic and to meet every need of the citizens, the Home Minister said that the way all the state governments are working together with the central government is truly laudable. This coordination needs to be intensified so that all citizens follow the lockdown properly and no one faces any problem to access things of their everyday needs, he added. Saluting the frontline healthcare professionals and security personnel fighting COVID-19, Shah said that the contribution of doctors, health workers, sanitation workers, police and all the security personnel who are playing an important role in this fight is very touching. Their courage and understanding in these tough times inspire every Indian. Everyone should follow the guidelines and cooperate with them, he stated. Shah assured that there will be no shortage of essential items including food and medicine during the 19 days of extended lockdown announced by Prime Minister. Shah said, "As the Home Minister of the country, I reassure the public that there are sufficient reserves of food, medicines and other daily essentials in the country, hence there is no need for any citizen to panic. At the same time, I request the well-off people to come forward and help the poor living near them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EAST CHINA SEA (April 9, 2020) An MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the "Warlords" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 51 flies alongside two AH-64 Apache helicopters, attached to the "Grim Reapers" of U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 4-2 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, Bravo Company, as part of Cooperative Deployment (CODEP). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Markus Castaneda) X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: Many farmers, residents and leaders of towns on the banks of the river and those in the shipping industry argue the network of levees that lines the Mississippi protect valuable agricultural land and homes and businesses while allowing for the safe transportation of goods along the river. But groups such as American Rivers, along with many scientists, say the levees restrict the natural flow of the river, constricting its path and exacerbating flooding downstream, especially as the Midwest has experienced more frequent downpours in recent years. As floodwaters funnel southward, counties in Illinois and Missouri have been particularly deluged when the Mississippi spills over its banks. When rangers at a Kenyan national park first glimpsed a tawny foal alongside its zebra mother, they assumed the newborn had been wallowing in a mud bath. A closer look, however, revealed the surprising truth: the mare had given birth to a rare zebra-donkey hybrid known as a zonkey. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT), which reported the discovery, said the birth was highly unusual but it was not difficult to connect the dots to establish the young zonkeys paternity. The mother is assumed to have been impregnated after straying out of Tsavo East National Park and into a neighbouring village more than a year earlier. She made herself right at home there, becoming an honorary member of a local womans cattle herd, said the SWT, an animal rescue group which was asked to transport the wayward zebra back to a protected area several weeks later in May last year. Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Show all 19 1 /19 Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Alligator From Alligator Bay zoo in Beauvoir, France AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Gorilla AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Wallaby Albino wallaby in a zoo in mother's pouch Bergamo, Italy AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Panda Spotted in China's Wolong National Nature Reserve on 26 May 2019 AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Python From Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, Bristol Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Albino squirrel in Louth Stephen Plant Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Tiger AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Porcupine Albino porcupine from the Kamla Nehru zoo in Ahmedabad, India AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Albino squirrel in Louth Stephen Plant Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Albino squirrel in Louth Stephen Plant Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Hedgehog An albino hedgehog from a zoo in Sochi, Russia AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Peacock Not technically an albino, the white peacock in the Nehru Zoo in Hyderabad, India AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Gorilla AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Squirrel Albino squirrel in Louth Stephen Plant Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Wallaby Albino wallaby in a zoo in mother's pouch Bergamo, Italy AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Peacock Not technically an albino, the white peacock in the Nehru Zoo in Hyderabad, India AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Zebra Albino zebra in Nairobi's national park AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Tortoise A baby Hermann's Tortoise from the Turtle Valley animal park in Sorede, France AFP/Getty Albino animals: squirrels, gorillas, hedgehogs and more Alligator A baby albino alligator in the Sao Paulo aquarium, Brazil AFP/Getty By this point, the trust said, the zebra had become fairly habituated to community life so was resettled close to the base of its anti-poaching team in Chyulu National Park where rangers could keep an eye on her. She was seen frequently over the following months, and in early this year fence maintenance workers glimpsed the tiny foal by her side. It wasnt until several weeks later that we finally got a proper sighting of the pair and that was when her birth announcement revealed a whole new, surprising twist, SWT said. During her time living within the community last year, she had obviously become acquainted with an amorous donkey. The young zonkey has the sturdy body of its donkey sire and the striped legs of its zebra mother. Like mules, it will be unable to breed once it reaches maturity, but the SWT said it should otherwise lead a normal life. The conservation group said both mother and baby were thriving in a region with relatively few predators, plentiful water and lush vegetation. It added: They seem quite content to spend their days grazing side-by-side, a sight that makes us all stop and marvel at the wonders of nature. Donkeys and zebras are closely related members of the horse family. Other zebra hybrids - known collectively referred to as zebroids - such as zorses and zonies have also been documented. Russia, Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers have agreed to reduce oil production. Combined with other measures, the amount of oil sold in global markets will fall by nearly 15 million barrels a day. The entire price drama has led oil prices to rise about 2% a barrel, but they remain half of the $60 to $70 spread they enjoyed just a few months ago. The main consequence of the present agreement is an end to the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The enormous drop in oil demand that followed the pandemic outbreak has rendered the price war meaningless. Even with Moscow and Riyadh patching up, the resulting production cuts will make up just half the drop in global demand. India, along with other major oil importers, will remain overall beneficiaries of historically low oil prices. Even if the pandemic comes to a grinding halt, the future of oil prices remains bleak. A supply-demand mismatch will remain. Oil producers will immediately open up their spigots. The United States shale industry will come back to life. Also, Saudi-Russian rivalry will continue in some form or another to some extent India will benefit as a consequence. Saudi Arabia has offset the oil price increase by offering Asian buyers a discount of over $4 a barrel while increasing its demand price for Europe and North America. This reflects a determination to hold and increase market share in Asia at the expense of other producers such as Russia and the United States. In the meantime, India can continue to expect low oil prices as well as a useful period of price stability in the coming several months. Want to do more? As an animal protection and advocacy organisation, our core work is underpinned by investigations, public-awareness campaigns and political and legal advocacy. If you sign up to our email-list well be sure to keep you up-to-date with the latest opportunities to take action for animals! If youre keen to get more hands-on, there are plenty more ways you can make a difference: 1. Volunteer with your local animal shelter Volunteering with your local animal shelter is a truly life-changing experience. Shelter dogs, cats and pocket pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards and more, crave love, affection and fun just like us! We guarantee that the sight of a dogs face lighting up as you open their pen and take them for a walk will warm the cockles of your heart. And not only are you giving shelter animals much-needed exercise and attention, youll be helping to improve their sociability and chances of being adopted. Life-changing indeed! 2. Discover the joys of caring for wildlife While youll need to gain the appropriate training and permits to care for wildlife, the results are well worth the effort. Caring for injured, abandoned or lost wildlife, until theyre healed, healthy and ready for release into the wild, is one of the most rewarding experiences an animal lover can have. If youre keen to jump in, a good starting point would be to contact your local wildlife group for all the details. 3. Visit an animal sanctuary Sanctuaries for farmed animals are often run entirely by volunteers compassionate people who have chosen to devote their lives to the rescue, rehabilitation and life-long happiness of the animals in their care. Any help you can offer in the form of volunteering or donations will always be most welcome! You could also consider making an appointment for a group of your friends and family to visit, and help spread the world that all animals whether they have paws, hooves, fins, scales or feathers are deserving of kindness and a long and happy life. There are animal sanctuaries all around Australia, including some of our favourites such Edgars Mission (VIC), Brightside (TAS), Freedom Hill (SA), Greener Pastures (WA) and Sugarshine (NSW). 4. Travel kindly When youre passionate about animals it can be tempting to want to interact with them while on holiday. But, sadly, this means you could unwittingly be contributing to animal cruelty the last thing an animal lover would want to do! To help you avoid the common tourist traps weve put together a list of handy travel hints to ensure you can enjoy amazing experiences without hurting animals. Weve also created a list of ten incredible places you can see animals in the wild and their natural habitats, living the life of freedom all animals deserve. 5. Eat more veg for the animals Factory farming is the number one cause of animal cruelty today, and it exists for one reason: to meet consumer demand for meat, eggs and dairy. In fact, the vast majority of pigs, egg-laying hens and chickens bred for their meat and eggs in Australia are raised in factory farms where they endure intense confinement and agonising surgical procedures without pain relief. By exploring the delicious world of plant-based food you can take a powerful stance against factory farm and slaughterhouse cruelty, and help spare animals from suffering. And every plant-based meal makes a difference! Our Veg Starter Kit makes it easier than ever to be kind to animals, yourself and the planet. Its completely free and full of recipes, nutritional advice, tips on eating out and more. Order your FREE kit today! Or, if youre keen to get cooking right away, you can browse 100+ delicious, plant-based recipes at VegKit.com from hearty breakfasts and quick dinners to scrumptious snacks and desserts, weve got you covered. London Ambulance staff members are seen with vehicles in the car park at the ExCeL London exhibition centre in London on April 1, 2020, which has been transformed into the NHS Nightingale Hospital to help with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The Office for National Statistics reported Tuesday that the total number of people who had died in England and Wales in the week to April 3 came in at 16,387. That's the highest level of deaths since official weekly statistics began 15 years ago. Fatalities in England and Wales are around 60% above the normal weekly average due to the coronavirus, according to the national statistics body, whose data also suggests that the death toll for the virus could be much higher than official figures. The ONS also said its data showed that 6,236 deaths involving the coronavirus in England and Wales had occurred this year up to April 3, and registered by April 11. That's 50% higher than the 4,093 deaths reported on April 4 by the U.K.'s health department. The ONS didn't include figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland. "There is a difference in the numbers as we include all deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate even if only suspected, and we include deaths that happened in hospital and in the community," the ONS said on Twitter. In contrast, the official U.K. coronavirus death toll only includes those that occurred in hospitals. Tweet The total number of deaths in U.K. hospitals now stands at 12,107, up 778 from the previous day, according to the latest government figures. The U.K. has more than 90,000 confirmed cases of the virus. Tweet Prime Minister Boris Johnson was released from a London hospital over the weekend after spending three nights in intensive care with the coronavirus. "Things could have gone either way," Johnson said Sunday, adding that he owed the NHS his life. He is now recovering at his country residence Chequers, while Foreign Minister Dominic Raab is currently deputizing for the prime minister. Raab on Monday said that it was still too early to lift the U.K.'s coronavirus restrictions. The country has officially been on lockdown since March 23. Other European nations including Italy and Spain are now looking to lift some restrictions on public life as the number of new infections and daily deaths decline. District Judge Tej Pratap Tewari has set up a panel of judges to identify families facing shortage of food. Tewari told PTI on Tuesday that to combat the novel coronavirus, judges including Avanish Gautam, Tendrapal and Chief Judicial Magistrate Amit Misra under aegis of District Legal Aid Forum have distributed food and foodgrain packets along with other essential items to 200 poor families in city areas identified by the district administration. A panel of judges has been constituted to identify families who are facing shortage of food, he said. He said since the lockdown has been extended, the judiciary will extend all necessary help to combat the novel coronavirus and urged people to ensure social distancing and stay inside their homes. Tewari has also written to the chief medical officer to ensure complete sanitisation of the court and judges' residence buildings and nearby premises. He that he along with District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh and Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Pandey are monitoring the situation and taking remedial and preventive steps to check the spread of COVID-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Photo : Image by from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement China has publicly condemned the United States' move to bar Chinese telecommunications provider China Telecom from serving the US market. China's Foreign Ministry also called on the US to stop its unreasonable action of preventing Chinese companies from doing business in the country. The reaction comes after the news was made public that several US government departments had jointly called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke the operating license of China Telecom to prevent it from doing business in the US. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, mentioned during a news briefing on Friday that the US needs to stop using the concept of national security to bully and suppress Chinese companies. He added that the US government should abide by global market rules and end its politicizing of economic issues. The ministry is urging the US to provide a level playing field for companies from China and other countries so that they can invest and fairly compete with US firms. China is pushing for further international economic cooperation and abides by market rules but the US' actions have made it challenging for Chinese firms to follow its mandate. In response to the US' accusations against China Telecom, the ministry stated that it has always required Chinese firms to abide by international market rules and to follow the local laws and regulations of where they are operating. China Telecom has yet to release a formal response to the US' accusations and to its threat of revoking its operating license. The intention expressed by the US in revoking China Telecom's license is the country's latest move to restrict Chinese companies from offering services in the country. Back in May of last year, the FCC had decided to deny the issuance of an operating license to another state-owned telecom firm. The decision barred China Mobile from offering its services in the United States. During the same time, the US had also added Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies to its trade blacklist; effectively banning the company from doing business with US firms. Since then, several US departments have attempted to ban the company from selling its 5G services and equipment to US carriers and operators, alleging that Huawei's products presented a national security risk. China has repeatedly denied the US' accusations against it and the Chinese firms, adding that the US is openly abusing its national security accusations in an attempt to undermine the rise of Chinese firms. The country also claims that the US is intentionally mixing business with politics, which is a clear violation of the legitimate rights and interests of the companies involved. Advertisement Tagschina, blame, US, Ban, china telecom A Florida county election official examines a ballot in 2000, with interested observer John Bolton looking on. Photo: Greg Lovett/AFP via Getty Images One of the aspects of voting by mail that has led to fallacious Republican claims of voter fraud is that it typically takes a while to count late-arriving ballots if only because they must be opened individually and signatures matched against registration files which in turn slows down the tabulation and reporting of results. The process can be even slower if mail ballots postmarked by Election Day are counted (e.g., in California and Washington) or if voting-by-mail spikes overwhelm election officials ill-prepared to process a lot of mail ballots. If you tend to think there is a divine right to know election results a few hours after in-person polls close, then slow counts can seem (or can be falsely described as) sinister; recall the suggestions by House Republican leaders in 2018 that early Election Night GOP leads in several California districts that were reversed by later mail ballots must have involved skullduggery. Recognizing that the 2020 presidential election is likely to be very close, you can easily imagine slow counts in November arousing all sorts of conspiracy theories and wild partisan charges particularly in the GOP, where there is a deep and abiding faith in the existence of widespread voter fraud, as invisible to the five senses as angels and demons. You can certainly envision the president of the United States freaking out about illegal voting and other phantasmagoria if it looks like late mail ballots might eject him from the White House. It could all make Florida 2000 seem calm and benign by contrast. The push for expanded voting by mail in response to the rational voter fear of getting sick and dying via in-person voting (assuming the coronavirus pandemic has continued, is renewed, or has only recently subsided by November) could increase the odds of a slow count and delayed general-election results. But its important to understand that most of the states likely to decide the presidential election are already heavy voting-by-mail states. The Washington Examiner has published a useful roundup of battleground state rules: The six most important swing states for the Electoral College map Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina all allow voters to request mail-in or absentee ballots for any reason. Large percentages of voters in Florida and Arizona, where voters can opt to receive ballots by mail automatically, have voted absentee for the last decade. New laws enacted in the last two years in Pennsylvania and Michigan mean that more people in swing states will have access to mail-in ballots than in 2016. Arizona has permanent voting-by-mail registration, which provides for the automatic mailing of ballots to voters so long as they keep voting. Florida allows you to sign up as a voter by mail for four-year increments. None of the battleground states listed above and you can add the potential battlegrounds of Georgia and Ohio requires an excuse for voting by mail. And in the one battleground state that does, New Hampshire, state officials have made it clear that they will accept mail ballots this year, on the grounds that the pandemic has created a disability for voters. None of these battleground states allow mail ballots received after Election Day to count, so you wont likely have California-style weeks-long delays in getting most of the votes counted. But a number of them may well experience voting by mail at unprecedented levels, delaying results by many hours or perhaps days. And in states unaccustomed to heavy remote voting, varying local standards on signature authentication or damaged ballot processing could and probably will, in the case of close races lead to frantic litigation. To see what the first week in November might be like, you need only look back at 2018, where this was the situation shortly after Election Day, as reported by USA Today: Six days after polls closed in the 2018 midterm elections, some major races remain undecided and legal battles have begun as anxious politicians express concern about the delay in the final results. Election workers are still counting ballots in Arizonas Senate race, in which Democrat Kyrsten Sinema holds a narrow lead over Republican Martha McSally. In Florida, a recount is underway in both the governors and Senate races. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams refuses to concede, though her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, holds a 60,000-vote lead and claimed victory. Extrapolate this situation to the highest-stakes presidential election in living memory, with more voting by mail, possibly understaffed polls and election offices, and Donald Trump on television shrieking about Radical Democrats letting Mexican Murderers vote by the millions. Aside from taking every possible step to make this Novembers election administration fair and competent in as many states as possible, we should all batten down the hatches for a wild ride. As coornavirus COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc in America, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will help Indians worried about visa issue and may extend their stay depending on the circumstances. WION learnt that the body may provide special consideration or expedited processing for those who may need it on a case-by-case basis. USCIS takes care of issues like visas, citizenship, work visas etc and is expected to provide special support for individuals who may be affected by circumstances beyond their control. Last week, Indian government had requested the US to extend the validity of H-1B and other visas for Indian nationals stranded in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The request was conveyed from the US state department to the US Department of Homeland Security, under which USCIS comes. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services have taken steps to help immigration-related problems of individuals, employers which they facing due to the ongoing COVID crisis in the US. The body is currently analyzing issues and other possible steps the agency may take to further address some of these challenges and will consider the publics recommendations. The matter was taken up by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan, who shared the concerns with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun on Wednesday. During the talks between the Foreign Secretary and the US Deputy Secretary of State, both discussed ways to enhance cooperation to counter and control the pandemic, including measures "through the development of novel therapies and prophylactics against COVID-19 and ensuring the availability of essential medicines, diagnostic and medical equipment, and sharing of best practices and information", say sources. If the employer terminates the contract of an H-1B holder, the employee needs to find new employment within 60 days to retain their H-1B status. But until now there has been no order as such from the US Government asking employers to terminate services of H-1B visa holders. With fears of unemployment in the US, news has been going around that Indians with an H-1B visa might be impacted. Almost 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment allowance which has been the larger trend and not specific to Indians. In addition to this, visa renewal is being delayed due to the lockdown. It is to be noted that Indians constitute the largest percentage of H-1B visa holders in the US. US and India have been having a high-level mutual engagement ever since the COVID-19 pandemic broke. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump spoke on April 4 regarding steps to counter the crisis arising out of the situation. Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar had also spoken with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 6. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 04:38:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 outbreak in Europe was a mixed picture, with some countries such as Italy and Spain slowing down and others accelerating, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. Margaret Harris, spokesperson for WHO, said at a press conference here Tuesday that globally, 90 percent of cases came from Europe and the United States, and "the peak had not yet been reached". Explaining the vaccine development process, which required human safety trials, the WHO spokesperson underlined that no one could give a specific date now and that a vaccine was probably not realistic for at least 12 months. Asked whether Russia would see the explosion of cases like the United States, Harris stressed that no country was alike and that a lot was in the hands of the governments and the population. In China, she noted, the biggest threat at the moment were imported cases, which represented 90 percent of the infections identified the previous day. As for the antibodies testing being conducted in some countries, Harris pointed out that this can confirm whether someone has been infected, but it does not guarantee immunity and a protection from the second infection. "At this stage, none of the antibodies tests have been pre-qualified," she added. PM Narendra Modi announces extension as the South Asian nation reports more than 10,000 cases and nearly 340 deaths. Indias nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the biggest in the world, will be extended until at least May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. The three-week lockdown of the nation of 1.3 billion people, which started at midnight on March 25, was scheduled to end at midnight on Tuesday. From the economic angle, we have paid a big price, Modi said in a nationwide address. But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable. Address to the nation. https://t.co/26sVP2br5n Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2020 Modi said some restrictions in areas further away from infection hotspots would be eased on April 20 to help poor people dependent upon daily wages. Till April 20, each police station, each district, each state will be monitored closely to see whether the lockdown is being followed and if that area has saved itself from the virus, he said. We can then decide on relaxing restrictions in those areas that are successful in this test, have successfully contained the hotspots and prevented new ones. According to official figures, South Asian nations have so far been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, with India reporting more than 10,000 cases and 339 deaths. But with some of the most crowded cities on the planet, there are fears that numbers could skyrocket and overwhelm shaky healthcare systems. Some experts have also said India has not conducted enough tests and that the true number of infections is much higher. Several states, including Maharashtra which has the highest number of cases Tamil Nadu and Odisha, have already announced lockdown extensions. Indias poor worst hit But at the same time, the lockdown, with strict limits on activity, has been devastating for the economy and for Indias poor. Millions of daily wage labourers suddenly lost their jobs, forcing hundreds of thousands to make the long trek back to their home villages, hundreds of kilometres away, often on foot. Some died on the way, while others were shunned by locals when they made it back to their villages. One viral clip showed a group of migrants being hosed down with chemicals. Others have been stranded in cities in cramped, unsanitary conditions where the virus could spread quickly. New Delhi alone is providing hundreds of thousands of free meals to help those for whom the lockdown means immediate hunger. Farmers have complained of a lack of workers to harvest crops while the grounding of thousands of trucks by the lockdown have hampered food transport. Farms, still the bedrock of the Indian economy, are heading into their most important harvest time of the year, when many villages earn enough money to finance themselves for months to come. The lockdown, with strict limits on activity, has been devastating for the economy [Harish Tyagi/EPA] Invisible assassin Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das called the coronavirus an invisible assassin that could wreak havoc on Asias third-biggest economy. The national restaurants association, which said its members employed seven million people, warned on Monday there could be social unrest if it did not receive financial relief. The commerce ministry has also reportedly urged the government to consider restarting more activities with reasonable safeguards even if the lockdown is extended. Even before the pandemic, the Indian economy was stuttering with unemployment at its highest in decades. Some analysts have predicted growth could slump to 1.5-2 percent this year well below the level needed to provide jobs for the millions coming into the labour market each month. Modis announcement came amid debates in countries around the world on how to lift restrictions while avoiding a spike in new infections. French President Emmanuel Macron extended a tight lockdown in France by another month, but Italy and Austria are reopening some shops, and Spain is restarting construction and factory work. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned against rushing headlong into lifting restrictions, stressing that only a vaccine can fully halt the spread. Despite having divorced in 2014, Henry and Lisa Drake still see each other most days. Henry picks up their son after school and stays with him at Lisa's until she comes home. Their 9-year-old, Alex, sleeps at his mom's during the week and spends every other weekend at his dad's. The arrangement worked well until the coronavirus pandemic hit. Suddenly, Henry, a Mississippi native who lives in Toronto and commutes everywhere by mass transit, no longer felt comfortable making the 45-minute trip to his ex-wife's house in the east end of the city. Lisa shared her ex-husband's concerns about taking subways and buses, and she hunkered down with Alex at her house for three weeks straight in March. But it was not ideal. Despite regular video chats with Henry, Alex missed his dad. Meanwhile, with Alex's school closed, Lisa was overwhelmed working remotely and homeschooling their third grader. So she made an unusual suggestion to her ex-husband: Why not temporarily move into her house? Henry had had the same thought, and he agreed reluctantly. "We got divorced for a reason," he told NBC News, laughing. Henry and Lisa Drake, who are divorced, are sheltering in place together for the sake of co-parenting their son, Alex. (Courtesy Henry and Lisa Drake) Even under the best of circumstances, co-parenting with an ex can be challenging. Now, amid an outbreak that has closed family courts, shuttered neutral meeting places where child exchanges typically happen and raised the health risks of shuttling children from one home to the other, divorced and separated parents face even bigger obstacles. With no precedent for co-parenting during a pandemic, many families have scrambled to make temporary changes to their child custody agreements themselves, some amicably and others not. And most are doing so without any guidance from the courts, although some states have weighed in: In Maryland and Texas, for example, travel related to child custody arrangements has been deemed essential, meaning the agreements must be honored. Other states, such as Massachusetts, have recommended that co-parents keep their agreements. Story continues "All of our literature leads us to believe that it is as important, especially now, for children to have contact with both parents if both parents are completely capable of taking care of that child's needs," said family attorney Susan Myres, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Myres said she has fielded an "explosive" number of inquiries in recent weeks at her Houston law office, mostly from clients who were struggling before the pandemic. "COVID-19 is like a magnifying glass," she said. "The parents who have conflicted relationships and poor communication skills, they're really going to get highlighted." While daily operations of family courts are on hold, judges are holding hearings remotely for emergency situations cases involving domestic abuse, restraining orders or serious child neglect, lawyers said. Those are the most extreme cases. Overall, most co-parents are complying with their court agreements, said Matthew Sullivan, president of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an organization of 5,500 family law professionals worldwide. But it has not been easy. Many parents call his organization complaining that their exes are being too lax with social distancing with their children. Others are trying to figure out ways to tweak their visitation schedules if one parent is a health care worker on the front lines. "There's a demand for much more collaboration, much more information-sharing, much more transparency," Sullivan said. Only about half of divorced parents are able to rise to the challenge, he added. 'You don't want your kids exposed unnecessarily' Efforts to work together can be especially difficult when one parent falls ill. Cameron McGowan of Buffalo, New York, shares a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old with her ex-husband, who lives five blocks away. The two divorced last year, and they split their children's time between their homes. Earlier this month, when the kids were at her house, McGowan, a fifth grade teacher, developed a low-grade fever, a sore throat and chest pain symptoms of the coronavirus. McGowan called her doctor, who said she should presume that she had COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and told her to isolate at home. Meanwhile, her ex-husband, John McGowan, called the children's pediatrician to ask whether they should stay with her or come to him. The pediatrician said they needed to quarantine for two weeks with their mother as long as she was well enough to care for them which, both McGowans said, strained an already tense co-parenting relationship. John McGowan said that because his ex-wife had not been tested for the coronavirus, which is still difficult to get in many places across the U.S., he has questioned whether Cameron has the virus. He has also worried about his kids' health while they are with her. "You still care for the person. You want to make sure they're healthy. At the same time, you don't want your kids exposed unnecessarily," he said. For some divorced parents, the fact that spring break came after social distancing guidelines were put into place confused matters further. In Alexandria, Virginia, Erin Moffitt, 35, was supposed to get her 7-year-old daughter, Abigail, for Abigail's school break last week. But Moffitt worried her ex-husband might not allow that. Moffitt works as a defense contractor for the Defense Department and is considered an essential worker, so she has not been able to stay at home. "I just said to him: 'I want to make sure you're comfortable. Yes, I'm social distancing, but I still have to go to work at the Pentagon a couple days a week,'" Moffitt said. Her ex-husband, with whom she is on good terms, agreed that Abigail should still go see her mom, but neither he nor Moffitt wanted to put their daughter on the 45-minute flight she usually takes from her dad's house in North Carolina. So Moffitt and her ex-husband drove, meeting halfway for the exchange. "You owe it to your child to find ways to make it happen," Moffitt said. For other split couples, the pandemic has provided opportunities to help each other out. Ken Shuman, 44, of Marin County, California, has two children with his ex-wife, who lives about 10 miles away. Their children, ages 9 and 7, typically spend half the week at each house. The kids have kept their normal schedule since lockdowns began, with one exception: Earlier this month, as a birthday present to his ex-wife, he invited her to send not just his kids to his house for the night, but also the 3-year-old daughter his ex-wife has with her current husband. Shuman has grown close to the little girl after spending time with her at sporting events for his own children and thought it would give his ex-wife a break. "I gave her the gift of a quiet night," Shuman said. Be proactive about coming to an agreement now The pandemic is not going to be as rosy for everyone, so experts recommend that co-parents be creative. If a child normally goes between homes every three days and one or both parents are hesitant about that, consider keeping the child at each home for longer say, five days to minimize the back and forth, Myres of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers suggested. She also advised co-parents to be proactive about how they will handle missed time if the child is with one parent for an extra day now, perhaps the other gets a half or a full day later in the year to make up for it. Agreements should be in writing so they can be referred to later. Co-parents also need to be aware that when courts reopen, parents can be sued retroactively if their exes felt they were being unreasonable about child custody, said Michael Stutman, a matrimonial lawyer at Stutman, Stutman & Lichtenstein LLP in New York. "You could be deemed to be someone who is willfully and intentionally found to be interfering with the child's relationship with the other parent, and you could end up losing the child," he said. A court will not necessarily see a local shelter-in-place order as a valid excuse to violate a custody agreement, Stutman said. When courts are in session again, he said, he expects they will want to see that a parent made every effort possible to stick with the arrangement, including taking safety measures, such as wearing a mask and gloves, to transport the child to the other parent. Co-parenting under one roof The Drakes, the divorced couple in Ontario, have avoided those problems altogether by having Henry Drake stay in Lisa Drake's guest bedroom. During the day, Henry, an English as a second language teacher, helps Alex with homeschooling while Lisa works as a manager of a speech language pathology team; in the evenings, the three of them eat dinner and watch TV together. Ten days into cohabitating, with no end to the pandemic in sight, the Drakes said the arrangement was working out. "There's been a couple of snappy moments in the morning when we wake up and haven't had our coffee in the morning, but we've done pretty good," Henry said. Having a strong foundation for their co-parenting has helped, Lisa said. Each day, she and her ex-husband have learned more about how to communicate with each other for the sake of their son who is ecstatic to have both of his parents under one roof. "Today is a good day. Let's hope tomorrow is, too," Lisa told NBC News over the phone, with Henry listening. "I haven't killed him yet, so that's pretty good." According to Maksym Stepanov, there are some worrying signs Minister of Health of Ukraine Maksym Stepanov said that the Ministry of Health had started the audit of the health care system. He said this during a briefing that was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel. According to Stepanov, an audit of the Ukrainian health care system was initiated last week. "The numbers, the signals we get from the regions are disturbing," he added. As of now, there are 3372 COVID-19 cases in Ukraine. In total, 98 people have died, 119 - have successfully recovered. As we reported earlier, on March 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone conversation with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Al Nagayan. "Thank you for your humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian physicians in the fight against the spread of coronavirus that will save more than one human life. The United Arab Emirates is showing an example of an effective fight against the pandemic," Zelensky said. President of Ukraine also suggested stepping up joint efforts between Ukraine and the UAE in the fight against the spread of coronavirus disease. ByteDance Inc. just kicked off a wave of hiring it envisions hitting 40,000 new jobs in 2020, hoping to match Alibabas payroll at a time technology corporations across the globe are furloughing or reducing staff. The worlds largest startup is recruiting people for 10,000 open positions, of which about a third are high-level research or software coding jobs, according to an internal website provided to staff for referrals and shared with Bloomberg. Representatives with ByteDance didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. New hires around the globe will support its universe of apps from video platform TikTok to news aggregator Toutiao, while strengthening its operations in new arenas such as e-commerce and gaming. Its the first salvo of ByteDances goal to reach 100,000 staff globally by the end of the year, outlined by Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming in an internal memo last month. Once complete, the company will boast roughly the same number of employees as tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ByteDance is seeking to consolidate its social media strongholds in China and the U.S. while spurring expansions in new markets. Its hiring spree contrasts with other startups, including SoftBank-backed Oyo Hotels & Homes, Zume Pizza Inc. and Brandless Inc., that have been cutting jobs or shutting down altogether. Like rival Tencent Holdings Ltd, ByteDances social media channels have seen usage spike after the Covid-19 pandemic confined millions of people to their homes. Now, as life in China begins to return to normal, the employee referral program is looking to find candidates for some 9,900 positions, according to the website viewed by Bloomberg. Just over 1,100 of those openings were for interns as of midday Tuesday. The job listings offer a rare window into how the eight-year-old internet giant is investing in future growth. For example, its seeking dozens of online tutors to capture Chinas online education boom during the virus outbreak, while acquiring talent for music licensing in places from Miami to Mumbai. The Chinese app factory is also orchestrating forays into gaming, live-streaming commerce and even enterprise software, taking on deeper-pocketed rivals like Tencent and Alibaba. Overall, ByteDance is hiring some 3,000 coding, engineering and research staff, and about as many people for products and operations, according to calculations by Bloomberg. Beyond China, its looking to boost headcount by adding more than 100 posts per location in London, Los Angeles, Mountain View and Singapore. ByteDance, last valued at $75 billion according to CB Insights, is one of Chinas most ambitious tech outfits. It has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users across its portfolio of products from Toutiao to mini-video platform Douyin, TikToks Chinese twin app. About GHS3 billion will be spent by the government on the total amount of electricity subsidy announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This constitutes about GHS2.7 billion in tariff and about GHS300 million in Value Added Tax (VAT). According to the African Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), if the government fails to honour its obligations, the sectors liquidity situation will worsen. In a statement on the electricity subsidy, ACEP said the policy also further deepens the budget deficit, which is estimated to be about GHS9.7 billion, adding: If the government intends to add GHS3 billion from the power sector, it will require another revision of the fiscal numbers presented to Parliament. The President announced a complete waiver of the electricity bill of lifeline consumers and a 50 per cent reduction in electricity bill for all other consumers using the March 2020 bill as the benchmark. This reduction in electricity tariff, ACEP said, will be effective for April, May and June 2020, respectively. This means that the cost of electricity waived by the president for each lifeline consumer is GHS18.4 per month for three months (GHS55.2 for the period). On the other hand, all consumers above the lifeline consumption will benefit from tariff reduction equivalent to 50% of their consumption for March irrespective of how much they consumed. ACEP said that will compound the woes of the power sector. The Power sector is reeling in debt, with no end in sight for debt accumulation. The current outstanding debt to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) stands in excess of US$1billion. Last week, Government had to intervene to pay for unpaid gas utilized for power generation to the tune of US$100 million to avert a calamitous action by the OCTP pertness to drawdown on World bank guarantees for the projects, it emphasised. Explaining further, it said: This picture is gloomy enough, without exhausting all the challenges in the power sector, for careful consideration of actions that further worsen the financial sustainability of the sector. Its prescribed recommendations including government making lifeline consumption free for everyone, thus this ensures that at least everyone has the option to enjoy electricity for the most essential purposes, as well as government quickly mapping out large households in poorer communities who do not benefit from lifeline tariff because they are too many on a single meter. The rest are government should spend part of the proposed expenditure on electricity consumers to identify and support those most impacted by the Pandemic, and summon the creativity of the citizens to find appropriate mitigations strategy for the times. --- classfmonline.com Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday appealed to migrant workers not to fall prey to rumours about bus arrangements being made to ferry them to their native places and asked them to stay put wherever they are. In a video appeal, he said the Delhi government has made sufficient arrangements for their accommodation and food. "Don't fall prey to rumours about bus arrangements," he said in a video message. The appeal comes in the wake of over 1,000 migrant workers in Mumbai defying the lockdown to gather in suburban Bandra, demanding that transport arrangements be made for them to go back to their native places. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alcohol-related crime is reportedly on the increase in Western Cape, South Africa since the start of a nationwide lockdown and ban on liquor sales due to the Coronavirus pandemic. News24 reported that a police investigation led to the arrest of some suspects after a truck transporting liquor from Paarl to Table Bay Harbour for exportation was hijacked on Thursday April 9. Western Cape police spokesperson, Colonel Andre Traut said; "It is alleged that the driver was hijacked by suspects during a mechanical breakdown en route to the harbour. "The truck and trailer were both later discovered in Mitchells Plain without the cargo." A male suspect in his thirties was reportedly arrested on Saturday April 11. Traut said the suspect will be arraigned in court today, Tuesday April 14. He added; "He is being detained on a charge of perjury and is due to make a court appearance on Tuesday in Blue Downs. "The investigation is still underway and the finer aspects of the case cannot be disclosed at this stage. " Earlier on Sunday April 12, the police confirmed 21 suspects have been arrested following 16 incidents of alleged looting in the Western Cape since the start of the lockdown. Police Minister Bheki Cele said in a statement that two police officers were also arrested for allegedly buying alcohol. Cele said; "The general crime picture since the Covid-19 lockdown continues to reflect a decrease and such incidents must therefore be intercepted and the perpetrators arrested. "Our law-abiding citizens must continue to work with law enforcement against criminals as we together can ensure the survival of the human race against Covid-19." 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 Rick May, a voice actor from Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress II, as well as stage actor and teacher, has died at the age of 79 of the coronavirus, according to Rekindle School, a Seattle educational institution he had taught at. 'Rick had suffered a stroke in February and had been moved into the nursing home for rehabilitation,' the school said in a statement. 'Unfortunately he caught the Covid-19 coronavirus when he was there. He was moved to Swedish hospital,' which is located in Seattle, 'where he received care before he passed on.' It was not immediately clear whether May's illness was linked to the Life Care Center in nearby Kirkland, Washington, an epicenter of the virus where at least 37 people died on at least 120 diagnoses as of Monday. Beloved: Rick May, a voice actor from Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress II, as well as stage actor and teacher, has died at the age of 79 of the coronavirus, according to Rekindle School, a Seattle educational institution he had taught at According to a New England Journal of Medicine report, the outbreak at the nursing home was probably connected to outbreaks at three other nursing homes in the area. School officials called May 'a wonderful teacher whose classes and students meant the world to him,' adding that 'hell be deeply missed.' Amid a long and fruitful career as a performer, May was best known for bringing his talents to video games including Star Fox 64 - he did the voices of Peppy Hare and Andross - as well as Team Fortress II, playing The Soldier, and Age of Empires II, in which he narrated and voiced the role of Genghis Khan, according to Rekindle School. The versatile performer and director was involved in more than 300 shows, according to the school, including Fiddler On the Roof, Death of a Salesman, and A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum. Feted: School officials called May 'a wonderful teacher whose classes and students meant the world to him,' adding that 'hell be deeply missed' Moving: Gamers made artistic tributes to the charismatic entertainer using his characters A number of gamers paid tribute to the voice actor with artistic renderings and quoting his characters in social media posts. The international pandemic has impacted a number of celebrities, as Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Idris Elba and Andy Cohen are among the notable names who have tested positive, as well as Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Appreciated: A number of Twitter users cited the voice actor's work in memorials online Other notable actresses to test positive for coronavirus include actresses Ali Wentworth, Olga Kurylenko, Debi Mazar and Rachel Matthews; and actors Kristofer Hivju and Daniel Dae Kim. Performers to succumb to coronavirus-related symptoms include Jaws actress Lee Fierro, 91, Aliens actor Jay Benedict, 68, and Nashville actor Allen Garfield, 80. As of Tuesday, the death total for COVID-19 was at 25,668 people in the U.S., The COVID Tracking Project reported, with 602,473 total positive diagnoses. On a global level, 126,557 people have died amid 1,980,003 positive diagnoses worldwide, Johns Hopkins University reported. Water temperatures in estuaries along the NSW coastline have warmed more than 2 degrees over the past 12 years and the water has become more acidic, according to findings that are likely to be mirrored elsewhere in Australia and similar temperate zones. Researchers used data collected by the NSW government on 166 estuaries and similar water bodies along 1100 kilometres of the coast to track changes over the period up to 2019. The results were published in the Nature Communications journal on Tuesday. Estuaries along the NSW coast are warming much faster than the air and ocean, and turning more acidic, a new study has found. Credit:Nick Moir While scientists had looked at trends in individual estuaries such as the Hudson River in New York or Chesapeake Bay near Washington, how large regions were changing was "a question that hadnt been answered anywhere around the world, said Elliot Scanes, a marine biologist at the University of Sydney. Dr Scanes - who worked with the university's Professor Pauline Ross and his father Peter Scanes from the NSW government - said "the rate of change is one of the most surprising aspects of this study. (Photo : Image by Adam Derewecki from Pixabay ) Advertisement Image by Adam Derewecki from Pixabay Like Us on Facebook Advertisement United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, a week after he was admitted for coronavirus infection, and immediately thanked the National Health Service of England for saving his life, in a video post. The prime minister, who spent several nights under intensive care, said he was very grateful to the health-care workers who kept him alive, stressing "it might have gone either way." Johnson's discharge from ICU was a welcome relief to a country whose political leadership was struck hard by the pandemic than any other Western nation. He will be convalescing at Chequers, the country house of the prime minister for some time, the government said in a statement. But he will be able to sign off on big decisions early, including when to ease the UK's lockdown. According to his spokesman, Johnson received "normal oxygen treatment" but the prime minister did not require mechanical or intrusive ventilation. The spokesperson added the PM would not return to work immediately following his medical team's advice. In his video message, Johnson personally named some of the health-care staff who took care of him, including two nurses - one from New Zealand and one from Portugal - who stayed by his bedside for 48 hours. "I left hospital today after a week in which the NHS saved my life, no doubt," Johnson said in the video. He praised a list of doctors and nurses who had looked after him, and gave extra gratitude to Jenny and Luis, saying their care and interventions were the reason "my body did start to get enough oxygen". Johnson's release from intensive care comes when the death figures from the pandemic in the UK has exceeded 10,600, based on monitoring by Johns Hopkins University. Sir Jeremy Farrar, a senior science advisor to the nation, said the UK is likely to be among the "worst, if not the worst," infected nations in Europe. While Johnson praised the NHS medical personnel, some healthcare workers complain the government has failed to provide adequate personal protective equipment. Health Secretary Matt Hancock sparked criticisms on Friday when he said that only the equipment they urgently need should be used and that PPEs should be regarded as "precious resource." Meanwhile, according to a report by the Department of Health and Social Care, the degree with which Covid-19 hit the Prime Minister shook Britain, where the disease has claimed the lives of 10,612, so far. About 84,000 people tested positive for the virus. Advertisement TagsUK Prime Minister, johnson, Discharged From Hospital, Tests Negative, Give Thanks To Medical Staff, Saving His Life A number of home care clients in Winnipeg will receive fewer calls from health-care aides after the regional health authority suspended visits considered non-essential. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A number of home care clients in Winnipeg will receive fewer calls from health-care aides after the regional health authority suspended visits considered non-essential. Home care co-ordinators have started reaching out to clients to let them know some services including bathing, laundry, cleaning, respite and more will be cancelled indefinitely. Family members are being asked to fill in the gap, said the son of a nonagenarian who currently receives home care. The man who asked to remain anonymous to maintain his privacy said his father learned on Monday his laundry, cleaning, and shower-assist services would be suspended, but meal services would continue. His dad uses a walker and has fallen in the past, which makes showering complicated, and relies on home care workers to mitigate the risks of falling again. Taking care of his own laundry is also off the table, as the senior cant safely carry a hamper from his apartment to the laundry facility down the hall. "If Im isolating and havent seen my father in the last three weeks except outside at a distance, why would I now enter his condo to provide him services without the protective equipment that home care has?" "This idea that family can sort of pitch in is ludicrous," said the son, adding they will likely hire a private care provider instead. "If Im isolating and havent seen my father in the last three weeks except outside at a distance, why would I now enter his condo to provide him services without the protective equipment that home care has?" At the end of March, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority updated its home care visit priority codes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home care co-ordinators subsequently began doing risk assessments for their clients, who are given a priority classification based on their needs. "These measures are being implemented due to a combination of drivers, including to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to both staff and clients by postponing, or reducing the frequency of, in-person, in-home visits where feasible and where its safe to do so, and where virtual visits do not present a suitable alternative," a spokesman for the WRHA said in a written statement Monday. "Additional drivers include conserving the supply of personal protective equipment for services that cannot be safely postponed, and to ensure staff time can be prioritized to continue offering services to our clients." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said the change in service levels is temporary and consistent with ongoing discussions related to the COVID-19 response at the provincial level. People who fall into priority level three the lowest needs level are losing services that would not create a serious or immediate risk to their health status or that of their caregiver, according to a WRHA document. Those in priority level two will lose select services as long as the home care co-ordinator can establish a continuity plan with the client or family. People in priority level one are those who require continued home care visits and do not have a reliable backup plan. Each client is assessed on a case-by-case basis, the spokesman said. The WRHA was unable to say how many clients would be affected. Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said the change in service levels is temporary and consistent with ongoing discussions related to the COVID-19 response at the provincial level. "Just like weve had to pull back on some of the surgeries and the diagnostic testing there may be a need to reduce temporarily some of the home care services that are provided, sometimes due to staffing, because we have redirected a lot of staff to different areas now," Siragusa said Monday during the daily press briefing. 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 want the proper PPE for them to be able to go out and take care of these clients, but the government will cut the hours instead. CUPE 204 president Debbie Boissonneault CUPE 204 president Debbie Boissonneault said the WRHA has not informed the union which represents health-care support workers of any home care workers being redeployed to other positions as part of the provinces COVID-19 response. Rather, Boissonneault said staff are available and willing to work and maintain home care service levels, given they have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). "Theyve been extremely anxious about the risk that they pose to their clients and themselves," Boissonneault said. "We want the proper PPE for them to be able to go out and take care of these clients, but the government will cut the hours instead." "People in the community still need home care workers to come in and take care of them." danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca A quarantine stamp led to the release of a 19-year-old burglary accused on bail in Telangana as authorities 'refused' to lodge him in prison over COVID-19 fears after he was remanded to judicial custody by a court, police said on Tuesday. The man, who was arrested on Saturday, had fever symptoms during mandatory pre-remand screening at a state-run hospital here following which the doctors stamped 'quarantine' on his hands as per the protocol for such cases in view of the spread of coronavirus. He was subsequently produced before a magistrate and was sent to judicial remand. However, when the man was taken to the Chanchalguda Central Prison here, officials refused to admit him after finding the quarantine stamp on his hand, police said. He was again produced before the local magistrate on Monday and was granted bail on a personal bond and advised home quarantine, a police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last week saw the strongest stock market gains in 46 years, as a bear market rally sparked a surge of opportunistic buying and investor confidence. Investors appear to have gotten used to the idea that times are bad right now; the shock has worn off, and traders are willing to buy again despite heightened risk. In a technical analysis report on recent trading, a JPMorgan team led by Jason Hunter, advised, Key tactical support rests at 2350-2386. Breaks below would open the door for a more substantial retest of the Mar low. If that unfolds, we expect support in the 2100s to hold. We believe that area marks a floor for the market this quarter. Look for 2750-2850 area to cap rallies over that period. In the meantime, investors will be looking for stocks to buy and JPMorgan analyst Jimmy Bhullar has tagged three as potentially strong investments. Each offers buyers a reliable dividend with at least 2.5% yield, and, in Bhullars view, at least 30% upside in the coming year. Weve opened up the TipRanks database, and pulled up the details on Bhullars stock picks. Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) First on our list is a $6.75 billion mid-cap player in the insurance industry. Reinsurance Group of America is a holding company, whose subsidiaries hold assets worth more than $76 billion and underwrite some $3.5 trillion worth of life insurance. The companys offered policies, in life and health-related reinsurance, allow customers to manage both risk and capital. Insurance is a cash-rich niche, and RGA brought in $14.3 billion in total revenue last year, realizing a net income of $870 million. This came out to $13.62 per share, a high figure by any measure. The companys solid financials allow it to maintain its 70-cent quarterly dividend, a payment that has held steady for the last three quarter and been raised three times in the last three years. RGA has a 20-year history of keeping up its dividend; the rock-solid reliability common among insurance giants makes up for the small yield of 2.5%. Even at that low level, the dividend yield still outpaces the S&P average and US Treasury bonds. Story continues Bhullar reviews RGA while looking squarely at the COVID-19 epidemic a sensible approach to a life insurance company in such a time. He notes that RGA holds a strong defensive position, with plenty of liquid assets available to meet claims, pointing out that the USA has seen about 2.8 million deaths in the U.S. in each of the past two years, and an average of about 45k deaths from the flu over the past five years. While tragic, virus related deaths are relatively modest in this context. Bhullar goes on to upgrade RGA from Neutral to Buy, even though he admits that COVID-19 presents an earnings risk to the company. He says of RGAs prospects going forward, Potential COVID-related claims [are] a key risk, but we feel that this is already reflected in the stock price and the company is defensively positioned otherwise Our fundamental outlook for RGA remains positive. We project the company to generate a strong ROE and steady EPS growth over time, helped by rational price competition in the U.S. life reinsurance industry, attractive growth potential in foreign markets, and a defensive business mix. Bhullar backs up his upgraded Buy rating with a $150 price target implying an upside here of 38%. (To watch Bhullars track record, click here) The Street largely seems to echo Steves positive sentiment, considering TipRanks analytics showcase RGA as a Buy. Out of 5 analysts polled by TipRanks in the last 3 months, 3 are bullish on Reinsurance stock, 1 remains sidelined, and 1 is bearish on the stock. With a potential upside of 18%, the stocks consensus target price stands at $128.80. (See RGA stock analysis at TipRanks) MetLife, Inc. (MET) You probably know MetLife, or at least you remember its old TV commercials, which featured Snoopy in the late 1980s. The company still uses the iconic character in its advertising, paying as much as $12 million annually for the licensing rights. And that shows the underlying strength of Met Life. The company brings in some $68 billion in annual revenues, and sees a net income of $5.7 billion. And with a $31.4 billion market cap, MetLife can afford the licensing rights on a property as valuable as Peanuts. Finishing up 2019, MET reported strong earnings for the final quarter, beating the estimates by 41%. Full-year EPS, at $6.06, was up 23% year-over-year, on the income of $5.7 billion mentioned above. Before the bottom fell out of the markets, MET shares had gained 23% in 12 months. METs dividend is solid, as the financials would suggest. The most recent quarterly payment, made on March 13, was 44 cents, a payment which has been steady for the last four quarters. MET has paid out reliably, and gradually increased the dividend, for the last 7 years. At 22%, the payout ratio shows that MET can easily afford the dividend at current income and has plenty of room to let it keep growing. The yield, of 5.2%, is more than 2.5x the average among METs S&P listed peer companies. Looking at MetLife, Bhullar takes the long view. He admits that Q1 will likely see a decline in earnings, and that foreign exchange will be a headwind for this international insurer, but believes that the strengths overbalance the vulnerabilities. The analyst wrote, Our outlook for MetLife remains constructive given its leading franchise in the group benefits business, where the company is expanding in the voluntary and small/mid-group insurance markets Valuation is compelling as well as MET trades at a discount to the sector. Bhullars $59 price target on MET is highly bullish, and indicates his confidence in a 68% upside for the stock. This is in-line with his Buy rating. Mets Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating is based on 5 Buy ratings along with 3 Holds. The stock is trading for $35.09 and the $44.13 average price target implies a valuable upside potential of nearly 29%. (See MetLife stock analysis on TipRanks) Lincoln National Corporation (LNC) Third on todays list is another financial holding company, heavily involved in the insurance sector. Lincoln is based in Pennsylvania and the companys subsidiaries operate the business segments. LNCs operations are divided into four segments: annuities, life insurance, retirement plan services, and group protection. Lincoln showed mixed earnings results at 2019 drew to a close. The company saw EPS, at $2.41, miss the forecast while showing year-over-year growth of 12%. Revenues showed the opposite pattern, edging over the estimates but contracting slightly yoy. The top line came in at $4.5 billion. All four main business segments showed modest growth in the quarter. Backing its policies, Lincoln holds assets in excess of $334 billion. Like the other stocks in this list, LNC pays out a generous dividend. The yield, at 4.9%, is high, and made more attractive by the companys reliable 11-year history of dividend maintenance. This stock shows the lowest payout ratio of the three listed, at just 16%. The annualized payment is $1.60 per share. Covering LNC for JPMorgan, Bhullar sees the stock as both a long-term with compelling risk-reward and an undervalued buying opportunity. He rates the stock a Buy, and backs that with a $76 price target showing that he believes there is a whopping 145% upside potential in these shares. Supporting his view, Bhullar writes, In our opinion, LNCs strong franchise, superior product development capabilities, and broad distribution will drive healthy organic growth over time we feel that investors do not fully appreciate the better quality of its in-force book compared with most peers LNC trades at a sizable discount to the sector With 9 recent reviews, including 4 Buys and 5 Holds, LNC has a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus. The stock sells for $33.65, while the $46.89 average price target indicates room for a robust 45% upside potential. (See Lincoln National stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for financial stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Lena Swann, owner of All About the Dogue grooming studio in Emeryville, with her daughter, Caliana. (Russ Mitchell) Restaurants. Shoe stores. Dog groomers. Dry cleaners. An estimated 30 million small businesses serve customers throughout the U.S. or did, before the coronavirus crisis forced many to close. Now they are desperate for cash and struggling with a balky rescue program. In an attempt to prevent economic implosion in the face of massive unemployment, Congress has authorized $350 billion in loans to small businesses. That includes the Paycheck Protection Program of forgivable loans to small businesses that agree not to lay off workers for eight weeks. But 10 days after the PPP took effect, many businesses report they still haven't received the money. The federal Small Business Administration, banks that administer the loans and the intended recipients are sorting through bottlenecks, with chaos and confusion. Many would-be applications report they haven't been able to even apply yet. Small businesses are still waiting, uncertain how much theyll get or when it will be, said Holly Wade, director of research and policy analysis at the National Federation of Independent Business. The trade group has mobilized to help small business owners through the crisis. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said PPP applicants should have loans approved by the end of the week. Meanwhile, 50% of the members surveyed by the NFIB said their cash won't last more than two months under current conditions. Unfortunately, time is not their friend," Wade said. Members report that some money has begun trickling out in recent days. Some banks are telling customers the program is already oversubscribed. If Congress doesn't allocate more money, and the loan-approval process doesn't improve fast, "more small businesses will have to close their doors, and more employees will be laid off," Wade said. An additional $250 billion is hung up in Congress in part over Democrats' demands that it be part of a package that includes aid to hospitals, states and local governments. Story continues Here's how three small businesses are trying to keep their heads above water in the meantime. The dog groomer Lena Swann first picked up clippers 30 years ago, as a teenager, learning her craft from handlers who worked with show dogs. Thats how I learned to groom every breed, she said. Swann built a mobile grooming business and, by 2008, had a storefront in Emeryville, near Oakland, named All About the Dogue. She attracted a loyal clientele. We opened up before Petco came in with their own grooming service. Petco came, Petco closed and were still here, she said. Swann employs four workers: a full-time groomer, a part-time groomer and two bathers. Before the virus hit, the shop groomed about 20 dogs a day. Swann is still paying her employees. I dont want to put them on unemployment, she said. But shes not sure how long she can continue. The number of dogs we did a day are necessary to bring in the money to pay the bills, she said, including $4,500 a month for rent. Her workers qualify for direct payments of $1,200 promised by the federal government, but they are still waiting. That money hasnt showed up in anybodys account, Swann said. Mnuchin said Monday that the money is expected to show up in bank accounts by Wednesday. Swann is seeking a $47,500 PPP loan, but the process has been painful. The second the PPP opened for applications on April 3, Swann was at her computer, trying to call up up the relevant page at Wells Fargo, her commercial banker. I made several attempts," she said. "It just crashed and crashed. I tried to call them. No answer." A man from her Wells Fargo branch finally called her back to check in to see if you need anything. She said she needed a PPP loan. We ran out of money, she said the bank rep told her. Log on later today; it will open up again, keep trying. Finally, she was able to file an application. Now she's in the queue. Where in the queue, or even what it means to be in the queue, she has no clue. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo is sending her emails suggesting she try other banks in her neighborhood. Asked about such problems, Wells said a cap on lending limited responsiveness to PPP applicants. That cap, imposed by the Federal Reserve after the bank was found to have created millions of fake bank accounts, was temporarily lifted on April 9. For now, Swann has been able to raise about $8,300 from a GoFundMe campaign she set up, with the goal of raising $15,000. She knows she's lucky to have a customer base that can afford donations. Still, she said, "Its a mess. Its truly a mess." The pawnshop Danny Justman manages Pawnmart Jewelry & Loan in Norwalk, which has been in business since 1978. Pawnshops serve as a lender of sorts for the down and out. Its a real need, Justman said. A lot of these people need cash but have no access to credit. Like Swann, Justman tried to apply for a loan April 3 in his case, $89,200. Like Swann, he was getting nowhere with his main banker, Wells Fargo, so he looked elsewhere. He tried US Bank, where Pawnmart also has accounts, but was turned down flat because, he assumes, he runs a pawnshop. Thanks for considering US Bank, the rejection message said. Unfortunately youre not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. Danny Justman's rejection from US Bank. He tried again, with a different industry code: secondhand stores. This time, his request went through, but he was told by email to be patient, that everyone is in a holding pattern as thousands of businesses apply. The bank said he would be informed when it was possible to fill out an application. Hes still waiting. Pawnmart's 13 employees are still being paid, Justman said. He doesnt want to say how long he can hold out, but at some point his cash will run low. Some of his regular customers, he knows, are desperate. The fact that banks are overwhelmed doesnt surprise Justman, but theyre taking a poor posture on this, treating these as if they are regular loans even though they are guaranteed by the SBA, he said. The church Vicki Broach chairs the board of the First Congregational Church of Riverside, which has a congregation of about 300 and two part-time and two full-time employees, including the pastor. Shes befuddled about why it's taking so long to get a $20,000 PPP loan. The churchs regular banker said it wasn't participating in the loan program. I tried to file through Wells Fargo, which is my [personal] bank. I did get in the queue, she said. "But they keep sending me emails that say still in queue, still in queue. She turned to a local bank, which asked for a number of documents Wells hadn't asked for, such as articles of incorporation. All the banks ask for different records. Everyone wants something different, she said. If there were a common application with a consistent set of required paperwork, small businesses could apply at more banks, making it easier to find someone that will grant a loan, said Broach, a retired lawyer. These loans are guaranteed," she said. "It shouldnt be an issue if the goal is to get cash fast to businesses who need it. She has talked to administrators at churches around the country whove tried to apply and has yet to hear of any that has received a PPP loan. We can go a couple months here," she said, "but then well be flat broke. Here are today's key developments on the COVID-19 front. Queensland has recorded the lowest increase in cases for more than a month. There are 999 confirmed cases, with 442 of those struck down with coronavirus making a recovery so far. The state's death toll stands at five, which includes one Sunshine Coast woman who died during a trip interstate. A barrier on Miles Street, Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, Credit:Dave Hunt/AAP On border issues, Queensland's chief health officer is concerned that most of the new cases are people returning from interstate travel. We now have 17 Queenslanders who acquired their COVID-19 infection from having travelled interstate and then returned to Queensland," Dr Jeannette Young says. Sixty new paramedics will be dispatched around the state. Cancer screening and some elective surgeries will restart across Queensland after they were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic. Brisbane Times reporter Lydia Lynch has more here. Queensland residents are urged to work together to stamp out racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, with police laying 22 "racially motivated" charges since March 1. Matt Dennien has the full story here. The national death toll stands at 63 and the economic impact is expected to endure. Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright reports Australia will endure its largest economic hit since the onset of the Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund has warned, with unemployment to remain high for at least two more years in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, the prime minister, premiers, and chief ministers are due to meet tomorrow and education is expected to be on national cabinet's agenda. Thank you for joining us. Our rolling coverage will resume tomorrow but in the meantime, check the main site for the latest news and analysis. Bengaluru, April 14 : India's tech city has become Covid-19 hotspot with 80 cases, highest in Karnataka, including two deaths, according to an official here on Tuesday. "With 80 cases, Bengaluru accounts for the highest number of cases in Karnataka," said a city civic body official. Among these cases, 47 are admitted to designated hospitals, 31 got discharged while two people succumbed to the coronavirus. On Monday, the city registered its second Covid-19 death when a 65-year-old man with the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) succumbed to the coronavirus. Recording its first positive case on March 8, Bengaluru registered eight cases, highest in a single day, on March 23 and 24. On other days, cases didn't exceed five. Within the city, until Sunday, Bengaluru East registered the highest number of cases at 18, followed by South (15), West (10), Mahadevapura (10) and others. The number of recovered cases, however, are less than half the positive cases at 31, but 16 short of active cases. The highest number of recovered cases are in Mahadevapura (8), followed by Bengaluru East and South (six each). Highest recoveries of six occurred on Saturday, followed by four on March 5, while the rest of the days it was not more than two. It took nine days for the city to register 10 positive cases, and only six more to rise to 20 and just one day to shoot up to 30 and beyond subsequently. The 14-28 years age bracket recorded the highest number of cases at 36 until Sunday, followed by under-14 with 29 cases and the 28 years and above with 11 cases. In case of recovery, the 28 years and above age bracket registered 13 cases and the 14-28 years age group 12. Among the 14 hospitals treating Covid-19 cases in the city, Victory Hospital has the highest case-load with 24 patients, followed by Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (12). Interestingly, 55 per cent or 42 patients had travel history, while 25 per cent (19) were primary contacts. Travel history to the UK infected highest number of people (9), followed by Dubai (8), Germany and the USA (5 each), Spain (4), Saudi Arabia (3), Brazil (2), and France, Greece, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Switzerland (one each). After Bengaluru, the next Covid-19 hotspots in the state are Mysuru (47 cases), Dakshin Kannada (12), Bidar (11), Belagavi and Kalaburagi (10 each), Chikkaballapura and Uttara Kannada (9 each), Bagalkot (8) and Ballari (6). Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai have registered higher number of cases than Bengaluru. (Sharon Thambala can be contacted at thambalasharon@gmail.com) Facebook has partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO for its first phase. Facebook has launched an online resource guide that will enable education communities to collaborate and continue the learning process. They can do so using Facebook products, tools and programs including Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Live, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. Titled 'Supporting Education Communities: An Online Learning Resource Guide', the guide will also provide information related to COVID-19 from authoritative and credible sources such as Government of Indias advisory, WHO India Situation Report Page, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Coronavirus Resource Hub on Facebook. The social media giant has partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO for its first phase. The UNESCO will support in ensuring that the guide reaches learners, educational institutions and teachers across the country, a statement said. UNESCO will also assist Facebook with updating and curating the guide with relevant resources for learning. It will provide guidance from UNICEF on prevention and control of coronavirus in schools and assist education communities in dealing with anxiety and bust misinformation surrounding the pandemic. In these difficult times, it is even more important for people to stay connected and have access to credible information about COVID-19. Through our online learning resource guide, we want to equip teachers, parents and relevant government officials with ample resources and tools to help them stay connected and collaborate digitally to facilitate remote learning, Director and Head of Partnerships at Facebook India Manish Chopra was quoted as saying. The Facebook online resource guide is currently available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada. UNESCO New Delhi Director Eric Falt said that the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused not only a health crisis but also a learning crisis. He said more than 90 per cent of the worlds learners are affected by the closure of the schools and university. Videos are to be posted on social networks. Italians are being offered EUR 200 for starring in a video to be shot by "Russian media", thanking Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, for humanitarian assistance. Such proposals are being spun via WhatsApp messenger, Italy's La Repubblica reports. "They need 15 Italians who will say something good about Russian humanitarian aid. It better be a video or a post with photos, but they pay 200 euros for the video, giving less for the post," the publication reported, citing the text of the message delivered to one of the country's residents. Videos with the praise of the Russian authorities are offered to be posted on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Read alsoThink tank: La Stampa's findings on intel-gathering nature of Russian "aid" mission in Italy confirmed As UNIAN reported earlier, some 20,000 died with the coronavirus in Italy. The "assistance team" that arrived from Russia is supervised by the defense ministry, with part of team members being totally unrelated to medical staff, such as propaganda pundits and troops allegedly representing Russia's Special Operations Forces, according to a U.S. think tank IGTDS. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 04:17:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he's endorsing Joe Biden, his former deputy, for the White House, giving the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a boost for an upcoming matchup with sitting President Donald Trump. In a 12-minute video posted on Twitter, Obama stressed Biden's leadership and capability, as the United States is combating a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 590,000 people and killed over 25,000 in the nation. "If there's one thing we've learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it's that the spirit of looking out for one another can't be restricted to our homes or our work places or our neighborhoods or houses of worship, it also has to be reflected in our national government," Obama said. "The kind of leadership that's guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace. That kind of leadership doesn't just belong in our state capitols and legislatures, it belongs in the White House," he said. "That's why I'm so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States." Biden became the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee last week after his only rival, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, suspended his own bid. Sanders, who had campaigned on progressive policies, endorsed Biden, a moderate political veteran, on Monday. Obama served as U.S. president from 2009 until 2017, with Biden as his deputy. The two have maintained a close friendship that has gone beyond their time in the White House, and the endorsement was not a surprise to many, though Obama stayed on the sidelines during the primary, which at one point featured over 20 Democratic hopefuls. "Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend," Obama added. "And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now." Biden, retweeting the video, said that Obama's endorsement "means the world" to him. "We're going to build on the progress we made together, and there's no one I'd rather have standing by my side," said the former U.S. vice president. In Tuesday's video, Obama did not mention Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, by name but took a shot at the administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "Pandemics have a way of cutting through a lot of noise and spin to remind us what is real and what matters," he said. "It's reminded us that good government matters, that facts and science matter, that the rule of law matters, that having leaders that are informed and honest, and seek to bring people together, rather than drive them apart, those kinds of leaders matter." Brad Parscale, manager of Trump's re-election campaign, fired back with a statement, saying that "Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him." "Barack Obama spent much of the last five years urging Joe Biden not to run for president out of fear that he would embarrass himself," Parscale said. "Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it. Obama was right in the first place: Biden is a bad candidate who will embarrass himself and his party. President Trump will destroy him." In this year's primary, Sanders finished strong in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, once elevating him as the field's prohibitive front-runner. But the momentum stalled in South Carolina, where Biden revived his campaign with a resounding victory that kicked off his consecutive Super Tuesday wins, amassing an almost-insurmountable lead. In his remarks on Tuesday, Obama spoke highly of Sanders and his campaign in attempt to appeal to the Democratic Party's progressive wing for a greater unity. "Bernie is an American original, a man who has devoted his life to giving voice to people's hopes, dreams and frustration," Obama said. "He and I haven't always agreed on everything, but we've always shared the conviction that we have to make America a fairer, more just and equitable society." "The energy and enthusiasm he's inspired, especially in young people, will be critical in moving America in a direction of progress and hope, because for the second time in 12 years, we'll have the incredible task of rebuilding our economy, and to meet the moment the Democratic Party will have to be bold," he added. Primaries of the 2020 U.S. presidential race have not finished, as many states have delayed their voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, despite a Biden-Trump matchup is poised to take place. The Democratic National Committee has postponed the party's presidential nominating convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Aug. 17, the week before the Republican Party's convention, scheduled for Aug. 24 to 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2020 U.S. presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Algerian author Abdelouahab Aissaoui on Tuesday won a prestigious prize for Arabic fiction with his novel "The Spartan Court". Backed by the UK's Booker Prize Foundation, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is financed by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism. Aissaoui will receive $50,000 and funds will be provided to translate the book into English, the organisers said on their website. Published by Dar Mim, "The Spartan Court" is a historical novel that relates the power struggle between Ottoman and French colonial powers in Algeria at the start of the 19th century. Born in the northern Algerian city of Djelfa in 1985, Aissaoui graduated in electromechanical engineering before devoting himself to writing, penning several books and receiving many awards. The Spartan Court "invites the reader to gain a greater understanding of live under occupation and the different forms of resistance that grow against it," said Muhsin al-Musawi, chair of the prize's five-member judging panel. "With its deep, historical narrative structure, the novel does not live in the past, but rather it challenges the reader to question present reality," he added, in remarks published on the IPAF website. "The Spartan Court" was chosen from a shortlist of six novels. The five other authors, from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria will each receive $10,000, the organisers said. They said one aim of the prize, conceived in Abu Dhabi in 2007, is to promote the translation of Arabic literature into English. Due to movement restrictions imposed by UAE authorities to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the winner was announced online. Abu Dhabi, capital of the emirate of the same name, has become an increasingly significant cultural hub and hosts the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two young women were shot Tuesday afternoon at the same complex where a man was gunned down a mere 12 hours earlier. The two victims, ages 17 and 18, were part of a fight between nearly 30 people in the apartment courtyard in the 5600 block of Royal Palms Drive around 1 p.m., according to Houston Police Department Cmdr. Ron Borza. The argument was over the deadly shooting, which happened in the same complex around 1:30 a.m., Borza said. Today's Highlight in History: On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington. On April 14: In 1759, German-born English composer George Frideric Handel died in London at age 74. In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyo. In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. ship's time and began sinking. (The ship went under two hours and 40 minutes later with the loss of 1,514 lives.) In 1935, the "Black Sunday" dust storm descended upon the central Plains, turning a sunny afternoon into total darkness. In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published by Viking Press. In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first practical videotape recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters Convention in Chicago. In 1965, the state of Kansas hanged Richard Hickock and Perry Smith for the 1959 "In Cold Blood" murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife, Bonnie, and two of their children, Nancy and Kenyon. In 1970, President Richard Nixon nominated Harry Blackmun to the U.S. Supreme Court. (The choice of Blackmun, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate a month later, followed the failed nominations of Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell.) In 1981, the first test flight of America's first operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1994, two U.S. Air Force F-15 warplanes mistakenly shot down two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters over northern Iraq, killing 26 people, including 15 Americans. Turner Classic Movies made its cable debut; the first film it aired was Ted Turner's personal favorite, "Gone with the Wind." In 1999, NATO mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees; Yugoslav officials said 75 people were killed. In 2004, in a historic policy shift, President George W. Bush endorsed Israel's plan to hold on to part of the West Bank in any final peace settlement with the Palestinians; he also ruled out Palestinian refugees returning to Israel, bringing strong criticism from the Palestinians. In 2010, a magnitude-7 earthquake in a remote Tibetan region of China killed some 2,700 people and injured more than 10,000. The Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland erupted, sending out an ash plume that led most northern European countries to close their airspace between April 15 and 20, grounding about 10 million travelers worldwide. In 2015, The White House announced that President Barack Obama would remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a key step in his bid to normalize relations between the two countries. Percy Sledge, 74, who soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the classic "When a Man Loves a Woman," died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2019, Pete Buttigieg, the little-known mayor of South Bend, Indiana, made his official entrance into the 2020 Democratic presidential race. Rep. Ilhan Omar said she had faced increased death threats since President Donald Trump spread around a video that purported to show her being dismissive of the 2001 terrorist attacks; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she had taken steps to ensure the safety of the Democratic Muslim lawmaker from Minnesota. After going nearly 11 years since he won his last major tournament, Tiger Woods rallied to win the Masters for the fifth time, closing with a 2-under-par 70 for a one-shot victory. Thought for Today: "I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times." Everett Dirksen, American politician (1896-1969). Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Islamabad, April 14 : Keeping it a low key affair this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan's Sikh community celebrated the annual spring festival of Baisakhi on Tuesday, while a simple ceremony took place at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Punjab province. This year, pilgrims from India and other parts of the world were unable to participate in the celebrations at the shrine as Pakistan was under a lockdown imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19. The Express Tribune reported. Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee of Pakistan (SGPCP) President Sardar Satwant Singh and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Aamer Ahmed greeted the community in the country and around the world on the occasion. Satwant Singh told The Express Tribune that 3,000 pilgrims come from India, Canada, UK, Australia, the US and other parts of the world to attend the Baisakhi festival and Khalsa anniversary. "We also invited them this year, but due to coronavirus lockdown, they could not attend." Hundreds of pilgrims from India also wanted to participate in the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on the occasion but that event has also been cancelled. Sikh leader Sardar Bushan Singh said that he had finalised the arrangements of food, security and accommodation for thousands of pilgrims that were due to arrive from India and other countries but all preparations have been cancelled due to the current situation. There are also skeptics such as Elizabeth L. Cline, author of The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good, who notes, Were not going to shop our way out of climate change. Cline isnt opposed to buying new clothes, especially when theyre responsibly made, versatile pieces made to hang on to for a while. But shes not comfortable with the way brands are co-opting Thunbergs face and words. Its enough to give you whiplash to see how quickly fashion commodifies any political movement, she says. Concerns about which members of Jefferson County law enforcement are expected to receive premium pay during the coronavirus outbreak were brought to the fore Tuesday when it was determined that half of the constables offices were not expected to receive the temporary bump. County Judge Jeff Branick said during a regularly scheduled Commissioners Court meeting that he was planning to give the 50% increase to the offices of constables Jevonne Pollard, Bryan Werner and Robert Adams because he was aware that they did a specific National Incident Management System certification class prior to the emergencys being declared. They also offered to help with emergency operations during times of disaster. But Constable Christopher Bates said his office also completed the certification long before the coronavirus disaster was declared. Additionally, he said, while his constables werent specifically volunteered to work at the county-run COVID-19 testing site, they still have been in the community enforcing Branicks executive orders. Commissioners Michael Shane Sinegal and Everette Bo Alfred, who were the most vocal elected officials advocating for expanding the recipients of premium pay, both encouraged Branick to reconsider who is eligible. Sinegal said the judge should open it up to any other offices that also completed the emergency training. Alfred said Branick should look at the whole picture when awarding additional pay, instead of just whos working security at a test site. RELATED: Jefferson Co. ups pay for many at risk of virus exposure The overarching issue of whether constables are essential personnel during a disaster, Branick said, goes back to Hurricane Ike, when deputy constables werent serving papers, they werent doing anything and then leaving after lunch and driving to Houston and spending time there and they were getting premium pay. After Tropical Storm Harvey, when law enforcement from outside the area were used but the constables were not, then-Constable Earl White and Emergency Management Coordinator Mike White decided together for constables to attend this training and then work together to accomplish our mission objectives, Branick said. Sheriff Zena Stephens said she was the one who suggested after Harvey that constables be brought in during emergency situations and again recently with the testing sites, although she said she thought there would be more than one in Jefferson County and the county would rotate which offices staffed the site instead of choosing a few. More Information Helpful numbers (409) 550-2536: Hotline for residents of Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties who have symptoms that could be coronavirus and want to be tested. 211, option 6: For general coronavirus inquiries. See More Collapse I think its embarrassing when we call on other law-enforcement agencies across the country to come here and help us when we got cops here, whether theyre constables or not, she told the court. 911 doesnt ring at their place but if I need to call (a constable), I can pick up the phone and theyre there. We have a resource we can use. Weve had some bad constables just like weve had some bad cops, some bad sheriffs deputies that dont do their job. As a sheriff though, I think we need to tap into those folks, those resources, and use them where we can. RELATED: By the numbers: Beaumont accounts for majority of Monday coronavirus case increase Stephens said she already has acknowledged that she doesnt have enough deputies to enforce stay-at-home and social-distancing orders in all parts of the county. For example, she recently was called about a group of adolescents gathered at a park in Port Neches, but they didnt have a spare member of law enforcement to break up the group. Additionally, deputies who also are certified to work in the jail are being pulled to cover the duties of corrections officers who are single parents without child care or who have to take care of family members who are sick. While we all have different responsibilities as law enforcement, we are a resource for our community. Lets figure out how to do that, Stephens said. Our roles are different. Right now, our role is the same. Our role is to keep the community safe and keep people home so I dont get infected, so you dont get infected. Bates said his deputies also are continuing to serve certain types of paperwork, such as child support-related notices, that the Texas Supreme Court has deemed essential. RELATED: Inmate populations shrink as coronavirus concerns rise At least part of the decision on who gets premium pay, comes down to finances. Branick said he wants to move with care when making decisions that will have an impact on the countys budget, as revenues from fines and fees as well as sales taxes will be significantly down. The Jefferson County Commissioners Court, along with other local county governing bodies, this month passed resolutions awarding premium pay to any employee assigned to emergency operations and/or designated essential by the county judge. Tuesday marked two weeks since the commissioners approved a 50% pay raise for law enforcement, emergency management and health-care workers. Branicks final decision regarding the essential employees will continue or suspend this raise. Branick said, when seeking reimbursement from the state or federal government for emergency-related expenditures, it should be relatively easy to document that the three constable offices were assigned to the emergency operations center doing work specifically related to the disaster. As a result, it increases the likelihood that the county would be reimbursed up to 90% of its related expenses. RELATED: SE Texas officials survey options for worst-case coronavirus pandemic Without the reimbursement, the countys budget would be stretched. Stephens said constables can be assigned to areas the county is having problems enforcing Branicks executive orders and their work documented as such. Theres enough work for everyone to do, she said. Earlier in the meeting she noted that her deputies work isnt being tied directly to a testing site, although she added that they dont have a choice whether to respond to 911 calls. Branick is expected on Wednesday to make official his final decision on who will receive premium pay, Auditor Patrick Swain said. Also during Tuesdays meeting, Branick shed more light on the dozens of coronavirus tests administered at a local nursing home over the weekend. RELATED: Baptist gains life-saving treatment to help critical coronavirus patients During a discussion launched by Alfred about whether testing sites should be moved based on any hot spots that may arise, Branick noted that the county on Saturday took a strike team to test a total of 78 employees and residents at the nursing home. College Street Healthcare Center has confirmed a total of nine residents have coronavirus two that received the positive test results Saturday and seven more who were confirmed Monday. All of these individuals, along with a 10th still awaiting test results, were hospitalized late last week with symptoms commonly linked to coronavirus, the facility said in a news release. Branick said he hoped results from the remaining tests would come back Tuesday. Later in the day, Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames said the city received more positive test results from the batch taken at the nursing home, bringing the total number of cases the city has confirmed there to 15. RELATED: Nursing home confirms 7 more coronavirus cases Joshua White, regional vice president of operations for Health Services Management of Texas, which runs the nursing home, said the facility had not yet received any more test results. Not counting all of the confirmed nursing home cases and five at the Texas Department of Criminal Justices LeBlanc Unit, Southeast Texas only saw an increase in eight confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. To prevent any additional spread, the nursing home facility has plans to isolate residents who have tested positive for the virus or have symptoms to one part of the center, while those who have tested negative or are asymptomatic stay in a different area. Alfred requested that the six-county coalition formed to fight coronavirus in Southeast Texas determine whether there was an increased number of positive cases in a certain area and consider if testing could be moved closer. Weve had to try to get some people to the airport. We need to reconsider where we have both sites Alfred said. I dont want us to leave and think were out of the woods with it. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Branick acknowledged that the area isnt through this by any stretch of the imagination and is monitoring hot spots and testing to the extent our testing capacity still exists. He also announced during the meeting that the hotline set up to streamline coronavirus testing and screening tomorrow would transition from 24-hour operations to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The call center received a small number of calls during the Monday overnight shift, a few of which were just calls for information. However, the coalition would reconsider that decision should call volume pick up. The hotline received 111 calls today and a total of 1,723 patients have been tested at sites in Hardin and Jefferson counties. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain New Delhi: Bong beauty Monalisa has sent out her good wishes to people across the country on Bengali New Year, also called Poila Baisakh. Sharing a lovely picture of herself in a traditional Bengali sari, Monalisa wrote in Bangla, Chaitrer Rater Sheshe, Surjo Ashe Notun beshe, Shei Surjer Notun Aalo, Muche Dik Jiboner Shob Kalo... Shubho Nabobarsho... HAPPY BENGALI NEW YEAR. (At the end of the night of Chaitra month, the sun comes in a new avatar. The new light of that sun should wipe away all the darkness in your life. Happy New Year). Heres the photo Monalisa shared. Monalisa, whose real name is Antara Biswas, is a well-known face in the TV and Bhojpuri industries. She has also featured in the reality show Bigg Boss 10 and post that, she shifted her focus to TV from films. As of now, she stars as the prime antagonist in Nazar 2. Monalisa is also a social media queen and she is followed by a good 3 million followers. In these difficult times of coronavirus crisis, she is spreading awareness constantly through her posts. She has urged people to stay indoors and take care of themselves and their families. [April 14, 2020] Ligandal Is Developing Potential Antidote And Vaccine To SARS-CoV-2 SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2020 /CNW/ -- Biological engineering company Ligandal, Inc. is applying its unique peptide-based delivery technologies to develop a prospective antidote and vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus) to be formulated and developed in response to the worldwide pandemic. Ligandal's approach utilizes peptide scaffolds (think of them as nanorobots) that are designed with supercomputing and artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic the critical immune binding and responsive elements of the virus. Additionally, these peptide scaffolds can be designed to serve as rapid-response antidotes to an ongoing infection. The company's peptide-based technology is expected to aid in eliminating the virus from an already-infected host, while bolstering the immune response. In other words, the approach to creating vaccines and antidotes against SARS-CoV-2, whereby the damage of SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 is offset, is to eliminate the immune cloaking mechanisms of the virus and instill an ultra-specific immune response. This contrasts existing vaccine and therapeutic options which may not adequately form an immune response, and frequently treat symptomatic conditions without addressing the root cause of viral propagation and infection. "We are looking at medicine in a new way," stated Ligandal's CEO Andre Watson. "Instead of treating symptoms or downstream effects, our approach is to reprogram the source of the problem, whether it be at the level of proteins, RNA or DNA. In other words, we can predictively model, synthesize and treat a variety of diseases at their source. This means that the normal way of treating diseases such as viruses and cancers, killing them, can be transformed to reprogramming and printing the body's own physiology to heal from within. "This changes all the assumptions, enabling a new way of thinking for treating disease and creating life enhancement. These same techniques can be used for rare monogenic diseases, complex multifactorial diseases, infectious diseases, regenerative medicine, immunotherapies, and beyond. This is because we are working at the atomic level, ranging from designing custom protein-mimetic peptides to building sophisticated nanoscale delivery systems for delivering DNA, RNA, CRISPR, and beyond." In the present instance, the company is reprogramming the viral binding elements of SARS-CoV-2 ("COVID") to no longer afford a "cloak" for this sophisticated immune-shielded virus. It also offsets the need for alternative therapeutic solutions because the peptide scaffolds will expose the virus for the host's own immune system to learn and deal with. This approach is fully synthetic, which lends itself to rapid prototyping and personalized approaches for various viruses. It can also scale-up on the order of days or weeks instead of years. "Ligandal's goal is to make lifecare available for all, and affordable for all," stated Eric Greenberg, memberof Ligandal's board of directors. "Today's systems are not optimized for our current technology and understanding of the human genome. They weren't engineered from scratch with today's knowledge. As I foreshadowed in 2003 in the Acumen Journal of Life Sciences, where I was Chairman and CEO, I warned the world of bio-warfare and asked if we were prepared. Medicine must rethink traditional approaches if we are to rapidly respond to threats from new generations of pathogens, whether they crossed species or were bioengineered. It is our opinion that COVID is also a neurological virus. We are seeing today how rapidly these pathogens can spread and impact both respiratory and neurological systems, putting entire communities at risk. That's why Ligandal is aggressively pursuing treatment strategies that can rapidly adapt to any form of viral attack and/or infection." Immunity and Protection Challenges Current approaches of developing vaccines and allopathic treatments may not provide adequate protection against this virus, given the virus' sophisticated immune cloaking mechanisms whereby the virus forms a coating in soluble ACE2, which is also present upon the cell membrane as a viral-entry mechanism. However, this soluble ACE2 is hypothesized to act as a shield against antibody binding sites on the virus' spike protein, which would effectively cloak the virus from adaptive immune recognition. This, coupled with the virus' other mechanisms for burying antibody immune-epitope sites, poses a significant problem in eliminating the virus from the body. Ligandal's peptide scaffolds are designed to be ultra-high-affinity, fully-synthetic constructs that can serve as competitive displacers to the viral entry mechanisms, as well as preventing ACE2 from forming its cloak around the virus. Furthermore, the scaffolds are designed to act as immune boosters, presenting precise antibody immuno-epitopes as well as T-cell receptor (TCR) immuno-epitopes against the key viral immunogenic sites. Considering how easily COVID is transmitted, Watson asserts, "Social isolation is the only scientifically valid policy for combatting infection. Our research is showing that the virus survives in the air as a fine mist or aerosol, and readily infects people through the eyes and mucosa. This fine particulate matter is a mist and can remain active in the air for hours, depending on environmental factors and how many people are present. This means COVID is everywhere. So, before there is an antidote, society cannot be assured that they are safe from this existential threat. Further, simply refraining from handshakes, hugs and other physical contact isn't enough. Both social distancing and isolation are vital because it is the mist that sickens people. As a scientist, what I'm suggesting to policy makers that we consider social isolation combined with operating society as best we can while an antidote is developed. We do not think that we are the only solution to the COVID problem. I plead that the government of the United States of America vigorously pursues any and all antidotes for COVID by any parties, in the form of a Manhattan Project, to eradicate this threat to society." Ligandal Research and Development in the Light of Current Pandemic COVID has made possible a new way of thinking about medicine and healthcare, through creating atomically precise, genetically tailored, peptide and drug/gene delivery nanosystems for broad therapeutic, vaccine, and preventative medical purposes. Ligandal CEO Watson wants mankind to explore and test the efficacy of these types of AI nanomaterial robotic curative approaches. Its new approach to curing the cause, versus treating the symptoms, is a potential breakthrough moment for medicine, made possible by the tragic coronavirus pandemic. Interested policy makers, genetic scientists and healthcare professionals can review Ligandal's prior work at www.ligandal.com. Please refer to "Rapid Simulation and Design of Synthetic Peptide Mini-Scaffold Vaccines for Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and Pandemic Preparedness." A video on the website explains the strategy for aligning a SWISSMODEL structure of SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus) to its binding site with Gibbs free energy plots of key interacting residues, as well as comparing to the Veesler Lab cryo-EM structures of the viral spike protein in open and closed conformations. Ligandal worked with Dr. Jinbo Xu, a professor at Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago and a Senior Fellow at the Computational Institute at the University of Chicago, to simulate its proprietary sequences in their final, folded conformations. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ligandal-is-developing-potential-antidote-and-vaccine-to-sars-cov-2-301039844.html SOURCE Ligandal, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Advertisement 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 a 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 the Communist Party's appalling attempt 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 21:08:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MINSK, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday called for united efforts by Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member countries to tackle the impact on the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He made the appeal during a video conference of the bloc's Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which comprises the heads of state or government of the EAEU members, stressing that together they can do more. On economic recovery, Lukashenko said, "If we do not join efforts, we will have to restore destroyed economic ties tomorrow, and it will take us a lot of money, time and energy." He called for joint actions, taking into account not only short-term developments but also future prospects. It is necessary to take effective measures aimed at deepening industrial cooperation, the Belarusian president said. Lukashenko also stressed the importance of maintaining transit traffic in the EAEU, while advocating the continued practice of making decisions based on consensus as well as unified regulation of foreign trade -- core functions of the regional bloc. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Gillon McLachlan, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL, Dr Kate Hall, AFL Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing and Lifeline Australia Chief Executive Officer Colin Seery on November 21, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Qld Funds $28M for Covid-19 Mental Health A new $28 million COVID-19 mental health fund will help Queenslanders who are becoming increasingly vulnerable during the current health crisis. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the fund for non-government services on April 14, as the states total number of cases jumped to almost 1000 and a childcare centre was shut because of infection. She said the money would help support those with mental illnesses, and drug and alcohol issues who are doing it tough in quarantine while facing job losses and financial pressure. The funding has been welcomed by the states mental health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic, who said many Queenslanders were at risk. Whether we were well before this, whether we were vulnerable at the time, or whether we were living with mental illness, he said. The level of vulnerability has an aspect to all of us. The commissioner said the funding will support other mental health initiatives already being rolled out by the federal government. He said it would provide structure and guidance for those struggling with this unprecedented crisis. This particular measure will help people to manage better and come out the other end, with much stronger mental health and ability to rebuild and to regain control, Frkovic said. An additional 11 COVID-19 cases have been recorded across the state overnight bringing the total to 998 cases. Five Queenslanders have died from coronavirus while 442 patients have recovered. Although the rate of infection has dropped, public gathering restrictions will remain. An early learning centre at Jimboomba, south of Brisbane, was ordered to close on the weekend due to the virus. A child will the illness was reportedly at the Jimboomba Education and Childcare Centre four times in early April. Parents and staff have been notified, and the centre has been shut down for a fortnight so a deep clean can be done. It comes as Queensland schools prepare to switch to remote learning when the second term begins on Monday. Schools, kindergartens and childcare centres will remain open for vulnerable students and children of essential workers, but this will be reviewed on May 22. Education Minister Grace Grace has acknowledged it would be a testing time for parents supervising their children at home. Were going to ensure as much as we can that students have the availability to have devices either from schools or to be able to have them lent or borrowed to them, Grace said on Monday. Parents, of course, have a new role and we know its not going to be easy. Staff at schools and childcare centres are now on the list of those who can be tested for COVID-19. Meanwhile, a rescue flight of Australians from the Peruvian capital Lima is expected to arrive in Brisbane on Tuesday. By Michael Doyle, Nicholas McElroy and Darren Cartwright Donald Trump scolded a White House reporter as a fake after she pressed the president on his slow response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, a video of the exchange between Paula Reid and the president went viral with political commentators praising the White House correspondent for her hard-line approach to questioning. With criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic mounting, reporters at the White House on Monday were made to watch an edited video comparing the presidents response to coronavirus with that of Joe Biden, the all-but-confirmed Democratic presidential nominee. Afterwards the CBS reporter pushed Mr Trump to detail what he had done in preparation for the outbreak before the end of February. The argument is that you bought yourself some time and you didnt use it to prepare hospitals, you didnt use it to ramp up testing, right now nearly 20 million are unemployed, tens of thousands of Americans are dead, said Ms Reid. What did you do with the time that you bought? The president responded: What do you do when you have no cases in the whole of the United States - excuse me, you reported it - zero cases, zero deaths on January 17th. Pressed on what measures he had taken in the month between the first US case and the imposition of the travel ban, Mr Trump retorted that he had done a lot but could not name any specific details. Look, you know youre a fake. You know that. Your whole network, the way you covered it is fake., the president told the CBS correspondent. And most of you - and not all of you - but the people are wise to you, that's why you have a lower approval rating than you've ever had before times probably three. He continued by comparing the US to other countries, despite recording the worst death toll worldwide with almost 24,000 deaths. I could have done what some countries are doing. They are getting beaten up pretty badly. I couldve kept it open, I thought of keeping it open, because nobodys ever heard of closing down a country, let alone the United States of America. Mr Trump added that his administration had been right in its response whilst the press had not covered his actions in the way they should be. The president has meanwhile been forced into performing a number of U-turns including his plan to reopen the US economy by Easter. He has also criticised governors who have called on the support of the federal government. Being right-brained or left-brained comes down to molecular switches GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (April 14, 2020) -- Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained." The answer lies in how certain genes on each side of the brain are switched "on" and "off" through a process called epigenetic regulation. The findings may explain why Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders frequently affect one side of the body first, a revelation that has far-reaching implications for development of potential future treatments. The study was led by Van Andel Institute's Viviane Labrie, Ph.D., and published in the journal Genome Biology. "The mechanisms underlying brain asymmetry have been an elephant in the room for decades," Labrie said. "It's thrilling to finally uncover its cause, particularly given its potential for helping us better understand and, hopefully one day, better treat diseases like Parkinson's." Each cell in the brain has the same genes but it is epigenetics that dictate whether those genes are switched "on" or "off." Labrie and her collaborators found numerous epigenetic differences between the hemispheres of healthy brains that are linked to variations in gene activity. Notably, these differences, or asymmetry, could make one side of the brain more vulnerable to neurological diseases. For example, epigenetic abnormalities on one side of the brain could make that hemisphere more susceptible to the processes that cause the death of brain cells in Parkinson's. The differences in cell death across hemispheres leads to the appearance of the disease's hallmark symptoms, such as tremor, on one side of the body before the other. As the disease progresses, symptoms on the side first affected often are more severe than symptoms on the other side of the body. The findings also give scientists a vital window into the various biological pathways that contribute to symptom asymmetry in Parkinson's, including brain cell development, immune function and cellular communication. "We all start out with prominent differences between the left and right sides of our brains. As we age, however, our hemispheres become more epigenetically similar. For Parkinson's, this is significant: people whose hemispheres are more alike early in life experienced faster disease progression, while people whose hemispheres were more asymmetric had slower disease progression," Labrie said. "Many of these changes are clustered around genes known to impact Parkinson's risk. There is huge potential to translate these findings into new therapeutic strategies." Labrie is already starting to look at this phenomenon in other neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. The study is one of the first to parse the molecular causes of brain asymmetry. Early research on the left versus right brain was conducted in the mid-20th century by Roger Sperry, whose groundbreaking work with split-brain patients earned him a Nobel Prize. ### Authors include Peipei Li, Ph.D., Elizabeth Ensink, Sean Lang, Lee Marshall, Ph.D., and Meghan Schilthuis of Van Andel Institute; and Jared Lamp, Ph.D., and Irving Vega, Ph.D., of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. The Flow Cytometry Core, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core and Pathology and Biorepository Core at Van Andel Institute and Integrated Mass Spectrometry Unit at Michigan State University also contributed to this work. Brain tissue was provided by the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank, the NIH NeuroBioBank and the Michigan Brain Bank. This work was supported by Van Andel Institute. Labrie is supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research Materiel Command through the Parkinson's Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award under award no. W81XWH1810512. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Army. Labrie also is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21NS112614 and by Michigan State University through the Gibby & Friends vs. Parky Parkinson's Disease Research Award. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or other granting organizations. ABOUT VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 400 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute's scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson's and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K-12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) President Rodrigo Duterte said he will lift the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon once a cure against the new coronavirus becomes available in the market. Kung meron na yan, tapos makita kong ginagamit na ng tao, ili-lift ko. Tutal kung magkasakit kayo, may antibodies naman tayo mabili, he said in a late-night briefing Monday. [Translation: If a treatment is already being used, I will lift the quarantine since we can buy an antibody treatment if we get sick.] The President said a giant pharmaceutical company is developing a cure for the coronavirus disease using antibodies, adding the firm is expected to roll out the medicine soon. "Meron nang medisina, antibody ang isang giant pharmaceutical. Tapos naghahabulan sila. Sabi by May baka they would start to market it, ipagbili na nila. he said. [Translation: There is a medicine already, an antibody of a giant pharmaceutical. They say by May, they would start to sell it.] Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles is clueless as to which company Duterte was referring to because, he said, the topic was not brought up during the Monday meeting with top officials dealing with the health crisis. He added the development of a COVID-19 medicine must have been mentioned to the President. In Philippine hospitals, patients who have recovered from the coronavirus disease are donating their blood, which is rich in antibodies that could help severely-ill COVID-19 patients fight the infection. Several Filipino COVID-19 survivors, including Senator Sonny Angara, have donated their blood blood for a plasma therapy, which could potentially increase the chances of recovery and immunity of other patients from the disease. Convalescent plasma is the process that takes the antibodies from someone who has recovered from COVID-19 and injects them into a person who is sick. The World Health Organization has also backed the use of antibodies to treat a COVID-19 patient. "During the course of the illness, it will be beneficial because what hyperimmune globulin does is it concentrates the antibodies in a recovered patient and you're essentially giving the new victim's immune system a boost," Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, said in February. Duterte approved the extension of the enhanced community quarantine from April 14 to April 30 to further flatten the curve of the COVID-19 infection in the country. The Health Department reported 284 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the total number of those who have been infected to 4,932. There are now 315 people who have died due to the respiratory disease, while 242 others have recovered. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) says one of its top officials has been detained on suspicion of collaborating with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). In an April 14 statement, the SBU said Major General Valeriy Shaytanov is suspected of high treason and terrorism. It said audio and video recordings gathered during the case provided "irrefutable evidence" of the crime. According to the SBU, Shaytanov started working for the FSB in 2014 and had planned "terrorist acts" in Ukraine, including allegedly planning to murder Adam Osmayev, the leader of Chechen volunteers fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's east. Osmayev was injured and his wife was killed in an ambush near Kyiv in October 2017 that Ukraine blamed on Russian agents. Shaytanov also allegedly provided information to Moscow about secret operations against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and recruited additional agents, the SBU said. Ukrainian-Russian relations have been strained since 2014 when Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea region after sending in troops and staging a referendum deemed illegitimate by at least 100 countries. In April that year, Russia threw its support behind armed separatists in Ukraines eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where some 13,200 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict. By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 13, 2020 | 07:57 AM | DRAFFENVILLE A man sought by the Marshall County Sheriff's Office on kidnapping, assault and robbery charges has been arrested.Matthew Moss of Draffenville was arrested by the Jeffersontown (KY) Police Department Monday night. In addition to charges in Jeffersontown, Moss was served with a Marshall County warrant for an incident on Saturday.According to deputies, Moss broke into his mothers vehicle and stole an undisclosed large sum of money. Deputies said a physical altercation took place and Moss forced his mother into a vehicle. Moss then drove her to several different ATM's eventually obtaining another undisclosed amount of money. While doing so, a struggle ensued, further injuring his mother. During this incident, Moss' seven-year-old child was left unattended in Moss' mothers home. Moss fled the scene before police arrived Moss faces charges in Marshall County, robbery, assault, kidnapping, criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a minor. He was lodged in the Jefferson County Jail. Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers A new study examined the knowledge and attitudes of anesthesiologists regarding the strategies used to treat suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients needing to be operated on or cared for after surgery in an intensive care unit. The majority of the anesthesiology specialists and residents expressed the correct attitudes toward airway management, according to the study published in Surgical Infections. The study evaluated anesthesiology specialists and residents at various health institutions in Turkey and was coauthored by Burhan Dost and colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey. The provision of theoretical and practical training can help ensure the safety of both patients and healthcare workers and prevent panic. The authors recommended that anesthesiologists who perform emergency operations on COVID-19 patients outside the intensive care units should follow easy-to-understand algorithms to ensure safety. "This article underscores that surgeons and anesthesiologists must adopt new behavior patterns in the management of surgical and intensive care unit patients with ventilation support measures to avoid the transmission of infection to other patients and to the healthcare staff," says Surgical Infections Editor-in-Chief Donald E. Fry, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Burhan Dost et al, Attitudes of Anesthesiology Specialists and Residents Toward Patients Infected with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): A National Survey Study, Surgical Infections (2020). Burhan Dost et al, Attitudes of Anesthesiology Specialists and Residents Toward Patients Infected with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): A National Survey Study,(2020). DOI: 10.1089/sur.2020.097 Slate's Who Counts? series is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you. The story of Wisconsins April 7 election is, in some ways, an inspirational one. Republicans insisted on holding the contest in the midst of a pandemic, then successfully fought Democratic efforts to expand absentee balloting. The GOPs voter suppression forced thousands of Wisconsinites to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote. A huge number of people accepted the risk, braving long lines and large crowds to cast a ballot. And they prevailed: The liberal candidate triumphed in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by a nine-point margin, ousting an arch-conservative justice and putting progressives in striking distance of flipping the court. Advertisement This narrative is factually accurate, but it is not a triumph. It is a tragedy. In 2020, some Americans jeopardized their lives to vote. No healthy democracy would push its citizens into this predicament. Wisconsin voters did not have to worry about getting brutalized at the polls, like black voters during Jim Crow; they did, however, face an invisible threat that could very well end their lives. We should be inspired by Wisconsinites refusal to let Republicans silence their voices. But we should also be horrified that some Americans may have literally sacrificed their lives to exercise this constitutional right. As Ann Jacobs, a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told me last week, John Lewis is a hero because he risked his life to vote. That is not the standard to which the ordinary citizen should be held to exercise the franchise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is too soon to tell how many Americans were disenfranchised by Wisconsins Republican-dominated Legislature and the courts that enabled it. But it is already apparent that the number will be high. Republicans suppressed votes in two related ways. First, they declined to postpone the election after 7,000 poll workers dropped out for fear of infection. As a result, several urban centers shuttered the vast majority of their polling places; Milwaukee, for instance, reduced its polling places from 182 to five. Second, Republicans rejected efforts to loosen restrictions on absentee ballots. In the weeks before the election, an unprecedented number of peoplenearly 1.3 millionrequested these ballots, but election officials couldnt process every request in time. Thus, many voters didnt even receive their ballots until after Election Day. And thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, ballots mailed after Election Day were thrown out. Advertisement We dont yet know how many Wisconsinites were infected while voting. But the number is almost certainly higher than zero. If you requested a mail-in ballot but didnt get it by Election Day, then, you had to either go to the handful of open polling places or surrender your vote. If you chose to cast a ballot in-person, you had to wait for hours in the cold, in a line that snaked around many city blocks. You could wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other voters. But eventually, you had to come into contact with poll workers, who themselves came into contact with thousands of other people. (Poll workers in Florida and Chicago have already tested positive for the coronavirus.) Then you went home to your family, your communityand if you caught COVID-19, you brought it home with you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont yet know how many Wisconsinites were infected while voting. But the number is almost certainly higher than zero, and it didnt have to be. If GOP legislators had compromised with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, they couldve easily delayed the election, mailed out ballots to every voter, and ensured that no one put their lives on the line. Instead, Republicans appear to have calculated that their schemes would suppress more Democratic votes than Republican ones. They may have been wrong: Jill Karofsky, the liberal candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, trounced Daniel Kelly, the conservative incumbent, by about 163,000 votes. Advertisement Advertisement But that does not mean democracy won. Turnout was down significantly from the last spring election during a presidential primary: 34.3 percent as compared with 47.4 percent in 2016. Some of that decline is attributable to Milwaukee County, which saw mass poll closures, and where turnout fell by 40,000 votes as compared with 2016. Yes, many Milwaukee voters still braved the polls. But many did not. And can anyone blame them? Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was on the ballot himself, urged residents not to go to the polls. Youd have to be delusional, malicious, or both to encourage people to vote in-person during a pandemicas Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos did, while covered in protective gear. (Every Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, including the four who reinstated the April 7 election, voted by mail.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its heartening to see photos of Wisconsinites lined up at the polls on April 7, their mere presence a protest against voter suppression. But it wont be so heartening when COVID-19 infections begin to break out among these individuals. On Tuesday, I asked Jacobs, the elections commissioner, how she felt about the claim that the election turned out to be a win for democracy. The results of this election demonstrate how precious democracy is, Jacobs said, and how hard people will work to preserve it. I truly believe we asked too much of our voters. And yet they prevailed. But at what cost? You can win battles and still have too many casualties, Jacobs told me. We may have won this battle, but its my dearest hope that it is not at the expense of casualties. My wife saw a plate of cupcakes on Instagram and freaked out. It was our first week of social distancing, and to her, the little cakes, covered in promiscuous sprinkles, seemed far too close together for comfort. Cupcakes lose a lot of their appeal, though, if you isolate them on separate little saucers. Over the past few weeks, I've heard people repeatedly declare that they feel like figures in an Edward Hopper painting. Who can't relate? The world has surely never experienced so much enforced solitude on such a scale. I've thought not just of Hopper, but also Vilhelm Hammershoi, a late-19th-century Dane who painted haunting interiors in shades of gray, emptied of everything except single sitters seen from behind, and Caspar David Friedrich, that master of solitary walkers and pensive window-gazers. But my wife's cupcake anxiety (OK, she was mainly joking) made me wonder, too, about how are we all feeling about images of crowds - about pictures of togetherness, conviviality and mingling pheromones? Most of us have camera rolls filled with party photos, Thanksgiving tables or crowded beach scenes. Now they're liable to induce sighs, if we can even bear to look at them. But what about their painted equivalents? Washington, D.C., is blessed to be home to two of the more famous party paintings in art history. The Phillips Collection has Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party," and the National Gallery has Manet's "Masked Ball at the Opera." Extroverts both, these canvases are probably feeling forlorn and out of sorts, what with the galleries closed since mid-March. It might be a good time to reach out to them. The Renoir, one of the world's most beloved paintings, shows a lively gathering buzzing with bonhomie and fluttering, sun-kissed physical proximity. Oh, my lord, you think now, even just seeing it in reproduction, I could do with a bit of that ... It was painted in 1880-81, 10 years after Paris had endured a trauma like no other - a four-month siege, a government overthrow and a bloody civil war. Good times had returned. The setting for Renoir's scene is the Restaurant Fournaise on the Seine below the bridge at Chatou, a semirural settlement just 20 minutes by train from central Paris, where Pierre-Auguste Renoir had his studio. Since the railway was built, Chatou and various nearby locales along the river had become immensely popular with Parisians, especially on weekends, when people of all classes came to promenade along the banks, swim, sail or row boats, and indulge in various forms of amorous and/or inebriated leisure. Guy de Maupassant wrote some great stories set in these places, including "Femme Fatale," which opens at the Fournaise (fictionalized as Le Grillon). In a sense, though, the locale and wider setting of Renoir's painting is unimportant. It's an image that is not just about the good times produced by proximity. It is also about our need for mutual support. The painting is peppered with Renoir's friends. Among them are the children of the Fournaise's owner; Renoir's future wife and favorite model, Aline Charigot; a fellow artist, Gustave Caillebotte (a boating enthusiast whose financial largesse supported many of his fellow Impressionists); and a well-known collector and art aficionado, Charles Ephrussi (who was written about so movingly in Edmund de Waal's "The Hare With Amber Eyes.") Renoir counted on these people. Most of them were better off than he. But they valued what he did as a painter as well as the affable, life-loving, impassioned spirit in which he did it. And they were willing to support him. Renoir honored the rapport they all felt for one another with a painting so good that it transcends the specifics of time and place and speaks to anyone who loves laughter, flirtation, ebullience and optimism. Edouard Manet's "Masked Ball at the Opera," painted seven years earlier, depicts a different kind of crowd and has a very different feeling. From a slightly detached viewpoint, we see a tightly packed group of men in top hats and a number of women of various backgrounds. They're all attending one of two masked balls held annually at the Paris Opera on the rue Le Peletier - a building that burned down later that year. The Manet, painted indoors rather than outdoors, is a small, horizontal canvas, and it's very much a city picture, in contrast to Renoir's shade-dappled countryside scene. But it shares more with the Renoir than you might think. Even though the crowded interior Manet depicts - the promenade behind the boxes - has a slightly sordid, transactional atmosphere (the men appear almost sinister, and some of the women were selling sex), it actually portrays many of Manet's closest friends and supporters - just like the Renoir. Art historians are not entirely confident in their attempts to identify the top-hatted figures (it's a bit like trying to tell cupcakes apart). But we know Manet had his friends come to his studio to pose and that among those who appear in the finished canvas are an art critic (Theodore Duret), a composer (Emmanuel Chabrier) and a collector (Albert Hecht). Manet even painted himself - he's the man with the blondish beard second from the right. So although Manet's painting presents a different kind of party crowd, it is underwritten by some of the same spirit of friendship and mutual support as the Renoir. It is hard to look at these paintings now, or at earlier crowd masterpieces by the likes of Pieter Bruegel the Elder ("Peasant Wedding Feast") and Veronese ("The Wedding at Cana"). Full of life and local color, of appetite and eros, of sweat and sweet scents and all the secret pockets of rapport that form unexpectedly between people at concerts, crowded parties, parades and festivals, they remind us of all we are missing, stuck at home as we are in our Hopperesque isolation. It hurts. But like those photos in our camera rolls of the fancy-dress parties or outdoor concerts we attended last summer, these works of art tease out tendrils in our hearts that will one day - you can count on it - shoot out and intertwine themselves with our real lives again. NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerospace Robotics market worldwide is projected to grow by US$4.8 Billion, driven by a compounded growth of 16.9%. SCARA, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 16.7%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. Poised to reach over US$2.3 Billion by the year 2025, SCARA will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797794/?utm_source=PRN - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 18.2% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$186.9 Million to the region's size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$230.6 Million worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, SCARA will reach a market size of US$200.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. As the world's second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 16.6% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$847.3 Million in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. - Competitors identified in this market include, among others, ABB Group Electroimpact, Inc. FANUC Corporation Gudel Group AG Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. KUKA AG M.Torres Disenos Industriales SAU Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited Universal Robots A/S Yaskawa Electric Corporation Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797794/?utm_source=PRN I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Aerospace Robotics: An Introductory Prelude Leveraging Unique Capabilities, Robotics Widen their Footprint in Aerospace Industry Ongoing Shift Towards Production Floor Automation Creates Fertile Environment Impending Wider Roll Out of Industry 4.0 Poised to Elevate Aerospace Robotics to a New Level Impact of Industry 4.0 on Aerospace Production Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Further Augment the Role & Importance of Aerospace Robotics AI Gains Traction in MRO Vertical as well Boeing Adopts AI on Production Floor Future Prospects Remain Highly Promising for Aerospace Robotics Global Competitor Market Shares Aerospace Robotics Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Emphasis on Faster Delivery Times Amid Growing Passenger & Cargo Traffic Widens Market Opportunities Strong Order Backlog Seeks Robust Improvements in Aircraft Production Uptrend in Military Aircraft Segment on the Back of Mounting Geopolitical Risks and Increasing Global Military Spending: Key Immediate Growth Driver Increasing Demand for Sophisticated Military Aircraft including UAVs SCARA: A Major Robotic Technology for Aerospace Applications Growing Deployments of Articulated Robots Fuel Overall Market Expansion While Traditional Robotics Remain the Largest Segment, Collaborative Robotics Exhibit Fastest Growth Airbus Unveils ?Factory of the Future? Programme with Collaborative Robots Welding: Largest Application Vertical for Aerospace Robotics Use of Robotics in Painting Applications Continues to Expand Aerospace Robotics Enable Extremely Efficient Machining Processes New Research Seeks to Further Improve Robotic Machining in Aerospace Applications Assembly Challenges Effectively Addressed by Aerospace Robotics Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) Made Highly Convenient Technology Enhancements Widen the Scope & Span of Aerospace Robotics Select Recently Announced/Unveiled Aerospace Robotic Technologies Xyrec?s New Aircraft Painting Robot Can Dramatically Reduce Paint Shop Time ABB?s Compact Invert-Mounted SCARA for Small Parts Assembly Applications New Robotic Blade Polishing Solution from AV&R Aerospace Airbus? New, Fully-Automated Drilling Technology for Making Rivet Holes in Aircraft Structural Components ?Cockroach? Robots from Rolls-Royce Can Crawl-in & Fix Airplane Engines Robotics Show Promise in MRO Processes A Brief Overview of Select MRO-Specific Robotics 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Aerospace Robotics Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 2: Aerospace Robotics Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 3: Aerospace Robotics Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 4: SCARA (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 5: SCARA (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 6: SCARA (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 7: Articulated (Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 8: Articulated (Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 9: Articulated (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 10: Other Types (Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 11: Other Types (Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 12: Other Types (Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 13: Controller (Component) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 14: Controller (Component) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 15: Controller (Component) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 16: Arm Processor (Component) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 17: Arm Processor (Component) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 18: Arm Processor (Component) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 19: End Effector (Component) World Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 20: End Effector (Component) Market Worldwide Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 21: End Effector (Component) Market Percentage Share Distribution by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 22: Drive (Component) Market Opportunity Analysis Worldwide in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018 to 2025 Table 23: Drive (Component) Global Historic Demand in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009 to 2017 Table 24: Drive (Component) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 25: Sensors (Component) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 26: Sensors (Component) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 27: Sensors (Component) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 28: Traditional (Technology) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 29: Traditional (Technology) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 30: Traditional (Technology) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 31: Collaborative (Technology) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2018 to 2025 Table 32: Collaborative (Technology) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2009 to 2017 Table 33: Collaborative (Technology) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 34: Drilling & Fastening (Application) Worldwide Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 35: Drilling & Fastening (Application) Global Historic Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 36: Drilling & Fastening (Application) Distribution of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 37: Inspection (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2018 through 2025 Table 38: Inspection (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2009 to 2017 Table 39: Inspection (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 40: Welding (Application) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 41: Welding (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 42: Welding (Application) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 43: Painting & Coating (Application) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 44: Painting & Coating (Application) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 45: Painting & Coating (Application) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 46: Other Applications (Application) Global Market Estimates & Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 47: Other Applications (Application) Retrospective Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2009-2017 Table 48: Other Applications (Application) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Aerospace Robotics Market Share (in %) by Company: 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 49: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 50: Aerospace Robotics Market in the United States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 51: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 52: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 53: Aerospace Robotics Market in the United States by Component: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 54: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 55: Aerospace Robotics Market in US$ Million in the United States by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 56: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Retrospective Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 57: United States Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 58: United States Aerospace Robotics Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 59: Aerospace Robotics Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for 2009-2017 Table 60: Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CANADA Table 61: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 62: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 63: Aerospace Robotics Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 64: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 65: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 66: Aerospace Robotics Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 67: Aerospace Robotics Market Analysis in Canada in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 68: Aerospace Robotics Market in Canada: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 69: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 70: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 71: Aerospace Robotics Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 72: Canadian Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 JAPAN Table 73: Japanese Market for Aerospace Robotics: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 74: Aerospace Robotics Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 75: Japanese Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 76: Japanese Market for Aerospace Robotics: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 77: Aerospace Robotics Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 78: Japanese Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 79: Japanese Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Aerospace Robotics Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 80: Aerospace Robotics Market in Japan in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 81: Japanese Aerospace Robotics Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 82: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Aerospace Robotics in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 83: Japanese Aerospace Robotics Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 84: Aerospace Robotics Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 CHINA Table 85: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 86: Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 87: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 88: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 89: Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 90: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 91: Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in China in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 92: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 93: Aerospace Robotics Market in China: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 94: Chinese Demand for Aerospace Robotics in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 95: Aerospace Robotics Market Review in China in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 96: Chinese Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Aerospace Robotics Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 97: European Aerospace Robotics Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2018-2025 Table 98: Aerospace Robotics Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2009-2017 Table 99: European Aerospace Robotics Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 100: European Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 101: Aerospace Robotics Market in Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 102: European Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 103: European Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 104: Aerospace Robotics Market in Europe in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 105: European Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 106: European Aerospace Robotics Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 107: European Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 108: Aerospace Robotics Market in Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 109: European Aerospace Robotics Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 110: Aerospace Robotics Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 111: European Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 FRANCE Table 112: Aerospace Robotics Market in France by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 113: French Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 114: French Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 115: Aerospace Robotics Market in France by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 116: French Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 117: French Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 118: French Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 119: French Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 120: French Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 121: Aerospace Robotics Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 122: French Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 123: French Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 GERMANY Table 124: Aerospace Robotics Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 125: German Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 126: German Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 127: Aerospace Robotics Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 128: German Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 129: German Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 130: German Aerospace Robotics Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 131: Aerospace Robotics Market in Germany: A Historic Perspective by Technology in US$ Million for the Period 2009-2017 Table 132: German Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 133: Aerospace Robotics Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2018-2025 Table 134: German Aerospace Robotics Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 135: Aerospace Robotics Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ITALY Table 136: Italian Aerospace Robotics Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 137: Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 138: Italian Aerospace Robotics Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 139: Italian Aerospace Robotics Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 140: Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 141: Italian Aerospace Robotics Market by Component: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 142: Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in Italy in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 143: Italian Aerospace Robotics Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 144: Aerospace Robotics Market in Italy: Percentage Share Analysis by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 145: Italian Demand for Aerospace Robotics in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 146: Aerospace Robotics Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 147: Italian Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 UNITED KINGDOM Table 148: United Kingdom Market for Aerospace Robotics: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2018-2025 Table 149: Aerospace Robotics Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2009-2017 Table 150: United Kingdom Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 151: United Kingdom Market for Aerospace Robotics: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2018-2025 Table 152: Aerospace Robotics Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Component for the Period 2009-2017 Table 153: United Kingdom Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 154: United Kingdom Medium & Long-Term Outlook for Aerospace Robotics Market in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 155: Aerospace Robotics Market in the United Kingdom in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 156: United Kingdom Aerospace Robotics Market Percentage Share Distribution by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 157: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Aerospace Robotics in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 158: United Kingdom Aerospace Robotics Market in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 159: Aerospace Robotics Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 REST OF EUROPE Table 160: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018-2025 Table 161: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 162: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 163: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018-2025 Table 164: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Component: A Historic Review for the Period 2009-2017 Table 165: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 166: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Assessment in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 167: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 168: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of Europe: Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Technology for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 169: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 170: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2009-2017 Table 171: Rest of Europe Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 172: Aerospace Robotics Market in Asia-Pacific by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 173: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2009-2017 Table 174: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Type: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 175: Aerospace Robotics Market in Asia-Pacific by Component: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2018-2025 Table 176: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Component: 2009-2017 Table 177: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Component: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 178: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 179: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Technology: 2009-2017 Table 180: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 181: Aerospace Robotics Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2018-2025 Table 182: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2009-2017 Table 183: Asia-Pacific Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2009, 2019, and 2025 REST OF WORLD Table 184: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2018 to 2025 Table 185: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 186: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of World: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 187: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Component: 2018 to 2025 Table 188: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Historic Market Review by Component in US$ Million: 2009-2017 Table 189: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of World: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Component for 2009, 2019, and 2025 Table 190: Aerospace Robotics Market Analysis in Rest of World in US$ Million by Technology: 2018-2025 Table 191: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of World: Historic Review in US$ Million by Technology for the Period 2009-2017 Table 192: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Market Share Breakdown by Technology: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 Table 193: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2018 to 2025 Table 194: Aerospace Robotics Market in Rest of World: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2009-2017 Table 195: Rest of World Aerospace Robotics Market Share Analysis by Application: 2009 VS 2019 VS 2025 IV. COMPETITION ABB GROUP ELECTROIMPACT FANUC CORPORATION GUDEL GROUP AG KUKA AG KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES M.TORRES DISENOS INDUSTRIALES SAU OLIVER CRISPIN ROBOTICS LIMITED UNIVERSAL ROBOTS A/S YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION AIRBUS GROUP SAS BASTIAN SOLUTIONS BOEING COMPANY BOMBARDIER DURR AG FANUC AMERICA CORPORATION GE AVIATION GENESIS SYSTEMS GROUP GKN AEROSPACE SERVICES LTD. HONEYBEE ROBOTICS JH ROBOTICS KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD. - ROBOT DIVISION MTORRES OC ROBOTICS PHYSIK INSTRUMENTE (PI) GMBH & CO. KG PRATT & WHITNEY TAL MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS LIMITED TERADYNE YAMAHA MOTOR GEBE2 PRODUCTIQUE GREAT LAKES AUTOMATION SERVICES, INC. HAMMOND ROTO-FINISH KANE ROBOTICS MECHATRONIC PRODUCTION SYSTEMS LTD. VON HOERNER & SULGER GMBH AV&R VISION & ROBOTICS, INC. B+M SURFACE SYSTEMS GMBH BLASTMAN ROBOTICS LTD. V. CURATED RESEARCH Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05797794/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com GRAND RAPIDS, MI Kent County has begun a web-based survey to help health officials identify potential COVID-19 hot spots. The survey is available statewide. The web-based application asks residents if they are experiencing any symptoms and to provide their year of birth, gender, county and zip code. The data is confidential and will be kept in a secure database. Healthcare professionals, hospitals and health departments will be able to access the anonymous data. Residents are asked to provide the information daily. Our ability to respond to this pandemic depends upon timely, accurate, and multi-sourced data, Adam London, the Kent County Health Department director, said in a statement. The information gathered through this survey will provide us with an additional layer of data to make strategic decisions on how we use our resources. OST, a Grand Rapids technology developer, developed the online survey. OST and Kent County health officials hoped it would be used across Michigan. Without being asked, they identified a need, reached out to us and other community partners, and quickly developed an easy-to-use and effective screening tool," London said. To take the survey, go to www.keepmihealthy.org and hit Get Started! After the survey is completed, residents have an option to provide a cellphone number for daily text reminders. By taking the survey daily, residents can provide the latest information to health officials. For more information, go to www.keepmihealthy.org/faq A Spanish version of the application is expected to be available soon. Also on MLive: Tuesday, April 14: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Babysitter charged in young girls killing, victims family haunted by the injuries Recently expired drivers licenses, plate tabs OK in Michigan during coronavirus pandemic - Pastor Apollo Quiboloy went viral for making a prediction of a supposed bigger disaster than the COVID-19 pandemic - He stated that he received a vision of a huge earthquake in the Philippines that would kill many people - According to the controversial pastor, he is already praying to God, begging him not to let his vision come true - The only way to stop COVID and the supposed second disaster is to repent and turn back to God PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Pastor Apollo Quiboloy once again went viral, this time for making a prediction of a supposed bigger disaster than the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Quiboloy, he supposedly received a vision of a huge earthquake in the Philippines that would kill many people. He said that he is already praying to God, begging him not to let his vision come true. The controversial pastor said that the only way to stop COVID and the supposed second disaster is to repent and turn back to God. "Nobody will be able to help you. Don't wait for that. Here am I, pray to God that the second vision will not happen." PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! KAMI previously reported that some members of Quiboloys church were arrested in the US for allegations of human trafficking. Apollo Quiboloy is the founder and leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. He has made wild claims in the past, stating that he is "The Appointed Son of God" and "The Owner of the Universe". Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Maricar Reyes participated in a hilarious edition of our Tricky Questions challenge! Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh CENTREVILLE, V.A., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Onyx Government Services, empowering the U.S. Federal government and Department of Defense (DoD) to interpret, manage, and protect mission-critical systems and data, announces a substantial $50,000 pledge in 2020 to invaluable local charities like "Food for Others" and "The Children's Inn at NIH," supporting the Washington, DC community during this challenging time. "Our community needs the support of businesses like Onyx to help manage this very concerning health care threat," said Ken Jensen, Founder & President of Onyx Government Services. "Food for Others is a direct link to families struggling with limited access to food and grocery goods. The Children's Inn at NIH is a respite for families with children being medically tested. Government research studies are a critical factor in overcoming this deadly virus. Please consider donating to these important nonprofit organizations." Fairfax, VA-based Food for Others (Foodforothers.org) is an important part of Northern Virginia's safety net for those needing food when an emergency strikes. Food for Others obtains much of its food through food rescue operations and food drives. Charitable contributions are a major part of its budget. The Children's Inn at NIH (Childrensinn.org) is a residential "Place Like Home'' for families with children participating in leading-edge research studies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD the nation's premier biomedical research hospital in advancing medical discoveries. Children's Inn at NIH is a private 501(c)3 charitable organization. Onyx' initial commitment this month of $10,000 to each charity will provide immediate financial assistance to already-strained public resources. The staff at Onyx GS is passionate about improving the quality of life in the communities where they live and work. Onyx supports local charity drives like Toys for Tots, veterans' organizations, and other nonprofits that make good things happen every day. "Our employees and their families are an indispensable part of a vulnerable community under distress," said Jensen. "We are committed to helping in any way we can." About Onyx Government Services, LLC. Headquartered near the Nation's Capital in Centreville VA, Onyx Government Services is a world-class innovator in enterprise data services and data-driven solutions. The SECAF "Government Contractor of the Year" provides advanced data analytics, enterprise technology, cyber security and fraud detection, and software development solutions addressing the Federal government's most critical digital infrastructure needs. Since 2006, Onyx GS has been supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Treasury with unparalleled technical expertise, commitment, and a culture of collaboration. Onyx is CVE-verified SDVOSB with a Top-Secret facility clearance, and a State of Virginia V3-Certified company (Virginia Values Veterans). For more information, visit: https://www.onyxgs.com/ . Media Contact: Michael Jordan 703-303-7478 [email protected] SOURCE Onyx Government Services Related Links https://www.onyxgs.com Washington: Coronavirus deaths in the hard-hit United States were flat for a second consecutive day, with New York's governor saying the "worst is over". Since emerging late last year, the coronavirus pandemic has killed around 120,000 and infected nearly two million, tipping the world towards a fierce economic recession as more than half of the globe hunkers down at home. In Washington, Trump stunned reporters by playing a campaign-style self-congratulatory video and lashing out at the media during a briefing in which he claimed to have saved "tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of lives". The US death toll has hit 23,200 -- by far the worst-affected country -- but the president said: "It looks like we're plateauing, and maybe even in many cases coming down." He has repeatedly stressed he wants to open the world's largest economy as swiftly as possible and is expected to announce a plan this week on how to jump-start stalled business. The president appeared to be supported by the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showing 1,509 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours -- almost identical to the previous day. In New York, where the virus has killed more than 10,000 people and seen unclaimed victims buried in unmarked mass graves, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the nightmare might be coming to an end for the city. "The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy," Cuomo told reporters, as Trump said only the president had "the ultimate authority" to reopen businesses. The economic impact of the crisis in the US and elsewhere could be seen as officials in the southern city of Houston wrapped food in plastic bags and threw them into cars. "We went to the stores and they are closed. Yes, we had problems to buy food," said sales assistant Catalina Mendoza Cabrera. Volkswagen AGs Audi unit, the groups largest profit contributor, is among automakers gradually reopening factories in Europe, even as coronavirus lockdowns drag on across much of the region. Some 100 workers at Audis Gyoer, Hungary site, one of the worlds largest engine plants, restarted output on an assembly line in a single-shift system, the company said Tuesday. A second line is set to follow at the end of this week. Manufacturers are facing a crushing economic blow after governments across Europe placed unprecedented restrictions on public life to combat the spread of the virus, which has claimed some 120,000 lives worldwide. Car registrations in Europe may fall 20 per cent in 2020, with three million lost vehicle sales, or 60 billion euros in lower revenue, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean. After weeks of restrictions, governments and corporations are sketching out exit strategies. Still, any efforts to get the economy back on track are likely to be gradual, and may encounter setbacks if the virus resurges. Whats more, restarting Europes sprawling industrial network will prove complex. Supply chains are closely intertwined across regions, transport restrictions are poised to remain in place for some time and the number of infections is still relatively high in some areas. Industry executives have warned against a hastily arranged restart and called for a co-ordinated European approach, even as crisis-fighting measures vary from country to country. Hyundais car-making facility in Nosovice, Czech Republic, is resuming output with two shifts instead of the usual three, CTK reported. Renault is working on restarting factories in Portugal, Romania and Russia, Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said Friday. Audis vehicle production in Hungary could start toward the end of next week and will be co-ordinated within Volkswagen. The worlds biggest automaker employs about 470,000 people across Europe, the majority of its global workforce of around 670,000. The company is doing everything to safeguard the health of employees, Audi said in the statement. VW has kept some components operations running in Germany during the shutdown, with a total 1,700 employees across five sites, to safeguard parts supplies to factories in China where the industrial recovery is progressing. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss possible steps to ease restrictions with leaders of the German states on Wednesday. While the increase in new infections has moderated, neighbouring France just extended a lockdown that might push the blocs second-largest economy into a deeper recession. With the existing potential for bad weather across the Capital Region on Monday, the National Grid crew themselves are already out and prepared to fix power outages as they will occur except now, the coronavirus has changed almost everything about how things are done. Patrick Stella, Communications Manager, says that the National Grid actually has local crews and contractors ready on standby to restore certain outages with a pandemic plan partnered with social distancing. The National Grid and its capabilities According to Patrick Stella, "Sometimes our crews have to be in closer proximity due to the work they're doing. We do have masks available for them so we're doing everything that we can do," continuing his statement by saying beyond the field crews, the regional control folks are already being sequestered and have been sequestered for several weeks now. "They've been sequestered for several weeks, so they're actually living in the control centers." The company reportedly has about 20 control centers scattered across New York. The Control center personnel dispatch crews are in charge of making sure that the power lines they are fixing are not live. Read Also: Storms Cause Flood in Texas Shortly After Tornado Hits Mississippi: 39,000 Without Power While Damage Is Being Assessed Ever since the company's pandemic plan started to take effect, they have technically been working 12-hour shifts and are already staying on-site for a 30 day period in order to stay healthy. Stella assured that they have trailers, beds, washers, dryers, and even a makeshift gym. Stella admitted that the workers rely on FaceTime and Zoom to keep connected with their families. Although the National Grid is doing their part, it would be really helpful if the citizens decide to contribute as well. It might not even take much, just a few pointers How to help during this time of need Stay away from live wires. Alert National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 if you spot a downed power line or experience a power shortage. If you're stuck, try to stretch your food supply. If you are using a general, it is necessary to pull the main circuit breaker in your house to avoid risk of electrocution for both your family and the National Grid crew. To better contact the National Grid, you can call or report online, and they actually have a fairly new feature for you to text an outage in. Read Also: [GRIM VIDEO] Ecuador Residents Can Smell Corpses on the Street after Deaths Rise From Coronavirus The growing pandemic Although the whole world is worried about the coronavirus getting out of hand, there are still certain existing problems which everyone should be aware of and these are the forces of Mother Nature. Bad weather may often lead to floods, storms, or just strong wind that could possibly knock you out of power. The National Grid has already made a plan to help citizens with their power supply in this time of the pandemic. The best thing citizens can do is to do their part by staying indoors and reporting whatever they see to the National Grid. To view the National Grid Outage Map, click here. 3 1 of 3 H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 DANBURY Facing the national shortage in key equipment, Regional Hospice is raising money to purchase masks, gloves and other supplies. The nonprofit hospice is facing a $486,000 shortage of funds to pay for personal protective equipment, including gowns, gloves, masks and sanitizing products, according to the GoFundMe page. The cost for this gear has increased because of the high demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fundraising page states. The period before Khmer New Year in mid-April is traditionally a busy time for monks. Chanting at numerous ceremonies across the districts, they receive donations for their blessings, and villagers from surrounding areas bring food to the pagoda to honor their Buddhist faith. The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, on Tuesday announced the sixth COVID-19 death in Lagos, as the total confirmed cases in the state hit 192. Mr Abayomi, a professor, through his verified Twitter account, said the deceased was a 56-year-old Nigerian man, who recently returned from the U.S. The announcement came two days after the state recorded its fifth coronavirus death. He said the deceased died of COVID-19 related complications, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Lagos to six. The commissioner urged residents to remain alert across the communities and obey instructions aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 infection. He advised residents to call the state Ministry of Healths emergency number 08000CORONA for any COVID-19 related issues. Also on Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said eight persons have tested negative and fully recovered from coronavirus at the states isolation centre in Yaba. Babajide Sanwo-Olu @jidesanwoolu More great news today from our Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. 8 more people; 2 females and 6 males have tested negative and fully recovered from #COVID19. They have been discharged to return to their families. This brings the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from ou facilities to 69, the governor said in a tweet via his official handle. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lagos has 192 confirmed cases; 120 of the cases are active, while 61 had recovered and been discharged. Two of the patients had been evacuated from the country, while three were transferred to Ogun, their state of residence. (NAN) Amazon.com's logo is seen at Amazon Japan's office building in Tokyo on Aug. 8, 2016. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters) Amazon Will Allow Sellers to Start Shipping Nonessential Items Again Amazon said that it will allow third-party sellers to start shipping nonessential items again, coming several weeks after restrictions were implemented. A spokesperson for the Seattle-based retailer told CNBC and the Wall Street Journal this week that it will accept more products in its warehouses. But the Amazon representative said products will be limited by quantity to allow the firm to prioritize essential products and protecting employees while also ensuring most selling partners can ship goods into our facilities. Later this week, we will allow more products into our fulfillment centers, according to the statement. We appreciate our selling partners patience as we prioritize products for customers and adhere to extensive health and safety measures in our fulfillment centers to protect our employees, the spokesperson said. We will share more details with our selling partners later this week. On Monday, Amazon said it will hire another 75,000 employees to deal with the demand surge. It comes after about 100,000 new employees were hired over the past several weeks. Amazon has increasingly become the go-to online portal for Americans who dont want to go to supermarkets or other stores to purchase goods in an attempt to avoid the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, a type of novel coronavirus from China that has caused a worldwide pandemic. And last week, the company announced it would suspend its branded Amazon Shipping service to handle a surge in orders. 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. 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. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. 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 [April 14, 2020] Business Information Market 2019-2023 | Need to Adapt Enterprise Business Strategies to Boost Growth | Technavio Technavio has been monitoring the business information market and it is poised to grow by USD 32.04 bn 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/20200414005403/en/ Technavio has published its latest market research report titled Global Business Information 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. Bloomberg, Equifax, Experian Information Solutions, Thomson Reuters (News - Alert), and Wolters Kluwer are some of the major market participants. Although the need to adapt enterprise business strategies will offer immense growth opportunities, threat of data misappropriation and theft 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. Need to adapt enterprise business strategies has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, threat of data misappropriation and theft might hamper market growth. Business Information Market 2019-2023 : Segmentation Business information market is segmented as below: End-user BFSI Healthcare and Life Sciences Manufacturing Retail 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=IRTNTR30019 Business Information 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 business information market report covers the following areas: Business Information Market Size Business Information Market Trends Business Information Market Industry Analysis This study identifies automation in gathering business information as one of the prime reasons driving the business information market growth during the next few years. Business Information Market 2019-2023 : Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the business information market, including some of the vendors such as Bloomberg (News - Alert), Equifax, Experian Information Solutions, Thomson Reuters, and Wolters Kluwer. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the business information 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 Business Information Market 2019-2023 : Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist business information market growth during the next five years Estimation of the business information market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the business information market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of business information 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 Market definition PART 04: MARKET SIZING 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 BFSI - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Healthcare and Life sciences - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Manufacturing - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Retail - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Others - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Americas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 EMEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC - 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 PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Bloomberg Equifax Experian Information Solutions Thomson Reuters Wolters Kluwer 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/20200414005403/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Technavio has been monitoring the woolen blanket market and it is poised to grow by USD 399.9 mn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 2% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005696/en/ Technavio has published the latest market research report titled Global Woolen Blanket 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. MiniJumbuk, New Zealand Wool Blankets, Pendleton Woolen Mills, URBANARA, and Woolrich 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. Benefits offered by woolen blankets has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Woolen Blanket Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Woolen blanket market is segmented as below: End-user Residential Commercial Geographic Landscape MEA APAC Europe 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=IRTNTR30773 Woolen Blanket 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 woolen blanket market report covers the following areas: Woolen Blanket Market Size Woolen Blanket Market Trends Woolen Blanket Market Industry Analysis This study identifies advent of organic-certified woolen blankets as one of the prime reasons driving the woolen blanket market growth during the next few years. Woolen Blanket Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the woolen blanket market, including some of the vendors such as MiniJumbuk, New Zealand Wool Blankets, Pendleton Woolen Mills, URBANARA, and Woolrich. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the woolen blanket 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 Woolen Blanket Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist woolen blanket market growth during the next five years Estimation of the woolen blanket market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the woolen blanket market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of woolen blanket 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 Residential Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Commercial Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023 North America 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 Advent of organic-certified woolen blanket Advent of electric blanket Increasing free trade agreements PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors MiniJumbuk New Zealand Wool Blankets Pendleton Woolen Mills URBANARA Woolrich PART 13: APPENDIX Research methodology 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/20200414005696/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/ Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Marikina City will open its own COVID-19 testing center this Friday even without accreditation from the Department of Health, Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro has insisted. Teodoro said Tuesday that the city's testing laboratory located inside a new two-storey building in Barangay Concepcion Uno will start testing swab samples for COVID-19 this week, insisting "local autonomy" allows it. He cited the "general welfare" provision under Section 15 of the Local Government Code for his refusal to wait for the DOH to accredit their facility. "Hindi nila (DOH) binibigay 'yung license to operate, pero ang tanong ko ay ito: may krisis e, kailangan pa ba 'yun?," Teodoro told CNN Philippines' Balitaan. "Namamatay ang mga tao, hindi nila nate-test. Walang kapasidad, kulang na kulang ang testing center sa bansa, malinaw 'yan... Minabuti naming magkaroon ng initiative dahil dumadami ang kaso namin ng COVID-19 dito sa Marikina at malaking kasalanan sa tao, tingin ko, kung saan wala kang gagawin." [Translation: DOH is refusing to give us a license to operate. We're in crisis mode, do we still need that? People are dying without getting tested. There's little capacity and we lack testing centers in the country, that's clear. We took this initiative because COVID-19 cases in Marikina are increasing and I think it's a huge offense to our people if we don't do anything about it.] Teodoro earlier said that local officials have asked the Health Department to inspect the new location for the laboratory, but said they have not yet gotten word from authorities. The agency rejected the city's earlier proposals. A team of DOH inspectors arrived to check the testing center shortly after Teodoro's announcement on Tuesday, but he said that the group did not provide him any feedback except for reminders about procedure that an inspection report must be submitted and findings must be identified before a license can be given. He gave a Friday deadline for DOH to share any recommendations or changes they want done to the facility, saying there's a need for authorities to cut the red tape and respond with urgency. DOH Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said during the agency's daily briefing that the agency was not sitting on its hands in processing applications for testing centers, but pointed out that the Marikina lab is only between 80-90 percent completed. "Naiintindihan po namin ang inyong kagustuhan na mapabilis ang proseso ng testing sa inyong lugar, ngunit ang hindi pagsunod sa tamang proseso ay magdudulot po ng undue harm sa inyong mamamayan," Vergeire said, pointing out that the laboratory personnel in the city have not yet attended a required course on manning and securing the testing center. She added that the session would be available by next Monday the earliest. "Hindi po ang DOH ang nang-iipit sa inyo. Kami po ay kaalyado niyo sa laban na ito," Vergeire added, denying that the DOH did not cooperate with the city's request to assess their newest laboratory site. [Translation: We understand why you want to fast-track the local testing in your area, but failure to abide by the proper procedure would cause undue harm to residents. DOH is not putting you in a tight siutation. We are your allies in this battle.] Under DOH rules, all COVID-19 tests must be done by doctors or licensed medical practitioners. Vergeire suggested that the city government should send samples of suspected patients to any of the 15 testing centers which have been accredited by the DOH while the local facility awaits its own license. State of the art Teodoro insisted that Marikina's testing laboratory is beyond the standards set by authorities. The city has two PCR machines and can process up to 400 samples daily, while a molecular pathologist is always on duty to run tests. "Mga expert ang nagtayo ng laboratoryong ito... Mas maganda pa itong aming palisidad kaysa sa RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) kapag nakikita ng marami," the mayor said, adding that he sees no reason for the DOH to stop their operations. The city government also signed a deal with the Manila HealthTek, Inc., which produces the rapid test kits designed by scientists from the University of the Philippines, to buy 3,000 additional test kits for the city. This is on top of an initial batch of 3,000 kits acquired by city hall. So far, the city can run 7,000 tests, Teodoro said. Rapid test kits can process swab samples in 15 minutes, but current DOH protocols require that samples should still be tested using the more accurate method that makes use of PCR machines to validate the results. Two dedicated ambulance units have also been assigned to the testing center, saying health workers can get swab samples from suspected COVID-19 patients in the hospital or even inside their homes, which will then be processed and assessed in the Marikina lab. Teodoro bared plans to start local mass testing in Marikina last month, saying that he intends to share the laboratory with other local government units. Health officials previously called on local executives to coordinate with the DOH before "acquiring, purchasing and utilizing testing kits within their respective territorial jurisdictions," as more towns and cities wanted to do their own tests because bprocessing was slow when these were centralized at RITM. Select public and private hospitals have been accredited to also conduct tests. DOH has rejected Teodoro's plan to set up the testing laboratory either on the sixth floor of the Marikina City Health Office or inside the state-run Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, saying these locations did not pass space and biosafety standards. On March 30, Teodoro said the free-standing structure along Bayan-Bayanan Avenue will now be hosting the city's own laboratory. DOH Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire has said that a mixed-use building could increase the risk of infections, especially if there are lapses in protocol inside the laboratory. There were 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Marikina as of Monday afternoon. Six patients have recovered while 14 have died from the disease. Valenzuela, Pasig, Manila, and Quezon City have also announced mass testing in their areas as infections continue to rise despite the Luzon-wide lockdown by partnering with laboratories which have already been licensed by DOH. DOJ intervenes after Miss. church members ticketed $500 each for attending drive-in service Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Days after Mississippi Pastor Arthur Scott filed a lawsuit against the City of Greenville for issuing multiple members of his congregation $500 tickets for attending a drive-in service, the Justice Department intervened Tuesday in support of the church. Attorney General William Barr argued that the city "singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing." "The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open." The Department filed a Statement of Interest to back Temple Baptist Church, which held a drive-in church service last Wednesday night, where people sat in their cars with their windows up in the churchs parking lot and listened to the pastor's sermon broadcast on a low-power FM frequency radio. Scott had reportedly called Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons' office to inform them that they were holding the service on Wednesday "no matter what," according to the Delta Democrat-Times. The police arrived and began issuing tickets. Longtime church member Lee Gordon, told the publication that the church had been using the radio broadcast for about three weeks when the police intervened even though they were following social distancing guidelines. The police were respectful and just doing their job, Gordon said. They asked us to leave first and those who stayed got a ticket. While Barr said following directions issued by state and local authorities regarding social distancing is the best path to stop the spread of the coronavirus and that "the constitution does allow some temporary restriction on our liberties that would not be tolerated in normal circumstances," he stressed that "discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers" is still prohibited. "As we explain in the Statement of Interest, where a state has not acted evenhandedly, it must have a compelling reason to impose restrictions on places of worship and must ensure that those restrictions are narrowly tailored to advance its compelling interest," Barr stated. The Department argued in its statement of interest that "the city has the burden to demonstrate that prohibiting the small church here from holding the drive-in services at issue hereservices where attendees are required to remain in their cars in the church parking lot at all times with their windows rolled up and spaced consistent with CDC guidelinesis the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling interest. As of now, it seems unlikely that the city will be able to carry that burden." During his Easter Sunday service broadcast on Facebook, Scott argued that many of his members are older adults with limited access to smartphones, the internet and social media platforms like Facebook to worship online the way many other churches do. And thats the reason why they chose to do the drive-in services as a safe and creative way to stay engaged. The reason we do this is to reach those without smartphones," the pastor said. "Most of our folks, a lot of our congregation is an older congregation and so they have no access to the internet. We care about reaching all people with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and in particular those in our very own backyard. He told his congregation that he filed a lawsuit on Friday with the help of religious liberty advocate Alliance Defending Freedom. We filed suit to protect our fundamental freedoms. Our fundamental right to worship our Lord and Savior. This has absolutely nothing to do with monetary gain. This has everything to do with our freedom. Nothing more, nothing less, Scott said. Now I do not take such action lightly but my prayer is the city will rescind its ban on drive-in services without further court intervention and that other churches facing similar situations, which there are, both here and across the United States, will also have the freedom to worship today, so please be in prayer for our government officials. Please pray for those in positions of power across this nation. For our president. For our governor, for our mayor, for our city council and for all those helping during this difficult time. Simmons announced on Monday however that the ban on drive-in services during the coronavirus pandemic would not be lifted, prompting a response from the ADF as well. Its disappointing to see the city of Greenville continue this unconstitutional, unwarranted ban on drive-in church services," ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker said in a statement. "This church has taken on creative ways to minister to people in its community without access to social media. The citys order is baseless, and so we intend to continue aggressively pursuing our case against it in court. Scott said that he was very encouraged by the support his church has been getting from Christians around the country and thanked them. Weve had calls from Hollywood, California, all the way from there to New York, to Florida, to Colorado. Weve had Christians, preachers, missionaries, Christian works of all kinds, he said, noting they have been on the phone from morning till night. After sending out a warning on Saturday, Barr reaffirmed on Tuesday that the "Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions." As many retailers go on hiring sprees to support a surge in demand for their businesses, Amazon Inc. is once again ramping up its staff in Massachusetts. The Seattle-based online retail giant is expecting to add more than 1,800 new jobs across Massachusetts, according to spokesperson Rachael Lighty. The new hires will join more than 5,000 full-time employees already working in Amazon facilities statewide. The new jobs are part of 75,000 additional positions Amazon announced on Monday, which are on top of 100,000 new roles meant "to help meet customer demand and assist existing employees fulfilling orders for essential products, the company said in a blog post. Amazon has fulfillment centers in Holyoke, Everett, Fall River and Stoughton. Hiring surge Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many retail chains are looking for night crews, cashiers and other staff to support a surge in demand for business. Stop & Shop, one of the regions largest employers, recently announced it would be hiring 5,000 new employees in five states for part-time roles as night crew, cashiers, or members of the bakery, deli or grocery departments. The new Amazon hires in Massachusetts are filling a range of roles, including picking, packing and shipping customer orders, and delivering packages from delivery stations. The roles start with minimum pay of $17 per hour through the end of April and come with company benefits for full-time and some part-time positions, Lighty said. "Many (new hires) were impacted by layoffs related to COVID-19 and come from a variety of fields and life situations, including restaurant cooks, bartenders and servers, flight attendants, teachers, business owners, personal trainers, valet drivers, ride-share drivers, retirees, part-time workers whose jobs are now on hold, and people 'who just wanted to help out,'" Lighty said in an email. Before the beginning of the pandemic, Amazon had already started looking for new hires in Massachusetts. Last year, more than 1,500 people attended Amazons local job fair seeking applicants for 700 positions in the Bay State. The total amount of rice that Vietnamese exporters have to deliver to partners under contracts from now to the end of May is 1.385 million tons. In the latest document to the government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) reported that after collecting rice for storage, Vietnam would have 800,000 tons of rice in April and May that could be exported. The ministry asked the government to resume rice exports, provided that the export volume will be controlled monthly. In the immediate time, it proposed to export 400,000 tons in April. Meanwhile, the export volume for May will be determined in the last week of April. However, the problem is that the total amount of rice Vietnamese companies promised to export under the contracts they signed with partners until March 27 has reached 1.665 million. The companies include the members of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) and non-VFA companies which MOIT requested to report. In the latest document to the government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) reported that after collecting rice for storage, Vietnam would have 800,000 tons of rice in April and May that could be exported. Of this amount, at least 1.385 million tons will have to be delivered from now to the end of May. So, a question has been raised about who will be allowed to export rice and who will have to wait. A former leader of Vietnam's food industry said the principle first come first served doesnt work in this case, because Vietnam is applying an open export mechanism. Nguyen Van Thanh, director of Phuoc Thanh IV Trade Company in Vinh Long province, said "enterprises will feel depressed if the allocation mechanism is not transparent and fair." In the past, rice exporters complained about the export quota allocation scheme, believing that there was discriminatory treatment among enterprises. A director of a rice export company in Long An province suggested that in the immediate time, MOIT should allow contracts that have opened L/C (letter of credit) to go ahead. The businessman went on to say that its necessary to help enterprises free their goods being stored at ports, because the long storage costs them a lot of money. Vietnam began suspending rice export on March 25 as MOIT believes that rice should be kept for domestic consumption in the context of Covid-19. Meanwhile, enterprises have repeatedly asked the government to resume rice export. As Vietnam left the rice export market, Thailand has become the only rice exporter and Thai businesses have pushed the export prices up. Thai 5 percent broken rice was offered at $466-470 per ton on March 25, while it surged to $568-572 per ton on April 7. 25 percent broken rice price also increased from $441-445 per ton on March 25 to $518-522 per ton on April 7. Kim Chi Trade Ministry issues rice export quotas this month under PM permission Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has signed on decision announcing the rice export quota for April after the Prime Minister gave the green light to resume exporting the product. With everything basically shut down, many more people home, many people without jobs, some furloughed, we are sensitive to the pain some folks may be going through, he said. It was decided that the responsible, reasonable, humanitarian and right thing to do was to help where we could." As if fighting the coronavirus pandemic werent challenging enough, cybercriminals are making things more difficult for healthcare providers and humanitarian groups. Attacks have already delayed COVID-19 testing and limited access to related healthcare guidance. So today, Microsoft is extending its AccountGuard service to healthcare providers and human rights and humanitarian organizations at no cost. Typically aimed at politicians and their staff, AccountGuard notifies customers when Microsoft detects an attack and provides guidance on stopping it. The service will be available to these new groups until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, Microsoft said in an announcement. Its currently available in 29 countries, and its available to organizations using Office 365 for business email. It also offers additional security to personal accounts of front line workers who use services like Outlook.com and Hotmail. In addition to hospitals and clinics, care facilities, labs, clinicians and pharmaceutical, life sciences and medical device companies, can all sign up for the extended AccountGuard coverage. Through a pilot program, human rights organizations like Amnesty International, CyberPeace and Freedom House have already enrolled in the program. Healthcare organizations can sign up here, and human rights and humanitarian groups can sign up here. Microsoft warns that most of the attacks on healthcare organizations during the coronavirus pandemic have been executed through email. Attacker often disguise malicious content as a message from an authority or medical equipment provider in order to obtain a persons credentials or spread malware. Microsoft has also shared a guide to avoiding phishing attacks. AccountGuard already protects nearly 100,000 email accounts, and it has made 1,450 threat notifications to its existing customers. Its also working to secure voting machines with its related ElectionGuard tech. Astronauts are experiencing the pandemic from hundreds of miles above the planet offering the Earth-bound a fresh perspective on dealing with distance, loneliness and helplessness. What's happening: Astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner flew to the International Space Station last week. Cassidy had no family or friends on hand to view the launch from Kazakhstan due to social distancing concerns and travel restrictions. "We knew as a crew we were going to be in quarantine ... those exact weeks, but we didn't know the whole rest of the world was going to join us," Cassidy said during a press conference from the space station. Two other astronauts, Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan, are heading back to Earth this week after months in space and will arrive on a very different planet than the one they left. "It is quite surreal for us to see this whole situation unfolding on the planet below. We can tell you that the Earth still looks just as stunning as always from up here, so it's difficult to believe all the changes that have taken place since both of us have been up here." Jessica Meir during a press conference Astronauts who have been away from their families for months at a time even in the best situations describe a loneliness brought on by being physically separated from the people they care for. "When you are on the ground, you just wish you were back in space because it's so cool, but when you're in space, almost all you can think about is actually your family," former NASA astronaut Pamela Melroy told Axios. Context: Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union from the space station Mir. He left Earth from the Soviet Union and returned to a newly independent Kazakhstan months later than he initially expected to come home. NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson was the only American off-Earth during 9/11, snapping photos of the aftermath from above and mourning a former classmate who was the pilot of the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. Other astronauts have watched from above as hurricanes and other natural disasters impact their families on Earth. The big picture: In many ways, our experiences on Earth today mirror the experiences astronauts in orbit have been living through for decades. For some, the loneliness, helplessness and isolation are eased through acts of service and keeping busy, lessons we could incorporate during quarantine here on the planet. "You try to keep your spirits up during isolation," former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao told Axios. "You do things for others." Go deeper: The coronavirus pandemic, as seen from space SHELTON, Conn. and CLICHY, France, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BIC, a world leader in Stationery, Lighters, and Shavers, is manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers to address the shortage of this essential equipment in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). Face shields are being made at several BIC production sites around the world and then donated to local hospitals or governments. The Company is also partnering with other businesses and academic institutions to produce a full-face mask with air filtration to be donated to hospitals, and is donating more than 1.3 Million (more than $1.5 Million) at retail value of pens, coloring products, other writing instruments, and razors to support local communities, hospitals, children and the homeless. "As a global company with thousands of team members in communities around the world, we strongly believe that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to make a meaningful contribution to our communities during this global health crisis," said Gonzalve Bich, BIC CEO. "Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by COVID-19. We send our heartfelt gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, paramedics, factory workers, and first responders putting themselves on the frontlines to protect our communities and economies." PPE Manufacturing Projects BIC began producing face shields at its lighter facility in Redon, France, at the end of March. The team there is producing 3,000 per day using raw materials the company already has in its possession, including packaging plastic, rubber and more. The first batch was donated to the local hospital and police force. Production of these and other face shields has expanded to facilities in Brazil, Greece and Tunisia for local hospitals and government agencies. Production has begun on an adaptor to transform the Decathlon EasyBreath full-face snorkeling mask into COVID-19 personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in hospital reanimation units. The mask completely protects the eyes, nose and mouth and filters the air, if there is a lack of conventional masks and goggles. This project, which leverages a solution developed by Professor Manu Prakash from Stanford University, results from a partnership with researchers, engineers, doctors, industrialists. Today 50 masks and adaptors were delivered to the Brest hospital and 10 to the Redon hospital in France for use in reanimation units. BIC teams in France are also using 3D printing to produce frames for safety glasses, as requested by a local hospital. "I want to thank our team members for their ingenuity, passion, and amazing support for finding ways to leverage our resources and manufacturing expertise to help our communities," said Bich. "We will continue our conversations with local governments, health authorities and industry partners to play our part in lessening the spread of the coronavirus." Plans to manufacture other types of PPE, in partnership with governments, non-profits, other businesses and academic institutions, are also in development. More than 1.3 Million ($1.5 Million) in Donations BIC teams have mobilized to meet the needs of healthcare workers and NGOs across the globe, providing more than 1.3 Million ($1.5 Million) at retail value in donations. This equates to more than 2.4 million Stationery, Lighter and Shaver products for organizations that support health care workers, children, the homeless and others in need around the world. Additional donations are being planned in key markets in the coming weeks. Partnerships and Resources for Consumers In the US, BIC is teaming up with The Kids In Need Foundation for a #PostForPencils Campaign, for which BIC will donate up to a total of 1.5 million pencils. For every social media post shared that includes "#PostForPencils," 20 pencils will be distributed to students in need. The BIC Corporate Foundation has donated 20,000 to several non-profit partners to enable 80 families to access computers to allow their children to follow their classes online. In France , BIC is launching a Limited Edition 4-Colour Pen for Nurses and Doctors, donating proceeds to the Fondation des Hopitaux de Paris Hopitaux de France . The pens will be available at the end of April on BIC.com in France . Visit to register for alerts when product will be available for purchase. , BIC is launching a Limited Edition 4-Colour Pen for Nurses and Doctors, donating proceeds to the Fondation des Hopitaux de Paris Hopitaux de . The pens will be available at the end of April on BIC.com in . Visit to register for alerts when product will be available for purchase. Recognizing that families around the world are spending more time coloring, writing and working together at home during these difficult times, BIC is making resources available for free for families to express their creativity, including free coloring pages, memory games and other activities available at https://www.bicworld.com/en/creative-resources-families ABOUT BIC BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as Cello, Conte, BIC Flex, Lucky Stationery, Made For YOU, Soleil, Tipp-Ex, Wite-Out and more. In 2019, BIC Net Sales were 1,949.4 million euros. The Company is listed on "Euronext Paris," is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bicworld.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. Contact - BIC Rob Miller, BIC 203.783.2484 [email protected] Contact MWW Kerry Johnson 646.381.9018 [email protected] SOURCE BIC Corporation Related Links http://www.bicworld.com Due to the ongoing lockdown, Russians cant go to their beloved and renowned museums. So theyre filling the holes in their souls by recreating artworks while stuck at home and posting them on social media. The Facebook group where the works are posted has become a huge hit. The art recreations range from studious and reverent to flippant and goofy. Theyre done both by Russians and Russian-speakers abroad. Some 350,000 people are following the group, where thousands of photos are posted, each showing the original work and the mockup made at home. The rules say it must only use items on hand and cant be digitally manipulated. There are some impressive surprises in the collection. Vitaly Fonarev carefully recreated the clothes and headdress of Johannes Vermeers Girl With a Pearl Earring and captured the Dutch artists famous glowing light. The work is so convincing that it takes a few moments to notice that the girl actually is a man with a few days worth of beard stubble. Irina Kazatsker found the project perfect for her skills. The Canadian photographer had the lights and the backdrops to do a loving recreation of Picassos The Frugal Meal with the sly twist of putting a roll of toilet paper on the table. I decided to add a provocative detail that corresponds to the spirit of the time, she said. SEE PHOTOS: Stuck in isolation, Russians recreate famous artworks at home Unlike the hours of work that went into elaborate recreations, some appear to have been knocked off in a matter of minutes but are no less appealing. Natalia Rubinas rendition of Edvard Munchs The Scream involved simply making a hole in a poster of the painting at the spot showing an anguished mans head, then getting a dog to stick its head through. The dog appears nonplussed. Katrusya Kosilkova employed an extensive palette of paints and careful brushwork to make her face a copy of the garish colors and fractured perspective of Picassos Weeping Woman. It was time well-spent, in her view. In this two photo combo, an undated copy of Pablo Picasso's 'Crying Woman' artwork, left, and Katrusya Kosilkova's recreation. (AP) I really think this is a megacool idea. It gives people unbelievably positive emotions and develops creative thinking, she said. It helps people from different parts of the world to communicate with one another, to discuss new topics, mechanisms, and on top of this it increases our knowledge about art. Katerina Brudnaya-Chelyadinova, a co-founder of the project, is pleased by the wide attention it has received. A boy from Italy wrote a post in English saying that our group brought him out of the depths of the tragedy that is happening around him. I was sitting there and I couldnt hold back my tears because if this can bring happiness to someone, somewhere on the opposite side of the world, then all of this isnt for nothing, she said. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Matt Hancock yesterday promised to dramatically ramp up coronavirus testing in care homes as it emerged barely 500 care workers have been tested so far. The Health Secretary pledged that all care home residents who show symptoms of the disease would receive a test. And for the first time, everyone released from hospitals into care homes will be tested, even if they show no signs of coronavirus. Mr Hancock said all social care staff who need a test will now have access to one with the Care Quality Commission contacting all 30,000 care providers in the coming days. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock is pictured leaving No. 10 Downing Street after attending the daily Covid-19 Cobra meeting today I am deeply conscious that people in residential care are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus, he said. We are doing everything we can to keep workers, residents and their families safe, and I am determined to ensure that everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one. Chancellor Rishi Sunak assured carers that they had not been forgotten amid mounting questions over why coronavirus deaths in care homes had not been included in the official daily statistics. Since tests for social care staff started at the weekend, only 505 have been screened. This compares with more than 47,000 for NHS staff and their families. Age UK said it was shocking that just one in 3,000 of the 1.5million care workers including care home staff and home helps had so far been tested. A file photo shows an elderly man sitting on a wheelchair alone. The Health Secretary has pledged that all care home residents who show symptoms of the disease will receive a coronavirus test Christina McAnea of Unison, which represents care workers, said: The virus is sweeping through care homes at a terrifying rate. Care workers are on the front line, tending to the most vulnerable people. These testing levels are pitiful and a dramatic increase is urgently needed for everyones sake. Yesterday the PMs spokesman said: We are now using some of the available capacity to allow social care workers to be tested if they were concerned they had coronavirus symptoms and 505 social care workers have now been tested, he said. That scheme has only very recently begun. The spokesman said it was unfair to compare the number of people being tested with the total number of social care workers. He said: The key point is these are tests which are available for people who have symptoms or are concerned they have coronavirus. But critics said the number of tests being carried out was nowhere near enough. Liz Kendall, Labours social care spokesman, said: These are shocking figures. The Government urgently needs to get a grip on the emerging crisis in social care. Millions of elderly people up and down the country rely on the vital service that care workers provide. Testing is carried out yesterday at Leeds Temple Green Park and Ride, part of the government's UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS workers Age UKs Caroline Abrahams added: We know now that only some 500 social care staff have been tested so far and there are almost one and a half million still to go. This is a total disaster because it means that sadly, the social care system is going to have to fight the virus for the foreseeable future without generally knowing who has had it and is safe, and who hasnt and is still at risk. She added: The problem is this leaves care providers flying blind, increasing the risk to older people and care workers alike that they will become infected. It may also lead to some care workers self-isolating unnecessarily, piling pressure on other members of staff. Any hope that testing would save the day for social care as it confronts the deadly coronavirus has unfortunately been dashed. Speaking yesterday, Mr Sunak said: I would say to all those people working in care homes up and down the country, whether its the people in them or the people looking after them you absolutely havent been forgotten. When we clap every week we are clapping for people everywhere who are caring. Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, admitted the French and UK coronavirus figures are different because the French figures include care homes. Liberia coronavirus lockdown off to chaotic start April 14,2020 | Source: Reuters A coronavirus lockdown in Liberias capital Monrovia got off to a chaotic start at the weekend, as some police officers used truncheons against residents who had ventured outside in search of provisions. Confusion reigned across much of Monrovia, a city of more than 1 million people, with many having heard, erroneously, via social media that the government had ordered a 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew rather than a full lockdown. Many residents had voiced anger in the run-up to the lockdown ordered by President George Weah, which they said would do more harm than good in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty. Corona is not going to kill many people. It is hunger that will kill many Liberians, said Jettroy Kolleh, a student, as he stood on Thursday outside a bank in Monrovia, where dozens of people had queued in close proximity to withdraw money. The lockdown is a test of the Liberian authorities vows to improve on their handling of a quarantine of a Monrovia slum during the Ebola outbreak in 2014, which sparked riots by residents lacking food and water. Liberia has so far confirmed at least 48 cases of the coronavirus, including five deaths. Reuters TV footage from Saturday showed police patrolling in riot gear and pursuing people with truncheons. At the Red Light market, one of the citys busiest, an excavator truck destroyed informal market stalls, where people had earlier congregated. We must understand the plight of our citizens and work with them constructively in ensuring that they can obey the stay-home order, said Moses Carter, a police spokesman. However, there are people who are very recalcitrant. Those people who will blatantly challenge our joint security officers will be dealt with robustly, he said. Roland Weah, the commissioner of the West Point neighbourhood, where police opened fire during the Ebola outbreak to enforce a quarantine, said authorities were working closely with communities to avoid a repeat. We have put into place measures to ensure there is not a recurrence of that situation, he said. We are working as a community ... providing information that corona is here, (applying) all health protocols announced by the ministry of health. 2020 Reuters. All Rights Reserved. Theme(s): Others. SPRINGFIELD Illinois House Republicans on Monday called on Gov. JB Pritzker to do more to handle the unprecedented volume of new claims for unemployment benefits coming into the Illinois Department of Employment Security, even if that means reassigning workers there from other state agencies. Every day, my office and my colleagues' office, Democrat and Republican, are inundated with calls and emails asking for help in filing for unemployment, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, said during a video news conference. These are people desperately asking for help telling me they can afford to pay their rent, buy their groceries for their family. Since the week that ended March 14, IDES has reported receiving more than half a million new claims for unemployment, due mainly to people being laid off from businesses that have been ordered closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. That number far exceeds all previous records for new unemployment claims. Durkin was joined in the video conference by Reps. Grant Wehrli, of Naperville, and Mike Marron, of Fithian, both of whom said they have had similar experiences with constituents. Since the stay-at-home order has been issued, my office has been flooded with calls from constituents that have been laid off and are desperate for help in filing for unemployment insurance, Marron said. We get at least 10 people a day who call and ask, How can I get my application processed? Many of these individuals were unexpectedly notified that they were out of work due to how fast the situation materialized. The GOP news conference took place just a few hours before Pritzkers daily news briefing in Chicago in which he said IDES has been doing everything it can to handle the volume of claims coming in, including upgrading its online application system and hiring back recently-retired employees. But he said the system used to process applications wasnt designed to handle the volume of claims coming in. Remember that the computer system that was built to handle unemployment claims for our state was built in 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession, and it was built with the idea that unemployment would never really exceed what we saw in 2008 and 2009, Pritzker said. But today, we are seeing five times that number of claims. Durkin, however, said the administration should have anticipated the flood of new jobless claims that would come in to IDES before Pritzker issued executive orders closing nonessential businesses. This should have been thought about and I believe that the state of Illinois has failed those Illinoisans, who have been left out, that were cut out as nonessential, but they have not been able to survive and also rely upon the state of Illinois through the Department of Employment Security, he said. Pritzker said the IDES call center operates with a staff of 173 employees and that it recently updated its phone system to handle more calls. He also said the agency is establishing an outside call center with an additional 200 agents to field calls. In addition, he said, the state has worked with a number of tech companies to upgrade the unemployment website to launch an automated web bot that can provide answers to frequently asked questions during all hours. Since March 1, Pritzker said, IDES staff have worked a combined 6,500 hours of overtime and have processed more than 273,000 unemployment claims. That, however, is only a little more than half of the 513,000 new claims that have been filed during that time. Since issuing a disaster declaration last month, Pritzker has dominated the statewide news cycle with his daily briefings and updates on actions his administration has taken to slow the spread of the disease. Illinois Republicans, meanwhile, have been largely silent and supportive of Pritzkers handling of the pandemic, even as Pritzker has doled out blistering criticism of the Trump administration for its handling of the crisis at the national level. Mondays news conference represented the first time Illinois Republicans as a group offered verbal pushback. Now we hear on a daily basis from Governor Pritzker about his frustration with the federal supply chain, and I share that frustration, Wehrli said. But he has absolutely no oversight of the federal government. He has 100 percent oversight of IDES, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and this needs to get fixed right now. As many as 1,036 people have recovered from the disease so far, said Lav Agarwal during the daily media briefing on the coronavirus. New Delhi: With 1,211 fresh cases of coronavirus reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country has reached 10,363 including 339 deaths, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. As many as 1,036 people have recovered from the disease so far, said Agarwal during the daily media briefing on the coronavirus. "In one day, 179 people were diagnosed and found cured," he added. "A total of 10,363 confirmed cases have been reported in India including 339 deaths and 1,036 people, who were COVID-19 positive have recovered. Out of the total deaths, 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours," said Agarwal. Agarwal said that an evaluation of each district and city will be done till 20 April. "An evaluation of each district and city will be done till 20 April in which it will be evaluated what measures did that authorities take in these cities and districts to combat COVID-19," he said. Follow LIVE updates on the coronavirus outbreak here "Based on the results of this litmus test approach, permission will be granted for some selective activities to those districts and cities which controlled the situation effectively. Detailed guidelines will be issued soon," he added. On Saturday, the New York Times published a lengthy expose documenting the failure of the Trump administration to act on repeated warnings from within the federal government that the United States was facing an imminent disaster that threatened hundreds of thousands of lives. The Times noted, The National Security Council office responsible for tracking pandemics received intelligence reports in early January predicting the spread of the virus to the United States, and within weeks was raising options like keeping Americans home from work and shutting down cities the size of Chicago. Mr. Trump would avoid such steps until March. President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Friday, April 10, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) These warnings were repeated by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even cabinet-level White House officials. Yet despite these warnings, the Trump administration failed to carry out the most basic measures to contain the pandemic. On March 2, nearly two months after Trump received initial warnings that the pandemic would strike the United States, less than 500 people had been tested for COVID-19 throughout the country. By that time, it had been spreading uncontrolled for over a month. In public, Trump deliberately downplayed the severity of the disease, falsely claiming the pandemic was no worse than the flu. He argued that it would go away by itself and declared that the disease was a hoax. On Sunday, Trump retweeted a posting urging him to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, his leading scientific advisor, who publicly stated that initiating measures earlier would have saved lives. Clearly unnerved by the exposure of his administrations incompetence, Trump as usual lashed out wildly at the press on Monday, insulting reporters in another display of ignorance, brutality, backwardness and self-aggrandizement. As usual, Trump spent most of his press conference praising himself and denying all responsibility for the disaster now unfolding. While the Times report presents an important account of the Trump administrations incompetent response to the pandemic, a very significant part of the picture is left out. It does not explain why the ruling class as a whole was so unprepared to deal with the pandemic. Trumps disastrous series of mistakes flowed naturally out of policies adopted by the whole political establishment and prior administrations. After all, the Bush and Obama administrations gutted public health preparedness, slashing funding year after year. Despite warnings of the danger of a pandemic for at least two decades, no action was taken to build up stockpiles of necessary equipment. From January to the present, moreover, no section of the US political establishment seriously called for a major expansion of public health spending and a massive program of testing, quarantining and contact-tracing that could have stopped the pandemic and saved tens of thousands of lives. And yet, in a matter of just weeks, both parties were able to work together to secure a multitrillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street and major corporations that sent the stock market soaring, even as millions lost their jobs. Nor does the Times account explain the fact that the record of the Times and other major media outlets is just as miserable as that of Trump. Despite numerous warnings of the novel coronavirus in the international media, beginning in early January, the New York Times did not devote its first editorial to the topic until January 29. The newspaper that so often serves as a conduit for anonymous sources within the intelligence apparatus did not report the intelligence reports in early January predicting the spread of the virus to the United States as one of the bombshells it has so often emblazoned in banner headlines. In its January 29 editorial, the newspaper warned that distrust in institutionsa word the newspaper uses to refer to both itself and US intelligence agenciesis the greatest risk factor for the spread of COVID-19. It did not call for any emergency measures to combat the disease, or for an expansion of testing, quarantining and contact tracing capabilities. Then, a general silence took over for an entire month, during which the New York Times did not write a single editorial on the pandemic. It was not until February 29, when there were 63 documented cases in the United States and confirmed community transmission, that the Times editorial board revisited the issue. During the intervening period, which spanned the conclusion of the abortive efforts to impeach Trump on the basis of false allegations of collusion with Russia, the Times presented its readers with the usual fare of allegations of Russian meddling in American society, prowar propaganda, #MeToo hysteria and demands for expanding the power of the US intelligence agencies. During the month of February, US stock markets continued to hit new highs. Trump has repeatedly made clear that his primary concern in dealing with the pandemic was its impact on the economy, and in particular, the stock markets. It is not difficult to surmise that similar concerns motivated the Times editorial board in seeking to downplay bad news. In fact, when its editorial board returned to the subject on March 3, it was with a new focus: If the federal government fails to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and the economic outlook darkens, such a broad-based stimulus may well become necessary. While the Times was silent on the COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic and Republican politicians were preparing a bipartisan stimulus bill that included $450 billion in corporate bailouts and financed the Federal Reserves $5 trillion payouts to Wall Street and major corporations. The silence of the Trump administration and the Democratic Party contrasts with the extensive warnings by the World Socialist Web Site. A January 24 article by Benjamin Mateus noted that evidence has emerged that person-to-person infection is occurring, and that cases have now been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United States. In a January 28 Perspective column titled, The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and the global threat of infectious diseases, the WSWS noted: The outbreak has exposed the enormous vulnerability of contemporary society to new strains of infectious disease, dangers for which no capitalist government has adequately prepared. The WSWS stated, While the situation in China is dire, the so-called first-world countries are no more prepared to deal with an outbreak on the scale currently occurring in Wuhan. The perspective continued: Put another way, while the governments of the world, particularly the United States, have made meticulous plans for large-scale war during the past quarter-century, no such resources or forethought have been devoted to combatting the rash of epidemics that have plagued the planet over the same period. Since 1996, there have been 67 epidemics across the world, including the outbreak of mad cow disease from 1996 to 2001, influenza in 2009, Zika in 2015-2016, and the continuing HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has killed at least 30 million people since it first emerged in 1960. These disasters are at every turn preventable. Medical science has advanced to the point where it is capable of identifying new viruses within weeks and developing vaccines within months. And yet, as then-WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan noted in 2014 in relation to the Ebola outbreak, a profit-driven industry does not invest in products for markets that cannot pay. The short-term, mercenary profit schemes that are inherent to capitalism are incapable of allocating the resources necessary to plan ahead and prepare for global risks. Over the next month, in the period during which the New York Times editorial board was silent, the World Socialist Web Site wrote four major statements on the pandemic in addition to its daily news coverage. In The coronavirus pandemic: A global disaster on February 11, the World Socialist Web Site condemned the nationalist and xenophobic policies of the Trump administration and the statements of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that the pandemic will accelerate the return of jobs to North America. It warned, As with every other social problemincluding the ever-widening social inequality, accelerating climate change and the heightened threat of warthe coronavirus epidemic is a global problem that requires an international solution. On February 27, the WSWS published a Perspective titled, The coronavirus pandemic and the need for global socialized medicine. Alex Lantier wrote, It is critical that the worlds health system be able to isolate patients, limit the speed of the diseases spread, and devote the necessary resources to provide intensive care for those patients who develop pneumonia from the infection. The next day, the WSWS published a statement by the International Committee of the Fourth International that declared, The US government is completely unprepared for a major outbreak. There is no system in place to even systematically test for the virus. It concluded: The working class must demand that governments make available the resources required to contain the spread of the disease, treat and care for those who are infected, and secure the livelihoods of the hundreds of millions of people who will be affected by the economic fallout. The World Socialist Web Site does not have the vast financial resources available to the New York Times. And yet we were able to warn the public about the disaster that was about to unfold. This is because the WSWS is motivated by an entirely different political orientation. The preoccupation of both the Trump administration and the New York Times, the main media outlet of the Democratic Party, is the preservation of the financial and economic interests of the ruling elite. The concern of the WSWS is the defense of the working class and the broad mass of the population. Just as they failed to warn the public about the dangers posed by the coronavirus as it was spreading throughout the country, both the Trump administration and the New York Times are seeking once again to downplay the pandemic to create a climate for a premature return to work. The World Socialist Web Site is focused on warning against such moves, arguing that human lives must take precedence over the profits of the ruling elite. For more than two decades, the World Socialist Web Site, the publication of the International Committee of the Fourth International, has proven itself an indispensable tool in defending the social and political interests of the working class. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he cannot blame Filipino nurses if they want to work abroad even if the country is in a state of public health emergency due to coronavirus disease. Hindi ko sinisisi, hindi ako galit [I dont lay the blame on them, I am not angry], wala akong [I do not have] emotions actually about this, the chief executive said in a televised briefing late Monday. Kung gusto ninyong kayong mga nurse na Pilipino gusto ninyong magsilbi sa ibang bayan, sa ibang tao, okay lang sa akin, Duterte said. [Translation: If you nurses want to serve other countries, it is okay with me.] His comments followed the lifting of a temporary ban on the deployment of health care workers with existing contracts abroad. Duterte claimed America is part of the problem of the Filipinos now because it has eased its entry requirements for foreign healthcare workers so they could be lured into working there as they have a high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities. Kasi sa karaming tinamaan sa kanila, marami ng patay maski sino na lang nananawagan sila basta yung nurse, mga nurse sige punta kayo sa embassy, i-process nila ang visa one day, kinabukasan lipad ka na. [Translation: A lot of people were infected in US, plenty of them died, so they are calling on nurses to go to the embassy. They will process your visa in one day. The next day, they can leave.] Duterte also expressed concern that since the Philippines cannot afford to pay health care professionals at par with their wages overseas, the country may face a shortage of nurses if the COVID-19 takes a turn for the worse. In view of the COVID-19 crisis, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration announced last week it has stopped the deployment overseas of some categories of Filipino health care workers for the meantime. The move was heavily criticized especially by those scheduled to leave for contracts abroad and even by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. who said the ban violates the constitutional right to travel and contractual right to work where one's work is needed. Covered by the temporary overseas deployment ban are medical doctors, nurses, microbiologists, molecular biologists, medical technologists, clinical analysts, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, X-ray or radiologic technicians, nursing assistants or aide, operatorsof medical equipment, supervisor of health services and personal care, and repairmen of medical equipment. Locsin vowed to challenge the POEA directive in a meeting with Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. On Monday, April 13, he said health care workers with existing job contracts abroad will now be allowed to leave. He added future applications of nurses and other concerned health workers are frozen until further notice. The IATF clarified on Tuesday that those with employment contracts overseas as of March 8 are exempted from the temporary deployment ban. Task force spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a televised briefing they will be allowed to leave the country for work abroad once they sign a declaration form signifying their 'knowledge understanding of the risks involved in proceeding with their travel.' [April 14, 2020] TrailWest Bank Elevates Digital Transformation Strategy with IMM eSign IMM, the only eSignature provider that specializes in eSignature and digital transaction solutions exclusively for financial institutions, today announced Lolo, Montana-based TrailWest Bank (TWB) has successfully deployed IMM eSign for Banks across all departments to process digital transactions faster, providing customers a more convenient and engaging experience. TWB is a locally owned, independent bank with more than $668 million in assets, operating 16 branches across four counties in Western Montana. Mike Putnam, VP Information Technology Manager of TrailWest Bank, said, "Most vendors we considered were trying to be all things to every vertical. IMM was different. For instance, the company focuses strictly on the financial industry and understands the nuances that banks have, with regulators for instance. For TrailWest, our digital strategy was to become a paperless office, so we needed an all-encompassing solution." When TWB initially began looking for an eSignature provider, it did not anticipate all the areas where the bank could benefit from being paperless. Originally, eSignatures were only going to be deployed in one department. However, after the ease of the initial implementation, the bank realized that any department whether it be customer service, commercial or real estate lending that needed documents signed provided an opportunity to digitize the process. Putnam continued, "When TrailWest first considered eSignature adoption, we did not know how valuable it could be to the bank, so we only used it in a small segment of our business. However, we quickly saw that having this capability could benefit any department that needed to capture a customer signature. Not every customer can visit the bank so implementing the process throughout our operations will provide efficiencies to our employees as well as customers who do not live near a branch. Today's savvy consumers expect eSignatres whenever they need to sign documents. Using IMM eSign throughout the bank has truly enhanced our processes." IMM eSign powers end-to-end electronic signature transactions and can interface with virtually every business system used across the bank today. The signing experience is easy to use for customers as well as seamless for bank employees managing the signing transaction. Of additional value is the back-off benefits afforded to a bank as IMM eSign streamlines internal business processes and the way transactions flow across an institution. TrailWest explained one of the earliest successes with eSignatures came when loan documents needed to be signed by two parties; however, they were in different states thousands of miles apart. Within an hour and a half, both individuals had not only eSigned the documents but had also sent them back to the bank for final approvals. Today, all of the bank's employees are excited about using eSignatures across as many business solutions as possible. Putnam added, "In an age where the promise of service is ubiquitous, but not always followed through, IMM has delivered on our service expectations. Its implementation service and project management were personal and made what could have been a potentially stressful process, very easy and comfortable for our team. Most companies tout their service as exceptional and that does not turn out to be the case. However, with IMM, that is 100 percent factual. They delivered on every promise they made to us. We felt a real personal connection with their team. They have fast turnaround times and a knowledgeable and genuinely helpful staff." Michael Ball?, vice president, IMM Bank Solutions Division, said, "Without having a cohesive eSignature solution, financial institutions can miss the target of their digital experience goals and strategies. Together with TrailWest Bank, we have been able to implement our solution in a manner that addresses the bank's specific needs and goals, helps to create a paperless office and compliments its overall digital transformation strategy." About IMM For 24 years, IMM has been the premier provider of eSignature and Digital Transaction solutions designed exclusively for financial institutions. Today, more than 1,150 banks and credit unions use IMM's eSignature and Digital Transaction Management solutions across the Institution to elevate consumer experiences while streamlining back-office processes in a comprehensive, end-to-end digital processing environment. For more information, visit www.immonline.com, call 1.800.836.4750, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. For more information, visit www.immonline.com? or follow @IMMeSign. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005145/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Actor Ayushmann Khurrana on Tuesday condemned the attacks taking place on the police personnel in the country amid the coronavirus crisis. The 'Article 15' actor took to Twitter to post a statement in which he slammed attacks on the police personnel and said that Indians should rather salute them for their contribution during the crisis. "I feel terrible reading about the heinous attacks on cops and security personnel that is happening across the country. The police force is risking their lives every single day to keep us, our families and our friends safe and I condemn such attacks on them," the 35-year-old actor said. "They are putting us and our lives before theirs and we should respect how they are fighting for us to keep us all protected. All Indians should celebrate the police force and salute them! Jai Hind," he added. Many incidents of attacks on police personnel and medical workers, fighting against COVID-19, have been reported from different parts of the country. With 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths reported in last 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India surpassed the 10,000 mark and climbed to 10,363 on Tuesday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish court indicts 20 Saudis for murdering Khashoggi Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 5:02 AM A Turkish court has accepted an indictment brought against 20 Saudis, including two former associates of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the brutal murder of prominent dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. The 117-page indictment prepared by Istanbul prosecutors was accepted by the city's Heavy Penal Court No. 11 on Saturday, Turkey's state Anadolu news agency reported. It identified the associates as former deputy intelligence chief Ahmad Asiri and former royal aide Saud al-Qahtani. According to the document, Mansour Othman M. Abbahussain, working as major general and intelligence officer in Saudi Arabia, "was tasked in the office of bin Salman and instructed by Asiri to bring Khashoggi back to the country and to kill him if he resisted," the agency reported. Khashoggi, a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who had become a critic of bin Salman, was killed and his body dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi was a columnist, reported in November that year that the CIA had concluded that bin Salman personally ordered his killing. Agnes Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur for extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions, has said there was credible evidence that the crown prince and other ranking Saudi officials were individually liable. She has called for an independent and impartial international inquiry into the foul play. Riyadh has spurned all the allegations linking the killing to bin Salman and instead claimed that the murder was committed by a "rogue" group. After being assigned to the mission, Abbahussain brought together a 15-strong kill team, including himself, for the murder which he broke into three groups tasked with taking care of intelligence, logistics, and negotiation, the indictment reads. The indictment charges al-Asiri and al-Qahtani with incitement to deliberate killing through torture and seeks aggravated life sentences for both. It recommends the same sentence for the rest of the Saudis, saying they were in consensus over killing Khashoggi if he refused to return to Saudi Arabia and acted on the decision taken to commit the crime. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HIGHLIGHTS Workstreams of ICO Bankable Feasibility Study ("BFS") in final stages; public release delayed due to Covid-19 outbreak Jervois received indicative financing proposals for ICO from selected lenders invited to tender; BFS economic outcomes will be provided to potential lender(s) shortly, with revised term sheets to finalise appointment RPM appointed as Independent Engineer to act on behalf of lender(s) for ICO debt financing, diligence well underway - site visit delayed due to Covid-19 Jervois has also paused ICO remobilization, pre-construction and field exploration plans in light of Covid-19 Jess Birtcher appointed Finance Manager for ICO Final results from 2019-20 drilling in Uganda continue to expand prospective areas - Ugandan exploration paused due to Covid-19 Post Covid-19, Jervois restructures operational footprint, Director and Management fees Jervois' strong cash position will allow it to finalise ICO BFS and maintain operational footprint for in excess of 12 months A$7.9 million cash as at 31 March 2020 Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 13, 2020) - Jervois Mining Limited (ASX: JRV) (TSXV: JRV) (OTCQB: JRVMF) (FSE: IHS) (the "Company" or "Jervois") is pleased to report quarterly activities to March 31, 2020. CORPORATE UPDATE Liquidity Jervois ended the March 2020 quarter with A$7.9 million in cash and no debt. As announced on 17 March 2020, the Company has sufficient liquidity to fund its current operational footprint for more than 12 months. Jervois will release its Australian Securities Exchange ("ASX") Appendix 5B cashflow statement in conjunction with its North American TSX-V quarterly financials later in April. Fee Restructure In light of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Jervois focused on aggressively reducing all cash expenditure not related to advancing the project financing of its United States based Idaho Cobalt Operations ("ICO"). As part of the organisational review in response to Covid-19, Jervois' Non-Executive Directors will waive their fees for six months from 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2020. Executive management has been restructured with salary reductions ranging between 30 and 75 percent. Jervois has both a Long-Term Incentive Plan ("LTIP") and Short-Term Incentive Plan ("STIP") in place to reward and retain key Directors and management. Jervois has transformed over the past year, with the company completing both the M2 Cobalt Corp and eCobalt Solutions Inc transactions, pivoting and repositioning its portfolio at a time when competitors were vulnerable. In order to reward employee performance and enhance retention of its Board and management as it brings ICO into production, Jervois's 2019 STIP option allocation was applied effective 1 April 2020. In recognition of 2019 performance, an expansion of its United States team to support project financing at ICO and the significant reduction in salaries, Jervois awarded 10,438,200 LTIP and STIP options to Executive Management and 2,435,000 STIP options to Non-Executive Directors of the Company, pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan approved at the 2019 AGM. Mr Brian Kennedy's Director option allocation also included compensation for his role on the Technical Sub-Committee of the Board. Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bryce Crocker, didn't receive either option allocation. All options will only vest and become potentially exercisable if the individual concerned remains an employee or Director at three years from grant - or 1 April 2023. Subject to satisfaction of the vesting condition on 1 April 2023, options are exercisable at A$0.15 each (5-day trailing VWAP at award) and will expire on 31 March 2028. Jervois strongly believes the quality and depth of its Board and management team are critical to finance, construct and transition ICO into operations. Retaining this team is imperative to its success and future shareholder wealth creation. Grant of options to Directors is subject to Jervois shareholder approval. Jervois will seek this at the Company's 2020 AGM. ICO Finance Manager Appointment In March, Jervois announced the appointment of Mr Jess Birtcher as ICO Finance Manager, based in Salmon, Idaho. Mr Birtcher is an experienced resources executive and joins Jervois from Coeur Mining ("Coeur") (NYSE: CDE), which operates five precious metal mines in North America and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. At Coeur, Mr Birtcher held the roles of Vice President - Internal Audit (from 2017), and Vice President - Corporate Controller (from 2013). Prior to Coeur, Mr Birtcher spent seven years as Finance Director in Rio Tinto's North American business unit and was a senior manager with Ernst & Young for 10 years. Investor Relations In January, Jervois Chief Executive Officer Mr Bryce Crocker presented at the TD Securities Mining Conference in Toronto, Canada. In February Jervois' EGM Corporate Affairs Mr Simon Clarke presented at the 121 Mining Investment conference in Cape Town, South Africa. He attended the conference and hosted 1-1 meetings with institutional investors alongside Idaho Cobalt Operations Project Director Mr Russell Bradford. Mr Crocker presented again at the BMO 29th Global Metals & Mining Conference in Hollywood, Florida, USA in February. Separately, Jervois was also invited to present at PDAC 2020 in Toronto on 2 March 2020. Mr Clarke presented to the Energy Materials and Specialty Products session. PROJECT UPDATES Idaho Cobalt Operations ("ICO"), United States ICO BFS work streams are largely complete. Jervois updated the geological model and Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") with data from 2019 drilling, which was audited by CSA Global prior to its public release in January 2020. In the limited period since Jervois took ownership of ICO in July 2019 up to when it demobilised drills due to November snow, it has undertaken over 20 percent more drilling on the main RAM deposit than prior owners undertook in just under 25 years. Both Measured, and Measured + Indicated, categories of MRE increased over 20 percent from prior estimates, with a focus on de-risking ore production in early years of operations, whilst a senior debt facility is envisaged to be outstanding. The mine schedule was completed, and a tender for contract mining services undertaken to underpin BFS costing. Metallurgical test work including lock cycle work has been completed on representative samples of the ore body and the final reports are being prepared. Jervois has designed a process plant, developed a 3D model of the operation, and received equipment pricing. Infrastructure and logistics requirements for the project have been assessed and any additional requirements to the well-established site have been costed and incorporated into the BFS. Jervois is optimising and reviewing capital and operating costs, which are in an financial model which shall be released to potential lenders shortly. Jervois engaged engineering contractor Wood to conduct an independent audit of the permitting status ahead of project financing. Separate to the BFS to produce separate cobalt and copper concentrates, Wood is also advancing a scoping study to understand requirements to economically refine cobalt concentrate within the United States. This study will be finalised alongside the BFS. Jervois is reviewing its project execution plan and schedule in light of Covid-19 and associated travel and equipment transportation restrictions. Care and maintenance status is already implemented at ICO, so no further immediate actions are required at site as a result of Covid-19. Certain ICO site activities are required during the Northern Hemisphere's 2020 summer for Jervois to maintain its planned Q4 2021 first production date. Jervois is reviewing its plans for these activities in light of Covid-19 and is yet to enter any commitments. ICO off-take negotiations have been impacted by Covid-19, particularly in Japan and South Korea where travel has been restricted to date in 2020. Jervois continues to prepare and dispatch physical concentrate samples to additional markets and is engaging with customers remotely. Jervois has decided to delay the public release of the BFS, to take account of the Covid-19 implications for implementation of the project. In relation to financing, an Information Memoranda was sent to selected senior lenders in December 2019, with Jervois receiving indicative financing proposals the following month. In March, Jervois appointed RPM to act as independent engineer ("IE") for prospective lenders. RPM has a well-established (50-year) track record of acting as IE for financiers on mining projects globally, including significant base and precious metal experience in North America. The scope of work includes RPM completing an independent due diligence review of ICO and preparing an Independent Technical Expert ("ITE") report in a form suitable for debt financiers of the project. RPM is reviewing the final drafts of the BFS workstreams. RPM's site visit has been delayed due to an inability to safely travel to Idaho. Despite the significant uncertainty and market volatility created by the Covid-19 pandemic, Jervois remains confident that progressing its debt financing process is the sensible way forward, with the aim of being construction ready for when conditions allow project implementation to proceed. None of the selected shortlisted lenders invited to submit term sheets have indicated Covid-19 prevents them from writing new loans. Covid-19 has vividly demonstrated why United States industry and its supply chains require secure access to physical cobalt without reliance on the Democratic Republic of Congo or China. Restarting construction at ICO will create Idaho employment and demand for United States manufactured capital goods, at a critical period to support post Covid-19 economic recovery. Ugandan Exploration Properties In March, Jervois reported final results from 2019-20 drill programmes at its Kilembe and Bujagali area properties in western and central Uganda. Kilembe Area Properties, Western Uganda Drilling at the Kilembe Area Properties represented 1,905 metres of diamond drilling across 17 holes in 2019, and another four holes in 2020, representing an additional 465 metres. Fourteen (14) drill hole results were previously reported in January 2020 (ASX announcement 22/01/2020: Jervois Mining 2019 Drill Programme, Uganda)1, with final drill assays from the remaining holes received and reported in March (ASX announcement 20/03/2020: Exploration Results, Uganda)1. Programme highlights included: 9.9m @ 1.37 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") from 29m - hole 19DDHS001 Including 0.45m @ 9.98 g/t Au; 0.1 percent copper ("% Cu") from 34.05m Including 1.9m @ 3.59 g/t Au from 37.0m from 29m - hole 19DDHS001 6.1m @ 2.10 g/t Au; 0.24% Cu from 101.3m - hole 20DDHS002 Including 1.00m @ 11.50 g/t Au; 1.36% Cu from 102.2m from 101.3m - hole 20DDHS002 1.0m @ 5.21 g/t Au; 0.73% Cu from 39.3m - hole 19DDHS015 from 39.3m - hole 19DDHS015 8.0m @ 1.26 g/t Au; 0.15% Cu from 64.0m - hole 20DDHS001 from 64.0m - hole 20DDHS001 6.0m @ 1.90 g/t Au; 0.43% Cu from 70.0m - hole 20DDHS002 Including 3.1m @ 2.72 g/t Au; 0.63% Cu from 70.9m. from 70.0m - hole 20DDHS002 Groundwork at the Kilembe Area Properties, including ground geophysics, soil and rock chip sampling, and prospecting have extended the strike length of mineralisation at surface to more than 6.0km, of which only 1.5km has yet been tested. Newly discovered rock chip samples included 43.5 g/t Au, 10.1 g/t Au and 9.5 g/t Au. These results continue to expand the prospective areas and improve understanding of mineralization at Ugandan properties and are being used to prepare future field plans. Bujagali Properties Drilling at Bujagali targeted the Waragi anomalies detected through earlier geochemical and geophysical programmes, which includes a large (>20km) Cu-Co anomaly. Jervois received all results from its drilling with the final results reported in March. Overall, although target mineralization at Bujagali was intercepted, it was not with the consistency of width nor grade necessary to support a potentially economic resource. Nico Young Nickel-Cobalt Project, New South Wales, Australia Jervois continues to engage potential customers and strategic partners for Nico Young, primarily focused around the award of partial off-take in exchange for funding to complete further drilling and a BFS. As with ICO, these discussions have been impacted by travel restrictions arising from Covid-19. Kabanga Application, Tanzania In response to a pre-qualification tender announced by Government of Tanzania, as advised in its December quarterly filed in January, during the quarter Jervois submitted a revised offer for the Kabanga nickel-cobalt deposit. Prior to Covid-19 affecting travel, Jervois's executives held a number of meetings with the Government of Tanzania to discuss the offer. NON-CORE ASSETS Jervois's non-core assets are summarized on the Company's website. Sale negotiations to rationalize the Company's portfolio continued. ASX WAIVER INFORMATION On 6 June 2019, the ASX granted a waiver to Jervois in respect of extending the period to 8 November 2023 in which it may issue new Jervois shares to the eCobalt option holders as part of the eCobalt transaction. As at 31 March 2020, the following Jervois shares were issued in the quarter on exercise of eCobalt options and the following eCobalt options remain outstanding: Jervois shares issued in the quarter on exercise of eCobalt options: Nil eCobalt options remaining* 2,205,225 eCobalt options exercisable until 27 April 2020 at C$0.12 each 2,714,250 eCobalt options exercisable until 6 September 2021 at C$0.36 each 3,654,750 eCobalt options exercisable until 28 June 2022 at C$0.71 each 288,750 eCobalt options exercisable until 5 October 2022 at C$0.70 each 231,000 eCobalt options exercisable until 11 January 2023 at C$1.16 each 165,000 eCobalt options exercisable until 12 March 2023 at C$0.85 each 206,250 eCobalt options exercisable until 6 April 2023 at C$0.84 each 4,191,000 eCobalt options exercisable until 28 June 2023 at C$0.61 each 123,750 eCobalt options exercisable until 24 September 2023 at C$0.50 each 1,980,000 eCobalt options exercisable until 1 October 2023 at C$0.53 each 15,759,975 * The number of options represent the number of Jervois shares that will be issued on exercise. The exercise price represents the price to be paid for the Jervois shares when issued. By Order of the Board Bryce Crocker Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Investors and analysts: Simon Clarke EGM Corporate Affairs Jervois Mining Phone: +1 604 551 9665 Media: Nathan Ryan NWR Communications Phone: +61 420 582 887 Competent Person's Statement The information in this release that relates to Mineral Exploration is based on information compiled by David Selfe who is full time employee of the company and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Dean Besserer, P.Geol. who is the GM Exploration for the Company and a member of The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Both David Selfe and Dean Besserer have sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which they are undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. David Selfe and Dean Besserer consent to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears. Disclosure required for TSX-V Regulations Qualified Person's Statement The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dean Besserer, P.Geol., who is the GM Exploration for the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to exploration work to be undertaken at ICO or in Uganda, preparation of studies on the ICO, the reliability of third party information, and certain other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Tenements Australian Tenements Description Tenement number Interest owned % Ardnaree (NSW) EL 5527 100.0 Thuddungra (NSW) EL 5571 100.0 Nico Young (NSW) EL 8698 100.0 Area 1 (NSW) EL 8474 100.0 West Arunta (WA) E80 4820 49.0 West Arunta (WA) E80 4986 49.0 West Arunta (WA) E80 4987 49.0 Old Khartoum (QLD) EPM 14797 100.0 Khartoum (QLD) EPM 19112 100.0 Three Mile Creek (QLD) EPM 19113 100.0 Carbonate Creek (QLD) EPM 19114 100.0 Mt Fairyland (QLD) EPM 19203 100.0 Uganda Exploration Licences Description Exploration Licence number Interest owned % Bujagali EL1666 100.0 Bujagali EL1682 100.0 Bujagali EL1683 100.0 Bujagali EL1665 100.0 Bujagali EL1827 100.0 Kilembe Area EL1673 100.0 Kilembe Area EL1674 100.0 Kilembe Area EL1735 100.0 Kilembe Area EL1736 100.0 Kilembe Area EL1737 100.0 Kilembe Area EL0012 100.0 Idaho Cobalt Operations - 100% Interest owned Claim Name County # IMC # SUN 1 222991 174156 SUN 2 222992 174157 SUN 3 Amended 245690 174158 SUN 4 222994 174159 SUN 5 222995 174160 SUN 6 222996 174161 SUN 7 224162 174628 SUN 8 224163 174629 SUN 9 224164 174630 SUN 16 Amended 245691 177247 SUN 18 Amended 245692 177249 Sun 19 277457 196394 SUN FRAC 1 228059 176755 SUN FRAC 2 228060 176756 TOGO 1 228049 176769 TOGO 2 228050 176770 TOGO 3 228051 176771 DEWEY FRAC Amended 248739 177253 Powder 1 269506 190491 Powder 2 269505 190492 LDC-1 224140 174579 LDC-2 224141 174580 LDC-3 224142 174581 LDC-5 224144 174583 LDC-6 224145 174584 LDC-7 224146 174585 LDC-8 224147 174586 LDC-9 224148 174587 LDC-10 224149 174588 LDC-11 224150 174589 LDC-12 224151 174590 LDC-13 Amended 248718 174591 LDC-14 Amended 248719 174592 LDC-16 224155 174594 LDC-18 224157 174596 LDC-20 224159 174598 LDC-22 224161 174600 LDC FRAC 1 Amended 248720 175880 LDC FRAC 2 Amended 248721 175881 LDC FRAC 3 Amended 248722 175882 LDC FRAC 4 Amended 248723 175883 LDC FRAC 5 Amended 248724 175884 RAM 1 228501 176757 RAM 2 228502 176758 RAM 3 228503 176759 RAM 4 228504 176760 RAM 5 228505 176761 RAM 6 228506 176762 RAM 7 228507 176763 RAM 8 228508 176764 RAM 9 228509 176765 RAM 10 228510 176766 RAM 11 228511 176767 RAM 12 228512 176768 RAM 13 Amended 245700 181276 RAM 14 Amended 245699 181277 RAM 15 Amended 245698 181278 RAM 16 Amended 245697 181279 Ram Frac 1 Amended 245696 178081 Ram Frac 2 Amended 245695 178082 Ram Frac 3 Amended 245694 178083 Ram Frac 4 Amended 245693 178084 HZ 1 224173 174639 HZ 2 224174 174640 HZ 3 224175 174641 HZ 4 224176 174642 HZ 5 224413 174643 HZ 6 224414 174644 HZ 7 224415 174645 HZ 8 224416 174646 HZ 9 224417 174647 HZ 10 224418 174648 HZ 11 224419 174649 HZ 12 224420 174650 HZ 13 224421 174651 HZ 14 224422 174652 HZ 15 231338 178085 HZ 16 231339 178086 HZ 18 231340 178087 HZ 19 224427 174657 Z 20 224428 174658 HZ 21 224193 174659 HZ 22 224194 174660 HZ 23 224195 174661 HZ 24 224196 174662 HZ 25 224197 174663 HZ 26 224198 174664 HZ 27 224199 174665 HZ 28 224200 174666 HZ 29 224201 174667 HZ 30 224202 174668 HZ 31 224203 174669 HZ 32 224204 174670 HZ FRAC 228967 177254 JC 1 224165 174631 JC 2 224166 174632 JC 3 224167 174633 JC 4 224168 174634 JC 5 Amended 245689 174635 JC 6 224170 174636 JC FR 7 224171 174637 JC FR 8 224172 174638 JC 9 228054 176750 JC 10 228055 176751 JC 11 228056 176752 JC-12 228057 176753 JC-13 228058 176754 JC 14 228971 177250 JC 15 228970 177251 JC 16 228969 177252 JC 17 259006 187091 JC 18 259007 187092 JC 19 259008 187093 JC 20 259009 187094 JC 21 259010 187095 JC 22 259011 187096 CHELAN NO. 1 Amended 248345 175861 GOOSE 2 Amended 259554 175863 GOOSE 3 227285 175864 GOOSE 4 Amended 259553 175865 GOOSE 6 227282 175867 GOOSE 7 Amended 259552 175868 GOOSE 8 Amended 259551 175869 GOOSE 10 Amended 259550 175871 GOOSE 11 Amended 259549 175872 GOOSE 12 Amended 259548 175873 GOOSE 13 228028 176729 GOOSE 14 Amended 259547 176730 GOOSE 15 228030 176731 GOOSE 16 228031 176732 GOOSE 17 228032 176733 GOOSE 18 Amended 259546 176734 GOOSE 19 Amended 259545 176735 GOOSE 20 228035 176736 GOOSE 21 228036 176737 GOOSE 22 228037 176738 GOOSE 23 228038 176739 GOOSE 24 228039 176740 GOOSE 25 228040 176741 SOUTH ID 1 Amended 248725 175874 SOUTH ID 2 Amended 248726 175875 SOUTH ID 3 Amended 248727 175876 SOUTH ID 4 Amended 248717 175877 SOUTH ID 5 Amended 248715 176743 SOUTH ID 6 Amended 248716 176744 South ID 7 306433 218216 South ID 8 306434 218217 South ID 9 306435 218218 South ID 10 306436 218219 South ID 11 306437 218220 South ID 12 306438 218221 South ID 13 306439 218222 South ID 14 306440 218223 OMS-1 307477 218904 Chip 1 248956 184883 Chip 2 248957 184884 Chip 3 Amended 277465 196402 Chip 4 Amended 277466 196403 Chip 5 Amended 277467 196404 Chip 6 Amended 277468 196405 Chip 7 Amended 277469 196406 Chip 8 Amended 277470 196407 Chip 9 Amended 277471 196408 Chip 10 Amended 277472 196409 Chip 11 Amended 277473 196410 Chip 12 Amended 277474 196411 Chip 13 Amended 277475 196412 Chip 14 Amended 277476 196413 Chip 15 Amended 277477 196414 Chip 16 Amended 277478 196415 Chip 17 Amended 277479 196416 Chip 18 Amended 277480 196417 Sun 20 306042 218133 Sun 21 306043 218134 Sun 22 306044 218135 Sun 23 306045 218136 Sun 24 306046 218137 Sun 25 306047 218138 Sun 26 306048 218139 Sun 27 306049 218140 Sun 28 306050 218141 Sun 29 306051 218142 Sun 30 306052 218143 Sun 31 306053 218144 Sun 32 306054 218145 Sun 33 306055 218146 Sun 34 306056 218147 Sun 35 306057 218148 Sun 36 306058 218149 Chip 21 Fraction 306059 218113 Chip 22 Fraction 306060 218114 Chip 23 306025 218115 Chip 24 306026 218116 Chip 25 306027 218117 Chip 26 306028 218118 Chip 27 306029 218119 Chip 28 306030 218120 Chip 29 306031 218121 Chip 30 306032 218122 Chip 31 306033 218123 Chip 32 306034 218124 Chip 33 306035 218125 Chip 34 306036 218126 Chip 35 306037 218127 Chip 36 306038 218128 Chip 37 306039 218129 Chip 38 306040 218130 Chip 39 306041 218131 Chip 40 307491 218895 DRC NW 1 307492 218847 DRC NW 2 307493 218848 DRC NW 3 307494 218849 DRC NW 4 307495 218850 DRC NW 5 307496 218851 DRC NW 6 307497 218852 DRC NW 7 307498 218853 DRC NW 8 307499 218854 DRC NW 9 307500 218855 DRC NW 10 307501 218856 DRC NW 11 307502 218857 DRC NW 12 307503 218858 DRC NW 13 307504 218859 DRC NW 14 307505 218860 DRC NW 15 307506 218861 DRC NW 16 307507 218862 DRC NW 17 307508 218863 DRC NW 18 307509 218864 DRC NW 19 307510 218865 DRC NW 20 307511 218866 DRC NW 21 307512 218867 DRC NW 22 307513 218868 DRC NW 23 307514 218869 DRC NW 24 307515 218870 DRC NW 25 307516 218871 DRC NW 26 307517 218872 DRC NW 27 307518 218873 DRC NW 28 307519 218874 DRC NW 29 307520 218875 DRC NW 30 307521 218876 DRC NW 31 307522 218877 DRC NW 32 307523 218878 DRC NW 33 307524 218879 DRC NW 34 307525 218880 DRC NW 35 307526 218881 DRC NW 36 307527 218882 DRC NW 37 307528 218883 DRC NW 38 307529 218884 DRC NW 39 307530 218885 DRC NW 40 307531 218886 DRC NW 41 307532 218887 DRC NW 42 307533 218888 DRC NW 43 307534 218889 DRC NW 44 307535 218890 DRC NW 45 307536 218891 DRC NW 46 307537 218892 DRC NW 47 307538 218893 DRC NW 48 307539 218894 EBatt 1 307483 218896 EBatt 2 307484 218897 EBatt 3 307485 218898 EBatt 4 307486 218899 EBatt 5 307487 218900 EBatt 6 307488 218901 EBatt 7 307489 218902 EBatt 8 307490 218903 OMM-1 307478 218905 OMM-2 307479 218906 OMN-2 307481 218908 OMN-3 307482 218909 BTG-1 307471 218910 BTG-2 307472 218911 BTG-3 307473 218912 BTG-4 307474 218913 BTG-5 307475 218914 BTG-6 307476 218915 NFX 17 307230 218685 NFX 18 307231 218686 NFX 19 307232 218687 NFX 20 307233 218688 NFX 21 307234 218689 NFX 22 307235 218690 NFX 23 307236 218691 NFX 24 307237 218692 NFX 25 307238 218693 NFX 30 307243 218698 NFX 31 307244 218699 NFX 32 307245 218700 NFX 33 307246 218701 NFX 34 307247 218702 NFX 35 307248 218703 NFX 36 307249 218704 NFX 37 307250 218705 NFX 38 307251 218706 NFX 42 307255 218710 NFX 43 307256 218711 NFX 44 307257 218712 NFX 45 307258 218713 NFX 46 307259 218714 NFX 47 307260 218715 NFX 48 307261 218716 NFX 49 307262 218717 NFX 50 307263 218718 NFX 56 307269 218724 NFX 57 307270 218725 NFX 58 307271 218726 NFX 59 307272 218727 NFX 60 Amended 307558 218728 NFX 61 307274 218729 NFX 62 307275 218730 NFX 63 307276 218731 NFX 64 307277 218732 OMN-1 revised 315879 228322 Black Pine - 100% Interest Owned Claim Name Book & Page County # IMC # NOAH #1 304761 217757 NOAH #2 304762 217758 NOAH #3 304763 217759 NOAH #4 304764 217760 NOAH #5 304765 217761 NOAH #6 304766 217762 NOAH #7 304767 217763 NOAH #8 304768 217764 NOAH #9 304769 217765 NOAH #10 304770 217766 NOAH #11 Amended 305804 218081 NOAH #12 305803 218082 NOAH #13 FRAC 305802 218083 NOAH #14 305805 218084 NOAH #15 305806 218085 NOAH #16 305807 218086 NOAH #17 305808 218087 NOAH #18 305809 218088 NOAH #19 305810 218089 NOAH #20 305811 218090 NOAH #21 305812 218091 NOAH #22 305813 218092 NOAH #23 305814 218093 Morning Glory - 100% Interest Owned Claim Name Bk and Pg - County # IMC # KING SOLOMON NO. 1 193520 138110 KING SOLOMON NO. 2 193521 138111 KING SOLOMON NO. 3 193522 138112 KING SOLOMON NO. 4 193523 138113 ____________________ 1 In accordance with listing rule 5.23.2, the company confirms it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the relevant market announcements referred to above. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54402 President Moon Jae-in speaks during a video conference with leaders from ASEAN members as well as China and Japan at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon held a video conference with leaders from China, Japan and the 10 ASEAN countries, Tuesday, to discuss a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the emergency meeting of the ASEAN+3 nations, Moon made three proposals to raise the effectiveness of anti-virus measures and strengthen policy coordination among them. He underlined that active bilateral and multilateral cooperation will be essential to provide quarantine and medical supplies in a timely manner to those in urgent need. "Korea will secure additional funding for humanitarian assistance and respond to the fullest extent possible to any calls for help from other countries, including ASEAN," Moon said. New Delhi, April 14 : The total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India climbed to 10,363, with 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. Of these 8,988 are active cases of COVID-19, 1,035 individuals have recovered and discharged from the hospital, one person migrated to another country and 339 people succumbed to the disease. Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of positive cases rising to 2,334, followed by New Delhi which reported 1,069 cases and Tamil Nadu which has reported 1,510 cases, according to the Health Ministry data. At least 379 people are affected in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh reported 558 cases, Rajasthan reported 873 cases, Telangana reported 562 cases, and Andhra Pradesh reported 432 cases. Madhya Pradesh has reported 604 cases, Jammu and Kashmir has 270, Punjab has 167 cases, West Bengal has 190, Gujarat 539, Haryana has 185 cases, Bihar 65, Chandigarh has 21, Assam 31, Ladakh has 15 coronavirus cases as per the Health Ministry data. In Andaman and Nicobar Island, there are at least 11 cases, Uttarakhand has also reported 35 cases, Arunachal Pradesh has 1, Goa has 7 cases, Chhattisgarh has 31, Himachal Pradesh 32, Jharkhand 24 and Manipur have 2 cases, Odisha has 54 cases and Puducherry 7. Most number of casualties have been reported from Maharashtra with 160 deaths. Other states and UTs that have reported casualties are Delhi (28), Andhra Pradesh (7), Bihar (1), Gujarat (26), Haryana (3), Himachal Pradesh (1), J&k (4), Karnataka (6), Kerala (3), Madhya Pradesh (43), Punjab (11), Tamil Nadu (10), Telangana (16), Uttar Pradesh (5) and West Bengal (7). Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation at 10 a.m. as the 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus comes to an end today. On the global front, more than 1.9 million infections have been reported with over 1 lakh deaths. A chef with over one million subscribers on his YouTube cooking channel has shared a recipe for homemade Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which can be made with basic supermarket ingredients in just 20 minutes. Rob Nixon, from Perth, Western Australia, is the brains behind Nicko's Kitchen, an online cookery show broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok which specialises in homemade versions of iconic fast food dishes. Mr Nixon showed TikTok viewers how to make a batch of classic glazed doughnuts with milk, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, soft butter and a handful of pantry spices, before deep frying the dough in a skillet and icing each piece with a sugar glaze. His recipe has been viewed by almost 785,000 amateur bakers, many of whom have been whipping up elaborate cakes, breads and pastries since the coronavirus forced millions of Australians to self-isolate and spend more time at home. Perth chef Rob Nixon (left) is the brains behind online cookery show Nicko's Kitchen, which specialises in homemade versions of iconic fast food dishes like glazed Krispy Kremes (right) Mr Nixon showed how to make a batch of classic glazed doughnuts with milk, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, soft butter and a handful of pantry spices Before starting the dough, make sure you have a large, round cookie cutter to shape the mixture into individual pieces. Add two cups of milk, one teaspoon of salt and half a cup of softened butter into a jug, and heat in the microwave for one minute until warm. Add half a cup of white sugar, half a teaspoon of nutmeg and four beaten eggs to the heated mixture and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl, adding two teaspoons of dried yeast and a quarter cup of sugar before whisking again. Ingredients for DIY Krispy Kremes FOR THE DOUGHNUTS - Two cups of full fat milk - Half a cup of softened butter or margarine - Three quarters of a cup of white sugar - Four large eggs - Five cups of self-raising flour - Two teaspoons of dried yeast - Nutmeg - Salt - Canola oil (for deep frying) - A round cookie cutter FOR THE GLAZE - Vanilla essence - Three cups of icing sugar - Half a cup of water Source: Nicko's Kitchen Advertisement Add five cups of self-raising flour, one cup at a time, and mix well until the dough becomes thick and sticky. Leave the dough to rest for one hour. Resting time allows the gluten in dough to soften and relax, which gives doughnuts, bread and other baked treats a soft, fluffy texture on the inside. Dust a wooden board with flour and knead the dough for two to three minutes. Be careful not to handle the dough for longer than three minutes as 'over-kneading' can prevent it from rising when fried. Roll out the dough and shape into individual pieces using a large, round cookie cutter, making a small hole in the centre to create the 'ring' doughnut effect. Fry in canola oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep skillet pan at roughly 340 degrees for two minutes on each side until golden brown and puffy, draining excess grease on a paper towel. To make the classic Krispy Kreme glaze, add three cups of icing or confectionery sugar into a large bowl, along with half a cup of water and one teaspoon of vanilla essence. Mix until smooth. Ice both sides of the doughnut and leave to set for 10 minutes before enjoying, still warm. Roll out the dough and shape into individual pieces using a large, round cookie cutter, making a small hole in the centre to create the 'ring' doughnut effect (left), before deep frying and icing both sides in classic sugar syrup (right) The recipe has been keeping Australians fed and entertained as the country continues to live under stage three lockdown. Dozens said their doughnuts turned out just right - sweet and crispy on the outside and lightly moist on the inside. One woman from Tasmania called them the best she has ever tasted, while another wondered how many bakeries the recipe would put out of business. NATO countries need to learn lessons from the coronavirus crisis by looking at boosting national stocks of medical equipment to avoid over-reliance on outside suppliers, the alliance's chief said Tuesday. "We have to look into the issues of the supply of medical equipment and protective suits, medicines and all that kind of stuff. And also ask questions like: are we too dependent on production coming from outside?" Jens Stoltenberg said in a videolink media conference. "National resilience in NATO's responsibility," he said. "All of these issues -- resilience, national resilience including ensuring we have the necessary medical equipment -- will be part of the lesson-learning process after this crisis." Stoltenberg spoke a day before NATO defence ministers were to hold a videoconference focused on the consequences of the pandemic. He said the talks would aim to boost support between member states, particularly by identifying spare capacity in supplies and in military transport to get medical gear to where it was needed. He also touched upon the likely impact the coronavirus crisis would have on defence spending among the alliance's member states whose economies were projected to shrink, but said it was "too soon" to tally the fallout. In any case, he insisted, the challenges NATO faced before the crisis had not gone away and still needed to confronted. "There is still a terrorist threat out there. There are threats in cyberspace. And we see the global power shift with the rise of China, and we see a more assertive Russia." The US ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, backed Stoltenberg on a resilience drive by member countries, suggesting the warehousing of non-perishable supplies and matching that with air or land transport capabilities. She also expressed concern that adversaries could seek to exploit the crisis. "It could be a security crisis if we let down on our defences and deterrent activities," she said. Disinformation campaigns she alleged were being mounted by Beijing or Moscow to falsely claim the novel coronavirus started in the US or Europe, instead of China, were part of current hostilities, Bailey Hutchison said. "This is one of the areas where we are asking all of our allies to push back with the facts. NATO will do the same," she said. Search Keywords: Short link: A father fulfilled his four-year-old son's birthday wish for a McDonald's Happy Meal by simulating a drive-thru in their living room. Father-of-two Mark Hoyle, 32, from Hemel Hempstead, revealed how he had promised his son Phoenix a McDonald's on his birthday yet the coronavirus lockdown had prevented them from going. However, YouTuber Mark, known as LadBaby, came up with a clever way to 'hack' McDonald's by replicating the drive-thru experience. While sat in the car after a supermarket trip, Mark said: 'It was my son's birthday this week, he was four. We had a birthday cake and presents, but he asked on his birthday and I promised him that we were going to go to McDonald's. Mother-of-two Roxanne Hoyle and four-year-old Phoenix wait for the surprise. Phoenix approaches the drive-thru in his toy car 'He wanted chicken nuggets and I had to explain to a four-year-old, which is difficult, that McDonald's are all closed at the minute.' And after 24 hours of preparation, Mark invited his wife Roxanne and son Phoenix for the birthday treat. Speaking to Phoenix, who was sat on his mother's lap, he asked if there was something in particular he wanted to eat on his birthday. The amazing simulator guides Phoenix around the fast-food chain. Mark, dressed as a McDonald's worker, asks Phoenix if he would like to pay 'cash or card' Mark added: 'Now the McDonald's are closed aren't they? But I have got a surprise for you. 'Because it's your birthday - they have opened up for one day only.' However Roxanne was not too sure on the idea and whispered "Don't tell him that', to prevent Phoenix from being disappointed and added "We can't go out of the house". 'We don't have to go out the house - McDonald's has come to us,' Mark replied. And 30 minutes later, an excited Phoenix clapped as he waited to go into the living room for his special treat. As Roxanne and Phoenix entered the room, the mother-of-two exclaimed 'wow' after Mark had mapped out a miniature road, complete with a red and yellow car, and set up a McDonald's drive-thru on the TV screen. Ready! Mark comes into the living room with a DIY Happy meal and water bottle for Phoenix. Phoenix gives the fries his seal of approval 'I have built you a road that goes all the way around with a little waiting thing and I have made a drive-thru simulator for the telly,' he said. Footage showed Roxanne in awe of Mark's efforts after she could not believe he had created the experience in such a short amount of time. As Phoenix got into the car, the TV screen showed a road driving up to the fast-food chain. 'You have got to get ready to order your Happy Meal,' Mark said as Phoenix approached the intercom. To complete the drive-thru experience, Mark comes up to the toy car and hands Phoenix his meal through the window And when Phoenix was outside the pay window, a familiar-looking McDonald's worker asked him if he wanted to pay by cash or card. But there was no fooling Phoenix who said: 'It's you Daddy!' The cashier added: 'Sorry, your order is not ready yet, do you mind parking up and we will bring it over to you?' And it wasn't long before Mark, dressed in a McDonald's uniform, appeared with a Happy Meal box and a water bottle. 'Here we go, here is your Happy Meal and your order sir. Do you want to get out the car so we can just check your order?' The video was featured on the LadBaby Facebook page and received more than 350,000 shares with people praising the genius solution Emptying the contents of the identical Happy Meal box, Mark said: 'You've got a toy, we have got your fries, and we have got your chicken nuggets.' And the at-home McDonald's had the seal of approval from Phoenix who tucked into his fries with his Spiderman toy. The video was featured on the LadBaby Facebook page and received more than 350,000 shares with people praising the genius solution. Kasmin Baker wrote: 'Got tears in my eyes watching this. This is so amazing! Thank you so much Mark for this! Such an amazing, thoughtful gesture.' Another added: 'This is totally epic OMG what a great hack there is no end to your talents and little Phoenixs face was pure delight. OMG epic and all parents are going to love you more now.' Gemma Rose said: 'This is absolutely amazing Mark. What a legend . Such a good dad!!! My boys would love this.' 10 years ago this week, DC rebooted its entire line and multiverse with the industry-changing 'New 52.' For some heroes like Superman and Batman, it recast them from being grizzled veterans to being more youthful characters. For others like Cyborg, the Blackhawks, and Starfire, it gave them a chance to star on their own for the first time in decades. And it also had room for new concepts, such as Justice League Dark, Gotham Academy, and Justice League 3001. The response may have been mixed, but it wasn't muddled - there were things people really liked, and things people really didn't like. But 10 years on, you can really see how much the 'New 52' revitalized DC (and the superhero comic book market), and can better pick out the gems in the 111 titles DC released as part of the 'New 52' era from 2011 to 2015. If you're looking for your comic book fix, from familiar faces as well more obscure characters, you could do a lot worse than digging into the best DC 'New 52' era comics in our top 10. 10. Prez (Image credit: DC) Few could have predicted DC would revamp a character as obscure as Prez as part of the publisher's DC You revamp/new title launch event during 'The New 52.' On paper, it didn't line up with their publishing strategy: It featured a no-name character, was bereft of tangible connection to the DCU at large, and the creative team was largely unknown. But that all worked in tandem to be part of the book's charm. Writer Mark Russell put comedy at the forefront to skewer American politics. To help underline the insanity, artist Ben Caldwell imbued the book with a Disney-like charm that helped sell the jokes and the world. Lampooning both sides of the aisle to hilarious effect without the weight of continuity, Prez was a fun update on an old Joe Simon creation and a bright spot in DC's publishing line. Buy: Amazon 9. Animal Man (Image credit: DC) Animal Man was one of the initial launches of 'The New 52,' bringing over Vertigo's trademark supernatural elements to a more superhero mold. Buddy Baker gave readers something different in the sea of capes as one of the few leading family men of the new wave, setting it apart from the rest of the pack. As Buddy tackled threats ranging from Hollywood burnout to the threat of the zombie-esque Rot, writer Jeff Lemire delivered a perfect blend of family drama, superhero action, and horror, with comedic elements sprinkled in for good measure, but kept everything in a well-maintained balance. Lemire was backed by an incredible rotating art team of Travel Foreman, Steve Pugh, and John Paul Leon that gave Animal Man a new identity, but kept what made him different back in the '80s intact for a new generation to experience. Buy: Amazon 8. Action Comics (Image credit: DC) While Superman as a character took a while to find his footing once 'The New 52' began, its easy to point out when he began his upward trajectory: when Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder took over Action Comics. Beginning with the 'Doomed' crossover, Superman suddenly had an insidious, impossible foe to face, as the Doomsday Virus threatened to turn the Man of Steel into humanitys greatest threat. This extended crossover between the Superman books gave Clark Kent some much-needed spring in his step, as Pak laid down the type of characterization that proved to be a solid middle ground between the well-adjusted Midwestern farmboy of yesteryear and the more angsty Kryptonian orphan of the 'New 52.' Kuder, meanwhile, hit his stride with Superman's adventures, with a clean yet expressive style that paid off dividends during the 'Truth' saga, which robbed Clark Kent of both his powers and his secret identity. At its best, Action Comics wound up tapping into some potent real-world drama in the wake of violence in Ferguson, Missouri, as Clark Kent stood up as a defender of his friends and neighbors rather than the police status quo. While this de-powering has since been reversed and the 'New 52' Superman has gone by the wayside, Pak and Kuder brought an ambition to Action Comics that hadnt been seen in quite some time. Buy: Amazon 7. Multiversity (Image credit: DC) DC's biggest strength has always been its rich multiverse, and nobody capitalizes on it like Grant Morrison. Aided by some of the industry's most talented artists and colorists, Grant Morrison delivered an event unlike any other with Multiversity. Presented as a connected series of one-shots each taking place on a different Earth, Morrison took us on an explosive, mind-bending walking tour of the DC Multiverse through all its myriad genres and styles. One month readers would be mixing it up with invaders from Counter-Earth with the pulp-inspired heroes of the Society of Super-Heroes and the next month they would be reveling in a grim, totalitarian landscape with the Charlton heroes that inspired the seminal Watchmen. Though Multiversity sometimes frustrated readers as a monthly work, there is no denying its scope, rich assortment of characters, and its place among the best of 'The New 52' era - and on to be one of the main building blocks of the current DC Omniverse and the 'Infinite Frontier' era. Buy: Amazon 6. Grayson (Image credit: DC) Dick Grayson has a messy history with alter egos. Outside of 'The New 52,' he grew out of Robin and couldn't cast off Bruce's shadow as Batman. Inside 'The New 52,' he was unmasked as Nightwing and then cast alter-egos off altogether thanks to Tom King and Tim Seeley with Grayson. Their elegant reinvention of Dick as a Bond-esque super-spy played to all of Dick Grayson's strengths while finally cutting the Bat-Family's constricting cord. As Grayson, double-agent, everyone's favorite acrobat infiltrated the obviously evil SPYRAL organization in a high-octane thriller of espionage and intrigue. It's incredibly rare for a long-running character to get a truly successful refresh, but Grayson manages to distill Dick's trademark confidence and gymnastics into a role that feels, for the very first time, uniquely Dick Grayson. Buy: Amazon 5. Justice League (Image credit: DC) As the flagship of 'The New 52,' Geoff Johns' Justice League was admittedly shaky at the outset, but over the past year has solidified into one of the most epic reads in the DCU. Johns has a unique understanding of what makes these characters tick, not just as a team but as individuals as well. Its twists and turns made unlikely heroes and surprising enemies, and Lex Luthor as a Leaguer throughout 'The Amazo Virus' is both inspired and terrifyingly good, showing the fine line that separates him from the rest of the League. It could only be topped by the death of Darkseid, with the 'Darkseid War' diving deep into the Multiverse and flipping Johns own script by corrupting heroes into enigmatic villains. Coupled with top-tier art from Jim Lee, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, and Jason Fabok, Justice League was never anything less than widescreen in its ambitions, with epic art that matched the scope of the stories. Buy: Amazon 4. Swamp Thing (Image credit: DC) From the very start of 'The New 52,' Swamp Thing never once took the easy road. Poised as horrifying counter-programming to the superheroics of the rest of the line, Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquettes reboot never made any qualms about what it was and what it did well. While Snyder made his home in Gotham writing Batman, the bayou was where he did his darkest, and most engaging work, balancing tight characterizations with truly scary stories with ambitious scopes. Even after Snyder made his exit, Swamp Thing continued under the deft hand of Charles Soule who ended the series as it began; a tough, yet consistently great horror title that put its lead through the wringer on more than one occasion. While the 'New 52' may stand as a testament to superhero stories and worlds, Swamp Thing made the most of its time beside the capes and did so in bloody style. Buy: Amazon 3. Midnighter (Image credit: DC) Launched during the 'DC You' initiative, Midnighter quickly became one of the most interesting and ambitious books of the entire era. Writer Steve Orlandos unfiltered characterization and bold storytelling set this book apart from the rest of the DC lineup. In a universe of legacy characters and layers of continuity, Midnighter is fresh and fun to read. The character presents a sort of 'pure' vigilantism that demands respect, yet his methods are unpredictably extreme and laced with well-timed one-liners and social commentary. The icing on this invigorating cake is the daring and dynamic art. Both Aco and Stephen Mooney created notably visceral and engaging pages, but it is Aco's fiercely detailed lines and precise panel layout that have defined Midnighter. Buy: Amazon 2. Batgirl (Image credit: DC) 'The New 52''s Batgirl may have started under the auspices of Gail Simone's superb run, but with the creative team of writers Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and artist Babs Tarr, it became a legitimate phenomenon. Batgirl abruptly changed its tone under the DC You banner, with the new creators introducing a redesigned, social media-conscious lead. This radically re-imagined Batgirl worked its charms on an entrenched fanbase, finding strength in its inability to sit still for a moment. The book also possessed a delightful willingness to make fun of itself as well, and the seriousness of Bat-books in general, as a hyper cartoon with a warm-hearted and genuine character at its center, reflected in every inch of Tarr's kinetic art. Batgirl ultimately appealed to a younger audience without condescending, and like Prez, even parodies those that enjoy it the most. Buy: Amazon 1. Batman (Image credit: DC) It's perhaps fitting that the 'New 52' ended once Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo departed Batman, a book that set the standard for DCs post-relaunch era. Immediately dominating the scene with Greg Capullo's dark, bone-crushing artwork, Batman brought intelligence as well as action to the DCU, as Scott Snyder's first arc introduced the brutal secret society known as the Court of Owls to Gotham City. From that first arc on, Snyder and Capullo have reexamined and reinvented key aspects of the Dark Knight as a concept, such as his relationship with his sidekicks and his worst nemesis in 'Death of the Family,' Bruce Wayne's rise to superhero status in 'Zero Year,' his seeming "death" in 'Endgame,' and his eventual resurrection in 'Superheavy.' Batman made no bones about taking risks, including the sheer destructive force of the Court of Owls, the introduction of new sidekicks such as Harper Row and Duke Thomas, and Bruce's controversial replacement Jim Gordon, wearing a G.C.P.D.-sponsored robo-bat-suit. Their Batman run stood nearly 50 issues as a symbol of all that DC could accomplish. Switch: Prince Harry is finding his move to North America with wife Meghan a challenge, according to Dr Jane Goodall. Photo: Getty Images The author gave a copy of her book to Meghan and Harry (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Conservationist Dr Jane Goodall thinks Prince Harry will give up hunting because of his wife's dislike for it. Harry and Meghan are both fans of the world-renowned activist (86). Dr Goodall said she thought Harry was finding life "a bit challenging" following his move to North America. She told 'Radio Times': "I don't know how his career is going to map out, but yes, I've been in touch, though I think he's finding life a bit challenging just now." At the suggestion Harry and brother William were champions of the natural world, she said: "Yes, except they hunt and shoot. But I think Harry will stop because Meghan doesn't like hunting, so I suspect that is over for him." Turkey's president has rejected the resignation of the country's interior minister who took responsibility for a poorly timed announcement of a weekend lockdown that prompted thousands of people to rush into the streets to stock up on supplies. The 48-hour lockdowns across 31 cities -- which were aimed to contain the spread of the coronavirus -- were announced just two hours before taking effect on Friday night. Thousands of people rushed into the streets to stock up on goods, many without wearing mandatory face masks. Images of large, closely-bunched crowds sparked criticism of the government's planning for to top the coronavirus. Restrictions on movement are now eased across China but some African immigrants are facing a different barrier: Discrimination. Videos posted on social media, photos and interviews with residents paint a picture of harassment of black residents, particularly in the southern city of Guangzhou. African immigrants told VOA they are being barred entrance to stores, detained and singled out to be tested for coronavirus. Things are getting out of hand here, racism is going at a high level now, an Ethiopian student in the city of Wuhan told VOA in a text message. I have even experienced it a lot in the past seven days... Even the people I know before are afraid of me now. Tensions in Guangzhou escalated on April 7 when authorities announced 16 coronavirus cases among African residents, including a number of community transmissions in an area of the city known as Little Africa. In subsequent days African residents began to report being evicted from apartments and denied entrance to restaurants including McDonald's. In one widely-shared video, a pregnant woman who appears to be African was denied entry to a hospital where she sought treatment. Although Guangzhou has received the most attention for anti-African sentiment, some students in Wuhan report similar treatment. They started taking nucleic acid tests on foreigners, even if we were here on the lockdown. Some of us are afraid that they will do more bad things than this, said the Ethiopian student in Wuhan, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. They are telling all homeowners who rented a house for foreigners to tell them to leave the house within one day and when they want to go to the hotel they won't allow [us in] too. The issue has led to diplomatic discussions. The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, tweeted that he spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about the issue. He reassured me of measures underway in Guangzhou to improve the situation of Africans, in line with the strong and brotherly partnership between Africa and China. The African Union Permanent Rep and the African Group of ambassadors in Beijing and Guangzhou are following the implementation of the measures. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said allegations that authorities in China have singled out foreigners are untrue. We are still facing great risks of imported cases and domestic resurgence. Particularly, as the pandemic spreads all over the world, imported cases are causing mounting pressure, Zhao said on Sunday. All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination. Ethiopias ambassador to China, Teshome Toga Chanaka, said Chinese officials are appropriately concerned about new cases coming from abroad. The major challenge has been imported cases. There has been some perception that some of these cases are coming from Africa, some of these cases are coming from other parts of the world, he told VOAs Amharic service. So in light of the increasing numbers of imported cases, there has been some serious concerns by the government and then of course also within the general public also has a worry. But Chanaka also cautioned that appropriate safety measures should not expand to racial targeting. There is a mandatory quarantine for those who are arriving and they have to do several things. This is understandable but when this happens in a sort of a discriminatory approach or happens in a manner that targets a certain community, that is how many of the Africans are feeling that they are being targeted, he said. But some Africans living and working in China say they are living in fear. A Ghanaian businessman who now lives in Shanghai says many people, especially those in Guangzhou are worried that there will be a knock at the door either to evict them or force them to be tested for coronavirus. It makes no sense. They don't do this to any other skin color. They just do this to the Africans, he told VOAs Amharic service. So, like, its so sad. Its ridiculous. Its just like they have this ignorance. R ishi Sunaks transformation into a Chancellor for the digital age has been helped by hiring social media guru Cass Horowitz, son of author Anthony Horowitz, as his media special adviser. Sunaks Instagram followers have grown rapidly since he employed Horowitz just before the Budget, as his posts have also become more slick. Horowitz co-founded The Clerkenwell Brothers, a creative agency drafted in to rescue the ailing Tory brand on social media in 2017. The Conservatives had been derided for a series of bizarre behind the scenes images on their Instagram at their party conference that year photographs included then home secretary Amber Rudd awkwardly smiling while holding a plastic cup and bigwig Michael Fallon grim-faced outside a portable cabin. The Clerkenwell Brothers helped the Tories to up their game. Now Horowitz is applying his skills to the Chancellors Instagram, joining his staff just before the Budget. Grainy shots of barn owls on motorway signs that garnered only a few hundred likes have been swapped for snaps of Sunak working from home, a post thats been liked over 16,000 times. How long till Sunaks first TikTok? --- Quiz show creators fear one dreadful thing when it comes to their trade, according to Only Connect question editors Jack Waley-Cohen and David McGaughey. While some questions can totally miss the comfort zones of the contestants, much worse, they tell RTS magazine, is when a question is too hard and also boring, so, not only can they not get the answer, they also dont care. --- Building fancier: Billy Porter (left) with Tigerlily Taylor at London Fashion Week (Photo: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images) / Getty Images Billy Porter is pretty keen on London. The Pose star was asked what he would pick if he could have any piece of art in the world. Asking whether it could be a building, he told the Talk Art podcast: Theres something about the architecture in London that moves me to tears every time I show up. Our first post-lockdown overseas visitor? SW1A Boris Johnson thanks the NHS as he is discharged from hospital / Downing Street Simon Hoare MP wonders if the PMs video address to the nation (above), in which he praise praising immigrant nurses could presage a recalibration of immigration policy focusing on worth, not income. With Hoare's call echoed by grassroots campaign the Liberal Conservatives as well as ex-minister Ed Vaizey, could this be a Tory turning point? --- Conservative MP Lucy Allan says that the gorgeous clip of Labours Jon Ashworth being interrupted by his children shows politicians are mostly human. Whos she thinking of? Do-re-mi...wah! Sound of Music moves Lily to tears This is the bizarre moment a man with COVID-19 symptoms is arrested by the police after fleeing from an ambulance in Argentina. The incident took place Saturday night in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Constitucion when the ill individual was being rushed to Muniz Hospital and decided to jump out of the ambulance's door at a stop light. The man, who had reported bouts of fever and other signs related to the coronavirus, ditched the paramedics before hospital officials alerted the police. Surveillance video captures the moment the individual (pictured) was walking down a street in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday moments after he fled an ambulance that was transporting him to a local hospital because he reported COVID-19 symptoms Argentine cops arrested a male individual (circled) who presented coronavirus symptoms and jumped out of an ambulance that was taking him to a hospital in Buenos Aires. A surveillance camera captured him walking across a desolate street while typing on his cellphone before he approached a gas station. The man, who despite abandoning the ambulance kept his face mask on, appeared on the video attempting to make a phone call while he stood near a car. Subsequently, the police showed up and ordered him to stand down while keeping their distance. The man appeared to be talking on his cellphone at a gas station where cops intercepted him moments after he ditched the paramedics The individual could face charges for breaking Argentina's nationwide coronavirus quarantine law. The South American nation has reported 102 deaths and 2,277 confirmed cases related to the global pandemic Paramedics in hazmat suits transported the sickened individual to the hospital after the cops were able to locate him An ambulance with paramedics wearing hazmat suits transported him to the hospital. He could face charges for violating Argentina's nationwide quarantine law. Argentine authorities have arrested more than 40,000 people since a stay-at-home order was declared by the government March 20. Non-essential workers are only allowed to leave their homes if they are making a trip to the supermarket, pharmacy and/or hospital. The South American nation has reported 102 deaths and 2,277 confirmed cases related to the global pandemic Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tue, April 14, 2020 21:30 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e7a68 2 SE Asia Malaysia,antibody,test,coronavirus,coronavirus-testing,COVID-19,COVID-19-test,PCR-test Free Malaysian authorities have begun using COVID-19 antibody rapid tests kits to supplement laboratory tests as the number of cases in the country grows, a senior health official said on Tuesday. Officials in Malaysia, as elsewhere, had initially rejected the use of the serology test kits, which can show the presence of antibodies in people who have been infected. Like other countries, it instead chose polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, laboratory tests, which detect the presence of the novel coronavirus itself and are seen as more reliable. But as the number of suspected cases needing testing has risen, the turnaround time for laboratory test results had increased from around 6 hours to as many as two days or more, the director-general of health Noor Hisham Abdullah told reporters. Malaysia reported 170 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the total to nearly 5,000 infections, the second-highest in Southeast Asia, with 82 deaths. It had done nearly 82,000 PCR tests as of Monday and reported over 8,000 pending lab results earlier this month, before it stopped publishing backlog data. To reduce the testing backlog, the close contacts of people infected will now receive the antibody tests at the end of their 14-day mandatory quarantine period. "On the 13th day, we will use the antibody or serology tests... and if it comes back positive, then we will carry out the PCR test again," Noor Hisham said. "But if the antibody test comes back negative, then you're in the clear. This is how we are trying to reduce the number of PCR lab tests." A person who tested negative can then be discharged from quarantine, freeing up state resources used to monitor them, but they would still be required to self-isolate under movement curbs imposed by the government until April 28 to limit the virus' spread. Countries hope antibody tests may one day help them to ease movement curbs by identifying people who may have acquired immunity, but it is not yet clear if that is possible. Some doctors had been calling for Malaysia to use new rapid test kits - both antibody and antigen - to widen testing and reduce the backlog of cases, but like other countries, it has been awaiting trial results. A shortage of laboratory testing supplies and difficulty in procuring them have made it hard to ramp up capacity. Malaysia last week warned of a shortage of reagents, a chemical used in diagnostic tests to detect the presence of the coronavirus. Noor Hisham on Tuesday also warned that the country was running low on personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health workers, with supplies of some items expected to last just another 19 days. The Conversation As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, a small proportion of Australians infected have now died, while , or are likely to recover over the next few weeks. One thing many of us want to know is for how long people who have SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are able to pass it on to someone else. Lets look at what the science tells us so far. How long does it take to get sick? The incubation period is the time between being exposed to the virus and the onset of symptoms. For COVID-19, the incubation period ranges from 1 to 14 days. But most people who develop COVID-19 symptoms do so 4 to 6 days after exposure. How long are you infectious? The infectious period means the time youre able to spread the virus to someone else. For COVID-19, there is emerging evidence to suggest the infectious period may start 1 to 3 days before you develop symptoms. The most infectious period is thought to be 1 to 3 days before symptoms start, and in the first 7 days after symptoms begin. But some people may remain infectious for longer. Commonly reported symptoms for COVID-19 such as fever, cough and fatigue usually last around 9 to 10 days but this can be longer. Also Read: What is contact tracing and how does it help limit the spread of the virus? Why are some people infectious for longer? Typically with viruses, the higher the viral load (the more virus circulating in the body), the higher the risk of transmission through known transmission pathways. A study conducted in Hong Kong looking at viral load in 23 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 found higher viral loads in the first week of illness. Another study from China looking at 76 hospitalised patients found that by 10 days after symptom onset, mild cases had cleared the virus. That is, no virus was detectable through testing. However, severe cases have much higher viral loads and many continue to test positive beyond the 10 days after symptoms start. So the more severe the illness and the higher the viral load, the longer you continue to shed the virus and are infectious. When are you no longer infectious? If someone has been symptom-free for 3 days and they developed their first symptoms more than 10 days prior, they are no longer considered to be infectious. But were not sure whether people are infectious when they have recovered but the virus can still be detected in their bodies. One study from Hong Kong found the virus could be detected for 20 days or longer after the initial onset of symptoms in one-third of patients tested. Another study from China found found the virus in a patients faecal samples five weeks after the first onset of symptoms. But the detection of the virus doesnt necessarily mean the person is infectious. We need more studies with larger sample sizes to get to the bottom of this question. Also Read: What's the difference between pandemic, epidemic and outbreak? Should you get tested again before going back into the community? Due to a global shortage of coronavirus tests, the Commonwealth and state governments have strict criteria about who should be tested for COVID-19 and when. People who have been self-quarantining, because they had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and have completed their 14-day quarantine period without developing symptoms, can return to the community. There is no requirement to be tested prior to returning to the community. It is, however, recommended they continue to practise social distancing and good hygiene as a precaution. The requirements are different for people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. At present, re-testing people who have experienced mild illness, and have recovered from COVID-19 is not recommended. A person is considered safe to return to the community and discontinue self-isolation if they are no longer infectious. This means they developed their first symptoms more than 10 days prior and have not experienced any symptoms for at least 3 days (72 hours). For people who have been hospitalised with more severe illness, the testing requirements before discharge are different. They will have two swabs taken 24 hours apart to check if they have cleared the virus. If the swabs are both negative, they can be discharged and dont require further self-isolation. If one or both tests are positive but the person is well enough to go home, they must continue to self-isolate for at least 10 days since they were discharged from hospital and they have not experienced any symptoms for at least 3 days. There are also different testing requirements for people working or living in high-risk settings. If you work or live in a high-risk setting you should consult with your health care provider on re-testing requirements. Tambri Housen, Epidemiologist | Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University; Amy Elizabeth Parry, Epidemiologist | PhD Candidate, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, and Meru Sheel, Epidemiologist | Senior Research Fellow, Australian National University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Also Read: What is community transmission? How do you protect yourself from the virus? The lack of Islamic cemeteries and air transport, means that the families of muslims who die in coronavirus hit Italy face a difficult time ensuring an Islamic burial writes Zaman Al-Wasl. With the help of protective suits, masks and gloves, and the most precautionary measures, the 13-year-old Libyan child, Ismail Abdul Wahab, who hails from Brixton, in south London, was buried. Abdul Wahab was one the youngest people to die of coronavirus worldwide. His mother and his six siblings remained in their home, attending the funeral via their mobile phones through a live broadcast that was captured by a relative, since most of them are under quarantine. In Italy, refugees are not allowed to transfer the bodies of their dead to their countries of origin following the request of the dead or his relatives, as was customary. However, due to the lack of Islamic graves in all Italian cities, the Muslim community requested that the official authorities in the country address this issue. Yassin al-Yafeai, who works as a cultural mediator and imam in the city of Piacenza, said there are dozens of bodies still in hospitals because of air and sea transport being stopped and prevented from carrying out their normal function; not all of them were coronavirus victims. There have been difficulties encountered by Muslims specifically since the pandemic spread, including those related to burial rituals like washing and shrouding the dead, and praying and burying the dead in light of what has become known as social distancing, said Yafeai. Religious institutions in Europe dealt with the current situation with harmony, and following the decisions of the authorities and the words of expert doctors regarding the transmission of infection and the precautions needed to prevent it; these institutions decided not to wash the dead and to use tayammum instead, using gloves of course, and finally they decided the corpse will be shrouded, buried and prayed for from afar. Yafeai regained the privilege of Islamic cultural customs of preparing the dead before the coronavirus epidemic, as hospitals provided rooms for the washers in which they washed the bodies, and then shroud them in the legitimate Islamic shroud; there are people who are buried in Muslim cemeteries across Italy and there are many who have their bodies returned to their countries of origin. Donations are collected for this purpose, and some people decide to pay insurance for this specific purpose; if they die, insurance will transfer them to their countries. Now, however, in light of the difficulty and unavailability of flights, as well as maritime transport, transporting the bodies has become almost impossible. Under these circumstances, the Federation of Islamic Organizations put pressure on the state to provide graves for Muslims in every city, and this request was met in most cities in Italy, pointing out that these graves may be an independent piece of land or may be part of a Christian cemetery in general; given the breadth of these Christian cemeteries, it can be possible to integrate Muslim bodies in them, and this is exactly what is happening now. Yafeai also revealed that he had buried three Syrian refugee doctors Abdul Sattar Ayroud, Abdul Ghani Makki and Iyad al-Daqar in the city of Buchens, in which they used to reside. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend As many as 1,574 people have been infected with 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, 98 people have died from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours. Jahanpur added that the condition of 3,691 people is serious and critical. So far, more than 287,000 tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. The official said that the number of coronavirus cases and death toll started declining in Iran. Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 74,800 people have been infected, 4,683 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 48,100 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. Harvard University is implementing an immediate hiring and salary freeze, canceling or deferring discretionary spending and delaying some capital projects due to financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The university said the hiring and salary freeze is for "exempt employees" those who are typically nonunion members and are not eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. "While many decisions and choices will come into sharper focus in the future, it is already clear that we need to take some actions immediately to align our spending with the decline in our revenue," said a joint email from President Lawrence Bacow, Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and Provost Alan Garber. The email was sent Monday to the university community. Bacow, Lapp, and Garber are taking 25% salary cuts. Senior school administrators, including deans, vice presidents and vice provosts, are also reducing their salaries to contribute to a support fund for employees experiencing financial hardships. "Harvard, like other universities around the world, will not be spared the economic consequences of the pandemic," the institution's senior leaders said. "Our major sources of revenue tuition, the endowment, executive and continuing education, philanthropy, and research support are threatened, and we expect to see increased demand for financial aid as the economic fallout from the pandemic hits family budgets," the email said. University officials also addressed the possibility of layoffs and furloughs saying, "We're still working to gain a more complete picture of the financial conditions of the university." Harvard is one of the many higher education institutions facing financial strains from the global health crisis. Stanford University enacted a 20% pay cut for its provost and president, according to The Daily Post of Palo Alto, California. The University of Southern California also reduced the salaries of its senior leadership officers. University President Carol Folt said she will take a 20% reduction in pay, while the provost, senior vice presidents and deans will take 10% cuts. Previous Next Valery Lopez 24 from Palatine, Ill. While senior year definitely has had a very bittersweet ending, the amazing support staff and students have shown to each other is amazing. At my school, there have been weekly meal bags given to families with food essentials. Last week, the senior class arranged a drive where seniors drove to the local hospitals, police station and fire department to say thank you and give essential workers gift cards with money given by the senior class. Through all of the chaos, these communal gestures have reminded me of the good in the world. Kripa Bansal 24 from Bangalore, India In an email that the principal of my school addressed to our batch, she referred to us as the Coronavirus class. Then she proceeded to tell us that we were the first batch of IB students in their 88 year history whose final exams were cancelled. Our grades WhatsApp chat explodedtears and laughter aplenty. This wasnt how I hoped I would make history so I greeted it with a mixture of emotions that I myself was unable to configure. Then came college decisions. As an international student, I wouldnt have had the opportunity to visit campus physically anyway. But several colleges have been providing extra resources to all their admitted students so we can learn as much about the college as is possible. My only concern is whether these unpredictable and dynamic times would allow international students like me to obtain student visas and get to experience move-in day the way weve devoured on YouTube channels. For someone whose dream its been to study in a liberal arts school in the U.S. for as long as she can remember, I just strongly hope that I get to attend Grinnell this fall and watch the beautiful red, yellow and orange unfold in front of my eyes. Eli Brotman 24 from St. Paul, Minn. How am I holding up? Besides not being able to see my friends outside of the same screen I stare at eight hours a day, that question is the most annoying part about quarantine. With it usually comes, Oh! And prom and graduation! Im so sorry Eli! and as much as I appreciate the empathy, its hard to be reminded that I am being robbed of my senior year. Its like I am opening a new chapter without concluding the story I have been writing for the past four years. My days sheltering in place are bright, though, and it feels like an opportunity to spend some much-needed time with myself. This is my reality, so why not take advantage of it? My bike and guitar are proving to be quite loyal friends, while my stomach has become my alarm clock, ringing for food at three in the afternoon. Plus, with a warm summer and Grinnell looming on the horizon, coming down the back half of this curve will be [a] time full of sentiment. Memories will be created and cherished, fresh off the reminder that we are all human. I look forward to those days and will put the money I save from prom towards my tuition next year. Aadi Miglani 24 from San Diego, Calif. For me, the end of my senior year has been really abrupt amid the chaos of the coronavirus. I had no idea when I was walking away from school the Friday before mid-winter break that that would be my last day at my school. Its all really odd, but I look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel that is attending Grinnell (hopefully) in the fall. My cousin and my uncle are Grinnell alums and Im so excited to follow in their footsteps. Zade Mullin 24 from Los Angeles, Calif. My senior class didnt think our two-week school closure would last the rest of the semester. We thought wed still go to prom (we wont); we thought wed walk the stage at graduation (we wont); we thought it would all be over after a few weeks (you get the idea). Once I knew where I was accepted, rejected and waitlisted I was left with two options: the two schools that gave me money (and to all the schools reading this who didnt give me money: you wish you were that well-endowed). My college counselors had reassured me that once Id stood on both campuses, Id know which school is right for me. No matter how many people we text or email or Zoom, without a real, traditional, in-person visit, well never be sure how each school feels, how it vibes, how it do be. So, I guess were fucked. Lucia Silver 24 from Brooklyn, N.Y. My friend and I have been working on a script for a really long time and it was our dream to film it at the end of senior year and maybe post it on YouTube or something. We kind of saw it as our own end of high school personal project, and since were going to different colleges its going to be really hard coordinating it after the summer ends. Im super bummed about it. Shes like the best writing partner in the world and it makes me so sad that were missing out on really precious time. Mohammad Igbaria 24 from Claremont, Calif. To be honest, its disheartening knowing that our senior year is over prematurely. It sucks because weve worked towards graduation, prom, senior trips and a ton of other events so hard for the last four years. I think I can speak for almost everyone in the class of 2020 when I say this isnt how we thought our high school careers would end. I know that there wasnt any other choice than to cancel in person classes for our own safety, but still the whole situation has left a real impact on us all. Hong Kong is caught up in a new, potentially explosive political row over its autonomy, with the citys leader on Tuesday asserting Beijings power and right to condemn opposition lawmakers for holding up the work of the legislature with malicious filibustering. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed pan-democratic politicians cries of interference after Beijings two top offices in charge of Hong Kong affairs accused them of abusing their power in the Legislative Council. I want to refute categorically any accusation that such comments made by the two offices constitute interference, she said. The central authorities have given Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, but that doesnt mean that the central government has given up its power and authority on Hong Kong affairs. Lam was combative as she criticised the pan-democrats, seemingly well-prepared for most of the questions to focus on the snowballing controversy at a hastily called press conference that was supposed to be about the HK$137.5 billion (US$17.7 billion) coronavirus financial relief package she rolled out last week. When the Legislative Council is almost malfunctioning I find it only legitimate for them to express concern Carrie Lam, Hong Kong chief executive The real interference in Hong Kong affairs, she said, was coming from outside China, enabled by opposition politicians travelling to countries such as the US to invite intervention and solicit sanctions against their own city. The cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) sparked the storm on Monday by accusing the pan-democrats of betraying their Legco oaths in deliberately delaying the election of a new chairman for the House Committee and creating a backlog of legislation. The committee sets the agenda for weekly council meetings, deciding the dates when certain bills are to be put forward for a final vote. In a separate statement that day, Beijings liaison office in Hong Kong counted 14 bills and more than 80 subsidiary pieces of legislation it said had been held up, affecting livelihood and economic issues. Story continues Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday defended recent blistering criticisms of opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok (shown) by Beijing agencies. Photo: EPA-EFE Asked if Beijings accusations, as well as her own stance, would only deepen the political divide, Lam put the ball in the oppositions court. The difficulties of governance in Hong Kong are for all to see, I would say that the Hong Kong SAR government would have a much easier life in this anti-epidemic work if we have more cohesiveness in society, more unity, more solidarity, putting aside our political differences for the time being, in order to help Hong Kong get out of this epidemic as soon as possible, she said. Everybody should reflect on the situation that we are now in. Legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok, a member of the opposition Civic Party who currently presides over the committees meetings, was singled out for allowing the delays and accused of misconduct in public office. Asked if Beijing was pressuring the citys government to take action against such lawmakers, Lam replied that it was up to the Department of Justice to make prosecution decisions without external interference. There is no pressure whatsoever, she said. Lam argued that Beijing not only had a constitutional role to play, but was also justified in speaking out when the citys governance was being undermined by members of the legislature. When the Legislative Council is almost malfunctioning I find it only legitimate for them to express concern, she said. When the House Committee, after six months, 14 meetings and dozens of hours, still cannot elect a chairman and vice-chairman, if this is not what the liaison office and HKMAO described as malicious filibustering and having no regard for public interest, what is it? The Legco building in Admiralty. Photo: Winson Wong The chief executive noted that the stalled bills concerned policy areas ranging from hotel regulation and fire services to the citys competitiveness, an extension of maternity leave, and the appointment of the next chief justice. But she would not be drawn into whether the government would take legal action to unseat lawmakers abusing their power, saying: It would be best for Legco to rectify the situation by itself. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, one of Lams advisers in the Executive Council, and Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kongs sole representative to Chinas top legislative body, also defended Beijings right to speak out. Tong pointed out that foreign countries and figures frequently commented on the citys affairs, while Tam reminded critics that the offices involved were in charge of such matters after all. While opposition lawmakers cried foul, complaining that the one country, two systems policy of governing Hong Kong was under attack, the citys main body of barristers, the Bar Association, urged restraint on the part of the authorities, noting that Beijings statements could easily be perceived as interference. Kwok insisted that all the pan-democrats had done was reflect public opinion to stop bills such as the one against disrespecting the national anthem. They had not blocked key items such as the governments relief package for the Covid-19 pandemic and other infection control measures, he said. Kwoks party colleague Tanya Chan, convenor of the opposition camp, said they would not change tack in Legco, insisting their actions had been lawful all along. Opposition lawmakers are gearing up to seize majority control of Legco in the election slated for September, riding a wave of social unrest and public dissatisfaction that helped them win a landslide victory in municipal-level district council polls last November. More from South China Morning Post: This article Beijing right to condemn opposition lawmakers blocking Hong Kong legislative work, Lam says first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Amazon announced more than 100,000 new employees have started working across its operations network, meeting the companys original 100,000 jobs pledge. As demand continues to surge from people relying on Amazons services during this unprecedented time, particularly those who are most vulnerable to being out in public, the company announced it is adding 75,000 additional new roles across the country. Over the past four weeks, more than 2,000 new employees were hired in Tennessee, joining more than 6,500 full-time employees already working in Amazon facilities across the state. The new hires in Tennessee fill a range of roles, including picking, packing, and shipping customer orders and delivering packages from delivery stations to meet the needs of the COVID-19 demand surge. Many were impacted by layoffs related to COVID-19 and come from a variety of fields and life situations, including restaurant cooks, bartenders and servers, flight attendants, teachers, business owners, personal trainers, valet drivers, rideshare drivers, retirees, part-time workers whose jobs are now on hold, and people who just wanted to help out. Interested candidates can apply at www.amazon.com/jobsnow. Jobs are available on a rolling basis and fill up quickly. Amazon encourage people to sign up for text alerts for regular updates. U.S. residents can text AMAZON to 77088 to receive automated messages about job openings near them. Onboarding includes several COVD-19 accommodations, including virtual new hire orientation sessions, providing training and information through online sessions. The roles start with minimum pay of $17 per hour through the end of April, which is an increase of $2 per hour since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and come with company benefits on day one, for full-time and some part-time positions. D Surendra Kumar By Express News Service TIRUPATI: While life has come to a standstill for many due to the lockdown, it starts early in the morning for PS Girisha, the young IAS officer heading the civic body of the famous pilgrim town of Tirupati. Well before the town showed up on the COVID-19 radar, Girisha was at the forefront of taking various steps to effectively enforce the lockdown. As social distancing and stay home stay safe became the mantras to fight coronavirus, Girisha focused on ensuring people get essential commodities at home, in order to keep them indoors even before the first COVID-19 case was recorded in the temple town. He held talks with the managements of local retail stores and supermarkets to have them door-deliver goods to the public without additional charges. The civic body has divided Tirupati into sectors and directed the managements of stores to supply groceries and medicines to the public in their jurisdictions. There has been a good response. Around 20,000 families have utilised the door-delivery service since March 25. We ensured publicity and shared the contact numbers of the stores. People have been getting supplies at home at no additional cost, explains Girisha. Following an appeal by the Commissioner, D-Mart, which has been providing door delivery services in Mumbai and Chandigarh, also provided this option to Tirupati residents through its app. So far, the app has witnessed more than 250 orders from the town. With the first positive case being reported in Tirupati on April 2, Girisha was on his toes, visiting red zones, holding meetings with corporation officials, and taking steps to restrict peoples movement. Municipal Commisioner PS Girisha speaks to civic staff during a visit to one of the local markets in Tirupati I Madhav K 60,000 face masks given to all civic staff in temple town Girisha has also been taking steps to ensure he stays safe. I wear a face mask while visiting infected areas and red zones. After returning from containment zones, I dont even touch my child when I go home without having a bath. I wish him from a distance, he says. Another precautionary measure he practises is regularly washing his hands. To help workers battling COVID-19 on the frontline, Girisha provided around 60,000 face masks to the civic staff in Tirupati. Each sanitation staff member is given six or seven face masks, four or five pairs of gloves, and sanitisers. Homeless people were shifted to choultries run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, and the corporation provides them food. About 2,000 jobless people from Jeevakona, Auto Nagar and other areas have been identified, and they are being given food every day. Girisha provided the data of jobless people to local volunteers so they can supply the food from the corporation. The 2012-batch officer was appointed as the 12th Commissioner of the Tirupati Municipal Corporation in June last year. Earlier, he served as Joint Collector of Chittoor district and Sub-Collector at Gudur in Nellore district. As of now, Tirupati has six COVID-19 cases, and three of the infectees belong to the same family. Steps taken by the Commissioner Special teams of doctors, revenue and health workers have started collecting details of people with cold, cough and fever in red zones. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was given to doctors working in red zones. The corporation has deployed rapid-response sanitary teams in those areas, and sodium hypo chlorinate and bleaching powder are sprayed every eight hours to prevent the spread of the virus. The police have set up pickets and check-posts in red zones, and are restricting the movement of people. A copy of an official directive now deleted from a number of Chinese universities and institutions informs researchers that any academic papers relating to the coronavirus pandemic are now subject to review by the authorities. The directive, titled "Notice on the publication of academic papers related to the novel coronavirus epidemic," was still visible on a cached version of a page on the website of Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University on . It said the orders had been issued following a meeting of the public opinion management team of the epidemic control and prevention taskforce of the State Council, China's cabinet. "Academic papers relating to the novel coronavirus epidemic need to be reviewed and filed according to their classification," the directive, copies of which had been recently removed from several Chinese university websites, said. Any research on tracing the origins of the virus "should be managed strictly," the order said. Such papers must be scanned and emailed straight to the education ministry, while other coronavirus-related topics could be reviewed by the college authorities, it said. A third area of concern was the centralized management of release for any developments in coronavirus vaccine research, the document said. A Google search revealed that the directive was recently deleted from the School of Information Science and Engineering at Fudan University and the Institute of Science and Technology Development at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan. Many taboo subjects An employee who answered the phone at Fudan University on said they didn't know about the directive, and referred inquiries to the university's propaganda department. "I dont know about this," the employee said. "Any announcements from the university are on its website." An employee at the China University of Geosciences made a similar response. Chinese diplomats and foreign ministry officials have recently promoted the idea that the coronavirus that causes COVID 19 didn't originate in China at all, prompting a war of words with Washington, where officials have referred to it as the Wuhan virus or the Chinese virus. Beijing-based political commentator Zhang Lifan said the origin of the coronavirus is a highly sensitive topic in China at the moment. "The issue of the virus' origin is very sensitive right now because of the issue of who is responsible for [the pandemic]," Zhang told RFA. "While everyone knows where the virus came from, China is hoping to muddy the waters." He said Beijing also faces accusations that health officials covered up the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in its initial stages. Bruce Lui, journalism professor at Hong Kong's Baptist University, said there are now strict controls on academic freedom around scientific research into the coronavirus. "There are so many experts in China, and the government regards them as [potentially] rebellious, so they are stepping up their efforts to suppress academic freedom for researchers," Lui said. "All of the government's prohibitions have made the topic of the virus' origins into a taboo subject," he said. Reported by Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Enforcement Team on Movement Restriction, on Tuesday demolished a makeshift street market located at AYA Junction in Asokoro for violating the COVID-19 lockdown order. Chairman of the team, Ikharo Attah, told journalists in Abuja that the demolition became necessary to stop community transmission of COVID-19. Considering the fact that the place was not just a market, but has been turned into an illegal home to many of the traders. The FCT administration with a deep sense of humanity had given the traders quit notice since January to vacate this place, but they refused to leave, he said. Mr Attah said demolishing the place was in the interest of the citizenry, especially as some of the active cases of COVID-19 were reportedly found in Asokoro. At the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was discovered that many of the traders have converted the makeshift shops to living houses. Despite the lockdown, the places were becoming dangerously overcrowded, he said. He said the latest discovery showed that the place was not just overcrowded against health protocols COVID-19 pandemic, but it has become a hideout for criminals. We gave them a quit notice long before the lockdown because it was defacing the place with all the horrible shanties you can see here. After about four adjustments of quit notices, we had to quickly come and clean up the place. What we are seeing here is making the lockdown enforcement very difficult. We are cleaning the place for their own safety, because this ought to be a road interchange, but they turned it to a horrible market. This place has become excessively crowded and is not safe for the people in the advent of this deadly Coronavirus pandemic. We had asked them to leave the place and go home, but they refused to go. This place has also turned into a very dangerous hideout for criminals and with the authority of FCTA we have to clean up the place to enable them to go to their various homes and be safe, he said. (NAN) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced during a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on March 29, 2020, that the US Army Corps of Engineers and the state are putting up a 250-bed field hospital at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. (Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images) Texas to Implement Safe and Healthy Strategies to Ease CCP Virus Lockdown, Reopen Economy Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on April 13 reiterated plans to issue an executive order this week that would kickstart the process of reopening the states economy, including guidance for businesses on how to reopen. His remarks came after he told reporters on April 10 that he planned to issue an executive order that will focus on protecting lives while restoring livelihoods. It will be about reopening Texas businesses in a way that will be safe for that economic revitalization, he said. Like most states in America, recent orders in Texas mandate residents mostly stay at home unless theyre taking so-called essential trips, in a bid to slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. The governor on April 13 said, impact economically caused by the CCP virus cannot be ignored. Later this week, I will outline both safe and healthy strategies where we can begin the process of going about reopening businesses in Texas and revitalizing the economy, he said. He highlighted that reopening the states economy doesnt mean Texas will be given the all-clear. I have some good news; I will call it glimmers of hope with a whole bunch of red flags attached to those glimmers of hope, Abbott said, referring to the recent drop in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. Confirmed CCP virus cases in Texas rose to 13,906 on April 13, with 287 deaths. But the growth rate has slowed down after social distancing measures were implemented last month, officials said, while the percentage of cases requiring hospital care has remained steady at around 10 percent of those who test positive. An estimated 2,269 COVID-19 patients in Texas have recovered, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. State officials are in contact with the White House to make sure the new guidelines will follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials on the White House coronavirus task force, and economic officials such as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. A slew of European nations are starting to reopen, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he hopes to have the United States reopen soon. The near-nationwide lockdowns have led to millions of people losing their jobs and fears of related impacts, such as higher suicide rates and shorter life spans. What were going to be doing later on this week is introducing Texas to this comprehensive team that weve put together that will evaluate what must be done for Texas to open back up, ensuring what we are doing is consistent with data, with medical analysis as well as strategies about what type of businesses will open up, Abbott said April 13. This is not going to be a rush the gates; everybody is able to suddenly reopen all at once. We have to understand that we must reopen in a way in which we are able to stimulate the economy while at the very same time ensuring that we contain the spread of COVID-19. A plan will be introduced to provide loans to small businesses struggling amid the CCP virus pandemic, Abbott said. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. [April 14, 2020] Casio Marks 20th Anniversary of EDIFICE Collection with Limited Edition Honda Racing Timepiece DOVER, N.J., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its EDIFICE collection of timepieces, Casio America, Inc. is excited to introduce a new high-performance metal chronograph timepiece the ECB10HR-1A. The new limited edition ECB10HR-1A is a collaboration model with Honda Racing. Honda, which provides the power unit of the Scuderia AlphaTauri Formula 1 team, and EDIFICE are Japanese brands that are constantly meeting the challenges of motorsports on a global scale. This watch is the third variation of an EDIFICE and Honda Racing collaboration that got its start in 2018 and was born from their common pursuit of high-tech capabilities. "Our newest EDIFICE timepiece was inspired by the drive and momentum of the Honda Racing team," said David Johnson, Vice President of Casio's Timepiece Division. "Casio has been an official partner of Honda Racing since 2018 and we look forward to collaborating on additional timepieces in the future that embody both the velocity and energy of motorsports." Dressed in Honda Racing's signature team colors, the ECB10HR-1A has a red genuine leather band with matching stitching and a matte charcoal gray stainless steel bezel with chronograph markings. The carbon fiber dial enhances the verall design and features the Honda Racing logo; gold lettering celebrates the 20th anniversary of EDIFICE and is finely finished with a sapphire crystal. The metal strap keeper and back plate are also engraved with the Honda and EDIFICE 20th anniversary logo, and the number 20 on the bezel is engraved in red to mark the 20th anniversary of EDIFICE. With Casio's new full-time smartphone link technology, the ECB10HR-1A enables users to stay up-to-date and on time no matter their location. The timepieces can be paired to a smartphone with a push of a button. By downloading the CASIO WATCH+ app and connecting to a compatible smartphone via Bluetooth technology, the watches access the correct time based on current location for up to 300 cities worldwide, even updating with the latest time zone and daylight-saving time information. Users can also access their calendars when linking their smartphones, allowing the timepiece to notify them when their next event/task is approaching. Additional features include 100 Meter water resistance, super illuminator double LED light for nighttime display, five alarms, phone finder, as well as a 1/1000th second stopwatch with 200 lap memory, countdown timer and full auto calendar. The ECB10HR-1A (MSRP- $330) will be available for purchase beginning of May at Casio.com and select jewelry and watch retailers nationwide including Macy's. For more information on Casio's EDIFICE collection of timepieces, please visit www.EDIFICE.Casio.com. About EDIFICE Casio's EDIFICE collection reflects a distinct sense of style by providing men with features that are ideal for professional and weekend lifestyles. The collection speaks to upwardly, mobile men whose goals lie anywhere from the boardroom to the ballpark. With a variety of aristocratic, sleek styles, Casio's EDIFICE timepieces possess features including multi-layered dials, world time, daily alarms, and more. Made with strong, comfortable band materials of resin and stainless steel, each style exudes an attractive, sophisticated look. For additional information on Casio's EDIFICE line of timepieces, please visit www.EDIFICE.Casio.com. About Casio America, Inc. Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit casio.com/home View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/casio-marks-20th-anniversary-of-edifice-collection-with-limited-edition-honda-racing-timepiece-301040029.html SOURCE Casio America, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A woman who has had a lifelong battle with drugs leading to nine stints in jail has transformed her life through a prison podcast. Renae 'Rocket' Bretherton was six years old when she came home from school and was given her first bong made from a BBQ sauce bottle by a group of people smoking marijuana in her house. Both her parents were users and she was taught that 'drugs weren't wrong'. But after recently completing her seventh drug-related sentence at Darwin Correctional Centre, Rocket has emerged with a different view of herself. Renae 'Rocket' Bretherton (left), 37, has found meaning in life through helping other incarcerated women since working on new podcast Birds Eye View New podcast Birds Eye View, made inside prison, has empowered the 37-year-old to tell her own story and reshape her identity. 'I've always been a pretty angry person. Like not a 'pretty angry' - a f**king angry person. And I had no release, I had no control over my anger for a long time,' Rocket explains in episode one of the podcast. 'I haven't really got a story apart from drugs. I mean drugs have been my story since I was five years old. It's my identity. 'It becomes your best friend, it becomes your lover, it becomes your brother, your sister, your parents. It becomes everything you're missing in your life.' Rocket, who has Noongar heritage, was raised by Wakka Wakka family on Bribie Island in Queensland. She often spent weekends in foster homes with her older brother as a result of early exposure and dysfunction at home and said while other children were given crayons and pencils to colour with, she was given pot to trim. After drugs being her story for years, sharing and exploring her life experiences made her realise that she is more than just a 'junkie'. She has now been sober for 26 months. Rocket has been served seven prison sentences at Darwin Correctional Centre and two at a Brisbane jail- all of which have been related to drugs 'Until recently, I was just going to go out and get back on the drugs. I've seen no point in changing,' she said. 'I just feel it's important to let people know that I'm not just a junkie or a drug user. I'm not just a number.' Birds Eye View, the result of a two-year storytelling program, incorporates narrative therapy- a process that involves a person exploring the various story lines within their life to gain a deeper understanding of who they are. David Denborough, the coordinator of a master's degree in narrative therapy and community work at the University of Melbourne, says people's identities are shaped by their stories which are influenced by history, politics, gender, class and race. 'It's not as if we have one fixed identity, it's not as if it's some essential, unchanging self. It's a different understanding of identity, one that's shaped by story and also by culture,' he told the ABC. Narrative therapy stipulates that people can become focused on 'dominant' story lines- fixed perspectives of life experiences- which then informs how they view themselves. The 37-year-old has a new goal of helping women in prison to gain employment once they are released. She is pictured at the launch of the podcast For example, one may focus on how many times they have failed in intimate relationships or in jobs, and perceive themselves as a failure overall, rather than assessing the other relationships or roles in their life that have been successful. Through looking at alternative story lines, people can begin to identify other, positive, traits of theirs that may become overridden by concentrating on those that have become dominant. 'There are always multiple stories of identity. It's just that some have become dominating, more powerful than others,' Mr Denborough said. 'It can make a real difference for people to be able to name problems in their own words and terms rather than in words and terms that have been given to them by others.' Since accepting a more complex view of herself, Rocket's life on the outside has adopted new meaning. She is using her voice to speak up and advocate for women in prison by helping them find jobs when they are released. Birds Eye View is a podcast made inside Darwin Correctional Centre that shares inmates stories and experiences She has begun creating relationships with businesses that are willing to help with employment and has become an inspirational speaker, attending prisons to share her story with inmates. Rocket hopes to set up an organisation like Sister Inside, which advocates for the collective human rights of women and girls in prison and their families, and provides services to address their individual needs. She has set up a gofundme to raise money for her to attend the Sisters Inside conference and learn more about how to set up the NT's first peak body for women who have lived experiences of incarceration. 'I want to work with people who are drug addicts, from backgrounds where I come from,' she said. 'I want to work on myself so I can help some people because if I can stop one person going through what I went through, it will probably make my life worthwhile.' PepsiCo and its philanthropic arm, the PepsiCo Foundation, have confirmed that they are committing $5 million in Covid-19 relief efforts across the region. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, PepsiCo, The PepsiCo Foundation and its bottling network partners are focused on providing financial assistance, medical equipment, supporting local health authorities efforts and providing meals to vulnerable communities across the region, a statement said. PepsiCo and its partners are supporting foodbanks in Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to distribute 10 million nutritious meals and food supply boxes to labour camps, quarantined communities, vulnerable families and at-risk groups over the next few weeks. This effort is part of the PepsiCo goal to #GiveMealsGiveHope by delivering more than 50 million meals globally as well as provide other essential resources needed to combat Covid-19. Additionally, personal protection equipment and other vital health equipment to frontline responders, has been supplied to healthcare workers in Lebanon, expanding the capacity of health and relief systems, via donations to the Lebanese Red Cross and the Rafik Hariri Hospital. In Saudi Arabia, PepsiCos contribution is focused on providing emergency meals to families, supporting small business affected by Covid-19 through government initiatives and distributing essential products to frontline workers including sterilization materials, surgical masks, and food packs. Funds have been allocated to supporting an online education program with the authorities in Iraq, and contributing to a food drive initiative that will provide meals for over 10,000 families. PepsiCo will announce additional programmes over the coming days and weeks to meet hyper-local needs as Covid-19 continues to spread and community needs expand. Additionally, for April, The PepsiCo Foundation is offering a two-to-one matching programme for all employee charitable contributions to select nonprofits providing Covid-19 relief globally, contributing up to $2 million in support to nonprofits chosen by employees. "During these times we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our people, customers and consumers as well as remaining committed to providing food supplies across the region. The importance of supporting relief efforts is paramount to us, as the Middle East is not just somewhere we operate, it is our home. Weve been present here for over 60 years through our communities, employees, bottlers and local government partners. Leading with purpose is part of our DNA and we will continue to make a positive impact where we operate. We are grateful for the role we can play in supporting those who need it most in these extraordinary circumstances. said Aamer Sheikh, President and General Manager at PepsiCo Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. The generosity of our bottling partners and cooperation of local governments has meant that our collective contributions can make a meaningful impact in the lives of many people, including the courageous healthcare professionals that are inspiring us all. PepsiCo has been present in the Middle East, North Africa region for over six decades and through its philanthropic The PepsiCo Foundation, it has regularly contributed to social impact and development in the communities where the company operates. Globally, PepsiCo has committed more than $45 million to combat the impact of Covid-19, by providing vital local humanitarian support and is working with partners to distribute more than 50 million nutritious meals worldwide, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service South Africa: SA receives medical supplies from China South Africa has received medical supplies from China to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. At 7pm on Monday, 13 April, a Boeing 777 aircraft, which flew more than 24 hours from Guangzhou, China, arrived at OR Tambo International Airport with a consignment of medical supplies and equipment donated by China. The cargo is currently going through accelerated clearance, with the assistance of the South African Revenue Service. Items donated include 11 000 N95 masks, 50 000 surgical masks, 3 000 sets of protective suits, 500 portable infrared thermometers, 3 000 goggles, 11 000 pairs of surgical gloves and 11 000 pairs of medical shoe covers. The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, together with his Deputy Dr Joe Phaahla and International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, received the consignment from Charge d'affaires Li Nan at OR Tambo International Airport. Welcoming the donation at a briefing on Tuesday, the Health Minister said the medical equipment will go a long way to protect healthcare workers at the frontline of the countrys fight against Coronavirus. We are sensitive about the protection of our professionals, so this donation is going to contribute quite significantly to ensuring that we are able to get our staff protected against infection. This for us indicates a contribution to a kind of commodity that is highly needed inside the department, particularly as we deal with the issue of COVID-19. "We want to express our gratitude to the Peoples Republic of China for their continued support and assistance that they have given us, said Mkhize. Upon clearance, the Health Department will distribute the medical equipment across the country. The donation comes as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 2 415, as of Tuesday with 87 022 tests conducted to date. Truly, China has exhibited that it is only together that we can stop this virus, said Pandor. Another batch of medical supplies for donation is being assembled in Shanghai, China, for collection by chartered South African aircraft. This next batch of donations is set to arrive in South Africa during the course of this week. Chinas Ambassador to South Africa, Li, said the donation of medical supplies demonstrates brotherhood between the two countries. This batch of medical supplies arrived in South Africa just five days after President Xi Jinpings telephone call with President Cyril Ramaphosa, which represents an important concrete step to implement the consensus reached by our two Heads of State. It fully demonstrates the comprehensive strategic partnership and the special brotherhood that exists between China and South Africa, said Li. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The city has sent the Islands two private hospitals thousands of personal protective equipment for its healthcare workers and dozens of ventilators during the coronavirus crisis to date, according to the first public breakdown of supplies the de Blasio administration has provided the Advance. The breakdown follows the city for weeks leaving the Island out of the same coronavirus planning it was providing for hospitals within its public Health + Hospitals network. Staten Island is not part of the citys public hospital network and, therefore, was not included. The disparity in planning prompted the Islands political delegation to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to treat the boroughs hospitals fairly during the crisis. City Hall said Monday afternoon it has sent Richmond University Medical Center: 52,240 N95 masks; 146,000 face masks; 4,772 eyewear; 3,472 gloves; 70 ventilators and 400 other miscellaneous personal protective equipment. All of the supplies Staten Island University Hospital receives from the city go through its parent company Northwell Hospitals distribution hub first, which then decides where supplies are needed the most within its hospital system. City Hall said it has given the Northwell system: 1.3 million face masks; 365,280 N95 masks; 47,018 eyewear; 452,700 gloves; 14,226 gowns; and 500 ventilators. SIUH has been unable to say which supplies it has received from the city. The mayor has said the city had sent the Island supplies, however, the Health Department said it does not provide hospital-level data on supplies it has distributed. The Advance asked City Hall, the Department of Health and the Health + Hospitals network last week to provide a breakdown of the medical supplies, staff and any additional funding it has provided to RUMC and SIUH since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in the city to date. The city provided the breakdown of supplies Monday, but has not yet said whether it has sent any medical personnel or funding to the Islands hospitals during the coronavirus outbreak. Staten Island recently did not receive a cut of the 291 military medical personnel the city deployed to its public hospitals. And the borough was also not included in the citys plan to add 3,000 more ICU beds by May 1 at public hospitals, equip them with more than 2,500 doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians and provide free COVID-19 testing for its staff at their request. On Friday, the citys public Health + Hospitals network announced it had raised more than $8.2 million in donations for its healthcare workers to help them pay for meals, groceries, taxi rides, and more. However, Health + Hospitals said those donations were only earmarked for healthcare workers within its network, therefore SIUH and RUMC healthcare workers would not receive a portion of those donations. RUMC told the Advance March 30 that it needed 15 ventilators to brace for the surge of patients during the coronavirus outbreak. While SIUH also said March 30 it had recently received a shipment of ventilators from the Greater New York Hospital Association but did not elaborate on exactly how many of the machines it received. Northwell Health recently instructed medical professionals on how to ration a limited supply of life-saving ventilators during the coronavirus outbreak. Borough President James Oddo has been an outspoken critic of the mayors treatment of the Island during the coronavirus outbreak. He recently called on de Blasio to not punish the borough for not having a public hospital and said the Northwell system could not take care of the borough alone without help from the city. Over the weekend, Oddo said he received a commitment from de Blasio for more medical staff, coronavirus testing and supplies for SIUH and RUMC. However, Borough Hall said it is still waiting on getting specifics on de Blasios commitment. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Highlights The Lenovo Legion gaming phone will get a 90W fast charging system. Lenovos system beats Oppo and Xiaomis 65W systems by a huge margin. Expect Lenovo to claim quick charging speeds on a 5050mAh battery. Lenovo hasn't had the smoothest sailing in the premium phone space. Last year's Z6 Pro did not see enough demand in markets like India. That said, Lenovo isn't giving up and it now wants to try its hands at a gaming phone. There have been discussions on a Legion-branded gaming phone from Lenovo and after numerous leaks, Lenovo has dropped a teaser that could spell trouble for other gaming phone makers. Every phone maker is racing to offer the fastest charging solutions on their phones and Lenovo aims to beat everyone this year. In an official teaser on Weibo, Lenovo says that its upcoming Legion gaming phone will end up with a 90W fast charging system. Yes, 90W! That's way more powerful than Oppo's 65W fast charging system but still short of Xiaomi's rumoured 100W system. After the teaser came out, people had reservations on the post has Lenovo has had a record of misleading people with bold claims in the past. Many assumed that the 90W charging system could be comprising a regular fast wired charging system as well as a 30W wireless charging system. However, Lenovo later clarified that the phone will indeed charge at a full speed of 90W with the dedicated charger. Given that the phone is expected to come with a 5050mAh battery, the 90W charging technology, in theory, should be able to fill up the battery in under 20 minutes. Xiaomi's rumoured 100W system has been claimed to fill up a battery in under 17 minutes and Lenovo's 90W system could reach quite close to that mark. Of course, there are a lot of questions, especially with regards to the charging technology as well as heat management. These can only be answered once the phone comes out in the open and we get to see it. Until then, we have to rely on what Lenovo has to say for now. Gaming smartphone have been credited for bringing outrageous technologies to smartphones in recent times. For example, the 120Hz refresh rate display seems quite common in 2020 but Asus introduced it to mainstream phones last year with its ROG Phone 2. The Nubia Red Magic 3 from last year introduced fan-based cooling to smartphones. Their current Red Magic 5G boasts of an incredible 144Hz display, which could later make its way to other phones. Beijing, April 14 : The novel coronavirus that has infected more than 1.9 million people globally is not just a physical health threat as researchers have found that more than a third of medical staff responding to the outbreak during its peak in China suffered from insomnia. According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, the healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious and have stress-based trauma. "Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days. But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," said study co-author Bin Zhang, Professor at Southern Medical University in China. The results are based on a series of self-administered questionnaires conducted online between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Researchers used the WeChat social media platform to gather answers from 1,563 participants in the medical field. Of that number, 564 people, or 36.1 per cent, had insomnia symptoms. The authors of the current study note that the statistic is consistent with previous research conducted on the psychological effects of the 2002 outbreak of SARS, a related coronavirus that also causes severe respiratory distress. For example, 37 per cent of nurses who worked with SARS patients experienced insomnia. The insomnia group in the current paper experienced significantly higher levels of depression than the non-insomnia group, 87.1 per cent versus 31 per cent, especially in moderate (22.9 per cent versus 2.8 per cent) and severe (16.7 per cent versus 1.8 per cent) cases. The percentages and differences between the groups were similar for anxiety and trauma as well.The team also identified certain factors that were correlated with insomnia. "The most important factor was having very strong uncertainty regarding effective disease control among medical staff," Zhang noted. Strong uncertainty was 3.3 times higher for those exhibiting insomnia than not, the study said. Staff with less education were also prone to sleep disorder. Specifically, researchers found the risk of insomnia among medical staff with a high school education or below was 2.69 times higher than those with a doctoral degree. They speculated that less education led to more outcome-based fear. The authors noted that healthcare workers were also under incredible stress in general. They were in close contact with infected patients who could pass on the disease to them. They were worried about infecting their own family and friends. "Under these dangerous conditions, medical staff become mentally and physically exhausted, and therefore experience an increased risk of insomnia due to high stress," they wrote. To ensure continuity in the process of learning in the wake of COVID-19, Facebook has launched an online resource guide titled, Supporting Education Communities: An Online Learning Resources Guide. The online resource will guide education communities on how to collaborate and continue the learning process using Facebook products, tools and programs while also providing information related to COVID-19 from authentic sources. Currently, the guide is available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada. In its first phase, Facebook has partnered with UNESCO who will support in ensuring the guide reaches learners, educational institutions and teachers across India besides supporting with the updation and curation of the guide with relevant learning resources. The online resource will help and guide education communities on how to collaborate by using Facebooks products and tools like Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Live, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. The guide will also provide vital information about COVID-19 from authoritative and credible sources such as Government of Indias advisory, WHO India Situation Report Page, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Coronavirus Resource Hub on Facebook, and Guidance from UNICEF on COVID-19 prevention and control in schools and help them in dealing with anxiety and bust misinformation surrounding the ongoing pandemic. Speaking about the launch, Manish Chopra, Director, and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India said, In these difficult times, it is even more important for people to stay connected and have access to credible information about COVID-19. Through our online learning resource guide, we want to equip teachers, parents and relevant government officials with ample resources and tools to help them stay connected and collaborate digitally to facilitate remote learning. We sincerely hope they are able to leverage these resources and continue the learning process. Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative, UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka said, The COVID-19 outbreak has caused not only a health crisis but also a learning crisis. More than 90% of the worlds learners are affected by the school and university closures. In line with the global efforts, UNESCO New Delhi will focus on mobilizing the national and state level actors and resources in order to develop an effective and unified response avoiding overlaps for maximum impact. Further, the on-ground needs will be matched with context-appropriate solutions to provide education remotely, leveraging hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech approaches with a special focus on ensuring access for women learners. Technology will be the key enabler for all such efforts. The partnership between UNESCO New Delhi and Facebook will therefore play an important role in providing an online platform for all stakeholders to come together and act in tandem to end the learning disruption. As more and more schools are advised to transition to a virtual model, Facebook remains committed to supporting communities and users to ease this process of virtual learning and enable educators with information about COVID-19. Meanwhile, Facebook also launched the Coronavirus Information Centre, that provides the latest news and updates from MyGov Corona Hub, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and global health organizations, as well as helpful content about social distancing and preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is featured at the top of the News Feed, for easy access to the latest news and information as well as resources and tips to stay healthy. Cardinal George Pell says his experience of being convicted of child sex offences before having the verdict overturned has given him a new empathy with prisoners who are 'falsely condemned'. The 78-year-old spoke on Tuesday in a pre-recorded interview with Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt. The cardinal was convicted in December 2018 of five charges of child sexual abuse relating to allegations he raped a 13-year-old choirboy and molested another at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996. He appealed to the High Court, which last week overturned the verdict in a unanimous 7-0 judgement and was released from jail after 405 days behind bars. Speaking on his time behind bars, Pell said his time in Barwon Prison near Geelong was 'quite atypical', and he got by with the support of two prisoner friends. Cardinal George Pell spoke publicly for the first time since his release on Tuesday in an extraordinary pre-recorded interview with Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt Pictured: Pell arrives at the Seminary Of The Good Shepherd in Sydney on April 8 At the time of his sentencing, there was speculation the cardinal would need special protection behind bars, as paedophiles and child molesters are known targets for violent inmates. But Cardinal Pell said his case was actually a hotly debated topic with other prisoners in the jail, with some supporting him. 'I don't doubt that there were threats, but quite a number of prisoners said to me that it's the only time they've ever heard anybody, any prisoners, taking the side of a priest who was convicted of paedophilia,' he told Bolt. 'I actually heard a debate from the prisoners down the other end on whether I was guilty or not. At one stage one of the prisoners said, 'Well I'm going with him, he's got two prime ministers supporting him.' 'My experience was quite atypical, I only spoke at any length with four people. The three that were with me down at Barwon were very kind to me. There's a lot of goodness in a lot of people.' Despite being publicly vilified over a crime he was ultimately found to have not committed, Cardinal Pell said he 'never felt forsaken' and got through his prison stint with the support of friends and family. But he admitted he most likely would not have been able to cope as easily had he been forced to spend three or four years behind bars. Pell (pictured leaving court last year) revealed his time in Barwon Prison was 'quite atypical' The cardinal said he had supporters in jail, including two friends who congratulated him when his conviction was quashed. Pictured: Barwon Prison 'I've never felt forsaken, I got something like 4,000 letters. I deeply regret that my family and my close friends had to go through what they've done, but I got immense support,' he added. 'I had a daily routine. I followed the advice I had often given to priests when they're in a bit of trouble: Keep up your prayers. Get out of bed at a good time. Eat properly. Exercise every day. Try to sleep at night. 'I also read and wrote. A lot of good friends sent me many articles, loads of books, so I'd quite settled into the routine.' Cardinal Pell likened his prison experience to a 'worldly retreat', having access to a kettle and a television set, but insisted prison was a 'grim place.' 'You've got a toilet, you've got a shower, a bed with a firm base and a chair. But I used to say I was up at the "Toorak" end because all us quiet people were there,' he said, in a comparison to the affluent Melbourne suburb. 'But the poor fellas at the other end, [were] often damaged by ice.' Cardinal Pell said his time behind bars had also made him more aware of those who are falsely condemned, such as his jailhouse friend who was convicted of murder. Pell told Sky News presenter Andrew Bolt he 'never felt forsaken' and got through his prison stint with the support of friends and family Pope Benedict XVI with Cardinal George Pell in July 2008 at an inter-faith meeting in Sydney 'I don't think he is [a murderer] and one of the things I have become a bit interested in is people who are falsely condemned,' he told Bolt. That man, who was unnamed, was one of two friends who congratulated Pell after he learned of the High Court decision to free him on television. Cardinal Pell takes aim at the ABC Cardinal Pell criticised the ABC's role in its reporting of his legal battles, accusing the public broadcaster of presenting a one-sided view. 'I believe in free speech,' he said. 'I acknowledge the right of those who differ from me to just state their views. 'But in a national broadcaster, to have an overwhelming presentation of one view and only one view, that's a betrayal of the national interest.' When Pell was asked if the broadcaster's coverage of his conviction, appeals and acquittal 'concerned' him, he replied: 'Yes it does.' 'Because, I mean, it [the ABC] is partly financed by Catholic taxes,' he said. The ABC said in a statement it stands by its reporters. 'The ABC has - and will continue to - report accurately and without fear or favour on stories that are in the public interest, including this one. We stand by our reporters and our stories,' a spokesperson said. Advertisement Cardinal Pell said he 'took great pleasure' in watching how 'disconcerted' the television reporter looked when it was announced his conviction was quashed. 'When it came through, one enormous cheer went up from outside and then my two friends came knocking on the door congratulating me,' he said. The cardinal also answered long-held questions about who paid for his multi-million-dollar defence. He said he contributed savings to his legal team, as did a lot of generous, ordinary Catholics - as well as some wealthy people who 'kicked in very solidly.' Pell's defence included two trials, neither of which he gave evidence at, though he considered it at his second trial. But he said he was concerned he would 'come across as my nasty aggressive self' and lash out at prosecutor Mark Gibson SC. Cardinal Pell said he 'became so incensed at the way prosecutors dealt with [two witnesses]' at his trial. 'I thought that if I were to get in there I'll have such a go at that fella because of this outrage,' he said. He admitted the lowest point in his trial and conviction was the decision of the Victorian Court of Appeal last year, saying he never 'believed there was the remotest possibility that a couple of judges would not uphold my appeal.' The 78-year-old spoke candidly about the church's failings following his release from prison in a sit down interview with Sky News Australia presenter Andrew Bolt. Pell is pictured in 2008 The Diocese of Ballarat admitted it subsequently failed to take any reasonable steps to protect the victim from Ridsdale (pictured) in the 1980s Cardinal Pell told Bolt any suggestion that he is anti-victim or not sufficiently sympathetic toward abuse survivors grieves him, and that he worked hard 'when it wasn't easy or fashionable'. But he admitted he is ashamed of the church's response and 'occasionally' wished he had done things differently. He also thought it was 'ironic' that he was convicted of child sexual abuse when it was he who led the Melbourne Archdiocese response against it. 'It's a bit ironic that I'm the figurehead, the scapegoat that has copped most of this because what I did very early in 1996 is set up the Melbourne Response,' he said. Bolt also questioned Pell on notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, who the cardinal lived and worked with in the 1970s. Cardinal Pell said he believes Ridsdale had 'done an immense amount of harm' and 'he acknowledges that and regrets it'. 'Christians are told to forgive. I know how very, very difficult that would be. I don't run around saying to people they should forgive,' Cardinal Pell said. 'There's this heroic Christian call to forgiveness in the most appalling circumstances.' He said priests were trained to think well of people and he didn't regret that, but instinct in the past was to disbelieve allegations as gossip unless substantiated. But he said 'it wasn't as though we were alone in this' when asked about police working with bishops to move paedophiles to different parishes. He said he didn't know about it at the time. Cardinal Pell was asked if he was 'making excuses' for Ridsdale, who abused and indecently assaulted 65 children. 'I've read horrific accounts of these one of the things that grieves me is the suggestion that I'm anti-sympathetic,' he said. As for the future, Cardinal Pell said he would spend some time in Rome but plans to stay in Sydney, writing and growing cabbages. The 78-year-old is reportedly under police investigation after a new accuser came forward with fresh allegations of child abuse. Jonathan David faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with a direction A man who admitted to repeatedly sneaking out of coronavirus hotel quarantine to visit his girlfriend could be jailed. Jonathan David faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with a direction. The 35-year-old, from Victoria, arrived in Western Australia on March 28 and was sent into quarantine at the Travelodge Hotel for 14 days. David was charged by police after he repeatedly snuck out of the hotel and used public transport. Police said he even wedged open a fire exit door at the hotel so he could leave and reenter without staff seeing him. David was originally granted permission to stay at his girlfriend's property in Armadale for the two-week quarantine, The West Australian reported. But the couple had fallen out after two days and authorities put him in a hotel room to stay in until April 9. Hotel staff said they saw him outside of his room on five occasions. When police checked on him at 7.30am on April 4, David was nowhere to be seen. He returned 45 minutes later and told officers he left for 'personal reasons'. A police prosecutor previously described David's actions as 'gross stupidity'. David, who remains in custody, will be sentenced on Wednesday. He could be jailed for up to 12 months or fined a maximum of $50,000. West Australia Premier Mark McGowan said custody is far worse than staying in a hotel. 'He has already suffered a consequence. He can now suffer a penalty of up to $50,000 and further incarceration,' he said. 'He has done the wrong thing... I expect the law will deal with him fairly harshly.' WA has closed its border to non-residents and introduced fines for people who cross out of their region. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women in the US has noticed an increase in reporting of landlords preying on tenants financial stress during the Coronavirus pandemic to request sexual favors in exchange for rent payment. According to Vlad TV, the commission disclosed that only 69% of American renters were able to make rent on April 1 due to recent layoffs and furloughs. Immigration attorney Kevin Block says instead of asking for rent, some landlords are asking for other arrangements and even sending graphic sexual images when female tenants ask about rent. "I am concerned because reported incidents indicate a greater number of unreported incidents," Block said. Khara Jabola-Carolus, the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women also confirmed the sexual harassment by landlords saying: "There was no plan upfront to prepare for the physical and sexual violence from the combination of shelter-in-place, lost income and systemic sexism. So we need to get the information on rights and resources out as fast and wide as we can. There is help.. The commission also revealed that an online guide has been created for women in Hawaii to follow if they are victimized by a landlord. The HCRC will offer guidance on the emergency rent assistance at 8085865757, and will also be keeping a database of bad landlords. Women in Hawaii were also told to file a complaint if they are victimized by any landlord. Jabola-Carolus added, Retaliation by a landlord for filing a complaint against him is illegal. If your landlord changes the locks or shuts off your utilities for complaining about his sexual predation, you can file a landlord-tenant TRO against your landlord and the court will take these cases during the crisis. Please contact Legal Aid Society of Hawaii for help with retaliation. There are no income limits for their help when it comes to fair housing matters. 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 According to Ukraines president, currently, every Ukrainian should realize the importance of quarantine President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that we could talk about improving the situation in the country after Orthodox Easter, as the Presidents Office reported. According to Zelensky, currently, every Ukrainian should realize the importance of quarantine. If we succeed to get through Easter without crowds and low incidence of people, we will be able to talk about improving the situation in Ukraine. But until every Ukrainians should realize the importance of quarantine, Zelensky said. Meanwhile, it was noted that the decline of incidence is spotted in the Ternopil region, which was the leader in the number of cases. Moreover, the president noted the fact that in some regions, the number of deaths is higher than in other regions. It disquiets. Possibly, our doctors in the regions should get some help, Zelensky added. According to Ukraines Healthcare Minister Maksym Stepanov, two commissions virologists and pulmonologists check the state of the provision of the hospitals in the regions with medical means and readiness of the medical workers to admit the patients. Besides, each lethal case will be considered to find out the reasons, especially in the regions with a high mortality rate. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the number of coronavirus cases has increased by 270: the total number of infected persons is 3,372. . The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday asserted that the government can confirm a break in the chain of transmission if no case is reported for 28 days from a specific area. Addressing a press brief, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal replied to a question regarding 40-day lockdown, "We have to break the chain. If no coronavirus COVID-19 case is reported for 28 days from a specific area, we can say we have been able to break the chain of transmission." A total of 602 hospitals have been earmarked as dedicated COVID-19 facilities in coordination with capacity of 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds reserved for such patients in the country, said Agarwal. He added that 1,211 fresh coronavirus cases and 31 new deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the number of cases to 10,363 and deaths to 339 in the country. Aggarwal stated that the positive cases have infected the youths but the death cases are seen in older people. He asked people, residing in rural or urban areas, to inform frontline workers if they develop symptoms. According to an ICMR official, 2, 31902 tests have been conducted so far for COVID-19. "We have tested 2, 31902 samples, so far, including 21,635 samples on April 13. Out of these 18,644 were done in ICMR labs and 2991 in private labs. ICMR ha 166 labs and 70 other labs are private. We have enough kits to cover for six weeks," a senior ICMR official said. ICMR added, "We have received another installment for RT-PCR kits which are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time. Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 Lakh kits for RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) & 37 Lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time." Ministry of Finance spokesperson Rajesh Malhotra said, "Swift implementation of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package is being monitored at the highest level. As of April 13, more than 32 crore poor people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore under the package. 5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana and 3,985 MT of pulses have been dispatched to various states/union territories for distribution." Virgin Australias share trading halt wont be the usual two-day affair - it could take weeks to get a clear picture on the airlines future sufficient to allow the company to satisfy its continuous disclosure obligations. And thats assuming the airlines shares ever resume trading. Virgin needs a major financial restructuring and it is racing against time. The trading halt reinforces that sense of urgency. A more realistic scenario is that the equity in the company is next to worthless if or when Virgin emerges from the coronavirus disaster that has decimated the aviation industry. Virgin Australia entered a trading halt on Tuesday. Credit:Edwina Pickles The misinformation that throwing Virgin a lifeline will line the pockets of its major shareholders, Singapore Airlines, billionaire Richard Branson, Middle Eastern airline Etihad and Chinese and Hong Kong groups HNA and Nanshan is nonsense. Instead it will be owners of Virgins debt that will determine its destiny. UPDATE: Gold Beach Books has had to close down the giveaway after receiving thousands of requests for books by early Tuesday evening. Teri Watkins Peterson of Portland watched the news and read stories of charitable giving during the coronavirus outbreak. The free meals to first responders particularly touched the Portland woman. Then it hit Peterson. She called her three sisters, who co-own Gold Beach Books on the Southern Oregon coast, with an idea. We have books, Peterson said. We can give away books. Do they have books. More than 40,000 used books, plus new titles, in a bookstore sisters Teri, Traci, Tami and Toni inherited from their late brother, Ted Watkins, who claimed it was Oregons second largest used bookstore behind Powells. The process is simple. Gold Beach Books has a list of book categories on its website. Select a genre and email the request to freebooks@goldbeachbooks.com. The store will select a book from that category and mail to you at no charge, to anyone in the country. The only restriction is one book per household. It was important to us that there were no strings attached, Peterson said. Sometimes people will ask, is this a scam? Its not. Were genuine in what were trying to do. Since starting the giveaway three weeks ago, the store has mailed several hundred books. Store manager Carolyn Trigueiro says she finds a book, wraps in brown paper, labels for mailing, then puts the days shipment into her car and drives a mile to the local post office. Trigueiro says shes taken as many as 60 free books to the post office. On average, it costs about $3.50 at book rate to ship each book, she said. Tuesdays book offerings include John Burroughs: An American Naturalist, which went to Wisconsin, and a couple to Washington, The Snail and the Whale and The Sanctuary Sparrow. The sisters, all living in the Portland area, have no deadline on when they might end the giveaway. We all agreed were going to do this, Teri said. Were going to do it until it brings us to our knees. Teri believes what theyre doing would bring a smile to the face of their brother, whose passion was books. Retired before age 40 after working in the legal profession in Philadelphia, Ted Watkins returned to Oregon and began his quest to build a bookstore. The 10,000-square foot building took more than two years to build and fill with books. Gold Beach Books opened in 2003. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Watkins eventually built an apartment above the bookstore and lived there for three years before dying of cancer in 2016. If he had his way, he would never sell any of his books, Teri said. At its height, Teri said her brother had at least 60,000 books in the two-story store. There were many more, because when the sisters took over the business, they found dozens of unopened boxes, full of books. Teri says the sisters are not passionate about books like Ted, but for their brother, they love being able to continue the business for now. Since his death, they have learned about his myriad charitable gifts and generosity. A book giveaway during a time when people could use a nice break? I suspect at first he would cringe at what his sisters were doing. But we are pretty sure he is looking down, smiling on us and saying that we are still driving him crazy, Peterson said. (Courtesy Teri Watkins Peterson) -- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Im just old enough to remember Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945), formally recognizing the end of World War II in Europe. My family was in Cape Town: My father served in the Royal South African Navy, then under the command of the Royal Navy. The jubilation was intense; nothing Ive seen has touched it in its unrestricted joy. Strangers really did hug and kiss each other. I was hugged and kissed as though Id personally borne the battle as a toddler. Apart from joy and relief, the end of war in the Free World had another consequence: It liberated people from class and economic structures that had inhibited creativity. Under the pre-war rigidities, those lower in the social system didnt have the temerity or the opportunity to add to the innovation that created the peace prosperity that marked the 1950s. The working class now regarded as being part of the middle class had been thought as destined to a lesser social standing; certainly not expected to invent, create and go into business. After the war, more things were possible. Innovation was for everyone and it showed in everything, from the building of Levittown on New Yorks Long Island and its descendants, to the civilian uses of nuclear power, the arrival of FM radio and color television, revolving credit and, oh, the miniskirt. In the last 30 years the universal nature of innovation has come to mean advances, incredible advances, in computing and industries transformed by computing take public transportation and scooters and ride-sharing. The creation of wealth through innovation has been largely in the province of computing. But in the last several decades it was the innovation of bringing Greek yogurt to the United States that led to a billion-dollar fortune. When the scourge of COVID-19 has passed, the nation will be a different place, changed dramatically from the way it was. It wont have to use the business school analogy a classic V-curve recovery where things bounce back to where theyd been before. Many weak industries will be severely contracted, including movie theaters, retailers, restaurants, and small colleges and universities. This will throw a great deal of talent out of work. Those are the people, I believe, who will create a new innovative wave in society and bring about a new prosperity, after some very hard times. The internet provides new entrepreneurs an opportunity to draw attention to products and services that would have faced a marketing roadblock in another generation. Big industry, too, will innovate, not the least to shore up its defenses against another national crisis. The electric utilities, which have been on the front line of the essential services during the COVID-19 horror, will be seeking to further harden their systems against disruptions from cyberattack, physical attack or other failure, which could produce a huge crisis. Already, Michelle Fay of the forward-looking consulting firm Guidehouse is looking to this innovative future to strengthen the electric industry. She says, Innovation will emerge as an even bigger opportunity as we look to improve the resiliency of the critical infrastructure and further enhance our ability to provide business continuity in times like this. Michael Short, associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, points out an accompanying development. He says on a recent edition of my television program, White House Chronicle, the current crisis looks as though itll bring back respect for expertise. It seems to me that this disrespect has been prevalent since the 1960s, when so many of our social troubles environment, civil rights, womens rights and the Vietnam War were laid at the feet of experts and the institutions that employed them. The crisis has shown that hearsay medicine and what I call voodoo science wont help in a crunch. Solid science and good medicine are the only way. Now Im seeing the shoots of new businesses sprouting, from people making jewelry at home to sell on Etsy to grocery delivery services. Expect a surge of books and plays. Crisis produces new product, creates new business, causes new thinking. Innovation is coming on a grand scale, some of it complex or as simple as, my favorite, wheels on luggage. Get ready. Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of White House Chronicle on PBS. His email is llewellynking1@gmail.com. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Other regions, like Oceania and Southeast Asia, removed the watermelon violence altogether, collectively saving parents millions in therapy bills. Several countries also censored the opposite of a fruit dying: yes, a vegetable being born. In the episode entitled "Onion Friend," Steven's onion friend shows him a tape of his birth, as one does. You never see the recording itself, only Steven's reaction, but that was already too gross for Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Turkey, North Africa, and all of the Middle East (which, except for Israel, has since stopped airing the show). Warner Bros. Television We think we accidentally saw a video of his conception after taking a wrong turn on PornHub. Continue Reading Below Advertisement And of course, many countries don't like the fact that not every single character in this show is 100% straight. The UK censored shots of two female characters dancing together, while Kenya straight up banned the show for "promoting homosexuality" by ... acknowledging it exists. It's like they think millions of kids are gonna say "Wait, you can DO that?!" and go off and be gay. (It's probably more like thousands, relax.) Cardinal George Pell has linked his fight against corruption in the Vatican with his prosecution in Australia for alleged child sex abuse. Mr Pell was the third highest-ranking Vatican official in 2018 when he became the worlds most senior Catholic to be convicted of child sex abuse. He served 13 months in prison before Australias High Court last weekacquitted himfor molesting two choirboys in St Patricks Cathedral, Melbourne, while he was archbishop of Australias second-largest city in the 1990s. Pope Franciss former finance minister said in a television interview that some church officials believed he was prosecuted by Australian authorities because of the trouble he had caused in the Vatican with financial reforms. Most of the senior people in Rome who are in any way sympathetic to financial reform believe that they are linked to his prosecution, the 78-year-old cleric told Sky News. What was surprising was even my theological opponents in Rome didnt believe the stories of sexual abuse, he added. He said he did not have evidence of a link but he suspected that a man who swore he had been sexually abused by Mr Pell as a 13-year-old choirboy more than two decades ago had been used. Francis created the secretariat for the economy, and named Mr Pell its prefect, as a key part of his financial reform plans after being elected pope in 2013. Mr Pell had tried to wrestle the Holy Sees opaque finances into order and align them with international standards, but his efforts and brusque style were rebuffed repeatedly by the Vaticans old guard. He stood aside from the job in 2017 to return to Australia, determined to clear himself of decades-old allegations of child sex abuse. Francis last year named a 60-year-old Spanish economist, the Rev Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, as Mr Pells successor a day after Australias Victoria state Court of Appeal agreed to hear his case to overturn the convictions. The court upheld the convictions in a 2-1 majority decision. Mr Alves came to his new job in a period of financial crisis, after Vatican prosecutors raided the secretariat of state and the Holy Sees financial watchdog after receiving reports of a suspicious property transaction. Mr Pell said Francis had absolutely supported him. My theological views dont line up exactly with Pope Francis, he said. I think he values my honesty and perhaps that I would say things that some other people mightnt say, and I think he respects me for that. He said that neither Francis nor Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin were corrupt, but he did not know how high Vatican corruption rose. Just how high up it goes is an interesting hypothesis, he said. Mr Pell said he will return to Rome after the coronavirus pandemic to pack up his apartment, but that he plans to make his new home in Sydney, where he had been archbishop. Even before the coronavirus outbreak hit earlier this year, Americans finances were fragile. Four in 10 people in the U.S. said that in the previous two years theyd had an out-of-pocket medical bill of at least $400, and half said they were extremely or very concerned about being able to afford it, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,079 adults fielded in early March. As the coronavirus continues its destructive path, the financial situation has become even more dire: By early April, more than 16 million Americans had already lost their jobsand often the health insurance that comes with their employment. These realities put the shortcomings of our healthcare systemhow care is paid for, who has accessinto even starker relief. A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll published in mid-Marchbefore much of the country shut down to stem the spread of the virusfound that one-third of people worried they couldnt afford coronavirus testing or treatments if they were sickened by the virus. The uninsured are the most financially vulnerable. But cost can also be a struggle for the estimated 81 million Americans who have high-deductible health plans (HDHPs); they must first pay at least $1,400 out of pocket for an individual or $2,800 for a family before coverage begins. Another problem, even for people with health coverage, is surprise medical bills, which people can face when they get care from an out-of-network provider, as can happen in emergencies. To blunt some of the financial fallout, President Donald Trump in March signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The law mandates that all insurance plansMedicare, Medicaid, military, Affordable Care Act (ACA), and employercover the cost of a coronavirus test, roughly $50, and any related doctors appointment copays or fees. But it might not address all other healthcare or hospital costs related to the coronavirus or the surprise medical bills a consumer may face. Story continues Those additional costs can be substantial, even just to get a diagnosis. Thats because in addition to the coronavirus test, doctors sometimes need to administer other blood tests and sometimes X-rays to rule out the flu or pneumonia. For example, a person in Seattle with severe symptoms of the coronavirushigh fever, cough, and significant trouble breathingwho goes to a doctors office can expect to pay about $1,000 for the appointment and testing, according to an analysis from Castlight Health (PDF), a group that works with employers to lower healthcare costs. In some places, such as New York City and Miami, prices could be even higher. Treatments for COVID-19 could be especially expensive if you need to go to the ER or are admitted to the hospital, says Loren Adler, associate director at the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Of course, for some families it doesnt take the rampage of the coronavirus for a medical situation to topple their finances. In September 2019, in Grass Valley, Calif., Bridget Brandstads 9-year-old son had three of his fingers accidentally crushed by a slammed door. The family rushed to the emergency room. While their plan had only a $500 ER fee, Brandstad says, the family wound up with bills from the hospital and doctor for nearly $2,000. Theyre still paying in $50 installments. I have to triage my bills every month, she says. Whether you face high healthcare costs because of the coronavirus or another medical condition, heres what you can do to lower your financial risk. STATES THAT HAVE EXPANDED MEDICAID People in 36 states and the District of Columbia (shaded in the map below) are eligible for Medicaid if their monthly income is below $1,467 for a single person or $3,013 for a family of four. In other states, Medicaid is generally available only to people with children, with a median cutoff of about $8,700 per year for a family of three. To see about enrolling, go to healthcare.gov. Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Source: The Kaiser Family Foundation. If Youve Lost Your Health Insurance Given that about half of Americans get insurance through an employer, the huge numbers of people losing their jobs may suddenly find that they no longer have coverage, says Christen Linke Young, a fellow at USC-Brookings Schaeffer. If that happens to you, time is of the essence because you dont want to be caught uninsured during this period of high peril and because, in some cases, you must sign up for new insurance within 60 days of losing your job, Young says. Here are some options. See whether you qualify for Medicaid. The ACA, passed in 2010 to provide insurance to more people, allowed states to expand their Medicaid programs, something 36 states and the District of Columbia have done (see map above). In those locations, individuals with a monthly income of up to $1,467 and families with a monthly income of up to $3,013 qualify, according to the KFF. In other states, the annual median income limit for Medicaid is about $8,700 for a family of three. To establish eligibilitybased on current monthly income, not income before you lost your jobcheck with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), says Cheryl Fish-Parcham, director of access initiatives at Families USA, which helps consumers with health insurance problems. The rules vary by state, she says, and requirements may be different if you are pregnant, have children, or are disabled. You can apply for Medicaid at any time after you lose employer-provided insurance. If youre approved, coverage will begin on the date of application or the first day of the month you applied, according to the CMS. Families with children under age 19 not covered by health insurance should look into CHIPthe Childrens Health Insurance Program. You can check eligibility here. See if you qualify for a reduced-cost ACA plan. If your income is too high for Medicaid, you may still qualify for a subsidized ACA plan. Individuals who earn up to $51,040 and families of four that earn up to $104,800 get reduced rates on those plans. In 2019, 87 percent of people in ACA plans sold through the federal marketplace got subsidies and had an average monthly premium of $87. In response to the crisis, 11 states and Washington, D.C., opened special enrollment periods during the spring so that uninsured people could sign up for an ACA plan to cover them for the rest of 2020. Previously, you could do this only if you experienced a qualifying event, such as job loss or divorce. Sign up at to healthcare.gov. If you previously enrolled in an ACA plan and have experienced a loss of income, check to see whether you now qualify for a larger subsidy. STATES THAT MADE IT EASIER TO ENROLL IN AN ACA PLAN MIDYEAR In response to the COVID-19 crisis, 11 states and the District of Columbia (shaded in the map below) made it easier to sign up for an Affordable Care Act plan during the spring, not just during open enrollment in the fall or after a job loss or another qualifying event. California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Nevada New York Rhode Island Vermont Washington California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Neveda New York Rhode Island Vermont Washington Source: The Kaiser Family Foundation. Consider COBRA. If you lose your insurance and worked for a government agency or company with more than 20 full-time employees, you must be offered an extension of your coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. But you will pay the full amount because your employer will no longer contribute to your monthly premiums. Thats not great if youve just been laid off and have little money to pay for a premium, Fish-Parcham says, but if your healthcare needs are better served by remaining on the same plan, at least for a while, this is an option. The monthly cost varies widely but averages about $610 for an individual or $1,750 for a family, according to an analysis by USC-Brookings Schaeffer. Youll have 60 days to enroll after you lose your employer coverage. Ask your employer when coverage through your job ends so that you know when to sign up. If You Have a High-Deductible Health Plan In 2018, almost half of Americans insured through employers or an ACA plan had HDHPs. These policies tend to have lower monthly premiums but much higher deductibles. When a family faces big medical bills, HDHPs offer less financial protection. The IRS defines an HDHP as one with a minimum deductible of $1,400 for an individual or $2,800 for a family. But on average, these deductibles can be much higher. For people with combined medical and pharmacy deductibles, the average is $2,114 for an individual or $4,250 for a family, according to a 2018 employer survey by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, a research group. For people who have ACA plans, deductibles can be even steeper: According to the KFF, deductibles for silver plans that include prescription drugs average $4,544 for an individual; bronze plans, $6,506. Among those who purchased insurance on their own (and not through a federal or state marketplace), two-thirds said that if they were hospitalized with the coronavirus they would be unable to pay their deductible all at once, according to a March 2020 survey by eHealth, an online marketplace where people can purchase private health insurance. Although you cant change the deductible once you sign up for a plan, you might be able to limit what you pay out of pocket, particularly if you need tests or treatments because of the coronavirus. Heres how. Find out whether drugs and treatments are covered before the deductible has been met. A 2019 federal rule allowed insurers to cover certain treatments before a deductible is met. The rule includes several common drugs, such as those used to treat high cholesterol or blood pressure, heart failure, osteoporosis, and asthma, as well as insulin for diabetes. Certain insurers have already implemented this change, and more may soon, says Brian Marcotte, CEO of Business Group on Health, an organization that helps large employers manage healthcare quality and cost. Given the urgency of the pandemic, insurers have been able to adopt a similar rule to cover the coronavirus treatments before a deductible is met, says Loren Adler at USC-Brookings Schaeffer. For example, Aetna announced in late March that it was waiving copays for people hospitalized at in-network facilities for COVID-19 treatment or related complications. Most Aetna employer plans will automatically offer this benefit, says Ethan Slavin, spokesperson for Aetna. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and Humana have also said they will waive copays and cost-sharing for testing or treatment related to COVID-19 in some of their plans. Use your Health Savings Account. An HSA, which allows you to sock away tax-free funds to pay for future medical expensesup to $3,550 for an individual or up to $7,100 for a family per yearis one of the best ways to manage your healthcare costs. If you have one, you can use this money to pay for any qualifying medical service, including deductibles. You can also roll over unspent funds from year to year. Shop around. For medical care that you can plan ahead for, shopping around can save you money because the price of medical services can vary substantially depending on the provider, says Maeve O'Meara, CEO at Castlight Health. For example, a patient in Cleveland needing blood tests and an X-ray to screen for the coronavirus could pay as little as $241 or as much as $2,570 at different urgent care centers. In Dallas, someone could pay from $231 to $4,510. A price comparison website such as Guroo or an app like MyMedicalShopper can help you compare the prices of various procedures, tests, or surgeries among providers in your area. SHOPPING FOR CARE TO LOWER COSTS The cost of blood tests and exams needed to diagnose COVID-19 and rule out other infections can vary substantially among providers even in the same city. Shown here: Dallas. Estimates for a person seeking care with moderate symptoms. 5th percentile. 95th percentile. Source: Castlight Health. If You Get a Surprise Medical Bill These are charges billed to you when you receive a service or treatment from a provider not in your insurers network. That can happen in emergencies, when you cant always control where or from whom you get care. That was the case for Melissa Janeiro of Lockhart, Texas, when she experienced complications during childbirth. She says she was told that the hospital was in-network, but it turned out that the anesthesiologist was not, nor were the providers in the neonatal intensive care unit. Janeiro received bills for more than $30,000. It took two years and the help of an attorney to get the bill down to $10,000. About half of all states have enacted consumer protections against surprise medical bills, but only 13 provide comprehensive protections, according to an analysis for the Commonwealth Fund (PDF), a nonprofit health policy research group. For almost a year Congress has been considering legislation to offer protection nationally, says Chuck Bell, programs director for advocacy at CR. Because COVID-19 treatments could be a big source of these bills, the need to address the problem is now even more urgent, Bell says. In a slowing economy, people will have even less income and resources to deal with surprise medical bills, he says. The emerging COVID-19 public health crisis underscores the need for Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to fix this serious national problem. To avoid surprise bills, whenever possible find out ahead of time what providers your insurance does and does not cover. Should you still receive a bill, as Janeiro did, take these steps. Hold off on paying the bill. Patients often receive bills from doctors offices, hospitals, and other providers before they are even sent to a persons insurance company, says Caitlin Donovan, senior director for public relations at the Patient Advocate Foundation, which helps consumers with health insurance problems. When you get a bill, dont pay it right away. Instead, Donovan says, wait until you receive your explanation of benefits, or EOB. That will ensure that your insurer has received your providers claim and it hasnt been sent straight to you. PROTECTION AGAINST SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLS Thirteen states (shaded in the map below) have passed legislation that provides comprehensive protections against bills you receive from healthcare providers outside your network during medical emergencies. California Colorado Connecticut Florida Illinois Maryland New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Texas Washington California Colorado Connecticut Florida Illinois Maryland New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Texas Washington Source: The Commonwealth Fund. Make sure charges and coverage are correct. Donovan says fully half of all medical bills contain errorslab tests you never had or providers you never saw, for example. Contact the provider or facility to point them out and ask for a revised bill. Also, confirm with your insurer what is considered in-network and out-of-network and whether the coverage decision was a mistake. Its even worth asking whether your insurer will cover an out-of-network charge as an in-network service, Donovan says. It never hurts to ask, she adds. Know your rights. Depending on the type of insurance you have, your state may have protections against surprise billing, Bell says. These either ban surprise billing outright or hold consumers harmless, so they arent responsible for the bill. But just because a state has banned surprise billing doesnt mean you wont receive a surprise bill anyway, Bell says, so be prepared to fight. Negotiate with the provider and appeal to the insurer. If youre stuck with an out-of-network charge, go on the offensive, Bell says. Contact the provider and explain that your insurer is charging you the full out-of-network rate and you must pay entirely out of pocket. Ask whether the provider will charge you its discounted in-network rate instead, Donovan says. Also, find out whether the hospital or provider offers any financial assistance, or if it will let you pay the charge over time, says Cheryl Fish-Parcham at Families USA. You can also ask whether it would consider offering a discount if you paid a lump sum. If you cant reach an agreement with the provider, appeal the insurers decision, Donovan says. Youll want a letter that explains your situation, why you believe the insurer should cover your health problem, and if possible, why covering the cost now could prevent future medical expenses. Be advised that this can take up to 60 days for most employer-provided and ACA health plans. If the appeal doesnt work, you can request a review by a third party, Donovan says. The insurer is required to send you information on how to initiate the process. Get help. If youre still having trouble after appealing to the insurer, you can contact your states consumer assistance program, if it has one, or insurance department. Go to HealthCare.govs Find Local Help page for more details. Also, contact the Patient Advocate Foundation for help (or call 800-532-5274, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday). Editors Note: This article also appeared in the June 2020 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. 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. As American meat producers are forced to shutter and slow output at plants amid coronavirus outbreaks, the U.S. government is giving companies a green light to run some facilities at higher speeds something experts and labor advocates have long said is dangerous for workers. In April, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service allowed five poultry plants two owned by Tyson Foods Inc., and three by Wayne Farms LLC to run their slaughter lines at higher speeds. The agency also gave approval to Foster Farms in March. This decision is endangering blue collar essential workers at a time when we need to think about protecting them and their communities, said Debbie Berkowitz, director of the Worker Safety and Health program at the National Employment Law Project. The National Chicken Council, however, said that the part of the processing lines related to the waivers are mostly automated with very few workers. Quite frankly, inciting unnecessary fear at this time is irresponsible. Our members are trying to keep families fed during these unprecedented times and are literally working around the clock to try to keep workers safe and produce safe food that people are waiting in line for, said Tom Super, a spokesman for the chicken group. The coronavirus pandemic is now spreading from urban cities into rural areas where much of Americas food production takes place. Just in the past week or so, hundreds of poultry, beef and pork workers have tested positive for the virus, leading the likes of Cargill Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc. to shutter plants. Two people employed at a Tyson Foods plant in Georgia died from complications due to the virus, according to union officials. The outbreak is highlighting the often dangerous role that workers play to provide the world with plentiful, affordable food. Were working hard to protect our team members during this challenging and ever-changing situation, while continuing to fulfill our critical role of helping feed people across the country, said Morgan Watchous, a spokesperson for Tyson. We are addressing line speed on a case-by-case basis. At this point, we havent made any drastic increases, and in some cases, were slowing down the line to allow for social distancing and safety of our team members. Frank Singleton, a spokesman for Wayne Farms, said line speeds are controlled and reviewed by USDA, so we follow their guidelines and recommendations, including on this waiver. Foster Farms didnt immediately respond to requests for comment on line-speed changes. Plants have to seek permission for the line-speed changes under a USDA program called the New Poultry Inspection Service (NPIS). While waivers have been available since the program was started in 2018, companies are drawing backlash by applying for them at a time when many employees are already at risk of getting sick. The increased speeds could add further pressure on vulnerable workers, critics say. Poultry workers already suffer from high rates of on-the-job injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve damage due to the repetitive motions required to do their jobs, a 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. The concern, as the National Employment Law Project has noted, is that faster line speeds will worsen these already dangerous conditions. Allowing line speed waivers at a time when poultry workers are getting sick and dying around the country, partly because the federal government, including the USDA, has failed to require any protections for these essential workers, is so dangerous, to not only workers and their families, but to the whole community, said Berkowitz of the National Employment Law Project. The NPIS program allows poultry plants to run their lines at a rate of 175 birds slaughtered per minute. Standard line speeds run as fast as 140 birds per minute. The program also requires regular pathogen testing and data sharing with the USDA. The program has been controversial since long before the pandemic. While supported by industry, it has been opposed by groups ranging from advocacy organizations like Food and Water Watch and the Humane League, as well as unions and worker safety groups like NELP. Originally proposed under the Obama administration, the line-speed change garnered so much opposition that it was not enacted. The Trump administrations USDA reversed that decision in 2018. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Vietnam has demonstrated its strong leadership in spearheading a collective regional response to COVID-19, said Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dato Lim Jock Hoi. Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dato Lim Jock Hoi speak at the online Special ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Summits He made the remarks in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)s reporter in Jakarta, Indonesia, following the online Special ASEAN and ASEAN+3 Summits on the COVID-19 response chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 14. The summits were a concrete demonstration of ASEANs solidarity and leadership manifested in concrete regional cooperation with its Plus Three neighbours, especially in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. According to the Secretary-General, the summits were also an opportunity for ASEAN to enhance cooperative relationships between ASEAN Plus Three counterparts, together to respond COVID-19. Especially given the pandemic has shown that the virus knows no national boundaries, and a collective response will complement and strengthen, national and local responses. The ASEAN health sector, as one of the first regional responders to the COVID-19 outbreak, has been reaffirmed by the ASEAN leaders in its mandate to concretise collective efforts from all stakeholders and sectors, to support a whole-of-government and whole-of-health system approach with a stronger regional response in mitigating the impact of this pandemic. On the economic front, ASEAN has renewed our commitment to ensure continued macroeconomic and financial stability and liquidity; ensure supply chain connectivity and production and distribution continuity particularly of essential supplies such as medical supplies, food and agricultural products; and mitigation of the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable households and individuals, affected sectors, and small, micro, and medium enterprises, he said. The summits have also reaffirmed the need for a post-pandemic recovery plan, he said, adding that this plan will involve collaboration among industries, private sector and other actors. The leaders also urged greater collaborative effort in information and knowledge sharing not only in areas of medical development but also on domestic policies related to social and health security given the vast impact of COVID-19 on communities, the Secretary-General said. Vietnam has demonstrated strong leadership in spearheading a collective regional response to COVID-19. Its Chairmanship theme of building a cohesive and responsive ASEAN is very relevant given the situation we find ourselves in. Indeed, ASEAN has come together and responded quickly to the pandemic since February, and today, through the two summits. ASEANs strong response is in large part due to Vietnams leadership in encouraging our continued dialogue and collaboration, the ASEAN chief stressed. The convening of todays summits conducted via video conference has been an achievement in its own right. Vietnam has shown that we can overcome the challenges of COVID-19 if the region works together in unity and with resilience, he concluded. Malaysia suggests post-pandemic economic recovery plan for ASEAN Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (Photo: https://www.malaymail.com/) Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, at the Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 in the form of teleconference hosted by Vietnam on April 14, proposed the setting up of an economic recovery plan for the region after the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled. He said ASEAN's plan should not just to provide financial support but also social safety, food supplies and education as well. Muhyiddin said in a statement that the plan should include measures to ensure a steady stream of food, essential goods and medical supplies, to the 600 million inhabitants in the region. Besides that it should also ensure the provision of capacity and critical infrastructures to ensure the smooth flow of trade, be it from air, land or sea, he added. Muhyiddin urged all ASEAN nations not to put in place unnecessary trade restrictions when it comes to medical supplies, food and essential items. ASEAN needs to develop into a growth centre and be a new resource, serving not only people in the region but also those around the world, he suggested. He said his country supports the establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund to increase our emergency stock in order to face any future outbreaks. The Malaysian PM also informed the country's key strategies to address issues stemmed from the epidemic, including the Movement Control Order. Korean diplomat praises outcome of ASEAN+3 Summit on COVID-19 Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks at the summit (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) - The most important outcome of the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 is the solidarity and sense of cooperation shown by all ASEAN leaders, the Korean President and Chinese Premier and Japanese Prime Minister in the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, said a Korean diplomat. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Lim Sungnam made the comment in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)s reporter in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 14. As you might be aware, G20 and EU have held their summit meetings to discuss the impact of COVID-19 and the way forward. But ASEAN Plus Three has had their first online, their first videoconferences to talk about the impact of COVID-19 and the joint solutions for the problems we are faced with. And the joint solutions for the future have been a very meaningful step forward in our efforts to eradicate COVID-19, he said. Lim stressed that the RoK is ready to cooperate with ASEAN in the join fight against COVID-19. More specifically, the RoK is prepared to make contributions to the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund for various projects and various assistance programmes for ASEAN member states in their fight against COVID-19, he elaborated. At the same time, the RoK is also ready to host web conferences - a kind of online conference - for the ASEAN member states, doctors and medical specialists together with their Korean counterparts, so that they can share their best practices as well as their know-how and experiences in their fight against the pandemic, Lim said. The RoK is also very much interested and is ready to hold the ASEAN-Korea health ministers meeting so that ASEAN and the RoK can engage in very specific and concrete discussions about how the sides work together to combat COVID-19. The motto of Vietnam as Chair of ASEAN for this year is cohesive and responsive. And indeed, Vietnam has shown the cohesive and responsive leadership by organising the special summit on COVID-19 for the ASEAN Plus Three in a very timely manner, the ambassador stressed. Chinese Premier calls for joint efforts against COVID-19 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calls for joint efforts against COVID-19 (Photo: CCTV) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on April 14 emphasised strengthening the awareness of a community with a shared future for humanity and closer cooperation to clinch an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia, according to China's Xinhua News Agency. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending the Special ASEAN+3 Summit with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) chaired by Vietnam via video link. As COVID-19 is spreading globally, the ASEAN 3 countries are also affected, Li said, noting that the virus is gravely threatening the health, safety and lives of people around the world. Xinhua quoted the premier as saying that the ASEAN+ 3 countries have gained valuable experience of jointly tackling crises and put in place mechanisms for enhancing emergency preparedness. He highlighted the importance of stronger coordination, saying that it is essential to make a collective response to the epidemic. The Chinese leader called on the ASEAN+3 countries to demonstrate their positive and special role in fighting the epidemic and revitalising the economy, and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance among East Asian countries to boost confidence in the region and beyond. Thai PM: No country could fight against COVID-19 threat alone Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (centre) speaks at the summit. (Photo: VNA) Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha emphasised that no country could fight against the COVID-19 threat alone while addressing the online Special ASEAN Summit on COVID-19 response on April 14. During the summit chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Thailand and its ASEAN partners agreed to set up the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and draw upon related lessons and experience. Thailand was of the view that all parties must work together to control the spread of the virus and flatten the curve, as well as craft a collective approach to mitigate socio-economic impacts in a comprehensive manner. The Thai PM also proposed five significant approaches, saying ASEAN needs to mobilise the energy and efforts of all sectors to jointly address this challenge in a holistic manner. He proposed ASEAN and the ASEAN Plus Three Countries jointly establish a COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund by reprioritising 10 percent of existing funds from the ASEAN Development Fund and cooperation funds with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and ASEAN Plus Three, or another agreed upon rate. The Fund shall be used to procure test kits, personal protective equipment and medical tools as well as support research and development in medicines and vaccines to help ASEAN become more self-reliant. ASEAN should build understanding and empathy in the cooperation to facilitate transport of goods and logistics, customs clearance, and border trade. This will ensure that consumers will have access to a sufficient supply of medical tools and equipment, medicines and essential goods in a timely manner during this crisis, Prayut said. According to the Thai PM, the role of technology should be promoted in providing innovative solutions to tackle challenges. ASEAN should also support the wider use of digital economy, innovative technology and e-commerce in the region, especially in helping MSMEs to take advantage of online platform. Digital Payment Connectivity and the use of Interoperable QR Code should be expedited to further facilitate regional trade and commerce. ASEAN should draw upon the lessons and experience from the fight against COVID-19 to help build self-immunity to economic impacts from future public health emergencies or environmental challenges, he said. The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy is an alternative approach to promote sustainable socio-economic development and enhance internal strengths with an emphasis on self-reliance, he said. The role of the ASEAN Secretary-General, in his capacity as ASEANs coordinator for humanitarian assistance, should be strengthened to cover cooperation in the case of emergency situations such as epidemics, the Thai PM said. RoK President vows full support for ASEAN in COVID-19 fight RoK President Moon Jae-in takes part in the online Special ASEAN+3 Summit (Photo: Yonhap) President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in on April 14 pledged every possible support for ASEAN member nations and other countries in handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Speaking at the online Special ASEAN+3 Summit (ASEAN countries with China, Japan and the RoK) on the COVID-19 response hosted by Vietnam, Moon stressed the necessity to offer quarantine and medical supplies in a timely manner to those in urgent need. He affirmed that his country will secure additional funding for humanitarian assistance and respond to the fullest extent possible to any calls for help from other countries, including ASEAN. The RoK is also discussing ways to utilise the ASEAN-RoK Cooperation Fund, he said. He voiced hope that the region will overcome the crisis at an early date by mobilising all available resources. Moon cited trust funds at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and separate funding by the ASEAN+3 members. Regarding the economic fallout of the pandemic, the RoK President proposed maintaining the "essential flow" of trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges. The RoK leader said the ASEAN+3 group can play a role as a catalyst to put global supply chains back on track, while expressing the hope that global supply chains will be made operational to the maximum extent beginning with ASEAN+3. Moon suggested that ASEAN+3 countries explore ways to allow the cross-border travel of essential figures such as business leaders, medical professionals and humanitarian workers. Int'l media highlight online Special ASEAN, ASEAN+3 Summits on COVID-19 The Special ASEAN Summit and Special ASEAN+3 Summit on the COVID-19 response, which took place online on April 14 and were chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, have received intensive coverage in international media. The summits were the first held in the videoconferencing format since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Vietnam touted its success so far in containing the pandemic with extensive quarantining and physical distancing. Vietnam has only 260 or so cases and no fatalities, the French news agency noted. In his opening remarks to the Special ASEAN Summit, PM Phuc hailed the blocs work in fighting the pandemic to date but warned that COVID-19 has badly impacted peoples lives and their socioeconomic situation ... challenging stability and social security. It added that Vietnam will use the summit to propose funding be made available to deal with the pandemic, building emergency medical stockpiles and sharing resources. Hanoi will also call for an exit strategy for battered member economies. Meanwhile, the US-based Associated Press (AP) said that, forced apart by the coronavirus pandemic, ASEAN leaders linked up by video to plot a strategy to overcome a crisis that has threatened their economies and kept millions of people in their homes under lockdown. It quoted PM Phuc as telling the Special ASEAN Summit that it is in these grim hours that the solidarity of the ASEAN community shines like a beacon in the dark. Diplomats said that solidarity is now crucial as the region battles COVID-19 and all ASEAN member countries have been hit by infections. The COVID-19 crisis is a crisis like no other in the past, not just in its potentially calamitous scale but in the hope of containing and stopping it through unstinting cooperation and the fullest of trust between all countries, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs was quoted by AP as saying. Major news agencies and newspapers also highlighted the Special ASEAN+3 Summit, attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, and President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in. According to Chinas Xinhua News Agency, despite joining the summit from different venues, ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners need to raise closer viewpoints, extend their consensus, and put forth more efficient action plans to soon contain the pandemic. Regional countries have demonstrated a sense of humanitarianism and good neighborliness by supporting each other with emergency medical supplies, including face masks and protective gear, the agency said. Japans Kyodo News, meanwhile, said leaders are also expected to agree on cooperating in the development of a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19, as well as in economic and fiscal policies to mitigate the impact of the virus on businesses and households. VNA The leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the blocs secretary general discuss the COVID-19 pandemic during a special online summit, April 14, 2020. Updated at 4:30 p.m. ET on 2020-04-14 Southeast Asian leaders agreed at a special online summit on Tuesday to ensure a social safety net for the regions vulnerable populations and backed reallocating funds toward fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. The leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) later in the day held a separate online summit with leaders from China, Japan and South Korea to discuss the global public health crisis, whose ripple effects have battered economies worldwide. Tuesdays meetings were held via video-calls because of COVID-19 concerns. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the chairman of ASEAN in 2020 and whose country hosted the regional blocs special summit, said all its members were struggling to prevent the coronavirus from negatively affecting their people. It is in these grim hours that the solidarity of the ASEAN community shines like a beacon in the dark, he said in his opening statement. Nations in the bloc, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, have recorded more than 20,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 900 deaths from the disease. In a joint statement, the members agreed to: Cooperate in ensuring a social safety net for our people, preventing social disruption and instability as a consequence of negative impact of the pandemic, continue efforts to design and implement risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection systems to reduce the vulnerabilities of at-risk populations and improve their overall resilience. In addition, members said they would intensify cooperation to obtain adequate provisions of medicine, essential medical supplies and equipment including diagnostic tools and personal protective equipment. They also agreed to support reallocating existing funds to battle the pandemic and to establish a COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. We have no choice but to unite to fight this virus, Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo said. While the ASEAN leaders did not set a target amount for the fund, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said it should be used to procure test kits, personal protective equipment and medical tools. In addition, it should be used to support research and development in medicines and vaccines to help ASEAN become more self-reliant, he said. Thai officials said the fund should involve reallocating 10 percent of existing ASEAN development funds along with donations from the so-called Plus Three nations China, Japan and South Korea. Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, called for closer cooperation in the face of what he called an unfolding catastrophe unprecedented in scale and devastating in impact for all. We are particularly concerned with food security in this period of lockdowns. Our most urgent priority is ensuring sufficient supply of rice for our people, Duterte said. The Philippine leader said ASEAN must be open for trade. Crisis or no crisis, no country can stand alone, he said. Let us, therefore ensure the supply chain connectivity and the smooth flow of goods within our region. Duterte called on ASEAN to establish an early warning system to prepare for future pandemics. We have to improve and expand existing ASEANs mechanisms to cover public health emergencies, he said. Malaysias leader urged his ASEAN counterparts to start discussing an economic recovery plan focusing not just on the financial aspects, but also on social safety nets. We must not allow ASEAN to revert back to our comfort zone but make ASEAN emerge as a new growth center, a new power-house not just for our 600 million people, but for the world, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told the summit. During the ASEAN Plus Three meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed establishing a regional center for infectious diseases. International cooperation is essential for combating the virus that is spreading beyond borders, Abe said, according to Japanese media. We should share information and knowledge in a free, transparent and swift manner. The proposal drew support from the other participants. ASEAN countries agreed to act on Japans proposal and discuss it further, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters. Li Keqiang, the premier of China, where the coronavirus was detected, meanwhile proposed establishing a fast route for essential personnel to travel to other countries, according to a news release from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta. Keqiang said that APT countries need to leverage their strengths in economic complementarity and strong business ties to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, in an effort to restore growth in East Asia as quickly as possible, it said, referring to the ASEAN Plus Three countries. With all the necessary control measures in place, we should consider opening a fast-track lane for essential personnel on urgent visits in the areas of commerce, logistics, production and technological services. This will be conducive to maintaining the necessary flow of people and goods and stabilizing the industrial and supply chains. ASEAN lawmakers welcomed Tuesdays online summits before they got into full swing. Its high time that ASEAN leaders get together to find a regional response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP who chairs the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said in a statement issued by the group. Neither the virus nor the consequences of the measures taken to stop the pandemic will stop at ones border. The current situation, as well as the management of its long term impact, requires regional solidarity and a global solution, he added. Deadly day in Indonesia The ASEAN leaders met on the day that Indonesia recorded its highest single-day death count since Southeast Asia's most populous nation confirmed its first coronavirus cases in early March. The toll rose to 459 after 60 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, according to the countrys COVID-19 task force. The number of confirmed cases increased by 282 to 4,839, task force spokesman Achmad Yurianto said. Worldwide nearly 122,000 people have died and nearly 2 million have been infected by COVID-19, according to the latest data compiled by disease experts at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. In a report issued over the weekend, epidemiological experts at the University of Indonesia warned that COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization could hit 1 million on the main island of Java by July if the government did not ban people from traveling to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. The government previously banned civil servants, soldiers and police from taking part in the annual exodus. The ban did not cover the rest of nation. Luhut Pandjaitan, coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, downplayed the prediction even though Indonesia has the highest COVID-19 death toll in East Asia outside of China. So far, I believe, Indonesia is in good shape, Pandjaitan told reporters on Tuesday. Jason Gutierrez in Manila, Lex Radz in Kuala Lumpur and Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok contributed to this report. As experts continue to analyze the reasons Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exited the royal family, one royal editor believes hes pinpointed the moment that things became overwhelming, especially for Meghan. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Harry and Meghan rushed into royal life, expert claims During the Pod Save the Queen podcast, royal experts reflected on some of the Sussexes top moments before they made their exit. In taking a walk down memory lane, Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers determined that Prince Harry and Meghans reason for exiting had a lot to do with the way their roles were so overwhelming. Myers shared a memory of the Sussexes 2018 tour of Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and New Zealand. That was probably their proudest moment it was a great tour, it was absolutely relentless, he shared of the pace and schedule. Podcast host Ann Gripper wondered, Do you not look back at that tour now and think, actually maybe they were going at it a bit too fast? We have talked a bit about, maybe they should have eased themselves into royal life at the beginning, maybe it wouldnt have become so overwhelming, she noted. The way youre talking about that tour now, it sounds intensely full-on. Its not a good way to be working, Gripper added. Yeah, she was pregnant as well, remember, Myers shared. I couldnt believe the fact that she was keeping up at such a pace, she looked amazing. It was a relentless schedule. The editor continued, And I get that it was their first tour, she wanted to hit the ground running they were the hottest ticket in the world. Did they do too much as royals? Myers believes that Prince Harry and Meghan may have taken on too much and could have followed Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridges lead on pacing themselves a bit, given that its a lifetime job. Im at a loss to explain it [Megxit], really, and why they found it [royal life] so hard, Myers explained. Maybe they did try to do too much. Maybe that is a lesson that they will take forward in their new life. He added, But I think it is, honestly, to do with the constraints that they felt they were both under. Whether that will be any different in the private, corporate world, Ive no doubt. Myers also touched on how Meghan had other projects that showed her in a positive light, noting, Perhaps if she had done other projects like that, she may have found it a bit easier. Only she will know, really, the straw that broke the camels back, he noted, adding, She said she wasnt being supported within the family. But maybe they did try and do a bit too much. Should Meghan have followed Kates example? The royal editor than pointed to the example that Prince William and Kate offered with Kate not stepping up with projects right away. When Kate and William were first starting out were only seeing Kate come to the fore in the last year or so, and shes been a royal for nine years, Myers noted. He added, Its a lifetime job, and you have to take the advice that is there for you. And undoubtedly, they as a pair they never did that, and its been to their detriment, unfortunately. Chinas Exports Fall in March as Pandemic Hits World Markets BEIJINGChinas exports fell in March but at slower pace than the 17 percent contraction seen in January-February as the CCP virus shutdown paralyzed much business activity. Exports sank 6.6 percent from a year earlier to $185.1 billion, an improvement over the 17.2 percent contraction in January and February, customs data showed on April 14. Imports declined 0.4 percent to $165.2 billion, recovering from a 4 percent fall in January and February after Beijing started reopening factories and stores. Exports to the United States fell 20.8 percent from last year to $25.2 billion while imports of American goods declined 12.6 percent to $9.9 billion. Chinas politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States was $15.3 billion, accounting for three-quarters of its global surplus of $19.9 billion. Employees are working on a battery production line at a factory in Huaibei in Chinas eastern Anhui province on March 30, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive Chinese industries, but their key export markets in the United States and Europe have closed stores and told shoppers to stay home. The recovery in exports is likely to be short-lived, Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. Foreign demand will slump this quarter as COVID-19 weighs on economic activity outside of China. Trade was poised for a boost after Beijing and Washington removed punitive tariffs on some of each others goods in a truce signed in January. But that was offset by Chinese anti-virus controls that shut down much of the worlds second-largest economy in late January. The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive industry after declaring victory over the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, that emerged in central China in December. Factories, shopping malls, restaurants and office buildings have reopened, but anti-disease controls including fever checks still are in place. A captain wear a mask in ship at Yangluo container port on the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 12, 2020. (Getty Images) The global economy faces mounting downward pressure. Uncertainties are on the rise, said a customs agency statement. Chinas foreign trade is encountering bigger difficulties. In the first three months of the year, exports tumbled 13.3 percent to $478.2 billion. Imports were off 2.9 percent at $465 billion. Measured by volume, Chinese imports rose more than the financial figures indicated due to declining prices for oil and other commodities. Oil imports rose 5 percent from a year earlier, natural gas increased 1.8 percent and iron ore gained 1.3 percent, a customs spokesman, Li Kuiwen, at a news conference. Soybean imports rose 6.2 percent from a year earlier to 17.8 million tons, Li said. Li did not say what share of the total was from the United States. Soybeans are the biggest U.S. export to China. Beijing temporarily suspended purchases due to their tariff war but resumed them late last year. A vendor sorts out clothes in Hankou north international commodity exchange center in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on March 29, 2020. (Getty Images) Chinese imports usually surge after the Lunar New Year holiday as factories restock after shutting down for two weeks or longer. This years rebound was postponed since the holiday was extended by at least one weekmore in some placesto keep factories and offices closed as authorities tried to contain the spread of the CCP virus. Until the CCP virus outbreak, Chinese trade had been unexpectedly resilient despite Beijings tariff war with President Donald Trump over its technology ambitions and trade surplus. Last years exports rose 0.5 percent over 2018. China told exporters to pursue other markets in Asia, Europe and Africa after Trump slapped punitive duties on their goods starting in 2018. Beijing retaliated by raising tariffs on American soybeans and other goods. Some of those penalties were rolled back after the two sides signed a Phase 1 agreement in January. Washington canceled additional planned tariff hikes and Beijing promised to buy more American farm exports. By Joe McDonald. Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Mr Cummings, 48, finally returned to Downing Street this morning Boris Johnson's top aide Dominic Cummings returned to Downing Street after a mysterious two-week absence. The Prime Minister's chief of staff was confirmed by No 10 as self-isolating with coronavirus-type symptoms on March 30, three days after Mr Johnson himself went into self-isolation. But advice for those with symptoms is to isolate for seven days, with a 14-isolation for those around them. Downing Street has insisted he has been working from home in the intervening period, but would not elaborate on his condition. His prolonged period out of the public eye sparked concerns over the health of key No 10 officials after the Prime Minister and Health Secretary Matt Hancock caught the virus at the same time. Mr Cummings, 48, finally returned to Downing Street this morning with a very healthy-looking lunch in a clear plastic bag, containing what appeared to be an unpeeled carrot, a clementine and a processed soft cheese, plus a soup carton. Asked why Mr Cummings was not observing the two metre social distancing rule, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'He is back in Number 10 and working today,. 'Everybody in Number 10 continues to practice social distancing, which means staying two metres apart wherever possible.' His prolonged period out of the public eye sparked concerns over the health of key No 10 officials after the Prime Minister and Health Secretary Matt Hancock caught the virus at the same time He brought a very healthy-looking lunch in a clear plastic bag, containing what appeared to be an unpeeled carrot, a clementine and a processed soft cheese, plus a soup carton. Downing Street has repeatedly confirmed he has not been in the office but said he was 'in contact with No 10', without going into specifics The PM's other top adviser, Sir Eddie Lister, 70, has not been seen in public since the start of lockdown with his age putting him in an at-risk group. A number of other aides have also been off with symptoms. The health of Mr Cummings has been regularly questioned by reporters during regular press briefings. Downing Street has repeatedly confirmed he has not been in the office but said he was 'in contact with No 10', without going into specifics. The Vote Leave maverick was seen running out of Downing Street with a backpack on the day of Mr Johnson's positive coronavirus test before subsequently returning to Number 10 in the afternoon. That was the last time he was seen before it emerged on the following Monday that he had entered self-isolation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Everyone is vulnerable to mental distress in times like a global health crisis. According to an expert, everyone experiences anxiety in different ways amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The most common issues everyone is dealing with is the sense of uncertainty, according to In Touch Philippines Clinical Supervisor Dr. Julian Montano. Montano told CNN Philippines that we dont know when this will end. Were asking if we might have also been infected. He also said that uncertainty leads to anxiety, and anxiety gives people fear. How are people dealing with the dread of uncertainty in these trying times? Montano illustrated how different kinds of people go through anxiety- from children to the elderly, to millennials, couples, and those who are victims of domestic abuse. Children, for example, they are overloaded by time with their devices because they dont know what to do. That opens problems to unclear websites, unregulated sites, he said. Meanwhile, Montano said that millennials face a kind of uncertainty that deals with their jobs and sources of income. The millennials are lonely, asking how about my job? Will I still have it? My business? My freelancing activities? These are the worries they have. He added that couples are also having a hard time adjusting to the situation, especially in the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, since they cannot be with each other. Theres an increase also of domestic violence. This is another challenge that we have, Montano said. He pointed out that the elderlies might appear oblivious, but in reality, they also think about a lot of worries. Montano added that the existing challenge is focused on the feeling of anxiety. Anxiety is a mind game. We imagine things that we cannot control. Therefore, we become anxious, he said. Montano advised people to practice different coping techniques like self-regulating exercises such as relaxation, meditation, and focusing. According to their website, In Touch Community Services is a leading provider of mental health services in the Philippines. Established in 1980, it is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to promoting mental health and offering care and treatment to persons suffering from mental and emotional distress. Here are the contact numbers of In Touch Philippines: 02-8893-7603 0917 800 1123 0922 893 8944 The Congress on Tuesday termed as rhetoric and hollow on specifics the prime minister's address to the nation, saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked where is the country's roadmap to fight coronavirus. He said leadership does not mean making people realise their responsibilities but to fulfil the government's duty of accountability towards the people of the country. "A lot of talk has taken place. But, where is the roadmap to fight corona," he asked. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country," he said on Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. 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 Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the PM's address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. "Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue," he asked. He said the PM be assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and will strictly observe lockdown. "After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle India and MSMEs," he said. "Pm address single specific and without guidelines is like Hamlet without Prince of Denmark. Like PM without details! We want increased GDP allocation; specific targeted monetary injections; Keynesian spending; loosen FMRB etc. not a single word!" he tweeted. Chidambaram also said that he welcomed the lockdown and understands the reason for its extension. He, however, said the CMs' demand for money elicited no response. "Not a rupee has been added to the miserly package of March 25, 2020. From Raghuram Rajan to Jean Dreze, from Prabhat Patnaik to Abhijit Banerji, their advice has fallen on deaf ears," the former finance minister said. While supporting the PM's announcement of extending the lockdown, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the PM should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. "I support the announcement by @PMOIndia @narendraModi of Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made," Tharoor tweeted. "But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states and aid to sweeten the pill," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the total authority Monday to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when its safe to begin a return to normal operations. Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump said at the White House. The governors know that. The comments came not long after Democratic leaders in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to co-ordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables. Anxious to put the crisis behind him, Trump has been discussing with senior aides how to roll back federal social distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month. While Trump has issued national recommendations advising people stay home, it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions, including shuttering schools and closing non-essential businesses. Some of those orders carry fines or other penalties, and in some jurisdictions extend into the early summer. And governors made clear Monday they wouldnt tolerate pressure to act before they deem it safe. All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said on CNN. The government doesnt get opened up via Twitter. It gets opened up at the state level, said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Meanwhile, governors were banding together, with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island agreeing to co-ordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact. While each state is building its own plan, the three West Coast states have agreed to a framework saying they will work together, put their residents health first and let science guide their decisions. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stressed the efforts would take time. The house is still on fire, Murphy said on a conference call with reporters. We still have to put the fire out, but we do have to begin putting in the pieces of the puzzle that we know were going to need ... to make sure this doesnt reignite. Trump, however, insisted it was his decision to make. The president of the United States calls the shots, he said, promising to release a paper outlining his legal argument. Trump can use his bully pulpit to pressure states to act or threaten them with consequences, but the Constitution gives public health and safety responsibilities primarily to state and local officials. Though Trump abandoned his goal of beginning to roll back social distancing guidelines by Easter, he has been itching to reboot an economy that has dramatically contracted as businesses have shuttered, leaving millions of people out of work and struggling to obtain basic commodities. The closure has also undermined Trumps reelection message, which hinged on a booming economy. Trumps claim that he could force governors to reopen their states also represents a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks Trump has argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis. And he has refused to publicly pressure states to enact stay-at-home restrictions, citing his belief in local control of government. While Trump can use his daily White House briefings and Twitter account to try to shape public opinion and pressure governors to bend to his will, there are real limits on the president and the federal government when it comes to domestic affairs, John Yoo, a University of California at Berkeley law school professor, said on a recent Federalist Society conference call. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, a supporter of Trump, said the question of when to lift restrictions would be a joint effort between Washington and the states. Talk about how and when to reboot the nations economy has come as Trump has bristled at criticism that he was slow to respond to the virus and that lives could have been saved had social distancing recommendations been put in place sooner. That frustration was amplified by comments made by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious diseases expert, who told CNN on Sunday that, obviously, had the country started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives. Trump responded by reposting a tweet that included the line, Time to #FireFauci, raising alarms that Trump might consider trying to oust the 79-year-old doctor. But at Mondays briefing, Trump insisted Faucis job was safe after Fauci took the podium to try to explain his comments. Trump has complained to aides and confidants about Faucis positive media attention and his willingness to contradict the president in interviews and from the briefing room stage, according to two Republicans close to the White House. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal conversations. But Trump has told aides that he knows blowback to removing Fauci would be fierce and that at least for now he is stuck with the doctor. On more than one occasion, however, he has urged that Fauci be left out of task force briefings or have his speaking role curtailed, according to the Republicans. ___ Mulvihill reported from New Jersey. Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in New York; Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia; Holly Ramer in Hopkinton, New Hampshire; John OConnor in Springfield, Illinois; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and Mark Sherman and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. An NHS worker takes a swab in a car at a coronavirus testing facility in Wolverhampton. (Reuters) The UK will have the most coronavirus deaths in Europe but almost half the number that were originally predicted, say researchers. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington initially forecast 66,000 COVID-19 deaths in the UK, in research published last week. But in revised figures published at the weekend, the US scientists drastically reduced their estimated death toll for the UK, bringing it down to 37,400, resulting in fierce criticism of the model by British experts. That number of deaths, forecast to take place by 4 August, would still make the UK the worst country in Europe for COVID-19 fatalities. The IHME predicts Italy will have the second highest death toll with 20,000, followed by Spain and the Netherlands with 18,000 each and France with 16,000. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have so far been 10,612 COVID-19 deaths in the UK, compared to 19,899 in Italy, 17,489 in Spain, 2,833 in the Netherlands and 14,393 in France. 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 IHME was criticised last week when it forecast 66,000 deaths in the UK, a figure disputed by one of the governments scientific advisers, Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London. The US research team explained the large drop in predicted UK deaths by saying it had updated its modelling. It said: Our initial release of EEA country predictions included reported daily deaths through 5 April. For the United Kingdom, daily death data during the week prior to 5 April showed sharp and steadily increasing cumulative daily deaths. Since our last release, we have been able to include four more days of reported daily deaths for the UK. Two women wear protective face masks as they walk past the flowers outside Buckingham Palace in London on Sunday. (AFP via Getty Images) It said a slower rate of increase in deaths and more accurate data from other nations has resulted in notably lower average projections for the UK. Story continues In the UK, scientists questioned the IHME model after it revised its predicted deaths. Professor Babak Javid, from the Tsinghua University School of Medicine in Beijing and consultant in infectious diseases at Cambridge University Hospitals, said: The IHME model is extremely sensitive to the base underlying assumptions. Model assumptions should be investigated A few days ago, when the predicted UK deaths were about 67,000, one base assumption was that the model assumed only about 800 ICU beds available in the UK, which was a massive shortfall. Checking today with the revised downward projection of 37,000 deaths the base assumption is that the UK has 6,800 ICU beds available. The predictive power of the model is likely to be highly dependent on how accurate those assumptions about ICU beds are. The fact that underlying assumptions in the model vary by such magnitudes over short spaces of time should be investigated. Statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter, professor at the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at the University of Cambridge, said: Although reporting delays make it difficult to track the epidemic with confidence, we appear to be following a slightly worse trajectory than Italy and it is plausible that we might end up with the most in-hospital COVID deaths in Europe. However, the IHME projections still seem unduly pessimistic, even after their recent dramatic change. For example, their model is saying that today we should be needing 64,000 hospital beds while there are only 18,000 available although our hospitals are undoubtedly under a lot of pressure, this does not seem to fit reality. Major flaws in their models Their curve-fitting procedure currently seems too sensitive to small changes in data and assumptions to make it reliable for the UK. And Keith Neal, emeritus professor in the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said: Redoing their prediction in under a week strongly suggests major flaws in their models. The number of deaths each day in their original calculations have been just above their lower limit so they have been seriously over-predicting UK deaths since I first saw their model. Watch the video below This is not the first model to be shown to have got their projections seriously wrong. The daily trend in the UK appears to be slowing but we need another week to be sure, especially with possible reporting delays over the holiday period. It is likely that the UK will have one of the largest number of total deaths solely because we have the second largest population in Western Europe and EU countries only Germany has a larger population. The important figure is the death rate per million and the total number of deaths. On this count, Belgium seems to be heading for a serious problem like Italy and Spain. Belgium has had 3,903 deaths from coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Coronavirus: what happened today This April 10, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency shows laborers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus at an office building being converted into a temporary hospital in Suifenhe in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the epicenter of Wuhan where it has all but declared victory in the battle against the pandemic. The northern frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units were rushed to the area to fend off the threat from people bringing the virus back from abroad. (Dong Baosen/Xinhua via AP) China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the epicenter of Wuhan, where it has all but declared victory in the battle against the pandemic. The frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units rushed to the area to prevent travelers from bringing the virus back from overseas. The virus originated in China, which is now striving to keep it virus out while the U.S. and other countries struggle to bring their own epidemics under control. The long, porous border of sprawling Heilongjiang province and neighboring Inner Mongolia has much less travel than major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But it is a popular alternative route into the country. Many Chinese live and work in Russia, where China has major investments encouraged by warm ties between Beijing and Moscow. By Monday night, a field hospital was operating in the city of Suifenhe along the Russian border, equipped with a negative pressure lab to diagnose new cases. Staffed by 22 experts from the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it will conduct nucleic acid tests and other forms of research to aid in virus control and prevention, allowing the city to test up to 1,000 cases per day, according to the CDC. Suifenhe, a city of just under 70,000 that is frozen-in for much of the year, has at least 243 imported COVID-19 cases out of nearly 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. More than 100 people in the area have tested positive for the virus but showed no symptoms. Recent arrivals from Russia account for nearly half of China's imported cases. "We are facing a truly grave situation in the northeast as represented by Suifenhe," National Health Commission expert Wang Bin said Monday at a news conference. "Up to now our medical resources in the area have just not been sufficient." The CDC said the field hospital has been supplied with negative pressure tents, nucleic acid extractors, virus detection kits, throat swab sampling tubes and thermal cyclers used to enhance segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction. Roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) northeast of Beijing, Suifenhe's markets selling warm clothing, cell phones and daily items usually do a thriving business with Russian visitors starved for choice on their side of the border. That trade has gone quiet in recent weeks, dimming prospects for a sparsely populated region whose residents have been migrating to major cities seeking jobs and better living standards. This April 10, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency shows an office building into a temporary hospital in Suifenhe in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. China is facing a new coronavirus flare-up along its remote northern border with Russia, far from the epicenter of Wuhan where it has all but declared victory in the battle against the pandemic. The northern frontier has been sealed and emergency medical units were rushed to the area to fend off the threat from people bringing the virus back from abroad. (Qi Hongxin/Xinhua via AP) Russia requires 14-day quarantines for all travelers arriving in Primorsky Krai and its regional capital Pogranichny, across the border. It has closed hotels to visitors and is requiring travelers to have a pass showing they are not carrying the virus. Russia closed its land border to travelers from China in January. On the Chinese side, quarantines have been extended to a full month for people arriving by air in Suifenhe and in Heilongjiang's capital, Harbin. All land border crossings were halted last week. "The Chinese consulate again strongly reminds Chinese citizens not to summarily make trips to the border region," the Chinese consulate in the nearby Russian city of Vladivostok said in a notice posted Monday. As Wuhan and other regions get back to business, Chinese authorities say they will remain vigilant against a second wave of infections, particularly from those arriving from outside the country. New cases of local infection in China have fallen to near zero after more than two months of strict travel bans and social distancing measures. Of 89 cases reported on Tuesday, all but three were detected in people arriving from abroad. It wasn't immediately clear if any came from Russia. No new deaths were reported in the country on Tuesday, suggesting the outbreak is running its course. Last week, authorities lifted a 76-day quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected late last year, an indication that the worst may have passed. China had recorded 82,249 cases and 3,341 deaths as of Tuesday, while 1,077 people suspected of having the virus or testing positive without showing symptoms were under isolation and monitoring. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover. Explore further China's imported virus cases spike as fears grow of second wave 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged people on Tuesday to pay their tributes to B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary by reading the preamble to the Constitution and contributing as much as possible to help the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an audio message, Priyanka Gandhi highlighted that Ambedkar used to say be educated, organised and struggle, adding that this is the "guiding principle for us". Paying rich tributes to the architect of the Constitution on his 129th birth anniversary, the Congress general secretary said Ambedkar had a massive contribution in the building of India. The work done by him for Dalits, deprived and backwards can never be forgotten by the country, she said. "Every year we celebrate the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, but this time due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are not able to get out of our homes," she said. "I appeal to everyone that on this birth anniversary of Babasaheb, people should read the preamble of the Constitution at home and then provide as much relief as possible to the needy in their areas while adhering to the guidelines of the lockdown," Priyanka Gandhi said. It was Ambedkar's dream that all the poor, farmers and every Indian should get their rights, and no one should sleep empty stomach, the Congress leader said, adding "we have to ensure this". Earlier in a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said Ambedkar's Constitution emphasised on equality and brotherhood. "Today, on the day of his birth anniversary, we are entering the second phase of the lockdown," she said. "At such a time, the resolution of equality and brotherhood needs to be reinforced more firmly." Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also paid tributes to the great social reformer and chief architect of the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Zenith Bank Ghana Limited has donated One Million Ghana Cedis (GH1,000,000) to the COVID-19 Fund established by the government of Ghana to complement Governments fight against the virus, and to assist in the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable in society. Officials of the Bank presented the amount at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Tuesday April 14, 2020. The donation was made by Board Chair of Zenith Bank, Mrs. Freda Duplan; Board member, Mr. Anthony Oteng-Gyasi; the Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Mr. Akindele Ogunranti and Board Secretary, Mr. Daniel Agamah. This gesture is in addition to an earlier contribution made by Zenith Bank to the ten million cedis (GH10,000,000) donation earlier presented by the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) to the COVID-19 Fund. Speaking at the presentation, the Board Chair of Zenith Bank, Mrs. Freda Duplan said, Covid-19 has re-emphasised the need for all of us; government, corporate entities, private sector and individuals to work together for the common and greater good of our dear nation, Ghana. Solidarity has never been more critical to overcoming challenges than in this period. Our donation to the National Covid-19 Fund is therefore reflective of the Banks mission as a corporate organisation to invest in our environment to underscore our commitment to achieving customer enthusiasm. On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Mr. Akindele Ogunranti noted, These unprecedented times require every segment of the society to contribute their quota to support governments efforts towards mitigating the impact of the Coronavirus. We are grateful for His Excellency, the President of Ghanas timely intervention and the measures put in place to combat the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghana. Meanwhile as part of measures to ensure that the Banks staff comply with set protocols in combatting the spread of the coronavirus, Zenith Bank has reduced its workforce by 50% through the creation of a shift system i.e. rotating staff nationwide. In addition, certain categories of staff (such as pregnant staff, nursing mothers, staff with medical conditions, etc.) have been granted leave to stay at home to protect them from any COVID-19 exposure risk. Moreover, the bank has provided individual sanitizers to all staff and to teams to ensure they constantly observe the precautionary measures instituted by the Ghana Health Service. Furthermore, Zenith bank is strictly implementing a 3-step process of washing hands, sanitising and temperature checks before staff, customers and visitors are granted entry into the banks buildings. There has also been the appointment of hygiene champions in all departments and units to ensure all team members are reminded to wash their hands at scheduled times. Also, there has been the implementation of a distance of 2 meters in the workplace to observe the social distance precautionary measure. In addition, a maximum number of ten (10) customers are allowed entry into the banking halls at any point in time. As people are encouraged to conduct their transactions using digital channels during this period, Zenith Bank has also ensured full functionality of its electronic channels (e.g. zenith cards, ZMobile app, Internet Banking, Bank2Wallet - mobile money, USSD code - *966#, GlobalPAY, etc.) to enable customers carry out their banking transactions from the comfort of their homes. To this effect, customers are guaranteed a safe and secure banking experience via Zenith Banks electronic channels. Some incentives which have been granted include; the waiving of all interbank transfer fees on the banks digital platforms; mobile wallet transactions below Ghs100 also do not attract any charges. It is the Banks fervent prayer that the pandemic will be short-lived and that sooner than later, life as we all know it shall return to normal. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An inmate at a Connecticut prison has died after contracting COVID-19, making him the first coronavirus-linked fatality among nearly 12,000 inmates, the Department of Correction reported Monday evening. The person, identified as a man in his 60s, died Monday after becoming hospitalized at UConn Health Center on April 8, and testing positive for the virus on April 9. He had underlying medical conditions, the department said. The death comes amid intense pressure and a lawsuit against the state by families and advocates seeking a wider release of prisoners in the crisis. The inmate was one year into a two-year sentence for criminal possession of a firearm. The department said he had been approved for discretionary release last month, but the offender could not locate an appropriate home sponsor. His maximum release date was March 12, 2021. My sympathies go out to the offenders family, said DOC Commissioner Rollin Cook. One death is too many. He joins the more the approximately 600 Connecticut residents who have lost their lives to this tragic disease. We will continue to do everything possible to keep the offenders and staff safe. The department did not immediately say where the inmate was serving his sentence. As of Monday, 166 inmates and 104 staff members had tested positive for the coronavirus, more than doubling the number of confirmed cases since late last week. >>SEARCHABLE DATABASE: Details about recently released or incarcerated CT inmates The department has stated it is increasing the rate of discretionary releases for inmates due to COVID-19, and activists and families of incarcerated individuals have called on Cook and Gov. Ned Lamont to begin releasing more inmates to prevent the spread of coronavirus inside the prison system. Lamont, speaking at his daily televised press briefing, said Monday the state is releasing nonviolent offenders at a faster rate than we have in a long time. My number one criterion is public health, he said. Were opening up wings of the correctional facilities, making sure those older prisoners, if we find theres not a safe place for them to be outside of the correctional facility, if we find the safest place for them to be is in the facility under close medical attention thats where theyll be. Were not resting on the status quo, were continuing to move people where theyll be most healthy and safest. A Hearst Connecticut Media investigation revealed Monday the record decline in the states prison population since March 1 has been overwhelmingly the result of fewer prisoners entering the system, not more releases. The department released 980 prisoners through Friday which exceeds the average of three similar periods in the last year by 115 people. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt As Britains most beloved vet, James Herriots delightfully honest and at times hilarious reminiscences of a vets life in 1930s Yorkshire charmed millions in his books and were turned into a long-running hit series. And as this exclusive reprint reveals around 50 years after it was first published, his magical work is still able to warm a nations hearts in this darkest of times . . . As the faint rumbling growl rolled up from the rib cage into the ear pieces of my stethoscope, the realisation burst upon me with uncomfortable clarity that this was probably the biggest dog I had ever seen. In my limited past experience some Irish wolfhounds had undoubtedly been taller and a certain number of bull mastiffs had possibly been broader, but, for sheer gross poundage, Clancy had it. Looking like an Airedale but as big as a donkey, the huge hairy form had been brought into our afternoon surgery by his owner Joe Mulligan, an elderly and very deaf Irishman. My boss Siegfried had told me that, when bored, Clancy would throw Joe to the ground and worry him like a rat and I became aware that my position, kneeling on the floor with my right ear a few inches from his mouth, was infinitely vulnerable. As Britains most beloved vet, James Herriots delightfully honest and at times hilarious reminiscences of a vets life in 1930s Yorkshire charmed millions in his books and were turned into a long-running hit BBC series As I got to my feet, the dog gave me a cold glance without moving his head and there was a chilling menace in his very immobility. I didnt mind my patients snapping at me but this one, I felt sure, wouldnt snap. If he started something it would be on a spectacular scale. I stepped back a pace. Now what did you say his symptoms were, Mr Mulligan? Phwaats that? Joe cupped his ear with his hand. I took a deep breath and then, remembering something of Clancys past history, I bawled with all my power into his face: Is he vomiting? Oh aye, hes womitin sorr. Hes womitin bad. According to Siegfried, there was nothing wrong with Clancy except a penchant for eating every bit of rubbish in his path, with the inevitable result. Over the years the dogs treatment had all been at long range, a large bottle of indigestion medicine being dispensed at regular intervals, but prickings of conscience told me I should carry out a full examination. Take his temperature, for instance. All I had to do was to lift that tail and push a thermometer into . . . the dog turned his head and the upper lip lifted a fraction to show a quick gleam of white. Yes, yes, right, Mr Mulligan, I said briskly. Ill get you a bottle of the usual. Joe seemed satisfied as he pocketed the familiar white medicine. But as he turned to go on that Wednesday afternoon my conscience smote me again. Maybe Clancy ought to be seen again. Bring him back tomorrow at two oclock, I yelled, knowing that Thursday was my half day and Id be at the cinema with Helen, the farmers daughter I was courting. On that return visit, Clancy was seen by Siegfrieds younger brother Tristan who gave him yet more of the white medicine and was vague when Siegfried later questioned us both about what our examinations had disclosed. Well now, lets see. Tristan rubbed his chin. He looked pretty lively, really. Is that all? Yes . . . yes . . . I think so. Siegfried turned to me. And how about you, James? What were your findings? Well, I said. I must say I thought the same as Tristan he did look pretty lively. God help us, said Siegfried wearily. You, James, a veterinary surgeon of two years experience and you, Tristan, a final year student, cant come up with anything better between you than pretty lively. Hardly a worthy description of clinical findings is it? He decided to visit Joe and see the dog for himself and afterwards I was fairly confident that he would have something to say, if only to point out the benefits of a thorough clinical examination. But he was silent on the subject. It happened that I came upon old Joe in the market place sauntering over the cobbles with Clancy inevitably trotting at his heels. Mr Farnon fixed him up, then? I shouted. Aye, gave him some more of the white medicine. Hes a clever man, Mr Farnon Ive niver seen a man work as fast, no I havent. And as this exclusive reprint reveals around 50 years after it was first published, his magical work is still able to warm a nations hearts in this darkest of times What do you mean? Well now Ill tell ye. As he came in he was pullin his thermometer out of its case. Clancy was lyin by the fire and he rose up in a flash and he gave a bit of a wuff, so he did. A bit of a wuff, eh? I could imagine the hairy monster leaping up and baying into Siegfrieds face. I could see the gaping jaws, the gleaming teeth. Aye, just a bit of a wuff. Well, Mr Farnon just put the thermometer straight back in its case, turned round and went out the door. Nothing more was said for over a week, but it must have niggled at Siegfried because he arranged for Joe to bring Clancy back in when all three of us were there to handle him. On the appointed afternoon, nobody else came in at all and it added to the tension of waiting. We mooched about, glancing with studied carelessness into the front street and consulting our watches every 30 seconds, then at exactly 2.30pm Siegfried spoke up. Right. I told Joe to be here before half past and were not waiting any longer. You and I, James, have got that colt to cut and you, Tristan, have to see that beast of Wilsons. Lets be off. Until then, Laurel and Hardy were the only people I had ever seen getting jammed together in doorways but the three of us gave a passable imitation of the famous comics as we all fought our way into the street at the same time. It wasnt until Siegfried and I had reached the outskirts of the town that we saw Joe. He had just left his house with Clancy as always bringing up the rear. There he is! Siegfried exclaimed. At the rate hes going hell get to the surgery around three oclock. Well we wont be there and its his own fault. He looked at the great curly-coated animal tripping along, a picture of health and energy. Well, I suppose wed have been wasting our time examining that dog in any case. Theres nothing really wrong with him. For a moment he paused, lost in thought, then he turned to me. He does look pretty lively, doesnt he? Thank heaven for the infinite variety of veterinary practice. One afternoon, after a bull had pinned me against a partition and nearly crushed the life out of me, I needed something small and harmless to deal with and relief spread over my face as I consulted my list of visits. Mrs Tompkin, 14, Jasmine Terrace. Clip budgies beak. As I was led into Mrs Tompkins cramped living room by Mrs Dodds, a neighbour who kept an eye on her, the old lady nodded and smiled at me. Poor little feller cant hardly eat with is long beak and Im worried about him. Hes me only companion, you know. I looked at the cage by the window with the green budgie perched inside. These little birds can be wonderful company when they start chattering. She laughed. Aye, but its a funny thing. Peter never has said owt much. I think hes lazy! But I just like havin him with me. Come on, Peter, I wheedled. As I lifted him out I felt in my pocket with the other hand for the clippers, but as I poised them I stopped. The tiny head was no longer poking cheekily from my fingers but had fallen loosely to one side. The eyes were closed. I stared at the bird uncomprehendingly for a moment then opened my hand. He lay quite motionless on my palm. He was dead. I hadnt squeezed him or been rough with him in any way. It must have been sheer fright. The neighbour and I looked at each other in horror and I drew her to one side. Mrs Dodds, how much does she see? Oh shes very short-sighted, she said. Shes hard of hearin, too. Well look, I said, my heart pounding. If I tell her about this the shock will be terrible. Do you know where I can get another budgie? Three minutes later, at her suggestion, I was knocking at the door of Jack Almond, president of the Darrowby and Houlton Cage Bird Society. James Herriot's books have entertained thousands of Britons for generations Have you got a green budgie? I asked breathlessly. The stout, shirt-sleeved Mr Almond drew himself up with dignity. Ahve got canaries, budgies, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos . . . I just want a budgie. Well ahve got Albinos, Blue-greens, Barreds, Lutinos . . . I just want a green one. A slightly pained expression flitted across his face but he led me through to the backyard and a long shed containing a bewildering variety of birds. Theres a nice little green un here. But hes a bit older than tothers. Matter of fact Ive got im talkin. All the better, just the thing. How much? He pursed his lips in frustration then shrugged his shoulders. Ten bob. Right. Bung him in this cage. Mrs Tompkin smiled at me as I returned. That wasnt a long job, Mr Herriot. No, I said, hanging the cage with the new bird back up by the window. I think youll find all is well. It was months before I dared put my hand into a budgies cage again, or to go back to Mrs Tompkins, but one day I dropped in on impulse. In the living room the cage still hung by the window and Peter the Second took a look at me, then put on a little act for my benefit; he hopped around the bars of the cage, ran up and down his ladder and rang his bell a couple of times before returning to his perch. You know, you wouldnt believe it, his mistress said. Hes like a different bird. I swallowed. Is that so? In what way? Well hes so active now. Lively as can be. You know e chatters to me all day long. Its wonderful what cuttin a beak can do. Mr Handshaw didnt believe a word I was saying. He looked down at his cow and his mouth tightened into a stubborn line. Broken pelvis? Youre trying to tell me shell never get up nmore?! Ill tell you this, young man me dad wouldve soon got her up if hed been alive today. The creature was suffering from milk fever, a calcium deficiency attacking just after calving and leading to collapse and coma. The modern calcium injections I had given her normally meant one could bask in a cheap glory, having jerked an animal back from imminent death. But although the improvement in this cow had been obvious when I injected her three days previously, she was still unable to get to her feet. Now the conversation between Mr Handshaw and I was being witnessed by a wide-eyed ring of his neighbouring farmers. They had come to help us lift the cow and when that failed he had come up with another suggestion. Me dad used to say a strange dog would allus get a cow up. There had been murmurs of assent from the assembled farmers and immediate offers of dogs. I tried to point out that one would be enough but my authority had dwindled and it seemed only minutes before the byre was alive with snapping, snarling curs and the finest dog fight I had ever seen. As I watched helplessly a total stranger tugged at my sleeve and whispered: Hasta tried a teaspoonful of Jeyes Fluid in a pint of old beer every two hours? It seemed that all the forces of black magic were engulfing me, but then the cow shifted her position slightly and above the din I somehow heard a creaking sound coming from her pelvis. It took me some time to attract attention I think everybody had forgotten I was there but finally I had the stage and requested hot water and soap so that I could examine her internally. It was as I had feared. Its hopeless, Im afraid, I told Mr Handshaw. The only thing you can do is get her off to the butcher. That was when he really blew his top, delivering the lengthy speech about what his dad would have done. At the end, I took myself off. There was nothing more I could do and I firmly believed that time would prove me right, but the next day I had a phone call from Mr Handshaw. James Herriot's best selling series of books were turned into a drama series by the BBC Is that Mr Herriot? Aye, well, good mornin to you. Im just ringing to tell you that me cows up on her legs and doing fine. I gripped the receiver tightly with both hands. What? Whats that you say? And you said shed never get up nmore. Well, I just happened to remember another old trick of me dads. I put a fresh-killed sheep skin on her back and had her up in no time. Blindly I made my way into the dining-room. I had to consult Siegfried about this. Hard luck, James, he said. The old sheepskin eh? You know it has a grain of sense behind it, like a lot of these old remedies. Theres a lot of heat generated under a fresh sheep skin and if a cow is lying there out of sheer cussedness shell often get up just to get rid of it. But damn it, how about the broken pelvis? I tell you it was creaking and wobbling all over the place! Well, James, youre not the first to have been caught that way. Sometimes the pelvic ligaments dont tighten up for a few days after calving and you get this effect. Oh God, I moaned. What a bloody mess Ive made of the whole thing. Oh, you havent really. Siegfried lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. This sort of thing happens to us all, so forget it, James. But forgetting wasnt so easy. That cow became a celebrity in the district. Mr Handshaw showed her with pride to the postman, the policeman, corn merchants and fertiliser salesmen. And they all told me about it frequently with pleased smiles. His speech was always the same, delivered, they said, in ringing, triumphant tones: Theres the cow that Mr Herriot said would never get up nmore! Nobody could blame him for preening himself a little. And in a way I did that cow a good turn because Mr Handshaw kept her long beyond her normal working period just as an exhibit. Years after she had stopped giving more than a couple of gallons of milk a day she was still grazing happily in the field by the roadside. She had one curiously upturned horn and was easy to recognise. I often pulled up my car and looked wistfully over the wall at the cow that would never get up nmore. Google, the worlds most used search engine, has introduced a page aimed at collecting documents and information relating to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Vietnamese. Users can follow address www.Google.com/Covid19 to stay updated with information provided by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. The address www.Google.com/Covid19 now allows users to stay updated with information provided by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. The page also contains information about easy and effective preventive measures that users can take to combat the COVID-19. Moreover, as a response to the social distancing order implemented by the Vietnamese government to halt the spread of the COVID-19, the YouTube Google Vietnam channel has changed its display picture to mark the launch of the campaign #StayHome #WithMe. The YouTube Google Vietnam channel has changed its display picture to mark the launch of the campaign #StayHome #WithMe. This change calls on all YouTube creators unite in a bid to encourage Vietnamese people to follow social distancing protocol and to help alleviate boredom when they remain at home. YouTube creators are to use the hashtags #StayHome and #WithMe on their videos as a means of giving motivation to viewers whilst joining them to get through the social distancing period in a positive way. VOV Coronavirus: Apple and Google team up to contact trace Covid-19 The two companies plan to add contact tracing to their operating systems so no extra apps are needed. Following a 5-2 City Council vote on April 13, the city of Pearland is set to begin a plan to recoup approximately $6 million in unbilled water consumption over the next two years. The plan, which is characterized by 32-day meter reading cycles and 30-day billing cycles, will begin after April 25, said Jon Branson, one of Pearlands assistant city managers. The first bill under the new system will be issued in July. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Water billing mess has Pearland scrambling to plug $6 million budget gap Labeled the 32/30 plan, it will be in effect until all money due from the citys approximately 38,000 water customers is paid in late 2022. During that time, no customers will be double-billed in a single month, no late or delinquent fees will be charged and no ones water will be shut off. Once the money is collected in full, the city will read meters monthly on roughly the same day each month. Additionally, and at the urging of some council members, residents who wish to pay what they owe in full rather than adhere to the 32/20 plan will be able to do so. They must make their request by July 1, and the city will work with them to settle their balance. However, Branson cautioned those who choose to go that route. MORE FROM CARISSA LAMKAHOUAN: Plan to resolve Pearland water billing woes gets preliminary OK Its a manual process thats outside of our normal billing process; so there is potential for error, he said, while adding he is comfortable city staff will get it right. Councilman Trent Perez said giving residents that option is the right move. Lets go ahead and try to accommodate them individually, he said. The unbilled water consumption problem stems from a city move in summer 2018 to standardize the meter-reading cycle to an average of 28 days after discovery that some customers meters werent being read until after more than 32 days had lapsed. Since the billing was not changed from a once-a-month cycle, a gap developed between water usage and billing that increased over time up to 60 days for some residents. MORE FROM CARISSA LAMKAHOUAN: Pearland council wants payment flexibility for water customers hit by botched billings The lag dates back to 2018, notably draining revenue from the city last year from June to September. City officials did not immediately realize the decrease in revenues were tied to billing as opposed to a decline in water consumption. The issue was discovered via audit late last year. One of those voting against the councils decision was Gary Moore, who is running for mayor in the now-delayed November election. He said he was hesitant to move forward until there was an audit or full review of the citys water billing system. Weve gotta get this cleaned up and build back trust with the residents that were billing them correctly and our systems are working correctly, he said, adding he could not vote yes to recouping the money if he didnt know exactly how much was owed. City staff members have estimated the amount owed to be at around $6 million but indicated they could get an exact number to council by the end of the week. However, Councilman Trent Perez said the city has already lost trust with some of its residents and argued delaying the decision would only increase how much back pay is owed. For each meeting that we dont take action that number is going to grow, he said. At this point, we really need to move forward with a solution. The other council member who voted against the decision, Tony Carbone, worried the citys business community, which is already suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic, would be hit particularly hard playing catch up on past water usage, even as the plan calls for customers to be billed over the next two years. Councilman J. David Little asked how the city plans to recoup the owed money from people who move out of Pearland. Branson said, in those cases, the customers account would be closed and the water billing system would charge them for everything they owed and they would have to pay the entire amount. Moving forward, Branson said city staff will continue to update the council on the payback plans progress, including any potential issues that might crop up along the way. He said the city can also quickly execute a review of its water billing system if the council wishes. Photo credit: NBC - Getty Images From Seventeen Get ready for the ultimate Disney sing-along that you have been waiting for. Some of the biggest names in music and our fave celebs are getting together to sing some of the greatest Disney songs in history to help raise money for coronavirus relief efforts. Not only that, but the entire High School Musical cast is also getting together for the huge event and you definitely don't want to miss that! Here's everything you need to know about The Disney Family Sing-Along and how you can tune in to watch. Who is going to be a part of The Disney Family Sing-Along? So many big names are going to be a part of this special including Teen Beach Movie and To All the Boys 2 star Jordan Fisher, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and more! Check out some of the announced performances below: "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella Demi Lovato and Michael Buble "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins Little Big Town "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, with a special appearance by Julianne Hough "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King Christina Aguilera "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas Tori Kelly "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" from Frozen Thomas Rhett "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin James Monroe Iglehart with Broadway Company of Disneys Aladdin "Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast Josh Gad, Luke Evans and Alan Menken "How Far Ill Go" from Moana Aulii Cravalho "I Wont Say Im In Love" from Hercules Ariana Grande "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book Darren Criss "Ill Make A Man Out Of You" from Mulan Donny Osmond "Its a Small World" John Stamos "Let It Go" from Frozen Amber Riley "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book Erin Andrews, Bobby Bones, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marcus Scribner "Under The Sea" from The Little Mermaid Jordan Fisher "Youve Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story Josh Groban Story continues Plus, it's already been confirmed that the High School Musical cast will be reuniting, thanks to some help from director Kenny Ortega, to perform "We're All In This Together". The casts of Descendants, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Zombies will also join in on the performance, along with some of your favorite TikTok stars like Charli D'Amelio. How can I watch The Disney Family Sing-Along? The special will be airing on ABC starting at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT on Thursday, April 16. Fans can check it out using their cable provider or by using a login on ABC.com. If you don't have cable, don't worry. While you won't be able to tune into the special live, it will be added on YouTube and Twitter later on for you to watch. You Might Also Like WASHINGTON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- During the COVID-19 crisis, children, particularly girls, are among the most vulnerable due to cultural and gender norms, as well as reduced access to healthcare and education, warns Plan International. The organization is repurposing programs in more than 75 countries and is mobilizing funds and resources to protect the most vulnerable populations from the direct and latent impact of the virus. "The COVID-19 infection does not care about gender. But society does," said Dr. Tessie San Martin, President & CEO of Plan International USA. "How society sees and treats genderthe spoken and unspoken, conscious and unconscious biases that gender norms createput girls at higher risk of contracting the virus. These biases also affect how the actual response to the pandemic is designed and executed, potentially creating further risks and exacerbating inequalities that existed before the pandemic." An estimated 740 million girls have been forced out of education due to COVID-19 and families are facing profound economic setbacks that will have great influence on the life of children and girls. "The financial impact of the pandemic is huge. Some parents are marrying off their daughters," said Astar, 18, from Senegal. While the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, Plan is drawing upon 80 years of experience advancing children and girls' rights to help prevent transmission of the virus in vulnerable communities, particularly in refugee camps and among displaced populations. The risks to children and girls are particularly high in these settings. Plan has seen a number of crises and brings its cumulative experience from each to coordinate a global COVID-19 response by: Scaling up its multimedia COVID-19 awareness campaign to promote hygiene and hand-washing in communities worldwide. Supporting remote education, including virtual learning and supply of home-based learning material, by working with education ministries and other partners. Promoting social protection structures such as safe shelters and helplines for vulnerable girls and women to report violence. Ensuring access to menstrual hygiene supplies and age-appropriate health information for adolescent girls. Providing cash support to at least 100,000 vulnerable households to address loss of livelihoods. Plan is working with teachers, parents, health care providers and partners to ensure children, particularly adolescent girls, get the support they need during and after this crisis. "With the growing spread of COVID-19, we need to not only respond to the immediate needs of girls, but we should also remember not to leave them behind," continues Dr. San Martin. "The only way forward is together because unless everyone is protected from the virus, no one is safe." Donate to Plan International's COVID-19 appeal and find out more about our response here. (Plan International experts are available for media interviews) About Plan International USA Powered by supporters, Plan International USA partners with adolescent girls, young women and children around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality, providing the support and resources that are unique to their needs and the needs of their communities, ensuring they achieve their full potential with dignity, opportunity and safety. Founded in 1937, Plan is an independent development and humanitarian organization that is active in more than 80 countries. For more information, please visit PlanUSA.org. SOURCE Plan International USA In the Easter Message and before the Urbi et Orbi blessing, Pope Francis admonishes the international community, calling on all not to allow "fear and death" prevail, instead of the "the Lord Jesus". He remembers the victims of the pandemic, he urges greater support for doctors and nurses. No to international sanctions; cancel or reduce the debt of poor countries. Europe must find unity. Yes to a global ceasefire; no to arms trafficking. "A stable and lasting solution" for Israelis and Palestinians and for the whole Middle East. He also remembers the "populations in Asia and Africa who are experiencing serious humanitarian crises". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "This is not the time of indifference", "for self-centeredness", "for division", "for forgetfulness": " are not words we want to hear at this time. We want to ban these words for ever! They seem to prevail when fear and death overwhelm us, that is, when we do not let the Lord Jesus triumph in our hearts and lives. Thus Pope Francis admonished the Church, politicians, all humanity with his Easter message on the day of Jesus' resurrection, shortly before giving the Urbi et Orbi blessing (to the city of Rome and to the world). This rite which usually takes place from the balcony of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica - was also subject to the limitations due to the rules against the spread of the pandemic: the blessing and the Message were proclaimed by the Altar of Confession, inside the basilica. Previously, at the Altar of the Chair, the pontiff had celebrated mass, together with a few ministers and a few faithful, in a basilica echoing with empty naves (see photo). Not "an Easter of solitude" Faced with the "epochal challenges" and "a pandemic severely testing our whole human family", the Pope recalled the announcement of the Church: Christ, my hope, is risen! "A different contagion, which is transmitted from heart to heart," " the contagion of hope ". Francis first thought was towards to the many who have been directly affected by the coronavirus: the sick, those who have died and family members who mourn the loss of their loved ones, to whom, in some cases, they were unable even to bid a final farewell", to " who are especially vulnerable, such as persons who work in nursing homes, or live in barracks and prisons ". Confronted with the "physical suffering" and the "economic problems" that the pandemic is causing, confronted with an "Easter of solitude", the Pope announces that the resurrection of Christ does not by-pass suffering and death, but passes through them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good: this is the unique hallmark of the power of God. Although because of the pandemic, the faithful cannot approach the Eucharist and reconciliation, Francis stressed that the Lord "has laid his hand upon us (cf. Ps 138:5), firmly reassuring us: Do not be afraid, I have risen and I am with you still!. This comfort is addressed in particular to doctors and nurses, "to doctors and nurses, who everywhere offer a witness of care and love for our neighbors, to the point of exhaustion and not infrequently at the expense of their own health", as well as to all those who guarantee "essential services necessary for civil society". "This is not the time ..." Then followed four strong exhortations to the world community. First of all: " because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic ". And the pope asks for attention to the poor, to those who lack basic necessities, medicines, health care. For this reason, he asked that "international sanctions" be eased "on the countries affected (such as Syria and Iran), and a cancelation or reduction of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest nations. "This is not the time for self-centeredness," he said in a second strong exhortation, addressing "a special thought to Europe". After asking that the rivalries of the past not re-emerge today, he added: " The European Union is presently facing an epochal challenge, on which will depend not only its future but that of the whole world. Let us not lose the opportunity to give further proof of solidarity, also by turning to innovative solutions. The only alternative is the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations." In the third exhortation, "this is not the time for divisions", the pontiff calls for "an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. This is not a time for continuing to manufacture and deal in arms, spending vast amounts of money that ought to be used to care for others and save lives." The Pope particularly remembered the situations in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, invoking "a stable and lasting solution" for Israelis and Palestinians, Ukraine, several African countries afflicted by terrorism. The fourth exhortation, "this is not the time of forgetfulness", pushes us not to forget the " all those in Asia and Africa who are experiencing grave humanitarian crises. He particularly remembers Mozambique, migrants and refugees, "especially in Libya and on the border between Greece and Turkey", those of the island of Lesbos, Venezuela, so that "concrete and immediate solutions" can be reached. Dear brothers and sisters - he concluded - Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time. We want to ban these words forever! They seem to prevail when fear and death overwhelm us, that is, when we do not let the Lord Jesus triumph in our hearts and lives. May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end." And he wished everyone a Happy Easter. The Member of Parliament for the Abetifi Constituency, Bryan Acheampong has donated GHS 821,000 to 7 constituencies and health facilities in the Eastern Region. Making the donation at the Rock City Hotel in Nkwatia Kwahu, the lawmaker underscored that the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic is a global one, which needed all hands on deck. He emphasized that giving to those in need is not charity, it's humanity. The donation which included 107,000 pieces of Hand Sanitizers at the tune of GHS481,000.00; an amount of GHS20,000.00 to each of the 7 beneficiary district hospitals and a sum of GHS200,000.00 as a regional Contingency Fund for other hospitals in the region. The constituencies that benefited from the gesture were Afram Plains North, Afram Plains South and Abirem. The rest are Mpraeso, Nkawkaw, Abetifi and Suhum. Mr. Acheampong indicated that this is to support the constituencies in the fight against the pandemic. Each constituency received 15,000 Hand Sanitizers. The New Abirem Government Hospital, Atibie Government Hospitial, Suhum Government Hospital, Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital, Donkorkrom Presby Hospital, Afram Plains South District Clinics and Kwahu East District Clinics received an amount of GHS20,000.00 each for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs). The Abetifi MP also set up a GHS200,000.00 Regional Contingency Fund to support the remaining hospitals and health centers across the region. Receiving the items at the Rock City Hotel in Nkwatia in the Kwahu East district, the elated constituency representatives and officials of the health facilities thanked Hon. Bryan Acheampong for the gesture. The energetic Minister of State took the opportunity to thank the frontline health workers for their hard work during this pandemic. Ghanas COVID-19 case count has risen to 566. This comes after the Ghana Health Service confirmed 158 new cases. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A succession of international appeals has urged the need to see the universal challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic as an invitation to allow reason to prevail in order to bring to a halt the futile warfare in Libya, Syria, Yemen and other conflict zones in the Middle East. If asolidarity is what ordinary societies need now more than ever to fight the lethal virus and then struggle to resume normal life, war torn societies will require even greater collective resolve and more determined steps to achieve peace before it is too late. Most recently, the UN secretary general and his Middle East envoys called on all concerned parties to engage, in good faith and without preconditions, on negotiating immediate halts to ongoing hostilities, sustaining existing ceasefires, putting in place more durable and comprehensive ceasefires, and achieving longer-term resolutions to the persistent conflicts across the region. The appeal needs to be followed through immediately with practical steps undertaken by the UN in coordination with major powers in order staunch the bloodshed and halt the squandering of vast sums of money and resources on conflicts in the Middle East. In this regard, the Arab Coalitions recent ceasefire initiative in Yemen is a step in the right direction. Channels for dialogue, negotiation, mediation and other peaceful means to reduce tensions and resolve disputes may not always be immediately within reach, but the perpetuation of the pandemic and the spectre of the total collapse of health and security systems in societies already afflicted by conflict do offer a platform for international groups and mechanisms to set to work to reach peaceful settlements on new foundations that prioritise humanitarian concerns in the available options. Without effective communication across the divides of conflict, no effective challenge can be mounted to halt the spread of the mysterious virus and it will be impossible to share already scarce resources in societies torn by civil war and strife. There are urgent priorities that need to be observed in conflict zones. These include enabling medical and relief teams to reach internally displaced persons, refugees, civilian communities under siege and other intended beneficiaries among the victims of the destruction and deprivation caused by war. Another urgent priority is the need to facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes through urgent, effective and meaningful measures, as the UN envoys to the Middle East called for in their recent message. The need to rise above narrow disputes and conflicts may be a difficult goal to attain in a short time, but the key players in the conflicts in this region have the power to bring conflicting parties to the negotiating table and to encourage them to reach out to each other in order to work together in what has been described the real battle for humankind. The longer international powers continue to ignore ongoing conflicts in the Middle East on the grounds that they are too preoccupied with the fight against Covid-19 at home, the greater the risks that this failure will rebound against them. This applies, in particular, to Europe in the event of a massive health crisis in the Middle East which could trigger higher rates of refugees fleeing the claws of death due to the lack of effective health barriers against the lethal virus in their already crisis-gripped societies. Today, the world has the best available opportunity to put an end to the decade of bloodshed that has ravaged Yemen, Libya and Syria, even if some remain blinded by the pursuit of partisanship and narrow interests, preventing them from rising to the responsibility of the real battle against a relentless enemy that threatens all humankind. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Loop Insights Inc. (MTRX.V) (the "Company" or "Loop")-a provider of transformative artificial intelligence solutions to brick and mortar retailers- announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and intends to enter into a joint venture partnership, with Frontier Technology to access the lucrative Indonesian retail market. Frontier Technology's large network of clients opens up doors to several large-scale industries, including healthcare, convenience and retail chains, restaurant and hospitality chains, and smart city projects. Loop expects several revenue streams from these large-scale possibilities. In this market, Loop's re-seller distribution model will ensure the company is positioned for fast scalability, while maintaining an agile and low-cost operating structure. Its revenue share business model will also ensure a very strong, consistent revenue flow. With Indonesia's expanding population of nearly 256 million, Loop anticipates high engagement with the rapidly growing mobile-friendly market; and therefore, a high ARPU (average revenue per user) opportunity. Frontier Technology CEO Victor Rindanaung said: "Our clients are in search of transformative, cloud-based solutions-Covid-19 has turned this into an immediate need. Loop has demonstrated to us that their products offer our clients a low-cost, high-return solution to future proof their business. Loop's contactless ID verification platform and wallet pass technology is particularly disruptive, and we are very excited to bring it to the Indonesian market together." IDC (International Data Corporation) Indonesia sees 2020 as a major year for ICT spending as digital transformation awareness is increasing. The information technology (IT) spending alone, excluding communication spending, is expected to reach US$11.9 billion in 2020. Loop Insights CEO Rob Anson commented: "Loop is 100% focused on the execution and deployment of our products on a global scale. We intend to fully support and leverage Frontier Technology's network of clients to gain instant traction in the Indonesian market-one that is very mobile-driven and hosts a large population of users. This opportunity with Frontier Technology is a major development for Loop and marks the first of many global partnerships to come." Story continues About Frontier Technology: Frontier Technology, a division of the Frontier Consulting Group, connects clients to innovative technologies to increase sales and achieve growth targets. The Company is experiencing rapid expansion in Indonesia due to its founders' (Handi Irawan and Fandy Santoso) strong reputations in the industry-and is on its way to becoming the leading provider of digital marketing solutions in Asia. About Loop Insights: Loop Insights Inc. (MTRX.V) is a Vancouver-based technology company that provides transformative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to level the playing field between brick and mortar retailers and their online competition. Particularly, Loop's technology aggregates online and on-premise data to enable real-time, data-driven marketing decisions for enhanced customer experience. To close the consumer loop, the Company provides retailers and brands complete, real-time redemption metrics-something that does not exist in the brick and mortar environment today. Loop's products integrate with clients' existing legacy systems, which supports a seamless and convenient digital transformation. LOOP Insights Inc. Soy Garipoglu, Manager, IR T: 778-990-8985 E: ir@loopinsights.ca CHF Capital Markets Cathy Hume, CEO T: 416-868-1079 x 231 E: cathy@chfir.com LOOP Website: www.loopinsights.ai Facebook: @ LoopInsights Twitter: @ LoopInsights LinkedIn: @ LoopInsights Forward-Looking Statements/Information: This news release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Loop's control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and competition from other industry participants, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Loop believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Loop does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of Loop should be considered highly speculative. There can be no assurance that Loop will be able to achieve all or any of its proposed objectives. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: LOOP Insights Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584974/Loop-Insights-Expands-Into-the-Indonesian-Market-as-Part-of-Its-Global-Outreach-Program The future of Wasabi is in doubt after accounts showed it was fighting for survival even before the pandemic. The chain of Japanese restaurants, which employs 1,700 staff, has been closed in line with the Government lockdown. In its most recent accounts, its parent company revealed losses of more than 15million over the last two years. It also revealed it has to repay bank loans of 25million in the next two years. In a pickle: The Wasabi chain of Japanese restaurants, which employ 1,700 staff, has been closed in line with the Government lockdown The accounts, released at the end of March, have raised concerns it will be the next casualty, saying there is significant doubt over the companys ability to continue as a going concern. Its plight comes as restaurants, pubs and cafes were told they would have to remain closed for at least another three weeks. Carluccios and Mexican chain Chiquito quickly fell into administration after the lockdown, and it is thought that other brands, many of which are owned by private equity firms, may not survive. Wasabi has more than 50 branches in the UK. In the year to December 2018, it lost 8.5million, compared to 7.1million for the previous year, despite turnover up to 106million from 115million. Yesterday celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi called for a six-month time-out on rent and commercial landlord mortgages to protect Britains restaurant industry. He said: Restaurants are one of the backbones of the economy and a cultural institution. Michael Dykes, DVM, is president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, a trade group in Washington that works for dairy cooperatives, dairy processors and food retailers. By Michael Dykes | Special to Syracuse.com The COVID-19 crisis has thrust food and agriculture into uncharted territory and put our workers on the front line of one of the most critical battles in the history of the United States. Vice President Mike Pence said it best last week during a White House press briefing: Some of the most important people are working in the food supply. From the farmers, to the ranchers, to our processors, to our distributors, to our truckers, to our grocers. Americans are keeping food on the table for our fellow Americans. To all of the hard-working people working in food supply today, thank you. Thank you for showing up to work every day. In mid-March, President Donald Trump outlined who is considered an essential or critical worker: If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule. Workers in these industries are taking this special responsibility seriously, ensuring public health and safety, safeguarding our economy, and protecting our national security. Since the president and the Department of Homeland Security made that declaration, most state governments have followed suit by designating food industry workers as essential or critical to state and local economies as we battle the coronavirus pandemic. In New York, food manufacturing workers are recognized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as essential, alongside farmers and those working in our food banks, food retail outlets, and in food transportation, among others. Before COVID-19 hit, the food industry supported 2.3 million jobs and $138 billion in wages in New York. The states dairy industry is a small but important piece of the pie, and those working in dairy or related industries are now struggling just to make ends meet. The essential workers who care for, feed, and protect Americans are selflessly serving even as they face challenges including lack of childcare, transportation, health concerns and exhaustion. These workers deserve more than a pat on the back they deserve government assistance that is equal to the importance of their work. While the service of our public health professionals, first responders and public safety employees is unquestioned, we must also adequately recognize the service of food industry workers who protect our food security. It is for good reason that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Americans stay home. But for those working in our food industry, this precaution is not an option. Their work is necessary and their sacrifices are great. They cannot care for their families at home. They are forced to make arrangements for children who are no longer able to attend school or daycare. They are interacting with the public or their colleagues each day. They are warriors, and the federal government should recognize their work in the next coronavirus relief package negotiated by Congress in the coming days. As Sen. Chuck Schumer said last week, No proposal will be complete without addressing the needs of our essential workers by giving them hazard pay. Whatever Congress calls it, the federal government should stand by these workers, whether by exempting their pay from federal taxes with immediate adjustments to withholdings or by providing direct payments. Our government has declared food industry workers as essential, and now is the time to recognize their effort with real, tangible government assistance. To the many employees showing up to work for Americas essential critical industries each day through this outbreakthank you. You have our deepest gratitude and deserve to be compensated. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Will schools reopen in New York state this academic year? Its doubtful Closures, bankruptcies possible as coronavirus cripples CNY hospitals, experts warn Social distancing in CNY: Hundreds of calls, police try to teach people to obey crackdown Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Leaders of a local church and state officials spent part of the Easter weekend wrangling over how public health orders would affect places of worship. Legacy Church, which has about 20,000 members, filed a complaint late Saturday against the state and Kathyleen Kunkel, the secretary of the Department of Health, after state officials said houses of worship were no longer exempt from a public health order banning large gatherings. The federal court filing seeks a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction against state orders prohibiting people from gathering at churches and other places of worship in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Though Legacy is not holding in-person services, the churchs online production requires about 30 people in the building, including the pastor, the band and others involved with production, Pastor Steve Smothermon said. That puts the church at odds with state orders to limit gatherings to no more than five people. But Smothermon said that the size of the church, which can hold about 2,500 people, gives them ample space to adequately social distance from one another. Were not trying to; were doing it, Smothermon said of social distancing. The Governors Office announced just before 5 p.m. Saturday that houses of worship were no longer exempt from state public health orders limiting large gatherings. The order doesnt stop churches from holding services through audiovisual means. But Smothermon said attorneys from the church and Health Department couldnt reach a consensus late Saturday about how many people would be allowed into the church to produce the Easter service. Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the order only bars places from bringing together more than five people into a space where they are within 6 feet of one another. That language is what must be abided by. I cant say whether or not the folks at Legacy Church actually read the order, Meyers Sackett said. At the end of the day, the most important thing is minimizing person-to-person contact in order to save lives. If someone values production quality over public health, I dont know what to tell them. And she said the orders specifically allow for churches to continue online services, and that the governor has encouraged as much. There are countless congregations already live streaming services for their congregations, doing so within the public health and safety boundaries of the expanded public health order, which the governor applauds and encourages, she said. Smothermon said Legacy Church learned of the announcement after 7 p.m. when wrapping up recording that evenings services. Church officials then worked with Gregg Schmedes, a Republican state representative from Tijeras, to file legal action against the state. I understand the tremendous social and spiritual burden this places on New Mexicans, but ultimately, we must do everything we can to limit the spread of COVID-19, including being absolutely clear that mass gatherings of any type are not permitted in houses of worship, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in a prepared statement Saturday. Legacy went ahead with its planned Sunday service. And Smothermon said about 30 people were in attendance when it was recorded. So now Im a criminal, he said. Smothermon said his church plans to continue having only online services and continue practicing social distancing. For example, members of the band were spaced more than six feet from one another onstage. Legacys injunction argues that the public health orders violate the churchs First Amendment rights. It is seeking an order temporarily and permanently stopping the state from prohibiting people to gather at any church. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge James Browning. Attorneys for the church and the Health Department had a conference call with Browning on Monday, according to court documents. Both sides indicated on the phone call that they would be willing to reach a compromise. Church attorneys said the church would continue to turn parishioners away and have only online services. The state said an agreement could be reached but raised concerns about the church trying to operate as an essential business, according to the clerks minutes of the phone call. She said the State Fairs focus is on hope, and a return to normalcy. Parr said that is rooted in our knowledge and understanding of Nebraskans and the strength we have working together. We are certain Nebraskans will rally once given the all clear and we know there will be a strong desire to connect with old friends, new acquaintances and at events that bring together people from across the state, Parr said. This is your Nebraska State Fair. Parr said plans are being made today for the 151st Nebraska State Fair, to be held Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. This is the 11th fair in Grand Island and one that, I believe, attendees will be hungry to attend, Parr said. Our focus on working together and being together has a very special element and is the reason for our announcement today. Beth Smith, chair of the Nebraska State Fair Board, said, The COVID-19 pandemic had such an impact on the first half of 2020. While it separated people physically, it also reminded all of us of what is really important family and togetherness, Smith said. Thousands of garment workers who produce items for top Western fast fashion brands protested against unpaid wages in Bangladesh's streets Monday, saying they were more afraid of starving than contracting coronavirus. Bangladesh's apparel factories account for some 84 percent of the country's $40 billion export sector, which is facing its worst crisis in decades after retailers including H&M, Walmart and Tesco cancelled orders because of the pandemic. Protesting workers say many factories have not paid them after the orders were cut. Workers shouted slogans such as "we want our wages" and "break the black hands of the owners" as they blocked roads despite a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the deadly disease. "We are afraid of the coronavirus. We heard a lot of people are dying of this disease," protesting worker Sajedul Islam, 21, told AFP. A road blocked by protesters in Dhaka. Bangladesh has announced $590 million in loans for export-oriented factories to pay workers / AFP "But we don't have any choice. We are starving. If we stay at home, we may save ourselves from the virus. But who will save us from starvation?" The lockdown, which started on March 26, also forced the closure of the vast majority of the country's garment factories. "We have not been paid for two months. We are starving," said another protester, who gave her name as Brishti, from the Tex Apparel factory in the capital Dhaka. "If we don't have food in our stomach, what's the use of observing this lockdown?" Some 5,500 workers protested on Monday while 20,000 turned out on Sunday, police inspector Islam Hossain told AFP. "Some workers broke doors and glasses of a factory. But they were largely peaceful," Hossain told AFP. No one was arrested. Bangladesh has announced $590 million in loans for export-oriented factories to pay workers. The South Asian nation is the world's second-biggest garment maker after China, with $35 billion dollars of exports a year. Mumbai: In a shocking development, around 3000-plus stranded migrants from different parts of India crowded near Bandra railway station demanding that they should be given transportation facilities to return to their native places immediately, in Mum Image Source: PK Mumbai, April 14 : As an aghast nation watched more than 3,000 hungry and angry migrant clamouring to go home at Bandra today, a slanging match erupted between the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday. The migrants, including many women and children, from various states, gathered near Bandra in the hope of getting a meal and then catching a train back to their states, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the national lockdown till May 3 - three days more than Maharashtra's shutdown till April 30. Not willing to move, the stunned migrants staged a dharna demanding transportation back home and others started running around, compelling the police to mildly cane them, and after around two hours, Mumbai Police Spokesperson and DCP Pranay Ashok said they had been dispersed and the situation was under control. The police was taken completely unawares by the hordes, which came in small trickles from different directions, pointing to a potential intelligence failure, flouting prohibitory orders and throwing to the winds "social distancing" norms, barely 2 km from the residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Bandra east. Senior police personnel and political leaders like local Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique appealed to them to maintain calm and promised to arrange food-and-shelter for them and raise their issue with the government. Slamming the Modi government at the Centre, Tourism Minister and Sena leader Aditya Thackeray said that "the current situation in Bandra, or even the rioting in Surat, is a result of the Union government not being able to take a call on arranging a way home for the migrant labour. They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home". Later, he appeared to soften up by saying that the migrant issue persists everywhere, the state houses more than 600,000 migrants, provides them with meals, and will continue to ensure all comforts at the migrant camps set up in Maharashtra. He also thanked the Centre for understanding the situation while trying to ensure the safety of the home states of migrants. Nationalist Congress Party's Home Minister Anil Deshmukh breathed fire and blamed Modi for letting down the desperate migrants who were expecting that the PM would make some announcement to facilitate their return home. "The migrant labourers are in large numbers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states. Today they were hoping that the PM would make some announcement which would give them an opportunity to return to their native places," Deshmukh said, adding that nothing of the sort happened, and the PM let them down badly. Congress' Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh said that CM Thackeray had raised with Modi the issue of sending the migrants back home, but the Centre extended the lockdown without addressing the migrants' concerns. In a sharp reaction, former Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said: "This was bound to happen. People have no food to eat, they are prevented from returning to their native villages. For how long can they remain like this? The government's figures are merely on paper. For how long and to how many people can any government keep feeding freely, is there no alternative?" Attacking the Centre, Congress state spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that if the PM had given time to the migrants to return home, they would not have come to the streets like in Mumbai, Delhi, Surat and other places. "The state government can provide them food, but cannot send them to their homes in view of the lockdown," Sawant pointed out. Trade Unions Joint Action Committee Maharashtra Convenor Vishwas Utagi said there are over two million migrants stuck in Mumbai since the March 25 lockdown, besides 3,000 fishermen stranded at Gholvad in south Gujarat. "They have no food, no work, no homes, no transport to go home. How can they survive? The government machinery is not responding to the challenge and this is a human tragedy in other parts of the country also," Utagi said. Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said CM Thackeray addressed the migrants directly, calmed them and assured the state's full support, and "warned those trying to spread rumours and fake news, and the state government would not spare the guilty". However, Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party MP Poonam Mahajan demanded that the state government should make separate planning for the migrants here which it was not doing, resulting in this chaos today. The BJP state Vice-President Kirit Somaiya demanded to know how such a huge crowd could gather, flouting Sec. 144 (the prohibitory orders). "It's a matter of deep concern. What about intelligence, and why today? The state government must treat this incident seriously and modify its schemes to provide food to the migrants," Somaiya said. Countering this, Congress' Sawant accused Somaiya of raking up a aconspiracy' angle without the BJP understanding the plight of the migrants - "Should we say the same (conspiracy) for Surat and Delhi incidents?" Targeting the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government, BJP leader Nitesh Rane said tomorrow, it could be a (migrant) crowd from the Konkan. "It's the anger of the people -- 10 people live in a 10x10 hutment in Mumbai -- they should be given proper food or allowed to return home," Rane demanded. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) The death has occurred of Tom Cosgrove of Mountain View, Dunleer, Louth / Ballinamore, Leitrim Peacefully, at his residence. Predeceased by his father Tommy, mother Rose, brother Liam, Sisters Lily, and beloved son Liam. Sadly missed by his loving wife Mary, daughters Olivia, Jacqueline and Margeret, Grandchildren Sarah, Cormac, Daniel, Bobby and Ellen, sister Rosaleen, sons-in-law Conor and Fintan, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. In keeping with the current Government guidelines, Tom's funeral will be strictly private and streamed on www.dunleerparish.ie/Dunleer Parish Facebook Page. The death has occurred of Raouf (Sean) Malek of Meadow View, Drogheda, Louth Peacefully, after a long illness, in the loving care of all at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; deeply missed by his loving wife Mervat, dearest son George, beloved daughters Joanna and Jessica, brothers, sisters, the Barsoom family and all extended family in Egypt, the Drogheda community and his dear friends within the Egyptian community in Ireland. With regret, a private family funeral will take place due to government advice regarding public gatherings. Know that your love is present, even when you are not. A Memorial Mass for Raouf, to celebrate his life and memory with his loving family and friends, will be held at a later date. The Malek family would like to sincerely thank His Grace Bishop Anthony and the wider Coptic Orthodox Church and community, the healthcare staff of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Home Care Support, for all of their prayers, love and support through recent times. "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go - Joshua 1:9" May he rest in peace. "[U.S.] officials are seriously pursuing the possibility that a natural sample of the virus escaped a laboratory." The question was dismissed as a conspiracy theory in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. But now, some intelligence experts admit they are seriously looking into the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic might have been touched off by an accident at a research facility in China, various news outlets report. "It's definitely a real possibility being bandied about at the high levels of the administration," says one of those quoted experts. Business Insider also reports that intelligence services for the British government are reportedly considering the same possibility. Obligatory reminder: Maybe, but maybe not. We just don't know yet. "After extensive research, scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere have determined that the new strain of the coronavirus discovered in China in December is, as Chinese officials have maintained, of natural origin, but they are taking seriously that its route to human infection may have started in a lab in Wuhan," writes Yahoo News' Jenna McLaughlin: "It's absolutely being looked at very closely at the highest levels," said one intelligence source with knowledge of the investigations. One reason for the suspicion is the lack of information coming from China. Beijing's quick denials of involvement, and the decision to immediately identify the Wuhan Seafood Market as the source, raised eyebrows among some U.S. intelligence officials. "I find it very funny that China very quickly blamed the market," said one recently retired intelligence official. The Chinese government did not respond to multiple requests for comment made through its foreign ministry and its embassy in the U.S. In fact, some of the very first cases of COVID-19 were not linked to the market, and there are a number of important research institutions in Wuhan where infectious diseases are studied. Those include the Wuhan National Biosafety Lab, the first publicly acknowledged lab with the highest biosafety standards; the Wuhan branch of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, home to one of the world's top research groups on bat coronaviruses, where scientists have studied thousands of samples. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which collaborates with researchers and institutions around the world, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is a key site for the Global Virome Project, a global initiative focused on preventing the next pandemic by researching DNA and RNA of viruses in animals that could potentially infect humans. While that group does not typically work with intact virus samples, according to David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, "it is possible" that the researchers could have collected a virus sample from a bat and been researching it within the lab. More: Intelligence officials weigh possibility coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab Exclusive: State Department cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses https://t.co/kgwc21YwBP Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) April 14, 2020 In 2018, U.S. State Dept. science advisors warned China did not have enough properly trained personnel for their new high-security lab working with bat coronaviruses. Cable rec'd more U.S. assistance, which never came. #COVID19 https://t.co/CNDxNrWS4I Brian Vastag (@brianvastag) April 14, 2020 "Sars-like #coronavirus from bats can be transmitted to humans to cause Sars-like diseases..continued surveillance critical..Wuhan lab in China was taking unnecessary risks." This is a dispatch by US Embassy in 2018. Global pandemic follows in 2020.https://t.co/vx71CS3hme Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) April 14, 2020 There are more than 500 young people under the supervision of the state, including in juvenile jails, prisons and other facilities, according to data from state officials. The state Department of Juvenile Services reported that 58 percent of children in juvenile jails and 74 percent in youth prisons or other placements are there for nonviolent felonies, misdemeanors or violations of probation. Forces allied with the UN-supported government in Libya said on Monday they gained control of a key town that served as a base for rival forces launching an offensive on the country's capital. The fight for Tripoli has been raging for nearly a year between military commander Khalifa Hifter's forces, which are allied with a rival government based in eastern Libya, and an array of militias in the west loosely linked to the UN-supported authorities in the capital. The escalation in the fighting comes despite increased international pressure on both sides to halt the violence over concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. Libya reported at least 25 cases of the virus and one fatality. Col. Mohamed Gnounou, a spokesman for the Tripoli-allied forces, said they captured the city of Sabrata, around 75 kilometers (45.5 miles) west of Tripoli. He said on his forces' official Facebook page that they also took the town of Sorman, 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of the capital. There was no immediate comment from Hifter's self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Libya meanwhile condemned an airstrike that hit an ambulance near the western city of Misrata, killing a paramedic. It said the attack was the eighth on health facilities this year. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday said it feared that the coronavirus pandemic would compound the suffering of many Libyan families who were already struggling to meet basic needs amid the conflict. Hifter's forces, which control much of the county, launched an offensive on Tripoli last April. It has led to a military stalemate, killed hundreds of civilians and displaced more than 200,000 people, according to the UN. The chaos in the oil-rich country has worsened in recent months as foreign backers increasingly intervene, despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. Turkey has sent armoured drones, air defenses and more recently Syrian militants with links to extremist groups to prop up the embattled Tripoli government. Russia, meanwhile, has deployed hundreds of mercenaries to boost Hifter's assault. The United Arab Emirates and Egypt also back Hifter with fighter jets, drones and mine-resistant vehicles. BRUSSELS - Maltese Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo, in a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, called for "urgent action in Libya, including aid to avoid a humanitarian disaster, because the situation has further worsened due to COVID-19 and the ongoing civil war". In the letter, Bartolo said there are 650,000 people waiting to leave Libyan coasts. A European Commission spokesperson confirmed that the letter had been received and "will be evaluated". "The situation in Libya is always present in the thoughts of EU high representative Josep Borrell," the spokesperson said, recalling the launch of Operation IRINI. In the letter, Bartolo called on the European Union to immediately launch a humanitarian mission in Libya in order to slow the illegal migrant flow during the coronavirus pandemic. Bartolo proposed that the European mission could distribute food and medical aid totaling at least 100 million euros. He estimated that "more than 650,000 people are waiting to depart Libyan coasts to reach Europe, while the departure rate is speeding up due to the conflict, illness, and lack of basic necessities". He said delivering aid to Libya, and not countries in sub-Saharan Africa that migrants depart from, is "the most rapid way to alleviate and minimise the difficult circumstances in which they are living". In recent days, Malta decided to ban disembarkations on the archipelago, where sea traffic has been blocked since March 10 and the airspace closed a week later. Bartolo's letter was sent as four rubber dinghies with 258 people aboard are adrift off the coast of Libya in Malta's SAR zone and the NGO Sea Watch reported that 85 people went missing after a boat overturned. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump stepped to the lectern Monday on a day when the virus death toll in the United States ticked up past 23,000. He addressed the nation during a period where unemployment claims have shot past 15 million, and lines for food banks stretch on toward the horizon. Yet in the middle of this deadly pandemic that shows no clear signs of abating, the president made clear that the paramount concern for Trump is Trump - his self-image, his media coverage, his supplicants and his opponents, both real and imagined. "Everything we did was right," Trump said, in a sometimes hostile 2 1/2-hour news conference in which he offered a live version of an enemies list, brooking no criticism and repeatedly snapping at reporters who dared to challenge his version of events. Trump has always had a me-me-me ethos, an uncanny ability to insert himself into the center of just about any situation. But Monday's coronavirus briefing offered a particularly stark portrait of a president seeming unable to grasp the magnitude of the crisis - and saying little to address the suffering across the country he was elected to lead. At one point - after praising himself for implementing travel restrictions on China at the end of January and griping about being "brutalized" by the press - Trump paused to boast with a half-smirk: "But I guess I'm doing OK because, to the best of my knowledge, I'm the president of the United States, despite the things that are said." The news conference began when Trump turned to Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease specialist, and asked him to "say a few words before we go any further." With that, Fauci stood and offered a not-quite-apology for comments he made over the weekend to CNN's Jake Tapper, in which he confirmed that he and other health experts had made mitigation recommendations to Trump as early as the third weekend of February and said that earlier mitigation "could have saved lives." On Monday, Fauci tried to walk back his comments, saying he had been responding to a "hypothetical" and had not intended to criticize the president, who he praised for implementing the recommendations of public health officials like himself. "That was the wrong choice of words," said Fauci, whose relationship with the president has been tense at times. One reporter asked him whether he was speaking "voluntarily" or at the behest of the president. "Everything I do is voluntarily," Fauci said. "Please don't even imply that." Next, Trump played a propaganda-style video that he said had been pulled together by White House aides earlier in the day. In a short hagiography more in line with a political event than a presidential news conference, clips critical of the media were interspersed with footage of loyalists praising the president. "The president has been outstanding through all this," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, says in the video. "The vice president has been outstanding. Members of the coronavirus task force very responsive." Since the pandemic began, Trump's almost daily news conferences have increasingly taken on the feel of campaign rallies - a simulacrum for the raucous, Keep-America-Great-fests he has had to forgo amid the global contagion. And on Monday, he brought many of those trademark campaign moments into the briefing room. "You know, I don't mind controversy," Trump said, offering something of a guiding life principle. "I think controversy is a good thing, not a bad thing." He also criticized "sleepy Joe Biden," the presumptive Democratic nominee, because Biden, he said, had previously criticized him, and jousted with the "fake news." Shortly after Trump played the video, CBS's Paula Reid pressed him on how his administration failed to use the month of February to ready itself for the coming virus, after sharply limiting travel from China. "You didn't use it to prepare hospitals, you didn't use it to ramp up testing," Reid said, before Trump cut her off, calling her "disgraceful." Reid forged ahead. "What did you do with the time that you bought, the month of February?" she asked, as Trump talked over her. "That video has a gap - the entire month of February . . . What did your administration do in February with the time that your travel ban bought you?" "A lot. A lot," said Trump, without offering specifics, before turning his frustration back on Reid. "You know you're a fake," he said. At another moment, seemingly eager to assert his dominance over the nation's governors, Trump declared incorrectly, "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total." Later, CNN's Kaitlan Collins followed up: "You said when someone is president of the United States, their authority is total. That is not true. Who told you that?" The president declined to answer, saying "the governors need us" before abruptly silencing Collins with a sharp, "Enough." About halfway through, Trump finally departed, leaving the remainder of the briefing to Vice President Mike Pence and the public health professionals. But the first hour of the news conference was a paean to the president and his ego, orchestrated by Trump himself. For one fleeting instance, the president seemed poised to reveal a flicker of self-awareness. Asked why he shared a tweet from a supporter with the hashtag #FireFauci, the president said that while he personally thinks Fauci is "terrific," not everybody is happy with him. "Not everybody is happy with - " Trump said, before pausing briefly. He seemed about to say himself; not everybody is happy with Fauci, and not everybody is happy with Trump. But then, never one for self-criticism, he concluded: "Not everybody is happy with everybody." - - - The Washington Post's Philip Rucker contributed to this report. There has been a worrying spike in domestic violence across Zimbabwe, as the country entered its third and final week of a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Musasa Project, a local NGO, says it has already documented at least 782 cases of abuse in just 13 days, compared to an average of 500 per month. We believe from the trends that were seeing that it is going to escalate, said Rotina Mafume Musara, an advocacy programme officer with the group. We have got young women who have been physically assaulted for asking for food to feed the family, she told RFI. In most cases the woman relies on the partner to provide food. With unemployment at around 80 percent most Zimbabwean families are dependent on daily informal trade to earn a living. Under the lockdown that started 30 March, that is no longer possible. Another emergency Zimbabwe has confirmed just 17 cases of Covid-19, three of them fatal. But just over 600 tests have been done, and there is speculation the disease is more prevalent. President Emmerson Mnangagwas government has not yet announced whether, like neighbouring South Africa, it will extend its lockdown beyond 19 April. On Monday, 30 Zimbabweans including the countrys ambassador to Sudan were quarantined at an isolation facility outside Harare after they disembarked from an Ethiopian Airlines flight from London. Musara says as the country responds to one public health emergency, it risks overlooking another. As much as we say Covid-19 is an emergency, gender based violence is an emergency as well. And once its declared an emergency, at least youre going to have various actors coming together, sitting at the same table, and trying to come up with solutions to help these women, she said. She said more emergency shelters for abused women and a robust emergency response from the police are needed. More than 5,000 arrests Under the current strict conditions enforced by the army and police, women and children who are bearing the brunt of domestic violence have nowhere to run to. More than 5,000 people have been arrested for defying the lockdown, and the Heal Zimbabwe Trust, a rights group, has reported assaults against some civilians by members of the security forces for not complying with it. Story continues In these circumstances abusers actually know that, This person that Im abusing will not be able to go somewhere to report, says opposition MP, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga. She has no support system. The MP told a talk show on Harares private radio station Capitalk 100.4 FM on Monday: I dont necessarily agree with the fact that people are abusing because they are confined. Abusers have always been abusers. Axe murder On Tuesday, the station broadcast a radio drama on domestic abuse entitled, "Women bear the brunt of any outbreak" in an effort to raise awareness. While women and children may be bearing the brunt of domestic violence, Zimbabweans have been shocked by a report of a 44-year-old woman who was arrested last week for murdering her sleeping husband with an axe on 10 April. The tragedy, in the second city of Bulawayo, followed an argument over a TV remote. Chief Supt Pat Lordan, of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has warned the public not to click on links on social media when shopping online. He was commenting on a sophisticated 15m Covid-19 fraud involving the German health authorities. Speaking on RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show, Chief Supt Lordan explained that the fraud occurred when German health authorities attempted to purchase face masks from a reputable website which was cloned. We are seeing these scams every day of the week. Every issue provides an opportunity for criminals. The public needs to be careful when shopping online, he warned. It is quite difficult to tell when a website is not real or fake. He advised purchasers to look at the email address, phone numbers, where the website is hosted and where the bank account is located. If an address is given check it out on Google maps to see if it is a real address. The web address for legitimate websites will commence with the letters https, he said. That s is for security, but he cautioned that some of the cloned websites have gotten very sophisticated and can now include that letter s. Some of them are getting very good. Consumers need to do their research, use search engines they have used before and trust. Do not click on links on social media which can bring them to bogus websites. An Irish man in Roscommon Read More: Members of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and gardai from Co Roscommon interviewed an Irish citizen on Friday, April 10th, over the suspected laundering of 1.5 million into an Irish bank account an offence that carries a maximum prison term of 14 years. The joint Irish, German and Dutch financial intelligence units investigation supported by Interpol, Europol, Eurojust and national investigative authorities was launched after German health authorities attempted to purchase 10 million face masks worth about 15 million from a cloned website, according to a statement released by gardai on Tuesday. Chief Supt Lordan said that gardai in Roscommon had provided great assistance locally and the good news was that the majority of the money involved had been recovered and would be returned to the health authorities involved. The money frozen will be returned to the rightful owners. Almost all of it will be recovered, he added. Firefighters contain initial blaze but new fires rage close to the site of worlds worst nuclear disaster. Forest fires are raging in a contaminated area near the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, but Ukrainian officials insisted there is no radiation threat. Hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft have battled several forest fires around Chernobyl since last week. They managed to contain the initial blaze, but new fires flared close to the decommissioned plant on Tuesday. Environmental activists warned on Monday the fire, near the site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986, posed a radiation risk. Volodymyr Demchuk, a senior official from Ukraines emergency service, said the situation was under control. There is no threat to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, waste fuel storage or other critical facilities, he said in a video statement late on Monday. The emergency service said radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv, about 100km (60 miles) south of the plant, were within norms. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised transparency on the issue and will meet the head of the emergency service later on Tuesday. Society must know the truth and be safe, he said in a statement late on Monday. The fire, one of several which followed unusually dry weather, began on April 3 in the western part of the exclusion zone and spread to nearby forests. Critical situation Police say they have identified a 27-year old resident who they accuse of deliberately starting the blaze. It remains unclear if the person, who has reportedly confessed to starting several fires for fun, is partly or fully responsible. The flames spread quickly, fanned by strong winds, and Kyiv mobilised helicopters and more than 400 firefighters, with planes dropping tonnes of water on the fire. Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, head of the Chernobyl tour guide association, said one fire was raging within 2km (about 1.2 miles) from one of the radioactive waste depots. He said the fire had reached the ghost town of Pripyat, a city near Chernobyl whose population of about 50,000 was evacuated after the explosion. The situation is critical, Yemelianenko wrote on his Facebook page. A Geiger counter shows increased radiation levels against the background of the forest fire. [Yaroslav Yemelianenko/AP] While forest fires are common in the exclusion zone, Greenpeace Russia said on Monday this was the worst since the 1986 nuclear explosion. The environmental campaign group said that analysis of satellite images showed the fire at its closest point was just 1.5km (less than a mile) from the protective dome over the ruined reactor. Government agencies insist the fire has not caused a spike in radiation levels. Chernobyl polluted a large swath of Europe when its fourth reactor exploded in April 1986. People are not allowed to live within 30km (18 miles) of the power station. The three other reactors at Chernobyl continued to generate electricity until the power station finally closed in 2000. A giant protective dome was put in place over the fourth reactor in 2016. Madhabi Talukdar, the grandniece of freedom fighter Prafulla Chaki, said she is spending her days in hunger in a shanty near Gangarampur police station in West Bengal's South Dinajpur district due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Recalling the days of struggle for independence from the British rule, Talukdar said she used to visit the hideouts of the freedom fighters as a 10-year-old and perform movement-related work assigned by Prafulla Chaki, the youngest brother of her grandfather Pratap Chaki. Along with Khudiram Bose, Chaki had attempted to assassinate the then Muzaffarpur District Judge, Douglas Kingsford in 1908. While Bose was nabbed and hanged, Chaki evaded arrest by committing suicide. More than 70 years after Independence, Talukdar works as a cleaner at a temple in the nondescript West Bengal town. The religious institution is shut due to the lockdown. Her 23-year-old son runs a small eatery which is also closed due to the lockdown. "Despite participating in the freedom struggle according to my capacity, I don't get freedom fighter's pension. With the imposition of the lockdown, I have to survive on the scant relief materials distributed by some people," Talukdar told PTI. "I was married to a well-to-do businessman in Gangarampur. But after his death, we lost everything and for many years, we live in the shanty," she said. Gangarampur MLA Goutam Das said he was unaware of Talukdar's misery and promised to extend aid to her. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ongoing outbreak of the novel coronavirus has dealt an additional blow to areas in eastern Japan that were devastated by Typhoon No. 19 last October. Half a year has passed since the typhoon, but local economies in the affected areas are unable to begin recovering, as the spreading of the coronavirus is causing new harm in places that were flooded during the disaster. More than 90% of the companies at the Koriyama Central Industrial Park in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, had their facilities in the complex damaged due to flooding of the Abukuma River and other rivers. About 30% of the companies remain unable to fully resume operations. "The future is still not in sight," one manager lamented. Land plots in the Koriyama Central Industrial Park were first made available in 1965. The complex stretches along the Abukuma River, which runs about three kilometers southeast from JR Koriyama Station. A total of 280 companies, mainly manufacturers, have plants and other facilities at the industrial park. The complex drives the local economy, providing about 8,000 jobs. However, facilities belonging to 258 of the companies, or 92%, were damaged by Typhoon No. 19. The total value of the facilities damaged, including some that were submerged, exceeded 40 billion. Rent All Fukushima, a company that sets up event facilities and rents items necessary for events, saw its office submerged in floodwaters about 70 centimeters deep. Most of its rental service goods were underwater. The company narrowly managed to complete work it had been contracted for in its busiest season late last year, with help from other companies in the same industry. Since March this year, however, many events have been canceled due to the spread of the new coronavirus. "Because the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, all our work related to the torch relay, which was scheduled to start in Fukushima Prefecture, was canceled," a senior official of the company said. Production lines for Horaiya Honten Co., which sells miso and koji rice malt products, were damaged by the typhoon, and the company suffered about 40 million in damage. It was a serious blow for Horaiya Honten, which had annual sales of about 700 million. In addition, due to the unusually warm weather last winter, sales of amazake sweet fermented rice wine, one of the flagship products for the company, fell by about 20% from the previous winter season. The spread of the new coronavirus was felt in another area as well - some of the company's exports to overseas markets, which had been expanding in recent years, have stopped. Horaiya Honten President Hirohito Yaginuma, 44, said, "If this situation continues, we'll have to throw away our products for export." According to the Koriyama city government, about 70% of the companies in the industrial complex are operating there, but the remaining about 30% are either completely dormant or have been able to resume operations only partially. Some companies have already begun leaving. In December last year, Tokyo-based Hitachi Ltd. decided to relocate the main business activities of its Koriyama branch inside the industrial complex to another prefecture. "Unless measures to prevent future flooding are completed, the business base may be damaged again. The decision was made for the safety of our employees and the stable supply of our products," a Hitachi official said. In January this year, the Koriyama city government interviewed the companies about their desires, and set up a branch office in the industrial complex that provides, among other things, explanations about the city's assistance measures. The Koriyama government is also mediating the relocation of business facilities to other industrial complexes in the city to keep them inside Koriyama. However, it is feared that some business operators may decide to discontinue operations due to the spread of the new coronavirus. "This situation is beyond what we imagined," a senior city government official said in embarrassment. [April 14, 2020] Fintech Company Launches AI Platform To Automate Hardship Relief For Financially Stressed Borrowers PORTLAND, Maine, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Constant, a Maine-based financial technology company, has launched an AI-powered software platform for banks and non-bank consumer lenders that provides faster and more accurate decisions about payment deferrals, loan modifications and other workouts. The solution significantly reduces massive incoming call volume and long wait times caused by COVID-19 financial hardships. "Over ten million Americans have filed for unemployment against the backdrop of $16 trillion of consumer debt. In response to lost wages, bank and non-bank lenders have directed borrowers to call for payment relief options. With mortgage forbearance requests alone increasing by nearly 2,000 percent, the COVID-19 crisis has shone a spotlight on the lack of preparedness to support hardship relief requests," said Catherine Powers, CEO of Constant. Constant's platform evaluates a borrower's real-time financial situation and provides repayment options and, when appropriate, loan modifications in a matter of minutes, without human intervention. "Whether a lender or servicer is offering to skip payments or a more complex hardship solution, that effort can take weeks or months with the high volume of incoming requests for help," added Powers. "However, our platform can do it in minutes by engaging with the borrower, evaluating real-time, customer-specific information and automatically creating relief options that solve the problem and encourage payment performance - all within invstor parameters." "During the 2008/09 mortgage crisis, loss mitigation requests aged in queues for months," said Carissa Robb, President and COO of Constant. "Credit scores were damaged, customers were feeling defeated and their willingness to pay was lost. Yet, it appears there was little preparation for the next crisis. Instead technology investment and innovation focused on increasing credit origination volume, only to transfer the long-term management of these loans to manual servicing teams and antiquated operating systems. Constant is changing this." For further information on Constant and its offerings, visit constant.ai. Notes to Editors: For further information on Constant and its hardship relief solutions or to speak to Constant principal(s), please contact Mary Beltrante at [email protected] or (207) 807-0212. About Constant Constant offers its AI-powered software platform to financial service providers and third party vendors to accelerate hardship relief support, applying decision based logic and API-driven analytics to replace manual processes. The company built the platform for the loans it originated to mitigate losses and avoid the high costs of distressed loan servicing during a recession. When the COVID-19 crisis accelerated consumer financial stress, Constant's team made immediate system adjustments to offer the technology to other lenders and servicers. About Catherine Powers Catherine serves as the CEO of Constant. Prior to launching the hardship software platform, she led Constant's loan origination business. Catherine previously served in senior management roles with SunEdison, Inc. including head of global acquisitions in the investment banking division. In a prior role at SunEdison, Catherine developed new markets in the Caribbean and Latin America. She began her career as a public affairs executive focused on energy, tax and IP matters. About Carissa Robb Carissa serves as President and COO of Constant. She most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of US Loan Servicing for TD Bank, overseeing operational units responsible for servicing a $150 billion dollar portfolio of Consumer, Residential and Commercial accounts. She joined TD Bank in 2009 to develop the Loss Mitigation program for distressed Real Estate and built the governance and control framework for TD Bank's Loan Servicing and Collections division. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fintech-company-launches-ai-platform-to-automate-hardship-relief-for-financially-stressed-borrowers-301039573.html SOURCE Constant. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Make your circuits flexible and transparent with AgeNT from CHASM Advanced Materials The combination of our advanced printed electronics processing capabilities and the innovative CNT Hybrid materials, allows In2tec to push the boundaries on developing and delivering transparent conductive technologies to the market," said Neil Armstrong, CEO of In2tec. CHASM Advanced Materials announced a partnership today with In2tec, a premier printed electronics provider serving clients globally. As an affiliate of the CHASM Preferred Integration Partner (PIP) Program, In2tec gains access to CHASMs AgeNT line of patented CNT Hybrid transparent conductive materials delivering both high transparency and high conductivity in a form that's flexible and formable, has superior environmental stability, plus is fast and economical to manufacture. Commercial interest in AgeNT continues to grow across all industries as innovative product companies find they are under served by existing alternative transparent conductive materials, said David J. Arthur, CEO and Co-Founder, CHASM Advanced Materials, Inc. In2tecs distinguished capabilities at helping customers go from concept to finished electronics product or assembly quickly, efficiently, and sustainably make them an ideal partner for our PIP program. Were excited to accelerate the future of transparent printed electronics together. 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As consumers demand a seamless user experience not just through their phones but throughout all their devices and environments, flexible, transparent printed electronics are the silver bullet for manufacturers to deliver, said Neil Armstrong, CEO of In2tec, The combination of our advanced printed electronics processing capabilities and the innovative CNT Hybrid materials, allows In2tec to push the boundaries on developing and delivering transparent conductive technologies to the market." CHASM is assembling an exclusive network of go-to companies in the printed electronics industry, offering their customers extensive supply, distribution, integration capabilities and consultative expertise on the latest innovations in printed electronics. The CHASM Preferred Integration Partner Program is offered exclusively to companies not just having an established customer base for flexible printed electronics but also those demonstrating leading expertise at integrating flexible printed electronics into finished product or electronic assemblies. For more information on becoming a CHASM Preferred Integration Partner, click here, contact sales@chasmtek.com or call +1.781.821.0443. About In2tec In2tec specialise in the design and manufacture of innovative Flexible Electronics Solutions for a broad range of applications. Our solutions provide technological advances for a multitude of industries, breaking down design barriers for Medical Devices, Wearable Technology, Aerospace, Automotive, Banking, Cash Security and Military to name but a few. With more than 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing a myriad of innovative electronic projects, we propose the right Flexible Electronics Solutions for our customers end application. Spearheaded research means our solutions will also support complex curves while replicating hard substrate PCBs. Whether customers seek to revolutionise the market with something new, improve functionality, increase sustainability or find an easy way to comply with regulations; we help them to achieve clever, cost-effective solutions from the simplest to the most demanding specifications. This focus has enabled us to build a customer base that understands our nothing is impossible approach, securing loyal, long-term customer relationships who we develop solutions with year-on-year. We break down barriers around fit, weight, shape, look and feel, to optimise the solution, and our centres of excellence in Europe and Asia ensure delivery of products on-time, right-first-time and in budget. About CHASM Advanced Materials CHASM Advanced Materials is revolutionizing design and fabrication of printed electronics and energy storage devices through exclusive development and manufacture of CNT hybrid transparent conductive films and CNT hybrid electrode materials. The companys line of AgeNT transparent conductive films is flexible and formable with low pattering costs and low sheet resistance at high transparency. Leading companies across multiple industries have successfully launched next generation innovations using transparent circuits, heaters, antennas, and films as well as advanced CNT inks and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) only available from CHASM. For more information, visit http://www.chasmtek.com. Follow us: @CHASMAdvanced, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. In the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942, Adm. Feightner shot down a dive bomber on his first combat mission and then landed his F4F Wildcat on the damaged aircraft carrier Enterprise, where he recalled having to wade through fuel, water and dead bodies in the hangar deck. The next year he received his first Distinguished Flying Cross for downing three torpedo bombers over Rennell Island. His exploits had drawn the admiration of his commanding officer, James H. Flatley, who reportedly told him: Youre a fighting fool, arent you? Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden addresses the crowd during a South Carolina campaign launch party on February 11, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. As former Vice President Joe Biden enjoys big new presidential campaign endorsements from a political rival and his popular old boss, he also is facing an accusation by a woman who says he sexually assaulted her 27 years ago. Tara Reade first made her claims in a podcast last month. She recently made an official complaint to police in Washington, D.C. Biden's campaign strongly denies Reade's accusation, telling NBC News that it "absolutely did not happen." Deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC in a statement, "He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard and heard respectfully." "Such claims should also be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim: it is untrue," Bedinfield said. The campaign had no immediate additional comment to CNBC on Tuesday. Read NBC News' story on the sex assault allegation against Joe Biden here In her complaint, Reade said she was serving as an aide to then-Sen. Biden in the spring of 1993. She told police in her recent complaint that Biden used his fingers to penetrate her after she gave him a gym bag. Reade's accusation against Biden has gained attention at a time when the former longtime senator from Delaware was preparing to fully pivot to face President Donald Trump in the election this fall. Trump won the White House in 2016 despite the bombshell disclosure of an old "Access Hollywood" tape that revealed how he had bragged about groping women's genitals without their consent. The tape came to light weeks before the election. Estimated global airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic have climbed to $US314 billion ($487 billion), 25 per cent more than previously forecast, owing to the severity of the economic downturn and a slower than previously expected reopening of international routes. The latest forecast from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is up from the $US252 billion figure given on March 24 and represents a 55 per cent drop in 2020 passenger revenue compared with last year. Airlines have been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:Robert Rough Traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometres is forecast to be 48 per cent down this year, compared with the previously forecast 38 per cent decline, industry body IATA said at a weekly online news conference on Tuesday. "The recovery should be slower and the crisis deeper than we expected even one month ago," Director General Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters TV in an online interview. WASHINGTON - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday the U.S. does not yet have the critical testing and tracing procedures needed to begin reopening the nations economy, adding a dose of caution to increasingly optimistic projections from the White House. We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and were not there yet, Fauci said in an interview with The Associated Press. Faucis comments come as President Donald Trump and others in the administration weigh how quickly businesses can reopen and Americans can get back to work weeks after the fast-spreading coronavirus essentially halted the U.S. economy. Trump has floated the possibility of reopening some areas by May 1 and said he could announce recommendations as soon as this week. Fauci said a May 1 target is a bit overly optimistic for many areas of the country. Any easing off the strict social-distancing rules in place in much of the country would have to occur on a rolling basis, not all at once, he said, reflecting the ways COVID-19 struck different parts of the country at different times. Among Faucis top concerns: that there will be new outbreaks in locations where social distancing has eased, but public health officials dont yet have the capabilities to rapidly test for the virus, isolate any new cases and track down everyone that an infected person came into contact with. Ill guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections. Its how you deal with the infections thats going count, Fauci told the AP. Key is getting people out of circulation if they get infected, because once you start getting clusters, then youre really in trouble, he added. At the same time Fauci is directing critical government research, hes also one of the administrations leading spokespeople on the virus, spending hours each week by Trumps side during his lengthy, daily White House briefings. Fauci said his public role is important but conceded that the duration of those briefings Mondays ran for nearly two-and-a-half hours was really draining and that doesnt even count preparation and waiting for it to start. If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better, he said. It isnt the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. Its the amount of time. Much of Faucis time outside of the White House briefing room is focused on analyzing progress on blood tests that aim to tell who was exposed to the coronavirus -- whether they knew they were sick or not -- by spotting antibodies their immune system formed to fight back. Those tests will be crucial in determining when and how people can go back to work. The problem: Most of the tests have not yet been proven to work well, Fauci cautioned. He noted that some countries bought millions of antibody tests only to learn they didnt work. Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, said his staff is working with the Food and Drug Administration to validate those tests. That means proving what level of antibodies it takes to really be immune; if particular types of antibodies are key rather than an overall level; and how long that protection lasts. Were going to have to find out the answer to all of those questions, Fauci stressed. I know people are anxious to say, Well, well give you a passport that says youre antibody-positive, you can go to work and youre protected. The worst possibility that would happen is if were actually wrong about that and those people get infected. Another complication is that scientists still dont have a solid understanding of how often people who show either no obvious symptoms or very few symptoms are spreading the virus. Its purely a guesstimate but no less than 25% and no more than half of overall cases may be from the relatively asymptomatic, he said. Looking ahead, Fauci said a second wave of infection isnt inevitable. But he added: if you mean it goes way down and then come September, October, November, we have another peak, I have to say I would not be surprised. I would hope that if and when that occurs, that we jump all over it in a much, much more effective way than we have in these past few months. Drivers whose licenses expire during the COVID-19 pandemic wont be penalized or charged late fees until June 30. A new executive order signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Monday evening temporarily extends the expiration date of otherwise valid drivers licenses set to expire between March 1 and May 31 to June 30. The order doesnt apply to people with suspended or revoked drivers licenses. The order also extends the expiration date of commercial vehicle registrations to June 30 and suspends penalties for driving with a recently expired but otherwise valid registration. In March, the Secretary of State announced branch closures for the duration of the stay-at-home order. Whitmer said in a statement the idea behind Mondays order was to give Michigan residents some peace of mind. In times of crisis and uncertainty, the last thing you want to think about is having to renew your drivers license or state ID card, Whitmer said. Michigan residents are still encouraged to use the Secretary of States online services for routine transactions. CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Related coverage: Michigan unemployment website crashes as eligibility expansion causes very heavy volume Michigan begins sending $600 payments, sets date for expanded unemployment eligibility Michigan sees another 26 percent increase in unemployment claims amid coronavirus crisis 4K apply for Michigan hospitality employee relief fund in first 24 hours Michigan unemployment questions answered: When to expect it, if its taxable and more Michigan senator calls for state employee layoffs to balance budget New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up With Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order extended, frustration builds over whats been deemed non-essential Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Wed, April 15, 2020 05:00 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e8235 4 Inforial Free The number of Indonesians recorded as having tested positive for COVID-19 reached more than 4,500 on Monday, after the first two cases were confirmed on March 2. Jakarta has recorded more than 2,100, making it the countrys COVID-19 epicenter. The Jakarta Post reported on April 6 that a research study conducted by Katadata Insight Center showed an adequate number of healthcare facilities in the capital city, but not in other regions including West Java and Banten, portraying obstacles in the nations fight against COVID-19. Furthermore, a shortage of medical workers to run tests and provide treatment for the disease, as well as the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical workers pose other obstacles. While an adequate supply of protective gear is crucial for those on the frontline and at high risk of infection, provision of medical-grade supplies comes with major challenges. Many textile companies have shifted to mass-producing masks and protective coveralls, but obtaining medical-grade raw materials could still be difficult, the Post reported. The government had eventually distributed PPE supplies from China to meet the increasing demand for the items, thus gearing up medical workers in their task to contain the spread of COVID-19. A similar step was taken by certain organizations including the Tanoto Foundation, who committed to donate millions of items of PPE sourced from China. Independent philanthropic organization Tanoto Foundation procured more than 30 tons of protective gear that arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on a chartered Garuda Indonesia flight from Shanghai, China on Monday. The goods, coming as the third batch being delivered, are part of Tanoto Foundations donation to the Indonesian government. A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 777-300ER arrives at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on April 13. The aircraft was chartered by the Tanoto Foundation to transport 30 tons of personal protective equipment for donation sourced from Shanghai, China. Tanoto Foundation COVID-19 Project Lead/ Head of ECED Eddy Henry (left) and foundation adviser Sihol Aritonang (right) were seen inspecting the cargo. The goods delivered are a portion of 1 million surgical masks, 1 million surgical gloves, 100,000 protective gowns and 3,000 goggles that the foundation is committed to donating to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency for distribution to COVID-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta, Medan and Pekanbaru. (Courtesy of Tanoto Foundation/.) The foundation has committed to donate 1 million masks, 1 million pairs of gloves, 3,000 pairs of goggles and 100,000 protective suits flown in a few batches. With the third batchs arrival, Tanoto Foundation is very close to completing its commitment. So far, all of the protective suits, gloves and goggles, as well as 85 percent of the masks, have been delivered. The rest of the masks will be transported to Jakarta in the coming week. Prior to the delivery of the third batch, the first and second batches had arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on April 2 and 3 also on chartered flights. Satrijo Tanudjojo, global CEO of Tanoto Foundation, said in a statement that through this humanitarian mission, the organization resolved to speed up the shipment process so the PPE could be used by our healthcare professionals as soon as possible. We hope our Indonesian heroes in health care will be quickly equipped and supported so they can carry out their work with adequate protection, said Satrijo. He went on to say that Tanoto Foundation extended its appreciation for the support given by Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, employees of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Transportation Ministry, Customs and Excise, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) and Aviation Security of Halim Perdanakusuma and Soekarno-Hatta International airports, all of whom have worked very hard to help ensure the flights faced no challenges on their return to Indonesia. They also helped us unload the cargo from the airplane, carried out disinfection and also ensured the PPE arrived safely in Indonesia, Satrijo was quoted as saying. To expedite the PPE shipment from China to Indonesia, Tanoto Foundation sent a team of volunteers comprising employees of Tanoto Foundation and PT Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), a global group of natural resources-based manufacturing companies. The team of volunteers traveled on three chartered round-trip flights to facilitate the shipment, and successfully completed their humanitarian mission despite challenges caused by limited transport and delivery options. We would like to also express our appreciation to Garuda Indonesias management and crew for their tremendous support in this humanitarian mission, which has enabled the speedy arrival of the PPE cargo to fight against COVID-19, adds Satrijo. Teaming up with the BNPB, Tanoto Foundation is subsequently distributing the PPE to referral hospitals for COVID-19 in Jakarta, North Sumatras Medan and Riau Islands Pekanbaru. . (./.) WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump claimed the total authority Monday to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have the primary constitutional responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it's safe to begin a return to normal operations. Democratic leaders in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables, even as Trump argued it was his call. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said at Monday's White House coronavirus briefing. The governors know that." Tracking the virus: Mayor: Houston will now test anyone for COVID-19 But he would not offer specifics about the source of that claim, which governors asserted was a vast power grab, or his plan to reopen the economy. The presidents guidelines have little force. Governors and local leaders have issued orders that carry fines or other penalties, and in some jurisdictions extend into the early summer. Were going to write up papers on this," Trump said, brushing aside questions about his claim of absolute authority to order states to reopen, adding, The governors need us one way or the other." Anxious to put the twin public health and economic crises behind him, Trump was already discussing with senior aides how to roll back federal social distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month. But it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions meant to slow the virus, including shuttering schools and closing non-essential businesses. And they have indicated they wouldn't tolerate pressure to act before they deem it safe to reverse their orders. On HoustonChronicle.com: As traffic dropped, fatalities were expected to follow. They did not. Vice President Mike Pence backed up Trumps claim, also without offering specific grounding, saying that at times of emergency, the powers of president are unquestionably plenary. Trump can use his bully pulpit to pressure states to act or threaten them with consequences, but the Constitution gives public health and safety responsibilities primarily to state and local officials. All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said on CNN. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said, Seeing how we had the responsibility for closing the state down, I think we probably have the primary responsibility for opening it up. Wolf joined governors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island in agreeing to coordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact. While each state is building its own plan, the three West Coast states have agreed to a framework saying they will work together, put their residents health first and let science guide their decisions. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stressed the efforts would take time. The house is still on fire, Murphy said on a conference call with reporters. We still have to put the fire out, but we do have to begin putting in the pieces of the puzzle that we know were going to need ... to make sure this doesnt reignite. Though Trump abandoned his goal of rolling back social distancing guidelines by Easter, he has been itching to reopen an economy that has dramatically contracted as businesses have shuttered, leaving millions of people out of work and struggling to obtain basic commodities. The closure has also undermined Trump's reelection message, which hinged on a booming economy. Trump's claim that he could force governors to reopen their states represents a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks Trump has argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis. And he has refused to publicly pressure states to enact stay-at-home restrictions, citing his belief in local control of government. While Trump can use his daily White House briefings and Twitter account to try to shape public opinion and pressure governors to bend to his will, there are real limits on the president and the federal government when it comes to domestic affairs, John Yoo, a University of California at Berkeley law school professor, said on a recent Federalist Society conference call. The government doesnt get opened up via Twitter. It gets opened up at the state level," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, a supporter of Trump, said the question of when to lift restrictions would be a joint effort" between Washington and the states. Talk about how and when to reboot the nation's economy has come as Trump has bristled at criticism that he was slow to respond to the virus and that lives could have been saved had social distancing recommendations been put in place sooner. That frustration was amplified by comments made by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert. Asked Sunday on CNN if acting earlier could have saved lives, Fauci said that, obviously, you could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives. Trump responded by reposting a tweet that referenced Faucis comments and included the line, Time to #FireFauci," raising alarms that Trump might consider trying to oust the 79-year-old doctor. But at Mondays briefing, Trump said: Im not firing him. I think hes a wonderful guy. Trump has complained to aides and confidants about Fauci's positive media attention and his willingness to contradict the president in interviews and from the briefing room stage, according to two Republicans close to the White House. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal conversations. Trump has told aides that he knows blowback to removing Fauci would be fierce and that at least for now he is stuck with the doctor. On more than one occasion, however, he has urged that Fauci be left out of task force briefings or have his speaking role curtailed, according to the Republicans. ___ Mulvihill reported from New Jersey. Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in New York; Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia; Holly Ramer in Hopkinton, New Hampshire; John OConnor in Springfield, Illinois; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and Mark Sherman and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report. UPDATED 15/4: The Euro to Dollar exchange rate is "grinding higher, mostly due to broader USD weakness" and currently trading at 1.09607, 0.21% lower on the day. Exchange Rates UK Research team have compiled a roundup of expert FX views on the current EUR/USD outlook from 10 leading FX analysts. Ten Expert Currency Analyst Views and Opinion on Euro Near to Medium-Term Outlook Robin Wilkin, Lloyds Bank 14/4 "Prices are grinding higher, mostly due to broader USD weakness. However, the gains are lacking in momentum at this stage. As such, we are likely to remain within a contracting range between 1.0750 and 1.1170, with 1.0970 resistance holding at the moment. Above there, 1.1015 and 1.1080 are the next risk areas for a lower high. A decline through 1.0840 and then 1.0750 would be bearish for a move to re-test the 1.0635 previous lows, with speedline support below at 1.06. Still no confirmation of at least a medium-term low at 1.0635. A drop through there and 1.06 would risk a move towards the 1.0340 previous lows from 2017." Richard Perry, Hantec Markets 15/4 "A decisive positive candle got the EUR/USD rally back on track yesterday. The thin volume of the Easter trading period questioned the strength of the near term recovery. However, the bulls fought back really well yesterday in a move which is now threatening to open the legs of the recovery once more. We have been concerned that the resistance in the band $1.1960/$1.1980 would restrict how the recovery developed, but the bulls are in the driving seat of this move now. Leaving aside the thin volume days of the Easter bank holidays, the euro has climbed strongly in three out of four candles. Pressure is growing on $1.1980 for a decisive breakout. As the Europeans take over this morning, there has been a mild slip back, but on the hourly chart this shows as a pullback to a near term breakout of $1.0965. There is a six day uptrend at $1.0935 this morning, and any unwinding move on hourly RSI around 40/50 has been a chance to buy during this uptrend. Initial support is around $1.0950/$1.0965. The bulls will have lost control under $1.0925 and the outlook turns corrective under $1.0890. Above $1.0990 the next resistance is $1.1040. Danske Bank 14/4 "Last week, EU finance ministers reached an agreement on further fiscal support to cover health care and related expenses, salary subsidies and added yet another lending programme. While we welcome cross-border agreement, we view it as merely mildly positive for the EUR and take note of heavy obstacles to get things done. More importantly; re-opening businesses and getting to the point of rising (global) economic activity will be what we are looking for to take EUR/USD 1-2 figures higher." Shaun Osborne, Chief FX Strategist at Scotiabank - 14/4 "EUR/USD short-term technicals are neutral - The EUR is bound to remain rangebound in the near-term as it fails to pick up much momentum after the sharp upward moves it has seen in the last week, especially now ahead of key psychological resistance at 1.10. Overnight, the EUR peaked shy of the 50% retracement mark of its late-Mar/early-Apr drop at 1.0966 which should act to limit upside movements, with the currency likely requiring an outsized gain to breach this point and yesterdays 1.0968 high (key resistance). Support is 1.0896 (intraday low)." Chris Turner, ING 14/4 "The market will be keeping watch of Italian BTP yields this week to see if investors remain confident that the ECB will remain the buyer of last resort. The Eurogroups bail-out package still leaves concerns over Italys debt to GDP trajectory into 2021. Overall, we think the Fed money-printing story wins out in the near term and EUR/$ heads above 1.10. European data this week sees Eurozone Industrial Production for February (Thursday) and the final March CPI, expected as low as 0.7% YoY. We are also starting to hear more from governments about the expected size of the contraction this year. Paris has just said it expects an 8% decline in French GDP this year. Our team is looking for a 5% decline in Eurozone growth." Erik Bregar, Exchange Bank of Canada 14/4 "Euro/dollar was all over the map in overnight trade given all the headlines we outlined above, but prices remained very much confined to yesterdays 1.0900-1.0950 range. Some buyers are now trying to push the market above this range as some broad USD sales come in. Spot gold prices have just risen to new cyclesession highs yet again ($1,730) and so were wondering if the precious metal will be influential on broad dollar price actionagain today.." Anton Kolhanov, Kolhanov.com "Downtrend - The downtrend may be expected to continue, while pair is trading below resistance level 1.0952, which will be followed by reaching support level 1.0835 - 1.0793. Uptrend - An uptrend will start as soon, as the pair rises above resistance level 1.0952, which will be followed by moving up to resistance level 1.1051 and if it keeps on moving up above that level, we may expect the pair to reach resistance level 1.1185." Andreas Steno Larsen, Nordea Markets "Euro politicians will probably continue to prefer to just glue the ship together whenever there is a major leak as it is more politically palatable so it looks unfeasible that permanent Eurobonds will be launched, a temporary extraordinary measure is more likely, which is also the signal with the current 500bn ESM-linked package. ESM is a crisis-tool, while the EUR needs permanent tools. Such temporary measures often eventually turn permanent, but politicians wont admit to it initially. Should we get a more formal move towards Coronabonds or even Eurobonds, we are tempted to buy EUR/USD (all-in) on such an announcement. We lean long in EUR/USD already, and one measure that hints of such upcoming spot pressure is the 3m xCcy basis. Currently, we navigate uncharted territory in the EUBSC index at substantially positive levels. If relative balance sheets matter, it may become increasingly lucrative to issue bonds in USDs and swap to EUR, which should (over time) increase the upside pressure on the entire EURUSD xCcy basis curve." Kathy Lien, BK Asset Management - 14/4 "Euro and sterling traded sharply higher. No data was released but the number of new cases continued to fall. While some attribute this to the Easter break, it has created new optimism. Countries across Europe are beginning to relax restrictions. Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic and Austria have all announced plans to relax rules in the coming weeks. Factories in Germany could restart work as early as April 20th. Even though border restrictions will remain in place for many countries, these are all steps in the right direction." AFEX "Italy already feels aggrieved, as it was left to cope with a huge influx of immigrants from the Middle East in 2018 and now when it needs a strong Europe behind it, the joint issuance of bonds is ruled out. This is at a time when 67% of Italians think that the EU doesnt help their country. The other good news was that of OPEC and G20 agreed a deal which could see production cuts of 15 million barrels per day (bpd). However, there is no way to ensure that these cuts will be effective. Russia and Saudi Arabia will cut around 10 million bpd, but the other 5 million bpd may well have been lost to a lower oil price anyway. A higher oil price would usually produce a stronger EUR/USD, and as such it hasnt surprised that EUR/USD has already started to slip lower in thin market conditions." Vox Media, the digital media company that owns SBNation, New York Media, The Verge and other brands, is preparing to announce a furlough of about 100 employees later this week, according to people familiar with the matter. Vox executives are negotiating details with the Writers Guild of America, East, which represents about 350 people at Vox, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The number of people furloughed could rise or fall depending on those negotiations, which are confidential, said the people. A announcement will be made by the end of the week, the people said. Vox is discussing three-month furloughs for employees and is focusing on employees whose coverage areas have diminished during coronavirus quarantines, said the people. Temporary three-month employee pay cuts aimed at the company's highest earners are also being discussed, the people said. Vox also wants to ensure health care is covered for furloughed employees, one of the people said. A Vox spokesperson declined to comment. Vox is trying to avoid layoffs altogether as executives estimate future advertising revenue, which is set to decline significantly this year as the world economy has been ravaged by the coronavirus and subsequent quarantines. Vox was profitable in 2019, according to a person familiar with the matter, as CEO Jim Bankoff has built out businesses that don't rely as heavily on digital advertising, such as events and podcasts. Still, in an email to employees last week, obtained by CNBC, Bankoff said that the company's goal of becoming cash-flow positive for 2020 was no longer realistic. "I'll state the obvious that the advertising market is experiencing a downturn unlike ever before," Bankoff wrote. "While at this point I can't put an exact number on our own decline, I know that just like nearly all other companies and publishers we have already seen a significant impact in March and our business will continue to be deeply affected this quarter, next quarter and likely for the remainder of 2020. It's important to emphasize that we expect our ad business to rebound eventually, but since the timing cannot be predicted, we need to plan with extra caution." While WGAE covers only about 350 of the company's 1,200 employees, Vox doesn't want to make one agreement for those workers (editorial employees at Vox, Eater, SBNation, Curbed, Polygon, Verge and Recode) and another for its other employees, said one of the people. Vox agreed to acquire New York Media, which owns New York Magazine, last year. New York Media employees are unionized through NewsGuild, which hasn't yet agreed to a contract with Vox since the acquisition's completion. Vox is also asking for reader contributions during quarantines, noting that while donations don't quality as charitable deductions, they "will enable Vox to continue bringing you essential information for free at the pace and scale the coronavirus crisis demands." Bankoff noted in his email that the company is curtailing travel expenses, including off-sites and events; pausing some IT and facilities expenditures; limiting or ending relationships with freelancers and vendors; and "scaling back on all in-office perks like snacks and happy hours for the remainder of 2020 regardless of when we are back on-site." Bankoff's email did contain some good news, including record growth for NYMag digital subscriptions: "The week of March 23 was the greatest week for new subscriptions since New York launched its digital subscription product in 2018." Vox's decision to cut costs trails other digital media companies, such as Group Nine Media and Buzzfeed. Group Nine announced last week it was going to lay off about 7% of its employees and furlough a smaller number. Buzzfeed said in March that employees' pay would be cut on a sliding scale depending on salary. Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Vox Media. Watch: Massive job losses were expected from coronavirus lockdowns, says former US Treasury Secretary No casualties among the Joint Forces personnel have been reported Over the past 24 hours, pro-Kremlin militants have violated the ceasefire in Donbas seven times, using mortars that are prohibited by the Minsk agreements. It was reported by the press service of Ukraines Ministry Defense reports. Thus, the invaders fired shells at Ukrainian positions, utilizing 82-mm mortars, grenade/rocket launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Most of the attacks were observed in the Donetsk region six attacks next to Pavlopol, Krasnohorivka, Taramchuk and other settlements. No casualties among the Joint Forces personnel have been reported. As we reported earlier, according to Ukraines Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova, the prisoners exchange between Ukraine, Russia and militants will take place until the end of the week. The state and the president are going to return all citizens of Ukraine, staying in occupied territories and in Russia, Denisova noted. According to Denisova, the observation will take place in the order established by the Healthcare Ministry of Ukraine and chief sanitary inspector. Kathmandu, April 14 The Nepal Tourism Board has begun a survey to assess the impact of Covid-19 crisis on the countrys tourism and other related sectors. The boards Chief Executive Officer Dhananjaya Regmi says the survey will be conducted at an extensive scale, aiming at finding out exact data about the impact of the crisis on the sector. Currently, the board does not have any idea about how many companies are operational in the countrys tourism sector. It has barred the authorities from estimating the crisis impact on the sector. The board informs that the survey will cover eight sectors in particular, namely: airlines, hotels, tourist vehicles, restaurants, rafting companies, trekking and mountaineering, travel and tourism and other activities related to tourism. After analysing the data, the board will forward its report to the government recommending measures to recover. A few weeks back, the entrepreneurs had expressed their dissatisfaction over initial measures the government had announced for them. Meanwhile, tourism entrepreneurs have estimated that the sector would lose Rs 40 billion to the crisis. The Hotel Association Nepal has warned that 1.1 million workers are at the risk of losing their jobs. CLEVELAND, Ohio A photo of a 93-year-old Pittsburgh-area woman holding a sign saying I need more beer quickly went viral, and folks have made her wish come true. According to CBS Pittsburgh, Molson Coors on Monday delivered 150 cans of Coors Light to Olive Veronesis home. Wed hope that would be a sufficient supply. CBS Pittsburgh says the original photo, posted on the TV stations Facebook page last week, had more than 5 million views. Veronesi has been staying home because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. I was on my last 12 cans, I have a beer every night, you know what, beer has vitamins in it, its good for you, as long as you dont overdo it, Vernoesi tells CBS Pittsburgh. Doh! The Simpsons have a been TV staple for more than 30 years. In Ontario, a family recorded a rather impressive remake of the shows opening credits, which includes some messages on social distancing. Crashing success ABCs Good Morning America has video of a 1-year-old boy who crashed a Zoom gathering and turned it into a game of peek-a-boo, much to the delight of the participants. Wellington returns Wheres Wellington? Continuing his outdoor adventure with nesting pair Edward and Annie! Rockhoppers dont just do their distinctive hops on rocks (or, in this case, stairs)they even hop into the water feet-first! pic.twitter.com/paSnIBfupo Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) April 13, 2020 The Shedd Aquarium gives us an update on adventures of Wellington, who is seen hopping up the stairs with penguin pals Edward and Annie outside the aquarium in Chicago. Penguins on stairs are always a winner. Rod the Mod ... and special guest Artists continue to post performances on social media using the hashtag #TogetherAtHome. In this post, rock legend Rod Stewart and his daughter, Ruby Stewart, give a very informal performance of several songs, sounding quite good despite both saying they cant play guitar. Artists are trying to raise money to fight the coronavirus pandemic through Global Citizen. The numbers are better in Tokyo. A survey conducted at the end of March by the citys Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that 26 percent of companies had instituted teleworking. On Monday, two days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked businesses to cut commuting to meet social distancing goals, commuter traffic in the capital was down significantly, and business districts were quiet. Other cities and rural areas are unlikely to see such a dramatic shift. A study in late March by Tokyo-based Persol Research and Consulting found that in Nagoya, Japans fourth-largest city and one of the first places to be hit hard by the coronavirus, just 9 percent of permanent employees were telecommuting. Japanese companies, a lot of them, are set up on the premise that youre all going to be in the same place, said Rochelle Kopp, a consultant who specializes in Japanese business practices. Even if you have a laptop, you cant always take it home. There are a lot of software and hardware issues. The inability to work from home is really hampering Japans ability to deal with Covid-19, she said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus. For several weeks before Japan declared the state of emergency, it avoided recommending the kind of stringent measures used by other nations to limit peoples movement. Many observers have attributed that reluctance to the damage it would inflict on Japans already-limping economy damage that could be compounded if companies had to severely curtail operations because they could not easily shift to telework. For the many workers in Japan who believe they face a false choice between their jobs and their well-being, few things have exemplified the dilemma more than the distinctive red imprint of the venerable hanko. Beijing, April 14 : Fast-food chain McDonald's is reportedly planning to launch a new "5G" smart product here and the details will be revealed on April 15, the media reported. The company has shared various teasers and promotional images of the same. However, it is currently unknown what exactly the smart product is and how the newer and faster bandwidth ties in with it, reports GizmoChina. It is assumed that the new product will have a display surrounded by thin bezels. The smart device will even feature a wide-angle lens, which will support facial recognition as well. The device will also have speakers and will support 5G networking. Currently, it is unclear if this is a collaboration between McDonald's and a tech industry brand or the main focus of the launch is some improvement of the fast food chain itself. To further create a buzz, the fast-food chain's WeChat app has opened a new "5G" gift certificate that includes three kinds of coupons on the basis of discounts. These coupons can only be redeemed on April 15 and April 16 through applets, restaurant buffet ordering machines, and restaurant counter scan codes. (Bloomberg) -- States threaten Trump authority on reopening, bank earnings season kicks off, and markets rise. Here are some of the things people in markets are talking about today. Total authority? Even as the American toll from the coronavirus rises to more than 23,000, the policy discussion has firmly moved to when the country can start to return to something approaching normality. President Donald Trump declared he has total authority to order states to reopen their economies at a White House news conference yesterday. States have rebuffed the president, with some of the nations most powerful governors agreeing to form regional alliances to coordinate the easing of restrictions. We will be driven by facts, California Governor Gavin Newsom said as he announced a partnership with Washington state and Oregon. End in sight Outside the U.S. there are further signs of countries starting to slowly lift restrictions as the outbreak, particularly in Europe, seems to have passed its peak. Spain reported the fewest new cases since March 20, and while there has been no announcement of a reopening of the economy, the countrys health minister said the peak has been reached. France extended its lockdown until May 11, but plans to reopen schools after that date. New cases are also falling in Germany, where there has been an unprecedented level of fiscal support for the economy. The rate of increase in cases seems to be slowing in the U.K. where Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said an extension to current lockdown measures is likely to be announced in the coming days. Earnings JPMorgan Chase & Co. kicks off a hotly anticipated earnings season before the bell this morning. Investors will concentrate on what provisions the bank is taking and comments from Jamie Dimon in his first earnings call since his emergency heart surgery. Wells Fargo & Co. also reports today. Bank shares have already erased 2019s gains in this years ultra-volatile trading. Story continues Markets rise Markets are putting yesterdays drop in U.S. stocks behind them as optimism again rises that there is an end in sight to the lockdown in some of the worlds largest economies. Overnight the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rallied 1.7% while Japans Topix index closed 2.0% higher. Europes Stoxx 600 Index was on the cusp of a technical bull market, with the gauge trading 0.6% higher by 5:50 a.m. Eastern Time. S&P 500 futures pointed to a gain at the open, the 10-year Treasury yield was at 0.75% and gold rose to $1,720 an ounce. Coming up At 8:30 a.m., the IMF will publish its World Economic Outlook followed by a briefing on the financial stability report at 11:30 a.m. G-7 finance chiefs are scheduled to hold a video conference. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans and Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic are all due to speak later. As well as the big banks, Johnson & Johnson and JB Hunt Transport Services Ltd. report earnings. What we've been reading This is what's caught our eye over the last 24 hours. Goldman sees advanced economies shrinking 35% in pandemic. Trumps oil deal: The inside story of how a price war ended. U.S. debt and deficit forecast to hit levels not seen since WWII. Over a fourth of Michigans workforce has filed for unemployment. Trump re-election imperiled as coronavirus hits key states. North Korea fires missile barrage ahead of South Korean election. A bad time to be alive: Study links ocean deoxygenation to ancient die-off. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. [April 14, 2020] NASA Astronaut, Air Force General to Talk with Students About Future of Air, Space WASHINGTON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt will discuss leadership for the future of air and space through an online educational opportunity at noon EDT Thursday, April 16. The event will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. The event also will stream live on the Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) Facebook page and NASA's Facebookpage. Questions may be submitted using #AskNASA and #AimHigh. Hague, an Air Force colonel, and Leavitt, the AFRS commander, will share their STEM journeys and answer questions from students about how science, technology, engineering, and math are important parts of their careers. "What an amazing opportunity to join Gen. Leavitt for this unique STEM event," Hague said. "The Air Force provided me the education, training, and support I needed to become a NASA astronaut and explore the universe. Sharing that journey with so many students will hopefully inspire them to get involved in air and space." Both Hague and Leavitt have experienced barrier-breaking moments in their careers. Hague is a leader in STEM initiatives and space exploration at NASA and in 1993, Leavitt became the Air Force's first female fighter pilot. "I'm excited to partner with NASA and engage with America's youth who are interested in pursuing STEM careers," said Leavitt. "Working together, we hope to inspire the next generation to dream big, work hard, and reach for the stars. This is an exciting time to be in the Air Force and Space Force as we find new horizons and make history in space exploration!" Learn more about NASA STEM at: https://www.nasa.gov/stem Follow NASA astronauts on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-astronaut-air-force-general-to-talk-with-students-about-future-of-air-space-301040369.html SOURCE NASA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Libya's unity govt recaptures two strategic cities from Haftar forces Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 5:34 PM Forces with Libya's internationally-recognized government say they have taken control of two coastal cities between Tripoli and the Tunisian border from forces under the command of renegade General Khalifa Haftar. Mohammad al-Gammoudi, a commander with the armed forces of the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), said on Monday that the cities of Sorman and Sabratha have been seized. The takeover took place after "six hours of fighting with air cover." In a post on their Facebook page, GNA forces published images of Grad rocket launchers, 10 tanks and armored vehicles they said they had captured in the cities. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj also confirmed the success of the operation. Mohammed Gnunu, spokesman for the GNA, said troops were pursuing Haftar's loyalists across the troubled region. Haftar, who is primarily supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan, led a deadly offensive to capture the capital, Tripoli, in April last year. His forces have been bogged down outside the city. Fighting around Tripoli has intensified in recent days after the rebels breached a March 21 humanitarian truce that had aimed to allow a focus on efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The UN says hundreds have been killed and over 200,000 displaced since Haftar launched his battle for Tripoli. On Saturday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the country said water had been cut off to millions of residents of Tripoli and surroundings in an "abhorrent" act of collective punishment. The water supply was disrupted by members of an armed group in an area 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Tripoli which is under control of pro-Haftar forces. Haftar has often rejected opportunities to make peace with the government. Libya plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO intervention led to the ouster, and later killing, of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, two rival seats of power have emerged. The UN-recognized government of Sarraj, and another group based in the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by Haftar's rebels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A harsh reality has emerged as COVID-19 has spread around the globe. Several thousand doctors, nurses and others caring for COVID-19 patients are dying from the virus. To alert providers in otolaryngology, one of the hardest-hit medical specialties, about the high risk of transmission and how to avoid it, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers studied data from China. The results will be published in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and are also available on the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Surgery website here. Otolaryngologists routinely come into direct contact with patients who have upper respiratory issues. Otolaryngologists are also on the frontlines at hospitals during the pandemic, performing such procedures as tracheotomies, during which they surgically create a hole in the windpipe to help patients breathe, according to Xuezhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., the Marian and Walter Hotchkiss Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology and vice chairman of otolaryngology at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Regardless of whether otolaryngologists practice in the hospital or community, the nature of the specialty puts them at high risk for COVID-19 infection. In fact, they might not realize they're encountering a positive patient because COVID-19 symptoms often mimic those they see routinely with other conditions. "Recent evidence suggests that more than half of COVID-19 patients don't have a fever early in the course of the disease. They might have mild or no symptoms but can easily spread COVID-19. Otolaryngologists and other specialists who see patients for things such as a runny nose, loss of taste or smell, or a minor sore throat or cough, might not realize the patient before them has COVID-19," Dr. Liu said. To help them alert otolaryngologists about the high risk of transmission from even mild and asymptomatic patients and what to do to prevent transmission, Dr. Liu and colleagues looked at data from China. Three of the paper's coauthors are former clinical fellows at the Miller School, including Drs. Qi Yao, who works at an academic center in Wuhan; Di Zhang from the otolaryngology department of a hospital in Shenzhen; and Yilai Shu, from an academic otolaryngology department in Shanghai. The researchers studied 20 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from ENT departments at four Chinese hospitals during the pandemic. They found ENTs performed six tracheotomies. Six patients underwent procedures to control nose bleeding and seven were treated for routine ENT complaints, such as sore throat, nasal congestion, and loss of the ability to smell. Despite coming into close contact and performing procedures on hospitalized COVID-19 patients, none of the ENT health care workers got the virus. All implemented appropriate protection strategies, whether in the hospital or outpatient setting. The message to otolaryngology providers is to suspect COVID-19 in all patient encounters and to take necessary precautions with personal protective equipment, including at the very least N95 masks and face shields. Data from China suggest providers who protect themselves are far less likely to contract the virus, according to Dr. Liu. Other protective strategies used in China include pre-appointment screening, triaging, restriction of non-urgent visits and surgeries, and telemedicine. The findings emphasize the need for hospitals and outpatient clinics to provide the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, based on their job, work area and degree of exposure risk, according to the paper. "PPE is the most obvious aspect of infection control," the authors wrote. In China, ENT health care workers had third-level protection -- the highest -- when performing invasive procedures, such as a tracheotomy, in the hospital. They used second-level protection measures for more routine evaluations, treatments and throat swabs. Second-level protection includes protective masks, face shields, protective clothing, gloves and more. It's also important for ENT providers in the community to realize that they can easily catch the virus from people who have no fever and common mild symptoms or no symptoms. Relatively routine symptoms, like loss of taste and smell, are early warning signs of COVID-19 infection, according to Dr. Liu. "We can avoid infection even in our at-risk specialty if we take the proper precautions," he said. Other high-risk specialties, he noted, include emergency medicine, anesthesiology and ophthalmology. ### Miller School coauthors on the study are Eric Nisenbaum, M.D., M.Sc., otolaryngology resident; Roy Casiano, M.D., professor and vice chair of otolaryngology and director of the Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Program; Donald Topping Weed, M.D., professor and vice chair for academic affairs in otolaryngology; Zoukaa B. Sargi, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of clinical otolaryngology and neurosurgery; and Fred F. Telischi, M.E.E., M.D., the James R. Chandler Chair in Otolaryngology, chairman of otolaryngology and professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering. Connecticut, like many states, is entering a critical phase in the fight against the global coronavirus pandemic. We are nearing peak infections and hospitalizations, and hope that our collective actions have indeed flattened the curve. However, as we continue listening to the advice of medical experts, we are also at the point where we must seriously plan for the reopening of nonessential businesses and jump-starting our economic recovery. Stating the obvious, none of us have been through anything like this in our lifetimes. How we move forward from this point will define how our economy will rebound and perform for the foreseeable future. Thats why we must get it right. The Lamont administration is appropriately developing a thoughtful, deliberate approach to reopening Connecticut. As Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says, its not like flipping a switch. This is first and foremost a public health crisis. Robust testing and other methods recommended by health professionals must be incorporated into any plan. The governor has taken an important first step by convening a panel of experts from the medical and business worlds to analyze the data and prepare for a pragmatic and successful economic reopening that makes sense for Connecticut. Gov. Lamont, along with his medical and economic development teams, has demonstrated more flexibility than many others in the region in terms of keeping as much of our economy open as possible. For example, we were the first state Im aware of that declared all manufacturing companies essential, recognizing the importance of supply chains and the hundreds of thousands of jobs they support. But there is a natural frustration that things are not moving as quickly as we would like. Although some companies are open for business, many are not, and the pain experienced by those employers and their employees is palpable. We want to see these businesses open and their employees bringing home paychecks as soon as possible. But the challenge of doing this safely is enormous. This has been clear in my conversations with the administration over the last few weeks. We regularly talk about fully opening the economy as soon as possible, but balancing that need against the risks of further outbreaks is tricky at best. As I talk with my colleagues from other business organizations around the country, I find that our challenges and concerns are quite similar. All are anxious to see their states fully reopen but are cognizant of the fact that doing so haphazardly and without proper planning will cause more harm down the road. Many are looking to collaborate regionally, as Gov. Lamont is doing with several other governors in the Northeast. Although we need a plan that works for our state, we are not an island and should coordinate with those states that are part of our regional economy. The cooperation and collaboration between all sectors, political parties and levels of government in Connecticut has been excellent given the unprecedented nature of this crisis. Leaders from business, labor, nonprofits, academia and government understand this is the time to come together and find common ground, not to divide or follow a separate path. At CBIA we have always believed that the best solutions are found when political parties work in a bipartisan manner, and this has never been truer than now. In fact, Gov. Lamont, a Democrat, has wisely chosen to include in discussions and solicit advice from Republican leaders, as well as his Democratic colleagues, during this crisis. This must continue. Every resident of Connecticut is critical to the success of any economic reactivation plan. The social distancing already practiced by so many must become the norm as more businesses reopen. Companies will employ all measures at their disposal to continue protecting employees as well as customers, clients, vendors and visitors, but every individual must do their part to keep our communities safe. Connecticut businesses and the people they employ are nothing if not resilient. That is why Im confident that if we move forward with proper engagement from all stakeholders and bipartisan cooperation among policymakers, we will reopen our economy as safely, successfully, and quickly as possible. We have no other choice. Joe Brennan is the president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. Screen shots of a new app for citizen scientists to help researchers learn more about the coronavirus. (Greg Marcus / UC San Francisco) As the new coronavirus continues its assault on humanity, scientists are fighting back by gathering data from an unlikely source: ordinary people. With a smartphone app and a little free time, anyone 18 or older can contribute valuable information that might help bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, researchers say. The apps ask volunteers whether they're feeling healthy or sick to log their symptoms. Some ask for permission to tap into the health data that smartphones and fitness trackers collect as a matter of course. Others search out more context, asking participants about their success in social distancing and the status of their jobs, among other things. At a time when most people are isolating themselves at home, this kind of crowdsourcing could make a world of difference to researchers, said Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and a co-leader of a UC San Francisco initiative called COVID-19 Citizen Science. One of the main goals, he said, "is to try to identify the behaviors that we all have direct control over that may or may not influence our risk of infection." Since it emerged late last year in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has infected about 1.5 million people and killed nearly 88,000 around the globe. But the manner in which it has spread and the damage it has done have varied among different people and in different places. Scientists have been working overtime to understand key characteristics about COVID-19 such as patterns in the diseases spread and what behaviors or other factors make one person more susceptible than another that could help them find ways to stop it in its tracks. Much of that research has involved small numbers of COVID-19 patients. Larger studies tend to take more time. By using smartphone apps, researchers can potentially gather real-time data from hundreds of thousands of people as they go about their daily lives and perhaps draw useful insights sooner than they might have otherwise. Story continues This format "provides much more pragmatic and real-world information, so its much more immediately actionable," said Dr. Steven Steinhubl, director of digital medicine at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. It helps that about 1 in 5 Americans use some kind of smart watch or fitness tracker that connects to their phones, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Citizen science projects give researchers access to a wider range of participants than traditional studies, which usually draw upon people who live near academic medical centers, Steinhubl said. "People who have historically been underrepresented in research, people who live in rural communities, people who live in economically depressed communities where there arent the large academic centers, have been left out of research," said Steinhubl, who helps run a Scripps crowdsourcing study called DETECT. "This allows anybody anywhere whos interested to be able to participate and provide information." It's also a highly adaptable platform that can incorporate new data as it becomes available, he added. Today's devices measure heart rate, sleep quality and duration, physical activity and even blood oxygen levels. "Digital trials allow us to really iterate the whole time," Steinhubl said. "You can always keep improving ... which from a research standpoint allows you to keep answering questions in a better and better way." The DETECT study, which uses the MyDataHelps app, pulls heart rate, activity and sleep data from wearable trackers and asks users to log any respiratory systems, the timing of any treatments they've taken and any diagnostic test results they've received. They can also choose to share electronic health record data. Volunteers who download the UCSF app are asked to complete a brief daily survey about the health of everyone in their household, as well as the number of people who came within six feet of them in the past 24 hours. Longer surveys sent out on a weekly basis ask about employment, income and physical activity, among other things; monthly questionnaires probe volunteers' mental health. Participants are also asked about things like hygiene practices. The answers could help unlock some of the virus' secrets especially when combined with volunteers' location information and health stats, as well as the hospitalization and death rates in their area. The project is built to be nimble and ideally to able to answer more than one question, Marcus said. Among them: Why does the disease hit the elderly so hard? Exactly how effective are stay-at-home orders in slowing the virus spread? How is sheltering in place affecting our physical activity and mood? What everyday behaviors (or exposures) might influence the risk of infection or transmission? Other citizen science efforts are in the works or being deployed as well. The COVID Symptom Tracker app takes a more straightforward approach, asking participants if they've been tested and if they're feeling well. (If they're not feeling well, a suite of questions about their symptoms and their location follows.) The creators of the app an international consortium whose members include Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University and King's College London hope is to search out new symptoms, target COVID-19 hot spots and potentially use it as a planning tool for localized quarantines. Steinhubl's previous work drew upon heart-rate data from Fitbit trackers and found that people experienced a discernible rise in heart rate before flu-like symptoms set in. He hopes citizen scientists will reveal whether an early sign of COVID-19 infection lies hidden in people's heartbeats before a fever takes hold. In addition to including a wider range of participants, app-based studies are cheaper to run. Digital platforms can potentially take thousands more patients without adding on much extra cost or effort, the researchers said. Getting people to sign up can be the easy part; persuading them to keep contributing information is often more challenging, Steinhubl said. "Altruism will open the door for people to join many studies because people are good people and they want to help," he said. "But altruism doesnt usually lead to long-term stickiness for people staying." The key, he said, is to give patients something of value they wouldn't otherwise have. For DETECT, the plan is for that to be visual representations of their predicted and actual heart rates, along with information on local COVID-19 infections and associations with environmental patterns, such as those that might cause allergies that could be mistaken for illness. The UCSF team plans to ask its citizen scientists to submit their own research questions that could be answered by probing the data. Steinhubl said app-based projects could go even further, perhaps by sending test kits to participants and encouraging people to self-isolate even if they are asymptomatic. "The digital study allows us to look at healthcare from a completely different way," he said. Both Marcus and Steinhubl say they hope to enroll a million people, if not more, in their respective studies. After all, the more participants there are, the more questions scientists can answer and the more precise the answers may be. The confidence of the answer grows as the number of people contribute, Marcus said. Ambulances are seen in a file photo in Brooklyn, New York City, on April 2, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Friend Stanley Chera Dies, President Offers Condolences President Donald Trump responded to the death of his real estate developer friend, Stanley Chera, who reportedly died of COVID-19. My deepest sympathies go out to Frieda Chera and the family of the late, great, Stanley Chera, one of Manhattans most brilliant real estate minds. Stanley was charitable, kind, and a wonderful friend. He will be truly missed! Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday. Media reports over the weekend said Chera, 78, died from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus after he was hospitalized weeks ago. His family later confirmed his death. Trump said in a press briefing recently that Chera was hospitalized after contracting the virus. I have some friends that are unbelievably sick. We thought they were going in for a mild stay. And, in one case, hes unconsciousin a coma. And you say, How did that happen? Trump said of Chera. Chera was the founder of Crown Acquisitions, according to The Real Deal, which first reported his death. Haim Chera, one of Stanleys three sons, told the news outlet that his father was giant hearted, champion of the underprivileged, and needy. Compassion for all as equals, he wrote in a text to the website on Monday. Captain of the team for the correct and just, not the popular. Last November, Chera introduced Trump at the Veterans Day parade in New York City, adding that he was the first sitting president to attend the event. Federal Election Commission records show that Chera donated more than $400,000 to Trumps campaign in 2016, NBC News reported. 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. A 108-year-old woman passed away in a New Jersey nursing home on April 11, according to multiple reports. A family member told the Newark Star-Ledger that Ollie Edwards is believed to be the states oldest victim of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. She passed away at the Delaire nursing home in Linden, New Jersey at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The New York Post reported that her family has yet to receive an official confirmation that Edwards died from COVID-19 or related complications. Its hurtful because we werent even notified. They hid it from us. They moved her [to a] room away from everybody else because when you have a virus, they isolate you, Tanisha Edwards, one of Edwardss granddaughters told the Post. Her whole floor had the virus. You dont do that. We paid you to do good for our relative, Tanisha said. Another grandchild, April Edwards-Thompson, told the Post that her grandmother was a very strong woman. I am very saddened. I cannot be with her and celebrate her life the way we want to, Edwards-Thompson said. It was a true blessing to have her as my grandmother. Over 108 years, she was a phenomenal force in our family. Her house was where we all gathered together, enjoying each others company and her cooking, especially her cakes and pies. Oh how we wished she could live forever, Edwards-Thompson said. Grandma Ollie will be truly missed by everyone. Ollies great-granddaughter, Tan Edwards, a police officer in Clifton, New Jersey, told the post she was greatly saddened at not being able to protect her great-grandmother from the virus. Great grandmother, when I took my oath of honor, you were so proud of me. In the oath, I honor to protect and serve, and I am so brokenhearted that I was not able to protect you from COVID-19, Tan said. Before her death, Edwards was battling an abundance of other health issues, including dementia, the news outlet reported. She was also reported to have had several hip surgeries, in addition to other issues like hearing and vision loss as a result of her old age. The Star-Ledger reported that Ollie Edwards used to say, Im the captain of this ship, you are just a passenger, sit back and take a ride. I may be old, but I aint cold. The local outlet reported that since 2014, her family had been visiting Edwards daily in the nursing home. According to NJToday.net, state health officials were asked by Mayor Derek Armstead to conduct an investigation at Delaire nursing home after various reports emerged about the facilitys handling of COVID-19 cases. On March 16, a former employee said that staff at the facility had been told by administrators that a client who had been transferred to hospital had since been diagnosed with COVID-19. Owner of AristaCare Health Services, the company that operates Delaire and 13 other nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Sidney Greenberger, told the Philadelphia Inquirer in March of the threat posed by the pandemic to the vulnerable in nursing homes: Im scared sless, and thats the honest truth. He said the prospect of the the CCP virus turning nursing homes into death traps for his residents was terrifying. AristaCare has introduced measures to reduce the spread of the CCP virus. However, NJToday.net reported that the Delaire facility was reported to be experiencing staff shortages due to employees leaving their jobs. One worker alleged that the nursing home was not providing enough personal protective equipment The worker also alleged that Delaire was not providing staff adequate personal protective equipment. NTD has not been able to verify these claims. New Jersey officials confirmed on Monday 252 COVID-19-related deaths over the weekend for residents of New Jersey nursing homes. There were 64,584 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state and 2,443 deaths as of Monday. Fox News reported that Edwards is survived by 15 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. MAV Symphony Orchestras new initiative which respects the restrictive measures in place encourages locals to stay home but open their windows and let the music and the spring sunshine in. With the help of the ensembles partners (Hyundai, Pioneer, Bose and Grandvoice), two cars cruise Budapest every day from 30 March broadcasting classical music on the streets. Every now and then, the cars stop to play the most beautiful recordings by the MAV Symphony Orchestra to send a message to those fulfilling their duty by going to work or spending time at home and who can open their windows to the music. They will make a point of passing by hospitals to smuggle some joy into the lives of healthcare workers who are courageously fighting for the lives of patients every day. Now that the country and nearly every citizen in the world must tackle a serious emergency, it is even more important to give people some happy, carefree moments that help them recharge their batteries, as well as give them reason to be hopeful that in the foreseeable future, concert halls, theatres and public spaces will open their gates once again and life will get back to normal. Music is the most effective tool for this. For the past 75 years, it has been MAV Symphony Orchestras mission to introduce classical music into peoples lives. In 1945, after WW2 ended, the founders of the ensemble told their musicians to do everything in their power to help people heal after enduring the pain and suffering caused by the war. The cars, equipped with professional audio devices, will usually be driven by the musicians themselves and people will be able to follow their route on MAV Symphony Orchestras Facebook page. Source: budapestinfo.hu Woman says she survived tornadoes that killed 9 in SC by calling on Jesus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A woman who escaped unhurt after a series of powerful tornadoes swept across South Carolina Monday morning, leaving at least nine people dead, says she survived by calling on Jesus. Rich Okulski, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service office in Columbia, told the Post and Courier that the storm system was the states most severe weather event in 12 years with several long-track, violent tornadoes streaking across South Carolina over a six-hour period. North resident Allison Ritter told The Times and Democrat that she was at home when she heard the howl of the tornado begin to rip through her neighborhood. "Once I heard that wind blowing, I knew. My children and I were in the house when it happened. I never experienced anything like that before. My mom ended up calling me right before it happened and about five minutes later was when I ran and got my kids," she said. "I started hearing all the wind blowing, windows breaking, trees cracking, debris just hitting up against the house. It was a lot." The frightened mom said she gathered her children together, including a newborn, and sheltered in a bathroom. When it was done, she found an uprooted tree and twisted metal scattered outside. "I just wanted to make sure we were safe. None of the kids knew what was going on. Between all the wind blowing and trees falling, I just kept calling on Jesus. That's all I know to do in a case like this. He just kept His hand over us," Ritter said. Ritters neighbors, Robert Logan Moss and his wife, Jennifer, werent as lucky as their home, part of which landed in Ritters backyard, was a total loss. They had to be dragged from the wreck and rushed to the hospital. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the tornadoes were an extra hit on the people of his state already battling the impact of the new coronavirus but insisted that they would rebuild. We saw more tragedy in the midst of what is already one of the most trying times our state has endured. We lost at least 9 precious lives across South Carolina last night to the tornadoes that swept through our state, he said in a statement on Twitter. They left in their wake utter destruction, but the one thing they could not destroy is the spirit of our people. We will rebuild after these storms just as we do after hurricanes and how we are battling the Coronavirustogether. Firefighters battle a two day gorse fire on the Reenaderry road outside Dungannon on April 14th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Firefighters battle a two day gorse fire on the Reenaderry road outside Dungannon on April 14th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Firefighters battle a two day gorse fire on the Reenaderry road outside Dungannon on April 14th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Firefighters battle a two day gorse fire on the Reenaderry road outside Dungannon on April 14th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Firefighters battle a two day gorse fire on the Reenaderry road outside Dungannon on April 14th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Firefighters have been battling several major gorse fires in counties Fermanagh and Tyrone. The Northern Ireland Fire Service said the blazes appeared to have been started deliberately. The largest fires were brought under control on Tuesday night in Belleek, Plumbridge and Coalisland. A NIFRS spokesperson said: It is most important that we all play our part in protecting our communities during this national emergency, and to ensure that we do not add unnecessary pressures to the emergency services. The public are also reminded that deliberate setting of wildfires is a criminal offence and if you see anyone setting a fire you should call the PSNI immediately, they added. Last year the NIFRS dealt with over 3,000 gorse fires. Aviva will let car and home insurance customers struggling financially in the virus crisis to defer premiums for up to three months. In the UK it is a legal requirement to have at least third party insurance for your car unless you declare it off the road and have a Statutory Off Road Notification certificate. Many are not using their vehicles now but must pay for cover. Aviva will let car and home insurance customers defer premiums for up to three months If Aviva customers want to defer, they or their spouse must have been furloughed and are not yet receiving 80 per cent of pay; be self-employed and unable to work; or have lost their job after March 1, 2020. They will repay the money through higher monthly instalments in the future. Aviva is also offering NHS workers extra support, as is Admiral. And Scottish Widows is letting life insurance policyholders defer premiums for up to three months. Israeli drones violate Lebanese airspace, buzz over Beirut, southern suburbs Iran Press TV Monday, 13 April 2020 2:29 PM Lebanon says Israeli reconnaissance aircraft have entered the country's airspace and flown over the capital Beirut and its southern suburbs in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution. The state-run National News Agency reported that the aircraft circled over Beirut and Dahiyeh neighborhood at medium altitude throughout Sunday night and into early Monday. Many Beirut residents then took to Twitter to voice their irritation. They also questioned the Tel Aviv regime's priorities, at a time when Israeli medical officials are battling to keep the new coronavirus under control in the occupied territories. Over 11,200 people have contracted the virus in Israel and 110 have died, according to a running count by worldometers.info. Israel violates Lebanon's airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes. On August 24 last year, two Israeli drones crashed in the southern neighborhood of Beirut. Hezbollah said at the time that the first drone had fallen on a building housing Hezbollah's media office in Dahiyeh suburb. The second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one, had crashed in an empty plot nearby after exploding in the air, it added. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the following day that his fellow fighters will counter any further violation of Lebanese airspace by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles, warning the Tel Aviv regime to immediately cease such breaches. "Hezbollah will endeavor to down all Israeli drones, which may violate Lebanon's airspace," he said in a televised speech at the time. The Hezbollah chief noted the Israeli drone incursion into Lebanon amounted to an open attack on the Arab country's sovereignty. Lebanon's government, Hezbollah and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have repeatedly condemned Israel's overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country's sovereignty. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the UN, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wheelhouse team members have taken on the challenge to create hundreds of masks to serve the outlying, smaller community hospitals, as they have yet to see re-supply. "In the smaller markets, the wait time for supplies is much longer and we want to help relieve this as much as possible," stated Wheelhouse Executive Vice President of Operations, Kell Curtis "We are so lucky to have an incredible group of creative designers on our team that were willing to jump in and get to sewing," states Mass Luminosity CMO, Julie Curtis. "While all eyes are on some of the bigger cities, we have heard the cry of smaller, outlying hospitals and nursing homes that are desperate to get their hands-on PPE items. We are grateful to our partners Pernod Ricard Texas Team for donating brand new materials to get production moving so swiftly." First round of supplies was delivered this week, and the Wheelhouse Team will continue on until the need is met, and caretakers and first responders receive items they need to safely continue to serve their communities. About Wheelhouse Marketing & PR: Wheelhouse Marketing & PR, wholly owned subsidiary of Mass Luminosity, is a group of impassioned and creative individuals who know there are no traffic jams on the extra mile. It develops connectivity between brands and consumers by bringing them together in a forum that is imaginative, innovative and inspirational. As a full- service marketing firm, Wheelhouse takes a distinctive human approach to manifesting a message that speaks to both the mind and soul of your consumer, transforming them into fans. www.wheelhousepr.com About Mass Luminosity: Mass Luminosity is a research, technology and experiential company that integrates brands and people in a unique and powerful way. Its mission statement is the defragmentation and enhancement of the human experience. The company's current subsidiaries include: Wheelhouse Marketing and PR and GTribe the leading social media network for technology enthusiasts and video gamers, located at www.gamingtribe.com. For more information on Mass Luminosity visit: www.massluminosity.com. About Pernod Ricard: Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 9,182 million in FY19. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's brands are distributed across over 160 markets, and by its own direct salesforce in 73 markets. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite." As reaffirmed by the Group's three-year strategic plan, "Transform and Accelerate," deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "We bring good times from a good place." In recognition of Pernod Ricard's strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in Vigeo Eiris for the beverage sector. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation's Global Compact LEAD company. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index. SOURCE Wheelhouse Marketing & PR Related Links http://www.wheelhousepr.com An elderly Italian couple with coronavirus have marked their golden wedding anniversary in intensive care after medics organised for them to be together. Sandra, 71, and husband Giancarlo, 73, held hands across their beds with ventilators over their faces at the Murri Hospital located in the municipality of Fermo, in the eastern region of Marche. Roberta Ferretti, a reanimation nurse in the hospital, found out that the couple were due to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and worked with the other medics to organise a party. Ferretti told local media: 'Sandra cried a lot, not for herself, she was worried about her husband. He told me how much he still loved her, after so many years. When I found out that it was their anniversary, I thought they had to celebrate it.' The touching celebration took place in the Murri Hospital located in the municipality of Fermo, in the eastern Italian region of Marche, where Sandra, 71, and her husband Giancarlo, 73, were being treated for COVID-19 Roberta Ferretti, a reanimation nurse in the hospital, found out that the couple were due to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and worked with the other staff members to organise a party The party only lasted 10 minutes and in the photos, the staff in full protective gear can be seen next surrounding the couple and making love hearts with their hands. Roberta Ferretti, the nurse who organised the celebration with her colleagues Ferretti added: 'We put the 50 candle on a small cake because you cannot light it near oxygen, we played the Wedding March, they had their beds together and they held hands, with the little strength they still have. 'It was an amazing moment, very beautiful, those minutes alone pay us for all the sacrifice we have made these days. He kept repeating how much he loves her, we broke into tears. In the air, you could feel the love you chase your whole life'. Lusisanna Cola, the head of the intensive care unit, said. 'I only push my cooperators to always see the person and the patient and use their identity and their history as support for their recovery. Sometimes, a miracle happens, like in this case'. The couple's children, named Gianluca and Andrea, reportedly received the photo of the celebration and thanked the hospital staff, saying: 'We have received a fantastic gift. 'Our parents were born to be together, they are an old fashioned couple, those which do not exist anymore'. Local media report that the couple have been released from reanimation and it is believed that they will be discharged together Local media report that the couple have been released from reanimation and it is believed that they will be discharged together. Nurse Ferretti said: 'I really hope people keep staying at home.' According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Italy has registered 159,516 cases of COVID-19, with 20,465 deaths. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mumtaj Begum (The Star/Asia News Network) Tue, April 14, 2020 09:02 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1accb4 2 Entertainment Hugh-Jackman,Chris-Hemsworth,television,film,Movie Free The timing couldn't be better for these two actors. Big-screen movie stars Chris Hemsworth and Hugh Jackman are headlining new films scheduled to be out this week on Netflix and HBO respectively. Extraction In this action flick, Hemsworth most famous for playing hammer-wielding god Thor in the Marvel films stars as a black market mercenary who's hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned drug lord. Needless to say, the mission is anything but simple and it gets more and more complicated by the minute. Directed by Sam Hargrave (stunt coordinator on many big films including Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War), the action feature which was shot in Thailand, India and Bangladesh is produced by Joe and Anthony Russo (directors of Avengers films), as well as Hemsworth. Extraction premieres on Netflix on April 24. Read also: Return of the 'Tiger King': Netflix sets follow-up episode Bad Education Based on true events, Bad Education follows Frank Tassone (Jackman) a district superintendent in New York, that turned one high school into a top-achieving public school Naturally this earns him the respect of teachers and parents. But all that comes crashing when a student exposes an embezzlement scheme that threatens to destroy everything he has built. Co-starring Allison Janney and Ray Romano. Bad Education premieres on April 26, at 7 a.m., with an encore on the same day at 10pm, on HBO. 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 Joe Biden has won a huge victory over Bernie Sanders in the Wisconsin primary a race mired by controversy and overshadowed by the coronavirus crisis. On the day the former vice president received the official endorsement of the Vermont senator in his bid to become the Democratic Partys nominee for president, Mr Biden purred to another victory. Actual in-person voting took place a week ago amid accusations that Republican officials were threatening peoples safety by refusing to postpone the vote, or permit absentee voting for everyone. The release of the results was delayed after a federal court ordered an extension to extend the deadline for such postal voting. With more than half of the votes counted, Mr Biden led Mr Sanders 63 31 and was declared the winner by multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press. Earlier on Monday, Mr Biden and Mr Sanders had appeared by livestream to allow the man from Vermont urge his supporters to back the former vice president. [Democrats, independents and Republicans must] come together in this campaign to support his candidacy, which I endorse, to make certain that we defeat somebody who I believeis the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country, said the 78-year-old said. Mr Biden, 77, added said the two men had disagreed, but had remained friends. To Bernies supporters: 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 on this campaign. Youre needed. A day after last Tuesdays primary contest, Mr Sanders announced he was dropping out of the race, having for several weeks failed to make traction against Mr Biden. He said given how unlikely it was for him to make up the delegate count by which he was trailing his rival, it would not be correct to continue his bid while the nation was trying to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. Wisconsin, which has 90 delegates and 10 electoral college votes, will be among the toughest fought battlegrounds in the showdown between Republicans and Democrats in November. In 2016, Mr Trump squeaked it there by around 22,000 one of three stark upsets the other being Michigan and Pennsylvania that allowed him to bag the White House against Hillary Clinton. Voters in the state were not just selecting a presidential nominee, but a raft of local officials. Among those most keenly watched was a seat on the states supreme court, where Dan Kelly, a conservative incumbent endorsed by Mr Trump, was seeking to hold off a challenge from and his liberal challenger, Jill Karofsky. European police have foiled an attempt to cheat German health authorities out of millions of euros by selling them non-existent face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, Europol said Tuesday. Police action in two countries came as Germany moved towards the progressive lifting of restrictions against COVID-19 which has claimed around 3,000 lives in the country. Experts say however that any easing would be accompanied by an obligation to wear a face mask while using public transport, to prevent a resurgence of infections. Europol said two companies were contracted by the German government in mid-March to buy face masks valued at 15 million euros ($16.4 million) as global stocks ran low. After a sale failed to materialise off a website supposedly based in Spain, the two companies were referred to a 'trusted" dealer in Ireland. "The Irish middleman promised to put them in touch with a different supplier, this time in the Netherlands," who could supply the masks, Europol said. An initial deal was made in which the companies paid 1.5 million euros for the delivery of 1.5 million masks. "The buyers initiated a bank transfer to Ireland and prepared for delivery, which involved 52 lorries and a police escort to transport the masks from a warehouse in the Netherlands to the final destination in Germany," Europol said. However, just before the delivery was due, the criminals said they needed another 800,000 euros "in order to secure the merchandise". The buyers sent the wire transfer but the masks never arrived. "It turns out the Dutch company existed, but their website had been cloned. There was no official record of the order," Europol said. Police and law enforcement agencies including Europol and Interpol quickly scrambled in a race to recover the money. The Irish police's Economic Crimes Bureau on a tip-off from Interpol froze 1.5 million euros in an account in n Irish bank and identified an Irish company involved. The Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD)tracked down the 800,000 euros -- of which 500,000 had already been paid into a British bank account, destined for an account in Nigeria. Thanks to an alert raised by investigators, the British bank was able to recall the full amount. Those funds have now been returned to the Netherlands and frozen by authorities. Dutch police arrested two suspects in the ongoing probe, Europol said. Members of the New Patriotic Party in Damongo have issued a press release condemning comments of their MP that the town will be connected to pipe-borne water within the first three months of a new government under Ex-President John Dramani Mahama. According to the Constituency Chairman Alhaji Adam Braimah, the MP is to blame for lack of potable water in the Savannah regional capital. "For these eight(8) long years of the NDC, at a time Hon. Garlus was, first DCE and subsequently an MP, he failed woefully to take any step whatsoever to provide water for the good people of Damongo" the statement says. Earlier, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu said Damongo and its surrounding towns would get safe drinking water three months after the swearing-in ceremony if Ex-President John Dramani Mahama wins the 2020 election on a Bole based radio station Nkilgi FM. But members of NPP are further criticizing him for being too ambitious for saying they will complete such a vast project within a short time for the Savannah regional capital and its surrounding towns. "His claim that water can be provided within three months in itself is unfortunate as the MP is well aware that it is not technically and practically possible to start construction of, and finish a water project to areas such as Damongo and its environs within such period." The statement signed by the constituency Chairman, however, assures the people that the government has already secured parliamentary approval for the water project and will inaugurate its construction soon. "The Akuffo government began the processes for the Damongo water project will cut the sod for it and God willing the good people of Ghana and those of Damongo constituency will permit him to commission this project". Meanwhile, as the two major political parties continue to ravage each other over who can help the people to gain access to potable drinking water, the main source of water for them is the Agriculture Dam" Agric Dam" located in Canteen, a suburb of the town. [April 14, 2020] Cubic Named a 2020 Women on Boards Winning Company Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced it was recognized by 2020 Women on Boards as a Winning 'W' Company. 2020 Women on Boards is a global education and public advocacy campaign that advocates for corporations to meet or exceed 20 percent of women directors on their boards by the year 2020. Companies receiving the 'W' Company recognition have boards of directors with 20 percent or more women members. Today, women comprise 44 percent of Cubic's board of directors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005234/en/ Cubic Named a 2020 Women on Boards Winning Company (Graphic: Business Wire) "Cubic is proud to be recognized for our commitment to boardroom diversity and we are fortunate to have four female directors who bring deep industry expertise and unique perspectives to Cubic," said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cubic Corporation. "At Cubic, we prioritize diversity and inclusion to strengthen our company culture, generate innovative ideas and in turn, best serve our employees, customers, shareholders and communities." "It's even more critical now, at a time when the business world is transforming a total shift in board governance practices, that we applaud leading companies including Cubic that appreciate having business-savvy women on their boards as a competitive advantage," said Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, chief executive officer of 2020 Women on Boards. "Even with the positive national momentum, U.S. companies are still a long way from gender balance in the boardroom and Cubic is showing the way." 2020 Women on Boards tracks, analyzes and publishes the gender composition of the boards of directors of Russell 3000 companies, the largest U.S.-traded stocks, representing 98 percent of all incorporated equity securities in the U.S. The 2020 Women on Boards' Gender Diversity Index (GDI) measures the percentage of board seats held by women on the Russell 3000 list. It reports on progress by company size, state, sector and 2020 Women on Boards ranking. About Cubic Corporation Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people's lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @CubicCorp. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005234/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] IRVINE, Calif., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infinite Electronics, Inc., a leading global supplier of electronic components, announced today that it has received the 2019 Supplier Excellence Award from Raytheon Missiles and Defense for superior supplier performance. Raytheon Technologies' legacy Integrated Defense Systems business (now Raytheon Missiles and Defense) instituted the annual Supplier Excellence Awards program to recognize suppliers who have provided outstanding service and partnership in exceeding customer requirements. Award candidates are judged on certain criteria, including overall quality and on-time delivery. Infinite Electronics was one of 36 companies recognized by Raytheon's legacy Integrated Defense Systems business for 3-Star honors. "We are very honored to once again receive this award for supplier excellence as it is a testament to our commitment to provide top-tier customer service, technical support, superior product quality and on-time delivery. Exceeding our customers' expectations is our collective focus," said Penny Cotner, President and CEO of Infinite Electronics. For more information on Infinite Electronics and its family of brands, please visit the company's website at www.infiniteelectronics.com About Infinite Electronics: Infinite Electronics is a leading global supplier of electronic components serving the urgent needs of engineers through a family of highly recognized and trusted brands. Our portfolio brands, including Pasternack, Fairview Microwave, L-com, MilesTek, KP Performance Antennas, PolyPhaser, Transtector, RadioWaves, Aiconics, INC Installs, ShowMe Cables and Integra Optics are technology specialists, offering broad inventories of engineering-grade product, paired with expert technical support, and same-day shipping. Press Contact: Peter McNeil Infinite Electronics, Inc. 17792 Fitch Irvine, CA (978) 682-6936 SOURCE Infinite Electronics, Inc. Related Links http://www.infiniteelectronics.com As of Sunday evening, 38 people in Douglas County were hospitalized with the virus, and 599 medical surge beds remained available. Of 392 ventilators available to area hospitals, 115 are in use, including 11 for confirmed COVID-19 patients, according to the Health Department. The 10 new Douglas County cases are evenly divided between men and women, and the people range in age from 28 to 72 years old. Five of the people had contact with a known infected person, two cases have been confirmed to be community-acquired, one is thought to be travel-related, and two remain under investigation. The new cases in Lancaster County involve a woman in her 20s and three men in their 40s and 50s, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said. A total of seven new Lancaster County cases have been reported since the weekend. Of those cases, five are known to be community spread cases. The total number of confirmed community spread cases is now 37, Baird said. In the Council Bluffs area, Pottawattamie County recorded its 13th case and first death Monday. The US department of homeland security has said it will consider requests for visa extensions for travellers and holders of other visas affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, a move expected to benefit hundreds of Indians stranded in that country. The US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS), which is part of the department of homeland security, said in a notification posted on its website on Monday that it will process applications for extension of stay on a case-by-case basis. The move comes in the wake of the Indian governments request to the US last week to extend the validity of visas, including H-1B and other types of visas, held by Indian nationals who have been hit by Covid-19-related economic slump. Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla had taken up the matter during his telephone conversation with US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun on April 8, when the two sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation to counter the pandemic and ensure the availability of essential medicines and equipment. This will provide some assurance to Indian nationals stranded in the US in case their visas are about to expire, said a person who declined to be named. India had requested for a wholesale extension of all visas, while the US has agreed to consider applications made for such extension in view of the pandemic, the person added. The department of homeland security acknowledged immigration-related challenges as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and said while it continues to take action to protect the American people, it also recognises that non-immigrants may unexpectedly remain in the United States beyond their authorised period of stay due to Covid-19. Most non-immigrants can mitigate the immigration consequences of Covid-19 by timely filing an application for extension of stay (EOS) or change in status (COS), the notification said. USCIS reminds petitioners and applicants that it can consider delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic when deciding whether to excuse delays in filing documents based on extraordinary circumstances, it added. If an applicant files an extension of stay request after the authorised period of admission expires, USCIS may excuse the failure to file on time if it was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, such as those that may be caused by Covid-19. The applicant must submit credible evidence to support their request, which USCIS will evaluate on a case-by-case basis, the notification said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. ...view detail A fundraising committee for President Trump's reelection is using his renewed attacks on the Chinese government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic to mobilize donors, urging supporters in an email Tuesday to "hold China accountable" by contributing to his campaign. The appeal reflects an increased effort by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee to use U.S.-China relations as a campaign issue against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Trump's intensifying criticism is a shift from his warmer approach following a late March phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which the two leaders pledged cooperation over the global outbreak. Trump tweeted at the time that he had a "very good conversation" with Xi and that the two countries are "working closely together. Much respect!" But in recent days, Trump has revived his criticisms of the Chinese government and global health leaders over the coronavirus outbreak, suggesting he would withhold U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, which he said was "very, very China-centric," and re-upping the term "Wuhan virus." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and civil rights organizations have discouraged the use of terms tying the novel coronavirus with a geographic location or ethnic group, saying the rhetoric could contribute to the rise in discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. In a fundraising email Tuesday, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee echoed the president's heightened rhetoric against the Chinese government. "China has been lying and doing everything they can to cover up the spread of COVID-19 in their country. It's absolutely disgraceful and we can't stand by and do nothing," read the appeal. "President Trump has always been tough on China, but he can't hold them accountable on his own," it read. "That's why he is calling on YOU to stand with him and hold China accountable for their lies and deceptions during the Coronavirus pandemic." Tuesday's email appeared to be the first instance of his campaign using an anti-China message to raise money. Campaign officials said they are drawing attention to the U.S.-China trade relations as an important issue in the general election, and intend to focus their attacks on Biden's response to China over the coronavirus outbreak. "Joe Biden's coziness with China will be an issue in the campaign," said Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for the Trump campaign. "He has refused to call China an economic threat and said that President Trump's move to restrict travel from China over the coronavirus was xenophobic and reactionary. He also has refused to explain why his son Hunter got an enormous business deal from a Chinese state-owned bank while Biden was vice president. These will all be issues." Hunter Biden's lawyer has disputed the assertion that the former vice president's son financially benefited from the investment. The Trump Make America Great Again Committee raises money for the Republican National Committee and the president's re-election campaign, and primarily focuses on raising online low-dollar donations. RNC spokeswoman Mandi Merritt said Tuesday that the president's actions record on China poses a clear contrast between Trump and Biden to general-election voters. "President Trump has spent three years standing up to China in ways previous administrations never did, and that includes when Joe Biden was Vice President," Merritt said. "From enacting travel restrictions to highlighting the Chinese government's dishonesty on the origins of coronavirus, voters see President Trump is holding China accountable, and they are responding with their resources and support." Previously, a Trump campaign email in mid-March criticized Beijing for "pushing online conspiracy theories specifically intended to undermine the fact that the Wuhan coronavirus originated in China," such as alleging that the virus was genetically engineered by U.S. military personnel. In that March email, which did not ask for donations, the Trump campaign defended the president's use of rhetoric linking the virus to the Chinese government and also attacked Biden for not criticizing China enough. Trump has raised more money for his reelection than any of his predecessors had at this point in their campaigns. Trump's campaign, the RNC and their joint fundraising committees have so far raised more than $1 billion, and entered April with more than $240 million in their accounts, officials said. Trump's fundraising success has benefited from his avid base of online donors, who have consistently driven large sums to his re-election committees in response to email, text and other online appeals. Trump's reelection committees said they have raised more than $212 million in the first three months of the year, a massive sum that boosts the president's cash lead as Biden begins shifting his focus to the general election. Biden has raised at least $121 million so far. BANGKOK -- Thais will have to find another way to cool off this year after the government called off the annual water festival that celebrates the Buddhist New Year to curb the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Thailand usually celebrates its traditional new year or Songkran from April 13 to 15, when crowds pack the streets in a boisterous festival, spraying water guns and hurling water off pick-up trucks in a free-for-all water fight. Thailand has reported 2,579 confirmed cases and 40 fatalities since the outbreak began in January, with over half the cases in Bangkok, a spokesman of the governments Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Taweesin Wisanuyothin said on Monday. Forty-year-old Ratikorn Cheunsuksombook lamented being unable to celebrate the water festival. I have to stay home, cant go anywhere. I want to see my friends, but none of them want to see me, the office worker said. Last week, the government announced a ban on the sale of alcohol to limit social gatherings and urged the public to refrain from Songkran activities, travelling back to home towns and pouring water for blessings with older family members. Malls in Bangkok have been ordered to close except for restaurants for delivery and a nationwide curfew from 10 PM to 4 AM has been instated. The unusual calm has left some feeling dazed. It feels strange, said Srisopa Phogphun. It feels like it is supposed to be a long weekend, even if it is postponed to later in the year, but it does not feel the same, she said. Other Southeast Asian governments have also cancelled or scaled back celebrations More than 1.8 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 113,849 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0200 GMT. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday said it was necessary to extend the lockdown to beat the coronavirus outbreak. He said people have to strictly adhere to the restrictions during lockdown, which has been extended till May 3, and urged them to not pay heed to rumours. It was necessary to extend the duration of the lockdown in fight against the coronavirus. We have to adhere to it strictly, Soren said in a tweet. The chief minister said his government is ensuring social security of the people, besides making efforts to extend financial assistance through direct benefit transfer to the people of Jharkhand stranded outside the state. Soren paid tributes to B R Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary and greeted people on 'Poila Baisakh'. He hoped the coronavirus would be driven away in the Bengali New Year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a replay of scenes at Delhis border with Uttar Pradesh last month, hundreds of migrant workers gathered outside Bandra West railway station on Tuesday evening to demand that the railways run trains to take them home. The migrant workers, who defied the lockdown to reach the railway station, were eventually dispersed by the police after a lathicharge was ordered. The workers were protesting against extension of the lockdown, saying they do not have access to food and other essentials, said a western railway official who was present outside the railway station. Watch | Mumbai: Wave of migrant workers swamps Bandra station after lockdown extension Also read: Coronavirus case count to guide Indias lockdown future Scores of police personnel, who were rushed to the railway station to augment the strength, however, prevented them from entering the station premises. Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd outside the station. The city police tried to convince the workers to move from the area but they did not relent The crowd only dispersed after lathi charge, added the railway official. Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray took to social media to announce that the crowd had been dispersed but also took a swipe at the central government. Thackeray said the migrant workers wanted to go back to their hometowns and many were refusing to eat and stay in labour camps. The current situation at Bandra Station, now dispersed or even the rioting in Surat is a result of the Union Government not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour. They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home. tweeted Aditya Thackeray. Also read | 43 Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths: How coronavirus spread in Dharavi has kept authorities on toes Thackeray also reiterated the state governments demand to operate trains for 24 hours for migrant labourers. Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the State had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray raised this issue in the PM- CM video conference as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home, he said. Thackeray said a mutual road map set by the union government will largely help migrant labour to reach home from one state to another safely and efficiently. Time and again this issue has been raised with the centre. The law and order situation in Surat, Gujarat, largely has been seen as a similar situation and the feedback from all migrant labour camps is similar. Many are refusing to eat or stay in. Currently more than 6 lakh people are housed in various shelter camps across Maharashtra. tweeted Thackeray Kartik Aaryans newly launched online show Koki Poochega has already hit a roadblock. The actor has been struggling with rendering of videos, which is a time consuming exercise. The actor has shared a glimpse of his struggles with rendering the second episode on Instagram but was praised by Ekta Kapoor for being a better producer than her. Kartik captioned his new post, Work from home they said. Episode 2 Still Rendering .......... Loading ........ #KokiPoochega. He shared a picture of a computer with the editing of the second episode in progress. However, it seems to be taking a lot of time to render the video. The video editor who is not seen in the frame seems to be talking to Kartik on phone via video call and the actor looks upset with the delay. Ekta commented to the post, These r super. She went on to add, thank god ur not a producer u make better episodes than me! 1st one fab. Kartik replied to her, Thank u...and Thank god u r a producer, please help me with this rendering business. Kartiks fans were disappointed with his new look amid lockdown as the actor sported a heavy beard. A fan wrote, trim your beard pls. Another asked Is it November yet hinting towards the No Shave November trend. Many of his fans continued to keep up with the good work and wrote, lage raho munna bhai and Keep it up. Also read: Hardik Pandya asks Natasha Stankovic baby main kya hu tera, her hilarious response makes him blush. Watch Kartik will be chatting with Dr Meemansa Buch - a coronavirus warrior in the second episode. He had shared a teaser of the episode on Instagram. Meemansa can be seen telling Kartik that she followed him on Instagram only a day before. To this, Kartik replied that she should say that he is the only one she follows and he would edit out the remaining portion. He had a candid conversation with Covid-19 survivor Sumit Singh in the first episode and had asked her how she ended up getting infected with the virus despite being so careful. Follow @htshowbiz for more More than a third of medical staff responding to COVID-19 during its peak in China may have suffered from insomnia, according to a study which suggests that the pandemic is not just a physical health threat, but may also be triggering a mental health epidemic. According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness following their hospital shifts were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious, and have stress-based trauma. "Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days," said Bin Zhang, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and study co-author. "But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, the insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," Zhang said. In the study, the scientists used the social media platform WeChat to survey 1,563 participants with self-administered questionnaires. The surveys were conducted between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, they said. Of the 1,563 participants, the study noted that 564 people, or 36.1 per cent, had insomnia symptoms. According to the scientists, the current study statistic is consistent with previous research conducted on the psychological effects of the 2002 outbreak of SARS -- a related coronavirus that also causes severe respiratory distress. Based on earlier studies, the researchers said 37 per cent of nurses who worked with SARS patients experienced insomnia. In the current study, the insomnia group experienced significantly higher levels of depression than the non-insomnia group -- 87.1 per cent versus 31 per cent, especially in moderate and severe cases, they said. The percentages and differences between the groups was also similar for anxiety and trauma, the researchers noted in the study. "The most important factor was having very strong uncertainty regarding effective disease control among medical staff," Zhang noted. This strong uncertainty, the scientists added, was 3.3 times higher for those exhibiting insomnia than not. The researchers found the risk of insomnia among medical staff with a high school education, or below was 2.69 times higher than those with a doctoral degree. They speculated that less education may be leading to more outcome-based fear. The study also noted that the healthcare workers were under incredible stress in general. Since the workers were in close contact with infected patients who could pass on the disease to them, they were worried about infecting their own family and friends. The medical staff also had to wear a full array of personal protective equipment (PPE) for more than 12 hours at a time, often without being able to take a break because they risked infection by removing PPE, the study explained. "Under these dangerous conditions, medical staff become mentally and physically exhausted, and therefore experience an increased risk of insomnia due to high stress," the scientists wrote in the study. According to the researchers, some strategies may help mitigate sleep disorders, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI), which includes sleep hygiene education, relaxation therapy, stimulation control, sleep restriction, and cognitive therapy. The scientists suggested that health officials screen medical staff based on the risk factors identified in the study. "A longitudinal study to track the changes of insomnia symptoms is needed among medical staff, especially when the death of medical staff during COVID-19 will be officially announced and updated," Zhang added. The federal government is allowing agencies to grant caretaker employees Temporary Excused Paid Leave in limited circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic, but employees at many agencies are experiencing obstacles obtaining the benefit. The Office of Personnel Management published a fact-sheet last month that advised agencies to grant federal workers flexible work schedules to accommodate any caregiving duties. Federal agencies are permitted to extend the excused leave to employees required to telework who have dependent care obligations under certain circumstances. There are a few hoops to jump through: typically, employees are required to exhaust annual leave, sick leave, the paid leave supplied under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and maxiflex telework schedules before the Temporary Excused Paid Leave comes into play. Feds are able to request, at least according to one participating agency, 20 hours per pay period capped at four hours per day and 10 hours per week of excused paid leave. The policies are expected to be evaluated during every pay period that includes mandatory telework due to the coronavirus pandemic. The excused paid leave provision covers challenges related to school and daycare closures, dependent care lapses, and taking sanitary measures such as cleaning and sheltering-in-place to ensure compliance with local health measures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the measures that the federal government has taken to ensure that remote work is possible, agency employees say that the excused paid leave provision is not being rolled out evenly, burdening workers who have children and dependents. FCW has learned, for example, that the Interior Department has so far not extended the benefit to its employees. At the Environmental Protection Agency, federal employees have apparently been waiting for weeks for a decision to be made. The American Federation of Government Employees' Deputy General Counsel Cathie McQuiston said that the EPA was considering implementing a temporary paid leave policy for its caretaker employees, but that the agency continued to put off making a final decision despite unions' requests for the provision weeks ago during bargaining sessions. EPA briefed agency unions on April 9, McQuiston told FCW in an interview, and the paid leave option was discussed. "They kept saying they were looking into it. We said, 'You've been looking into it for a while. It [feels] like you're trying to run out the clock and let the pandemic be over while you're still thinking about it.'" Joyce Howell, Vice President of AFGE Local 3631, which represents EPA workers in Philadelphia, echoed the same sentiment. She said that while EPA has been more flexible on things such as hours of work and start/stop times, they've put up roadblocks when it comes to relieving strapped parents or those who have elderly relatives to care for. "EPA has not elected to utilize administrative leave or weather/evacuation pay to give relief to caretakers. Our bargaining unit members who are caring for small children, elderly parents and disabled dependents are suffering," she said in an email to FCW. "They have enormous integrity, they put in the work hours for which they are paid. But the net result is sleep deprivation." Bethany Dreyfuss, the President of AFGE Local 1236, which represents EPA attorneys in the Bay Area, said that part of the issue was that the EPA said it could only make a blanket decision at the national level. "Were being told it's a national thing and we have to wait for the [Washington] D.C. headquarters to make a decision," she said in an interview. "At the same time, my members are using up sick leave, personal leave, and using leave banks [leave donated by other agency employees] to make up the difference." Dreyfuss said she had polled her bargaining unit and found that most respondents wouldn't use the leave. "Any fear that it would be taken advantage of is unfounded. There are a number of people for whom a few hours a week would make an enormous difference, and for some 10 hours a week would be life-changing." Dreyfuss noted that IRS invoked an evacuation order weeks earlier that allowed their care-burdened federal employees to take temporary leave. A request for comment to EPA was pending as of publication time. Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs report similar concerns. Sheila Elliott, the President of AFGE Local 2328 in Hampton, Va., said that in addition to ongoing concerns about a lack of personal protective equipment and unsafe working conditions, the VA was slow to implement policies for healthcare providers seeking relief, including parents and caregivers. I had one member who had taken temporary leave to take care of her son at home. Her supervisor called her and told her that if she didnt report back to work, she would be terminated. FCW obtained a March 23 memo from the Veterans Health Administration Executive-in-Charge, Richard Stone, to agency leaders clarifying that no leave was available to excuse employees who were tasked with caring for children or other dependents. "There is no authority to approve Weather & Safety Leave or Excused Absence for childcare," Stone wrote. The capacity for COVID-19 testing has increased seven folds in the last three weeks in Jammu and Kashmir and over 350 samples can be tested on a daily basis, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. Allaying apprehensions regarding the availability of ventilators in the Union Territory, he said the designated ventilators for possible coronavirus patients, which were 46 in number till a few days ago, are now 209. This information was also shared by Lt Govenor of Jammu and Kashmir G C Murmu during a conference chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last weekend. "Similarly, the number of quarantine beds has increased nearly four times from 7,909 to 26,943," said Singh, Minister of State for Personnel. He said the increase in capacity of testing of over 350 samples per day is a major achievement. After a detailed audio- interaction regarding COVID-19 healthcare facilities in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh lauded the Union Territory, particularly health authorities, for bringing about a major upsurge in COVID-19 care and prevention capacity during the lockdown period, according to a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry. Compared to many other states and union territories, he said, Jammu and Kashmir has been faster in upgrading its health infrastructure to meet the sudden challenge that emerged in the form of the coronavirus pandemic. For example, the minister said, the number of isolation beds has increased from 1,533 to 2,372 and there are plans for 1,689 additional beds. Jammu and Kashmir was among the first to set up dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, the number of which has now increased to 17. The number of ICU beds designated for COVID patients has also been increased from 25 to 209, the minister said. Singh also credited the Union Territory government for promptly following the various guidelines released from the Centre from time to time, whether it be in respect of setting up of decontamination tunnels or the distribution of AYUSH drugs to boost immunity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Strategic National Stockpile has sent out 19.1 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug that some doctors have prescribed to Covid-19 patients, a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed. The tablets, sent out in two shipments, are heading to cities around the country. About 10.1 million are going to the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, as well as Washington, D.C.; Baton Rouge; St. Louis; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Miami; Milwaukee; Indianapolis; Houston and Pittsburgh. Another shipment, of 9 million tablets, is headed for Detroit, New Orleans, New York City and Chicago, according to the spokesperson. Those last four cities particularly New York have been hit hard by the pandemic. Others slated to receive the medication have fewer cases but may face upticks. Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, has fewer than 900 cases, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health . And Milwaukee County has fewer than 2,000, per its county government . Miami-Dade County, meanwhile, has 7,555 confirmed cases of the illness, according to the Miami Herald . And Cook County in Illinois has had more than 15,000 cases, per the countys Department of Public Health . Erin Fox, senior director of Drug Information and Support Services at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, said most courses of hydroxychloroquine treatment for Covid-19 take 12 to 14 tablets. So the shipments will cover treatment for about 1.4 million patients. Its a lot, she said. Fox added that the data on the drugs efficacy for coronavirus patients is anecdotal, as there have been no clinical trials showing that hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating Covid-19. It doesnt seem like its the miracle cure that some folks have talked about it being in the press, she said. Its hard to know. President Donald Trump has touted the drug on Twitter and at White House briefings on the pandemic even musing at one point that he might take hydroxychloroquine himself. He announced last week that the stockpile had amassed some 29 million doses, after reports of furious infighting within the coronavirus task force over whether to recommend the drugs use. Story continues The national debate over hydroxychloroquine has at times taken on the flavor of a culture-war issue: Some of Trump's closest allies, including Fox News host Sean Hannity and attorney Rudy Giuliani, have highlighted it as a potential remedy, while Democrats and the scientific community have generally urged caution. Hydroxychloroquine has been in use for decades, primarily to treat malaria. In late March, however, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval of the drugs use to treat the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Thus far, there isnt reliable data on whether it works. Administration officials have stressed that the choice of using hydroxychloroquine, which is often combined with other drugs such as azithromycin, is a matter between doctors and their patients. But some medical experts have raised concerns about widespread use of the drug, which can have dangerous side effects under some circumstances. It could also lead to shortages for proven uses of hydroxychloroquine for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, for instance. Dr. Irwin Redlener, who heads Columbia Universitys Center for Disaster Preparedness and studies pandemics, told POLITICO he worries the move will put some patients at risk. Theres at this moment no conclusive evidence that it is safe or appropriate to use that medication for Covid-19, he said. This has become some kind of weird pet obsession with Donald Trump that has somehow been absorbed by governors and others around the country, although I think youd be hard pressed to find any physician or public health expert who could say that it is safe to use. His concerns are not universal. Dr. Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, said he is not particularly concerned about hospitals using the drug for inpatient treatment. He said he worries more about reports that medical doctors have prescribed the medication for their friends and family to take at home. The role of hydroxychloroquine has not been clearly established, so prescribing it for anyone to have on hand in case they get sick or to take daily to prevent the infection we have no idea what the role is, he said. We are going to continue to need access to PPE [personal protective equipment], we are going to continue to need access to staff, Grenaldo said. Because right now Im staffed for my 200 beds but if I go to 500 beds, then I dont have all those nurses here. Thats where the real crisis will come. On this season of Outlander, fans are getting to see Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) finally settle down in the colonies. They were granted a parcel of land in North Carolina, which they named Frasers Ridge. But because the show references various historical figures and events, some viewers might be wondering if Frasers Ridge is a real place. Outlander | Starz The importance of Frasers Ridge on Outlander After all the pain and hardship Claire and Jamie have suffered, the only thing they want to do is settle down into a quiet life with their family. The couple spent years apart from each other and lived through wars, violence, and torture. So when they came upon the peaceful green lot in North Carolina, they decided to call it home. In season 4, Jamie was granted the land for Frasers Ridge by Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) in exchange for his loyalty and service. He started out by building a small log cabin for himself, Claire and Young Ian (John Bell). But soon after he was joined by his family, including Brianna (Sophie Skelton), Roger (Richard Rankin), their baby Jemmy, Fergus (Cesar Domboy), and Marsali (Lauren Lyle). As his new clan grows, Jamie builds up Frasers Ridge, adds more homes and structures, and invites other settlers to come to live and farm on his land. After leaving behind his family and his house (Lallybroch) in Scotland, Frasers Ridge is the first place Jamie can truly call home. Is Frasers Ridge a real place? According to author Diana Gabaldon, whose Outlander books the Starz series is based on, Frasers Ridge is a fictional place. But if it were real, she said it would be near Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The reason Gabaldon chose this part of the state is that historically, it had a huge influx of Scottish settlers in the mid to late 1700s. According to the Blowing Rock town website, many of these Scottish settlers arrived at the port of Wilmington, just like Claire and Jamie. These settlers were among the largest groups to colonize the mountains of western North Carolina, with many more coming from northern routes from Pennsylvania, the website reads. This rich connection to Scotland provides lots of historical context for, and possible connections to, people and places that Jamie and Claire would have known. The nearby town of Linville, North Carolina, hosts an annual Scottish festival called the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games similar to the one Brianna and Roger attend in season 4. The festival is one of the largest gatherings of Scottish clans in the world, and it celebrates the rich Scottish history of the land. Outlander films Frasers Ridge scenes in Scotland While season 5 of Outlander may look like it was filmed somewhere in the Carolinas, it was actually shot entirely in Scotland. Many of the indoor scenes were filmed at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld, Glasgow. And in an interview with Access, showrunner Ron Moore talked about the Scottish landscape he found for Frasers Ridge. You know, there are sections of Scotland that we have found that do look a bit like North Carolina, Moore said. So its mostly about the trees and the kind of foliage and the ground cover thats there Theres a place we found to put Frasers Ridge that does read like North Carolina. MONROE, La. - Bill Dye was about to sit down for Easter supper with his family when a weather alert blared from their phones. The children were herded into a closet until the tornadoes had passed, then Dye and his sons grabbed chain saws and drove to a hard-hit town nearby to help clean up. More than 100 volunteers had gathered, he said. But there was no hugging. People tried desperately not to touch one another. Even amid the devastating wreckage, the rules of social distancing loomed in this parish, where nearly 400 coronavirus infections have been reported - five fatal. When Dye, pastor of North Monroe Baptist Church, needed people to help him clear trees from a parishioner's property, no one was eager to pack into his truck, given the threat of contracting the novel coronavirus. So, they pulled straws. "They've all got dads and moms and grandparents they're trying to protect," he said. "But sometimes you can't avoid it. Say there are sharks in the water but someone's drowning. What do you do? You jump in, and that's what we did. Who knows? Maybe all of us will get coronavirus." Communities across the South on Monday began the grueling work of cleaning up the wreckage left behind by a string of deadly tornadoes, tasks made more treacherous by the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. The storms began sweeping through the region on Sunday, killing at least 30 people and knocking out power to more than a million homes. Dozens of tornadoes touched down, associated with a powerful storm system that barreled across more than 700 miles from the Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic. One South Carolina tornado ran along a path 160 miles long, a ragged line almost as wide as the entire state. In Mississippi, 11 people were killed as a pair of massive twisters etched parallel paths of destruction. In almost all of the hardest-hit communities, covid-19 - the disease caused by the novel coronavirus - has forced people to isolate indoors, packed hospitals and stressed the emergency workers who are the first to respond to a natural disaster. The overlapping crises have made responding to both a dangerous gambit, now and in the months to come. How do you get people to shelter-in-place when hundreds of homes are damaged or destroyed? "This is like a double whammy for our community," said Clarksdale, Mississippi, Mayor Chuck Espy on Monday, as he toured the 47 homes that had been damaged in his city of 17,000 people. "It's already a trying time for everybody. If we don't have any additional coronavirus fatalities, I think we'd have to count our blessings this week." He hoped the state would declare a second state of emergency for his city. Government and volunteer agencies that normally sprint to devastated areas are instead tiptoeing, worried about exposing aid workers to covid-19 and bringing the illness home to their own communities. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, toured the hardest hit areas of his state Monday but didn't stop his motorcade or get out because of pandemic precautions. He said he made the "difficult decision" to keep his distance - though he had a mask and has no symptoms - because he comes from the southern part of the state where there are many more infections, and he did not want to risk bringing the virus here. He said it was the first time in more than four years as a governor responding to natural disasters that he chose not to meet with victims. "Dealing with storm damage on top of public health emergency is very difficult," Bel Edwards said in a news briefing after touring the damage. Fortunately, he said, there were few injuries so hospitals already dealing with covid-19 didn't have to face a wave of new patients. Resident Kelvin Worthy, whose house was rendered uninhabitable by the storm, said that for the few first few nights, the city is placing his family in a hotel. Residents said they appreciated not having to go to a communal shelter where they might catch the virus. Nearly everyone was wearing masks as they hauled salvageable debris from their houses to storage. Several houses down from Worthy, Charlie Collins' family members had emerged from their home after the tornadoes to find parts of the roof gone and their two cars crushed by debris. They had been strictly adhering to the stay-home guidance. But their experience of the tornado's destruction temporarily replaced that other disaster among things to worry about. "Ever since this has happened I haven't given much thought to corona," Collins said. "You have to receive aid, you're going to be around a lot of people. . . . It's hard to think about dealing with the corona when you have to think about this stuff." Fifteen members of Pinnacle Search and Rescue, a relief organization based in Walker, Louisiana, traveled to Soso, Mississippi, carrying chain saws for downed trees, tarps for damaged roofs and N95 masks for their own vulnerable mouths and noses. Founder Jon Bridgers said his volunteer group was learning on the fly how to do volunteer work in the age of coronavirus. The threat of covid-19 is always in the back of their minds, he said, but "when it comes to rescuing people, saving lives and trying to help one another out, you kind of don't worry about it as much as you normally would. If you're going to get sick, you're going to get sick." Aid volunteers in Tennessee have already been navigating the line between aid work and covid-19's risk. Hands On Nashville, an organization that has coordinated a massive volunteer response to the tornadoes that struck Tennessee last month, was deluged with offers from volunteers willing to wield chain saws or serving spoons before the coronavirus lockdowns started. But it has since advised volunteers unsure about their potential exposure to the virus to "feel free to . . . remove themselves from projects." The group is coordinating efforts at an 80,000-square-foot community resource center stacked high with rolls of toilet paper, bottles of cleaning supplies and 1,000 mattresses. Normally a small army of volunteers would respond after a severe weather outbreak, but to protect people from the pandemic, that number has been reduced to teams of 10, and the group has narrowed its focus to urgent needs such as food and shelter to cut down on undue exposure. In the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, teams of volunteers who were helping salvage possessions at Melissa Davis' house, heavily damaged in the March tornadoes, have disappeared. "They can't come now," said Davis who has been laboriously sifting through wreckage with her husband. "I know there are people just waiting to help us when they can." - - - The Washington Post's Matthew Cappucci, Andrew Freedman and Jason Samenow contributed to this report. The former microbiologist asked for bail because his expertise could help research into coronavirus: AP A former university professor accused of stabbing his boyfriend to death has been denied bail so he could use his microbiology expertise to fight coronavirus. Wyndham Lathem, a diseases expert, has been held at the Cook County Jail since his arrest for the murder of his boyfriend, Trenton Cornell-Duranleau. Now, the ex-Northwestern University professor has been denied release in order to conduct research into the coronavirus. Dr. William Goldman, chair of Microbiology and Immunology at University of North Carolina, had written in support of Mr Lathems bail request, stating that his background and experience made him well suited to participating in current coronavirus studies. The North Carolina professor added that "It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope." Attorney Adam Sheppard said on Monday that Mr Lathem was disappointed by the ruling, adding his client reported mild symptoms of COVID-19 on Friday. "We are deeply concerned about his health,"said Mr Sheppard. "He had been hopeful that he might get out (on bail), but he was not overly optimistic." The attorney added that health care workers had reached-out to Mr Lathem for off-record advice about managing the coronavirus outbreak inside Cook County Jail. The microbiologist has been held there since 2017. Last year, his accomplice, Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty to the murder of Mr Cornell-Duranleau. Mr Lathem has been held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was previously known for his research on the bubonic plague. Additional reporting by Associated Press Read more Tracking the coronavirus outbreak around the world in maps and charts When can we really expect coronavirus to end? Everything you need to know on supermarket delivery slots The dirty truth about washing your hands Listen to the latest episode of The Independent Coronavirus Podcast Chicago As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the 21-day lockdown till May 3, he also sought peoples support in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The Prime Minister also said that all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored on how strictly they are implementing norms of the lockdown till April 20. States which will not let hotspots increase will be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions, he said. Modis announcements came on a day India recorded 10,363 coronavirus cases and 339 deaths. Here are the seven requests made by PM Modi in his address: * Elders at home We have to do take extra care for them and keep them very safe from corona. Especially those who have chronic diseases, PM Modi said. * Lockdown rules Follow the Lakshman Rekha of lockdown and social distancing and use masks and homemade face covers mandatorily, he said. * AYUSH ministry Follow the instructions given by the ministry of AYUSH to increase your immunity. Drink hot water and kadha continuously, he said. * Aarogya Setu app To help prevent the spread of corona infection, download the Arogya Setu app and also inspire others to do it as well, he said. * Help the needy Take care of as many poor families as you can and try to meet their food requirement, he said. * Be kind Be sensitive to people who work with you in your business and industry and their needs. Do not sack people working for you, he said. * Corona warriors Respect doctors, nurses, sanitation worker, police personnel and all those fighting against Covid-19, he said. Network Management Megatrends 2020 Webinar Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), a leading IT and data management research and consulting firm, today announced it will host a research webinar titled Network Management Megatrends 2020, based on the research report written by Shamus McGillicuddy, vice president of research, network management, at EMA. EMA has been publishing the definitive benchmark study of enterprise network management practices since 2008. The biennial Network Management Megatrends research tracks how network engineering and operations tools and practices evolve in the face of major technology and business trends. During this webinar, McGillicuddy will explore the results of this research, including: How and why network teams are collaborating more with their peers in the security team How the Internet of Things impacts the network managers job How SDN in the data center puts new demands on the network management toolset Why cloud provider flow logs and streaming network telemetry are transforming network management How enterprises are trying to end decades of network management tool sprawl The webinar is Tuesday, April 28 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Registration is available at: http://info.enterprisemanagement.com/network-management-megatrends-2020-webinar-pr About EMA Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading industry analyst firm that specializes in providing deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help their clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals and IT vendors at http://www.enterprisemanagement.com. I had to sit down when I got that call, Dr. Dermish said last week. I couldnt believe it. Dr. Dermish said she had to tell the 10 remaining patients at the clinic, all waiting for ultrasounds, that she could not schedule their abortions. One woman had a diagnosed fetal anomaly. Another was starting school to become an ultrasound technician. Dr. Dermish said they referred women to clinics outside the state, but also warned them that travel during the pandemic could be risky. For weeks, even medication abortion was banned a common type involving pills that is done early in pregnancy and uses one single nonsterile glove, Dr. Dermish said. The unexpected ruling Monday night from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit undoes that restriction, at least for now. But lawyers for clinics say that the ban remains on nearly all surgical abortions, a substantial portion of the states total, and that the Fifth Circuit is still actively weighing the case. Overwhelmingly, abortions happen in clinics, not hospitals, but the clinics have also changed their rules to account for the coronavirus. A 24-year-old college student from Arlington, Texas, said in court papers that before an ultrasound she sat alone in her car in the parking lot of a Fort Worth clinic for two hours. She said protesters stood about 10 feet away with signs and screamed at me and other patients. The night before she was scheduled to go in for her medication abortion, she got a call from the clinic saying her appointment had been canceled. She ended up driving 12 hours to Denver with a friend and wiping down surfaces in the cheap Airbnb they stayed in. On the way back they drove into the night. We didnt want to take breaks or rest because I was worried about having my abortion in the car, she said in court papers filed by lawyers for clinics in Texas. Not every clinic closed right away. The Houston mother found one that squeezed her in for an ultrasound. But when she parked in front of another clinic early the next morning, hoping to be seen for an abortion, it never opened. Atheists most politically active group in US, survey finds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Americans who identify as atheist are the most likely group to be involved in political activism, according to a report by a political science professor. Ryan P. Burge of Eastern Illinois University drew from data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey of 2018 for his report published by Religion in Public. When asked about political activity within the past 12 months, 24.9% of atheist respondents said they had attended a march or protest, the largest of any of the surveyed religious groups. Additionally, 41.9% of atheist respondents said they had contacted a public official, again the largest percentage of surveyed religious groups, and 37% had donated money to a candidate, tying with Jews for first place. Also, 24.1% of atheist respondents reported putting up a political sign, placing them in a close second to 24.7% of Buddhist respondents. White evangelical respondents showed less participation by comparison, with 4.4% of respondents saying they had attended a march or protest and 28.5% saying they had contacted a public official. Its become almost a trope at this point among people who study and write about American religion and politics evangelicals punch way above their weight. Their voter turnout has stayed relatively steady despite their drop in population share, wrote Burge. But I was working through some data today and noticed something that I dont think that Ive seen reported on much atheists are incredibly politically active more so than any other religious group. Burge went on to speculate that this increased political involvement might have helped contribute to Democratic political successes in the 2018 midterm elections. This could be one of the reasons that the Blue Wave happened in 2018 a very agitated base of atheists who got politically involved, he continued. White evangelicals make up 15.6% of the population, atheists and agnostics combined are 13.2%. With that level of political activity, its fair to say that these nones might be a bigger political force in the next presidential election than we give them credit for they just have to stay angry and stay engaged. As religious unaffiliated Americans in general appear to increase in number, the Democratic Party has made more overtures to those who identify as atheist. Last August, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution in support of religious unaffiliated Americans, declaring that atheists and agnostics overwhelmingly share the Democratic Partys values. "I am proud to see the Democratic Party take that to heart by bringing secular Americans into the fold, said Sarah Levin, director of governmental affairs for the Secular Coalition of America, which championed the resolution. America was founded as a secular government charged with representing and protecting the freedoms of people of all faiths and none. In the current session of Congress, 88.2% of members identify as Christian, while 6.4% identify as Jewish, and 3.6% identified either as unaffiliated or declined to answer, according to Pew Research Center. The Welsh government has thanked farmers for 'working tirelessly to feed the nation' as the Covid-19 crisis continues to impact the country. Industry representatives from Wales farming industry will attend a digital meeting with the devolved government today (14 April). Challenges farmers face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will be discussed, such as falling prices and supply chain disruption. Speaking before the meeting, Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths expressed her gratitude and thanked farmers for their 'vital role' during the crisis. "The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about the most significant changes to civilian life since the Second World War," she said. "This has had a real impact not just on our daily lives but on key sectors within our economy." It is an opportunity for me to sincerely thank our food industries especially our farmers and fishers who are working tirelessly to feed the nation. "Thanks to those working hard to protect our natural environment and the important role they play to our communities, economy and environment often adapting their work, for example creating resources for children at home or providing people with mental health benefits through the appreciation of nature." Ms Griffiths added: As a government, we will do all we can to address the challenges brought by Covid-19 to these sectors. We must work together to face and overcome the challenges before us. The opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the people on the extension of the national lackdown lacked any announcements that would bring 'relief' to them on the economic front. NDA constituent PMK welcomed the extension of the lockdown, saying it was 'inevitable.' DMK President MK Stalin said there were many questions in the minds of people and asked the Prime Minister "when are you going to make an address which will provide relief" to people with such queries. Responding to Modi's announcement on the extension of the lockdown till May 3 as part of India's fight against COVID19, Stalin, however, said there was no other option other than such a prohibitory order as all the affected persons have not been able to be traced while not all the infected could be quarantined. The PM's address on Tuesday has turned out to be an awareness with his seven-point advice to the people, he said. "At the same time, people of the country don't expect just advice from him (but) relief assistance that would enable their survival, help in kind and cash," Stalin said in a statement. "No such announcements were there in the PM's addresses so far, and not today as well," the state Leader of Opposition said. While people confined indoors wanted to know what kind of sops, assistance and 'mercy' the government would give and show them, there was only "disappointment," from the latter, he added. While people will protect themselves from the spread of the disease, the government should have announced its economic plans to safeguard them, he said. Many in the country made a living on a daily basis and the lockdown had severely impacted them. Referring to Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement that remonetising the poor would cost only Rs 65,000 crore, Stalin asked why the Centre could not see the logic in this. China had come out of the pandemic because while people stayed indoors, the government delivered all necessary assistance to them, he said. The Centre had not granted Tamil Nadu's demand of funds towards various efforts in its fight against COVID19, even as provision of local area development funds of MPs has been suspended, Stalin said, adding, these were the issues to which people wanted the PM's response. "All I want to ask is when are you going to answer people's questions that would serve as a relief to them," Stalin added. Meanwhile, BJP ally PMK welcomed the extension of the lockdown. Party's Youth Wing leader and Rajya Sabha member Anbumani Ramadoss said the move was taken with the aim of protecting people and therefore a welcome one. "With the spread of coronavirus showing no signs of abating in Tamil Nadu, the extension of the lockdown in inevitable," he said in a statement. He urged the citizens to strictly follow the prohibitory orders and wear masks compulsorily when they venture out. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 20:15 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e507c 1 Business World-Bank,COVID-19,business,small-and-medium-enterprises,cash-transfer Free The World Bank recommends that the government let firms hibernate to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and allow workers to keep their jobs. Lead country economist for Indonesia Frederico Gil Sander said on Tuesday that the Indonesian government could help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and big corporations by temporarily relieving them of fix costs like utility bills, loan interest and rents. He also suggested allowing firms to cut employees wages while the government would cover the difference with cash transfers. This hibernation could help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 economic crisis [avoid] closure and let workers keep their jobs, said Sander during a webinar. Some 2.8 million people have lost their jobs as of Monday, according to data from the Manpower Ministry and the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). More than half were furloughed and placed on paid or unpaid leave. A recent survey by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and SurveySensum found that business players expected the situation to normalize within five months, or around August. The survey further stated that the COVID-19 pandemic hit business revenue, with 76 percent of the respondents saying the pandemic had severely disturbed daily business activities. Read also: Red tape stymies social aid Sander went on to say that the government could also provide cash transfers to micro and small businesses with a small number of employees or no bank loans to help them cover daily expenses and keep them from selling their assets. Aside from hibernating, businesses could also convert their production lines to produce other products necessary in the fight against the pandemic so they could keep economic activities going, he said. Numerous textile companies have shifted to the production of hazmat suits and washable masks, while several state-owned firms like weapons manufacturer PT Pindad, electronics manufacturer PT LEN and aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) plan to produce ventilators for COVID-19 patients. For the longer term, Sander suggested the government create a comprehensive recovery plan and economic stimulus to help businesses repay their debts and help banks improve their balance sheets once the crisis ends. The government should identify sectors that are badly hit by the pandemic and devise a robust revenue plan to help the economy recover from the crisis, he said, adding that such a revenue plan included increasing state tax revenue by widening the tax base and tax-to-GDP ratio. As the pandemic has yet to show signs of abating, Sander also called on the government to protect sectors essential during the pandemic. Sectors like food production, medical equipment production and health should be protected to ensure their accessibility to raw materials amid the mobility restrictions, he said. The Health Ministry has approved requests from ten cities and regencies across Indonesia to enforce large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country. As of Tuesday afternoon, the disease has infected more than 4,800 people in Indonesia and killed at least 450, official data show. But it is American officials who are responsible for the stalling of one batch of gear. For weeks, officials in Washington have debated whether to accept a donation of masks from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, American officials said. Though medical workers are desperate for the masks, some officials argue that taking the donation would aid Chinas propaganda campaign. That debate is a sign of the growing fury and frustration in Washington over that campaign. American officials who see the Chinese Communist Party as malevolent are irate at what they view as the partys efforts to reshape the narrative of the pandemic, which spread quickly beyond central China in part because of cover-ups by officials. (The State Department did not reply to questions on the offer or its position on donations from China.) The American officials say China is trying to turn the spotlight away from the pandemics roots through the shipments of purchased supplies and some donations. Often, Chinese officials tell counterparts abroad that they must publicly thank China in return for the shipments, say Western officials, executives and analysts with knowledge of the exchanges. What is most striking to me is the extent to which the Chinese government appears to be demanding public displays of gratitude from other countries; this is certainly not in the tradition of the best humanitarian relief efforts, said Elizabeth C. Economy, the director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. It seems strange to expect signed declarations of thanks from other countries in the midst of the crisis. The equipment has helped save lives, and officials around the world among them, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York have thanked the Chinese government or private citizens. Chinese state-run news organizations have highlighted the exports in stories and social media posts. Some Chinese officials abroad have been surprisingly aggressive in pushing Beijings narrative. Twice since late February, a Chinese diplomat in the consulate in Chicago has emailed State Senator Roger Roth, the president of the Wisconsin Senate, to ask that that Senate pass a resolution recognizing that China has taken heroic steps to fight the virus, according to reviews of the emails by The New York Times. IMF says the global economy is expected to shrink by 3 percent this year, forecasting the steepest downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s Total number of coronavirus cases in Russia has surged past 20,000 as the country posted a record number of daily cases. Some 1.93 million people around the world have now been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 120,000 have died, while nearly 450,000 have recovered. France becomes the fourth country in the world to pass the 15,000 coronavirus death toll. Sweden says the number of coronavirus deaths in the country has exceeded 1,000. Here are the latest updates: Tuesday, April 14 20:40 GMT US military: Coronavirus likely occurred naturally but not certain US intelligence indicates that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally, as opposed to being created in a laboratory in China, but there is no certainty either way, the top US general said. The remarks by Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could fan speculation about the coronavirus origins something China has dismissed as a conspiracy theory that is unhelpful to the fight against the pandemic. Asked whether he had any evidence that the virus perhaps began in a Chinese laboratory and was perhaps released accidentally, Milley was non-committal at a Pentagon news briefing. Theres a lot of rumor and speculation in a wide variety of media, the blog sites, etc. It should be no surprise to you that weve taken a keen interest in that and weve had a lot of intelligence take a hard look at that, Milley told a news briefing. And I would just say, at this point, its inconclusive although the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural. But we dont know for certain. 20:15 GMT IMF chief economist says 100 countries seek pandemic aid The International Monetary Fund views its $1 trillion in lending capacity as quite substantial to help members deal with the coronavirus pandemic, but further resources may be needed as the full brunt of the crisis reaches developing countries, its chief economist told the Reuters news agency. Gita Gopinath said 100 of the IMFs 189 members, of whom half were low-income countries, had now contacted the global lender about receiving emergency funding to beef up their efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus and mitigate its economic impact. She welcomed an agreement by international creditors to suspend debt payments for the poorest countries through the end of the year as a very, very good step, but said debt relief measures might have to be extended into 2021 since the worst of the pandemics effects had not yet been felt in many of the poorest countries. 19:50 GMT Rio de Janeiro governor tests positive for coronavirus The governor of Rio de Janeiro state said that he had tested positive for the new coronavirus, becoming the latest Brazilian government leader to contract the disease as it spreads across the country. In a video posted on Twitter, Governor Wilson Witzel said that he had not been feeling well in recent days with a fever and sore throat, so he requested a test and received the positive result on Tuesday Wilson Witzel said that he had not been feeling well in recent days with a fever and sore throat [AFP] 19:35 GMT EU to limit export control of virus protection gear to just masks The European Commission plans to narrow controls on the export of coronavirus protective equipment to just a single product masks as well as exempt the countries of the western Balkans from the restrictions. The EU executive, which overseas trade policy for the 27 EU member states, set out a draft regulation on Tuesday to apply for 30 days from April 26. The adjustments were designed to meet the EUs global commitments in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. The blocs current restrictions apply to protective spectacles and visors, face shields, protective garments, gloves, as well as mouth and nose masks. These products can only be exported to a non-EU country with an authorisation granted by individual EU countries. The restrictions were due to run from March 15 to April 25. The restrictions came in after a number of countries, including France and Germany, introduced their own export controls, angering fellow members such as Italy that were most in need of such equipment. 19:15 GMT US State Department reports first coronavirus fatality in Washington The US State Department reported its first coronavirus fatality among the staff at its headquarters in Washington, bringing the total death toll in its global workforce due to the outbreak to five. The individual passed over the weekend, William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Operations in Bureau of Medical Services told reporters in a teleconference. He was hospitalised for some time fighting the coronavirus. Walters said that the deceased individual, a civil servant, had been out of the office for more than two weeks. He did not provide further details including in what role the individual served at the State Department, citing privacy issues. Among the other four fatalities in the State Departments global workforce, three others were locally employed staff in foreign missions while a fourth person, a contractor working in New York, died of the illness last week. 18:55 GMT Trump to convene G7 leaders in video link to discuss pandemic US President Donald Trump will hold a video teleconference with G7 leaders on Thursday to coordinate national responses to the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. Trump, who is head of the G7 this year, had to cancel the groups annual summit, which he had planned to hold at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland, in June. The Group of Seven nations include the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany, and all seven of them have been hit hard by the virus. 18:40 GMT China in fear of second wave of COVID-19 outbreak China reported 89 new coronavirus cases on April 13, of which 86 were imported, the health authority said. The high number of imported cases in the country awakens fear of a second wave of coronavirus cases because of Chinese citizens coming back to their homeland from abroad. China has reported new #coronavirus cases most of which are imported amid fears of a second wave. Follow our LIVE blog for updates https://t.co/JiWK9PncMS pic.twitter.com/Ac8LE4Em08 Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 14, 2020 18:25 GMT Apple launches site to show how lockdowns affect movement Apple Inc said it would release data that could help inform public health authorities on whether people are driving less during lockdown orders to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The data is gathered by counting the number of routing requests from Apple Maps, which is installed on all iPhones, and comparing it with past usage to detect changes in the volume of people driving, walking or taking public transit around the world, Apple said. The information is being updated daily and compared with a date in mid-January, before most US lockdown measures were in place, Apple said. More than 90 percent of Americans are under stay-at-home orders and various lockdowns are underway in other countries around the globe. 18:05 GMT Frances coronavirus death toll passes 15,000 France officially registered more than 15,000 deaths from coronavirus infections, becoming the fourth country to go beyond that threshold after Italy, Spain and the United States, while the rate of increase of fatalities is slightly up again after steadying the days before. But the number of people in intensive care units fell to 6,730 from 6,821 over 24 hours, with this total declining for a sixth consecutive day, suggesting the national lockdown, extended to May 11 on Monday, is having positive effects in containing the disease. During a news conference Jerome Salomon, head of the public health authority, said the number of people who died from the disease in French hospitals and nursing homes had risen by five percent in a day to a cumulative total of 15,729, versus four percent on Monday and Sunday. 17:50 GMT Austria reopens thousands of shops Austria allowed thousands of shops to reopen on Tuesday, becoming one of the first countries in Europe to loosen a lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Austria acted early in its outbreak to close schools, bars, theatres, restaurants, non-essential shops and other gathering places roughly four weeks ago. It has told the public to stay home and work from there if possible. The Alpine republic has fared relatively well so far, having reported 384 deaths in total, fewer than some larger European countries have been suffering each day. The daily increase in confirmed cases has fallen to low single digits in percentage terms and hospitalisations have stabilised. 17:26 GMT Scientists leverage lockdown as dry run for Mars mission French space scientists are using the COVID-19 lockdown as a dry run for what it will be like to be cooped up inside a spacecraft on a mission to Mars. The guinea pigs in the experiment are 60 students who are confined to their dormitory rooms in the southern city of Toulouse not far removed from the kind of conditions they might experience on a long space mission. Read more here. Scientists are eager to better understand the adverse psychological effects of tight living quarters in lockdown conditions [File: NASA/Handout via Reuters] 17:00 GMT Uganda extends coronavirus lockdown for three more weeks President Yoweri Museveni extended Ugandas initial 14-day lockdown by an extra three weeks, until May 5, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Uganda and Rwanda have imposed a total lockdown in their fight against COVID-19, in east Africas most stringent response to the infection. 16:35 GMT Fauci: May 1 target for reopening US economy overly optimistic The top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said that a May 1 target date for reopening the economy was a bit overly optimistic, citing a lack of critical testing and tracing procedures. We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and were not there yet, Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the AP news agency in an interview. Fauci also told the AP that the length of the daily White House coronavirus briefings was really draining. Trump, who is running for re-election in November, has at times used the briefings to promote his role and attack political opponents. Mondays lasted two and a half hours. US President Donald Trump said the emergency taskforce handling his administrations response to the coronavirus outbreak would not be wound down [File: Al Drago/Reuters] 16:15 GMT Italys daily new cases lowest in a month Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 602, up from 566 the day before, posting a second consecutive daily increase, but new infections slowed to 2,972 from 3,153, seeing the smallest daily tally since March 13. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on February 21 rose to 21,067, the Civil Protection Agency said, the second-highest in the world after that of the United States. The number of officially confirmed cases climbed to 162,488, the third highest global tally behind those of the US and Spain. There were 3,186 people in intensive care on Tuesday against 3,260 on Monday an 11th consecutive daily decline. Of those originally infected, 37,130 were declared recovered against 35,435 a day earlier. The number of officially confirmed cases is 162,488 in Italy [Manuel Silvestri/Reuters] 16:00 GMT Zimbabwe president threatens fake news author with 20 years jail Zimbabwes President Emmerson Mnangagwa has threatened a jail term of up to 20 years to the author of a statement, purporting to bear his signature, that said the lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak had been extended. Mnangagwa, who was speaking at his farm after touring Gweru city in central Zimbabwe, told state broadcaster ZBC on Tuesday that the statement, which circulated on social media last week and was immediately denied by the government, was fake. Read more here. 15:45 GMT Turkeys coronavirus death toll rises by 98 to 1,296: minister Turkeys confirmed cases of the coronavirus increased by 4,093 in the past 24 hours, and 98 more people have died, taking the death toll to 1,296, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The total number of cases in the country stood at 61,049, he said. A total of 3,957 people have recovered so far, and the number of tests carried out over the past 24 hours was 34,456, the minister said. 15:25 GMT Pakistan loosens lockdown by opening select industries Pakistan has extended its countrywide state of lockdown on schools, shopping malls, public gatherings and non-essential services for two weeks, but has made exceptions for certain sectors of the economy, in order to stave off rising unemployment and a stagnating economy. The construction sector would begin to reopen on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Imran Khan at a news conference, following a meeting of the countrys National Coordination Committee on the coronavirus. Other industries or businesses that would be allowed to reopen include cement and fertiliser plants, mines, glass manufacturers, veterinary services, bookshops and stationary stores, dry cleaners and certain agriculture-related businesses. Provincial authorities will, however, be free to extend their restrictions on these industries if they believe it is necessary, Khan said. 15:05 GMT Coronavirus deaths in Sweden pass 1,000 Sweden reported that more than 1,000 people had died from the novel coronavirus, as a group of experts attacked the authorities approach to the crisis. Swedens Public Health Agency said it had recorded a total of 11,445 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,033 deaths. And it warned that because not all deaths had yet been reported over the four-day Easter weekend, the true number might be higher. Sweden has recorded a total of 11,445 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,033 deaths [Reuters] 15:00 GMT Denmarks govt proposes quicker reopening of society: PM Denmarks government wants to reopen society more quickly than previously anticipated, as the number of coronavirus-related hospitalisations continues to fall, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. The number of hospitalisations have not risen, they have fallen. And the number of people in intensive care is also falling, Frederiksen told a news briefing, without specifying the details of the governments proposal. The proposal will be discussed with other parties in parliament later on Tuesday, Frederiksen said. 14:40 GMT IMF says worst recession since Great Depression is likely The International Monetary Fund did not mince words about its dire outlook for a coronavirus-ravaged world economy. It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the financial crisis a decade ago, IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath wrote in the foreward for the funds World Economic Outlook. Read more here. Gita Gopinath says that it is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression [Reuters] 14:30 GMT Czech toys don masks to help medics tackle coronavirus A popular line of toy figures in the Czech Republic have begun wearing face masks along with the rest of the country to raise funds to buy equipment for medical staff fighting the novel coronavirus. Toymaker Efko began equipping its small plastic Igracek figurines which are similar to Lego or Playmobil with masks in March. It is donating part of its sales from the toys marked help with Igracek to purchase protective equipment for doctors and nurses in the central Vysocina region where the company is based. We thought if everyone else has to wear a mask, then so should Igracek, said Efko CEO Miroslav Kotik, adding that 15 Czech crowns ($0.60) of the retail price of the figurines would be donated to the effort. 14:00 GMT Georgia to lock down four cities for 10 days: PM Georgia will lock down four big cities, including its capital Tbilisi, for 10 days from April 15 in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said. Gakharia said the emergency situation in the country would be extended until May 10. 12:55 GMT Cuomo says Trump cant force states to reopen New York Governor Andrew Cuomo took to morning TV shows to push back against President Donald Trumps claim of total authority to reopen the nations virus-stalled economy, noting that a president is not an absolute monarch. We dont have a king, Cuomo said on NBCs Today. We have a president. That was a big decision. We ran away from having a king, and George Washington was president, not King Washington. So, the president doesnt have total authority. The Democratic governor, whose state has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, was reacting to Trumps assertion Monday that when somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaking during a news conference in New York City, New York, the United States [Mike Segar/Reuters] 12:40 GMT Dutch coronavirus cases rise by 868 Confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 868 to 27,419, health authorities said, with 122 new deaths. Total deaths in the country are at 2,945, the Netherlands Institute for Public Health said in its daily update. 12:18 GMT Sinn Fein leader says she is recovering from coronavirus The leader of the left-wing Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald, said that a test taken at the end of March confirmed she had the coronavirus, but she was no longer infected and would return to work next week. McDonald said she was given the result on Monday after weeks of being very unwell. The test was taken on March 28. McDonalds party stunned Irelands establishment in February by winning the most votes in an inconclusive national election. 12:00 GMT McDonalds apologises after China store bans black people US chain McDonalds has apologised after a sign telling black people they were banned from entering a branch in southern China prompted outrage online, following reports of discriminatory treatment towards Africans in the city. Tensions have flared between police and Africans in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou after local officials announced a cluster of COVID-19 cases in a neighbourhood with a large migrant population. As the row escalated, posts widely shared online showed a sign at fast food chain McDonalds saying black people were not allowed to enter the restaurant. 11:40 GMT Thats the spirit! Japan hospitals find way to beat sanitiser shortage Strong alcoholic drinks can be used when absolutely necessary instead of hand sanitiser in Japanese hospitals, authorities said, as supplies run dry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Spirits with an alcohol proof of between 70 and 83 percent can be substituted to sterilise hands under new rules set out in a health ministry document obtained by AFP news agency. Some vodkas are that strong, but traditional Japanese tipples such as sake and shochu do not make the grade at a maximum alcohol proof of roughly 22 and 45 percent respectively. 10:50 GMT Guinea to mandate mask-wearing against virus Guinean President Alpha Conde has decided to make the wearing of masks compulsory in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. Speaking in a televised address on Monday evening, the president said offenders would be prevented from moving around and slapped with a civil disobedience tax of 30,000 Guinean francs ($3.16, 2.8 euros). The order takes effect from Saturday. Conde called on all companies, ministries and NGOs to provide masks to their employees by Saturday. He also urged that masks be manufactured locally and sold cheaply. 10:40 GMT Hunger for good news grows amid coronavirus crisis Battered by grim headlines, horrifying statistics and deep uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, many people worldwide are trying to lift their spirits by seeking out positive news stories. Sites specialising in upbeat news have seen a surge in recent weeks, and Google searches for good news have jumped five-fold since the start of the year. The Good News Network, created in the late 1990s, has seen traffic treble in the past month with more than 10 million visitors, according to founder and editor Geri Weis-Corbley. Read more here. 10:20 GMT Iran says virus deaths drop below 100 for first time in month Iran said the number of lives lost in the country to the novel coronavirus dropped to double figures for the first time in one month. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 98 deaths from the COVID-19 disease were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 4,683. Unfortunately, we lost 98 of our compatriots infected with the disease but after a month of waiting, this is the first day that the death toll has been double figures, he told a televised news conference 09:50 GMT Spains virus death toll tops 18,000 A woman wearing a face mask walks in an empty Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid, during a state of emergency to prevent the spread of the coronavirus [Anadolu Agency] Spain reported 567 deaths from the new coronavirus, a slight increase after a one day decline, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,056 officially the third-highest in the world behind the United States and Italy. The number of new infections rose by 1.8 percent to 172,541 cases, according to the health ministry, the smallest increase since the country imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 14 to curb the spread of the virus. 09:30 GMT Russia posts another record daily rise in new COVID-19 cases The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has crossed 20,000, while the death toll is nearing 200, authorities said. A total of 2,774 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall case count to 21,102, Russias coronavirus task force said in a statement. The death toll has risen to 170 after 22 more fatalities, while recoveries reached 1,694 as 224 more patients were discharged from hospitals. 09:26 GMT Not a king: Trump gets pushback for total authority claim US President Donald Trump has claimed he has total authority to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of strict physical distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the novel coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it was safe to begin a return to normal operations. Read more here. 08:45 GMT UK accused of underreporting senior virus deaths The boss of one of the UKs biggest nursing home operators says the number of reported coronavirus deaths among elderly residents is much higher than has been officially reported. The government says outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported in one in eight UK care homes. But David Behan, chairman of home operator HC-One, said cases of the new coronavirus had been reported in 232 of the firms homes two-thirds of the total. He says 311 residents have died with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. 08:20 GMT Exclusive: Kerala CM says UAE quarantine facilities inadequate The chief minister of Indias Kerala state has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repatriate Indian workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid the coronavirus pandemic, expressing alarm over the Gulf countrys response to the health emergency. In a letter sent on April 9, Pinarayi Vijayan revealed that numerous complaints were being received over inadequate isolation and quarantine facilities in the UAE, which is currently hosting more than three million migrant workers from India, according to the United Nations. Read more here. There are more than three million migrant workers from India in the United Arab Emirates [Jon Gambrell/AP] 08:01 GMT Taiwan reports no new coronavirus cases for first time in a month Taiwan reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than a month, in the latest sign that the islands early and effective prevention methods have paid off. Taiwan has won plaudits from health experts for how it has fought the virus, including starting as early as December 31 with checks on passengers arriving from Chinas Wuhan city, where the first cases were reported late last year. Taiwan has reported 393 cases to date and six deaths. A total of 338 were so-called imported cases, where people were suspected of becoming infected overseas before entering Taiwan, and the rest were cases of local transmissions. 07:45 GMT Anger as right-wing UK voices predict Ramadan virus spread Concerns have been raised that right-wing voices in the United Kingdom could fuel Islamophobia, after a commentator predicted a spike in coronavirus cases during Ramadan. Andrew Pierce, a journalist for the Daily Mail tabloid, tweeted on Sunday: If families gather for holy month of Ramadan there will be a huge spike in Covid cases. Doctors are very worried. Read more here. 07:18 GMT AstraZeneca to asses potential of blood cancer drug AstraZeneca Plc said that it would start a clinical trial to assess the potential of Calquence in the treatment of the exaggerated immune response associated with COVID-19 infection in severely ill patients. Calquence is a BTK inhibitor and currently used to treat certain types of blood cancers. The drug has been approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in the United States and a number of other countries. 07:01 GMT Turkey to release prisoners to ease overcrowding Turkeys parliament has approved legislation that will free some 90,000 prisoners to ease overcrowding in prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, that does not include journalists and activists, who will remain behind bars. The legislation, approved early on Tuesday, reduces some sentences and places 45,000 convicts, currently serving terms in open prisons, under temporary house arrest. 06:40 GMT Malaysia arrests Myanmar workers for breaching lockdown restrictions Malaysian police have arrested 62 migrant workers from Myanmar for breaching lockdown restrictions by allegedly staging a weekend street party marking Thingyan, the Buddhist New Year. Some admitted to attending the event, and more arrests are being carried out to track the other suspects involved. Two mobile phones used by the suspects have also been seized, said Wan Kamarul Azran, assistant police commissioner of Sepang, Kuala Lumpur. The Thingyan festival is usually a week of concerts, street parties and water fights across much of Myanmar as well as among the large communities of migrants from Myanmar in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia. 06:20 GMT UKs Heathrow Airport sees passenger demand down by 90 percent in April Heathrow Airport, traditionally the busiest in Europe, forecast that passenger demand would plunge by over 90 percent in April, as coronavirus restrictions stop most travel. Heathrow said that its passenger numbers were down 52 percent in March compared with the same period last year, with many of those being Britons returning home from abroad. The airport, owned by a group of investors including Spains Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, said it was now only using one of its two runways, as flights continue for cargo. Hello, this is Usaid Siddiqui in Doha taking over from my colleague Kate Mayberry. 05:40 GMT I will shortly be handing the blog over to my colleagues in Doha. Keep checking in to follow our continuing coverage of the pandemic. 05:30 GMT Heilongjiang clamps down on people returning from Russia Authorities in Chinas northeastern province of Heilongjiang have established a hotline to reward citizens for reporting people crossing the border illegally, after a jump in the number of coronavirus cases imported from Russia. According to a notice, people supplying verified information about illegal cross-border crimes will get 3,000 yuan ($426). Those who apprehend any illegal migrants and hand them over to authorities will get 5,000 yuan ($710). Russia has become Chinas largest source of imported cases, with 409 cases found to have originated there. State-owned Global Times said in an editorial Chinese citizens should stay put in Russia and not try to return home. Heilongjiang had 79 new cases of imported coronavirus on Monday. All were Chinese citizens travelling back from Russia, state media said on Tuesday. 05:10 GMT Medical equipment stockpile, fund under discussion at ASEAN meet Leaders of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met online on Tuesday to discuss their countries response to the coronavirus, including discussions on a regional stockpile of medical equipment for emergencies, and the creation of a regional fund to fight the pandemic. It is in these grim hours that the solidarity of the ASEAN community shines like a beacon in the dark, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in an opening speech. Containment efforts had placed the pandemic actually under control, he said, warning against complacency. Further talks with China, Japan and South Korea will take place later on Tuesday. Malaysia urged for the @ASEAN Economic Ministers to meet urgently to formulate an ASEAN Economic Recovery Plan not just on the financial aspects of the economy; but also social welfare safety nets, food security, and education for our combined 600 million peoples in the region pic.twitter.com/Mx417HEI2L Hishammuddin Hussein (@HishammuddinH2O) April 14, 2020 04:50 GMT Germany reports fourth day of slowing cases Confirmed new cases continue to slow in Germany, where the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has just announced 2,082 more cases, bringing the total to 125,098. This is the fourth day of decline after four days of increases in new cases. A further 170 people died from the virus, RKI said on Tuesday. 04:30 GMT Indias PM Modi extends nationwide lockdown until May 3 Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just announced the countrys nationwide lockdown will be extended until May 3 to battle the coronavirus. 03:15 GMT Patience a virtue: Australia, New Zealand sticking with lockdowns Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the country remains many weeks away from lifting any restrictions despite the sharp slowdown in coronavirus cases. Patience has got to be our virtue here, Morrison said. Australia confirmed 63 new infections on Sunday and Monday the lowest two-day increase in a month bringing its total cases to 6,366. The plaza in front of the Sydney Opera House has been left almost deserted amid a government lockdown in Australia that has helped slow the spread of the coronavirus. [Joel Carrett/EPA] Cases in New Zealand are also falling, with only eight new cases on Tuesday the lowest in more than three weeks. Our goal has to be go early and go hard, so that we get into a position where we can ease up restrictions with confidence, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, adding that no action would be taken for at least another week. Both countries have closed their borders to foreigners and imposed 14-day quarantines on returning residents. New Zealand has enforced a strict stay-at-home lockdown while Australia imposed tight restrictions on movement, gatherings and public activities. 02:55 GMT Philippines militaristic approach to pandemic punishes poor The Philippines has locked down its main island of Luzon, including the sprawling capital, Manila to try and curb a coronavirus outbreak that is now the largest in Southeast Asia. But for the countrys poor, the lockdown has left them without food or an income and at risk of detention if they venture out to find either. You can read more in this story by Ana Santos. 02:40 GMT Southeast Asia urged to do more for refugees, migrant workers A group of Southeast Asian members of parliament is calling on regional governments to do more to help migrant workers and refugees who have not only lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus but are also at greater risk of exposure and illness. Because of their living conditions, work situation or limited access to healthcare they are at high risk of both catching the virus and falling into extreme poverty, said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. The recent images of migrant workers rushing to get home have only highlighted how the measures taken by one country deeply affect another. We have reported on the situation for the thousands of people from Myanmar who live and work in Thailand, the strict quarantines of migrant worker dormitories in Singapore and the fears facing refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, which is not a signatory to the UN Convention. Singapore has put two worker dormitories under strict isolation amid a spike in cases among migrant workers hired for construction, roadworks and other jobs that Singaporeans are unwilling to do [Edgar Su/Reuters] 02:30 GMT South Korea reports 27 new cases of coronavirus South Koreas Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it confirmed 27 new cases of the coronavirus, the 13th successive day with less than 100 new cases. South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun during an anti-virus meeting on Tuesday called officials to provide stronger support for scientists efforts to develop vaccines and treatments for the virus, which he said would be a boon for the countrys biomedical industry. 02:00 GMT Johns Hopkins revises coronavirus cases lower Johns Hopkins University has revised downwards the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus globally. It is now 1.918 million. Earlier, it said more than two million people around the world had been diagnosed with the virus. 01:40 GMT China approves early-stage human trials for two vaccines China has approved early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus, state media outlet Xinhua reported on Tuesday. The vaccines are being developed by a Beijing-based unit of Nasdaq-listed Sinovac Biotech, and by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group. Good news! China approved clinical trials for two types of inactivated #vaccines for #COVID_19 on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/4nx41wiN20 China Daily (@ChinaDaily) April 14, 2020 In March, China gave the green light for another clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Chinas Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Hong Kong-listed biotech firm CanSino Bio. 01:00 GMT China reported 89 new coronavirus cases China has confirmed 89 new cases on April 13, compared with 108 the previous day. The National Health Commission says 86 cases were imported many of those cases are coming through the northeast province of Heilongjiang, which borders Russia. The number of total confirmed cases in China since the beginning of the outbreak now stands at 82,249 and the death toll is 3,341, with no new reported deaths on April 13. All arrivals to China from overseas must go through a 14-day centralised quarantine. 00:00 GMT WHO to release new advice on coronavirus The World Health Organization (WHO) will release its latest strategic advice on tackling the pandemic later on Tuesday. It will include guidance for governments considering lifting restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. In a media conference on Monday evening, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said six criteria needed to be considered: Transmission is controlled. Systems are in place to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace their contacts. Risks are minimised in care homes and other at-risk environments. Preventive measures are in place in schools, offices and other places people need to go. Importation risks can be managed. Communities are fully educated and able to deal with the new norm. While #COVID19 accelerates very fast, it decelerates much more slowly. This is especially concerning for countries with large poor populations, where #StayAtHome orders & other restrictions used in some high-income countries may not be practical. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 13, 2020 22:15 GMT (Monday) Trump plays campaign-style video defending virus response In his daily coronavirus briefing, US President Donald Trump played a campaign-style video defending his response to the pandemic amid criticism of the White Houses handling of the crisis. The video was put together by a White House team. Trump has denied seeing a January 30 memo by a senior US official warning of tens of thousands of deaths and economic devastation from the new coronavirus. He has also claimed he did not know about US intelligence warnings reportedly made as early as November about an infection that had the potential to lead to a cataclysmic event. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence watch a multimedia presentation created by the White House to defend the presidents response to the outbreak [Leah Millis/Reuters] 22:00 GMT (Monday) Fauci says Trump listened to his coronavirus advice Top US health expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, says Trump did listen to his advice when he recommended that mitigation efforts be taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Fauci made the comments after saying in a separate interview that lives could have been saved if the country had shut down sooner. Trump retweeted a call to fire Fauci after that interview, but the White House said on Monday Trump did not intend to sack him. Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur. You can read all the updates from yesterday (April 13) here. Pakistan loosens lockdown by opening select industries, maintains restrictions on public gatherings Pakistan has extended its countrywide state of lockdown on schools, shopping malls, public gatherings and non-essential services for two weeks, but has made exceptions for certain sectors of the economy, in order to stave off rising unemployment and a stagnating economy. The construction sector would begin to reopen on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Imran Khan at a press conference following a meeting of the countrys National Coordination Committee on the Coronavirus. Other industries or businesses that would be allowed to reopen include cement and fertiliser plants, mines, glass manufacturers, veterinary services, bookshops and stationary stores, dry cleaners and certain agriculture-related businesses. Provincial authorities will, however, be free to extend their restrictions on these industries if they believe it necessary, Khan said . In recent days, there have been differences between Khans federal government and the provincial government in Sindh province, home to the countrys largest city, over how strict the lockdown should be. Portuguese companies suffer massive blow from coronavirus outbreakYou can now download all free assets in one place. This includes Watermark, Keyframe, Screener, XML, and Shotlist.LISBON, April 14 (Reuters) Around 80% of Portuguese companies still operating or temporarily shut due to the coronavirus outbreak reported a sharp drop in their revenues, at times exceeding 75%, as authorities tightened lockdowns, a survey showed on Tuesday. Around 78% of businesses blamed the revenue free-fall on restrictions implemented by Portugals Socialist government as part of a state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The emergency was initially declared on March 18 but is set to be extended until May 1. The accommodation and restaurant sector suffered the hardest blows, a survey released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Bank of Portugal revealed, with businesses in the industry frequently reporting revenue declines of more than 75% during the second week of April. A Newton County Sheriff Office employee tested negative for the coronavirus, sheriff Billy Rowles told The Enterprise Tuesday. The employee was tested for the virus late last week after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Rowles said he was happy for his employees well being and that his office did not have to make any drastic changes. Montana Free Press Yellowstones Lamar Valley has been called the American Serengeti, a landscape where people can see bison, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, moose, wolves, coyotes, grizzly bears, black bears, otters and beavers. But the habitat of Lamar Valley has been degraded in recent years, thanks in large part to record numbers of bison eating, trampling and rubbing their horns on woody plants. These behaviors drastically alter plant communities, stream and river channels and food webs, according to a new study published last week by researchers at Oregon State University. This system is on a trajectory that is not so good ecologically for everything except for bison, said Bob Beschta, a professor emeritus of ecology and lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Food Webs. For the past two decades, Beschta and his colleague Bill Ripple have published dozens of papers on one of the most heartening environmental stories of recent times: the trophic cascade caused by the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In the 1990s, wolves reintroduced from Canada started hunting Yellowstones overpopulated elk herds. Elk numbers quickly dwindled, and plants started growing in places they hadnt grown for decades. Yellowstones streams rebounded to conditions that existed prior to predator eradication, leading to more willow, more aspen, more beavers and more birds. In areas like Blacktail Deer Creek, plants like serviceberries and chokecherries have returned, Beschta said. But that recovery hasnt happened everywhere in the park, particularly in Lamar Valley. If you drive through Lamar Valley, and weve been telling people about everything getting better, youd say, Youve got to be kidding me. Nothing is getting better here, Beschta said. Were finally now saying its not all roses. Theres a problem, and it happens to be bison. More from the archives! Winter, spring, summer, or fall, Yellowstone is home to about 5,000 #bison. They are agile, strong swimmers, can run 35mph, and jump over objects about 5ft high. What do you want to see next? #TuesdayThoughtshttps://t.co/Yu29YRe4ar pic.twitter.com/PAmkpqAror yellowstonenps (@YellowstoneNPS) March 31, 2020 HOW MANY IS TOO MANY? The study raises the question of whether the parks current management plan of maintaining a population of 3,500 to 5,000 bison is healthy for the overall ecosystem. How many bison should be in Yellowstone is a contentious question. A disagreement over the appropriate size of the parks bison herd contributed to the early retirement in 2018 of former Superintendent Dan Wenk, who believed the park could handle more bison than did then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Yellowstone National Parks purpose statement says park managers should preserve and protect the scenery, cultural heritage, wildlife, geologic and ecological systems and processes in their natural condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. Chris Geremia, the bison biologist for Yellowstone National Park, said bison play a key role in the parks history, as well as its ecological systems and processes. Park managers have to take a wider view of their role in preserving bison, Geremia said, while the studys authors have a very specific and narrow view of what the parks northern range should look like. They view any deviation from a narrow description as a sign of degradation, Geremia said. We dont believe there should be such a narrow view for the types of plants that exist in the park. Instead, park managers are more focused on maintaining natural processes, Geremia said. And that means letting the number of bison in the park control plants through grazing. Beschta said decisions about what role bison should play in Yellowstone taps into a larger question about whether Yellowstone is maintained for its pre-management character, or for the character that human management has implemented. Maybe bison are more important than any other species, Beschta said. But for a fish, a beaver, a small mammal, a bird, a bear or whatever to try to make a living in the Lamar Valley bottom, the habitat has been pretty well decimated. Bison in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: Beatlesnature HISTORY OF BISON IN YELLOWSTONE Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the U.S. wild bison have been continuously present since prehistoric times, according to the parks website. As many as 60 million bison once roamed North America, but the species was hunted almost to extinction in the late 1800s, when the U.S. army campaigned to eliminate the species as a means of controlling Native American tribes, the website said. By 1901, bison numbers in the United States had been reduced to as few as 300 individuals. Of those, 23 lived in Yellowstone National Park. The park bred those bison with a captive population at the parks headquarters in Mammoth, and then at the Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley. In recent years, Beschta and Geremia agree, there have likely been more bison in Yellowstone National Park than at any point in history, with the population hovering between 3,000 and 5,000 in two distinct herds. In August 2019, the northern herd was estimated to contain 3,667 bison, while the central herd had 1,162. The study focuses on the impacts of the northern herd. Though bison are able to migrate throughout Yellowstone National Park and a small area outside of the park, the herds are not allowed to roam freely, because they carry brucellosis, a livestock disease transmissible to wildlife from cattle, and vice versa. The bacterial disease, which causes ungulates to abort fetuses, is transferred through close contact between animals, particularly through interaction with an aborted fetus. Brucellosis is also transferable to humans through unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat. Though elk are also infected with brucellosis, their movement is not limited. Though all known transmissions of brucellosis to livestock have come from elk, only bison are contained. Management of the size of Yellowstones bison population is guided by the Interagency Bison Management Plan , which is produced by a coalition of federal, state and tribal officials. Population management is driven by conflict with agricultural interests outside the park, Geremia said, because as the herds get larger, there is an increased chance that bison will exit the park. Each year, biologists and hunters, most associated with Native American tribes exercising treaty rights, kill hundreds of bison to contain the herds numbers and prevent expansion of the population beyond managed borders. BISON FARM OR REFUGE Despite the current success of bison in Yellowstone, there is no evidence the species ever inhabited park boundaries in large numbers prior to recent years, Beschta said. We have a large number of bison in a place where they probably never existed. The park was not set aside to be a bison farm, Beschta said. If we dumped 4,000 bison in Yosemite, that would be unacceptable. The study found that bison exert 10 times as much pressure on the landscape as elk. From a long-term perspective, theyre kind of the new kid on the block, with the capability to impact the ecosystem in a very big way, Beschta said. Wolves have seemingly taken care of the elk issue. Nobody has taken care of the bison issue. Geremia said Yellowstones role in restoring bison populations is significant, even if the animals werent previously present in large numbers. Geremia said historical trapping reports show that bison have been in the park continuously. Bison are survivors, Geremia said. Theres always been bison in Yellowstone, based on those reports. The number is debatable. Park scientists have demonstrated that the park can manage upwards of 5,500 bison, he said. The northern range of the park can support between 3 and 4 million pounds of herbivore biomass, an amount similar to what was present in the park in the 1980s. Only now, that biomass is more bison than elk. The number of bison in the park is below the U.S. Department of Agricultures livestock stocking rates, Geremia said. Even in areas of high grazing, soils are healthy and there is significant plant growth, he said. They may look short because theyre grazed, but theyre actually highly productive, he said. We dont see [that bison grazing] is inhibiting plant growth. Geremia said people have a limited tolerance for bison because theyre big, dangerous, and, like elk, carry brucellosis, and that its important for bison to have a safe space in Yellowstone. Its really the only preserve, the only refuge where they can thrive until the world is ready to accept bison like other ungulates, he said. Johnathan Hettinger is a journalist based in Livingston. Originally from Central Illinois and a graduate of the University of Illinois, he has worked at the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, the Livingston Enterprise and the (Champaign-Urbana) News-Gazette. Contact Johnathan at jhett93@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @jhett93 Note: This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press . It is published under a Creative Commons license Join the Conversation By James Pearson HANOI, April 10 (Reuters) - Vietnam is challenging China's dominance of coronavirus diplomacy with the donation of medical supplies to Europe and Southeast Asia and even winning plaudits from U.S. President Donald Trump for a shipment of protective suits. China is looking to burnish its credentials as a responsible power by sharing expertise and donating masks and other protective equipment to countries seeing a surge in cases and to repair an image dented by the disease that originated there late last year. Vietnam, despite its lack of resources compared with its giant neighbour, has donated 550,000 face masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain, and 390,000 to neighbouring Cambodia and 340,000 to another neighbour, Laos. It has also capitalised on the U.S. government's purchase of 450,000 made-in-Vietnam DuPont hazmat suits by expediting the shipment of the protective equipment, and using it to highlight its medical donations in public statements and state media. Trump thanked "our friends in Vietnam" on Thursday for that shipment. Helped by a mass quarantine and aggressive contact-tracing, Vietnam's health ministry has recorded 255 cases of the novel coronavirus and no deaths. Vu Duc Dam, a deputy prime minister who has been widely praised for his role in leading the campaign against the coronavirus, said on Monday the outbreak was under control. The next day, state media showed photos of European ambassadors receiving boxes of masks from Vietnam's foreign ministry in a ceremony showcasing the donation. "Vietnam appears to have gained in confidence by managing to deal successfully with the coronavirus," said Carl Thayer, an expert in Vietnam's diplomacy at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. "While Vietnam is bracing itself against a second wave of the virus it is also beginning to look ahead to a revival of economic activity," Thayer said. Story continues Key to spurring that activity will be a much-anticipated EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), said Thayer, which Vietnam's rubber stamp National Assembly will ratify later this month. AID 'WHERE IT COUNTS' There are now 40 firms producing 7 million fabric masks a day in Vietnam, the government said on Thursday. An additional 5.72 million surgical masks can be produced daily, it said. Vietnam is not the only country keen to show that it is able to offer its support to the world, however. Taiwan, which China claims as its sacred territory and locks out of most global organisations, is donating 16 million masks, mostly to Europe and the United States, earning the diplomatically isolated island rare prominence on the world stage. The government of Taiwan, which like Vietnam has managed to keep its tally of coronavirus cases low, with just five deaths, has not drawn a direct link between its virus diplomacy and that of China, but has been keen to show how "Taiwan can help", especially as it can make more than 13 million masks a day. South Korea has also won attention for its campaign against the virus and on Thursday it hosted an online presentation outlining its containment measures for about 400 health officials and experts from 13 countries, including the United States, Mexico, and Italy. "We've been getting requests from many countries for us to share our know-how," a South Korean foreign ministry official told Reuters. Vietnam has also not explicitly compared its virus diplomacy to China's but it was quick to send supplies to old allies Laos and Cambodia, where its influence has waned in recent years while China's has surged. Even though Vietnam needs similar equipment in its own efforts against the virus, it has made donations to neighbours with large Vietnamese communities "on the basis of traditional friendship and relations", foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told Reuters. Vietnam could also be pushing the quality of its medical supplies in light of mounting returns to China of faulty equipment, said Thayer. Vietnam's biggest listed firm, Vingroup, said last week it would start producing up to 55,000 ventilators a month, including for foreign markets. "Vietnam cannot hope to match China in the volume and dollar value of its aid but Vietnam can provide assistance where it counts," said Thayer. (Additional reporting by Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi, Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Josh Smith in Seoul Editing by Robert Birsel) The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine a petition demanding inquiry into the aspects leading to the Tablighi Jamaat convention in the national capital last month. The petition, filed by a Jammu-based lawyer Supriya Pandita, questioned the role of the Centre, the Delhi government and the Delhi Police for risking the health of millions of citizens by allowing the huge congregation comprising foreign delegates. The matter will be taken up by the court after two weeks. The petition came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices LN Rao and MM Shantanagouder. The court directed a copy of the petition to be served to the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Central government. The Court also heard a related petition filed by Jamiat Ulama i-Hind which demanded an end to demonizing of Muslims following the Tablighi event. The petition raised objections to news reports naming the members of Tablighi Jamaat who were infected. Advocate Ejaz Maqbool argued that the petition had led to violence against members of the Muslim community in Karnataka. The bench told Maqbool that the remedy for defamation against media organizations cannot be in a writ petition. Also, it questioned why the petition did not make Press Council of India (PCI) a party. Not inclined to pass any interim orders gagging the media, the court allowed the petition to join PCI as a party and posted it for hearing along with Panditas petition. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has revoked its decision to upload the data on persons under Covid-19 surveillance on the website of US-based company Sprinklr.This follows Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithalas allegation that the government entered into a data-handling contract with Sprinklr without due procedures, thereby risking the privacy of the people under quarantine. Earlier, the government had directed local self-government bodies to update the data on the companys website. However, there wasnt an official announcement on the purpose of this data collection. On Monday, the government directed the LSG secretaries to stop updating the data on the Sprinklr website and instead do it on the government website, housevisit.kerala.gov.in At his daily press briefing on Covid-19 control activities, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refused to answer repeated questions on the contract. He said the IT department would issue a clarification on it.Chennithala said the chief ministers evasion of questions added to the mystery in the deal. Utilising the government machinery, an American company is collecting our peoples health information. It is surprising that the chief minister feigns ignorance on such a serious issue, he said. Chennithala also raised the doubt that the data collected through the present system would finally land up with Sprinklr. He also demanded an explanation from the government on the future of the data on around two lakh persons already in the possession of Sprinklr. According to Congress legislator K S Sabarinadhan, the governments contract with the company did not follow the data protection laws. The laws stipulate that the data should be collected with the permission of the persons concerned and also need to be destroyed after the purpose. These arent followed in this case, he said on Monday. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy sought an explanation from his successor Pinarayi Vijayan on the issue. A delay on this would increase peoples concerns, he said.Mullappally Ramachandran, KPCC chief, said the government was forced to revoke its decision because of the vigilance of the Opposition parties. NK Premachandran, MP, said he wrote to the Union health minister on whether the Kerala governments contract had the sanction of the Indian Council of Medical Research and ministrys Screening Committee. From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Throughout human history, we have used animals for food and for work. But thousands of years ago, we began using them for something else companionship. They became our pets. Pets are a source of comfort and happiness. They give their owners good feelings and a sense of purpose, especially during stressful or difficult times. And we are, indeed, in stressful times. In many parts of the world, people are under stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Stuck indoors, many people may feel isolated and lonely. Having a pet especially a dog can help. Health benefits of dogs Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States say pets can help ease loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. They make special note of the helpful effects of dogs. The CDC says that dogs can have many helpful and healthy effects on the lives of their owners. Dogs, the health organization says, can: influence social, emotional and mental development in children; help make their owners more physically active; provide companionship; and reduce peoples stress and anxiety. The CDC estimates that around 38 percent of American households have one or more dogs. Dogs versus cats Cats are the other most common pet in the United States. Of course, cats can provide affection and companionship. But they also are known for sometimes being selfish and a bit distant. I myself am a cat owner. My cat sleeps a lot, has no interest in exercise and gives a limited amount of affection. If I pet her too much, she will walk away. The coronavirus stay-at-home orders have led to many pet memes online. In them, dogs appear very happy that their owners are home all the time. The memes show dogs saying things like, Yay! Another walk! Thats 14 for today! In the coronavirus cat memes, however, cats are saying things like, Why is this human in my house so much? and Dont you have a job to go to? Dogs are known for being extra affectionate and loyal toward their owners. They like to go on walks, and they like the company of humans. And most experts agree that dogs became pets before cats. So perhaps they have simply had more time to perfect the art of being a pet! Evan MacLean is a biological anthropologist at the University of Arizona. Biological anthropologists combine biological and social studies, often to better understand human evolution. MacLean says that dogs may provide welcome emotional support during the current worldwide health crisis. He says that owning a dog not only makes a person feel good emotionally -- dogs also appear to help control heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol a hormone involved in stress responses. MacLean adds that simply petting your dog in a soft, slow way may help you both feel more at ease. On its website, the CDC lists some health benefits of pet ownership (including cats!) They include: Decreased blood pressure Decreased cholesterol levels Decreased feelings of loneliness Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities MacLean says dogs can give us support and help us weather the storm. In other words, they help us get through a very bad time. Dogs may provide support and be beside us "through thick and thin. If a pet or a person is with you through thick and thin, they are with you through good times and bad. In other words, they are loyal. And this loyalty can be very comforting. Lets not forget that there is work involved in keeping a pet. Taking care of our pets may help give us a sense of purpose. A dog always needs to walk outside. In our current situation, this gives dog owners a reason to (safely) leave the house and get some fresh air. And, it makes them get a little exercise. All of that is important and helpful. One thing we know is that sitting around worrying doesn't do much good for our mental health. So, refocusing our mental energy on something positive could bring relief at a time like this, MacLean says. And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Pets, Especially Dogs, Help During Quarantine Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story companionship n. the good feeling that comes from being with someone else comfort v. to ease the grief or trouble of stressful adj. making you feel worried or anxious isolation n. the act of separating something from other things anxiety n. fear or nervousness about what might happen meme n. an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture loyal adj. having or showing complete and constant support for someone or something evolution n. the process of development of an animal or a plant focus v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific : refocus to again direct your attention or effort at something specific relief n. the removal or reducing of something that is painful or unpleasant While the federal government has authority over interstate and foreign quarantine measures, states have the primary authority to impose and enforce quarantine and isolation measures within their own borders, as part of the police powers conferred to states by the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, according to the Congressional Research Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in batting down untrue rumors on its website, noted that states and cities are responsible for announcing curfews, shelters in place, or other restrictions and safety measures. Mr. Trumps claims were also contradicted by Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, both Republicans, who said on Monday that the decision to lift measures was up to the states. Just last week, we were asking: Why no national lockdown? The answer is that state governors are responsible for the health of their populations, as Trump himself has said, said Polly J. Price, a professor of global health and law at Emory University. Is Trumps next step to nationalize the manicure industry? Because unless he is going to nationalize specific businesses, like wartime industry, this is a state matter. Even in a hypothetical scenario, Mr. Trump would be limited in how he can act. Congress could conceivably pass a law on interstate commerce that would effectively compel states to rescind their stay-at-home orders, but the president could not unilaterally act to do so. Similarly, while its possible that classified draft documents or the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel have argued for an expansion of executive power including authority to override governors, such powers have yet to be invoked and could still be challenged in court. Though Mr. Trump said he could provide a legal brief on numerous provisions in the Constitution that outline his authority to override governors, the White House did not respond when asked for the brief or other evidence of the presidents claims. What Was Said Nobody is asking for ventilators. False. Several governors continued to speak about existing or impending shortages of ventilators and other supplies. Everybody still has tremendous needs on personal protective equipment and ventilators and all of these things that you keep hearing about. Everybodys fighting to find these things all over the all over the nation and all over the world, Mr. Hogan said on ABC's This Week on Sunday. Supporters of an upcoming traffic jam aimed at protesting Michigans stay-at-home order say U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has no connection to the event after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it was inappropriate for a sitting Cabinet member to attack her politically. Whitmer didnt mention DeVos by name during a Monday press conference, but suggested the West Michigan native was linked to the protest because a group funded in part by members of the DeVos family, the Michigan Freedom Fund, is supporting it. I think its really inappropriate for a sitting member of the United States Presidents cabinet to be waging political attacks on any governor, but obviously on me here at home, she said. I think that they should disavow it and encourage people to stay at home and be safe. The protest, scheduled for noon Wednesday, was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and also lists the Michigan Freedom Fund as a host. Participants are being asked to stay in their cars and drive around the Michigan Capitol building to start a traffic jam while honking horns and displaying signs or painted vehicles to protest the stay-at-home order. We WANT gridlock, the event description reads. Nick Wasmiller, a spokesperson for the DeVos family, said the family hasnt funded the protest and hasnt offered prior support to the Michigan Conservative Coalition. They understand the frustration of fellow Michiganders, however, as elements of the governors top-down approach appear to go beyond public safety," he said. "Michigan deserves competent governance not baseless attacks. Betsy DeVos has nothing to do with that protest, said Tony Daunt, executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund. Daunt said the extent of the Michigan Freedom Funds involvement so far was to spend $250 promoting the protest on social media, and said Whitmer is recklessly playing politics" instead of answering to concerns from constituents about the stay-at-home order. Shes seeking to distract from the fact that thousands of people are upset from these actions by suggesting this is only happening because people are bought off, he said. Its offensive. Prior to her appointment to U.S. Education Secretary, DeVos was a longtime Republican activist and donor to conservative causes. During her 2017 confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate, DeVos said she would not be engaged in political donations, and my husband will not be either if appointed. Whitmer said people are well within their rights to protest and asked those who plan to protest do so in a manner that keeps themselves and first responders safe. Its OK to be frustrated, and its OK to be angry, Whitmer said Monday, adding: If it makes you feel better to direct it at me, thats OK, too. Ive got thick skin." Whitmer also said people should watch out for and avoid disseminating inaccurate information about the stay-at-home order. Wednesdays protest wont be the first conducted since the stay-at-home order went into effect. Last week, a group of protesters rallied in front of the Capitol to share their concerns about the ongoing stay-at-home order while lawmakers were inside extending the state of emergency through April 30. Toting signs bearing messages like More will die from economic fallout than COVID-19! and My freedom is essential," members of the group walked around in front of the Capitol, keeping social distancing with the help of measuring tape. Related coverage: Whitmer responds to frustrations over Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order: We will get through this' A coronavirus specimens trip from a patients nostril through a Michigan testing lab Michigan senator calls for state employee layoffs to balance budget Group trying to put LGBT initiative on Michigan ballots turns to electronic signatures New Michigan coronavirus cases under 1,000 again, but deaths are back up With Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order extended, frustration builds over whats been deemed non-essential Michigans updated coronavirus stay-at-home order will close garden centers and other parts of grocery stores Michigan grocery stores slammed after Gov. Gretchen Whitmers coronavirus stay-at-home order Sen. Shirkey says Whitmer is killing our livelihoods with stay-at-home extension 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. Notice of call of Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting Shareholders are called to the Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting of SEIF S.p.A. held, in first call, on 29 April 2020, at 4.00 p.m., at Via Agnello 12, Milan, and, if necessary, on 12 May 2020, in second call, same time and place, to resolve on the following Agenda 1. Approval of the Financial Statements at 31 December 2018. Reports of the Board of Directors, the Board of Statutory Auditors and the Independent Auditors. Related and consequent resolutions. 2. Distribution of the result for the year. Related and consequent resolutions. It should be noted that the date, place and/or way in which the Shareholders' Meeting is held, as indicated in the notice of call, remain subject to the regulations in force or measures issued by the competent Authorities due to the epidemiological emergency "COVID-19". Any changes will be promptly notified in the same way as the publication of the Notice and/or through the information channels provided for by the regulations in force from time to time. Considering the emergency from "COVID-19" in progress, in compliance with Decree Law no. 18 of 17 March 2020 ("Decree"), the Company has established that attendance at the Shareholders' Meeting shall take place exclusively through the a Designated Representative, pursuant to art. 135-undecies of Legislative Decree no. 58 of 24 February 1998 ("TUF"). The Designated Representative may also be granted proxies or sub-delegations pursuant to Article 135-novies of the TUF, as an exception to Article 135-undecies, paragraph 4, of the same decree, in order to allow the widest possible use of this remote voting tool for all shareholders, in compliance with the fundamental principles of protecting the health of shareholders, employees, representatives and consultants of the Company. Information on the share capital The subscribed and paid-up share capital amounts to Euro 2,500,000 represented by 25,000,000 ordinary shares with no par value. Each ordinary share gives the right to one vote. At today's date the Company holds no. 2,365,893 treasury shares. Attendance at the Shareholders' Meeting Pursuant to Article 83-sexies TUF, those in favour of whom the Company has received a specific communication from an authorised intermediary on the basis of the accounting records relating to the end of the 7th (seventh) trading day prior to the date of the Shareholders' Meeting (20 April 2020 - record date) are entitled to attend the Shareholders' Meeting and exercise their voting rights - exclusively through the Designated Representative. Entries made in the accounts after that date are not relevant for the purposes of entitlement to vote at the Shareholders' Meeting. Pursuant to Article 83-sexies, paragraph 4, TUF, notifications from intermediaries must reach the Company by the end of the 3rd (third) trading day prior to the date set for the Shareholders' Meeting, i.e. by 24 April 2020. This is without prejudice to the right to participate and vote if the notifications are received by the Company after the aforementioned deadline, provided that they are received by the start of the meeting on the single call. Pursuant to art. 106, paragraph 2, of the Decree, the participation at the Shareholders' Meeting of the persons entitled to attend (the Chairman, the Chief Executive Director, Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors, the other members of the Corporate Bodies, the Secretary in charge, the Designated Representative, the Independent Auditors and/or employees and/or collaborators authorised by the Chairman), in consideration of the limitations that may arise for the above mentioned health needs, may also (or exclusively) take place by means of telecommunications that allow their identification, qsa it will be communicated, in compliance with the regulatory provisions applicable for this eventuality. Voting proxies and Designated Representative of the Company As provided for by art. 106 of the Decree, those entitled to attend the Shareholders' Meeting may be represented by a Designated Representative by means of a proxy and/or written sub-delegation in accordance with current legal provisions. For the Shareholders' Meeting referred to in this Notice of Call, SEIF S.p.A. has identified as Designated Representative, pursuant to art. 135-undecies of the TUF, Studio Legale Trevisan & Associati, with registered office in Viale Majno n. 45, 20122 - Milan. Proxy may be granted to the Designated Representative, without charge to the delegating party, (except for any shipping costs), with voting instructions on all or some of the proposals on the Agenda. The proxy to the Designates Representative must be granted by signing the specific proxy form available, with the relevant instructions for filling in and sending it, on the Company's website at www.seif-spa.it, Investor Relations section. The proxy, with voting instructions, must be received, in original, together with a copy of a currently valid identity document of the granting Shareholder or, if the granting Shareholder is a legal person, of the pro tempore legal representative or other person with suitable powers, together with appropriate documentation to certify its qualification and powers, by the end of the second trading day prior to the date of the Shareholders' Meeting (i.e., no later than 11:59 p.m.) of 27 April 2020, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on first call, or, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on second call, no later than 11:59 p.m. on 8 May 2020), by courier or registered letter with return receipt at: Studio Legale Trevisan & Associati, Corso Monforte n. 36, 20122 - Milan, (Ref. "Delega Assemblea SEIF 2020"), or by certified e-mail to: rappresentante-designato@pec.it. The sending of the proxy, signed with a qualified electronic signature or digital signature in accordance with current legislation, to the aforementioned certified e-mail address satisfies the requirement of written form. The proxy and the voting instructions may be revoked by the end of the second trading day prior to the date set for the Shareholders' Meeting (i.e., by and no later than 11:59 p.m. on 27 April 2020, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on first call, or, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on second call, by and no later than 11:59 p.m. on 8 May 2020) and in the same manner provided for the conferment. It should be noted that the shares for which the proxy has been conferred, even partially, are calculated for the purposes of the regular constitution of the Shareholders' Meeting. The proxy has no effect with regard to proposals for which voting instructions have not been given. As provided for by the Care Italy Decree, as an exception to art. 135-undecies, paragraph 4 of the TUF, those who do not wish to avail themselves of the intervention method provided for by art. 135-undecies of the TUF, may, alternatively, intervene by granting the same Designated Representative a proxy or sub-delegation pursuant to art. 135-novies of the TUF (applicable pursuant to the provisions of Article 106, paragraphs 4 and 5, of the Care Italy Decree), containing voting instructions on all or some of the proposals on the Agenda, by using the proxy/sub-delegation form, available on the Company's website at www.seif-spa.it, Investor Relations section. Proxies and sub-delegations, with the relevant written voting instructions, must be received by no later than 12.00 noon on 28 April 2020, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on first call, or on 11 May 2020, if the Shareholders' Meeting is held on second call, (it being understood that the Appointed Representative may accept proxies and/or sub-delegations and/or voting instructions even after the aforementioned deadline, provided that they are received before the start of the Shareholders' Meeting): (i) to Studio Legale Trevisan & Associati, by post, at the address: Corso Monforte n. 36, 20122 Milan - Italy, or by certified e-mail, at the address: rappresentante-designato@pec.it or by e-mail, at the address: rappresentantedesignato@trevisanlaw.it, or alternatively, (ii) to the Company, by certified electronic mail, at the address: amministrazione@pec.ilfattoquotidiano.com . In addition, for any clarifications regarding the granting of the proxy to the Designated Representative (and in particular regarding the completion of the proxy form and the Voting Instructions and their transmission), it is possible to contact, in addition to the Designated Representative, at the addresses indicated above and/or toll-free number 800 134 679. Integration of the Agenda Pursuant to Article 16 of the Articles of Association, Shareholders representing at least 10% of the share capital with voting rights at Ordinary Shareholders' Meetings may request, within 5 days of publication of the notice of call of the shareholders' meeting, the integration of the items on the agenda, indicating in the request the additional items proposed. The supplementary notice of the Agenda will be published in at least one of the newspapers indicated in the Articles of Association, no later than the seventh day prior to the date of the Shareholders' Meeting on first call. Requests for additions to the Agenda must be accompanied by an explanatory report which must be filed at the Company's registered office, to be handed over to the administrative body by the deadline for submission of the request for additions. Additions to the list of items to be dealt with are not permitted for items on which the shareholders' meeting resolves, in accordance with the law, on the proposal of the directors or on the basis of a project or report prepared by them. Additions to the list of items to be discussed are not permitted for items on which the shareholders' meeting resolves, pursuant to law, on a proposal from the directors or on the basis of a project or report prepared by them. Right to ask questions Pursuant to art. 16 of the Articles of Association and current legal provisions, Shareholders may ask questions on the items on the Agenda even before the Shareholders' Meeting, by sending an electronic registered letter to amministrazione@pec.ilfattoquotidiano.com. Questions received before the Shareholders' Meeting shall be answered at the latest during the meeting, with the right of the Company to provide a single answer to questions having the same content. The questions must be accompanied by the appropriate certification issued by the intermediaries with which the shares owned by the shareholder are deposited or, alternatively, by the same communication required for participation in the meeting. Further information about the rights and the above can be found on the Company's website www.seif-spa.it. Documentation The documentation relating to the items on the Agenda is deposited at the registered office and Borsa Italiana S.p.A. and on the Company's website (www.seif-spa.it) in accordance with the law. Shareholders are entitled to obtain copies. In compliance with COVID-19 (CoronaVirus) health emergency restraint measures issued by the competent Authorities, it is requested to avoid access to the Company's headquarters for the acquisition of the above mentioned documents until such measures are no longer in force. Rome, April 14, 2020, Cinzia Monteverdi Chairman of the Board of Directors ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: yGubZ8makpzHy21waJ6baGlnm5pilWnGl2iYmJJrZJuYnZ5jlZtmb5ueZm9jnmtq - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-62964-eng_avviso-di-convocazione-seif-s.p.a._14042020.docx.pdf The story of U.S. leadership in the global battle against COVID-19 is a story of days, months, and decades. Every day, the United States provides U.S. technical assistance to hospitals and labs around the world. These efforts, in turn, build on a decades-long foundation of American expertise, generosity, and planning that is unmatched in history. The United States provides aid for altruistic reasons, because we believe it's the right thing to do. We also do it because pandemics don't respect national borders. If we can help countries contain outbreaks, we'll save lives abroad and at home in the United States. That generosity and pragmatism explain why the United States was one of the first countries to help the Chinese people as soon as reports emerged from Wuhan of another outbreak. In early January, the U.S. government offered immediate technical assistance to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the first week of February, the United States transported nearly 18 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan provided by Samaritan's Purse, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and others. We also pledged $100 million in assistance to countries to fight what would become a pandemic including an offer to China, which was declined. Our response now far surpasses that initial pledge. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. government has committed nearly $500 million in assistance. This funding will improve public health education, protect healthcare facilities, and increase laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 60 of the world's most at risk countries all in an effort to help contain the outbreak. Our aid helps people in the most dire circumstances. For instance, the U.S. government is helping United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations build more water, sanitation, and health facilities across northern Syria to prevent the spread of the virus. We are also working with NGOs to deliver medicines, medical supplies, and food to the Syrian people, including those living in regime-held areas. We are aiding friends from Africa to Asia, and beyond. America's unsurpassed contributions are also felt through the many international organizations fighting COVID-19 on the front lines. The United States has been the largest funder of the World Health Organization since its founding in 1948. We gave more than $400 million to the institution in 2019 nearly double the second-largest contribution and more than the next three contributors combined. It's a similar story with the U.N. Refugee Agency, which the United States backed with nearly $1.7 billion in 2019. That's more than all other member states combined. Then there is the World Food Program (WFP), to which the United States gave $3.4 billion last year, or 42% of the WFP's total budget. That's nearly four times the second-largest contributor, and more than all other member states combined. We also gave over $700 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), more than any other donor. We are proud that when these international organizations deliver food, medicines, and other aid all around the world, that too is largely thanks to the generosity of the American people, in partnership with donor nations. The United States continues to be the single largest health and humanitarian donor for both long-term development and capacity-building efforts with partners, and emergency response efforts in the face of recurrent crises. This money has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations. America funds nearly 40% of the world's global health assistance programs, adding up to $140 billion in investments in the past 20 years five times more than the next largest donor. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally. Here in Ghana, the strong partnership between the United States of America and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is at the forefront of combating COVID-19. The GAF has deployed one state-of-the-art Level II Field Hospital in the Greater Accra area as part of the government of Ghana's COVID-19 response to directly serve those most in need. The hospital is one of two that I handed over February 4 this year on behalf of the United States. The donation was made through the U.S. government's Africa Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP) program. Also in early February, even before Ghana had its first known case, the U.S. National Institutes for Health, through its longstanding partnership with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, made available material to enable several hundred samples to be tested. However, our help is much more than money and supplies. It's the experts we have deployed worldwide, and those now conducting tutorials via teleconference. I am pleased that members from my embassy team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Naval Medical Research Unit Three (NAMRU-3), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and others are working closely with the government of Ghana on how best to combat this pandemic. It's the doctors and public-health professionals around the world who have been trained thanks to U.S. funding and educational institutions. Of course, it isn't just our government helping the world. American businesses, NGOs, and faith-based organizations have given at least $1.5 billion to fight the pandemic overseas. American companies are innovating new technologies for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and ventilators. As we have time and time again, the United States will aid others during their time of greatest need. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different. We will continue to help countries build resilient health care systems that can prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Just as the United States has made the world more healthy, peaceful, and prosperous for generations, so will we lead in defeating our shared pandemic enemy. The United States reaffirms this commitment to our partnership with Ghana. As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on April 10, we are also thankful to the government of Ghana for its strong support in helping the U.S. Embassy in Accra repatriate over 1,400 American citizens and permanent residents of the United States who requested assistance to return to the United States at this time. We are also doing our part as a U.S. Embassy team to be good neighbors and friends. Since March 25, the U.S. Embassy in Accra has been closed to the public, and will remain closed until at least April 20. We took this step to maximize social distancing and minimize movement to stop the spread of COVID-19. It is also the responsible and right thing to do for each other. We continue to provide updates to American citizens in Ghana on how to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP.travel.gov) via the U.S. Embassy website (gh.usembassy.gov) and social media platforms (@usembassyghana on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). For emergency American Citizen Services, please contact the U.S. Embassy Consular Section by emailing [email protected] Now more than ever, the United States is pleased to work together with the government and people of Ghana. I also echo His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's call for all Ghanaians and residents of Ghana to stay home as much as possible at this time, as one of the most effective ways to combat the pandemic and flatten the curve. A Ghanaian proverb states: A worthy cause is worth pursuing to the end. By: Stephanie S. Sullivan, US Ambassador to Ghana TRENTON A city man has been locked up for the brutal, caught-on-tape execution of a woman who was watching a street fight this month, authorities said. Quasim Hallett, 39, was taken into custody Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force in Delaware, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said. Hes charged with murder for shooting 24-year-old Quamierah Massey in the head during a bloody Sunday, April 5, in Trenton just after 7 p.m. on the 100 block of Hoffman Avenue, authorities said. Hallett is also charged with aggravated assault for pointing a firearm at another victim and terroristic threats for threatening to kill a third victim, prosecutors said. He will remain in custody in Delaware pending extradition. Massey, who was hospitalized in grave condition and died the next day, was one of three people killed during an hours-long spate of shootings in Trenton that also injured four others. Detectives from the Mercer County Homicide Task Force were investigating the death of Frederick Mason at the Martin Luther King Park when they were called out to the disturbing murder scene on Hoffman Avenue. Massey was among a group of people watching a street fight around 7:05 p.m. when she was brutally executed. The slayings led Mayor Reed Gusciora to institute an 8 p.m. curfew in the city, for all residents and businesses. The lockdown measure, enacted as part of a mob action law on the city books since the 1960s, goes beyond Gov. Phil Murphys stay-at-home order. Gusciora said he was forced to act because too many people in the capital city were ignoring the governors mandate, congregating on blocks, at delis and corner stores. Masseys murder was livestreamed on social media, and later a 43-second clip was shared on Worldstar Hip Hop, a content aggregation site known for posting sensational videos of fights and general social deviance. The video, which found its way into the hands of the police, showed a man in black/charcoal-colored clothing, who sources identified as the suspected shooter. Somebody could be heard shouting, If you aint gonna do something, Ill do something, according to the video. Then the man, standing near the fight, approached another woman on the sidewalk and appeared to smack her in the face. Its unclear if that woman was Massey. Oh, snap. Oh sh*t, hell no, someone shouted as the crowd gathered around the man in black. Seconds later, a single gunshot rang out sending the group scattering in all directions. The video was viewed more than a million times. Masseys murder happened amid a global coronavirus pandemic when the loss of life in New Jersey has been sobering. WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases India is in the process of flattening coronavirus curve says scientist India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Apr 14: Eminent scientist and NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat said that the number of COVID-19 cases is not going to go beyond what's being reported daily in India as he maintained that the country is in the process of flattening the curve. The former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister said the coronavirus positive cases have seen a sharper rise in the last four-five days because of the increase in the number of testing. Coronavirus 10 times deadlier than Swine Flu, only vaccine can fully end transmission: WHO "It's a good sign; all those asymptomatic cases lying hidden they are also coming out," Saraswat told PTI. "We certainly had a catalytic factor which was basically this (Nizamuddin) Markaz problem which has actually created clusters at different places and that has also been one of the factors for the kind of rise that has taken place." But he said India is in a much better shape compared to other nations in the battle against COVID-19. "I can only say that the rate is not going to go beyond what has been going on now, may be 700 to 800 cases per day. So, we are in the process of flattening the curve." The government's decision to declare nation-wide lockdown has paid dividends, Saraswat, a former chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, said. What does your child think about the coronavirus lockdown: Send us their thoughts Noting that India has seen a series of virus attacks in the last 15-20 years including Chikungunya and Dengue, he said the emphasis now should be on more and more R & D to find vaccines in advance. New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday praised doctors, police, health and sanitation workers who are on the forefront in the fight against the coronavirus despite the shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE). In a video message released by the party hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation, she also regretted reports of harassment of doctors in some parts of the country while urging the people to follow the lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms. Our warriors are working hard, day and night, in helping fight this battle and win over it, despite the shortage of PPE. These warriors include doctors, health workers and NGOs, Gandhi said. Sanitation workers, police personnel and government officers too are working hard and round the clock to control the deadly virus, she said. This fight will weaken without your support, and we should not allow this to happen. At some place, I hear reports about ill-treatment meted out to doctors. This is wrong. Our culture and tradition does not allow this and we should support them, the Congress chief said. She also sought to assure the people of her partys support and expressed confidence that with a strong morale, the country will emerge victorious against the crisis very soon. Gandhi urged the people to stay indoors, be safe and observe the lockdown stipulations, saying it will not be possible to win this battle without everyones support. She also thanked people for maintaining peace and patience while staying indoors and adhering to the lockdown stipulations. Today, when the country is fighting such a big battle, every Congress worker understands his responsibility and is always ready to help every warrior. Anyone can ask for our support and every Congress worker will support you, Gandhi added. She reiterated her partys support in fighting the anti-corona battle. I assure you that whether the Congress party is in power or in opposition, we will stand by you in this battle. I am confident that with a high morale, we will emerge from this crisis very soon. Gandhi also lauded the work done by some people at individual level in providing food, ration and sanitisers to the poor and the needy. Every Indian is united in fighting this battle and fulfilling his or her duty. Today, your support in dealing with the crisis is no less patriotism. The country is able to fight this virus only because of your help and support. I do not have words to thank you, she said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda thanked Gandhi for urging the people to stay indoors and observe lockdown regulations. Thank you Sonia ji, take care of your health, he tweeted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Our Ladys care home in west Belfast where at least four residents have died Health bosses are refusing to reveal the extent of the spread of coronavirus in care homes across Northern Ireland, raising fears it could be running wild among the most vulnerable members of society. Last Tuesday, Health Minister Robin Swann revealed there were cases of Covid-19 in 20 care homes across Northern Ireland. No further official information has been released relating to the impact of coronavirus on care homes here, however, on Monday the UK's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said that one in seven of the UK's care homes are now affected by coronavirus. With 484 care homes in Northern Ireland, that would mean the deadly virus is now present in almost 70 care homes here. The Public Health Agency (PHA) has said it is informed of all outbreaks in nursing homes, considered to be more than one linked case of a disease, but it cannot provide any statistics relating to the number of cases or deaths in facilities across Northern Ireland. A spokeswoman from the PHA said, "this information is not collated in the current surveillance report", while the RQIA said the information is gathered by the PHA - this is despite the fact that, by law, all communicable diseases and deaths occurring in care homes, must be reported to the RQIA. The refusal to release any statistics comes after it emerged that four people with Covid-19 have died at Our Lady's Care Home in west Belfast. Macklin Group Director Gareth Macklin said the team at the home is devastated by the tragedies. "This is a continuously evolving situation and we want to reassure residents, their families and our team that every measure has been, and is being made, to ensure the care of their loved ones as well as all our staff," he said. The deaths have come amid claims that some care home staff are still sourcing their own personal protective equipment and one trust threatened to stop future admissions to a care home if it refused to accept a person being discharged from hospital without first being tested for Covid-19. Julieann McNally who spearheaded a campaign for an investigation into the dangerous conditions at Dunmurry Manor care home, said: "It is appalling that this is happening after all the work we have done and all the assurances we have been given that care home residents are a priority. "I have people phoning me up in tears because they are reading a post on social media asking for prayers for a care home resident with coronavirus and their loved one lives there too. "I've had another person whose loved one was taken to hospital where they were diagnosed with coronavirus and they were sent straight back again and the home was told there was nothing they could do for them, then another man was asked to sign a form giving permission not to ventilate their loved one, for the ventilator to be used on someone who had a better chance of survival. "It's like we're condemning care home residents to death, like they mean nothing, they are essentially being abandoned to die. "We've no idea how many people in care homes have died, the figures are being swept beneath the carpet, but these are people and they matter." Paula Bradshaw, Alliance Party health spokeswoman, said: "I have been trying to source this information for quite some time. Care homes are providing shelter and well-being support for some of the most vulnerable members of our society and, as such, this lack of transparency is truly alarming." West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said the four deaths involving coronavirus at Our Lady's Care Home raised concerns. He said: "There is an urgent need to ramp up testing in the community, particularly in care homes where clusters have been proven to be fatal for residents." Serious questions have been raised about the surveillance of coronavirus in the community, particularly as Covid-19 deaths are not being investigated by the coroner. There are also concerns that staff at care homes are not being provided with adequate PPE to reduce the spread of coronavirus between residents and workers, while the Alzheimer's Society, has warned that many care home residents are unable verbalise when they are feeling unwell. In a statement the Department of Health said testing is being increased where care home residents and/or staff are symptomatic and said more information on this "important area of work will be provided later this week". The management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) says all staff who came into contact with Nana Osei Boansi Kuffour who passed away after contracting the novel coronavirus have tested negative. The chief, who is the biological father of former Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) President, Bice Osei Kuffuor popularly known as Obour died at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) on March 26 after testing positive for Coronavirus. Obour said his father was initially tested positive for malaria upon his return from UK on March 19. He said his family later arranged for his father to be tested for COVID-19 at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) after his condition got worse and was transferred there from his hometown. Reports say after his death, the COVID-19 test results ran on him showed that he was positive. Though Obour said he had tested negative for COVID-19 despite coming into close contact with his dad, the hospital staff who came into contact with the deceased were tested and quarantined mandatorily. The management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) is happy to announce to the general public and staff that all those who were put under mandatory quarantine in connection with Obour father, a confirmed case have tested negative. They include seven nurses, three doctors and an IT officer, a statement issued by the hospital said. The hospital further stated that the above category of workers were quarantined because they had contact with the deceased when he was accidentally admitted and briefly managed at the emergency ward. Contacts traced test negative for COVID-19 Following the death of Nana Osei, there was a contact tracing exercise for people who came in contact with him. According to Obour, all six family members of his father have tested negative, including 33 other residents of his hometown Juaso in the Asante Akyem South constituency who came into contact with the chief. After the compulsory quarantine, all the people who were exposed to my father have tested negative. 33 people from my village and six people from my house have all tested negative, he told citinewsroom.com a few days ago. ---citinewsroom CHICAGO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of COVID-19, the American Writers Museum is bringing its latest exhibit, My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today, to viewers online so it can be enjoyed from home during this time of social distancing. From the comfort of home, viewers can hear personal stories about topics such as identity, community, language, storytelling and what it means to be an American from contemporary authors of our time. View the exhibit at My-America.org. My America: Immigrant & Refugee Writers Today at American Writers Museum in Chicago My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today features more than 30 authors who delve into questions about writing influences, being multilingual, community, family, and what it means to be American. At a time when "immigrant" can be a symbol or slur, shorthand for any of a thousand complicated concepts, these writers explore what it truly means to cross borders. "The importance of immigrant and refugee writers in the last two decades is illustrated by the level of recognition their works continue to achieve," said Carey Cranston, president of the American Writers Museum. "The American Writers Museum is honored to present this essential and relevant subject in an experiential way, which lets the writers tell their own unique yet universal stories." Originally opened Nov. 21, 2019, My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today has received nationwide acclaim and high praise in the past four months for its one-of-a-kind interactive elements, its storytelling that bring viewers to the front lines and its celebration of diversity and different perspectives. The exhibit gives visitors and students a deeply personal experience, bringing them face-to-face online through interactive, intimate video conversations with contemporary authors who are immigrants and refugees from all over the world. The exhibit, which runs through May 2021, is designed to elicit thoughtful dialogue on a wide breadth of issues relating to the modern refugee crisis and the perception of immigrants in our country today. Authors featured in the exhibit include Juan Martinez, Vu Tran , Dipika Mukherjee, Laila Halaby , Edwidge Danticat , Louie Perez , Ligiah Villalobos and many more who emigrated from Cuba, Ghana, Japan, China, France, Mexico, Italy, Korea, Nigeria, Russia, Israel, Colombia, Vietnam, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Media Contact: Ryan Arnold 312-600-7380 [email protected] SOURCE American Writers Museum Russia is sending Chinese citizens back to China. Among them, likely, people carrying the virus. While some return voluntarily, others are forced by the Russian government. Official reports say since March 21, more than 2,000 people have crossed the border from Russia into Heilongjiang province. For months now, government officials and health professionals have been reminding the public to wash their hands for 20 seconds and practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As researchers continue to study COVID-19, a clearer picture is being presented as to how the virus spreads. Those guidelines social distancing may not be enough depending on the situation. A study in Finland showed the aerosol particles carrying the virus can remain in the air longer than was originally thought. Using a visual presentation, Aalto University, Finnish Meteorological Institute, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and University of Helsinki showed how a person coughing in one aisle of a grocery store could actually infect a person standing in an adjacent aisle several minutes later. The virus can move those distances due to its size, researchers said. Extremely small particles, the size of a virus, do not sink on the floor, the study said, they move in the air currents or remain floating in the same place. The study was backed research conducted by Belgian and Dutch researchers. Looking at physical distancing when walking, running or biking, their research showed more than 6 feet was needed to prevent the particles from reaching another person. They advise the distance of people walking in the same direction should be at least 13 feet. For running and slow biking it should be 32 feet and for hard biking at least 65 feet. It remains unclear how much of the virus a person needs to contract to become sick. Scientists continue to study the infectious dose of coronavirus. The infectious dose represents the amount of virus necessarily to make a person sick. Since COVID-19 spreads so quickly, some researchers believe the virus infectious dose is low. The virus is spread through very, very casual interpersonal contact, W. David Hardy, a professor of infectious disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told STAT. A high infectious dose may lead to a high viral load, which measures the amount of a virus a person is carrying. A study in China published last month, showed older patients carry higher viral loads and often experience more severe symptoms. In Worcester, three people died at the Jewish Healthcare Center within about 48 hours of testing positive. The situation also showed how difficult it is to spot the virus. Within days 27 people had tested positive for the virus, while only two showed symptoms. Unfortunately, its 0 to 60, Worcester Public Health Director Dr. Michael Hirsh said. Somebody gets exposed they could look great on day zero and in that short of time they can go down the tubes. In Massachusetts, nearly half of all fatal cases of coronavirus have occurred in long-term care facilities as of Monday. The study in China also showed patients showed higher viral loads present soon after symptoms appeared or soon after hospitalization. If viral loads are higher for patients in hospitals, the threat for health care workers could be higher. In Worcesters two hospitals, there are 191 COVID-19 patients and 101 health care workers have tested positive for the disease as of Monday night. The high viral load on presentation suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted easily, even when symptoms are relatively mild, the study said. This finding could account for the efficient person-to-person transmission noted in community and health-care settings. Clusters in families, workplaces, religious gatherings, and food premises have been widely reported. Related Content: Debt payments for the worlds most impoverished countries totalling 400 million have been cancelled to allow them to focus on dealing with coronavirus. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the cancellation of six months of payments for 25 countries including Afghanistan, Madagascar and Rwanda. Executive director Kristalina Georgieva said the funds would come from the organisations Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, which will use recent pledges of 150 million from the UK and 80 million from Japan. She said: This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts. The 25 countries include 19 from Africa, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan and Yemen. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and a group of 165 former global leaders and prominent international figures have urged the suspension of debt repayments for the worlds poorest and most vulnerable countries so they can use their scant resources for the coronavirus crisis. Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, an alliance of more than 75 US organisations and 700 faith communities working for debt relief, called the IMF announcement an incredibly positive step. Many of these countries have less than 50 critical care unit beds per country, he said. These countries need to bolster their health systems right away and cancellation of debt for six months will help these countries. But Mr LeCompte said more needs to be done, adding: As the poorest countries in the world, they really need full cancellation (of their debts). Meanwhile, the IMF said the world economy in 2020 will suffer its worst year since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The fund said it expects the global economy to shrink 3% far worse than its 0.1% dip in the Great Recession year of 2009 before rebounding in 2021 with 5.8% growth. It acknowledges that prospects for a rebound next year are clouded by uncertainty. The bleak assessment represents a breathtaking downgrade by the IMF. In its previous forecast in January, before Covid-19 emerged as a grave threat to public health and economic growth worldwide, the international lending organisation had forecast moderate global growth of 3.3% this year. Far-reaching measures to contain the pandemic lockdowns, business shutdowns, social distancing and travel restrictions have brought economic activity to a near-standstill across much of the world. The world has been put in a great lockdown, the IMFs chief economist, Gita Gopinath, told reporters. This is a crisis like no other. 580 Shares Share I packed my bags to head home for spring break, excited for a week with family and friendsa rare opportunity to recharge during the first year of medical school. I headed straight to the airport after my neurology exam at the beginning of March, not realizing that the short week at home I had originally planned would turn into months. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a monumental shift in medical education. Social distancing requirements have effectively shut down all in-person learningpreclinical students are continuing class in virtual environments, and many clerkship students are in limbo with rotations being put on hold. The abrupt switch to remote medical education has left many medical students feeling sidelined in their desire to help the sick and worried about how this change will affect their development as physicians. I share many of these concerns, but despite the incredible difficulties, this experience has come with invaluable lessons that will likely help us in the long run. Medical students emerging from the COVID-19 crisis will become better physicians because we will have been forced to learn crucial skills for medical practice on the flyskills we could only gain in a crisis like this. The necessity of suspending direct patient interaction for clerkship students has driven and empowered medical students to implement new and innovative strategies to help our medical teams and to care for our patients. In Philadelphia, where I attend medical school, students have organized online personal protective equipment (PPE) collection groups to help ease the burden of the severe shortage that hospitals face. Other medical students have formed COVID-19 rapid-response groups that focus on education of patients and students and provide nonclinical support to medical responders on the front lines. This strong drive to help and to innovate will be vital when we could, someday, be on the front lines in the face of a new, unknown disaster. As the coronavirus situation evolves, many disruptions to medical education remain in flux, forcing medical students to adapt in real time. Like many other preclinical students, Ive uprooted and moved back home until further noticethrough the end of the semester, at least. While many medical students already forego in-person lectures in favor of online streaming, all small-group sessions, labs, and clinical simulations have gone virtualor been postponed. Despite this, the depth and breadth of medical knowledge and skills we must learn has not gotten any lighter, and the bar has not been set any lower. Studying pharmacology, practicing suturing, and refining patient history-taking skills from home has required extensive adaptation. But this could be a sign of things to come, as many advocate for curricular reform with the shortening of pre-clinical time and heavier reliance on virtual instruction. Furthermore, this ability to adapt can only help us as traditional patient care models shift towards telemedicine and virtual appointments. Moving forward on this path toward becoming physicians will continue to be met with difficulty, uncertainty, and (occasional) failure. Many students have had board exams canceled; others have been left to celebrate their residency match days and eventual graduations virtually. It remains unknown what ramifications this lost time for clinical rotations will have or how virtual instruction of clinical skills will hold up. While difficult to grasp, these changes are all beyond our controlthe only thing that we have been able to control is how weve responded. Medical students across the US have responded with resilience. We have created innovative ways to assist responders and patients, adapted to the challenge of remote learning, and some are even prepared to graduate early to join the fight against coronavirus. The resilience we have shown, to be sure, pales in comparison to that of the health care workers across the world risking their lives to battle this virus, head-on. But we are the future frontline responders. Thats why it is our duty to take their inspiration and use this opportunity to continue to learn, to grow, so that we can be ready. I am confident that despite this disruption we have faced, when I and my fellow medical students join the workforce as physicians, we will be ready. We will be more innovative, more adaptable, and more resilient than ever, and we will be fully prepared to care for our patients in the face of adversity. J. Reed McGraw is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh has become the 24th district in the state to report a coronavirus positive case, an official said on Tuesday. The lone COVID-19 case from the district is a 38-year-old man from Lamera village who recently returned from the worst-hit Indore, he said. "With this, the coronavirus has expanded itsfootprint to 24 districts out of the total 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh," he said. The man had worked at the hospital of a Indore-based doctor who had died of COVID-19 last week. He returned to Tikamgarh district on March 28, said Chief Health and Medical Officer, Tikamgarh district, Dr M K Prajapati. He said family members of the infected man, who was admitted to hospital, have tested negative for coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Morrisons, Britain's fourth biggest supermarket group, said it is giving National Health Service (NHS) workers a 10% discount to support them through the coronavirus crisis. It is the first of Britain's 'Big Four' to give a monetary discount to 1.5 million NHS workers, who have already been offered priority shopping hours by market leader Tesco, Sainsbury's, Walmart owned Asda and Morrisons. While their sales have soared during the pandemic, supermarkets have been criticised for accepting hundreds of millions of pounds in business tax relief from the British government and in the case of Tesco and Morrisons, for paying a shareholder dividend. Morrisons said the NHS discount will come into effect from Thursday and last until July 12, when it will be reviewed. "This discount is our thank you to all those working in the National Health Service at this very difficult time," Chief Executive David Potts said on Tuesday. Supermarket groups have launched other initiatives to help NHS workers, who have widespread public support in Britain as they try to treat growing numbers of coronavirus cases. As of Sunday 11,329 people had died in British hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus. As of Saturday, 19 NHS workers had died after contracting the virus. Last week, Tesco said it was the retail partner of SalutetheNHS.org which will provide one million free meal parcels to frontline NHS workers. Tesco is donating all the food and ingredients used in the production of the parcels. Tesco is also opening pop-up stores at the temporary Nightingale hospitals the NHS has set-up, while Morrisons has launched a click and collect food box service from hospital car parks to give NHS staff easier access to groceries. ($1 = 0.7943 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Alexander Smith) ANN ARBOR, MI A shipment of 22,000 surgical masks from the federal governments national stockpile to the University of Michigan is being set aside, deemed unusable by Michigan Medicine, a hospital system spokesperson said Tuesday. The ear-loop masks arrived last week from the federal stockpile, but hospital officials found them to be less durable" and removed as many as possible from its inventory, halting their distribution, Michigan Medicine spokesperson Mary Masson said. Despite a nationwide shortage, Michigan Medicine has so far been able to provide appropriate personal protective equipment to protect its staff, Masson said, and the removal of the defective masks did not change that. As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Michigan Medicine has tested 4,354 patients for COVID-19 since the local outbreak began. Of those tests, 805 came back positive and Michigan Medicine was waiting for results on 100 tests. There were 225 inpatients being treated for the illness caused by the new coronavirus at Michigan Medicine, and 203 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Five of those 203 were discharged in the last 24 hours. Professors at UM and Michigan State University have helped create guidelines that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to decontaminate masks for reuse. UM professor Kevin Fu said standard care would advise throwing out a mask after each patient encounter for safety, but things have changed due to a shortage of masks around the world. St. Joseph Mercy Health System spokeswoman Laura Blodgett said St. Joes has received masks from the national stockpile, but none have been defective. University of Michigan, Michigan State University leading efforts to decontaminate N95 masks for reuse CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores. Read more on MLive: Tuesday, April 14: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan University of Michigan student beats COVID-19, donates plasma to help others with virus 1 dead and 10 residents, 4 staff sick in COVID-19 outbreak at Ann Arbor senior home Ann Arbor purchases new electric Chevy Bolts as city considers EV readiness ordinance Washtenaw County self-response rate for 2020 census tops 60% Recently expired drivers licenses, plate tabs OK in Michigan during coronavirus pandemic Michigan is doing the right things on coronavirus. So why is the caseload so high? Not enough body bags Mapping spread of coronavirus in Michigan over past four weeks Conoravirus upends Michigans Class of 2020: This isnt the senior year that anyone wanted' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked people to follow seven things in the coming days to help the government in its fight against the coronavirus. The seven things which the prime minister asked people to follow included taking care of the elderly as they are more prone to infection, keeping their faces covered while venturing out and taking care of the poor and the needy who have been effected by the lockdown. " ... if we continue to be patient and follow rules, we will be able to defeat even a pandemic like coronavirus. With this faith and trust, I seek your support for 7 things," he said in his address to the nation. Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection The first thing he asked for was to take special care of the elderly, especially those who have chronic disease. "We have to take extra care of them, and keep them safe from coronavirus," he said. The second thing Modi said was strict adherence to the 'Lakshman Rekha' of the lockdown and social distancing. "Please also use homemade face-covers and masks without fail," he said. He also urged people to follow the protocol issued by the Ayush Ministry to enhance immunity. "Regularly consume warm water and kadha'," he said. The prime minister also stressed on the need to download the the Arogya Setu mobile app to help prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. " Take as much care of poor families as you can ... try to fulfill their food requirements ... Be compassionate towards the people who work with you in your business or industry. Do not deprive them of their livelihood," he said. Finally, he said people should pay utmost respect to "Corona Warriors" doctors and nurses, sanitation workers and police force. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday sought to assure people of her party's support amid the corona-led crisis and expressed confidence that with a strong morale, the country will emerge victorious against the crisis very soon. In a video message released by the party, the Congress president urged countrymen to stay indoors, be safe and observe the lockdown stipulations, saying it will not be possible to win this battle without everyone's support. COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates The message by the Congress president came shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to address the nation to chart out the next course of action after the 21-day lockdown, which is to end on Tuesday midnight. Gandhi also thanked people for maintaining peace and patience while staying indoors and adhering to the lockdown stipulations. 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 "Today, when the country is fighting such a big battle, every Congress worker understands his responsibility and is always ready to help every warrior in this fight. "Anyone can ask for our support at the state level or at the central control room and every Congress worker will support you," she said. The Congress chief also sought to assure people of her party's support in fighting the anti-corona battle in these trying times. "I assure you that whether the Congress party is in power or in opposition, we will stand by you anywhere in this battle. I am confident that, with a high morale, we will emerge from this crisis very soon. You stay at home and be safe," she said in her video message in Hindi. "Today, your support in dealing with the crisis due to coronavirus is no less patriotism. The country is able to fight this virus only because of your help and support. I do not have words to thank you," she said. Gandhi told countrymen that our warriors are working hard, day and night, in helping fight this battle and win over it, despite the shortage of personal protection equipment. These warriors, she said, include doctors, health workers and NGOs. Sanitation workers, police personnel and government officers too are working hard and round the clock to control the deadly virus, she added. "This fight will weaken without your support, and we should not allow this to happen. "At some place, I hear reports about ill-treatment meted out to doctors. This is wrong. Our culture and tradition does not allow this and we should support them," she said. She also lauded the work done by some people at individual level in supporting the poor in providing them food, ration and sanitisers. "Every Indian is unitedly fighting this battle and fulfilling his or her duty," she said. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 14, 2020 | 12:05 PM | PADUCAH We would like to thank Majority Leader McConnell, Senator Paul, and Representative Comer, for their efforts in helping to obtain these funds for Barkley Regional Airport as part of the relief effort that will help sustain us through these challenging times, said Airport Executive Director, Dennis Rouleau. Barkley Regional Airport has been awarded more than $1 million in federal funding to help with losses incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic.U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced Tuesday the Federal Aviation Administration will award $77,229,257 in airport aid to 55 airports in Kentucky to help respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding includes $1,086,134 to be awarded to Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, and is part of the Trump Administration's newly created Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Airport Grant Program.The funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments.The CARES Act also provides funds to increase the Federal share to 100 percent for grants awarded under the fiscal year 2020 appropriations for Airport Improvement Program and Supplemental Discretionary grants. Under normal circumstances, AIP grant recipients contribute a matching percentage of the project costs.The FAA will use a streamlined application and grant-agreement process to make this funding immediately available for critical airport needs. The funds will be available as soon as the airport sponsor executes a grant agreement."This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation's airports during this crisis and save workers' jobs," Chao said. Fire in Chornobyl exclusion zone Serhiy Gashchak The places in the Chornobyl exclusion zone that were planned to be added to the UNESCO list are burning out. Member of the public council of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management Yaroslav Ymelyanenko said this on air of 112 Ukraine TV channel. He added that Ukraine was losing the Chornobyl zone. According to him, the village of Lelev in the exclusion zone has already burned out. This village showed the life of people who lived there before the Chornobyl disaster. In addition, the Soviet recreation center Emerald was completely burned. The recreation center consisted of wooden houses that were decorated with authentic drawings. Chornobyl zone is a territory filled with a history of people who lived there before the accident, and those events that took place at the moment of liquidation of the accident. And, unfortunately, all these locations now and then just burn out, along with our work on them, because this year we started the process of entering these locations on UNESCO lists. And I understand that now after this fire the lists will be substantially corrected, Ymelyanenko said. He added that this fire in the Chornobyl zone is the largest in recent years. The fire has already reached the Yanov station and the environs of Pripyat, where it was possible to localize it. However, the wind began to drive fire to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in front of which the grass floor was already burning. Radioactive burial grounds are near the fire now. On the territory of the fire, the radioactive background is higher now, but it does not exceed the level established for this territory. It should be noted that these indicators are not significantly harmful to human health. Yemelyanenko added that Belarus offered to help with helicopters that will be extinguishing the fire because the fire is approaching the borders with Belarus. Earlier, it was reported that five hectares of forest planting in the exclusion zone have burned out. It took place as a result of the incineration of dry grass and garbage. After initially sending lend-outs of Isuzu units of D-Max, mu-X and PUVs last March for Binan and Sta. Rosa frontliners, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) has lend out two more trucks to help in government efforts against coronavirus. The local arm for the Japanese truckmaker mobilized a Isuzu NLR and one unit Isuzu QKR modernized public utility vehicle to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to provide more units for Free Bus Ride for front liners. Isuzu NLR These vehicles would be deployed by authorized operators to 19 specific routes in Luzon, where the extended enhanced community quarantine has been enforced until month-end of April. Aside from that, IPC dealerships have also joined the cause by providing their own units. Isuzu PUVMP Isuzu Inteco lent their PUV vehicles to transport healthcare workers and frontliners in the vicinity of Caloocan and Quezon City for free, Isuzu-BMD Motors provided relief goods, while Isuzu Iloilo provided a D-MAX for the city hospitals use. IPC President Hajime Koso expressed gratitude to the frontliners. "With this additional vehicle support, we at IPC hope that our dedicated and enduring heroes in the hospitals would find comfort and safety in their transport. Through our vehicles, we can help them fight the virus more efficiently and effectively," Koso said. Also read: Paul Atanga Nji face a la presse Fred BIHINA Atanga Nji Paul, Cameroons Minister of Territorial Administration has written to the countrys Finance Minister demanding that an inquiry be opened to shed light into a fundraising initiative launched by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM, party of Prof. Maurice Kamto. In a document marked very urgent and addressed to the Minister of Finance on April 13, 2020, Atanga Nji wants the National Agency for Financial Investigation (NAFI) to open an investigation and the freezing of funds of an illegal association named Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative. Minister Atanga Nji informs the Minister of Finance that he had written to the Director General of Afriland First Bank for the closure of a bank account opened by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement under the cover of an illegal association called Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative destined for the collection of public funds. The Minister of Territorial Administration says his decision is informed by a series of reasons which includes the fact that the said Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative is not registered at his ministerial department which takes charge over political parties and associations. The Minister says in keeping with the dispositions of law no. 83/002 of July 21, 1983 and in line with the text of application of the same law provided for by decree no. 85/1131 of August 14, 1985, public fundraisings for whatever reason must be authorized by the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The Minister goes further to cite article 10 of law no. 90/056 of December 19, 1990 relative to political parties which forbids political parties from receiving funds from abroad. On the grounds that the Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative does not fulfill existing legal requirements, it should therefore not open a bank account in Cameroon. The aforementioned illegal association placed under a political party with an account lodged at Afriland First Bank, is engaged in the collection of funds from the public allegedly destined for the fight against COVID-19, said the Territorial Administration Minister. Minister Atanga Nji ends by requesting the National Agency for Financial Investigation (NAFI) to probe into the Suivie Cameroon - Survival Initiative and to freeze any funds collected thereof without prejudice to judicial process against authors of the said obscure fundraising scheme. The National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) is a public financial intelligence service instituted by Regulation No. 01/03-CEMAC-UMAC-CM, relating to the prevention and repression of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in each State of the Central Africa sub-region. In Cameroon, the organization and functioning of ANIF is defined by Decree n 2005/187 of May 31, 2005. It is a Financial Intelligence Unit (CRF) of administrative type attached to the Ministry in charge of Finance. Operational since January 2006, with missions to: To receive, process and, if necessary, transmit to the competent judicial authorities all information capable of establishing the origin of the sums or the nature of the operations covered by the Declaration of Suspicion (DS) in respect of the Fight against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. Earlier on April 7, 2020, the Minister of Territorial Administration called on all those who have taken upon themselves to organize fundraising campaigns to tackle the Coronavirus to stop or face the music. Atanga Nji said only the Special National Solidarity Fund created by the Head of State should be used for such an exercise and any organization or political party should immediately stop any fund raising activity carried out for the purpose. The Minister (of Territorial Administration) calls on all those who have taken upon themselves to organise these illegal fund-raising activities to stop immediately, to close any bank account opened for this purpose and to report to him as soon as possible, without prejudice to the penalties provided for by the legislation in force, Atanga Nji said in a statement. The Ministers moves are intended to counter the initiative by the leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Maurice Kamto who launched his survival fund early this month to raise funds with which to help victims of the COVID-19. American Airlines planes are seen while a passenger waits for boarding at the Reagan International Airport in Washington on April 3, 2020. (Reuters/Carlos Barria) Colleges, Universities Cancel Fall Study Abroad Programs In the light of uncertainty due to the global pandemic, colleges and universities across the United States have called off events and programs that involve international travel for the rest of spring semester and all summer sessions. Some institutions are going even further to suspend study abroad programs scheduled for this fall. Trinity University in Antonio, Texas, announced last week that this fall semesters study abroad programs, including those in Spain, Mexico, and South Africa, will not proceed as planned. Students looking to participate in programs abroad will now have to register for housing and schedule their courses. We never, ever send a student to a place that we have any worries regarding safety, Katsuo Nishikawa, director of Trinitys Center for International Engagement, told student newspaper Trinitonian. Nishikawa said the shutdown of consular services around the world also prevents some students from applying for necessary travel documents. Similarly, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, told its students last week that it has made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel fall study abroad programs based on health and safety concerns associated with global and domestic travel and the uncertainty of conditions in various countries abroad. In Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh also announced it canceled all fall and full-year study abroad programs for upcoming semesters. Over the past months, the university had students studying in Italy, Japan, and South Korea, return to the United States before directing students in France, Germany, and Spain to also depart from their programs early and come home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to directly address fall programs, but it has advised schools and students to exercise caution. The COVID-19 situation is dynamic. Given the speed of spread and the number of countries experiencing community transmission, Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) should evaluate the risks associated with choosing to maintain programs abroad and take the appropriate proactive measures, the CDC said in a directive in early March. IHEs that continue to maintain programs abroad should monitor COVID-19 for additional information. The U.S. Department of State, however, has warned citizens that decide to stay abroad that they may have trouble returning to the United States when or if they need to. There is no guarantee that the Department of State will be able to continue to provide repatriation assistance and transportation options to the United States may be unavailable in the future, the foreign affairs agency said in a travel advisory. If you choose to remain overseas, you should be prepared to remain where you are for the foreseeable future. Wes Nelson worked out with Josh Denzel and friends at Primrose Hill on Tuesday, after breaking lockdown with Arabella Chi following their shock split. The Love Island star, 22, was pictured chatting to Josh, 28, and Josh's flatmate Jon Hosking and a female pal at the park in London Wes broke government rules to not meet up with anyone outside of your own household after he moved in with the star following his break-up. Fitness: Wes Nelson worked out with Josh Denzel and friends at Primrose Hill on Tuesday, after breaking lockdown with Arabella Chi following their shock split The Dancing On Ice star cut a sporty figure in black shorts and a purple top. The group limbered up for the workout, with Josh standing next to a kettle bell. And it wasn't long until the pair were put through their paces by personal trainer Jon. Giving it his all: Newly-single Wes was joined by a female pal and cut a sporty figure in black shorts and a lycra top Flouting rules: Wes broke government guidelines for Britons to not leave their household as he moved out of his flat shared with Arabella after their split Staying distracted: The reality star showed no signs of heartache as he worked up a sweat Wes showed no signs of heartache as he worked up a sweat doing the intense circuit with weights, mountain climbers and jumping squats. Josh and Wes have been friends since starring on Love Island together in 2018, with Josh even tagging Wes in a challenge to run 5k to raise money for the NHS on Monday. The star uploaded a video of himself after the run, with his five nominations alongside the Instagram tag 'stay home'. Struggling: Josh put on an animated display as his personal trainer flatmate spurred him on Gearing up: Josh gave Wes a quick shoulder massage before the boys headed onto the next circuit Strong: The TV star showed off his bulging biceps as he did a set of curls Warming up: The boys limbered up for the fitness session Up and away: Wes jumped high in the air for his wide-legged squats Josh and his flatmate Jon larked around on Instagram but Wes was absent from their posts. Earlier this month, Wes broke government guidelines for Britons to not leave their households as he moved out of his flat he shared with Arabella after their split. Wes is said to have moved out of the home he shares with the model, 28, so that they don't have to isolate together under the new lockdown rules. Feel the burn: Josh and Wes worked together for their jumping squats Motivated: At one point, Wes appeared to scream while Josh gave him an encouraging pat on the back Best of friends: Josh has been Wes' pillar of support following his split from Arabella Toning up: Wes and Josh worked up their upper body with the help of dumbbells Ready, set, go! The Love Island alum looked like they meant business as they strolled around the park in their sports gear Heartache: Wes did his best to distract himself after splitting from Arabella A source told The Sun: 'It's all over. They started to grow apart and the age gap became really noticeable between them. 'They want to remain civil with each other and hope to remain friends.' A representative for Wes and Arabella confirmed the news to MailOnline. Under current government guidelines, people are not allowed to leave their homes - with a few exceptions or mix with people from different households, regardless if they are friends or family. High intensity: The group got their hearts racing with mountain climbers Game on! The boys showed off their competitive nature as they jumped high in the air Focused: The duo were committed to the work out Lift like a pro: The group carried the heavy dumbbells and kettle bell to the park Quick break: The group stopped to rest in-between the circuits Only essential work that cannot be done at home, exercise, and picking up food or medical supplies are valid reasons to go outside. Weddings and social gatherings have been outlawed and all shops have been banned from opening except for those selling food and medicines. Sporting events, music festival and other social gatherings have been either cancelled or postponed due to the crisis. Nice wheels: The pair then headed back to their flashy car The Department for Health said 11,329 people had died in hospitals in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday, with many more expected in care homes. Wes and Arabella moved into their first flat together after just three months of dating. In 2018, Wes reached the final of Love Island with former exotic dancer Megan Barton-Hanson, before ending their relationship in January 2019. 'Stay Home': It comes after Josh tagged Wes in a challenge to run 5k to raise money for the NHS and used the 'Stay Home' symbol President Trump gave an Easter message requesting Americans to pray for healing of the nation ahead of the coronavirus task force briefing on Friday at the White House. "I ask all Americans to pray that God will heal our nation; to bring comfort to those who are grieving; to give strength to the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers; to restore health to the sick; and to renew the hope in every person who is suffering. Our nation will come through like never before," The president said. He also encouraged people to focus on spending personal time during quarantine period. "As people won't be able to gather together with one another as we normally would on Easter, they can use this sacred time to focus on prayer, reflection, and growing in our personal relationship with God. So important." "At Easter Sunday, we will celebrate His glorious resurrection, He added. As of early Saturday, there were more than 1.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world with 103,257 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, the case count was 501,615 with 18,777 deaths. As America "battles the invisible enemy," he continued, "we reaffirm that Americans believe in the power of prayer. We give thanks for the majesty of creation and for the gift of eternal life. And we place our trust in the hands of Almighty God." In his prayer that followed Trump's Easter message at the White House, Bishop Jackson, senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, thanked the President for including the churches in the relief efforts, the Christian Post reported. "Many churches would've had to close down ... had it not been for your insightful leadership," the Bishop said. "Lord, let the death angel pass over. Let there be a mitigation of this plague, this disease. Let medical science come forth," Jackson continued. "Lord, let us come out with a thriving economy. That silver and gold spoken of in that passage, let it be our portion." He also prayed that "the spirit of division" in the nation will be broken. "Lord, let e pluribus unum be a reality in us. Let there be a uniting of America. Heal the divide between race, class, and gender." On Easter Sunday, Trump, a Presbyterian Christian, attended virtual Easter service led by one of his friends and the top religious advisers of the president, Robert Jeffress as he announced earlier. Pastor Jeffress said on Fox News on Easter Sunday morning, "Jesus Christ, the Son of God died for our sins, he arose from death and gave us eternal life," "We need to remember that we cannot deny the reality of suffering and death. The Bible never denies the reality of death. Death is horrible and painful but it is also temporal. The hope of resurrection leads us to live the dignity of life," He continued. "People are stuck at home. They're going to hear the message they need to hear the most," he added. "I really believe we're going to come out of this crisis and we are going to come out of it stronger and I think we'll be more benevolent towards those around us and I think we'll be reminded like never before of the brevity of life." TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dinant a leading consumer products manufacturer in the central American region is stepping up as a force for good in the fight against COVID-19. A proud Honduran company, Dinant directly employs 7,200 people, supports a further 30,000 jobs, and for many years has been contributing greatly to local neighborhoods up and down the country. But, in todays unprecedented times, Dinant is doing more to protect and serve the people of Honduras and beyond. Company spokesman, Roger Pineda, said, We are all in this together. Here at Dinant we are working closely with our customers, suppliers, and government officials to do our part. We are fortunate to have so many talented staff, and so we are using that capacity and knowledge to develop solutions to protect the most vulnerable in society. It is truly inspiring to witness the many acts of service that Dinants people are undertaking to support and care for each other, and our local communities. No matter how long it takes for the crisis to end, Dinants COVID-19 Crisis Response Team is committed to mobilizing the companys time, talent and technical capabilities to meet four objectives: Protecting the health and wellbeing of staff, business partners and customers. Securing every staff job. Continuing to serve customers the trusted brands they rely on including food and cleaning products. Supporting local communities and emergency services on the frontline of the fight against the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Dinant has strengthened its industry-leading practices all certified by the SQF Safe Quality Food Program with a range of pre-emptive measures to keep staff and products safe. Under the guidance of medical professionals, the company is providing protective face masks to all staff, ensuring everyone can work at safe distances apart, and increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing of high traffic areas throughout all facilities. As a result, Dinant staff have been able to safely continue their important roles of manufacturing, packaging and delivering Dinants trusted brands to help support peoples basic nutritional needs and keep family homes clean and sanitized. Mr. Pineda continued, We are proud of our Honduran heritage and have a long history of supporting local communities in times of need. And we are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our talented staff and loyal customers. As a business leader in Honduras, we know we have to step up and do all we can at this challenging time to be a force for good. That is why we are providing financial support, as well as free products, to those most in need. Dinants Social Team community liaison professionals working at the heart of local towns and villages adjacent to the companys facilities has identified local people most impacted by COVID-19, enabling the company to target food and cleaning products donations where they are most needed. In total, Dinant has donated over 78,000 lbs. of food, as well as cleaning products, benefiting more than 25,000 families and around 100,000 people throughout Honduras. Many Dinant products are key to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly those that are used on a daily basis to clean and disinfect businesses, hospitals and clinics. The company has donated 14,500 liters of disinfectant products produced at Dinants factories in Comayagua and Choloma including bleach, floor cleaners and detergents to medical professionals and other emergency staff, such as the national police, fire departments, local Mayors, and the Red Cross. And there will be more to come. Furthermore, the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), of which Dinant is a leading participant, has donated 20 respirators, electric beds, infusion pumps, lecterns, medical care beds, and biosafety equipment, among other hospital supplies, for use by frontline healthcare professionals. Mr. Pineda concluded, We cannot predict when this crisis will be over but, in the meantime, were committed to stepping up of a force for good and being a part of the solution whatever it takes to support our employees, consumers, business partners and local communities. About Corporacion Dinant Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras in 1960. Its products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic. For nearly 60 years, Dinant has been leading efforts in Honduras to implement and update protocols that keep its staff and customers safe. Dinant has retained many internationally-renowned certifications such as ISO 14001, ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001, and the SQF Safe Quality Food Program that rewards a culture of safe quality and encourages responsible manufacturing and agricultural processes. This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporacion Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Attachment Representative Image Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking companies not to lay off staff, employers across sectors have already started cutting their manpower. Companies in sectors such as IT, aviation, travel, media and events management have already handed out the pink slips to hundreds of employees. This is the second time that the Prime Minister has requested the companies to refrain from firing employees. In his March 19 address too, he had made the point. But on their part, the companies argue that they are struggling to manage the wage bill, especially in the absence of direct economic help from 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 "We have a monthly wage bill of about Rs 20 crore. Now we haven't produced anything for a month. If this goes on for a month more, how are we supposed to pay salaries," a senior executive from a manufacturing company told Moneycontrol. So which sectors have already laid off people? Aviation: GoAir and SpiceJet have terminated contracts of their expat pilots. Other airlines have cut pay and asked a large portion of their staff to go on leave without pay. Air Deccan has put its staff on sabbatical without pay. IT/ITeS sector: Gurgaon-based BPO firm Fareportal laid off over 300 employees. A Pune-based IT firm has laid-off a dozen workers. According to industry estimates, close to 1.5 lakh techies could be out of job in the next 3-6 months. The sector employs about 45-50 lakh people, with the top four players accounting for about 10 lakh of the total workforce. In the case of BPO, which employs 11 lakh people, close to 30-35 percent of the workforce is expected to let go of the job. The sector saw close to 50 percent of the population interrupted due to COVID-19. Track our dedicated LIVE blog on Coronavirus here Event management: With events across the country getting cancelled due to the lockdown, a large portion of the employees now find themselves without jobs. Due to halt on production, daily wagers like makeup artists, technicians, spots are all out of jobs. The sector provides employment to around 10 million people directly and 50 million indirectly. Apart from these sectors, daily wagers and contractual staff across sectors have been off work for nearly a month now. The country saw a mass exodus of migrant labourers from cities, and many of them said their employers have laid them off. Many sectors had managed to hold on till now, but had warned that if there was no help coming from the government, then layoffs are imminent. These sectors include retail and textile. Overall, retailers may have to let go 20 percent of their employees. Government help Many of the companies are now looking forward to the guidelines that will be released on April 15, hoping that in parts, the lockdown may be eased. And they are also hoping for economic help. I hope we get some details of a stimulus package tomorrow. Telling industry not to lay off is fine in speeches, but the government has to pay for it. Deepak Shenoy (@deepakshenoy) April 14, 2020 The tweet from Capital Mind founder Deepak Shenoy resonated with the industry and quickly made the rounds of WhatsApp groups. He said: "PM may have appealed to not lay off people, but where is the cash," said Mohandas Pai, the former Infosys director and Chairman of Manipal Global, said in an interview. Follow all our coverage on Coronavirus here Advertisement The world's largest cargo plane has flown from China to Poland as part of a 400-tonne medical supply run amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The Antonov An-225 Mriya landed at Tianjin Binhai International Airport in North China late on Sunday (12th April), picking up roughly 250 tonnes of critical medical supplies in what is to be two round-trip journeys. Mriya, or 'Dream', was contracted by the Polish government and landed in Warsaw today (14th April), carrying personal protective equipment including seven million surgical masks, as well as thousands of face shields and decontamination suits. While some countries have praised China for its shipments of aid, others have warned that they could be part of its 'mask diplomacy' to repair its image, which has been harmed since the coronavirus crisis began. The World's largest plane, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, sits on the runway in Tianjin Binhai International Airport in North China late on Sunday as it prepares to be loaded with medical supplies headed for Warsaw, Poland The Antonov An-225 Mriya landed in Warsaw today carrying medical PPE to help Poland in its fight against the coronavirus The plane, which has the longest wingspan of any plane in the world, was first designed in the 1980s to carry space equipment, including a space shuttle and rockets, for the Soviet Union The plane, named 'dream' in Ukranian, is 84 meters long (275 ft 7 in), which is longer than the length of the first ever flight achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903 The Polish Ministry of State Assets reportedly said of the decision to hire the six-engine freighter: 'With just one flight, the An-225 can bring as much cargo from China as 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.' Despite Mriya's record-setting 250-tonne cargo capacity, it will need to make a second trip to China in order to transport the full 400-tonne supply. Chinese state media reported that Germany would also be employing the heavy-duty cargo aircraft - the only one of its kind in the world - for medical supplies from China, while contracts are believed to cost governments at least 1 million USD (800,000 GBP). The plane can hold a record cargo of 250,000 kilograms. To access the hold, the node of the plane opens upwards (pictured left). Right: Forklift trucks at China's Tianjin international airport begin to load medical supplies into the plane, which will carry them to Warsaw, Poland. The plane was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau Despite it's 250 tonne capacity, the plane will make two round-trips from China to Poland to deliver the 400 tonnes of supplies that are being transported Pictured: Two people dressed in protective clothing help to load the An-225 Mriya with supplies bound for Warsaw, Poland The medical supplies will help Poland's medical workers in their battle with the coronavirus. Poland has ordered seven million surgical masks, as well as thousands of face shields and decontamination suits which will be transported on the plane Antonov An-225 Mriya - The World's largest plane The Antonov An-225 Mriya (meaning 'Dream' in Ukrainian) is the World's largest plane. It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in service. The length of the cargo hold of the An-225 is 84 meters long, and is longer than the distance flown by the Wright brothers in the first ever flight in 1903. The plane was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1980. At the time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, and was first developed to carry the Buran space shuttle, as well as the Energia rocket's boosters. Only one Antonov An-225 Mriya airplane was ever completed, in 1988, and first flew on the 22 December 1988 with a 74 minute flight from Kiev. It was on static display at the Paris airshow in 1989, and flew during a public display at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK in 1990. While a second plane was ordered, it was never completed after the collapse of the USSR and Soviet space programme, although the project was briefly revived in 2009 and is said to be 70 percent complete, but requires further funds. After completing its missions for the USSR, the plane was placed in storage in 1994 and sat unused for nine years. Its engines were removed and used on other large planes while it was in storage. When the need for a larger plane arose once again in the 2000s, the plane was re-engined and put back into service. Its first commercial flight was completed in 2002, when the plane flew from Stuttgart, Germany to Thumrait, Oman, carrying 216,000 prepared meals for American military personal that were based in the region. The meals were transported on 375 pallets and weighed 187.5 tonnes. Since then, it has become the crown jewel in the Antonov Airlines fleet, carrying objects once thought impossible to move through the air. It has carried 150-tonne generators and has become a vital asset for international relief organisations. Its ability to transport vast quantities of supplies across long distances makes it unique from other transport options. During its time as a commercial operating aircraft, sometimes costing over $2 million to ship items, it has broken numerous records, including the heaviest single cargo item (a generator for a gas power plant that weighed 189 tonnes) and the world's longest pieces of air cargo (two 42.1 meter test wind turbine blades). Key figures: Length: 84 meters (275 ft 7 in) Wingspan: 88.4 meters (290 ft) Height: 18.1 meters (59 ft 5 in) Empty weight: 285,000 kg Maximum takeoff weight: 640,000kg (1,410,958 lbs) Maximum speed: 850 km/h (530 mph) Maximum Payload: 250,000 KG (551,155 lbs) Maximum Volume: 1,200 CBM Cargo cabin size: 43.3 x 6.4 x 4.4 m (1704.7 x 251.9 x 173.2 in) Carbo cabin door: 6.4 x 4.4 m (251.9 x 173.2 in) On-board crane: 30,000 kg (66,138.67 lb) lift Advertisement After flying from China, the Antonov An-225 Mriya comes into view as it prepares to land at the Chopin airport, Warsaw Photographers and airport staff away the arrival of the plane. There is only one of its kind that was ever finished The plane is powered by six turbofan engines, and as the heaviest aircraft ever built, requires 32 wheels for takeoff and landing The plane was originally designed in the 1980s to carry the Buran space shuttle, as well as the Energia rocket's boosters, while Ukraine was part of the Soviet union and in the midst of the space race with the U.S. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and the space programme was wound down, the plane was put into storage in 1994 In the 2000s, the need for a large aircraft to carry huge payloads arose once more, and it was re-purposed to complete commercial and humanitarian aid missions More than three quarters of a million items of personal protective equipment flown into Heathrow from China The 6,000-mile cargo-only Virgin Atlantic flight from Shanghai to Heathrow was chartered by the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care. A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft carried 16 tonnes of PPE, consisting of 690,000 face masks and 95,000 visors. The items were transported on passenger seats and in overhead lockers, as well as in the hold. They will be distributed across the UK. Tuesday's flight was the fourth of eight cargo-only operations the airline is running from Shanghai to Heathrow this month to deliver medical supplies. The 6,000-mile cargo-only Virgin Atlantic flight (pictured) from Shanghai to Heathrow was chartered by the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care Dominic Kennedy, managing director of Virgin Atlantic's cargo division, said the airline is 'playing a part' to support the NHS by carrying 'crucial' medical supplies to the UK. He went on: 'It's more important than ever to keep global supply chains running and transporting the equipment that teams here in the UK urgently need, working closely with our partners to make this happen.' Virgin Atlantic operated its first cargo-only flight from Heathrow to New York on March 22, carrying medical and pharmaceutical goods. It has cancelled the majority of its passenger flights due to the drop in demand, and next week will temporarily switch most of its remaining scheduled flights to cargo-only services. A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft (pictured being unloaded) carried 16 tonnes of PPE, consisting of 690,000 face masks and 95,000 visors Airlines have suffered a collapse in passenger numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic, but demand for cargo flights has increased. Heathrow said it usually handles an average of 47 cargo-only flights each week, but handled 38 on March 31 alone. Overall cargo volumes are down though due to the grounding of passenger fleets, as around 95% of cargo usually travels in the hold of passenger aircraft. The aviation industry is urging the Government to offer more financial support the stop firms going bust due to the pandemic. Virgin Atlantic called for airlines to be offered emergency credit facilities worth up to 7.5 billion. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he will not create a specific support package for the industry, but the Government is prepared to negotiate with individual firms once they had 'exhausted other options' such as raising cash from existing investors. Advertisement Ukraine is also expected to send the plane back to China to acquire its own supplies to fight the pandemic later this month, joining Beijing's aid provision list which currently includes Russia, Iraq, Kuwait and Algeria, among others. An-225 belongs to Ukraine's state-owned Antonov Airlines and is still the heaviest aircraft ever built, with the largest wingspan, despite being constructed during Soviet Ukraine in the 1980s. Its Tianjin flight, which left Kyiv on 11th April, with a refuelling stop in former Kazakhstan capital Almaty, was the first in two years after it had undergone extensive upgrades. Its first commercial flight was completed in 2002, when the plane flew from Stuttgart, Germany to Thumrait, Oman, carrying 216,000 prepared meals for American military personal that were based in the region It has since broken a number of world records, carrying both the heaviest item carried by aircraft, as well as the longest Antonov Airlines, a division of Antonov State Enterprise, built Mriya to airlift the Soviet Union's first-ever space shuttle Buran. It still holds the world record for heaviest civilian cargo transportation at 253.8 tonnes. According to reports, Mriya usually makes around 20 trips a year, but it now joins a fleet of five Antonov An-124 Ruslan currently flying medical supplies around the world during the global COVID-19 crisis. Commissioning the aircraft to carry item can cost over $2 million dollars for a single trip Pictured: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks at a press briefing at the Chopin Airport in Warsaw following the plane's arrival The Polish Ministry of State Assets reportedly said of the decision to hire the six-engine freighter: 'With just one flight, the An-225 can bring as much cargo from China as 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners' Chinese state media reported that Germany would also be employing the heavy-duty cargo aircraft, and Ukraine is also expected to send it back to China to collect more supplies Aid shipments from China have drawn praise in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovakia, although some Chinese shipments of coronavirus testing kits and face masks turned out to be faulty or defective. 'We must be aware there is a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence, through spinning and the politics of generosity,' EU's top foreign policy official Josep Borrell recently wrote in a blog, referring to China. 'Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors.' Chinese officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Beijing is seeking political gains by providing medical aid to other countries, saying the allegations result from deep-rooted misconceptions of China's goals in the West. The An-225 prepares to take off again as it returns to China for its second trip to bring the second half of the order of medical supplies made by the Polish government Poland ordered a total of 400 tonnes worth of medical supplies. While the plan can hold 250 tonnes worth of cargo, it now must return for a second pick-up According to reports, Mriya usually makes around 20 trips a year While China struggles elsewhere to polish its image tarnished by its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing has no problem maintaining its hard-won influence in Eastern Europe, where it battles for clout with the EU as well as with Russia in countries like Serbia. China was criticized by many in the West for its early mishandling of the health crisis due to politically motivated foot-dragging while the virus raced through a major province and its capital, Wuhan. Now it is seeking to change perceptions through 'mask diplomacy' - a combination of soft power policy, political messaging and aid that is designed to portray Beijing as a generous and efficient ally. The plane now joins a fleet of five Antonov An-124 Ruslan planes (other large planes) currently flying medical supplies around the world during the global COVID-19 crisis The aid shipments from China drew praise in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovakia, although some equipment has been faulty Some, however, have criticised China for seeking to change perceptions through 'mask diplomacy' Medical supplies and protective masks from China were also delivered to Switzerland on an Airbus A330, pictured in Geneva A 60-year-old British citizen, who had recovered from novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after his treatment in the central city of Da Nang, has recently tested positive again for the virus. The Briton arrived in Hanoi aboard flight VN0054 with many other COVID-19 patients on March 2, according to a report by the Da Nang Department of Health. He boarded flight VN163 to Da Nang later the same day. The foreigner tested positive for the novel coronavirus on March 8, becoming Vietnams patient No. 22, and was treated at Da Nang Hospital until March 27. He was in stable health conditions during his treatment and had tested negative for the virus three times prior to his hospital discharge. As per regulations, the Briton was asked to stay isolated at Sam Grand Hotel in the central city for another 14 days after his hospital release. On April 11, he boarded a flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City and was sampled for COVID-19 testing upon his arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. He briefly stayed at a hotel in Tan Binh District before catching a flight back to his home country. His test result later came back positive. Authorities in Da Nang have screened 23 people who had close contact with the Briton, and all results have returned negative. In Ho Chi Minh City, 51 people including hotel receptionists, hotel guests, and those having contact with the British national have also been quarantined and tested for COVID-19. Local authorities are working with Vietnam Airlines to track all passengers who were on the same Da Nang-Ho Chi Minh City flight as him. According to Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, all domestic arrivals at the citys airdrome have been screened for COVID-19 since March 25, in addition to mandatory heath declaration. Screening test results are only available a day after sampling in such cases, Binh stated. It is not rare for COVID-19 patients to test positive again after a full recovery, as many similar cases have been recorded worldwide, the health official continued. Ho Chi Minh City authorities have prepared a protocol to respond to such a situation, he said. Accordingly, all patients are required to be quarantined for 14 days after their recovery, Binh elaborated, adding that they are tested twice on the fifth and 14th days of their isolation period. Regarding the case of the British man, Binh believed he had suffered a relapse or been re-infected in Da Nang. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.93 million people and killed more than 120,000 globally as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam confirmed one new case on Tuesday, taking its total to 266, with 169 having recovered, including 23 patients discharged the same day. The country has yet to record a death from the disease. Da Nang has confirmed six patients to date, all of whom have recovered. Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 54 cases, with 45 recoveries. The southern metropolis has not reported any new cases for the past seven days. 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A Chinese medical team has arrived in Moscow on Saturday to assist Russia's ongoing efforts in the fight against COVID-19, spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a routine press briefing. Chinese experts visited designated COVID-19 hospitals and conducted extensive exchanges with their Russian counterparts on epidemic control and medical treatment, he said. The Chinese experts will conduct more exchanges and experience sharing with Russian experts and provide guidance and training for epidemic prevention and control and medical treatment, the spokesperson said. Through a video conference, the Chinese experts also popularized epidemic prevention and control knowledge to Chinese nationals in Russia and distributed epidemic prevention materials to them, according to Zhao. As a comprehensive strategic partner of coordination for a new era, China is sympathetic to what is happening to Russia, the spokesperson said, noting that Russia offered firm support to China during the most difficult period of China's anti-epidemic efforts. China stands ready to make concerted efforts with Russia to overcome the current difficulties, he said. Tapestry, Inc. TPR recently extended store closures in North America and Europe for an additional two weeks through Apr 24. The company has also shuttered majority of its stores in Asia Pacific, including all outlets in Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and in certain prefectures of Japan. Management informed that it will reconsider store closure decisions on a bi-weekly basis, while affected workers will continue to receive pay and benefits during the period. Management stated that essentially all the companys stores in China are reopened and their performance is steadily improving. Likewise, Tapestrys stores in South Korea have returned to normal working hours. In addition, most of its global distribution centers continue to be operational, including one in Malaysia, while its New Jerseys third-party facility is temporarily shut. Impressively, Tapestrys e-commerce channels continue to function normally. The company has taken additional measures to stay afloat during such unprecedented times. Management has planned to put quarterly cash dividend beginning fourth-quarter fiscal 2020 on hold, suspend share repurchase program and curb capital spend. It has also decided to eliminate non-essential operating costs and effectively manage inventories. It has $600 million remaining under the current share repurchase authorization. Tapestry drew $700 million from the $900-million revolving credit facility to reinforce liquidity. The company ended fiscal 2019 with roughly $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments. Certainly, apparel and accessories retailers have been facing the brunt of the alarming spread of the pandemic. In addition to Tapestry, renowned players like L Brands LB, Macys M and Tilly's TLYS have also taken similar measures. Womens apparel retailer, L Brands suspended quarterly dividend, cut down capital expenditures and drew $950 million from the revolving credit facility. It also temporarily reduced base compensation by 20% for senior vice presidents, deferred annual merit increases and furloughed the majority of its store associates effective Apr 5, till further notice. Popular omni-channel retailer, Macys has suspended second-quarter fiscal 2020 dividend and lowered capital expenditures for the current fiscal year. The company has also chosen to access the $1.5 billion available under the revolving credit facility. Apparel and accessories dealer, Tilly's has borrowed $23.7 million under its credit facility, shut down the distribution center in Irvine, CA and furloughed most of its associates. It has also recognized additional cost reductions for fiscal 2020. Price Performance & Zacks Rank Coming back to Tapestry, the Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) companys shares have plunged 45.1% in the past three months compared with the industrys decline of 40.6%. Story continues You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.5% per year. These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout. See these time-sensitive tickers now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Macy's, Inc. (M) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tilly's, Inc. (TLYS) : Free Stock Analysis Report L Brands, Inc. (LB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tapestry, Inc. (TPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. ____________ The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston and Citizens Bank are awarding $400,000 in grants to small businesses in Massachusetts affected by the coronavirus. In an announcement Monday, LISC and Citizens Bank said they launched the LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts, which will provide up to $10,000 grants to hard-hit small businesses. The grants are meant to offer immediate assistance to limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. The need is compelling, and the time is now. These businesses may not survive if we wait to see where need remains after federal aid flows, LISC Boston Executive Director Karen Kelleher said in a statement. Citizens committed $400,000 to LISCs program. The funding is part of a $5 million commitment for communities and small business recovery across the banks service area. Citizens is committed to supporting small businesses in the Commonwealth, President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts Jerry Sargent said in a statement. The LISC Recovery Grant Program offers business leaders an opportunity to support the immediate needs of small businesses and help set the stage for a sustainable and equitable recovery. Priority for the grants will be given to vulnerable businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses and small businesses. Applications will be accepted online from April 20 to April 24. Guidance will be available in English, Spanish and several other languages through LISC Bostons website. MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Related Content: Parents have expressed fury after the government made the newly completed boarding facility at their children's school into a potential coronavirus quarantine centre. In a letter sent to parents on Friday by the Nhulunby High School in the Northern Territory the school said the government had identified it as a 'quarantine facility for east Arnhem Land.' The Dawurr Boarding Facility, built in 2017 and at a cost of $20 million, is usually used to accommodate students from remote communities. 'The Nhulunbuy Quarantine Facility will initially provide accommodation to keep vulnerable people who cannot isolate at home safe from COVID-19,' the letter said. In a letter sent to parents on Friday by the Nhulunby High School in the Northern Territory the school said the government had identified it as a 'quarantine facility for east Arnhem Land' 'The Nhulunbuy Quarantine Facility will initially provide accommodation to keep vulnerable people who cannot isolate at home safe from COVID-19,' the letter said 'If it becomes necessary, it can also adapt to help local authorities contain the spread of COVID-19 if it does enter the East Arnhem Land biosecurity area.' There are no known cases of COVID-19 in Arnhem Land. Two parents, who did not want to be identified, said they were reconsidering whether to send their children back when term two begins if there are infected people also livng in the boarding school. 'I was shocked because at the end of the day they haven't corresponded with us, we've all got kids there, we're being told it's compulsory to go to school, yet something like this which is a pandemic, [there was] no correspondence from the school at all other than this letter,' one parent Harry told 9News. 'The fact we were emailed on a public holiday gives us no time to contact the school and voice our concerns,' another parent Maria said. 'The fact the boarding school is located next to the high school, I feel the location puts other students and my own children at risk,' she said. Meanwhile, the Northern Territory government said lockdown and social isolation measures will remain in place indefinitely despite the territory having not recorded any new cases of coronavirus for more than a week. The last case recorded in the Northern Territory was a woman in her 30s who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from North America. The 28 cases reported in the NT have all been traced to overseas or interstate travel. 'We don't have that community transmission and that's the important thing. We can't become complacent,' NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said on Tuesday. 'This is a health emergency that has in turn caused an economic crisis, but our priority is saving lives. Saving the lives of Territorians a particularly vulnerable population.' Married At First Sight fan favourite Mishel Karen has been going from strength to strength since leaving the controversial social experiment. While many of her former co-stars have struggled to capitalise on their fifteen minutes of fame, Mishel has snapped up by a major PR agency and effortlessly transitioned into a new job as a social media influencer. The 48-year-old has already shared sponsored posts for a fashion rental service and a skincare brand with her more than 90,000 followers. Superstar! Married At First Sight's Mishel Karen has gone from strength to strength with her new celebrity career since leaving MAFS Not content to just stick with Instagram, Mishel has also amassed over 3000 followers on TikTok. Her first video on the app, which shows her going down a slide at Luna Park, has racked up more than 430,000 views. Noticing her social media clout, Mishel caught the interest of PR and marketing agency Modern Currency, who signed her to a deal last week. Influence: The 48-year-old has already shared sponsored posts for a fashion rental service and a skincare brand with her more than 90,000 followers In an Instagram post, Mishel said: 'Yes! I signed with a PR agency. Why? Simple... I don't know what I'm doing!' The owners of Modern Currency also issued a statement on social media. 'We're so excited to be representing the beautiful and incredible powerhouse that is Mishel,' they wrote. She's got it! The 48-year-old posed provocatively in a sponsored fashion post last week While Mishel's fame may appear to have happened overnight, her success has been much longer in the making. The mother-of-two applied for a previous season of Married At First Sight and got far in the process, but didn't end up making the final cast until this year's season. Considering her outrageous application for season seven, it's no surprise that producers finally saw Mishel's star quality and cast her. Big deal! Noticing her social media clout, Mishel caught the interest of PR and marketing agency Modern Currency, who signed her to a deal last week In her audition video, the 48-year-old confessed that she was 'pansexual' and had dated another woman before. She also said that sex was important to her in a relationship and that if her man wasn't delivering in the bedroom, she'd have no problem telling them to their face. According to Perth Now, Mishel also fibbed about her age in her audition, before later admitting the truth. WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that they won't agree to the Trump administration's insistence on more money for small business loans unless their demands are met for additional funding for hospitals, state and local governments and food stamp recipients. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Democrats' demands should wait for another day, while the small business program needs more money now. "We've committed to small businesses. We should top up that program now," Mnuchin said at a briefing of the White House coronavirus task force. "I know the Democrats want to talk about more money for hospitals and states. Right now, we're just sending the money out to the hospitals and states. They haven't come close to using that money." Pelosi, D-Calif., and Schumer, D-N.Y., also rejected suggestions from President Donald Trump that the country could reopen quickly, saying "there is still not enough testing available to realistically allow that to happen." The back-and-forth between Mnuchin and the Democratic leaders on Monday followed a Saturday statement from congressional GOP leaders in which they rejected the Democrats' demands and showed no interest in negotiating. The developments appeared to harden a stalemate on Capitol Hill over how or when the federal government will take further action to address the worsening economic impacts of the coronavirus, with millions newly unemployed and much commerce in the nation at a virtual standstill as the U.S. confronts recession conditions. Congress acted quickly late last month to pass a massive $2 trillion rescue package for small and large businesses, individual Americans and the unemployed, as well as health-care systems and local governments. There is a recognition that more will need to be done - but not an agreement on how to structure new funding. Complicating matters, both the House and Senate are out of session because of concerns about the pandemic, so the only way to pass legislation is through voice vote or "unanimous consent." This would require agreement from all lawmakers, something that may be impossible to achieve in the House. Both chambers had been officially scheduled to come back into session next week, but that timeline won't be met. On Monday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., officially postponed the date when the House would reconvene until May 4 at earliest. Mnuchin last week requested urgent congressional action to approve an additional $250 billion to supplement a $350 billion forgivable loan program for small businesses that is quickly being obligated. That program, run by the Small Business Administration, is called the "Paycheck Protection Program." But Democrats refused to approve the measure when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sought to advance it on Thursday, insisting on changes to the small business program as well as at least $250 billion more for other priorities. The Small Business Administration says that there have now been more than 800,000 loans approved, totaling more than $200 billion. But it's not clear how many small businesses have actually gotten any money. Banks and other lenders are the ones that to extend the taxpayer-backed loans, and they have complained of a cumbersome process. And even if all the companies received loans, 800,000 firms is just a small fraction of the 30 million small businesses in the United States. An SBA spokesman, Christopher Hatch, said Monday that since lenders control the disbursal of funds, it is not possible to say precisely how much money has been distributed to small businesses. He said those figures might not start to be available until around June. Some Democrats have questioned the figures SBA is putting out. On a conference call of House Democrats on Monday, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Small Business Committee, said she has had trouble getting actual data from Treasury, as opposed to anecdotal reports, according to two people on the call who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe it. Nonetheless, Senate Republicans argue that the program needs to be re-upped immediately because once the initial $350 billion has been committed lenders will be locked out of applying for more loans. McConnell's office provided a list of eight small businesses from around the country that say they have been approved for loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. At least five of them - including an espresso kiosk in Montana, an auto shop in Oklahoma, and an equipment manufacturer in Nebraska - have already received the loan money, according to interviews Monday. The Paycheck Protection Program, principally authored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is supposed to provide loans up to $10 million that are forgivable if the businesses keep their workers on payroll and meet certain other conditions. Prospects for resolving the congressional standoff are unclear as there appear to be few if any negotiations occurring between the two sides. "Small businesses, hospitals, front-line workers and state and local governments across the country are struggling to keep up with this national crisis. They need more help from the federal government and they need it fast - our nurses, doctors and health-care workers need it as much as anyone else," Schumer and Pelosi said in their statement. "Further changes must also be made to the SBA's assistance initiative, as many eligible small businesses continue to be excluded from the Paycheck Protection Program by big banks with significant lending capacity," they said. "Funding for Covid-19 SBA disaster loans and grants must be significantly increased to satisfy the hundreds of billions in oversubscribed demand." Pelosi and Schumer had demanded an additional $150 billion for cities and states, $100 billion for hospitals and health-care systems and an additional 15 percent increase in benefits for food stamp recipients. On the House Democratic conference call Monday, according to one of the people on the call, Pelosi told fellow lawmakers that, "We've said to them: let's negotiate. We all care about small businesses and want them to succeed. Hopefully, we can come to some terms if they will negotiate." A bipartisan group of governors including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, R, who chairs the National Governors Association, on Saturday asked Congress to approve $500 billion in aid for cash-strapped states that are struggling to deal with mounting costs and a loss in revenue triggered by the pandemic. On Monday, Hogan released a statement saying he'd spoken with Vice President Mike Pence to impress upon him the urgency of the funding, and "asked the administration to weigh in so that we can break this logjam in the Senate and get this done for the American people." Trump said Monday that "We're certainly willing to look at" the requests for additional funding for states and hospitals, but that those and other priorities should wait for the next large coronavirus spending bill, after action on the Paycheck Protection Program specifically. The Senate gaveled in and out of session Monday morning for a brief pro forma session, but there was no attempt on either side to advance legislation. The Senate's next pro forma is on Thursday - one day before White House adviser Larry Kudlow has said the Paycheck Protection Program will run out of money. The announcement by House leadership delaying the date when they will reconvene came after multiple members expressed reluctance about returning to Washington. "I'll tell you, I have no interest in going back now. How do you get there? Train? Plane? Last time I got there, I drove for about five hours. People across the country are not going to take a chance," House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said Monday on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal." "Unless it's safe, I think we are better off doing our work, as we have been doing, passing bills by unanimous consent. And, hopefully, there is a bipartisan will to really focus on what we need and leave partisan politics aside." --- The Washington Post's Aaron Gregg, Jeanne Whalen, Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane contributed to this report. MANZINI - Close RFM Hospital! This is a firm call from Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) to government and it follows the incident of a woman who gave birth to twins at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital last week, yet she was a suspected case of COVID-19, and was later confirmed positive while she was still at the health facility. The call for closing RFM Hospital was issued by SWADNU President Bheki Mamba during an in-depth interview, which was conducted by this publication at SWADNU conference room yesterday. Protected Mamba said medical practitioners who attended to the woman, were not aware that she was a suspected case of COVID-19, who was awaiting her test results, and they were not fully protected when assisting her. On top of that, he said they allegedly had it in authority that a wife of an RFM Hospital employee also tested positive for COVID-19, while her husband is still awaiting his test results. In fact, he said the wife was tested after her husband fell sick. In that regard, the nurses union president said the Ministry of Health should close the hospital. Thereafter, all wards and departments should be fumigated, the president said. He added that government should then conduct mass testing of all RFM Hospital staff members, particularly health workers, for COVID-19. He said after establishing the accurate situation regarding the number of COVID-19 cases among the staff members, a way forward on how it should operate would be discussed before reopening. Furthermore, the president said government would be accountable for any COVID-19 related death or infection among his cadre. In fact, he said their (those who might die) blood would be in governments hands. Equipment He said this was because after government failed to provide health workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), a majority of the members from various health institutions in the country, including RFM Hospital, recused themselves from a situation which they believed could place their lives in imminent danger. They did this by exercising their right of revoking Section 18 (2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act No.9 of 2001, by removing themselves from work because they did not have PPE, the president said. Section 18 (2) of the Act says; An employee shall have a right to remove himself or herself from danger when such a worker has reasonable justification to believe there is imminent and serious risk to his/her safety and health. However, Mamba said when government learnt about the situation, it allegedly intimidated the health workers to go back to work without supplying them with PPE. He said this was against the workers right of invoking the said section in order to protect themselves from imminent danger. The president said according to their understanding of the law, the current situation in the country was a state of national disaster based on the National Disaster Management Act of 2006, not a state of national emergency based on the Constitution. Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko also sang the same tune with the nurses union by saying the situation in the country was a state of national disaster, not a state of national emergency. He said this pandemic was all over the world and countries like the neighbouring South Africa for example, declared it as a state of national disaster. On that note, the nurses union president said the state of national disaster did not supersede the right for workers to remove themselves from work if they believed there was imminent danger. He said it was only a state of national emergency based on the Constitution that superseded every other law. That is why even the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that essential service providers, including health workers, should be compensated if they get infected while executing their duties, the president said. He said they were aware that the queue of patients at RFM Hospital was too long as it extended to outside the boundaries of the health facility. Infected He said since the health workers at the hospital had not been tested, it was possible that the people in the queue would be exposed to the deadly virus because there were possibilities that some of the health practitioners had been infected. Meanwhile, RFM Hospital CEO Benjamin Simelane referred this publication to the facilitys line ministry; the Ministry of Health. Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said she needed to contact the hospitals Board of Trustees and other critical stakeholders for their comment first. However, by the time of going to print, the minister said she was still waiting for the above parties responses. It is worth noting that, recently, Mbabane Clinic, which is under The Clinic Group, closed for a short while. This was after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. By PTI DHAKA: Bangladesh has started setting up COVID-19 sample collection booths as the deadly infection claimed seven more lives and infected 209 people overnight. Bangladesh has so far reported 1,012 cases of coronavirus and 46 deaths due to the deadly infection. The Directorate General of Health Service said the coronavirus pandemic has prompted them to introduce the testing facilities at neighbourhoods of the national capital Dhaka and other hot-spots just like South Korea's 'booth' or 'kiosk' model to intensify combat against the deadly virus. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES The Initiative has been in collaboration with an NGO called JKG. "The government is introducing boot or kiosks to collect samples for COVID-19 testing across the country involving initially an NGO," the state-run BSS quoted DGHS chief Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad as saying. "We are welcoming NGOs involvement and urging private sector to extend their hands to supplement the government efforts to prevent COVID-19 in view of the rapid growth of cases," Azad said. A Spokesperson of JKG said the booths look like glass cabin and the medical staff or healthcare professionals in it are equipped with protective gears. "The medical staff under the sanitized booths will collect throat swabs of people who will stand or sit outside," the spokesperson said. Government authorities have also urged other non-government organisations to reach out for sample collection facilities at neighbourhood levels in the capital Dhaka and other COVID-19 hot-spots, including southeastern Cox's Bazar where over a million Rohingyas were locked down in their crammed makeshift camps. The deadly virus claimed the lives of seven people and affected 209 people overnight. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Indias coronavirus disease (Covid-19) contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu (health bridge) became the worlds fastest growing mobile app on Tuesday night with 50 million users in 13 days. Of these, 11 million were in a single day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to download the application in his third televised address to the nation, according to the Niti Aayog team lead. With 99% downloads on Android, Aarogya Setu overtook Nintendos popular augmented reality game Pokemon GOs record of 50 million downloads on Google Play in 19 days in 2016. The downloads surged from 39 million to a peak of 100,000 per minute on Tuesday morning following Prime Minister Narendra Modis 10 am address. By midnight, 50 million people had downloaded the mobile app launched on April 2 to alert users who are at risk of exposure to Covid-19 infection over the past two weeks. We expected to touch 50 million users by April 15, but reached it a day before. There were 11 million downloads on Tuesday, which is the sharpest single-day surge in installations since the app was launched. PM Modis announcement led to a spike that peaked at 100,000 registrations per minute in the afternoon, at around 20,000 downloads per minute on average over the rest of the day, said Arnab Kumar, programme director of frontier technologies, Niti Aayog. He is part of the team that developed the app. Apart from reaching out and informing users about their potential risk of infection, this privacy-first by design app also shares safe behaviours and updated medical advisories about Covid-19 containment in 11 languages. Singapore has a similar mobile app called TraceTogether for contact tracing. It was launched three weeks ago, and Google and Apple are collaborating to launch a similar contact-tracing initiative. All these apps convert personal and location data into a random anonymous device identification that is saved for two weeks in your phone and the phones of other users within bluetooth range. That usually comes to around 10 metres for most smartphones. The data is uploaded on the server and shared with health authorities only when either the user tests positive or is at high risk of infection. It then alerts all other users in the contact chain. How it works is fairly simple. Imagine someone, say Person A, leaves by train to work and then comes back home again. All is well. The next day this person reports symptoms and requires a test, which turns out to be positive, then there is an instant signal which goes to all those people who were close to that person during commuting, at work or at home. And the people who were a little far away are warned, said Dr K VijayRaghavan, principal scientific adviser to the central government. This is important because one should not only consider those who are showing symptoms. If we do nothing, then this is what happens. A person who is asymptomatic but positive becomes symptomatic, infects other people who also later on become symptomatic and the epidemic spreads. Now if you quarantine everyone who has symptoms and nothing else, then you will be quarantining only some of the suspects. There will always be the asymptomatic people who will still be spreading the disease. You dont know who they are and its not possible to test the entire population, he said. You need to have a way of focusing as this asymptomatic person travels over various distances, over time. We need to find out who all were close to that person and warn the others after the person is identified as positive. This is what Aarogya Setu also does. It will find the symptomatic person and also identify all the asymptomatic people around them in the past few days and advise them too, said Dr VijayRaghavan. Aarogya Setu gives each user a unique anonymous device identification on registration. The linking of the device identification to a mobile number is a one-time process and is then encrypted and secured in a server, said Kumar. All future interactions from device to server are done through encrypted device identification detail and no personal information is exchanged after the one-time registration. When a user comes in proximity of another registered mobile, the app stores an encrypted signature of this interaction on both phones. This information is not pushed on to the server unless the user is a suspect case and considered at risk, either from having come in contact with someone who was later diagnosed as a Covid-19 case, or if the users self-assessment categorises him or her at risk of infection. Kumar insisted that the personal and location data is only used for providing the Covid-19-related information and medical services necessary to stop further spread of the infection. Protecting personal information is a priority and the app never reveals the personal identity of anyone, including the identity of the Covid-19 patients. Your data is not going to be used for any other purpose. All security and vulnerability aspects were reviewed by teams from IIT-Madras and a global tech-audit firm, said Kumar. The information of all unique interactions is stored only for 30 days on the device, after which all data is deleted. The data for non-risk users is deleted from the server in 45 days, and for at-risk patients, it is wiped in 60 days. If a user tests positive for Covid-19, the location data is used only to map the places he or she visited over the past 14 days to identify potential hotspots where infection outbreaks are likely to occur and quickly sanitise them and ramp up contact-tracing and testing. Several countries are using location data for contract tracing. China used QR codes and GPS from mobiles and the social network app Baidu to track movement, while Korea have used security camera footage, credit card records, and GPS data from cars and cellphones for contact tracing. Israel has tracked mobile phones of confirmed or suspected cases, while Austria and Belgium are using anonymised data from telecom operators for contact-tracing and monitoring those quarantined. The mobile app is designed for scalability and has the architecture to support e-pass, suraksha stores and telemedicine. Its a building block model for a holistic health stack that can integrate all health data and healthcare delivery services in one app, said Kumar. The Aarogya Setu app is available for both Android and iOS users, and will be available on KaiOS soon. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 17:52 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1dea71 1 National Tasikmalaya,Ahmadiyah,Ahmadiyah-Mosque,West-Jakarta,intolerance,discrimination Free Rights group Amnesty International Indonesia has urged the Tasikmalaya administration in West Java to revoke its latest decree preventing a congregation of the minority Muslim group Ahmadiyah from holding prayers and renovating their mosque on the grounds that the policy is discriminatory and counter to basic human rights. The decision to block the community from using their mosque was made on discriminatory grounds and without any consultation. Its just the last example of the authorities in Indonesia targeting Ahmadis purely for their religious beliefs, Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in a statement on Tuesday. This local decree should be withdrawn immediately and the community allowed to worship in their mosque as they please. Local authorities in the regency, including Tasikmalaya regent Ade Sugianto, signed the joint decree on Jan. 27. The representatives of the local Ahmadiyah group had only received the copy of the decree last Saturday. Usman criticized the authorities argument that the ban aimed to prevent unrest. He stressed that it was the local administrations responsibility to keep everyone, including the Ahmadis, safe in practicing their beliefs. The authorities must stop this culture of discrimination and encourage all people to practice their faith freely, he added. Read also: Officials halt reconstruction of Ahmadiyah mosque Ahmadiyah congregation chairman Nanang Ahmad Hidayat previously said that the decree consisted of nine key provisions, including one prohibiting members of the group from performing religious activities in public and one banning the renovation of Al-Aqso mosque, located in Cipakat village, Singaparna district, Tasikmalaya. Ahmadiyah groups have long been targets of discrimination and persecution in the country with some local administrations sealing mosques and banning members from performing religious activities over protests from intolerant groups. Midland County saw no new positive coronavirus cases Tuesday, but Gladwin and Bay counties each added one, according to the daily afternoon state report. Midland County remains at 33 cases and one death and Gladwin County at five cases and no deaths. Three cases were added in Isabella County, bringing its total to 42 cases and four deaths. Saginaw County added nine cases, bringing its total to 302 and 17 deaths. The state on Tuesday added 1,366 new cases and 166 deaths, up from 111 deaths recorded on April 11, 95 deaths on April 12 and 115 deaths on April 13. The state total is at 27,001 cases with 1,768 deaths. The average death age is 73.1, according to the state website, mich.gov, with the deceased ranging in age from 20 to 107. The state lists 37% of the deceased as 80-plus and 28% age 70-79. The state lists the total recovered at 433 cases, as of April 10, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to March 11, 2020, according to the state website, mich.gov. "During this response, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing vital records statistics to identify any laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases who are 30 days out from their onset of illness to represent recovery status," according to the state website. The numbers will be updated every Saturday. We cannot stress enough how important it is for our community to be diligent in their community mitigation efforts," according to 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. U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and the top U.S. commander in the country, General Scott Miller, met with Pakistani military leaders in Islamabad, following talks with senior Taliban representatives in Doha. The talks in the Pakistani and Qatari capitals came after an initial prisoner exchange between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The prisoner swap is considered key to paving the way for peace talks between the two sides aimed at putting an end to the 18-year conflict in Afghanistan. Khalilzad and Miller, commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, visited Islamabad on April 14 and discussed with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa the United States ongoing efforts for a sustainable peace in Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement. Pakistans military leaders reaffirmed their support for U.S. efforts and renewed their commitment to act to advance a political settlement to the conflict, it added. During their talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar on April 13, Khalilzad and Miller discussed "current challenges" in implementing a peace deal signed in Doha on February 29 by the United States and the Taliban, according to the U.S. State Department. Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatars capital, said on Twitter that Khalilzad and Miller met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of Afghanistan's Taliban and its chief negotiator. Shaheen said the two sides discussed the "complete implementation" of the U.S.-Taliban deal for a phased U.S. troop withdrawal. Shaheen said they also discussed a "delay in the release of prisoners." According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Taliban on April 12 released 20 Afghan government prisoners in the southern province of Kandahar. A Taliban spokesman told AFP that its decision to release a first group of prisoners was "a goodwill step...to accelerate the prisoner exchange process." Earlier, the Afghan government had released 100 Taliban prisoners -- bringing to 300 the total number of Taliban inmates freed by Kabul since April 8. Khalilzad on April 13 said the start of prisoner swaps by Kabul and the Taliban was "an important step" toward Afghan talks on a permanent peace deal and called for accelerated efforts "to meet targets specified in the U.S.-Taliban agreement as soon as possible." He said the prisoner exchange was more important than ever because prison populations are threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. The pact signed by the United States and the Taliban in Doha calls for the Afghan government to release a total of 5,000 Taliban fighters as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the Afghan conflict. In return, the Taliban has vowed to release some 1,000 Afghan government troops and civilian workers it is holding. But the Taliban last week recalled a three-member team it had sent to Kabul to try to finalize the swap, originally set to happen by March 10. The militants blamed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's administration for delaying the exchange "under one pretext or another," while Kabul called on the Taliban not to "sabotage the process by making excuses." Under the U.S.-Taliban accord, talks between Kabul and the Taliban and a series of security commitments from the militants are to be met by the withdrawal from Afghanistan of all U.S. troops and other foreign coalition forces within 14 months. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan have outdone themselves when it comes to helping people in need during this unprecedented time. Ever since the outbreak, the Khans, under the names of their companies, Red Chillies, Kolkata Knight Riders and Meer Foundation have donated money to PM CARES and CM of Maharashtras relief funds. They also offered their 4-storey building to the BMC to convert into quarantine facilities for patients in Mumbai. Now comes the news of SRK donating 25,000 Personal Protective Equipment kits to hospitals around Maharashtra. This update was given by Mr. Rajesh Tope, Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare for the government of Maharashtra. He tweeted, Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team. To this SRK replied, "Thank you sir for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavour to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family & team be safe and healthy. The global system is as strong as its weakest link. The pandemic will only be beaten in rich countries when it is beaten everywhere else, writes Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Brahima Coulibaly THE coronavirus Covid-19 has spread increasingly rapidly throughout Africa. Unless the continent urgently receives more assistance, the virus will cut a deadly path across it, with grim consequences. We are calling for immediate debt relief for African countries to create the fiscal space their governments need to respond to the pandemic. Combating Covid-19 is more challenging in Africa. Healthcare across the continent remains limited. One third of Africans cannot wash their hands regularly, because they lack clean water. Lack of refrigeration to store perishable foods or medicines makes it hard for most households to comply with stay-at-home orders. And many millions of workers livelihoods are in jeopardy, because they have limited access to broadband connectivity, telework, or other opportunities to maintain basic incomes. Nonetheless, African governments are instituting states of emergency, requiring physical distancing, imposing quarantines, and restricting travel and public gatherings. And private-sector firms, civil-society groups, and grassroots movements are joining the fight. The African Union has adopted a joint continental strategy and established a task force to coordinate the efforts of member states. The WHO is resolving to assist African governments. But the key challenge is resources. Africa needs an initial 100bn in support, because sharp declines in commodity prices, trade, and tourism a result of the pandemic are drying up government revenues. Investor pullback from risky assets has pushed up the cost of borrowing in financial markets, limiting viable options for resource mobilisation. The average fiscal-support package announced by African governments amounts to a meagre 0.8% of GDP, one-tenth the level in advanced economies. And the continents additional financing needs could rise to 200bn. True, international and regional institutions are complementing national efforts. The African Development Bank issued a 3bn Fight Covid-19 social bond, while the African Export-Import Bank has set up a 3bn credit facility. The G20 called for a collective response to assist the worlds most vulnerable countries, pledged immediate resources on a voluntary basis, and instructed finance ministers and central-bank governors to develop an action plan. International organisations including the World Bank, the IMF, the United States Agency for International Development, the Global Fund, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have all announced support for developing countries. And the high uptake of these schemes illustrates African governments resource shortages. Still, global support for Africa has not gone far enough. We back the urgent call by the IMF and the World Bank for bilateral debt relief for low-income countries. This should be matched by parallel treatment regarding private and commercial debt, which now accounts for a significant share of many African countries external debt. We call for a two-year standstill on all external-debt repayments, both interest and principal. During this standstill, the G20 should task the IMF and World Bank with undertaking a debt-sustainability assessment and with considering further debt restructuring, to preserve or restore debt sustainability. Debt relief should also extend to middle-income countries that currently are experiencing capital flight and unsustainable debt burdens. Assessments of these economies debt sustainability must go beyond the debt-to-GDP ratio and also consider the ratio of debt-service payments to government revenue. Several middle-income countries spend 20% of their revenues on debt service, which crowds out much-needed health, education, and infrastructure expenditures. With immediate debt relief, African governments can focus on protecting vulnerable populations, bolstering social-safety nets, and supporting the private sector, especially small- and medium-size enterprises. That includes paying these firms arrears and ensuring credit flow, so as to avoid a prolonged banking and economic crisis. Such measures will preserve jobs. Without them, Africa could face an unprecedented human and economic catastrophe that could morph into even costlier political and social instability. The global health system is only as strong as its weakest link: success in combating the pandemic in any country will be short-lived until every country succeeds. Beyond the immediate responses, the pandemic and its economic fallout highlight the longer-term need to strengthen Africas health systems, diversify its economies, and broaden domestic revenue sources. Achieving these goals matters for the entire world. This commentary is also signed by the Council on Foreign Relations; Donald Kaberuka, a former president of the African Development Bank and board chair of the Global Fund; Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Strive Masiyiwa, founder of Econet Global; Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie; and Cristina Duarte, a former finance minister of Cabo Verde. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former finance minister of Nigeria, is board chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and distinguished fellow at the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution; Brahima Coulibaly is a senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor have been dropping sibling goals on social media for quite some time now. The two sisters recently took the 'Who Is More Likely To' challenge online, and the answers to the questions asked were a revelation! Read on to find out what they revealed about each other. Khushi and Janhvi pointed and showed 'who is more likely to' do a particular thing, and interestingly, they both had the responses. When asked who is more likely to get married first and have babies, they both indicated that it is Khushi, whereas when asked who spends more money, they agreed that it is Janhvi. Khushi, according to them has better style among the two and is also a lot meaner. Janhvi and Khushi are spending quality time with each other amidst the Coronavirus lockdown. Khushi, who is studying films in New York, flew down to her hometown due to the outbreak of the virus. As seen in the video, the two of them know each other well and are very close to each other. Some time back, when Janhvi was asked if she has any rivalry with her sister, she said that she gets angry only when Khushi steals her clothes without taking her permission. In another interview, when Janhvi was asked if she has any advice for Khushi if she wants to enter Bollywood, she said being self-aware and true to oneself is most important. With regard to work, Janhvi will next be seen in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. The film is a biopic on Indian Air Force's first female pilot to fly into combat. It has been directed by Sharan Sharma. ALSO READ: Janhvi Kapoor After A Week Of Isolation Says, 'Khushi Is The Cooler Sister' ALSO READ: Janhvi Kapoor Has Solid Advice For Sister Khushi Before She Makes Her Bollywood Debut A priest has been fined for breaking lockdown rules by going ahead with an Easter mass in central Paris, according to local media. Residents reportedly raised the alarm after they heard music coming from the Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet church late on Saturday night. Police discovered a mass was taking place and were told by a worshipper on their way out around 40 people were inside, according to a French magazine. The priest has since been fined for ignoring restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus in the country, Le Point reported. Meanwhile, no churchgoers were sanctioned by police, reports in local media said. "Last night in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, a service took place in a church despite the lockdown measures," the Prefecture de Police tweeted. "Officers found the doors shut when they arrived to do checks, but have fined the ecclesiastical authority who officiated after the mass." Public gatherings have been banned in France and people told to stay at home unless it is essential - for example, to buy groceries or go to work - in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19. People found outside without a certificate explaining their reason risk a fine of 135 (118), which increases if caught flouting rules a second or third time, the French government has said. Christians around the world followed virtual services over the Internet or their televisions during the Easter weekend as the coronavirus outbreak put a stop to large gatherings. The Notre-Dame cathedral ran a scaled-back Good Friday service that was closed to the public and broadcast on TV. It was the second service to have been held in the Gothic church since it was damaged in a fire last year. France has been in lockdown for nearly a month over the pandemic, which has seen more than 95,000 people infected with Covid-19 in the country to date. The death toll for coronavirus patients stood at around 14,400 on Monday. Additional reporting by Reuters The captain of a US guided-missile destroyer was sacked after he ordered crew to report inaccurate ship positions and lie that it was travelling at full speed - when the ship was instead dead in the water. Commander John 'Bob' Bowen had ordered crew on September 13 not to report that the USS Decatur had stopped travelling to repair a propeller shaft, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. The ship was en route from Hawaii to California last September when the starboard shaft, which connects the engine to the propeller, came out out alignment. Bowen made crew turn off two electronic systems that automatically sent the ship's position to fleet headquarters in a bid to maintain the lie so they would not know the ship was adrift. John Bowen was fired earlier this year following a 'loss of confidence in his ability to command', a Navy statement issued at the time revealed. The Decatur's website shows Bowen reported as executive officer in October 2016, a role he served for a year and a half. He returned to the ship in May 2018 as the commanding officer He ordered crew to report inaccurate ship positions for the duration of the four-hour long stop to make it appear that the ship was still travelling. The destroyer, which was armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Standard surface-to-air missiles, should have covered about 180 miles in the eastern Pacific over that duration, The Times reported. After the ship returned to San Diego a tip-off was made to a Navy complaints hotline. An investigation was launched in November and Bowen was sacked in January. A Navy statement obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune at the time revealed Bowen was relieved of his duties following a 'loss of confidence in his ability to command'. The USS Decatur is the 22nd destroyer of her class and was launched on November 8 1996 Investigation details have now emerged with navy investigators told how the crew were repeatedly instructed to report false positions while work was under way to realign the propeller shafts. A sailor told investigators that co-ordinates of where the ship should have been were written down so crew could report its false position back to headquarters, the investigation report revealed. One sailor who told investigators he refused to take part said: 'There was this piece of paper where the times and speed were calculated. 'It was, in my opinion, designed to make it look like we were continuing along our track... when we weren't.' The USS Decatur was involved in a near collision in 2018 when it came within 50 yards of the Chinese destroyer Lanzhou in the South China Sea,above Another sailor said he remembered Bowen claiming the repairs wouldn't take long so not to worry about letting the fleet know they'd stopped. Bowen denied the allegations and when interviewed by investigators said he did not recall ordering his crew to turn off electronic trackers or to report false coordinates. He also told investigators that he had not wanted headquarters asking questions and thought there was no need to notify the fleet. Investigation transcripts reveal Bowen said: 'I mean as long as we're not doing anything crazy. We could still do our mission. I just didn't want them asking questions'. Once the ship was back on its way, false co-ordinates continued to be supplied to the fleet until it the ship had caught up to where it was supposed to be. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and assured him of "all possible support" in the fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic. During his telephonic conversation with Abbas, the prime minister appreciated the efforts being made by the Palestinian authorities to protect their population from the virus, and assured all possible support from India for these efforts, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Prime Minister Modi conveyed greetings to the President and the people of Palestine, for the forthcoming holy month of Ramzan, it said. "The two leaders discussed the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and apprised each other of the steps being taken in their respective countries to control the situation," the statement said. Modi and Abbas agreed to remain in touch at appropriate levels to explore avenues of cooperation at this challenging time. "We are confident that India and its friendly people are capable under your wise leadership to overcome this global ordeal as quickly as possible and with minimal losses," Abbas told Modi. "In Palestine, we were able to achieve great progress in confronting and controlling the coronavirus. In spite of the occupation and the difficulties we face because of it, we are still able to make significant progress in this regard," a statement by the office of Abbas quoted him as saying. Abbas stated that there is a need for medicines and medical equipment in Palestine with which India could be of help. "Concerned authorities will communicate with their counterparts in friendly India to cooperate in this field, he said. The Palestinian President also expressed hope of meeting the Prime Minister soon after the crisis is over. Abbas thanked Modi for the felicitations, wishing him "abundant health and success as a friend of the Palestinian people and leadership". As many as 284 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the West Bank so far and two persons have died. In Gaza, 13 cases have been diagnosed with the first two cases found among people who returned from Pakistan last month. India had earlier sent a consignment of hydroxychloroquine to Israel at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Friends of the British teenager who claimed she was gang raped by a group of Israeli teens have recalled how they found her 'crying hysterically surrounded by men', in new documentary 'Believe Me' which airs on ITV tonight. Jacob, who had been on the trip with her at the time, recalled how he arrived at the apartment and found the anonymous Derbyshire teenager, now 19 - who has been given the name "Emily" in the documentary - surrounded by the teenagers. He recalled the moment he found her, revealing: 'One of them had his arms over her shoulders as if to pull her close, and the two were almost standing either side of her so that she had nowhere to move. So I've said "what are you doing?" and they didn't reply and started walking away. 'She was crying and I was like "come on, come on, come with me and I'll take you downstairs to where we were living". ITV's Believe Me is said to feature fresh testimony about the alleged attack in Ayia Napa last July including compelling statements from the young woman's friends. It comes after she received a suspended four-month jail sentence for 'public mischief' while the group of Israeli suspects walked free. Friends of the British teenager, now 19, seen, who claimed she was gang raped by a group of Israeli teens have recalled how they found her 'crying hysterically surrounded by men', in new documentary 'Believe Me' which airs on ITV tonight Speaking in the documentary about the moment she returned to their apartment, her friend Becca said: 'My friend runs at me, towards me. She was hysterical - I've never seen anyone in that kind of state in my life. It was scary. She just collapsed on my bed and was just curled up. 'I just grabbed her and was hugging her and was like "Just tell me what's wrong, what's happened, I can help you, just tell me what happened - did he hurt you?".' 'She was like "yeah and she said "yes but not just him", and that's when I put it together and was like "did they rape you", and she said "yes".' ITV's Believe Me is the 19-year-old's first television interview since the ordeal. Speaking in the documentary, her friend Becca said: 'My friend runs at me, towards me. She was hysterical - I've never seen anyone in that kind of state in my life. It was scary. She just collapsed on my bed and was just curled up.' She said that police had forced her to retract her statement, explaining: 'There was no other way out of that police station other than [to] sign that retraction statement. 'I thought, "As soon as I am outside this volatile environment I can sort this out." 'When you're in that situation, the only sensible thing to do is to conform.' The documentary features her barrister, Lewis Powers, who slams police failings as a 'disgraceful miscarriage of justice'. Her defence lawyer at trial, Nicoletta Charalambidou, also adds that the island has a culture of not believing women's claims of rape. Jacob, who had been on the trip with her at the time, recalled how he arrived at the apartment and found the anonymous teenager, now 19, who has been given the name "Emily" in the documentary, surrounded by the gang The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says she was raped after striking up a 'normal holiday romance' with a young Israeli - and then she had to face a prison ordeal She says: 'I do not understand why it's easier to believe that a woman was not raped, rather than believing she was raped. 'Because if you wanted to believe her All the evidence was there to conclude that there was rape.' Emily, who is now back in the UK and set to appeal against her conviction, vowed: 'I will achieve justice.' The Cyprus police have said their investigation was handled with professionalism and they deny improper conduct. The woman recently told the Sun how she went to Cyprus to work and holiday but ended up suffering an ordeal. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told how she was raped after striking up a 'normal holiday romance' with a young Israeli. The bedroom where the teenager says she endured the gang rape ordeal in Ayia Napa, Cyprus Shimon Yusufov, 19, has been named as the Israeli who met the British student, also 19, while on holiday in Cyprus last July She recalled how they went back to his hotel room in the early hours of the morning. She said: 'I knew he was leaving the next day so we started kissing. About five minutes later, I heard the sound of the room door opening and turned around. 'He grabbed me and threw me on the bed. 'He pinned my shoulders down by kneeling on them he was well-built, strong I couldn't move. From under his knees, I turned and saw the light growing from the doorway.' The 12 other attackers entered the room, she said: 'Some of them grabbed my ankles, some held down my knees and they ripped my bodysuit. 'I was trying to cross my legs all the time and every time I did, Sam would get angry. He grabbed one of my knees himself at one point. Then they took it in turns.' She says she was forced to sign a confession saying she made up the attack that was dictated to her by a male police officer. However, the teenager still had faith that a judge would recognise that the statement was written under extreme pressure. Instead she was put through another six-month ordeal, first being put in prison where she lost two-and-a-half stone in weight, then being under house arrest. After five weeks behind bars she was granted bail but her family had to raise 20,000 euros to secure her release. The teenager has now filed an appeal to try and get her conviction overturned. Her dreams of becoming an anti-terror police officer, having got into university to study criminology, have been shattered by the post-traumatic stress disorder she suffers from. Believe Me: The Cyprus Rape Case airs on ITV at 10.45pm tonight. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Tuesday strongly came out in support of the government's decision to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to check the spread of COVID-19. The confederation said that the decision is a "logical and extremely important step" desired under the present circumstances due to the grave threat of COVID-19 across the country. "There are about 7 crore traders in the country, out of which about 1.5 crore traders deal in essential commodities. But only 40 lakh of them have been able to continue supply chain across the country because of several difficulties in obtaining passes from the authorities and non-availability of transport," CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said. Although the traders are one of the worst-hit sections due to the lockdown, the trading community extended support to the government with the idea of "nation first". He said that nearly 80 percent of employees of traders have migrated to their villages while only 20 per cent of employees are engaged in the supply of essential goods. "Keeping in view the extension of the lockdown, it is necessary to enhance the numbers of shops considerably dealing in essential commodities so that people, in general, may not suffer in procuring their daily needs," Khandelwal added. CAIT has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the traders under any circumstances will continue to run the supply chain of essential goods in a most efficient and effective manner so that citizens don't face difficulties with their daily requirements. According to the traders' confederation, Indian retail traders have suffered a loss of Rs 3.15 lakh crores during the lockdown so far. CAIT has also urged the government to ensure the smooth availability of curfew passes to the traders dealing in essential goods and their employees and availability of modes of transport for the movement of goods. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 (12:39 pm) - Score 5,448 The CEO of broadband and mobile giant BT, Philip Jansen, has revealed that 39 engineers have been verbally or physically assaulted including threats to kill over the completely bonkers conspiracy theory that links the spread of COVID-19 to 5G (11 mobile masts have also been destroyed or damaged by arson 33 from all UK operators). Before the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) it was still possible to at least understand those with fears about 5G, however unfounded, because they stemmed from having seen factually incorrect social media posts or crazy YouTube videos; all of which lacked much credible understanding of the basic science or existing research. People are often fearful of that which they cant see or understand and so education is often the best response. We have previously run a number of articles to fact check some of the 5G health claims (5G health claims fact check) and strongly recommend those with a concern take the time to read and understand those. Ofcom has also warned media organisations that they could face sanctions if found to be promoting the latest COVID-19 theory (here); one radio station has already been sanctioned (here) and Eamonn Holmes hasnt helped (here). At this point there are no words to express how sick and twisted the current situation has since become. At some point the 5G conspiracy theories have morph, again, with supporters essentially ignoring even common sense in a belief that 5G signals created or directly transmitted the Coronavirus. Both ideas are as preposterous as they are lacking in any credible scientific foundation (weve covered this in our fact check). Leaving aside the fact that a biological virus couldnt be more different from electromagnetic radio waves, or that COVID-19 is spreading just as fast in countries and areas with no 5G at all. The one sure way to actually hurt people during a very real global pandemic is by breaking the law, committing arson and cutting off the ability of people to communicate with family and friends. On top of that we now have engineers facing both physical and verbal assault, as if COVID-19 wasnt already a big enough risk to the vital work theyre doing in a time of crisis. Philip Jansen said (This is Money): If you cant call 999 or get through to a lonely parent to check theyre okay, it matters. If your link to family, friends and the outside world when youre feeling truly isolated, gets destroyed because of a baseless and reckless conspiracy theory, it matters. Everything about this is senseless. Theres no thought for the validity of the theories many openly contradict themselves; all ignore the very basic principles of science. Some go so far as to assume that Covid-19 is an entirely fabricated virus; nothing but a cover-up for 5G. Oh, and by the way, most of the sites attacked dont even carry 5G. This week, weve seen telephone poles wrapped in barbed wire to stop our engineers doing their job. Those poles carry fixed phone lines, theyre nothing to do with mobile. Its hard to know where to begin to use science, logic or reason to debunk something so devoid of reality. As before, we can only hope that the lockdown makes it easier for the Police to find and arrest those responsible for the damage to infrastructure and assaults. Meanwhile social media firms have finally begun to clamp down on the sources of such content, although the theory itself continues to spread.. ironically, not unlike a virus. The impact of all this on the national network is currently said to be minimal. NOTE: Weve once again taken the rare action of disabling comments on this news item in order to avoid such conspiracy theorists from abusing the system in order to spread nonsense about COVID-19. UPDATE 15th April 2020: The trade body for mobile operators, Mobile UK, has reported that a further 20 suspected attacks against phone masts occurred right across the United Kingdom over the Easter Weekend alone (most were arson). Shockingly one of the targeted sites provided mobile connectivity to Birminghams Nightingale hospital for COVID-19 patients. At this point it has become difficult to express the sheer stupidity and utter insanity of it all. One piece of good news was that, over the same period, there were no new reports of assaults against mobile engineers. Hailey Bieber may look like a perfect supermodel who has not a flaw on her face. But the Vogue cover girl has said she actually suffers from a skin problem, she told Glamour UK on Monday. The 23-year-old model has Perioral dermatitis - an inflammatory rash around the mouth - and prefers to use minimal ingredients and products on her face to help ease her condition. And the blonde also said her husband Justin Bieber battles adult acne. Issues: Hailey Bieber may look like a perfect supermodel who has not a flaw on her face. But the Vogue cover girl has said she actually suffers from a skin problem, she told Glamour UK on Monday Her truth: The 23-year-old model has Perioral dermatitis - an inflammatory rash around the mouth - and prefers to use minimal ingredients and products on her face to help ease her condition 'I have Perioral dermatitis, so certain products irritate my skin, giving me a horrible itchy rash around my mouth and eyes,' she told Glamour. 'I always try to avoid fragrance in products as it's too much on the skin. However, I don't always know what's being put on my skin as I work with lots of different make-up artists.' Instead, Hailey sticks to a few beauty products to help clear away any impurities in her skin. She said: 'I don't like a lot of steps as I don't usually have the time. She covers the problem up: The star uses makeup to hide the rash on her face His struggle: And the blonde also said her husband Justin Bieber battles adult acne 'I start with cleansing and washing, then putting on a serum and moisturiser. If I have more time at night, I'll put on a face mask or extra moisturiser.' WHAT IS PERIORAL DERMATITIS? Perioral dermatitis is an inflammatory rash involving the skin around the mouth. The rash may spread up to the nose or even the eyes. In that case, it's referred to as periorificial dermatitis. It usually appears as a scaly or red bumpy rash around the mouth. The condition is most commonly seen in young women (90% of cases), but it can affect men as well. The exact cause of perioral dermatitis is not known. It may be from an external source that is irritating your skin such as toothpaste or a skin care product, or an allergic reaction. Information courtesy of webMD. Advertisement But the model admitted that travelling impacts her schedule and dries out her skin. She added: 'I never sleep with my make-up on, even at my drunkest I've never fallen asleep with make-up on my face. 'Sleep and rest is so important for the skin. If I'm working and travelling a lot and my sleep schedule is off I notice my skin gets really dry.' She also said Justin has skin issues: 'Justin has struggled with adult acne. After he works out he uses clarifying pads to wipe the skin after hes been sweating.' Hailey also said she will not be having children anytime soon. The star said that she is on birth control still even thought the power couple has said they wanted to have children soon. 'I'm on a birth control now where I don't have a period, but I still feel symptoms of PMS and this can also affect my skin too,' said the cover girl. 'My skin actually stays a lot better in Canada where there's cleaner air, than when I'm in New York or Los Angeles.' Her skin: 'I have Perioral dermatitis, so certain products irritate my skin, giving me a horrible itchy rash around my mouth and eyes,' she told Glamour Hailey and her husband Justin are currently self-isolating at their mansion in Canada. Some fans may be surprised that she is on birth control as last year Justin said their next step was starting a family, though he did admit he was in 'no rush.' In July he wrote on Instagram, 'Love dates with you baby.. one day Ill be doing daddy daughter dates..... not hinting at anything soon Im not in a rush i just wanna enjoy you by yourself for a while.' She jumped in with: 'Always have the most fun with you.. .' Her trick: 'I always try to avoid fragrance in products as it's too much on the skin. However, I don't always know what's being put on my skin as I work with lots of different make-up artists,' she said Happily married: Hailey and her husband Justin are currently self-isolating at their mansion in Canada Earlier this month he talked kids while on the Ellen show. During a game of Burning Questions with Ellen DeGeneres he addressed their plans to start a family. When asked how many kids they hope to have in the future, the star said: I think it's up to Hailey because it's her body. They wed for the first time in New York in September 2018 and the second time in south Carolina last September. In November fans said she looked pregnant, to which she said: The internet is funny! No, I'm not pregnant. I just really love food.' Hailey's skincare confessions come as she offered up some advice to teenagers who are struggling with their skin and want to learn more about how they can care with it. The model teamed up with beauty guru and skincare expert Dr. Barbara Sturm for an online 'skin school' class, in which the two women discussed the best ways that young people can look after their complexions. Good answer: Earlier this month he talked kids while on the Ellen show. During a game of Burning Questions with Ellen DeGeneres he addressed their plans to start a family. When asked how many kids they hope to have in the future, the star said: I think it's up to Hailey because it's her body' Dr. Sturm and Hailey appeared together in a live YouTube video that saw them both opening up about their own experiences with skin struggles, while tackling some of the biggest complexion problems that many young people suffer with. Sharing her top skincare tips, Hailey revealed that she 'never, ever sleeps with makeup on', sharing: 'Even at my drunkest, I have never fallen asleep with makeup on.' She added: 'I believe nice skin is a combination of things, both nature and nurture...I do believe that genetics play a big role in your skin.' Dr. Sturm meanwhile noted that acne - one of the biggest skincare concerns among young people - is caused by 'multiple factors', including 'the stress hormone Cortisol and puberty hormones called Androgens'. The skincare pro urged people of all ages to use SPF every day, explaining: 'You need to always wear sun protection; you need to always protect against pollution. These inflammatory influences do tremendous long-term damage and trigger short term ones like acne.' Although the video is free to stream online, the asked anyone who was able to donate to one of two charities, First Responders First and Youth Anxiety Center. (@FahadShabbir) NATO plans to dispatch its "counter hybrid" teams to North Macedonia to help its newest member to repel alleged disinformation campaigns coming from Russia, US Ambassador to the alliance Kay Hutchinson told reporters on Tuesday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) NATO plans to dispatch its "counter hybrid" teams to North Macedonia to help its newest member to repel alleged disinformation campaigns coming from Russia, US Ambassador to the alliance Kay Hutchinson told reporters on Tuesday. "I think that those will be available to North Macedonia ... to prepare the North Macedonian media to repel these disinformation campaigns," Hutchinson said at a media briefing. "Russia in particular has tried to sow disinformation, really tried to keep North Macedonia from seeking to be a member of NATO and then when the accession was accepted has continued to put disinformation in North Macedonia. " Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations of waging disinformation campaigns against the West. Hutchinson said that NATO "counter hybrid support teams" are already deployed on the same mission in Montenegro, another country in the Balkans. She also accused Russia and China of sowing disinformation about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic by suggesting it may have come from the United Stated or Europe. NATO is trying to respond to it with facts, Hutchinson said. France's foreign minister summoned the Chinese envoy today after the embassy published a second article on its website criticising Western handling of the coronavirus crisis. 'I made clear my disapproval of certain recent comments when the ambassador... was summoned this morning,' Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a ministry statement, adding that the remarks were not in line with the 'quality of the bilateral relationship' between the two countries. The latest comments on the embassy's website, which in part suggested Western countries had left their pensioners to die in nursing homes, come after France ordered millions of masks from China to curb a shortage in the country. French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) visit the Crisis and Support Center at the French Foreign Affairs ministry, at Quai DOrsay, in Paris, on April 3, 2020 Pictured: The comments made by Beijing's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye regarding the West's management of the coronavirus crisis China's embassy to France has been leading a high-profile public relations campaign in recent weeks to vaunt the country's success in largely quelling the coronavirus while criticising the handling of the crisis by Western countries. On Sunday, the Chinese embassy published on its website a long text titled 'Restoring distorted facts - Observations of a Chinese diplomat posted to Paris'. The diplomat, who was not named in the text, sharply criticised the Western response to the coronavirus outbreak as laggardly. But most pointedly, the diplomat accused workers at nursing homes in France of 'abandoning their posts overnight... and leaving their residents to die of hunger and disease'. That comment sparked fury across the political spectrum, with people leaping to the defence of nursing home workers. Shaye published another article today, saying that 'the French government, business community and the general public are generally friendly to China. The three words I heard the most are 'support', 'confidence' and 'cooperation'.' But, he went on to say that 'certain French media, journalists and so-called 'Chinese experts' have occasionally produced some dissonant voices'. Pictured: A 2019 photo of China's Ambassador to France Lu Shaye, posing during a photo session in Paris In Sunday's piece, Shaye slammed the herd immunity plan, the same mooted by the UK government at the start of the pandemic, and suggested the public would pay for buoying the economy with their lives. He went on to condemn the 'grabbing' of PPE between nations, which was referred to as 'modern-day piracy' by a German minister after the US intercepted a plane-load of equipment in Berlin last week. China has won plaudits from some in Europe for generous donations of medical aid but others have accused it of cynically exploiting the donations for propaganda purposes. Some experts have also accused the country of failing to rapidly disclose information after the virus first broke out in China, thus undermining the global response. 'There is no room for polemics and France is working strongly in favour of unity, solidarity and the greatest international cooperation,' Le Drian said. 'The acts of reciprocal solidarity between China and France bear witness to our desire to face this in a coordinated way,' he said. Lu Shaye earned a reputation as an 'outspoken' and 'strikingly undiplomatic' diplomat at his previous posting in Canada, according to the country's Globe and Mail newspaper. Belinda Birnbaum, a rheumatologist in Montgomery County, has battled the coronavirus since the middle of March. Read more Belinda Birnbaum started coughing in the middle of February. It didnt strike her as particularly worrisome at first; as someone who has asthma and allergies, shes used to being dogged by a chronic hack. The United States had only a handful of known coronavirus cases at the time, but Birnbaum, a rheumatologist, decided to start wearing a mask at the Bryn Mawr office where she practices. Coughing scares people, she said, and I didnt want to scare my patients. Soon, it was Birnbaums turn to be scared. On March 15 four days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic her cough worsened, and a low-grade temperature blossomed into a 101-degree fever. She was tested for the virus. The results came back positive. In the days and weeks that followed, the virus sank its hooks in her, dragging her down, down, down, sending her to the hospital twice, while it spread like a fog through her house, infecting her husband and one of their two children. Somewhere during that first week after her diagnosis as she shed pounds from the fever, and the cough became unrelenting she and her husband, Dan Vogl, had a frank conversation in the middle of the night, the kind that most parents wouldnt want their kids to overhear: If both she and her husband became gravely ill, who would sign off on life-and-death decisions? Who would take care of the kids? Was their will up to date? Birnbaum, 46, knows there are some who still doubt the threat the coronavirus poses, who shrug off social distancing and scoff at the idea of donning a mask outside. She offered to revisit the details of her fight against the virus one that isnt remotely finished, even now, a month later with the hope that it might encourage people to take it seriously, and plan ahead for the worst. It was terrifying, she said, because you dont know which way its going to go. The question everyone asks So how did you get it? Birnbaum hears variations of that question whenever she tells someone she had the virus. Maybe theyre looking for an explanation like she caught it from a sick patient that would imply theyre less at risk than a doctor. (Thus far, 1,250 health-care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health.) The honest answer is, I dont know, she said. I was at the supermarket, too, you know? What is clear is that the virus wore down her immune system quickly, its symptoms piling up like a stack of bricks. By March 18, Birnbaum had lost her appetite and developed abdominal pain. She started having trouble taking deep breaths, and found her oxygen levels were plunging. Then her 45-year-old husband, who had started to feel unwell about the same time she did, also tested positive. He never had a fever, Birnbaum said. But he had a really bad headache, a terrible cough, and horrible body aches. We both lost our senses of smell. Two people with an unpredictable virus under the same roof seemed bad enough. But then Birnbaum and Vogl heard an unsettling sound echoing from their 12-year-old sons bedroom. It was that same deep cough that we both had, Birnbaum said. Their son developed a fever, too, but his symptoms passed within a few days. Their 10-year-old daughter, meanwhile, didnt show any signs of being ill. On March 25, Birnbaum made her first trip to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She was thoroughly dehydrated. I had lost nine pounds and couldnt keep anything down. I kept vomiting, she said. Birnbaum worked at HUP for a decade, and her husband is an oncologist there. Its familiar territory for me. But walking in as a patient was bizarre, she said. We pulled into the ambulance bay, and it was completely empty. I had on a mask and a hat, and the security guard came out. He also had on a mask. I yelled at him: Stop! Dont come closer! Im COVID-19 positive! The waiting room was a ghost town. Birnbaum was led into a negative pressure room meant for patients with contagious diseases. She was struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the nurses who ventured into her room to check on her, and provided her with fluids for dehydration. Doctors discovered a secondary bacterial infection. Birnbaum was given an antibiotic, and sent home the following morning. By the end of March, her condition started to show signs of improvement. I had no fever. I was able to start to eat again, drink again, and start to feel a little better, she said. I was still feeling very weak. I was napping during the day, which is something I dont generally do. Still coughing, still not smelling anything. She felt well enough to take a brief walk around the Main Line neighborhood where she lives baby steps, but still encouraging. And then came her next big scare. The sickest Ive ever been On April 4, Birnbaum tried to walk up a flight of stairs inside her house. An unsettling sensation stopped her in her tracks. I had chest pains, she said. My oxygen level had dropped to a level that I thought was problematic. By that point, there were more than 10,000 reported coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania, and more than 3,000 in Philadelphia. She returned to HUP, where she noticed the atmosphere had changed. The emergency room was busier. Patients were being triaged under tents outside the building. Registration was being done by phone, as were some conversations with doctors. A scan showed that Birnbaums lungs were still plagued by residual pneumonia. She was released a pulmonologist recommended additional medication and relieved she didnt have to experience life as a coronavirus patient restricted to a hospital bed, barred from having visitors. It must be a lonely, desperate feeling, she said. She is still coughing, still not remotely 100%. Neither she nor her husband has returned to their offices, but both are conducting telemedicine from home, and encouraging patients with ongoing medical issues to continue to communicate with their doctors. The experience has left Birnbaum with an urge to try to enlighten people. This was the sickest Ive ever been, she said, but on the spectrum, not as sick as I could have been. Shes come to view her family as a case study in the importance of social distancing. Imagine, she said, how easy it would have been for her daughter, who could be asymptomatic, to spread the virus to a teacher or a friend at school were schools still in session and for that person to take it home to their family, and on and on down the line. There are other lessons. That unnerving middle-of-the-night conversation that she and her husband had about their will, and the possibility of having to make serious medical decisions? Dont wait to have one like that with your family, until youre on the verge of hospitalization. People with chronic illnesses should compile lists of their medications, histories, and primary doctors that could be shared with hospital personnel, a move that would save time for everyone. And families ought to have a clear understanding of one anothers wishes wills, and potential life-sustaining treatments. Nobody wants to talk about death. Ever," Birnbaum said. "But I think theres really no better time than when youre at home right now, with your loved ones, to say, What do we do? 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 06:12:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LISBON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration Eduardo Cabrita announced on Monday that its land borders with Spain will remain closed at least until May 15. "In coordination with the Government of Spain, we approved the extension of border controls and the limitation to nine exclusive crossing points on our land border with Spain for another month until May 15," said Cabrita at a press conference. The control of land borders with Spain has been carried out since 11:00 p.m. on March 16 at nine authorized crossing points, days before Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declared the state of emergency. Tourist and leisure travel between the two countries is suspended, and only the transport of goods and cross-border workers is allowed. Cabrita stressed that the decision of the government is in line with the position expressed by the president that the state of emergency be extended till the beginning of May. Portugal is in a state of emergency from March 19 to April 17. The country has reported 535 deaths and 16,934 confirmed cases of infection associated with COVID-19 as of Monday, according to the daily bulletin of the health authorities. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on the issues related to COVID-19 and existing lockdown, in New Delhi on Apr 14, 2020. The PM on Tuesday commended people of the nation for celebrating festivals by staying at home during t Image Source: IANS/PIB New Delhi, April 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Tuesday morning urged the countrymen to download the 'Aarogya Setu App'. So, let's know what this app is all about. This app is designed to help control the spread of coronavirus and make its information accessible to the common people. This special app also helps in finding out corona positive people present nearby. After downloading, this app asks if you have cough, fever or trouble breathing etc. If you do not have any such problem, you will be in the Green Zone. This app tells user to keep the mobile phone's Bluetooth and location devices on. Whenever the user visits a crowded place, this app keeps sending messages from nearby mobile phones through the Bluetooth. When the user stands near someone who is also a normal it shows green zone. But if that person becomes corona positive after 10 days, this app will alert you immediately. In such a situation, the user can get himself or herself checked also. This app also tells about hotspots, so that the user can change the route. This app has launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development is associated with Digital India for the health and well-being of every Indian. A senior ministry official said, "This state-of-the-art app will make calculations on the basis of interactions with others, Bluetooth technology, algorithm and artificial intelligence." Since its launch, the Aarogya Setu app has been downloaded by more than one crore people on both Android and iPhone smartphones. Available in 11 languages, the app is designed for use on an all-India basis. Its design is such that it can also take huge workload. [April 14, 2020] Lieff Cabraser Announces That Plaintiffs Defeat Motion to Dismiss California Bail Bonds Antitrust Litigation On April 13, 2020, Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an Order rejecting an argument by 28 members of the California bail bonds industry that they are immune from liability under state and federal law for an alleged antitrust conspiracy to fix the price of bail bond premiums. The lawsuit, brought by Shonetta Crain and Kira Serna on behalf of a proposed class of California bail bond purchasers, alleges that arrested people and their family members paid inflated prices for bail bonds due to an illegal conspiracy by sureties, California bail agencies, bail industry associations, and two individual defendants "to keep default premium rates fixed at 10%, advertise them as legal minimums, and prevent discounting or rebating as much as possible" to effectively fix the price of bail bonds in California. Read a copy of the Court's April 13, 2020 Order. The suit alleges that "sureties"-the companies that back the bonds sold by retail bond agents-have orchestrated a default premium of 10% of the bond amount, and then worked to eliminate discounting that would otherwise have occurred if the market operated competitively. The class action seeks damages for the hundreds of thousands of Californians who overpaid for unlawfully inflated bail bond prices, and to revent this unlawful overcharging to continue. Judge Tigar's Order holds that the plaintiffs have successfully overcome all but one of defendants' claims of immunity from prosecution, and upheld even that one with respect to the alleged agreement not to discount. The Court further upheld plaintiffs' Cartwright Act claim, allowing plaintiffs to proceed on both aspects of the conspiracy they alleged-the agreement to fix bond premium rates, and the agreement not to rebate. The Court denied defendants' arguments that the plaintiffs' California claims were barred by the California Insurance Code, and found that the plaintiffs had alleged sufficient facts of a plausible antitrust conspiracy. "This is a significant victory moving the plaintiffs' California bail bonds antitrust class action forward," notes Lieff Cabraser partner Dean M. Harvey, who represents the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. "The law clearly recognizes the fact that everyone in our society deserves the benefits of competition, and this defeat of dismissal shows that insurers in California cannot conspire to inflate prices to consumers." "The ruling signifies that our system-involved clients and their families can continue their fight to expose the anti-competitive and deceptive practices used by the bail industry to profit from over-policing and the criminalization of poverty," said Cindy Panuco, of Public Counsel's Consumer Rights & Economic Justice Project. "This case shows how important antitrust law is," said Ben Elga, Executive Director of Justice Catalyst Law. "When companies conspire to inflate prices, people can be literally forced to choose between paying unfair prices and their freedom." "This ruling reinforces the important role that the antitrust laws can play in leveling the playing field and advancing the cause of economic justice for everyone," said David Seligman, Director of Towards Justice. The plaintiff class is defined in the Complaint as: "All persons who, between February 24, 2004 and present, paid for part or all of a commercial bail bond premium in connection with a California state court criminal proceeding. Specifically excluded from this Class are Defendants; the officers, directors or employees of any Defendant; any entity in which any Defendant has a controlling interest; any affiliate, legal representative, heir or assign of any Defendant and any person acting on their behalf; any person who acted as a bail agent during the Class Period; any judicial officer presiding over this action and the members of his/her immediate family and judicial staff; and any juror assigned to this action." Judge Tigar's Order granted certain defendants' motions to dismiss on the basis that the plaintiffs had not alleged sufficient allegations that those defendants participated in the conspiracy. Plaintiffs have leave to amend to provide those allegations, and will file an amended complaint by May 13, 2020. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005996/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Amazon has confirmed the firing of two former employees who had been vocal critics of the company's climate and labor practices. On Monday, the retailer told the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, that it had stopped employing Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa. The firings were later corroborated by CNBC. Amazon said it fired the two user experience designers for repeatedly violating its internal policies. Amazon's external communications policy says employees can't talk about the company publically without approval from management. A spokesperson for Amazon told the Washington Post, the rule does not allow employees to "publicly disparage or misrepresent the company." "We support every employee's right to criticize their employer's working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies," the spokesperson told the Washington Post. Citing the same policy, Amazon had threatened to fire Cunningham and Costa in the past as well. The two say they were fired in retaliation for their climate and labor advocacy. Both women are members of an employee advocacy group called Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. At the start of the year, they criticized the retailer for its climate policies in a video former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders shared on his Twitter account. Representing approximately 8,700 other employees, Cunningham was also the person who called on Amazon to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels during the company's annual board of directors meeting last year. "Because of how effective we've been in getting Amazon to take leadership in the climate crisis, they've wanted me gone for a while," Cunningham told the Washington Post. "They were targeting the most visible leaders in an attempt to silence everyone," Costa added. We are in the middle of both the climate crisis and a global pandemic. This is the time to deeply care about one another. Its about the kind of humans we want to be in an uncertain, scary world that is disproportionately harming and killing BIPOC and other vulnerable ppl. 3/ Emily Cunningham (@emahlee) April 14, 2020 More recently, both Cunningham and Costa expressed solidarity with Amazon's warehouse workers, publically denouncing the sanitary conditions at the company's fulfillment centers during the coronavirus pandemic. Before their firing, they said they would match donations up to $500 to support those individuals "while they struggle to get consistent, sufficient protections and procedures from our employer." Amazon's firing of Cunningham and Costa follows termination of warehouse worker Chris Smalls last month. Smalls, one of the organizers of the recent Staten Island fulfillment center coronavirus protest, was fired after he spoke to several media outlets about working conditions at Amazon's warehouses. For its part, the company said it had fired Smalls for disregarding a quarantine order from his manager. In one of its recent daily updates, Amazon announced it had started providing masks to its warehouse employees. It also said it had begun conducting temperature checks. A US-based research company has found that China limited the flow of the Mekong River following the construction of a number of its sprawling dams in its territory in the backdrop of a severe drought in the region last year. The report comes at a time when the entire is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic since late last year, when the virus first made its appearance in Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei province. "The satellite data does not lie and there was plenty of water in the Tibetan Plateau, even as countries like Cambodia and Thailand were under extreme duress," said Alan Basist, who co-wrote the report, which was released on Monday, for Eyes on Earth, a water resources monitor. "There was just a huge volume of water that was being held back in China," Basist was quoted by New York Times as saying. Farmers and fishermen across the Mekong region were devastated as the water level in portions of the river dwindled due to dams commissioned by China which has been articulated in several research findings in the past. The over 4,000 km long Mekong River originates from the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia and is one of the most longest and fertile rivers in Asia. Ironically, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a visit to Laos in February, when Beijing itself was battling with coronavirus crisis, said that "we feel your pain" and his country was suffering due to the drought. However, the report suggests otherwise. China's control of upstream Mekong, which provides as much as 70 per cent of downstream water during the dry season has raised eyebrows although several South-East Asian countries look up to Beijing for trade, as per the New York Times. China has introduced a global development programme which it says will aid poorer trading partners, there is a growing backlash among those countries which feels they are losing out, much like the Beijing-led OBOR initiative, which has been labelled as a 'debt trap' by many countries. "The problem is that the Chinese elite see water as something for their use, not as a shared commodity," Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Center's Southeast Asia program and author of 'Last Days of the Mighty Mekong,' was quoted as saying. Several African and Asian countries are wary of China's growing imperial power, who is eager to misuse natural resources ignoring the concerns of the local population. "This is part of China's business development. The lay people who depend on the resources of the Mekong River for their livelihoods and income are automatically excluded," said Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer and Mekong expert at Mahasarakham University in northeastern Thailand. The data modelling created by Basist and his colleague Claude Williams measures various components of a river's flow -- from snow to glacial melt and to rainfall and soil moisture, according to New York Times. The scientists discovered that the natural and unhindered flow of the upstream Mekong for several years "roughly tracked water levels measured downstream at a gauge in Thailand, with occasional exceptions when dam reservoirs in China were being filled or released". For instance, if there was a seasonal drought in China, the countries in the Mekong region -- Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam did feel the same. However, if there was overabundant water in China, floods wrecked havoc the Mekong basin. As Mekong on the Chinese side had above average volume of water, downstream countries were struck by such a severe drought that parts of the river dried up and exposed the cracked riverbed. After studying the low water levels at one gauge in Chiang Saen, in northern Thailand, for 28 years, Basist and his colleague found out that China held back over 410 feet of river height. "You look at our mapping, and it's bright blue with plenty of water in China and bright red from an extreme lack of water in Thailand and Cambodia. China can regulate this river's flow through dams, and that appears to be exactly what it's doing," Basist was quoted as saying. Niwat Roykaew, a community organizer and conservationist in northern Thailand, said, "The river will be dead." As China continues its hydropower push on Mekong River, it did not join a regional group comprising Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos aimed at protecting the health of the river. In a survey conducted by the group -- Mekong River Commission -- scientists warned that mindless construction of dams on the river could see a reduction of 97 per cent of sediment that flows to its mouth in Vietnam. "Glaciers are bank accounts of water but with climate change they are melting fast. The Chinese are building safe deposit boxes on the upper Mekong because they know the bank account is going to be depleted eventually and they want to keep it in reserve," Basist was quoted as saying. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A private hospital was shut and 65 staff members of the government-run KGMU in Uttar Pardesh's Lucknow were quarantined after a patient who came in their contact tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. According to officials, a 65-year-old who had diabetes visited the private hospital for the treatment of fever and cough over a week ago. On Saturday, he was brought to the Lucknow's King George's Medical University after he complained of breathlessness. Later, he tested positive for coronavirus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leading scholar and author, accused of having Maoist links and conspiring against government, surrenders in Mumbai. Mumbai, India A group of photographers rushed towards an entourage of five vehicles that emerged on the eerily deserted streets of south Mumbai in Indias Maharashtra state. Prominent intellectual and author Anand Teltumbde, wearing a mask to protect himself from coronavirus, disembarked from the vehicle to surrender to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday. Teltumbde, who would turn 70 in July, is accused of having links with the extreme-left Maoist rebels and conspiring against the government, including plotting the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Legal experts and activists said the charges are fabricated and aimed at targeting the critics of Modis right-wing government. Another activist, Gautam Navlakha, 67, also surrendered over similar charges in capital New Delhi on Tuesday. Arrested on Ambedkars birth anniversary Teltumbde is the grandson-in-law of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, a towering Dalit (the former untouchables) leader and the architect of Indias constitution. Ironically, Teltumbdes arrest coincided with Ambedkars 129th birth anniversary. During his surrender, the activist was accompanied by Ambedkars grandson, Prakash Ambedkar, who called it a fraud case. On the eve of his arrest, Teltumbde wrote an open letter to the people of India, in which he said, I do not know when I shall be able to talk to you again. However, I earnestly hope that you will speak out before your turn comes. Leading intellectuals, economists and legal experts had written to Chief Justice of India, Sharad Bobde, to restore public confidence in our constitution and the civil liberties that it guarantees to all citizens by stopping the arrests of Teltumbde and Navlakha. On Sunday, senior journalists and writers held a video conference and called it a witch-hunt against the two activists. Writing about Teltumbdes imminent arrest, his daughters Prachi and Rashmi wrote in the Caravan magazine, As we look into our parents eyes, we see only pain. Since we heard the verdict, it feels like life has come to a halt, they wrote. I do not know when I shall be able to talk to you again. However, I earnestly hope that you will speak out before your turn comes. Anand Teltumbde, in an open letter to people of India What is the case against them? On April 8, Indias Supreme Court denied Teltumbde and Navlakha an anticipatory bail to protect them from the arrest. One of the justices on the bench was Arun Mishra, who recently called Modi a visionary. The investigation against them began after riots broke out near Pune in Maharashtra, 250km (155 miles) from Mumbai on January 1, 2018. Tens of thousands of Dalits had gathered at a war memorial called Bhima-Koregaon to commemorate the bicentenary of the historic victory of the British colonial army, which had a substantial Dalit contingent, over the Hindu upper-caste Peshwa community. The attendees were allegedly attacked by the upper caste groups, resulting in one death while several others were wounded. Two right-wing activists, Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, were accused of inciting the violence against the gathering. Ekbote was arrested and later released on bail, but Bhide was never questioned. The Pune police, however, turned their focus on a rally that took place a day before the violence. Two retired judges, BG Kolse Patil and PB Savant, had organised that rally, called Elgar Parishad, and attended by thousands in Pune. Police allege the Elgar Parishad rally was responsible for the January 1, 2018 violence, and that it had Maoist connections. In June that year, police arrested five rights activists Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut and Soma Sen over the violence. Two months later, four more well-known activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Vara Vara Rao were also arrested. All these activists who have a history of speaking out for the marginalised Dalit and tribal communities are accused of a conspiracy to wage war against and overthrow the government of India. They have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which makes it virtually impossible to obtain bail. However, the law requires the police to submit their chargesheet within 90 days of the arrest, failing which, the accused are entitled to bail. But in February 2019, the Supreme Court gave police more time to file the chargesheet, which made the activists ineligible for bail. That order was delivered by the then Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, who was nominated last month as a member of Parliament, an appointment believed to be backed by Modis government. The Supreme Court order ensured that the arrested activists remained in jail. Teltumbde and Navlakha joined them on Tuesday. They Mihir violence.] The police claim to have recovered a letter from one of the 11 accused that discusses a plot to kill Modi in emails allegedly exchanged with fugitive Maoist leaders. One of those emails allegedly mentions a Comrade Anand, based on which Teltumbde was charged. However, Elgar Parishad organiser Kolse Patil told Al Jazeera the activists had nothing to do with their rally. I have been saying this again and again. They had nothing to do with what we organised. Thousands of volunteers and activists had gathered at our event, and we took a public oath to never vote for communal forces. That did not go down well with the establishment, he said. Transfer of case from Maharashtra The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has been accused of pursuing the Bhima-Koregaon case to silence its critics. That allegation became louder after the BJP government transferred the case in January to the federally controlled NIA from the Maharashtra police which had been probing it until then. That move came only weeks after the BJP lost Maharashtra to a coalition of opposing parties in the state assembly elections. Sharad Pawar, whose party is now a part of the coalition government in Maharashtra, had called the arrests of activists vengeful and wrong and had promised a fair investigation. Teltumbdes lawyer Mihir Desai called the sudden transfer of the case to the NIA shady. They are trying to protect the right-wing activists accused in the January 1 [2018] violence, he told Al Jazeera. To me, it looks like vendetta by the union government against the accused. Rejecting the charge, BJP spokesman Keshav Upadhye said the accused were repeatedly denied relief by the courts. Let them decide the merits of the case, he told Al Jazeera. Those who think of themselves as judges are calling it vendetta. One cannot expect anything from such hypocrites. Vulnerable amid a pandemic Mumbais streets are deserted due to the coronavirus lockdown, with Maharashtra being the worst-hit Indian state. India has reported more than 10,000 cases of COVID-19 infections and nearly 350 deaths. Maharashtra leads the state-wise tally with almost 2,000 confirmed cases and 160 deaths. But the states prisons are overflowing, marking them into potential hotspots during the pandemic. Both Teltumbde and Navlakha are susceptible to a virus infection considering their age. Teltumbde, being an asthmatic, is even more vulnerable. Human rights lawyer Nihalsing Rathod said when the government should be looking to decongest prisons, it was hell-bent on jailing the two. That shows political vendetta, he told Al Jazeera. There is no question of them running away or tampering with the evidence. Two weeks of lockdown over; three weeks more to come - and even then, not even any vestige of a lifting of any of the strictures of the lockdown. In three weeks' time, we will have the May bank holiday weekend. I remember so well it was Ruairi Quinn who, as the Labour Minister for Enterprise and Employment, brought in that May Day bank holiday weekend. He had told the unions that, if he found himself in a position of power, he would do so, and he very swiftly followed up on it. That May Day holiday was already, at the time, in many countries like France and others in Europe, where the Socialist idea of a May break had been evident for years. So Ruairi Quinn brought in his May bank holiday weekend. By this time three weeks, we will have gone through altogether more than five weeks of the extreme social and economic strictures. We all know they have to be done, there is no doubt about it, and yet it is so difficult not to be able to go to the front door, open it, step into the car and drive up the road. I feel it so deeply, and I know so many others do as well. Aren't An Post doing remarkable work since all this happened? David McRedmond, who is the CEO of An Post, has brought about so many wonderful people-based reliefs that it is truly amazing. The first thing was that he didn't go ahead with the increase in the price of the postage stamp, which had already been announced - that was cancelled. With the help of the Communications Workers Union, all the staff of An Post set to work on a response within the community. After all, it's the one service which inevitably will end up at everyone's door, and they were in a position to have a unique overview of the people they serve when they deliver post. So they are now looking after the solitary person, enquiring what they can do for them. Allied to that, they have got into the delivery of newspapers, again through the postman or postwoman. They will take away your letters if you have them ready for posting, and they have delivered a wonderful array of free postage postcards all around the country; it is amazing to receive one of them in the mail from somebody living far away who decided to use the opportunity to get in touch with a person again. Well done, An Post, for all of your various activities. We had the sad death during last week of Dr John Lynch, who in his day had been a public servant who did much for this country. In the 1980s he was the head of Bord Gais. He went on to be the head of FAS, and later the executive chairman of all of the CIE companies. He always said that he was appointed by ministers of the Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and Progressive Democrat variety, so he served no one political master, but he served Ireland well. He was a very valued contributor to the Irish Independent, and I understand that his regular Monday columns had a cult following. He discussed shares and the economic outlook of the various countries. I knew him well and worked well with him, and I would like to offer my sympathy to his partner Cathy and to his extended family and friends. Putting up with, and living with, social isolation has been that bit easier because of the wonderful weather of the last number of days - to be able to sit out and read your paper, even at home, and to forget for a moment the isolation in which we are living. I wanted to end with a cheerful note, and I think the following quartet of lines says it all: 'My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends - It gives a lovely light!' The title of the quartet is Figs From Thistles by the American poet Edna St Vincent Millay. This has echoes of Horace's Carpe Diem, and of the following lines by Robert Herrick: 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And that same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying.' Even saying these words gives me hope, that the good times will come again. Slan o Ath Luain, Mary O'Rourke Tomorrow: Sophie White on why Room to Improve is the ultimate pandemic comfort watch Police believe that siblings whose bodies were found inside a Perth unit on Easter Sunday were killed at least 24 hours apart. WA Police were called to the apartment block in the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park at about 4.20pm and discovered 66-year-old Maree Collins inside the unit, dead from a suspected knife wound. As police conducted a thorough search of the apartment they found the body of her 62-year-old brother. It was understood he went to the unit to check on her the day after her death and was also killed when he discovered her body. On Easter Sunday, family members found Ms Collins' body and called police. Police arrested Ms Collins' 27-year-old neighbour on Monday. No charges have been laid. Ms Collins' pastor Mark Edwards told 9 News she regularly went to church services and was an 'incredibly caring person'. Ms Collins (pictured), who has been described by her community as a woman of deep faith, was killed with a knife Investigators now believe the siblings were killed at least 24 hours apart, after Ms Collins younger brother came looking for her He said she 'loved God, and loved people', while a friend from church spoke of a particularly close relationship between Ms Collins and her brother. 'Maree was one of those special ones who emanated love. You would always feel encouraged and highly valued after being in her presence,' another friend wrote in a tribute online. 'She was uplifting and refreshing and had a joy and innocence about her uncommon in this age. Our loss, heavens gain, but hard to hear all the same.' Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told ABC Radio Perth on Monday the siblings' deaths were suspicious. 'It's clearly a very suspicious and tragic set of circumstances,' he said. Neighbour Colin Adams heard screaming coming from the apartment, on the top floor of the eight-storey building, about 20 minutes before police arrived. A crime scene was immediately set up on the top floor of the building, which is on the corner of Leonard and Washington Streets. Pictured: Police tape and officers during the investigation Mr Adams was sitting outside his nearby home when he heard people arguing for about 10 minutes. 'Then we saw the police arrive, about 15 police cars and two ambulances, and then we saw the paramedics go upstairs and then come back downstairs and we figured it was something serious,' he told the ABC. 'I'm very shocked and sad, it's just a numb feeling really, especially when something like this happens in your own street. 'You don't expect to things like this to happen when we're in a situation like we are at the moment, it's supposed to be a quiet time.' A crime scene was immediately set up on the top floor of the building, which is on the corner of Leonard and Washington Streets. The bodies of a brother and sister have been found by police inside a Perth unit complex on Easter Sunday. Pictured: Police and ambulance at the scene Investigators in plastic suits were seen bagging evidence from an apartment on Monday morning, while a coroner's van removed the bodies. A small red SUV and dark grey Kia sedan were towed away from the property under police supervision. The Homicide Squad is working with local police and forensics officers to investigate the deaths. 'There's a very big team working on this now,' Commissioner Dawson said. 'Anyone that's seen anything in and around Leonard Street [in] Victoria Park over the last 24 hours or so, we just want any information. 'It doesn't matter how small you think it might be, whether it's persons, vehicles, whatever it might be, noises, we'd just like you to make contact with us.' Australian actor Hugh Jackman spent part of Easter weekend observing social distancing at Serafina East Hampton before popping over to the West Village for a dog walk. According to Page Six, the 51-year-old actor popped in for takeout at Serafina. He was spotted wearing all-black gym clothes and a mask. A source told the outlet that "he consciously stood at least 6 feet away while he paid for his order, and was concerned about how the staff was doing. He made a comment about wanting to support local business in East Hampton." The 'Wolverine' actor's order included pizzas, grilled calamari and desserts. The restaurant gifted him a blue-and-yellow Serafina mask. On Sunday, Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness celebrated their anniversary in part by walking their dogs in the West Village. He posted on social media, "These 24 years have been the best of my life! And, as far as I can see, we keep getting better. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mexican airlines are currently running at only 15 percent of their capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This, according to the International Transport Association (IATA), is a situation that can result in bankruptcy if there is no forthcoming support from the government. IATA Vice President in Americas, Peter Cerda said on Monday, during a virtual press conference that "Mexican stand to lose" nearly $5.3 billion in income from march to May, as an outcome of a rapid decline in demand for air travel. Also, if the government does not offer any financial support for the airline industry, some carriers are reported to be at risk of failure and, eventually, closure. This, Cerda said, would then stance a threat to the connectivity of Mexico with the rest of the world. Almost 97,000 direct and 437000 indirect jobs, the IATA official added, would be at risk of collapsing if there is no assistance from the federal government to the airline sector amid this current crisis. Request for Assistance Remains Unaddressed During the virtual press conference, Cerda also disclosed, the association has already sent the authorities of the federal a letter on four occasions to formally ask for support for the airlines' sector. Still, it has not received any response yet. The official explained that they "don't see any support from the Mexican government for the airlines." He also claimed that the authorities have also demonstrated a lack of leadership. Moreover, Cerda emphasized that the financial support for the industry is specifically essential because Mexico relies on tourism for a considerable percentage of its GDP. In connection to this, the IATA leader also said, Governments of nations that rely less "on the tourism revenue have already announced packages" in support of their airlines. Essentially, IATA, which is representing around 290 airlines globally, is seeking discounts as well, on the fees and taxes Mexican airports are charging airline companies so they can park, take-off and land their aircraft. Prediction for the Sector Also, during Monday's virtual press conference, the IATA official forecasted that the airline sector is going to be very different at the COVID-19's end that it was at the beginning. He suggested that the airport project of the government at the Santa Lucia Air Force Base needs to be put on hold because the demand for air travel will stay low in for months, not to mention, the sector won't be able to recover fully for years. Meanwhile, the government, for its part, said that the airport project, as well as its other major infrastructure projects, will help generate 2 million jobs by year-end, and therefore contribute to the reactivation of the COVID-19-hit economy. Late last month, Mexcian airline, Interjet announced it would suspend its international flights because of the "falling demand and the closure of restrictions and borders" which the different countries imposed, intended at controlling COVID-19 from spreading fast. In addition, the company said in a statement that it is continuing operations of its national routes in Mexico. Check these out! The banks preparations for the hard times ahead hit their profits hard in the last quarter. JPMorgans net income fell to $2.9 billion from $8.5 billion for the last quarter of 2019 and $9.2 billion for the same period a year earlier with the banks new reserves essentially the difference. Wells Fargo reported a steep drop in profit to $653 million from $5.9 billion during the same period in 2019. JPMorgan expected consumer loans most of them credit cards to lose $4.4 billion while commercial loans to businesses in real estate, retail and oil and gas could lose $2.4 billion, according to its estimates. And Wells Fargo said $1 billion of its potential losses could come from loans to consumers and small businesses. The reserve-building activities spooked investors in both banks. Despite overall increases in the values of the major stock indexes on Tuesday, Wells Fargo shares were down by almost 4 percent and JPMorgan by 2.7 percent at the end of trading. But there were some bright spots, particularly at JPMorgan. The bank reported that revenue from trading things like foreign currencies, bonds and government debt rose 34 percent from a year earlier. Stock-trading revenue was 28 percent higher. Over all, revenue in the banks Wall Street markets division reached $7.4 billion, a record. And there is Mr. Dimons health. Mr. Dimon underwent emergency heart surgery in March, but returned to work on April 2. He said the operation had not changed his outlook for his future; he said he felt good and under no pressure to retire. Ive always liked working, he said. I think people having a purpose in life is a good thing. Both banks reported their corporate clients were pulling cash from the lines of credits they maintain to deal with the economic effects of the outbreak. JPMorgans chief financial officer, Jennifer Piepszak, said on a call with reporters that corporate customers had taken cash out of their revolving credit lines at an unusually high rate. Mr. Dimon added that the rate was twice what it had been during the 2008 financial crisis. Laura Kreofsky, Advisory VP, Pivot Point Consulting Its a great honorI see it as a hallmark of my tenure in consulting, my passion for healthcare and technology and my commitment to and pleasure I receive in opening doors and sustaining relationships with other women in this field. Laura Kreofsky, MHA, MBA, PMP, CPHIMS, Pivot Point Consulting Vice President of Advisory Services has received Consulting Magazines 2020 Women Leaders in Technology Award. This is the inaugural award recognizing women leaders in technology for excellence in three categoriesLeadership, Client Service and Innovation. Her long tenure as a healthcare IT leader reflects her commitment to her work, her clients and to ensuring women thrive in this specialized industry. Early in Laura's career as a staff consultant at Ernst & Young and the healthcare division of Cap Gemini, she was mentored by women pioneers in the industry. At the next stage of her career with organizations including Kaiser Permanente, the State of Wisconsin and Impact Advisors, Laura worked for and with many women executives to hone her technical and leadership skills. Today at Pivot Point Consulting she leads the firms strategy and planning services nationwide. She also actively mentors others in her management and client service roles. Laura is passionate, tenacious and deeply committed to advancing the field of healthcare IT, says Pivot Point Consulting Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rachel Marano. She not only brings expertise, acumen and integrity to the delivery of each project, but also cares about the broader impact to the organization shes serving and the healthcare ecosystem. Laura is dedicated to the teams success and ensuring our work and projects foster client success. Laura is a change maker and actively contributes to the healthcare IT community. She contributes significantly to CHIME and HIMSS around innovation and directs Pivot Point Consultings thought leadershippositioning Pivot Point Consulting as a leading industry voice in healthcare IT innovation and regulatory expertise. She also serves on the Oregon HIMSS Board, promoting inclusive events and encouraging the participation of female professionals. In addition, she leads a women in healthcare IT networking group in Portland, Oregon. In regard to winning the award, Laura says, Its a great honorI see it as a hallmark of my tenure in consulting, my passion for healthcare and technology and my commitment to and pleasure I receive in opening doors and sustaining relationships with other women in this field. Laura and the other award winners are highlighted in the April 2020 issue of Consulting Magazine and will be celebrated at recognition awards brunch in Chicago in August. About Pivot Point Consulting Pivot Point Consulting, 2020 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, enables healthcare organizations to realize the most value from their technology and data through our Advisory, Implementation, Optimization, Managed Services and Talent Solutions. We work with providers, payers and life sciences organizations and have 450+ employees serving over 85 clients across the U.S. Pivot Point Consulting has earned many industry and workplace quality awards including: Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm (2020), Top Three Best in KLAS for HIT Implementation and Support (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Highest Rated Vendor in KLAS Implementation Services in the Select Category (2017), #1 in KLAS for Epic Consulting in the Select Category (2016) and #9 in Modern Healthcares Best Places to Work (2016) For more information, visit us at pivotpointconsulting.com. Follow us on Linkedin. Originally planned to be held at Barnard College in Harlem, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fifth annual Kweli Color of Childrens Literature Conference was ushered into the digital sphere for the inaugural #Kweli20VIRTUAL. Kweli is the largest childrens conference exclusively for black, Indigenous, and other creators of color in the United States. Co-sponsored by the Barnard Center for Research on Women and hosted on Zoom, Kweli Journals two-day symposium took place on April 34. Learning Craft from Industry Giants Friday featured master classes with four esteemed creators. Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park (Prairie Lotus, Clarion), award-winning author-illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Just Like Me, Knopf), National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi (My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, Dutton), and International Latino Book Award winner Aida Salazar (The Moon Within, Scholastic) took to Zoom to hold intensives for 1520 attendees, respectively. Each course covered a different topic: Park spoke on revision, Brantley-Newton educated on collage, Zoboi instructed on writing about home in young adult novels, and Salazar taught on the novel-in-verse. Agents and editors also reached out to master class participants for one-on-one phone calls and Zoom manuscript critique sessions, some scheduled to take place at later dates. Indigenous Excellence Kicking off Saturday mornings events, the Native community virtually honored Laura Pegram, executive director of Kweli, by giving her a Pendleton blanket. On behalf of Dr. Debbie Reese (Nambe Pueblo), who had planned to present the blanket to Pegram in person, keynote speaker Brian Young (Navajo) presented Reeses speech: Within many Native communities, we honor those who have done something that is for the good of the community. Through Kweli, Laura has helped Native writers at every stage of the writing process, and her support means that Native and non-Native kids can find books by Native writers. Shes touched more lives than any of us can count. Young, a filmmaker and spring 2021 debut author (Healer of the Water Monster, Heartdrum) continued with the morning address, greeting attendees in the Navajo language before acknowledging the circumstances and providing encouragement to those suffering because of Covid-19. Now more than ever, stories are our weapon against boredom and isolation, Young said. It is through our stories that we will find healing. Young then spoke about his childhood in the heart of the Navajo reservation in Arizona, including his personal challenges with depression, and how he was able to prevail with the assistance of therapy, medication, and ceremony. Highlighting the rejuvenating power of traditional stories, Young shared his path to publication, including the importance of the support Kweli provides. With the ever-growing community, the family that Kweli cultivates, we push back against the fallacy that such and such stories dont sell. We dispel the idiocy that there is no market for voices like ours, Young declared. Through your voice, your community can be healed. From my grandparents to you: Yiwolibee anit i shiyazhi. My child, keep at it and work hard. This year, Kweli featured a notable number of Indigenous creators, including HarperCollinss Heartdrum imprint founder, author Cynthia Leitich Smith; author Traci Sorell; and illustrator Michaela Goade, as well as Angeline Boulley, Eric Gansworth, Carole Lindstrom, Darcie Little Badger, Kevin Noble Maillard, and Andrea Rogers. A Bounty of Diverse Options On Saturday the Kweli conference offered a full day of scheduling for participants, with a multitude of options that represented assorted facets of the industry. Six courses in the Publishing, Community, and Culture Track; five courses in the Novels/Memoir Track; five courses in the Illustrated Books and Nonfiction Track; and two lengthier sessions in the Intensive Track allowed attendees to delve deep into the concentrations that intrigued them most. Highlights from the Panels One particularly salient mid-morning panel was a Publishing Track conversation called What to Expect: Cultivating The Author-Agent-Editor Relationship. In conversation were author Traci Sorell and her Kokila editor Namrata Tripathi, agent Faye Bender, and author Angeline Boulley and her Holt editor Tiffany Liao; Wendi Gu, an agent at Janklow and Nesbit, served as moderator. The panelists expounded upon what the process of getting an agent was like, as well as what agents and editors look for in prospective projects. Tripathi shared, Its really about voice, and your You-ness. When you see an author writing toward a trend or something they think sells, theres a performativity. [Im looking for] the pursuit of truth and a real confidence in your You-ness. In the Novel Track, The Dark Fantastic was an enlightening panel, featuring Diana Abu-Jaber, Roshani Chokshi, Kwame Mbalia, and Karen Strong, moderated by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. The authors discussed at length how to translate mythos into narrative. I really try to find the gaps in mythology between what isnt expressed, Chokshi shared. Mbalia agreed, stating, You can write so many beautiful stories in those gaps. Youre given a set of letters and you get to fill them in. Chokshi appreciated the metaphor, adding, For so many second-generation children, our diaspora requires us to build our own lexicon out of the set of letters were given. The authors also spoke on the differences between writing contemporary and fantasy. Jaber said, I found it wasnt that different. You have to research. You have to use the same kind of detail, and characters, the same way you have to do with supposedly realistic or literary fiction. The number one issue I had to deal with was setting. Its not that different, and maybe thats kind of a reassuring note for someone whos trying to make the change. Another notable Publishing Track panel was Disrupting the System, which gathered industry professionals to discuss making change in the childrens book industry, and was moderated by Tripathi. Panelists Serene Hakim, Wade Hudson, Arthur Levine, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Mekisha Telfer, and Phoebe Yeh discussed their time in the industry, their current actions to make change, and their hopes, expectations, and predictions for the future. Telfer spoke on how Covid-19 is affecting the publishing industry from a younger persons perspective, emphasizing how remote work may provide future opportunities in publishing: It has certainly forced the hands of several publishers to sort of step into the 21st century. No one was using telecommunication. And it showed, and it was frustrating. Its very expensive to be here; its not sustainable unless you have a certain level of privilege or some circumstance that provides it. Economically we might be shrinking, but technologically we might be able to force the doors of access open. Centering the Other and Dethroning 'Vicious Mediocrity' Introduced by Pegram, Linda Sue Park ended the day with a rousing keynote, supplemented by a screen-shared presentation. She began by revealing her experience of speaking to mostly white audiences, explaining how she often used the example of incorrect knitting portrayal in picture books to catch their attention about bad representation. She continued by reading an excerpt of Prairie Lotus, her #OwnVoices middle grade novel inspired by Little House on the Prairie that centers the experiences of half-Asian Hana, which she hoped particularly resonated considering the anti-East Asian rhetoric of the present moment. Sometimes Im asked how historical fiction can be #OwnVoices, Park said. In my way of thinking, we use another era as a vehicle, a lens to think about what our concerns are today. Its instructive to read historical fiction written during that era youre trying to write about. Because it doesnt matter what era theyre writing aboutthe concerns of that era will be reflected in that story. Park then praised novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, explaining how Western hegemonic views whitewash our understanding of history by highlighting American settlers of color in the 1700s and 1800s. In the latter part of the 19th and 20th century, one in four cowboys was black, she continued. If you had the picture of a white cowboy, like most of us have, you have been subject to a single story, a single story that all cowboys are white. Next, Park spoke on what her present writing schedule looks like, revealing that her new routine is to write every day for 12-minute intervals, and talked how technology can be used for support and accountability. Whats important, Park insisted, is to continue writing and centering the children who need your stories. Alluding to the current sociopolitical moment, Park said, The old standards lead to vicious mediocrity. I want a new path. We can turn what the dominant culture deems our weaknesses into forms of strength for our art. We know different kinds of fear than they do. And that gives us a different understanding of courage. Write that, Park proclaimed. Weve been hated on more than they have, so we have a different understanding of love. Write that. We know despair and sorrow in unique ways, so we have a special relationship with hope, and our own particular spectrum of joy. Write that. Write those stories. Children need those stories and theyre waiting. So lets get to work. Once again exalting the significance of black, Native, and other voices of color, this years Kweli Color of Childrens Literature Conference was another storied success, offering support, community, and unprecedented increased access in its digital format. #Kweli21 is planned for April 10, 2021. Google has launched Nearby Spot to help its users find stores selling essentials in their town, amidst the lockdown. Nearby Spot has already been launched in Bengaluru. It will also be rolled out in cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi. "With the lockdown and social distancing norms in place, digital payments have become more important than ever and Google Pay is an additional surface to provide key information regarding COVID-19," Google in a blog post said. Google Pay has rolled out COVID-19 Spot on its platform. It has aggregated information about the ongoing pandemic sourced from the Health Ministry. In addition to this, the Spot app will also enable a Google Pay user to donate for the cause in platforms such as PM-CARES Fund or to NGOs such as SEEDS, Give India, United Way and Charities Aid Foundation. These organisations are working for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits who are on the frontline fighting this pandemic. They are also working to gather relief for daily wage earners and workers who have been impacted by the nationwide lockdown. The Spot platform was launched by Google last year. Its main purpose is to allow a business to create a listing for the Google Pay app, which offers a customisable branded experience for that business, notes PTI. Moreover, Google Search, Maps, Google Assistant, YouTube have been tweaked to show consolidated information, COVID-19 related information with links to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare resources, and other authoritative content on symptoms, prevention and treatment, according to google. Google India's recent tweet read, "Working closely with @mygovindia, we are now surfacing locations of food shelters & night shelters on Google Maps, Search and Google Assistant, to help migrant workers & affected people across cities." In addition to this, YouTube has come up with "Coronavirus News Shelf" that it displays on top of its homepage. The new shelf will show reliable and authentic information related to coronavirus. "YouTube has also launched a Coronavirus News Shelf on the YouTube Homepage, which provides the latest news from authoritative media outlets regarding the outbreak," Google noted in a blog post. Earlier this month, Google Maps added two new shortcuts to the list of shortcuts on its mobile app to assist its users with availabilities in their vicinity. The takeaway and delivery options appear alongside the shortcuts for restaurants, chemists, petrol, ATM, etc. The delivery option presents its users with a list of nearby restaurants making deliveries in your locality. The Takeaway option presents its users with a list of restaurants that are providing takeaway options that will be provided to you. PM Modi, on Tuesday, announced the extension of the ongoing-lockdown till May 3 as India witnessed over 9000 active COVID-19 cases. With Ahmedabad alone accounting for 346 of the total 617 coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat, the city civic body has readied the country's largest COVID-19 Care Centre with a capacity to accommodate 2000 patients who are not suffering from any underlying health issues. The facility, created in a hostel complex near the Gujarat University Complex, will ease the load of COVID-19 patients on government hospitals, officials said on Tuesday. The care centre is also equipped with a library, and a Yoga and indoor game facility for patients. "We can accommodate 2,000 patients in this facility, which is the first and the largest COVID Care Centre in the country," said Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra. He said each patient to be admitted at the care centre will be provided with a bed and a separate kit containing essential items like a soap, a toothbrush and a bucket. Besides, medical teams will examine the patients twice in a day and the personnel will remain stationed in the building with an objective to prevent the spread of the viral infection, he said. "Medical teams will also be tested every 14 days for the infection," Nehra said. Out of the total 617 coronavirus positive cases being reported from across Gujarat so far, 346 patients are from Ahmedabad alone, Nehra told reporters after visiting the facility. The care centre is also equipped with a library, a Yoga and indoor game facility for patients, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Nitin Sangwan. "Patients will be served food cooked outside the care centre. They will be checked twice in a day. For any emergency, one ambulance has been stationed at the care centre," said Sangwan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have admitted a second wrongful conviction under new coronavirus laws, as several cases are reviewed. The 21-year-old man was arrested outside a leisure centre in Tooting, southwest London, on 28 March. He was charged with violating schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, which only applies to potentially infectious persons and was intended to support quarantine measures. The same law was used in the first known miscarriage of justice since the start of the UKs lockdown, of a woman who was fined 660 after loitering at a railway station. Her conviction was quashed after lawyers and journalists at The Independent and The Times raised concerns. The latest case was overturned after the Press Association agency questioned the Metropolitan Police about how the law had been applied in London magistrates court cases. The force defended its officers for questioning Lukas Karuzel, who was also charged with possession of class B drugs and going equipped to steal. He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 30 March and pleaded guilty to the offences, as well as acting contrary to schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act. He was fined 200 for possession of drugs and 60 for the offence under the Coronavirus Act 2020. But the case was reviewed at the same court on Wednesday, and it was identified that the coronavirus law had been applied incorrectly. The charge and fine were set aside. 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 Karuzel was incorrectly charged with an offence under the Coronavirus Act 2020, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. This legislation only relates to potentially infectious persons which was not applicable in these circumstances. The charges for possession of class B drugs and going equipped to steal were not overturned and the 200 fine stands. The force defended its officers, saying they had rightly dealt with a man who was suspected of unrelated crimes and had been in a public space without reasonable excuse. This is very new legislation and we have been working with all of our frontline officers to help them interpret and understand it, a spokesperson added. The officers involved have been spoken to and reminded of the way the legislation should be applied. We will continue to work with the public and engage with them, explain why the restrictions are so important, educate them as to what they need to do and encourage them to go home. Enforcement remains a last resort. The case of a 15-year-old boy, who was also charged under the Coronavirus Act 2020, is being reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The teenager was arrested in Kingston, southwest London, on 2 April and later charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place and violating the Coronavirus Act. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at Wimbledon Magistrates Court the following day and is due back before the same court on 6 May. A CPS spokesperson said: We keep cases under review and that will be considered at the next hearing. The CPS said no figures were yet available on the number of charges brought under the Coronavirus Act or how many were being reviewed. The same law appears to have been used incorrectly in another case, of a man who was charged but let off without punishment when the prosecution was moved under the separate Health Protection Regulations. Another London man, 33-year-old Hassan Adnan, is due to appear in court charged with a Coronavirus Act offence, which he denies, in August. In Warwickshire, 27-year-old Robert Grant has been charged with failure to comply with a restriction imposed under the Coronavirus Act, drink-driving and aggravated vehicle taking following a collision in Bedworth last week. He is due to appear at Warwickshire Magistrates Court on 18 May. Official guidance distributed to police officers after the Tooting arrest states that the Coronavirus Act 2020 is meant to support public health workers. [These are] exceptional powers for exceptional circumstances only, it says. We dont expect you to use these powers in the course of ordinary duty and you really shouldnt unless asked by a public health officer. It came into force on 25 March and had been drafted at a time when the threat was perceived to mainly come from people entering the UK from abroad. The law enables health officials to direct people to hospitals or testing centres, and gives powers for police to enforce their instructions. Schedule 21 creates an offence of failing without reasonable excuse to comply with any direction, reasonable instruction, requirement or restriction imposed as part of the act. But the law can only apply to potentially infectious persons and is separate to the newer Health Protection Regulations that allow police to enforce the UK lockdown. A doctor and her violinist husband performed a concert for their London street to lift the spirits of their neighbours on Easter Sunday. Julia Burkert, a full-time Accident and Emergency doctor at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, played with professional Richard Milone from their balcony. The Stockwell couple played Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla in the video below, as well as Vivaldi's Spring and Csardas by Vittorio Monti in their Easter set. Richard Milone and Julia Burkert play Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla on their Stockwell balcony for neighbours on Easter Sunday Julia bashfully acknowledge the crowd as her husband introduces her professional violinist as an A&E doctor at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Richard introduces his wife, originally from Bayreuth, Germany, to the street, saying she plays the violin 'like a goddess' and their neighbours erupt in applause. He says not many people may know that she is a full-time emergency doctor in the west London hospital and the crowd show their appreciation. The married couple of 11 years then begin playing the Piazzolla duet after he jokes the piece's name, Oblivion, is 'rather suitable' in the current climate. The couple's daughter, Sophie, Tweeted: 'Absolutely glorious my Dad and brilliant NHS A&E Dr Stepmum Julia entertaining in Stockwell.' The couple also play Vivaldi's Spring and Csardas by Vittorio Monti, not seen in the video, in their performance The crowd applaud as Richard and Julia entertain them on a sunny Easter Sunday afternoon Richard, a member of the Orchestra of St. Johns and Trafalgar Sinfonia, said they intended to cheer up passersby on the street during the coronavirus lockdown. He said: 'Julia is not gonna probably like me or thank me for this, but I dont know how many of you know that shes actually a full-time A&E doctor at Chelsea and Westminster [Hospital]. 'Shes able to play the violin like a goddess. Well done Julia, thank you.' The Orchestra of St Johns performs more than fifty musical events each year for children with autism, adults with dementia, and refugees. It is a registered charity after a recent merger with Music for Autism and is led by John Lubbock OBE. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, rape is widely used as a weapon of war against women, men and children. Alain (whose name has been changed to protect his identity) is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). But last autumn, he was sitting in the office of the Refugee Law Project in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, as he calmly recounted his story. He described the night in May 2012 when government forces attacked his familys home in the DRC. It was 8pm and they shot open the door with a gun, yelling at us, accusing us of being rebel sympathisers, Alain recalled. His father, he said, had been in a dispute with a local politician over some land. He believes this is why they were targeted. They said: You support the rebels. Well show you that you are not a man.' Alain said his father begged them not to hurt his family. But they did not listen. They shot me in the back. They put a cable around my neck and began choking me. The soldiers grabbed and held me down. They said, We are going to rape you. And they each took turns. I used to be big and strong, but I couldnt fight off all three. I closed my eyes, and I only heard sounds. I heard the cries of my mother and sister as they were raped in the next room. Then shots rang out, and my father was dead. A neighbour found the family after the attack and took them to the hospital. It was the last time that Alain saw his mother and sister. Alain underwent surgery in the hospital, after which he said the pastor there told him that he would never again be considered a real man. He felt he had no choice but to leave the country, so he took a bus to neighbouring Uganda. Francsua (name changed) wants people to remember that men are also sexually abused in war. He escaped torture and fled to Uganda, where he joined a therapeutic activist group there, the Men of Hope Refugee Association [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] A cycle of stigma and shame Today, Alain lives in Uganda, where he continues to suffer from trauma, physical injuries and social stigma. He joined the Men of Hope Refugee Association a group based in Uganda which has taken up the fight against sexual violence in conflicts across Africa. Its members are men who have survived rape and torture in the DRC. I will go home and be alone and that's when it starts replaying in my mind like a movie. Reliving this story, reliving this trauma. Alain Even though they managed to escape their homeland, they still need to conceal their identities when being photographed, because homosexual activity is illegal in Uganda, and these men risk punishment if they talk about their rapes. In the eastern part of the DRC, thousands of women, men and children are subjected to rape every year. The perpetrators come from different groups and militias and in Alains case government forces. When I retell my story, like I did with you today, he said, I will go home and be alone and thats when it starts replaying in my mind like a movie. Reliving this story, reliving this trauma. But that is where RLP (the Refugee Law Project) has helped me. They have taught me ways to manage my anger, fear and memories. He implores the powerful countries of the world to speak up against these crimes. We must stop these bad things, he said. One night, armed men entered the home of Jolainne (name changed) in the territory of Kabare and raped her in front of her husband. She asks: What man is capable of turning a woman into a target when the woman is sacred? [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Doctors estimate that nearly one in four men in eastern DRC has been raped. It is also thought that one in three women has suffered from sexual violence, according to aid workers interviewed for this article. These people suffer twice from the act itself, and from the social discrimination they endure as a result of it. Shifting the blame The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, who is based in New York, knows that survivors often face the added stigma of being associated with the armed group that raped them, sometimes because they have conceived children as a result of the rape. In some areas, fear of HIV and AIDS causes husbands to leave their wives after they have been raped, while male victims are often seen as emasculated, which drives many to leave their families. In this sense, there is an urgent need to shift the blame, shame and stigma of rape from the victims to the perpetrators, Patten explained. She thinks things are changing, however. The silence surrounding this crime has been broken, not only within civil society in the DRC, but also among religious leaders and members of the security forces and justice system. But, Patten added, the road to eliminating this scourge remains long. Three women stand together. Resource extraction is at the heart of the political and economic wars playing out in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and this is the driving force behind the systemic use of rape as a weapon of war [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Some military and police personnel are still part of the problem, say aid workers, because they enjoy impunity. Amnesty International has called on the DRC government to take more drastic action against them. The DRCs government formally recognises justice as a key component of prevention and deterrence, but NGOs say that judicial processes against alleged rapists are still rare. A ruling last year by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has given some survivors hope, however. Judges at the ICC convicted ex-rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda of crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, most perpetrators will never face justice for their crimes, said Karen Naimer, who leads the programme for sexual violence in conflict for the NGO Physicians for Human Rights. The perpetrators roam freely with impunity, and the survivors live with enormous shame, guilt and self-blame, she explained. This trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, difficulty sleeping or maintaining interpersonal relationships, among so many other psycho-social and physical consequences. John K (name changed) was raped by members of an armed group. His wife could not cope with the trauma. He says: I just want peace to return to my country, especially my home Buna. Our people have suffered too much [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Rape as a weapon of war This is precisely why rape is such an effective weapon of war and is used as such so widely. According to the latest UN report on sexual violence in conflict, published in March 2019, rape is used as a weapon in 15 countries around the world, mostly in Africa and the Middle East. In addition, past sexual violence used as a means of warfare in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Ivory Coast continues to take a toll on victims. It is a crime as old as war itself, said Patten. Unless psychosocial support is available to the victims, very few will be willing to report these crimes, and fewer still to publicly pursue justice. For every case that reaches a clinic, there are 10 to 20 that are never reported, she added. A hospital gives hope Dr Denis Mukwege runs a hospital in eastern DRC to help repair the victims of immense violence [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege works as a gynaecologist in eastern DRC. In 1999, he founded Panzi Hospital in the city of Bukavu to treat victims of sexual violence. His first patient was a rape survivor whose reproductive organs had been destroyed. Mukwege recounted how in the 1990s, he treated women who had been raped. Today, he is repairing their daughters. The 65-year-old said he still fixes thousands of rape survivors every year. These days, his patients are increasingly underage. His youngest was just six months old. Rape is used as a weapon of war because it has the power to tear apart families and destroy the social fabric of entire communities, he explained. In most areas where conflict is prevalent, people are already struggling with insurmountable challenges: Extreme poverty, insecure food sources, and inadequate health systems. When this is coupled with the brutality of rape and the trauma that ensues from watching your mother, sister, daughter and, yes, sometimes your father, brother or son or other family members be sexually assaulted, it creates a cycle of shame and stigma that is difficult to break without access to compassionate, holistic care. The first patient who arrived at Panzi Hospital was a rape victim who had been shot in her genitals. Today, the staff are still treating these kinds of wounds [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Powerless to protect The worse the situation becomes in the DRC, the more intense the pressure on the UNs Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Twenty years ago, the UN Security Council decided to send a peacekeeping mission to the DRC to date the largest peacekeeping operation in the world. But it does not seem to have helped much. In 2011, the use of rape as a weapon was so prevalent that senior UN official Margot Wallstrom called the DRC the rape capital of the world. A few years later, from 2013 to 2016, it got even worse. Militiamen kidnapped babies and children in the middle of the night in the eastern village of Kavumu. After having assaulted them, they left them in the fields surrounding the village. It took three years for these cases to even be investigated. This woman says that most victims of sexual violence suffer because the perpetrators are unknown. She explains how she escaped: They forced me to drink alcohol and smoke anything they gave me. At a certain time, I stopped speaking completely, and I still do not know why. One day I was able to go to the market, and thats when I managed to escape, albeit four months pregnant [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] In November last year, citizens started to demonstrate against the UN peacekeepers in the northeastern city of Beni. On November 25, protestors set fire to some offices at the MONUSCO headquarters, saying the peacekeepers were doing nothing to protect them from rebel attacks. It is scandalous that civilians are dying day in, day out while the local police and nearby UN peacekeepers stay put in their camps, Amnesty International wrote the same day in a public statement. Despite this, the UN Security Council decided last December to reduce MONUSCO military personnel from 16,250 to 14,000. In addition, the UN is currently investigating sexual abuse allegations in its own peace operations in the DRC. Data from the crisis-mapping project, ACLED, based in the US, show that sexual violence in DRC is often exacerbated by those who are there to offer protection. A man holds a camera [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] These men destroyed my life The story of another survivor, Lucia, who did not want to give identifying details such as her real name, age or the name of her village, illustrates the brutality of such attacks. My life has been a nightmare since my first rape at the age of 13. Lucia When it came to taking her photograph, she chose to hide her face with an axe. Like most survivors, she fears threats and revenge. My life has been a nightmare since my first rape at the age of 13. I went to a wedding with my family in Bunyakiri, and while fetching water from the river, my friends and I were raped. I was raped by a number of men I have never been able to count and since then, I have been physically paralysed and am disabled, she recounted. One month afterwards, I realised that I was pregnant. A baby boy was born of this rape, but this child will never know who his father is because they were too many that day to know for sure. These men destroyed my life. Lucias nightmare was far from over. Three years later, she went to her cousins wedding in Kalonge, around 45km (28 miles) from where she was first raped. Again, rebels attacked the village, but this time Lucia could not even try to run. Despite her physical paralysis, several men raped her that day. She later gave birth to her second child. She asked: Who should I fight? My fear, my pain, my despair or the unknowns that are the basis of my misfortune? Lucias story is not unusual in eastern DRC. Many women are raped multiple times. A woman carries a sack [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Within the ranks of the UN Security Council, Germany is one country that is particularly committed to ensuring protection from sexual violence. After tough negotiations with the United States and other member states in New York last April, the council adopted a resolution to combat sexual violence in conflict. In a statement in December, the council urged the government of the DRC to hold accountable those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses. It stressed the importance of regional cooperation and cooperation with the ICC. But what have these resolutions achieved so far? Germanys Foreign Minister Heiko Maas worked on the councils draft. We made an important step with Resolution 2467, he wrote in an email. The resolution would allow states to sanction those who commit or order sexual violence in conflict. It emphasises the rights and needs of the survivors, while also addressing issues that have so far been neglected, like male victims of sexual violence. There is still a lot of work to be done to implement the resolution, from the United Nations but also from the member states. We will make sure this happens, Maas added. The law of the strongest There are more than 100 rebel groups in the DRC, concentrated mostly in the east. One of the most violent is the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an ethnic Hutu group whose members participated in the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, after which many fled to the DRC. John (name changed) escaped torture and fled to Uganda, where he joined the Men of Hope Refugee Association. He says: Its not easy here, I cant get work and there is a lack of freedom of movement. I live my life in fear. Violence and torture never leaves you. [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Some spine-chilling conclusions about what drives such armed rebels were made in a peer-reviewed study by researchers Nina Wilen and Bert Ingelaere three years ago. Based on discussions with 101 former members of the FDLR, a team of scientists examined how former members of the group made sense of sexual violence by studying prevailing gendered images of self and other. In times of war, there are no laws, it's the law of the strongest that reigns. Former rebel The findings showed that ex-combatants attributed overwhelming importance to biological givens such as urges, basic needs and domination. They described a womans body as a territory to be used, much like the territory that the rebels were trying to conquer. But the researchers found that their narratives about sexual violence changed when they talked about fighters from opposing groups. They were seen as mentally disturbed or barbaric perpetrators, responsible for group rapes, genital mutilation and rapes of children. According to the scientists working on this study, one former rebel said: In times of war, there are no laws, its the law of the strongest that reigns. Controlling resources Today, political instability and poor infrastructure help armed groups continue their violence. Many of them survive by controlling the DRCs resources. Tatiana Mukanire from the eastern city of Bukavu explained how this works. She is the DRC national coordinator for the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence (SEMA), which is supported by the Dr Denis Mukwege Foundation. The network brings together victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from countries around the world. Tatiana Mukanire is the National Coordinator of the Movement of Survivors in DRC. Years ago, she was kidnapped and raped in a forest camp [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Mukanire is a survivor herself, photographed with a shovel in her hand, ready to take up the fight. Unlike most survivors, Mukanire, a middle-class businesswoman, can speak publicly about the suffering of victims. She used to hide behind her nickname, Taty, but had enough social support to tell her story. What you need to understand is that the armed groups aren't fighting each other. They are fighting the civilians. Tatiana Mukanire Mukanire thinks the battle for control over resources has led to a normalisation of rape as a means of war and terror. They need to control the shipping routes. So, they set up roadblocks and take whatever they want along the way, she explained. What you need to understand is that the armed groups arent fighting each other. They are fighting the civilians. The militias have already divided up the land. What they need to control is access. And this is where they interact with the civilian population. This is where they can tax everything moving across the roads or steal from and rape the people they find moving on these paths. According to an IPIS study conducted in 2017, more than 1,500 roadblocks exist in the eastern region of the DRC. Not only are these roadblocks funding armed groups, but they are destroying the nations economic viability, raising the cost of everything from transport to basic goods like vegetables. Rape, socioeconomics and access to markets are all intertwined. Fighting back Baraka (name changed) chose to wear a headlamp. He says: I was first a victim, then a survivor and now an activist [Josh Estey/Al Jazeera] Like Mukanire, the people of the DRC have endured much violence, but they have not given up. The encouraging voices come from survivors like Baraka, whose name has been changed to conceal his identity and who fled to Uganda is now a member of the Men of Hope Refugee Association. He has been going to therapy with his wife and said he finally realised that he was not alone. It took me many years to share my story. But it was counselling that gave me the courage, he explained. I was first a victim, then a survivor and now an activist. Let me start a new life to help stop all atrocities. I want to rebuild a life for the future of our children. COLUMBUS, OhioRepresentatives from Ohios restaurants, hotels and salons, speaking with state lawmakers on Tuesday, painted dire pictures of the effect of the coronavirus crisis on their industries. Ohios 23,000-plus restaurants are only allowed to offer carryout and delivery service, under an order from the state Department of Health. As a result, 51 percent of restaurants in the state are closed completely, said John Barker, president and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association, to the Ohio Houses Economic Recovery Task Force. Compared to the same time last year, business is down 90 percent for fine-dining establishments, 75 percent for casual dining, 45 percent for fast-casual places like Chipotle, and 35 percent for fast-food restaurants, according to Barker. The only portion of the (restaurant) industry that is showing numbers that are up is the delivery business, Barker said. The sharp downtick in business has led 3 percent of Ohio restaurants (about 690 businesses) to already close permanently, Barker said, and an additional 11 percent (about 2,350 restaurants) expect that they will not reopen. Its still unclear when restaurants will be allowed to reopen in Ohio. But even when that day comes, Barker said, many restaurant owners are predicting sales will be only 40-50 percent of what they were pre-pandemic. If any of you have operated a small business, you cannot make any money in running 40 to 50 percent, he said. When restaurants reopen, theyll also have to retrain new staff who replace laid-off workers, Barker continued. Owners will also have to spend a lot of money and time to restock their food supplies, as many establishments emptied their freezers not knowing when they'd come back. Many of our operators and weve talked to hundreds of them are significantly concerned about their survival, Barker said. While the federal government has approved relief loans for suffering small businesses, Barker said many banks (especially in rural areas) have not yet been able to process the loans or, in some cases, even begin taking applications for loans for Ohio restaurant owners. Ohio hotels are allowed to remain open under the states coronavirus orders. But their occupancy rate right now is 20 percent and falling and that doesnt count the hotels that have shut their doors, said Joe Savarise, executive director of the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association. About 70 percent of hotel employees in Ohio have already been laid off about 29,700 workers, Savarise said. Another 86,500 jobs supported by the hotel industry, such as landscapers, have also lost their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic arose, he said. There is an existential threat to hotel owners and operators, Savarise said. He asked lawmakers to look at tax deferrals and emergency financial help for the hospitality industry, noting in the latter case that states like Illinois and Delaware have already created grant or loan programs. Tony Fiore, executive director of the Ohio Salon Association, noted that the states 12,000 beauty salons, 8,000 barbers and 68 cosmetology schools have all been closed indefinitely by the state. Fiore said hes heard of a number of salons that wont be able to reopen. Of the 50,000 Ohioans with cosmetology licenses, Fiore said later, about 19,000 qualify for unemployment benefits, which have been expanded to handle the record number of people suddenly out of work because of the coronavirus crisis. The Ohio Salon Association has been working on creating social-distancing guidelines for salons and barber shops to follow when the state closure order is lifted, so lawmakers dont have to step in and pass legal regulations for the industry, Fiore said. The guidelines include staggering appointments to avoid congested waiting rooms, getting rid of communal-area items like magazines and candles, having workers wear gloves, and minimizing contact with chairs, doors, and money/credit cards. Given this situation, Fiore urged lawmakers to pass already-introduced bills that would scrap current licensing requirements for barbers and cosmetologists and reduce education requirements. Supporters of the legislation argue the cosmetology industry is over-regulated, while opponents say the moves would help owners of salon chains and hurt workers. The Houses Economic Recovery Task Force, convened by House Speaker Larry Householder, is working to produce a list of policy recommendations by the end of the week about how and when to re-start Ohios economy, which has been at a virtual standstill for weeks because of orders from Gov. Mike DeWine and his administration to close non-essential businesses and keep Ohioans at home. As of Tuesday, nearly 7,300 Ohioans have been infected with coronavirus, 324 of whom have died. Some Ohio Republicans have appeared skeptical about whether the death toll justifies the economic cost of the DeWine administrations social-distancing measures. If the data doesnt support it, then we need to open up, said state Rep. Paul Zeltwanger, a Warren County Republican chairing the task force, earlier this week. Everyone is getting really antsy. Read more Ohio coronavirus coverage: Ohio coronavirus deaths increase by 50, peak still expected Sunday: Gov. Mike DeWines Tuesday, April 14 briefing New Cleveland company gets federal approval to produce ventilators during coronavirus pandemic Fourth inmate dies at sole federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus spreads among inmates, staff Pressure from Republicans mounts on Gov. Mike DeWine to loosen coronavirus restrictions Why Ohio widened criteria for counting coronavirus cases, what other states are doing, and the difference in numbers The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered that all vehicles impounded for minor offences since the commencement of the lockdown be released across the state. Mr Sanwo-Olu said all the vehicles should be given back to their respective owners without any fine charged. I have ordered that all impounded vehicles arrested from March 1 till date for minor traffic offences be released to their owners free of charge and without pressing any charges against them, he said. Mr Sanwo-Olu said only vehicles impounded for minor offences are covered under the exemption and all other vehicles would remain custody. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the Lagos state police impounded over 600 vehicles for flouting the lockdown order and stay-at home directive of the Federal government in the state. Since the commencement of lockdown in Lagos state, several violations have been reported, including commercial buses and private cars driving on major roads without permit. Several checkpoints have also been manned at different points to curb non-essential movement of people and vehicles, and many vehicles have been impounded in the process. The governor said these offenders are pardoned and all the vehicles be returned to them. Note that I only said March 1 till date, that means if you drive out tomorrow without any pass and your vehicle is impounded, you are not covered, he said. Tesla Inc. is headed for its seventh straight session of gains after Credit Suisse upgraded the electric-car company whose stock has been on a tear since its first-quarter delivery report. Shares of the Model 3 maker rose as much as 8.1 per cent before the start of regular trading, putting them on track for a more than 50 per cent climb in the course its longest win streak since mid October. The crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has handed Tesla an edge over legacy automakers, Dan Levy, Credit Suisses analyst, said in a report Tuesday, in which he bumped his rating up to the equivalent of a hold. With the focus almost exclusively on the near for the auto industry, and combined with reduced liquidity/increased net debt levels, it raises question on how legacy players can maintain ample commitment to the far (specifically, electrification), Levy wrote. Tesla, on the other hand, is solely focused on electrification anddoesnt have the dilemma of balancing a transition from ICE (internal combustion engine) to EV. Coronavirus-related market gyrations led Tesla shares to drop as much as a 61 per cent from a record high on Feb. 19. The stock has been steadily advancing since the company reported better-than-expected first-quarter deliveries on April 2 and is back to the levels it was trading at in early March. There is some clear optimism from the bulls, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote to clients on Monday. China production and demand appear poised for a significant rebound and should be a key growth driver over the coming quarter, he said. Even so, it is now a virtual impossibility that Tesla will be able to reach its original annual delivery forecast of at least 500,000 units, according to Ives. Bullish investors are also looking past the shutdown of the companys vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California, which could last at least another month, further complicating the delivery trajectory for the coming quarters, he said. Credit Suisses Levy also sees Tesla coming up short of its full-year deliveries guidance and is now estimating the company will hand over about 400,000 electric vehicles to customers this year, down from his previous projection for 550,000. While Levy estimates Tesla is burning about $300 million (U.S.) of cash every week that its Fremont factory is down, he believes the company will emerge from the crisis with advantages over other automakers. It likely has a lead in batteries, its liquidity is improved and it has shown signs of improvements in basic auto execution, Levy said. First Quarter Conference Call & Webcast Annual & Special Meeting Date: May 7, 2020 Date: May 7, 2020 Time: 9:00 AM (Eastern Time) Time: 10:00 AM (Eastern Time) VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- You are invited to participate in Acadian Timber Corp.s 2020 first quarter conference call and webcast on May 7, 2020 at 9:00 AM (Eastern Time) to discuss with members of senior management our financial and operating results. These results will be released after market close on May 6, 2020 and will be available on our website at www.acadiantimber.com, under Press Releases. To participate in the first quarter conference call, please dial +1-866-795-3013 toll free in North America (Canada and the USA) or, for oversees calls, please dial +1-409-937-8907 at approximately 8:50 AM (Eastern Time). The conference ID is 3729087. For those unable to participate, a taped rebroadcast will be available until midnight June 6, 2020. To access this rebroadcast, please dial +1-855-859-2056 toll free or + 1-404-537-3406 (Conference ID 3729087). The first quarter conference call will also be webcasted live on our website, where it will be archived for future reference. You are also invited to Acadian Timber Corp.s Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders on May 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM (Eastern Time). Considering the ongoing public health concerns related to COVID-19 and in order to comply with the measures imposed by the federal and provincial governments, we are encouraging shareholders and others not to attend the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders in person. Shareholders are urged to vote on the matters before the meeting by proxy and listen via the live one-way webcast at www.acadiantimber.com or by teleconference at +1-866-795-3013 toll free in North America or +1-409-937-8907. The conference ID is 8113289. Shareholders will not be able to vote via the webcast or teleconference. The webcast will be archived on our website for future reference. For further information regarding the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, please refer to our latest Management Information Circular available on our website at www.acadiantimber.com, under Other Disclosure Documents. Story continues If you have any questions about the first quarter conference call or Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders, please contact Adam Sheparski, Chief Financial Officer at +1-506-737-2345 ext. 2356 or ir@acadiantimber.com . Acadian Timber Corp. (ADN.TO) is a leading supplier of primary forest products in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. With a total of approximately 2.4 million acres of land under management, Acadian is one of the largest timberland operators in New Brunswick and Maine. Acadian owns and manages approximately 1.1 million acres of freehold timberlands in New Brunswick and Maine and provides timber services relating to approximately 1.3 million acres of Crown licensed timberlands in New Brunswick. Acadians products include softwood and hardwood sawlogs, pulpwood and biomass by-products, sold to approximately 85 regional customers. Acadians business strategy is to maximize cash flows from its existing timberland assets while growing its business by acquiring assets on a value basis and utilizing its operations-oriented approach to drive improved performance. The rule of thumb, or rather feet, has been to stand six feet apart in public. Thats supposed to be a safe distance if a person nearby is coughing or sneezing and is infected with the novel coronavirus, spreading droplets that may carry virus particles. And scientists agree that six feet is a sensible and useful minimum distance, but, some say, farther away would be better. Six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But some scientists, having looked at studies of air flow and being concerned about smaller particles called aerosols, suggest that people consider a number of factors, including their own vulnerability and whether they are outdoors or in an enclosed room, when deciding whether six feet is enough distance. Reuters/Amit Dave The prime ministers address to the nation on April 14 did not mention any economic package to protect livelihoods or mitigate the hardships that businesses are facing. In the run-up to the announcement, there was much speculation that the lockdown would be eased for some industries or regions. Several models of easing the lockdown were being floated, some prepared by expert committees. But all that is now suspended for the present. Indeed, with cases and deaths increasing daily, easing the lockdown was not a decision a prudent government could have taken. The PM was at pains to underline that it was because of the lockdown that India has had fewer cases compared to the US and some European countries and that is why its important to continue with the lockdown. There is some speculation that some sectors and businesses could be opened up after April 20, in areas where there are no new cases. But all the PM said was that there would be strict conditions even in these areas. We will have to wait and see what the list that will be out tomorrow says about businesses that could be exempted from the lockdown. The PMs announcement left many questions unanswered. Will the government come up with another fiscal stimulus? The PM expressed his sympathy for workers in the informal sector who bear the brunt of the hardships, but will there be more money to help them? What happens to informal workers who do not have ration cards at their places of employment? Despite the PMs pleas to businesses not to lay off workers, there have been several reports about job losses and CMIE has said that unemployment has already shot through the roof is there a scheme to reimburse employers part of their wage bill, as has been done in many countries? Will there be a scheme to increase cash flow with businesses to pay salaries? Are the governments hands tied because the fiscal deficit is already high? Is the Centre thinking of relaxing the fiscal rules for states so that they can spend more? What about the states share of GST that has not yet been paid? From April 20, how will the opening up be done? Will it be regions that are free of the virus or some business sectors or will it be people who are immune for whom norms will be relaxed? What are the stringent conditions that the PM talked about for rules to be relaxed on April 20? What is to be done for the farm sector, where mandi prices are still below minimum support prices and in any case there is distress sale by farmers? These questions are all unanswered because the PMs chosen method of communication is unfortunately one-way. If instead, the PM addresses the nation via a press conference, as several leaders of other nations are doing, these questions would have been asked and we would know the governments thinking on these matters. To be sure, all plans depend on the spread of the virus, but both households and businesses would know about the governments contingency plans and have a degree of reassurance instead of flying blind. 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 Lockdown to take heavy toll on economy Various experts have come up with estimates of how badly the Indian economy will be hit because of the lockdown. The World Bank says Indias GDP growth this fiscal year may be in the range of 1.5-2.8 percent. The Institute of International Finance has said that Indias GDP is likely to shrink by 0.3 percent. Of course, it all depends on how long the lockdown continues. Kotak Economic Research has estimated that a 30-day lockdown leads to a loss of 7.8 percent of annual gross value added, while a 45-day lockdown increases the loss to 10.3 percent. And in the bear case, when a 45-day lockdown is followed by another 15-day lockdown after a month (presumably because of a resurgence of cases), then the loss in gross value added is estimated at 15.2 percent. All we can say is that the hit to the economy is likely to be very severe, now that a quick end to the lockdown is being ruled out. Rating agencies have already started downgrading Indian companies. Perhaps its up to the Reserve Bank of India to once again step up to the plate and ensure that the lockdown does not result in a wave of bankruptcies. Maybe a fiscal package too is in the works. But perhaps the message from the PMs address is that it is too soon to start talking of saving livelihoods --- at the moment, all the government can do is try and save lives. Two doctors and an administrator have died and 51 staff members at the hospital have tested positive for coronavirus. Nurses at a public hospital hit by Mexicos worst coronavirus outbreak were told by their managers not to wear protective masks at the start of the epidemic to avoid sowing panic among patients, nurses and other medical workers told Reuters News Agency. Two doctors and a hospital administrator have died and at least 51 staff members have been infected since the new coronavirus was detected at the IMSS General Hospital in Monclova in the northern state of Coahuila in late March, the state health department said. The hospital became Mexicos first hot spot for the COVID-19 illness caused by the coronavirus. At least four of the infected workers are currently hospitalised as a result of the outbreak, which has fed concerns that Mexicos underfunded healthcare system is ill-prepared to cope with a major epidemic in the nation of nearly 130 million people. At the beginning of the outbreak, managers said that protective equipment wasnt necessary, said nurse Charly Escobedo Gonzalez who works at the Monclova hospital. Answering questions from Reuters about the reports that hospital management told staff not to wear masks, a senior official at Mexicos main public health service IMSS which runs the hospital said that the health workers should be believed, but he did not confirm details of the reports. Specifically, if they are saying that then, of course, we have to believe it, said the IMSS official, Raul Pena Viveros. He said there could be misunderstandings inside a hospital about where it is appropriate to wear protective equipment. Not all of the workers have to wear the same equipment inside the hospital. And when this type of equipment is used badly it runs out more quickly and they put workers who are in contact with patients at risk, he said. Mexico has registered 4,661 people with the coronavirus and 296 deaths, a fraction of the figures in the neighbouring United States, but the coronavirus arrived weeks later in the Latin American country. The Monclova hospital became a coronavirus focal point in the third week of March, highlighting a lack of masks and even soap and bleach there, staff said. As staff began to fall ill, hospital floor managers instructed healthcare workers not to use facemasks, which some had bought for themselves due to the lack of hospital equipment, seven workers told Reuters. Health workers wearing protective gear testing people for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a drive-through testing station, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in Monterrey, Mexico [Daniel Becerril/Reuters] Pena Viveros said the hospital had been short of protective equipment, as well as other materials, to fight the coronavirus in March. Health officials have not given a detailed explanation of why so many Monclova healthcare workers became infected. Hospital workers are at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus if they do not wear protective equipment like facemasks and gloves. The N95 respiratory masks offer more protection from other people who are infected while more simple surgical masks help the wearer avoid spreading the virus. Due to a lack of proper N95 masks, some staff at the hospital were also wearing inappropriate industrial-style masks that were donated to them, Pena Viveros said. The lack of N95 masks was later resolved, said Pena Viveros, who was sent by the head of the IMSS from Mexico City to investigate the Monclova hospital and spent a week there in early April. Staff say the hospital has more protective equipment now but that they still lack gear such as masks. Three nurses said that while some colleagues chose not to wear facemasks after being told by managers or supervisors that they were not necessary, other staff kept wearing them. On the night of March 22, one of the heads of the nursing staff told a group of doctors and nurses gathered in the emergency room to take off their N95 masks because they were not necessary, according to a nurse who heard the order. Another nurse, surnamed Hernandez Perez, was given a similar order by a deputy head of nursing a few days earlier. In a morning clinical class, the sub-head told us not to create panic that we shouldnt wear facemasks because we were going to create a psychosis, said Hernandez Perez, who did not want her full name used. She is now at home sick and has tested positive for the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. A second nurse confirmed Hernandez Perezs account. People leaving a disinfection chamber at the entrance to the General Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), where medical and nursing staff had tested positive for coronavirus, in Monclova, Mexico [Sergio A Rodriguez/Reuters] Reuters was unable to speak to two of the nursing managers who nurses say spoke at that meeting. After media accusations that the Monclova hospital badly lacked equipment to deal with the virus, the head of the IMSS, Zoe Robledo, announced in early April that the director of the hospital had been temporarily replaced. Neither the suspended hospital manager, Ulises Mendoza, nor the current hospital director answered repeated requests from Reuters for comment. One nurse, who asked that her name not be used for fear of retaliation, said that during the second half of March she was repeatedly told by superiors not to wear a facemask while working in high-risk areas such as on the ground floor of the hospital, where the emergency room is located. As well as the 51 confirmed cases, Pena Viveros said more than 300 other workers were temporarily sent home as the hospital scrambled to contain the outbreak. He said the hospital contracted nurses and doctors from other facilities to address the personnel shortage, nevertheless, the hospitals ability to care for patients has been impeded, some staff said. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a suspension of US funding to the World Health Organization because he said it had covered up the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak in China before it spread around the world. Trump told a press conference he was instructing his administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organizations role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. According to Trump, the WHO prevented transparency over the outbreak and the United States -- the UN bodys biggest funder which provided USD 400 million last year -- will now discuss what to do with all that money that goes to the WHO. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether Americas generosity has been put to the best use possible. Kartik Aaryan, like most of us, has been working from home. The actor recently started a new show on his YouTube channel. The chat show, Koki Poochega's first episode is already out and everyone has appreciated the actor's efforts in helping spread awareness about the ongoing pandemic. However, the actor is currently struggling with the second episode of the show. Still caught up in the editing process of the second episode, Kartik took to Instagram to express his struggle and wrote in a post, "Work from home they said Episode 2 Still Rendering". The picture shows him fed up trying to render the interview video. Kartik is often known to leave hilarious replies on fan comments on his social media posts. This time, a fan offered him Rs 1 lakh for a reply, and Kartik obliged but with a better offer. Kartik responded to the comment saying, "I give you 2lakh plss help me render." Koki Poochega, started by Kartik Aaryan, is a chat show, where the actor interacts with COVID-19 survivors and doctors who are in the forefront of India's battle against Coronavirus. In the first episode, Kartik spoke with Sumiti Singh, one of the first survivors of Coronavirus in the country. The show had also left Ekta Kapoor impressed as left a comment on Kartik's Instagram post saying, "Thank god you are not a producer. You make better episodes than me. First one fab." Earlier Kartik contributed Rs 1 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's PM CARES fund in support of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Kartik will next be seen in Dharma Production's Dostana 2 with Janhvi Kapoor and debutant Lakshya and in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 with Kiara Advani. Sonakshi Sinha Slams Vivek Agnihotri For Spreading Fake News, Claiming She Is Shooting Amid Lockdown Ali Fazal Misses Richa Chadha And Opens Up About April Wedding Being Postponed The San Antonio Food Banks request for emergency state aid remains on hold in Austin, but the nonprofit received some good news when federal authorities confirmed that they would reimburse Texas if it provides much-needed help. Neither Gov. Greg Abbotts office nor the Texas Division of Emergency Management responded to requests for comment Monday, but Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said FEMA would pay back aid that states provide to food banks during the coronavirus pandemic. There is a process in place to reimburse state, local and tribal entities who provide assistance to food banks, a FEMA spokesman said. While it has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations since Friday, the Food Bank continues to plead for financial aid from the state as COVID-19 wreaks devastating economic havoc on San Antonio and surrounding counties. In the wake of the Food Bank distributing supplies to 10,000 families at a drive-through giveaway late last week on the South Side and the heart-wrenching photographs that captured that desperation, the Food Bank received $750,000 in donations, Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper said. Now Playing: See the viral video of San Antonio's Food Bank that changed the narrative of the coronavirus pandemic. Video: Kin Man Hui San Antonio Express News, William Luther San Antonio Express News, Michel Fortier And thats not to mention the food companies stepping up with dozens of truckloads of much-needed food, Cooper said, referring to H-E-B, Labatt Foods, Ben E. Keith Foods, Nature Sweet and Sysco Foods. Still, officials stressed that the Food Bank remains in dire need of the $12 million worth of help from the state it is seeking to feed the growing number of food-insecure households. We expect to fall short $1 million in food and funds this week and $2 million in food and funds next week, Food Bank spokesman Michael Guerra said. We can keep up with a portion of the increase, thanks to the recent donations, Guerra said, but to truly meet the need, our soon-to-be-fatiguing philanthropy system may need a public lifeline. Facing an unprecedented demand-and-supply shortage, the Food Bank filed a State of Texas Assistance Request (STAR) nearly two weeks ago with the state emergency agency asking for 171 truckloads of food. Feeding Texas, a 21-member statewide network of food banks, said STAR requests seeking food aid have also been filed by the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas, the West Texas Food Bank, which serves the Midland/Odessa area, and the Houston Food Bank. Whether those requests will be fulfilled depends on FEMAs Public Assistance Program, Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said. When FEMA funds are provided to states, they are typically provided at a 75 percent cost share, so the feds pick up 75 percent of the costs and the state or local government picks up 25 percent, she said. So, I am guessing the state has been sitting on those STAR requests waiting to see if it will be eligible for this reimbursement through FEMA. Now that they have that guidance (from FEMA) on whether and on how they can apply for those funds, you may see some movement on these STAR requests. Cole said Feeding Texas has been working with the state for about a month to make a statewide request with the federal emergency agency for funding to help all 21 Texas food banks. We are in imminent danger over the next two weeks of running out of food, she said. Bexar Countys legislative delegation sent a letter of support to Abbott and the state emergency agency, stating that its imperative the Food Bank receive the requested state aid. Rep. Ina Minjarez, D-San Antonio, whose District 124 includes the Food Bank, drafted the letter. Striking overhead photography published in Fridays San Antonio Express-News showing thousands of cars lined up to receive groceries at the Food Banks latest giveaway spurred lawmakers into action, Minjarez said. I have family members who live outside of Texas who saw that photograph, Minjarez said. It has such a profound effect on people. It did what it needed to do. Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, echoed Minjarezs comments. Seeing those images were really just a tremendous gut check for me and other members of the delegation, Fischer said. The result was a strong bipartisan effort to get the Food Bank the help it needs to feed hungry San Antonio-area residents. Its not a partisan issue, said Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio. Its a survival issue for a lot of folks. Several of the lawmakers, including Fischer, donated money out of their own campaign funds to the Food Bank. Fischer also asked friends on Facebook to give. These are folk struggling to make ends meet themselves, but they recognized the greater obligation to help others in much worse shape, he said. To help the Food Bank, go to safoodbank.org/donate Tom Orsborn covers sports news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Tom, become a subscriber. torsborn@express-news.net | Twitter: @tom_orsborn SPRINGFIELD - Spring is in the air, and many people who have been housebound for the past month because of the coronavirus are looking to get out and explore the wild. But when it comes to the Cobble Mountain and Border Brook reservoirs, the Springfield Water & Sewer Commission is telling people who are looking to experience the great outdoors to look somewhere else. The commission is reminding people the two adjacent reservoirs, each located on the Blandford and Granville line, are closed to the public and have been for two decades. In other words, no hiking or walking, no biking, no motorized vehicles of any kind are permitted at either reservoir or the surrounding 14,500 acres of woodland. The area is posted for no trespassing, and access roads are blocked. The Commission is asking for the publics help in protecting the water supply by heeding no trespassing orders and enjoying recreational activities elsewhere, said Katherine Shea, educational outreach specialist. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced last week that state parks are open if people want to hike, jog, or bike along trails. She said Water & Sewer staff recognize there is an increased interest during the coronavirus pandemic to enjoy outdoor recreational activities like hiking and walking. Neither reservoir has allowed any public access for years, and that has not changed. The commission is charged with protecting two reservoirs which are the main sources of drinking water for around 250,000 people in greater Springfield. The Massachusetts State Police and Environmental police, and Water & Sewer Commission employees are continuing to monitor each property and to enforce the trespassing ban. Shea said in recent weeks, the land stewards who monitor each property have noticed an increase in activity in motorized vehicles, in particular dirt bikes and ATVs. Vehicles have the potential to introduce harmful contaminants directly into the water supply, and can compact the soil and cause erosion problems. Cobble Mountain has been closed to the public since May 2002 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Related Content: Steve Hawkins was chasing a spider with a blow torch when he found a ring. It was sometime between 1982 and 1984, and Hawkins, then in his early 20s, was convinced he saw a black widow under the porch. There was a pipe sticking out from under the stairs by the house, Hawkins said. I was crawling around one day and we found a nest for a black widow, so my brother and I were down there, chasing it out with a torch. For two years in the 1980s, Hawkins lived with his brother and a roommate in a rental house on Southeast 17th Avenue in Portland. The young men would do improvements around the old house and the owner would cut us some slack on the rent, Hawkins said. So thats why they were traversing under the rickety front steps, chasing out spiders. In the process of just scrambling around down there, I kicked up some dirt, and there it was, Hawkins said. The mans gold wedding band didnt fit Hawkins, but he kept it anyway, tucked inside a film canister. You find a ring, what do you do with it? Who knows what to do with things like that at that time, he said. Most people would take it to a hock shop." So, why didnt he? Well, it was somebodys ring. I suppose, maybe, I thought some day I would figure out" the owner, he said. Four decades later, he would. He read a story by The Oregonian/OregonLive about a hundred-year-old wedding ring returned to a family after it had been lost in the back of an office desk drawer. It reminded Hawkins he had a ring of his own, somewhere in his Beaverton home. Im a pack rat. Im approaching hoarder. Ive got stuff, stuff, stuff. So when I saw that story," he said, "I started digging. And it took me about three days of digging through boxes of junk, and I found that ring. I put a magnifying glass to it and I thought, wow, this could be something. Hed never thought to look before, but the ring had an inscription inside with two first names and a date: Lillian to Albin, Oct. 1, 1943. And he emailed me. A first-name search of marriage records on Ancestry.com found a single match in Oregon from 1943: Albin Puodziunas, who married Lillian Opal Seeley. But at first, I couldnt find him. Searches for Puodziunas were a dead end. The Oregonians archives had an obituary for Lillian, who died in 2011 at age 92. It listed her husbands name as Albin Pajunas. Perhaps, the Ancestry records were wrong. Albin Pajunas had a varied career in sales, media and construction. He was a salesman for Pan American Airlines, an editor for Portlands Daily Journal of Commerce and a staff member for The Columbian newspaper, according to archives of The Oregonian. In 1965, he wrote a full-page article in this newspaper on epoxy grout. He later owned a tile-contracting business. And he, too, had passed away, in 2000 at age 87. Both obituaries listed a survivor: a son named Michael. How about that? Hawkins said when called about the news. Thats pretty cool. We just need to get him his ring. From his front porch in North Portland, a mask covering his face, Mike Pajunas read the fine inscription inside his fathers ring. He brought out a few photos of his father, as well as a portrait of his smiling parents. Pajunas remembers his family renting that white house on 17th Avenue, where he walked to school at Cleveland High, in the early-1970s. He doesnt remember his father ever mentioning losing a ring. Pajunas also explained that his father changed the spelling of his Lithuanian surname to make it easier to pronounce. It was why, after his marriage, there was no longer any trace in public records of Mr. Puodziunas. Albin was born in Connecticut, left home at age 14, and moved around the East Coast. He served his country during World War II, and met Lillian in a night club in Florida. Albin wanted to start a new life on the West Coast and decided, for reasons his son isnt entirely sure about, to move from Florida to Portland. His method of proposal? He sent Lillian a letter and money for train fare. Come to Portland, he wrote, and Ill marry you. Pajunas isnt sure what hell do with the ring now, but holding it brought back a rush of memories of fishing and camping trips with his father, of life as a teenager in that small rental house, and of his proposal to his own wife. We talked, in person and on the phone, for probably an hour and a half. Its funny (Hawkins) didnt just automatically take it to some gold buyer or something, Pajunas said. Theres something about a wedding ring that turns us sentimental. It can make us hold out hope for a happy ending, even as the decades pass. *** This is the fifth story weve written about reuniting someone with a lost ring (and actually the seventh ring Ive helped return to its owner.) Have you found a ring and want to find the owner? Email me at sswindler@oregonian.com. -- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com; @editorswindler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Anthony 'The Mooch' Scaramuccis hedge fund investment firm, SkyBridge Capital LLC, suffered heavy losses in March as global markets cratered amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Scaramuccis firm, which is based in New York, slumped 22.5 percent last month after a big bet on debt investments backfired - bringing its year-to-date losses to 21.9 percent, the Wall Street Journal first reported. SkyBridge was reported to be managing $5.9 billion in assets in January, but in the two months that have followed that figure has since slumped to $3.9 million. Now SkyBridge is said to be considering its options after several of the hedge funds they invested in have now blocked clients from withdrawing money, amid the substantial losses. Scaramuccis firm, which is based in New York, slumped 22.5 percent last month after a big bet on debt investments backfired - bringing its year-to-date losses to 21.9 percent, the Wall Street Journal first reported Reports surfaced on Monday that the Mooch - famed for his turbulent and brief stint as President Trump's communications director in 2017 - was considering filing lawsuits against other funds responsible for his hefty losses Reports surfaced on Monday that the Mooch - famed for his turbulent and brief stint as President Trump's communications director in 2017 - was considering filing lawsuits against other funds responsible for his hefty losses. But speaking to the Post, Scaramucci discredited the claims, saying: 'I havent been in one lawsuit in 31 years,' in reference to his divorce, 'I dont intend to have any now.' Since 2016, SkyBridge has primarily focused its investments in structured credit, which includes mortgages, credit cards and corporate loans. In February, the group's main product, Series G, had invested nearly $5 billion in hedge funds and the firm was in the black for the year. But their fortunes changed drastically in March as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged global markets, in which credit-related investments were hit particularly hard as investors feared the crises would hurt consumers and other borrowers. The woes caused steep losses for a large portion of SkyBridge's portfolio, because a number of their investments borrowed money or used leverage to increase returns. One of Series G's largest investments, Angelo Gordon's AG Mortgage Value Partners Fund, was down 31 percent for the month. Another, Metacapital Management LP, lost in excess of 50 percent, the Journal reported. Adding to the monumental pressures the firm's facing, a number of funds - such as the EJF Debt Opportunities fund - have told SkyBridge and other clients they won't be able to withdraw their money until markets stabilize. Since 2016, SkyBridge has primarily focused its investments in structured credit, which includes mortgages, credit cards and corporate loans. In February, the group's main product, Series G, had invested nearly $5 billion in hedge funds and helped the firm turn a profit. But their fortunes changed drastically in March as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged global markets, in which credit-related investments were hit particularly hard as investors feared the crises would hurt consumers and other borrowers One of Series G's largest investments, Angelo Gordon's AG Mortgage Value Partners Fund, was down 31 percent for the month. Another, Metacapital Management LP, lost in excess of 50 percent, the Journal reported Considered to be a prominent figure in the hedge-fund industry, Scaramucci was one of the first financiers to react to the impending danger of the Covid-19 outbreak. The 56-year-old told his team of 50 staffers to stay away from the firm's Madison Avenue headquarters some 10 days before Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered a statewide lockdown. Once a broker for Goldman Sachs, Scaramucci was appointed communications director for the White House in 2017. However he was ousted from the position by Trump just 10 days later, after the New Yorker published an expletive-laden interview in which he fiercely criticized several other senior White House officials. Copperstate Farms holds an exclusive license to cultivate, manufacture, sell, and distribute DNA Genetics branded cannabis products in Arizona PHOENIX, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Arizona, today announced DNA Genetics branded products are now available at its Sol Flower dispensaries in Sun City and Tempe, Arizona. Arizona medical cannabis patients can choose from a diverse selection of top-tier DNA Genetics cannabis strains. The initial launch will feature Holy Grail, Skywalker Kush, Recon Kush, and Citradol with additional fan favorites coming out in the coming weeks including Kosher Dawg, 4 Prophets, 24k, Tangie, and Lemon OG. Sol Flower dispensaries will carry additional DNA Genetics flower strains in the coming weeks. Some strains may become available on a wholesale basis to other dispensary operations. Copperstate Farms entered into a licensing agreement with the globally recognized and award-winning cannabis brand in May 2019 for the exclusive right to cultivate, manufacture, sell and distribute DNA Genetics products. Since its inception, the genetics developed by DNA have won more than 200 awards, in all categories, at the most prestigious cannabis events around the world making DNA the global standard in breeding and growing truly best-in-class strains. These awards include the High Times Top 10 Strain of the Year, which was inducted into the High Times Seedbank Hall of Fame in 2009, the High Times 100 Most Influential People in the Industry and the High Times Trail Blazers Award, for contributions made towards uniting the fields of entrepreneurship, politics, and medicine. Having access to Copperstates expansive cultivation facility has allowed us to invest further in R&D and bring new and unique strains to the Arizona market. This is an ongoing breeding project and we look forward to launching other innovative selections down the road, said Don Morris, Co-Founder of DNA. Story continues Copperstate Farms is home to the largest indoor cannabis greenhouse in the U.S. with 40 acres under glass. The company currently has 50 medical cannabis strains in development and 50 in production. In addition to its partnership with DNA Genetics, Copperstate Farms holds a license with all-natural cannabis extracts brand Moxie. We are excited to debut these world-class and award-winning strains from DNA Genetics. This has been a collaborative effort over twelve months time that involved starting with 12,000 seeds before narrowing this down to the exact genetics that deliver on the DNA brand as well as can function well in our greenhouse environment, said Copperstate Farms CEO Pankaj Talwar. For more information visit CopperstateFarms.com. * Copperstate Farms has implemented social distancing and enhanced safety measures at its cultivation facility and Sol Flower dispensaries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. About Copperstate Farms Management, LLC: Established in 2016, Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, is a vertically integrated cannabis company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The company is a licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis in the U.S. and operates a 1.7-million-square-foot facility and 40-acre greenhouse grow in Snowflake, Arizona. Copperstate Farms is the parent company of multiple product suites and dispensary retail concept Sol Flower, which includes a public-facing cafe and wellness classroom. The multi-use dispensary brand has locations in Tempe and Sun City, Arizona. Copperstate Farms is dedicated to bringing growth to the local and state economy through the hiring of local laborers, material suppliers, and contractors. For more information, visit CopperstateFarms.com. About OG DNA Genetics Inc. DNA was rooted in Los Angeles and founded in Amsterdam in 2004 by Don Morris and Aaron Yarkoni. Over the last decade, the Company has built and curated a seasoned genetic library and developed proven standard operating procedures for genetic selection, breeding, and cultivation. In a world that is increasingly opening up to commercial cannabis activity, DNA is positioned to become the first truly geographically-diversified company with multiple partnerships with top-licensed producers and brands that have built their companies and global presence utilizing the Powered by DNA model. For more information, please visit www.dnagenetics.com . Media Contact: Neko Catanzaro Proven Media Neko@provenmediaservices.com (401) 484-4980 Rezwan Khan Vice President, Global Corporate Development DNA Genetics rezwan@dnagenetics.com 3 1 of 3 Seung Lee/Courtesy Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Google Street View Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A fire in Berkeley sent a large plume of dark smoke into the air that could briefly be seen all over the East Bay on Tuesday. The fire broke out a little after noon at a two-story residence on Blake Street between MLK and Shattuck and spread to some nearby structures. Agriculture, fishing activities and pharma industry are likely to get relaxation during the extended period of lockdown, while curbs in 370 districts out of around 720 will continue with total halt on inter-district movement of people, officials said on Tuesday. Highway 'dhabas' (eateries), truck repairing shops and construction works with local labourers are also expected to be allowed to function in the districts where there has been no case of COVID-19. Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the lockdown, imposed initially for 21 days from March 25 to check the spread of coronavirus, till May 3. The likely exemptions will come into effect from April 20 in a phased manner. The Union Home Ministry officials are busy framing the guidelines which will carry the broad parameters for the implementation of the extended lockdown and exemptions to be given during the period. Harvesting and sowing activities will be allowed with strict social distancing norms, a home ministry official told PTI. Pharma industries, fishing activities, highway 'dhaba' (roadside eateries), truck repairing shops will also be allowed during the lockdown, the official said. While a number of states, including Assam and Meghalaya, have already allowed opening of liquor shops, the guidelines are likely to allow the state governments to frame their own excise policy. During the chief ministers conference, convened by the Prime Minister on April 11, several chief ministers had strongly pitched for opening of the liquor shops as it is a key revenue generating source. During 2019-20, Assam has reportedly received about Rs 2,000 crore revenue from the excise while Delhi's annual revenue was about Rs 3,000 crore. While smooth functioning of the pharma industry is essential for regular supply of medicines, agricultural and fishing will be allowed keeping in mind the interests of the farmers. 'Dhabas' and truck repairing shops are essential for the thousands of people engaged in transportation of both essential and non-essential cargos across the length and breadth of the country. Officials said of the around 720 districts in the country, around 370 are currently affected by coronavirus pandemic. The whole country is likely to be divided into three zones -- red, orange and green -- depending on the number of COVID-19 cases. Red zones will be the districts where sizeable number of cases were detected or areas which were declared hotspots, orange zones will be those districts where only a few cases were found in the past with no increase in the number of positive cases and green zone will the districts where there is no COVID-19 case. There will be no inter-district movement of people till May 3 and agricultural wholesale markets (Mandi) will be allowed to function with limited number of buyers and sellers under strict monitoring of police, another official said. There will also be relaxation in transportation of agricultural and MSME labourers, who will be allowed to kept in safe houses with proper maintenance of social distance. The home ministry is preparing the guidelines on the basis of suggestions given by chief ministers, central ministries and departments following their experience during the 21-day lockdown period as well as the COVID-19 situation, the official said. The districts, which were identified as Coronavirus hotspots, will be isolated and most of the exemptions given to green zones will not be applicable there. The district magistrates are expected to implement the containment measures and legal action will be taken against violators, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TDT | Manama Bahrain has conducted over 65,000 tests for COVID-19 since registering its first case, and of this number, only two per cent have turned out positive. This was revealed last night by Ministry of Health undersecretary Dr Walid Al Manea during the press conference of the National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19). It was held at the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research at the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital. Also in attendance were Infectious Disease Consultant and Microbiologist at BDF Hospital and National Taskforce member Lt. Col. DrManaf Al Qahtani, and Consultant of Infectious and Internal Diseases at Salmaniya Medical Complex Dr Jameela Al Salman. Dr Al Qahtani noted that Bahrains testing capacities have increased 11-fold since the Kingdom began its testing efforts. He further noted that the average number of medical tests taken per day has risen from 295 to 3,233. Dr Al Qahtani added that out of all the active cases so far, 89% are asymptomatic, whilst 11% exhibit symptoms. Meanwhile, Dr Al Manea commended His Majesty the Kings continued support to the efforts of Bahrains medical workers in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and safeguarding the health of citizens and residents. He lauded the efforts of the Health Ministry, including contact-tracing methods and recent field visits to labour accommodations in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, via mobile testing units. Dr Al Manea spoke of the utilisation of the effective Test, Trace and Treat method to safeguard Bahrains citizens and residents. He highlighted that the Kingdoms pre-emptive COVID-19 campaigns have contributed to the identification and management of active COVID-19 cases across the Kingdom, and highlighted the Ministrys increase in testing capacity across the Kingdom. Dr Al Manea added that the Kingdoms current testing, quarantine, isolation and treatment capacity is as follows. The public isolation and treatment capacity stands at 1,699 beds, of which 744 are currently being used, while the private isolation and treatment capacity stands at 172 beds, of which only seven are currently being used. Further, the public quarantine capacity stands at 2,504 beds, of which 824 are being used; and the private quarantine capacity stands at 321 beds, of which 65 are being used. In response to concerns of the recent sudden increase in active COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, Dr Al Qahtani noted that this is a result of the increased testing procedures being undertaken. He added that most of the new cases have been amongst labourers who have not been able to observe social distancing measures. On her part, Dr Al Salman highlighted the importance of following the health guidelines issued by the government. The team concluded by underscoring the importance of washing hands regularly using water and soap, using hand sanitizer, frequently disinfecting surfaces and objects that are used regularly, covering the mouth when coughing, the immediate disposal of used tissues, and avoiding direct contact with anyone with a fever or a cough The team further reiterated to call 444 and follow the guidelines provided in the event that symptoms appear, and added that wearing a mask is pivotal to ensuring citizens and residents remain safeguarded from the virus. WASHINGTON The International Monetary Fund issued a stark warning on Tuesday about the coronaviruss economic toll, saying that the world is facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression as shuttered factories, quarantines and national lockdowns cause economic output to collapse. The grim forecast underscored the magnitude of the shock that the pandemic has inflicted on both advanced and developing economies and the daunting task that policymakers face in containing the fallout. With countries already hoarding medical supplies and international travel curtailed, the I.M.F warned that the crisis threatened to reverse decades of gains from globalization. In its World Economic Outlook, the I.M.F. projected that the global economy would contract by 3 percent in 2020, an extraordinary reversal from early this year, when the fund forecast that the world economy would outpace 2019 and grow by 3.3 percent. This years fall in output would be far more severe than the last recession, when the world economy contracted by less than 1 percent between 2008 and 2009. As countries implement necessary quarantines and social distancing practices to contain the pandemic, the world has been put in a Great Lockdown, said Gita Gopinath, the I.M.F.s chief economist. The magnitude and speed of collapse in activity that has followed is unlike anything experienced in our lifetimes. The wedding was staged at the physiotherapy room at Marymount Hospice in Cork for a patient who decided to marry their partner. A COUPLE vowed to see love defy the Covid-19 pandemic by getting married at one of Ireland's biggest hospices. The wedding was staged at the physiotherapy room at Marymount Hospice in Cork for a patient who decided to marry their partner. The couple - who asked to remain anonymous - exchanged vows while carefully adhering to strict social distancing protocols. Because of that, no friends or family were able to attend the ceremony, which was only witnessed by staff and the ceremony celebrant. Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, no visitors have been allowed at the Curraheen-based facility. However, thanks to the donation of 30,000 worth of iPads and tablets following an appeal last week by Marymount, the wedding ceremony was streamed live to relatives and friends of the newly weds across Ireland and the world. Expand Close The couple exchanged vows while carefully adhering to strict social distancing protocols. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The couple exchanged vows while carefully adhering to strict social distancing protocols. Marymount said it was a very special occasion for everyone. "Our staff as always went above and beyond in decorating our physio room with lots of love and providing an amazing five-star wedding dinner," a Marymount spokesperson said. "Thank you to the Oriel House Hotel who helped us in donating items to brighten up the space. "As the couple could have no guests because of Covid-19, we used some of our newly donated iPads to connect their families in so that their siblings isolating in various parts of the world could be part of this special day. "While they couldn't be there in person they still were able to take part in the day. And the couple could share in their love and support. This is only possible because of (public) support - a most sincere thank you from all of us at Marymount." Marymount Hospice in Cork, which was founded in 1870, ranks as one of Ireland's biggest palliative care centres. It offers 44 specialist palliative care beds and 63 elderly care beds. The Curraheen-based facility said it hoped the iPads and tablets would make life easier for patients who have been hit by visitor restrictions which were imposed on health and safety grounds because of Covid-19. "We are just so touched by the volume of your support. We have raised nearly 30,000 and have been offered many iPads and tablets. Your support, as always, is so appreciated and will make a difference to all of us here at Marymount. In fact it already has." "Without the normal face-to-face interactions with their loved ones our patients understandably may feel a little lost without their trusted partner, siblings, sons, daughters and friends - the people who are their guardians and protectors in their time of need." Marymount explained that one 94 year old patient called John (not his real name) had not been able to see his family for a month because of the Covid-19 precautionary measures. Four weeks ago John brought his 87 year old wife, Nora (not her real name) a cup of tea in bed like any other day. Later that day his doctor advised John that he needed to be admitted to an acute Cork hospital due to increasingly severe pains. The following day he was admitted. "Nora and his daughter and every other family member have been unable to physically see John since the day he was admitted four weeks ago. "It was four days before they could even hear his voice using his first mobile phone that Mary left in the hospital reception for his use. While John is thankfully not suffering from Covid-19, the current precautions are having a huge impact on him and his family." However, John's mood was transformed when his daughter brought an iPad to the facility - and he has been able to enjoy face-to-face virtual chats with his loved ones daily. Family members have also been able to get daily updates on his medical care. "Earlier this week one of our pastoral care team spotted an iPad that had been delivered for his attention with instructions from his daughter Mary. Together they set it up and within 10 minutes John was able to facetime his daughter and then his wife Nora. "It was a wonderfully emotional moment as they spoke and laughed face to face for the first time in a month - catching up on the news, sharing jokes, singing songs, bemoaning the lack of hairdressing facilities and just connecting." Marymount purchased two designated ward iPads and they have also received five donated iPads - but such is the demand for them and the restrictions because of infection control, patients have lengthy waits to use them. The facility launched their iPad and tablet appeal so that 'virtual visits' are possible for everyone every day. "If you would like to support us in any way in helping us to open up connections between our patients and their families we are very gratefully accepting donations of tablets and iPads. If you are able to help us in any way please email pmcgovern@marymount.ie. You can also donate to our technology at https://www.gofundme.com/f/MarymountTechAppeal" Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 17:21:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three countries or 10+3) on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday emphasized strengthening the awareness of a community with a shared future for humanity to clinch an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) on COVID-19 via video link. As COVID-19 is spreading globally, the APT countries are also affected, Li said, noting that the virus is gravely threatening the health, safety and lives of people around the world. The global economy has come under severe strain, with simultaneous contraction of supply and demand, massive volatility in the financial markets, and plummeting trade and investment, he said. Li pointed out that as close neighbors, the APT countries have developed a full-fledged industrial chain and a mutually complementary specialization structure. On emergency response, the APT countries have gained valuable experience of jointly tackling crises and put in place mechanisms for enhancing emergency preparedness, he said. "The battle against COVID-19 has made us more aware that we are in a community with a shared future," Li said. "We must act with greater synergy and common purpose, and articulate our determination to work together in closer coordination and cooperation and make a collective response to the epidemic." He called on the APT countries to demonstrate their positive and special role in fighting the epidemic and revitalizing the economy, and to send a message of partnership, solidarity and mutual assistance among East Asian countries to boost confidence in the region and beyond. "Together, we will work for an early victory against COVID-19 in East Asia," said Li. Related: Chinese premier proposes fast-track lane for essential personnel on urgent visits Chinese premier suggests leveraging regional mechanisms to enhance crisis preparedness The parents of a boy battling leukaemia who can't fly to the US for treatment have revealed he is now taking a harsh trial drug to keep the cancer at bay until the coronavirus lockdown is lifted. Denny Nassy-Cornelious has been battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, a rare and aggressive cancer which affects the white blood cells, for four years. The seven-year-old was told he needed a rare therapy that was not available in the UK for his condition and that he would need to raise 500,000 to undergo treatment overseas. But due to travel restrictions put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, his parents Dave and Marie-Ann fear Denny may not be able to reach the US in time - despite having raised 430,000 of their half-a-million target. Denny Nassy-Cornelious (pictured with his parents Dave and Marie-Ann) has been battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, a rare and aggressive cancer which affects the white blood cells, for four years Denny, from Hastings in East Sussex, has now been given a harsh trial drug typically used by adults in an attempt to keep the cancer at bay until travel restrictions are lifted. He has been treated with the drug - carfilzomib - alongside chemotherapy and has suffered ulcers, extreme weight loss and temperatures as a result of the treatmement. The seven-year-old, who was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was three, has recently grown immune to a light form of chemotherapy which lasts up to four weeks at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, south London. 'This light chemo is very harsh and has taken its toll on Denny - it's ravaging his body,' his father said. 'He's very poorly, has temperatures everyday, he's losing weight and has got mucositis running from his mouth to his bottom. He's very sore. The seven-year-old (right with his sister Rosie) was told he needed a rare therapy that was not available in the UK for his condition and that he would need to raise 500,000 to undergo treatment overseas Denny, from Hastings in East Sussex, has now been given a harsh trial drug typically used by adults in an attempt to keep the cancer at bay until travel restrictions are lifted 'It's been a rough ride. We brought it to people's attention in October but Denny has been going through it for four and a half years.' Denny has been treated with chemotherapy before, and he went into remission, but he relapsed a year later in October last year. His family want to see him undergo CAR-T treatment, which has been trialled at Great Ormond Street and Kings College hospitals but has not been approved across the board. Denny's parents had hoped to take him to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in the US to take part in a clinical trial of this immune therapy for advanced leukaemia. Denny has been treated with chemotherapy before, and he went into remission, but he relapsed a year later in October last year Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia is so rare it accounts for less than one per cent of all cancers in the UK, with just 790 people diagnosed per year (Pictured left, Denny and Marie-Ann) Denny's sister Marley, four, has also been diagnosed with the aggressive condition but she is now in remission 'Coronavirus has turned up and really messed up all our plans, because we can't travel because of the virus and the state of his health,' Mr Nassy said. 'The fundraising has come to a halt because we had events lined up which would've brought a lot of money in for the petition. 'If we don't get this treatment, it's palliative care - it's make or break time now. We've exhausted all avenues. 'This is our only option and our last chance to save him. It's not impossible for it to be brought to this country and be used here.' WHAT IS ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA? Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a rare cancer which affects white blood cells. The cancer, which affects both adults and children, progresses quickly and aggressively and requires immediate treatment. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is incredibly rare, with only 790 people diagnosed each year in the UK. Most cases develop in children, teenagers and young adults. Most symptoms appear due to a lack of healthy blood cells. They include: Feeling tired and breathless High temperatures Night sweats Bone and joint pains Easily bruised skin Swollen lymph nodes Stomach pains due to a swollen liver or spleen Other symptoms could also include: Headaches Seizures Blurred vision Dizziness As acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is an aggressive condition which develops quickly, most treatment takes place shortly after diagnosis. It typically takes place in the following stages: Remission induction, which aims to kill the leukaemia cells in bone marrow Consolidation, which aims to kill any remaining leukaemia Maintenance, taking regular chemotherapy medicines to prevent leukaemia from returning Source: NHS Advertisement Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia is so rare it accounts for less than one per cent of all cancers in the UK, with just 790 people diagnosed per year. Denny's sister Marley, four, has also been diagnosed with the aggressive condition but she is now in remission. The Nassy family have raised 430,000 so far for Denny's - with phenomenal contributions from people doing sponsored skydives, bake sales and gigs. Mr Nassy has even called on Secretary of State Matt Hancock for help to bring the CAR-T treatment back to the UK for Denny. 'We wanted the treatment to come here because two weeks before Denny relapsed, the treatment was here on trial free of charge,' he said. 'Literally 13 days before Denny relapsed.' Sally-Ann Hart, MP for Hastings and Rye, has promised to put forward his case as a priority. 'I just want to give him a shot. There's a chance the CAR-T might not work but I want to give it a shot. He's got a high chance of it working,' he added. 'I don't want to close my eyes and know I didn't try my best. I want to know that we've tried everything.' Denny's mother Marie-Ann, 45, is currently self-isolating with Denny at hospital. His aunt Michele Laurens said last month: 'It's a desperate situation. 'Denny had a slim chance of survival even if he had the treatment, about 20 per cent. 'But now his chances are close to non-existent because of everything is changing so quickly due to Coronavirus. 'We were hoping to take Denny to America in about four-weeks' time after he had finished his latest course of chemotherapy. 'But what with all the new travel restrictions and the airlines closing down we don't know if we will able to get there, if we will be able to get into the country or if the hospital will still be carrying out the medical trial.' Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is perhaps one of the most notorious drug lords in the world. He founded the Sinaloa cartel, an immensely global drug operation that had immeasurable power. His cartel is known for committing multiple crimes. He was born into poverty and an abusive father who was also involved in the drug trade. Guzman entered the drug-trafficking business when he was a teenager, working for a Sinoloa rising dealer named Hector Luise Palma Salazar. By his late 20s, he emerged as one of the smartest additions in the Mexican drug trade. He quickly developed his cartel to become the most powerful and dangerous drug traffickers across the globe. He has been accused of ordering more than 1,000 murders. The hits included both henchmen, opposing parties, and other cartel leaders. 2001 Prison Break On June 10, 1993, the Mexican government announced El Chapo's capture in Guatemala. He was brought to the Puente Grande maximum-security prison. The high-profile arrest was lauded by many, seeing it as a symbol of the government's willingness to take down cartels. Authorities charged him for murder, kidnapping, and drug-trafficking. He allegedly ran a massive operation using a tunnel that ran from San Diego to Tijuana. He was extradited to Mexico and sentenced to 20 years and nine months in prison. He had a very comfortable life in prison. The guards followed his every whim, allowing him to continue managing his drug empire from the correctional facility. He was even allowed conjugal visits. Guzman eventually feared getting extradited to the US. On January 19, 2001, he made a grand escape with the help of bribed guards. A guard named Francisco Camberos Rivera, also known as El Chito, reportedly opened the door to his cell and helped him hop into a cart of dirty laundry. The guard wheeled El Chapo through unguarded hallways, through wide-open electronic doors, and eventually to his freedom. He leaped into the back of a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and was driven away from prison. An internal investigation discovered he had 71 prison guards, cops, and the prison director on his payroll. Authorities estimated he paid $2.5 million as bribery. Following his escape, Guzman expanded his cartel over the next decade. In 2009, the Sinaloa cartel was raking in $3 billion annually, with Joaquin's net worth at $1 billion. He quickly became America's most wanted drug criminal in which a $5 million reward was being offered for any information that could lead to his arrest. Guzman allegedly celebrated his marriage with a large gathering. Guests reportedly included police officers and local politicians. 2015 Escape On February 22, 2014, El Chapo was captured a second time after hiding in tunnels for days. Authorities who raided his safe houses discovered dug up tunnels under his bathtubs. The success was considered a huge win for authorities. He was locked up in a cell with no windows. He was allowed frequent visits and was only allotted $48 for basic toiletries. Guzman was given an hour outside of his cell a day. Guards monitored security cameras placed inside prison cells, as well. However, on July 11, 2015, Guzman was seen going to his shower, which was in the camera's blind spot, and vanished. An investigation found a tunnel underneath his shower cell, with the end leading to a house a mile away. The tunnel had a motorcycle adapted to a rail where Guzman rode to his freedom for the second time. Authorities said prison guards ignored loud hammering sounds despite receiving complaints from other prisoners. Grainy footage revealed the drug lord turned up the volume on his televisual device to drown out the hammering noise coming from his cell's shower. CCTV footage showed prison guards checking his cell out 20 minutes after his escape, but waited for a few more before going in and inspecting the escape tunnel. The tunnel had proper ventilation and lighting. It was also 1.7 meters high, just tall enough so El Chapo would not crouch. 2016 Capture Guzman was captured less than half a year later after he was involved in a shootout with Mexican marines. The United States hoped to extradite the kingpin. As authorities waited for a decision on whether El Chapo will be tried in American soil, his cartel got involved in an assassination involving a judge. Judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacarias was jogging near his home in Mexico City when a gunman closed in and shot the judge's head at point-blank range. The judge died a short while later at the hospital. Alcatraz of the Rockies He was extradited on January 19, 2017--18 years after his first escape. He was then placed in the United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, a place also known as the 'Alcatraz of the Rockies.' The prison houses the 'worst' criminals, and there are more guards than the number of prisoners. Everyone stay in their cells 23 hours a day. They are let out at random intervals and brought to an empty swimming pool. The 7x12 feet cell has a bed, stool, and desk all made of concrete materials. It is also soundproof, effectively preventing prisoners from communicating with each other. The cell does not have a window, making it impossible for the prisoners to pinpoint their exact location. The prison is equipped with motion sensors, remote-controlled, thick steel doors, and security monitors. The control room has a panic button, which will automatically lock every entry in the facility. Should anyone make it outside the buildings, numerous armed guards stand watch in towers. There are also armed patrols accompanied by attack dogs. Prisoners will also have to scale a 12-foot razor fence. Former wardens describe the prison as an eerily quiet and extremely clean prison. A former warden said it resembled a fresh version of hell. The establishment is also in a remote location, making it easy for the guards to see any approaching vehicle. The lights inside the prison stay on all the time. Prisoners are allowed to watch on their television, but only religious broadcasts and education shows are shown. The prison, also called Supermax, is supervised by highly-trained guards that are vetted to prevent corruption and escape. Some 20 million children across Turkey are currently at home after schools were shut down nationwide March 16 to contain the novel coronavirus. The shutdown inadvertently set off an unprecedented rise in reports of child abuse and maltreatment. With more children at home, parents have more opportunities to observe them and notice warning signs of non-domestic child abuse and maltreatment. Yet, activists also warn of a spike in reports of domestic violence and abuse. Prominent activist Saadet Ozkan Efe brought up the surge on Twitter April 4. Mothers are taking notice of their children at home. We are receiving too many child abuse complaints. My heart is broken, I feel sad, we will do everything we can to help them, Efe wrote on Twitter. Efe, a teacher and a laureate of the State Departments International Women of Courage Award, rose to prominence in Turkey after she came forward to protect six students who were being abused by the principal of her school. Efe then founded a civic group supporting young victims of abuse. The International Association for Combating Child Abuse (UCIM), based in Turkeys Mediterranean province of Mersin, operates in 52 cities across the country, with a large network of volunteer lawyers and psychologists. The group also runs a hotline to support children and their families. Efe said the complaints to the group have doubled since the schools closed and that the number of reports they receive daily has jumped to 9-10 from four. Children, feeling safe at home, tell their parents about the abuse," she told Al-Monitor. "Sometimes the abuser is an uncle or a neighbor. In very few cases it is fathers. Generally mothers take action when they find out. Some 99% of reporters are mothers. Efe added that many other countries are facing the same problem amid coronavirus restrictions. Private space and privacy are two important notions that children must learn about to encourage awareness of abuse, according to Filiz Budak, a counselor at UCIM. Each child should have a separate bedroom or at least a private place to sleep in. However, maintaining personal boundaries among members of low-income families is challenging, as family members usually live and sleep in small spaces, Budak said. Kissing children on the lips can disrupt their perceptions of private space, she added, noting that supporting children with unconditional love and trust is essential. You have to show kids you will love them even if they make a mistake or something bad happens, Budak told Al-Monitor. Children should be taught that strangers cant touch them and who to ask for help if someone tries that. They should be told they shouldn't keep bad things secret. Social withdrawal, failure at school and eating disorders are among the warning signs of abuse, Budak added. Adem Yaprak, a lawyer with UCIM, emphasized the importance of taking action. Calling on parents not to shy away from reporting abuse cases, Yaprak said complaints can be submitted through the UCIM website. We have an online reporting tool on our website," Yaprak said. "Once the forms are filled online, we immediately take action. We closely follow the whole process, from the preparation of the legal petitions to trials. We show the families they are not alone. Apart from the groups hotline, Turkeys non-emergency police hotline and social services helpline also provide support to the victims. However, no official statistics on child abuse and maltreatment have been available in Turkey since 2017, when the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) suddenly stopped releasing data on the issue. Turkeys state-run Anadolu News Agency reported in 2019 that 40 million children suffer from abuse globally, but there was no mention of Turkey in the report. Gamze Akkus Ilgezdi, a lawmaker with the opposition Republican People's Party, filed a criminal complaint against the head of TUIK for withholding the information. Ilgezdi told Al-Monitor that more than 56,000 children were sexually abused in Turkey between 2014 and 2017. Efe thinks todays children are more confident in reporting their abusers and have digital media as a resource to educate themselves. We cant sleep because of a spike in the reports," Efe said. "For peaceful kids it is great luck to spend time with their families. However, we need to run social awareness ads on TV and digital media to educate disadvantaged kids and their families." Written and directed by Pedro Costa Bare and swollen feet descend from the airplane to the tarmac in the dead of night. A woman takes halting steps toward a solemn group of airport workers who look on her with pity. One embraces her stiffly and says, Vitalina, you arrived too late. Your husband was buried days ago. There is nothing in Portugal for you. Vitalina Varela (2019) So begins Vitalina Varela, the latest film by Pedro Costa, which recently became available for streaming. The Portuguese director has been acclaimed in various quarters, especially in and around certain international film festivals and cinema journals, as, for example, one of the most important artists on the international film scene today, one of the world's greatest filmmakers and possibly the most intriguing, relevant filmmaker at work today, captivating viewers with his spare, austere aesthetic, willful ambiguity, and combination of documentary, avant-garde, and fiction. In our view, a far more critical approach is needed. Vitalina Varela is an almost unremittingly bleak film in which we barely glimpse the sky, let alone the sun. In the Lisbon slum where Vitalina vows to live out her days, it seems always to be night. Streetlights reveal little besides crumbling cement walls, unpaved streets and bare, sickly trees. Some residents scavenge for food or scrap metal, others shuffle around like lost souls or stare resignedly into space. Long shots during which characters and objects barely move emphasize the general torpor. Distant sounds of people talking or children playing only underscore the characters silence and isolation. Despite beingor because it is?full of darkness, both literal and metaphysical, Vitalina Varela won the Golden Leopard at last years Locarno Film Festival. Previous films by Costa, such as Colossal Youth (2006) and In Vandas Room (2000), also have gained international acclaim. The WSWS has commented before on Costas films. In 2006, in regard to Colossal Youth, we wrote: At its best, this is filmmaking of the utmost social passivity, which accepts the oppressed almost entirely as it finds them, aestheticizes their condition and, perhaps without meaning to, makes a virtue out of what is, in fact, transitory and ephemeral social necessity. Of Horse Money (2014), we wrote in 2015 that much of the work is tedious and almost unendurable. Costas grim, joyless filmmaking is useful at communicating one or two emotions. This is not a film taken from life. More recently, the WSWS suggested that the films of a number of glum European directors, including Costa, more than anything else, reflect the consequences of critical social events and traumas (the rise and collapse of Stalinism, the social origins of fascism and the Holocaust, the betrayed or abortive revolutions in France, Portugal and elsewhere in the years 1968-1975) that the artists have not worked through or understood. Costa was born in 1958 during the Salazar dictatorship and was 15 when it was overthrown during the Carnation Revolution of 1974. After studying film in Lisbon under Antonio Reis, whom the Portuguese consider one of their most significant directors, Costa developed a distinctive visual style that relies heavily on chiaroscuro. He has preferred to work with nonprofessional actors, and the latter sometimes collaborate with him in writing his films. For decades, Costa has set his movies in the Fontainhas slum in Lisbon, where many African immigrants from the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde live. This is where Vitalina (a character named after the actress who plays her) makes her new home, having arrived too late to meet her estranged husband Joaquim. Neighbors soon file in, as though in a weary procession, to pay their respects. Each whispers simply, Im sorry, or My condolences, before sitting and lapsing into silence. One neighbor tries to sell Vitalina cans of tuna that he has stolen. Ntoni and Marina, a young couple, come for a visit. As the tattered Ntoni eats food that Vitalina has prepared, he remarks that he had almost forgotten what home-cooked meals tasted like. He and Marina sleep rough at the train station, he explains. For sustenance, Ntoni forages for food at the grocery store. He relates his tale quietly and with little affect. He is not looking for pity and, like the other characters, seems not to believe that his life could improve. As Vitalina settles into her new home, which belonged to Joaquim, she complains about its leaky roof and unfinished walls. She judges that Joaquim went into decline after leaving her. Years earlier, the two had built a cement home in Cape Verde with their own hands. Working night and day, they completed it in 45 days. Sitting alone in Fontainhas, Vitalina remembers how Joaquim left her one day without a word. It took her 40 years to gain the resources to fly to Lisbon to find him. Pedro Costa's Vitalina Varela (2019) One day, Vitalina goes to the corrugated tin shack that serves as the neighborhood church. The only congregant, she sits in one of the student chairs that line the dirt floor. The priest, played by nonprofessional actor Ventura, is a gray and palsied man with a pitiless gaze. He hoarsely mutters that he can no longer say mass and that he has lost his faith in the darkness. This remark is an example of the stilted, artificial tone that mars the movie. Seeking information about Joaquims life without her, and perhaps seeking simple companionship, Vitalina regularly visits the church. The priest admits that he said mass at Joaquims funeral, but refuses to give further information. He suggests that Vitalina speak with Joaquim herself, but admonishes her to learn Portuguese, since spirits only speak that language. Vitalina digs graves for the priest in exchange for Portuguese lessons. During one lesson late at night in the graveyard, Vitalina repeats after the priest as he recites the story of Judass betrayal. The priests version of the story ends with the world being split in two: one half lit by the sun, the other plunged in darkness. We were born of the shadows, the priest intones. Such self-conscious dialogue is unnecessary in a film so clearly permeated with pessimism. One doesnt know whether to snicker or groan at such teenage existentialism. Perhaps the most arresting aspect of Vitalina Varela is its visual beauty. The sharp, clear light that partially illuminates the ubiquitous darkness accentuates textures and casts shadows that define as well as obscure the characters and their surroundings. Although the films palette is subdued, the chiaroscuro lighting enriches it, especially the few colors that stand out. But the movies formalism (e.g., its slow pace, ritualistic movement and spare, whispered dialogue) soon seems like an end in itself, and thus becomes increasingly tedious and alienating. We sense that the film is the work of a pretentious artiste. That is because the beautiful light never penetrates beneath the characters surfaces and into their psyches. Apart from references to Cape Verde (and one mention of Queen Elizabeth), the film does not acknowledge the outside world at all. Nor does it locate the story concretely in history. In Vitalina Varela, the world consists entirely of the timeless waste of Fontainhas. Costas admirers, and perhaps the director himself, might argue that the film is a portrayal of immigrant workers difficult lives. If so, then why dont the characters ever smile, laugh, or show simple human warmth toward each other? As poor as the residents of Fontainhas may be, they surely do those things. And the film never hints at any historical, political or economic reasons for its characters misery. Worse, it does not offer any hope that they might change their situation. The film is not an examination, but an aestheticization of these immigrant workers lives. Its treatment of these workers offers little insight and does them no favors. Following a joint investigation by Irish, German and Dutch Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) - supported by Interpol, Europol, Eurojust and the relevant National investigative authorities - into an international COVID-19 fraud investigation, detectives from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) with assistance from Gardai in Co Roscommon, interviewed an Irish citizen on Friday 10th April 2020, in Co Roscommon relating to the suspected laundering of 1.5 million in this jurisdiction, contrary to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 to 2018. This is a serious offence carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 14 years after conviction on indictment. Documents and electronic devices were obtained and are currently being forensically examined. Investigations are ongoing. Background: A German company with offices in Hamburg and Zurich were contracted by German State Officials to purchase 10 million masks with an approximate value of 15,000,000. The masks were required to assist in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. The German District Service forwarded under 15,000,000 to the German Company. The German company made contact with a client company in Spain with whom they had a well-established professional relationship. Unfortunately, the Spanish company was unable to fulfil the order given the current demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The German company was next put in contact with a Dutch supplier through an Irish intermediary and placed an order for 11 million masks. Unknown to the German company, the order was made with a fraudulent entity who had cloned the website and email address of the legitimate Dutch company. The fraudulent Dutch company setup supply channels through the Irish intermediary to provide the 11 million masks worth up 7,700,000 to the German Government to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Germany. Following contractual agreements a down payment was made by the German company of 1.5 million to the Irish companys bank account based in Roscommon for the delivery of the first 7.7m masks. The German company also made a further payment of 880,000 to the (fraudulent) Dutch Companys Bank account. On the 27th of March 2020 representatives from the German and Irish companies met in Amsterdam to inspect and oversee the handover of the shipment. The shipment never materialised. The representatives attended the company office of the Dutch company where they were told that no shipment was ever ordered or assigned. Joint investigation Ireland/ Germany/ Holland FIUs supported by Interpol After the initial Police report in Germany. Financial Intelligent Units (FIUs) from Germany, Holland and Ireland with the support of FIU.net, Interpol, Europol and Eurojust analysed the information at hand and went about trying to recover some of the compromised funds. Prompt intervention by the Dutch FIU have tracked down the 880,000 which had been transferred from the legitimate German company. 498,000 was transferred to a UK account and onward to a Nigerian account. Due to international cooperation this 498,000 was recalled from the Nigerian bank account. A further 125,000 was transferred into another Dutch account. On the 6th April 2020 the Dutch FIOD Police arrested 2 males for alleged fraud, falsification and money laundering in connection with above 880,000 proceeds of Crime. These two males were in court on Thursday 9th April 2020. Prompt intervention by FIU in Ireland in collaboration with the banking sector managed to freeze the 1.5 million in the Irish Bank account. Detectives from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) interviewed an Irish citizen on Friday 10th April 2020, in Co. Roscommon relating to the suspected laundering of 1.5 million in this jurisdiction, contrary to section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Acts 2010 to 2018. Documents and electronic devices were obtained and are currently being forensically examined. Cyber enquires under covered that Fraudsters had captured the address of a real existing Dutch Company whom operate in this business and opened a bank account at the same Dutch bank as the real company in a compromised similar name. This case initially came to the attention of the Financial Sector who alerted the relevant authorities in each jurisdiction including INTERPOL and Europol. INTERPOL are now coordinating the case which allows for a cohesive investigative approach. The investigation is ongoing and INTERPOL continue to support its member countries in their common goal to combat Covid-19 related financial crime. After a large number of migrant workers gathered in Mumbai and Surat, Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev on Tuesday directed police and district magistrates to not allow large assemblies in the national capital. A government official said that the orders have also been issued to the Delhi Transport Corporation and divisional commissioner to ensure that lockdown, imposed in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is strictly enforced. Only buses placed at the disposal of the police and health department will operate and the rest will be confined to depots, the chief secretary said in his order. "Special Commissioners of Police, Joint CPs, DMs and SDMs have been asked to be on ground to monitor situation closely," the official said. About 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered in Mumbai's Bandra area on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements for them to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. A police official said the migrants were dispersed two hours later and have been assured that they will be provided accommodation and food till the lockdown lasts. Also, hundreds of migrant workers gather in Surat demanding they be sent to native places despite lockdown. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I love them Reply Thread Link there's so much news on them lately (for their standards) i'm starting to get concerned I thought she was too skinny and I wanted to cook for her. his latino genes coming thru Reply Thread Link MTE about the amount of news about them. Reply Parent Thread Link I wonder why. As she's aged her face has become a little fuller, but I've noticed she looks almost like her old self these days. Wonder what's up. Anyway, I love her. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link his latino genes coming thru omg i never knew Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I checked the tag and other than the couple of social media posts from her ig, this is the second thing in an actual publication about them in two months. The last one was also Freddie speaking to US Weekly about Sarah in February, maybe they recycled material/used an outtake for content this time. Reply Parent Thread Link Swoon! I want a sweet boyfriend of my own :( Reply Thread Link Thats so sweet! I always like stories about couples who get to know each other and bond before they ever get together. I think having that established connection must make it extra special (I wouldnt know Ive never dated a friend lol) Reply Thread Link Speaking as someone's relationship who started that way I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's something that everyone should have. Reply Parent Thread Link i'm in my first relationship right now and i approached it just wanting to be his friend. i got so annoyed when i started catching feelings lol Reply Parent Thread Link that 'cook for her skinny ass' comment just made me remember he's latino lmfao Reply Thread Link Omg I had no idea hes Latino and speaks Spanish, I always thought he was a midwestern white boy lmao Reply Parent Thread Link His dad was Puerto Rican-German. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i really wanna hear him speak spanish lmao i like how he refers to himself as the safest latino choice lol Reply Parent Thread Link someone posted this in the last post, and his accent really comes out randomly i was surprised lmao Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I like that they've been able to be together for so long but I hope they don't start involving the media now. That's never a good idea. Reply Thread Link I watched this movie a few weeks ago and distinctly remember thinking she had lost weight since then. So much for feeding her. Reply Thread Link I was shocked by how different she looked between S1 and S2 of Buffy. At first I wasn't even 100% sure it was the same actress. Reply Parent Thread Link first season curse got her tbh Reply Parent Thread Link I've always thought that. She has big hair, she's a little thicker.... then season 2 they tamed the hair waaay down and she had lost a lot of weight. I also find it strange thinking of, say Buffy season 7. She looks very slender and it makes her look tall. Kathryn in Cruel Intentions to me is a full figured, curvy short thing. Kathryn and Buffy look like entirely different people. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The are the exact opposite of Dax Shepard/Kristin Bell, and I love them for it. Reply Thread Link As a kid I hated them together because I was like "You're taking BUFFY AWAY FROM ME! SHE WOULDNT BE LEAVING THE SHOW IF IT WERENT FOR YOUR ROMANTIC ASS!!!!!!!!!!!" Still funny that he was supposed to play Dracula in 5x01. Reply Thread Link omg i wish Reply Parent Thread Link I didn't know that. I always liked the guy who played Dracula, Rudolf Martin, because he played SMG's love interest on All My Children. So it was a reunion of Kendall and Anton for me. Reply Parent Thread Link I didn't know that, fascinating. tbh the Dracula storyline is one of my least favorites in Buffy. Reply Parent Thread Link awww lol I liked them together but even I was a bit 'marrying so soon?!' It makes a lot of sense in hindsight when the She's All That anniversary interviews revealed that Freddie wanted to propose to the gf he was dating before he started filming that.....and he was 21 or 22 at the time, so they broke up instead. I guess he leaned towards settling down young, makes sense after knowing his dad's history. Reply Parent Thread Link If they ever get a divorce, love is truly dead. Reply Thread Link They are my absolute favorite. The one celeb couple that would crush me if they ever split. Reply Thread Link That's so cute. The cooking thing didn't work though because when I watched Buffy for the first time like 7 years ago (binge-watching on Netflix so this was noticeable) I noticed she was getting skinnier and skinnier with each season lol. But yeah I like that they were friends first too. Reply Thread Link Yeah, I'm a little skeptical of some of his comments. It's pretty well known SMG lost weight between S1 and S2 and that's when IKWYDLS was filmed. She was hardly too skinny in that film. That and his comments about driving don't make sense. Like, SMG has told stories driving and having a car long before meeting FPJ. He doesn't seem to have the best memory in the world. I think he's getting things confused. Like, maybe he's confusing her with JLH. Reply Parent Thread Link that's adorable Reply Thread Link I want a man who will cook for me and feed me. Also it'd be great if he was a pastry chef. That's not too much to ask for, right? Edited at 2020-04-14 12:38 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link IMO the strongest romantic relationships are the ones that have friendship at its core. Reply Thread Link As businesses come to terms with COVID-19, marketing investment, especially advertising, is inevitably under the microscope. Discretionary spend to promote sales at a time when most companies are experiencing feast (supermarkets) or famine (airlines), may feel gratuitous. Instincts suggest turning out the lights and praying for better times. These instincts should be resisted. Not unexpected sentiments from an adman, but hear me out. Smart, successful businesses will, to borrow a popular phrase right now, follow the science and continue to invest in their brands, with sound economic reasoning to back them up. The first is history. Weve been here before. OK, not exactly here, but we know what happens when brands go dark. In 2000, as the dotcom bubble burst, businesses cutting their marketing budgets entirely took 5 years to return to the sales levels of those who sustained their spend. Similarly, in 2008, brands that were strong going into the recession and stayed strong during it, recovered 9 times faster than competitors in the years that followed. Every study, all the available data, for recessions in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, even post-WW1 in the 1920s, have the same consistent finding. Slashing advertising during a downturn is a sure way to make a serious problem a whole lot worse. The marketing textbooks are also full of brands who did the opposite and stole a march on their rivals. Kelloggs during the Great Depression. Nescafe Gold Blend and Renault Clio in the early 90s. In 2008/09, all of Heinz, Hovis, T-Mobile and Virgin Atlantic doubled down on their advertising and reaped the rewards. Which brings us to the second reason. Opportunity. Not opportunism. Were not talking about profiteering or making a fast buck. But when competitors stop communicating with customers or prospects, a vacuum is created. A rare opportunity for other brands to make their voices heard. Why speak up? Again, the answer is in the science increasing share of voice (the % share your brand has of total category ad investment) typically increases share of market. Achieve excess share of voice, ie. spend above your market share, and the growth correlation is even greater. And at times like these, much more affordable. To illustrate, brand owners should ponder this: UK homes are watching a third more TV during lockdown, but lack of advertiser demand means the cost of TV airtime is half what it should be. Thats Xmas telly-watching volumes at Summer holiday period prices. Beyond TV, digital subscriptions of newspapers are up, radio listening too. Want the attention of those hard-to-reach 16-34 year olds? Theyre home, theyre bored, theyre all ears. Of course, by definition, when restrictions are lifted, optimism returns, ad revenues rise, attention is dissipated and that window of opportunity slams shut. The third, more particular to current events, is responsibility. People dont want brands to disappear right now. In a WPP study conducted last week, almost 2/3 of US consumers said, its very important for companies and brands to use their voice during this crisis, rising to 84% who say they will base their future purchase behaviour on actions of companies during this crisis. Overclaim? Sure. But there seems little doubt that brands which serve, entertain and innovate through this crisis will be remembered for the right reasons. Among our own clients, Telus in Canada, Toyota in Spain, NatWest and British Gas here in the UK, all are putting their heads above the parapet, knowing the impressions they form now will last longer than much of the better-planned marketing that comes before and after. Businesses will be judged on actions more than words, but advertising remains critical to offering support, empathy, even optimism to customers. The final reason is legacy. One day, relatively soon, this will all be over and life will go back to normal. But what will normal look like? A shock this great will leave its own legacy; major and minor shifts in attitudes and behaviours that businesses will have to understand, respond to and ideally, get ahead of. Take Toyota, the worlds largest automotive manufacturer and our largest client. What will the legacy of the dramatic COVID-induced reduction in carbon emissions be and what does that mean for how Toyota should communicate its Hybrid range today? Equally, what will the legacy of a COVID-immobilised world be and what are the implications for how Toyota communicates its pioneering new range of mobility products and services now? All businesses and brands will face significant strategic questions and they should begin to anticipate and answer them long before this crisis is over. Thinking long-term. Nobody would suggest that marketing investment right now doesnt have to be re-thought. Clearly, there are businesses in the eye of the storm who must cap all extraneous expenditure just to stay afloat. Obviously, there is advertising spend designed to harvest demand that is superfluous now where that demand has temporarily disappeared. Yet for most businesses, marketing and advertising will be anything but extraneous or superfluous in helping them stay robust. This isnt about sales today, but it is about sales tomorrow. What are your long-term goals? Building affinity in a category thats hard to love? Creating consideration for a purchase thats long in the making? Cementing favourable habits that customers have picked up while cooped-up at home? Follow the science. Learn from history; seize the opportunity; take and be seen to take responsibility; and leave your own legacy, sustaining your marketing investment to lay down the strategic foundations now that will assure your brands success as it emerges, healthy, into a post-COVID world. In some states, such as New York, laid-off workers have been told they must fax in documentation. In other states, workers can file claims online unless, of course, their only way to get online is via smartphone. Some unemployment websites arent mobile-enabled, a significant issue when about a quarter of Americans dont own a desktop or laptop, and libraries are closed. Infuriatingly, Illinoiss website like those in some other states is shut down for hours every day. Since the beginning of the BRITE Constellation in 2013 - a mission in which the first two Austrian satellites were involved - the five nanosatellites have taken millions of images. However, the recordings of a complete nova eruption are unique worldwide. The nova phenomenon During a nova eruption, a white dwarf sucks matter from its companion star and stores this mass on its surface until the gas pressure becomes extremely high. An explosion occurs in which hydrogen is burned, creating enormous shock fronts. These shocks are much stronger than, for example, those generated by supersonic aircraft in our Earth's atmosphere. Instead of sound, therefore, an enormous burst of light and high-energy radiation is produced, such as gamma and X-ray radiation. This means that stars that could previously only be observed with telescopes can suddenly be seen with the naked eye. "But what causes a previously unimpressive star to explode? This was a problem that has not been solved satisfactorily until now," says Prof. Werner Weiss from the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Vienna. An explosion of Nova V906 in the constellation Carina (Latin for keel of a ship) has now provided answers and confirmed this explanatory concept, long after the explosion took place locally. "After all, this nova is so far away from us that its light takes about 13,000 years to reach the earth," explains Weiss. The event could be documented by the BRITE Constellation between March and July 2018. Accidental observation This first-time ever observation of a complete nova eruption came about by chance. The BRITE Constellation had just photometrically observed 18 stars in the constellation Carina continuously over several weeks when the nova suddenly appeared in the field of view. Dr. Rainer Kuschnig, Operations Manager of the BRITE Constellation at TU Graz, discovered the eruption during his daily inspection of the five nanosatellites. "Suddenly there was a star on our records that wasn't there the day before. I'd never seen anything like it in all the years of the mission!" A short search among the top news in the night sky showed that the new star was identified as Nova Carinae 2018. Dr. Kuschnig informed the 12-member leadership of the BRITE Constellation's scientific team, the BRITE Science Team. "It is fantastic that for the first time a nova could be observed by our satellites even before its actual eruption and until many weeks later," says Prof. Otto Koudelka, project manager of the BRITE Austria (TUGSAT-1) satellite at TU Graz. "This fortunate circumstance was decisive in ensuring that the nova event could be recorded with unprecedented precision," explains Prof. Konstanze Zwintz, head of the BRITE Science Team, from the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck. Zwintz immediately realised "that we had access to observation material that was unique worldwide." The cooperation of BRITE Constellation with Dr. Elias Aydi from Michigan State University, USA, led to the publication now published in Nature Astronomy with the title "Direct evidence for shock-powered optical emission in a nova". Observing stars from space The BRITE Constellation is an ensemble of small satellites that record the light of selected stars in the sky by high-precision photometry. From an altitude of about 800 km, the BRITE Constellation observes stars with magnitudes between 0 and 6 in optical light, with the faintest stars just barely visible to the naked eye under excellent observation conditions. Typically, 15 to 20 stars are measured continuously for about half a year in a 24 square degree field - an area as large as, for example, the entire constellation of Orion or the Plough (Big Dipper). The BRITE Constellation was initiated with the launch of the first two Austrian satellites, BRITE-Austria/TUGSAT-1 and UniBRITE in 2013. Poland and Canada joined in 2014 with one pair of identical satellites each. The BRITE Constellation has since studied more than 660 of the brightest stars in the sky. ### Contact persons: For scientific questions: Prof. Dr. Werner W. Weiss (Project Manager of UniBRITE) Department of Astrophysics University of Vienna T: +43 664 73478374 Email: werner.weiss@univie.ac.at Prof. Dr. Konstanze Zwintz (Head of BRITE Constellation) University of Innsbruck Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics T: +43 664 5327811 Email: konstanze.zwintz@uibk.ac.at For technical questions about the BRITE Constellation satellites: Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Otto Koudelka (Project Management of BRITE Austria) Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) Institute of Communication Networks and Satellite Communications T: +43 664 602 876 1602 Email: koudelka@tugraz.at This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a new Future Tense series. Nearly three months after the novel coronavirus arrived in the United States, the country is scrambling to manage COVID patients. Theres still a major shortage of tests. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would end federal funding of 41 testing locations, while theres still a backlog of tests in major cities across the U.S. And with many hospital systems understandably focused on (and overwhelmed with) treating COVID patients with serious symptoms, it can be difficult to find the time to check in on patients with more mild cases, who are recovering outside the hospital. The city of San Antonio announced a program to check in with each COVID patient, but that would be a tall order for places like New York City, which has had more than 106,000 confirmed cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To better track COVID recovery, or even diagnose COVID, researchers are looking to places you might not expect. For instance, Matt Whitehill, a computer scientist at the University of Washington, is soliciting volunteers to record themselves coughing. (Full disclosure: I am teaching a course at UW this semester but have no relationship with Whitehill or anyone from his department.) People sick with COVID-19 experience a variety of symptomsor sometimes, none at allbut a dry cough is among the most common symptoms, so the prevalence of that cough can be used as a proxy for their overall health, says Whitehill. The data Whitehill is collecting will be used to train an algorithm that detects and counts coughs in patients recovering from COVID. He and his colleagues have been conducting cough detection research since 2011, with the idea that monitoring coughs could help health care professionals monitor people recovering from the flu or tuberculosis, and to track diseases spread. In their work, theyve found that coughs can tell you a fair amount about a person. People have their own cough signature, because you get some vibrations of the vocal cords as youre coughing. It doesnt necessarily take an algorithm to identify coughsWhitehill says that people listening to strangers coughs can identify individual coughs with about 80 percent accuracybut subtler aspects of coughs can be detected by an algorithm, like whether the cougher is likely male or female. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This ability to differentiate between different peoples coughs comes into play if youre tracking patients in real world environments. Say you have multiple sick people recovering in the same household, or the same area of the hospital. A cough detection algorithm may be able to identify your cough and count the number of times youre coughing in an hour or a day, which might be able to tell your doctors how well youre recovering. In the long run, this data might also give researchers a better idea of what the trajectory of recovery looks like for COVID patients. Advertisement Advertisement Their current database includes more than 10,000 coughs, says Whitehill, and to better train the algorithm, theyve also collected recordings of people speaking, clearing their throat, or laughing. These are the things the model most frequently has trouble with, he says. Advertisement Now, Whitehill and his colleagues are developing an app that uses their cough detection algorithm to count coughs. They hope to begin piloting it in the next two to three months, and have relationships with clinical researchers who will seek consent from their patients. Consenting volunteers would have the app running in the background of their phone at all times, turning on only when it detects a cough. Its similar to an Amazon Echo, says Whitehill. Its constantly listening to your mic data, but it only starts recording or analyzing once it hears a wake wordin this case, the cough is the wake word. Advertisement Advertisement Given recent concerns around data privacy, Whitehill and colleagues designed their app so that personal data remains on the users device by default, unless they choose to share it with the researchers. Some apps might record your audio and send it to the cloud for processing, which allows them to use a more complex deep-learning model, but its a pretty severe privacy risk, says Whitehill. Instead, all our processing occurs on the device, so none of your audio leaves your device unless you provide consent. He adds that walking volunteers through privacy options will be an important part of rolling out their app. Advertisement Advertisement Privacy concerns have put a related project on hold. The COVID Voice Detector, created by Carnegie Mellon researchers, set out to collect voice samples from volunteers to train an algorithm that estimates your chances of being COVID-19 positive. (They also collaborated with A.I. voice company Voca to collect data.) Previous work in coughalytics (yes, this is really a thing) and voice analysis suggests its possible to differentiate between, say, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and people with the flu, or pneumonia. These Carnegie Mellon researchers thought it might be possible to train an algorithm to detect COVID-19 in patients by their voice. Not everyone who has COVID even shows symptoms. While a cough could be indicative, its not the only thing you could look at, says Rita Singh, a computer scientist on the project. When youre coming down with any condition of your respiratory track, theres likely to be some change in your voice, the same way theres a change in your voice when you get a common cold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What, exactly, those differences are would be borne out by collecting data, so the projects website launched on March 30, asking volunteers to record themselves coughing, reciting the alphabet, saying some vowels. Then, the site spat a scorethe likelihood you were infected with COVID-19. But after a day or so, Singh and colleagues realized people might misinterpret the websites score as a real diagnosis. We immediately brought the website down, and have been rethinking how we can present the results of this system, says Singh. You dont want anyones blood on your hands. But Singh and colleagues still want to find ways to make their work useful. Singh says they have reached out to medical doctors and to the Food and Drug Administration in hopes of using their algorithm as a diagnostic aid. (A full diagnosis, of course, would require approved tests.) Theyve also been thinking about how to safely collect data. While we might take our voice for granted, its a powerful biometric tool. Much like your fingerprint or DNA are unique to you, so is your voice. If theres a voice database anywhere, going forward, we have the ability to find out your identity, says Singh. So theyre working on making their data collection site compliant with privacy regulations from the EU and California, so users could delete their data at any time. Meanwhile, there are several other projects collecting voice or cough data from participants from institutions like the University of Cambridge and Israeli startup Vocalis Health. Only time will tell whether algorithms will be a useful tool for COVID tracking and diagnosis. But any studies must take privacy seriously, and to be clear about what this technology can and cant tell us. We dont want to play games, says Singh. This is not the time to experiment with things were not certain about. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 730 with 126 more people testing positive for the disease in the last 24 hours, a senior health official said on Tuesday. In the last 24 hours, 1,171 people were tested for coronavirus in the state. Of these, 126 were found positive for coronavirus in the reports received till Monday night, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients in Madhya Pradesh to 730, state health commissioner Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Tuesday. So far, 50 people have died in the state due to coronavirus, he said. Tikamgarh district has also reported its first case of coronavirus, the offiical said. There are total 278 containment zones formed in the coronavirus affected districts of the state, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had their official Twitter handle reinstated on Tuesday after the embassy made a solemn representation twice to the social media platform, which said the suspension was a "systematic mistake." The Twitter handle (@ChinaEmbSL) had been suspended on Monday. The embassy said that they regretted this "systematic mistake," and added that "freedom of speech" must be honoured. Freedom of speech should not be misused to spread groundless, racist or hate speech, nor be treated with "double standards," the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. The Embassy feels regretful to this systematic mistake, and would like to reiterate that the #FreedomOfSpeech must be honored, while not be misused to spread groundless, racial or hatred speech, nor be treated with #doublestandards . Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) April 14, 2020 Twitter, who said it was a "systematic mistake," restored the embassy account in 24 hours and apologized, according to the embassy. The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had engaged in a "war of words" with various users on Twitter before the suspension and in recent days it was posting information about the pandemic. On Monday, the embassy tweeted and shared what the World Economic Forum said, "Please don't politicize this virus. It's like playing with fire." Whether or not Twitter freezes its account will not affect the unremitting efforts of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, which is dedicated to China-Sri Lankan friendship and pragmatic cooperation, nor will it hinder China's leading role in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy said. A top policeman has warned his fellow officers that they will lose public support for enforcing social distancing breaches if they are too heavy-handed in their approach. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton warned officers in an internal document to use 'common sense' and only hand out penalties for the worst lockdown breaches. His directive comes after several fines issued over the Easter long weekend had to be revoked. One couple were slapped with a $1,600 fine for posting to Facebook a photo of them on a holiday that was taken last year. There are fears the public will lose faith in law enforcement if officers continue to be heavy-handed when handing out fines for social distancing breaches Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton (pictured) warned police officers to use common sense and only issue penalties for the worst lockdown breaches Under stage three restrictions, Victorians are only allowed to leave their homes for medical reasons, essential grocery shopping, exercise and work. Mr Patton said the inconsistency in the enforcement of lockdown laws is causing the public to lose trust in the police force. 'I am concerned that there continues to be an inconsistent approach from our members when enforcing the directives of the Chief Health Officer,' Mr Patton said in internal communications obtained by The Age. Mr Patton said the lack of discretion 'erodes public confidence' in police and undermines people who have followed the rules. 'The lack of consideration for public interest is significantly impacting on how the community view Victoria Police,' he said. '[Police] should use discretion ... they need to weigh up if a person's actions are placing others at risk or if a warning will suffice because we know most people are genuinely trying to do the right thing.' Mr Patton said he encouraged the force to consider how they would feel if a family member received an infringement in questionable circumstances. Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was slapped with a $1,652 fine for going on a driving lesson with her mother Sharee earlier this month. The penalty was later revoked Police in Sydney late last month were filmed driving dangerously close to a man who was sunbaking in Rushcutters Bay Park, in the city's east A police source said Mr Patton is reviewing fines across the state on a daily basis. Contentious penalty notices would be revoked or reviewed. A $1,652 fine imposed on schoolgirl Hunter Reynolds, 17, for going on a driving lesson with her mother Sharee earlier this month was later revoked. The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in southeast Melbourne before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules. But after publicly sharing their story, the police hierarchy reviewed the hefty fine and revoked it. Victoria Police also issued a $1,652 fine to a man for washing his car in the middle of the night. The man shared video footage showing him clash with two Victoria Police officers at a Melbourne car wash in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The male police officer said: 'So as I said to you before, we're speaking in relation to the new COVID-19 laws. 'What's your reason for being out at 1.15 in the morning washing your car?' The man said he worked in 'essential services' and was unable to wash his car during the day. The verbal altercation ended when an officer told the man he would receive a 'ticket in the mail'. 'Go get a f***ing life mate,' the man replied while getting into his car. The bizarre enforcements were not restricted to Victoria. Police in Sydney late last month were filmed driving up to a man and startling him while he as sun baking in Rushcutters Bay Park, in the city's east. On that occasion five police cars drove through the popular park to disperse crowds. The officers did not leave their cars while telling groups sitting on the grass they were violating the new public health restrictions. A cyclist in Melbourne's south-east, was fined $1,652 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 earlier this month to go mountain biking alone. Mr Riordan was 15 minutes from his house, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over. Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Batkivshchyna, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans Rights From the student bench, most experts who understand the economy know that if the budget deficit exceeds the highest deficit level or significantly reduces government treasury revenues, then a sequestration mechanism is introduced. In fact, it is the proportion of monthly expenses for all items during the period remaining until the end of the financial year. The last sequestration of the State Budget in Ukraine was carried out in 2014, when the Ukrainian economy was significantly influenced by the war in the East of our country. Expenditure revisions were discussed at the end of last year, but they have never reached the end. Today, the world is facing a new challenge the rapid spread of coronavirus infection, which has stopped thousands of budget-forming businesses, and millions of people have simply lost their jobs. The situation is almost the same in every country in the world that is struggling with COVID-19. Ukraine is no exception, and the refore the revision of the State Budget 2020 was inevitable. In the end, the proposed amendments to the countrys main financial document were voted down by the MPs from monomajority, but it is not the budget that can save Ukraine from default and provide citizens with high quality social protection. Thus, after the changes, the State Budget revenues decreased by almost UAH 120 billion and will amount to UAH 975.8 billion. The Government and the Parliamentary Committee of the Verkhovna Rada decided that our country will lose the most on: VAT on imports - UAH 45.7 billion; rents for subsoil use - UAH 22.9 billion; VAT on manufactured goods - UAH 21.4 billion; corporate income tax - UAH 20.7 billion. And thus the budget deficit will increase by UAH 202,1 billion, in particular due to debt borrowing. According to the last changes to the State Budget, the most money will go to the Coronavirus Fund. They plan to collect UAH 64.7 billion. In addition, they decided to finance the Pension Fund (+29.7 billion UAH) and servicing public debt (+3.3 billion UAH). However, the main focus should be on reducing budget programs - the funds have been taken to a range without a doubt necessary for the existence of the state branches. Most of all, benefits and housing subsidies have been cut - they will be reduced by 8.2 billion UAH. Peoples deputies, though, reassure that it is only a savings from the warm winter, but still the majority of consumers moneyhave been paid, so I am convinced that it will be even more difficult to get benefits for the next heating season. In the context of a large-scale and long-term process of decentralization and integration of territorial communities, the Government has apparently decided to put this on the brakes, since the State Regional Development Fund is underpaid by UAH 2,6 billion, and subsidies to local budgets to support the development of UGFs have been reduced by 100%, just over UAH 2 billion. Local councils will not be provided with the necessary funds to improve the social protection of certain categories of pedagogical workers in secondary education institutions. They also limited the funding for the creation of educational and practical centers of modern vocational education (UAH 160 million), which in our country is still in a very poor state, and all the maintenance of such institutions was transferred to the shoulders of local councils. It turns out to be a vicious circle - there is no money in the field, so vocational education centres are simply closed and thus form a shortage of workers specialities in the countrys labour market. The theatres will receive 120 million hryvnias less, the Ukrainian cultural fund 90 million less, the state cinema - 307 million - and so on almost every item of culture and education. They did not save 250 million hryvnias for educational equipment for universities, 400 million hryvnias for basic science funding in universities, 59 million hryvnias for training in universities. Accordingly, such underfunding significantly casts doubt on the quality of higher education, which was one of the best in Eastern Europe. This year young teachers will be remained without financial motivation from the side of the state the government cut 1.5 billion hryvnias in the budget for them and the level of their salaries will remain within 5 thousand hryvnias a month... With such approaches, teachers will simply quit their job and look for better ways to make money. However, the only thing that does not affect the reduction is the salaries of teachers and the payment of scholarships. With incomplete funding, but the New Ukrainian School project is still underway and students will be able to join the updated classes as early as September begins. It is our priority that successful projects have the right to exist, regardless of the countrys financial capacity, because the crisis will pass and an educated civil society will be needed in our country... Nothing has changed for the doctors too According to the changes to the budget, the promised lifting of medical staff is provided only for the time of quarantine Apart from the mentioned Pension Fund, expenditures in changes to the State Budget have increased the payment of judges fees. The interior ministry of Ukraine was also successful - they are increasing their budget (!) by 195 million to over 93 billion hryvnias... Logical questions also arise to the final provisions of the changes to the State Budget of the country. In particular, it is about reimbursement of expenditures at Dnipro airport (UAH 900 million) and Izmail airport (UAH 70 million), which is absurd at the beginning, since the budget envisages a complete reduction of such budgetary destinations. In addition, the budget provides for the cancellation of part of the debt of the Kyiv City Council, which is illogical if the Kyiv city budget is surplus. It is supposed that by the end of the quarantine, there will be a wage restriction for employees of budgetary institutions and members of supervisory boards of no more than 10 minimum wages, namely UAH 47 230. In the end, it would also be advisable to temporarily introduce a targeted tax on big salaries - those over ten minimums - a 50% PIT that went to the Coronavirus Fund. Because, unfortunately, we do not have the confidence that the representatives of the supervisory boards will not receive alarger premium after the quarantine. As a result, we see a picture where neither the ideology nor the logic of the proposed budget changes has changed. In particular, this may indicate a lack of an independent vision and ideology proposal from the new finance minister. Moreover, former Finance Minister Ihor Umanskyi was preparing preliminary budget revision amendments - they were worthy of his post. It is likely that the dismissal of the official has led to his principled stance on overcoming corruption schemes. Because the ex-minister of finance said that businessmen and officials steal from us about 10 billion hryvnias every month, 120 billion hryvnias a year. According to him, if this money went to the budget, no loans would be needed for Ukraine, and in 30 years of independence would be a considerable amount. And, the most outrageous thing is that the Cabinet of Ministers has no vision of the budget sphere for next year as Article 33 of the Budget Code on the main directions of budgetary policy for the next 2021 is suspended. Building a strategy is the key to success and a real assessment of the situation. Unfortunately, this is still lacking for the current officials, who form a further vision of life in our country. New Delhi, April 14 : Congress has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for comparing the numbers of Covid-19 deaths and infection with that of other countries as this is a human tragedy. Congress leader Manish Tewari told the media that this is a human tragedy no nation should suffer due to the virus. "It is not appropriate for the Prime Minister to compare the numbers with other countries but could have said that we are better equipped than other countries," said Manish Tewari. The Prime Minister, while making a global comparison to suggest how strict and early measures helped India arrest the surge, said: "India started screening at airports even before we had one corona positive patient in India... Even though we had 550 cases, India took a big decision to completely shutdown India. We didn't wait for the problem to erupt." He asserted while India testing more suspected corona patients have significantly gone up, it has simultaneously ramped up its corona infrastructure. "We have one lakh beds and there are 6,000 hospitals only for corona-infected patients," claimed the Prime Minister. The Congress has demanded that the government should give bonus on Minimum Support Price (MSP), which could be Rs 500. The Congress also demanded that as the government has decided that economy could wait lives are important then the government should come up with welfare measures. While reporting from Israel/Palestine has focused on Israels difficulties in forming a new government and on measures being taken by Israelis to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, the story behind the story is the role anti-Arab racism has played in these developments. Anti-Arab racism, which defined Israels founding and shaped its seven decades of existence, is now presenting the country with a challenge that will determine its future. Racism is the reason why the Blue and White bloc led by Benny Gantz was ultimately unable to form a government, thereby giving Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as Prime Minister. While the Gantz-led anti-Netanyahu forces won a majority of seats in the Knesset, 15 of those 61 seats were held by the Arab-led Joint List. After Gantz was given the nod to form a government, Netanyahu intensified his campaign of anti-Arab incitement against Gantz claiming that partnering with the Arabs was akin to making an alliance with terrorist supporters. In doing this, he was taking a page from the playbook he and the late Ariel Sharon used in the mid-1990s to incite against then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. They called Rabins government an illegitimate minority government because he relied on Arab Knesset Members to reach a majority. They also called Rabin a terrorist supporter and denounced the peace accords he reached with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. It soon became clear that Gantz did not have the votes he would need to form a government since 10 of the Jewish members of his putative coalition refused to consider forming a government that relied on Arab support. Seven of this group were from the YisraelBeiteinu party which has called for transferring Israels Palestinian Arab citizens to the West Bank while the other objectors were from Gantz own party. After still more twists and turns, Gantz surrendered to Netanyahu, agreeing to form a coalition government with Netanyahu as Prime Minister. While all the terms of the coalition have not yet been nailed down, one early concession made by Gantz has been to accept Netanyahus demand for Israel to formally annex the Palestinian territories Jordan Valley and the settlement blocs that Israel has built on occupied Palestinian lands. There are two new arguments being made by pro-annexation Israelis. The first is that because Donald Trump may not be reelected in November, Israel must act by summers end to ensure U.S. support for the move. The secondis that with the new coronavirus wreaking havoc across the Middle East, fortifying the West Banks Jordan Valley is important to protect Israel from disease and chaos that may occur in neighboring Jordan. This latter argument is both explicitly and implicitly racist, in that it makes the case that, to ward off complications that come from next door, Israel must annex the West Bank, thereby consolidating its repressive Apartheid-like hold over a Palestinian Arab population that is roughly equal in numbers to Israels Jewish population. To understand the future being envisioned by Israels right-wingers, one need only look at the recent policies being pursued by Netanyahus interim government toward Israels Arab citizens, who are 20 percent of its population, and the more than 4.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. At the end of March, Israel opened drive-through coronavirus testing stations throughout the country. None, however, were initially placed in Arab communities. When Israel finally established lockdowns to control the spread of the virus, the lockdowns did not include Arab population centers. So while Israels Palestinian Arab citizens are on the front lines fighting the pandemic about one-fifth of all Israeli doctors and one-quarter of all nurses are Arab their communities are horribly underserved. Experts therefore dismiss reports indicating low infection rates among the Arab population since these most likely are the result of a lack of testing. According to an Israeli press account, as of early April, only 6,500 Arab citizens of Israel had been tested as opposed to over 80,000 Israeli Jews. The situation confronting Palestinians in occupied territories is, of course, significantly worse owing to the persistence of the occupation. The Israeli military continuesviolent nightly raids on Palestinian towns and villages more than 200 in the last month alone. These raids are accompanied by beatings, shootings, and arrests of scores of Palestinians. Added to this are the unchecked incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. These have also accelerated in recent weeks with 20 especially violent attacks occurring last month. There are also reports from Israeli human rights groups of Israeli troops confiscating medical supplies and materials that were intended to build a needed field hospital in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority, which is already reeling from economic shortages, will now face the additional hardship of the tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers who have been forced to give up their jobs in Israel and return to their West Bank homes. The conditions to which they were subjected while in Israel had become deplorable as a result of the coronavirus lockdowns. They were denied wages, food, and medical care. And, as they have returned to the West Bank, the number of cases of individuals infected by the virus has risen in the territories. All of this has placed an unbearable burden on cash-strapped Palestinian medical services. Early on, when Israel imported 100,000 Coronavirus testing kits, the Israeli press reported that they sent a few thousand to the West Bank and only a few hundred to Gaza! The result, of course, is that while the virus will spread, and probably already has in the occupied lands, the reported numbers will be low because of a lack of testing. And then theres the problem of capacity. The entire West Bank has about 200 ventilators and Gaza has around 80 ICU beds, 72 percent of which are already in use. The Trump Administration has only added insult to this injury. This week, they rejected an appeal from Congress to send emergency medical support to the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, they found the funds to purchase one million surgical masks and other supplies for the Israel military. In the end, the confluence of anti-Arab racism and the coronavirus pandemic will have consequences. The pandemic knows no boundaries. While the Israeli right wing imagines that annexing and fortifying the Jordan Valley will seal off Israel from disease and chaos, in reality they are sealing their own fate. They are serving to hasten Israels march to becoming a full-fledged apartheid state, and because the coronavirus does not discriminate, Israels callous disregard for Arab human life will only ensure that the disease will continue to spread and take an ever-increasing toll on both Arabs and Jews alike. Search Keywords: Short link: Unusual times make for unlikely heroes, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. With the pandemic invading nearly every aspect of our lives, the phrase working on the front lines has taken on a whole new meaning. Standing at a cash register is working on the front lines. So is stocking shelves, pumping gas and serving pharmacy customers. Much like our emergency rescue workers, these essential employees face danger in this case an invisible one every single day. Constantly on the front lines, they show up for work day in and day out often for extended hours to make sure we have what we need to carry on some semblance of normalcy in these difficult times. To be sure, they deserve our thanks and our appreciation. But they deserve more. They deserve protection. We dont send emergency rescue workers into the fire without protective equipment. Likewise, we must not allow front-line retail workers cashiers, pharmacy workers, gas station attendants and others who work in essential businesses to battle this invisible enemy unprotected. Thats why Im introducing legislation that would ensure these employees have safe working conditions that support them and their families, while also reducing the threat of spreading infectious disease into the community. The COVID-19 Retail and Grocery Store Worker Safety Act would enact into state law the best practices for doing that. Those practices include social distancing of employees and customers, the use of barriers to decrease contact, store cleaning practices, employee access to hygiene stations and hand sanitizer, paid leave for sick employees and protocols for treating employees who are exposed to COVID-19 within the workplace. Keeping us connected with essential goods and services is keeping us all alive. And the workers responsible for these essential duties should not be left to fend for themselves. These heroes deserve no less than their own health and safety. Mark Curtis, founder and CEO of the Splash Carwash chain, had a very simple email written in his head Monday, ready to send to Livvy Floren, his state Representative in Greenwich. His message: Connecticut cant wait until May 20 to reopen for business or at least, the state shouldnt decide now that were definitely closed until then. If we have a decent couple of weeks of flattening, Curtis said, at that stage youre going to see a lot more pressure and a lot more concern from people that cant sustain a second month of being closed. Its no coincidence that Gov. Ned Lamont and five of his fellow governors from the Northeast came together Monday to plan the Grand Reopening of the region, as a region. Oh, sure, Lamont and New Yorks Andrew Cuomo and New Jerseys Phil Murphy can say its about science and medicine, and to a point, it is. Its also about politics, as the competing interests of business and public health will inevitably clash. Not now, but soon. Its no coincidence that this was the first Monday after the start of a backlash, mostly but not entirely from Republicans, saying, wait a minute. Were on board with staying closed for now, but lets at least keep our options open. That pressure mattered, and it plays out in the political arena. Lamont and the governors from Delaware to New England seven, as of late Monday when Charlie Baker of Massachusetts joined the club all said the same things about how and when theyd decide to reopen slowly, carefully, one step at a time, based on science and medicine, period. Its one step forward after research and consultation with experts, said Cuomo, the ringleader. You take one step forward and then you measure it. Said New Jerseys Murphy: An economic recovery only occurs on the backs of a complete healthcare recovery....If you jam it too early, you could throw gasoline, even inadvertently, on the fire. And thats bad for the economy. Lamont turned a phrase on a conference call with six of the governors, talking about how the novel coronavirus spreads along highways and transit lines. Its the commuter corridor for us, but its also the COVID corridor which is why its so important that we work together on this, he said. Trouble is, to do this strictly by science we need better testing than well have, both for active infections and antibodies, showing that people are over COVID-19. We will need to make decisions before we have the answers. Thats called politics. To make that go smoothly, the governors crafted an orderly process. Each will send three people to a central committee, most likely via Zoom or one of the other services weve come to love and hate. One top health official, in our case, Albert Ko of Yale; one top business emissary, from Connecticut, Lamont friend and adviser Indra Nooyi, a fellow Greenwicher and former PepsiCo CEO; and each governors chief of staff, in Connecticut Paul Mounds Jr. It sounds like a technocratic effort based on knowledge that Cuomo stressed should come from what weve learned from other nations that have peaked and started to reopen. It sounds like a lot of nuts and bolts, the almost mundane business of coordinating transit schedules, public employee operations, supply lines, communication with local leaders and a million other details connected to the reset button on the American economy. Cuomo even goaded President Donald Trump, who suggested the federal government read, Donald Trump will decide when the nation reopens. Go ahead, Cuomo said, make my crisis. The New York governor, son of a New York governor, then proceeded to outline all the precise steps that he, you, me and the rest of the American people all know Trump has no interest in taking. The clarity here is important and there is no conceptual answer. This is a very specific answer, Cuomo said. Youre president of the United States. You want to put forth a model? Lets hear the model. Lamont was much more conciliatory with Trumps claim to power, saying the White House is working with the states after a jab: Actually we wanted him to get more involved when it came to buying ventilators and PPE, Lamont said, referring to personal protective equipment. The point is, no matter how we dress this up, in the end its one man or thankfully in Rhode Island, one woman, Gov. Gina Raimondo making a decision in a political process. There will be people who say, lets go already. On Monday, we saw Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano slamming Lamont for not already having a plan to reopen. There will be people who say, Hold on, coronavirus is still killing victims. There will be governors who want restaurants to open first, and governors who want anyone over 65 to stay home. Thats all politics, not just science. And Mark Curtis of Splash Carwash, among myriad other actors on the stage, will make his voice heard. Fortunately, he and most everyone else in this unfolding tragedy is reasonable, moderate and looking out for the broader welfare. Curtis mostly has hand-washing locations, which had to close under Lamonts orders. But he could have kept his six automated locations open these last three weeks, as essential businesses. (Dont ask in New York, where he has six locations, hes ordered shut). He opted to close completely, he said, trying to keep people in their houses rather than giving them another reason to go wandering around. He laid off most of his 150 employees, knowing theyd be better off under the worker protections in place than if he kept them on in a limited furlough. And he sat tight, losing money but with a cushion built up over 39 years. Now he waits for the key moment. There is a point of no return at which the damage done economically is going to outstrip the damage that would be caused at that point by the virus, he said. That doesnt mean we trade lives for the almighty buck. It just means the decisions will have to be made before the last person gets sick and dies, because coronavirus in some form is here to stay. Scientists and economists dont make those decisions. Elected leaders do, and thats why politics is not a dirty word in the strangest restart of American culture any of us will ever hope to see. dhaar@hearstmediact.com San Francisco, April 14 : Digital businesses that want to earn the trust and loyalty of customers must remember that they cannot deliver cutting-edge experiences with an antiquated technology infrastructure, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has said. Saying that people buy "experiences," not products," Narayen in his keynote address to the first-ever global and all-digital Adobe Summit recently said that the only way to earn trust and loyalty of customers is to provide them with personalised, efficient, context-aware experiences. And the key to achieving that is merging content, data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver these types of experiences in real time, said Narayen, who filmed his keynote address in his home office. The Adobe CEO added that the industry must come together to share best practices, given that digitally engaging with customers matters more than ever before. "Everyone is having to rethink how they operate, including us at Adobe," Narayen said. "One thing is for certain," he said. "Digital is growing in importance. ... [It's] revolutionizing how we interact with each other." In the past, he said, the Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) brought in marketing and communication expertise with a strong knowledge of the customer journey, while Chief Information Officers (CIOs) understood what it takes to architect systems, unite data, and keep the businesses running. But their interactions were somewhat limited. Today, he said, all of that is changing. "IT is becoming more customer-centric and marketing is becoming more data-driven," Narayen said. "And leaders are working closer than ever before." In fact, he said, the best CMO-CIO partnerships enable enterprises to deliver compelling customer experiences at scale. It's critical to align the C-suite on customer-centricity, Narayen said, adding that Adobe has created a blueprint for the industry on how to effectively manage customer experiences: the "CXM Playbook." The "CXM Playbook" helps companies build a customised plan to become a data-driven experience business. Adobe has identified six key areas of focus, around which the "CXM Playbook" provides customised and personalised best practices: digital first; data and insights; scalable content; optimised personalization; customer journey management; and pervasive commerce. "Taken together, these six areas of the 'CXM Playbook' provide you with a comprehensive blueprint to become an experience business," said Anil Chakravarthy, Adobe's new Executive Vice President and General Manager, who drives the vision and operations for the company's Digital Experience business. Last Sunday on Springboard, Your Virtual University, on Joy Fm listeners had the benefit of listening to a rebroadcast of an insightful interview with the Most Reverend Charles G. Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, of the Roman Catholic Church. The interview which took place a few years ago shed light on his perpectives on the concepts of leadership, nationhood, development. On his definition of a leader, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle explained: I have actually been thinking very much on who a leader is. This is where my professional bias comes in as a church man; Jesus gives me the answer, when he says I am the good shepherd and goes on to say the good shepherd is one who knows his sheep. Qualities of a good leader So a good leader first and foremost must be somebody who knows those he or she is leading and it is not just ordinary knowledge but knows them by name and knows their weaknesses and strengths; that is what to know means. Jesus goes on to say ' I lay down my life for the sheep'. I think it is required of any leader to be so committed to the purpose for which he or she is leading, whether he or she is ready to die for the good of the cause and the good of the people he or she is leading. The third quality is a leader must be somebody who has the ability to keep the strong and the weak together and to move in unison with them. Jesus gives me one of the figures of a leader and Moses definitely in most cases the Old Testament was a leader according to the heart of Jesus Christ, he said. Areas to exercise leadership Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said that he believed very strongly that leadership would begin in the family. He said the family required a leader, the father of the family must be a leader, the mother of a family must be a leader even the children within the family too. He added that the family was the bedrock of leadership. Regarding political leadership, he explained: Definitely when you're dealing with politics, where politics is the art of bringing people together to attain the well-being that they really want, and at the same time bringing them further to what they themselves may not know they need. This type of leadership that Jesus enunciated is needed in various aspects of life. Today when you're talking about corporate leadership, they talk about the principle of subsidiarity, the principle of reciprocity, the principle of solidarity a whole lot. It is only that they are putting into words that are today understandable what, I believe, was there already. Look at the principle of subsidiarity; which means your leader must not do everything by himself or herself. Just take Moses, he was sitting judging the whole tribe of Israel himself until his father-in-law came to him and said, you are killing yourself just select people 70 of them and then entrust that responsibility to them. Otherwise he was wearing himself out. And then you have the case where Jesus chooses 12 most awkward people and puts them together and gives them the simplest law and that is whoever wants to be first among you must be your servant, so he teaches them that a leader in a corporate organisation must be ready to go down to the bottom and serve even the least. And I believe that if you have a chief executive, who is accessible to the lowest person in his company, who is friendly to his driver, who is concerned about the messenger, you are sure that, that is a good leader. The qualities are timeless. Globalisation Archbishop Palmer-Buckle also shared his thoughts on globalisation. We definitely have to admit that, the 21st century is very unique. The word globalisation in all its array or garment is the biggest challenge because it is both positive and negative. And sadly sometimes they are being exploited that is where I get worried because globalisation without a face tends to think of only the maximisation of power and profit and pleasure at the expense of the most important component, that is the human person - his or her human dignity that cannot be negotiated, its inalienable. In fact, in the global world now we need a serious global moral and ethical leadership. Where a decision can be made that this is not good for human consumption simply because it is not good and can be tackled immediately. I believe that our own country, especially those who come from these very small countries, where we are no powers as such. We need a leadership that will also be very conscious of the fact that whereas we are looking forward to becoming players in the global world, we should not just allow ourselves to be exposed to anything that comes from the global world that may not be good for us. Nationhood Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said Ghana was his only heritage from God and would not want to trade it for anything. A Ghanaian is someone who is blessed in many ways but unfortunately so blind to what his gifts from God are and have been to date. When you travel out of this country, and people met you they make you understand that there is a unique thing about you that you do not even know. As of now do you know how many countries that look up to Ghana for us to do the best we can? And it is just to tell you what expectations they have of us, he said. Greatest asset of a nation Archbishop Palmer-Buckle described the Ghanaian people as the nations greatest asset. The Ghanaian people are our greatest wealth. I wont call it just human resource because it looks like you're only looking at quantities. I am looking at the Ghanaian person as quality. We have developed the outside of the human person, in 20 years from now I expect to see a certain development that should take into consideration in developing the inner person. And that is where I believe churches and religious bodies must really rise up to that type of development, it is very crucial. It is already starting, there are very few people who have the courage to stand out and say there is more to just the human being than how much money he or she has in his or her pocket and more than a cell phone or a TV or a posh car, he added. Message to the nation. I will say it in five small points. The caption is 'Happy are the pacemakers for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God'. And, therefore, I am encouraging every Ghanaian, politician or the ordinary person on the street to be a messenger of peace; an architect of peace; a builder of peace; a restorer of peace; and a crusader or an activist of peace. I believe that if we would do these five things Ghana would know peace, he said. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The key to profitable beef production using Angus cross offspring from the dairy herd lies in effective cost control and bonus payments, according to young farmer Barry Stratford. The Leaving Cert student, who is planning to study agricultural science before returning to the family dairy farm near Cavan town, says: "There is money in beef if the costs are kept low and you qualify for the bonus payments." While the profits could not match the return from milk, he believes that beef can have a place on dairy farms as a second enterprise. Barry is one of a team of five students who undertook a project where they finished Angus cross animals from the dairy herd to carcase weights of up to 369kg at under 21 months. "It was a good experience and we all learned a lot from it on how important keeping the input costs down in beef production is," he says. "I suppose it was also an exercise in connecting the whole dairy and beef industry together and learning how important it is that they co-operate. "We made a profit of 3,000 (equivalent to 600/head) for keeping them for 14 months after we got them for free at six months old." Expand Close Rachel Alexander, Sophie Reilly, Barry Stratford, Lloyd Hastings and Kevin McNally with the five Angus beef animals which they reared for the competion. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rachel Alexander, Sophie Reilly, Barry Stratford, Lloyd Hastings and Kevin McNally with the five Angus beef animals which they reared for the competion. In addition, the team qualified for an award of 2,000 towards their future education after winning the Irish Angus Certified Beef Schools Competition 2018 for Transition Year students nationwide. All five members of the Royal School, Cavan team -Barry, Rachel Alexander, Sophie Reilly, Lloyd Hastings and Kevin McNally - come from farming families in the area. Barry, Lloyd and Sophie are planning to go on to study Agricultural Science. Following a detailed submission and interview process, six teams were selected to each receive five six-month old Angus calves before the end of 2018. The Cavan team's theme for the academic section of the competition was: "The Value of Irish Angus as a Production System". They interviewed local farmers on their reasons for keeping the breed, promoting Angus at the Taste of Cavan food festival. They also looked at mental health issues among farmers and organised a 'Walk in my Wellies' fundraising event in their school for Pieta House. They found that while beef production in Co Cavan is predominantly part-time on low-to medium-quality land, there is a passion among the farmers for beef. Hobby versus livelihood While for many of the land owners, livestock production is effectively more of a hobby than a livelihood because of the low income from the sector, there is a strong desire among the farmers to take care of the land, the animals and the environment. "The students passionately explained the opportunities of the Angus breed within their area," said the competition judges. "Their investment within the community over the course of the competition has led many Cavan farmers to re-assess their farming operations. The other finalists in the competition were: St Joseph's Mercy, Navan; St Ita's, Drogheda; Colaiste Treasa, Kanturk; Mary Immaculate, Lisdoonvarna; and Roscommon Community College, Lisnamult. Breed and QA bonuses vital in turning a decent profit on winning team's stock The return for the Royal School, Cavan team's five Angus left an average of 600 after costs for pasture, meal and routine dosing etc were deducted, but the breed bonus at slaughter of 40c/kg was vital to the profitable outcome, explains Barry Stratford. "Four of the animals also qualified for the QA bonus of 20c/kg and it was the combined bonus payments that made all the difference for us in the end," he says, underlining that they were being slaughtered in one of the most difficult seasons for beef prices. "Without it there would have been some profit in it, but it would have been tight. "Our plan was to keep the input costs as low as possible because with the price of beef we realised how important it is to control the costs. "They averaged 0.9kg live weight gain per day. The three bullocks averaged 1kg per day and the heifers averaged 0.83kg per day. They performed well for us off the grass," says Barry about the mainly grass-based system used. The animals were slaughtered at the ABP plant at Clones at 20-21 months of age. The best performer was an R+4= steer, which weighed 368kg at slaughter and realised 1,516. The average for the five worked out at 312kg carcase weight and a price of 1,197 before deductions, with one of the animals not qualifying for the breed bonus and getting a reduced in-spec bonus. The team received the three male and two female six-month old Angus cross-breds from a dairy herd and arranged for them to be kept on one of the family farms, paying the farmer 1/head/day for pasture for out-wintering. They stock were fed 2kg head/day meal during outwintering, and for a 60-day period prior to slaughter the meal feeding was increased from 2kg head/day to 5kg head/day. GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley on Tuesday told CNBC's Jim Cramer that her company's newly announced partnership with industry peer Sanofi is an "unprecedented collaboration" between competitors. The European pharmaceutical giants are combining their resources to develop a Covid-19 vaccine and aim to produce a batch within the next 20 months. "If we're successful ... we're hoping to get to hundreds of millions of doses by the end of next year," she said in an interview set to air on "Mad Money." "But, a lot of work to do, and we're sure the world will need more than one vaccine, considering the state of demand." The effort is an example of how drugmakers around the globe are teaming up to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected nearly 2 million people worldwide. GSK is a British company, and Sanofi is based in France. The two companies are "leaders who are both bringing proven pandemic technologies and scale to develop, hopefully, an adjuvant vaccine against Covid-19," Walmsley said. Vaccine development typically takes 10 years to be finalized for mass use, but scores of companies are rushing to have one ready in 12 to 18 months. Dozens of candidate vaccines are now underway, and three are reportedly in clinical trials, or the human testing phase. As part of the deal, which is expected to be hashed out in full within weeks, Sanofi will supply its Covid-19 antigen, a genetic match to proteins in the fast-spreading virus, and GSK will supply its pandemic adjutant technology, which could enhance the immune response. "As the world faces this unprecedented global health crisis, it is clear that no one company can go it alone," Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in a statement. "That is why Sanofi is continuing to complement its expertise and resources with our peers, such as GSK, with the goal to create and supply sufficient quantities of vaccines that will help stop this virus." Clinical trials are scheduled to begin later this year. The global count of coronavirus cases exceeded 1.97 million as of Tuesday afternoon. A nurse shared a photo of an abusive letter her Filipino family received in the mail blaming them for Australia's coronavirus crisis. Cat Dolendo, her husband and their family were told to 'f**k off back to the country you came from,' in the letter, which she found in the mail box at her in-laws' home. The family consider themselves Australian. They have lived here for 20 years and call Port Macquarie, on the New South Wales north coast, home. The original source of the coronavirus pandemic has been widely reported as a wet food market in Wuhan, in the Hubei province in China. 'Take your f**king disease with you, you un-Australian c**ts,' the printed letter left at the home read. 'Take your f**king disease with you, you un-Australian c**ts,' the printed letter left at the home read Medical personnel have been wearing protective equipment to administer coronavirus tests. Pictured at a clinic in Bondi Beach Ms Dolendo, a mother to two girls, said she was horrified at the letter's contents. '[They] have had to deal with constant abuse like this for long enough,' she said of her husband's family. 'We don't know what to do.' The mother-of-two has been in contact with her local police station, and claims she has footage proving exactly who put the letter in the mailbox. Within minutes of sharing the explosive letter online, hundreds of outraged Australians jumped to her defence, saying the opinions of her neighbour do not reflect society. 'It makes me physically sick that this is what some Australians are like,' one person wrote. Pictured: Women wearing face masks while they're out in public to prevent the spread of coronavirus The Bondi drive through testing facility grinds to a halt and the clinicians are so bored they have choreographed a dance which involves swabbing, swishing and distancing 'Being a racist is un-Australian... This is mindblowingly xenophobic. I want to apologise on behalf of Australians.' The deadly respiratory infection has spread across the globe since it was first reported in December 2019, infecting at least 1.9 million people and killing more than 119,000. In Australia, there are currently 6,394 known cases of COVID-19, including 61 deaths. Since it was first diagnosed in Australia, there have been multiple cases of racist outbursts against different minorities. Two weeks ago, commuters filmed a mother hurling abuse at a fellow commuter, calling him a 'disease carrying motherf**ker,' in front of her daughter. Just four days ago, a woman who called herself the 'Queen of Australia' told Telstra staff to 'go back to China' during a bizarre in store rant. Australians could lose thousands of dollars in pre-booked holidays thanks to the indefinite coronavirus travel ban, and domestic flights could double in price. Budding holidaymakers were warned not to book any trips abroad for the foreseeable future, with the ban likely to be in place until 2021, officials said. But the news is likely to be of huge concern to those with winter getaways already paid for, with even the faraway Christmas holidays under threat. Residents are likely to be locked in until at least January, as it's simply too dangerous to allow people to fly abroad and potentially return with COVID-19. Domestic travel could soon be encouraged instead, with restrictions at state borders likely to be lifted in the coming months. This could see a huge spike in the cost of fares, particularly given the multi-million dollar losses endured by the airline industry. Daily Mail Australia brings you a step-by-step guide on how you can holiday in 2020, and how to get your money back if you want to cancel. Jimbaran Beach in Bali (pictured on March 31) is closed until further notice due to COVID-19, with all tourist visas suspended What is happening with the travel ban? Under strict laws designed to stop the spread of COVID-19, the federal government has banned Australians from flying abroad in all but essential circumstances. Anyone returning to the country has to enter a mandatory 14-day isolation in a hotel, supervised by the police and Australian Defence Force. The unique situation means holidaymakers should avoid booking any international travel during the crisis, Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham warned. 'I wouldn't put any guarantees that you could undertake that overseas trip in December,' he told ABC's News Breakfast on Tuesday. 'This is a time where, unfortunately, people can't undertake holidays and they won't be able to go overseas for quite some time to come.' All travellers returning to Australia have to enter self-isolation in a hotel for 14 days (pictured, Australians evacuated from Uruguay heading to isolation in Melbourne on Sunday) Instead, keen holidaymakers are being told to prepare to visit areas in Australia once the state borders are open - such as the Whitsundays in Queensland (pictured) Can I still go to Bali in the July school holidays? It is unlikely that Australians will be allowed to fly abroad by time of the winter holidays. And even if the travel ban is lifted, many countries may not allow tourists at all. Indonesia has banned all tourist and transit travel until further notice, which means no tourists are allowed to visit - including to the island of Bali. All those arriving in Indonesia from overseas with an existing resident visa are required to undertake 14 days of quarantine. For those already there, there is a very limited availability of testing and infection control facilities. Critical care, including in Bali, is significantly below the standards available in Australia, and there is a critical lack of intensive care and ventilators. If you've booked some winter sun through the likes of Jetstar, you can cancel and be given a credit voucher to use on a later holiday. Holidays to the likes of Paris (pictured in lockdown on Easter Monday) are likely to be off for the foreseeable future What if I have a holiday booked already? Several airlines and holiday companies are offering full or partial refunds, or credit vouchers to use on a later trip. Jetstar is offering the option to cancel and receive a credit voucher on all new and existing flight bookings with travel dates from March 15 to July 31. This covers holidaymakers for the school winter holidays, meaning they can cancel the trip without losing money. Beyond July 31, if you cancel now you wouldn't receive anything in return - so it may be worth hanging on until a later date. The offer is available until April 20, and the voucher must be redeemed within 12 months of issue, for travel within 12 months of the booking date. It must be used in full for one booking only. If youre due to travel on a Qantas flight before 31 July 2020, and wish to change your plans, you can cancel your booking and retain the full value as a flight credit. The same applies for Virgin, for trips due to start before July 30. You can also contact your travel insurer and discuss your options if you'd rather cancel the trip now. If you are covered for epidemics or pandemics, you could receive the full cost of your trip back. If the accommodation and flight is cancelled, you are likely to receive a full refund from whoever you purchased it from. Currently, people returning to Australia from overseas must enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel (pictured, travellers leaving a Sydney Travelodge on April 12) Any Australians dreaming of a relaxed holiday to tropical destinations, such as Thailand's Phuket (pictured on March 31) may have to change their plans due to COVID-19 AUSTRALIA'S BORDER RESTRICTIONS Prime Minister Scott Morrison brought in tough new border restrictions from 9pm on Friday March 20: 'Australia is closing its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents. 'The entry ban takes effect from 9pm Friday, 20 March 2020, with exemptions only for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family, including spouses, legal guardians and dependents. 'New Zealand citizens who live in Australia as Australian residents are also exempt, as are New Zealanders transiting to New Zealand. Exemptions for Pacific Islanders transiting to their home countries will continue to apply. 'Australian citizens and permanent residents and those exempt from our entry restrictions will continue to be subject to a strict 14 days self-isolation. 'Our number one priority is to slow the spread of coronavirus to save lives.' Advertisement Will domestic flights get more expensive? When lockdown is finally lifted, there are concerns in the travel industry that the cost of flying could soar. Airlines are unlikely to be able to fill planes to capacity due to social distancing, which is likely to be in place in some form for many months. Industry experts said airlines are preparing to be given social-distancing guidance, meaning they will sell less seats on every plane. This could see the price of a single airfare skyrocket, for example if an airline can only fill half its seats, it must charge double the usual price to maintain its profits. An industry source told Traveller: 'After lockdown there will be a mad rush and a price surge for airline fares. 'It would be no surprise to see social distancing on planes, and we will probably see some set guidance on how planes should do this. 'There are currently cheap fares available, but this pricing is based on a full plane. It is inevitable that ticket prices will have to go up to maintain this if only a proportion of seats are allowed to be sold.' Domestic flights could get more expensive if airlines are not allowed to sell all seats on a plane due to social distancing rules (pictured, grounded planes at Melbourne airport on April 12) Should I book a holiday while airfares are still cheap? There are still several good deals around, thanks to many airlines being strapped for cash. But if you book now, the flights or accommodation could still easily be cancelled by that time, with no guarantees either the travel ban - or other countries' travel bans - will have been relaxed. The situation could prove to be a double-edged sword, as fares could rise significantly if people wait to see what happens with the restrictions. This could leave holidays out of reach for lower or middle income families. Qantas has suspended all of its international flights during the coronavirus pandemic, and experts warn airfares could be on the rise when restrictions are lifted due to social distancing Is there anywhere we are allowed to go on holiday? Mr Birmingham hinted Australians are far more likely to be allowed to travel interstate in the not so distant future, instead of going abroad. 'There may be a slightly earlier point in time where it becomes feasible to think about domestic travel again,' he explained. 'We're not there yet but certainly this time is a good time for a bit of dreaming, a bit of planning. 'Think about the Aussie break that you might take when we finally get to the other side of this. 'Look up your favourite Australian tourism destination, or the one you might love to visit in the future, and think about what you could do in the months and years ahead.' Domestic flight numbers have been slashed during the pandemic, with most international flights also cancelled (pictured, a departures board in Sydney on March 25) What will happen to the number of domestic flights? On Tuesday, it emerged that the federal government is considering underwriting domestic flights operated by Qantas and Virgin Australia. There have been sharp cuts by the major carriers, prompting concerns that links between major cities across Australia may be broken. Virgin Australia has grounded all domestic flights, but is keeping one flight between Sydney and Melbourne running six days a week. Jetstar and Qantas are still flying to each state's capital city, but with a significantly reduced timetable. 'We... need of course to transfer people around from capital city to capital city,' transport minister and deputy prime minister Michael McCormack told ABC on Monday. 'We'll be looking at what we can do in conjunction with the airlines, who are cooperative.' FORT COLLINS, Colo., April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Woodward, Inc. (WWD) today announced that Robert (Bob) F. Weber, Jr., will resume the role of Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer, effective April 13, 2020, in response to the ongoing global economic challenges and uncertainties attributable to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting impact on the broader macroeconomic environment and its business. Concurrently, Jonathan (Jack) W. Thayer, the Companys current Chief Financial Officer, will depart the Company. Thomas A. Gendron, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, commented, Last week, we communicated a number of immediate actions we were taking to address the economic challenges that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of our continuing efforts to navigate this unprecedented uncertainty, we made the strategic decision to shift Bob, a seasoned veteran of the Company, back into the critical role of Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer. His significant institutional knowledge of our business and end markets, coupled with his industry expertise and leadership, will prove critical as we navigate this difficult operating environment. Mr. Gendron concluded, We want to thank Jack for his leadership and contributions, as a board member and for the last year and a half as an officer of the Company. He has been a strong asset to Woodward, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Mr. Weber has 15 years of service with Woodward and over 40 years of industry experience. He served as Chief Financial Officer from August 2005 until September 2019 and as Vice Chairman since October 2011. Mr. Weber previously announced his intention to retire in 2020, but in January 2020, the Company announced that he had postponed his retirement indefinitely, and he remained with the Company as Vice Chairman. About Woodward, Inc. Woodward is an independent designer, manufacturer, and service provider of control system solutions and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. The company's innovative fluid, combustion, electrical, and motion control systems help customers offer cleaner, more reliable, and more efficient equipment. Our customers include leading original equipment manufacturers and end users of their products. Woodward is a global company headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Visit our website at www.woodward.com . Story continues Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The statements in this release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from projections or any other forward-looking statements and we have no obligation to update our forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect performance and could cause actual results to differ materially from projections and forward-looking statements are described in Woodward's Annual Report and Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 and any subsequently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order called Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources, establishing an official policy about mining resources in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, which the US doesnt consider as global commons. The US is obviously making preparations for returning to the moon with a stronger eagerness to privatize the outer space. The strategic significance of the moon, with its abundant mineral resources, has over time been recognized by all countries. A primary estimate shows that in addition to abundant mineral substances, the moon surface is also home to one to five million tons of helium-3, which is a perfect raw material for nuclear fusion. Thanks to the moons weaker gravity (about a sixth that of the Earths), building a launching site there will largely reduce the costs of putting payloads into the space; solar power plants will be more efficient because there is no atmosphere. Furthermore, a large space program like lunar exploration will be a massive driving force of national economic and technological development. Americas current superiority in IT, biotechnology and new materials are to a large extent based on the digestion, improvement and secondary development of technologies deriving from the Apollo Program. The prospect of maintaining its technological superiority is appealing to the US. Entering the space and returning to the moon has been a consistent objective of the incumbent US administration. The recent executive order on the exploration and use of lunar resources wasnt the first time that Washington was trying to pave the way for monopolizing natural resources in outer space. The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA) it adopted in 2015 encouraged private American companies to mine resources on the moon and other celestial bodies. The country also announced in 2019 to re-activate the lunar landing program coded Artemis, aiming to send astronauts to the moon in 2024 and build sustainable human presence there by 2028. The US is also promoting the development of commercial spaceflight activities to pursue global leadership in the space area. Other than the Space Policy Directive-2 and Space Policy Directive-3 (SPD-2, SPD-3) signed by the White House in 2018 to enhance the regulation of commercial space efforts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is also in cooperation with commercial entities such as Blue Origin and SpaceX. Blue Origin released last May the Blue Moon lander designed for the Artemis program, while SpaceX is developing a reusable Starship launch system. The engagement of these commercial companies will undoubtedly support Americas military space program. However, while trying to advance its enclosure movement on the moon, the US, apart from difficulties in technology and capital, also faces restraints imposed by international treaties like the Moon Agreement, as well as pressure from the international community. What the US did - granting itself the right to the exploration of space resources and denying the moon and other planets as global commons - likens itself to a pirate, said Alexey Pushkov, head of the Federation Councils Commission on information policy, when commenting on Trumps recent signing of the executive order. The US isnt a signing party to the Moon Agreement, but what it did contravened the international consensus that the exploration and use of the moon shall be the province of all mankind. Thats why the US needs to find itself a plausible excuse with its upcoming lunar program. It is reported that NASA released the Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development, which specified the goals and steps of the Artemis program, days before the executive order was signed. Apparently, the US was trying to set the policy ground to justify its first come, first served policy regarding moon resources, which should arouse the international communitys high alert. If reports are to be believed, Bollywood producer and event organiser Karim Morani has tested positive in his second COVID-19 test. He is currently undergoing medical treatment at Nanavati hospital in Mumbai. The Chennai Express producer had first tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus on April 8 after his daughter Shaza Morani tested positive. The Times of India quoted a source close to the family as saying, "Karim tested positive for the second time in row, but when the producer was admitted to the Juhu-based hospital, he did not show any symptoms of the Coronavirus." The source also revealed to the tabloid that the entire family is extremely worried for Karim because of his medical history. He is above 60 years old and is a heart patient. He has already survived two heart attacks and has already undergone bypass surgery. Meanwhile, Karim Morani's daughters Shaza and Zoa Morani, who first tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus, have been discharged from the hospital after two consecutive negative tests and are back home. They are currently in 14-day self-quarantine, as a precautionary measure. While Shaza was admitted to the Nanavati Hospital, Zoa was undergoing treatment at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Hospital in Mumbai. Both the Morani sisters had a travel history. Shaza had returned from Sri Lanka in the first week of March. On the other hand, Zoa had come back from Rajasthan around mid-March. Shaza Morani Discharged From Hospital After Testing COVID-19 Negative; Says 'So Happy To Be Home' Zoa Morani Back Home After Recovering From COVID-19; Shares Selfie To Announce Good News , We're sorry, this article is not currently available A 42-year-old woman was found murdered on Tuesday at I block of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, a posh locality in Ludhiana. The victim, identified as Geeta Rani, used to run a book store in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar market. Police said, On Tuesday morning, Geetas domestic help, who came to fetch money from her, spotted her body. She found the main door of the house open and Geeta lying dead on the floor with a polythene bag around her face. She raised alarm and informed the landlord, who lives on the ground floor of the house. Later, the police were called on. According to the police, the woman was murdered two days ago, but the landlord was unaware about it. The woman lived alone in a rented accommodation as her husband, who works in a private company in Hyderabad, used to visit her in a month or so. She was earlier living in Hyderabad and had relocated here eight months ago, police said, adding that it was their second marriage after they had met on a social networking site. They got married a year ago and had strained relations. Since no valuables were found missing from the house, police suspect rivalry behind the murder. They have been scanning CCTV cameras installed in the locality. It is suspected that the woman has been suffocated to death, but the things will be clear only after the postmortem report comes. Two or more people can be involved in the murder. Before suffocating her to death, the assailants have hit on her head with some blunt weapon, there were marks around her neck also, assistant commissioner of police (ACP, West) Sameer Verma said. Victims brother Hemant Verma, a resident of Noorwala road, told police that his younger brother Lokesh Verma informed him about the incident on Tuesday morning, following which he rushed to the spot. The Sarabha Nagar police have registered a case against unidentified accused under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Meanwhile, there was panic in the area when the locals spotted the police personnel wearing personal protection kits in the locality. They thought the woman has died due to coronavirus infection. Later, the police informed that it was a murder. Fourth murder after the lockdown After the lockdown, it is the fourth murder in Ludhiana. Three cases have been solved by the police. On March 23: A courier company employee killed his colleague with bamboo stick and iron rod at their office on Gill Road. On March 29: Suspecting his wife of infidelity, a labourer murdered his wife in Gahi Bhaini village. On April 3: A salesman of a liquor vend was hacked to death in Chapki village. Independent MLA Ravi Rana and five others were on Tuesday booked by the police for allegedly violating the lockdown norms to pay tribute to B R Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary here in Maharashtra, an officer said. Rana and others removed barricades installed by the police to reach the Irwin Square where they paid tributes at Ambedkar's statue at around 1 am, said Gadgenagar police station inspector Manish Thakare. Police have invoked section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as provided under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, against the MLA and his supporters, the officer added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday extended the curfew in the state till May 3 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, an official spokesperson said. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced earlier the day that the nationwide lockdown to fight the deadly virus will be extended by 19 days to May 3 as the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. The spokesperson said all heads of departments, administrative secretaries and some staff will attend office during the curfew to ensure that the necessary government work is not affected. A day's salary of all regular and contractual government employees for the month of April will be deducted for contribution to the HP COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook joins hands in fight against COVID-19 The programme will be broadcast live from 19:00 to 20:00 on April 17 on the Facebook accounts of artists Quyen Linh and Nguyen Ha My (Sam). (Source: Facebook) Facebook is cooperating with the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) and more than 60 artists along with partners and businesses in the country in the #SocialForGoodVN livestream to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme will be broadcast live from 19:00 to 20:00 on April 17 on the Facebook accounts of artists Quyen Linh and Nguyen Ha My (Sam) and the fanpages of YEAH1, YAN, Dat Viet, Dien Quan, EyePlus, Cat Tien Sa, MCV, Multimedia, BHD, Orion Media, BH Media, and Next Media. It aims to utilise the positive aspects of Facebook to call for public support for medical workers and people affected by the pandemic. Participants will discuss topics relating to the pandemic and spread positive messages from artists. Facebook has also launched a campaign called #ONhaLaNhat, to encourage people to stay at home and share tips on household chores. Vietnamese artists will raise funds for VRC in support of medical workers and both confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients. International media, organizations hail Vietnams anti-pandemic efforts Foreign media and international organizations have praised Vietnams efforts in containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, suggesting that other countries could learn from its experience. East Asia Forum ran an article on April 14 saying that Vietnam has been one of Asias most successful in dealing with the pandemic. It was among the first countries to impose strict containment measures, the paper noted, even when COVID-19 was still confined to China. The paper added that despite the negative effects COVID-19 had on its socioeconomic development in the first quarter, Vietnam may get out of the pandemic in better shape than others. Despite expected growth in 2020 falling to 4.9 percent, it is among only a few economies in Asia Pacific - and perhaps the world - to still post growth, it wrote. The Asian Development Bank, while predicting a sharp decline in GDP growth in Vietnam, said its economy remains uniquely robust in the subregion, it went on, adding that Vietnams success in curbing the pandemic may attract more foreign investors, as will its traditional advantages of cheap labour, political stability, and proximity to China. Physical distancing has also helped accelerate the countrys transition to a digital economy, which is considered by the government to be a pillar of sustainable growth, the paper noted. A day earlier, German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) published an article highlighting anti-pandemic activities undertaken in Vietnam. Despite its border with China, it wrote, Vietnam, thanks to a combination of early decisive action, extensive testing, vigorous quarantining, and social unity, has avoided greater losses and confined the number of confirmed cases to the mere hundreds, with no fatalities. It emphasized that much of Vietnams success can be ascribed to its social unity. On April 12, Resident Representative of the UN Development Program (UNDP) Caitlin Wiesen congratulated Vietnam on its success in combating COVID-19, with more than half of all patients having fully recovered. UNDP donated 20,000 high-quality surgical masks to the Ministry of Health to help protect healthcare workers on the frontlines in fighting the pandemic. WHO Representative to Vietnam Kidong Park said previously that the country has responded proactively and early to the outbreak. Its first risk assessment exercise was conducted in early January - soon after cases began being reported in China. Meanwhile, Christoph Dolitzsch - a researcher at the Berlin-based Dalia Research Institute - said Vietnam has the ability to control any increase in infections, in stark contrast to many other countries around the world. According to its largest survey on COVID-19, some 62 percent of respondents in Vietnam say their government is doing the right amount in response to the pandemic. Donation for COVID-19 fight exceeds 845 billion VND: VFF President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (sixth from right) receives relief aid from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Organisations, businesses and individuals nationwide and those abroad have so far donated over 845 billion VND (over 36 million USD) for the COVID-19 relief efforts, channeled to the Vietnam Fatherland Font (VFF) Central Committee, according to VFF President Tran Thanh Man. On April 14, the VFF received donations worth 300 million VND (12,804 USD) from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; 315 million VND (over 13,444 USD) from the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North); 226 million VND (9,645 USD) from the Association of Tien Phong plastic businesses; and 200 million VND (8,536 USD) from Luckybest Vietnam JSC. Ha Tay Traffic Management and Construction JSC and the Tran family in Vietnam handed over 100 million VND (4,262 USD) each to the front, while a family in Hanois Dan Phuong district donated 10 tonnes of rice on the same day. Talking to MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung, Man highly appreciated the coordination between the VFF Central Committee and the ministry in recent times, saying it has contributed to supporting the people across the country, especially social policy beneficiaries and poor households. He also highlighted the importance of the 62,000-billion-VND (2.6 billion USD) support package of the Government for people amid difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The allocation of support must be made publicly and transparently, he stressed, adding that with its role, the VFF and its member organisations will join the supervision of the implementation, towards timely providing support to those who are really in need. Singapore reports 334 new COVID-19 cases, total reaches 3,252 Singapores Health Ministry confirmed 334 more COVID-19 cases on April 14, taking its total number to 3,252. Most of the new cases were linked to outbreaks in migrant workers dormitories, the ministry said./. Italian man in Da Nang fined for failing to wear mask Lorenzo Dolci is found riding a motorbike without wearing a face mask in a Nang. Photo courtesy of Tran Phong An Italian man has been fined VN200,000 (US$8.7) for failing to wear a face mask in public with COVID-19 social distancing orders in effect in a Nang on Monday. Authorities of An Hai Bac Ward said Lorenzo Dolci, 29, was found riding a motorbike on the street without wearing a face mask. A local resident had recorded a video clip and photos of Dolci and sent it to the Facebook of the authority on Monday. Dolci was also warned for making a vulgar gesture towards the man who recorded him. The Italian was found residing at a hotel in Son Tra District. A report from the city showed 453 violations of social distancing orders had resulted in fines since April 1. In Thua Thien-Hue Province, 13 people have been fined for failing to wear face masks in public sites, while tow hotels were fined $652 for illegally hosting visitors. Two Vietnamese citizens in Singapore positive for SARS-CoV-2 Ambulance parking outside a building in Singapore The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore announced that by the end of April 13, there were two Vietnamese citizens living in the country confirmed to get infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. According to Singapores Ministry of Health, the latest Vietnamese patient is a 36-year-old man who tested positive for the virus on April 13 and is being treated at the Khoo Teck Puat General Hospital, while the remaining is a two-year-old girl who tested positive for the virus on April 6 and is receiving treatment at the KK Womens and Childrens Hospital. Following the ministrys request, the Vietnamese embassy provided it with contact phone numbers and addresses in case Vietnamese citizens need support. It has also contacted relevant agencies to know the patients situation to have prompt assistance. By the end of April 13, Singapore recorded 2,918 infection cases, including 586 given the all-clear and nine fatalities. Hundreds fined for failing to follow COVID-19 preventive regulations A man in Hue City is found not wearing a face mask in public. Photo dantri.com.vn Police in Hue City have fined 145 people for not wearing face masks and dealt with four cases of people gathering in public places. Authorities in Thua Thien Hue Province have strengthened patrols and handling of violations to enforce social distancing and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus following the Prime Ministers directive. Many people have been found ignoring regulations, gathering in groups, doing exercise and not wearing face masks in public, especially in parks, Dan Tri online newspaper reported. City officials said that they had collected nearly VN36.8 million (US$1,560) in fines during the social distancing period which started on April 1. In the final days of the social distancing period, police will intensify sanctions against people not wearing masks in public places across the city. In Nghe An Province, the police on Monday fined nine people for gathering in groups and not wearing face masks. They were fined VN400,000 each. On Monday afternoon, police in Bac Lieu City, Ca Mau Province, also imposed an administrative fine of VN200,000 each on a group of 13 people who gathered in front of a house in Ward 5. At the weekend, forces in Bac Lieu City recorded nearly 100 cases and sanctioned more than 50 people for failing to strictly follow COVID-19 preventive measures. 25 in contact with COVID-19 patient test negative for virus Health staff collect samples to test for SARS-CoV-2 in Ha Loi Village in Ha Nois Me Linh District. 25 people in close contact with the 262nd patient, who was residing in Ha Loi Hamlet in Ha Nois Me Linh District the countrys newest coronavirus infection cluster have tested negative for the virus, northern Bac Giang Provinces Department of Health has announced. Tu Quoc Hieu, deputy head of the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control said on Tuesday that 25 samples of those in close contact with the patient, who is also a worker of Samsung Electronics Vietnam in Yen Phong District in northern Bac Ninh Province, tested negative. The remaining 11 people, including two in Yen Dung and Tan Yen districts and nine in a quarantine facility in Bac Ninh Province, have been tested and are waiting for the results. On April 14, the northern Centre for Disease Control would continue collecting samples of those in close contact with the patient for tests. Patient 262nd, a 26-year-old male employee of Samsung Electronics Vietnam in Bac Ninh Province, was confirmed as infected with the COVID-19 on April 13. The worker lived in Ha Loi Village, where 12 infected cases have been reported so far. The worker was away from the office and self-isolating since April 7. By 6am on April 14, the steering committee has defined and isolated 223 cases having contacted the patient. As many as 73 cases have been taken to quarantine facilities in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces and 150 been quarantined at home. Thailand develops COVID boxes to protect health workers A TOT phone booth transformed into a makeshift COVID box for testing. The kiosk wards off the infection risk among healthcare workers. (Source: bangkokpost.com) The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) of Thailand is turning the TOT Public Companys phone booths into coronavirus test kiosks to ward off infection risks among health care workers and address the shortage of personal protective equipment. TOY Senior Executive Vice-President Morakot Thienmontree said that the first batch of 50 booths, called "COVID Boxes", are expected to be built this month and deployed at selected hospitals in line with necessity. Two circular holes will be drilled on the side of the cubicle so health workers can put their hands out to collect samples from patients. The cubicle's interior is fitted with a positive pressure fan with a filter to prevent aerosol from entering the compartment, which is also equipped with illumination. During each round of examination, health staffers have to wear protective clothes and a mask inside the cubicle and insert their hands into plastic gloves to collect samples from patients outside the box. They need to change their gloves after each examination. The development of each box costs less than 1,000 THB (30 USD), he said. TOT was assigned to make 200 COVID Boxes from telephone booths as an initial target to support hospitals in need. Morakot said his company has thousands of phone booths stored at the state enterprise's headquarters on Chaeng Watthana Road as well as other branches, including provincial offices. It will select booths that are in good condition for the project. They will be cleaned until they are ready for modification. Thailand has to date recorded 2,613 infections, including 41 deaths. COVID-19: Relief packs given to Cambodian-Vietnamese Relief packs are given to disadvantaged Cambodian-Vietnamese people The Khmer-Vietnam Association in Phnom Penh provided hundreds of relief packs on April 14 to Cambodian-Vietnamese and Khmer people affected by COVID-19. The effort is part of the associations emergency support programme and assistance received from the Vietnam Business Club in Cambodia (VBCC), the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, and a number of agencies and benefactors at home. Association Chairman Sim Chy said that after the local health ministry informed it of the COVID-19 situation in Cambodia, it asked Cambodian-Vietnamese people to proactively take preventive measures. No cases of infection have been reported in the community, he added. The association is presenting 200 relief packs to the most disadvantaged on April 14 and 15, which include rice, face masks, hand sanitiser, and cash, to mark Chol Chnam Thmey - the Khmer new year. Over the past month, the association, along with the Vietnamese General Consulates in Sihanoukville and Battambang, has carried out a range of support activities. 22 more recover from COVID-19 Health workers are in the front line of the COVID-19 fight Twenty-two COVID-19 patients in Vietnam were declared on April 14 as having totally recovered from the disease, bringing the total of this group to 168, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Seventeen patients at the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases were declared to have recovered, including 15 Vietnamese and two foreigners - a 69-year-old British man and a 60-year-old French woman. Meanwhile, the Cu Chi Emergency Hospital in HCM City announced that five more patients have recovered, including two Vietnamese and three foreigners - a 51-year-old Brazilian man, a 58-year-old South African woman, and a 25-year-old British man. These patients have tested negative for the third time, are in a stable condition, and exhibited no symptoms like coughing or fever. All are eligible to be officially recognised as having recovered and will continue to be quarantined and monitored for 14 days following their discharge from hospital. British COVID-19 patient tests positive again after being declared recovered Patients No 22 and 23 leave a Nang on April 10. Photo thoidai.com.vn A British man previously declared recovered from COVID-19 has tested positive again. HCM Citys Health Department on Monday quarantined dozens of people who had close contact with Viet Nam's 22nd patient after the Briton tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again after finishing treatment. According to Professor Nguyen Tan Binh, the departments director, the patient was treated in the central city of a Nang starting on March 8 and was declared recovered on March 27. He was monitored for a further 14 days after recovering. On April 10, he took Vietnam Airlines flight VN125 from a Nang to HCM City on seat No 23C and stayed at a hotel on Hong Ha Road, Ward 12 before boarding a flight to the UK the next day. Before boarding, he tested positive once more for the deadly virus. Fourteen people who had close contact with the man at the quarantine area, three hotel staff and 34 hotel visitors were taken to concentrated quarantine and had samples taken for testing on Monday. The citys health department also contacted Vietnam Airlines for a list of passengers on flight VN125. Those sitting near him will be quarantined and tested for SARS-CoV-2. The 66-year-old British man arrived as a tourist in Viet Nam on Vietnam Airlines flight VN54 which landed in Ha Noi on March 2. HCM City has so recorded 54 COVID-19 patients. Forty of them have recovered. Of active cases, a 43-year-old British pilot on a ventilator (patient No 91) is in critical condition with serious lung inflammation. He tested negative once on April 12 but tested positive again the next day. British patient recovers, no new cases reported The British patient who recovered from COVID-19 and was discharged from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases late night on April 13, with his wife and medical staff. Photo courtesy of the hospital A British man with a 10-year history of lymphoma cancer has been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from COVID-19. He is the 146th patient to be given the all-clear. Upon his release the mans wife, who also made a full recovery from the disease, praised the medical staff. I would like to express my sincere thank to the Vietnamese doctors, she said. They are very amazing! On Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Health said no new cases of coronavirus had been detected overnight, with the total number of infections nationwide remaining at 265. More than half have been treated and discharged. The latest patient to leave hospital is a 74-year-old man from the UK who came to Viet Nam with his wife last month. She also tested positive for the virus. On March 27 while being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases he suffered severe respiratory failure and was sent to the intensive care unit where he was put on a ventilator. Doctors fought for a week as the mans health deteriorated rapidly. By April 5 he started to respond to treatment and began breathing without the need for oxygen. Two further tests for COVID-19 taken on April 8 and 10 both produced negative results and he was eventually told he could go home. His wife said: We were sent to the National Tropical Diseases Hospital when I coughed a lot and had some breathing troubles. But after a period of treatment, I had three tests with negative results for SARS-CoV-2 and had recovered. When I learned that my husband was in the intensive care unit, as a nurse, I knew he was in very critical and life-threatening condition. But the Vietnamese doctors are amazing, they have saved our lives. The couple left Viet Nam for England early on April 14 in a flight arranged by the British Government exclusively for British citizens. The total amount of people who have been infected with the coronavirus remains at 265 cases, including 160 returned from abroad, making up 60.4 per cent of total, and 105 infected in the community, accounting for 39.6 per cent. The total number of people who came or returned to Viet Nam from pandemic-affected countries and have been quarantined is 75,291. Of these, 713 are quarantined in hospitals, 15,564 are in quarantine centres and 59,014 at their homes. Safety in online learning needs to improve: ministry The Ministry of Education and Training wants educational establishments to enhance safety in online learning for students. The Ministry of Education and Training has sent a document to ask departments of education and training and educational establishments to enhance online learning safety for students. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages, localities and educational establishments have launched online learning and teaching to help students continue their studies. However, the new learning method might also put children at risk as cyber attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in online teaching platforms to harass, bully and abuse learners and teachers. To deal with this, the education ministry has asked education and training departments, universities, institutes, colleges to develop mechanisms for internet teaching which clearly guide the process of managing and organising an e-class, management skills for teachers and responsibilities of learners. Teachers should be provided with solutions and reliable, reputable management software. They are also encouraged to use copyrighted software, which is recommended for use by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Information and Communications. The document also noted that the educational establishments should raise awareness and skills on using the internet and social networks to ensure safety and cybersecurity as well as skills to avoid risks to teachers, students and parents in learning via the internet. Co-ordination between the schools and families in online teaching and learning management should also be enhanced. Parents need to increase their responsibility and support students to use the internet when learning online. Doctors in a Nang rest after treating COVID-19 patients Medical staff of the tropical disease department at the a Nang General Hospital will go into isolation for 14 days. All 45 doctors, nurses and medical workers who treated COVID-19 patients in a Nang have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 and have been sent for a 14-day isolation at a hotel in Son Tra District, officials have said. Deputy Director of a Nang General Hospital Nguyen Thanh Trung said the tests were performed under strict regulations from the Ministry of Health and all the medical staff had been well protected with special protective uniforms, so they only needed one test. He said it was time for doctors, nurses and medical workers to recuperate after working for more than one month non-stop treating six COVID-19 patients. The 45-member medical team had stayed at the tropical disease department at the hospital from March 7 through April 10 to treat and care for COVID-19 patients. The last patient was released from the hospital on April 10. Two British patients completed their isolation and left for the UK last week. The other four patients have been quarantined at homes and hospitals. Body temperature checks and health declarations have been compulsory for all visitors to the hospital since March 30. Vietnams early response to COVID-19 praised on Australian news site Soldier helps transport luggage of a man who finishes concentrated quarantine Australias news site 7news.com.au on April 13 posted an article which stressed that with its early decisive action, extensive testing, vigorous quarantining and social unity, Vietnam has so far avoided the devastation of the COVID-19 seen in Europe and the United States, despite sharing a border with China. The article, written by Chris Humphrey and Bac Pham of the Australian Associated Press (AAP), said that with only several hundreds of infections, Vietnams response to the pandemic has been praised by the World Health Organisation. It cited the countrys official statistics as saying that there are currently more than 75,000 people in quarantine. The country has so far conducted more than 121,000 tests, from which over 260 cases were confirmed. To date, there have been no virus-related deaths, and infection rates remain significantly lower than in the Republic of Korea, Singapore and even Taiwan which have all been widely praised in global media for their effective responses to the pandemic. The article also quoted Kidong Park, the WHOs representative to Vietnam, as saying that the countrys early response to the crisis was critical. Its first risk assessment exercise was conducted in early January - soon after cases in China started being reported. The country quickly established a National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control under the auspices of a Deputy Prime Minister which immediately implemented a national response plan. Despite having a low number of confirmed cases, Vietnam has applied national social distancing from April 1, a far faster and more decisive response than that seen in Britain or Italy, where cases ran into the many thousands before public life was shut down. According to the article, much of Vietnams success can be ascribed to its social unity. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently described Vietnams efforts to contain the virus as the spring general offensive of 2020. Vietnamese schools have been closed since January, and mass quarantining began on March 16. Since then, tens of thousands of people entering the country from badly hit nations have been put into compulsory quarantine in vast military-style camps. By March 25, international flights ceased altogether. There is no easing of these restrictions yet in sight. The vast majority of domestic flights, trains and buses have been halted, and anyone leaving Hanoi, which sees the largest number of infection cases in the country, is quarantined upon arrival in almost any other province. At times Vietnamese responses to the crisis have been severe, the article said, adding that official signs in Ho Chi Minh City warn that those not wearing a face mask who are found to have infected another person with a dangerous disease could face up to 12 years in prison. Yet though these strict measures have so far translated into a relatively successful outcome, it remains to be seen whether Vietnam or other nations with similar responses are able to contain the spread of the virus in the long run, it added./. Malaysia: Newly-created robot to help doctors check on COVID-19 patients The barrel-shaped, white robot on wheels is 1.5 meter tall and equipped with a camera and screen via which patients can communicate remotely with medics.Malaysian scientists have created a robot called Medibot that they hope will make the rounds on hospital wards to check on COVID-19 patients, reducing health workers' risk of infection. The invention, made by scientists at the International Islamic University Malaysia, is also fitted with a device to check patients' temperatures remotely. It is aimed at helping nurses and doctors working on the wards with social distancing, said Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, a member of the team behind the invention. It cost about 15,000 ringgit (3,500 USD) to built, and the university plans to trial it soon in their own private hospital, which does not treat virus patients, he said. If that proves a success, the scientists hope it can be used in government hospitals where people with COVID-19 are sent. As of April 13 afternoon, Malaysia had reported 4,683 confirmed cases, including 76 deaths. From Thailand to Israel, robots are being used in the fight against the novel coronavirus, which has killed over 110,000 people worldwide./. German news agency praises Vietnams social unity in battling COVID-19 Health workers at the Hanoi-based National Hospital of Tropic Disease German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) on April 13 underlined that Vietnam's response to the COVID-19 pandemic can offer lessons to nations struggling to contain the outbreak, noting that much of Vietnam's success can be ascribed to its social unity. In an article entitled No deaths: the world can learn from Vietnam's coronavirus response, the author noted that despite sharing a long border line with China, Vietnam has, with a combination of early decisive action, extensive testing, vigorous quarantining and social unity, so far avoided the devastation seen in many other places worldwide. With the number of infections of over 200, Vietnam's response to the crisis has earned praise from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Official statistics show that as of April 13, there had been more than 75,000 people in quarantine. The country has so far conducted more than 121,000 tests. As yet, there have been no virus-related deaths, and infection rates remain significantly lower than in many other countries and territories, wrote the article. The DPA quoted WHO Representative to Vietnam Kidong Park as saying that Vietnam responded to this outbreak proactively and at an early date. Its first risk assessment exercise was conducted in early January soon after cases in China started being reported. The country quickly established a national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control under the auspices of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, which immediately" implemented a national response plan, Park added. Despite having a low number of confirmed cases, Vietnam started a nationwide social distancing policy on April 1, a far faster and more decisive response than that seen in where cases ran into the many thousands. Vietnamese schools have been closed since January, and mass quarantining began on March 16. Since then, tens of thousands of people entering the country from badly hit nations have gone into mandatory quarantine. From March 25, international flights ceased altogether, while domestic transport has been reduced. Vietnam was the first nation outside of China to confirm a case of SARS back in 2003, yet it was also the first country confirmed by the WHO to have contained the outbreak. Although the country's strict measures have so far translated into a relatively successful outcome, it remains to be seen whether Vietnam or other nations with similar responses are able to contain the spread of the virus in the long run, the author noted. "We cannot make predictions, but we can say that the course of the pandemic will be determined by the actions that countries, including Vietnam, are taking now," said Park./. Latin American nations impressed by Vietnams response to COVID-19 A couple from UK recovered from Covid-19 virus and Vietnamese doctors at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases Numerous Latin American progressive political parties have spoken highly of Vietnams response to the Covid-19 pandemic over the recent past. The Dominican Republic's United Left Movement (MIU) of the ruling bloc expressed its admiration for Vietnams early preparations against the pandemic. The message said despite being one of the first nations in the world impacted by the pandemic, Vietnam has taken drastic actions right from the start, together with a close cooperation of the whole political system and solidarity among the whole people in order to limit the impact of the pandemic. As a result, the number of infection cases in Vietnam is relatively low compared with those in other nations. The MIUs message underlined that the political and social visions of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese Government as well as their readiness in terms of science and technology and health care have become the key factors for the country to achieve encouraging outcomes in the combat against the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Chile also expressed its admiration on the measures Vietnam has taken to contain the spread of the pandemic in the context that many other nations are struggling against it, describing Vietnam with its achievements in the fight as a role model for many other governments in the world. Earlier, head of the Party Central Committees Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan sent his message to the Latin American progressive parties, including the MIU, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the Communist Party of Chile, expressing solidarity and sharing with the Latin American nations for the difficulties they are facing amid the pandemic./. Thanh Hoa shares experience in containing COVID-19 with Lao province The northern province ofThanh Hoa took the occasion to present neighbouring Lao province Huaphanh with medical supplies required for the COVID-19 fight. The northern province of Thanh Hoa and neighbouring Lao province Huaphanh exchanged experience in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in an event held at the Na Meo International Border Gates border station on April 13. Thanh Hoa took the occasion to present the Lao province with medical supplies required for the fight, including ventilators, face masks and hand sanitiser, worth 1 billion VND (42,900 USD) in total. Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Pham Dang Quyen said the province has established a steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control and developed scenarios in response to different scales of infection, planning how to put infected cases into quarantine and zone off any outbreak cluster when it is small. It has intensified communication campaigns to raise public awareness of preventive measures against the disease, such as wearing masks, properly washing hands and avoiding gatherings, and provided related training for local medical workers, he said. The province has also set up monitoring groups at not only the provincial level but also in each village and street which are tasked to report on returnees from pandemic-hit areas and those in close contact with infected or suspected cases, the vice chairman added. The COVID-19 outbreak is under control in Thanh Hoa, Quyen continued, the province has so far quarantined more than 10,100 people and provided coronavirus tests for 2,094 people over the last three months. Three infections have been confirmed, of which one was treated at the provincial general hospital and fully recovered while the others were transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. He suggested the two provinces increase information sharing about the COVID-19 and enhance cooperation between their border districts to educate people on precautionary measures and prevent illegal entry and exit. Huaphanh Vice Governor Phusone Thammavisay, for his part, thanked Thanh Hoa for sharing experience and presenting medical supplies to the Lao province. He asked the Vietnamese province to find ways for the two provinces to resume trade at the Na Meo International Border Gate and send medical experts to Huaphanh to assist its COVID-19 fight. On the same day, Thanh Hoas police force also shared experience in COVID-19 control with their counterparts from Huaphanh and presented the Lao side with five disinfectant sprayers; 25kg of Chloramine-B, a disinfectant that can kill the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces; 20 protective suits; 1,000 masks and 100 bottles of hand sanitiser. These activities have helped strengthen the special friendship and solidarity between the Vietnamese and Lao people./. COVID-19 cases sharply increase in Southeast Asia Testing in West Java, Indonesia (Photo: Xinhua) Indonesia on April 13 recorded 316 more SARS-CoV-2 infections and 26 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total numbers of cases and deaths in the country to 4,557 and 399 respectively, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the Philippine Ministry of Health confirmed additional 284 coronavirus cases and 18 deaths on the day. So far, the Philippines has recorded a total of 4,932 COVID-19 patients and 315 fatalities from the disease, while the number of recoveries was 242. Another country in the region, Malaysia, also detected 134 more cases of COVID-19 and one related death, bringing the total numbers in this country to 4,817 and 77 respectively. The Philippines has officially surpassed Malaysia to become the country with the highest number of COVID-19 patients in Southeast Asia./. Global media impressed by Vietnams swift response to COVID-19 Global and regional media continued hailing Vietnams fight against COVID-19, saying that rapid and active response by the authorities and public cooperation play an important role. The Australias The Strategist newswire said Vietnam has followed a budget-friendly approach that has proven equally effective. The Vietnamese Government tightened border controls and put hospitals and local health departments on high alert before the first fatality in China and only three days after confirmation of the outbreak there. Its recent study of Vietnams COVID-19 policy response attributed the countrys initial success in slowing the rate of infection to the authorities focus on communication and public education through technology platforms and systematic tracing of pathogen carriers. The article also noted that citizens have been voluntarily sharing personal health information via a government-launched app called NCOVI while authorities have actively interacted with citizens via the social media. It concluded that by focusing on early risk assessment, effective communication and governmentcitizen cooperation, an under-resourced country with a precarious healthcare system can manage the pandemic. At the same time, the ASEAN Post said other nations in ASEAN and the rest of the world can learn from Vietnams swift response to handling the pandemic. Frances Liberation paper attributed Vietnams impressive achievements to the healthcare systems efforts to ensure the safety and health of the people instead of heeding profits of insurance companies. About this, Russias Novosti Petrozavodsk paper quoted a woman of the country returning from Vietnam as saying that the Vietnamese State has offered all possible support for citizens, always ready with available food, necessities and masks to meet public demand with discounts. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese people fully follow the State rules without hesitance. The Times of India said the Vietnamese Government has actively protected citizens against the epidemic as it promptly suggested initiatives and understood the exact nature of challenges. The article stressed that the success could be reached if each citizen hightens the sense of responsibility and cooperates with the government. The UKs The Guardian published a poster and post stamps designed by Vietnamese painters that sent clear messages of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the USs New York Times said despite insufficient resources and financial capability, Vietnam still sent masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK along with its neighbours Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam also handed over 450,000 Dupont protective suits to the US./. Vietnam presents antimicrobial face masks to Russia Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung (R) presents the aid to Russian Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung on April 13 handed over the token of the relief aid of 150,000 made-in-Vietnam antimicrobial face masks from the Vietnamese Government and people to help their counterparts in Russia. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dung said the complexities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have posed unprecedented challenges to countries and territories around the globe. Vietnam has kept a close watch on and appreciates the timely countermeasures taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government to tackle the pandemic as well as the support provided to the Vietnamese community in the country, he said, adding international cooperation and enhanced solidarity are important factors in protecting the health and safety of people and mitigating the impact of the epidemic. Vietnam always stands ready to work closely, share its experience with, and join hands with Russia to take necessary measures to contain and quickly push back the epidemic, in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties, he stressed. For his part, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam K. Vnuko thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their valuable assistance. He spoke highly of the effective measures taken by the Vietnamese Government in COVID-19 prevention and control, which have received praise from the international community. He expressed his hope that with solidarity and joint efforts, the two countries will soon contain the COVID-19 pandemic./. Free food offered to vulnerable groups during pandemic The Millions of Meals programme was launched on April 13, providing 1,200 nutritious meals for vulnerable communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The programme is being run by PepsiCo Vietnam, its partner Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Federation. Starting in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, it will come to Da Nang, Hai Phong and Can Tho in the coming weeks. In Hanoi, 200 haemodialysis patients at Thanh Nhan Hospital became the first beneficiaries, receiving 600 food packages for three days delivered by PepsiCo and Suntory volunteers and members of the Vietnam Youth Union. In HCM City, 600 food packages were delivered to underserved communities in Ward 1, Binh Thanh district. The programme has funding of 7 billion VND (298,000 USD) for food packages, with an additional 1.8 billion VND of product donations from PepsiCo Vietnam and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages. PepsiCo Vietnam has also committed 4.7 billion VND to provide additional medical supplies for frontline hospitals nationwide in five locations in Vietnam. Wei Wei Yao, PepsiCo Senior Vice President & General Manager Asia, said: The coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of millions of people worldwide. But this impact has been acutely felt by those most vulnerable in society and those on the very front lines of this crisis in our health and social care services. I do hope that by joining hands with communities and the youth across Vietnam, this Millions of Meals programme will grow stronger, and together, we will win COVID-19./. National Steering Committee: COVID-19 regulations cant be loosened as risk remains At the latest meeting of the committee The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control emphasised on April 13 the need to keep regulations in place as there is a high risk that the disease may spread further. At its latest meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam who is also the head of the committee, the committee said that monitoring those having had contact with cases of infection and the introduction of social distancing measures are the most effective solutions in tackling COVID-19, together with the continued implementation of basic anti-epidemic principles in prevention, detection, quarantining, zoning, and treatment. According to the committee, the Prime Ministers Directive No. 16/CT-TTg on the distancing was implemented well at the beginning but in recent days more people have been seen on the streets. It asked that people seriously follow the regulation, despite the fact it has a major effect on their daily life and businesses. Authorities were directed to intensify communications to encourage people to obey regulations relating to distancing and to strictly punish any violations. The steering committee also noted that when Directive 16 expires on April 15, it will propose the Prime Minister issue a new version that will retain solutions such as wearing face masks, maintaining a certain distance from others, and strengthening regulations on tracing cases of infection and those having had close contact with them. Participants suggested the application of IT to supervise cases of infection and the implementation of physical distancing regulations. It is also important to promote non-cash payments for shopping and closely control places such as houses of worship, relic sites, tourism sites, trade villages, and markets, to contain the spread of the disease. Participants also emphasised the necessity to maintain social welfare policies, with a focus on vulnerable groups, and to consider loosening regulations over the production and trade of basic necessities. They also asked face mask producers to export such goods only after production meets domestic demand./. Bac Ninh helping Samsung Display implement measures to fight COVID-19 Northern Bac Ninh provinces steering board for COVID-19 prevention and control held an urgent meeting with representatives of Samsung Display on the night of April 12, after a worker at the company tested positive for coronavirus, a provincial official said on April 13. Northern Bac Ninh provinces steering board for COVID-19 prevention and control held an urgent meeting with representatives of Samsung Display on the night of April 12, after a worker at the company tested positive for COVID-19, a provincial official said on April 13. Nguyen Huong Giang, Chairwoman of the Bac Ninh Provincial Peoples Committee, told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that it has set up working groups in charge of epidemiological investigations at the Republic of Korea - invested company. On the morning of April 13, the province identified 106 people who had close contact with the patient (F1) and 72 others who were exposed to F1 (known as F2), the official said, adding that Bac Ninh is coordinating with other localities to further trace F2 cases. The province started quarantining 44 people at concentrated areas on the night of April 12 and asked F2 cases to quarantine themselves at home, while informing relevant cities and provinces about F1 cases. Samsung Display was ordered to close all areas the patient worked in or visited, including the production area and the canteen, and to disinfect these areas and all buses carrying workers. F1 and F2 cases in the province have all had COVID-19 tests, she said, adding that Bac Ninh has tightened control at check-up sites in Yen Phong district where the company is located. Bac Ninh will continue its close coordination with Samsung Display in implementing measures against the pandemic in order to resume normal operations as soon as possible, she pledged./. Hanoi campaign to help youths made jobless by COVID-19 Hanoi is offering 10,000 jobs in a campaign launched on April 13 to students and young people who have become unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is being organised by the Hanoi chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU), the Hanoi Students Association, and the Hanoi Youth Federation, in cooperation with Global Shapers Hanoi, Global Shapers HCM City, Canavi, Accesstrade, and the G.A.P Institute. It aims to connect them with recruiters offering seasonal and work-from-home jobs as well as employment after the pandemic ends, in an effort to support the community and ensure that economic recovery is sustainable. The non-profit campaign targets students and young people as their employment is particularly vulnerable during the pandemic. Many have already lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet, as thousands of small- and medium-sized enterprises and household businesses in the city have suspended operation. At the same time, the HCYU also launched a project called Ha Noi Nghia Tinh (Hanoi With Love), offering 8,000 free food portions daily to disadvantaged students, workers, and others. Running from now until April 30, the project will deliver free food such as rice, meat, eggs, vegetables, drinking water and other necessities every day to those in need. On April 13, the project presented food to 150 poor households with members who regularly visit Bach Mai Hospital for dialysis, 200 students in Me Tri dormitory at the Hanoi National University, and workers living in the Quang Minh Industrial Parks lodgings./. AIA Viet Nam donates $1m for pandemic fight AIA Viet Nam executives hand over a cheque for VN25 billion ($1.07 million) to the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee for supporting doctors and other workers on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 . Photo courtesy of AIA Vietnam AIA Life Insurance on April 13 said it would donate VN25 billion (US$1.07 million) to assist medical workers and volunteers on the frontlines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. It has handed over VN2 billion to the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee to buy medical equipment, and will hand over the remaining VN23 billion to the front for a financial assistance programme for doctors, nurses, medical staff, pharmacists, drivers, security guards, volunteers, and others at hospitals across the country. Everyone who contracts the disease will get VN10 million ($425) from it. The families of people dying of the infection will get VN100 million ($4,250). Wayne Besant, AIA Vietnam CEO, said, Through the programme, we want to express our sincere thanks and deep appreciation to doctors and health workers who are day and night on the frontline struggling with the pandemic. British businesses donate VND500 million to Vietnam for COVID-19 fight At the hand over ceremony The British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) on April 13 donated 2,700 N95 masks and 2,000 protective suits worth over VND500 million to the Vietnam Young Physicians Association (VYPA) 13 to support the countrys battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. The donation represented our appreciation to the Vietnamese government's efforts to keep all safe in this unprecedented health crisis, said Alex Falter, BBGV Vice Chairman. This donation will benefit frontline healthcare workers in five major hospitals and testing institutes across the country, including the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute, the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang and the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi Dr Phan Minh Hoang, VYPA Vice President, emphasised their mission is to get the expertise to serve the community while asking young doctors to raise ethical, creative work. He spoke highly of the British communitys contribution and expected further collaboration with the BBGV in community services in the coming time. Addressing the ceremony, Ian Gibbons, HM Consul General to HCM City lauded relentless efforts made by the Vietnamese government in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the UK, including UK businesses, have committted to full support and cooperation with Vietnam to get through this unprecedented coronavirus challenge. Founded in 1966, the British Business Group Vietnam with 250 company members have worked with communities in Vietnam to support its development. BBGV has a long history of charitable activities dating back to the 1990s through fund-raising activities such as the Fun Run for Charity in both Hanoi and HCMC and implementing projects on education, health care, the elderly and wildlife. VNN/VNS/VNA/VOV By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA, April 6 (Reuters) - A report published by the Brazilian army's strategic studies center last week contradicts President Jair Bolsonaro by calling for widespread isolation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially ratcheting up an already heated public debate within the government. The study calls for reinforcing social distancing measures to slow the acceleration of confirmed cases that have doubled in the last six days to 12,056, with 553 related deaths. That defies statements by Bolsonaro, who has sought to minimize the risks of the respiratory disease, calling for states to end lockdowns and let Brazilians get back to work. His rejection of the need for social distancing has led to a split in his cabinet, with top military officers in the government opposing his stance and siding with Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta, including Presidential Chief of Staff Walter Braga, an active duty Army general. Army representatives declined to comment on the report from the CEEEx study center, which reports directly to Army Chief of Staff General Marcos Antonio Amaro. Bolsonaro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The document was published on the CEEEx website on Thursday, but was not accessible on Monday. An army spokesperson said the site was "under maintenance." The report endorses widespread, or "horizontal," social distancing measures to avoid a sharp peak in infections, a policy endorsed by health experts but questioned by Bolsonaro. "Though too soon for a final evaluation, the early adoption of horizontal isolation strategies can be seen to lead to more effective results in flattening the curve," the report said. The CEEEx study center said Brazil should only move to demographically targeted, or "vertical," isolation of infected people once the numbers of new cases plateau. That would allow economic activity to resume, but require massive rapid testing of Brazilians and strict isolation of those infected, following the example of Japan, the report said. Story continues The study said the government will have to take on a major role in rebuilding Brazil's economy once the epidemic is over. That recommendation could be at odds with the policies of Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, a free-market advocate who has said tax cuts will re-ignite the national economy. "The state will be the great protagonist of the process of public health rescue and economic recovery," the report said. Brazil's armed forces backed a strong government role in the economy during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship. CEEEx said a national reconstruction plan was needed that would rely heavily on state institutions such as development bank BNDES and maintain cash transfer social programs to assist the most vulnerable Brazilians. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) Alex Garland's Devs is unlike anything currently on television. The Hulu/FX show starts out as an exploration of a powerful tech company that has cracked the secrets of quantum computing, but it evolves into an exploration of free will, determinism and the nature of reality. Garland is no stranger to big questions -- his first film, Ex Machina, tackled the intricacies of AI consciousness. He turned Jeff Vandermeer's practically unfilmable novel Annihilation into a surreal and nightmarish adaptation about personal identity. And as the screenwriter of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, he earned a reputation for viewing science fiction with an intelligent eye. [Listen to our full Alex Garland interview on the Engadget Podcast! Subscribe to the show on iTunes and Spotify!] "Devs is like a companion piece to Ex Machina," Garland said in an interview with Engadget last week. "I had a set of concerns, some of which were cross related to Ex Machina, and some of which were discrete to Devs. With Devs, it was triggered by this concept of determinism and trying to present a couple interpretations of quantum mechanics. That sounds like an inherently complex statement, but it isn't really. Quantum mechanics is the term that's there to describe the most fundamental sort of physics we've got. So it's like talking about... the Lego bricks that make us up." Like Ex Machina, Devs also considers what could happen when a powerful tech titan stumbles into a potentially world-shattering discovery. "There were some other concerns [of mine], which have to do with the specific nature of some of the tech companies in terms of power: the kind of power they take for themselves, and also the power we confer onto them," Garland said. Forest (Nick Offerman), the CEO of the quantum computing company Amaya in Devs, is the quintessential tech billionaire. Think Mark Zuckerberg -- if he had a secret division of Facebook tasked with decoding the nature of reality. (I wouldn't be surprised if this is actually happening on some level, to be honest.) By creating a powerful quantum machine, Amaya's "Devs" division is able to see any event in the past, as if it were a computer simulation. And that instantly opens the door to bigger questions: If it's effectively a view into the past, can it see the future? And what does that mean for free will? Story continues "The thing that interested me about quantum computers was a specific idea," Garland said. "We've had binary computers, but we appear to live in a quantum mechanical world. And so what you get is binary computers attempting to emulate the conditions of quantum mechanics in their modeling systems, and if you had a quantum computer working in a quantum mechanical way ... you might be able to model it in in a much truer and more accurate way." NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 11: Filmmaker Alex Garland (L) and actor Nick Offerman attend the Build Series to discuss "Devs" at Build Studio on March 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images) Garland views Amaya as a typical Silicon Valley success story. In the world of Devs, it's the first company that manages to mass produce quantum computers, allowing them to corner that market. (Think of what happened to search engines after Google debuted.) Quantum computing has been positioned as a potentially revolutionary technology for things like healthcare and encryption, since it can tackle complex scenarios and data sets more effectively than traditional binary computers. Instead of just processing inputs one at a time, a quantum machine would theoretically be able to tackle an input in multiple states, or superpositions, at once. By mastering this technology, Amaya unlocks a completely new view of reality: The world is a system that can be decoded and predicted. It proves to them that the world is deterministic. Our choices don't matter; we're all just moving along predetermined paths until the end of time. Garland is quick to point out that you don't need anything high-tech to start asking questions about determinism. Indeed, it's something that's been explored since Plato's allegory of the cave. "What I did think, though, was that if a quantum computer was as good at modeling quantum reality as it might be, then it would be able to prove in a definitive way whether we lived in a deterministic state," Garland said. "[Proving that] would completely change the way we look at ourselves, the way we look at society, the way society functions, the way relationships unfold and develop. And it would change the world in some ways, but then it would restructure itself quickly." The sheer difficulty of coming up with something -- anything -- that's truly spontaneous and isn't causally related to something else in the universe is the strongest argument in favor of determinism. And it's something Garland aligns with personally -- though that doesn't change how he perceives the world. "Whether or not you or I have free will, both of us could identify lots of things that we care about," he said. "There are lots of things that we enjoy or don't enjoy. Or things that we're scared of, or we anticipate. And all of that remains. It's not remotely affected by whether we've got free will or not. What might be affected is, I think, our capacity to be forgiving in some respects. And so, certain kinds of anti-social or criminal behavior, you would start to think about in terms of rehabilitation, rather than punishment. Because then, in a way, there's no point punishing someone for something they didn't decide to do." Devs FX/Hulu Our ideas around guilt might change toward predicting what people might do in the future, a la Minority Report. That could lead to a world where we imprison someone forever because we've determined they can't be rehabilitated. But it could also save plenty of other people, according to Garland. Personal responsibility will mean something entirely new if we accepted a deterministic universe. "The thing about that is, unlike a lot of these [complex philosophical topics], which often work in a counter-intuitive way... I think this particular idea around determinism actually dovetails quite closely with our experience of how the world works," Garland said. "It's very often the case that, say, if someone does something that makes us angry, the more we understand about that person, the less angry we get." Now that Devs is off his plate, Garland has begun work on a new political FX series centered on civil disobedience. But he may not stay away from science fiction for long. Years and years ago, I did a movie set in space [Sunshine]. And one day, I'd really love to go back and try and do that again. MOSCOW (Russia) April 14, 2020 (SPS) the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Communists of Russia, Mr. Maxim Suraykin, expressed his condolences to the Sahrawi people following the death of the Sahrawi diplomat, member of the National Secretariat, Mr. Emhamed Khadad. Suraykin has expressed his condolences to the President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Frente POLISARIO, Mr. Brahim Gali, on his own and on behalf of the Central Committee of the party, my sincere condolences following the death of the prominent leader of POLISARIO , a member of its national secretariat, the Sahrawi Coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, And the head of the POLISARIO's Foreign Relations Committee, Emhamed Khadad. The speaker asserted that the deceased with his activities at the international level, played a great role in strengthening the foundations of the Sahrawi state, devoting his entire life to the Sahrawi people for the liberation of the occupied lands, expressing his belief that the work that the deceased had begun would be continued by the Sahrawi people. (SPS) 125/090/TRA In Hollywood, as in cities across the United States, streets are largely empty and businesses shut down during the pandemic. It's important to keep the businesses in sleep mode, not to let them die. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) The catastrophic collapse in U.S. employment due to the coronavirus crisis demands far more from the federal government than it has done so far. Nearly 17 million Americans filed for unemployment in just the three weeks ending April 4. And analysis by the research center INET Oxford predicts that without urgent action, 24% of U.S. jobs could be lost in coming weeks compared with just 3.3% during the 2007-2009 recession. That kind of job loss would be equal to the worst years of the Great Depression and would mean more than 37 million Americans are out of work. The impact will be felt most severely by low-income workers. The goal, until it is safe for people to return to work, must be to maintain the economy in sleep mode. That will require keeping businesses and workers as intact as possible, ready to wake up and return to work when the health crisis passes, in order to drive a strong recovery. How? The federal government must immediately guarantee the paychecks of all Americans for the duration of the crisis. Other countries have done exactly this. Germany, France, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia are all providing direct funding to employers to cover worker paychecks and keep workers in their jobs during the lockdowns. History has shown the strategy works. Thanks to Germanys Kurzarbeit program, unemployment there actually fell from 7.9% to 7% during the Great Recession, while average unemployment in other major developed economies rose by 3%. As a result, the German economy recovered more quickly than those of many other countries. The U.S. Congress took a step in the right direction with the $2-trillion CARES Act it recently passed. The new law establishes a loan program to guarantee the payrolls of businesses with fewer than 500 employees. But unfortunately, the funding allocated for the program was too little, and delivery of the funds with loans via banks is proving too bureaucratic and slow. Likewise, the patchwork of other programs in CARES and actions by the Federal Reserve are too indirect and working too slowly to stem the tide of unemployment. We need action that is fast, direct and at scale. Story continues Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and some of her colleagues in the House of Representatives have proposed a Paycheck Guarantee Act that would support workers of all employers. It is essential that protection be extended to all 152 million of Americas workers, not just the 60 million working for small businesses . It must also extend to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. The House proposal would cover wages up to $100,000 per employee and has provisions to encourage firms to quickly rehire any employees laid off since March 1. Crucially, it would also cover healthcare benefits, as 160 million workers and their family members currently rely on employer health insurance. Importantly, the proposal outlines ways this vital support could be distributed to companies quickly, directly and electronically, rather than through banks and bureaucracy. Finally, the proposal has provisions to ensure that the support is actually used to cover worker paychecks by companies that would otherwise be forced to lay off workers. This will prevent large companies that dont need the funds from accessing the program, and also prevent the kinds of abuses seen during the 2008 bailouts, for example using taxpayer funds for executive bonuses or stock buybacks. Such an economy-wide guarantee will certainly be costly INET Oxford estimates about $115 billion a month. But this is well within the range of other measures taken in the CARES Act and is likely to be one of the most effective uses of fiscal policy. While the CARES Act provides for significantly expanded unemployment insurance, it is far better to spend money to keep people from becoming unemployed in the first place. Mass unemployment will create huge frictions in restarting the economy firms will be cautious about rehiring and consumers will be cautious about spending, creating the potential for a long, drawn-out depression. Any funds spent preserving worker paychecks and healthcare now will save money that would otherwise have to be spent on unemployment benefits and public healthcare later. While nothing is simple in an election year, if there is one proposal that should receive bipartisan support, this is it. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has independently proposed a paycheck guarantee similar to the one enacted by the Conservative government in the U.K. For Democrats the protection of worker incomes and healthcare, particularly for lower-income workers, is critical. Likewise, Republicans know that businesses desperately want to hang on to their employees and be ready for a fast restart of the economy. And while the expansion of unemployment benefits in the CARES Act was absolutely necessary, both sides know that workers would far rather have a paycheck than a benefit check. Congress and the administration must act immediately to stop the catastrophic collapse in employment currently underway. The Paycheck Guarantee Act is so urgent and beneficial that it should be put forward by the House as a separate bill and not be delayed waiting for another big rescue package. Some naysayers are already arguing that it is too late. That is not the case, but if it is delayed waiting for an omnibus bill, it will be. Eventually, the virus will be brought under control, but as long as Americans are required to shelter in place we must also help them to shelter in job. George Soros is founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking and chairman of the Open Society Foundations. Professor Eric Beinhocker is executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford (INET Oxford). A court in Pakistan has ordered the government to restore Internet to parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where its lack was depriving thousands of university students from accessing online classes and educational materials during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Abdul Rahim Wazir, a lawyer who has filed the case on behalf of a student, says Athar Minallah, the chief justice of Islamabad High Court who is hearing the case, says he was surprised to learn that seven districts still do not have any Internet access. The districts were part of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Pakistans western border with Afghanistan which were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in May 2018. The two regions are predominantly populated by the Pashtuns Pakistan largest ethnic minority. It is very good news for the residents of [former] FATA, Wazir told RFE/RLs Gandhara website. It has raised hopes. An April 4 order by the court said that the authorities are directed to take appropriate measures to restore the internet 3G/4G facilities in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The order has called on Pakistans Information Technology and Ministry and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, a government regulator, to submit a report to the court before it hears the case on April 20. The order asks the government to explain why access to Internet has been denied to the petitioner [litigant] and the general public of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas. It was not immediately possible to reach government officials for comment. Wazir, a young attorney in Islamabad, took up the case on behalf of Sayed Muhammad, a university student in Islamabad. Like thousands of students from the region, Sayed was deprived of online classes. Pakistani universities began online classes soon after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic on March 23. Universities across Pakistan were already shut by that date, which forced thousands of students from FATA to leave their hostel dormitories and return to remote villages where they have no Internet access. The lack of Internet access had prompted student protests in parts of former FATA. Authorities had not commented on their demand, but senior officials have repeatedly said that FATAs 2018 merger was aimed at mainstreaming and developing the insurgency-wrecked region. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and millions displaced by years of militant attacks and military operations against insurgents. The region became a key sanctuary for Taliban and allied Al-Qaeda and Central Asian militants after the demise of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001. During a visit last month to Mohmand, one of the former FATA districts, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced plans to provide Internet in the region. But his orders were not immediately implemented. We know that the residents of the tribal regions are trailing behind the inhabitants of other areas in this country, he told a March 9 gathering. The region was home to the worst kind of poverty and had the worst education and healthcare, he added. We now have the opportunity to bring you on par with the rest of the country. Last year, the provincial parliament in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the provision of Internet to the region. It is still not clear whether the courts order will be implemented or if the Pakistani authorities will come up with an explanation of why an estimated 6 million residents of former FATA are deprived of Internet connectivity. The letter, addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, seeks demographic data of cases and deaths, aiming to get a better sense of how to address the communitys health needs. It was prompted by heavy coronavirus outbreaks in the African American communities in cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee and elsewhere. A former Virginia college student and federal prosecutors have reached a plea deal after he was accused of reporting false bomb threats and active shootings, a potentially dangerous hoax known as swatting, in coordination with a nationwide ring of white supremacists. The former student, John William Kirby Kelley, has signed the plea agreement and has a hearing scheduled for May 8, according to a court document filed Saturday. He was arrested in January on a charge of conspiring to make threats to injure, according to The Associated Press. A representative for the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said the agreement had not yet been entered into the public record and declined to comment further. Image John William Kirby Kelley Credit... Alexandria Sheriffs Office, via Associated Press Lawyers for Mr. Kelley declined to comment on Monday. The authorities arrested Mr. Kelley earlier this year in connection with the swatting ring, which investigators said used the dark web and masking technology to conceal their IP addresses and phone numbers. He has yet to be indicted on charges related to what the authorities say was a plot to make and videotape swatting calls to the police, according to The A.P. JJ Foodservice Order online for next day delivery - depending on your location The business who supplied Wasabi, You Me Sushi and schools are also now selling to the public. Sezer Ozkul, Chief Products Officer told FEMAIL: 'Our business literally changed overnight on March 21st we had an emergency strategy meeting. 'By the end of the day, our Next Day Home Delivery Service was live, offering next day deliveries for orders placed by 9pm with a minimum order of just 79. 'We advertised this via a social media and the response has been extremely positive we are taking on new customers every day and the messages to our customers services team have increased 400 per cent as more people are making inquiries about setting up a new account. 'This will probably come as no surprise, but our toilet roll sales increased by 150 per cent we were selling up to five containers more per week. Pasta, hand wash and bizarrely fresh chicken sales also went up significantly. To better support households, we are increasing our range of smaller pack sizes for essential household groceries such as cheese, tea bags, fresh vegetables and fruits. ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Kingsmill Great Everyday Soft White Bread (Medium)-1x800g - from 99p Lakeland Salted Butter 4x250g - from 4.99 Fermipan Instant Yeast (Single Packets)-1x500g - from 3.49 Red Kidney Beans 6x800g - from 5.99 PG Tips Tagged Tea Bags-1x100 - from 3.99 Two litres of whole milk from 99p Sliced cheddar cheese, 1kg, 5.49 Innocent Drinks juices, small bottles, from 4.49 for 8 bottles (330ml) Fruit Shoots, from 4.49 for 24 (200ml) 4 x Ribeye Steaks, 11.49 Hand wash from 5.99 for 3 x 500ml Domestos Bleach 1.99 for 750ml bottle Wright`s Plain Flour-5x1.5kg - from 4.99 Fresh Whole Milk-(Blue Cap)-1x2L - from 99p Nestle Shreddies (Single) 1x415g - from .249 Giant Avocados 9.99 for 6 Mango 5.99 for 7 Free Range Medium Eggs (Size 3)-1x60 - from 9.99 Frozen vegetables from 1.49 for 1kg Propercorn, 24 x 30g bags for 10.00 (46p per bag) Alpro Soya Milk from 1.29 carton Toilet Roll from 2.49 for 12 (12p each) Spaghetti 4.49 for 3kgs Diet Coke, 6.89 for 24 cans (29p each) Creed Foodservices Online order for home delivery or collection in selected locations across the UK David Antony, from Creed Foodservices told FEMAIL they initially didn't see a downturn in sales as a direct result of the outbreak of Covid-19. 'However, with the forced closure of cafes, restaurants and destination leisure sites, we then saw a significant impact on our business as the majority of our customers closed their doors overnight' he explained. 'We have a strong customer base within the Care sector, and we are continuing to work tirelessly to ensure we're providing them with the products they need during this uncertain time. 'Our minimum order value is 50, and customers need to checkout their order before 4.30pm, to collect the very next day. We're currently offering collections Monday to Friday only, but may reconsider over the coming weeks. ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Food and Veg, mixed produce 21.69 Creed Fresh Mixed Butchery Box 25 Creed Fresh Pork Box 35 Creed Fresh Pork Box 60 Red Apples (Small) (each) 0.13 Potatoes (2kg) 1.15 Country Range Farmhouse Ham Sliced (500g) 3.94 Gram Flour (2kg) 2.77 Walkers Crisps Variety Pack (18 Pack) 8.11 Peppers Red (each) 0.44 Beef tomato (each) 0.83 Hass Avocado Ready To Eat (each) 0.96 Six medium free range eggs 0.92 2lt of fresh semi-skimmed milk 1.07 Country Range Salted Butter 1.24 Frozen White Bloomer (1x16) 22.25 Frozen Roberts Medium Wholemeal Sliced Loaf (8x800g) 10.96 Dunster Farm Food Order online for next day delivery across Greater Manchester, here Tom Matthew, Director, Dunsters Farm said: 'We've set up a B2C site for home delivery and collection www.dunstersfarm.shop which enables residents of Greater Manchester to purchase groceries online for either home delivery or collection from our warehouse in Bury. Our home delivery service is free for orders over 30 and there is no minimum order for collection.' 'We lost approx. 95% of our business with the closures of schools, cafes, hospitality, etc so we had to pivot the business quickly to safeguard the future of our business and long term job security for our 50-strong team. We are proud to say that this adaptation has meant that we have retained all of our staff.' ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Alpro Almond milk, 1 litre, 2.30 Ambrosio Custard pot, 120 x 12g, 7.99 Baked beans, 840g, 1.40 Arborio Rice, 1kg, 4 Bread mix, 3.5kg, 6.90 Creme Egg, 40g x 48, 24.00 Macaroni, 3kg, 4.00 Cadbury's Dairy Milk, 45g x 48, 30.84 Caster sugar, 2kg, 2.15 Granulated sugar, 1kg, 0.80 Egg noodles, 3kg, 9.00 Extra virgin olive oil, 1 litre, 5.00 Grated cheddar, 1kg, 4.99 Halloumi, 200g, 1.80 New Covent Garden Market After lockdown forced them to close, traders at New Covent Garden Market are selling directly to the public. A spokesperson told Femail: 'The website is receiving huge amounts of traffic, with around 60,000 visiting the fruit and veg box page on the site, compared to roughly 160 hits the website usually sees! Order online for next day delivery, here All Greens Order a fruit & vegetable box for 30, or an exotic fruit box for 30. Milk, eggs and bread will also be an option when you add a box to your cart. Free shipping for all orders over 30. EuroFrutta Three sizes of fruit and vegetable boxes are available, with free delivery on all orders within the London area. The Essential add-on box is perfect for the individual or couple, priced at 15. It contains one loaf of bread; one four-pint milk; one greek-style yoghurt; one butter; 12 eggs; and one four-pint freshly-squeezed orange juice. The Fruit and Vegetable box is 25 and recommended for a smaller household, with an assortment of fruit and vegetables. The Large Fruit and Vegetable box is 50 and recommended for a large household, offering an assortment of fruit and vegetables. Fresh Connect A free door-step delivery service, with a minimum 30 order. Offering fresh fruit and vegetables, dry goods, dairy, pasta as well as home essentials. Link Class Offering fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, eggs and dairy. Linkclass offer three essential boxes: small fruit and veg box 25; large fruit and veg box 45; dairy box 15. Order online for home delivery in here Butler's Larder Order online for home delivery in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire here Fruit & Veg (Ribble Farm Fare) A selection made up for you - Family Fruit Box 9.50 Family Veg Box 15 Or make your own box - Garlic 70p Aubergine 1 Blackberries 3 Blueberries 2 Carrot 16p Cherry Tomatoes 1.90 Closed Cup Mushrooms (500g) 1.75 Courgette 90p Cucumber 1 Melon 2.20 Grapes (500g) 2.30 Iceberg Lettuce 1.50 Kiwi 45p Large Avocado 1.90 Large Fairtrade Banana Bunch 1.90 Leek 70p Lemon 60p Lime 40p Mango 1.85 Onion 30p Pear 35p Pepper Green/Red/Yellow 80p Pineapple 2.30 Plum 40p Apple 35p Satsuma 30p Mawson's Cordial (various flavours) 500g 4.20 Wild Fox Gin (various) 70cl 37 York Cocoa Works Classic Hot Chocolate from 2.50 Meat (Anderton's Butchers) A selection made up for you - Family Meat Box 65 Luxury Meat Box 75 Or make your own box - 1kg sausages 7.23 1kg stewing steak 10.30 1kg minced beef 6.86 Large Whole Chicken 9.74 2 x 225g lamb chops 9.75 2kg topside of beef 20.05 1kg diced pork 7.19 1kg diced lamb 18.25 1kg diced chicken breast 8.93 10 x 200g chicken fillets 20.26 Boneless rolled leg of lamb 1.6kg 25 1kg bacon 6.34 5 x pork steaks 7.25 Cheese Essentials Box (4 cheeses) 10 Luxury Cheese Box (4 cheeses) 12 6 Free Range Eggs 1.50 Salted or Unsalted Butter 250g 2 Ann Forshaw's Farmhouse Yoghurts (mixed flavours and sizes) from 1.20 Selection of cheeses from Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses from 2.25 including Blacksticks Blue, 2.50 Milk (2 litre) 1.50 Ollie's Orchard Ashmead's Kernal Apple Juice 750ml 3 Silver & Green Olives 2.99 Y-Tea Biodegradable Pyramid Tea Bags x 15 (Breakfast, Earl Grey, Mint or Green) 4.20 Bruce & Luke's Coffee (ground or whole bean) 500g 9.50 Birchalls Food and Drink Order online for home delivery here Lasagne sheets, 6x 500g, 7.52 Dr Oetker Wellcare Chocolate Cake Mix, 1kg, 24.44 Country Range Chocolate Muffin Mix 4 x 3.5kg, 43.52 Blanched Almonds, 1kg, 25.77 Country Range Easy Cook Long Grain Rice, 5kg, 5.00 Weetabix 'A' Pack, 6 x 48, 34.52 Kellogg's Corn Flakes., 1 x 10kg, 32.72 Kellogg's Coco Pops Bag Pack, 4 x 500g, 11.41 Cupboard 4 x brown or white barmcakes 1.50 4 x teacakes 2 White or wholemeal loaf, 1.50 The Bee Centre Local Countryside honey from 6.95 Studio Bakery fresh homemade flapjacks, rocky roads or brownies 1.80 Choc Amor Chocolate (various flavours) 100g 3.50 Fiddler's crisps sharing bags (various flavours) 150 2 Funky Nut Company nut butters, various, from 2.99 Strong white bread flour, 16kg, 8.39 Country Range Plain Flour, 16kg, 7.20 McDougall Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, 4 x 3.5kg, 45.76 Haribo Chamallows, 12 x 160g, 10.86 Coconut Chips, 1kg, 8.55 Tilda Arborio Risotto Rice, 2 x 5kg, 30 Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, 4 x 500g, 11.41 Kellogg's Rice Krispies, 1 x 10kg, 44.12 Cupboard Lakeland Mues Muesli (various) 500g, 5.95 Nelstrop Flour Millers plain or SR flour 1.5kg 2.25 Nowt Poncy pasta and sauces, from 3.50 Peter's Yard crackers, various, from 2.95 Wignalls YALLO oils from 4.50 Yockenthwaite porridge oats and granola (various) from 3.50 York Cocoa Works 70g chocolate bar (35%, 45% and 72%) 3.50 Hawkshead Relishes (various) from 2.75 La Tua Pasta Order online for delivery in London here Patricia Adrian-Hanson Director of La Tua Pasta told FEMAIL they lost 80 per cent of their business when restaurants closed, but were offering to customers within five days. 'Early on in this crisis, we decided we were going to fight for our business because we wanted to save our team and very importantly because we made it our mission to continue to feed people across the country. As elements of the normal food supply chain started to crumble for the NHS we also said whatever we could do to sustain the frontline heroes - we would do it. 'At first friends started to contact us as they had set up a crowd funded charity called 'Frontline NHS Fund', then we reached out to the Conduit Club, Rocket Catering + other large hospital caterers to see how we could work together, and now we're donating hundreds of meals every week to four different hospitals. 'Every time someone places an order with us we donate another meal + we also give anyone from the NHS 50% off any purchase from our site. We will not be beaten, we're keeping the pasta rolling + we're aiming to provide 10,000 meals to the NHS. ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni, 5.50 for 250g Black Truffle & Ricotta Tortelloni, 7 for 250g Braised Wild Boar Tortelloni, 7 for 250g Pumpkin & Ricotta Ravioli, 17 for 1kg Tagliatelle, 6 for 500g Mini macaroni, 10 for 1kg Fresh Genoese Pesto Sauce, 3.50 for 90g Artisan Tomato Sauce, 3.50 for 270g Pappardelle, 3 for 250g Volcano Coffee Works Order online for home delivery Emma Loisel, is co-founder and chair, of Volcano Coffee Works, which supplied more than 350 cafes, restaurants and hotels across the UK and in Paris. 'We already sold direct to consumer, but it was less than 2 per cent of our overall revenue. Online sales via our website have grown by 680 per cent in three weeks - but it's still less than 10 per cent of our revenues before Covid-19,' she said. 'Consumers buying for home use order small quantities - either a couple of 200kg bags or a 1 kg bag. 'Packing and posting a much higher quantity of orders is labour intensive and time consuming, we are having to quickly establish new working practices and processes to make sure we can fill these orders. If consumers could do one order for their coffee needs for the next few weeks that will help us and Royal Mail keep up.' ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE The Mount Blend, Ground coffee, 6.00 for 200g Bold Morning Shot Coffee Beans, 6.00 for 200g Bold Morning Shot (Nespresso Compatible Eco Coffee Pods) 26.00 for 40 pods Savona Foodservice Order online for home delivery here Canned Goods Dried Goods Sauces & Dressings Soups, Stocks & Gravies Preserves, Pickles, Antipasti Oils & Fats Dairy & Desserts Baking Biscuits & Cakes Snacks & Confectionery Dairy Eggs Butters, Fats & Spreads Salads Fillings & Dips Cooked / Cured Meats & Pate Meat Assorted Dispensers & Pumps Containers Meat Meal Solutions Bakery Fruit, Veg & Nuts Buffet & Starters Meat & Poultry Fish & Seafood Chips Potato & Rice Desserts Drinks Mixes & Ice Fruit Vegetables Herbs Coffee, Tea & Other Beverages Chilled Drinks Soft Drinks Alcohol Disposables Workwear, PPE & Safety Supplies Woods Foodservice Order over the phone or by email for next day delivery in London and delivery within a few days across the South East Darren Labbett the managing director of Woods Foodservice said: 'We bought in fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and fresh meat boxes to be able to offer a one stop shop, these are very popular. However, it seems that everybody wants toilet rolls and pasta. Luckily we have plenty of both,' Mr Labbett explained. He added that they've seen sales of bread flour and yeast shoot up, as people try and make their own bread and cakes at home. 'As our turnover increases we are able to gradually ask furloughed staff to come back to ensure we keep up with demand.' ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE FRESH MEAT BOX MEDIUM, 29.99 1 X 500g Minced Beef 2 X Chicken Breasts 1 X 6 Butchers Sausages 375g Bacon (Roughly 7 Rashes) 2 X Chicken Legs 3 X 6oz Pork Steaks FRESH MEAT BOX LARGE, 43.99 2 X 500g Minced Beef 4 X Chicken Breasts 2 X 6 Butchers Sausages 750g Bacon (Roughly 14 Rashes) 4 X Chicken Legs 5 X 6oz Pork Steaks FRESH MEAT BOX MEDIUM inc GLUTEN FREE SAUSAGES, 44.99 1 X 500g Minced Beef 2 X Chicken Breasts 1 X 6 Gluten Free Sausages 375g Bacon (Roughly 7 Rashes) 2 X Chicken Legs 3 X 6oz Pork Steaks FRESH MEAT BOX LARGE (no pork) 2 x 500g British Prime Minced Beef 1 x 4 approx 200g each Skinless Chicken Breasts 500g-700g Diced Leg and Shoulder of Lamb 1 x 4 English Grade A Whole Chicken Legs 500g Marinated Diced Chicken 900g - 1.1kg Rolled Lamb Breast FRESH SALAD BOX, 11.99 60g Mixed Leaf 1 Cucumber - Large 1 Red Pepper - Large 1 Yellow Pepper - Large 250g Beetroot Vac Pack 2 Red Onions MEDIUM VEG BOX, 11.99 600g Carrots 6 Baker 50' 600g Onions UK 1 Savoy 600g Parsnips LARGE VEG BOX, 14.99 1Kg Carrots 10 Baker 50' 1kg Onions UK 1 Savoy each 750g Parsnips 600g Swede 1 Large Cauliflower 600g Swede 1 Garlic Bulb 1 Cauliflower 250g Courgette 1 Radish Pre Pack 1 Bunch of Spring Onions 1 Speciality Tomatoes Punnet 1 Cocktail Fine Tomatoes Punnet (Will change to Twin Beef Tomato) 350g Broccoli 1 Garlic Bulb 350g Leeks 2 Courgettes (500g) 2 Red Onion (200g) 125g Baby Corn FRUIT BOX 4 Conference Pear 1 Strawberries Punnet 1 Bunch Black Grapes 4 Braeburn 4 Granny Smith 1 Bunch Bananas 4 Kiwi 3 Passion Fruit 4 Plum 1 Melon Medium Honey, Galia or Cantaloupe) Dunns Food and Drink Order online or via the app for deliveries across Scotland Julie Dunn told FEMAIL her family run business lost 70 per cent of business when the lockdown hit. The company, supply the prestigious Gleneagles golf course as well as DiMaggios, Montpeiirs and Hawksmoor restaurants. Ms Dunn said people are buying cleaning materials and toilet rolls, bread, milk, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, pasta, and wine but their luxury food items are not being purchased. 'We have been surprised by the number of people interested in catering pack sizes so - perfectly happy to take 16kg of flour in order to bake for their neighbours. Nice community spirit. 'Although most callers are looking for the staples just now, possibly once we are all more used to life in isolation, home cooking will be a pleasant time filler for the family which is why we are posting recipe ideas every day through social media because with 6,500 lines available it is most probable that the home cooks can achieve a global kitchen through Dunns.' ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Milk 2L 1.35 Bacon 2.27kg 7.69 Morning Rolls 1x6 0.70 Thick White Sliced Loaf 800g 1.10 Wholemeal Med Sliced Bread 800g 1.10 Chopped Tomatoes 800g 0.78 Tomato Puree 800g 1.08 Unsalted Butter 250g 1.27 Macaroni 3kg 2.74 Short Spaghetti 3kg 2.75 Easy Cook Long Grain Rice 5kg 4.63 Grated White Cheddar 1kg 4.40 Grated Red Cheddar 1kg 4.61 Chilled Chicken Fillets 5kg 19.50 Mini Jumbo Toilet Roll 2ply 150x95mm 1x12 11.35 Bidfood Order online for next day delivery, depending on location, or click and collect Bidfood one of the UK's largest foodservice providers was forced to change its business model overnight to support the growing demand for supplies during the Covid-19 outbreak. Earlier this month, Bidfood and Brakes announced they would be joining forces to support a new government initiative to ensure that vital food supplies reach the country's most vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis. The initiative sees the two companies working together to deliver potentially hundreds of thousands of weekly care packages across the country to people at high risk from the virus, who are not able to get easy access to food. ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Fruit and vegetables Potato products Range of fresh fruit Range of fresh vegetables Chips and fries Delicatessen Cooked meats Continental meats Pate and terrines Sandwich fillings Prepared Salads Olives and antipasti Dairy and eggs Butter Cheese Milk Cream Eggs Yoghurt Bakery Traditional and speciality bread Baguettes Pannini, Ciabatta Focaccia Bread rolls Burger buns Naan, pitta, flatbread and tortillas English muffins Crumpets Bagels Pretzels Cakes and bakes Drinks Tea Coffee Sports and energy drinks Fruit drinks Adult soft drinks Fruit juice and smoothies Squashes and cordial Meat and fish Beef Lamb Pork Poultry Sausages White fish Salmon Smoked fish Speciality fish Breaded and butter fish Coated fish Prawns and shellfish Everyday essentials Breakfast essentials Preserves, honeys and spreads Baking ingredients and desserts Gravy, bouillon and stock Soup Pulses, rice, noodles and pasta Cooking sauces Condiments and sauces Herbs, spices and oils Desserts Cakes Ice cream Cheesecake Brownies Pancakes and crepes Waffles Snacks Biscuits Crackers Protein bars Cereal bars Flapjacks Muffins Cakes Crisps and popcorn Brakes Foodservice Order online for home delivery at selected UK locations, here Brakes UK Marketing Director, Adam Collett told FEMAIL: 'We've had a great response from consumers to both our call and collect and home delivery services and have taken hundreds of orders already, with sales doubling over the Easter weekend. 'We're very pleased with what we've achieved in such a short period of time, so much so that we have extended the call & collect service to 10 sites (Aylesford, Wembley, Hemsworth, Tamworth, Newhouse, Reading, Bristol, Warrington, Harlow and Thorpe). We are also offering home delivery in the Bristol, Harlow, Hemsworth and Reading areas. It is really exciting to see the solutions working and hear how grateful consumers are for the opportunity to get delivery slots that they can't currently get from their normal provider. 'With home baking all the rage our large bags of flour, along with sugar, eggs, milk, butter and dried fruit are all very popular. The recent good weather has seen the home BBQ season kick off early and as a result we are seeing strong demand for our British Red Tractor chicken, as well as steaks, burgers (meat and vegetarian), our gluten free bread and our vegan sausages.' ESSENTIAL AVAILABLE FOR HOME DELIVERY Flour 6 x 1.5kg plain flour - 8.24 or 6 x 1.5kg self-raising 8.99 Yeast Marigold Vegan Yeast flakes 1 x 125grms 2.17 Butter Anchor butter 250 grams - 2.24 Pasta Brakes Italian Fusilli Pasta 5kgs - 6.97 Rice Brakes Basmati rice 1 x 5kg - 13.64 Cucumbers 97p Iceberg lettuce - 1.57 Fresh chicken breast Prime Meats British Red Tractor Chicken Fillets (140g-170g) pack of 10 14.77 Brakes margarine - 2kgs - 3.89 Oncore Foodservice Order online for delivery across the North West here and here Rob Coupe, director of Oncore foodservices, said the supplier set up a delivery service through DPD to selling meat boxes and deli boxes to customers. The Preston-based supplier usually sell to care homes, restaurants, pubs, nurseries, hotels, and work canteens. Sales have gone up about 10 per cent since introducing Farm2Fork, which sends deli boxes to people's homes. Fresh Pastures Order online for delivery in selected postcodes across the north of England here Dawn Carney, Managing Director of Fresh Pastures, told Femail: 'Fresh Pastures has changed rapidly since the Covid-19 lockdown. Traditionally we are a distribution business that supplies 3,000 schools and public venues with milk and morning goods. But, when schools and leisure businesses closed, 97% of our business ceased.' 'We had no choice; to survive, we had to think innovatively and change our entire operation overnight. So we focused on our distribution infrastructure, knowing that it could play a vital role in supporting our society to ensure children, the vulnerable, the elderly and those self-isolating could receive nutritious food during the coronavirus crisis.' 'That was three weeks ago and our business continues to change daily. Within the first few days, we had set up an e-commerce site to support an online delivery service; this has seen us extend our business network to include care homes and also homes for the very first time. We also secured lunchbox contracts with local authorities still supporting youngsters in schools.' 'Within a week we introduced other produce, such as veg boxes. We are now working towards delivering a wide variety of daily essentials including tea, coffee and flour. By moving quickly and working collaboratively, we are proving that businesses like ours can provide essential support under extreme pressures and rapidly changing circumstances to play a vital part in helping our communities through this extraordinary period.' ESSENTIALS AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE Al-Ahram Weekly follows the cautious attempts to bring tripartite negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam back on track Egypt and Sudan seem to agree that the negotiation process in Washington has made progress, and that they need to continue negotiating after the restrictions imposed because of coronavirus are lifted. In a joint press statement issued last week, Egypt and Sudan underlined their commitment to the outlined agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reached in talks held in Washington. Sudans commitment to the outcome of the Washington meetings is a positive step. But it is too early to determine whether it will give a push forward to the negotiations, said a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity. The statement was hailed in the media as a sign of agreement between Egypt and Sudan over the dam issue, added the diplomat. The last tripartite meeting, held in Washington at the end of February, was supposed to see the signing of a final deal on GERD. Ethiopia did not turn up, claiming it needed more time to review the deal. Both the Egyptian and Sudanese delegations attended the meeting, but while Cairo initialed the deal, Khartoum said it preferred to wait until Ethiopia signed. Political analysts say Sudan is now showing a greater willingness to bring both Egypt and Ethiopia back to the negotiation table. The latest Egyptian-Sudanese joint statement was released after a meeting held in the Sudanese capital Khartoum between Sudans Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdouk and Irrigation Minister Yasser Abass, Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, and Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati. Both countries reiterated their adherence to the terms of the Washington agreement and the Declaration of Principles signed in Khartoum in March 2015. A few days before the Khartoum meeting Hamdouk had announced he would visit Cairo and Addis Ababa soon to urge the two sides to resume talks on the dam. The announcement was made following a call between Hamdouk and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin who co-sponsored the Washington talks alongside the World Bank. Both officials discussed the importance of international cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to reaching a fair solution on the dam. Hamdouks planned visits were delayed owing to restrictions imposed on travel because of the coronavirus outbreak. Last month President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi met with Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Cairo. They discussed the dam file, and Dagalo offered Khartoums services as a mediator between Egypt and Ethiopia. No more details of the meeting were disclosed at the time. Abbas subsequently ruled out the possibility of Sudanese mediation, pouring cold water on the idea that Khartoum could play the role of intermediary between Egypt and Ethiopia. Sudan will exert every effort to encourage the resumption of negotiations but it cannot play the role of mediator when it is a party to the talks, Abbas said in an interview published online this week. Sudan not only declined to sign the Washington deal but withheld support for a draft resolution proposed by the Arab League on the GERD dispute. In the resolution Arab foreign ministers rejected any erosion of Egyptian and Sudanese historic rights to Nile Water, stating that Egyptian and Sudanese water security is an integral part of Arab national security. In the wake of last months Arab League meeting held in Cairo, Sudan has insisted its position on the dam has been misunderstood. Rather than favouring one party against the other, Khartoum says it is simply taking into account the interests of all parties affected by the dam. Ethiopias no-show in Washington has contributed to tensions between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, with Cairo accusing Addis Ababa of deliberately impeding the negotiations. Meanwhile, Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced earlier this month that his country will start filling the dam during the July and August rainy season and insisted the dam is a symbol of [Ethiopian] sovereignty and unity. Ahmeds declaration followed Mnuchins statement that the final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement. Last month Addis Ababa declared that it is working on its own proposal for an agreement, which it will deliver to Egypt and Sudan soon. We wont subscribe to an agreement just because the US and the World Bank came forward with it. We need to take time and sort out any sticking points, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew told the media. Asked when negotiations would resume, Andargachew said the Ethiopian side does not accept that negotiations have ever stopped. After Ethiopia finishes the discussions it is conducting internally, and when the Egyptians fully recognise that Ethiopia has the right to use its water resources, the negotiations will resume without any third party involved, he said. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: For people who lost homes to the deadly tornadoes that rampaged across the South, there are no comforting hugs from volunteers or handshakes from politicians. There are no Red Cross shelters for homeless families, who are staying instead in hotel rooms to avoid large gatherings. The disaster response reflected how the coronavirus pandemic has changed relief efforts: Workers are still trying to provide all the comfort they can, but from a distance. Within hours of the tornado onslaught, which began Sunday, church groups were out in affected communities, and Southern Baptist volunteers were told to avoid holding hands with people as they pray, said Sam Porter, director of disaster relief for the nearly 15 million-member denomination. Hugs also are out. Youre talking about a very hard change in procedures, Porter said Tuesday. Its agonizing. Jesus touched people all through his ministry. He created us as emotional beings. But we are trying to comply with the guidelines. About 550 people in four states were staying in hotel rooms funded by the Red Cross since mass shelters were not an option during the pandemic, said Brad Kieserman, a vice president of the organization. People are being fed catered meals delivered to the hotels instead of through a mass kitchen, he said, and workers are wearing masks, gloves and other gear when dealing with people affected by the storms. Other agencies are making similar provisions, he said. How ironic is it that the very thing that may unify people and unify communities is the condition in which we have to remain 6 feet apart, Kieserman said. The death toll from the outbreak rose to at least 34 as officials said a 12th person had died in Mississippi. There, Gov. Tate Reeves, who toured damaged areas, said the pandemic was making a bad situation worse. The fact that the coronaviruses exist is complicating the recovery from the tornado, while the tornadoes are complicating our efforts to make sure that we do everything in our power to stop the spread of the virus, Reeves said during a stop in tiny Soso. It is it is exceptionally complicated, and its tough on all of us. A twister left shingles, insulation and other debris strewn across Chattanooga, Tennessee. Almost every official on a tour of storm damage wore a protective mask, and some wore gloves. Instead of hugs and handshakes, Gov. Bill Lee and Mayor Andy Berke offered elbow bumps while talking to affected residents. We need money! We need that stimulus check now! a person in a passing pickup truck yelled out to Lee as he visited with people cleaning around their home. The storms claimed lives in at least six states, and the National Weather Service said preliminary assessments found evidence of at least 27 twisters. The strongest confirmed so far was an EF-4 tornado that devastated southeastern Mississippi with winds as strong as 170 mph (273 kph). Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed across the regoin, and heavy rains caused flooding in some areas. Nashville, Tennessee, broke a 71-year-old record by receiving 2.23 inches (5.66 centimeters) of rain in a day, the weather service said. A day later, on Tuesday morning, the city saw snow flurries. Damage occurred up the East Coast, with a flurry of tornado warnings issued in Delaware after storms left the Southeast. With the economy already faltering because of business shutdowns and job losses linked to the pandemic, the Mississippi State University Extension Service said storms hit the state's $2.9 billion poultry industry. At least 90 poultry houses were damaged or destroyed, many near the city of Collins. Although some houses were between flocks and empty, many of these houses had chickens in them, poultry specialist Tom Tabler said in a statement. Some would have been chicks just a few days old, while others would have been flocks nearly ready for harvest. Lola (Charlotte Stokely) and Maxie (Abigail Mac) are feature dancers at a strip club. But theres just one little problemtheyre both going up the river for allegedly killing their husbands. We open on Lola getting hauled right off the stage in cuffs by the cops and suddenly cut to Penny Archer having a fuck sesh with her sisters husband (Jay Smooth). We cut back to Maxie working the pole at the club again after Lolas hauled off. Meanwhile, Maxies husband (Calvin Hardy) is cheating (seriously dude?) with Aidra Fox and they have a steamy scene ending with a big load on Aidras belly, and then blood on Maxie's hands. Next we get to visit the slammer where Lola and Maxie are being held and are making friends with the other inmates. Also Maxie gets to fuck some administrative dude from the prison (Seth Gamble), because Porn World. Theres a lot of fucking going on in this prison because Ryan McLane (also a nebulous warden/administrator type) gets to fuck both Christy Love and Kay Carter. When we finally catch up with Lola and Maxie again, they appear to be getting pretty damn horny confined in jail and have a hot scene in their cell. We wont spoil the rest of the plot, but this scene being the last sex scene sends things out with a bang. Washington: A crew member from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who contracted COVID-19 has died and four others are in hospital, in a poignant punctuation to the plea from the ship's captain two weeks ago for help from the Navy because "sailors don't need to die". The death of the sailor came as Navy officials continued to struggle to combat the infection that has crippled the nuclear-powered ship, now docked in Guam. The name of the sailor is being withheld until family members are notified, Navy officials said. "The entire department is deeply saddened by the loss of our first active-duty member to COVID-19," Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement. Admiral Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, called the death "a great loss for the ship and for our Navy". The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, pictured anchored off Manila Bay in 2018. Credit:AP The death is already wrapped up in what has become a story of disjointed leadership in the Navy, where top officials pitted themselves against the ship's captain and medical crew in the battle to contain the disease. Pleading for more help from the Navy to swiftly evacuate the ship as the virus spread, Captain Brett Crozier implored officials to put concerns for the health of the sailors ahead of concerns for the ship's ability to maintain military readiness should a war crop up. Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. But as Warren Buffett has mused, 'If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.' When they buy such story stocks, investors are all too often the patsy. So if you're like me, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Veolia Environnement (EPA:VIE). While that doesn't make the shares worth buying at any price, you can't deny that successful capitalism requires profit, eventually. In comparison, loss making companies act like a sponge for capital - but unlike such a sponge they do not always produce something when squeezed. See our latest analysis for Veolia Environnement Veolia Environnement's Earnings Per Share Are Growing. The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so share price follows earnings per share (EPS) eventually. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. Impressively, Veolia Environnement has grown EPS by 29% per year, compound, in the last three years. If the company can sustain that sort of growth, we'd expect shareholders to come away winners. One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. Veolia Environnement maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 4.8% to 27b. That's a real positive. You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. For finer detail, click on the image. ENXTPA:VIE Income Statement April 14th 2020 In investing, as in life, the future matters more than the past. So why not check out this free interactive visualization of Veolia Environnement's forecast profits? Are Veolia Environnement Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders? Story continues I always like to check up on CEO compensation, because I think that reasonable pay levels, around or below the median, can be a sign that shareholder interests are well considered. For companies with market capitalizations over 7.3b, like Veolia Environnement, the median CEO pay is around 3.9m. The Veolia Environnement CEO received 2.2m in compensation for the year ending . That comes in below the average for similar sized companies, and seems pretty reasonable to me. While the level of CEO compensation isn't a huge factor in my view of the company, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally. Is Veolia Environnement Worth Keeping An Eye On? For growth investors like me, Veolia Environnement's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. The fast growth bodes well while the very reasonable CEO pay assists builds some confidence in the board. So I'd venture it may well deserve a spot on your watchlist, or even a little further research. We should say that we've discovered 3 warning signs for Veolia Environnement that you should be aware of before investing here. Although Veolia Environnement certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for. Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Bihar, which has reported 65 Covid-19 cases, with one death, believes it can combat the Sars-CoV-2 virus while handling the burden of other diseases as well. The first indication of this came from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who on Sunday directed his health officials to resume treatment of general patients at all district and sub-divisional hospitals, after following necessary precautions for Covid-19. Outpatient department (OPDs) services in these hospitals had been put on hold since March 25, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 21-day nationwide lockdown. Bihars confidence stems from the fact it has taken smart initiatives to contain the progression of the virus, said health officials. We decided to test all international passengers, who came between March 18 and 23 after we found that most Covid-19 cases in the state, since the first tested positive on March 21, had international travel history. The symptomatic ones, who came between March 15 and 17, were also tested, said chief secretary Deepak Kumar. The testing helped detect around 20-30 positive cases, said officials. Bihar went for 100 per cent screening of foreign passengers, when the Centres guideline was to test only the symptomatic ones. It identified around 3,556 international travelers between March 15 and 23 and samples of 2,254 people, who were within the 14-day incubation period, were taken for tests. Bihar was also quick to decide on containment zones and impose a strong lockdown, where people have not been allowed to move out of their homes and essential supplies delivered to them at their doorstep, said Sanjay Kumar, Bihars principal secretary, health. We have been keeping a watch on activities of villagers, especially in sensitive areas and those under containment zone, through drones, added Kumar. Panjwar village of Siwan district, where 23 of the 29 cases in the district were accounted to a superspreader, was the first to be put under the red zone and complete barricading of the village was done at 200 metres, 500 metres, 1 kilometre, 2 kilometre and 3 kilometre. Kadirabad in Begusarai district was also put under containment zone. Eight Indonesians of Tablighi Jamaat who were here in mid-March, are believed to have infected young boys, said top government sources, requesting anonymity. Begusarai and Nawada have accounted for at least 10 Covid-19 cases, which were tracked to those having come either in contact with members of the Tablighi Jamaat or returnees from the Nizamuddin Markaz. The government has also drawn up containment plan for Bahadurpur village in Nawada where a Tablighi Jamaat member, who returned from the Nizamuddin Markaz had tested positive. Later, a 45-year-old mason and a 16-year-old girl, who came in contact with the 38-year-old male, tested positive for the virus on Saturday. The state has already sanitised two mosques in Nawada and seven in Begusari and is keeping close tabs on them, said officials. The ICMR has approved four laboratories in Bihar for conducting real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests of nose and throat swab, a confirmatory test for Covid-19. So far 7,611 samples had been collected of which 7,199 tested, at an average 103 tests per day. Of them, 65 were positive. Twenty-six people had so far recovered and discharged from hospitals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON From the perspective of Risk Theory doctrine, most of the first world (Western European Countries, the US, Canada, Japan) was ready for a flu pandemic. The issue is that the Pandemic they were ready for was modeled on recent experiences of the last 20 years: SAARS, ebola in Africa, swine flu, and bird flu. In intelligence analysis, the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) and general Risk theory and gaming, we use the foundation of the most likely threat/enemy course of action/risk and the most dangerous threat/enemy course of action/ risk. What no country in the world imagined was the size, geographic reach, and transmission/ mortality rates of this corona virus pandemic. These pandemic approaches very much what in the theoretical risk gaming is the most dangerous threat/risk and is very far away from the most likely one. One of the most important factors in risk management gaming and preparedness is achieving the critical balance point between both the most likely one and the most dangerous one, keeping in mind the resources, budget, and human capabilities available for preventive planning. Achieving that critical balance point is the key element that might decide victory or disaster, catastrophe or success. In many cases, the most dangerous threat/risk is also what the great mathematician, philosopher and economist Nassim Nicholas Taleb described as the Black Swan: what no one expected, and no one knows how to react to because there is no prior model to work. Additionally, the ripple effects in domino chain are beyond calculation, prior models, and risk planning. That is why no major country in the world was ready for this pandemic: not Canada, not Spain, not Italy, not the USA, not UK, not Germany) Also, as all data coming out of the Communist Party of China is unreliable, we can also consider that China was not ready. That is the reason why powerful rich countries like Germany or the United Kingdom are fighting for ventilators and masks. That is the same reason why all big powerful countries dont have enough ready to go hospital rooms and ICUs units, not to mention simple humble gloves nor masks. That is the reason why all major countries health systems were not ready. Those health systems in Spain, or Italy or France, were not ready for the most dangerous (but highly unlikely) Black Swan risk scenario. In the case of the U.S. we were prepared kind of well for the most likely scenarios. The US Government was ready for bioterrorism and produced good stockpiles of botulism antitoxin and vaccines for anthrax and smallpox. Also, we were ready for other health emergencies as depicted on the very recent November 25, 2019 plan Advancing the Global Health Security Agenda: Results and Impacts of U.S. Government Investments released by the White House. Again, the issue was that this plan was based on the assumption of the most likely risk of an influenza kind of virus and not a SARS-type of virus like the COVID-19. The risk gaming models used to prepare for a pandemic did not correspond to the current crisis, as the 2009 H1N1, or swine flu, is an influenza virus (something for which a vaccine can be done a lot easier/faster), and the Ebola virus is far less transmissible than COVID-19. The general set of assumptions used for the planning of a pandemic response assumed the wrong strategic level model. In addition to that, the misinformation from the China did not help prepare the U.S. Even the very respected Dr. Anthony Fauci said on January 21st that while we should take the coronavirus seriously, the virus was not a major threat to the people of the United States, and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about. The bottom-line is that the critical balance point between the most likely and the most dangerous threat was very much off target on the side of the most likely. That is a common issue in intelligence analysis, military planning, and even in corporative business models. It is very common and a flaw in general strategic level planning: ---You prepare for a small fire in your kitchen: not a meteorite falling from sky and destroying your kitchen. ---If you are a mailman, you prepare for a big dog: not for a lion that escaped the zoo. ---If city policeman, you prepare for increased gang violence: not for armed revolution/insurgency directed by Cuban intelligence operatives. ---If a medium size city hospital, you prepare for mass casualties from a large bus or train accident: not for a world pandemic with high mortality rate and transmission rates. ---If you are running to be the mayor of a large city, you campaign on reducing crime and unemployment: not in increasing the number of ventilators stashed in warehouses with no immediate use. The lessons learned from this pandemic will be applied from now on into the risk management, security and crisis response planning for decades to come. Not only this extraordinary situation will change many aspects of the international economy, the world supply chain, and even of the geopolitical order (this might be the end of the open borders policies and of ideological globalism), but for sure it will change how governments and corporations will look into preparedness and risk reduction. Ron Aledo is a former CIA and DIA senior intelligence analyst (Ctr), Joint Staff Intelligence and Operations officer, Intelligence Advisor to the Afghan Police in Kabul, and Director DHS Policy Office for Mexico. Ghana's sardinella fishery which provides food and livelihoods for coastal communities is under severe threat from illegal targeting by industrial trawlers in a trade locally known as 'saiko'. 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. It says 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, EJF's 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 d'Ivoire, 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 testimonies 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, reportedly told EJF: We have the approved net to be 60 mm in measurement. But some of them don't 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 Ghana's 2014 Fisheries Amendment Act is $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. Ghana's 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. ---Daily Guide SHANGHAI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneSmart International Education Group Limited (NYSE: ONE) ("OneSmart" or the "Company"), a leading premium online education platform in China, today announced that it is enhancing its corporate value to conform with its strategy upgrade by the unveiling of its new "OneSmart Way", the framework of its corporate mission, vision and value. The new "OneSmart Way" incorporates the Company's strengthened commitment to upgrade into a prominent online education services provider and aims to build up the largest premium online platform backed by cutting-edge technologies. The new "OneSmart Way" has already been rolled out across its websites, online platforms, and offline operations to ensure the Company is well positioned. The New "OneSmart Way" draws on the following corporate value: New "OneSmart Way" Mission POWER LEARNING changes the future with technology advancement Vision To be the most trusted and heartful high-tech education company Value (CEIT) Customer Focus Excellence Integrity Technology& Innovation New "OneSmart Way" highlights the corporate value that the Company is adopting to reinforce its leading position in the education sector by enhancing its premium services and executing its online strategy through online-merge-offline ("OMO"). Initiated in early 2018, OneSmart Online, the Company's online platform, is built upon deep understanding of online education and latest learning technologies. OneSmart Online now provides comprehensive class offerings and caters to incremental demand from a broader market. During the current fiscal year, OneSmart Online has been rapidly attracting incremental online users, and has achieved multifold growth on year over year basis and booked cash sales of over RMB 400 million since the outbreak of the pandemic till the end of March. The Company has made substantial strategic investments into online education since 2015 including Yimi Online Tutoring, BestMath, UUABC, etc. As part of Company's continuing efforts to enhance the OneSmart Online platform, the Company recently announced it has entered into an acquisition agreement with Yimi, a leading premium online 1-on-1 tutoring company, whose technologies and products will add a key component to OneSmart Online. These demonstrate the Company's confidence in the fast-growing and prosperous online education market. Mr. Steve Zhang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OneSmart, commented, "We think it's important for people to understand our unique culture, value, strategy and operations. By realizing the full potential of OneSmart's transformative ability to drive innovation, we are determined to build a greater future for premium K-12 education in the decade to come. The new technologies that we have developed are greatly improving students' learning interest and capability. Benefiting from our investments in technologies and strong execution capabilities, we have made impressive achievements as we tackle with the pandemic crisis. We have always been optimistic about the online education market and we look forward to building on our outstanding track record under the guidance of our strengthened corporate value." Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. OneSmart may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about OneSmart's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: OneSmart's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; its ability to continue to penetrate premium K-12 after-school education services market; diversify and enrich our education offerings; enhance the development and management of our teacher team and teaching materials; competition in our industry in China; its ability to maintain and expand online education presence; relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry; and its ability to protect our students' information and adequately address privacy concerns. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and OneSmart does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. About OneSmart Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai, OneSmart International Education Group Limited is a leading premium online education platform in China. Our vision is to be the most trusted and heartful high-tech education company and our mission is POWER LEARNING changes the future with technology advancement. Our company culture is centered on the core values of customer focus, excellence, integrity, and technology and innovation. The Company has built a comprehensive premium K-12 education platform that encompasses OneSmart VIP business (Premium K-12 1-on-1 training services), HappyMath (Premium math education programs), and FasTrack English (Premium English education programs). We also offer our comprehensive online classes through OneSmart Online, our premium online education services platform. As of November 30, 2019, OneSmart operates a nationwide network of 430 learning centers across 35 cities in China. For more information on OneSmart, please visit http://www.onesmart.investorroom.com. For more information, please contact: OneSmart Ms. Rebecca Shen Phone: +86-21-5255-9339 ext. 8139 Email: [email protected] Christensen In China Mr. Christian Arnell Phone: +86-10-5900-1548 Email: [email protected] In the United States Ms. Linda Bergkamp Phone: +1-480-614-3004 Email: [email protected] SOURCE OneSmart International Education Group Limited Related Links http://www.onesmart.investorroom.com The early measures taken by South Africa to contain the coronavirus outbreak have bought us time, but the worst is yet to come. This is the warning from Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chairperson of Health Minister Zweli Mkhizes COVID-19 advisory group. To date, South Africa had a unique epidemic trajectory, with an initial exponential rise in cases and then a sudden decline and plateau. This was not seen anywhere else in the world and is partly a result of measures implemented by the government and a relatively low number of coronavirus tests. While this is good news for the country as it gives us more time to prepare, it does not mean that we will avoid the worst of the epidemic. Karim said the scenario where the number of cases in South Africa continue to decline is highly unlikely. Instead, he said the likely scenario is a delayed exponential growth of coronavirus infections in South Africa. Karim said the government interventions have slowed the spread of the coronavirus, which means the curve has been impacted and we have gained some time to prepare. The two graphs below show the unlikely scenario of declining cases and likely scenario of rapid growth after the lockdown is ended. Preparing for the worst Karim said because of the coronavirus is completely new, no-one has immunity against it. This puts all South Africans at risk as we have no treatment, vaccine, or immunity against it, said Karim. This means as soon as the opportunity arises for the virus to spread, we are likely to see the exponential growth curve again. He explained one of the reasons why the coronavirus is so difficult to contain is because of the nature of the virus. For a week before you start showing symptoms of the virus, you are infectious. This means long before you know you have the virus you can transmit it to other people. How do you fight something which you do not even know you have, Karim said. That is our one challenge. One you show symptoms you remain infectious for another two weeks. You have this long period of infectiousness when you are spreading it around. He said evidence shows that the coronavirus can rapidly spread. On average, an infected person will infect between two and three other people. This results in an exponential infection rate unless strict measures are implemented to curb the rate of infection. Why the delay is important Karim said the delay in the spread of the virus in South Africa is important to avoid a situation like the one in New York, where the health care system is overloaded. South Africa now has time to flatten the curve. It also has time to prepare for the inevitable growth in cases and the increased load on hospitals and medical staff. The country also has the opportunity to go house-to-house in vulnerable communities for screening and testing. Other benefits of the delay are that new diagnostics which are quicker and simpler are becoming available and new treatments which emerge can be used. Karim said only South Africa has been able to delay the impact of the virus. Other countries like the US, Italy, Spain, and the UK only responded when the virus was on top of them. Professor Salim Abdool Karim interview Now read: Lockdown in South Africa will be wasted unless testing is drastically increased Kayaks are an intrinsic feature of Inuit culture, used for hunting, fishing, travel, and recreation, employed by generations of indigenous people across the Arctic, from Alaska to Greenland and Labrador. Noah Nochasak (right) works with fellow kayak builder Fred Randall of Georgetown, Maine Noah Nochasak has been making them for ten years. He recently traveled from his hometown of Nain, on the coast of Labrador in northeast Canada, to help construct a replica kayak that will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. Kajak!, which uses the Labrador Inuit spelling of the word, is scheduled to open shortly after the museum reopens to the public. The exhibit explores how Inuit employed these traditional skin-on-frame watercraft, often customizing them to suit the water and ice conditions they encountered. It also looks at the recent revival of interest in the practice in the Canadian Arctic, as more Inuit reclaim their cultural heritage. For ten days in early March, Nochasak could be found in the Bowdoin Outing Clubs Schwartz Outdoor Leadership Center, working alongside Fred Randall, a renowned skin-on-frame kayak builder who lives locally. Over that time, they began the construction of a replica of a traditional Labrador Inuit kayak. Ribs of white ash were added to the hull, made from spruce and oak, and the skeletal wooden frame gradually took shape. Later the skin will be added, made from synthetic fibers rather the traditional sealskin, for ethical reasons. As an Inuk, I have a lot of interest in preserving my culture, said Nochasak, who leads the Nunatsiavut Government's Kajak Revitalization program. This kayak is based on one collected by Bowdoin students and faculty in 1891. The detailed plans were drawn up by a group of kayak experts who surveyed it in 2008. The plans are complex, said Nochasak, but its that complexity that attracts him. I like that its about skill, and not about how big a boat you can afford! Come May 2, the day after their 160-person wedding celebration in Cleveland, Courtney Hunter and her fiance, Matthew Doyle, were supposed to be on a Norwegian Cruise, sailing through the Mediterranean Sea. They fantasized about wandering the ancient streets of Pompeii, admiring Florences cathedrals, and eating gelato on Romes Spanish Steps. But the coronavirus pandemic had other plans for the couple. Hunter is among the thousands of brides and grooms who have been forced to rejigger their wedding and honeymoon plans as travel has become nonexistent, gatherings are banned, social distancing has become the norm, and non-essential businesses have been shut down nationwide. It's a weird kind of stress I've never dealt with before, Hunter told Yahoo Money. Matthew Doyle and Courtney Hunter were supposed to be married on May 1, 2020, but had to postpone their wedding due to coronavirus. (Photo from Courtney Hunter) The couples had to cancel plans that have been in the making for months or even a year, reschedule for a brand new date, and swallow any nonrefundable deposits and change fee costs along the way. The amount of time and effort that has been wasted is so tragic because you already have your wedding planned and then you get this wrench thrown in it and you basically have to plan again, said Christina Baruch, NJ-based event planner and owner of Events Made Golden. The process is much more complex than shifting plans from one day to another, she said. Some vendors are not available on your new date and then you have to go through the process of interviewing a new vendor and figuring out if they work in your budget, she said. It really is like planning another wedding. Hunter and Doyle are among the brides and grooms whose wedding plans have been derailed by the pandemic. (Photo from Courtney Hunter) This isnt going to happen When the outbreak was still localized in Italy and Asia at the beginning of March, Hunter and her fiance first reconsidered the location of their honeymoon to avoid putting themselves in harm's way. As a contingency plan, the pair booked a mini-moon at Walt Disney World in Florida where they thought tourism would remain unaffected. By mid-March, all Disney parks were closed indefinitely, convincing the couple their contingency plans werent done. Story continues "It doesn't feel like we're going to get married in a month and a half," Doyle told members of his family. It just has that feeling of this isn't going to happen. On March 18, they cancelled their wedding and honeymoon. Was naive and was insulated Gabie Kur and her fiance, Pablo Oliva, of Queens, New York, were supposed to marry in front of 125 friends and family on April 11. Six days after that, they planned to travel to Argentina, where Oliva is originally from, and host a second reception for another 100 guests. I somehow, for some reason, was naive and was insulated and thought something like this couldn't escalate to the degree where we wouldn't be able to skate by with our wedding and we would still be able to move forward, Kur said. As Kur made final wedding decisions in mid-March, social distancing and restricted gathering decrees cropped up in New York. The idea that certain guests wouldn't be able to attend was a reality before government-sanctioned curfews, travel bans, and shelter-in-place orders. Then, on March 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. We really made the final decision when the CDC made the recommendation...which would run directly into our original wedding date, Kur said. Their wedding is now rescheduled for Oct. 3. Courtney Armstong and her fiance Pete Petersen were able to seamlessly shift their April 2020 wedding to June 2020 due to concerns over Covid-19. (Photo from Courtney Armstrong) It would be selfish...to push forward Courtney Armstrong and her fiance Pete Petersen can relate. Their wedding for 160 guests was planned for April 6 and is now June 8 in Orlando. Before the postponement, farflung guests were starting to back out and their attendance list was suddenly in flux. Armstrong admitted she felt a little weird about going forward with their plans in spite of certain guests no longer available to make the trip. The CDCs recommendation on gatherings gave Armstrong a way out. I know it wasn't a requirement, it was a recommendation, but we don't want to put anyone at risk, Armstrong said, noting many elderly relatives and those with immunocompromised conditions planned to travel. We just felt that it would be selfish of us to try to push forward. Gabie Kur and her fiance, Pablo Oliva were scheduled to be married in April in Queens, New York and then travel to Argentina to celebrate with Oliva's family. Their plans were upended and will now be married in October. (Photo from Gabie Kur) Its just a party Canceling or postponing a wedding is almost as time consuming and stressful as planning one. Couples planning to marry in spring and summer 2020 had to spring to action and start making decisions based on a lot of unknowns and variables. There was no time for self-pity. There were myriad vendors, officiants, event planners, and guests who needed to be informed of the major change in plans. But where to begin? The brides-to-be deputized parents, sisters, and best friends to shoulder the load of keeping everyone apprised of an ever-changing situation. Hunter created a private Facebook group to centralize communication; Armstrong has been sending emails to all of her guests; and Kurs parents have been running interference. My dad is retired now and has taken on this brand new job of being a wedding planner just for me and hes done such a stellar job, said Kur, who plans to keep the vow books she ordered that will have her original wedding date on them. She considers it a part of her journey. Honestly, I had two days where I pretty much was crying at the drop of a hat because I was just so disappointed that this was happening and I felt how unfair it was, Kur said. But since then, and just following the news, I just realize that it's just frivolous. It's just a wedding. It's just a party. For Gabie Kur, she's keeping it all in healthy perspective and isn't allowing the postponement to sour her big day. (Photo from Gabie Kur) Is September far enough away? Armstrong was able to seamlessly transition her wedding from its original date while keeping most of the major details intact and no collateral damage to her budget. Hunter and Doyle lost $600 in non-refundable deposits for their Cleveland wedding. The only dates available at their original wedding location were September 11 and Christmas. We just said that's not for us, she said. "Sorry we just have to cancel. The couple was ostensibly at square one of being forced to find a wedding venue and begin the planning process all over again, but a date during their contingency mini-moon at Disney World in September was available for a wedding. Even though a Disney wedding will fulfill her girlhood fantasy, she remains cautiously optimistic. It is one of those things though, that every now and then I stop and I go: Is September far enough away? Is that enough? Hunter said. But we're hoping six months is enough time. Stephanie is a reporter for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @SJAsymkos. Read more: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. The government is considering to compensate toll operators for the losses incurred in the wake of suspension of toll charges on national highways, an official said on Tuesday. The government on March 25 had temporarily suspended toll collections on national highways to ease emergency services in view of the coronavirus outbreak. "NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) is likely to make payments to toll operators for the losses incurred during the period," an official said. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the NHAI may be directed to compensate the losses incurred. "In view of COVID-19, it has been ordered to temporarily suspend the collection of toll at all toll plazas across India," Road Transport and Highways Gadkari had announced last month. This will not only reduce inconvenience to emergency services but also save critical time, the minister has said. The NHAI had rolled out the electronic toll collection programme across India in December on its over 500 toll plazas while doubling toll charges from the vehicles entering FASTag lanes without the tag. In order to give prime importance to existing FASTag users, dissuade defaulters and further encourage adoption of FASTags by national highway commuters, vehicles without FASTags entering the FASTag lane were being charged double the toll fee, and last month over Rs 20 crore were collected from 20 lakh vehicles encroaching FASTag lanes across India. About two crore FASTags have been issued through multiple Point of Sale (PoS) locations. FASTag transaction by the NHAI last month had crossed four million per day. In order to further increase digital collection of user fee via FASTag at national highways fee plazas, NHAI had also waived off the FASTag cost of Rs 100 for NHAI FASTag. Rating agency ICRA had earlier said that amid the nationwide lockdown on account of coronavirus outbreak, the toll collection on national highways will see a dip of about 3 per cent in the current fiscal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PM Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown on March 24, which ended on Tuesday. However, while addressing the nation, today morning, PM Modi declared that the lockdown will be extended until May 3, 2020. The lockdown aims at containing the disease and bring down the number of cases. PM Modi, in his address to the nation, shared, "People have gone through hardships to save India. I know how many difficulties you faced. I respectfully bow to the people of India for their sacrifice. Even when India did not have a single Coronavirus positive case, India had started screening passengers coming from COVID-19-affected countries." Bollywood and television celebrities stood in support of the lockdown 2.0 decision. Several netizens took the help of Bollywood films to express their relief, concern and even disappointment. While Akshay Kumar has become the meme king over the years, other actors seen on Twitter feed were Alia Bhatt, Rajkummar Rao, Ajay Devgn, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and more. Take a look: Lockdown still continues till 3 may#Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/TOWMrKkXh4 Destroy Khiladi Haters (@destroy_hater) April 14, 2020 That moment when i got to know that Modi ji will address the nation once again. #Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/pY8lcTfnpA A'' (@_SarAKASHtic_) April 13, 2020 Lockdown extended till 3rd may My reaction:#Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/oKjmvz3Gma Destroy Khiladi Haters (@destroy_hater) April 14, 2020 Chainsmokers & Alcohol lovers situation after knowing Lockdown will remain till 3rd may : ) #Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/w7faKDrBuT Anoop Mishra (@Anupmis25) April 14, 2020 #Lockdown2 Those who are away from their family rn - pic.twitter.com/5s4VukNR0e Savage_ (@atram_shatram) April 14, 2020 #Lockdown2 Lazy people same as me asking modi ji .... @narendramodi ji pic.twitter.com/jSwUuiTimf Rimansu Modi (@Rimansumodi22) April 14, 2020 #Lockdown2 announced till 3rd may , 7 days strict observation period... All Extroverts till 3rd of May pic.twitter.com/fNoRfdumuf Govind Singh Sikarwar (@Govindsinghlive) April 14, 2020 To all the IDIOTS who still roam on the streets & gather in crowds... #Lockdown2 pic.twitter.com/FG5qu2i0Td Raghavendra Rathore (@raghavendra__) April 14, 2020 Since the lockdown began, Prime Minister today addressed the Indian citizens for the fourth time, as the number of cases in India crosses the 10,000-mark, with 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours. According to the Health Ministry data, Maharashtra has the highest numbers of cases- 2,334, followed by New Delhi which reported 1,069 cases. The pandemic has caused more than 1.9 million infections and over 1 lakh deaths. Fans Can't Keep Calm As PM Modi Announces Lockdown 2.0 Will Be Lifted On May 4- Star Wars Day Fan Offers Rs 1 Lakh To Kartik Aaryan For A Reply, But The Actor Has A Better Offer! One would imagine that with the world looking at China very closely, and observing everything they do, Wuhan would think of closing down their wet markets at least for some time. Well, one would be wrong. Reuters On the 8th of April, the Chinese state government lifted all lockdown measures in the province of Hubei and the city of Wuhan. Normal life slowly, but steadily, was coming back, although the citizens, as reported by a number of reputable media outlets were wary of the situation. All that concern and wariness, it seems, has been chucked out of the window. Reuters Although there are certain provinces that have actually banned the infamous wet markets, where exotic animals are butchered and sold for their meat, Wuhan has reopened their wet markets, the place where it is believed, the current strain of the novel coronavirus was first found. This comes on the back of the news that the Chinese government had finally classified dogs as pets, and not livestock, meaning, they couldn't be sold for their meat. The reopening of Wuhan's wet market, however, is sending mixed signals all over the world. It is like China is dancing to the tunes of 'One Step Forward And Two Step Back' by Desert Rose Bands. Reuters Although the market where it is assumed that the virus actually broke, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market is shut, Wuhan's largest wet market, Baishazhou, is operational. While the CCP, or the Communist Party of China has claimed that there are strict regulations and rules in place, reports from the ground paint a different picture. Wet markets already returning in Wuhan and other parts of China. Absolute insanity. @jaglancy pic.twitter.com/8GWEf3FPZE Michael Heaver (@Michael_Heaver) April 9, 2020 Although it has not been ascertained as of yet, it is largely believed that the current strain of the virus that has caused one of the worst pandemics of all time, originated from the wet markets of Wuhan, the city where the contagion broke. Still, there are several reports, which quote Chinese state authorities as saying that the virus indeed originated from these markets. Reuters People on Twitter, meanwhile, have gone berserk. Some users are calling for the United Nations and the World Health Organisation to unconditionally and unequivocally ban the existence of these wet markets, or at the very least stop the selling of exotic meats. WHO (World health organisation): The closure of the Wet Markets in China - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/GhT1JXCYPh via @Change Phaedra (@PhaedraXTeddy) April 6, 2020 We have to think very seriously about what we're willing to change in order to create a safer society on the other side of this. Something very important: we need to end animal factory farming. https://t.co/u8iBPzw8Ow Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) April 9, 2020 While several other users, such as these, claim that the WHO is inadequate in dealing with this crisis because of certain political and economic reasons. WHO AN EXPENSIVE LAME DUCK The World Health Organisation's deranged defence of China's notorious wet markets, reported on Tuesday, beggars belief. @australian #auspolhttps://t.co/3HdWlsAkPI Pauline Hanson (@PaulineHansonOz) April 14, 2020 The WHO supports the reopening of notorious Chinese wet markets Despite strong evidence suggesting COVID-19 originated from a Wuhan market Both SARS and Swine flu also Our PM has asked for transparency The WHO is a lame duck Unwilling to challenge repeat offender China#auspol pic.twitter.com/oO65byqtmx Sam Davis (@SamDavi99667843) April 13, 2020 Then there are also reports doing the rounds that the Chinese state authorities have proposed tax breaks to traders who will export their exotic meats to other parts of the world. #Gravitas | A report has claimed that animal traders in China will be given tax breaks to export wild animals. Is China now exporting its wet markets to the world? @palkisu brings you the story pic.twitter.com/BPDulylrtM WION (@WIONews) April 13, 2020 At a time where there is an ever-growing mistrust towards the Chinese government by practically everyone, these actions are very disconcerting. The Chinese government, as well as the people of China, really need to step up and work with the rest of the world to put an end to this. Education Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu. Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu. Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events: International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu. EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu. Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets June Homecoming: Participant $18 per person; Sustainer $25 per person; Benefactor $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events: SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available for information call 610-275-1960 Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above) SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. 4 p.m. computers are available during those hours. Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863. Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376. Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com. The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes: Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020. CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313. The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events: Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m. Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30. Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301. For Kids & Families The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443. Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950. Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required. The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950. Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus. Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage. Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun. Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train. Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world! Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class. Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org. Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583. Community Events at the Ambler Y: -YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register. Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org. Health Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot. The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information. Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245. Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net. Spring Aquatic Programs UDHS Pool: -Summer is just around the corner Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required. Shallow Water Aerobics Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR. Adult Swim Instructions Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR -Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21. -Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m. -Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons. -Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates. Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994. SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com. Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org. Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs: FITNESS CLASSES Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month. Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly. SUPPORT GROUPS Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000. Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30 7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047. New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. 12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30 4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931. Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325. Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes. Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com. Librarytalk Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744 www.upperdublinlibrary.org APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS: Storytimes: Please register in the library. o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m. o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m. o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6. APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS: North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS: NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org. One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register contact info above. Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744. o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register. Meetings: Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m. Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m. Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org. For children and teens at Blue Bell: * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. * May 14 Despicable Me * June 11 Alpha and Omega * Special Events * April watch for date of spring/Easter events * April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children. * April 14 at 7 p.m. Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided. * April 16 at 1 p.m. Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King. * April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes? * April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button. * April 30 through May 3 Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults. * May sign up for Science in the Summer * June sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children * June sign up for Summer Reading, all ages For adults at Blue Bell: * Daytime Book Discussion Group fourth Tuesday, Jan April at 1:30 p.m. * April 26 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Night-time Book Discussion Group third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. o April 19 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked? *Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs * Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class. * Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class. * Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m. * Giant Book Sale, April 29 May 3 o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults! o Held during library hours. o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m. o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join. * Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series o May 11 at 1 p.m. Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society * Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room. * Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read. * Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome. * Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome. *Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older. * Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours * Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours * Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday! Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library. * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * For adults: * Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn. * Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net * Special Events: * April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. * April 19 at 7 p.m. Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m. * April 21 at 7 p.m. Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades. *May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. *May 10 Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *May 12 at 1:30p.m. Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. *May 17 Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. Meetings and Lectures The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833. The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313. Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200. The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/. LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings. Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org. Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org) -Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them. The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter. For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps. Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin. Special Events The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County. The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065. Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members. Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex. The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com. The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348. The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org. Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163. The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu. The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com. The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net. Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages. 13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries. Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family. The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler. JPRN Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike. Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies. Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately. Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways. Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table. Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374 Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall: -Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store. Music and Theater The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html. Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free. The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org Religious News The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276. Reunions St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net. Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572. Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779. Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411. Support New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149. PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931. The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296. Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656. Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group every other Wednesday, 7 8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information. CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7 8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich, Governments are taking emergency powers that they may seek to retain in the long term. We should not let them do so. Across the world, people have been looking to governments to guide them through the coronavirus pandemic. And governments have been more than happy to oblige, filling TV screens with constant press briefings and issuing directives on what people can or cannot do. But for some, this has come at a cost silence. This is a time to be united, not to be pointing fingers is a common refrain. It is a mantra recited at podiums by public officials and amplified by diverse media from Fox News to the BBC. The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mutahi Kagwe, whose handling of the epidemic has been hailed by the Wall Street Journal, also rarely fails to caution Kenyans against criticising the government during the governments daily briefings on COVID-19. In one briefing he remarked that given the threat Kenya faces from the epidemic, Criticising the government is just adding salt to injury. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, the leader of the opposition Labour party, Sir Keir Starmer, has said now is not the time to ask difficult questions Im trying to resist calls for apologies or criticising past decisions. I will work with the government on this, we will support them in trying to get this right. Yet this is precisely the time to question the motives and actions of governments. By now societies around the world should know that it is especially in times of existential crises, when governments take up special powers, that they should be the most vigilant. Recent events that predate the pandemic should have reminded them of this old lesson. The first two decades of this millennium have been dominated by global concerns over the spectre of terrorism. Many turned to governments for answers and it was suggested that in order to protect citizens, governments not only needed more power, but democratic mechanisms for oversight and accountability needed to be loosened. According to a recent study, just like global pandemics, terrorist attacks evoke unusually high levels of fear among the public which makes it likely that citizens abruptly put their trust in government in order to reduce feelings of uncertainty. Though such increased levels of trust in governments following major incidents are typically short-lived, authorities are not above abusing and instrumentalising them. The administration of former United States President George W Bush demonstrated this in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when it used the fear of terrorism to orchestrate the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Loosening the reigns on governments typically leads to worse outcomes than those they are meant to guard against. Terrorists may have murdered tens of thousands, but the death toll from government responses runs into the hundreds of thousands, even millions. While in 2014 terror groups were estimated to have killed 32,658 people, the late political science scholar Rudolph Rummel estimated those killed by governments in the 20th century to be in the order of 262 million or an average of over 2.6 million people a year. There is even a term for it: democide. Thus freeing up governments so they can supposedly more effectively and efficiently fight terrorists or viruses may very well be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Concentrated political power is the most dangerous thing on earth, concluded Rummel. And he was right. It is why democracies that fragment and distribute power are much less of a threat to their citizens than totalitarian regimes where power is concentrated in the hands of the executive or a single leader. However, as English philosopher John Gray observes in the New Statesman, even democratic states like the UK can be Hobbesian, privileging peace and strong government. Being shielded from danger has trumped freedom from interference by government, he wrote. Especially when feeling threatened, citizens can feel tempted to exchange a measure of liberty for the protection of a beefier, brawnier state. And while they may think that they are only giving up their rights temporarily, that is not really the case. Few of the emergency powers that states acquired in the name of fighting terrorism, such as mass-surveillance, have been given back. It seems reasonable to assume that the new tricks governments are learning when it comes to, for example, tracing and tracking citizens and their movements and contacts will not be forgotten once the coronavirus crisis is past. Given the risks, it is prudent to be very careful about the leeway given to government officials. Social distancing need not mean political disengagement or silent acquiescence to whatever restrictions governments say are necessary. Rather, it is a time to be vocal and to demand not just data on numbers of confirmed cases, but actual information on government thinking, plans and models. We also have to hold public officials to account when their sums do not add up. This is not the time for the institutions of democracy such as parliaments to remain shuttered or for media and opposition leaders to shy away from criticising governments. There will be life after coronavirus. What the public must understand is that what shape it takes will be determined by how far we are willing to defend our freedoms against the predation of governments today. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Farmers Insurance has donated 20,000 protective masks to Los Angeles firefighters to help them during the COVID-19 outbreak. The California insurer has also made a $525,000 donation to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation the second-largest donation in the foundations history. Whether its the historic wildfires that have devastated California communities in recent years or the current coronavirus pandemic affecting families and individuals nationwide, firefighters are first on the scene providing critical services in the face of unprecedented circumstances, said Deb Aldredge, chief administrative officer for Farmers Insurance and a board member with the LAFD Foundation. First responders are there for our communities when disaster strikes, and we are proud to be able to help them in a moment of great need for those on the front lines and the city we are all proud to serve. Introduction Although the book of Revelation (ch.6) teaches that plagues are poured out by the Lamb of God, decades of peace and prosperity have robbed pastors of the ability to teach people how to make war in the Spirit (Ephesians chapter 6 verses 12-18). Whilst many of our brothers and sisters across the planet have been sustained in spiritual sharpness by persecution and poverty, we have lost touch with the fibre of a biblical worldview. My prayer is that God will rouse a Church asleep in the light (Keith Green; Ephesians chapter 5 verse 14). Panic from Heaven One of the defining characteristics of the Old Testament Holy War is divinely caused turmoil. Dread falls on the enemies of God as a sign of impending judgement (Deuteronomy chapter 2 verse 25 etc.) The prophets teach that at the End the Lord will send plague and great panic (Zechariah chapter 14 verses 12-13) on those who despise his people. In the New Testament, Revelation (chapters 6-18) applies these catastrophes to our planet from the first to the Second coming of Christ. Through the inspired lens of scripture, we can interpret in a spiritual way the panic buying stripping our supermarket shelves. From a biblical worldview, painful anticipation of deprivation in this life is an anticipation of Final Judgement. As 1 John chapter 4 verse 18 says, fear has to do with punishment. Of course, the community cannot see things this way, but through prophetic insight Gods people must. Satan is Alive and Well Scripture testifies that the one who has the power of death is the devil (Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14). When the temporal securities of the sons of the evil one (Matthew chapter 13 verse 38) are shaken they cannot help but panic. To put this another way, if you have a murderer for your father (John chapter 8 verse 44), panic is inevitable in a time of severe tribulation. Christians should understand this, and see themselves as completely beyond such things in Christ. Safe and Secure Visited by the devil in person, Jesus was unperturbed (Matthew chapter 4 verses 1-11). When confronted by demoniacs, diseased people, storms and attempts on his life, he never lost peace with his heavenly Father (Luke chapter 4 verses 29-30). This is the peace he gives to us (John chapter 14 verse 27). Being in Christ we are as secure in life as the Lord himself. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians chapter 3 verses 2-3). We are literally, according to 1 John chapter 5 verses 18- 19), untouchable to Satan. This imparts tremendous security to the saints to take up the cause of Christ against the universal deceiver (Revelation chapter 12 verses 9-11). Defy the Devil Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. (1 Peter chapter 5 verses 8-9. Prayer and praise are blatant acts of defiance before a frightened world panicked by demonic activity. They are reminders to the evil forces in the heavenly places that Christ has conquered them and their doom is coming soon (Ephesians chapter 3 verse 10). Such bold confrontation is the call of the Spirit to the Church today. Conclusion I am praying for a chain reaction of Holy Spirit inspired acts of defiance towards the rulers of darkness. This will include a multiplication of prayer across the churches accompanied by full-hearted praise. We are commanded to live like this, and the coronavirus represents a rare heaven-sent opportunity to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18). COVID19 may yet prove to be the catalyst for national revival through a devil-defying Church. 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. In the late evening hours of April 13, minutes before the expiration of the midnight deadline for Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz to form a new government, President Reuven Rivlins office announced that he had granted Gantzs request, endorsed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a 48-hour extension. However, even if Gantz and Netanyahu form their power-sharing government by midnight on April 15, Gantzs decision to join forces with Netanyahu and the nerve-wracking negotiations Netanyahu put him through in recent weeks have dealt the Israeli left a crushing blow. Gantzs move, which resulted in the dismantling of his original Blue and White party, has left voters of the center-left disappointed and frustrated, some angry that their votes were stolen and handed to the Netanyahu bloc, and all realizing that the hope Gantz offered when he formed his center-left alternative to Netanyahu is dead. Netanyahu no longer has any rivals. When he buys off your leader so easily, its frustrating, painful and leads to despair, former Knesset member Issawi Freij of the left-wing Meretz Party tells Al-Monitor. Freij is frustrated not only by Gantzs surrender, as he puts it, but also by the decision of his own Meretz Party to place him low on its list of candidates for the March 2 elections, which left him out of the Knesset despite his broad popularity that had drawn thousands of Arab citizens to vote for Meretz in previous elections. The final knife was the one Meretz stuck into the back of its only Arab candidate, he says. Freij is not referring to the implications for himself personally, but rather to the message this conveyed to Arab voters. If the left does not want the Arabs, he explains, all they can do is vote for an Arab party in other words, for the Arab Joint List (as an estimated 87% did in the last elections). Jewish voters are experiencing similar, deep-seated disappointment with their leaders. The series of betrayals that transferred votes from the left side of the map to Netanyahu was much more than they could take. First, Gesher head Orly Levy-Abekasis crossed the lines, stunning her former running mates in Meretz and the Labor party. Then, Labor party leader Amir Peretz and Labor Knesset member Itzik Shmuli violated their campaign promises without batting an eyelash and crossed the line to Netanyahus side by way of joining Blue and White without offering their stultified voters a reasonable explanation. Can Meretz, which had hooked up with Labor and with Levy-Abekasis to run on a single ticket, still lead the left wing and fill the void created by its disastrous decision-making? According to a Channel 12 News poll aired on April 13, if elections were held now, Labor would get even fewer votes than Levy-Abekasis small Gesher party, and neither would win sufficient votes to send representatives to the next Knesset. The poll still gives Meretz five Knesset seats in the 120-member legislature, but not a sufficient number to turn it into a significant alternative to challenge the right. The era of the Labor party, which led the State of Israel through its establishment and first three decades, is no more. A new era has begun with the search for a target-oriented alternative. The Arab Joint List, a union of four Arab parties that holds 15 Knesset seats, is well aware of the repercussions for itself. It has already started taking the reins to lead the Israeli political left as the only party that has remained loyal to its voters and offers the same interesting messages as did the Jewish left: Resolution of the conflict with the Palestinians and a socialist or social-democratic socio-economic platform, which could appeal to more and more Israelis, Arabs and Jews affected by the economic crisis induced by COVID-19. With the Jewish left shattered, some in the Joint List are calling not only to intensify its campaign for more Jewish support than the roughly 20,000 it received on March 2, but also to include Jewish Knesset candidates and create a diverse bloc signaling Jewish-Arab cooperation. The issue of mobilizing additional left-wing forces for the Joint List, whether as a whole entity or as individuals, has been under discussion at least since last April, Knesset member Ofer Cassif of the Hadash Party the only Jewish lawmaker on the Arab Joint List tells Al-Monitor. Cassif argues that the idea of creating an alternative to the current forces governing Israel, based on the Arab Joint List, is gaining traction given deep voter frustration. Nonetheless, he adds, his Hadash Party is an ideology-inspired one seeking like-minded members not stars for guest performances. Anyway, such decisions are made in a democratic manner by the party institutions, Cassif adds. Cassif is certain the Joint List will not fall apart, despite its diverse makeup, and is confident that any new Jewish grouping on the left will only coalesce around the Joint List. Some on the left thought of forming a new Jewish-Arab party as an alternative to Hadash, but that wont work. If they want to join our grassroots activity and then join us on the electoral level, that would be possible; no one is ruling this out, Cassif says. Cassif believes that even if Gantz and Netanyahu manage to overcome their differences and forge a unity government, it will not last longer than a year. That is why the Joint List must be prepared with the right messages and lineup in case new elections are called soon, in order to form a large, powerful force. The Arab Joint List will undoubtedly lead the Israeli left. Even if Meretz succeeds in overcoming its many problems, it will not be able to provide a broad-based alternative of the type offered by the Joint List. Freij says Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz made a colossal mistake by joining forces with parties of a different nature to the unique Meretz brand (Labor and Gesher) because he feared going it alone in the latest elections. This fear paralyzed him, heavily damaging the Israeli left in general and Meretz in particular, Freij says. Meretz, he adds, also realizes it will have to undergo major rehabilitation. Thus, for now, the Joint List is the big winner in the race for leadership of the left. We are currently holding meetings on forming a Jewish-Arab entity. A meeting has been set up for me next week with [Yesh Atid leader] Yair Lapid. I want to understand his plans, Freij says. Lapid offered him a place on the list for the next elections in a bid to add an Arab candidate to its lineup, he says. The Arab Joint List also offered him 14th place on its candidate lineup. Senior Joint List member Ahmad Tibi was on my case and he told me whatever you want, but I told them I am not changing my position; I believe there is no place for a sectoral party because the time has come for equality and justice. We must join forces only with minorities. Unlike Meretz, the Arab Joint List is not engaging in soul searching. It is focusing on a targeted appeal for additional Jewish voters that will start off with joint activities and could result in the eventual introduction of Jewish candidates into its lineup, probably through its constituent Hadash Party and possibly even through the Balad party. Benny Gantz, who generated a big bang in Israeli politics a bang that is now playing directly into Benjamin Netanyahus hands brought about all of these changes. (CNN) It's just after lunchtime at a central Seoul market and a crowd in hot pink jackets is gathering. Pink is the color of the country's main opposition party, the conservative United Future Party, and this crowd of supporters is staging a legal campaign rally ahead of Wednesday's election of 300 members of the National Assembly. Large public gatherings are a jarring sight during a pandemic. But South Korea has never postponed an election before and the coronavirus is not stopping this one. Like many democracies around the world, South Korea has been faced with a predicament: how to hold an election during a pandemic without spreading the virus. At least 47 countries have postponed elections due to the coronavirus outbreak, including Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, France and Ethiopia. Others, like the United States and New Zealand, are still deciding whether to proceed with their scheduled votes. Many of those countries are at different points in the virus outbreak. South Korea peaked early, prompting praise for the government's handling of the pandemic. The country isn't in lockdown, and of the more than 10,500 confirmed cases, more than 7,400 have recovered. Nevertheless, South Korea has made a number of election concessions for the virus. More than 11 million people or 26.7% of registered voters cast their vote in advance to avoid crowds, according to the National Election Committee. Early voters, and those casting their vote on Wednesday, will have their temperature checked at the door. Polling booths will be regularly disinfected and anyone with a temperature of more than 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 degrees Farenheit) will have to vote in a special booth. About 20,000 additional workers will be dispatched to put in place the extra measures. Special voting booths have been set up at government-run isolation centers, and those under self-quarantine will be allowed to leave their house to vote after polling booths close to the public at 6 p.m. Voters CNN talked to were supportive of the decision to go ahead. Some said the pandemic made voting even more important. "I'm not too worried about catching the virus at the polling station as we'll keep social distancing in mind," said 53-year-old Lee Chang-Hoe, who runs a fish tempura shop at the market in Dongdaemun where the UFP rally took place. "Just like a frozen river in winter, even though there is thick layer of ice on the surface, water must flow underneath I think it's the same for the election, even during this coronavirus outbreak, elections must go on." But experts warn that going ahead with an election and delaying an election both come with risks not just to public health, but to democracy. "Intuitively, we think postponing an election sounds anti-democratic," said Toby James, a professor of politics and public policy at the University of East Anglia. "But actually democracy in some ways could be undermined by holding an election in these times." Going ahead with an election There's historical precedent for going ahead with elections in a time of crisis. In 1864, the US held a presidential election despite the country being in the midst of a civil war. During the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak that killed about 675,000 people) in the US alone, the country went ahead with its mid-term vote, although the turnout was very low, according to the New York Times. As James points out, postponing an election is not something democracies like to do, both for the health of the democracy and for practical reasons. "Elections are a huge logistical task. They take years of planning, it's very difficult to unpick from those arrangements," he said. The Australian state of Queensland went ahead with its local body elections on March 28, with the state's electoral commission calling elections "an essential service." But there was a backlash medical experts warned that holding an election posed a "lethal risk," and political experts warned there could be a lower turn out. Like South Korea, the state took precautions. Voters were asked to bring their own pencils and hand sanitizer was supplied at polling booths. Those in isolation due to Covid-19 were allowed to vote by telephone, and around a third of voters cast their ballot during the early voting period, reducing the numbers of voters on election day. In Australia, voting is compulsory and anyone who didn't vote in Queensland faces a possible $133.45 (about $86) fine. Nevertheless, early figures put the turnout at around 75%, down from around 83% during the last election. "You don't know how many people would have liked to have voted, but felt too concerned," said University of Queensland electoral law expert Graeme Orr. Low turnout is one of the risks of holding an election during a pandemic. James noted that turnout also dropped in France's mayoral election in mid-March and Mali's long-awaited parliamentary election held two weeks later. Detailed information on voter demographics hasn't been released, but James noted that some at-risk groups may have chosen not to vote, which could affect the final count. Orr said Queensland should have suspended in-person voting, and instead held an all postal ballot. Although US President Donald Trump claimed that voting-by-mail is "corrupt" and "dangerous," due to the risks of voter fraud, experts believe that postal voting will be key for any country holding an election during the pandemic. Campaigning in a pandemic In a healthy democracy, elections are a time to discuss a wide range of topics. But right now, there's really only one topic dominating conversation. James points out that holding an election during a crisis means discussion is often limited to how well the government is responding to it. "It doesn't allow a full range of issues to be discussed, and it does really undermine a sense of democracy," he said. That was the case during the election in Queensland, where there was no space to talk about non-pandemic issues, Orr said. Another issue is the difficulty of communicating with voters. If countries are in lockdown, rallies, door-knocking, meeting voters in shopping malls might not be possible. That was something that former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon found during this year's campaign. He said hugs and handshakes can be more impactful than words, but social distancing has ruled that out for now. "We are limited in expressing our feeling this time," he told CNN as he campaigned in the Jogno district of Seoul. Despite that, CNN spotted Lee hugging a supporter as he campaigned. In recent years, electioneering in many countries has increasingly moved online and online campaigns could become even more important during a pandemic. Those who can't access the internet are already marginalized, but they could become even more isolated without other measures to reach them. It's even worse in countries with state-owned media. Without rallies, opposition parties have even fewer ways to get their message out. "Incumbents always have an advantage," said Sarah Repucci, the vice president of research and analysis for democracy non-governmental organization Freedom House. "But they have a bigger advantage in an environment where it's difficult to get information out or get organized." Postponing an election Faced with all those issues and the unfolding health crisis some countries have opted to postpone their elections. But this, too, comes with risks, say experts. That's because elections are necessary to keep the public's trust, and to maintain the legitimacy of lawmaking. In Australia's New South Wales, for instance, local government elections have been delayed by one year, meaning mayors and local councilors will stay in power for 12 more months. Sri Lanka has yet to announce a new date after calling off a parliamentary election set for April 25. The cancellation has left the island in a constitutional predicament parliament had already been dissolved ahead of the election date, so technically the country has no parliament. Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has said he will pick a new date in May. Repucci said rescheduling is vital to retain public trust in the process. She said any decision to delay an election should be done with cross-party support, to avoid situations where leaders are making unilateral decisions to extend their terms. And when countries do eventually hold their elections, they should make sure remote voting is available for everyone, but also allow some sanitary, in-person polling stations, Repucci said. "Democracy has survived through many different kinds of environments," she said. "It's going to look different, but that doesn't mean it can't have the same fundamental components that are so important to a democracy." A slide into authoritarianism Elections are only one part of a functioning democracy. In some countries, leaders have taken on extraordinary powers to allow them to restrict freedoms so they can control the deadly spread of the virus. In New Zealand, the government has declared a state of emergency for only the second time in the country's history, giving the government sweeping powers including the authority to close roads, evacuate any premises, and exclude people from any place. But it also set up a special committee led by the leader of the main opposition party to allow them to scrutinize the government's coronavirus response in the absence of a sitting parliament. Hungary's parliament, by contrast, voted to allow the country's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban to rule by decree indefinitely in order to combat the pandemic, prompting concern that the move could be a power grab. To Repucci, this is reminiscent of the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when countries around the world pushed through restrictions as part of their fight against terrorism. At the time, the rules played on people's fears -- but in many countries, the rules were never reversed. One example of this is the Patriot Act in the US, which was brought in following 9/11 and gave the government broader surveillance powers. "We are already seeing (leaders) using the pandemic as an excuse to consolidate their role and to put measures in place that are there indefinitely and would be very, very hard to reverse," she said. Both Repucci and James say that the real test will be after the pandemic is over. "Will the president return those powers back to legislatures or will they try to hang onto them?" James questioned. "It's very early to tell what we do know is that this will be a huge test for democracies around the world." For South Korea, the first test is Wednesday. While election campaigns in the country tend to be colorful affairs, featuring K-pop style dance troupes and quirky outfits, this election season has been more sedate. As they campaigned in Seoul, candidates wore gloves and face masks one even wore a face visor. But while it's a different atmosphere, constituents such as 49-year-old construction worker Cho Seung-chul have every intention of voting on Wednesday. "Many people are concerned because of the coronavirus," he said. "I think this situation makes it more important for me to exercise my right to vote." This story was first published on CNN.com, "South Korea is holding an election during the coronavirus crisis. Other countries are postponing theirs. Either way, democracy may suffer." Having failed for weeks to take any steps to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the United States, President Donald Trump is once again pressing for a rapid reopening of the economy, perhaps as early as the beginning of May. The financial oligarchy for which he speaks is banking on the increasingly desperate economic situation facing the working class, with thousands lining up at food pantries around the country in scenes recalling the bread lines of the Great Depression, to force workers to return to factories and work sites where no serious safety measures have been instituted. At Fridays White House press conference, he touted his soon-to-be announced Opening Our Country task force, saying it would include great business leaders. Fox News reported Monday that the task force, to be announced as soon as today, would include top White House aides and cabinet officials, many of them multimillionaires or billionaires. The list includes Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, and White House advisers Larry Kudlow, Peter Navarro, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Navarro, Trumps trade adviser and leading champion of trade war against China, in an interview with the New York Times denounced public health experts and medical advisers, who have repeatedly warned against a premature reopening of nonessential parts of the economy. They piously preen on their soap boxes speaking only half of the medical truth without reference or regard for the other half of the equation, he said, which is the very real mortal dangers associated with the closure of the economy for an extended period. Neither Navarro nor Trump could care less for the lives and health of the working population of the United States. Having mobilized their bribed politicians in both parties to approve a multitrillion-dollar bailout of the banks and corporations, the financial aristocracy is demanding that the country get on with the business of pumping out corporate profit from the labor of the working class. This is a bipartisan effort, as signaled by the op-ed piece by former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, in Mondays print edition of the Times, headlined My Plan to Safely Reopen America. Also on Monday, the governors of seven Northeastern statesNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusettsannounced the formation of a regional task force to plan out a return to work in the region, which has been the hardest hit by the pandemic. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in attempting to justify the move to loosen restrictions and reopen workplaces, said Monday that the worst is over with the number of new cases having stabilized. This is under conditions where total COVID-19 deaths in New York state surpassed 10,000 last week, doubling over the previous week. Total cases in the state are nearing 200,000, and reports continue of desperate shortages in hospitals in New York City and other cities. Massachusetts has risen to fourth place in per capita cases behind New Jersey and New York. Combined, these seven states in the Northeast have seen 328,892 cases and 15,251 fatalities, accounting for the majority of cases, with a disproportionate number of deaths, in the US. The Northeastern governors were joined by the governors of California, Washington state and Oregon, who announced their own regional task force for the same purpose. All but one of the 10 governors is a Democrat. Whatever tactical differences they have with the Trump administration over the precise timing of the back-to-work order, all are agreed on the priority of securing the profits and fortunes of the oligarchs over saving lives. Both the Democrats and Trump promise to carefully weigh the advice of health and pandemic experts. But the scientific and public health community is virtually unanimous in warning that a premature return to work, without having controlled transmission, put in place a massive program of testing, contact-tracing and isolation, disinfected workplaces and provided workers with protective equipment, there will be a renewed surge in infections and deaths. None of these safeguards are in place, nor are the governments in the US or Europe planning to secure them. The attitude of the US government to science and medical evidence was indicated by Trumps tweet Monday morning complaining of fake news and retweeting a call for the firing of the chief health adviser on the White House task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci. This followed an interview on Sunday in which Fauci acknowledged, under prodding, that lives would have been saved had social distancing measures been enacted sooner. On Monday Trump began his press conference by calling on Dr. Fauci, who delivered an abject apology for his statement the previous day, saying that it had been misinterpreted. Trump also revived his description of the pandemic as the Wuhan virus, in keeping with an intensified drive to use the health catastrophe to escalate trade war and military war preparations against China. The nightmare scenario being prepared for the population by the ruling class, in which the pandemic and its attendant death and suffering are to be normalized, was indicated Sunday by Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota. Kashkari, who oversaw the $700 billion bailout of the banks following the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, said the United States was looking at 18 months of rolling shutdowns. Were looking around the world as they relax the economic controls, he said. The virus flares back up again. We could have these waves of flareups, controls, flareups and controls until we actually get a therapy or a vaccine. Meanwhile, infections and deaths continue to rise across the country. Deaths increased by 1,535 on Monday, bringing the total to date to nearly 24,000. Infections rose by 26,641, bringing the national total to nearly 600,000. The death toll among workers who remain on the job continues to skyrocket. The Washington Post reported that 41 grocery workers had died from the virus, while thousands have tested positive in recent weeks. Hospital and health care workers, transit workers, autoworkers and first responders continue to contract the disease and die in alarming numbers, with nothing done to halt the carnage. Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls after hundreds of workers tested positive for the coronavirus. And reports are mounting of deadly outbreaks at nursing homes, homeless shelters, prisons and within immigrant communities. Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday there will no shortage of essential items like food and medicines soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown to fight Covid-19 until May 3. Prime Minister reinforced the existing restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus on a day India crossed the 10,000 mark. In his 25-minute video address, he also said the restrictions would be reviewed on April 20. Amit Shah, in a series of tweets, welcomed Prime Ministers decision to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and eliminate and said it was taken to protect India and the life of Indians. He said he was thankful to PM Modi for extending the lockdown. The home minister also said people of the country wont face any problem during the period till May 3. As the home minister of the country, I assure the public again that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other things of everyday use in the country, so there is no need to bother any citizen, he said. Also, I request the rich people to come forward and help the poor living nearby. Also read: All you need to know about Covid-19 lockdown extension Amit Shah also put in a praise for the state governments for working with the Centre. Now, we have to deepen this coordination so that all the citizens follow the lockdown properly and no citizen should have the problem of the things they need, he added. Just like the Prime Ministers seven-point request, which included a thought for those who are fighting against the coronavirus pandemic from the front, Shah called upon people to appreciate their efforts. Also read: PM Modi changes Twitter profile picture, it has an important message The contribution of our doctors, health workers, sweepers, police and all the security personnel who are playing an important role in this fight is very touching. Your courage and understanding in this tough situation inspire every Indian. Everyone should follow the guidelines and cooperate with them, he said. Experts have said the lockdown, which was put in place on March 25, has helped the country has slowed the spread but also warned that if clusters are not contained effectively and testing is not done widely and aggressively, India could fritter away the gains of the restrictions. New York: The International Monetary Fund has cancelled six months of debt payments for 25 of the world's most impoverished countries so they can help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. IMF Executive Director Kristalina Georgieva issued a statement saying the IMF executive board approved the immediate debt relief for 19 African countries, Afghanistan, Haiti, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan and Yemen. Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Credit:Bloomberg "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," Georgieva said. She said the money would come from the IMF's revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, which will use recent pledges of $US185 million ($289 million) from the United Kingdom and $US100 million from Japan. She urged other donors to help replenish the trust's resources. By Vishnu Prakash Briefing Prime Minister Modi during a video conference on Mar. 30 Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan highlighted South Korea's success in combating the dreadful Coronavirus by aggressively testing the population under its 3T or "test, trace and treat" strategy. Korea and India have been cooperating and sharing experiences on handling the pandemic, especially by leveraging the power of technology. During their recent telephonic conversation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Korean President Moon Jae-in for facilitating supplies and transport of medical equipment to India. Moon appreciated the manner in which Indian authorities have been motivating the country's vast population to confront the crisis. India figures among a handful of countries Korea, Israel, Singapore, Germany and Japan that have been proactive in dealing with the contagion. New Delhi was among the first capitals to issue an advisory against travelling to China in mid-January, well before the first Coronavirus case surfaced in the country, on Jan. 30. On Feb. 3, India suspended flights to and from China. On Feb. 4, a ban was imposed on anyone travelling from China to India. All resources were deployed to evacuate Indians, as well as nationals of other countries, from Covid-19 hotspots including Wuhan. On Feb. 25, an Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane delivered 15 tons of medical supplies to China mostly masks, gloves and other medical essentials as a goodwill gesture. India has received requests for assistance from neighbors like Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan and other countries, and the requests which are being met. Modi convened the first virtual SAARC Summit on Mar. 15, where he proposed setting up a SAARC Emergency Fund to cope with coronavirus and committed $10 million initially. The fund has been activated. On Apr. 8, at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders, export restrictions on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which could possibly be used as a prophylactic by medical personnel, have been relaxed. India is the biggest manufacturer of the drug, which is essentially used for malarial treatment. Putting India's 1.1 billion mobile phone network to imaginative use, beginning Mar. 9, the government approved a short recorded message to be played automatically, on preventing the spread of covid-19: "Regularly clean hands with soap and avoid touching your face, eyes, or nose." It was successful in creating mass awareness in the sprawling nation. Progressively additional measures are being taken to enforce social distancing and prevent the spread of the contagion. Strategies of isolation and containment are being implemented to confine the virus within a narrow geography. That has helped. For example, the city of Jabalpur with a population of 2 million, where four people tested covid-19 positive, has not reported any new case for the past 13 days, due to a strict lockdown, enforcement and monitoring. A voluntary "Peoples' curfew" was mooted from dawn to dusk by Modi on Sunday, Mar. 22, which was a success. It turned out to be a full-dress rehearsal for a complete nationwide 21-day lock-down from Mar. 24 to Apr. 14. Indications are that it will be extended. Given that India has a population of 1.35 billion it is encouraging that new Covid-19 cases are hovering between 500 to 700 a day. However, no one is letting their guards down and efforts are under way to step up testing for the virus. Several domestic firms have since been authorized to produce test kits. Leading Indian carmakers like Mahindra, Maruti and Hyundai India are helping in increasing the production of ventilators from 5,580 to 50,000 units a month by May. Significantly, coronavirus has affected the G7 countries the most. One reason could be that their population is ageing and the 60-plus segment is most vulnerable. But it is not easy to banish the thought that there could be something more to it. It is surreal that these advanced countries with the best medical facilities are each losing 500 to 2000 lives daily. Vishnu Prakash is a former Indian ambassador to South Korea. Married At First Sight is currently casting for season eight. And following a disastrous season this year, fans are demanding that the show undergo several changes before returning to screens. One suggestion is to bring on Kyle Sandilands as one of the show's official relationship experts, possibly as a replacement for John Aiken. Move over! Married At First Sight fans have called for Kyle Sandilands (pictured) to join the series as a relationship expert next season 'Kyle Sandilands as a MAFS expert is something I need to see,' one fan commented on FriendlyJordies YouTube channel. The comment quickly amassed over 300 likes, with several fans responding in agreement. 'I cant stand the guy but he would absolutely be a massive improvement to the show,' one wrote. 'I cant stand the guy but he would absolutely be a massive improvement to the show!' Fans suggested that Kyle replace relationship expert John Aiken (pictured) 'Hed give better advice then the current experts,' said another, while one fan gushed: 'Hed embrace and mock the chaos! Itll be beautiful!' Unfortunately, Kyle will most likely be unable to accept the gig, as he's already committed to becoming a judge on the next season of Channel Seven's Australia's Got Talent. Back in February, users from a popular Married At First Sight fan page threatened to boycott the series in 2021 if producers didn't make specific changes to the next season of the show. 'Hed give better advice then the current experts': Countless viewers agreed that Kyle's advice would be much better than the show's current relationship experts In a discussion on Facebook, viewers said they were sick of seeing 'plastic Barbie dolls' only taking part in the social experiment for fame and wanted producers to cast genuine people 'looking for real love'. 'Real people... like everyday normal folk. None of these Botox silicone Barbie dolls,' one fan wrote, while one raged, 'I'm so over the expanded lip brigade.' 'I want real people, like when then they first started MAFS. Not attention seeking wannabe social media influencers!' another added. 'None of these Botox silicone Barbie dolls': MAFS fans have threatened to boycott the series in 2021 if producers don't make specific changes to the next season. Pictured: Stacey Hampton 'I have nothing against Botox, fillers and boob jobs... all Im asking for is that they are real people who are there with the right intentions - which is finding love - not followers on IG!' Meanwhile, other fans said they wanted to see a more culturally diverse cast. 'I want to see Aboriginal and African, Asian (Eastern and Indian)... I want a massive gorgeous melting pot of awesomeness,' one remarked. Too white? Other fans said they wanted to see a more culturally diverse cast There were also calls for producers to cast fewer couples on the show, so more of their love stories could be shown. 'Less couples and Id like to see the experts genuinely trying to match people,' they wrote. 'They need less couples so we can see more of whats happening rather than the highly edited versions,' another said. Many suggested that Channel Nine follows the New Zealand version of the social experiment and let 'the experts step in when there are issues'. ANN ARBOR, MI The University of Michigan released recommendations Monday to overhaul policies that govern the dismissal of tenured faculty, includes elimination of severance pay when a faculty member is terminated for cause involving moral turpitude or scholarly or professional misconduct." The recommendations are for two Board of Regents bylaws 5.09, which describes procedures in cases of dismissal, demotion or terminal appointment, and 5.10, which covers severance pay. The recommendations to those bylaws largely align with recommendations made by a nine-member faculty working group in February, the university announced in a news release. The university last month, after an elaborate process, dismissed tenured opera professor David Daniels, who was accused of numerous instances of sexual harassment and is facing trial for rape in Texas. UM fires David Daniels, tenured opera professor accused of sexual misconduct The policy revision recommendations include: New language explicitly describing the universitys dedication to protecting academic freedom. A single, streamlined process to replace the current two processes for cases that are either referred to the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) or to the executive authority of the affected school or college. Under ordinary circumstances, the proposed revisions would yield a definitive recommendation to the Board of Regents within 86 calendar days, or within 119 days in cases with appeals. A process to suspend a faculty members pay during the proceeding for extreme cases in which the faculty member has either been relieved of duties and charged with or convicted of a felony involving violence, or has abandoned their job. A Hearing Committee consisting of five tenured faculty members at or above the rank of the affected faculty member. The creation of a SACUA Standing Judicial Committee, whose members stand ready to be appointed to the Hearing Committee by SACUA along with faculty nominated by the affected faculty members unit. A discovery period before the hearing begins during which the university and the affected faculty member share all evidence to be used at the hearing. A single, optional review completed by SACUA within 21 days of appeal. The proposed bylaw changes include a provision to suspend a faculty members pay during the proceeding for extreme cases in which the faculty member has either been relieved of duties and charged with or convicted of a felony involving violence, or has abandoned their job, UM spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said. That measure was not in the faculty working groups February recommendations, Fitzgerald said. The proposed revisions also shorten timelines further than the working group initially recommended, Fitzgerald said. UM faculty in 2015 warned of need to tell David Daniels to keep his hands off students The university is seeking feedback on the revisions from members of the UM community through an online survey until May 4. The Board of Regents will consider the recommended revisions at its next meeting on May 21, the university announced. The academic freedom granted by tenure is at the core of everything we do at the University of Michigan. However, there are some situations, though rare, that rightfully fall outside of tenures protections, said Susan M. Collins, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. We encourage members of our community to review the proposed new policy and share their feedback. The regents voted unanimously at the boards March 26 meeting to remove Daniels from his tenured position in the School of Music, Theatre and Drama under bylaw 5.09. Daniels was not eligible for severance pay under bylaw 5.10. At the March 26 meeting, regent Ron Weiser said it was the first time in 60 years that a faculty members tenure has been revoked. At the heart of every decision of the board is the safety and well being of our students, Weiser said. ... When the board sees this jeopardized by a tenured member of the faculty, we believe its necessary to take extreme action or dismissal. The situation with Daniels certainly was a factor at the time the working group was formed in October 2019, Fitzgerald said. The changes have been under consideration for some time, even before the working group was formed, Fitzgerald said. The faculty working group was unanimous in its recommendation that UM should not provide severance pay when a faculty member is dismissed for moral turpitude or scholarly or professional misconduct, according to the university news release. That includes harassment, failing to disclose significant financial relationships with outside entities that violate contractual terms, intentional refusal to perform properly assigned academic duties, deliberately falsifying data and serious plagiarism. The full release can be viewed here. READ MORE: Jury to determine if University of Michigan enabled alleged sexual harassment from David Daniels UMs decision to fire David Daniels resulted from numerous due process violations, lawyer says University of Michigan student beats COVID-19, donates plasma to help others with virus University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University making alternate plans to celebrate 2020 graduates Credit: CC0 Public Domain A team of Johns Hopkins experts has created a clinical guidebook to help hospitals and medical centers rapidly scale up their ability to deliver so-called convalescent plasma therapy, which leverages immune system components found in the plasma portion of blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness. "We've received many inquiries from health care providers looking to ramp up their ability to deliver this therapy," says Evan M Bloch, M.D., M.S. an associate professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who is part of the team working on convalescent therapy. "There is historical precedent for its use to prevent and treat viral illness. However, during the chaos of an epidemic, the therapy is often deployed without rigorously studying its effects. Carefully conducted studies are critically needed to understand which people are most likely to benefit from this therapy and how best to apply it to optimize that benefit." The guidebook was published online April 7 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In recent weeks, infectious disease expert Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., has led a team of physicians and scientists from around the United States to establish a network of hospitals and blood banks that can begin collecting, isolating and processing blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors. "This paper details the nuts and bolts of how to deploy convalescent plasma, and this information should be very helpful to colleagues worldwide who are preparing to use this therapy against COVID-19," says Casadevall, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor who holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for researchers at Johns Hopkins to proceed with clinical trials to test convalescent plasma therapy in people who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness and have been exposed to people who have tested positive for the virus. Like most therapies, Bloch says, convalescent blood plasma's best potential for effectiveness is early in the disease's progression. Currently, there are no proven drug therapies or effective vaccines for treating COVID-19. The guidebook outlines a range of clinical trials underway or planned at hospitals taking part in the Johns Hopkins-led network for convalescent plasma therapy. Among the protocols outlined in the guide are criteria for eligible donors of blood plasma, how hospitals can mobilize donors and work with local and national blood centers, methods for prescreening donors, and the risks and potential benefits of the therapy. Bloch, also an expert on global health, says convalescent blood plasma therapy can be deployed in low-resource communities. There is a difference, however, in how blood plasma may be collected in communities with low versus high resources. He says high-resource communities typically rely on apheresis machines to remove a donor's blood, filter the plasma from it, and return the rest of the blood, plus a replacement for the collected plasma (i.e. a protein called albumin), back to the donor. Using the apheresis method, a single donor could produce enough plasma to potentially benefit up to three other people. In low-resource communities where apheresis machines may be unavailable, the output of plasma would be less per donor. This is because doctors have to perform a typical whole blood donation from the donor and manually separate the plasma in a laboratory by using a centrifuge machine or letting gravity separate the blood products. Among the most common challenges to scaling up convalescent blood plasma therapy, Bloch says, is rapidly developing in-house testing for whether the blood plasma of donors contains key antibodies the immune system needs to recognize and help destroy the virus in the body. There are also logistical challenges associated with identifying donors and performing repeat COVID-19 nasal swab tests for the virus in them. "This field is moving so fast that a problem today is solved tomorrow," says Bloch. "We aimed to publish a baseline document that can serve hospitals globally. It will, undoubtedly, evolve." Explore further Johns Hopkins gets FDA OK to test blood therapies for COVID-19 patients More information: Evan M. Bloch et al, Deployment of convalescent plasma for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, Journal of Clinical Investigation (2020). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Investigation Evan M. Bloch et al, Deployment of convalescent plasma for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19,(2020). DOI: 10.1172/JCI138745 Here are the latest developments in Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: - India nationwide lockdown extended - India's nationwide lockdown, the biggest imposed in the world over the coronavirus pandemic, will be extended until at least May 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. The current three-week-old lockdown of the nation of 1.3 billion people had been scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday. "From the economic angle, we have paid a big price," Modi said in a nationwide address. "But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable." - Singapore allows teachers to use Zoom again - The city-state is allowing teachers to resume using Zoom, the video-conferencing platform said, following its suspension for online lessons last week after gatecrashers interrupted a class and made lewd comments. Zoom -- which has exploded in popularity but faces growing security concerns -- said it had taken steps to address the education ministry's worries, including giving officials control over teacher accounts. Singapore meanwhile reported 386 new coronavirus cases Monday, its biggest increase in a single day, as the city-state battles a growing second wave of infections. - Australia, New Zealand flatten virus curve but keep lockdowns intact - Australia and New Zealand brushed aside calls for an easing of tough restrictions on travel and public gatherings despite their success in curbing the spread of COVID-19. The number of new coronavirus cases in the neighbouring nations has fallen dramatically in the last two weeks, raising hopes that difficult social distancing measures may be relaxed. Tasmania, meanwhile, ordered an investigation into reports of an "illegal" dinner party attended by medical workers that caused an outbreak of COVID-19 and forced two hospitals in the Australian island state to close. - ASEAN leaders meet online - Southeast Asian leaders warned of the crippling economic cost of the coronavirus at a summit held online, calling for trade routes to reopen to protect jobs and food supplies, as well as the stockpiling of medical equipment. Vietnam -- which chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting -- urged leaders to set up an emergency fund to tackle the pandemic, as the virus ravages the region's tourism and export-reliant economies. - Markets rise on China trade data - Asian markets posted gains as better than expected Chinese trade data suggested a rebound from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. - China reports more imported cases - China reported 89 new coronavirus infections, 86 of which were imported from overseas. The country where the virus emerged last year has largely brought its domestic outbreak under control, but faces a growing second wave of infections brought in from overseas by returning nationals. - Taiwan reports no new infections - Taiwan reported no new infections, the first time the daily tally has been zero in 36 days. The island was hit early by the coronavirus but managed to keep initial infections low and stop the disease spreading locally. Taiwan also suffered a second wave of cases -- but the latest figures offer hope that authorities have managed to bring it under control. - Bali surfers in hot water More than a dozen foreign surfers on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali were given warnings by authorities after breaking virus rules by hitting the waves on closed beaches. Meanwhile, some other foreigners were pilloried online after photos of a group of them partying on the island went viral on social media. - Thai hospitals protect babies with face shields - Fast asleep, swaddled in a towel and snug in a pink beanie, a baby born during a pandemic in a Thai hospital needs one last item to ensure its health -- a face shield. Bangkok hospitals are using them on newborns in their maternity wards to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. burs-sr/tom New Delhi: At least 50 of the 1400 people who returned to Maharashtra after attending a religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz last month have been incommunicado, a government data said. Out of 1400, at least 755 have been tested for the coronavirus COVID-19 of which 50 have so far tested positive. As per the data, seven others, who came in contact with these 50, have tested positive. The government has so far traced hundreds of people, who came in contact with those who tested positive for the infection. The administration suspects that hundreds of people may be infected by these people, which is under investigation whereas test reports of these people are also awaited. In addition, 156 nationals, who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, also returned to different parts of Maharashtra, said the data. 15 cases have been registered against all these 156 foreign nationals in different parts of the state. The cases were registered in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Amaravati, Nanded, Nagpur, Pune, Ahmednagar, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli under section 14B of Foreigner's Act and section 188, 269, 270 of the Indian Penal Code. In Mumbai alone, at least 14 cases of coronavirus have been reported with links to Tablighi Jamaat event. In Mumbai's Sakinaka slums, a man who had attended the Delhi's religious congregation had tested positive of coronavirus, after which the healthcare workers tracked the people who came in contact with this person. It is to be noted that Maharashtra, along with several other states like Delhi and Tamil Nadu witnessed a surge in their coronavirus tally after Tablighi Jamaat members who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz developed symptoms and returned back to their states. New Delhi, April 14 : Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to announce the nationwide lockdown as "visionary" and a "guide" for the people. He asserted that the fight against coronavirus could be won if all Indians strictly followed the lockdown norms. Javadekar appealed to the people to strictly follow the lockdown or else the authorities have to enforce it. The Minister echoed Modi's assurance that detailed guidelines will be issued by the Centre by Wednesday to chart out any changes required, if any, in the enforcement of the lockdown till May 3. Modi had said: "The fight against corona will be more strictly enforced in the next one week. By April 20, every town, police station, district, state will be evaluated on how well the lockdown is followed or which areas have been able to protect themselves from coronavirus. "Areas that succeed in this litmus test will not become hotspots and less likely to turn into hotspots... some necessary activities can be allowed there from April 20." Javadekar also urged the young scientists of India for more research on coronavirus and also the people to follow AYUSH Ministry advice on tackling coronavirus. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston When HBO announced that it will make 500 hours of programming available to stream for free through April 30, quarantined viewers across the country rejoiced. In that treasure trove of content, youll find critically acclaimed favorites like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Big Little Liesbut not, as you might expect, the networks megahit Game of Thrones. Still, have no fear. HBOs is offering up a different long-running fantasy show based on a series of books: the vampire drama True Blood. Advertisement I highly recommend Charlaine Harris paranormal romance series The Southern Vampire Mysteries to anyone with free time and an inability to focus on that copy of War and Peace that you swore you were going to read while social distancing. The first five seasons of True Bloodwhich are also the besttrack pretty closely to the events of Harris books, while the final two mix elements from the series with some entirely original plotlines (not unlike the final few seasons of Game of Thrones). While those last two seasons of True Blood are major letdowns (again, sound familiar?) the first five are so glorious that the sheer disappointment of the last two can almost be forgiven. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why its important to start with the right episode. True Blood centers around the various adventures of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her on-again, off-again vampire beau Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The show is set two years after the release of Tru Blood, a synthetic blood replacement whose invention allows vampires to come out of the coffin and live side-by-side with humans. Much of the central tension of the show revolves around the integration of vampires into society and the detractors on both sides of that process. The parallels to real social justice movements can be a bit heavy-handed at times: Along with a child in a Ku Klux Klan hood, one of the shots in the unsettling opening credits is of a marquee board outside a church that reads God hates fangs. But while the show eventually incorporates every fantasy creature from the familiar werewolf to the maenad, in its earliest seasons True Blood was at its best when it focused on the minutiae of integrating vampires into human societyspecifically a society that many viewers from outside the Deep South may find as alien as the concept of vampires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the immediate intrigue provided by the shows central vampire-human mixed species relationship, True Blood doesnt quite kick off until the fifth episode. Not only is Sparks Fly Out when the show really hits its stride, it also has one of the best scenes of the entire show. The episode begins with Sookie and Bill returning from a trip to a vampire bar in Shreveport. On the way back to Bon Temps, Bill is pulled over by a police officer and when it looks like the situation will go sideways, he pulls the equivalent of a vampire Jedi mind trick, compelling the officer to let them both go, to Sookies consternation. The push and pull of Sookie and Bills relationship, the constant dance of trying to date across difference, is one of the more interesting themes True Blood explores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of the episode involves Bill, in an attempt to curry favor with Sookie, speaking to her grandmothers Descendants of the Glorious Dead groupa local organization dedicated to tracing the genealogies of soldiers who had fought for the Confederacy. For viewers unaccustomed to it, and even for those more familiar with the visual regalia of the South, seeing the Confederate flag at the front of a church might be jarring. Even more jarring is the casual reverence with which the residents of Bon Temps speak of their ancestors who fought to keep people in bondage. But True Blood is one of the only shows to fully reckon with what it would actually be like to interact with someone who was alive in the 1860s. It makes sense that Bill Compton, who grew up in Bon Temps at the time, would have fought in the Civil War, and not on the right side. And in Bon Temps, fighting for the Confederacy is less of a reason for censure then being undead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement True Bloods primary strength comes in its ability to juggle multiple storylines without giving any of them short shriftat least until the last few seasons. Though Sookie and Bill are the suns around which the rest of the cast revolve, characters like Sookies affable, dim-witted brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten), her best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley), and short-order cook Lafayette (an incandescent Nelsan Ellis) never feel like one-dimensional foils. After the Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting, most of the town makes its way over to Merlottes, presumably the only bar and restaurant around. A group of three rednecks send a burger back to the kitchen because it was cooked by Lafayette, a gay black man Ellis manages to play as both flamboyant and hard-edged, tenderhearted and tough. Advertisement Advertisement It is a testament to Ellis considerable skill that Lafayette was meant to die in Season 1, but he worked such magic with the character that he stuck around for seven seasons. In Sparks Fly Out, Lafayette learns that the burger he cooked was sent back because the rednecks suggest that it has AIDS. He takes off his earrings, takes off his apron, and goes to ask who ordered the burger with AIDS. When one of the rednecks argues that as an American he has a right to choose who cooks his food, Lafayette responds, Oh, baby, its too late for that. Faggots been breeding your cows, raising your chickens, and even brewing your beer long before I walked my sexy ass up in this motherfucker. He then licks the offending burger, shoves it in the rednecks face, quickly and efficiently dispatches the others, reminding them to tip their waitress before he walks away. Its a thrilling scene that reminds viewers that despite the existence of vampires, prejudice in this world is not restricted to the undeadnor must it be suffered silently to deliver an easy morality play in which the marginalized might rise above insults. Listen to Working to learn more about Divergent author Veronica Roths creative process. By IANS GANDHINAGAR: A Congress legislator from Gujarat's Jamalpur Khadia, a part of a coronavirus hotspot in Ahmedabad, was found to be positive for the dreaded virus on Tuesday. Significantly, Imran Khedawala had met Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other top officials on Tuesday afternoon regarding the outbreak. As more and more positive cases are emerging from Ahmedabad's hotspot or cluster areas in the fortified area, health authorities have intensified surveillance and testing in these areas. The state government on Tuesday even imposed a week-long curfew in the area. CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES There are six areas from the fortified city which are come under the hotspot - Shahpur, Kalupur, Jamalpur-Khadia, Gaikwad Haveli and Dariyapur. Danilii, an area outside, is also under the curfew. Due to the intensity of more and more positive cases cropping up in these areas, the local legislators are trying their best to convince the people to co-operate with the health authorities for the surveillance and testing. Khedawala was also in touch with the people in his constituency, trying to convince people to co-operate. As an outcome of the surveillance and testing, he too was found to be Corona positive, according to sources. After the detection, he was rushed to the SVP hospital and admitted. Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil, in a tweet, confirmed that the MLA had been diagnosed Covid positive, while praising him for "his selfless service during the coronavirus pandemic without any thought to his personal safety". Apart from Rupani, Khedawala also met Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja. According to sources, the meetings took place while maintaining the social distancing. Khedawala had also met Chief Secretary, Anil Mukim and the Director General of Police Shivanand Jha on Tuesday afternoon. Khedawala was accompanied by fellow legislators Shailesh Parmar and Gyasuddin Sheikh, from the area. He had also interacted with the media thereafter. A pastry chef makes a "mask" for a chocolate Easter bunny in Athens, Greece, on April 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) -- Italy sees ICU patients decrease for the 10th consecutive day while death toll tops 20,000; -- Lockdown extended till May 11 in France; -- Death toll reaches 11,329 in UK; -- Spain sees decline in new cases, deaths; -- The Netherlands records two-week low daily deaths. BRUSSELS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries. Photo taken on April 11, 2020 shows the empty Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy.(Xinhua/Cheng Tingting) ROME -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 20,465 lives in locked-down Italy as of Monday, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries so far to 159,516, according to latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department. Addressing a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli explained that there were 566 new fatalities, compared with 431 registered on Sunday. Active infections increased by 1,363 from Sunday to a tally of 103,616. Meanwhile, there were 1,224 new recoveries, bringing the total of recoveries to 35,435 since the pandemic broke out in the northern regions on Feb. 21. Of those infected, 28,023 people are currently hospitalized, 176 more from the previous day; 3,260 are in intensive care, down by 83; and 72,333, or about 70 percent, are isolated at home. It was the tenth consecutive day that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units showed a decreasing trend, according to Borrelli. An ambulance is parked on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, Britain, April 13, 2020.(Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua) LONDON -- The death toll of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reached 11,329 as of Sunday afternoon, marking a daily increase of 717, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday. As of Monday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 88,621, said the department, adding that 367,667 tests have concluded, with 14,506 tests on Sunday. Chairing Monday's Downing Street daily press briefing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, also First Secretary of State, said the government does not expect to relax or lift the coronavirus lockdown later this week. "We are still not past the peak," even though there are some "positive signs" from the data that show "we are starting to win this struggle", said Raab. "We don't expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point and we won't until we're confident -- as confident as we realistically can be -- that any such changes can be safely made," he said. A woman wearing a face mask walks across a street in Paris, France, on April 12, 2020.(Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua) PARIS --French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the country's coronavirus lockdown will be extended till May 11. "The confinement... the strictest... will pursue till Monday May the 11th," Macron said in his televised address to the nation, as four weeks of lockdown in the country has produced some positive effects in containing the spread of coronavirus. He said May 11 will mark the start of a new phase in France. From then on, nurseries and schools will reopen progressively; restaurants, cafes, hotels will remain closed; all people showing COVID-19 symptoms will be tested. "The hope is reborn but nothing is won," Macron noted, adding "In the Grand Est (region in northeast France) as in the Paris region, the (health) system is under pressure. The epidemic is still not controlled," "We should therefore pursue with our efforts and continue to apply the rules," he said. A medical worker prepares to enter the COVID-19 patients' wards at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, April 9, 2020.(Photo by Francisco Avia/Xinhua) MADRID -- The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths in a 24-hour period both fell in Spain, according to the data collected by the Spanish Ministry for Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services by 2100 hours on Sunday and made public on Monday. The total number of people who have lost their lives from the virus rose to 17,489, a daily increase of 517, compared with the 619 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. This was accompanied by a fall in the number of new cases: 3,477 new cases reported compared to 4,167 on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 169,496. A woman takes photos of the Manneken Pis (Little Pissing Man) wearing a mask in Brussels, Belgium, April 13, 2020.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) BRUSSELS -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Belgium has increased from 29,647 to 30,589 by Monday morning with 3,903 deaths, according to the latest figures from Belgian health authorities. Belgium registered 942 new cases and 303 new deaths in the past 24 hours, announced the public health institute Sciensano. Furthermore, in the past 24 hours, 310 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized while 239 left the hospital. Between March 15 and April 12, over 11,400 patients entered the hospital, while 6,707 were discharged. Figures show a stabilization in the number of hospital admissions in recent days and a slight drop in intensive care patients. Signs and barriers noticing people to keep distance are seen at the Saturday market in Haarlem, the Netherlands, April 11, 2020.(Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua) THE HAGUE -- The number of reported COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours reached its lowest point in over two weeks in The Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Monday. The 86 reported deaths from the disease since Sunday resulted in a death toll of 2,823. The last time the death toll was that low was on March 26, when 78 patients were reported dead. On Sunday the number of reported daily deaths was 94 and on Saturday it was 132. The number of people who are or were admitted to hospital rose by 147 to a total of 8,729, and that of people who tested positive for COVID-19 since Sunday grew by 964 to a total of 26,551. A notice at an entrance to a public park informs people of the closure time on the Easter weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Budapest, Hungary, on April 10, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) BUDAPEST -- New arrival of medical protective equipment from China has landed in Budapest, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced on Monday. "In the early morning hours on Monday, six planes landed in Budapest, carrying 5.3 million face masks, 6 million pairs of gloves and 86,000 protective gowns from Beijing and Shanghai," the minister said on his Facebook page. "The virus does not take into account our holidays, therefore the China-Hungary air bridge must also operate at Easter, for the safe supply of medical protective equipment for hospitals, clinics and police and military units," he added. On Sunday morning, a plane from southern China's Shenzhen landed in Budapest, carrying 1,365,000 protective masks. Officers responded around 6:05 p.m. Sunday to a report of a shooting in the 3900 block of Warner Avenue, Prince Georges County police said in a statement. There they found Marquis Mason, of Landover Hills. He died Monday at a hospital. Mark Quinlivan | Newshub A UK man who was arrested after being found with NZ$117,000 in his car tried to claim he was an essential worker, police say. Officers pulled the man, named as 26-year-old Benjamin Evans, over in the Welsh county of Powys early on April 6, during a routine stop targeting people flouting the UK's COVID-19 lockdown rules. "The driver of the vehicle, Evans, was wearing high visibility work clothing and stated that he was on the way home after working all night as a key worker," local police said in a statement. "Acting on previous intelligence Evans was arrested for drug offences." Police said a search of his vehicle found a large package wrapped in sellotape, later confirmed to have cocaine inside it. On Wednesday, Evans pleaded guilty to possession of class A drugs with intent to supply when he appeared in the Swansea Magistrates Court. "This is an excellent result for the Ystradgynlais community. Trying to pass himself off as a key worker did not succeed," Det Insp Steve Lloyd said. Police said the cocaine found had a value of about NZ$116,935. "Possessing drugs with the intent to supply does not qualify as essential work," Det Insp Lloyd said. "We want to let potential criminals know that it is business as usual and we will continue to pursue those who target some of the most vulnerable people in our communities." Newshub. Covid-19 is short for "coronavirus disease 2019" and is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV2, short for "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2". So we're all set that it's a virus, right? Oh no. British media is proving fertile ground for the idea that Covid-19 is caused or carried by 5G, which is to say, radio waves in the frequency range used by WiFi and cellphones. Here's Eamonn Holmes, a top morning TV presenter, promoting the conspiracy on the show he co-presents. TV presenter Eamonn Holmes is at the centre of a controversy after casting doubt on media outlets that debunk the myth that 5G causes coronavirus. "What I don't accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they don't know it's not true," the ITV This Morning host said. "It's very easy to say it is not true because it suits the state narrative." Holmes made the remarks on Monday in a segment with the programme's consumer editor Alice Beer, who said the 5G theory, which has led a number of phone masts to be set alight or vandalised, was "not true and it's incredibly stupid". It's an idea floating somewhere between conspiracy theory, sinophobia (Chinese telecom giant Huawei was recently awarded key 5G infrastructure contracts in the UK) and abject ignorance of everything science has thrown light on in recent centuries concerning illness, electromagnetism and the observable nature of reality. Holmes doesn't believe the conspiracy theories himself, you see he's just asking questions, in the form of declarative statements. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 15:55 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1d0a3c 1 Health COVID-19,government,Indonesia,Jakarta-COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus,coronavirus,pandemic,NGO Free Low public trust in the capability of the Indonesian government in handling the global pandemic was partly caused by an influx of false information. Hoaxes and half-truths spread just as fast as the coronavirus, according to independent monitoring groups. The misinformation that caused public panic and confusion could be overcome by information from the authority. The government should act as the sole authority for the dissemination of information, said Elina Ciptadi of KawalCOVID19.id. The government should provide routine, thorough and accurate information and it has to be delivered as quickly as possible, complying with the World Health Organization [WHO] standard of transparent, reliable and timely health information, she said. The front page of the Kawalcovid19.id website. (Kawalcovid19.id/-) The Singapore-based mass communications practitioner was among the pro-data activists who worked independently as a group to discern information during past elections. KawalCOVID19.id existed on various social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook. The group includes Indonesian diaspora in countries affected early by the virus outbreak. The members come from various professions, such as medical practitioners, virologists, epidemiologists, medical researchers, medical and life science analysts, as well as communications specialists living in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Italy and the UK. The members started the data monitoring after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, last year, on both the spread of the virus and hoaxes, before creating their social media accounts one day before the Indonesian government announced the country's first two cases of COVID-19. Learning from how it spread, at that time we thought that at some point it would arrive in Indonesia. It was only a matter of time and how severe it would be, said Elina. Within the first 24 hours its Twitter account got 32,000 followers, and now the number has tripled. The number shows that people are looking for reliable information and we want to be the bridge for this information gap, she added. The lagging response from the Indonesian government and the media concerning the outbreak long before the global health authority announced it as a pandemic triggered Alif Nurlambang to start Spektator.id on Feb. 26, a blog site dedicated to disseminating insights and information on various policies practiced by other countries in coping with the pandemic. As one of the personnel assigned to Sierra Leone in 2014 and 2015 to curb the spread of the Ebola virus under the Geneva-based Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Alif shared his knowledge on how countries were dealing with the outbreak. Wait and see: Medical officers take a short break during a rapid COVID-19 test at the Depok City Regional Health Laboratory in Depok, West Java, on Monday, April 13. (JP/P.J. Leo) Some posts on the blog described the paramount importance of the media choosing their news sources wisely and having basic knowledge about the issue. Many statements made by the government were left unpursued, while the officials have to be aware that some media outlets tend to publish misleading headlines, said Alif. There should be a consolidation of the issue in which the authority gives a clear explanation of each policy it makes and gives a clear order of what it expects from the people. There are some best practices implemented by other countries that the government could adopt. Methodical contact tracing, aggressive testing and the wide decentralization of laboratories authorized for the testing were among the policies he said proved effective to curb the pandemic. The deployment of the State Intelligence Agency [BIN] for contact tracing or data collecting only shows that the government treated it as a clandestine mission that could not be revealed to the public, while WHO-standard procedure for the country task force said that it must be a community effort, Alif said. This pandemic is not a subversion case, it's a public health issue and the public need to know the risk of being in a certain place at a certain time, For data collecting, the government could deploy the volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross as they have been trained for that even to find separated family members during natural disasters. He also pointed out the importance of a safe and dignified burial protocol, especially in religious, tight-knit communities in villages. Unlike in urban cities, how people in villages would respond to emergency burial may be different. From my experience in Sierra Leone, the villagers insisted on holding religious rituals for a religious leader who died of Ebola. They sprayed the water used to wash the deceased and the next day all three villages were quarantined as they all tested positive. The monitoring groups also voiced concerns about the influx of information on the various rapid test kits available in the online market as well as the testing method used by the government. The Health Ministry and the referral hospitals should give clear information on the testing method and procedure to avoid public confusion, said Elina. Epidemiologist Bayu Satria of KawalCOVID19.id, currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Taiwan, said the best quick response for Indonesia was to obtain mobile COVID-19 test kits with high sensitivity on a par with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that used DNA samples to detect the virus. The rapid antibody test using blood samples is not as sensitive or specific so the result still has to be re-confirmed with the PCR test at referral labs. And it takes time, he said. Its better for the government to obtain rapid PCR test kits similar to the ones used in South Korea or widen the lab network equipped with the facility to detect the virus. The mass or aggressive testing as implemented in South Korea has proved effective in stemming the spread of the virus. Such policy, according to Bayu, was not used in Taiwan as the country had set up an early detection system. The government here has a reliable contact tracing method and isolation management. As the country has rushed to set up the health management system, it could provide quick response so the coronavirus did not spread within communities unlike in Indonesia, he added. Alif acknowledged that unlike other countries that had been affected by previous health crises such as the coronavirus-induced SARS and MERS outbreaks, Indonesia has no experience nor the protocol for health crisis management other than for common respiratory illnesses with many doctors trained for epidemic control. We are steps behind other countries. The government should take this as a chance to change people's behavior and their concern about personal hygiene, he said. If there is a silver lining, the pandemic is perhaps a golden opportunity for the government to create a reliable public health system. Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed Joe Biden for president on Tuesday. Im so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States, Obama said in a video released Tuesday. Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made. Obama said, I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now. Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, served as vice president for both of Obamas terms in the White House. Barack This endorsement means the world to Jill and me, Biden said in a tweet. Were going to build on the progress we made together, and theres no one Id rather have standing by my side. The announcement came one day after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Biden, less than a week after Sanders ended his presidential campaign. I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse, Sanders said. Sanders added that weve got to make Trump a one-term president. I will do all that I can to make that happen. The former Burlington mayor and longtime independent congressman announced the end of his campaign last week in a virtual event, declaring he didnt have a feasible path to the nomination. In 2016, Obama waited until former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination to endorse her. The date of the Democratic presidential nominating convention - scheduled first for July, then postponed to July last week - remains uncertain. We may have to do a virtual convention, Biden said on ABCs This Week program. I think we should be thinking about that right now ... We may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place. Related Content: The telecom sectordoes not foresee any major changes required for on-ground approvals to carry out services during the extended phase of lockdown, industry body COAI said on Tuesday. "Any issues that may crop up will be discussed with the Dapartment of Telecom (DoT) for expeditious resolution," Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General RajanMathews said. Asked if he anticipated job losses in the sector in coming weeks, Mathews said, "at present, our members have not indicated to us any plans to reduce headcount." On whether the industry would extend benefits that had been announced recently for low-income prepaid users, such as validity extension and talktime credit, Mathews said, "no decision has been made on what theindustry expects to do on that front during the next quarantine period.As soon as any decision is made, members will let us know". Asked if the sector perceived any fresh requirements to continue offering uninterrupted connectivity, Mathews said industrywill continue with the arrangements that were in place for the first lockdown period, into the next phase. "We do not see any major changes required," he said. The financial health of the industry remains a key priority issue to be addressed by the government, he added. "Telecom has been classified as 'critical infrastructure'. As such, the industry expects to continue to focus on its key responsibility to maintain the operational health of the networks in all areas," he added. COAI on Monday had said that DoT also assured the industry that additional issues like the request for dynamic IP addresses, additional backhaul spectrum, additional relaxation in filing compliance requirements due to the extension of the quarantine period, clearance of pending network Equipment Type Approvals (ETA), SIM activations, movement of essential goods -- would all be reviewed and decisions will be taken expeditiously to address the concerns of the industry. During the meeting with DoT officials on Monday, COAI had also highlighted the need for the government to address the financial plight of the industry, on an expedited basis. The stressed industry has been seeking reduction in the License Fees (LF) and Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) as well as modifications in the GST where spectrum debt payments, LF and SUC payments would not be classified as services and hence not attract GST. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. In a televised address to the nation, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in coming days to ensure that the virus does not spread to new areas. The prime minister said detailed guidelines on implementation of the new lockdown will be announced on Wednesday.Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there is no hotspot, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FOOD and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7.6 per cent between October 2020 and October 2021, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reported yesterday. In a memorandum on the Index of Retail Prices (RPI) published for general information yesterday, attributed to the acting director of statistics, Andre Blanchard, the CSO noted that the All Items Index of Retail Prices increased by 3.9 per cent between October 2020 and last October. 4 Cases of Asymptomatic Infection Were Found in a Residential Community in China Chinese authorities have known about asymptomatic carriers of the CCP virus since early February, but they did not warn the public of the infection risks imposed by this group of people until recently. These asymptomatic people are able to transmit the virus to others. If they never have a diagnostic test, no one will know that they are virus carriers, as they look healthy. Airlines offering credit shells against cancelled bookings which have created a ruckus Distressed travel agents argue that credit shells are not acceptable by their clients Over Rs 8,000 crore are stuck with the airlines in the form of credit shells The government's intervention on the matter has not yielded results as yet The worldwide lockdowns due to the coronavirus outbreak and the resultant grounding of international and domestic carriers have opened a Pandora's box for the travel agents in India. The cash-crunched airlines, as advised by global body IATA (International Air Transport Association), have taken an easy route of converting the cancelled tickets into credit shells. What's a credit shell? It's basically a note from the airlines against a cancelled ticket that can be used for future bookings. The travel agents argue that they have paid the full amount in cash, and the airlines should refund them back in cash. "We have clients sitting on our heads asking for cash refunds. If we offer them credit shells, they are not sure when and how to utilise them. In Punjab and some South Indian states, some of the clients have complained against our members to the police. We have burnt fingers with Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways' fiascos. We don't want to suffer again. We don't want our money to be repatriated outside of the country. The due amount has to be credited as cash into our systems," says Jyoti Mayal, president, TAAI. Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is a travel agents' body with over 2,700 members, including OTA (online travel aggregators) like MakeMyTrip and Yatra. Also Read: IndiGo to resume operations with about 65 planes post Lockdown 2.0 According to travel agents, barring a few airlines, all domestic carriers like IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India along with IATA's 111 member airlines globally have refused to pay the refunds in cash. As a result, Rs 8,000 crore has stuck due to ongoing disputes with the airlines. Direct bookings from individuals and corporates would be over and above this number, the agents said. Not just ticket refund amounts, some airlines, particularly low-cost carriers, are not even returning the advance money given by them which is as high as Rs 10 lakh, the travel agents alleged. Meanwhile, some global carriers like Singapore Airlines and Emirates have started reviewing their refunds processes following the backlash from the agents. "We don't know when the business is going to revive. The international travel segment could actually start from July onwards. If airlines have been stringent with their payment schedule, they should return us the refunds. We are not here to fund them. Some governments in the world have announced that airlines cannot offer credit shells. Our civil aviation ministry needs to be firm about it," says a travel agent. Also Read: Airlines in coronavirus war mode: 7 lakh km, 626 flights, 4,300 tonnes cargo In India, the travel and tourism market is highly unorganised. Though the sector contributes nearly 10 per cent to the GDP, it has about 8 lakh unorganised agents as compared to just 53,000 organised players. Some experts believe that most of the airlines are so cash-crunched that they don't have the capacity to survive beyond two-three months. In India, for instance, IndiGo is probably the only carrier that has resources to survive the pandemic beyond three months. IATA has estimated that if airlines refund the $35 billion (owed to travelers for flights that could not or cannot take off) immediately, it may lead to many airlines going bankrupt. With that, an enormous number of jobs will also disappear. In a conference, Rodney D'Cruz, Assistant Director, Passenger and Cargo Services, India, Nepal & Bhutan at IATA, said that it's never going to be the same again. "After the pandemic is over, a much better coordination is required between the government, the airlines, and the travel agents. IATA director general has written to various governments, including the Indian government, to provide direct support and tax relief to the airlines," he said. In fact, upon the TAAI's request, Pradeep Singh Kharola, secretary in civil aviation ministry, had recently called for a meeting with travel agents and IATA. As per travel agents, there's a specific force majeure clause in the passenger charter of the civil aviation ministry that says that airlines must refund the amount to all the passengers. "According to the charter, it's the prerogative of the passengers and the travel agents to demand credit shells. Airlines cannot issue themselves. Most airlines are not honouring the resolutions. We have written to IATA that under no circumstances, we will accept credit notes. Since we have made payments in cash for our corporate, group and individual clients, it has to be refunded fully," said Lokesh Bettaiah, MD of Triway Travels. Click the photo to write a caption and have a chance to win a free subscription to the Norfolk Daily News. State COVID-19 pandemic: Advisories & preparedness reports DIMAPUR | Publish Date: 4/14/2020 2:28:24 PM IST Following the outbreak of COVID-19 across the world and subsequently being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the state government and its agencies along and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have taken up several measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Several CSOs and individuals have also come forward and extended help to the people in the frontline. Kohima NDRF conducts fumigation drive at market areas National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) government of India, ministry of home affairs carried out fumigation drive at Kohima High School Market Area on Tuesday. According to a press release BY sub-inspector, K.P. Singh, who led the drive, said that the fumigation was jointly conducted by 12th Bn NDRF, Doimukh (Arunachal Pradesh) by one sub-team (12E team Kohima) and Angami youth organization (AYO). The teams disinfected the footpath, shop doors etc with the help of jet spray machines and the fumigation was conducted from the stretch of market places and surrounding areas. Meeting to identify quarantine facilities A meeting has been convened on April 16, 11 a.m. at District Planning & Development Board Hall, Deputy Commissioners Office, Kohima, to identify suitable Motels/Paying Guests/Hostels within Kohima Town to quarantine people who arrive at Kohima from outside the state. All ward chairmen under Kohima Town have been requested to make it convenient to attend the meeting along with one additional member, informed a report by DIPR. Mokokchung Inter-district vehicular movement restricted Deputy Commissioner Mokokchung has completely banned inter-district vehicular movement, stated an order by the office of the DC Mokokchung. The order has exempted designated vehicles carrying essential commodities, officials on COVID-19 duty as per the exempted list issued by the government and medical emergencies with travel permit from the concerned Deputy Commissioner of the district and supporting medical referral documents. An additional check post will be established at Alichen, Mokokchung to be manned by police and medical surveillance personnel, stated the order. MCCI urges people not to panic Following the extension of the country-wide lockdown till May 3 by the Centre and the detection of COVID-19 positive case in Dimapur, Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) appealed to the people of Mokokchung not to panic but remain calm and follow the protocols issued by competent authorities. While appreciating customers for cooperating with the authorities and bearing with the inconvenience during the lockdown, MCCI reassured the people of Mokokchung that there was no shortage of essential commodities in the market and that all efforts were being made to ensure that it remained so. Urging the people not to panic and buy to hoard essential commodities, MCCI asserted that it would not buy back the stockpile from hoarders and panic-buyers when the market returned to normalcy post May 3. Be it known that there is no buy-back offer, it stressed. MCCI also expressed its appreciation and extended support to frontline workers and first responders, Mokokchung District Task Force on COVID-19, Core Committee on Essential Commodities COVID-19, Mokokchung and all stakeholders in the fight against the pandemic. This was stated in a press release. Longleng Makeshift hospital for non-COVID patients A makeshift hospital for non-COVID patients was dedicated Tuesday at Bautung Government Higher Secondary School, Longleng. According to DIPR report, the makeshift hospital was made functional for those non-COVID patients seeking medical treatments as the District Hospital Longleng would exclusively treat the COVID-19 patients. In a short speech, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Longleng, M. Shayung Phom, lauded the doctors, nurses and medical staff of District Hospital Longleng and CMO office Longleng for working tirelessly for the safety and well being of the people. He asserted that despite shortage of manpower, experts and medical equipment the medical team at the frontline have been trying to make its own best system with the available resources to provide best health care services to the people. The DC then appealed to all the frontline workers combating COVID-19 to rededicate in their respective profession and cater to the needs of the people. Earlier, Pastor Beau Phom, Longleng Town Baptist Church dedicated the Makeshift Hospital Longleng. Meanwhile, citizens of Longleng have been informed to visit and avail medical services at the makeshift hospital till further notice. Kiphire People with travel history to contact DTF In view of an active case detected in Dimapur, Deputy Commissioner Kiphire, Sarita Yadav has informed that all such person who have arrived in the Kiphire District on or after March 24 from Dimapur, and have visited the sealed areas/ market during their stay at Dimapur and those people who had come from other parts of the states and have visited the sealed areas to reach out to the Kiphire District Task Force. Dimapur DC directs rice distributors Deputy commissioner Dimapur, Anoop Kinchi has directed all rice distributors under Dimapur district to lift and store their consignments, that has reached Dimapur through the railway wagons, at to their respective godowns which is outside the jurisdiction of the scaled zones (Marwaripatti. G.S. Road & Murgipatti). Further, Kinchi warned that said no distributor/s will be permitted to issue/sale their products without the written permission of the DC. MCD distributes ration Muslim Council Dimapur (MCD) reached out to 2000 families, irrespective of caste, community and religion, under its motto, With Humanity First and distributed ration. Mon Home delivery introduced at Aboi Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Aboi Ajit Kumar Ranjan has notified that the administration, Aboi in collaboration with Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission and Aboi Town Baptist church youth (ATBCY) have introduced home delivery of local organic products under the brand name, Aboi Organic Greens. It was informed that the initiative was to provide a market for the farmers, and help protect their livelihoods. Public have been informed to place their orders at 6009503941/ 9612925215 (call or WhatsApp) between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday. The products would be delivered to the doorstep the same day before 1 p.m., informed the release. Jungle fire contained Mon Fire and Emergency Services on receiving a report of jungle fire on April 13 below Wangkhao College, Mon mobilised a quick response team and pressed into action to contain the fire which. A press release by the department stated that few stretches of jungle were destroyed in the fire incident. However, timely intervention of fire personnel managed to put out the fire and prevented it from further spreading to the adjoining areas. Meanwhile, the fire was suspected to be caused by lighting of matches by trespassers and that no casualty was reported. The response team was led by duty commander ASI Chingpai Konyak. Water delivery service Deputy Commissioner, Mon has informed that home delivery of water would resume from April 16 and that the rate shall continue to remain the same as fixed earlier. Public have been asked to place orders at 6909194806 and 7630059057. Movement of private vehicles banned Deputy Commissioner Mon, Thavaseelan K has banned movement of all private vehicles within Mon District will be banned with effect from April 16. The order stated that District Administration/Police/Health and Family Welfare/Paramilitary Forces/Home Guards & Civil Defence/NIC/DIPR/Fire & Emergency Services/PHED/Power/MTC/Telecom/Media/permitted vehicles carrying essential commodities and vehicles on medical emergency duty, have been exempted. Wokha Village quarantine centre mandatory at Bhandari Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC). Bhandari, Tiameren Chang, has ordered mandatory setting up of village quarantine centre for all the villages under Bhandari Sub-division within seven days, and to prove its preparedness with a photographic evidence of same. The order stated that, quarantine facilities will be mandatorily set up in the villages, be it in council hall, village rest house or at any other place deemed convenient for the concerned village. The order further stated that 50% of GIA allocated to the villages can be utilized towards setting up of the Village Quarantine Centres and procurement of basic necessities for the same. Tuensang Consultative meeting with wards ADC, Tuensang, Ajit Kumar Verma and SDO (C) Tuensang, Shelly Khatery Tuesday conducted a consultative meeting at CKS Hall, Tuensang. SDO (C) Tuensang exhorted all leaders of the wards to take the present situation seriously and cooperate to every directive of the District administration to fight prevent against COVID 19. ADC Tuensang deliberated on the importance of the prevention and lockdown to contain the COVID 19. He spoke on importance of sealing wards, in case positive cases are detected. He also requested to submit names to be trained as volunteers along with ASHA and Anganwadi workers in such times of emergency. Zunheboto DC Zunheboto issues new directives Ontario may be creeping toward a turning point in the battle against COVID-19. Some numbers suggest the pace of new COVID-19 cases is slowing and the so-called curve is close to flattening. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care has stabilized over the last few days after weeks of steady increases. At long last, as Premier Doug Ford said during a news conference Monday, theres a glimmer of hope. Still, the road ahead is long and the urge to push for a return to normal may be strong. The expert advice: Stick to what seems to be working. The Star spoke with Dionne M. Aleman, an associate professor at the University of Toronto specializing in pandemic planning and medical applications of operations research, about the steps forward. Q: As a vocal minority of people start to rail against the government to open up the province, what would be the risks of doing so too soon? Would there be economic benefits that would offset the effects on health? A: The risks of opening up the province now are huge. As much as we have been physically distancing ourselves and borders and businesses have been restricted, COVID-19 is still spreading rapidly through Ontario (several days of around 450 new infections per day just a few days ago). The curve is only just now starting to seem like it might be flattening. Imagine how much worse the situation would be if the province were opened up. Thousands of people are still infected, and if we start relaxing the restrictions put in place to slow disease spread, the disease will just take off again worse than before because so many more people are infected and contagious compared to a month ago and we will be forced into longer and potentially more stringent restrictions to safeguard public health. The tradeoff of economic benefit over public health is a false dichotomy: the economy will greatly suffer if hundreds of thousands of Canadians die, as predicted by the Public Health Agency of Canada if no restrictions are in place. Protecting public health now, while posing short-term risk to the economy, will allow the economy to bounce back in the long term. We should not sell out our lives for short-term economic gain. Q: Is it feasible or advisable for the government to set up on-off cycles, in which the province opens up the province for a time, shuts it down once infections reach a threshold, and then resume the cycle once the health system recovers? A: It is hard to say whether on-off cycles would be advisable. Some businesses might be able to function with some sense of normalcy despite sudden closures and reopenings, but others wont. From my own personal experience with my familys business, which was sold several years ago, opening and closing at sporadic, unpredictable intervals would have wreaked havoc on our ability to function. Managing employees, inventory levels, purchases from international manufacturers with several weeks shipping lead times, customs quotas and tariffs, etc., would be a nightmare if the business had to close suddenly for a few weeks or more. I imagine businesses with perishable inventory, like restaurants, may also struggle to manage the financial impact of lost inventory that would come with sudden closures. Q: Do you think theres a risk in having the province shut down for too long? A: It is hard to say what being closed for too long would do to the economys ability to bounce back. In the long term, the economy will always come back; the question is just how long will it take. How many lives are you willing to sacrifice to speed up the economys return, given that it will return to pre-COVID-19 levels eventually anyway? Ultimately, we will never be able to definitely know if we overreacted and kept restrictions in place for too long, and I doubt anyone has looked back on the pandemics that have happened from 1918 until now and regretted overreacting. But, if we underreact and loosen restrictions too soon, that under-reaction will be measured in deaths and lifelong health complications for tens of thousands of Canadians, as well as a long-term negative impact to the economy. Q: At present, is the risk growing for Ontarians or is it being minimized? Are infection rates really going down? Are day-by-day percentage change rates deceptive? A: Daily infection numbers are deceptive. Fluctuations up or down can be just noise and not indicative of a trend one way or other. Further, the daily numbers are retroactively updated as patients test positive for COVID-19, and their infection is counted at the date of symptom onset. So, any numbers less than a week old or so may be revised upward. Still, we can be cautiously optimistic that the last few days show a potential start to the curve flattening, which means risk is decreasing. But, it is important to remember that risk is decreasing because the actions we are taking now are working, so we need to continue with those actions and not let up. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. BUJUMBURA Burundi on Easter Monday confirmed the first coronavirus death in the country, as one of the five patients succumbed to the epidemic. One person, who had tested positive for COVID-19 and who was under intensive medical care at Kira Hospital, died on Sunday, April 12, due to complications caused by associated pathologies, Jean Bosco Girukwishaka, the Health Ministrys spokesman, said on Twitter. On Saturday, Health Minister Thaddee Ndikumana told reporters that two new cases of the coronavirus tested positive on Friday, bringing the number to five. At least 1,894 new cases of the coronavirus were reported across the African continent over the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 14,744, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The latest surveillance update said 52 of 55 countries in the continent have been affected by the virus. It said 104 more deaths have been recorded over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 793. The total number of patients who have recovered went up to 2,760, with 741 new recoveries, it added. Related Aftermath of COVID-19, people may face trouble for economic slowdown in India Abhijit Nath Agartala, March 31, 2020: Its March end of a financial year and pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 had disastrously smacked the entire world. Along with other countries, India is not left behind leading with 700 near positive cases and death toll is escalating gradually with 24 of them succumbed till March 29. The countrys is already having a fragile economy and those will go down more in the coming days and weeks. However, the union government along with full cooperation of state governments is fighting hard to combat the spread of deadly coronavirus infections, but this will upset the country financial conditions and burden of tax likely to be hiked on shoulders of common people in next few months. With the arrival of Modi-led government in 2014, there had been major ups and downs in the entire nation in respect to the economical scenario of the country. The economists of both left and right ideologies noted that the condition of countrys financial condition is depriving which was later perceived by a good number of BJP-led NDA parliamentarians and state government. A senior leader of BJP-IPFT government of Tripura in condition of anonymity and unofficially expressed about the economic slowdown across the country which led to the reborn of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) in Modis era. Moreover, the Modi-led government had announced Demonetization in November, 2016 to bring back black money from outside the country, but failed in reaching to the determined position. Even, the exchange rate and value of Indias rupee and US dollar had reduced. In November, 2019, union Home minister Amit Shah declared in Rajya Sabha that NRC would be implemented throughout the country. In December, 2019, union minister Prakash Javedakar announced NPR would be conducted between 2020 and 2021. Again in December, 2019, Parliament of India passed and enacted CAA across the country. Implementation and conducting of these things across the country would spin the eyes of critics which in turn would help the Modi-led government to remain in power for more years. Basically, CAA, NRC and NPR were completely unnecessary, the leader added. Even, Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina narrated that the decision of enactment of CAA, implementing of NRC and conducting NPR is baseless and unnecessary. The time when most of the states were protesting against these three moves of the BJP-led NDA government throughout the country as well as in Tripura, BJPs allied partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), regional political party along with other indigenous parties along with an organization led by former PCC chief and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman raised their voice against CAA and supported NRC. On the other hand, NRC earned its national prominence with its implementation in Assam which fueled fear and panic across the nation while the government had spent Rs 1600 crore which was absurd eyeing to the financial scenario of country and now, CAG reported huge financial scam during NRC update exercise where the state government has publicly admitted possible financial embezzlement during the exercise. In the meantime, there had been rise of deadly Coronavirus COVID 19 in China. Gradually it had turned to affect European, Middle East, United Kingdom and rest of the countries across the world. This virus would not only slowdown the fragile economy of India, but also of many countries in this world. However, as India was reeling under huge financial crisis from previously itself, but now, the citizens fearing what would come next from end of the central governments administration after the closing stages of this pandemic. With the announcements made for lockdown by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and lockdown curfew notified by government in different states across the country, there had been an immense rush of common people for purchasing essential commodities while some vendors had involved in black marketing and illegal stockings of these commodities in various cities and towns across the nation. However, District Magistrates (DMs), Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs) along with officials of Food and Civil Supplies departments in different state had conducted raids and managed to curb and stop illegal stockings and black marketing of products to be sold in higher rates to a larger extent. Even, penalties were forced upon several thousands of vegetable vendors during this period. Although the governments had mentioned in their notifications undersigned by the Chief Secretaries that need of essential commodities would remain exempted from Epidemic Disease Act during the lockdown for the spread of Coronavirus COVID 19 across the country, but police in different states were found abusing power on citizens viciously right from day one. However, it had ended now. Even though, most of families managed to purchase rations and essential commodities in order to isolate from others in the society, a few went outside who failed to collect their necessities before were beaten up by the police personnel violently. There had been a terror and panic among people for the cruel role of police personnel and central forces to some extent. However, this role of police had widened the minds of people after two to three days of the lockdown which was for the good cause of every citizen in India. Hence of now, it is see by the 134 crore Indians that what the Modi-led government and BJP-led governments in different states are to announce which may or may not benefit the common masses. However, economists, ideologists, intellectuals and educationists smelling that the burden on commoners for collection of tax would be doubled, tripled and quadrupled in the coming months due to the ongoing slowdown of economy of India as well as pandemic of coronavirus COVID 19 had also impacted the entire world. A matter of weeks ago, if you said to someone "let's Zoom soon" they would've wondered what you were on about, but these viral times have unleashed the boffin in some readers. "Our street has a Whatsapp for neighbours to communicate," says Stephanie Edwards of Roseville. "Great in ordinary times when you need a tradesman or someone's dog goes astray. But in the current lockdown it has been a way of passing on jokes to give us all a laugh. We have not yet resorted to using it to trade toilet paper but that day may come." John Dunnet of Toronto reports that "One local grandmother was so delighted with the success of an Easter link-up with a dispersed herd of children and grandchildren via Zoom, that she feels there is a need for an appropriate neologism for such real-time group gatherings. She suggests: covideoing." Of course there are more time-honoured approaches, like that taken by Richard Stewart of Pearl Beach: "A neighbour started a 'lets connect the stay-home community'. Every afternoon at 5.00pm, households are invited to go outside and at top of their voice shout Cooee. As the number of howlers increases so does the crescendo. Creating a community connection in this caring village." That village holds fond memories for Jocelyn Ellis of Charlestown: "The recent talk of dibber dobbers reminded me of when my parents lived there in Coral Crescent in the 1960s. Phone calls went through the general store/post office. One morning I stopped on my way to work to ring my mother and asked the Postmistress to put me through to Pearl Beach 77. 'Oh no,' she said. 'Mrs Harris has gone to Sydney today with Mr Robertson and Mr Harris isnt back from Queensland yet.' No secrets in Pearl Beach in those days." And now? "An online form included the question 'Do you have a criminal record?' Should I have mentioned my copy of Barry Manilows Greatest Hits?" asks Don Bain of Port Macquarie. "While my wife and I have been self-isolated, our lovely daughter and her partner have been doing our grocery shopping," writes Mike Phillips of Yaroomba (Qld). "This is very kind of them but what I really miss about this arrangement is the impulse buying." Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta says the US$1 billion rapid credit facility to Ghana from the International Monetary Fund will cushion the economy against shocks that arise from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, the nation will be able to best manage the economy better than most countries that have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The facility comes with 5 years moratorium and does not come with conditionalities as well. The US$1bn IMF loan will help us the nation address shoot fall in revenue that could impact on the fiscal position of the economy as well as the current account position of the country But Ken Ofori-Atta said The beauty of this is that the rapid credit facility which we went for I think we are the first to have gotten a double quota of a billion dollars, and I think is a zero percent facility, is 30 years, is 5 and half years moratorium, and it doesnt come with any conditionalities. We will do all of the paper work and possibly by the weekend we should have the Bank of Ghana receiving these funds Continuing, he said One of the more crucial elements of this is that when you get these shocks on your economy there is usually a liquidity crisis and when if you dont manage that quickly you then get into insolvent crisis which is then rarely put you into a tail spend. After getting parliamentary approval, the government applied to the IMF fund in March this year for an interest free loan facility in furtherance of President Akuffo Addos broad policy of cushioning the Ghanaian economy against the outbreak of the novel coornavirus The Fund responded within two weeks of assessing the request. After a little above a month, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday April 13, 2020 approved the disbursement of SDR 738 million (about US$1 billion) to be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF). The disbursement according to the fund, will help address the urgent fiscal and balance of payments needs that Ghana is facing, improve confidence, and catalyze support from other development partners. Mrs Zhang, Deputy Managing Director and Chair, said: The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Ghana severely. Growth is projected to slow down, financial conditions have tightened, and the exchange rate is under pressure. The budget deficit is projected to widen this year given expected lower government revenues and higher spending needs related to the pandemic. The Funds emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Credit Facility will help address the countrys urgent financing needs, improve confidence, and catalyse support from other international partners. The authorities response has been timely, targeted, and proactive, focused on increasing health and social spending to support affected households and firms. The central bank has recently taken steps to ensure adequate liquidity, preserve financial stability, and mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, while allowing for exchange rate flexibility to preserve external buffers. Source: classfmonline 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 Washington: The Donald Trump Administration on Monday notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes worth USD 155 million to India. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles is estimated to cost USD 92 million, while 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost USD 63 million, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency said in two separate notifications to the Congress. The US State Department made this determination following a request for these two military hardware made by the Indian Government, the Pentagon said. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes while enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allied forces. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defence. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces," the Pentagon said. While the Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing, the torpedoes would be supplied by Raytheon, the notification said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and strengthen its homeland defence. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft. India will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces, it said. In both the notifications, the Pentagon said that the proposed sale of these equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. A 19-year-old has been charged with animal cruelty after a kitten was found dead and wrapped in plastic in a backpack. Police were called to a unit block on Pitt Street, in the Sydney CBD, where they found the cat dead in the basement on Monday at 6pm. Officers called the RSPCA before launching an investigation. A 19-year-old has been charged with animal cruelty after a kitten was found dead and wrapped in plastic in a backpack (stock) They took the kitten's body to a veterinarian to examine. Two 19-year-old men were arrested at a unit and taken to to Day Street Police Station after a bloodied bathrobe was found by officers. One of the men has since been charged with animal cruelty. Police claim the ginger kitten was suffering with serious mouth and head injuries. They allege the 19-year-old man put the cat on the balcony and closed the door so he couldn't hear him cry. The second teenager was released as the investigation continues. The 19-year-old who was charged will appear in Central Local Court on Tuesday. Optimism over the announcement Sunday that members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, the U.S., Mexico and other nations have agreed to reduce oil output to support prices was short-lived. Crude prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange initially jumped Monday more than $1 a barrel before losing ground and ending the day down 35 cents to $22.41 a barrel. The posted price was cut 25 cents to $19 a barrel. The pullback followed news over the weekend that OPEC, Russia and other oil-producing nations have agreed to cut output in a bid to stem a slide in crude prices following a collapse in demand because of the coronavirus outbreak. What facilitated the deal was the realization on the part of the major producers that they were not, in any event, going to be able find markets for their oil at high production levels, Daniel Yergin, vice chairman, IHS Markit, said in comments made available to the Reporter-Telegram. Tommy Taylor, director of oil and gas development at Fasken Oil and Ranch, called the agreement a good first step to eventually improving oil prices. But it appears that the commodity traders are wanting to see how the inventory volumes change before the price of oil is going to change in a positive direction, he told the Reporter-Telegram by email. Im sure they would like to see how demand responds once the coronavirus clears out and employees are allowed to go back to work. This is certainly an unprecedented time in our industry (and historically) where demand is off 10-20% worldwide and supplies are abundant. It will take some time for the impact of this pandemic event to work through the economies around the globe. The low oil prices will certainly provide a much-needed stimulus effect for the United States economy and hopefully we all will return to our more normal lives sooner than later. In an email to the Reporter-Telegram, Kirk Edwards, president and chief executive officer of Latigo Petroleum, credited the Trump administration with helping broker the agreement. It is great that the Trump administration was instrumental in getting the flood of oil stopped that was coming to our Texas Gulf Coast, the same oil that was already exasperating the takeaway problems the Permian producers were starting to see because of storage being full, he wrote. Now the hard part begins for Texas as our regulators get to decide the mechanism (to determine) whose oil is the most important to allow to be marketed or whose oil will be shut in for lack of pipeline and market access. This will be a completely unfair situation for the smaller independents, which number over 6,000 in Texas, as they do not have the size to command pipeline access nor the political clout to be heard. (That is) unless the Texas Railroad Commission can figure out a way to allow everyone to cut back and feel the same pain until our energy demand picks back up. Either way, the number of rigs running in West Texas and the frac crews working to complete them will continue to plummet until the oil oversupply problem gets resolved, which to me will be quite a few months down the road. Chevron, with extensive operations in the Delaware Basin, offered encouragement to readers of the Hobbs New-Sun this past weekend. Jeff Gustavson, vice president, Mid-continent Business Unit, told the newspaper, We believe Chevron is well-positioned to weather this downturn, but the severe drop in the commodity price outlook requires us to take action to defer investments that would have driven near-term production growth. This includes temporarily scaling back current drilling and completion activities in the Permian. We are still fully committed to the Basin and its surrounding communities, and fully expect to increase activity levels in the area once prices recover. Yergin, in his comments regarding the OPEC+ deal, said, What this deal does is enable the global oil industry and the national economies and other industries that depend upon it to avoid a very deep crisis. Without this deal, the global industry would have run out of storage for the flood of excess oil in a few weeks and prices would have crashed, which would have also really hit financial markets. This restrains the build-up of inventories, which will reduce the pressure on prices when normality returns whenever that is. Roger Diwan, IHS Markit vice president, added, This historical cut, paired with the expected declines and shut-ins likely to occur in the next few months in the United States, Canada and some other producing countries, promise to remove up to 14 million barrels a day in May and June. This is a critically-needed relief in the face of declines in crude demand estimated at around 20 million barrels a day. Stepping away from a destructive price war, the return to market management by Saudi Arabia and Russia and backed by the United States and a very involved President Trump, does mark a physical and psychological inflection point for the oil market. Data analytics firm Esai Energy noted in its market alert that the drop in oil demand is so significant that the production cuts wont begin to tighten the market until July or August. In the meantime, crude oil prices will be shaped by competing perceptions of the global stock build, the destruction in demand, OPEC+ compliance with new production targets and the point at which global supply will actually be below global demand. These are all fluid developments over the next several months. Even so, price should recover over the course of the summer, fall and into the winter. Filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the next phase of the stimulus is likely the next market-shaping action of the Trump Administration. After the PM announced the extension of lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took to twitter, to assure people that there is no shortage of anything in the country whether it is food or medicines. "As the Home Minister of the country, I assure the people again, that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other everyday things in the country, no citizen needs to worry. I also would like to request the relatively well off people to come forward and help the poor living in their vicinity," read the tweet by the Home Minister. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today. But Prime Minister, in his televised address to the Nation on Tuesday, announced the extension of the lockdown to prevent the spread of highly contagious coronavirus. Earlier, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry and have already announced the extension of lockdown. India's total number of Coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A campaign of xenophobia developed in Guangdong with African residents forced to submit to mandatory testing and quarantine. A McDonalds restaurant in Guangzhou banned "black people" from entering. Some have been evicted from their homes, forced to live in the streets. Embarrassed, Chinese authorities have run for cover as Africa plays a central role in the Belt and Road Initiative. Guangzhou (AsiaNews) Diplomats from 20 African countries have complained about the inhumane treatment inflicted upon their citizens in China, victims of xenophobia within the campaign against the coronavirus outbreak. The issue of racial discrimination against Africans by local authorities and residents began in the city of Guangzhou (Guangdong) after five Nigerians tested positive to the COVID-19 virus. In the city, a McDonalds restaurant displayed a notice stating black people are not allowed to enter. After a video was posted online, the ban was lifted. A student from Kenya living in the city told Caixin that some Africans were barred from entering supermarkets; others were evicted from their homes even though they paid their rent. AsiaNews has learnt that some quarantined Africans have not received help and assistance from the authorities, and were forced to go out to get food. African diplomats say that several of their citizens were forced to sleep outdoors, as hotels also refused to host them. According to the US consulate in Guangzhou, some African-Americans have reportedly received the same treatment. Overall, 12 Africans have tested positive in Guangzhou, out of some 500 cases. African ambassadors have called for an end on compulsory testing and quarantine for their citizens. According to city authorities, some 4,500 Africans live in Guangzhou. As the fear of contagion by foreigners developed, they were placed under greater monitoring even though most imported cases involved Chinese citizens. The diplomatic row has embarrassed Chinese leaders. Africa plays a central part in Chinas foreign policy, and is a key component of its Belt and Road Initiative, a project launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping to turn China into into the worlds main trader. Running for cover, Beijing announced that it would review health restrictions imposed on Africans. Chinas Foreign Ministry yesterday reassured the 20 African diplomats, and the African Union, that Guangzhou provincial authorities are gradually lifting restrictions. Only the individuals who contracted the virus, those who came into contact with them, and suspected cases will be closely monitored. The government stressed that the new measures, based on the "principle of non-discrimination, will be adopted in coordination with the consulates of the countries concerned in Guangzhou. The data is clear: Manitobans, for the most part, have got the message and are staying at home. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The data is clear: Manitobans, for the most part, have got the message and are staying at home. But there are outliers ignoring public-health directives, increasing the risk of community spread of COVID-19, which has eclipsed 100,000 deaths worldwide. Data from Toronto-based Environics Analytics shows Manitoba has done well when it comes to sheltering at home as the pandemic deepens. Environics Analytics senior vice-president Rupen Seoni said the company used cellphone location data from apps to track weekend movements throughout the country from Feb. 1 to April 5. The data was used to calculate an "out-and-about rate," looking at those who were 100 metres or more away from their home postal code for at least 30 minutes during daytime hours on a weekend. "Weve been working for three-plus years on using opt-in mobile device movement data. It is consenting. Its all based on people opting-in on an app-based permission," Seoni said. "It became very apparent to us that this is useful from a COVID perspective because people are being asked to stay at home." On the weekend of Feb. 1, a month before "social distancing" became common parlance in Manitobans' vocabulary, the province had an out-and-about rate of 35 per cent one of the highest in the country. By the weekend of April 5, that figure dropped to 15 per cent one percentage point below the national average. TREVOR HAGAN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Large crowds like the ones at the Gimli Icelandic Festival in the summer of 2015 will be uncommon in the province this year. Manitobas rate largely follows a trend and timeline seen across the country. From a baseline of 35 per cent, the province saw a seven per cent dip between the weekends of March 8 and 15, which bookends the announcement of Manitobas first positive case of COVID-19. The weekend after Manitoba declared a state of emergency on March 20, the out-and-about rate fell another five per cent, holding steady at 22 per cent for a week. That period also marked the first death in the province attributed to the coronavirus, followed by several days of double-digit case announcements, as well as a new public-health directive to shutter all "non-critical" businesses. By April 5, Manitobas out-and-about rate was 15 per cent, below every province but Quebec. "You can only get so far with blanket, broad-based messaging. A lot of that has been effective in changing peoples behaviour, but theres still going to be people who either wont abide by the stay-at-home guidelines, or they cant because theyre essential workers," Seoni said. Melanie and Shane Embury, a husband and wife who manage a business in Gimli, werent surprised to learn some Manitobans are thumbing their noses at stay-at-home orders. "The frustration for us was the amount of people coming out for days trips. Theres no reason for that. People are coming out in groups. Theyre coming to the store and asking to use the washroom. Theyre frustrated with us because theres no washrooms in Gimli for them to use." Gimli business manager, Shane Embury They said it was clear to them hundreds of Winnipeggers made day trips to the community on the west side of Lake Winnipeg over the long weekend. "The frustration for us was the amount of people coming out for days trips. Theres no reason for that. People are coming out in groups. Theyre coming to the store and asking to use the washroom. Theyre frustrated with us because theres no washrooms in Gimli for them to use," Shane said. "Its like, You know where the washroom is? Its at home where youre supposed to be." Melanie said their son also works at the store and shes worried about her familys safety, particularly as the weather improves, increasing the chance of drawing more out-of-town visitors. "We did 500 transactions on Friday. Out of those, at least 300 were people wed never seen before. And out of that, Id say about 100 were people coming in groups who were obviously just out here on day trips," Shane said. "We dont have a problem if you want to come out for a drive, but pack some groceries, some water or whatever, and stay in your car." Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Greg Rickford, who represents the riding of Kenora-Rainy River, has been outspoken on social media about the need for Manitobans to stay home and refrain from travelling to their cottages during the pandemic. On April 4, Rickford took to Twitter to say there are growing numbers of cottagers returning to the area, and warning this could overwhelm the regional health authority if theres a spike in COVID-19 cases. "I have worked closely with the municipalities, health units and Indigenous leaders across northwestern Ontario, and we all share the same concern for continued cottage travel into the Kenora area," Rickford said in a written statement. "The Northwestern Health unit does not have the capacity to deal with an influx in population I am asking all seasonal residents to respect our efforts to contain the spread and protect our health-care services. When this is over, we will welcome our friends from Manitoba with open arms, but right now we need everyone to do their part and stay home." 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. Seoni said that as the pandemic continues governments and public-health authorities will need better and more localized data to properly tailor their messaging and reduce the risk of continued community transmission. "Understanding who those populations are and where they are can help the government and public health design better messaging, better interventions, and to focus on those populations that will not, or cannot, comply," he said. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe michael.pereira@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_m_pereira Battle Shaping Up in Congress About Including Non-CCP Virus Spending in Next Relief Package News Analysis A heated debate is brewing in Congress over non-CCP virus spending in a possible fourth recovery package aimed to steer the United States toward putting Open for Business signs back in the windows of the national economy. Battle lines are forming along highly polarized lines, as Democrats demand billions for projects having little or nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic and Republicans emphasize aid to help individuals and small businesses get back on their feet. What is beyond question is that the unprecedented $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) signed by President Donald Trump on March 27 contained billions of dollars for projects far removed from dealing with skyrocketing unemployment or failing businesses. Research by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) provided to The Epoch Times pointed to a long list of spending unrelated to the disease and its economic aftermath, including these: $30.8 billion for the Department of Education (DED) stabilization fund for elementary, secondary, and higher education programs $25 billion in transit infrastructure grants $10 billion in extended borrowing to the USPS $9.5 billion in agricultural programs $2.2 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs information technology systems $526 million in national network grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corp. (Amtrak) $345 million for Department of Labor training and employment services $324 million for State Department diplomatic programs $300 million for Social Security Administration salaries and overhead costs $100 million to the Federal Prison System $100 million for Safe Schools and Citizenship Education $95 million to the U.S. Agency for International Development for operating expenses $88 million to the Peace Corps $75 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund National Public Radio $75 million each to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities $60 million to NASA. $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services $35 million for Department of Housing and Urban Development administrative support offices $25 million in additional salaries and expenses for the House of Representatives $25 million for U.S. Capitol Construction and Operations $9 million for miscellaneous Senate expenses $7.5 million for Smithsonian Institution salaries and expenses $3.1 million for Maritime Administration operations and training An April 7 Congressional Research Service (CRS) analysis of CARES explained, for example, that the DED stabilization fund assistance provides for the distribution of approximately $14 billion to [colleges and universities] to address needs directly related to coronavirus, including, but not limited to, transitioning courses to distance education and grant aid to students for their educational costs such as food, housing, course materials, health care, and child care. How giving college students more money for food, books, housing, and other normal daily needs helps them cope with the pandemic wasnt explained by CRS. But Ross Marchand, TPAs director of policy, told The Epoch Times on April 14 that for the higher education portion, it looks like at least half of the funds need to go directly to students in emergency grants above and beyond what they are getting now. The other half can be used by the university to pay for switching instruction over to digital learning, but Im sure theres a lot of discretion there. Congressional Republicans have their own pork problems, according to Jim Manley, former senior aide to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Republicans arent even raising an eyebrow at one provision slipped into the CARES bill dealing with a tax break for wealthy individuals that the Joint Committee on Taxation suggests will cost $195 billion over 10 years, Manley said. The provision benefits hedge fund investors and real estate business owners. Next Bill Worse? David Williams, TPAs president, warned the next relief package could be worse than CARES. The taxpayer wheel of (mis)fortune keeps spinning, with us never knowing how much Congress will spend on unrelated items. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) success in tacking unneeded, unnecessary pork-barrel spending to the CARES Act sets a troubling precedent for future coronavirus-related relief legislation, Williams said. Williams pointed to the Postal Service seeking another $75 billion in the next relief legislation, despite the agencys longstanding financial problems predating the pandemic. Awarding grants to irresponsible organizations and agencies does nothing for coronavirus patients and simply sets the stage for more problems in the future. A related issue is the timing of a fourth package. Brian Darling, former senior counsel to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and founder of Liberty Government Affairs, told The Epoch Times on April 14 that Congress should not pass a fourth bill until the impact of the $2 trillion bill can be assessed to see if it worked as intended. Darling said that the urge to do something so Congress can provide themselves with political cover from voter blowback in November is strong and may cost taxpayers another $1 trillion by the end of this year. Romina Boccia of The Heritage Foundation agreed with Darling, observing that much of the relief provided in the CARES Act has yet to reach the intended businesses and individuals and lawmakers should be focused on constituent services to help people navigate the complex web of supports. That means, said Boccia, who directs the conservative think tanks Grover M. Herman Center for the Federal Budget, that all policies should be temporary and targeted directly toward addressing the public health crisis and keeping workers attached to their employers and widespread business failures to preserve the valuable infrastructure and networks, which will fuel the recovery once this becomes possible. The bottom line, Darling said, is that Congress is dysfunctional and cant be trusted to restrain themselves. But in a taste of the coming debate, Jimmy Williams, former senior economic adviser to Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), told The Epoch Times that its Congress job to spend our taxpayer dollars. If a member doesnt like the pork in these bills, vote against it. Frankly, Im tired of members from both sides of the aisle complaining about deficits when theyve done nothing to fix the problem in almost a decade. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government on Tuesday withdrew the security cover of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLA Simranjit Singh Bains, as he came in support of the Nihangs who chopped off the hand of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harjit Singh. The legislator had said that the Nihangs did so to avenge the wrongdoings committed by the Punjab Police. Sources said that the state police has withdrawn security extended to the MLA by its four gunmen. Confirming this, Ludhiana Police Commissioner Rakesh Agrawal said all the gunmen expressed a desire to stop giving the MLA security as they felt his comments insulted the police. He had said that there was resentment against the Punjab Police because they had recently beaten up innocent people. The cops need to introspect why the Nihangs were forced to pick up the kirpan. Even three ministers had on Monday demanded registration of a case against Bains for inciting communal disharmony. Bains should be immediately booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and the National Disaster Management Act 2005, as well as relevant sections of the IPC, the minsters said. Cabinet Ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Aruna Choudhary condemned Bains for his provocative and vile remarks and asked him to give up Punjab Police security if he did not trust the force. The ministers also demanded an unequivocal apology from Bains for politicising the issue for cheap publicity at a time when the entire Police force was putting their own lives at stake to save the lives of people from the COVID-19 pandemic and working 24X7 for providing relief to the needy. Such derogatory statements against the force are unpardonable, said cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa while castigating Bains for trying to derive political mileage of this tragic incident and at a time when the country is facing unprecedented challenges. (CNN) -- Fears are growing that the coronavirus could ravage Brazil's indigenous communities, following the death of a teenage boy in the Amazon region. A member of the Yanomami people, the 15-year-old boy from the village of Rehebe in northern Brazil had been studying in a nearby town, before returning to his ancestral village where he began to feel symptoms and was transferred to a hospital. He died on Friday from complications related to COVID-19, according to the Health Ministry. "We have to be extremely careful with indigenous communities," Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said after the Yanomami boy first tested positive. "The government is concerned about indigenous health. We are providing helicopters to withdraw people and take them to more sophisticated health centers." Some 800,000 indigenous people live in villages throughout Brazil. They may be particularly endangered by the pandemic, with some tribes never having had previous contact with the outside world, and others living far from healthcare facilities and without basic sanitation facilities. The teenager was one of nine indigenous Brazilians to test positive for coronavirus. Three have died, according to the ministry's Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health, which only monitors indigenous people living in traditional villages or communities. The Yanomami live in the rainforests of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela. Because they are largely isolated from the outside world, they are more vulnerable to even common viruses. There are an estimated 38,000 Yanomami today, according to the indigenous rights group Survival International. The nonprofit Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) has warned the virus could spread among the Yanomami through miners who had illegally entered indigenous territory. "Today, without a doubt, the main vector for the spread of COVID-19 inside the Yanomami Indigenous Territory is the more than 20,000 illegal miners that go in and out of the territory without any control," ISA said in a statement on its website. Indigenous rights activists warned that illegal mining and logging on indigenous lands, which have increased since Brazil's pro-development President Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in last year, now pose an even greater threat to remote communities in general and the Yanomami in particular. The nearest hospital in the capital of Roraima state has only 20 hospital beds equipped to deal with COVID-19 patients, according to authorities. In the neighboring state of Amazonas, more than 90 percent of ICU beds are already occupied and the incidence of coronavirus in relation to the population is the highest in Brazil at 19.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Health Ministry. The number of confirmed cases in Brazil rose to 23,430 on Monday and deaths related to COVID-19 reached 1,328. The mayor of Manaus, the riverside capital of Amazonas and the biggest city in the region, told CNN that the health system was already collapsing. "There aren't enough ICUs to meet demand," he said. "I would say that the private options are headed towards exhaustion and the public part has collapsed." Over the weekend, Mandetta, the health minister, said authorities were building a field hospital in Manaus to attend to the many indigenous communities. "The emerging spread of COVID-19 could have a devastating effect on indigenous peoples, particularly those living in voluntary isolation, due to their vulnerable immune systems, lack of access to healthcare facilities, and lack of potable water and sanitation infrastructure in villages," the watchdog group Amazon Watch warned even before the first case of coronavirus in Brazil's indigenous population was confirmed earlier this month. The first indigenous person to test positive for COVID-19 was a 20-year-old woman of the Kokama people in Amazonas state. Many villages have responded to the crisis by barring access to outsiders and encouraging villagers to avoid communal gatherings. "Besides uncontacted tribes, the pandemic is particularly worrying for many other indigenous people given their communal ways of life which could encourage its spread within communities, and, in some cases, their geographical distance from hospitals," said Sarah Shenker, a campaigner for Survival International. This story was first published on CNN.com "Coronavirus fears grow for Brazil's indigenous groups." An Indian-American Congressman on Tuesday introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives to honour the 129th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution. Introduced by Congressman Ro Khanna, the resolution acknowledges the profound impact of America's own discriminatory practices on Ambedkar, specifically pointing to the systematic discrimination of African-Americans and women in the United States as influential in his pursuit to guarantee equal rights for every human being in the Indian Constitution. Additionally, the resolution celebrates Ambedkar's historic labour reforms, codification of gender equality, and the successful inclusion of Article 17 in the Constitution of India, which abolished untouchability and its practice in any form. Endorsed by Equality Labs and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), the resolution is co-sponsored by Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and three other Indian-American Congressmen Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was a pioneer in the movement to make India a free, fair and just society for everyone in it. He mobilised a generation to push back against discrimination and to instead celebrate equality, human rights and universal tolerance. Today, we stand at a moment in world history when we could all use more of that compassionate spirit, Khanna said. It is a great honor to work with Congressman Khanna on this resolution to commemorate the powerful life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a man who laid a critical foundation for justice and equality in the Indian Constitution through his work on caste abolition, said SAALT. As a fearless Dalit leader, his legacy should remind us that the notion that any one human life is inherently more valuable than another is at the root of all forms of discrimination," it said. "This Dalit history month even in this dark time of COVID-19 it is inspirational to know that we can find the light of hope in our history, executive director of Equality Labs Thenmozhi Soundararajan said, adding that is why Equality Labs was thrilled to work with Khanna's office on first Congressional Resolution to celebrating Dr Ambedkar and his life and legacy. We hope all Americans will join us in celebrating this towering historical figure who was a fearless feminists and caste abolitionist whose contributions to the fields of economics, philosophy, religious, jurisprudence, and democracy remain unparalleled even today," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Portland Trail Blazers celebration of their 50th season will include a Virtual Fan Appreciation Day on Wednesday, April 15. Festivities will include prizes, auctions, special video highlights and more at trailblazers.com/fans and on Blazers social media platforms, the team said Tuesday. The teams online auction will include autographed items, first-class air travel on Alaska Airlines and Trail Blazers-themed art. New items will be added every Wednesday at 1 p.m., with the auctions continuing through May 15. Money from the auctions will go to the Trail Blazers Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund, which distributes money to nonprofits. To register for the auction, text blazers to 76278 or visit blazers.givesmart.com. We wont let a postponed season stop us from showing our appreciation for the continued support from our fans for over five decades, Chris McGowan, president and CEO of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter, said in a statement. Virtual Fan Appreciation Day is a small way for us to bring our Rip City community together in spirit and say thank you for 50 amazing years, with more great years ahead. World Amateur Radio Day 18 April It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. World Amateur Radio Day is the day when the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Member Societies can show our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other Amateurs worldwide. The theme for WARD 2020 is "Celebrating Amateur Radio's Contribution to Society." Tim Ellam, VE6SH, IARU President writes, As I write this the world is in the midst of battling the COVID-19 crisis. A few short weeks ago many of us could not imagine the levels of isolation that we are now dealing with and the sacrifices of many on the frontlines of the pandemic. As we have done in past challenges to our society, Amateur Radio will play a key part in keeping people connected and assisting those who need support. Having come off my own 14-day isolation after returning from an overseas trip, I am touched by the kindness of strangers who assisted me when I was unable to leave my house. It strikes me Amateur Radio operators, who give so much during these times of crisis, are not limited to assisting over the air. Amateurs are true volunteers and I would encourage everyone to assist in the community as they are able to. My wish for this World Amateur Radio Day is for everyone to stay safe, follow the advice of medical professionals and use Amateur Radio and your skills to help us through this crisis. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not providing needed support to the states and leaving the poorer sections at the goodwill of the rich during the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Referring to Modi's latest address to the nation in which he announced extension of the lockdown till May 3, the Hyderabad MP said these "are things that can be done through a single tweet. @TelanganaCMO has been demanding: states need relaxation of existing financial norms, fiscal relief AND immediate aid he tweeted. Today, Wazeer r Azam has again ignored the plight of vast majority of Indians who have been thrown into a state of hunger, homelessness & inconceivable desperation. @PMOIndia has left them to the charity & goodwill of the rich, he alleged. A lockdown "without thinking about" the hungry and deprived was cruelty of the highest form, he said. How long will Union government issue farmaans without providing support to states? How long will it say that states have the responsibility to feed hungry while not even releasing excess stock from FCI? If states are responsible then whatll the Union do? Issue more guidelines?, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two different shockers are affecting the Russian economy, namely the pandemic itself and the quarantine measures associated with it, as well as the fall in oil prices. Ex-employee of the Russian Presidential Administration, economist Dmitry Nekrasov has said Russia's small and medium-sized businesses will start going bankrupt during quarantine over the lack of government support, while the sector as a whole will face layoffs and meddling on the part of law enforcement in the redistribution of the market. "Two different shockers are affecting the Russian economy this is the pandemic itself and the quarantine measures associated with it, as well as the fall in oil prices. The drop in oil prices is a well-studied shocker for Russia, so the country has been preparing for it for some time. It is clear that in the context of plunging oil prices, budget revenues will sharply decrease, it is clear that the drop in oil prices alone, without any pandemic, is able to bring down GDP growth to negative digits, which affects the ruble exchange rate. However, in general, the Russian economy has never been so ready for a fall in oil prices as it is now. Huge reserves have been accumulated. The Central Bank's reserves exceeded US$580 billion, while the National Welfare Fund's reserves exceeded US$100 billion, respectively. But to purely tackle a fall in oil prices, even by the most radical scenario, the Russian government had enough reserves for one or two years, or for three to four years on average. But it's clear this is not good for the economy," he told Guildhall. "As for the coronavirus shocker, it's too early to talk about its ultimate consequences since we don't realize its ultimate scale. In fact, quarantine measures have just been introduced in the Russian Federation, and the epidemic is only gaining momentum, so we can only imagine how widespread losses will be," Nekrasov said. Read alsoItalians offered EUR 200 for praising Putin's help on camera media "The Russian government, unlike most European ones, did not support businesses, did not compensate for the loss of jobs, in fact, only announcing a month-off. And this means that businesses are paying salaries at their own expense now. It is clear that this measure cannot be permanent, because businesses will physically go bankrupt and fire everyone. It is unclear how people will survive during this month-off, which has been announced. I am sure that even in the current situation, many businesses will go bankrupt and without any doubt there will be a surge and there will be losses to small and medium-sized businesses. It is too early to assess the scale of these losses, they will definitely take place, even if everything returns to norm and the lockdown ends by late May, we will definitely see some reduction in GDP," he said. "Compared with the developed European economies, especially with Italy, where small and medium-sized businesses are very developed, it will be difficult for a part of the Russian economy that lives in competitive conditions. I think we will see both massive bankruptcies and massive reductions in this sector. The government will be seizing more control. And in Russian conditions, any emergency leads to the fact that law enforcement start taking part in the redistribution of the market and seizing control over some players," the analyst added. WASHINGTON A stalemate over an emergency infusion of cash to help small businesses battered by the coronavirus pandemic intensified on Monday after Democratic leaders doubled down on demands for additional money for state and local governments, hospitals, food assistance and rapid testing. With Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, insisting on adding to the Trump administrations request to inject $250 billion into the loan program, it is unclear whether lawmakers can reach a consensus this week even as officials warn that the program could run out of funds as early as Friday. The impasse over what was intended to be an interim emergency package before another broader stimulus deal comes as businesses say they have yet to receive a majority of the billions slated for the program. The National Governors Association also called on Saturday for Congress to allocate an additional $500 billion to states to help offset state revenue shortfalls, more than double what Democrats initially demanded. We have real problems facing this country, and its time for the Republicans to quit the political posturing by proposing bills they know will not pass either chamber and get serious and work with us toward a solution, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer said in a joint statement. With more than 1,000 people processing chickens daily, Jessica Kolterman knew it was likely just a matter of time before the coronavirus found its way into the workforce at the Lincoln Premium Poultry plant in Fremont. "With having around 1,100 employees, we fully anticipate that we could have a case at any point in time," Kolterman, a spokeswoman for the Fremont-based company that provides broiler chickens to Costco, said Monday morning. That point in time came Monday afternoon, when the company reported its first case of COVID-19. The employee, Kolterman said, works an evening shift and in a part of the building with fewer people. They last reported for work April 8. Kolterman said a deep clean of the facility has been scheduled, but work will continue. Lincoln Premium Poultry joins a number of food processing plants across the country with COVID-19 cases. But the virus' toll has not been consistent. Some plants have been hit hard, with dozens or even hundreds of cases, while other plants have been virtually unscathed. Take industry giant Smithfield, for example. The company Sunday announced that it will close its pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, indefinitely starting Wednesday, after more than 200 workers were diagnosed with the disease. The plant employs about 3,700 people and processes about 5% of the nation's pork supply. Hall County, which has more cases than any other county in Nebraska except Douglas County, has seen more than two dozen cases linked to the JBS beef plant in Grand Island, which has about 3,600 employees. The Grand Island plant has remained open, but JBS on Friday said it would close its plant in Greeley, Colorado, through Tuesday for deep cleaning. Three dozen employees of the plant have tested positive for the virus, and two workers have died. Over the weekend, the South Heartland District Health Department reported that 10 workers at the Western Reserve beef facility in Hastings had tested positive. With the exception of plants in the Tri-Cities area, there have been few reported cases linked to meatpacking plants in Nebraska. Pat Lopez, interim health director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, said Monday she's not aware of any cases linked to food processing businesses in the county. Saline County, where Smithfield has a plant in Crete that employs about 2,000 workers, has yet to report a positive case. Kim Showalter, director of Public Health Solutions, the health department covering Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline and Thayer counties, said she spoke to plant management as recently as Friday. There also have not been any confirmed cases linked to the Cargill Meat Solutions plant in Schuyler, said Julie McClure of the East Central District Health Department. Tyson Foods, which closed a pork plant in Iowa last week after more than two dozen cases of the virus, has not yet reported a similar outbreak in Nebraska, where it owns meatpacking plants in Dakota City, Lexington, Madison and Omaha; poultry processing facilities in Waverly and Tecumseh; and Cook's Hams in Lincoln. Tyson did not respond to a request for comment, but in a blog post on its website, the company said it has taken a number of measures to protect workers, including taking the temperature of employees before they enter facilities and offering protective face shields to workers who request them. Cargill, which in addition to its plant in Schuyler owns one in Nebraska City, also did not respond to a request for comment. Among the things it says it is doing to keep workers safe are temperature testing, extra cleaning and sanitizing, prohibiting visitors and adopting social distancing practices. Lincoln Premium Poultry has made many of the same moves, but Kolterman said another important aspect of keeping workers safe is making sure they are informed. "Education, education, education we started communicating with our teams over a month ago on best practices for hygiene, reminding them to stay home if they were sick, etc.," she said. "Our leadership team is very hands-on and started spending even more time in the break rooms during breaks, going table to table to answer questions and provide education," Kolterman said, noting that the company also provided interpreters. Photos, videos: Creating community amid isolation Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz. Five persons, including a woman, tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Tuesday, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 60, a senior health department official said. Of the five new cases, three are from Bomikhal and one from Jharpada in Bhubaneswar while another is from Jajpur district, Director of Health Bijay Mohapatra said. Both Bomikhal and Jharpada in the state capital have already been declared containment zones. "The state capital has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot in Odisha as 46 cases have been reported from here," an official said. The new patient from Jharpada isa 51-year-old man who came in contact with a person infected with the disease earlier, Mohapatra said. Of the three fresh cases from Bomikhal, one is a 51-year-old woman and two others are men, aged 50 years and 75, he said, adding that all of them are residents of an apartment where COVID-19 cases were found earlier. They are undergoing treatment in a hospital in the city, dedicated for the COVID-19patients. A 66-year-old man from Jajpur district, who had recently returned from Kolkata in a private van, tested positive for the deadly virus, the official said. He has been admitted to a hospital in Cuttack, which is also a dedicated facility for treatment of coronavirus-infected patients. The Jajpur district administration on Tuesday declared three villages as containment zones for seven days. With these new patients, the number of active cases in the state increased to 41 while 18 persons have recovered from the disease. A 72-year-old patient from the state capital died of the disease on April 6. Of the recovered patients, 12 are from Bhubaneswar, two from Bhadrak and one each from Cuttack, Jajpur, Puri and Kalahandi. Reviewing the COVID-19situation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said he was satisfied with the number of recovered patients and with the efforts of the government machinery. "With the combined efforts of all, Odisha is winning the fight against COVID-19," the health and family welfare department tweeted. National Health Mission director Shalini Pandit said more than 80 per cent of the patients in the state are asymptomatic and many of them will not require hospital care. The tests for coronavirus are presently being done at RMRC, AIIMS and ILS in Bhubaneswar, SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. "Laboratory development and equipment installation work are going on in full swing at VIMSAR in Burla for commencing COVID-19 testing at the earliest," the officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pan African Resources PLC (Incorporated and registered in England and Wales under Companies Act 1985 with registered number 3937466 on 25 February 2000) Share code on AIM: PAF Share code on JSE: PAN ISIN: GB0004300496 ("Pan African Resources" or "the Company" or "the Group") FURTHER UPDATE REGARDING THE COVID-19 NATIONAL LOCKDOWN AND STATUS OF GROUP OPERATIONS Shareholders are referred to the Company's announcements of 24 and 30 March 2020, following the regulations announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday 23 March 2020, and enacted in terms of the South African Disaster Management Act ("the Regulations"), which required a 21-day national lockdown, effective midnight 26 March 2020 to midnight 16 April 2020 ("the National Lockdown"), in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. On 9 April 2020, following 14 days of the initial lockdown period, President Ramaphosa announced that the country's National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to extend the lockdown period by a further two weeks beyond the initial 21-days, resulting in the existing lockdown measures remaining in force until 30 April 2020. Pan African Resources remains committed to all government efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Group will continue with preventative measures for the spread and detection of COVID-19 at all its operations, while continuing to undertake essential services during the National Lockdown, as detailed in the Group's announcement of 30 March 2020. As part of these essential services, the Group has obtained authorisation from the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to conduct surface re-mining and processing activities on a reduced scale, subject to compliance with and adherence to all relevant Regulations and applicable legislation. This includes the Group's Elikhulu Tailings Retreatment Plant and at its Barberton Tailings Retreatment Plant (collectively, the "Group surface operations"), and limited underground mining operations at Barberton Mines. The Group surface operations are currently operating at approximately 70 per cent of normal production capacity, but with a much reduced workforce. Operating with such a reduced workforce is possible, for a limited time, as a result of the highly automated nature of the surface operations. Barberton Mines is currently also able to produce the required minimum feed for its BIOX processing plant, thus ensuring the continued integrity of this system. Of the Group's total staff and contractor complement, only 26 per cent (excluding security staff) are involved in rendering essential services at these operations. Updated guidance for the 2020 financial year will be communicated to shareholders after the National Lockdown has terminated, and once the Group is in a position to quantify the extent and duration of the operational disruptions during this time. As previously communicated in the Company's announcement dated 24 March 2020, the Group's liquidity position remains robust. Credit approval from Rand Merchant Bank has been obtained to defer the last three tranches of the existing gold loan's redemption, constituting 5,000 ounces (equivalent to U$7.8m), to the first quarter of the 2021 financial year. The Group's banking consortium has also confirmed its support for the Company should further liquidity be required. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe adverse economic and social impact on stakeholders involved in the Group's operations and throughout the country. The Group has commenced with support programmes, in addition to its existing community initiatives, to assist stakeholders to alleviate hardships in the areas around its operations. These support programmes include food hampers and hygiene products for employees and specific communities. As a further initiative, potable water will be distributed by the mine's water tankers to affected communities in Barberton, in collaboration with the local municipality, for the duration of the National Lockdown. Cobus Loots, CEO of Pan African Resources, commented as follows: "We are fully supportive of the actions announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time implementing support measures to assist stakeholders around our operations. The health and well-being of our employees and communities remains our number one priority, and the measures that we have implemented enable essential services and operations to be maintained." Pan African Resources will continue to provide shareholders with regular updates regarding developments at Group operations during this time. Rosebank 14 April 2020 For further information on Pan African Resources, please visit the Company's website at www.panafricanresources.com A farmer has been left amazed after one of her goats birthed a two-headed kid able to eat with both heads. The incredible creature was born on the Nueske family farm in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, after its mother was found struggling to deliver her baby. Jocelyn Nueske, who manages and milks the goats, has named the animal Janus after the Roman god usually depicted with two faces. The family were hoping to keep Janus as a pet, however were fearful that it would not survive and put its chances on a knife-edge. But they have been buoyed following a trip to a clinic where scans showed that Janus was a 'normal baby goat'. The incredible creature was born on the Nueske family farm in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, after its mother was found struggling to deliver her baby Jocelyn Nueske, who manages and milks the goats, has named the animal Janus after the Roman god usually depicted with two faces Posting on the farm's Facebook page, the family revealed that it is thought the animal has two brains which are fused together at the back of his skulls. He has two 'fully-formed' craniums which are also fused to the spinal cord, while his heart, lungs and limbs are all functioning properly. But while the animal seems to have a pair of nearly everything, vets confirmed he only has one stomach. It adds: 'Baby Janus continues to amaze us and we are happy to have Wisconsin Valley Veterinary Service on board to help us look after his well being.' Two-headed creatures can occur when an embryo splits, as if to form twins, but it does not split completely, in a process known as polycephaly. Posting on the farm's Facebook page, the family revealed that it is thought the animal has two brains which are fused together at the back of his skulls It can also occur the other way around, with two separate embryos incompletely fusing to form a two-headed creature. Recalling Janus's birth last week, Jocelyn said: 'I noticed that the mother was having troubles having her second baby, which was completely normal. 'I started to assist her and I was very confused at first but then I realized the heads were attached and I was very shocked. It had four legs, two ears, four eyes and two noses. 'We have been milking goats for six years and never had anything like this. We usually have around 700 babies born each year and nothing like this has ever happened until now.' She added: 'We're just doing the best we can to keep him strong and healthy, and hoping for the best. 'We are a very caring family farm, we try our best to help any animal we can.' A US professor charged with the murder of his boyfriend asked to be released from custody so his research skills could be used in the battle against Covid-19. Wyndham Lathem asked a judge to be freed on bail, saying his academic knowledge could be useful and health issues put him at greater risk if he contracted coronavirus. Lathem, a microbiologist who worked at Northwestern University in Illinois, is accused in the 2017 stabbing of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau. (PA Graphics) The Chicago Sun-Times, citing court records, reported Judge Charles Burns denied granting Lathem bail in an emergency hearing conducted by teleconference. William Goldman, chairman of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina, in an email appended to Lathems motion, said: With his background and experience, Dr Lathem is well-suited to advise and participate in studies that are aimed at understanding SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope. Lathems alleged accomplice, Oxford University employee Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty last year in a deal that calls for him to give evidence against the 45-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Andrew Warren (Chicago Police Department/PA) Lathems lawyer Adam Sheppard said he was disappointed by the ruling, adding that his client reported mild symptoms of Covid-19 on Friday. We are deeply concerned about his health, Mr Sheppard said. He had been hopeful that he might get out (on bond), but he was not overly optimistic. Long after the lockdown is lifted and the pandemic has receded, the UK health service may still be treating vast numbers of long-term victims of the coronavirus. Worrying evidence from early studies of patients with Covid-19 is emerging to suggest the infection may leave behind debilitating conditions ranging from sensory loss to heart and lung damage. These might afflict only a small proportion of sufferers. But so vast are the numbers infected that the long-term afflicted may be in the millions. Already coronavirus is being reported to cause lasting injuries to lungs and hearts, for example. But history suggests there may be other consequences. Evidence from early studies of patients with Covid-19 is starting to suggest that the virus may leave debilitating conditions. (Stock image) After the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, in which up to half a billion people are thought to have been infected, many who survived experienced persistent lethargy and depression, says Laura Spinney, author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu Of 1918 And How It Changed The World. 'The virus affected the entire constitution,' she says. 'People also reported dizziness, insomnia, loss of hearing or smell, and blurred vision.' And some believe the Covid-19 outbreak will lead to a similar explosion in post-viral malaise and depression. There is a precedent with other epidemics. 'Psychiatric and neurological complications had been reported during the Sars epidemic in 2003,' the Italian Society of Neurology recently warned. 'Apart from depressive mood alterations, anxiety disorder and suicidal ideas, cases of visual and auditory hallucinations, behavioural disturbances, delusions of persecution and disorientation have been reported.' In 2011, Canadian researchers reported on a condition they called chronic post-Sars syndrome in 22 patients, in the journal BMC Neurology. All the patients suffered persistent fatigue, pain, weakness and depression. The link between respiratory viruses and mood disorders was supported by infectious disease experts at the Royal Free Hospital and University College London Medical School writing in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity in 2016. At present Covid-19 is being reported to cause lasting injuries to lungs and hearts but there may be other consequences. (Stock image) They found that people who had a flu infection in the previous 30 to 180 days had a 57 per cent higher risk of developing depression, compared with people who had not contracted flu. Any viral infection, from mumps to glandular fever or flu, can trigger post-viral syndrome, leading to persistent weakness and exhaustion. Symptoms can include headaches, aches and pains, stiff joints, swollen glands and trouble concentrating and can last weeks or even months. Quite why these symptoms persist is unclear, but it may be due to the virus triggering inflammation, or the lingering presence of the virus itself. Covid-19 may lead to other long-term problems, too. Six in ten people who have tested positive for it say they have lost their sense of smell and of taste a condition called anosmia. The loss may be temporary, but British evidence suggests that in many cases it may be permanent a condition called post-viral olfactory loss (PVOL). Carl Philpott, a professor of rhinology and olfactology at the University of East Anglia, told Good Health: 'It is very reasonable to think that Covid-19 may cause permanent smell and taste loss.' PVOL is already seen after respiratory infections, such as flu, when 'the infection causes fine hair-like endings of the odour-receptor cells inside the nose to fall off, so the cells are no longer able to pick up odour molecules from the nose', says Professor Philpott. 'However, with Covid-19, newly published reports suggest that the virus is damaging cells in the lining of the nose that support the receptor cells. It may be doing both forms of damage. 'Smell loss might seem trivial but it isn't to those who suffer it,' he warns. 'Many feel isolated from normal life which explains why more than 60 per cent report feeling stressed and depressed. 'An inability to smell can affect everything from enjoying countryside walks to personal relationships,' he adds. 'Our sense of smell is directly related to our ability to taste, so sufferers no longer share the joys of eating and drinking with friends and family. Around a third lose interest in food. Others resort to living on unhealthy takeaway curries, so they can experience some level of sensation.' The NHS says smell training, which involves sniffing scented oils daily to stimulate the olfactory nerves that detect odours, may coax the sense to return. Top tip If you're ordering take-away food, handle the packaging as little as possible and dispose of it quickly, says virologist Rob Lambkin-Williams. The virus survives on plastic and cardboard for some time Advertisement And Professor Philpott has been pioneering the use of a nasal spray containing a harmless chemical, sodium citrate. This alters the composition of nasal mucus in a way that appears to amplify signals from surviving smell-detecting mechanisms in noses. In 2017, he led a study in the journal Clinical Otolaryngology which showed a single spray could restore patients' taste and smell sensations for up to two hours. With repeat dosing the benefit may become longer lasting, although long-term studies are needed to confirm this. Meanwhile, as many as one in four people will have a post-viral cough that can persist for up to ten weeks after their bodies are clear of coronavirus. Ron Eccles, an emeritus professor who established the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, says: 'Post-viral inflammation of the airway means this debilitating symptom can linger after the initial infection has gone.' Far more concerning are reports that Covid-19 infection may cause pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the lung tissue that affects breathing. Last month, researchers at George Washington University Hospital in the U.S. posted images online showing serious inflammation on the lungs of a 59-year-old patient with Covid-19 symptoms. Dr Keith Mortman, head of the hospital's thoracic surgery department, warned: 'When this inflammation is reduced and the infection is cleared, it leaves scars on the lungs. This may deteriorate breathing capacity in the future.' In Hong Kong, a study of 12 people who recovered from coronavirus reports that three cannot walk briskly without becoming breathless because of lung damage. Dr Owen Zeng, head of the infectious disease centre at Princess Margaret Hospital, has predicted some Covid-19 patients may have a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in lung function. He is advising discharged patients to do exercises that stimulate the cardiovascular system, such as swimming, in the hope that this may help their lungs to recover gradually. Cardiovascular experts, meanwhile, are concerned that Covid-19 infection may cause lasting harm to hearts even in people with no previous underlying heart problems. A report in the journal JAMA Cardiology by the University of Texas in the U.S. warned that coronavirus can cause inflammation of the heart. This can lead to myocarditis, where inflammation weakens the organ and creates scar tissue that forces it to work harder to circulate blood and oxygen. Damage can be permanent. Scarring from coronavirus can also cause heart rhythm problems by inhibiting the healthy movement of the heart muscle, according to the Texas cardiologists. Symptoms can range from a minor inconvenience to a potentially fatal heart attack. 'We know the cardiac injury risk is there from coronaviruses, no matter if you had prior heart disease or not,' said Dr Mohammad Madjid, an assistant professor of cardiology at the University of Texas. Just last month, a study of 416 adults by the University of Wuhan the city in China where the coronavirus outbreak began reported in Jama Cardiology that one in five hospitalised Covid-19 patients had lasting heart damage. Such evidence suggests the NHS may have to provide services and support for coronavirus survivors who may have developed new heart and lung conditions. Kenneth Tyler, a professor of neurology at Colorado University School of Medicine in the U.S. is also predicting that the epidemic could leave a legacy of neurological diseases caused by damage to brain tissue and nerves. As Professor Tyler warns, healthcare specialists must be made available and funded to address the health damage that Covid-19 may leave in its wake. 'This is the Wild West,' he says. 'We may find things that we hadn't expected. And then we have to sort them out.' Six months to get over a bad case of mumps By Jo Waters for the Daily Mail Emily Cleary, 42, works as a PR consultant and lives in Buckinghamshire with husband Jamie, 43, a construction director and their two children, aged seven and five. She says: Emily Cleary (pictured), 42, from Buckinghamshire, said it took her six months to fully recover from the mumps I contracted mumps, a contagious viral disease, in September 2018. I was seriously ill for about three weeks with a fever, sore throat and painful swollen glands my face was twice its normal size. My throat swelled so badly I woke one night finding it hard to breathe. It was really frightening. I assumed, as a fit 40-year-old, I'd bounce back quickly when the symptoms died down. But I didn't. Six weeks later, my painful sore throat returned, caused by a bacterial infection a sign my immune system was still struggling. I also had a blocked ear, causing dizzy spells, and I felt very weak. My GP warned me viral infections such as mumps and flu can take months to recover from and that I was suffering post-viral syndrome, symptoms that linger after the initial infection has gone possibly due to lasting inflammation. She prescribed strong antibiotics for the sore throat and said I should get plenty of rest to speed up my recovery. I went to bed exhausted at 8pm every night and woke up, still shattered, after ten hours' sleep. It was so depressing. Gradually, I recovered though I still couldn't work full-time or exercise much for months. Any ailment, such as a cough or a migraine, knocked me back to square one, weak and barely able to walk. It took me six months to fully recover and the post-viral symptoms were as painful and inconvenient as the virus itself. I do wonder if Covid-19 will be any different. South Korea goes to the polls on Wednesday, becoming the first country to conduct a national election since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite its proximity to China, the country has been able to avoid a lockdown through an aggressive trace, test and treat operation, testing more cases per capita than anywhere else in the world. Measures have been put in place to ensure the parliamentary vote can be carried out safely. Polling stations will take voters temperatures upon arrival, and anyone registering higher than 37.5C will be directed to a special booth. Voters will also be required to wear masks at all times, use hand sanitiser upon arrival and, before using the voting machines themselves, put on disposal plastic gloves. Despite the additional inconvenience, a record number of people - more than five million - exercised the option to cast their ballot early on Friday. Officials had hoped for a high early turnout to reduce crowding at booths for the main event. Those early voters included the president Moon Jae-in, who as the incumbent would have been expected to see his party struggle in a normal Korean election. Instead, his perceived success in dealing with the countrys virus epidemic could translate to a boost for his party at the ballot box. Opinion polls suggest some 60 per cent of the public think he has responded well to the Covid-19 crisis, and his personal approval ratings hit a 16-month high last week. Success for Mr Moons centre-left Democratic Party will allow him to implement his agenda in the final two years of his administration more easily. South Korea only reported 27 new cases on Tuesday, bringing its total up to 10,564, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite receiving its first confirmed case as early as 20 January, the country has suffered just 217 deaths from the virus. Special measures are being put in place so that everyone can cast their vote on Wednesday - even those currently battling the disease. More than 7,000 people have recovered from the virus, and the national election commission said it had set up eight designated polling stations for the more than 3,000 coronavirus patients currently receiving treatment, as well as for medical staff in Seoul and Daegu, among the hardest-hit areas. Campaigning ahead of Wednesdays vote has faced significant disruption as a result of the virus. Candidates have been unable to hold large rallies, instead meeting voters in smaller meetings while wearing masks, and swapping typical handshakes for fist and elbow bumps. We're refraining from large rallies as much as possible and also limiting personal contact, said Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister running for the parliament. The head of the main opposition United Future Party, Hwang Kyo-ahn, took part in a photo opportunity disinfecting residential areas. The party criticised the government over the virus in its messaging at the start of the outbreak, but has eased off as the Moon administration has won international recognition, not least from the WHO itself. Voting on Friday in Seoul, 22-year-old Kim Ju-yeon told Reuters she was happy with the safety measures put in place by officials. It was a little uncomfortable since I had to put on plastic, she said, referring to the gloves she had to wear. But because voting is a must, the experience was reassuring. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a video conference with district collectors and SPs and said that COVID-19 guidelines should be strictly implemented in the state. Chief Minister made it clear that social distancing should be implemented strictly and daily essential good should be available every day at the specified time. He instructed the officials to minimize the public gatherings and essential goods should be door delivered in hotspot and red zone areas. He instructed the officials to ensure that the aqua products should be purchased at the price fixed by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and processing units and exports should be functional. Ordinance on seed and feed should be brought in so that the sector would be stabilized, he added. All the required facilities should be provided in quarantine centers and ensure that quality food is supplied for quarantine members, said Chief Minister. Strict orders have been issued to the officials that proper medication, changes in the food menu, proper hygiene should be maintained and protocol should be followed while sending the members from quarantine centers. He directed the officials to ensure that the essential goods be sold at prices displayed in front of the shops and the list should be updated every two days Every hospital should have isolation ward and every patient who comes to hospital should be treated carefully till the test performed and treated. All the medical and paramedical staff should be provided with PPEs and masks regularly, Chief Minister told officials. The Chief Minister made clear that no one in the state should suffer from hunger and ordered the officials to increase the number of ration counters during the ration distribution from April 16 and implement the token system to avoid public gatherings. Moreover, he directed the officials to give Rs 1,000 cash to the needy poor people irrespective of their ration cards and told the officials to issue ration cards to the people who do not have them. Discussing the paddy sales, the officials said that the paddy sales are taking place at the village level and agriculture assistants are monitoring the situation. To ensure the MSP for the state farmers, the Chief Minister ordered the district collectors not to allow paddy from other states. For the first time the farm gate system is being implemented, the officials told Chief minister On the other hand The Chief Minister said that the government has cleared Rs 1,800 crore fees reimbursement dues of 2018-19 academic year and also paid dues of the three quarters of the current academic year. From the next academic year, the fees reimbursement amount will be credited to the bank accounts of the students mother after the third quarter of the academic With concern to the Rythu Bharosa, he ordered the official to be prepared by May 15 and complete the procedure and ensure that every eligible is applied to the scheme before May 15. All the collectors were ordered to intensify works related to rythu bharosa centers and village clinics. Rythu bharosa center morning should be functional from June and all the works should be completed by March 2021. Chief Minister said that he was proud that every acre collected for house site distribution is collected with proper consent after paying the money. He asked the officials to complete the remaining works related to this program and said that the distributions can be completed in May if things go well. Rice distribution to the poor should be carried out, he said. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App An investigation is underway after a fatal shooting Tuesday in East Avondale. Birmingham police and fire medics responded about 4:30 p.m. to Second Avenue South between 47th and 48th streets on a report of a person shot. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the victimwas found unresponsive in the road in front of a house. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. The location is in a small neighborhood with just several houses. The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Wednesday identified the victim as Devin Dewayne Williams. He was 38. Mauldin said the preliminary investigation suggests Williams was involved in some kind of altercation with another person. That altercation turned physical. A third person then arrived and fired shots, striking Williams. A motive has yet to be determined, and no suspects are in custody. The deadly shooting is the citys third homicide in 24 hours. On Monday 23-year-old Cordai Deonte Molette - the son of a Birmingham police detective - was killed while he was driving a vehicle on Messer Airport Highway. Just several hours later, TimDarius Theophilus Gamble, 21, died in a domestic shooting at a Pratt City home. "These different situations arent related,'' Mauldin said. They are isolated events where the suspect knows the victim and theres some kind of relationship between them. Tuesday deadly shooting brings Birmingham 2020 homicide count to 31. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 50 slayings, including the 31 in Birmingham. Anyone with information on either slaying is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Businesses around the country are having a hard time adapting to the current situation, especially smaller companies. But it's during times like this that we can learn new ways to work and communicate. Google Malaysia wants to help local companies learn these digital skills and has announced a series of free online workshops. In the coming weeks, Google Malaysia will be holding a few sessions of its "Mahir Digital Bersama Google" program virtually. Conducted in collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the program is designed to teach businesses the skills and software that will be useful for working digitally and remotely. During the movement control order (MCO), Google Malaysia will be offering these 1-hour workshops online for free and they will be conducted by Google's trainers. Mahir Digital Bersama Google is committed to help our local business owners overcome challenges in these uncertain times. Join our virtual workshops and learn about free tools and resources on working remotely and digitally. Register for free here https://t.co/izeiT31aTY pic.twitter.com/aPJKttjm5I Google Malaysia (@GoogleMsia) April 14, 2020 The workshops will be held on 16, 22, 27, and 30 April 2020. But if you can't attend any of those sessions, you can also download the Google Primer app, which will provide quick and easy lessons that can be completed in as little as 5 minutes. The app contains hundreds of lessons in business, marketing, management, and more, as well as ways on how to make use of skills you'll learn. There's also a "Grow with Google" website that contains more tips for businesses, so do check that out if you want to know more. With that said, how has your remote working experience been so far? Have you been able to cope with this working lifestyle? Do share your tips on our Facebook page. And for more news like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com. Zetta Venture Partners, a San Francisco, CA-based venture capital firm exclusively focused on AI, closed its third fund, at $180m. Zettas fund, which brings the firms total assets under management to $365m, will invest in AI-first companies. Founded in 2013 and led by Mark Gorenberg, Ash Fontana, and Jocelyn Goldfein, Zetta Venture Partners leads investment rounds in pre-traction, AI-first companies with B2B business models. The firm is usually the first investor in a startup, committing $1 million to $3 million when a company has some predictive models to get its first customers. To date, Zetta has backed 36 companies, including Kaggle, Domo, Clearbit, Domino Data Lab, Tractable and Invenia. FinSMEs 14/04/2020 The World Health Organisation has urged countries around the world to shut down "dangerous" wet markets as a way to stop another global pandemic. Dr David Nabarro, a WHO special envoy on COVID-19, said the world health body was unable to order governments to close the live animal markets but its advice was there are "real dangers in these kinds of environments". Residents wearing face masks buy seafood at a wet market in China. Credit:Getty Images Wet markets in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the COVID-19 outbreak is thought to have originated, are starting to reopen as the country begins to lift restrictions. The Australian government earlier this month said it would lobby China through international forums to enforce its ban on the trade in wild animal meat. Usually, when we talk about must-see events, were describing sports, concerts, or blockbuster movies. With President Trump in the White House, though, a must-see event is a President Trumps COVID-19 press conference. On Monday, Trump took the press conference to a whole new level. He directly attacked the medias effort to rewrite history with their false allegations that Trump, due to ineptitude and crude political calculations, failed to respond to the virus in a timely and efficient way, effectively killing Americans. In the face of media lies and slander, George W. Bush, always the gentleman, would have said nothing. Trump, thank goodness, has no effete gentlemanly notions. If you slander him, he fights back. Trumps grand moment at the press conference began when he made irrefutable factual statements about the facts on the ground and his responsive actions. He then showed a video that summed up his aggressive efforts responding to the virus, the way the media once downplayed the virus, and the grateful thanks Trump received from many governors, both Republican and Democrat, as they struggled with the virus in their states. Trumps performance was magnificent. In typical Trump fashion, he actually had two simultaneous narratives going. The dominant narrative was a straight factual recitation. This established that Trump responded aggressively to COVID-19, while cases were in the single digits, and before anyone had died. Meanwhile, the media and his political opponents (especially Biden) were slamming him for overreacting and being a racist. Trumps secondary narrative revealed itself in his frequent asides, which are the spoken equivalent of parentheticals and footnotes. Thus, after stating a fact, Trump often added editorial commentary. These were statements about the medias gross dishonesty, about his presidency keeping media outlets alive, about how Biden attacked Trump for xenophobia when the latter slammed the door on China, and about the ghostwriters propping up Biden. To leftists, this commentary is infuriating. They attack it relentlessly, calling it divisive, crude, unpresidential, gross, etc. For conservatives, though, its refreshing and invigorating to see a president following the Confucian model of rectification of names. That is, Trump is improving the political world before our eyes by speaking the truth, avoiding euphemism, and making words correspond with reality. President Trumps open (and necessary) challenge to the media narrative is too long to transcribe in this blog post. In any event, a transcript cannot capture his unique style, with the two-tiered narrative of both fact and commentary. You have to watch it for yourself: Showing once again that they can dish it out but cant take it, MSNBC and CNN cut away from the briefing. CNNs John King, despite admitting that Trump was right about the dishonest criticism, nevertheless claimed that the presidents video exposing the medias many lies was propaganda: CNN's John King calls Trump's video that was just shown in the press briefing room, highlighting how the media downplayed the coronavirus and the steps he took early on in the pandemic, "propaganda": "It was cherry-picked." pic.twitter.com/vQG6bEjBFg Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) April 13, 2020 And here's MSNBC refusing to show the White House briefing: MSNBC cuts coverage and Ari Melber says they wont return to the press briefing until they actually start talking about the Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/zWqpFOVRtR Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 13, 2020 Both outlets seem to have lost sight of their traditional role, which is to relay to voters what the White House is saying even if those in the media disagree with it. In the past, the media rebutted material with which they disagreed. Nowadays, they indulge in totalitarian censorship. When CNN finally returned to covering the briefing, whoever was writing chyrons used them, not to convey information, but to editorialize: CNN's chyron writer had a meltdown during @realDonaldTrump's press briefing this evening. pic.twitter.com/Dv8w2OlLNO Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 14, 2020 For decades, a left-leaning media has waged a war against Republican administrations. Reagan responded with wit and humor to some effect. George H. W. Bush responded with peevishness, which is not a good strategy. George W. Bush tried to rise above it all, which was a disastrous approach. Trumps strategy is different: He gives as good as he gets, bashing back at lies with truth, responding to insults with insults, and never, ever conceding an inch. Hes right too. Americans can decide their nations fate only if they clearly understand whats happening, without an Orwellian institution mediating the truth for them. Cafe owner Fiona Whelan was described as 'a very special person' A well-loved and respected cafe owner was killed by her own car when it rolled forward in her driveway. Fiona Whelan (35) was pronounced dead at the scene of the tragic accident outside her Hacketstown home in Co Carlow at around 3.20pm on Saturday. It is understood her car, which had been switched off, inexplicably rolled as she stood beside it, inflicting fatal injuries. The incident is being treated as a "tragic accident". Ms Whelan's body was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital where a full post-mortem examination will be carried out. Special The vehicle has been removed for a technical examination. Expand Close The Perch Cafe in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Perch Cafe in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow Ms Whelan, of Rathnagrew, ran the popular Perch Cafe in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow. Local newsletter Baltinglass Matters posted a special tribute and described her as a "very special person" who was "known, respected and appreciated by people in the area. "The unexpected loss of such a vibrant young woman has left us stunned." Ms Whelan packed a full career in hospitality and catering into her short life. She started work at the age of just 16 in Germaine's cafe in Baltinglass and later spent some years with Bia Blasta. Once she got the opportunity to run her own business, she took out a short lease on D'Lish in Tinahely. After that she returned to Baltinglass to manage The Perch Cafe. "She was an excellent businesswoman with a positive attitude towards enhancing the community in general," the newsletter said. "Far from seeing other catering outlets as competition, she believed mutual support benefited all." On March 15, Ms Whelan held a meeting with her staff and they jointly agreed that The Perch should close during the coronavirus pandemic for the well-being of all. Hacketstown Community Group, Knockananna GAA and Rathdangan Community Council also expressed their shock at her passing. Numb "The surrounding community were left saddened and numb upon hearing of the untimely passing of Fiona Whelan." She is survived by partner Michael Byrne, parents Mary and Jimmy, brother Declan, sister Siobhan and extended family. Hadir, a refugee and research scientist resettled from Iraq, volunteers at an oncology unit at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in the United Kingdom, in this January 2020 file picture. UNHCR/Laura Padoan As many European countries continue to struggle with the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, the Council of Europe and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today encourage States to benefit from the support refugee health professionals can provide to national health systems at this critical juncture. In recent weeks, several States in Europe have publicly appealed for refugee health professionals to join in national responses to the virus. We fully support such initiatives and hope they can be further expanded across the continent and beyond, said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Medical professionals and health workers across the continent have responded to the pandemic with selfless determination, and all available help is needed at this time of crisis. Refugees with proven professional competencies are ready to step in and contribute if allowed to, under the supervision of certified health professionals. In this way, they can show their solidarity, and give back to the communities sheltering them. said Grandi. There are refugees and asylum seekers currently in Europe with the competences and relevant experience who are willing to get involved and help. But most health-related professions are tightly regulated and competent national health authorities need to give the necessary approvals. Refugees, their host societies and their home countries all benefit from the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees. The qualifications that refugees already have, but cannot fully document, can be used and can be built on, said Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The EQPR is not a substitute for the necessary professional certificates and licences, but it does help the authorities speed things up by providing some of the background needed. The EQPR can help establish a qualified pool of pre-assessed refugee health practitioners, that will enable the national health authorities to determine how best to deploy refugee resources, if and when needed. UNHCR is engaging with partners to find innovative ways to reach out to refugee communities, identify willing health practitioners, and facilitate access to online tests. Both the Council of Europe and UNHCR are already working with partners from National Qualifications Recognition Centres to identify refugee health professionals and help assess their skills and credentials through this programme. Media contacts: For COE: Daniel Holtgen, Spokesperson of the Secretary General, Mob. +33 6 68 29 87 51; [email protected] , @CoESpokesperson For UNHCR: The EQPR was launched in 2017 by the Council of Europe to help States assess refugees qualifications and facilitate their integration. It involves recognition centers from 10 countries (Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom) as well as public authorities and the UNHCR and receives financial support from Belgium (Flemish government), Georgia, Greece, Italy, Monaco, and Norway. The first holder of the EQPR obtained permanent employment in a health-related field in Norway in 2019. More than 500 refugees have benefitted from the programme across Europe so far. CLEVELAND, Ohio A former Ohio National Guardsman who took his own life in the Cuyahoga County Jail was left unchecked for two-and-a-half hours before the discovery of his death, despite a jail officer marking in official logs that he checked inmates as required, according to documents released on Monday. Officer Barrington Brown marked in official jail logs that he checked on 36-year-old Nicholas Colbert and other inmates in a special area of the jail where veterans are housed every 15 minutes. But a Cuyahoga County Sheriff investigation into Colberts death used surveillance video that showed Brown did not make those checks. A fellow inmate last saw Colbert alive about 11:30 a.m. Another inmate found him hanging in his cell about 2:30 p.m. Brown was not in the housing area at the time Colbert was found hanging on May 10, 2019 and the other inmate had to track the officer down, the records say. Brown retired 20 days after Colberts death. It has been documented through watching surveillance video of the [Veterans Pod] and inmate interviews that C/O Brown routinely leaves the pod; even at times when the inmates are not locked in their cells, Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Detective Tom Roberts wrote. Colbert was the last of nine inmates to die in the jail in an 11-month span starting in June 2018. Five of the nine committed suicide. The deaths touched off investigations by the U.S. Marshals, FBI and Ohio Attorney General. Little is known about the early deaths, because jail officials conducted insufficient death investigations, according to a November 2018 U.S. Marshals Service report. The records released on Monday provide for the first time a clearer picture of what happened to Colbert, though some questions still remain, including why Colbert hanged himself. The records are from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff criminal investigation of the incident and did not review or make any conclusions about whether jail policies were violated. Colbert, who struggled with heroin addiction for years, was booked into the jail on May 9 after being arrested by Maple Heights police on a drug possession charge. He was ordered held in the jail in lieu of $1,500 bond. Colbert told jail officials that he previously tried to commit suicide, and that he survived a heroin overdose about a five weeks prior to being booked into the jail, according to Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner records previously viewed by cleveland.com. He was not put on suicide watch at the jail and received no medical treatment for the short time he was jailed, according to the medical examiners preliminary autopsy report. The sheriffs investigation noted that the Colbert took a drawstring out of his hooded sweatshirt and used it to hold up his pants while waiting to be booked into the jail and go through required medical screenings. At some point, he put the drawstring in his pocket, the records state. Colbert was booked and taken to a regular jail cell about 11 p.m. About 11 a.m. the next day, Colbert was taken to the veterans pod. He ate lunch about 11:52 a.m., the records say. That was the last time anyone saw him alive, according to the records. Brown let the inmates out of their cells about 2:15 p.m. and left the area. An inmate peaked into Colberts cell and told investigators he thought Colbert was sitting oddly with a blanket over his head. He looked again and noticed a string was tied around Colberts neck at one end and a metal railing for people to climb up to the top bunk in the cell, according to the records. The inmate ran out of the cell and looked for Brown, but couldnt find him for about three minutes. Brown came around the corner and the inmate took him to Colberts cell about 2:26 p.m. Brown radioed for help about a minute later and medical officials arrived within a minute of that. Colbert was taken out of the jail and an ambulance took him to MetroHealth, where he was pronounced dead. Read more from cleveland.com Family of National Guard vet who died in Cuyahoga County Jail thought arrest might save him from longtime heroin addiction Medical Examiner: National Guard vet hanged himself in Cuyahoga County Jail National Guard vet who hanged self in Cuyahoga County Jail told jail of previous suicide attempt, records say Medical care, forced lockdowns and unsanitary conditions still problems at Cuyahoga County Jail, state says Cuyahoga County Jail removing bed sheets from cells for mentally ill, isolated inmates to curb suicides Canberra, April 14 : Universities Australia, which represents 39 varsities in the country, has predicted that more than 20,000 jobs in the sector will be lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, Education Minister Dan Tehan announced an A$18 billion ($11 billion) higher education relief package, which he said was "unashamedly" focused on domestic students, reports Xinhua news agency reported. Universities Australia welcomed the announcement but said it would not be sufficient to save jobs. "We estimate 21,000 jobs at Australian universities will go within the next six months," Deborah Terry, the Chair of Universities Australia, said in a statement. "Individual universities are already cutting costs across the board through very substantial reductions in operational spending, deferral of vital capital works, and reductions in senior staff salaries. "However, this will be nowhere near enough to cover what we conservatively estimate as a revenue decline of between A$3-4.6 billion." The University of Melbourne, the top university in Australia and 32nd-best in the world according to Times Higher Education's global rankings for 2020, earlier in April revealed that it expected revenues to fall by A$500 million dollars in 2020 alone. Don't expect any more research about the coronavirus from China as the mainland Chinese government in Beijing has raised the iron curtain prohibiting any publication that says the Wuhan virus started in China. The ruling party has imposed limits on what can be published, especially academic research that contradict the official party line that the coronavirus originated in China. Anything vastly contradicting the official stand of the mainland Beijing government will not be tolerated. Two universities already got scrubbed by online sensors. Iron grip policy by the government Bottom line, the new policy that covers all papers that is about COVID-19 will not be published, until it is submitted for verification that it complies with all guidelines. Accordingly, all posts found not conforming to the official party line and without approval will be deleted. It is now a taboo to question the narrative origin of the coronavirus. Abroad, the coronavirus is universally accepted to originate in Wuhan, and the government is spinning the studies to divest itself of complicity in its creation. It is important to the government that it knew about the coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic, that claimed more than 100,000 lives. Many sick from the COVID-19 disease radiated from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. From late January, China-based researchers have published COVID-19 studies in influential international medical journals. The highlight of these studies were early cases of human to human transmission, which left doubt on the official government stand, and later controversy and a spillover of discontent in Chinese social media. Also read: Coronavirus Second Wave? Chinese Markets Sell Bats After COVID-19 Cases Turn Zero Chinese authorities are exerting unusual control of all COVID-19 research and study. One Chinese researcher expressed with fear that the central government is hell-bent on controlling, and revising the narrative of China's complicity in the origin and creation of the coronavirus. He even said they might restrict further research. The researcher request anonymity for fear of retaliation Soon after the interview, CNN attempted to ask for a statement from the China's Foreign Ministry for comment. Questions about the directive are answered with an increase in watchdog activity. The Ministry of Education's science and technology department issued the directive saying, "academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly and tightly managed." Before getting approval, there was a rigorous process for academic papers to be approved. It begins at the academic committees at universities. Papers are sent to the Education Ministry's science and technology department, which forwards the papers to a state appointed body for approval. Without any approval from this group, no paper can be published. There are no exceptions. These directives are based on the March 25 meeting of the state council, for the control and prevention of COVID-19. It was not supposed to be a public document said one official who confirmed the directive, but said was not supposed to be made public, with no further comment. The Chinese source for CNN said the directive was approved recently with a few additional checks added. An iron curtain, that is Beijing as its grip on any coronavirus research, means all papers must share the government's narrative or not be published at all. Related article: Fang Fang's Wuhan Diary May Shed Light on What Really Happened During Coronavirus Lockdown @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Appealing directly to Mr. Sanderss supporters, he underscored the pivot Mr. Biden has been trying to make since wrapping up the nomination: from an argument, essentially, for restoring the pre-Trump status quo to an argument that this is insufficient. It is the argument Mr. Sanders and other progressive candidates like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, whose call for big structural change Mr. Obama overtly echoed made all along. To meet the moment, the Democratic Party will have to be bold, Mr. Obama said. I could not be prouder of the incredible progress that we made together during my presidency. But if I were running today, I wouldnt run the same race or have the same platform as I did in 2008. The world is different. Theres too much unfinished business for us to just look backwards. We have to look to the future. Mr. Sanderss ideas and his supporters enthusiasm would be critical in November, Mr. Obama said, before discussing several of the issues that drove Mr. Sanderss campaign. Americans, he said, needed student debt relief that did more than just tinker around the edges, health care access that went beyond the Affordable Care Act, climate policies bolder than the Paris Agreement, and policies to address the vast inequalities created by the new economy inequalities that he acknowledged had been evident long before now. Of course Democrats may not always agree on every detail of the best way to bring about each and every one of these changes, but we do agree that theyre needed, he said. And that only happens if we win this election. At points in his video announcement, which ran more than 12 minutes, Mr. Obama seemed to be doing more than endorsing his former vice president, more even than trying to unite his party. From his first words these arent normal times it was something like an Oval Office address to a battered nation, designed for maximum contrast with the offices current occupant. FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2019 file photo, Gov. Wilson Witzel speaks during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Witzel said Tuesday, April 14, 2020, that he has tested positive for the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) The governors of Rio de Janeiro and Para states in separate videos on Tuesday said they have tested positive for the new coronavirus, after weeks of imposing measures aimed at limiting its spread. In a video posted to his official Twitter account, Rio de Janeiros Gov. Wilson Witzel said he has experienced fever and sore throat since Friday. His positive test results came back on Tuesday, he said, adding that he feels well. I will continue working, he said. I request once again that you stay at home. This sickness, as you can all perceive, does not choose and contagion is rapid. Witzel, 52, has been one of Brazil's foremost proponents of self-quarantine and last month he imposed restrictions on business, transit and gatherings to contain the spread of COVID-19. This week he extended the measures through the end of the month. That stance -- shared by most Brazilian governors -- has put him at odds with President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the severity of the virus that has thus far killed more than 1,500 people in Latin America's largest country. Bolsonaro has called for confinement of only high-risk individuals and otherwise for life to resume as normal to avoid economic meltdown. Rio has the second-largest incidence of COVID-19 of any Brazilian state, with 3,410 cases and 224 deaths. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death. A poll earlier this month showed three-quarters of Brazilians support the governors' quarantine measures regardless of the economic cost. The governor of the Amazonian state of Para, Helder Barbalho, said in a separate video posted to his Twitter account on Tuesday that he also tested positive for the virus. He said he is asymptomatic and, like Witzel, urged people to self-quarantine. The virus doesnt choose age, it doesnt choose social class. Everyone is exposed, and everyone can get it, Barbalho said. Thats why I am appealing to you: stay at home and we will defeat the coronavirus. Story continues Barbalho has also bristled at Bolsonaros calls to resume activity. Bolsonaro on March 24 gave a national address in which he said jobs should be maintained and Brazilian states should abandon their scorched earth policy of prohibiting public transport, closing business and schools, and calling for mass confinement. Barbalho in a press conference the following day said he isn't obliged to agree with the president and will always opt for saving lives over sparing the economy, local media G1 reported at the time. The Supreme Court has stepped into the fray, with a justice this month issuing an injunction prohibiting the federal government from overruling state and municipal isolation measures. Bolsonaro said April 9 his government will appeal, but that the decision had a silver lining: it made clear local leaders were responsible for shutdown measures and he said people should bring complaints to their doorsteps. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday called upon the youth of the state to follow the path of social service shown by B R Ambedkar and to come forward to serve society in this hour of crisis. Paying homage to Ambedkar on the occasion of his 129th birth anniversary, the chief minister said the architect of the Indian Constitution waged a spirited battle for social harmony. "In this time of crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we all have to fight with the same spirit. I am sure we will win this battle against coronavirus," Khattar said in a televised address to the people of Haryana. "They (youth) must come forward to serve the society and make social service their ideal in this hour of crisis," he said. He said Ambedkar had integrated the Indian society through the Constitution and credited him for adding the Ashoka Chakra, a symbol of peace, to India's national flag. Khattar described Ambedkar as a great thinker who was against Article 370, which granted a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. "He was against Article 370," Khattar said, adding that granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir was not acceptable to Ambedkar. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government scrapped Article 370 in August last year. It also bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. "Babasaheb Ambedkar always followed the path of harmony, service and dedication. To end discrimination and to bring social awareness were the twin principles of social harmony of Babasaheb Ambedkar," Khattar said. He said it is necessary to bring social awareness in the fight against coronavirus following the same principles. With the nationwide lockdown extended till May 3, the chief minister said, Haryana will be making every possible effort to keep the "coronavirus graph stable". Khattar said he is hopeful that after April 20, the state will be able to start economic and industrial activities in a phased manner. In the world's biggest lockdown, which began on March 25, India's 1.3 billion people were ordered indoors for 21 days by Modi to stem the spread of coronavirus. Earlier on Tuesday, the prime minister announced that the lockdown will be extended to May 3 as the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Poila Baisakh or Pohela Baisakh is celebrated with much fervour and happiness across West Bengal. This period usually falls in mid-April according to the Gregorian calendar. This year, we celebrate the festival on March 14. Baisakh is the first month of the Bengali calendar. Poila Baishakh marks the first day of the month of Baishakh. The festival is celebrated as Baisakhi in Punjab, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala and Rongali Bihu in Assam. People from the Bengali community celebrate Poila Baisakh by greeting each other Shubho Nobobarsho. They seek blessings from God and their elders. Several dishes are prepared to mark the day, houses are decked up and people wear new clothes. On this auspicious occasion, we have compiled a list of messages which you can send to your loved ones and wish them a very happy Bengali New Year. * May this Nobo Borsho bring you joy, health, wealth and good luck throughout the year! * Let's welcome this New Year with great hope, eagerness & anticipation. Let us look forward to a plentiful of joy, satisfaction, peace & prosperity. * With a smile and a spirit of giving a sense of humanity a pledge to spread peace and happiness. Happy Poila Baisakh! * Fortunate is the one who has learned to Admire, but not to envy. Good Wishes for a joyous Poila Baisakh and New Year with a plenty of Peace and Prosperity. * May all your wishes come true this Poila Baishakh, may you get the best of all worlds. * They say everything looks better in the morning. Well, the new year is your new morning. Everything will look better then. Shubho Nobo Borsho! Libyas UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has gained significant territory in fighting west of the capital, Tripoli. A government spokesman said GNA forces took control of three key cities on the Mediterranean coast on Monday, as they expelled troops loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) of General Khalifa Haftar. The army seized the towns of Sabratha, Al Ajaylat, and Surman from forces loyal to Gen Khalifa Haftar. The operation was accomplished with the efforts of the GNA-affiliated Libyan army, in addition to the supporting revolutionaries troops coming from the Western Region, Tripoli, and from Misrata reaching to Ras Ajdir, said a GNA forces commander. Earlier on Monday, Colonel Muhammad Qanunu said the GNAs air defense intercepted planes belonging to Haftar in the Abu Grain area and shot down two Chinese-made Wing Loong aircraft and one Russian Mi-35 helicopter. The GNA Twitter account shared footage purportedly showing captured armored vehicles, supplied to the LNA by the UAE. Fighting between the rival forces has continued in recent weeks despite the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. As the country tries to fight a catastrophic virus, Tamil Nadu steps into a new year on April 14, along with Assam, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab and Bengal, with less pomp and fanfare, but double the hope. Notably, traditional new year observed across the country on Tuesday is also the last day of the national lockdown in the country intended to break the chain of the infectious virus. Tamil New Year which is believed to usher in hope, good health and prosperity is celebrated with great pomp and show- temples organise massive exhibitions attracting visitors from across the country, families decorate platters with delicious food, flowers, gold jewellery, cash and other objects symbolising prosperity. It is then placed next to a deity at home, as an offering to the Gods. In several States, people will mark the beginning of the new year under extreme measures and relatively cautiously, as the number of coronavirus cases soared past 10,000. Read | Here's why PM Modi extended India's COVID lockdown till May 3 and not April 30 like states How TN celebrated its New Year Families crowded around gadgets instead of hosting family gatherings and wished each other virtually, grand dinners will swiftly be replaced with modest meals and simple rangolis adorning the doorsteps of nearly every house. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Tamil Nadu with a tweet just ahead of his national address regarding the Corona crisis. , . . . Puthandu wishes to all. Praying for a year full of joy and wonderful health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2020 Read | PM Modi extends India's Coronavirus lockdown till May 3; announces additional measures The tweet translates to: 'Greetings to all, especially to my brothers and sisters from Tamil Nadu on this New Years Day. May the festival deepen the spirit of brotherhood and also bring joy and good health. I pray that all your wishes come true', he tweeted. The Prime Minister subsequently also tweeted in other regional languages, in Bengali, Telugu and Assamese to convey his greetings to the people. The traditional new year, though poses a significant new challenge to the country, the spirit of the festival and the people remain unhampered as they improvise new ways to celebrate the joyous occasion safely with their friends and families. Read | 'National approach - blanket policy,' says Arnab as PM Modi extends COVID lockdown Significance of Tamil New Year (Puthandu) According to local folklore, it is believed that on April 14, Lord Brahma, "created" the universe on this day. As part of the State's 23 public holidays, Puthandu is also celebrated in other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and other countries with a sizeable Tamil population. Read | 'Jaan bhi aur Jahan bhi': PM Modi shares new mantra with chief ministers on COVID-19 fight Washington: Major US television networks quickly cut away from Donald Trump's daily coronavirus briefing on Monday (Tuesday AEST), after the President aired selectively edited video clips promoting his response to the pandemic and attacking the media. The extraordinary briefing was Trump's most combative yet, as he lashed out at the media, state governors and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. US President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday (Tuesday AEST). Credit:AP Trump was clearly aggrieved by detailed reports over the weekend in The New York Times and Washington Post scrutinising his response to the pandemic. He was also annoyed by statements by Dr Anthony Fauci in which the infectious disease expert said fewer people would have died from the virus if the US had shut down its economy earlier. Trump defended his decision a day earlier to retweet a post on Twitter calling for Fauci to be fired, saying: "This was a persons view. Not everybodys happy with Anthony. Not everybodys happy with everybody". After an Easter like no one in this country could ever have imagined, the time has come for resurrection in Italy. The government had announced in its latest decree that starting April 14 some businesses could re-open. From today people in bookstores, dry cleaners, stationery shops and those selling children clothes have been allowed to return to work. Although the resurrection may have begun for some, other regions however have decided not to open these businesses yet, like Piedmont. Sardinia will delay opening until 26 April. Lombardy and Italy's economic capital Milan was the hardest-hit area in Italy by the coronavirus pandemic and Campania, with its capital Naples are delaying the re-opening of bookstores and stationery stores until the end of the national lockdown on 3 May. In Rome and the surrounding Lazio region, the authorities have also decided to delay openings of bookstores until next week to allow sanitizing of the spaces and re-organization of the shops. Moving slowly towards Phase 2 Italians across the country are wary about the government's decisions. They are only too mindful that the emergency is far from over and that the number of deaths remains very high, as well as the number of newly infected. Italy's civil defence department reported that the country's death toll exceeded 20,000 this week and the number of people who have caught the virus has surpassed 15,000. There is however light at the end of the tunnel as the number of people with the disease being admitted into intensive care units has been dropping steadily for more than a week. Italy has been on lockdown for over a month and although many are tired of having to stay inside their homes, there is widespread awareness this is the best solution to avoid the spread of the disease until a vaccine is found. Italians have been told Phase Two will involve a very gradual re-opening of businesses while maintaining a number of precautions. Then there will be a Phase Three which will involve a full return to the life people the country were accustomed to, before the first person died of Covid-19 on 21 February. Italian industry waiting to get back in gear For the past month Italians were only able to leave their homes to go and purchase food or medicines or if they had a justified work reason or if they had an emergency. Apart from supermarkets and pharmacies, a number of other stores have remained open throughout the lockdown including household goods stores, home appliances and electronics stores and delivery services. While factories are still not allowed to re-open, according to the government's latest decree, a number of other industries have been given the green light to operate. These include forestry, wholesale of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals and landscape maintenance. Manufacturers of computers and other electronics, tools and machine parts and radiators and heaters can also go back to work. Everyone must continue to maintain social distancing and hygiene measures and no customers are allowed into shops without protective masks. As the number of fallen victims of COVID-19 in the United States continues to rise, a team of scientists led by Kizzmekia Corbett is currently working round the clock to develop a vaccine that will save millions of lives. Fighting COVID-19 Corbett is a research fellow at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She and her team have already started the first stage of clinical trials of the vaccine that will help the world fight against the coronavirus. This was first reported by The New York Times. "There was, and is, already a fair amount of pressure. A lot of people are banking on us or feel that we have a product that could, at least, be part of the answer this world needs," Corbett told NBC News. The young scientist added that talking about their work in public takes a lot of courage, too. She and her team feel the great need for the vaccine and they want to make it happen. "And, well, whew, just saying that out loud is not easy," Corbett shared. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci during his interview with NBC News, the trials for the COVID-19 began in March. He described that the process happened at record speed. It took the team only about two months to get the trials started, which is comparably much faster as it took 20 months to get the SARS vaccine to trials in 2003. If successful, the team expects the vaccine to be ready for patients in early to mid-2021. A Brilliant Young Mind Kizzmekia Corbett started her journey with a full scholarship to study at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she took sociology and biology as her majors. According to NBC News, this superstar scientist earned her doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 2014. Later that same year, Corbett joined the Vaccine Research Center of the NIH as a postdoctoral fellow. "[She's] a really quite outstanding, hard-working scientist," Ralph Baric, a UNC professor told NBC News. He is currently working with Corbett in developing a vaccine to fight the novel coronavirus "Fate has put her in a position to make a huge difference in human health, and it has made a good choice." According to the outlet, Corbett -- who was born from a small town in North Carolina -- is giving this vaccine research all her time. She has been working on the vaccine seven days a week and barely gets three to four hours of sleep a day. Corbett feels that it is her duty to help save the world in whatever way she can. "At some point, you have to decide how much to care," she said. Corbett added, "You understand that your work will have to be mighty so that it can do your speaking." During her interview with "Black Enterprise," she revealed what was keeping her inspired to do her work. "I would say that my role as a scientist is really about my passion and purpose for the world and for giving back to the world," she told the outlet. The young scientist described herself saying, "I am Christian. I'm black. I am Southern, I'm an empath. I'm feisty, sassy, and fashionable." The clinical trials that Corbett and her team are doing for a vaccine to fight COVID-19 is a first of its kind. According to the report by NBC, the team will have to put their vaccine to a test in three different levels before it can be made available to the public. GREENWICH, Conn., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) today announced that the Company will release its first quarter 2020 financial results on Thursday, May 7, 2020 before the opening of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. A conference call will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. During the conference call, the Company's officers will review first quarter performance, discuss recent events and conduct a question-and-answer period. Webcast The conference call will also be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.starwoodpropertytrust.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will also be available for 90 days on the Company's website. To Participate in the Telephone Conference Call: Dial in at least five minutes prior to start time. Domestic: 1-877-407-9039 International: 1-201-689-8470 Conference Call Playback: Domestic: 1-844-512-2921 International: 1-412-317-6671 Passcode: 13702227 The playback can be accessed through May 14, 2020. Full Text of the Earnings Release Internet -- The full text of the earnings release will be available on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at the Company's web site, www.starwoodpropertytrust.com. at the Company's web site, www.starwoodpropertytrust.com. Mail -- For those without Internet access, the first quarter earnings release will be available by mail or fax, on request. To receive a copy, please call the Company's Investor Relations line at 203-422-7788. About Starwood Property Trust, Inc. Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), is a leading diversified finance company with a core focus on the real estate and infrastructure sectors. An affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, the Company has successfully deployed over $61 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $17 billion across debt and equity investments. Starwood Property Trust's investment objective is to generate attractive and stable returns for shareholders, primarily through dividends, by leveraging a premiere global organization to identify and execute on the best risk adjusted returning investments across its target assets. Additional information can be found at www.starwoodpropertytrust.com. Contact: Zachary Tanenbaum Starwood Property Trust Phone: 203-422-7788 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Starwood Property Trust, Inc. STOCKHOLM, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena RoRo has prepared the design and a project manager has been appointed to convert the large vehicle and passenger ferry Stena Saga into a hospital ship with space for 520 patients. Stena RoRo can convert the ferry within just a few weeks and have it ready to provide additional healthcare capacity in a corona-affected region. Contact has been established with authorities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany. When passenger service on Stena Saga's Oslo - Fredrikshamn route was permanently closed due to the coronavirus (covid-19) and travel restrictions imposed by several countries, Stena Line transferred the ship to sister company Stena RoRo with the objective of finding an alternative use for the vessel. One of Stena RoRo's specialist skills is converting and adapting ships to changing requirements and needs. And the company also has considerable experience in building hospital ships. "At a shipyard in China, we're currently building the world's largest civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy, on behalf of the international charity Mercy Ships," says Per Westling, CEO for Stena RoRo. "Our project manager for the Global Mercy is back in Sweden and will lead any possible conversion of the Stena Saga." Stena Saga has over 590 passenger cabins. According to the design prepared by Stena RoRo to convert the ferry into a hospital ship, there will be space for 520 patients. "To meet the requirements for medical care, we need, among other things, to rebuild the ventilation system, install alarms and communications systems, and also change the interior furnishings," says Stena RoRo project manager Rikard Olsson, who has substantial experience from the design and construction of hospital ships. "In addition, patients and crew must be able to be kept apart. We can do what needs to be done in two to three weeks." However, the converted ferry will not be equipped for intensive care. "The idea is to provide care for corona patients who need hospital care but not intensive care," says Per Westling. "There may also be a need for beds for patients who have left intensive care but still require medical care awhile longer. Probably it's mainly a matter of being able to relieve the load on conventional hospitals." The Stena Saga is now in the port of Uddevalla and Stena RoRo is investigating interest in the care capacity the ferry could provide. In addition to Sweden, where contact has already been established with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, contact is also being prioritized with the authorities in Norway, Denmark and Germany. About the Stena Saga The Stena Saga is a large vehicle and passenger ferry that has operated on the Oslo - Fredrikshamn line since 1994. Service on the line was suspended on March 19 of this year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The ship was first sailed to Gothenburg. Since April 1, she has been at the quay in Uddevalla. Vessel type: Passenger ferry Year built: 1981 (refurbished 1994, 2003, 2005, 2011) Length: 167 m Total passenger cabins: 590 Passenger capacity: 2,230 Auto capacity: 510 For more information, please contact Per Westling, CEO, Stena RoRo AB Tel: +46 31 855154 Email: per.westling@stena.com Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led the development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We specialize in custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax ships. The company leases some twenty vessels to operators worldwide, both other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo applies its technical expertise to design and convert existing ships for delivering tailor-made transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". www.stenaroro.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-offering-stena-saga-as-hospital-ship-with-space-for-520-patients,c3087042 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Stena RoRo The chief U.S. negotiator and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan held talks on Monday with Taliban officials in Doha on a prisoner release dispute that helped stall U.S.-led peace-making efforts, a Taliban spokesman said, Trend reports citing Reuters. The discussions, held despite the global coronavirus pandemic, followed some movement on prisoner releases, with Kabul freeing some 300 insurgent detainees and the Taliban releasing a first batch of government prisoners. The dispute over the size and pace of the releases, an increase in Taliban violence and other issues have stalled the U.S.-led effort to end Americas longest war and decades of strife in Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban office in Doha, said on Twitter that U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Army General Scott Miller met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the insurgent movement and its chief negotiator. The sides discussed the complete implementation of a Feb. 29 U.S.-Taliban deal for a phased U.S. troop withdrawal as well as delay in the release of prisoners, Shaheen said. He added that violations of the agreement and other issues and ways of their solutions were also discussed. Shaheen did not elaborate. The Taliban last week accused the United States of violating the accord by supporting Afghan security operations in some parts of the country, and warned that such support could jeopardize the Feb. 29 deal. It was the second time Miller, commander of a U.S.-led international force, met the Taliban officials since Friday. The State Department had no immediate comment. Earlier Monday, it announced that Khalilzad was to meet with Taliban officials to discuss current challenges in implementing the U.S.-Taliban Agreement. The Feb. 29 deal called for the freeing of up to 5,000 Taliban detainees and up to 1,000 government prisoners as a prelude to a March 10 opening of peace negotiations between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation including officials from Kabul. The Taliban, however, demanded the release all 5,000 detainees before they would attend the talks, a demand rejected by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose government was not a party to the deal. Ghani ordered a phased release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners, of whom some 300 have been freed since Wednesday. On Sunday, the insurgents announced that they turned 20 government prisoners over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kandahar. The head of the ICRCs Afghanistan office confirmed the releases on Twitter. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: Odisha cadre IPS officer and Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (CESU) CEO Arun Bothras Good Samaritan act of helping a Mumbai-based woman, who needed camel milk for her three-and-a-half year-old autistic child, has grabbed headlines. The Railways was virtually moved to deliver the milk from Rajasthan to Mumbai after the mother, Neha Kumari, tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter requesting help to get camel milk from Sadri in Rajasthan. I have a 3.5-year-old child suffering from autism and severe food allergies. He survives on camel milk and limited quality of pulses. When lockdown started, I did not have enough camel milk to last this long. Help me get the camel milk or its powder from Sadri, tweeted Kumari on April 4. The message was retweeted by many and Bothra, a native of Rajasthan, was alerted about it by one of his followers on the micro-blogging site. The 1996-batch IPS officer shared the womans request on various WhatsApp groups in Rajasthan and one group member informed him that Tarun Jain, Chief Passenger Traffic Manager with North-Western Railway looks after the freight operations. Bothra, who knew Jain, requested him to look into the ladys request. Jain reportedly asked the railways commercial department in Ajmer to get in touch with the vendor to find out a convenient station for him to deliver the stock. Phalna in Pali district was found to be the closest station as Sadri does not feature on the trains route. Since the train does not halt at Phalna, the railways made a special stoppage to load the parcel of 20-kg camel milk powder along with 20 litre camel milk which were sent to Mumbai. In the meantime, Bothra arranged 400 gm camel milk powder from a shop in Mumbai and helped to get it across to the woman. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted Railways rescue act. Twenty litre camel milk reached Mumbai by train last night. The family has kindly shared part of it with another needy person in the city, tweeted Bothra. SPRINGFIELD Saying she is concerned about public safety, state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, has joined fellow House Republicans in a letter asking the Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to answer questions prior to releasing inmates from any Illinois correctional center by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers had to learn from a news report that in the last six weeks IDOC has reduced its population by 1,345 inmates and Governor Pritzker has commuted the sentences of seven convicted murderers, she said. He cannot hide behind a coronavirus pandemic to make these decisions. I am afraid the Governor is using this pandemic as an excuse to push his political priority of releasing inmates early. Buenos Aires, Argentina--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - Centaurus Energy Inc. (TSXV: CTA) (OTCQX: CTARF) ("Centaurus" or the "Company") is pleased to announce, that Pan American Energy ("PAE"), Centaurus' partner, successfully tested the CASE-101(h) and CASE-501(h) horizontal multi-frac wells in the Vaca Muerta shale formation at the Coiron Amargo Sur Este ("CASE") block in Argentina. PAE holds a 55% working interest in, and is the operator of, the CASE block. Centaurus' Interim CEO, David Tawil, commented: "We are pleased with the short- and medium-term production results in the CASE block, and we are encouraged by our ongoing partnership with Pan American Energy." As announced on September 26, 2019, PAE successfully completed and tested the first horizontal multi-frac well CASE-101(h) in the Vaca Muerta shale formation at the CASE. CASE- 101(h) is the first of the five well program, was completed and connected to early production facilities on August 8, 2019 and achieved a 30 day average initial production ("IP30") rate of 1,020 barrels of oil per day with an average wellhead pressure of 3,775 psi. CASE-101(h) achieved a 90 day average initial production ("IP90") rate of 730 barrels of oil per day with an average wellhead pressure of 2,975 psi. As announced on January 15, 2020, CASE-501(h), the second horizontal multi-frac well of the program, was completed and connected to early production facilities on November 9, 2019 and achieved an IP30 rate of 1,003 barrels of oil per day with an average wellhead pressure of 4,885 psi. CASE-501(h) achieved an IP90 rate of 1,020 barrels of oil per day with an average wellhead pressure of 3,995 psi. As announced on March 30, 2020, CASE-401(h), the third horizontal multi-frac well of the program, was connected to early production facilities on January 7, 2020. CASE-401(h) achieved an IP30 rate of 950 barrels of oil per day with an average wellhead pressure of 4,600 psi. The Company expects to announce the CASE-401(h) IP90 results in due course. CASE-301(h), the fourth horizontal multi-frac well of the program, was completed and connected to early production facilities on February 3, 2020. The Company expects to announce the CASE-301h IP30 results in due course. The CASE-102(h), the fifth horizontal multi-frac well of the five well program, which was drilled in replacement of the CASE-201(h) well that was temporarily abandoned due to drilling technical problems, is currently awaiting completion. The CASE-101(h), CASE-501(h), CASE-401(h), CASE-301h, CASE-201(h) and CASE-102(h) wells are part of the Pilot Program covered by the Loan Facility that Centaurus has with PAE which will be repaid with the net production proceeds from 100% of Centaurus's interest in the CASE block. Centaurus holds a 35% working interest in the CASE block. About Centaurus Energy Centaurus is an independent upstream oil and gas company with both conventional and unconventional oil and gas operations in Argentina. The Company's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CTA and on the OTCQX under the symbol CTARF. For further information please contact: David Tawil Interim Chief Executive Officer email: info@ctaurus.com phone: (403) 262-1901 Reader Advisories Well Test Results Well test results should be considered as preliminary and not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery. Neither a pressure transient analysis nor a well-test interpretation has been carried out on the well test data contained herein and therefore the data contained herein should be considered to be preliminary until such analysis or interpretation has been done. Forward Looking Information Disclaimer The information in this news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, in particular, but not limited to, expectations for completing the CASE-301(h) and CASE-102(h) well tests and the timing thereof, and the expected or anticipated benefits to the Company contained in this news release either expressly or impliedly. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. These statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. The forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review and consider the additional risk factors set forth in the Company's Annual Information Form, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54419 Vets have been issued with advice on the possible transfer of the Covid-19 virus through animals. The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI), the statutory body responsible for the regulation and management of the practise of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in the state, has issued a guidance note to veterinary professionals on the subject of Covid-19 and passive transfer to animals. Included is a protocol for veterinary practitioners and veterinary nurses to assist their clients or pet owners who may be concerned for their animals welfare or suspect that their animal may have contracted the virus. The Council said it acknowledges that recent reports of dogs, cats and even zoo tigers and lions testing positive for the virus should be taken seriously. However, the Council advises that there is currently no indication that pet animals such as cats and dogs are active transmitters of the infection to humans. This view is shared by the World Organisation for Animal Health. The Council provided the following recommended protocol for veterinary professionals when advising their clients: - If faced with questions from clients worried by news reports or stories found on social media, veterinary professionals should be aware that the general population understandably equates the detection of a pathogen in an animal with active and contagious infection. - Veterinary professionals should be mindful when explaining the concept of contaminated rather than infected pets, there exists the possibility of the discovery of some hitherto undiscovered reservoir or intermediate animal host. - Veterinary practices should advise their clients that while the situation may change, that at this point pets are not considered to be active transmitters of infections for humans. - However, animals that have contact with confirmed or suspect human cases should be treated as high risk of having the virus either on their coats, or in their faeces, as well as in nasal and oral secretions. It would be advisable that such animals be quarantined and kept in isolation for 14 days as a precautionary measure. - Where such animals have to be examined in a veterinary practice, the precautionary principle should be invoked. Barrier nursing protocols should be implemented, and a minimum of practice staff should be exposed to the risk. These processes should be explained to the client in advance in order to allay their fears and avoid unnecessary embarrassment. - High risk Covid-19 patients should limit their contact with other animals. - In keeping with other disease control measures, people should always wash their hands after playing with and handling their pets. The Veterinary Council also said it acknowledged the veterinary professionals who are continuing to work and provide veterinary care during the restrictions. Joe Moffitt, President of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, said: The Veterinary Council of Ireland would like to commend all registrants who continue to practise veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing to the highest professional standards while adhering to HSE, public health and Government guidelines and operating in a spirit of collegiality despite the obstacles posed by the current pandemic. A furious woman has blasted her new neighbours for dobbing her in to police because she moved house during the coronavirus pandemic. Susan McLaughlin, from Byron Bay, said she was 'sick of the behaviour' of people in the coastal New South Wales town after her relocation was interrupted by police. 'I am entitled to move house without the new neighbours calling the police,' she wrote in a heated post. 'What has happened to the locals of Byron... so sad and disappointing. A Byron Bay local has hit out at her new neighbours after they dobbed her in to the police believing she had broken NSW COVID-19 restrictions. However, hundreds of tourists and locals were pictured ignore social distancing to enjoy sunset at Byron Bay on March 23 'Im pretty sure that if given the chance the locals would install a public hanging area.' The tough coronavirus restrictions in New South Wales do not prevent people from moving house, provided they maintain social distancing. Many locals said they were not surprised to hear about Ms McLaughlin's experience. 'It is so so sad. But to be honest predictable,' one man said. 'Yep here we go again, so called locals making judgement calls. Completely out of line calling the cops. What happened to a neighbourly over the fence conversation?' another asked. Others said there had been a noticeable shift in community behaviour since the pandemic hit, and noted her actions were within the NSW restriction guidelines. 'Like every where world wide people are behaving badly because they are in fear and angry,' one comment read. Someone else said: 'Back in the day locals would have told the authorities to get f***ed over all this. Now look whats happening. Byron culture has been ruined that's for sure. Ms McLaughlin slammed her neighbours for dobbing her in for moving house despite relocating households complying with NSW government COVID-19 restrictions 'One of the few concessions regarding the restrictions is if you have to move house. The people who dobbed this lady are not only unkind, but dopey,' a woman added. People who do not abide by the state's restrictions face fines of up to $11,000 and a maximum of six months in jail. NSW Police can also hand out $1000 on-the-spot fines to those caught breaking rules and not self-isolating at home if ordered to do so, while businesses can be fined $55,000. Despite some Northern Rivers residents reporting behaviour changes, hundreds of tourists and locals were pictured ignoring social distancing rules to sit on the beach as the sunset at the end of last month. The popular backpacker town has since ramped up its testing, setting up a free pop-up clinic and urging overseas travellers to stay away. Nationwide, there are 6394 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 61 deaths and 3499 recoveries. It comes after police turned up to a Sydney mother's home on Thursday over reports she was illegally hosting a birthday party for her 13-year-old son. Neighbours saw close family friends driving past to leave presents outside and mistook the scene as parents dropping of their children. Earlier this month, a Victorian couple were fined $3000 after someone reported them to police for 'non-essential travel' after they shared year-old snaps of a previous holiday on Facebook. The penalty was later revoked. The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund has supported 10,000 Kayayei in Accra and Kumasi with 140,000 food packs and other essentials to lessen the effects of the two-week lockdown due to the spread of the virus. The Private Sector Fund fed Kayayei with one hot meal a day for the past two weeks in communities like Darkuman, Madina, Agbogbloshie, Ashaiman, Tema Station, Bantama, Anyaano, Moshie Zongo, Daaban Station. In addition to hot meals, the beneficiaries were educated on COVID-19 and preventive measures to be taken against the disease. According to a statement issued by the Fund, in line with the mission of the Fund, the project was a prompt intervention to help alleviate the socio-economic challenges faced by the Kayayei. The statement said the Fund will now focus its efforts on three main projects: Feed-the-Frontline providing meals for our hardworking health professionals, Protect and Resource the Frontline delivering much-needed personal protective equipment to hospitals trating and caring for the Covid-19 patients and the construction of a 100-bed isolation and treatment facility at the GA East Hospital which serves as the National COVID-19 Treatment Centre. We want to encourage all Ghanaians to support the COVID-19 Private Sector Fund to provide a prompt response in the fight against COVID-19, the statement added. The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund was established by 10 private businessmen and women to raise GHC100m to complement governments efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The 10 trustees have each donated GHC100,000 into the fund. The general public can donate to the fund through the following channels: dial *777#100 on all networks and follow instructions. You can also send a bank transfer to 1300033187312, Fidelity Bank, Ridge Towers or visit www.ghanacovid19fund.com for more information. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) China and Indonesia share broad common interests at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels and enjoy tremendous potential for cooperation, Xi said, adding that China will continue to work with Indonesia to prevail over the COVID-19 epidemic. BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages on Monday with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Indonesia diplomatic relations. Noting that the friendly exchanges between China and Indonesia boast a long history, Xi said bilateral relations have made great progress since the establishment of diplomatic ties. In recent years, in particular, Xi said, the two countries have continuously lifted their relations, expanded the areas of cooperation, achieved fruitful results from Belt and Road cooperation, and worked closely on international and regional affairs, bringing benefits to the two peoples and contributing to regional and global prosperity and stability. China and Indonesia share broad common interests at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels and enjoy tremendous potential for cooperation, Xi said, adding that China will continue to work with Indonesia to prevail over the COVID-19 epidemic. An officer of Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) check medical supplies provided by China at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Indonesia relations and stands ready to work with Widodo to enrich the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and add new impetus to regional development. For his part, Widodo said that Indonesia and China possess longtime historic and cultural ties, while close contacts between the leaders of the two countries and between the people of various sectors have forged a solid friendship. Over the past 70 years, bilateral ties have matured day by day, which is a remarkable strategic achievement of both sides, he said, adding that the two countries have continuously created cooperation opportunities in various fields, benefiting the two peoples and deserving the pride of both sides. Within the framework of a comprehensive strategic partnership and upholding the spirit of cooperation, the two sides will surely bolster the continuous progress and prosperity of the two countries and contribute to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, said the Indonesian president. New Delhi, April 14 : Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola has announced it will unveil its new flagship smartphones, the Motorola Edge Plus and Edge, on April 22. "It is arriving. Join us for the Motorola Flagship Launch E-vent, April 22nd, 11AM CDT," the company said in a tweet. The smartphone maker also shared a six-second teaser which suggests that the device will have waterfall display along with a 90-degree curved edge design. The company was expected to showcase both the devices at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this year, but the conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Edge Plus is expected to run on Qualcomm's top-end Snapdragon 865 processor coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB storage. The handset is expected to feature a large 5,170mAh battery and run on Android 10 out-of-the-box. The smartphone may come with 108MP sensor seen on the back of the phone, with two more cameras: a 16MP wide-angle camera and an 8MP telephoto camera. The cheaper Edge model might feature less powerful hardware and a 64MP main sensor. It may run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Advertisement The owners of the historic Dartington Hall Estate have been accused of keeping a 'sinister and shadowy' dossier on campaigners trying to stop them selling land to developers. The detailed 'dossier' allegedly contained the addresses and personal relationships of activists, campaign group Save Dartington said, alongside information on their school, former workplaces, interests and activities such as music, art and gym membership. The trust which owns the hall in Totnes, Devon, and is chaired by Dr Greg Parston, was forced to launch a desperate cost-cutting programme last year after revealing it was losing 8,000 a day. This included selling land to developers, which triggered local opposition. When the hall was purchased by American heiress Dorothy Elmhirst and her Yorkshire-born husband Leonard after the First World War, it was opened as a place championing an idealistic community for art, education and philosophy. It also had a boarding school attended by artist Lucian Freud and his brother and esteemed writer Clement Freud. The trust said in a statement there was no dossier, but there was a list compiled by a 'well-intentioned' employee who was 'trying to be helpful' that was circulated before she left. Since February the trust has made savings totalling 1million. Dartington Hall in Totnes, Devon, has been accused of compiling a list of campaigners aiming to stop it selling land to developers. The hall said that no dossier was compiled but there was a list that was distributed by a former employee Dartington Hall had to launch a desperate cost-cutting initiative after saying it was losing 8,000 a day in 2019 The trust, which owns the hall, accepted the list was their own but said it was distributed by a 'well-intentioned' employee before they left their role. They said they had been engaging with community groups The hall was opened by American heiress Dorothy Elmhirst and her Yorkshire-born husband Leonard in 1925 with the aim of offering an alternative way of living. It also contained a boarding school attended by artist Lucian Freud Campaigners have said the trust's chairman Dr Greg Parston should bear ultimate responsibility for the 'disturbing' list. Spokesman for Save Dartington and chair of planning at Totnes Town council Georgina Allen, 54, said the list was 'awful' Campaign group Save Dartington, which is calling for a halt to development, alleged the list was circulated to all 350 staff members at the trust. Its spokesman and chair of planning at Totnes Town Council Georgina Allen, 54, said she was 'disturbed' by the trust's motives for creating the list. Save Dartington member Rob Hopkins (left) said he felt 'really sad' that the trust had decided to compile the list instead of 'engaging with us' 'It's pretty awful really,' she said. 'I don't know why they made the list, but it can't be for anything good.' Ms Allen's name was at the top of the list which named at least 20 people. 'There was personal information that shouldn't be shared. It had information like how many houses we owned and where we worked. It must have come from Facebook or research.' 'I think they were keeping tabs on the group. The sinister thing is sharing it with the staff, I find it intimidating. I've been told I'm making myself into a Joan of Arc figure, and a friend said "look what they did to her".' The list also allegedly contained the name of a female member of the group, who they said was listed as home-schooled. Save Dartington member Rob Hopkins said he felt 'really sad' that the trust had decided to compile campaigners names 'instead of engaging with us'. 'They are sitting in a bunker becoming increasingly paranoid about the people that oppose them,' he said. 'We discovered that rather than engage constructively with Save Dartington, a database of campaigners' details was being compiled and stored on the DHT internal shared IT system which was available to all 350 members of staff - a collection and storage of personal data without apparent lawfulness.' The trust's chairman Dr Greg Parston was accused of bearing ultimate responsibility for the 'disturbing' list and the 'toxic impact' it could have on the community. The estate has been carving off sections of its 1,200-acre lands to developers since 2014, when it offered 17 fields to developers. It attempted to raise 20million in 2018 through the sale of bonds, but only got 50,000, causing the resignation of its then chief executive who said they would need to sell two large tracts of land. The sale of two fields this year has led to accusations from the former regional MEP Caroline Voaden that they were sold without being placed on the open market, which she says is against Charity Commission guidance. 'Fields have been sold without being put on the open market for an undisclosed price,' she said. 'The community was given no option to purchase them.' Dartington Hall in Totnes, Devon, has been accused of compiling a list of members of campaign group Save Dartington (pictured) along with their addresses and interests Dartington Hall said in a statement that the list had been shared by a 'well-intentioned' employee. 'As part of her role, she had been working very closely with local stakeholders and the surrounding community,' they said. 'A dossier was not compiled by anyone. A record did exist but it was in fact a simple list.' 'The purpose of Dartington Hall Trust is about pioneering ways of living and learning to nurture a just and sustainable future and none of that could be done with the parlous state of its finances. '(A national newspaper) covered it this morning and we were really pleased with the comments from readers who understand the importance of developing the work of the estate. 'We're now looking forward to involving them and the many thousands of alumni and neighbours who wish the board well.' The spokesman also said that discussions took place locally before the decision to sell the land was taken. While the world has been focused on the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, another battle has been playing out in the background, around oil prices and geopolitical interests, writes Saeed Okasha The price war between OPEC states led by Saudi Arabia and Russia ended Sunday with an agreement to slash production in May to stop the collapse of oil prices. The landmark agreement came a day after a phone call between 13 US senators and the Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al-Saud, was leaked to the press. In the phone call, that reportedly took place late last month, the senators threatened to push legislation calling for the withdrawal of US forces from Saudi Arabia, the imposition of customs duties on Saudi oil imports to the US and reducing the level of bilateral relations between Washington and Riyadh unless Saudi Arabia, one of the worlds largest oil exporters, stopped flooding markets to cause oil prices to plummet. As forceful as the senators threat may have been, this was not what ultimately determined Riyadhs decision to call for a truce in the price war in which Donald Trump had recently taken a lead as an intermediary. The crisis, which erupted in January, played out against a number of major developments that had no direct bearing on the recriminations traded at the time between Russia and Saudi Arabia over production and prices. Above all, there was a sharp rise in tensions between the US and Iran due to the formers decisions to notch up sanctions and to assassinate Major General Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. The dramatic developments surrounding that crisis would have actually propelled towards a rise in oil prices, since the absence of Iranian oil from the market would reduce supply. However, Saudi Arabia stepped in to take up the slack and sustain price levels. This, in turn, angered Russia, another major oil and natural gas producer, which jacked up its oil production and exports for fear of losing its share of the global market to Saudi Arabia. With some more tit-for-tat measures, the price war was in full swing. Then the second factor, Covid-19, struck, precipitating the worst global economic crisis since World War II. Due to the worldwide slowdown in economic activities as countries went into lockdown, demand for oil plunged, triggering a further collapse in prices. Thus, contrary to the claims of some US senators, such as Dan Sullivan, Saudi Arabia was not directly responsible for this collapse. Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, was among the 13 senators who took part in the abovementioned phone call to the Saudi ambassador which was unprecedented in its menacing tone, even if some of their threats would be difficult if not impossible to implement, such as the threat to withdraw US forces from the kingdom. The phone call was motivated less by anti-Saudi sentiment than by concerns over US domestic oil production. Most of the 13 senators were from oil producing states such as Alaska and Louisiana. They are also connected with major lobbies related to oil, namely the gun lobby and the Jewish lobby. The three form the most powerful lobby triumvirate in the US. President Trump, who was disinclined to exert too much pressure on the Saudi monarchy, adopted a softer approach. On Thursday last week he said that he had a good conversation lasting an hour and half with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias King Salman in advance of the OPEC+ meeting. We had a big talk as to oil production and OPEC and making it so that our industry does well and the oil industry does better than its doing right now, he said, predicting an immanent deal. The US presidents uncharacteristically mollifying tone, in contrast to the tougher rhetoric he generally prefers to use against friend and foe alike when defending US interests, reflects the complexity of this issue from his position. Trumps immediate aim was clear: to push Moscow and Riyadh towards an agreement that would alleviate the global economic crisis and help floundering oil-related industries in the US survive the crisis. However, contrary to the US oil lobbys representatives in the Senate, who saw the crisis exclusively from the perspective of its impact on their home states, Trump took a broader view. He also approached it from the perspective of the impact of oil prices on the USs main adversaries, such as China, Russia and Iran. As Trump realised, the plunge in oil prices naturally worked in favour of China, one of the worlds largest importers of this strategic commodity. Had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic, China could have emerged from the price war more economically competitive than ever and with greater opportunities to increase its trade surplus with the US. This was the last thing Trump wanted at this point in his long battle to force China to stop flooding US markets with Chinese exports. On the other hand, the drop in oil prices helped put the squeeze on Russia, which Washington wants to punish for its policies towards Ukraine and Syria and its alliances with Iran and Turkey. So, when Riyadh initially initiated the production/price war with Russia, which is heavily dependent on petroleum exports, Trump understood that this was not directed against US interests and that it might serve to compel Russia to alter its policies in directions more in line with Washingtons outlooks. Plummeting oil prices also intensified Irans economic anguish. Despite US sanctions, Tehran has still managed to export oil indirectly through such intermediaries as China. However, it was forced to sell at less than the international rate in order to ensure a sufficient share of the market and compensate for losses. The Iranian economy, like Russia and the Gulf countries, is also heavily dependent on oil. Basically, President Trump has had to strike a balance between three considerations. One is pressures from domestic shale oil producers who cannot continue production if the price of oil falls below $40/barrel. The second is advantages that lower oil prices bring in terms of the ability to pressure Russia and Iran to change their foreign policies in areas of concern to the US. The third is the desire to prevent China from capitalising on lower oil prices and driving up the USs trade deficit with China. Because of the interplay between these three considerations, Trump did not share the anger that the 13 senators vented against the Saudi ambassador. At the same time, he welcomed the Saudi-Russian agreement to end the price war so that he could focus on the greater challenge: the anticipated impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the US economy for quite a while to come. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: With the panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we may wonder what society and the world will look like when this crisis ends. Small businesses fear that they may not be able to recover from minimal sales these past few months, people have been laid off from jobs, and schools have converted from in-person classroom settings to online. Can we rebuild? What does that look like? How long will it take to recover? We may have asked ourselves these questions as we watch the numbers on the news continue to rise. As the Bible has no specific guidelines on a pandemic like this, how do we look forward to the future? But does the Bible have examples of people rebuilding after a disaster? Most definitely. As we take a look at a man named Nehemiah, who returned to Israel after a 70-year captivity took place in Babylon, we learn what rebuilding after a horrific event looks like. Nehemiah helps to rebuild Jerusalems walls and city and Israel flourishes until Alexander the Great pops onto the scene, writes the Embassy of Israel. Lets dive into what Nehemiah can teach us about rebuilding after a disaster. How Bad Was the Damage to Jerusalem? Nehemiah may not have faced a pandemic, but when the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, they left Israel destitute and without hope. Not only did the Babylonians take the best of the best (Daniel 1), leaving only the poor and frail behind, but according to accounts in the Bible and Josephus, the Babylonians set fire to Jerusalem. This means, when Nehemiah returns, he has to start from square one. Theyve burned the buildings, the stones, the foundations (Nehemiah 4:2), and it looks bleak. To top it all off, Israels enemies arent too keen about their return, and continually taunt and threaten Nehemiah, to prevent him from completing his project. In essence, the situation looked bleak much like our own disaster may now seem. Nevertheless, Nehemiah trusts in the Lord and proceeds with rebuilding Jerusalem. We can learn a great deal from when he chooses to do so. It Takes Time to Rebuild Although Nehemiah does remark at the surprising speed God allows them to rebuild once he arrives in Jerusalem, it takes a lot of time to get to that point. Ezra, another returning exile, returns with families into Jerusalem in 457 BC, and Nehemiah doesnt start building until 444 BC, according to this timeline from BibleHub. That means 13 whole years pass before they begin repairs. To those exiles who arrived in 457, they may have experienced a great deal of sorrow and loss. The city they once knew, or had heard about from their parents during the Babylonian exile, has been reduced to almost nothing. Nevertheless, once they begin to rebuild, they complete the wall before the year expires, and Ezra reads the law for the people, reminding them of Gods goodness and promises. When all seems most hopeless, God allows the people to rebuild and they flourish for about one hundred years. Photo credit: Getty Images/899429 Enemies Will Try to Deter the Rebuilding Process Israel, throughout its history, has accumulated a number of enemies. And when the Israelites return from the Babylonian exile, they walk right into a group of foes who do not want to see the city rebuilt. Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, and other Ammonites and Horonites, are less than pleased when they hear that the Israelites have begun to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 4). He first resorts to taunting. As much as we hate taunting now, like when someone insults us online or in the workplace, taunting during Nehemiahs time packed a whole different kind of punch. He prays that God handle the situation, and that his enemies will have their insults fall on their own heads. Then he goes back to work. When Sanballat sees that theyre actually succeeding in rebuilding, he fights against the Israelites. They have to station guards outside the city to block his attacks (Nehemiah 4:9). Sanballat also attempts to lure Nehemiah out of the city to do him harm, but Nehemiah pointedly sends Sanballats messenger back each time. In the end, Jerusalem rebuilds, in spite of enemy opposition. Whatever God has brought together, no man can separate (Mark 10:9), and that certainly rang true for Nehemiah. In the same way, Satan likes to tear apart what God is healing or rebuilding. When God restores something, expect the devil to make an attempt to deter progress. Healing Can be Painful One particular passage really stands out in Nehemiahs narrative: when Ezra reads the law for the people in Nehemiah 8. Most people, when he does so, react by crying bitter tears (Nehemiah 8:9). Theyve realized in this moment how much theyve lost. Perhaps they thought about all the family members who perished in Babylon and never got to see the rebuilt city. Or maybe they wondered if the Babylonian captivity would have never taken place if theyd listened more carefully to the law Ezra is reading now. In either case, even though theyve rebuilt, they realize how much theyve healed from, how long those decades in Babylon felt. And this evokes an emotional reaction. In the same way, when we heal from a disaster, the process involves a lot of pain, a lot of mulling over emotions and memories we dont want to unwrap. Nevertheless, God restores us, even amidst the pain. There are times for mourning and celebration (Ecclesiastes 3), and sometimes those seasons can intermingle. Why Does This Matter? Weve been told that the Bible doesnt answer every problem. It seems to remain silent on issues like social media, dating, and COVID-19, since none of those three existed during the historical timeline of the Old or New Testament. But that doesnt mean the Bible doesnt have examples of godly people experiencing disasters, and how they coped and rebuilt from those. Part of the reason why I wrote a modern-day Daniel set in a high school was because I saw how Daniel related to issues that teens experience now, and how his standing up for his beliefs plays an important role in how teens tackle difficult issues today. The Bible is described as living and active (Hebrews 4:12). That means that no matter when the writer penned that particular book of the Bible, it can have relevance on our lives. So when we face rebuilding from a disaster, we can turn to Scripture for examples, for encouragement, and most importantly, for healing. Photo credit: Getty Images/nito100 Hope Bolinger is a multi-published novelist and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 1,200 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her modern-day Daniel trilogy is out with IlluminateYA. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of 2021. Find out more about her at her website. (Photo : Pixabay) Android Phones Will Have COVID-19 Tracker Via Google Play Update! Google confirmed that a COVID-19 Tracker is now available on Android phones and other mobile devices via Google Play. In a previous report by The Verge, Google and Apple agreed to come together to develop a novel coronavirus tracker that will help implement contact tracing and slow the continued spread of the pandemic. Google and Apple announced on Friday, April 10, that a COVID-19 contact tracing technology will soon be released and will be available in iOS and Android devices in May. The new system that was laid out will establish a voluntary contact-tracing network using short-range Bluetooth communications to keep extensive data of the devices that have been in close proximity with one another. Public authorities will use the official apps to access the data of the users who downloaded the applications. The public can then use the apps to report if they were confirmed with the coronavirus. The new update will also allow individuals to indicate whether they have been in close contact with a person positive with COVID-19. The Google COVID-19 Tracker will allow people to identify who is infected and who has been in contact with that infected individual. This method will help in preventing further infections and is one of the most effective solutions to contain the numbers of COVID-19 infections. Android phones will now have COVID-19 Tracker via Google Play update On The Verge's latest report, Google announced that COVID-19 Tracker is now available on Android devices via Google Play Store. It was clarified that the update should ensure that more Android phones will have the COVID-19 Tracker, including Android devices that run the Android 6.0 system and Marshmallow. According to the report, fully updating the systems of the Android devices may result in delays from both carriers and manufacturers. Google Play was the medium used to provide the tracker because it is the only reliable system developed for getting software updates to an individual's Android phone promptly. Google's Bluetooth contact tracing framework, whose initial API rollout is expected to launch next month, will be built into the Android OS. However, there are still some Android devices that will not benefit from the new update. Google is not allowed to export the contact tracing system on all the Android phones in China, including Huawei devices that were sold around the globe after the restrictions from the United States were implemented. Google is prohibited from releasing the software to Huawei which means that the contact tracing system cannot be applied. Google addressed the issue by developing a framework that companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, and other Chinese manufacturers can replicate for their Android products to have a secure tracking system. The strategy provided by Google to address these restrictions was launched last year to provide more recent versions of Android. However, the project's mainline updates are still open-sourced. Google refused to provide any comment regarding the system and clarified that they are still unsure whether to offer the code audits to the companies that are restricted from the system but want to develop the same update. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. LATEST, April 14, 6:45 p.m. A rehabilitation and nursing home in Castro Valley reported its first death of a resident due to COVID-19 complications Tuesday night. At East Bay Post Acute, 23 staff and 22 residents have tested positive for the virus. At the Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center in Hayward, 40 residents have positive and 25 staff have tested positive and 11 residents have died. April 14, 4:40 p.m. On Tuesday afternoon, two Bay Area counties announced additional cases of the coronavirus. Marin County announced one new case, bringing the total to 171; Solano County announced five new cases, bringing the total there to 140. Santa Clara County, which has been the hardest hit Bay Area county, stated Tuesday that due to "system issues" with California's Reportable Disease Information Exchange, "case counts and lab testing numbers are not available today." The county said it would update its case numbers as soon as possible. As of Monday, Santa Clara County counted 1,666 cases and 60 deaths. April 14, 4:20 p.m. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took a different approach than the previous day to discuss governor leadership during the coronavirus outbreak. Ahead of a call with all 50 governors he said he would schedule probably for Thursday, he noted all testing for the virus would be handled by governors. The best way Im talking now from a managerial standpoint is to let individual governors run individual states and come to us if they have difficulty and we will help them, he said. When asked about when states might be allowed to open, he again said it would be up to the governors, but that the federal government would ultimately have the final say. Regarding some states, which have a low number of cases, he said, Were going to pick a date, but its going to be very, very soon, sooner than the end of the month. In the event of a state with many cases wanting to reopen, Trump said the federal government may not allow it. If we disagree with it, were not going to let them open, he said. Were there to watch, were there to help but were also there to be critics. In any case, and in particular, in New York, Trump said hes not going to put any pressure on any governor to open. April 14, 4 p.m. Trump name checked a long list of American companies purportedly helping in the fight against the coronavirus. Among them were Silicon Valley tech companies and CEOs, including Oracles Safra Catz, Salesforces Marc Benioff and Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg. The respect for Silicon Valley and our tech companies theres no one even close to our tech companies, so they try and buy them, he said. But we sort of put an end to a lot of that. April 14, 3:15 p.m. President Donald Trump announced in a press conference Tuesday that the United States would be temporarily pulling funding from the World Health Organization "while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organizations role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus" a claim he did not provide evidence to substantiate. "American taxpayers provide between $400 million and $500 million dollars per year to the WHO," he continued. "In contrast, China contributes $40 million per year. As the organization's leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability." Trump says there were reasons to suspect human-to-human transmission in December, which he claimed without evidence that the WHO did not report, and that the WHO's delay in disseminating information has caused the organization to be unreliable. "The reality is the WHO failed to adequately obtain and share information in a timely and transparent fashion," Trump said. He also blamed the WHO for taking "China's assurances at face value, and [for defending] the actions of the Chinese government." However, in late January, Trump himself lauded China's "transparency" during the epidemic. "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus," he tweeted. "The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!" April 14, 3 p.m. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is extending expired drivers licenses in the state for drivers under the age of 70. Those licenses set to expire between March and May this year, the agency wrote in a statement, are now valid through May 31, 2020. Additionally, commercial licenses as well as endorsements and certificates set to expire between March and June of this year are now also valid through June 2020. The DMV is nevertheless processing license renewals, and the agency encourages eligible drivers with expired licenses to renew their license online if possible. Drivers with suspended licenses are not eligible. April 14, 2 p.m. San Francisco Pride has been canceled for 2020, organizers say. This June would have marked the historic 50-year celebration. An anticipated 900,000 to 1 million people, many of whom were not local, were expected to attend. "This was not a decision we arrived at lightly," Executive Director Fred Lopez said in a statement. "Our staff has been in frequent talks with our board, our production team, our partners at many departments of City Hall, officials at other Pride organizations worldwide and most of all, our LGBTQ communities." April 14, 1:45 p.m. Newsom suggested the likelihood of a large-scale event taking place in the state this summer is negligible at best while researchers seek a vaccine for the coronavirus. "Large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers all together across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based on our expectations," Newsom said. Until a treatment is deemed effective and safe for Californians, residents will be directed to toggle between strict and relaxed social distancing guidelines. More here. Newsom also gave an update on hospitalizations and ICU stays across the state, pointing to a "modest" 0.1% decline in ICU patients. There are currently 1,177 in the ICU. Newsom also noted, however, a 3.6% increase in hospitalizations. April 14, 1:10 p.m. California Governor Gavin Newsom outlined an initial plan for incremental relaxing of social-distancing guidelines, saying six things need to happen first as we begin to transition into suppression on our way to herd immunity and ultimately into a vaccine. The first phase is an expanded capacity to test Californians, as well as a ramping up of contact tracing and tracking. Second is a continued vigilance in protecting vulnerable [Californians] from infection and spread. Third is a priority to address the PPE and ventilator needs of state hospitals in the event of another surge. Fourth is to continue to work with academic and research partners like Genentech and Gilead to help those on the front lines and to develop therapeutic treatments and medications. Fifth is a literal redrawing [of] our floor plans, Newsom said, to enable schools and businesses like restaurants to practice safe social distancing. And last is perhaps the most challenging, Newsom noted: the capacity to reinstate more vigorous controls when needed. Specifically, the state may need to toggle between looser and more strict social-distancing guidelines as things change, as data comes in, as health concerns make them real. [We need] not just trend lines to go down and become headlines, but an infrastructure to support loosening of these stay-at-home orders in a precise and targeted and gradual way, Newsom said, where were using data, using science on a daily basis to toggle so we get exactly the appropriate lighting so we can ultimately transition to herd immunity and a vaccine and get this economy roaring again. Newsom offered a very tentative timeline for the plan, saying that in two weeks, if we see continued decline in hospitalizations and ICU and PPE needs, California may begin the process. I know you want timelines, but we cant get ahead of ourselves, Newsom warned. Lets not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early, as much as we want to. I dont want to make political decisions that put peoples lives risk and the economy at risk by extending the period of time before we can transition to get people moving again. Thats the sober reality, but the reality I think that provides a little light that this is not a permanent state. April 14, 11:30 a.m. Harvard University researchers say people all over the world may need to intermittently social distance through 2022 in an effort to halt a resurgence of the coronavirus while a vaccine is still being tested. In a published article in the journal Science, researchers used simulation models to predict how the pandemic might progress in the coming months and years. They found several possible routes the virus might take. In one instance, strict social distancing followed by diligent public health work could stop the virus completely. That outcome may be unlikely at this point, researchers say, because of a continuance of new cases all over the world. Another possibility is that the coronavirus could become seasonal, as has been discussed by leading health experts. But in more near future, there's a serious danger to that outcome: A delayed peak, in the fall, could seriously strain hospitals' capacity for care. The social distancing was so effective that virtually no population immunity was built, the researchers wrote. April 14, 9:45 a.m. The Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward saw its 10th death among residents Monday. The outbreak was reported last week and according to the Alameda County Department of Public Health, 41 residents and 25 staff have tested positive. CBS News reports the 10th mortality is the grandmother of Union City councilman Jaime Patino. Patino posted on Facebook Monday night: Tonight, at 8:28pm, my Grandma Emma Patinos journey on this Earth ended and she went to Heaven to be with the Lord. No more suffering. No more worries. No more pain. I would like to thank all of you that have been so supportive and beautiful to us during this ordeal. It gave us the strength to pull through this. April 14, 8:56 a.m. San Francisco reported 30 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total to 987. The death toll remains 15. Hospitalizations appear to have hit a plateau in the city and county over the past week. Ninety people were hospitalized as of Sunday, 94 on Saturday, 84 on Friday, 86 on Thursday, 89 on Wednesday, 91 on Tuesday and 93 last Monday. To date, S.F. hospitals and clinics have run 8,541 tests, with 13% returning a positive. April 14, 7:53 a.m. Coronavirus cases continue to climb in California but at a less steady rate and this slight slowdown is happening as more testing becomes available. For nearly the past two weeks, the state has reported more than 1,000 cases a day. But on Sunday and Monday the number of new cases fell below 1,000, according to the East Bay Times. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce a plan at his noon press conference today that will eventually allow the state to lift its shelter-in-place order. The University of Washington model adjusted its California forecast to project a peak in hospitalizations on April 13. The model predicts the state will see its peak death toll on April 19. In the Bay Area, San Mateo County is thinning out the inmate population in its correctional facilities to allow for better social distancing and prevent an outbreak of COVID-19. The county is releasing 132 inmates from jails under a new bail rule, "setting bail to $0 for misdemeanors and most nonviolent felonies," according to the Mercury News. Sonoma is the first Bay Area county to change its face mask policy from a recommendation to an order. On Monday night, county officials announced that beginning Friday residents must wear masks in public places. "All persons shall wear facial coverings before they enter any indoor facility besides their residence, any enclosed open space, or while outdoors when the person is unable to maintain a six-foot distance from another person at all times," the order reads. The order says children over age 2 should wear coverings. You don't need to wear a mask on a walk or run if you're in the woods or in your neighborhood and keeping a distance of at least six feet from others. Those who violate the order can be cited with a misdemeanor. Find the full order at SoCoEmergency.org. Cumulative cases in the greater Bay Area (due to limited testing these numbers reflect only a small portion of likely cases): ALAMEDA COUNTY: 886 confirmed cases, 23 deaths For more information on Alameda County cases, visit the public health department website. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 552 confirmed cases, 11 deaths For more information on Contra Costa County cases, visit the public health department website. LAKE COUNTY: 4 confirmed cases For information on Lake County and coronavirus, visit the public health department website. MARIN COUNTY: 170 confirmed cases, 10 deaths Fore more information on Marin County cases, visit the public health department website. MONTEREY COUNTY: 87 confirmed cases, 3 deaths For more information on Monterey County cases, visit the public health department website. NAPA COUNTY: 38 cases, 2 deaths For more information on Napa County cases, visit the public health department website. SAN BENITO COUNTY: 38 confirmed cases, 2 deaths For more information on San Benito County cases, visit the public health department website. SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY: 987 confirmed cases, 15 deaths For more information on San Francisco County cases, visit the public health department website. SAN MATEO COUNTY: 721 confirmed cases, 21 deaths For more information on San Mateo County cases, visit the public health department website. SANTA CLARA COUNTY: 1,666 confirmed cases, 60 deaths Fore more information on Santa Clara County cases, visit the public health department website. SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: 91 confirmed cases, 1 death For more information on Santa Cruz County cases, visit the public health department website. SOLANO COUNTY: 135 confirmed cases, 2 deaths For more information on Solano County cases, visit the public health department website. SONOMA COUNTY: 152 confirmed cases, 2 deaths For more information on Sonoma County cases, visit the public health department website. In California, 723 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. For comparison, New York has 10,056, New Jersey 2,443 and Louisiana 884. 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. Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci speaks as President Donald Trump listens, at the White House on April 13, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Fauci Clarifies Response to Hypothetical Question, Says Trump Has Followed His Advice Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top public health official, said President Donald Trump has followed his advice about advising lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, clarifying recent comments that were taken in some circles as criticism of the president. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked during an appearance on CNNs State of the Union on April 12 whether lives could have been saved if the federal government recommended social distancing measures starting in February, instead of March. Fauci responded: Its very difficult to go back and say that. I mean, obviously, you could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing, and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives. Obviously, no one is going to deny that. But what goes into those kinds of decisions isis complicated. But youre right. I mean, obviously, if we had, right from the very beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different. But there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then. A number of outlets took the comments as criticism of Trump, prompting Fauci to clarify them during the White House coronavirus task force meeting on April 13. Dr. Jody Cousins prepares CCP virus sample collection kits at an AllCare Family Medical Clinic, a site that conducts drive-through testing for the CCP virus, in Washington on April 6, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) I was asked a hypothetical question. Hypothetical questions sometimes can get you into some difficulty because its what would have or could have, Fauci told reporters in Washington. While earlier mitigation would have been helpful, Fauci said he wasnt trying to imply that someone was at fault. He said Trump has listened the five times Fauci and other health officials have made strong recommendationsonce in March for social distancing measures, again in April when they recommended an extension of the measures, and the three times they recommended travel bans, including the January ban on most travel from China. Despite concern from others about possible negative consequences of the decisions, Trump made all five recommended orders, Fauci said. Obviously there would be concern by some that in fact that might have some negative consequences. Nonetheless, the president listened to the recommendation and went to the mitigation, he said, referring to a March conversation between him, Trump, and Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator of the task force. When Fauci and Birx approached Trump and said the original 15 days werent enough, Trump listened. A man enters the subway on a rainy day in New York City on April 13, 2020. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo) There were people who had a problem with that because of the potential secondary effects. Nonetheless, at that time, the president went with the health recommendations and we extended it another 30 days, the doctor said. Pressed on his statement that there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down, Fauci said he used a poor choice of words. It wasnt anybody saying, no you shouldnt do that, he said, before reacting strongly when a reporter asked if he was making the statement voluntarily. Everything I do is voluntarily. Please, dont even imply that, he told her. The relationship between Fauci and Trump has been closely watched as some believe the president might dismiss the doctor. The White House earlier on April 13 stated that Trump wouldnt be firing Fauci. Today I walk in and hear Im going to fire him. Im not firing him, Trump told reporters at the White House. I think hes a wonderful guy. Foreign Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan, Sergey Lavrov and Elmar Mammadyarov, held a telephone conversation, the Russian foreign ministry said. The two top diplomats discussed current issues of Russian-Azerbaijani relations and foreign policy coordination, including efforts to combat the coronavirus infection and its aftermaths, as well as tasks of medical and biological security. "They also exchanged views on possible steps towards Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with due account of initiatives voiced by Russia, the United States and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group," the statement reads. Apart from that, the ministers discussed cooperation between Moscow and Baku within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Since the novel coronavirus infection emerged a couple of months ago, guidelines about its treatment and precautionary measures are still evolving based on evidence and research. For mothers and infants, there is contradicting information on whether they should be kept together or separated for fear of transmission. A new commentary discusses the benefits and risks of separating infants from their COVID-19 diseased mothers after birth. Many health organizations recommend keeping these mothers together to establish breastfeeding and promote mother-and-infant bonding. Dr. Alison Stuebe, the President of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and a professor in infant and young child feeding at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, notes that there is no current evidence showing that early separation of infants and mothers with suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection improves outcomes. She added that while there are benefits of separating mothers and their newborns during the hospital stay, it can negatively impact them, as shown in the report published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants and mothers should remain together to practice skin-to-skin contact, kangaroo care, and rooming-in. This way, breastfeeding will be established and supported since it has lifelong benefits for both the mother and the infant. Nevertheless, mothers should regularly wash their hands, disinfect surfaces, and wear a mask if they have a cough. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, recommends separating the infant from an infected mother temporarily until the mother is no longer contagious. This way, the infant will not contract the viral infection. It notes that facilities should consider temporarily separating mothers from their infants. During separation, it urges mothers to continue breastfeeding through expressed breast milk to be given to the baby by a health caregiver. The health agency also recommends that mothers can breastfeed their babies by wearing a face mask and washing their hands before each feeding. They encourage mothers to express breast milk by following the recommendations for proper pump cleaning. Study: Should Infants Be Separated from Mothers with COVID-19? First, Do No Harm. Image Credit: Lolostock / Shutterstock Separation risks The author noted that separation might not prevent infection. A study out of China conducted in March looked at infants born in Wuhan City, where the virus first emerged. The infants were born to mothers with active COVID-19 infection via C-section and were placed in strict isolation as a precautionary measure. While the babies were safe from infection during the hospital stay, these measures did not guarantee that the infant would not contract the virus after discharge. For instance, not all families have the facility at home to promote social distancing and isolation. There are instances that other members of the family may be carriers of the virus, too. Separating infants may delay the infection, but not prevent it. Kangaroo care and skin-to-skin contact have provided many health benefits for newborns. Infants who are separated from their mothers may have higher respiratory rates and heart rates, while their blood sugar levels may be lower. Lack of skin-to-skin contact may affect the babys health. Further, when infants and mothers are separated right after birth, the mother may feel high levels of stress. Stress levels may be high since she was diagnosed with a contagious and pandemic disease, and it can skyrocket when she cannot hold her infant or even breastfeed him or her. Breastfeeding may also be affected due to separation. Breast milk is best for infants, while expressed breast milk provides the needed nutrients, latching helps establish adequate milk supply. Separation interferes with the provision of maternal milk to the infant, disrupting innate, and specific immune protection. Breast milk provides antibodies to the infant, which is essential, especially when a pandemic is ravaging across the globe. Also, breast milk contains innate immune factors that mitigate the impact of viral infections and essential oligosaccharides. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of infant hospitalization for pneumonia. When mothers and infants are separated, it decreases breastfeeding duration, which may make infants 3.6 times more likely to be hospitalized for pneumonia. Separating mother and baby immediately after birth may make the infant more vulnerable to severe respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the first year of life, the researcher said in the paper. Lastly, the commentary notes that separating mothers and infants may further impose a burden to the health system since they need to provide twice the resources such as hospital rooms, healthcare providers, and two sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) each time a health worker enters or leaves the rooms. At the time of writing, we have no evidence to show that early separation improves outcomes. As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, I am hopeful that we can center mothers and babies and remember to first do no harm, Dr. Stuebe added. It's not often that a major tech company, and especially one as hyper-focused on privacy and security as Apple, gives you a peek into how you and your neighbors are moving. But in a world where Covid-19 dictates social distancing, that's precisely what Apple is doing. On Tuesday the company announced a new tool that helps you visualize how -- and when -- people are moving in major cities and countries around the world. The data shows what movement was like dating back to January, and how it's changed since the coronavirus started spreading around the world. In the U.S., for instance, driving is down 63 percent compared to regular traffic. Walking traffic is down 66 percent, and public transit travel has declined by 81 percent, according to Apple data. More locally, in New York City, driving traffic is down 69 percent and walking traffic has fallen by 80 percent. Transit traffic has dropped by 89 percent. Even in Sweden, where the government hasn't enacted the strict social-distancing rules most other countries have, movement has declined. Driving, for instance, is down 15 percent. Walking and transit activity has fallen 44 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Although you can find many major metro areas and countries, Apple's data isn't comprehensive. There are plenty of areas that aren't featured in the company's visualizing tool. Apple said it built the tool to help local government and health authorities track movement in areas, and pair that with other data points that could ultimately provide some context for social distancing. Exactly how it may be used is unknown. In fact, since the data set was only taken from requests made in 63 countries and a rather limited supply of major cities inside Apple Maps, its value to researchers may be limited. A more likely scenario is one in which researchers combine Apple's data with that from Google. Earlier this month, Google released a similar mobility-tracking tool that analyzes mobility trends in grocery stores, retail outlets, and other locations. The King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn reportedly broke the lockdown rules and travelled 12,000 miles for a lavish party. According to an international media report, the King has been staying at a luxury hotel in Bavaria, Germany, with his friends, however, last week, the King took a private jet and flew to Bangkok and Switzerland. While Thailand is under lockdown till April 15, the Thai King, all in the space of just 24-hours, flew back and forth and broke the lockdown rules. According to reports, after taking off from Germany, the King stopped off in Zurich, Switzerland, to pick up his wife, Queen Suthida. He then reportedly made his way to Bangkok, where he met Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and the head of the Thai armed forces, Apirat Kongsompong. King Vajiralongkorn also marked the Chakra Day, a holiday that celebrates the start of the countrys royal dynasty in 1782. READ: Thailand's Most Popular Island Goes Under Lockdown From April 13 From Bangkok, the King then dropped his wife back to Switzerland and then headed back to Zurich, where he has been staying during the crisis. The King, despite breaking the lockdown rules, said that the coronavirus pandemic is not the fault of anybody. He added that the government must solve the problem by understanding its causes and take the necessary steps to establish and understand the crisis well. Currently, Thailand has more than 2,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 41 lives in the country. Out of the total number of cases, around 1,405 have also been recovered. The Thai government has been taking precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. READ: COVID-19 Pandemic: Thailand Provinces Ban Alcohol Sales Ahead Of Buddhist New Year Phuket under complete lockdown Phuket, Thailand's most popular resort island has also gone under a complete lockdown leaving the usually busy roads, ports and attractions empty in the city-province. According to reports, the Thai government on April 9 had asked all citizens living on the island to stay at home starting from April 13. The most popular tourist destination in the country will remain shut until April 26, or until the situation improves, according to the government order. The restrictions will be effective in all 17 sub-districts of the Phuket island. Bars, restaurants and all non-essential businesses and services have been shut on the island with beaches closed for visitors until further notice. According to reports, hotels with no guests have been asked to close down, while hotels with guests have been ordered to shut swimming pools, restaurants, and communal areas in order to avoid close contacts between people. Bangkok authorities have also called off the activities and urged businesses and malls to do the same. As per reports, the government also urged people to refrain from travelling back to their hometowns amid the holiday season. (Image source: AP) READ: Thailand Hospitals Cover Babies In Mini Shields For Protection Against COVID-19 READ: 6 Thailand Nationals Booked In TN On Charges Of Violating Visa Norms Philadelphia police on Monday released more details about an incident in which officers shot a man and woman in South Philadelphia early Friday, fatally wounding him and leaving her with serious injuries. Officers Bradford Conlon and Antoine Hayes opened fire just after midnight when the woman pointed a gun at them as they were investigating reports of gunshots in the 1500 block of Bailey Street, where the man and woman lived, police said. Giuseppe Particianone, 33, sustained gunshot wounds to his abdomen and was pronounced dead shortly afterward, police said. Kaitlynn Tugliese, 22, was shot in the left thigh, left hip, and left buttocks. She was admitted to a hospital in stable condition and after being released was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and related weapons offenses. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement Monday that the shootings would undergo a thorough, complete and objective investigation. The use of deadly force is the most serious action that police officers are empowered to undertake. While no police officer begins his or her tour expecting to discharge their firearm, that decision must sometimes be made at a moments notice," she said. These situations are often tragic; particularly when they result in the loss of life. Both officers have been assigned to desk duty while the investigation unfolds. Police said Conlon, a one-year veteran, and Hayes, an 11-year veteran, were in full uniform, working solo and operating marked patrol vehicles, when they responded to investigate gunshots. In the alley behind the 1500 block of Bailey they saw two people in the rear of a house. The officers saw that a piece of plywood was leaning against a concrete wall, serving as a gate to the yard. The officers pushed on the plywood, revealing Tugliese and Particianone, police said. Tugliese pointed her weapon at the officers, prompting Conlon and Hayes to fire, striking her and Particianone, who then ran into the house through the rear kitchen door, police said. The officers chased and saw Tugliese throw her weapon under the kitchen table. Particianone fell to the floor in the living room, police said. Both were taken by police to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and witnesses were taken in for questioning, police said. Multiple firearms were recovered from the scene, including a .380-caliber pistol, a shotgun, a semiautomatic handgun (.45 caliber), a revolver (.38 caliber) , a .22-caliber rifle, multiple fired shotgun shells, multiple fired cartridge casings, and multiple live rounds of ammunition. When I entered into adolescence and began to question my parents role, it seemed to me they had too much control of MY life. They determined what I could do, what I had to do, and what I could not; what I could have and what I could not. They imposed their will on my life when I wanted control. I wanted to be me. I wanted to do my own thing. I wanted to make my own decisions, be my own boss, live MY life MY way. So, like most adolescents, I developed a certain adversarial relationship with my parents, not unlike millions of adolescents before me. It was an essential part of growing up. Only much later did I realize that mom and dad had more on their plate than me. They both had jobs, and there were four of us kids. They had obligations and responsibilities beyond our family. They had concerns, problems, and issues I could not even imagine - until I was in their shoes. Then the adolescent naivety gives way to the sobering fact that life is more complicated than me. It is we, then us, and the we and us grows until it encompasses all of creation. But sadly for many of us, that adolescent, adversarial relationship with parental authority is not resolved. Rather its animus is transferred and directed toward another holder of authority in our lives the government. The government is too big. The government interferes too much in our lives. The government takes too much of our money. The government does more for others than it does for us. This animus toward government is deeply embedded in our culture. Government is the focus of our ridicule, the butt of our jokes, and the content of our horror stories of malfeasance. But I find this adversarial relationship with government hard to reconcile with experience. If I survive another forty-five days I will have lived 84 years within the reaches of our government. In that time I have had issues with government: a few of real consequence; some of annoyance; others the product of my own impatience and ignorance. But nothing that made me think our government is fatally flawed and unworthy of my support. Perhaps it is time for us citizens of this nation to grow up. We are big boys and girls now. We can move beyond adolescent animus toward authority, to an adult recognition that government, flawed as are all human creations, is the one thing that stands between us and anarchy. I think I am paraphrasing John Locke and Thomas Hobbes here when they talked about government: Natural man has all rights. He can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. As can all other men in their natural state. However, in order to live in safety and security, natural men give up some of those rights for life in a civilized society. It is through government that this society is preserved. We are big boys and girls now. We can live with authority because we recognize it is that authority of government that preserves our freedoms of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. We are big boys and girls and we live in a big nation; 3rd largest population, 3rd largest land mass, and largest economy of all the 196 + or - nations of the world. Does a big nation need a big government? Ask yourself: Was it a small government that put an end to black slavery in the 19th century, and in that same century ended the oligarchy of industrialists who terrorized the working class into virtual slavery? Was it small government that rebuilt this nation after the Great Depression of the 1930s? Was it small government that, in the 1950s built the Interstate Highway System? Was it small government that went to war with Germany and Japan, and afterwards rebuilt Europe? Was it small government that sent men to the moon, and in doing so spawned the electronic age that has enriched the lives of all humankind? Was it small government that salvaged the national economy after the Wall Street meltdown in 2008? Was it small government that has begun the process of getting our nation through the Corona Virus pandemic? Big problems require a government big enough to solve them. Big government is not the enemy that threatens us. The enemy that threatens us is that cadre of people who think government should be dismantled, or as Grover Norquist has proposed cutting government until it is small enough to drag into the bathroom and drown. The enemy is foreign governments, specifically Russia that not only interfered in our election, but continues to use social media to sow distrust of our government within our society. And the enemy is us when we carelessly disparage our government that for 250 years has been the guardian of our security. Now, those of you who have read many of my posts know that I am far from a Trump supporter. But Trump is not our government. He is an anomaly that will pass, and our governments strength and purpose will be restored in his aftermath. Fred L Keith Sr. resides in Birmingham. Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a new 94-bed field medical station opened at Joint Base Cape Cod on Tuesday. Massachusetts Joins Multi-State Council to Stage Economy 'Reopening' BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. Massachusetts' late entry into a six now seven state regional COVID-19 council was simply because "we had other stuff to do," said Gov. Charlie Baker. The council announced on Monday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo brings together seven mid-Atlantic and Northeast states to create a framework for economic restoration in "reopening" their economies. Baker said there had been no intent not to join the cooperative but rather that "sancrosact" meetings critical to the state's operations had taken precedence. "We used to have a leadership meeting every Monday with the Senate president and the Senate ways means chair and the Speaker of the House and the House Ways and Means chair and the Senate and House Republican minority leaders," he said on Tuesday during a tour of the field medical station opened at Joint Base Cape Cod. "We're not having that meeting physically anymore but we still do a phone call every Monday at two o'clock ... And it's sacrosanct, I mean it's on the calendar, you can't change it, you got to be there. And now more than ever, we want to make sure that we don't miss those opportunities to talk." The announcement of the regional agreement was about 2 p.m., the governor thought. "We just simply wanted to get stuff we needed to get done in Massachusetts." The original states in the council are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The council will include a health expert, economic development expert and the chiefs of staff of each state to develop a framework for lifting the stay-at-home orders while minimizing the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. Stating that the states couldn't just flip a switch to bring everything back to normal, Cuomo, in his comments, said, "now it is time to start opening the valve slowly and carefully while watching the infection rate meter so we don't trigger a second wave of new infections." Taking a multi-state approach within the regional economy will create a consistent strategy, he said. Baker said his administration had been in talks with the council Monday and made the announcement to join that night. "Many of those states are significant commerce trading and travel partners with us," the governor said. "I think we all need to do, when we think about reopening the economy, is to do it safely and to do it in a way that ensures confidence in the public that it will be done in a way that doesn't create a rebound." Massachusetts is at a different point in its surge than where the other states are, he noted, with an expectation that cases of COVID-19 will peak here in the next couple weeks. New York is cautiously optimistic that it's on the downward slope but it comes at a price of more than 10,000 deaths over the past month. "But I do think it's important for us to collaborate and cooperate where it makes sense to on a go-forward basis," Baker said. "That we know what they're doing and they know what we're doing, and none of us does something unintentionally that disadvantages, or damages the others." The governor reiterated that testing and tracing will be key to containing the pandemic and urged residents to continue social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks. "We're working on putting up what I think will be one of the largest contact tracing programs, anywhere in the country because in the end, testing and tracing are a big part of how we actually push back over time against COVID-19," Baker said, adding that Massachusetts is now the third or fourth largest tester in the country. The field medical station at Joint Base Cape Cod, a joint effort with the National Guard and Cape Cod Hospital, brings 94 beds online in preparation for the expected surge of COVID-19 cases that could range from 47,000 to 172,000. Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has admitted that the Boko Haram fight has lingered for too long and that the army is poised to root them up within a very short time. The Army Chief, who was addressing troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at the Army Special Super Camp at Ngamdu, a border town between Borno and Yobe, for the Easter celebration explained that the fight of counter-terrorism all over the world is complex but vowed that he would not allow Nigerias case to linger as long like 50 years as found in other countries. You may wonder that this counter insurgency operation has lingered for too long. We all know globally that counter-terrorism is very complex, said Mr Buratai, a lieutenant-General. There are some countries that have fought counter terrorism for close to 50years. But, were not going to leave it to linger that long. We will have to finish these criminals very soon. We will not leave this camp until we achieve that. Mr Buratai also assured the troops that he is going to be with them through the operations as he launches a final onslaught on the Boko Haram elements in the northeast region. According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari has provided all the needed support for the army to engage the enemies in a final battle, which he noted will commence in no time. We are here, we will not leave this camp until we substantially degrade these criminals. By Gods willing, we shall be there with you no going back once we commence, he said. We will be with you in the valleys, on the hill, in the jungle, in the river and so on. As I speak now, we have some elements that are providing us necessary intelligence and once we start, no going back. We are here and we make sure that we get ourselves properly motivated, properly equipped and I assure you will have the best of time. Some of you have been here before like two, three times but I tell you are going to have the best of time. We want the best out of you. We need your courage and determination. I want you to have at the back of your minds that Mr President is solidly behind you. We have already started getting the consignment of what we require for us to handle these insurgencies and terrorism. It a matter of time and a very short time. If I ask you a question, will you answer me? The question is, is anybody ready to chicken out? With a unanimous and a thunderous NO not to chicken out, the COAS continued. We make sure that we never go back. Forward ever, backward, never. Thank you and God bless you all. Boko Haram War The war against Boko Haram has been on-going for years. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed. Several members of the rank and file of the Nigerian Army said voluntary retirements and desertions have become regular in several army formations. All the officers blamed endemic corruption and poor handling of the Boko Haram war amongst their top commanders for the worsening trend. Because of the deep-rooted corruption, a systemic one that is very dangerous to talk about, many soldiers are leaving the military in high numbers now, a non-commissioned officer told PREMIUM TIMES under anonymity to avoid being punished for speaking to the press. Many soldiers have deserted even when their application for retirement has not been approved after many months or years. In 2017, Transparency International found that a large chunk of the military budget was disappearing into the pockets of corrupt military chiefs and politicians, thereby worsening the counter-insurgency efforts. Although most of the troops, who are eager to drop out of service, were said to have served one or two tours on the frontlines, rear soldiers have received ominous reports about their colleagues in the Boko Haram war and have taken the decision not to suffer a similar fate. The commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Olusegun Adeniyi, in March, was seen in a rare video admitting that Nigerian soldiers fighting Boko Haram were outgunned by the terrorists. Advertisements Mr Adeniyi, a major general, was leading a large troop of soldiers on a special operation when they came under heavy attacks by Boko Haram. The commander was seen in two of four video clips giving a recorded situation report to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant general. He blamed the deadly attack they suffered on very wrong intelligence assessment earlier conducted before they deployed. Illustrative image (Photo: Yonhap) RoK Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo and his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Tuan Anh discussed ways to expand bilateral ties in the face of the growing economic fallout from the new coronavirus spread. During the meeting, the RoK side thanked Vietnam for enabling some of its residents to enter the country for major business activities, emphasising that travel by business officials is crucial to maintain the global supply chain. The two countries also agreed to push for the so-called Electronic Origin Data Exchange System (EODES), which allows them to process certificates of origin through electronic platforms. The measure is expected to speed up customs procedures for exporters and prevent forgery of documents, according to the RoK Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Vietnam is the third-largest export destination for the RoK, whose outbound shipments to the Southeast Asian country reached 48.1 billion USD in 2019, down 0.9 percent from a year earlier. In 2019, the RoKs overall exports sank more than 10 percent. The countrys outbound shipments edged down 0.2 percent on-year last month and plunged up to 18.6 percent annually to 12.2 billion USD in the April 1-10 period, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The figure is expected to continue dropping in the coming time due to the impacts of the pandemic, said experts. Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) reported a total of 150 cancellations in March alone for its 737 Max aircraft, according to CNBC. The plane maker did get 31 orders for wide-body jets and military aircraft for the month, bringing the total net cancellations to 131. The Max cancellations in March are a sharp increase to the 46 reported for the month of February. For the first quarter, net cancellations for all orders totaled 307 planes, according to the report. Last week, the company paused production at its 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina, after already having shut down its manufacturing in Washington. Boeing has not set a date for both facilities to resume operations. The passenger airline industry has been hit hard by the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, and airlines are trying to conserve cash. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), trade association for the world's airlines, has said in its most recent analysis that airlines could lose $61 billion of cash reserves in the second quarter, from a 71% drop in demand. This scenario would see full year passenger revenues drop by $252 billion, from 2019 levels. It would correspond to a 38% demand drop, with second quarter being the most severe. Boeing said it is working with its customers during these difficult times for the industry. In a statement, it said "Boeing continues to adjust its order book to adapt to lower-than-planned 737 MAX production in the near term," according to the CNBC report. Whats always struck me about your work is your interest in intellectual worlds that wouldnt seem funny on their face. I like working with a subject that is quite serious or maybe even highbrow or maybe even what someone might call boring, like literature or science. But actually, quite often, the jokes are pretty silly. Theyre kind of dressed up in the clothes of cerebral stuff, but I feel like that its my job to do the funny part. My favorite ones mix up a reference like Finnegans Wake and just some really silly joke, which you dont need to know the details of Finnegans Wake to get. But with the science cartoons in particular, dont you have to have some knowledge about a subject matter thats quite specialized? You have to know it, not deeply, but you need to know it at a certain level in order to make jokes about it. I dont think nearly as deeply as people imagine, having read the cartoon. But yeah, that was a challenge. So I sort of went on a self-education project. Ive now been doing that for five years. Scientists and writers arent that different. And quite often the same jokes about frustrating publishers or fear of failure apply to both. This interview has been condensed and edited. Produced by Erica Ackerberg. Follow New York Times Books on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, sign up for our newsletter or our literary calendar. And listen to us on the Book Review podcast. During a pandemic that places many lives and livelihoods at risk, justice seems less important. This perspective may underpin the moratorium on jury trials, commenced about a month ago in response to the coronavirus threat by the Victorian Supreme and County courts. Even as infection rates stabilise, the moratorium on jury trials is forecast to remain until at least the end of the year. Credit:Vince Caligiuri Prevailing law makes a jury trial compulsory for the determination of contested, serious criminal charges. The Victorian Attorney-General is considering changing the law to give accused persons the option of a judge-alone trial. It is doubtful that Victoria can sustain its inability to try these cases for the duration of the coronavirus threat. Even as infection rates stabilise the moratorium on jury trials is forecast to remain until at least the end of the year. Meanwhile, both victims and persons accused of crimes will need their cases determined. Prisoners who have been denied bail, pending the postponed hearing of their cases, will have an increasingly compelling argument for release. Rehabilitation programs that help prevent crime, but which courts can only impose when sentencing, will remain unavailable in these cases. Further, as the coronavirus continues to undermine our quality of life, it will likely fuel social unrest and crime that will make restarting jury trials more urgent. Flamingos form friendships that last for years and also avoid certain individuals they 'don't get on with', a study has found. Researchers from the University of Exeter studied flocks of four flamingo species at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Wetland Centre between 201216. They found that although flamingos are highly social as part of large flocks the wading birds consistently spend their time with specific close 'friends'. Social bonds seen in the flamingo flocks include so-called 'married' couples, same-sex friendships and even groups of three and four close friends. Scroll down for video Flamingos, pictured, form friendships that last for years and also avoid certain individuals that they 'don't get on with' a study has found 'Our results indicate that flamingo societies are complex. They are formed of long-standing friendships rather than loose, random connections,' said paper author and zoologist Paul Rose of the University of Exeter. 'Flamingos dont simply find a mate and spend their time with that individual. 'Some mating couples spend much of their time together, but lots of other social bonds also exist. 'We see pairs of males or females choosing to "hang out", we see trios and quartets that are regularly together. 'Flamingos have long lives some of the birds in this study have been at Slimbridge since the 1960s and our study shows their friendships are stable over a period of years,' Dr Rose added. 'It seems that like humans flamingos form social bonds for a variety of reasons, and the fact theyre so long-lasting suggests they are important for survival in the wild.' The findings could help in the management of captive flamingos, Dr Rose said. 'When moving birds from one zoo to another, we should be careful not to separate flamingos that are closely bonded to each other,' he explained. Researchers from the University of Exeter studied flocks of four flamingo species at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Wetland Centre between 201216 In their study, Dr Rose and fellow University of Exeter animal behaviour expert Darren Croft monitored flocks of Caribbean, Chilean, Andean and Lesser flamingos for five years from 2012 onward. The number of birds in each flock varied from just over 20 to more than 140 with the research duo finding that the larger flocks exhibited the highest levels of social interactions. 'The simple lesson of this is that captive flamingo flocks should contain as many birds as reasonably possible,' Dr Rose added. The researchers found that although flamingos are highly social as part of large flocks the wading birds consistently spend their time with specific close 'friends' 'Our results indicate that flamingo societies are complex. They are formed of long-standing friendships rather than loose, random connections,' said paper author and zoologist Paul Rose The researchers also found that the birds were more likely to form social bonds during the spring and summer their breeding season. The study also compared the birds' condition measured by the health of their feet in three of the flocks, to see if there was a link between flamingo health and their social activity. However, no such link was found with Dr Rose noting that this could mean socialising is so important to flamingos that they continue it even when feeling unwell. The full findings of the study were published in the journal Behavioural Processes. CEAT Tyres on Tuesday said it has partnered with three associations in transport business to sanitize trucks, delivering essential goods in Mumbai region. The company has inked agreement with All India Truck Worker's Association, Bombay Goods & Transport Association and Western Union LPG Association for the purpose. These points include Nhavasheva, Mahul, Jasai and area around the airport, which are key entry/exit points of vehicles that bring goods to the city, the company said in a release. The drive, being carried out under the leadership of RPG Foundation, includes sanitisation of the truck cabin, distribution of face masks, sanitisers and food packets to the drivers and cleaners, the release said. The sanitisation exercise is aimed at the safety and wellbeing of the drivers that could aid in containing potential cases of the novel corona virus, it said. The plan is to cover 1,000 trucks by April 19, the release said, adding the exercise has been carried out on over 800-odd trucks so far. According to the release, CEAT has also initiated voluntary distribution of food packets across India to the needy people. As part of this, it has distributed more than 68,500 food packets in Mumbai, Nashik, Chennai, Vadodara, Jaipur and Jabalpur, the company said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Up and Down in the green Mai Chau getaway After driving up the zigzag mountain passes and slopes, we get to spectacular views of the valley. Viewed from the top of Mai Chau pass, the valley looks like a green oasis with brown and red tiled roofs, covered with lush palm trees and dense bamboo hedges. At first sight, Mai Chau town is like any other modern town around the country, not a typical Thai-style village as we expected. However, passing down the 2km-long main road, we touch a verdant rice paddy field with brown Thai-style stilt-houses and bungalows lying along the hillslopes, surrounded by bamboo hedges. While farmers are guiding their cattle through the villages streets, the sound of their bells is chiming through the quiet air, dragonflies are dancing amongst the rice paddies, and bright green covers the fields and hills, with children racing on bicycles and screeching with laughter. Over 10 years ago, homestays have been developed in the green valley as a hotspot for both local and foreign tourists to experience new and relatively unheard tourism model in Vietnam. These days, the concept is becoming increasingly popular, creating a special attraction within Vietnams tourism industry. However, despite the new model, Mai Chaus homestay villages still honour the poetic beauty of the valley with its honest and friendly people. It is still an ideal choice for those who value timeless simplicity and traditional touches in one of the most incredible parts of northern Vietnam. You can discover the fascinating lives of the Mai Chau hill tribes by day and bask in ultimate relaxation by night. Homestays can be likened to visiting the home of a friend or relative, as guests will be introduced to the best destinations, eat the most delicious food, and learn more about the local lifestyle as well as the differences in the way of thinking of each region. However, facilities are relatively limited compared with a hotel or resort. This time, my family and I chose the resort Mai Chau Ecolodge on Pom Pu Hill, far from the bustling Mai Chau town and the homestay villages. The unique lodge offers spectacular views of the valley from nearly any angle. Viewed from a distance, the ecolodge looks like an ancient Thai village, complete with quaint stilt houses and palm trees. The main stilt house was based on the idea of a Langs House - a mandarin of the Thai people. Its operation is based on the principles of sustainable tourism, inspired by the current responsible tourism trend which provides benefits for visitors and local citizens whilst minimising the negative environmental impact. Accordingly, solar energy is the primary source of power. All of the lodges outdoor lighting systems use solar energy, and are charging during daylight hours ready for use at night. The room lights primarily use solar energy too and automatically switch to using the national electricity grid if necessary. The hot water in the rooms is integrated into two systems, with preference given to solar energy. Water is derived from limestone deposits in a natural cave, roughly 1km from the lodge. Moreover, 50 per cent of the energy used for cooking is biomass. Rice husks and sawdust are collected, along with leaves and garbage which are all placed into a biomass furnace. The pale smoke containing carbon monoxide is forced into gas stoves and burned as a gas fossil. The flames intensity can be adjusted accordingly. This technology has been used by Vietnamese farmers for many years. It is a valuable lesson for children to learn from the past and possibly apply to modern life with a lifestyle more concerned about nature. When the night falls, after a delicious dinner with traditional food of Thai people, including bamboo-tube rice and charcoal grilled river fish, we enjoy a special performance with some colourful bamboo dancing. If you have some free time, it is a great idea to spend around two hours driving from the valley to Pu Luong Nature Reserve. The reserve is unrivaled with its idyllic, serene beauty. Spanning across two districts of Thanh Hoa province, the reserve covers two parallel mountain ridges with a large valley between the mountains that is home to several traditional farming villages and vast sections of rice paddies. As the cultivated land is not part of the nature reserve, several homestays and the Pu Luong Retreat can be found here, giving visitors some relaxing options for a well-deserved rest. You can also stick close to town and learn about the local handicraft industry or try your hand at a cooking class. However, if your time is limited, do not miss the mountain biking or trekking to remote hill tribe villages of the Mong, Thai, and Dao people around the valley. Alternatively, you can embark on a kayaking tour in the Hoa Binh reservoir which is just a 30-minute drive from the valley. Arguably, the best way to understand a land is to experience its culture and customs through spending time with the local people and exploring the natural beauties in the most natural ways. In this regard, Mai Chau offers a fascinating experience that I can highly recommend. Former prime minister Bob Hawke's daughter Rosslyn Dillon wants $4.2million from her father's estate A bid by Bob Hawke's youngest daughter to seize $4.2 million from the Labor prime minister's estate has hit a snag thanks to the coronavirus. Rosslyn Dillon, 59, is contesting the former prime minister's will, claiming the $750,000 he left each of his children isn't enough, and she required a multi-million sum. Ms Dillon has demanded funds to buy a $2.5million house in Sydney - furnished with towels worth $4,000 - and wants $30,000 for a new set of teeth. The recovering heroin addict also claims she was raped by Victorian Labor MP Bill Landeryou in the 1980s and Mr Hawke covered it up to protect his career. Ms Dillon's challenge to the will was mentioned briefly in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Tuesday, where Justice Philip Hallen heard a planned mediation late last month did not go ahead as the mediator could not travel from South Australia. The court was told that mediator and former District Court judge John Sulan QC had been unable to travel from SA to New South Wales. Lawyers for the parties went ahead with a settlement conference on March 31 but did not reach an agreement. Both parties sought to adjourn the matter until Mr Sulan could mediate via video conference at a later date. A mediation will occur on May 7 and the matter will return to court in on May 22. The mediator did not travel to Sydney due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Return travellers to South Australia have been required to self-quarantine for a fortnight since restrictions were introduced on March 22. Bob Hawke's widow Blanche d'Alpuget has been dragged into legal action the former prime minister's daughter is taking against his multi-million dollar estate. The couple is pictured arriving at the Sydney Opera House for his 80th birthday Bob Hawke's wayward daughter Rosslyn Dillon is demanding a $2.5 million house in Sydney kitted out with $4,000 worth of towels in her lawsuit against his estate. Mr Hawke and Ms Dillon are pictured at the memorial service for Hazel Hawke, his former wife and her mother At a previous court hearing, Justice Hallen also agreed Mr Hawke's widow, Blanche d'Alpuget, could be listed as a third defendant in the matter along with the executors of her dead husband's will, as she holds the proceeds of the couple's former joint tenancy. Ms Dillon's mother, Hazel Hawke, died eight years after Mr Hawke married Ms d'Alpuget, his biographer and long-time mistress. Ms Dillon's affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court in December, reveals she is on welfare, lives in a squalid flat, and has had all her teeth taken out. Her list of demands, itemised in a claim originally obtained by the New Daily, begins with $2.5million to buy a house in Sydney's eastern suburbs. This would be a considerable upgrade on the one-bedroom flat Ms Dillon lives in now which she claims is in need of repair and infested with cockroaches - despite its $500-a-week rent. Ms Dillon suffers from depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and agoraphobia, and claims she lives on a disability pension of $1,852.40 per month. She claims the $750,000 set aside for her in Mr Hawke's will was not enough to buy a Sydney home and would slash the pension that is her only income. The 59-year-old's affidavit cites Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that she will live another 27.6 years and would therefore need $1.2million in expenses. Ms Dillon currently has about $21,000 to her name including $6,000 cash and $14,000 in Ansett superannuation from working at a VIP airport lounge in Canberra in the 1980s. The proposed new house would have its kitchen and bathroom renovated for an extra $30,000 each, and be kitted out with all-new appliances. Ms Dillon's affidavit lists $4,000 for linen and towels, $3,100 for kitchen appliances and $5,500 for other kitchen items, $16,000 for household appliances, $50,000 for furniture, and $6,000 for new clothes and shoes. Mr Hawke's second wife, his former biographer Blanche d'Alpuget, received the bulk of his estate including the $9.2million proceeds of selling their Northbridge mansion months before his death Australia's longest-serving Labor prime minister (pictured in 2012) left $750,000 each to his three children Sue Pieters-Hawke, Stephen Hawke, Rosslyn Dillon and his stepson Louis Pratt Ms Dillion wants $30,000 for a full mouth of implanted dentures to replace the ones she has been wearing for the past five years. 'I have no teeth of my own in my mouth,' she said. Rosslyn Dillon's list of demands House in Sydney's eastern suburbs: $2.5 million Stamp duty: $123,090 Conveyancing fees: $2,000 Computer course: $1,030 Dental implants: $30,000 Funeral, burial plot, headstone: $26,000 Kitchen renovation: $30,000 Bathroom renovation: $30,000 Kitchen appliances: $3,100 Linen and towels: $4,000 Kitchen items: $5,500 Household appliances: $16,000 Furniture: $50,000 Clothes and shoes: $6,000 Advertisement 'I had them all removed around five years ago at a cost of $8,000. I do have dentures, however they are uncomfortable and cause me pain. I cannot afford to have them replaced.' Having made no plans for her funeral, she demands a 'reasonably priced' $7,000 funeral, and a $14,400 burial plot at Eastern Suburbs Cemetery with a 'modest' $5,000 headstone or $4,400 memorial plaque. Ms Dillon has no computer or access to the internet but wants $1,030 to attend a computer course, and for her new home to have a sewing machine. Ms d'Alpuget, who was Mr Hawke's second wife, received the bulk of his estate including the $9.2 million proceeds of selling their Northbridge mansion months before his death at 89 last May. She now lives in a $3.9 million flat in One30 Hyde Park she and her late husband bought in her name. She previously dismissed Ms Dillon's brewing legal challenge as being fuelled by grief at her father's death. Another of Mr Hawke's daughters, Sue Pieters-Hawke, told The New Daily her family knew of the rape allegations and that they had distressed their father. She insisted the family was supportive of Ms Dillon at the time but that it 'didn't involve using the legal system'. Bob Hawke (centre) former Prime Minister of Australia with family Rosalyn, Hazel, Bob, Sophie, Sue and Ian during Labor Campaign in 1987 Sydney, Australia Bob Hawke Prime Minister of Australia (1983 - 1991) marries Blanche D'Alpuget in 1995 in Sydney, Australia Ms Dillon alleged in the affidavit she was raped three times in the 1980s by politician Bill Landeryou, a close friend of Mr Hawke. But as she turned to her father for comfort, she said she was met with a 'shocking and hurtful' response as he pleaded with her to stay quiet. Bill Landeryou (pictured) was a close friend of Hawke's. He died in February this year He feared it could derail his political career when he was on the cusp of becoming Labor leader. Ms Dillon said in her affidavit she told her father of the alleged rape soon after it occurred. 'You can't go to the police,' she claims her father said. 'You can't. I can't have any controversies right now. I am sorry but I am challenging for the leadership of the Labor Party.' Ms Dillon admitted she was 'shocked and hurt that (my father) asked this of me'. As a result of pressure from her father, once one of Australia's most beloved politicians, she never went to the police. Now a mother-of-two, Ms Dillon explained she was still 'haunted' by the assaults as she was never able to get 'closure' because of her father's demands. The couple's three-bedroom mansion (pictured) at Northbridge, overlooking Middle Harbour on Sydney's Lower North Shore, sold for $9.2million in March What Ms Dillon claims happened when she told her father Bob Hawke she had been raped According to an affidavit submitted by Rosslyn Dillon, she told her father about the rapes in the 1980s. Dillon: 'Bill (Landeryou) has raped me three times.' Hawke: 'What? he touched you?' Dillon: 'No, he forced me to have sex with him three times. I want to go to police.' Hawke: 'You can't. I can't have any controversies right now. I am sorry but I am challenging for the leadership of the Labor Party. You can't go to police.' Advertisement 'I thought to myself, I could not make any bigger sacrifice to the (my father's) political career if I had tried,' the affidavit said. 'He asked me to let the matter go for him and I did so for him.' 'I am still haunted by the sexual assaults. I feel that I may have had a chance to get over these rapes if I was able to report the incidents to police.' At the time, Mr Hawke was close friends with Landeryou, an MP in the Victorian Upper House. He was one of Mr Hawke's chief supporters in his bid to become prime minister, and had his own state funeral last March. Ms Dillon had been using heroin in the early 1980s when her father intervened to get her a job in Mr Landeryou's office. It was then the sexual assaults began, she claimed. 'During the time I was employed there I was often alone in Landeryou's office. At some time he started to touch me in a sexual way,' she stated. The off-market sale reaped far less than the $15million figure previously reported in the media, including Daily Mail Australia (pictured is a view of Middle Harbour similar to that from the mansion) Then there was a $3.6million apartment (building pictured) with views of Sydney Harbour and Hyde Park which is likely to have appreciated in value since they bought it in November 2015 Mr Hawke was Australia's longest serving Labor prime minister. Mr Hawke's eldest sister Sue, 62, and brother Stephen, 60, were left the same amount as Ms Dillon, as was Ms d'Alpuget's son Louis Pratt. Ms d'Alpuget was left with everything else, including the proceeds from the sale of the couple's luxury $9.2 million mansion. Mr Hawke's married Ms d'Alpuget, with whom he had conducted a long-running affair, in 1995 after divorcing Hazel, his wife of 38 years. "Our newest EDIFICE timepiece was inspired by the drive and momentum of the Honda Racing team," said David Johnson, Vice President of Casio's Timepiece Division. "Casio has been an official partner of Honda Racing since 2018 and we look forward to collaborating on additional timepieces in the future that embody both the velocity and energy of motorsports." Dressed in Honda Racing's signature team colors, the ECB10HR-1A has a red genuine leather band with matching stitching and a matte charcoal gray stainless steel bezel with chronograph markings. The carbon fiber dial enhances the overall design and features the Honda Racing logo; gold lettering celebrates the 20th anniversary of EDIFICE and is finely finished with a sapphire crystal. The metal strap keeper and back plate are also engraved with the Honda and EDIFICE 20th anniversary logo, and the number 20 on the bezel is engraved in red to mark the 20th anniversary of EDIFICE. With Casio's new full-time smartphone link technology, the ECB10HR-1A enables users to stay up-to-date and on time no matter their location. The timepieces can be paired to a smartphone with a push of a button. By downloading the CASIO WATCH+ app and connecting to a compatible smartphone via Bluetooth technology, the watches access the correct time based on current location for up to 300 cities worldwide, even updating with the latest time zone and daylight-saving time information. Users can also access their calendars when linking their smartphones, allowing the timepiece to notify them when their next event/task is approaching. Additional features include 100 Meter water resistance, super illuminator double LED light for nighttime display, five alarms, phone finder, as well as a 1/1000th second stopwatch with 200 lap memory, countdown timer and full auto calendar. The ECB10HR-1A (MSRP- $330) will be available for purchase beginning of May at Casio.com and select jewelry and watch retailers nationwide including Macy's. For more information on Casio's EDIFICE collection of timepieces, please visit www.EDIFICE.Casio.com. About EDIFICE Casio's EDIFICE collection reflects a distinct sense of style by providing men with features that are ideal for professional and weekend lifestyles. The collection speaks to upwardly, mobile men whose goals lie anywhere from the boardroom to the ballpark. With a variety of aristocratic, sleek styles, Casio's EDIFICE timepieces possess features including multi-layered dials, world time, daily alarms, and more. Made with strong, comfortable band materials of resin and stainless steel, each style exudes an attractive, sophisticated look. For additional information on Casio's EDIFICE line of timepieces, please visit www.EDIFICE.Casio.com. About Casio America, Inc. Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to realize its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit casio.com/home SOURCE Casio America, Inc. The real estate industry on Tuesday welcomed the decision to extend the lockdown period till 3 May, but said the government should allow limited construction activities with proper safety and also provide a relief package to ease the liquidity crisis faced by builders New Delhi: The real estate industry on Tuesday welcomed the decision to extend the lockdown period till 3 May, but said the government should allow limited construction activities with proper safety and also provide a relief package to ease the liquidity crisis faced by builders. "We support the prime minister's announcement on extension of the lockdown. We are looking forward to the blueprint by the government to be revealed on April 20 and would also urge the government to permit limited construction activity as this will help the real estate sector unfold its economic movement in a staggered way," CREDAI National Chairman Jaxay Shah said in a statement. The need of the hour is the economic package by the RBI to address the liquidity challenges being faced by the housing sector, he added. Ashish R Puravankara, MD Puravankara Ltd, said, "the quarantine lockdown has been extended and it is primarily for the health and safety of the nation, which is the focal point at this time. Industry sectors will certainly take time to revert to sync once the lockdown is lifted. We will await the individual state advisories on the plans for post 20th April." Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak Property consultant Anuj Puri said, "it's the right thing to do given that life is much more important to protect at this stage than the economy." "We however hope that some of the areas where COVID-19 hasn't hit would start to open and at least with social distancing business will start production," Puri added. "Considering that the risk of the spread of the Coronavirus is still high, it was the right decision on the part of the government to extend the lock-down," Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com, Makaan.com and PropTiger.com, said. "However, it is quite obvious that this will have a further adverse impact on the economy that is already under severe stress. We sincerely hope that the government will, at the earliest, announce a relief package for businesses, many of which are struggling to stay afloat with revenues coming to a virtual standstill," Agarwala said. Dhiraj Jain, Director, Mahagun Group, said: "we stand firmly behind PM's decision to extend the lockdown." However, he said the government should announce measures to help this sector. Deepak Kapoor, Director, Gulshan Homz, welcomed the move but demanded one-time restructuring of developers' bank loans to tide over this liquidity crisis. Property brokerage firm Investors Clinic founder Honeyy Katiyal supported the move but said this would have a huge impact on the real estate sector. "Considering the overall risk, it was expected that lock down will be extended further. However, considering the adverse economic impact, the Government must announce a relief package for the industry," Sagar Saxena, Project Head, Spectrum Metro said. "The nationwide lockdown was bound to be extended. Having said that, we would welcome a gradual opening of economic activity including resumption of construction activity at project sites," said Kaushal Agarwal, Chairman, The Guardians Real Estate Advisory. KW Group MD Pankaj Jain said it is a tough decision but the right one. The lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic has got many universities and institutions to realise the importance of the digital and many are now leveraging platforms like Zoom, WebEx, Teams to take classes. But, most of these platforms were built for corporate and not so much for classrooms. Nitish Jain, President, S P Jain School of Global Management, says that "An education technology software should be able to accommodate 50-60 people and facilitate engagement amongst them all". He says these other software don't offer that immersive experience that is a crux of engaged learning. To overcome this problem, S P Jain developed its own technology platform called Engaged Learning Online (ELO). It took them 18 months to develop the platform and they launched it in April 2019. While it was built to enable the working professionals attend classes remotely, it didn't get much traction. Students would still prefer to visit the campus and attend physical classes. But since the lockdown, ELO has become a game changer. The institute has seamlessly moved classes online without any degradation of quality, claim Jain. To access ELO, professors have to go to the Studio (that has 18 television screen where students come live) to give lectures. The difference, explains Jain, is it offers students a virtual but real-time classroom experience. Since the studio is set up with a robotic tracking camera, professor can stand, move around and maintain eye contact with students as they do in a class. The Professor can also have one-on-one conversations with a student or speak to the entire class. "The professor gets their energy from the classroom, by speaking to students, asking them questions. All of this gets lost on a small screen where you can't see the students. In ELO, each student is live, real size (on a television screen) that helps maintain engagement in the class," says Jain. What is easy is real-time polling and group activities that can be done much faster. It also has an alertness meter where you can actually check how alert the student is through the eye movement. He adds, that the only similar digital classroom platforms are Harvard's HBX and Oxford's HIVE. Now due to the lockdown all their 2,000-3,000 students from 20 countries are using this technology and the institute is testing the software at a scale. Currently, SP Jain has a studio in each of its campus in India, Dubai, Sydney and Singapore. "Due to the sudden increase in demand, we are now building four more studios in these campuses," says Jain. They have also identified few more cities where SP Jain doesn't have a campus to cater to the high demand. As a part of its long term strategy, they'll offer it to other institutions as well. "As we test ELO on scale, in the next six to eight months, we would be able to offer it to others," he says. "Everything is moving online. Even during this situation of the virus, anything online has not suffered at all. Whoever has the highest or the best technology, they become the leaders. That is the future," he adds. Also read: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, wife Rekha lost Rs 256 crore in this stock in 2020 Also read: GST laws relaxed! Tax paid on cancelled order to be adjusted in returns Congress Lok Sabha MP Vincent H Pala on Tuesday urged Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to quarantine all patient and staff of Bethany Hospital at government-run Pinewood hotel here instead of locking them at the hospital. The Bethany hospital here was sealed on Monday night and converted into a quarantine centre after a senior doctor of the health facility with no recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. All patients and staff were told to stay at the hospital. Pala, also a former Union minister said locking patients, all staff and doctors at the hospital is "suicidal" and urged the chief minister to quarantine them at the government-run Pinewood hotel here. The state government on Tuesday instructed Bethany Hospital to shut both its branches here in the state capital and in Nongpoh in Ri-Bhoi district - and all staff are to mandatorily stay under quarantine. "Please see the story of Diamond Princess Cruise and it was the biggest blunder by not allowing them to come out. All patients should be taken out, tested and quarantine them," Pala said, in a WhatsApp message to Conrad K Sangma and chief secretary M S Rao. A 26-year-old man on Tuesday jumped to death from the window of the Bethany Hospital here. "The patient was admitted on March 30 for substance abuse and he was admitted for rehabilitation," the chief minister said. He said the suicide was related to withdrawal symptoms and psychiatric problems but not corona related. Palas residence is about 100 meters away from the Bethany Hospital here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than two-fifths of renters whose work has been impacted by coronavirus have struggled to pay for essentials, according to a survey from Opinium (PA) More than two-fifths of renters whose work has been impacted by coronavirus have struggled to pay for essentials such as food and keeping a roof over their head, a survey has found. The majority (58%) of renters who were working before the Covid-19 outbreak report they have had their employment impacted in some way, and this has provoked further issues, research agency Opinium said. Over two-fifths (43%) of renters whose work has been impacted have struggled to pay rent, bills or for other essentials such as food, the survey of more than 2,000 people across the UK in early April found. Nearly a fifth (18%) of those whose employment has been impacted have had to choose between paying for food and other essentials or rent. A quarter (25%) have had to voluntarily leave their home, move in with friends or parents, or request for their tenancy to end earlier than planned to avoid paying rent. A substantial number of renters have had to use savings or financial help to get by and, if we are in this predicament for the long term, then their problems will only get worse James Endersby, Opinium Nearly a quarter (24%) of renters whose employment has been impacted by the outbreak have already had to dip into savings to pay for day-to-day life. In addition, nearly three-quarters (73%) of landlords are worried their tenants will not be able to pay all or part of the rent. Seven in 10 (70%) landlords are concerned that their tenants will move out, leaving them with an empty property. James Endersby, chief executive at Opinium, said: Our research shows that renters are finding it particularly tough. Many have found their employment situation has changed, but their rental payments still remain, and this is already becoming a struggle for some. A substantial number of renters have had to use savings or financial help to get by and, if we are in this predicament for the long term, then their problems will only get worse. Its clear that renters do not have the full perspective of their rights and entitlements that are crucial in guiding them through the outbreak, but these measures could make all the difference. The research found just below a fifth (19%) of renters surveyed were unaware the Government had said that landlords would not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. The Government has also previously announced that landlords can apply for three-month payment holidays on buy-to-let mortgages. David Cox, chief executive, Arla (Association of Residential Letting Agents) Propertymark urged renters and landlords to look into the help available. He said: Both renters and landlords should take full advantage of the Government schemes available during this difficult period. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been working to fight the spread coronavirus pandemic in New York since the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the United States in January. Since then, New York has become the epicenter of the virus in the country, Cuomo has declared a State of Emergency, and a flurry of orders have been issued that have closed schools, businesses and drastically altered the way of life for millions of New Yorkers. As New York passes 10,000 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 200,000 cases heres a look at the timeline of Cuomos executive orders, actions and key announcements against coronavirus so far: JANUARY 17 - First coronavirus cases in the United States 0 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York With confirmation of the first two U.S. cases of COVID-19 in Washington State and Chicago, the State Health Department issues guidance for health care facilities and workers to follow regarding any patient with symptoms consistent with coronavirus. Port Authority and New York City begin working with the CDC to screen passengers arriving from Wuhan, China. January 26 The health department launches a coronavirus-specific informational website. February 2 As testing begins to grow in New York, the Department of Health starts a hotline (1-888-364-3065) for residents to ask questions about COVID-19. February 29 After speaking with Vice President Pence, New York States Coronavirus test is approved by the FDA and testing is begun immediately at Wadsworth Lab in Albany. MARCH 1 - First coronavirus case in NY 1 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York The first patient tests positive for coronavirus in New York after traveling abroad in Iran. March 2 Cuomo requires New York health insurers to waive cost sharing associated with testing for novel coronavirus including emergency room, urgent care and office visits. He also announces that New Yorkers receiving Medicaid coverage will not pay a co-pays for any testing related to COVID-19. March 3 2 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo signs a $40 million emergency management authorization for New Yorks coronavirus response, giving him broad powers to issue directives during the pandemic. SUNY schools begin bringing home study abroad students in countries with high rates of coronavirus. March 4 11 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Study abroad programs at SUNY and CUNY schools to China, Italy and other impacted counties are canceled. March 5 22 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo activates a statewide Emergency Operation Center in Albany, as well as two Emergency Operations Center outposts in Westchester County. March 6 44 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo changes regulations so traveler insurers can sell insurance that lets people cancel for any reason. MARCH 7 - State of Emergency declared 76 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York In his first official COVID-19-related executive order, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declares a State of Emergency. This declaration allows, among other things, expedited procurement of essential hygiene, testing and medical supplies and expands the field of professionals permitted to conduct testing. Read the order Two of the new cases of COVID-19 mark the first cases in Upstate New York in Saratoga County. March 9 142 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York State prisoners begin producing hand sanitizer that will be distributed to state workers in an effort to combat price gouging. March 10 173 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo creates one-mile containment zone around New Rochelle to try to stem spread of coronavirus. It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster of cases in the country, he said at a news conference. The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle." March 11 216 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo announces that SUNY and CUNY institutions will begin distance learning for the remainder of the semester. The St. Patricks Day Parade in NYC postponed. March 12 325 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo announces that events with more than 500 attendees must be cancelled or postponed, and Broadway theaters shut down. Visitors, except those deemed medically necessary, are banned at nursing homes in New York. The East Coasts first drive through testing facility is ready to open in New Rochelle. March 13 421 total cases, 0 total deaths in New York Cuomo uses an executive order to waive the 7-day waiting period for unemployment claims due to COVID-19. He also directs the Department of Public Service to prevent utilities from cutting off service including power and heat as a result of the pandemic. MARCH 14 - First NY coronavirus-related death 613 total cases, 2 total deaths in New York An 82-year-old woman in Brooklyn with emphysema becomes the first coronavirus-related death in New York State. Insurance companies are directed to waive telehealth co-pays. Using an executive order, Cuomo modifies election procedures to suspend the candidate petitioning process for the June primaries for state offices, and lowers the signature requirements for ballot access, among other changes. March 15 729 total cases, 3 total deaths in New York Cuomo, in an open letter, urges President Donald Trump to implement an aggressive, national strategy against COVID-19, including deployment of the Army Corps of Engineers, expanding testing capacity and a uniform federal standard for city and state shutdowns. Cuomo directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to move to appointment only. School closings begin in NYC, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties. MARCH 16 - Schools closed statewide 950 total cases, 7 total deaths in New York Cuomo issues an executive order closing all schools statewide. He suspends the 180-day instructional requirement and instructs districts to develop a plan for alternative education. Cuomo partners with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to institute uniform standards across the three states to combat the spread of coronavirus. They include: Limiting recreational and social gatherings to 50 people Closing on-premise service at all restaurants and bars and moving to take-out and delivery services only. Closing movie theaters, gyms and casinos Read the order This is not a war that can be won alone, which is why New York is partnering with our neighboring states to implement a uniform standard that not only keeps our people safe but also prevents state shopping where residents of one state travel to another and vice versa, Cuomo explained in a statement. Nonessential state workers are ordered to begin working from home. Local governments are instructed to reduce workforce by 50 percent. All park fees are waived at state, local and county parks. In an executive order, Cuomo orders all villages to delay elections until April 28. Read the order March 17 1,374 total cases, 12 total deaths in New York Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James freeze collection of medical and student debt owed to New York for at least 30 days. March 18 2,382 total cases, 16 total deaths in New York Cuomo announces that the 1,000-bed USNS Comfort will be deployed to New York harbor to provide additional hospital capacity. Pennsylvania joins the NY-NJ-CT coalition, and all four states order the closure of indoor shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys. Read the order Cuomo signs a bill guaranteeing paid leave to New Yorkers under mandatory or precautionary coronavirus quarantine. March 19 4,152 total cases, 38 total deaths in New York Businesses that require in-office personnel are directed to reduce that workforce by 75%. Read the order Cuomo announces 90-day mortgage relief for New Yorkers. MARCH 20 - New York State on PAUSE 7,102 total cases, 46 total deaths in New York Cuomo signs the New York State on PAUSE executive order, closing 100% of non-essential businesses statewide. Shipping, media, warehousing, grocery and food production, pharmacies, healthcare providers, utilities, banks and related financial institutions and some other industries critical to the supply chain are exempt from these measures. The order also cancels and bans non-essential gatherings of any size, institutes 6-foot social distancing requirements and bans contact recreational activities. Barber shops, nail and hair salons and related personal care services are specified as non-essential, and are directed to close. Read the order Matildas Law requires individuals age 70 or older to stay home and limit visitation to immediate family members or close friends in need of emergency assistance. A 90-day moratorium on any residential or commercial evictions is put in place. Cuomo request that companies capable of manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) begin doing so, and offers state funding to any company interested in obtaining the proper equipment and personnel. President Trump declares a major disaster in New York, allowing FEMA to step in and assist the state financially. March 21 10,356 total cases, 58 total deaths in New York In an executive order, Cuomo closes all DMV in-office transactions. License and permit expirations are extended. Read the order New York begins gathering ventilators from across the state to be sent to to the most critical areas. Cuomo announces the first four sites recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers to be converted into Temporary Hospitals. They are the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and locations at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury and the Westchester Convention Center. March 22 15,168 total cases, 76 total deaths in New York Cuomo announces that New York will begin trials of Hydroxychloroquine, Zithromax and Chloroquine in treating COVID-19. Hospitals are ordered to cancel elective and non-critical surgeries to help expand hospital capacity. March 23 20,875 total cases, 157 total deaths in New York Cuomo signs an executive order requiring hospitals to increase capacity by a minimum of 50%. Read the order March 25 30,811 total cases, 285 total deaths in New York At Cuomos direction, the Public Service Commission postpones rate increases for 2 million New York American Water and National Grid customers upstate originally scheduled to go into effect April 1. Cuomo announces that 40,000 healthcare workers, including retirees and students, have signed up to volunteer for the states surge healthcare force. Another 6,000 mental health professionals begin providing free online mental health services. Cuomo blasts the proposed stimulus bill as terrible," based on initial reports. March 27 44,635 total cases, 519 total deaths in New York Cuomo extends school closures by an additional two weeks. Read the order Consumers financially impacted by the virus are permitted to defer paying life insurance premiums for 90 days. Cuomo announces a 60-day deferment of property and casualty insurances for consumers and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. This includes auto, homeowners, renters and other insurances. MARCH 28 - Elections and tax deadlines postponed 52,318 total cases, 728 total deaths in New York Cuomo uses an executive order to postpone the states presidential primary election from April 28 to June 23, aligning it with the states congressional and legislative primaries. School board elections and budget votes are also postponed until at least June 1. In a separate order, Cuomo pushed the state tax filing deadline back to July 15, aligning it with the deadline set by the federal government. March 29 59,513 total cases, 981 total deaths in New York Cuomo extends all NYS on PAUSE and non-essential work from home mandates for another two weeks. He also extends the duration of school closures and all other previously mandated business operations closures until April 15. Pharmacies begin offering free home delivery. Schools are allowed to host free day care services. April 1 83,712 total cases, 1,957 total deaths in New York New York City playgrounds close to address lack of compliance to social distancing mandates. A PSA is launched to explain how New Yorkers can apply for unemployment. April 3 102,863 total cases, 2,951 total deaths in New York In an executive order, Cuomo will allow New York to redistribute ventilators and PPE from hospitals that arent using them to hospitals with the highest need. Read the order The state launches its own coronavirus data tracking website. April 4 113,704 total cases, 3,581 total deaths in New York Cuomo uses an executive order to allow medical students slated to graduate to begin practicing immediately in order to help with the health care surge. He also announces a flood of new medical equipment donations from charitable foundations, the NBA, the Chinese government and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. April 6 130,689 total cases, 4,774 total deaths in New York Cuomo extends NY on PAUSE closures by two weeks and orders schools and nonessential businesses closed through April 29. The maximum fine for social distancing violations is increased to $1,000. The First Responders Fund is established to help first responders and healthcare workers with expenses and costs, including child care with a $10 million anchor contribution from Blackstone. Donations can be made online. April 8 149,316 total cases, 6,284 total deaths in New York State flags lowered to half mast for COVID-19 victims as long as the state is on pause. In an executive order, Cuomo ensures all New Yorkers can vote by absentee ballot on the June 23 primary elections. Read the order Airlines begin offering free travel to New York for coronavirus medical workers. More than 90,000 health professionals, including 25,000 from out of state, have signed up to volunteer for the healthcare surge to date. April 9 159,937 total cases, 7,083 total deaths in New York In an executive order, Cuomo will bring additional funeral directors to the state to help with the high number of COVID-19 deaths. April 12 188,694 total cases, 9,401 total deaths in New York Cuomo will use an executive order for employers to provide essential workers with free cloth or surgical masks to use when interacting with the public. He will also use an executive order to expand the eligibility of individuals to conduct antibody tests to help ensure as many New Yorkers as possible have access to antibody testing. It also expands the eligibility of workers permitted to conduct this type of test. April 13 195,031 total cases, 10,072 total deaths in New York Cuomo an governors from New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island announce a seven-state council to restore the economy and get people back to work. The council is comprised of a health expert, economic development expert and Chief of Staff from each state. Now it is time to start opening the valve slowly and carefully while watching the infection rate meter so we dont trigger a second wave of new infections, Cuomo says in a statement. The council will develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states stay at home orders while minimizing the risk of increased spread of the virus. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources NY refuses to identify nursing homes with coronavirus as pandemic hits many facilities Could Upstate New York schools, businesses reopen sooner than New York City? Will I have to pay income taxes on my coronavirus relief payment? Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 21:28:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 594 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTG or the Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) announced today the company filed its 2019 annual Form 10-K which included record top line revenues for the Company. The company's revenues for 2019 were $10.2M, a 990 % increase from the prior year. This increase resulted primarily from its acquisition of the assets of SpeedConnect, LLC and the increase of Blue Collar's 2019 revenues from its film production activity.These increases in revenues helped improve our loss from operations before depreciation, amortization and share based compensation (Non GAAP) from a 2018 loss of $2,897,807 to a loss of $152,571 for the 2019 calendar year. Although the overall net loss for 2019 was $14M, most of this was due to accounting for our derivative financing instruments which reflected over $10M in non-cash expense on our profit and loss. We hope to refinance these derivative financing instruments in the current year."Operationally 2019 was a banner year for TPT Global Tech's revenue growth due to our acquisition activities in our Telecom division and organic growth opportunities in our Content Media division. We are very pleased to announce our 2019 numbers which reflect how hard the company has worked to continue moving its mission or corporate objectives forward as we move into 2020.""I know this is a very hard time for our employees, customers and Shareholders. TPT Global Tech will continue to support our employees and their families thru this very trying time in American history. May God watch over all of us and keep us safe not only here in the United States but around the Globe" said Stephen Thomas CEO TPTW.This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings and pursuit of new markets are forward looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.About TPT Global TechTPT Global Tech Inc. (OTC:TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a Technology/Telecommunications Media Content Hub for Domestic and International syndication and also provides Technology solutions to businesses domestically and worldwide. TPT Global offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT's also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones.Frank Benedetto619-915-9422SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc. A team of Johns Hopkins experts has created a clinical guidebook to help hospitals and medical centers rapidly scale up their ability to deliver so-called convalescent plasma therapy, which leverages immune system components found in the plasma portion of blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness. "We've received many inquiries from health care providers looking to ramp up their ability to deliver this therapy," says Evan M Bloch, M.D., M.S. an associate professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who is part of the team working on convalescent therapy. "There is historical precedent for its use to prevent and treat viral illness. However, during the chaos of an epidemic, the therapy is often deployed without rigorously studying its effects. Carefully conducted studies are critically needed to understand which people are most likely to benefit from this therapy and how best to apply it to optimize that benefit." The guidebook was published online April 7 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In recent weeks, infectious disease expert Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., has led a team of physicians and scientists from around the United States to establish a network of hospitals and blood banks that can begin collecting, isolating and processing blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors. "This paper details the nuts and bolts of how to deploy convalescent plasma, and this information should be very helpful to colleagues worldwide who are preparing to use this therapy against COVID-19," says Casadevall, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor who holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for researchers at Johns Hopkins to proceed with clinical trials to test convalescent plasma therapy in people who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness and have been exposed to people who have tested positive for the virus. Like most therapies, Bloch says, convalescent blood plasma's best potential for effectiveness is early in the disease's progression. Currently, there are no proven drug therapies or effective vaccines for treating COVID-19. The guidebook outlines a range of clinical trials underway or planned at hospitals taking part in the Johns Hopkins-led network for convalescent plasma therapy. Among the protocols outlined in the guide are criteria for eligible donors of blood plasma, how hospitals can mobilize donors and work with local and national blood centers, methods for prescreening donors, and the risks and potential benefits of the therapy. Bloch, also an expert on global health, says convalescent blood plasma therapy can be deployed in low-resource communities. There is a difference, however, in how blood plasma may be collected in communities with low versus high resources. He says high-resource communities typically rely on apheresis machines to remove a donor's blood, filter the plasma from it, and return the rest of the blood, plus a replacement for the collected plasma (i.e. a protein called albumin), back to the donor. Using the apheresis method, a single donor could produce enough plasma to potentially benefit up to three other people. In low-resource communities where apheresis machines may be unavailable, the output of plasma would be less per donor. This is because doctors have to perform a typical whole blood donation from the donor and manually separate the plasma in a laboratory by using a centrifuge machine or letting gravity separate the blood products. Among the most common challenges to scaling up convalescent blood plasma therapy, Bloch says, is rapidly developing in-house testing for whether the blood plasma of donors contains key antibodies the immune system needs to recognize and help destroy the virus in the body. There are also logistical challenges associated with identifying donors and performing repeat COVID-19 nasal swab tests for the virus in them. "This field is moving so fast that a problem today is solved tomorrow," says Bloch. "We aimed to publish a baseline document that can serve hospitals globally. It will, undoubtedly, evolve." ### In addition to Bloch and Casadevall, experts who contributed to the guidelines include Aaron Tobian, Shmuel Shoham, Andrew Pekosz, Bryan Lau, Amy Wesolowski, Paul Auwaerter, David Thomas, David Sullivan and Eric Gehrie from Johns Hopkins; Bruce Sachais and Beth Shaz from New York Blood Center Enterprises; Jeffrey Winters, Camille van Buskirk, Michael Joyner and Wayne Nicholson from the Mayo Clinic; Brenda Grossman and Jeffrey Henderson from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; Louis Katz from Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center; Hua Shan from Stanford University; Nigel Paneth from Michigan State University; Steven Spitalnik, Eldad Hod from Columbia University; Lewis Pollack, a consultant; Liise-anne Pirofski from Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Jeffrey Bailey from Brown University. Coronavirus fears lead to increased logging in Brazils Amazon and disease puts indigenous peoples health at risk. As Brazil decreases environmental protections due to the coronavirus pandemic, data from the National Institute shows that deforestation in the Amazon has increased by more than 50 percent, compared with last year. But as illegal loggers push deeper into the Amazon, it also raises the chance its indigenous communities could catch the disease. President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the threat the coronavirus poses and encouraged development in the Amazon. Al Jazeeras Teresa Bo reports. No fewer than 10 Nigerians, out of the 40 persons subjected to the mandatory COVID-19 test for those who registered in the United Kingdom to return home, have tested positive. The results of the tests, which were released on Monday in London, indicated that the 10 individuals were asymptomatic, raising fears that they might have infected other people. This was said to have sparked panic among the staff of the Nigerian High Commission in London and other Nigerians who heard about the development. Saturday Punch had exclusively reported on April 11 that 2,000 Nigerians, mostly in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and the United Arab Emirates, had registered and indicated their intention to come home. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which compiled a list of such stranded Nigerians, gave some conditions. The ministry said the intending returnees would pay for their journey back home. Also, it stated that they would be compulsorily tested for COVID-19 before coming back to Nigeria. One of punch correspondents gathered on Monday that many of the stranded Nigerians were students and businessmen, who travelled to the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and the United Arab Emirates. It was learnt that many of those who tested positive were not resident in the UK, but went to the European country for business and educational purposes. A source in the high commission explained that Nigerians, who registered for the evacuation, were being tested in a batch of 40. The source added that another batch would soon undergo the COVID-19 test. He stated, We have just received the results of the first batch of 40 Nigerians who registered for evacuation to Nigeria. The results show that about 10 persons tested positive for COVID-19 and they have commenced treatment in isolation centres. What is generating consternation is the fear that they might have infected many other people since they were not showing symptoms of the deadly disease. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Bolt, the leading on-demand transportation platform in Europe and Africa, has launched a programme to provide free transportation to frontline medical personnel involved in the COVID-19 fight in Ghana. The service which starts today with hopes to support over 5000 healthcare personnel through the programme. Shedding light on the idea behind the launch of the service, Nonso Onwuzulike, Bolt Country Manager for Ghana says It can be complicated for doctors, nurses and other medical workers to get to work fast and safe during the lockdown. Being a key player in transportation in Ghana, we want to help out by supporting the people on the frontline. In pursuit of its goal, Bolt has partnered with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and has already enrolled more than 1000 health workers to sponsored business accounts on the Bolt platform, enabling them to ride to and from work without needing to pay for it. We are starting the service in Accra and Kumasi. Our partnership with the GRNMA gives us access to the active healthcare workforce in Ghana with a priority on healthcare workers working in the pandemic centres adds Nonso. According to Nonso, Bolt is currently working with a number of businesses to sponsor these free rides for the healthcare personnel. Businesses that are currently not on board are encouraged to sign up to support the nation's healthcare workers in these difficult times he reiterated. All Bolt vehicles transporting medical personnel will be equipped with car disinfectants and hand sanitizers and the drivers will be required to disinfect the cars after each trip. Businesses that are interested in joining the cause can sign up by filling a form on the website of Bolt after which a member of the Bolt team will get in touch with them. Bolt has set no cap on the amount required from partner companies to sponsor and thus all well-meaning businesses are encouraged to get on board. In spite of the lockdown, Bolt and other ride hailing companies are exempted from the restrictions and are thus able to conveniently transport healthcare workers to and from their place of work. Bolt is the leading European transportation platform that's focused on making urban travel easier, quicker and more reliable. The company's services range from ride-hailing to micro-mobility and food delivery. Bolt has more than 30 million users in over 35 countries globally. www.bolt.eu Rick Loomis/Getty Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially been declared the victor of the Wisconsin Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press, after a surge in mail-in ballots posted in the midst of the coronavirus crisis took days to officially tabulate the results of the April 7 contest. Bidens win in Wisconsin is largely pro forma following the suspension of Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign last week, which cleared the path to the Democratic presidential nomination for the former two-term vice president, despite the chaotic lead-up to a contest that some local leaders worried would expose voters to the coronavirus. Bidens victory comes a week after eleventh hour efforts by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, who sought to postpone in-person voting across the state until June in the hopes of limiting voters exposure to the virus. The primary, the first major contest to hold in-person voting since the coronavirus pandemic effectively shuttered most states across the country in March, was given the green light by the state supreme court just hours before voting began on April 7. Republican leaders in the state opposed Evers attempt to delay. I Could Get the Virus If I Vote: Wisconsins Terrifying Election Day Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said in a press call Monday morning before the results were released what happened in Wisconsin "was voter suppression on steroids because it was putting people's lives in danger. A mixture of health worries, concerns about poll worker shortages and a large scale downsizing of polling places in Milwaukee led to a disastrous picture emerging from the election day. Voters waited for hours in line to vote in some locations, in various degrees of social separation, and a sense of anxiety about taking such a risk was clear. But some calls to delay came only as the situation appeared to become bleaker. The Wisconsin Democratic Party announced its support to postpone the contest the Wednesday before the election was held. Story continues "What happened last week is a blight on democracy," Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said Monday morning. "It was a blight on the history of our state." For some in the state, the Biden/Sanders race wasnt the contest they cared most about on the ballot. The race for a state supreme court seat drew widespread attention, including from President Donald Trump. Trump, who took to Twitter urging people to vote for highly respected Republican, Justice Daniel Kelly, in the race, insisted during a coronavirus task force briefing last week that the Democrats' attempt to delay the election was less about pandemic health concerns and more about Trump backing Kelly. Prominent Democrats in the state backed Judge Jill Karofsky in the race. And Some Democrats in Wisconsin worried that suppressed turnout because of the pandemic could keep the seat in conservatives' hands. Two of the states major Republican leaders maintained in the lead up to the April 7 contest that in person voting should still take place. On the eve of the election, Wisconsin House Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a joint statement they continued to believe that citizens should be able to exercise their right to vote at the polls on Election Day, should they choose to do so. Despite being the presumptive nominee, Biden is still short of winning the total number of delegates he needs to officially clinch the nomination. Sanders, who like Biden has been in social isolation in his home since their twin rallies in Cleveland were cancelled in early March due to concerns about the virus, had called for Wisconsin to postpone its primarya move Biden had publicly avoided until after the polls had closed in the state. My gut is that we shouldnt have had the election in the first placethe in-person election. It should have been all mailed in, Biden told Chris Cuomo on Tuesday night, 40 minutes after polls had closed in the state and one week after he had said that in-person voting could continue. Biden blamed the in-person voting issues on Wisconsin Republicans, who he said were pushing really, really hard to maintain that they had an election because I think they know that low turnout affects their interests. Price County Democratic Party chairman Steve Gustafson told The Daily Beast on April 7 that it was appalling that in-person voting was occurring despite the global health crisis. How can this not spread further? Its absurd, Gustafson said. Obviously people are going to get sick, theyre going to spread the virus and people are going to die. And thats not right. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip has run out of coronavirus test kits but will soon have a new laboratory capable of conducting as many as 3,000 tests a day. Gaza Health Ministry Undersecretary Youssef Abu al-Rish said the 300-square-meter (3,229-square-foot) lab is expected to be assembled and equipped by April 16. The lab will be a joint effort of Beijing Genomics Institute and Israel's AID Genomics. Ayman al-Halabi, labs department director at the Gaza Health Ministry, spoke with Al-Monitor, stressing the need for this laboratory, particularly since the ministrys main lab in Gaza ran out of testing kits April 8. Since early 2020, the World Health Organization had supplied the Gaza Strip with 192 kits, with each pack able to perform 96 tests, including one kit from the Health Ministry in the West Bank, he said. The Gaza Strip ran out of kits, as 1,984 tests were performed on citizens placed in quarantine April 5-6. These citizens started returning home after testing negative and spending 21 days in the quarantine centers, he added. He noted that 177 samples taken from citizens in quarantine are still in the lab awaiting testing. The Gaza Strip had recorded 13 COVID-19 cases as of April 10, with the first two infections confirmed March 22, after the Health Ministry in the West Bank told the Gaza government that two people who were in close contact with a confirmed case in the West Bank had entered the Gaza Strip. "The two [people] did not show symptoms. We discovered that they were infected after tracing the list of people who were in close contact with them," Halabi said. "Identifying infected cases before any symptoms were shown is an achievement for the Health Ministry [in Gaza], which has the [goal] of preventing the virus outbreak in the Gaza Strip by imposing quarantines and conducting tests before any symptoms appear. Commenting on whether there are positive cases not in quarantine, Halabi said, I can neither confirm nor deny this as long as no symptoms were shown, and tests on citizens who are not in quarantine were not made. Before the test kits ran out, samples taken from infected or quarantined people went to the Gaza Health Ministrys lab in the Rammal central clinic. It is the only lab for viral diseases in Gaza. Halabi said, The viral testing division in the ministrys central lab was rehabilitated. The tests are done with two PCR instruments [DNA amplifiers], including one we borrowed from the University College of Science and Technology, and the results are accurate. Halabi stressed that the positive samples were tested again at the labs of the West Bank Ministry of Health in Ramallah, the lab of Al-Aqsa University in Gaza and the lab of a third party he did not identify. All these labs have confirmed that the conducted tests were positive, he said. But on April 6, Tarif Ashur, spokesman for the Health Ministry in the West Bank, said in a press release on COVID-19 that the Gaza Health Ministry was not providing the West Bank with any details or reports on coronavirus cases in Gaza. For his part, Kamal Chakra, director-general of primary care at the Ramallah ministry, called on the Gaza government to send the samples to be tested in the West Banks labs instead of the Israeli ones. The Hamas daily newspaper Al-Resalah reported April 6 that the Ramallah ministry took all of the financial assistance that was supposed to be delivered to a Gaza-West Bank joint technical committee formed to fight the virus. A well-informed source at the Ramallah ministry told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The Hamas government seemingly wants to obtain its share of the assistance to the health care sector in cash. Also, resorting to Israel to have the samples tested, although they can be tested in Ramallah, raises many questions. (This could not be independently verified by Al-Monitor.) The long wait destroys the samples. Based on that, the results the Gaza government receives from Israel could be inexact, he said. He said WHO is updated on the health situation in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. An Israeli-Chinese lab is due to be set up soon in the Gaza Strip. Based on that, there will be no need to send the samples to Israel. Also, the Gazan medical staff is well trained, as confirmed by Chakra after visiting Gaza on March 1. By Vishnu Prakash Experts had foreseen the possibility of a global pandemic, but perhaps underestimated the havoc it could wreak. It is with good reason therefore that Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany calls it the biggest crisis since World War II. President Donald Trump has termed it #ChineseVirus. However, the Chinese establishment has chosen to pat itself on the back for "transparency and exemplary conduct." It has gone to the extent of blaming American soldiers for bringing the scourge to Wuhan. In the Chinese propaganda blitz to fabricate an alternative narrative, the WHO (World Health Organization) has willy-nilly acted as a complaint partner. Intriguingly, despite being "above reproach," Beijing sacked the party chiefs of Hubei province and Wuhan, as well as, two senior-most health officials, on Feb. 13. Because China's Covid-19 "response was faultless," the only explanation is that Premier Li Keqiang, who visited Wuhan on Jan. 27, disapproved of the color of their ties. By now there is little doubt that the virus was discovered in Wuhan in mid-November at the latest, but was hushed up with a heavy hand. The WHO was informed on Dec. 31, and instead of red-flagging China, merrily played along. It declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency only on Jan. 30. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who has led his nation admirably in this difficult hour, warns that the world will have to brace for a long battle. Putting it delicately he says, "I am sure there were many aspects of the Chinese response to this outbreak which they will look back upon and believe that they should have done better . . . .We are transparent if there is bad news, we tell you. If there are things which need to be done, we also tell you." Not China. Under a law that came into force on Jan. 23, 1996, at the behest of the Ministry of Public Health and the State Bureau for the Protection of State Secrets, "highest level infectious diseases" are classified as "highly secret." This secrecy extends from the first occurrence of the disease until the day it is announced. As such, the need to maintain secrecy is built into the system. Chinese officials similarly covered up outbreaks of HIV/AIDS in Henan province in the mid-1990s and the SARS epidemic in 2002-03, until media exposes forced them to come clean. "Try as the Chinese authorities might to showcase their system as having efficiently tackled a national emergency, but even the remotest nation on earth has learned about their failure. This time it will not be so simple to whitewash," observes Vijay Gokhale, India's former Vice Foreign Minister and Ambassador to China. China's image has taken a further hit for supplying, defective or sub-standard testing kits, face masks and critical medical material, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to severable vulnerable European countries. What is more, the Global Times warned that China could suspend supplying face masks and other medical gear, if the Trump administration, imposed restrictions on Huawei. This is a wake-up call, if one was needed, that over-dependence on a third country for critical supplies merely on cost considerations, can eventually exact a disproportionate price. A nation can cede such a coercive leverage to another country only at its own peril. The bruised and battered world that emerges from the crisis, God knows when, will be a chastened place. It will be forced to do some serious soul searching. Consequently, geo-strategic equations will undergo a change, globalization will take a hit, international trade will shrink and every country will face a supply shock, spiraling unemployment and faltering GDP growth. Industry and capital in all likelihood will migrate back to home countries. Some efforts are under way, among the comity of nations, to share findings, best practices and medical resources, to disrupt the cycle of Covid-19 infection. The first G-20 video summit convened by Saudi Arabia as its Chair on Mar. 26, was a useful step. The U.N. Security Council is now meeting to examine the situation and possibly ask some tough questions. But as of date, with the contagion raging unabated in 209 countries and territories, scientists and virologists are racing against the clock to find solutions. Bill Gates has opined that 10 of about 100 Covid-19 vaccines under development "are very promising" but could need another 18 months (Sep. 2021) to be available for use. Hopefully a treatment protocol will be devised earlier. Vishnu Prakash is a former Indian ambassador to South Korea. It appears Prince Felix, second son Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and Princess Claire has started a lifestyle company alongside their vineyard. Prince Felix and his wife Princess Claire of Luxembourg feature prominently on the Instagram page of the brand Young Empire, which describes itself as "a lifestyle brand offering furniture, clothing and home-wear with an innovative edge." According to the company's website, "Young Empire is the fruit of a long friendship; Claire, Felix, Katia and James have known each other since their school days." Based in Geneva with manufacturing in Portugal, the company sells paintings, furniture, and clothes for both adults and children. Prince Felix and Princess Claire also took over the management of the Lademacher (Princess Claire was born Claire Margaeta Lademacher) family-owned Chateau les Crostes in France in 2013. In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Executive Board has approved immediate debt service relief to 25 poor countries. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of IMF, said in a statement: "Today I am pleased to say that our Executive Board approved immediate debt service relief to 25 of the IMF's member countries under the IMF's revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund's response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic." "This provides grants to our poorest and most vulnerable members to cover their IMF debt obligations for an initial phase over the next six months and will help them channel more of their scarce financial resources towards vital emergency medical and other relief efforts," she said. The countries that will receive debt service relief today are -- Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, and Yemen. "The CCRT can currently provide about USD 500 million in grant-based debt service relief, including the recent USD 185 million pledge by the UK and USD 100 million provided by Japan as immediately available resources. Others, including China and the Netherlands, are also stepping forward with important contributions. I urge other donors to help us replenish the Trust's resources and boost further our ability to provide additional debt service relief for a full two years to our poorest member countries," said Georgieva. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Working-class anger is rising against the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government, which forced millions of nonessential workers back to work yesterday as thousands continue to fall ill each day from the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The measure, enforced by the unions, threatens to lead to hundreds of thousands of more infections and tens of thousands of deaths, while big business reaps massive profits. With 169,496 cases and 17,489 deaths, Spain has among the highest COVID-19 death rates on the planet. Yesterday millions of construction workers, metalworkers, builders, cleaners, factory and shipyard workers, sanitation and security employees and autoworkers returned to work, after factories and construction sites had closed for a two-week shelter-at-home period. The ruthlessness, greed and indifference to workers lives were reflected in the complete disorganization on the first day back to work. The distribution of around 10 million masks by the authorities, handed out in buses and subways in urban areas, was chaotic. Madrids transport chief Angel Garrido tweeted: Neither the Madrid region nor any other local transport authority has any information about the distribution of masks announced by the Health Minister. The police and Red Cross were told to distribute millions of masks on the evening before the return to work. In some areas there were no distribution, and in most the supply of masks ran out within hours. As of this writing, it is still unknown if more masks will be provided in coming weeks; those distributed on Monday are recommended for single use. The Spanish government also published a nonsensical guide for workers and businesses. Workers are advised to avoid crowding in public transport, even though hundreds of thousands depend on mass transit to go to work. They are also told to clean their mobiles phones, clothes and shoes when they come back home, showing that the government knows these workers will be contaminated. Anger at the so-called progressive governments criminal policy is rising among workers. A locksmith at a construction site told eldiario.org, I have no other choice. It doesnt seem normal to have to return to work, but we have no other option. He added, I have to continue covering expenses. With the subsidies that the government promises we cant do anything. Sandra told La Vanguardia the masks were just single use: They distribute masks for one day, as if we dont have to work from Monday to Friday. Another worker told the same daily that she woke up early to go to get masks because her company does not provide her any, nor other protection. She complained that the masks are not distributed at all stations. A Madrid bricklayer told El Pais, I dont know why the hell we have to go back if there is no way of keeping distance from each other ... I only hope that my colleagues also work with a mask. If not, were screwed. Another construction worker, Sergio, complained, I keep coming with my gloves and with my mask. They are not giving me anything, and there are colleagues who work with nothing. Sergio also said he was forced back to work even though a holiday was scheduled. His company wants to start clawing back hours lost during the eight working days lost during the lockdown. The policy was designed by the PSOE-Podemos government and supported by the unions, which means big business plans to regain all the hours lost by lengthening the working day or eliminating vacation days. At another site, another worker said, This must stop once and fall all. Fearing to infect his teenage children, he said his company is asking us to maintain social distance and wear masks and gloves. But we have to bring them. We are on our own. The criminal policy has been fully endorsed by the Stalinist Workers Commissions (CCOO) and the social democratic General Union of Labor (UGT), who designed the policy last Friday with Podemos minister of labour, Yolanda Diaz. They were well aware that most companies are not in a position to guarantee these health and safety conditions, in the words of CCOO leader Unai Sordo. Nonetheless, Podemos, the CCOO and other unions all worked together to force workers back to work in unsafe conditions. Yesterday the secretary of the UGTs Federation of Industry, Construction and Agriculture (FICA), Pedro Hojas, admitted it is true that there is a shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves, etc). The minority General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union made toothless complaints about the back-to-work order, while providing the government with advice on how to implement it. One of the anarcho-syndicalist CGTs more ghoulish proposals was to urge that if a worker in these nonessential industries dies of COVID-19 in this period, it should be ruled a work-related death. Podemos, the CGT, the CCOO and UGT all accept the principle, however, that millions of workers should risk their lives purely to boost corporate profits. The union bureaucracy speaks for the interests not of the working class, but of management, supporting the criminal PSOE-Podemos back-to-work policy. They cynically assert that if protection is not guaranteed at a workplace, workers should notify local union representatives who obey the same organizations that in fact drafted these policies in the first place! Union officials are also providing positive publicity to companies that are forcing their workers back to work, despite the continuing unavailability of masks even for health care workers, 13 percent of whom are infected. One example is Mercedes Santoja, head of the CCOO of Seville in construction and services. She said that large companies are doing things fairly well, in an interview to the Diario de Sevilla headlined Seville CCOO praises prevention measures after return to work in construction. As for the right-wing parties that the ruling class has built up for decades as the so-called left, they are not simply backing, but in fact formulating and implementing the policy. Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz has been at the forefront. The PSOE-Podemos government has moved to quash any rumours of internal differences between the PSOE and Podemos about the back-to-work order. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said in an interview that no member of the government told the prime minister to rectify the measure. Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Podemos General Secretary Pablo Iglesias cynically tried to posture as a critic of big business, tweeting an article by the Ctxt online magazine titled Bergamo [Italy], the massacre that the employers did not want to avoid. The article describes the criminal policy implemented by big business in Bergamo, an industrial hub in northern Italy that was never declared a red zone due to pressure from big business. The policy cost the lives of countless people. The infection rate was many times higher than the official one, and an estimated 3,000 people died in the area. The fact is that Iglesias government is implementing the same policies in Spain as those Confindustria, Italys big business association, called for under hashtags like #YesWeWork and Bergamo is running, and lies such as the risk of infections is low, all cited in the article tweeted by Iglesias. This is creating the conditions for an explosive confrontation between the working class and the PSOE-Podemos government. In a reactionary attempt to paper over these class contradictions with rhetoric about national unity, this government is now seeking talks on social and economic policy with all the parliamentary parties. It wants an agreement open to everyone, that is, including the fascistic Vox party. This offer, made as they force millions of workers to risk their lives needlessly going to work, is a warning that Podemos and the PSOE is trying to complete the transition to an authoritarian regime. A group of friends have recreated a funnier Australian version of I Saw A Tiger from a popular Netflix documentary. In a homage to the Netflix hit series Tiger King, the trio uploaded the footage to YouTube on Sunday showing off their twist of the original music video. Tiger King follows animal enthusiast and tiger breeder Joe Exotic, and features the song 'I Saw A Tiger'. The three men recreated the music video by dressing up in blankets, cowboy hats and lip syncing. The three friends created their own Australian version of the song I Saw A Tiger The rendition comes from a popular seven-part Netflix docoseries Tiger King which follows an animal enthusiast, Joe Exotic, who breeds tigers The track features lyrics such as, 'Tell all the hunters to lay down their guns/Tell them that the tiger needs a little bit of love,' and, 'Stand back and marvel at the beautiful cat.' As the music begins in the Australian version of the music video, two of the men are seen on the grass with cowboy hats as the other pretends to play a guitar. They all have handlebar moustaches similar to that of Joe Exotic. The guitar player then begins to lip sync to the lyrics before two of them cover themselves with striped blankets to appear as tigers. The men get on the roof of the house as two hide under the blankets pretending to be tigers The Australian version of I Saw A Tiger has garnered only 355 views since it was uploaded on Sunday The pair under the blankets get on all fours and run towards each other and pretend to fight, similar to the actual music video. At one point the men make their way onto the roof of the house with two people covered in the blankets. The video continues to show the men putting their own twist to the original music video. Joe Exotic with one of the tigers in the popular Netflix series Tiger King Netflix's Tiger King was watched by 34.4 million people globally in the first 10 days that followed its release on March 2020, according to data by Nielsen. It tells the story of Joe Exotic and a cast of eccentric characters in the 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. Carole denied Joe's unfounded accusations in the bizarre documentary. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 00:45:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the online meeting on sanitary and epidemiologic situation in Russia at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on April 13, 2020. (Kremlin photo) Russia has registered a total of 18,328 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday. MOSCOW, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia may resort to its military resources in the fight against COVID-19 if the situation in the country continues to worsen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday. "The Defense Ministry is working, I repeat, quite efficiently, but it is using only a fraction of what it has, and it is involved abroad, while the main resources are still in reserve," Putin said at a meeting with senior government officials involved in the battle against COVID-19. The situation in Russia is worsening, with a rising number of infections, he said. Russia has registered a total of 18,328 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, with the number of infected rising by a new daily record of 2,558, and the death toll reaching 148. Russia has sent medical military specialists, testing devices and protection gear to Italy and Serbia to help these countries combat the disease. Putin also said that the government has allocated additional funds to the Defense Ministry to build new infectious disease hospitals in various regions across the country, which could be used to treat civilians. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that the ministry had received 8.8 billion rubles (around 120 million U.S. dollars) from the state budget to build 16 multifunctional medical centers, which will be commissioned between April 20 and May 15. On a warm Sunday morning in mid-April 1945, a small team of soldiers and medics set off in Jeeps from British Army headquarters in north-west Germany on a special mission. For 15 miles, they drove eastwards towards the enemy lines, passing through dense forest before rounding a bend in the road and coming to a sudden halt at a sentry box, appearing as if from nowhere. A 15ft-high barbed-wire fence stretched out for miles in both directions, with manned watchtowers at 200-yard intervals. They had reached their hidden destination: the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They had come at the request of the Germans to liberate it. As they passed through the gates, the panorama before them was an utterly shocking vision of hell. Staggering towards them were thousands of starving, skeletal humans in rags, with pleading looks on their grey, wizened faces. Distraught mothers clutched long-dead babies in their arms. Everywhere were piles of dead corpses, rotting in the sun. Rescued from hell: Belsen survivors queue for soup after the liberation of the concentration camp. Pictured on April 28, 1945 The leader of the British contingent, Brigadier Glyn Hughes, a battle-hardened veteran who had served in the trenches in World War I, reeled in horror, his eyes welling with tears as he took in what he later described as the never-imagined depth of human depravity. Stepping inside crowded wooden huts with bunks piled to the ceiling, he was confronted by a sea of crying, screaming bones. He had been a doctor for 30 years and witnessed all the horrors of war but I had never seen anything to touch this. The camp was unique in its vile treatment of human beings. Seventy-five years on, the name Belsen still sends shivers down the spine, not least because it was from there that an on-the-spot radio broadcast revealed to a stunned world the full extent of the pure evil at the heart of the Third Reich. Following the British troops into the camp, the BBCs Richard Dimbleby, his voice choking with emotion, described countless men and women, some in striped pyjamas, others naked, all of them covered with lice, moving like ghosts through air thick with dust and typhus germs. The sickly smell of death and decay, of corruption and filth filled his nostrils. There was no water, no electricity and no food apart from 5lb of rotting turnips. Dimblebys radio report was so shocking that the BBC at first refused to run it and only relented when he threatened to resign. Adding to the fury of those who came to liberate Belsen was their discovery that just a mile and a half away was a fully-equipped 1,000-bed German military hospital with a full complement of doctors and nurses and tons of unused medical supplies. Stacks of Red Cross food boxes containing meat extract and biscuits intended for the inmates lay unopened. Relief had been at hand for the suffering inmates but cruelly and callously denied. For all the mass death that took place at Belsen, it is often forgotten that it was never an extermination camp as such. It was no Auschwitz, Treblinka or Sobibor, which, with their gas chambers for the mass industrialised killing of Jews, were far away to the east, in Nazioccupied Poland, rather than on German home soil. It began as a prisoner-of-war camp run by the Wehrmacht, the German army, for French and Russian POWs, then in 1943 morphed into an SS-run concentration camp and work camp, holding, among others, large numbers of Jews whom the SS leader, Heinrich Himmler, kept alive to use as possible bargaining chips with the Allies. Originally built to house 4,000 inmates, it was always overcrowded, with five times that number regularly crammed into its wooden huts and tightlypacked compounds. A bad situation then considerably worsened, descending into chaos, when, at the beginning of 1945, the camps in the east were about to be overrun by the rapidly advancing army of the Soviet Union. Thousands of prisoners were shoved into cattle trucks and evacuated westwards, ending up at Belsen. Within weeks the numbers there soared to more than 50,000 all of them exhausted, starved, emaciated, filthy, sick, little more than husks of human beings. The overwhelmed camp authorities deliberately did nothing to help them no medical services, no sanitation, no proper disposal of the dead bodies that were left where they fell. But it wasnt just this appalling neglect that cost lives. Not long before the British arrived, the sadistic SS brutes who ran Belsen played one last sick trick on the starving and disease-ridden inmates barely clinging to life. British soldiers guarding SS men after the liberation at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen In an unparalleled act of cynical savagery, they baked loaves of bread and laced them with glass, then distributed them in one section of the camp, where they were eagerly snatched unknowingly by those with achingly empty bellies. How could the desperate inmates resist as they eagerly swallowed down the bread as if it were manna from heaven? Thousands of them died in terrible agony, their intestines ripped to shreds, their deaths just more needless notches to add to the millions of victims of Hitlers genocidal death cult. Meanwhile, trigger-happy guards from Hitlers ally Hungary continued to patrol the miles of barbed-wire fence, taking potshots at inmates on a whim and enjoying the sight of the weak crawling their way over the even weaker to get a sip of dishwater-like soup and the slim chance of staying alive. Everywhere, macabre scenes were playing out, as if from an unremitting horror film. A man lying among the dead and dying suddenly sat up and announced: My name is Dr Weiss. I am a physician from Budapest. Im not dead, Im just weak. He then lay back down and died. Another man grabbed what he thought was a white blanket from a dead body. Only when he shook it and swarms of lice fell off did he realise it was actually black. The huts were so cramped that some inmates shared bunks with the dead, using them as pillows, mattresses and blankets. Others chose to sleep on top of piles of corpses outside, simply to be able to stretch out. Each day began with hundreds of corpses being dragged out of the huts and dumped in the open to rot. There were so many, the Germans in charge quickly gave up bothering to burn or bury them. Instead, they focused on destroying the many incriminating volumes of the camps records. And then the Germans gave up completely. They wanted nothing more to do with Belsen. Knowing the British Second Army was closing in on the area, three officers passed through the front line to tell the British about the camps existence and ask them to take it over. Otherwise, they warned, they would abandon it entirely, leaving thousands of sick and starving detainees (as they called them) on the loose, spreading deadly diseases everywhere. General Brian Horrocks agreed a local truce and on April 15 sent Brigadier Hughes of the Royal Army Medical Corps his top medical man forward to reconnoitre the camp. Hughes drove along that remote forest road to Belsen not really knowing what to expect. Once he stepped inside, he saw at a glance the magnitude of the crime against humanity perpetrated there. And it was still going on. In front of him as they showed him round, the guards casually shot any prisoner who came too close or was seen stepping out of line to forage for something to eat. Hughes ordered the commandant, Josef Kramer (formerly commandant at Auschwitz) to stop the shooting, on pain of death, and had all the SS troops rounded up. Then he assessed the terrible situation it was now his responsibility to deal with the 10,000 corpses littering the ground but, most urgently, the 40,000 survivors, bewildered, barely alive. How many could he hope to save? And where, dear God, did he begin? The 52-year-old Hughes was an exceptional character, says Bernice Lerner, author of a new book on Belsen. Compassionate, strong-willed and a quick and confident decision-maker, he was the perfect man for what lay ahead. He embodied the qualities of both healer and soldier. He could not see injustice without doing something to try to put it right. With a Herculean task ahead of him, he sent for reinforcements, and British medical units and detachments of soldiers were diverted from the front line. They were stunned by what they saw when they got there. Tough soldiers vomited, cursed, and cried. Some froze, like statues, unable to move. All that one of them, Michael Bentine, the comic actor (and future Goon), could ever bring himself to say about Belsen was that it was the ultimate blasphemy. But then they swallowed down their anger and disgust and threw themselves into a major relief operation that was not only unprecedented and with no clear guidelines on how to proceed but also a race against time. Food for the starving was the immediate priority. Emergency kitchens were erected at record speed and cooks boiled up a watery stew from army rations of tinned beef, pork and bacon. Disaster. This first meal was gobbled down but proved too rich for shrunken stomachs. It killed 2,000 of the inmates before the mistake was realised and medics rushed round the camp shouting Stop eating! to starving, bewildered men and women. Hughes called in experts in famine relief who prescribed a gruel of skimmed milk, sugar, salt and vitamins to be taken in small amounts but often. Vats of it were prepared for doling out to survivors. They took it gratefully but many of them were distrustful, unable to throw off the habits that had kept them alive under the Germans. Though there was now plentiful food, many of them still pilfered and hoarded. A nurse in the swiftly set-up hospital found two chickens under a pillow and half a calf under a bed. A British RAMC officer with three children inside Belsen Concentration camp after it was liberated by British troops. Pictured on April 15, 1945 To Hughes fell the hardest decision that any doctor has to make: who to save, who to let die? He and his medical team trawled through the stinking Belsen huts with their tightly-packed bunks of skin-and-bone bodies and triaged the inmates. Forced to play God, they put them into three categories those likely to survive, those likely to die and those for whom immediate care would be the difference between life and death. Those with a fighting chance if treated in time were marked on the forehead with a red cross, taken to a washing station dubbed the human laundry to be sponged with soap and water and dusted with anti-louse powder, often by German nurses made to lend a hand. Then they were evacuated to makeshift wards in a German army military barracks requisitioned for the purpose. Once a vast training camp for the Panzer crews who had led Hitlers bid to conquer the world, its job now was to save the last of his victims. A separate camp was commandeered for those who, though weak, were considered fit enough to recover on their own. The test was if they could clamber up the steps into a lorry. Those who passed were deemed to need simple nursing, suitable feeding and to be kept away from infection until arrangements could be made to evacuate them. But for thousands of others the living corpses, their bodies ravaged with typhus and dysentery there was no hope. They would be eased as far as possible to their inevitable end. Hughes vented much of his anger on his German captives, forcing them at gunpoint to clean up their own dirty work. Forty SS guards who had not fled before the British arrived were put to work picking up decaying bodies with their bare hands and digging vast burial pits, jeered on by survivors. Speed was vital to stop the spread of disease and, though it seemed disrespectful, there was no choice but to use bulldozers to shovel the dead into communal graves. Civilian mayors from nearby towns were made to watch, to witness what their countrymen had perpetrated on innocent people. Those towns were combed for medical supplies, scouring powder, beds, bedding, towels, pillows and furniture, anything useful. Local seamstresses were instructed to stitch together hospital gowns for the sick. And when the hospitals ran out of blankets, Hughes ordered each civilian in the area to hand over a blanket of their own, or else. From their cupboards, the cowed and, one hopes, now shamed Germans produced 1,800 in less than 24 hours. At the various hospital sites, medical staffing was stretched to the limit, with just two nurses for every 600 patients. Here the German nurses proved to be of no use. Not surprisingly, given what they had been through at German hands, many patients became hysterical and refused to be treated by them. A group of 97 volunteer British medical students from London saved the day. Fresh from their studies, they were pitched in to help the thousands still lying in their huts in the main camp. Conditions here were still horrendous, a mixture of post-mortem room, sewer, sweat and pus, as one of them put it, but they put their hearts, souls and backs into the work of saving lives and easing distress. Yet the dying went relentlessly on, with an estimated 13,000 just too far gone from malnutrition, dysentery, typhus, sores, boils and gangrene to survive. Fifteen-year-old Rachel Genuth lay in a hospital ward with 12 beds. Every morning when she woke, she found all 11 of her fellow patients had died in the night, and were replaced with 11 more, who also died. This went on for three weeks. It was a month after liberation before the daily death rate fell below 100 for the first time. But finally the crisis was coming under control. Shortly after, the last inmate was removed from what had been the main camp, and the huts where so many had suffered and died were burnt to the ground. Hughes could at last take stock and be rightly proud of what he had achieved. We were a mere handful of war-weary men trying to save those who could still be saved and to allay the sea of suffering and the depths of agony. What now struck him was the incredible resilience of many of the 25,000 survivors. Once properly fed, they quickly put on weight, flesh and muscle restored where once there had been skin and bone. They no longer looked apathetic or frightened, and, their prison garb gone, replaced by requisitioned German clothing doled out from a storage centre nicknamed Harrods, they were coming back to life and looking to the future. The first marriage took place a girl from Lithuania to a man from Poland and scores more followed, six weddings a day some times. Spirits were raised even higher when in June violin maestro Yehudi Menuhin came to play. For all that, what they had endured and what they had lost could never be erased. Rachel Genuth had arrived at Belsen on a transport from Hungary via Auschwitz, where her family had all been murdered. Asked if she felt lucky to have survived, she replied: Lucky? I lost my parents and almost all my family, my home and my friends. On top of all that, I lost my health. She feared she would never feel human again. Wed been treated worse than animals and dehumanised with little to hope for. I just could not imagine getting married and having a family. Yet, in time, both these things happened to her, and it is her daughter, Bernice Lerner, who has written her story as a Belsen victim, intertwined with that of Hughes, her liberator, in the new book, To Meet In Hell. Like her, the vast majority of survivors were Jews from eastern Europe whose family and friends had disappeared in acrid smoke through the genocidal chimneys of Auschwitz et al. Hughes was proud that he and his men had saved this remnant of the Jewish people from annihilation. The Jewish community was grateful to him and honoured him for the rest of his life. Curiously and inexplicably, however, from the outset British authorities played down the fact that those freed from Belsen were mainly Jewish, preferring to categorise them by their various nationalities. Richard Dimblebys references to the Jews in his early radio broadcasts from Belsen were cut out by the censors. Even at the subsequent trial of the camps SS leaders for war crimes, the inmates were referred to as Allied nationals rather than by their race, even though it was their race alone that had caused their transportation, the final fling in Hitlers drive to exterminate them. Sad to say, there may well have been some institutional anti-Semitism going on here on the part of British officialdom. They failed to grasped the basic lesson of Belsen. But the inhumanity of what happened there should never be forgotten. Seventy-five years on, with our world now in a battle to fight off coronavirus, it is a sober reminder that though, as we are finding out, Nature may be cruel and uncaring, it is nothing compared with the evil that man showed he was capable of in that dreadful camp hidden away in a German forest. To Meet In Hell: Bergen-Belsen, The British Officer Who Liberated It And The Jewish Girl He Saved by Bernice Lerner is published by Amberley at 20. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday visited Worli Koliwada, one of the coronavirus hotspots in Mumbai, and urged locals to stay at home to contain spread of the disease and cooperate with police. Deshmukh made the announcement through a loudspeaker attached to a drone that is being used to maintain vigil in densely-populated areas like the Koliwada, a fisherfolk village, and issue government instructions to residents. Drones will be used in densely-populated areas like this to give instructions to people that they should not step out of their homes unnecessarily, and cooperate with police. They should step out only to buy vegetables and food grains. People should remain safe by staying at home, the minister told reporters. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations G-South ward, under which the Koliwada falls, reported over 300 coronavirus cases till Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medics transfer a civilian injured by heavy shelling in Kyauk Seik village to a hospital in Ponnagyun township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, April 13, 2020. At least eight civilians were killed and 17 others were injured Monday by artillery shells fired by Myanmar forces in conflict-ridden Rakhine state, with wounded villagers forced to wait at military checkpoints for two hours before receiving permission to go to hospitals for treatment, local residents and relief volunteers said. Government soldiers launched the assault on Kyauk Seik village in Ponnagyun township at about 8 a.m., killing seven men and one woman, all between the ages of 11 and 26, while the injured included two children aged three and seven, they said. People who were walking by the road were killed and injured by artillery blasts, said Myint San Oo, father of one of the injured. The militarys battalion No. 550 fired the artillery. Clashes between government soldiers and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) occurred near the village along the Sittwe-Yangon Highway about 2.5 miles north of Ponnagyun town. Ponnagyun has seen fierce fighting between the warring sides and is one of nine townships in the conflict zone where the government has imposed a mobile internet blackout as a security measure. Relief volunteers helping the affected civilians said four villagers were killed on the spot, two people died in Ponnagyun Hospital, and two others died on the way to Sittwe General Hospital. Maung Naing from the Free Funeral Service Society, which transported the injured to hospitals, said military and police forces at a security checkpoint stopped one of his organization's vehicles and refused to let it pass. The doctor told us the injured patient was fighting for his life and needed emergency care, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. When Maung Naing and his colleagues told this to the security forces at the checkpoint, they responded that they had to interrogate everyone, regardless of their condition. The patient was sinking fast as we were held at the security gate, Maung Naing said. We begged them to let us pass, but they would not. Combined military and police have set up several security checkpoints on the highway connecting the capital Sittwe with Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U townships, so they can check passing vehicles for any evidence linking their drivers and passengers to the AA. Zeyar Lynn from the Shwe Yaung Myittar Humanitarian Group, which is also helping injured villagers, said authorities have a responsibility to help ensure that wounded civilians receive timely medical treatment. Their superiors should have relaxed the rules for critical situations, he told RFA. I would especially like to appeal to them to allow emergency patients to pass quickly through security stops after minimal checking. Of the 13 injured villagers, 10 are currently in Ponnagyun Hospital, while the others were sent to the Intensive care Unit at Sittwe General Hospital. Dont target civilians Thein Maung Aye, uncle of one of those killed, told RFA that civilian casualties are unacceptable. I want to appeal to the leaders of the state, he said. The conflicts between the military and the AA have nothing to do with local civilians. They dont cause the conflicts. If these people were killed during the armed fighting, it would make sense. But this time, they [Myanmar soldiers] fired into the village on purpose. This is totally unacceptable, he said. Khine Thukha, spokesman for the AA, which seeks greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine people in the state, denied any battles had taken place in the area. There were no battles between the AA and the military today, he said, adding that the incident in Ponnagyun is proof that Myanmar troops are targeting Rakhine civilians. RFA could not reach the Myanmar military for comment, though army spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told the Myanmar Times that clashes in the area have occurred since April 11. Two days earlier, he told RFA that government soldiers never target civilians during military operation unless there are AA soldiers disguised as civilians in communities. Fighting since the beginning of 2019 has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced about 157,000 others in northern Rakhine state, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress, a local humanitarian relief group. Children displaced by armed conflict eat rice from a bowl at the Nyaungchaung IDP camp in Kyauktaw township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, April 13, 2020. Credit: RFA video screenshot Soldiers block food aid Civilians displaced by the conflict in some townships, meanwhile, continue to face food shortages in temporary camps because of road blockades set up by the Myanmar military. Soldiers have even deterred donors from providing support to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, said Khine Myo Aung, administrator of the government-recognized Naungchaung camp in Kyauktaw township, which houses about 2,500 displaced civilians. Now donors dare not come to help the refugees because of the armys blockade, [so] were facing food shortages, especially rice, he said. The World Food Programme (WFP), the food assistance agency of the United Nations, tried to deliver rice to the camp on April 8, but the Myanmar Army deterred the humanitarian aid workers and they returned to Sittwe, he added. RFA could not reach the WFP for comment. Four days before the failed WFP delivery, 15 displaced people from the camp went to the local administrators office to collect bags of rice donated by the state government, but Myanmar soldiers detained them on suspicion of having ties to the AA, which the central government has declared an illegal association and terrorist organization. The state government itself has tried to donate about 250 bags, but the army has blocked the move, Khine Myo Aung said. About 560 families in the camp require 25 to 30 bags of rice daily, he added. Donors now dare not visit the displacement camps because even government donations have been blocked by the army, said Nyi Pu from the Phyu Sin Myittar NGO Group. Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun denied that Myanmar forces are preventing humanitarian groups from assisting displaced civilians in camps. [Were] not blocking any assistance to refugees. Organizations such as the Red Cross are being allowed there. Weve even helped them, he said. Zaw Min Tun also said that the military charged seven of the 15 people who tried collect the bags of rice because they had ties to the AA. Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maun and Maung Maung Nyo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Some 7,700 people in Laois have received Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment while the Department of Social Welfare believes a plateau has been reached with more 530,000 payments issued to people around Ireland. Today, Tuesday, April 14, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection issued payments to 533,000 people in respect of their application for the payment. Around 54,000 are receiving a payment for the first time this week. Some 300 were issued to people living in Laois. These payments are in addition to the 210,000 people on the Live Register and over 42,000 employers have now registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy scheme. The Department said all Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment payments issued will be in recipients bank accounts or at their local post office today, Tuesday 14th April. Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty. With just over 50,000 additional payments approved in the last week, these figures would suggest that we are perhaps reaching a plateau in terms of those on the Covid payment. Furthermore, increasing numbers of employers are participating in the wage subsidy scheme and approximately 1.4m are still in full time work. It is clear that we are living through the most challenging of times. Never before has there been such a need for welfare support from workers and employers, with more than three years worth of claims being processed in less than a month. My Department has risen to the challenge and has enhanced our online facilities making it quick and easy for people to apply for an emergency Covid-19 unemployment payment, the enhanced Illness Benefit or indeed to close their Covid-19 claim, or change their payment details. I am very proud of the quick and efficient response of my Department and all that the staff have achieved over the past month. This is a temporary health crisis but it neednt be a permanent economic emergency. As we reach the plateau of those on income support, we hope to bend and lower that curve also - getting as many back to work as soon as possible as and when the health environment permits, she said. Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment In total (since launch on the 16th March, 2020), and excluding duplicate claims, the Department processed applications from 625,000 people for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or a jobseekers payment. To date, over 40,000 people have contacted the Department to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The majority of these requests are because employers are taking people back onto their payroll under the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme. However, approximately 68,000 payments have been withheld for a variety of reasons. These include the people concerned who were still in employment, who had not been in employment prior to claiming the Covid-19 payment, a Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy was being paid in their name, who were not resident in the State or because they submitted incorrect details including invalid PPSNs and IBANs. The Department is continuing to resolve any issues, such as invalid IBANS or PPSNs, with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. We wish to remind people to take care when submitting applications, to ensure that critical information such as dates of birth, PPSN and IBANs are entered correctly. An IBAN has 22 characters and people should take care that it is entered correctly. Any errors by individuals in submitting their incorrect IBAN or PPSN will cause their application to be rejected by the Department. Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme There are now over 42,000 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Workers whose employers have registered them on the scheme are not eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment. In addition workers who were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment but who have now been registered by their employers on the TWSS are no longer eligible to receive a payment pandemic unemployment payment The Department says is aware that some workers may be incorrectly registered as part of the TWSS or may face difficulty in transitioning back from the pandemic unemployment payment to the employer payroll. Such a situation may arise, for example, because a worker has been registered in error by their employer, or because an employer having registered for the TWSS has since ceased operating their payroll, or, due to differences in the weekly payment pattern of the pandemic unemployment payment as compared with a monthly or fortnightly payroll from the employer. Any worker affected by these issues can contact the Department and arrangements will be made to restore their payment or provide them with interim income support as appropriate. Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment The Department has to date received 27,300 applications for the Covid-19 enhanced Illness Benefit. This predominantly relates to applications in respect of people who have been advised by their GP to self-isolate together with a smaller number in respect of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19. Please apply online at www.MyWelfare.ie The Department wishes to thank its customers for submitting the majority of applications through our online portal www.MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to submit an application and enables the Department to allocate resources to contacting those who submitted invalid applications. Individuals can close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment online at www.MyWelfare.ie. In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements please if at all possible do not attend your local Intreo Centre as opening hours have now been restricted. Instead please apply through www.MyWelfare.ie. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. When COVID-19 killed his month-old business in Hacienda Heights selling truck radiators, Leo Wong went from visiting clients to visiting the website for the Small Business Administration. The Hong Kong native also watches workshops on Zoom to sort out the ever-evolving guidance on how to apply for a rescue loan. It makes him wonder how those with less English and tech savvy are doing. "Even I was confused," said Wong, who emigrated from Hong Kong in 2009 to study communications. "I doubt [others] know anything about going to sba.gov. I doubt they know anything about Zoom." icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Billions of dollars in emergency loans are flowing to small businesses, but in places dominated by immigrant-owned stores and restaurants like the San Gabriel Valley, some proprietors may be struggling to understand what to do and may not even apply. 'EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE BLOCK IS APPLYING' A major obstacle is language. In the San Gabriel Valley, about half of residents have limited English, according to a 2018 report from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. The SBA site is only in English and Spanish. That has members of Congress like U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) demanding the agency provide more information in Asian languages. In an April 8 letter to SBA administrator Jovita Carranza, Chu and more than 30 of her colleagues pointed out that 173,000-plus Asian-owned businesses operate in languages other than English, such as Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese. "These small businesses must be provided with equal access to the promised government assistance meant to help them survive the COVID-19 outbreak and associated economic hardships," the letter read. Ray Jan, executive director of the Rosemead Chamber of Commerce, said time is running out to provide translated materials. Leo Wong used to go out on all sales calls, but now his products sit idly in his Hacienda Heights business. (Photo courtesy of Leo Wong ) "Everybody else on the block is applying," Jan said. "The longer you wait, the line is just getting longer and longer." NO COMPUTER, NO LIBRARY Elaine Pang, who advises small businesses in the San Gabriel Valley through the Chinatown Service Center, estimates more than 80% of her clients can fill out the applications in English without too much difficulty. But then others need extensive assistance. "I screenshot all the questions [on the application forms] and then I write in the Chinese words," Pang said. Language access is just one of the reasons many Asian business owners have not sought federal assistance. Pang said most of her clients have limited computer skills and/or don't have easy access to a computer. So even if the application were in Chinese, some would have to go to the library, and libraries are closed. Others, according to Jan, are also worried about the impact that applying for help will have on their immigration status or their employees. (More than 58,000 are undocumented, according to AAAJ-LA). Others pay employees in cash, and wouldn't have the payroll records required by SBA. Also, Jan said, the idea of relief loans from the government are a new concept for many immigrants from Asia. Seeing official SBA materials in their native languages, she said, would go a long way toward giving business owners more understanding and confidence to apply. Wong, the former radiator vendor, said he hasn't applied for any SBA relief loans because he doesn't think he qualifies. But he hasn't given up on saving his business through other ways. He's sought advice from a CPA and is continuing to solicit customers through mailers. "America is a place for dreamers, right?" said Wong. "I want to have something I can tell my chlidren and grandchildren, like, 'Hey, I did something big." Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 00:05:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENNA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Small shops and hardware stores in Austria re-opened on Tuesday as the first step towards a "new normal" amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. As of Tuesday morning, shops of up to 400 square meters and hardware stores in the Alpine country have re-opened under strict precautionary measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing. "We are on track," Kurz announced to the media on Tuesday morning. "The numbers of new infections and of hospitalisations are going in the right direction." The population have endured "incredible privations" in the past few weeks with "discipline and perseverance," which makes it possible for the government to take the first step towards a "new normal," and to "get a little bit closer to the life we were used to in Austria," said Kurz. "Our approach in the coming months will be clear: as much freedom as possible, as much restriction as necessary," he noted, adding "Should the numbers develop in the wrong direction, we will pull the emergency brake." The daily test capacity for the coronavirus in Austria is now at 10,000, and there are enough reagents to meet the demand, said Health Minister Rudolf Anschober on Tuesday. As already announced several times, tests are to be carried out further and among target groups, including employees in the health sector and in trade as well as staff and residents of nursing homes, he said. Masks are mandatory in retail and public transport, said the chancellor. Anschober also warned against being too optimistic about an upcoming coronavirus vaccine. "I would be very, very surprised if we have a vaccine this year," said the minister, who anticipated effective drugs for COVID-19 to be available earlier. The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Austria has reached 14,159 as of Tuesday afternoon, with 384 deaths reported, according to data released by local health authorities. In compliance with the government advisory to limit the movement for containing the spread of COVID-19 in the country, ride-sharing platforms Ola and Uber suspended their services in many cities in March. However, the app-based taxi service providers are resuming operations with emergency based services. Accessible in select cities only, this new service will facilitate riders to book a ride to the hospital in case of an emergency. In collaboration with the government of Haryana, Ola is enabling emergency medical trips on its platform. This new category within the app has been designed to provide convenient, reliable and safe transport to riders who need to access a hospital for medical purposes. This service will be for medical trips that are non-COVID and do not require an ambulance. For this, OLA has identified over 100 hospitals, which have been mapped on its app. For the same, Ola claims to have a dedicated network of cars that are equipped with masks and sanitizers and will be operated by specially trained drivers. Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, Ola, said, "Trips to hospitals for medical urgencies are unavoidable, even in the current times. With Ola Emergency, we are able to facilitate trips to and from hospitals across the city through the Ola app. We are grateful to the Haryana Government for the opportunity to collaborate in serving the citizens. With over 100+ Hospitals in the city mapped, 'Ola Emergency' will be available 24x7 and will provide citizens with a reliable, convenient and safe transport solution for medical trips that do not require an ambulance." Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown: Uber teams up with Flipkart to deliver essentials in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi The 'Ola Emergency' in Gurugram came closely after Bengaluru, Vizag, Bhubaneshwar, Nashik and Varanasi, and the service is slated to soon launch in other major cities. On the other hand, rival Uber has launched a new feature 'Uber Essentials' that will facilitate essential travel for residents of Mumbai to start with. For this, Uber is partnering with the city's traffic police and has also identified a select fleet of vehicles for pick-up and drop from and/or to city hospitals. Uber says that all drivers have been issued curfew passes by local law enforcement authorities to ensure seamless movement to medical facilities. Also Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India enters lockdown 2.0 as COVID-19 cases cross 10,000 mark Prabhjeet Singh, Director-Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, says, "In conformity with government guidelines, we urge people to stay safe and discourage non-essential travel. Through Uber Essential, we are selectively offering rides for essential services to cater to crucial medical travel requirements in Mumbai. Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we are leveraging our technology and network of driver-partners to enable citizens to access essential medical services, while simultaneously also helping authorities contain the spread of COVID-19.'' In the coming days, Uber plans to extend this service to additional cities across India. In an attempt to stem the spread of novel coronavirus across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the nationwide lockdown to May 3, 2020. Currently, India has reported 10,363 positive cases of COVID-19, according the latest data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This tally includes, 8,988 active novel coronavirus cases, 339 deaths, 1,035 cured/discharged and 1 migrated. CLEVELAND, Ohio Clevelanders who need to travel to the New York City area should be prepared for a long drive there are currently no nonstop flights operating between the two cities. All three airlines that fly between the two cities American, Delta and United have discontinued the routes because of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, New York City has emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., with more than 100,000 cases in the city as of early Tuesday. All major airlines have dramatically reduced flying into and out of the metro area. Cleveland Hopkins typically has more than a dozen daily flights to New Yorks three major airports, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy in the city and Newark Liberty in New Jersey. United is scheduled to resume service to Newark in early May; Delta plans to restart service to LaGuardia and JFK in early June; and American plans to resume service to LaGuardia in early June. American also suspended its service to LaGuardia from the Akron-Canton Airport. In addition, American suspended service from Cleveland to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., last week, scheduled to resume in early June. This is the first time Cleveland has been without service to New York since 9/11, when all U.S. air travel was shut down for several days. The reductions are part of a dramatic downsizing of air service across the United States and the world. On Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration screened just 90,510 passengers in the United States down 96% from 2.5 million on the same day a year ago. Cleveland Hopkins numbers are down a similar percentage, according to the airport. It is still possible for Clevelanders to fly to New York. Theyll just have to connect to get there. United is routing Cleveland passengers through Washington Dulles or Chicago to get to Newark; American travelers will likely connect in Charlotte; and Delta fliers will likely fly to New York via Detroit. Read more: Spirit Airlines suspending service at Cleveland Hopkins, other airports, for one month Frontier Airlines cuts 90% of capacity, flying only to Orlando from Cleveland Hopkins in April Empty Ohio hotels offer up space to hospitals, homeless shelters, health care workers during coronavirus pandemic Cleveland-area hotels starting to close amid steep drop in occupancy As coronavirus spreads, United Airlines flight attendants are afraid for themselves, flying public American Airlines adds flight, bigger planes from Cleveland Hopkins to LaGuardia and Reagan National, countering United cuts United Airlines dropping nonstop service from Cleveland Hopkins to LaGuardia, Reagan National TICKERS: HAN; HANNF Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (4/13/20) The opportunities surrounding a potential district-scale prospect are outlined by Hannan Metals CEO Michael Hudson in conversation with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable. Maurice Jackson: Today we will introduce an early-stage exploration company focused on identifying district-scale high-grade copper and silver systems in Peru. Joining us for our conversation is Michael Hudson, the CEO of Hannan Metals Ltd. (HAN:TSX.V; HANNF:OTCPK). We're glad to speak with you today to discuss the value proposition before us. Before we delve into company specifics, Mr. Hudson, please acquaint us with Hannan Metals, and share the opportunity the company presents to the market. Michael Hudson: Hannan Metals Ltd. is a TSX.V-listed company exploring for copper and silver in Peru. The company is headed by people who have extensive experience within the mining industry, and specifically in Peru. We are exploring in a completely new district in the San Martin area of northeastern Peru. The project encompasses a newly identified, 120-kilometer (120 km) long, basin-scale, high-grade, sedimentary-hosted copper-silver system. This is a new deposit style for Peru, however it is the second-most prolific producer of copper, as a style, in the world, after porphyries. Geologically, the system shares similarities with sedimentary copper-silver deposits in the African copper belt. With a first-mover advantage, we recognized the exceptional potential for large copper-silver deposits during late 2018, and since then have aggressively staked 521 square kilometers of prospective geology. Maurice Jackson: Let's go to Peru and visit the San Martin. Where and how did Hannan Metals obtain the data that led to the acquisition of San Martin? Michael Hudson: We have a 25-year history of exploring and acquiring exploration data in Peru. Based on some information from our datasets, we commenced reconnaissance exploration and found a significant amount of high-grade copper over a large area, and started staking. We put in our first claims in September 2018, and granting of these mining concessions started at the end of 2019. We are putting in a significant amount of effort to ensure that we meet and engage all relevant stakeholders, from local communities to regional and provincial authorities. Generally, the local people have been very welcoming. We are talking to people, listening to concerns, educating as we move forward, and building trust. Maurice Jackson: Is the San Martin project already fully permitted? Michael Hudson: We have about 40% of our mining concessions granted to date, with more continually being granted on a monthly basis. We are not at a drilling stage yet, with work over the first half of 2020 aimed at regional reconnaissance to [do] detailed mapping of mineralized horizons over specific prospect areas. Our aim is to balance project and social governance. We will try and keep the permitting process as simple as possible by keeping target areas small and engaging with the community to educate them and be transparent throughout the entire process. We are taking our time to define the right target areas and engage with the relevant communities. Maurice Jackson: Can you elaborate on the infrastructure and the logistics surrounding San Martin? Michael Hudson: The San Martin project is located about west and south of Tarapoto. There are multiple daily flights into this city from Lima. Project access is excellent via a proximal paved highway and, broadly, no part of the project is more than two hours' drive from Tarapoto. This infrastructure is, of course, relatively new for Peru, and makes this project so much easier than if we were tackling it, say, 20 years ago. Maurice Jackson: Well, let's talk about a clever way that Hannan Metals has de-risked their project. Hannan has shifted the paradigm on exploration by implementing a concept known as new search spaces. And the intellectual capital derived from this concept has positioned Hannan Metals in a first-mover competitive advantage among your peers. Sir, please introduce the concept of new search spaces, and how does it fit into the narrative of defining the San Martin as a greenfields or a brownfields exploration plain? Michael Hudson: Well, firstly, I didn't coin the phrase. It comes from a very smart geologist called Jon Hronsky. And really, this is a concept that's been taken a little further than just talking about grassroots exploration or greenfields. It's basically identifying an area of prospectivity for whatever you may be looking for. And it may be in an old or a very mature terrain where there's lots of data, but you come up with a new thesis. And then you search for that new thesis, whether it's going underground for high-grade systems underneath old oxide gold, for example, or you go into new areas completely and say, "Well, the San Martin area has the same geological characteristics for many, many reasons as some of those super deposits that form in Africa or in Poland and northern Germany." And then you collect the data that opens up that search space, I suppose. It really is the true way to make discovery. It's very hard to go back to old ideas in old camps and do the same again. And really those easy pickings have been made in our business. So you really have to think a little broadly from the initial start of your exploration. It's looking into new areas with new theses or ideas or concepts, and then collecting the data to support or refute those. That's the exploration or scientific process, but it really means that you're thinking about it much earlier on, from a perspective of trying to find something large and new. Maurice Jackson: Mr. Hudson, to truly appreciate the value proposition of the San Martin, please provide us with a mental picture and tell us about this stratigraphy and the genetic model. Michael Hudson: That is how the magic happens, I suppose, and we have been very fortunate here in, that this literally had very, very little exploration. There have been a couple of explorers in the past in this area, but we're talking one year here and one year there. But really, the area and the understanding hasn't been put together until. . .the last six to 12 months. We've benefited from the data that has now been made freely available to the hardrock mining industry from the petroleum business, and the petroleum explorers were working in these areas a long time agoway, way, way before we ever thought there could be any prospectivity here for metals. And that's important because the petroleum explorers have bought hundreds, if not millions, of dollars' worth of exploration data collected in a different way for a different commodity, of courselooking for oil. We can use that data and apply it to the things that matter for copper, and the things that matter for copper here in the sediment-hosted copper systems I should say, there's quite a large amount of silver with this system. So it's really a copper-silver system. The things that matter here for these systems, like any deposit, are source, transport and trap. And they're fairly well defined. It's a relatively simple model in its gross scale. We always look for a source, and the source rocks, and the seismic data that the oilees have produced over these areas, give us a great understanding of the rocks, or the stratigraphy, or the layers of rocks and how they've formed through that period of time. So, we can identify source rocks. We can identify transport, which is really important also. The seismic shows us those big structures, those big faults that have operated from very early stages in this geological basin right through to when the Andes were forming, and they went from. . .extension to compression when the Andes were forming. All these different stages we can identify through the rock record, and determine not only what is important, but when, and then we can target those structures that have been moving at that appropriate time. And then the trap is probably the most important part. And in this case, it's a chemical reaction that drops the metal out. We call it a redox boundary, a reduced oxidized boundary. The fluids are oxidized, and when they see the first reduced rocks in the sequencethey could be anything from black shales or graphite to what we have here, organic materialthen the copper drops out. The key point now is that these systems form over a vast scale. We have an area here that is under tenure for 120 kilometers of length. My apologies for using the metric system, but it's something like 60 or 70 miles. It's a very, very large system that is working that source, transport and trap. We're finding copper in those trap horizons over this extensive zone. It's not just one trap horizon we see. We see multiple traps, multiple redox boundaries forming in that stratigraphic pile of rocks. So, that data-rich environment that we have has really helped us fast track not only to understand, but to target, this system over such a large area. Maurice Jackson: We have before us a 3D model. What are we looking at here? Michael Hudson: This is quite an unusual circumstance, in that [this area has] really only been explored for less than a year, [and] we're able to build up a comprehensive 3D model. And this is a model in a program called Leap Frog. It's something like 300 kilometers long by 180 kilometers wide. We can see the planes, or the sections, like cross-cutting a loaf of bread along the long axis. Their interpretation is from the seismic sections that the oil companies have provided. We've been able to tie all those together literally in this program, and we can start to understand all those features that I've just talked about: the source, transport and trap. Features that really allow us to understand how this copper basin formed, and how the copper formed, and that gives us the style. Once again, as I said, this style wasn't really understood until all this data was pulled together. Then it allows us to home in on specific areas, not only stake those areas, which we've done very aggressively. We've had a first-mover advantage here because we were first, and it's led to a staking rush all around us, I should say. But we had that benefit of all that data and the ability to stake what we wanted first. And then, within those mining concession areas that we've staked, many of them have now been granted. We're able to narrow down the areas which we want to explore. Maurice Jackson: Can you walk us through the exploration model? Michael Hudson: This is a very good, summarized, cross-section model created by Lars Dahlenborg, the president of Hannan Metals. What he's summarizing there is the source, which are those purple rocks and the fluids taking the copper. The other key point here that I didn't mention before is that scavenging the fluids and bringing up into those source rocks is driven by salt, of all things. So, there's vast salt deposits that formed in these areas, and salt forms an amazing scavenger of metals. These highly brine-rich fluids act with superpowers, basically, to take the copper out of those purple rocks at the bottom. Then those fluids move up through those faults. So there's the transport. We can see the dotted lines. And then into those areas at the top there, we've got little red line. That's one area we call the Sarayaquillo Formation, and that's one area where this redox boundary, or the trap, formsand then even up and higher, where there's the green rocks with the blue. They're areas where we're finding gossans of lead and zinc, which are peripheral to the copperand also copper in those areas now. [The gossans] are 50 to 80 meters wide at surface over multiple kilometers. This is a big and vast system. We're talking about five- or six-kilometer views through the earth's crust there. The scale of that is very big, but that's the magic. Maurice Jackson: You alluded to some comparisons earlier, but a picture's worth a thousand words. And when I think of the San Martin, the first thing that comes to my mind is scale, and I'm talking about district scale. To put some things into perspective, can you provide us with some comparisons? Michael Hudson: Yeah, the important things that you've just mentioned there are scale and grade, and if you can find that, that's the nirvana of our business, of course. We have both of those in abundance. The picture that you see here is the Central African copper belt. It's not where we're exploring, of course, but what it shows is the scale of that system. The sediment-hosted copper deposits on earth are the second-most prolific form of copper, where we derive our copper fromthe first being porphyry these days. The porphyrys are coming to an end, in my prediction. Those higher-grade porphyrys have been mined. There's many more of them that have a lower grade, but as the world is changing, those big open pits with lower and lower grades become less desirable. These higher-grade systems that have a smaller footprint will be more desirable. And that's what happens here in the copper belt, in many respects. These systems are big and high-grade. You can see the scale of the basin that we're exploring, called the Huallaga Basin, and that's overlaying in that yellow color. And you can see we're about a third the size of the copper belt just in the basin that we're exploring in. That is really only a small part of this full-end basin system that extends on the eastern side of the Andes. This is a new copper belt that not only exists where we're exploring, but it extends from Colombia through Ecuador, where we have some peer companies exploring for the same systems. They're about 300 kilometers north of us, and then down through Peru into Argentina and Chile. So, this is a big new copper belt. We have some of the more advanced and more easily accessible areas and that's why we targeted where we wanted to, but this has some big implications for Peru too, right? This is a new copper belt for Peru potentially developing here. They already produce, on a country basis, the second-most amount of copper in the world. This could shift them to number one, if this thesis continues to hold. Maurice Jackson: We're going to cover your technical team later, but they've been quite successful in the results on the implementation of the new search spaces. And that's not just on scale, but equally impressive on identifying high-grade. What are some key results that have current shareholders excited? Michael Hudson: We have some very high grades, and they've actually surprised us too, to be completely frank, Maurice. This system is developing some very high grades, from the initial bouldersand hundreds of them that we found over this very vast area in creeksand then we've started to find some of these outcrops. We're seeing three to five-meter-thick zones in the Sarayaquillo Formation running 25% copper, something like that. That obviously is our next challenge, is to find continuity of these high grades, and that's what we're working to do, of course. But as I've said, it's relatively early stages. This is our first intense year of exploration, which has had a little hiatus, of course, now, with everything that's going on in the world with COVID-19. But we still had quite a good start before we were shut down a few weeks ago. There'll be many more of these high grades found. Also, we're finding not only that Sarayaquillo, that 25% copper over those widths over large areas. We're seeing these outcrops 20 kilometers apart, and we're finding very thick lead-zinc gossans that we think are peripheral to the copper-bearing parts of the system. These gossans are 50 to 80 meters wide and running percent levels, up to 10% zinc. The main target here is copper. But you never know what you just may find here. And we may find bothnot only a copper system, but a lead-zinc system, as it's turning out here. So, yeah, we've been very successful so far because of that data-rich environment that I talked about before, which has allowed us to target these areas. Just maybe there's a hell of a lot more here to be found, of course, and so the early results will reflect where this project's going. Maurice Jackson: What are Hannan Metals' principal objectives for the next 12 months? Michael Hudson: We hope that within the next year we will have drilled and demonstrated both continuity and scale of the mineralized system. This will be subject to permitting. We have recently raised CA$2.2 million (CA$2.2M) and now have a CA$1.7M budget for 2020 to complete a significant amount of field work over the next year. The other key point is our main objective to work with the locals to tell them what we want to do, to gain their acceptance, and then come back and show them what we've done. And show that we've been operating with responsibility. Because these areas haven't been explored before, there's a general lack of understanding about what exploration is, so there's a lot of education here to be done to explain that we're prospectors, and obviously looking for areas that could potentially be mines one day. But it's a very high-risk business, of course, and we just don't know where those better areas are going to be. So, it's very much a first principle, working with the local people, as well. So, that's a key objective as well, because if you get off on the wrong foot anywhere in the world from the very early stages, it's very hard to recover. Starting well is a key objective for us in that respect. Maurice Jackson: We've discussed the good. Let's address the bad. What can go wrong, and what is your action plan to mitigate that wrong? Michael Hudson: Well, lots of things can go wrong in exploration. You don't find what you think is there, and then that second-guessing nature, without a doubt. As I hinted at before, we are de-riskers by nature, and the only similarity of businesses is the R&D [research and development] business in the pharmaceutical business where we spend lots of capital. There's very few projects that progress and advance forward toward mining. That's sort of like the wonder drugs that are eventually permitted and become very successful drugs, after lots of R&D in the pharmaceutical business. That's what we're doing. So there's, of course, inherently a lot of risk. How is that mitigated? That's mitigated by having the right managers of the scarce capital that we're able to access in the capital markets, and exploring appropriately. Not spending another dollar if we're proving something isn't there rather than is there. It all comes down to the opportunity itself, and whether the system develops. And so far so good. We can certainly see that there's truly a great prize here to be gained. But we'll spend the capital appropriately to mitigate those risks. The other area, I suppose, and I touched on that, also is permitting. We want to make sure we get that right. So, it's no good if we find the world's biggest deposit of copper and we're never able to access itand, of course, with getting the local stakeholders our side. We have to make sure that those two go hand-in-hand. And really, it's working with credibility and respect, and good communication. And, like any relationship in life, if you have those values, then ideally things can progress for you, but that's our culture of the company, and how we aim to succeed. Maurice Jackson: Those are some good ethics to subscribe to. Switching gears, we've covered the project. Let's discuss the people responsible for increasing shareholder value with their business acumen, and discuss the commercial and technical expertise your team provides to Hannan Metals' shareholders. Mr. Hudson, please introduce us to your board of directors and management team. Michael Hudson: Well, I've mentioned a few of the team here before. I see myself as a leader and spokesperson, but I have some much more capable, and fantastic people around me. I should just say that I'm a geologist, of course, and I worked in and breathed geology for my career over the last 30 years. And. . .what I really love doing is finding things, and that's what motivates me. I've worked with a good group of people, the majority of which I've worked with for the last 20 years in the junior business. We're a very tight team. We're technically driven. We've been in the capital markets, and made many discoveries before. In the last cycle we took three discoveries to half-a-billion-dollars in market capitalization, through from first principles, and really you can say this is our next one in waiting, in terms of the next discovery. Lars Dahlenborg is the president. He and I have worked together for 12 or 13 years, and Lars is a brilliant geologist, and done most of the pulling together here. . . .It's very important to have geologists who've made discoveries and know how to manage their capital. Some gray hair is important, and David Henstridge is a geologist I've worked with for 20 years, and he sits on the board also. Ciara Talbot is a geologist also. Ciara is the director of exploration for Lundin Mining Corp. (LUN:TSX), so she runs Lundin Mining's large exploration budgets. So, she's got some amazing experience worldwide and brings that larger company philosophy, of which most of us have worked for in our careers but not for some time, from my point of view. Then, of course, you can't just have geologists. You've got to have other people around you, and Georgina Carnegie is more from the geopolitical side of things. She's Harvard trained, World Bank, OECD, came out of the Australian government, and she really has helped me in many places in the world unravel the different onion rings of power as you work your way up through a country. She's been fantastic at articulating those messages. And then you need the engine room, of course, behind you in running these public companies. Nick DeMare, a long-term business partner, manages all the governance, and that side of the business. And once again, Mariana Bermudez, who sits in Vancouver, is our long-suffering corporate secretary, and makes sure that the business runs on a day-to-day basis. And so, that's really the team from the board and the offices. I should say the hardest workers, in many respects are those geologists, and we've got long experience in Peru. We've gone back to people, for the most part, that we know and know well. They're the people and the drivers and the helpers in the field who are doing the hard yards finding all this copper. Maurice Jackson: Mr. Hudson, I notice we overlooked a very important name. Could you please share who that is? Michael Hudson: Well, a very important person indeed, and that's Dr. Quinton Hennigh, who came to the company relatively recently, but has known the company and the story pretty much from the first press release we put out on this copper discovery. Quinton is an extremely well-known geologist. He's probably one of the most famous geologists in North America for his ability to think big, to pick discoveries, and then to support teams in developing them. From a personal point of view, I've really enjoyed working with Quinton. You don't generally learn a lot in this business, and in the junior business, unless you surround yourself with some super people, and Quinton is just one of those people who's taught me a lot from his vast experience base. Quinton is an advisor to the company. We were both down in Peru relatively recently together, and kicking the rocks. And his voice and experience is a tremendous advantage, and we love having him on the team. Maurice Jackson: Having Dr. Quinton Hennigh is a competitive advantage in and of itself. Michael Hudson: Exactly. Maurice Jackson: All right, let's get into some numbers. Please share the capital structure of Hannan Metals. Michael Hudson: Well, we've got 74 million shares on issue; fully diluted around about 104 million shares. The market cap varies around $1012 million at the moment. In terms of cash, we've got about CA$2 million cash in the bank. That will see us well and truly for this year's budget, which was targeted to be $1.7M, of which we've spent some of that already. We were going to end with about half-a-million dollars cash after this field season. That, of course, has been changed somewhat with this lockdown that we've seen now globally, where we try to avoid spreading this nasty virus, and Peru is no different. So, we just have to see where things go, until it's appropriate and responsible to start our efforts again. But we'll surely have enough cash in the company to get through to that first drill program that we spoke about. Maurice Jackson: How much debt do you have? Michael Hudson: Zero. If you take debt into one of these companies it's a death spiral, and you really don't want to operate with any debt as a junior explorer, in my humble opinion. Maurice Jackson: Who are the major shareholders? Michael Hudson: Well, we just completed a capital raise with $2M with the Sprott Group out of Carlsbad in California, and so they have a large percentage on their books. And then the other large percentage is actually insiders. It's something like 40% of the holdings tied up between those two groups. Maurice Jackson: I hope readers are taking note here. We've got Dr. Quinton Hennigh and Rick Rule: Those are two names that have given the endorsement to Hannan Metals, so I would certainly take note of that. And there are some other high-profile names that vetted Hannan Metals and are shareholders. Michael Hudson: We have been fortunate to have some high-profile names as shareholders, such Bob Moriarty, Mickey Fulp, Brent Cook, Joe Mazumdar and Maurice Jackson. Maurice Jackson: Are there any redundant assets on the books that we should know about? Michael Hudson: Wow, that's an interesting question. We still absolutely hold our Irish projects. But I wouldn't call them redundant in any way, shape, or form. Actually, we did some fantastic work there, and probably have some of the most compelling targets that have developed through lots of exploration, and lots of seismic acquisition actually. And that's what gave us the real insight to going into this data in Peru, with all that petroleum data. That has inherent value rather than redundant value. But the key point there is if we can keep those on the books with minimal expenditures, we've got such an exciting project here in Peru. There will be interest in those assets in Ireland, and we'll determine just how to monetize those for shareholders as we go forward. Maurice Jackson: Are there any change of control fees, and if yes, what is the compensation? Michael Hudson: No, there's none. Maurice Jackson: That's quite impressive actually. Is management charging a consultant fee for any services? Michael Hudson: Yes. Myself and Lars have a salary. But I think that you're probably hinting at, do we have a separate company that charges above and beyond, which is not the case. I take a very modest salary; something like CA$8,000 a month to run this company, which is probably one of the lower cost CEO salaries you'll find in the business. But I truly believe in putting money in the ground. And I've got a lot of equity. I've written lots of checks for this company, and I'm in it for discovery. Maurice Jackson: When was the last time you purchased shares and at what price? Michael Hudson: I purchased shares right up and down from $0.25 down to $0.15 down to $0.05. So, I've purchased all the way up and down the chain there. In fact, myself and my business partners, along with Rick, were the only ones writing checks last year when nobody was interested. Maurice Jackson: In a closing, multilayered question. What is the next unanswered question for Hannan Metals? When can we expect a response, and what determines success? Michael Hudson: Well, we'll continue to put out press releases over the next three or four months. We've got rocks in the lab. We've got rocks in our field camp that need to be sent to the lab once we can get back there. Then we'll go back into the field when it's a responsible time to do so. There'll be continuous news flow despite the lockdowns that we see in Peru. What will success be? Success will be further discoveries and confirmation of these areas over the larger area. It's very early days, as I've said, and so we need to collect a hell of a lot more data to de-risk, and find a lot more of those outcropping areas, ideally, that we move toward drill targets, permitting those drill targets, and then demonstrating that continuity of grade. And I think if we can do that over the next year, where we've de-risked this project, and really proven at the next level, the opportunity here. Maurice Jackson: Michael, what keeps you up at night that we don't know about? Michael Hudson: What keeps me up at night: That's a really good question. What drives me is discovery! I live here in Australia. I have the benefit of waking up and seeing the day's field results, so I'll always take a look there before I have my morning coffee. What keeps me up is capitalizing these projects, or these companies, appropriately, and finding the right shareholders who share the vision. I suppose it's not keeping me up at night, but it's always an ongoing challenge, of course. And making discoveries in a timely manner that fits the needs of that capital. Often that's very hard to do, of course, because everything always takes longer. I've been managing these companies because I love it. I suppose the only other thing that I should say is just the safety of people. We've got field teams operating in these challenging environments, and even a slip of the ankle on a slippery stone is some of these areas. In jungle areas it's tough to medivac someone out, so they'd have to walk out. Safety is paramount and it is something that I think about, as I have firsthand experience, having spent lots of time in those areas myself. Maurice Jackson: Mr. Hudson, last question: What did I forget to ask? Michael Hudson: You had very thorough questions, Maurice. So, I think we've covered a lot about the project, the people and the opportunity here, so I thank you for that. I suppose I want to say two things. I think there's huge opportunity here for the mining industry to be reshaped. It's not a popular industry per se, in wherever you go in the world, yet everybody relies on something for mining. I hope there's a greater discussion between society and the mining industry itself, to demonstrate that this is such an essential industry. In fact, it is an essential industry. It's one of the few industries still going here in Australia at the moment, because if we didn't produce the metals, we don't have our mobile phones. We don't have our washing machines, houses, in any sort of infrastructure. As we decarbonize the world and go toward electrification, copper plays an extremely important aspect of that. We're going to mine more copper in the next 20 years than we have for the whole history of the earth. New discoveries are really needed to meet supply, and this discovery plays into that narrative perfectly. And as I mentioned there before, this has a huge opportunity for Peru to create a completely new mining district in what is already one of the world's most prolific countries from a metal endowment point of view. So, I think there are just a few high level thoughts that I have. I thank you for your time. Maurice Jackson: Well, thank you, sir. Mr. Hudson, for someone listening that wants to get more information on Hannan Metals, please share the website address. Michael Hudson: It is www.hannanmetals.com. Maurice Jackson: For direct inquiries, contact Hannan Metals at (604) 699-0202, or you may e-mail [email protected]. Hannan Metals trades on the TSX.V: HAN | OTC: HANNF. Before you make your next bullion purchase, make sure you call me. I'm a licensed representative for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments. We provide a number of options to expand your precious metals portfolio from physical delivery, offshore depositories, precious metal IRAs and private blockchain-distributed ledger technology. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900, or you may e-mail [email protected]. Finally, please subscribe to www.provenandprobable.com for mining insights and bullion sales. Michael Hudson of Hannan Metals, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable. Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world. [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Maurice Jackson: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Hannan Metals. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: Hannan Metals is a sponsor of Proven and Probable. Proven and Probable disclosures are listed below. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. 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Apex exporters body FIEO on Tuesday said the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) do not have adequate liquidity to pay wages to their employees for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown New Delhi: Apex exporters body FIEO on Tuesday said the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) do not have adequate liquidity to pay wages to their employees for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) reiterated that the government should immediately announce an incentive package and give permission for the partial resumption of operations in manufacturing units. "The exporters, particularly MSME exporters, have no liquidity to pay wages for the month of April as they are unable to conduct any business activity during the lockdown," FIEO President Sharad Kumar Saraf said in a statement. He also expressed disappointment on deferment of the decision to allow the selective opening of the manufacturing sector, particularly export units. "We were expecting some announcement in this regard in the Prime Minister's address to the nation this morning. Non-adherence to the delivery schedule for exports will result in cancellation, penalties and market loss, besides the business loss to enterprises, he added. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till 3 May, saying it is very necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Saraf also said that the shifting of the goalpost will not help in avoiding the stark realities which exporters have to face whenever "we open". The start of selective manufacturing units will be a long drawn battle due to the unavailability of labour, raw material, transport, Saraf said adding that even countries such as Spain, one of the worst affected nations, have started opening the economy to bring it on track. The president demanded that a comprehensive economic package may be announced to help the economy, with interest-free credit to cover six months of wages, rental and utilities along with a moratorium to repay in installments after six months. "Without such support, the government should not expect the industry to pay wages during the lockdown and any coercive action to bring about the same will only be counterproductive," he said. Saraf said that the export community, despite facing loss, is providing groceries, mask and medical help to needy people. Coronavirus is taking its toll on medical systems across the Middle East, posing a fresh threat to an already unstable region many consider ill-equipped to address the pandemic. In Turkey, Covid-19 is overwhelming hospitals, especially in Istanbul and other big cities, where it has already felled major medical professionals treating the infected. Egypt has begun instructing doctors about the virus, organising emergency webinars for those dealing with the crisis. But several hospitals have been inundated with the illness, including one cancer hospital which was shut down after 17 medical staff tested positive for coronavirus. The nations ambulance association says its rushing between 150 to 170 suspected Covid-19 cases to hospital every day. Its like being a soldier in a war, says Abdallah Hussein, a doctor in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan. But we all are very happy to be here. In Jordan, Lebanon and other countries, the illness has remained mostly manageable as governments enforce draconian lockdowns and prepare for the worst. But doctors across the region say they are being overwhelmed with cases of respiratory illness that are beginning to tax their abilities and resources. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A great day for European solidarity is how Germanys finance minister described last weeks $590 billion euro-area virus rescue package, clinched even as Europes North and South haggle over the cost of cleaning up the economic wreckage left by Covid-19. The package would allow countries to borrow from the euro regions rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism, for health-care spending without policy constraints, up to a certain amount. The focus on money is understandable, given the looming recession thats expected to be deeper than the crisis of 2008. But it obscures a glaring failure of the European Union that may have made both the human and financial cost of the pandemic worse: A lack of coordination and collaboration in health-care policy. Despite a common market, a (mostly) common external border, and a common health-care challenge in the shape of an aging population, the EUs 27 member states have scattered like mice when fighting the coronavirus. At the beginning of the crisis, Italy, the first and worst hit in Europe, begged its partners for masks and equipment not money. The response was a string of border closures and the hoarding of medical supplies for domestic consumption. By the time France, Spain and Germany instituted their own lockdowns, it was clear there would be 27 different responses to the coronavirus, not one European one. Normally, its the lecturing tone of the European Commission, the EUs executive body, that would set the line for countries to follow. But health-care policy is jealously guarded by national governments, which have never given Brussels technocrats full powers to dictate how hospitals or drug supplies are managed. The lesson of Covid-19, supposedly, is that Leviathans nation-state knows best. Yet the uneven death toll as it now stands suggests Leviathan isnt always well-equipped against epidemics. Countries that reacted early relative to their Covid-19 outbreaks Austria, Denmark, Greece appear to be doing better than those that reacted relatively late, such as Italy or Spain. A thrifty yet decentralized country like Germany, combining high intensive-care capacity with specialist industrial health-care firms, seems to be coping better than Frances well-funded but centralized system thats ferrying patients by high-speed train to less-hit regions in order to ease the burden. Some countries have better access to masks and tests than others. Story continues There are complex factors that seem to make one country more Covid-resistant than another. They go beyond a North-South divide, or health-care spending as a percentage of GDP. Some factors, like population density, cant be helped. But the EU should have been ideally equipped to fight a lot of these disparities. Properly-funded information-sharing and coordinated disease surveillance between countries would have made swift responses possible. A pooling of medical supplies would have better allocated existing resources for things like test kits, masks and ventilators, while combined purchasing power could have bought more for less. Its not just about hindsight, but foresight: The EU should also be a contender in the all-important global race for a vaccine, given it could pool national budgets to fund at least $30 billion in estimated research and manufacturing costs to get there. (Its also home to several drugmakers already working toward that goal, such as Frances Sanofi or Germanys CureVac AG). The blocs resources are often tied up in red tape and bureaucratic silos, though, as the furious departure letter by top EU science official Mauro Ferrari indicated last week. His reported push to redirect 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of annual bottom-up long-term research funding toward Covid-19 ruffled feathers and resulted in a unanimous request for his resignation from the European Research Council, but its clear that redirecting the flow of money in a crisis isnt the EUs strong point. More Europe is an understandably hard sell right now, and few member states will be in a rush to transfer more powers to Brussels. But existing tools can and should be beefed up. Nine EU countries including France, Italy and Spain explicitly called last month for the Commission to do more on establishing common guidelines and the sharing of data and information. They could start with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which has a paltry budget of around 60 million euros, a long way off the U.S. equivalents budget of $11 billion. Medical equipment and testing capacity should be funded across the bloc as lockdowns start to be lifted. That may well require a lift to the EUs budget. Not all forms of top-down control make sense in this crisis: Regional health authorities have led the way in some countries, more so than even national governments. But as the London School of Economicss Joan Costa Font puts it, collective action between countries is obviously beneficial when facing a pandemic that doesn't respect borders not least in the EU, where a highly-integrated economy means its in every countrys interest to have healthy neighbors. If the focus on money fails to lead to more burden-sharing of health information and resources, European states will face a long road out of lockdown. 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 Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service. Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is matching a $1million donation from the corporation's charity arm to support families struggling due to the coronavirus crisis. The donations from Mr Pinchai and Google.org are going to GiveDirectly, a charity which provides cash to needy families in the San Francisco Bay area. Google - which has a headquarters in San Fransisco - hopes to raise a total of $5million for the charity with donations from staff and members of the public. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is matching a $1million donation from the corporation's charity arm to support families struggling due to the coronavirus crisis In a Tweet, Google.org wrote: Were working with GiveDirectly to raise $5M to help support 5,000 families with direct cash transfers in the San Francisco Bay Area' This figure would work out at $1,000 per family. In a Tweet, Google.org wrote: Were working with GiveDirectly to raise $5M to help support 5,000 families with direct cash transfers in the San Francisco Bay Area. 'Were kicking it off with a $1M donation, plus a $1M contribution from Sundar Pichai - join us if youre able.' California has 22,348 confirmed coronavirus cases with 687 deaths from the rapidly-spreading bug. With non-essential services shut, many of the areas 8 million residents are waiting for their government-issued $1,200 stimulus checks, CNBC reports. Google already donated $1 million to local organizations in Mountain View, California, where it has another HQ (pictured) The donations from Mr Pinchai (pictured) and Google.org are going to GiveDirectly, a charity which provides cash to needy families in the San Francisco Bay area Google already donated $1 million to local organizations in Mountain View, California, where it has another HQ. The company was forced to cancel two large events in Mountain View last month - which would have increased traffic to local businesses - due to the crisis. The company is planning on building a campus in the San Francisco Bay Area to hold 25,000 employees. The United States always has been fertile ground for conspiracy theories, from claims of sinister popish plots to secure presidential elections in the early 19th century to suspicions that the Twin Towers were brought down on Sept. 11, 2001, by explosives planted inside the buildings. The latest unfounded conspiracy theory involves the origins of the deadly novel coronavirus that has swept across the globe. A Pew Research Center survey published on April 8 asked 8,914 Americans: From what youve seen or heard, do you think it is most likely the current strain of the coronavirus came about naturally or was made in a lab (intentionally or accidentally)? 43% said it came about naturally, which scientists say is the correct answer. 29% more than a quarter said it was developed in a laboratory. Much is still unknown about the coronavirus, which first widely spread among humans late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Researchers investigating the outbreak say the virus most likely originated in bats and infected humans through an intermediary animal, possibly the pangolin. There is no evidence the virus originated in a laboratory. The Pew survey, which has a margin for error of 1.6 percentage points, found that young Americans are more likely than their elders to believe the coronavirus was made in a lab. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed who are between 18 and 29 said the virus was created by scientists. Twenty-one percent of respondents 65 and older had reached the same conclusion. Survey respondents with a college degree were far less likely to believe the virus originated in a laboratory than those without a postsecondary degree. Sixty-one percent of interviewees who have a college degree said the virus originated in nature. Thirty-one percent of those without a college degree said the same thing. Republicans were more likely than Democrats (37% to 21%) to say the virus started in a lab. Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas suggested in February that the virus might have been created in a Wuhan biochemical lab. We dont have evidence that this disease originated there, Cotton said on Fox News. But because of Chinas duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says, and China right now is not giving evidence on that question at all. Chinas government has reportedly suppressed information about the extent of the outbreak in its country. It also has helped spread conspiracy theories. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman last month falsely claimed the U.S. Army might have brought the epidemic to Wuhan. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Academician Anand Teltumbde, grand son-in-law of BR Ambedkar, and civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha were on Tuesday placed under arrest by the NIA in connection with Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case Mumbai/New Delhi: Academician Anand Teltumbde, grand son-in-law of BR Ambedkar, and civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha were on Tuesday placed under arrest by the National Investigation Agency in connection with Bhima Koregaon case after both of them surrendered. Both had to surrender after the Supreme Court had rejected their plea seeking more time to appear before the NIA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teltumbde walked into the South Mumbai office of the NIA on a day when the 129th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, architect of country's Constitution, was being celebrated. He and Navlakha were wanted by the NIA in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case popularly known as 'Bhima Koregaon' case. Navlakha surrendered in the agency's headquarters in the national capital. Teltumbde was later produced before a special NIA court in Mumbai which remanded him in NIA custody till April 18 even as the agency sought 10-day custody. Navlakha will be produced before a special court in Delhi where the agency will seek his transit remand to take him to Mumbai, officials said. Earlier, the agency had planned to produce Navlakha through video conferencing before the Mumbai special court but special NIA judge A T Wankhede said since the accused surrendered in Delhi he would have to be produced before a court in the national capital. The agency in its remand application filed through special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty has alleged Teltumbde had links with the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned terrorist organisation. In its application, the agency also sought permission to handcuff him to avoid physical contact with the accused amid the COVID-19 outbreak. However, no such request was made before the court. The NIA in its application said Teltumbde was the convenor of the Elgar Parishad programme held on December 31, 2017 at Pune. It is the prosecution's case that during that programme, inflammatory speeches were made which triggered caste-based violence at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018 in Pune. "During preliminary investigations it was revealed that accused Anand Teltumbde was recipient of funds from the central committee of Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned terrorist organisation," the agency alleged in its remand application. Teltumbde has links with the banned organisation, the agency alleged, claiming the call data records of the academician has revealed that he was in contact with the other accused in the case. "It is also revealed that there is a conspiracy hatched by the accused persons to promote enmity between caste groups. This conspiracy led to violence resulting in loss of life and state wide agitation," the application alleged. Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and for conspiring to overthrow the government. Teltumbde and Navlakha, who were initially granted interim protection from arrest, were on March 16 directed by the Supreme Court to surrender within a period of three weeks following dismissal of their pre-arrest bail pleas. On April 8, the apex court extended the time period by one week rejecting Navlakha's plea seeking extension of time on the ground that going to jail during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence". "Though we expected that the accused would surrender, honouring the order of this court, they have not done so. We are told that in Mumbai, the courts are functioning. It would have been appropriate for the accused to surrender as the courts are open and not totally closed" the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had said. In a statement, Navlakha said the "draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are not accompanied by stricter procedures regarding evidence, especially electronic, considering the stringent punishment provided for under the Act; the procedures, which otherwise provide tighter rules regarding evidence, are instead made elastic." "Under this double whammy, jail becomes the norm and bail an exception. In this Kafkaesque domain, process itself becomes punishment," he said. He said he can now begin to face the actual legal process, which accompanies cases where provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are invoked. He said such acts turn the normal jurisprudence upside down and added no longer is it the axiom that 'a person is innocent unless proven guilty'. The Bhima Koregaon violence case which was probed by Pune Police was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). All the accused have denied the allegations. C oronavirus has dramatically changed the daily lives of millions of people. Efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 means we now marvel at the everyday activities we once took for granted, from going to the salon to having a pint down the pub. But just as weve adapted to doing our own nails and cutting our own hair, so too we can recreate a pub-like environment from the comfort of our own homes. Many would argue that in some ways, its even better. Your favourite snacks on tap and your favourite faces beamed into your home through apps like Zoom, Skype, Houseparty, WhatsApp video calls and Google Hangouts. No more queueing for the loo, waiting to get served or trying to hold a conversation over the din of the pub telly. When it comes to pulling pints, theres quite a few companies and e-retailers rushing to quench your thirst with new and established home delivery services so you can enjoy a pint when you want one. Whether you prefer beer, cider, ale, IPA or stout weve rounded up the best beer to get delivered to your door now. See our favourites below Beer Hawk Calling all beer nerds! Wrap your laughing gear around beers of all kinds at Beer Hawk. Theres tons to uncover (including those in the low and no alcohol category) as well as bar accessories and gift sets if you want to treat a self-isolating beer fan to something special. Whats more 1 from every order will go to a fund supporting hospitality staff who have found themselves out of work because of coronavirus. Beer52 Love craft beer? Then youll go wild for Beer52 which has a huge selection of light and dark canned, bottled and beer in kegs available for home delivery. Right now new customers can even claim a free case of beer worth 24 from the site - youll just need to pay for postage and packaging. Thats eight beers plus a snack and a magazine to enjoy for less than 6. Flavourly If youre up for expanding your beer knowledge, Flavourly is the best place to discover new craft beers. Most impressively all deliveries are free with no minimum orders - but due to the current demand on services delivery can take up to five days. Still, worth the wait for a parcel laden with the likes of chocolate stout, Great Eastern IPA and Scotch Ale. The Bottle Club Nows the time to stock up your home bar with hops from all over the world, available singularly as well as by the case. The Bottle Club sells a pleasingly large range of brands including big names like Becks, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Red Stripe and Guinness to speciality beers such as Curious Brew. Theres even low alcohol options from the likes of Big Drop Brewing Low Alcohol Sour, perfect for those nights you want to take it easy on the hops front. The best bit? The Bottle Club is offering a discount for ES Best readers. Simply use code: EVENINGSTANDARD10 to score 10 per cent off your order (30 minimum spend, not for use on Limited Edition Items) until end April. The Drop Store As if it wasnt enough that the fabulous folks at The Drop Store offer all kinds of bevvies from refreshing lager to full bodied ales and porter, but the company is offering free standard delivery on orders over 30 too! Filter down the range by using the tools to narrow your search. You can sort items by beer type: Malty, Citrus, Hoppy and Fruity and there are low alcohol options to scoop up too. The Drop Store is the main online retailer for craft beer from Cumbrias Hawkshead Brewery, as well as the popular Peaky Blinder beers from Sadlers Ales. Get 10 per cent off orders until the end of April with discount code: ES10. Kopparberg The Swedish cider (and gin) giant is helping the Licensed Trade Charity raise funds for their COVID-19 GoFundMe appeal. For every donation made that's over 20, supporters who are aged 18+ will receive a free case of Kopparberg cider or gin as a thank you. The Licensed Trade Charity offers financial assistance and advice for pub, bar and brewery workers during this uncertain time. Brothers Cider With this years Glastonbury called off due to coronavirus (sob!) theres some small conciliation in that you can still get the taste of the festival with an order of Brothers cider. Stock up on unusual cider flavours like parma violet and toffee apple, stick on your favourite album and pretend - if only for a second - that youre back on Worthy Farm. Cans, bottles and mixed cases available as well as guest ciders from Mallets. Bristol Cider Shop Shop West Country cider, perry, mead and cider brandy and liqueur at Bristol Cider Shop, which offers UK-wide delivery (although not to Northern Ireland). The site really is a cider purists dream; everything is made within a 50-mile radius of Bristol on traditional cider farms using 100 per cent freshly pressed juice. All are labelled vegetarian/ vegan and gluten-free too. Adnams Made in Southwold and delivered to your door, Adnams is a beer lovers wonderland. Fill your online basket with everything from pub-favourite Ghost Ship, as well as other refreshing beer and cider, available in can, beer and keg vessels. Prices range from 8 for a pack of beers to 20+ for 24-packs. Brewdog The Scottish brewer has gained cult status since it was established back in 2007. With a chain of bars all over the country and a thriving online business, it was doing well before coronavirus and continues to do so, rolling with the punches by setting up virtual bars and ramping up its home delivery options. Shop IPA, sour ale and cider alongside beer that come in bottles and cans in singles or multipacks or go the whole hog and get a keg. The cider offering comes from Hawkes, a refreshingly modern take on a country favourite. Signature Brew Pub-in-a-Box One of the silver linings to emerge from the coronavirus crisis is the ingenious ideas brands are coming up with to serve their customers. Prime example? Walthamstow-based brewery Signature Brew. The company has come up with Pub-In-A-Box, a home delivery parcel which includes (almost) everything to set up a pub-like vibe in your house. Think a selection of their award-winning beer, plus extra little touches to make you feel like youre back at your local: think glassware, snacks, a music quiz and exclusive playlists curated by music journalists to accompany the drinks. If youre in London, your order could very well be hand delivered by a musician who would otherwise be on tour if it wasnt for the Covid-19 crisis. Costing from 25, it's a great way to while away an evening, safe in the knowledge that part of your payment will go to support an independent brewer and out-of-work artists too. Where do we sign up? Beerwulf An online drinks store specialising in beer, you can literally pour a smooth pint with the help of Beerwulfs clever SUB device. It chills your preferred drink to 2C and is compatible with two-litre kegs from a number of brands you know, like Birra Moretti, Heineken and Amstel. Elsewhere shop mixed beer and value beer cases along with no and low varieties. Full boxes are delivered for free and delivery takes up to five days. Honest Brew Promoting lesser known breweries and brands, Honest Brew flies the flag for craft beer. While the prices are already quite competitive compared to other online merchants, become a member and youll get a host of benefits, such as a further 15 per cent saving on some beers, member exclusives and faster delivery. Beer is Here It's no secret that the drinks industry is suffering massively at the hands of coronavirus, but one company is doing its best to try and keep the sector thriving. Simply Hops, once simply a supplier of beer products, has created the not-for-profit Beer is Here website to help save thousands of small and independent breweries and beer sellers in the UK and Europe blighted by the effect of measures to slow the rate of Covid-19. PR-Inside.com: 2020-04-14 03:03:04 RMB Capital Demands Resignation of Sanyo Shokai Management and Proposes New Executive Team Masakazu Hosomizu RMB Capital japan@rmbcap.com RMB Capital (RMB), a Chicago-based investment advisory firm, is a long-term shareholder of Sanyo Shokai Ltd. (8011 JP, Sanyo) and owns more than 6% of the firms total outstanding shares. RMB is now demanding the resignation of the existing management team, as the firm believes they should take the responsibility of years of losses. RMB also proposed a slate for a new executive team that is highly qualified to turn around Sanyos operation. RMB is making this demand based on the following rationale: Internally promoted executives have proven to be unqualified for a turnaround mandate RMB had previously supported the current executives, believing in their plan to reform Sanyos operation to turn around the business. RMB also supported them when opposing the dividend increase proposal raised by another shareholder in February 2019. However, the management team failed to meet shareholder expectations several times, despite having taken harsh actions such as laying off a quarter of the total employees. Sanyo is about to record four consecutive fiscal years of losses while the auditing firm expressed its doubt on Sanyo as a going-concern operation. As a result, Mr. Isao Iwata resigned as president in December 2019 while Sanyos stock price declined significantly, precipitating a decline in the firms corporate value. Current executives must take responsibility for the companys financial situation RMB believes the management team is clearly responsible for the outcome, while they have been leaving stakeholders, including employees and shareholders, to deal with the repercussions. As such, RMB expects all the executives, including president Mr. Masayuki Nakayama, to take responsibility and resign at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled in May. Hiring skilled outside executives will improve corporate governanceand long-term shareholder value As a long term shareholder who has a strong commitment to Sanyos turnaround, RMB believes inviting talented executives from outside to form a whole new management team is essential for Sanyos successespecially as the COVID-19 pandemic is causing devastating disruption of the economy worldwide. RMB proposes the following candidates: Mr. Tetsuo Komori: He started his career as a consultant at McKinsey Japan, he has experience in managing businesses such as ASCII and Kracie (ex. Kanebo). Mr. Shinji Oe: He built his career at Mitsuis textile division and turned around a Japan-based apparel company, Goldwin. He was invited as a vice president of Sanyo in March 2020. Independent directors, including Mr. Masakazu Hosomizu, a partner of RMB Capital. RMB also suggests considering additional directors from inside and outside talent pools. With this new management team in place, RMB expects the following actions and results: In the near term, execute drastic improvements in operation to stop the losses and make Sanyo profitable. In the mid to long term, build and execute a strong growth plan in Japan and overseas, potentially inviting strategic partners. About RMB Capital Headquartered in Chicago, RMB Capital is an independent investment advisory firm that serves high-net-worth individuals and families as well as institutional investors. Its businesses include wealth management, family office services, asset management, and retirement plan consulting. Its asset management business specializes in long-term, concentrated, active investing strategies with coverage that spans the market-cap spectrum and the globe. To learn more about RMB, visit https://rmbcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005 SPRINGFIELD The total number of cases of coronavirus confirmed by Baystate Health on Tuesday has risen to 672 an increase of 24 from Monday. To date, Baystate Health facilities in Western Massachusetts have tested a total of 2,927 people for COVID-19 and determined 672 individuals have the virus. Another 2,239 people tested negative. The Springfield-based health provider in still awaiting test results for 16 others. Baystate Health also reported 172 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 or are suspected of having the disease at its facilities. Currently within BH, we are caring for 165 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, 27 of whom are in our critical care units; we are also caring for 7 hospitalized patients who are under investigation for COVID-19 infection, Baystate Health said in a statement on Tuesday. Baystate Health is not providing additional details on patients, such age, gender or residence. Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Lemogang Kwape has allayed fears that some workers at the countrys border posts are not considered frontline services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight departments Port Health; Crops; Veterinary; Immigration; Customs; Police; Botswana Defence Force (BDF); and Support Staff constitute the border post. Each department has a specific role to play in facilitating the movement of goods, services and people into and out of the country. For example, port health deals with health screening while Crops and Veterinary issue permits for imports of plants and animal products. But since the onset of the extreme social distancing (lockdown) announced on March 20th complete with its attendant measures -all intended to fight the raging COVID-19 pandemic - some workers at border posts have expressed anxiety over their welfare, health protection and security of tenure. They feel that only the Port Health, Immigration; BDF and Police are considered frontline services and therefore qualify for such benefits as protective clothing (PPEs) and crisis insurance under the COVID-19 Regulations. However Minister Kwape allayed these fears when he told Botswana Guardian Online Monday afternoon that every department at the Border Post is considered essential service. He said the only difference is that they perform different layers of service. For example, Immigration and Customs predominantly handle paperwork, while interaction in other departments may require physical contact. But this notwithstanding, the minister said everyone is considered a frontline service provider and must be provided with all the requisite personal protective equipment. However, there is still an issue with procurement of these resources including test kits from China, as they are scarce on account of the huge demand expressed by the whole world. Botswana hopes to navigate this difficulty through emergency procurement as stipulated by the state of emergency regulations. When asked to comment on these issues, Defense, Justice and Security Minister Kagiso Mmusi referred this publication to Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) whose director, Goitseone Mosalakatane was not readily available at time of going to press. The border posts workers that spoke to this publication also complained that they are not provided with protective clothing, nor are they tested for corona virus even though they are the first port of call between the country and truck drivers that deliver goods and services from South Africa, where the disease burden is high. We also have families, if we get infected at the border post and go to our respective homes at the end of the day theres a real fear that we could endanger the health of our loved ones, said one official that did not want to be named. The official suggested that even the envisaged mass testing initially targeting 20, 000 people, should start with the border post staffers. In its bid to protect the country from the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic the government closed some ports of entry on 20th March 2020. Only major commercial ports Kazungula, Mamuno, Martins Drift, Mohembo, Ngoma, Pioneer, Tlokweng and Ramatlabama - remained open. The low rate of new coronavirus cases in Western Australia means the government will soon begin considering a windback of social distancing restrictions. On Tuesday Western Australia premier Mark McGowan told 6PR Radio that only six cases were recorded in the state on Monday and staged easing of restrictions was on the government's agenda. 'We'll review it monthly,' Mr McGowan said. 'The first major review will be coming up in a couple of weeks. 'I would have thought around the 1st of May, if we were to do anything, would be the time.' Western Australia could see a relaxing of its social distancing restrictions as early a May 1 after low infection rates have boosted confidence in an early end to the lockdown (Beach in Western Australia pictured) Western Australia premier Mark McGowan said the state government would assess the situation as early as May 1 and it could lead to the relaxing of some restrictions 'over time' The six new COVID-19 cases on Monday took the state's total to 523, but only 28 of those are in hospitals, with 14 in intensive care. Health Minister Roger Cook said if the great numbers continued in the state, tweaks to restrictions could be made to restrictions to help salvage small businesses and the jobs they provide. 'The trigger point is a sustained period of very low numbers, which we're starting to see emerge now,' he told ABC radio on Monday. 'If we take our foot off the pedal now, we could see a resurgence of the virus and that will be bad for everyone.' Western Australia recorded six new COVID-19 cases on Monday which took the state's total to 523 but the prmier said social distancing would remain in place for some time Under restrictions many public gathering areas such as park's were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 However Mr McGowan warned that some restrictions, including border closures and social distancing, will remain in place for months. It was also announced Australia's social distancing method, which has netted positive results so far, could be replaced by a targeted tracking system so as to allow most people to return to some aspects of normal life. Health authorities are mulling over how closely virus-positive Australians could be monitored once travel restrictions and social distancing rules are relaxed. Singapore is using the TraceTogether application to help track the spread of the disease. Australia has been given the code to develop the surveillance software. 'We're very keen to use it and use it perhaps even more extensively than Singapore,' Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy told a New Zealand parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. The news from Western Australia comes as Australia's the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 6,394, 3.499 recovered and 61 deaths Professor Murphy acknowledged there were privacy concerns. 'There's a conversation to have with the community about the acceptability of it but we think that idea, the TraceTogether app, is a really excellent one,' he said. 'We're actively looking at that as part of a measure that might be used to perhaps consider some relaxation of measures.' TraceTogether uses Bluetooth to detect other users in close proximity, with encounters stored on a person's phone. They then have to share the records with authorities when asked to be part of a tracing investigation. The news from Western Australia comes as Australia's the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 6,394, 3.499 recovered and 61 deaths. Please visit https://xcentium.com/ XCentiums new plugin enables Sitecore Experience Commerce to integrate with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, shares Kautilya Prasad, Director of Commerce at XCentium and Sitecore Experience Commerce MVP. XCentium, an award-winning digital consultancy, announced today that they have created and launched a Facebook plugin for Sitecore Experience Commerce, enabling customers to feature products in ads and sell products on three of the most popular social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. XCentiums new plugin integrates with the Facebooks graph API and uploads products from a clients Sitecore Experience Commerce catalog to the catalog in Facebook Commerce Manager, which is a set of tools that can help clients sell products, manage inventory and fulfill orders for your business across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. XCentiums Facebook plugin for Sitecore Experience Commerce enables marketers to: Create Dynamic Ads: Reach potential customers with personalized ads that are automatically created to include the products they've shown an interest in or are most likely to buy. Drive Website Traffic: Entice more users to view products on your website or mobile app by creating an ad campaign with a traffic objective. Shop Via Instagram: Feature your products directly on Instagram by tagging products in your posts and stories. Shop Via Facebook: Make it convenient for prospective customers to buy your products directly on Facebook (US only), message your page with questions and purchases on Messenger or buy on your website as normal. Sell products on WhatsApp: Use this plugin to reach millions of users around the world on the second most popular social media app. "What could be more exciting for a marketer than advertising your products on a platform that has 1.6 billion users on it? XCentiums new plugin enables Sitecore Experience Commerce to integrate with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, shares Kautilya Prasad, Director of Commerce at XCentium and Sitecore Commerce MVP. Marketers are now able to upload their catalog on Facebook Commerce Manager to run campaigns, drive traffic to their website and market to various sections of users on these trusted platforms. Facebook Marketing API also comes with a built-in analytics engine, which provides insights enabling clients to make data driven decisions. Business users are now able advertise products on Facebook, Instagram stories and feed, as well as WhatsApp." XCentium continues to lead efforts that allow our clients on Sitecore Experience Commerce to expand into new markets and test different channels, shares Phil Bui, Vice President of Commerce at XCentium. This latest plugin makes easy work of creating campaigns from your own Sitecore Experience Commerce catalog onto the world's largest social platforms. Plugins such as these enable our clients to pursue and explore core business strengths rather than expend resources on integration mechanics. Clients who are interested in learning how they can enable their commerce store on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp as part of their Sitecore Experience Commerce strategy are encouraged to contact XCentium directly. In the future, XCentium will be releasing this Sitecore Experience Commerce Facebook plugin on GitHub. If developers would like early access to this plugin in exchange for feedback on ways to develop it further, contact XCentium at info@xcentium.com. About XCentium XCentium is an award-winning digital consultancy, that helps clients align their technology strategy with business objectives. Leveraging technology excellence to deliver superior results, XCentium delivers engaging customer experiences on web and mobile and helps clients run their business in the cloud. XCentium crafts leading eCommerce solutions across multiple markets and has deep experience with multiple ecommerce softwares including Sitecore Experience Commerce, Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud, and Insite Software, an Episerver company. XCentium, Sitecore, Sitecore Experience Commerce and all other and all other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Retailers around the world are adjusting their business models in the face of COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Two consumer reports on shopping pattern changes during the pandemic offer two main findings: a) It is crucial for merchants to create ways to connect with new and long-term customers; and b) Consumers can not fully solve the empty shelf problem through buying online. Consumers worldwide continued to purchase nonessential items in March, such as clothing, according to a CGS report on purchasing trends released last week. In response to growing delivery delays, consumers were willing to adjust their service expectations, as long as companies communicated disruptions and rewarded their loyalty, according to the survey results. While so much of the retail and wholesale industry has been upended, consumers are continuing to purchase clothing for their everyday lives, said Paul Magel, president of the business applications and technology outsourcing division at CGS. The survey confirms that the abrupt change to work from home and social distancing requires a different type of wardrobe less spending on luxury items and accessories. U.S. consumers prepared last month to stay home for the long haul, found an ongoing Bazaarvoice study, which is updated weekly. Page views and order counts increased 25 percent and 21percent, respectively. The month-by-month consumer activity report shows significant increases in shopping occurred when social distancing and shelter-in-place advisories started to become widely adopted. In addition, the top 10 days with the most orders on Bazaarvoices network this year were in March. Order counts began to surge on March 11. That was the same day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and the U.S.-Europe travel ban was announced. In the Bazaarvoice survey, which queried more than 3,000 members of the Influenster community, 41 percent of respondents said they were shopping online for things they normally would have shopped for in a store, said Suzin Wold, senior vice president of marketing at Bazaarvoice. This is especially apparent in verticals such as grocery. Our network of over 6,200 brand and retailer websites saw an 85 percent year-over-year increase in online orders in March, she told the E-Commerce Times. Casual Everyday With most of the world moving to a work-at-home environment, consumer demand reflected in the latest survey probably will become the new normal even when the pandemic recedes, suggested CGS Magel. I do feel that coming out of stay-home orders and social distancing regulations while the spike will level off the overall demand for more casual business attire will continue to rise as both companies and employees come to the realization that todays technology allows for work from home to be a bigger part a companys standard operating procedures, he told the E-Commerce Times. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Even when employees return to the office, he predicts they will adopt more casual and relaxed work attire. Although Americans are extremely focused on the health and safety of their loved ones, they still are finding ways to treat themselves and others, the survey results suggest. One example is by making updates to their closet. Almost half (49 percent) of the consumers polled were purchasing everyday clothing. That percentage increased to almost 60 percent of respondents who had full-time employment. Pattern Persistence In response to COVID-19, an unprecedented number of shoppers have made purchases online for the first time. As consumers experience seamless and convenient online shopping, many likely will maintain those new habits in a post-pandemic world, Bazaarvoices Wold suggested. The large shift of shoppers to online shopping will also accelerate innovation in e-commerce across a variety of industries. These necessary advancements will benefit brands, and their shoppers, going forward, she predicted. On the other hand, some of the survey respondents said that once they could return to physical locations, they would appreciate the in-store experience even more than they did before. One individual mentioned the excitement of going back to favorite stores, restaurants, and other businesses to make human connections and share experiences, said Wold. While 43 percent of respondents said that once the crisis is over they will return to shopping the way they did before, 41 percent said that it was too soon to tell, she added. Online Shopping to the Rescue Of the 1,000 consumers CGS surveyed, 46 percent were employed full-time, and another 17 percent were retired. Access to a stable income likely factored into purchasing habits, but age also played a major role, according to the survey analysis. Sixty-four percent of millennials (25-34-year olds) purchased everyday clothing. Older consumers were much less likely to make fashion purchases, suggesting retailers should focus their targeting efforts on younger buyers. Consumers shopped online both to obtain items not readily available in physical stores and to avoid having to go to physical stores for both convenience and safety reasons, noted Magel. But the majority of the rise in online purchases for nonessentials is the result of it being the only channel available to them, he said. This includes making updates to their closet. I do see the spike in e-commerce being just that a spike. A D V E R T I S E M E N T However, an acceleration of the growth of e-commerce across all product categories is expected, he added. Grocery shopping will be a very big beneficiary of that growth, as people become more comfortable with the online/delivery model. The Bazaarvoice survey concurred with CGSs findings about consumers shopping online because of both convenience and necessity. Almost one-third (31 percent) of the Bazaarvoice surveys respondents said their shopping behavior changed when their government established strict guidelines about staying at home. Online Shopping Outperforming 2019 The Bazaarvoice Network tracks worldwide shopping and sales patterns on a weekly basis. The ongoing report reveals how the pandemic is influencing consumers and impacting shopping behaviors, and it is identifying patterns as trends emerge. Among the key takeaways leading into the worldwide shutdown the pandemic caused in March 2020: A 21 percent year-over-year increase in order count from March 2019 to March 2020; Order count surged on March 11, the same day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic; Food, beverage and tobacco products order count increased 85 percent, as more consumers bought groceries online; there was a 66 percent increase in page views in the category, and review submissions increased by 87 percent; Sporting goods experienced an 86 percent increase in order count and a 47 percent increase in page views; The toys and games category increased 90 percent in page views and 60 percent in order count; Apparel and accessories increased 4 percent in page views, but decreased 4 percent in order count. Strong Consumer Support CGS commissioned Dynata to survey 1,000 consumers across the U.S. about their current spending for nonessential items. For the purposes of the survey, nonessential purchases were items other than food, medicine and hygiene products. Notable findings: Consumers were not upset about service disruptions but transparency was essential; Loyalty programs were a must-have for retailers; Consumers continued to make nonessential wardrobe purchases. A combination of production delays and reduced staff kept many companies from maintaining the level of service they offered earlier in the year. However, most consumers said they were not affected by those operational strains. More than half of the respondents (53 percent) said they were not experiencing service disruptions. Those responses could have been influenced in large part by the proactive communications they received about service disruptions. More than one-third of the responding consumers said they experienced shipping delays but received adequate notice from the merchants. Another 28 percent reported experiencing no delays. If companies were proactive about remedying delays and making customers aware of longer fulfillment timelines, consumers were less likely to feel any significant service disruptions, according to the report. Loyalty Programs Essential for Retailers Many businesses are using rewards and loyalty perks as a way to maintain their customer base with growing success. More than 90 percent of consumers said free shipping and product discounts/promotions would win them over, according to CGS. For small and local retailers, it was even more crucial to maintain their in-store customer base. Sixty-nine percent of consumers utilized Amazon and other marketplace websites for their nonessential purchases. Another 13 percent shopped at department store websites, with less than 10 percent going directly to a brands website or a local store. Rewarding customers through promotions, membership benefits and individual perks is a way of maintaining business through these difficult times and beyond, noted CGS. Supply Chains and Consumers Adapting There are indications that inventories to meet online consumer buying are starting to keep up with consumer demand, based on the CGS survey. Thirty-one percent of consumers were disappointed with retailers because products were unavailable. Fifty-eight percent of the Bazaarvoice survey respondents said they experienced product shortages at stores. Forty-four percent felt they had access both to essential and nonessential supplies, but that getting them was tricky. Only 24 percent said they were able to get everything they needed quite easily, according to Wold. The shortages stemmed in large part from the supply chain crisis that started in Chinas manufacturing base, noted Magel. Another factor is that e-commerce platforms began allocating more warehouse space to essentials to meet the growing demand during the pandemic. We are starting to see retailers look to the inventory currently stuck in their closed retail stores as a source for e-commerce fulfillment, he said. Exactly when or how the current crisis state will end remains unknown. What is certain is that we will not return to pre-crisis norms, according to Magel. A new normal will emerge, embracing e-commerce across all product categories and all consumer demographics. Retailers that had not embraced an e-commerce channel as a material source of their revenue are now looking at that as a model moving forward, he added. Surprising Results Revealed The biggest surprise in the latest research was not the 21 percent increase in online orders in March. It was seeing order increases across almost all categories in the network, said Wold. Many people suddenly began working from home and setting up home offices. That resulted in sales of office supplies increasing 45 percent, hardware purchases increasing 65 percent, and software sales increasing 61 percent. All categories saw major spikes in March orders. With adults and children homebound, sporting goods orders have increased 86 percent, and toys and games have increased 60 percent. Consumers increasingly have been turning to online shopping for groceries, many for the first time. Food, beverages and tobacco orders increased 85 percent, the Bazaarvoice survey found. The only verticals with decreases in orders were apparel and accessories (-4 percent), as consumers mostly are staying at home; religious and ceremonial (-32 percent), due to large gatherings being canceled globally; and luggage and bags (-39 percent), as airline travel has all but ceased. Consumers purchase priorities have shifted as a result of COVID-19. Pre-pandemic, consumers main priorities when making purchases were quality (48 percent), price (47 percent) and brand (24 percent). Now they are focused mostly on availability (49 percent), price (36 percent), and quality (34 percent), according to Bazaarvoices survey. Pandemic Shopping Influences The survey results exposed a few significant or potentially problematic issues if the trends continue. For Wold, the most significant findings from her companys data is the increase in the grocery vertical. Food, beverages and tobacco saw an 85 percent increase in orders on the Bazaarvoice Network in March. Groceries were the No. 1 category that survey takers said they were buying more of right now, garnering 76 percent of responses. This is an industry that had slower adoption of e-commerce before the pandemic began, and now it has been forced to the forefront, Wold pointed out. It will be interesting to see which brands can be successful, she continued, as well as which could not innovate quickly enough, and how consumer behavior will change again (or not) in post-pandemic times. CLEMSON, S.C., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In mid-March a surgeon practicing in Kirkland, Washington, the USA's first Coronavirus epicenter, asked for help and modjoul jumped into action and answered the call. Modjoul, a wearable platform company that gathers information in real time, put their expertise in sensor technology to work and came up with an innovative solution to protect our most vulnerable frontline workers. Eric Martinez, the founder and CEO of modjoul, recounted the incident, "Last month, a personal friend of mine Dr. Adel El-Ghazzawy, called me to see if our platform could be adapted to help protect him and his colleagues by preventing them from infecting each other and their patients." After talking with Martinez and the modjoul team, Dr. El-Ghazzawy stated, "There is a critical need for early detection of employees who are symptomatic." The modjoul team accepted the challenge to get America back to worksafely. Their goal is to arrest the spread of illness and protect the country's front-line heroes; the essential workforce and their families. Modjoul has developed a mobile application that streamlines the screening process for employee entry into the workplace with a short questionnaire, ensuring symptomatic individuals do not spread illness. Employers will have the ability to scan and store the status of every employee, confirming they are screened and cleared to report to work. In addition to the mobile app, modjoul has developed a wearable platform that when paired can completely automate the screening process by measuring the core body temperature of every employee. Eliminating screening lines means reducing the risk of exposure, faster entry into the workplace, and peace of mind. The virus is setting the rules for how our country can get back to work, and enterprises are struggling to work within these new rules. The mobile app combined with the wearable platform provides a seamless, efficient, and documented way to manage the screening process. Modjoul's platform was originally designed to monitor the user's body mechanics to ensure their safety and compliance with the employer and OSHA policies through the use of a SmartBelt. The platform has grown to include a suite of wearables that have been implemented in numerous industries across the country and around the world with a focus on reducing injury and improving workplace safety. About Modjoul, Inc. Modjoul is a data invention and modeling company located in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 2016, modjoul is committed to keeping employees safe and productive by empowering them through data analytics. Visit http://www.modjoul.com/ to learn more and keep up with the latest modjoul news. For More information, contact: modjoul [email protected] 973.868.8319 SOURCE Modjoul, Inc. Authorities have released the names of two men killed hours apart in unrelated shootings in Birmingham on Monday. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victims as Cordai Deonte Molette, 23, and TimDarius Theophilus Gamble, 21. Molette, the son of a Birmingham police detective, was shot shortly after 4:30 p.m. while he was driving in the 4800 block of Messer Airport Highway. Birmingham police South Precinct officers and fire medics responded to the scene and found the victim unresponsive in a dark Honda Accord. He was pronounced dead at 5:07 p.m. The car had crashed into a business, but the business was not open at the time and the car did not penetrate the outer wall. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said officers were alerted to the scene by Shot Spotter, the citys gunfire detection system. Evidence technicians marked at least 20 shell casings just yards from where Molettes vehicle came to a rest. Mauldin said they dont yet have a motive in the slaying. They have, however, obtained information that a white Chevrolet Impala with black tinted windows was spotted leaving the scene. Police have not announced any arrests in the Molettes death. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial for attempted murder after police say he shot at another man who was in a vehicle in 2018. Gamble was killed three hours later in the back yard of a Pratt City home. West Precinct officers were called to the scene on a report of a domestic shooting at 716 Avenue H in Pratt City. When they arrived at the home, they found Gamble lying in the back yard by a vehicle. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead on the scene at 8:07 p.m. A female family member was detained for questioning. No charges have been announced. Mondays two deadly shootings brought the number of Birmingham homicides so far in 2020 to 30. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 49 slayings, including the 30 in Birmingham. Anyone with information on either slaying is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. The homebound and virus-wary across the Northern Hemisphere, from President Donald Trump to cooped-up schoolchildren, have clung to the possibility that the coronavirus pandemic will fade in hot weather, as some viral diseases do. But the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, in a public report sent to the White House, has said, in effect: Dont get your hopes up. After reviewing a variety of research reports, a panel concluded that the studies, of varying quality of evidence, do not offer a basis to believe that summer weather will interfere with the spread of the coronavirus. The pandemic may lessen because of social distancing and other measures, but the evidence so far does not inspire confidence in the benefits of sun and humidity. The report, sent to Kelvin Droegemeier, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House and acting director of the National Science Foundation, was a brief nine-page communication known as a rapid expert consultation. Kristian Andersen, an immunologist at the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California and a member of the Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats at the National Academies, said: Given current data, we believe that the pandemic likely will not diminish because of summer, and we should be careful not to base policies and strategies around the hope that it will. We might very well see a reduction in spread in the beginning of the summer, he added, but we have to be careful not to put that down to a changing climate it is plausible that such a reduction could be due to other measures put in place. Human behaviour will be most important. Dr. David Relman, who studies host-microbe interactions at Stanford, said if a human coughs or sneezes enough virus close enough to the next susceptible person, then temperature and humidity just wont matter that much. The report from the National Academies, independent agencies that advise the government and the public, cited a small number of well-controlled laboratory studies that show that high temperature and humidity can diminish the ability of the novel coronavirus to survive in the environment. But the report noted the studies had limitations that made them less than conclusive. It also noted that although some reports showed pandemic growth rates peaking in colder conditions, those studies were short and limited. A preliminary finding in one such study, by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found fewer cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in warmer climates, but arrived at no definitive conclusion. Specially in the U.S., any effect, even in the summer months, may not be highly visible, so our real chance to stop this virus is indeed through taking quarantine measures, said Qasim Bukhari, a computational scientist at MIT who is a co-author of the study. The report sent to the White House also struck a cautionary note: Given that countries currently in summer climates, 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, it said. Pandemics do not behave the same way seasonal outbreaks do. For the National Academies report, researchers looked at the history of flu pandemics as an example. There have been 10 influenza pandemics in the past 250-plus years two started in the Northern Hemisphere winter, three in the spring, two in the summer and three in the fall, the report said. All had a peak second wave approximately six months after emergence of the virus in the human population, regardless of when the initial introduction occurred. On March 16, Trump said the virus might wash through in warmer weather. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations leading expert on infectious diseases, has expressed different opinions about the effect of summer on the virus, some more optimistic than others. In a livestreamed interview on Wednesday, Dr. Howard Bauchner, the editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Medical Association, asked him about the fall, which Fauci said would be very challenging, after a period this summer when its almost certainly going to go down a bit. On March 26, however, in a conversation on Instagram with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Fauci said that although it wasnt unreasonable to assume the summer weather could diminish the spread, you dont want to count on it. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:30:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Pandemic Watch: Remaining the country with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities worldwide, the United States weighs when to reopen the economy. (Xinhua/Tan Yixiao, Hu Yousong) "We want to have our country open, we want to return to normal life. Our country will reopen successfully." WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday his administration is close to completing a plan to open the economy, noting that he would have "total" authority to do that. "We will soon finalize new and important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. "We want to have our country open, we want to return to normal life. Our country will reopen successfully," he said. When asked whether he would have the power to open or close state economies, Trump said "the authority of the president of the United States having to do with the subject we are talking about is total." A worker wearing a mask delivers packages during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, the United States, April 13, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) New York, New Jersey and four other northeastern states are setting up a working group to coordinate plans to restart the economy, while California, Washington and Oregon on the West Coast have said they would work on their guidelines together. "The West Coast is guided by science. We issued stay at home orders early to keep the public healthy. We'll open our economies with that same guiding principle," California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Twitter Monday. A woman crosses a street in Washington D.C., the United States, April 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) The White House is facing mounting pressure from business executives and advocacy groups to reopen the U.S. economy, as measures to slow the spread of the virus have led to growing economic fallout, with a staggering 16.8 million Americans filing initial jobless claims in a three-week period ending April 4. According to Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)'s semiannual Global Economics Prospects outlook released Friday, the U.S. output is expected to shrink by 8.0 percent in 2020, and unemployment rate will probably peak around 20 percent in the early summer. "There're economic risks in both directions," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the White House briefing. When asked whether he would consult with health experts before opening up the economy, the U.S. president gave an affirmative answer. Photo taken on April 12, 2020 shows a board reminding people to keep social distancing at the Fisherman's Wharf amid COVID-19 outbreak in San Francisco, the United States. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) As of Monday night, over 580,000 confirmed cases have been reported across the United States, with death toll surpassing 23,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the Task Force, told reporters at the briefing that "those curves are already starting to plateau." (Article by Xinhua Reporter Xiong Maoling) As the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread, Tim Hortons reviewed its advertising plans and decided they no longer made sense as store closures, wide-scale layoffs and physical distancing upended life in Canada. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Tim Hortons cup is seen inside a Tim Hortons restaurant in Toronto on March 6, 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic started to hit Canada last month, Tim Hortons eyed its planned upcoming advertising and decided it didn't quite work anymore amid mass restaurant closures, wide-scale layoffs and physical distancing guidelines all that have upended life as Canadians knew it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston As the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread, Tim Hortons reviewed its advertising plans and decided they no longer made sense as store closures, wide-scale layoffs and physical distancing upended life in Canada. Instead, the coffee chain went back to the drawing board for two new ads. One informs customers how to buy doughnuts, double doubles and other products without going inside a restaurant, while the other follows Tim Hortons trucks delivering free coffee and doughnuts to essential workers. "When we looked at what media we had committed to, we said: 'There's a better way,'" said Hope Bagozzi, chief marketing officer at Tim Hortons. Corporate spots acknowledging the pandemic have proliferated on TV breaks in recent weeks as companies grapple with how to fill previously purchased ad slots and what, if anything, they want to to say. How they proceed varies from brand to brand, but no one wants to risk appearing tone deaf during a national crisis. "A lot of advertising whether we want to admit it or not is built on what has worked in the past," said James Ansley, executive creative director at Grey Canada. "It feels like right now, the rule book has been completely thrown out and we're all trying to find our way through this." In the early days of the pandemic, Ansley saw companies do things that "felt a little bit ... lacking in meaning," such as spacing out their logos in a nod to physical distancing. McDonald's Brazil, for example, separated its golden arches mid-March, but later reversed the decision after facing criticism. Companies are now trying to do something meaningful, said Ansley, by trying to help people feel safe and secure. Utilitarian ads are one such attempt. Tim Hortons released one in late March with an employee explaining drive-thrus are open and that app and delivery partners are accepting orders. That ad was designed as "an accessibility spot" to answer questions the company was receiving from customers, said Bagozzi. It's notable that such ads aren't geared toward selling products. Ford Canada, for instance, created an ad thanking workers, and closing with information on how customers leasing or financing vehicles through its credit program could receive help. BMO ran an ad thanking "all the front-liners for keeping our lives moving" without mentioning any banking services. A&W created an ad with a similar message of gratitude to its restaurant staff, essential workers and everyday Canadians "staying home to help stop the spread" that doesn't show anything more than the fast-food chain's spokesman, presumably in his own home, with a partial logo visible on the wall behind him. The company wanted the gratitude to be authentic, genuine and dominant, said CEO Susan Senecal. "That's how we felt at that moment in time and we just wanted to express that completely," she said. "We didn't think anything more was necessary." A&W scrapped its original plans in this "very unusual set of circumstances," Senecal said, and decided a message of thanks worked better. The brands Ansley works with have "taken the foot off the pedal as far as pushing product," which he thinks is the right move as staggering numbers of people apply for emergency government assistance. More than one million jobs disappeared in March, according to Statistics Canada, and the unemployment rate increased 2.2 percentage points to 7.8 per cent. "There's a lot of people that are facing those realities," Ansley said. "To go out with messaging that is tone deaf to that, I think, is completely wrong." Some brands have paused all their advertising in light of the pandemic, while others are trying to figure out if they have something to say, he said. "I think really it's just being true to your brand and your brand's purpose." An example is a Dove Canada ad that presents a series of headshots of health-care workers, many of their faces showing indents from wearing their protective masks. The tagline "courage is beautiful" appears with the company's logo and a list of donations the company is making to such workers. The company's long-running "real beauty" campaign bills itself as a movement challenging traditional notions of attractiveness. "That's what makes it really powerful," said Ansley. "It's timely. It is a beautiful message. But most importantly, it just stays true to who they are as a brand." Similarly, Tim Hortons showcased its corporate values with the footage of real employees offering coffee and doughnuts to health-care workers, said Bagozzi. The company didn't know how it would use the footage when it first gathered it in March, she said, but after seeing the reaction decided to share it broadly. "There was just such a nice reciprocal generosity and gratefulness that we were like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so lovely. It's so Canadian. We definitely want to share this." As the pandemic unfolds, it's unclear what the future holds for advertising. Tim Hortons ran a new ad recently offering a free pack of Timbits if customers spend at least $10. It's intended as a nice gesture for families buying a meal, said Bagozzi. 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. The eatery is also looking at the activities it has planned for the rest of the year, especially the next few months, and asking what is most relevant and appropriate to be doing, she said. The same can be said for A&W's future advertising plans. "As the situation continues to evolve, we'll continue to think about what's the most important thing to say next and try and do a good job of that," said Senecal. This story by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:QSR, TSX:BMO, TSX:AW.UN) Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly stated Hope Bagozzi's title. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 19:38:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China has reported new progress in the research of COVID-19 drugs and therapies, sharing with the world its clinical experience and achievements and pushing forward international cooperation in the study of the disease. One of the highlights of the new progress is stem cell treatment, which has been used in more than 200 cases in Wuhan, the hardest-hit city amid the epidemic in China, Sun Yanrong, deputy head of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Clinical trials show that the therapy is safe, and can increase the cure rate of severe patients by inhibiting lung inflammation and improve the respiratory function of patients in the rehabilitation period, according to Sun. China has also made progress in convalescent plasma therapy. So far, more than 700 patients have received such treatment with good effects. The median length of stay in ICU of the patients receiving convalescent plasma therapy was significantly shorter than that in the control group, Sun said. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has launched 27 projects in the research of drugs, therapies and related technologies. More than 3,200 researchers from 152 hospitals, universities and institutions across China, including those on the front line of the fight against COVID-19 in Wuhan, have participated in the research. This essay is part of RealClearPublicAffairs's 1776 Series, which explains the major themes that define the American mind. Its hard not to notice that in the United States, political arguments frequently turn on questions that, in other democracies, nobody talks about. What are the powers of the legislature? What may the executive do? What can the states do without begging permission from the national government? Why cant an idea popular with the public become a law? For these and other questions, the answer will always involve the American Constitution, a document more than two centuries old that has been amended (not counting the Bill of Rights) only 17 times. In the wake of the 2016 electionin which, not for the first time, a candidate who lost the popular election entered the White House anywaytalk about the Constitutions defects has become more insistent. Why cant America be more like other countries? Do you worry about fracking? Boris Johnson was worried, so he banned it, because he is the Prime Minister of Great Britain and his party controls the House of Commons. He can do pretty much whatever he wants when he has a sufficient majority. Think there are too many guns in town? Why cant we just ban them, like Britain and Australia do? Do you think free health care for all is a good idea? The British Labor Party thought so, back in 1945, and only three years later, it became a reality. These examples seem to suggest the problem. The United States appears to have a government that makes it very difficult to accomplish anything, while other countries seem much more able to make desired changeswith a minimum of fuss and bother. On the other hand, several countries in Europeand we can temporarily include Great Britain in this categoryhave become alarmed at the way some people talk, especially about immigrants. The result: hate crime prosecutions in France, Great Britain, and elsewhere that show much less regard for freedom of speech than would be tolerated in the United States. In France, to take another example, no public school student may wear any article of clothing, or any jewelry, that indicates a religious affiliation. In the United States, this kind of interference with religious expression would be unthinkable, and would not survive a court challenge. The American Constitution gives, and it takes away: it radically slows down the process of lawmaking, and it places major obstacles in the way of interfering with liberty. Congress shall make no lawso says the First Amendmentrespecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof; nor may Congress interfere with the freedom of the press, speech, assembly, or petition. As the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once reminded us, No law means no law. The Constitutions ability to slow down and even prevent actions or policies that might be popular has frustrated some Americans since the Founding era, and its easy to see why. The popular branch of the legislature, the House of Representatives, can have its will thwarted by a majority of the unrepresentative Senate. And assuming a bill gets past both the House and the Senate, it may be vetoed by the president and will die unless two-thirds of each house votes to override. Even if a bill makes it through all these hurdles, it may be challenged and struck down in the federal courts. Its a wonder we have any laws. But, of course, we have a vast number of laws, too many, in fact. Despite the complexity of the legislative process, things do get done. Yet the popular impression is essentially correct: the passage of major pieces of legislation, especially when they aim at significant changes in the way we do things, is time-consuming and difficult. This is why so many gaze enviously across the Atlantic at the British Parliament, where legislative majorities can move mountains in a matter of weeks or even days. The quaintness of the Constitution has proved a particular irritant to liberals, who, ever since the days of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, have seen the Constitution as an 18th century relic in the modern worlda dinosaur, to use a favorite metaphor. This liberal critique identifies the Constitution as the source of what liberals believe to be wrong with the political and economic order that has grown up under its shelter. In Teddys day, the Constitution got in the way of confronting the trusts. In Franklin Roosevelts day, the Constitution impeded systematic economic reform. In our own time, the Electoral College has (for the second time in the new century) given us a president who lost the popular vote. The House of Representatives eventually impeached this presidentbut the unrepresentative Senate voted not to convict him. Liberals criticize the anti-majoritarian framework of the Constitutionand it is unquestionably the case that the Constitution places impediments in the way of simple majority rule. This is a familiar story: each state has two senators, regardless of the states population; the Electoral College means that a popular vote majority is sometimes not enough to elect a president, especially if the majority is concentrated in fewer states; the Supreme Court can overturn popular legislation in the Congress and in the state legislatures. The Constitution creates a federal republic, where the national government is limited to a specific set of responsibilities, leaving the states free to adopt an array of policies on matters of public concern. This last quality sounds democratic, and one would think, therefore, that liberals would endorse it. But liberals have always had a tactical appreciation of federalism: they like it when states adopt liberal policies (California banned the sale of fur products), but not when states adopt policies that liberals oppose, especially if those policies are at odds with national public opinion (Alabamas strict anti-abortion law). Finally, the Constitution can be amended only by a complex series of deliberations, first in the Congress, and then in the states, all of which require super-majorities in order to succeed: two-thirds in each house of Congress and three-fourths of the states. Why does the Constitution place so many obstacles in the way of majority rule? To answer this question, it is necessary to go back to the beginning, and consult the seminal defense of the Constitution, The Federalist, whose principal authors were James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, writing as Publius. The understanding of human nature that Publius makes explicit underpins the anti-majoritarian components of the Constitution. The Constitution was written to correct what appeared to be a failurethe Articles of Confederation, under which American politics had taken several ugly turns. It is impossible to read The Federalist without being struck by the anxiety that these failures provoked. In the very first number, Publius asks if it were really possible for societies of men . . . [to establish] good government from reflection and choice, or [were they] forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. Americans, having won a glorious victory over Great Britain during the Revolution, were inclined to think too highly of themselves, and were reluctant to admit the failures of both the state governments and the weak national government under the Articles. Americans, the Framers believed, were capable of doing betterbut Americans were not saints, and The Federalist is unsparing in its description of human nature even under the best circumstances. America was blessed in many ways; the American population was far more experienced in the arts of self-government than any other people at the time, for example. And yet, even so, here is what Publius has to say, in Federalist 6, not just about people in general, but about Americans. Has it not on the contrary invariably been found that momentary passions, and immediate interest, have a more active and imperious control over human conduct than general or remote considerations of policy, utility or justice? Or in Federalist 10: The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished. On the other hand, Publius also says (in Federalist 55) that there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form. Americans, like everyone else, were capable of being impulsive, passionate, short-sighted, selfish, and easily misled by flatterers and demagogues. They were also capable of better things. The trick in forming a government was to minimize the opportunities for mischief, while maximizing the opportunities for the exercise of virtue, or what Publius referred to as honorable determination. What this means institutionally is a limited government, with numerous obstacles placed in the way of impulsive and short-sighted behavior. What was required at the Founding was a clear understanding of the failures of the Articles of Confederation and what those failures meant. They were failures of democracy, and it was in the states that the democratic impulse was the strongest. State legislatures, in particular, were too democratic, with small districts, short terms, and frequent elections. Executives were too weak, and courts lacked independencein many states, judges were elected. State governments interfered with their neighbors commerce, debased the currency, and failed to pay their debts. They passed too many laws and changed them too quickly. State legislatures acted impulsively and in ways contrary to their own long-term interests, and to the interests of the Union. These circumstances did not bode well for the future. From the perspective of Publius and the members of the Convention, these failures revealed some of the weaknesses of popular governmentsome of the ills to which it is naturally susceptiblebut also suggested some of the remedies. The central problem with the states under the Articles was that their constitutional design was incapable of either controlling for the weaknesses of popular government or of taking advantage of its strengths. The strength of popular government is that it rests on a foundation of popular consent and popular participation. The weakness is that the energy and enthusiasm generated by a democratic society often could not be channeled in constructive ways. Channeling would mean finding ways to discipline human nature, so that human frailties are kept at bay and human virtues can flourish. The Constitution aims, therefore, to create a government strong enough to achieve its ends, while controlling for the defects to which popular government is prone. It does not merely create a stronger national government; it creates a government that is popular. The Preamble announces this very clearly in its first sentence: We, the people establish this Constitution. But the government thus created, while popular, is not democratic, as that word was understood in 1787. It was not a government based on majority rule. In order to tame the worst impulses of human nature, a government must be shaped so that decisive action will require more than a majority, and more, in some cases, than a single session of the Congress. To accomplish anything under this Constitution, it will be necessary to clear several hurdles. First, many constraints are placed on the national government. It may not establish a religion; it may not restrict the freedom of the press or the freedom to speak. It cannot arbitrarily detain people without giving them an opportunity to challenge their detention in court. In general, the Congress may not do anything not expressly stated in the list of enumerated powers in Article I. Second, the powers that are given to the Congress cannot always be exercised with only a majority vote, and never without an affirmative vote in both houses. The most important questionsthose involving an executive veto, a treaty, a constitutional amendment, or impeachmentall require super-majorities of either two-thirds or three-fourths of at least one of the two houses. And if a bill survives these legislative speed bumps, it still must receive the approval of the executive, whose veto can only be overturned by another supermajority. Almost everything the national government can do will require a great deal of thought, debate, and compromise. If the Constitution had a motto, it would be: Nothing important should be easy. Third, much of what people understood by the word governing was not the business of the national government at all, but of the states. With few exceptions, the members of the Convention were determined to protect state governments, recognizing that the states already held the allegiance and the affections of the people, so that no new arrangement that ignored this reality could possibly succeed. In fact, there was near-universal agreement that the Constitution must be ratified by special conventions in at least nine of the thirteen statesmeaning that the Constitution would be established with the fullest possible measure of popular approval, short of unanimity. What the states kept under the Constitution was referred to in the language of the day as the police powera term that includes law enforcement but also those powers that relate to the health, morals, and welfare of the people: including the still-familiar state (and local) responsibilities for education, family law, marriage and divorce, most matters relating to business, the prevention of vice, and such housekeeping responsibilities as roads, land use and zoning, trash collection, etc. Taken together, these functions, should they be performed properly, would create a healthy atmosphere for the cultivation of local citizenship and civic virtue. No matter how well the national government performed its responsibility for national defense, or the regulation of interstate commerce, if life at the local level should become chaotic or debased, republican government could not survive. Modern liberals might claim, in response to the Constitutions pessimistic view of human nature, that we have evolved beyond our ancestors, many of whom were elitists, aristocrats, and slaveowners. Look, they say, at the progress we have made since the bad old days of the 18th century. Many are tempted by this view, but it is untenable. Pretending that human nature is not what Publius says it is requires ignoring the evidence of historyand not just ancient history. Who, looking at the horrors of the 20th century, could claim that human nature is an unmixed good? Ironically, some of the harshest critics of the anti-majoritarian elements of the Constitution will, in other venues, echo Hillary Clintons famous complaint about the basket of deplorables, describing many of their fellow citizens as racists, homophobes, and climate deniers. How can they pretend that they have no qualms about majority rule? Are they so confident that they are the majority, or that they will always be the majority? And can they really insist that no majority, even a temporary one, would ever dream of oppressing the minority if it had the chance to do so? If the critics of the Constitution were more introspective, they might find that they have more in common with Publius than they think. The Framers view of human nature explains the anti-majoritarian elements that have earned for the Constitution the label undemocratic. To take one example, the Electoral College chooses the president. This method originated as a way of protecting federalismand it still does. Every state is important, especially in a close election. What this means in modern times is that no presidential candidate can afford merely to play to his basecandidates need to pay at least some attention to parts of the country that they might otherwise be tempted to ignore. Having to win a sufficient number of state elections requires a candidate to appreciate the regional diversity of the country and put together a tapestry of victories. This is a salutary arrangement, especially at a time when public opinion is so deeply polarized, because it forces candidates to create coalitions. The Senate does something similar. To pass the Senate, a bill requires widespread support among senators from many kinds of states, and this necessity provides a counterweight to the House, which will normally express only the sentiment of the current majority. And given current population patterns, its possible to assemble a House majority out of a relatively small number of places. All the constitutional restraints on majority rule are buttressed by the Supreme Court, whose constitutional responsibility is to say what the law means, especially the fundamental law of the Constitution. Any law that contravenes the language of the Constitution is necessarily void. This, too, is a feature of American constitutionalism that frequently frustrates one side or the other. It frustrated conservatives when the Court upheld the right to abortion; it frustrated liberals when the Court upheld the right legally to own a firearm in Chicago. The Supreme Courts authority presents a stark contrast with parliamentary systems such as Great Britain, where there is no fundamental law to constrain the legislative majority. To those who envy Great Britain, we have a question. Are you sure that you know what the majority wants? We have been miseducated by modern polling to believe that this is a simple question, but there is much evidence, both historical and contemporary, to suggest that majorities are often ephemeral. It is easy to find out through polling what the majority believes at a given moment. But a stable majority emerges only through a process of deliberationthat is, people will often change their minds about what they think when they listen to other points of view or are presented with additional facts from those with a different perspective. (This happens on juries all the time.) In democratic politics, deliberation is not a solitary activity, and it is not the work of a moment. But given time, it can lead to permanent and substantial results. For example, what did white Americans think about black Americans in, say, 1955? Given how segregated the country was back then, white Americans probably didnt think very much about black Americans at all, and no evidence exists that whites were deeply troubled by the racial segregation then pervasive in America, and not just in the South. A snapshot of majority opinion in 1955 would not be very reassuring. Yet think about how that fact changed: through the slow but steady influence of the civil rights movement, which made a powerful argument about human equality and the demands of the American idea. If you were around in those days, you remember the conversations about race that could not have happened without that movement. A majority was reconstructed before our eyes; the process was slow but lasting. Something similar happened in Congress. As students of the period know, white Southern Democrats were determined to protect business as usual, at least in the South, and if possible, in the country. Their long seniority had given them important committee chairmanships, so long as Democrats held the majority, as they had in both houses for most of the time since the Depression. Overcoming their opposition to civil rights laws required the construction of a bipartisan majority in the House and in the Senate, and a lengthy debate about the importance of making the promise of equal rights a reality. It took timetoo much time, as critics often claimed. But when it was done, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had the support of both parties and passed with overwhelming majorities in both houses. As these examples indicate, much of what transpires in American politics is a result, not of the Constitution alone, but of the quality of leadership in the political class, and the quality of deliberation among citizens generally. Recall Publius in Federalist 55, quoted above: republican government presupposes the existence of certain virtues in a higher degree than is required for less popular forms of government. Therefore, the greatest error in thinking about the Constitution is to think of it as a machine that can run by itself, or as an operating manual. The Constitution is neither a machine nor a manual. It is a framework for government that encourages a particular kind of politicsbut it is not idiot-proof. At a minimum, it requires that those holding the levers of power respect the limitations that the Constitution imposesand not just rhetorically. The Constitution requires the same discipline from citizens. Recall Publiuss reference to honorable determination. Citizens need to do more than simply demand things. They need to develop the wisdom to choose wisely. The Supreme Court may have the final say on what the Constitution and the laws mean, but every citizen, and every public servant, has an obligation to think constitutionally, and to reject ideas that violate constitutional norms, even when those ideas have popular support. Who can deny that American political life needs improvement? But to paraphrase the Bard: the fault, dear readers, is not in our Constitution but in ourselves. Statement purporting to bear President Mnangagwas signature said coronavirus lockdown would be extended. Zimbabwes President Emmerson Mnangagwa has threatened a jail term of up to 20 years to the author of a statement, purporting to bear his signature, that said the lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak had been extended. Mnangagwa, who was speaking at his farm after touring Gweru city in central Zimbabwe, told state broadcaster ZBC on Tuesday that the statement, which circulated on social media last week and was immediately denied by the government, was fake. That is absolutely nonsense, I have never made such a statement, Mnangagwa said. If we catch this person, it must be exemplary and they must go in for at least at level 14, which is 20 years imprisonment. That, I think we need to demonstrate that we dont want false news to be circulated. Mnangagwa announced a 21-day lockdown on March 30, in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. All citizens were ordered to stay at home, except for essential movements related to seeking health services or the purchase of food, among others. Authorities in the landlocked African country have confirmed three deaths and 17 COVID-19 cases so far, according to Johns Hopkins University. National police spokesman Paul Nyathi said more than 5,000 people had been arrested for leaving their homes without permission. Mnangagwa said his cabinet would meet this week to decide whether to end, adjust or extend the 21-day lockdown. Excessive use of force by police While Nyathi said police had not received any official complains of abuse from residents, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) group said the new containment measures resulted in an increase in cases of residents being beaten by security forces for defying the lockdown. ZLHR has approached the High Court on behalf of two Zimbabweans who said they were abused by security forces. This application seeks an order to protect residents from heavy-handed action by police and soldiers who are invading peoples homes/yards and assaulting people ordering them to stay indoors, ZLHR said in a statement. In an editorial on Monday, the state-owned Herald newspaper criticised the police for harassing journalists doing their work during the lockdown, including forcing some to delete pictures and videos that captured abuses by security forces. Nyathi said he was not aware of the incidents. The entire country has been in lockdown for exactly 21 days now which means everything including shoots of any kind have been stalled and put on hold. No wonder, actress Sonakshi Sinha was in for a shock when filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri accused her of shooting during a lockdown via a tweet. Who shoots in such times? pic.twitter.com/CskAwdQGM0 Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 13, 2020 All hell broke loose as people started calling out Sonakshi Sinha for not only breaking rules of the lockdown but being immensely insensitive to continue shooting for her projects especially when the world is battling a public health emergency. But Sonakshi Sinha instantly defended herself by proving how the picture Vivek Agnihotri has tweeted is from 5th November 2019 and not the latest one. Being a Director and member of many unions and film bodies one would expect you to be better informed that Absolutely NO one is shooting since studios are shut and its a national lockdown! I believe Classic freeze frame means throwback in @MumbaiMirror terms, https://t.co/Nrjlh6PuIH pic.twitter.com/6Z8v0S0Ahr Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) April 13, 2020 clearly meaning its an old picture, from 5th Nov 2019 to be precise! Aaah... those were the days! Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) April 13, 2020 Sonakshi Sinha didn't just stop at replying back to the filmmaker but also involved the Mumbai Police by seeking their help on how to stop someone from spreading fake news and rumors. Excuse me @MumbaiPolice , @OfficeofUT what is the procedure to stop people from spreading rumors and fake news at a time like this? Asking for a responsible citizen, sitting at home, practicing social distancing and NOT shooting - ME pic.twitter.com/piKLznKjoo Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) April 13, 2020 However, the feud between Sonakshi Sinha and Vivek Agnihotri became bigger when the filmmaker replied back accusing the publication for publishing these pictures. The dig is at @MumbaiMirror not you. If I have to say something to you, Id tag you. Its very insensitive to print such pictures in a trying time like this giving wrong impression. As a star you should also very strongly condemn this kind of yellow and insensitive journalism. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 13, 2020 Sonakshi Sinha continued to defend herself by teaching Vivek Agnihotri the rules of how to take a dig. U havent tagged who ur taking a dig at,nor did u mention source of the picture.Nor hv u replied or clarified to anyone attacking me after ur statement.Rule no.1 of taking a dig - dont post someone else's picture 2 take a dig at someone else,be specific.Thank u & goodbye https://t.co/x9yN1IrceZ Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) April 13, 2020 This feud finally saw an end with Vivek Agnihotri asking Sonakshi Sinha to not involve the Mumbai Police in such petty matters as they are busy saving lives and instead should tell her PR to stop getting publications to post her pictures. Procedure is simple dear @sonakshisinha ask your PR company to instruct @MumbaiMirror not to publish your photo in their main page. Simple. And @MumbaiPolice is busy saving lives, dont over burden them with inane requests. Simple. https://t.co/ZknBll8Qco pic.twitter.com/fnJMQecj2M Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 13, 2020 We thought it's the end but Rangoli Chandel has now come out supporting Vivek Agnihotri by saying that it's not really his fault. This section of paper carries fresh pics mostly from the day when paper goes for printing, If @vivekagnihotri sir thought Sonakshi ji is shooting its not his fault, paper must mention throwback or something... https://t.co/6m26kkobVt Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) April 13, 2020 As the world battles a public health emergency, the last thing we need is a never-ending twitter feud amongst celebrities. Both sides have spoken and ideally, that should mark the end of this controversy. Curfew will be imposed in Old City (Fort) and Danilimbda areas of Ahmedabad city from 6 am Wednesday to contain the spread of coronavirus, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced on Tuesday. It will continue till 6 am on April 21, he said. Both areas have a large Muslim population. Many COVID-19 cases have been reported from these two areas. Before making the announcement, Rupani held a meeting with Congress MLAs Gyassuddin Sheikh, Imran Khedawala and Sailesh Parmar who represent assembly constituencies which cover the two localities. Gujarat has so far recorded 615 COVID-19 cases, a bulk of them from Ahmedabad city. "Ahmedabad city has over 350 cases and many of them have come from the Fort area (Old City). We have decided to impose curfew in the Fort and Danilimbda areas from Wednesday morning," Rupani said in a Facebook video. "The area has many (infection) hotspots. Nobody should come out of their houses in these two areas for the next few days. Police will ensure strict implementation of curfew," he added. "Our health department team will work hard to contain the spread of COVID-19 in these areas in the next few days and everybody should cooperate with it," he said. People of the two localities will not face any problem getting essential commodities, the chief minister assured. "We will relax curfew from one pm to four pm every day when essential items such as milk, vegetables, groceries or medicinescan be bought. But only women will be allowed to venture out during the period of relaxation," he said. He welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the lockdown till May 3. "Lockdown will be strictly observed in the entire state till May 3 to defeat coronavirus. I urge people to cooperate with the state administration in the implementation of lockdown as they have done in the first 21 days," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The authorities here have issued show cause notices to two hospitals after they allegedly denied medical care to a patient coming from a COVID-19 hotspot area, officials said on Tuesday. The hospitals will have to respond to the notices within three days, explaining why they did not provide medical care to a patient from Ramganj area here, the officials said. Ramganj in Jaipur was declared a COVID-19 hotspot by the government after a number of its residents tested positive for coronavirus. Shuchi Tyagi, chief executive officer of Rajasthan State Health Assurance Agency issued the notices to CK Birla Hospital and SDM Hospital for denying treatment to the patient, the officials said. Additional chief secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said directions have been issued for ensuring proper medical facilities to all the patients. Singh said strict action will be taken against hospitals under the National Disaster Management Act and Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Act 1957 for not providing proper medical care to patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cuomo had choice words for Trump in a "Morning Joe" appearance on Tuesday. AP Photo/Kathy Willens New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took a more oppositional posture toward President Trump during a pair of TV appearances on Tuesday morning. "The president basically declared himself King Trump, right?" Cuomo told "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. "And all that annoying federal-state back and forth our founding fathers went through, he just disregarded that ... The governors are in charge because the president put them in charge. This is a total 180 from where the president started." Cuomo also said "there is no value" in fellow governors watching Trump's coronavirus briefings for helpful information. The governor, who has remained largely diplomatic in his approach to Trump's jabs at governors through the pandemic, also went on the offensive during another Tuesday-morning appearance on the "Today" show. "We don't have a king. We have a president," Cuomo said in defending states' authority to decide when to lift stay-at-home orders and his newly formed multistate coalition to "reopen" the economy. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Just a couple days after President Trump said he and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were "getting along," the gloves came off Tuesday morning. Cuomo went on the offensive in a pair of TV appearances, pushing back on Trump's assertion contrary to the 10th Amendment that his "authority is total" in making states roll back their stay-at-home orders to reopen the economy. "The president basically declared himself King Trump, right?" Cuomo said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "And all that annoying federal-state back and forth our founding fathers went through, he just disregarded that ... The governors are in charge because the president put them in charge. This is a total 180 from where the president started." Cuomo added on NBC's "Today" show "We don't have a king. We have a president." Story continues This comes on the heels of Cuomo launching a multistate coalition to reopen the economy, a northeast megalopolis consisting of the top economic development official, health official, and each governor's chief of staff from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Delaware. A Western States Pact was announced among California, Washington, and Oregon for a similar effort. However, Cuomo and the other governors were adamant on Monday that they would proceed with caution, following the best medical advice and scientific data before sending more people back to work. Trump bristled at the notion in a fiery Monday press briefing, and then took a shot across the bow on Twitter Tuesday morning. "I got it all done for [Cuomo], and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence!" Trump tweeted. "That won't happen!" Cuomo said Trump would cause a "constitutional crisis" by trying to force states to overturn their stay at home orders, and that "if he pushed it to that absurd point, then we would have a problem." Read the original article on Business Insider Boeing to Reportedly Restart 'Limited Operations' at Military Aircraft Plants in Washington State Sputnik News 21:43 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 21:44 GMT 13.04.2020) According to a report by the Seattle Times, Boeing has put some of its factory workers in Washington state on notice that "limited operations" could soon begin, particularly on the KC-46 Pegasus and P-8 Poseidon manufacturing lines. Only a small number of Boeing's staff will be recalled for "a safe and orderly restart of limited operations" later this week, but those returning to work will be provided with personal protective equipment and observe social distancing guidelines in order to resume production of several aircraft destined for US military use, the Seattle Times reported on Friday. According to the paper, about 2,500 of Boeing's roughly 30,000 staff will be going back to work building the US Navy's new sub hunter, the P-8 Poseidon, which is built in Renton, Washington, and the KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling and transport aircraft, which is assembled in Everett, Washington. Both are based on civilian airliners. Boeing had issued no public statement on the reopening when this story went to publication. It's unclear how this move relates to a seemingly conflicting mandatory stay-at-home order from Washington Governor Jay Inslee. On April 6, Boeing announced it was extending the temporary closure of several facilities in the Puget Sound region, including those in Renton and Everett, "until further notice." They have been closed since March 25, as Washington was one of the first areas to experience a COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Boeing's other shuttered factories, in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, remain closed. At all its facilities, employees able to work remotely have continued to do so, and the rest have been given paid medical leave. According to the most recent data from the Washington State Department of Health, as of Saturday, the state had confirmed 10,411 cases of COVID-19 and suffered 508 deaths. On Monday, Inslee announced that his state, along with fellow West Coast states Oregon and California, would coordinate on a "shared vision" for reopening social interaction after the crisis ends, according to KIRO. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The most tragic image of the Covid-19 crisis so far has been of the millions of abandoned workers fleeing the cruel metropolises of our country, yearning for the safety of home and hearth. Pathetic reports have poured in of the Covid-19 dead being abandoned by their families in hospitals; of villages not allowing the deceased to be cremated, terrified that the smoke would contaminate them. However, conversely, the heroic work being done by our frontline health workers, police and municipal authorities restores our faith. This crisis like every other has brought out the best and the worst in human behaviour. However, stop and think for a moment. What if the virus were airborne? What if the virus did not respect the sovereignty of social distancing? What if it paid no heed to the new border that is your doorstep? What if hand washing was not a temporary solution? What if another variant of the virus were to get airborne in the not too distant future? Where would that leave humanity? Precisely where the Spanish Flu left us a hundred years ago: with 50 million dead. They did not know a virus then; we do not know the coronavirus now. The only known unknown is that there is no vaccine so far and all cures are hit and trial. It, therefore, becomes necessary to script 'A New Health Deal' that puts People First. This new initiative must commence with universal and compulsory health insurance for all. While at first glance the numbers of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) may look comforting, the devil lies in the detail. The government claims that by December 2, 2019, PMJAY had covered over 6.8 million hospitalisations worth Rs 7,160 crore and issued more than 67 million e-cards to beneficiaries and is currently being implemented in all but four states, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal and New Delhi. Interestingly, in terms of recipient states, Delhi is the national healthcare provider, and Gujarat and Maharashtra are the other recipients among the bigger states. What this points to is the skewed nature of our health infrastructure. While Delhi is not part of Ayushman Bharat, it is the biggest beneficiary of it in terms of payouts. This is essentially because the portability feature of the scheme allows people to get themselves treated outside their home state. Moreover, the scheme is not universal; it provides insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to ten crore poor and vulnerable families identified by the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011. Notwithstanding these numbers, according to one estimate, 70 per cent of Indians still rely on private healthcare for their health needs, even if they have to bear the out-of-pocket costs, which plunges close to 55 million people into poverty. An analysis of the National Health Profile 2019 suggests that there are 7,13,986 hospital beds available in government hospitals in India. This works out to 0.55 beds per 1,000 population. Many states fall below the national level figure. They include Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam and Manipur -- 12 states that together account for close to 70 per cent of the population of India. Bihar has just 0.11 government hospital beds available per 1,000 population. While there are no accurate numbers available for private hospital beds, projections seem to suggest that that there are about 22 lakh in number across the country. On paper Indias basic health infrastructure looks impressive with 1,52,326 sub-centres, 25,020 primary health centres and 5,363 community health centres providing health services to 72.2 per cent of the countrys population living in the rural areas. Primary health centres (PHCs) are the keystone of rural healthcare in India. They are essentially single-physician clinics usually with very rudimentary facilities. They are supposed to be the first point of contact between a rural patient and a qualified doctor. The PHCs act as referral centres to the community health centres. These are 30-bed hospitals at the block level. Invariably referrals are made to better equipped public hospitals at the district level as community health centres are also woefully ill-equipped, Each PHC is targeted to cover a population of approximately 20,000 in hilly, tribal, or difficult-to-access areas, and a population of 30,000 in plain areas, with four to six indoor/observation beds, and is charged with providing a wide range of services such as health education, promotion of nutrition, provision of mother and child family welfare services, immunisation, disease control, appropriate treatment for illness and injury, basic sanitation, and safe drinking water supply. However, more often than not Indias basic health infrastructure is understaffed, ill-equipped and unable to deliver even the basics. This drives the poor in the arms of private doctors or a unique Indian innovation called the registered medical practitioner (RMP). What the state and the central government collectively need to do is build bottom up a state-of-the-art health infrastructure that is appropriately resourced, equipped and staffed. That will require six lakh crore rupees, according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation Rs 50 lakh per sub-centre, Rs 5 crore per PHC and Rs 20 crore per community health centre. This is only for the primary infrastructure across rural and urban India. Then we would need to ramp up our district, tertiary and critical care facilities. Even if we create one state-of-the-art facility in each of the 736 districts, that would require an additional Rs 38,000 crore at Rs 50 crore a chop. Another Rs 1 lakh crore would be required to bring our superspeciality infrastructure up to speed. And then this will have to be backed with expanded medical education facilities. If the states and the central government together formulate a five-year plan and pledge Rs 6 lakh crore over that period of time, would we have a viable primary medical infrastructure backed by universal health insurance that can take care of the basic health needs of our people and become an efficacious first responder in times of a pandemic like Covid-19? In the wake of the Covid-19 catastrophe, there would be other priorities, but dont you think what this crisis is exposing requires a Health First People First approach? An American microbiology professor charged with murdering his boyfriend asked to be freed from jail so he could help with the war on coronavirus. Wyndham Lathem, 45, argued that his academic knowledge could be of value in efforts to tackle the epidemic during an emergency hearing over videolink. His research on the bubonic plague is world-renowned. But his request to be released on bail was denied by Cook County judge Charles Burns, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Before the scientist was accused of the 2017 stabbing of partner Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, 26, Latham worked at Northwestern University in Illinois. Wyndham Lathem, 45, said his academic knowledge could be of value during an emergency hearing over videolink with a Cook County judge (pictured in 2017 escorted into the police station in Chicago) His claim to possess useful research skills was bolstered by the remarks of a fellow microbiologist, who provided a statement to Latham's appeal. William Goldman, chairman of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina, said: 'With his background and experience, Dr Lathem is well-suited to advise and participate in studies that are aimed at understanding SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. 'It would make sense to take advantage of as many experts as possible during this worldwide crisis that is rapidly expanding in scope.' Lathem's lawyer Adam Sheppard said he was disappointed by the ruling, adding that his client reported mild symptoms of Covid-19 on Friday. Mr Sheppard said: 'We are deeply concerned about his health. He had been hopeful that he might get out (on bond), but he was not overly optimistic.' Lathem's alleged accomplice, Oxford University finance officer Andrew Warren (left), pleaded guilty last year for his part in Trenton Cornell-Duranleau's (right) stabbing Lathem's alleged accomplice, Oxford University finance officer Andrew Warren, pleaded guilty last year in a deal that calls for him to give evidence against the professor, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Cornell-Duranleau, a Michigan native and hairstylist who had been living in Lathem's high-rise Chicago condo, was dead in the building on July 27, 2017. Police said he suffered 47 stab wounds, as well as 'mutilations,' to his upper body. Latham was fired from Northwestern, where he had taught since 2007, after he fled when a warrant for his arrest was sought. When he and Warren were charged nearly three years ago, prosecutors said they had met in on online chat room where they discussed 'sexual fantasies', which included murdering someone. The United States is currently wrestling with the world's worst coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 23,675 and infected 588,421. The two Washington County hospitals believe they are prepared to handle any COVID-19 cases, with one confirmed case in the county and 537 cases in Maine as of April 8. Although Down East Community Hospital (DECH) in Machias and Calais Regional Hospital (CRH) have only five or at the most seven ventilators at present, they do have plans in place for managing a surge in patients, including the possible use of off-site field hospitals. As of April 3 the hospitals had sent over 40 swabs for testing for COVID-19 to laboratories in the state, with none so far having come back positive. Julie Hixson, director of marketing and communications for DECH, says, "We are prepared to swab anyone who falls under the screening guidelines and are prepared to care for any positive cases. We are a critical access hospital, which, ordinarily, means we are limited to the use of 25 beds. However, CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] has relaxed the regulations because of the pandemic, so we can increase the amount if we need to." At CRH, DeeDee Travis, vice president, community relations, says, "We have a strong team with a large variety of skills and past experience. Nurses, supervisors and even administrators with critical care experience are ready to put those talents to use if needed." Testing policies Concerning DECH's policies on testing for coronavirus, Hixson says, "Patients who call ahead, or present, to the emergency department go through a screening process. We follow the CDC's [Centers for Disease Control] guidelines for testing, which is inpatients, healthcare providers and emergency responders, those living in congregate settings and those 60 or over who have underlying conditions such as COPD, heart disease or diabetes -- all of whom must be exhibiting symptoms such as fever, coughing and shortness of breath." She points out that providers "will be subjected to the sickest of the sick on a daily basis. It is not our intent to subject them, unnecessarily, to more people who may or may not have the virus." Hixson notes that DECH does not have an analyzer for COVID-19 testing. Instead, providers take a swab and send that to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention or Northern Light Laboratory in Bangor for testing. As of April 3, DECH had sent 30 swabs, with 27 coming back negative and three outstanding. DECH is not working to obtain any of the new Abbott Laboratories test that gives results in a few minutes. Calais Regional Hospital also does not conduct the testing on site. Travis says, "We collect the samples and send to an outside lab for testing. We have supplies on hand to collect the samples." As for CRH's policy for people who ask to be tested for coronavirus, Travis says, "We follow the CDC guidelines for testing. A patient must fall into one of the prioritized tiers for a sample to be collected and sent for testing." As of April 3 the CRH laboratory had received 32 requests from providers for COVID-19 testing. Of these requests, 14 had been tested at the Maine state lab, with no positive tests as of April 6. As for the Abbott Laboratories test, Travis says, "Kits are very limited. We have submitted an application to be considered in the distribution of kits." Treatment of cases Concerning DECH's preparedness to handle cases, Hixson says, "All departments have worked on their surge plans, and we have identified how each room and space in the hospital will be utilized. We do not have an ICU [intensive care unit] and haven't for many years, but we can create a makeshift ICU that could accommodate eight patients. We have two ventilators, and we can use two of the anesthesia machines. We have enough qualified staff to run eight ventilators, so we are in search of four more. The problem is so is everyone else." Hixson says that in a worst-case scenario, where DECH cannot transfer critically ill patients to other hospitals like it does now, the Machias hospital does have facilities that can be set up as makeshift hospitals for "healthy" patients, such as the Cobscook Institute in Trescott, the University of Maine at Machias dormitories, the Sunrise Care Facility building in Jonesport and the SuperTek building in Machias. "We would have to rely upon the Washington County emergency preparedness system for cots and other supplies for the facilities that do not have beds." Hixson adds, "How many positive coronavirus patients we could handle depends upon the severity of each patient's illness. If we have a surge of COVID patients and room starts running out, we will move our 'healthy' patients to off-site field hospitals. Regardless, we are prepared." At CRH, which also does not have an ICU, Travis says, "We have a strong plan for setting up a temporary ICU if needed. We have 19 beds on the inpatient unit, which we can use to care for infected patients with less critical needs. We have two rooms on the IPCU [intensive palliative care unit] with negative pressure. We would use those first." As a critical access hospital, CRH is supposed to be giving priority for transferring patients to those who need higher levels of care. However, the Calais hospital recognizes the importance of having an alternative plan in the event that it has to keep patients who are sicker for a longer period. Concerning whether the hospital will have a sufficient number of ventilators to help treat patients with COVID-19, Travis says, "It is difficult to say not knowing where this is going. Only a small percentage of people who get sick with COVID19 need a ventilator. We have three ventilators ready to go and have requested more. If we are able to transfer people who are on ventilators out relatively quickly, three should be adequate." If a person has difficulty breathing because of coronavirus and there are no ventilators, Travis says, "There are other ways to support people who might need a ventilator while waiting for one to become available. It is not ideal, but we have the people and skill to do it short term. We have considered and prepared for these scenarios." At DECH, Hixson agrees with Travis, stating, "Not all patients who have difficulty breathing will need to go on a ventilator. They may just need oxygen therapy. We will try to transfer the most critical patients to EMMC [Eastern Maine Medical Center] or another tertiary hospital so those patients can go into an ICU unit. Worst-case scenario would be that there are more patients that need ventilators than ventilators available. I think we all know what that means. That is why it is so important that everybody keeps doing what they are doing to flatten the curve. That is why the whole country has sacrificed so much. The social distancing and selfquarantining are being done so the worstcase scenario does not happen." Protecting hospital staff As for whether DECH has enough of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that staff may need in the coming weeks, Hixson says, "We are looking for all that we can find and continue to max out on our order allotments from vendors and are following CDC guidelines to conserve PPE. We are buying as much PPE as we can such as N95 masks, face shields and gowns. We have N95 masks but will need more. We are also in search of quantities of hand sanitizer to last through the pandemic." Hixson points out that the supply chain for all supplies is severely disrupted and that DECH has had to pre-order many regular supplies because suppliers do not know how long it will take them to get items to the hospital. Of local efforts to help the hospital with protective equipment for staff, Hixson states, "We have put in an order to Jonesport Shipyard for 1,500 face shields. We are very grateful they are able to make them for us." At CRH, Travis says, "We inventory our PPE supply continuously to do our best to ensure adequate quantities. Currently our supply of PPE seems to be sufficient, and vendors appear to be able to fill our orders at this time. Of course it is anybody's guess on actual needs, so we will continue to monitor and follow CDC guidelines." Latest News Sydney property prices might not drop yet, as planning problems persist NSW planning approvals have fallen off a cliff since October, showing that the supply crisis might yet continue The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed The key trends for property investment in 2022 analysed, with rentvesting and borderless investing likely to surge As of 14 April, the chair and deputy chair of the Combined Industry Forum (CIF) have completed their terms and will pass the baton on to a new leadership team. Former chair Anthony Waldron and deputy chair Mark Haron have been succeeded by co-chairs Simone Tilley, ANZ general manager of retail broker and Mark Hewitt, AFG general manager of industry and partnership development. The CIF has played a leading role to ensuring the industry has one voice and ensuring a sustainable and competitive mortgage broking industry, said Waldron. There remains much to be done as we work through the current health and economic crisis; however, I am certain that we have put in place strong foundations for the future. The CIF was established in June 2017 following ASIC report 516: Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration. Its representatives are drawn from banks, non-bank lenders, aggregators, brokers, the Australian Banking Association (ABA), the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA), the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) and the Australian Finance Industry Association. Collective industry commitment throughout the past three years has been a highlight. It has been a team effort, and one I have been pleased to be associated with, said former deputy chair Mark Haron. A substantial amount of work and time has been dedicated across the membership to design and independently implement the proposed changes. Proactive reform is never easy, but the changes members have made provided a strong foundation which supported our industry tremendously during the royal commission. The CIF also played a role in working with government and the regulators to implement the industry recommendations made during the royal commission. Newly appointed co-chair Tilley has expressed enthusiasm for her leadership position. Im delighted to take on the role and work alongside Mark and my colleagues from across the industry to continue the reform process so we can deliver the best outcomes for all participants and the broader Australian community, she said. Co-chair Hewitt added, Both Anthony and Mark leave a legacy of drive, enthusiasm and significant progress that Simone and I wish to continue. The CIF still has work to do as we continue to progress reform and work with government and regulators to ensure our industry is in a strong position for the future. Both Waldron and Haron will continue to be involved in the CIF, and will work with the new co-chairs to ensure a smooth transition in leadership. Gov. Kate Browns office confirmed late Monday that it had received a list of inmates who may be potential candidates for early release amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the office declined to make the information public and instead directed The Oregonian/OregonLive to submit a public records request. State corrections officials also did not respond to the news organizations request for the material. Brown last week directed the agency to provide her with information about prisoners who fall into seven categories, including those with high medical needs and those approaching the end of their sentences. The governor said she wanted the information by Monday. Corrections officials last week estimated that 3,244 inmates fell into the categories the governor outlined and a day later Brown signaled she would not support a large-scale release of prisoners. "I want to be clear: at this time, I have no specific plans to abandon that case-by-case approach, she said in a statement issued Friday. The Oregon District Attorneys Association on Monday said it too had filed a public records request for the information corrections officials provided Browns office, saying any consideration regarding the early release of prison inmates should be transparent. A group of inmates has sued Brown, Corrections Director Colette Peters and other top prison officials, filing a class-action lawsuit over the alleged failure to protect them from the pandemic. The federal suit asks prison administrators to provide adequate medical care, access to cleaning supplies and testing for those who may have been exposed. So far, the agency has reported a total of 13 confirmed cases of the illness among inmates and staff. Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday said he would release nearly 1,000 inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses to create more space in its prisons after coronavirus spread in one of the states largest prisons. The decision came after the Washington Supreme Court responded to an emergency motion filed by a group of offenders. The court ordered Inslee and Corrections Secretary Stephen Sinclair to submit a plan by noon Monday. Its the latest move by governors across the nation who are having to address possible COVID-19 outbreaks in their prison systems. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has said he would release more than 900 prisoners. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine launched a similar effort that could lead to the release of 200 inmates. In Washington state, at least 14 corrections employees and eight inmates have tested positive for the virus. Tests were pending for an additional 50 inmates and more than 900 were under quarantine orders. There are about 18,000 people incarcerated in the state. The states largest outbreak is occurring at Monroe Correctional Complex where five workers and seven offenders have COVID-19. The Associated Press contributed to this report. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Maharashtras home minister Anil Deshmukh late Tuesday night ordered a probe into rumours that fuelled a rush of migrant workers to the Bandra West railway station in Mumbai in the afternoon despite the lockdown. I have ordered an investigation into the rumour that claimed trains to take migrants back home. Those found guilty of sparking such rumours will be dealt severely invoking the fullest force of law, Deshmukh tweeted. I have ordered an investigation into the rumour that claimed trains to take migrants back home. Those found guilty of sparking such rumours will be dealt severely invoking the fullest force of law.#ZeroToleranceForRumours ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) April 14, 2020 The railways ministry also clarified that passenger trains will remain cancelled till May 3. It is clarified that all Passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3rd May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush All concerned may pl. take note of the same and help us in resisting any wrong news in this regard, the ministry tweeted. It is clarified that all Passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3rd May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush All concerned may pl.take note of the same and help us in resisting any wrong news in this regard Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 14, 2020 Hundreds of migrant workers in Mumbai ignored the lockdown and turned up at the Bandra West railway station, demanding that railways start trains to take them home. They were dispersed after a lathi charge by the police. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray soon after the incident and said that events such as the protest weaken Indias fight against coronavirus disease and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents, according to ANI. In a live webcast later in the night, Thackeray assured migrant workers that they were not in a lockup and should therefore maintain discipline for the next two weeks after which arrangements will be made to have them sent home. The huge gathering at Bandra West despite a strict lockdown also raised fears of a spike in coronavirus cases in the state which already has the highest number of infections in the country. Astronomers have recently discovered a mid-sized black hole they think could provide the missing information on how these cosmic entities are formed. Data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope as well as two X-ray observatories were used by researchers to locate the black hole. They discovered the cosmic entity in the process of destroying a nearby star. Black holes are a culmination of a gravitational force so powerful that nothing can escape its clutches. What it actually is Coming in at more than 50,000 times our sun's mass, the newly discovered back hole is located approximately 740 million light-years away in a separate galaxy that contains much fewer galaxies than our own. Classified as an 'intermediate-mass' black hole, it is one of the few that have been identified. Sitting between the sizes of a supermassive black hole that are found within a galaxy's core, and the stellar-mass black holes which are produced due to the collapse of massive, individual stars. An astrophysicist from the University of Toulouse in France, Natalie Webb, has aided in leading a study of the recent finding which was reported in Astrophysical Journal Letters publication. They were able to confirm that the original discovery of the team back in 2010 turned out to be the intermediate-mass black hole, Webb told Reuters. The star it was feeding on was approximately a third of the mass of our sun. The astrophysicist also noted that scientists have been looking for these sizes of black holes for nearly 40 years, with only a handful of fewer than ten good ones being known. She expressed her delight due to the significance of even locating one such black hole. Along with the event of it consuming a star that only happens every 10,000 years or so, the two circumstances are considered very rare happenings. Read Also: Asteroid Contact: NASA To Perform 'Chekpoint Rehearsal' As OSIRIS-REx Temporarily Lands To Take Sample Of 'Bennu' Is there a black hole near us? The black hole in the core of our Milky Way is a supermassive black hole with an approximate size that is more than 4 million times the mass of our sun, found 26,000 light-years away. About 6,000 light-years away is where the closest stellar-mass black hole to the Earth is located. Webb dubbed the discovery as the "missing link" among the black holes as it provides additional insight to our understanding of the range of these cosmic bodies. Experts have plenty of data regarding stellar-mass black holes, ranging from sizes of three to 100 times our sun's mass, but not enough information regarding the middle intermediate-mass sized ones. These black holes remain challenging to locate, and scientists are unsure of the reason for this case. One idea is offered by Dacheng Lin, an astronomer from the University of New Hampshire and lead researcher of the breakthrough. She states the best possible explanation for this is the elusive intermediates reside in a locale devoid of gas. This phenomenon leads to a situation where the black holes have nothing to consume and very little radiation if any, to emit, resulting in only very few of them to exist out in space. Read Also: [Photo] Scientists Captured Highest Resolution Ever of the Sun's Atmosphere Including Incredible Fine Magnetic Threads live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The lockdown in the country to control the spread of COVID-19 has proved out to be a boon for black marketers of sin commodities like cigarettes and alcohol. Black marketers are raking in hefty moolah by selling cigarettes and liquor at more than double the original price. After the lockdown was announced on March 24, cigarette makers such as ITC and Godfrey Phillips suspended production. With cigarettes not being considered essential supply items, distributors have also suspended supply across the country. The ban on the supply of alcohol and cigarettes has pushed the sellers, who have old stock, to charge exorbitant prices for a pack of cigarette and bottles of whiskey or a beer in the country. With supply restrictions, even the supermarkets have exhausted their stock of cigarettes. We have limited stock left with us, and the demand is higher so we are capitalising on the high demand and smokers too are ready to pay higher prices, said a paan seller at Pedder Road in Mumbai. For instance, in the lockdown period, a pack of Benson and Hedges cigarette is sold for Rs 500 as compared to the original price of Rs 300, while loose cigarettes that were being sold at Rs 17 are being sold between Rs 30 to Rs 35. Paan and cigarette shop owners said that their sale was halted since March 22 the day PM Modi called for the Janta Curfew. Analysts covering cigarette manufacturers opined that the pricing of imported or smuggled cigarettes is not regulated in India. With cigarettes becoming dearer and difficult to procure, it has prompted smokers to either reduce smoking or use the opportunity to quit for good. I am a chain smoker, but due to high prices, I smoke one cigarette three times, said a resident of Mumbai. Another resident of Mumbai said that it is a good time to quit smoking due to non-availability of cigarettes. I was initially very frustrated but now I am using the lockdown to reduce smoking, said a Mumbai-based resident. The nationwide lockdown is also forcing tipplers in the city to shell out a lot of money to buy liquor in the black market. Liquor shops had downed their shutters since the nationwide lockdown started on March 25. For instance, a regular whiskey bottle that is usually available for sub-Rs 1,000 is sold in the black market for Rs 2,500. A can of beer of a renowned brand which is sold for Rs 100, is now getting sold for Rs 500-600 for a can. A customer said, I approached my vendor for alcohol over the phone, he initially refused but then called me back and quoted a higher price of Rs 7,000, which I used to buy for Rs 3,500 before the lockdown. When Moneycontrol reached out to the alcohol body to ask about black marketing, they refused to comment. Meanwhile, The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with recommendations for the phased resumption of business from distillery to wine stores given the revenue and employment implications for the state. Moreover, given the higher number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, the industry body said that if the government is unable to open liquor shops it should at least allow online delivery of alcohol. West Bengal and Meghalaya have already started the online delivery of alcohol. However, wine shopper owners have a different say on the online delivery. Online delivery in Maharashtra is not possible, it will create nuisance for the citizens since liquors will be easily available at the door step 24*7 and will be available without official drinking permits even youths would be easily carried away if alcohol deliveries will be on, said Abhishek Hemnani, a Bandra-based wine shop owner. A photo carried on The Korea Times edition of Sept. 24, 1963 / Courtesy of The Korea Times archive By Matt VanVolkenburg Efforts to prevent a disease "from invading this country," The Korea Times reported, "have been intensified by public health officials" in "sanitation, vaccination, and quarantine works at all ports and airports. Vaccinations will be given to all passengers and port workers" from a stockpile of 378,000 doses distributed to the nation's ports by the health ministry. Passengers from abroad found to be lacking valid vaccinations were to be strictly controlled. While this might sound like a headline taken from today's news, it describes Korea's successful attempt to stop a cholera outbreak in 1962. cholera cartoon/Courtesy of The Korea Times archive Korea experienced its first outbreak of cholera in 1821 and suffered from at least a dozen serious outbreaks over the next 100 years, including two in 1919 and 1920 which collectively infected 41,000 people and killed over 25,000. The last outbreak of "classical" cholera was in 1946, during the chaotic post-liberation period, which killed more than two thirds of the 15,000 people who had been infected. Thereafter Korea was free from cholera until September 1963, when a new, less-severe variant of the disease spread throughout Asia. Unlike in 1918, when, as Canadian missionary Frank Schofield put it, the "great influenza pandemic spread from north to south along the line of the Southern Manchurian Railway," infectious diseases entered the country via seaports after the division of Korea. The 1963 outbreak began in Busan. After spreading there for several days, the first case in Seoul prompted headlines like "Cholera Invades Seoul, Spreading Over Nation; Battle Group Formed." Still under military rule after Park Chung-hee's coup two years earlier, there was little concern about sharing the identities and addresses of the first Seoul residents to contract the disease. Though Park had only agreed to hold elections that year under U.S. pressure, he did not use the outbreak as an excuse to postpone the presidential election scheduled for Oct. 15. Newspaper headlines highlighted the rising number of infected and dead caused by the "sudden onslaught" of the "deadly epidemic," while editorials urged "greater sanitary vigilance on the part of the people" and urged them to "cooperate actively in the government drive to combat the killer disease." A Sept. 24, 1963 report on cholera spread in the nation./Courtesy of The Korea Times archive Political Situation in Iraq Press Statement Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State April 13, 2020 The United States looks forward to the formation of a new Iraqi Government capable of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, ameliorating the country's current economic distress, and bringing arms under state control. We welcome that Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish political leaders seem to have arrived at a consensus on government formation, and hope the new government puts Iraq's interests first and meets the needs of the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people demand genuine reform and trustworthy leaders. These demands deserve to be addressed without violence or suppression. We stand with the Iraqi people as they seek a sovereign, prosperous Iraq, free of corruption and terror. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MIAMI The soundless video shows a man wearing a protective mask picking up bags and boxes outside a white van when a Miami police officer pulls up. The officer steps out of his squad car. Words are exchanged. Then the officer handcuffs and detains the man, Dr. Armen Henderson, who was recently featured in a Miami Herald article about volunteers who provide free coronavirus testing for homeless people in downtown Miami. Dr. Henderson was eventually removed from the handcuffs after his wife, Leyla Hussein, emerged from the couples home and showed identification to the officer. Dr. Henderson was not arrested, but after video of the encounter was shared widely online, Chief Jorge Colina of the Miami Police Department ordered an internal investigation into the matter. Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 (8:09 am) - Score 4,160 Most of the United Kingdoms biggest broadband ISPs and mobile operators have agreed with the Government to support a set of new commitments (e.g. bigger allowances, prioritised broadband upgrades etc.) to help the National Health Service (NHS) during its fight against the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis. At present a number of operators have already announced various extras, upgrades and new service prioritisation to help NHS workers who are also customers of their service. But in a statement released on Good Friday, which unusually wasnt sent to our inbox (otherwise wed have reported it sooner), the major operators sought to centralise this message around a series of generally agreed commitments. The following commitments are in addition to the support the telecoms companies are providing to the NHS and its patients, including ensuring that the new emergency hospitals being built across the country have the connectivity they need, as well as providing zero-rated access to nhs.uk on mobile connections (sadly this doesnt cover all such usage). The commitments to NHS England, NHS Improvement and NHSX are being supported by BT (EE), Openreach, Sky Broadband (Sky Mobile), TalkTalk, Virgin Media (Virgin Mobile), O2, Three UK, Vodafone, Cityfibre, Gigaclear, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, Hyperoptic and KCOM. Commitments to NHS by UK Telcos * Offer identified NHS frontline staff, who are existing customers, the mobile data access, voice calls and text they need, at no extra cost, on their personal mobiles used for work purposes, to enable the staff to work remotely without fear of extra charges and limitations; * Ensure NHS clinicians working from home have, wherever possible, prioritised broadband upgrades to superfast or other improvements they might need, in order to perform tasks, such as consultations carried out via video conferencing and to download/upload large medical files. Clinicians with slow or standard broadband speeds, for example, would be eligible to be upgraded to superfast speeds where their current connections are insufficient. Some providers will upgrade customers who are NHS workers on to faster speeds without any extra charge; * Improve connectivity in care homes that have slow, or no, broadband connections, wherever possible; and * While patients having remote consultations will get the best experience on a fixed broadband connection, there are a small proportion of mobile-only households. Operators have already agreed generous data allowances for their vulnerable mobile customers, so that patients that can only use a mobile connection for their video consultations will have sufficient data available. Apparently NHS staff can expect to be provided with further information by the NHS on how to identify to telecommunications providers that they are eligible for this support, although some extra details are provided at the bottom of this article as the process can differ between operators and service type. Oliver Dowden MP, UK Digital Secretary, said: Our NHS heroes need to be able to carry out their vital work without worrying about technology failing them and people using NHS services online need to be able to rely on their connections. These welcome commitments will mean frontline NHS staff can use personal phones for work purposes without limits or extra charges, allow GPs to carry out consultations and transfer large files from home, and help vulnerable people who depend most on the NHS for care. I applaud the NHS for its continued fight to save lives, and mobile and broadband companies who have stepped up yet again to help in the national effort. Matthew Gould, CEO of NHSX, said: Covid-19 has made stark the importance of technology in helping people and those who care for them stay connected. Technology has the potential to be a tremendous force for good in helping the country and its citizens through the crisis, and we are grateful to industry colleagues for offering their support to the NHS. One potentially missed opportunity here is to extend some of the broadband and mobile connectivity related commitments to those working to support the NHS, such as companies and groups (especially smaller organisations) that may be rushing to produce new protective gear (PPE) or ventilators etc. (example). Otherwise the official announcement also includes a footnote with some useful details for NHS staff, which we think deserves a direct copy and paste since it contains a lot of useful specifics for those who may be able to benefit. But theres also a warning that it may take several weeks for the processing of broadband upgrades for clinicians to be completed, which is probably unavoidable in the current climate of staffing shortages. Northern Ireland's electricity grid is in need of enhancement with a shrinking capacity margin on the horizon SONI, the system operator for electricity in Northern Ireland, has drafted proposals for the strengthening and enhancing of the NI electricity grid. The draft, an updated 10-year plan for the years to 2028, is expected to ask the Utility Regulator to approve capital investment costing 465m, equivalent to over 45m each year. Energy users now have the opportunity to comment on the draft SONI plan. Is it ambitious enough to underpin the needs of the NI economy? Can customers afford to pay for it? The details of 81 projects included in the draft plan by SONI have been published by the regulator as a step in building approval for a comprehensive plan. This development plan comes at a critical juncture: the all-island integrated single electricity market is evolving from the structural changes introduced two years ago, but now continuing to function on an all-island basis after the UK has left the EU, with a special protocol which allows the all-island SEM to remain as an agreed UK-EU arrangement. The amended NI electricity investment plan builds on a recent All-Island Electricity Capacity Statement showing that, north and south, the amount of spare electricity generating capacity has been reducing to the point where new investment and changed transmission systems are needed if the grid, for the whole island, is to be sustainable for the longer term. A capacity deficit of over 220mw is expected in the Republic of Ireland by 2024. By 2025, in Northern Ireland the capacity margin could be as low as 50mw - well below any recent year. The Northern Ireland capacity estimate assumes that by 2025, the Kilroot coal-burning power plant will have closed. The draft SONI plan envisages a series of upgrades and new developments which would make the all-island grid ready for a modest increase in electricity demand. Critically, the draft SONI plan presents four major capital investment projects. These are: a high-capacity 400kv interconnector from Tyrone to Cavan (long awaited); major re-enforcement of the grid from Magherafelt to Coolkeeragh; major re-enforcement of the grid from Ballylumford to Castlereagh; and an underground connection from a large 480mw Belfast power station to Castlereagh. While there is a growing appreciation that the major cross-border interconnector is overdue and could be a source of all-island financial savings, the draft plan expects the project to be operational by 2023. Recent NI developments would suggest that timing looks optimistic. The high-capacity north-south interconnector already has full planning permission on the southern side of the border but still awaits final approval from the Executive Minister for Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon. In a further cross-border link, a connection from Turleenan in Co Tyrone to Dromore in Co Donegal is planned to enhance electricity supplies into Donegal. SONI has made some changes to the development plan which is now to be updated. Two potentially large projects, listed last year, have been removed from the proposed new investment plan. Several years ago, investors assessed the merits of a compressed air energy storage scheme, to generate electricity to add to capacity when the system was operating with high demand (with higher sales prices) and to store compressed air in underground caverns when load on the grid was low and this would be comparatively cheap. The SONI draft plan notes that this project has been cancelled. A second potentially large project is also removed from the plan. There was in recent years a serious commercial interest in harnessing the tidal energy around the north coast of Co Antrim. The possible application for a grid connection to undersea turbines at Fair Head and Torr Head has disappeared because the application has been withdrawn. For the immediate future, there seems to be no expectation of any coastal energy generation facilities. Earlier investigations in Strangford Lough or off the south Down coast have left no declared proposals. Nevertheless, the SONI draft plan points to compelling developments if the electricity grid is to function successfully. Even when I go outside, people really try to avoid each other as much as they can, Ortiz said. Its difficult to do it in a positive way, but its required in order to ensure the health of other people. I volunteer at a Catholic charities food pantry and so many more people are looking for help. Its very concerning. I can only imagine the anxiety others are having at this time. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and parents who care for Staten Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities are facing unique challenges providing services and caring for some of the boroughs most vulnerable residents. Individuals with disabilities, whether it be physical or intellectual, rely heavily on services such as occupational therapy, speech, physical therapy, as well as others who rely on support professionals for help with day-to-day tasks like getting dressed and going to the supermarket. Many individuals are used to going to day habilitation and work programs, which ended abruptly when schools and businesses shuttered because of the New York Pause and social distancing orders. For these individuals, routines and services are immensely important. Noreen Boffas daughter Ariel Mulford, 17, attended the Hungerford School full-time. Mulford, who has cerebral palsy and other intellectual disabilities, also receives physical and occupational therapies, as well as speech therapy, in her home. Mulfords therapists and nurses also work in emergency departments and nursing homes where they could be directly exposed to COVID-19 so theyre no longer able to provide in-person support. The therapies have been the biggest hardship, Boffa told the Advance. She really needs it and its just not the same when we do it at home. Her therapists have sent links to therapies Boffa can do with her daughter, however, she hasnt been interested in the work its not the same without the therapists. Boffa said her daughter probably thinks shes on one big vacation, unable to grasp why shes been home for weeks and the change in her routine. Her main concern is what will happen if schools are ordered closed through the end of the year. She goes to school through the summer, so if schools are closed, would that mean she doesnt get any services through August? I dont even want to think that far head. That would be a lot of time without services and its mostly the physical therapy Im worried about, she said. SOCIAL DISTANCING IMPACTS GOALS Cristine Trimarco is a community habilitation and respite worker whos been providing services for a woman at her home since February. Privacy laws prevent her from sharing specific information about her client, Trimarco said. Before COVID-19, Trimarco would pick up her client and help her with her daily tasks out to lunch and dinner, classes, and walks around the neighborhood according to a plan put in place by her care coordinator. For almost a month now we have been working remotely using video chat and phone calls, Trimarco said. We are both part of a high-risk group so for the safety of both of us, all work has been done remotely. Remote work isnt only a challenge for the clients, but a challenge for the support persons. It has impacted a decent amount of her goals at this time because they involve being outdoors and in the community. With classes cancelled and venues closed, we have moved our search to look for online classes that peak my clients interest for the time being, she said. RESIDENTS IN SUPPORTIVE HOMES ARE STILL ADAPTING Michael Weinberg, vice president of residential services for AHRC, said the agency is constantly working to ensure its residents understand whats happening and doing its best to prepare for the ever-changing state of the pandemic. When you have no idea when it will end -- thats been the issue for us, Weinberg said. There are approximately 100 residents living in group homes and supportive apartments on Staten Island through AHRC. One of the things we rolled out after the first week was a two- or three-step process; working with them to explain what is COVID-19 in a simpler way that they can understand how this is something similar to the flu but more dangerous. On a simple level I think that was grasped, Weinberg said. The closure of programs and work has helped most understand the severity of the situation. Staff are doing their best to keep up routines and holiday traditions while staying inside, but its not without challenges. We are concerned is what people are feeling -- my routine is no longer routine. Theres loss, almost like a depression, because theres still the unknown thats there and the anxiety and the tension, he said. But theyre still adapting. In the interim, staff are increasing therapeutic support and working with the men and women in the homes, as well as offering increased calls and video chats with family outside of the home who theyre no longer spending time with. One hardship for us has been supplies. Its been hard because as soon as everybody became aware that there was a short supply they bought it all. The borough presidents office and other politicians have given out supplies but we still need more, at a minimum we need masks and gloves, he said. EMS workers have been extremely helpful during these times, providing medical support to residents so that hospital trips can be avoided. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19, in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 14, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Halts WHO Funding Over Its Handling of the CCP Virus President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the CCP virus pandemic while his administration reviews its response to the global crisis. Trump, at a White House news conference, said the WHO had failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable. He said the group had promoted Chinas disinformation about the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus than otherwise would have occurred. The United States is the biggest overall donor to the Geneva-based WHO, contributing more than $400 million in 2019, roughly 15 percent of its budget. The hold on funding was expected. Trump has been increasingly critical of the organization as the global health crisis has continued. Trump said the WHO failed to investigate credible reports from sources in Chinas Wuhan province that conflicted with Beijings accounts about the virus spread and parroted and publicly endorsed the idea that human to human transmission was not happening. Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out Chinas lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained with very little death, Trump said. Trump said the U.S. review of the WHO was likely to take 60-90 days. Trump said Washington would discuss with global health partners what it will do with the millions of dollars that would normally go to the WHO and said the United States would continue to engage with the organization. Trump has long questioned the value of the United Nations and scorned the importance of multilateralism as he focuses on an America First agenda. Since taking office, Trump has quit the U.N. Human Rights Council, the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, a global accord to tackle climate change and the Iran nuclear deal. Under the WHOs 2018-19 biennium budget, the United States was required to pay $237 millionknown as an assessed contribution, which is appropriated by Congressand also made some $656 million in voluntary contributions that were tied to specific programs. Voluntary U.S. funding for the WHO has been used to address such health issues as polio eradication, vaccines, combat HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis and the health of women, newborns and children. Reuters contributed to this report China Deploys Aircraft Carrier as US Senators Criticize South China Sea Conduct By Drake Long 2020-04-13 -- China has sent an aircraft carrier battle group to the East and South China Seas, according to statements from governments in the region and satellite imagery. The maneuvers come at a time of increasing tension in the South China Sea and a denouncement of China's recent sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel by members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. China's naval exercise with the Liaoning aircraft carrier was first reported by Japan's military on Friday. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force said the Liaoning, accompanied by battle group of two destroyers, two frigates, and a support vessel passed through the Miyako Strait, between Okinawa and the Miyako Islands, on that day. Satellite imagery shows the Liaoning at its homeport of Qingdao as of April 5, along with a Type 901 supply ship a relatively new class of vessel for replenishing combat ships at sea. Last Wednesday, both sailed out of port and reappeared east of Shanghai, in the East China Sea, on Friday, along with escorts. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Sunday the Liaoning battle group was observed moving off the island of Taiwan's eastern coast down to its southern coast. A Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy spokesperson later confirmed the Liaoning and its battle group was engaged in a naval exercise at the Miyako Strait, the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan, and in the South China Sea. The ships were identified as two Type 052D guided missile destroyers, two Type 054A guided missile frigates, and a Type 901 support vessel. This coincides with naval maneuvers in the region by the United States. The U.S. Navy sailed a destroyer through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, Reuters reported, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a bilateral exercise with the U.S. in the East China Sea on Friday and Saturday. All this takes place in the aftermath of the April 2 sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in a confrontation with a China Coast Guard ship near the disputed Paracel Islands, which China maintained was the fault of the Vietnamese vessel. The incident drew criticism from the U.S. State and Defense Departments, Vietnam itself and the Philippines. On Friday, a bipartisan group of senior U.S. lawmakers joined the chorus of disapproval. Leading figures from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee--Republican chairman Jim Risch, top-ranking Democrat Robert Menendez, and Republican Asia subcommittee chairman Cory Gardner and his Democratic counterpart, Ed Markey--ssued a strongly worded statement over the vessel sinking and China's reported deployment of military aircraft in the South China Sea. "The reports of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel sinking a Vietnamese fishing vessel and China's other activities on illegally reclaimed features in the South China Sea are deeply concerning," said Risch. "These are just the latest examples of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) blatant intimidation of its neighbors to assert its excessive maritime claims. The CCP is undermining regional stability at a time when the international community should be coming together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic." Menendez echoed that sentiment and said: "China's continued divisive and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea is deplorable." He added: "I strongly believe that the United States must stand up and support efforts by regional institutions and our allies and partners to ensure freedom of navigation and economic opportunity throughout the entire Indo-Pacific." On the same day the Liaoning was sailing with its escorts north of Taiwan, China conducted an aircraft exercise south of the self-ruled island, over which Beijing claims sovereignty. A Xian H-6 bomber, KJ-500 early warning aircraft, and Shenyang J-11 fighter aircraft flew to the southwest of Taiwan, prompting the U.S. Air Force to send a reconnaissance aircraft in the same direction, according to a Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence press release. Meanwhile, Chinese state media was blaming Vietnam for stoking tensions in the South China Sea after Hanoi formally protested the April 2 sinking of its fishing vessel. Without providing any evidence, a commentary in the Global Times claimed that Hanoi was provoking anti-Chinese sentiment to distract from Vietnam's domestic challenges in combating COVID-19. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content April not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Before March 11, when Twitter employees were mandated to work from home, executive Dalana Brand would wake up at 5 a.m. to shower, get dressed and head to the company's office in San Francisco. As vice president of people experience and head of diversity and inclusion, she would spend most of her day meeting with team members and company stake holders to go over key objectives about employee experiences and diversity initiatives. Nowadays, she says, those in-person meetings have turned into video calls that focus on "how to support our Twitter employees to manage the challenges that COVID-19 and the associated work-from-home restrictions bring." Like many professionals around the world, Brand and her co-workers have been ordered to work from home in order to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Though this new policy has caused major adjustments to her workday, Brand says she's making the most of her experience. CNBC Make It spoke to the Twitter executive, along with female leaders from Facebook, Airbnb and Uber, to get insight on how they're managing their work-from-home schedules in the midst of a global pandemic. Dalana Brand, vice president of people experience and head of diversity & inclusion at Twitter. Photo credit: Dalana Brand Morning Routines Brand says that one "silver lining" in her new work-from-home schedule is that she gets to sleep for an extra hour, until 6 a.m. After waking up, she starts her day with an hour-long workout, before showering, getting dressed and heading to her at-home office to have a cup of tea and catch up on the news. "I then read inspirational messages and write down reflections in my gratitude journal," says Brand, who logs into work around 8 a.m. "I am finding this practice to be even more important in these turbulent times to help center myself and try to remain calm in the midst of the chaos." Similarly, Maria Cuba, Airbnb's diversity and belonging business partner, starts her day off with a bit of self-care. Usually, she says, she walks to Airbnb's office from her San Francisco home, which takes about 25 minutes, or she uses a ride-sharing app to get to work in about 15 minutes. But, now that she's working remotely, she uses the time that is normally allotted for her morning commute to exercise for about half an hour and "just be present in my space." "I also use this time to catch up on the news, but am careful not to go down a rabbit hole and absorb too much," she adds. On most days, Cuba logs into work at 8 a.m., which is a bit earlier than the 9 a.m. when she usually arrived in the office. But, she says, her start time sometimes varies depending on her schedule and she's happy that Airbnb has been supportive of employees working flexible hours in order to "manage any personal situations [they] may be dealing with." Creating space for an office Liz Meyerdirk, senior director and global head of business development for Uber Eats, says she's envious of her colleagues who have just one space designated as a home office. As a mom of three young kids, ages 5, 3 and 11 months, Meyerdirk says she's managed to create a few different "work stations" around her San Francisco home. "There is the desk by the window in our bedroom that has close access to a patio," she explains. "There is always the dining room table, with easy access to water and snacks. And then there is anywhere my kids can't find me, so I can actually be on a call without a small human touching me and interrupting me. These days, that is either in my parked car in the garage or in one of the kids' rooms in a tiny chair next to the dollhouse." To keep her kids distracted while she works, Meyerdirk says she's allowed them to spend a bit more time watching TV and playing on the iPad. "I have just taken the attitude that as long as they feel safe and cared for, we are doing OK," she says. Fidji Simo, head of Facebook app. Photo credit: Fidji Simo Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, says she's converted her art studio in her home into an office for the time being. "We got rid of all the paintings, sculptures, costumes and made the room look much more respectable for work," she says. "It's a creative space, so it has good vibes." Balancing family life Luckily, Simo says, her husband is a stay-at-home dad, so she's able to get a lot of work done in her studio while he watches their 4-year-old daughter. But, she says, she still finds herself taking breaks during the day to entertain her daughter. "The other day, I managed to make fairy potions (water + glitter + food coloring) with my daughter off-camera while participating in an important call multitasking for the win," she says. "I think it's important for everyone on my team to know that it's okay for your young kids to show up in the middle of a meeting, since we're all juggling these new demands." From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Simo says she logs off work in order to be fully present with her family. Once her daughter goes to sleep around 9 p.m., she briefly logs back on to check emails and check in with her team, many of whom are located in different time zones around the world. Similarly, Brand, who is a mom of three adult children, logs off work around 6 p.m. to enjoy dinner and quality time with her family. Though her kids are older, she says having two of her kids home from college does place "extra pressure" on her to spend more time with them. Cuba, who is working from home with her husband, also sets a 6 p.m. log-off time to take a break and eat dinner. During this time, she says she checks her emails periodically until about 8 p.m. before turning on her "do not disturb" setting. "We also need to be protective of personal time and allow an opportunity to decompress and enjoy ourselves with family and friends even in this time of social distancing," she says. Maria Cuba, Airbnb diversity and belonging business partner. Photo credit: Maria Cuba Managing stress and team communication Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - IAMGOLD Corporation (TSX: IMG) ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") will release its first quarter 2020 financial results after market hours on Monday, May 4th, 2020. CONFERENCE CALL A conference call will be held on Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) for a discussion with management regarding the Company's operating performance and financial results for the first quarter 2020. A webcast of the conference call will be available through the Company's website at www.iamgold.com. Conference Call Information: North America Toll-Free: 1-800-319-4610 or International number: 1-604-638-5340 A replay of this conference call will be available for one month following the call by dialing: North America toll-free: 1-800-319-6413 or International number: 1-604-638-9010, passcode: 4247# Please dial in 10 - 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time as call volumes are heavy. If you are still unable to connect from your primary telephone network after attempting all of the dial-in numbers provided, if available, please retry using an alternate telephone network. About IAMGOLD IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with three operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. For further information please contact: Indi Gopinathan, VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, IAMGOLD Corporation Tel: (416) 360-4743 Mobile: (416) 388-6883 IAMGOLD Corporation Toll-free: 1 888 464-9999 info@iamgold.com Please note: This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through Newsfile's website at www.newsfilecorp.com. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov. Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54386 After a postponement, the premier of Bravo's newest reality show "Camp Getaway" is set for May 4. The reality show follows the staff and guests at an adult summer camp in Kent, Conn. "It's like a hybrid of 'Below Deck' and 'Summer House,'" said Adam Mizrahi, a social coordinator at Camp Getaway who is featured on the show. For those who are not familiar with the aforementioned Bravo shows, "Below Deck" follows the lives of the crew on a luxury yacht, and "Summer House" is about a group of young professionals partying in the Hamptons on the weekends. "Camp Getaway" is the first Bravo reality show set entirely in Connecticut. And camp owner David Schreiber, a Ridgefield resident, said he hopes to represent it well. "I think that it's a great state. I've lived here many years and I think Connecticut has a lot to offer. From the Litchfield Hills down to the beach, it's beautiful." Schreiber opened the camp in 2012, and has been working towards making a reality show for some time. I always thought, 'I'm living a reality show,'" he said. The camp's concept lends itself to reality TV as the whole premise is to "allow adults to act like children" by putting them in a traditional summer camp environment with activities like archery, zip lining and color war. "Everybody all the sudden is regressing to high school...You allow [guests] to get crazy and have a good time. That's part of the freedom. It's my job to not let them cross that line," he said. Schreiber said he has been running camps for 20 years, and always wanted to make it an accessible experience for adults. "Camp does not need to be just for children. Everybody needs camp. Everybody deserves camp," he said. He's hoping the show will be a good business move and help spread the word about his distinctive camp experience. I think we have a very unique product," he said. "People come here to have fun, be free from the everyday stresses of life, and just have a great time living in the moment and meeting new friends. Campers come mainly from New York City and the tri-state area. And many of the camp workers are converted former campers. Monica O'Neal, a social coordinator at Camp Getaway and cast member on the show, first went to Camp Getaway as a camper 10 years ago. She had just gone through a breakup and didn't want to be alone for Labor Day weekend, so a friend suggested she try the camp. She went alone that weekend and never stopped going. "When I came in it was overwhelming, but everyone was so nice. I actually still have friends from that weekend. It's a special, unique place," she said. "We call ourselves a 'campily.'" Every weekend in the summer O'Neal travels to Kent from Boston where she works during the week as a psychologist. Fellow social coordinator Mizrahi comes from Queens, NY. He also started as a camper. Both O'Neal and Mizrahi were excited to go on the show. "I was like, 'Yeah sure! I'm game. It's just another adventure at camp,'" said O'Neal. O'Neal thinks color war will be one of the most fun activities to watch on the show along with happy hour. "Our happy hours are legendary," she said. Welcoming cameras into his camp during the 2019 summer months was "very interesting and very humbling," said Schrieber. "I definitely felt like I opened the doors up of my business to the world everything I do well, and maybe things that I don't do so well. I'm nervously excited," he said about watching the premier. "I can't imagine that the camp will not be shown in a beautiful way because I think that camp is a beautiful experience. Am I nervous that my flaws and business flaws will be shown? Yeah, of course. But I do the best job I can do." Mizrahi also said there is some nervousness around seeing himself on camera. "There is always that natural inclination to be like 'I sound so weird, or I look so weird. Or why did I do that?'" he said. As far as reaching "Bravolebrity" fame, O'Neal is prepared if that's what happens. "There seems to be such a strong Bravo connection. Like it's a family," she said. "I'm excited to be a part of it. It's a very unique and special position to be in that I would never have expected. I'm all game. Let's do it and have fun. Lets see what happens!" Camp Getaway premiers on Bravo TV on May 4 at 10 p.m. EST. The first trial is a registry trial for patients who have COVID-19. Inpatients can receive hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin, and outpatients can receive just the hydroxychloroquine. The second trial is a randomized clinical trial for patients who have been exposed to COVID-19, including health care workers, who would receive either the placebo or the drug on a random basis. Those at high risk, older than 60 or have chronic medical conditions who have been exposed to COVID-19 could also be part of this randomized trial. The outpatient clinical trials are the 2,000 we want to treat, Suttle said. The inpatient and the outpatient that have COVID-19, we can treat as many patients as needed in that registry trial, so theres not a limitation to how many of those are positive with the disease that we can treat. What we really want to find out is does this medication work? Suttle said the drug is taken similar to a Z-Pack, which is a drug containing the antibiotic azithromycin and stays in the body from 30 to 50 days. An error has occurred within file /articles.aspx Please report the error to support@bizcommunity.com and it will be fixed as soon as possible. HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) is dissatisfied with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari's ill-Conceived decision to extend the total lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory; Ogun State and Lagos State for a further two weeks with little or no concrete material and nutritional palliatives for the estimated 90 million absolutely poor Nigerians. The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has predicted an avalanche of class action suits demanding billions of damages to be filed by thousands of Nigerians against President Muhammadu Buhari for locking them up in their rooms; starving or attempting to starve millions of poor citizens to death and for failing to stop the massive but well coordinated armed criminal attacks of Nigerians in their homes during the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun as well as many other parts of Nigeria similarly attacked by armed hoodlums and armed Fulani herdsmen. HURIWA said that under the INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATION TO PROTECT President Muhammadu Buhari will be required to explain why his administration made no logistical arrangements to provide fool-proof security protection for millions of residents forced to stay indoors during the Month long lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf lamented that whereas in other societies like Australia whereby citizens asked to embark on few weeks of LOCKDOWN due to the ravaging COVID-19 AILMENT are paid $700 USD equivalent weekly for maintenance but in Nigeria the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has chosen to starve millions to death and has deployed badly behaved armed security forces to flog and humiliate members of the public who attempts to beat the inhumane and inconsiderate curfew to find some foods to sustain the lives of their starving members. HURIWA lamented too that the 36 states and the FCT governments are throwing poor people who go out in search of foods to eat into prisons under the guise of enforcement of the quarantine Act without regards to the human rights provisions enshrined in chapter four of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999(as amended). "Our sad reality under the current administration is that the President and his minders are under the illusion that they are above the law and can not be brought to justice no matter how heinous or monumental are the human rights violatios committed by them and the security forces under their watch. The Quarantine Act does not give the President the right to starve over 87 million absolutely poor Nigerians under lock and key with no provisions for their sustenance to their untimely deaths which may be inevitable if no redress is immediately activated. The current administration must be told that Nigeria by becoming a party to INTERNATIONAL TREATIES, and international laws then as a State the nation assumes OBLIGATIONS AND DUTIES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW TO RESPECT, TO PROTECT AND TO FULFILL HUMAN RIGHTS ". Besides, the Rights Advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as mean hearted and insensitive, the Federal Government's decision to provide food reliefs to just a little above 3 million Nigerians out of the over 90 millions of our citizens that are categorized by the World Bank; International Monetary fund; Brookings institution as absolutely poor and unable to find balanced nutritions to sustain them on daily basis. "HURIWA recalled that the President Muhammadu Buhari in his near unsympathetic speech stated that "in the past two weeks, we announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies during this difficult time. These palliatives will be sustained. I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week." HURIWA further recalled that in his national pre-recorded broadcast to Nigerians, the President failed to fully appreciate the inherent security implications of locking up citizens and making no concrete and supervised arrangements so the security forces provide efficient and effective security services in all parts of Nigeria but the President only faintly mentioned the security sector as follows: "The Security Agencies have risen to the challenges posed by this unprecedented situation with gallantry and I commend them. I urge them to continue to maintain utmost vigilance, firmness as well as restraint in enforcing the restriction orders while not neglecting statutory security responsibilities." HURIWA however carpeted President Muhammadu Buhari for not sympathizing with hundreds of thousands of our citizens in such violent crimes prone areas of Lagos and Ogun States and specifically in Lagos State whereby the armed organised killer mafia known as 'One Million boys' are on the rampage, robbing, raping, maiming, killing and destroying lives and property of the citizens and the security forces that are only good at dishing out useless propaganda have so far failed spectacularly to check the violations of the fundamental human rights of citizens to their Rights to life and the dignity of their persons as provided for in the Nigerian constitution just as it is imperative to remind President Muhammadu Buhari to expect an avalanche of cases in the Federal High courts and State High Courts to challenge his central Government's deliberate failures to carry out its primary constitutional duty of protecting Lives and PROPERTY of the citizens. HURIWA carpeted the President for overlooking the global reality of Nigeria being the home to the greatest percentage of the members of the human race who are absolutely poor just as the Rights group said the insignificant and obscure initiative through the corruption infested SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME to provide food reliefs to only 3.6 million households means that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS IN THE VERGE OF STARVING 87 MILLION ABSOLUTELY POOR NIGERIANS TO DEATH BY LOCKING THEM UP FOR FOUR WEEKS WITH NO SOCIAL SAFETY NETS TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. HURIWA recalled that the internationally respected BROOKINGS INSTITUTION has authoritatively disclosed the extent of poverty, mass hunger and possibility of starving to deaths by millions of absolutely poor Nigerians as follows: "In contrast to other regions where selected countries have on-going issues with poverty reduction, almost all of Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, is off-track for ending extreme poverty. Indeed, 13 African countries are expected to see an increase in the absolute numbers of extreme poor between now and 2030. Today, Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. If it is unable to change its current trajectory, it will be home to 110 million people living in extreme poverty by the year 2030. The second position in World Data Labs Global Poverty Ranking is currently occupied by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which will enter 2019 with more than 59 million poor people and end in 2030 with 61 million under current trajectories. By the end of 2030, nine of the 10 countries with the most poor people will be in Africa, up from seven countries today. Global Poverty Ranking: African countries will represent 9 out of the top 10 by 2030 Global Poverty Ranking: African countries will represent 9 out of the top 10 by 2030 Note: Rankings end 2018 and projections for end 2030; Source: World Data Lab projections (base case) In 2016, when the SDG era started, Africa accounted for just over 60 percent of global poverty. Today, it is over 70 percent. By 2030, it could be close to 90 percent. It seems clear that Africa remains the last frontier of the worlds effort to end extreme poverty by 2030. Will 2019 be the year that global attention, energy, and resources are finally mobilized to improve the situation in Africa, the last frontier of global poverty?" HURIWA has therefore called on Nigerians to use lawful means to register their displeasure even as the Rights group charged the government and specifically President Muhammadu Buhari to work out home made remedies, cures and vaccines to stave off the CORONAVIRUS CHALLENGE instead of sitting down in the comfort of ASOROCK to monitor on televisions through global news channels countries such as United Kingdom and United States of America in order to COPY AND PASTE those nation's panacea to the rampaging health emerhecy of COVID-19. "The beoadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari which extended the LOCKDOWN from all empirical evidence lacks Nigerian local contents and is heavily loaded with borrowed models of combating the COVID-19 AILMENT as constantly disclosed by the scientific community already mobilized by USA, UK and many other committed civilized nations of the World.. Every year Canada celebrates Vaisakhi with Indo-Canadian community in full fervour. This year, since the pandemic has hit us globally, the crisis led to the cancellation of Vaisakhi everywhere. Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau in his speech this morning addressed his country-men and the Indo-Canadian Community by wishing them 'Happy Vaisakhi.' He further added that he is also grateful for all the 'Seva' done by the community during such times. Today, Sikhs in Canada and around the world will celebrate #Vaisakhi. Watch Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus message https://t.co/yltEY1w00B pic.twitter.com/admyarbYvp CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) April 13, 2020 There are about 60,000 Sikhs in Canada who celebrate Vaisakhi with Khalsa Day Parades and also Nagar Kirtans. The speech had a very powerful message on how the Sikh families will not be able to mark this festival in Gurudwaras, due to COVID-19. He said "In years past, families and friends would celebrate Vaisakhi by gathering at their local Gurdwaras to pray, read from the sacred scripture, and take part in vibrant parades and processions known as Nagar Kirtans. This year, as we continue to feel the impacts of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the Sikh community is celebrating differently, following the recommendations of our public health experts. YouTube Even Doug Ford, the Canadian businessman and politician, thanked the Canada India Foundation for coming forward and helping the affected during COVID-19 with deliveries, medical supplies, home-cooked food and transportation. This is not the only time the Prime Minister of Canada has addressed his countrymen, but he also takes this opportunity to address his people every year. During a media briefing, he also appreciated the service that was offered by the community at such times. Right now, when people need help most, youre stepping up once again. In Regina, youre delivering supplies to your neighbours, while in Mississauga youre donating to the Seva Food Bank. PM added. It is noticed that these events are usually held in Toronto and Vancouver. The Khalsa Diwan Society had organised the celebration of Vaishaki on April 18 which stands cancelled and Trudeau added to that "keeping in mind public health and safety. YouTube Even Toronto, that has around 50,000 individuals celebrating the festival that has now been cancelled, keeping in mind the best interest of communities and their safety. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a society that fosters the Hindu ideals of faith, unity and selfless service, has also come forward and donated 13,000 protective face masks. Shrish Shah, the president of the Charity said "We feel that the healthcare professionals are vital to our community and with the level of risk they are undertaking, they need to be well protected. If they are safe, we are safer. Twitter/Prince Charles Even Prince Charles, who recently recovered from COVID-19 diagnosis, in a video message wished everyone in the UK and other areas on the occasion of Vaisakhi. He also praised the generosity and selfless service that are being offered by the community to fight the pandemic. He wished all the Sikhs and said "In these challenging times, the Sikh community is making an extraordinary and invaluable contribution to the life of this country and to so many others, just as it has always done, he said in his message which he opens with Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. All the events related to the annual festival that has lights, langars and kirtans with many cultural activities will be replaced with other selfless services this year. We are in this together! Seven new patients have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in Maharashtra, an official release said on Tuesday. With detection of the new cases since Monday, the tally of the people infected by coronavirus has gone up to 54, it stated. All the seven patients were admitted in a government hospital in Nagpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OPEC, Russia Approve Oil Production Cut Amid Pandemic By RFE/RL April 13, 2020 OPEC, Russia, and other oil-producing countries have finalized an agreement on an unprecedented oil-production cut in the hope of bolstering global prices that have collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic and a price war. OPEC-Plus, a group of 23 oil-producing countries that includes Russia, said late on April 12 that it had agreed to reduce output by 9.7 million barrels per day for May and June. The agreement also calls for OPEC-Plus members to keep oil production reduced from the current level by 6 million barrels per day through April 2022. "The big Oil Deal with OPEC-Plus is done," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet. "I just spoke to them.... Great deal for all." Declaring that the agreement "will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States," Trump also tweeted congratulations and thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Salman of Saudi Arabia." The Kremlin announced early on April 13 that Putin held a joint call with Trump and Saudi King Salman in which all three had expressed support for the deal. The Kremlin also said Putin spoke separately with Trump about the oil market and other issues. According to a draft statement by OPEC-Plus seen by Reuters, the group expects total global oil cuts to amount to more than 20 million barrels per day, or about 20 percent of the global supply, starting on May 1. That includes contributions from nonmembers, steeper voluntary cuts by some OPEC-Plus members, and strategic purchases by the world's largest consumers. Still, the planned production cuts fall short of completely offsetting an estimated 30 million barrel-per-day drop in worldwide fuel consumption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Global Slowdown The global oil demand has collapsed as coronavirus lockdowns have largely halted global travel and slowed down other energy-consuming sectors such as manufacturing. The global oil price rose about 3 percent in early trading on Asian markets April 13. But market analysts expect the boost to be short-lived, saying the agreement appears to have failed to give investors cause for lasting optimism amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said early on April 13 that Russia and Saudi Arabia will cut their daily oil output by 2.5 million barrels each under the agreement. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told state television that Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates vowed to cut another 2 million barrels of oil production per day between them in addition to the April 12 deal. A draft accord initially had been reached on April 10 during the video conference between officials from 23 countries involved in the negotiations. It took another two days to resolve sticking points. Video aired by the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya early on April 13 showed the moment Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a son of King Salman, agreed to the deal. "I go with the consent, so I agree," the prince said, drawing applause from those on the video conference call. Days earlier, Saudi Arabia had sharply rebuked Russia over what it said was criticism by the Kremlin of the kingdom. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/opec-plus- reach-agreement-global-oil-cuts-russia -saudi-arabia/30549845.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address N orth Korea has fired several suspected cruise missiles off its east coast, Seoul said. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles presumed to be cruise missiles were fired from the Norths eastern Kangwon province on Tuesday morning. The military is monitoring possible additional launches by North Korea, a statement added. The missiles flew about 93 miles, officials said, and several military aircraft also appeared to have been involved in the drill. North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has continued the country's nuclear testing programme / AFP via Getty Images North Korea has carried out a series of short-range missile and weapons tests in recent weeks. Last month, it fired nine ballistic missiles in four rounds of tests, according to analysts. On March 2, the country fired two unidentified projectiles from one of its coastal areas, South Korean military chiefs claimed. Those launches came two days after North Koreas state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas. During a key ruling party meeting in late December, Mr Kim expressed frustration over deadlocked diplomacy with the United States and said he would not denuclearise if the US persists with its hostile policy on his country. He also said at the time he would unveil a new strategic weapon soon. President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met with the leadership of the National Assembly (NASS) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agenda of the meeting between the president and the NASS leadership, involving the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, was unknown as at the time of filing this report. It was, however, gathered that the meeting, which was at the instance of the NASS leadership, would discuss national issues including the efforts of the federal and state governments as well as stakeholders towards curbing the spread of Coronavirus across the country. NAN also reports that the president had earlier met with some cabinet ministers, who updated him on the activities of their respective ministries. (NAN) Some residents who live in Auno, a village near the spot where Boko Haram gunmen attacked and killed at least seven passengers on Sunday night, have revealed how the incident led to the loss of more lives than earlier reported. The Nigerian military had earlier denied the incident happened. Hours after PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported the incident, more revelations on the attack emerged. A local security operative, and resident of Auno, Malam Bunu, said the incident happened at about 8 p.m. It was at a tiny hamlet called Yana-Yakiri, which is not far from the cattle route through which the Boko Haram insurgents normally drive out to carry out attacks, he said. The military had relaxed the curfew along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway till 10 p.m., he explained. He said the vehicles that were involved in the attack were ambushed from both sides of the road at Yana-Yakari which just a stone throw distance from Auno village. The driver of the first vehicle refused to stop when he saw them, so they opened fire and the impact of the shooting ignited a fire on the vehicle. READ ALSO: The driver and other vehicles coming from behind were forced to stop and the gunmen ordered everyone to alight amidst shootings. Two persons were instantly shot dead while about 13 others were dragged into the bush in two different vehicles. We later got to learn that one of the vehicles broke down in the bush and the insurgents had to shoot the passengers at a spot about 2km away, Mr Bunu said. Corroborating Mr Bunus account, another Auno resident, Modu Gana, said residents later traced the path of the insurgents in the morning to recover six corpses of those killed. We tried to trace paths used by the insurgents because we heard shootings and people said they suspected that the abducted persons may have been killed. And when our vigilante group moved in, we found the corpses of the six persons shot near the vehicle that broke down. That makes the total number of corpses to be eight. Sadly, one of the six persons whose corpses we found in the bush is from Auno. His name is Musa, a wood breaker who travelled to Damaturu and was on his way back when they were attacked. Mr Gana added that the other seven abducted persons were taken away in the second vehicle. Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Amodu Musa, said he was yet to track which park the attacked vehicles was registered, hence it would be difficult for him to make a clear statement now. But I promise to get back to you as soon as I confirm the details, even though I heard about the attack, he said. The spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sagir Musa, had earlier, in a Whatsapp message response to PREMIUM TIMES, said the incident never happened. No such attack anywhere in the North-east. The situation is highly getting better on a daily basis, Mr Musa, acting director of army public relations, said. The Boko Haram insurgents have continued their attacks in the Northeast despite the efforts of security operatives. The terror group, which seeks an Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria, has caused the death of tens of thousands of people since 2009, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Clothing brand PrettyLittleThing hosted a virtual awards show for influencers on Sunday night. But while Maya Jama scooped up the Personality of The Year Award she did not receive it until Tuesday after it failed to be delivered on time, and therefore missed the livestream show. American actor Terrence J, 37, hosted the awards live on PrettyLittleThing's Instagram from his own living room, dishing out gongs to celebrate those in the celebrity and influencer industry. Winner! Maya Jama scooped up the Personality of The Year Award however did not receive it in the post until Tuesday and therefore missed the livestream show Due to the pandemic, Maya and the other winners were forced to record their acceptance speeches via video link after the glitzy ceremony was cancelled amid government guidelines. The presenter took to her own Instagram Story after unpacking the pink unicorn shaped award and thanked her fans for voting. She donned a chic pink T-shirt and wore her raven hued tresses in a simple top knot secured with a scrunchie. Unusual: Due to the pandemic, Maya and the other winners were forced to record their acceptance speeches via video link after the glitzy ceremony was cancelled amid government guidelines Whilst trying to contain her laughter, Maya said: 'Good news! Thanks guys! Thanks to my mum and my dad for raising me, all my aunties, my friends.' She continued: 'It's you lot really, thanks for voting for me. It's really cute you laugh at my jokes. Personality of the year 2020!' Other winners on Sunday night's awards included Jesy Nelson, Caitlyn Jenner, Paris Hilton and Amber Gill. Happy: The presenter took to her own Instagram Story after unpacking the pink unicorn shaped award and thanked her fans for voting Maya's video comes after she admitted she was struggling to memorise a script as she tried to concentrate on work amid the lockdown. She got the giggles last week when she caught her friend getting changed in the background of one of her Instagram videos. The presenter had been talking to her fans when she caught a glimpse of her half-naked friend and said: 'Do you mind not doing a striptease?' Winners: Other winners on Sunday night's awards included Jesy Nelson, Caitlyn Jenner, Paris Hilton and Amber Gill The video began with Maya saying: 'Right, so I am back to work today. I am actually having to film something and learn a script for the first time in f***kng ages.' Maya is self-isolating with her friend and doesn't have access to a make-up artist due to social distancing measures. So she asked her fans to help style her look as she asked for hair tips - 'strands or no strands?' and 'Necklaces?' ''This is my first attempt at full glam with minimal resources', she added. A staple of Birmingham dining is now available to take home for a limited time. Milos Hamburgers says it is selling its famous sauce at all 20 locations, while supplies last. Each 16 oz. bottle of sauce will be sold for $5. For every bottle sold, $2 will be used to benefit hungry children in need, according to the franchise. The chain will work with school systems in various communities to fund hunger programs for children. CEO Tom Dekle said the donations are in keeping with the companys history, while giving customers something theyve long been asking for. Milos has always focused on how to be a strong community partner and it is our duty and honor to continue that, especially in this time of dire need," Dekle said. While times are challenging for us as well, we have to take care of our customers, team members and partners in need and we will continue to do so through this situation. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (April 14) called Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over gathering in Bandra, and said that such events would weaken the country's fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Offering his full support to the Maharashtra government, the Union Home Minister said the state administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. A large group of migrant workers gathered in Bandra demanding permission to return to their native states after the nationwide lockdown was extended till May 3. They were later dispersed. "The migrant labourers had gathered in Bandra demanding permission to return to their native states. However, they were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate," said a police official. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the migrant workers may have thought PM Modi had ordered the opening of state borders. The migrants were assured that the state government will make arrangement of food and accommodation for them, following which the crowds dispersed, he said. Deshmukh said, "Lakhs of workers from other states work in Mumbai. They expected the PM would open the state borders today. They felt they could go back to their home states," adding "But the PM and CM (Uddhav Thackeray) took a very good decision to extend the lockdown. The state borders will remain sealed. Permission will not be given to go to other states from Maharashtra." Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, however, blamed the Centre for the protest and sought a roadmap to facilitate the migrant workers' journey back to their native places. He ttok to twitter and said, "They don't want food or shelter, they want to go back home," adding that a mutual roadmap drawn up with the Union government will help migrant labourers travel from one state to another during the lockdown and reach their homes. Thackeray said more than six lakh people are currently housed in several shelter camps across the state. Meanwhile, hundreds of migrant workers took to the streets of Mumbra town in Thane district demanding they be sent to their hometowns. Notably, the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, has been extended till May 3 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Nearly half of Americans believe the Bible should influence US laws Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Almost half of adults in the United States believe that the Bible should influence the laws, with over a quarter saying that it should overrule the will of the people, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center. A report by Pews Fact Tank published Monday found that in a survey of American adults, 49 percent of respondents believe that the Bible should have either a great deal or some influence on U.S. laws. By contrast, 19 percent of respondents said they believe that the Bible should have not much influence on the laws, while 31 percent responded none at all. Among those who said the Bible should have a great deal or some influence on laws, 28 percent said they believe the Bible should overrule the will of the people when they conflict. White evangelicals were the religious group most likely to support the Bible having influence on laws, with 58 percent of respondents saying it should have a great deal of influence and 31 percent saying it should have some influence. Among white evangelical respondents who supported biblical influence on laws, 68 percent believe that the Bible should overrule the will of the people when they conflict. This was the largest support for that answer among all surveyed religious groups. Black Protestants also largely supported biblical influence on laws, with 47 percent responding with a great deal and 29 percent responding with some. For the report, Pew used data drawn from its American Trends Panel, which was conducted Feb. 4-15 and had a sample of 6,395 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. In their report, Pew acknowledged that they did not ask respondents what they specifically thought of when hearing about possible biblical influence on law. In January, the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago released a survey indicating that white evangelical Protestants were more likely than the general population to support religious influence on government policy. Drawn from a sample of 1,053 adults conducted last December with a margin of error of 4 percentage points, the AP/NORC survey found that on most issues, majorities of white evangelicals said religion should have a lot or some influence. For example, 80 percent of white evangelicals surveyed said religion should have a lot or some influence when it comes to abortion policies, versus 41 percent of all other respondents. General Capital reaffirms its previous guidance that the business will produce a net profit after tax of approximately breakeven but highlights that this is before the completion of yearly impairment testing of intangible assets as well as fair value calculations of investments held by the Group. As described in further detail below, these calculations are particularly difficult this year due to the uncertainties in the economy and the ability to reliably forecast future cash flows. Brent King, Managing Director advised as follows, we have traded strongly over the last 6 months, but the impact of Covid-19 has slowed progress. As at our financial year end of 31 March 2020 we had a strong balance sheet and significant cash (over $12m). Since the developments of the pandemic General Capital has: Reduced costs by lowering our headcount. Increased cash reserves by reducing lending activity. Reduced overheads. The result is that the Group is in a strong position and is seeking acquisition opportunities. Mr King added the following, Nobody knows what the future holds. We have taken logical steps but the issue for us, along with virtually all other New Zealand businesses, relate to when the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted and when the economy returns to normal. Because of this, we are unable to make accurate medium to long term forecasts. The Group is currently holding excess liquidity and is holding costs at a minimum level. Mr King also commented the duration and resulting economic impact of the lockdown will have an impact on companies ability to justify the carrying value of assets. This is particularly true for assets such as intangible assets and investments carried at fair value. Intangible assets rely on assumptions about future cash flows as do investments carried at fair value (in the absence of a liquid market for buying and selling the investments). With the current restrictions and resulting economic impacts, the ability to generate and/or reliably forecast future cash flows comes into question. Some of these concerns were highlighted by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in a March 2020 update. Excluding any potential impairment relating to intangible assets or reduction to the carrying value of any investments carried at fair value, General Capital is confident of breakeven earnings as well as a strong financial position as at 31 March 2019 with significant cash holdings. Total assets (before any potential impacts to goodwill or investments carried at fair value) are currently expected to be approximately $51m at 31 March 2020, an increase of approximately 113% from 31 March 2019 total assets of $23.9m. Assuming the New Zealand economy does not suffer too much as a result of the global pandemic and is able to recover soon we are very confident of General Capitals future, said Mr King. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. 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Related News: 12th January 2022 Morning Report 11th January 2022 Morning Report Greenfern Industries Limited (NZX: GFI) Announces Cannvalate Transaction 10th January 2022 Morning Report 7th January 2022 Morning Report 6th January 2022 Morning Report 5th January 2022 Morning Report Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post The Navajo Nation has the highest number of coronavirus cases per capita outside of New York and New Jersey, as fears grow for Native American tribes where pre-existing health conditions make populations especially vulnerable to the pandemic. Native American tribes are, much like the US's black and Hispanic communities, being increasingly devastated by the pandemic, with twice the number of deaths per capita than the national rate, according to Navajo Department of Health data. Systemic inequality when it comes to health care access, higher rates of illness and lower economic opportunities is leaving tribes more vulnerable to the pandemic. Traditional living arrangements, with people living close together making social distancing a challenge, and regular traveling back and forth from cities for supplies and for work, also increases potential exposure, with experts warning that populations could be wiped out altogether. Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty at her New Mexico home: The Navajo Nation has more coronavirus cases per capita than all US states except for New York and New Jersey In the US's largest Native American reservation Navajo Nation - which stretches across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah - there were 813 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 28 deaths as of Monday. With around 173,667 people living on the 27,000 square mile reservation, this makes the number of confirmed coronavirus cases per capita a staggering 468 per 100,000 people, according to Navajo Department of Health data. Its shock figures makes it the third hardest hit area of the whole of the US, with only New York and New Jersey states recording higher cases per capita at 998 and 727 cases per 100,000 respectively, based on Tuesday's death tolls. Louisiana, which has been touted as an emerging epicenter after cases skyrocketed following the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations, has fewer cases per capita than the Navajo Nation at 451. Cases on the Navajo Nation reservation have skyrocketed in the last two weeks, up by a staggering 367 percent from 174 cases on March 31 to 813 by Monday. 'The upcoming weeks are going to be very challenging, and we need everyone to support one another,' Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer said Monday in a statement. 'This is an opportunity to show the world [how] strong we are as Dine people and to demonstrate our resilience once again.' Fears are mounting that the tribe - who call themselves the Dine - could be wiped out altogether by the outbreak, as lack of clean water and high rates of health conditions make them more vulnerable than most. Around 40 percent of homes in Navajo Nation do not have access to clean running water, which makes protection against the virus more challenging, according to the Huffington Post. Cases on the Navajo Nation reservation have skyrocketed in the last two weeks, up by a staggering 367 percent from 174 cases on March 31 to 813 by Monday Travel is another issue because the entire reservation has just 13 small grocery stores so members must travel to cities for supplies or for work, bringing the infection back to the community. Once infected, the virus can also spread more easily among the community because families live in close proximity with each other. 'In a household with multi-generational families, grandmas and grandpas, first it's you and then it's your children and older children, and multiple generations are being hit,' Crotty said. 'In a household with multi-generational families, grandmas and grandpas, first it's you and then it's your children and older children, and multiple generations are being hit,' Navajo Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty told Reuters from her home in the village of Sheep Springs, New Mexico, near Shiprock. The tribe is also plagued with high rates of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other underlying health conditions, meaning people are at greater risk of dying from the virus when they catch it. 'When you look at the health disparities in Indian Country high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, asthma and then you combine that with the overcrowded housing situation where you have a lot of people in homes with an elder population who may be exposed or carriers this could be like a wildfire on a reservation and get out of control in a heartbeat,' Kevin Allis, chief executive of the National Congress of American Indians, told the Washington Post. The outbreak has amplified the inequalities in healthcare, housing and basic services between the Navajo Nation and the states the reservation sits in, with coronavirus deaths on the reservation overtaking the death toll across the entire state of New Mexico, despite the state having 10 times the population. The Navajo Nation stretches across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and is the US's largest Native American reservation The Navajo Nation in new Mexico. Lack of clean running water, high rates of health conditions, travel to cities for work and supplies, and lack of healthcare makes Native Americans vulnerable to the pandemic New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham warned President Donald Trump during a phone call last month that coronavirus could 'wipe out' some tribal nations. 'We're seeing incredible spikes in the Navajo Nation,' Grisham said. 'This is going to be an issue where we're going to have to figure that out and think about maybe testing and surveillance opportunities.' The matriarchal tribe has bunkered down to try to slow the spread of the virus, first declaring a public health state of emergency on March 11 followed by a daily curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. since March 29. Over Easter weekend, officials ordered a 57-hour curfew from Friday night through Monday morning in desperate efforts to curb the spread. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who has also been forced into self-quarantine after coming into contact with a confirmed case, told members to 'stay home' during a virtual town hall Thursday. 'Stay home it's the best place to be,' Nez said. 'We love you. That's why we're saying this to you. We can flatten this curve. We can overcome this virus that has plagued our nation.' The Navajo Nation isn't the only tribe hard hit by the pandemic. More than 5 million people identify as American Indian and Alaskan Native in the US, with around half living on reservations mainly in the West, Midwest and South, according to the National Congress of American Indians. Like the Navajo Nation, in many Native American reservations families live in small homes often lacking running water, according to Johns Hopkins University. American Indians have a history of being more susceptible to pandemics. The 1918 flu pandemic hit the American Indians four times harder than the general population, with at least 3,200 dying, according to the National Institutes of Health. More than a quarter of Native Americans under age 65 do not have health insurance. 'Our population of Native Americans is very low, and if this continues, our numbers are going to drop even more,' said Matthew Duncan, an Arizona State University student who lives on the Navajo Nation reservation. The Cherokee, the largest tribe in the US, has recorded 20 confirmed cases and one death as of Tuesday. Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr told the Post that 'Social distancing is at odds with the Cherokee culture. 'It probably feels to people like we're saying break up the family, but literally going to see elderly grandparents is putting them in peril. It goes against the natural inclination of Cherokee Nation,' he said. Experts are blasting the response of federal agencies, after making several pleas for makeshift hospitals and government support to be sent to reservations across the US. The Bureau of Indian Affairs which provides basic services to Native Americans refused to comment about the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak in the Navajo Nation, Reuters reported. Dr. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator for the White House taskforce, said that test kits will soon be rolled out across Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal clinics but there is a shortfall in medical supplies to cope with the sick people. A federal stimulus package passed by Congress on March 27 includes a $10 billion investment for American Indians but the money could take weeks to reach the areas. One option might be for Trump to use powers granted to the president under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Under this statute, the president may propose to withhold congressional funds, but it requires congressional approval within 45 days. Absent this approval, the funds must be returned to their original, congressionally mandated purpose after 45 days. It's unclear exactly what mechanism Trump intends to use to withhold WHO funding, much of which is appropriated by Congress. The president typically does not have the authority to unilaterally redirect congressional funding. "Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold numbers of lives," he said. Trump criticized the international agency's response to the outbreak, saying "one of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations" that Trump imposed early on in the outbreak. "Today I'm instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus," Trump said at a White House press conference. The U.S. will suspend funding to the World Health Organization while it reviews the agency's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, saying the international health agency made mistakes that "caused so much death" as the coronavirus spread across the globe. When asked by reporters why the administration is choosing now to withhold funds, Trump said the U.S. has had problems with WHO "for years" and the nation should have done this "a long time ago." He said the administration will conduct a "thorough" investigation that should last 60 to 90 days. Trump said it wasn't about the money, "but it's not right. So we'll see," he said. "This is an evaluation period, but in the meantime, we're putting a hold on all funds going to World Health. We'll be able to take that money and channel it to the areas that most need it." The WHO didn't immediately return CNBC's request for comment. But in a statement, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that now is not the time to reduce resources in the fight against Covid-19. He said there will come a time after the epidemic is over, to look back and understand how the disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly, "but now is not that time." "It is also not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," Guterres said. The coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan, China over three months ago, has infected more than 1.9 million people worldwide and killed at least 125,678 as of Tuesday night, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Trump had first threatened last week to withhold funds from WHO, saying it pushed back on his travel ban from China early in the Covid-19 outbreak. He claimed Tuesday that WHO "pushed China's misinformation about the virus, saying it wasn't communicable and there was no need for travel bans." "The WHO willingly took China's assurances at face value, and they willingly took it at face value and defended the actions of the Chinese government even while praising China for its so-called transparency," he said. "I don't think so." WHO started sounding the alarm on the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, in mid-January, designating the now Covid-19 pandemic as a global health emergency on Jan. 30 when there were just 8,200 cases in 18 countries across the world. The WHO's global emergency declaration on Jan. 30 was nearly a month before Trump tweeted that "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA" and six weeks before he declared a national emergency on March 13. Two days earlier, on March 11, WHO officials declared the outbreak a pandemic, when there were just 121,000 global cases. In response to Trump's attacks last week, WHO's top official urged leaders against politicizing the outbreak "if you don't want to have 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," Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a fiery address on April 8. 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. --CNBC's Christina Wilkie and Will Feuer contributed to this report. (Natural News) If a future vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) contains any type of aborted human fetal tissue or associated derivatives, then Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, has indicated that he will refuse it no matter what. The Roman Catholic leader explained in a tweet that, even with the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), some people are still debating the use of aborted fetal tissue for medical research. He went on to state on record that if a vaccine for this virus is only attainable if we use body parts of aborted children then I will refuse the vaccine. I will not kill children to live, he further wrote. The pro-life group Children of God for Life, which back in 2016 blew the lid on major corporations like Pepsi and Coca-Cola that use aborted human babies in their chemical flavoring research, has now learned that several of the companies working on vaccines for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are also using aborted fetal cells as part of their research and development. After learning of this, Debi Vinnedge, the groups executive director, says that her heart sank. In a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine thats being developed by a company known as Moderna, theres an ingredient known as HEK 293, which Vinnedge learned comes from aborted fetal cells. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is also developing a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) using PER C6 Ad5 technology, which Vinnedge learned is derived from an aborted babys retinal tissue. Be sure to listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how Americans are now vaccinated cattle living on a giant tax farm: So theyre trying to protect human lives by killing other human lives? So, to recap, the vaccine industry, under the guise of saving lives, is actually extracting biological material from other murdered human lives to create a future jab for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), which, for most people who contract it, appears to be mild or asymptomatic anyway. Its insanity at its finest, if only more people were capable of connecting the dots. Bishop Strickland has been outspoken on other things, too, including his refusal to sign a Statement on Scarce Healthcare Resources put forth by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) in the wake of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This document openly encouraged Governor Greg Abbott to waive all regulations and statutes which could result in fines, civil liability, and even criminal charges for decisions related to the allocation of resources during this declared disaster, meaning health care workers would be free to make life or death decisions on their own apart from Texas law. While Strickland claimed that the statement came from a laudable concern for the difficult challenges faced by health care professionals in respect to limited resources, it utterly fails to show a due regard for the importance of law and amounts to asking Governor Abbott to abandon the excellent laws he has helped put in place to protect the vulnerable. In other words, Strickland isnt on the side of making pragmatic decisions that in any way threaten human life, whether thats to manufacture vaccines for a pandemic or suspend the rule of law to supposedly help out health care workers. Life is life to him, and we commend his bravery in standing up for his beliefs and convictions. If we willfully take a life anywhere along this spectrum it is simply MURDER, Strickland wrote on Twitter one day before the Statement on Scarce Healthcare Resources document was published. The elderly, impaired & infirm are now threatened as the unborn have been since 1973! To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com NaturalNews.com Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases speaks as President Donald Trump listens during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force at the White House April 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. White House health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday walked back his recent comments about the initial U.S. response to the coronavirus, saying he used "the wrong choice of words" a day earlier when describing "pushback about shutting things down." Fauci's comments from a CNN interview Sunday in which he said that more lives "obviously" could have been saved if the U.S. made earlier efforts to contain the virus were seen by some as a critique of the Trump administration's handling of the crisis. Trump later that evening retweeted a call to "#FireFauci." A White House spokesman said Monday that the president "is not firing Dr. Fauci," who "has been and remains a trusted adviser to President Trump." Fauci on Monday evening defended his comments, and Trump's record on the coronavirus, while standing next to the president at the White House's daily briefing on the disease. "I was asked a hypothetical question" about whether lives could have been saved if mitigation policies were put in place earlier, "and hypothetical questions sometimes can get you into some difficulty," Fauci said. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that his response on CNN "was taken as a way that maybe somehow something was at fault here." "I've been up here many times telling you mitigation works," Fauci said. "So if mitigation works and you initiate it earlier, you probably would have saved more lives. If you initiated it later, you probably would have lost more lives." Fauci said that the "first and only time" that he and coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx talked to Trump about "shutdown"-like mitigation policies, "the president listened to the recommendation and went to the mitigation." When Fauci and Birx went to Trump a second time advising him to extend the White House's social-distancing guidelines through the end of April, Trump "went with the health recommendations," Fauci said. Asked about his comment from the interview that "there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then," Fauci said "that was the wrong choice of words." "When people discuss [the mitigation policies], not necessarily in front of the president but when people discuss, they say, 'Well, you know, this is maybe going to have a harmful effect, on this or on that.' So it was a poor choice of words," he said. "It wasn't anybody saying, 'No, you shouldn't do that,'" Fauci added. Asked if he was clarifying his remarks "voluntarily," he replied: "Everything I do is voluntarily. Please. Don't even imply that." After Fauci spoke, Trump returned to the lectern to walk through a timeline of the initial steps his administration took in January to prevent the disease from spreading to the U.S., all while bashing his critics in politics and the media. Asked if he is on the same page with the doctor, Trump said, "We have been from the beginning." He highlighted his decision on Jan. 31 to impose travel restrictions and quarantine rules aimed at people coming from China, when there were just a handful of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. Reporters at the coronavirus briefing were then shown a campaign-style video touting Trump's performance in response to the crisis. The video complete with inspiring music, visual filters and text graphics such as "President Trump took decisive action" offered a pointed example of Trump using the daily briefings to tout his own successes, rather than merely provide updates on the disease. Critics have accused the president of abusing the briefings, which are carried on most major networks, by treating them as de facto campaign rallies, which have been canceled amid the pandemic. New Delhi: The first day of the Chittirai month of the Tamil Calendar is celebrated as the Tamil New Year, also known as Puthandu or Varsha Pirappu. This year, India marks the festival on April 14. The Tamils celebrate the day with much fan-fare and prepare some delicious south Indian dishes. New Year is all about being hopeful of a better living. People look forward to a pleasant ride in the journey called life. Hence Tamil people begin the day by looking at the Kani to move forward in their journey. A Kani is a symbol of prosperity. It symbolises things that people need for their well-being and it includes food, clothing and other essentials. The Kani is usually assembled on the eve of the New Year so that the first thing people can do on the following day is to view the contents of the tray clearly from the mirror reflection. Houses are decorated with flowers and auspicious items, puja is performed and people visit the temples after wearing new clothes. A rangoli made of rice flour is made on the floor. After seeking blessings from the Gods, people prepare pacchadi the most important preparation for the occasion, sweets and other special recipes. And then they head to a temple for an auspicious beginning. The pacchadi or chutney prepared with grated raw mango, tamarind pulp, jaggery, chilli, neem flowers and salt is consumed as the main prasad. It inspires people to embrace life and its varied offerings. After visiting a temple, relatives, friends, well-wishers and neighbours greet each other Puttandu Nal Vazthukkal and exchange sweets and delicacies. Wishing our readers a very Puthandu! ABBOTT PARK, Ill., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that due to the public health impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to support the health and safety of its shareholders, employees and communities, the company will provide virtual attendance at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, April 24, 2020, at 9 a.m. Central Time at Abbott's headquarters. Due to restrictions and guidelines on public gatherings issued by federal and Illinois authorities, any shareholder who wishes to attend the Annual Meeting may only attend virtually. Shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 26, 2020, will be able to attend the meeting, vote their shares and submit questions through an online platform. As described in the Annual Meeting proxy materials and consistent with Abbott's historical procedures, shareholders who wish to attend the meeting online should complete and return the reservation form on the back cover of Abbott's 2020 Proxy Statement to receive log-in information and further instructions. Individuals who are not Abbott shareholders will not be permitted to attend the meeting. Whether or not shareholders plan to virtually attend the Annual Meeting, we strongly urge you to vote and submit your proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the Annual Meeting proxy materials. The proxy card included with the previously distributed Annual Meeting proxy materials will not be updated and may continue to be used to vote your shares in connection with the Annual Meeting. Further information regarding virtual attendance and participation through the online platform can be found in the proxy supplement filed by Abbott with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 14, 2020. About Abbott: Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," to our Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019, and are incorporated by reference. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. SOURCE Abbott Related Links http://www.abbott.com A local NGO has demanded an inquiry into the death of a leopard, which was rescued at Paithan tehsil in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district. The three-year-old leopard was rescued in Thergaon by a team of forest officials, policemen and villagers on Sunday afternoon, but died sometime later possibly due to cardiac arrest. Amravati-based NGO Disha Foundation wrote to Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod and concerned department, demanding an inquiry into the death. In the letter, the NGO alleged that a video of the rescue operation, which went viral on social media, clearly showed that the standard operating procedure prescribed by the Union ministry had been violated. The leopard was trapped using a net without being injected with a tranquiliser first and moreover, the video also showed eight to 10 persons sitting on the animal, activist Yadav Tarte Patil, who runs the NGO said in the letter. Meanwhile, deputy conservator of forests Satish Wadaskar had earlier said that the animal had died of suspected cardiac arrest while being transported to the district office and it was supposed to be released at Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannad tehsil here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Our daily lives are changed forever and we watch in disbelief as statistics mount reflecting the horrific toll this virus is taking. Behind these statistics are the heartbreaking stories of lives taken, and of the families who are suffering through illness and death of loved ones. On Tuesday, I lost a beloved friend and trusted colleague, Paul Kalill. I met Paul in my first year at Bay Path more than 25 years ago, and he joined our Advisory Council shortly thereafter. He was wise and had an infectious love for the region as a public servant. I knew he would be a good mentor to me as a new president. He never let me down over all those years, from making connections for me to providing ideas that would help Bay Path grow and prosper. His greatest gift to me was introducing me to Allison Gearing, who later became his wife. Today, Allison is Bay Paths vice president for development and planned giving. We have read about his incredible career as a successful lawyer, public servant, adviser to national political figures, and as a decorated Vietnam War veteran. I am extremely grateful for his service to his country and our region. Yet for many of us who knew Paul, it was his deep devotion and love of his wife and children that made him most proud and complete. Together, they spent thousands of hours contributing their time, talent and treasure to countless charities in the region. They learned from Paul to never say no when help was needed. Paul and his family touched our lives immensely. We gathered every December with them at our home with another friend and her daughter to share holiday traditions. Watching their daughters sing and dance from childhood into adulthood created memories that will last my lifetime. Paul was always there to offer his help to Bay Path. When developing our Masters in Cybersecurity Management, we relied on his experience in the military and his deep knowledge of the field to help us craft the curriculum. When we needed an interim chair of our Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department, he did not hesitate. His students adored him because he was not only a committed and charismatic professor, but because he was a part of their lives outside the classroom. He always had a group of students at his lunch table; he was at events that went into the late hours of the night to show his support; he mentored them about law school and how they could use their degree to help the criminal justice system. He worked tirelessly to find the most interesting and relevant internships. Social media posts from mourning students clearly demonstrate his impact, as they write about how he was always there to listen and that in adopting the Bay Path spirit he was family to us all. How does one measure a life and mourn such a loss to all of us and especially his beautiful family? We can offer solace to his family; we can celebrate Paul and the symbol of humanity and humility that was his innate spirit, and we must use this moment to emulate his love of family and public service. Carol Leary is president of Bay Path University On Friday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an advisory to all residents of the state. People were asked to wear masks when they go out into the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor has enacted several measures since coronavirus gripped the state and country, taking the lives of hundreds of people in Massachusetts and thousands in the United States. But other communities in Massachusetts are also putting in place orders enacting curfews, orders for people to wear masks and, in some cases, fines for tossing gloves and masks on streets. It was on March 23 that the state Department of Public Health issued a stay-at-home advisory asking people to avoid unnecessary travel and activities for two weeks. Gatherings were limited in size to 10 people at the time. Schools were closed and restaurants were limited to takeout and delivery services, meaning no one could be inside bars and restaurants to eat. Baker also limited grocery stores to 40% capacity to cut down on the amount of people inside. As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the country, Baker and public health officials stressed the practice of social distancing. Curfew in Boston In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh saw too many issues with people ignoring social distancing guidelines. On April 6, Walsh issued a stay-at-home advisory for the city of Boston. Residents were urged to stay home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. with essential workers excluded. The advisory began on April 7. Walsh also asked people to wear masks outside. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno also issued an advisory for residents to wear face masks outside. We can all help slow the spread by covering our faces, Walsh said at the time. The need for the curfew came as city officials saw issues with social distancing. There were also too many people taking unnecessary trips at night, Walsh noted. Boston City Hall will now only be open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and people entering the building including employees, are being screened and their temperatures checked. Lynn stays in Now, the city of Lynn has a mandatory curfew asking residents to stay home at night and into the morning. The announcement came on April 12. Just like Boston, people were told to stay home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., excluding essential workers and people getting medical care. These orders will ensure that the entire community can achieve the maximum amount of social distancing, while continuing to provide and receive essential services, and ultimately slow the spread of COVID-19 to the maximum extent that we can, Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee said. Lynn banned all non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason. People were still allowed outside but only for non-contact activities. People in Lynn were told to practice social distancing and wear some kind of mask outside. The order does allow for outdoor activity but limited to activities that are non-contact or where people would come into close contact with other people. Lynn also ordered all essential services to limit the number of customers and staff inside establishments to 40% of existing occupancy permits. Any violation in Lynn will result in a suspension/revocation of any and all city of Lynn licenses and permits and fines of up to $1,000. Fines for violations In Haverhill, the city council approved an emergency ordinance that fines people for violating social distancing guidelines. The order only applies to gatherings of 10 or more people violating the guidelines of not staying six feet apart on public property. The first offense is $50; the second offense is $100; and the third offense is $300. On April 9, the city of Salem issued an order requiring the use of face coverings by any member of the public entering a grocery store, picking up food from a restaurant or entering any other essential business now open. People inside apartment buildings were ordered to wear masks in common areas. Police and public health officials can issue fines for violating the order. Salem police will also fine people caught tossing masks, gloves or other potentially virus-contaminated items in public areas under the citys anti-littering and public nuisance ordinances. Fines for violation of both ordinances will be imposed. The first fine is $100; the second fine is $300; and the third fine is $600. The Eagle-Tribune reports essential businesses in Lawrence could face a $300 fine, a criminal complaint and cease and desist orders for violating strict directives. The newspaper reports those businesses must follow social distancing guidelines and disinfect surfaces along with other measures. The city of Beverly ordered all members of the public to wear some type of face mask while entering all establishments serving or selling food and all essential businesses. The order began on April 12. All food establishments and essential retailers are required to ensure all members of the public are wearing some form of face mask when inside, according to the order in Beverly. The city also requires people in commercial or residential buildings to wear face masks in common areas. In Revere, the mayor used a bullhorn to remind people about social distancing at the restaurants along Revere Beach Boulevard. The city ended up having the restaurants along the boulevard either close or offer delivery only. The city also closed all on-street parking along the ocean side of Revere Beach Boulevard from Revere Street to the Lynnway and from Eliot Circle to Revere Street all on-street parking was closed. Worcester orders wearing of masks On April 13, Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. issued an order requiring employees of public-facing businesses to wear masks during the COVID-19 outbreak. The order will be in place within 48 hours, he said. Most businesses in the city are already complying with the order, the city manager said. The order is only for employees. It does not require customers to wear masks. The order will include penalties for businesses that dont comply. However, Augustus doesnt anticipate any issues. There are mechanisms for fines, but were really trying to start by informing and asking people to comply, Augustus said. Well only go to the fines as a last resort. Related Content: By PTI CHANDIGARH: Hookah smoking sessions - a common sight in Haryana villages - have now taken a break as village heads have prevailed upon locals not to share the smoking pipes to contain spread of coronavirus. Playing their role in spreading awareness on coronavirus in the hinterland, the village heads or sarpanch are also ensuring that farmers follow social distancing norms during the harvest season. "Smoking hookah is part of our culture as villagers, especially the elderly gather at a common place in the village to socialise and share the hookah. Initially, it was a bit difficult to make them understand, but we prevailed upon them and soon everyone realised that it can be dangerous in view of coronavirus and now no one can be found smoking hookah outside," said Hoshiar Chand, sarpanch of Nazelda Kalan in Sirsa. Sarpanch of Pabra in Hisar district Rajesh Dhillon said that smoking hookah and playing cards is quite common in villages and too in big groups. "When we told villagers such things can be counter productive to the efforts of the government to check spread of coronavirus, they gave it up within some days," said Dhillon. Haryana has so far reported 183 coronavirus cases. Majority of the cases have been reported from four districts of Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram and Faridabad. Sarpanch or village head of Handi Khera in Sirsa district, Atma Ram, said he makes it a point to go even door-to-door to ensure the directives of the government pertaining to COVID and lockdown are followed by all. With harvesting season currently on, he has made one point clear to farmers-ensure social distancing while working in fields. The government will start procurement of mustard from April 15 and wheat from April 20. The procurement has been delayed this time in view of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown which has been enforced to check its spread. "The government keeps emphasising the importance of social distancing and everyone including farmers have been told this is the key if we have to keep everyone safe," Ram told PTI. While Handi Khera Sarpanch Atma Ram said his village has a population of nearly 2,200, Nazadela Kalan and Pabra are big villages with population of over 9,000 and 10,000, respectively. The sarpanches said that they regularly share the information, updates and government directives pertaining to coronavirus and lockdown with villagers. Village heads said that as wearing turbans and sporting a cotton wrap around the neck was part of village culture, everyone already has got into the habit of covering their face by using them as masks. In several villages, locals are enforcing "Thikri Pehra", under which a few villagers, especially youth form teams to guard village boundaries to make sure that no outsider except those providing essential services or government officials enter the village during the lockdown period, a measure taken in view of coronavirus spread. Hoshiar Chand said shops selling essentials open in his village between 10 am and 2 pm each day and he ensures that social distancing is maintained by villagers. The sarpanches said they coordinate with the district administration to ensure the villages are sanitised. kroger grocery store AP Images / LM Otero Researchers in Finland made a computer-simulated model of how a cough could spread particles in a grocery store. In the simulation, particles from a person in one aisle spreads up and over the shelves into the aisle next to it. Business Insider spoke with two infectious disease experts who said that the model is reasonable, but that the probability of contracting the coronavirus from a situation like the simulation is "very much unknown." The experts said that the model does emphasize the importance of using masks as source control to stop spreading the virus to others. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A computer-simulated model made by researchers from Finland paints a grim picture of going to the grocery store. In the simulation, a cough from a person in one aisle spreads a cloud of green particles up and over the shelves into the aisle next to it. The simulation shows the cough spreading aerosolized particles droplets small enough to stay suspended in the air and move freely. Experts said the model should be taken with a grain of salt. "Our risk of acquiring it and getting enough of that virus aerosol is completely unknown," said Dr. Kumi Smith, an assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota. The video "gives the impression that any shared airspace will lead to transmission," but evidence has yet to support that, Smith said. 'An infectious dose' The larger risk with the coronavirus, according to Smith, is in closer contact with people, such as conversations, where larger droplets from talking, sneezing, or coughing can be transmitted. Those interactions, usually within three feet, could spread "an infectious dose." Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, agrees. Story continues "In the real world, droplet transmission within three to six feet accounts for vast majority of transmissions," Schaffner said. "Airborne" particles go farther and stay in the air for longer, but transmission from those smaller droplets "probably doesn't happen very often," he said. Both experts noted there's little evidence yet about how the coronavirus could spread through the air, but that the model shows the importance of practicing social distancing and precautions like wearing masks. Masks as 'source control' Schaffner said that the Finnish model is "reasonable," but "if everybody did what the CDC recommended, that would address the issue." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last week that Americans should wear masks or other facial coverings if they go out in public. Both experts told Business Insider that masks are most effective at "source control" using masks to stop potentially spreading the virus to others, rather than using it as a means to protect yourself. Because people can be infected and not know it, Schaffner said everyone should be wearing masks or coverings like scarves or bandanas in public. "Any little bit helps," Schaffner said. "Their principal function is to stop spreading. We're all protecting each other." Why you shouldn't let your guard down with family and friends There's a misconception that the coronavirus "comes from people that you don't know," Smith said, which leads to people letting their guards down with family and friends. "We have a tendency to relax our guard with people we're most familiar with," like family and friends outside of our households, Smith said, "but that's where transmissions are taking place." Wearing masks can also give people a false sense of security, Smith said. Even if you're wearing a mask, she said, you should still keep distance from others and avoid touching your face, as normal. "Socially distant encounters with close friends are awkward," Smith said. "But that's what this takes and that's what this needs to look like." Read the original article on Business Insider The WSWS received the following letter from a frontline nurse at Royal Bournemouth Hospital in response to the statement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson following his discharge from hospital. I am a nurse in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and I currently work in the Red Zone which treats and looks after suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Wards and units have been separated into two zones amidst the coronavirus outbreak with mainly the West wing of the hospital considered as the Green Zone and East wing with the Red Zone, with some exceptions. In the Red Zone we have a number of wards, an Emergency Department (ED), Acute Medical Unit (AMU), Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU or ICU) those are delivering care to COVID-19 patients. Royal Bournemouth Hospital I was gobsmacked listening to Prime Minister Boris Johnson after a challenging day at work. He was discharged from St. Thomass Hospital on Sunday but at the same time we saw the deaths of nearly 11,000 people, including 40 NHS workers, because of his governments criminal herd immunity policy and lack of preparation to face the pandemic. He said the NHS has saved my life, no question and he continued Were making progress in this national battle because the British public formed a human shield around this countrys greatest national assetour National Health Service. The hypocrisy of these statements were beyond belief. He has been a leading member of Tory governments that slashed billions of pounds from the NHS over the last 10 years and accelerated privatization. Over the last 10 years bed capacity was slashed by 30,000 in England. There is a staff shortage of 110,000, with 43,000 nursing vacancies. And the UK is ranked 24th with regard to ICU beds out of 31 EU countries. As I am writing this, we have 44 coronavirus positive patients with six of them being treated in the ICU. Our nearby hospital, Poole General Hospital, has got 32 positive patients with one third of them treated in the ICU. We sadly heard the news that two of our staff members are being treated in the ICU here in Bournemouth. Our lives are at risk because of wrong PPE [personal protective equipment] policies of the government and our [NHS] Trust. Regardless of the fact that we are dealing with a virulent and highly contagious virus, management is not allowing us to wear proper and safe PPEs. When we look after suspected and positive patients of COVID-19 in wards and do assessments in the ED, we are forced to wear a flimsy apron, normal surgical mask, goggles or visor and gloves because of the trust guidelines. Even when patients cough their lungs out we are not allowed to wear effective FFP-3 masks and gowns which cover arms and our uniform. Public Health England guidelines in breach of WHO guidance I remember that when we had Klebsiella Pneumoniae patients, under the guidance of the infection control unit, we used to wear gowns, masks and gloves. But the same infection control unit is now asking us to wear just flimsy aprons, gloves and simple surgical masks when we are dealing with a more deadly and contagious virus. I am sure they are following the trust and Public Health Englands (PHE) guidelines. But we should be allowed to use our clinical judgement in the light of so many health workers becoming victims of the virus. They should challenge unsafe guidelines of the government and PHE and not impose them on us. Recently, one of my friends declined to work in a bay with a number of COVID-19 patients because he was not given proper PPE to do the job. He was asked to do his 12-hour shift in that bay with minimal PPE protection. His request was simple and clear. Give me an FFP-3 mask, gowns, gloves and eye protection, I will do the job. The ward sister has threatened him with disciplinary action for refusing to work under unsafe conditions. The staff changing room is a place which gives us the opportunity to share our experiences in different units and wards after a challenging day at work. Everyone is really concerned about the situation in the UK, Europe and globally. There was consensus that the governments acted very slowly to this pandemic and they were indifferent to the lives of health workers and millions of people. With regard to the PPE everyone was angry. They were so infuriated about [Health Secretary] Matt Hancocks remarks about the misuse of PPE. A nurse said angrily he must not have been informed that his PPE deliveries dispatched at the press briefings have not reached us and they have been lost at sea. A health care assistant joined in, probably he doesnt know that PPE is already rationed here. Health workers told to social distance on break time, but no proper PPE in wards One nurse said, the people from trust management were having a photo opportunity clapping the staff yesterday in front of the hospital. But they cannot provide us proper PPEs to do the job. A doctor added scathingly, they came to lecture us about social distancing when we were having our lunch break near the lake a couple of days ago and now they have put up posters there too. A health care assistant said, none of these people are involved in direct patient care with COVID patients. I like it when they are not around. Then we can make use of proper PPE without being nagged to use f***ing aprons and surgical masks. Only my colleagues in the ICU and colleagues doing Aerosol Generating Procedures for COVID-19 positive patients are allowed to wear full protective gear at the moment. I am a member of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). I was listening to Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN Chief Executive and General Secretary. She was talking about the large number of nurses across the country contacting her about lack of PPE and the dangers they were facing. Instead of just lame whimpering about the PPE, the RCN hasnt raised a finger to challenge government policy on PPE. What else can you expect from a union which sold out our pay struggle two years ago? After pressure from members, the RCN was compelled to issue a statement saying that we can refuse to treat patients as a last resort if adequate PPE is not provided. Their statement says, Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce the risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE in line with the UK Infection Prevention and Control guidance, you are entitled to refuse to work. However, they accept the PHE guidelines which do not provide adequate cover when dealing with COVID-19 patients. For instance, WHO recommends health workers wear a medical mask, gown, gloves and eye protection (goggles or face shield) when providing direct care to COVID-19 patients. But PHE guidelines replace the gown with a flimsy apron, and eye protection can be worn on risk assessment. Matt Hancock is saying that the government will increase patient testing to 100,000 at the end of this month with thousands of tests allocated to staff. However, his pledge has fallen flat in reality. Currently, less than a fifth of his target is done. There are dozens of staff members in isolation with suspected COVID-19 in our hospital but they havent been tested. The PPE and staff testing briefing sheet of the hospital says that our One Dorset Pathology service is able to run some limited COVID-19 testing from the Molecular Laboratory at RBH. The focus will be on processing samples from symptomatic household contacts of asymptomatic staff at RBCH, Poole and Dorset County Hospital. It also states: Symptomatic staff will NOT be swabbed, since the result is unlikely to significantly reduce their time off work. Asymptomatic staff who are self-isolating for 14 days due to a symptomatic household member WILL qualify to have that symptomatic household member swabbed. A pharmacist told me that the hospital has refused to do any testing on them saying that they were not frontline enough. But the pharmacists and their assistants normally go around hospital sorting out medication requirements of patients. The fate of non-coronavirus patients who used to get admitted with health issues like sepsis, strokes, heart failure, angina and heart attacks is something we constantly talk about at work. There is a marked decrease in admissions due to these conditions. Patients with medical and surgical conditions are suffering and dying at home due to fears of contracting COVID-19 in hospital. Referral pathways of GPs and other health practitioners may have curtailed due to the pandemic crisis. Around 3.4 million people were on waiting lists for elective surgery before the outbreakmost of these surgeries have been cancelled with serious future consequences for patients. A professional in the cath lab [catheter laboratory] of the hospital said they have cancelled hundreds of routine procedures, including ablations for dangerous heart rhythms, routine pacemaker box changes, devices implants and routine angiograms of the heart. He said this will have a massive impact on their well-being and some patients will end up dying prematurely. TDT | Manama Private-sector employers must provide preventive face masks and obligate all employees to wear them in the workplace, in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), a circular issued by the Labor and Social Development Ministry has stipulated. Employers must also make sure that no worker is allowed on the worksite without the obligatory masks, according to the circular issued to all establishments, companies and institutions in the private sector. The circular called for the full implementation of the Ministry of Health directives and stressed the responsibility of employers to protect all workers and individuals present in the workplace, as well as in their accommodations, from coronavirus risks. According to the circular, the employers or their representatives should take the temperature of all workers upon entering the worksites and at the end of working hours when leaving. In case of a high temperature, the employer is to move the employee away from colleagues and call 444 for closer monitoring and necessary medical care. The circular also directed companies and institutions to reduce the number of workers at work sites, especially in restrooms, waiting rooms, and dressing rooms, as well as in the vehicles transporting them within the facility and to and from their places of work. In line with social distancing procedures and with the aim of reducing contacts in the workplace, employers should implement a home-based work policy for male and female employees whenever possible, especially for mothers working in the private sector. Employers must make sure their employees are kept at a distance of at least two meters from one another and that each employee has a private space of four square meters at least in their accommodation. Employers must also take the necessary measures to ban the exchange of visits between workers and to have separate buildings that can accommodate at least 10 per cent of the full staff and allocate them for isolation, in accordance with the guidelines of public health for companies with more than 50 workers. These guidelines were to be strictly implemented from yesterday until further notice. EDWARDSVILLE A special Madison County Board meeting is planned for 5 p.m. Thursday to discuss allegations against members of County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzlers administration in recently-revealed court documents. The meeting comes as both parties have politicized the documents. Prenzler is being challenged in the Nov. 3 board chairmanship election by former Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools Robert Daiber. The allegations are also expected to be discussed in executive session at Wednesdays 5 p.m. county board meeting; no action occur there because of agenda deadlines for that meeting. The agenda for Thursdays meeting includes an executive session and action to be taken by the board on specific personnel. People can hear a live stream of both meetings at https://m.twitch.tv/madisoncountyiL. They should join the meetings five minutes before they start and will need to select UNMUTE to hear it. During the executive sessions, Madison County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza will take the public access offline. On Tuesday she said she was not sure if people would have to go back from the start to rejoin the meetings once they are public again. Nearly 500 pages of sealed documents were recently released, including affidavits for search warrants pertaining to an investigation involving Madison County Administrator Doug Hulme, Information Technology Director Rob Dorman and then-county official Steve Adler. The investigation included January 2018 raids on county offices. Since then Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raouls office has announced it was declining to file any charges and the initial investigation was closed. However, some evidence was retained and an additional investigation is ongoing. Both parties have requested explanations on why Raouls office declined to press charges. On Monday, Daiber and Madison County Board Members Mike Parkinson, D-Granite City, and Chris Hankins, D-Pontoon Beach, called for the firing of administration officials and the hiring an outside firm to take over operation of the countys IT Department. Parkinson and Hankins also want: To remove the IT Departments power to access emails. To assign a compliance officer from each department to manage Freedom of Information Act requests and ensure the protection of confidential information. To have Madison County only use software that can provide an audit trail of every search or request of the countys network as well as a monthly board report on such activities. To require bids for all IT work in excess of $5,000 and to require all multi-year contracts have two-thirds consent of the county board. To hire a security consultant to review the system and install firewalls to strictly limit access to county emails, sealing off areas requiring a higher level of confidentiality. On Tuesday, Madison County Board member Ray Wesley of Godfrey, the Republican Party county chairman, said it was extremely disappointing to learn about the information in the documents. He called the politicizing of the issue by Daiber unfortunate. He (Daiber) has called for action to be taken without following all necessary procedures set forth in the county policies and procedures handbook and as such could be setting Madison County up for a potential lawsuit if his call to order is followed, Wesley said in a released statement. He said Daiber needs to support established procedures in dealing with these allegations. Im used to people like Bob Daiber red faced and shaking their fists from the stands telling us what we should do without knowing the rules, Wesley said. Two other Madison County Board members both Republicans seeking countywide offices in November also commented on the issue. I spent much of the Easter weekend reading the affidavits and trying to understand the case and how best to move forward, said Tom McRae, R-Bethalto, who is running to replace retiring Madison Couty Circuit Clerk Mark Von Nida. The Open Meetings Act doesnt allow widespread discussion of any issue among board members outside a scheduled meeting, McRae said. After talking with Ray and a few other Republican board members I decided to call county clerk, Debbie Ming Mendoza, on Saturday afternoon to request that an executive session be placed on the agenda for our Wednesday meeting for discussion among the entire county board. David Michael, R-Highland who is seeking to replace retiring Madison County Auditor Rick Faccin also said he found the allegations disturbing. We have worked incredibly hard as a party to gain public trust and are obligated to thoroughly review the evidence gathered by the task force and take appropriate action regardless of politics, Michael said. Madison County Board Member Mike Walters, R-Godfrey, was critical of Daiber. As a former county board member, youd think Bob would understand the process that we have to go through to take appropriate action, he said. Several Republicans have also brought up the issue of former Madison County Treasurer Fred Bathon and other problems during Democratic administrations. Instead of grandstanding with a press release, we moved quickly behind the scenes to get a process in place to be able to take swift action, Walters said. Actions speak louder than words. The Rafah crossing will remain open for four days to allow for the return of some 2,000 Palestinians from Egypt Egypt reopened its border crossing on Monday with the Gaza Strip after nearly three weeks, allowing hundreds of Palestinians stranded by the coronavirus pandemic to return home. Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, has coordinated the timing of Rafah crossing's one-way reopening with Egypt to coincide with the completion of 1,000 rooms to place the returnees into mandatory quarantine. The arrivals were taken into buses, without their luggage, under police escort into the quarantine centers. Sick returnees would be placed in hospitals and the old at hotels. Security forces and medics waited for the arrival in full protection clothes. Hamas and its governmental bodies are struggling to keep the COVID-19 threat at bay after its spread in neighboring Israel and Egypt. Only 13 cases have been diagnosed in the Palestinian enclave that the two countries blockaded following Hamas' violent 2007 takeover. Nine have recovered. The cases were discovered among travelers who returned from abroad via Israel and Egypt in March. But experts say the numbers could be low owing to the limited testing capacity. Gaza's health system is gutted due to the blockade, Palestinian political divisions and conflicts with Israel. International organizations warn that an outbreak would be catastrophic among the 2 million people packed in the narrow enclave, where poverty and unemployment levels have jumped over 50%. The Rafah crossing will remain open for four days to allow for the return of some 2,000 Palestinians from Egypt. In the West Bank, there are 260 infections and two deaths, while in neighboring Israel the injuries have exceeded 11,000 and 115 deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)s former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader, Omar Abdullah, on Tuesday urged the central government to bring back hundreds of local residents stranded in other parts of the country because of the ongoing nationwide lockdown and even suggested the use of the Union Territorys nine-seater Beechcraft aircraft for the evacuation. The lockdown has been enforced since March 25 and on Tuesday further extended till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Abdullah said that he and his father, former three-time J&K CM Farooq Abdullah, have been flooded with calls and messages from Kashmiris stuck in various parts of the country, especially north India. The stranded people include labourers, shawl traders, businessmen and also other walks of life who have been repatriated to India and have completed their quarantine. Its been frustrating to not do as much, as one would have liked for them, Omar tweeted. Now, that the Modi government is planning an extension to this lockdown something will have to be done for the people stuck in other states. A lot of them dont have much money and cant access anymore. There is no work available for them to earn, he added. Omar warned the Centre that the stranded Kashmiris would die of starvation rather than the viral outbreak if they are made to stay away from home till May 3. A common sentiment expressed by most of them had been long before corona gets us we will die of hunger. The government will have to work out some way of bringing these people home and pending that needs to do a better job helping them with food and emergency funds, he said. Omar suggested that the UT administration use its nine-seater Beechcraft aircraft to bring back some of the stranded Kashmiris home. He made the suggestion after Iltija Mufti, the daughter of another ex-J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti, had tweeted about 14 Kashmiri girls stuck in Amritsar because of the lockdown restrictions. J&K has a nine-seater Beechcraft aircraft that isnt doing much these days. Why cant this plane make two sorties to Amritsar to fly these girls back home? The whole exercise will be completed in a matter of a few hours with support from @capt_amarinder Sahib, he said, tagging Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. In a separate demand on Sunday, the elected representatives of Kargil, including the chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, Feroz Ahmad Khan, threatened mass resignation if pilgrims and students of the Union Territory of Ladakh are not evacuated from Iran and other parts of the country within a week. All elected representatives of Kargil, including the chairman and members of LAHDC, Kargil, district panchayat coordination committee (DPCC) and municipal committee Kargil (MCK) passed a three-point resolution and sent their charter of demand to Radha Krishna Mathur, the lieutenant governor of Ladakh. The demands include the evacuation of pilgrims from Kargil who have completed their quarantine in Iran and students and other people from the UT stranded in other parts of the country. Besides, permission must be granted to move within Ladakh for stranded passengers and ensure unrestricted supply of essential commodities via the Zojilla Pass, as there have been traffic restrictions on national highways because of the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stepped up his criticism of the World Health Organisation following its support for the reopening of China's 'wet markets' after one in Wuhan was widely identified as the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'It's unfathomable, frankly,' Mr Morrison told the Today show on Tuesday when asked about the WHO's decision. 'We need to protect the world against potential sources of these types of outbreaks. IT's happened too many times,' he said. 'We don't have them in Australia. I'm just puzzled by that decision.' Australia's leaders have repeated criticism of the World Health Organisation after it supported reopening China's wet markets (pictured) 'We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses. It's happened too many times,' Mr Morrison said Last week the United Nations health authority claimed the Chinese markets could be made to sell safe products with increased hygiene practices as they provided important sources of food and income. The WHO has been under attack for its handling of the worldwide coronavirus crisis and has been accused of a pro-China bias. Questions have been raised about its advice early in the crisis, most critically in allowing international travel from China to remain open, thus spreading the disease across the world. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom had praised China for its 'transparency' and handling of the outbreak after travelling to the country in January. People wearing protective face masks shop at a chicken stall at a 'wet market' in Shanghai on February 13, 2020 According to Johns Hopkins University at least 1,919,000 people have been infected and there have been at least 119,000 deaths from COVID-19 across the globe while at least 458,000 people have recovered. In Australia, politicians from both sides of parliament have condemned the WHO's stance and called for strict international regulations. 'Australia and the world will be looking to organisations like the WHO to ensure lessons are learned from the devastating coronavirus outbreak,' Mr Morrison said on Monday. 'There must be transparency in understanding how it began in Wuhan and how it was transmitted. We also need to fully understand and protect against the global health threat posed by places like wet markets.' Mr Morrison told The Australian. The virus is understood to have originated from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. The Chinese 'wet markets' are notorious for keeping wild animals in inhumane cages, with the animals then slaughtered at the market. One theory is that the disease was transferred to humans from bats, or possibly through another animal such as a pangolin, which are highly trafficked. Both sides of parliament have been critical of the WHO with Labor MP Peter Khalil saying 'wet markets' must be shut down unless they can be proven to be safe. Signs for various beef, pork and poultry products are displayed at stalls as chest refrigerators stand at the Baishazhou wet market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Monday, April 6, 2020 'Unless they can demonstrate that the regulations, the health and safety measures, are so strict that they can completely cut off the risk factors, they're going to have to shut them down,' he said. 'It's happened with SARS. It's happened with avian influenza. It's happened with COVID-19. Next time it might be an even worse virus.' The SARS virus, which is very similar to COVID-19, is understood to have also originated in China, however, the virus was contained in 2003 with a comparatively small infection rate. People wearing face masks in a wet market as residents in Mei Foo district in China on February 2 2020 World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2020, ahead of their meeting to discuss how to curb the spread of a new pneumonia-causing coronavirus Liberal MP Andrew Hastie previoulsy told Daily Mail Australia the WHO had not been proactive enough in acting to stop the global health threat. He said organisations like the WHO need to act quickly to ensure an outbreak like this does not happen again. 'The WHO has been glacially slow in its decision-making,' Mr Hastie said. '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.' Governor increases restrictions for Cancun, Riviera Maya residents Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R. The governor of Quintana Roo has announced tighter restrictions for residents. The announcement came one day after several incidences of groups of people being removed from public places in violation of the states stay-at-home policy. In a public address, state governor Carlos Joaquin says rules will be tightened to protect the population from the spread of Coronavirus, mentioning that while many are abiding by the stay-at-home rules, others are not and are compromising their health and that of their families. He says that he has been in communication with experts to make the best decisions. With the arrival of the massive spread phase of the epidemic, it is necessary to apply more severe measures to save lives. The governor said that he has made the firm decision to extreme social distancing, intensify hygiene measures, decrease vehicular traffic and restrict the mobility of people in cities. With regard to the restriction of personal mobility, only those who carry out essential activities, need to attend to health circumstances or go to stock up on products for the family, will be allowed to travel. Those who are traveling will be expected to buy food and supplies in stores closest to their homes. Vehicle and pedestrian closures will be implemented on main avenues and streets through the installation of filters to limit internal mobility and travel between municipalities. Patrols and official vehicles will be exhorting the population to return to their homes so that they remain at home, he said adding that no meetings or congregations will be allowed. All businesses deemed non-essential will be closed by officials. Personnel in businesses that remain open will be required to wear face masks. If they do not comply, they will be closed and sanctioned. Next week, he will announce additional restrictions including the compulsory use of face masks to move around the streets, noting that Quintana Roo Police will be delivering mouth masks to help the population. Newsfrom Japan Tokyo, April 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's House of Representatives started talks on Tuesday on pension system reform-related bills, which include a plan to expand the scope of part-time workers who can join the "kosei nenkin" public pension program mainly for corporate workers. In the presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Lower House started deliberating on the bills at a plenary session on the same day. Under the bills, the government will gradually expand the scope of part-time workers and other short-term workers covered in the pension program. Those working at companies with 51 or more employees will be subject to the kosei nenkin system from October 2024. Currently, the workforce requirement stands at 501 or more. By expanding the scope of people who can join the pension program on the basis of company size, some 650,000 workers will newly be able to join the kosei nenkin program. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] [April 14, 2020] Bithumb Korea's 2019 Net Income - 37.2 Billion KRW In 2019, Turnaround Focused on 'Customer Oriented Management' SEOUL, South Korea, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bithumb Korea ("Company"), a company operating virtual asset exchange, Bithumb, reported strong 2019 results - 144.6 billion KRW in revenue, 67.7 billion KRW in operating income, and 37.2 billion KRW in net income. The Company successfully returned to profitability after 1 year, initially posting a net loss of 205.7 billion KRW in 2018. Since 2018, Jae Won Choi, CEO of Bithumb Korea, escalated customer experience to the top of the Company's agenda, and focused on enhancing the user interface (UI) on the trading platform and continually improving communication with customers. While retaining the existing customers, the Company expanded the customer base by initiating collaboration efforts, including co-marketing, with partners from diverse industries such as e-commerce, finance. Concurrently, the Company improved internal productivity by reinvesting funds into the core IT infrastructure, enhancing dev and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) capabilities, and undergoing headcount and organizational restructuring. In Q1 2020, the Company continued outplacement and additional restructuring efforts, thereby continuing the drive to reduce operational expenses. In line with the internal changes, the trading fee policy was amended to be incurred solely in KRW, compared to both KRW and virtual assets prior to the change. The new fee policy minimizes pricing risk of the Company's underlying assets, improves convenience for trading, an increases accounting transparency. In 2018, the virtual asset industry underwent a cyclical slump in trading activity, resulting in contracted revenue for the Company, from 2017's peak of 391.6 billion KRW to 144.6 billion KRW, and operational income from 265.1 billion KRW to 67.7 billion KRW. Considering the bull market in early 2018, and in particular, January 2018's trade volume accounted for half of the 2018's annual revenue, it is difficult to fairly assess the performance between 2018 and 2019. The "crypto winter" continued into 2019 placing pressure on the entire industry, but the Company made necessary adjustments, resulting in relatively strong results. Core Business Strategy for 2020 In 2020, Bithumb Korea seeks to emerge as a 'Global Comprehensive Digital Finance Platform Company' and earn widespread recognition as a blockchain-based, innovation leader. The Company is working closely with local regulators to receive an official license from the Korean government by fulfilling all requirements in anticipation of the upcoming regulations and strengthening customer service infrastructure. The Company is committed to becoming the leading company within the blockchain and virtual asset industry, and advancing the overall infrastructure. Bithumb's R&D research center is drilling in on research for blockchain, big data, and cryptography. In addition, the Company is collaborating with Korea University's Blockchain Security Research Center, as well as other specialized research institutions for work on groundbreaking technology. The Company will expand into decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized applications (DApp) and other blockchain-based products to revitalize the domestic virtual asset industry. Continuing with the "Customer Oriented Management" initiative, the Company is dedicated to improving the service infrastructure for the customers. The Company recently released a professional trading app for optimized virtual asset trading, thereby providing a wider selection of platforms for users' convenience. Bithumb Korea aims to maintain its position of having the highest trade volume amongst domestic exchanges, and develop into a leading, global exchange. By participating in the Distributed ID (DID) Alliance, customers will benefit with streamlined ID authentication process and reinforced personal data protection. Also, the Company plans to upgrade capacity for the industry leading customer service centers and establish training programs for customers, thereby rounding out the comprehensive initiative set by the Company. As an industry leader, the Company is preemptively planning for new regulations. In March, the 'Act on Reporting and Use of Specific Financial Transaction Information' was passed by the South Korean National Assembly that will provide a framework for virtual asset exchange licensing. The Company is committed to complying with local regulation, and expanding beyond the domestic market into the global market as a leading, innovative exchange. To comply with the anticipated local regulation, the Company established an industry first, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Center, and integrating Know Your Customer (KYC), Fraud Detection System (FDS), and a host of additional solutions and upgrades. - End - View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bithumb-koreas-2019-net-income---37-2-billion-krw-301038740.html SOURCE Bithumb Korea [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A woman died Thursday in circumstances police believe are suspicious and her boyfriend has been arrested on suspicion of violating a restraining order, Livermore police said Monday. Corina Lee, 47, of San Jose, died around 3 a.m. in a hospital about three hours after police responded to the hospital Thursday. Police said Lee's boyfriend Jacob Krzemski, 38, of Santa Cruz, had called them about his girlfriend who apparently had a bike injury. Police said Krzemski has a restraining order against him that is supposed to keep him from seeing Lee, but apparently the two were living together in Livermore. Krzemski was arrested later Thursday morning on suspicion of violating the restraining order and for an arrest warrant from Santa Cruz. Police said autopsy results are pending in Lee's death. Despite calls from activists and city supervisors to house homeless people of all ages in hotel rooms after nearly 100 at a San Francisco homeless shelter were found to be infected, city officials on Monday defended their plan to only house those who qualify. So far, the city has secured 2,082 hotel rooms across 13 hotels and has already placed some 750 people in rooms. More hotel rooms will be secured on a rolling basis, according to city officials. The city has maintained the rooms will go to homeless people in the shelter system and to single-room occupancy hotel residents who either have tested positive for COVID-19 or may have been exposed; homeless people who are over 60 or have underlying health conditions, regardless if they're living in shelters or on the streets; and first responders who need to quarantine. Advocates for the homeless and city supervisors, however, have called on the city to place some 8,000 homeless people in vacant hotel rooms, whether or not they're in the shelter system or are part of a vulnerable population. However, Mayor London Breed has cited staffing as the biggest challenge in securing hotel rooms for the city's thousands of homeless residents, many of whom have addiction or mental health needs. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, who has been sick with pneumonia and in an intensive care unit since last month, was moved out of intensive care Monday, his office and sons announced. "Our Dad is a fighter, he has made good progress," the congressman's sons Tristan and Tucker said in a statement. They said their father will continue to get care in the hospital to help him recover from pneumonia. But "his path ahead is especially complicated given the daily dangers from the coronavirus," his sons said. The congressman does not have the virus. His sons thanked people from the community who have sent their heartfelt concerns and well-wishes. Those things have kept their father going, they said. They're hoping the community will continue to support their father as he heals. Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase on Monday issued an order requiring people to wear a facial covering in any enclosed space or indoor facility, except their home, including grocery stores during the COVID-19 pandemic. The order, which last week was just guidance, will take effect Friday. The order also requires wearing a facial covering outdoors if social distancing is fewer than six feet. Employers in essential businesses are required to see that their employees, if they're not working from home, are following the order. Exceptions to the order include driving alone or with household members in a vehicle unless the windows are lowered to speak to a first responder or other service worker, including those at drive-through windows. The facial coverings should not be placed on a child less than two years old or any person who is unable to move fast without assistance. Licensed health care facilities in Alameda County will have to screen all staff and visitors for high temperatures and they all must wear masks under a new health order that goes into effect on Tuesday to try to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, county health officials said. The order by county health officer Dr. Erica Pan applies to long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living settings and agencies in the county. The order is similar to one issued Monday by Contra Costa County health officer Dr. Chris Farnitano and follows up on Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement on Friday that he is taking steps to protect residents and employees of the state's nursing home and residential care facilities. "People living and working in congregate settings, like skilled care and residential care facilities, are at increased risk of infection because COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact with one another," Pan said in a statement. "Due to underlying health conditions and age, the residents face higher risk of serious health consequences, including hospitalization and life-threatening illness," Pan said. Two people were injured in a Monday afternoon freeway shooting in Oakland, according to the California Highway Patrol. The shooting was first reported at 3:33 p.m. on northbound I-880 just south of 23rd Street, the CHP said. The victims were in a gray Honda Accord when a white Jeep Cherokee with white temporary license plates shot at their vehicle and fled. Both victims suffered moderate gunshot wounds in what the CHP believes was a targeted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at (707) 917-4491. A man who was injured in a vehicle-to-vehicle shooting suffered a gunshot wound to the head, but was able to drive to his home and call for help before being airlifted to a hospital late Monday night, according to Brentwood police. The shooting was reported at about 10:25 p.m. at the intersection of Balfour Road and Griffith Lane, according to Lt. Mark Louwerens. A dark-colored sedan pulled up to the victim's vehicle and fired several rounds, striking him multiple times. Emergency crews were able to meet the victim, only identified as a white man in his 50s, at his residence on Cashew Place, per East Contra Costa Fire Protection District officials. They offered medical aid until he was transported via air ambulance from Orchard Park to John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek. Louwerens said the victim is in critical condition early Tuesday morning. The shooting is under investigation. Tuesday will be sunny. Highs will be in the 60s to mid 70s. Northeast winds will be around 5 mph, before becoming northwest winds in the afternoon. Tuesday night will be mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Lows will be in the lower 50s. Southwest winds will be 5 to 10 mph. Wednesday will be partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming sunny. Highs will be in the 50s to upper 60s. Southwest winds will be 5 to 10 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. EFG Hermes, the leading financial services corporation in Frontier Emerging Markets (FEM), said it has successfully closed Premium International for Credit Services second issuance worth E172 million ($11 million) securitisation transaction. This comes as part of the E2 billion ($162 million), two-year securitisation programme, following the programs first issuance worth E167 million, which is the first short term securitization transaction in Egypt, under the new short term debt instrument (STDI) decree no. 172 of 2018. Premium International for Credit Services is the originator which assigned a portfolio of E201 million to EFG Hermes, the Securitization SPV, backed by the portfolios of Premiums customer credit, said the top Egyptian company. The E172 million bond, which consists of a single 10-month tranche, received a Prime 1 Rating, for both issuances, the strongest amongst other Egyptian bond issuances as quoted by Middle East Ratings and Investor Services (MERIS), it stated. Mostafa Gad, the co-head of investment banking at EFG Hermes, said: "Not only was this transaction completed in less than a week after concluding an E2 billion sukuk issuance last week, it also continues a streak of high-profile DCM deals that we have advised and concluded since the Division launched an independent debt capital markets team." "Once again, we have taken advantage of an ever-improving regulatory framework that has added depth to Egyptian capital markets," stated Gad. "Our leadership in initiating deals stemming from newly-introduced laws, rules and regulations is being cemented by the day as we continue our foray into the DCM space across our footprint," he added. EFG Hermes acted as the sole financial advisor, sole transaction manager & book-runner, underwriter and arranger.-TradeArabia News Service A second sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been rushed to the intensive care unit suffering complications from COVID-19. The Navy confirmed that the sailor - who has not been publicly named - was admitted to the ICU at Naval Hospital Guam on Tuesday due to a shortness of breath. The announcement comes just one day after another sailor, who was taken to the ICU over the weekend, died from the contagious virus. Three other USS Roosevelt crew members who are suffering from the coronavirus are also in hospital but remain on general wards. A second sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been rushed to the intensive care unit at Naval Hospital Guam (pictured) suffering complications from COVID-19 The USS Roosevelt is docked in Guam. 589 crew members have tested positive to COVID-19, four of whom are currently in hospital. On Monday, the Roosevelt suffered its first coronavirus fatality, when an unidentified sailor died from the virus Nearly 600 crew members from USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive to COVID-19 since initial cases were confirmed on March 24. It's believed sailors originally picked up the virus during a port call in Da Nang, Vietnam on March 5. The ship was thrust into the international spotlight when its captain, Brett Crozier, was relieved of his command by the Navy on April 2 after he sounded the alarm over the outbreak on board his ship. Crozier had sent a letter to Navy bosses pleading to let his sailors off the carrier, fearing that up to 50 of his 4,800 strong crew could die from the virus. Despite firing Crozier for breaking the chain of command, the Navy conceded to his demands for mass testing and a wide scale evacuation of the ship. As of Tuesday, 93 per cent of crew members have been tested for COVID-19. 589 crew (around 12 per cent) returned a positive result,according to Military Times. The ship was thrust into the international spotlight when its captain Brett Crozier (pictured) was relieved of his command by the Navy on April 2 after he sounded the alarm over the outbreak on board his ship As of Tuesday, 93% of crew members have been tested for COVID-19. 589 crew (around 12%) returned a positive result,according to Military Times Meanwhile, more than 4,000 sailors from the vessel have been moved ashore and are quarantining at 10 different hotels on the island. Some locals in Guam have become worried that their presence in the hotels could cause a massive outbreak in the area. Not including the sailors, Guam has 133 confirmed coronavirus cases and five deaths as of Saturday. 'I know there will be a small chorus of cynics who will oppose this decision, but now is not the time for "us versus them,"' Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero told reporters April 1. 'We can protect Guam while being humane to them.' Guam's hotels frequently host military members, and the Department of Defense controls about a third of the island, which is 3,800 miles (6,115 kilometers) west of Honolulu and a crucial, strategic hub for U.S. forces in the Pacific. A man, who identified himself as a crew member, exercises out on the balcony of a room at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, in Tumon, Guam on Thursday The quarantine measures come after a huge shake-up in the Navy. After four consecutive days of rebuttals from his superiors, on March 30, Crozier took matters into his own hands and composed an unclassified email to 20 Navy personnel in the Pacific, disclosing the desperate situation on board and asking for their help. Insisting in the message that 'Sailors don't need to die', friends of Crozier told the New York Times the 30-year veteran would have known sending the email would likely end his career, but he persevered regardless. Crozier was controversially fired by acting Navy secretary Thomas B. Modly after the email leaked. Modly, meanwhile, has resigned as acting secretary. According to officials, he decided to oust the captain because he thought it was what President Trump would want. The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is seen while entering into the port in Da Nang, Vietnam, March 5. It's believed this is where the first infection occurred Officials told the Times Modly was hoping to avoid a confrontation with the Commander in Chief and avoid the same fate of his predecessor, but the self-serving motion was miscalculated and he was forced to step down. The Navy has conducted an investigation into the incident, the results of which are expected to be released sometime this week. Crozier was first made aware of an outbreak aboard the Roosevelt on March 24, when three sailors in the reactor department - operating the ship's nuclear reactors - tested positive for the virus. The three men were extracted from the ship by helicopter and flown to a Navy hospital in Guam. Two days later the ship docked in Guam and tests were conducted on the entire crew. It was during this time that Crozier began feuding with his superior on board the ship, Rear Admiral Stuart P. Baker. Crozier was controversially fired by acting Navy secretary Thomas B. Modly (pictured) after the email leaked. Modly, meanwhile, has resigned after receiving blowback about his actions In this photo taken April 7 2020, provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors and staff assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt listen as Vice Adm. William Merz, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, answers questions during a visit to the ship at Naval Base Guam Crozier believed it was necessary to evacuate the majority of those onboard, except for 400 members of the crew, quarantine them and have them tested while the ship was subject to a deep-clean. But Baker disagreed, and back in Washington Modly and other members of the Navy high command sought alternative options. Baker believed an evacuation was too drastic and Modly expressed concern that Guam could not house the carrier's crew even if they did. Instead, the Navy suggested sending the Roosevelt to Okinawa, Japan, or San Diego instead. They also suggested leaving 4,000 on board the ship and allowing 1000 to disembark. While his superiors meandered, COVID-19 cases aboard the ship continued to increase and Captain Crozier began composing a four-page letter to sent via email. Titled 'REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC', Crozier wrote: 'There are two end states T.R. could achieve...We go to war with the force we have and fight sick,' in which case he said 'there will be losses to the virus.' Alternatively, the Times reported, Crozier suggested the ship could try to 'achieve a COVID-free T.R.,' with all the necessary evacuation. 'As war is not imminent, we recommend pursuing the peace time end state,' Captain Crozier wrote. The captain showed the letter to a number of senior officers on the ship, who asked to sign the letter in solidarity with him. However, the captain declined, fearing the implication it could have on their careers. The following day, on March 31, Crozier's letter was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, having likely been leaked by one of the email's 20 recipients. Crozier's letter contradicted the Trump administration's claims that the situation aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt was under control. 'It's disappointing to have him say that,' Modly said during a press conference on April 1. 'Were doing everything we can.' Program aims to support families in self-isolation Vernon Hills, IL, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lice Clinics of America (LCA) Northern IL, part of the worlds largest network of professional urgent care head lice treatment centers, announced they are launching a program in collaboration with the national office titled Frontline Heroes, in response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The program focuses on healthcare workers, first responders, and other frontline workers and their families, but also includes special support for all families in the Vernon Hills and Spring Grove areas. As part of this program, all healthcare, first responder, and other frontline workers and their families across the country will be able to get FREE telemedicine support and a FREE head lice topical product Quick Care Kit from Lice Clinics of America. Our community is going through a difficult time right now and were happy to put our resources to work where theyre needed, said Erin Hawn, co-owner of LCA Northern IL. Head lice is always a big deal that causes a lot of stress and worries, but even more so when we feel trapped in our home. Lice dont care if theres a worldwide pandemic. By providing free lice care and other resources for the people on the frontlines of this crisis, they will be better prepared to help their kids and families at home and have one less thing to worry about. The secret to LCAs success is its revolutionary technology, the AirAlle, an FDA-cleared medical device proven to kill hatched lice and more than 99 percent of eggs in a single hour-long treatment using heated air. One in four children under 13 years of age get head lice, and that number is growing as traditional over-the-counter lice treatments are increasingly ineffective. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that 98 percent of lice in the United States are now resistant to the pesticides these products use. The immune lice are often referred to as super lice, and families often fail multiple times to eliminate head lice on their own. Story continues For more information on the Schools Without Lice program, please visit www.liceclinicsofamerica.com/educators. # # # About Lice Clinics of America With 330 clinics worldwide in 36 countries, Lice Clinics of America (www.LiceClinicsOfAmerica.com) is the largest network of professional head lice treatment centers in the world. Its patented heated-air device, AirAlle, has effectively performed nearly 650,000 head lice treatments. Lice Clinics of America and AirAlle (www.airalle.com) are brands owned by Larada Sciences, Inc., which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lice Clinics of America Northern IL has two locations: Vernon Hills is located at 10 W Phillip Rd. Suite 123, Vernon Hills, IL 60061, and Spring Grove is located at 2503 Spring Ridge Dr. Suite C1, Spring Grove, IL 60081. Open seven days a week by appointment. Call 224-433-6087 or visit https://liceclinicsnorthernil.com for more information or to schedule an appointment. Lice Clinics of America peatmanbill@gmail.com New Delhi, April 14 : Stanza Living has launched a food distribution drive to supply 5,000 meals to the needy and under-privileged people each week across Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Indore. Joining hands with local police authorities, the company will be providing meals to people stranded due to the lockdown and adversely impacted by scarcity of resources, the shared living company said in a statement. "Stanza Living will be supplying hygienically-prepared meals to areas identified by the authorities, where those most affected by the pandemic like migrant workers and daily wage earners can be supported. It is also reaching out to provide meals to on-ground staff of local bodies, frontline civic workers and more," it said. Sandeep Dalmia, MD and Co-founder, Stanza Living said: "As a responsible corporate, we believe we must leverage our resources to support the community in tough times. Our food distribution drive is a small gesture in this direction to provide relief to the most vulnerable of our people and to those relentlessly working on the ground with limited support." The company has of late also taken up several initiatives aimed at addressing and resolving community-centric challenges in the wake of the pandemic. It has introduced flexible rates for its accommodations for people who are stranded in different cities on account of the lockdown, it said, along with supporting local authorities and government bodies with accommodation spaces that they require for isolation or quarantine purposes. Stanza Living has also set-up an on-going Employee Contingency Fund where employees of the company across more than 10 cities have stepped up to pledge a part of their salaries to the fund, supported by a contribution from the co-founders. The fund will be deployed to support any employee in the unfortunate instance of contracting the novel coronavirus, it said. The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) appointed two advocates for providing legal aid and support to women and children amid the Covid-19 lockdown. According to directions of justice Jaswant Singh, judge, Punjab and Haryana high court and executive chairman of State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, the names of counsels, Anchal Thakur and Manjit Kaur, has been approved for providing of legal aid and support at the One Stop Centre and 181 Women Helpline in Chandigarh, an official statement mentioned. The orders were passed after the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) directed the State Legal Services Authority to provide services to women and children during the lockdown period. The legal aid counsels will co-ordinate with One Stop Centre and officials handling women helpline number to provide requisite legal aid to needy women through telephone or online. In case applications or petitions are required to be filed before the duty magistrate or court, it will be done keeping in view the Supreme Court directions. . Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Patricia Prudente) A study by Journal JAMA Network Open of around 30,000 women shows that "women born by cesarean delivery may have a higher risk than women born by vaginal delivery of being obese and developing type 2 diabetes during adult life." Findings show that those born via the caesarian section are 11 percent more likely to become obese and have a 46 percent higher chance of becoming diabetic than those who were born via vaginal delivery. Professor of obstetrics at Kings College London, Andrew Shennan, said that pregnant women should not be afraid to deliver via the cesarean section when needed. Nevertheless, it would be wise to consider the effects that it could have on their baby in the future. There were previous studies done proving that children who were born via the C-section had an increased risk of developing childhood obesity. However, this current study is the first to show how C-section affected obesity later in life. The subjects were women born in the years 1946 to 1964. The authors also added that this was the first study to link cesarean delivery and type 2 diabetes. Increasing Number of Babies Being Born Via C-Section A study by Lancet showed that the number of live births via the c-section had been increasing from about 6 million in 2000 to 29.7 million in 2015. One in five babies is being born by caesarian section globally, showing that it is the most common inpatient surgical procedure and accounting for about one-third of births in the US. There are times that delivery by caesarian section is necessary, especially if either the mother or the baby's life is at stake. However, many studies have shown that this surgical procedure is being done to low-risk pregnancies too. The difference in the microbiota An associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology and study author, Jorge Chavarro, said that there is still not enough evidence on how being born via a caesarian section affects the child's health. Nevertheless, there was "growing evidence" on how the baby's gut bacteria or microbiome is affected by the way they were delivered. The study also showed that babies born through caesarian section have less diverse microbiota or gut than those who passed through the vagina. Typically delivered babies are found to have ingested vaginal bacteria as they cross the birth canal. In contrast, c-section babies have shown to get more bacteria from the environment and have fewer microbes that could protect them against obesity. However, researchers noted that the differences in the gut bacteria were only seen in infants and younger children, and no evidence shows that this is the same until adulthood. They also excluded other factors such as the body mass index (BMI), the age, or whether they were breastfed or not, so the results were solely based on the way they were delivered. Finally, the authors said that even though they had the largest sample size and longest period of followup for the correlation of type 2 diabetes and caesarian delivery, more research is still needed. Hong Kong: CE refutes interference claims (To watch the full media briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.) Chief Executive Carrie Lam today rejected claims that the Central Government has interfered in Hong Kongs affairs and emphasised that having a high degree of autonomy doesnt mean Central authorities have given up powers related to Hong Kong. Mrs Lam made the statement when she briefed the media this evening on the latest batch of relief measures to assist individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. She responded to a reporter's question concerning criticism by the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region that some legislators could be guilty of misconduct in public office for holding up bills in the Legislative Council by filibustering and delaying the election of a new chairman of the House Committee. I want to refute, categorically, any accusation that such comments made by the two offices constitute interference, especially when some critics refer to Basic Law Article 22. I see no grounds for that sort of accusation. So when they see this very bizarre situation, when the Legislative Council is almost malfunctioning because the House Committee has not been able to elect a chairman for over six months, I find it only legitimate for them to express their concern. If you look at it from a governance perspective, the Legislative Council has very clear functions under the Basic Law, including the making of legislation, receiving of complaints from the people of Hong Kong and debate on the Chief Executives Policy Address. Many of these functions have not been discharged since October last year because of the way that someone has handled the election of the House Committee Chairman and this has gone on for six months. So this is really unacceptable. That means it will certainly affect the things that we want to do, which we are doing for the people of Hong Kong. Mrs Lam noted that just because Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy does not mean that Central authorities have given up powers concerning Hong Kong's affairs. One has to fully understand that under one country, two systems, yes, through the system and through the Basic Law, the Central authorities have given Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, but that doesnt mean that the Central Government has given up its power and authority on Hong Kong affairs. The Central Government has always been very supportive of the Hong Kong SAR Governments work in terms of improving livelihood and also promoting Hong Kongs economic development. The Chief Executive expressed disappointment that some lawmakers are holding up Legcos work at a time when the Government is trying to devote efforts to combat COVID-19, including the latest package of measures to help individuals and businesses tide over financial difficulties during the epidemic. It is for all to see that after a period of malfunctioning, a lot of government business, especially in legislation, has been held up by the House Committee not having its proper function and operation for so long. Much of the legislation has a direct impact on Hong Kongs economic development and the livelihood of the people. So this is a very unfortunate event and a very undesirable phenomenon which we should all try to rectify as soon as possible. The $137.5 billion funding for the relief measures will be sought from the Legislative Council Finance Committee at its meeting on April 17. Mrs Lam called on people to put aside their differences to combat the epidemic. I would say that the Hong Kong SAR Government would have a much easier life in this anti-epidemic work if we have more cohesiveness in society - more unity, more solidarity, putting aside our political differences for the time being - in order to help Hong Kong to go out of this epidemic as soon as possible. This story has been published on: 2020-04-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:15:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YINCHUAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Matthew Lawrence Mears, 39, has led an even more fulfilled and balanced life since he and his wife followed expert advice to stay at home in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Mears spends hours teaching English on his balcony every day. He sings and dances to interact with his students on the screen, while his wife, Feng Yanan, is busy with housework. He corrects the pronunciation of his students and plays games with them via video calls. "Life would not bore us at all," he said. Mears is from a small town not far from London. After obtaining a master's degree in children's education at the University of Manchester, he came to teach in China, where he met Feng who was also dedicated to English teaching. In 2017, the couple moved to Yinchuan and established a children's English training school. The Mears have ever since built up a talent pool of teachers from China, Germany, the Philippines and South Africa. Due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, schools in China including commercial training agencies had to suspend their classroom teaching activities. The couple had no other choice but to stay at home while paying close attention to Wuhan's epidemic situation and China's control measures. "I wanted to do something for the people in Wuhan," said Mears, who called himself "a son-in-law of China" and also "a member of a big Chinese family." The couple decided to take their teaching online. Every time a student finished his or her homework and shared it in the school's WeChat group, the couple would donate 2 yuan (about 28 U.S. cents) for the virus fight in Wuhan on behalf of the school. "We got our children to be part of this thing. And that's the way of getting children to understand the importance of helping people in a difficult time," he said. By the end of February, the school had donated several batches of medical supplies including face masks and protective suits worth 20,000 yuan to Wuhan Union Hospital. Together with the donation went a letter written in both Chinese and English by the Mears, extending their regards, thanks and encouragement to medical staff on the front line. Nikki Li, a school teacher who is from Wuhan, has a sister who works in the hospital. The sisters have been in charge of the donation throughout the whole process. "The Mears, instead of being my bosses and colleagues, are more like friends and family to me," Li said. "I was especially touched when I read their letter to Wuhan. They highlighted the words 'Go, Wuhan!' to cheer the medics up." When the epidemic broke out, Mears and Feng bought masks using their own savings and organized school teachers to give them out to people on the streets. "Many of our foreign teachers had a really hard time during the coronavirus because they can't get out of their home and some of them don't really enjoy cooking too much," he said. Feng is a good cook, and she came up with the idea of making some home-cooked food and deliver it to them. To maintain both physical and mental strength, the couple did a lot of exercise and reading at home. "While you're isolated, it's very important to stay positive," Mears said. As COVID-19 has become a global issue, Britain has also become a major battlefield in Europe. The couple worried about their family in Britain and made frequent video calls. Mears mailed a batch of masks to his parents in Britain two weeks ago. "Now the virus is spreading very rapidly in my home country, which makes me very worried," said Mears. "Home quarantine is the right thing to do, judging from China's experience." "I think the biggest message that we take home about the coronavirus is not to blame anybody for it. It doesn't matter where the virus started. It's a human problem," Mears said. "We should face these kinds of problems together as a race with solidarity." There is no evidence sunbathers risk spreading coronavirus infection and ministers should 'call off the dogs', a government adviser said today. Prof Robert Dingwall, a sociologist, said there was no problem with enjoying spring weather as long as people obey 'social distancing'. He also criticised the 'all or nothing' strategy being pushed by the government, suggesting it has overplayed the dangers of transmission outdoors. The comments come with ministers wrangling over how and when to lift the lockdown. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has moved to quash the idea of an imminent loosening, with the UK now facing restrictions until at least May 7. Police were deployed over the Easter weekend to move on sunseekers taking advantage of the good weather in parks and on beaches (pictured, Trafalgar Square on Good Friday) Chief medical officer Chris Whitty (pictured in Downing Street this morning) is chairing a meeting of the government's Scientific Advisory Group on Epidemics (SAGE) later But there is growing alarm about the potential death toll from putting UK plc on hold, with life expectancy set to take a major hit. Doctors have also warned that suspending all non-urgent NHS operations to focus on coronavirus cases means more cancer and heart disease patients will die. The Cabinet is divided between 'hawks' and 'doves' over whether to push to ease the lockdown soon, with some saying the public is obeying social distancing too well and must be urged to keep working where possible. But concerns have been raised that it is impossible to lift the curbs at the moment anyway because the public is so strongly in favour of them staying in place, and would simply refuse to go back to normal. The government's Scientific Advisory Group on Epidemics (SAGE) is meeting later to consider the latest evidence and try to thrash out a consensus, although it will not make a recommendation until later in the week. Police were deployed over the Easter weekend to move on sunseekers taking advantage of the good weather in parks and on beaches. But Prof Dingwall - who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), which feeds into SAGE - told the Telegraph: 'If it was entirely down to me, I would be calling the dogs off. 'I don't think it is appropriate to harass sunbathers. It is an indictment of the political and scientific elite that they are not recognising that people living in flats and social housing do not have an alternative to going to parks.' Peter Openshaw said last week he thought it was 'fair enough thing' for people to catch some rays, as they damage the genetic material of the deadly pathogen. He said he had seen no evidence at Nervtag that there is a major threat of coronavirus transmissions outdoors. 'The probability, for example, of transmission from a jogger running past you is zero,' he said. Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, voiced similar views last week, saying it is a 'fair enough thing' for people to catch some rays. Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, he said: 'It mustn't seem irrational or punitive. 'It's very important that people understand when they are following the science and they are doing things which are not going to promote infection. 'But I can't personally see what is wrong with sitting down and taking a bit of sun. 'Sun is very bad for this virus, it damages its genetic material, so that seems a fair enough thing for me.' Women and children fell to the ground, bloodied and trampled in a desperate surge for food being handed out in a Nairobi slum, as police fired teargas and men with sticks beat the hungry. As African countries grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, observers warn that the traumatic scenes which played out last Friday will not be the last if governments fail to help millions of urban poor who live hand-to-mouth. "I give them (the government) one to two weeks before things get worse. Not in terms of coronavirus, but in terms of hunger," said Kennedy Odede, who runs Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO), a grassroots movement which works in the Nairobi slum Kibera and other informal settlements in Kenya. "If it continues like this, we might be playing with fire." Kenya has so far cordoned off the capital and parts of its coastline and imposed a night-time curfew and other social distancing measures. Many of these restrictions are having a wrenching impact, causing loss of jobs among the poor, said Odede. While President Uhuru Kenyatta has wielded the threat of a full lockdown to get citizens to comply with the rules, officials admit it is an agonising choice, especially as 60 percent of Nairobi's residents live in slums. "Locking up people in the slums will be the last option. A lot needs to be done before that," a high-ranking security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. - 'Unenforceable and unsustainable' - The coronavirus arrived late in Africa, but is slowly taking hold with over 15,000 cases and 800 deaths across the continent. While much of the developed world waited weeks to begin taking action, countries in Africa rapidly shut borders and banned mass gatherings. Mauritius, Rwanda and Tunisia were the first to impose full lockdowns -- with Mauritius going so far as to shut supermarkets and bakeries for 10 days. South Africa is the biggest economy on the continent to completely confine its citizens, while Nigeria imposed lockdowns on Lagos -- the continent's largest city -- and its capital Abuja, which on Monday were extended for another two weeks. Both have millions of people packed tightly in urban slums. "The inevitable reaction has been to follow what the rest of the world is doing," said Jakkie Cilliers at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), who has called for Africans to come up with a "unique solution" to stave off the virus. "A lockdown is unenforceable and unsustainable across much of Africa. You are trying to do something that is not possible and you are condemning people to a choice between starving and getting sick. "It's not possible for 10 people living in a tin shack... to not go outside for three weeks." - 'Make ends meet' - In sub-Saharan Africa, Liberia and Zimbabwe have also imposed full lockdowns. However most nations across the continent have stopped short of forcing all of their citizens to stay indoors. Madagascar and Ghana have completely locked down selected regions and towns, while Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger have imposed states of emergency and night-time curfews. Like Kenya, Benin has cordoned off key cities -- preventing movement in and out -- while the capitals of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger are also cut off. Ethiopia, with a population of over 100 million, has closed borders and schools and discouraged large gatherings, but has yet to restrict citizens' movement. "We can't impose a lockdown like more developed nations, as there are many citizens who don't have homes," said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "Even those who have homes have to make ends meet daily." On the other end of the spectrum are Burundi and Tanzania, where life largely continues as normal and whose governments have so far downplayed the dangers of the epidemic. "Coronavirus should not be a reason to destroy our economy at all," said Tanzanian President John Magufuli. - 'Ineffective and unproductive' - Experts agree that for the different levels of confinement to work in Africa, significant state support is needed -- a challenge in a continent where many countries are already heavily reliant on donor aid. Kenya has lowered taxes and is delivering free water to slums, Senegal's government is paying electricity bills and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged landlords to let people live rent-free until the crisis is over. However political commentator Rachel Strohm said such measures mainly benefit people "in the formal sector". In Lagos, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa and elsewhere, governments are distributing food, however often only to a "fraction of the vulnerable", said Strohm. She argued that many of the measures taken are "ineffective and unproductive" -- curfews on top of transport restrictions create greater crowds as citizens rush to get home in time, and thus enhance the risk of infection. Strohm and Odede back the idea of direct money transfers to citizens -- especially to avoid the inequality and chaos of food distribution. Foreign donors -- battling their own virus-induced economic crises -- will need to step in, they say. Cilliers argued you need to try and "get the maximum economic activity going so people can survive, but try to keep opportunities for infection limited." Another solution to avoid complete lockdowns and economic collapse is mass testing, with South Africa so far the only country seeking this approach. But only around 70,000 tests have been conducted so far, a level that is still "way too low", Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has admitted. The majority of countries are still only able to do limited testing. Meanwhile, ever-stricter measures across the continent have led to a rise in police violence as authorities struggle to get desperate citizens to comply. "I think we will continue to see excesses and relatively substantive brutality," said Cilliers. burs-fb/np/ri The Kibera slum in Nairobi. Coronavirus lockdowns will have a devastating impact on Africa's urban poor, say experts Empty: The bus station in the Rwandan capital Kigali after the government imposed a travel ban A group of reclaimers -- people who pick up and sell recyclable rubbish -- cook food at the Bekezela slum in Johannesburg. Most people here are depending on food donations to survive during the country's lockdown Children wait in line for water, distributed for free in the Nairobi slum of Kibera last week. Health experts say close queueing breaks the rule of social distancing to prevent virus infection A policeman in the Ugandan capital Kampala beats an orange hawker for defying stay-at-home instructions Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 18:33:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man walks past closed shops at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran registered 1,574 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 74,877, according to Iran's health ministry on Tuesday. Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said that 98 new deaths were registered for the past 24 hours. According to Jahanpur, the death toll over novel coronavirus in Iran has hit 4,683 so far. He said that a total of 48,129 have recovered and left hospitals, while 3,691 are still in critical condition. So far, 287,359 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in the country, he added. As a slowdown in the rising of the number of confirmed cases and death toll has been observed, Iran started to ease restrictions on low-risk businesses across the country, except the capital Tehran, on April 11. Iran plans to further lift bans on inter-province travels on April 20. Besides, low-risk businesses in Tehran will resume activities on Saturday. Iran announced the first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. A Florida man has been accused of killing his estranged wife and trying to cover up her disappearance by claiming she was severely ill with the coronavirus. David Anthony, 48, of Jupiter, Florida, was arrested last week on second-degree murder and kidnapping charges after being found by police in Las Cruces, New Mexico. His arrest came after a friend of his wife, 51-year-old Gretchen Anthony, reported receiving strange text messages from the missing woman in March saying she had contracted Covid-19. According to the messages, Mrs Anthony's case was "acute" and meant she was being held by the "CDC" after being checked out at Jupiter Medical Centre, WPEC reported. But police said the woman had not been at a medical centre or made any insurance claims relating to Covid-19 treatments. An investigation turned towards Mr Anthony, who was still married to his wife but the woman filed for divorce on 28 February. Vocabulary used by the husband mirrored that of the coronavirus text messages allegedly sent by Ms Anthony, according to the police report. The report said an officer had also visited Mrs Anthony's home but discovered no one was home. When asking neighbours about any suspicious activity, one person said she heard a "blood-curdling scream" and a woman saying "No. No it hurts" in a location near Mrs Anthony's garage or patio area of her home on 21 March. Another neighbour also told officers they heard a scream that morning and saw what they thought was Mr Anthony's truck outside the home at the time. During a search of the home, a large spot in the garage that appeared to be stained with bleach and towels in the home's washing machine with a "reddish substance" on them that looked like blood were found, police said. "As the investigation progressed and further evidence collected, it is believed David E. Anthony is responsible for her disappearance and related homicide," the Jupiter Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. Mr Anthony was arrested in New Mexico on 31 March, where he's remained until he's extracted to Florida. Ms Anthony's body has yet to be found. T he mother of a young man stabbed to death in south London has said she is still haunted by his unsolved murder as she appealed for justice ahead of the fourth anniversary of his killing. Sandra Graham, a special needs teacher, lost her son Lewis Elwin in a brutal attack on April 18, 2016. Lewis was 20 when he was stabbed in the back in Penwortham Road, Tooting, shortly after 3pm and just yards away from the home of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who attended his funeral. Witnesses said he staggered along the street and collapsed in front of parents with their schoolchildren. He died at the scene despite efforts from medics. Two 19-year-old men were arrested on suspicion of murder in May 2016 and subsequently bailed. Both were later released with no further action. Despite a 20,000 reward, no one has been charged. Mr Elwins widowed mother and five elder siblings had got together at the family home in Southfields just two days before he was killed to warn him he was mixing with the wrong crowd. I dont know what brought us together that day we had tried so many times to meet up as a family but we were all busy. But that day we all managed to make it work. Everyone came away really uplifted, Mrs Graham, 56, said. She had dropped him off at Tooting on that Monday before going on to a medical appointment. She said: Its been four years and I have to think of the same thing over and over again. Its like a flashback to me. I see him getting out of my car every single day. I can see what he is wearing, I can see his face and its like it doesnt disappear. Detective Chief Inspector Mick Norman said: The investigation continues and any fresh evidence will be acted on. Some of Pennsylvanias most populous counties are starting to press Gov. Tom Wolf to allow them to conduct the June 2 primary election entirely by mail amid fears that the coronavirus would pose a threat to poll workers and voters. The top government official in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania's second-most populous, said Monday that holding an in-person election in the midst of the crisis would be a disaster. As of Monday, Pennsylvania had 24,199 positive COVID-19 cases and 524 deaths. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said he wants Wolf to expand an emergency declaration to allow the county to mail ballots to every registered voter and avoid the legal requirement that it open hundreds of polling places staffed by thousands of poll workers. Im very concerned that we can actually operate this and actually function, getting this many people to work the election and in voting places, Fitzgerald said in an interview. Officials in a pair of heavily populated suburban Philadelphia counties, Montgomery and Chester, are also backing the idea of an all-mail election, while Philadelphia is making preparations for it in case Wolf orders it. Asking people to work at polling places and vote there goes against the social-distancing requirements for residents to slow the spread of the virus in Pennsylvania, Fitzgerald said. Wolfs office said Monday that the governor is evaluating options to increase the percentage of voters who vote by mail, which he believes will be important. There are challenges to moving to an all-mail election, including ensuring that voting is accessible to the disabled and that ballots are mailed to the correct addresses, Wolf's office said. Democrats pressed for a provision in legislation last month to require counties to send mail-in ballot applications to every voter, but it lacked support in the Republican-controlled Legislature and didn't pass. Lawmakers did, however, delay the primary election from April 28 to June 2. The state Supreme Court on Monday upheld Wolfs decision to shutter non-life-sustaining businesses based on the states emergency code and the governors police powers. A four-justice opinion said the March 19 shutdown order was tailored to the nature of the coronavirus emergency. Under the new plan, the Census Bureau would reactivate field offices in June and extend the window for data collection from mid-August to Oct. 31. It would also extend by four months the deadline for delivering apportionment counts to the president to April 30, 2021, and the deadline for delivering redistricting data to states to July 31, 2021. 14.04.2020 LISTEN Gospel musician and actor Atta Patrick has asked Ghanaian gospel musicians to practice what they preach in their songs. Speaking from Holland, he said people often get disappointed with the lifestyle of gospel musicians due to credibility crisis most artistes have suffered by their public actions. He said considering the hard time Ghanaians and the world are going through, gospel musicians would have been the best mentor to others, but because they don't practice what they preach they have lost it. "Arrogance, Adultery and other social vices have been like a curse on most Gospel musicians which has messed up their influence, Mr Patrick emphasised. Screenshot captures moment when not one plane flew over the UK THE coronavirus effect has meant clearer skies with fewer aircraft. Paul McTaggart, from near Winchester, likes to track air traffic around the world as a hobby. He sent us this picture, taken at 11.45pm on Bank Holiday Monday. "I was shocked last night to see this over the UK. "I took the screenshot on my iPhone off the flightradar24 app. There was not one aircraft in the skies over the UK apart from a Cargolux Boeing 747 over the North Sea, en route from the US to a European destination. "I have never seen this before." Mr McTaggart said he particularly likes tracking what flies over Newbury because of all the air traffic from RAF Brize Norton. On Sunday he tracked a Government drone flying at 12,000 feet over the English Channel near Dover. He said: "Over the last few weeks I have seen some very nice military aircraft over Newbury from all military countries going about their business. "You would be surprised what is up in our skies now there are no passenger airlines at this time." As soon as American actor Ali Wentworth revealed that she has emerged from her coronavirus self-isolation, her husband and TV host George Stephanopoulos, said that he had tested positive for the virus. The 55-year-old actor shared a video on Instagram of herself walking down the stairs in her home while her family clapped and played 'Survivor' by Destiny's Child. Wentworth wrote in the caption, "Came out of 16 days of isolation. I am grateful for my health. It was a brutal and scary time. But I am one of the lucky ones. And as I continue to recover I am struck by what has become the dehumanization of this plague. People are dying. People are suffering. People are hungry. People are scared." She encouraged fans to take "each other's hands and move together united." She continued: "We can isolate to help others, particularly the incredible health workers and all the courageous and selfless people on the frontlines, but that does not mean we should isolate our hearts. (I know my daughters are screaming that this is so cringeworthy) Grateful to be back to everything except laundry and dishes..." However, Wentworth wasn't the only one in the household to contract the virus as 59-year-old Stephanopoulos revealed that he'd also tested positive. According to Fox News, Stephanopoulos revealed his diagnosis on 'Good Morning America' on Monday (local time), disclosing that he didn't experience any symptoms. He said, "I've never had a fever, never had chills, never had a headache, never had a cough, never had shortness of breath. I'm feeling great." The ABC News anchor explained that at first, he did experience back pain one evening and a "diminished sense of smell" several days later, but wasn't sure whether to attribute that to the novel virus. Previously, Stephanopoulos discussed caring for his wife on 'Good Morning America,' and he also explained that he was careful to wear gloves and wipe down anything he touched after caring for Wentworth. Stephanopoulos said at the time, "Usually she takes care of us 24 hours a day and now we're doing our best to take care of her. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a time when there are not enough coronavirus tests to meet demand in hospitals across the United States, those who can afford it and have the right connections can still get tested. In the Los Angeles area, at least two so-called "concierge doctors" tested hundreds of people, or provided them tests to take home, for between $250 and $600 per test. The Medical Board of California is "aware of some doctors doing this" and is looking into the allegations, spokeswoman Veronica Harms told CNN. "If we are made aware of any of our licensees engaging in such activities, whether it be a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, etc., we will investigate the situation and take appropriate action," Harms said in a statement. The US Food and Drug Administration did not provide immediate answers to CNN's questions about the legality of selling tests or letting patients take tests home for later use. Dr. Arthur Caplan, founder of the New York University School of Medicine's division of medical ethics, said no laws or regulations were necessarily violated, but the practice lays bare the vast inequality in the American health care system. Describing it as "one of the grossest scandals of America that class drives access to resources in an epidemic," he said state and federal resources haven't properly been put into action. "It's a system failure. It would also be nice if somebody in Washington (DC) had said, 'Here's how we're going to fairly distribute tests, ventilators, protective gear,' instead of left it up to the market," he said. Doctor did nothing wrong, he says Long before the novel coronavirus pandemic, Caplan said, there were people who were poor, didn't have insurance or had enormous co-pays for their insurance, "but now, people with insurance, people who are middle-class, they find themselves wondering, 'I wonder if the rich are gonna push me aside?' And the answer is: Yes, they can." Where government is supposed to be accountable to the people, "the free market, the invisible hand, doesn't care who it kills, has no ethics," he said. Dr. Jay Gordon, a Santa Monica pediatrician, insists he did nothing wrong by giving his patients tests to take home. In fact, he said, he believes he increased demand -- and thus production -- by selling tests to well-heeled patients. "It's not that I took tests away from people because the tests weren't available to them," the doctor told CNN. He doesn't know how many tests he sold -- at least 300 but maybe as many as 500 -- for $250 a pop, he said. The first 100 sold in 10 minutes, Gordon said. He's donating the profits to charity, he said. "Use them if you have symptoms or if you have a problematic exposure," Gordon said he told his patients. He further advised them to hold on to them and not to use them right away, he said. $50 test, $600 bill Dr. David Nazarian is a primary care physician who has a "concierge" practice in Beverly Hills offering "boutique" or "executive" health care to his patients. "We try to provide the best care that we can. It's more of a one-on-one experience where we're there for patients when they need us," Nazarian said. In February, when the coronavirus outbreak began making headlines, Nazarian contacted test manufacturers LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics to order Covid-19 test kits for his patients as part of his practice's role in anticipating "certain factors that may impact health care," he said. "It's no different than how I approach medical advances and leading technology on the market, so that's why we had test kits where some other places maybe had difficulty finding them." He administers the tests only to patients who fit federal health officials' criteria for testing, he said. Patients are billed $50 for the actual test, which he performs only after an initial consultation, which costs between $300 and $400. He then creates new charts for the patients and schedules follow-up visits once the test results arrive. The total bill, once the results are in, is about $600, he said. States take action amid shortages This all comes as governors across the country are pleading for more test kits for potential Covid-19 patients. "We have a desperate need for the testing kits," said Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, the site of the first deadly hotspot once the virus arrived in the United States. In addition, one of the nation's largest commercial labs has faced a backlog of tests that has delayed results in some cases for up to 10 days. Meanwhile, health officials on both coasts have asked physicians to prioritize who they test amid the shortage. In March, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health advised doctors not to test those experiencing only mild respiratory symptoms unless "a diagnostic result will change clinical management or inform public health response." Soon after, the New York City Department of Health directed all health care facilities to immediately stop testing nonhospitalized patients for Covid-19. 'I was creating a nice demand' The ethics of selling test kits aside, the FDA "has not authorized any test that is available to purchase for testing yourself at home for COVID-19," it says. The guidance appears more aimed at companies claiming they have manufactured tests approved for at-home use, rather than doctors selling hospital test kits to take home. The FDA hopes to make home testing available at some point, it says. Gordon ordered his tests, he said, from Curative, a Bay Area startup founded earlier this year as a manufacturer of sepsis tests. It pivoted to Covid-19 tests after the outbreak reached the US and began making tests for drive-through sites organized by Los Angeles authorities. "If anything, I was creating a nice demand so that there would be more production," Gordon said. More than 10,000 of the company's tests have been administered, spokeswoman Marissa Shapiro said. "Once the company realized where the demand was going to be coming from, which obviously was cities and first responders, their attention was directed toward those entities," Shapiro said. Curative does not distribute at-home testing, Shapiro told CNN, but the company's website promotes the idea of "self-administered testing" to stem the spread of the virus and notes that its Covid-19 test "can be self-administered at home" with results as quickly as 24 hours. Doctor says he offered all patients tests Gordon, who appeared last year on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" deriding toxic metals in baby foods and vaccine laws, told CNN his patients are "more likely to have discretionary funds." Some of his patients pay a monthly fee, he said, to have guaranteed 24-7 access to his services "within three to 10 seconds." The tests he is selling are too expensive for some people, he acknowledged, but he offered them to all of his patients, including those of his four practice partners. "The tests were not offered to just wealthy people," he said. The tests cost him $200 each, and the profit from the sales was donated to a Christian medical mission that operates in Africa, he said. Until this week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health prioritized testing for those with symptoms, health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, paramedics and others in high-risk situations, but Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday there are "no longer any limits" on who can apply to be tested. Kiev Firefighters in the banned buffer zone around Chernobyl station in northern Ukraine are fighting to control forest fires that have been burning for more than a week due to drought. About 400 firefighters are participating in efforts to extinguish the fires, which extend over an area of 3,500 hectares, according to German Press Agency. Although the official emergency service confirmed that radiation levels appeared at an acceptable rate, environmentalists feared that fires could cause radioactive ash, and that radiation-contaminated smoke could reach the capital Kiev. The 1986 explosion at Chernobyl is the worst nuclear disaster in history. A member of the House of Representatives from Niger State has stated that he and many other colleagues were coerced into donating two months salaries to the fight against COVID-19. Lado Suleja, an All Progressives Congress member representing Guevara/Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State, stated this in a radio interview in his constituency. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had announced that the entire members of the lower chamber resolved to donate their two months salary to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The speaker made the announcement in a video he shared on Facebook. The Senate also made an announcement to donate 50 per cent of their salary. The two-month salary donation, the Speaker said, would be independent of the contributions by individual lawmakers to alleviate the hardship that their constituents face at this time of national emergency. Mr Gbajabiamila said the lawmakers donation would be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against COVID-19. An average salary of a member of the House of Representatives is between N750,000 to N800,000 (excluding other allowances). Forceful donations The lawmaker, while speaking on the hardship the lockdown in Suleja, Niger State, has caused his constituents, said despite the fact that he made the donation of his salary against his wish, he still helps his constituents who are in desperate need. Though we were forced to donate our two months salary, we still help the poor with the little that we have and we will still continue doing it till we see the end of this virus, Mr Suleja said in Hausa language. He spoke on Prestige FM 91.7 Minna. When asked by the presenter to confirm if he said they were coerced into the donation, the lawmaker affirmed his earlier statement. Yes, we donated the salaries because of the progress of Nigeria but Im assuring you, most of us were not happy about it, thats the truth. Its Just the way you see workers not happy about salary deductions without their consent. The lawmaker confirmed he granted the interview, when contacted. But the House spokesperson, Benjamin Kalu, when contacted simply responded by sms that the allegations were untrue. We were not forced. It is our sacrifice to assist the citizens going through hard times now. Other donations Few days before the Senates contribution, ministers serving under the current administration announced they would donate half of their March salaries to help fight the pandemic. Banks, private organisations. and individuals have also donated billions of Naira, to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. The United Bank for Africa on Thursday announced a N5 billion donation. Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Herbert Wigwe and Segun Agbaje also donated N1 billion each to support the cause. President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, said the presidential task-force would receive and coordinate all donations made to fight against the pandemic in the country. Advertisements Outbreak Nigeria reported its first confirmed case on February 27 and since then, the number of cases has since risen. As of Tuesday, the country has reported 343 cases. The breakdown according to states shows that Lagos has recorded the highest, followed by the FCT. Other states with recorded cases are Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Bauchi, Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Benue and Kaduna. Others are Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Kwara, Delta, Enugu, Ekiti, Rivers, Ondo, Benue, Niger, Anambra and Kano. Meanwhile, ten deaths have so far been reported from the outbreak. Mr Buhari has ordered a lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states for 14 more days, to curb the spread of the virus. Las Vegas, Nevada, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (CPSS) (CPS or the Company) today announced that it will hold a conference call on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. ET to discuss its first quarter 2020 operating results. Those wishing to participate by telephone may dial-in at 877 312-5502, or 253 237-1131 for international participants, approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time. The conference identification number is 3094613. A replay of the conference call will be available between April 16 and April 23, 2020, beginning two hours after conclusion of the call, by dialing 855 859-2056 or 404 537-3406 for international participants, with conference identification number 3094613. A broadcast of the conference call will also be available live and for 90 days after the call via the Companys web site at www.consumerportfolio.com . About Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. is an independent specialty finance company that provides indirect automobile financing to individuals with past credit problems or limited credit histories. We purchase retail installment sales contracts primarily from franchised automobile dealerships secured by late model used vehicles and, to a lesser extent, new vehicles. We fund these contract purchases on a long-term basis primarily through the securitization markets and service the contracts over their lives. Investor Relations Contact Jeffrey P. Fritz, Chief Financial Officer 844-878-2777 Ive had it! Being of fragile health I have been stuck in my home, watching news for the last two weeks. When Trump boldly stated that I have the right to do anything I want, I cringed at the thought that we are drifting closer and closer to totalitarianism, and dictatorship. Since the founding of the country, government was created not to give itself rights but to protect the rights of the people. To help people in the time of national catastrophes, to aid and assist in times of crisis and to provide for the general welfare in times when the ravishes of nature cause such tragedy that the government must invoke its powers for the sake of the nation. So No, Mr. Trump, you work for the government and the government does not have rights. It has duties, responsibilities and obligations to the American people who are the only ones that have rights. And you work for us the people. As such you are a public servant a second-class citizen. You cannot do and should not do what the rest of us can do with impunity. You are to set an example of the highest morality, honesty and integrity so that a standard is set which our children and grandchildren can emulate. Almost a year ago, Health and Human Services presented to the White House a mock scenario of a virus, first developing in China, that quickly spread to the rest of the world. The devastating effects were outlined. You did not take heed. Then when China advised the World Health Organization in December 2019 of a catastrophically contagious virus, you did nothing. You didnt mobilize and coordinate efforts to obtain needed emergency medical supplies, you didnt ask Congress to allocate money for relief efforts nor did you attempt to warn hospitals and medical personnel of the impending crises. What you did do, is get on national TV and lie. I have watched and listened and have concluded that you are incapable of telling the truth. You should congratulate yourself Mr. Trump, you now have prevaricated more than the combined presidents of my lifetime a long time. When you did act, you told the people that the governors should handle the COVID-19 crises on their own. Im not a shipping clerk you said. But yes you are if that is what the people need. You work for the people of America. You are a public servant. You need to act like it. Joseph S. Stanzak, Esq. Senior Attorney at Law (Retired) Twin Falls Love 10 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Intermittent social distancing may be necessary for years to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure patients with the virus dont overwhelm hospitals, according to a new report out of Harvard University. Such measures would be needed in the absence of a vaccine or other effective treatments, researchers say. The report compared COVID-19 to two coronaviruses that circulate regularly in humans in the fall and winter OC43 and HKU1 and projected that COVID-19 could come back after the pandemic and circulate in the same way. As a result, intermittent social distancing measures may be needed into 2022 in order to avoid overwhelming the health-care system if there is a resurgence of the disease, the report found. One-time social distancing measures are likely to be insufficient in maintaining the spread of COVID-19 within the community, said Stephen Kissler, a post-doctoral fellow with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-author of the report. What seems could be necessary in the absence of other sorts of treatments are intermittent social distancing periods to maintain the number of critical cases of COVID-19 and prevent an overburdened health-care system, Kissler said. The HKU1 and OC43 viruses are two of four coronaviruses endemic to humans that are responsible for an estimated one-quarter of all colds, according to news reports. The other two coronaviruses are NL63 and 229E. The report focused on HKU1 and OC43 because theyre in the same family as COVID-19, said Christine Tedijanto, a co-author of the report, at a press conference Tuesday. The viruses prefer cool and dry conditions and dont thrive as well in heat and humidity. We used data on (HKU1 and OC43) to characterize duration of immunity and cross immunity in order to inform our model for COVID-19, said Tedijanto. What we see with these two betacoronaviruses that we focus on in the report is that they display clear seasonal patterns, with incidents peaking around December and January, said Tedijanto. The modelling shows the betacoronaviruses were more transmissible in fall and winter, with transmissibility dropping off as spring arrived. In all of the scenarios the researchers looked at, COVID-19 appeared to be able to spread year-round, though worse outbreaks would be likely in fall and winter. The reports models did not take into account additional prevention measures, such as treatments or the creation of a vaccine, which will reduce the duration and intensity of social distancing required to maintain control of the epidemic, co-author Yonatan Grad said. These interventions could alter the outcome of the reports findings. Already, scientists at Oxford University are working on a vaccine and recruiting volunteers for the first clinical trial in the Thames Valley area, outside London. The vaccine is in production although it wont be ready for some weeks, according to the universitys website. The report from Harvard notes that additional interventions, such as expanding the capacity of critical-care units would improve the success of intermittent distancing and hasten the acquisition of herd immunity, which occurs when a high enough proportion of people are immune that the virus fails to spread. The extent of population immunity to the virus will be very valuable to understand what will happen with COVID-19 in coming years, Grad said. He stressed that widespread testing for the virus will be key to monitoring when the beginning or end of social distancing should take place. Up to this point, intensive care units in Ontario hospitals have not been overwhelmed, which may point to the success of social distancing efforts, although there is no definitive research out yet. Canadians have been adhering to social distancing rules, according to a study released Tuesday by York University, which found 96 per cent of respondents reported limited social engagements. An expert who weighed in on the Harvard study praised the researchers but said that with so much unknown about COVID-19, it was difficult to predict if the virus would behave similarly to the two common cold viruses in the study. This is an excellent study that uses mathematical models to explore the dynamics of COVID-19 over a period of several years, in contrast to previously published studies that have focused on the coming weeks or months, said Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh. It is consistent with current (data) but is nonetheless based on a series of assumptions ... that are yet to be confirmed. The study should therefore be regarded as suggesting possible scenarios rather than making firm predictions. Another researcher, professor Gordon Dougan at the University of Cambridges department of medicine, praised the team but said, I am not sure comparing with other coronaviruses is helpful, as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is much more pathogenic and invasive. However, overall there is little to compare SARS-CoV-2 with. Even as New York is beginning to see some positive effects of social distancing as the rate of hospitalizations begins to stabilize, both New York City and the state still have a long road ahead to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And the borough of Queens continues to be the epicenter not just in New York, but the entire country. Hospitals there are still struggling with a lack of personal protective equipment and an overwhelming number of cases. Rep. Grace Meng represents a district in Queens that includes some of the hardest-hit communities, which are largely working class, diverse and crowded. One of the public hospitals in her district Elmhurst Hospital Center has been described as the epicenter within the epicenter by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. City & State caught up with Meng about whats happening in Queens right now, her efforts to obtain supplies from the federal government and her take on the squabble over closing New York City schools. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What do you think of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios newly announced ad campaign that aims to inform hard-hit minority communities about the coronavirus? Im really glad to hear that. Weve actually been pushing folks at the federal level, like the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the Trump administration, to get more information out in different languages. For example, when the CDC first had information, they only had English. And so theyre slowly ramping that up, and Im glad. On any given day, during normal times, its harder to get information out to diverse communities. And so weve been spending a big chunk of our days trying to make sure different organizations in our district have accurate information. So Im really glad to hear that the city is doing that. What have you been hearing from hospitals and constituents about how everyones doing in Queens, which continues to be one of the hardest-hit areas in the country? Honestly, its really heartbreaking. Thats not just information that you and I are getting as New Yorkers. Statistics about Queens are on CNN, theyre on national news networks every single day. We have been in touch with hospitals since day one. But as the surge was rising, and rising very quickly, I think around week two and week three, we were hearing from a lot of everyday workers nurses and doctors who worked inside hospitals, nursing homes, transit workers who were telling us that they didnt have enough (personal protective equipment) and that they were terrified. I think that they are in a slightly better place today, but its been terrifying for families in Queens sending their loved ones to work every day with no protection. I know that Rep. Lee Zeldin appealed to the White House and got much-needed personal protective equipment quickly to Suffolk County. Have you had any sort of similar success for Queens? I wrote a letter to FEMA, to President Trump. I want to know where the PPE is. And I want to know where theyre going around the country because I have heard stories like the ones you just mentioned. And for me, Im still waiting to get my response from President Trump and from FEMA. I want to know where the PPE is going and what sort of criteria and protocols theyre using in assessing where the PPE goes. I literally spend most of my day, at least the first two weeks, trying to and then delivering PPE to local constituents. Especially in diverse immigrant communities, theyre unable to access a lot of these products. So I have families who dont even have a thermometer for example. So there are families I believe that are going to the ER, for example, for no reason. So yes, I would love to know how FEMA was distributing the PPE. From what youre seeing and hearing, is there cause for some cautious optimism, as both the mayor and governor have suggested? I see, as everyone else sees, the numbers are sort of plateauing, even though there are still a high number of deaths. So I do think that we take every day one step at a time. But I will say that I am still concerned. Im not so much concerned today about what we are hearing. Im more concerned about what we are not hearing and the information that were not getting. So yes, we see the numbers at the hospitals, but what about the people who are afraid to go to the hospitals? What about someone who might be infected and is living in an overcrowded situation, or is living as many American families do in multigenerational families where someone in their family is going to work and is an essential worker and may be infected? We dont know if they are getting the help they need. In line with the stories we dont hear about, what are some of the challenges facing undocumented immigrants at this time? I know youve sponsored legislation that would give those without legal status access to federal relief money. I think that it is really unfair how we are treating the immigrant community right now. Regardless of how one feels about immigration policies, we are sending front-line workers, many of whom come from diverse communities (the) majority actually many of whom might come from mixed-status families who are also unable to get the federal benefits that were just passed. So we are expecting the majority of our immigrant communities to be on the front lines saving all of our lives. At the same time, when Congress passes landmark legislation to help people, we, Congress, literally excludes them from being able to receive any help. And I think that the numbers in New York City I believe are around 200,000, Im told. Weve also seen a spike in anti-Asian racism and hate crimes since the crisis began. Is there enough being done to address that problem? I think that my biggest fear is that this sickness of discrimination and racism will outlast the actual coronavirus itself. This type of bullying, especially for young people, could affect a generation of Asian Americans. I know people, particularly senior citizens, who will not go to the grocery store because they are terrified of someone saying something to them or someone doing something to them because theyve likely heard about it from someone they know. So yes, more education is needed. But that comes from the top. Thats why its important for leadership from the White House on down to understand how impactful leaders words can be. And Im glad to see that President Trump has, I believe, has stopped utilizing it. But a lot of the damage had already been done. Youre referring to his use of the term Chinese virus? Yes. As the next stimulus package gets worked out in Congress, what do you want to see in it for New York and your district? I want to, in general, make sure that were including all families, especially families, who have potentially sacrificed so much during this epidemic. So one thing weve talked about already is making sure that folks who might not have a social security number but do pay taxes and who have a tax ID number, that theyre able to get some sort of help from the government. We know that there are about 12 million households without internet access for all the students who are at home right now and doing this remote learning process. Ive worked on this legislation even before coronavirus, but we want to make sure that we are doing as much as we can to help our students (be) able to access the internet and have remote learning with their teachers. So to increase the access to (the) internet is something that I hope to get. How do you think New York City has done in its handling of remote learning for students and getting hardware out to those without internet access? I will say that hindsight is always 20/20 and that the mayors office and the chancellors office has been super responsive whenever we have an issue, and I have not been slow to criticize them in the past on education issues. But I do want to say, theyve been super responsive. I know its a huge system, and obviously there are just some problems we wont know until the shelter in place was actually enacted. People are really uncertain about their kids getting an adequate education. And these are the kids who have access to the internet and have, you know, an iPad. I know that the mayors doing more working with companies like Apple, I believe, to bring in more products there. There just werent enough in the beginning. We had a lot of students lining up outside of schools, waiting to get equipment and so hindsight is always 20/20. But we need to more, and more quickly. So what do you make of the current disagreement between Cuomo and de Blasio about city school closures? My constituents, my parents, my students, they have no interest in political squabbles. I dont know whos right or wrong here. I dont know who followed protocol and who didnt. But I know that my constituents are very nervous. They just want to know. And for the most part, they do not believe that it is safe for students or teachers and support staff to return to school. Many of them just want to know the answer. Kansas City Overeating Key To Local Restaurant Survival Tips for participating in Takeout Tuesday safely KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Participating in Takeout Tuesday is a great way to support your favorite local businesses. Restaurants like Herrera's Tenderloin Grill on Southwest Boulevard are taking all the precautions they can to keep employees and customers safe. Cowtown Courtesy Declines Grocery manager won't tolerate customers mistreatment of staff, asks for understanding during pandemic Jennelle James, general manager of Snyder's Supermarket, says it's a challenge to keep shelves stocked like before the coronavirus pandemic and customers shouldn't take it out on grocery store workers. KC Lending Uptick How local banks are helping small businesses stay afloat KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As small business owners figure out next steps, local banks are staying busy processing the thousands of loan applications being filled out. At Enterprise Bank and Trust, when the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application opened, it received roughly 2,000 applications. Employees were going through about three applications a minute. Hottie Promo Inspires Lindsey Pelas Dances In A Tiny Bikini Top In Funny Coronavirus Quarantine Video Lindsey Pelas posted a new video to her Instagram page today and it was a promotional post for Bang Energy Drink. The clip was a funny look into the model's daily routine during the coronavirus quarantine, and in the middle of her day, she enjoyed a "One Woman Rage." KING TRUMP!?!? Gov. Cuomo: President basically declares himself 'King Trump' Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, weighs in on Trump's remarks that he has the total authority to reopen state economies. The Great Lockdown Debate Tucker blasts Whitmer over coronavirus restrictions: 'She's willing to destroy the people in her state' Tucker Carlson slammed Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday night, calling some of her coronavirus restrictions "petty authoritarianism" in attempt to be presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's running mate. Pandemic Power Grab?!?! Jim Jordan blasts Biden, Democrats for using coronavirus contagion to realize political dreams House Freedom Caucus Member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, ripped Democrats -- notably presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden -- for shirking their duty to serve the public and using the coronavirus contagion to force through a political wish list. 2nd Chances?!?! WHO officials say its unclear whether recovered coronavirus patients are immune to second infection World Health Organization officials said not all people who recover from the coronavirus have the antibodies to fight a second infection, raising questions as to whether or not patients develop immunity after surviving Covid-19. "With regards to recovery and then re-infection, I believe we do not have the answers to that. Kansas City Nonprofits First In Line For Cash Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund announces first wave of grant recipients | LISC Kansas City The Advisory Board of the Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has announced its first wave of recipients. Over $2.6 million in aid will be sent to 56 area nonprofits for housing support, food assistance, access to healthcare, and other critical human services. Vital Tips For Local Musicians KC foundation giving grants to out-of-work performers Right now, the pandemic is hitting the performing arts especially hard. Hundreds of local musicians are struggling to pay the bills in this time of social distancing. They can't book gigs, and they likely won't be able to for weeks.The performing community is now rallying together to help.Local musicians are helping local groups like the Midwest Music Foundation raise money for performers who need it. Tragic COVID-19 Circumstance 'It's heartbreaking': KC family forced to delay funeral for mom of four killed in crash KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A metro family is dealing with the added burden of burying their daughter during the global pandemic. LaShonda Johnson was killed last week when she was hit by a car near Interstate 70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff. Her dad said she was driving to pick up a friend who was stranded [...] Cowtown Weather Right Now Mix of sun and clouds for chilly Tuesday, a few raindrops possible Rain, and even a few snowflakes are possible Thursday An iconic view of hottieinspires us to consider pop culture, community new and info from across the nation and around the world right now . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . Registered nurse Zoe Manarangi Bake-Paterson is photographed at St. Paul's hospital in downtown Vancouver B.C., Canada, on April 2, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press) Nurses on Life Inside a Downtown Vancouver Hospital As a registered nurse in the emergency department at St. Pauls Hospital in Vancouver, Zoe Manarangi Bake-Paterson wonders whether shell be the same after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Theres palpable stress in the department, she says, as she and her colleagues prepare for a surge of cases that may or may not arrive. It feels like were in a lifeboat in the ocean waiting for the tsunami to arrive, Manarangi Bake-Paterson says. I just wonder how this will change me or change my co-workers in our practice or in our personal lives, because I think its a lot thats going to come our way. I just wonder, when we come through the other side, how different will we be? St. Pauls has long been at the forefront of treating Vancouvers most vulnerable. Medical staff prepare for the opening of the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Brewer Park Arena in Ottawa, Canada, on March 13, 2020. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) In the 1980s, it was one of the few treatment centres for HIV-positive patients in British Columbia. Today, many of its patients are residents of the Downtown Eastside, which has been the epicentre of an overdose crisis. More than a dozen health workers at the hospital agreed to be interviewed by The Canadian Press and described how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting them and their work. They shared feelings of uncertainty, fear, hopefulness and solidarity. Even if B.C. is successful at slowing COVID-19s spread, several nurses say they are bracing for a possible outbreak in the Downtown Eastside where so many are homeless and physical distancing is a challenge. The hospital is closed to anyone except patients and staff now. Beds have been vacated and triage has been overhauled so that patients with respiratory symptoms can be isolated immediately. Staff receive updated directionssometimes hourlyas new evidence about the outbreak emerges. They rehearse urgent intubations after their shifts and adjust to working in zero pressure rooms. Potential COVID-19 cases appear in the emergency department in many different ways. It kind of looks like pneumonia. Theyre short of breath, usually pretty high fevers and they tend to deteriorate pretty quickly, the people who are really not doing well, says registered nurse Duncan McTavish. A nurse has a blood sample taken for a COVID-19 serological test. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images) Other patients seem OK, so its hard to tell, he says. In some ways, the novel coronavirus is like a phantom in the emergency department. Staff dont typically find out if a patient has COVID-19 after taking swabs. Patients may be sent home with instructions to manage their symptoms or be in intensive care by the time the test results come in. The spectre that anyone could carry the virus has changed the way nurses think about everything they do. Every single action I take I have to think about, McTavish says. What kind of mask I need and if I enter the room, swab this person, leave againI have to make sure Ive changed my gloves and washed my hands between every single step. We do that all the time, but certainly the awareness of that right now is really heightened. Nurses wear goggles, suffocating surgical masks and other gear all through their shifts. People have been joking about how their skin is already feeling abrasions because of this constant friction with the masks, says Manarangi Bake-Paterson. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images) Registered nurse Rachel Mrdeza says she had never really thought about the gear she wears as protection, but now shes keenly aware that its her shield. Feelings in the hospital swing like a pendulum, she says. On one side, staff are worried for patients and loved ones. On the other, theyre uplifted by the roaring cheers for health workers that ripple through the city at the same time every night and by the donations of food and other supplies that have been dropped off. At those times it feels so incredibly joyous to experience that, Mrdeza says. Theres also a feeling of unity among staff. Even in the masks where you cant see peoples smiles and glasses are fogged up and there is this physical disconnect, it feels like were in this together, Manarangi Bake-Paterson says. Many have had to make personal sacrifices or have had tough conversations with their families about what would happen if they got sick. Registered nurse Leah Ventura says she waved hello outside her parents window the other day because she couldnt go in. (Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP via Getty Images) Amanda Hickey, a clinical nurse leader, says her mother recently moved to a care home and Hickey hasnt been able to see her in more than a month. Thats been really tough. Registered nurse Maria Alonzo says her heart sank when she woke up one day with a body ache, fever and dry throat. One of the physicians she works with contracted the coronavirus and shes in contact with potential cases every day. As a single mom who lives with her 73-year-old mother, Alonzo had trouble expressing the relief she felt when she tested negative. I actually cried when I got my result, she says. Every time I go to work my fear is 200 per cent, because I always think of my son, my mom who lives with me. What would happen if I got sick? Still, Alonzo says shell continue to work every day alongside thousands of other health workers. In many ways, the emergency department nurses jobs havent changed at all. They are still responsible for providing the best care they can and they have a system in place to do so. Registered nurse Erica Wong urges everyone to keep following public health protocols that will give nurses the best chance at success. So far were doing OK, but that can change any second. Just continue to be cautiously optimistic. We are all in this together, she said. We just need to keep going. By Amy Smart WASHINGTON - When President Donald Trump was asked during Monday's news briefing what authority he has to reopen the country, he didn't hesitate to answer. "I have the ultimate authority," the president responded, cutting off the reporter who was speaking. Trump later clarified his position further, telling reporters: "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and that's the way it's got to be. . . . It's total. The governors know that." The local leaders, Trump said, "can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States." Trump's eyebrow-raising assertions about the reach of his office during national emergencies, echoed by Vice President Mike Pence at the briefing, came on the same day that governors on both coasts announced their own plans to begin working toward reopening their states amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. While the president appears convinced he is the only one empowered to make the critical determination, his extraordinary assertions of authority over the states astounded legal scholars, leaving them wondering, as they have before about Trump's broad claims, where on earth he got them. "You won't find that written in the Federalist Papers anywhere," Robert Chesney, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told The Washington Post. Not only does the power Trump asserted have no basis in reality, experts said, but it's also completely antithetical to the Constitution, the concept of federalism and separation of powers - whether during a time of emergency or not. "This isn't ancient Rome where there's a special law that says in the event of an emergency all the regular rules are thrown out the window and one person, whom they called the dictator, gets to make the rules for the duration of the emergency or for a period of time," Chesney said. "We don't have a system like that." On Twitter, Steve Vladeck, another professor at the University of Texas School of Law, rebutted Trump's "authority is total" remark. "Nope," Vladeck wrote. "That would be the literal definition of a *totalitarian* government - which our traditions, our Constitution, and our values all rightly and decisively reject." Various Democrats and Republicans appeared to be in agreement on this basic democratic principle. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., tweeted the full text of the 10th Amendment, which says any powers not specifically delegated to the federal government in the Constitution are reserved to the states. The federal government, she said, "does not have absolute authority." Appearing on CNN, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, scoffed at that idea as well, telling host Erin Burnett, "You don't become king because there's a federal emergency." Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, told The Post that if Trump were to call up Cuomo tomorrow and order him to send everyone back to work, Cuomo could easily tell Trump to "get lost, and that would be his prerogative." It's the most basic tenet of federalism, he said: "The federal government can't give orders to governors. That's a very simple fact of life." At least one former governor took Trump's side: his vice president, who offered a forthcoming legal brief on the subject at the news conference Monday. "Make no mistake about it, in the long history of this country, the authority of the president of the United States during national emergencies is unquestionably plenary," Pence said. Blackman said he had "no idea" what law or legal precedent Trump believed granted him such sweeping authority, because none do. He said there is a long history of presidents using "creative arguments" to assert executive authority during wartime or emergencies - but contrary to Pence's assertion, there is not a long history of presidents getting away with nearly unfettered authority. There is no "emergency clause" in the Constitution for presidential power, he said. Case in point: During the Korean War, President Harry Truman declared a national emergency and seized private steel mills to preempt a steelworkers' strike, arguing that the mills were essential to the national defense. The Supreme Court, in a case called Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer that continues to guide the courts today, stopped Truman in his tracks. That was before the National Emergencies Act of 1976, which did give presidents authority to declare a national emergency without the prior approval of Congress. Still, Vladeck stressed in an email to The Post, while presidents "do and should have broad powers to respond to crises, broad is not the same as 'total.' " In this case, he said, it's critical to remember that Trump never issued any kind of national lockdown order as other countries did. Trump thus cannot reopen something he never shut down. Vladeck said he does not believe that Trump would have had the authority to do that anyway. At most, he said, Trump might have been able to ban interstate travel under the Public Health Service Act. "But for better or worse, the president has left most of the big decisions to local and state authorities. That makes it only that much harder for him to try to override them," Vladeck said. Blackman and Chesney said the president is free to issue "guidelines" urging states to go back to work, but the states are also free to ignore them. Trump, if he were to act on his impulses, would probably discover that states and local governments "don't work for him," Chesney said, but he stressed that Trump's sweeping assertions need to be kept in check before he gets to that point. The federal system created by the framers of the Constitution divided power between the national and state governments. While the Constitution's supremacy clause means acts of Congress can override the laws of states, the same does not apply to the president acting unilaterally. As a result, various police powers, as well as authority over functions such as zoning and regulation of business, belong to the states because the Constitution does not grant them to the federal government. The states, in turn, are constrained by the constitutional grant of the power to regulate interstate commerce, for example, and the Bill of Rights. The federal government has exerted its greatest power over the states by withholding or threatening to withhold money from recalcitrant states, though even that authority has been limited by the Supreme Court. Trump has made many extreme claims of power, previously declaring that Article II of the Constitution, which vests executive power in the president, gives him "the right to do whatever I want." "On the one hand, we shouldn't freak out over every blustering claim of power he asserts, but on the other hand, there's something very harmful in failing to rebut those claims every time they happen," Chesney said Monday. "There are plenty of people who will credit what he says, and if he repeatedly asserts he has such powers perhaps, that will help him get away with asserting powers he should not have." Ultimately, Vladeck said, the real problem begins only if Trump's claims to nearly boundless power are left unchallenged through the system of checks and balances by the courts or Congress. "It's not a crisis when a president claims powers unfettered by those constraints, and unconfined by written law and settled precedent," he said. "It's a crisis when those other institutions don't push back." LIVE Updates | File image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the countrywide lockdown in India by another 19 days till May 3. In his address to the nation on April 14, the PM said that everyone suggests that the lockdown should be increased. Many states have already decided to increase the lockdown. "We constantly deliberated with all states on how to tackle this crisis and mitigate the hardships. Basis all the feedback we have received on all aspects, a common consensus has emerged that it is imperative to extend the lockdown. The lockdown will continue till May 3," said the prime minister. The PM further said that there should be no letup in the implementation of lockdown. "All regions in the states will be monitored very closely on full compliance of the lockdown. Only those regions that will show no evidence of cases or its spread will be allowed restricted movements by 20 April," he 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 PM Modi assured people about the arrangements to fight coronavirus pandemic in India. "It is said that around 1,500 beds are required for 10,000 COVID-19 patients. In India, we already have made arrangement for 1 lakh beds. More than 600 dedicated COVID hospitals too are there. These facilities are being expanded speedily," said the PM. The PM also urged people to respect coronavirus warriors, including doctors, nurses, sweepers and police personnel. "Please be kind to people who work with you in your business and industry. Don't terminate your employees," said PM Modi. "If we are patient and follow all rules, then we will be able to defeat the coronavirus pandemic," said the PM, and sought the support of people on following seven fronts: 1. Take care of the elderly2. Strictly follow guidelines of lockdown3. Increase immunity, follow Ayush ministry guidelines4. Download Arogya Setu App5. Help poor families6. Don't take away jobs of your employees 7. Respect Corona warriors The initial 21-day lockdown began on midnight of March 24 and was supposed to end on April 14. It was imposed to fight the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which has claimed over 1,19,600 lives across the world. The lockdown extension comes after the prime minister held a video conference with state chief ministers on April 11, many of whom favoured an extension to combat the spread of COVID-19. Coronavirus LIVE updates Addressing floor leaders of various parties who have representation in Parliament, on April 8, Prime Minister Modi had made it clear that the lockdown cannot be lifted in one go on April 14, asserting that the priority of his government is to "save each and every life". Also Read: Coronavirus state-wise tally April 14 Even before the PM's announcement, Odisha on April 9 has taken a lead and has extended the lockdown till April 30, and Punjab on April 10 followed suit and extended the lockdown till May 1. The Maharashtra government on April 11 decided to extend the ongoing lockdown period until April 30 as the state is seeing a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases. Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in India have risen to 10,363, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. This number includes cases involving foreign nationals, patients who have recovered and the death toll. (Photo : Couleur from Pixabay ) New COVID-19 Theory: Does Drinking Breast Milk Helpful vs Coronavirus? (Photo : Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay ) New COVID-19 Theory: Does Drinking Breast Milk Helpful vs Coronavirus? Coronavirus vaccine is still nowhere to find. Health experts were now studying a lot of potential substances. But nothing is still accurate. Interestingly, a researcher at New York City's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai suggests a liquid that could immunize humans in acquiring the viral disease. Will you take the drink, though? Breast Milk Contains Antibodies; Will it Help Against Coronavirus? First-time mothers are normally advised to breastfeed their newborn children. This is due to the reason that breast milk has nutrients that newborn babies need to grow fully. Apparently, one nutrient that human milk has is called 'antibodies.' Due to this, Rebecca Powell, a human milk immunologist, recently invites lactating mothers to donate some amount of their breast milk to be studied as one of the possible Coronavirus vaccines. Will it work? As first reported via Vice, Powell recently posted on her social media accounts looking for breast milk donations. She aims to receive hundreds of samples of different breast milk from mothers-- particularly living in New York City. She explained that breast milk normally has a huge amount of antibodies that protect babies from any viruses-- including SARS-CoV-2. Since these particles were needed to prevent viruses, the same antibodies from breast milk could also be used to adults to protect them from getting the virus. This was her assumption. Surprisingly, after the day she posted her call for donations, a lot of mothers in NYC immediately contacted her to donate their samples. Milk antibodies are better than plasma antibodies Powell hasn't yet started her research about breast milk's connection against Coronavirus. However, she explains that human milk is capable of passing on powerful, virus-killing functions to newborn babies. This is why most babies go protected against illnesses like measles and chickenpox in their first months. Interestingly, about 90% of milk antibodies are called secretory IgA. This means that human milk antibodies are particularly durable and resistant to degradation-- making these liquid more convenient than blood plasma. Lars Bode, director of the University of California San Diego's MOMI CORE, or the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence, also shared the same belief with Powell. "There are a bunch of other things in there that are those magic components that do more than help the infant grow," he said. "They really protect the infant and the mother as well from multiple different diseases, from certain pathogens, from bacteria, and from viruses as well, and that's really where the story starts, why we're so interested in this topic when we come to coronavirus." CDC's stand in breastfeeding amid Coronavirus United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already explains that "mother-to-child transmission of Coronavirus during pregnancy is unlikely, but after birth, a newborn is susceptible to person-to-person spread." This means that it is still safe to breastfeed. However, it does not exempt pregnant women from acquiring the disease. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Industry body CII has urged centre for immediate release of government dues to support MSMEs amid coronavirus lockdown. It has also requested enhanced working capital, moratorium extension along with wage support. The apex body has further asked the government to provide additional funding through Mudra Bank and other MSME-focussed banks. The industry body has established a 'CII COVID Rehabilitation and Relief Fund (CRR)' to assist small enterprises or MSMEs. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been highlighting the need to focus on small businesses, especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), as they are worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. CII has outlined a list of suggestions it hopes the government will look at to boost growth of the MSME sector. Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown 2.0: MSMEs don't have enough liquidity to pay wages for April, says FIEO Detailing the suggestions, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said, "With limited resources, MSMEs do not have the capacity to withstand massive shocks like COVID 19. In addition, many MSMEs are an important part of larger supply chains. The healths of these MSMEs have a bearing on the entire supply chain, including the large corporates". "Therefore, special, immediate and substantive support measures are required to see the MSMEs through this crisis", added Banerjee. Also Read: Lockdown 2.0: India Inc supports extension; seeks stimulus package to revive economy Here are key highlights of the CII suggestions: Increase working capital limits, with relaxed collateral norms. Additional working capital 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) is needed by small businesses to bounce back. Additional reconstruction term loans with a government guarantee on default, up to 20 per cent. Extend the three-month moratorium period allowed by RBI to 6 months along with increasing the assets of Mudra Bank and other MSME-focused banks. Clear all outstanding government dues to MSMEs, including payments for supply for goods and services to PSUs by MSMEs, GST refunds, various state and central government incentives for MSMEs. Government departments that make purchases should not impose delay penalties as delays are bound to happen due the disruptions caused by the lockdown. Completion dates of the government projects need to be reconsidered and extended without liquidated damages, till such time the fear of COVID-19 is over. In an attempt to stem the spread of novel coronavirus across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3. India has reported 10,363 positive cases of COVID-19, according the latest data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This tally includes, 8,988 active novel coronavirus cases, 339 deaths, 1,035 cured/discharged and 1 migrated. All 50 US states have recorded at least one coronavirus death, after Wyoming's governor on Monday announced a man there had died from the pandemic disease. "I am saddened to learn that we have lost our first Wyoming citizen to Covid-19," Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. "This one was close to home and sadly serves as a grim reminder of the importance of following public health orders and guidance so we can reduce the number of serious illnesses and deaths in our state." Wyoming, the nation's least populated state, had reported 275 confirmed and 98 probable cases through Monday, the fewest among all states. Wyoming remains among seven states that haven't issued stay-at-home orders to try to stem the virus' spread, as advised by public health experts. Gordon, a Republican, has issued some self-quarantine orders for people visiting his state and left enforcement largely up to local officials. Track Covid-19 cases in the US The Wyoming Medical Association last week urged the governor in writing to issue a stay-at-home order "before it was too late." Gordon earlier this month instead encouraged residents to be "taking care of yourself and practicing the common sense that we expect." Capt. Peter Vu with the 155th Air Refueling Wing was assigned to the joint task force of Army and Air National Guard units to oversee the operation in North Platte. Having a facility like this, for us, has been amazing because otherwise wed be out in the elements and that just puts our people in harms way, Vu said. We appreciate the community allowing us to be here. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The crew doing the testing included National Guard personnel as well as doctors and nurses. Vu said the drive-through testing process begins with a questionnaire. They will ask specific questions to evaluate the risk level of the individual being exposed, Vu said. Have you had any exposure to COVID; have you traveled to a state that has been considered a hot spot; have you had a temperature; are you symptomatic. The next step is to create labels with the persons data. There are five labels, Vu said. Two will go on the paperwork; the others will go on the sample bag and sample vial. That the summer of 2020 will be very hot in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control had been anticipated and to an extent even gamed by the security establishment for many months now. Therefore the recent uptick in violence in J&K targeted killings of civilians, the rising number of infiltration attempts, the escalation in ceasefire violations, increasing number of encounters, and of course the efforts to not just give terrorism in J&K an indigenous flavour but also a secular label (the emergence of a new and shadowy front of Lashkar-e-Taiba called The Resistance Front) is quite clearly an intimation of how the summer will play out. New quandary The dilemma for the Pakistanis is that they know that ratcheting up the violence in Kashmir through jihadist auxiliaries and proxies is no longer a low-cost option. Neither does jihadist terror sell very well in rest of the world, nor is it ignored like it was in the past. But even though the jihadist policy faces diminishing returns, it is the only option left in Pakistan's playbook. After the constitutional changes in J&K last August, Pakistan did try a diplomatic and propaganda blitzkrieg against India. But other than getting some space in the Western media and the issue being raised by the loony liberal lawmakers in some Western countries both were driven more by their ideological hatred for the Modi government, and less because they were convinced of Pakistans case there was little that Pakistan had to show for its diplomatic efforts or the money spent in its lurid propaganda campaign against India. With the diplomatic and propaganda tack falling flat, Pakistan was left with no option but to fall back on its default option jihadist terrorism. The problem, however, is that the efficacy of the jihadist instrument is quite questionable, especially in relation to India. The Pakistanis know that while terrorism might draw some blood, it will bring them no closer to wresting control of Kashmir. Add to this the very real prospect that the current dispensation in India is loath to keep absorbing the blows and is just as likely to hit back makes the jihadist strategy a rather risky proposition. Facing as it does a Hobsons choice if Pakistan doesnt ignite the flames of jihadist terrorism in J&K this summer, it could see its beloved Kashmir cause going up in smoke Pakistan knows that it has limited room for play. Not doing anything isnt an option because it will lose the support of those Kashmiris who look up to Pakistan and think it will come to their aid and fight on their behalf and on their side against India. But the China Virus pandemic has completely altered the strategic landscape. The corona impact Already on the ropes, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the Pakistani economy which is staring at an abyss and can ill-afford a major conflict with India. With the worlds attention focussed on the pandemic, politically and diplomatically, Kashmir has lost all traction. When was the last time that there was any coverage of Kashmir in any international newspaper or any reference to it by the loony liberal lawmakers in the Western world. Municipal workers disinfecting a mosque in Srinagar: The performance of the civilian administration in the coronavirus crisis has won appreciation from the public. (Photo: Reuters) Because of the virus, Pakistans Iron Brother China is facing a lot of flak and will be under increasing international pressure and scrutiny. Its appetite to stand with Pakistan on this issue will be quite limited, an indication of which came in the UN Security Council where a third attempt to hold a discussion on Kashmir was quietly buried. The advantage that the Pakistanis thought they had gained because of the peace deal which they brokered between the Taliban and the US is also slipping away. Add to all this the sword of FATF that continues to dangle over Pakistan's head, and which could come crashing down if Pakistan ratchets up the export of terrorism in Kashmir in the next few months. Double whammy? Meanwhile, inside Kashmir, green shoots of a political process are starting to appear. A new political party has been formed by politicians who ostensibly want to make a break from the past politics of playing on both sides of the wicket. Many of the big political figures have been released from custody. The performance of the civilian administration in the Corona crisis has won appreciation from the public. The security grid remains quite robust and intelligence is once again flowing. Adding to Pakistan's discomfiture, a new domicile law has been passed, and there hasnt been a murmur from anywhere in the world. The hysterical outpouring over the domicile law by Syed Salahuddin, chief of the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, is a sign of desperation among the jihadist circles in Pakistan. This desperation is also reflected in the constant rants of the Pakistanis over the blocking of 3G/4G signals in Kashmir, something which coupled with the extended lockdown because of the pandemic interferes in Pakistani abilities to communicate with their agents, and spread their poisonous propaganda to incite and instigate violence. Facing a double whammy the strategic window closing, and ground situation in Kashmir improving Pakistan will do what it can to create disturbances in J&K to bring the issue back. India must therefore remain girded up for the coming spike in terrorism, but also think of how to take the fight to the enemy and impose unbearable costs on it. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also read: Coronavirus: Why is the Jammu & Kashmir government defying Modi's mantra? Disney has finally found its leading ladies with Samantha Barks as Elsa and Stephanie McKleod as Anna for their upcoming West End production of 'Frozen'. In response to the news, Barks posted the following on Instagram: A Tale of Two Sisters Samantha Barks was first discovered at 17 in the BBC reality talent show 'I'd Do Anything', auditioning for the role of Nancy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of 'Oliver!' and finishing in third place. She has gone on to star in numerous West End and UK productions including 'Cabaret', 'The Last Five Years' and 'City of Angels'. Her most notable role came in 2010 when she was cast as Eponine in the long-running musical 'Les Miserables', reprising the role in the 25th Anniversary celebration at the O2 Arena and the Academy Award winning Film adaptation directed by Tom Hooper in 2012. Barks was last seen making her Broadway debut as Vivian Ward in the stage adaptation of the 1990 film 'Pretty Woman'. Stephanie McKeod was trained at the Trinity College in her hometown of Dublin. She made her acting debut as Aisling in the long-running soap 'Fair City' before transitioning into Theatre across Ireland including 'The Wizard of Oz,' 'Anglo: The Musical' and 'Cinderella'. She made her West End debut originating 'Natalie' in 'The Commitments directed by Jamie Lloyd. She's also sung for television shows including 'Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway', 'The Late Show' and 'This Morning' and collaborated with musicians like Burt Bacharach and Westlife. McKeod most recently appeared on-stage as Cynthia Weil in the West End production of 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical'. The Cold Never Bothered Them Anyway 'Frozen' is due to open on October 30th 2020 at the revamped Theatre Royal, Drury Lane following its 60 million renovation. It will be directed by Michael Grandage ('Guys & Dolls,' 'Evita') with its book written by the film's director Jennifer Lee, music and lyrics by Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez ('Book of Mormon', 'Avenue Q') and costume and set designs by Christopher Oram ('The Seagull,' 'A Streetcar Named Desire'). Further casting is to be announced. The stage production of 'Frozen' first opened on Broadway on March 22nd 2018 at the St. James Theatre starring Caissie Levy as Elsa and Patti Murin as Anna. The show garnered three Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical for Jennifer Lee and Best Music and Lyrics for the Lopezes. A US Tour opened in Schenectady, New York in November 2019 and upcoming productions are due to open in Japan, Hamburg and Australia in 2021. 'Frozen' Fever The Disney film 'Frozen' was released on November 22nd 2013 and was co-directed by the aforementioned Jennifer Lee alongside Chris Buck. The film garnered critical acclaim and won numerous accolades, including a BAFTA, two Golden Globes and two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for 'Let It Go.' A smash hit for Disney, the film spawned animated spin-offs, merchandise, and a devoted fandom. A theatrical sequel was released on November 22nd 2019 and became the highest grossing animated film of all time, earning $1.450 billion. It garnered an Academy Award nomination for the song 'Into the Unknown'. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy-tale 'The Snow Queen', 'Frozen' follows the relationship between princesses Anna and Elsa, the latter having the ability to manipulate ice and show. When Elsa's powers are exposed at her kingdom, she flees from her kingdom and causes an eternal winter. Wanting to set things right, Anna goes on an adventure with ice-man Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and the summer obsessed snowman Olaf. MOGADISHU, Somalia, 14 April 2020 Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the arbitrary arrest of Somali National TV journalist, Adan Mohamed Salad, in Kismayo on Monday 13 April 2020. According to the journalist and colleagues, Mr. Salad was arrested while filming at Alanley Beach in the coastal town of Kismayo around 12.p.m local time where a boat carrying khat cargo the stimulant narcotic leaf recently banned by Somalia Federal Government due to the Coronavirus outbreak was offloaded. He was held for two hours at the police station before he was released without charge. Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) reminds federal and local authorities that journalistic work can save lives in the current emergency situation and should not be threatened, intimidated or arrested for reporting what is in the public interest. We condemn all sorts of violations against the press covering the COVID-19 at this critical time including the latest detention of journalist Adan Mohamed Salad in Kismayo, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, Secretary-General of Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, Somali people are struggling the fight against the pandemic coronavirus and in the meantime journalists and media houses are playing an important role to inform the public about the ongoing crisis. We call authorities to allow access to information for media and journalists so the public is better informed. SJS is also concerned that journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in Mogadishu and Hargeisa were also intimidated, threatened and at least two reporters briefly detained in Mogadishu late last month in the midst of Covid-19 assignment. Meanwhile, Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) welcomes the announcement by the Somali Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, on Monday evening that media houses and working journalists shall be able to operate during the curfew declared by the Police Chief, General Abdi Hassan Mohamed, on Sunday as the government classifies media as essential service in the fight against the COVID-19. ROME - The socioeconomic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the already critical situation in Gaza risk becoming dramatic for the Palestinian people, said UN Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who expressed concern for the "effects of the pandemic in addition to public health, for the impact on the well-being of the population, on employment, social cohesion, financial and institutional stability". Business and tourism in the country have reached the lowest levels of the last two decades, and according to the UN envoy, the Palestinian Central Statistics Office foresees that a lockdown of three or six months would bring a reduction in GDP of 5.1% and 7.1%, respectively. The UN recalled that, with a very limited control on its economy, the Palestinian government doesn't have access to conventional monetary and fiscal tools to remedy the crisis. "Maintaining the functioning and stability of the Palestinian Authority is vital for the security and well-being of both the Palestinians and the Israelis," Mladenov said. "The current situation is extremely dangerous and calls for bold action by all stakeholders," he said. He said Israel has a determining responsibility in this and welcomed the urgent transfer of about 120 million shekels last month to the Palestinian Authority. "This is a first important step. Urgent discussions however need to take place on how Israel can ensure regular transfers, although the revenue from customs clearance continues to decline, in order to ensure the proper functioning of Palestinian institutions and the provision of services to the Palestinian population," he said. "Both parties must work quickly to remove barriers to regular transfers," he said. Mladenov highlighted how the Palestinian government needs generous external support and technical assistance for the recovery process "and that calls for better coordination between donors". "The UN is ready to support the socio-economic response plan of the Palestinian government, but I urge all stakeholders to do the same," Mladenov said. Technavio has been monitoring the vibration meter market and it is poised to grow by USD 102.05 mn during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of almost 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/20200414005665/en/ Technavio has published the latest market research report titled Global Vibration Meter 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. Amphenol, FLIR Systems, Fortive, Kanomax Japan, SKF, and SPM Instrument, 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. Ability to analyze vibration patterns for predictive maintenance has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Vibration Meter Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Vibration meter market is segmented as below: Product Digital Analog End-user Process Industries Third-party Service Providers Discrete Industries Geographic Landscape MEA APAC Europe 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=IRTNTR30741 Vibration Meter 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 vibration meter market report covers the following areas: Vibration Meter Market Size Vibration Meter Market Trends Vibration Meter Market Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing popularity of micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) in vibration meters as one of the prime reasons driving the vibration meter market growth during the next few years. Vibration Meter Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the vibration meter market, including some of the vendors such as Amphenol, FLIR Systems, Fortive, Kanomax Japan, SKF, and SPM Instrument. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the vibration meter 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 Vibration Meter Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist vibration meter market growth during the next five years Estimation of the vibration meter market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the vibration meter market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of vibration meter 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 Digital Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Analog Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by product PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Market segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user Process industries Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Third-party service providers Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Discrete industries Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023 MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023 South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 12: MARKET TRENDS Expected decline in cost of vibration meters Vendors offering condition monitoring features in vibration meters Increasing popularity of micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) in vibration meters PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Amphenol FLIR Systems Fortive Kanomax Japan SKF SPM Instrument PART 15: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations PART 16: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005665/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/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of current lockdown till 3 May New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday lauded "India's tough and timely actions" against the coronavirus spread as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of current lockdown till 3 May. "It may be early to talk about results in numbers, but a six-week nationwide lockdown to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with the expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contact of coronavirus positive people, would go a long way in arresting the virus spread," said WHO's South-East Asia Regional Director, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh. "Despite huge and multiple challenges, India has been demonstrating unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic," she said. "In these testing times, the action lies as much with the communities as with the authorities and the health workforce," she added. "It is indeed time for each and every one to contribute their best and together to beat the virus," Dr Singh said. Modi on Tuesday said the implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in coming days to ensure that the virus does not spread to new areas The prime minister said a detailed guideline on the implementation of the new lockdown will be announced on Wednesday. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak According the Union Health Ministry figures, a total of 339 people have died of COVIOD-19 till date in the country, while the number of infected cases has soared to 10,363 on Tuesday. A PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Monday evening, however, showed at least 346 deaths. There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures, compared to the number of deaths announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states. External Article 14 April 2020 (CNN) One of the best ways to use all those extra hours indoors is to settle down with a good book and dream of future adventures."Travel book" means so much more than a guidebook. Some people discover their dream destinations through fiction, others through food. Words have a way of reminding you of a favorite vacation or getting you geared up for your next one.The CNN Travel team's favorite travel books range from 1930s Corfu to 19th-century Australia to modern-day Vancouver Island. We hope you find some inspiration for your next trip. A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson, 1998) We could all use a good laugh right now and Bill Bryson delivers them by the packful in "A Walk in the Woods" (1998), his epic journey along the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail stretching across the Eastern United States from Georgia to Maine.A middle-aged Bryson sets out to address "years of waddlesome sloth" with old friend and ne'er-do-well Stephen Katz a maddening, occasionally lovable connoisseur of junk food. Zara has been getting creative with campaigns during lockdown and has asked models to photograph themselves at home. The Spanish brand has updated its website with photos of models posing on their staircases, sofas and bedrooms in DIY photoshoots as a way to promote its latest designs at a ctime when many physical stores are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zara who usually flies models from across the world to exotic locations for photo shoots, managed to maintain their signature look in the new promotional images by working with professionals that have starred in past campaigns. Spanish brand Zara, has been praised for allowing models to photograph themselves modelling the new collection in their homes. Pictured: A model wearing Zara's striped knit dress with their mid-heel sandals Throughout the campaign models appear not to be wearing makeup and have done minimal styling to their hair. Pictured: Zara's strappy crop top The High Street brand achieved their signature aesthetic by working with models who they've worked with before. Pictured: A model wearing Zara's rustic dress Many people have taken to Twitter praising the concept for embracing the current guidelines to stay at home where possible. In each of the carefully curated images the models appear to not be wearing makeup and have opted to do minimal styling to their hair. One captivating photograph shows a model wearing the brand's minimalist mid-heel sandals for 29.99, paired with a striped knit dress as she grips a mug. Zara made the decision to photograph the models in their own homes, amid their physical stores being closed because of the pandemic. Pictured: A model dressed in the brand's knit top and coordinating midi skirt Neutral colours and denim feature heavily throughout the new collection. Pictured: A model wearing Zara's 90's dress Elsewhere, a model lounges on a sofa dressed in Zara's cropped strappy top for 25.99 and a black pleated skirt. Others usher in the new season with summer dresses, pastel colours and denim dungarees. Fans of the brand have taken to Twitter, praising the brand for posting the clothes directly to the models. Fans of the Spanish brand have taken to Twitter praising Zara for the 'genius' concept One person wrote: 'Zara's sending the new collections to their models to model from home and that's just genius, I'm obsessed' Another said: 'Zara is another retailer that has sent their models new products to shoot at home - aesthetic still matches the brand though! The fashion industry has been creative as publications have also conducted 'photoshoots' through FaceTime as well' A third added: 'For their campaigns, Zara is sending clothes to their models every week so they can portray themselves in their homes. This is to reflect the era that we are living #StayHome.' * China concerned about imported virus cases * Fears resurgence of epidemic * Tightens border controls, focus on Russia By Yew Lun Tian and Huizhong Wu SUIFENHE, China, April 13 (Reuters) - China's northeast Heilongjiang province which borders Russia has become the new battleground against the coronavirus as authorities reported the highest number of new daily cases in nearly six weeks, driven by infected travellers from overseas. China fears a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of COVID-19 and push the country back into a state of near paralysis. A total of 108 new coronavirus cases were reported in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier and marking the highest number of cases since 143 infections were reported on March 5. The National Health Commission said 98 of the new cases were imported, a new record. A total of 49 Chinese nationals who entered Heilongjiang province from Russia tested positive. "Our little town here, we thought it was the safest place," said a resident of the border city of Suifenhe, who only gave his surname as Zhu. "Some Chinese citizens they want to come back, but it's not very sensible, what are you doing coming here for?" Though the number of daily infections across China have dropped sharply from the height of the epidemic in February, China has seen the daily toll creep higher after hitting a trough on March 12 because of the rise in imported cases. Chinese cities near the border with Russia are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response to influx of infected patients from the country. Suifenhe last week announced restrictions on movements and gatherings similar to those imposed in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged late last year, and extended the closure of its border with Russia. The land route through the city had become one of few options available for Chinese nationals trying to get into China after Russia stopped all flights to the country. Story continues Suifenhe and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, are now mandating 28 days of quarantine for all arrivals from abroad as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests. Streets in Suifenhe were virtually empty on Sunday evening due to restrictions of movement. Residents said a lot of people had left the city as the number of infected people crossing the border from Russia rose. "I don't need to worry," Zhao Wei, another Suifenhe resident, told Reuters. "If there's a local transmission, I would, but there's not a single one. They're all from the border, but they've all been sent to quarantine." (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Huizhong Wu in Suifenhe, Se Young Lee and Lusha Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Michael Perry) People should challenge their neighbours for one-off breaches of the UKs coronavirus lockdown rather than calling the police, according to new official advice. A statement on the official Ask the Police website said that forces were likely to be inundated with such reports and may struggle to respond to them all immediately. We therefore advise that in relation to one-off incidents, you initially speak to the people about your concerns, if you can do so safely and within the social-distancing measures, it added. Constant and blatant non-compliance with the rules can be reported to your local police force, but due to high demands on the police at this time, we advise that such reports be made online if possible. Critics compared the move to vigilantism after NHS workers reported being threatened when neighbours saw them leaving home. An NHS worker in Swansea shared a photo online of a handwritten note reading: Covid-19 go home or we will report you to the police. The man said he wanted to raise awareness as were aware were not the only NHS staff to be caught up in this type of misconception. Police leaders said forces had been inundated with calls from members of the public reporting alleged lockdown violations. Wiltshire Police chief constable Kier Pritchard told the BBC that his force alone received more than 700 calls over the Easter weekend. Police are encouraging the public to report alleged breaches online rather than using 999 or the 101 non-emergency number, with many forces setting up dedicated forms for coronavirus-related reports. Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), previously said officers would respond in a proportionate way and prioritise breaking up mass gatherings. Police have been given the power to arrest and fine people for breaking the new health protection regulations, which enforce the lockdown but are less strict than government guidance. The gap has created widespread confusion, with parliaments human rights committee raising concern that people may be punished for perceived breaches without legal basis. Giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee last week, the head of Derbyshire Police said 11 per cent of its calls now related to coronavirus. Chief Constable Peter Goodman added: We believe some of that is misguided and a little bit may be malicious people getting their own back on their neighbours but most of it has been legitimate concern by people wanting to do the right thing. Chief Constable John Robins, of West Yorkshire Police, said his force had also seen a significant increase in calls around the public not complying with restrictions. Overall crime has dropped by 21 per cent in the past four weeks, according to the NPCC, while police have handed out more than 1,100 fines for breaching coronavirus regulations. Welcome to lockdown Britain Show all 20 1 /20 Welcome to lockdown Britain Welcome to lockdown Britain Westminster Bridge stands deserted on the morning after Boris Johnson announced the UK was in lockdonw PA Welcome to lockdown Britain The clock tower in Leicester on the day after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown PA Welcome to lockdown Britain The A23 north of Brighton is relatively empty on the morning after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown AFP/Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain The Bullring in Birmingham on the day after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown PA Welcome to lockdown Britain A sign informing residents that bingo is cancelled for the forseeable future in Eyam, Derbyshire AFP/Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Empty streets in Skegness the day after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown PA Welcome to lockdown Britain Reverend Paul Unsworth prepares food parcels for the homeless in London Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Streets of Windsor are deserted on the morning after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown AP Welcome to lockdown Britain The Greyfriars Bobby statue in Edinburgh after Boris Johnson urged the public to stay indoors Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Gallowtree Gate in Leicester on the day after the prime minister put the UK in lockdown PA Welcome to lockdown Britain An isolated couple watch the prime minister's announcement that the UK is to be put in lockdown in Weybridge, Surrey Reuters Welcome to lockdown Britain People jog in Battersea Park in London the morning after the prime minister announced the UK is going into lockdown with people only allowed outside for essentials and daily exercise Reuters Welcome to lockdown Britain McDonald's on High Wycombe High Street High Street displays a sign for takeaway only shortly before closing indefinitely as the prime minister announced that the UK is tto be put in lockdown Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Deserted streets of Bristol after Boris Johnson urged people to stay indoors Tom Wren/SWNS Welcome to lockdown Britain Kathryn Hadley and her husband David who are in self-isolation in their home in Clutton, Somerset. David has terminal cancer and Kathryn is in a wheelchair Tom Wren/SWNS Welcome to lockdown Britain Residents of Marsden, West Yorkshire head home from the shops on the day Boris Johnson urged the public to stay indoors AFP/Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Dennis's kebab van remains open for business in a deserted High Wycombe High Street as the prime minister announces that the UK is to enter lockdown Getty Welcome to lockdown Britain Drawings of rainbows stuck on a tree in Davenham, Cheshire Reuters Welcome to lockdown Britain Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London after the prime minister announced the UK is to enter lockdown PA Welcome to lockdown Britain Deserted streets of Bristol after Boris Johnson urged people to stay indoors SWNS A report published by parliaments Joint Committee on Human Rights last week said it was concerned about online forms seeming to encourage people to report on their neighbours for potential infringements of the rules. It found examples of police forces referring to government guidance and advice rather than the law. This has caused alarm amongst members of the public that there could be a risk of a breakdown in trust between citizens, at a difficult time where mutual support and aid is of critical importance, and also the consequent risks to trust between the police and the public, said chair Harriet Harman. This will almost certainly engender an atmosphere of mutual distrust and intrusive behaviour, which arguably the state should not be encouraging. Representative image The real estate sector has supported the governments decision to extend to May 3 the nationwide lockdown and expressed hope that limited construction activity will be allowed to alleviate some of the pain brought by the coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 extended the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus by almost another three weeks. The earlier lockdown was to be lifted April 15 but with most states asking for another 10-15 days of restrictions, Indias 1.3 billion people will have to stay in for all of April and three days of May. India has, so far, confirmed 10,363 cases and 339 deaths. We support the prime ministers announcement on extension of the lockdown and support the Jaan hain toh Jahan hain (if you life, you have the world) theory, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) chairman Jaxay Shah said. We are looking forward to the blueprint by the ministry to be revealed on April 20 and would also urge the ministry to permit limited construction activity as this will help the real estate sector unfold its economic movement in a staggered way. 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 In his address, Modi said detailed guidelines on the new lockdown would be announced April 15 and some conditions could be relaxed after April 20 in places reporting no new infections. The need of the hour is the economic package by the RBI to address the liquidity challenges being faced by the housing sector, said Shah. The lockdown was bound to be extended, as India was still a few days away from flattening the curve, said Kaushal Agarwal, chairman director, The Guardians Real Estate Advisory. The decision was calibrated and prudent, he said. We would welcome a gradual opening of economic activity including the resumption of construction activity at project sites, said Agarwal. Follow LIVE updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here Even if construction activity resumed in a limited manner, it would ensure that labourers get wages and developers the much-needed cashflow. As many homebuyers avail loans to fund their real estate purchases, the resumption of construction activity will allow developers to raise demands to their customers who in turn will ask banks for disbursements, leading to an uptake in credit, he said. The government should look at targeted relief measures for the real estate sector, which was a leading employment-generator, so that the lockdown didnt further hurt the business, Agarwal said. The extension was inevitable as various states were pushing for it to contain the virus, ANAROCK Property Consultants Chairman Anuj Puri said. Hopefully, some areas or cities that have been least impacted will open up for construction activities after a week, given that it directly helps lakh of daily-wage earners, Puri said, referring to Modis statement that restrictions could be revisited on April 20 after monitoring the situation. CREDAI Western UP president (elect) Amit Modi said he was hopeful that work would resume for private commercial and residential projects. If the construction activity is resumed with strict social distancing guidelines and other safety aspects, it will not only halt reverse migration issues faced by businesses. It will also help in the commencement of economic activity and employment opportunity for millions of daily-wagers, he added. Work on government projects was expected to resume from April 15 in Uttar Pradesh but social distancing will have to be followed at these sites, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said on April 13. Housing and construction sectors need to be allowed if the labourers stay at the sites with all facilities and safeguards, Contractors shall ensure safety sanitation and distancing norms, the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade wrote to the home ministry. As a tribute to doctors and nurses battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Rio de Janeiro illuminated the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue on Sunday in an Easter service. According to a recent article, the 125-foot-tall statue atop Corcovado mountain in Brazil's largest city lit up dressed a doctor and projected images of medical workers and messages of hope in several languages. READ: 'It's Just a Flu': Bolsonaro's COVID-19 Dismissal Putting Brazil In Danger, Experts Say "Stay at home," read one of the illuminated messages. At the base of Christ the Redeemer, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Orani Tempesta, led the Easter Mass. This is not the first time the iconic statue has been illuminated throughout the COVID-19 crisis. ALSO READ: Complete That PPE Getup: Check Out These Affordable Face Shields for Extra Protection In March, the flags of the countries affected by the virus were shown on the statue with the words "pray together" illuminated. Around the world, people are finding ways to express their gratitude for doctors, nurses, and other essential workers. In the USA, which has more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, a teenage girl in Massachusetts recently asked her father - who owns a gas station - to mark her birthday by giving free gas to medical workers. In Los Angeles, charitable institutions are directing donations to provide hospital staff food from local restaurants. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, which has more than 5,000 cases as of Tuesday, various lights and sounds businesses participated in a nationwide "We Light As One" lighting campaign on Easter Sunday to honor frontline workers in the fight against the coronavirus. Sunday marked at least the second time the Christ the Redeemer statue has been used to highlight the coronavirus crisis. Last month, the landmark was lit up with the flags of countries affected by the deadly respiratory virus, culminating in an image of the world. In Brazil, there are already 22,169 coronavirus cases as of Sunday, including at least 1,223 deaths, its Ministry of Health reported. According to a COVID-19 dashboard, Brazil is one of 14 countries that have recorded at least 22,000 COVID-19 cases. Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has criticized social distancing measures imposed by state governors and even his own health officials. He has compared the coronavirus to a "little flu," which has raised concerns from experts. READ MORE: COVID-19 Survival Guide: How Annoying is Your S.O. and How to Deal With It Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:34:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that several Israeli settlers on Tuesday attacked Palestinian homes in the West Bank's Jordan Valley area by stones and tear gas. The ministry said in an emailed press statement that it condemns the assaults by the settlers who also set fire to several Palestinian vehicles in the area. "Tuesday's assaults are an extension to a series of daily settlers' assaults and attacks on the Palestinian citizens, their lands and their homes all over the occupied Palestinian territories," the statement said. The PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of the escalation of such assaults amid the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the West Bank. Meanwhile, an Israeli police spokeswoman said in a press statement sent to Xinhua that several masked people threw stones and teargas at the Palestinians in the Jordan Valley area and set fire on two vehicles. The spokeswoman said that the police are investigating the incident. A report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories affirmed that the rate of Israeli settlers' assaults on the Palestinians in the West Bank had increased. The report said that within the last two weeks of March, Israeli settlers' assaults on the Palestinians had wounded five people and caused severe damage to their properties. African journalists are increasingly harassed or threatened by security services while reporting the news during the Covid-19 period, according to a number of media watchdogs and journalist associations that have been tracking abuse of reporters. According to Austria-based International Press Institute (IPI), which is tracking media freedom, 104 violations have been noted worldwide, including 22 on the African continent. Verbal and physical attacks, like the NTV journalist, make up the majority of violations. Among the violations cited was an unnamed freelance journalist halted by police in Harare en route to report on the Covid-19 lockdown. Reporter claims he was forced to lie down and beaten by officers who released him 15 minutes later, according to the IPI report. French-based watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) notes that Zimbabwe is currently Africas biggest press freedom violator in connection with Coronavirus crisis, with no fewer than five arrests of journalists over the past two weeks. Arresting journalists does not stop the epidemic. These press freedom violations also run counter to government directives authorizing journalists to work during the lockdown and to use their 2019 press cards, of which the validity has been extended, said Arnaud Froger, head of RSFs Africa desk. Part of the issue in Zimbabwe, according to RSF, stems from police not giving journalists accurate information and clear instructions so they can go out and do their work. Kenya police intimidation The government in Kenya has encumbered journalism, freedom of expression and the right to information, says Demas Kiprono, a lawyer, columnist and Amnesty International legal expert. Kenyan police use violence as a tactic to intimidate journalists from covering the news, Kiprono tells RFI, referencing a 27 March video of an NTV television journalist in Mombasa. It depicted a police officer assaulting an NTV journalist with impunity. Because of public outrage, the government said that it had interdicted the officer, although his name was never published, says Kiprono. Story continues Media watchdogs acknowledge that some restrictive measures are necessary to protect citizens and journalists during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the scale of these measures is disproportionate. Many governments seem to be using the Coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to further entrench repressive measures, and far overreach the limits in place under international human rights laws on their powers during such times, according to Article 19, a media watchdog. Press licence pulled The Zambia Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), which regulates Zambian broadcasting, pulled the broadcast license of Prime TV in Lusaka, the capital, earlier this month, and forced it to immediately cease broadcasting. The license was pulled in the interest of public safety, security, peace, welfare or good order, according to the IBA statement, but did not specify the reasoning. Prime TV, known for critical government coverage, had been recently covering the Covid-19 pandemic. Zambian authorities should restore Prime TVs broadcast license and cease harassing the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday. Arresting journalists Arbitrary journalist arrests have risen across the continent, as governments use preventative Covid-19 measures as a reason to detain journalists. The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) noted that journalists both in Mogadishu, the capital, and Hargeisa, the capital of self-proclaimed Somaliland, were intimidated, threatened and two were briefly detained while trying to cover Covid-19 stories. However, SJS said that it welcomed the announcement of Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Monday that journalists will be able to work and operate during the curfew imposed by the police chief General Abdi Hassan Mohamed, because media is considered an essential service. Journalists in prison Other reporter groups have called on governments to release journalists who have been detained or convicted and are currently in prison. Standard preventative measures put in place to prevent the spread of highly contagious Covid-19 include washing hands regularly and remaining two metres from others -- measures which are difficult in prisons where space is at a premium and good hygiene is not a given. But on Monday, Cameroonian CNews TV channel cameraman Eric Kouatchou was released after being detained by authorities since 2 April. Kouatchou, who lives in Paris, returned to Douala and was in self-confinement as he had come from Europe. He was accused by Cameroonian authorities of contempt of the fatherland for allegedly giving his press card to a Cameroonian activist in Paris last February. The government said this activist went to the French Agricultural Fair in Paris to call on France to do something about the killings taking place in Anglophone Cameroon. We are satisfied, and perhaps even relieved because we were worried about him, Denis Nkwebo, the president of the Cameroon National Journalists Union (SNJ), told RFI. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on governments to free journalists already convicted on humanitarian grounds so they do not become ill from Covid-19. In order to prevent the curtailing of freedom of the press, governments across the African continent must be more transparenttransparent about Covid-19 data, trends, and the roll out of government initiatives, according to Kenya lawyer Kiprono. This will create an environment where journalism is vibrant and pushes constructive narratives on the reality on the ground, he said. An atmosphere of mistrust is created, which fuels the growth of misleading information in many quarters, he added. Good journalism is therefore drowned in a swamp of rumours, meaning that the public is not adequately and accurately informed on how best to protect themselves and others and what is being done by the government to save lives, said Kiprono. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae speaks during her visit to EBS headquarters in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, to check ongoing preparations for the second online-school opening, scheduled for Thursday. /Yonhap. By Bahk Eun-ji Frequent malfunctions of distance learning platforms used by elementary, middle and high schools amid the COVID-19 outbreak are raising concerns over the scheduled second phase of online-school opening, Thursday, according to officials, Tuesday. The unprecedented online-only spring semester for high school students and middle school seniors began April 9. According to the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), which runs e-Learning site, a learning management system (LMS) for schools across the country, there were access failures from 9:50 a.m., Tuesday. The e-Learning site provides learning materials tailored to the curriculum for first grade at elementary schools through seniors at middle schools. Teachers can open "online classes" on the site and manage them through the LMS. KERIS said it has been working on server recovery. "Users in each province have different connection routes to the e-Learning site, but some users in a number of regions appear to have access problems," said a KERIS official. The official said the server capacity is sufficient for the current workload. NEW YORKRoy Coleman, a 69-year-old living in a homeless shelter on Wards Island, was taken away by ambulance after showing symptoms of COVID-19. The other shelter residents were relieved until Coleman was allowed to return last week after testing positive at Harlem Hospital. At another shelter, Alphonso Syville, 45, said that as much as he tried, he could not block out the incessant coughing that he heard from a man a few feet away. At Delta Manor, a shelter in the Bronx, Christian Cascone recalled how a roommate confronted another resident who had poor hygiene and would not wash his hands. The resident said something like, Well, if God chooses for me to die, Ill die, said Cascone, 37. My roommate said, Well, the good Lord also wants the rest of us to be healthy, too, he said. While much of New York City is staying inside, a crisis has taken hold among a population for whom social distancing is nearly impossible: the more than 17,000 men and women, many of them already in poor health, who sleep in roughly 100 group or congregate shelters for single adults. Most live in dormitories that are fertile fields for the virus, with beds close enough for people sleeping in them to hold hands. And rather than keeping people away from shelters, the virus has driven them in. Some inmates released from Rikers Island to control the outbreak in the jail have wound up in shelters. And with the outdoor safety net falling apart few pedestrians to beg for change; public bathrooms shut; many soup kitchens closed for lack of food and volunteers the nightly shelter population has consistently reached levels seen only a few times in the last decade and usually only on the most frigid nights of winter. When all of those systems simultaneously break down, youre going to get this influx into congregate situations, said Joshua Goldfein, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society. Its a time bomb. Officially as of Sunday, 23 shelter residents have died, among them 14 men and two women from assessment centres and shelters for single adults where multiple, unrelated people share rooms, according to the Department of Homeless Services. And 371 people in shelters had tested positive for the virus, about 80 per cent of them from the single-adult facilities, though those adults represent less than a quarter of the homeless population. The rest are mostly families who often stay in studiolike units by themselves. While total prevention is impossible, the city has been scrambling to at least lower the risk. Paying an average cost of at least $174 (U.S.) a night, it has been renting hotel rooms, empty for lack of tourists, to isolate shelter residents who have symptoms or tested positive as well those potentially exposed. On Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that 2,500 more shelter residents would be moved to hotels by the end of April, in addition to 3,500 who were already sharing rooms in hotels before the virus hit because there was no room in traditional shelters. Residents who are at least 70 years old and some residents in the 10 most densely packed shelters are also being moved to hotels, whether they have symptoms or not. Some homeless families previously staying in hotels are being moved to make room for those residents. Steven Banks, the commissioner of social services, said the city also has purchased 24 handwashing stations and 36 portable toilets to be installed in 12 street locations, for those homeless people who refuse to go to shelters. Shelters are staggering meal times and temporarily dropping rules that require residents to leave during cleaning, to reduce the chance the residents will go out and then return after having been exposed. Simply closing the shelters to stop the spread, as if they were dining halls or Broadway theatres, is not an option. Were still open and offering services, Banks said. Others have shut their doors. The number of New York shelter infections do not capture the scope of the peril; they reflect mainly people who had been so ill that they had to be taken to city hospitals to be tested and treated. The figures do not include people staying in shelters run by charities or other public agencies. Other cities with significant homeless populations have begun to see similar problems. San Francisco tested everyone inside its largest shelter last week, and so far 68 residents and two workers have been confirmed as infected. The city has lifted its ban on tent encampments as long as the tents are at least six feet apart. Even before the pandemic hit, homelessness was an intractable problem for Mayor Bill de Blasio. He took office in 2014 vowing to reduce the number of homeless, but it has only grown, to an estimated 79,000 people, in part because of rising rents beyond the reach of low-income families. Since 2014, the budget for homeless services has doubled to about $3.2 billion (U.S.), according to the city comptrollers office. The shelter system is a patchwork of 450 buildings, including studios for families with children, hotel rooms with double beds, privately owned but decrepit apartments and cavernous spaces with rows of beds, like the mammoth Bedford-Atlantic Armory shelter in Brooklyn. The decentralized nature of the system, and the transience of its clients, have made the application of new policies somewhat ragged. Some residents in shelters and peace officers working in them say some of the preventive measures have not been put into practice or are being ignored by residents. If this is a worldwide epidemic, we should have a fair chance to protect ourselves, said Roberto Mangual, 27, who stays at the Clarke Thomas shelter on Wards Island, where Coleman was allowed to return. We dont really have that chance in a mens shelter, to be honest. Coleman said that after he spent a night back at Clarke Thomas, the staff gave him a MetroCard to travel to one of the quarantine hotels in Long Island City, Queens. After an inquiry by The New York Times, the homeless services department sent a message to shelter providers reminding them that anyone returning from a hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 should be put in isolation and not placed on public transportation. In a phone interview from the hotel Saturday, Coleman said he believed he had contracted the virus at the shelter. I was around a lot of people coughing, throwing up, sneezing, he said. He said that he was happy to now be in a room by himself, where he said he was getting round-the-clock medical attention. If I need medication, I call them, and they send up some aspirin, he said. On Sunday he was moved to another hotel specifically for seniors. Stephen Mott, chief of staff for HELP USA, which operates Clarke Thomas, said the shelter has been under a great deal of strain but acknowledged that it needed to do better. Were up against something huge, he said. Things that we used to let slide we cant let slide anymore. At the city-run Catherine Street Shelter in lower Manhattan, where 100 women live, many residents are not taking precautions, like washing their hands and staying 6 feet apart, one woman who lives there said. They brush against each other when walking in a narrow stairwell. The staff changed the configuration of the cafeteria so that there were only two chairs per table, but some residents simply moved chairs so they could sit together, said the woman, who did not want to be identified because she feared retaliation from staff in the shelter. Derek Jackson, director of the law enforcement division in Teamsters Local 237, a city employee union, said about 550 peace officers work in the shelter system, and as of early last week, 26 had tested positive. Another 41 shelter workers also had tested positive as of last week, according to the city. Were not sure they are being transparent with how many clients are sick with this disease, Jackson said of the city homeless agency. We dont know who is putting us at risk at the shelters. Jackson said the city was slow to provide masks, gloves and other personal protection equipment to the officers. The homeless services agency has been dealing with the same supply shortages as everyone else, said Banks, the commissioner. Last week, after finding masks to purchase, the agency began distributing 100,000 masks to shelters for employees, including peace officers, and now has an additional shipment of 500,000 masks, along with sanitizer and gloves to give to peace officers. Banks also tapped into Robin Hood, the philanthropic foundation, to donate masks for shelter residents and people living on the street. But the inability of shelter residents to self-quarantine is still taking a toll. There is no staying at home when you do not have one. At Opportunity House, a charity-run shelter in Brooklyn, many residents are older and have serious health issues, including problems with vision, said David Gaynor, 60, who is staying there. Some of the literature, you have to be an ant to read it, he said. Camba, which operates Opportunity House, said it is has been taking measures to keep residents safe. We understand the anxiety that everyone is experiencing, the non-profit said in a statement. Gaynor, who was interviewed while wearing a green bandana around his neck that he could pull over his mouth, recalled one resident who did not speak English well and had trouble explaining his symptoms. The staff finally took action when they saw him bowled over and heard the man say the words he knew in English. Am-bu-lance. Hos-pi-tal, Gaynor said, enunciating each word. Everybody understands sick, he said. COVID-19 Risk Assessment Our hope that this fast, free and comprehensive risk assessment tool will help save lives. Our plan is to continue to work alongside public health organizations to provide effective solutions that benefit society. SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE), a leading health care technology company, announced today that it is providing free online access to a comprehensive assessment questionnaire for anyone seeking an evaluation of their current level of risk related to the COVID-19 virus. The evidence-based tool was developed by medical experts based on the latest global data on the virus. It will help people make better personal health care decisions about their COVID-19 risk and will aid in efforts to combat the spread of the disease. The online questionnaire helps determine an individuals risk from possible exposure to COVID-19 by taking into account all the factors, stages and variances in symptoms to provide a perspective on their unique current status. As an evidence-based assessment, it focuses on the users history and symptoms and is a safe and effective means to help make prudent health care decisions in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tool provides users with recommended possible next steps that they can explore as needed with a physician or other medical provider. Since the assessment is performed online, users do not have to leave home, thus avoiding the risk of potential exposure involved with visiting a medical facility or lab. Results are displayed immediately at the conclusion of the assessment, providing the ability to review and download a full report. The report, along with a comprehensive list of current symptoms, can then be shared digitally with a physician in consultation on appropriate next steps. All personal information is completely secure and confidential utilizing SOEs patented HIPAA compliant technology platform which adheres to the highest standards of data security. Data and results are private unless users specifically authorize access to their physician or other health care providers. 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We are pleased to leverage the power of our patented technology platform and medical expertise to help in the global fight against the spread of COVID-19, said Steve Krause, President, SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. Our hope that this fast, free and comprehensive risk assessment tool will help save lives. Our plan is to continue to work alongside public health organizations to provide effective solutions that benefit society. About SecondOpinionExpert SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE) helps people make the best possible health care decisions through effective use of medical second opinions. Our patented technology makes it fast, easy and affordable to gain the perspective of a world-class, board-certified medical specialist on whatever medical decision is needed. SecondOpinionExperts online technology increases the quality and efficiency of health care delivery, improves health care access, and empowers patients to make better informed medical decisions. The HIPAA-compliant platform leverages recent advancements in information technology and electronic medical record systems enabling the company to provide fast, reliable and secure online medical opinions. The system provides patients greater peace of mind in knowing that they have a medical experts perspective for their medical decisions. SOE offers exclusive, one-on-one, professional diagnostic evaluations to patients across the United States and around the globe. We also offer attractive plans for utilizing second opinions as an employee benefit, which helps hold down rising health care premiums. Our skilled panel is comprised of hundreds of physician specialists with exemplary academic credentials as well as significant patient care experience in all major diagnostic specialties and subspecialties. Utilizing our patented processing technology and databases, our physicians can more efficiently and effectively review a patients prior tests and symptoms when writing a second opinion report. Thereafter, the patient may also request a secure teleconsult with the physician, to address any remaining questions. Our technology is available for use here in the US and worldwide. Our patent is also available to be licensed, and the platform can be customized for government, institutional or enterprise use. Additional information can be found at http://www.secondopinionexpert.com WASHINGTON President Trump turned Mondays daily coronavirus task force briefing into an aggressive defense of his own halting response to the pandemic and used a campaign-style video to denounce criticism that he moved too slowly to limit the deadly spread of the virus. For nearly an hour, Mr. Trump vented his frustration after weekend news reports that his own public health officials were prepared by late February to recommend aggressive social distancing measures, but that the president did not announce them until several weeks later a crucial delay that allowed the virus to spread. Mr. Trump broadly mischaracterized an article on his response to the coronavirus, published over the weekend in The New York Times, repeatedly insisting that the United States had very few cases of the virus in early January six weeks earlier and angrily mocking a suggestion that was never made: that he should have ordered all schools and businesses shut that month. I am supposed to close down the greatest economy in the history of the world and we dont have one case confirmed in the United States? he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. RETRANSMITTING By Christopher Cook Bay City News Foundation When Shelly Wong first learned about the dangerous shortages of protective masks and face shields for health care workers treating COVID-19, the Alameda-based entrepreneur and furniture designer swung into action. After talking with a friend who is an ER doctor at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Wong quickly assembled a team to build as much protective gear as possible. "Knowing the ER docs at some of the hospitals made it real and personal for us," said Wong. "We then started to branch out to other hospitals where we felt there was a need." Within about three weeks, Wong had mobilized nearly 100 volunteers to create thousands of masks and shields, distributing them to hospitals in the Bay Area and beyond. Volunteer Alex Chan makes face shields that will be distributed to health care workers. Working seven days a week since mid-March, Wong's all-volunteer team --called It Takes a Village, which includes her husband Alex Chan, also a designer, and their teenage children -- has churned out some 8,000 masks and 750 polycarbonate face shields for Bay Area public hospitals in need, along with overwhelmed facilities in New York City. This week, the group intends to donate another 1,600 fabric masks to UCSF and Sutter Health in San Francisco. Along with co-organizers Julia Chin and Eva Camp, Wong is toiling long hours to produce and distribute the materials. "All three of us go to bed at midnight and wake up at 7 to get packages ready for the drivers," Wong said. "There's no Saturday or Sunday [off], every day is full-bore. Right now, everybody is so concentrated on sewing. Some people are sewing all day, every day." With a network of volunteers sewing the masks from their homes in Dublin, Fremont, Oakland, Orinda and elsewhere, and a steady supply of donated cotton fabric and other materials, the group is pumping out roughly 700 masks a day that can be used to supplement N95 masks, giving health care workers added protection. Wong said the experience and volunteer response has been amazing. "We started this before the shelter in place," she said. "A lot of people feel helpless at home. There is a lot of anger about medical and health care people not being protected. ... So many people want to do something to help. It gives us a purpose." The initiative's hardworking crew includes 70 people who sew, plus eight fabric washers, two drivers, four elastic cutters and six families making face shields. One dedicated volunteer, Christine Chapon, drives and delivers materials for the group. "I love connecting with all those generous and unassuming sewers, fabric cutters, shield makers," Chapon said. "I am so impressed by their relentless work. I will drive miles and miles so this project can contribute to the safety of our superheroes nurses, doctors and EMTs. I am so lucky I can help a little." In addition to its tireless volunteers, the program has benefited tremendously from steady amounts of cotton fabric, elastic, cardboard boxes, plastic bags and thread -- not to mention professional sewing --donated by Bryn Walker, the Berkeley-based women s clothing design company. Other local businesses contributing to the cause include Field Day, a women's sustainable clothier in Oakland, and Neal's CNC, which provided materials and laser cutting services for the shields. The group hopes to provide 100,000 masks and 10,000 face shields to institutions fighting COVID-19, and the volunteer organization has set up a GoFundMe asking for support to reach its goal. This story was originally published by Bay City News Foundation. Please use the original link when sharing: https://www.localnewsmatters.org/2020/04/14/inspire-me-volunteer-group-churns-out-thousands-of-masks-for-healthcare-workers/ 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. Malaysian scientists have created a barrel-shaped robot on wheels that they hope will make the rounds on hospital wards to check on coronavirus patients, reducing health workers' risk of infection. "Medibot" is a 1.5 metre tall (five foot) white robot, equipped with a camera and screen via which patients can communicate remotely with medics. The invention, built by scientists at the International Islamic University Malaysia, is also fitted with a device to check patients' temperatures remotely. It is aimed at helping nurses and doctors working on the wards with social distancing, Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, a member of the team behind the invention, told AFP. It cost about 15,000 ringgit ($3,500) to develop, and the university plans to trial it soon in their own private hospital, which does not treat virus patients, said Zulkifli. If that proves a success, the scientists hope it can be used in government hospitals where people with COVID-19 are sent. Malaysia has reported 4,683 coronavirus cases, including 76 deaths. From Thailand to Israel, robots are being used in the fight against the coronavirus, which has killed over 110,000 people worldwide. They are being increasingly relied on as fast, efficient, contagion-proof champions in the war against the virus. A class action lawsuit filed against McDonald's corporation claims that women who worked for the fast food franchise in Florida restaurants were subjected to widespread sexual harassment. The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Chicago federal court, and accuses McDonald's of fostering a climate of "severe or pervasive sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, including groping, physical assaults, and sexually-charged verbal comments." From Reuters: McDonald's said in a statement that it was committed to ensuring workers were not subject to sexual harassment. "The plaintiffs' allegations of harassment and retaliation were investigated as soon as they were brought to our attention, and we will likewise investigate the new allegations that they have raised in their complaint," it said. The plaintiffs, McDonald's employee Jamelia Fairley and former employee Ashley Reddick, are seeking to represent a class of female employees of Florida's more than 100 corporate-owned, non-franchise McDonald's locations. They are asking for $500 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages. Fairley and Reddick said in their complaint that McDonald's failed to provide training to prevent sexual harassment and shuffled serial harassers from one location to another without consequence. "McDonald's strategy in Florida appears to be: deny, ignore, and punish anyone who complains too loudly, and at times, move harassers from one restaurant to another restaurant, where they have access to and can further harass more women," they said. Read more at Reuters: McDonald's faces class action over 'pervasive sexual harassment' Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster beside closed bars and restaurants in Larne, Co Antrim (Peter Morrison/PA) A quarter of restaurants, along with some pubs and hotels, may never be able to re-open after the coronavirus lockdown, a hospitality chief has warned. Colin Neill of Hospitality Ulster said the sector is in a dire strait with money promised from Government not arriving quickly enough. Venues were ordered to close as Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a nationwide lockdown to attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a scheme to allow businesses that cannot operate to furlough staff, while locally Economy Minister Diane Dodds is launching a grants programme for hospitality businesses. However, Mr Neill said it was simply taking too long for the money to come through. Expand Close Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster beside closed bars and restaurants in Larne, Co Antrim (Peter Morrison/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Colin Neill from Hospitality Ulster beside closed bars and restaurants in Larne, Co Antrim (Peter Morrison/PA) He said that 10-15% of pubs, 15% of hotels and 25% of restaurants are at risk of never opening again. The immediate part is the lack of any money because it is 24 days today since Boris Johnson closed us, he told the PA news agency. The average restaurant or small pub will have probably about two to three weeks cash flow in reserve, that ran out and we have staff not getting money as businesses have no money to give them. Even if you lock up your building, there are fixed costs, the alarms, security, insurance. All of that goes on, people are at their wits ends. Mr Neill said he has received assurances from Mrs Dodds that grants will be paid as soon as they are verified, which he described as helpful. But the two schemes dont open until the 20th, thats another week, people just cant eat, he said. Mr Neill also warned that the sector will need support after the lockdown is lifted, pointing out the costs of restocking and adapting to any potential new social distancing measures. Belfast has experienced a surge in the hospitality sector in recent years with an increased number of tourists supporting more hotels, restaurants and pubs. We were going to be one of the biggest drivers in the economy and we have had the rug pulled from below us, he said. We dont talk about reopening, we talk about rebuilding. Its so hard to know where this is going to end up, if there is going to be a second lockdown or gradual reductions. How does this industry survive, without Government life support, it wont. A grieving woman was dealt another heartbreaking blow when armed police stormed into her grandfather's funeral to enforce coronavirus social distancing restrictions. The service for Dino Toskidis, in Melbourne's south east, was interrupted on Saturday by two officers who walked into the church as the coffin was being carried out by loved ones. Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month ordered no more than 10 people attend funerals as part of tough restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19. Mr Toskidis' granddaughter Benita criticised police for crashing the service and said the funeral didn't breach the 10-person limit. 'We were forced to feel in the wrong when we were doing everything right,' the journalist wrote in an emotional tribute to her grandfather in AAP. 'Papou was a true gentleman who deserved better.' A family has slammed police and funeral home workers for ruining their grandfather's funeral in Melbourne on Saturday. Pictured: Benita Kolovos with her late grandfather Dino Toskidis Ms Kolovos said police entered the church as her father, brothers and uncles were carrying the coffin down the aisle. 'The officers continued to question the church staff,' she wrote. 'I don't know what I expected. I thought they'd stop, maybe bow their heads, or give us a knowing nod, a ''sorry, we don't want to be here either'' face. Benita Kolovos' heartfelt tribute to her grandfather 'My grandfather, or Papou as he is known in my family, always wanted a small funeral. Papou Dino used to roll his eyes at the grand - and sometimes gaudy - Greek Orthodox funerals with the over-the-top flower arrangements and priests taking advantage of a big crowd for a guilt trip to come to church more often. He didn't want that. But he wouldn't have wanted the service we were forced to give him. Born during WWII, Papou Dino lived through the Greek Civil War, the Cold War and military junta. He died in his sleep at a nursing home on April 5 amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, we could be there during his final days, despite the nursing home being closed to visitors to stem the virus spread. The Greek Orthodox funeral director warned us police were checking in on many of his services. At the time I figured he was, as the Greeks say, adding a bit of 'salsa' to his story to make sure we complied with the strict social distancing measures put in place by the government, of 10 people at funerals. We made the painful calls to relatives to let them know who could attend and who couldn't. Our small, sad congregation arrived at the grand church on Saturday, some clad in gloves and masks, and took our seats at individual pews. Even those of us from the same household had to sit apart. I've never felt more alone. With about 15 minutes left in the funeral, two uniformed police officers carrying weapons entered the church and began a head count. They started speaking to church staff while the funeral director cut the service short, quickly calling for the coffin to be taken out. 'Keep apart,' he kept saying in both Greek and English to all of us. The priest was gone. As my dad, brother and two uncles carried Papou out of the church, the officers continued to question the church staff. I don't know what I expected. I thought they'd stop, maybe bow their heads, or give us a knowing nod, a 'sorry, we don't want to be here either' face. Instead, we were forced to feel in the wrong when we were doing everything right. Everyone rushed to their cars, terrified of a fine. Some couldn't follow the hearse as we made our way to the cemetery. It felt ironic - the funeral of a man who escaped a military junta cut short by armed police. He worked hard, played fair, loved deeply and was incredibly kind to all people. Papou was a true gentleman who deserved better.' Advertisement Mr Toskidis' daughter Helen has also slammed police for ruining their farewell - saying the officers who attended showed 'no respect' Mr Toskidis' daughter Helen slammed police for interrupting their emotional farewell. Helen said mourners complied with the ten-person limit, and family members even sat in separate pews despite coming from the same household. 'Being from a Greek family it was already mission impossible to do that, but we did, we literally had to pick and choose our own family and say you can come, you can't come,' she told the Guardian. Helen told 9News the police officers showed 'no respect' by disrupting the service. 'It was difficult to have to pick just 10 people to attend the funeral and make calls to relatives to let them know who could attend and who couldn't,' she said. 'What I can't understand is the presence of two armed police officers inside the church. They arrived towards the end of the funeral and showed no respect for my dad as his coffin was carried out of the church. 'They didn't stop talking, taking notes as we walked by. It interrupted the funeral, rushed us as we left and some couldn't follow the hearse as we made our way to the cemetery. It was deeply distressing.' The mother said it broke her heart 'into a million pieces' when the police entered the church carrying guns. 'I was inconsolable. That whole moment of farewelling my dad, that moment was taken away from me,' she said. Mimi Becker (pictured) said her funeral was also ruined when a funeral worker demanded she 'maintain social distancing' at her father's (right) service Ms Kolovos spoke about her grandfather living through the Greek Civil War, the Cold War and military junta. 'It felt ironic - the funeral of a man who escaped a military junta cut short by armed police,' she wrote. Victoria Police has not commented on the incident, but deputy commissioner Shane Patton said officers were expected 'to be respectful and mindful to any incidents they are called to'. The disastrous funeral came on the same weekend another family's farewell to a family member was ruined by strict enforcement of social distancing restrictions. Mimi Becker, also a journalist, spoke of her heartbreak after a funeral home worker asked her to step away from her father's coffin during the service on the weekend. 'After the service, in line with tradition, we each approached Dad's coffin to bless him with holy water - a very sad, poignant moment of reality and grief. I was understandably upset,' Ms Becker wrote in a tribute to her late father. 'I was standing alone, with my aunt and older brother close by. After I had sprinkled the holy water on the coffin, my heart aching, a member of staff from the funeral home came up to me, and she stood close to demand, "can you please maintain social distancing?"' Ms Becker said she was distraught the funeral worker had ruined her final farewell to her father. Mimi Becker (pictured), also a journalist, spoke of her heartbreak after a funeral home worker asked her to step away from her father's coffin during the service on the weekend 'At that moment, a woman I had only met for the first time that day, was intruding on an incredibly intimate and private moment, a defining moment in my life and one I can never, ever get back. It felt wrong. It felt unjust. I couldn't stay silent,' she wrote. When Ms Becker told the employee that 'now is not the time,' she responded 'it's the law'. Ms Becker said it was a stark reminder of the world we now live in amid the coronavirus pandemic. The journalist said she and her family had been in social isolation together in the same household in her father's last days. But despite that, the 10 grieving family members were left standing out on the street, metres apart to adhere to strict social distancing laws after the service. The family weren't breaching any restrictions as all funeral attendees were members of the same household Victoria Police Protective Services Officers patrol the beach at St Kilda in Melbourne on Easter Monday She said later in the day that instead of reflecting on her father's life she found herself remembering the 'traumatic and distressing' treatment she had just experienced at his funeral. The federal government imposed a limit of 10 people at funerals last month in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 61 Australians and infected more than 6,300. Australians face fines of up to $1,600 if they're caught breaching social distancing measures. 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 Gatherings of more than two people who aren't from the same household have been banned, and people should only leave their house for essential shopping, exercise, medical appointments and work or school. Australians are being warned the restrictions put in place to contain COVID-19 will be in place for many more weeks, despite the nation's infection rate dropping. State and federal leaders will meet later this week to discuss when restrictions can be relaxed. 'I do want to caution Australians that we're not in that phase yet ... we're many weeks away from being in a place like that,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday. He said any lifting of restrictions would need to be backed up by a strong health system and even stronger testing regime. 'You've seen in places like Singapore and Sweden and other parts of the world where the virus has just taken off again,' he said. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said it was important Australia maintained social distancing measures for the time being, as every single undetected community transmission could infect a lot of people. 'The scale of measures at the moment are something that we clearly do have to review ... but it's not now, it's within the next few weeks,' he told ABC radio. 'We need to look at all of the data, look at our preparedness, and the national cabinet will be making a lot of decisions about what, if anything, can be relaxed in the coming weeks.' Professor Murphy said he would be concerned if social restrictions were relaxed before public hospitals were fully prepared and the country had enough personal protective equipment. Ms Kolovos said they had complied with the ten-person limit, and family members even sat in separate pews despite coming from the same household (stock image) Health Minister Greg Hunt said the aim was to work towards 'effective eradication' of the disease. Meanwhile, the federal government is considering subsidising domestic flights for airlines hammered by the pandemic. Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said there were no guarantees international flights would resume by December. He is encouraging people to take domestic holidays instead once the pandemic subsides. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for comment. Exclusive: Saudi Aramco in talks with banks to borrow about $10 billion - sources FILE PHOTO: Saudi Aramco logo is pictured at the oil facility in Abqaiq By Yousef Saba, Clara Denina and Davide Barbuscia DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, is in early talks with banks for a loan of about $10 billion to help finance its acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), according to three banking sources. Aramco <2222.SE> agreed last year to buy the controlling stake in SABIC from the kingdom's wealth fund for $69.1 billion, sealing one of the biggest-ever deals in the global chemical industry. "The financing would be for the SABIC deal, but the borrower is Aramco," said one of the sources, adding that the discussions were at an initial stage, with the company sounding out banks. "Ten billion dollars is where they want to get to, (it's) not clear if, in this market, they'll manage to reach that." A second source said banks involved in the talks included HSBC and JPMorgan , as well as lenders in the Gulf. In response to a Reuters request for comment about whether it was seeking such a loan, Saudi Aramco said: "The company continues to review its financial options as part of its normal course of business, while prudently preserving its pristine balance sheet and its resilience." JPMorgan declined to comment, while HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A third banker said Aramco was looking to borrow in U.S. dollars because it was cheaper than in Saudi riyals, in terms of interest, and to avoid pressuring Saudi banks' liquidity. OIL PRICES CRASH The SABIC stake acquisition from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will help Aramco's downstream expansion plans. The deal came after months of talks between the company and PIF and was one of the reasons for the delay of Aramco's blockbuster initial public offering late last year. The loan discussions come at a time when oil-producing nations have been hit by a plunge in demand for crude as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and a slide in oil prices. Story continues OPEC and its allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, have agreed to the largest oil output cut in history that could curb supply by up to 20%. But the agreement has done little to boost oil prices as many economies remain under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, curbing demand. Brent crude traded at around $30 on Tuesday, still less than half its close at the end of last year and below the $31.48 price before the output cut deal was reached. Aramco's shares closed at $31.10 on Tuesday, below the $32 price of its IPO late last year that initially raised $25.6 billion and became the world's largest. Saudi Arabia, which owns more than 98% of the oil giant, is likely to sell new international bonds soon, according to sources, as the output cut deal further squeezes revenues hit by the plunge in oil prices. (Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Pravin Char) As exams get underway on virtual campuses across the province, instructors are implementing new measures to deter cheating on finals that would typically put students under intense in-person supervision and scrutiny. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As exams get underway on virtual campuses across the province, instructors are implementing new measures to deter cheating on finals that would typically put students under intense in-person supervision and scrutiny. Honesty declarations, timed multiple choice questions and appeals for good faith are being used to promote academic integrity in e-learning exams at both the University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg. Instructors are wrestling with ways to prevent cheating since the COVID-19 pandemic response escalated so quickly there has been little time for the U of M to organize external proctoring services, said Janet Morrill, president of the universitys faculty association. "There are more opportunities (to cheat) and fewer controls," Morrill said, adding that academic integrity is also being challenged because the pivot online means professors arent necessarily able to use assessments they feel are the most appropriate for their courses. By Tuesday afternoon, biology student Jess MacPherson had already completed three online exams, as well as pre-exam quizzes that require students to review academic rules. "Its a privilege for us to still be able to carry on education during this time. Im just glad I can finish my semester, so why take advantage of an opportunity to learn?" said MacPherson, who heads the U of M Biology Undergraduate Students Association. Students who are found to have cheated on a test for the first time face penalties ranging from receiving a mark of zero to a 12-month suspension from taking courses in the faculty in which they cheated. Students can be expelled for repeated and severe misconduct. Last year, MacPherson saw the impact of penalties first-hand when she was on a disciplinary committee tasked to review a students misconduct. The accused was suspended from all science courses for a year. If academic penalties arent enough to dissuade such activity, MacPherson said she thinks the most effective method to promote integrity is timed tests. Meanwhile, U of M Students Union president Jakob Sanderson said that if there have been any controversies surrounding the new practices, its that some students want time to browse all exam questions rather than being forced to answer each timed question before moving onto the next. "The vast majority of students arent going to be going into their exam and looking at ways to cheat," Sanderson said. "A lot of folks have a lot of test anxiety and having to do an exam is already quite stressful." 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. Mark Torchia, vice-provost of teaching and learning, said there has been a move to encourage U of M instructors to lessen the weight of finals so students can show their progressive learning throughout a semester and are dissuaded to breach academic codes of conduct due to stress. "Academic integrity doesnt just fall on the student; it falls on the instructor to provide the best ways to learn," Torchia said. U of M has a proactive educational approach on academic integrity, he said but at the same time, breaches can result in "life-changing" consequences. A total of 706 academic discipline incidents involving 644 students were reported at the Winnipeg university during the 2018-19 academic year. Last year, approximately two per cent of the student population was involved in academic misconduct of some sort. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie YEREVAN, APRIL 14, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on April 14, as of 10:00, 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 uncertain time. The Georgian side reports that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open only for trucks. Drivers are urged to use snow tires. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan WFH for Private offices in Delhi, restaurants & bars to be shut as Omicron-led to sudden rise in Covid cases Lata Mangeshkar admitted to ICU in Mumbai Hospital after testing positive for Covid Thanks, take care of your health: BJP chief Nadda after Sonia Gandhi's message India oi-PTI New Delhi, Apr 14: In an apparent dig at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her video message hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on extending the lockdown, BJP president JP Nadda asked her to take care of her health. Shortly before PM Modi addressed the nation, Sonia Gandhi, in a video message, assured people of her party's support in the anti-COVID-19 fight and said whether in power or not, the party will help people fight against the virus spread. Persistence is perserverance says Sonia Gandhi while thanking COVID-19 fighters "Thank you Sonia ji, take care of your health," Nadda tweeted. Sources in the party told news agency Press Trust of India that Sonia Gandhi should have avoided the video message before Prime Minister's address to the nation. Sonia Gandhi, in her speech, said it will not be possible to win this battle without everyone's support and urged citizens to stay indoors, be safe and observe the lockdown stipulations. Nadda, had earlier criticised Sonia Gandhi for doing politics at the time of crisis when the country should be united. Coronavirus outbreak: Chidambaram unhappy with the lockdown extension, slams Centre Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown will be extended by another 19 day - till May 3. Australian brand Bega has won a second victory over the use of trademark yellow lids on its peanut butter jars in a battle against US food giant Kraft. Kraft appealed last year's Federal Court decision awarding Bega exclusive rights to use the yellow lid plus the red and blue peanut labels. The Federal Court dismissed the challenge on Tuesday. When Bega bought the company, it kept the branding colours but ran ads stating 'Kraft peanut butter is now Bega peanut butter'. The American company claimed it was misleading to consumers but the appeal judges disagreed. Kraft appealed last year's Federal Court decision awarding Bega exclusive rights to use the yellow lid plus the red and blue peanut labels (stock image) The fight over product image and copyright ownership was sparked during a series of takeovers in 2017. The Kraft company was bought by Heinz and the Australian products, including peanut butter, moved under the Mondelez umbrella that was bought by Bega. Though the peanut butter would now be sold by Bega, the company decided to keep the branding as it was already recognised by customers. Kraft claimed Mondelez only had a license to use the packaging which expired in December 2017 and could not sell the rights to Bega. That claim was rejected in May 2019 after the court found Bega had acquired all the rights to use the trademark colours when the company bought the assets. Kraft tried to appeal the decision in 2020, but that was also rejected. 'Even if there were a possibility that some reasonable consumers would be confused about the change in brands, conduct that merely causes confusion is not misleading or deceptive,' justices Lindsay Foster, Mark Moshinsky and Michael O'Bryan wrote in their decision. Afghan authorities say they will ban motorcycles and scooters in the capital, Kabul, for an unspecified period of time in an effort to improve security. "Most of the crimes in the city, including targeted killings and other crimes, are carried out using motorbikes," Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said on April 14. Motorcycles and scooters are popular in Kabul. Violators of the ban, which is to take effect immediately, will have their motorcycles seized, the Interior Ministry said. Delivery riders, who have seen heavy demand since Kabul's coronavirus lockdown, will be exempted. AFP quoted an unidentified security official as saying that Taliban militants are conducting an increasing number of targeted killings of government officials using motorbikes. According to the official, street robberies by thieves on motorcycles and scooters are also on the rise. The decision comes as Kabul, with a population of about 5 million people, is under a three-week lockdown in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the city. A total of 714 people in Afghanistan have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to the Health Ministry. It said the disease had so far killed 23 people in the country. Based on reporting by dpa and AFP Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a semi-autonomous robot that can disinfect large surfaces quickly. The researchers are planning to have public trials to support Singapore's fight against COVID-19. Named eXtreme Disinfection roBOT (XDBOT), it can be wirelessly controlled via a laptop or tablet, removing the need for cleaners to be in contact with surfaces, thereby reducing the risk of picking up the virus from potentially contaminated areas. In this current COVOD-19 outbreak, there is a national demand for deep cleaning and disinfection services . According to news reports, working hours for cleaners have doubled to 16 hours a day due to the manpower crunch. The new robot differs from other disinfection robots currently on the market that are primarily intended to clean and vacuum floor surfaces and are unable to disinfect odd-shaped surfaces or anything above ground level. Comprising a semi-autonomous control unit with motorised wheels, XDBOT has a 6-axis robotic arm that can mimic human movement to reach awkward locations such as under tables and beds, as well as doorknobs, tabletops and light switches. And instead of a conventional pressure-spray nozzle, it uses an electrostatic-charged nozzle to ensure a wider and further spread of the disinfectant, behind and over hidden surfaces. Unlike typical nozzles, XDBOT's nozzle discharges chemicals with a positive electrical charge. These disinfectants will then be attracted to all negatively-charged surfaces. Surfaces already covered with the disinfectant will then repel the spray, making this method very efficient. This concept of charge attraction is similar to how positive and negative poles of magnets are drawn to each other. Leader of the project, Professor Chen I-Ming, a roboticist from the NTU Robotics Research Centre, said the XDBOT was conceived when COVID19 cases started to spike worldwide in mid-February and disinfection efforts were being stepped up at Changi Airport, local hotels and hospitals . "To stop the transmission of a virus means we need a way to quickly disinfect surfaces, which is a labour-intensive and repetitive activity," Prof Chen explained. "Using our new robot from a distance, a human operator can precisely control the disinfection process, increasing surface area cleaned by up to four times, with zero contact with surfaces." Prof Chen is also the founder and CEO of Transforma Robotics, a technology spin-off from NTU Singapore. The XDBot was developed by NTU scientists working with Transforma Robotics and two other NTU spin-offs, Hand Plus Robotics and Maju Robotics, along with help from two industry partners: Asia Centre of Technologies (ACOT) and Tungray Singapore Pte Ltd. Developed and built on the NTU Smart Campus, the robot went from a theoretical concept to an operational prototype in two months. Through its Smart Campus vision, NTU aims to harness the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources, in support of Singapore's Smart Nation ambitions. NTU Senior Vice-President (Research) Prof Lam Khin Yong said that the rapid development of the robot exemplifies NTU's ability to have innovative solutions to global challenges and that draw on a wide range of university research strengths. "During this challenging period, we are proud that our scientists have come together and gone the extra mile to develop a homegrown robotic solution to help address the current manpower crunch in the sanitation industry and to minimise transmission risks associated with COVID-19." Semi-autonomous for precise disinfection XDBOT can navigate semi-autonomously in any environment using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and high-definition cameras, while its arm is controlled by a human operator - like a tank with a rotating turret. Currently, the operator can control the robot from up to 30 metres using a laptop/tablet, which can be increased to 50m or further with more antennas installed on XDBOT. The robot possesses a large 8.5 litre tank that can carry a variety of disinfectants appropriate to different environments such as childcare centres, hospitals, nursing homes and shopping malls. It can run for four hours continuously on a rechargeable battery pack and is estimated to be able to disinfect a surface area of up to four times that of manual cleaning. Recharging its batteries takes eight hours at present, but the researchers say this can be further improved if quick-charging technology is adopted. XDBOT has been tested in public areas on the NTU campus such as the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Spine Plaza and the dining area near Canopy K. Moving forward, the team is in talks with several healthcare institutions and hopes to further test the prototype at more public areas and the local public hospitals. If trials are successful and with sufficient commercial demand, the three spin-offs aim to develop a production-ready version of the XDBOT and scale up production so as to support Singapore's efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19. ### Media contact: Lester Kok Assistant Director Corporate Communications Office Nanyang Technological University Email: lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-renowned autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). Ranked 11th in the world by QS, NTU has been placed the world's top young university for the past six years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and it has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) building projects, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Singapore's healthcare district. Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources. For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg. By Andy Carter Would you be able to look yourself in the mirror if you unintentionally infected a nurse or doctor? I sure wouldnt. But thats the risk we run when we dont follow the guidance to stay at home. Let me start with a disclaimer Im not a physician, scientist, or epidemiologist. But I know enough as a lay person to stay at home for all but life-sustaining reasons. I am doing so even though, under the governors stay-at-home order, Id be exempt since my team and I at the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania provide essential and direct support to all of Pennsylvanias hospitals and the emergency management infrastructure now being deployed. Every day we work from home, helping our hospitals address the strain on their supply and personal protective equipment needs, create extra bed space for a surge in COVID-19 patients, and address the new challenges that this disease brings. Every hospital is unique, but we all agree that staying home slows the spread of COVID-19. Yet I still see lots of people out and about on non-essential errands. I read about parties still happening, kids playing with the neighbors kids, friends hugging each other when they cross paths on a walk. Behind this failure to practice aggressive social distancing, I fear, is that people think COVID-19 isnt such a big deal, that its no worse than the flu. This is literally dead wrong. I poked around the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to see what it says about the flu. I found that during a recent (and typical) flu season, about two in 1,000 people are hospitalized and about half of them die. Were new to COVID-19, but the experts watching it unfold are seeing a scary trend. In Pennsylvania, data paint an emerging picture of a virus far more dangerous than the flu. According to the Pennsylvanias Department of Health, we have had 102 influenza-associated deaths this season (with 133 deaths last season and a record-breaking 256 deaths in the previous one). According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, as of April 13, Pennsylvania had logged 524 COVID-19 deaths. And not one of the COVID-19 models out there suggests Pennsylvania has yet reached its peak. The health care community is scrambling to be ready for a surge of patients during the coming weeks, and all Pennsylvanians are rightly grateful for the work of our health care heroes the nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other professionals working around the clock to save lives. Many hospital staff have told us that, as welcome as our gratitude is, what they really need is for you to stay home. Dont go to the hospital unless your doctor advises you to, or if you have an emergency. Go to the grocery store less often, and dont stockpile food and supplies. When you take a walk in order to stay active, keep well clear of other people. Lets work together to reduce the risk of spreading the disease. The experts are warning that the virus can be spread by people who are infected but dont know it. And President Trump and Gov. Wolf are encouraging us all to wear cloth face coverings to help reduce transmission. These are difficult, often scary times, but staying home saves lives. It truly is an act of love for our family, neighbors, and health care community. By staying home, youre giving our hospitals a fighting chance a chance to have enough beds and ventilators to care for the sickest among us, a chance to have enough gear to protect our staff. Lets all do our part. Stay home. Be a hero. Andy Carter is president and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. 14.04.2020 LISTEN The attention of the NDC in Nandom constituency was drawn to a rejoinder issued by the Nandom NPP secretary Raymond Nero which instead of addressing the issues raised by a concerned citizen of Nandom, chose to attack the parliamentary candidate of the NDC at no provocation. The write up in which a concern citizen expresses his concerns on the MP's neglect of Nandome in the CSM epidemic, represents the concerns of the writer and not the party he belongs. So Raymond could have responded to it either as a citizen of Nandom or better still, responded to it without attacking the person of Dr Richard Kuuire who the people of Nandom are going to give their mandate to represent them from January 7, 2021. It's therefore our considered view that Raymond either lacked the capacity to respond to the issues or he deliberately chose to attack our parliamentary candidate, Dr Kuuire. As a social democratic party, we know that all well thinking Nandome share in the concern expressed by that concern citizen. But it is not difficult to understand that Raymond did that to satisfy his political 'demigod' and is not interested in the lives of Nandome that we are loosing daily to the CSM. Before we proceed, we want to state clearly that our respect and obedience to our Parliamentary candidate has never been questioned. The clarion call on political parties particularly the NPP and NDC in Nandom by our PC, Dr Richard Kuuire, to desist politicking with CONVID-19 and CSM in the Municipality has been much respected and appreciated by the party , the reason why the ndc has called off political activities in the constituency. Why Dr Kuuire's name was dragged into an expression by a concern citizen of Nandom remains unfathomable. Raymond can not assume he does not know the difference between a publication from a concerned citizen and that from a political party and for that matter the ndc. It is astonishing that a constituency secretary of Raymond's standing will stoop so low into the gutters with a myopic description of Dr Richard Kuuire. With the 'superior knowledge' and his grassrootness, one would have thought that this basic knowledge of Dr Richard Kuuire as a genuine philanthropist wouldn't have eluded him. Calling Dr Richard Kuuire a 'stingy' person is nothing but an artificially pedestrian politics that can only be carried out by complete uneducated political serial callers. How can someone who personally drilled 42 boreholes, repaired over 20 boreholes, pay school fees for some Nandome be referred to as a stingy person? Again, Dr Richard Kuuire has wholeheartedly given interventions to the Nandom health and the education directorates when he has not tasted any political power or appointment. In fact, when Dr Richard Kuuire was making his donations to Nandom health directorate recently, he added an amount of money for the directorate to use it to facilitate their education on both CSM, CONVID-19 and other ailments. Indeed, that was done to compliment the community based hepitatis B screening and vaccination which Nandome are only asked to pay GHS15. 00 only while Dr Kuuire absorbs the rest of the cost of the vaccine for the three times a person is required to complete the vaccine dose. This is being done across the constituency and is only on hold because of the COVID19 pandemic. Could such a person be referred to as a stingy person? We believe strongly that the NPP secretary for the Nandom Constituency is struggling to appreciate the meaning of the word 'stingy' which he wrongly used on a known charitable and genuinely generous man. Dr Richard Kuuire does all these things without waiting to be voted for before doing it. He doesn't also call on Nandome to vote for him before he does some of these things just like the mp will usually do anytime he is contesting elections. Could it be that the NPP secretary expects to see Dr Richard Kuuire dolling out money to few greedy ones like the mp is alleged by the 2018 Auditor General's report to have given over Ghc 95,000. 00 to his constituency youth organiser for their 'chop chop' of which the secretary is part. However, Raymond and the npp are advised to note that the incoming MP, Dr Richard Kuuire will not share public funds with impunity as Hon Ambrose is alleged to have done. Dr Kuuire's focus is to channel every little amount into the developmental needs of his constituents and into the stomach of few greedy ones. Moving forward, the Nandom Constituency Secretary of the ruling NPP, failed to prove wrong a world wide fact that donations made by Hon Ambrose and all NPP MPs and PCs are fully funded from the CONVID-19 fund and the money the president allegedly instructed the MMDCEs to release came from DPAT funds of the assembly. Again, Raymond assumed the posturing of a naive politician when he indicated without any remorse that all the CSM cases are not from Nandom. Does that suggest why the mp is not interested in it? Again, is the MP not a government official? Is he suppose to pick and choose whom to support in the matter of life and death? But the NDC in nandom is not surprised because DISCRIMINATION against individuals and communities by Hon Ambrose Dery in the constituency has been the very foundation of the NPP government in the Nandom Constituency. The npp Secretary has also failed to understand that once those cases were confirmed and recorded in Nandom, they represent the incidence of CSM in the Municipality, unless he is saying that the foreigners who have been tested and confirmed as COVID-19 positives are not counted among the covid cases we have in Ghana. Mr Secretary, are you suggesting that the health authorities don't know how to report it? It is also a total falsehood seeking to score unmerited cheap political points when he said that government and WHO have supplied medicines to the region. The municipality through the region have given report that they made a request to the government for the necessary medicine including vaccines for children. In fact, their requests are yet to receive approval. In addition, there is an incontrovertible fact that the health directorate has written to thank all those who made donations to them for whatever purpose and at least, you have known that Dr Kuuire received his appreciation letter before Hon. Ambrose. This should inform you that Dr Richard Kuuire donated before the MP and one will not be far from right saying that the MP was waiting for his share of the CONVID fund to make the donations. Furthermore, Raymond's attempts to suggest distinction between boreholes drilled by the assembly and those by the MP fell short to achieve his intention as their own lists being circulated round have different numerical values from what he stated in his seeming response. Fact is the purported assembly list of World Bank sponsored boreholes was just put up in an attempt to respond to the publication by the concerned citizen but it ended up exposing their lies and inconsistencies. The attempted response indicated that the World Bank sunk 51 boreholes but the assembly list captured 45 boreholes while the MP's list captured 53 boreholes. Now, Raymond's response said the MP drilled 55 boreholes and this belies what the MP's personal aide circulated. So a careful look at the two lists being circulated round exposes a desperate attempt to duplicate some communities and try to synchronise some of them to deceive the good people of Nandom. In conclusion, the NDC in Nandom wants to reiterate the clarion call made the NDC parliamentary candidate, Dr Richard Kuuire, to collectively fight the CSM and the imported CONVID-19. We must not use these diseases for our usual political games. We are in extraordinary times and must observe it as such. Signed Cornelius Naasoa Wuobar, Nandom constituency Secretary, NDC 0246985516 People who are self-employed, have second jobs or run a business often have to pay estimated taxes on a quarterly basis, as well as filing returns for the full year. If they pay too little, they may have to pay penalties. Individuals must make estimated payments if their Illinois individual income tax liability is more than $1,000 for the year, according to the Department of Revenues web site. In some places in the United States and other developed countries hit hard by COVID-19, the question is when it might become possible to start getting back to work. For much of the rest of the world, the nightmare is yet to start. And part of the horror is that many poorer countries wont have the means to do much about it. Nor, given the international communitys lack of organisation and leadership in the face of a global crisis, can they count on richer nations to help them. With the exception of Iran, the countries hardest hit up till now are among those with the worlds most advanced economies, scientific establishments and medical services and even Iran has a relatively functional medical system. What probably lies ahead is the spread of the coronavirus through countries ravaged by conflict, through packed refugee camps and detention centres in places like Syria or Bangladesh, through teeming cities like Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro or Monrovia, where social distancing is impossible and government is not trusted, through nations without the fiscal capacity or health services to mount a viable response. To track all live updates from the coronavirus pandemic, click here That would be disastrous not only for them but also for the rest of the world as supplies of raw materials are disrupted, fragile economies collapse, strongmen grow stronger and the virus doubles back to re-infect northern regions. So far, the most vulnerable regions have reported comparatively few cases one in Yemen, a smattering across Africa and the Middle East. But that may be partly a function of unreliable reporting or deliberate denial. The numbers are growing, and as the world has learned, they are likely to swell radically and swiftly. 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 A survey by the International Crisis Group said the full impact is hard to anticipate, but, If the disease spreads in densely packed urban centres in fragile states, it may be virtually impossible to control. The dramatic economic slowdown already underway will disrupt trade flows and create unemployment that will do damage at levels that are hard to forecast and grim to contemplate. For a sense of the scale of the plight of some developing nations, consider one of the most critical pieces of medical equipment used in treatment: the ventilator. The United States has some 160,000 ventilators, according to one estimate. Sierra Leone has 13. South Sudan has four. Central African Republic has three. In Venezuela, where 90 percent of the hospitals already face shortages, there are only 84 intensive care unit beds for a population of 32 million, according to a report from the International Rescue Committee. The lesson of the crisis is that the weakest links in the global health chain are a threat to health everywhere, said David Miliband, the groups president. We cannot afford these weak links, and must strengthen the efforts in war-torn countries and communities to lift their life chances. In the United States and Europe, governments and businesses have been able to pay many furloughed workers at least part of their salaries, and others are eligible for unemployment benefits. But billions of people in Africa, Latin America and South Asia have no safety net and no savings. The United Nations has warned that income loss in developing countries could exceed $220 billion. The impact will not be uniform. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have moved quickly to offer billions in emergency loans to poorer countries, though theyve warned this will not be enough. Countries with relatively stable governments, like Peru, have been quick to mount countermeasures, while battered nations like Haiti and Venezuela have few defences available. Some dictatorships, like Egypt, have used the outbreak to tighten their grip. Across the Southern Hemisphere, the pandemics effects may be cushioned by young populations. In such African countries as Niger, Angola, Chad, Mali, Uganda and Somalia, nearly half the population is 15 or younger. In the United States, that share is 19 percent. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis have both called for a cessation of all global conflicts to focus on what Guterres called the true fight of our lives. Last week Saudi Arabia announced a cease-fire in its war against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and armed groups have indicated a desire to stop fighting in Colombia, Cameroon and the Philippines. The Afghan government and the Taliban have both begun efforts to stem the spread of the virus. And Russia may find the burden of supporting Syrian troops or secessionists in western Ukraine excessive if COVID-19 begins to take a heavy toll on the economy. But the Islamic State has called on its followers to ramp up their efforts. The Houthis have not reciprocated Saudi Arabias cease-fire, and fighting has escalated in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is understandable that governments of rich nations have focused first and foremost on the crisis within their own borders. Nothing like the coronavirus has ever overwhelmed so much of the world in such short order, or with such cataclysmic force. Yet it is dismaying that a danger that confronts the entire world, that is likely to hurt the entire global economy, has led to so little global cooperation and has been met with so little global leadership. This is a crisis in which the United States could have emerged as the leader, and it still may do so. But on top of the widely chronicled failures at home, the Trump administration has provided little inspiration for the world. The response in Europe has also been marked by confusion and disunity: The head of the European Unions main science organisation resigned last week to protest the bloc's handling of the crisis. The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, is under heavy fire from critics who say its complicated relationship with China may have undermined its mission. That is not likely to change, especially while the disease continues to ravage the United States, Italy, Spain and many other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, and especially in an American presidential election year, when the struggle against COVID-19 is likely to become more politicised. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here But Washingtons weakness should not stop the brain trust of the developed world the think tanks, news media, universities and nongovernmental organisations from focusing on a strategy for the next and possibly most brutal front in the struggle against the scourge of the coronavirus. Many organisations have already begun to do so, recognising that this may be the defining struggle of our era, and that if ever the world demanded a global response, this is it. c.2020 The New York Times Company Garry Shandling on Its Garry Shandlings Show. Photo: Showtime The career of Alan Zweibel is also a mini-history of 20th-century comedy. He got his start selling one-liners piecemeal to the last of the Borscht Belt comics. After a failed attempt at stand-up, he wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 70s, co-created Its Garry Shandlings Show, wrote some movies and a play, and then moved on to prose, including the award-winning humor novel The Other Shulman, and now his memoir, Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier. Zweibel was often in the room where the classic comedy happened, so here are some of the most amusing and shocking experiences he details in the book. He helped Gilda Radner humiliate Woody Allen. At SNL, Zweibel often worked with Gilda Radner, and while they stayed close friends until her death, theyd fight over sketches on a weekly basis, with Radner savagely and thoroughly editing most anything Zweibel had written for her. By the time we saw each other at the after-party, Gilda and I wouldnt be talking to each other, Zweibel writes. Theyd usually make up sometime on the Sunday after an SNL episode. At a brunch full of celebrity guests one week, Radner tried to make up with Zweibel by making him laugh from across the room. She hung out by the buffet making faces and doing little dances every time I looked in her direction, Zweibel writes. Then Radner zeroed in on Woody Allen. The filmmaker was loaded down with a plate of food in each hand and a cup of orange juice under his chin. Radner put her hands on his shoulders and said, Im sorry, Woody, but Zweibels acting like an asshole, and I have to make him laugh. And so she shoved him down a few steps, which sent bagels, lox, tomato slices, and orange juice flying in all directions. Zweibel laughed. Milton Berle was unbelievably tacky on SNL. The 1979 SNL episode hosted by early TV star Milton Berle is legendary, because its terrible and because it was subsequently kept out of circulation for decades. Mr. Television did whatever he wanted to do, mugging constantly and insisting on ending the show by singing the sad and mawkish September Song. And it was even more awkward in rehearsals, according to Zweibel. While rehearsing his monologue, Berle stood on the stage, stopped what he was saying, and said to our director, Now, when I get to this part, Dave, Id like there to be a sound effect of a crowbar falling from above, landing on the studio floor, and reverberating until it comes to a stop. When Dave Wilson wondered why he should do all that, Berle explained that it was a set up to a fake ad-lib: Looks like NBC dropped another one. (Thats ostensibly a reference to the networks poor performance in the late 70s.) Berle also requested to be shot from the waist up; when hed mention hed recently turned 70, he was going to make a gesture with his hands below the TV frame so the viewer at home wouldnt see that he was inducing the audience to give him a spontaneous standing ovation. He nearly witnessed the assassination of John Lennon. One day in December 1980, Zweibel and his wife Robin went to visit Gilda Radner at her apartment in the Dakota in New York. After the otherwise unforgettable brunch came to an end, the Zweibels emerged on 72nd Street, where Robin noticed a creepy-looking man dressed in a thick hat and holding a camera, the same guy shed seen hanging around when theyd gone inside two hours earlier. The next time Zweibel saw that man was on the news, when the police released the photo of Mark David Chapman, who shot John Lennon when he returned home to his apartment in the Dakota a few hours after the Zweibels visit with Radner. Its Garry Shandlings Show could have been a cheesy 80s sitcom. Zweibel helped create Its Garry Shandlings Show and wrote many episodes of the innovative, postmodern Showtime sitcom about a comedian named Garry Shandling (starring comedian Garry Shandling). Before he came onboard, Shandling pitched the show to NBC president Brandon Tartikoff. Usually heralded as a chance-taking programming genius he left low-rated Cheers on the air to find its footing, and allowed Seinfeld on the air despite historically low test-audience scores he completely whiffed it with Shandlings show. According to Zweibel, for NBC to buy the show, thered have to be some changes. He didnt want Garry to use his real name. He said Garry should play a character with another name. He didnt think the audience could relate to or care about the life of a comedian and, instead, suggested that Garrys character be a baby photographer. He also didnt want Shandling to break the fourth wall and address the audience, but instead confide in his dog. In other words, Tartikoff wanted to eliminate everything that made Its Garry Shandlings Show so special. Hes responsible for one of the worst-reviewed movies ever. In 1984, Zweibel published the comic novella North, about a boy who travels the world in search of better parents than the ones hes got. Director Rob Reiner loved it and wanted to adapt it into a movie. After eight years of trying and failing (Studios were less than thrilled to finance a movie version of a book whose sales were meager despite the endorsements of my celebrity friends, Zweibel half-jokes), North entered production when Reiner formed his own company, Castle Rock. With Reiners producing partner Andy Scheinman, Zweibel wrote the screenplay while director Reiner assembled a cast that included Elijah Wood, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Bruce Willis. Zweibel had high hopes for North up until a disastrous screening for a test audience, which gave the movie scores that implied that they wouldnt recommend it to friends but also demanding we return the ninety-nine minutes of their life theyd wasted watching it. Some rewrites and reshoots failed to fix the movie, and Zweibel knew hed made a flop at the 1994 premiere. An avalanche of critical revulsion came his way, led by Roger Ebert. His review, which Zwiebel carried a clipping of in his wallet until it yellowed and became brittle and disintegrated, read: I hated this movie. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Years later, Zweibel ran into Ebert in a restaurant bathroom. He introduced himself and jokingly told the critic, I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate hate that sweater youre wearing. Quasim Hallett, 39, of Trenton, was arrested Tuesday, April 14, 2020, in the fatal shooting of a woman on a Trenton sidewalk April 5. It was one of three killings in the city that day. Read more New Jersey authorities on Tuesday charged a Trenton man with the April 5 shooting death of a woman that was caught on video during a violent day in which gunfire killed three people and wounded four others, prompting the citys mayor to order a curfew for most citizens and businesses. Quasim Hallett, 39, was taken into custody Tuesday morning without incident in Delaware by members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. He will remain in custody in Delaware pending extradition, a spokesperson for the office said. Hallett is charged with murder in the death of Quamierah Massey, 24, as well as weapons offenses, aggravated assault for pointing a firearm at another victim, and terroristic threats for threatening to kill an additional victim. Massey was among a group of people who had gathered that Sunday evening in the 100 block of Hoffman Avenue, watching two young girls fight, when gunshots rang out. Police found her shot in the head. She died the next day. Casey A. DeBlasio, spokesperson for the Mercer County Prosecutors Office, confirmed that investigators retrieved video that shows a stocky gunman, believed to be Hallett, dressed in black, his face partially covered with a black mask, watching two women fighting in the street when, seemingly unprompted, he starts walking toward Massey and a gunshot rings out. Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said the 8 p.m. curfew, announced last week, was necessary because first responders needed to fight the coronavirus were being hampered by having to respond to needless carnage. We cannot allow this violence to continue unabated through our streets and in our homes, the mayor said. Guscioras emergency order took aim at ATV riders, whom he accused of being responsible for some of the violence, banning the off-road vehicles from city streets. In addition, any gas station that serves gasoline to these vehicles will be immediately shut down, as will any businesses that remain open past 8 p.m. or cannot control social distancing and sanitary guidelines. Too many lives are at stake to allow this activity to continue, he said. Trenton mayoral spokesperson Connor S. Ilchert said, We have issued 34 summonses since the start of the curfew. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president Monday, adding the weight of his left-wing support to Bidens candidacy and taking a major step toward bringing unity to the partys effort to unseat President Donald Trump in November Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president Monday, adding the weight of his left-wing support to Bidens candidacy and taking a major step toward bringing unity to the partys effort to unseat President Donald Trump in November. The decision by Sanders to back his former rival is an unmistakable signal to his supporters who are known for their intense loyalty that they should do so as well, at a moment when Biden still faces deep scepticism from many younger progressive voters. In a surprise joint appearance over livestreamed video, the two men revealed a rapprochement forged amid extraordinary circumstances just five days after Sanders withdrew, a sign of how profoundly the coronavirus pandemic has changed the race. The uncertainty caused by the virus, the vast damage to the US economy and the fervent desire to deprive Trump of a second term prompted an earlier-than-expected alliance between two ideological rivals, aimed at bringing together disparate factions of the party. We need you in the White House, Sanders said to Biden. And I will do all that I can to see that that happens. Biden said: Im going to need you. Not just to win the campaign, but to govern. The coalescence behind Biden will gain even more strength with the backing of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is expected to endorse him soon, according to people familiar with the matter. There is not any hold-up or demand for concessions for her support, these people said. Warren is the only major former rival yet to endorse the former vice-president, though only because she has left the timing of an announcement up to Bidens team. The challenge now for Biden and Sanders is to create an agenda that hews to Bidens relatively moderate policy views and draws in progressives but also seems big enough to match the extraordinary moment in the country. It is a complicated task for both of them: Biden will have to convince more Sanders-supporting liberals that he will fight for their interests, and Sanders is essentially committing himself to vouching for Biden or at least bringing more of his followers into the Biden camp. Neither man can predict with any assurance how their political alliance will pan out. Already, progressive groups and activists were expressing scepticism about how far Biden would go to incorporate Sanders followers. Winning over Sanders is one thing, but Biden shouldnt think that the work is over, said Evan Weber, political director for the Sunrise Movement, an organisation of young climate activists that had endorsed Sanders. He added, There is still work to do to win over progressive leaders and young people." In moving so quickly to embrace more of the policy ideas and political language of Sanders and the left, Biden is providing the clearest sign yet that the virus has changed the political equation and the rhythms of the election season. He intends to expand beyond his primary campaign message of restoring the nation and Washington to a pre-Trump era. Progressives have been scathingly critical of that argument, saying that it neglects the many inequities in the economic, healthcare and immigration systems and in other areas where lower-income people struggled in the Barack Obama era and under past presidents. But at a moment of a presidential campaign when candidates often move to the Centre, this expanded message could prove perilous if progressives push Biden to make policy concessions and changes that start to concern more moderate Democrats and independent voters who do not support some planks of a far-reaching liberal agenda. The alliance announced on Monday was a sharp departure from the drawn-out, often-acrimonious process of reconciliation between Sanders and Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. And it makes good on the promise Sanders has been making for months: That he would support the eventual Democratic nominee and do everything he could to defeat Trump, whom he has called the most dangerous president in modern times. Former senator Christopher J Dodd, D-Connecticut, a prominent Biden supporter, said the quick cooperation was a reflection of the friendly personal relationship the two men enjoyed. Sanders was said to be greatly appreciative that Biden did not try to rush him out of the race. A lot of people think its old-fashioned, being polite to people, listening to people, paying attention to them, he said. Its still important to people. Personal relationships mean a lot. Behind the scenes, Biden advisors and allies are already reaching out to former members of the Sanders campaign, according to three people familiar with the discussions, and hope to eventually bring some on board. That news of the endorsement did not leak beforehand was another signal of the growing unity between the campaigns. Only a small group of people on each campaign knew it was happening, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Warren and Biden have spoken multiple times since her exit about policy issues, including the plan that Biden has developed to respond to the pandemic. At the staff level, Warrens chief campaign strategist, Joe Rospars, and Anita Dunn, a senior advisor to Biden, have been engaged in talks bridging the two camps. Dunn, along with Ron Klain, another longtime Biden advisor, played a central role in negotiations with the Sanders camp in recent weeks, while a top Sanders political advisor, Jeff Weaver, and his campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, represented the Vermont senator. The scene Monday was a striking example of the ways the coronavirus has upended traditional campaigning. In normal times, both men most likely would have appeared onstage together at a rally or at least done so at an event with more pomp. Instead, they appeared at their homes, as they have been doing for weeks. When Sanders officially declared his endorsement, Biden seemed visibly moved. Oh! Biden said, before dropping his head as if he hardly saw it coming. The two men said they would form task forces on issues including the economy, education, immigration, health care, criminal justice and climate change. Bidens campaign said that the groups would include policy experts and leaders that represent the diverse viewpoints of the Democratic Party and promised updates on the groups progress. Two senior Biden advisers, Cristobal Alex and Symone D. Sanders, who both have relationships in the progressive sphere, have been reaching out to leading liberal organizations, including groups that focus on immigrants rights and on climate. And Rep. Cedric Richmond, Bidens campaign co-chairman, has spoken with his counterpart on the Sanders campaign, Rep. Ro Khanna, about the need to unite the party. Still, Sanders endorsement surprised many of the progressive grassroots groups that had endorsed his candidacy and that are struggling with the prospect of the more moderate Biden becoming the nominee. Some worried that it undercut the leverage Sanders might have to persuade Biden to make policy concessions. We want those task forces to be given real power in the campaign and in the party apparatus, Weber, of the Sunrise Movement, said. Not just gestures but real commitments. It is unclear how much sway Sanders would have over Bidens campaign decisions, including his potential Cabinet or vice-presidential selections. In a Friday interview with PBS NewsHour, Sanders acknowledged a preference for Biden to pick a more progressive running mate but said he had not weighed in on the choice. Joe is going to have to make that decision himself, Sanders said. Throughout the campaign, Sanders had often referred to Biden as his friend, and the two men have a personal relationship that has remained intact. Even as the field dwindled, Sanders was reluctant to attack Biden directly and largely did so only for a brief spell near the end of his campaign that included the last debate and only on policy. That comity was on display Monday in an appearance that at times resembled a slapdash buddy skit, with levity that offered a brief respite from the seriousness of a national health crisis. The two men seemed to delight in talking to each other bantering away on subjects that generally sounded as if they had been cleared with campaign aides. Do you have any questions for me, Bernie? Biden said. I did, Joe, he said. Both gushed their effusive praise. Near the end, when Biden asked Sanders if there was anything else he wanted to do, Sanders quipped that they should play some chess. Id like to play chess! Biden said. But Sanders was out of moves. As Bidens livestream drew to a close, a message popped up on his one-time rivals video screen: You are muted by host. Sydney Ember and Katie Glueck c.2020 The New York Times Company Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday night issued formal regulations to back his decision to extend the lockdown on two major cities (Lagos, Ogun) and the federal capital territory for another two weeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus. With the signing of the Regulation No 2 of 2020 by Mr Buhari, there will now be restriction of movements on residents of the affected areas till April 28. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Nigeria extended the lockdown in continuation of efforts towards reducing the transmission of the virus in Africas most populous country. President Buhari had said in the last 14 days, the cessation of movement in the three cities helped in slowing the spread of the disease hence the need for the extension. The document issued by the president to give legal basis for his action is published below: PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA THE QUARANTINE ACT (CAP Q2 LFN 2004) Commencement COVID-19 REGULATIONS No 2 OF 2020 WHEREAS: 1. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, I issued the Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 on 30th March, 2020, by which I declared Covid-19 a dangerous infectious disease; 2. As part of efforts to defeat the disease, I ordered the restriction of movement in Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Ogun State for an initial period of 14 days with effect from 11pm of 30th March, 2020, to enable the Government identify, trace and isolate individuals that have come in contact with confirmed cases, in order to contain the disease; 3. It has become expedient to extend the restriction to enable the Government achieve its objective; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 4 of the Quarantine Act and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, make the following Regulations- 1. Extension of Restriction/cessation of Movement in Lagos, FCT and Ogun State The restriction/cessation of movement in Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Ogun State is extended for a further period of 14 days with effect from Tuesday 14th April, 2020. READ ALSO: 2. Regulations Further to Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 These Regulations are made further to the Covid 19 Regulations, 2020 and accordingly, all the responsibilities of government officials, citizens and residents contained in the Covid 19 Regulations, 2020 remain extant. 3. Exemptions in the Covid 19 Regulations, 2020 Extant All the exemptions under the Covid-19 Regulations, 2020 remain as exemptions under these Regulations. 4. Citation These Regulations may be cited as the Covid-19 Regulations No 2 of 2020 Made at Abuja this 13th day of April, 2020. Advertisements Muhammadu Buhari President, Federal Republic of Nigeria 13th April, 2020 The following information was provided by police unless otherwise noted Trenton Gun-Toting on The Gram: Elliott Johnson, 18, was arrested after detectives from the street crimes unit received an Instagram video of him with a gun in his waistband. Cops found Johnson on Hoffman Avenue who was sitting on the porch of an abandoned home. Officers patted down Johnson and found the gun in his waistband. He was arrested and charged with weapons offenses. Crusin for a Boozin: Momolu Dorley, 24, was charged after he was pulled over with alcohol in his vehicle. He was also issued a summons for being out after curfew after cops caught up to him Sunday around 1:47 a.m. on Bellevue and North Willow avenues. Strangled Victim: Marcelo Campos-Rojas, 28, was charged with aggravated assault after the victim told cops he squeezed her around the neck during a drunken stupor. Go Inside: Carniell Peagler, 33, and Brian Dodson, 43, were cited for violating curfew after they were with a group of people hanging out on the 200 block of Walnut Avenue. Peagler told cops not to touch him and tried to fight them off when they arrested him. He was also hit with a improper behavior charge, processed and released. Threatening the Roomie: Alvaro Sandoval-Najarro, 49, was charged with terroristic threats and weapons offenses after cops responded to the 200 block of Bayard Street. A roommate told cops Najarro came home drunk and got mad when he told him he needed to find a new place to live. Najarro pulled out a knife and told him he was going to f**k him up. Fearing for his life, the victim punched the suspect in the face, ran outside and called cops. Cops found a knife in Najarros pocket and charged him. More Domestic Violence: Esequeil Molinueva, 27, was charged with strangling the victim on the 400 block of Home Avenue. The woman had marks around her neck, but refused medical attention, and cops took Molinueva into custody. House Partying Pandemic: Lagbeh Tulay, 29, Tinnoh Blayee, 21, and Jonathan Payne, 25, all of Trenton, and Fomba Tulay, 23, of Hamilton, were arrested Friday. Police responded to the residence of Lagbeh Tulay and Tinnoh Blayee in the first block of Vine Street on a noise complaint. Police found about 15 people inside the residence playing loud music and partying. There was food and alcohol, and four people were hauled into custody when they refused to provide identification or comply with officers commands. The four were charged with obstruction and resisting arrest, both disorderly persons offenses. Lagbeh Tulay was also charged with violating the emergency orders. Shooting: Cops responded Friday around 9:40 p.m. to a home that was shot up 300 block of Walnut Avenue. No one was hurt, nor arrested as the Shooting Response Team continues to investigate. Reported Home Invasion: Cops responded to a reported home invasion April 9 in which a man claimed someone came into his home at tried to steal money from him at knife-point. He told cops the suspect, still unidentified, made him go through the house searching for money. Others at the home did not corroborate the story, cops said. Hamilton French Tips During Pandemic: Thong Quoc Tran, 44, of Fairless Hills, Pa., was charged Saturday with violating the emergency orders for keeping open his business, Diamonds Nail Salon, on the 2200 block of South Broad Street. Police determined that he was sneaking customers in the backdoor to get serviced. More than 10 per cent of the Ruby Princess crew have now tested positive for coronavirus as doubts emerge as to when the stricken ship will finally leave NSW waters. As NSWs COVID-19 cases climbed to 2870 on Tuesday, the states health authority confirmed 128 crew on board the cruise ship had tested positive for the virus, as well as 11 others who have been evacuated to hospitals. Close to 370 passengers from the now-infamous cruise contracted coronavirus, while the total number of cases linked back to the Ruby Princess sits above 700. And while the ship was slated to depart NSW on Wednesday, almost a month after its controversial arrival in Sydney, police sources have suggested it will remain in its current berth at Port Kembla until at least Friday. BELGRADE, Serbia When Chinas first shipment of coronavirus medical aid landed in Belgrade, the president of Serbia was there to kiss the Chinese flag. In Hungary, officials have played down assistance from the European Union and praised Beijings help. In the Czech Republic, its president says that only China was there during the virus spread. While elsewhere China tries to polish an image tarnished by its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing has no problem maintaining its hard-won influence in parts of Eastern Europe, where it battles for clout with the EU as well as with Russia. China was criticized in the West for its early mishandling of the crisis due to politically motivated foot-dragging while the virus raced through a province and its capital, Wuhan. Now it is seeking to change perceptions through mask diplomacy a mix of soft power policy, political messaging and aid shipments to portray Beijing as a generous and efficient ally. China for years has been increasing its political and economic influence in southeastern Europe through its Belt and Road global investment projects. Its image-polishing after the outbreak found fertile ground in places like Serbia and Hungary, whose populist leaders nurture close ties with Beijing or Moscow. The aid shipments also drew praise in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, although some virus test kits and face masks bought from Chinese companies didnt meet local standards. We must be aware there is a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence, through spinning and the politics of generosity, EUs top foreign policy official Josep Borrell recently wrote in a blog, referring to China. Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors. Chinese officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Beijing seeks political gains by giving the aid, saying the allegations result from deep-rooted misperceptions of Chinas goals in the West. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing is doing what it can to help those countries and people affected to save and safeguard peoples lives and health to the greatest extent across the world. In Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, officials and state-controlled media have played down the millions of euros in grants and loans from Brussels while praising Chinese deliveries, donations and sales of supplies. Opposition groups have demanded the Chinese aid be disclosed and stacked up against the EUs apparently much larger assistance, but those calls have been ignored. The pro-China narrative included billboards supporting Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic routinely describes as his brother, as well as suggestions that a monument be erected to honor Belgrades friendship with Beijing. European solidarity does not exist. Only China can help, Vucic said last month while announcing a nationwide state of emergency that gave him expanded powers in the health crisis. The EUs executive arm, the European Commission, has pledged 15 million euros in immediate support for Serbias health sector, plus 78.4 million euros for its social and economic recovery. The EU also has given 2 million euros to help pay for shipping more than 280 tons of emergency medical supplies that Serbia bought. Responding to criticism from some European officials that he praised China while ignoring the EU aid, Vucic insisted in a state TV interview last week that the bloc was not willing to sell or provide breathing machines to cope with the medical crisis. Vucic thanked the EU for the money, but insisted China gave more, without providing details. On Tuesday, Vucics office said he had a phone conversation with the Chinese leader during which he praised Beijing for the brotherly care for the citizens of Serbia. When the first plane landed at Belgrade airport on March 21 with the great Chinese help in medical equipment and material, accompanied by Chinese experts, the Serbs were awakened with the new optimism as they knew that in this fight they will not be alone, the statement said. Serbia and Hungary have been important gateways to Europe for China through its infrastructure and investment projects. Chinas investments in Serbia include an estimated $6 billion in loans for highways, railroads and power plants as well as contracts for a 5-G network and facial recognition surveillance equipment. U.S. officials warned of Beijings debt trap diplomacy that could cost them their sovereignty if they fail to service the loans. Government officials in Hungary repeatedly praised China and other Asian countries, thanking them for supplying masks, breathing machines and other needed equipment. At the same time, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other ministers have played down EU assistance and have belittled those critical of the extraordinary powers given to Hungarys leadership during the state of emergency amid the pandemic. All of Europe, including western Europe, is always extraordinarily critical and often ready to educate and lecture about the essence of democracy, (but) everyone is standing in line in China for the products needed for health protection, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said last week in Parliament. So, its possible that after the end of the coronavirus, European policies regarding Eastern relations may have to be slightly reassessed. On Tuesday, a cargo plane with 80 tons of protective gear bought from China landed in Warsaw. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki greeted the flight, which followed a donation to Poland from China of masks and equipment last month. CHOICE, a group of experts monitoring Beijings presence in southeastern Europe, warned in a report this month that China has been increasingly active in political, economic and societal domains in the region. Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian and pro-Chinese views, said in a speech March 19 that China was the only country that helped us have the (protective) gear delivered. China expert Martin Hala countered by criticizing what he called a huge propaganda campaign that accompanies the so-called aid from Beijing. He told Czech public TV it wasa normal commercial delivery, not aid. ___ Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade; Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary; Vanessa Gera in Warsaw; Karel Janicek in Prague; Ken Moritsugu in Beijing; and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed. ___ Follow AP coronavirus coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Faced with the wildfire spread of deadly COVID-19 in long-term care, Premier Doug Ford is reversing course and issuing an emergency order banning staff from working in more than one nursing home. The move aimed at limiting cross-infections came as the death toll in the hard-hit sector rose to at least 135 fatalities, with outbreaks infecting more than 800 vulnerable residents in more than 100 homes amid warnings the level of cases is about to skyrocket. That scenario prompted the premier to pledge hospital-based teams will soon be dispatched to help provide care at overwhelmed nursing homes. Many facilities are short of staff because workers who have complained about a shortage of masks fear for their safety, and more than 400 have contracted the new coronavirus. People are dying, Ford acknowledged Tuesday, a day after he said restricting staff to working in one nursing home would be difficult to implement. We must redeploy every available resource to our long-term care homes right now, he added, promising more details of an enhanced action plan to come Wednesday including infection control experts from hospitals. The practice of staff working in several nursing homes has long been controversial because of concerns it allows illnesses to jump from one facility to another, which both Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott have acknowledged. This is really key to limiting the expansion of the virus, Elliott said Tuesday. More than 70,000 frail or elderly Ontarians with underlying medical conditions and compromised immune systems live in nursing homes, often in close quarters that make it easier for any sickness to spread. Until now, it had been a strong recommendation from chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams that people not work in more than one facility, and notify their employers if they worked shifts in a facility with COVID-19 cases. From the beginning, we knew this was a concern, Williams told a separate news conference Tuesday. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the restriction that her party and health organizations have long urged and which Ford would not commit to making permanent was long overdue. Theres been a lot of damage done by allowing that practice to keep going on in a pandemic, she told the Star. Its nothing short of tragic. Horwath said the policy change is coming far too late for far too many. This is the wake-up call the government needed. The Ontario Long Term Care Association, representing many of the provinces 626 nursing homes, said the new measures are an important step in the fight against COVID-19. Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter joined Horwath in saying the premiers promise of putting an iron ring around nursing homes with visitor bans and more staff screening has failed. Residents have waited far too long for their government to address their safety, Hunter said. She and Horwath called for substantial pay raises for personal support workers, kitchen staff and other long-term care staff, with the NDP proposing a minimum wage of $22 hourly to recognize the value of their work. Ford was sympathetic but went no further, saying that such a move would require consultation with Williams and the long-term care sector. Personally, yes, my heart breaks for these people, he said. They deserve every penny 10 times more than that as well. Asked why he didnt act sooner on limiting the number of nursing homes where staff can work, Ford replied, Its never too late. He said the government had to wait until more workers could be lined up and to make sure hospitals would not get a massive surge of COVID-19 patients. Right now it looks pretty good in hospitals. We had to make sure we had the resources before we made the move, Ford added in remarks echoed by Williams. No matter which way you cut that comment, its terrifying, Horwath said, interpreting it as meaning that nursing home residents could have been left in the lurch if a surge had hit hospitals. Williams said its more difficult to diagnose COVID-19 in nursing home residents because many already have shortness of breath and coughing from underlying conditions and seniors dont often get much of a fever with the illness. Its very hard to pick these up very early, he said. Ford said there will be more testing in long-term care to get a more accurate picture of the extent of COVID-19. Federal public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam has warned that COVID-19 will keep killing long-term care residents even as overall spread of the illness slows in the rest of the population. The risk of death from the virus in nursing home seniors is 10 to 20 times higher than for people of the same age living in the community, University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman said Monday. Read more about: Workers go about their duties at a section of the Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Feb. 18, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Worker Who Built Wuhan Field Hospital: We Are Isolated, Treated Like Prisoners All around the world, essential service workers are being recognized as heroes for helping to keep economies going amid the pandemic, but not so in China. Leishenshan, a 1,600-bed emergency field hospital in Wuhan, Chinas outbreak ground zero, was built in a record time of fewer than two weeks, thanks to tens of thousands of construction workers who risked their lives toiling on it day and night. No sooner than the hospital completed construction, however, these workers found themselves outcasts speedily driven out of the city by force, with many unable to secure their basic salary. Zhang Xiongjun, a scaffold worker from Guangzhou, was one such example. He wrote about his harrowing experience on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. After construction at Leishenshan was completed, the workers were quarantined, with some like him then escorted out like prisoners to nearby Hunan province, Zhang said. Zhang was given no contract and 500 yuan ($70.9) of cash for each day he worked. Upon speaking to fellow construction workers, he discovered that he was only paid a fraction of what he was entitled to. On April 8, Zhang and the group returned to Wuhan to demand that the construction company, China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, give them full pay. They drove to the provincial petition office located in Wuhan and planned to lodged complaints with government authorities about their compensation. But before they were able to, around two dozen people from the China Construction Third Engineering Bureau surrounded them and ordered them to squat down on the ground. Zhang said he wasnt sure how the company caught wind of their plans, but for the next nine hours, they intimidated Zhang and his group, denying them access to meals or water. One person fainted under the scorching sun. The company pressured them to sign a letter promising to never mention anything about the incident or their involvement in building Leishenshan. Company staff also demanded that they erase any photos or videos from their phones that proved they worked on Leishenshan. They were ordered to leave Wuhan. Because the group had been to Wuhan, where the outbreak is still severe, no nearby hotels were willing to accommodate them. So they slept in the car. For days, we were either chased, turned away, or taken to quarantine, he wrote. We are merely refugees now. They could not find new construction jobs either. After the failed attempt at seeking proper compensation, Zhang wrote, I will never go to Wuhan again in this life. Zhang Xiongjun and other construction workers at the Leishenshan Hospital. (Zhang Xiongjun/Weibo) Heroes to Homeless Headquartered in Wuhan, the state-owned China Construction Third Engineering Bureau is one of the largest construction companies in the world and has for eight years been on the Fortunes Global 500 list. In a March 28 interview, Chen Weiguo, the company president and vice Communist Party secretary, told state broadcaster CCTV that the firm enlisted over 31,000 people from all over the country to work on the Leishenshan project. He called the workers heroes and promised to hand out an honorific certificate to each individual. But Zhang, who put on full-body protective suits during his work shifts and stood on the scaffold to install color steel tiles, said he saw none of that. All we have is a piece of proof of our medical observation, he wrote. There was no certificate, no honor, no nothing. After the hospital was complete, workers were required to be isolatedusually at local hotels that were converted into quarantine centersfor 14 days and take diagnostic tests for the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. They often had to pay the associated fees themselves. Zhang Xiongjun and other construction workers at the Leishenshan Hospital. (Zhang Xiongjun/Weibo) After reading Zhangs post, a few sympathetic netizens tried to wire money to him: small amounts from 20 ($2.84) to 100 yuan ($14.2). But Zhang returned them all. He wrote that he only wanted justice. For the past few days, Zhang has been roaming around, hoping to hear back from the construction company. He spent the past few nights on the curb of a park lawn. The sky is my blanket and the earth my bed, he wrote in an April 12 post, adding that he had been sleep-deprived for days. This is what we frontline workers receive for putting our lives on the line. Complaints about lack of pay did not come from construction workers alone. In March, a hospital in Shaanxi province was revealed to have paid some managerial staff three to four times more than frontline medical workers, after a payroll document was leaked online. The disparity sparked online outrage, and the hospitals director and vice director eventually resigned. In a survey by Dingxiangyuan, a Chinese online medical forum, only 12 percent of 1,900 medical professionals around the country said they received the special compensation that Chinese authorities had promised to pay medical workers helping to fight the epidemic. Huang, a Guizhou city resident who joined the Leishenshan work crew in mid-February, said he was quarantined for more than a month in Wuhan after the construction was complete. On his way home, he passed through the southern city of Shenzhen and was again quarantined for two weeks. When we were looking for work, they would ask us where we worked before. They immediately said no when we said it was Wuhan, he told The Epoch Times. Having no plans in store, he said he was taking it step by step. Faced With Questions About CCP Virus, Chinese Communist Party Turns Its Disinformation on US Commentary Chinas disinformation about the CCP virus has been in the news lately. The spokesman for Chinas Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter that it might be the U.S. Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. This tweet was widely mocked, but dont be so sure that Chinas lies arent having an effect. Western media often repeat its false claims about the number of infections and deaths in China, and Western audiences, when they hear this, may not realize thats the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) disinformation. The message comes from a trusted source, and so the CCP builds a case, almost invisibly, for a twisted account of the CCP virus, also known as novel coronavirus, that lets the CCP off the hook. If you want to see the full force of the CCPs disinformation, take a look at things inside China. American Virus The Chinese people have had great respect for the United States and the American people for a long time, but because of the recent CCP media campaign, in many cities inside China people are calling Americans American Virus. Day and night, the Chinese media says every new confirmed virus case is imported. As a result, Americans and other foreigners are often denied service in restaurants, hotels, and even subways. One of my contacts in northeast China wrote to me: In general, as Americans, we are looked down upon or avoided. Today I went to the vet because our dog was sick. I was wearing a mask but I took it off because the doctor said I didnt need to wear it in his office. When I walked back out into the main area where they sell pet products to pay for the blood test a lady saw me without a mask and freaked out and started yelling at the lady at the front desk where you pay. She threatened to call the police for allowing Americans to not wear a mask. Then she went off about how Americas situation is 10 times worse than China because we dont care about people and dont obey rules and blah blah blah. A week ago, I was denied entry to the subway because I was from America. I was able to show the people denying my entry that I had entered in January and hadnt left and after their boss came down from somewhere and talked to me. Finally, I was allowed to enter the subway with my kids. My friends went to a foot massage place to celebrate the end of wearing masks and to do their part to stimulate the economy by spending money. After sitting down and starting the massages other guests in the place started complaining and threatening to call the police and the shequ (community manager). The manager called the shequ and the shequ said they should kick out the foreigners. My friends were politely asked to leave and were given small gifts as an apology by the staff of the massage place. Americans arent the only foreigners suffering from the effects of the regimes propaganda. Over the past few days, in the southern city of Guangzhou, landlords kicked Africans out of apartments in the middle of the night. Hotels and restaurants refuse to serve Africans. They end up sleeping on streets and police chase them down and round them up. Social media are filled with discriminating words and pictures, asking Africans to leave the country. When we call our relatives in China, even 80-year-olds ask us: Why do America and Europe want to ask for damages from China? They managed their own countries poorly. In fact, even though the Chinese people are under the sway of the CCPs disinformation, they know something isnt right. My correspondent in northeast China wrote: People on the street like taxi drivers and restaurant waitstaff and our friends all say they dont believe the government numbers of 80,000 infected and 3,000 dead. Most people say add a zero. So they are saying more like 800,000 infected and 30,000 died. Theres no proof of that, but there are a ton of stories shared through the rumor mill. Some say people in Wuhan were told they cannot go to the hospital unless they get a ticket through the lottery to go. There are many stories of people dying in their homes, bodies collected and immediately cremated so no post mortem tests can be done to determine cause of death. Crematoriums were rumored to be open 24/7 and running continually. By covering up the real number of deaths and cases, not only did the CCP catch other countries unawares, but those countries have since paid a high price in lives. CCPs Survival This coverup is also a way to prove to the Chinese people that the communist system is superior. Some people have asked me, why does the CCP have to say this virus is from America, at this point in time? Its not going anywhere. Disinformation is critical for the CCPs survival. The CCP cant face the questions from people inside China and from around the world about the origin of the virus, about the coverup of the real death numberswhich could be in the millionsor about the mishandling of the virus. It has to pick a target outside to deflect responsibility. If not because of continuous disinformationnon-stop lyingthe CCP would have fallen apart a long time ago. The CCP has said it has two weapons: guns and pens. It has used these two weapons to take and maintain power. The CCP has always fabricated stories to defame a group when they wanted to persecute it, including Tibetans in the 1950s, landlords in the 1950s, intellectuals in the 1960s, the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s, the spiritual practice of Falun Gong in 1999, and so on. This is the first time that they have openly used their routine method on the United States. The whole world is watching. Its sad that the West hasnt been able to understand communism. The globalization that included communist China as a normal country gave the CCP the opportunity to globalize its influence, and today, to globalize its virus. After China entered the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong business people and Taiwan business people helped China set up manufacturing to be able to connect with the West. America opened its market to China, the key to building wealth. When communist China got into the global system, it literally took over Hong Kong, and used its disinformation to attack the Hong Kong people and attack the people of Taiwan. Now, they are attacking Americans. How much more do we need to know to understand that the CCP is not a human entity? How much more do we need to know to understand the danger of the CCP? Can we wake up now? Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Testing excrement could help provide early detection of who has COVID-19 before they show other symptoms, an expert said. Researchers at Australian National University found people infected with the virus begin excreting traces of COVID-19 almost a week before the flu-like symptoms start to emerge. A similar study in the Netherlands showed positive traces of coronavirus were found in fecal matter before before cases were officially reported. Researchers at Australian National University will look through defecation in hopes of finding signs of traces of coronavirus (stock) Epidemiologist Dr Aparna Lal said that if there is early detection in excrement then it could help the government debate on what restrictions to ease Epidemiologist Dr Aparna Lal said that if there is early detection in sewage, it could narrow down efforts to find people in the community who are carrying the illness. 'If we can start detecting it, it may be a way that we can evaluate the impact of easing the restrictions,' Dr Aparna Lal she told The Age on Monday. 'What this study will do is let us see whether sewage could be used to continuously monitor the presence of the virus in the community even when case numbers go down. 'This work will also tell us if sewage monitoring can serve as a warning system to give us a heads up before case numbers go up.' Professor and microbiologists Gertjan Medema worked on the study in Amersfoort, in the Netherlands and said tests from one sewage plant could potentially represent one million people, The Australian reported. Samples will be taken from Canberra sewage where they will then be examined in labs at the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research (stock) Samples will be taken from Canberra sewage where they will then be examined in labs at the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research. Experts will then determine if there are traces of the killer virus in the fecal matter. Immunologist and Nobel laureate Professor Peter Doherty said the method sounds 'pretty unattractive' but is a good screening measure into how many people could be infected. 'With those two viruses at least, we can pick up one in 10,000 infected people so that would be a very good screening measure, and I know a number of people in the country looking at this and I expect we'll do it.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 05:03:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People wearing masks visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the United States on April 12, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Global COVID-19 cases have topped 1.9 million, with the United States reporting the highest number of cases and the highest death toll. NEW YORK, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide topped 1.9 million on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The fresh figure reached 1,904,566 with 118,459 deaths as of 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), the CSSE said. According to the running tally, the United States reported 572,169 cases, the most in the world, as well as the highest death toll of 23,070. Spain registered 169,496 cases and 17,489 deaths, while Italy reported 159,516 cases and 20,465 deaths. GREENSBORO, N.C., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT) announced today that the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors granted Stephen J. Yalof certain options to purchase common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") and restricted Common Shares (as described below) on April 10, 2020 in connection with finalizing his employment as its President and Chief Operating Officer. As previously announced, Mr. Yalof will transition to Chief Executive Officer at the beginning of 2021. As a material inducement to his hiring in accordance with New York Stock Exchange Listing Rule 303A.08, Mr. Yalof was granted options to purchase 1,000,000 Common Shares and 389,308 restricted Common Shares. The options have an exercise price of $7.15 per Common Share, the closing trading price of the Common Shares on April 9, 2020. One-fourth of the options will vest on December 31, 2020 and on each December 31 thereafter through December 31, 2023, provided that Mr. Yalof is continuously employed through each applicable vesting date (subject to acceleration upon certain terminations of employment). One-third of the restricted Common Shares will vest on each anniversary of the date of grant, provided that Mr. Yalof is continuously employed through each applicable vesting date (subject to acceleration upon certain terminations of employment). About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT), is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that presently operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 39 upscale outlet shopping centers. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 14.3 million square feet, leased to over 2,800 stores which are operated by more than 510 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 39 years of experience in the outlet industry. Tanger Outlet Centers continue to attract more than 181 million visitors annually. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's website at www.tangeroutlets.com. Investor Contact Information Media Contact Information Cyndi Holt Quentin Pell VP, Investor Relations VP, Corporate Communications & Enterprise Risk Management 336-834-6892 336-834-6827 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. Related Links www.tangeroutlet.com Distinguished Programs, a national insurance program manager, has hired John Chisenhall as regional sales executive of its Midwest territories. He is based in St. Louis, Mo. Chisenhall brings 15 years of experience in workers compensation and commercial insurance to his new role. Chisenhall will work with agents and brokers in the Midwest territory comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska and South Dakota to choose proper insurance programs for clients across the full range of specialized products and services offered through Distinguished Programs. Prior to joining Distinguished Programs, Chisenhall served as assistant vice president for The Keating Group in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was responsible for operations, revenue and profitability for a region consisting of 12 states. In a previous role as regional marketing manager for Patriot Insurance Group, Chisenhall was responsible for marketing efforts across a Midwest region consisting of 12 states and leading a team of nine territory managers. Source: Distinguished Programs As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to tighten its grip worldwide, Saudi authorities are struggling to contain the COVID-19 spread in the Islamic holy city of Mecca. While the global infection rate of the pandemic has reached 1.9 million, Saudi Arabia reportedly recorded at least 1,050 cases of coronavirus infections on April 13 in Mecca, that is home to over 2 million people. The infection rate in Mecca surpassed that of kingdoms capital, Riyadh, which remains at 1,422 as of April 13. According to international reports, the authorities are unable to contain the COVID-19 spread in Mecca due to the huge number of undocumented immigrants and migrant workers who are living in congested areas. Just last month, the Saudi authorities had locked down the houses of over 8,000 labourers, suspended their work of expanding Islams holiest site. This was after five employers from one of the biggest construction companies in the country, the Mecca-based Saudi Binladin Group, tested positive for coronavirus. Many workers are now reportedly quarantined in a hotel, according to a document seen by an international media outlet. Most of Saudi Arabia has also been placed under a 24-hour curfew including mecca and Medina. However, as of April 14, the number of coronaviruses cases reported by the kingdom is 4,934 with at least 65 fatalities. Earlier, the authorities had also asked Muslims to halt their plans to attend the Haj pilgrimage while suspending international flights. Most public places have also been ordered to close and the year-round Umrah pilgrimage has been suspended. Read - Saudi Arabia Asks People To Perform 'taraweeh' Prayers At Home During Ramazan Read - Saudi Arabia To Extend Curfew As Coronavirus Cases Spike: Report 150 members of the Saudi royal family infected At least 150 people from Saudi Arabia royal family are believed to have contracted the fatal COVID-19. After nearly six weeks since the Kingdom confirmed its first case of coronavirus infection, an internal message of The Elite Medical and Surgical Center in Riyadh seen by an international media outlet revealed that the hospital is currently preparing 500 beds to treat a foreseeable influx of COVID-19 patients from the royal family and cited extreme alert First reported by an international media outlet on April 8, the directives have been given to hospital authorities that treats the members from Al-Saud clan for VIPs around the country. Meanwhile, a senior Saudi prince, governor of Riyadh is currently in the intensive care unit with coronavirus infection along with several dozens of others of the royal family who have also contracted COVID-19. The directive reportedly even said that sick members from the hospitals staff would now be treated at an apparently less elite hospital to make space for the ones from the royal family. Read - India Welcomes Saudi-led Coalition's Ceasefire In Yemen Read - Donald Trump Claims Russia, Saudi Arabia 'close To Reaching A Deal' As Oil Prices Plummet (Image source: AP) Crown Group CEO Iwan Sunito has defied the market conditions by fast tracking the opening of luxury residences in Sydney's south, but has called for regulators of banks to review pre-sales funding policies to boost the apartment sector. Mr Sunito has called on the Australian government to remove the restrictions on foreign buyers. Close to 30 per cent of the developer's customers are from China. SKYE Suites Green Square in Sydney, developed by Crown Group. "We are calling on the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to relax its requirements on its 100 per cent pre-sale requirement for funding," Mr Sunito said. "This is where a developer must get deposits from buyers on 100 per cent of its apartments before banks will give them funding, which means construction gets delayed for months on end while they wait for finance. The national head of ambulance operations at St John Ambulance has revealed his pain at his father's death from coronavirus. Dan Bevis shared the heartbreaking news on social media in a post in which he spoke of his sorrow at not being able to save him. Mr Bevis wrote: 'Yesterday I lost my dad to coronavirus. I'm broken as are my mum, brother and sister. He fought so many health problems, but couldn't fight this one.' The hero medic's tweet has been liked more than 10,000 times and he ended the post by urging people to observe lockdown rules. Mr Bevis (right) wrote: 'Yesterday I lost my dad (left) to coronavirus. I'm broken as are my mum, brother and sister. He fought so many health problems, but couldn't fight this one.' He said: 'For those you hold dear, please follow the advice. As a paramedic, I couldn't save my Dad and that tears me apart.' Hundreds of social media users have passed on their condolences, including Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid, who wrote: 'So so sorry, Dan.' Fellow paramedic, Matt Stevens, said: 'Dan, I'm so sorry to hear this. All my love and thoughts to you and your family.' Kevin Marriott, tweeted: 'Thoughts very much with you I lost my disabled brother last week.' Covid-19 deaths in the UK yesterday reached more than 11,000 after 717 more people lost their lives. There have been 88,621 cases in Britain up from 84,279 infections on Sunday as the nation enters its fourth week of lockdown. Terrified frontline staff after now begging for Personal Protective Equipment with one nurse saying they were having to reuse a plastic apron and mask amid the crisis. It comes as NHS staff were forced to fly in their own supplies of visors, masks and gowns after raising millions through crowdfunding. The group, started by a team of NHS doctors, received a delivery of 100,000 visors this weekend, which were yesterday delivered to hospitals. It has also ordered more than 70,000 units of gowns and masks to be delivered around the country this week. Meanwhile Cambridge University has launched an appeal to raise 5million to buy personal protective equipment from China for local hospitals and social care staff. Father, wife and daughter die of coronavirus within a fortnight as nursery worker, 21, is denied life-saving transplant after testing positive for Covid-19 By Sebastian Murphy-Bates, Danyal Hussain, Hayley Richardson and Martin Robinson for MailOnline A family has been left devastated after a father, 84, his wife, 82, and their daughter, 62, all died from coronavirus within two weeks of each other. Keith and Jean MacVicar from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire died of the killer illness a fortnight ago and, shortly after, their daughter Jayne developed symptoms. Her younger brother Richard, 60, charted her battle with the illness on Facebook, calling on friends to pray for her recovery. Sadly, mother-of-two Jayne passed away from the virus on Saturday, with Richard writing: 'It's with heartbreaking regret to say Jayne has lost her battle for life. Jean MacVicar, 82 (right), with her daughter and mother-of-two Jean, 62 (left). Both mother and daughter have died of coronavirus, within a fortnight of each other Keith MacVicar, 84 (left), with his son Richard, 60 (right). Keith, his wife Jean, 82, and his daughter Jayne, 62, have all died from coronavirus 'At least we have the comfort of knowing she is back with mum and dad. 'To lose half your family in the space of two weeks feels like someone has cut me open and stolen my heart. So, so wrong.' Before her death, Jayne, a former Staffordshire Police crime analyst, had posted multiple messages on Facebook urging friends to obey social distancing measures. She even swapped her profile picture for one that read: 'Stay home, it could save lives.' The family are now facing three funerals, with Richard telling friends: 'It's like a horror movie for the rest of us.' It's unclear if the parents and their daughter had any underlying health conditions. Before her death within days of her parents, Jayne, a former Staffordshire Police crime analyst, had posted multiple messages on Facebook urging friends to obey social distancing measures Heartbroken son Richard posted on Facebook: 'To lose half your family (pictured is father Keith) in the space of two weeks feels like someone has cut me open and stolen my heart. So, so wrong' The tragic deaths come as Britain's coronavirus death toll surged past 10,000 yesterday, marking a grim milestone in the country's epidemic. A further 737 people lost their lives yesterday, bringing the total number of fatalities up to 10,612 as of Easter Sunday. Cases also hit 84,279 after an additional 5,288 were diagnosed with the infection following 18,000 new tests, down slightly from Saturday. Only the United States, France, Italy and Spain have officially broken the 10,000-death threshold, making the UK among the worst-hit places on the planet. Amid the bleak figures, there was a glimmer of good news as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital after fighting for his life with the virus. A nursery worker who was waiting for a life-saving liver operation has died after being taken off the transplant list when she tested positive for coronavirus in hospital. Katie Horne, from Burgess Hill, was admitted around four weeks ago with a severe liver condition. The 21-year-old from West Sussex went to Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath where it became apparent she needed a transplant. Katie Horne (pictured) from Burgess Hill was taken off the transplant list when she tested positive for coronavirus She was then transferred to King's College Hospital in London, where she tested positive for coronavirus, her sister Emma told the BBC. Ms Horne then wasn't able to go on the transplant list and struggled with both the liver condition and coronavirus for 12 days. She was not using a ventilator during her stay. Her death comes as: Britain's death toll rose by 737 to surge past 10,000 with one expert warning it was set to be the highest in Europe; It emerged the Cabinet is split over when to end the lockdown, with growing concerns about the impact of school closures; Michael Gove revealed he had been granted special dispensation to have his daughter tested for the virus so he could get back to work; The Archbishop of Canterbury urged that the dead be treated with dignity; Ministers admitted that only 4,200 of 300,000 small firms had been given loans; The Royal College of Nursing told its members to refuse to treat patients if they didn't have adequate protective clothing; Some Britons flouted lockdown rules and were seen soaking up the sun in the nation's parks; Health Secretary Hancock said he did not have any update on how many NHS staff had died following the 19 he confirmed on Saturday; The Queen stressed the importance of maintaining the coronavirus lockdown, but insisted: 'Easter isn't cancelled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever'. All organ donors are tested for coronavirus with transplants from infected patients being stopped to minimise risk. Since the measures came in on March 31, the NHS have prevented some life-saving organs from being transplanted to recipients to stop the spread of the virus. Donations are not known to transmit the killer bug, but transplant recipients are immuno-suppressed to prevent organ rejection. Ms Horne's family say they are 'completely devastated' by her death after he life ended on Saturday. Emma wants her 'bubbly' sister's tragic death to be a 'wake-up call' for people to take the pandemic seriously. She said: 'People need to understand how serious this is.' Speaking about her sister, she said: 'If anyone needed anything, you could always count on Kate to be there. She was so full of life and happy. We just can't believe it we are absolutely devastated.' Her heartbroken boyfriend, Jamie Carter, shared his sorrow on Facebook, writing: 'It's with great sadness that we have to inform all of Kate's friends that she sadly passed away this morning at 5.45am of a short illness and contributing to her death is this devastating coronavirus. She will always be loved and will forever be in our hearts.' Tilly Carter, a friend of Katie's, also wrote on Facebook: 'Heaven gained another angel. She will always be loved and will forever be in our hearts.' [April 14, 2020] SMIC Announces First Quarter 2020 Webcast Conference Call SHANGHAI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Please join SMIC's earnings conference call, with: Dr. Zhao Haijun , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Dr. Liang Mong Song , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director , Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director D r. Gao Yonggang , Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, and Joint Company Secretary , Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, and Joint Company Secretary Tim Kuo , Director, Investor Relations as they announce the company's first quarter 2020 results and take questions from investors on Thursday, May 14, 2020. The first quarter 2020 results will also be released and available at http://www.smics.com/en/ before the start of trading on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on Thursday, May 14, 2020. CONFERENCE CALL / WEBCAST ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS DATE: Thursday, May 14, 2020 TIME: 8:30 A.M. (Shanghai and ong Kong) 8:30 P.M. ( New York *please note that as this call is live, it will take place on Wednesday, May 13 th , 20 20 E DT ) WEBCAST: The call will be webcast live with audio at: http://www.smics.com/en/site/company_financialSummary or https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/n7zzr3yk DIAL-IN: Teleconference call services are effected by the COVID-19, operator assisted conference calls are not available at the moment. You must preregister online in order to receive the dial-in numbers. ONLINE REGISTRATION: You may register for the conference call at: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/1749469 Once preregistration has been complete, you will receive dial-in numbers, the passcode, and a unique registrant ID. To join the conference, dial the number you receive in the email, enter the passcode followed by your registrant ID, and you will join the conference instantly. REPLAY: Recording will be available approximately 1 hour after the event and it will be archived for replay at http://www.smics.com/en/site/company_financialSummary , for a period of 12 months following the webcast. CONTACT: Investor Relations +86 21-2081-2804 [email protected] SOURCE Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The COVID-19 pandemic, as of Monday evening, includes 1,922,924 cases globally; the United States leads in the number of confirmed cases with 586,093. As we shelter in place and observe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention precautions, the coronavirus emergency teaches important lessons about the climate crisis. Danger of ignoring science: The Trump administrations inadequate response to COVID-19 highlights the danger of rejecting science. When years ago public health officials warned of pandemic risk, Trump terminated the Directorate for Bio-Defense and cut the CDC budget. After the first U.S. case in January, Trump downplayed the danger of COVID-19, gave out misinformation based on hunches, delayed using the Defense Production Act for one month and finally declared a national emergency on March 13. Suppression of climate science has paralleled that of the coronavirus epidemic but over decades rather than weeks. Warnings have come from climate scientists since the 1980s and have been fought by the fossil-fuel industry through their misinformation campaign, led by the Heartland Institute. Hopefully the painful lessons of the COVID-19 response fiasco will cripple the pseudoscience misinformation crusade and permit data-led action to mitigate the existential danger of the climate crisis. As fear and uncertainty about COVID-19 sweep the world, a rise in misinformation about the virus and its origins, as well as unfounded claims about miracle cures, are putting Canadians at great risk. The Canadian government and specifically the minister of health must join other Western nations in addressing the threat of COVID-related misinformation. One excellent way to achieve this is by publicly debunking falsehoods and correcting the record as information threats emerge. We shouldnt underestimate this challenge: the escalating infodemic contains a slew of toxic narratives from foreign regimes. Propaganda and disinformation in this case is designed to intensify the destabilizing impact of the virus, and to exploit soft-power opportunities such as the masked effort to buy influence via donations of personal protective equipment. The manipulation of statistics to hide the extent of infection under totalitarian regimes is also a threat. Collectively, these actions grossly undermine global efforts to assess and address the pandemic. As self-isolation increases, so too does our reliance on social media. There, we find a cacophony of narratives about causes, cures and protective measures. One recent meme claimed that heat and moisture of the kind found in a sauna can kill the virus, and that doctors in Wuhan are injecting people with vitamin C to prevent infection. This kind of viral malinformation taps into our growing anxieties about COVID-19, threatening to drown out science and reason. Unproven treatments constantly emerge, many planted by foreign actors or snake-oil salesmen, and are then shared with the best of intentions by friends, family and colleagues. Regardless of intent, misinformation hurts us all, and we need to be more aware about the consequences of passing it around. Thankfully, a growing number of organizations and individuals are fighting disinformation on social media platforms. But one newer arena that is still almost impossible to monitor is in group messaging apps. A recent example was an audio recording ostensibly from the University Hospital of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The soothing female voice claims that a Dr. Negrin at the hospital has advised warding off the virus by eating soup, drinking hot liquids, and gargling warm water mixed with vinegar. We contacted the hospital to verify the source, and a representative from the Canary Islands Health Department responded: There are a lot of workers in the hospital and we dont know exactly who has recorded this audio. However, we can tell that the advice in this audio is fake and extremely dangerous. The claims made in the clip have been debunked from a medical perspective, but not before the clip reached millions of Facebook users via its Messenger app, circumventing the platforms content filters and user reporting features. Some world leaders have not helped. President Trump amplified untested claims that the anti-malaria drug Chloroquine could cure COVID-19. Yet in a French trial of the drug, six patients dropped out, three of them were treated in intensive care, and one died. Many more were harmed following the Presidents advice and self-medicating with the drug at home. In the U.S. and Europe, thousands of people have shared dangerous misinformation about a poisonous liquid known as the Miracle Mineral Solution. The use of this mixture of water and bleach to cure COVID-19 has prompted the US Food and Drug Administration to warn: If youre drinking Miracle, or Master Mineral Solution, or other sodium chlorite products, stop now! Where most Canadians should recognize the dangers of ingesting toxic chemicals, claims about the healing properties of vitamin C, or of gargling with warm water, are perhaps less obvious. The confusion sown by these less blatantly false claims may ultimately prove more deadly, as citizens who believe in the treatments fail to isolate or respect social distancing, and spread the disease to countless others. While the Canadian government has taken significant steps to inform Canadians about protecting themselves against COVID-19, it is clearly failing to effectively educate us about the infodemic. The infodemic and the pandemic go hand-in-hand, and should both be taken extremely seriously, since each of them poses a significant threat to public health in Canada. Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005. Auto refresh feeds The Union health ministry on Monday said that 905 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,352 and deaths to 324. Maharashtra with 2,064 cases continues to be the worst affected followed by Delhi with 1,154 cases and Tamil Nadu with 1075 cases. The number of containment zones in Delhi has been increased to 47. As many as 25 staff members of Mumbai's Bhatia hospital tested positive for coronavirus and number of cases in the city has reached 1549. The number of those who have died has reached 100 in the city. "On Monday, results of 244 samples were obtained of which 228 were negative and 16 positive. Total cumulative positive cases of coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar so far is 80," district surveillance officer Sunil Dohare said in a late night statement. The western Uttar Pradesh district adjoining Delhi is among the 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh where hotspots have been sealed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Sixteen more people tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the district to 80, according to officials. According to a bulletin on COVID-19, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has the highest number of active cases in the state at 216. Of the total 592 cases in the state, 103 have been cured, while 472 are undergoing treatment. A coronavirus patient died and at least 61 people tested positive for the virus in Telangana on Monday, taking the number of cases in the state to 592. The virus has so far claimed 17 lives in the state. The Meghalaya Chief Minister appealed to the public to abide by the curfew and not venture out of their houses. "Meghalaya has detected its first COVID-19 case in Shillong. This situation has come despite all the measures being taken by the government. In light of this, I urge citizens not to panic. We are closely monitoring the situation and we are prepared to deal with it. We have imposed complete curfew in Shillong for the next 48 hours," Sangma said on Monday. The Meghalaya government has imposed 48 hours curfew in Shillong with the first case of coronavirus being detected in the state capital on 12 April, according to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. Assam has reported two positive cases for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. On Monday morning, one coronavirus positive case was reported from Dhubri district. Confirming the report, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new case is the secondary contact of the Nizamuddin Markaz case. Assam on Monday reported one more COVID-19 positive case, taking the state tally to 31. The fresh coronavirus positive case has been reported from the Goalpara district. He said, the 14-year-old had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at Gopalgarh Bharatpur Markaj on 9 March along with 14 others. He said after the positive case reported from the Oal village, 40 more samples were taken and sent for testing. Cluster containment measures have been intensified with sanitization of the entire area, he said. While one minor was found COVID-19 positive in Oal Village of Mathura on Sunday, a nurse of a private hospital was found positive on Monday, District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said. They have been kept in isolation, he said. The district administration intensified its containment efforts in the area, the officials said, as the total number of positive cases in the district reached five. A nurse of a private hospital in Mathura was found coronavirus positive on Monday, a day after a 14-year-old boy also tested positive for the infection, officials said. WHO says 18,500 people died of "swine flu", or H1N1, which was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States in March 2009, but the Lancet medical estimated the toll to be between 151,700 and 575,400. "We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly, 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic," he said. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva that the organisation was constantly learning about the new virus sweeping the globe, which has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million. The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organization said Monday, stressing a vaccine would be necessary to fully halt transmission. On Monday, the NSE Nifty 50 index closed down 1.3 percent at 8,993.85 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex ended 1.51 percent lower at 30,690.02. The 10-year benchmark bond yield closed at 6.4954 percent, while the rupee settled at 76.2290 to the dollar. Indias currency, debt and equity markets will be closed on Tuesday for a holiday. Financial markets will resume trading on Wednesday, 15 April. The development comes weeks after it was announced that Shah Rukh''s NGO Meer Foundation will work with the Maharashtra and West Bengal governments for the supply of 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the healthcare professionals. Rajesh Tope, Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare of Maharashtra, said the "Fan" actor's contribution will help the healthcare workers immensely. Replying to the minister, Shah Rukh said everyone is united in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Monday provided 25,000 PPE kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state. According to a recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, two out of three critically ill coronavirus infected patients who were on oxygen support or on ventilators showed signs of improvement when they were administered remdesivir. The ICMR said research on its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 is a part of WHO's "Solidarity Trial". The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday said antiviral drug remdesivir, which was used during the Ebola outbreak, may be highly effective in stopping the replication mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was teaming up with his counterparts in adjacent New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island to devise the best strategies for easing stay-at-home orders imposed last month to curb coronavirus transmissions. Announcements from the New York-led group of East Coast governors, and a similar compact formed by California, Oregon, and Washington state, came after President Donald Trump declared that any decision on restarting the US economy was up to him, reported Reuters. Seven Northeastern US states and the three West Coast states banded together on Monday in regional pacts to forge coordinated, gradual economic reopenings as the coronavirus crisis finally appeared to be ebbing, while stressing the need for precautions to avoid a resurgence of infections. All three new locally transmitted cases were reported in Guangdong Province, it said. China's National Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Tuesday said 89 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including three local infections, were reported on Monday in the country. COVID-19 cases have been increasing again after the country managed to contain the first wave of infections as hundreds of Chinese nationals returned home from various countries, including European nations, US, Russia and Iran, to escape the fallout of the pandemic. China continued to grapple with imported cases of coronavirus after stamping out the disease from its epicentre Wuhan as it reported 89 infections on Monday and the rise in asymptomatic patients posed serious concern for authorities, health officials said on Tuesday. Deaths reported on Sunday numbered 1,513, the smallest increase since 1,309 died on 6 April. The largest number of fatalities, over 10,000, was in New York state with the concentration in and around New York City, the most populous US city with about 8.4 million people. The United States, with the worlds third-largest population, has recorded more fatalities from COVID-19 than any other country. There were a total of nearly 570,000 US cases as of Monday with over 1.8 million reported cases globally. US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 23,000 on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as officials said the worst may be over and the outbreak could reach its peak this week. "All the residents are requested to kindly cooperate and refrain from coming out of the houses to enable the Health Department officials to do contat tracing and take appropriate remedial measures," the order said. As per a press release issued by the chief secretary of Meghalaya, a doctor from Bethany Hospital, Shillong has been tested COVID-19 positive today [Monday]. "The District Magistrate Shillong has imposed curfew for 48 hours in the Shillong Agglomeration area starting from 6.00 am of 14th April, 2020 with the exception of essential services," the release said. A doctor from Bethany Hospital in Shillong on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, making it the first positive case of coronavirus in Meghalaya, say reports. Trump said that his administration will soon finalise new and very important guidelines to give governors the information they need to start safely opening their states. "I've been having many discussions with my team and top experts and we're very close to completing a plan to open our country hopefully even ahead of schedule, and that's so important, Trump told reporters at his White House news conference on coronavirus. As a result of the deadly spread of the novel coronavirus, more than 95 per cent of the country's 330 million population are under stay-at-home order. The social mitigation guidelines have been in place for a month now and will continue till April 30. US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he was very close to completing a plan to reopen the country. Across the state, a total of 229 people have so far been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the viral infection. Notably, Maharashtra had crossed the 1000-mark of COVID-19 cases on 7 April. The country's financial capital now alone accounts for 1540 COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths, he said. While the number of total cases has gone up to 2334, the COVID-19 death toll increased to 160 with 11 more people succumbing to the infection on Monday. The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra on Monday crossed the 2000-mark, with 352 more people, including 242 from Mumbai, testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection, a Health department official said. The United States has more than 550,000 people infected with the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of fatalities was similar to the previous day's toll of 1,514. The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 23,529 people in the US, the most of any country. The United States recorded 1,509 deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 pm Monday (0030 GMT Tuesday). The ministry also said that 1211 new cases and 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. A total number of 10,363 cases of coronavirus have been reported in India. So far, 339 people have succumbed to the infection in the country, while 1,035 patients have been cured. There are 8,988 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A 56-year old woman, a family member of an already positive case and a 38-year-old woman have tested positive for COVID19 on Tuesday, as the total number of positive cases in Mohali rise to 56, Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan told ANI. Mumbai's Worli Koliwada has been declared a COVID-19 'containment zone', the movement of people is restricted here, reports ANI. University President Lawrence Bacow announced in an email to Harvard affiliates on Monday that he along with Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and University Provost Alan Garber will each cut their salaries by 25 percent. The report in The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, said that Harvard was "instituting an immediate university-wide salary and hiring freeze, cancelling or deferring discretionary spending, and considering deferring all capital projects." Prestigious US educational institutions Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are implementing salary and hiring freeze and their top leadership will take pay cuts as part of "hard choices" to control costs in a tough economic environment resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic, according to a report. It has come to light that many people are taking the medicine or stocking it due to the coronavirus fear, he said. "We have come to know that people were rushing to medical stores to buy hydroxychloroquine after it came in news and was also mentioned as an effective medicine by US President Trump for those infected by COVID-19," Gujarat Food and Drug Control Authority Commissioner H G Koshia told PTI. India is the world's largest manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine, which is used in the treatment of malaria. But, its demand has now increased after US President Donald Trump requested the Indian government to allow its export to America to treat COVID-19 patients. People in Gujarat have been consuming and stocking up hydroxychloroquine, being touted as 'game-changer' in the fight against coronavirus, prompting the state government to issue a warning against its health hazards and a directive to chemists not to sell it over the counter. During the course of the meeting, the Prime Minister had said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the States on the extension of lockdown by another two weeks. He underlined that the motto of the government earlier was 'jaan hai to jahaan hai' but now it is 'jaan bhi jahaan bhi'. Prior to this, the Prime Minister had on Saturday held consultations with Chief Ministers through video-conferencing, during which talks were held over the need for extending the lockdown further after taking into consideration the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19. A total of 56 cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in Odisha, after one more person tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. So far, 18 people have been recovered from the disease. There are 37 active cases in the state now, repors CNN-News18. About 48 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Jaipur on Tuesday as the total number of confirmed cases in the state rise to 945, said Rajasthan Health Department. So far, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal have extended the lockdown until 30 April. Punjab has extended it till 1 May. Prime Minister begins his address to the nation by saying India is doing well to tackle the coronavirus nation. He thanks people on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle. "Our fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic is progressing with strength," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledges the trouble being faced by the people of India during the COVID-19 lockdown. "In our constitution, 'We the People' is written, and this fight is what it signifies, he says. Remembering BR Ambedkar, says it a symbolic remembrance to his anniversary." he said. "You have been a witness to how India has fought coronavirus as compared to other countries," he added. Modi noted that it was unfair to compare with any other country. However, we cannot deny some realities. "It is true that India is in much better position than some of the developed countries," he said. India had started screening at airports and 14-day isolation for those coming from abroad, well in advance, announced Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on Tuesday. "We decided to implement this 21-day lockdown when we had only about 500 cases." he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the lockdown has been extended till 3 May, and that coronavirus should be curbed at every level. Even if one person dies due to coronavirus, he noted that "Our tension should increase. That is why hotspots have to be surveilled with extended vigilance, and take harsh steps to curb spread of coronavirus. If new hotspots arrive, our efforts will face problems." We will be implementing lockdown even more strictly till 20 April, said Narendra Modi. Some restrictions may be eased in places where there are no hotspots after that date, he added. He also said that the government must keep a close watch on places where new hotspots may emerge. The government will put out detailed guidelines, said the prime minister. Narendra Modi assures that \there is enough ration and stock of essential commodities in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the health infrastructure has improved by leaps and bound. He said labs have come up, beds have increased, more than 600 hospitals are working for coronavirus treatment. These facilities are being added upon every day. Even with our limited resources, Modi requests young scientists to come forth and help in creating coronavirus vaccine. Narendra Modi on Tuesday issues seven guidelines asking citizens to 'stay where you are, stay safe' and to follow all guidelines till 3 May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his address by asking people to be very vigilant in following the coronavirus lockdown, which has now extended till 3 May. He wished everyone good health against this coronavirus menace. Tweeting right after his national address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to follow the lockdown till 3 May with "utmost vigilance.' Six more COVID-19 positive cases and two more deaths related to the virus reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai on Tuesday reported ANI. The total positive cases in the area is now at 55 and related deaths at seven, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Congress leader Shashi Tharoor supported Narendra Modi's decision to extend lockdown till 3 May. Taking to Twitter, the senior Congress leader said "Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, Jan Dhan accounts, GST dues to states, and aid to sweeten the pill." 45 more COVID-19 positive cases reported in Gujarat. The total coronavirus cases in the state rise to 617, including 55 recovered patients and 26 deaths, state health department told ANI on Tuesday. Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi said 80 to 85 per cent of the cases have been reported from identified hotspots. On Monday, 75 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total in the state to 558. Joint Director-cum-State Surveillance Officer Vikasendu Agrawal of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) on Tuesday said, "A total of 657 corona-positive cases have been reported from the state. Till now, the state has reported five deaths: one each in Basti, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Varnasi and Agra." As many as 657 people have tested positive so far for coronavirus, which has claimed five lives in Uttar Pradesh till now, a state Health Department official said on Tuesday. According to estimates by Johns Hopkins University, there are 1.92 million coronavirus cases across the world and 119,687 deaths. The US has the maximum number of 582,607 cases in the world and over 23,000 people have died in the country from COVID-19. Over 180 confirmed coronavirus cases and three deaths due to the disease have been reported across the United Nations system worldwide, a spokesman for Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. Mumbai Police is back with another witty post which urges people to stay inside their homes during the lockdown. In their latest tweet, the Mumbai Police reiterated their messages on social distancing, maintaining hygiene, not creating panic by reading and forwarding fake WhatsApp forwards by borrowing a page from TV show Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai. "We have taken the decision keeping in view the extended lockdown period. More updates will be available shortly," the official said. Earlier, all passenger services were cancelled till 14 April midnight. They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger services till 3 May, senior officials said on Tuesday. On the other hand, nearly 80 percent of employees of traders have migrated to their villages at the time of earlier locked down while only 20 percent of employees are working with traders for the supply of essential goods Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of CAIT said that there are about 7 crore traders in the country, out of which about 1.5 million traders deals in essential commodities, but only 40 lakh of them have been able to continue the supply chain of essential commodities across the country because of facing several difficulties in obtaining passes from the Authorities and non-availability of transport. Due to locked down in of past 21 days the country, the retail trade has suffered a loss of business to the tune of Rs.3.15 lakh crores of rupees. The CAIT termed it as a logical and extremely important step desired under the present circumstances due to COVID-19 and has assured Prime Minister that the traders under any circumstances will continue to run supply chain of essential goods in a most efficient and effective manner so that citizens of the Country may not face any difficulty in obtaining essential commodities. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), the apex organization of the business community of the country, has strongly supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to continue the lockdown in the country. "Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days," said Bin Zhang, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and study co-author. "But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," Zhang said. According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness following their hospital shifts were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious, and have stress-based trauma. More than a third of medical staff responding to COVID-19 during its peak in China may have suffered from insomnia, according to a study which suggests that the pandemic is not just a physical health threat, but may also be triggering a mental health epidemic. The officials said in the declared red zones across the valley, the restrictions have been intensified as authorities have warned of strict action against anyone violating prohibitory orders. They said to enforce the restrictions on the movement and assembly of people, the security forces have sealed off main roads in most places in the valley and erected barriers at several other places. Only persons with valid passes were allowed to move, they added. The corona-led lockdown in Kashmir entered 27th day on Tuesday with the infected cases crossing the 200-mark in the valley amid the continued restrictions on the movement and assembly of people to curb the pandemic, said, officials. So far, 50 people have died in the state due to coronavirus, he said. Tikamgarh district has also reported its first case of coronavirus, the offiical said. Of these, 126 were found positive for coronavirus in the reports received till Monday night, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients in Madhya Pradesh to 730, state health commissioner Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Tuesday. The number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 730 with 126 more people testing positive for the disease in the last 24 hours, a senior health official said on Tuesday. In the last 24 hours, 1,171 people were tested for coronavirus in the state. "We owe it to the poor and weaker sections of society to do everything we can, whether financially or otherwise, to help them through these tough times. Govts must take the lead but it can't be just their responsibility," he said. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the decision to extend the lockdown till May 3 was a necessary step in view of the threat posed by COVID-19. Abdullah also urged people to help poor and weaker sections of the society during these tough times. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 473 in Andhra Pradesh, after 34 new cases were reported on Tuesday. Of the 34 cases, 16 were reported in Guntur, 8 in Krishna, 7 in Kurnool, 2 in Anantapuram, and 1 in Nellore. Two people also died from coronavirus-related complications. All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 3 May, the date till which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the coronavirus lockdown will continue. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 2,455 after 121 new cases were reported today. 160 deaths have been recorded in the state so far. According to an International Labour Organisation assessment, 40 crore informal sector workers in India could be pushed deeper into poverty due to this lockdown. The workers, especially migrant labourers, are the worst among due to the lockdown as a large number of them either faced pay cut or job loss. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown til 3 May with conditional relaxation from 20 April in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation. The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the COVID-19 crisis. At the time of this global epidemic, the prime minister has shown us the victory path by giving seven instructions, Nadda said, adding, "We have to follow these seven sentences of Modi Ji literally". BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday urged people to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seven instructions and continue sticking to the various lockdown regulations with full devotion till May 3 to win the battle against COVID-19 pandemic. "As the Home Minister of the country, I assure the people again, that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other everyday things in the country, no citizen needs to worry. I also would like to request the relatively well off people to come forward and help the poor living in their vicinity," read the tweet by the Home Minister. After the prime minister announced the extension of lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took to twitter, to assure people that there is no shortage of anything in the country whether it is food or medicines. Despite huge and multiple challenges, India has been demonstrating unwavering commitment in its fight against the pandemic. In these testing times, the action lies as much with the communities as with the authorities and the health workforce. It is indeed time for each and everyone to contribute their best and together beat the virus. Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO said that the World Health Organization commends Indias timely and tough actions to stop COVID19. It may be early to talk about results in numbers, but a six-week nationwide lock down to facilitate effective physical distancing, coupled with the expansion of core public health measures such as detection, isolation and tracing contacts of COVID19 positive people, would go a long way in arresting the virus spread. As many home buyers avail loans to fund their real estate purchases, the resumption of construction activity will allow developers to raise demands to their existing customers who in turn will ask banks for disbursements, leading to an uptake in credit. The government needs to now look at targeted relief measures for the real estate sector to ensure the industry continues to remain a leading employment generator and the effect of the lockdown does not further hamper the prospects of this category." Kaushal Agarwal, Chairman, The Guardians Real Estate Advisory, said, "the extension of the nationwide lockdown was bound to be extended, as we are still a few days away from flattening the curve. The government's decision is calibrated and prudent. Having said that, we would welcome a gradual opening of economic activity including the resumption of construction activity at project sites. The beginning of construction activity has multiple advantages as it brings wages to labourers, cash flow to developers, much-needed credit growth for banks and resumption of economic activity in the country. Offenders are fined Rs 200 for each of the first three violations and Rs 500 for every violation after that, the officer said. A total of 1,145 vehicles were also seized on Monday, he said. The fines were imposed by the Commissionerate of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack as per the state government rules which made it mandatory for people to wear masks while coming out of their houses in the twin cities, he said. The Odisha Police has fined 167 persons for not wearing masks while venturing out of their houses amid the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, a senior officer said on Tuesday. It also said that no advance reservation of trains tickets, including e-tickets, will be allowed until further orders. However, the facility of online cancellation will remain functional. The railways on Tuesday extended the suspension of all its passenger trains after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended nationwide lockdown till May 3 in view of the coronavirus spread. Customers will also get full refunds of their tickets if they are cancelling their advance bookings for trains not yet cancelled, it said. The Indian Railways on Tuesday said full refund would automatically be provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to May 3, while those who have booked at the counters can take refund till 31 July. DMK chief MK Stalin took to Twitter to criticize Narendra Modi's announcement on 3 May. "Prime Minister's speech on extending the lockdown till 3 May is a big disappointment. It has only advice and no announcement on providing relief to people who are suffering due to the lockdown," said DMK chief on Twitter. "All the district magistrates have been directed to appoint a nodal officer at the district-level to help people from other states and foreign countries living in their district, he said. "The people from other states and foreign countries should not face any difficulty in terms of food, safety and medical treatment," he added. In a statement issued here, chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said people should stay wherever they are and not make any attempt to travel elsewhere. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday directed all district magistrates in the state to appoint a nodal officer at the district-level to help people from other states and foreign countries amid the ongoing lockdown. Till date 258 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 9 deaths and 65 discharges, the department said. Two patients, a 55- year-old man from Kalaburagi and a 65-year-old man from Bengaluru urban had passed away last night. Eleven new positive cases have been reported in the state from Monday evening to this noon, including the person who died in Vijayapura. The deceased was the husband of a patient who tested positive earlier. He expired at a designated hospital in Vijayapura, the department said in a mid-day situation update. A 69-year-old man from Vijayapura became the ninth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 11 new cases of the virus were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 258, the health department said on Tuesday. The decision to resume construction works from 15 April in Uttar Pradesh stands cancelled in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation today, where he announced the extension of nationwide lockdown till 3 May, ANI reported quoting state Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. All five patients have been shifted to Jhinjhana isolation ward, she said, adding the places where these five stayed too have been sealed. The three Tablighi Jamaat members belonged to Baghpat and were residing in a mosque in Kairana from where the district adminstration was able to track them down along with two of their contacts, said Kaur, adding all five tested positive for the infection. With five more testing positive for the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in the district has risen to 16, said Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur on Tuesday. Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus infection in Shamli district near here with three of them being participants to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi's Nizamuddin and the two being their contacts. "With no information when normalcy will return, when we could head back to our respective workplace is the question that remains unanswered and here, I receive an intimation from the school regarding the hike in fee. I was baffled that how would I be able to cope up? I am anxious to know about the school fee hike and transport fee hike which the school says is to meet the cost demands for the academic year 2020-21," said Pivit Joshi, whose son studies in a prominent school in Noida told PTI. While the Gujarat government had on Monday announced that private schools will not hike fees for an year, the West Bengal government had appealed schools to refrain from hiking fees. However, no clear instructions have been issued on fee hike in Delhi-NCR. While parents are waiting for a school fee waiver during the lockdown due to COVID-19 situation in the country, several schools have announced a fee hike adding to their woes. Parents have started an online petition to the HRD Ministry demanding a directive to schools for not implementing fee hike this academic session at least till schools reopen. They should step out only to buy vegetables and food grains. People should remain safe by staying at home, the minister told reporters. Drones will be used in densely-populated areas like this to give instructions to people that they should not step out of their homes unnecessarily, and cooperate with the police. Deshmukh made the announcement through a loudspeaker attached to a drone that is being used to maintain vigil in densely-populated areas like the Koliwada, a fisherfolk village, and issue government instructions to residents. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday visited Worli Koliwada, one of the coronavirus hotspots in Mumbai, and urged locals to stay at home to contain the spread of the disease and cooperate with the police. People flout norms of social distancing at Hoige Bazaar in Mangalore on Tuesday. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 258 including 9 deaths. The lone COVID-19 case from the district is a 38-year-old man from Lamera village who recently returned from the worst-hit Indore, he said. "With this, the coronavirus has expanded its footprint to 24 districts out of the total 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh," he said. Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh has become the 24th district in the state to report a coronavirus positive case, an official said on Tuesday. "The prime minister listed seven tasks that the people should implement during the extended lockdown. However, he did not spell out concretely what the government will do," it said. It further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not lay down any plan of action that would be implemented during the lockdown. "The experience of the three-week lockdown has shown the large-scale spread of hunger and inadequate shelter for a significant section of our people. It is imperative that the government must immediately implement a Rs 7500 ex-gratia cash transfer to all non-Income Tax paying families and resort to universal distribution of free food grains to all needy people. The central government must ensure that no starvation deaths occur," the party said in a statement. The CPI on Tuesday said the extended lockdown till 3 May would further increase the sufferings of the poor and marginalised and accused the government of not laying down any concrete plans for this duration. Two more COVID-19 cases were reported in Haryana on Tuesday and both patients belong to Faridabad, reported ANI. The total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state is now at 184, including 143 active cases, 39 discharged and 2 deaths, said Haryana Health Department. "The central governemnt is about to receive the kits which have been imported, then we will get too. We will start working with it, the day we receive it," he added. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that the state government hasn't received the rapid testing kits from the Centre yet, and that there is "great need for them". Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to address a video press conference on Tuesday at 5:30 pm on the coronavirus situation in the National Capital. "An area where 1 or 2 positive cases are found is considered an 'Orange Zone'. It is monitored and declared a 'Red Zone' if more cases are found there," he said. "We've made the criteria more stringent now. Earlier an area used to be declared a 'Red Zone' if 10 or more positive cases were found there. Now, if three cases are found in an area it'll be declared a 'Red Zone' and contained. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that there are 47 'Red Zones' in the National Capital as of Tuesday. Pune health officials said that four more deaths were reported in the city on Tuesday. The patients reportedly had co-morbidity. A total of 38 people have died in Pune till now. "The labour department has issued a circular directing the private sector employers to abstain from layoffs or unpaid leaves during this countrywide lockdown. Employees would be paid wages on the due date without any deduction during this period," Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar tweeted last night. The Karnataka labour department has directed private sector employers in the state not to lay off workers and pay them wages on the due date without any deduction during the lock down. A 34-year-old nurse working with Pune's Sassoon Hospital tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, the hospital said. "She has been shifted to an isolation ward," said Dr Ajay Chandanwale, Dean of the hospital. Reports quoted doctors of a hospital in Kashmir as saying that 13 COVID-19 patients have been dicharged, following their successful recovery. The Uttar Pradesh government said that 17,585 FIRs have been registered and 22,632 vehicles have been seized for violation of the coronavirus lockdown. In action against fake news, 12 TikTok accounts, seven Facebook accounts, two Twitter accounts and one WhatsApp account have been blocked. Meanwhile, Iran, which is one of the worst-hit countries, said that COVID-19 casualties have dropped below 100 for first time in month. AFP reported that Spain on Tuesday reported 567 deaths from the coronavirus, which is a slight increase after a one-day decline, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,056. The BMC on Tuesday asked hospitals in Mumbai to hire medical staff like doctors, nurses, ward boys, and others on an "urgent basis" and suggested the remuneration to be given to the staff per month. He added, "5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. 3,985 MT of pulses have been dispatched to various states/union territories for distribution." "As of yesterday, more than 32 crore poor people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore under the package," said Rajesh Malhotra of the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said that the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package "is being monitored at the highest level". The scheme inlcudes measures for those affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, including food security. "Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 lakh kits for RT-PCR and 37 lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time," said R Gangakhedkar of the ICMR. "(The RT-PCR kits)...are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time," the statement said. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that in addition to the COVID-19 testing kits available in India that are expected to last for 6 weeks, a new installment of RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) kits have also been received. ICMR's R Gangakhedkhar on Tuesday said that until Monday 2,31,902 samples had been tested for coronavirus. Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union health ministry said that so far, 1,036 people have been cured. On Monday, 179 people were diagnosed and found cured. Reports said that two more deaths due to coronavirus were reported in Mumbai's densely-populated area, Dharavi, on Tuesday, taking the COVID-19 toll in the area to seven. He added, "Under this, we are promoting the concept of behavioral change in terms of social distancing to break the chain of transmission." "Our major effort is to see how to break the chain of transmission. If no new case is reported in an area for 28 days, the last case comes negative, then we believe that chain of transmission has broken there and no new cases are coming," said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry Health workers of the Manorama Raje TB hospital in Indore, were quoted by ANI as saying, "We are 30 people with two in each room. Our rooms don't get cleaned and sanitised. We don't get proper food. One of our staff tested positive for COVID-19 but no precautionary measure has been taken for us." News18 on Tuesday reported that the ICMR has approved the use of 'pool testing', which facilitates testing five samples together, as the number of COVID-19 cases in India crossed the 10,000-mark. Detailing the measures taken by the state government to combat the spread of infection in the National Capita, he said that he is scheduled to visit a few COVID-19 hotspots in the city on Wednesday. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, addressing a video press conference on Tuesday, said that it was painful that people were engaging in communalism in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic crisis. The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that 1,463 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, which is the sharpest ever rises in cases in India. The total tally of cases is now at 10,815, including 9,272 active cases, 1,190 cured/discharged/migrated and 353 deaths. The Odisha government said that four more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Odisha on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 60 including one death and 18 cured/discharged. A large group of migrant labourers gathered outside Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding permission to return to their native states. They were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate. Three people who had tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra's Sangli were cured and discharged on Tuesday. "25 out of the total 26 positive cases reported in Sangli have been cured and discharged so far. The one admitted in hospital is also stable," said Abhijeet Chaudhary, Sangli Collector. There are 602 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals having 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds across the country, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, on Tuesday. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to address the state at 8 pm on Tuesday, India Today reported. It is likely that he will speak about the migrant workers who are still stuck in cities like Mumbai and Pune, as the lockdown was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Tuesday. Soon after Mumbai Police lathicharged and dispersed a large crowd of migrant workers who thronged Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday, journalists criticised the police action and said that situation was " mismanaged ". He said, "They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home. Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the state had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji raised this issue in the PM-CM Video conference as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home." Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the situation in which hundreds of migrant workers crowded the Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday was "a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour." The MCGM on Tuesday said that 204 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths were reported in Mumbai in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in Mumbai rose to 1,753, including 111 deaths. The MHA said that in pursuance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Tuesday, the Centre issued orders prescribing extension of lockdown for containment of COVID-19 epidemic in the country, till 3 May 2020. Two doctors from Delhi's RML hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Both are admitted at the hospital for treatment. There is a possibility that both of them were exposed to COVID-19 positive cases. Contact tracing has started, the hospital's statement said. Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh said that the number of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases tested in the last 24 hours in the state is 69 and none of them have found to be positive. However, the statement didn't provide details on how the authorities were planning to implement these measures for the migrant population stranded in the city as the coronavirus lockdown got further extended to 3 May. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that the situation of migrant workers thronging the Mumbai's Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday has been "brought under control" and said that the state government will "ensure accommodation and food for them". Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said, "In past few days COVID-19 cases rose significantly. On 9 April, 51 cases were reported, 183 on 10 April, 166 on 11 April, 356 on 13 April. In last 2 months, many foreigners came to Delhi from affected nations. The Tablighi Jamaat event also took place. This too caused an additional burden." The West Bengal government said that as of Tuesday, there were 120 active COVID-19 cases, an increase of 10 from Monday. Seven deaths due to the coronavirus have also been reported in the state, the statement said. 14 people from Kashmir have recovered. Total number of positive cases stands now at 278 in the Union Territory. The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said that eight new cases of coronavirus were reported in the union territory on Tuesday, of which six are from Kashmir and two from Jammu. Reports also said that Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray over the issue and expressed concern over it. "He stressed that such events weaken Indias fight against coronavirus and administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. He also offered his full support to Maharashtra government," News18 reported. After criticisng the Centre over the thronging of migrant workers at Bandra station, Aaditya Thackeray said, "The Centre has taken immediate cognizance of issue and is assisting state actively. We understand the catch-22 situation Centre and states face.Thankful to the Prime Minister and Home Minister for understanding the situation, while trying to ensure safety of home states of migrants." The statement added, "Local police officials went to the spot, talked to them and tried to convince them. During this, a section of the crowd turned violent so light force had to be used to bring them under control. Crowd was dispersed. Police is deployed there. Situation is normal and peaceful." Speaking on the situation of migrant workers thronging at Bandra station in which the Mumbai Police reportedly lathicharged the crowd, a statement by the police said, "Today at 4 pm, around 1,500 people gathered at Bandra railway station premises. Many of them were migrant labourers. They were unhappy with the extension of the lockdown and wanted to go back to their homes. They had placed their demand before administration." Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, addressing a video conference on Tuesday said that the state government is planning to segregate hospitals in the state. "This (Coronavirus) is a problem that has affected the whole world. Everyone is forced to observe all festivities at their homes. I want to thank Bhim Sainiks on Ambedkar Jayanti today, that they avoided gathering and observed the day from their homes," he said. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he would like to thank supporters of BR Ambedkar for not gathering on his birth anniversary. He also said, "Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and announced that the lockdown will be extended till 3 May. I thank Prime Minister for it, as I had suggested the same." Uddhav Thackeray said that Maharashtra is "probably" conducting the highest number of COVID-19 tests. He added, "Mumbai has tested over 22,000 samples. 2,334 positive cases reported till today morning. 230 people around 10 percent have recovered." "We have 10 districts which have zero COVID-19 positive cases. We will maintain that and we will try that all districts are COVID-free as early as possible. Mumbai and Pune are hotspots and we are increasing our testing centers at these places. Containment zones are on prime focus for testing and sampling. We are trying to remove all supply related problems even from containment zones," he added. Uddhav Thackeray said, "After COVID-19 outbreak ends, we will have an equally serious challenge which will be the revival of the economy in the state. Therefore, we have formed committees which will prepare the plans for its revival." Thackeray's address came soon after hundreds of workers thronged the Bandra station in an attempt to get back to their native places at the end of the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown. "Today what happened in Bandra was unfortunate. It might have happened because they thought that trains will start from 14 April and so they would be able to go back to their villages," he added. Addressing them, he said, "Nobody wants that you stay in lock-up without your will. Lockdown doesn't mean lock-up. It is our country. You're safe in my state and don't worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you." Assuring migrant workers who are still stranded in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that they should stay put without fear and that the extension of the lockdown "didn't mean that they were locked up". "Since some of them were complaining about food, we have called an NGO and immediately brought food packets for them. The situation is now under control," a police officer at the spot told reporters. Hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Surat on Tuesday evening, demanding that they be sent to their native places despite lockdown, PTI reported. The migrant workers gathered in Varachha area of Surat city and sat on a road demanding that they should be allowed to go to their native places, police said. The protesting migrants allegedly resorted to arson and vandalised vegetables carts and other shops in the Laskana area in Surat On Friday, 81 people were arrested for violating lockdown and on charges of rioting in the city. "The workers resorted to violence after many of them were not paid their salaries for March and also denied permission by the authorities to go back to their native places," the report said. Migrants working in the textile industry in Surat on Tuesday protested by squatting on roads in the Varachcha area of the city as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown which was coming to an end today, will now be extended till 3 May. This is the third such incident of migrant workers taking to the streets in Surat since the lockdown began, Hindustan Times reported , and the second such incident in less than a week. Three new COVID-19 cases were reported in Jharkhand, state health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said on Tuesday. Two are from Ranchi's Hindpiri and one is from Simdega. The total number of positive cases in the state rose to 27. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that strict action will be taken against those who spread the rumour that trains will start on 14 April. His statement is regarding the situation that occured at Bandra station on Tuesday evening, where in hundreds of migrant workers thronged to the station demanding to be sent home. Number of containment zones in Delhi on Tuesday increased to 55 after seven more areas were included in the list. The Gujarat health department said that two more deaths due to coronavirus were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the toll to 28. Meanwhile, 33 new cases were reported, taking the total number of cases to 650 including 59 recovered/discharged. He added, "We've decided to focus on these areas to control spread of coronavirus. From 6 am tomorrow till 21 April. Curfew to remain imposed in Danilimda, Jamalpur and Dariyapur. From 1 to 4 pm daily curfew will be lifted but only women of these areas will be given this freedom." Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that Ahmedabad district has more than 350 coronavirus, which accounts for more than 50 percent cases in the state. "To be particular the cases are from the walled city and Danilimda area," he said. The Pune municipal corporation said that 17 health workers, including three resident doctors, of the state-run Sonawane Maternity Home have been put under quarantine after a pregnant lady being treated in the hospital tested positive for COVID-19. He said, "Labourers gathered and wanted to go back to their home states. We explained to them that lockdown is extended so no vehicular movement is possible. They also complained that they're not getting food. We called an agency which is serving food. We're requesting people to take it." DCP Surat on Tuesday said that protesting migrant workers in the city have been given food. ANI reported that a case has been registered at Bandra police station under sections 143, 147, 149, 186, 188 of IPC read with Section 3 of Epidemic Act against 800-1,000 unidentified people in connection with the incident of gathering in Bandra on Tuesday evening. The Andhra Pradesh governemnt said that the total number of coronavirus cases in the state stand at 483, including 16 discharged people and nine deaths. Nine people have passed away in the state so far, reports said, A 56-year-old doctor who tested positive for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh passed away on Tuesday, reports said. He is a contact case, reports said. The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said that an MLA of the party has tested positive for coronavirus in the state. The Delhi government said that 51 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi on Tuesday, including nine positive cases. The total number of positive cases in the National Capital now stands at 1,561, including 1,080 positive cases. The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said that all passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3 May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a woman from Dhubri has tested positive for COVID-19. She is wife of a COVID-19 positive person who is connected both with Nizamuddin Markaz, and Athgaon Kabristan congregation in Guwahati. The number of patients is now 32. The Telangana government said that 52 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 644 including 18 deaths and 110 cured/discharged The Bengaluru municipal corporation said that 38 hotspots have been declared in Bengaluru on Tuesday. According to Punjab chief Ssecretary KBS Sidhu, a COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment in Punjab's Gurdaspur is being shifted to Amritsar after the patient's health deteriorated. France on Tuesday reported 762 more coronavirus deaths, taking the total toll to 15,729, AFP news agency reported, quoting an official. The Delhi government said that 51 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi on Tuesday, including nine positive cases. The total number of positive cases in the National Capital now stands at 1,561, including 1,080 positive cases. I appeal to all twitter armies who tweeted, and to those who responded to bandra incident in a polarised, political or communal way, lets not do that. This is a time for focus. Join hands, were all in this together The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said that all passenger train services are fully cancelled, across the nation, till 3 May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a woman from Dhubri has tested positive for COVID-19. She is wife of a COVID-19 positive person who is connected both with Nizamuddin Markaz, and Athgaon Kabristan congregation in Guwahati. The number of patients is now 32. The Telangana government said that 52 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 644 including 18 deaths and 110 cured/discharged The Bengaluru municipal corporation said that 38 hotspots have been declared in Bengaluru on Tuesday. All the balcony people take a long and hard look at the ground. First it was Delhi, now Mumbai. The migrant crisis is a time bomb that must be defused before it becomes a crisis bigger than Corona. Balcony government must keep their eyes on what's happening on the ground too. According to Punjab chief Ssecretary KBS Sidhu, a COVID-19 patient undergoing treatment in Punjab's Gurdaspur is being shifted to Amritsar after the patient's health deteriorated. France on Tuesday reported 762 more coronavirus deaths, taking the total toll to 15,729, AFP news agency reported, quoting an official. Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: The Rajasthan government said that 108 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, out of which 83 are from Jaipur. Total number of cases in the state stands at 1,005. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that Ahmedabad district has more than 350 coronavirus, which accounts for more than 50 percent cases in the state. "To be particular the cases are from the walled city and Danilimda area," he said. He added, "We've decided to focus on these areas to control spread of coronavirus. From 6 am tomorrow till 21 April. Curfew to remain imposed in Danilimda, Jamalpur and Dariyapur. From 1 to 4 pm daily curfew will be lifted but only women of these areas will be given this freedom." Assuring migrant workers who are still stranded in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that they should stay put without fear and that the extension of the lockdown "didn't mean that they were locked up". Addressing them, he said, "Nobody wants that you stay in lock-up without your will. Lockdown doesn't mean lock-up. It is our country. You're safe in my state and don't worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you." Thackeray's address came soon after hundreds of workers thronged the Bandra station in an attempt to get back to their native places at the end of the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to address the state at 8 pm on Tuesday, India Today reported. It is likely that he will speak about the migrant workers who are still stuck in cities like Mumbai and Pune, as the lockdown was extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Tuesday. Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said that the situation in which hundreds of migrant workers crowded the Bandra station seeking to go back to their native places on Tuesday was "a result of the Union Govt not being able to take a call on arranging a way back home for migrant labour." He said, "They dont want food or shelter, they want to go back home. Right from the day the trains have been shut down, the state had requested trains to run for 24 hours more so that migrant labour could go back home. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji raised this issue in the PM-CM Video conference as well requesting a roadmap for migrant labour to reach home." A large group of migrant labourers gathered outside Bandra station in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding permission to return to their native states. They were later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate. The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that 1,463 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, which is the sharpest ever rises in cases in India. The total tally of cases is now at 10,815, including 9,272 active cases, 1,190 cured/discharged/migrated and 353 deaths. The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that with 1,211 fresh cases of coronavirus reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 10,363 including 339 deaths. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that in addition to the COVID-19 testing kits available in India that are expected to last for 6 weeks, a new installment of RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) kits have also been received. "(The RT-PCR kits)...are far more sufficient in numbers, which would essentially mean that we would be able to cover ourselves for a long period of time," the statement said. "Additionally, we are ordering close to about 33 lakh kits for RT-PCR and 37 lakh rapid kits are expected to come at any point in time," said R Gangakhedkar of the ICMR. The BMC on Tuesday asked hospitals in Mumbai to hire medical staff like doctors, nurses, ward boys, and others on an "urgent basis" and suggested the remuneration to be given to the staff per month. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to address a video press conference on Tuesday at 5:30 pm on the coronavirus situation in the National Capital. The CPI on Tuesday said the extended lockdown till 3 May would further increase the sufferings of the poor and marginalised and accused the government of not laying down any concrete plans for this duration. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Health Department reported a rise of 72 new cases out of which 71 were registered in Jaipur and one in Jhunjhunu. Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus infection in Shamli district near here with three of them being participants to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi's Nizamuddin and the two being their contacts. With five more testing positive for the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in the district has risen to 16, said Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur on Tuesday. A 69-year-old man from Vijayapura became the ninth COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, where 11 new cases of the virus were confirmed, taking the total number of infections in the state to 258, the health department said on Tuesday. The Indian Railways on Tuesday said full refund would automatically be provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to 3 May, while those who have booked at the counters can take refund till 31 July. Customers will also get full refunds of their tickets if they are cancelling their advance bookings for trains not yet cancelled, it said. The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the COVID-19 crisis. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3 May with conditional relaxation from 20 April in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rose to 2,455 after 121 new cases were reported today. Meanwhile, airlines are railways announced suspension of services till 3 May, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered extension of the nationwide lockdown. The Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger services till 3 May, senior officials said on Tuesday. They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till 3 May to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the lockdown has been extended till 3 May, and that coronavirus should be curbed at every level. The government will put out detailed guidelines, said the prime minister. Narendra Modi assures that there is enough ration and stock of essential commodities in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am today, on the last day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed with the aim to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19. A total number of 10,363 cases of coronavirus have been reported in India. So far, 339 people have succumbed to the infection in the country, while 1,035 patients have been cured. There are 8,988 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry also said that 1211 new cases and 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. Hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in a video message on Tuesday morning praised those at the forefront in the fight against coronavirus - doctors, sanitation workers, policemen - and said they were fighting the pandemic despite the lack of resources. The Meghalaya government has imposed 48 hours curfew in Shillong with the first case of coronavirus being detected in the state capital on 12 April, according to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. The Union health ministry on Monday said that 905 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 9,352 and deaths to 324. In what comes as a positive development on the penultimate day of a nationwide lockdown, 25 districts across 15 states which had detected COVID-19 infections earlier have contained the spread and reported no new cases in 14 days, the ministry said. The districts are Gondia (Maharashtra), Raj Nand Gaon (Chhattisgarh), Davangiri (Karnataka), South Goa, Wayanad and Kottayam (Kerala), West Imphal (Manipur), Rajouri (J&K), Aizwal West (Mizoram), Mahe in Puducherry, SBS Nagar in Punjab, Patna, Nalanda and Munger in Bihar, Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, Panipat, Rohtak and Sirsa in Haryana, Pauri Garhwal in Uttrakhand and Bhadradari Kothagudem in Telangana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday and is likely to talk about the further course of action to deal with the crisis posed by virus. Cases in Maharashtra cross 2,000, count in Delhi up to 1,154 As many as 25 staff members of Mumbai's Bhatia hospital tested positive for coronavirus and number of cases in the city has reached 1549. The number of those who have died has reached 100 in the city. Maharashtra with 2,064 cases continues to be the worst affected followed by Delhi with 1,154 cases and Tamil Nadu with 1075 cases. The number of containment zones in Delhi has been increased to 47. New cases have been reported from several states including Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Nagaland reported its first COVID-19 case following which several localities and a hospital in Dimapur have been sealed. Uttarakhand Health Department said that no new positive COVID-19 case emerged in the state for the fifth day in a row. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said 2,06,212 COVID-19 tests were conducted till Sunday. "Of these 14,855 tests took place at 156 government labs and 1,913 tests happened at 69 private labs on Sunday," ICMR's head scientist Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar said at the daily media briefing on COVID-19 situation. "At the pace at which we are conducting tests today, we have a stock with which we can conduct tests for the next six weeks easily," the ICMR official said. He said a consignment of COVID-19 kits is expected to arrive from China on 15 April. Administrative measures The Union Health Ministry informed that 78,000 self-help group members of 27 states have produced 1.96 crore masks under the State Rural Livelihood Missions. "Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna package, over 30,000 poor people have been provided financial support of Rs 28,256 crore during the lockdown up to April 10. This includes support of Rs 19.86 crore to Jan Dhan Yojna women account holders who were transferred Rs 9,930 crores. "Under the PM Kisan Yojna, 6.93 crore farmers have been provided support of Rs 13,855 crore. Under social assistance programmes 2.82 crore widows, senior citizens and disabled have been provided support of Rs 1,405 crore," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union health ministry, said. Agarwal also said that the Core Strategy Group on COVID-19 was working on rapid and economical diagnostics as well as new drugs. "The group has been formed, based on a detailed review of COVID-19 research, undertaken by Union Health Minister Harshvardhan along with CSIR and its 38 labs. The group is working on digital and molecular surveillance, rapid and economical diagnostics, new drugs, repurposing of drugs and associated production processes," he said. In Delhi, traders at Delhi's Azadpur Mandi have been told to follow the odd-even rule according to their shed numbers to maintain social distancing. There will be staggered time for sale of vegetables and fruits in the mandis. The Chandigarh government said all government schools and government-aided schools will be having summer vacations from 15 April till 15 May. The private schools will be advised to synchronise the same. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government has started a helpline through which we want to connect non-resident Assamese. "They can call 9615471547, we'll register them. Once registered, we'll transfer an amount which will help them in surviving in another state till lockdown is completely lifted. We have also started an initiative to help the people who are stuck in different countries. To those residents of Assam, we have transferred $ 1,000." He added, "Another initiative was to help critically ill patients, like those suffering from cancer, kidney and liver ailment. We have transferred Rs 25,000 each to all those patients so that they can continue to get treatment wherever they are today." Global picture The global toll of the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 1,14,539 on Monday, according to the AFP tally. "More than 1,853,300 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 395,000 are now considered recovered," India Today reported. Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the global coronavirus epidemic, on Monday started to ease tough lockdown restrictions that have kept people confined to their homes for more than a month and put a brake on economic activity, Reuters reported. Spains cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the Spanish health ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day. However, this was the smallest proportional daily increase in the number of deaths and new infections. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recuperating from his Covid-19 hospitalisation at his country retreat of Chequers, where he has been joined by his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds. Downing Street has said that the prime minister would not be returning to work immediately and will be based at the sprawling 1,000-acre estate in Buckinghamshire, south-east England, for a recovery period on medical advice. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab continues to deputise for Johnson as the UK entered a fourth week in lockdown on Monday and the country's total coronavirus death toll hit 10,612. UK ministers are required by law to review the strict social distancing measures by Thursday. In a video message issued after his discharge from St Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday, Johnson, 55, urged the public to continue to follow the stay-at-home advice in the ongoing fight against coronavirus. With inputs from agencies The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed that seventeen (17) persons have fully recovered from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. "We have 17 persons who have recorded negatives and are obviously clinically cured," Dr Patrick Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday. Delivering an update on COVID-19 at a press briefing on Tuesday, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah further explained that before a person is officially declared to have fully recovered from the virus, the person has to test negative twice. He also disclosed that there are another sixty-six (66) people have also tested negative but are not included in the full recovery cases because they are yet to conduct a second test on them. The number of recovery cases will come to 83 after their results prove negative on a second testing. Ghana has recorded 566 confirmed cases of the COVID-19. Out of the 566 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 292 reportedly is as a result of routine surveillance, 159 from enhanced surveillance activities and 115 from travellers under mandatory quarantine in Accra and Tamale respectively. As of 11 April 2020, 23:00 Hrs, a total of 37,954 persons have been tested with 566 being positive for COVID-19. The breakdown of the 566 positive cases are as follows: four (4) have been treated, discharged and tested negative, 552 cases have been categorized as mild disease on treatment, two (2) moderate to severe cases, none currently on ventilators and eight (8) have died, GHS further indicated. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Florida father killed his two children before committing suicide and burning a bedroom in his home, say police. The Hernando County Sheriff's Department said in a Saturday press release that they were called to a residence on the 9400 block of Dunkirk Road in Spring Hill after getting a call from a woman who said she received suicidal texts from someone living inside the home. At the scene, deputies found 41-year-old Derick Albert Vasquez and his children - 10-year-old Kailani Vasquez and 13-year-old Kaedan Vasquez - dead and a bedroom ablaze. At the scene, police found 41-year-old Derick Albert Vasquez and his children - 10-year-old Kailani Vasquez and 13-year-old Kaedan Vasquez - dead and a bedroom ablaze The Hernando County Sheriff's Department said in a Saturday press release that they were called to a residence on the 9400 block of Dunkirk Road in Spring Hill after getting a call from a woman who said she received suicidal texts from someone living inside the home The woman, believed to be the children's mother, had been out of town when she had received the text. She rushed back to the home and and saw at least one dead person inside the home before calling authorities. Deputies and the Hernando County Fire Rescue found all three family members inside the home. The Medical Examiner's Office and the Fire Mashal's Office responded to the scene and assisted with the investigation. Records indicate that authorities were called to the scene on a previous occasion, on March 22, for a verbal disturbance. Deputies and the Hernando County Fire Rescue found all three family members inside the home During a Friday press conference, Sheriff Al Nienhuis shared that there were 'some domestic violence type overtones' and that there were 'issues' but asserted that the department was still in the preliminary stages of its investigation. Nancy MacAlpine, the man's next door neighbor, told the Tampa Bay Times that she had come home to find the woman screaming outside of the home. She said that she could hear the woman yelling: 'He shot my kids.' Hernando School district shared in a tribute visual that the two children attended J.D. Floyd Elementary and Powell Middle School. Hernando School district shared in a tribute visual that the two children attended J.D. Floyd Elementary and Powell Middle School A GoFundMe has been made for the mother of the children, who is currently unemployed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. It has raised more than $13,000 after initially seeking $10,000. Call the toll-free 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255); TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889) . Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel-Aal said on Tuesday that street vendors are still banned from working in Downtown Cairo, as part of the steps taken to stop public gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The governor also requested shopkeepers stop big public gatherings and organise the business of shopping in order to avoid crowds in Downtown Cairos El-Mousky and Attaba districts, which host two of Cairos biggest street markets. Abdel-Aal made the statements when he took part in a security raid in cooperation with Cairo security directorate to restore order in El-Mousky and Attaba. Two weeks ago, Cairo governorate emptied the market of street vendors for the first time. The armed forces also sent units to sanitise the area. Photos and videos circulated on Sunday and Monday showed the return of the street market in Attaba and Mouski squares. According to estimations, there are at least 40,000 street vendors in the area. Egypt has imposed a night-time curfew since March among several strict measures to contain the new virus. On Tuesday Egypt has recorded a total of 2,350 coronavirus cases, including 178 deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: Oman increased its crude oil and condensate production in March by nearly 13 percent from February, after the collapse of the OPEC+ deal early last month, according to data from the Ministry of Oil and Gas of the Arab Gulf producer part of the non-OPEC nations in the OPEC+ pact. Omans crude oil and condensate production rose by 12.83 percent month on month to stand at 1.078 million barrels per day (bpd) in March, Times of Oman reported on Tuesday, citing data from the oil and gas ministry. Although the sultanate boosted its production, the exports of the Oman Blend averaged 738,348 bpd in March, down by 2.41 percent compared with the previous month. China was the largest customer of Omans oil, taking 90 percent of the sultanates oil exports, according to government data quoted by Times of Oman. After Omans fellow Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia launched the oil price war on Russia early in March, economists said that Oman has one of the most vulnerable economies in the region and among global oil producers in times of crashing oil prices. Premium: There Is Still Hope For Oil Prices According to Moodys, the most vulnerable oil producers in terms of credit profiles are led by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members Oman and Bahrain. Fitch Ratings also placed Oman among the oil producers, where weaker balance sheets and policy buffers will limit governments capacity to respond to the oil price slump without putting pressure on their ratings. Omans break-even price the oil price required to balance the government budget, all else being equal is $82 a barrel Brent Crude, according to Fitch Ratings. As part of the new OPEC+ agreement sealed this weekend, Oman will reduce its production by 200,000 bpd in May and June, Omans Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhi, told Oman Arabic, a sister publication of Oman Daily Observer. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Supreme Court Monday modified its 8 April order which asked private labs to conduct free COVID-19 tests and said the benefit will be available only to 'economically weaker sections' who are covered under a government scheme such as the Ayushman Bharat New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday modified its 8 April order which asked private labs to conduct free COVID-19 tests and said the benefit will be available only to "economically weaker sections" who are covered under a government scheme such as the Ayushman Bharat. The top court said it never intended to make testing free for those who can afford to pay. It had on 8 April directed that private labs, which were allowed to charge Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 tests, would not charge for the tests observing that they need to be philanthropic in the hour of national crisis. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat took note of the pleas of two persons, including orthopedic surgeon Kaushal Kant Mishra, who said that if the testing is made free for all, private labs will be overburdened financially and would slow down the tests for the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Having heard, counsel for the parties, we are satisfied that sufficient cause has been made out to clarify and modify our order dated 8 April, 2020," the top court said. It added, "The order dated 8 April, intended to make testing in private Labs of COVID-19 free for economically weaker sections of the society who were unable to afford the payment of testing fee as fixed by ICMR for COVID-19. We further clarify that the order never intended to make testing free for those who can afford the payment of testing fee fixed by the ICMR for COVID-19. The top court took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi that according to the directive of National Health Authority under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the COVID-19 tests were being conducted free of cost in all private laboratories even when the order was passed on 8 April. We make it clear that the benefit of free testing by a person can be availed only when he or she is covered under any scheme like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. "We are also of the view that looking to the plight of persons belonging to economically weaker sections of the society, the Government may consider as to whether any other categories of persons belonging to economically weaker sections of the society can be extended benefit of free testing of COVID-19, it said. The court said it was conscious of the fact that framing of the scheme and its implementation were in the government's domain who are the best experts in such matters. Modifying the order, the bench said, free testing for COVID-19 shall be available to persons covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and any other category of economically weaker sections of the society as notified by the Government for free testing for COVID-19, hereinafter. It said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare may consider as to whether any other categories of the weaker sections of the society may be granted the facility of free testing. The Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare may issue necessary guidelines for reimbursement of cost of free testing of COVID-19 undertaken by private Labs and necessary mechanism to defray expenses and reimbursement to the private Labs, it said. The court said the central government was required to give appropriate publicity the modified directions. Rohatgi , appearing for some private labs, submitted that ICMR has fixed moderate charge of Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 tests to cover the expenses of labs and moreover, persons covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana' are tested for free of cost. In case the labs are not to charge any fee for the tests, it will be impossible for them to carry on the test due to financial constraint, he argued. Law officer Mehta referred to the ICMR affidavit and submitted that the government is taking all necessary steps for conducting the COVID-19 test and as on date, 157 government labs and 67 private labs are conducting COVID-19 test. All government hospitals and government labs are conducting COVID-19 test free of cost, Mehta said. Lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi, who had filed the PIL in personal capacity, said there are large sections of society who are unable to afford even Rs 4,500 for COVID-19 test and the government has to take responsibility of getting every person tested. Orthopedic surgeon Mishra had moved the top court seeking a modification of the courts 8 April order directing authorities to ensure COVID-19 tests in approved private laboratories be conducted free of cost. He had filed the intervention application in a pending PIL, saying that the private labs be allowed to do COVID-19 testing as per the rates stipulated in the ICMR Advisory dated 17 March. The application said forcing private labs would create a sharp dip in an already below par testing rate for COVID-19. [April 14, 2020] Population Health Management Market Size is Expected to Reach USD 47.813 Billion by 2025 - Valuates Reports BANGALORE, India, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global population health management market size will grow at a CAGR of 14.14% from USD 21.615 billion in 2019 to USD 47.813 billion by 2025. Population Health Management (PHM) is the collection of patient data from various health information technology systems, the processing of that data into one comprehensive, actionable patient record. Population health management (PHM) systems are capable of analyzing clinical, financial, and organizational data that help enhance patient care and effectiveness. According to Health Information Technology, the adoption of electronic health records by physicians for population health management is growing. For example, in 2017, almost 86 % of office-based physicians had adopted any EHR, and almost 80 percent had adopted a certified EHR. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-3F55/global-population-health-management-market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE POPULATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT MARKET SIZE Owing to the introduction of technologies such as machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence, the penetration of information technology within the healthcare sector is growing rapidly. Public health management aggregates patient data across various health information technology services and innovative public health programs in order to detect patterns within a specific community that needs in-depth data analysis. AI and applied analytics support healthcare organizations with logistical and marketing activities, with access to patient data through automating outreach. Together with AI and blockchain, technology is expected to help solve security problems related to data sharing in the future and has the potential to provide quick access to a vast volume of data that offers enhanced real-time patient experience. Thus, the adoption of innovations such as AI, blockchain, virtual reality, and wearable technology is growing in the healthcare sector, and the deployment of population health management software among hospitals is increasing with the aid of data integration with EHR. Inquire For Free Sample Report : https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/360I-Auto-3F55/Global_Population_Health_Management_Market REGION WISE POPULATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS North America was the largest regional market in 2019 and is expected to maintain its position over the forecast period as suppliers, payers, and care providers encourage the use of PHM services. was the largest regional market in 2019 and is expected to maintain its position over the forecast period as suppliers, payers, and care providers encourage the use of PHM services. The Asia Pacific healthcare market is expected to see the fastest growth in the coming years due to increased healthcare spending and improved healthcare infrastructure in the region. Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/360I-Auto-3F55/Global_Population_Health_Management_Market POPULATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT MARKET SEGMENTATION COMPONENT Services Consulting Post-sale & Maintenance Training & Education Software Analytics Point of Care Decision Support Predictive Analytics Care Coordination Care Management Workflow Automation Care Team Coordination Clinical Reporting Real-time Alerting Data Integration & Management Clinical Data Integration Data Warehousing Financial Data Integration Monitoring & Compliance Real-time Data Exploration Patient Engagement Multimodal Communication Remote Monitoring Treatment Plan Monitoring & Compliance DEPLOYMENT On-Cloud On-Premise END-USER Employer Group Government Healthcare Payer Healthcare Provider KEY PLAYERS Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. AssureCare, LLC athenahealth, Inc. Cerner Corporation Conifer Health Solutions, LLC eClinicalWorks, LLC Enli Health Intelligence Corporation Health Catalyst Inc. Healthagen, LLC IBM Corporation Koninklijke Philips N.V. McKesson Corporation Medecision, Inc. Nextgen Healthcare, Inc. Optum, Inc. RedBrick Health Corporation SPH Analytics Welltok, Inc. REASONS TO BUY: The Population Health Management Market research study reveals hidden insights and dynamics, which in turn helps the players in the ecosystem take better strategic decisions. The firms looking for purchasing the Population Health Management Market research report could look for following prospects on their way to better understand the market that can aid further decision making and possibly identify the best opportunities to exploit. Evaluate the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the report and analyze the Population Health Management Market penetration with respect to industries and geographies. Evaluates the key vendors and deeply analyzes competitive landscape, revenue pockets, market trends, growth prospects, pain points, drivers, restraints, challenges and opportunities of the Population Health Management Market. Evaluate the key vendors in the Population Health Management Market in terms of product satisfaction and business strategy. BUY NOW: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=360I-Auto-3F55 SIMILAR REPORTS : ? Population Health Management Software Market Public Health Management (PHM) Software incorporates data for analysis through healthcare IT systems and stores aggregated data from patients. These products are aimed at improving operational productivity and cost-effectiveness and enhancing the quality of individualized patient care. This study focuses on the status of global population health management tools, future forecasts, prospects for growth, key industry, and key players. The aims of the study are to present the development of Population Health Management Systems in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-3Q235/population-health-management-software-market ? Healthcare Provider Population Health Management Software Market Healthcare provider population health management software cover a range of IT capabilities and related resources that allow provider organizations to manage patient populations and achieve specific quality, cost, and experience objectives. In the Asia Pacific regions, the Healthcare Provider Population Health Management Software Market is expected to show remarkable growth during the forecast period. Cutting-edge technology and inventions are the North America region's most significant characteristics and are expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. View Full Report : https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0W231/healthcare-provider-population-health-management-software-market ? Healthcare Provider Population Health Management Platforms Market The Population Health Management Platform relies entirely on "Internet +"' superior capabilities and develops integrated modules such as exchanging health information, telemedicine, chronic disease management, and graded diagnosis and care. This study focuses on the status of the global Healthcare Provider Population Health Management Platform, future projections, opportunities for growth, key industry, and key players. The objective of the study is to present the development of the Healthcare Provider Population Health Management Systems in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report : https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-4L226/healthcare-provider-population-health-management-platforms-market ? Population Health Management Systems Market Population health management (PHM) system market refers to a focused systemic approach to optimizing a group of individuals' health outcomes. This study focuses on the status of the global population health management systems, future projections, opportunities for growth, key market, and key players. The aims of the study are to address the development of Population Health Management Systems in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and Central & South America. View Full Report : https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-1K276/population-health-management-systems-market ? Predictive Analytics in Healthcare Market The global Predictive Analytics in Healthcare Market Report was estimated at USD 1.806 billion in 2017 and is expected to hit USD 8.464 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 21.2 percent. Predictive analytics detects a trend in historical and transactional data and uses it to predict potential threats and opportunities. Based on the available descriptive data, predictive analytics uses various techniques to analyze and estimate the possible future, including machine learning, statistical techniques, and predictive modeling. The study provides a thorough quantitative review of current market patterns from 2017 to 2025 in order to recognize the opportunities that prevailed. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Auto-0B294/predictive-analytics-in-healthcare-market ? Patient Engagement Software Market The global Patient Engagement Software market size was USD 6.450 billion in 2018 and is forecast to hit USD 25.800 billion by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of 18.9 percent in 2019-2025. The hospital's category is projected to have the largest share of 73% in the Patient Engagement Software Market in 2017. The North America region holds the largest share with roughly 42% revenue market share in 2017. Europe is the second-largest region after North America, with a revenue share of 28 percent. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-1466/global-patient-engagement-software-market ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. Valuates is curating premium Market Research Reports from the leading publishers around the globe. 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CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll Free Call +1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp : +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Linkedin - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4wNXynaTZbiD5m92WQI4A Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/population-health-management-market-size-is-expected-to-reach-usd-47-813-billion-by-2025---valuates-reports-301040249.html SOURCE Valuates Reports [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] New York's governor on Monday declared that the "worst is over" for the state hit hardest by the novel coronavirus, as six northeastern states began working together on a plan for reopening the region's economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced on Monday the creation of a multi-state council. The coordinating group will comprise one health expert, an economic development expert and the respective Chief of Staff from each state and will work together to develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states' stay at home orders while minimising the risk of increased spread of the virus. The six states together have over 300,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, more than half of the US total, and nearly 14,000 deaths, around 60 per cent of the country's total. The US now has 577,307 cases and more than 23,000 people have died in the country because of COVID19. During a joint address with his counterparts from the neighbouring states, Cuomo said New York has reached a plateau in the increase in number of cases. Earlier, Cuomo had announced for the first time that the worst of the coronavirus crisis is over and the state could look at going back to normalcy but cautioned that New Yorkers would still have to be very vigilant and cannot get reckless with social distancing measures. I believe the worst is over. If we continue to be smart going forward, but yes I think you can say that the worst is over, Cuomo said during his daily coronavirus briefing. I was not sure that we could keep the tide from overwhelming our hospital capacity. And they (hospital workers) did. Feel good about that. I believe that the worst is over if we continue to be smart. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy and we can have a plan where you start to see some businesses reopening, he said. In his briefing with the Governors, Cuomo said states should start looking forward to reopening with a smart plan because if you do it wrong it can backfire and we have seen that in other places around the globe. Cuomo said none of the states have ever experienced anything like the virus before and reopening the economy would require coordination with the other states in the area. He said it has to be done as a cooperative effort where we learn from each other and we share information and we share resources and we share intelligence. No one has done this before. New York State, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, has been the hardest hit and has 195,031 cases. An additional 671 New York residents died on Easter Sunday, bringing the state's death toll to 10,056. Cuomo said the 671 deaths on April 12 is not as bad as it has been in the past few days and when on an average more than 750 people died daily. The death toll, the lowest daily total since April 5, now is "basically flat and basically flat at a horrific level of pain, grief and sorrow. Addressing the briefing, Murphy said the cases in New Jersey have not yet plateaued and the state is a couple of beats behind New York. Our positive tests have begun to flatten, but we're not yet there. He said reopening the economy in coordination seems to be an overwhelmingly prudent approach. This is the fight of our lives, let there be no doubt about it. We are not out of the woods yet, and reopening ourselves back up will be equally challenging beyond a shadow of a doubt, he said. Lamont said as states work to re-open the economy, schools and other businesses, it is crucial to listen to the experts and make sure you do not pull the trigger to early. He referred to Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore that are unfortunately seeing a small resurgence and a second wave of the virus. That would be so demoralising for our economy. So that is why what we do, I want to do on a coordinated basis, have a data base that we share, establish the same protocols, so we know how we are working together to get the information down to Washington so they can coordinate as well. Wolf said that as states figure out to reopen our schools, how we reopen our businesses and our homes, we are also going to recognise that we are trying to figure out how we are going to restore the sense of hope that this pandemic has taken away from so many of us. Carney said that the Northeastern states are connected in a real way in terms of transportation and visitation and the rest. So our working together, sharing our information and intelligence I think will help each of us make better decisions. Raimondo said, like the other governors, he too does not want to keep people out of work one day longer than necessary but cautioned that it has to be done safely, which means we need a smart, targeted approach to slowly reopen the economy in a way that keeps everybody - most especially the elderly, the vulnerable, and those with preexisting conditions - safe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) David Cohen, a radio operator with the U.S. Army during World War II, never forgot the horrors he saw and photographed as a concentration camp liberator. Some of his photographs, as well as an oral history interview with him, are in the permanent collection of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Cohen shared his wartime experiences for many years as a classroom speaker, often joined by another camp liberator, the late Donald Gosselin of Chicopee. Cohen was among those who liberated Ohrdruf, a labor camp run by the Nazis outside Gotha, Germany. Decades later, he would speak vividly of seeing bodies stacked on top of each other, some charred and others with fresh bullet holes on that April day in 1945. You saw your buddies die. You saw bloodshed. Then you saw this and you couldnt believe it. However, Cohen also had another, far more beautiful, story his 1942 marriage to Muriel Brown that ended Friday, April 10, when the two died within hours of each other at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow. The 97-year-old Muriel Cohen had tested positive recently for coronavirus. Her 102-year-old husband had not, but the family decided against isolating them in separate rooms. Married 78 years, they had been for several years first in senior independent living and then assisted living at Ruths House, and for the past year-and-a-half together in their room at JNH, all part of JGS Lifecare. We could not separate them, said Frances Grosnick of her parents. They were both very ill with other conditions, and aware only that they were together. This was comforting and they did not suffer. Grosnick said her parents had met when her mother was a nursing school student in Brooklyn. Their love story began in the summer of 1942 and continued until last Friday, Grosnick said. She left nursing school to marry him and they were always together, except for when he was in the service. The couple are survived by two daughters and six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. I am 72 and my dad was always my hero, said Grosnick of her father whose wartime story is told in The Republicans Heritage Series Book, Our Stories: Jews of Western Massachusetts. His legacy was one to never hate, and to live in a world of respect for other people. Grosnick said she had not been able to see her parents since March 12 when JGS Lifecare implemented a no-visitor policy in conjunction with government public health recommendations to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. She said she has drawn solace from the fact a hospice nurse used her hands to serve as the link to join the Cohens hands together shortly before they died with David Cohen passing first. I told her I regretted not being there to hold my mothers hand, Grosnick said. Related Content: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Kinshasa, Congo Tue, April 14, 2020 10:50 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1b8d00 2 World Congo,ebola,WHO,health,infection,infectious-diseases Free The Democratic Republic of Congo recorded a third new Ebola case on Monday, a seven-year-old girl who had started showing symptoms after visiting the same health center as the two previous cases, the World Health Organization said on Monday. After more than seven weeks without a new infection, Congo had been due on Sunday to mark an end to the second-deadliest outbreak of the virus on record, until a case was confirmed on Friday in the eastern city of Beni. The response to the epidemic, which has killed more than 2,200 people since August 2018, has been hindered by public mistrust and militia attacks that prevented health workers from reaching some hard-hit areas. All three of the new cases had visited the Horizon Healthcare Centre in Beni, Diallo said. The girl started showing symptoms only on April 11, meaning she has a good chance of survival and is not thought be very contagious, said Boubacar Diallo, deputy incident manager for the WHO's Ebola response. "We think we will quickly contain this outbreak," he said. It's not yet clear how the first case, a 26-year-old electrician, contracted the virus. He had no known contacts with other Ebola patients and was not a survivor of the virus who could have relapsed, the government said on Friday. The Supreme Court on 17 March this year rejected the pre-arrest bail pleas of Teltumbde and co-accused and civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, and directed them to surrender before the investigating agency Mumbai: Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday after he surrendered before it in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. Teltumbde surrendered at the NIA office at Cumbala Hill in south Mumbai following the Supreme Court's directives. He was subsequently arrested by the NIA and shall be produced before a court here shortly, an official said. Earlier, the activist arrived at the NIA office at Cumbala Hill in south Mumbai along with his wife Rama Teltumbde and brother-in-law and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar. Anand Teltumbde is the grandson-in-law of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar, whose 129th birth anniversary is being observed on Tuesday. Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, a co-accused in the case, also surrendered before the NIA in Delhi. His anticipatory bail plea was also rejected by the apex court. According to the official, Navlakha will be produced before the court in Mumbai through video conference. The Supreme Court on 17 March this year rejected the pre-arrest bail pleas of Anand Teltumbde and co-accused and civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, and directed them to surrender before the investigating agency. Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and conspiring the overthrow the government. The apex court while rejecting Teltumbde and Navlakha's bail pleas on 17 March, directed them to surrender before the prosecuting agency withing a period of three weeks. The duo later sought extension of the time. On 9 April, the Supreme Court extended the time by one week by way of last chance. The activists were booked initially by Pune Police following violence that erupted at Koregaon-Bhima there. According to police, the activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on 31 December, 2017, which triggered violence the next day. The police also said these activists were active members of banned Maoist groups. The case was later transferred to NIA. Teltumbde and Navlakha were given interim protection by the Bombay High Court while their pre-arrest bail pleas were being heard. After the high court rejected their applications, the duo approached the Supreme Court. Celina Jaitley is making a comeback to acting with a short film Seasons Greetings, which she claims helped her heal after losing both her parents and one of her twins. The actor has revealed she was in severe depression when she shot the film that revolves around a mother-daughters tumultuous relationship. Opening up about how the film helped vent her emotions, Celina told Gulf News in an interview, You can never find closure when you lose the most important and valuable things in your life. Daddy had just passed away and suddenly mama too My parents were so full of life and they were this young, military army couple. The truth is you can never get closure from losing your parents. But this movie helped me a vent a lot of emotions I am not getting treatment in Austria for the past one year. Opening up about how her husband Peter Haag sacrificed his job for her, she told Gulf News in an interview, Peter left his job because I was suffering from such severe depression that we had no option but to leave Dubai. He said: lets go back to Austria and let us disconnect from everything till you get better. That really helped me and getting my husbands support in this meant a lot. She also says it was her mothers wish to see her return to acting. The reason why I shot this film was because it was my moms last wish. She wanted me to go back to cinema. The film stars Lillette Dubey in the role of Celinas mother. Sharing the poster of the film on Instagram, Celina had penned an emotional note last week as she looked back at the major life changes that occurred during her break from films. Also read: Tisca Chopra shares one advice to tackle lockdown: Its very important to have a routine She wrote, When I was shooting my last film poster in 2011, I never imagined the next film poster/ release will be at a time when ... A mutant film virus would have shut down the whole world, - The fact the my parents wont be alive to be the first to give their feedback as always. The fact that I would be married, living in Europe, and the next poster would be shot when I would be the mother of 3 beautiful boys, - A day in future when section 377 would have been revoked and all LGBTQI in India would have attained right to life. -The fact that I would have the privilege to work with a trans actor. Follow @htshowbiz for more A Victorian mayor is under police investigation after he was allegedly caught drinking a beer on the street against COVID-19 restrictions. Photos emerged last week showing Warrnambool Mayor Tony Herbert standing outside the Whalers Hotel on the town's main street holding a beer while chatting to three other people. The picture was apparently taken on the same day he posted a video on Facebook encouraging people to continue social distancing. Warrnambooll Mayor Tony Herbert on Victoria's South Coast is under investigation by police for potential breaches to COVID-19 regulations Photos emerged last week show him standing outside the Whalers Hotel on the town's main street holding a beer while chatting to three other people The images allegedly show Mr Herbert standing on the town's main street at about 9pm on Tuesday night with a beer in hand. Victoria Police confirmed they are looking into the photographs via a statement to Daily Mail Australia. 'Police are investigating following a report four people were seen gathered in Liebig Street Warrnambool on Tuesday 7 April about 9pm,' the statement read. 'It's believed those involved may have been drinking in the street outside a licensed premise. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident is still being looked into.' Councillor Herbert defended his actions as an 'unplanned encounter' in a statement to local media outlet 'The Terrier.' The mayor said he was photographed after stopping off on the way to the supermarket. 'We had an emotional and refreshingly optimistic conversation. We stood metres apart from each other with the exception of a brief moment when one of the business owners passed me a beer. After a short time I left for the supermarket,' Mr Herbert said. 'The job of being mayor doesn't ever stop. I considered it part of my role to see for myself how our city is faring in difficult times. This is something I do regularly. 'The decision to drive along Liebig Street I viewed as mayoral duty, so too the conversations I had with the business owners.' He said he returned home afterwards where he continued a board game with his family. If police find the mayor guilty he could face a fine of $1,652 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. If police find the mayor guilty he could face a fine of $1,652 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions Fellow councillors have had mixed responses to the mayor's actions, with Councillor Sue Cassidy telling the Standard she was 'disappointed'. 'I must admit I can't believe he parked in the wrong direction on main street, it's really not a good look,' Councilor Cassidy said. 'We are leaders and people look to us for leadership. Laws were broken and it does make me wonder how we move forward to continue our messaging to the community when they might be thinking well if you don't do it, then why should we?' While Councillor David Owen described the community's response as an 'overreaction'. 'If you know Tony you would know he is very social and very concerned about the local traders in this town. Someone called him over to discuss how they were doing in business and being the thoughtful mayor he is he absentmindedly pulled over and had a conversation,' Councillor Owen said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mayor Tony Herbert and the Warrnambool council for comment. Gandhinagar, April 14 (IANS) In a significant move, the Gujarat government on Tuesday decided to impose curfew in the fort city of Ahmedabad for a week. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the decision was taken to curb the outbreak in the city that has Image Source: IANS/PIB Gandhinagar, April 14 : In a significant move, the Gujarat government on Tuesday decided to impose curfew in the fort city of Ahmedabad for a week. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the decision was taken to curb the outbreak in the city that has reported most coronavirus cases in the state. The week-long curfew will continue in Ahmedabad and the area of Dani Limda. "With public corporation, we have had a successful lockdown period of 21 days in the state. Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown till the May 3. Gujarat too has extended the lockdown for the same period," said the Chief Minister. "More than 350 positive corona cases have been reported from Ahmedabad -- more than 50% of the entire state, mostly from the old city areas such as Dani Limda," said Rupani. "We will intensify surveillance in these areas and ensure that health workers carry out their duties and identify each infected person in these areas. They will provide them with the best of treatment and send them back to their homes. We have decided to impose a curfew in the city area as well as Dani Limda," added Rupani. "The curfew period will start from 6 a.m. on Wednesday till 6 p.m. of the April 21. The Gujarat Police will enforce the curfew," said Rupani. Relaxation to buy essential commodities like milk, vegetables, grains, medicines will be given only to women of these areas between 1 and 4 p.m., added Rupani. Gujarat has registered 617 corona positive cases as on Tuesday, as Ahmedabad continued having more than half the state's total with 351 positive cases. On Tuesday, the health authorities detected 45 more positive cases across the state, once again from the clusters and hotspots of major cities, especially Ahmedabad. A total of 26 people have died due to coronavirus in the state. The leadership of the National Assembly has called for more coordination in the management of COVID-19 funds. These are donations received from individuals and organisations in support of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. This was the outcome of the meeting between the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday. The call comes barely a week after the lawmakers faulted the manner in which the stimulus package is being distributed by the federal government. They had also called for an enabling legislation for the programme in line with global best practices. Addressing journalists, Mr Lawan disclosed that the meeting with the president was aimed at presenting the resolutions from previous meetings between members of the National Assembly and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. For example, the various donations that we are receiving should go into a single account and should have a fund management committee that would be in charge of releases. Accountability and transparency require that we have that separation. It is also an opportunity for us to commend Nigerians and corporate bodies that have given us donations but we believe there should be more coordination as far as the management of the funds donated is concerned. Social Investment Programme The Senate President also called for a review of the way the social investment programme of government is being implemented, so as to reach more Nigerians, especially the category of people the programme was meant for. President Muhammadu Buhari during the inauguration of an Advisory Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) We also believe that it is time to reform the way and manner we implement the social investment programme. This is a very important programme that is meant to help poor and vulnerable Nigerians and we believe that having implemented it for four years or more, we should be reviewing to evaluate the efficacy/efficiency with which we have been implementing the programme. I believe that we also need to legislate on how to fight poverty in Nigeria because this is one issue that has been there for quite some time and therefore there is need for us to have a very clear and well spelt out processes and procedures on how to tackle poverty. The lawmaker said there should be very little or no room for discretion to ensure transparency and efficiency. He further assured that the National Assembly is on standby to reconvene and deliberate on the issue of the N500 billion stimulus package aimed at cushioning the effects of COVID-19 proposed by government. I pushed for free electricity- Gbajabiamila On his part, Mr Gbajabiamila said the issue of providing free electricity for Nigerians as result of the lockdown, was discussed. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker house of Reps. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of the House of Reps] This, he said, will make Nigerians more comfortable as they stay at home. You know I am very passionate about electricity for our people. Interestingly, I brought it up today and we discussed that with the president and hopefully in a matter of days he will meet with the stakeholders on electricity. I impressed on him my position, the DISCOs have their issues, no question about it but at this point in time, we need to put that aside and think of the Nigerian people. The president listened very attentively and I think hopefully whatever the issues are, we will be able to resolve them at least for these two months and then long-term, how electricity will not be an issue. But what is imperative right now, is when you ask people to remain at home, you must make that home a little bit comfortable for them, he said. The number of confirmed cases in the country has been on the increase. As at 9 p.m. on Monday, the NCDC had announced a total of 343 cases including ten deaths. The president had on Monday, extended the lockdown on Ogun, Lagos and the FCT by another two weeks. This he said, was based on the scientific advice by the task force to help contain the spread of the virus. Columbia-Greene Media has recently teamed up with the US Postal Service to provide same-day delivery of your local newspaper with your mail. Our expanded daily delivery of your local news reaches into the following areas: On 9 and 10 April 2020, the energy secretaries of all the largest oil producing and oil consuming nations joined each other at two webinars for debating the future of world energy. The three months that preceded the meeting were marked by the most fascinating events in global economy. In January the world stock markets navigated uncharted waters, reaching one record high after another. By February, coronavirus paralysed the Chinese economy, before going global. In March, Russias breakup with Saudi Arabia sent oil prices to lows not seen since the late 1990s. So the meetings organised under the auspices of Opec+ and the G20 seemed to be very timely. We now know what was at stake - as well as the outcome of these 20-hour debates between leaders. Formally, the global oil output was cut by 15 million barrels per day in a bold move to balance struggling production with disappearing demand. What still looks more uncertain is the future of the oil industry, since the cut might appear to be insufficient for restoring a perfect market equilibrium. We will see in the coming weeks whether the oil prices stabilise or continue a downward slide. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced an extension of the 21-day lockdown, designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, till May 3. He also outlined several guidelines and rules regarding supervised relaxation of lockdown in areas where COVID-19 is contained. The announcement came amid rising cases of coronavirus in India, which on Monday crossed 10,000, and mounting deaths which crossed 350. While news of the extension of the lockdown was roundly appreciated as the need of the hour, opposition leaders expressed concerns about some other important aspects or issues relevant to the lockdown that the PM's speech missed. Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Sashi Tharoor appreciated Modi's call to extend the lockdown. "I support the announcement by @PMOIndia @narendraModi of #Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made," Tharoor tweeted in a surprising show of solidarity. The Thiruvananthapuram MP, however, went on to add that the PM should also have "announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states, and aid to sweeten the pill". I support the announcement by @PMOIndia @narendraModi of #Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states,&aid to sweeten the pill. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 14, 2020 Congress leader and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi found Modi's address "amazing" and sarcastically said that though it was full of "exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration," it was "hollow on specifics!". He agreed that the lockdown was "good" but also added that the total lockdown cannot simply be the solution for all. "No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither 4poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses". Amazing #PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither 4poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. #Lockdown is good bt cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue? Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) April 14, 2020 Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram also expressed concerns about the poor and underprivileged who had allegedly been left out of the country's efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. He started by saying that he understood the compulsion to extend the lockdown and supported the decision but added that the government had not heeded the advice of economists and experts like John Dreze, Prabhat Patnaik, Raghuram Rajan, and Abhijit Bhattacharya. "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country," the senior leader wrote on Twitter. The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 Congress leader Manish Tewari also slammed PM Modi for comparing the numbers of Covid-19 deaths and infection with that of other countries as this is a human tragedy. Tewari told the media that this is a human tragedy no nation should suffer due to the virus. "It is not appropriate for the Prime Minister to compare the numbers with other countries but could have said that we are better equipped than other countries," he said. The comments came in response to PM Modi's global comparison with India's situation to suggest how strict and early measures helped India arrest the surge, said: "India started screening at airports even before we had one corona positive patient in India... Even though we had 550 cases, India took a big decision to completely shutdown India. We didn't wait for the problem to erupt." The Congress has, nevertheless, demanded that the government should give bonus on Minimum Support Price (MSP), which could be Rs 500. The party also demanded that since the government has already decided that the economy could wait as lives are important, then it needs to come up with equally effective welfare measures to ensure the preservation of life. Apart from Congress, DMK leader P Thiaga Rajan also called out Prime Minister Modi's speech, taking a dig at previous speeches where Modi had requested Indians to beat plates and light candles on two separate occasions. He also accused the PM of "lying through his teeth", possibly in reference to the PM's claim that India started coronavirus testing early on, and of "playing petty catch-up politics". Did you expect one? Given history of plate-banging, fire-setting, and others forms of inducement to congregate - during Curfew, perhaps we should be grateful ther was no operative portion Other than the operation of lying through his teeth and playing petty catch-up politics... https://t.co/UtDIhcPk2j Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) April 14, 2020 With a total lockdown affecting livelihoods, PM Modi on Tuesday announced that rules regarding relaxation of lockdown after April 21 in areas that have contained the virus. Detailed guidelines are expected to be released by Wednesday. (With inputs from IANS) Senior officials of the Railways on Tuesday said suspension of train services and other public transport is necessary to ensure social distancing which is the only way to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Fearing a repeat of what happened in Mumbai earlier during the day when thousands of migrants gathered at Bandra railway station hoping to catch trains to their native places, the Northern Railway also issued an advisory. "The general public is informed that a decision has been taken to not run any trains by Northern Railways till 3rd May 2020 in view of COVID-19, hence such fake in circulation may not be believed," a Northern Railways spokesperson said. The official also asked media persons to publicise that Northern Railways is not running any train from Delhi or any where else. Amidst rumours that train services in the country will be resumed from April 15, the Railway Ministry also issued a clarification on Twitter. "It is clarified that all passenger train services are fully cancelled across the nation till 3rd May 2020 and there is no plan to run any special train to clear the passenger rush. All concerned may please take note of the same and help us in resisting any wrong in this regard," the railway ministry said on the social networking website. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday announced extension of the lockdown across the country till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Even as the announcement stalled the prospective functioning of 15,000 passenger trains of the railways, thousands of migrant workers converged near the Bandra railway station in Mumbai hoping to catch trains back to their home states. While they were dispersed later, questions were raised as to why railways kept bookings open despite the uncertainty over the extension of the lockdown period. Railways, however, said all passengers will get full refund for tickets booked for the cancelled trains as well as for those booked in advance. "The only way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is by social distancing. Movement of public by public transport system cannot ensure social distancing. It is in this context that trains and buses are not being allowed to run in this crucial lockdown period. Even a single infected person travelling in a train can pass on the infection to thousands of passengers," a senior official of the railways said. The official said in the early days of the spread of the pandemic, at least 12 cases were reported where those marked with home quarantine travelled in trains and could have spread the virus. The official further said boarding and deboarding at different stations will continue to aggravate the situation further. India has reported 10,363 cases of the virus and 339 deaths so far. "With many trains running, this number will get multiplied manifold. Moreover, once this large no of people will reach their respective villages, infection will spread there as well and it all will become unmanageable. The contact tracing will become impossible in such a scenario," the official said, adding that it was in public and national interest that social distancing be ensured at any cost. Around 15,523 trains run by the railways have been affected due to the lockdown including 9,000 passenger trains and 3,000 mail express services which are run daily during normal circumstances. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health care and social service workers who assisted victims of 2017s Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico had significantly higher levels of mental health symptoms nearly a year after the disaster compared with their counterparts who assisted hurricane victims in Texas, according to a study by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign social work professor Tara Powell. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer Health care and social service providers who assisted victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico had double the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety symptoms nearly a year after the disaster compared with peers who helped victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, a new study found. More than 49% of the workers in Puerto Rico met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD almost a year after the disaster, compared with about 20% of their peers in Texas, according to assessments of 1,100 of these workers conducted by researcher Tara M. Powell, a social work professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Powell studies people's coping after natural disasters and the effectiveness of interventions to help them. In a study published in the journal Traumatology, Powell's group analyzed the first wave of data from an intervention designed to promote resilience and well-being among providers who assisted victims of hurricanes Maria and Harveytwo major storms that struck Puerto Rico and Texas, respectively, during late summer 2017. Harvey barreled through Texas and Louisiana on Aug. 25, and Maria pummeled Puerto Rico on Sept. 20. Maria was the second major hurricane to strike Puerto Rico within two weeks, following Hurricane Irma, which caused widespread destruction on the island Sept. 7. Between June and August 2018, Powell's team surveyed doctors, nurses, social workers and case managers from 57 health care organizations that assisted the victims of these disasters. Rates of PTSD symptoms among mental health and health care providers in post-disaster settings typically range from 13%-32%, compared with about 7.8% of the general public, according to the study. Despite these workers' heightened risks of emotional distress, few programs have been developed and evaluated to support them, Powell said. "Many providers also live in the communities where disasters take place, so these workers are doubly affectedboth as disaster survivors and being exposed to their clients' and patients' trauma," Powell said. "Their roles in providing medical and psychological support to others can put them at greater risk of traumatic stress due to witnessing the physical and mental trauma of the people they help." Six months after Maria, more than 1.2 million residents of the island remained without power, thousands were still displaced from their homes and families in remote areas lacked access to clean water, according to the study. About 60% of the providers' homes in Puerto Rico and 40% of their counterparts' homes in Texas were damaged during the hurricanes. When Powell's group surveyed the providers about a year later, 5% of them in Puerto Rico and 8% of those in Texas remained displaced from their homes. In addition to higher rates of PTSD symptoms, significantly more of the providers in Puerto Rico32% reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, compared with 19% of their peers in Texas. Residents of the island waited nearly nine days for food, water and other aid to arrive. Conversely, within the same time frame after Hurricane Harvey, the U.S. government had deployed 30,000 federal workers to Texas along with 3.5 million more meals, nearly twice as many liters of water and four times as many tarps than were sent to Puerto Rico, the researchers wrote. The researchers hypothesized that the greater level of destruction left by Hurricane Maria, along with the delayed response in sending aid to the island after the disaster, may have exacerbated mental health symptoms among the providers in Puerto Rico. To mitigate their stress and buffer the impact of their experiences, many of the providers in Texas and in Puerto Rico reported seeking social support from peers and other people, engaging in healthy coping habits and other strategies, according to the study. Respondents who engaged in these protective behaviors reported significantly greater levels of resilience and lower levels of anxiety, depression, PTSD and other symptoms. However, all providers in the study belonged to health care organizations that opted for their workers to receive mental health and psychosocial services, which may have affected the findings, the researchers said. While this study took place after a natural disaster, Powell said the findings are also relevant to the current COVID-19 pandemic, where health care providers are on the front line providing essential services to people in the community and are directly affected by the crisis themselves. It is essential to have accessible mental health services for providers in these situations to mitigate the potential short- and long-term emotional impact of caring for people in crisis while also directly experiencing the event themselves, Powell said. Explore further Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria More information: Tara M. Powell et al. In the aftermath: The effects of hurricanes Harvey and Maria on the well-being of health-care and social service providers., Traumatology (2019). Tara M. Powell et al. In the aftermath: The effects of hurricanes Harvey and Maria on the well-being of health-care and social service providers.,(2019). DOI: 10.1037/trm0000228 Islamabad: Corona infection is spreading rapidly in Pakistan. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of corona-infected people in Pakistan has reached 5707. Amidst the Corona crisis, Pak PM Imran Khan held a meeting on Monday. In which the leaders of all the provinces participated. The leaders present in the meeting informed Imran Khan regarding the condition of Corona in their respective provinces. Leaders of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were also present in this meeting. "PM's guidelines will be followed in Delhi"- CM Kejriwal According to the news agency PTI, after this meeting, Planning Minister Asad Omar has informed the media that the issue of lockdown was discussed in the meeting and the meeting will be held again on Tuesday. After this meeting, a decision will be taken to increase the lockdown. To stop the growing corona infection in Pakistan, the lockdown has been implemented there till April 14. Corona infection graph dropped in Kerala, will the lockdown continue? Asad Umar said, "Chief Ministers of all provinces attended the meeting on Monday. The decision on the lockdown will be taken after the meeting on Tuesday. The decision to reopen industry and trade will also be taken only after Tuesday's meeting. The owners have to be more careful about the health of their employees. Can BCG Vaccine Stop Corona's Effect? Know what WHO says Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 22:59:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, April 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Tuesday urged for concrete actions to help the most vulnerable Lebanese as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees in the country amid COVID-19 outbreak. "This is the time to make true statements of sympathy and international solidarity by concrete action," Kubis tweeted. Kubis said he has briefed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the priority areas where Lebanon needs urgent international assistance in its fight against COVID-19. Lebanon has been suffering from difficult economic circumstances and the outbreak of COVID-19 has worsened the country's complicated situation. Last week, without specifically endorsing the last man standing, Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden a nearly-unimpeded path to his partys nomination. But, between Bidens first 1988 race and Super Tuesday, 2020, the day their establishment smothered Sanders primary surge, there was never a time when even most Democrats agreed Joe should be president. In fact, Biden has recently behaved in ways that, in normal times, would convince the party he cannot be. Biden has always had two fundamental problems: Hes irrepressibly loquacious, and hes not very smart. Today, add a third: age-related cognitive impairment. People who have observed them in elderly relatives recognize symptoms of advancing senility, and cannot understand why a loving family would permit Joes frequent public self-humiliations: * In January, Catholic Joe told black voters, I was raised in the black church. * In February, Joe called a female voter a dog-faced pony soldier, and in March, proud O-biden-bama Democrat Joe told supporters, We cannot win this re-election We can only re-elect Donald Trump. A week later, Joe angrily told a Detroit voter, Youre full of sh**! * Also in March, Joe drew a blank on Americas Declaration of Independence and his Creator: We [unintelligible] toself-evident, all men created by you know, you know the thing! * Last year, Joe said, China is not our problem. Now, struggling for relevance during the panic, Joe blasted President Trumps Wuhan virus strategies before plagiarizing them twice. * Then, when the teleprompter slipped during a scripted event, Joe ad-libbed, And, uh, and, and in addition to that, uh, and in addition to that, we have to, uh, make sure that we, uh, we are in a position that we are, well, lemme, lemme go to a second thing. Ive spoken enough on that. * Later, responding to a question about President Trumps coronavirus performance, Biden said, We have to take care of the cure that will make the problem worse no matter what. * Ironically billed as a voice of clarity during uncertain times, Joe recently launched prerecorded podcasts edited to remove his verbal blunders. Even so, insisting that the president was holding up millions of coronavirus relief checks, Biden issued this doozy: No American should have to wait a single minute so Donald Trump can put his signature on a physical check. * Last week, Joe told ABC: We cannot let this, weve never allowed any crisis from the Civil War straight through to the pandemic of 17, all the way around, 16, we have never, never let our democracy sakes second fiddle, way they, we can both have a democracy and elections and at the same time correct the public health. * In another podcast, Joe said: We have to make sure everyone has access to maintain and maintain affordable health insurance coverage. We should be making it easier not harder to make sureto make senseuhlet me put another way, it makes no sense, it makes no sense. Bidens limitations are excruciatingly obvious. Courts have appointed conservators for more-coherent seniors. One suspects that selfish desperation overrides any concern his family may have for Bidens welfare. After all, their sketchy dealings and prosperity were built on Joes decades-long national/international influence. But, Democrats backing Biden appear desperate, too, because, while former-President Barack Obama hogged the media spotlight for two terms, and Hillary Clinton was so inevitable, the party never developed a national bench. If nominated, Joe will not have prevailed so much as the alternatives running were even less plausible. Lets stop pretending theres nothing wrong with Biden, and that enough people will vote for a confused, unpredictable, backward-looking, geriatric careerist who lacks even average mental capabilities, let alone the fitness to be president. Sidelining Joe would be a kindness. If Bidens family wont do it Democrats, its your move. Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at jshenk2010@gmail.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation today at 10 am. Speculation is rife that the PM will speak about the extension of 21-day lockdown. Yesterday, on April 13, the Prime Minister's Office informed about the PM Modi's address on Twitter. The PMO wrote, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am on April 14". So far, eight Indian states (Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka) have formally announced an extension of the lockdown till April 30. On April 11, PM Modi held a video conference with chief ministers of various states. In that meeting, a broad consensus emerged that the national lockdown should be extended by at least two weeks. Post the video conference, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal hinted about the extension of 21-day lockdown saying, "PM has taken the correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India's position is better than in many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is important to extend it". Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: PM Modi speech on lockdown today; India records 51 deaths in 24 hours However, several CMs also pushed for the resumption of some economic activities in areas with no COVID-19 cases. The central government's plan is seen as a nuanced change in strategy from saving lives a month ago to saving lives as well as livelihoods now in the fight against the pandemic. The national lockdown announced by PM Modi is in place from March 25. However, this time the Prime Minister may dwell on plans to restart economic activities in a graded manner. According to an ICMR, India has conducted as many as 2,06,212 tests of coronavirus, so far. "Of these 14,855 tests took place at 156 government labs and 1,913 tests happened at 69 private labs on Sunday. There is no need to worry. We have enough stocks to conduct tests for six weeks," the official said. Also read: PM Modi Speech on Coronavirus Lockdown Live Streaming: When & where to watch India has reported 324 fatalities due to coronavirus, as of April 14, 7.30 am, according to the health ministry. A total of 9,352 cases were found to be active to date. Total 979 COVID-19 patients have been cured or discharged. Where to watch live streaming of PM Modi's address: Live telecast channels: You can catch all the latest updates on PM Modi's speech on BusinessToday.In, IndiaToday.In, Aajtak and its web platforms. The live telecast of Prime Minister Modi can also be watched on channels like Doordarshan, Lok Sabha TV, Rajya Sabha TV. PM Modi's speech is also available with sign language interpretations on DD Bharati. Live on YouTube: One can also watch live streaming of PM Modi's speech on the Prime Minister's official YouTube channel or on BJP's channel. News channels will also do live streaming on YouTube. Also read: Coronavirus woes hound jobs in India, unemployment rate crosses 23% Also read: Coronavirus impact: Retailers fear job losses as revenues fall 30-35% Since the first discovery of photocatalytic water splitting on a TiO2 electrode under ultraviolet (UV) light, TiO2 materials have been widely investigated over the past few decades due to their unique properties such as nontoxicity, abundance, easy availability, and stability. For the moment, TiO2 materials present great potentials in the applications from the conventional areas (e.g., pigment, cosmetic, and toothpaste) to the latest developed areas including catalysis, energy storage and conversion, biomedicine, environmental remediation and so on. Beyond all question, TiO2 materials render new candidates to overcome the energy, environment, and health challenges facing humanity today. Recently, various TiO2 nanomaterials with different structures have been fabricated and applied in different areas and reveal excellent performances. Among them, mesoporous TiO2 materials, especially with hierarchically mesoporous structures, have received increasing interest due to their attractive features, such as high surface areas, large pore volumes, tunable pore structures, and nano-confined effects. Those features enable the high performance of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials in many areas. The high surface area can provide abundant active-sites for surface- or interface-related processes such as adsorption and catalysis. The large pore volume has shown great potential in the loading of guest species and the accommodation of structural change. And the porous structure can facilitate the diffusion of reactants and products, which is benefit for the reaction kinetics. In a new review published in National Science Review, scientists at the Department of Chemistry in Fudan University, China, present the latest advances in the synthesis of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials for energy and environmental applications. Co-authors Wei Zhang, Yong Tian, Haili He, Li Xu, Wei Li, and Dongyuan Zhao summarize the general synthetic strategies (template-free, soft-template, and hard-template and multiple-template routes) for hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials firstly. After that, they review the representative morphologies of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials (nanofibers, nanosheets, microparticles, films, spheres, core-shell structures, and multi-level architectures), meanwhile, the corresponding synthetic mechanisms and the key factors for the controllable synthesis of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials with different architectures are highlighted. Moreover, they discuss the applications of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2 materials in terms of energy storage and environmental protection, including photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, photocatalytic fuel generation, photoelectrochemical water splitting, chemical catalysis, lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries. Finally, the author outline the challenges and future directions of research and development in this area. ### This research received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality. See the article: Wei Zhang, Yong Tian, Haili He, Li Xu, Wei Li, and Dongyuan Zhao Recent Advances in Synthesis of Hierarchically Mesoporous TiO2 Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications Natl Sci Rev, doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa021 https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa021 The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China. With its global presence, industry-leading pipeline and experienced team of innovators, Corteva is ideally positioned to meet its goal of ensuring progress in the agriculture industry for generations to come, driving value for all of its stakeholders. Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) announced today that Anne L. Alonzo will join Corteva Agriscience as Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, effective April 20, 2020. A widely recognized global food and agriculture leader, Alonzo will report to Chief Executive Officer James C. Collins, Jr. She will have responsibility for setting strategy and leading the External Affairs function, which includes Corporate Communications, Global Corporate Responsibility, Government & Industry Affairs, and Product Advocacy. I am delighted to welcome Anne Alonzo to Corteva. As a highly experienced leader in our industry she has a unique blend of experience across the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors that will greatly benefit us as we work to advance a sustainable global agriculture ecosystem, said Collins. We established Corteva as a new kind of agriculture company and Annes expertise and experience will accelerate the progress we have already made to drive more sustainable, collaborative practices across our business. Most recently, Alonzo served as President and CEO of the American Egg Board (AEB), the marketing arm of the U.S. egg industry, directing national campaigns in advertising, public relations, consumer education, retail, foodservice, export marketing and egg nutrition. Prior to joining the AEB in 2016, Alonzo was appointed by the White House to serve as Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, the federal marketing agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). She previously served as Vice President, Global Public Policy, Corporate Affairs at Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International) leading all global corporate affairs work in the areas of sustainability, tariffs, tax, trade and health and wellness, as well as global issues management. Alonzo said, With its global presence, industry-leading pipeline and an experienced team of innovators, Corteva is ideally positioned to meet its goal of ensuring progress in the agriculture industry for generations to come, driving value for all of its stakeholders. Corteva has set out to lead the industry and I am excited to join a team that is already demonstrating its commitment to building an agricultural ecosystem that supports people, progress and the planet. Prior to her roles at the AEB, USDA and Kraft Foods, Alonzo was a Senior Vice President at the National Foreign Trade Council, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and Environmental Attache to the U.S. Embassy, Mexico City coinciding with the NAFTA negotiations as well as a Senior Regional Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V, Chicago, IL. Alonzo recently served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicagos Council on Agriculture, Small Business and Labor; Board of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and is a Member of The Chicago Network of Chicagos leading professional women and Member, Council on Foreign Relations. Anne is also part of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and is a Fellow, National Association of Corporate Directors. She has also received many recent awards including Chicago Uniteds People of Color Award, Latino Leaders Maestro Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, named to the prestigious Whos Who in Hispanic Chicago by Negocios Now for two consecutive years, Corporate Excellence Award by Remy Martin and recognized by LATINO Magazine with its Brava (courage) award for exemplary leadership supporting and mentoring Latinas across the United States. Alonzo holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a JD from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Kent College of Law. About Corteva Agriscience Corteva Agriscience is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry - including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva Agriscience became an independent public company on June 1, 2019 and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at http://www.corteva.com. Follow Corteva Agriscience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. ,, Trademarks and service marks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. The samples of the doctor who owns a private hospital tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science, the minister said Shillong: A senior doctor in Shillong has tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya, the first coronavirus case in the state, Health Minister AL Hek said on Monday. The samples of the doctor who owns a private hospital tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science, the minister said. The doctor has no recent travel history. "The matter has been discussed with the chief minister. The health commissioner and secretary were directed to ensure that no patient from the said hospital, where the doctor was functioning, will be allowed to come out, Hek said. As the matter is serious, the health minister said, the hospital will now be sealed and out of bounds temporarily. "The hospital will now be turned into a quarantine camp and the hospital staff, family members of the doctor and even the attendants who visit the hospital will be tested," Hek said. In a statement, the government said, This is to inform that unfortunately one doctor from Bethany Hospital, Shillong has tested COVID 19 positive today." The district magistrate of Shillong has imposed a curfew for 48 hours in the Shillong agglomeration area starting from 6 am Tuesday with the exception of essential services, it said. "All the residents are requested to kindly cooperate and refrain from coming out of the houses to enable the Health Department officials to do contact tracing and take appropriate remedial measures," it said. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak The government has requested all those who may have visited Bethany Hospital, Nongrim Hills, Shillong on or after 22 March to immediately register themselves by calling 108. The government is fully prepared to handle the situation and there is no need for the public to have any anxiety on this account, the statement said. The state government has strongly recommended that all residents must use a protective two-layer cotton cloth material to cover nose, mouth and chin as a mask and follow social distancing protocols, it added. Kweon Bong-gi / Courtesy of National Health Insurance Service By Kang Seung-woo Kweon Bong-gi, a manager of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), has been named the first unsung hero by Cheong Wa Dae for his sacrifice amid the coronavirus crisis. According to the NHIS, Kweon was one of the first volunteers to work at a screening center in Daegu, Korea's COVID-19 hot spot, starting late February. From Feb. 28 to March 12, Kweon was in charge of a screening center there, helping to ensure sample collection went smoothly. Following his commitment in Daegu, he had to self-quarantine for 14 days in accordance with the government's guidelines. However, as the virus showed no signs of abating in Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, more staff were needed to handle the snowballing number of COVID-19 patients. As soon as his self-quarantine period was over, March 25, Kweon headed back to Daegu, where he volunteered until April 5. While serving for the screening center, he and other NHIS workers paid for a banner thanking medical staff and all volunteers for their devotion. In particular, he had the names of all the volunteers printed on the banner in hopes that it would make them feel proud. In response, the medical staff there expressed gratitude to Kweon and a doctor from Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu sent him a thank-you letter. "Although it was tough to work there in anti-contamination clothing, it was a must for a staff of the NHIS, aimed at protecting the health of the nation," Kweon said. He remained humble about receiving the honor, giving credit to other NHIS workers who are still working around the clock to handle the coronavirus pandemic. "On behalf of quarantine officers who are working in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, Incheon International Airport and other areas, I am honored," he said. "I express my appreciation to those who are committed to dealing with COVID-19." The substantial increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has led to innumerable complaints of anticompetitive conduct from customers and consumers across the continent, who have expressed concerns over sudden price hikes of healthcare and hygiene products as well as identified essential products. This has prompted rapid responses from African competition authorities. In South Africa, competition and consumer protection authorities are collaborating in efforts to examining complaints from customers and consumers implicating companies for excessive and/or exploitative pricing of essential products. Such essential products include facemasks, toilet paper, and hand sanitisers. In addition, South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has introduced new regulations, which together with existing competition regulations on excessive pricing, deal with pricing and supply matters during the national disaster. These regulations do not prevent market players from implementing necessary price adjustments, their objective being to prevent unjustified price hikes and facilitate the collaboration of essential service providers in a regulated manner. Further, essential service providers - the private healthcare sector, hotel industry, banking sector, and retail property sector - have been granted block exemptions from certain provisions of the South African Competition Act, thereby enabling them to coordinate resources and infrastructure for the benefit of consumers during the period of the national disaster. The country has also entered a 21-day lockdown period, which began on Thursday, 26 March 2020 and is due to end on 16 April 2020. During this period, all non-essential services providers are required to allow employees to operate from their homes in order to limit non-essential human interaction. The lockdown has affected the operations of both the Competition Commission (Commission) and Competition Tribunal (Tribunal), requiring that both refocus their resources on complaints filed in relation to COVID-19 and other urgent matters over the 21 days. The scaling down of operations by the competition authorities has proved to be necessary, not only to comply with the resolution of the National Coronavirus Command Council but also to deal with the increase in COVID-19 complaints submitted to the Commission - 559 complaints have been received to-date. In Namibia, the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) concluded a market analysis, which revealed that the price of immune boosters, hand sanitisers and 3ply facemasks have substantially increased due to growing demand for these essential products. In response to this, the NaCC formed a dedicated task team under its Enforcement, Exemptions & Cartels Division, which will continue to investigate and prioritise price exploitation complaints in relation to essential healthcare and hygiene during the COVID-19 crisis. The NaCC is cognisant of the fact that it is necessary for certain essential service providers to collaborate during this period; therefore we can expect engagements between the NaCC and the Namibian government, with the aim of introducing block exemptions similar to those introduced in South Africa. Mauritius has also experienced a surge in the pricing of essential goods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, certain suppliers of essential goods in Mauritius have come under the spotlight of the authority, suspected of creating artificial shortages of supplies. In response, the Mauritian government has announced that its Competition Commission will be tasked with monitoring the market for unjustified price escalations of essential goods and will prosecute any businesses found to be engaging in such restricted trade practices during this period. The rest of Southern Africas competition authorities are yet to issue cautionary measures or publish competition regulations in response of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their markets. Although the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the East African countries combined are significantly less than those reported in South Africa, competition authorities in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia have adopted a proactive approach to guarding against unjustified price hikes and the excessive pricing of essential goods during this period. The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has published a cautionary note warning manufacturers and retailers that are implicated in price fixing or any sort of price manipulation behavior that they will be subject to an administrative penalty of up to 10% of turnover. Further, the CAK has ordered the removal of exclusivity clauses in agreements between manufactures and distributors of maize flour, wheat flour, edible oils, rice, sanitizers and toilet papers, effective 26 March 2020. Exclusive distribution agreements between market players interfere with the allocation of favourable prices in relation to essential goods. The CAK highlighted that negative effects of such agreements may be further exacerbated during pandemics such as COVID-19. In addition, distributors who also operate in the downstream retail market have been requested to provide these essential goods to other retailers on non-discriminatory terms. The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) of Malawi concluded an investigation on 23 March 2020, which revealed that 11 pharmacies in Lilongwe and Blantyre were excessively pricing hand sanitisers, facemasks and gloves in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Malawi. The CFTC has also published a cautionary note warning against excessive pricing during this period. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Zambia's cautionary note was directed at companies and individuals that are excessively pricing hygiene products in response to the demand during the COVID-19 crisis. The Fair Competition Commission in Tanzania has responded to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's request to monitor and report on whether market players are maintaining reasonable prices on essential items such as sterilisers, masks and disinfectant hand wash during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a West African perspective, Nigeria announced a 14-day lockdown of its two major cities, Lagos and Abuja, effective Monday, 30 March 2020 at 11pm. Accordingly, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced that it will be scaling down on its operations and available resources will be redirected to focus on COVID-19-related complaints and issues. The FCCPC similarly published a cautionary notice to suppliers, retailers and online shopping platforms, warning them against irregularly increasing prices of essential hygiene products in response to increased demand caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. The FCCPC has been active in the enforcement of competition laws amid the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, it has referred four supermarkets and their pharmacy distributors to court for conspiring to hike prices and selling essential products at unfair prices during the pandemic. Apart from communication indicating the scaling down of operations by competition agencies in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, no other preventative measures in response to COVID-19 have been communicated by competition authorities in North Africa. Numerous competition authorities in Africa are aware of the effects of unjustified price hikes and excessive pricing on already vulnerable economies. They have responded by establishing specialised investigation teams, refocusing existing resources to COVID-19 specific complaints and introducing new competition regulations as is the case in South Africa. African competition authorities have further noted that collaboration between themselves and consumer protection authorities, as well as between competing essential service providers, is essential in order to enable countries to adequately respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Unprecedented times appear to have called for unprecedented measures for competition authorities across Africa. Trupti Katdare was in a slum in the central Indian city of Indore when the mob attacked. She and a group of other public-health workers had been tracking down a man who might have had contact with a recently confirmed case of the coronavirus. When they found him, he cursed at them, asking why they wanted his information and accusing them of trying to take him away. Almost immediately, at least 100 people surrounded the team, throwing stones and other objects. Luckily, they managed to escape. "At that time, I was only thinking how we can save our lives," Katdare said. "My husband, my kids, my family members were in front of my eyes as I wondered if I'd see them again." Katdare's experience is one of the more dramatic in a phenomenon that is becoming common in India: health-care workers being subjected to violence and abuse as they try to contain the virus. Assaults have been reported across the country as people panic about catching the disease from medical workers or being stigmatized for having contracted it themselves. In the southern city of Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore), health workers were attacked as they went door to door checking people for symptoms. In the central city of Bhopal, doctors returning from an emergency shift were stopped by the police, accused of spreading the virus, and beaten with batons. And in New Delhi, one doctor was assaulted by a shopper at a local fruit market, while neighbors of one of her colleagues attempted to force the woman from her apartment building. Medical workers have also been attacked from Australia to the Philippines, but the situation is particularly bad in India - so much so that the government released a public service announcement last week pleading for an end to the stigmatization. "When you become a doctor, you know there's a risk of contracting infection," said Nirmalya Mohapatra, a senior doctor at a public hospital in New Delhi and vice president of his institution's resident doctors' association. "We are not scared of infections, we were mentally prepared for that as an occupational hazard. But getting beaten up, that wasn't something we mentally prepared for. That's not an occupational hazard we signed up for." The backlash comes from people across the country's diverse social classes, religions, language groups and geographies, making it harder to isolate one explanation for why the trend is more widespread and intense in India. But there are some contributing factors. Trust in the health-care system was already low, while misinformation is ubiquitous on social media. And an unprecedented nationwide lockdown, given with just four hours' notice, has intensified the hysteria. At the same time, weeks of media coverage of how the virus spread at an Islamic religious organization in Delhi has stoked sectarian tensions that were already running high, while the virus has also played into deep fears of social ostracism in a country where for centuries some castes were classified as untouchables. "The caste system is based on that idea of purity and pollution, what is pure and what is polluted, what can be touched and what can't be touched," said Priyasha Kaul, a sociologist at Ambedkar University Delhi. "This can almost be seen as the new untouchables: a new category of people who need to be feared, who need to be kept away." As in other countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has encouraged people to rally around the medical workers on the frontline of the virus fight. Modi implored citizens to come to their doors just before sunset at the end of a day-long curfew in late March to bang pots and pans together in an expression of thanks. But tensions have risen as the government takes ever-stricter measures to contain the outbreak, which has increased to 9,240 cases and 331 deaths as of Monday. India is still under lockdown, which prohibits citizens from leaving their homes for any reason but to buy food or medicine or in an emergency. And though the country has ramped up testing in recent days, with slightly more than 179,000 samples collected so far, it's still only performing 0.13 tests per every thousand people, compared to eight tests per thousand in the U.S. and nearly 10 in South Korea, according to data from April 11 from the website Our World in Data. That low rate has stoked fears the outbreak could be much larger than official statistics show. In apartment buildings or neighborhoods where cases have been found, the measures are getting even more severe. Residents have been prohibited from leaving their homes at all, and are subject to continuous surveillance from CCTV cameras, drones and police. Supplies are delivered right to their doors as teams come through regularly to spray disinfectant, and health workers monitor people for symptoms. "Just as they are discriminating against doctors over fears they are bringing coronavirus into their communities and residential buildings, they start worrying if they are found to be positive they will be discriminated against by their own friends and their own societies," said Vivekanand Jha, executive director of the George Institute for Global Health, India. "Rather than worrying about the health risks they are worrying about their own living situations." The physicians of Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, one of the public institutions designated to handle coronavirus cases, have born the brunt of the growing stigma. One doctor endured a campaign by her neighbors to force her out of her apartment, according to Dr. Manish, who goes by one name, president of the resident doctors' association at the hospital. First they cut off her electricity, then her water supply, then they began picking fights over trivial matters. Finally, they surrounded her one day and asked her to leave on fears she would infect the building. The police intervened and that doctor has not had any harassment since. "We are already under so much stress and on top of that, this kind of discrimination is very disheartening," said Sanjibani Panigrahi, a doctor at a government hospital in the city of Surat in western India, whose video of a neighbor verbally abusing her went viral on social media. She says it was part of a campaign by her neighbors to force her from the building. The man who harangued her spent 24 hours in jail before being released on bail, and later issued a public apology. Though Panigrahi chose not to press charges, she plans to find a new apartment when the lockdown is over. "Not a single neighbor has come after the incident to say this was wrong and we support you," she said. "Such a lockdown has never been done in our country. It has put people into a frenzy and panic mode. They think it's the apocalypse." The Indian Medical Association, which represents doctors in the private sector, has been pushing for laws to make it easier to file charges for attacks against health-care workers, and to disallow bail for such offenses. K.K. Aggarwal, president of the Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania, said the fears health-care workers could spread the disease are not unfounded, noting that in China, the epicenter of the global outbreak, medical workers accounted for about 3.8% of confirmed cases. He recommends governments find workers treating coronavirus cases temporary accommodation for the next few months. The local Delhi doctor's association has arranged for some of its members forced from their homes to put up in local hotels and Sikh temples. "Being beaten up is never a good feeling, or being chucked from your house," said Rajan Sharma, president of the IMA. "My stand is give the strongest punishment to such individuals." But Trupti Katdare, the doctor attacked by the mob in Indore, took a different approach. She and her team returned to the neighborhood the following day. "We counseled them we are doing this to save your life," she said. "They realized their fault and apologized." >>> Over VND500 million presented to support Romanias fight against COVID-19 >>> Italy thanks Vietnam for support in COVID-19 fight >>> Vietnam supports Myanmar with US$50,000 donation in COVID-19 combat Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dung said the complexities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have posed unprecedented challenges to countries and territories around the globe. Vietnam has kept a close watch on and appreciates the timely countermeasures taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government to tackle the pandemic as well as the support provided to the Vietnamese community in the country, he said, adding international cooperation and enhanced solidarity are important factors in protecting the health and safety of people and mitigating the impact of the epidemic. Vietnam always stands ready to work closely, share its experience with, and join hands with Russia to take necessary measures to contain and quickly push back the epidemic, in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties, he stressed. For his part, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vnukov thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their valuable assistance. He spoke highly of the effective measures taken by the Vietnamese Government in COVID-19 prevention and control, which have received praise from the international community. He expressed his hope that with solidarity and joint efforts, the two countries will soon contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Pressed on how he will force governors to reopen their state economies during the coronavirus crisis, President Trump said at a press briefing Monday: "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total." Why it matters: It's not totally clear under what authority Trump is talking about, as the 10th Amendment to the Constitution gives states the "police powers" to regulate behavior during a public health crisis. Asked who told him that the president has this authority, Trump responded: "We are going to write up papers on this. It's not going to be necessary because the governors need us one way or the other. Because ultimately it comes with the federal government." What they're saying: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN Monday evening, "The President doesn't have total authority. We have a Constitution. We don't have a king." Go deeper: States form committees to reopen America Editor's note: This article has been updated with Cuomo's comments. A wanted Vietnamese man, who had fled to Thailand for months, has been arrested at a centralized quarantine facility for people being monitored for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Vietnam. Police in Ba Don Town of Quang Binh Province, located in the north-central part of the country, on Monday said that they had taken Le Duy Cuong, 24, away from a local quarantine camp. Cuong, of the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, has been wanted by police in Yen Phong District of the northern province of Bac Ninh since October 16, 2019 for deliberately inflicting injury. According to police officers, Cuong escaped to Thailand after commiting the crime. Recently, due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, he returned to Vietnam at the end of March. Upon his re-entry into Vietnam via Cha Lo International Border Gate in Quang Binh, he was transported to the centralized quarantine facility in Ba Don Town as per the governments regulation mandating that all arrivals to the country from March 21 be placed in 14-day isolation. It was not until recently that police in Ba Don Town found out their Bac Ninh colleagues had been searching for Cuong for months. An arrest warrant for the man was immediately issued. Since his apprehension, Cuong has continued to be placed under quarantine as a precaution against COVID-19. Police in Ba Don Town expect to hand Cuong over to police in Yen Phong District when he finishes his mandatory quarantine on April 17. Vietnam has reported 265 cases of coronavirus infections, of whom 168 have recovered. No death related to COVID-19 has been recorded in the country. Vietnam has placed 75,291 people under quarantine as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health's data. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! (Natural News) One thing has become abundantly clear to most reasonable, thinking Americans in lieu of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic: The Communist Chinese government is not a force for good, cannot be trusted to do the right thing, and has no intention of playing by international rules and norms. Whats also become blatantly obvious is that far too many international organizations kowtow and cater to the ChiComs, either out of fear or because they are like-minded authoritarians. That is especially true of the World Health Organization. The head of WHO, Ethiopian microbiologist Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, did almost nothing to warn the world of the burgeoning outbreak that he and other members of his organization had to know was coming. Instead, Tedros served as chief China propagandist, deflecting criticism of the ChiCom regime while covering for Beijings lies about how bad COVID-19 really was, where it actually came from, and what effects it had on humans. The WHO, the United Nations, and any other global body that continues to bend to Chinas will instead of being deferential to the worlds democracies, should be forced to reform or we should abandon them. And the sooner, the better. As John Hayward at Breitbart News notes, it was good to see President Donald Trump call out the WHO and its director-general, Tedros, over its China-centric attitude while also threatening to withhold funding from the organization. However, we should be demanding specific measures to purge it of Chinese influence, beginning with a list of mandatory resignations topped by Tedros, Hayward writes, adding: WHO should also present an action plan for cleansing itself of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence, and every other international organization that asks for American funding should do the same. One simple step in the right direction would be banning anyone from a country that participates in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from assuming top leadership posts. The UN has never been any good at what it was designed to do, either The BRI is a financial vehicle used by Beijing to buy influence in other countries and in globalist organizations. Billed as an infrastructure investment initiative, what it really does is allow Beijing to exert undue influence over governments who often go into Beijings debt by accepting money for internal projects those countries really cant afford to build. In exchange, China gets an IOU and access. Also, most of the time the projects are built with imported Chinese labor. But the United States also invests in countries, and we do so, generally speaking, with few strings attached. And even so, if there were requirements for our investment, we arent an authoritarian regime; our government stands for and promotes freedom and democracy, while Chinas does just the opposite. As for WHO and Tedros, Hayward argues correctly that he did more to spread the virus than contain it. Even into January, Tedros was shilling for the Chinese. He lavished praise on the ChiComs, and later, when governments like ours began slapping travel bans on China, Tedros criticized them as unnecessarily unfair and harmful to Beijings economy. In mid-January, WHO tweeted: Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China. https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1217043229427761152 What a load of you-know-what. For the record, as The Daily Caller adds, lying about the means of transmission wasnt the only one told by the Communist regime in Beijing. The government reported that the first cases of the virus were recorded in mid-December, but later, outside sources reported that Chinese health officials were documenting and tracking cases a month earlier, but failed to report it. The UN has never been any good at what it was designed to do serve as a world forum to prevent conflicts. And obviously, the WHO is being led by people who have more in common with tyrants than republics. Its time to abandon them both. Sources include: NaturalNews.com Breitbart.com DailyCaller.com Hungary does what all do in Europe, Judit Varga, Hungary's minister of justice, said in an interview published in the online edition of Die Welt on Sunday. The minister qualified the accusation levelled by the European Union and the European Peoples Party, namely that Hungarys new law on defence against the novel coronavirus epidemic has emptied democracy as fake news, a manifestation of the uncontrolled dominance of liberal views. Once the pandemic is over, Hungary as all countries will lift the state of emergency, she said. The timing of this decision, however, will not be coordinated by others, it will be a matter of national competence, she said. Varga rejected European Commissioner Vera Jourovas demand that the Hungarian government should relinquish its special powers as soon as possible. The state of emergency will be lifted on the appropriate date; neither a day before, nor a day after, she said. Concerning Jourovas view that the emergency laws passed in several countries pose a potential danger to democracy, Varga said that as long as these laws are in line with the constitution and the Constitutional Court is in place, democracy is not in danger in either Hungary or in any other European state. MTI Photo of Judit Varga WATERLOO The Waterloo Regional Airport has been thrown a lifeline from the federal government. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced Tuesday that Waterloos airport will receive nearly $1.1 million in aid as part of the nations response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding is part of $10 billion in aid nationally, including $70.5 million to 79 Iowa airports, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act approved by Congress and President Donald Trump. This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nations airports during this crisis and save workers jobs, Chao said in a news release. The funding is designed to support continued operations and replace lost revenue due to the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the coronavirus pandemic. The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments. The CARES Act also provides funds to increase the federal share to 100 percent for airport improvement grants awarded under fiscal year 2020 appropriations. Typically, airports would rely on passenger facility charges to match the grants, but those revenues plummeted as enplanements dropped. Other Northeast Iowa airports will also receive CARES Act funding. Municipal airports in Independence, Waverly, Oelwein, Charles City and Decorah are slated to received $30,000 each. The George L. Scott Municipal Airport in West Union was awarded $20,000. Dianosic, a Strasbourg, France-based startup specializing in innovative solutions for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) conditions, raised a first round of more than 1.5m ($1.63M) in capital and non-dilutive funding. Backers included PAF Kapital, a group of business angels, Bpifrance Alsace, the Grand Est Region and two banks, Caisse dEpargne Grand-Est Europe and Banque Populaire Rives de Paris. The company intends to use the funds for the European launch of CAVI-T, its intranasal bleeding treatment device, and pursue development of solutions in treatment of chronic sinusitis. Created in July 2017 by Marc Augustin, Philippe Bastide and Pr Christian Debry, head of the ENT & Head and Neck Surgery Department of the Strasbourg University Hospital, Dianosic develops innovative solutions for the management of ENT conditions. Its first innovative device is the asymmetrical intranasal balloon, CAVI-T, which stops spontaneous or postoperative bleeding hemostasis with low pressure compression, adapting to the unique anatomy of the nasal cavity. The device was CE marked in February 2020. It is covered by a patent valid for France and it will soon be covered in Europe, the US, Japan and China. With its second medical device, the Active Resorbable Intranasal Scaffold (ARIS), currently under development, Dianosic aims to enable the management of chronic sinusitis, by delivering a steroid in a targeted manner to patients over a long-term period (12 months) without needing prior surgery, unlike current solutions. Incubated by SEMIA, the company is supported by the ecosystem of the Grand Est region, the SATT Connectus, Bpifrance Alsace, Biovalley France, the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg and Innouvo/Cajuba Finance. FinSMEs 14/04/2020 New York governor Andrew Cuomo warned Donald Trump that the US did not have a king but a constitution after the president claimed his authority is total. The president said on Monday that he had absolute power over states when it comes to ending the coronavirus shutdown. Governors and legal experts dismissed the presidents claim overnight as a misreading of the US constitution at best. The constitution says we dont have a king, said New York governor Cuomo. To say I have total authority over the country because Im the president, its absolute, that is a king. We didnt have a king. We didnt have King George Washington we had President George Washington. During an interview on MSNBC, Gov. Cuomo described President Trumps claims as illegal and in total abrogation of the Constitution. The governor continued: I dont know why the president said it. I dont know why he would take us down this path. 'When somebody is president of the US the authority is total': Trump makes dubious claim at wild briefing As confirmed US cases of the coronavirus neared 590,000 on Monday, the New York Democrat added that state governors had ordered lockdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus not the White House. The close-down was left to the governors to do individually state-by-state, said Gov. Cuomo. We have a whole quilt of different close-down strategies because he left it to the governors. On Twitter, the president scolded media outlets that suggested states would also decide when current coronavirus measures ended. For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect... wrote Mr Trump. ...It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. That comes as states on the east and west coasts of the country grouped together to plan when they will reopen as conditions permit. When CNN White House correspondent Kaitlin Collins asked the president about his claim to total authority as president, Mr Trump responded: Were going to write up papers on this ... the governors need us one way or the other... William Galston, an official in the Clinton White House, commented that the president could not override state-level decisions because No federal statute gives the president the authority to override state decisions. Nor does he possess this inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution. Nor do any other provisions of the Constitution. Gov. Cuomo added on Monday that he would file a lawsuit against Mr Trump in the event that White House actions violated the public health interests of New Yorkers. PARADISE, Calif. The Vice Mayor of Paradise, turned himself in at the Butte County Jail Tuesday after an investigation revealed he had been sending sexually explicit text messages and photos to an undercover sheriff's deputy, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Butte County District Attorney, Mike Ramsey says the charges came about after a person who had a bad business deal with 41-year-old Michael Zuccolillo set him up. Ramsey says Zuccolillo sent sexually explicit photos to a person he thought was a 16-year-old girl, visiting the Sacramento area from China. Deputies said the investigation began on February 24, 2020, after they were contacted by the subject alleging he had evidence to prove that Zuccolillo had been sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs of his genitals. The subject told deputies the texts and photos were sent during an ongoing conversation that included discussion of Zuccolillo traveling to Sacramento to have sex with the purported 16-year-old and her adult sister, according to the Butte County Sheriffs Office. Detectives said the subject told them he obtained the evidence by targeting Zuccolillo in what is best described as a self-initiated to catch a predator, operation. The subject said he took on the persona of a 16-year-old female and targeted Zuccolillo due to animosity he had for Zuccolillo resulting from a bad business deal, according to the sheriffs office. Detectives said they took the information from the subject and told him to cut all contact with Zuccolillo. Detectives said they then began an independent investigation. The Butte County District Attorneys Office and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) were consulted. Cell phone records for both Zuccolillo and the subject making the allegations were obtained through search warrants. According to the Butte County Sheriffs Office, an undercover law enforcement officer, using the previously established persona of the 16-year-old female from China began exchanging text messages with Zuccolillo. During those exchanges, detectives said that Zuccolillo sent sexually explicit text messages and additional photos of his genitals to the undercover officer. Additional search warrants were obtained by detectives for Zuccolillos home, vehicles, and electronic devices. The Butte County District Attorney's Office then began reviewing the evidence obtained during the independent investigation. The District Attorneys Office filed a criminal complaint against Zuccolillo charging Zuccolillo with "Arranging a Meeting with a Minor for the Purpose of Engaging in Lewd or Lascivious Behavior; Sending Harmful Material to a Minor; and for Communicating with a Minor for the Purpose of Engaging in Sexual Conduct." The district attorney tells Action News Now that Zuccolillo has no history of this type of behavior. Zuccolillo turned himself in at the Butte County Jail on April 14, 2020. His bail was set at $135,000, which he posted. His arraignment in Butte County Superior Court was set for July 10, 2020. Rita Wilson, the actress married to Tom Hanks who was diagnosed with Covid-19 along with her husband in March, has described extreme side effects she suffered due to a controversial drug in a new interview. The drug, touted by some including Donald Trump in multiple White House press briefings as a potential coronavirus treatment, is called hydrochloroquine, and is typically used in malaria cases. It has not yet been proven to treat Covid-19, though several anecdotal reports claim patients have recovered from the novel virus after using the antimalarial treatment. The actress said she could not be sure whether the drug helped her or not though it caused extreme side effects that continued even as her body temperature was declining. I know people have been talking about this drug but I can only tell you that I dont know if the drug worked or if it was just time for the fever to break, Ms Wilson told CBS Gayle King in an interview that aired on Tuesday morning. My fever did break, but the chloroquine had such extreme side effects, She said. I was completely nauseous, and I had vertigo. I could not walk, and my muscles felt very weak. I think people have to be very considerate about that drug, she added. We dont really know if its helpful in this case. Mr Hanks did not experience as severe of symptoms, according to Ms Wilson. He was the guest of NBCs Saturday Night Live, and filmed the shows opening monologue from the couples home in California. They returned to Los Angeles after recovering from the coronavirus at a hospital in Australia, where they were visiting for work. Ms Wilson told CBS she felt very tired, extremely achy, uncomfortable, didnt want to be touched after contracting the disease in March. Now that the couple has recovered from the virus, they have remained in self-isolation and donated their blood for an antibodies study as health officials race to develop a vaccine. Ms Wilson added that she and Mr Hanks feel completely normal and no longer have any remaining symptoms, according to Ms King. There are nearly 550,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US, and at least 21,662 people have died nationwide due to the novel virus. Health officials have warned those figures are likely higher due to significant issues the country faced in distributing testing kits. Ms Wilson and Mr Hanks were believed to have contracted the virus in the US or while travelling to Australia, where they were quarantined for two weeks at the hospital before recovering and returning home. The decisive action taken by the Indian leadership in flattening the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) curve is laudable. In choosing between the proverbial kuan (well) and khai (chasm), one takes steps to avoid the most catastrophic scenario. With the Prime Minister announcing the extension of the lockdown, the valuable time that has been bought must now be used to prepare. But for what? A defensive war or an offensive one? The first will be fought by socio-political measures such as lockdowns and care of the vulnerable; the latter will be fought by science and technology. When physician Harvey Fineberg recently talked about 10 weeks to crush the curve in America, he outlined six key steps. With slight modifications, these are the following: One, establish a clear command system. Two, test widely. Three, protect health workers with proper gear and equip hospitals for a surge in demand. Four, determine and track who is infected, likely to be infected, exposed, unexposed, or recovered. Five, inspire and mobilise the public. And last, but not the least, learn from research to continually improve. These principles apply equally to India, but the relative difficulties of each step are very different. For India, the command system is clear and active, the public is engaged, but testing is low, the determination of the five classes (of step four) is not yet clear, and supply chains of protective gear and hospital equipment are thin and fraying. The sixth step, research, has to not only meet these defensive challenges, but also launch an all-out offensive against the enemy. We must innovate at every step, use our fabled jugaad as a stop-gap defensive measure, while our premier research institutions work to provide new weapons in this fight. While the challenges are severe, the unified response of the government, industry and academia in this time of crisis has been heartening. For example, to test widely, we need diagnostic kits. As global supplies of kits and their components start becoming scarce, Indian industry and start-ups, supported by academia, are developing indigenous alternatives. Medical researchers, epidemiologists, molecular biologists, and technocrats are jointly formulating strategies for minimum testing for maximum insight. Apps like Aarogya Setu leverage Indias digital and telecom infrastructure and tech talent to supplement community testing and provide virtual intelligence. Previous investment in high-quality basic research is also paying off. The recent development of futuristic alternatives such as a Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-based paper strip test, which may eliminate the need for expensive and scarce real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines, came from years of background work. While issues remain in expeditiously bringing new tech to market for example, sufficient quantities of the input materials for the CRISPR test are difficult to find a strong academia-industry combine is working hard to overcome the obstacles. Meanwhile, numerous research labs across the nation are using their infrastructure to enhance the national Reverse Transcription (RT)-PCR testing capacity. Young companies funded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Biotechnology industry programmes are coming out with affordable and simple indigenous diagnostic systems that can be used by local centres without advanced infrastructure. Together, these form a viable plan to widen the testing net and effectively determine local and personal risks. Similarly, procurement challenges in personal protective equipment (PPE), hospital beds, oxygen, ventilators, and newer anti-viral drugs, must be met by focused science. Towards this, Indian research organisations are using cross-sectoral strengths to create the necessary pipeline of products. When biohazard suit production was constrained by the unavailability of seam sealing tape, a sealant glue from submarine applications was substituted by Defence Research and Development Organisation, ensuring that these suits can be produced in large numbers, forming a robust line of defence for frontline health workers. An indigenous oxygen concentrator from the CSIR Venture Centre may make the difference between life and death for hypoxic patients, if central oxygen supply runs short. Lifesaving drugs, with promise in Covid-19 treatment, are being synthesised by CSIR labs in collaboration with pharma majors. Inspiration from traditional medical systems is guiding the ministry of Ayushs efforts. The idea is to not blindly copy anyone, but to take the best of what is available and by using universally-recognised scientific principles, modify it to local contexts and needs. We have bought ourselves time to prepare and have the scientific capacity to deliver. This war will be won by smart data-driven defence, coupled with strategic offence. While the medical side defends with what they have, the research side must support them with what they need. Importantly, we must not take our eyes off the real solution effective treatment and vaccines; developed in India for the world. We have the leadership to inspire and mobilise the public. Can science guide decisions to shape the public health response and to restart the economy? If we do this well, not only will we save grief to hundreds of thousands of Indians, but also contribute to global good and emerge a stronger nation. Anurag Agrawal is a physician-scientist and director, CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology The views expressed are personal Like most things, dating has become more difficult since the coronavirus pandemic began. Dating apps recognize this, and to make life a little easier for users, Bumble is introducing a few new virtual dating features. Users can now match with anyone in the US, regardless of their location, and every time a user adds a new Virtual Date badge to their profile, Bumble will donate one dollar to the World Health Organizations COVID-19 Solidarity Fund, up to $10,000. Previously, users could only match with people in a 100-mile radius. Now, you can set your distance filter to whole country. Obviously, youll have the potential for more matches, but this could be especially useful for, say, college students who might be quarantining in one part of the country but hope to date near their campus when the COVID-19 pandemic ends -- or anyone whos willing to begin a long-distance relationship. Bumble's whole-country distance filter If youre up for dating via video chat, you can now add a Virtual Date badge to your profile. After you add the badge, youll be able to filter potential matches to find other people willing to date via video chat -- youll also be supporting the WHOs COVID-19 fund. Bumble has also made it possible to send audio messages and respond to specific messages. Update 4/14/2020 1:50PM ET: The story was updated to clarify that Bumble will donate one dollar for every Virtual Date badge, up to $10,000. Thats in addition to the $100,000 Bumble has already donated to the WHO fund. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! MUMBAI, India, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adroit, an India-based digital marketing agency has launched an Online Art Gallery Adroit Art (www.adroitart.in) with 29,000+ pieces of Arts & Handicrafts. Artists can exhibit their Original Paintings & Drawings, Digital Arts, Handicraft to attract the attention of art curators and buyers worldwide. The platform was founded in early 2019 & now has more than 29,000 Artworks & Handicrafts exhibited by 5,300+ Artists worldwide in 50+ categories like Radha Krishna Paintings, Ganesha Arts, Lord Buddha Paintings, Abstract, Modern, Cityscape & Landscape, Figurative made on canvas, paper, & another type of materials. They encourage & exhibiting Indian art forms such as Madhubani, Warli, Tanjore, Kerala Murals, Gond etc. An artist can start selling Paintings, Drawings, Digital Art & Handicraft by following the url www.adroitart.in/sell-art-online Unlike other online art galleries, they follow a procedure of quality check by a panel of the artist before the artwork gets delivered to the buyer. Adroit Art charges the lowest commission in the industry which makes artworks accessible to a wider audience. They also provide a certificate signed by the artist to ensure the authenticity of the artwork. The packaging of artwork is also done with special care to avoid any damage and their 7 days return policy gives more comfort to the buyer while buying process. There are no Shipping charges in India if the order is above 2,000 rupees. "Adroit Art was formed with an objective of connecting Artists to the Art Admirers, through an easy process of buying, selling of Art & Craft, on a secured Online Marketplace or Online Art Gallery. We always wanted to provide an online platform for renounced artists & emerging entrants who aspire to make a mark in the art industry," added Jeevan Tipke CEO. Like Instagram & Facebook provide a reflection of our lives, Adroit Art provides a dedicated space for artists to display their artworks to the world. Artists also get an online art gallery for exhibiting their lifetime works, even if it's been sold. Adroit Art sells original & handmade paintings with the proper certification of the artwork. Unlike other platforms, Adroit Art doesn't sell prints of paintings to ensure the authenticity of artworks. The quality of the artworks listed on Adroit Art can be comparable to Museum quality works. By following 2 simple steps, Artists can start Artworks online and also create their very own online Gallery. For more details, you can visit https://www.adroitart.in Media Contact: [email protected] Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12818322 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE The Adroit Related Links https://www.theadroit.in Father Mark White said he is staying in the pulpits in Martinsville and Rocky Mount. On Monday night, after Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond Barry Knestout had notified him and his parishioners in an emailed letter that White had been removed as pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Martinsville and St. Francis of Assisi in Rocky Mount, White said he would remain as priest and is seeking legal counsel to defend his right to do so. White and Knestout have had a monthslong dispute about a popular blog White writes that sometimes includes strong criticism of how the Catholic church has handled cases about sex abuse by priests. Knestout said in the letter that White would be reassigned as chaplain to various prisons, state and federal, within the diocesan bounds effective immediately and would be leaving the area within the week. I dont intend to go anywhere until the canonical process has run its full course, White said Monday evening. As a sitting pastor, I have the right to recourse before being removed. J.D. Flynn is the editor in chief for the Catholic News Agency, and Ed Condon is its Washington editor. Both are canon lawyers and wrote a joint article that relates to Whites case. A bishop cannot remove or transfer a pastor without following a detailed and nonnegotiable process defined by cannon law, they wrote. This procedure can only be initiated if a priest has met one or more conditions for removal outlined in that law. Those conditions include actions deemed gravely detrimental or disturbing and if met, the bishop must consult with a priests council where the pastor is allowed to see the evidence against him and make a defense. During this whole process, the bishop can neither remove the pastor nor appoint a replacement, the article said. Bishop Knestout said in his letter on Monday that Father Kevin Segerblom, pastor of St. Andrews Catholic Church in Roanoke Episcopal Vicar for the Western Vicariate, would be Whites immediate replacement until such time as a new pastor can be named. Whites blog has been seen by more than 1 million. Late last year, Knestout threatened to remove White unless he took down the blog and refrained from communicating publicly online. White complied, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he asked for Knestouts permission to resume his blog. Knestout ignored the request, so White decided to go against the order and resume publishing his posts online. Within hours of receiving the emailed letter from Knestout, White was on his blog with a video of himself reading a letter he had penned in response. I regret the wording that the bishop used in his letter to you of earlier today, White said. In the church, we have the norm of law. According to the legal norms, I enjoy the right to take recourse against the bishops decision. I have a canon lawyer, and he is helping me deal with this situation in the proper legal way. In the meantime I remain your pastor until the full legal procedure has run its course. White said the process could take months. Flynn and Condon wrote that if a bishop removed a priest in violation of canon law procedure and the priest appealed to Rome, it is likely the Vatican would order the pastor to be reinstated. Regina Piazza criticized White in the comment area below Whites video post. You are handling this situation very poorly, Piazza wrote. The souls of your parishioners are under your care and I fear your current actions will cause many to turn away from God and His church, and that is a grave sin for you to bear. Judy Rogers disagreed. The only actions that may cause people to turn away from God and His church are those of this bishop, Rogers wrote. I will not pretend for the sake of peace that I think what the bishop is doing is morally right. White said in his video post on Monday that he had planned some time ago to be away the next few days, and his schedule would not change. I will spend the next few days in quiet reflection, White said. Then I intend to celebrate the upcoming Easter-season Masses with you, as planned. Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. FILE PHOTO: A pump jack on a lease owned by Parsley Energy operates in the Permian Basin near Midland By Jennifer Hiller HOUSTON (Reuters) - Texas energy regulators listened as top executives on Tuesday debated whether the state should cut oil output by 1 million barrels per day, but did not indicate how they might vote after more than 10 hours of sometimes dire testimony. Oil and gas companies are gushing red ink and cutting tens of thousands of workers as oil prices tumble, prompting regulators in the largest U.S. oil-producing state to wade into global oil politics and consider the calls for cuts. U.S. crude oil prices fell during the hearing to under $20 a barrel at one point, a nearly 18-year low. While the federal government has little power to influence oil production, many state regulators like the Texas Railroad Commission have powers that can include limiting production across the state. The hearing, based on a request by executives from shale producers Pioneer Natural Resources Co and Parsley Energy Inc , ignited a debate between those who favor free markets and those who worry that without intervention, small producers could get shut out of oil sales as storage fills next month. Some firms have already started closing wells, several executives said. The industry is facing a historic economic collapse with $3 per barrel to $10 per barrel oil in coming weeks, Pioneer Chief Executive Scott Sheffield warned commissioners on Tuesday. "Demand is not going to come roaring back," he said. Kirk Edwards, president of small producer Latigo Petroleum, argued uniform cuts could help thousands of firms like his continue to sell some of their oil production. But producers have reduced spending as much as 50% and output has started falling already, said Lee Tillman, CEO of Marathon Oil Corp , who opposed state-mandated cuts, arguing the market is taking care of the glut. The commissioners are expected to vote on the oil companies' motion on April 21. The hearing was held days after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies agreed to reduce their output by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in May and June. Story continues However, U.S. crude futures continued to fall this week as traders bet the historic OPEC deal was not large enough to counter oil demand destruction caused by coronavirus-related travel restrictions and business halts. At least two votes on the three-member Texas Railroad Commission are needed to pass the proposal. Commissioner Ryan Sitton has pushed for evaluating statewide cuts. Wayne Christian and Christi Craddick, have been careful not to reveal how they might vote, though Christian said Tuesday, "the hardest thing I think in my life is to sit back and do nothing, and yet that is sometimes" what is needed. "What if other states don't do this?" Craddick asked at one point during the hearing, suggesting Texas could send oil revenue to nearby states. Some of the state's largest and most influential oil companies, Exxon Mobil Corp , Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp , have opposed imposing limits, along with some of the largest trade organizations. The idea, however, has gained proponents elsewhere. A group of Oklahoma oil producers filed a request with that state for a hearing to consider production curbs. It is set to take place May 11. The executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources Inc , Harold Hamm, said at the Texas hearing that he would "not oppose" Oklahoma cuts and urged Texas regulators to consider cutting output 25%. (Reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston; Editing by Paul Simao, Jonathan Oatis and Richard Pullin) The market is likely to remain overwhelmed for months to come by the catastrophic collapse in demand caused by the lockdowns designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus through some of the world's biggest economies. "The OPEC+ agreement will not prevent sharp inventory builds in coming months, and near-term oil prices in the physical market will likely remain under pressure," said Martijn Rats, oil analyst at Morgan Stanley. The deal between the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies will remove nearly 10 million barrels a day from the market through deliberate cuts. In addition, the group is counting involuntary declines in the production of the US, Canada, Brazil and several other countries, as companies reduce drilling activity due to low prices and weak demand. OPEC+ officials, using some creative accounting that also includes output drops in Venezuela, Iran and Libya, which are exempt from making cuts, said that as much as 20 million barrels a day will over time leave the market - 20 per cent of global production. For the time being, the world will need to be content with the 10 million barrels a day from OPEC+. Yet demand is down by about twice that amount, meaning the world's oil tanks will keep filling day after day as long as planes stay grounded, businesses shuttered and billions of people remain at home. The biggest winner appears to be Trump, who refused to deliberately cut American oil production but was still able to broker the final deal. His phone call with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, followed by a three-way conference call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Salman of Saudi Arabia, came up with the proposal that resolved the Latin American nation's objections to the agreement. Trump, who has been a critic of OPEC for years, is the one who put it together. Of all the deals he's done in his life, this has to be the biggest. Oil historian Daniel Yergin Trump has taken time away from grappling with the world's largest coronavirus outbreak and waded into oil politics with a surprising goal. He's gone from welcoming the crude price collapse to worrying about losing the American energy industry. Fearing that job losses in Texas and other oil-rich states could hurt his reelection prospects, he convinced Putin and the Saudi monarch to end hostilities and make a compromise. "Trump views himself as a dealmaker," said Joe McMonigle, an energy consultant and former US government oil official. So "Trump went to the oil market's red phone." The president sealed the historic deal by offering the Saudis something that exists only on paper. When Mexico refused a big output reduction, putting the whole agreement in danger, Trump assured OPEC+ that the US would cut its own production on its neighbour's behalf. Mexico would remove 100,000 barrels a day, and the US would contribute an additional 300,000 barrels a day, Trump said at the White House. OPEC+ officials and others involved in the talks said those extra barrels simply didn't exist. The decline in American production would be driven by prices, demand, and capacity in pipelines or tanks, not presidential news conferences. But ultimately his offer was enough. Sunday's agreement ended a period in which the OPEC+ alliance appeared to be dead, with former partners engaged in oil-trade warfare. The deal, for the time being, brings to an end the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia Credit:AP It all started on March 6, when Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak walked out of OPEC's headquarters in Vienna and told reporters that his country was ready to increase oil production in April. He had just rebuffed Saudi Arabia's push for his country to cut output by a few hundred thousand barrels a day, to help counter what most saw as a modest demand slowdown due to the coronavirus. In return, the kingdom had rejected his proposal to continue the group's existing curbs at their current level. Angered by Russia's refusal to cut and Novak's talk of higher production, Saudi Arabia embarked on a shock-and-awe price war. Riyadh offered oil refiners unprecedented discounts for its crude, cutting its official selling prices by the most in more than 30 years. The kingdom also announced it was boosting production to an all-time high above 12 million barrels a day for April, up 25 per cent from February. When the market opened a few hours later, even the most bearish traders were shocked. The Sunday evening session is typically a sedate affair, mostly covered by traders in Asia, where it's already Monday morning. But that night, every trader from Geneva to London and Houston was glued to their screens. When the selling started, benchmark Brent crude plunged more than 30 per cent in seconds - the biggest one-day drop since the 1990 to 1991 Gulf War. What followed was the most chaotic month in the oil market's history, threatening the stability of the petroleum-dependent nations from Nigeria to Iraq and upending the business plans of industry giants like Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Without fully realising it, the Saudis had started a price war at the worst possible time. By early March, the coronavirus outbreak had spread well beyond Wuhan, infecting thousands of people from Iran to the US Around the world, governments copied the lockdowns that China had already tried and tested. Country after country put their economies into deep freeze. With demand for jet fuel, gasoline and diesel sharply down, refineries cut production and reduced their crude purchases. The physical oil market started to resemble a closing-down sale. In one obscure corner of the US, oil even traded at negative prices, with producers paying consumers to take away their barrels. "I never thought I'd be saying that maybe we have to have an oil increase, because we do. The price is so low," Trump said in a Fox News interview. The president, who had made a political career bashing OPEC and advocating for low gasoline prices, was worried the US industry would be "wiped out." Saudi Arabia and Russian blamed each other for the crash. Putin accused Saudi Arabia of trying to destroy shale; the Saudis said Moscow had kicked the whole thing off. None of it cut any ice in Washington. "We see a huge oversupply in the oil market," said Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency. Trump spoke to both Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly known as MBS, proposing a global deal to cut production. He couldn't help boasting about the talks before the deal was in place, announcing in a tweet on April 2 that he hoped Riyadh and Moscow would cut output by 10 million barrels a day, if not more. Brent crude jumped more than 45 per cent in just a few seconds, crushing many bearish investors. Even when the market closed hours later, the benchmark was still up 21 per cent - the largest one-day increase ever. Unsurprisingly for a deal that includes dozens of countries in the OPEC+ coalition and the G-20, the final deal is a fudge. Saudi Arabia's production will only be 1.2 million barrels a day lower than its average level before the price war. Mexico won special treatment and America's cuts are just an estimate based on forecasts for drilling. Loading The trajectory of oil prices will be more dependent on how fast the world leaves lockdown and the pace of the economic rebound. Yet the deal's significance goes beyond numbers. There has been a tectonic shift in global oil politics. Putin, MBS and Trump, the leaders of the world's three largest producers, are dictating global petroleum supply. And America now accepts that low prices aren't in its interest. Mumbai, April 14 : With shooting stopped and everybody confined to their homes amid the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown, South actors and actresses can be seen utilising the time doing household chores. While some can be seen trying their hands at cooking, some are busy cleaning the house. However, those who have pets, are utilising their quarantine days to try and spend maximum time with their furry friends who have now become a favourite on social media. One such social media favourite is Pranitha Subhash's husky Blu. The dog's photos and videos where he can be seen sitting in front of a laptop wearing a pair of spects as he "works from home", trying to catch food from the actress' hands, barking from outside a glass window or playing with his favourite "corona squeeze toy" are absolutely adorable. In a recent post, Pranitha shared: "It was love at first sight" for her after meeting Blu! Another pet winning hearts on social media is actress Keerthy Suresh's dog Nyke. A picture of the dog sitting alone on the terrace and watching sunset has captured hearts of netizens who are showering it with love! One more social media star is actress Nidhhi Agerwal's labrador Boozo, who loves to eat idli and toast and hates it when he is not given a share while the family dines together! Actress Payal Rajput's pet dogs Bunny and Candy define the word "cute" and we bet you cannot stop staring at them! In a recently shared video, the actress can be seen trying to put Candy to sleep while the lullaby "Rock-a-bye baby" plays in the background. Payal captioned: "Finding my inner peace. The steadiness of her breath brings peacefulness and a feeling of warmth. Watching them play with each other, relax with a chew toy, sleep soundly, or explore their surroundings on our walks provide me "ah ha" moments." Actor Sushanth's golden retrievers Thor and Leia are a visual delight! The actor recently took to Instagram to share a photo of the two sleeping together on the floor and captioned: "Twinning during quarantine times! #Thor #Leia #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #retrieversofinstagram #StayHomeStaySafe". The actor also urged citizens not to abandon their pets reminding everyone that the virus doesn't spread from animals. However, not just south stars, Bollywood celebs are also spending time with their furry friends and keep sharing their photos and videos on social media. The pets who are enjoying immense social media attention of late include Preity Zinta's pet dog Bruno, Raveena Tandon's pet cat Puma and Kriti Sanon's pet dogs Disco and Phoebe among others. While actors are spending quality time with their furry friends, they have also taken up the responsibility to remind people time and again not to abandon their pets as the virus doesn't spread from animals. Latest updates on Lockdown diaries Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, one of the nodal facilities to combat the coronavirus, has reported the most number of COVID-19 fatalities in Delhi, official data showed Tuesday. Till Sunday, 12 of the 24 deaths reported had taken place at RML Hospital, the data showed. Three deaths took place at LNJP Hospital, five at private hospitals, and one each at Safdarjung Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and AIIMS-Jhajjhar. One COVID-19-affected person died at home. "Most of the COVID deaths that have occurred in our hospital are of the patients who were referred from other hospitals at an advanced stage and had significant comorbidities," RML Hospital in a statement, referring to existing medical conditions in the patients. The patients admitted to the hospital early in their course of their diseases or do not havesignificant comorbidities are faring very well, it added. On Monday, the number of coronavirus cases in the national capital spiralled to 1,510, with356 fresh cases and four deaths reported in a day, pushing the death toll to 28. Of the 1,510 cases, 35 belong to RML Hospital, out of which 23 are active and the rest 12 died, putting the COVID-19 fatality rate at the hospital at nearly 35 per cent. Of the 23 active cases, eight are in ICU, according to the Delhi government. Of the total cases, 1,071 are those who were detected in special operations, the data showed. Officials said 30 people have been discharged and one has migrated out of the country. Meanwhile, Delhi government authorities have identified four more zones as hotspots. The total number of hotspots in Delhi now stands at 47. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 14 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 79,485 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,546 pence 19.47 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,516 pence 19.09 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,536 pence 19.34 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 14 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 20,000 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 19.16 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 19.06 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 19.13 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 14 April 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 22,656 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 19.14 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 18.96 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 19.09 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 28.35 USD 22.97 GBP which was calculated as of 7 April 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 199,967,742 Public Shares outstanding, or 205,702,000 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 10,989,008 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005916/en/ Contacts: Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 21:05:38|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier was cautious to provide a schedule for the easing of restrictions in the country, saying "no one can give a date today." Altmaier told the German broadcaster ARD on Tuesday that the coronavirus crisis had affected Germany less than some of its neighboring countries thanks to the "discipline" of German citizens. The number of new COVID-19 infections would be continuously observed, in particular after the Easter holidays in Germany. "The next few days will gradually bring clarity, and then a decision must be made," said Altmaier. On Wednesday, Merkel and the minister presidents of Germany's federal states will hold a telephone conference to discuss a possible reduction or extension of anti-coronavirus measures in Germany after April 19. At the moment, anti-coronavirus measures differ across Germany's federal states. Do-it-yourself stores, for example, are required to close in some states like Bavaria but are still allowed to remain open in others. Altmaier noted that "a lot of discipline" would be required to prevent a return of COVID-19 in the future. It was important that the German health care system continued to cope with this challenge, he added. The World Health Organization on Monday urged the Cambodian government to prepare for a potential large-scale outbreak of the respiratory disease in the country, and to bolster stocks of personal protective equipment, face masks and ventilators. The Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders held a press conference on Monday, where the World Health Organization (WHO) country representative, Dr. Li Ailan, said the situation in Cambodia remains very, very serious, despite the low number of reported cases in Cambodia. As of Tuesday morning, Cambodia had reported 122 cases, with two consecutive days of no new cases. The country has reported 91 recoveries, meaning three-quarters of infected patients had recovered from the respiratory disease. No one in Cambodia has died of the virus, health officials say. The top priority is to prepare for the largest-scale outbreak because Cambodia may experience community transmission, said Dr. Ailan at the press conference. If not now, we have to prepare for the future. If there was a large-scale community transmission, she said, there would be a heavy burden placed on healthcare facilities and medical professionals. For example, do we have enough hospital beds where we can check severe patients? I am glad that weve also prepared for that, she said. Do we have enough ventilators? Do we have enough personal protective equipment [PPE]? Because many countries have experienced shortages of PPE. And also do we have enough hotels or other facilities we can use for mild cases? she added. There has been speculation over Cambodias response and preparedness to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with questions raised over its monitoring capabilities, healthcare standards, and if sufficient testing was being carried out to identify new cases. In early February, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the public health school of Harvard University, modeled the number of potential cases in ASEAN countries based on air travel volume and predicted Cambodia should have had more cases than the one reported case of the virus at the time. Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng admitted that Cambodia remained at high risk for a viral outbreak, hinting that recent cases in Phnom Penh suggested the possibility of small-scale community transmissions. The reported cases in Phnom Penh in recent days were possibly the result of small-scale community transmissions, he said. Another concern has been whether Cambodia has conducted a sufficient amount of testing to identify a representative number of positive cases, thereby providing an insight into whether community transmission was prevalent in the country. Assuming a population of 16 million, Mam Bunheng said Cambodia had conducted 556 tests per one million people, which he said was higher than other ASEAN member states, such as Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, excluding passengers aboard on two international cruise ships, Westerdam and Dream World, estimated at around 2,000, the number of tests per million drops close to 431. It was not immediately clear if the number of tests included the multiple tests conducted on a single person to identify if they had the disease, check if they had recovered and then performed follow-up tests. Last month, the Jack Ma and Alibaba foundations of China donated 20,000 test kits to Cambodia, as well as medical equipment. Laurence Baril, the director of Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, which is primarily in charge of all testing in Cambodia, said the institutes laboratories were able to do more tests if needed. We can increase [tests] if needed, she said. At the moment, you can see we are working under capacity. So, we are on the right track at Pasteur. Speaking to VOA News last month, Mark Simmerman, a former epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the low number of positive cases in the region were unrealistic. It's how hard are you looking, and how aggressively are you testing, and how thoroughly are you following up on every single case, all of their contacts," Simmerman said. Another concern globally has been the availability of personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals, face masks and medications used to battle the viral disease. Western nations, like the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, among others, have faced severe shortages in these supplies despite having a couple of months head start to prepare for the viral outbreak. In the region, Malaysia on Monday called on NGOs to help donate PPEs to frontline medical workers, saying stocks would last for no more than two weeks at the current rate of utilization, reported Malaysian publication The Star. The Jakarta Post earlier this month reported that Indonesias efforts to stem the spread of the virus were affected by a shortage in PPEs, which in turn affected testing capacity because medical professionals could not protect themselves safely. Mam Bunheng said Cambodia had some 200 ventilators and sufficient stock of PPEs in case the situation worsened, though not providing details of the latter. We hope that we can respond to the needs of people since [ventilators] are for serious patients,'' the minister said. ''There are only one to two percent of serious patients whose lungs are affected. Cambodia has around 670 medical doctors to help tackle the viral pandemic in the country, Mam Bunheng said. Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that Cambodia had prepared some 3,000 makeshift hospital beds across the country by using schools, and had purchased more than 5 million face masks for healthcare workers and people. During Tuesday's ASEAN virtual summit on COVID-19, Hun Sen urged ASEAN member states to provide support to each other including the sharing of resources, techniques, medical equipment, and supplies. The premier added that Cambodia also supports the establishment of a COVID-19 ASEAN Fund. On Richmond Crescent in Norfolk, Virginia, more than a dozen homes rise in varying heights, forming a streetscape bar graph tracing the past decade's increasing threat of flooding from an inlet of the Lafayette River. A green house with a prominent front porch is a modest four feet off the ground. Two doors down, a 70-year-old cottage has been newly raised 11 feet on blocks, at a cost of $154,000, nearly all of it federal and state money. On the corner, a one-story white-brick ranch looms about seven feet up, matching the height of the sage-colored brick house next door. A few homes still on ground level hunker among the high and dry houses looking down their proverbial noses at them. George Homewood, Norfolk's planning director, has chosen the city's affluent Larchmont neighborhood for our walking tour on this unseasonably warm December day. He pauses in the middle of Richmond Crescent, where repeated tidal flooding has cracked and buckled the asphalt, and wetlands grasses fringe the street. Nodding toward a new house that towers 12 feet above sea level, he poses the hard questions that cities and counties are only beginning to acknowledge as waters along the U.S. coasts continue their inevitable invasion. Will the city be better off if people live in that house for another 30 to 50 years but are unable to get in or out during high tides or lingering storms? How long, he asks, does the city maintain the street? Or keep the storm-water and sewer systems operating? What happens years from now, when emergency services can't get to these homes because the street has flooded? "At some point, the investment in infrastructure can't be sustained," he says. "That's the bottom line." Hurricanes get the headlines, but on this street, it will be the repeated jabs of flooding day after day from climate change, with its rising tides and increasingly stronger storms, that will force the city to make tough choices. By 2040, projections by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science show, the river will overflow its banks and flood this street twice daily during high tides. Norfolk plans to protect the city with $1.8 billion in storm-surge barriers and flood walls, but those projects - if built - won't stop the rising tides in Larchmont. The water will come. This is where Norfolk will eventually begin its retreat. The city doesn't use that politically explosive term, the Voldemort of climate adaptation. Planners here and elsewhere refer to it as the "r-word." They're happy to talk about the other r-word - resilience, which includes projects like sea walls, retention ponds, rebuilding wetlands and improved storm-water capacity. Retreat signals surrender, while resilience screams reassurance: Don't worry. Stay. We'll protect you. That medicine goes down easier. It has been embraced by dozens of cities and states that have added resilience officers. Norfolk's Vision 2100 plan, widely praised for envisioning a city withdrawing from some neighborhoods by making only "judicious" investments in protecting homes from rising waters, uses the word "retreat" only once, and then to say that the city will not retreat but will emphasize "living with the water." The idea - for now - is not to force residents to abandon neighborhoods like Larchmont, but to have them gradually decide to leave as the inconvenience of staying grows. "I would like to abdicate as much to the marketplace as possible so that we're not actually making the hard decisions that impact people, but we're finding ways to encourage people to make smart decisions for themselves," Homewood says. "We're not saying that happens on a dime, but over time as that happens with more and more property, then we begin to have that managed retreat." At its core, managed retreat is about getting people to leave a place called home. Though the coronavirus pandemic is the focus of our anxiety today, climate change is continuing unabated in the meantime. As it advances, bringing rising sea levels, increasingly devastating storms and more disastrous flooding, communities across the nation will be contending with the question confronting Norfolk: How do you unravel the allure of living on the waterfront? In recent decades, more and more Americans have moved to the coasts. Managing the inevitable retreat is studded with legal, financial and political sinkholes, a puzzle that will take decades to piece together. And the time to start doing that, experts say, is now. "Relocation is so difficult that you need to start planning for it long in advance," says A.R. Siders of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. "We need to start learning how to do this." - - - Norfolk's small steps prodding people to move out of harm's way are rare among local governments. Too rare, say researchers and climate crisis advocates. Rather than discussing retreat, most threatened communities are studying and, in some cases, building billion-dollar projects to protect against coming encroachments. The Center for Climate Integrity, an environmental advocacy group, last year issued a study concluding that by 2040, building sea walls for U.S. coastal cities with more than 25,000 residents will require at least $42 billion. Expand that to include communities of fewer than 25,000 and the cost skyrockets to $400 billion. That's nearly the price of building the 47,000 miles of the interstate highway system, which took four decades and cost more than $500 billion in today's dollars. Researchers say those numbers are conservative because they consider only sea walls, not other ways to mitigate flood risk, including buying out homeowners and improving storm-water systems. There won't be enough money to protect every endangered place. The Army Corps of Engineers, for instance, has a $98 billion backlog of authorized construction projects yet receives annual construction appropriations of only about $2 billion, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Andy Keeler, the head of public policy at the Coastal Studies Institute and an economics professor at East Carolina University, worries that resilience efforts create a negative spiral of people believing their risks are lower than they are and remaining in threatened areas they should be abandoning. This means that their property values continue to rise, which reinforces economic and political arguments for spending more money on resilience efforts. "How do we make the transition from protecting ourselves to leaving?" asks Keeler. "The big question is time. When is the time to stop investing in protection and start shifting the resources over to people leaving?" Ann Phillips, a retired rear admiral who is the special assistant for coastal adaptation and protection for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, says that cities and counties have legitimate concerns about discussing retreat. They fear losing some of their tax base. They don't want to scare away business development. She is concerned about the social justice aspects of managed retreat. Homeowners in a wealthy neighborhood like Larchmont have more resources and options than those in Ingleside, a mixed-income neighborhood that is also threatened but hasn't been the beneficiary of home-raising funds. As flooding becomes more frequent in such places, the population transitions from homeowners to renters and the neighborhood deteriorates. "The challenge is, how do you get these people options before you get to the collapse?" Phillips asks as we take a morning walk through Ingleside. She is working on a master plan for Virginia that defines the threat and deals with the various challenges. What happens, for instance, to struggling rural counties that won't have the means to either armor in place or leave? Finding a way to create incentives for the watermen and farmers and others who have lived on their land for centuries will be a challenge. "As a nation, we should be looking at this risk to our future and evaluating it from a national perspective, and I don't see that happening," Phillips says, echoing others I interviewed. Part of the reason that conversation hasn't happened is the magnitude and complexity of the potential retreat in the United States. More than 126 million people, about 40% of the U.S. population, live in coastal counties that produce more than $8.3 trillion in goods and services, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A 2019 study found that sea-level rise of six feet by 2100 could displace 13 million people, including more than 2.5 million refugees from Miami alone. Another study examining maps of flooding along rivers concluded that 41 million Americans live within the reach of a 100-year-flood with a potential for $1.2 trillion worth of damage. "There is no local, state or federal managed retreat plan or strategy," says Rob Moore, senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It's just a theoretical construct. The reality facing communities is that we need to move very rapidly from this being theory to being practice, and it's very difficult to make that happen." Beyond the financial, legal and logistical barriers to retreat are the psychological barriers of planning for the long term. "One of the challenges that these early conversations about retreat have run into is that we're so focused on loss rather than focusing on what can be gained," says Miyuki Hino, a researcher in the environment, ecology and energy program at the University of North Carolina, "whether it's the new park, a safer community, reduced spending by local governments and by the federal government." - - - The first step to managed retreat will be a radical rethinking of federal, state and local policies and subsidies that distort the true risk of living in floodplains. Federal disaster and mitigation funds, for instance, provide little incentive to restrict rebuilding in these areas. That's fine with cities and counties, because rebuilding in a risky area keeps their tax base intact in the short term. In the long term, though, it's bad policy, says William Stiles of Wetlands Watch, a Norfolk-based nonprofit organization that works with local governments and other nonprofits on solutions to sea-level rise. "As seas rise, it costs more in public funds to maintain the streets, flood walls, sewer systems and EMT services than the properties generate in taxes," he says. A study by Zillow and Climate Central last year found that after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the housing growth rate in New Jersey was nearly three times higher in areas likely to flood once a decade than in safer areas. "Think about that," Siders says. "More homes, more families at risk. And we're going to reward that by giving states more money the next time they have a disaster." In 21 states, buyers and builders aren't warned that they're moving into a flood zone. "I can go on Carfax and find out about the car I'm going to buy, but if I'm going to take out a 30-year mortgage and tie up myself financially, in some states I can't find out if the house has been damaged," says Siders. "Home buyers are being tricked into buying properties that they would not otherwise buy." On that stretch of Richmond Crescent in Norfolk, Joe Kennedy and his wife figured they got a bargain on waterfront property when they moved in to their $380,000 yellow house at No. 1240 in May 2017, reassured by the sellers that flooding would be a minor inconvenience for maybe 10 days a year. Kennedy, who works in commercial real estate, soon discovered otherwise. The sellers transferred their grandfathered federal flood insurance policy to him, and when he got the documents, he learned that the house had suffered flood damage in 2003, 2009 and 2011, totaling more than $32,000 in payouts. Why didn't he know that? Norfolk has more than 1,000 properties that suffered repeated damage underwritten by federal insurance, but a 1974 federal law forbids disclosing those addresses. Kennedy has two children younger than 2 and a third on the way. His wife works at a hospital. They need to get in and out regularly on a street that already floods. They're about to refinance to a 30-year mortgage. Does Kennedy think the house will be habitable in 30 years? "My wife and I ask this question to each other all the time, because we're planting our flag here in Norfolk," he says. The couple are considering their options. If they could sell and not lose money, they would. They may build an addition and raise the house. If they do that, it won't be with public help. Norfolk has spent $5 million of federal and state funds in the past decade to raise about 50 homes. In January the city received $3.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to raise 11 more, but after that, it will stop elevating houses in floodplains. If they sell, Kennedy says, he will inform buyers of the flood risk. That's not what many others do. A recent nationwide study found that 3.8 million properties in floodplains may be overvalued by $34 billion because buyers would pay less if they knew about the houses' vulnerability. Failing to properly price the risk also means there is continued development in floodplains, making future retreat harder. "The decisions we make today are going to be very influential in 30, 40, 50 years - the way we design cities and communities and where we put infrastructure," says Hino, a co-author of the study. "Once we've put it there, it is really, really hard to remove it." Lack of information isn't the only barrier to promoting retreat. The National Flood Insurance Program, a political punching bag $20 billion in debt that Congress repeatedly promises to reform and then doesn't, sets risk based on flood projections that are decades out of date. For example, some areas that flooded during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 had maps that had not been updated since 1983. The program subsidizes rebuilding in increasingly risky areas. Critics - and there are many - say taxpayers in West Virginia are helping to pay for people to live on the waterfront in Virginia. Between 1978 and May 2018, more than 36,000 properties insured by the NFIP filed repeated claims for damage, according to updated statistics from an earlier NRDC study. On average, the properties flooded five times; some flooded more than 30 times. The damage claims for single-family homes worth less than $250,000 exceeded their value. Owners received average payments of $149,980 for homes with an average value of $114,764. Since 2000, according to the study, the NFIP has spent $46.6 billion to repair and rebuild properties, but just $804 million to buy out homeowners willing to relocate. "Many of those homeowners would like nothing more than to never file another flood insurance damage claim. They would like to get out of this cycle of flood, rebuild, repeat," says Moore of the NRDC. "But the flood insurance program isn't in that business. The flood insurance program is in the rebuild-your-home business. What it won't do is help you actually move somewhere safer." Moving out of harm's way saves lives and money. The Great Flood of 1993, when the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries overflowed their banks, killed 50 people and caused $15 billion in damages across nine Midwestern states. An Army Corps of Engineers study later found that to reduce the damage would have required more than $6 billion in levee improvements, but voluntary buyouts to remove structures from harm's way would have cost only $209 million. Joshua Behr and Carol Considine, researchers at Old Dominion University, modeled the effect of a hurricane on a vulnerable Portsmouth, Virginia, neighborhood and concluded that if the city invested $1 million annually in voluntary buyouts over 31 years and transformed the area into green space for floodwater retention, it would save about $40 million. (The only problem: The cash-strapped city doesn't have the money.) Similarly, Louisiana has a plan, described as a first step, to buy thousands of threatened homes along the coast, many owned by poor and elderly residents who stayed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It's an about-face from a plan just three years ago that championed staying in place. "People often think of retreat as the opposite of resilience," Hino says. "Actually, in many cases, the most resilient thing we can do is to get out of the way." Figuring out how to get out of the way and pay for it will take time. Examples of moving large numbers of people are rare globally and nonexistent in the United States. Japan has relocated 145,000 homes in the years since 2011, when a tsunami washed over the northwest coast of Honshu, by forbidding rebuilding in endangered areas. "Japan tells us it can be done if the motivation is there," says Nicholas Pinter, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Still, he concedes, the lessons it offers "are grim. It takes the death of 16,000 to 20,000 people to motivate that kind of massive social change." - - - On the morning of Aug. 1, 1993, Dennis Knobloch, the mayor of Valmeyer, Illinois, stood in a cemetery on a hill overlooking the town, helplessly watching as the levees that had protected the village for four decades failed when the Mississippi River crested at more than 49 feet, almost 20 feet above flood stage. A wall of water roared through Valmeyer, swallowing homes, rising five feet up the living room walls of Knobloch's house. A year later, I joined Knobloch as he wheeled his black pickup over rutted ground being graded on a limestone bluff high above the flood plain. "We're actually on a street right now," he told me. "To the left will be the downtown business area." After two devastating bouts of flooding, the town's 350 families had voted to rebuild on this higher ground a mile and a half east of the old town. When Knobloch first spoke to FEMA and suggested moving the town, he was told it would take about a decade. He refused to accept that timeline, lobbying Congress and state and federal officials. By January 1994, the first ground had been broken. Today, Valmeyer is thriving. The old town had 900 people. The new one has 1,300 and is growing by the day. A white water tower stands sentinel over winding streets radiating from a town center. A handsome red brick school on South Cedar Bluff Drive and a village hall on nearby Knobloch Boulevard form the heart of the new community. Valmeyer is a model - on a small scale - of managed retreat. But it's also an illustration of the rare combination of people and circumstances that need to come together to make it happen. Knobloch says the total cost for moving 225 families, businesses and churches was about $70 million - $30 million for infrastructure and the new school and $40 million more to buy out homeowners and businesses. The move wasn't without losses. Local businesses couldn't wait for residents to populate higher ground, he says, and many set up shop in nearby towns. Successful relocations, Pinter says, follow similar models: They start while feet are still wet, they have relocation blueprints in hand or create them quickly, and they have a strong leader. Knobloch, who has consulted with other towns looking to relocate, says that Valmeyer hit the rare sweet spot of available funding and political will. "If you look at our situation," he says, "it was probably the only period in recent history where we could have done this, because at both the state and federal level, the people that were involved, both on the political side and on the side of the agencies, embraced this idea, and they had the resources to help make it happen." Propelling the Valmeyer relocation was post-disaster funding by the state and FEMA to pay residents for their homes. Twenty-five years later, buyouts remain a key retreat tool, although a recent study showed that they had gone down even as the threat from flooding has risen. They are expensive and the process takes years, often discouraging people who want to sell. A study by Hino, Siders and others published last year of 43,000 FEMA buyouts between 1989 and 2017 found they disproportionately benefited wealthy urban communities that have the staff to cut through the paperwork and apply for federal money. Rural communities, which have fewer resources overall to deal with the climate crisis, were less likely to apply. And purchases were piecemeal, a few properties in an average county, unlikely to effectively restore wetlands that help mitigate storm surge and flood damage. There are a few locally funded buyout programs in the United States. Since 1999, Charlotte, North Carolina - an example of an inland city with a network of creeks and streams that overflow their banks when it rains - has spent $64 million to remove 460 structures and replace them with grasslands. And New Jersey's Blue Acres program has spent $375 million to buy about 1,000 of the 346,000 homes destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Sandy, most of them threatened by river flooding. - - - "No Driving Beyond This Point" admonishes the sign on East Seagull Drive on the southern end of Nags Head, North Carolina. It's an unnecessary remnant of days past. The signpost is half buried. The street has disappeared beneath five feet of drifted sand. All but two of the eight homes that once stood on the surf side of Seagull Drive have been demolished, bought and removed by the town at a cost of $1.5 million. One defiant pink house remains, rising two stories on stilts. Another, damaged by a storm more than a decade ago, is a ramshackle, boarded-up shell with "No Trespassing" signs adorning its stilts. The owner won a long and expensive legal battle with the town, which tried to condemn the property. He has refused a $35,000 buyout offer. Instead, he's waiting for the next big storm to knock the house down so he can collect up to $250,000 in federal flood insurance. For the town, whose population of 2,900 balloons to as many as 40,000 on summer weekends, rising seas are an existential threat, eroding some portions of the beach by as much as six feet annually. But it has no plans to retreat. In fact, Nags Head removed the idea of retreat from its comprehensive plan years ago. Why? The town can afford to delay the inevitable, preserving a waterfront tax base by spending tens of millions of dollars rebuilding beaches. It's working. Despite the devastation of three hurricanes in the past four years, property values in Dare County, home to Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and other destinations, have boomed to nearly $16 billion, 25% more than seven years ago. Nags Head levies a special tax on beach properties to rebuild the beach. In 2011, the town spent $36 million to replenish the sand on 10 miles of beach. When Hurricane Matthew swept away about a third of that sand in 2016, the town rebuilt again at a cost of $43 million, $16 million of which came from FEMA. Western Carolina University researchers who compile a database on rebuilding beaches say that nearly $503 million has been spent in the past 15 years in North Carolina. Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon says the town will continue to replenish for the foreseeable future, planning to spend $10 million or more every six to eight years. "Retreat in the abstract makes perfectly good sense, but it gets more complicated when you consider what if it's just one of the most gorgeous places to live?" he says, sitting in a conference room at the town hall. "What happens if you make a retreat decision? What does that look like? It's not an instant thing. You're not going to buy out rows and rows of multimillion-dollar houses at one time and say, now we've retreated from the beach." In his view, not rebuilding the beaches means a house here or there will be lost, creating a patchwork of vacancies over decades. Septic tanks will be exposed. Streets will surrender to the tides. "That, in fact, is what retreat would look like," Cahoon says. "That's not a sustainable solution either." Keeler, of the Coastal Studies Institute, says rebuilding beaches may make sense in the short term, but it's not sustainable, like other protections. It sets up towns like Nags Head for a catastrophe. "If you keep nourishing [the beach], then people are going to keep investing, and if people keep investing, you're going to keep nourishing right up to the crash," he says. "You may be there longer, but the losses will be a lot bigger and the disruption will be a lot greater, especially if it takes place after a mondo hurricane." - - - For cities like Norfolk, which is more than a billion dollars in debt, buyout options are limited. Norfolk has spent $650,000 to buy four homes and return those parcels to nature, but the city has more than 1,000 properties at risk, a number that will grow as the water rises. Next door, Virginia Beach shifted from focusing on elevating homes to buyouts, with an initial $1.5 million investment and a $500,000 annual budget. The city's new study on sea-level rise identified 2,500 vulnerable properties for buyouts. "We have to get creative," says Erin Sutton, the director of the Virginia Beach emergency management office. "The federal government is not creative. The way for us to do that is to start a program and see how it goes and hopefully continue to fund it." Norfolk is working with Wetlands Watch to explore buyouts using the transfer of development rights through a program with a third-party nonprofit land trust. Under the city's zoning ordinance, developers looking to build on higher ground need a certain number of "resilience points." In its simplest form, the developer pays the land trust and gets resilience points in return. The land trust uses the money to buy a property that has flooded at least twice within a decade. The homeowner gets a tax credit. The developer gets to build new properties. And the city gets threatened parcels removed and returned to nature. And the marketplace drives the transactions, not government. That's similar to a program Keeler has been championing, using buyouts but renting the property back to the homeowner until a certain date or until certain triggers - damage to the home, sea-level rise or a street becoming impassable a certain number of days within a year - come into play. Managing retreat through buyout programs, Keeler says, offers the promise of controlling the transition rather than facing what New Orleans endured after Katrina, with more than 40,000 abandoned homes. "There are no magic bullets. We're hoping for a set of public policies that create a situation where people can avoid the worst consequences," Keeler says. "I'm optimistic that if we're smart, that a century from now, we can have relocated a lot of population that would have been at horrible risk if they stayed." A wipeout from a hurricane or a lingering storm is what George Homewood wants to avoid for Norfolk neighborhoods. But he also recognizes that property rights mean the city can't force people to leave. "Somebody who has more resources than I have and is willing to put them at risk to enjoy looking out over water, that's a choice they get to make," he says. On Richmond Crescent, Brian McDonald has made that choice. He sits in his dining room overlooking the Lafayette River as the setting sun highlights whitecaps propelled by a north wind. He bought the 80-year-old house next door, lived there for three years, sold it for a small profit, then carved out this lot and built his palace, 12 feet above sea level. A recent appraisal put his home's value at more than $500,000. The flooding isn't that bad, he says. He knows the water will come - there was a mark from Hurricane Isabel in his old house - but he doesn't feel threatened. He's in the best school district in Norfolk for his two children. He's along the Elizabeth River biking and walking trail. And he pays only $500 a year in flood insurance. "Sure," he says, "there were hesitations, but I think the good outweighs the bad. I mean look at this sunset. I don't feel threatened at all by the water." He's never heard of the city's 2100 plan. "They're gonna let the water come into Larchmont?" he asks, incredulous. "I don't believe that. This is their tax base. You're not going to let your taxpayers' houses fall into the river." He adds, laughing: "My house might be on the market next year now that you told me that. But who's to say what's going to happen 80 years from now?" The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in County Louth has breached the 200 mark with 208 official cases now. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 41 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ireland have died. 36 deaths located in the east, 4 in the west, 1 in the south of the country the people included 16 females and 25 males the median age of todays reported deaths is 85 31 people were reported as having underlying health conditions There have now been 406 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of 1pm Tuesday 14th April, the HPSC has been notified of the following cases; An additional 548 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by Irish laboratories An additional 284 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported by a laboratory in Germany With the latest figures from Germany included, there are now a total of 11,479 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. As of midnight Monday 13th April, 90,646 tests have been carried out. Of these tests; 62,952 have been completed in Irish laboratories 27,694 completed in a laboratory in Germany Over the past week, 20,468 tests were carried out in Irish laboratories and of these 4,233 were positive, giving a positivity rate of 21%. Dr. Cillian De Gascun, Chair of NPHETs Expert Advisory Group said; Having come through a challenging few weeks, we have significantly strengthened testing capacity and will continue to do so over the coming week, to put us in a very strong position to identify and suppress the virus. Todays data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Sunday 12th April (10,385 cases), reveals: 54% are female and 45% are male, with 408 clusters involving 1,999 cases the median age of confirmed cases is 48 years 1,903 cases (18%) have been hospitalised Of those hospitalised, 275 cases have been admitted to ICU 2,707 cases are associated with healthcare workers Dublin has the highest number of cases at 5,438 (52% of all cases) followed by Cork with 780 cases (8%) The National Public Health Emergency Team met today (Tuesday 14th April) to continue its ongoing review of Irelands response to COVID-19. Discussed at todays meeting; Residential care settings; In addition to existing protective measures and financial supports, HSE will put in place a coordinated national process to identify the prevalence of COVID-19 across nursing homes and other residential healthcare settings; as recommended by the ECDC. Testing; HPSC to develop a strategy to conduct a seroprevalence study which will identify the proportion of the population who have ever had COVID-19, regardless of testing. Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said: We remain concerned about the prevalence of COVID-19 in nursing homes and residential care settings. The National Public Health Emergency Team is monitoring developments in these facilities and continues to advance supports and actions where needed. From the beginning, we have been aware that vulnerable groups, including the elderly, are at greater risk from this virus. These groups will continue to be our priority. Dr. Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said; We are not seeing a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in our hospitals or our ICUs over the last number of days, and that is down to the efforts of every individual who has followed advice to stay apart and slow the spread of the virus. To everyone playing their part, the health service is grateful. A huge media scandal came to light today in an interview that New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet gave to his own media reporter, Ben Smith. Smith asked Baquet about an after-the-fact edit the paper did on its story on Tara Reades claims of sexual assault by Joe Biden. The editors deleted part of a sentence that referred to prior complaints by women about Biden: I want to ask about some edits that were made after publication, the deletion of the second half of the sentence: The Times found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden, beyond the hugs, kisses and touching that women previously said made them uncomfortable. Why did you do that? Even though a lot of us, including me, had looked at it before the story went into the paper, I think that the campaign thought that the phrasing was awkward and made it look like there were other instances in which he had been accused of sexual misconduct. And thats not what the sentence was intended to say. And why not explain that? We didnt think it was a factual mistake. I thought it was an awkward phrasing issue that could be read different ways and that it wasnt something factual we were correcting. So I didnt think that was necessary. Emphasis added. The New York Times altered its story on what could be a significant campaign issuean accusation of sexual assault against Joe Bidenbased on a complaint by Bidens campaign. And the papers head news guy sees nothing wrong with this. Smith asked an appropriate question and got a disingenuous answer: Do you think that, in your heart, youre reluctant to promote a story that would hurt Joe Biden and get Donald Trump re-elected? I cant make that calculation. I wont. I wont let my head or my heart go there. I think once you start making those kinds of calculations, you are not a journalist anymore. Youre some sort of political actor. The Times is, of course, an entirely self-conscious political actor. Its mission is not to report news, but to help the Democratic Party and the American left. Happily, pretty much everyone has figured that out. Via Washington Free Beacon. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-13 23:27:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo shows Chinese Premier Li Keqiang posing for a group photo with other leaders attending the 22nd ASEAN-China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) leaders' meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) We all live under the same sky. Major infectious diseases are the enemies of all. No one can win the battle against COVID-19 alone in this tightly interlocked world. PHNOM PENH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- In this time of difficulty, the world is in sore need of solidarity. The deadly novel coronavirus has claimed over 110,000 lives worldwide. In the face of humanity's common enemy, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are gearing up for a collective fight. Confronting the COVID-19 pandemic that caught the world by surprise, the ASEAN Plus Three (10+3) countries have been working closely together. A special summit of the grouping to be held on Tuesday will put forward measures to fight the novel coronavirus, safeguard public health and return the region's economy back to its vibrant self. A staff member loads medical supplies onto a flight to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) "Helping one's neighbor is helping oneself," South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said. When the virus outbreak was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, ASEAN member states, Japan and ROK were among the earliest to extend a helping hand to China; when the situation in China stabilized, China did not hesitate to offer assistance back by donating medical supplies, sending expert teams to hard-hit areas and sharing its experience tackling the disease. We all live under the same sky. Major infectious diseases are the enemies of all. No one can win the battle against COVID-19 alone in this tightly interlocked world. Members of a volunteer group named "Mask Panda Action Team" pose for photos with local people in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi) ASEAN Plus Three, set up in response to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and which stood strong against the SARS epidemic, Indian Ocean tsunami and the financial crisis in 2008, can play a larger role in providing a coordinated regional response to the global crisis of COVID-19 pandemic. This special summit demonstrates the determination and willingness of East Asian countries to work together to combat the disease and safeguard regional stability and sustainable development. At this crucial moment, these regional countries must assist each other to overcome the systematic economic and social crisis stemming from the pandemic. The Chinese medical experts (R) visit a quarantine in Sihanoukville city in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia, March 28, 2020. (Photo by Chen Duncai/Xinhua) The 13 countries should share diagnostic and clinical practices and work together to develop medicines and vaccines. "China stands ready to continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties in East Asia, and provide assistance to neighboring countries on pandemic prevention and control," Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun has said. Viruses recognize neither border nor race, and pose a common challenge to all. Only through solidarity and cooperation can the international community confront this global public health threat and defeat the pandemic once and for all. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday had a meeting with Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and discussed the academic calendar of educational institutes in the backdrop of COVID-19 crisis. "The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu had a meeting with Union HRD Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' at Upa-Rashtrapati Bhawan today and discussed the steps being taken to ensure the completion of academic calendar in educational institutions," the official Twitter handle of Vice President tweeted. They also discussed the way forward for educational institutes so that the students can be provided with "unhindered learning opportunities" during the lockdown period. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI) The governor recognized a Monticello-based company Monday for their efforts to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for the state. Jordan Manufacturing was featured during Gov. Eric Holcomb's daily news conference. The company has shifted from making outdoor patio furniture textiles to isolation gowns and masks for healthcare providers. So far, they've produced more than 11,500 gowns for the state. "When this whole pandemic started back on March 23, when Gov. Holcomb called for the citizens to do their part, we as a company made the decision to respond to that call," said Co-Owner and Vice President of Sales Pat Jordan. "As a corporation, one of our core values is families, not only our own families, but the work family here at Jordan. Because of these families, we decided it needed to be a priority to help our neighbors, first responders and healthcare workers." Jordan said they can produce about 3,000 gowns and 2,000 masks per week. "As a domestic sewing operation, we felt that we could shift our focus and react quickly to producing the Level 1 masks and gowns." The company has been based in Monticello for 35 years and also has manufacturing facilities in Kentland and Arizona. They employ about 620 people. "We've always felt that our employees are our greatest assets," said Jordan. "Being an Indiana company, we felt like we could help our current Hoosiers in need during this COVID-19 crisis. But, we also want to be part of the permanent solution to the dependency that we have on foreign nations for essential products." Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal In early February, two people were driving southbound on Interstate 25, near Santo Domingo Pueblo, when they saw a man wearing tan pants and a camouflage shirt emerge from the bushes on the side of the highway and shoot at them, striking the front passenger side door. This incident is one of more than 20 reported shootings in the same area between Jan. 3 and April 5. Three people were injured and several vehicles including an ambulance were damaged. Federal agents arrested 35-year-old Byron Rosetta over the weekend, charging him with assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during and while in commission of a violent crime, and committing a crime in Indian Country. It appears as though Rosetta is facing charges in one only of the incidents; however, a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of New Mexico lays out the details of several shootings over the past couple of months. Sometimes, the projectiles recovered were birdshot pellets, but other times they were .380 caliber bullets, both of which agents found when they searched Rosettas house last week, according to the complaint. On March 5, a couple was traveling northbound on the highway when a single bullet broke through their window, grazing one of them on the neck before striking the other in the arm. Their baby, in the back seat, was uninjured. Four days later, a driver heading southbound in the evening saw something hit the windshield and then felt something strike the left side of his forehead. The bullet entered the vehicle at the drivers side window, struck E.R. and lodged in the back of E.R.s head, the agent wrote in the complaint. The complaint does not give an update on the victims condition. On the evening of April 4, a driver traveling south on the interstate heard a loud popping sound and then realized his car had been struck by birdshot pellets and he was bleeding from the face. When he called 911, the responding ambulance from Santo Domingo Pueblo was also shot with birdshot. The final incident occurred a day later on a state road approaching the pueblo. A driver told agents he saw a green sedan approach and the man in the drivers seat open fire, striking his side mirror with birdshot pellets. The victim was not injured. Agents were able to get surveillance footage of the green sedan and distributed it to Bureau of Indian Affairs agents who are familiar with Santo Domingo Pueblo. Those agents recognized that the vehicle belonged to a family who lived on the pueblo and Rosetta was identified as the driver, according to the complaint. Three confidential witnesses told federal agents Rosetta, who lived in Albuquerque, but sometimes stayed with family on the pueblo, had been acting up in the past couple of months. Rosetta has recently experienced some life changes, and he has responded with anger and rage, the agent wrote in the complaint. Some of the witnesses told agents they believed Rosetta was the person shooting at vehicles on Interstate 25 and one was even in the car with him in the most recent incident. New Mexico State Police agents searched Rosettas house and found .380 caliber ammunition and birdshot which is consistent with what was used in the shootings. They also found a shotgun and a box for a .380 caliber handgun, according to the complaint. Rosetta said he bought the handgun at Cabelas, but didnt have it any more. His felony first appearance in federal court is Tuesday. By Kim Rahn Korea Foundation (KF) and the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy (USC CPD) will co-host an online seminar, Friday, on public diplomacy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the KF said, Tuesday. KF President Lee Geun and Jee Young-mee, former head of the National Institute of Health's Center for Infectious Disease Research under the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), will discuss the issue, with Jian Wang, director of the CPD, as the moderator. Under the theme of "Crisis Management and Public Diplomacy During Coronavirus: Lessons from South Korea," Jee will introduce Korea's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, while Lee will talk about the challenges and opportunities the pandemic has brought and will bring to Korea's public diplomacy. "The seminar is meaningful in that participants can share Korea's coronavirus responses, which have gained global attention, and also learn about the need for international cooperation," the KF said in a press release. The one-hour online event will start at 9 a.m., Friday (local time), and will be presented in English. Those hoping to watch it can apply by Wednesday on the CPD website, uscpublicdiplomacy.org. Former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Tuesday appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation and praised the way India is fighting against COVID-19. Speaking to ANI, Harivansh said that India is becoming a role model for the world to fight against COVID-19. The country has minimum resources and maximum population but despite that India has successfully contained coronavirus at a time when rich and powerful nations have failed to do so, he said. "Today, while addressing the nation, the Prime Minister covered his face with 'Gamchha' (towel) which is an identity of our culture. Leadership always emerges in a crisis situation. In the corona crisis, Prime Minister Modi has emerged as such a leader, who is ready to show the path to the world on how to handle the situation in crisis," added Harivansh. He further said the Prime Minister has become a symbol of unity and integrity of the country from the North-East to Gujrat and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 but hinted at some relaxations after April 20 at places where COVID-19 cases remain under control and no spurt in the cases is reported. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 10,815 including 9,272 active cases, 1,189 cured/discharged and 353 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said earlier on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China has rejected a proposal by North Korea to reopen bilateral trade in mid-April, instead offering to open up the border a month later due to concerns over the coronavirus, leaving cash-strapped Pyongyang in the lurch for yet another month while smuggling is on the rise, sources in North Korea told RFA. North Korea suspended trade in late January, fearing that the coronavirus could make its way across the porous Sino-Korean border, but now it is Beijing that fears a resumption of trade could result in the virus reintroduction into China. Since the outbreak of the virus, North Korean authorities have been enacting extensive measures to prevent it from spreading, including the cancellation of major cultural events and the quarantine of entire counties near the border. The isolated state still says it has zero confirmed cases of the virus, but experts doubt the claim, while sources on the ground say COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly, especially in the rural provinces. But trade with China is North Koreas chief source of foreign cash, so its resumption is crucial not only to the government, but also to the people, many of whom have been struggling to make ends meet since the preventative measures kicked in, because they are directly or tangentially involved in the transport or sale of goods from China. Those people will have to figure out how to survive at least another month, as the border will be closed through mid-May. We know that North Korea proposed to China to resume bilateral trade after the Day of the Sun, but China refused, a trader in North Pyongan who requested anonymity told RFAs Korean Service on Sunday. The Day of the Sun is a national holiday falling on April 15, the birthday of Kim Il Sung who founded the country and as grandfather of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was the first ruler in the three-generation Kim Dynasty. The official reopening of the Dandong and Sinuiju customs office has been postponed until mid-May, said the source. The Chinese border city of Dandong lies on the Yalu river just across from Sinuiju on the North Korean side in North Pyongan. Customs offices in both cities were shut down in January when the border was closed. As the coronavirus broke out in Wuhan in the northern Chinese province of Hubei and spread across China, the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers Party] sealed off the border and took measures to prevent the epidemic from entering North Korea, the source said. But as the restrictions on the movement [of people] in Wuhan and other parts of China were lifted on the 8th [of April, North Korean] authorities decided they would resume trade with China after the Day of the Sun. China on April 8 lifted a travel-ban on people in Wuhan that had been in place for 76 days. During that time, China has seemingly flattened the curve, with total confirmed cases still in the 80,000 range. China no longer leads the world in confirmed COVID-19 cases, having dropped to seventh as the coronavirus has rapidly spread through Europe and the United States. So now China is reluctant to resume trade between the two countries, fearing that if they open up with North Korea, the coronavirus could flow back into China, the source said. There is a growing number of infected patients in North Korea due to a lack of quarantine facilities and medicine to cope with the epidemic, and China is well aware of it, added the source. RFA could not independently confirm the sources account that positive COVID-19 cases exist in North Korea. Though trade has been cut off, China has been cooperating with North Korea on the humanitarian front, regularly shipping in medical supplies, according to the source. Even now, Chinese trucks carry emergency supplies as requested by the authorities. They come through the Sinuiju customs office, the source said. Another trader who requested anonymity, from Hyesan, Ryanggang province, told RFA the same day that the customs office there will also remain closed until mid-May. It was supposed to be fully open to accept cargo after the Day of the Sun, said the second source. But it is likely that fertilizer and other agricultural supplies that have already had their import contracts approved will be brought in as emergency shipments after the Day of the Sun, the second source said. The second source said that North Korean authorities are less concerned about the virus coming into North Korea from across the river, so legitimate trade will have to wait until the border reopens. Chinas coronavirus crisis has almost calmed down, so authorities are taking quick steps to restart trade, but China has refused to accept our proposal, because they dont want the virus to come back in from [here], said the second source. Smuggling resurgence But smuggling across the river has begun in the parts of Ryanggang province on the border, led by the state trade agency, said the second source. While smuggling is technically illegal it is tolerated as a necessary component of the North Korean economy. Those who engage in it can utilize their personal connections or wealth to have border guards look the other way. Many smugglers themselves have government positions, leveraging their power for personal gain. UN sanctions intended to deprive Pyongyang of cash and resources that could be used in its nuclear program mandate that some items are restricted from entering North Korea, but most consumer goods and foodstuffs are permitted under the sanctions regime. It was not immediately clear if the state agencies were smuggling sanctions-restricted items into North Korea, but the shutdown of trade with China has resulted in skyrocketing food prices and scarcity. Residents of the border area, who can see the state agencies smuggling are critical of their hypocrisy, said the second source, adding, They complain that the state agencies have been assaulting merchants who tried to smuggle goods from China on the justification that it was necessary to prevent the epidemic [from entering North Korea]. RFA reported earlier this month that a special forces team was deployed in Ryanggang to crack down on smugglers. The unit even severely injured two smugglers who were caught in the act of trying to bring goods across the river. The report revealed that the undercover soldiers even targeted innocent people for being in the area on only the suspicion of smuggling. But now [the state agencies] themselves are the ones smuggling in broad daylight. Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. The Australian economy will experience its sharpest downturn since the 1930s this year, the International Monetary Fund has warned. The global lender said the economy would shrink by 6.7 per cent in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic - the largest contraction since the Great Depression. Such a reduction in economic growth would also result in the deepest recession since World War Two. A busker plays in a near empty Rundle Mall in Adelaide on April 6. The Australian economy is forecast by the IMF to experience its sharpest downturn since the 1930s But growth rate of 6.1 per cent is forecast for 2021. Australia is likely to be one of the Asian region's worst-affected countries, the IMF said, and is expected to suffer a steeper downturn than the UK, Canada, Japan and China. Germany, France and Italy are forecast to have sharper economic falls. Unemployment in Australia will also reach a rate of 7.6 per cent over the course of 2020, before increasing to 8.9 per cent in 2021, the IMF said. It comes as new Treasury figures predict unemployment in the June quarter will double from 5.1 per cent to 10 per cent. Globally, the IMF - which lends money to countries as a last resort - is forecasting an economic slowdown of three per cent. Shoppers wait to enter a Coles supermarket in Adelaide last week. Unemployment levels are predicted by the leading international financial body to hit 7.6 per cent Pictured: A man in front of Australian Stock Exchange Market boards on March 9 as the coronavirus crisis escalated More advanced economies will likely drop the most, with an average 6.1 per cent fall predicted. The assessment represents a stark downgrade by the IMF. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement In its previous forecast in January, before COVID-19 emerged as a grave threat to public health and economic growth worldwide, the international lending organization had forecast moderate global growth of 3.3 per cent this year. But far-reaching measures to contain the pandemic - lockdowns, business shutdowns, social distancing and travel restrictions - have suddenly brought economic activity to a near-standstill across much of the world. 'The world has been put in a great lockdown,' the IMF's chief economist Gita Gopinath told reporters. 'This is a crisis like no other.' Ms Gopinath said the cumulative loss to the global gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of economic output, could amount to $9trillion - more than the economies of Germany and Japan combined. The IMF said Tuesday it expects the global economy to shrink 3 per cent this year - far worse than its 0.1 per cent dip in the Great Recession year of 2009 - before rebounding in 2021 with 5.8 per cent growth. It acknowledges, though, that prospects for a rebound next year are clouded by uncertainty. A man has been arrested after a thief was spotted targeting a nurses vehicle in a hospitals staff car park during the coronavirus pandemic. Police said the nurse returned to their car after a long shift at Nottinghams Queens Medical Centre to discover the despicable theft. The offender was spotted by staff from a ward window on the afternoon of Easter Monday removing a catalytic converter from the car. A vehicle linked to the theft was traced by police following an online appeal, and a 57-year-old man was taken into custody. Chief Superintendent Rob Griffin said: Again, this is another example of unacceptable behaviour in Nottinghamshire. Catalytic converter theft is extremely troubling for the victims at the best of times, but to steal them from a hospital nurse at a time when the NHS is under so much pressure from the impact of coronavirus is absolutely despicable. The victim has just finished a 12-and-a-half-hour shift at the hospital and finally left to find this had happened. It must have been horrendous. This was a real team effort with our response officers, operational support officers and detective officers all working together to pull the investigation together quickly and identify the suspects. A number of officers from various departments made quick and efficient inquiries to ensure that the arrest was made in the early hours of this morning. Everyone across the UK is working towards the Governments strapline to protect the NHS yet there seems to be people out there who are targeting our key workers; in this instance to travel to a hospital site and steal from NHS staff. Catalytic converters, which convert vehicle exhaust emissions into less toxic gases, are targeted because they contain high-value metals. The arrest was made after a vehicle was located in the Bestwood area and a specialist drone team was deployed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In 2019, the term "OK, boomer," became a popular phrase. It was a social-media retort to the baby-boom generation from millennials, many of whom had grown weary of judgmental attitudes from older generations. That "OK, boomer" turned into a meme didnt help foster greater understanding between the generations, which in some cases, were parents (boomers) and their children (millennials). Well, what a difference a pandemic can make. In the midst of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba and around the world, and the resulting social-distancing and self-isolation practices undertaken to prevent the viruss spread, all generations appear to have set aside their differences and teamed up for a common goal to keep everyone as healthy as possible. The Free Press contacted five Manitobans of various generations and asked them to provide their thoughts about the pandemic, how theyre coping with social distancing and their thoughts about the future. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Rosemarie Yeo lives with her husband Dale at the Stonewall and District Lions Manor. Yeo thinks Manitobans are much better equipped to deal with a pandemic now, compared to family stories she recalls from the time of the Spanish Flu. Rosemarie Yeo, 78, lives with Dale, her husband of 58 years, at the Stonewall and District Lions Manor, a retirement home that has been under lockdown for more than two weeks due to COVID-19. Yeo is a retired child-care worker who eventually was the director of the Roblin Nursery School, all done while raising five children. "I was born in 1941 in a very small village in southern Saskatchewan. "My dad (born in 1908) talked about the "great flu" or Spanish Flu of 1918-19. He told us that he was the only one in a large family who was not sick at the time. He was 11 years old. He had to do chores, look after livestock, carry water and go to the neighbours, miles away and help them. "Food was scarce and living conditions certainly not as they are now. If I have it right, two sisters passed away, one in 1918, and one in 1920. I do not know if this was because of the flu. My husband recalls that his dads family who lived in Saskatchewan also, fostered a little girl aged 2 or 3, whose mother had died from the flu. The father of this child kept the other children but couldnt adequately look after the little girl. You can imagine the lifelong impact this would have been for both families when the father was able to take the child back. My dad (born in 1908) talked about the great flu or Spanish Flu of 191819. He told us that he was the only one in a large family who was not sick at the time." Rosemarie Yeo "I also remember very clearly the concern over the polio epidemic. My family had moved to a farm near Dauphin in 1950 and I needed to have my tonsils removed. The doctors were very reluctant to do that because of the polio epidemic. They did the surgery. I was fine. The dentist that our family had for years had a bad limp because of polio. An "iron lung" was displayed for years in the hallway of the Dauphin General Hospital. I do also distinctly remember when nurses came to our rural school and vaccinated all students with the anti-polio vaccine. I was so amazed and impressed with this. "As an adult and raising my own children, we were aware and on guard because of SARS and H1N1 for example, but we were never directly affected by them. "If I had to experience a pandemic, I am thankful that it is now, not 1919. Our (houses) are warmer and most have running water. We have government help, social media, television, wonderful health-care workers, pharmacists, police officers, grocery-store workers, to name a few, to help us out. Thanks to all of you. We will get through this!" Andrew Bachmann, 58, works for a payments processing company in Winnipeg. SUPPLIED As he approaches his 59th birthday, Andrew Bachmann says for the first time in his life the COVID-19 outbreak has him feeling somewhat vulnerable "Back in December, I had taken the initial reports of a new virus coming out of Wuhan, China, with a grain of salt. Wed been down this road with SARS, right? "With all that has transpired in a relatively short period of time, I am firmly on the pro-isolation side. If God is willing and the creek dont rise... I will see my 59th birthday in October. And with that, there is the stark realization that I am creeping ever so slightly into "that" demographic of people who may be harder hit by COVID-19. "I havent had a feeling of invincibility for about 30 years or more but Ive always considered myself healthy, fit, even durable. With the COVID-19 outbreak I find, for the first time in my life, Im truly feeling somewhat vulnerable. Im carrying some extra weight; my cardiovascular isnt near what it was. Add to the mix that my wife, afflicted with colitis, is immunocompromised and you get a healthy level of respect out of our household. Im not saying getting this would necessarily be a death sentence in my case or hers but it is a battle wed rather forgo. "Almost as dangerous as the outbreak itself are those who downplay this virus. There are people who just dont get it. And taking it to the extreme, the conspiracy theorists. I know some of them, I see some of them on Facebook and ultimately I choose not to engage. Life is too precious to waste time trying to reason with the unreasonable. Yet somehow their indifference or lack of respect is a cause for concern for me. "All said, I respect the potential danger of the virus but there is no sense of panic in our household." Maggie Svaling, 53, is an insurance claims examiner. SUPPLIED Maggie Svaling never imagined how much life would be affected by the coronavirus. She is also hopeful that, at the end of the pandemic, society will change its habits, slow down and become more mindful. "Ive been staying home for three weeks now. It feels surreal. The only time I leave the house is once a week for groceries and to take my dogs for a walk. If you told me a month ago that this would be my life in April, I dont think I would have believed it. "I knew we would be affected by the virus but I never imagined it would be to this extent. Im coping. Im one of the lucky ones in that I can work from home, Im still getting my paycheque, and other than being stuck inside, life hasnt changed that much. Im grateful for my job, my health, family and friends, and my home. I know not everyone is in my position and a lot of people are suffering from job loss and uncertainty about their future. "I feel safe, but I still worry. Ive never been anxious to go grocery shopping. I know I am doing all I can to keep myself healthy. What I cant do is control the actions of others. I fear that I will encounter people while grocery shopping who are not social distancing and who may be sick. "The stress can take a toll on your mental health. I try to keep active by going for walks or running on my treadmill. A chat with a friend or family member online is the new way to keep in touch and relieve stress. I also find meditation works well on my anxious mind. Sometimes I just tell myself to breathe and remember that this too shall pass. "I truly believe that there will be a silver lining at the end of this pandemic. I hope that as a society we will change, we wont take things for granted, we will realize that life is short and that it can change in an instant. I hope that being "so busy" will no longer be a status symbol and that society will slow down and be more mindful. I also hope we look at the way we live and where these viruses are coming from. I think a lot can change in the world if we were to change our habits." George Pearce, 34, is a math and science teacher, at Gordon Bell High School. These days, he teaches from home, using social media and other programs to connect with students. SUPPLIED Gordon Bell High School teacher George Pearce is busy finding ways to build connections with his students online, while worrying for aging parents and his own growing family. "Sitting at my kitchen table eating dinner with my young family, I asked my wife, "do you think we will know people who die from this virus?" Her quick response of "no" was both comforting and optimistic. While doing our part and staying at home I try to frame our self-isolation as being "safe at home" and "protecting those at risk" rather than "trapped," but I must admit it does not always feel that way. "I am not scared; I am however worried about our parents in their 70s who are now grandparents to our young daughter. I am worried about my wife, pregnant with our son due in mid-August. I view my familys safety as paramount; therefore, we are following the necessary but difficult recommendations of staying home. "As a teacher, I am used to having many conversations and social interactions every day. With the announcement of school being suspended, I am left with attempting to connect meaningfully through a screen. Social media and text-based messaging are only a dip in the shallow end of the human connection pool, but I am attempting to get everyone in the pool, regardless. "Taking time to video chat with family, friends, colleagues and students is important and it is vastly more meaningful than a text or email. "It might feel a bit cliche or anti-climactic, but for the average person like me, doing nothing, just sitting and waiting is what will be the difference in flattening the curve. Luckily, my daughter loves watching people walk their dogs past our house, and there sure are lots people walking their dogs these days." JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Grade 12 student Shira Hoult, 17, says she is sad when she thinks about never returning to the classrooms of Gray Academy as a student again. Shira Hoult, 17, is a Grade 12 student. "I find that the different environment of learning at home makes it harder to focus and do my work. My school (Gray Academy) has handled it beautifully and had our online portal up and ready to go in two days. Still, Im sad that I will never sit in my teachers classrooms as a student again. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It is incredibly difficult being away from my friends, especially those who go to different schools, now that the youth-group programs we had together have been cancelled. It is particularly hard since Im in Grade 12 and this is my last chance to partake in these programs. I was also laid off from my job as a dishwasher at a cafe when it closed. "Im not particularly worried (about the future) for myself since I am relatively healthy and in a good family situation. Im worried for my friends who are either immunocompromised or living in dangerous situations. "The biggest concerns I have for myself are all school-related. My graduation is postponed until further notice, and it is unclear when that will be. I am uncertain how university classes will work in the coming years. "Im just glad that Im with my family, and that were all healthy." alan.small@freepress.mb.ca Twitter:@AlanDSmall Australia's chief medical officer concedes the deadly coronavirus pandemic may never be entirely eliminated from our shores, raising the prospect of restrictions on gatherings continuing for the long term. Professor Brendan Murphy made the alarming prediction as he briefed a New Zealand parliamentary committee about Australia's response to the pandemic crisis from his Canberra office on Tuesday. He was quizzed by politicians across the Tasman about our efforts to flatten the curve of the pandemic, which has claimed 61 lives in Australia so far compared to nine in New Zealand. While Professor Murphy remains committed to getting transmissions down as low as possible, he described total elimination as an unattainable 'nirvana'. Professor Murphy fears total elimination of the virus may never be achieved. Pictured are a man and woman wearing face masks to protect themselves in Sydney on Tuesday 'Elimination is getting down to a small number of cases and that's what we're really what we're trying to do but what we're saying is we want to keep aggressive control of the outbreak,' he told New Zealand Parliament's Epidemic Response Committee. 'If we could achieve total elimination and zero transmissions, we would love it.' Professor Murphy remains unconvinced total elimination can be achieved. 'There's a narrative around elimination that if you do it really well you can relax and open up everything and just keep the borders closed,' he said. 'I'm not entirely sure how realistic that is.' 'If we can get rid of it, that's great. There's this nirvana of completely removing transmission. It's debatable whether that's achievable.' Brendan Murphy (pictured) was quizzed by New Zealand politicians about Australia's response to the coronavirus pandemic Professor Murphy didn't rule out tougher lockdowns and a shutdown of more industries if the crisis deepened in Australia. 'Clearly if things get worse we will go harder,' he said. '[In that case] we would be keen to close construction, manufacturing and retail more broadly.' Professor Murphy believes both Australia and New Zealand were in a strong position to combat the virus. He believes Australia's stance isn't much different to New Zealand, where all commercial activity has been shut down. There's this nirvana of completely removing transmission. It's debatable whether that's achievable,' Professor Murphy said. Pictured are a couple in Sydney on Monday 'If you go hard late, as the UK has done, you see what carnage you suffer on the way through,' he said. 'It's very, very hard to bring a large outbreak under control.' Professor Murphy said some of the current restrictions will remain in place for some time until a vaccine or treatment is found. 'It's hard for me to envisage reopening of nightclubs and big music festivals in the foreseeable future,' he said. Tuesday was New Zealand's worst day for coronavirus deaths with four lives lost to take the nation's toll to nine. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer is now asking the president to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover all of the final 25% of New Yorks emergency expenses for battling the COVID-19 pandemic. After Sept. 11 and Hurricane Sandy, FEMA covered the entire cost of federal disaster aid even though under the current agreement, FEMA is only required to pay 75%. Schumer wrote President Donald Trump for the second time, as well as called him, urging the administration to grant a waiver allowing FEMA to pick up 100% of the cost under the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration and subsequent first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Major Disaster Declaration. The pandemic is straining the states health care system and governments to the max. As the epicenter of this global pandemic, New York has paid more than any other state when it comes to front line workers, doctors, nurses, and victims. It is imperative that this waiver get approved with all due speed to ensure that New Yorkers are not forced to pay even more, Schumer said. A Major Disaster Declaration typically allows for $40 billion to be used to pay for Public Assistance at a 75% federal to 25% cost share. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Due to New Yorks economic loss during the pandemic, Schumer said the state is ill-prepared to pay its 25% share of the FEMA aid. For that reason, Schumer said an immediate waiver of the states cost share responsibility is needed. The move is not an unprecedented one, he said in his letter to Trump. It would be much better for the state and the city to focus these resources on maintaining vital services and employment during the crisis, both to cope with the unique challenges in this environment and to stave off an even deeper economic slump, Schumers letter said, citing the delay in tax collection, shutdown of the economy and social distancing as reasons for the financial loss. It is permitted, if the need of the disaster warrants, that the federal government take on 100% of the cost, he said. Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) also asked FEMA on March 31 to waive New Yorks 25% responsibility. New York State also needs FEMA to waive the 25% state share for programs authorized under the Major Disaster Declaration issued on March 20th as the state simply cannot afford this level of cost-sharing," Rose said in his letter. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. This article was originally published by the Portland Tribune, one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving health issue. A newly reported case of coronavirus at a state call center in Beaverton has stepped up concerns at the agency thats been processing a record-setting 270,000 unemployment claims received from laid-off Oregonians, the Portland Tribune reported Monday. Workers at the Oregon Employment Department have for weeks been accusing the agency of violating Gov. Kate Brown's March 23 stay-at-home order at the call center and another one in Bend, putting the workers who are processing needed benefits at risk. Now that the department has seen its first case of the virus, it seemingly confirms workers fears that it was among them. On April 8, agency management alerted union members who work at the Beaverton center that one of their coworkers had tested positive for the virus, telling them in an email you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, the Portland Tribune has learned. A top Oregon union leader told the Tribune that Brown or another agency needs to step in to protect the call center employees who are processing claims while working in close quarters. When it comes to processing Oregonians' claims, those employees "are it," said Steve Demarest, president of Local 503 of the Service Employees International Union, adding that an outbreak at the centers "would just cripple their efforts. We need to get those benefits out there into people's pockets so they can take care of themselves (and to) keep money in the economy." Gail Krumenauer, a department spokesperson, in an email defended the agencys efforts to promote safety even as it reassigns employees and hires new ones to deal with an unprecedented number of claims. She said the agency has adopted a number of measures, including a change from one shift to two at call centers so that employees can sit further from each other. She said the need to protect applicants' information, such as Social Security numbers, keeps the agency from doing more to let employees work from home. "We have to protect the private information of the people who need unemployment benefits from us," she said. "Using unsecured phone lines or allowing inadvertent access to those pieces of private information poses a huge risk to them." Virus spreading, employees fear OED has received nearly 270,000 unemployment claims in the previous three weeks, the department announced last week. Of those, about half have been processed, meaning a backlog continues. The process has involved errors and delays, sparking complaints, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported recently. Krumenauer said the department has implemented social distancing changes and has been working hard to handle the historic workload, hiring staff and reassigning existing employees to double the number of employees taking claims. Central to the work are the department's call centers. They are termed "contact centers," and employees there do much more than just take calls processing claims, adjudicating final approvals, and more Many employees at the department thought the coronavirus was spreading at the centers weeks before the first case was confirmed, according to interviews. Adam Lane was one of several employees who went public expressing their concerns in a March 28 article in the Statesman Journal newspaper. He works as an adjudicator in the Beaverton center, deciding whether applications meet state requirements for approval. He told the Tribune that "People have been getting sick, exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms (but) almost nobody can get tested." He said the symptoms have been "spreading out in a geometric, predictable sort of pattern" among the cubicles there. Records show that, for weeks, employees at the department have been filing complaints expressing fear and accusing management of violating Browns order, which required state agencies to facilitate employees working from home to the maximum extent possible. Five complaints were filed between March 26 and April 7, the most recent saying "employees are working in close proximity of one another and are not adhering to the 6-foot social distancing rule," according to an OSHA spreadsheet disclosed April 9. Lane said he is one of them who complained. He was denied permission to work from home and instead is taking leave to avoid an unsafe workplace meaning he is not allowed to work on the agency's huge backlog of unapproved claims. In the context of the coronavirus, management's failure to allow more remote work is "putting their staff at risk," Lane said. It's also a productivity issue. Several employees are out on leave, some with symptoms and some who are just scared because they take care of elderly relatives. New or inexperienced employees typically can only handle uncomplicated claims known as "clean" cases whereas many of those on leave are older and more experienced workers, capable of processing challenging claims, employees say. Confidentiality claim questioned In a March 26 letter to the department, Demarest accused management there of arbitrary intransigence in refusing to allow more telework. The union president, who worked for years at the agency handling sensitive tax information, said he doesn't buy management's claim that confidentiality concerns bar it from doing more to let employees work from home. Years ago the agency held a disaster preparedness exercise in which people took laptops to work from home, Demarest said, and he'd been told that the agency's preparedness plans accounted for that. Not only that, but there have been and are people who work at home with the same type of information, he said. So their arguments that its not doable (due to) confidentiality concerns just to me dont hold up. Lane works at the department as an adjudicator, working with the same information to decide whether to approve claims. He said other agencies and companies around the country allow remote work with confidentiality protections, and have been doing so for years. He suspects that the problem is about what the agency is willing to spend on equipment to make telework possible. But Lane, a lawyer, noted the governor's order doesn't leave agencies much choice but to make remote work happen. The language is "very strong," he said. Safety measure sparks productivity concern Instead of allowing more remote work, the department has split workers up into two shifts at the call centers. The morning shift starts at 5:30 a.m., and second shift runs from 2 to 10:30 p.m. The early morning and late evening hours are not conducive to making phone calls, employee say. And more importantly, the departments mainframe is unavailable from 7 p.m. until the second shift ends meaning nearly half that shift cannot be spent doing the core work of processing claims. Demarest said he's been told employees are far less productive during that time frame: "The workers have told me that there is some catchup stuff that they can do but they were almost through all that, and there really wasn't that much for them to do after the mainframe shut down ... if the system's down, there's not much you can do as far as making progress against all these claims." Krumenauer, however, disagreed: There is a large volume of processing claims that occurs outside of the mainframe. For example, in just one evening this week, we responded to 6,000 e-mails in our unemployment benefits e-mail boxes. We are also pursuing call-back options for people in the evening that have had difficulty reaching us during the day. Though many libraries have sent workers home, with pay, several systems in states like Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado have required at least some staff members to keep coming to work. This has prompted criticism from some librarians, including those whose systems have made different arrangements. People get into librarianship because its a service profession and we want to help people but were not medical professionals or emergency personnel, said Sara Slymon, the director of the Public Library of Brookline, Mass., where branches closed on March 13 and employees were sent home with pay. To say people should come into closed buildings seems to be a violation of the very concept of this quarantine. The office of the Houston mayor, Sylvester Turner, said in a statement that the city understands some employees may be anxious about going to the office during a public health crisis but that city employees are considered essential. Some city employees have been allowed to work from home, if they can effectively do their jobs that way, the mayors office said. If an employee is not approved for telecommuting, they can speak with their supervisor or director about taking a vacation, accrued sick time, or time without pay, to remain at home, the statement added. Otherwise, the City cannot pay employees to stay at home if they are not working. Workers at shuttered libraries have reshelved books or prepared social media content, library employees in several systems said. In Eagle County, Colo., some are involved in one of the many curbside pickup programs that library systems are continuing to operate. The governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, has ordered residents of the state to stay home unless they work in an essential industry like health care or law enforcement. The director of the Eagle Valley Library District, Linda Tillson, said its locations were providing educational resources consistent with an April 6 county order designating libraries as essential. She added that library employees are given gloves, libraries are cleaned, books are disinfected and that there was no direct contact between patrons and staff. [April 14, 2020] Harris Williams Advises SuperOffice on its Pending Majority Investment from Axcel Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces that it is advising SuperOffice on its pending majority investment from Axcel. SuperOffice is a leading Northern European SaaS (News - Alert) CRM provider. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The transaction is being led by Thierry Monjauze and Sylvain Noblet of the Harris Williams Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Group and Michael Osborne of the firm's London office. "It was paramount for the founder's family to find the right 'home' for the company and its employees, and Axcel offers an exciting opportunity to continue establishing a leading position across Northern Europe while maintaining the company's unique culture," said Thierry Monjauze, a managing director at Harris Williams. "The transaction adds to our firm's successful track record executing transactions in the Nordics and more specifically in enterprise software, where we expect to see continued activity despite current market volatility." "We feel privileged to have worked with SuperOffice's management team as they enter into a private equity partnership for the first time, and we are delighted with the outcome for all parties involved, particularly given the current acroeconomic climate," said Sylvain Noblet, a director at Harris Williams. "We look forward to following the company through its next chapter." SuperOffice is a leading provider of cloud-based CRM software to business-to-business companies in Europe. SuperOffice delivers a strong CRM that offers integration to office productivity tools like Office 365 and G Suite; support for automation of marketing, sales and customer service processes; and flexible tools for digital customer engagement. In addition, the SuperOffice App Store offers a wide selection of applications for extending as well as integrating the solution to a wide variety of other business systems. SuperOffice is about to launch generation 9 of their software which will include a new and improved user interface, AI services and a number of general improvements which will benefit the more than 5,500 customers. The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with go-to-market organizations in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K., as well as a customer experience center in Lithuania. Founded in 1994, Axcel is a Nordic private equity firm focusing on middle market companies and has a broad base of both Nordic and international investors. Axcel has raised six funds with total committed capital of just over 2.5 billion. These funds have made 55 platform investments, with almost 100 major add-on investments and 43 exits. Axcel currently owns 12 companies with combined annual revenue of more than 1.3 billion and more than 5,000 employees. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams TMT Group advises leading private and public companies, entrepreneurs, private equity firms and venture capital firms on mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising transactions worldwide. The TMT Group has deep domain expertise in the IT Services, Software/SaaS and Internet & Digital Media segments, with particular emphasis on specific verticals including education technology, data analytics, energy technology, fintech, public sector, and supply chain/logistics-with a dedicated healthcare technology (HCIT) practice. Across verticals, the firm also advises technology services and networking solutions businesses. For more information on the TMT Group and its recent transactions, visit the TMT Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005750/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] President of the National Research Center (NRC) Mohamed Mahmoud Hashem has said that he sees positive indicators for using the Japanese drug Avigan to cure people infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In an official statement released on Tuesday, Hashem added that the NRC is working on studying the effectiveness and safety of more than 70 drugs, including Avigan, in the treatment of coronavirus patients. He went on to say that the NRC administration assigned a number of researchers to develop vaccines or drugs against coronavirus. Hashem asserted that those researchers are funded by the NRC, denying circulated reports about receiving support or finance from any domestic or international entity. Search Keywords: Short link: (Newser) With schools and restaurants closed during the coronavirus pandemic, truck drivers afraid to transport product for fear of catching the virus, and exports slowing to a crawl, the dairy industry is taking a hitand it's forcing farmers to trash their milk supply. "We need you to start dumping your milk," an Illinois dairy farmer tells Reuters was the message to him from a Dairy Farmers of America rep. Dairy products, especially milk, are still in demand at supermarkets; there's often even a ration per customer. But panic buying has decreased in recent days, and that demand for dairy has dropped about "12% to 15% across the entire United States," a DFA spokeswoman tells NBC News. And it's not only a demand issue: The supply chain itself has been upended, meaning dairy farmers simply can't get their perishable product to where it's got to go in time. story continues below Suppliers are also having trouble manufacturing or repackaging milk for retail instead of for wholesale (which is how schools, hotels, and restaurants purchase it)and so milk cooperatives are instructing members to pour out thousands of gallons a day. "You can't shut down cows. You can't turn them off like a faucet," a Wisconsin dairy farmer tells NBC. "Just to see it literally going down the drainit's devastating." The International Dairy Foods Association tells the New York Times that 5% or so of the nation's milk is being thrown out, and that will jump to two times that much if the US is shut down for a few more months. A Texas farmer even asked if he could donate his milk supply, but there aren't available processing plants. It's "a kick in the gut," he tells WFAA. "When I grew up, if you had food on your plate, you better finish it." The Times has more on the "widespread destruction of fresh food" across the nation. (Read more dairy products stories.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 19:42 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e30f0 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Gorontalo,coronavirus Free Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie has vowed to donate his salary for the remaining two years of his term to help residents in his province affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. "There might be children who have lost their fathers or become orphans because of the coronavirus. I give my salary to them," Rusli said last week as quoted by Antara news agency. He added that the virus not only killed people, but also caused them to lose their jobs and incomes. The Gorontalo administration has also allocated Rp 7.8 billion (US$496,128) for COVID-19 mitigation in the region. The funds have been set aside for medical equipment, grants for medical staff and to provide basic necessities for vulnerable groups in society badly hurt by the pandemic. Gorontalo was the last province in Indonesia to report a confirmed COVID-19 case, with its first case announced last Thursday. A number of other governors have also said they would donate either part of or their entire salaries to those affected by the outbreak. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, for example, announced in March that the provincial administration's staff, including himself, would take a pay cut for the next four months. Central Kalimantan Governor Sugianto Sabran also recently vowed to donate his salary and honorarium, totaling approximately 9 million rupiah, for COVID-19 mitigation in the region. Governors earn a monthly base salary of Rp 3 million per month, a position allowance of Rp 5.4 million, plus operational allowances based on a small percentage of the provinces locally generated income. A fatherin America has been dubbed 'dad of the year' after filming himself dressing up in a princess costume with his daughter and singing a song from Frozen together. Aaron Matthews, 34, recorded the video of him and his daughter Cana, three, singing the Frozen song For The First Time In Forever at his home in Aledo, Texas, on April 3. The father-daughter act wore black and green dresses like Anna does in the Disney film. Aaron Matthews, 34, dressed as Anna from Disney's Frozen to sing and dance with his daughter Cana, three, at their home in Aledo, Texas In the video Aaron and Cana can be seen singing along to the song while spinning and dancing around the room. At one point he can be seen picking up Cana and spinning her around in the air. Aaron posted on social media to explain why he put on the dress. He said: Number one: Ill do anything for these girls, Ill do anything to make them laugh make them have a good time and frankly Frozen is her [Cana] absolute favourite show. We watch Frozen and Frozen II kind of on repeat every day. Frozen Fever, Olafs Frozen Adventure, all the Frozens! Number two: Were quarantined, we cant go out and do anything so Im running out of ideas to keep them entertained. First Time In Forever: The DJ is seen lifting his daughter and spinning her in the air at one point in the video The father-daughter act sing and dance along to First Time In Forever. Aaron says it was another way of keeping his daughter entertained during lockdown And number three: people just need to laugh. I love giving people a reason to laugh. Im a DJ and I just love seeing people smile, laugh, have a good time, whatever it is. And so, whatever it is I can do to make people laugh, Im going to do it. The video was originally posted on Facebook and has received 14,000 comments and 116,000 shares. Aaron, who works as a DJ, told Newsflare: Its just a silly dancing video that also shows our mad singing skills, although my daughter stole the show with her gorgeous curls and radiant smile. Some of his fans commented on the video complimenting Aaron on his unique quarantine parenting style. Betty Nix said: This is precious. Great daddy & your princess will always remember. While Jody Smiley said Aaron was basically my dad of the year. I want to meet this man. He is my hero. RAMALLAH, West Bank The Palestinian government is soliciting donations from the private sector and individual citizens for a fund to help deal with the social and health damage caused by the coronavirus outbreak in the Palestinian territories. The Waqfat Izz (Dignified Stand) fund began accepting donations in early April and within hours had received $7 million, officials said, adding that they hope to more than quadruple that figure. The first meeting of the fund's board, which includes 30 businessmen, was held April 6 in Ramallah. Fund director Talal Nasreddine called on the Palestinian private sector, businesses, organizations and individuals in the Palestinian territories and abroad to unite their efforts and donate to support families in need and to overcome the crisis with the least damage possible. The government hopes the fund will be a key financial source to help it bear the financial burden resulting from the coronavirus outbreak. Officials expect a financial crisis this month, as government revenue is expected to drop by more than 50%, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said at a March 29 press conference. As a result, the government adopted an austerity emergency budget. Nasreddine told Al-Monitor, We are banking on our people in the Palestinian territories and abroad to collect funds reaching $30 million that will be allocated to help poor families through the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Health. ... The ongoing spread of the virus portends increasing needs in all sectors. The Ministry of Health will also use the money to fund its medical needs, he added. Any poor family can submit a demand to the Ministry [of Social Development] for help. The ministrys staff then verifies the familys economic situation, and we give them the specified aid from the fund. Within a few hours after donations were launched, the fund collected $7 million. Many businessmen or organizations that had previously announced their intention to donate can now deposit their donations in the funds bank account. The fund's board is communicating with businesses in the Palestinian territories and abroad, and is preparing a media and advertising campaign to encourage citizens to donate, according to Nasreddine, who added that money will be distributed the last week of April, as the monthlong observation of Ramadan begins April 23. Nasreddine stressed that the fund is being monitored to ensure transparency. "We have an external auditor who will scrutinize each financial movement in the account," he said. Regarding the private sectors ability to feed the fund with donations, Nasreddine said, The current business halt and lockdown have taken their toll on the private sector, and its suffering is far from over, amid expected economic setbacks if the coronavirus crisis persists. But, in the end, our people have to help each other. President Mahmoud Abbas announced a state of emergency March 5 when the first cases were reported in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has implemented quarantines and restrictions on movement to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. These measures have hurt businesses, and more than 50,000 Palestinian families have been affected economically. Many families' incomes have now fallen below the poverty line because of the restrictions. Minister of Social Development Ahmad Majdalani told Al-Monitor, The coronavirus pandemic has had economic and social repercussions on the Palestinian territories, and many families have been hit hard by the crisis. We are facing social pressure, with the declining financial capacities of the Palestinian government. During the first month of the coronavirus crisis, 53,000 families needed financial and food aid, he said. That number is expected to double within a month if there arent any positive developments. Osama Amro, secretary of the Private Sector Coordination Council and chairman of the Palestinian Businessmen Association, told Al-Monitor the Waqfat Izz fund shows that the private sector has not given up on its community, and that its contribution, though not a solution, is symbolic. He added, The current crisis outweighs the capacity of the private sector, but the fund will help many poor families in need. He noted that, two months in, weathering the crisis will require billions of dollars. He said the private sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, as most of the sector is based on small businesses run by families or individuals for sustenance. Amro expects the losses of the private sector to exceed $3 billion if the crisis lasts four months, thus affecting all Palestinians. The fund aims to show social solidarity, cooperation and empathy. The target donors are large companies and businesspeople with good finances. The financial crisis in the Palestinian territories will get worse before it gets better in the coming two months for several reasons. The government cannot pay full salaries for its employees, and thousands of Palestinians working in Israel are confined to their homes. Consequently, spending and financial liquidity in markets have dropped, with the strict measures hampering many workers in the local market. This will only widen the circle of poverty and need. (Photo : KCNA on Reuters ) North Korea Shoots Missiles and Fighter Jets Before South Korea Election; Is This a Warning? (Photo : KCNA on Reuters ) North Korea Shoots Missiles and Fighter Jets Before South Korea Election; Is This a Warning? North Korea has done it again. The country led by the infamous Kim Jong Un has reportedly launched another set of missiles now fired in the area of Sea of Japan. Though no harmed personnel were reported, its Southern counterpart said that this could pose as a warning since it was launched a day before South Korea's parliament election. Kim Jong Un launches accuracy-based missiles in Japan amid Coronavirus On Tuesday, Apr. 14, North Korea has fired a set of suspected 'cruise missiles' heading in the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean military. As reported via the Associated Press, the missile firing was seemed to be intentional and leaves a message for all. The firing happened a day before the South Korea rival cast its parliament election. It was also timed before the 108th birthday of its late founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. As of now, South Korea is still investigating the launching, along with the United States army. "South Korea and US intelligence authorities are closely analyzing related issues," the JCS statement said. The projectiles, launched from the town of Munchon, were believed to be cruise missiles. These kinds of weapon missiles were first to launch again by N. Korea since last 2017. South Korea also believed that their North counterpart flew multiple Sukhoi-variant and MiG fighter jets above the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, which fired multiple air-to-ground rockets, a spokesman for the South Korean military told AFP. The missiles flew more than 150 kilometers or 93 miles off the North's east coast, as reported via Al Jazeera. It was also explained that N. Korea would not likely launch short-range missiles like cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles demonstrate destructive power while cruise missiles show accuracy," he told AFP. "Until now North Korea has shown its force, and now it is demonstrating accuracy in striking targets." However, the New York Times reported that N. Korea did not break any rules from the United Nations resolutions since they were banned from launching any ballistic missiles-- not the missiles currently launched in Japan. N. Korea's repeated missile testings while the world worries about Coronavirus There are still no accurate reports on why N. Korea continues to fire missiles towards their neighboring regions. On the other hand, S. Korea is not feeling good at these missile exercises. In the past weeks, the country has seen launching multiple dangerous missiles-- causing an alarm to their Southern rival. Last month, it even fired nine ballistic missiles while their government was under talks with the United States. Until today, Kim Jong Un has not yet reported any cases of Coronavirus in their country. However, other health and security experts see this as a lie to protect the integrity of the Asian nation. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Environmental campaigners have been referred to the UK Home Office's anti-terror 'Prevent' programme amid fears they may become radicalised, it has emerged. Data obtained by 'The Times' newspaper under Freedom of Information laws found at least 45 activists were referred to Prevent over alleged environmental extremism between April 2016 and March last year. The figures come at a time of increased global focus on climate change and environmental issues, with activists such as Extinction Rebellion orchestrating synchronised mass protests around the world. The prominence of teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg has also helped raised the profile of green causes. Allan Hogarth of Amnesty UK said the referral of environmental activists was "deeply concerning". He said: "The government must respect the rights of those peacefully protesting." Asian universities close the gap on U.S. schools in world rankings by increasing STEM funding Despite gains, the imbalance between STEM and humanities, and lack of innovation, set ceiling on growth for Asian universities Asian nations should reframe the question for world-class university development to, How should we distinguish ourselves from our American counterparts? BUFFALO, N.Y. China and South Korea are surging in the international brain race for world-class universities, as schools in the East Asian nations are replacing institutions in the United States in international college rankings, according to new University at Buffalo-led research. The research, which analyzed the effects of government policy on universities across the globe, found that China and Korea raised the number of their universities among the top 500 schools in the world through increased government funding and a focus on developing research programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. However, U.S. universities continue to dominate the top 100 rankings, suggesting limitations to the approach taken by China and South Korea, says Jaekyung Lee, PhD, lead researcher and professor of counseling, school and educational psychology in the UB Graduate School of Education. China has already surpassed Japan in world rankings and is closing the gap with the U.S. fast, says Lee. Yet the Asian catch-up model of building world-class universities relies heavily on government funding and central planning without creating an environment for intellectual autonomy and sustainable innovation. Chinese and Korean schools are hardly seen among the top 100 universities. The model may work better for the early stages of development, but not for the advanced stages that require innovation and leadership. Closing the gap on Western universities For policymakers in many East Asian nations, research universities are viewed as a key driving force for economic development, says Lee. Using U.S. or other Western top-tier research universities as benchmarks, schools in East Asian countries made strategic investments in higher education with a priority toward STEM programs to create their own world-class universities. To examine the effectiveness of the Asian catch-up model, the researchers reviewed the QS World University Rankings from 2008-14 and the Academic Ranking of World Universities from 2003-13. The study, published in March in Educational Research for Policy and Practice, also observed the amount of academic citations a critical factor in ranking methodology and funding spent on university research for the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan. China experienced the largest rise in the number of entries in world rankings. The increase was supported by several government initiatives that poured more than $20 billion in funding into more than 100 institutions. The funds were concentrated in STEM disciplines and fueled a 94% increase in research publications. These universities produced 8.6% of the worlds research citations in 2012, a dramatic rise from 0.8% in 1996. South Korea universities also improved in international rankings, as the nation added three schools to the top 500 lists. To increase the competitiveness of its institutions, South Korea invested $1.2 billion in handpicked university programs, funding graduate student stipends and scholarships, and improving research infrastructure. The country produced 2.2% of the worlds research citations in 2012, quadruple the amount created in 1996. The rise of Chinese and South Korean universities coincided with a drop in the number of Japanese schools in the top 500 rankings. An early employer of the catch-up method, Japans success made it an initial leader in higher education among East Asian countries. During the previous two decades, Japan shifted from university-wide support to the funding of select research programs. Despite a slight increase in government support, Japanese institutions experienced a decrease in citations. The U.S. maintained the highest number of universities in the top 100 and 500 rankings, even with several schools dropping from the lists. Unlike East Asian nations that focused on rankings, research and graduate education, U.S. policy initiatives prioritized undergraduate education with an emphasis on graduation and retention rates and job placement. In fact, the U.S. did not actively compete in the international brain race and few U.S. universities benchmarked themselves against peer institutions in other nations, says Lee. U.S. federal and state governments continue to invest billions of dollars in university research, but the U.S.s percentage of the worlds academic citations were nearly halved between 1996-2012, falling from 41% to 24%. Stronger growth in China may be attributed to its strategy of lifting whole universities, whereas Japan and South Korea concentrated funding on select research programs, says Lee. Japans progress may also have been limited by the maturation of its higher education system and weaker financial incentives. In spite of the rapid growth in university rankings by Chinese and Korean universities, progress was limited to the second and third tiers, says Lee. This finding might be related to the diminishing returns between citations and rankings. South Korea and China may fall into the trap of benchmarking, following Japans suit if they fail to evolve from the catch-up model to first mover strategies for leading innovations. Limitations of STEM Although the development of STEM programs helped East Asian universities rise in international rankings, concentrating funding on STEM programs typically harmed institutional success. China, South Korea and Japan are outliers, says Lee. Chinas government allocated 100% of its research funding to top universities with concentrations on STEM disciplines, whereas South Korea and Japan allotted 62% and 35%, respectively. In contrast, the U.S. universities in the top 100 rankings were more likely to have a greater balance in funding between STEM fields, the humanities and social sciences. An underlying cause of the imbalance, says Lee, may be the language barriers and biases that restrict access to international scholarly networks and journals for non-English speakers in non-STEM fields. Asian nations should reframe the question for world-class university development to, How should we distinguish ourselves from our American counterparts? says Lee. This strategic differentiation is more likely to create winwin results when each nation pursues more comprehensive yet distinctive world-class universities. Then, the challenge is not so much catching up with established leaders as distinguishing from ones peers. Additional investigators include Keqiao Liu, PhD, at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in China, and Yin Wu, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at McGill University in Canada. A swarm of insects have descended upon a beach along the Yorkshire coast in their thousands. The insects, which are speculated to be the European Chafer Beetle, mysteriously appeared along parts of the beach at Cayton Bay, near Scarborough, on Monday. Sue Weatherill, who lives close to the site, had been doing her one hour of exercise along along the coast when she noticed what appeared to be 'tiny little seed pods'. However upon closer inspection, Ms Wetherwill discovered the unusual 'pods' were in fact beetles with wings. The swarm of insect mysteriously appeared along parts of the beach at Cayton Bay, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire The insects were seen covering large sections of the Yorkshire beach on Monday She said: 'I was out doing my hour exercise and I walked along the beach and could see what looked like tiny little seed pods. 'It was unusual for that beach - I've never actually seen anything like that before but when you actually looked closer they were sort of like beetles and had wings. 'I posted it when I got home and saw other people had seen similar things on that bay and up the coast. It seems to be the east coast. 'I was more stunned realising they were living creatures. There were just masses and masses of them. 'Usually you see seaweed left behind by the tide and from a distance that's what it looks like and as you approach you think 'what are these?' 'It's totally different to anything I've seen down there.' While some have speculated the insects could be the Lochmaea suturalis, which are native to north-west Europe, a statement released by the Scarborough and Burniston Coastguard Rescue Team said the strange insects appeared to be the European Chafer Beetle. Sue Weatherill noticed what appeared to be 'tiny little seed pod' before realising the insects were in fact beetles with wings On Tuesday, the Scarborough and Burniston Coastguard Rescue Team said large numbers of European Chafer Beetles had washed up on a few beaches around Scarborough The insects mysteriously appeared along parts of the beach on Monday and the Coastguard Counter Pollution team have been informed so the source can be investigated On Tuesday, the Scarborough and Burniston Coastguard Rescue Team said: 'Yesterday afternoon whilst the team were on a coastal patrol, a member of the public alerted them to something strange on the beach. 'It appears that a large number of European Chafer Beetles have washed up on a few beaches around Scarborough. 'The Coastguard Counter Pollution team have been informed so the source can be investigated.' Adult chafer beetles, which belong to the Scarabaeidae family, are usually a light reddish-brown colour and typically 13-14mm long. The beetles, which were formerly only found in Europe but are now also found in parts of North America too, typically feed on the foliage of plants. [April 14, 2020] Lumiata Brings AI to the Forefront with COVID-19 Global AI Hackathon SAN MATEO, Calif., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumiata uses artificial intelligence to address the cost and risk of healthcare for customers. As the provider of an AI-powered platform and models for the healthcare industry, Lumiata accelerates its focus on the world's most pressing issue, COVID-19, with the Lumiata COVID-19 Global AI Hackathon. Lumiata COVID-19 Global AI Hackathon Lumiata invites data scientists, machine learning practitioners, developers, health IT professionals, public health experts and others around the globe, to participate in the hackathon and address current challenges posed by COVID-19 and/or the future impact of COVID-19 on global healthcare. All hackathon entries will be judged by a panel recognized AI thought leaders from across the globe. Aneesh Chopra President, Care Journey Former United States CTO Obama Administration Edward Frenkel Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Author, Love and Math Chris Gough General Manager, Intel Health & Life Sciences Aashima Gupta Global Director, Healthcare Solutions Google Cloud Junling Hu Founder and CTO, Question.ai Author, The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Vinod Khosla Founder, Khosla Ventures Katherine Klein Edward H. Bowman Professo Vice-Dean, Wharton Social Impact Initiative Bill Lucia Chairman & CEO, HMS Severence M. MacLaughlin Managing Director, DeLorean Artificial Intelligence Lisa Suennen Leader, Manatt Digital and Technology Leader, Venture Capital/Emerging Companies Practice "Data is fuel, an asset in today's healthcare world, where AI helps develop solutions that address cost and risk to improve patient outcomes," said Dilawar Syed, CEO of Lumiata. Syed explained that the potential to use AI for COVID-19 solutions led to the hackathon. Ideas for these potential solutions, judging criteria, data requirements and sources, judging panel and other information appear on the COVID-19 Global AI Hackathon website. Winners will be announced on May 8 with winning solutions hosted on the Lumiata AI platform with full credit to the developer. "We designed the hackathon to encourage the many talented minds across the globe to address the challenges of COVID-19 using AI," said Syed. "These talented experts can develop their own ideas using AI to address the challenges of this public health crisis." Visit the Lumiata COVID-19 Global AI Hackathon page for more information and to register. Follow the hackathon at #LumiataCOVID19. About Lumiata Lumiata delivers solutions to meet the needs of public and private health care for today and tomorrow. Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Lumiata is an Artificial Intelligence company purpose-built for the healthcare industry. Powered by over 100 million patient data records, clinical, risk, and financial algorithms, Lumiata employs some of the nation's leading data science and machine learning talent. Lumiata enriches payers' and providers' analytic and predictive capabilities with tools and pre-trained models that help to manage healthcare costs and risk. For more information, visit lumiata.com or follow @lumiata on Twitter. For Lumiata inquiries, please contact: Jessica McCarthy Vice President of Marketing [email protected] (415) 350-7118 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lumiata-brings-ai-to-the-forefront-with-covid-19-global-ai-hackathon-301040121.html SOURCE Lumiata [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] - A citizen of Tarlac wearing a full Spider-Man costume became a hero of his neighbors after he gave them aid amid the enhanced community quarantine - The guy behind the mask, Estefred Cordero, Jr. distributed relief goods in a subdivision in Tarlac, Victoria - His photos showing his kind deed also went viral all over social media - Estefred, a photographer, then penned a Facebook post thanking those who appreciated his act PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Due to the extended community quarantine imposed on the whole island of Luzon, the affected families fear of getting hungry also got prolonged. To help his neighbors who lost their livelihoods because of the lockdown, a citizen of Tarlac wearing a full Spider-Man costume distributed relief goods in a subdivision in Victoria. In a report by GMA News Online, the guy behind the mask was Estefred Cordero, Jr., a photographer. His photos showing his kind deed also went viral all over social media, where many netizens called him a real-life superhero. In the photos, his neighbors were seen smiling while receiving his aid. According to a report by TV Patrol, his food packs include hotdogs, vegetables, pancit-mami, and eggs. Estefred then penned a Facebook post, thanking those who appreciated his act. Sa lahat po ng nakapansin at naka-appreciate po sa nagawa ni #Spiderman taos puso po kaming nagpapasalamat! Sana ay marami pong nainspire sa nagawa namin at marami po ang makagawa ng mabuti at makatulong din sa ating mga kapwa, he posted. Humihingi po ng tulong si Spiderman sa inyo na patuloy po kayong manalangin sa ating Panginoon na tayo po ay gabayan at lalo pang patatagin upang malabanan at malagpasan natin ang pagsubok na ito. Wag po sana kayong sumuko sa laban nating ito. Muli Maraming maraming salamat po! Estefred wrote. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In a previous report by KAMI, two children from Cainta, Rizal proved that the gesture of genuinely lending a hand to those in need is more important than the amount of help after they offered their savings to contribute to the citys efforts during the lockdown. At present, the Philippines is under a state of calamity while the entire Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease outbreak. Please like and share our amazing to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Are you also wondering how you can render help to frontliners? One Filipino, Pio, was able to find ways to help them out. You will see his unique and effective means in the video we created especially for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh Kansas City Southern KSU is scheduled to report first-quarter 2020 earnings numbers on Apr 17, before the market opens. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys first-quarter earnings has been revised downward by 2.9% over the past 60 days. However, it has an impressive earnings history, having outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average being 4.7%. Lets see whether the company is able to repeat its success story in the first quarter as well. Factors Likely at Play The already low volumes due to freight softness are likely to have declined further in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. While sluggish U.S. market might have weighed on intermodal volumes, unscheduled plant shutdown might have affected volumes at the automotive unit. Meanwhile, weaknesses in the crude oil and frac sand might reflect on energy volumes. Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for carloads (volumes) in the intermodal segment suggests a 7.1% decline from the fourth-quarter 2019 reported figure. The same for automotive volumes indicates a 10.5% slip from the previous quarters reported figure. Additionally, the consensus mark for energy volumes implies a 10.8% decrease from the sequential quarters reported number. However, improved operational efficiency, courtesy of the precision scheduled railroading model, is expected to have aided overall performance. Consistent cost-reduction efforts are also likely to get reflected in the companys earnings as well as in its operating ratio (operating expenses as a percentage of revenues). Notably, lower the value of operating ratio, the better. Kansas City Southern Price and EPS Surprise Kansas City Southern Price and EPS Surprise Kansas City Southern price-eps-surprise | Kansas City Southern Quote Earnings Whispers The proven Zacks model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Kansas City Southern this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that is not the case here as elaborated below. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Earnings ESP: Kansas City Southern has an Earnings ESP of -0.61% as the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $1.68, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Kansas City Southern carries a Zacks Rank #3. Highlights of Q4 Earnings In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 0.6%. The bottom line also improved 17% year over year on the back of better operational performance. Although, total revenues increased 5.1% owing to strong performances at the Chemicals and Petroleum and the Agriculture & Minerals units, the top line fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Stocks to Consider Investors interested in the broader Transportation sector may consider Ardmore Shipping Corporation ASC, Scorpio Tankers Inc. STNG and Landstar System, Inc. LSTR as these stocks possess the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle. Ardmore Shipping has an Earnings ESP of +37.93% and a Zacks Rank #2. Scorpio Tankers has an Earnings ESP of +1.60% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Landstar has an Earnings ESP of +0.44% and is also a #3-Ranked player. The company will release first-quarter earnings numbers on Apr 22. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kansas City Southern (KSU) : Free Stock Analysis Report Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ardmore Shipping Corporation (ASC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Scorpio Tankers Inc. (STNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Chinas exports fell in March but at slower pace than the 17 percent contraction seen in January-February as the CCP virus shutdown paralyzed much business activity. Exports sank 6.6 percent from a year earlier to $185.1 billion, an improvement over the 17.2 percent contraction in January and February, customs data showed on April 14. Imports declined 0.4 percent to $165.2 billion, recovering from a 4 percent fall in January and February after Beijing started reopening factories and stores. Exports to the United States fell 20.8 percent from last year to $25.2 billion while imports of American goods declined 12.6 percent to $9.9 billion. Chinas politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States was $15.3 billion, accounting for three-quarters of its global surplus of $19.9 billion. The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive Chinese industries, but their key export markets in the United States and Europe have closed stores and told shoppers to stay home. The recovery in exports is likely to be short-lived, Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. Foreign demand will slump this quarter as COVID-19 weighs on economic activity outside of China. Trade was poised for a boost after Beijing and Washington removed punitive tariffs on some of each others goods in a truce signed in January. But that was offset by Chinese anti-virus controls that shut down much of the worlds second-largest economy in late January. The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive industry after declaring victory over the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that emerged in central China in December. Factories, shopping malls, restaurants and office buildings have reopened, but anti-disease controls including fever checks still are in place. The global economy faces mounting downward pressure. Uncertainties are on the rise, said a customs agency statement. Chinas foreign trade is encountering bigger difficulties. In the first three months of the year, exports tumbled 13.3 percent to $478.2 billion. Imports were off 2.9 percent at $465 billion. Measured by volume, Chinese imports rose more than the financial figures indicated due to declining prices for oil and other commodities. Oil imports rose 5 percent from a year earlier, natural gas increased 1.8 percent and iron ore gained 1.3 percent, a customs spokesman, Li Kuiwen, at a news conference. Soybean imports rose 6.2 percent from a year earlier to 17.8 million tons, Li said. Li did not say what share of the total was from the United States. Soybeans are the biggest U.S. export to China. Beijing temporarily suspended purchases due to their tariff war but resumed them late last year. Chinese imports usually surge after the Lunar New Year holiday as factories restock after shutting down for two weeks or longer. This years rebound was postponed since the holiday was extended by at least one weekmore in some placesto keep factories and offices closed as authorities tried to contain the spread of the CCP virus. Until the CCP virus outbreak, Chinese trade had been unexpectedly resilient despite Beijings tariff war with President Donald Trump over its technology ambitions and trade surplus. Last years exports rose 0.5 percent over 2018. China told exporters to pursue other markets in Asia, Europe and Africa after Trump slapped punitive duties on their goods starting in 2018. Beijing retaliated by raising tariffs on American soybeans and other goods. Some of those penalties were rolled back after the two sides signed a Phase 1 agreement in January. Washington canceled additional planned tariff hikes and Beijing promised to buy more American farm exports. By Joe McDonald NTD staff contributed to this report. OAKLAND (BCN) In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has killed tens of thousands and slowed international trade, the Port of Oakland is expected to welcome one of the world's largest cargo ships this week. The 1,312-foot-long MSC Anna is scheduled to dock at Oakland's International Container Terminal on Thursday with a load of empty containers it is picking up in Southern California, according to port officials. It will spend 24 hours in port unloading the containers and then taking on exports. The ship can hold 19,200 20-foot cargo containers, making it one of the largest vessels ever to visit a North American port, according to port officials. "We've spent years and millions of dollars keeping ahead of the pace of trade and the size of ships," said Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan. In order to accommodate massive mega-ships like the MSC Anna, the port has spent the past 10 years dredging waterways and raising container cranes. Ships of this size also require special handling by the local bar pilots who take command of vessels entering the San Francisco Bay in order to bring them safely back and forth to their berths. "The San Francisco Bay is one of the most challenging pilotage grounds in the world and safely piloting these huge ships requires expertise and significant training," said Capt. Joseph Long, president of the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association. Long said preparations for the MSC Anna's arrival included computer simulations run at the California State University Maritime Academy in Vallejo. The ship's arrival coincides with a substantial drop in international trade as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide efforts to slow its spread. The World Trade Organization reported last week that it expects the decline to exceed the slump caused by the global financial crisis of 2008 and could fall by as much as 32 percent in 2020. Yesterday, the Port of Oakland reported that its loaded container volume declined 7.4 percent in March compared to the same period last year. Import volume dropped 10.3 percent compared to March 2019 and exports were down 5 percent, according to the port. The return of empty containers to Asian markets decreased 23 percent and total volume -- which combines all three measures -- declined 11 percent, according to the port. 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. Network or graph is a mathematical description of the internal structure between components in a complex system, such as connections between neurons, interactions between proteins, contacts between individuals in a crowd, and interactions between users in online social platform. The links in most real networks change over time, and such networks are often called temporal networks. The temporality of links encodes the ordering and causality of interactions between nodes and has a profound effect on neural network function, disease propagation, information aggregation and recommendation, emergence of cooperative behavior, and network controllability. More and more researches have focuses on mining the patterns in a temporal network and predicting its future evolution, using machine learning techniques, especially graph neural networks. However, how to quantify the predictability limit of a temporal network, i.e. the limit that no algorithm can go beyond, is still an open question. Recently, a research team led by Xianbin Cao with Beihang University, Beijing, and Gang Yan at Tongji University, Shanghai, published a paper entitled Predictability of real temporal networks in National Science Review and proposed a framework for quantifying the predictability of temporal networks based on the entropy rate of random fields. The authors mapped any given network to a temporality-topology matrix, and then extended the classic entropy rate calculation (that is only applicable to square matrices) to arbitrary matrices through regression operators. The significant advantages of this temporal-topological predictability were validated in two typical models of temporal networks. Applying the method to calculate the predictability of 18 real networks, the authors found that in different types of real networks, the contributions of topology and temporality to network predictability are significantly variable; Although the theoretical baseline and difficulty of temporal-topological predictability are much higher than that of one-dimensional time series, the temporal-topological predictabilities of most real networks are still higher than that of time series. The predictability limit calculated in this research is an intrinsic property of temporal networks, i.e. is independent of any predictive algorithm, hence it can also be used to measure the possible space of improving predictive algorithms. The authors examined three widely used predictive algorithms and found that the performance of these algorithms is significantly lower than the predictive limits in most real networks, suggesting the necessity of new predictive algorithms that take into account both temporal and topological features of networks. ### This research is partially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. See the article: Disheng Tang, Wenbo Du, Louis Shekhtman, Yijie Wang, Shlomo Havlin, Xianbin Cao and Gang Yan Predictability of real temporal networks National Science Review https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa015 The National Science Review is the first comprehensive scholarly journal released in English in China that is aimed at linking the country's rapidly advancing community of scientists with the global frontiers of science and technology. The journal also aims to shine a worldwide spotlight on scientific research advances across China. Dublin software group CX Academy has expanded into the Asian market. The company, which provides online diploma and certificate courses in customer experience, has signed an agreement with RemarkAPAC - a Singapore-based sales and marketing representation firm - which will see its courses offered locally. It plans to grow further across the Asia-Pacific region over the next 12 months. The CX Academy was launched last year by CX Company chairman Michael Killeen and online specialist Julian Douglas. Mr Douglas described the Singapore agreement as "a significant milestone in the company's expansion". "We're confident that the Asian market will be receptive to the university credit-rated diploma and certificate courses we've developed," he said. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Mr Douglas said there have been some signs of an economic recovery in Asia. "One of the key learnings which has emerged from the current crisis for companies is the importance of effective online strategies. That's where CX insights can have a huge impact, because your online must have a human touch," he said. The business today employs 11 staff and supports five contractors. CX Academy has raised more than 750,000 from private investors and is backed by Enterprise Ireland. The company is currently delivering courses to graduates in 25 countries, including the UK, Germany and the US. Its clients include Oracle, AXA insurance, IKEA and ING Bank. BarcelonaAnabel Casas is a clerk who works in a company that imports IT hardware and is one of the nearly one million Catalans who will be going back to work this Tuesday, following the Spanish governments decision to ease the lockdown restrictions. Ms Casas employer is classed as a non-essential service provider, one of many which are now being allowed to get back to work after the eight-day paid leave to be made up came to an end on Thursday. But she will only be going back to work on a part-time basis, as her working hours will be cut by 50 percent from Tuesday as a result of the temporary work contract suspension (ERTO) filed by her employer. Truth be told, Im not looking forward to going back to work in the current circumstances. I feel like I do whenever I must step out of the house to shop for food, she says. Her company has split the staff up into shorter shifts than usual and will provide them with masks, gloves and hand sanitiser. There is a one-and-a-half metre distance between staff at work, says Casas. That is the separation that the Catalan authorities have established by law so that workers can stay safe from the coronavirus. The Chamber of Commerce has estimated that between 800,000 and 1m workers will be going back to work on Tuesday, the exceptions being staff who have been laid off, are on sick leave, teleworking or must remain on lockdown. The two sectors with the largest workforce returning to work are industry and construction, even though transport, logistics and office workers like Ms Casas will also be going back in droves. Spanish trade union UGT expects 200,000 construction workers to go back to work on Tuesday. Architect Carlos Hernandez will be joining them. He is currently working on a project in Palafolls and Mataro, north of Barcelona city. He says that luckily there arent many of us on the building site and so we will be able to keep the safety distance. Besides, well be wearing masks and gloves. Unlike Ms Casas, who was furloughed and is expected to make that time up, Mr Hernandez has carried over eight days from his 2019 holiday entitlement. He admits that before the total lockdown my daughters used to get on my case because Id be going to work. But, to be honest, Im more afraid of shopping in the supermarket than jumping in the car to commute to the construction site and back. He insists that there arent many of us there and things are very much under control. However, not the whole construction sector has been allowed to return to work. A decree published last Sunday by the Spanish government in Spains official gazette, the BOE (Boletin Oficial del Estado), forbids any construction work in buildings where there are other people who are not themselves involved in the construction project. Likewise, the Catalan government have announced that only urgent public works will resume. Catalonias Employment Minister, Chakir El Homrani, has insisted that the Catalan government does not approve of the decision to send so many employees back to work. We do not endorse it, but we will have to deal with it, he stated. And he went on to note that only 160 employment inspectors will be available to ensure that companies comply with health and safety standards. He admitted that they are aware of the shortage of inspectors. The two main trade unions, CCOO and UGT, have warned that only those workers who can safely commute to work and can be guaranteed a sanitary workplace should be expected to return to their jobs. Camil Ros, the leader of UGT in Catalonia, stated that companies should not expect staff to return to work unless their personal safety can be guaranteed. Catalan union Intersindical-CSC slammed the decision to ease the lockdown and called it reckless and proof that the Spanish government cares more about the economy and their motherland than about public health. As for employers groups, the president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sanchez Llibre, spoke in favour of non-essential companies resuming their activities. In a TV interview with Catalan public broadcaster TV3 he warned that we need to brace ourselves for whats coming, but he did emphasise that the return to work must be done safely. Pimec spoke along similar lines. In contrast, the president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Joan Candell, was much more critical and he pointed out that people shouldnt be expected to go back to work if test kits and masks arent readily available on the day. Specific protocols A number of sectors that are reopening this Tuesday have put together a protocol to prevent the spread of the virus in the workplace. A case in point are the automotive and construction industries. In the case of the former, employers groups have explained that, even though the safety of their workforce is their priority, they cannot allow this human and public health tragedy to become, in the mid term, a catastrophe for the economy and society. Their protocol includes measuring staffs temperature on arrival, plus rules to sort out the coming and going of workers and the enforcement of a safety distance. They also detail safety measures to manage common areas, such as the canteen and changing rooms, as well as the obligation to clean and sanitise facilities. In the construction sector, employers and unions have agreed to take a number of actions, such as setting turns to enter the premises, working through midday so staff can get off earlier, adding breaks to rest and more stringent sanitation measures. Furthermore, they intend to use respirators whenever two workers must be within less than two metres of each other. The one million workers returning to their jobs will be joining the 1.3 million employed in essential activities who were never furloughed. The rest of the workforce must remain on lockdown for now. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Mostly sunny and bitterly cold. It will feel like it's in the single digits and low teens.. Tonight Partly cloudy and extremely cold. Wind chills around or below 0 degrees. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 20:45 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e6d62 1 Entertainment K-Pop-idols,BTS,K-Pop-stars,K-pop,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Tokopedia Free A worldwide phenomenon, K-Pop group BTS has sent a touching message as the ambassador of online shopping platform Tokopedia for all Indonesians who are currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform released on its official Instagram account @tokopedia on Tuesday a 36-second video featuring all seven members of BTS delivering their messages in English, Korean as well as Indonesian. "We know this is a difficult situation for all of us," team leader Kim Namjoon known by his stage name RM started in English. "We would like to share happiness with all of you," member Jin added in Korean. "However, this is the best for all of us now," the youngest, Jungkook said. "You are not alone," said J-Hope. "We stand together," Suga added. Both V and Jimin delivered their message in Indonesia, with the former saying jaga jarak dulu (keep physical distance) and the latter saying jaga Indonesia (protect Indonesia). The post gained more than 29,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments within the first hour after it was posted on Tuesday afternoon. "Tokopedia and with BTS send our support and advice to the Indonesian people as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic," Tokopedia wrote in the post's caption. "Don't be afraid, stay at home and continue physical distancing." Fans responded positively to the video message and expressed their gratitude to both BTS and the online shopping platform. Within the first hour of its release, hashtag #TokopediaxBTS was a top trending topic among Indonesian Twitter users and ranked fifth on Twitters worldwide trends. Meanwhile, hashtag #JagaIndonesia, which was also featured in the video, was also trending at number three in Indonesia. Tokopedia named BTS as its ambassador in October last year. A photo taken from the roof of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant shows a distant forest fire in the exclusion zone. (AP) Wildfires raging in the radiation-contaminated area near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have been extinguished although grass is still smouldering in some areas, Ukrainian officials have said. Hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft have been battling several forest fires around Chernobyl for the past 10 days. They contained the initial blazes, but new fires raged closer to the decommissioned plant. Emergencies Service chief Mykola Chechetkin reported to president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that rain helped firefighters put out the flames, but acknowledged it would take a few more days to extinguish smouldering grass. A Geiger counter shows increased radiation level against the background of the forest fire burning near the village of Volodymyrivka in the exclusion zone. (AP) Chechetkin said emergency workers have prevented the fire from engulfing radioactive waste depots and other facilities in Chernobyl. The emergencies service said radiation levels in the capital Kyiv, about 60 miles south of the plant, are within norms. On Monday, activists warned that the blazes were getting dangerously close to waste storage facilities. Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, a member of the public council under the state agency in charge of the closed zone around the plant, said one fire was raging just over a mile from one of the radioactive waste depots. A checkpoint on the edge of the exclusion zone. (AP) Last week, officials said they tracked down a man suspected of triggering the blaze by setting dry grass on fire in the area. The 27-year-old said he burned grass for fun and then failed to extinguish the fire when the wind caused it to spread quickly. On Monday, police said another local resident burned waste and accidentally set dry grass ablaze, triggering another devastating forest fire. They said he failed to report the fire to the authorities. The 1,000 square mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was established after the April 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave. Blazes in the area have been a regular occurrence. Story continues They often start when residents set dry grass on fire in the early spring a widespread practice in Ukraine, Russia and some other ex-Soviet nations that often leads to devastating forest fires. The 1,000 square mile Chernobyl exclusion zone was established after the April 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave. The Concord Township man accused of murdering two Euclid residents in the township in early January was arraigned on 18 charges April 14 in Lake County Common Pleas Court. Blake Sargi, 27, is accused in the Jan. 3 shooting deaths of Heavenly Goddess Murphy-Jackson, 38, and William Larondez Jackson Jr., 39. Sargi was indicted April 10 by a Lake County grand jury on four counts of aggravated murder and four counts of murder. All eight of those charges are unclassified felonies. Additionally, Sargi was charged with four counts of first-degree felony aggravated robbery, four counts of second-degree felony robbery, and two counts of fourth-degree felony aggravated drug trafficking. According to the indictment, Sargi is accused of drug trafficking between Oct. 1, 2019, and Jan. 4, which was the date of his arrest. All counts but the drug trafficking charges carry firearm specifications that carry three-year mandatory prison terms if he is found guilty. Sargi was arraigned by Judge John P. ODonnell, who continued his bond at $10 million with a 10 percent option. Sargi has been free on bond since a family member posted a $1 million cashiers check Jan. 7. ODonnell also continued the terms of Sargis bond. Those terms include GPS monitoring. He is also prohibited from having contact with the victims families and witnesses. He is also prohibited from committing further acts of violence. Lake County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno said at a Jan. 6 news conference that dispatchers received a call shortly after 11 p.m., Jan. 3, from Sargis stepmother. She said her stepson had shot and killed two people. She said the victims were in a white vehicle parked on Andrea Drive in Concord Township. Leonbruno said at the news conference that deputies were immediately dispatched. Due to the nature of the call and threat of armed violence, the Lake County Sheriffs Office SWAT team was dispatched. When deputies arrived in the 7500 block of Andrea Drive they found the two victims inside of a 2019 White GMC Yukon. Leonbruno said both appeared to have been shot in the head and were dead. They were in the front drivers side and front passenger seat of the vehicle. Deputies secured that scene; detectives and the Lake County coroner were called. Other deputies responded to the Oakridge Drive home where Sargi lives with his mother. Leonbruno said the father came out of the home and told authorities the mother was trying to convince Sargi to come out of the house and she feared what would happen to him. After a SWAT negotiation, Sargi gave himself up to law enforcement and was arrested. Sargis case has been assigned to Judge Pat Condon. I told him to stay calm. He was afraid. His dad died on the same floor. I begged them to be able to be in the room with him, she said. The doctors refused because of the risk of infection, but a few hours later she got a call telling her to hurry to the hospital. By the time she arrived, he was gone. The buses left Aurora in half-hour intervals to give an awaiting crew in Schaumburg time to admit the hotels new guests in an orderly way. There, each resident was assigned a room where they will stay in isolation for at least two weeks. Boxed meals paid for by the state will be delivered three times a day to their rooms and laundry will be picked up and cleaned for them, said Hesed House Managing Director Joe Jackson, all in an attempt to prevent what officials say would be the inevitable spread of COVID-19 in such tight living quarters. The Congress on Tuesday termed as rhetoric and hollow on specifics the prime minister's address to the nation, saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country," he said on Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the PM's address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. "Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue," he asked. He said the PM be assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and willstrictly observe lockdown. "After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle india and MSMEs," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of New Mexicos all Democratic congressional delegation are rallying around their partys likely presidential nominee former vice president Joe Biden now that he remains the only major party challenger for President Donald Trump. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall was the first member of the delegation to make his endorsement known, making the announcement on Twitter shortly after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race last Wednesday. His Senate colleague, Martin Heinrich, soon followed, as did Congresswoman Deb Haaland. Now more than ever we need a leader that cares for working families, believes in science and puts the American people first. The leader we need is Joe Biden, Heinrich said in a Facebook post. My whole career, Ive fought for universal health care, a minimum wage increase, and affordable housing. Today Im proud to endorse @JoeBiden for President because he cares about all of those issues, Haaland posted on Twitter. Haaland originally endorsed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and hit the campaign trail with her in Iowa, New Hampshire and other states before Warren dropped out of the race after the Super Tuesday primaries on March 3. In announcing his support, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan said, Vice President Biden is a person of character and compassion and will bring us together. Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small indicated to the Journal she wasnt ready to make an endorsement at this time. She said she was more focused on making sure that New Mexico residents and businesses received the support they needed to get through the COVID-19 outbreak. We still have several months to focus on the election, she said. Larry Behrens, western states director for the energy advocacy group Power The Future, criticized Udalls endorsement. As New Mexico grapples with massive unemployment, it is shocking Sen. Udall would endorse a candidate running on a radical economic platform that would further devastate our economy, he said in a statement to the Journal. Behrens mentioned statements by Biden during his final debate against Sanders that he would support bans on drilling on federal lands and off shore drilling by the oil and gas industry. He also indicated he would support a ban on fracking, which was being pushed by Sanders. Those statements would likely be issues on the campaign trail in the U.S. Senate race and the 2nd Congressional District race, which includes part of the oil-rich Permian Basin, which pumps billions of dollars into the states economy. HOUSE GOP-BACKED GROUP POURING MONEY INTO NM RACE: The Congressional Leadership Fund has booked $1.1 million in advertisements against Torres Small in the 2nd Congressional District race. The race is one of 35 the group is targeting in hopes of returning the House to Republican control. It is spending more than $43 million overall. The district in the southern part of the state had been traditionally been held by Republicans until Torres Small won the seat with about a 3,000-vote margin over former Republican state Rep. Yvette Herrell. This is the first-step towards holding Congresswoman Torres Small accountable for the far-left record shes adopted since the day she set foot in Congress, CLF spokesman Will Reinert said. From Torres Smalls vote to impeach President Trump and selling out New Mexicos oil and gas workers, its clear Torres Smalls radical views just dont line up with her constituents. The race is the most expensive of the three congressional races in the state with the candidates themselves raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their fundraising totals are due into the Federal Election Commission for the first quarter of the year on Wednesday. Scott Turner: sturner@abqjournal.com When Gov. Tom Wolf issued a stay-at-home order for Philadelphia-area residents on March 23, Julie Peticca braced herself for a deluge of calls to the Montgomery County suicide prevention hotline. Peticca, the director of crisis intervention at Montgomery County Emergency Service Inc., knew that isolation could exacerbate mental health issues, especially for people with depression and anxiety. The first two weeks were quieter than she expected. But then the calls flooded in. On one day in March, Peticca said her team received 25 calls more than double the centers daily average. People dealt with not having access to their usual coping mechanisms OK for the first few weeks, but now were settling into a longer situation," Peticca said. "Were seeing the impact of the loss of human touch. Other suicide hotlines across the country are experiencing similar patterns. A Los Angeles mental health clinic reported 1,800 COVID-19 related calls in March, compared with just 20 in February. Montanas Department of Public Health and Human Services said it has seen calls double since March 13. On April 1, Pennsylvania created a toll-free 24-hour support line for people struggling with anxiety from the pandemic. The line has taken more than 2,000 calls since its launch. Now the calls seem to be shifting from pragmatic information to discussions about mental health. People are struggling with isolation and feeling depressed," said Kristen Houser, the deputy secretary for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. "We fully expect behavioral health needs to increase as the situation goes on. While social distancing is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19, experts have cautioned that it can greatly strain mental health. Previous research has shown that large-scale disasters lead to increases in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and other mental and behavioral disorders. In an article published in JAMA Psychiatry on Monday, researchers warned that the numbers of death by suicide in the United States and coronavirus could create a perfect storm for increased risk. In Philadelphia, calls to suicide hotlines have increased about 10% in the last few weeks, said Omoiye Kinney, the communications director at the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), which oversees two hotlines one national and one local. But she said that many of the calls are related to COVID-19. People are calling because of things that are causing them anxiety and stress, like losing their jobs, social isolation, and domestic situations, Kinney said. We cant anticipate whether the number of calls will go up or down that depends on the progression of the pandemic but the reasons have shifted. In Delaware County, there has been a 20% to 30% increase in calls to the suicide prevention hotline, said Kevin Caputo, chair of psychiatry at Crozer-Keystone Health System, which operates the hotline. Many of the calls are very specific to fear over COVID-19, he said. People are afraid of contamination, losing their jobs, and their loved ones getting sick. Weve seen a number of voluntary admissions of people to the crisis center, he said. There was an increase in visits by about 20% when this health crisis hit." After the stay-at-home order was issued, Caputo said, the crisis center saw a decrease of inpatients as phone volume ticked up. Because many coping strategies, such as hanging out with friends or visiting the gym, have been altered, mental health symptoms will likely get worse, he said. For example, mild depressive symptoms that can be treated with therapy can turn into clinical depression, which requires medication. And while nearly everyone is worried right now, those feelings of apprehension can manifest into severe anxiety disorders for some. Even after the quarantine is lifted, Caputo expects to see mental health symptoms that emerged during the pandemic for years to come. But reaching out for help now can mitigate some of the damage, he said. With any medical issue, the sooner you deal with it, the better the prognosis, Caputo said. In psychiatry, untreated illness can take on a life of its own. The earlier you catch something, the easier it will be to treat. Colleen Reichmann, a Philadelphia psychologist, said loneliness and hopelessness, which many people are experiencing right now, are two main risk factors for suicide. Many psychologists and therapists are offering sessions for free or extremely reduced rates because theyre so concerned about this, she said. Theres a constant fear thats simmering in the background, about the economic toll this is going to take, how long social distancing is going to go on, she said. Thats really detrimental to mental health. Reichmann said mental health experts are particularly concerned about people who live alone or have preexisting mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders or eating disorders. But shes hopeful that conversations surrounding mental health will allow us to get ahead of things and hopefully stop the escalation. Open conversations about how people are feeling during the pandemic are really important, she said. If theres no opportunity to hear about other peoples experiences, to hear someone say, Me, too, about the things youre struggling with, it can really exacerbate things. Thats the kind of antidote to the feelings that can contribute to being suicidal. If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday termed as rhetoric and hollow on specifics the prime minister's address to the nation, saying there was no mention of a financial package or concrete steps to revive the economy. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked where is the country's roadmap to fight coronavirus. He said leadership does not mean making people realise their responsibilities but to fulfil the government's duty of accountability towards the people of the country. "A lot of talk has taken place. But, where is the roadmap to fight corona," he asked. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country," he said on Twitter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the PM's address was like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. "Amazing PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither for poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. Lockdown is good but cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue," he asked. He said the PM be assured that all stakeholders will do their duties and will strictly observe lockdown. "After this: should we pray? We want concrete palliatives for these deprived classes and even for middle india and MSMEs," he said. "Pm address wo single specific and without guidelines is like Hamlet without Prince of Denmark. Like PM without details! We want increased GDP allocation; specific targeted monetary injections; Keynesian spending; loosen FMRB etc. not a single word!," he tweeted. Chidambaram also said that he welcomed the lockdown and understands the reason for its extension. He, however, said the CMs' demand for money elicited no response. "Not a rupee has been added to the miserly package of March 25, 2020. From Raghuram Rajan to Jean Dreze, from Prabhat Patnaik to Abhijit Banerji, their advice has fallen on deaf years," the former finance minister said. While supporting the PM's announcement of extending the lockdown, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the PM should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. "I support the announcement by @PMOIndia @narendraModi of Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made," Tharoor tweeted. "But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states and aid to sweeten the pill," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. By The Associated Press Apr. 12, 2020 | 08:31 PM | JACKSON, MS Severe weather swept across the South on Easter Sunday, killing at least 19 people and damaging hundreds of homes from Louisiana into the Appalachian Mountains.Many people spent part of the night early Monday sheltering in basements, closets and bathroom tubs as sirens wailed to warn of possible tornadoes. Eleven people were killed in Mississippi, and six more died in northwest Georgia. Two other bodies were pulled from damaged homes in Arkansas and South Carolina. The storms blew onward through the night, causing flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas, and knocking out electricity for about 750,000 customers in a 10-state swath ranging from Texas to Georgia up to West Virginia, according to poweroutages.us. The National Weather Service tallied hundreds of reports of trees down across the region, including many that punctured roofs and downed power lines. Meteorologists warned the mid-Atlantic states to prepare for potential tornadoes, wind and hail on Monday. Several apparent tornadoes spun up in South Carolina, where dozens of homes appeared damaged in a line from Seneca to Clemson. Emergency officials were working to open shelters in the North Carolina mountains, where up to 5 inches of rain fell in a few hours. The deaths in Mississippi included a married couple Lawrence County sheriff's deputy, Robert Ainsworth, and a Walthall County Justice Court deputy clerk, Paula We, a Facebook post from the county sheriff's office said. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Sunday night after he said several tornadoes had struck the state. This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter, Reeves said on Twitter. As we reflect on the death and resurrection on this Easter Sunday, we have faith that we will all rise together. Strong winds late Sunday toppled power lines and blew trees onto several houses in Clarksdale, Mississippi, trapping some people inside, Mayor Chuck Espy said. I know these are some tough times and Im just asking everyone to stay prayed up, Espy said. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries in Louisiana, even though the storm damaged between 200 and 300 homes in and around the city of Monroe, Mayor Jamie Mayo, told KNOE-TV. Flights were canceled at Monroe Regional Airport, where airport director Ron Phillips told the News-Star the storm caused up to $30 million in damage to planes inside a hangar. In Alabama, lightning struck the Shoals Creek Baptist Church in Priceville, damaging the roof and steeple, Morgan County Emergency Management Agency Eddie Hicks told AL.com. Two Democratic U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about what they say is a heavy-handed approach by the Trump administration toward Kosovos government. At the same time, the lawmakers say, U.S. public pressure on Serbia appears to have been dropped." The lawmakers called on President Donald Trumps administration to continue U.S. diplomatic efforts to help resolve the Kosovo-Serbia conflict in a way thats fair to both countries and consistent with U.S. law and long-standing policy. The concerns were sent in a letter to Pompeo on April 13 by Representative Eliot Engel, a Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Trump administrations lack of balance between Belgrade and Pristina is taking place in the context of Serbia expanding ties with Moscow and increasing imports of Russian armaments, the letter says. The Democratic lawmakers said Belgrades weapons purchases from Russia require the administration to impose sanctions on Serbia under legislation passed by Congress in the aftermath of Russias interference in the 2016 [U.S.] elections. Please inform us why the administration has neither imposed those sanctions nor actively pressured Serbia to end its global efforts against the recognition of Kosovos independence, the letter says. Kosovo was an autonomous province of Serbia when war broke out there in the late 1990s between ethnic Albanian separatists and Belgrades security forces. NATO launched air strikes against Serbia in 1999 in response to Belgrades widespread crackdown against ethnic Albanian Kosovars and a United Nations administration was set up in Pristina after the NATO campaign. Since 2008, when Pristina unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, Kosovo has received recognition from more than 100 countries. But Belgrade, which does not recognize Kosovos independence, has launched counterefforts to try to convince countries to drop their recognition. The Western Regional Command of Marine Police have directed 10 fishermen to self-quarantine after they used their boat to ferry people from Cote dIvoire. The Marine police intercepted a canoe loaded with 10 fishermen, who claimed they were returning from a fishing expedition, but had no fish in their canoe. The canoe, arrived at Nhyeresia in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in the early hours of yesterday, (Monday) with 10 people who claimed they were Ghanaian fishermen from the said community. Fishing They told the police they were fishing in Half Assini but drifted into Cote dIvoire waters but did not berth there and though the police and the medical team did not doubt them but they were however told to be subjected to the COVID-19 safety protocols, which required the mandatory quarantine. The occupants were then screened by the Metropolitan COVID-19 medical team and the chief fisherman of the community provided residential facility to enable them to begin the mandatory 14-day quarantine, subject to further testing. An informant earlier called the Daily Graphic and explained that the 10 fishermen who arrived early yesterday (Monday) morning were all indigents of the community who claimed they went to Cote dIvoire to work and that they were returning home. The informant urged fishermen to ensure that they did not use their canoes to transporting passengers from neighbouring Cote dIvoire into coastal communities in the region after intercepting a canoe with ten fishermen with no fish. Motorized canoe The canoe did not have fish stocked in its belly and that even though they did not dispute their claims they have to comply with the rules. The informant said the ten were all onboard the motorized canoe, which arrived in the community with their belongings saying, I decided to call because they have to be tested to confirm they are well. When contacted, the leader of the Metropolitan COVID-19 team, Dr Kofi Southerland said we have taken them through the process as specified in the safety protocols. He explained that the facility provided by the chief fisherman would hold them for the mandatory 14-days period as stipulated in the directives. Marine Police Unit For his part, the Regional Marine Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Seidu Iddi said the unit has taken some proactive steps to ensure the fishermen did not take undue advantage. As a proactive measure, our unit before and after the closure of the boarders met with leaders in the fishing communities, chief fishermen and other leaders to educate them on the importance and the dangers of using their canoe to move passengers into the country, he said. The interactions, he said, saw the engagement with fishermen from Beposo to New-Town in the Jomoro district covering all the seven coastal municipal, metropolitan and district assemblies saying, We educated them and urged them to inform us of any new arrivals and that they should not admit them immediately. New arrivals We told them immediately they receive those arriving, even though they are Ghanaians, we have to follow the protocols, fortunately we have medical teams in all the coastal districts. We will inform them to screen them to ensure our own safety. He said those who arrived at Ngeresiah the Marine Police Unit picked the signal and followed to the community with ground support from Regional SWAT until the arrival of the medical team. The commander used the opportunity to appeal to all residents and members of the coastal communities to see the fight against COVID-19 as collaborative effort, which required support from all. ---graphic.com.gh IN 2016, a 45-year-old schoolteacher in Athens, Greece, arrived at the emergency room of the Hygeia Hospital. A non-smoker with no major health issues, she presented with unusual symptoms a fever over 103 degrees, a dry cough and severe headache. When the ER doctor examined her, it was noted that the lower part of her left lung was rattling when she breathed, and a chest X-ray confirmed an abnormality. According to a UN report, the Covid-19 pandemic has had ramifying effects worldwide in healthcare, education, manufacturing and many other sectors The United Nations published a report on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the world economy at the end of March, outlining the effects of a crisis that has taken the world by storm and the measures that have been implemented in order to combat it. The UN report focuses on the people that the pandemic has had the most brutal effects on, including women, young people, low-wage workers and other vulnerable groups, describing the situation as a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations. The virus is not only attacking peoples health but societies as a whole, the report said. Work on issues like gender equality and halting violence has been pushed back around the world as the virus had made its way through more than 210 countries. Not only was global growth in 2019 already the slowest since the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, but the report also mentions that the Covid-19 crisis risks reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and exacerbating already high levels of inequality within and between countries. The effects of Covid-19 show in the levels of unemployment around the world, with a 27 per cent unemployment rate in the US state of Wisconsin alone and 16 million people being laid off in the US as a whole. The virus threatens to double Turkeys unemployment rate, and China has seen a rise in the number of people left jobless due to the effects of the virus on the economy. Migrant workers have been badly affected, and the report highlights grave effects on countries such as Haiti, Nepal, Tonga and El Salvador among many others whose economies are dependent on remittances and social protection is almost non-existent. According to International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates, we could lose between five million and 25 million jobs and see losses in labour income in the range of $860 billion to $3.4 trillion, the report says. The self-employed, small and medium-sized enterprises, daily wage earners and others working cash-in-hand are likely to be hit the hardest. Ive stopped going to work as many other people have too. My family and I are covered for now, but what about later, if this goes on for much longer? I will run out of ways to feed my family, commented Cairo coffee shop waiter Ahmed Mohamed. With so many countries in lockdown and many people in self-isolation, more damage is being done to the economy as supply chain interruptions halt production. Impacts on manufacturing industry and falling commodity prices, in particular of oil, further compound the economic impacts of the pandemic, the UN report says. Food prices are likely to increase, making the battle against malnutrition in vulnerable countries even harder as many were dependent on the aid of other countries. The UN warns that if measures are not put in place to guard against such risks it is likely that such situations will exacerbate. Education is another area that has been hugely impacted by the coronavirus. The global lockdown has caused many schools and universities to close, which has had a huge impact on children and young adults as their learning and socialising has been interrupted without warning and without any clear idea of how long these closures will go on for. Protection for many children has been lost as many families depend on school meals to feed their children. The gap in learning can put pressure on parents, and in some societies it can also lead to a rise in cases of child labour and child marriage due to the difficult situations families are being put in. 166 countries have implemented country-wide school and university closures. More than 1.52 billion children and youth are currently out of school or university, representing 87 per cent of the worlds enrolled school and university student population, the report says. The reports call-to-action revolves around solidarity as no country on its own will be able to overcome the crisis. Initial steps are needed to increase expenditure on healthcare, the report says, since healthcare facilities and medical supplies are vital as the number of confirmed cases continue to rise. The worlds healthcare systems are facing difficult times, with a need for more healthcare workers and a rise in demand for tests. Efforts must be made both financially and socially to prepare each country for a more effective and quicker response to Covid-19, the report says. Other measures include engaging with the private sector to help small businesses and introducing a real commitment to protect human rights, with an emphasis on women and girls to ensure that they are not faced by additional burdens. Of the recovery period after the crisis is over, the report asks what kind of world will emerge after the pandemic. Will people go back to their old ways, or will they seek change and use the pandemic as a way of bringing it about, it asks. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Due to alleged racism, the relations between China and Africa have embittered after African officials confronted China publicly over forced evictions, subjective quarantines, and mistreatment of African nationals in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, as per media reports. As China prepares to fight the second wave of infection, at least 5 Nigerians were caught flouting quarantine leading to suspicion and distrust for African communities in China. Several Africans were discriminated against after police and Public Health Bureau in Guangzhou responded to rumours that as many as 300,000 people of colour were responsible for the resurgence of the outbreak, which caused panic, officials told international media reporters. Owing to the sudden surge in "imported cases" of COVID-19 mainly due to the overseas nationals, reports of harassment of African nationals, most of them students, emerged across several cities in China causing a diplomatic crisis. African diplomats in Beijing met with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials in confrontation with increasing racism and stated in very strong terms their concern and condemnation of the disturbing and humiliating experiences our citizens have been subjected to, Sierra Leone's Embassy in Beijing said in a statement. It added that over 14 African nationals were forced into compulsory 14-day quarantine for no reason, media reports confirmed. Read: WHO Slams 'racist' Calls For Africa To Be Vaccine Testing Ground Read: World Watches As China Reports Biggest Recent Spike In Covid Cases Amid 'second Wave' Fear Outrage in Africa According to U.S. Embassy security alert, issued April 12, police ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin. Further elaborating the situation it read, local officials launched mandatory testing and self-quarantine for anyone with African contacts. In a public statement titled Discrimination against African-Americans in Guangzhou, US alleged, African-Americans have reported that some businesses and hotels refused to do business with them and have done discrimination. Outrage in African countries such as Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya reportedly broke out after videos of Africans facing harassment and discrimination in China surfaced online. A leading Kenyan daily headline read, Kenyans in China: Rescue us from hell, shortly, a member of Kenya Parliament threatened the Chinese nationals to leave Kenya, a leading US media outlet reported. The government of Uganda and Ghana asked the Chinese ambassadors to evacuate China and return, according to media reports. Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, tweeted saying, the Chinese Ambassador to the AU has been invited to discuss the mistreatment of Africans. Read: Navy Reports First Coronavirus Death From Roosevelt Crew Read: New York City Has More Coronavirus Cases Than China & The United Kingdom (With Agency Inputs) Photo credit: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Carlos Cuebas Fantauzzi, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment From Popular Mechanics The U.S. Army is embarking on a fourth attempt to build a new infantry fighting vehicle to replace the M2 Bradley. The OMFV will emphasize protection above all else, ensuring it can keep its cargo of a squad of soldiers safe against battlefield threats. The new will be so heavy the service thinks sea transport will be the OMFVs primary means of travel. Undeterred by its most recent failure, the U.S. Army announced a new effort to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The Army is rebooting the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, a vehicle meant to fight with or without a human crew, but is finally making hard decisions about how well protected the vehicle is, one that will drive other considerations including how it reaches the battlefield. Photo credit: Historical - Getty Images The M2 Bradley was first introduced in the 1980s as a complement to the then-new M1 Abrams main battle tank. The M2 was an infantry fighting vehicle, a relatively new concept in mechanized warfare designed to carry troops directly into battle rather than dismount them at the outset and force them to fight on foot. The M2, carrying a total of nine troops across deadly battlefields needed to be heavily armored and capable of engaging light armored vehicles and even tanks. The M2 has served ever since, progressively upgraded to the new M2A3 standard deployed across armored and infantry formations across the U.S. Army and National Guard. Photo credit: U.S. Army The Army has tried three times to replace the M2, first in the 2000s with the Future Combat System of vehicles, then the Ground Combat Vehicle, then the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). Each time it has failed, with at least $18.5 billion spent without a single vehicle procured. Now, three months after Army canceled OMFV, it's about to restart the effort. This time its announced a list of priorities the new vehicle should reflect, something it didnt do before. The OMFV, the Army has announced, should above all else be a survivable platform that can carry troops across the battlefield to victory. Story continues Photo credit: Winifred Brown, DVIDS The original Bradley fighting vehicle weighed 33.6 tons, utilizing high laminate 7000 series aluminum as a lightweight armor. The Bradley -A2 variant improved armor protection with spaced laminate belts and steel side skirts to protect the tracks. Finally, the -A3 version incorporates so-called reactive armor, shoebox-sized panels of explosives attached to the outside of the vehicle designed to defeat the shaped charge warheads of anti-tank rockets and missiles. Today, nearly four decades after joining the U.S. Army, the M2 is showing its age. The Army has gradually piled on new tech, in many cases bolting it to the outside of the vehicle. One improvement it hasnt been able to pile on, however, is armored protection. Passive armor, in the form of steel, aluminum, composites, ceramics, or even depleted uranium has weight to it. Weight increases stress to the vehicles transmission and makes it more sluggish. The new OMFVs first five priorities are survivability, mobility, growth, lethality, and weight. That line of priorities virtually ensures the new vehicle will be larger and heavier than the M2 Bradley. The OMFVs will carry more passive protection (physical armor) and almost certainly incorporate an active protection system designed to shoot down incoming rockets and missiles. OMFV will, like a Timex watch, take a licking and keep on ticking. Photo credit: Wikipedia user Ishaiabigail - Wikimedia Commons One example of an OMFV-type vehicle already in service is Israels Namer IFV. Namer , based on the Merkava IV tank, weighs 60 tons, carries nine infantrymen (three more than the M2), and is protected by the Trophy Active Protection System. Namers armor level is classified but it is almost certainly the best protected infantry fighting vehicle in existence. Namer is equipped with an unmanned turret armed with a 30-millimeter gun and two Spike MR anti-armor missiles. OMFV will be an absolute unit, an armored vehicle so heavy the Army is resigned to moving it by ship. Ideally OMFVs will be in place before a war starts, particularly against heavily armored threats such as the Russian Army. If a crisis requires rapidly deployable U.S. Army forces, there are always the Stryker brigades, light infantry, paratroopers, and mountain troops to send instead. It seems increasingly likely the OMFV wont be for every crisis, just ones involving the Russians. Source: Breaking Defense. You Might Also Like Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday called his British counterpart Dominic Raab and discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and other bilateral issues. The two leaders discussed matters relating to the repatriation of citizens in the wake of the closure of airspace due to the pandemic emergency, the Foreign Office said. Qureshi informed his counterpart that so far Pakistan International Airlines operated 23 flights repatriating more than 7,700 British nationals. The British Foreign Secretary said that the UK wants to operate chartered flights to repatriate remaining British nationals from Pakistan. The Foreign Minister conveyed that Pakistan was open to the idea and would facilitate the UK in this regard. Qureshi apprised the Secretary of State about Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for launching a Global Initiative for Debt Relief. Alluding to reports by the World Bank and the IMF concerning an imminent economic recession of a graver nature than the Great Depression, Qureshi underscored that without immediate, coordinated and comprehensive actions to create fiscal space, the developing world may have to contend with dire social, political and economic consequences. He expressed hope that the UK will support and advance this cause in earnest, particularly through the platform of G20. The British Foreign Secretary assured of UK's understanding and support for the initiative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prestigious US educational institutions Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are implementing salary and hiring freeze and their top leadership will take pay cuts as part of 'hard choices' to control costs in a tough economic environment resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic, according to a report New York: Prestigious US educational institutions Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are implementing salary and hiring freeze and their top leadership will take pay cuts as part of "hard choices" to control costs in a tough economic environment resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic, according to a report. The report in The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, said that Harvard was "instituting an immediate university-wide salary and hiring freeze, cancelling or deferring discretionary spending, and considering deferring all capital projects." University President Lawrence Bacow announced in an email to Harvard affiliates on Monday that he along with Executive Vice President Katherine Lapp and University Provost Alan Garber will each cut their salaries by 25 percent. The report added that senior school administrators, including the deans of Harvard's 12 schools, their vice presidents and vice provosts will also be either reducing their salaries or contributing to a support fund for employees experiencing hardship. Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak On the possibility of layoffs or furloughs, the three wrote in the email that Harvard was still working to "gain a more complete picture" before deciding whether to take such action. "We will be scrutinizing the FY21 budget to determine what other steps are necessary to respond to the financial impact of the pandemic on our operations. We will communicate with you when more information is available," the report quoted them as saying. Bacow said Harvard will tap into its endowment to address financial concerns, but its ability to do so was limited. Harvard's endowment - its largest financial asset - consists of more than 13,000 funds, according to the university's website. In the previous fiscal year, the endowment provided $1.9 billion of funding to university operations, consisting of more than a third of Harvard's total operating revenue for the fiscal year. By the end of that fiscal year, the endowment's value stood at $40.9 billion, the report added. In a letter sent to the MIT community, President L Rafael Reif said the institute cannot know now just how serious the global financial situation will be in Fiscal Year 2021. "But we should expect hard choices. So we are preparing in advance by taking the following immediate measures to control costs, in a way we hope is sensible, prudent and fair," the president said. The top US institutions are implementing salary and hiring freeze and their top leadership to take pay cuts as part of "hard choices" to control costs in a tough economic environment resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Reif said in order to conserve resources to support existing employees, MIT was pausing hiring except for essential personnel. Along with Vice President for Finance Glen Shor and Acting Deputy EVP Tony Sharon, Provost Marty Schmidt will also provide detailed guidance to help all units rework their fiscal year budgets to reduce expenses and reflect anticipated additional savings from the hiring pause. MIT will also suspend merit increases for the coming academic year, beginning with those that would normally be awarded in July. Reif said that as the Institute's two most senior officers, he and the provost had decided to take a 20 percent cut in compensation for the next twelve months. The savings accruing from these cuts will go to support the MIT Staff Emergency Hardship Fund, which helps MIT employees experiencing sudden and severe financial distress. Members of the senior leadership team are also choosing to contribute a portion of their salaries in this period to support students and others in need in the MIT community, as well as the MIT research teams pursuing solutions to the larger crisis. Reif said that as compared to the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic may be more severe in terms of potential financial impact. "This time, the economic turmoil springs from a tragic public health emergency that has also caused dramatic changes in MIT's operations with significant unknowns remaining on all counts. We must therefore prepare for the pandemic to drive reductions in many major sources of income for the institute: research grants, foundation funding, philanthropic support and the endowment," he said. Reif said in this global crisis, circumstances and forecasts change radically week to week and as the full financial picture becomes clear over the next few months, MIT may well need to take "additional actions" that affect the budget and the MIT community. On the possibility of layoffs, Reif said given the terrible state of the current job market, MIT feels a responsibility to avoid or delay as much as possible cutting costs by cutting jobs. "That said, the year ahead may push many units at MIT to reduce or transform their operations, including asking that some staff respond with an openness to changes in their work and roles," he said. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has kiled 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Parents have started an online petition to the HRD Ministry demanding a directive to schools for not implementing fee hike this academic session at least till schools reopen New Delhi: While parents are waiting for school fee waiver during the lockdown due to COVID-19 situation in the country, several schools have announced a fee hike adding to their woes. Parents have started an online petition to the HRD Ministry demanding a directive to schools for not implementing fee hike this academic session at least till schools reopen. While the Gujarat government had on Monday announced that private schools will not hike fees for an year, the West Bengal government had appealed schools to refrain from hiking fees. However, no clear instructions have been issued on fee hike in Delhi-NCR. "With no information when normalcy will return, when we could head back to our respective workplace is the question that remains unanswered and here, I receive an intimation from the school regarding the hike in fee. I was baffled that how would I be able to cope up? I am anxious to know about the school fee hike and transport fee hike which the school says is to meet the cost demands for the academic year 2020-21," said Pivit Joshi, whose son studies in a prominent school in Noida. He did not wish to identify the name of school. Jagriti Shukla, a parent in Gurgaon, said, "We understand the schools' concern that they need to pay salaries and cannot waive fees but at least hike can be avoided at such crucial time. Why the government has not passed any order in this regard?" Similar concerns were shared by Rajesh Kumar, who said the fees hike has added to the financial woes already caused by pay cuts or loss of incentives. "We are getting basic pay but the performance linked incentives have been suspended for the lockdown period. The appraisals have been deferred to next financial year but the school's fee hike is going on as per usual," he said. The schools were closed by mid March, ahead of the nationwide lockdown announcement due to the spread of coronavirus. The 21-day lockdown, which was scheduled to end today, has now been extended till 3 May. However, several schools have already begun teaching and learning activities online. Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments have announced that schools should not force parents to pay fees during the lockdown. However, there is no clarity among parents about whether no fees will be charged during the period or they will have to be paid later. While the Delhi government has not issued any directive about any possible fees waiver, the private schools in Delhi are supposed to get clearances on fee hike from government's fee review management committee. The death toll due to coronavirus infection in the country rose to 339 while the number of cases soared to 10,363 on Tuesday, said the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 8,988, as many as 1,035 people have been cured and discharged and one had migrated, it said. The total number of cases include 72 foreign nationals. EUGENE, Ore. Early Monday morning the owner of the Spice N Steam restaurant called Eugene police after a burglary at the restaurant. When police arrived just before 3 a.m. to the restaurant on West 11th Avenue, the owner told police the man was still in the building. Thats when Officer Owen Griffith and police dog Cwyk reportedly found Kevin Michael Nieto, 34, sitting in a chair after he had drunk from a stolen bottle of liquor. According to police Nieto was too drunk to be taken into custody. Instead he was taken to the hospital for treatment. Police cited Nieto for burglary in the second degree. In Mexico, at least two drug cartels have begun providing aid packages to residents in places partially controlled by armed groups. In Michoacan, a video emerged last week of the Los Viagras cartel handing out plastic bags of food to hundreds of people. In Tamaulipas, a Mexican state that borders South Texas, photos circulated of boxes full of sugar, oil and other staples distributed in large piles. On the top of each box was plastered the name of the donor: Gulf Cartel, they said, in support of Ciudad Victoria, the state capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, highlighting that India was moving in the right direction in its fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Here are seven key points that you need to know. 1) How long will the lockdown continue? The nationwide restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 have been extended till May 3. The three-week lockdown imposed on March 24 was set to end on April 14 (today). Simply put, India will be under a lockdown for a total of 40 days. 2) Is there any relaxation? Not till April 20. In fact, according to the Prime Minister, authorities will keep a close watch on how strictly the lockdown guidelines are followed at the local level over the next seven days. 3) What happens after that? Places that score satisfactorily in the assessment test are expected to get some breather with authorities allowing limited activities. But such a move will come into place only after officials are satisfied that the area concerned has eliminated the threat of Covid-19 to a large extent. If a case surfaces or resurfaces, the relaxations will be rolled back. All possible relaxations are conditional. 4) What do we know about the relaxations? Not much immediately. A detailed guideline will be issued on Wednesday. But the Prime Minister, in his address, said steps will be taken to help the poor, especially daily wage workers whose livelihood has been severely hit. 5) Will the ban on air and rail travel continue? Yes, restrictions on rail and air travel will continue. Soon after the PMs announcement, the government extended the suspension on all domestic and international flights, and passenger trains till May 3. These services were earlier banned till the midnight of April 14. Cargo flights and freight trains are allowed to run for the supply of essential commodities. 6) What about essential services? They are likely to continue the way they are functioning right now. Frontline workers, such as health care staff and police, among others, are exempt. 7) What are the PMs seven appeals to citizens? Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister underscored seven areas that the country must focus on to reach the victory path in the fight against the pandemic. These are: a) Take care of the elderly, especially those with underlying health conditions b) Follow lockdown rules, maintain social distancing and wear masks at public places c) Follow the AYUSH ministrys guidelines on boosting immunity d) Download the AarogyaSetu app e) Look after the poor; try to feed people in distress f) Be compassionate about your fellow workers; do not sack your employees g) Respect health workers and doctors 8) What was restricted in phase 1 of the lockdown?* a) Central and state government offices, and corporations (barring a few exceptions) b) Commercial and private shops c) Factories and industrial establishments d) All transport air, rail, roadways and even metro services e) Hotels, homestays f) Educational and coaching institutions, including schools and collges g) Places of worship and all religious congregations h) Social/political/sports/entertainment/ academic/cultural gatherings 9) What was allowed in phase 1 of the lockdown?* a) Government offices such as treasury, law and enforcement, and disaster management b) Municipal bodies for electricity and water, public utilities c) Vegetable markets notified by state governments d) Shops selling groceries and food items, agricultural products e) Delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment f) Hospitals, pharmacies, emergency services as well as manufacturing of health care items g) Veterinary hospitals h) Banks, insurance offices, ATMs, and post offices i) RBI and RBI-regulated financial markets j) Social welfare department, shelter homes h) Print and electronic media i) Telecommunications, internet services j) Petrol pumps, LPG agencies k) Cold storage and warehousing services l) Shops for truck repairs on highways m) Manufacturing units of essential goods, tea plantations n) Transportation for people engaged in providing essential services o) Transport for essential goods, cargo movement p) Intra and inter-state movement of harvesting and sowing-related machines q) Hotels hosting stranded tourists, medical and emergency staff r) Funerals with no more than 20 people in attendance (*These guidelines were applicable till April 14. The government will release new guidelines on Wednesday. This new set of rules is also expected to highlight possible relaxations in some places after April 20) Bengaluru, April 14 : With coronavirus disrupting humanity as no other disease before, innovations in telecom would help nations jointly fight it, Indian-born Stanford University emeritus professor Arogyaswami Paulraj has said. "The world needs more innovations in telecom to build the medical infrastructure for dealing with a pandemic like Covid-19 by all the nations," said 75-year-old Paulraj in an e-mail to IANS through the US-based Marcon Society. Paulraj, who invented the technology that powers mobile and WiFi (wireless fidelity) networks, said the virus impact would abate in the next 2-3 years, leaving a trail of social and economic disruption. "We should use this health crisis to better prepare for the future. The global response to the virus would not have been possible without telecommunications," asserted Paulraj on the post-pandemic world. Noting that zoonotic infections, which are transmitted from animals to men have been present since millennia, the electrical engineering professor said high-density living and mass transport services make them more pandemic capable. "We need smart tools to prepare for future pandemics that may be more deadly than Covid-19 that claimed over 100,000 lives and infected over 18 lakh people worldwide since January," reiterated the inventor of MIMO, which underpins all broadband services, including 3G and 4G. MIMO -multiple in, multiple out - wireless technology uses multiple antennas as a transmitter and receiver in a wireless link to boost wireless data rates. Just as internet has become the economic, educational and social window to the world, Paulraj said the global healthcare sector would need scale population data to help detect and measure pandemic incidence under the internet of health things. "For instance, we need Kinsa, a smart thermometer that uploads patient temperature to a cloud database, as is being used at a Florida hospital to detect the Covid-19 hotspots," Paulraj noted. By using disruptive technologies, many such tools like anti-body testing or nucleic acid testing can be developed to combat the deadly virus. "Individual infection potential tracing from contact with an infected person or surface can be done using better tools, with specificity, geographical and temporal sensitivity," affirmed Pauraj. As resources get stretched, surge management will be a challenge for hospitals in pandemic cases. "Online data-driven management systems for matching patients, supplies or medical care workers to hospitals equipped to handle surges will be vital in the near future," Paulraj pointed out. Similarly, tele-screening will be more economical with zero risk than investing on personal protective equipment (PPEs) healthcare warriors use for testing and screening to identify patients needing hospital care versus those who can recover at home. "Good telemedicine-based screening tools will reduce the burden of investing in offline diagnosis and save time in the age of pandemics," added Paulraj. Born at Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, Paulraj joined the Indian Navy when he was just 15 years. Impressed with his academic record, the Navy sent him to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, where he earned a doctorate (PhD) for advances to signal filtering theory. After a 25-year service in the Navy, Paulraj went to the US in 1992 to work at Stanford and built a MIMO-based cellular wireless technology that became the basis for WiMax and LTE (Long-Term Evolution) mobile networks. Paulraj holds 79 patents and won many distinctions, including the 2011 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal and 2014 Marconi Prize and Fellowship. The Indian government also honoured Paulraj with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010. The NDA-1 government appointed the septuagenarian in December 2017 as Chairman of the Telecommunication Department's Steering Committee to prepare a vision, mission, goal and roadmap for 5G India 2020. County's Covid-19 case at 106, with 11 deaths The death toll from the Covid-19 virus reached eight in Henderson County and the county had a total of 99 confirmed cases, the Public Health Department said. Henderson County is offering a live-stream update to our citizens once a week. The next update will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 21. A replay link will be shared on the county's Facebook (Henderson County, NC Government) and YouTube (hendersoncountync) pages. The update will include information regarding the COVID-19 situation within Henderson County, along with a Q&A segment. County officials will address as many email questions during the Q&A segment. Send questions to covid19@hendersoncountync.gov. Public health officials announced 113 new COVID-19-related deaths the highest number reported in a single day since the outbreak began. Officials also confirmed 1,296 new cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total to 28,163. Of the now 957 reported fatalities from the virus, 444 are from long-term care facilities. Of the 113 new deaths, 96 were patients over the age of 70. Only three were younger than 50. Altogether, the state has carried out 126,551 tests for coronavirus, according to the data. Officials are now sharing data with respect to hospital capacity as well, including an estimated inventory of available beds across the system. As of Sunday, there are 15,900 useable hospital beds across the state which accounts for nearly half of beds across the system 5,000 of which are available for non-ICU or acute care; some 2,000 are marked for ICU care, and nearly 1,000 are available in field hospitals. Gov. Charlie Baker spoke on Tuesday at the makeshift field hospital at Joint Base Cape Cod, saying that residents will face difficult days ahead as officials brace for a surge in cases. That increase is expected to arrive between April 10 and April 20. But Baker expressed confidence that the states hospital system, with the additional support of five field hospitals, can handle the influx. Its a great step forward for all of us to increase our capacity in this part of the Commonwealth, he said, referring to the Joint Base Cape Cod facility. Bakers comments come amid talks of several states banding together to discuss and plan a reopening of the region. Those participating states include New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Here are the cases listed by county: Barnstable County: 514 Berkshire County: 360 Bristol County: 1,435 Dukes County: 11 Essex County: 3,594 Franklin County: 155 Hampden County: 1,798 Hampshire County: 233 Middlesex County: 6,254 Nantucket County: 9 Norfolk County: 2,969 Plymouth County: 2,207 Suffolk County: 5,872 Worcester County: 2,246 Unknown location: 506 The Department of Public Health released numbers of those by race and ethnicity that the COVID-19 pandemic has been most affected in the state. Here is a breakdown of deaths by ethnicity or race: Hispanic: 38 (4%) Non-Hispanic White: 256 (27%) Non-Hispanic Black/African American: 35 (4%) Non-Hispanic Asian: 16 (2%) Non-Hispanic Other (Reporting multiple races or that the originating reporting system does not capture the information): 17 (2%) Unknown: 424 (44%) Missing: 171 (18%) North Korea fired several suspected cruise missiles towards the sea on Tuesday, the South's military said, in what analysts saw as a demonstration by Pyongyang of the breadth of its arsenal. The "multiple projectiles" fired from Munchon in the east of the country were believed to be "short-range cruise missiles," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The test came a day before Wednesday's parliamentary elections in South Korea, and while the world's attention has been largely focused on the coronavirus pandemic -- which Pyongyang insists it has so far escaped. It also preceded by a day the 108th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, founder of the nuclear-armed North and grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un. In recent years, Pyongyang has repeatedly tested ballistic missiles, which are propelled high above the Earth -- often into space -- before descending towards their targets at high speed by the force of gravity. The North's arsenal includes intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the entire US mainland. In contrast, cruise missiles travel at low altitudes -- sometimes just a few metres (feet) above the surface, making them hard to detect -- and are powered throughout their flight. Frequently highly manoeuvrable, they need sophisticated guidance systems to bring them to their targets. Tuesday's missiles travelled over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, before coming down in the water, the JCS said. The North also flew multiple Sukhoi-variant and MiG fighter jets that fired multiple air-to-ground rockets above the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, a spokesman added. Pyongyang was demonstrating that it had "various options" when it came to weapons delivery systems, said Cha Du-hyeogn, senior researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "Ballistic missiles demonstrate destructive power while cruise missiles show accuracy," he told AFP. "Until now, North Korea has shown its force, and now it is demonstrating accuracy in striking targets." - 'Treading carefully' - The North is subject to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its banned weapons programmes. It has carried out a series of weapons tests in recent months -- often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, while others have called them ballistic missiles. It has also fired cruise missiles in the past, as in June 2017 when it hailed the successful test of what it called a new type of surface-to-ship cruise missile. Those missiles flew around 200 kilometres (125 miles) and were launched the week after two US aircraft carriers took part in naval manoeuvres in the Sea of Japan. Kim and US President Donald Trump traded mutual insults and threats of war during 2017, sending tensions soaring. The South's President Moon Jae-in used the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in his country to broker a diplomatic rapprochement, and a series of summits followed. But talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been largely deadlocked since their Hanoi summit broke up in February last year in disagreement over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return. Tuesday's missiles travelled around 150 kilometres, according to Seoul, and Go Myong-hyun -- also from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies -- said the short range was likely to have been deliberately chosen by Pyongyang. "North Korea is still deciding what kind of strategic position it should take between provocation and dialogue," he told AFP. "It is treading carefully. It is firing missiles to raise tensions, but the level of tension is not that high." The US military had a similar view of the threat. While the Pentagon was still analyzing its data, "I don't think it's particularly provocative or threatening to us," said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley. "It may be tied to some celebrations that are happening inside North Korea, as opposed to any deliberate provocation against us." Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 17:10:22|Editor: yhy Video Player Close BANGKOK, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Tuesday reported 34 new COVID-19 cases, comparing to Monday's 28, with one new fatality. The total death toll has increased by one to 41. The total infections in Thailand stood at 2,613, with 1,405 recoveries and 1,167 cases still being treated in hospitals. CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin warned that in order for Thailand to see a constant decline in the COVID-19 curve, public members need to refrain from gathering in groups and observe strict safe distancing. "Most of the newly infections were from the Southern provinces, as they returned from Muslim pilgrims from Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan," said Taweesin. The latest fatality was a 52-year-old female bus driver of the state-run Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). She contracted COVID-19 from within her peer group, ten of whom were also found to be infected. However, there are nine provinces in Thailand which remain clear of COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, about 300 Thai citizens will return from South Korea on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, and will go through 14 days mandatory quarantine. The governors expressed astonishment. You want to now say the federal government is in charge? Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on MSNBC. Which by the way is a shift because the federal government didnt close down the economy, right? They left it to the states. It was state by state, it was a whole hodgepodge, the governors had to close the economy, which was not politically easy to do, but now the federal government says it can open it? Well then, why didnt you close it if you can open it? Even some sympathetic constitutional scholars said Mr. Trump could not. There is no authority for a president to order states to open up if the state believes that such an order would be inimical to public health, said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University who testified last year against impeachment in the House. The president had no authority to order a national lockdown and certainly does not have authority to now order the lifting of such orders issued by governors. That does not mean that Mr. Trumps decision on reopening the country is not meaningful. Even if he does not have direct authority to impose his will, any guidelines he issues may go a long way toward setting a standard that states and cities could follow, especially in Republican states that have taken their lead from him. But some critics said he looked like he was debating himself at the podium. I think the thing thats unsettling to the public isnt just the absence of consistent guidance, said David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. Its the revelation that the person in charge is unsure. With Mr. Trumps approval ratings slipping, some of his conservative allies are concerned that he is not connecting with his core base of supporters. Conservative organizations plan to join forces to weigh in on when and at what level certain parts of the country can be reopened. They plan to stay in touch with health professionals working within the White House and outside it, but there is some worry about waning patience with big government spending to relieve the effects of the virus, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The government needs to start looking at how we can quickly begin to reopen the economy in stages and communicate that plan, but its also vital that states and the federal government reduce the excessive regulatory burden to reignite the economy when we get back to work, said David McIntosh, the president of the Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy group. 14 April 2020 Press Release: Q1 2020 Interim Management Statement GAM Holding AG announces an acceleration of its efficiency programme with total cost reductions of at least CHF 65 million in 2020 Assets under management of CHF 112.1 billion1 as at 31 March 2020 down from CHF 132.7 billion1 at the end of 2019; mainly driven by overall negative market and FX movements; net inflows of CHF 1.2 billion in Private Labelling offset by net outflows of CHF 6.5 billion in Investment Management Investment performance and client risk appetite was impacted by the market turmoil in March but early signs of a recovery in performance and flows in April Operations remain resilient with all employees working remotely; appropriate liquidity has been maintained in all GAM funds GAM remains committed to its existing strategy and will provide a further update at the half-year results due for release on 4 August 2020 GAM continues to maintain a robust capital and liquidity position with no debt and appropriate buffers The efficiency programme, a core part of GAM's existing strategy, has been accelerated to deliver expected total cost reductions, including variable and fixed costs and those previously announced, of at least CHF 65 million in full year 2020 compared to full year 2019. SimCorp technology platform implementation is on track and supporting the accelerated efficiency programme. Investment Management (IM) saw net outflows of CHF 6.5 billion during the first quarter, which together with negative market and FX movements of CHF 6.2 billion resulted in AuM of CHF 35.7 billion 1 as at 31 March 2020 compared to CHF 48.4 billion 1 as at 31 December 2019. as at 31 March 2020 compared to CHF 48.4 billion as at 31 December 2019. Overall flows in IM stabilised in late March and were flat in early April; client interactions continue to remain positive. PLF saw net inflows of CHF 1.2 billion, but these were more than offset by negative market and FX movements of CHF 9.1 billion, resulting in a total AuM of CHF 76.4 billion as at 31 March 2020 compared to CHF 84.3 billion as at 31 December 2019. As at 31 March 2020, 22% and 60% of AuM in IM outperformed their Morningstar 2 peer group and 14% and 17% their respective benchmarks over the three- and five-year periods respectively. peer group and 14% and 17% their respective benchmarks over the three- and five-year periods respectively. GAM remains committed to the breadth of its investment management capability, client teams and Private Labelling Funds (PLF) platform. Peter Sanderson, Group CEO, said: "GAM remains committed to the strategy we announced in February and we have moved to accelerate the efficiency element of the strategy in order to respond directly to the pressures of the current market environment. The health and wellbeing of our colleagues and cIients has been our paramount concern and the GAM team has been successfully working remotely since 16 March. We have been able to maintain a seamless operation, and I am proud of the way our teams across the globe have responded and the clear dedication at the firm to support our clients in actively navigating through such volatile markets." "GAM has not been immune to some of the toughest market conditions the industry has seen, and we saw our assets under management decline as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. We saw strong investment performance until the end of February, but this was impacted by the market environment during March. I am pleased that we are now seeing early signs of recovery, both in terms of asset flows and also in the investment performance of our funds." "Making GAM fit for the future is a clear strategic goal and in view of the current industry headwinds we are accelerating our plans in order to bring forward some of our longer term efficiency targets. We remain committed to the breadth of our distinctive investment management capabilities, our strong client service proposition and our PLF platform, which we believe are particularly well positioned to help clients actively navigate these uncertain times." Accelerated efficiency programme GAM has accelerated its efficiency programme, which is part of its three pillars strategy announced in February 2020 (efficiency, transparency and growth). This is expected to deliver total cost reductions, including variable and fixed costs, of at least CHF 65 million in full year 2020 (including the CHF 30 million exit run rate cost target already announced for 2020) compared to the CHF 315.7 million total expenses in full year 2019. During March we completed a voluntary redundancy programme and we are planning a review of fixed compensation levels across the Group to ensure appropriate alignment, particularly of senior non-investment roles. These measures are intended to manage costs while ensuring that the impact of our continuing targeted compulsory redundancy programme is minimised during the difficult Covid-19 environment. Through our on-going efficiency efforts, GAM expects headcount to be approximately 680 FTEs by the end of 2020 compared to 817 FTEs at the end of 2019. GAM will continue to align bonuses to company performance, whilst investment teams will continue to benefit from their existing contractual compensation arrangements in relation to their portfolios. The Board of Directors has reviewed its fee structures and, in recognition of the market environment and the resulting impact on GAM, will waive a portion of its fees, which would result in the expenditure being 25% less than the CHF 2.35 million being requested at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. GAM believes that this acceleration of the efficiency programme is an important step to meaningfully increase operating leverage and support the Group's path to profitability. Assets under Management Group AuM were impacted by the market turmoil; as at 31 March 2020, Group AuM totalled CHF 112.1 billion1, down from CHF 132.7 billion1 at the end of 2019. Investment Management AuM totalled CHF 35.7 billion1, down compared to 31 December 2019, due to net outflows of CHF 6.5 billion and negative market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 6.2 billion. Assets under management movements (CHF bn) Capability Opening AuM 1 Jan 2020 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM 31 Mar 2020 Fixed Income 25.8 (5.0) (3.1) 17.7 Multi Asset 7.8 (0.1) (0.9) 6.8 Equity 7.2 (0.7) (1.4) 5.1 Systematic 4.4 (0.4) (0.6) 3.4 Alternatives 2.1 (0.1) (0.1) 1.9 Absolute Return 1.1 (0.2) (0.1) 0.8 Total 48.41 (6.5) (6.2) 35.71 Net flows by capability In specialist fixed income, we recorded net outflows of CHF 5.0 billion. The outflows were primarily driven by the GAM Star Credit Opportunities, the GAM Local Emerging Bond, the GAM Star MBS Total Return and the GAM Greensill Supply Chain Finance funds. The outflows from the Credit Opportunities funds contributed over half of the specialist fixed income outflows and mainly reflected the mechanical rebalancing of client holdings invested via structured products issued by third parties on the funds, reacting to the volatile market conditions during March. However, flows stabilised in tandem with markets in late March and early April. In multi asset, net outflows totalled CHF 0.1 billion, driven primarily by redemptions from institutional investors. In equity, we saw net outflows of CHF 0.7 billion, mainly driven by outflows from the GAM Japan Equity, GAM Global Eclectic Equity, GAM German Focus Equity and GAM Star Continental European Equity funds being partly offset by inflows into the GAM Star European Equity and GAM Emerging Markets Equity funds. In systematic, net outflows totalled CHF 0.4 billion, mainly driven by outflows from the Alternative Risk Premia strategies and the GAM Systematic Core Macro (Cayman) fund. Alternatives saw net outflows of CHF 0.1 billion, mainly driven by redemptions from institutional clients. Absolute return saw net outflows of CHF 0.2 billion, primarily driven by redemptions from the GAM Star (Lux) Merger Arbitrage and the GAM Star (Lux) European Alpha funds. Investment performance We saw strong investment performance up until the end of February, followed by market turmoil in March; there are early signs of recovery in April. As at 31 March 2020, 22% and 60% of AuM in IM outperformed their Morningstar2 peer group and 14% and 17% their respective benchmarks over the three- and five-year periods respectively. Private Labelling AuM of CHF 76.4 billion, down compared to 31 December 2019 with net inflows of CHF 1.2 billion primarily from existing clients being more than offset by negative market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 9.1 billion. Assets under management movements (CHF bn) Fund domicile Opening AuM 1 Jan 2020 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM 31 Mar 2020 Switzerland 34.5 - (3.4) 31.1 Rest of Europe 49.8 1.2 (5.7) 45.3 Total 84.3 1.2 (9.1) 76.4 SimCorp implementation on track The implementation of a new cloud-based SimCorp platform is at the heart of GAM's efficiency plan: In H2 2020 investment teams and related fund assets will start to transition to the platform, with all teams transitioned by H1 2021. The SimCorp platform will deliver a significant portion of the targeted cost savings, resulting in a lower-cost IT footprint and back office support. The new platform will enhance communications and client reporting. Operational response to Covid-19 GAM enabled all employees to work from home as part of its business continuity plan to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most employees have been doing this since 16 March 2020 and our operations have remained resilient in this new environment. We have been able to maintain appropriate liquidity in all our funds to meet client redemptions. GAM has maintained a high level of interaction with its clients throughout the Covid-19 crisis. Outlook GAM expects the market environment to remain volatile over the coming months. However, GAM believes that it is well positioned to continue to help clients actively navigate through these challenging times by offering differentiated products through a global distribution footprint. GAM believes that the acceleration of the efficiency programme as part of its strategy will support its profitability. Upcoming events: 30 April 2020 Annual General Meeting 04 August 2020 Half-year results 2020 21 October 2020 Q3 2020 Interim management statement For further information please contact: Charles Naylor Global Head of Communications and Investor Relations T +44 20 7917 2241 Investor Relations Investor Relations Media Relations Media Relations Tobias Plangg Jessica Grassi Kathryn Jacques Ute Dehn Christen T +41 58 426 31 38 +41 58 426 31 37 T +44 20 7393 8699 T +41 58 426 31 36 Visit us: www.gam.com Follow us: Twitter und LinkedIn About GAM GAM is a leading independent, pure-play asset manager. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to third-party asset managers. GAM employed 817 FTEs in 14 countries with investment centres in London, Cambridge, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano as at 31 December 2019. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange with the symbol 'GAM'. The Group has AuM of CHF 112.1 billion1 (USD 115.8 billion) as at 31 March 2020. Disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements This press release by GAM Holding AG ('the Company') includes forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations and projections about the Company's future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, strategies, opportunities and the industry in which it operates. Forward-looking statements involve all matters that are not historical facts. The Company has tried to identify those forward-looking statements by using words such as 'may', 'will', 'would', 'should', 'expect', 'intend', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'project', 'believe', 'seek', 'plan', 'predict', 'continue' and similar expressions. Such statements are made on the basis of assumptions and expectations which, although the Company believes them to be reasonable at this time, may prove to be erroneous. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects or opportunities, as well as those of the markets it serves or intends to serve, to differ materially from those expressed in, or suggested by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause those differences include, but are not limited to: changing business or other market conditions, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, general economic conditions, and the Company's ability to respond to trends in the financial services industry. Additional factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update of, or revisions to, any forward-looking statements in this press release and any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based, except as required by applicable law or regulation. 1 Including CHF 0.3 billion of money market funds, which GAM agreed to sell to ZKB as announced with the H1 2019 results. 2 The peer group comparison is based on 'industry-standard' Morningstar Direct Sector Classification. The share class references in Morningstar have been set to capture the oldest institutional accumulation share class for each and every fund in a given peer group. Attachment "It's a story told in Microsoft Teams calls. Our Ops team have an 8am status call every day with the account management team. After that, we have a creative department catch-up, which is a Teams call with all the creatives on it. That call has two purposes: to check how everyone's doing and to see what everyone's working on and how it's going. We can see who's got capacity and who's feeling a bit swamped, and move resources around accordingly. There are also a lot of jokes and GIF action in the 'chat' sidebar. Then it's pretty much Microsoft Teams calls and WhatsApp messages from 8.30 until about 5 or 6pm: reviews, recordings, one-on-ones with people to make sure they're okay. In addition to the meetings, we're all doing a lot of 'checking in' with people to make sure everyone's okay. Fran Luckin, CCO at Grey Africa What was your initial response to the crisis/lockdown and has your experience of it been different to what you expected? Comment on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the agency and creative industry or economy as a whole. How is the agency responding to the crisis and current lockdown? Comment on the challenges and opportunities. Speaking of opportunities, the world has really turned to creativity during this time. Why do you think this is the case and what does this mean for the industry, agencies and their clients? How has the lockdown affected your staff? What temporary HR policies have you put in place regarding remote working, health & safety, etc.? How are you navigating physical distancing while keeping your team close-knit and aligned and your clients happy? What are you busy working on? Any initiatives/campaigns relating to the coronavirus? 21 days of #Lockdown is no funny business, but you can make it your business to be funny. Were having Open Mic auditions! Comment with a video of your routine and you could share the stage with the heavyweights of SA comedy at the #SavannaVirtualComedyBar. pic.twitter.com/agHuFCgdqA SavannaCider (@SavannaCider) April 10, 2020 Has this global crisis changed your view of the future of advertising in any way? Any trends youve seen emerge as a result of the crisis? Your key message to fellow industry folk? In between, there's a lot of trying to keep up with emails. And snacking. There's been a lot of snacking. I look at the pile of dirty dishes that has accumulated by the end of the day and I think, did I eat all that? CCO at Grey Africa, Fran Luckins account of work-life in the time of Covid-19.This is the first in a series of articles, looking into how agencies and agency folk are responding to the crisis and viewing it through a creative lens.I admit I was excited at the idea of our whole way of working being disrupted, and how we'd work our way through that. It felt like a challenge, and one that could open up whole new ways of doing business if we conquered it. The reality has been all that but it's also been the discovery that back-to-back conference calls are uniquely exhausting. Also, my house makes a lot of really strange noises during the day and I can't figure out exactly what they are or if I should be worried.While there has had to be some adjustment with regard to exactly what type of communications go out at this time, for the most part our clients are continuing with their brand planning and their communication plans. We're using this time to do some deep work with our clients on looking at the road ahead. I don't know exactly how this pandemic will affect our industry as a whole, long term. I don't think anyone does. For now, we are working harder than ever to support our clients. It feels like this will last forever, but it won't. Now is when we need to be looking ahead and planning for the future. Because there will be one.We decided to embrace it and tackle it head-on. The skills we develop now, in this time, will be vital to our future success. It's been quite exciting to find out how much we can accomplish under circumstances of extreme constraint.The mental load of keeping everyone together in spirit and keeping people's spirits up, in addition to the normal workload, has been quite intense. On the whole though, we've been able to continue with our clients' work as usual. Creative teams are finding ways to brainstorm over WhatsApp, and reviews and presentations are done over Teams.The one challenge is, of course, production. We can't get a crew together to do a film shoot and if we want to record radio, it has to be done remotely, with everyone on a Teams call. What's been interesting is that a number of very innovative approaches have sprung up.Our New York office created a commercial out of footage that Grey employees shot in their homes. Brands are turning to stock footage or repurposing existing material. Or using animation. Radio, I predict, is going to thrive.Creativity thrives on constraint. The more boundaries there are, the more creative you have to be, and so the more creative you get. Now more than ever we need to find new and relevant ways for brands to connect with people. People are confined to their houses, but they still need and want to be entertained, to be given information that can help them, to be reassured and encouraged.We migrated all our staff to remote working a week before lockdown. We didn't know lockdown was coming but we felt it was the right thing to do to protect our people. We had to make sure we provided everyone who needed it with internet connectivity at home quite a big undertaking.We're implementing physical distancing but not emotional distancing. Everyone at Grey has a coffee buddy whom we contact every day for a chat or a WhatsApp or a check-in.Each department meets at least once a day online, not only to catch-up on the status of work but also to check in and see how everyone's doing.The heads of each department use WhatsApp groups to communicate with their departments, and also to do regular one-on-one chats with people.We've had virtual happy hours and an ongoing fitness challenge to see who can achieve the goal of exercising every day in lockdown (our CEO has already been disqualified for missing day one).We've just launched the Savanna Virtual Comedy Bar a live online comedy forum for comedians, who of course don't have physical venues to perform in at the moment. The Comedy Bar had its maiden voyage on Thursday night and we had a great (virtual) turnout. #SavannaVirtualComedyBar trended ahead of the upcoming President's address at one point. I think people really needed the laughs. I know I did.It's too early to say. I think we're still finding our way through this. I do think that if our future is going to contain more episodes of virus outbreaks and quarantines (as experts say it will), then moving brands onto digital platforms and into digital paths to purchase is going to be vital.This is a unique time for our planet in that pretty much everyone all over the globe is experiencing the same thing. That creates incredibly powerful opportunities for communication. We really are all in the same boat.Don't give up. This will pass. The skills you're having to develop now will be the skills that help you thrive in future. And by skills I don't mean launching yourself as a blogger or learning another language. I mean the skills of resilience, adaptability and perseverance. You will learn them during this time and they will make you much fitter for what the future brings. BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China continues to take multi-pronged measures to protect the health of Chinese studying abroad while curbing the potential import of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an aviation official said Monday. In April, the country has arranged seven special flights to bring 1,278 Chinese citizens home from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and Spain, among whom 1,067 are students, Jin Junhao, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) told a news conference. In March, nine special flights have flown back 1,466 Chinese nationals from Iran and Italy, including overseas students and health experts who were in the countries to help fight the disease, said Jin. To support Chinese students who remained abroad, the CAAC has sent them over 300,000 health kits, weighing 300 tonnes, as of April 7, and another 200,000 health kits will be delivered before Wednesday, Jin said. The CAAC has cut international passenger flights, but it still retains no more than 134 regular international passenger flights per week with 40 countries and 61 cities overseas, Jin said. Numerous crosses atop churches in China were recently removed by the Chinese Communist government which asserted that religious symbols cannot be raised higher than the Chinese national flag, The Christian Post reports. Religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter has reported on numerous cross removals across China over the years. In mid-March, the outlet pointed out that crosses were removed from multiple churches in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui and in the neighboring Shandong, the prefecture-level city of Linyi. Churches approved by the Chinese government are not exempt. In February, officials removed a cross from a government-approved Three-Self church in Hexi village. In 2007, the church was built in compliance with state regulations, implementing the four requirements of the governments religion sinicization campaign. Despite canceled church gatherings because of COVID-19, churches were still removed. The government does not provide enough help during the epidemic but instead demolishes crosses, a local believer told Bitter Winter. In December, additional crosses from Three-Self churches were removed in Hegang, out in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. One church member in the citys Dongshan district told Bitter Winter that a local official threatened to close down the church if the cross was not removed because it was higher than the national flag. In the same month, crosses of Christ Gospel Church and Luobei Christian Church in Hegangs Luobei county were removed as one county government employee explained that the crosses were too eye-catching, and they would attract people into the churches. In November, the cross from the Ranfang Church in Gushi county in the central Henan province was removed as government officials told believers that its the Communist Party that gives you food and money, not God. Pastor Jian Zhu, director of the China Institute at Lincoln Christian University in Illinois, recently warned that Chinas persecution against house churches is now the worst he has seen since 1979. The Chinese government now has placed severe restrictions and policies on the house churches, asking neighbors to spy on one another, pressures schoolteachers and college professors to betray and sign a statement to denounce their faith as well as to do the same to the students, Zhu said. Now, they are trying to eliminate Christianity from public life, he continued. Cameras are all over to watch church and Christians go to Sunday service. Families are threatened to not go to church or they will be punished or their relatives could be in trouble. The Open Doors USAs World Watch List ranks China as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. Churches are seen as a threat if they become too large, too political or invite foreign guests. Photo courtesy: Sparrow Stock 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. The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed the 10,000-mark on Tuesday, with the infections doubling over six days (till Monday) and the government expanding containment efforts and ramping up testing in an attempt to curb the highly contagious pathogen from sweeping across the country. Delhi recorded its biggest daily spike yesterday with 356 cases on Monday, according to Delhi government health officials. The national capital has recorded 1,510 cases so far, becoming the city with the most number of infections. The number of cases in Delhi increased from 72 on March 29 to 1,510 on Tuesday - most of the 356 cases reported on Monday appeared to be linked to the Nizamuddin gathering. The national capital reported its first case on March 2, when a 45-year-old who travelled from Italy tested positive. According to officials in the Delhi government, about 1,050 of the total cases are attendees of the Nizamuddin event or their contacts. The Delhi government has set up a task force to identify suspected coronavirus cases in all districts of the city. Amid the rising number of cases, a Corona Foot Warriors Containment and Surveillance Force has been constituted at every booth level by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, a Delhi government official told news agency PTI. Each team of the force will have five members including a booth-level officer, civil defence volunteer, police constable, sanitation and anganwadi worker, the official said. The government launched a massive sanitisation drive in those areas declared as red zones, and high-risk zones identified by the colour orange to prevent the spread of the disease. Massive sanitisation drive underway in Delhi. Sixty machines, including 10 hi-tech Japanese machines, have been deployed, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. The administration also ran a pilot disinfection drive using the hi-tech Japanese spray machines at Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency. Meanwhile, in order to ensure strict compliance of social distancing norms, the Delhi government will implement odd-even rules in all wholesale markets of the city. Traders will sell vegetables on alternate days, Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai said. An Indian Army doctor posted in Delhi has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and a colleague of his is symptomatic, two people familiar with the details said on Tuesday on condition on anonymity. The necessary contact tracing has been carried out and 18 contacts of the doctor, a lieutenant colonel, have been identified to be in the high-risk category while two others are in the low-risk category, said one of persons cited above. The high-risk contacts include the officers wife, daughter and the colleague who is symptomatic, he said. Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage The latest case has taken the number of soldiers infected by Covid-19 to five. Two soldiers, including an army doctor of the rank of colonel tested positive for Covid-19, in March-end at a time the force is taking aggressive measures to tackle the spread of the disease its ranks. In the latest case, the lieutenant colonel had no direct contact with patients under treatment, said the second person cited above. The doctor who is symptomatic is under medical care and the others who were in contact with the doctor found positive are in home quarantine, he said. The office block of the lieutenant colonel has been sanitized and locked till April 19, his residential building has been quarantined and other buildings he visited are being fumigated, he added. A colonel-ranked officer posted at the Kolkata-based Eastern Command hospital and a junior commissioned officer serving with a unit in Dehradun tested positive for coronavirus in March-end. Both had history of domestic travel in the first/second week of March. A a 34-year-old soldier tested positive for the coronavirus in Leh on March 18, becoming the first case in the army. The soldier from Ladakh Scouts has recovered. In an address to soldiers on the Covid-19 outbreak last month, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said it was important for them to stay fit and remain away from coronavirus if they have to help the countrymen in these serious times. The army has asked its units across the country to strictly adhere to protocols for containing the spread of Covid-19. The army, which is at the forefront of the countrys fight against the pandemic, has taken a raft of preventive measures to stop the spread of the infection within its ranks. These measures include cancellation of all non-essential training, conferences and travel, a freeze on postings and foreign assignments, avoiding any assembly that involves more than 50 personnel and postponing all courses for officers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Among the most important pre-requisites of working from home is reliable, fast broadband. My son, an animator and video editor for a financial multinational, found his ability to work at speed changed dramatically recently when he was supplied with an ultra-fast broadband router at the behest of his employer. The lockdown has underlined the value of connectivity. This week, for instance, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank hold their first ever virtual Spring meetings. Broadband boost: The lockdown has underlined the value of connectivity as Britain turns to working from home Arguably, with global output in free fall, the worst recession since the Great Depression on the cards and a desperate need to get assistance to the poorest countries, the gatherings will be the most significant ever held. But they can only achieve the bold goals being set if the technology works. It has been unhelpful that when the world needs the best connectivity, 5G next generation mobile networks are being demonised. The threat is on two fronts. At the surreal level, 5G networks have become a target of conspiracy theorists such as David Icke who fear the networks could be a device for controlling our lives and might be responsible for the rapid spread of Covid-19. Some serious people take this stuff literally. A friend who is an experienced health professional is convinced we have been rendered vulnerable to the virus by radioactive waves. BT boss Philip Jansen attacked the mindless vandals who have verbally or physically assaulted 39 BT engineers involved in erecting 5G masts and vandalised 40 of the new pieces of equipment. The second threat to 5G is rooted in realpolitik and technology theory. The Chinese firm Huawei, which claims not to be in thrall to the state, is at the forefront of rolling out 5G. Britains telecoms providers lobbied for it on price and speed of roll-out. Many doubt the wisdom of giving Chinese entities access to infrastructure which could be used for spying. The pandemic has given new velocity to the case. Politicians on the Right have talked about a reckoning for Beijing for its role in the epidemic. A more cogent criticism is the way Chinese authorities used mobile telephones to monitor citizens in the Wuhan lockdown and to control all activity, down to what citizens accessed at stores. The idea that Huawei is the only realistic choice is questionable. Nokia and Ericsson are thought to have the capability but could be slower and more expensive. But there is another technological aspect to this. Huawei represents the traditional way, using dedicated masts and systems dominated by existing cell phone providers such as O2, Vodafone and BTs EE. There is an alternative favoured by the Japanese tech-provider Rakuten and in Silicon Valley. This group advocates fully virtualised mobile networks using economical hardware and controlled by software similar to that used in cloud computing. Rakuten already has a 5G network up and running. Some tech analysts argue that its kit could be as revolutionary as the adoption of cloud computing by pioneers Salesforce and Amazon. There might also be the advantage of keeping the Chinese at bay. Even the silver generation, who find technology a mystery, have adapted to all manner of connections during the lockdown. What is lacking are stable and fast systems, whether using wi-fi or mobile. We should not assume that Chinas Huawei 5G offers the right answer to improved connectivity. In this article UNH Christine McCarthy, a nurse for over 20 years and a palliative nurse for the past year, sits for a portrait on an empty hospital bed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Apr. 2, 2020. Here at the states largest hospital, staff are coping with unprecedented realities in this coronavirus pandemic and deeply worried about what is yet to come. There is an odd juxtaposition inside this normally bustling world-renowned hospital: Expanded intensive care units are packed with COVID-19 patients, while other floors and places such as family waiting rooms are deserted, quiet. Erin Clark | Boston Globe | Getty Images UnitedHealth Group earnings will provide the first window into the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis when it comes to health insurance costs from testing and hospitalizations, as well as the toll on providers from the cancellation of nonemergency care. Analysts expect the health-care giant to report on Wednesday adjusted earnings of $3.63 per share on $64.4 billion in revenue, according to the consensus estimate calculated by Refinitiv. Covid-19-related medical costs are not expected to weigh on UnitedHealth's first-quarter results, because coronavirus testing and confirmed infections in the U.S. ramped up late in the quarter, during March. For the current quarter, analyst expect that the drop-off in high-priced elective surgical procedures will likely offset the insurers' higher spending on coronavirus-related costs. Last month, all of the major insurers waived out-of-pocket costs on coronavirus testing and medical visits, while this month, many extended first-dollar coverage for hospitalizations, as well. Yet, UnitedHealth is also spending more on its overall pandemic response, pledging more than $50 million to provide medical support in cities and states that have elevated virus outbreaks, and providing $2 billion in advanced payments to hospitals and physicians over the last week to help them with liquidity constraints. 2020 outlook a lot less clear Investors will be looking for UnitedHealth to provide a view into coronavirus medical costs, but analysts at Piper Sandler cautioned in a note to clients that early data on medical claims may not provide much clarity; noting "with much of the claims processing/coding teams now working from home at hospitals and insurers" overall billing and payments could be slower than normal for the industry. UnitedHealth's analytic team may have some view on the spread of the virus, but it may not be as useful as its flu-tracking data because of the limited testing on a national scale. "It is entirely possible that UnitedHealth could withdraw its 2020 guidance due to the uncertainty. This would not concern us," said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Steven Halper in a note to clients, adding that he believes the health-care giant is well positioned to withstand Covid-related headwinds. Unemployment and health insurance losses UnitedHealth is the nation's largest health insurer, ending 2019 with more than 48 million members, with over 19 million of them in employer plans. The company warned late last year that its employer numbers would dip in the first half of this year, after some major accounts were not renewed. The rising tide of employer furloughs and layoffs could lead to overall industry reductions in employer insurance memberships. "The big factor is how long does this last and how much of these employees are ultimately back on the payroll," said Kyle Roland, senior fixed income analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, adding that insurers with great exposure to the Medicaid government health care safety-net program will be better positioned in a downturn. "If you're UnitedHealthcare, Centene or Anthem, with massive Medicaid exposure you can onboard those members on a different platform at a lower margin, but some others are not going to have that luxury," Roland said. He notes rival Cigna may benefit near term from having a larger employer-based membership that may not be as heavily impacted by Covid-19 hospitalizations, but longer term the insurer could face steep losses in an economic downturn. "In a material downturn where large employers are experiencing heavy layoffs, Cigna would undoubtedly face a fair amount of pressure in being unable to recapture lost membership via government programs," he said. Longer rebound in nonessential care Experts have criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping for concealing, destroying and fabricating information about the rampant spread of COVID-19 and suppressing the data by silencing and criminalising dissent. In a report published by The Times of Israel, Human Rights Advocate Irwin Cotler said, "There is authoritative and compelling evidence -- including a study from the University of Southampton -- that if interventions in China had been conducted three weeks earlier, the transmission of COVID-19 could have been reduced by 95 per cent". The daily reported that Dr. Ai Fen, Director of the Emergency Department at the Central Hospital of Wuhan disseminated information about the novel virus to several doctors, one of them being Li Wenliang in late December last year. Wenliang passed away after contracting the contagion in February while Ai has recently disappeared. "On January 1, 2020, Dr. Li Wenliang -- the "hero" and "awakener" -- was reprimanded for spreading rumours, and was summoned to sign a statement accusing him of making false statements that disturbed the public order. Seven other people were arrested on similar charges. Their fate is still unknown," the report said. Meanwhile, on January 4, Dr. Ho Pak Leung -- president of the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Infection -- had indicated that it was highly probable that COVID-19 can spread from human-to-human, and urged the implementation of a strict monitoring system, the experts stated. However, despite prior indications, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declared that preliminary investigations did not show any clear evidence of human-to-human transmission for weeks later. On January 14, the Health Organisation (WHO) reaffirmed China's statement, and followingly on January 22, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the Chinese Communist Party's handling of the outbreak and the so-called timely intervention. On January 23, Chinese authorities announced their first steps to quarantine Wuhan. By then, it was too late. Millions of people had already visited Wuhan and left during the Chinese New Year, and a significant number of Chinese citizens had travelled overseas as asymptomatic carriers. In wake of the above developments, the report said that the would have been more prepared and able to combat COVID-19 "had it not been for President Xi's authoritarian regime's widespread and systematic pattern of sanitizing the massive domestic repression of its people." China's silence and suppression cost Italy -- which has now become the epicenter of Europe's COVID-19 spread -- witnessing a death toll of 12 per cent, more than double that of China's, followed by Spain with a fatality rate of 9 per cent. While global infections continue to surge relentlessly upwards, China, ironically, is now propagating itself to be safe than the majority of other countries. The South Korean model -- where it pioneered drive-through COVID-19 testing centers collecting swabs from over 15,000 people a day, and quarantining the infected immediately thereafter -- is one of the only precedents to significantly reduce the number of infected cases. The experts said, "In a word, President Xi's government has exacerbated the world's COVID-19 health and systemic crises, which has paved the way for one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history." Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus around the have surpassed 2 million, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It's one of the biggest unknowns about the coronavirus, one that determines what comes next for hundreds of thousands of Americans who have endured covid-19 and now appear to be fully recovered. Are they immune?Can they resume normal life, and shrug off the fears and anxieties that are inescapable side-effects of this pathogen? One idea currently getting discussed at the highest levels of government is that such people should be granted a certificate of immunity - or some kind of special clearance that says this person is no longer infectious or vulnerable to the disease. But the proposal is mired in slippery science of this new virus. No one knows if a recovered covid-19 patient is actually immune to a new infection - or if they are immune, how complete or long-lasting that might be. Some kind of immunity post-infection is the most plausible scenario for covid-19 patients. That's the pattern with most infectious diseases. The body's remarkably adaptive immune system typically clears out a virus and then maintains sentinel disease-fighting antibodies that are ready to repel a subsequent attack. Yet there are preliminary reports out of South Korea and China, not yet peer reviewed but gaining broad attention, that have surprised and baffled scientists. Some survivors test positive after they've been officially cured. They also have widely varying amounts of antibodies - abundant in some survivors, undetectable in others. Serology testing, still being rolled out across the United States, looks at blood serum for signs of antibodies to the virus. Authorities have hailed the arrival of these tests as crucial to the goal of restarting the crippled economy. They could also help answer the key questions about the coronavirus, such as how many people became infected without symptoms, and how widespread it is in the community. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that, once testing is more widespread, it's possible people might eventually carry some form of identification showing they're immune to the virus. "It's one of those things that we talk about when we want to make sure that we know who the vulnerable people are," Fauci said. But it's not obvious that such tests would clarify the issue of immunity, and other key questions remain, including: Who would issue the certificates of immunity? How would people get them? What exactly would these people be allowed to do? "It looks like the train is getting ready to leave the station and nobody has checked to see what the track ahead is like," said Henry Greely, director of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences. In the race to respond to the pandemic, the antibody tests are hitting the market without the usual level of due diligence. "I am concerned that some of the antibody tests that are in the market, that haven't gone through the FDA scientific review, may not be as accurate as we'd like them to be," Food and Drug Administration commissioner Stephen Hahn said this past weekend on "Meet the Press." What this means, in practice, is that a positive result for coronavirus antibodies might not be a rock-solid case for being immune. Simply being positive might not be enough; people might need a certain threshold level of antibodies to be protected. Again, no one knows what that level might be. What should, in theory, create at least some level of immunity is surviving a serious bout with the disease. A study in the wake of SARS, the similar coronavirus that triggered an epidemic in 2003, showed that survivors maintained neutralizing antibodies for two years on average, with the number antibodies declining thereafter. Other coronaviruses in circulation in the human species also lead to at least partial immunity for some period of time. The immunity question has implications for whether covid-19 follows an annual cycle like seasonal influenza, or returns every two years, or goes dormant for, say, five years and then erupts again, according to a research paper published Tuesday in the journal Science. The authors noted that two other coronaviruses in circulation, which cause common colds, result in about 45 weeks of immunity on average. If the new virus follows that pattern, it would likely create annual outbreaks, they found. In one small study 30 years ago, 15 people volunteered to have coronavirus 229E, which causes common cold symptoms, squirted up their noses. Ten became infected, and eight developed cold symptoms. A year later, all but one of them returned to be reinfected again. The majority were reinfected, but those who had been ill before did not develop cold symptoms. Moreover, the period during which the patients shed the virus, and were potentially contagious, was shorter. The new virus, SARS-CoV-2, is genetically very similar to the first SARS virus - hence the "2" - but it affects people differently. It is not as lethal but is more easily spread. Many people who are infected do not develop symptoms at all, and yet can potentially still transmit the virus to others. A report from China that has not yet been peer-reviewed found a wide range of antibodies among people with mild cases of the virus. Most strikingly, younger people had fewer antibodies in the wake of the disease - and 30 percent of those sampled had low levels. Some individuals had no trace of antibodies. That has raised the question of whether a person with a mild infection, one confirmed by the sensitive PCR test, might still be susceptible to a second infection. A report out of South Korea has raised that issue more directly. Health officials said that 91 patients who had recovered from the virus, a diagnosis confirmed by a negative test result, had subsequently tested positive. They might not have been reinfected, however. The tests are extremely sensitive and could have detected lingering traces of genetic material from nonviable virus. Because the virus does damage to the lungs, one possibility is that the debris getting cleared out could leave fragments of viral genetic material circulating in the body, Vineet Menachery, a virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, pointed out on Twitter. Korean officials are now taking samples from the patients who tested positive to try to grow the virus in a dish, which will be the true test of whether the people were still shedding live virus. They expect results in two weeks. Someday, the U.S. and much of the world may have herd immunity to covid-19. That day is still very far away, likely arriving only when a safe vaccine is widely deployed. Herd immunity occurs when a large proportion of a population - typically 70 to 80 percent - is not vulnerable to infection. The influential pandemic model developed by the University of Washington's Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation assumes that by June the percentage of Americans infected by the coronavirus will be in the single digits. In New York City, the nation's covid-19 epicenter, about 1 percent of the population has now tested positive. - - - The Washington Post's Min Joo Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. US President Donald Trump offered his condolences to families of those who lost their lives in several states ravaged by tornadoes. Storms killed more than 30 people in the Southeast, piling fresh misery atop a pandemic, spread across the eastern United States on Monday, leaving more than 1 million homes and businesses without power amid floods and mudslides. In Alabama, people seeking shelter from tornadoes huddled in community shelters, protective masks covering their faces to guard against the new coronavirus. A twister demolished a Mississippi home save for a concrete room where a married couple and their children survived unharmed, but 11 others died in the state. Nine died in South Carolina, Gov.Henry McMaster said, and coroners said eight were killed in Georgia. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said two people were killed in Chattanooga, and others died under falling trees or inside collapsed buildings in Arkansas and North Carolina. Drew Barrymore has revealed she has 'cried every day' while trying to homeschool her own children during the coronavirus pandemic. The E.T. star, 45, spoke with Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show remotely on Tuesday, to discuss coronavirus relief efforts she's helping to champion through the Beauty United campaign, which is where the subject of keeping her daughters occupied came up. She told Guthrie how emotional the prospect of balancing discipline and education was for her, with seven-year-old Olive and five-year-old Frankie at home from school amid the coronavirus pandemic. Emotional: Drew Barrymore spoke with Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show remotely on Tuesday, to discuss coronavirus relief efforts as well as what it's like to homeschool her kids 'I cried every day, all day long,' she told Savannah of the experience. 'It was like every church and state. It is the messiest plate Ive ever held in my life to be the teacher, the parent, the disciplinarian, the caretaker.' Drew, who shares her daughters with ex-husband Will Kopelman, added, 'I didnt think I needed to respect and appreciate teachers more than I did.' Then, after a few days of going through it with her girls, Barrymore began to get the hang of it. 'I cried every day, all day long,' Drew told Savannah of the experience She persevered: The Ever After star then explained that after a few days of going through it with her girls, she began to get the hang of homeschooling 'You find your way,' the Ever After actress said brightly. 'Were resilient, people!' Of the inherent struggles everyone is facing during these strange times when everyone is forced to stay at home and nonetheless manage various responsibilities, news anchor Guthrie said, 'Its a choice to choose happiness in every moment.' Barrymore enthusiastically agreed that 'happiness is a war you fight every day,' and that she considers herself as someone who 'marches in the army of optimism!' A different time: Drew, who has daughters Olive, seven, and Frankie, five, also said, 'I didnt think I needed to respect and appreciate teachers more than I did'; seen in LA in 2018 Positive outlook: Barrymore reflected that 'happiness is a war you fight every day,' and that she considers herself as someone who 'marches in the army of optimism' during this hard time And of her efforts to help frontline workers in their fight against the coronavirus, Barrymore marveled at the concerted efforts of her peers to supply vital PPE (personal protective equipment) to those in need. 'Im one in a sea of people thats supporting this,' the Flower Beauty founder said, who went on to list other companies partnering up for the Beauty United initiative including her friend Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop, Bobbi Brown, Victoria Beckham, Revlon and Unilever, among others. 'The thing that I take away from this as well is, this is a moment in time where everyone is putting their separate companies [aside] and going into alignment,' the Firestarter star continued. 'I see Kimmel, Colbert and Fallon hosting a show together, I see every beauty company coming together. I see a sea of change where network lines and company lines are fading away and this common goal is bringing everyone together.' Happy mom: Drew also discussed with Savannah the coronavirus relief efforts she's helping to champion through the Beauty United campaign; seen here on Instagram ATLANTA, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tissue Regeneration Technologies (TRT) announced today an important addition to our patent family to potentially aid in the fight against the Coronavirus. This patent applies the known mechanisms of action of unfocused shockwaves against this deadly virus. It is documented that the application of shock waves can produce the following effects in vivo: Stem cell activation Modulation of inflammation Blood flow improvement Antimicrobial and antiviral Dislodging, liquefaction and dilution of viscous fluids such as phlegm All of these effects may aid in the fight against the Coronavirus. The last bullet point may allow for life-threatening mucous to be expelled more efficiently. As shockwaves pass through tissue types with differing acoustic properties (lung tissues and thick mucus produced by COVID type viruses), energy is released at the interfaces, which is theorized to contribute to the dislodging of mucus that has been observed immediately after treatment. Additionally, the known anti-inflammatory properties of shockwaves may modulate the inflammatory overreaction initiated by COVID-19. Finally, the reparative properties of Shockwaves, including the activation of resident stem cells, may aid in the recovery and regeneration of damaged lung tissue. John Warlick, CEO states, "the most exciting development is that we have initiated our first clinical trial enrolling those patients where both ventilators and ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) have failed to stabilize the patient. Based on the fast-acting mechanism of action discussed above, we hope to release the initial results very soon. We have been very cautious to develop our unfocused Shockwave (SoftWave) therapy for the treatment of the lungs as there are many misconceptions about the risks associated with shockwaves and lung tissue developed from the thirty plus years of utilizing high energy, focused shockwaves to destroy kidney stones. TRT's unique, patented low energy unfocused shockwaves do not adversely affect lung tissue as previously feared. This has been demonstrated with extensive invitro and invivo trials." CEO John Warlick further states, "TRT has assembled a team of doctors, engineers, and physicists to support this Herculean effort to eradicate the virus in the lungs. More importantly, TRT will release an open-source "white paper" site for others to contribute to this project. This project is too critical to handle on our own. We need to enlist additional experts in this endeavor. We know shockwaves influence most of the known biologic pathways to disrupt viral replication and aid in the support of the patient's recovery. We are very confident in the outcome of our fight to destroy the effects of the virus." "Ironically, a virus is a very fragile agent. Others seek very elaborate, expensive technologies to fight viruses. Sometimes you just need a sonic hammer. At the most basic level, shockwaves are just a biologic hammer triggering a basic biological response." Please review the attached PDF below for full release. Related Files COVID-19-Pressrelease.pdf Related Images tissue-regeneration-technologies.jpg Tissue Regeneration Technologies Related Links TRTLLC MTS Medical SOURCE Tissue Regeneration Technologies An orphaned baby koala named Lucy found her way back to health and rehabilitation after being rescued. Lucy owes her health to the staff at Australia Zoo, founded by Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Discovered lost and alone in a driveway in the suburban area of Burpengary, Queensland, Lucy was rescued by Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors and brought in for emergency care. Dehydrated and desperate to find shelter from the scorching sun, the joey was in dire straits. Despite suffering from chlamydial conjunctivitis (pinkeye), Lucy managed to make a swift recovery under the hospitals care. Chronicling her rehabilitation and graduation to koala kindy over the following months, she won the hearts of thousands of social media users. Meet Lucy, the gorgeous koala joey that is melting hearts at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Poor Lucy was found Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors Director of the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Dr. Rosie Booth explained in a Facebook video just how close to death this tiny koala was when she first arrived. Lucy was in such a bad condition with her dehydration that she spent three days in our care with intravenous fluids, Dr. Booth said, noting that she was far too young to survive on her own. In addition to the koala recovering from heat stroke, the vet said she needed to commence treatment for her chlamydia, so she had eye medication and systemic antibiotics. With all of the intensive care, Lucy managed to beat the odds and survive. The next steps in Lucys recovery were getting her healthy enough to be able go to koala kindy, a protected natural space in the Australia Zoo where the animals can live among each other and practice the life skills they will need to be released back into the wild. Dr. Booth described it as a place where rescued koalas get to learn about koala language, social norms, and theyre also put with an adult female who helps them to keep calm and know how to move around in their environment. Photo courtesy of Australia Zoo To be able to leave the hospital, Lucy first had to undergo a pre-kindy exam, as Dr. Booth called it, a whole round of procedures designed to ensure her health and that of all the other koalas she would come into contact with. The vet said this would include an anesthetic and then we had to do swabs to check that the chlamydia was cured, and we needed to put in an ear tag and a microchip, an assessment of body condition, body weight, a chest ray, and an ultrasound of [her] bladder and reproductive health. Thankfully, Lucy passed with flying colors, and some four months after arriving in ICU, she finally made it back into the trees among her own kind. It was a sweet but sad moment for her carers, who had to say goodbye. Dr. Booth explained, When they are with a wildlife carer, they get imprinted on humans, so they need to disassociate themselves from humans before theyre released [into the wild]. Photo courtesy of Australia Zoo Lucys journey from near death to taking her first steps as a wild koala was incredibly gratifying for all the carers and vets at the Australia Zoo. Her amazing recovery embodies the mission of the late Steve Irwin, which is being carried on by his wife, Terri Irwin, and children, Robert and Bindi. The famed TV presenter and animal rescuer once said, My job, my mission, the reason Ive been put onto this planet, is to save wildlife. Photo courtesy of Australia Zoo According to the IDNR, 34 dams have been removed or altered on the Fox, Des Plaines, Kankakee, Chicago and DuPage rivers and their tributaries since 2003. Seven new removal/remodification projects are in the works, including the one in Carpentersville, and are to be completed between 2020 and 2022,officials said. [April 14, 2020] Vagaro Launches Video Conferencing Vagaro, Inc., a leading business management platform and online marketplace for the beauty, fitness and wellness industry this week announced a new video conferencing service. The new offering extends the capabilities of Vagaro's powerful, cloud-based tools by allowing businesses to live stream directly and seamlessly from within the Vagaro platform. Service professionals can choose to live stream from their computer or from their mobile devices using the Vagaro Pro App. The feature is fully automated and works seamlessly with Vagaro's booking and payment processing platform. Clients booking a remote service or class will automatically receive booking confirmations and reminders with their unique live stream link. The new feature is part of a series of product innovations and economic relief measures that Vagaro has put in place to help the struggling wellness industry, one of the hardest hit during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Salon and spa owners, massage therapists and personal trainers work in close personal contact with their clients and as a result, revenue has drastically dropped as the virus spreads globally. Vagaro's in-house research shows that, in the U.S., the economic toll has been particularly steep in states with large populations and a significant number of COVID-19 cases. In the state of New York service appointments dropped by 90% and revenue decreased by 93% during the past 2 weeks. Even states with relatively small numbers of COVID-19 cases have not emerged uncathed. In Wyoming for example appointments were down 83%, with revenue plummeting by 89%. "The impact of COVID-19 on the salon, spa and fitness industry worldwide has been nothing short of devastating. To help these professionals survive now, we have integrated video conferencing technology to enable live streaming of remote classes and one-on-one consultations. These services can be easily booked and paid online through our cloud-based platform," says Vagaro Founder and CEO Fred Helou. The company is also giving away its e-commerce, email and text marketing software modules for free, enabling businesses to cost-effectively manage, market and sell newly created remote services. To encourage consumer support, Vagaro has outfitted Vagaro.com, its online marketplace, with a search engine that allows visitors to select local businesses with an online offering. The company also launched a social media campaign under the hashtag #StayInsideShopOnline to drive support for small businesses across the nation. "Vagaro was founded during the great recession of 2009. Back then we supported industry professionals with affordable software and easy access to a free online marketplace. We are committed to helping them now by pushing product innovation, offering reduced pricing structures and supporting industry-focused relief initiatives," says Kerry Melchior, COO and long-time Vagaro employee. The company will be announcing further innovations in the near future with the goal of further strengthening the online presence of its customer base. About Vagaro Vagaro, Inc. is a leading business management platform and online marketplace for the beauty, fitness and wellness industry. Service professionals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia use Vagaro to manage, market and grow their business. Consumers choose Vagaro to search for and book wellness services on any device. To learn more visit Vagaro.com and https://sales.vagaro.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414006059/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Yasmin Hashmi, KNXtoday. As I write, the world is facing two obvious crises; COVID-19 and the climate. In both cases, the most pressing imperative is to save lives. The second, arguably, is to balance a sustainable world economy with a healthy environment. This is where KNX plays an important role. My publisher, Stella Plumbridge and I, are both engineering graduates. Our first publications were in the broadcast industry, where there were many amazing audio and video editing systems, each with their pros and cons. They could not, however, easily speak to each other. It was a frustration for the industry and ultimately led to just two or three brands being preferred. Relying on so few manufacturers can be precarious. Having expanded into the smart home market some 17 years ago, where there were also many amazing systems that could not easily talk to each other, we were delighted to meet Colin Price of distributor Ivory Egg, at a trade show. He introduced us to KNX, a backwardly-compatible worldwide communication standard for building control, not just in homes, but in public and commercial buildings too. A standard! We were immediate converts. As engineers, this made complete sense. Another fortuitous meeting with Heinz Lux of KNX Association ultimately led to the creation of KNXtoday. Here we are. KNX is the leading international standard for home and building control. KNX promotes efficiency In view of the continuing climate crisis, it is unthinkable that, once we have learned how to live with this pandemic and get industry moving again, builders will not have energy efficiency as a top priority. KNX was born to promote efficiency not only in terms of the energy it helps to save through intelligent control, but through the way KNX systems are physically structured and programmed using one software tool (called ETS). In addition, rather than contracting, the number of manufacturers complying with the KNX standard has been expanding, as has the reach of KNX (see our various articles on KNX IoT and KNX Secure now becoming the worlds first vendor-independent security standard for building automation). Manufacturer cooperation through the KNX Association results in high quality and forward thinking. It also means security of choice and support for customers. With KNX, you can mix and match the most suitable products for your requirements, safe in the knowledge that your installation can be updated at any time, and be supported by a large worldwide resource of KNX experts. Furthermore, through gateways, KNX can interact with other control systems, meaning yet more freedom of choice and flexibility. The following interviews, with a focus on commercial projects, illustrate these points well. Interview 1 Federico Catriel Federico Catriel is the Secretary of KNX Argentina, and Founding Partner of Levint Partners SRL, a company specialising in KNX building automation. Here, he talks to us about the YPF Torre Puerto Madero commercial tower project in Buenos Aires. Q: Who was behind the project and what was the aim? A: It was a joint project between the facility manager, G4S Detcon, and my company, Levint Partners SRL. The client was YPF. The tower was inaugurated in 2008 in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Our job was to recondition the existing KNX installation that had been done over ten years previously by another company, in order to comply with the current regulations of the company that owns the building. In this new system, the aim was to save energy. We carried out the project in 2019, and added many new functions. We saved the old KNX modules they still work well, and added some upgrades. G4S made the modifications to the installation and Levint Partners SRL programmed the tower. The YPF Torre Puerto Madero commercial tower in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Q: How was the installation designed to save energy? A: This installation uses DALI-KNX interfaces to control the lights. The first step was redesign the lighting scenes to reduce consumption. The lights were limited to a maximum of 75% (500lx without sunlight), and unnecessary lights could be turned off. The tower has presence and light sensors to make full use of daylight, and we also added a power metering system to check the energy usage. Visualisation of lighting measurements for different offices on each floor. Other modifications were made in the individual office spaces, where the first key on a keypad will now turn the lights on at 40% instead of 100%, whilst the second key turns the lights to 80%, and the last key turns the lights off. Usually people only use the first key, so unless they need more lighting, the light in each room remains at 40%. Q: How much energy was saved? A: Around 40% more than with the old system. Dimming diagram of daily energy usage during summer. Q: What did KNX uniquely offer to this project? A: KNX offered the possibility of unlimited updates, even in a ten-year-old installation. KNX ensures compatibility of new devices with old devices, and it also allows integration with other technologies such as Modbus and BACnet. Although the renovation only ended in October 2019, the success of the strategy means that we are now adding the lighting control in bathrooms and service areas. Q: What have you learned from this project? A: Communication is key. The building owner did not fully understand what they had in terms of the previous installation, and had started to add other technologies in frustration. Apart from providing a robust system that meets the brief, it is essential for installers to share all of the project information with the client, and to reassure them that they can always change their provider. This builds confidence. Q: What are your main takeaways from this project? A: This project was a personal challenge for me. Not only did I have to redesign the system using the old installed infrastructure and with the lowest possible budget, I was also under pressure to convince the client that the system really would save energy, and demonstrate that it does. The implementation of the new system had to be extremely precise; the building did not stop operating and we had to work at night without the occupants noticing our presence. As one of the largest KNX projects in the country, in an emblematic building of the city, this has helped to publicise KNX technology all over Argentina and has awoken the curiosity of many construction companies. Interview 2 Andres Vasco Andres Vasco is the IoT Manager Smart Home and Solar Energy, for Marriott Group S.A, supplier of high- and low-voltage electrical items including KNX, and specialist in lighting design and smart building projects. Here he talks about saving energy with KNX for the Marriott Group headquarters in Duale, Ecuador. Q: What was the brief for this project? A: The brief was to create a high-efficiency headquarters for the Marriott Group, partly by renovating its old warehouse. 30% of the buildings energy is provided by its solar energy plant with 150kWp peak power, and all of the products used in its construction and design have the best efficiency on the market. I was commissioned to create the building control concept, design and implement it, and was in charge of controlling all of the electrical designs and electrical contractors. I also did the programming. I knew that KNX was the right solution for this project, as we already have retail stores that are KNX-controlled. Entrance to the Marriott Group headquarters. Q: How was the installation designed to save energy? A: We were determined to use the most efficient products on the market. For example, all of the lights have a rating of 160lm/W and have the capability to reduce their power through the use of movement sensors and timers. To make further savings, we check the energy usage every month and adapt the control program accordingly. Q: How much energy was saved? A: A building such as this would typically use 800kW/h per day for all electrical functions such as HVAC, computers, lighting, etc. Our KNX control system has reduced the total consumption by 15-20%. Q: What did KNX uniquely offer to this project? A: We were able to mix and match three different brands, which helped to save costs on the implementation. This also demonstrates to our customers that using a strong standard such as KNX allows us to integrate whatever they want. In addition, I had to make certain assumptions about typical user habits when I initially programmed the system, but thanks to KNX, it has been easy to adapt the control program to suit my colleagues requests. KNX allows you to mix and match hardware from different manufacturers with confidence, thanks to a strict testing and certification process. Q: What have you learned from this project? A: Usually, I use a principal gateway on my projects, but in Ecuador, sometimes we dont have control of the IP network. This project showed me that I have to narrow emergency-case system operation down to almost just one physical button. Q: What are the consequences of this project? A: When we finished the project, many people came to the building to learn about the KNX protocol and KNX products. The upshot is that we have been commissioned to carry out three new projects, all of which are larger than any we have previously done. Conclusion Imagine if all buildings were to save anything between 15 40% of the energy they would traditionally be expected to use! KNX Association is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Its ethos has always been to advance building automation and improve levels of comfort and efficiency through the use of technology, in a spirit of cooperation. When we emerge from this pandemic, we cannot return to business as usual. Our on-going challenge, collectively, is to improve the environment for the whole planet. We each have our role, and we are fortunate to have the technology to do it. Yasmin Hashmi is the Editor of KNXtoday magazine. Acclaimed as our greatest living artist, David Hockney is keen to share his opinions on the worldwide health crisis. The 82-year-old painter is convinced that smoking helps protect against coronavirus. And hes written a letter to the Daily Mail to argue his case. Hockney suggests smokers have developed an immune system to this virus. He points to research in China that appeared to show there were fewer smokers being treated with Covid-19 in hospitals than their numbers among the general population would suggest. Writing from his home in Normandy, France, he says: With all these figures coming out, its beginning to look like that to me. He adds: Im serious. His claims contradict the medical establishment, which has asserted that smokers find it harder to recover from the virus. David Hockney (pictured in 2008), 82, is convinced that smoking helps protect against coronavirus. And hes written a letter to the Daily Mail to argue his case Just last month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: It is abundantly clear from the research into previous coronaviruses that smoking makes the impact of a coronavirus worse. T his echoed the advice of Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, who advised: If you are going to give up smoking, this is a very good moment to do it. However, Hockney has never been one to accept the consensus when it comes to smoking and said the Americans censorious attitude to cigarettes was one of the reasons why he moved to France last year. Ive smoked for more than 60 years, but I think Im quite healthy, he said. How much longer do I have? Im going to die of either a smoking-related illness or a non-smoking-related illness. Pictured: Paramedics take a patient into St Thomas' Hospital in London last week He took up the habit as an art student in Bradford. His father Kenneth was a militant anti-smoker. Hockneys contrariness could be seen as part of his anti-authoritarian streak. He once had some badges made emblazoned with the words: End bossiness soon. He added the soon because he thought now would sound bossy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rich donors flock to back Wills and Kate While the Royal Family are stuck in lockdown like the rest of us, theyre busy trying to help behind the scenes. I can reveal the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have teamed up with a string of wealthy benefactors to help charities who are supporting those leading the fight against coronavirus. Prince William and Kate have been approached in recent weeks by a series of donors, who have offered cash to the pairs Royal Foundation, which will hand out grants to good causes. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the Royal Variety Performance at the Palladium Theatre, London, UK, on the 18th November 2019 Under William and Kates direction, the foundation has spent the past two weeks speaking to charities and groups who support emergency service workers, a source tells me. Theyre working with a number of donors who have offered support. William and Kate are keen to ensure it goes to the services who really need it most. Cavell Nurses Trust and The Care Workers Charity are thought to be among the groups to which the Royal Foundation is reaching out. It is hoped that grants will be awarded to some charities very soon to help them roll out extra services. The source adds: Kate and William both realise help is needed quickly for many of these organisations. The Prince is believed to be particularly worried about the mental health strain that fighting Covid-19 is having on NHS staff and their families. The future King has spoken of the impact that his former job as an Air Ambulance pilot had on his well being. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily's big ambition For A big-screen debut, Lily Allen is aiming high. I hear shes been cast as Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor in the film version of Caitlin Morans book How To Build A Girl. Lily Allen, pictured, is set to star as Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor in the film version of Caitlin Morans book How To Build A Girl Lily cant be accused of lacking ambition, says my man with the clapperboard. Morans semi-autobiographical bestseller tells the story of a 16-year-old extrovert from Wolverhampton who yearns to make a name for herself and answers an advert seeking hip young gunslinger journalists for a cool London music magazine. Lily, the daughter of actor Keith Allen, appears as double-Oscar winner Taylor in the teenage characters imagination. The films co-producer just happens to be Lilys mother, Alison Owen. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She can work it out: I hear Sir Paul McCartneys sister-in-law is making a vital contribution to the fight against coronavirus. My links to the NHS have never gone away, Maccas brother, Mike McGear, tells me. Their mother was a nurse who died aged 47. My wife, Rowena, who usually makes beautiful wedding dresses, is now making scrubs for the NHS. And Mikes band, The Scaffold, have reformed to release a new version of their 1967 hit Thank U Very Much, in aid of the NHS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would be MasterChuffed to be a grandad, says Gregg Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace, who became a father again just last year, hopes to be a grandpa, too. And hes already had a word with his son Tom, 26. Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace, pictured, who became a father again just last year, hopes to be a grandpa, too When we were celebrating his birthday I said to him: What about a grandson? Because hes been with his girlfriend who he met at university for a while. But I dont think either of them are quite ready yet. Four-times married Wallace, 55, adds: There wont be a lot of difference between me being a grandad and a dad. I do have cardigans and the complete set of Winnie-The-Pooh books, so Im ready. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Was David Bowie really a musical genius? The pop chameleon owed his Eighties resurgence to Nile Rodgers, the hit-making producer claims. If you take away what I did on Lets Dance...purrrlease. I mean it would be totally different; he wrote a folk song! Thats not arranging; I rewrote Lets Dance, claims Rodgers who also sprinkled his chart-topping magic on hits by Madonna and Duran Duran. And in todays world, you get credit for that...everything on that Bowie album, Id be a 50 per cent writer. Perhaps Rodgers will beseech Bowies widow Iman for a chunk of the stars 80million estate? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How mystic Sir Michael foresaw 9/11 Not a lot of people know this...Sir Michael Caine is enjoying a thrilling lockdown. The veteran actor is penning his debut novel, at the grand old age of 87. Im writing a thriller, he reveals. All I can tell you about it is that its called If You Dont Want To Die. Ive never written fiction before; Ive always written autobiographical books. Veteran actor Sir Michael Caine is penning his debut novel, at the grand old age of 87 Caine abandoned work on a novel 19 years ago after he unwittingly predicted the World Trade Center attacks in New York. I had this plot where terrorists fly a plane into a London skyscraper, he explained at the time. Then they did it in real life. I was stunned by that, so I stopped writing.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dame Joan Bakewell is determined not to let lockdown spoil her birthday tomorrow. Ill be doing a good deal of Zooming with my family, she says of the video platform. I was due to be in Florence with them for Easter but that was cancelled. Baroness Bakewell, who will be 87, adds: If we werent in lockdown Id certainly have a drink with friends, but Ill have to let that wait. Schools are closed. Depending on what part of the country youre in, theyre closed til April 30, or closed for the rest of the year, or nominally closed til April whatever-th but, lets face it, thats gonna be extended. And depending on the school district, the kids are doing e-learning, or theyre working on workbooks with parental guidance, or neither of the above. And depending on the family situation, theyre being supervised/nagged by parents, being directly instructed by those parents, or, again, neither of the above, if those parents are unwilling or unable which I imagine can occur for a number of reasons, from their own lack of understanding of the subject matter, to the need to work and leave the kids in a child care arrangement (for instance, the state of Illinois is running an emergency child care program for essential workers, which also includes school aged kids, but I have no particular reason to believe these programs will work with children out of school on their lessons). So when school resumes, how far behind will the non-instructed kids be? Will they have lost two months not great, not the end of the world? Or will they be set back by much more? It seems to me this would all hinge on the degree to which the school has individualized learning, so that students can continue learning at their own pace, possibly catching up during the summer, possibly by putting in overtime during the school year. But if a system is one-size-fits-all, so that the only way to accommodate kids who missed two months, is to restart them at the beginning of the year, then the harm will be all the greater and if the system shrugs off their deficits as unavoidable, leaving them unaddressed, it will never be remedied. What concrete actions are schools taking, in cases where the usual lesson plans cant be delivered online? It seems to me that there could be some alternate remedies, by schools focusing on trying to maximize the activities that can be done at home, then adopting highly individualized instruction in the fall to pick up the deficits. Perhaps younger grade school kids could be tasked with the rote learning of basic math facts even if the curriculum called for something different. Parents could be called on to set aside lots of independent reading time, and schools could provide books. (Heck, I think it was a mistake to have closed libraries as inessential!) Kids could be asked to write daily, even if theres no one to correct mistakes. Then groups of kids who have stayed on pace or improved with some of these skills could be given double-doses of science and social studies in the fall. Of course, a further difficulty is that the official guidance of the Illinois State Board of Education that students in no way be penalized in terms of grades and credits for any shortfalls in their e-learning work. Essentially it means that only grades which exceed the students pre-closure average are included in the average. And I acknowledge that they dont want to cause students harm, but its such a credentializing mindset that says that the benefit kids get from schooling is the diploma/college admission at the end, rather than actual learning, that risks the system deeming particular kids as not needing any help as long as they are on track grade/credit-wise. (Heres a not-helpful link: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/covid19.aspx. Somewhere on this page is a further link to a document which gives this instruction.) And I write with no illusions that educators are waiting for recommendations from a small-time blogger. (Hmmm. . . maybe I will write a further blog post about libraries, though.) Im mostly just thinking out loud about the inflexibilities of our education system, and whether theres any way to solve that, and inviting reader comment. What do you think, and what have you seen? Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 08:30:17|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Army personnel wear protective equipment during a safety protocol drill in Surakarta, Indonesia, April 13, 2020. Indonesia has reported 316 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, lower than the number on Sunday when it was recorded at 399 cases, bringing the total to 4,557 with 399 fatalities and 380 people recovering, the government's spokesman for the Novel Coronavirus-Related Matters Achmad Yurianto said. (Photo by Mardi/Xinhua) CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As many American businesses struggle to survive the current pandemic, it's critical to help the economy return to normal when the time comes. A new paper by MIT Sloan School of Management Prof. David Thesmar and Harvard Business School Prof. Robin Greenwood suggests an approach to help the supply side of the economy "snap back" in the second phase of the crisis. The key is creating a master agreement that provides a win-win solution for all parties. "The essence of this solution is that the federal government provides a master agreement that will reduce expensive haggling over debts, provide a floor on repayment, and take advantage of the government's unique position as a shareholder in all American corporations from corporate taxes to fund the policy," says Thesmar. In their proposal, the government would offer a simple master agreement for modifying rental contracts during the lockdown and for the two months following its end. Landlords would forgive 100% of the rent during that time for contracts signed before March 1, 2020. At the end of the fiscal year they can claim a tax credit equal to 30% of the forgiven rent. Rents received during the grace period would be subject to a surtax. "The key point of this master agreement is that it's a simple take-it-or-leave-it offer. It avoids endless haggling and bargaining over the specifics of the situation, which vary from business to business," they write. "It is a simple value proposition from which both business partners can benefit." Thesmar notes that many states and local governments have offered moratoria on debt payments, but that a few months from now, there will still be debts to resolve. "While many businesses have stopped paying the rent and have been urged to do so by their governments we need to start thinking now about how these claims are going to be resolved when America reopens." The cost to the government would be 30% of the forgiven rents during the grace period, with 70% of the cost paid by the landlord. The landlord is incentivized to accept the deal if the benefits of the modification, including the tax credit, are worth at least the post-tax value of rents until the end of the grace period. For example, assuming a 40% tax rate on rents, and a 10% surtax on rental income, the landlord would likely want to sign the agreement if the benefit of the modification is larger than 20% of the rent. The government also benefits from this proposal. The authors explain, "The government receives tax payments on the additional business income generated by avoiding debt overhang. It bridges the bargaining gap and effectively acts as an intermediary to transform the fixed obligation into equity in the business. The government is a natural long-term equity investor in all businesses, and therefore an automatic residual claimholder in case of business recovery." They point out that the additional tax receipts for the government are potentially large, as corporate finance studies estimate costs of financial distress to be as high as 20% of enterprise value. With capital share of value added of about 30% and an average capital income tax rate of 20%, the additional income for the government could be as high as 1.2% of value added of targeted industries. The cost, they note, is of the same order of magnitude. "With commercial leases being about 3% of GDP, the intervention could cost as much as .9% of GDP if the take up is 100% and the grace period one-year long. If the time period is shorter and the policy targeted at small businesses, the real cost should be a fraction of that." Thesmar adds, "This proposal is a hybrid approach of some prior suggestions. It attempts to nudge capital providers to take a haircut on their claims, while still keeping a small but meaningful role for the government. In this approach, everyone benefits, and we help the economy snap back to normal operations." Thesmar and Greenwood are coauthors of "Sharing the economic pain of the coronavirus." The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu. For further information, contact: Paul Denning or Favreau Director of Media Relations Associate Director of Media Relations (617) 253-0576 617-253-3492 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management Related Links http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 Trend: Turkmenistan is looking to expand its fish farms, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenportal Informational Portal. More than 40 fish farms are currently operating in the country. Those farms are the members of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan. The products of Khazar Balyk open joint stock company can be cited as an example of Turkmenistans famous fish farms. This company grows expensive varieties of fishes, such as sturgeon. Khazar Balyk is also engaged in export of canned sardines. This joint stock company also started using small crustaceans as fish food. Another example - the Toy Zaman company that operates in Turkmenistans Ahal region. The company grows juvenile fish and then releases it into Turkmenistans lakes. Meanwhile, Myradym enterprise in the country's Lebap region is going to build a farm in the Kerki district to produce fish with a volume of 100 tons per year. A fish processing plant with an annual capacity of 100 tons will also be built. At the same time, the trout farm will be built by the Elin Balyk economic society in the Baharly district of Turkmenistans Akhal region. The evidence on the efficiency of the drugs are not enough and doctors have to use a range of options while treating COVID-19 patients. By Disha Shetty and Shreya Khaitan We were all really scared, said Jeenam Shah, a pulmonologist, of the time his first COVID-19 patient arrived at South Mumbais Wockhardt Hospital, on 24 March 2020. This was the first case, no one [knew] what [was] going to happen, including me, Shah told IndiaSpend, We were all scared about how to deal with this. With no cure available yet for the highly infectious COVID-19 and a vaccine that is at least 12-19 months away, frontline healthcare staff are working without established treatment protocols, unlike for most other diseases. They must rely on the general guidelines offered by health and research bodies, and feedback from each other. With patchy evidence on the efficacy of the drugs being used, doctors told us they use a range of options that include basic symptomatic treatment, antimalarial and antiretroviral drugs, swine flu medication, and at times, a cocktail of drugs. No proven treatment There is no cure or treatment for COVID-19, the World Health Organization has said, but has offered guidelines for its management. No specific antivirals have been proven to be effective as per currently available data, stated the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in its Revised Guidelines on Clinical Management for COVID-19, released on March 31, 2020. We are following the WHO and ICMR guidelines for treatment, said Ravikant Singh, a public health expert and founder of Doctors for You (DFY), a nonprofit working with governments in Bihar and Maharashtra to provide care for COVID-19 patients. For in-patients who are severely affected and need intensive care, doctors can prescribe the off-label use of two existing medicines under close medical supervision: hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), used for treating malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and azithromycin, an antibiotic, as per the ICMR guidelines. There were [a] few reports published to show some efficacy [of HCQ] but the data generated through those studies was not very sound to support the use of HCQ, said Sunit K Singh, virologist and head of the Molecular Biology Unit at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). IndiaSpend had earlier reported that there was insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of HCQ as a preventive or cure for COVID-19. The major evidence on the efficacy of HCQ came from a French study that did not meet the expected standard for publishing, as Retraction Watch--a website that tracks published studies--said on 3 April 2020, quoting the society that publishes the scientific journal where the study had first appeared. It is the same drug that the US, with the worlds highest number of COVID-19 patients, asked India to supply, and India said it had allowed companies to export the drug to other countries as there is sufficient stock for Indian patients. Doctors use a combination of drugs With no set protocol in place, doctors are relying on their peers for consistent feedback, we found. We have team meetings and discuss with our teams in other states about the treatment plan and new observations, said Ravikant of DFY. For cases in which the patient is asymptomatic or has mild symptoms, doctors who spoke to IndiaSpend said they prescribe multivitamins, or medicines for relief. About 80 percent of COVID-19 patients are likely to have mild to moderate symptoms such as cough, sore throat, muscle pain and fatigue, according to a February 2020 WHO-China joint monitoring report, which analysed 55,924 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Around 13.8 percent of patients could develop severe symptoms and 6.1 percent of cases would progress to the critical stage, said the report. "But that doesnt mean that the 80 percent [with mild symptoms] dont require anything, said Ravi Dosi, head of the chest division at Indores Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Science (SAIMS), which has over 100 COVID-19 patients. We constantly monitor them and take care of them. There are two schools of thought on the treatment, said pulmonologist Shah. The recommendation worldwide is to not give any medicines to those who are asymptomatic, but in India, in the beginning, we were giving HCQ and azithromycin even to patients who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, he said. Our thinking was better to give whatever we have, rather than wait for the symptoms to increase, said Shah, who had prescribed this line of treatment to his patients. For moderate symptoms, doctors usually prescribe azithromycin or broad spectrum antibiotics, with or without HCQ, depending on the patients symptoms, doctors said. Those with severe symptoms are prescribed a combination of HCQ, azithromycin and oseltamivir, a swine flu medication. Swine flu medication is given only when the patient is running a high fever, Shah said. Some doctors are also experimenting with a cocktail of other drugs, including antiretroviral drugs used for the treatment of HIV, Ravikant of DFU added. Preliminary evidence suggests that some antiretrovirals might not be effective in fighting COVID-19. Testing, hospital admission Diya Naidu, 36, a performer and choreographer, who returned to Bengaluru from Switzerland on March 8, 2020, spoke to IndiaSpend about her experience of the disease. She had no symptoms when she was screened at the airport but started feeling lethargic two days after her return. In the following days, she lost her sense of smell and taste. Naidu, who went to see a private doctor, was denied a test--at the time, India was testing only symptomatic travellers returning from a select group of countries that included Italy, China and Singapore. Naidu tested positive on March 16, 2020, when the testing criteria was expanded to include more countries, including Switzerland. An ambulance picked her up from her home to take her to a government facility and several officials started reaching out to her--this included state disease surveillance officials, police officials, regional medical officials and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials. It was difficult to know who was in-charge, said Naidu, adding that she was overwhelmed with the effort government officials put in. Where the systems fail, humans make up. Bengaluru officials traced 16 of Naidus primary contacts as well as all their contacts, and conducted random testing of those living within a 5-km radius of her home. Nurses accompanied officials to the homes of her primary contacts to check for symptoms, said Naidu. I have lost count of how many tests were done but even after I tested negative, the test was repeated two times to be sure, said Naidu. When she tested negative, she was moved to another ward with a patient who had also tested negative. She was discharged on April 6, 2020, after three negative tests. Isolation frustration When suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients come in, doctors stick to the routine: Check vitals, order tests and check their oxygen saturation levels, said Ravikant of DFU. Currently, India is isolating all suspected patients, patients with symptoms as well as confirmed cases that are asymptomatic; they are isolated in separate wards in the same hospital, or in different hospitals or care centres, until they test negative in consecutive tests. This means no visitors are allowed and patients, including those with no symptoms, cannot leave their wards. There were about 30 patients in one ward in Indores Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Science, all of whom had mild to moderate symptoms, Sumer Singh, a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26, 2020, told IndiaSpend. The beds were five feet apart, people would chit-chat and walk around their beds to pass the time, said Sumer, who is a ward boy from a private hospital and had contracted the infection from a patient. Doctors would visit around three times a day and all healthcare workers wore protective gear, he added. Sumer tested negative in two tests and was discharged from hospital on April 10, 2020. The problem with asymptomatic patients is that they do not understand why they have to be in the hospital in isolation, said pulmonologist Shah. Sometimes, these patients are kept in an ICU [intensive care unit] which is usually dark; they have to use a single washroom, no relatives are allowed of course, so they have psychological changes [problems], they get frustrated, he explained, highlighting the mental health issues isolation could cause. Very few patients need a ventilator, elderly more vulnerable As of April 6, 2020, 47 percent of Indias COVID-19 patients were under 40 years of age while 19 percent were older than 60 years, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary at the health ministry, during a press conference. Still, of the 109 deaths until April 6, 2019, 63 percent have been among the elderly, as IndiaSpend reported on April 6, 2020. India is not releasing data on the demographics of patients regularly, but provides them occasionally. Across the world, 18.4 percentor nearly two in every five patients over the age of 80 will need specialised care in a hospital, according to this Lancet study. Diabetics, and those suffering from underlying diseases of the heart, kidneys and lungs, are also at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms, said Singh of BHU. Data from India show that 86 percent of the deaths until 6 April 2020, were among patients with comorbidities. If a patient is elderly and has a lot of comorbidities, we do not recommend very aggressive treatment, such as going for ventilator support, bronchoscopy and other invasive procedures, said Shah. We discuss with the family and ask the question: If the patient recovers, what will be the quality of his life? In the case of one acutely ill, elderly patient whom Shah treated, the family decided against deploying the ventilator because of the poor quality of life he would have had even if he had recovered, the doctor said. What is needed is early referral of the patient, Salil Bhargava, a professor and doctor at a COVID-19 facility in Indore, told IndiaSpend. If cases come to us early, there is less probability of the disease becoming serious. Most deaths occur when patients come too late and already have widespread pneumonia in both the lungs and acute respiratory distress syndrome, he added. Stigma too gets in the way of treatment, said Ravikant of DFU, with neighbours and close circles treating COVID-19 patients and their family poorly even after they have recovered or completed the quarantine requirement, as IndiaSpend reported earlier from Bihar. Tough environment for healthcare staff It is not just patients but doctors, nurses and supportive healthcare workers who operate in a difficult and stressful environment, we found. They also have to make tough personal choices. Because I live with parents and my father has several pre-existing conditions including diabetes and hypertension, I was asking myself if I should treat these patients or protect my family from getting infected, Shah said. Sumer, the Indore patient who worked as a ward boy, caught the disease from another patient who had come to the hospital. When she came in, no one knew she was a coronavirus case, he said. We thought it was a usual hospital case. The patient had been in the ICU where he was posted for two hours before the doctors suspected that it could be COVID-19. When she was moved to the isolation ward as a COVID-19 suspect, Sumer helped set her up with the monitor. He was wearing only gloves and a mask, and not the complete PPE. Healthcare workers treating COVID-19 are advised to wear specialized full body gowns, including N95 masks. Similar but more widespread contagion in south Mumbais Wockhardt Hospital, after a cardiac patient developed COVID-19 symptoms, has led to the hospital being turned into a containment zone. More than 50 staffers had tested positive for the disease by April 7, 2020, Shah said, now in isolation at home. One person who came in for heart issues led to this situation and it highlights how all of us and our families are at risk, said Ranjana Athavale of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Nursing and Para Medical Staff Union. The nurses worry for their own safety as well as that of their family members, she said. Hospitals have advised their staff to avoid returning home if they can and some states, such as Maharashtra, have provided alternative accommodation for healthcare workers. But that is not an option for everyone. Many nurses have little children and have to return home to take care of them, said Athavale. Athavale said N95 masks or, at the very least, surgical masks and HIV kits (that include a basic full-body apron), should be provided to all healthcare workers, irrespective of whether they work in the COVID-19 ward or not. Due to a shortage of PPE such as N95 face masks, the government has recommended that healthcare workers be administered HCQ, the anti-malarial drug, as a preventive against the disease, IndiaSpend reported on 29 March 2020. However, the efficacy of this drug for preventing COVID-19 infections is unproven, as we mentioned earlier. When we are wearing a PPE we [women] cant go to the washroom without taking it off completely, eat or have any fluids for hours, said Athavale. Since there are limited PPE and we dont have the luxury to use multiple ones in the same shift, we remain in discomfort. PPE reuse is not recommended, but there have been reports that staff at some government facilities have been asked to reuse PPE. The regular drill for Shah, to keep the infection away from his family, was to change into scrubs once he reached the hospital, don PPE to do his rounds, and when he was done for the day, properly doff the PPE, wash the scrubs, take a shower and change back into his day clothes. Once home, Shah said, he would shower again, wash his clothes separately and make sure to use utensils stored separately. The way forward As India allows more private labs to test COVID-19 samples, biosafety concerns will increase, doctors said. The viruses which are transmitted by droplets such as SARS-CoV2 [novel coronavirus] need special care, said Singh of BHU, adding that it is critical to ensure no spillage during the testing of a sample. These are very important things required to be explained by experts to the technicians or other staff engaged in such work. Going forward, patients who can isolate themselves at home should be allowed to, said K Sujatha Rao, former principal health secretary of India, so as not to overburden the healthcare system. [April 14, 2020] APAC's Asset Finance Leaders Trust Odessa for Successful Digital Transformation Odessa continues regional expansion with several new customers implementing the Odessa Platform PHILADELPHIA, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Odessa, a provider of leading technology solutions for asset finance businesses, continues to grow the company's APAC-based customer base, most recently by adding Security Bank and Toyota Tsusho Corporation as customers. A critical piece to this success is Odessa's comprehensive platform, enabling companies to bring efficiency to their leasing operations, get real-time feedback on business performance through business intelligence, and optimize their spend by consolidating applications onto one singular solution. "I'm extremely proud of the achievements of Odessa's efforts in APAC in helping our customers move forward with speed and confidence as they evolve their business models. Our ongoing commitment to self-service enablement is a critical driver for transformation initiatives an is an important component to the rapid adoption of the Odessa Platform as companies look to modernize their technologies," said Jay Mehra, Co-Founder + CTO, Odessa. Expanding in APAC to Deliver Customer Success The company has ongoing growth in its offices in Philadelphia and Bangalore with over 750 full-time employees and an expanded focus in the EMEA region. Recently, to continue the company's efforts to help business leaders simplify the complexity of modern software and accelerate their pace of innovation, Odessa has expanded their sales and delivery teams in Bangalore. "As we meet with executives across the region, we see significant changes in attitudes towards digitalization. Successful companies are embracing more agile business practices and technologies and we're excited to partner with them in doing that," said Jim Humphrey, SVP of Sales, Odessa. About Odessa Odessa is a software company exclusively focused in the leasing industry, and the developer of the LeaseWave software system and Odessa platform. Headquartered in Philadelphia, USA, Odessa's leasing solutions and workforce of 750+ power a diverse customer base of leasing companies globally. Odessa provides a powerful, end-to-end, extensible solution for lease and loan origination and portfolio management. The Odessa Platform further provides rich feature sets including low-code development, test automation, reporting and business intelligence to ensure organizations can more effectively align business and IT objectives. Learn more at www.odessainc.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154913/Odessa_Logo.jpg SOURCE Odessa [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Liquor stores in Ohio counties close to Pennsylvania have been banned from selling alcohol to those crossing state lines to buy booze. Ohio governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday issued an order requiring those trying to buy alcohol in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont to show state ID or documentation proving you live in the state. The move came after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf closed state-owned liquor stores on March 16, not deeming them 'essential' business. DeWine said: 'Any other time we would love to have visitors from Pennsylvania but during this time, those who are coming in to buy liquor are creating a health hazard.' The US has seen a massive spike in alcohol sales as people turn to drink to cope with the lockdown. Alcohol sales were up 22 per cent in the final week of March. A pedestrian walks past a boarded up Wine and Spirits store on March 18 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania after the shut down all of its roughly 600 state-owned wine and liquor stores to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus Liquor stores in Ohio counties close to the Pennsylvania where have been banned from selling alcohol to those crossing state lines to buy booze. Long lines are pictured in one store One Ohio liquor store owner, Linda Johnson, told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 'It's mind-boggling. 95 percent of our customers are from Pennsylvania. I think theyre the only state that [closed liquor stores], and I dont know why they did.' DeWine added: 'This is necessary because of repeated instances of persons from Pennsylvania coming into these counties for the sole or main purpose of purchasing liquor. 'In compliance with the Ohio Department of Healths orders designed to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the in-person sale of liquor in these counties will be restricted only to Ohioans.' Those without a valid non-Ohio photo ID may be able to buy alcohol with additional information including mail, a bill or a letter from an employer. Liquor store owner Slade Bowers told WKBN: 'The Pennsylvanians have been buying us out. As you can see on our shelves, we sold plenty and we had to keep ordering more.' Ohio governor Mike DeWine, pictured, on Tuesday issued an order requiring those trying to buy alcohol in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont to show state ID or documentation proving you live in the state Ohio Gov. Mike Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said: 'We understand the public wants to have access to wines and spirits during these unprecedented times, but we have a responsibility to mitigate community spread of this virus to every extent possible and make sure our employees and our customers are as safe as they can be.' Three weeks into Ohio's stay-at-home order, Gov DeWine is facing increasing pressure to restart some nonessential work around the state, especially in areas with few confirmed cases of the coronavirus. While the Republican governor's administration is working on a plan to gradually get people back to work, DeWine made it clear Monday that protecting the state's residents is his first priority. So far, Ohio has avoided massive outbreaks like ones that crippled Detroit, New York City and New Orleans. To date, Ohio has confirmed nearly 6,900 cases and 274 deaths, according to the Department of Health. The pandemic has caused nearly 2,000 hospitalizations in Ohio, with about 600 people needing treatment in intensive care units. Piero Cruciatti/Getty ROMEItalian newscaster Alessandro Politi was shocked when he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11. He and other colleagues were swabbed out of an abundance of caution after a co-worker contracted the virus. The 30-year-old had a slight fever and a sore throat, but none of the chest tightness or other nightmarish symptoms so many have suffered. Following the Italian Health Institute guidelines for releasing someone from self-isolation, Politi was tested again two weeks after his positive swab. But, fever-free and with no symptoms at all, he tested positive once more. The test was carried out a week later, 21 days after his diagnosis, and he still tested positive for the virus. Now, 30 days later, Politi has just tested positive again, calling into question just how long the novel coronavirus stays in some peoples systems and whether that might play a role in why, despite a month-long draconian lockdown, Italy just cant seem to shake the virus. Coronavirus Has Killed the Power of Touch. How Do We Reconnect? Politis case and a study of others involving people with mild or no symptoms who continued to test positive long after the two-week standard quarantine ended has prompted the northern region of Lombardy to rethink its quarantine guidelines, and there are potentially profound implications for any country, including the United States, searching for a way to end economy-crushing lockdowns. Lombardy, Italys wealthiest region, is where the outbreak began in this country. It has more than 60,000 of Italys nearly 160,000 cases and 60 percent of the countrys more than 20,000 deaths. On Saturday, Milan alone logged as many deaths in one day as the entire region around Rome has recorded since the outbreak began on Feb. 25. Starting this week, everyone in the region of Lombardy who tests positive, or who displays symptoms and is told to self-isolate in lieu of a swab, must now self-isolate for 28 days, twice the CDC and WHO recommendation of two weeks. Story continues Massimo Galli, director of the biomedical and clinical sciences department of the Sacco Hospital in Milan, says that the fact that some people take longer to shed the virus could be why it is taking so long for Italy, which flattened the curve on infections more than 10 days ago, to start seeing a drastic decrease in cases. Politi is not an isolated case, Galli said on Sunday. We need to understand how to act to avoid the worst. Taking millions of swabs is impossible but countermeasures and solutions must be found because patients like Politi, completely asymptomatic or not very symptomatic but fully positive after many days, are a problem. The extra vigilance is especially important as Italy starts to lift restrictions of its nationwide lockdown that started March 10. Now that we have started thinking about a restart we must absolutely avoid conditions and situations that can put us in serious crisis again, Galli said. Lombardy Health and Welfare Minister Giulio Gallera said at a press conference Sunday that despite criticism for what many feel is an overreaction, the decision to double the quarantine comes from the fact that no one really knows just how long infected people stay positive, or how long they are contagious. No reliable antibody tests have been able to even determine if, or for how long, those who are infected are immune. There are many people who are still testing positive after 14 days, Gallera said, adding that there are also a vast number of people who have symptoms but arent tested at all, but who likely have the virus. If those people self-isolate for only two weeks on their own accord assuming they have COVID-19, and then go out again, they could actually be silent spreaders because they think they are immune. Authorities are especially worried about those in the regions vast underground migrant populationmany from Chinawho, as undocumented workers, have kept even lower profiles during the pandemic. Lombardy has Europes tightest connection to China after Italy signed on to the New Silk Road project a year ago. Multiple daily flights between Milan and Chinese cities were added in the fall to facilitate lucrative new business deals, which easily explains why Lombardy became the largest epicenter outside of China when the pandemic began in February. Those deals also spawned a network of workers who live under the radar, much like Italys garment district outside of Florence, which has the countrys largest documented and undocumented population of Chinese immigrants. The community has a remarkably low number of confirmed COVID cases, likely because much of Italys vast Chinese community started locking down in their own communities long before the nation did on March 10. Many people also returned to China when the outbreak began there, before flights were banned. Italy is supposed to start Phase II of the lockdown on May 3, but in Lombardy, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 between now and then will now have to stay strictly quarantined for the full 28 days to avoid a second wave of the disease. Dr. Galli believes that if asymptomatic infected people or those who shed the virus slowly are contributing to the continued spread of the virus, which has led to the difficulty with which Italy has had in decreasing cases and deaths drastically, keeping them locked down is the only option. Galli also has helped Lombardy institute more aggressive testing in the area ahead of the lifting of some restrictions. The data fluctuates based on the number of swabs but there are at least 10 times more positives out there which continue to spread the virus, Galli said. Over the weekend, more than twice the usual number of tests were carried out in Milan, which has seen a spike in cases in recent days. Giovanni Rezza, head of the Italian Superior Health Institute, said that some of that is because families living together and even people in the same condominium are likely infecting each other unknowingly. When one person starts to show symptoms, it is often too late. Transmission has carried on after the lockdown, he said Monday. This means that after the lockdown is lifted, there will still be a trail of lingering cases. There will still be an incubation period for those who dont know they have the disease who spread it unknowingly. But Rezza is convinced that the high number of cases Italy still logs every day are people who were infected up to 20 or 30 days ago, essentially those who are not shedding the virus quickly. And, as such, in 20 days timeMay 3, when Phase II is supposed to beginthe level of confirmed infections should subside, but there could still be more infectious people circulating. He points to a decrease in hospitalizations, people intubated and sent to ICU wards, and faster recoveries as a point of optimism, No doubt about it, these are positive signals that will have to be proven with time. But he cautions, This doesnt mean that we are all free now, this is still phase 1. Politi says he will stay in quarantine as long as it takes to test negative twice, which is what the Italian health system requires for those who have tested positive to leave self-isolation. The alternative for anyone who breaks quarantine is arrest and a five-year jail term. I keep having to ask myself, if after 30 or more days I am still positive with a full viral load, theoretically super contagious, how many are we in Italy like this? Politi wonders. In light of the fact that there have been many positive cases even 40 days after the end of the symptoms, how many are there who are not tested but after the 14 day quarantine go around and infect others, or even risk their own lives? Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. SALEM, Ore. Days after a large federal shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies arrived in Oregon, the National Guard has distributed those resources to each of the state's counties and tribes. The shipment of 78 pallets came in from USAID on Friday and was brought to Oregon's distribution center in Wilsonville. Over the weekend, it went out to all of Oregon's 36 counties, nine Tribal Nations, and two Tribal Health Agencies. These are your friends and neighbors putting on a uniform to help out in their local communities, said Stephen Bomar, director of Public Affairs for the Oregon Military Department (OMD). We are just one part of an amazing Oregon team. Governor Kate Brown directed the National Guard to assisting delivering the shipments of masks, gloves, and other PPE to communities both large and small, OMD said. "The Oregon Military Department and the Oregon National Guard have been assisting local communities throughout the state since Governor Kate Browns February 28th announcement to convene the Coronavirus Response Team," the agency said. "The team is tasked with coordinating state and local agencies and health authorities for overall response." Currently about 200 members of the National Guard have been mobilized to direct assistance throughout Oregon, including logistical, communications, and other operational support for the COVID-19 response. Gangsters, thieves and attempted killers will be freed from prison while bloggers, journalists and lawyers are to remain behind bars, under a new law passed by Turkey's parliament. Up to 90,000 people - roughly one third of the country's prison population - are set to be released in a bid to stop coronavirus spreading in overcrowded jails. At least three prisoners have died of Covid-19 and 17 have tested positive, justice minister Abdulhamit Gul told reporters on Monday. The new law comes as cases of coronavirus in the country continue to rise. At least 61,000 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the country of 82 million and at least 1,296 deaths attributed to Covid-19. The level of infection is, however, still low compared to western Europe; in the UK, more than 12,000 people have died and a further 93,873 infected. Some blasted the new law as unfair. If you organised a criminal enterprise, or you stole someones money, or if you tried to kill someone, you can be freed, Veysel Ok, co-director of the Media and Law Studies Association, an advocacy group, told The Independent. But if you shared something on Facebook, you wont be. Journalists, political activists, and bloggers will remain in prison and be at risk of being infected with coronavirus. Turkey joins a number of countries throughout the world that have furloughed or released prisoners from overcrowded detention centres where the risk of coronavirus outbreaks is heightened. In recent weeks, the Democratic Republic of Congo has released 1,200 prisoners, Indonesia 22,000, and Iran some 85,000. In the wake of the global pandemic, the United Nations has urged governments to alleviate crowded detention centres where maintaining physical distancing is difficult and both prisoners and staff are vulnerable to infection by the airborne virus. "Covid-19 has begun to strike prisons, jails and immigration detention centres," UN human rights chief Michele Bachelet said in a statement last month. "Authorities should examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, among them older detainees and those who are sick, as well as low-risk offenders. But pressure to release prisoners has run up against some governments use of criminal justice systems to silence political opponents. Iran, for example, has kept noted human rights lawyer Nasrine Sotoudeh locked up even as it has released many non-violent offenders. Turkeys new law was approved with the support of president Recep Tayyip Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP). It cuts in half the sentences of prisoners except those locked up on charges of terrorism, first-degree murder, drug trafficking, sexual abuse or violence against women or children. It will also allow house arrest for inmates over 65 years old, prisoners with illness and women with small children. Amnesty International praised the passage of the law but pointed out what it describes as serious shortcomings, such as not releasing some 40,000 people who are being detained without any criminal conviction. It is deeply disappointing that the tens of thousands of prisoners in pretrial detention a measure that must only be used when there are no alternatives to custody will not be considered for release, Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum said in a statement. Those held in Turkey on terrorism charges include those thought to belong to the movement of exiled spiritual leader Fethullah Gulen accused of masterminding a devastating 2016 coup attempt that left hundreds dead Isis supporters, and those linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, a leftist separatist group. But a number of journalists, lawyers and activists have also been charged with what critics call specious terrorist charges. Those convicted in unfair trials under Turkeys overly broad anti-terrorism laws are also now condemned to face the prospect of infection from this deadly disease, said Ms Buyum. Apple is recovering some of its iPhone sales losses in China as coronavirus lockdown measures there are being eased. The tech giant shipped roughly 2.5m iPhones in China this month, according to recently published Chinese government figures. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 10:55:40|Editor: zyl Video Player Close ANKARA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's parliament on Tuesday passed a law that will allow the release of tens of thousands of prisoners to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the jails. "The draft has become law after being accepted," the official Twitter account for the parliament's general assembly said. According to the law, about 45,000 prisoners will be temporarily released under judicial control till the end of May, and the authorities can extend the period twice by a maximum of two months. Another batch of some 45,000 prisoners will be released permanently to reduce the overcrowding in the jails. However, those jailed on terrorism charges are excluded from the release. Turkey has registered more than 61,000 COVID-19 infections with nearly 1,300 deaths as of Monday. INDEPENDENCE, Ohio Traffic crash/suspected impaired driver: Interstate 77 Police responded to a call at 3:35 a.m. April 4 of a car seen striking a retaining wall and a woman seen running from the car. Police and a K-9 unit tracked the woman to a business parking lot, where she was found hiding behind an air conditioning unit. Police turned the woman over to Ohio State Patrol troopers, who tested the woman for impairment. Child endangering: Quarry Lane Police responded to a hotel at 10:30 p.m. April 2 for a possible overdose. A 32-year-old man was found unconscious inside the hotel room. His girlfriend, who was in the room with her 13-year-old son, said the man had been smoking what she thought was marijuana before he began to shake and passed out. The woman said the victim has a history of heroin abuse, but had been clean for one year. Police found evidence of marijuana in the room; reports did not indicate that any other drugs were found. The man was charged with child endangering. Read more news from the Parma Sun Post. You are here: World Flash The Royal Thai Air Force on Monday donated three robotic nurses to hospitals to assist medical personnel in treating patients with COVID-19. Two robots are capable of delivering food, medicines and clothes to patients while the other robot knows how to take photos and record body temperatures of patients. The third robot has an installed computer tablet for medical personnel to communicate with patients. The Royal Thai Air Force told the media that it will produce more robotic nurses of artificial intelligence and distribute them to more hospitals so that medical personnel will not have to be at risk of contracting COVID-19 from patients. Currently, Chulalongkorn University's Engineering Innovation Fund is developing robots to deliver food and medicine under the Chulalongkorn ROBO COVID Project. While still refusing to impose a full lockdown, the Indonesian government introduced further social restrictions last week, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. An order was signed on Tuesday enabling the closure of schools and all non-essential workplaces in Jakarta, the nations epicentre of the virus outbreak. Apart from the commercial shutdown, a ban on public gatherings of more than five people was announced, as well as increased police patrols to enforce compliance with physical distancing. The new restrictions, however, did not include a ban on domestic travel, even though there is the prospect of a mass exodus from major cities. On Sunday Indonesia reported its largest daily jump in coronavirus cases and fatalities, with 399 new infections and 46 more deaths. This brings the total to 4,241 confirmed cases and 373 deaths, the highest death toll in Asia outside China. Greater Jakarta, the capitals metropolitan area, is the source of two-thirds of all reported cases and deaths throughout the country. The high death rate of roughly 8.9 percent, together with the countrys limited testing capacity, indicates that the real numbers are likely to be much greater. The current figures are based on only 16,500 tests, in a country of over 273 million people. Indonesia has climbed from zero confirmed cases to 1,200 in less than a month, and over 100 deaths. Many cases and deaths are likely going undetected as Jakarta experienced a 40 percent rise in funerals in March. Nearly 4,400 burials occurred throughout the month, according to a Reuters review of statistics from the citys Department of Parks and Cemeteries. It will never be known for certain how many of these were coronavirus victims. Hospital staff and undertakers in Jakarta have taken special precautions with the bodies of 438 people they suspect died from COVID-19 between March 6 and April 2, according to the governors office. In preparation for an expected wave of deaths over the coming weeks, local administrations are escalating construction of burial plots across their communities. Coffin makers in Jakarta have been ordered by provincial authorities to drastically increase their output. The enormous scale of the crisis in Indonesia is a direct result of the governments criminal neglect when the virus outbreak first emerged over two months ago. The Jakarta Post revealed in a series of articles that the national and provincial governments knew about a surge of pneumonia-related cases in January, but kept the facts hidden from the public. Anies Baswedan, governor of Jakarta, reflected later on the government policy to conceal the truth, saying in a radio interview: We never told the media. I got the data every two days and the numbers went up daily. I knew then we must have [coronavirus] cases. The government only announced the first cases on March 2. Shortly after the announcement, President Joko Widodo was compelled to admit that authorities had withheld information from the public to avoid panic. Following the first reported cases, government officials pursued a campaign of trivialising the deadly nature of the virus by spreading false information. The home affairs minister suggested people could avoid contracting the virus by eating bean sprouts and broccoli. Widodo himself promoted drinking jamu, a traditional herbal drink. As recently as last Friday, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, urged people not to worry about the pandemic, referring to unsubstantiated claims that coronavirus cannot survive in tropical climates. The lack of government efforts to seriously educate the public on the danger of the virus has forced general practitioners and medical students to travel through poor neighbourhoods, providing much needed information on social distancing and personal protection for those who still have to work. In the meantime, a deficit in hospital beds, medical staff and intensive care facilities has raised concerns the coronavirus crisis could push Indonesias health system to the brink. Indonesia had fewer than four doctors and 12 hospital beds for every 10,000 people, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data from 2017. Moreover, it is estimated to have less than three intensive care beds per 100,000 people. At least 24 doctors working with coronavirus patients were confirmed dead by the Indonesian Medical Association on Monday. This shocking discovery meant that the death toll among doctors has doubled since last week. Medical workers, in city hospitals and rural centres alike, have no alternative but to wear cheap plastic raincoats due to the shortage of protective gear and hazmat suits. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch related the experience of a nurse at the Cilandak Clinic in South Jakarta. She told him that the nurses have been divided into teams of three, but each team has only one hazmat suit. The other two workers were advised to use aprons for protection, and to wash their uniforms after each use. Rural areas, in particular, will struggle to cope with the accelerating community transmission of the virus due to their depleted and poorly-equipped health facilities. According to news website Liputan 6, only 132 hospitals throughout the vast archipelago have the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients. In some provinces, such as the densely populated Sulawesi Tenggara, only one hospital is equipped to deal with the virus. At least 10 provinces, including Maluku and Papua, lack coronavirus facilities altogether. The partial shutdown of Jakarta is predicted to send 2.5 million laid-off workers back home to the countryside. In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Juharno, a manual labourer living in Jakarta, said he planned to return to his hometown in West Java with his wife and child. I will be out of work soon with no income. Back in my village, I wont at least have to worry about food as its the harvest time I dont want to wait and then be told later that I am not eligible [for cash payments]. I have no income and still got a family to feed, he said. In an attempt to appease the anger of 5.2 million low-wage and informal workers who have lost their jobs, the government has promised meagre cash benefits of up to $US62 for the next four months. Already many workers are leaving the cities. But in May the annual tradition of mudik, a mass migration of Muslims from cities to their ancestral villages during the festival of Idul Fitri, will involve tens of millions across the nation. With an estimated 33.4 million people moving to the country this year, the mudik could drastically worsen the spread of COVID-19 across Indonesia. Last weekend, a report published by a team of experts from the University of Indonesia warned that as many as 240,000 people could die from the virus by the end of the month. The Widodo administration announced last week that the mudik would nevertheless proceed, as the purchase of gifts and souvenirs is a huge source of revenue for businesses. Minister Luhut Pandjaitan admitted at a press conference that economic considerations had played a central role in the policy, despite the huge risks the migration poses to the lives of millions of workers and peasants. The governments refusal to implement stricter lockdown measures is motivated by its concern over the pandemics impact on economic activity. Indonesias growth rate is expected to drop by half to 2.3 percent this year as a result. The financial crisis triggered by the virus has battered the countrys currency, stocks and bonds. In mid-March, the governments initial indifference to the coronavirus and its effect on public health rapidly changed into a panicked attempt to rescue the failing economy. This resulted in a stimulus package, which included corporate tax cuts and the removal of the budget deficit cap. Channel News Asia reported the amount at $US25.3 billion, with a mere $US4.5 billion allocated to funding healthcare, while the rest was aimed at propping up big business. Such a stark prioritisation of private profit over public health underlies what has become an international trend among ruling elites: the inability of the capitalist system to meet the essential needs of working people. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) "Bring it on." This was returning Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque's reaction to the petition urging the Supreme Court to mandate the release of President Rodrigo Duterte's health records. Roque, a former lawmaker and human rights lawyer, is confident the bid will not prosper. "Ang aking fearless prediction, madidismiss po 'yan (My fearless prediction is it will be dismissed)," Roque said Tuesday his first online media briefing since he was reappointed as Duterte's spokesman on Monday. "[But] we welcome the opportunity because this will enrich our jurisprudence kung kailan ba talaga mapepwersa ang Presidente na ireveal ang kanyang karamdaman (on when the President will be forced to reveal his illness)," he added. Roque stressed that the Constitution requires the President to report the state of his health to the public only "in case of serious illness." "Ang President ay nagdesisyon na kung meron man siyang karamdaman ito ay karamdaman na lahat ng 75-year-old ay meron din. Kaya ang tingin niya, hindi ito serious illnesss at hindi kinakailangan ireport sa taong bayan," Roque said. [Translation: The President has decided that if he has any illness, it is something that 75-year-olds like him would have. So he thinks this is not a serious illness that has to be reported to the people.] Aside from the President being immune from suit, the Supreme Court does not have the power to decide on whether or not he has a serious illness, Roque said. "Supreme Court is a trier of law, it is not a trier of fact... Sino po ang magdedetermine kung serious o hindi ang sakit ng Presidente? Hindi po kaya gawin yan ng Supreme Court kinakailangan Regional Trial Court ang magdesisyon diyan," he said. [Translation: Supreme Court is a trier of law, it is not a trier of fact. Who will determine if the President's illness is serious? The Supreme Court cannot do that, only the Regional Trial Court can.] In his 42-page petition filed on Monday, lawyer Dino de Leon said that "given the gravity of the illnesses openly acknowledged by the President, the public release of his medical bulletins becomes a ministerial duty upon request from any concerned citizen." Duterte himself admitted to having several medical conditions, such as daily migraines, nausea, pain due to a spinal injury, Buerger's disease or a disorder affecting blood vessels, and Barrett's esophagus or a complication which causes heartburn or acid indigestion. In October 2018, Duterte said that he had undergone a biopsy, wherein he tested negative for cancer. During that time, Roque considered quitting his post after he was left "in the dark" about the President's hospital visit. Roque later resigned, initially announcing he would run as a party-list representative but changed his mind and submitted his candidacy for senator. He eventually withdrew from the race, citing a heart condition. [April 14, 2020] Daniel P. Simon Releases New Book That Details How 2008 Forever Changed the Concept of Money The 2008 financial crisis caused major disruption in the finance world, leading to a seismic change for consumers and the banking and finance industry. Since then, technology has become a staple in how people manage and operate their finances whether they realize it or not, and even bigger changes are on the horizon. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005490/en/ That's what led Daniel P. Simon, CEO of Vested, a global financial communications firm, to dive deep into the historic financial technology or fintech revolution we saw this last decade, and how it has changed the way we work with money. Released today, The Money Hackers: How A Group Of Misfits Took On Wall Street and Changed Finance Forever, (HarperCollins Leadership), reveals the dramatic story of fintech's major players and explores how fintech is transforming money itself. The Money Hackers focuses on some of fintech's most powerful disruptors such as Credit Karma, Venmo, Braintree, WeChat, WorldRemit, and more, and uses their incredible stories to explain not just how the technology works, but how the thinking behind the technology, ideas like friction,hedonic adaptation, democratization, and disintermediation, is having a drastic effect on the entire banking and finance industry. "I am honored to be included as a Money Hacker alongside an incredible roster of industry peers," said Renaud Laplanche, co-founder and CEO of U.S. Neobank Upgrade. "Dan has done an incredible job showcasing fintech's story which has led to a myriad of improvements in the financial industry, including affordable and responsible credit now being delivered to millions of families." In a profile of the Money Hackers, readers will feel empowered with the knowledge needed to spot the opportunities that the next wave of fintech disruptions will bring, and understand the critical pain points that fintech is resolving in the decade to come. ABOUT DANIEL P. SIMON: Daniel P. Simon is chairman of the Museum of American Finance communications board and CEO of Vested, a global financial communications firm. He has represented some of the most recognizable brands in finance and fintech, including Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg (News - Alert) L.P., and Goldman Sachs. He's a regular columnist for Forbes, Markets Media, and Cointelegraph and is a regular commentator on platforms like Cheddar, Asset TV, and FinTech TV. His podcast Wall & Broadcast has over 100,000 downloads. PRAISE FOR MONEY HACKERS "Simon captures the essence of the crypto movement, highlighting its potential and its challenges, and artfully describes what it means in layman's terms." -Michael J. Casey, Bestselling author of The Age of Cryptocurrency "The Money Hackers tells the story of how fintech came to be and why you should care." -Maria Deam, Former Vice Consul of Fintech and Banking Innovation at the British Consulate and Head of Open Innovation Programming at Citi FinTech "At its heart, The Money Hackers is a classic story about entrepreneurshipa perfect read for anyone who is motivated by pushing boundaries and dreams of one day disrupting an industry. -David Siegel, CEO of Meetup and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Columbia University "Money Hackers weaves together an exhilarating tale of technology, change and consequences." -Mark Wjejen, Former commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission "Simon seamlessly weaves fintech's biggest steps and players into a cohesive and striking narrativea must-read in 2020 and beyond." -Caleb Silver, Editor in Chief at Investopedia "Dan is a gifted chronicler of financial innovation." -Adam Dell (News - Alert), CEO of Clarity Money "Through a series of engaging profiles, Simon explains how the rulebook of finance has been completely rewritten." -Kathryn Petralia, Co-Founder and COO, Kabbage "Until "The Money Hackers" I didn't know who had created the fintech revolution and how transformative it is and will eventually be to every financial institution and transaction on Earth! Simon has written a fascinating, entertaining and inspiring tale of the entrepreneurial outliers creating the revolution." -Consuelo Mack, Host of PBS WealthTrack View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005490/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] We remain in touch with our partners in the City of Chicago about this years Lollapalooza. As the festival is still several months away, we are taking careful consideration to work through our options. We are confident that we will have enough information to make a definitive decision about the path forward by the end of May, read a post on Lollapaloozas Instagram account. The coronavirus outbreak will end in the next few days, but will return in a second wave that reaches its apex this winter, according to a new timeline from Morgan Stanley. The same timeline, which combines state models, has the pandemic fading away in 2021 as a vaccine becomes available. Morgan has several times increased its forecasts for the total number of coronavirus cases in the US, due to lackluster quarantine measures. The coronavirus outbreak will end in the next few days, but will return in a second wave that reaches its apex this winter, according to a new timeline from Morgan Stanley. EMS workers are pictured wheeling in a patient at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York A Morgan Stanley timeline of the coronavirus outbreak (pictured) combines state models to suggest the pandemic will be fading away in 2021 as a vaccine becomes available The bank's researchers now expect there will be 1.4 million cases, up from 200,000 about a month ago, Business Insider reports. There have been more than 573,200 confirmed cases in the US of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for close to 23,000 deaths. As the deadly flu-like virus, also known as COVID-19, continues to spread across the country, a return to normalcy will mean the creation of vaccines, immunity tests and stabilizing the nation's healthcare system, say the researchers at Morgan. There have been more than 588,400 confirmed cases in the US of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 23,675 deaths How the number of new coronavirus infections in the US has escalated over time A day-to-day look at the number of coronavirus deaths in the US over time But before life returns to normal in the US, a second outbreak is likely, according to the timeline. People who've recovered from COVID-19 will be going back to work in June. Another group will follow by mid-summer, says Morgan. By contrast, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves on President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force, says the workforce could begin a gradual or 'rolling reentry' by the start of next month. The timeline also shows that in the spring there will be a dramatic reduction in cases of the virus, as treatments do their work and increased testing is rolled out. As the US tests 1 million people per day, the new number of cases is expected to drop by 70 per cent. The country is currently running about 140,000 daily tests, totaling 2.8 million as of this past Sunday, reports the COVID-19 Tracking Project, an effort overseen by journalists and researchers. Serology tests are also expected to start, testing for prior exposure to the virus, and providing data that may help determine those who may be immune. Those tests should be come this summer, says Morgan, aligning its timeline with pharmaceutical industry forecasts. New cases will decline sharply in August and schools should be able to reopen by September, the timeline shows. Should a second outbreak come, Morgan says, it will pick up as the end of the year approaches and cold weather sets in creating a slingshot effect between both coasts and middle states, and after the latter has experienced the virus. But a second outbreak of infections picks up in November, aided by cold weather and a slingshot effect between the coasts and the middle of the country after the latter's delayed encounter with the pandemic. The Morgan timeline shows more than 15,000 new cases will come each day and then start to decline over a four-month period until a vaccine is made available by March. New York will see new cases hit 500,000 and New Jersey 140,000. Both states are the nation's epicenters for the virus. Projections for other states range from 2,000 to 80,000, say the Morgan researchers. How a state fares in the face of the pandemic will depend on geography and how well local officials enforce mandates designed to contain the outbreak, Morgan says. Lax quarantine measures are more likely to result in longer outbreaks. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The board of auto components major Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd (MSSL) has given in-principle approval to raise Rs 1,000 crore to enhance liquidity during the uncertain times of coronavirus pandemic, according to a company statement. The firm, which has plants in India, Europe and Americas that are currently temporarily closed, said it has received positive reopening dates for the vast majority of the plants by end of April/early May. However, the situation being dynamic there could be further delays in reopening plants in case the local governments extend lockdowns, of which there are no current clear indications, the company said in a statement. Stating that the company is fully prepared to tackle the COVID-19 situation, MSSL said it has created multiple internal task forces to monitor the situation on a daily basis across all its plants. COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates 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 Reassuring its investors, MSSL said it had instituted many projects across the globe aimed at cost rationalisation, controlling non-critical business investments and generate cash flows. "To further enhance liquidity in these uncertain times, the board of directors has accorded in-principle approval to raise up to Rs 10 billion and delegated its committee of directors to evaluate and decide on various borrowing proposals," the statement said. It further said, "We are also proactively working to leverage on various government support schemes to enhance liquidity." Stating that its liquidity is strong, the company said as of March 31, 2020, it had a consolidated cash Rs 4,690 crore. MSSL Chairman Vivek Chaand said: "Our team has done a phenomenal job in almost doubling MSSL's turnover over the last five years to USD 9.6 billion on an unaudited basis. He further said, "Our aspirational 5-year plans cannot be timed perfectly, and the unprecedented COVID-19 situation has hindered us in closing many target acquisitions. However, we believe that these same opportunities have become more attractive in valuations since the COVID-19 crisis." With the company's strong financial position and with customer faith intact, Chaand said, "We are also being asked by many of our customers to look at more specific companies which are in trouble and we believe can be acquired at low valuations." He said MSSL had planned to showcase its plans to investors in June but keeping in mind the current environment, it will probably do so in October. On the impact of the pandemic on employment, MSSL said governments in various parts of the world have instituted employment protection schemes during this shutdown period where they are bearing part of the employee costs. "We are actively working with the governments to further reduce fixed costs during this period of non-production," it said. At present, the company said all of its plants and offices are adhering to all local and international safety guidelines. It has also instituted work from home wherever possible, while all domestic and international travels for employees have been temporarily suspended since early March. "Wherever manufacturing facilities are deemed essential or have opened adhering to local guidelines, we have provided them a safe environment, meeting all safety guidelines," the company said. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here The headmaster of a top prep school attended by Princes William and Harry has been wrongly accused by a rival head of poaching staff. Nick Baker, who runs Wetherby Prep, was investigated after allegations were made by Michael Davies, then head of Chesham Prep. Mr Davies and another staff member accused Mr Baker - who was Chair of Chesham's governors - of a conflict of interest and recruiting teachers to Wetherby's. Nick Baker (right), who runs Wetherby Prep, was investigated after allegations were made by Michael Davies (left), then head of Chesham Prep, an employment tribunal heard He was accused of doing favours for parents and promoting a new salary scheme which would have benefited his wife, also a teacher at Chesham, Buckinghamshire. Mr Baker was ultimately cleared of any wrong-doing while Mr Davies was sacked from his post. But the unedifying allegations ended up forming the basis of the employment tribunal launched by Chesham teaching assistant Mary Pacitti. The hearing was told Mr Baker had once been a teacher at Chesham Prep but has been head of 24,000-a-year Wetherby's since 2008. As well as running the central London institution - whose old boys include the princes, Julian Fellowes, Hugh Grant and Julian Lloyd Webber - Mr Baker maintained a role as Head of Governors at his old school. As well as running the central London institution - whose old boys include the princes (pictured in 1990), Julian Fellowes, Hugh Grant and Julian Lloyd Webber - Mr Baker maintained a role as Head of Governors at his old school In 2015 his relationship with Mr Davies started to deteriorate as staff at 15,000-a-year Chesham began to complain about their head's behaviour, the tribunal heard. Messages such as 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' and 'evil prevails when good men do nothing' started appearing on the teachers' noticeboard. With the Board of Governors having to consider action against him, Mr Davies launched a series of complaints about Mr Baker - first to the Association of Prep Schools, then to the Governors - claiming he had a conflict of interest and demanding he step down. Among his claims was that he had recently recruited three teachers from Chesham to his own school in Notting Hill, the tribunal heard. The following month, teaching assistant - and close family friend of Mr Davies - Mrs Pacitti launched her own complaint against Mr Baker, accusing him of 'cherrypicking the best staff'. The tribunal wrote of her evidence: 'Mrs Pacitti positively alleged that Mr Baker had poached three or four members of staff. 'She alleged he was cherry-picking. She said it was a common feeling among staff that is what he did. 'There was a major conflict of loyalty and he was not acting in the best interests of Chesham Prep.' Mr Davies and another member of staff accused Mr Baker - who was Chair of Chesham's governors - of having a conflict of interest and abusing his position by recruiting teachers to his own school (pictured in Notting Hill) Mrs Pacitti claimed that at the most recent Christmas party, Mr Baker said he wanted to recruit Chesham's PE teacher, who subsequently did accept a job at Wetherby's after meeting with him in a pub to discuss the role. Referring to the alleged 'poaching' of promising young teachers, the teaching assistant told the hearing: 'These young boys and young girls [teachers] come here, get their training and they are off to the holy grail that is Wetherby Prep, into London and Nick is the ticket.' Mr Baker denied poaching staff and gave examples at the tribunal where teachers had moved between both schools. An investigation by the Governors into Mrs Pacitti's complaint concluded Mr Baker had behaved entirely properly. A separate inquiry by an external firm found the same. The tribunal heard Mr Davies was dismissed from Chesham shortly after Mrs Pacitti's complaint. He was accused of doing favours for parents and for promoting a new salary scheme which would have benefited his wife, also a teacher at the school in Chesham, Buckinghamshire (pictured) The hearing was told Mrs Pacitti had asked for Mr Baker to not be made aware of her complaint. However, a Governor let him know as part of a series of emails about the case. At the tribunal, Mrs Pacitti claimed that following this disclosure she had been bullied by Mr Baker's wife Brigid, in whose classroom she worked at Chesham. But the panel concluded Mrs Baker had not been told the teaching assistant had made a complaint about her husband. After the school rejected her complaint, Mrs Pacitti - who started working at the school in 2015 - resigned in January 2018. She claimed she had been the victim of 'bullying, ostracisation and exclusion' after making the claims. The tribunal concluded Mrs Pacitti had made the allegations against Mr Baker - although they all turned out to be incorrect - in the public interest. It found that by breaching her confidentiality, the school had constructively dismissed her. However, it rejected her claim that she had been victimised for whistleblowing. In its judgement the panel said: 'This was an intervention in the politics of the school. 'At that time, the Governors were in the process of dismissing the Headteacher because of widespread dissatisfaction with the Headteacher across the staff and Mr Davies' manoeuvring in connection with the Chairman of Governors, seeking to have him removed. 'She made that intervention in ignorance of the full extent of matters, especially why it was that the Governors were acting as they were. 'Having made misconceived allegations, the (her) position was untenable. She had maintained the specific allegations of conflict of interest and poaching. 'She did not withdraw them - she prosecuted them. Sadly for her, they were shown to be misconceived.' A Union City councilmans grandmother died after an outbreak at a Hayward skilled nursing home where dozens of people have tested positive for COVID-19, the official confirmed Tuesday. Emma Patino, 84, died Monday evening at Kaiser Permanente in San Leandro, said Union City Councilman Jaime Patino. She was taken there Friday as her condition worsened after she tested positive for the coronavirus while staying at Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center. A total of 11 people have died in that outbreak. Forty-one residents and 25 staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Alameda County health officials. News of the outbreak surfaced last week when health officials announced six residents had died and dozens others were infected. They havent even reached out to us since my grandma went to the hospital, Jaime Patino told The Chronicle. It just shows there is a total breakdown of communication there. I blame mostly management. They should have sounded the alarms sooner. ... They should have pleaded for reinforcements to go there. He paused and added: Maybe we wouldnt be having this conversation right now. A woman who answered the phone Tuesday morning at Gateway said administrators were not immediately available for comment. Emma Patino would have turned 85 on April 24. She moved to Northern California from Del Rio, Texas, in 1960 in search of work in the canneries that dotted the Bay Area at the time. She was a family woman who enjoyed helping others and making them laugh, her grandson said. She refused to miss birthday parties or celebrations that marked family milestones, such as when Jaime Patino graduated from Cal State East Bay in 2010 with a masters degree in business administration. She was so happy, he said. She never graduated from high school. I dont think she even made it to high school. She was really proud to see that I had gotten my MBA. There was, however, one thing that would occasionally interrupt her conversations with relatives: telenovelas. Patino broke into laughter as he recalled her saying, Oh, let me call you right back Im in the middle of my show. He added, She didnt ask for much in life. But the sudden death of Emma Patino has yet another family connected to Gateway Care & Rehabilitation Center asking for answers. Doctors at the Kaiser hospital in San Leandro learned that not only did Emma Patino have pneumonia but her heart and kidneys also were starting to fail, Jaime Patino said. The cause of death was not immediately clear. I am not a doctor, but I do believe had she been transferred sooner she probably would have had a better chance to fight this, he 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. Jaime Patino said he plans to hold Gateway officials accountable, and the family has sought legal advice while they grieve. A large funeral for the family seems unlikely in the near future. Im very angry and disappointed at how Gateway handled this, he said. Its not just me there are nine other families. Kaiser officials offered Jaime Patino and his family an opportunity to say farewell in person, but they decided instead to do a conference call to protect another grandmother, who is 90 years old and staying with them. The doctors told the family Emma Patino was unable to speak but could likely hear them, so the family recited a prayer and said goodbye. She deserved better than this, Jaime Patino said. Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej The patronage of a particular group by the head of state has created a major cleavage in our society and nourished a sense of disenfranchisement among all ethnic groups, constituting a major source of conflict in the country for decades. My father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, the national hero of Afghanistan, was one of the few leaders in our history who was able to unite the ethnic groups under one banner. He brought together important Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara leaders. Two days before the Sept. 11 attacks, two Al Qaeda suicide bombers posing as journalists assassinated my father. The two events were intertwined and forever changed the fate of both Afghans and Americans. In the 19 years since his killing, Afghanistan has lost that sense of solidarity among its ethnic groups that he was able to forge. Last year, after realizing that Afghanistan is on the verge of disintegration again and might experience a brutal internal war, I decided to enter politics to continue my fathers path of bringing genuine peace to this country and to revive the unity and solidarity that he achieved. Commander Massoud had proposed decentralization of political power and wealth based on the Swiss model, which would have saved political competition from being a zero-sum game. He believed that through devolution of power and resources to the provinces, social justice, equality and national unity can be established and the conflicts over power can be ended. He saw that as a building block to national unity in this war-torn country. Afghanistans national unity government from 2014 to 2020 had an opportunity to make progress on better power-sharing and accountability. The agreement that underpinned the formation of the unity government bound President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to amend the Constitution to create a new system where many of the powers of the president are reduced and transferred to an empowered prime minister. It was to be followed up by devolving power at the local governance level. But the political leadership invested in maintaining the status quo thwarted any meaningful reform. As a result, Kabul is experiencing a political crisis yet again; after the presidential election held in September both Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah claimed to have won the presidency and have been unwilling to compromise. If they had brought about constitutional reform and taken steps toward decentralization, this crisis would have been avoided. Rivals report progress in talks after president extends Benny Gantzs deadline to form a government by another 48 hours. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Benny Gantz, have claimed significant progress in forming an emergency government to confront the coronavirus crisis and ending the countrys unprecedented political deadlock. Gantzs 28-day mandate to put together a ruling coalition after last months inconclusive election was due to expire at midnight on Tuesday, but President Reuven Rivlin, who is overseeing the coalition talks, extended it by two days. Rivlin did so, his office said, on the understanding that they are very close to reaching an agreement. Gantz and Netanyahu met overnight in a last-ditch effort to settle their differences. Afterwards, they issued a joint statement saying they had made significant progress. The two are set to meet again with their negotiating teams later on Tuesday morning. Claims of progress in coalition talks have been made repeatedly since the March 2 election, Israels third in less than a year but a deal has remained elusive. The impasse has raised the prospect of a fourth poll, complicating any plans for economic recovery once the coronavirus outbreak eases. In the run-up to the deadline, Gantz had urged Netanyahu to seal a deal or risk dragging the country into an unwanted election at a time of national crisis. Netanyahu, this is our moment of truth. Its either an emergency national government or, heaven forbid, expensive and unnecessary fourth elections during a crisis. History will not forgive either of us if we run away, he said in a nationally televised address. Netanyahu then invited Gantz to his official residence for talks that stretched past midnight. While last months election ended with no clear winner, Gantz was endorsed by a slight majority of legislators, prompting Rivlin to give him the chance to form a government. With his parliamentary majority, Gantz began moving ahead with legislation that would have disqualified Netanyahu, who has been indicted on corruption charges, from serving as prime minister in the future. In office since 2009, Netanyahu is Israels longest-serving prime minister and the first to be indicted while in office. He denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, filed against him in January. Throughout three bitter campaigns, Gantz said he would never sit in a government led by Netanyahu as long as he faces corruption charges. But Gantz said the gravity of the coronavirus crisis had convinced him to change his position a decision that drew heavy criticism from his supporters and caused his Blue and White alliance to crumble. 200401092744398 The sides appeared to be close to a rotation deal in which Netanyahu and Gantz would each serve terms as prime minister. But last week, negotiations stalled, reportedly over a demand by Netanyahu to have more influence over judicial appointments. If their extended negotiations fail, Israels Knesset, or parliament, will have three weeks to select a candidate for prime minister from its ranks. If that too fails, there will have to be an election. That would mean an extended political crisis at a time when the country is dealing with its coronavirus outbreak. Israel has reported more than 11,500 cases and at least 116 deaths from the disease, which has paralysed the economy and driven unemployment to record highs. Netanyahu on Monday imposed a ban on inter-city travel for the final days of the Passover holiday this week to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions already in place have confined most Israelis to their homes for weeks, forcing many businesses to close and pushed the unemployment rate to more than 25 percent. Netanyahu said his cabinet could formulate an exit strategy as soon as this weekend, but he cautioned restrictions on the economy and education would be eased gradually and that there would be no full return to a routine before a coronavirus vaccine is discovered. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A Vancleave woman has been charged with stealing the identity of a 77-year-old Ocean Springs widow and using it to purchase some $140,000 in good and services. Ocean Springs police said Monday they began investigating the possible identity theft in February. Investigators learned that Tammie Scott of Vancleave had been hired as a caretaker for the widow and Scott would help with the widows finances, among other duties. After checking the widows credit reports, bank accounts and multiple credit card companies, police learned Scott had had been pilfering funds from the widows identity for a two-year period. Scott was tracked down in Hopkins County, Texas, and taken into custody. She as extradited back to Ocean Springs last week and charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult. She was booked into the Jackson County Adult Detention Center, where she posted $100,000 bond and was released. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Ocean Springs Police Department at 228-875-2211. Also on Monday, Ocean Springs police announced the arrest of Michael Lee of Theodore, Ala., on a charge of grand larceny, as well as possession of a controlled substance. On Sunday, officer responded to a security alarm at Tractor Supply Company on U.S. 90. Arriving on the scene, they encountered Lee in the parking lot, where he had a utility trailer belonging to the business hitched to his truck. He was also found in possession methamphetamine. Lee was booked into the ADC, where he remains under a $25,000 bond. About 3,500 jurists, academics, actors, artists, writers as well as people from other walks of life on Tuesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government and police for filing an FIR against Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of the Wire, and demanded that all criminal proceedings against him be dropped. In a joint statement, they called it an attack on the freedom of the media. They also urged the Centre and all state governments not to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a cover to trample upon the media's freedom. A medical emergency should not serve as the pretext for the imposition of a de facto political emergency, their statement said. The signatories to the statement include former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur, former Madras High Court judge K Chandru and former Patna High Court judge Anjana Prakash. Two former Chiefs of Naval Staff -- Admiral Ramdas and Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat -- are also among the signatories along with former finance minister Yashwant Sinha. In their statement, they expressed shock at the action of the Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath and police in filing criminal charges against The Wire and one of its founding editors, for an "entirely factual story on the COVID-19 and religious events". "This attack on media freedom, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, endangers not just free speech, but the public's right to information," the statement said. The signatories called upon the UP government to withdraw the FIR against Varadarajan and The Wire, and drop all criminal proceedings. They also called upon the media not to communalise the pandemic. The Uttar Pradesh police this month booked Varadarajan over comments on Twitter claiming that the day Tablighi Jamaat held its event in Delhi, Chief Minister Adityanath had insisted that a Ram Navami fair will take place as usual. The FIR against Varadarajan also mentioned his remark questioning Adityanath's participation in a religious ceremony at the Ramjanmabhoomi site in Ayodhya during the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. The statement said that the target of this action is a factual story on the Tablighi Jamaat and its exposure to COVID-19. "Towards the end, the impugned article merely pointed out that 'Indian believers' more generally have been late to adopt precautions and avoid congregation, recalling UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's plans, as late as March 18, to proceed with a religious fair at Ayodhya and his flouting of the national lockdown and social distancing norms by taking part in a religious ceremony along with others on March 25," the statement said. Two FIRs were filed under various sections of the law on April 1, one on a complaint by a resident of Ayodhya and the other on the basis of a complaint by the SHO of the Kotwali Nagar police station, Faizabad, it noted. A plain reading of the sections invoked in the FIRs makes it clear they cannot possibly apply to the article in question, the statement said. "The FIRs were followed up with a gross display of intimidation on April 10 when policemen arrived in a black SUV with no number plates at Varadarajan's residence in Delhi to issue a legal notice ordering him to appear in Ayodhya on April 14 at 10 am," it said. That the Uttar Pradesh government sent policemen driving across 700 kilometres during the national lockdown to issue this summons when the postal system is still operational speaks volumes for its priorities, the statement said. "The UP police's action is just the latest in a series of attempts by the ruling establishment, or persons close to them, to entangle The Wire and its editors in legal cases in an effort to shut them down," it said. The police action against The Wire also comes against the backdrop of the "demonization of Muslims" in a section of the media as being responsible for the spread of the novel coronavirus in India, the statement said. Several former bureaucrats, including former national security adviser Shivshankar Menon, former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh, Former adviser to the Governor of Punjab & former ambassador to Romania Julio Ribeiro and former CEC MS Gill, among others, are also signatories to the statement. Other signatories include authors Vikram Seth, Nayantara Sahgal, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, K. Satchidanandan and Kiran Desai. The statement has also been endorsed by actors and artistes such as Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Nandita Das, Farhan Akhtar, and Mallika Sarabhai. Zoya Akhtar, Kiran Rao and Anand Patwardhan are among the film-makers, and Dayanita Singh among the photographers who have backed the statement. Several senior journalists and over a thousand professors from universities across the globe are among academic signatories. The FIR against Varadarajan had referred to a tweet by him which said, "On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Adityanath insisted a large Ram Navami fair planned for Ayodhya from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual and that Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus". Later, the journalist tweeted, "I should clarify that it was Acharya Paramhans, Hindutva stalwart and head of the official Ayodhya temple trust, who said Ram would protect devotees from coronavirus, and not Adityanath, though he allowed a public event on 25/3 in defiance of the lockdown and took part himself. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hubble Space Telescope image shows the Lagoon Nebula, part of the small portion of matter in the Milky Way that isn't made of dark matter. The Milky Way may be missing a strange X-ray glow long associated with dark matter in other galaxies, a new study has found. If this glowing halo is really missing and physicists not involved in the study are highly skeptical its truly absent it would deal a blow to the theory that dark matter is made up of hypothetical "sterile neutrinos." Sterile neutrinos are theoretical ghostly cousins of the faint subatomic neutrinos scientists have already discovered, and may or may not exist. The researchers of the new study, which was published March 27 in the journal Science, looked for this glowing halo in a slightly different way from past attempts, something that is the biggest point of contention among other physicists. "From a science perspective, I think the fact that we're getting a lot of pushback and a lot of interest in our work, is the way that science should be operating," said study co-author Nicholas Rodd, a University of California, Berkeley astrophysicist. "People have been thinking about how to search for these neutrinos with X-rays for some time. We came in and really had a new idea of how to look for them. And any time someone comes in and says, 'I have a new idea for how to look for something that's different from what you are doing,' your gut instinct should be skepticism. I think it is totally the natural response." Finding the invisible Whats energy resolution got to do with it? Dark matter is the biggest unknown in the universe. Scientists know it's there, primarily because they can see the effects of its gravity in galaxies; the known stars and gases aren't nearly heavy enough to bind galaxies together. So, astrophysicists believe that galaxies have unseen "halos" of dark matter providing the missing bulk, and collectively account for 85% of the mass of the universe. (There are other sorts of evidence for dark matter out there, but this is the big one.) They don't, however, know what this mystery matter is made of. Some theories involve relatively heavy speculative particles, called WIMPS. Others involve ultralight particles called axions. There are even exotic, not-widely-accepted theories that rely on the existence of tiny black holes. But the one that is simplest, in certain respects, involves just slightly tweaking physicists model of neutrinos the ultra-light particles that stream through space, interacting only very weakly with other particles. Right now, there are three known kinds of neutrinos: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos. But some particle physicists suspect that there's a fourth variety: the sterile neutrino. This heavier neutrino wouldn't interact with other particles at all, except through gravity and when it decays. And because of its added bulk, it doesn't move through space quite as speedily as other neutrinos. That means that sterile neutrinos don't fly apart from each other but form clouds, suggesting that they might be able to form halos like dark matter does. Theres one important difference between sterile neutrinos and other dark matter candidates: Over time, sterile neutrinos decay into particles we know about, including X-ray photons. Researchers in the 1990s and early 2000s suggested that decaying halos of sterile neutrinos would produce a faint glow at a particular wavelength on the X-ray spectrum. And in 2014, adding together X-ray light detected from 73 different galaxy clusters, a team of Harvard researchers seemed to find such a glow right in the expected range: a faint spike of X-ray light at an energy level of 3.5 kilo-electron volts (keV is a measure of the energy level of the particles producing the light). Dozens of follow-up studies have since detected similar 3.5 keV glows (referred to as the 3.5 keV line) in other groups of galaxies, though at least some searches for the line particularly in the Draco galaxy have turned up empty. Related: 11 fascinating facts about our Milky Way galaxy But the researchers of the new paper argue that the 3.5 keV line is missing from the brightest, closest dark matter source of all: our home galaxy. A team from the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory went through old X-ray telescope recordings and picked out X-ray images of "blank sky" regions of the Milky Way that have no stars but should still host dark matter. Their large dataset should have included a 3.5 keV line if that line is really a dark matter signal, they argued. The team is relatively certain the Milky Way has dark matter. And it's so close and covers so much of our sky that the dark matter should definitely show up in their data if it's, they wrote -- for the same reason that it's much easier to spot a large lightbulb in your bedroom than a tiny LED miles away. This strongly suggests, they argued, that the 3.5 keV line is not a dark matter signal, which would be a major blow for the sterile neutrino theory. Not everyone, however, is convinced. Kevork Abazajian, an expert in the 3.5 keV line and director of the Center for Cosmology at the University of California, Irvine, who has been a critic of the paper since a draft first circulated in February 2019, said "The main problem is that they use methods that aren't used in the X-ray astronomy community, and there are reasons those methods aren't used in the X-ray astronomy community." The new study relies on a lot of data a cumulative 8,300 hours of telescope observation time but that data comes from a very narrow range of frequencies: between 3.3 and 3.8 keV. And the "energy resolution" of the data is about 0.1 keV, meaning that the researchers can clearly distinguish only a handful of frequencies in their dataset. Their dataset is a bit like a 5-pixel-wide photograph taken with a super-precise camera: The quality of the image is very good, but it doesn't show much. The authors of the paper say that's fine. Even though the image has a low energy resolution, the 3.5 keV line should still show up clearly right in the middle of it. And because it doesn't, that suggests the line is not in the Milky Way at all, they contend. A figure from the paper compares the X-ray levels the researchers found (black crosses) to the X-rays they would have expected to find if the 3.5 keV line were present (red dashes). (Image credit: Dessertet al., Science) "Because we are not X-ray astronomers by training, we brought in statistical methods that are used in other fields, and we think are more rigorous and robust," Rodd said. Those methods, which are drawn from gamma-ray astronomy and certain kinds of particle physics practiced at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, appeal to the authors of the paper. But X-ray astronomers are more skeptical. Abazajian told Live Science that using such a narrow energy range amounts to "cherry picking" the data which can lead to an untrustworthy result. The problem, he said, is that if the line is present, it wouldn't look like a bright spot against a dark background. Instead, there's lots of background X-ray light from other galaxies, from atoms scattered across the sky, and even a little bit from cosmic rays that cause X-ray flickers inside the telescope itself that you have to deeply understand and carefully subtract out of the data before a noticeable line appears. In particular, he said, three other X-ray sources fall within the narrow band that the researchers studied: atoms of argon-18 and sulfur-16 in the sky, and then another source that might come from inside the telescopes known as potassium k. But the broader problem, he said, is that by studying such a narrow frequency range, the researchers just can't understand the background well enough to properly subtract it out. Rodd had the opposite take: that accounting for too much of the X-ray spectrum means including features that aren't relevant the 3.5 keV line, and that might distort your model of what the background X-ray radiation of the Milky Way looks like. That makes it difficult to properly disentangle the 3.5 keV line from the background, he argued. A counter finding In another paper, not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal but released as a preprint in February 2019, a different group of researchers expert X-ray astronomers accounted for a wider swath of the X-ray spectrum. Using more widely-accepted techniques, they looked for the 3.5 keV line in the Milky Way. And they found it. "The main complaint that I've heard [about the new study] is that they are [looking] too narrowly, and therefore what's happening is they're actually capturing some of the [3.5 keV] signal itself, which they are then calling background," said Tim Tait, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California Irvine, who was not involved with either study. Tait, a particle physicist with expertise in dark matter who doesn't typically work with X-rays, is a bit of a knowledgeable bystander to the disagreement, and not as sharp a critic of the paper as Abazajian. "They're very careful in their work, and as far as their analysis goes, I don't see anything that's wrong. But I really would like to see a wider range of frequencies plotted just to see what's going on with the data," he said, Tait added that he was surprised that the new paper didn't engage directly with the February 2019 preprint that found different results. Despite the skepticism, Rodd says hes reasonably convinced that his team has shown that the 3.5 keV line is not sterile neutrino dark matter though he said that raises the question of what is producing the line in the galaxies in which it has been detected. Part of the underlying problem is that the quality of available X-ray data from the empty regions of the sky aren't as good as scientists would like them to be. Current X-ray telescopes just don't have the energy resolution ideal for for this sort of research, Rodd said. A Japanese satellite telescope that might have fixed that problem, known as Hitomi, lost contact with Earth soon after its 2016 launch. And there are no firm plans to launch any comparable instruments into space, where X-ray astronomy is clearest, until at least the late 2020s. Until then, these researchers will be left waiting, wondering, and disagreeing -- and waiting for the higher-quality data that could resolve the controversy once and for all. Originally published on Live Science. Dear Editor, There was a cartoon in Mondays Freeman (April 13, 2020). It pictured the poster boy for self-interest standing at a door labeled US Economic Recovery. Inside, the demon COVID-19 is poised to lurch forward as soon as the door would be opened. It presented something of a Sophies choice that the boy is supposedly confronting. A closed door was death and an open door also meant certain death. But is this really the only choice? Is this the only door that might be opened to make a real difference in the pain, suffering and loss of the present moment? Might not another door be opened to remedy this distress and the distress that is more the ordinary normal for far too many than we generally care to notice or remedy? Is not the more important door the door of the bank vault? Behind that door lives the Virus Greed. Behind that door are the billions owned by 210 of Americas wealthiest individuals, the fortune of the Fortune 500s and the tax breaks with which this administration has gifted them all. Might this not be the time, in the interests of global health and well-being, to open that door? Rather than release a health menace before its cure is identified, release instead those hoarded funds that create a fantasy life for the few and a life of indentured servitude and worse for the many? COVID-19 teaches that capitalism without conscience only works for the few. Greed can be cured with bold action for economic justice. Rev. Frank Alagna, pastor Holy Cross Episcopal Church Kingston, N.Y. Henan province in central China has taken the drastic measure of putting a mid-sized county in total lockdown as authorities try to fend off a second coronavirus wave in the midst of a push to revive the economy. Curfew-like measures came into effect on Tuesday in Jia county, near the city of Pingdingshan, with the area's roughly 600,000 residents told to stay home, according to a notice on the country's official microblog account. The coronavirus pandemic ravaging the globe officially claimed 2,563 lives in Wuhan, where it began in a market that sold exotic animals for consumption. But evidence emerging from the city as it stirs from its two-month hibernation suggests the real death toll is exponentially higher. ... Using photos posted online, social media sleuths have estimated that Wuhan funeral homes had returned 3,500 urns a day since March 23. That would imply a death toll in Wuhan of about 42,000 - or 16 times the official number. Another widely shared calculation, based on Wuhan's 84 furnaces running nonstop and each cremation taking an hour, put the death toll at 46,800. China is grappling with the highest number of new coronavirus cases that it has seen since nearly February as the communist nation has put at least two areas under quarantine.NPR reported BBC China Correspondent Stephen McDonell noted that the 98 "imported" cases were all Chinese citizens returning to China after being out of the country.The news comes as China has had to lock down a highly populated county to the west of Shanghai and a city near the Russian border.CNN reported last week, citing the Chinese state-run media.coronavirus cases.Politico reported two weeks ago on the county that China put on lockdown:Even more potentially alarming was a report that was published in Chinese-state run media last week that stated that there was another massive outbreak in Wuhan.The Wall Street Journal reported A coronavirus tracker created by Johns Hopkins University stated that China has over 83,000 reported cases and over 3,300 reported deaths. However, the numbers that China reported on its coronavirus outbreak are widely considered to be lies, with China's own allies even calling China's numbers bogus.Bloomberg News reported at the start of the month that U.S. intelligence officials confirmed that the numbers that China reported, both cases and deaths, were "intentionally incomplete" and that the "numbers are fake."A Washington Post analysis estimated the number of deaths in Wuhan alone was well north of 40,000: Obama says coronavirus crisis reminds US of need for leaders who bring people together rather than drive them apart. Former President Barack Obama stepped from the political sidelines on Tuesday and formally endorsed his former Vice President, Joe Biden, giving the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a boost from the partys biggest fundraiser and one of its most popular figures. In a 12-minute video released by the Biden campaign, Obama said Biden has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery and would, if elected president, surround himself with people who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government. Without mentioning President Donald Trump by name, Obama said strong leadership leadership guided by honesty, humility, empathy and grace needed to come from the White House and not just the state houses and mayors offices around the country. This crisis has reminded us that government matters, Obama said. Its reminded us that good government matters. That facts and science matter. That the rule of law matters. That having leaders who are informed and honest, and seek to bring people together rather than drive them apart those kind of leaders matter. Im proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020 Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright called the endorsement a game changer for Biden. He is a uniting partner in helping bridge this party after an intense primary and paving the road ahead, Seawright said of the former president. Obama and Biden are known to be close friends from their two terms in the White House, and Biden leaned heavily on his affiliation with the former president throughout the Democratic primary, touting their relationship and framing his pitch as an extension of Obamas presidency. But Obama stayed above the fray in the primary, rarely speaking out about the intra-party fight. The former president offered his private counsel to any Democratic presidential contender who asked for it, but made no efforts to bolster any single candidates campaign including Bidens, despite their long history. In a statement released by President Trumps campaign, campaign manager Brad Parscale said Obamas decision to endorse Biden was born from necessity and not enthusiasm. Barack Obama spent much of the past five years urging Joe Biden not to run for president out of fear he would embarrass himself, Parscale said. Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democratic field, Obama has no other choice but to support him. Even Bernie Sanders beat him to it. Obama was right in the first place: Biden is a bad candidate who will embarrass himself and his party. President Trump will destroy him, Parscale added. On Monday, Bernie Sanders endorsed his former rival for the Democratic nomination and encouraged his progressive supporters to rally behind him in an urgent bid to defeat President Donald Trump in the November general election. Media reports in the US suggest that several phone calls between Obama and Sanders in recent weeks played a role in his decision to withdraw from the race and endorse Biden. Obama spent a significant portion of Tuesdays Biden endorsement video praising Sanders, calling him an American original. The ideas hes championed; the energy and enthusiasm he inspired especially in young people will be critical in moving America in a direction of progress and hope, Obama said. The crutch-wielding North Korean lauded by Donald Trump in a State of the Union address is seeking a seat of his own in the South's parliament to defend other defectors who have fled their reclusive homeland but often find themselves marginalised. Ji Seong-ho was stealing coal to feed his starving family during a devastating 1990s famine when he fell from a train wagon. The drop knocked out the then 13-year-old and a train ran him over, severing his left leg and hand. He was rushed to hospital and operated on without anaesthetic. "My father was given a bag with his son's hand and leg" to bury, Ji recalled in an interview with AFP. "This was what he got for being loyal to the Party." A quarter of a century later and on the other side of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean peninsula, Ji is running for South Korea's main opposition, the conservative United Future Party, in legislative elections. The vote takes place on April 15, the same day the nuclear-armed North will celebrate the 108th birthday of its late founder Kim Il Sung. Ji's father was a loyal rank-and-file member of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. But that did nothing to protect his son from frequent beatings by guards who said his disabled body was "a disgrace to the Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il -- Kim Il Sung's son, and father to current ruler Kim Jong Un. "I was crippled... because of a problem in the government, but they blamed us and tortured us," said Ji, who fled the North in 2006. Swimming across the Tumen river to China with his brother's help, he went on a 10,000-kilometre (6,200-mile), six-month odyssey through Laos, Myanmar and Thailand to reach South Korea, where he was given a prosthetic leg and hand. - Activism - "I was able to walk again," said Ji, who went on to study English, typing with one hand as he eventually obtained a master's degree in law. Ji, now 38, works as a rights activist running an organisation that has helped around 500 North Koreans make their way clandestinely through China and into third countries from where they can travel to the South. His office is lined with photos with top officials including Trump, who in his 2018 speech to Congress called the defector's story "a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom". Next to Ji's desk stand the wooden crutches made for him by his father that he waved in the air in front of the world's cameras. His father also tried to flee shortly after Ji's departure but was caught and tortured to death, he says. Ji, who is standing for a proportional representation seat, feels the 33,000-odd defectors in the South have been neglected by the current government in Seoul. The dovish President Moon Jae-in held three summits with North Korea's Kim in 2018, including a meeting in Pyongyang, but human rights issues have largely been off the table. "The entire society of North Korea is a prison," Ji says. "When the peninsula is reunified, are we going to shake hands with the North Korean regime? How are we going to look the North Korean people in the face?" Last year, the South's government forcibly repatriated two North Korean sailors suspected of killing 16 fishermen -- a move that defectors and activists say amounted to a death sentence. - 'Human scum' - Next week's vote does not affect Moon's position as he is directly elected, but it is largely a referendum on his performance after nearly three years in power. And with negotiations at a standstill, North Korea has barely figured as an issue. Meanwhile Pyongyang's propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri has called Ji "cruel and brutal human scum" who fled after committing numerous crimes. He was plotting against Pyongyang and "cheating his dirty deeds in order to get a little more money from the hostile forces", it said. Defectors who do reach the South sometimes struggle to adjust to their new life in a democratic, capitalist society. Last year, a 42-year-old woman and her six-year-old son were found dead in their home -- along with an empty fridge and unpaid bills -- two months after their deaths. The incident sparked outrage among the defector community, who called on the South's government to improve support programmes for new Northern arrivals. "Successful resettlement would show the North Korean people that free democracy is good," Ji said, adding: "If we can't settle, Kim Jong Un will be laughing at us." NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiac Mapping Market Research Report by Type (Contact Cardiac Mapping System and Non-Contact Cardiac Mapping System), by Indication (Atrial Fibrillation, Atrial Flutter, and Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (Avnrt)), by Technology, by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 (Cumulative Impact of COVID-19) Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05881717/?utm_source=PRN The Global Cardiac Mapping Market is expected to grow from USD 1,448.75 Million in 2019 to USD 2,486.73 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.42%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Cardiac Mapping to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: "The Contact Cardiac Mapping System is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" On the basis of Type, the Cardiac Mapping Market is studied across Contact Cardiac Mapping System and Non-Contact Cardiac Mapping System. The Contact Cardiac Mapping System further studied across Basket Catheter Mapping System, Electroanatomical Mapping System, and Traditional Endocardial Catheter Mapping System. The Contact Cardiac Mapping System commanded the largest size in the Cardiac Mapping Market in 2019, and it is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Atrial Fibrillation is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" On the basis of Indication, the Cardiac Mapping Market is studied across Atrial Fibrillation, Atrial Flutter, and Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (Avnrt). The Atrial Fibrillation commanded the largest size in the Cardiac Mapping Market in 2019, and it is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. On the basis of Technology, the Cardiac Mapping Market is studied across Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging, Magnetic Navigation System, Remote Navigation System, and Robotic Navigation System. "The Ambulatory Surgical Center is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" On the basis of End User, the Cardiac Mapping Market is studied across Ambulatory Surgical Center, Diagnosis Center, and Hospital & Clinic. The Hospital & Clinic commanded the largest size in the Cardiac Mapping Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Ambulatory Surgical Center is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" On the basis of Geography, the Cardiac Mapping Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Cardiac Mapping Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Cardiac Mapping Market including Abbott Laboratories, Acutus Medical, Angiodynamics, APN Health, LLC, Biosense Webster, Inc., Biosig Technologies, Inc., Biotronik, Boston Scientific Corporation, Coremap, EP Solutions Sa, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Lepu Medical, Medtronic PLC, and Microport Scientific Corporation. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Cardiac Mapping Market on the basis of 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) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Competitive Strategic Window: 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 acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and their impact analysis shaping the Global Cardiac Mapping Market during the forecast period? 3. What is the competitive position if vendors in the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? 4. How Porters Five Forces define the Global Cardiac Mapping Market landscape? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? 6. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? 7. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? 8. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Cardiac Mapping Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05881717/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com A shocking revelation washed over Tae Oh and Da Kyung's family in the first part of the 6th episode of The World of The Married. Sun Woo decided to push through with the divorce and informed Tae Oh that he will never see his son ever again. Da Kyung saw Tae Oh in their garage, sitting down and smoking, dazed about what happened. She approached Tae Oh and asked if their relationship was because he was after her father's money. Tae Oh denied and insisted that he works hard to show her father his projects. Da Kyung told Tae Oh to stop smoking in front of her since it will affect the baby's health. Tae Oh's face lit, realized that Da Kyung didn't choose to abort their child. Da Kyung gave up everything for their relationship to continue and have the baby at the same time. Tae Oh embraced Da Kyung and thanked her for accepting him again. Sun Woo arrived at her house. Joon Young asked where his father was. Sun Woo explained that Tae Oh won't come home anymore. Da Kyung returned to her apartment with Tae Oh. They agreed to start their lives together. The next morning, their doorbell rang and Tae Oh opened the door. A big suitcase and a divorce paper were delivered at their doorstep. Tae Oh called Sun Woo and told her he won't sign the papers. Sun Woo exposed what she knew about his employees. They did not receive their salary for a month and agreed to sign petition papers against Tae Oh's company. She planned to use their petitions as a support to the divorce paper. Park In Gyu looked for his girlfriend in the bar and at home. Hyun Seo disappeared after she received her payment and medical certificates from Sun Woo. There is no need for her to watch over Da Kyung since Sun Woo ended it already with Tae Oh. Desperate to get money from Sun Woo, she approached Tae Oh and Da Kyung at the apartment's parking area. Park In Gyu revealed to the couple that Sun Woo used Hyun Seo to spy on them. On her way to the office, Sun Woo saw the people react strange when they met her. She asked the nurse if something happened. Myung Sook approached her and told her to check the hospital website. Sun Woo settled in her clinic and opened the website of the hospital. Bad comments, complaints about her profession spread throughout the site and other social media platforms. Je Hyuk returned home and Ye Rim, without a word, went to their bedroom. Je Hyuk asked his wife if she wants a divorce. He will help process it for her due to what he did. Ye Rim decided to keep their marriage despite his affair. She didn't have anything to do and she wouldn't receive any money from her parents. Je Hyuk agreed to save their marriage but will not allow them to have a baby. The director of the hospital called Sun Woo to report to his office. When she got it, Park In Gyu and Tae Oh are seated on the sofa. The director was furious to ask if Sun Woo used her clients to her advantage. Sun Woo disagreed with his statement. Park In Gyu stood up and went out of the office. Tae Oh stood up and continued talking about Sun Woo's mental health. He shared that Sun Woo's parents died due to an accident. Her mother-in-law was depressed when she found out that her husband cheated on her. Tae Oh suggested for Sun Woo to take a psychological evaluation. Sun Woo slapped Tae Oh and told him that he will never get his way. She rushed to the parking lot and started her car. She went to Joon Young's school and picked him up. They continued to drive outside the city while Tae Oh lost them along the way. Joon Young tried to snatch her mother's phone to call his father. Sun Woo grabbed the phone from Joon Young's hand and they almost got into an accident. Sun Woo stopped the car and took the phone from Joon Young. Tae Oh contacted the police to help him trace Joon Young. They only found Joon Young's mobile phone along the road but no trace of Sun Woo's car. Sun Woo took her son to a quiet cliff overlooking the ocean. She stepped outside the car and asked Joon Young to go out and talk to her. Sun Woo explained to Joon Young that she will push through with the divorce as his father cheated on them. Joon Young chose to stay with Tae Oh and wants to keep their family. Sun Woo convinced him that Tae Oh will have another child from his mistress. Joon Young cried and asked her to forgive his father. Tae Oh was desperate to know where Joon Young was. Sun Woo called him and asked him to return to their house to talk. When he arrived, he looked for Joon Young around their house but he was not there. Sun Woo started to boil up Tae Oh with her words, telling him that their family was ruined by his affairs. She added that Tae Oh will no longer see Joon Young ever and that she would do anything to make Tae Oh suffer. She provoked him to get mad and grab her neck with anger. Tae Oh threw her into the TV stand, hitting her head hard. Lying on the floor half-conscious, she tried to stand and pull away from Tae Oh. He reached again, grabbed her and pushed her head against their wedding portrait. Tae Oh strangled her again and punched the frame hard. Sun Woo, for the second time, fell on the floor with blood all over her face. See part 2 here. LESS THAN HALF A BRAIN Trump is now pushing to reopen the country. I have never in my life seen anybody who was more detached from reality than someone who will believe that we can open up the country again. All the medical experts say thats pie-in-the-sky. Why just keep putting these artificial dates out there? Anybody with half a brain knows that we are not going to get up and running by May 1. BACK ON STAGE Not being in the theatre during the past three weeks has culminated in the realization of what has always been a reality but sometimes forgotten. All of us need a sustenance beyond just physical but a sustenance from an art form that sustains our humanity. Obviously for me I miss all of those who are The Media Theatre. I miss their creativity and commitment to our work. We will be back! Jesse Cline, Artistic Director. NO CONTEST Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race. Now he wants to help Joe Biden with his radical plan. Is Biden stupid enough to listen to Bernies agenda? Im afraid Biden is that stupid. He cant think for himself. People have to tell him what you say. He still makes too many mistakes. I hope he doesnt listen to Sanders, but it doesnt really matter. Trump wins again. Biden is no competition. OBAMA WAS RIGHT Chris Freind, like many of todays so-called conservatives, insists on pinning some kind of blame on Obama, as if doing so somehow abrogates the buffoon in the White House from being judged too harshly for his lousy response and leadership in the face of this pandemic. For Mr. Freinds edification, he can Google Obamas warning, from 2014, about a coming pandemic in five or six years. Which brings us to now in 2020. Obama did so articulately, calmly, without bravado, without patting himself on the back, and without childish and idiotic name calling and bullying. Apparently, for Trump supporters, such a demeanor was too elitist for them to stomach. Back in 2014, Obama outlined in general terms what the U.S. needed to do before such a nightmare as we are facing today came to pass. At least Obama showed awareness. What has this clod of a president shown other than a sick need for constant approval and adulation? JB COVER UP To Good Question: The people that need the masks dont want the limited supply being wasted on idiots who dont bother to use them properly. Most people I see on a daily basis wear the masks around their neck, leave their nose uncovered, I have even seen people pull it down to eat or drink out in public. And even worse, eating and drinking with gloves on. Why is this a problem? Contaminates are getting to you face that is supposed covered to keep contaminates away from your mouth and nose. If you are not going to put the mask on, leave it alone until you are going back into your house. Dont touch it, dont wear it anywhere except to cover both your nose and mouth. And dont eat or drink in public. Stop wasting a limited resource. USE YOUR HEAD THE TRUMP VACCINE It has become gospel with Republicans that Trump saved millions of lives by shutting down travel with China. This is a fantasy because Trump never shut down travel with China. The travel ban that began on Feb. 2 (two weeks after the virus appeared in Washington) had exceptions for Americans, people with green cards, spouses and children of people with green cards, etc. Tens of thousands of people traveled to the U.S. from China and faced no health checks. At the time Trump announced this ban he was dismissive of coronavirus, comparing it to the common cold and saying the risk to Americans was very low. The travel ban just seemed like something Trump wanted to do because he likes banning people who arent white from coming to the U.S. The virus was already here and Trumps failures compounded, with no airport screenings, no effort to ramp up production of ventilators or surgical masks, and counterproductive messaging thats doing the opposite of slowing the spread of the virus. Even if we survive coronavirus well still need a cure for Trump. PJ Rumors about the manager with the virus started to spread around Worldport, UPS' sprawling air hub in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month. Employees texted one another to ask whether they'd heard about Roml Ellis, the well-liked 55-year-old who worked the night shift. They'd heard he was sick, that he'd been hospitalized and then that he'd died. UPS employees said that despite asking management repeatedly about their sick co-worker, they were kept in the dark as the company cited medical privacy concerns. On April 6, in response to a question from reporters, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed that a UPS employee had died from COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus. On Friday, after rumors began to fly between workers online, UPS announced that a second employee had died. "It was all hush-hush," said a Worldport employee, one of more than two dozen delivery workers interviewed for this story who asked that their names be withheld for fear of losing their jobs. "The only reason we got the full details was because it was reported on the local news station." As the coronavirus spreads through the ranks of the nation's delivery workers, employees and union representatives across the country said there has been a frustrating lack of communication with front-line employees about coronavirus cases from UPS and FedEx. Employees and union officials said that has bred fear and anxiety among more than 600,000 "essential workers" at the country's two largest corporate delivery companies. IMAGE: FedEx in Washington, D.C. At least three delivery workers have died from COVID-19 within the past week. FedEx confirmed the death of one of its pilots. UPS said two employees at the Worldport hub have died within the last week, although a spokesperson declined to confirm their causes of death. Beshear confirmed that the first was linked to COVID-19, and the second death was also due to the virus, according to four employees and an internal UPS document provided to NBC News. Story continues Neither FedEx nor UPS would say how many employees had been diagnosed with or died from COVID-19. FedEx said employees had been diagnosed "across the enterprise." UPS employees and union representatives said they had heard of confirmed cases in more than a dozen states. Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak UPS and FedEx have been touting their roles in the federal response to the pandemic. Both are participating in Project Airbridge, a new operation run by the White House's coronavirus task force to help distribute medical supplies across the country to help fight COVID-19. But workers said their employers' refusal to share crucial information is leaving them vulnerable in their workplaces. "How are any of us supposed to get ahead of a virus when we don't even know who's sick?" a Worldport employee asked. As much of the country remains shut down, delivery workers have become even more vital, delivering food, medication and cleaning supplies to medical facilities and households across the U.S. But as with many hospitals and the federal government, the swift spread of the virus caught the delivery industry on its heels. In recent weeks, the companies have scrambled to adjust, creating leave policies, figuring out how to practice social distancing and trying to find and distribute protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Workers at both companies said they have begun to be provided masks, gloves and cleaning supplies. However, they said many are still working in close proximity in the bellies of planes, in delivery trucks and in warehouses and want to know whether their co-workers are sick so they can keep themselves and their families safe. "We don't want to know people's names, but we do want to know if we were working in direct contact with somebody who's contagious," said a longtime UPS employee who works at the Worldport facility. "All we get from the supervisors is 'the only thing we know is what management tells us.'" Workers at Worldport said that they received masks only the day after news of Ellis' death broke and that areas of the facility where about 11,000 people work are still not disinfected consistently. (Ellis' family members didn't respond to requests for comment.) Less than a week after Ellis died, UPS announced that a second employee, who had been absent for 10 days, had passed away with COVID-19, according to four employees and a copy of the announcement provided to NBC News. Citing its privacy policy, UPS declined to confirm the cause of death of the second employee, which was first reported by WDRB-TV of Louisville. But the company told NBC News that the health of its employees is a top priority. "We are vigilantly taking steps to protect the health and welfare of our employees, customers, and the general public," spokesman Matt O'Connor wrote in an email. The company said it alerts co-workers who may have come in close contact without disclosing the workers' identities and works with health officials to trace any potential spread. It also said that it makes sure to "clean and disinfect the work areas where that employee worked according to public health department recommendations before work resumes" and that it has increased disinfecting at its facilities generally. O'Connor added that UPS informs local unions when a case is diagnosed but not all workers onsite, "as this is beyond the scope of guidance provided by public health officials." Union officials in New York, Philadelphia and Arizona said they aren't always being told of cases, leaving their members feeling tense and vulnerable, including in areas like New York, the center of the pandemic. "I don't know how they can say they're communicating when they are not," said Lou Barbone, a business agent with Teamsters local 804, which represents UPS workers in the New York City area. "The stewards don't know. I don't know. Members don't know." "A lot of members are grateful to have jobs," Barbone added. "They're just genuinely concerned about their health and their families." UPS said it has daily calls with labor representatives and informs them of cases at the facilities they represent. "We encourage union leaders who claim not to be receiving information to discuss this with their respective UPS labor relations representatives," O'Connor told NBC News. Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak Workers at FedEx said there's a similar lack of communication. At a Minnesota facility, for instance, two employees on different shifts said one was informed about a positive case in the building while the other wasn't. "To be quite frank, there aren't any policies in place," said a manager for FedEx Ground in Nashville, Tennessee, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. "Every time any one of us brings up a concern about how to make the workers safer ... it's always a matter of 'oh, let's run this up the chain.'" FedEx's structure poses an additional challenge. An estimated 100,000 employees who deliver around the country for FedEx Ground are employed through a network of contractors, in addition to the estimated 200,000 people the company employs directly. Those contract employees often don't get health insurance or sick leave through their jobs, and while FedEx may inform the contractor when someone comes up positive, the information may not move down the chain. "There's no communication about what to do if you're sick," said a FedEx Ground driver in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. "No mention of if we'll still get paid if we get sick." A FedEx spokesperson told NBC News that "the safety and well-being of our team members and customers is our top priority." The company said it has bought and distributed millions of masks and is "actively promoting social distancing on the job," including changing work processes where possible. But package handlers who move thousands of boxes a day said it's virtually impossible to stay 6 feet apart. Some worry that it will only get worse as FedEx hires more people to keep up with growing demand sparked by the pandemic. "We're pushing more people into the same space with no measures to protect the people we have working there now," the Nashville manager said. "It's like sardines in a can." While deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus still command much of peoples attention, there are those whore are making full recoveries, though the all the illnesss unknowns take their own toll. Theres the not knowing how you caught it in the first place, and then theres the fear of having given it to someone else friend or stranger and not knowing whether they will come out of it as well as you did, and that isnt saying much, Pivarnik said. As families, educators, and community leaders wrestle with COVID-19, well be trying to bring conversations to readers that will be helpful in confronting the challenge. Carissa Moffat Miller is the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), which means shes in close contact with the leaders of education in all the states. In that role, shes been working intensely on the coronavirus response. Before coming to CCSSO, Carissa served as a deputy superintendent at the Idaho state department of education. I reached out to ask Carissa about what states are doing in response to the coronavirus and any advice she has to offer. Heres what she had to say. Rick: What is happening at the state level in response to COVID-19? Carissa: In just the past few weeks, states have made decisions to close schools statewide and shift to remote learning. While it seems like months ago, it has been just a few weeks since education across the country was forced into being delivered virtually with little forewarning. On top of that, states have had to grapple with providing students most basic needs, such as accessing meals throughout the day and providing child care to health-care workers and first responders, all ensuring that the environment in which those are done is designed to prevent the spread of a contagious disease. States have stepped up to meet the most basic needs in innovative ways, such as asking bus drivers to deliver meals and homework packets, or providing Wi-Fi hotspots. Rick: As you look ahead to the coming days or weeks, what else are we likely to see states do? Carissa: States are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of all students, teachers, and community members, which could become even more important in some communities in the next weeks. We are seeing numerous states outlining how they plan to provide instructional supports to all students in remote settings and addressing challenges that particular students face, whether that be students with disabilities or students who dont currently have access to devices or internet. Massachusetts, New Jersey, and many other states are partnering with public television stations to broadcast educational content, whether thats pre-existing shows or recorded lessons given by teachers. Many states are offering specific guidance on serving students with disabilities, like Rhode Island, which is regularly updating a list of accessible online learning platforms that can work for students who are blind or deaf, for example. Since the passage of the federal CARES Act on March 27, states have been focused on the best ways to spend the relief funding to quickly meet immediate needs like new technology, meal programs, and other unexpected expenditures. Rick: What are some of the biggest state-level challenges to all this that people dont really appreciate? Carissa: The pace at which this situation evolved. States have had to make extremely complex decisions on tight timelines, and the stakesthe health and safety of their students, teachers, and staffare so high. The first urgent decisions focused on meals, which might have required setting up food distribution sites and utilizing bus routes to take meals to kids at bus stops. Other major issues include the varied access to broadband, connectivity, and devices and training for teachers to deliver the content, as well as adapting content that might not work as well for virtual teaching. There are also continuous learning plans being developed by states. What Kansas , Alaska , Utah , and Massachusetts are doing are just a few examples. Rick: What resources are out there to help states and districts figure out how to deal with all this? Are there any examples of places that seem to have been particularly successful at solving these problems? Carissa: CCSSO is helping states share resources with each other, and states are developing plans and guidance to help districts. Beyond important guidance on state regulations, many of these resources offer best practices for districts. Illinois is providing recommendations for minimum and maximum learning time per day, based on students ages. Mississippi crafted a social-emotional at-home learning resource. Maines SEA staff has stayed connected to educators and school staff through popular content-specific virtual office hours. Rick: Weve seen several states pre-emptively close schools for the rest of the year. What are you hearing about that? And what are the considerations that states are weighing when making that call? Carissa: Its really a decision made by states and communities based on the information they have at the time, with top consideration given to how the disease is evolving in their communities. But the key thing we have heard from chiefs and seen is that in state after state how connected the entire state government is in making these decisions. The governor, the education chief, the heads of health departments, everyone is working hand-in-hand because it requires the entirety of the community, not just K-12 schools, to address COVID-19. Rick: Looking ahead to when schools reopen later this spring or even in the fall, what are some of the effects of all this that were likely to see down the road? Carissa: There is no doubt this crisis will cause challengesfrom making sure students stay on track academically to getting them the social-emotional supports they need. Given the rapidly changing conditions with this virus, states have had to adjust and adapt to significant challenges on a daily and weekly basisand will continue to do so. We all need to have our eyes wide open as we prepare for the next few months, schools reopening, and what has been lost by students. At the same time, we have some real opportunities. Right now, its hard to not be in a deficit mode about virtual delivery. On the other side of this is a real chance to focus on what worked and take advantage of new delivery models that can benefit all students in the long-term. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. But most countries cant afford to wait under lockdown until a vaccine is developed and widely and safely available, which could take until 2021 or longer, or until their populations build enough natural immunity to slow the spread of the virus, which Merkel has said could take as long as two years. Researchers using the Gemini North telescope on Hawai'i's Maunakea have detected the most energetic wind from any quasar ever measured. This outflow, which is travelling at nearly 13% of the speed of light, carries enough energy to dramatically impact star formation across an entire galaxy. The extragalactic tempest lay hidden in plain sight for 15 years before being unveiled by innovative computer modeling and new data from the international Gemini Observatory. The most energetic wind from a quasar has been revealed by a team of astronomers using observations from the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF's NOIRLab. This powerful outflow is moving into its host galaxy at almost 13% of the speed of light, and stems from a quasar known as SDSS J135246.37+423923.5 which lies roughly 60 billion light-years from Earth. "While high-velocity winds have previously been observed in quasars, these have been thin and wispy, carrying only a relatively small amount of mass," explains Sarah Gallagher, an astronomer at Western University (Canada) who led the Gemini observations. "The outflow from this quasar, in comparison, sweeps along a tremendous amount of mass at incredible speeds. This wind is crazy powerful, and we don't know how the quasar can launch something so substantial". [1] As well as measuring the outflow from SDSS J135246.37+423923.5, the team was also able to infer the mass of the supermassive black hole powering the quasar. This monstrous object is 8.6 billion times as massive as the Sun -about 2000 times the mass of the black hole in the center of our Milky Way and 50% more massive than the well-known black hole in the galaxy Messier 87. This result is published in the Astrophysical Journal and the quasar studied here now holds the record for the most energetic quasar wind measured to date, with a wind more energetic than those recently reported in a study of 13 quasars [2]. Despite its mass and energetic outflow, the discovery of this powerhouse languished in a quasar survey for 15 years before the combination of Gemini data and the team's innovative computer modeling method allowed it to be studied in detail. "We were shocked - this isn't a new quasar, but no one knew how amazing it was until the team got the Gemini spectra," explains Karen Leighly, an astronomer at the University of Oklahoma who was one of the scientific leads for this research. "These objects were too hard to study before our team developed our methodology and had the data we needed, and now it looks like they might be the most interesting kind of windy quasars to study." Quasars - also known as quasi-stellar objects - are a type of extraordinarily luminous astrophysical object residing in the centres of massive galaxies [3]. Consisting of a supermassive black hole surrounded by a glowing disk of gas, quasars can outshine all the stars in their host galaxy and can drive winds powerful enough to influence entire galaxies [4]. "Some quasar-driven winds have enough energy to sweep the material from a galaxy that is needed to form stars and thus quench star formation," explains Hyunseop (Joseph) Choi, a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma and the first author of the scientific paper on this discovery. "We studied a particularly windy quasar, SDSS J135246.37+423923.5, whose outflow is so thick that it's difficult to detect the signature of the quasar itself at visible wavelengths." Despite the obstruction, the team was able to get a clear view of the quasar using the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) on Gemini North to observe at infrared wavelengths. Using a combination of high-quality spectra from Gemini and a pioneering computer modeling approach, the astronomers uncovered the nature of the outflow from the object -- which proved, remarkably, to be more energetic than any quasar outflow previously measured. The team's discovery raises important questions, and also suggests there could be more of these quasars waiting to be found. We don't know how many more of these extraordinary objects are in our quasar catalogs that we just don't know about yet," concludes Choi "Since automated software generally identifies quasars by strong emission lines or blue color -- two properties our object lacks -- there could be more of these quasars with tremendously powerful outflows hidden away in our surveys." "This extraordinary discovery was made possible with the resources provided by the international Gemini Observatory; the discovery opens new windows and opportunities to explore the Universe further in the years to come," said Martin Still, an astronomy program director at the National Science Foundation, which funds Gemini Observatory from the U.S. as part of an international collaboration. "The Gemini Observatory continues to advance our knowledge of the Universe by providing the international science community with forefront access to telescope instrumentation and facilities." ### Notes [1] The colossal energy carried by the quasar outflow is a product of both the speed of the wind and the amount of mass it carries. An intuitive way to understand this is to compare a freight train and a champion sprinter -- while both travel at roughly the same speed, the more massive freight train has far more momentum and energy. [2] This result is independent of the recent NASA/STScI press release on quasar winds which focused on strong winds in 13 other quasars. [3] Quasars take their name from their first identification in the 1950's at radio wavelengths. Quasar is a contraction of quasi-stellar radio source, a name chosen to reflect the starlike appearance of these radio sources when viewed at visible wavelengths. [4] The gas feeding a quasar surrenders energy in the form of light as it falls into the central black hole. This emitted light is both the origin of a quasar's luminosity and the source of the energy that drives outflows. More information This research was presented in the paper Discovery of a Remarkably Powerful Broad Absorption Line Quasar Outflow in SDSS J135246.37+423923.5 in the Astrophysical Journal. The team was composed of Hyunseop Choi (The University of Oklahoma, USA) Karen M. Leighly (The University of Oklahoma, USA), Donald M. Terndrup (The University of Oklahoma, USA and The Ohio State University, USA), Sarah C. Gallagher (Western University, Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency), and Gordon T. Richards (Drexel University, USA). NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the international Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC-Canada, ANID-Chile, MCTIC-Brazil, MINCyT-Argentina, and KASI-Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du'ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai?i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O'odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively. Contacts Peter Michaud NewsTeam Manager NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory Gemini Observatory, Hilo HI Desk: +1 808-974-2510 Cell: +1 808-936-6643 Email: pmichaud@gemini.edu Karen Leighly Professor The University of Oklahoma Email: leighly@ou.edu Sarah Gallagher Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy Western University Ontario, Canada Email: sgalla4@uwo.ca Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday said strengthening the economy during the coronavirus crisis is going to be a challenge for the state government. The CM chaired a meeting with the government officials at his residence to discuss the lockdown situation in the state. "We have to think seriously about how to turn this disaster into an opportunity. According to the instructions issued by the Central Government for the lockdown, the action plan will be finalised accordingly in the state," a release quoted the CM as saying. The Chief Minister said that people need to be motivated for maximum cooperation in Chief Minister Relief Fund. With this amount, we will also be able to formulate an action plan for the betterment of the people of the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 600,000 pre-K-12 students and their parents returning from spring break in Los Angeles today got some unwelcome news, as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District announced that it would not be physically reopening schools for the remainder of the school year. The announcement comes on the heels of the New York City district, which announced April 11 that school buildings would remain shuttered. Exactly what happens in New York City has become a major dispute between Mayor Bill de Blasio, who controls the schools and announced his decision to keep them, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said he will make the final call on any reopening of schools in the state. Los Angeles Unified and New York City join at least 21 other states and three U.S. territories that have ordered or recommended that school buildings not reopen in the current academic year. The number of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles has increased nearly 200-fold since the district first made the decision to close its schools, and while health authorities know a good deal more about the virus than they did just a few weeks ago, there remains no approved treatment or vaccine yet, Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a recorded video. The path to reopening school facilities is not know at this time, despite any speculation you might hear, he said. We will not reopen school facilities until state and local health authorities tell us how it is safe and appropriate to do so. The district will finish out the year using remote learning. Last week, it reached an agreement with its teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles , on the parameters of how that will work. Teachers will continue to earn full salaries, and will be expected to provide four hours of instruction and support to students per day (including planning, office hours, required professional development, and faculty meetings). Theyll also be expected to hold office hours. The district also announced it will hold summer school in a similar manner, and high school seniors will participate in a virtual graduation for now. Beutner also outlined the districts grading policy for the remainder of the year: Students can work to improve grades but wont have them penalized or lowered. And they cant receive a failing grade. Those are strategies many other districts are also pursuing as they try to balance keeping high expectations for students with the realities of the digital divide and the trauma the pandemic is inflicting on students and their families. The district also said it planned to craft some four-week instructional blocks in literacy and math at all grade levels, though it wasnt immediately clear if those were in addition to regular summer school enrollment. Study after study tells us reaks in learning are difficult for students and in this crisis we need to find ways to change that pattern, he said. Read more: Coronavirus and Schools During a video call from Denmark, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia Tatevik Revazian said it is clear that the Civil Aviation Committee had disagreements with the Prime Ministers already former adviser Hakob Tchagharyan and brought up some examples. Throughout the past two years of my service as head of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia, Ive always focused on my job, but it would be right to state a couple of examples. There was a problem with a concept paper, as Mr. Tchagharyan mentioned in his interview. The Civil Aviation Committee had been assigned to develop a concept paper on civil aviation for Armenia, but for Mr. Tchagharyan, the already developed version was the final version. When the Committees representatives would offer to work on the concept paper together, he would reject them and say his version was the final one. I couldnt accept this. The concept paper is very important since it will help develop a strategy for the country, and everyones opinions and teamwork are important, she said. Revazian said another problem was related to the professionals presented by Tchagharyan. According to Revazian, they had no experience in civil aviation and had mainly worked for airline companies and helped the latter eliminate problems, but the Civil Aviation Committees option was to engage a specialist who had worked for Hollands civil aviation for over twenty years. Five more persons have tested positive for coronavirus infection in Shamli district near here with three of them being participants to the Tablighi Jamaat meet in New Delhi's Nizamuddin and the two being their contacts. With five more testing positive for the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases in the district has risen to 16, said Shamli District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur on Tuesday. The three Tabligi Jamaat members belonged to Baghpat and were residing in a mosque in Kairana from where the district adminstration was able to track them down along with two of their contacts, said Kaur, adding all five tested positive for the infection. All five patients have been shifted to Jhinjhana isolation ward, she said, adding the places where these five stayed too have been sealed. The district magistrate said a total of 288 sample had been sent for testing out of which 16 have tested positive till date while 219 were found negative. The results of remaining 53 samples are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Major container shipping lines are urging shippers to hold on to their cargo or move it quickly off-terminal in an effort to protect the supply chain MAERSK and CMA CGM have followed Mediterranean Shipping Co in taking steps to avoid congestion in the supply chain as cargoes reach their destinations despite a collapse in demand. The issue has arisen due to orders that were placed during the initial outbreak of coronavirus in China that saw the supply side virtually shut down. This led to pent-up demand in consumer markets. But fulfilment of these orders began just as the pandemic spread to these markets, leading to lockdowns and a collapse of demand. Those cargoes, some of which is now expected to be surplus to requirement, are en route to markets in Europe and North America, but there are concerns that with much of the supply chain not running due to lockdown measures, containers may end up being left at terminals, causing congestion. In a letter to customers yesterday, Maersk ocean and logistics chief executive Vincent Clerc called on them to minimise port stays and the detention of containers as much as possible, in order to minimise the risk of congestion and maintain the flow of goods. Ships are sailing, ports are functioning, intermodal transport is under way, however, we all also face disruptions outside our control, such as labour shortage due to quarantine measures which may at times lead to instances of congestion, he said. For all of us to come best out of the coronavirus crisis, it is important that we continue to work closely together and that all parties involved in the logistical supply chain, from terminals to cargo owners, continue the spirit of partnership and collectively make an effort to keep the fluidity of intermodal freight transport for cargo which has already been shipped to be removed from the port and devanned in a timely fashion, with empty equipment returned promptly. French carrier CMA CGM today announced it was following MSCs lead and introducing a delay in transit option for shippers seeking to delay to final delivery of their goods to import destinations. The carrier will make space available at its transhipment hubs in Kingston, Algeciras, Piraeus, Malta Tanger Med, Singapore and Busan for cargo owners that wish to temporarily store containers until the recipient is ready for them to arrive at the final destination. With this new solution, clients can control and reduce costs related to warehousing and storage, as well as other expenses that can add up while their cargo is being transported, the line said. The step follows similar moves by MSC, which earlier this month offered to store containers at transhipment hubs as part of its suspension of transit programme. It has since expanded the programme beyond its first six hubs to include additional transhipment terminals such as Freeport, Gioia Tauro, Klaipeda and Las Palmas. The suspension of transit programme is proving to be particularly useful for beneficial cargo owners and cargo consolidators, all of which are faced with congestion at ports of destination and the related possibility of high warehousing storage costs, MSC said. The moves by the carriers come as figures from Lloyds List Intelligence show that vessels movements at Chinas leading container hub of Shanghai and Yangshan have yet to show any slowdown. This is an edited extract from a longer analysis article published in Lloyds List. Lloyds List subscribers can read the full original article via this link: Carriers take action as congestion looms President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid has stated that Estonian investors are interested in the Ukrainian projects. The President of Estonia noted that countrys investors are interested in Ukrainian projects, the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine reported upon the phone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid. For his part, Zelensky noted that Ukraine had a certain vision of further economic development. We have many reforms and many bills to accelerate economic growth. Some of them have been delayed by coronavirus, but we do not stop in our desire to reform Ukraine. We are ready to fight for every dollar and we are glad to see Estonian investors in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said. The President of Ukraine expressed his gratitude for Tallinn's traditional support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, especially in the context of Estonia's UN Security Council non-permanent membership in 2020-2021. I wish your delegation to the UN Security Council a successful chairmanship this May, which will take place against the background of the unprecedented situation caused by the spread of COVID-19. I support Estonia's position that the UN Security Council must respond to the pandemic that threatens peace and world security, the President said. The interlocutors reaffirmed the importance of maintaining EU sanctions against Russia until Ukraine's territorial integrity is fully restored. They also agreed on the inadmissibility of artificially using the coronavirus pandemic for political purposes. Volodymyr Zelensky and Kersti Kaljulaid discussed political dialogue measures for the near future, as well as preparations for the Second Ukraine-Estonia Digital Forum to take place in Kyiv this fall. ol Mumbai: Prof. Anand Teltumbde, accompanied by his wife RAMA, Dr. Prakash Ambedkar, Anand Ambedkar and MLC Kapil Patil, and lawyer Mihir Desai, surrendered to the NIA Mumbai, in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima caste riots case investigation, on Apr Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Prof. Anand Teltumbde, accompanied by his wife RAMA, Dr. Prakash Ambedkar, Anand Ambedkar and MLC Kapil Patil, and lawyer Mihir Desai, surrendered to the NIA Mumbai, in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima caste riots case investigation, on Apr Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Prof. Anand Teltumbde, accompanied by his wife RAMA, Dr. Prakash Ambedkar, Anand Ambedkar and MLC Kapil Patil, and lawyer Mihir Desai, surrendered to the NIA Mumbai, in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima caste riots case investigation, on Apr Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, April 14 : Dalit scholar and activist Prof. Anand Teltumbde on Tuesday surrendered before the National Investigation Agency in connection with Koregaon-Bhima caste riots case, an official said here. He was accompanied by his brother-in-law and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi President Prakash Ambedkar and the surrender coincidentally came on the 129th birth anniversary of the Architect of Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The NIA has already arrested nine civil rights defenders and human rights activists and it is probing Teltumbde's alleged links with Moaist groups. Also accompanied by his wife, Rama, Teltumbde drove down to the NIA office in Malabar Hill and surrendered himself to the concerned authorities. Besides Prakash Ambedkar, his cousin Anand Ambedkar and MLC Kapil Patil were also present. The NIA probe encompasses an alleged CPI-Maoist conspiracy to overthrow the elected government in India and assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Keeping in view the directives of the Supreme Court, Prof. Teltumbde has surrendered to the NIA today," his lawyer Mihir Desai commented. Booked under various laws including the UAPA, Teltumbde's surrender came after he exhausted all options from the Bombay High Court and the apex court. A Mechanical Engineer from the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad and a doctorate in Cybernetic Modelling, Teltumbde served as a senior executive at BPCL and as Managing Director of Petronet India Ltd. Later, he went from corporate into academics and has taught at the IIT-Kharagpur besides Goa Institute of Management. Incidentally, Teltumbde's younger brother Milind Teltumbde is a senior office-bearer of the state unit of the banned CPI (Maoist) and is underground for several years as he is wanted by the police in several states. Binge sessions are still climbing for part 4 of Money Heist, and for good reason. The newest installment of the popular series thrust the gang into total chaos and crushed spirits with the death of Nairobi. It hurt. By the time viewers reached the finale, things started to shift. Lisbon is reunited with her allies and the mantra is For Nairobi! In no way does La Casa de Papels story feel complete as fans were left with widened eyes over that cliffhanger. Perhaps some of you are still processing the events of part 4 as you await news about next season. As everyone waits for confirmation, there are questions begging to be answered about the story for part 5. Cast of Money Heist | Netflix via Twitter Why was Inspector Sierra allowed to go home? Alicia Sierra is the baddie that fans love to hate, and she is relentless. Once Tamayo made her a scapegoat and she spilled all the dirty secrets during that press conference, shouldnt she have been taken somewhere for additional questioning? Viewers wants to know why she was able to roam freely. The woman went home, changed her clothes, and headed out on a crazed pursuit to track down the Professor. Shes kind of in trouble with the law, so wont the higher-ups be looking for her? Many questions are tied to the inspector. Will she break bad and start working with the team? Will Professor have to deliver her baby? Whos really in charge of the squad now? With Palermo admitting that he mucked up by freeing Gandia, is he the leader the crew needs right now? Tokyo is no longer shackled, but superfans know that sometimes her emotions and impulsiveness gets the best of her. The Professor isnt in a position to run things so who will take the reins, execute the plan, get them out safely, and rescue their leader from Sierra? Seriously, whos in charge? Is Manila a wildcard or saving grace? One thing emphasized in the scenes with Manila is that she keeps referring to Denver by his real name: Daniel. Could this mistake however unintentional cost them? She is also overzealous about being on the frontlines. Fans cheered when she shot Arturo, so we know she is capable of heroics, but will her involvement go wrong or right? She could turn out to be the executioner they need especially when it comes to Arturo or any other villains. Where is Sofia? Every fan has their favorite on La Casa de Papel, and Sofia makes the cut. Who is she? She is Marseilles ferret with a gift for fooling the police by leading them on a wild chase. An honorary and honorable member of the clique, we havent seen Sofia since part 3. People want to know if shes safe and if shell be seen in future episodes. Whats the status of the gold? A common note shared this season is that we viewers forgot about the gold. This is a heist, after all. But where are they in terms of melting and preparing their loot for transport? This detail will undoubtedly affect the teams ability to get out of the bank together and alive. Whats happening with Gandia? More than one villain foiled the teams plans in part 4, but Gandia is hated as much as Arturo. He killed Nairobi, and for that, everyone wants him to pay. Incapacitated, battered, and captured, some want to know if the Professor still needs him alive, if hes knocked out, or if thes legit dying anyway. No matter what, fans want his ticket punched. OTTAWA Manitobas Indigenous leaders are crying foul as the province moves to quash ongoing lawsuits aimed at getting foster kids millions of dollars in clawed-back federal funds. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitobas Indigenous leaders are crying foul as the province moves to quash ongoing lawsuits aimed at getting foster kids millions of dollars in clawed-back federal funds. Buried in an omnibus budget bill, the Manitoba government intends to remove the right of First Nations and Metis to sue to get back the federal baby bonus for kids who have been in the child-welfare system. The province collected those funds for nine years, bringing in about $250 million. "It is an injustice committed against the most vulnerable, and I don't think we can sit by and allow this to happen," Grand Chief Garrison Settee of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said Tuesday in a videoconference with reporters. Known officially as the Children's Special Allowance, the funding is the equivalent of the Canada Child Benefit. Its meant to help families either look after children in care, or save for their future. In 2010, the former NDP government started taking the CSA and putting it into general revenue. The PC opposition loudly decried the practice, but then kept the policy in place until a year ago. In other provinces, and within some Manitoba agencies, the CSA has been placed into trusts, to fund things such as post-secondary education or job training later in life. During each of the nine years of the clawback, Manitoba had between 9,400 and 10,700 kids in care, at least 80 per cent of whom were Indigenous. Under Manitobas semi-devolved child and family services (CFS) system, Families Minister Heather Stefanson has a legal obligation to consult on any major changes with the heads of the Southern Chiefs Organization, MKO and the the Manitoba Metis Federation, but the last meeting of this leadership council took place in May 2019. The three groups feel blindsided by the move, and have asked the federal Liberals to intervene or oppose the policy. Stefanson was not made available Tuesday for an interview. The clause of the budget bill would retroactively put the CSA under the provinces purview for the purpose of paying the expenses of the CFS agencies, which would remove the right to sue for the children's allocations. The legislation also seeks to nullify two ongoing lawsuits dating back to April 2019, named by court-case number in the legislation, without awarding costs. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Shawn Scarcello, an attorney in one of the cases, says he intends to challenge the legislation as unconstitutional for intervening in an ongoing legal dispute. "Theres no way this is fair or consistent with our system of justice," he said. The legislature sits on Wednesday for the first time in three weeks, and Indigenous leaders are worried the COVID-19 pandemic will distract the public from this change. "I think Manitobans need to wake up, and they need to pay attention to whats going on," said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. "It's a terrible example to leave for a whole generation of children who are now paying the consequences." dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Press Release 14 April 2020 London UK/Spokane WA - Magnuson Hotels, a top 20 global brand, today announced the branding of the Magnuson Hotel Little Rock South in Little Rock AR. Advertisements Formerly affiliated with Choice Hotels, the 90 room Magnuson Hotel Little Rock South will upgrade its market position to attract travellers as a member of a top 20 global chain with over 65,000 hotels and 700 airlines on its worldwide booking platform www.magnusonhotels.com. The Magnuson Hotel Little Rock South is located close to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, University of Arkansas Little Rock, River Market, Little Rock Convention Center, William J. Clinton Library, the Museum of Discovery, and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. The Magnuson Hotel Little Rock South offers a wide range of upper midscale amenities including free continental breakfast, refrigerators, microwaves, cable/satellite tv, and free high-speed internet access "We are so proud to be working with Mr. Mahesh Patel and his team in Little Rock," stated company CEO Thomas Magnuson, "we look forward to helping this hotel become one of the most active centers in the Little Rock area." A new season of Britains Got Talent begins on Seven next week. The show is moving into a 7:30 Wednesday slot, against Doctor Doctor and MasterChef. The series, which filmed auditions back in January, has just premiered in the UK. However live shows are now postponed, An ITV spokesperson said, We have been working with the brilliant production teams at Thames and Syco to find a way of making the live finals work, which were due to be broadcast at the end of May. They continued: However, in light of the latest government health guidelines and in line with our priority of safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved in our programmes, production of the live shows cannot go ahead as planned. The live Finals will therefore be broadcast later in the year. Now in its 14th series, the unstoppable multi-award-winning talent extravaganza is back with even more amazing, surprising and jaw-dropping acts, all vying to impress the judges and secure their place in the live semi-finals, which will be taking place later in the year. The award-winning presenting duo Ant and Dec return to cheer and console those acts brave enough to face the judges and their infamous buzzers, while Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams return to the panel to preside over the best talent Britain has to offer. 7:30pm Wednesday April 22 on Seven. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 07:47:50|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Members of Chinese medical expert team to Serbia learn about the epidemic prevention and treatment measures of local hospitals in Novi Pazar, Serbia, April 10, 2020. A team of Chinese medical staff with experience in fighting COVID-19 arrived in Serbia on March 21, 2020 to help with the Balkan state's battle against the virus. Over the past three weeks, they have shared their experiences in fighting the COVID-19, as well as offered advise on measures that have produced the best results in China in preventing the spread of COVID-19. (Chinese medical expert team to Serbia/Handout via Xinhua) A super spreader care home nurse who unwittingly gave COVID-19 to four elderly residents and five other staff members is 'mortified'. The nurse worked at the Newmarch House aged care facility in Caddens, western Sydney, for six days while suffering a 'scratchy throat' before testing positive on Saturday. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said on Wednesday that the woman was distressed to learn that she spread the illness to elderly people, who are the most vulnerable to death or serious complications from COVID-19. 'I have spoken to the director of the public health unit and this person is absolutely mortified,' she told reporters. 'It doesn't matter how mild those symptoms are - runny nose, sore throat, or just a scratchy throat in this case. Please don't go to work.' Ten new cases of coronavirus have been reported at a nursing home (pictured) in Western Sydney after a staff member worked six shifts while she was infected Anglicare Sydney, which runs the aged care centre, said all Newmarch House residents were self-isolating and staff had been directed to wear full personal protective equipment. The infected staff member also worked two days at Penrith Greystanes Disability Service, with four residents and six workers at that centre placed in isolation. NSW Health Minister, Brad Hazzard, said the worker had put vulnerable people at risk. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'We have talked about this numerous times, but now it appears that some staff are still going to work, even when they have symptoms,' he said. 'Please don't go to work if you're feeling sick. Just don't go.' Nursing homes had been one of main locations for deaths as a result of coronavirus, along with cruiseships. The NSW government will establish a commission of inquiry into the disembarkation of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which is linked to at least 18 coronavirus-related deaths across Australia. The inquiry will report back within four months, with NSW police and coronial investigations running in parallel to the government probe. Barrister Bret Walker SC will serve as commissioner for the inquiry which will examine what health measures were applied at the ship's departure and arrival and the process of passenger disembarkation. 'It is important that answers are provided quickly for the people of NSW,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement on Wednesday. 'We will leave no stone unturned until we find out exactly what happened.' The Ruby Princess, which departed Sydney on March 8 for New Zealand and returned ahead of schedule on March 19, was responsible for hundreds of COVID-19 cases nationwide and nearly a third of the 62 deaths across the country. 14.04.2020 LISTEN The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged a former banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for orchestrating a bribery scheme and arranging at least $2.5 million in bribes to be paid to Government of Ghana officials and Members of Parliament. The payment was allegedly made to gain approval for a client's power plant project from 2015 through at least 2016, according to court documents from New York. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the former banker in question, one Asante Berko, arranged the bribes for a Turkish energy company to funnel the money to a Ghana-based intermediary. The local company then made the payments to government officials. From approximately 2015 through at least 2016 (the relevant period), while employed at the Subsidiary, Berko schemed to bribe various government officials in the Republic of Ghana (Ghana) so that a client of the Subsidiary, a Turkish Energy Company (the Energy Company), would win a contract (the Power Purchase Agreement) to build and operate an electrical power plant in Ghana and sell the power to the Ghanaian government (the Power Plant Project or Project). Mr. Berko arranged for the Energy Company to funnel between $3 million to $4.5 million to a Ghana-based intermediary company to bribe various government officials responsible for approving the Power Plant Project. The Energy Company is said to have transferred at least $2.5 million of the planned $3 million to $4.5 million to the Intermediary Company. All or most of which was used to bribe Ghanaian government officials, the court documents noted. Find below the full SEC statement The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a former executive of a financial services company with orchestrating a bribery scheme to help a client to win a government contract to build and operate an electrical power plant in the Republic of Ghana in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The SEC's complaint alleges that Asante Berko, a former executive of a foreign-based subsidiary of a U.S. bank holding company, arranged for his firm's client, a Turkish energy company, to funnel at least $2.5 million to a Ghana-based intermediary to pay illicit bribes to Ghanaian government officials in order to gain their approval of an electrical power plant project. The complaint further alleges that Berko helped the intermediary pay more than $200,000 in bribes to various other government officials, and Berko personally paid more than $60,000 to members of the Ghanaian parliament and other government officials. According to the complaint, Berko took deliberate measures to prevent his employer from detecting his bribery scheme, including misleading his employer's compliance personnel about the true role and purpose of the intermediary company. As alleged in our complaint, Berko orchestrated a scheme to bribe high-level Ghanaian officials in pursuit of firm business and his own enrichment. Berko's misconduct was egregious and individual accountability remains a key component to our FCPA enforcement efforts, said Charles Cain, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's FCPA Unit. The firm's compliance personnel took appropriate steps to prevent the firm from participating in the transaction and it is not being charged. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges Berko with violating the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and federal securities laws. The SEC is seeking monetary penalties against Berko among other remedies. The SEC's case is being handled by Asita Obeyesekere and Paul G. Block of the FCPA Unit and Kathleen Shields, Mark Albers, and Marty Healey of the Boston Regional Office. ---citinewsroom The government's $25 billion aid to airlines including Southwest will include a mix of cash and loans, with the government getting warrants that can be converted into small ownership stakes in the leading airlines. Read more Major airlines line up to split $25 billion in payroll aid By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the nation's major airlines have tentatively agreed to terms for $25 billion in federal aid to pay workers and keep them employed through September. The assistance will include a mix of cash and loans, with the government getting warrants that can be converted into small ownership stakes in the leading airlines. The airlines did not want to give up equity, but Treasury demanded compensation for taxpayers. The airlines have little leverage their business has collapsed as the COVID-19 pandemic reduces air travel to a trickle and they face mass layoffs without the federal aid. The nation's six biggest airlines Delta, American, United, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue along with four smaller carriers have reached agreements in principle, and the Treasury Department said talks were continuing with others. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the department would work with the airlines to finalize deals "and disburse funds as quickly as possible." President Donald Trump perhaps mindful of criticism that the government was bailing out a previously profitable industry said the deals will support airline workers and protect taxpayers. "Our airlines are now in good shape, and they will get over a very tough period of time that was not caused by them," Trump said. The payroll aid is roughly based on each airline's spending on wages and benefits from April through September 2019, FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. American Airlines said Treasury approved $5.8 billion for the airline a $4.1 billion grant and a $1.7 billion low-interest loan. CEO Doug Parker called it "fantastic news," and "we now believe we have the financial resources necessary to help us withstand this crisis." Delta Air Lines said it reached agreement with Treasury for $5.4 billion a $3.8 billion grant and a $1.6 billion loan. CEO Ed Bastian said that the aid, along with cutting 80% of its schedule and having 35,000 employees agree to voluntary leave, will let Delta operate a minimal schedule for people who must travel. Analysts expected United Airlines to also be eligible for more than $5 billion. United said it expected to complete a final deal with Treasury "in the next few days," but gave no figures. Southwest Airlines said it expects to get $3.2 billion, including more than $2.3 billion in cash and the balance in an unsecured loan. The airlines had expected to begin receiving the aid entirely in cash that didn't have to be repaid from the government to cover their payrolls by April 6, the deadline set by Congress. Instead, they found themselves locked in several days of tense negotiations with the Treasury Department, which insisted that only 70% of the aid should be in cash, with the rest in loans that airlines must repay. In addition, Treasury demanded that to compensate taxpayers, the largest airlines turn over warrants equal to 10% of the loan amounts. They can be exercised at each airline's closing stock price on April 9. Delta said the government will get warrants for about 1% of its stock, and Southwest put Treasury's warrants at less than 1% of its shares. Others gave no details. The nation's airlines entered 2020 riding a decade-long hot streak in which together they earned tens of billions of dollars due to strong travel demand. That success came crashing down in just a few weeks, as governments restricted travel to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and people feared contracting the illness on a plane. As part of a $2.2 trillion economic-relief package, Congress also approved a separate $25 billion program to provide loans to airlines. Analysts expect less interest because the airlines can tap private credit markets, but American said it plans to seek a $4.75 billion government loan, and Alaska Airlines indicated it too will apply under the separate program. By Joe Guzzardi The Trump administration has an historic opportunity to find out, once and forever, if Silicon Valley employers are truly dependent on imported foreign labor. The 2020 lottery that will grant 85,000 new H-1B visas is over and done. But imagine that President Trump did the right thing, and announced that allowing 85,000 new workers into the U.S. during this period of rising unemployment (which the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank predicted may exceed 32 percent) is against the best interests of the U.S. President Trump could add, truthfully, that to allow 85,000 overseas workers into the U.S. as the coronavirus rages on would unnecessarily expose them to dangerous and possibly fatal health risks. Although immigration advocates would oppose visa restrictions even though unemployment and health crises grow greater daily, they would look foolish and self-serving. The Indian lobby, nevertheless, has taken the extraordinary step of asking a federal judge to commandeer immigration-making decisions from President Trump and suspend the routine visa deadlines for about 2 million workers. President Trump should allow foreign-born workers whose H-1B visas have expired to self-deport instead of, as the Indian lobby has requested, extending by six months their grace period. Under the H-1B guidelines, unemployed H-1B visa holders have 60 days to find another job or return home. Assuming the Trump administration carried out today's imaginary scenario to the full extent 85,000 visas voided, expired H-1B visas expiration dates enforced, and immigrant workers self-deported the president and other immigration skeptics would soon learn to what degree, if any, fewer employment-based visas have on businesses that claim to be dependent on them. Educated guess: none. The H-1B scam has gone on long enough. Over the last three decades, the H-1B has displaced tens of thousands of experienced U.S. tech workers and has created financial and emotional heartache for Americans who have lost their jobs to younger, less-skilled but cheaper-to-employ overseas workers. Here's a prime example. Michael Welch, a San Francisco employment lawyer, identified several companies to Bloomberg that "phase out" older workers for younger, cheaper ones, including Facebook, Apple, Google, Tesla, LinkedIn and HP. The Bay Area's tech companies are singularly uninterested in long resumes. "Phase out" means fire, and "long resumes" indicate that the job applicant is a skilled worker, likely an American. Before the H-1B visa became a well-known, widely used tech industry displacement tool, workers frequently spent their entire careers in the field, gradually earning increasing pay as they advanced. Ten years ago, Ron Hira in his Economic Policy Institute article, wrote that the H-1B visa and its L-1 cousin were "out of control." Hira, a respected Howard University public policy professor, wrote that both of these visa programs need "immediate and substantial overhaul." The original goals of the H-1B and L visa were to admit foreign nationals who complement the U.S. workforce. Instead, wrote Hira, "Loopholes in both programs have made it too easy to bring in cheaper foreign workers, with ordinary skills, who directly substitute for, rather than complement, workers already in the country. They are clearly displacing and denying opportunities to U.S. workers." Another prominent labor economist, Harvard University professor Lawrence F. Katz, agreed with Hira. Katz told the New York Times that employers like the H-1B visa program because it expands the labor pool which means paying lower salaries. The two big H-1B winners are, concluded Katz, "the workers who come here with H-1B visas and the companies that employ them." In the decade since Hira's cautionary article, the federal government has approved about 1 million H-1B visas, and allowed employers to use the cap-free L visa to transfer their international employees and their families to the U.S. The great deal for the L visa holders and their families includes lifelong valid work permits and citizenship for all! Today, President Trump has a golden chance to convert his campaign promise to "reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers, the forgotten people" into reality. What choice President Trump makes will say volumes about his commitment to U.S. workers. Joe Guzzardi (jguzzardi@pfirdc.org) is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. His commentary was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc. Max Mosley says his biggest regret as FIA president was failing to make it easier for young drivers with a "normal family" to target a career in Formula 1. Mosley, who turned 80 on Easter Monday, told DPA news agency he is proud to have improved safety. But he rues another personal goal that he failed to see accomplished. "I'm sure there a lot of talents out there who have never had the chance," said the Briton, who led the FIA between 1993 and 2009. He admitted that among his biggest regrets was "failing to establish as FIA president a straight path for drivers to go from karting to Formula 1 with means that a normal family can raise". Mosley said the way to do that would have been an inexpensive junior series that counted towards super licence points, but he said there was "massive resistance, even litigation". "But I should have done it anyway," he insisted. (GMM) The JD(S) leader said the loss on account of a revolt by farmers and labourers would be much more than the impact of the coronavirus Farmers work on a field during the nationwide lockdown, imposed in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Kolkata. PTI Photo Hassan: Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Monday alerted Narendra Modi that chances are that farmers and agricultural labourers may revolt. He suggested that procurement, transportation, processing, export, and marketing of fruits, vegetables and other agricultural commodities should have been exempted from the lockdown. The JD(S) leader said the loss on account of a revolt by farmers and labourers would be much more than the impact of the coronavirus. He demanded the Union government pay compensation to farmers who have incurred losses on crops they harvested this season. The lockdown has shocked farmers and they feel like that it is nothing but falling from the frying pan into the fire, stated Gowda. The former PM told Modi that if suggestions made by him were implemented, the marketing problems of perishable goods can be solved to a great extent. In a letter to Modi on Monday, Deve Gowda felt that the government should have made arrangements to procure farm produce at the farm gate similar to the procurement of milk. The government should have facilitated free movement of fruits, vegetables and other agricultural commodities from the producing areas to markets anywhere in the country. In another suggestion made to the prime minister, Gowda wanted a national grid be created for the movement of materials from surplus areas to deficit areas of the country. For instance, he pointed out that in the past, HPCOMS in Bengaluru sent banana, coconuts, tomato, capsicum among others to NDDB, New Delhi and in turn HOPCOMS got apples, pears, plums among others from New Delhi. Such similar linkages are to be created throughout the country, wanted the former Prime Minister and told the Union Government that Mr Gowda in order to boost the investment and employment generation. Mr Gowda to Mr Modi also asked that schemes under MNREGA must be allowed to be utilized in agricultural and food processing industries which will boost investment in processing industries in rural areas and benefit employment generation. President Donald Trump claimed the authority Monday to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of tough social distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the new coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have the primary constitutional responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when its safe to begin a return to normal operations. Democratic leaders in the Northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state compacts to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables, even as Trump tried to say its his call. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump said at Mondays White House coronavirus briefing. The governors know that. But he would not offer specifics about the source of his authority, which governors asserted was a vast power grab, or his plan to reopen the economy. Anxious to put the twin public health and economic crises behind him, Trump has backed federal social distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month. But it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions, including shuttering schools and closing non-essential businesses. Taking to Twitter, Trump wrote that some are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect ... it is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. Trump can use his bully pulpit to pressure states to act or threaten them with consequences, but the Constitution gives public health and safety responsibilities primarily to state and local officials. Meanwhile, the presidents guidelines have little force. Governors and local leaders have issued orders that carry fines or other penalties, and in some jurisdictions extend out into the early summer. All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said on CNN. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said, Seeing how we had the responsibility for closing the state down, I think we probably have the primary responsibility for opening it up. Wolf joined governors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island in agreeing to coordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact. While each state is building its own plan, the three West Coast states have agreed to a framework saying they will work together, put their residents health first and let science guide their decisions. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy stressed the efforts would take time. The house is still on fire, he said on a conference call with reporters. We still have to put the fire out, but we do have to begin putting in the pieces of the puzzle that we know were going to need ... to make sure this doesnt reignite. Though Trump abandoned his goal of rolling back social distancing guidelines by Sunday, he has been itching to reopen an economy that has dramatically contracted as businesses have shuttered, leaving millions of people out of work and struggling to obtain basic commodities. The closure has also undermined Trumps reelection message, which hinged on a booming economy. Trumps claim that he could force governors to reopen their states represents a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks now, Trump has argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis. And he has refused to publicly pressure states to enact stay-at-home restrictions, citing his belief in local control of government. While Trump can use his daily White House briefings and Twitter account to try to shape public opinion and pressure governors to bend to his will, there are real limits on the president and the federal government when it comes to domestic affairs, John Yoo, a University of California at Berkeley law school professor, said on a recent Federalist Society conference call. The government doesnt get opened up via Twitter. It gets opened up at the state level, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said. Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, a supporter of Trump, said the question of when to lift restrictions would be a joint effort between Washington and the states. Talk about how and when to reboot the nations economy has come as Trump has bristled at criticism that he was slow to respond to the virus and that lives could have been saved had social distancing recommendations been put in place sooner. That frustration was amplified by comments made by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations nations top infectious diseases expert. Asked Sunday on CNN if acting earlier could have saved lives, Fauci said that, obviously, you could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives. Trump responded by reposting a tweet that referenced Faucis comments and included the line, Time to #FireFauci, raising alarms that Trump might consider trying to oust the 79-year-old doctor. Trump has complained to aides and confidants about Faucis positive media attention and his willingness to contradict the president in interviews and from the briefing room stage, according to two Republicans close to the White House. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal conversations. But at Mondays briefing, Trump said, Im not firing him. I think hes a wonderful guy. Trump has told aides that he knows blowback to removing Fauci would be fierce and that at least for now he is stuck with the doctor. On more than one occasion, however, he has urged that Fauci be left out of task force briefings or have his speaking role curtailed, according to the Republicans. Well, its done and dusted. After keeping the world on the edge of its figurative seat for several days last week, OPEC+ announced a paltry 10 mm BOPD cut to its output on Thursday the 9th of April. The oil futures market had built up some anticipation that these oil power players would come up with some meaningful cuts to address the significant fall-off in demand forecast for the second quarter of 2020. The WTI price briefly topped $28.00/bbl in the AM session. When presented with the actual plan, markets collectively yawned, and then stepped off the ledge, dropping the price back into the mid-$22s. Some 15% lower than where it began the week. MarketWatch Now I am on record as being of the opinion that this meeting was all just high comedy for Saudi Arabia, not that there is anything funny about this situation. The point of this farce was always meant to placate President Trump, full stop, end of story. Trump had been pressuring them to take a step like this, one even larger actually, and giving him this win relieves much of that pressure. Of course the humor for the Saudis lies in the notion that, after setting this low-price, market share maximization course, they would shift meaningfully short of their goal-the destruction of American shale. The devil is always in the details. In order for these cuts to take effect, the G-20 nations had to come up with several million barrels a day on their own. There is no sacrifice, like that which is shared and the Saudis were tired of carrying the water for the world in this arena. It isnt the point of this article to recap the details of the final agreement. The link provided above will reveal them if thats where your interest lies. Then today they released their official selling prices and with them their true intent. Cutting off U.S. exports to Asia, blunting Russian influence in Europe, and getting a few extra nickels from U.S. buyers! All while keeping the oil price low enough that distressed crudes (U.S. shale) simply cant compete. This could set the stage for action by the American government to protect domestic markets. The possibility of tariffs on Saudi oil It's beginning to look increasingly like tariffs on imported oil, perhaps targeted to certain countries, are the next 'great idea' to escape market realities. The main market reality being that the world's low cost producer (MbS) has decided to maximize his market share. An abrupt shift in position that developed back in March in a late-night 'tiff' with Russia over a decision to cut, or not to cut. They decided not to cut, and in fact did just the opposite, and of course an already really well supplied oil market- crashed. Pretty much destroying the economic viability of 80% of the world's oil production over the next two to three weeks, and of course nearly 100% of shale production. Which was the master plan all along. Premium: U.S. Oil Production Has Already Peaked U.S. shale producers cried uncle pretty quick. Uncle Sam that is. Some wanted to restrain production at the state level. Some wanted federal intervention in the form of tariffs. Some wanted into the government's corporate bailout package. Anything to avoid the ugly reality that much of shale's output just isn't economic and needs price support to make it viable against Saudis low cost of production. We are the only ones facing an ugly truth though. The Saudis are finding out that there is such a thing as too much success. You would think all those oil ministers would be able to predict with some accuracy what the effect of "now pump freely," might actually mean to the market at large. Evidently not, as the necessity of this emergency meeting due to the crushingly low oil prices that resulted. The 10 mm BOPD they came up with is an eye-catching number to be sure. And, one that would have rocketed crude higher a few months back. But, it's one that doesn't take into account the well-known and much discussed 25% global demand destruction forecast for Q-2 by those who have the temerity to forecast such things. In my article last week for OilPrice I argued that I didn't expect much to come of this back and forth. The anemic emission from this summit is pure Trump appeasement at its finest, as previously discussed. No one can say they did nothing. But, nothing is what it amounts to in the face of the huge gap between supply and demand. And, that leads us to the rationale for tariffs on Saudi oil. Tariffs: the rationale for them in the case of Saudi oil President Trump has said that he will consider tariffs to put a U.S. domestic floor on the price of oil. I am not normally a fan of tariffs as they amount to new taxes on commodities, and drive the price of everything downstream from them higher. That said, they are probably the one weapon we have that will have any effect on the Saudis ability to flood the U.S. with cheap oil, and sink American fracking beyond repair. In this case, I think it is worth a shot. KSA has taken dead aim at our industry, and that sort of targeting shouldn't be allowed to just run rampant. It's also likely a violation of WTO anti-dumping provisions, so we have firm international legal ground for taking action to protect our markets. Tariffs probably will also come because Saudi doesn't have anything really to counter them with. Other than oil they don't have much to sell. In other words, there will be no China tit-for-tat escalation tariff-wise. And, there are a lot of American jobs at stake. Good jobs that pay well in excess of a 100K annually. Trump has a strong constituency in the oilfield cadre that he would do well to pay some lip-service to at the very least. I think he knows this. While no actual amounts have been made public that the government is considering, to be meaningful (make shale production economic) these tariffs will have to be at least $25-30/bbl range. From todays prices in the mid-$22s, that would make oil in the U.S. effectively above $55.00, preserving tens of thousands of American jobs. One challenge to going ahead with them ironically comes from the industry itself though. Muddying the water for the President a bit as he hears the wails of the smaller producers. While less extreme than production cuts, tariffs are unpopular with a swath of the industry, which has historically championed a free-market approach to oil. The two largest U.S. oil companies, Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., have lobbied against any oil-market intervention. Low tariffs are whats best for our globe and our business in the long term, Exxon Chief Executive Darren Woods said Tuesday WSJ The shale stats for this week. North American land lost another 62 rigs from the week prior, with all shale plays dropping in the count. The Permian was the loss-leader going down 36 rig week over week. I may have under-estimated the April-exit of 550 rigs, given the decline so far. Baker Hughes Frac Spreads were down another 30 from the week before, on a trajectory to ~150 or by the end of April. Another indicator that capital has finally fled U.S. shale and equipment is being stacked, and crews laid off in this final firestorm of the oil glut. Premium: Where Does Oil Go After The Largest Production Cut In History? EIA As Ive been predicting this massive stand down of the shale industry is taking its toll on U.S. production. The current Drilling Productivity report shows a decline of 76K barrels from the Permian (Which I view as being the only shale play that matters in the long run.), from the prior month. This is a new artifact in their reporting, and one we think will be replicated and amplified in succeeding reports to come. Summary Over the short haul I don't see anything to support oil going higher, or even staying at its current level. This is due primarily to the huge glut of oil arriving at our shores from Saudi Arabia. This will take a while to work off regardless of other actions taken to raise prices. What will change this outlook? A big drop in shale production and increased demand forecasts for oil usage. Until then over-supply will weigh on the oil market, keeping prices down. The next major way point for oil could come from the release of the EIA-914, Monthly Production report, at the end of April. This edition will have production data through February, and might be a market mover as it is a lagging indicator, suggesting a sharp drop in U.S. shale production. By David Messler for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: US President Donald Trump has hinted that there would be consequences for China's alleged misinformation to the international community and the WHO on coronavirus, that originated from its Wuhan city last year, and has claimed 119,666 lives with nearly two million infections globally. Trump shot back at a reporter on Monday during his White House press conference on coronavirus when repeatedly asked why there are no consequences for China. "How do you know that there are no consequences?" Trump asked. "I wouldn't tell you. China will find out. Why would I tell you?" Trump replied when repeatedly asked if China was going to face the consequences of the alleged misinformation. "You're going to find out," Trump said as members of the US Congress ramped up their rhetoric and move against China. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to Trump urging him to end the US government's reliance on medical supplies and equipment from China and bring back drug manufacturing jobs to America in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear how relying upon China for medicine or essential medical equipment and components is detrimental to our national security and endangers public health," Daines wrote. "It is critically important to ensure that legislation is fully implemented as quickly as possible and that the US continues to be the world leader in biomedicine, pharmaceutical development, and medical innovation," he wrote. Four Republican lawmakers on Monday introduced a legislation to reduce the reliance on China. Protecting our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain from China Act gives companies economic incentives to manufacture pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the US, makes it easier to know which country a drug came from by creating a list of the country of origin of all drugs marketed in the United States, and prohibits federally qualified health facilities from purchasing pharmaceutical products from China, it said. China ran a disinformation campaign to cover up the coronavirus crisis for weeks, putting the rest of the world at a disadvantage in combating the spread, alleged Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. "We have become far too dependent on China, and it is time that we equip our domestic pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to be able to efficiently produce these items here in the United States," she said. Congressman Mike Gallagher alleged that the Chinese Communist Party's outrageous threats to withhold life saving drugs from the US endangers public health and should open eyes to the dangerous over-reliance on China in medical supply chain. "This is a national security imperative that to many Americans, is a matter of life and death. It's past time for us to develop an aggressive plan to move critical pharmaceutical supply chains away from China," he said. Congressman James Comer along with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote a letter to the Director-General of the World Health Organization requesting documents relating to their assistance in the Chinese government's coronavirus propaganda efforts. The WHO receives significant financial support from American taxpayers, including as much as USD 513 million in 2017. The letter notes that as recently as January, the WHO promoted Chinese propaganda on social media in claiming that the coronavirus does not spread by human transmission. The organisation likewise criticised travel restrictions implemented by President Trump, praised China's efforts to fight coronavirus even as the Communist regime was jailing doctors, and bowed to Chinese influence by delaying labeling COVID-19 a pandemic, the lawmakers said. Another group of Senators - Marco Rubio, Marsha Blackburn, John Cornyn, Kelly Loeffler, and Joni Ernst in a letter urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft to address the crackdown of free speech in China and in countries across four continents including Turkey, Bangladesh, Niger, and Cambodia, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Chinese Communist Party is using this public health emergency as a thin veil to cover a crackdown on peaceful dissent and freedom of speech," the Senators wrote. "Sadly, China is not unique in its utilization of the pandemic as an excuse to institute surveillance measures or draft new laws that are not necessary, proportionate, transparent, or time-bound," they said. "Therefore, we call on the Department of State to document acts of harassment, arrest, increased surveillance, or other forms of suppression or criminalisation by regimes in retribution for those nations' citizens expressing their freedoms through media, social media, peaceful assembly, or other peaceful means," the Senators said. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,666 people and infected almost two million people, with US being the worst affected country leading in the number of infections and deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic Also read: Coronavirus in US: New York death toll breaches 10,000; new hotspots begin to emerge Also read: Coronavirus Live Updates: India enters lockdown 2.0 as COVID-19 cases cross 10,000 mark The US State Department raised concerns over safety issues at the Wuhan research lab studying coronaviruses in animals like bats two years ago, new diplomatic cables reveal. In 2018 diplomats said there were issues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located near the seafood market Chinese authorities claim the virus emerged from, cables obtained by the Washington Post reveal. A US delegation led by Jamison Fouss, consul general in Wuhan, and Rick Switzer, the Beijing embassys counselor of environment, science, technology and health, visited the Wuhan level four biosafety lab multiple times from January to March 2018. They voiced concern over a lack of safety protocols and the biosafety of the lab's research on coronavirus in animals like bats and warned that if cautionary steps weren't taken, the lab's research could spark a SARS-like outbreak. The US State Department raised concerns over safety issues at the Wuhan research lab studying coronaviruses in animals like bats in 2018 prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak, new diplomatic cables reveal In 2018 a US delegation visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology (above) several times and sent two cables to Washington DC asking for help to beef its safety and security measures, warning that the lab 'represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic' The institute is located only 20 miles from the food market where it was originally believed that the outbreak began. Experts continue to say the virus was transmitted from animal to human and was not lab engineered in China as some conspiracy theories have claimed They sent two 'sensitive but unclassified cables' back to Washington, DC asking for assistance to help the lab heighten its security measures. They warned that a lack of tight safety measures in handing the contagious viruses in the lab 'represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.' 'During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory,' a cable dated January 19, 2018 said. 'The cable was a warning shot. They were begging people to pay attention to what was going on,' one US official said. The cables argued that the United States should give the Wuhan lab further support to help control the situation, but after those messages no extra assistance was provided to those labs. The US was not only flagged to the activities going on in that laboratory, but they were also prior financially and scientifically involved in their studies. The WIV received assistance from the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch and other U.S. organizations in its work. The US National Institute of Health, a government agency, also gave a $3.7million research grant to the WIV to carry out research on bats from caves in Yunnan, more than 1,000 miles away. Scientists have traced the sequencing of the COVID-19 genome to Yunnan, the Mail on Sunday revealed over the weekend. It's not clear when that grant was given. The Wuhan Institute of Virology had previously published research locating the cluster of bats believed to have transmitted SARS to humans in the 2002 outbreak that infected 8,000. The lab was also the first to report in February that COVID-19 was derived from bats. 'During interactions with scientists at the WIV laboratory, they noted the new lab has a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate this high-containment laboratory,' a cable dated January 19, 2018 said. A view inside the P4 lab pictured in February 2017 The Wuhan Institute of Virology had previously published research locating the cluster of bats believed to have transmitted SARS to humans in the 2002 outbreak that infected 8,000. The lab was also the first to report in February that COVID-19 was derived from bats. Lab workers pictured in February 2017 While the exact source of COVID-19 remains a mystery, scientists and officials say it was transmitted from animals to humans and likely originated in a bat. Some rumors, which have been perpetuated by some Republican politicians, theorized that the virus was a manmade illness released by the lab as a bioweapon. These groundbreaking cables reveal that American officials expressed worry over a virus potentially leaving from the lab, whether by accident or through biowaste. The Chinese government claims the virus was transmitted to humans in a Wuhan wet market. While that market did not sell bats, it is possible that other animals could have been infected from the virus via bats. Research by The Lancet published in January shows that neither the first known human patient nor more than one-third of the cases in the first large cluster had actual connections to the market. Still, theories over how the killer virus emerged are swirling, with some claiming China engineered it, leading the Chinese to spread theories of their own, including one claiming the US Army brought the virus to Wuhan. Furthermore, another lab located in Wuhan, belonging to the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was also conducting research on animal coronaviruses and was located next to the Wuhan Seafood Market. That lab only had a level two biosafety certification meaning its security protocols were more relaxed than the Institute of Virology. Some experts say that these concerns over whether the virus could have escaped from a Chinese lab should be investigated. 'I don't think it's a conspiracy theory. I think it's a legitimate question that needs to be investigated and answered,' University of California Berkeley researcher Xiao Qiang told the Post. 'To understand exactly how this originated is critical knowledge for preventing this from happening in the future.' SHANGHAI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtec China 2020 will be held from September 14-16 at SWEECC Halls 2&4 this year, "MDiT Forum and Regulation Summit 2020" is also going to return, continuing to focus on "regulations, quality and technology," joining hands with medical device industry authorities and experts, to bring a unique industry education opportunity. More than 900 professional delegates and 60 speakers are getting together to discuss and seize the opportunities in the rapidly evolving medical device market in China. Click to view the Post Conference Report 2019 All the great minds from the Medtech field get together at Medtec China The "MDiT Forum and Regulation Summit" brings local and international experts from the Medtech field and technical principals of medical devices leading companies. Keynote speakers from NIFDC, Tianjin Medical Devices Supervision and Testing Center CFDA, CCCMHPIE, SHFDA's Division of Medical Device Registration, JSDA, GDMDT, FDA China, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co.,Ltd have been invited to attend. Click to view the Conference Schedule 2020 Regulatory & Quality Changes and Technology Development focus This year's "Chinese Regulatory Updates and Compliance" will interpret the latest updates of regulatory hotspots. Especially after going through the COVID-19 pandemic, insight from experts about "what is the future of the medical device industry" is very crucial. Topics such as "Listing Permit Holder System in China updates", " Medical Device e-registration workflow", "Latest process of special inspection of Innovative Medical Devices", and "Standard of molecular diagnosis reagent industry" will be discussed. Click to view the Conference Schedule Quality Track A will still focus on "Management of Medical Product Life Cycle" and analyze the risk and quality management of medical device products over the entire life cycle from the perspective of manufacturers. Quality Track B will discuss "FDA's Shift from 21 CFR 820 Toward ISO 13485: 2016 and FDA factory inspection" and analyze the changes that will result from the FDA's change in quality regulatory system and its impact on factory inspections. Click to view the Conference Schedule The technology track will launch eight conferences, continuing to focus on cutting-edge technologies. Traditional conferences such as "Session of Pack&Ster Hub", " Conference of Medical Device Design" and "Plastic Molding Technology in Medical Device Manufacturing" will return. "Technology Development of New Type Medical Dressings" and "Seminar of advanced Technology of Medical Bonding and Welding" will discuss the technologies in this field in depth, bringing more new ideas to the audience. In addition, there are three new technology forums this year, namely "High polymer material application in Medical Device", "3D materials and technology application in Medical Device", and "Core components and technologies Seminar of orthopaedic and dental products", to grasp the latest technological trends. Conference sponsorship opportunities are being offered and nearly ten conferences have been pre-booked to meet the most appropriate customers face-to-face. Capture more brand marketing opportunities and attract the attention of tens of thousands of medical device manufacturers, Medtec's digital marketing strategy can help you, Click to Get More Sponsorship opportunities. More than 500 exhibitors from around the world and 250,000 professional visitors will be present to negotiate business, purchase and exchange technologies at Medtec China. For more information, please visit the official website of Medtec China: www.medtecchina.com For exhibition, visits and media cooperation, please contact: Carina Li Tel: +86 10 5730 6163 E-mail: carina.li@informa.com Medtec China Organization Committee Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154915/Keynote_speaker_SHFDA.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154916/Assistant_Country_Director_FDA_China.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1154917/2019_Seminar.jpg WESTPORT The Board of Education unanimously denied a request by a parent to renew discussions on later start times, saying they were hesitant of the precedent it could set. On Feb. 10, the BOE voted 5-2 to have all Westport schools begin 30 minutes later for the 2020-21 school year. The decision sparked controversy with a number of elementary educators and parents, and one parent creating a petition to reverse the decision. I dont believe we can take things like this and go back and re-visit a vote that weve already taken, or else wed be doing that with every single controversial subject, BOE member Karen Kleine, who voted against later start times, said at the meeting on Monday. BOE member Vik Muktavaram echoed her sentiments and highlighted the work done by the School Start Time Committee, composed of parents and educators, over the course of two years. It was always a trade-off between what was good for the students and what might potentially affect a certain percentage of the families, he said. In the end, I think the way the committee voted, and which the board also supported, was looking at the majority of the student body. This was a decision that would be beneficial to students, recognizing that there would be challenges to some families. To accommodate parents concerns, the districts administration outlined a new partnership with the Westport-Weston YMCA to provide morning care at each school. Anthony Buono, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said more than 700 parents were surveyed with early indications showing about 50 students per school would need the program. The majority of the families indicated they would prefer an on-site program as opposed to a central location and then we would transfer the students to their schools, Buono said. So we worked to provide that type of program for our students. The program would offer a variety of activities, study options and breakfast snacks for kids. The programming, fee schedule, money collection and hiring will be done by the Y, Buono said The collaboration part is that were going to provide them space in each school to run the program, he said. The district will not be charging them rental fees to do so. He added there are ongoing discussions on a reasonable fee for parents, with a fee schedule expected to be outlined by next week. Applications are expected to go out to families the first week of June with notices sent out just prior. This is really a lot of wonderful work, BOE member Youn Su Chao said. I think the YMCA will be great partners for our school. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Servers at an Italian restaurant in Houston celebrated when a customer ordering takeout left a $1,000 tip for the staff. The customer's original order was $19.49, but they left $1,000 in the tip field, along with the message "stay strong" to encourage the staff. "When the staff found out, you could hear cheers go through the restaurant," the restaurant's owner, Federico Cavatore, told Fox 11 News. "We needed that." Mr Cavatore, of Cavatore's Italian Restaurant, said he's been struggling to keep his waiting staff employed, as business has slowed down due to the pandemic. He has hosted car washes and had given away free diners and gift cards as a way to reward people in his community who have acted to help their neighbours. The restaurant has begun producing pizza-making kits and selling bottles of its sangria for takeout orders. Mr Cavatore has also been donating pizzas to help community organisations that feed children, and offering discounts to other frontline workers. He said the $1,000 tip allowed his staff to bring home a pay similar to what they might have made on a busy night prior to the pandemic. "It was like we weren't closed for regular business," he said. The restaurant posted on Facebook: "Our hearts are full tonight, they're bursting." While the act of kindness on the part of the tipper is cause for the servers to celebrate, it also highlights the struggles of "essential" workers during the shutdown. Many essential workers - servers, grocery baggers, retail associates - were already struggling financially prior to the pandemic. Now they have to decide between paying rent and exposing themselves to potential infection. While some of the workers will be eligible for the $1,200 check provided by the $2trn CARES Act, critics of how those funds are being distributed have argued that far too little will actually go towards workers. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the one-time payments "were not enough" during a Zoom Q + A session earlier this month. "I'm telling you right now, and as you probably already know, $1,200 in New York City is not enough," she said. "We fought for recurring payments. In fact, what we fought for was $2,000 per person, in addition to more monthly, recurring payments. And again, the Trump administration and Mitch McConnell's Senate and the Republicans refused, absolutely refused to entertain the idea of recurring payments." Even conservative commentators said the $1,200 wasn't going to be enough to help distressed workers. Dan McLaughlin of the National Review pointed out that even in the poorest states the money won't last long. "It can definitely make a difference, but only gets you so far. Median household income in Mississippi is $43,567 a year, and that's the lowest in the US. So, even in Mississippi, that's less than two weeks' household income for an individual, about five weeks' household income for a family of four," he told Mediaite. "For a typical working family in New York City, it could cover one month's rent. So, if the economy is shut down more than a month, just about everyone who actually needs the money will have run through this by then." Some members of the staff at the Houston restaurant may not even be eligible for the CARES Act stimulus money. High school seniors, college students whose parents claim them on their taxes and immigrant families who file taxes using a tax identification number are all ineligible for the money. Until a new plan for robust financial relief is proposed and passed through Congress, Mr Cavatore and his staff will have to continue to rely on the good will of their community to get them through the pandemic. "It's definitely a scary time, but our patrons have kept our morale going and our business open," Mr Cavatore said. Before Judge Conleys decision, state officials had estimated that at least 27,500 absentee ballots would come in too late to be counted nearly five times the vote margin that decided the statewide judicial elections last year. As of Monday morning, more than 11,000 voters who requested ballots were never even sent one, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, though figures were continuing to update. The number of disenfranchised voters was potentially higher. As of Monday, 185,000 absentee ballots remained outstanding, and election officials were trying to determine what percentage of those might have been returned had Judge Conleys deadline of April 13 held. In Milwaukee, official tallies showed that the percentage of unreturned ballots was double its usual rate. There was also the indeterminate number of voters who were too afraid to appear at polling stations on Election Day, by which point it would have been too late to request absentee ballots. And then there was the matter of how to handle ballots that had not been postmarked with an exact date. That question went at the heart of a seemingly arcane matter that is sure to bedevil states in November: whether to count mail-in ballots based on when they arrive or when they are postmarked, which, if Wisconsin is to be a guide, is already threatening to become the hanging chad of the 2020 election. Absentee ballots are going to be much more prevalent, and clerks around the country are going to be slammed the same way as they were in Wisconsin, said Mr. Devaney, the lawyer who represented the Democrats in Wisconsin. How states settle on using postmarks, he added, is going to be really important in terms of not disenfranchising thousands and thousands across the country. Canadas parliament held a special one-day session Saturday to rush through legislation authorizing the Trudeau Liberal governments 75 percent wage-subsidy program for businesses impacted by the coronavirus crisis. As with the other financial and economic measures the Liberals have taken in response to the pandemic, the subsidy package was supported by all parties in parliament, from the Conservative Official Opposition to the Greens and New Democrats. The $73 billion Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program will pay 75 percent of an employees normal wage, up to $847 per week, for companies that suffered or will suffer a 15 percent decline in revenue decline in March and a 30 percent decline in subsequent months. The program is backdated to March 15 and is slated to last a total of three months. However, it will not begin to make payments to employers for another four to six weeks. Consequently, workers will not receive any money until mid or even late May. The wage subsidy is being universally touted by the political establishment and corporate media as necessary to save jobs and help struggling small businesses cope. The reality is that business groups lobbied strongly for it, and the program has been expressly tailored to meet the needs of the largest and most profitable corporations, which are anxious to keep their workforces largely or wholly intact. Large companies, including Canadian subsidiaries of global players like the automakers Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler, will be able to avail themselves of the program, using state funds to meet their payrolls. Moreover, while providing no more than stopgap relief for workers, the Liberals wage-subsidy program provides the government with much needed political camouflage. It serves to obscure that the principal aim of the governments package of COVID-19-triggered emergency economic measures has been to bail out the banks and financial markets, so as to safeguard the wealth and investments of Canadas capitalist elite. Nothing in the wage-subsidy legislation prevents companies from using the government aid to impose huge wage cuts, since there is no requirement for the remaining 25 percent of pay to be topped up. Nor is there any mechanism to stop companies laying off their workers when the wage subsidies end. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his House of Commons address introducing the legislation, sought to cast himself as a military commander-in-chief leading a united nation into battle. While conceding the fight against the coronavirus is not a war, Trudeau cynically invoked the Canadians fighting on the front lines in homes, hospitals, and the community. He compared their resolve to that of the thousands of Canadians who fought and died 103 years ago this month in the First World War Battle of Vimy Ridgewhich was subsequently hailed as a great Canadian victory as part of the Canadian ruling elites drive to impose conscription in the face of mass opposition. As Canada confronts this crisis, intoned Trudeau, we are all called to serve, to fight for and alongside each of our fellow citizens . Our job as Canadians is to uphold the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, whether they be rich or poor, young or old, ailing or healthy. That is our dutywithout reservation. Leaving aside the nauseating combination of nationalist and militarist demagogy, which until only a few years ago was reserved to the likes of former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Trudeaus pompous invocation of national unity is a lie. Every step taken by his government, with the support of the opposition parties, has served to protect the interests of the banks, super-rich, and major corporations, while placing the working class and the overstretched health care system on rations. To date, the government, the Bank of Canada and other state institutions have funneled some $650 billion into the hands of the banks and big business, through a myriad of measures. These include a $200 billion Bank of Canada program to purchase risky state and corporate debt, a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation scheme to buy $150 billion in bank mortgages, a halving of the big banks capital requirement, which immediately swelled their balance sheets by $150 billion, and billions of dollars worth of tax deferrals. While no resources are being spared for the banks and big business, close to 6 million workers have been forced to apply for miserly government assistance, whether in the form of Employment insurance or the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). CERB recipients are to receive a piddling $2,000 per month for a maximum of four months, a sum that does not even cover the average cost of a single-room apartment in many major urban centres. Moreover, due to a series of loopholes and bureaucratic requirements, conservative estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of workers are not yet entitled to any government assistance. These meagre rations were implemented in close consultation with the trade unions, which like the NDP have seized on the coronavirus crisis to shift further to the right and deepen their already close collaboration with the Trudeau government. Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff, who appealed for a collaborative front with the employers, held a series of closed-door, corporatist deliberations with the Trudeau government and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the first two weeks of March to help formulate Ottawas response. Virtually nothing has been done for the dilapidated health care system. The Trudeau government has announced just $3 billion in additional health spending, two thirds of which will be funnelled through for-profit companies that have promised to make face masks, ventilators, and other medical supplies, but have offered no time scale for this urgently required equipment. Meanwhile, health care workers in hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities are being forced to work with no or inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), putting their lives, those of their families and patients at risk, and governments across Canada are continuing to ration COVID-19 tests, often denying then even to frontline medical workers. To talk under these conditions of upholding the dignity and sanctity of all life, rich or poor, is a criminal fraud. If Trudeaus wish to serve as the nations commander-in-chief were to be granted for a moment, he and his ministers would have to be court martialled for treason. The ruling elites attitude to the health of the population was summed up Sunday by Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough. Referring to her previous role as Minister for Public Service Procurement between 2017 and November 2019, she told Global News that while her department was very focusedon defence procurement, on getting the coastguard the ships they need, on getting the navyi.e. on building up Canadian imperialisms war machinereplenishing Canadas stockpiles of PPE was not a top priority. Even as Trudeau offered his sermon of consolation to the nation, big business and sections of the political establishment continued their campaign for a precipitous reopening of the economy under conditions of a raging, out of control pandemic. Two days before Trudeau addressed parliament, the Ontario government set up a committee for economic reconstruction tasked with preparing a plan for the lifting of restrictions on non-essential businesses. Meanwhile, Quebec Premier Francois Legault, egged on by provinces main employer organization (the Conseil du Patronat), argued in his Thursday and Friday coronavirus updates that there would be little risk to public health if work resumed forthwith in construction and other industries. The great political lie that the ruling elites response to the coronavirus crisis is being carried out to protect all Canadians is facilitated by the so-called opposition parties in parliament. In Saturdays debate, Andrew Scheer for the Conservatives, Yves-Francois Blanchet for the Bloc Quebecois, Jagmeet Singh for the New Democrats, and Elizabeth May for the Greens all praised the wage subsidy bill and the governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic more generally . May and Singh, in particular, emphasized their happiness with their parties close cooperation with the Trudeau government. Where criticisms were made, they were hollow given the joint participation of all the parties in the decades-long assault on universal public health care and on workers jobs and living standards. Scheer criticized the Liberals slow response to the pandemic, pointing out that up until early March, the government was still claiming that the threat posed by COVID-19 was low. Conservative Senate leader Don Plett attacked the government for being asleep at the wheel for its refusal to implement stricter travel controls on incoming passengers from China. The Canadian governments failure to respond in a timely manner to the coronavirus, which resulted in two vital months being squandered, is clear for all to see. But its principal failings lay, and continue to lie, in its refusal to mobilize societys resources, beginning with the vast holdings of the corporate elite, to bolster the health care system, and to supply medical workers with the necessary equipment and protective gear to allow them to provide care, while keeping themselves, their patients, and family members free from infection. More fundamentally, these failures are bound up with all of the parliamentary parties prioritization of private profit over human lives. This criminally irresponsible policy can only be reversed by the independent intervention of the working class. Workers must take up the fight for full wages for all those laid-off or unable to work because of the pandemic, including gig economy and contract workers. Essential workers must be provided all the PPE and other equipment they require to work in a safe environment, and billions must be poured into strengthening the health care system. There must be no return to work until the pandemic is controlled and the equipment, staff, and systems are in place to ensure systematic universal testing, contract-tracking, and timely care for all who need it. These immediate demands are incompatible with the current social order, which is based on securing corporate profits at the expense of human life. The struggle for their implementation must therefore be linked to the fight for a workers government committed to socialist policies. It is not disclosed how much debt the company wants to restructure. Ukraine's largest private power producer, DTEK, which recently suspended its debt payments, is ready to submit proposals on debt restructuring to creditors, the company's CEO said on Tuesday. DTEK, owned by the country's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, missed payments of coupons on eurobonds and interest on bank debt as it struggled to minimize effects of the economic crisis, Reuters said. Read alsoAkhmetov's DTEK Skhidenergo halts payments for gas withdrawn for Luhansk TPP "A committee of creditors has been established; we have prepared proposals for restructuring and they will be sent to the committee of creditors in the near future," DTEK's chief executive, Maxim Timchenko, said in an online briefing. He declined to disclose how much debt the company wants to restructure or for how long. "We need to ask our investors to restructure our loan portfolio," Timchenko said. "Since April, the company has not been able to continue payments on the loan portfolio according to the schedule being agreed with investors." In December 2016, during the restructuring of previously placed debts, DTEK issued eight-year bonds worth US$1.3 billion with a quarterly coupon payment. One such payment was due on April 1. Last November DTEK also placed a five-year "green" eurobond worth EUR 325 million. "I rely very much on the trust and memory of our investors ... In any situation we work very professionally, honestly with our investors and they always become our allies," Timchenko said. Due to financial problems in the energy sector, DTEK has not received full payments for its production and had to temporarily suspend from April 1 operations of some coal units, where about 8,000 employees work, he said. He added that the biggest Ukraine mining company Pavlohrad coal mining group, with 22,000 jobs would adopt a temporary stoppage from April 20. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group Ltd., speaks during an interview following Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.'s initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. Shares of Virgin Galactic surged higher in Tuesday trading but some of the positive momentum appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Virgin Galactic's stock has been a favorite among speculative traders, especially in the final few months of the bull market earlier this year. It's also been prone to volatile swings and, on Tuesday, it rose alongside other technology stocks. But Virgin Galactic shares jumped even higher in midday trading, after a headline noted that similarly-named Virgin Orbit had won a government contract. Space tourism venture Virgin Galactic does not have any ownership or stake in Virgin Orbit, a company that is developing rockets to launch small satellites. Additionally, while Virgin Galactic is publicly-traded, Virgin Orbit was spun-off in 2017 and is privately held by Sir Richard Branson's multinational conglomerate Virgin Group. Virgin Orbit on Friday announced that the U.S. Space Force selected the company's wholly-owned subsidiary VOX Space to launch three missions worth a total $35 million. Virgin Galactic will not see a material benefit from Virgin Orbit's Space Force contract as it is a separate company. The only significant updates Virgin Galactic has made in the past two weeks have been related to its coronavirus relief efforts, such as the COVID-19 task force it helped put together in California to produce things like medical oxygen hoods. To be clear, here are the fundamental differences in the company's technologies. Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde on Tuesday surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad-alleged Maoist links case, his lawyer said on Monday. Teltumbdes surrender coincides with the birth anniversary of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar. Teltumbde and several other civil liberties activists were booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly having Maoist links and conspiring to overthrow the government. The activists were booked initially by the Pune police following the violence that erupted at Koregaon Bhima there. As per the police, the activists had made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which it said triggered violence the next day. The police also said they were active members of banned Maoist groups. The case was later transferred to NIA. Teltumbde and activist and co-accused Gautam Navlakha were yet to be arrested as they were given interim protection by the Bombay High Court while their pre-arrest bail pleas were being heard. 'If the museum in his memory inspires and instils among Brahminical British Indians an attitude of equality towards Dalits, the edifice would be worth it,' reports Ashis Ray. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The uncertainty over whether a museum would exist in London in the name of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, architect of the Indian Constitution and strenuous campaigner for Dalit rights and education for women, was quashed recently. Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative party government, ruled irreversibly in its favour. The proposed institution was prematurely inaugurated in 2015 by Narendra Damodardas Modi, after the Maharashtra government paid 3 million pounds to acquire a townhouse in the leafy, intellectual suburb of Primrose Hill, where Dr Ambedkar lived in 1921-1922 while reading at the London School of Economics and preparing to be called to the bar at Gray's Inn. Indeed, Jenrick, with a little encouragement from a British foreign office anxious not to ruffle relations with India, overruled an objection by the Camden borough council. It was an issue of granting planning permission to convert use of a residential property in a soundless locality for a potentially noisy public purpose, such as a museum. The Indian high commission's application for retrospective sanction had previously been rejected. At a hearing on the matter last year, Camden's Conservation Officer Nick Baxter argued that Dr Ambedkar was not a significant figure in Britain and had lived in the house for only a year, thereby not justifying a violation of planning rules. Caroline Daly, also of the council, maintained that every house lost in the borough through conversion or redevelopment is a 'home that needs to be replaced'. To these, Steve Gasztowicz, a queen's counsel appearing for the Maharashtra government, described Dr Ambedkar as a 'God-like' personality, who mattered to Indian-origin people in the United Kingdom. Jenrick's award, though, recognising neighbourhood sensitivities, was conditional and in-principle. It mandated that Ambedkar House -- as the building has been named -- would operate solely under the supervision of the Maharashtra government, its opening hours will not exceed 11 am to 5 pm and a museum management plan would need to be submitted to the Camden council for approval. There have been stories of unseemly wrangling for control and unmonitored expenditure since the property was purchased. Another 3 million pounds was, reportedly, spent on its refurbishment. B R Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 at the military cantonment of Mhow into the Mahar caste, looked upon by Indian society of that milieu and by the British, who ruled India, as 'untouchables'. The family hailed from Maharashtra. His father Ramji Maloji Sakpal had, however, become an officer in the British Indian Army and was, thus, fortunate to have his son educated. Indeed, Ambedkar junior was the first in his community to complete high school. Yet, he experienced unspeakable oppression. 'While in the school I knew that children of the touchable classes, when they felt thirsty, could go out to the water tap, open it, and quench their thirst. But my position was separate,' he later wrote. 'I could not touch the tap; and unless it was opened by a touchable, it was not possible for me to quench my thirst,' he recalled. These reminiscences were published in a booklet, Waiting for a Visa. A bright student, he proceeded to obtain a bachelor's degree in economics and politics at Bombay University. Coincidentally, here he met the reformist maharaja of Baroda, Sayajirao Gaekwad III, who granted him a scholarship of 11.50 pounds a month for three years for further education at New York's Columbia University, where he received a master's degree and a PhD. He lived in a dormitory with a friend, Naval Bhathena, a Parsi; they remained friends for life. Others he considered to be close to him were his professors John Dewey, James Shotwell, Edwin Seligman and James Robinson, who were refreshingly uncaring of his caste status. After three years in America, he arrived in London in 1916. The British police suspected he was a revolutionary and frisked him minutely before allowing him entry. Luckily, letters of introduction from his professors proved invaluable. He enrolled at Gray's Inn to become a barrister; and the London School of Economics for a doctoral thesis, which was eventually published as The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, accompanied by then Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, president of the Republican Party of India-Athavale, pay floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar's bust in London. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ambedkar House London/Facebook But Dr Ambedkar's scholarship from Baroda had run its course. Therefore, in 1917 he returned to India, after being given permission to come back to London to finish his studies within four years. He became professor of political economy at Sydenham College in Bombay, where he was popular with his students, but some of his colleagues objected to his sharing their drinking water jug. It was a culture shock after his experience of equity in the US and London. Unsurprisingly, in 1919, he gave evidence to a British committee advocating separate and reserved seats in elections for scheduled castes. In 1920, he returned to London to finish his training at Gray's Inn and his work at the LSE -- where a bust of him has now been installed -- helped by loans from Bhathena and the maharaja of Kolhapur. In 1924, he began practice as a barrister in Bombay. Dr Ambedkar, who was conferred the Bharat Ratna by the government of then prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh, was undoubtedly a nationalist; but he frequently collided with the Indian National Congress. After the British government ordered separate electorates for 'untouchables', Mahatma Gandhi, vehemently opposed to a division in the Hindu vote, commenced a fast unto death. Dr Ambedkar backed down. But he interpreted Gandhi's outreach to scheduled castes, whom the latter described as 'Harijan' or children of God, as patronising. At the 1931 Roundtable Conference in London, where Ambedkar was invited as a representative of Dalits, Gandhi lashed out: 'All parties at this meeting represent sectional interests. Congress alone claims to represent the whole of India, all interests. It is no communal organisation; it is a determined enemy of communalism in any shape or form. Congress knows no distinction of race, colour or creed; its platform is universal.' 'And here I see that the Congress is treated as one of the parties. I do not mind it; I do not regard it as a calamity for the Congress; but I do regard it as a calamity for the purpose of doing the work for which we have gathered together here,' Gandhi said. Dr Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism, contended that Hindus should concede Pakistan to Muslims. This was at odds with Gandhi's view, but in consonance with the Congress's acceptance of the Partition of India. IMAGE: A statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution and first law minister. Jawaharlal Nehru invited Dr Ambedkar to be India's first minister of law and justice. The Constituent Assembly appointed him chairman of the drafting committee for the Constitution of the Indian Republic, which came into being on January 26, 1950. While he was, arguably, giving shape to Nehru's vision of an independent India, he edited and clarified content as well as defended certain formulations in debates in the Assembly. Notwithstanding his insertion of the abolition of untouchability, he echoed Nehru's view of India as a liberal democracy, with a federal structure and safeguards for rights of minorities. It is generally accepted that Dr Ambedkar resigned his ministerial position in 1951 because the Congress refused to implement a uniform civil code. He was, however, pleased with his efforts to create the Constitution. He was confident to the extent of asserting: 'I feel that the Constitution is workable; it is flexible and it is strong enough to hold the country together both in peace time and in war time.' 'Indeed, if I may say so, if things go wrong under the new Constitution the reason will not be that we had a bad Constitution. What we will have to say is that Man was vile.' Dr Ambedkar's legacy runs deep among Indian Dalits in Britain. They are disgruntled. They complain of discrimination from upper caste people of Indian origin, especially in rigid Gujarati and Punjabi circles. In 2015, under the government of then prime minister David Cameron, the House of Lords discussed 'amendment of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010 that requires the introduction of secondary legislation to incorporate caste as a protected characteristic;'. This followed a judgement in an employment case relating to caste discrimination. Dolar Popat, who is of Indian descent, reacted: 'My Lords, the vast majority of the British Hindu and Sikh community is outraged at this amendment to the Equality Act.' Meghnad Desai, also of Indian extraction, asked: 'My Lords, is not the problem that the majority of Hindu and Sikh organisations is responsible for the discrimination of the minority in their own ethnic origin community?' Shreela Flather, a grand-daughter of Ganga Ram Agrawal (after whom a hospital is named in Delhi), intervened: 'My Lords, the Hindu community says that there is no caste discrimination in this country and therefore we do not need this subsection. Fine -- but if that is the case, why is it fighting so hard against it? ... But because they are fighting so hard, it leads me to believe that there is discrimination.' Photograph: Kind courtesy Ambedkar House London/Facebook In the House of Commons in 2018, Bob Blackman, who represents a constituency that has a decisive percentage of Gujarati-origin voters, put the question to Penny Mordaunt, a minister in the government of then prime minister Theresa May, as to when 'she will respond to the long-awaited consultation on removing caste from the Equality Act 2010'. Mordaunt replied: 'I hope to make an announcement on this in the coming weeks.' But the position remains, caste discrimination is not expressly prohibited under the Act, although Section 9 of it, as amended, requires the UK government to introduce secondary legislation to make caste an aspect of race, in effect rendering caste discrimination a form of race discrimination. A commission appointed by the British government recorded: 'The study found evidence of caste discrimination and harassment in Britain in areas relevant to the Equality Act 2010, namely in work, and the provision of services. It also found evidence of caste discrimination and harassment in other areas, namely education (pupil against pupil bullying), voluntary work (dismissal), worship and religion and public behaviour (harassment in public places). The consequences of these could be severe for the victims.' Opponents of the specific inclusion of casteism in the UK's equality framework dubiously plead that such enactment is 'part of a wider campaign to interfere in India's internal affairs'. The Indian high commission subscribes to this unempirical stance. The Camden borough was correct in contending that Dr Ambedkar was not so well known in Britain. The best known and most revered among Indian politicians are Gandhi and Nehru. Indira Gandhi, too, captured Britons's imagination. Now, in this digital age Modi is pummelled 24x7 into the consciousness of overseas Indians but does not elicit respect among progressive elements and has certainly earned the wrath of mainstream British media. Political expediency prompts Indian political parties to heed the Ambedkar factor. But if the museum in his memory inspires and instils among Brahminical British Indians an attitude of equality towards Dalits, the edifice would be worth it. Blommer Chocolate Co. was founded in 1939 in Chicago and has been in business for more than 80 years. In late February, the Blommer Outlet Store closed after 30 years to make space for updates and enhancements to the Chicago chocolate processing factory. Getting back in touch with old friends and spending hours talking to his wife this summed up the experience of Dr Mohinder Sardana, 62, at the isolation facility of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini, where he was admitted after testing positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). His wife, Poonam Sardana, 61, a gynaecologist who worked at the same clinic, was also infected and admitted to the same room. The facilities at the hospital were great; I got to share a room with my wife. We were served good breakfast, lunch and dinner. The doctors and staff were very nice and polite. But 14 days is a long time. I called up my friends from medical college and some people I havent talked to in years. My wife and I also had the time to just sit and talk to each other, which we miss out during our routine, Dr Sardana said. He also used the time to watch some movies on his phone and read up a little. I even got calls from some of my patients who came to know that I had Covid-19, he said. He and his wife were discharged on Monday after testing negative for the infection twice consecutively. So far, at least 51 healthcare workers across the city have contracted the disease. Dr Sardana has been working at his clinic in North Delhis GTB Nagar for 38 years now. He has been treating people with fever and cough for as long as he can remember, but one such patient who came to his clinic in the first two weeks of March passed on the infection to him. Watch: Delhis Dr Mohinder Sardanas coronavirus experience in isolation ward I had a slight fever on March 23, nothing out of the ordinary. So, I just had paracetamol and got back to work. Two days later, the fever came back. I also developed a cough that worsened the next day. This got me worried. I closed my clinic and went to get myself tested at one of the private labs. The report came back positive for Covid-19, Sardana said. A total of 1,154 people in the city have contracted the infection and 24 have died of it. Once he tested positive, his wife a gynaecologist who works at the same clinic their maid, and five employees went to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital to get tested for the infection. They collected our samples and admitted all of us to the isolation ward in the hospital, Dr Sardana said. His wife and one of their employees tested positive for the infection on March 30. I must have passed on the infection to her, as she had stopped going to the clinic about a week before the nationwide lockdown was announced. But what is concerning is that the surveillance teams havent been able to trace who passed on the infection to me, Dr Sardana said. The surveillance teams collected the details of hundreds of patients who had visited his clinic about a week before he started showing symptoms. My register was locked at the clinic, so I provided some of the numbers on my phone. They also tracked my phone to find the other people I might have come in contact with. They also screened people in a 2km radius of my clinic, but nobody was found positive, he said. Apart from the fever and cough he had for a couple of days, he did not experience any other symptoms. As for my wife and employee, their symptoms were even milder. They just had a body ache for a couple of days, took some pain medicine and were fine, Dr Sardana said. If the symptoms are so mild, how can we expect to know who is Covid-19 positive and who is not? I am a doctor; I suspected it so I got myself tested. Nobody else would even think of getting the test done for such mild symptoms, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Education Market In UAE 2020-2024. The analyst has been monitoring the education market in UAE and it is poised to grow by USD 378 thousand during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. New York, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Education Market In UAE 2020-2024" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05303731/?utm_source=GNW Our reports on education market in UAE provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current UAE market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing student enrollments. In addition, increasing focus toward privatization in education sector is anticipated to boost the growth of the education market in UAE as well. Market Segmentation Education market in UAE is segmented as below: Ownership: Private Education Public Education End-User: K-12 Schools Higher Education Key Trends for education market in UAE growth This study identifies increasing focus toward privatization in education sector as the prime reasons driving the education market in UAE growth during the next few years. Prominent vendors in education market in UAE We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the education market in UAE 2020-2024, including some of the vendors such as ASPAM Indian International School, Blackboard Inc., Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills, GEMS Education, Higher Colleges of Technology, JSS Private School, Liwa International School, Taaleem, United Arab Emirates University and Zayed University . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05303731/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Another sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt has been admitted to the intensive care unit over shortness of breath, the Navy announced on Tuesday. The sailor is one of four members of the Roosevelt's crew now being hospitalized at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. A fifth sailor, who was admitted to the ICU last week, died from the illness on Monday. Military.com reported on Monday that four sailors were hospitalized with the illness. At the time, three of the sailors were in fair condition, Lt. j.g. Rachel McMarr, a Pacific Fleet spokeswoman, said. One of the sailors' condition was unknown. Related: More Sailors from Carrier Roosevelt Hospitalized with COVID-19 A defense official said this week that none of the four sailors who were hospitalized were on ventilators. It's not immediately clear whether the sailor who was moved into ICU with breathing issues required intubation. The aircraft carrier pulled into Guam last month where thousands of sailors have been offloaded and isolated as COVID-19 cases spread among the crew. There are now 589 positive cases among the roughly 4,800-person crew. More than 4,000 sailors have been moved ashore and 93% of the crew has been tested for the disease, according to Navy data. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday has pledged his full support to the Roosevelt as the crew continues its fight against the coronavirus. The Navy has faced scrutiny for removing the ship's former captain after a candid plea for assistance in dealing with the medical crisis was published by the San Francisco Chronicle. The backlash eventually led former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who made the decision to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier of command, to step down from his role as well. Crozier is one of the nearly 600 members of the Theodore Roosevelt's crew battling COVID-19. The virus began spreading on the ship after the carrier made a port call in Vietnam, a "risk-based decision" Gilday told reporters last month was made Adm. Phil Davidson, the head U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The military has more than 2,600 COVID-19 cases among its uniformed personnel. At least 80 troops are currently being hospitalized as a result of the illness. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Read more: Navy Battling Growing COVID-19 Outbreak on Hospital Ship Mercy as 7 Test Positive Elsa Hosk has been stressing the importance of 'self-care' when self-isolating due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. And on Monday the Marie Claire model was at it again as she applied a beauty mask to make sure her skin has a supermodel glow. The Victoria's Secret vet made sure her post was anything but dull as she wore not a robe but something with much less fabric: her bra and underwear. A 10! Elsa Hosk has been stressing the importance of 'self-care' when self-isolating due to the spread of the novel coronavirus Her look: And on Monday the Marie Claire model was at it again as she applied a beauty mask to make sure her skin has a supermodel glow The lingerie was beige silk and both items put her incredible cover girl figure on display. Elsa wore her hair pulled up in a scrunchie and proving she is on trend, the siren had blue nail polish on. 'Self-care monday, happy Easter,' the runway vet wrote in the caption to her 6.1M followers. You glow, girl: The Victoria's Secret vet made sure her post was anything but dull as she wore not a robe but something with much less fabric: her bra and underwear Wearing off: Elsa wore her hair pulled up in a scrunchie and proving she is on trend, the siren had blue nail polish on. 'Self-care monday, happy Easter,' the runway vet wrote in the caption to her 6.1M followers In late March she lit up her Instagram account. The 31-year-old blonde bombshell was modeling black Gucci lingerie as she reclined in a chair for two sizzling black-and-white photos. In this new images, Elsa was fully made up with dramatic makeup and her blonde hair blown out. Four in one: The post was actually of all four of the photos together And the veteran model had on a black blazer that fell off one of her shoulders. The Swedish cover girl sat on a chair and extended her long supermodel legs out with long drapes behind her. New York City has been suffering some of the worst of the coronavirus outbreak with with over 7K deaths. Stunning during a pandemic: Hosk lit up her Instagram account in late March. The 31-year-old blonde bombshell was modeling black Gucci lingerie as she reclined in a chair for two sizzling black-and-white photos Most residents don't dare leave their home unless it is for essentials. And on Sunday Elsa kept up with the mandate from health officials when she went for a stroll in and around a park with boyfriend Tom Daly. The looker kept it casual in grey sweatpants and a pink Kansas State Wildcats sweatshirt. She also donned white sneakers and wore her blonde tresses long and flowing with a part in the middle. Coronavirus crisis: Hosk and boyfriend Tom Daly practiced social distancing when they went for a stroll in around a park in New York City on Sunday Daly, who's the co-founder and creative director of Running Vision, a company that sells sunglasses made for running, looked casual-cool in tan pants with a blue button-down short and brown jacket. When the Victoria's Secret Angel returned home, she fielded fielded questions with some of her six million Instagram followers. And as expected some of them pertained to the coronavirus crisis. One person opened up about their rising anxiety in the wake of COVID-19, and asked how she's been taking care of her mental health. Staying healthy under pressure: Hosk revealed how she's been tasking care of her mental health during the coronavirus crisis Hosk responded with a number of things that have been helpful to her since the outbreak that includes: 'meditation, cooking, not sleeping longer than usual, working out, staying creative, taking pictures, drawing, painting , playing games, and checking in on family and friends.' During the crisis, Hosk has been very open proactive about spreading the word of home sequestering to her six million followers. Hosk and Daley first got together in 2015 after being friends for a number of years. INVESTOR ALERT: Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces Investigation of GSX Techedu Inc. (GSX) on Behalf of Investors Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of GSX (News - Alert) Techedu Inc. ("GSX" or "the Company") (NYSE: GSX) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. On April 14, 2020, the investment analyst Citron Research issued a report on GSX entitled "GSX Techedu Inc - The Most Blatant Chinese Stock Fraud since 2011." The Citron Report claimed that the Company "is overstating revenue by up to 70% and should immediately halt tradingand launch an internal investigation." On this news, the Company's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price fell sharply during intra-day trading, thereby injuring investors. If you purchased GSX 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/20200414006010/en/ Cronkite News WASHINGTON While Congress and the White House are promising to add billions to the Paycheck Protection Program, some small businesses say they are just trying to hang on long enough to get the money there now. Advocates say overwhelming demand and confusion have delayed disbursement of the $349 billion in loans made available last Friday under the program aimed to help businesses suffering as a result of coronavirus lockdowns. Small Business Administration officials have acknowledged that complicated policies, a surge of applications and the newness of the program made for a bumpy roll out. One SBA official In Arizona said while she doesnt have a crystal ball, she expects the system to stabilize in the coming days. The Bay Mills Indian Country is ready to keep paying employees with the help of a major #Coronavirus relief program. But now the tribe and the entire Indian gaming industry are in danger of being shut out completely by the Trump administration. #COVID19 https://t.co/T0pPYNa0K2 indianz.com (@indianz) April 3, 2020 But business owners say they are running out of time. Ive talked to restaurant owners that really can?t continue to pay employees for no more than two weeks, said Chad Heinrich, the Arizona state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. Im afraid that theres probably a portion of businesses that have already decided to permanently close their doors because of the delays, Heinrich said. As of Friday afternoon, more than a half-million applications had been submitted nationwide and $130 billion had been approved, the SBA said. While that might be seen as a measure of success, one business leader said it is a cause of concern for businesses that have not received a loan and are watching the funds dwindle. 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 PPP was part of a $2 trillion relief package the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act enacted last month to prop up an economy stunted by COVID-19. The paycheck program will dole out $349 billion to small business owners through participating banks. The program was rushed into operation, with rules for loans being written in just a week after President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law, and still being rewritten right up until the eve of the programs start. Once the program launched on Friday (April 3) and over the weekend the banks just got slammed with applications, said Mike Huckins, vice president of public affairs at the Greater Phoenix Chamber. Between the banking industry and the SBA getting on the same page to get the funding out to the businesses, its taking a little longer than folks wouldve liked. Small businesses across the country have flooded banks with calls and online applications for loans, which the government will forgive if the business owner can show the money was used to keep workers on the payroll. A report Thursday by the NFIB found that 70% of 884 small business owners it surveyed said they had tried to apply for a PPP loan with varying degrees of success. The survey found 28% of respondents said they were unsuccessful when trying to apply for the loan. Shivani Dubey, the deputy district director of SBA Arizona, noted Friday that there were so many moving parts to the program that have contributed to delays. Everybody has to understand what theyre applying for, how theyre applying for it, getting the lenders on board and up to speed with all the parameters and the systems, the rules, the policies and also getting the pieces to get the loan to fund and get the money in people?s hands, Dubey said. ?Its just a lot of pieces to the puzzle. "We need clarification now": With the $33 billion tribal gaming industry at a standstill, the Trump administration is sending mixed signals about the #Coronavirus Paycheck Protection Program. Issue is EXTREMELY time sensitive because applications start today. #COVID19 #CaresAct indianz.com (@indianz) April 3, 2020 She expects the kinks will be worked out in the coming days. Huckins agreed that the system will probably look better soon, but he said every day is life or death for some businesses. In this situation every day is crucial, Huckins said. The longer it takes for businesses to get the money is another day that they are struggling. Congress and the White House are working to add another $251 billion to the program, boosting the total available funding for the program to $600 billion. The Senate was unable to approve a bill this week, but could act as soon as Monday. Meanwhile, business owners can just watch and wait. Thats a big concern, I?ve heard some estimates that the money may run out as soon as maybe the middle of next week, Huckins said. We are pushing to support that as fast as possible, Huckins said. We hate to see the politics of things get tied up in that process. Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation MBABANE Due to coronavirus, the countrys debt ratio is expected to rise to breach the recognised ceiling of 35 per cent, even without government having borrowed anything. This is the feeling of Business Eswatini CEO Nathi Dlamini in response to the prevailing economic situation caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The ratio of the national debt is measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). This means that the lower the GDP to the countrys existing national debt, which currently stands at over 30 per cent of GDP, the higher the ratio. Adjustments If government decided to go and borrow from the World Bank and the IMF to fund the disastrous effects of CoVID-19, which I think will be compelled to do this time round, then one should expect a spike in our national debt ratios all of which will not look good. Government can easily find herself overly leveraged to the point that painful structural adjustments have to be implemented, highlighted Dlamini. When presenting his budget speech in February, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg reported that as at end of December 2019, total debt stock stood at E19.2 billion, equivalent to 28.12 per cent of GDP. External debt was E7.1 billion, equivalent to 10.38 per cent of GDP. Domestic debt was E12.10 billion equivalent to 17.74 per cent of GDP. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), allowing debt to grow too large can offset the positive impacts and lead to problems in the macro-economy, in particular depressing real GDP growth. Improvement With a debt-overhang, investors lower their expectations of returns in anticipation of higher taxes needed to repay the debt. They may also refrain from investing given the uncertainties about what portion of the debt will actually be serviced with the countries own resources. Therefore, new domestic and foreign investment is discouraged, which slows down capital-stock accumulation. Output may also be constrained through lower growth in total factor productivity. Governments may be less willing to undertake difficult and costly policy reforms as this may incur future debt and subsequently hinder technological improvement or the efficient use of resources given the lack of available finances. In periods of high debt, policy makers tend to rely on robust economic growth to ensure debt sustainability. However, when GDP falls, it becomes difficult for governments to raise sufficient revenues to repay debt service obligations. This publication, on Thursday, reported that Minister Rijkenberg had not ruled out the possibility of approaching the global lenders for financial assistance. Dlamini, on other hand, stressed that some of the businesses were already limping even before this plague arrived because of unsettled invoices by government. We are on record as Business Eswatini decrying the billions of Emalangeni owed by government to the private sector despite the formers repeated promises to make good, but failing to do so, each and every time. I am talking about billions here which these companies have to carry in their books on behalf of government and at a massive interest expense to them. Some of these businesses have been carrying government for some two years already. The arrival of Covid-19 therefore seems to have come to finish off these businesses for good, he noted. Obligations Dlamini said he was on a ZOOM meeting with his counterparts in the Southern African Development Community ( SADC) region and all of them, except Mauritius, were in the same boat like Eswatini. Their governments are without the fiscal firepower needed to subvent or subsidise businesses, especially those which had to shut down at the directive by government. In fact it wouldnt be excessively presumptuous of me to go as far as to say its an economic bloodbath out there. But then again I have to hasten to say that this sad state of affairs was and is not entirely unexpected given the ravages of this plague which have put paid to whatever semblance of hope we had at reviving what has, hitherto, been an ailing economy, he said. Dlamini says government revenues will be, and are already, suffering immensely because if theres no one buying anything from anybody, this means theres zero value added tax (VAT) revenue going to government for her obligations. In fact, tax revenues will suffer for some time to come, which will force government into borrowing more, and more, and more. Sentiment Government has promised to reopen the economy on April 15 (after lockdown). Whether or not this will be possible is anybodys guess knowing what we know, and seeing what we have seen here and in other countries. It just may turn out that the three weeks partial lockdown was nothing more than an aspirational timeframe by a government that desperately yearns for things to get back to normalcy soon. I am of the same sentiment too, but we need to be guided by the facts on the ground, Dlamini said. Dlamini said hard decisions would have to be made. But for now, and until the storm passes away, we need to follow the prevention steps being issued daily by the Ministry of Health. Social distancing, washing of hands and staying-put are but a few of the things we can do and which, by the way, cost no money to do. We need to sanitise all public and open spaces frequently. All I know right now is that a new world is emerging out of this chaos and I can only imagine how it will look like once the storm is over, he said. The Department, Chandigarh Administration on Tuesday said in a press release that it will announce the results of classes 9 and 11 on April 20. In wake of the extension of the lockdown period, the administration has preponed the summer vacation and re-scheduled it from April 15 to May 14. "Now, since the lockdown has been further extended to 3rd May, 2020, and the summer vacation has been preponed and scheduled from 15th April to 14th May, the Department has decided to declare the result of Classes IX and XI. The result criteria shall be circulated to all the govt schools in a couple of days. Subsequently, the result would be declared on 20th April," the press release read. The result will be displayed on the website of the respective schools. It would also be conveyed to students through text messages and WhatsApp messages. "The parents or students need not come to school for the same. They can call on the helpline numbers already circulated," the release further stated. Subsequently, the students can start their study schedule from the online teaching, an initiative of the Department already functional. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The wives of two activists from Cambodias banned opposition party called on the Ministry of Interiors Prison Department Tuesday to allow them to visit their husbands, who are in detention awaiting a trial on charges of treason amid tight prison policies to fight the coronavirus epidemic. Keo Thai, chief of a local branch of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in Kampong Chhnang province, and his colleague Thai Sokunthea were arrested during the last week of March and have since been charged with treason, causing social instability, and inciting the military to refuse to obey the orders of their commanders. The pair are being held in a single cell in Phnom Penhs Prey Sar Prison. Keo Thais wife, Sam Chenda, told RFAs Khmer Service she wants to visit her husband because she hasnt seen him since his arrest more than two weeks ago and needs to speak with him about the charges he is facing. I want to meet with my husband, who I have heard nothing about since his arrest, she said. I want to check on his health, but they wont let me in. Keo Thais attorney Sam Sokong recently told RFA that his client is at particular risk of poor health, as he has high blood pressure and must take medication every day. Thai Sokuntheas wife Am Lor told RFA that she also has not seen her husband since his arrest and is worried that he may be lacking basic necessities. I want him to be set free soon but, in the meantime, I want to figure out a way to see him, she said. The families of the two men say they are innocent of the charges against them and that they were arrested without warrants, while rights groups say their cases are politically motivated, noting that the two activists had been previously targeted by the government. On Tuesday, Department of Prisons spokesperson Nouth Savna told RFA that Cambodias prisons are implementing measuresincluding a temporary ban on visitsto stop the spread of the coronavirus, as specified by the Ministry of Health. The ministry said that as of Tuesday, Cambodia has 122 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But Soeung Senkarona, a spokesman for Cambodian rights group Adhoc, told RFA that prison authorities are obligated to facilitate visits for those in detention, noting that the Ministry of Healths guidelines provide for family members to speak with one another as long as a glass partition is in place. The prison must coordinate visitsit is the right of prisoners, he said. Family members want to see detainees and this can be done in such a way as to ensure the rights of detainees are honored. A Supreme Court ban of the CNRP in November 2017 for allegedly plotting to topple the government, along with a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on NGOs and independent media, paved the way for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election. Thai Sokunthea in Kampong Chhnang province, in an undated photo. Thai Sokunthea's Facebook page Praying for political solution On Tuesday, as Cambodia marked the first day of the April 14-16 Lunar New Year by attending local pagodas, many people told RFA that they prayed for politicians to stop accusing one another of treason and to engage in national reconciliation. I prayed to turn the politicians towards promoting the national interest so that the country can continue to develop, a villager from Kampong Speu province named Chhin Tevin said, calling for an end to greed and nepotism. Another villager from Svay Rieng province named Yos Sophoan said she would like the CNRP and CPP to return to the negotiating table, adding that King Norodom Sihamoni should intervene. The king should try to create a compromise between the two parties that would result in their working together to develop the country and end their bickering over personal issues, she said. Analyst Kim Sok told RFA that Cambodians are fed up with the countrys political crisis and urged the ruling party to listen to the people. People understand that the longer there is a political crisis, the more it will ruin the country, he said. Factories open Meanwhile, other Cambodians spent their new year at the factory after they were told by authorities that holiday celebrations had been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak and they were required to go to work. The mood at factories was somber, workers told RFA, citing frustrations over not receiving any bonus incentives for work during the new year and being prevented from enjoying the tradition of visiting their home villages for the holiday due to a nationwide travel ban aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. A worker at a garment factory in Phnom Penhs Meanchey district named Sam Sok Srey Mom said most of her fellow employees showed up on Tuesday, but went straight home at the end of the day, instead of gathering to feast and celebrate like most years. We wont get any benefits because it is a normal workday and isnt considered a national holiday, according to the prime minister, she said. Every year, during the new year holidays, we would gather for a party, but now [Cambodia has] the virus and we can't. I cant join others because we are all afraid of [contracting the virus from] one another. Risk of spread Moeun Tola, a labor expert and executive director for worker rights group CENTRAL, told RFA that forcing workers to go to their factories during an outbreak increases the risk that they will spread the virus to one another. Im not sure whether, inside each factory, workers are provided with enough face masks and hand sanitizer, he said. Im concerned about how workers travel back and forth to their workplace It was so tight on each truckthey placed 20-30 workers, or in some cases between 50 and 70 workers, standing close to each other. If anyone among them got the virus, they could easily spread it to others. Heng Sour, secretary of state for the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, told government affiliated media outlet Fresh News on Monday that more than 95 percent of the countrys factories were operating as usual and that even some factories that had been shuttered last week due to supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus had since reopened. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun and Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Tasmanian police are investigating an allegation medical workers in the state's northwest attended an "illegal dinner party" amid the coronavirus outbreak causing a spike in cases. Premier Peter Gutwein confirmed an investigation would be launched after Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy made the accusation on Tuesday while he was speaking to the New Zealand Epidemic Response Committee. Live blog: Coronavirus news and updates The North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital in Burnie were closed on Monday amid a cluster of more than 60 COVID-19 cases, including about 45 staff, associated with the facilities. The regional and private hospital, which share the same base, were closed after the outbreak. Source: Google Maps "We thought we were doing really well in the last week then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend, most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers," Dr Murphy told the committee via video link. Mr Gutwein said he had spoken to Professor Murphy following his appearance in front of the committee. "To be frank, Brendan was commenting on a rumour. At this stage, our contact tracing has not identified a dinner party of health workers," he said. "However, I accept that this is a serious allegation and it's something that needs to be followed up, and so we will retrace our steps, but, importantly, I've asked the Tasmania Police to investigate this matter, and that will be started today (Tuesday)." Tasmania Police confirmed on Tuesday an investigation is underway. with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. A man has been arrested in Can Tho City, located in southern Vietnam, for attacking a police officer who told him to wear a face mask as per regulations on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention and control. Nguyen Van Hai, 49, of Truong Long Commune in Phong Dien District, Can Tho, allegedly assaulted a police officer near Song Hau Park in downtown Ninh Kieu District at around 5:50 pm on Saturday last week. The officer was part of a team tasked with making sure city residents were practicing social distancing for COVID-19 prevention and control as per a prime minister directive. The team found the man intoxicated, topless, and not wearing a face mask at a restaurant near the downtown park. They asked Hai to put on a face mask as per regulations making it mandatory for all citizens to wear one while outdoors or at crowded places. People without face masks at public places face fines from VND100,000 (US$4) to VND300,000 (12). Instead of complying with the request, the man rounded on the team, asking in a confronting tone, So how much will I be fined for not wearing a face mask? When the officers told him that he would be fined VND300,000 for not wearing one, the man responded, VND300,000 is nothing to me. Hais wife, who was also at the scene, tried to calm him down but could not stop him from verbally abusing the officers. He even threw punches at Bui Phuoc Thanh, one of the police officers. The other officers pinned Hai down and took the man to the Cai Khe Ward police station, where he admitted that he had been drinking with his friends at a friends house earlier the same day. He was walking home when the patrolling team approached him. Police in Ninh Kieu District on Monday morning started legal proceedings against Hai and arrested him for resisting officers performing duties. The crime carries a jail term of between six months and three years. A court in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Friday last week sentenced a local man to nine months behind bars for the same charge after he had attacked officials at a COVID-19 control post. The case marked the first time a person had been brought to trial and convicted for resisting officials on duty related to COVID-19 prevention and control in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! - Scientists released a report which confirmed the first coronavirus transmission from a dead body - A dead patient in Thailand transmitted coronavirus to a medical examiner - This prompted calls for better protection for morgue workers, as well as enhanced disinfection processes - Health experts recommend that disinfection procedures carried out in operation rooms might be carried out in forensic and pathology units as well PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed The first case of coronavirus transmission from a dead body to humans was confirmed by scientists. This was according to a report from the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, which was released on April 12, Sunday. The case happened in Thailand, where the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmitted from a dead patient to a medical examiner. Because of the findings, scientists noted safety concerns when it comes to morgues and funeral home workers. As per BuzzFeed, one of the authors of the study, Won Sriwijitalai of Bangkok's RVT Medical Center and Viroj Wiwanitkit of the Hainan Medical University in China, the procedures for disinfection that are used in operation rooms may also be applied in forensic units and pathology units too. The researchers added that at present, there is no data yet on the number of corpses that are contaminated. They mentioned that examining dead bodies whether COVID-19 positive or not is not yet part of their routine practice. One professor of pathology, Angelique Corthals from CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice said that taking extra care must not only be for medical examiners. Those working in funeral homes and morgue technicians must also take extra precautions. There is not much information yet on how long the COVID-19 virus could survive in dead bodies. The best recourse is that anyone who would come into contact with dead bodies must use personal protective equipment. As per Gulf News, a Dubai forensic expert stated that like all other surfaces, the body of a dead person can spread the virus. Coronavirus transmits from dead body to humans, first case confirmed by scientists (Photo: dimitrisvetsikas1969/Pixabay) Source: Facebook PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! 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. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Are you also wondering how you can render help to frontliners? One Filipino, Pio, was able to find ways to help them out. You will see his unique and effective means in the video we created especially for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh About 27 million Texans have electricity flowing to their homes. Despite the extraordinary challenges of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the vast majority of Texans will continue to light their homes and power their appliances during this ordeal. Government and businesses are rallying and cooperating to make sure thats so because by now, we treat electricity as a right. But there is another utility that in the midst of this crisis has become a fundamental need for children and families, and it, too, should be a right. That need is reliable access to the internet. In San Antonio we are dealing with potentially huge disparities in learning, as well as social and health services, for no other reason than differences in access to broadband internet at home. At a time when all learning is distance learning and information about health and other services is distributed digitally, the lack of a home connection to the internet means being cut off. In the San Antonio Independent School District, the school system I lead, we are moving as swiftly as possible to address the problem, bringing devices and Wi-Fi hot spots to every family in need. But when the dust settles on the crisis, a collaboration on the same scale as bringing electricity to the masses will be needed for a long-term solution to internet access, and this will need to involve government at the state and federal levels, along with telecommunications companies. Bringing electricity to every Texan was a long effort in the making. Many of our cities San Antonio, Houston, El Paso, Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin had electric service by 1890. But it wasnt until the Great Depression that service began to expand beyond urban areas. In the 1930s, Congress created both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Rural Electrification Administration, and these federal laws empowered Texas farmers to act. In 1936, Texas farmers formed rural electric cooperatives to bring light to our state. By 1945, 1 million Texans, about 1 in every 6 people, were on the grid. The spirit of coming together continued, when during World War II, the Texas Interconnected System was born out of the need to bring energy to factories. We learned that when Texans worked together, energy could be delivered more efficiently to many more people. We are in the throes of crisis, as we were in the Great Depression and World War II. Quality distance learning is achievable during this crisis, but as one San Antonio mother with four sons in public school recently was quoted in the San Antonio Express-News, If I could afford to have internet, I would already have it. She is not alone. The most recent data suggest one-quarter of Bexar County households dont have a desktop or laptop computer and 21 percent dont have broadband internet access. Last year SAISD gave Wi-Fi hot spots and smartphones to every high school student who didnt have reliable internet. In response to the COVID-19 crisis and the need for distance learning, we have now purchased 30,000 additional devices, as well as 3,500 hot spots and data plans, to support students in need. The crisis accelerated our three-year plan to connect every student in our district to digital learning they can access from home. It is time for federal and state governments to similarly accelerate plans to bring connectivity to every family in our state and the nation. Broadband internet access was invented 30 years ago. Even Wi-Fi is 23 years old. In a world where information is shared primarily online, it is evident students with internet access at home have a sizable learning advantage over those who dont. As more and more learning content becomes digital, that advantage will grow like the difference between a child with electricity in her home and a child trying to do homework in the dark. Since 2014, the Federal Communications Commission has been using a program called E-Rate to bring broadband internet to schools and libraries across America. The FCC could empower school districts to use E-Rate to purchase and loan Wi-Fi hot spots to families in need or to use other innovative strategies to expand broadband access across their communities. The FCC has $2 billion in unallocated funding that could be put to this purpose immediately. Using it would be a start. We also are going to have to think even bigger the way our nation always has when the challenge was great. It is time for a grand initiative supported by the federal government and powered by local effort and ingenuity, just like a Texas Interconnected System or Tennessee Valley Authority for todays world a world where, if you want to have a fair chance to make it, learning cannot stop when you walk in your own front door. Pedro Martinez is superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District and board chair of Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of state and district education leaders from across the United States. The Tablighi Jamaat-linked cases that powered the spike in Delhis Covid-19 count may taper off over the next few days, a top government official told Hindustan Times after a modest increase of 51 cases in the citys total Covid-19 count on Tuesday. Tablighi Jamaat-linked cases accounted for just 9 of these 51 cases. This is the first time in days that the increase of the Jamaat-linked cases has been in single digit, a sharp contrast from just Monday when a whopping 325 people linked to the religious congregation in central Delhi had tested positive. A senior official said Tuesdays case count is being interpreted to imply that Delhi was close to turning the corner vis-a-vis cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. Test results of only 200 more people from the Jamaat are yet to come in, he told Hindustan Times. The congregation at the Jamaat headquarters has been the single-largest source of the infection in Delhi, responsible for two-third of the 1,561 people being treated for the coronavirus disease. That is a total of 1,080. In all, 2,346 people were evacuated from the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters, the Markaz, last month-end. The Markaz leadership had been reluctant to move out but complied with government instructions after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval drove down to the Markaz past midnight. A nationwide search was launched soon after to trace the thousands who had been the Markaz, and their contacts. In Delhi, a similar search had led the authorities to over 850 more people. Like the rest of the country, they were all sent to state-run quarantine centres in the national capital. Of all the people found in the Markaz, 536 Jamaat workers who showed symptoms of the disease had already been admitted to hospitals. As their test results started coming in, Delhis Covid-19 count kept rising. By 3 April, 259 of the 386 (67 percent) positive cases in Delhi were linked to the Jamaat congregation. That trend continued for the next 10-odd days. The sharpest spike came on Monday when 325 of the 351 fresh cases were linked to the Jamaat. By then, the Nizamuddin congregation had been linked to 1,071 of the 1,510 Covid-19 cases in the capital. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Whistleblowing doctor Ai Fen has confirmed she is still at work at her hospital in the central Chinese city of Wuhan after concerns over her whereabouts and personal safety. The Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to "urgently clarify" Ai's status, saying she had been unreachable for the past two weeks. It said it hoped that a video on her Weibo account suggesting she was at liberty wasn't "staged by the Chinese regime." Ai told RFA on that it was she who had been sending out the posts from her Weibo account, and that she hadn't been detained, just working. "It was I who sent out the posts on Weibo," she said. "I never used to use it in the past because I thought it was useless, and I only started using it after this thing happened because there were a lot of people concerned about me." "Some of the employees of Weibo behind the scenes kept saying I should post a bit more, but I told them I'd only be able to do it from time to time," Ai said. "I'd like to thank everyone for their concern," she said. "I'm doing pretty well, just going to work every day. Everything is fine." "I'd like to say ... that all I ever wanted was to just get on with being a doctor in peace: thank you for your understanding," Ai said. 'Under pressure' However, a source familiar with the situation said that Ai had come under considerable political pressure behind the scenes, and wasn't in a position to talk about it. "She probably is under pressure but you shouldn't call her; call someone else,OK?" the source said. "Sorry about that -- really sorry." An employee who answered the phone at the Wuhan Central Hospital ER, of which Ai is director, declined to comment when contacted by RFA on . "I don't think she's here right now, but I don't know. Maybe you should just call her directly?" the employee said. Another hospital employee also declined to comment. "It's not convenient for me to answer your questions," the employee said, using a phrase often used to indicate pressure from the authorities. "You should ask somebody else." "Either that or contact our propaganda department ... I'm busy now, OK, so would you mind hanging up now?" Repeated calls to the Wuhan municipal health commission rang unanswered during office hours on . RSF earlier had cast doubt on the authenticity of Ai's Weibo posts, saying that Chinese police have often forced detainees to reveal their social media passwords, then made posts in their name. Ai was among a group of fellow doctors who first sounded the alarm on Dec. 30 about the emergence of a mystery virus in Wuhan that seemed similar to SARS. The authorities detained and questioned eight of the doctors on Jan. 3, including Li Wenliang, who later died of the virus, accusing them of "rumor-mongering." Allowing independent voices 'would be suicide for them' Ai was earlier given a stern reprimand after sending information about the early stages of the outbreak to a group of doctors, she wrote in a now-deleted essay published in China's People (Renwu) magazine. Titled "The one who supplied the whistle," the article described how Ai had been silenced by her bosses after she took a photo of a patient's test results and circled the words "SARS coronavirus" in red. She then alerted colleagues to several cases of the virus. Dissident artist Ai Weiwei told an international human rights conference on that allowing any kind of dissent was anathema to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "It would be suicide for them to allow independent thought or critical voices in China," he said. "A lot of people in the international community say that we need China, but China also needs the rest of the world," he said. "[China's leaders] are hoping that things will go back to the way they were before [the pandemic]." "I think that is pure propaganda, because if that were to happen, then another crisis would just occur very soon," Ai Weiwei said. China ranked 177th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2019 World Press Freedom Index. Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Zheng Chongsheng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Whole Foods cashier Jason Ellsworth rings up groceries as Instacart shopper Kara Pete double-checks items ordered by a customer. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County leaders on Tuesday passed new rules aimed at protecting the health of food delivery workers, who are playing a key role in getting meals and groceries to housebound residents. Companies such as Instacart, Doordash and Shipt are targeted by an ordinance authored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and passed by the board on Tuesday. The ordinance requires food delivery platforms to provide access to face coverings and gloves or hand sanitizer to workers, either by supplying workers directly or by making sufficient funds available to workers to purchase this personal protective equipment. Companies are also required to provide a no contact option, so that workers can make deliveries without being physically close to customers. Grocery and pharmacy stores will be required to allow delivery workers to use their restrooms to wash their hands. Grocery delivery services are in high demand as people avoid visiting stores for fear of contracting or spreading the coronavirus. Many most vulnerable to the coronavirus, including those 60 years and older or those with underlying health conditions, have begun to rely heavily on food delivery workers to get their groceries, toiletries and other essential household goods. Independent contractors for start-up Instacart and Target-owned grocery delivery app Shipt in recent weeks have protested what they see as a lack of safety protections and pay commensurate with the risk they are taking by operating during the pandemic. These businesses, along with retail grocery stores and retail drugstores, must provide their workers with the necessary supplies, tools, equipment and safety practices to protect the workers and the public they are serving, the ordinance reads. Kelly Caruso, Shipts chief executive, said in a blog post last week that the company will provide workers with gloves and masks through pickup at their local Target store in the coming weeks. But some Shipt workers said shortly afterward that they werent notified and worked to procure protective equipment through their own means. Story continues Since March 30, a group of Instacart workers across the country have been on strike, calling on the company to provide hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and hazard pay, as well as additional protections for workers with preexisting health conditions who might be more vulnerable to illness. The protest hasn't hurt the company's business, with Instacart seeing record orders in the last few weeks, the company has said. In the first few days of the strike, the company agreed to provide sanitizer, masks and gloves free of charge. Previously the company did not provide any safety equipment. "Delivery platforms have gone largely unregulated. This ordinance does not create a comprehensive regulatory framework, but it seeks to address urgent issues. We want workers in that sector to feel acknowledged, safe and supported," Ridley-Thomas said. The ordinance expands health and safety standards for retail workers employed by grocery stores and pharmacies, mandating the erection of plexiglass barriers at registers where customers and employees might come into close contact and the cleaning of baskets and shopping carts between use. Grocery and pharmacy stores that don't comply run the risk of violating and losing their public health permits, Ridley-Thomas said; businesses that operate without a permit could be charged with a misdemeanor. For food delivery platforms, which aren't subject to the same regulations, the county department of public health will launch investigations into any compliance issues brought to its attention, Ridley-Thomas said. Ridley-Thomas order follows one issued last week by Los Angeles county that requires businesses still operating to limit the number of people that can enter a facility at one time. The county ordered essential businesses to enact social distancing protocols, so people can easily maintain a six-foot physical distance from one another at all times. The county also required businesses to post in their facilities protocol guidelines a to-do list that includes disinfecting surfaces, offering hand sanitizer to employees and keeping bathrooms open and to give a copy of the measures to employees. The order also requires essential businesses in the county to provide cloth face coverings to employees and contracted workers whose duties require close contact with other workers and/or the public, according to the order. Both Ridley-Thomas' order and the new county order go into effect Wednesday. Unions representing grocery workers praised the new county guidelines. UFCW Local 770 represents more than 20,000 grocery workers in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. UFCW members serve as frontline workers in grocery and drug stores throughout Los Angeles County. They are putting their health and safety on the line during this pandemic, said John Grant, president of the union branch. The requirements to provide PPE and regular hand washing, among other measures, will promote public safety and health throughout Los Angeles County and flatten the curve of the pandemic. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, which represents about 400 businesses in Southern California, said a major problem for his members is obtaining sanitizer, gloves and masks. A hospital has even called him, seeking hand sanitizer, Waldman said. Everyone wants protections, and no one wants to put their employees at risk, but where do we get it? Its impossible to find, Waldman said. Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday after he surrendered before it in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case. Teltumbde surrendered at the NIA office at Cumbala Hill in south Mumbai following the Supreme Court's directives. He was subsequently arrested by the NIA and shall be produced before a court here shortly, an official said. Earlier, the scholar reached the NIA office in the afternoon along with his wife Rama Teltumbde and brother-in- law and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar. Anand Teltumbde is the grandson-in-law of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar, whose 129th birth anniversary is being observed on Tuesday. Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, a co-accused in the case, also surrendered before the NIA in Delhi. His anticipatory bail plea was also rejected by the apex court. According to the official, Navlakha will be produced before the court in Mumbai through video conference. The Supreme Court on March 17 this year rejected the pre-arrest bail pleas of Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, and directed them to surrender before the investigating agency. Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and conspiring the overthrow the government. The apex court while rejecting Teltumbde and Navlakha's bail pleas on March 17, directed them to surrender before the prosecuting agency withing a period of three weeks. The duo later sought extension of the time. On April 9, the Supreme Court extended the time by one week by way of last chance. The activists were booked initially by Pune Police following violence that erupted at Koregaon-Bhima there. According to police, the activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence the next day. The police also said these activists were active members of banned Maoist groups. The case was later transferred to NIA. Teltumbde and Navlakha were given interim protection by the Bombay High Court while their pre-arrest bail pleas were being heard. After the high court rejected their applications, the duo approached the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced he was extending a virtual lockdown to curb the coranavirus outbreak until May 11. He said progress had been made, but the battle was not yet won. He also said non-European borders would remain closed. Acknowledging his country had not been sufficiently prepared early on to face the challenges posed by the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Macron said the unprecedented restrictions put in place were showing results. French new coronavirus death toll rose by 574 to 14,967 The epidemic is starting to slow down. The results are there, Macron said in a televised address to the nation. Thanks to your efforts, everyday we have made progress. But our country was not sufficiently ready for this crisis. We will all draw all the consequences, Macron said. Four weeks under lockdown Macron's prime time address came as France ended a fourth week under lockdown, with residents ordered to stay at home except to buy food, go to work, seek medical care or get some exercise on their own. After a relentless increase until the first week of April, the number of patients in French hospitals' intensive care units has started to decline, prompting health authorities to call a plateau in the deadly epidemic. But if French hospitals are just about coping, helped by a massive effort to transfer patients by plane, helicopter or even high-speed train from hospitals in the east and Paris to the west, nursing homes have been overwhelmed. By Monday, the coronavirus had claimed 14,967 lives in France, the fourth-highest death toll in the world, with more than 98,076 confirmed cases, according to official figures. Macron said that by May 11, France would be able to test anyone presenting COVID-19 symptoms. Schools and creches would progressively re-open, he said. Although Macron's popularity initially shot up after he followed Italy and Spain in introducing drastic curbs on public life, his government has faced accusations of failing to address a shortage of masks and testing kits. (with Reuters) Trump likens himself to movie villain Captain Bligh President Donald Trump is comparing himself to a classic movie villain amid his dispute with governors about when to reopen the U.S. economy amid coronavirus. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Trump tweeted Monday. The 1962 movie, nominated for seven Oscars, starred Marlon Brando as the leader of a mutiny on a British ship due to savage conditions imposed by Captain Bligh, played by Trevor Howard, in 1962; Clark Gable played the hero mutineer in the 1935 version that won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Captain Bligh became a trending topic on social media as Twitter users pointed out hes not the hero, and was defeated in the end. Howards Bligh was named the 19th greatest movie villain of the century by the American Film Institute, just after the shark from Jaws and ahead of the man who shot Bambis mother. Interesting that you would identify with the brutal Captain Bligh. You might also enjoy the Caine Mutiny- as you share some qualities of Captain Queeg, actress Mia Farrow tweeted, referring to The Caine Mutiny. Interesting that you would identify with the brutal Captain Bligh. You might also enjoy the Caine Mutiny- as you share some qualities of Captain Queeg. Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) April 14, 2020 Do you really want to compare yourself to Charles Laughton instead of Clark Gable?#TrumpIsALoser (Clark Gable as Mr. Christian and Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh.) pic.twitter.com/kBM075INEE Colleen Shannon (@C_A_Shannon) April 14, 2020 MORE BUZZ: Springsteen, Bon Jovi to play online benefit for NJ coronavirus relief ( RS One Direction planning 10-year anniversary reunion this summer ( ET Trolls World Tour breaks record for digital release ( SF Oprah to discuss coronavirus impact on black Americans in TV special ( BB Rob Kardashian accuses Blac Chyna of pointing gun at him ( E! John Krasinski thanks Boston health care workers with Red Sox surprise ( RS The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart features cringeworthy serenades ( ET Quibi already moving from mobile-only, coming to TV soon ( SF Katy Perry: American Idol to get creative with live episodes ( BB RuPaul launching Celebrity Drag Race with surprises ( Vulture The Streets returns with new song featuring Tame Impala ( RS Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju recovered from coronavirus ( ET New Dune movie images show Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, more ( SF Kid Cudi returns with new song Leader of the Delinquents ( RS Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news from movies, TV, music and celebrity gossip. Yemen officially reported its first case of COVID-19 on Friday, raising the spectre of calamity in the poorest country in the Middle East. Its health care system has been destroyed by five years of war waged against the country by a Saudi-led coalition backed to the hilt by Washington and London. Its people are starving, and cholera, an entirely treatable disease, and more recently dengue fever, is widespread. The deadly virus may well have spread more widely, given the fragile state of Yemens infrastructure and at least 4,934 cases and 65 deaths in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, and 4,521 cases and 25 deaths in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both of whose forces have been fighting in Yemen. The COVID-19 announcement came as UN humanitarian agencies are slashing their aid programmes, which include assistance for health, sanitation, water, malnutrition and the fight against cholera in the country, because of lack of funding. The UNs World Food Programme, which feeds more than 12 million Yemenis a month, said it was halving aid to areas under Houthi control because donors, notably the US, have cut their funding, claiming the rebels are diverting and weaponizing aid. USAID has cut its funding for north Yemen by $200 million annually in a bid to force Houthi rebels, who control Yemens most populous region in the countrys north including the capital Sanaa and are on the point of defeating Washingtons Saudi-led proxies, to agree a ceasefire. Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said that the cuts could not have come at a worse time, with COVID-19 threatening. She added, If there is one country that cannot deal with a coronavirus outbreak, it is Yemen. The health system is fragile and, in many cases, broken. And after five years of war, the immunities of the population are some of the worst in the world. Yemenis are starving. We fear people are going to die of cholera and now weve got coronavirus. More than 110,000 Yemenis have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more have been wounded since the Saudi monarchy invaded the country in March 2015 in an attempt to reimpose the unelected puppet government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, now holed up in Riyadh. Saudi-led coalition airstrikesmore than 257,000 in the five-year warinitially targeted Yemens military establishment, but have since hit civilian targets, including homes, hospitals, schools, buses and weddings, accounting for more than two-thirds of Yemens civilian casualties. None of this would have been possible without US and UK weapons, training, intelligence, aerial refuelling, and Special Forces support to the Saudi monarchy and its de facto head Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as political and diplomatic cover at the United Nations. While the United Nations Security Councilwhere both Washington and London wield a vetohas imposed sanctions against the Houthi rebels, it has not approved a single resolution condemning Riyadhs mass killing spree. The Trump administration has backed the war in Yemen as part of its efforts to forge an anti-Iranian alliance made up of the Saudi monarchy, the Persian Gulf Sunni oil sheikdoms and Israel, branding the Houthi rebels as an Iranian proxy force. The House of Saud intervened in Yemen, which along with Djibouti controls the southern entrance to the Red Sea through which much of the regions oil exports are shipped, to prevent the emergence of any government on its southern border it doesnt control. It also fears that the Houthis might provide a political template for its own oppressed Shia minority in its main oil producing region to emulate. The war has produced the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe. At least 14 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, while 80 percent of the countrys 24 million people are reliant on food aid. Save the Children estimated last year that at least 75,000 Yemeni children under the age of five have starved to death since the onset of the war. Nearly 3.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict. Meanwhile, the country has been ravaged by the worst cholera epidemic on record, with an estimated 1.2 million people infected and at least 2,500 deaths, and most recently by dengue fever in Hadramawt province. Dengue fevers symptoms are similar to COVID-19, but without testing, it is hard to tell the difference. This is due not only to the destruction wreaked by the Saudi bombing campaign, but its punishing air, sea and land blockade of the country aided by the US Navy. Despite the expenditure of enormous firepower, the Saudis have achieved none of their objectives and are on the brink of defeat, with the Houthis close to driving Saudi ground forces out of the oil- and resource-rich border province of Marib. Meanwhile, the Houthis have fired missiles at Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition, codenamed Operation Decisive Storm, comprising the Gulf States, Sudan and Morocco as well as mercenary outfit Academi, formerly Blackwater, has disintegrated. Qatar was suspended in 2017 following Riyadhs fallout with Doha, while Morocco and the UAE withdrew their troops last year, followed by Sudans military-led transitional government that replaced the ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir pulling out its 30,000 troops in December. The cooling of relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been crucial, with Abu Dhabi announcing the withdrawal of its troops from Yemen last July. This gave succour to Islamist forces in the Southern Transitional Council seeking an independent southern state of Yemen, which would facilitate the UAEs own influence over the Red Sea and access to the Horn of Africa where it has considerable commercial interests. There have been reports of secret talks between the UAE and the Houthis. Abu Dhabi has toned down its condemnation of Iran, releasing $700 million of frozen funds to Tehran in October and shipping multiple batches of medical equipment in March to Iran. Iran has seen the regions worst coronavirus outbreak, with 4,585 reported deaths, part of a broader humanitarian crisis as a result of US sanctions. Last Septembers attack on Saudi Arabias Aramco oil facilities, blamed on Iran despite the Houthis claiming responsibility, exposed Riyadh and Abu Dhabis vulnerability in the event of a US-led war with Iran. The UAE has also sought to improve relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is backed by Iran, reopening its embassy in Damascus in December 2018. It views his regime as a bulwark against Turkey, which backs the Muslim Brotherhood along with other Islamist forces it considers as hostile. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed went public in his support for Assad, calling him on March 27 to voice his support for the Syrian people. At the same time, Riyadh precipitated a catastrophic fall in oil prices, following a failure of the OPEC producing countries to agree a cutback in production, as it sought to hold onto its market share and push out its competitors in Russia and the US. But with oil providing the main source of government revenues, the fall in oil prices along with global demand plummeting by 30 percent as the economy moves towards a slump, the Saudis international bonds as well as those of Saudi Aramco plunged, with the Saudi riyal falling sharply against the US dollar. Riyadhs move provoked fury in the US, where the US shale producers face bankruptcy. Increasingly isolated and with opposition to the disastrous war in Yemen and a deteriorating economy mounting, the Saudis announced a unilateral, two-week-long ceasefire ostensibly because of growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, in an effort to bring the Houthis to the negotiating table. They pledged $500 million for the UNs humanitarian response plan for Yemen and a further $25 million to help Yemen deal with the pandemic but said nothing about ending its blockade. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the move, tweeting, Pleased to see the Saudi-led Coalitions announcement of a unilateral ceasefire in #Yemen and urged the Houthis to respond in kind. The Houthis dismissed the cease-fire announcement as a political and media manoeuvre. At Thursdays G20 summit, Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members agreed to cut production by a record 9.7 million barrels per day, with other members agreeing to buy up crude to fill emergency stockpiles and cut new oil supplies, in a bid to revive the oil market, although this is nowhere near enough. By PTI KISHANGANJ: Eleven foreign nationals owing allegiance to Tablighi Jamaat have been arrested for violating visa terms by visiting this north Bihar district without informing the local police and carrying out religious preaching, a senior official said on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said an FIR was registered late Monday against 10 Indonesians and a Malaysian whose samples had been sent for a coronavirus test on March 31 and results of which came negative four days later. The state government had received inputs from the Centre about many attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, which has been blamed for hundreds of COVID-19 cases across the country, having entered Bihar. These included local residents as well as foreign nationals. Although Bihar has reported 66 COVID-19 cases till date, including a death, none has been said to be linked with the Delhi congregation, that emerged as a hostspot of COVID-19. Moreover, no one has so far tested positive from Kishanganj, where Muslims are in a majority and which borders Nepal and is situated less than 30 kilometers from the India-Bangladesh border. "The foreigners were kept in quarantine at a mosque as a precautionary measure. They had failed to inform the local police about their visit to Kishanganj. They also carried out religious preaching. "This is a violation of their visa terms. Consequently, FIR was lodged against them under the Foreigners Act. They have been sent to jail", the SP said. President Donald Trump said that he would base his decision on facts and instincts in deciding when the country's economy will reopen, according to a recently published article. HOW AND WHEN THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY REOPENS Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn stated that they have different recommendations when it comes to reopening the country's economy. In a separate interview with the top two health officials, they said that their recommendation is based solely on continually changing data related to the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country. They also hesitated to make firm and sweeping predictions as to when life resumes in the country as it once was. In a recently published article, Dr. Anthony Fauci said: "It is not going to be a light switch that we say, 'Okay it's now June, July whatever' - click, the light switch goes back on. It's going to be dependant on where you are in the country, the nature of the outbreak that you already experienced, and the threat of an outbreak that you may not have experienced." For Fauci, it seems very dangerous to immediately decide because, as long as there is no vaccine available, sending Americans back to work could mean another spike in COVID-19 infections. TARGETED DATE OF OPENING BUSINESSES Recently, Pres. Trump has been very aggressive in his goal to reopen businesses and made it clear that he would like to see a more relaxed social distancing. As you may recall three weeks ago, Trump said that he plans to reopen America's economy by Easter. However, it now looks more likely for businesses to reopen by May 1. In an interview with a national news outlet, Trump emphasized that the economic return of the country is very "soon." When asked about how he will advise businesses, he said: "I will be basing it on a lot of very smart people, a lot of professionals, doctors, and business leaders." He also added: "There are a lot of things that go into a decision like that. And it's going to be based on a lot of facts and a lot of instincts also. Whether we like it or not, there is a certain instinct to it. But we have to get our country back." This decision is very challenging for the President will make. The President is eager to have the economy back again, but in doing this, it is evident by his statement that he will be consulting a lot of people. This means that President Trump will not put the lives of his people at risk just for economic reasons. He is merely hoping that everything will return to normal, and businesses will be reopened on May 1. As we are all aware, President Trump places the economy of the United States very high on his list of priorities. The President will forever remain steadfast in assuring that the American people are prosperous as a whole. Read a related article: Tasmanian nurses want Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy to apologise for airing a "damaging" rumour that a COVID-19 outbreak in the state's north-west may have been caused by healthcare workers who attended an "illegal dinner party". Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian secretary Emily Shepherd said Professor Murphy's comment to a New Zealand parliamentary committee on Tuesday morning - which he has now withdrawn - had sparked a torrent of online abuse of her members. Nurses are demanding an apology from the Chief Medical Officer. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "They feel that he should apologise for commenting on some fairly malicious rumours that they feel have caused significant distress," Ms Shepherd told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. "It's taken our members' morale to an all-time low," she said. On Monday night, President Muhammadu Buhari made his second nationwide broadcast about the Federal Governments effort in battling the Coronavirus pandemic. During the broadcast, the president announced that the FG is extending the lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states and Abuja by two weeks effective from today April 13th. Read the text of his full address below: Read Also: BREAKING: Buhari Extends Lockdown In Lagos, FCT, Ogun By Two Weeks ADDRESS BY H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE EXTENSION OF COVID- 19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN AT THE STATE HOUSE, ABUJA MONDAY, 13TH APRIL, 2020 1. Fellow Nigerians 2. In my address on Sunday, 29th March, 2020, I asked the residents of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory to stay at home for an initial period of fourteen days starting from Monday, 30th March 2020. 3. Many State Governments also introduced similar restrictions. 4. As your democratically elected leaders, we made this very difficult decision knowing fully well it will severely disrupt your livelihoods and bring undue hardship to you, your loved ones and your communities. 5. However, such sacrifices are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our country. They were necessary to save lives. 6. Our objective was, and still remains, to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and to provide space, time and resources for an aggressive and collective action. 7. The level of compliance to the COVID-19 guidelines issued has been generally good across the country. I wish to thank you all most sincerely for the great sacrifice you are making for each other at this critical time. 8. I will take this opportunity to recognise the massive support from our traditional rulers, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) during this pandemic. 9. I also acknowledge the support and contributions received from public spirited individuals, the business community and our international partners and friends. 10. I must also thank the media houses, celebrities and other public figures for the great work they are doing in sensitizing our citizens on hygienic practices, social distancing and issues associated with social gatherings. 11. As a result of the overwhelming support and cooperation received, we were able to achieve a lot during these 14 days of initial lockdown. 12. We implemented comprehensive public health measures that intensified our case identification, testing, isolation and contact tracing capabilities. 13. To date, we have identified 92% of all identified contacts while doubling the number of testing laboratories in the country and raising our testing capacity to 1,500 tests per day. 14. We also trained over 7,000 Healthcare workers on infection prevention and control while deploying NCDC teams to 19 states of the federation. 15. Lagos and Abuja today have the capacity to admit some 1,000 patients each across several treatment centres. 16. Many State Governments have also made provisions for isolation wards and treatment centres. We will also build similar centers near our airports and land borders. 17. Using our resources and those provided through donations, we will adequately equip and man these centres in the coming weeks. Already, health care workers across all the treatment centers have been provided with the personal protective equipment that they need to safely carry out the care they provide. 18. Our hope and prayers are that we do not have to use all these centres. But we will be ready for all eventualities. 19. At this point, I must recognise the incredible work being done by our healthcare workers and volunteers across the country especially in frontline areas of Lagos and Ogun States as well as the Federal Capital Territory. 20. You are our heroes and as a nation, we will forever remain grateful for your sacrifice during this very difficult time. More measures to motivate our health care workers are being introduced which we will announce in the coming weeks. 21. As a nation, we are on the right track to win the fight against COVID-19. 22. However, I remain concerned about the increase in number of confirmed cases and deaths being reported across the world and in Nigeria specifically. 23. On 30th March 2020, when we started our lockdown in conforming with medical and scientific advice, the total number of confirmed cases across the world was over 780,000. 24. Yesterday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally was over one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand. This figure is more than double in two weeks! 25. In the last fourteen days alone, over 70,000 people have died due to this disease. 26. In the same period, we have seen the health system of even the most developed nations being overwhelmed by this virus. 27. Here in Nigeria, we had 131 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 12 States on 30th March 2020. We had two fatalities then. 28. This morning, Nigeria had 323 confirmed cases in twenty States. Unfortunately, we now have ten fatalities. Lagos State remains the center and accounts for 54% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria. When combined with the FCT, the two locations represent over 71% of the confirmed cases in Nigeria. 29. Most of our efforts will continue to focus in these two locations. 30. Majority of the confirmed cases in Lagos and the FCT are individuals with recent international travel history or those that came into contact with returnees from international trips. 31. By closing our airports and land borders and putting strict conditions for seaport activities, we have reduced the impact of external factors on our country. However, the increase in the number of States with positive cases is alarming. 32. The National Centre for Disease Control has informed me that, a large proportion of new infections are now occurring in our communities, through person-to-person contacts. So we must pay attention to the danger of close contact between person to person. 33. At this point, I will remind all Nigerians to continue to take responsibility for the recommended measures to prevent transmission, including maintaining physical distancing, good personal hygiene and staying at home. 34. In addition, I have signed the Quarantine Order in this regard and additional regulations to provide clarity in respect of the control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic which will be released soon. 35. The public health response to COVID-19 is built on our ability to detect, test and admit cases as well as trace all their contacts. While I note some appreciable progress, we can achieve a lot more. 36. Today, the cessation of movement, physical distancing measures and the prohibition of mass gatherings remain the most efficient and effective way of reducing the transmission of the virus. By sustaining these measures, combined with extensive testing and contact tracing, we can take control and limit the spread of the disease. 37. Our approach to the virus remains in 2 steps First, to protect the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents living here and second, to preserve the livelihoods of workers and business owners. 38. With this in mind and having carefully considered the briefings and Report from the Presidential Task Force and the various options offered, it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT for another 14 days effective from 11:59 pm on Monday, 13th of April, 2020. I am therefore once again asking you all to work with Government in this fight. 39. This is not a joke. It is a matter of life and death. Mosques in Makkah and Madina have been closed. The Pope celebrated Mass on an empty St. Peters Square. The famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held Easter Mass with less than 10 people. India, Italy and France are in complete lockdown. Other countries are in the process of following suit. We can not be lax. 40. The previously issued guidelines on exempted services shall remain. 41. This is a difficult decision to take, but I am convinced that this is the right decision. The evidence is clear. 42. The repercussions of any premature end to the lockdown action are unimaginable. 43. We must not lose the gains achieved thus far. We must not allow a rapid increase in community transmission. We must endure a little longer. 44. I will, therefore, take this opportunity to urge you all to notify the relevant authorities if you or your loved ones develop any symptoms. I will also ask our health care professionals to redouble their efforts to identify all suspected cases, bring them into care and prevent transmission to others. 45. No country can afford the full impact of a sustained restriction of movement on its economy. I am fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage such as traders, dayworkers, artisans and manual workers. 46. For this group, their sustenance depends on their ability to go out. Their livelihoods depend on them mingling with others and about seeking work. But despite these realities we must not change the restrictions. 47. In the past two weeks, we announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of our restrictive policies during this difficult time. These palliatives will be sustained. 48. I have also directed that the current social register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programs. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week. 49. The Security Agencies have risen to the challenges posed by this unprecedented situation with gallantry and I commend them. I urge them to continue to maintain utmost vigilance, firmness as well as restraint in enforcing the restriction orders while not neglecting statutory security responsibilities. 50. Fellow Nigerians, follow the instructions on social distancing. The irresponsibility of the few can lead to the death of the many. Your freedom ends where other peoples rights begin. 51. The response of our State Governors has been particularly impressive, especially in aligning their policies and actions to those of the Federal Government. 52. In the coming weeks, I want to assure you that the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force, will do whatever it takes to support you in this very difficult period. I have no doubt that, by working together and carefully following the rules, we shall get over this pandemic. 53. I must also thank the Legislative arm of Government for all its support and donations in this very difficult period. This collaboration is critical to the short and long-term success of all the measures that we have instituted in response to the pandemic. 54. As a result of this pandemic, the world as we know it has changed. The way we interact with each other, conduct our businesses and trade, travel, educate our children and earn our livelihoods will be different. 55. To ensure our economy adapts to this new reality, I am directing the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Communication and Digital Economy, Science and Technology, Transportation, Aviation, Interior, Health, Works and Housing, Labour and Employment and Education to jointly develop a comprehensive policy for a Nigerian economy functioning with COVID-19. 56. The Ministers will be supported by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and Economic Sustainability Committee in executing this mandate. 57. I am also directing the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Security Adviser, the Vice Chairman, National Food Security Council and the Chairman, Presidential Fertiliser Initiative to work with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure the impact of this pandemic on our 2020 farming season is minimized. 58. Finally, I want to thank the members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for all their hard work so far. Indeed, the patriotism shown in your work is exemplary and highly commendable. 59. Fellow Nigerians, I have no doubt that by working together and carefully following the rules, we shall get over this pandemic and emerge stronger in the end. 60. I thank you all for listening and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (Refiles to add dropped words paragraphs 13, 16 and 23) By Paresh Dave OAKLAND, Calif., April 14 (Reuters) - A global race is on to develop smartphone apps and other types of mobile phone surveillance systems to track and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The process known as "contact tracing," which is used to control the spread of infectious diseases, was boosted last week when the top two smartphone software makers, Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc, said they were collaborating on apps that can identify people who have crossed paths with a contagious patient and alert them. HOW CAN MOBILE PHONES HELP COMBAT THE NEW CORONAVIRUS? Smartphones and some less-sophisticated mobile phones keep track of their location via cell-tower signals, Wi-Fi signals and the satellite-based global positioning system, known as GPS. Smartphones also use so-called Bluetooth technology to connect with nearby devices. The location data can be used to monitor whether people, either individually or in aggregate, are obeying orders to stay inside their homes. It can also be used for contact tracing: determining whether people have been in contact with others who have the virus, so they can get tested or quarantined. Smartphones can also be used to take surveys of people about their health via messaging, record their health histories via various forms of data entry and even produce a health "score" based on a combination of location information and health data. HOW CAN PHONES HELP WITH CONTACT TRACING? Using Bluetooth, smartphones can log other phones they have been near. If someone becomes infected, there is a ready list of their prior encounters. Phones on the list would get push notifications urging them to get tested or self-isolate. In principle, this system is more efficient than traditional contact tracing methods that require large staffs to interview patients about their travels and then call or knock on the doors of contacts. Story continues The Bluetooth solution is far from perfect. Phones can log one another even when 15 feet apart or on separate sides of a wall, even though a cough from an infected person likely would not be problematic in those cases. But developers have been working on ways to better define "contacts" based on the length and strength of so-called handshakes between devices. Bluetooth also remains more accurate than GPS or cell tower location data, which can wrongly associate everyone on a busy city block as contacts. ARE ANY OF THESE METHODS CURRENTLY IN USE? Singapore pioneered contact tracing via Bluetooth with an app called "TraceTogether." Israel, which made headlines by employing its powerful government surveillance system to track cases, has also rolled out an app called The Shield. India also has an app. South Korea is using mobile phone location data for contact tracing, while Taiwan uses it for quarantine enforcement and is also developing an app. China is employing a range of app-based tracking systems. Meanwhile, dozens of efforts to develop contact tracing apps are underway around the world, many led by government research institutes and health authorities. In Europe, for example, a German-led effort is aiming to rally other European countries behind a technology platform that could support contact tracing apps across the 27-member EU. But several other European countries are pursuing their own apps. An effort is also underway in the United Kingdom. The United States government has yet to promote an app, but at least two university research groups and one ad-hoc software development team are trying to gain endorsements from state and local bodies. HOW DO APPLE AND GOOGLE FIT IN? The two companies said they were concerned about competing approaches and agreed to develop tools, to be released in May, that will enable apps to "handshake" with one other. They also address battery drain and other issues that have limited the utility of some early apps. Apple and Google also plan to go a step further later this year by integrating logging functionality directly into their phone software nearly worldwide. People who catch the virus would still need to download an app to initiate contact notifications, but even those without apps could receive notifications. ARE THERE PRIVACY AND SECURITY CONCERNS? Yes. The most sensitive issue is who can view a phone's list of devices it has crossed. Nearly everyone agrees on deleting logs after about one month. The tools coming from Google and Apple keep names off contact lists and leave the lists secret to everyone involved, which has drawn plaudits from privacy experts. Only governments, which must verify that people who say they tested positive for coronavirus actually did so, would know the identity of disease carriers, and even they would not have access to the contact lists. But some governments and technologists favor collecting a central database of all "handshakes" between phones because it is an easier system to design and manage. Privacy advocates worry that such a database would be a hackers' goldmine and prone to governmental abuse. Some researchers have suggested apps also track GPS information to better map the spread of the coronavirus. But GPS data could undermine people's privacy and leave places visited by people who test positive ostracized, activists said. WILL PEOPLE BE REQUIRED TO TURN ON CONTACT TRACING? No country is known to have required an app, but workplaces or other facilities could end up mandating usage. Apple and Google said that apps seeking to use its tools would need to be voluntary. But the apps won't achieve their purpose unless they are widely used. Some epidemiologists have said at least 60% of a country needs to activate digital contact tracing for it make an impact. (Reporting by Paresh Dave; Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis, Raphael Satter and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Grant McCool) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) Millions of middle-income wage earners in the Philippines who have not received their salary due to the COVID-19 crisis will be given cash assistance by May, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Tuesday. He said President Rodrigo Duterte approved the "Small Business Wage Subsidy Program" which is seen to help middle-class families during the Inter-Agency Task Force meeting on Monday night. The program seeks to help around 3.4 million workers employed by small businesses that are affected by the enhanced community quarantine enforced over Luzon to curb the spread of COVID-19. The affected workers will receive a one-time financial assistance worth P5,000 to P8,000, depending on the minimum wage in their region. The government will prioritize giving help to businesses who are paying their contributions to the Social Security System and paying taxes with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. "Ito po yung sagot natin doon sa tinatawag na middle-income workers natin... Ang estimate ni Secretary Dominguez, this will actually cover 1.6 million small businesses that have ceased to operate dahil sa ECQ or who are applying the skeleton workforce to stay afloat. Ang potential workers na makakabenepisyo dito is 3.4 million workers," Nograles said in a media briefing. [Translation: This is our response to the appeal for help for middle-income workers... Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez estimates the program will cover 1.6 million small businesses that have ceased to operate due to the enhanced community quarantine or those who are on skeleton workforce in order to stay afloat. We estimate that 3.4 million workers will benefit from this program.] The Finance Department added the program will also support another 800,000 workers whose employers are not fully compliant with the SSS or BIR as the non-compliance may have been caused by inadvertent mistakes on the part of the employer. The Department of Trade and Industry classifies "small businesses" as those that employ 10 to 99 workers. The Cabinet official clarified there are some guidelines as to who can claim the aid. "Ito ay ibibigay sa empleyado na affected, but the employee must have been employed by the company as of March 1. Dapat hindi pa siya binabayaran ng employer niya, so for that month hindi pa siya nababayaran. Lahat covered, except on leave and except ang mga nag-avail na ng SSS unemployment benefits. Dapat hindi na-retrench or fire ng kumpanya ang empleyado. Dapat ang empleyado hindi mag-resign, iyun ang kondisyon. Ang point dito ayaw natin mawalan ng trabaho ang empleyado," he said. [Translation: This will be given to affected employees, but there are guidelines to be followed. The employee must be employed by March 1. They will receive government help if they have not received their salary from their employers. Those who are on leave or availed of SSS unemployment benefits are not eligible. They should still be employed, that's the condition. The point of this program is to make sure workers will not lose their jobs.] Those eligible to receive help through the "Small Business Wage Subsidy Program" will receive the cash aid through their SSS UMID cards, their bank accounts, or e-wallets. The financial assistance will be carried out in two tranches: Between May 1 to 15 and May 16 to 30. Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez said the government will allocate 50.8 billion to support millions of affected employees in the micro, small and medium enterprises sector, but the source of funding remains unclear. He added the proposed financial assistance for all middle-class families in the country looks to doubtful to be given "at this point in time." The entire of Luzon as well as other regions in the country implemented enhanced community quarantine measures until the end of April, in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly disease. The directive, which limits movement of people, has left over a million Filipinos jobless. The government's social amelioration program currently covers only the "poorest of the poor," with the low-income households expected to receive 5,000 to 8,000 worth of monthly assistance. Australians could soon have their mobile phones tracked to see if they have come into contact with coronavirus. Health authorities are mulling over how closely Australians could be monitored once travel restrictions and social distancing rules are relaxed. Singapore is using the TraceTogether application to help track the spread of the disease. Australia has been given the code to develop the surveillance software. Australians could soon have their mobile phones tracked to see if they have come into contact with coronavirus. Pictured: A woman wears a face mask at Bondi Beach on April 3 'We're very keen to use it and use it perhaps even more extensively than Singapore,' Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy told a New Zealand parliamentary hearing. Professor Murphy acknowledged there were privacy concerns. 'Obviously there's a conversation to have with the community about the acceptability of it but we think that idea, the TraceTogether app, is a really excellent one,' he said. 'We're actively looking at that as part of a measure that might be used to perhaps consider some relaxation of measures.' Professor Murphy was briefing New Zealand's Epidemic Response Committee via video link on Tuesday. TraceTogether uses Bluetooth to detect other users in close proximity, with encounters stored on a person's phone. Singapore is using the TraceTogether application to help track the spread of the disease. Australia has been given the code to develop the surveillance software They then have to share the records with authorities when asked to be part of a tracing investigation. Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong via video on Monday March 23 to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak. Mr Morrison confirmed the government is looking at digital options for contact tracing. 'But to fight this fight, there are so many tools that we have to use,' Mr Morrison told reporters. 'But the people we need most are Australians listening, being patient, carefully understanding the things we are asking of them. 'We know it is a massive change to our lives but if we do it, and we do it consistently, and we do it patiently and understandingly, then we will get through this.' Gandhinagar, April 14 : A Congress legislator from Gujarat's Jamalpur Khadia, a part of coronavirus hotspot in Ahmedabad, was found to be positive for the dreaded virus on Tuesday. Significantly, Imran Khedawala had met Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday afternoon regarding the outbreak. As more and more positive cases are emerging from Ahmedabad's hotspot or cluster areas in the fortified area, health authorities have intensified the surveillance and testing in these areas. The state government on Tuesday even imposed a week-long curfew in the area. There are six areas from the fortified city which are come under the hotspot - Shahpur, Kalupur, Jamalpur-Khadia, Gaikwad Haveli and Dariyapur. Danilii, an area outside the fortified city, is also under the curfew. Due to the intensity of more and more positive cases cropping up in these areas, the local legislators are trying their best to convince the people to co-operate with the health authorities for the surveillance and testing. Khedawala was also in touch with the people in his constituency, trying to convince people to cooperate. As an outcome of the surveillance and testing, he on Tuesday was found to be Corona positive according to sources. After the detection, he was rushed to the SVP hospital and admitted. Apart from Rupani, Khedawala had also met Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja. According to sources, the meetings took place while maintaining the social distancing. Khedawala had also interacted with the media thereafter. A 29-year-old Wilson Borough man, who was wanted on a 2018 felony strangulation charge out of Blair County, was arrested Sunday trying to buy a gun in a Nazareth store, authorities report. Tyler Cosper, of the 1800 block of Butler Street, was in Jakes Gun Shop, 235 S. Main St., attempting to purchase a Taurus G2c 9mm handgun, Nazareth police said. He filled out form 4473 for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and answered no to the questions that asked him if he were under indictment on a felony charge and if he were a fugitive from justice, police said. When the store contacted the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, the employee was told to hold Cosper on the Blair County warrant, police said. When a Nazareth officer arrived at the store, Cosper confirmed he was charged with strangulation, simple assault and harassment in an April 27, 2018, incident in Blair County. A report in the Altoona Mirror, attributing police, says Cosper, after days of arguments, held a pillow over his girlfriends face for about a minute. The next day he grabbed her by the face and throat and then grabbed the hood of her sweatshirt and pulled it tight across her throat, the newspaper reported. He was freed on $40,000 unsecured bond, court papers say. Court papers show several court actions were planned but didnt go forward due to defendant not ready", court papers say. On Sunday, Cosper confirmed to the Nazareth officer that he was a fugitive on the specified charges, police said. Cosper was arraigned at 2:30 p.m. before District Judge Robert Hawke on charges of providing a materially false statement during the purchase of a firearm, a felony, and unsworn falsification to authorities, which is a misdemeanor, records show. He was held in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail. Conditions of release include the Blair County warrant. His preliminary hearing on the local charges is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. April 27 in District Judge John Capobiancos court in Nazareth. Court papers did not list an attorney for Cosper. 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. 14.04.2020 LISTEN The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has cautioned that government power relief to Ghanaians for the 3months would further endanger the sustainability of the power sector now and after Covid-19. In a press statement, the Executive Director, Benjamin Boakye elaborated the current outstanding debt owed Independent Power Producers (IPP) which stands in excess of USD1billion. According to Mr. Boakye, "last week, Government had to intervene to pay for unpaid gas utilized for power generation to the tune of USD100 million to avert a calamitous action by OCP pertness to drawdown on World Bank guarantees for the projects. This picture is gloomy enough, without exhausting all the challenges in the power sector, for careful consideration of action that further worsens the financial sustainability of the sector. He added that the implication of the subsidy will result from the policy intervention of about GHS3 billion which constitute about 2.7 billion in tariffs and about GHS300 million in Value Added Tax (VAT). According to him, the tariff component will have to be paid to the power sector by government and if government do not pay, the sectors liquidity situation will worsen. The Africa Centre for Energy Policy made certain recommendations which will provide the right support and reduce wastage from supporting people who may not need the support. Read Full Statement Below; SUBSIDY FOR ELECTRICITY CONSUMERS WELL-INTENTIONED BUT COULD WORSEN THE ALREADY UNSUSTAINABLE POWER SECTOR SITUATION. Press release, Accra,14th April 2020 The President of Ghana in his sixth national update on governments efforts to fight COVID19 announced electricity subsidies for Ghanaians as one of the impact-mitigation measures of government. This policy is well intentioned to support Ghanaians, particularly the poor and vulnerable, who are faced with significant socioeconomic risks, resulting in part, from their reliance on daily wages and loss of economic livelihood. ACEP is of the considered view that not everybody captured in the subsidy needs it. Rather, the measure further endangers the sustainability of the power sector now and in post COVID-19. The Power sector is reeling in debt, with no end in sight for debt accumulation. The current outstanding debt to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) stands in excess of US$1billion. Last week, Government had to intervene to pay for unpaid gas utilized for power generation to the tune of US$100 million to avert a calamitous action by the OCTP pertness to drawdown on World bank guarantees for the projects. This picture is gloomy enough, without exhausting all the challenges in the power sector, for careful consideration of actions that further worsen the financial sustainability of the sector. The President announced a complete waiver of the electricity bill of lifeline1 consumers of electricity and 50 percent reduction in electricity bill for all other consumers using March 2020 bill as the benchmark. This reduction in electricity tariff will be effective for April, May and June. This means that the cost of electricity waived by the president for each lifeline consumer is GHS18.4 per month for three months (GHS55.2 for the period). On the other hand, all consumers above the lifeline consumption will benefit from tariff reduction equivalent to 50 percent of their consumption for March irrespective of how much they consumed. For example, a residential consumer who consumed GHS5,000 in March will enjoy GHS2500 reduction in his/her bill for April, May and June (a total of GHS7500 for the period). This is highly regressive and poorly redistributes national resources in favour of the rich. The challenge Ghana has had with electricity subsidy for the vulnerable in society is poor targeting. A large proportion of households described by the president as the poorest of the poor do not benefit from lower lifeline tariffs because many of them live in compound houses. These people consume higher than the base unit of 50kwh a month, rendering the poor unable to enjoy the lifeline tariff. Rather, consumers who are able to procure separate meters and stay within the 50kw consumption band, typically not the poor, benefit from the lifeline tariff. Implications of the Subsidy The total subsidy that will result from the policy intervention is about GHS3 billion. This constitutes about 2.7 billion in tariffs and about GHS300 million in Value Added Tax (VAT). The Tariff component will have to be paid to the power sector by government. If government does not pay, the sectors liquidity situation will worsen. This policy also further deepens the budget deficit which is estimated to be about GHS9.7 billion. If government intends to add GHS3 billion from the power sector, it will require another revision of the fiscal numbers presented to Parliament. Recommendations ACEP recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many businesses and livelihood which require direct support from the government. It is, however, important to note that people will be impacted differently. This requires proper targeting to provide the right support and reduce wastage arising from supporting people who may not need the support. ACEP is of the view that the effective approach for government are; Make lifeline consumption free for everyone. This ensures that at least everybody has the option to enjoy electricity for the most essential purposes. Any consumption above lifeline should be paid for by the consumer. The burden on government for this approach will be GHS92 million a month, significantly lower than the GHS1 billion under the proposed policy. This generates a saving of GHS2.1 billion which can be used for other interventions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Government should quickly map out large households in poorer communities who do not benefit from lifeline tariff because they are too many on a single meter. This will ensure proper targeting of the most vulnerable in society for the intervention. The current implementation of the lifeline policy is known to be ineffective at targeting the poor in society. This means that further efforts are required to ensure that the poor can be supported in this era. Government should spend part of the proposed expenditure on electricity consumers to identify and support those most impacted by the Pandemic. There are citizens who have lost their jobs and require urgent support while they look for another job. These people can be identified through GRA systems and working with employers who have laid off staffs. Many Trotro drivers and petty traders are also out of business and require support from government. The GHS2.1 billion is more than enough to provide direct cash transfers of GHS 200 for 3 million impacted citizens for three months. It is therefore pointless to rather target the rich through electricity tariffs. Government should summon the creativity of the citizens to find appropriate mitigations strategy for the times. Mapping out the vulnerable and the most affected is a non-negotiable exercise to be effective with interventions. The Pandemic is still evolving and requires efficient resource utilization to prepare for the worse-case scenario. In the era of technology, many software engineers in the country are capable of supporting government to identify and target the right people. Government should open up and welcome cheaper solutions to map out those who need support the most. Signed Benjamin Boakye Executive Director As a personal protective measure against the spread of the coronavirus, Ghanaian medical doctor and technology enthusiast, Dr. Afeke Korsi Hormeku has developed and produced face shields with locally acquired raw materials. According to him; I have been advocating the need to invent appropriate technological solutions for the healthcare sector. Hence, I felt the responsibility to contribute towards efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, by producing these face shields. Dr. Hormeku, in an interview with amalarbieafrica.com, indicated that even though face shields are a pre-existing protective gear; my team and I didnt set out to develop a new product, but to find an avenue to mass-produce face shields using locally acquired materials such as transparent plastic sheets, elastic bands and foam. Our main challenge during production is getting access to the right materials especially during this lockdown period, he added. On the distribution of the face shields, Dr Hormeku noted that the first batch of the 'NOTiLL masks' would be donated to healthcare facilities to complement available protective gear. We also intend to approach cooperate bodies and individuals to finance production for other health facilities, he revealed. Dr. Hormeku added, the production of the face shields would still be ongoing even after the pandemic wades away since the protective gear can also be used in the various healthcare facilities. As much as citizens feel the need to go out, I would like to appeal to them to stay at home. I also want to encourage fellow innovators to keep coming up with appropriate technological solutions for the healthcare sector even after this pandemic dies down, Dr. Hormeku said. Dr. Afeke Korsi Hormeku has over 5 years clinical experience in medicine. He is also a co-director of Code Red Ghana, a company that provides training in Basic Life and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Over the years, he has developed a passion for the innovation of appropriate technological solutions to solve healthcare issues in 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 It can take a few hours to produce a face mask and less than an hour to make a face shield using 3D printers, according to Elgin Community College employee Juan Matthews. He and two friends will have donated more than 600 shields and masks to health care staff, first responders and people interacting with the public by the end of the week, he said. (Juan Fernandez / HANDOUT) Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 01:07:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Governor of the U.S. state of New York Andrew Cuomo said statewide deaths from COVID-19 rose to 10,056 on Monday, adding "the worst is over if we continue to be smart" in coping with the novel coronavirus. Cuomo said at his daily briefing that a total of 671 people passed away on Sunday due to the disease, a number much lower than in the past few days. Meanwhile, indicators including the rates of ICU admissions and intubations have gone down and the three-day-average rate of hospitalization basically reached a plateau, according to the governor. "We are controlling the spread," said Cuomo. "I believe the worst is over if we continue to be smart. I believe we can start on the path to normalcy," he said. He said he would be joined by several other governors of neighboring states later on Monday to discuss how to reopening the economy in a coordinated way. On Twitter, the governor said that any plan to reopen society must be driven by data and experts, not opinion and politics. He said the objective is to ease isolation and increase economic activity without increasing the infection rate. "We will learn from the warning signs from other countries. We will take every precaution. We will work together as a region," he added. TBILISI -- A court in Georgia has sentenced opposition leader and former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili to five years in prison following the outbreak of violence during mass protest last June, raising concerns from the United States over political interference in the judiciary. Okruashvili, the leader of the Victorious Georgia opposition party, was arrested in late July over the June 20-21 unrest outside the Georgian parliament, when thousands rallied after Russian lawmaker Sergei Gavrilov occupied the Georgian speaker's seat in the legislature, a symbolic reminder of Russia's unwanted influence over its smaller southern neighbor. The Tbilisi City Court sentenced Okruashvili on April 13 after finding him guilty of organizing and taking part in the violence that marred rallies, which lasted for weeks as opposition parties insisted that Georgia's electoral system unfairly favored the ruling Georgian Dream party and demanded it be changed to a proportional system from 2020. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said in an April 14 statement that the case amounted to "political interference" and "the selective use of justice." The United States and the European Union had called on the Georgian government, political parties, and civil society to engage in a "calm and respectful dialogue" after the protests, which were suppressed forcefully by the police. On March 8, after U.S.- and EU- brokered talks, leaders of Georgia's ruling and opposition parties agreed to a deal on election reforms. In its April 14 statement regarding Okruashvili's conviction, the U.S. Embassy called on the Georgian government and opposition to stick to the March 8 agreement's clauses. "The case casts a shadow over the impartial application of justice -- a concern the March 8 joint statement was intended to dispel. We urge all signatories to uphold the letter and spirit of the March 8 agreement," the U.S. Embassy said. The global N95 respirators market is expected to grow by USD 382.90 million as per Technavio. This marks a significant market growth compared to the previous year's growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. Moreover, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 9%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005627/en/ Technavio has published the latest market research report titled Global N95 Respirators Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio's latest reports on directly and indirectly impacted markets Market estimates include pre- and post-COVID-19 impact on the N95 respirators market Download Free Sample Report The global outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the global healthcare system, with the growing necessity for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks. This is driving the demand for N95 respirators, the rapid sale of which has however, led to a shortage of these products in healthcare facilities. Therefore, governments across the world are extending support to manufacturers to ramp up the production of N95 respirators to overcome such shortages. For instance, the US government collaborated with N95 respirator manufacturers and introduced new legislation, whereby it eliminated the need for US FDA premarket approval for N95 respirators. Developments such as these can be expected to boost the market growth during the forecast period. Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. https://www.technavio.com/report/global-N95-respirators-market-2020-2024-industry-analysis The market is driven by the high demand during pandemic outbreaks. In addition, growing advances in N95 respirators are anticipated to boost the growth of the N95 respirators market. Recent outbreaks of respiratory infection-based diseases such as COVID-19 and H1N1 have increased the demand for N95 respirators among frontline healthcare workers such as nurses, first responders, and medical practitioners who are at a greater risk of exposure to such diseases. Regulatory authorities such as the CDC have recommended the use of N95 respirators rather than common surgical masks. These respirators are thicker and fit tightly around the nose and mouth, which makes them quite effective in blocking out smaller particles (such as viruses up to a size of 0.3 microns). While healthcare regulatory authorities across the globe recommend limiting the use of N95 respirators to healthcare workers; the general masses are also purchasing these masks to mitigate the risk of contracting diseases such as COVID-19. These factors are significantly boosting the sale of N95 masks from retail medical outlets, thereby driving the growth of the market. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five N95 Respirators Companies: 3M Co. 3M Co. has business operations under various segments, such as safety and industrial, transportation and electronics, healthcare, consumer, and corporate and unallocated. The company offers a line of NIOSH approved products such as Particulate Respirator 8210, N95 160 EA/Case that provides upto 95% filtration efficiency against certain non-oil based particles. Ansell Ltd. Ansell Ltd. operates its business through two segments, such as industrial and healthcare. The company offers a range of NIOSH N95 approved products such as GAMMEX N95 Respirator and Surgical Mask, that filters to 0.1 microns and protects from the from the harmful effects of surgical smoke. Cambridge Mask Co. Cambridge Mask Co. manufactures and offers a range of large, medium, and small sized masks such as The Lady Macbeth N99 PRO, The Duke N99 PRO and more. The company also offers a line of N95 BASIC MASK in black colour with lab tested filtration technology which filters over 95% of pollution, gases, and bacteria and viruses. Cardinal Health Inc. Cardinal Health Inc. has business operations under two segments, such as pharmaceutical and medical. The company offers a line of cost-effective Surgical N95 Respirators that meets the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for protection against TB and is NIOSH certified to have a filter efficiency level of 95% or greater against particulate aerosols free of oil. Honeywell International Inc. Honeywell International Inc. operates its business through various segments, such as aerospace, Honeywell building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions. The company offers a line of products such as 801 N95 disposable masks that protects users from airborne particulates. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform N95 Respirators Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020-2024) Respirators without exhalation valve Respirators with exhalation valve N95 Respirators Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020-2024) North America Europe Asia ROW Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005627/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ The US has purchased 750,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea, a country where early and aggressive testing proved effective at keeping the virus at bay. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it awarded contracts to South Korean manufacturers last week to provide approximately 750,000 tests, with the first shipment of 150,000 already delivered. The next shipment of tests is expected to arrive on Wednesday. The tests were produced by South Korean companies SD Biosensor and Osang Healthcare. FEMA will pay $5.2 million to the former company and $3 million to the latter. President Donald Trump has at times both praised and downplayed South Korea's comprehensive testing programme, which stands in contrast to the US response. In March, Mr Trump praised South Korea's successes, but the following month claimed that US tests were more efficient and accurate than those in South Korea. Data from South Korea suggests that 1 in every 142 South Koreans has received a coronavirus test. The US has tested one in every 786 Americans. South Korea is experiencing a decline in cases thanks to its aggressive testing and efforts to trace the likely spread of infection. Eventually, Mr Trump claimed the US was doing more testing "by far" than any other nation, including South Korea. "Just reported that the United States has done far more 'testing' than any other nation, by far! In fact, over an eight day span, the United States now does more testing than what South Korea (which has been a very successful tester) does over an eight week span," Mr Trump tweeted. While it was true that the US has tested more overall cases, it tested fewer people per capita, and generally only individuals who have exhibited symptoms, which only catches a portion of the people who may be actively spreading the virus. "Yes, it's true that South Korea has run less tests as an absolute number. However, it is important to point out the huge difference in the population sizes," Aubree Gordon, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan said to CNN. Jennifer Horney, director of the University of Delaware's epidemiology programme, said in an interview with CNN that epidemiologists generally look at per capita rates when making comparisons between countries. The Trump administration's position on testing has been inconsistent. While FEMA is purchasing hundreds of thousands of more tests, Mr Trump has discussed walking back federal funding for local coronavirus testing sites. The sites - called Community-Based Testing Sites - were meant to provide testing access to critical spots throughout the country. The FDA is currently working to approve individuals to self-administer nasal swab tests at testing sites, which will likely trigger the federal government reducing the amount of personal protective equipment and the number of trained health workers manning the sites. The move is indicative of the larger, shifting and sometimes contradictory nature of the federal government's role responding to the coronavirus under the leadership of Mr Trump. Initially, Mr Trump suggested that the states should deal with the pandemic largely on their own, with the federal government standing by to help out where needed. More recently, however, he has asserted federal dominance over the states. The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz Announces Investigation on Behalf of GSX Techedu Inc. Investors (GSX) The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz announces an investigation on behalf of GSX (News - Alert) Techedu Inc. ("GSX" or the Company") (NYSE: GSX) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. On April 14, 2020, the investment analyst Citron Research issued a report on GSX entitled "GSX Techedu Inc - The Most Blatant Chinese Stock Fraud since 2011." The Citron Report claimed that the Company "is overstating revenue by up to 70% and should immediately halt trading and launch an internal investigation." On this news, the Company's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price fell sharply during intra-day trading thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/FRC_LAW. If you purchased GSX 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 Frank R. Cruz, of The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-914-5007, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.frankcruzlaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. 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/20200414006034/en/ D ominic Raab is expected to extend the UK's coronavirus lockdown until at least May 7, it has been reported. The Foreign Secretary showed some cautious optimism as he revealed the latest data suggested the UK was "starting to win this struggle," three weeks after restrictions were imposed. But Mr Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while he recovers after falling ill with Covid-19, insisted the virus was not yet past its peak and that it was "far too early" to talk about relaxing the measures. And according to the Times, Mr Raab will on Thursday tell the nation that the stay-at-home orders will not be lifted for at least another three weeks. via REUTERS Speaking at Monday's Downing Street press conference, he praised the public for staying at home over the Easter weekend, and added: "Our plan is working. "Please stick with it, and we'll get through this crisis together." Details of how the lockdown will eventually be lifted remained unclear, however, with the Government repeatedly refusing to outline its "exit strategy". Scientists advising the Government are expected to meet this week to review the latest figures, but Mr Raab insisted it was crucial that "we do not take our eye off the ball" on social distancing. The World Health Organisation said restrictions should be lifted slowly and not "all at once" to avoid a resurgence of the virus. UK completes three weeks of lockdown The Government has faced criticism over whether more lives could have been saved if the lockdown had been implemented earlier. The Department for Health said 11,329 people had died in hospitals in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday, with many more expected in care homes. It means the UK has more recorded deaths than any country except the US, Italy, Spain and France. But Mr Raab rejected any "like-for-like" comparison with other countries, saying it depended on each nation's individual circumstances and how far along the coronavirus outbreak curve they were. Meanwhile, questions were also raised about whether the number of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes was being properly recorded. Industry bosses warned daily death tolls are "airbrushing out" hundreds of older people who have died in the care system, as the chief medical officer announced that coronavirus outbreaks had been recorded at 92 care homes in the UK in just 24 hours. Loading.... Speaking at the daily press briefing, Professor Chris Whitty said around 13.5 per cent of care homes in the UK have registered an outbreak, and said he would like Covid-19 testing to be increased in care homes. The Government also continues to face pressure over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS staff, as a growing number of health workers died. According to The Guardian, the UK missed three chances to be part of an EU scheme to bulk buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, with European medical staff set to receive the first of 1.3 billion-worth of PPE within days or a maximum of two weeks under the scheme. Loading.... In other developments on Monday: - Mr Johnson continued his recovery from Covid-19 at Chequers in Buckinghamshire after doctors ordered the Prime Minister to rest. - Spain, which on Sunday reported its lowest daily growth in infections for three weeks, allowed workers in some non-essential industries to return to factories and construction sites on Monday. - French President Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of France's strict lockdown until May 11, on his third televised address to the nation on the virus crisis from the Elysee palace. - Italy recorded its lowest daily virus death toll in three weeks at 431, putting its total deaths at more than 19,800. In his address, Mr Macron acknowledged "failures and deficiencies" in a reference to the lack of masks and other equipment. Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast: A newly discovered endemic species of melanistic black iguana (Iguana melanoderma), discovered in Saba and Montserrat islands, the Lesser Antilles (Eastern Caribbean), appears to be threatened by unsustainable harvesting (including pet trade) and both competition and hybridization from escaped or released invasive alien iguanas from South and Central America. International research group calls for urgent conservation measures in the article, recently published in the open-access journal ZooKeys. So far, there have been three species of iguana known from The Lesser Antilles: the Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima), a species endemic to the northernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles; and two introduced ones: the common iguana (Iguana iguana iguana) from South America and the green iguana (Iguana rhinolopha) from Central America. The newly described species is characterised with private microsatellite alleles, unique mitochondrial ND4 haplotypes and a distinctive black spot between the eye and the ear cavity (tympanum). Juveniles and young adults have a dorsal carpet pattern, the colouration is darkening with aging (except for the anterior part of the snout). It has already occurred before in Guadeloupe that Common Green Iguana displaced the Lesser Antilles iguanas through competition and hybridization which is on the way also in the Lesser Antilles. Potentially invasive common iguanas from the Central and South American lineages are likely to invade other islands and need to be differentiated from the endemic melanistic iguanas of the area. The IUCN Red List lists the green iguana to be of "Least Concern", but failed to differentiate between populations, some of which are threatened by extinction. With the new taxonomic proposal, these endemic insular populations can be considered as a conservation unit with their own assessments. "With the increase in trade and shipping in the Caribbean region and post-hurricane restoration activities, it is very likely that there will be new opportunities for invasive iguanas to colonize new islands inhabited by endemic lineages," shares the lead researcher prof. Frederic Grandjean from the University of Poitiers (France). Scientists describe the common melanistic iguanas from the islands of Saba and Montserrat as a new taxon and aim to establish its relationships with other green iguanas. That can help conservationists to accurately differentiate this endemic lineage from invasive iguanas and investigate its ecology and biology population on these two very small islands that are subject to a range of environmental disturbances including hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. "Priority actions for the conservation of the species Iguana melanoderma are biosecurity, minimization of hunting, and habitat conservation. The maritime and airport authorities of both islands must be vigilant about the movements of iguanas, or their sub-products, in either direction, even if the animals remain within the same nation's territory. Capacity-building and awareness-raising should strengthen the islands' biosecurity system and could enhance pride in this flagship species," concludes Prof. Grandjean. The key stakeholders in conservation efforts for the area are the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF), the Montserrat National Trust (MNT) and the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF), which, the research team hope, could take measures in order to protect the flagship insular iguana species, mainly against alien iguanas. ### Original source: Breuil M, Schikorski D, Vuillaume B, Krauss U, Morton MN, Corry E, Bech N, Jeli? M, Grandjean F (2020) Painted black: Iguana melanoderma (Reptilia, Squamata, Iguanidae) a new melanistic endemic species from Saba and Montserrat islands (Lesser Antilles). ZooKeys 926: 95-131. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.926.48679 April 13, 2020 News By Jim Garamone Defense.gov DOD Learns Lessons for Future From Coronavirus Fight The Defense Department is "all in" for the fight against COVID-19 and to learn from the experience so the department is better prepared when another pandemic strikes, the Joint Staff's director of joint force development said. This is part of DOD's planning efforts in the Pentagon and elsewhere, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Daniel O'Donohue said last week in an interview with defense reporters. Members of the directorate are part of the crisis management team working night and day on the DOD's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the general said. "We're learning as rapidly as we can in the application of this fight, but also any future one," he added. In addition to the team at the Pentagon, a "shadow" crisis management team is working at the Joint Staff's facility in Suffolk, Virginia. That team receives the same information and conclusions that the Pentagon team does, and it can step in for the Pentagon team if necessary, the general said. But that team also is looking beyond the current crisis, he said. "They're there for redundancy, but they're also the development team," O'Donohue said. They're working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, he told reporters. The team also is using artificial intelligence, machine learning, visualization tools and more to look for patterns or to give advance notice of possible hotspots, he said. Both teams are looking for ways to protect the force while allowing the force to do the military missions the American people expect, the general said. The fight against COVID-19 once again highlights the need for staunch allies and partners, O'Donohue emphasized. The nature of the pandemic is that it is in different stages in different parts of the world, he noted, and the United States was able to learn from the Italian military. Now, he said, other nations are able to learn from the United States. "We're learning from them, as militaries go through the same crisis," he said. "This crisis, as tragic as it so profoundly is, is exercising us in ways that are relevant, to include cross-learning across allies and partners." The crisis also stresses the U.S. government as a whole in ways that training exercises cannot, he said. DOD and other federal agencies have long planned what to do in the event of a pandemic, he explained, but it is different when it's the real thing. "The management of relationships, the coordination and complex activity, the whole-of-government approach, decision and information tools, all will be things we need in any fight," the general said. "The focus is relevance now, and how do we learn and get better and exercise those things in the future that have relevance that endures beyond this crisis." O'Donohue said the U.S. military is in a good place for readiness, even with the pandemic forcing cancellation of some exercises. "We came off a really good year in terms of exercises, so we have a good basis and readiness level coming into the crisis," he said. The United States also is at a higher readiness level than Russia and China, the nation's great-power competitors, O'Donohue said. "We have a favorable position and relative advantage," he added. "One of our competitive advantages against any threat is the quality of the force we have, and educating them with the complexity of the environment that they're in. "Education is a key component of our strategic competitive advantage," he continued. "Expediency [in response to COVID] got us out of the classroom. I think many of the things we've learned will be retained and take us where we need to go for the future fight." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India Coronavirus lockdown 2.0 live Updates: Health Ministry in its daily briefing said on Tuesday that 1,211 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths have been reported in India in the past 24 hours. The ministry added that 117 patients have been cured in a day. The ministry added that there are 10,815 cases in the country till date with 353 deaths across the country. Meanwhile, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in the country with death toll at 160 followed by Madhya Pradesh. Amid the increasing cases of the deadly virus in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown in his address to nation on Tuesday (April 14, 2020), the last day of the 21-day lockdown in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic. PM Modi extended the nationwide lockdown by 19 days to May 3. In his speech to the nation on COVID-19 crisis in the country. He thanked the people of the country for showing a unanimous resolve in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. He added that areas with no hotspots will get conditional relief from April 20. The 19-day extension of the lockdown is an attempt to stem the further spread of novel coronavirus across the country. PM Modi also said that the rules could get tougher if the cases are not controlled. The Prime Minister in his last meeting with the state chief ministers on April 11 to take stock of the ongoing situation, gave a new mantra shifting focus from "Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai" (health is wealth) to "Jaan bhi, Jahaan bhi" (life and livelihood). Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities Follow BusinessToday.In for live updates on coronavirus in India and world: 9.55 pm: Coronavirus updates: Case lodged against Bandra protestors In connection with protests outside Bandra station in Mumbai, a case has been registered at Bandra Police station under section 143, 147, 149, 186, 188 of Indian Penal Code, read with Section 3 of Epidemic Act, against 800-1000 unidentified people, ANI reported. 9.48 pm: Maharashtra govt orders strict action against rumourmongers Orders have been given against those who spread the rumour that trains will start. Strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh pic.twitter.com/adLuw2jlxS ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 9.26 pm: Number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 55; 7 new areas added Number of containment zones in Delhi increases to 55 after 7 more areas have been included in the list. #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/tNFv0R9Lsq ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.41 pm: WATCH: Do not pay heed to rumours, Arvind Kejriwal urges migrant labourers in Delhi #WATCH: Delhi CM appeals to migrant workers&people from other states staying in Delhi. "...Ppl may try to spread rumours.Don't get lured by them. No one can take you to your village now.Someone might tell you DTC buses are standing somewhere. No DTC bus is taking you anywhere..." pic.twitter.com/p8u0Qu27ju ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.40 pm: You're safe in my state, don't worry, Uddhav Thackeray assures migrant labourers Nobody wants that you stay in lockup without your will. Lockdown doesn't mean lockup. It is our country. You're (Migrant labourers) safe in my state&don't worry. The day when lockdown will be lifted, not only me, but Centre also will make arrangements for you: Maharasthra CM pic.twitter.com/LbUu8GwHCs ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.35 pm: Maintain discipline till May 3, stay home you have for 21 days, says Arvind Kejriwal I request all of you to maintain discipline till May 3rd. You maintained discipline and stayed at your homes during the last 21 days and the same has to be observed till May 3rd: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/hdOBPwmjhB ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.27 pm: Mumbai, Pune hotspots; increasing testing centres there, says Uddhav Thackeray Mumbai and Pune are hotspots and we are increasing our testing centers at these places. Containment zones are on prime focus for testing and sampling. We are trying to remove all supply related problems even from containment zones: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray #Coronavirushttps://t.co/TSeU5xxVZS ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.22 pm: After coronavirus is contained, reviving economy in the state will be an equally challenging feat, says Uddhav Thackeray After #COVID19 outbreak ends, we will have an equally serious challenge which will be the revival of the economy in the state. Therefore, we have formed committees which will prepare the plans for its revival: Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/ArJ5AgtOvp ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.16 pm: Airline passenger revenues to drop by $314 billion, 55% less than 2019, says IATA Airline passenger revenues will drop by $314 billion in 2020 on the back of coronavirus crisis, a 55 per cent decline compared to 2019, stated International Air Transport Association (IATA). 8.02 pm: Centre has taken cognisance of Bandra protests, assisting state actively: Aaditya Thackeray The #COVID19 crisis will see airline passenger revenues drop by $314 billion in 2020, a 55% decline compared to 2019: International Air Transport Association (IATA) pic.twitter.com/MV22Ym2USa ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.02 pm: Punjab prepares PPEs for police personnel in state Centre has taken immediate cognizance of issue(Bandra gathering)&is assisting state actively. We understand the catch 22 situation centre&states face.Thankful to PM&HM for understanding situation, while trying to ensure safety of home states of migrants:Maha Min A Thackeray(file) pic.twitter.com/anE3rFU8Je ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 8.00 pm: Amit Shah talks to Uddhav Thackeray on Bandra protests Punjab Government has planned to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to the state police personnel, as they are also in the frontline of the battle against #COVID19: Punjab Chief Minister's Office ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 7.20 pm: Two doctors from RML Hospital test positive for coronavirus HM Amit Shah called Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray & expressed concern over the Bandra gathering. HM stressed that such events weaken Indias fight against #Coronavirus and admn needs to stay vigilant to avoid such incidents. He also offered his full support to Maharashtra Govt. pic.twitter.com/N6MhOAHkUr ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 7.09 pm: Coronavirus in India: Ministry of Home Affairs puts lockdown extension into effect After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of lockdown till May 3, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an order putting this announcement into effect. In a letter to chief secretaries of states, administrators of union terrotories and all ministries and departments under Government of India, the MHA issued directions for observing lockdown in all parts of country till May 3. Two doctors from RML hospital have tested positive for #COVID19. Both are admitted at the hospital for treatment. There is a possibility that both of them were exposed to COVID-19 positive cases. Contact tracing has started: RML hospital official to ANI. #Delhi ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 6.41 pm: 8 new cases in Punjab; total number of cases reaches 184, death toll at 13 8 more coronavirus cases have been reported in Punjab today, taking total number of cases in the state to 184, informed state health department. This includes 27 cured patients and 13 deaths. Of the 8 positive cases today, 6 have contact history and 2 have a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), Punjab Health Department said. 8 more #COVID19 cases reported in Punjab today, taking total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 184, including 27 cured & 13 deaths. Of the 8 positive cases today, 6 have contact history & 2 have a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI): State Health Dept pic.twitter.com/055bUZpt93 ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 6.27 pm: India Coronavirus Tracker: 29 deaths, 1,463 new cases in 24 hours 6.20 pm: Migrant labourers gather outside Bandra station in Mumbai, demand permission to return home Mumbai: A large group of migrant labourers gathered in Bandra, demanding for permission to return to their native states. They later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate. pic.twitter.com/uKdyUXzmnJ ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 6.16 pm: India projected to grow at 1.9% in 2020: IMF International monetary Fund has projected India's GDP growth to remain at 1.9 per cent in 2020 on the back of coronavirus pandemic. As per IMF's April 2020 World Economic Outlook, The global economy is projected to contract sharply by 3 per cent in 2020 as a result of the epiddemic, a much worse contraction than during the 2008-09 financial crisis. The global economy is projected to contract sharply by -3% in 2020 as a result of the #COVID19 pandemic, a much worse contraction than during the 200809 financial crisis as per the April 2020 World Economic Outlook: International Monetary Fund (IMF) pic.twitter.com/uX5gPRTY8H ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 6.06 pm: Coronavirus in India: Spitting in open banned in Himachal Pradesh Spitting in public places has been prohibited in Himachal Pradesh with immediate effect, informed RD Dhiman, State Additional Chief Secretary (Health). The decision has been taken to check the spread of coronavirus in the state. Action will be taken against violators under Epidemic Disease Act and relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, Dhiman further added. 5.58 pm: Coronavirus in India: Total cases at 10,815; 353 dead According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as on April 14 5PM, the total number of cases has increased to 10,815. There are 9,272 active cases in India, while 353 have succumbed to the disease. As per ministry data, 1,463 new cases and 29 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, marking the steepest rise in new cases in a day. So far, 1,189 have been cured or discharged. 5.53 pm: IndiGo to resume flight operations from May 4 in phased manner 5.48 pm: We support lockdown extension, but poor left to fend for themselves, tweets P Chidambaram But beyond the lockdown, what was new in PMs new year message? It is obvious that livelihood for the poor their survival is not among the priorities of the government. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 The poor have been left to fend for themselves for 21+19 days, including practically soliciting food. There is money, there is food, but the government will not release either money or food. Cry, my beloved country. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 5.34 pm: Six nw cases in Dharavi; total cases rise to 55, death toll at 7 Siz new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Mumbai's Dharavi. This take the total number of cases in the region to 55, whereas the death toll is at 7. 5.21 pm: Health workers at Manorama Raje TB Hospital, Indore complain about mismanagement, negligence Madhya Pradesh: Health workers of Manorama Raje T.B. Hospital in Indore, say, "We are 30 people with 2 in each room. Our rooms don't get cleaned & sanitised. We don't get proper food. One of our staff tested #COVID19 positive but no precautionary measure has been taken for us" pic.twitter.com/x44YsJ5vti ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 Assam: Athagaon Kabarsthan Masjid and Spanish Garden complex in Guwahati have been declared as containment zones; Security personnel deployed in the areas. #COVID19pic.twitter.com/TynJ8aAvNh ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 5.14 pm: Coronavirus impact: Barclays slashes India's GDP forecast Foreign brokerage Barclays has cut India's GDP forecast for financial year 2020-21 to 0.8 per cent from 3.5 per cent earlier, and for calender year 2020 to 0.0 per cent from 2.5 per cent earlier. The decision came after PM Narendra Modi announced extension of coronavirus lockdown till May 3. 5.11 pm:IN PICTURES: Security personnel deployed outside Athagaon Kabarsthan Masjid and Spanish Garden complex in Guwahati, Assam which have been declared containment zones. #WATCH: As part of capacity building, the Indian Rapid Response Team imparted training and shared its experience with the Kuwaiti personnel at Jaber Al Ahmed Hospital in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/UXiVy1jCZl ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 5.09 pm:#WATCH: Indian Rapid Response Team training and sharing its experience with Kuwaiti personnel at Jaber Al Ahmed Hospital in Kuwait. Under this, we are promoting the concept of behavioral change in terms of Social Distancing to break the chain of transmission: Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry #Coronavirushttps://t.co/Ibdtg6ZX0n ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 4.55 pm: Coronavirus latest news If no case is reported for 28 days from a specific area, we can say we have been able to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission, says Health Ministry. {blurb} 4.46 pm: Coronavirus cases live: JNU working on facilitating online classes for students The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said in a statement on Tuesday that it is working on facilitating online classes for students. "Using digital platforms to reach out to students during these challenging times is very important to keep the teaching-learning processes going. JNU is organizing a workshop on Empowering Teaching through Online Mode to enable the JNU faculty to become familiar with the digital platforms," M. Jagadesh Kumar, JNU VC said in the statement. 4.38 pm: Lockdown in Delhi: 356 new COVID-19 cases reported in 24 hours, 325 relate to Tablighi Jamaat event Delhi recorded 356 fresh cases of novel coronavirus in last 24 hours out of which 325 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi's Nizamuddin area in early March. Meanwhile, Delhi Police has barred its staff the leave the capital's borders and is likely to grill Markaz chief Maulana Saad soon as his isolation period is over. According to Health Ministry, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Delhi stand at 1,510 now, including 28 deaths. 4.28 pm: Punjab coronavirus news: State govt begins rapid testing for COVID-19 from Mohali and Jalandhar The Punjab government on Tuesday launched rapid testing facilities from Mohali and Jalandhar districts of the state. This is done with the aim to cover all the 17 hotspots in a phased manner. The facility was launched by Punjab's Health and Family Welfare Minister S Balbir Singh Sidhu at SDH Dera Bassi. 4.16 pm: Coronavirus cases live: 1,211 new cases, 31 deaths reported in 24 hours: Health Ministry Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 1,211 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths have been reported in India in the past 24 hours. The ministry added that 117 patients have been cured in a day. The ministry added that there are 10,363 cases in the country till date with 339 deaths across the country. 4.10 pm: Coronavirus in India live updates: Total 2.37 lakh samples tested so far, says ICMR The Indian Council of Medical Research said on Tuesday that a total of 2.37 lakh samples have been tested so far with "over 18,000 samples in our labs". 4.07 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Govt begins daily briefing on COVID-19 The government in its daily briefing on novel coronavirus said that the government has given free ration to 5.29 crore beneficiaries adding that the Centre is monitoring the relief package disbursment. 4.06 pm: Lockdown in Maharashtra Maharashtra government has set up an expert committee to propose effective steps for reviving state's economy, said state's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. A committee of 11 experts has been set up to suggest effective measures to help revive the State's economy that is severely affected by the Corona crisis. The State is fully committed towards reviving its economy & is taking necessary measures. - Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) April 14, 2020 4.00 pm: Coronavirus cases live updates: SpiceJet issues statement on lockdown SpiceJet on Tuesday issued a statement saying that it has suspended all its flight operations till May 3, 2020 and is cancelling the reservations of those who booked themselves for travel till the said date. 3.55 pm: Karnataka coronavirus news Karnataka DGP announced on Tuesday that the validity of curfew passes has been extended till April 20. Post this, the curfew passes will be reviewed again, he added. 3.49 pm: Coronavirus updates live: Over 400 million people in informal economy in India may sink into poverty: ILO The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its report titled 'ILO Monitor 2nd edition: COVID-19 and the world of work' said that around 400 million workers my sink into poverty during the coronavirus crisis. "It is the worst global crisis since the Second World War. Worldwide, two billion people work in the informal sector (mostly in emerging and developing economies) and are particularly at risk," said ILO. 3.40 pm: Coronavirus cases live: India delayed purchase of testing kits, now critically short of them, says Rahul Gandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter on Tuesday to criticise the Modi government saying that "India delayed the purchase of testing kits & is now critically short of them. With just 149 tests per million Indians, we are now in the company of Laos (157), Niger (182) & Honduras (162). Mass testing is the key to fighting the virus. At present we are nowhere in the game." India delayed the purchase of testing kits & is now critically short of them. With just 149 tests per million Indians, we are now in the company of Laos (157), Niger (182) & Honduras (162). Mass testing is the key to fighting the virus. At present we are nowhere in the game. - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 14, 2020 3.30 pm: Coronavirus in India live updates: India's death toll crosses 300-mark, Maharashtra worst-affected The total number of COVID-19 deaths in India stand at 339 now, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Health anf Family Welfare. Meanwhile, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in the country with death toll at 160 followed by Madhya Pradesh. The total number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 10,363 on Tuesday, according the latest date by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This tally includes, 8,988 active novel coronavirus cases, 339 deaths, 1,035 cured/discharged and 1 migrated. 3.23 pm: Haryana coronavirus news 2 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported from Haryana on Tuesday. Both cases were from Faridabad. According to the state health department, the total number of novel coronavirus cases stands at 184 now, with 143 active cases. Meanwhile, 39 people have been discharged after recovering while 2 other died after testing positive for the deadly virus. 3.13 pm: Rajasthan coronavirus news Rajasthan on Tuesday recorded 72 fresh COVID-19 positive cases, as the state's tally of confirmed cases nears 1,000. Presently, the total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases is at 969, according Rajasthan's health department. 3.00 pm: Coronavirus cases live updates: Govt sets up 20 control rooms to address wage-related grievances of workers The Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up 20 control rooms to address wage-related grievances of workers, ANI reported. 2.47 pm: Coronavirus cases in India: Metro rail services to remain suspended till May 3 DS Mishra, Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced on Tuesday that the metro rail services will remain suspended till May 3. The announcement was made after the central government's lockdown extension order. 2.36 pm: Coronavirus cases India: CII seeks govt aid for industry following PM Modi's lockdown extension announcement The Confederation of India Industry (CII) has urged the government to announce support measures in order to help small businesses tackle the economic crisis in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic. 2.20 pm: Coronavirus latest news: Amit Shah assures people of enough stocks of essential commodities in India Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured people on Tuesday that the country has enough stocks of essential commodities including food, and medicines. Taking to Twitter, Shah asked the citizens not to worry about the extended lockdown and urged affluent members of the society to come forward and help the poor and needy. In a series of tweets, he also lauded the state government that working in tandem and unison with the central government to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. He also praised the frontline warriors such as doctors, health workers, cleaners, policemen and the security personnel who are fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. , , - Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 14, 2020 2.05 PM: Don't fire employees: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his nation-wide address today, urged companies to not fire employees due to coronavirus lockdown, which has been extended by 19 more days till April 19. "Be kind to people who work with you in your business, your industry. Do not expel anyone," he said during the televised address. Also read: Coronavirus lockdown 2.0: Be kind to employees, don't fire anyone, PM tells companies 2.00 PM: How Twitteratti reacted to PM Modi's speech PM Modi has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown scheduled to be lifted on April 15 to May 3. Even though such grim measures are unprecedented, Twitterati did not fail to find some humour to lighten the mood. To spice things up, some Twitter users also posted some good old self-deprecating jokes. Also read: 'May the 4th be with you': How Twitter reacted to PM Modi's coronavirus lockdown speech 1.50 PM: CII hopeful of govt help The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is hopeful the government will quickly announce measures to support Indian industries, including Medium and Small Scale Enterprises (MSMEs). Notably, MSMEs have been severely affected by the month-long nationwide lockdown. 1.40 PM: Army's Northern Command places PPE kit order Army's Northern Command has placed order for 2,000 PPE kits being developed by women self-help groups under National Rural Livelihood Mission in Lakhimpur Kheri, for Base Hospital in Lucknow. Army's 41 Infantry Brigade & SSB have also placed order for kits, says District CDO Arvind Singh 1.35 PM: All trains services cancelled: Railways All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain suspended till the 2400 hrs of 3rd May, the Railways said. 1.25 PM: Passengers to get refund automatically: Railways For trains cancelled by Indian Railways, full refund will be provided automatically by IRCTC. Users need not cancel their e-tickets. Full fare will be credited back into users accounts from which payment was made, says the Indian Railways. 1.20 PM: Two more COVID19 cases confirmed today taking the total number of Coronavirus infected patients to 16 in Nepal, says the Health Ministry.. 1.18 pm: Nationwide lockdown: Indian Navy develops air evacuation pod to airlift coronavirus patients The Indian Navy's Southern Command in Kochi has created an air evacuation pod to airlift the novel coronavirus patients from any location. The pod is developed locally, ANI reports. #WATCH Indian Navy's Southern Command,Kochi has developed an air evacuation pod to airlift any COVID19 patient from a warship or any other place while minimising the threat of spread of infection. It was developed locally on available stretchers&can be used by other agencies also pic.twitter.com/U9juZZ3aDb - ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 1.13 pm: Coronavirus lockdown in Delhi news Delhi Police said on Tuesday that the movement passes that have already been issued by it will be valid till May 3 following PM Modi's lockdown extension announcement (on Tuesday). 1.06 pm: Lockdown in J&K: 13 coronavirus patients discharged from Srinagar hospital 13 novel coronavirus patients were discharged from CH Hospital in Srinagar on Tuesday, Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary-Planning, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) announced. 12.55 pm: Coronavirus cases live: Poland to begin easing curbs on economy from April 19 Poland's Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said on Tuesday that the country will begin easing curbs on its economy from April 19. He told a Polish private radio station that "from the 19th we will slowly start unfreezing the economy." 12.47 pm: Lockdown in Madhya Pradesh The total number of novel coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh has jumped to 411, health officials told ANI. 12.34 pm: Lockdown in Indore: COVID-19 positive cases climb to 411 The total number of novel coronavirus cases have jumped to 411 in Indore, informed the city Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr. Praveen Jadiya. The total number of COVID19 positive cases in Indore rise to 411: Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr. Praveen Jadiya #MadhyaPradesh (file pic) pic.twitter.com/456FF66zPp - ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 12.21 pm: Lockdown in Maharashtra: 121 new COVID-19 cases reported Maharashtra recorded 121 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total tally in the state to over 2,400, according the Maharashtra Health Department. 12.15 pm: Lockdown extension in India Domestic and international airline operations remain suspended in India till May 3 after PM Modi's announcement of nationwide lockdown extension on Tuesday. Read more here: Coronavirus Lockdown 2.0: Govt suspends domestic, international flights till May 3 12.00 pm: Lockdown extension: Nothing new in PM Modi's speech, says P. Chidambaram Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision announcing the extension of the nationwide lockdown on Tuesday. Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram said, "We understand teh compulsion for extending teh lockdown. We support the decision. "But beyond the lockdown, wat was 'new' in the PM's new year message? It is obvious that livelihood for the poor - their survival - is not among the priorities of the government." We reciprocate the PM's New Year greetings. We understand the compulsion for extending the lockdown. We support the decision - P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 But beyond the lockdown, what was 'new' in PM's new year message? It is obvious that livelihood for the poor - their survival - is not among the priorities of the government. - P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 14, 2020 11.47 am: Lockdown in Maharashtra The Mumbai Police on Tuesday deployed drones to monitor COVID-19 hotspots in Dharavi and Worli. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that the drones are being used to spread awareness about social distancing and surveillance among people. Mumbai: Police have deployed drones for surveillance in COVID19 hotspot areas of Dharavi and Worli. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh says, "These drones are being used to spread awareness about social distancing and for surveillance". pic.twitter.com/kHqOeaKnKv - ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 11.35 am: Coronavirus lockdown India extension: Trains will not run until May 3 Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger train services till May 3. The decision has been takin in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement in his nationwide address on Tuesday to extend the lockdown by 19 days till May 3. The Railways will also refund the booking amount for the bookings done till the said date. Earlier, all passenger services were cancelled till April 14. Announcing the decision on Twitter, Ministry of Railways said, "all passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancel till the 2400hrs of 3rd May 2020". All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancel till the 2400hrs of 3rd May 2020. #IndiaFightsCorona - Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 14, 2020 Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown 2.0: Railways suspends passenger services till May 3 11.23 am: Lockdown in Maharashtra: Total cases cross 2,000-mark Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state in India with the total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,334 with death toll at 160, according to Health Ministry. 11.15 am: New guidelines for lockdown: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal supports PM Modi's lockdown extension Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the nationwide lockdown on Tuesday (April 14). Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said, "PM has taken correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India's position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is imp to extend it." PM has taken correct decision to extend lockdown. Today, India's position is better than many developed countries because we started lockdown early. If it is stopped now, all gains would be lost. To consolidate, it is imp to extend it - Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 11, 2020 11.03 am: Nationwide lockdown: Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi questions PM Modi's address to the nation Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi raised questions on PM Modi's address to the nation on Tuesday announcing the lockdown extension by 19 days till May 3. "Amazing #PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither 4poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. #Lockdown is good bt cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue?" he tweeted. Amazing #PM address. Exhortation, rhetoric, inspiration.....yet hollow on specifics! No financial package, no details, no concrete item. Neither 4poor nor middle class nor industry nor businesses. #Lockdown is good bt cannot be end in itself! Where is single livelihood issue? - Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) April 14, 2020 10.54 am: Lockdown extension in India: PM Modi asks people to follow the lockdown strictly till May 3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted right after his address to nation urging people to follow the lockdown till May 3 with utmost faith. 3 , , , ", : PM @narendramodi#IndiaFightsCorona - PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 14, 2020 10.48 am: Lockdown extension: Shashi Tharoor supports PM Modi's announcement Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took to Twitter on Tuesday to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3. I support the announcement by @PMOIndia@narendraModi of #Lockdown extension. Can't discard the gains being made. But he should have also announced serious relief for those who cannot make ends meet. MNREGA payments, JanDhan accounts, GST dues to states,&aid to sweeten the pill. - Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 14, 2020 10.38 am: Lockdown update india: PM Modi's 7-point appeal to Indians 1. Care for the elderly at your home, especially the ones who have health issues. We must save them from coronavirus. 2. Please follow the restrictions on lockdown and social distancing. 3. Follow the Ayush guideline to increase immunity. 4. Help in stopping the spread of coronavirus. Download Aarogya Setu app and make others download too. 5. Help the poor and needy as much as you can. 6. Help the ones in your business and do not fire people. 7. Pay your respects to the frontline workers. 10.35 am: Lockdown extended till 3 may: Key highlights from PM Modi's speech Lockdown extended till may 3 Focus will be on hotspots Stricter guidelines for lockdown Conditional relaxation from April 20 7-point appeal for cooperation 10.30 am: Lockdown extension news PM Modi said that in case of any positive development in any specific area or district, the government can give a conditional concession from April 20. "In case of any violation, development of any new hotspots, those concession will be rolled back in those area," he added. 10.25 am: Lockdown extended Till 20th April, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions: PM Modi 10.23 am: Lockdown extension in india: Detailed guidelines on April 15 While making new guidelines, we have kept in mind the interests of the poor and daily wage workers. Harvesting of Rabi crops is also underway. Central Govt and state Govts are working together to ensure that farmers face minimal problems: PM Modi 10.17 am: Lockdown extension We will issue guidelines for the nationwide restrictions regarding the lockdown on April 15: PM Modi 10.15 am: Lockdown extension in india after april 14 We will observe every district, town, village, city, region to see how they have observed the restrictions. We may relax the restriction for certain services for areas that will follow the restrictions perfectly, says PM Modi. 10.13 am: Lockdown extension in india after april 14 Prime Minister Narendra on Tuesday declared nationwide lockdown till May 3 10.11 am: Lockdown extension in india latest news We started screening people coming from coronavirus-affected countries even before a single case was reported in India. We should not compare the cases with other countries. But it is a fact that India is faring far better than other countries, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 10.10 am: Narendra modi on lockdown extension People of India performed their duties like disciplined soldiers: PM Modi 10.07 am: Narendra Modi on lockdown This time marks the start of the new year across various states. It is inspiring to see how everyone is celebrating the new year amid the lockdown, says PM Modi. 10.06 am: PM speech on lockdown extension Our Constitution talks about the power of "we the people". This is what Baba Saheb was talking about. This is also the time of different festivals across the country: PM Modi. 10.04 am: Modi speech live You have saved the country by facing difficulty. I know how many problems you have faced. Some have faced problems in getting food, others have faced problem in transportation. But, you have stood like a soldier for the country. This is the strength of 'We The People of India': PM Modi 10.00 am: PM speech on lockdown extension begins Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun his speech to the nation on COVID-19 crisis in the country. PM Modi began with thanking the people of the country for showing a unanimous resolve in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. 9.55 am: Coronavirus cases India: Sonia Gandhi releases video ahead of PM Modi's speech on COVID-19 Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday released a video statement ahead of PM Modi's speech on COVID-19 at 10 am. "Whether in power or not, the Congress will help people fight against coronavirus spread. I feel we, with strong morale, will emerge out of this crisis soon," she said in a message to the nation. 9.50 am: Coronavirus cases in India: Check the BusinessToday.In tracker as country's COVID-19 tally crosses 10,000-mark 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 9.40 am: Rajasthan coronavirus news: Jaipur reports 48 new cases Jaipur on Tuesday reported 48 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday taking the total number of positive cases to 945, Rajasthan Health Department said. 48 new COVID19 cases reported in Jaipur today; the total number of positive cases in the state rise to 945: Rajasthan Health Department pic.twitter.com/zTi89WJCgw - ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 9.28 am: Coronavirus updates: Some US states plan economic re-opening as COVID-19 crisis eases Several US states including New York and California are considering restarting the economic activities as the COVID-19 crisis seem to easing. According to a Reuters report, 7 Northeastern states and 3 West Coast states are also planning to ease stay-at-home instructions as a lot of people in the country have already lost their jobs. 9.14 am: PM Modi speech live telecast: When, where and how to watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation at 10 am on Tuesday can be watched on BusinessToday.In, IndiaToday.In, Aajtak and its web platforms. The live telecast of his speech can also be watched on Doordarshan, Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV. Meanwhile, you can also watch the live streaming of PM Modi's speech on his official YouTube channel or on BJP's channel as well. News channels will also live stream the speech on YouTube. 9.03 am: Coronavirus cases India: Over 1,200 cases reported in last 24 hours India reported 1,211 COVID-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours as the country's tally of confirmed cases crossed 10,000-mark, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 8.49 am: Coronavirus cases live updates: India's total COVID-19 tally crosses 10,000-mark India's total number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases climbed to 10,363 on Tuesday, according the latest date by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This tally includes, 8,988 active novel coronavirus cases, 339 deaths, 1,035 cured/discharged and 1 migrated. 8.39 am: Coronavirus cases live: IMF to provide debt relief to 25 member countries The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that it is giving debt relief to 25 member nations under its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to help the countries in their fight against novel coronavirus pandemic. IMF added that the fund's executive board on Monday approved the first batch of nations which will get the aid to handle their debt service liabilities to the fund for an initial period of six months. 8.29 am: India lockdown 2.0: PM Modi tweets ahead of his address to the nation Ahead of his address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people across the country on in view of several festivals. Taking to Twitter PM Modi said, "greetings to people across India on the various festivals being marked. May these festivals deepen the spirit of brotherhood in India. May they also bring joy and good health. May we get more strength to collectively fight the menace of COVID-19 in the times to come." Greetings to people across India on the various festivals being marked. May these festivals deepen the spirit of brotherhood in India. May they also bring joy and good health. May we get more strength to collectively fight the menace of COVID-19 in the times to come. - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2020 8.19 am: Coronavirus lockdown news: 10 states that extended the lockdown ahead of PM Modi's speech Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu formally announced the lockdown extension till April 30, taking the number of states to which adopted this measure to 10. The other states are Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal and Karnataka. 8.10 am: PM Modi speech live streaming: When, where and how to watch PM Modi speech on coronavirus will be broadcasted live on Doordarshan and its sister channels at 10 am on Tuesday (April 14, 2020). You can also watch the live streaming of his speech on PM Modi's official Twitter handle @PMOIndia, as well his YouTube handle. Meanwhile, his speech will also be livestreamed on Disney+Hoststar. 8.00 am: Coronavirus cases live updates: India reports 51 deaths in one day, toll at 324: Health Ministry India recorded 51 deaths in past 24 hours, taking the total toll due to COVID-19 to 324. Out of these 51 deaths, 22 were reported from Maharashtra, 7 each from Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, 5 from Delhi, 4 from Gujarat, 2 from West Bengal and 1 each from Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, according to the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases jumped to 9,352 on Monday, an increase of 905 since Sunday evening, according to Union Health Ministry. 979 people have been cured and discharges, and one had migrated, the ministry said. 7.45 am: PM Modi speech at 10 am today; what to expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to address the nation at 10 am on Tuesday (April 14, 2020), the last day of the 21-day lockdown in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic. PM Modi in address to the country is likely to announce lockdown 2.0. This would be PM Modi's third address where he is likely to extend the lockdown duration by two weeks, i.e., April 30 but with some exceptions to kickstart some economic activities in a graded manner in the country. The reason for the likely extension of the lockdown duration till April 30 is to stem the further spread of COVID-19 which has infected over 9,000 people in India. 7.30 am: India lockdown 2.0: Coronavirus tracker 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 mosimage GRAND RAPIDS, MI Three Michigan inmates have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they have essentially been given death sentences as the coronavirus spreads through the states prison system. Ten inmates have died of COVID-19 in Michigan prisons as of Monday, April 13, records show. The lawsuit comes just days after a federal judge rejected a similar filing that complained of imminent danger of COVID-19 in state prisons. The prisoners in the most recent case asked that they be released from their prison sentences and monitored by electronic tether. They are being held in Chippewa Correctional Facility in Kincheloe in the Upper Peninsula. There is no safe way of assuring that Plaintiffs will not contract the deadly virus, rendering basically a death sentence, Virgil Green, 55, wrote in the lawsuit. The Coronavirus disease has now reached the Michigan Department of Corrections and caused a steady rising death toll. Prisoners are encouraged to practice social distances of about six feet, which is virtually impossible due to prisoner overcrowding capacity. Green is serving 23 years, nine months to 50 years in prison for an April 2003 armed robbery in Wayne County. Two others in prison for armed robbery are also named as plaintiffs. They filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Heidi Washington, director of the state Department of Corrections, and Chippewa warden Connie Horton. There have been no positive tests for the coronavirus at Chippewa Correctional Facility. An inmate was tested but the result was negative. In all, 416 inmates have tested positive throughout the Michigan prison system, with 10 deaths. Four of those deaths occurred at Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson. Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater has two. Of 169 Department of Corrections staff who contracted COVID-19, two have died, records showed. U.S. District Judge Janet Neff recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Juivonne Littlejohn, 62, who is held at Baraga Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula. No inmates at Baraga have tested positive for the virus. In addition, Plaintiff is housed in level V (maximum-security) housing. Therefore, Plaintiff undoubtedly has his meals delivered to his cell, and his contact with other prisoners is highly limited, Neff wrote. The mere fact that Plaintiff is currently a prisoner within the MDOC does not mean that he is at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. In fact, the very nature of Plaintiffs housing appears to be a form of social distancing. Littlejohn was not in imminent danger as he claimed, the judge said. Littlejohn is serving life without parole in the Feb. 9, 1982, killing of state police Trooper Craig A. Scott in a traffic stop on U.S. 127. The inmate has filed about 60 federal lawsuits in Michigan, with three or more considered frivolous, so he could not go forward without paying a $400 filing fee unless he could provide he was under imminent danger of serious physical injury, U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist wrote in a previous complaint Littlejohn filed. The Department of Corrections contends that it has worked to keep both inmates and staff safe. Prisons stopped allowing visits with inmates and staff screen everyone entering a facility for signs of COVID-19. Every inmate has been provided three face masks produced by Michigan State Industries. Transfers of inmates and staff between facilities has been limited. Prisons have been authorized to use bleach for cleaning and have extra soap and cleaning products available in common areas. Telephones are cleaned before and after use. There is also a process to assess inmates with possible COVID-19 symptoms. Also on MLive: 2nd Michigan inmate dies of COVID-19 Michigan DNR issues 323 warnings, handful of citations to boaters Sleeping Bear Dunes closes all trails indefinitely amid coronavirus crisis NATO Steel Brawler Military Drills to Begin in Latvia Sputnik News 05:57 GMT 13.04.2020(updated 06:30 GMT 13.04.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The six-day Canadian-led multinational NATO military exercise Steel Brawler is scheduled to begin in Latvia at the Mza Mackevici training ground in the southeastern municipality of Daugavpils on Monday. Some 600 troops and 100 military vehicles are expected to be deployed in the area, which is close to Latvia's borders with Lithuania and Belarus. The exercise is aimed at improving cooperation within the multinational alliance in a scenario where they need to protect Europe's eastern border. Steel Brawler is part of a broader exercise called Defender Europe 2020 which ended up being significantly reduced in scope due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NATO soldiers of U.S. take part in a military exercise 'Saber Strike 2018' at the Training Range in Pabrade some 60km (38 miles) north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, June 11, 2018 The drills are scheduled to run through 18 April. Last year, the bloc announced plans to boost its presence in Poland and the Baltic States in order to contain the so-called "Russian threat". Moscow has repeatedly stressed that a NATO military build-up would undermine regional stability. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Athena Software appoints Julian Flint as Vice-President and Regional General Manager for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific The creation of this new executive position demonstrates Athenas firm and serious commitment to serving our Australian customers and partners and helping them realize the maximum benefit from their investment in Penelope. Athena Software is pleased to announce the appointment of Julian Flint in the newly-created role of Vice-President and Regional General Manager for Australia and Asia-Pacific, effective April 14th. In this new role, Julian will use his extensive understanding of the not-for-profit sector in Australia to focus on further strengthening Athenas relationships with its many customers in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific, while also driving the companys continued growth across the region. Julian will lead Athenas experienced and growing Australian staff from his base in Adelaide while collaborating closely with teams at the companys Canadian head office. Athena has served organisations in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific for over 10 years and today serves a large and growing base of not-for-profit and health and human service organisations across the region, each benefiting from using Athenas highly configurable Penelope case management software system. Athena is thrilled to welcome Julian to our growing team, said Geoff Bellew, CEO of Athena Software. The creation of this new executive position demonstrates Athenas firm and serious commitment to serving our Australian customers and partners and helping them realise the maximum benefit from their investment in Penelope. Julian is a trusted leader wholl guide our strong Australian team as they continue to provide world-class service to our customers and future customers across the region. Julian joins Athena from Relationships Australia South Australia (RASA), where he served as General Manager of Information and Data Management. During his five years at RASA, Julian developed a deep knowledge of Penelope and looks forward to sharing his expertise and insights with Athenas growing Australian customer base. "I am extremely excited and honoured to be working for Athena Software, whose values and mission align strongly with mine, said Julian. I cant wait to start working with the locally-based Athena team, but also the wider global Athena family. I am also really looking forward to meeting and working with all of the Athena customers across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific Region and drawing on the capabilities and features of Penelope to help them deliver important services to their communities. The power and capabilities of ClientConnect, a Penelope telehealth and remote worker module, will most certainly bring amazing value in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for case workers to serve the growing needs of their clients. As well as a comprehensive understanding of Penelope and its accompanying client engagement modules, Julian brings more than 20 years experience working in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and data management at not-for-profits to this new role. Prior to his time at RASA, Julian worked on national-level chronic disease programs for 11 years, both in the General Practice and Aboriginal Health areas. Julian was responsible for leading the teams who developed data extraction, warehousing, and reporting tools for these programs. He has a keen interest in technology, data as a business tool, geographical information systems, and leadership, and is an enthusiastic expert on the use of Tableau, a business intelligence and analytics software system that can integrate with Penelope to deliver key insights into organisational data and trends. Julians invaluable personal experience, passion for data, and knowledge of the needs of community agencies across Australia will help drive Athenas customer-centric roadmap and vision and ensure that the voices of its customers in Australia, New Zealand, and across the region are well represented at all times, said Geoff Bellew. About Athena Software Since 2001, Athena Software has provided Penelope, its cloud-based SaaS case management system and client engagement options to health and social service agencies in Australia, New Zealand, and several countries around the world. In 2018, the company was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. "China may be hoping to both send a message to other countries involved in the South China Sea that China will not back down under any circumstances, and send a message to a domestic population about the strong leadership of the party," she added. 'No rolling back' on China's part The coronavirus, which has infected over two million people globally, first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. There have been accusations both domestically and internationally that Chinese authorities ignored early warnings about the outbreak and attempted to downplay its severity. Collin Koh, an expert on maritime security at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), told CNBC there were "speculations" about whether the pandemic would hamper China's ability to "maintain vigil over issues of national defense and security concerns." "This would send the wrong signal back home and to the international community that there's a let-up in asserting such interests that concern sovereignty and rights," he said, explaining that could be why China has had to maintain its activity in the South China Sea. "What I observe is that, since the outbreak till present, there's no rolling back at all," said Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a think tank within NTU. Issues surrounding the South China Sea have for years been a point of contention in the relationship between the U.S. and China the world's top two economies competing for geopolitical influence in Asia Pacific. The U.S. doesn't claim any parts of the South China Sea as its own but has long promoted the "freedom of navigation" by air and sea across the waterway, which Washington has accused Beijing of militarizing. The U.S. has conducted activities including surveillance and military exercises in the area that is also a vital commercial shipping route, where an estimated $3.4 trillion of the world's trade passed through in 2016, according to think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that more than 30% of the world's maritime crude oil trade or an estimated 15 million barrels per day passed through those waters in 2016. Data by the EIA also showed that the South China Sea is rich in resources, containing some 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in proved and probable reserves can be found there. Growing US-China mistrust Following the sinking of the Vietnamese fishing boat, the U.S. hit out at China, saying it's "seriously concerned" by reports of what Beijing did. "This incident is the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement, referring to China's formal name, People's Republic of China. "We call on the PRC 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 statement read. We don't need extraneous crises right now, we've certainly got enough on our plate with this once-in-a-century kind of global crisis that we're all facing right now. Susan Thornton senior fellow at Yale University's law school In response, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the U.S. of sending "warships and planes to make waves in the South China Sea" and attempting to "negate China's legitimate claims and stir up troubles." "At present, the world is in a crucial period of jointly combating the pandemic. While fighting the pandemic at home, China is doing its utmost to support and help other countries in need, which has won universal praise from the international community," said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. "China urges the US to stop linking the pandemic with maritime issues and focus on domestic and international anti-epidemic response instead of doing otherwise," Zhao added. Such an exchange could contribute to "a worsening relationship around foreign policy issues" between the U.S. and China, said Broderick of Eurasia Group. She added that in the coming weeks, the U.S. may be "especially sensitive to China's attempts to leverage its Covid-19 aid for more leadership in international institutions like the (United Nations) or for a stronger leadership role in Asia." Further mistrust between the U.S. and China is also unnecessary at a time when countries globally should be working together to fend off a fast-spreading coronavirus disease, said Susan Thornton, a lecturer and senior fellow at Yale University's law school. She told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" that both countries should focus on getting their respective economies back on track, and set aside "other issues that are still pending." "We don't need extraneous crises right now, we've certainly got enough on our plate with this once-in-a-century kind of global crisis that we're all facing right now," she said. Territorial claims over South China Sea Nevertheless, China's sinking of the Vietnamese fishing vessel in a part of the South China Sea claimed by both sides reflects the ongoing tensions among countries involved in a complicated and decades-long territorial dispute. ... my concern is that any of the claimants, China in particular, might simply use this window of delay to further consolidate and strengthen its position in the (South China Sea). Collin Koh Nanyang Technological University Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao and Health Minister E Rajender on Tuesday appealed to citizens to strictly follow the lockdown rules and asked officials to act tough on those who bypass norms in 'containment zones'. Rama Rao, known as KTR, and Rajender held a meeting with officials and discussed the plan of action and the precautionary measures to be taken to control the spread of COVID-19 in Hyderabad in view of a large number of cases being reported from the city. "Minister KTR appealed to the citizens to strictly follow the lockdown rules and said that social distancing is the only way one can keep the coronavirus away. "The Minister instructed the officials to close all the entries to the containment zones and leave only one route open, under police surveillance," an official release said. Rama Rao, who is the WorkingPresident of ruling TRS, asked the officials to make necessary arrangements to send essential goods to the citizens directly, at their doorstep. He told the officials of police, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Health department to work in coordination and check the health conditions of every person. He asked them to shift the suspect persons to hospital for COVID-19 test and also to check their travel history if they test positive. The Health Minister said the coming 10 days will be very crucial and appealed to the citizens not to venture out of their homes. He said all medical arrangements are in place and asked police and medical teams to immediately move those persons in the containment zone, who show any symptoms of coronavirus, to the hospital. State Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar stated that special teams, comprising police, medical and municipal officials, were functioning 24/7 in the GHMC limits. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday asked officials to pay more attention to the GHMC area in COVID-19 containment measures as more number of cases are being reported from the city. According to a media bulletin on COVID-19 on Monday night, out of the total 472 active cases in the state, 216 were from the GHMC area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [April 14, 2020] nChain Acquires Leading Development Outfit CREA - Solidifies Status as the Most Experienced Team in Blockchain Tech LONDON, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- nChain, a European provider of enterprise-grade public blockchain solutions, today announces that it has acquired CREA, a European software development and implementation firm with deep expertise in Bitcoin and IT security. The acquisition further solidifies nChain's leading position in its field and creates one of the largest Bitcoin development teams in the world, with a headcount of over 120. nChain and CREA previously worked together on several BitcoinSV infrastructure projects, which form the basis for nChain's proprietary blockchain solutions. These products allow organisations to implement secure data storage, auditability, and payments solutions that can scale on the order of millions of transactions per day. David Washburn, Ph.D., CEO of nChain, said, "The blockchain industry is about to enter the next phase of growth and we expect to see huge demand for enterprise-grade solutions. The battle for experienced talent will only intensify. The acuisition of CREA puts us in the perfect position to serve the largest and most complicated accounts, and it will help us deliver greater competitive advantage for our clients through more efficient data management. We had the product to back this up - now we also have the people." CREA's CEO Roman Puhek added, "We couldn't be more excited to be joining forces with nChain. At CREA, we've assembled a roster of world-class blockchain talent and, coupled with the deep knowledge, developer team and reach of nChain, we will be a powerhouse helping businesses harness the potential of blockchain for their biggest challenges. From finance to shipping, from supply chain management to injecting transparency into production processes, blockchain will disrupt the business landscape and we're proud to be at the forefront of it." nChain, which holds over 1,000 patent applications, recently announced that Calvin Ayre will join the company's Strategic Advisory Board. The founder of CoinGeek Media and Ventures, part of the Ayre Group, also made a sizable investment in nChain citing its potential to be one of the dominant forces in the industry in the coming years. nChain was advised on the acquisition by Linklaters LLP. Press Contact: [email protected] Related Links nChain Website CREA Website View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nchain-acquires-leading-development-outfit-crea---solidifies-status-as-the-most-experienced-team-in-blockchain-tech-301040066.html SOURCE nChain Holdings Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] South Chickamauga Creek, which runs from Brainerd to East Ridge, was almost eight feet above flood stage on Tuesday morning. The stage at 10 a.m. was 25.9 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet. The creek was expected to rise to near 26 feet on Tuesday afternoon, then begin falling. Officials said moderate flooding was occurring. At 27 feet, homes on Arlena Circle off Shallowford Road are evacuated. Evacuations also take place at the Fountainbleau Apartments on Spring Creek Road in East Ridge. With flood waters reaching between moderate and major flood stages, low lying areas in the eastern half of East Ridge may be affected, City Manager Chris Dorsey said. He stated, "East Ridge Fire and Police are continuously monitoring this hazardous event. Please be aware of your surroundings and use extreme caution when driving in this area." David Pond, a TVA retiree, questioned the effect of the Bass Pro development and Camp Jordan on the water levels. He said, "Based on the National Weather Service water level gauge at Eastgate, this flood level today far surpasses the recorded 26 foot depth of Dec. 27, 2015. "However, today's National Weather Service gauge is now only showing 21 foot. "Could the raised areas by Bass Pro and Camp Jordan be contributing to higher flooding upstream of the Eastgate gauge? Two Chinese doctors have been applauded as 'heroes' after saving a fainted stranger's life by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation despite the coronavirus pandemic. Social media footage shows a male traveller collapsing to the ground before being discovered by two off-duty medics who immediately performed the first aid procedures on him. One of the doctors is seen taking off her face mask to give the stranger emergency treatment without hesitation while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The female doctor, Dr Ma Rui, was recognised by her colleagues after the video became viral. When later approached by the press, Dr Ma said 'it was something any doctor would do'. Two Chinese doctors have been applauded as 'heroes' after saving a fainted stranger's life by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation amid coronavirus pandemic One of the doctors, Dr Ma Rui (middle) is seen taking off her face mask to give the stranger emergency treatment without hesitation while waiting for the ambulance to arrive The medical worker was returning to her hospital in Beijing after visiting her family in Shandong Province of eastern China. She was waiting to catch her next train at the Tianjin Western Station when she saw the unconscious passenger. 'At the time, another gentleman also came over to check,' Ms Ma told Beijing Daily. 'We both agreed that the patient had a cardiac arrest and needed CPR immediately. 'It's what I'm supposed to do. It was something any doctor would do,' Ms Ma added. The patient was rushed to the hospital after the ambulance resumed his heartbeat with a defibrillator, according to the press. He is receiving treatment at the hospital. The male doctor in the video has not been identified, but both medics have been praised by Chinese web users for rescuing the passenger's life The patient was rushed to the hospital after the ambulance resumed his heartbeat with a defibrillator, according to the press. He is receiving treatment at the hospital The male doctor in the video has not been identified, but both medics have been praised by Chinese web users for rescuing the passenger's life. 'Ordinary heroes only appear in unusual circumstances. These doctors are extraordinary,' one comment read. Another user wrote: 'Impressive! They weren't thinking about their own safety at all in the precise moment of saving someone's life.' Chinese officials have ordered citizens to wear face masks regularly during the epidemic. Some cities have recently eased the rule after the country claimed to have largely contained the outbreak. Authorities fear that the surge of imported cases from travellers and asymptotic patients could spoil the country's progress to curb the epidemic. Commuters are picture in Beijing on April 9 as the country scrambles to get back to normal following the outbreak Authorities fear that the surge of imported cases from travellers and asymptotic patients could spoil the country's progress to curb the epidemic. China has now shut its 2,670-mile border with Russia, as well as the northern autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, after 332 infections were detected at the border city Suifenhe. The country has reported 86 new imported cases today, bringing the total to 1,464. More than 82,000 people in mainland China have been infected with the coronavirus and the death toll now stands at 3,341. Worldwide, nearly two million people have been infected with the deadly disease and at least 119,690 have died. CALGARY / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Valeura Energy Inc. (VLE.TO)(VLU.L) ("Valeura" or the "Company"), the upstream natural gas company focused on the Thrace Basin of Turkey, provides an update on its ongoing production operations. Valeura's operations in Turkey are continuing, with Q1 2020 production averaging 706 boe/d, an increase of 9% over Q4 2019. Realised gas prices were unchanged versus the prior quarter on a Turkish Lira basis, but down 4% from Q4 2019 on a US dollar basis to US$7.08/Mcf reflecting a sharp increase in the value of the US dollar towards the end of the quarter. Petroleum and natural gas sales revenue for Q1 2020 was US$2.8 million, an increase of 6% over the prior quarter. Recently, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, economic activity in Turkey has begun to slow down, resulting in reduced gas demand from some of Valeura's light industrial customers. This reduced demand has been managed primarily by curtailing third-party gas throughput and imposing only minimal reductions to Valeura's equity gas production. Valeura's recent gas production has averaged approximately 75-80% of the Q1 2020 average rate. Valeura is adhering to advice provided by local and international health authorities regarding social distancing and increased hygiene practices. As a result, most of the Company's production operations are able to proceed normally, however the Company has suspended non-critical field work, including workovers and redevelopment of existing wells, and has implemented work-from-home arrangements wherever possible. The Company still anticipates completing its two shallow wells in the West Thrace licence in Q2 but will continue to conduct its operations in accordance with expert medical guidance and government directives related to COVID-19. Sean Guest, President and CEO commented: "Maintaining our high standards of health, safety, and environmental protection takes on a special meaning in the current context. We recognise the need to implement new measures including social distancing and increased hygiene and encourage everyone to do likewise. At the same time, we will not compromise on safety-critical staffing as we continue to meet the needs of our customers in Turkey. Story continues "Even with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the latter half of the quarter, our first quarter performance increased relative to Q4 and is a continuing demonstration of how we can optimise our production operations. Looking forward, we will undoubtedly face headwinds as this unprecedented turmoil unfolds, but we will continue to always adhere to the best medical and safety advice to protect the health of our staff." For further information please contact: Valeura Energy Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries) +1 403 237 7102 Sean Guest, President and CEO Heather Campbell, CFO Robin Martin, Investor Relations Manager Contact@valeuraenergy.com, IR@valeuraenergy.com Canaccord Genuity Limited (Corporate Broker) +44 (0) 20 7523 8000 Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor, James Asensio CAMARCO (Public Relations, Media Adviser) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980 Owen Roberts, Monique Perks, Hugo Liddy, Billy Clegg Valeura@camarco.co.uk Oil and Gas Advisories Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking information") including, but not limited to: the ability for most of the Company's production operations to proceed normally, the anticipated completion of its two shallow wells in the West Thrace license and the conduct of its operations in accordance with medical advice and government directives. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", estimate", "expect", "target", "potential", "could", "should", "would" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. The Company cautions readers and prospective investors in the Company's securities to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, as by its nature, it is based on current expectations regarding future events that involve a number of assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company. Forward-looking information is based on management's current expectations and assumptions regarding, among other things: the ability to continue safe operations at the Company's worksites in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the implementation and effectiveness of preventive measures; continued political stability of the areas in which the Company is operating; continued safety of operations and ability to proceed in a timely manner; continued operations of and approvals forthcoming from the Turkish government and regulators in a manner consistent with past conduct; future drilling activity on the expected timelines; the continued favourable pricing and operating netbacks in Turkey; future production rates and associated operating netbacks and cash flow; decline rates; future sources of funding; future economic conditions; future currency exchange rates; the ability to meet drilling deadlines and other requirements under licenses and leases, including the ability to meet the timelines to drill two commitment wells in the current term of the West Thrace exploration licence; and the Company's continued ability to obtain and retain qualified staff and equipment in a timely and cost efficient manner. In addition, the Company's work programmes, are in part based upon anticipated costs and sales prices, which are subject to change based on, among other things, the actual results of drilling and related activity, availability of drilling, reservoir stimulation and other specialised oilfield equipment and service providers, and unexpected delays and changes in market conditions. Although the Company believes the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Exploration, appraisal, and development of oil and natural gas reserves are speculative activities and involve a degree of risk. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company including, but not limited to: uncertainty regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's operations; the potential shutdown of various businesses and activities in Turkey that may impact drilling, testing and other operations; the identification of a potential COVID case at one of the Company's worksites; changes to expert medical guidance and government directives;; the risks of currency fluctuations; changes in gas prices and netbacks in Turkey; uncertainty regarding the contemplated timelines and costs for the deep evaluation; the risks of disruption to operations and access to worksites, threats to security and safety of personnel and potential property damage related to political issues or civil unrest in Turkey; potential changes in laws and regulations, the uncertainty regarding government and other approvals; counterparty risk; risks associated with weather delays and natural disasters; and the risk associated with international activity. The forward-looking information included in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information included herein is made as of the date hereof and Valeura assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. See the AIF for a detailed discussion of the risk factors. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, including where such offer would be unlawful. This announcement is not for distribution or release, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which its publication or distribution would be unlawful. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Valeura Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/584965/Valeura-Energy-Inc-Announces-PRODUCTION-OPERATIONS-UPDATE BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 14 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: The total number of coronavirus infected people in Uzbekistan rose to 1054, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health. To date, 85 people in the country have fully recovered from the coronavirus infection, four have died. 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 119,000. Over 1.9 million people have been confirmed as infected. 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 REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the government may soon release a plan on reopening the economy if COVID-19 case numbers remain low. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan, speaks at a COVID-19 news update at the Legislative Building in Regina on Wednesday March 18, 2020. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he doesn't see a need for Ottawa to use the sweeping Emergencies Act to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the government may soon release a plan on reopening the economy if COVID-19 case numbers remain low. The Ministry of Health announced two new cases on Monday, bringing the total in the province to 300. Moe said residents can't become complacent, but the current infection rate seems to be flat and the government can start thinking about what reopening parts of the province will look like. "There is no magic switch that we can flip that sends everything back to normal overnight," he told a news conference. Moe said officials will spend this week looking at how to reopen the economy and, if cases remain low, the plan will be released sometime next week. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. When officials do start lifting restrictions and reopening businesses, Moe said it will be done gradually. The government would need to see case numbers remain steady over a number of days to a couple of weeks before it starts relaxing restrictions, the premier added. "We are only one outbreak away from interrupting those numbers." Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said the volume of new cases from international travel in the province has decreased. He said officials continue to look at how COVID-19 patients are becoming infected to track the spread. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2020. Medical staff arrive for their shift at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center during the CCP virus outbreak in New York City on April 13, 2020. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images) We Have Reached the Apex: New York Governor New York has reached the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on April 14. Officials have for days suggested that the peak had arrived but have held back from declaring so definitively. The latest figures, showing a net decrease of 128 hospitalizations from April 13s numbers and yet another drop in the three-day average of those hospitalized, proved enough for Cuomo to make the statement. Looking at an average of three days is more accurate than any one day and helps officials clearly see whether the curve is going down, the governor said. The three-day average of net new hospitalizations was 14 on April 13. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks in Albany, New York, on April 14, 2020. (New York Governors Office) Hospitals are seeing fewer patients, continuing to discharge more patients than they admit, according to the figures. The state hospitalized 1,649 new COVID-19 patients but discharged slightly more. More patients are being seen in areas outside New York City, but the number of patients in the upstate area is still low, compared to the city and nearby counties. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. It kills a small percentage of people and causes serious illness in about one out of five patients. New York is the hardest-hit state in the nation and reported another 778 deaths on April 14, bringing its death toll close to 11,000. But the apex of the virus arrived with much lower numbers than the projections officials were relying upon, stoking widespread questioning of the models used. Cuomo credited social distancing measures, despite such measures being explicitly included in most models. People ride the subway in New York City on April 13, 2020. (Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo) What we have learned through this process is that our actions determine our destiny. We changed the curve. Every projection model had a higher rate of infection, higher rate of death, he said. The governor for weeks said officials would need as many as 40,000 ventilators and challenged President Donald Trump when the president questioned those figures. The number of ventilators needed was actually far lower. Cuomos office hasnt answered repeated requests for how many ventilators the state ended up needing, and the governor has largely avoided questioning by reporters about the subject during his daily briefings in Albany. Cuomo and Trump are embroiled in a clash over when and how to reopen parts of the country following the near-nationwide lockdowns. After Trump said he has total authority, the governor appeared on four different cable television programs on the morning of April 14 challenging the claim. Cuomo backed off during the briefing, saying he only wanted to correct Trump but is not spoiling for a fight. Cuomo spoke against political division and for working together. The governor has alternated between praising and criticizing Trump. The president has done the same with Cuomo. Abortion rights advocates on Tuesday withdrew a petition to the US Supreme Court to force Texas to reinstate the right to abortion during the novel coronavirus pandemic, after an appeals court ruled in their favor. A New Orleans federal appeals court ruled Monday evening that authorities of conservative-leaning Texas could not include medical abortion on the list of "non-emergency" medical procedures prohibited while the COVID-19 outbreak continues. Applying this classification to "medical abortions despite the executive order's apparent inapplicability is a strong indication that the enforcement is pretextual and does not bear a 'real or substantial relation' to the public health crisis," said Judge James Dennis. In March, the state's governor, Greg Abbott, had decreed that elective medical procedures should be delayed to ensure readiness to treat virus patients -- and to conserve protective gear for frontline workers. Abortion rights advocates sued for an emergency injunction. A federal court twice ruled in their favor, but its decisions were overturned on appeal. Over the weekend, Texas abortion clinics asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the lower court's decision. But following Dennis's ruling, abortion rights advocates withdrew their petition to the nation's highest court, even though surgical abortions are still partially banned in Texas. Other courts in Ohio, Alabama and Oklahoma have struck down similar measures. While abortion is legal throughout the United States, there are wide regional disparities in access to the procedure. Coastal states have many clinics, while the more religious central and southern states have adopted many restrictive regulations that have forced many facilities to close. A New Orleans federal appeals court ruled that Texas authorities could not include medical abortion on the list of "non-emergency" medical procedures prohibited while the COVID-19 outbreak continues (Natural News) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated that he believed that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak was over if people continue to be smart. Cuomo made the statement during his daily briefing on Monday morning, wavering on it several times, before clarifying that things could still worsen if New Yorkers didnt follow the current restrictions. When asked at the briefing on whether he was confident the worse was indeed over, the governor admitted he was not. He later explained that while he believed that the worst was over, the numbers could go back up if people were reckless. The worst can be over, and it is over, unless we do something reckless, clarified Cuomo. And you can turn those numbers on two or three days of reckless behavior. Still weeks of suffering to come Cuomo explained that the state was experiencing plateaus in key areas, such as how severe the outbreak is and the number of new cases. However, the governor said that even if this meant that the outbreak had reached its apex in the state, there were still more weeks of suffering to come. (Related: A warning to the world? New York now scrambling to address Coronavirus outbreak.) The governor also noted how many people were still dying of the virus. According to him, while the number of deaths was basically flat, it was still flat at a horrific level of pain grief and sorrow. Despite having more than 5,000 virus-related deaths in New York, the governor said that most of the main measures of the outbreaks severity were either leveling off or decreasing. The states one-day death toll of 671 deaths was the lowest it had been in a week. This total has been below last weeks peak of 799 for the past 4 days. Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized patients, 1,958, was the lowest it had been in two weeks. As part of this, the number of intubated patients had also dropped in two of the past three days. The number of people testing positive for the coronavirus has also dropped. On Sunday, this number was only 6,337 the lowest it has been in almost three weeks. As of reporting time, the state currently has 195,031 coronavirus cases, with 106,673 of them in New York City. Return to normal life will happen in stages Even if the worst of the coronavirus outbreak has passed, the road to recovery will still take a significant amount of time. Cuomo, alongside New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, has emphasized that any return to a semblance of normal life in both the city and the state will proceed on phases. During these phases, the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus will be eased based on measurable progress against it. The states economy will also take some time to recover. On Monday, Cuomo mentioned that even if he was correct that the worst of the outbreak had passed, the states economy could easily take 12 to 18 months to return to normal. When New Yorks does re-open its economy, it wont be doing so alone. Cuomo announced that he and the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware and Massachusetts would be working together to develop strategies for easing restrictions. Together these seven states have recorded more than 325,000 cases and nearly 14,400 deaths, accounting for 63 percent of the nations total. Speaking in a conference call, the governors emphasized the importance of acting together so that the actions of one state did not end up hurting another or cause the outbreak to flare up again. We can put together a system that allows our people to get back to work, stated Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut. The sequence, explained Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, is youve got to get people healthy first, and then you can reopen the economy. Sources include: ABC7NY.com NYTimes.com China has restricted the publication of research papers on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reported. It has referred to two notices published by Chinese universities where such restrictions have been mentioned. The notices quoted by CNN say that the universities have asked teachers to strictly manage the papers related to virus tracing. They also talk about adding an extra layer of vetting by a scientific research team. The pages carrying the notices have now been deleted, the CNN further reported. A Chinese reseacher quoted by the CNN said that it is a coordinated effort from the Chinese government to control the narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China. The researchers identity has not been revealed. One of the universities quoted by CNN is the Fudan University in Shanghai. The other university is China University of Geoscience in Wuhan, reported CNN. China is, meanwhile, fighting hard to stop a second wave of coronavirus infections. Though the northeast border remains Chinas priority, state media reported late on Monday that more than 100 people had been arrested in March for illegally entering China through its southwestern border in Yunnan province. Russia has become Chinas largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the northern neighbour. Chinese people there should stay put and not return home, the state-owned Global Times said in an editorial Tuesday. Chinas northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported coronavirus cases on Monday, all Chinese citizens travelling home from Russia, state media said. Mainland China reported 89 new cases. Heilongjiangs provincial authority said on Tuesday that it had established a hotline to reward citizens as much as 5,000 yuan ($710) for handing over or reporting illegal immigrants. China has reported 82,249 coronavirus cases and 3,341 deaths. It reported no new deaths on Tuesday. Exploration Update - Three Drill Programs Completed Perth, April 14, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Rumble Resources Limited ( ASX:RTR ) ( FRA:20Z ) is pleased to provide an update on its exploration activities. In line with Rumble's strategy of generating and drill testing a pipeline of exploration projects capable of high-grade world-class discoveries, Rumble has completed drill programs on the Western Queen, Earaheedy and Munarra Gully projects.Rumble will announce exploration results upon receipt of assay results and completion of analysis.Managing Director, Mr. Shane Sikora said: "Rumble had an amazing start to 2020 announcing a high grade 6m @ 34.24 g/t gold discovery at the Western Queen Project, a 7km large scale copper-gold system discovery at the Munarra Gully Project and two large scale Zn-Pb-Ag discoveries at the Earaheedy Project, all located in Western Australia."Rumble fast tracked exploration following up these discoveries with three (3) exciting drill programs, which have now been completed and results are pending. These impending results along with the drill targets recently announced by our JV partner AIC Mines at the Lamil Project in the Paterson Province provide shareholders with multiple near-term opportunities for a significant re-rating."The Rumble board is closely monitoring the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak and has developed clear strategies on various scenarios. The Company is in a fortunate position of having a strong cash balance, all planned exploration completed, and all its projects located in Western Australia. This provides flexibility where we can continue exploration or see through this period of instability, putting the Company in a fantastic position for 2020 and beyond".Three Drill Programs Completed1. Western Queen Au Project, Mt Magnet, Western Australia- Drilling has been completed, designed to test for:- Further high-grade gold down-plunge extensions (diamond core drilling) to the Western Queen Central high-grade gold deposit.- Extension of mineralisation (RC drilling) to the north of the Western Queen Central high-grade deposit.- Extension of mineralisation (RC drilling) north and south of the Western Queen South deposit and confirm mineralisation at the Western Princess Shoot.- Rumble has provided formal notice to Ramelius Resources' ( ASX:RMS ) subsidiary Mt Magnet Gold Pty Ltd that it has elected to extend its option at the Western Queen Au Project to 2 February 20212. Earaheedy Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Wiluna, Western Australia- A small RC drill programme has been completed designed to follow up two significant large-scale sandstone hosted Zn-Pb-Ag discoveries made by Rumble in January 20203. Munarra Gully Cu-Au-Co Project, Cue, Western Australia- Maiden RC drill program has been completed designed to confirm historic mineralisation at the Amaryllis Cu-Au Prospect and to evaluate the potential for a large-scale Cu-Au systemExploration Operations- Rumble's projects are now all located in Western Australia after providing formal notice it has withdrawn from the option agreements for the Long Lake and Panache Projects in Sudbury, Canada. Mineral exploration is deemed an essential service under current state emergency regulations in Western Australia enabling Rumble to continue exploration activities whilst strictly complying with all Government directives and adhering to strict Company safety guidelines.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Rumble Resources Ltd Rumble Resources Limited (ASX:RTR) (FRA:20Z) is an Australian based exploration company, officially admitted to the ASX on the 1st July 2011. Rumble was established with the aim of adding significant value to its current gold and base metal assets and will continue to look at mineral acquisition opportunities both in Australia and abroad. Sharing is caring! 15 shares Share 12 Tweet Pin 3 A world apart, I can still remember vividly waking up with the sun streaming brightly on my face during my week-long getaway to Waterfall Bay earlier this summer. It certainly feels like a lifetime ago now, you know, with this whole unprecedented global pandemic gripping us by the throats. Less than two months ago, my partner Giulio and I piled up my truck with books, food, and essentials, with our SUP boards tied precariously to the roof. It took almost a whole day to make the drive up to the remote Marlborough Sounds from Lyttelton, where I now live outside of Christchurch, New Zealand. A pumping 33 degree Celsius day, I regretted not getting the aircon fixed in my car. Luckily New Zealand is pretty unique and was made for road trips. Thankfully, the temperate dropped as we made our way inland from the hot Canterbury valleys towards coastal Kaikoura. Winding our way north with Waitangi weekend traffic as kiwis headed towards the wilderness for a bit of a holiday, I couldnt wait to get to Waterfall Bay. For us, it was a bit of both holiday and work, business and pleasure, relaxation with a couple of intense days in the kitchen. I suppose thats one of the great perks of being self-employed. Perhaps you might not know when that next payday will hit your checking account, but you do get to be in charge of working while on holiday. So in collaboration with one of Marlboroughs celebrated vineyards, Seresin Estate, Giulio, and I were putting up a small pop-event dinner deep in the heart of the Marlborough Sounds. Ive mentioned Giulio on the old blog a few times, but I cant remember if I mentioned he happens to be one of New Zealands greatest chefs. And thats not just me talking. Giulio Sturla was the owner-chef of Roots in Lyttelton, the only restaurant to be awarded three hats (NZs version of Michelin Stars) outside of the Auckland CBD til last year, not to mention he was named chef of the year here. A jack of all trades in the kitchen, Giulio occasionally offers pop-up events and dinners around the world. And one place hed been dying to get back to is Waterfall Bay. The Marlborough Sounds are one of New Zealands greatest treasures. Often overlooked by visitors, as theyre not the most accessible of locations, its an incredible part of the South Island worth exploring. Dont be put off by the complexities of planning an adventure here. The top of the South Island is wild, full of hidden bays, dead-end roads, and beaches without a name. Many tourists come through on the ferry between Picton and Wellington, only getting a glimpse of the timeless magic here while in transit. The Marlborough Sounds hold over 1,500 kilometers of coastline that were once ancient river valleys now filled by the Pacific. Here are endless forests, quiet coves, and plenty of national parks. The preferred mode of transport is by boat. The most well-known of these are Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds. Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets of the Marlborough Sounds is the hidden restaurant in Waterfall Bay, one of the most charming and picturesque spots to get away to. Its here that the celebrated New Zealand cinematographer Michael Seresin built a bolt-hole on one of the most incredible pieces of land Ive been privileged enough to visit. An hour or so from his vineyard estates around Blenheim tucked away and hidden in the bush in Waterfall Bay; youll find 75 acres of incredible native forest. Home to a historic cottage and, of course, a waterfall, he also built an incredible house from upcycled timber and glass a la Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as a mysterious pop-up restaurant. Hidden amongst the ferns and flax, there is a historic wooden building overlooking the sounds, that once in a while is taken over by a celebrated chef for a special occasion. This time it was Giulios turn to take over Waterfall Bay and dream up something special. Along with a few friends helping us put on a weekend of pop-up dinners, we stayed at the historic cottage in Waterfall Bay, which you can rent too. Joining us were fellow Canterbury food lovers, Alex Davies from Gatherings in Christchurch (yum one of the best spots for a meal), and Angela and Nick from the Food Farm (an organic farm that runs growing your own food workshops and courses). Only a couple of minutes by boat from Picton (you can also drive) to the private jetty, the cottage was built in the 1940s and is so idyllic and charming I didnt want to leave. Honestly, it was so hard to leave. I could have stayed forever. Once the sun was up in the morning, the forest came alive with summer cicadas singing, and Giulio and I would walk barefoot down to the jetty and sip our coffee talking. ** Dont forget you can join Airbnb today using my code for $69 off your trip to Waterfall Bay As the summer sunshine warmed us up and the crystal clear blue water twinkled below, we would reflect on how crazy the past year was for both of us, wondering what was in store next. Alone and at peace, as the scents of the morning forest mixed with the smell of the sea, we were overcome with happiness and nostalgia. We would keep our eyes peeled for the resident stingrays gliding through the water, debating on whether we should take the SUP boards out for a paddle now or later on at low tide. What a perfect escape. Most often, we didnt even know where our phones were or what time it was. Yes, this is paradise. The immense beauty of the New Zealand native forest gets me every time; it really does. Here at Waterfall Bay, the chorus of the summer cicadas was deafening, making the woods feel even more alive. And if you didnt already think you had stepped into a fairytale, at night the forest along the track around the property is lit by a million glowworms, twinkling blue like stars trapped on earth. New Zealand, youre magic. At low-tide, we would slide our Moana SUP boards into the calm water and go exploring around the neighboring harbors, inlets, and bays. Giulio is passionate about local ingredients and foraging from the land and sea. We spent the week relaxing and catching our own food, including the most amazing green-lipped mussels, a Marlborough specialty. We even found ones that were almost a foot-long. Finally, as Waitangi Weekend rolled around, we got back to business, showered, dressed, and put on shoes after a week in our swimmers, and prepared for a feast. Just imagine gliding along the still waters of the Sounds at sunset, with only the birdsong and the lapping of the water for sound. Imagine docking and walking through the lush native forest, only to come across a small wooden cabin lit by candles beneath the stars. Welcome to Waterfall Bay! Showtime baby! Bubbles were sipped as guests arrived at sunset. I had an up-close and personal view of the magic in the kitchen. This was a real glimpse into the behind the scenes of those incredible dinners I was used to. Six-course degustation dinner with wine pairings from Seresin full of surprises offered our visitors a real taste of the Marlborough region. Passionate about how food and ingredients reflect the land and people, Giulio pulled out all the stops to make this meal unforgettable. Every dish tells a story. Key kiwi ingredients featured at Waterfall Bay by Giulio Sturla: Cranky Goat Cheese made nearby in the Queen Charlotte Sound by a local family and featured in his iconic pan de yuca cheese bread (shared on his Instagram and saved in the highlights) cheese bread (shared on his Instagram and saved in the highlights) Cloudy Bay storm clams an institution in New Zealand and delicious. Giulio prepared a delightful dish of clam with tomato, eggplant, and pickles Oak and Spore mushrooms which hes featured with homemade shoyu, black garlic, and porcini crackers. His mushroom dishes always get me! Afterward, we enjoyed Premium Game wild venison with carrots, shallots, and cultured cream. Pinoli Pine nuts with rhubarb, Rimu-verbena and smoked chocolate for dessert number one And honey, stonefruit and honeycomb from Roots for dessert number two Seresin Estate wine matching of course (2008 Sun and Moon Pinot Noir COME TO ME) Im drooling about remembering this trip. Different from my usual travel escapades, it was so special getting to share an incredible part of New Zealand with friends and family. I love seeing my partner Giulio work and watch peoples faces light up when they try his meals. I know for sure that the Marlborough Sounds beckon me back already. Food, wine, sea, and views, what more could you want? Have you experienced the magic of the Marlborough Sounds too? Have you ever been to a place like this? Are pop-up restaurant events your jam too? Share! Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 01:34:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China stands ready to continue exchanging experience in COVID-19 prevention and control with Finland and help the European country tackle such difficulties as the current shortage of medical supplies. Xi made the remarks in a phone conversation with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi extended sincere sympathies and firm support to their Finnish counterparts over their fight against the coronavirus disease. Pointing out that humankind is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe, Xi said that only with concerted efforts can the international community overcome the current challenge and prevail over the epidemic. China stands ready to work with other countries to push forward the cause of global public health, he said, adding that China will give priority to restoring and raising the production capacity of medical and anti-epidemic supplies, keep the global industrial and supply chains stable, and contribute to international anti-epidemic cooperation and world economic stability. Not long ago, China held a video conference on epidemic control with Finland and other European countries, Xi recalled, pledging to offer more help. He said he believes that under the leadership of Niinisto, the Finnish people will carry forward the "sisu" spirit of perseverance and defeat the epidemic. Meanwhile, Xi said he hopes for the Finnish side to pay close attention to and guarantee the safety of the Chinese nationals living in the European country, especially Chinese students. The Chinese president added that he is confident that through the joint fight against the coronavirus, the China-Finland friendship will grow deeper. After defeating the outbreak, Xi suggested, the two sides should resume personnel exchanges at all levels as soon as possible, and unleash the potential of cooperation in such fields as scientific and technological innovation, information and communications, as well as life sciences, so as to push for continuous progress of their future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership. For his part, Niinisto said that the Finnish people are currently making strenuous efforts against the severe outbreak raging in their country, and that China's relevant experience is very helpful to them. He conveyed his gratitude for China's precious support and help in medical and anti-epidemic supplies, and expressed his hope to enhance cooperation with China and overcome the pandemic at an early date. He said he fully agrees with Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and appreciates China's sound cooperation with the World Health Organization and European countries as well as its push for global public health security cooperation within the framework of the Group of 20 major economies. China restoring economic development as soon as possible is of crucial significance to the world, said the Finnish president. Hailing bilateral relations as very good, Niinisto said Finland will continue taking good care of Chinese citizens in Finland. He added that he hopes to make concerted efforts with his Chinese counterpart to push forward the development of Finland-China relations. A Port Health Service staff member stands next to a thermal scanner as passengers arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 27, 2019. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images) Maltreatment of Africans in China Following Virus Infections Prompts Backlash in Nigeria LAGOS, NigeriaAsita Awovie left Nigeria last year on a scholarship to study Civil Engineering at the Changan University in the Shaanxi province of China. After less than a year in the country, Asita says he wants to return home and never go back to China. Asitas parents mounted pressure on him to return home ever since videos of maltreatment of Nigerians and other Africans in Guangzhou and other parts of China surfaced on social media last week, fuelling safety concerns. My parents are worried because they think it is not safe living here anymore, Asita told The Epoch Times on the phone. They asked me to come back home. The situation in my region is fair and the university tried to keep us safe but as for me, I dont actually trust China again, Asita says. Last week, after some African immigrants in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou tested positive for COVID-19, African students and businessmen were left homeless after being evicted from their homes and hotels by Chinese landlords and officials, sparking uproar and apprehension in Nigeria. The evictions have been termed racial targeting of blacks in China as the country continues its fight against the coronavirus outbreak. In the videos and pictures, some Nigerians could be seen walking on the streets with their luggage while some were seen lying on street corners. There were also reports of seizures of their passports as well as forceful quarantines. The claims of discrimination have prompted a public backlash in Nigeria as the videos trended online. Many Nigerians took to their social media accounts to call out the Chinese regime, using different hashtags. Do you know how much Nigeria contributes to Chinas economy every year? Almost 90 percent of commodities in Nigeria are imported from China and look at how they (Nigerians) are paid back, Ikechukwu Nwakezie wrote in the comments section of one of the trending videos on Facebook. In the video, some Nigerians were protesting the eviction from their hotel rooms. Nigerian activists have called on their government to intervene, noting that the fallout of the crisis would undermine Chinas diplomatic relations in Nigeria. Some of them recalled that China had criticized the United States of racially profiling as Chinese citizens in the United States and other countries. Leading the outcry against the discrimination, the Consul-General of the Nigerian High Commission in China, Anozie Maduabuchi Cyril, accused Chinese officials of racially targeting Nigerians, adding that it was unfair since many Chinese in Nigeria were not treated that way after Nigeria witnessed its first COVID-19 case in February. According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, there have been 318 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths in Nigeria, while 70 people in the country have recovered. Most Nigerian cities are on lockdown. Challenging a Chinese official on the discrimination against Nigerians, Cyril said, In Nigeria, we have a lot of Chinese. I dont think you have ever received any information that the government of Nigeria go to their various houses and pick them for quarantine, so why are Africans and indeed Nigerians being targeted? We have European people here, people from America, Spain, and Italy and other countries, so why are you harassing them? The backlash coincides with a protest by the Nigerian Medical Association against the Nigerian governments decision to enlist the support of Chinese doctors to help curb the scourge of coronavirus in Nigeria. The arrival of 15 Chinese medical professionals in Nigeria last week has further heightened the criticism. Speaking with The Epoch Times, a Ghanaian medical doctor, Kojo Hutchfull, condemned the discrimination against Africans in China, describing it as a violation of their human rights. He maintained that Nigeria should not have accepted the Chinese doctors due to the maltreatment of African citizens in China. Hutchfull, who has been practicing medicine in Nigeria for thirty years, says, We have a common enemy (coronavirus) but why are we opposing one another? I heard they (Africans) were forced out of their homes and some of them were beaten while some passports were seized. This is unacceptable. We should join forces against the common enemy. The reports of discrimination have also attracted the attention of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria. Over the weekend, the commission released a terse statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, in which it condemned the unjust treatment of African nationals in China. The commission urged the Government of Nigeria to take all necessary steps to evacuate Nigerians willing to come home from China and other countries where they are currently at risk of discrimination or any form of racial abuse as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Already in Nigeria, there are fears that the videos could lead to retaliatory attacks against Chinese businesses and citizens in Nigeria and impinge on their bilateral relationships. Weighing in on the issue in an interview with The Epoch Times, an economist and president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria, Prof. Segun Ajibola, urged both countries to quickly resolve the issue before it gets out of hand, maintaining that China is one of Nigerias closest allies and partners. According to him, this kind of misunderstanding should not be allowed to derail their bilateral relationship. As of today, China is the largest importer of Nigerias oil. As of today, almost all the sectors of the Nigerian economy depend on China, especially the SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). Chinese presence in Nigeria is overwhelming because they are in charge of some public infrastructures like the railway lines and there are other substantial investments owned by Chinese investors in the country, Ajibola says. But the professor also said that some of the online outrage may be misplaced, as some Nigerians in China were reported to be flouting basic rules during the lockdown. He, however, berated Chinese officials for not handling the situation well. They ought to have made formal complaints to the Nigerian embassy in China and seek the intervention of the Nigerian embassy. If there are infractions, you dont take laws into your own hands by seizing the passports of other citizens. No international convention supports that, Ajibola said. President of the Association of Nigerians in Lesotho, Folaji Emmanuel, shared a similar perspective, urging the Nigerian authorities and Nigerians to hear both sides well, saying there might be some half-truths in the videos making the rounds online. In an interview with The Epoch Times, he says, I go to China once a while to buy some materials. I know the Chinese are welcoming. One thing I noticed is that many Nigerians residing in China, except for those that are there for business, are illegal immigrants so they cant get medical assistance since they are scared of being deported. I learnt the government of China says all African nationals must get a report to show they dont have the virus but they cant go and get the report since they are illegal immigrants. Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, met with the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, on Friday, to demand answers on the treatment of Nigerians in China. Zhou says he had not received a full report of the situation but promised to look into the issue. How you treat our ambassador is important but how you treat our citizens is more important to us than how you treat our ambassador, Gbajabiamila told Zhou. Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe responded to the crisis on Saturday amid the uproar. He wrote on Twitter, Our attitude is clear, firm and consistent: zero tolerance for racial discrimination. Nothing can change such a position. Communication, including constructive criticism, is welcome. That will help any party concerned to improve its working methods and reduce misunderstanding. By Trend The rental prices for apartments and trade facilities decreased in Azerbaijans capital Baku in March 2020, Director General of Azerbaijans MBA Group consulting company, expert in real estate Nusrat Ibrahimov told Trend. The expert stressed that the activity in the real estate market has practically stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. The prices in the rental housing market decreased by 6.2 percent in March, Ibrahimov added. "Futhermore, the prices decreased by 3.66 percent in the rental market of trade facilities." The expert stressed that in general, the real estate market volume decreased by 2.6 percent over the past month. In February 2020, the cost of housing in Bakus secondary market increased by 2.16 percent compared to January 2020, the Azerbaijani MBA Group consulting company said. As for the value of land, a slight increase was observed. A decrease in prices was observed for country houses. In the rental sector, an increase of 1.2 percent was observed in February 2020 compared to January 2020, and on an annualized basis - up to 2.1 percent. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz [April 14, 2020] Lightspeed Raises Over $4 Billion to Fund Early and Growth Stage Entrepreneurs Around the World Lightspeed Venture Partners ("Lightspeed") today announced the closings of Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. ("Fund XIII") with $890 million, Lightspeed Venture Partners Select IV, L.P. ("Select Fund IV") with $1.83 billion, and Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. ("Opportunity Fund") with $1.5 billion of limited partner committed capital. In these difficult times, as the world fights a pandemic, Lightspeed remains focused on this mission; to serve the world's most extraordinary people building tomorrow's companies, today. Not just in good times, but in all times. This pandemic has transformed both the personal and professional lives of employees, founders, and investors and will continue to present challenges in the coming months. It takes courage to start a company, and it requires leadership to see it grow and adapt as market forces test both the resiliency and sustainability of businesses in good days and bad. A scalable capital framework enables Lightspeed to support founders on a global scale when they have the courage, passion and earned insight to take on that risk. Lightspeed's global and multi-stage strategy supports exceptional entrepreneurs, in any geography, and at any point in their entrepreneurial journey. Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. Lightspeed Venture Partners XIII, L.P. ($890M) is designed to support bold founders in their earliest stages of development in the firm's long-standing enterprise and consumer practices. Investing at the earliest stages of innovation, from Seed to Series A and B, it is the bedrock of how the firm was founded and operates today. Lightspeed Venture Partners Select IV, L.P. As companies begin to inflect and scale they need a partner who can grow with them. Lightspeed will use Lightspeed Venture Partners Select I, L.P. ($1.83B) to accelerate existing Lightspeed portfolio companies and identify new investments across our global platform. Select IV further cements Lightspeed's ability to back outperforming companies and to grow Lightspeed's exposure to outlier portfolio companies as they scale. Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not captive to the US markets alone. The Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, L.P. ($1.5B), was established as a new fund vehicle for the Lightspeed platform to back breakout companies from across all of the global territories where we operate. It is more evident than ever that entrepreneurship is global - 2019 was the first year in venture capital where more breakout companies emerged outside of the US than inside of it. For over a decade, Lightspeed has worked with some of the most experienced partners and affiliates in China, India and Israel, and recently expanded into Europe and Southeast Asia. Taken together, this capital framework across three funds will position the firm to continue to serve founding teams, technologies and trends that are accelerating the innovation economy. Lightspeed remains more committed than ever to the mission of serving the world's most extraordinary people building tomorrow's companies, today. About Lightspeed Lightspeed Venture Partners is a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 400 companies globally, including Snap, Nest, Nutanix, AppDynamics, MuleSoft, OYO, Guardant, StitchFix, and GrubHub. Lightspeed and its affiliates currently manage $10.5B across the global Lightspeed platform, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India, China, Southeast Asia and Europe. www.lsvp.com Quotes "We are editors, not writers," said Nicole Quinn, Partner, Lightspeed. "Our job is not to see the future ourselves, but to recognize those outlier entrepreneurs who do, and to support them in every way as they do the work to build industry-changing businesses of tomorrow." "Our global portfolio which spans China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US gives us a view on everything that affects startups, ranging from early regional economic trends, to spotting similar opportunities to serve consumers, small businesses and enterprises seeking new, innovative product needs across geographies," said Ravi Mhatre, Partner, Lightspeed. "Having global expertise is no longer a nice to have, but a must have if you want to support exceptional entrepreneurs with the ambition to win in their market at any point on their founder journey. Our focus remains the same today as it was in the beginning in 2000--to invest in outlier founders and innovators building enduring companies across the globe." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005336/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Dr. Louise Aronson, author of The New York Times bestseller Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life, (Bloomsbury Publishing, $30), believes that what we are all going through with COVID-19 is great training for the process of aging. We think of aging as a time when we cant do certain things, and thats true, but its also a time to be creative and to adapt," said Aronson, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco and director of the school's Health Humanities and Social Advocacy Initiative. "Many of us still have the same interests, but with our social distancing and isolating we need to go about them differently. She views this as an opportunity to think about who we are, what things bring us joy and give our life meaning, and how we can still do these things under restrictions. Aronson said COVID-19 has been especially difficult for the elderly. The elderly is not a singular population. I view elderhood as beginning in your 60s and going on up through your 90s. COVID is a risk for people in their 50s, its worse when youre in your 60s, awful if you are in your 70s and deadly if you are in your 80s. The statistics affirm Aronson's thoughts: One-third of all people infected with the virus are over the age of 65, even though they make up only 16% of the population. That age also makes up 45% of the COVID hospitalizations, 53% of the ICU cases and 80% of the deaths. Aronsons April 29 talk with the New York State Writers Institute has been postponed and will hopefully be rescheduled, but she wanted to provide some advice for the elderly and for the loved ones who care for them. SOCIAL CONTACT: People living in nursing homes or assisted care facilities are getting food, but many of them are on a very tight lockdown akin to solitary confinement, and we know the psychological problems that causes with inmates in prison. Being locked away in a tiny room with only a bed and a chair may keep the virus away, but its just another way of killing the elderly a bit more slowly. At this time especially we need to check in every day with our older loved ones even for just a few minutes, and try to get them to talk and hopefully to laugh a bit. Its great for the elderly and for us. ACTIVITY: Put them in contact with some online exercise programs such as yoga or workouts you can do in a chair. If thats not possible print out some pictures of exercises they can do and exercise with them by video or by phone. Be creative. Come up with grandparent challenges, like today were going to walk for 15 minutes together around the house or hopefully in the neighborhood. Give them a task thats fun like reading and discussing the same book or working on a puzzle together. WORK: Some people in elderhood are still working in their 60s, 70s and 80s, such as 79-year old Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Many of these people dont want to retire because they love the social contacts or they cant afford to retire. If they are going to work they are at higher risk so there needs to be some way for them to work from a distance or work from home and stay protected while still doing the work that provides meaning, pleasure and a healthy self image. TECHNOLOGY: Theres a big digital divide between people in their 60s and people in their 80s, and none of them are digital natives. As a general rule they often struggle with trying to order food or groceries online. We need to have empathy and understanding for how difficult activities such as FaceTime are for the elderly and if you show your frustration in teaching them they will just give up. If the video technology is too difficult, you can still just make a phone call. REACH OUT: "People over 80 are more likely to live in our communities rather than a nursing home. Dont be afraid to reach out to them at this time and offer to do some shopping for them. If you know them well, give them your phone number and encourage them to contact you if they need anything. Some organizations look for areas or buildings where the elderly are and provide supplies like toothpaste or cleaning products. This is a time if we are able to offer help to people in need. PREPARE END OF LIFE ADVANCE PLANS: No one likes to talk about their death, but this virus may give us an opportunity when we need to do just that. Its been shown that if you make clear your wishes for your end of life you are far more likely to have them fulfilled and to have a less traumatized family. Thinking about your death requires thinking about how you want to live and it helps you make better decisions so that youll have a more pleasing and meaningful life. Aronson has been an advocate for the elderly for many years now, but she originally thought shed be a pediatrician. When I was working with children I felt like I was mostly hurting them, and when I moved to adult general medicine it was the older patients I really enjoyed working with. I loved hearing their stories and I admired their perseverance, and I also began to see how they were often treated like second class citizens in the world of medicine. Many of them were being written off because of their age, and I certainly dont want that to happen to them today during this tragic pandemic. The Northern States Governors Forum says it cannot lock down its region because doing so will come at a high cost. This was the o... The Northern States Governors Forum says it cannot lock down its region because doing so will come at a high cost. This was the outcome of a meeting the governors held via teleconference. Simon Lalong, governor of Plateau state and chairman of the forum, presided over the meeting. In a statement on Monday, Macham Makut, Lalongs director of press and public affairs, said the governors agreed to approach the federal government for funds because the preventive measures they have put in place have eaten deep into the pockets of the states. The governors resolved to strengthen preventive measures through enhanced boundary controls and surveillance. They also pledged greater collaboration to ensure that there is synergy among them in the fight against COVID-19. They agreed that at the moment, each state would adopt the measure suitable to its setting because total lockdown of the region will come at a very high cost since most of its citizens are farmers who need to go to farms since the rains have started, Makut said. Another issue discussed by the northern governors was the issue of palliatives from the Federal Government where they regretted that so far, no state in the region had received a dime as special allocation despite the fact that some of them have recorded cases while others are making frantic efforts to prevent any outbreak, as well as prepare against any eventuality. This they observed has eaten deep into the pockets of the states as they have spent a lot of money already and may not be able to sustain this for a long time. Since prevention is better than cure, they canvassed that the federal government grant them some special funds just as it has done to other states. The northern governors lamented that the region has no testing centre, which is very disturbing. They resolved to again liaise with the Federal Government to ensure that each state at least gets one testing centre while highly populated ones get two. The governors also discussed the economic impact of COVID-19 on the region and decided that they needed to take a holistic look at the economic prospects of the region with a view to repositioning it for less reliance on federal allocation and to prepare for the future by diversifying to areas of comparative advantage such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and human capital development. They set up a seven-man committee to be chaired by Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi governor, to fashion out the way forward. Australian viewers are still enthralled by the bizarre underworld of big cat breeding as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness topped the 'most-watched' list on Netflix last week, according to the streaming service's public ranking system. Tiger King tells the true story of zoo owner Joe Exotic, who spirals out of control and into jail amid a cast of eccentric characters in a tale of murder-for-hire set between rural Oklahoma and Tampa, Florida in the United States. British feel-good comedy Love Wedding Repeat was the second most viewed title, followed by supernatural thriller Code 8, which follows a desperate young man who possesses special powers clashing with police after committing a petty crime. Brand new Netflix originals took spots inside the top 10, with Yiddish miniseries Unorthodox in eighth three weeks after debuting to rave reviews on March 26, and US sitcom The Big Show Show in ninth just one week since premiering on April 6. Still enthralling Australian viewers, Tiger King tells the true story of zoo owner Joe Exotic (pictured), who spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in a tale of murder-for-hire from the underbelly of big cat breeding Most-watched movies and series on Netflix Australia right now 1. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness 2. Love Wedding Repeat 3. Code 8 4. Ozark 5. Blade Runner 2049 6. The Healer 7. Money Heist 8. Unorthodox 9. The Big Show Show 10. Community Source: Netflix Advertisement Inspired by the life of author Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox tells the story of young ultra-Orthodox woman Esther Shapiro, played by Israeli actress Shira Haas, who escapes an arranged marriage in the Hasidic community of Brooklyn, New York, to start a new life in Berlin. The Big Show Show stars professional wrestler Paul 'The Big Show' Wight as a fictional version of himself and follows his struggle to adjust when his teenage daughter from a previous relationship moves in with his wife and two other daughters. Ozark was the fourth most popular show Down Under over the past week, as new episodes from the crime drama's third season starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney continue to hold viewers' interest after debuting on March 27. The third season of Ozark, starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney (pictured in a still from the show), was the fourth most watched title in Australia last week Unorthodox follows young ultra-Orthodox woman Esther Shapiro, played by Israeli actress Shira Haas (right) who escapes an arranged marriage in the Hasidic community of Brooklyn, New York, to start a new life in Berlin Fifth most watched was Blade Runner 2049, the 2017 sequel to cult sci-fi thriller Blade Runner. Starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, the film follows Los Angeles police officer 'K' who discovers a secret that could throw the world into chaos unless he can find a blade runner who vanished 30 years before to help him. The Healer, a romantic drama which sees a down-on-his-luck handyman discover his mystical ability to heal people, came in sixth. Seventh most watched was Money Heist, a Spanish crime series about eight thieves who take hostages in the Royal Mint of Spain while their criminal masterminded leader manipulates the authorities to escape with $4billion (AUD). Rounding out the top 10 was critically acclaimed US comedy series Community, which features an all-star cast including Donald Glover, Joel McHale, Alison Brie and Yvette Nicole Brown - which can also be from Australian streaming service Stan. Community follows the trials and tribulations of lawyer Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale, who is sent back to community college when his law degree is found to be fake. MONTICELLO, Ind. (WLFI) The owner of Indiana Beach has filed bankruptcy. Apex Parks Group is trying to sell "substantially all" of its assets under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. In a news release, Apex said its operations in California, Florida, and New Jersey will not be affected. The company said it plans to honor customer programs including season passes and gift cards at its operating parks, and pay employee wages and benefits. That is not the case at Indiana Beach, which announced its closure in February. Apex's CEO said the company has determined that selling is the best path forward to enable Apex to focus on future operations and growth. White County will offer $3 million in incentives to a potential buyer. New Delhi, April 14 : Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that due to the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, the bottlenecks in the export of agricultural products will be removed soon and efforts are being made in this direction. The Agriculture Minister told IANS that the government is making efforts to remove the bottlenecks in the way of exports. The ongoing nationwide lockdown to prevent coronavirus spread has affected exports of agricultural products due to the problem of logistics. Exporters said there is a situation of confusion regarding exports. In such a situation, IANS sought to know from the minister what steps are being taken by the government to remove the barriers to export. To this Tomar said, "Today (Monday) the officials of our department have interacted with all the exporters through video conferencing and necessary measures are being taken by the central government for exports smoothly." According to the information received from the ministry, following Tomar's instructions, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Sanjay Aggarwal talked to the exporters of agriculture and allied commodities through a video conference to get information about the problems faced by them so that necessary steps can be taken by making meaningful interventions for early redressal of their problems. Representatives and exporters of organizations and exporters of agricultural commodities such as fruits, vegetables, basmati and non-basmati rice, seeds, flowers, plants, organic products, agricultural equipment and machinery participated in the video conference. The Ministry of Agriculture stated that exporters mainly lacked labourers, interstate transport interruption, shortage of raw materials, phyto-sanitary certification, interruption in movement of shipping documents due to closure of courier services, problem of availability of goods services, problems of clearance of goods for import and export, including the difficulties of access to ports and yards. An official of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which comes under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, also told IANS that the export of food products was disrupted due to the problem of logistics. Aggarwal assured the exporters of agricultural products of efforts in solving their problems. India is a major exporter of many agricultural products including basmati rice, fruits, vegetables and agriculture and allied exports of the country were at Rs 2.73 lakh crore during 2018-19. In order to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced to extend the period of nationwide lockdown till May 3. Therefore, during the lockdown, not only the exporters but also the farmers have been worried about the export of agricultural products, and whether they will be able to get a fair and remunerative price for their crops for export. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano and Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, April 14, 2020 19:29 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1e15f0 1 National capital-relocation,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Jakarta-COVID-19,public-works,infrastructure-project Free It is looking more and more likely the COVID-19 outbreak will derail President Joko Jokowi Widodos ambitions to move the capital from densely-populated Jakarta, with most of the preparatory work delayed as the governments shifts its focus to tackling the pandemic. The disease has severely affected economies around the world and forced most into austerity mode to avoid a recession. Public spending has been shaved and high-cost infrastructure projects have been shelved as a result, with more likely to come. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investments Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Tuesday that the government was currently not in the position to say whether or not it would go ahead with the capital relocation project, as it was busy handling the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Deflecting previous criticism painting him as a money-hungry power broker, Luhut said the President Jokowi did not even have any opportunity to evaluate the project. We havent done anything on that front because the President is focused on the COVID-19 problem, Luhut told reporters in a virtual interview from Jakarta on Tuesday. Last week, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that his office was not allocating part of its 2020 budget for preliminary construction work on the site of the new capital, adding that Jokowi would have the final say over the matter. The authority to cancel, delay or continue construction of the new capital rests in the hands of the President, Basuki said in a video conference last week, as quoted by kompas.com. As of Tuesday, Indonesia had recorded 4,839 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country, with 2,335 recorded in Jakarta. The disease has claimed 241 lives in the capital city alone, with 163 people having recovered, according to official Health Ministry data. The government had initially planned early this year to fast-track construction of the new capital, with a soft groundbreaking event planned for July before the next phase of development begins in 2021. It also planned to finalize the citys master plan and pass a new law to consolidate the process following deliberations with House of Representatives lawmakers. The public works ministrys Cipta Karya (human settlements development) director general, Danis Sumadilaga, refused to comment when asked whether the government was still on target to carry out the groundbreaking amid the COVID-19 outbreak, referring queries to the minister. The National Planning Agencys (Bappenas) regional development deputy Rudy Soeprihadi Prawiradinata said separately that some activities relating to the new capitals preparatory work, including field surveys, would have to be postponed due to the governments focus on combating the virus outbreak. Rudy has, however, offered an assurance that the agency would continue its work to prepare the necessary regulatory framework for the capital relocation project, in which Bappenas has been involved since the early stages of planning after Jokowi commissioned a feasibility study in 2017. We are working to ensure preparatory work goes ahead. We will do what can be done with all the challenges because we are also focusing on tackling the COVID-19 [crisis], which is our main problem [right now], said Rudy. A draft bill on construction of the new capital has already been submitted to the State Secretariat. A presidential regulation (Perpres) to set up an authority to oversee the relocation requires Jokowis signature to be passed, Rudy said. Jokowi announced in early March four candidates to head the new capital authority: PT Pertamina president commissioner and former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Research and Technology Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, PT Wijaya Karya president director Tumiyana and the regent of Banyuwangi, East Java, Azwar Anas. The new capital will be situated in a 256,000-hectare area in the regencies of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan, with officials arguing the plan will help promote equitable economic development throughout the archipelago. As it will sit on island of Borneo, the new capital also will be linked by land to Malaysia and Brunei, offering greater connectivity with neighboring countries. The project is expected to cost an estimated Rp 466 trillion (US$29.73 billion), with the government set to finance 19.2 percent (Rp 89.4 trillion), while the private sector will provide an additional Rp 253.4 trillion, equal to 54.4 percent of the total cost. The remaining Rp 123.2 trillion is expected to be financed by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The government is also looking to other countries for funding, most notably from the United Arab Emirates, Japan-based diversified conglomerate Softbank Group and the United States International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC). Jokowi appointed former British prime minister Tony Blair, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the projects steering committee. The government has maintained communication with potential investors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and is not aware of any investors expressing a desire to pull out of the project, said Septian Hario Seto, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministers acting deputy head for investment coordination and mining. Discussions are still ongoing, although we are aware there is a possibility the project will be postponed, Septian said. Luhut said the UAE still viewed the project as an "investment opportunity". Reuters Germany's Volkswagen AG said on Monday its US dealers would provide cars for free delivery of essential supplies to people in need during the coronavirus crisis. The automaker said it had asked the dealers to use their loaner fleet - cars typically offered to customers to drive while their vehicles are in a shop for repairs - to pickup and deliver supplies in coronavirus-affected communities. The loaner cars can be called upon for delivering food to a local food bank, transporting masks and gowns, and dropping off necessary items to those who are unable to leave their home, the company said. Volkswagen said its dealers would not charge the group or person making such a request. "Only dealership employees will be permitted to drive the vehicles. Volkswagen corporate will offer dealers a daily stipend per vehicle to cover fuel and lease costs," the automaker said. Volkswagen's network of more than 600 U.S. dealers maintains a loaner fleet of nearly 7,000 vehicles, although some dealerships could be closed or working with reduced personnel due to state and local guidelines. With auto showrooms shut during the coronavirus pandemic, rivals Fiat Chrysler and General Motors Co, earlier this month, moved to reboot demand with seven-year, no-interest loans and programs allowing customers to buy vehicles online. As many as 21,000 medical workers have responded to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's appeal to join the fight against coronavirus. Doctors, retired medical practitioners from the Armed Forces, retired para medical staff and trained medicos who are yet to find work have emailed their applications on covidyoddha@gmail.com in response to Thackeray's appeal last week. Within five days, as many as 21,000 people have sent their applications, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said. Of the 21,000, 943 were doctors, 3,312 nurses, 1,141 pharmacists, 863 lab technicians, 766 ward boys, 614 paramedics, 76 retired servicemen, 569 are from allied sectors and many were social workers, it was stated. According to the Chief Minister's Office, recruits will be stationed at districts as per need and their duties will be assigned by divisional commissioners and district collectors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 23 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on April 12. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Governors fight back after US president insists he calls the shots in deciding measures against coronavirus outbreak. US President Donald Trump has claimed he has total authority to decide how and when to reopen the economy after weeks of strict physical-distancing guidelines aimed at fighting the novel coronavirus. But governors from both parties were quick to push back, noting they have primary responsibility for ensuring public safety in their states and would decide when it was safe to begin a return to normal operations. Trump would not offer specifics about the source of his asserted power, which he claimed, despite constitutional limitations, was absolute. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump said on Monday at the White House. The governors know that. The comments came not long after the opposition Democratic leaders in the northeast and along the West Coast announced separate state agreements to coordinate their efforts to scale back stay-at-home orders or reopen businesses on their own timetables. .It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020 The US constitution gives public health and safety responsibilities primarily to state and local officials. The pandemic, which originated in China last December, has wreaked havoc in the US, which now has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths. More than 582,000 are infected and 23,649 people have died across the country. Anxious to put the crisis behind him, Trump has been discussing with senior aides how to roll back federal social-distancing recommendations that expire at the end of the month. Joint effort While Trump has issued national recommendations advising people to stay home, it has been governors and local leaders who have instituted mandatory restrictions, including shuttering schools and closing non-essential businesses. Some of those orders carry fines or other penalties and in some jurisdictions extend into the early northern summer. And governors made it clear on Monday they would not tolerate pressure to act before they deem it safe. All of these executive orders are state executive orders and so therefore, it would be up to the state and the governor to undo a lot of that, New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu said on CNN news organisation. The government doesnt get opened up via Twitter. It gets opened up at the state level, said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. New Yorks Governor Andrew Cuomo, another Democrat, also dismissed Trumps legal analysis. The president does not have total authority. We have a constitution, we dont have a king, we have an elected president, he told CNN. Trump: When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total. Nope. That would be the literal definition of a *totalitarian* governmentwhich our traditions, our Constitution, and our values all rightly and decisively reject. Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 13, 2020 Cuomo added on Tuesday that Trumps claim was factually wrong. The president is clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue, said at this daily briefing. But he added that Trump wont have a fight from me. I will not engage it, he said. Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves, a supporter of Trump, said the question of when to lift restrictions would be a joint effort between Washington and the states. Meanwhile, governors were banding together, with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island agreeing to coordinate their actions. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced a similar pact. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, stressed the efforts would take time. The house is still on fire, Murphy said on a conference call with reporters. We still have to put the fire out, but we do have to begin putting in the pieces of the puzzle that we know were going to need to make sure this doesnt reignite. Trump, however, insisted it was his decision to make. The president of the United States calls the shots, he said, promising to release a paper outlining his legal argument. Trumps claim that he could force governors to reopen their states also represents a dramatic shift in tone. For weeks Trump has argued that states, not the federal government, should lead the response to the crisis. The President can informally put pressure on local/state governments. He can mess with emergency funding. And he can even order the federal workforce back to their offices. But largely because hes left so much to local authorities so far, this, too, is ultimately up to them, Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, said on Twitter. In 2018, 44 countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area at an extraordinary summit in Kigali. There are now 54 signatories. The agreement will create a tariff-free economic environment to spur business growth, boost intra-continental trade, spark industrialization, and create jobs. To mitigate the economic fallout from COVID-19, African Union member countries and the continent's institutions should implement the AfCFTA swiftly. The AfCFTA paves the way for Africa, with 1.2 billion people and a cumulative GDP of $2.5 trillion to become the worlds largest common market. But with the coronavirus hitting the global economy, a worldwide recession is looming. The crisis is bound to have destabilizing effects on our fragile economies as the health crisis worsens. Africa must be prepared. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Africa the least, the majority of African countries have chosen to pre-empt the crisis by restricting non-essential travel and gatherings and closing schools and universities. It is impossible to know whether these measures will stem the health contagion, but Africa will no doubt experience economic contagion. Africas main partners in Europe, and possibly China, are already suffering, and the continent's economy is still largely extroverted and thus highly dependent on global demand, especially for raw materials. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimates that losses in export earnings are expected to reach $101 billion, including $65 billion for oil-producing countries. Health spending could burden state budgets on the continent by at least $10 billion. There are also fears of food shortages and breakdowns in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Two-thirds of African countries are net importers of food and medicines. As for the health crisis, the recurring threat of Ebola has given some African states experience in slowing a pandemic. In the Democratic Republic of Congo and in West Africa, where the 2014-16 Ebola pandemic hit Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the response to COVID-19 is being organized rapidly. National health institutions have reinforced their institutional capacities. The number of African centers capable of performing diagnostic tests has increased from two to 40 in a month, thanks to the World Health Organization, and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the African Union has received a large donation of COVID-19 testing kits from China. Now, the year-old African Medicines Agency must become operational to ensure the coordination of a pharmaceutical manufacturing plan for the continent. Aside from the health effects, the looming global recession is bound to destabilize Africas economies and transform their structure, trade, and commercial channels, as well as how people work and study. Under these circumstances, Africa has no choice but to rely on its own resilience, strengths, and agility, rather than hoping for external salvation, to mitigate the impact of the coming crisis and prepare for the next cycle of globalization. More than ever, new technology will be called upon to play a critical role. African companies must speed up their digital transition to remain attractive, which means that governments must accelerate their rollout of essential telecommunication infrastructure, including fiber optics and high-speed Internet, and invest in human capital and capacity building. The effort will be complex and demanding, but the time has come for large-scale mobilization. In this context, there is a pressing need to reduce the continents high trade dependence on non-African partners. The AfCFTA can help facilitate this, but that means dismantling tariff and non-tariff barriers as much as possible, and intensifying the economic regionalization processes that have now begun. The liberalization of tariff barriers on 90% of products, for example, was originally scheduled to take place over five years. This timeframe must be reduced. As it stands, Africa is the least integrated continent. Intra-African trade accounts for less than 16% of the continents total trade. Once fully operational, the AfCFTA could boost intra-African trade by 60% in just three years. The agreement will be a catalyst for endogenous development, through trade, with the extension of value chains across the continent helping to lay the groundwork for industrialization. The acceleration of the AfCFTA is above all a matter of political will. The cost of dismantling the customs taxes that weigh on intra-African trade amounts to $3.5 billion, which is just over 0.1% of the continents GDP. Rescinding these taxes will result in virtually no shortfall, and will unlock the continents endogenous growth potential. Maximizing the possibilities of the AFCFTA will be an effective shock absorber as long as the pandemic, and uncertainty about its course, keeps the global economy depressed. It will also make Africa an attractive proposition when the global economy turns around. The continent has no time to lose. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, former Prime Minister of Niger, is CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). Lawmakers on Beacon Hill say they plan to review state policies that could affect how accessible resources are to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault during the coronavirus outbreak. The House is launching an initiative to analyze state policies that could affect victims and survivors, Speaker Robert DeLeo announced Tuesday. Domestic violence and sexual assault victims across the Commonwealth are suffering at higher rates as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis," the Winthrop Democrat said in a joint statement with Judiciary Committee Chair Claire Cronin, and Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Committee Chair Marjorie Decker. We must do everything we can to protect the mental and physical health of those who are most in danger, the statement reads. Advocates and state officials have raised concerns about a potential increase of sexual violence during the pandemic as people must work from home and stay indoors with abusive partners. In some circumstances, in some instances, these necessary steps of social distancing and staying home have left survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence particularly vulnerable and at an increased risk, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said last week as she announced an expansion of the states 24/7 confidential domestic violence hotline, SafeLink. The hotline is available at 1-877-785-2020 or through 211, Polito said. Polito also said judges are still available to process restraining orders and other emergency filings to address domestic violence and sexual assault. Decker met with service providers last week to get feedback on how the Legislature could make resources more accessible to people who have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence. Katia Santiago-Taylor, the advocacy and legislative affairs manager at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, said their clients tend to struggle with paying their bills and getting groceries just like everyone else on top of the stress and trauma of sexual violence. One issue service providers have run into is that people dont know there are resources available during the coronavirus pandemic. We have seen a little bit in decrease in requests for services and we know its not because sexual violence is not happening, Santiago-Taylor said. We know theres just so much trauma right now, and how do you access resources when you cant leave the house? In Cambridge, the Sexual Assault Response Team publishes a list of resources available for people who have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence. Santiago-Taylor said the public could benefit from a statewide list. Toni Troop, a spokesperson at Jane Doe Inc., told WGBH that the discussions about COVID-19 treatment has inadvertently left survivors at risk. "We are very concerned that people arent able to access their healthcare provider. Weve heard that some rape victims are not going to the hospital because they heard the message that they shouldnt go the hospital unless theyre experiencing COVID symptoms, Troop said. Santiago-Taylor of BARCC couldnt point to any policies that need revisiting but instead suggested lawmakers build consensus to pass two bills that could help their clients who are struggling with finances. One is H.4622, a bill that would provide another month of benefits through Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) to for low-income residents. The second is the housing bill for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Lawmakers have spent weeks negotiating over the legislation. Senate President Karen Spilka said she hopes the six-person panel tasked with finding a compromise can reach an agreement and send a bill to the governors desk, the State House News Service reported on Monday. Related Content: Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Dr Syed Akbar, 42, has been deemed fit to return to medical practise after he apologised for trying to kiss a senior nurse A heart doctor who tried to kiss a senior nurse as he was showing off family pictures of his wife and two children has been deemed fit to return to medical practise after he apologised profusely for his 'terrible and unprofessional' behaviour. Dr Syed Akbar, 43 told the woman she looked 'young and attractive out of her uniform' before pulling her towards him so their faces were close to each other. The unnamed nurse - known as Nurse A - said she felt 'awkward and uncomfortable' over her encounter with Dr Akbar at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich near Birmingham where he was working as a middle-grade registrar in clinical research in cardiology. Police were alerted to the incident on February 4 2017 but it is believed no criminal action was taken against him. Akbar himself initially denied wrongdoing but later admitted making a pass at the nurse saying: 'I just could not control myself. I embarrassingly admit wholeheartedly that all the allegations made against me are correct.' Last year the doctor who was an on-call Clinical Research Fellow in the Cardiology Department was banned from treating patients for 12 months after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of sexually motivated misconduct and said he had caused the nurse 'significant distress.' But at a review hearing held last week at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Akbar who since attended various courses addressing his behaviour was given all the clear to return to unrestricted practise after he provided four statements of 'reflection' wishing he had been more 'co-operative' with the 2019 tribunal. Dr Syed Akbar, 42, was working as a middle-grade registrar in clinical research in cardiology at Sandwell General Hospital (pictured) in West Bromwich near Birmingham He said: 'I apologised to Nurse A for what she had to experience during the 2019 Tribunal and for my actions. For a moment in my life, I let my guard down and indulged in a completely unwanted incident. I have learned my lesson the hard way and I do not want to repeat it again. 'I want to prove I am a nice person and a trustworthy colleague - and that my past mistake was just a momentary lapse and a bad patch in my life from which I have learnt and moved on. I understand the depth of my error and have reflected upon my actions. They were terrible and unprofessional.' The incident began when Akbar struck up a conversation with Nurse A telling her how 'young' and 'different' she looked out of her usual clothes after she attended their shared office on a Saturday morning in civvies to catch up some work. As he was discussing his family and showing his colleague photos of his wife and children on his desk, he placed his arms around her shoulders then pulled their lower bodies and faces together and attempted to kiss her. Nurse A said: 'He was perched on a desk and I was stood close to him by the filing cabinets. He put his arms around the top of my shoulders and sort of touching towards the centre of my back. It was quite a firm grip. My arms were scrunched up as he put his arms around me, then I really pushed back. The heart doctor made an approach towards the nurse while showing her photos of his family. He has since apologised for his 'terrible and unprofessional behaviour' 'He pulled me towards him so that our faces were extremely close, our lower bodies were in contact, he looked me straight in the face and was looking directly at me and that made me feel as though he was going to kiss me.' Nurse A immediately told her husband about the incident and reported what had happened to a senior colleague later that day. She was unable to officially report the matter to her trust until the following April due to 'work pressures' and a period of ill health. She added: 'We'd had a major event within the department at our trust. I was thinking about how I going to approach taking my statement forward. But seeing as though they were dealing with a major event, I didn't want to add burden to their stresses. 'I then went on holiday at the end of February for two weeks and during which time I was actually unwell and didn't return to work until mid-March. I didn't change my account at all.' During his police interview, Dr Akbar said he was surprised to see Nurse A out of her uniform so he said that he couldn't recognise her because she was in different clothes. He said he had a conversation with her for about ten to fifteen minutes and that at the end of the conversation she touched him. He initially claimed Nurse A's account was incorrect. But in a character reference for Akbar, an emergency medicine physician who works with him said: 'He has expressed regret for his actions and does not intend to ever repeat this unethical and unprofessional act again. My impression is that Dr Akbar genuinely regrets his behaviour. ' Revoking Akbar's suspension, tribunal chairman Graham White said: 'Dr Akbar has been out of clinical practice for three years now but he is an experienced doctor with no clinical performance concerns in the past. 'He has maintained his medical knowledge and skills, engaged with e-learning and completed a clinical attachment where he received a satisfactory reference from his clinical supervisor. 'The steps taken by Dr Akbar in terms of remediation and maintaining his skills are positive and represent a clear commitment to resume practice safely.' Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. Six years ago, on April 14, the armed hostilities started in Donbas, the so-called active phase of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) the armed confrontation of the Ukrainian army with the Russian invaders. Due to the tense situation in eastern Ukraine in mid-April 2014, in particular, the capture of a number of Ukrainian towns Slovyansk, Horlivka, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Lyman (Chervony Lyman back then), Bakhmut (Artemivsk), Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmiysk), the then Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov signed on April 14 a decree on enacting the NSDC decision on urgent measures to overcome the terrorist threat and safeguard the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The active military operations began in the north of Donetsk region already the next day. On April 15, as part of the antiterrorist operation, the Ukrainian special forces liberated the Kramatorsk Airport from Russian separatists. On the same day, several company tactical teams of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and units of the National Guard of Ukraine took a close approach to Slovyansk and blocked it. The first serious firefight of the Ukrainian military with the illegal armed formations took place on May 2, when a helicopter of the Ukrainian anti-terrorist operation troops was shot down in the sky over Slovyansk by a portable anti-aircraft missile system, which suggested that qualified Russian troops were operating on the enemy's side. This suggestion was confirmed after the proclamation of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic as the most important positions in these formations were occupied by Russian citizens linked with Russian special services. On May 22, regular armed hostilities began between the ATO forces and the armed separatist formations. On May 26, the first large-scale operation of the Ukrainian military was carried out: the battle for the Donetsk Airport was conducted with the participation of aviation and landing force, killing about a hundred terrorists. Lyman was liberated on June 4, Mariupol on June 13. In early July, the ATO forces dramatically changed the fighting tactics and went on a rapid offensive. On July 5, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk were liberated, July 6 Bakhmut, July 21 Toretsk, July 30 Avdiivka, August 1 Krasnohorivka, August 5 Marinka, and the fighting moved to southern Donbas. In August 2014, the Ukrainian military conducted battle for an important strategic site the town of Ilovaisk. The ATO forces had almost managed to conquer the town but got surrounded after the direct intervention of Russian regular troops in late August. In the end, this led to the loss of effective control over certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the signing of the Minsk Agreements. The next round of exacerbation of the situation at the front occurred in January-February 2015. The most difficult situation was in the area of the Donetsk Airport and Debaltseve. The militants, with the support of Russian Armed Forces units, tried at all hazards to eliminate Debaltseve bridgehead and seize the Donetsk Airport, thus forcing Ukraine to make political concessions. However, Ukrainian troops, who had been forced to leave Debaltseve, escaped the encirclement and prevented the Russian-occupation troops from advancing deep into the Ukrainian territory. On February 12, the agreements were reached in Minsk on a new ceasefire, which was enshrined in the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements. It was those agreements that stopped the active phase of the ATO, and further resistance to the Russian-occupation troops largely switched to the format of positional firefights. The Ukrainian army managed to stop the enemy offensive, but even today the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine remain under the occupation of pro-Russian gangs. However, the most irretrievable loss is human deaths. Over the six years, the war has claimed the lives of over 13,000 Ukrainians, including about 4,000 servicemen and women. Nearly one and a half million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes and become refugees, internally displaced persons. Those, who stayed to live in the occupied territories or on the contact line, are in constant mortal danger. In January 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine On Reintegration of Donbas. Pursuant to the law, the launch of the Joint Forces Operation was announced instead of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, which officially finished on April 30, 2018. ol Vietnam Airlines looks to sell its 49% interest in state-run Cambodia Angkor Air as service cuts spurred by the coronavirus outbreak leave the Vietnamese carrier strapped for cash. Vietnam Air reportedly is in advanced talks with potential buyers including the Cambodian government, which owns the remaining 51%. But the carrier has not disclosed how much it plans to divest, or to whom. The company told investors in a report that it received approval for the sale from Vietnam's government, its majority shareholder. The Cambodian carrier has not been profitable, local media reports indicate. Cambodia Angkor Air was established in 2009 as a new flag carrier for the Southeast Asian country, eight years after the bankruptcy of Royal Air Cambodge. The airline operates about 10 domestic and foreign routes and has a code-share arrangement with Vietnam Air. The Vietnamese carrier halted all international service in late March, maintaining limited domestic service to three routes. It also has furloughed roughly 10,000 employees, or about half its workforce, amid what CEO Duong Tri Thanh called an unprecedented situation. More such sales are likely as airlines worldwide seek to ensure survival amid a pandemic that has slashed demand for air travel. Stay relevant In the fog of the pandemic, Mr. Biden has had trouble maintaining his national visibility, as Matt Viser and Annie Linskey report for The Washington Post. While Mr. Trump speaks to millions every day from the West Wing, Mr. Biden has had to scramble for virtual attention from his basement in Wilmington, Del., where his webcam has occasionally gotten the better of him. Some Democrats have privately told him that his low profile was driving broad concerns that he wasnt capitalizing on Trumps widely panned early response, Mr. Viser and Ms. Linskey write. But other Democrats think that concerns about Mr. Bidens virtual campaigning problems are overblown, Ryan Lizza writes in Politico. According to the sources he spoke to, he can defeat Trump in a general election the same way he has almost won the Democratic nomination: just by being there. Convince the skeptics Mr. Biden must do more to expand his appeal, according to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who pointed to Mr. Bidens underperformance with young people and Latinos in an interview with The Times. I dont think this conversation about changes that need to be made is one about throwing the progressive wing of the party a couple of bones I think this is about how we can win, she said. On Monday, Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders announced they would form six joint task forces on education, climate change, the economy, immigration, health care and criminal justice, a plan that some progressives greeted with tentative approval. Cristina Jimenez, an immigration activist, tweeted: Bollywood actors Arjun Kapoor and Hema Malini on Tuesday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Kapoor was quick to react on the extension of the lockdown as he took to Instagram and posted a picture of himself from an old photoshoot and gave it a lockdown themed caption. "Me trying to Smoulder while we wait for May..." Kapoor wrote in the caption. Dream Girl Hema Malini who is also a BJP lawmaker took to Twitter to welcome the lockdown extension announced by Modi. "We have completed 3 weeks of nationwide lockdown successfully & controlled the spread of the virus to a large extent," she tweeted. "Let us follow our PM @narendramodi ji's behest to the nation to observe next 3 weeks also in strict lockdown. For our own welfare & benefit we shdn't break rules," her tweet further read. India will remain under lockdown till May 3 to contain COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agnes Pelton, Sand Storm, 1932, oil on canvas Contributed by Laurie Fendrich / Pause for a moment to pity the painter Agnes Pelton (1881-1961). While she was alive, she was mostly overlooked; after her death, she was still mostly overlooked. This spring was to have been Peltons big moment, for she was finally to move into the spotlight of the New York art world. A travelling retrospective exhibition, organized by the Phoenix Museum of Art, followed by a run at The New Mexico Art Museum (where I first saw it this past fall), had now arrived at the Whitney, where it opened March 10. I was among the lucky few to catch the show at a press view before it was closed to the public March 13 courtesy of the wretched coronavirus pandemic. The exhibition consists of almost half of Peltons extant paintings (in total, there are only around 100; often painting only one day a week, the artist was hardly a studio rat). Now the paintings hang, in all their futile glory, inside darkened Whitney galleries. No one can say for certain if the Museum will open before the shows scheduled closing June 28th. Had a virus not moved with ferocity over our planet, the exhibition would almost certainly have drawn big crowds. More, it would have been a revelation, especially to the many who dont know of Pelton (The Whitney acquired two Pelton paintings in 1995 and 1999, and ever since the Chelsea building opened, theyve been on view). There likely would have been a buzz such as that accompanying the Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Guggenheim, and Peltons work would have taken its rightful place in the Spiritualism and Transcendentalism section of the increasingly complicated narrative of modern art. Instead, the Pelton exhibition turned as evanescent and elusive as her paintings themselves. Now there will probably be no sufficient reevaluation of Peltons place in American modernism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOwpqdHi8S0 This isnt to say attention has never been paid to Pelton or isnt being paid now. She exhibited her paintings in several group and solo shows well before she turned fully abstract in 1926 and was well enough known that the southwestern Transcendental Painting Group in Santa Fe made her an honorary member from 1938-1941. Living for a while off the modest inheritance left her by her mother, she also painted conventional still lifes to support herself (her abstract paintings found some takers, but not enough; after her death, one painting was even found in a second-hand shop). She didnt market herself and wasnt distressed she didnt sell. She was posthumously included in the L.A. County Museum of Arts 1986 exhibition, curated by Maurice Tuchman, The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985. ( I saw this show when I was a young[er] artist living in LA, but given I am about as spiritual as a potato chip, the show left little impression on me; I certainly dont recall noticing the Pelton contribution.) The Palm Springs Desert Museum in California mounted a retrospective in 1995, which brought Pelton some national attention. Now come several celebratory reviews of the Whitney exhibition, including, The New York Times, artnetNEWS, Vogue, The Observer, artcritical.com, which means that even though few will actually see the paintings in the Whitney venue, Peltons name is now, as they say, on the board. Agnes Pelton, Light Center, 1947-48, oil on canvas, 36 25 inches Agnes Pelton, Ahmi in Egypt, 1931, oil on canvas Born in 1881 to American parents living in Germany, Pelton moved to Brooklyn with her mother while still a somewhat sickly child. She studied at Pratt with Arthur Wesley Dow (Georgia OKeeffe was also his student) and later became his assistant at his summer school. One of her paintings was exhibited in the New York Armory Show in 1913, an indication that her modernist tendencies were present early on. After meeting the arts patron Mable Dodge Luhan while visiting Taos, NM, in 1919, Pelton shifted from making what she called imaginative paintings (figurative paintings influenced by the work of Arthur B. Davies) to painting desert landscapes. By 1926, after shed already had several shows in New Mexico and New York, she turned to abstraction. From her journals, we know how deeply she loved the air and light of the desert, and we learn about her various philosophical interests. In 1932 she deliberately separated herself from New York, where shed been living, and the New York art world, and moved to the California desert town of Cathedral City, near Palm Springs. There she lived and worked for almost three more decades before she died in 1961. Although there is no substitute for seeing paintings of any kind in the flesh, there is material about Pelton on the Whitneys website thats about as good as such stuff gets. It includes help in understanding Peltons symbolic abstraction, which is apparently extremely particular in terms of what stands for what. In addition to loving desert space, light and air, the artist was deeply engaged with Theosophy, Agni Yoga, religious occultism in general, numerology, astrology, faith healing, even a dash of Jung. While I myself am not drawn in the least to any of her philosophical beliefs, the mysterious beauty evoked by her color and oftentimes bizarre forms pulls me into her paintings. What with its pretty bud, glowing vessel, and single bright star hanging in the sky above, Star Gazer (1926), for example, ought to be a hokey picture. Instead, even without knowing anything about the meaning and aspirations Pelton attached to this work, we can feel it humbling our arrogance by telling us that the firmament envelops everything we think we know. Agnes Pelton, Star Gazer, 1929, oil on canvas Agnes Pelton, Orbits, 1934, oil on canvas, 36.25 30 inches I cheerfully own up that I know little about any of the philosophies that drove Pelton to make her art, and more, that I have no interest in learning more about them. Yet theres an ineluctable spell cast by her biomorphic, rounded forms that often amount to odd, abstract swellings, such as those in Sea Change (1931) owned, by the way, by the Whitney. Orbits (1934), with its vessel shape occupying practically the whole canvas, and its whizzing orbits delineated by precise dotted lines hovering above an implied earth-like ground, and topped by a pretty scallop shape, is a masterpiece of symbolic language, I am sure. Yet I am fine seeing her paintings without any rich understanding of her symbols, but instead as kindly philosophical aliens weightlessly inhabiting an imagined space. To me, what counts is that Peltons paintings are as luminous as those of the early Netherlandish painters, and her color reveals a deeply internalized understanding of how color complements, especially, work. Oranges, golds and pale salmons often play off an array of different blue or green hues, with the artist transitioning from, say, ultramarine to cerulean, as easily as an Olympic skater glides across ice. I find myself transfixed by Messengers (1932), with its muted blue sky gradually growing golden as it meets the blue half-orb below, and its bizarre, barely adumbrated gold vessel topped by yellow grasses, even though it makes no rational sense. Agnes Pelton, Messengers, 1932, oil on canvas Agnes Pelton, Fires in Space, 1938, oil on canvas, 30.12 x 25 inches Do I insult Peltons art if I claim I love her paintings while admitting a blank response to her spiritualism? I think not. All painters have a starting point, and some painters I admire start off with far more wacky ideas than she does. The only three questions I ask are whether those extra-aesthetic starting points fall within the realm of good ethics, whether I sense theyre felt passionately by the artist, and what the results the artlooks like. I can feel Peltons deep belief in her various philosophies, and that they amount to a lovely if bizarre (to me) spirituality. I think the paintings are gorgeous to look at. The beauty of her paintings leads me to be moved by her spiritualism without converting me to it. And thats how it should be. Painting is a vehicle not for conversion, but for contemplation. Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist, organized by the Phoenix Art Museum, curated by Gilbert Vicario. The installation at the Whitney was overseen by Barbara Haskell, curator, and Sarah Humphreville, senior curatorial assistant. The Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort Street, Lower Manhattan, New York, NY. March 10-June 28, 2020. Closed due to Covid-19. About the author: Laurie Fendrich is a painter, writer, and professor emerita of fine arts at Hofstra University. Related posts: Hilma af Klint: A timely message from the beyond Hello Instagram: Angela Lane in Berlin The OC: Georgia OKeeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin and Florence Miller Pierce Agnes Martin: A resolutely solitary endeavor The Navy is battling a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship docked in Los Angeles as seven crew members have tested positive for the deadly infection. Navy spokesperson Cmdr. John Fage said that the infected crew members have been isolated off the ship and that the cases will not impact its ability to take patients. The outbreak on the USNS Mercy marks yet another blow for the Navy, after four crew members onboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship in New York have also tested positive and a sailor on the USNS Roosevelt aircraft carrier died from coronavirus on Monday. Navy officials confirmed Monday that four more sailors onboard the Mercy had tested positive for the virus over the weekend, bringing its total cases among crew to seven. The USNS Mercy docked in the Port of Los Angeles. The Navy is battling an outbreak onboard the ship after seven crew members have now tested positive for coronavirus 'Seven Medical Treatment Facility crew members on board USNS Mercy have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently isolated off the ship,' Fage said in an email to the San Diego Tribune. 'The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board.' Crew members who have come into contact with the infected sailors have also disembarked the ship and gone into quarantine, although all have tested negative for the virus. In addition to the seven who have contracted coronavirus, another 120 of the 1,000 crew members are quarantined ashore, according to Business Insider. The outbreak does not affect the Mercy's ability to receive patients, Fage said. Sailors transfer a patient aboard the hospital ship to the intensive care unit on Monday. The infected crew members have been isolated ashore and another 120 of the 1,000 crew who came into contact with them are also in quarantine Medical staff prepare a patient for a CT scan onboard the Mercy. Navy spokesperson Cmdr. John Fage insisted the cases among crew members will not impact its ability to take patients The USNS Mercy left San Diego on March 23 and docked in the Port of Los Angeles on March 27 to ease the strain on California's hospitals. The first case among Mercy crew members was reported on Wednesday, before the Navy confirmed another two Friday. Sailors have raised concerns that medical crew may have brought the virus on board the hospital ship after many were redeployed from Navy medical facilities where military members are being treated for coronavirus, including Naval Medical Center San Diego. This comes as four crew members on board the USNS Comfort hospital ship have also tested positive for coronavirus. Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Dane Chambers working on a ward on the Mercy. Sailors have raised concerns that medical crew brought the virus on board the ship after being redeployed from Navy medical facilities where military members are being treated for coronavirus Sailors attend Sunday Easter sunrise service on the flight deck aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy Three have so far fully recovered and returned to work onboard the ship, and one remains in quarantine. The Navy is also grappling with an outbreak onboard the doomed aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, where the ship's captain was notoriously fired for sounding the alarm of an outbreak. One sailor died of complications from the virus on Monday, Navy officials revealed, and at least 585 sailors have now tested positive for the virus. Both the Mercy and the USNS Comfort, which arrived in New York on March 30, have been plagued by red tape as they have been turned into civilian hospitals. Drafted in to help the healthcare systems in their respective states bring the pandemic under control, beds in both facilities have consistently lay empty as regulations initially insisted they could only accept non-COVID-19 patients. The Mercy is currently treating just 20 non-coronavirus patients, despite having a capacity of 1,000 beds, according to Business Insider. Four crew members onboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship in New York (above) have also tested positive for coronavirus In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo called for the Comfort to begin accepting COVID-19 patients and last week President Donald Trump approved his plea. Following the move, the ship is now taking more patients but its intake still dwarfs that of the state's hospitals, where wards are overflowing and body bags line the corridors. The Comfort can take around 500 patients - allowing for social distancing practices - but has so far treated only 120 in total, with around half having a coronavirus diagnosis. It is currently treating just 70 patients, of which 34 are in intensive care. Agartala: A 35-year-old woman, supposed to be a Bangladeshi, is stranded between the India and Bangladesh border in Tripura since the past two weeks. Despite the border guards of the two countries holding a series of meetings her status remains uncertain, officials said on Tuesday. "The woman, maybe a Bangladeshi, was suddenly noticed by the Border Security Force and villagers on April 2. Since then the officials of BSF and BGB (Border Guards Bangladesh) have held a series of meetings, but the issue remains unresolved," South Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Debapriya Bardhan told IANS over phone from Belonia, the district headquarters. "Some people on both sides of the border are occasionally providing food to the woman. Despite she being a Bangladeshi citizen, the BGB officials are reluctant to take her back," a BSF official said, refusing to be quoted. The woman is stranded on the sandy bank of the Feni river, which divides India and Bangladesh along southern Tripura. The official said that both BSF and BGB officials tried to know the name of her village or residential area, but she has remained mostly silent. "In view of the novel coronavirus pandemic, we think it is risky to take her back on either side," the BSF official said, adding that the woman as per her body language is keen to go to Bangladesh, but the BGB officials have refused to take her back. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:37:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have stressed unremitting efforts in taking regular epidemic control measures in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan Tuesday inspected on-site epidemiological investigation and COVID-19 containment work at communities, public transit hubs and farm produce markets in the Chinese city hardest hit by the coronavirus. Pretoria (South Africa) 13 April 2020 (SPS)- South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release Today responding to Moroccan official press agency, MAP, misleading report on South Africas and indeed the United Nations Security Council recent debate on the occupied territory in the Western Sahara, which attempts to portray South Africas principled positions on these matters as being out of step with the majority of nations in the world. The Press release pointed out an article that was published online in mapnews.ma, which translated into English is the Moroccan Press Agency, has put out a misleading report on South Africas and indeed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recent debate on the occupied territory in the Western Sahara. To answer this Moroccan misuse of official medias to distort the South African stance, the South African Ministry stressed that its approach on Western Sahara is guided by the position of the African Union, which has consistently supported the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in line with the relevant AU decisions and UN Security Council resolutions. The African Union has also consistently appealed to the parties to the conflict to urgently resume negotiations without pre-conditions and in good faith, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, whose Security Council is seized of the matter. Following is the full text of the Press Release: 13 April 2020 South Africa Reiterates its Position on the Recognised Right to Self-Determination of the People of Western Sahara An article that was published online in mapnews.ma, which translated into English is the Moroccan Press Agency, has put out a misleading report on South Africas and indeed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recent debate on the occupied territory in the Western Sahara. The article in the online French language platform has since been picked up by the local media. This statement serves to correct the attempt to again, caricature South Africas principled stance on anti-occupation and decolonisation issues. Also, and without disclosing the outcomes of a closed session of the UNSC, the statement will correct the attempt to portray South Africas principled positions on these matters as being out of step with the majority of nations in the world. South Africas stance resonates with most countries who have experienced colonialism and occupation. That being said, even if South Africas principled position was indeed a minority view in some forums, which is not the case, our foreign policy in relation to occupation, decolonisation and human rights abuses will always be based on principle and not, expediency. The United Nations Security Council held a closed video teleconferences to discuss the situation in the Western Sahara on 9 April 2020. The focus of the meeting was to consider recent developments in the Western Sahara as well receive a report on the work of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). MINURSO, which was created in 1991 to primarily monitor the ceasefire between the two sides, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO and organise and ensure a free and fair referendum in the territory. As the meeting was closed, South Africa is not at liberty to disclose the details of the discussions. We regret that unlike the Security Councils recent practice of issuing elements to the press following video teleconferences in order to ensure transparency in its work, the Council was not able to agree to an outcome after the Western Sahara consultations. This is unfortunate, and we trust that the Council will deal with Western Sahara in an even-handed and transparent manner as has done with other meetings held through video-teleconferences. South Africa particularly regrets that the Security Council has not been able to move the peace process forward. This is unfortunate as the people of Western Sahara continue to endure the occupation and their struggle for their right to self-determination is prolonged. However, we hereby briefly outline South Africas position on the matter which of course we articulated at this meeting. The issue of Western Sahara has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades as Western Sahara remains the last colony on the African continent, listed as a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations. It needs to be noted that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has made findings to the effect that the Western Sahara is an occupied territory and the Morocco is an occupying force in that territory. As an elected member serving on the UN Security Council, South Africa utilised the opportunity to once again reiterate our established commitment to efforts to achieve a peaceful solution, which will provide for the long-established principle of self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. This is in line with the approach of the United Nations and the Africa Union. South Africa unequivocally and strongly supports the work and mandate of MINURSO and urges the UN Security Council to take up its responsibility and ensure that through a neutral and balanced approach it assists the parties in moving towards a mutually acceptable negotiated settlement. South Africa looks forward to the appointment of a new Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General and we trust that the political process would be advanced to ensure continued, direct, substantive negotiations between the two parties to the conflict, the Frente POLISARIO and the Kingdom of Morocco. South Africas approach on Western Sahara is guided by the position of the African Union, which has consistently supported the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, in line with the relevant AU decisions and UN Security Council resolutions. The African Union has also consistently appealed to the parties to the conflict to urgently resume negotiations without pre-conditions and in good faith, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, whose Security Council is seized of the matter. In the context of the global crisis brought about by the novel COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa supports the call for a global ceasefire by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General. Consequently, we therefore urge both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO to strictly abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreements, such as Military Agreement No 1, to avoid violence that could lead to a rise in hostilities in the territory. Furthermore, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and with many countries under lockdown, self-isolation or quarantine, South Africa calls on the international community to support efforts in the occupied territories and refugee camps, where the health care system is poor and medical supplies and equipment are limited. In this regard, South Africa calls on the Kingdom of Morocco, to fulfil its responsibility as the occupying power by ensuring the necessary access, and unhindered passage of humanitarian and medical supplies, to the territories that it occupies. Enquiries, Lunga Ngqengelele - 082 566 0446 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION". (SPS) 090/500/60 (SPS) The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. The word gentile is found throughout the Bible, used most often in the New Testament. Paul wrote and ministered to gentiles, Peter wrote about and interacted with gentiles, and even Simeon prophesied that Jesus was a light to the gentiles (See: Luke 2:32). Readers may wonder if this was a term used to reference a particular nation or ethnic group that was around during the time Jesus walked the earth and when the early church began. The Greek word most often translated to gentile is . This word means nations or people. In the Bible, when this word is used, it is not describing one nation or ethnic group, rather the term gentile refers to anyone who is not of Jewish descent. Gentile would also broadly describe those who do not believe in God. Where Does the Bible Talk about Gentiles? The concept of Gentiles is found in the Old Testament. God designated the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, as His chosen people. He made a covenant with them and revealed His commandments to them, which they were to live according to. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. In the Old Testament, we find accounts of gentiles becoming Jewish converts and followers of God, such as the prophet Obadiah, who was from Edom. In the Old Testament, there is a range of verses that highlight the promise that all nations will one day be able to serve God. It is prophesied that gentiles, too, would have an opportunity to become part of Gods nation, even if they were not Jewish. I will sow her for Myself in the land I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!' (Hosea 2:23). And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed (Daniel 7:14). I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6). Jesus became the bridge between the gentiles and God. Jesus message of repentance, salvation, His death and resurrection all extend to not only Jewish people, but to gentiles, as well. The disciples who went on to build the early Church were intentional to bring the Gospel message to all nations, which fulfilled the promise that God had made that all nations would be able to worship and serve Him. Readers can find many verses in the New Testament where the apostles preached to gentiles and made it clear that they were also now eligible to participate in salvation through Jesus Christ. "For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth (Acts 13:47). Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen (Acts 28:28). The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed in you (Galatians 3:8). To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6). Who Are Gentiles? Since gentiles do not make up one nation or group of people, gentiles may believe many things, but the common idea is that they do not follow the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They reject the Gospel message of Jesus and live according to their own desires and knowledge. The Apostle Paul, when he wrote to the church of Ephesus, captured who the gentiles are and what they believe. This passage gives us an idea of what it means to be a gentile following the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed (Ephesians 4:17-19). Who Are Some Important Gentiles in the Bible? There are prominent Gentiles throughout the Bible that include: Jethro The father-in-law of Moses was a Midianite priest. He and his family joined Moses in the desert. When Jethro heard of all God had done for Moses and the Israelites, he declared that certainly their God was greater than any other gods. Rahab She was an Amorite living in Jericho during the time the Lord was going to hand over Jericho to Joshua. Rahab and her family were spared when Joshua captured Jericho because she hid the spies sent by Joshua. Rahab acknowledged that their God was powerful more than any other. Ruth She was a Moabite who married a Judean. Ruths husband died, but she stayed with her mother in law, Naomi, and declared that Naomis God was her God, too. She devoted herself to following the ways of the Israelites, eventually marrying Boaz, another Israelite. Luke He was the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, which make up a significant portion of the New Testament. It is believed that Luke was a Greek physician who became a believer in Jesus. He was also a noteworthy companion in ministry to the apostle Paul. Cornelius He was a Roman centurion who converted to Christianity. He, along with his family, are considered to be one of the first gentile converts and it is noted that he was highly devout to the Lord. Philemon He was a wealthy Gentile who converted to Christianity, likely led to believe in Jesus by Paul. Philemon was also a slave owner to whom Paul wrote on behalf of Onesimus, Philemons slave, who wronged Philemon by running away. Paul urged Philemon to forgive Onesimus. Why Are Jews and Gentiles Contrasted? Jews and Gentiles are often put in contrast with one another because what separates them is whether they believe in God or not. However, when the scope of Scripture is taken into account, Gods plan of redemption has always included the Gentiles. Before His death and resurrection, Jesus told His disciples to go into all nations sharing the Gospel and baptizing all people. Paul wrote clearly that Jesus saving work was for all to receive and that no longer was Jewish descent what saved someone, rather, it was belief in Jesus Christ. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of Gods grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lords people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:6-8). Are There Still Gentiles Today? When we understand gentiles to mean those who reject the promise and message of Jesus Christ, then yes, gentiles still exist. There are people that, just as Paul described them, have hardened their hearts and live for themselves, rejecting the message of hope and salvation in Jesus. Jesus great commission to preach the Gospel to all peoples and nations is one that Christians today still need to fulfill because there are many, many nations and people who still have never heard the Gospel or even know who Jesus is. Jesus loved gentiles, and part of why He came was to make the promise to Abraham and his descendants available to every person and every nation. Salvation in Jesus strips away the things that would usually divide us and draws us together as the nation of God. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Paul focused his ministry on preaching to gentiles, and we find a great commitment in Pauls heart to reach all nations. The torch has been passed to all believers to continue sharing the Gospel message to anyone who has not yet heard of or decided to follow Jesus. Photo credit: Getty Images/rawpixel Pamela Palmer is a writer, chaplain, and the founder of upheldlife.com, the platform on which she produces weekly devotionals and faith resource articles to inspire keeping faith at the center of it all. She lives and thrives on Jesus, coffee, and music. She is in pastoral ministry and gets to share in the emotional and spiritual lives of many people, being a small piece of each journey. Pamela married the perfect man for her and they have two beautiful kiddos. She has been published on herviewfromhome.com and you can follow her at upheldlife.com, or on Facebook.com/upheldlife. New Delhi, April 14 : As the economist cost of the lockdown mounts, UK bank, Barclays is projecting a 0 per cent GDP growth target for India. It has cuts its earlier projection of 2.5% for calendar year 2020 while giving the argument that the economic fallout will be worse than it had earlier estimated. The lockdown in India has been extended to May 3 today. "While India's COVID outbreak has not officially reached the community transmission stage, we believe the existing restrictions on movement are causing much more economic damage than anticipated. Despite being characterised as essential sectors, the negative impact of the shutdown measures on the mining, agriculture, manufacturing and utility sectors appears higher than we had expected," Barclays said in a research note. It said that the economic loss is estimated to be close to $234.4 billion or 8.1% of GDP, assuming that India will remain under a partial lockdown at least until the end of May. "This is much higher than the $120 billion we had estimated earlier for roughly the same time period previously," Barclays said. The investment bank said that it sees major economic losses for large industrial states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Punjab. "This is a direct reflection of the high covid case counts in these states, and lockdowns that are likely to persist across several sectors and for longer time periods than in the rest of the country." Even for states that are likely to experience a faster recovery cycle, such as Kerala, Karnataka, and Haryana, while economic losses will likely be limited, a precautionary increase in savings and reduction in discretionary consumption, especially on travel and recreational services, will weigh on growth rates longer, Barclays said. Barclays said once the lockdown is over, the pace of recovery will be contingent on policy support by the government. "Our trajectory of a slower recovery factors in the only modest fiscal stimulus unveiled by the government up to now. We think this is unlikely to offset the negative impact on 'animal spirits' caused by relative inactivity for a long period. Major policy interventions, if taken, could, however, change the outcome and bring about a faster upswing after the lockdown opens. That said, the slowdown in early Q2 will be driven entirely by the shutdown and is unlikely to be impacted by policy support," it added. Australia's chief medical officer has backtracked on his sensational claim an illegal dinner party held by hospital staff led to a COVID-19 outbreak in Tasmania. Two hospitals in Burnie, in the state's north-west, were closed on Monday with five deaths and 78 cases, including 45 medics, linked to the area. More than 5,000 people including 1,200 hospital staff and their households were ordered to quarantine for 14 days while the hospitals were disinfected. A third of Tasmania's land mass was also placed under stronger lockdown with non-essential businesses including Kmart, Bunnings, and thousands of shops closed. Pictured: Tasmania's coronavirus outbreak on the north-west coast has led to the shut down of almost half the state Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy was briefing New Zealand politicians via video link on Tuesday when he let the supposed dinner party slip. 'We thought we were doing really well in the last week,' he told the Epidemic Response Committee. 'Then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend, most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers.' But he issued a clarification after Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said Professor Murphy was 'commenting on a rumour' and tracing had found no evidence of a party. 'I referred to suggestion that a dinner party may have been the source of some of the transmission in the North West Tasmania cluster of cases,' Professor Murphy said in a statement. 'Whilst this possibility had previously been mentioned to me following initial investigations, I am now informed that the contact tracing has not confirmed that such a dinner party occurred.' North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital in Burnie shut on Monday morning so they could be deep-cleaned by specialist teams. Patients from the two hospitals have been moved to Mersey Community Hospital at Latrobe in a separate area away from Mersey's existing patients. Dr Brendan Murphy (pictured on Sunday) was appearing on Tuesday before the Epidemic Response Committee - which has been suspended under New Zealand 's lockdown - when he let the revelation slip 'We thought we were doing really well in the last week,' he told the committee via video link. 'Then we had a cluster of 49 cases in a hospital in Tasmania just over the weekend, most of them went to an illegal dinner party of medical workers' The outbreak could be linked to the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise ship (pictured at Port Kembla on Sunday), after three passengers who boarded the vessel died from coronavirus at hospitals in the north-west Premier Gutwein said the state was forced to call in the Australian Defence Force to cope with the outbreak in the north west. 'It's also why, unfortunately, again, we had to implement increased restrictions on business across the north-west coast,' he said. 'We want to see less contact between people and we need to ensure that you follow the rules, that you apply social distancing, that you do everything that you possibly can to follow the rules and save lives. 'We've requested that the ADF come into Tasmania and assist us with the outbreak in the north-west.' BUSINESS RESTRICTIONS FOR NORTH-WEST TASMANIA Business restrictions are in place from midnight on 12 April 2020 for a period of 14 days and include the closure of most retail businesses except for those providing essential services. Essential services include: medical services, pharmacies, supermarkets, green grocers, food take-away, service/petrol stations, bakeries, laundromats and dry cleaners, newsagents, rural services and general stores, bottle shops, IT repairs, car repairs (but new and used car sales are closed), veterinary services, animal and pet food supplies and banks. Trade supply stores open to trade customers only. Source: Tasmanian Government Advertisement The Tasmanian government announced 14 days of 'tough restrictions' for the north-west of the state from Sunday. Most retail businesses - including Kmart and Big W - have been forced to shut their doors during the two-week period Trade supply stores are only open to tradespeople. Pictured: Shoppers at Bunnings The Tasmanian government announced 14 days of 'tough restrictions' for the north-west of the state from Sunday. Most retail businesses - including Kmart and Big W - have been forced to shut their doors during the two-week period. Essential services such as pharmacies, supermarkets, food take-away, service/petrol stations and medical services remain open. Trade supply stores are only open to tradespeople. North West Tasmanians appeared to take the new restrictions in their stride and questioned why they were not brought as soon as the cluster emerged more than a week ago. 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 amount of people I turned away because they wanted to browse today and this last week has been astronomical, obviously people can't do the right thing, what else can you do except take the temptation away completely,' one shop worker wrote on Facebook. Others were concerned about the patients being transferred from the two hospitals - cancer patients to Launceston and the rest to Mersey Hospital near Devonport. 'Why transfer patients to two other hospitals endangering more people when they could have cleaned either of the two northwest hospitals and transfer patients to the other one,' one wrote. 'What about all of the patients these 25 people interacted with and all of the people those patients in turn interacted with?' another wrote. 'The possibility of extent of spread from these two hospitals is enormous.' There were six new cases statewide on Monday, all in the northwest, bringing the island's total to 150. Virus testing is also being increased in the outbreak region. Five elderly people have died from the virus in Tasmania, at least four of them at the North West Regional Hospital. A man, aged in his 80s, died at North West Regional Hospital on Tuesday April 7. He was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked in Sydney Harbour on March 19. Two other Ruby Princess passengers, both aged over 80, died at the same hospital on March 30 and March 31. Shares of Israel-based Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. PSTI grew 13.5% after it announced that it has treated its first patient suffering from COVID-19 complications. The patient was treated in the United States under the FDAs Single Patient Expanded Access Program, also called a compassionate use program, which is part of the U.S. Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP). CTAP is an emergency program for possible therapies that uses every available method to deliver new treatments to patients as quickly as possible. The patient was treated with PLX cell therapy in an acute care facility, which is currently an active site for Pluristems phase III critical limb ischemia (CLI) study in New Jersey. The patient was critically ill with respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and under mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit for three weeks before being treated with PLX cell therapy. PLX cells are allogeneic mesenchymal-like cells possessing immunomodulatory properties. These induce the immune systems natural regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages and thus, may prevent or reverse the dangerous overactivation of the immune system. The company currently plans to initiate a multinational clinical study as soon as possible for PLX cells in the treatment of patients suffering from complications associated with COVID-19. It will not provide any updates on the status of patients treated under compassionate use. Pluristems shares have surged 100.8% this year so far against the industrys decline of 6%. Currently, there is no FDA-approved treatment for the severe illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Given the alarming levels of spread and severity, some approved drugs and pipeline candidates are being tested to see if they are effective in treating the infected patients. Last week, Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD announced promising results from a cohort analysis of 53 patients hospitalized with severe complications of COVID-19, who were treated with its experimental antiviral, remdesivir, on an individual compassionate-use basis. Remdesivir treatment resulted in clinical improvement in 68% of patients in this limited data set. Story continues Meanwhile, Athersys, Inc. ATHX is also evaluating its MultiStem cell therapy product in subjects with moderate-to-severe ARDS induced by COVID-19. Last week, Mesoblast Limited MESO obtained clearance from the FDA for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to treat patients suffering from ARDS caused by COVID-19 with intravenous infusions of its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, remestemcel-L. Pluristem currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Athersys, Inc. (ATHX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Mesoblast Limited (MESO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. NEW YORK - A Florida man cannot hide his electronic devices and their contents from prosecutors after he tried to send them to his lawyers before he was arrested on charges that he conspired with associates of Rudy Giuliani to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors told a judge Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. NEW YORK - A Florida man cannot hide his electronic devices and their contents from prosecutors after he tried to send them to his lawyers before he was arrested on charges that he conspired with associates of Rudy Giuliani to make illegal campaign contributions, prosecutors told a judge Monday. The prosecutors in arguments filed in Manhattan federal court defended actions they took to seize materials including a phone, tablet, and an external hard drive in the case against David Correia. They also revealed that they learned Correia was sending the materials when his lawyers told an FBI employee that he had left his passport at a package delivery office and would be delayed a day before he could fly to New York and surrender. "Simply put, a non-privileged object or document does not become privileged merely because it is sent to a lawyer to obtain legal advice," prosecutors wrote. "Correia knew he would be arrested upon entering the United States. He ensured that when he was arrested, he did not have a single electronic device or piece of relevant evidence on his person because he had sent them to his attorney." Correia claims the materials are protected by attorney-client privilege and his lawyers have asked a judge to preclude them from use at trial. The West Palm Beach, Florida, man has pleaded not guilty along with three others charged with arranging illegal contributions to politicians to aid their political and business interests. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. When he was arrested Oct. 16, Correia had a phone case, multiple phone chargers, and charging cords with him, but no electronic devices, they said. Prosecutors said an FBI analysis shows that his hard drive and iPhone contain tens of thousands of documents, images, and audio and video files along with data such as internet browsing history and location information while a computer contains hundreds of thousands of documents, images, and audio and video files. So far, only special prosecutors not working on the criminal case have looked at the materials to screen out materials they believe are subject to attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors say they will not look at the evidence until the judge rules. Prosecutors said Correia was involved in a scheme to make illegal campaign donations to local and federal politicians in New York, Nevada and other states to get support for a new recreational marijuana business. Two other men charged in the case, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, worked with Giuliani to try and get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of Democrat Joe Biden. They have both pleaded not guilty as well. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has served as a legal adviser to President Donald Trump, has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations and hadnt seen any evidence that Parnas and Fruman did anything wrong. By Akbar Mammadov The UK does not recognise the presidential "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh, the second round of which is taking place on 14 April, the British Embassy in Azerbaijan said in a statement published in its official Facebook page on April 14. "The UK again underlines its support for the OSCE Minsk Group and the Co-chairs role in the peace process. We support the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Azerbaijan, while underlining the importance of universally recognised principles and norms of international law", the statement reads. "We encourage Azerbaijan and Armenia to accelerate efforts to build confidence and achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict," the British Embassy said. It should be noted that a number of countries, including France, Germany, Turkey, UK, Canada, Australia, Norway, Pakistan, Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, as well as major international organizations such as the EU, NATO, OSCE, OIC, GUAM, Visegrad Group, TURKPA have recently reiterated their support for Azerbaijans territorial integrity and condemned the illegal elections held in in Karabakh on March 31. 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 15.04.2020 LISTEN The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth," D Lao Tzu Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details. Heraclitus Simply by observing nature, our Ancestors, like many old traditionalists, deduced the unity that is firmly embedded in nature. Examples abound wherever we choose to look: Hot is balanced by cold. Day turns into Night. Male and Female. Visible versus insible. Wet and Dry. Essence and Existence. Dark and Bright. Negative and Positive. etc, etc. Through observation, our ancestors understood that the vast Cosmos is governed by a complementing principle of immutable duality. From this, they further deduced that even the worst catastrophies bring forth profound opportunities and limitless possibilities. The Yoruba people associate Ejiwapo (twoness) with a balancing force which they expect to have influence on the cosmic order. Hence, their veneration of Ibeji (twins) whom they, with the Hunchback and the Albino, are considered emissaries of Olodumare (the Sureme Yoruba god). In the Yoruba interpretation of the Cosmos, Tako Tabo (male and female) means that everything in nature must have an opposite. It is, thus, inconceivable in the Yoruba cosmogony for a half to exist in, and of, itself without its complementing half. The Chinese call it Yin and Yang. Some philosophers grandiloquently call it Dialectical monism or dualistic monism or eschatological dualism; they all mean the same thing. A few rather well-meaning Africans, aggrieved and offended by the treatment of some Africans in China, are calling for the expulsion of Chinese from Africa, and the boycott of Chinese goods. I understand the anger, but I think that the calls are not only myopic, they are premised on emotional outbursts that are totally devoid of any strategic depth. They appear to be the deployment of emotions when what is called for are strategic responses that are borne out of deep introspections and high quality considerations. The Yorubas have a proverb: Ti a ba nsokun, a ma riran / Crying should not stop us from seeing. Lao Tzu put it this way: New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings. Our present anguish should not make us blind to our present objective reality, which is that we are so terribly behind the rest of humanity that absolutely no one ~reckon~ reckons with us in geo-strategic considerations. Africa counts for little or nothing in the global scheme of things. Painful, but thats the sad truth. Rather than go into nasty funks, we should wake up and recognise that the world is one large classroom, and that the best we can, and should, do for ourselves is to try and learn from wherever we can, in order to get the best advantages that will aid our yearned-for rediscovery, renaissance and development. Luckily, theres no need or reason for us to reinvent the wheel. We might not like it, but the sad reality is that we live in a world where we have two MASTERS from whom to learn, copy or steal: 1. The European - they have misled us for about 600 years, if the truth be told; 2. The Chinese - the new Sheriff in town. Before we can get anywhere, it is vitally necessary for us to realize an important lesson: the world is not ruled by emotions, but by cold facts. As the great leader and teacher, Marcus Garvey, said: The whole world is run on bluff. A very cold fact that we can ignore only at our peril is that the Chinese did not have it easy. The Chinese simply followed the admonition of one of their greatest teachers, Lao Tzu: Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. My late mother put it this way: What cannot be avoided must be endured, as what doesnt kill you will only make you stronger. Even a cursory glance at modern Chinese history will show that they are a people that suffered enormously, and paid huge prices to get to where they are today. No, their successes did not come cheap and they were certainly not given to them on a platter. The Chinese were beaten by a parade of colonialists. They stoically accepted their humiliation for centuries. They knew that there was nothing personal in their defeat and occupation; they were simply overwhelmed by people with superior technical knowledge and means. Their conquerors were simply obeying the evolutionary imperatives of consuming weaker species in order to stay alive. The Chinese recognized their inferiority, but rather than to sulk and whine, they worked assiduously towards fixing it. They patiently took their time to learn. It took them a great time and many sacrifices, but they emerged much more powerful than their all tormentors combined. Today, the Chinese are Masters of all that they survey. The world combined together cannot confront the Chinese Behemoth. Were it to be in their nature, there is no force on earth today to stop them from becoming a Hegemon if they so desire. What the Chinese did not forget was that they were a people with a history, 5,000 years of it. They saw the defeats and occupation by foreign forces as accidental interregnums which can be mastered and conquered. They reached for strength from their sages - Confucius, Lao Tzu, and others. The emergence of China as a Great Power teaches incredibly valuable lessons to those of us in Africa. The main question we face is: are we prepared to be good students and learn, or are we going to remain Eternal Whiners? Huffing and puffing and beating of chests are good for venting our impotent rage and anger, but how will they help us? Lets listen to Tzu Lao: For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions. Whichever way we throw it around, we remain a CONQUERED and OPPRESSED PEOPLE. Despite all the fanciful appurtenances we display as emblems of sovereignty, we are mere colonial appendages of the Metropolitan Powers. I am not trying to distress anyone; these are just cold facts. The important and urgent thing for us to do is to accept our sad fate and work towards redeeming ourselves. We should not fool ourselves into believing that the world will pay any heed to our empty sloganeering. We are just too inconsequential in the Global scheme of things to make our anger count for anything. It is sad, but we are not only powerless, our voices count for zilch. Continuing to deploy impotent rage might make us feel good and may satisfy our constituency, but they are not the antidotes to what currently ails us. Lets leave the sloganeering and empty rhetoric alone and begin to deploy our brains into generating useful ideas. Coved-19 has revealed to the whole world the decrepit state of our structures and infrastructures. It has enabled the whole world to see what our misrulers plus their friends in the media and the academia have been hiding with empty bombast - an Africa that cannot feed, house, and clothe herself without foreign assistance. Let me end with this Yoruba proverb: A ki i fi ina si ori orule sun. / No one goes to sleep with the roof of his house on fire. [A serious issue requires prompt attention; a stitch in time saves nine.] Are we going to seize the opportunity and engage our brains in serious national-building efforts, or are we going to pretend that all is well, and continue to revel and dance to our self-generated lullabies? The choice is clearly ours. Since one of lifes lessons that I took to heart was my late mothers admonition (mentioned Supra): Whatever doesnt kill you should make you stronger, I urge that we seize the opportunity! There is no force like success, and that is why the individual makes all effort to surround himself throughout life with the evidence of it; as of the individual, so should it be of the nation. - Marcus Garvey Lets all put the thinking caps on and begging to generate ideas. Thank you very much. (c) Femi Akomolafe April 14, 2020 RIO DE JANEIRO - The governors of Rio de Janeiro and Para states in separate videos on Tuesday said they have tested positive for the new coronavirus, after weeks of imposing measures aimed at limiting its spread. In a video posted to his official Twitter account, Rio de Janeiros Gov. Wilson Witzel said he has experienced fever and sore throat since Friday. His positive test results came back on Tuesday, he said, adding that he feels well. I will continue working, he said. I request once again that you stay at home. This sickness, as you can all perceive, does not choose and contagion is rapid. Witzel, 52, has been one of Brazils foremost proponents of self-quarantine and last month he imposed restrictions on business, transit and gatherings to contain the spread of COVID-19. This week he extended the measures through the end of the month. That stance -- shared by most Brazilian governors -- has put him at odds with President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the severity of the virus that has thus far killed more than 1,500 people in Latin Americas largest country. Bolsonaro has called for confinement of only high-risk individuals and otherwise for life to resume as normal to avoid economic meltdown. Rio has the second-largest incidence of COVID-19 of any Brazilian state, with 3,410 cases and 224 deaths. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death. A poll earlier this month showed three-quarters of Brazilians support the governors quarantine measures regardless of the economic cost. The governor of the Amazonian state of Para, Helder Barbalho, said in a separate video posted to his Twitter account on Tuesday that he also tested positive for the virus. He said he is asymptomatic and, like Witzel, urged people to self-quarantine. The virus doesnt choose age, it doesnt choose social class. Everyone is exposed, and everyone can get it, Barbalho said. Thats why I am appealing to you: stay at home and we will defeat the coronavirus. Barbalho has also bristled at Bolsonaros calls to resume activity. Bolsonaro on March 24 gave a national address in which he said jobs should be maintained and Brazilian states should abandon their scorched earth policy of prohibiting public transport, closing business and schools, and calling for mass confinement. Barbalho in a press conference the following day said he isnt obliged to agree with the president and will always opt for saving lives over sparing the economy, local media G1 reported at the time. The Supreme Court has stepped into the fray, with a justice this month issuing an injunction prohibiting the federal government from overruling state and municipal isolation measures. Bolsonaro said April 9 his government will appeal, but that the decision had a silver lining: it made clear local leaders were responsible for shutdown measures and he said people should bring complaints to their doorsteps. It took more than two weeks, but on Sunday, the New York Times finally addressed the accusation of sexual assault lodged against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by a former Senate aide. The story is inconclusive about the credibility of Reades allegations. It confirms that she did speak about what happened with a friend contemporaneously and soon afterward. Interviews with other figures then working in Bidens Senate office also confirmed that Reade was, as she said, removed from her job supervising office interns at the time of the incident. Interviews with other staffers contradict her accounts, however, and Reade has been inconsistent in telling her story, at one point last year appearing to exonerate Biden. Yet even if the Times didnt shed much light on the truth of the underlying matter, the report itself was extremely illuminating. The double standards employed by mainstream media outlets when the targets of sexual harassment accusations are prominent Democrats rather than Republicans were on full display. Setting aside the truth of Reades account, it is impossible not to compare the Times generally skeptical treatment with its credulous coverage of Christine Blasey Fords accusation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The #believewomen mantra of the #MeToo movement in which accusers must be treated with kid gloves and not subjected to scrutiny dictated much of the coverage of Fords accusations. Even before Fords riveting testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, mainstream outlets including the Times took her story at face value. Neither the Times nor its counterparts (the Washington Post also published a report about Reades allegations this same Easter Sunday) hesitated. There was no pause to send reporters digging through her personal history or social media. Media coverage depicted Kavanaugh whose hitherto blameless public and private life was dismissed as having no bearing on the accusation as a stereotypical habitually drunken and insensitive frat boy. Story continues The Times didnt refrain from publicizing the equally unsubstantiated claims of Deborah Ramirez, even though she chose not to talk to the paper and didnt have a specific memory of the event. It covered with zeal the far more dubious claims of Michael Avenatti client Julie Swetnick of routine gang rapes. Reades experience with the media has been . . . well, different. Reade was cited as one of seven women who claimed Biden had inappropriately touched them a year ago, but failed after various attempts to attract attention for her accusation of sexual assault. It was not until the broadcast of her interview on a podcast hosted by progressive activist Katie Halper on March 26 that her claims broke into the mainstream. Reade claims she struck out in efforts to interest other media outlets or even journalist Ronan Farrow. Yet after her appearance on the podcast, there was a veritable mainstream media blackout for more than two weeks. Newspapers didnt acknowledge the accusation. TV networks didnt ask him about it in interviews. The Times attempted to explain its long silence in an interview between executive editor Dean Baquet and media columnist Ben Smith. No coherent excuse was found in this attempt at transparency. Baquet suggests that Kavanaugh was already in a public forum in a large way (as if Joe Biden isnt?) and flip-flops on whether contemporaneous corroboration (which Ford did not produce) is necessary to reporting an assault allegation. Worse than that, Baquet appeared to acknowledge that he edited out a reference to other accusations against Biden at the behest of the Biden campaign, lending weight to the claim that the Times decision was heavily influenced by its political lean. It is incumbent upon journalists to fully vet salacious accusations before they are published. The allegations against Kavanaugh and Biden who once sat in judgment on Justice Clarence Thomas when he was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill should be judged on their own merits. But it is impossible to read the Times highly skeptical account of the charge against the former vice president without comparing it to the enthusiasm with which it aided the attack on Kavanaugh. Tara Reades account of Bidens alleged assault has once again exposed the fact that people tend to put their moral principles on hold when their partisan interests are at stake. If that is true of voters and parties, it is equally true of the New York Times. More from National Review Posted on: April 14, 2020 11:09 AM [ACNS, by Staff Writer] The Head of Responsible Investment for the Church Commissioners, the financial arm of the Church of England, is to leave his post to take up a new role as Director of Engagement and Impact Reporting for a new global ethical investment group. Generation Investment Management was founded by former US Vice President Al Gore to encourage and support sustainable investments. Edward Mason joined the Church Commissioners 11 years ago as Secretary to the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, which is responsible for developing ethical investment policy and practices for the Church of Englands national investing bodies, before being appointed head of responsible investment for the Church Commissioners in 2014. Since then Edward has led the Commissioners implementation of their ambition to be at the forefront of global responsible investment. He developed their responsible investment framework and led the Commissioners' work on environmental, social and corporate governance integration. Notable successes include global engagement on climate strategy and disclosure at oil and gas supermajor, Exxon. The company now discloses 2-degree scenario analysis every year, an outcome that won Edward the Stewardship Champion at the inaugural International Corporate Governance Network awards in 2018. And successful engagement with the worlds largest asset manager, BlackRock, resulted in them joining Climate Action 100+ earlier this year. Edward has been an outstanding team member and our reputation in responsible investment and everything we have achieved is in no small part due to Edward, the Church Commissioners Chief Investment Officer, Tom Joy, said. We are incredibly grateful to Edward for everything he has done for us. He will go with our very best wishes for the future. We are fortunate he has outstanding team members who we know will continue our work in this important area. SecureData hardware-encrypted storage devices The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused many states and countries to issue shelter-in-place and Work From Home (WFH) orders to keep people at home to stop the spread of the virus. To help meet the ever-increasing demands for data security while working from home, SecureData is offering a spectrum of proven data protection solutions. These include award-winning, hardware-encrypted storage devices and portable software applications providing automatic anti-virus protection and automatic cloud backup for external portable data storage drives. Analysts report that 4.7 million people work from home now (Flexjobs. Remote Workers. 2020) and expect that this trend will continue after the pandemic has passed. While analysts, workers, and companies report growth in productivity and job satisfaction, many organizations are concerned with making the WFH environment secure to protect private and corporate data from being exploited by hackers, which causes big problems both in cost and public exposure. Mike Vanoverbeke, Senior Product Specialist for SECUREDATA said, Our hardware encrypted storage devices include anti-virus protection with DriveSecurity. Additionally, we offer easy-to-use USBtoCloud backup software to help people adapt to their new WFH settings by having their data backed up both on a secure external drive and in the cloud. We want data to be one thing remote workers dont have to worry about. SECUREDATAs SecureDrive and SecureUSB products are FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Validated hardware encrypted storage devices that are well-suited for personal and business use. They are OS/Host independent to work across any system a remote worker may be using from a desktop or laptop, to printers, scanners, or any other device with a USB port. All of SecureDatas encrypted drives have features such as inactivity auto-lock and brute force anti-hacking technology, which clears the drive after 10 consecutive failed PIN entries. The KP models of the devices are unlocked by entering a PIN via the built-in keypad. The BT models are unlocked using secure wireless authentication via smartphone/mobile app (using biometric inputs on their phone or multilingual complex passwords). Additionally, BT devices come remote management ready with features like remote wipe, remote unlock, time- and geo-fencing to help IT Administrators to manage drive access anywhere and anytime around the globe. For more information on SECUREDATAs products and services, contact Mike Vanoverbeke at 1-800-388-1266 ext. 230 About SECUREDATA SECUREDATA, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in California, USA. SecureData offers a range of tailored high-level data protection capabilities through a set of services and products. These include hardware encrypted portable data storage devices, backup solutions, file repair software, data recovery, and digital forensics services to help clients achieve their security objectives. SecureData has a presence through its partners in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia and South America, and serves companies and organizations in regulated industries, such as government, financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education. For more information, please visit: http://www.securedata.com and http://www.securedrive.com About ClevX ClevX is a Seattle based, information security technology company Your Innovation Partner. It is focused on the Security/Mobility markets where ClevX pioneered its award-winning DATALOCK KP/BT Secured USB drives (OS-agnostic, hardware encrypted, PIN- or Phone-activated, bootable) and easy to use portable software applications for secure drives for personal and business use. ClevX differentiates itself by creating solutions that are simple, clever, and elegant. For more information, please visit: http://www.clevx.com Harris Countys juvenile detention center is no longer isolating teenagers in their cells to prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials confirmed Monday. Starting last Tuesday, all of the countys detained children were held in individual cells and were released into common areas three at a time for 1 hours a day, said Kendall Mayfield of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. A lawsuit filed by the Harris County Public Defenders Office last week alleges all of the detainees were allowed only a half hour a day out of their cells to shower and make supervised phone calls. The lawsuit also claims the practice was implemented two weeks ago when one of the detention centers employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Programming for the kids resumed Sunday, Mayfield said. Now, the doors separating the childrens cells from the space they share with their peers are unlocked at all times, she added. The kids are separated into groups of no more than eight in order to practice social distancing. It was possible to make this change by shifting the children to unused areas of the facility, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgos office. The judge said she was unaware of the measure until she read a Houston Chronicle story Friday; she then called administrators and directed them to change the policy. I was profoundly troubled and alarmed, Hidalgo said of learning of the detention centers initial measure to prevent a mass outbreak. I dont even have the words to express how shocked and disappointed I felt. The judge said the policy amounted to solitary confinement of vulnerable children, most of whom have not been convicted of a crime. The current protocols should have been the centers first action, she added. They should have been put in a position where they are safe, but also a position where their humanity is not diminished, she said. Two weeks ago, Hidalgo said she learned that an employee and a teen at the center had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. I wanted to make sure that was being addressed immediately and thoroughly, she said. Mayfield said the detention center took the actions it did initially at the direction of public health officials. We had to take those precautions, she said. When she read about the lawsuit filed by the public defenders office alleging all of the children in the facility were being held in solitary confinement for most of the day in their cells, it became clear that the issue was affecting every child in the center, Hidalgo said. She said she then called the jails administrators and told them to end the practice. Hidalgo said officials are searching for a child psychologist to provide services in the jail to mitigate trauma and are now receiving daily operational reports from the facility. Its an example of why we cant be myopic in our response, she said. Now Playing: The latest state and local case counts and news headlines from the Houston Chronicle news team. Video: Laura Duclos/Houston Chronicle The most recent solution is one of many that Hidalgo said officials have floated to prevent a large outbreak of the virus in the jail. Other options the county considered included busing the children to the Burnett-Bayland Rehabilitation Center or housing them there. But it wasnt feasible to do either, the judge said. Ultimately, Hidalgo said, the best solution is to release the children from the juvenile facility, just as she has advocated for releasing adults accused of low-level nonviolent crimes in the Harris County Jail. Its important for us to not have people in these facilities who dont need to be there, she said. Were having the same issue in (the Harris County Jail). They have not been convicted yet, theyre just waiting for a hearing. They need to be processed and sent home. Juvenile court judges are now working to accelerate their dockets with an aggressive plan to get through the hearings more quickly and streamline the childrens releases, she said. Im deeply sorry that this happened, Hidalgo said. We fixed it and we will make sure it doesnt happen again. hannah.dellinger@chron.com What will we all look like when we finally emerge from our social distancing cocoons? Will our hair be long and unkempt, our beards bushy and brittle? With the pandemic barring our access to salons, barbershops and beauty professionals, we've been left to figure out how to groom ourselves the way the pros did. It's daunting. Most of us have resorted to letting it all go. But hair keeps growing, pandemic or not. And while you can't dash out for a trim, you can safely stave off split ends while stuck in captivity. We talked to experts who said it's possible to care for your hair, nails, brows and beards at home without disastrous effects. Read on for their tips and instructions. You can master the basics while you're clammed up in isolation -- and emerge a meticulously groomed pearl. Hair Stylist Lauren Van Dyke knows those of us with hair are getting antsy. And she says it's OK to trim your housemates' hair here and there or go for a full-blown shave while we're all isolating. But if you're considering a drastic change or advanced technique, she suggests that you lay down your shears. "Ask yourself -- is it essential or are you just bored?" says Van Dyke, a stylist at Lucido Hair Studio in Ontario. And if you plan on cutting more than 2 inches of hair, it's likely worth saving a cut until after the pandemic ends. If you absolutely insist upon a trim, follow Van Dyke's advice. The pros typically cut hair when it's wet, but Van Dyke recommends cutting on clean, dry hair. And always ask your non-paying customer to sit upright, keep their legs uncrossed and look straight ahead without moving their head. Oil up your shears before use so they don't pull on your hair and damage it. Angle your fingers and shears straight and flat, rather than sloped. Comb the hair flat. If the comb gets stuck around the ends, that's an indicator of where you should cut it. Another indicator: Wherever your hair begins to look see-through -- snip there. Section the hair into four parts. Part from the center of the forehead to the nape of the neck. Then, make a part from behind one ear around the head to behind the other ear. Pull down small sections to cut, using the previously cut section as a guide. And if you can, dye another day. At-home dye jobs can go very poorly very fast and bleaching dark hair or attempting balayage (hand-painted highlights), can fry your hair or damage your skin. Plus, fixing a botched dye job often costs much more than the price of bleach or dye. If you're cutting men's hair, Van Dyke recommends using clippers to clean up around the neckline, ears and sideburns -- keep it simple. Tips of the trade Get the right tools. If you're lucky enough to have hair-cutting scissors at home, snip (cautiously) away! But regular kitchen scissors or craft shears could damage your hair and cause split ends if you use them. If you're lucky enough to have hair-cutting scissors at home, snip (cautiously) away! But regular kitchen scissors or craft shears could damage your hair and cause split ends if you use them. Once you've started cutting, commit. It will look odd when you're halfway through. Just keep snipping. It will look odd when you're halfway through. Just keep snipping. Cut in small sections and take your time. You're not trained in this, though we've prepared you the best we can. You're not trained in this, though we've prepared you the best we can. Get real. Van Dyke recommends you ask yourself a few triage question before diving in. What is this (again, nonpaying) client's hair type? Does their hair type require a specific styling I am not trained to attempt? Would it take more than 30 minutes for me to complete? Will they be upset if I mess up? Know yourself and think of your responses before you start snipping. Natural hair Nikki Walton, a licensed psychotherapist and natural hair expert who runs the blog CurlyNikki, echoed Van Dyke's advice: Don't do anything too dramatic to your hair while you're cooped up. "Many of us have been known to reach for the scissors in times of uncertainty or transition," she says. "I don't recommend drastic changes right now." Trims are OK, though. To trim curly hair, Walton recommends the "search and destroy" method -- run your fingers through your hair to feel for rough ends or knots -- and that's where you know to cut. She also suggests separating hair into one-inch pieces, then twisting or braiding those small sections. Then, you can trim the ends off one twist at a time, no more than half an inch. But styles you can achieve without the shears are fair game. "We should save new styling attempts for when we have a few days off to practice, and what better time than now that we are on a perpetual 'day off,'" she says. She's planning to teach herself how to cornrow her hair while she's at home, and she's got tutorials for nearly every curly style on her blog. To luxuriate at home, Walton recommends some natural treatments: You can mix whole fat yogurt and honey or olive oil and conditioner together, apply in sections throughout your hair, throw on a plastic cap and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing -- the combos will nourish your hair and shine and moisture. Nails Missing your manicure? Just do what the pros do -- it's not as hard as it looks, says Tuvi Do, the owner of Lacquer Nail Bar in Atlanta. Prep 'em. Start with removing any old polish on your fingers. Clip 'em. If you've let your nails grow long and jagged while staying home, trim them down to a manageable length. Soak 'em. Prepare a bowl of warm water and a dash of essential oil to soften your nails and dip your fingers in it for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, dab your wet hands with a towel and gently push back on your cuticles with your nail. Buff 'em. Buff the surface of your nails -- it smooths the surface of your nail and preps them for polish. Just don't use a nail file for this part. To buff, start a bit below the base of your nails. Move the buffer left to right, focusing on the center. Angle it about 45 degrees to buff the sides. Once you've buffed all 10 fingers, wash your hands. Wipe 'em. If you've got acetone or rubbing alcohol on hand, take a cotton ball, spritz it with one of the two chemicals and wipe down the surface of your nail with it. Time to paint! Do shared the technique her nail techs learned when they started out: Polish each nail in just three strokes -- one down the center, one down the right and another down the left. Base coat. Apply a clear base. Let that dry, then apply your color. First coat. Pick up a bit of polish and wipe off the excess on the side of the bottle opening. Start about 2 centimeters from the base of the nail and push upward with the brush -- the brush will fan out, so it'll cover a lot of area. Second, third, 20th coats. Repeat with a few more coats -- as many as you need to get the shade you're aiming for -- and let dry. Topcoat. Finish off with a clear, shiny topcoat and let that dry. Voila! Tips of the trade: Fan out your brush. It widens the reach of the bristles and paints more of the nail -- evenly -- at once. It widens the reach of the bristles and paints more of the nail -- evenly -- at once. Anchor yourself. "I find that when painting, if you anchor your brush-holding-hand somewhere, you'll find more stability when painting," Do says. "I find that when painting, if you anchor your brush-holding-hand somewhere, you'll find more stability when painting," Do says. Avoid painting your finger. To keep polish from getting on the sides of your nails, Do advises that you push the sides of your finger back with your thumb while painting. And if you do get nail polish on your skin, wait for it to dry, then take a flat, clean makeup brush and carefully dab at the polish you want gone. If that all sounds too daunting, Do recommends attempting the classic French manicure -- she finds it to be more low maintenance than painting her entire nail. There are two ways to master this style: You can either carefully paint the tips of your nails stark white (after you lay a shiny base coat, of course) and then clean it up with a makeup brush dabbed in polish remover. You can also make a template with tape and block off the spot on your nails where you want the tips to end. Brows Perhaps you're using your time alone to grow out the bushy brows of your dreams. Maybe you've gotten tweezer-happy and plucked your brows to oblivion (ouch). Maribeth Madron, a makeup artist and brow specialist, can help you help your brows. She starts like this: Before you begin to shape them, fill in your brows with a product, if you have one. They'll help fill in any gaps and define the perimeters of your brows, so you don't take off too much hair or fudge your natural shape. Begin with a pencil test and a sharpened brow pencil. Look in the mirror, expressionless (Madron likens it to your poker face -- you can also imagine you're staring at your work computer for the nth hour of the week). Locate the beginning of your brow. Hold the pencil along the bridge of the nose vertically from the inner corner of one eye to find where your brow begins. Find where your brow ends. Hold the pencil from the outer edge of one nostril on the same side of your face and hold it vertically toward the outer edge of the same eye. Map the arch. Hold your pencil in the same position as in step 2 toward the outer edge of the same eye. Make dots along the arch of your brow as a map. Fill 'em in. Use your pencil to draw short, upward and outward strokes in your brows until you've created your ideal shape and fullness. Tweeze the strays. Look back in the mirror. Pluck the strays between your brows and outside of the area you penciled in. If you have a few long, wiry hairs in your brow, comb them up and trim them (using cute, tiny scissors) to match the length of the rest of your brow hairs. Tips of the trade Avoid waxing. Madron says it's "extremely messy, imprecise, removes too much hair and you run the risk of burning yourself." Yikes. It's always better to work with more than less, anyway. Madron says it's "extremely messy, imprecise, removes too much hair and you run the risk of burning yourself." Yikes. It's always better to work with more than less, anyway. Don't tint them. Not only do you risk dyeing your brows an unnatural color, using hair color around the eyes can injure the delicate skin there. Those hair removal creams are dangerous to use near your eyes, too. Not only do you risk dyeing your brows an unnatural color, using hair color around the eyes can injure the delicate skin there. Those hair removal creams are dangerous to use near your eyes, too. Color pale brows. Dyeing your brows can be dangerous but using a tinting gel makeup product can color them in and define them. Facial hair If you've already got a beard: A pandemic is the perfect time to pull out your best lumberjack impression. Or maybe you'd rather just keep your beard trim for when you eventually return to public life. Xavier Cruz, president of Barba Men's Grooming Boutique in New York, can help with the latter. You've got a beard trimmer? Good. Use a clipper that's suited to the length of your beard -- for short- to medium-length beards, Cruz recommends using clippers 2 or 3. Comb your beard down from your cheek to your neck. Then, start trimming downward to get any hairs that are sticking out -- this method makes sure you won't take too much of your beard off. Gliding the trimmer against the grain will remove more hair. Brush down your 'stache if you've got one. Trim the hairs hanging over your lip. Shape up your beard. Using your clipper without a guard, clean the cheek area and shape the neck. Once you're finished trimming, use warm water to soften your beard. For an even cleaner look, use a razor and some shaving oil to define the edges. After shaving, rinse all over again. Pat it dry -- roughing it up will make your whiskers dry and brittle. Finish up with an aftershave moisturizer, then a beard oil to soften and condition your beard. If you want to grow a beard Aaron Marino, men's grooming expert and founder of the Atlanta image consulting firm Alpha M, hears you. He's got a four-week plan to get you and your beard started. "The way I see it, this is one of the greatest times in modern history for clean-shaven men to let their inner animal out and embrace, experiment and grow out their facial hair," Marino says. Week One : Don't shave at all. Wash your nascent beard twice a day. Marino suggests taking B vitamins, thought by some to speed up hair growth. : Don't shave at all. Wash your nascent beard twice a day. Marino suggests taking B vitamins, thought by some to speed up hair growth. Week Two : Trim and edge the boundaries along your neck and high on your cheek, without going too far underneath your jaw. : Trim and edge the boundaries along your neck and high on your cheek, without going too far underneath your jaw. Then, massage a beard oil into your whiskers. It hydrates the hair there and makes it shinier and less itchy (hooray!). Keep washing it regularly. Week Three : Use a bristle brush and brush out your beard twice a day in the direction you want it to grow in -- this will help camouflage some of the patchy spots, too. : Use a bristle brush and brush out your beard twice a day in the direction you want it to grow in -- this will help camouflage some of the patchy spots, too. Week Four: One month in! Now you can decide what style you'll attempt. Marino suggests choosing a style that fits the "density and depth" of your facial hair. Work with what you have. Tips of the trade: Front line: Ron Dennis,'s daughter Charlotte Hall (pictured), is an NHS anaesthetist Delivering meals to hard-pressed NHS staff is a long way from the glamour of motor racing, but former McLaren boss Ron Dennis, 72, is throwing himself into the project with his daughter Dr Charlotte Hall, an NHS anaesthetist. He has joined forces with Tesco, Yodel and luxury catering company Absolute Taste to supply a million meals to doctors, nurses and other professionals through a new scheme, SalutetheNHS.org. The Dennis family foundation is donating 1million in seed funding and 500,000 to match donations by others. 'I wanted to get involved because of Charlotte,' said Ron. 'She told me so many staff find it hard to have meals or coffee while they are working, so they go home, have a bowl of cornflakes and go to bed. 'Here I am trapped in my house, so I can take a lead. 'I phoned Dave Lewis from Tesco on a Saturday evening and 20 minutes later he said he was in. 'This has been like building a start-up business in a fortnight. Now it has a momentum. I will create a legacy project that will benefit the NHS.' Charlotte, 32, said: 'We came up with this idea on a family Zoom call. 'The meals are packed full of good food, and always a flapjack or a brownie that is a little bit naughty as well.' By IANS DUBAI: As Keralites in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) marked a low-key celebration of their harvest festival Vishu on Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, a community initiative will hand out the traditional vegetarian feast called 'sadhya' for free to 1,000 people in Dubai. Kits carrying the free 'sadhya' can be taken away by those in need from the Uppum Mulakum restaurant in Karama from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m,, the owner of the eatery Shanavas Mohammed told Gulf News on Monday. "Though it is a Hindu festival, we Malayalis celebrate Vishu, just like we celebrate Onam irrespective of our religion. During this difficult time, we don't want anyone to miss the Vishu 'sadhya'. Keralites or not, anyone who is in need can come and collect the kit." He said the free meal was not just his individual initiative, adding that "it is a community initiative". The restaurant has served more than 4,000 meals through the free lunch initiative it started during the sterilisation drive in Dubai, said Shanavas. Sandhya Santhosh, a housewife in Dubai, said many Malayalis like her will be missing the 'Vishukkani', a spread of everything auspicious including the Konna flower that they see first thing on Vishu morning. "Everyone is home. But nobody is in a mood to celebrate," she told Gulf News. However, Lulu Group said it has managed to procure some Konna flowers "to ensure the minimum availability in the market". "These came along with most of the vegetables used in preparing the Kani and Vishu 'sadhya' and the banana leaves on which the feast is served. All these came on the six aircrafts we chartered to import vegetables from Kerala in the past two days," V. Nandakumar, Chief Communications Officer, Lulu Group, told Gulf News. At 56, Patrick Crossan is probably fitter and stronger than many people half his age. The dedicated athlete has spent his life competing around the world and can even boast about becoming Irish and Scottish 200m and 400m champion in the 50 to 54 age category. Patrick's achievements are even more remarkable, however, given the fact that he was living with Parkinson's disease when he won the titles. A degenerative neurological condition, there are up to 40 different symptoms linked to Parkinson's disease, including a tremor, anxiety, hallucinations and dementia. Patrick, who has been married to Maureen for 25 years and has two grown-up children, Kevin (24) and Therese (20), is no stranger to many of the issues that people with Parkinson's experience - but he has refused to allow the condition to rule his life. "It's about adapting and making changes to how you do things," he says. "I was never anxious before this, I was always very outgoing but I would get anxiety now when going out socially. "I have had to come up with little techniques to overcome that, so if I'm at a party and I feel myself getting anxious, I go for a walk into another room or I go and sit in the car for five minutes and then go back inside. "I leave the party when I want to, not when Parkinson's wants me to leave." Patrick, a business consultant with BT, was just 50 when he was diagnosed with the condition. A keen runner, he had noticed that he was beginning to struggle to keep up pace with the other athletes. He had also developed a slight twitch in his left arm, but it was only when his Maureen became concerned that he sought advice from a doctor. "I hadn't been feeling well for a while. "I had a twitch in my left arm but I thought it was maybe a nervous twitch or something like that," he explains. "I was also having little stumbles where it was like I was falling over an invisible step, but then Maureen noticed the twitch at my 50th birthday party. "She asked what it was and I told her it was just something that happened every now and then and she insisted that I get it checked out. "I went to the GP and they did all the normal blood tests and didn't find anything, but he said he would refer me to neurology just to be extra cautious. "I was happy enough with that and happy to wait for my appointment, but Maureen asked me if I would wait if it was one of the children who weren't well. Expand Close With son Kevin, wife Maureen and daughter Therese / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp With son Kevin, wife Maureen and daughter Therese "I had really good cover through work so I was able to go private and I saw someone quite quickly." Patrick was sent for an MRI which picked up a potential issue with his brain, but further tests were required before a diagnosis could be made. "I went home and looked up the internet and spent the next six weeks thinking it could be a brain tumour, Parkinson's or motor neurone disease," he adds. "I haven't looked at the internet since then because you never find anything happy there, even from trusted sources, there are no good news stories. "I knew a tumour wasn't good because of the very nature of it, I knew about motor neurone disease because unfortunately someone at work had been diagnosed with it, but I knew nothing about Parkinson's. "When the consultant told me that's what I had, it's not that I was relieved, but it was better than the other two options and my consultant was very straight with me. "That's what I like about him, he told me about the medication I could take and I asked him if I would have to stop running and he told me, that on the contrary, it would be good if I could keep it going. "That's what I was most worried about when I found out I had Parkinson's, that I would have to stop running. "I had been doing it all my life and actually it has kept me going through everything. "We didn't tell the kids what was happening while I was being tested because they were 17 and 14 at the time and going through their exams. "But as soon as I was diagnosed, I sat them down and told them and the first thing I told them was that it wasn't fatal. "The second thing I told them was to not look at the internet, that if they had any questions they were to ask me. "The last thing I told them was to try and forget about it, that it wasn't anything for them to worry about. "I try not to worry, Maureen worries about me, but then I sometimes think it is easier for me because I'm in the middle of it." Despite his optimistic outlook, Patrick has not been immune to the effects of the disease. He started off taking one tablet a day, explaining that he wanted to take the smallest dose possible. "I think I'm still quite young to be going on stronger medication," he says. This helped to address the problems he was experiencing with his balance, but he has developed other issues in the years since his diagnosis. "My consultant is really good, I get a good 20 minutes with him and he listens to me and then discusses my medication with me," Patrick says. "I had to stop running 400m last year which was a really big decision for me because it was the first thing I have really lost, but I have kept training which is important as it gives me some control. "I train with Kevin and he keeps an eye on me to make sure I don't push myself too hard but he also knows what I'm capable of. "If people ask for something to be lifted they would say I can't do it and Kevin tells them I'm stronger than them." As Patrick avoids reading about Parkinson's, much of his knowledge of the symptoms has come from his own personal experience. "I had no idea that night terrors were part of Parkinson's but it turns out that they are and I would have problems with that," he adds. "Maureen would hear me calling for her to wake me from a dream and that's when she knows that it's bad, they can be very vivid and I can jump about a lot in bed. "I have a little bit of OCD that I never had before and once I start something, I find it very hard not to finish. "I try not to start things too late in the evening because then I won't go to bed. "Parkinson's a brain injury so I probably find the mental and behaviour side of it most difficult. "I also get hallucinations and my co-ordination is a bit harder. I get words mixed up and my tremor can be quite bad. "I don't get good sleep so I was given a patch to help me with that." His work involves giving presentations and Patrick is always careful before he begins to tell people that he has Parkinson's "so that people don't think I'm having a seizure". "I know some people don't like to speak about having Parkinson's, but I don't see why I shouldn't tell people. "This hasn't happened because of anything I have done and I like to explain to people what the tremor is about," he says. Clearly, Patrick is incredibly candid about his condition and he has even taken to social media in an attempt to educate people about the effects of Parkinson's. It started when he bought a teddy bear and named it Parky and it became his companion as he travelled to various races around the world. He would ask other competitors to pose for photographs with Parky to be posted on social media, before explaining its significance and it would invariably result in a discussion about Parkinson's. Patrick became so well-known that he was approached by a neurologist from England who was familiar with him and his accomplishments and she asked whether she could direct her patients to his social media posts. He agreed. Patrick is also an avid supporter of Parkinson's UK, a charity that has provided him with a plethora of support and advice throughout his own journey. "I did Strictly Come Dancing last year with Therese to raise money and that was another time when I had to make an adjustment, because I can't lead, so we worked on that and I followed Therese," he says. "The charity has been brilliant and I go along to a coffee meeting which is good because you get to chat to other people who are going through the same thing and you can talk about things that you might not want to discuss with your family." Six years on from his diagnosis, Patrick remains optimistic about the future. "I don't see the point in worrying about the future," he says. "Billy Connolly said Parkinson's is life-ending but I don't agree, it's life-changing but you can still have a great life. "You have to be willing to adapt and work to keep things under control." He adds: "Yes, you will lose some things but you also gain things. I have made wonderful friends that I would never have made if I didn't have Parkinson's. "I'm a great believer that you only get one life and you live it in whatever way you can and you make the most of what you have." Charity chief urges public to learn more about the condition Patrick Crossan is speaking about his experience of Parkinson's to raise awareness of what it's like living with the condition. Now more than ever, as the world faces a global pandemic, people living with Parkinson's need support from organisations such as Parkinson's UK. The charity, which marked World Parkinson's Day last Saturday, also raises funds for research to improve treatments for people living with the degenerative brain condition. Gary Shaughnessy, chair of the board of trustees at Parkinson's UK, said: "People with Parkinson's often tell us - and I know from my own experience of the condition - that a lack of understanding is one of the biggest challenges they face, leaving them open to harassment and discrimination when out in public. "Stories like Patrick's not only help to raise public understanding of Parkinson's, but also vital funds to help us improve the lives of people with Parkinson's by finding better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. "This World Parkinson's Day, we're encouraging members of the public to learn more about the condition by visiting our online platform and searching for the hashtag #knowparkinsons. "Chances are you know somebody affected by Parkinson's. But do you know Parkinson's?" Learn more about Parkinson's by visiting www.parkinsons.org.uk/worldparkinsonsday. Thomas' mum, Joy, who have been collecting get well soon messages for Boris Johnson A Co Down community is rallying together to show its appreciation and send messages of support to Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from Covid-19. Community Help in Rathfriland, which was set up in response to the coronavirus crisis, will be sending more than 30 letters and drawings to Downing Street by children from the town later this week. One of the organisers of the community group, Joy Lapsley, who is originally from north Belfast but moved to Rathfriland two years ago, said the idea came about to let the Prime Minister know he is "doing a good job and show a bit of encouragement". "We have been running a number of things for children and family projects," explained Joy. "This week was the Boris Johnson letters project and we've had a good response. "It's just local children writing get well soon messages and families saying thank you." The completed letters and drawings will be left at the doorsteps and Joy will travel around the town and surrounding areas to pick them up. Mr Johnson was released from hospital on Easter Sunday after a seven-night stay in London's St Thomas' Hospital. He had been taken to hospital after his Covid-19 symptoms worsened and spent three nights in intensive care. In Joy's letter to the Prime Minister, she stated: "Just like all of us you have a family who you are worried about, plus the extra responsibility of running a country - you are in our prayers and our thoughts." With more than 400 members on its Facebook page, Community Help has created a range of projects to keep families occupied during the lockdown such as poetry and crossword competitions, and Easter egg and hamper drop offs. The group has also supported a number of elderly and vulnerable people who have been left isolated in the rural community. "It's just about making sure that everybody is okay in Rathfriland," Joy added. "It's a really great group and there has been a great community response to it. We wouldn't have the resources that Belfast has so it's just to help look after everyone. "It was set up a week before the lockdown and we set the foundations before coronavirus really took hold. "We make up craft packs and give it to the children. We're also trying to make a banner from the children with funding from local businesses. Everybody is involved in some way." Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 20:06:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have identified three new gene variants associated with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), a fatal disease with high heritability and low survival rate. In the study, published online earlier this month in the journal JAMA Cardiology, the researchers using whole-genome sequencing technology identified three rare loss-of-function variants in a gene called PTGIS in Chinese patients with IPAH. They also found that patients carrying the gene variants were more responsive to iloprost, a drug treatment, than those without such variants, indicating that screening of the PTGIS variants may help improve the personalized treatment of these patients. IPAH is a lung disorder characterized by high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, which are the vessels that bring blood from the heart to the lungs. The disease causes blood to flow through the thickened and narrowed pulmonary arteries with greater heart pumping force. Patients may have no symptoms during the early stage of this disorder. As it progresses, sufferers may experience chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath. According to the researchers, the prognosis is poor, with a five-year survival rate of 50 percent. Previous studies have found a group of risk genes, but they can explain only a small proportion of the IPAH cases. Taking the most predominant gene BMPR2 as an example, its variants only account for 14.5 percent of Chinese patients with the disease. "The genetic basis of IPAH still needs further investigation," said lead researcher Jing Zhicheng at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Patients carrying any known risk gene were excluded from this study, which suggests that the effect of rare PTGIS variants on the development of the disease is independent, the researchers said. Jing has conducted various IPAH gene research in recent years. Last year, Jing's team found a novel gene responsible for the disease. "When a disease exists in the world, it also leaves passwords to solve the problem in the patient's body. The mission of we researchers is to find out these passwords," Jing said. A report by the China Science Daily described the discovery of the rare gene variants a major breakthrough, which not only explains the cause for a large number of IPAH patients but also provides insights for precise clinical treatment. Researchers from Beijing's Fuwai Hospital under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Harbin Medical University also contributed to the study. Authorities in Kabul will ban motorcycles and scooters in the Afghan capital in a bid to control rampant crime and stop assailants on two-wheelers from conducting targeted killings, officials said Tuesday. The ban, which takes effect Wednesday, comes after a string of assaults by armed men on motorbikes. Delivery riders, who are seeing heavy demand amid Kabul's coronavirus lockdown, will be exempted. "Most of the crimes in the city, including targeted killings and other crimes, are carried out using motorbikes," interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP. "We have therefore decided to ban the use of the motorbikes in Kabul city and its districts." Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official told AFP that the Taliban are conducting an increasing number of targeted killings of government officials. "They all use motorbikes to do hit and runs," the official said, noting that street robberies by theives on motorcycles and scooters were also on the rise. Earlier this month,two of President Ashraf Ghani's bodyguards were shot dead in separate attacks by armed men on motorbikes, according to the official. Motorcycle bans have been implemented in some other parts of Afghanistan, but this is the first restriction in the capital. "It improved the security in other provinces, it is going to improve the security in Kabul too," the official said. As overwhelmed police forces are busy battling the Taliban as rampant poverty and rising unemployment have worsened Kabul's security situation, making drive-by shootings, car thefts, and the snatching of phones and wallets commonplace. Motorcycles and scooters are popular in Kabul, with riders using them to cut through the city's notorious traffic that frequently is gridlocked for hours. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Florence Schlueps time abroad isnt going as expected. When the 30-year-old from Switzerland landed in Winnipeg at the end of February she was looking forward to studying English, making new friends and taking a trip to the United States this summer. Instead, Schluep and her boyfriend have been holed up in a rented apartment for the last month, isolating against the rapidly spreading coronavirus. "We left and everything was normal," she said. "It was unreal; you never would have thought that it could come to Europe or come to Canada." Schluep is one of 65 Heartland International English School students who are effectively stuck in Winnipeg while the global pandemic plays out. Heartland, a private language school on William Avenue, has successfully moved its curriculum online, but founder and president Gary Gervais is concerned about the future of his industry. "I'm the kind of person (who loves) to know my community." Olufemi Oshinowo "If you wanted to be in a business that was going to be devastated by something like this, weve got it," Gervais said. "Students getting on planes, needing visas, gathering together in classrooms, it checks all the boxes of things that are pretty instantly destroyed by the COVID-19 pandemic." For Schluep, the learning is going smoothly, but the lack of social contact with her classmates is difficult. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) Heartland runs full- and part-time classes and English proficiency tests for as many as 130 students at a time from around the world in 2018, the bulk of enrollees were from Brazil and China. During their time in Winnipeg, students can lodge with a home-stay family or arrange their own accommodations. Gervais says all of Heartland's current students have stable living situations where they can isolate. While the language teachers have been able to deliver lessons virtually, the tourism side of the program has hit a stumbling block. "Part of what were offering is this cultural and Canadian and Winnipeg experience," Gervais said. "This is what weve lost in the transition." The school usually organizes class outings to museums, galleries and movie theatres on Fridays. To fill the gap, Heartland has been hiring local artists to run online workshops, the first of which was a private concert with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra viola player Marie-Elyse Badeau. For Schluep, the learning is going smoothly, but the lack of social contact with her classmates is difficult. "When youre going to another country and learning a language there, youre expecting to meet some people, go for a beer maybe on Friday after your classes," she said. "Thats kind of missing at the moment and thats very sad." When it comes to the pandemic, Schluep is trying to stay positive and keep in touch with family back in Switzerland, where there have been 25,834 cases of COVID-19 and 900 deaths, to date. Olufemi Oshinowo, with Damisi, arrived in Winnipeg in January. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press) "My dad is over 70, so Im kind of scared about him but I know hes doing a pretty good job of staying at home and don't have contact with other people," she said. Olufemi Oshinowo, 49, is a recent graduate of Heartland who came to Winnipeg in January from Nigeria. He is planning an extended stay in the city while his 11-year-old son finishes school here. Moving to a new country has been a strange experience so far. "Im the kind of person (who loves) to know my community," he said. "But because of this coronavirus you have to be careful, so the only place I actually go to is the mall." 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. Oshinowo has been managing his concerns about the virus by staying in constant contact with relatives back in Nigeria where, as of Monday, there had been 323 cases and 10 deaths. "The numbers stay significantly low, but its still something," he said. "Everywhere is locked down too, people are not allowed to go to work or go anywhere." Despite living in isolation and the city's unpredictable spring weather, Oshinowo says he has had a good first impression of Winnipeg. "People are loving here," he said. "Ive had a good experience with people." eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @evawasney NEW HAVEN The New Haven Public Schools moved this week to limit the schedule of the to-go meal service to three days a week, a month into the program launched to feed students during the coronavirus pandemic. But some Board of Education members said they believe that, when it comes to the safety of school employees and families who take advantage of the meal program while the building are closed, the new limits might not be enough. The issue of safety arose during the boards online meeting this week. Our mayor gets on the news every day and tells us the truth to stay home, and if you leave the house you should put on a mask, but stay home, said board member Tamiko Jackson-McArthur. A lot of parents coming out are coming out because they have children, and a lot of parents are front-line workers. To me, thats exposure we can help mitigate. We can change that. The issue is also one of racial and socioeconomic disparities, she said. Mayor Justin Elicker released statistics showing that black and brown residents are being hospitalized from complications arising from COVID-19 at a higher rate than white residents in the city. The meals have been available as, when the district decided to close its school buildings on March 13 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials scrambled to obtain federal waivers so the food program could continue. The district is federally eligible to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students in congregate school buildings during designated meal periods, so closing school buildings was likely to create financial hardship for families. The district initially obtained a waiver for a grab and go system that would permit students and a guardian to take home a bundled breakfast and lunch package Monday through Friday. As a precaution, school staff decided that this week the district would dispense two days worth of meals at time, but only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. District COO Michael Pinto said Monday that there have been 28,893 breakfast and lunch packages disbursed in April to date, with roughly 55,000 handed out in the second half of March. On average, about 2,500 to 2,700 meal packages are picked up from the 37 sites daily, he said. Since the first meal service on March 16, the district has since obtained a waiver allowing for parents and guardians to pick up meals without having a student present. Jackson-McArthur asked why the district cannot prepare enough meals for families to take home for a week at a time. Pinto said that it would be extremely difficult as the coolers at the schools could not hold the quantity of milk and juice that would be needed for such a program, the strain on kitchen staff to prepare the meals all at once would be too great and shipping the meals to various sites also would pose a problem. Elicker said that he worries a plan to do so would pose logistical issues for families, as well. It would be a burden to carry home and store one week of breakfasts and lunches per student and could increase the overall exposure families and school staff have during a pickup. It would also likely create longer lines on the one day when meals are dispensed, and would leave students without meals for an entire week if they miss that day, he said. Board member Darnell Goldson raised a concern that school staff who are working at those buildings ordinarily a cafeteria worker, a custodian and a security guard are repeatedly exposed to other people who may be virus carriers and they are not receiving any additionalwages. Additionally, many are doing so without protective gear such as masks. But Interim Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey said she drove around to several sites and did see many workers wearing protective gear. The school district ordered masks proactively, she said, but have sometimes struggled to obtain them because of the short supply and high demand. We could close all the sites, but its not what we want to do, she said. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com ATLANTA - A polarizing Democratic state lawmaker in Georgia broke party ranks on Tuesday to endorse President Donald Trumps reelection. State Rep. Vernon Jones, who represents portions of metro Atlantas DeKalb and Rockdale counties, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that hes supporting Trump because of the Republican presidents handling of the economy and his criminal justice reform efforts. There are a lot of African Americans who clearly see and appreciate hes doing something thats never been done before, Jones told the newspaper. Jones previously served as DeKalb Countys CEO and is no stranger to controversy. He weathered allegations of theft as the countys chief executive, has often clashed with his fellow Democrats on policy issues and was accused last month of hurling transphobic comments at a local official. Jones endorsement of Trump was quickly blasted by other Georgia Democrats. State Sen. Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, issued a statement calling Jones an embarrassment and said he does not stand for our values. Jones did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment. Community activist Rhonda Taylor is challenging Jones in the states Democratic primary, which is scheduled for June 9. China imported crude oil at an average rate of around 10.38 million bpd, for a total of 43.91 million tons, according to calculations made by Reuters. The total for the first quarter, according to official customs data, was 130 million tons. Reuters reported that the March average was an 11.7-percent increase on the year--a signal that the country was stockpiling cheap oil while the price rout continues. Independent refiners again appear to have spearheaded the growth in foreign oil buying, even though domesticand regionaldemand for fuels was lower than supply even before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. According to one Chinese analyst who spoke to Reuters, the rise in oil imports will continue this month and next. Economic activity in China has begun to recover, albeit slowly. Still, unless a second wave of infections prompts another tightening of the movement of people, chance are it will continue to improve in the coming months. Interestingly, the oil import increase data comes on the heels of a Reuters poll among economists, who said they expected a dip in imports in March. Even though this increase in oil buying is good news, it may not be enough. China always buys oil when its cheap to fill its strategic reserves. This year, however, it will be buying at a lower than usual rate because there is already quite a lot of oil in storage, according to Wood Mackenzie. A second major importer, India, is also buying cheap oil for its strategic reserve, lending hope to the battered world oil industry that prices might improve. However, India has limited storage capacity. Data from Refinitiv suggests that February was the strongest month for oil imports since the start of the year, with imports up 10 percent on the year, versus a 5.6-percent increase over January and a 16.4-percent increase for March, However, the March total was a record high, at 19.84 million tons, or about 4.85 million bpd. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: French President Emmanuel Macron said on March 20 that France is not through the worst of the virus outbreak yet and that more deaths are expected. The French government on Tuesday put its 67 million population under lockdown in an unprecedented peacetime act. But some French are not cooperating with the confinement measures. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Berry Juliandi (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java Tue, April 14, 2020 11:57 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1becab 3 Opinion #COVID19,#coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free Two weeks after the World Health Organization declared the current pandemic on March 12, the Research and Technology Ministry and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) announced a research and development consortium on the novel coronavirus. Through a virtual press conference, the ministry and BRIN announce the reallocation of its funding to support research and development for COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, sanitizers, vaccines and preventive supplements to increase immunity to the virus. This was a welcomed move, similar to what the European Commissions Horizon 2020 had done one month ahead of the pandemic announcement. Horizon 2020 had allocated 10 million euro (US$10.91 million) from its emergency budget to advance understanding of the epidemic, contribute to more efficient clinical management of patients infected with the virus, as well as public health preparedness and response. In Indonesia, the funding reallocation from the ministry and BRIN soon yielded results. By April 6, the COVID-19 consortium handed over 10 mobile handwashers and hand sanitizers to the national COVID -19 task force. This is research and development at its best: responsive and relevant. But responsive, relevant science does not just happen. On top of proper research infrastructure and scientific capabilities, funding is crucial to make research happen. The funding needs to be responsive and relevant, with a degree of flexibility to enable good research. The most recent announcement of the 2020 state budget revision announced through a new presidential regulation on budget reallocation includes separation of the nonresearch higher education budget from research funding for higher education. And this separation of funding reveals how small Indonesias research and development budget actually is. Without the non-research higher education budget, the Research and Technology Ministry manages only around Rp 2 trillion ($126.5 million). If Indonesia aims to become a global research powerhouse, a responsive, relevant, flexible and sufficient research funding mechanism would be a prerequisite. And we have high hopes that such a mechanism will materialize through the new research endowment fund. In 2019, in a bid to boost research funding, the government announced the allocation of Rp 990 billion for the research endowment fund, with an additional Rp 5 trillion allocated in 2020. So far, this remains unchanged, even with recent state budget reallocations to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. Any change should be a topped-up budget instead of slashed down as Indonesias level of funding for research is still far below its Southeast Asian counterparts. In 2017, the country spent only 0.25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on research, which pales in comparison to Thailands 1 percent and Vietnams 0.5 percent according to a 2019 UNESCO report. On a macro level, the research endowment fund should complement other forms of research funding via well-designed portfolio management. The fund should balance support for government priority research and discovery research, top-down and bottom-up research, and interdisciplinary and sectoral research, as well as allowing for joint funding. In times of a pandemic like this, the priority list should balance research in health and medicine and supporting technology, with research into the social aspects of a pandemic because eventually it is society that will be most impacted and need to adapt to this new normal. An even more advanced approach is not to separate research priority based on conventional disciplines or technological output but to challenge researchers to work in an interdisciplinary manner to solve a certain challenge. This challenge-led research will force brains from different disciplines to complement each other. Research funding should not only focus on how much is being spent. Importantly, it should focus on how it is being spent and how it is allowed to be spent, which takes us back to the point of having a responsive, relevant, flexible research funding mechanism, with strategic spending. The root cause of the problem is perhaps the barely existent management of a research funding portfolio and the fact that research funding via the state budget is restrictive. This does not enable good research. The new endowment fund for research supposedly provides some space for the budget to be treated differently from the annual state budget. After being invested, its yield can be accounted for as nontax state income. Thus, the main added value of having such a fund should be maintained by managing it outside of the annual state budget. This would allow for flexibility, sustainability and responsiveness, for example in responding to emerging research needs such as outbreaks or natural disasters. The utilization of state research funding is bound by the financial year. After due process of budget allocation, researchers receive grants by the second quarter of the year and must complete projects before December. Continued funding is not guaranteed and carrying the budget over to the next financial year is not allowed, stifling projects from moving forward. Grants are also bound by unit costs and this often does not incentivize research activities, let alone innovation. In 2018, the above ministry introduced more flexible, output-based, multi-year research funding. But its implementation covers less than 10 percent of the state research budget and it is still impeded by wariness on the financial audit side. One of the key principles of research funding is to fund good research wherever needed. Hence, the endowment fund should be accessible to different categories of researchers those based in universities, government research institutes, think tanks and even the private sector. In finding good research to support, typically a competitive, peer-reviewed mechanism works most efficiently. This is as long as relevant scientists do reviews through a system that allows for feedback loops to help researchers improve their proposals. Such a review mechanism also allows for funders to support the most relevant research. Applying these principles in funding research in Indonesia accompanied by continuous debureaucratization and capacity building for researchers and research institutions would support a healthy knowledge ecosystem. And a healthy, functioning knowledge ecosystem would ensure that our society is agile enough to cope with any changes, even abrupt ones like the current pandemic. This separation of funding reveals how small Indonesias research and development budget actually is. *** Lecturer at the Department of Biology, Bogor Agricultural University and secretary-general of the Indonesian Young Academy of Sciences (ALMI) Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. A Wittenberg University English class got a bit of comic relief during a recent Zoom lesson thanks to their professor's bored teenage son. Mike Mattison, an English professor at the Springfield, Ohio school, was teaching his class via video conference when his 19-year-old son Lucas popped up in the background. Lucas dressed up in several different costumes, including a wetsuit and a graduation cap and gown, and acted out scenes behind his father, who continued teaching as if nothing was happening in the background. Surprise! Mike Mattison teaches English at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. His 19-year-old son Lucas recently interrupted one of his Zoom classes For a laugh: Lucas dressed in a wetsuit, cap and gown, and other costumes and acted out comedic bits behind his dad Lucas is himself a freshman at Xavier University, but is home quarantining with his family. Meanwhile his father has continued to hold classes online. Lucas thought it would be fun to set up a joke for his students, and recorded the whole thing for TikTok. The video begins with Professor Mattison teaching while Lucas walks behind him in a wetsuit, carrying a surfboard and talking on a cell phone, seemingly lost on his way to the beach. He then comes back in a cap and gown, pretending to wave at friends at a graduation ceremony. Then he's an explorer, donning is best Indiana Jones outfit and looking around through a cardboard paper towel roll. Mixing it up: He also dressed as an explorer, donning is best Indiana Jones outfit and looking around through a cardboard paper towel roll Permission: Lucas cleared the prank with his dad before setting it up He changes again, becoming a soldier with a crossbow and a ninja with a gun. All the while, his dad continues to teach. But when Lucas walks out in his final costume, Professor Mattison finally gets his revenge. He picks up a Nerf gun he has hidden under the desk, and turns around to shoot his son several times, scaring him out of the frame. Lucas told Good Morning America that he'd cleared the prank with his dad before setting it up. 'I had to [tell my dad] I was doing it because I set up my camera in front of his computer,' he said. 'I didn't give him many details. I just told him, "I'm going to be giving them something to laugh at,"' he added. His dad was game, Lucas said. 'He loves having fun with his students. He's known as the "fun professor,"' he said. Payback: At the end, the professor turned around and shot his son with a Nerf gun Goofing around: Lucas (pictured with his parents) said his dad likes to have fun with his students Professor Mattison isn't the only educator whose kid is interrupting his Zoom classes. Several people have shared stories and screengrabs of offspring making appearances in video lessons though most of the time, the kids are much younger. 'During a Zoom conference, a professor's son appeared in a T-rex mask and pretended to bite him and his only reaction was, "Oh no. I'm dead." and that's about how online school is going at this point,' wrote one young woman on Twitter. 'My professor's son just walked in on him and happily announced that he's 6 years old lmfao,' wrote another. A third tweeted: 'My professors kid is in the Zoom meeting and was just like I want pasta... MOOD.' 'Got on Zoom this morning and my professors kid was wearing a flash costume sitting on camera,' yet another said. Two men are expected to recover after being shot in Northeast Portland late Monday night, police say. Portland police said theyre investigating the identity of the suspects. No descriptions are available, and police said they dont know whether the shootings are connected. The first man was wounded when someone walked up and shot him multiple times while he was outside a relatives home near Killingsworth Street and 60th Avenue, according to police. The second man was shot multiple times after an altercation with the person who shot him, police said. The incident happened near Fremont Street and 82nd Avenue, which is a little more than a 2-mile drive from the scene of the first shooting. Police said theres no public threat, citing the circumstances of the shootings. The incidents came on the heels of a spate of gunfire that damaged property early Sunday morning in North and Southeast Portland. About 60 or more shots were fired during those incidents, police said. Police previously said shootings were up in Portland during the first week of April, even as the city remained largely shut down because of the coronavirus outbreak. Police ask anyone who has information about Mondays shootings to call 503-823-4106 or email GVRT@portlandoregon.gov. The shootings are under investigation. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. As governors across the country fell into line in recent weeks, South Dakota's top elected leader stood firm: There would be no statewide order to stay home. Such edicts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Kristi Noem argued disparagingly, reflected a "herd mentality." It was up to individuals - not government - to decide whether "to exercise their right to work, to worship and to play. Or to even stay at home." And besides, the first-term Republican told reporters at a briefing this month, "South Dakota is not New York City." But now South Dakota is home to one of the largest single coronavirus clusters anywhere in the United States, with more than 300 workers at a giant pork-processing plant falling ill. With the case numbers continuing to spike, the company was forced to announce the indefinite closure of the facility Sunday, threatening the U.S. food supply. Increasingly exasperated local leaders, public health experts and front-line medical workers begged Noem to intervene Monday with a more aggressive state response. "A shelter-in-place order is needed now. It is needed today," said Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, whose city is at the center of South Dakota's outbreak and who has had to improvise with voluntary recommendations in the absence of statewide action. But the governor continued to resist. Instead, she used a press briefing Monday to announce trials of a drug that President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted as a potential breakthrough in the fight against coronavirus, despite a lack of scientific evidence. "It's an exciting day," she boasted, repeatedly citing her conversations with presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner. The piecemeal approach to combating the coronavirus in South Dakota offers a throwback to America's not-so-distant past, the period around a month ago when governors were still leery of using their powers to shut down restaurants and bars or to order people, for the greater good, to stay at home. It also may offer a glimpse of the country's near-term future, as pressure builds - not least from the president - to reopen after a weeks-long shutdown. Trump has been eager to get the economy on its feet again by the beginning of May after record rises in unemployment claims and dramatic falls in the stock market. Yet as South Dakota's experience shows, no part of the country is immune to being ravaged by the virus. And rescinding orders that people stay at home - or declining to issue them, as in the case of South Dakota and four other states - offers plenty of peril. Reopening the county by May is "not even remotely achievable," said TenHaken, who, like Trump and Noem, is a Republican. "We're in the early innings of this thing in Sioux Falls." Already, the experience has been harrowing: As of early April, the city had relatively few cases. But over the course of last week, the numbers surged as the virus ripped through the city's Smithfield Foods production plant, a colossus that employs 3,700 people - many of them immigrants - and churns out 18 million servings of pork product per day. On Monday alone, 57 more workers were confirmed to have positive diagnoses, bringing the total well above 300 - and making it one of the country's largest clusters. Other major clusters include Cook County Jail in Chicago and the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. The Smithfield cases amount to more than a third of the state's overall total, which stood at 868 on Monday, including six deaths, in a state of nearly 900,000 people. Over the weekend, Smithfield bowed to growing pressure and said it would shutter the facility indefinitely in a bid to contain the spread - though Smithfield leaders cautioned that the action could severely disrupt the nation's food supplies. The factory, like other food production facilities, had earlier been deemed essential by the federal government. The shutdown of the Sioux Falls plant, coupled with other closures, "is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply," Kenneth Sullivan, Smithfield president and chief executive, said in a statement. "It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running." Before the closure, workers had complained that they were not given sufficient access to protective gear, such as masks. The company said Thursday that it had taken steps to reduce the spread, including "adding extra hand sanitizing stations, boosting personal protective equipment, continuing to stress the importance of personal hygiene." But workers said they were required to work so closely together that it was impossible to stay healthy. "There is no social distance," said Lily, a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant who had worked at the plant for nearly 13 years but quit because she feared bringing the coronavirus home to her husband and young daughter. Lily, who spoke on the condition that her last name not be published for fear of retribution, said it is not only at work where she feared the virus. "Many people are sick. Not only in the plant - in the whole city," she said. Sioux Falls, home to nearly 200,000 people, is the state's largest city. TenHaken, the mayor, said in an interview that he has done everything within his power to enforce social distancing, including using a "no lingering" ordinance to confine restaurants to takeout and delivery service and strongly recommending that all nonessential businesses close. He has little power of enforcement, however, and no ability to control what happens in nearby jurisdictions. Restaurants within Sioux Falls may have shut down for in-person dining. But the rules don't apply outside city limits. Without a more assertive response from state government - including stay-at-home orders in at least the surrounding counties and a declaration of a statewide public health emergency - TenHaken said he fears the spread will continue. "The virus doesn't know boundaries. The virus doesn't know city limits," he said. "We're responding the best we can at the local level but quite honestly with a limited tool set." TenHaken's plea for state action has also been made by public health professionals. The South Dakota State Medical Association wrote Noem a letter April 3 warning the governor that the state "may soon face the challenges and hardships currently being seen in New York and other large cities across the country if a shelter in place order is not issued immediately." Noem is one of five governors representing relatively rural states - North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Arkansas are the others - still resisting such calls. All are Republicans, and all have used similar justifications for going against the national grain. In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has boasted of his state's "very targeted response" and argued that other states have so many exemptions to their stay-at-home orders that they "override the rule." Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has said that keeping people at home takes a toll on their mental health and that "suicides and domestic abuse" would rise. Noem has perhaps gone even further than others, however, citing the principle of individual liberty and the limitations of government to dictate people's behavior - even when public health may depend on it. Citing scientific modeling, the governor acknowledged this month that up to 70% of residents in her state may ultimately fall ill to coronavirus. But, she suggested, it wasn't up to government to tell them how to behave. "The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety," she said. "They are the ones that are entrusted with expansive freedoms." Noem on Monday continued to defend her approach, saying the state had high levels of voluntary participation in social distancing strategies - "much greater than some of those states that issued shelter-in-place orders." She also said that spikes in case numbers, such as the one at Smithfield, had been "expected" and that the state's numbers overall were trending in the right direction. Noem, who said she was closely coordinating with the White House, focused her remarks on a trial of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that Trump has frequently touted as a possible remedy for the coronavirus, though its effectiveness has not been proved. Scientists in Brazil stopped a study of the drug in coronavirus patients after some developed irregular heart rates. She batted away questions about a statewide stay-at-home order - or even countywide ones. But public health experts say such an order is what's needed, even in a rural state such as South Dakota. "In rural areas, there's less access to health care," said DenYelle Kenyon, director of the public health program at the University of South Dakota. "And all it takes is one case to spread to a small community." Front-line medical workers, too, have been outspoken in calling for the state to step up. Amy Taylor, a Sioux Falls-based nurse who is married to a nurse practitioner, sat down one evening and spent 10 minutes tapping out a petition on change.org demanding that Noem order people to stay home. "I thought some friends might sign it," Taylor said. "But it just kind of took off." The petition was closing in on 30,000 signatures as of Monday night. Many of the signers identify themselves as health-care workers. "I just don't understand why we aren't doing everything we can to save people's lives," Taylor said. More than 160 county and city leaders in South Dakota have also petitioned Noem, urging her to declare a statewide public health emergency. Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender was among those who signed. As leader of the state's second-largest city, he has instituted aggressive measures to keep people apart. But as is true in Sioux Falls, citywide efforts can only do so much when the state's response is such a patchwork. Now, economic pain from the shutdown is growing - and so is frustration that the city's businesses have been closed while others nearby remain open. Without the state backing him up, Allender said, it will be tough to hold the line. "There's no political winners in this pandemic," said Allender, a Republican whose city has seen relatively few cases. "You have to decide on which side of the argument you're going to lose - the one that was too cautious or the one that was too reckless." Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has alleged that billionaire businessman, Bill Gates and his wife, M... Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has alleged that billionaire businessman, Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda are planning to kill Africans using the Coronavirus vaccine. Kanu made the allegation in reaction to Melindas claim that she saw dead bodies on the streets of Africa. Melinda in an interview with CNN had lamented that Africa may not be able to handle a Coronavirus situation if it escalates like it did in the west. Reacting, Kanu insisted that Melinda must have adequate information at her disposal before making such remarks. In his latest broadcast on Radio Biafra, the IPOB leader said: Melinda Gates said she saw dead bodies on the streets of Africa, that COVID-19 will be horrible in the developing world, they will not say such things if they do not have enough information. Nobody should travel to Biafraland from Lagos or Abuja, the enemies have plans to use it against us. Kanu alleged that Bill Gates and his cohorts tried to reduce the black race using HIV but failed, hence will resort to the Coronavirus vaccine. Bill Gates and co tried to reduce the black African population, they first tried it in South Africa with HIV and it failed them and backfired. They want to maintain white supremacy in Africa. Bill Gates father was part of those who initiated planned parenthood and also part of IBM. Their family business is white supremacy. Unless you vaccinate, you cannot be in any public gathering, said Bill Gates. Who is Bill Gates to tell the world what to do?. He is not working with the UN, they want you to vaccinate not because they want to protect you from Coronavirus but to kill you off, to sterilize our women. Dr. Fauchy is part of Bill Gates vaccine team, they are a gang of thieves. Dr Fauchy and Bill Gates knew Coronavirus would come since 2017. Bill Gates used his money and funded the study that led to todays pestilence called (Coronavirus). Bill Gates has the patent of Coronavirus, we are in multiple danger, we must be extremely careful or we will sink. Until you accept their vaccine (Bill Gates vaccine), they will keep on bringing up new versions of it, that is why they are now saying only the vaccine will save you. Vivek Agnihotri Mistakenly Claims Sonakshi Sinha Was Shooting Amidst Lockdown, Rangoli Chandel Chimes In Saying 'It's Not His Fault' ALBANY At a time when New Yorkers are being implored to stay home and a large segment of the workforce is holding meetings virtually, members of the public still have to trek to a courthouse if they want to watch the justice system operate. Such burdens are not in place for court participants: The court system is holding "virtual court operations" for cases to be heard remotely via Skype or teleconferenced. But citing the potential that these public proceedings could be recorded, the state's Office of Court Administration is telling observers to travel to court and watch the action on a monitor. On April 6, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore ordered court matters that are considered essential such as arraignments, bail appearances and considerations of orders of protection to be held remotely via platforms such as Skype. On Monday, DiFiore expanded that statewide edict to cover some non-essential matters, such as pre-trial conferences. The purpose of our going virtual is for the health and safety of all involved in the proceedings, judge, attorneys, court staff and security and litigants, Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the court system, told the Times Union in an email Monday. All other protocols remain the same. There is a monitor set up in the court for public viewing. Full coronavirus coverage Pandemic fears prompt mistrial in Troy LawBeat: Coronavirus delays bar exam until fall The rules of the state court system prohibit audiovisual coverage of testimony of parties or witnesses by subpoena or other compulsory process. Chalfen said there would be "no way to ensure that someone wouldnt record/photograph all or part of a proceeding if they were on the Skype call. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, which covers 32 upstate counties and the Capital Region, also bars the public from recording court proceedings. The federal court also is offering the public an opportunity to view proceedings if they travel to the courthouse. The federal court said if a member of the public or media wished to view a proceeding, they needed to send an email to PublicProceedings@nynd.uscourts.gov no later than 90 minutes before the scheduled start of the session. In Albany, the viewings are being shown via Skype on the first floor of the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse on Broadway. In Syracuse, the viewings were being shown of the 12th floor of the James M. Hanley Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse at 100 S. Clinton Street. With the exception of grand jury sessions, courts are generally required to be open to the public. Judges have discretion to allow the news media to audiotape or visually record openings and closing arguments of trials, as well as sentencings and other court matters such as arraignments. When the Times Union visited the Albany County Judicial Center on Tuesday, a deputy indicated that a Skype system was to be set up for the media but was not yet operational. The deputy, when asked, said family members of interested parties were not being allowed in the building due to safety precautions. State lawmakers were not happy with the court system's arrangement. "These are highly unusual times we are experiencing, and I appreciate that New York's courts are taking steps to allow virtual proceedings during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Bronx Democrat who chairs the house's Judiciary Committee. "However, I am very concerned that there are not accommodations being made to permit members of the public including the press to watch these proceedings virtually as well." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "The universal guidance we are hearing from public health officials is to avoid leaving our homes as much as possible," Dinowitz said, "and I believe that the talented and smart staff of our state courts are very capable of figuring out how to permit public observance of court proceedings throughout a pandemic without requiring in-person attendance." State Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat who chairs the Senate's Judiciary Committee, said in a statement: "Creating transparency in our legal system is crucial: It protects the integrity of our courts and of our judicial process. At a time when all New Yorkers are being asked to stay home and stop the spread of COVID-19, it's unfortunate that OCA does not have the legal authority to livestream court proceedings especially when courts in New Jersey and other states can do so. " Hoylman said he remains committed to passing a bill that would allow the court system to allow audiovisual coverage of court proceedings. In December, the state's Committee on Open Government expressed support for legalizing cameras in court in its annual report to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the Legislature. But asked to weigh in on Chalfen's comments, Kristin O'Neill, assistant director of the state's Committee on Open Government, on Monday quickly declined to comment. "Our statutory role is to provide advice and opinions on the Freedom of Information Law and Open Meetings Law," she said. "You might want to reach out to the public information officer of the Office of Court Administration," O'Neill said referring to Chalfen, whose comments she had been asked to respond to. "They're in a better position to comment than we are." On Monday, DiFiore hailed social-distancing efforts such as the the establishment of the virtual court system, which she said was done "in order to reduce the number of people in our courthouses." Her speech was posted on the court system's website. "Based on informed accounts, all the hard but necessary steps that were taken over the last month appear to be working and having their intended effect, which is to contain the viruss spread, reduce the number of infected individuals in our communities and, ultimately, save lives," DiFiore said. "I want to reiterate what Gov. Cuomo and others have said time and again: what we do at a time like this matters, and it matters in the most profound of ways." An Australian man currently living in 14-day quarantine has shared an ingenious hack for streaming Netflix and YouTube on a hotel TV, and it only requires purchasing two pieces of technology. The returned traveller, who has been placed in isolation in accord with the government's rulings about those returning from overseas trips, had a $45 TP-Link TL-WR902AC router and $60 Google Chromecast in his luggage before the lockdown commenced. 'My partner and I travel a lot and this setup is perfect for every hotel and Airbnb we've been to in the past 12 months, and can be a real lifesaver,' he wrote on Facebook. An Australian man currently living in 14-day quarantine has shared an ingenious hack for streaming Netflix and YouTube on a hotel TV (stock image) He chose the TP-Link router because it's small - and therefore easy to take on the go - and runs off USB power, so you can power it anywhere there is a USB port on a wall, a phone charger, or if you're extra desperate the USB port on the back of a TV. 'The instructions that come with it are also very clear and easy to understand,' he said. There are two options to get started, either by plugging the router into the ethernet port in your hotel room or connecting it wirelessly to the Wifi of the hotel you're staying at. 'You then use it to create your own Wifi network using the hotel internet as the data source,' he said. The TP-Link router can be plugged into the wall, like so, and the Chromecast is attached to it What do you need to do? 1. Plug the router into the ethernet port in your hotel room or connect it wirelessly to the Wifi of the hotel. 2. You then use it to create your own Wifi network using the hotel internet as the data source. 3. Plug the Chromecast into the TV and connect it and all your devices to the Wifi network you created. This way the "cast" option will be available on your phone as it can now talk to the Chromecast directly via your network Advertisement 'Plug the Chromecast into the TV and connect it and all your devices to the Wifi network you created. This way the "cast" option will be available on your phone as it can now talk to the Chromecast directly via your network.' Some hotels will have a device limit per room where they only allow you to connect two devices at a time. This method allows you to work around that because the router will be recognised as only one device, despite you having multiple products logged into the router. 'We have seven devices attached to our network at any time, so everything can use the wifi, not just one laptop and one phone,' he said. Alternatively you can plug a HDMI cable into the back of the television (pictured) 'If you do go down this route I'm probably not the best at troubleshooting your issues as I just use the "quick setup" menu, but if you're confident with tech and think you're able to work the system out I definitely recommend it.' For those still locked in quarantine and allowed to receive parcels from friends and family, this could make for a welcome treat. Otherwise it would be a useful present for any keen travellers looking to organise overseas trips post-coronavirus. Black, Latin American and South Asian Canadians have been the most likely to lose incomes and struggle to make ends meet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey suggests. The national survey by the Association for Canadian Studies, released Monday, ranked economic vulnerability by ethnicity based on respondents ability to pay rent and other bills, and to provide financial support to families, and whether they had suffered lost wages in the midst of the current crisis. Overall, a little more than half of the Caucasian and Chinese respondents said the economic crisis was a major threat to their personal finances, followed by Arabs (60 per cent), Blacks (70 per cent), Latin Americans and South Asians (both at 75 per cent). The association surveyed more than 3,700 people online between March 27 and April 5. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Out of the six groups, South Asians were ranked the most financially vulnerable, followed by Black, Arabic, and Chinese, with Caucasian respondents being the least impacted by the economic downturn. Fifty-three per cent of South Asian respondents said they had trouble paying bills, with half of the Black and Latin Americans saying so. Arabic respondents, at 45 per cent, fared a bit better, but were still far behind Chinese (30 per cent) and Caucasian respondents (24 per cent). Seventy per cent of the Latin American respondents said they suffered income loss directly related to the pandemic. They were followed by those of South Asian descent, at 65 per cent, and Blacks, at 61 per cent. In contrast, 42 per cent of white respondents reported a loss of income. About 45 per cent of the South Asian, Black and Latin American respondents said they had difficulty paying their rents or mortgage, compared to just under 20 per cent of white respondents. About 60 per cent of Blacks, Latin Americans, Arabs and South Asians said they had greater difficulty now providing financial support to family members, compared to 40 per cent among Chinese and Caucasian respondents. The report said the survey results by ethnicity were consistent with similar studies in the United States that examined how COVID-19 impacted the personal finances of minority groups. So far, only three of her students have been consistently engaged with online lessons, she said. About six do not have regular access to the internet. One boy typically goes to the library to get online, but the citys libraries are now closed, too. She expects to interact with several students mostly through phone calls. The people of Tournai bury victims of the Black Death. Credit: Pierart dou Tielt (c1353) When the Black Death swept across Asia and Europe in the 1340s, the upheaval was extraordinary. Up to half the population of Europe died over the course of four years, and bubonic plague continued to wrack the globe in the centuries that followed. The fear and confusion felt by communities prompted a range of reactions, and forced governments to take drastic measures in a bid to control the disease. Some responses to the epidemics were pragmatic, others heartbreakingly inhumane. What is striking, though, is that as the globe faces a new pandemic in COVID-19, some of our actions are eerily similar to those of our ancestors. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, there have been rumours of people intentionally spreading the disease. Some of these reports appear to be true: for example, several people in Britain have been arrested for maliciously coughing on others, especially the old and vulnerable. Confirmed cases like these have given way to other rumours, including that post workers and delivery drivers have been intentionally spitting on packages to spread the virus. Many, if not all, have since turned out to be fake, but that hasn't stopped these tales spreading across the world like wildfire. Though unnerving, fear of people maliciously spreading disease is not new. During a bout of plague in 16th-century Geneva, a rumour broke out that house-clearers and carers were trying to spread plague through the city. The method was different to nowand more disturbing. They were thought to be smearing the fat of plague victims over doorknockers and handles, hoping that homeowners would get infected as they entered and left. There were two theories behind why anyone would do this. Some worried that carers resented putting their lives at riskothers were paranoid that workers were profiteering from the infection, by raiding the victims' houses after they died. Publishing death tolls The news cycle has rarely headlined anything but COVID-19 since it was declared a pandemic. A morbid fascination has developed around the rate of infection: Johns Hopkins University is keeping a tally of global infections, and the BBC has launched an interactive page where people can check infections in their area. These are strikingly similar to a popular broadsheet that circulated across England's capital in 1665. Alongside documenting previous bouts of plague, Lord Have Mercy broadsheets supplied up-to-date figures of London's running death toll for the year, and what proportion had died of plague. They sometimes even showed the number of deaths in each parish. Besides demonstrating an all-absorbing fascination with epidemics, these broadsheets had a practical function. They helped gauge how virulent the outbreak was compared to previous ones, and could also act as a guide on which parts of the city to avoid. The Lord Have Mercies also tried to be helpful (and drive up sales) by publishing home remedies to help protect from the disease: some of which are still doing the rounds today. One iteration offered "A cheap Medicine to keep from infection": Broadsheets were published weekly recording death tolls in London. Credit: Vanderbilt University "Take a pint of new Milk, and cut two cloves of Garlick very small, put it in the milk, and drink it mornings fasting [(or breakfast], and it preserveth from infection." Similar advice on the immune-boosting properties of garlic is being shared across social media platforms and health forums as we speak. Blaming minorities Acute stress can sometimes bring out the worst in humanity. Fear and panic brings pre-existing suspicions and vendettas to the surface, and can eventually boil over in devastating ways. Historically, plague outbreaks marked a spike in persecutions of already vulnerable and marginalised communities. A frequent rumour across medieval and early modern Europe was that Jewish communitiesalready shunned in most Christian stateswere to blame for plague, prompting mass arrests and executions. There was no evidence to support this theoryall confessions were given under torturebut scapegoating minorities continued throughout the period. Expelling Jews and other marginalised groups such as beggars and prostitutes from towns became common, making the most vulnerable even more so. Unfortunately, we are seeing history repeat itself during the coronavirus pandemic. There have been reports of racially motivated attacks in the UK and across the world, particularly targeting people with an "Asian appearance", due to the origin point of COVID-19 in Hubei province in China. Everyday heroism Despite the panic, some of the best in humanity is shining through, too. Like the Peak District village which chose to shut itself off from the wider world to stop plague spreading in 1665, an Italian village is now in full quarantine and acting as a "human laboratory" for scientists to understand the coronavirus. In the past, neighbours would drop food through the windows of quarantined houses and many doctors, priests and gravediggers risked their lives to deliver essential services. Today, the same selfless attitude can be seen in the community groups appearing across the world an organising via social media as well as and national services working round the clock to save lives. As history repeats itself through this new pandemic, there are some important lessons we can learn from the past. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Citywide MSC South. | Photo via St. Vincent De Paul of San Francisco. Mayor London Breed announced last Friday that a COVID-19 outbreak swept through the city's largest homeless shelters, St. Vincent De Paul's MSC South shelter on 5th Street. With new confirmed positives coming in over the weekend, 91 total cases connected to MSC South were confirmed as of today, including 10 shelter employees. MSC South usually has 340 people staying there. We have reduced the capacity over the past few weeks, and as of last night there were roughly 100 people remaining. Overall, 70 have tested positive, including 2 staff members. London Breed (@LondonBreed) April 10, 2020 Department of Public Health director Grant Colfax said in an afternoon press conference that as of today, MSC South is closed for cleaning. It will reopen as a "medical recovery center," to serve "COVID-positive patients who do not need hospital care but for whom a hotel room is not appropriate." All remaining residents of MSC South were moved into hotel rooms over the weekend, where they are receiving meals and social and medical support. The city is contact tracing the positive cases to try to identify other individuals and groups who were potentially exposed. "Outbreaks like this were bound to happen," Colfax said. "This is unfortunate, but this is the situation we were preparing for." The outbreak occurred just days after the city agreed to lease 7,000 hotel rooms for unhoused and other at-risk individuals to shelter in isolation, after weeks of calls from advocates and some members of the board of supervisors to provide more preventative sheltering options. WE TOLD YOU THREE WEEKS AGO Now unhoused people must bear the price of @LondonBreeds decision to turn people away from thousands of vacant hotel rooms. And that price may be their life. https://t.co/VFwPC203pu Coalition on Homelessness (@TheCoalitionSF) April 11, 2020 Abigail Stewart-Kahn, director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said the city has 2,082 hotel rooms secured across 13 different hotels as of today. 1,202 of those rooms are for unhoused San Franciscans, and the other 800 are for first responders. Story continues As of today, 751 unhoused individuals are sheltered in hotel rooms, 447 of them directly from the shelter system, she said. There are another 100 to 200 people currently in the process of moving into hotels today depending on how many accept the accommodations. The city will identify new entrants based on a combination of underlying medical conditions, age, and other factors that contribute to high mortality with COVID-19, Stewart-Kahn said. They will come both from the shelter system and from encampments, SROs or the street. But Stewart-Kahn and Colfax both cited the difficulties of implementing hotel sheltering, including transportation, providing medical and social services, and staffing. "We have to have care for every single step in the process," Stewart-Kahn said, and "not all [candidates] are accepting." For the city's sheltered and unsheltered homeless people, Colfax said hotel rooms were important, but just one part of a "portfolio of alternatives" for sheltering the city's unhoused individuals who can't or won't enroll in hotel sheltering. Other alternatives include field care clinics, supplies provisioned by the city's Homeless Outreach Team, and maintaining existing congregate shelters but with less density and greater screening and testing. BRIDGEPORT A firefighter assigned to the Central Avenue firehouse tested positive for coronavirus about 10 days ago, forcing the department to quarantine the 20 others he came into contact with at the site. The firefighter worked 48 consecutive hours, experienced symptoms and then tested positive, said Fire Chief Richard Thode. So as a precaution, we put every firefighter who also worked those shifts in quarantine. Thode said none of the other 20 have tested positive or experienced any symptoms. He said all 21 are close to returning to work this week. That comes on top of 11 police department personnel who Mayor Joseph Ganim said have been quarantined during the pandemic. Last week, Deputy Police Chief Rebecca Garcia confirmed two cops have tested positive for the virus. The numbers led Ganim to urge Gov. Ned Lamont and the state Department of Public Health to secure and provide seriological tests for first responders across the sate. "We cannot put our city in a potential position where emergency response is strained due to lack of personnel, Ganim said. It is critical that we secure testing for Bridgeports bravest and finest to ensure our public safety departments can efficiently and effectively respond." On Saturday, Ganim said, he traveled to Stamford with city personnel to experience the testing procedure at a laboratory there. The mayor said he underwent both the finger prick test and the nasal test. The first determines the presence of antibodies in blood as a result of infection. It delivers results in about 15 minutes. The drawback is antibodies may not form during the early days of an infection, some experts claim Ganim believes those who test negative could void the mandatory 14-day quarantine and return to work quicker. The second, which is used at hospital testing sites, involves swabbing mucus from the nose and takes about five-to-seven days for results. The mayor said his goal was to bring the availability of the finger prick test statewide and use it for police, fire and emergency services first. And for those interested, Ganim said his finger prick test was negative. Thode said the Central Avenue firehouse which serves the East Side underwent a deep cleaning Friday. He said the city contracted with a private firm to sanitize and decontaminate the facility. We expect to do the same with the citys other seven firehouses, Thode said. The chief said only one other firefighter has tested positive since the pandemic hit. That firefighter is back at work. Neither of the positive cases involved an on-duty contraction of the virus, the chief said. Thode also said he did not believe the quarantine of 21 firefighters from Central Avenue impacted the duties at the firehouse. We have the remaining firefighters working overtime to cover, Thode said. He said the department implemented a policy during the early days of the pandemic preventing firefighters picking up overtime assignments at houses they arent assigned. We did that to prevent instances of cross-contamination, Thode said. UNODC launches DrugHelpNet in Nigeria to provide over-the-phone assistance to Drug Users in Need Photo: iStockphoto / Visivasnc Nigeria, 14 April 2020 - Based on the 2019 Drug Use Survey in Nigeria, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that there are more than three million Nigerians living with some sort of drug use disorder. Government imposed lockdowns as they are being implemented across most Nigerian States weigh particularly heavy on them. While access to drugs has become more difficult, accessing treatment and counselling services has become more difficult too. In addition, the self-imposed isolation can be experienced as particular burdensome by those suffering from drug use disorders as well as their families. In order to provide immediate and practical relief, UNODC within the framework of the EU funded Nigeria Drugs Project, partnered with 80 frontline health workers, including medical doctors, drug counsellors and allied professionals across Nigeria to provide over-the-phone assistance for drug users or families who need such services during the COVID-19. The health professionals who enthusiastically responded to UNODCs request to establish this network have been trained and certified under the project in drug treatment using the Treatnet methodology and/or Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC). The 2019 Drug Use Survey in Nigeria revealed that there is a clear gap in meeting the needs for treatment and care for people with drug use disorders. Around 40 per cent among those reported that they had wanted to receive drug treatment but were unable to access such services. The vulnerability of the drug use population is of grave concern, especially as the global community grapples to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and flatten the curve of infections. Due to their poorer health profile, drug users are more vulnerable to experiencing COVID-19 more severely. In case they have pre-existing conditions, they will be at greater risk. Given the stigma experienced by drug users, they might be unable to access health care services at this time. In addition, during this period of lockdown, drug users can face drug-related health issues like withdrawals for which they might feel the need to talk to a health care provider. It is imperative therefore that the national responses to this public health emergency, takes drug users into consideration. Drug users or their family members who experience distress during the lockdown and require advice whether medical or from a counsellor will be able to contact any of the doctors/counsellors in the geopolitical zones where they reside for advice. The distress could be related to drug or alcohol withdrawal, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, or more seriously, a psychotic episode that the user or their family is unable to manage during the lockdown. Ensuring access to treatment services for drug users is key to achieving SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing and we must ensure that we Leave No One Behind by not excluding drug users from the COVID-19 response. For further information, including contact details, please see the website of the UNODC Country Office Nigeria Primeste notificari pe email Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare (Premium) Granturi - Finantari (Premium) Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele One of the most encouraging aspects of the crisis we all find ourselves in is the outpouring of generosity and kindness across all planes of society. Consider the sudden new realities of home lifejuggling family, homeschooling, and working at home. Many companies, large and small, have stepped up, offering free resources to make this time a bit easier. This is just one example among countless that warm the heart just when we could all use some positivity and reassurance. I gathered a list of resources that may be useful and fun for families at this time. I hope as you read this that you and yours are doing well and keeping the faith. Books Audible You may be binge-watching and scrolling quite a bit more than normal these days. Give your tired eyes a rest and opt for an audiobook to share as a family. Audible is kindly offering free access to a collection of childrens stories and classics. According to the companys website, For as long as schools are closed, were open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. What a treat. To access the free audiobooks, visit Stories.Audible.com/start-listen Virtual Field Trips The American Museum of Natural History The Smithsonians American Museum of Natural History website offers a vast array of fun and educational content to explore. Theyve got an OLogy science website with activities and games, online curriculum collections, video lessons and seminars and more. To check out their impressive resources, start here: amnh.org/explore. The Louvre The Louvre offers virtual tours of select exhibits. No need to hop over to Paris to experience some of what the worlds premier art museum has to offer. Take a peak and dream of, perhaps, a trip in real life someday. Louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs The Vatican Visit the Sistine Chapel, Raphaels Rooms, and other famous artistic wonders at the Vatican from the comfort of your couch via their online virtual tours. Crisis or not, this is a wonderful resource to experience. Museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a robust website with a lot of educational information that is worth looking at. In addition, you can take virtual tours via this link: ArtsandCulture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art The San Diego Zoo Polar bears, tigers, and elephantsoh my! Americas most popular zoo offers a number of live webcams to enjoy (Kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos) and some educational resources (Kids.sandiegozoo.org/curriculum). Tip: You can usually find educational or teacher resources that are generally meant for schools on the websites of major zoos, aquariums, museums, and historical sites. Online Learning Theater Arts New Yorks Lincoln Center is offering a Pop-up Classroom on Facebook. Head to their Facebook page, Facebook.com/LincolnCenterNYC, for replays or to catch their next live class. They cover art, singing, songwriting, dance, puppetry, and more. Foreign Languages Rosetta Stone is offering three months of free language learning to all elementary, middle, and high school students worldwide. To enjoy free lessons in Spanish, French, Mandarin, or a host of other languages, visit Rosettastone.com/freeforstudents Another particularly kid-friendly resource for learning a second language is the online learning platform Duolingo. Accessible for free through their app or a browser at Duolingo.com/learn. Home Economics Americas Test Kitchen offers an array of online recipes and food-related experiments to do at home with your kids. Formerly paid content is now available for everyone for free and worth checking out (Americastestkitchen.com/kids/home). Another cooking option comes from the subscription box company Raddish Kids. Theyre offering a free online resource that includes recipes and activities that incorporate educational concepts. They are hosting regular recipe cook-alongs on Facebook. For more information visit RaddishKids.com/suddenlyhomeschooling. Language Arts The Good and the Beautiful is a popular homeschool curriculum provider. Their gorgeous language arts programs are available via free PDF downloads on their website GoodandBeautiful.com. They are also offering a free science unit on marine biology, and their free booklist is a helpful resource. Cultural Studies Shen Yun Performing Arts offers an extensive library of content about ancient Chinese culture. From music and dance, to ancient fables, to history and more, these beautiful resources can be found at ShenyunPerformingArts.org/explore Math The National Museum of Mathematics has created a fun new program for these challenging times, Mind-Benders for the Quarantined. This is how it works, according to the museum: Each Sunday, MoMath will send you a challenging mathematical puzzle from the collection of our own puzzle master, Dr. Peter Winkler. On Tuesday, youll receive a subtle hint; on Thursday, a serious push; on Saturday, the solution. And the next day, of course, a new puzzle. To register visit MindBenders.momath.org. Crafts If youre looking for fun and easy DIY crafts you and your kids can enjoy, check out The Neon Tea Party. Crafter Marisa Morrison has YouTube tutorials as well as an online craft studio that can be found at TheNeonTeaParty.com/online-craft-studio/. Science For kids with a mind for science and STEM, UL Xplorlabs offers two free online classes: Fire Forensics: Claims and Evidence, which covers fire dynamics and behavior, and Portable Electric Power, which teaches how batteries convert energy. These interesting and free modules can be found here: Ulxplorlabs.org/all-modules/ General Khan Academy offers free online educational resources and an extensive array of lessons for pre-K through college-level studies in subjects including math, science, language arts, history, economics, and SAT prep. Visit KhanAcademy.org to enjoy what they have to offer. For Adults Personality Course In answer to the pandemic, renowned author and psychologist Jordan Peterson is offering a hefty 50 percent discount on his Discovering Personality online course for an indefinite period. While not free, I still felt it valuable enough to deserve a mention. Peterson describes it as a densely packed, six-hour course that will provide relevant and easily comprehensible information for anyone interested in understanding not only themselves, but others, too. Take advantage of this offer at Courses.JordanBPeterson.com/personality. Financial Wellness Financial guru Dave Ramsey is offering his companys financial wellness program SmartDollar for free to companies laying off or furloughing employees. This benefit will equip employees with the financial understanding needed to get through these hard times. For more information visit SmartDollar.com/hope. For Fun Satellite radio company Sirius XM is offering free streaming of their content through May 15. Simply go to SiriusXM.com/offers/free-listen and begin listening for free. Five discovery-stage gold projects in Northwestern Ontario and fully funded to complete current exploration plans VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is a Canadian-based gold explorer focused on discovery through the exploration of overlooked and underexplored properties; and is pleased to provide an overview of its operations, capital structure and projects. Company Operations: By design, GoldON has always operated on a virtual basis with our senior officers, administration, communications and geological consultants all working remotely from locations in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. This has enabled us to save significantly on operational expenses over the years and is allowing us to operate normally during the COVID-19 crisis. Capital Structure: The Company has approximately $1,400,000 in cash and no debt. Share capitalization includes 16,858,432 common shares issued, 3,355,450 share purchase warrants exercisable at an average price of $0.45, 2,630,000 incentive stock options exercisable at an average price of $0.41, and 23,032,782 common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis assuming all warrants and options are exercised. Insider ownership is approximately twenty percent of shares issued and GoldON's President Michael Romanik owns approximately ten percent of shares issued. A Geographic Focus: GoldON is focused on exploring discovery-stage properties in the mining-friendly jurisdictions of northwestern Ontario, a region that contains some of the most prolific gold producing belts in the world. Our current projects include the Slate Falls property in the Patricia Mining District; and the West Madsen, Bruce Lake, Pipestone Bay and McDonough properties all located in the Red Lake Mining District (see regional map with property locations Figure 1). Fostering our geographic focus is the contribution Perry English has made since joining the Company early last year as strategic advisor. Referred to as a one-man project generator, Perry is an experienced prospector specializing in northwestern Ontario and he has enabled us to acquire three new properties in the Red Lake area on very favourable terms. All our properties are in good standing and a brief summary of each project follows with more comprehensive project overviews to be provided as we finalize our 2020 exploration programs. Slate Falls Property: GoldON owns a 100% interest in the property, subject to a 2% net smelter returns (NSR) royalty. The 5,656-hectare property is located within the southwestern extension of the Meen-Dempster Greenstone Belt between the Red Lake and Pickle Lake gold camps. Key regional-scale structures correlate with numerous high-grade gold and silver showings that have been identified including the Carpenter, Fly, FTM, J. Loon, L1, L15, Path, Sanderson and Trail Zones (see Figure 2). These zones are part of the Slate Falls Deformation Zone and extend for over 10 kilometres (km) in strike and 1.5 km in width within the land package (Parker, 1995). West Madsen Property: GoldON has an option to earn a 100% interest in the property from Great Bear Resources, subject to a 2.5% NSR royalty. The 3,860-hectare property is comprised of two contiguous claim blocks (Block "A" and "B"), each roughly six km by three km in size (see Figure 3). Block A is contiguous with Pure Gold's Red Lake Mine Project, where development is on track and first gold production is anticipated in late 2020. A major crustal break between the Balmer and Confederation assemblages is interpreted to trend from the Pure Gold property onto Block A. Great Bear's VP of Exploration Bob Singh is technical advisor on the Project. Bruce Lake Property: GoldON has an option to earn a 100% interest in the original 1,640-hectare property, subject to a 1.5% NSR royalty, and staked additional claims last summer to increase the land package to 3,103 hectares (see Figure 4). The property is in a structurally active area spatially associated with east-west trending deformation zones and northeast trending faults, and was originally acquired for its potential to host gold mineralization. However, drilling by BTU Metals has discovered a potential Cu-Ag-Au VMS-style system called the TNT Target that borders our western claim boundary and further positive results will dictate our upcoming exploration plans. Pipestone Bay Property: GoldON has an option to earn a 100% interest in the property, subject to a 1.5% NSR royalty. The 791-hectare property (see Figure 5) covers the Pipestone Bay Deformation Zone and has key geological signatures similar to the Red Lake deposits including silicification, sericite, biotite and chlorite alteration, visible gold in quartz veins, D2 folding and crustal-scale structures. The primary target is the 991 Zone where a single drill hole in 2004 intersected a 200-metre-wide zone of strongly quartz and sericite altered felsic volcanics with pyrite and chalcopyrite stringer mineralization, and anomalous gold (AFRI 200001500). No follow-up drilling has been done. McDonough Property: GoldON has an option to earn a 100% interest in the property, subject to a 1.5% NSR royalty. Located 15 km north of the town of Red Lake (see Figure 6), the 1,062-hectare property is contiguous with Rubicon Minerals' Slate Bay gold property and straddles a regional unconformity that is a key structural signature of many mines within the Red Lake Greenstone Belt. Despite hosting ample exploration targets and several geological characteristics typical of Red Lake gold deposits and other deposits in the Uchi Subprovince, there has been limited exploration on the property. Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. "We will be providing more detailed information on all our properties as we finalize our exploration programs for the upcoming field season," said Mike Romanik President of GoldON. "Whether you're a current shareholder or a prospective investor we invite you to contact us if you have any questions or would like more information on our projects." About GoldON Resources Ltd. GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Active projects include the West Madsen property in the Red Lake Gold Camp, an option/JV with Great Bear Resources; the Bruce Lake property that adjoins BTU Metals' Dixie Halo property and their TNT Target; and the 100% owned Slate Falls project in the Patricia Mining District, where numerous Au-Ag mineralized zones have been identified over the 13-km breadth of the property. GoldON has 16,858,432 shares issued, all our properties are in good standing and we are fully funded for our 2020 exploration programs. Additional information is available on our website at https://goldonresources.com; you can download our latest presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Michael Romanik" Michael Romanik, President Direct line: (204) 724-0613 Email: romanikm@mymts.net ### 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: GoldON Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/584895/GoldON-Resources-Corporate-Overview Mass transit systems across the globe are in acute crisis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While service continues at varying capacities internationally, the deadly conditions facing transit workers and the vulnerability of mass transit systems have impacted nearly every corner of the planet. The increasing number of deaths and threatened collapse of transit systems are not, in the final analysis, primarily the result of the lethality of the COVID-19 virus, but rather the outcome of an ill-prepared and criminal response by the ruling class to a foreseeable public health crisis. In the United States, at least 61 transit workers have died from COVID-19 at the epicenter of the pandemic in the New York City, as well as four school bus drivers. In Philadelphia, at least three transit workers have died from the virus. Across the country transit workers have died in Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Newark, Austin, New Orleans, and in Washington state, Virginia, and Connecticut. Given a scarcity of information and the failure to report deaths outside hospitals in the US, the number of fatalities and geographical extent of the crisis is likely much greater. A similar situation exists in Europe. In the United Kingdom, at least 14 of 28,000 Transport for London (TfL) workers have died from the virus. Regie Autonome des Transport Parisiens (RATP) has confirmed the deaths of at least three of its 63,000 workers. These deadly conditions and the contempt for workers safety are provoking intense anger and a growing rebellion, with wildcat strikes or job actions having taken place by transit workers in Detroit, Birmingham, and San Diego, and bus drivers threatening to strike most recently in Los Angeles. Transit workers in all corners of the globe are being forced to interact with hundreds and thousands of individuals on any given day and in most places continue to work without basic personal protective equipment (PPE). Conditions in New York are only a foreshadowing of the deaths that will result from an uncontrolled spread of the virus in underdeveloped countries, or the premature slackening of social distancing being planned in the advanced economies. In the US, Europe and elsewhere, the response of governments has been guided by an overriding consideration: the defense of corporate and financial profits. The crisis threatens the wider collapse of mass transit systems, many of which were already in dire straits due to decades of systematic attacks on funding from capitalist governments the world over. Huge declines in ridership as a result of the pandemic, the cessation of fare collection, and the knock-on effects of the crisis on other forms of revenue mean that transportation systems are facing collapse. As millions of essential workers, including health care workers, are forced to rely on mass transit to get to work, the social consequences of any such collapse would be catastrophic. Following an 87 percent decline in ridership in March from the same period last year, the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) in New York, which employs 72,000 workers, saw its bond rating downgraded by S&P Global amidst what MTA Chairman Patrick Foye described as the authoritys biggest liquidity crisis ever. Already $44 billion in debt, the operation of the MTA has been increasingly subordinated to the profits of its bondholders in recent years. While the MTA is unable to provide its workers with basic PPE, in 2019 over 16 percent (or $2.6 billion) of its operating budget was spent on repaying bondholders. Fare revenue has collapsed throughout the US. Other forms of income for transit authorities, such as sales taxes in Illinois, payroll taxes in Portland, Oregon, and parking fees in San Francisco, have also rapidly declined. Overall, transitcenter.org estimates that US transit systems face a deficit of $26-40 billion. In Europe, French RATP ridership is down 70 percent. Tube ridership in London was down 88 percent and bus usage down 76 percent, according to Transport for London (TfL) data. TfLs best case scenario estimates it will lose 500 million in income due to the crisis. The response of transit authorities and unions to the deaths of workers internationally has been one of criminal indifference. The veneration of workers and crocodile tears shed for those who have died are cynical attempts to mask this callousness. In reality, the primary concern has been to keep workers on the job and convince them that working conditions are safe, despite the failure to provide basic safety equipment. On April 10, the WSWS reported that following the deaths of 14 London bus drivers, TfL and the Unite union released a joint statement, declaring, PPE should be reserved for those working directly with people experiencing COVID-19 [i.e. health care workers]. The claim that it is impossible to provide all essential workers with protective equipmenteven as trillions are being handed over in a matter of weeks to the major corporations and banksis a brazen lie and an attempt to pit workers against each other. In France, RATP President Catherine Guillouard gave an interview on Saturday to France3 in which she praised transit workers fighting on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis. Despite the fact that the lockdown in Paris began almost a month earlier on March 16, the RATP only began to distribute surgical masks to its employees on April 8. Transit workers in other French cities continue to work without any PPE whatsoever. The dangers facing French transit workers are a direct result of the Stalinist Confederation of Labors isolation of a six-week transit strike in December and January. In New York, the MTA, working alongside Transportation Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, initially tried to placate workers anger with the provision of surgical masks. Following more outrage, the limited provision of N95 respirator masks finally commenced late last week. Similar measures were taken in Boston by Carmens Union Local 589, which represents 6,000 transit workers. The response of the TWU is a continuation of the role it played in facilitating further attacks on workers in the sell-out contract it pushed through in January. The TWU was silent as MTA Chairman Pat Foye, echoing president Trumps remarks, attempted to distract from the blood on his own hands by discrediting the World Health Organization (WHO) in a letter to the New York Times defending the MTAs response. Despite the TWUs failure to demand mass testing for workers and its celebration of the provision of inadequate PPE, TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano hollowly declared that we will come out stronger with tighter bonds after we defeat this evil virus. Mass transit systems provide conditions for the virus to rip through large sections of the population in a very short time. Their continued operation without adequate safety measures has already led to thousands of unnecessary deaths, and will no doubt contribute to many more unless workers take matters into their own hands. The failure to protect the masses from the threat of COVID-19 is not the product of a few bad apples in positions of power in the transit agencies, the unions or in government. The incompetence and criminality of the response reflects the bankruptcy of the capitalist class, which subordinates the welfare of billions to its insatiable desire for profit. The crisis engulfing international mass transit, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the sharpest expressions of the wider conflict between the profit interests of a tiny minority of oligarchs and the life-and-death needs of the working class, the vast majority of society. What is required is a unified movement of workers across national borders, independent of the trade unions and capitalist political parties, in a struggle for the immediate redirection of resources away from the corporations and towards combatting the pandemic and ensuring the safety of the population. This must be carried out as part of the fight for socialism, including the placing of the major corporations, transit systems, and other vital infrastructure under the democratic control of the working class, in order to run them to meet social need, not private profit. Around 117 million children worldwide risk contracting measles because dozens of countries are curtailing their vaccination programmes as they battle COVID-19, the United Nations warned Tuesday. Currently 24 countries, including several already dealing with large measles outbreaks, have suspended widespread vaccinations, the World Health Organization and the UN's children's fund UNICEF said. An additional 13 countries have had their vaccination programmes interrupted due to COVID-19. In a joint statement, the Measles and Rubella Initiative (M&RI) said it was vital that immunisation capacity was retained during and after the current pandemic. "Together, more than 117 million children... could be impacted by the suspension of scheduled immunization activities," it said. "The M&RI supports the need to protect communities and health workers from COVID-19 through a pause of mass campaigns, where risks of the disease are high." "However, this should not mean that children permanently miss out." Measles, a highly contagious disease, effects around 20 million people every year, the majority of whom are aged under five. Despite a cheap and readily available vaccine, measles cases have surged in recent years, largely in part to what the WHO terms "vaccine hesitancy". In 2018, 140,000 measles deaths, mostly among children and babies, were recorded -- most were preventable, meaning that the countries they occurred in had a vaccination programme. Of the two dozen countries to have officially suspended measles vaccine programmes -- ostensibly to protect health workers and prioritise COVID-19 response -- several have seen worrying rises in measles cases in recent years. In particular, Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are all battling large outbreaks. DR Congo alone has had 6,000 measles deaths in its current epidemic. The country last week also recorded a new case of Ebola -- just days before the UN was due to announce an end to that outbreak. - 'Catch-up' - Robin Nandy, UNICEF's chief of immunisation, told AFP that COVID-19 was likely to place additional strain on already overburdened healthcare systems. "We have to be mindful of the impact of COVID-19, threatening outbreaks of measles, an extremely contagious and potentially lethal disease for which there already exists a safe and effective vaccine," he said. "We are therefore urging countries to prepare and plan now for intensive catch-up vaccinations once physical distancing restrictions are lifted." Billions of people around the world face weeks of lockdown as governments figure out their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts have warned since the start of the outbreak that response programmes to other infectious diseases -- from polio to tuberculosis -- are likely to suffer as health services triage workers to COVID-19 cases. And while COVID-19 is overwhelmingly more serious in older patients, many communicable diseases, including measles, inordinately target children. "Children younger than 12 months of age are more likely to die from measles complications, and if the circulation of measles virus is not stopped, their risk of exposure to measles will increase daily," said the M&RI. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated a national broadcast education channel to mitigate the loss faced by the students due to the closure of educational institutions till May 31 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Teleschool the dedicated TV channel will be aired from Tuesday across the country from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for online education from class one to 12, reports Dawn news. Speaking at the launch ceremony on Monday, Khan said that Teleschool would help students learn during the closure of schools. This initiative would also help the government reach the remote areas, which didnt have access to education facilities and infrastructure, he added. Khan said that no one could predict when COVID-19 would be eliminated, as it could take two, three or six months, and hence this project was highly productive in the given circumstances. Education Ministry officials told Dawn news that the dedicated TV channel would be available on satellite, terrestrial and cable networks so that it would be accessible to most parts of the country, including hard-to-reach remote areas, ensuring equity in learning. An official said that the Ministry initially inked an agreement with Pakistan Television (PTV) for three months, but if needed it could be extended as the Prime Minister also expressed his desire for the projects continuation. Joint Secretary (Education) Syed Umair Javed, who had supervised the content development process, told Dawn news that online content was developed in accordance with countrys curriculum and it was made attractive for students. The credit of making this project possible in less than a month goes to unsung heroes: content developers, teachers and staff of Federal Directorate of Education, editors, techs and producers of Allama Iqbal Open University and PTV, he said. --IANS ksk/ The next four days will be critical in determining whether South Africa will remain under lockdown, or whether the lockdown regulations will be eased. This is according to Professor Salim Abdool Karim, who was speaking at a public information session held by the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize on Monday evening. Karim is director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa and chair of the advisory committee on COVID-19 to Mkhize. The reason this week is so important is because it is the third week since President Cyril Ramaphosa instituted the national lockdown on 27 March. Karim explained that when someone tests positive for the coronavirus today, that reflects an infection from two weeks ago. From the time you get infected, you have a period in which you are in incubation that takes about 7 to 10 days, said Karim. Patients only go in to a doctor, clinic, or hospital when they start experiencing symptoms after the incubation period. From there the patient needs to receive a laboratory test, and only when the results come back positive is the patient considered an active coronavirus case. In other words, the new case numbers that come in this week will be a reflection of how effective South Africas lockdown has been. Lockdown decision tree Karim explained that South Africas coronavirus infection numbers currently show that the rate of local community transmission is much lower than expected. However, they will only know by 18 April whether it is indeed true that the levels of local transmission are as low as they appear. Currently, there are an average of 67 cases per day in South Africa. The 95% confidence interval of this average is 45 to 89. In other words, the true number of cases is between 45 and 89, Karim said. To decide whether the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa should be continued as-is, or whether the lockdown regulations should be eased, government will be looking at the basic reproductive number of the infection. This is also known as R 0 . R 0 is a measure of how many people an infected person is spreading the virus to, Karim explained. The aim is to keep R 0 less than or equal to 1. To gauge whether the R 0 is acceptable, Karim said they will look at the average number of new positive coronavirus cases in South Africa for the period 10-16 April 2020. He explained that the number of positive cases identified as a result of active screening will be subtracted from this average. Only passive cases will be considered for making the decision. If the average daily cases for 10-16 April is 90 or more, then the lockdown must continue. This is because the average number of cases is increasing, which means R 0 is above 1. If the average daily cases is between 45 and 89, and the number of people testing positive after being screened for coronavirus is more than one in every thousand (0.1%), then the lockdown will continue. If fewer than 1 in every 1000 people being screened for COVID-19 test positive for the coronavirus, then the lockdown may be eased. If the average new daily cases is 44 or less, then the lockdown may be eased. Dont worry about large daily variations Karim said to expect large daily variations in the number of new coronavirus cases in South Africa. This is due to active case-finding, and the timing of lab results coming in. You will see some large numbers and some small numbers dont let that bother you, he said. You have to look at the data over a period, which is why they are looking at a whole week at a time, stated Karim. We compare weeks with weeks, so that were comparing apples with apples. Lockdown cant end suddenly Karim also warned that the lockdown cant end suddenly. We know that if we end the lockdown abruptly, we may run the risk of undoing all of the effort and the benefit weve achieved, he said. This is because you will be creating a situation where high-risk and low-risk people will be interacting, including traveling together on buses, taxis, and trains. We have to do something about that. We have to avoid that situation, stated Karim. We have to think about and plan for a systematic easing of the lockdown, starting with transport hubs and then working our way down from the lowest risk to the highest risk. Latest coronavirus case numbers Earlier this evening, Mkhize announced there were 99 new cases of the coronavirus in South Africa, bringing the total number of cases to 2,272. The total number of tests conducted in South Africa currently stands at 83,663, which means 3,578 test results have been logged in the past day. Mkhize also announced they recorded two more deaths caused by COVID-19 in South Africa. While one of the deceased had an underlying health condition, the other case has raised concern as he was not in a risk group. The supermarket chain Kroger confirmed on Saturday afternoon that four of its employees in Michigan had passed away from the coronavirus. Ken DeLuca, President of the Michigan division of the company, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported that the employees worked at stores in Northville, Troy, Grosse Pointe, and Livonia, all in the Detroit metropolitan area. A fifth retail employee who worked for the supercenter chain Meijer was also reported on Saturday to have died from COVID-19, although the specific store location was not disclosed by the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company. A Meijer spokesperson said, Out of respect for the team members and their families, we will not share any additional details and ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time. Half of Meijers 242 stores are located in Michigan, with the other half in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin. In addition to the reported deaths, evidence is emerging that the pandemic is sweeping through the workforce of grocery and retail establishments, which have been kept open and identified as part of the critical infrastructure workforce in most states. A leaked memo sent to workers for the delivery service Shipt last week reported Meijer stores in Cedar Springs, Grandville and Ann Arbor, Michigan had employees who tested positive for COVID-19. An official announcement stated multiple employees had tested positive, but a spokesman only confirmed the Cedar Springs case, no other locations were disclosed. Cedar Springs, a town of 3,500 people north of Grand Rapids, is the location of an outbreak of coronavirus at a nursing home, owned by Metron Integrated Health Systems, where 31 residents have tested positive and six have died from COVID-19 as of last week. Due to fear of food shortages, long lines at crowded grocery stores have been common scenes across the country, exposing workers to hundreds of people per day. While some stores have provided gloves and masks, erected sneeze guards at checkouts, checked employee temperatures, and implemented other social distancing measures, official guidance has been slow to arrive. Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer just recently published guidelines in her stay-at-home order extension issued last Thursday. These include limiting the number of customers based on store square footage and providing markings six feet apart to help with social distancing. Michiganand especially the Detroit areahas become a hotspot for COVID-19, with 25,635 confirmed infected and 1,602 dead, although the actual numbers are presumed to be much higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration released some recommendations but ultimately leave implementation up to the states and employers, putting countless people at risk. This has sparked outcry as grocery workers have been left to fend for themselves for weeks as the virus spread throughout the country. As a result, deaths of grocery store workers from COVID-19 are becoming common. Two Walmart employees from the same store in Chicago, a 27-year-old Giant Food store worker in Maryland as well as a Trader Joes worker in Scarsdale, New York are among the at least 41 grocery workers who have died from the virus nationwide. Vitalina Williams, a Guatemalan immigrant who lived in Salem, Massachusetts and worked two jobs, at a local Walmart and a Market Basket grocery store, died a week after being admitted to the hospital for treatment. The impact of the pandemic on those deemed essential workers by state governments has produced a wave of support from the general population, recognizing their work as critical to the functioning of society. Tributes to nurses, delivery drivers, and grocery store workers fill social media. Residents are tying colored ribbons to trees as signs of solidarity. A change.org petition asking for the standardization of safety precautions for grocery store workers has gathered 5,470 signatures. One of the biggest mistakes supermarkets made early on was not allowing employees to wear masks and gloves the way they wanted to, supermarket analyst Phil Lempert told the Washington Post, Theyre starting to become proactive now, but its still going to be much tougher to hire hundreds of thousands of new workers. Were going to start seeing people say, Ill just stay unemployed instead of risking my life for a temporary job. With a patchwork of insufficient or voluntary guidelines in place, grocery stores and delivery services such as Shipt and Instacart have been on a hiring spree to meet increased demand. Walmart is hiring 150,000 workers and Kroger is hiring more than 10,000. To entice this low-paid section of the workforce to risk their lives, stores such as Kroger are offering temporary $2 an hour hero bonuses. This does little to mitigate the stress and precariousness of the job. A Kroger worker in Ohio reported that with all the new hires, higher paid workers with seniority are having their hours cut. Paid time off is only available after a year of employment, or if theyve become hospitalized. She reported she was fired because she took time off to attend her grandfathers funeral, even though she had permission. She has contacted her union every day but has gotten no response. They physically push their employees to do more than theyre capable of, and ridicule them if they dont succeed, the worker reported. They dont care about the mental or physical toll it takes. They want every little thing they can get out of you until they break you. A personal shopper at a Giant Food Store near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania said theyve started implementing safety measures in the past couple weeks, but the hours are long and the work is physically demanding. I personally feel guilty for needing to run to the bathroom between shops. Its stressful. There have been people yelling, both at other customers and employees. Regarding paid time off if she gets sick, I personally try not to think about all of that, as it gets far too stressful for me. The cynically named Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by unanimous consent voice vote in the House, exempts companies with over 500 employees from providing paid time off if they get sick. Krogers 450,000 employees, as well as those at most regional and local chains, will be forced to choose between working when sick or being unable to pay their mortgage. The mother of Leilani Jordan, the 27-year-old Giant Foods worker who died, told the Washington Post, She only stopped going to work when she could no longer breathe. Instead of taking a proactive approach to protect their employees while sales boom from the pandemic, grocery store chains, delivery services and companies like Amazon are attempting to pull in as much profit as possible regardless of the consequences. Workers who get sick are seen as replaceable, with millions of the newly unemployed available to take their place. Facing difficult and dangerous working conditions, workers have begun to fight back. Instacart workers held a one-day strike March 30. Amazon workers have started walking off the job as their coworkers fall sick and die. In Andover, Massachusetts, Market Basket distribution center employees refused to enter the building April 10 because a worker tested positive for COVID-19 and the building hadnt been cleaned. "We continue to hear from many organizations daily about the emerging challenges and priorities facing our communities as a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak," said Tom Croswell, president and CEO of Tufts Health Plan. "The agencies receiving this funding are experiencing an unprecedented demand for services. We are proud to support this work." The organizations include housing providers, those working with people experiencing homelessness and immigrant communities, and several serving as hubs for collaborative regional responses. They include: Massachusetts $255,000 2Life Communities $15,000 Berkshires Tomorrow $10,000 Boston Health Care for the Homeless $50,000 Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell $10,000 Essex County Community Foundation, Essex County COVID-19 Response Fund $25,000 Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center $20,000 Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Worcester Together: Central Mass COVID-19 Fund $25,000 Homeowners Rehab Inc. $20,000 International Institute of New England $10,000 Pine Street Inn $25,000 Project Bread $10,000 Quincy Asian Resources Inc. $20,000 United Way of Greater Fall River, United We Help Greater Fall River COVID-19 Relief Fund $15,000 Rhode Island $30,000 House of Hope Community Development Corporation $20,000 Saint Elizabeth Community $10,000 New Hampshire $25,000 Tri-County Community Action Program $25,000 Connecticut $35,000 Catholic Charities, Institute for the Hispanic Family $20,000 Hispanic Alliance of Connecticut $15,000 The Foundation also is accelerating payments to current grantees, easing the financial pressure they are facing. These payments will give community organizations an additional $1.5 million to support emerging priorities. "As the coronavirus spreads throughout our region, it is clear communities of color and organizations serving older people are disproportionately affected," said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Tufts Health Plan. "Organizations working with those most at risk are a priority for the Foundation. More resources are essential to help all our communities face this public health crisis." The Foundation continues to offer a two-for-one match to Tufts Health Plan employees and board members who donate to organizations during the pandemic. To date, an additional $55,000 has been contributed to community organizations through this program. About Tufts Health Plan Foundation Established in 2008, Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve. The Foundation has given more than $38 million to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island nonprofits that promote healthy living with an emphasis on older people and will give more than $5 million to community organizations this year. The Foundation began funding in New Hampshire in 2016 and in Connecticut in 2019. Tufts Health Plan Foundation funds programs that move communities toward implementing age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older people, and include them in community solutions. Visit www.tuftshealthplanfoundation.org for grant program information and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. About Tufts Health Plan Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. Staying true to our mission of improving the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve, we touch the lives of more than 1.16 million members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut through employer-sponsored plans; Medicare; Medicaid and Marketplace plans, offering health insurance coverage across the life span regardless of age or circumstance. We are continually among the top health plans in the country based on quality and member satisfaction. Our Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest rating possible.* Our commercial HMO/POS and Massachusetts PPO plans are rated 5 out of 5 the highest rating possible by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).** Our Medicaid plan is rated 4.5 out of a possible 5.*** To learn more about how we're redefining what a health plan can do, visit www.tuftshealthplan.com/whatwedo . Connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , YouTube and LinkedIn . *Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-Star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. For more information on plan ratings, go to www.medicare.gov. Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO plans received 5 out of 5 stars for contract years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. **NCQA's Private Health Insurance Plan Ratings 20192020 ***NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2019-2020. CONTACT Alrie McNiff Daniels 617-301-2715 [email protected] Kathleen Makela 617-480-9590 [email protected] SOURCE Tufts Health Plan Foundation Related Links https://www.tuftshealthplanfoundation.org Iraq has suspended the Reuters agency for three months after it said there were more COVID-19 cases in the country than officially reported, the agency said Tuesday. In a report published on April 2, Reuters quoted doctors saying there were more than 3,000 novel coronavirus cases in Iraq, well over the 772 cases confirmed by the health ministry at that time. The Iraqi health ministry denied the allegations contained in the report while the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) accused Reuters of violating broadcasting rules and demanded the agency make a formal apology. The CMC revoked Reuters' operational licence for three months and fined it $21,000, according to a letter to the agency seen by AFP. The Reuters report "endangers the safety of society, hampers the government's huge efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus and gives a negative picture of the crisis cell" formed to deal with the pandemic, the CMC said explaining its decision. In a statement on Tuesday, Reuters said it "regretted" the move but that it stood by the story. According to the last toll published Monday by Iraq's health ministry there have been so far 1,378 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, of which 78 have died. The United Nations mission in Iraq said earlier this month that underreporting of COVID-19 cases was "inevitable, due to factors such as fear, cultural issues including stigmatisation, undocumented asymptomatic patients, lack of active surveillance and limited testing". Authorities have processed tens of thousands of tests in a country of 40 million people, a quarter of whom live in the sprawling capital city of Baghdad. Iraq has imposed a country-wide curfew since March 17, closed schools and shops and banned all international travel as well as movement between the country's provinces. Health Minister Jaafar Allawi has expressed worry that a spike in cases would overwhelm hospitals left under-staffed and under-funded after years of conflict and poor maintenance. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks Iraq's press freedoms at 156 out of 180 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Tisca Chopra believes it is unlikely that people would be willing to step into a cinema hall for at least a year in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. The actor said in the coming days, a lot of the content will be heading directly to the streaming platforms, with the exception of the big ticket films. "A lot of the content will go direct to OTT platforms. It is the best time for OTTs because everyone is on some or the other app or platform. I think the smaller, mid-level films will go direct-to-OTT. "Those who can't sustain, who borrowed money to make films and are paying interest on that money, will necessarily have to encash the films they have made," Tisca told reporters over Zoom call. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown for another 19 days till May 3 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease. So far in India, there have been 10,363 confirmed cases with 339 deaths due to COVID-19, as per the Union health ministry data. Tisca said under the current circumstances, people will be scared to converge at a public place and theatres will be definitely facing the brunt as a result of this. "The big ticket experience films, that can wait for six months or a year and a half, might release after a year. I don't think anyone is venturing into a cinema hall for the next year at least... Right now no one knows enough about the disease. "So, I am not putting myself in a situation where I am in a closed room with 500 people, where there might be a huge virus load in the air. Till such time as there isn't a vaccine found for this, no one is going to enter a theatre," she added. The actor currently stars in the web series, "Hostages", which made its TV debut on Star Plus. Tisca, who plays a doctor in the Sudhir Mishra-directed Hotstar Special, said the dilemma faced by the healthcare workers today is similar to what her character encountered on the show. "I see the doctors today doing exactly that. So many haven't even met their families, they are staying in hotels, putting themselves at risk everyday. I can't even imagine their condition. "In 'Hostages', my character was confronted with a choice right on the centre of her being: endangering the life of a patient and choosing between the life of her family. Strangely, the doctors today face a similar situation. If they go back home, they endanger their family, if they don't go to work, they won't be able to take care of the patients," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALLENWOOD A second staff member at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex has tested test positive for COVID-19. The latest is at the medium-security prison. Last week the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) reported a staff member at the high-security penitentiary also had tested positive for the coronavirus. That individual is doing fine and has begun work with another federal agency, according to Brian Hart, president of Local 307 of the American Federal of Government Employees at the penitentiary. He was assigned the midnight shift and had last worked March 25, Hart said. No one with whom he was in contact has become ill, he said. The only information made available about the latest positive test was that inmates and other staff were notified immediately. The Bureau of Prisons on Monday reported nationwide 388 inmates and 201 staff had tested positive for the virus. There have been 13 inmate deaths and 19 inmates and 12 staff have recovered. Three staff members from the penitentiary are being deployed to the Metropolitan Correction Center in New York where eight staffers and five inmates have tested positive, Hart said. On Friday the Bureau of Prisons said 22 staffers from the nearby Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary had been deployed to assist locations experiencing shortages due to the virus. These deployments have local officials concerned the individuals could bring the virus with them when they return home from their temporary assignments. Lewisburg is being considered as a holdover quarantine site for inmates being transferred into the BOPs Northeast Region. No inmate or staff at Lewisburg or the Allenwood low-security facility has tested positive, BOP statistics show. [April 14, 2020] iTutorGroup: How an online education company helps to keep students in class amid COVID-19 SHANGHAI, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the past month, the COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading across the globe like wildfire. On April 1st, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there has been an exponential growth in the number of newly confirmed cases worldwide in the past few weeks, with the total number of confirmed cases surpassing 1 million and more than 100,000 deaths expected in the coming days. In addition to the huge impact this crisis has had on production and economic development in various countries, the education sector has also suffered, with the number of schools closed worldwide soaring. UNESCO's data released on March 10th showed that nearly 363 million students worldwide are affected by the outbreak, 20 percent of which are pre-school, primary and secondary school students who are unable to attend school, and 25 percent of which are students in higher education whose classes have been suspended. When the fight against coronavirus becomes global, China's emergency education strategy may provide some inspiration for the world to reduce interruption in learning. In the face of the pandemic, major universities and educational institutions in China actively responded to the spirit of "suspending school without interrupting teaching and learning" implemented by the Ministry of Education. There is one education enterprise that applies practical actions to help educate people in pandemic prevention. As a pioneer in the online education industry, iTutorGroup is one of the world's first online education "unicorn" technology enterprises. It is well aware of its social responsibilities and has actively responded to the call for "suspension of classes without suspension of learning" by launching three major public welfare initiatives at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. vipJr, an online education brand for children under iTutorGroup, provided 10,000 online ESL courses, worth a total of 24 million RMB ( US$3.4 million ), for free to children (aged 5-16) of health care workers on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus. vipJr further provided free high-quality teaching resources for primary and secondary school students in China , including online drawing classes, "listening" audio series and livestreaming public lectures, which are taught by experienced educators and covered a range of subjects including Chinese, mathematics, English, and other fields of discipline. For the first time, iTutorGroup opened its online learning platform TutorMeet+ to the public for free, providing online classrooms for schools and offline training institutions, moving offline courses online. iTutorGroup's GTR (Global Teaching Recourses) department also provide d assistance in helping schoo l t eachers create online teaching materials and offer free online courses. In addition to the huge impact this crisis has had on production and economic development in various countries, the education sector has also suffered, with the number of schools closed worldwide soaring. UNESCO's data released on March 10th showed that nearly 363 million students worldwide are affected by the outbreak, 20 percent of which are pre-school, primary and secondary school students who are unable to attend school, and 25 pecent of which are students in higher education whose classes have been suspended. In the face of the pandemic, major universities and educational institutions in China actively responded to the spirit of "suspending school without interrupting teaching and learning" implemented by the Ministry of Education. iTutorGroup has applied practical actions to help educate people in pandemic prevention. The closure of schools due to COVID-19 has since become iTutorGroup's top concern. Various teams under its brands vipJr and TutorABC took initiatives to phone every student to understand their needs during this period in order to continue providing high-quality and diverse online learning services. At the same time, its customer protection department was in full operation, maintaining 24/7 service, despite the outbreak causing a surge in website traffic, to resolve any issues that might arise and ensure that students have the best classroom experience whilst learning from home. With its proprietary AI-driven online recruitment system, iTutorGroup offers teaching employment prospects for workers in offline service industries to help more out-of-work employees in small and medium-sized enterprises ride out the storm. Through its smart online video interview system, trainee guidance system, and other telecommunication tools, iTutorGroup opened two positions: course consultant and teaching assistant. Suitable candidates were then selected by its system to enter its online platform. From job interviews to training and orientation, candidates can do it all online from home, regardless of location. iTutorGroup also encouraged an online working environment for its staff. Besides existing employees, new employees could also choose to work from home during the outbreak after they have gone through the onboarding protocol. When the outbreak is eventually stabilized, these new employees could apply to stay on in a full-time capacity. iTutorGroup's online recruitment initiative has been met with fervent response from a wide range of job seekers, receiving 8,733 online applications as of early March, with more than 500 applicants recruited since the launch of the online video interview system in early February. Non-stop Charity: Devoted to leveling the playing field and realizing the fundamental goal of education A good education is essential to alleviate poverty. Dr. Eric Yang, chairman and CEO of iTutorGroup, said: "In the past, there was a big gap in the quality of teaching and teachers in compulsory education between the first-tier cities and remote areas due to the severe lack of educational resources in these regions. Through the Internet, online education can bring high-quality education resources from first- and second-tier cities to third and fourth-tier cities and remote areas to completely bridge the gap in education resources. To foster mutual growth for teachers and students, iTutorGroup has promoted public welfare projects such as 'Dual-teacher Classroom,' 'Rural Teachers' English Competency Improvement Program,' and 'Learning through AI' in 2019 to actively promote educational equality." Since April of 2019, iTutorGroup has partnered with 21st Century English (a leading English language publication in China) to help Huichang, a remote are in Jiangxi province, in accordance with the belief that lifting poverty requires lifting of one's mind and knowledge. The idea applies equally to hardware (school infrastructure) and software (curriculum and training of teaching staff) improvements for an all-round promotion of quality local education. In the second half of 2019, iTutorGroup and Ping An co-sponsored the "Learning through AI" project. Based on the number of likes and shares from participating users, iTutorGroup donated 10,000 selected courses to teachers and students in 100 rural schools in China. At present, the first Chinese language courses have been launched on China's Ping An Wisdom Public Welfare Education Online Platform "Three Villages," which aims to provide free education to the disadvantaged in China's rural villages. This was followed by the introduction of English and math courses for rural teachers and students, providing richer and more comprehensive curriculum resources. As UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay put it: "In the face of this unprecedented challenge, we are working with countries to find high-tech, low-tech, and non-technological solutions to ensure continuity of learning." Education is a silent activity that has a common understanding across languages. The experience and reflections of Chinese online education companies such as iTutorGroup will no doubt provide new models and pave new ways of thinking for international education. iTutorGroup was founded in 1998 and today operates multiple brands including TutorABC, an adult English education platform, TutorMing, an online Chinese language education platform, and vipJr, an English education platform for children, offering interactive Chinese, mathematics, programming, and adult and children's English classes to meet the learning needs of all ages. In addition, iTutorGroup is the world's first online education technology company to use artificial intelligence for personalized learning. With over 30,000 certified ESL teachers worldwide, they collectively provide tens of millions of online education classes each year. Cumulative attendees on its self-paced learning platform has exceeded 50 million, with users in 135 countries and regions around the world. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/itutorgroup-how-an-online-education-company-helps-to-keep-students-in-class-amid-covid-19-301039995.html SOURCE iTutorGroup [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Luis Serrano and Maria Lluch of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have founded Pulmobiotics S.L., a pre-clinical life sciences company using synthetic biology to develop new treatments and vaccines for various types of lung diseases. The company has secured 2,000,000 euros of seed financing from Barcelona-based Invivo Ventures, one of Spain's leading biomedical venture capital firms. Respiratory system diseases are one of the main causes of death in the EU and include conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia or asthma. As of 2016, one in twelve EU citizens died from respiratory diseases, around 422,000 people in a single year. In Spain, this figure rises to one in ten citizens, and one in eight hospital discharges are related to respiratory diseases. Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is a type of lung infection that develops in hospitalized patients on mechanical ventilation machines. Around 400,000 cases of VAP occur annually in Europe and the USA, killing between 3 and 17% of all affected patients and increasing hospitalization costs between $25,000 and $40,000 per patient in the USA. To develop novel treatments for lung infections like VAP, Pulmobiotics will engineer attenuated bacteria to deliver specific therapeutic agents, one of the most promising applications of the nascent field of synthetic biology. Engineered bacteria can 'smartly' deliver a precise amount of therapeutic molecules to the affected tissue, overcoming many of the limitations of current treatments. The company's aim is to develop a product that reduces the use of antibiotics required to treat VAP and is ready to be tested in patients from 2023 onwards. Director of the CRG, Luis Serrano, PhD, says: "This is a great example of how an idea that sounded bizarre 15 years ago, like using bacteria as a living "pill" to treat or prevent human diseases, can become a reality. At these times, it shows that doing excellent curiosity-driven science can result in new health and commercial opportunities." Chief Scientific Officer, Maria Lluch, PhD, says: "The current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the importance of finding new ways to treat and protect ourselves against infectious agents. The seed financing from Invivo Ventures will allow us to take the platform we developed at the CRG to the next stage: discovering and bringing to the clinic a new wave of live biotherapeutics and vaccines. We believe that once validated in the clinic, our platform has the potential to quickly bring to market vaccines against novel infectious agents and therefore may be of great value when facing similar situations in the future." Lluis Pareras, MD, PhD, founding partner at Invivo Ventures says: "Even in the present circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, science cannot and must not stop. Pulmobiotics is trying to solve a problem that is sadly of the utmost relevance today, the existence of infectious diseases that are very difficult to treat. Luis Serrano and Maria Lluch's synthetic biology approach and?their preclinical results in the fight against multi drug resistant infectious agents are extraordinary and have convinced us to invest." Albert Ferrer, CFA, founding partner at Invivo Ventures, says: "Invivo aims to support the technology transfer from Spanish research centres and enhance the growth and development of innovative products. The investment in Pulmobiotics is a clear example of this vision and we are particularly pleased that it enables a new business to be setup and create 5 new jobs in this difficult economic environment". Anabel Sanz, PhD, Head of the Tech Transfer and Business Development Office at the CRG says: "Pulmobiotics is a great example of the decisive impact of CRG's fundamental research on public health and economic prosperity and a fruit of ICREA's strategy to support talented researchers at CRG. A strong team of four young scientists and entrepreneurs trained at CRG will join the company. Born locally in Barcelona, Pulmobiotics aims to create global impact. We are delighted to have InVivo Ventures as a partner in this journey that will propel a technology developed at the CRG to a leading position in the live biotherapeutics and vaccine space". Governance Pulmobiotics is initially expected to use laboratory space at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) and collaborate with a network of Spanish and international partners and providers to develop its products. Founder and former CRG researcher Maria Lluch will be the Chief Scientific Officer, with CRG Director Luis Serrano being placed as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Luis Serrano brings a wealth of scientific entrepreneurial experience with him, being one of the scientific founders of En Vivo Pharmaceuticals, Diverdrugs and Cellzome, a proteomics technology company acquired in 2012 by GSK for US$99 million in cash. Claudio Santos, PhD, will step in as Chief Executive Officer. Claudio has a background in life sciences company creation and investment (Sixth Element Capital, UK) and in business development, both in academia (Cancer Research Technology, UK) and industry (Bioncotech Therapeutics, Spain). He has spent the last 8 months working with the founders and the CRG on fundraising and setting up the company. Lluis Pareras and Albert Ferrer, General Partners at Invivo Ventures, managed by Invivo Capital Partners, will join Pulmobiotics' Board of Directors alongside Maria Lluch and Claudio Santos. ### Why Women Do What They Do by Kenneth Madu You wont be able to put it down! The authors erotic story peeks behind the facade of what makes women tick. This one is not for the timid or shy." - Robert Fletcher, CEO, Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency This brutally honest memoir is about love, hate, betrayal, sex, rape, and abuse. From his first sexual encounter with his nanny, author Kenneth Madu leads a crazy, sensual existence. His life moves from one woman to another, finally settling into a relationship with two gorgeous women. Both of them possess feral instincts when seeking out their prey with everything they have. Kenneth happens to be their prey, and the two women are mother and daughter! From Holland to Africa to New York, this highly erotic true story dissects relationships, as well as what makes women from different cultures tick. He says, I have been running scared most of my life. Thats why I went for the gold with everything that I ever did. Thats why it had always been all or nothing with me. I had spent my whole life living like there was no tomorrow. The biggest question in his life? "Why Women Do What They Do," of course. Watch the video book trailer at: https://youtu.be/_PzqIhY3Q2U About the Author: World traveler Kenneth Madu grew up in Amsterdam, moved to Africa, went to school in England, and now lives in New York. This is his first book. You wont be able to put it down! The authors erotic story peeks behind the facade of what makes women tick. This one is not for the timid or shy. Look for its release, said Robert Fletcher, CEO of Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency. WHY WOMEN DO WHAT THEY DO (ISBN: 978-1-948260-54-1) is now available for $14.99 and can be ordered through the publishers website: http://sbprabooks.com/KennethMadu or at http://www.amazon.com or http://www.barnesandnoble.com. WHOLESALERS: This book is distributed by Ingram Books and other wholesale distributors. Contact your representative with the ISBN for purchase. Wholesale purchase for retailers, universities, libraries, and other organizations is also available through the publisher; please email bookorder@sbpra.net. Victoria will be able to conduct up to 12,000 coronavirus tests a day as the state government moves to dramatically increase testing of anybody with respiratory symptoms or fever. The major shift in testing protocol will help guide whether the Andrews government considers lifting social restrictions. People line up outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital for coronavirus testing last month. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui The government also confirmed 14 laboratories are now analysing the samples with more expected to come on line soon. The new testing regime is set to deliver a massive boost to capacity with official data showing 71,000 tests have been carried out in total so far. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers decision to join multi-state council to coordinate safely reopening the Northeast after the worst of COVID-19 may put him in the middle of a mutiny in the eyes of the president. President Donald Trump targeted Democratic governors Tuesday morning, saying a gold old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the captain." The tweet came less than a day after Baker, a Republican, joined a multi-state council of mostly Democratic governors who are planning to coordinate a safe reopening of the Northeast. Yet Baker didnt seem fazed by the presidents comments when asked about them Tuesday during a news conference at Joint Base Cape Cod. Baker said communicating with leaders of neighboring states, who are often trade and commercial partners, is the safest way to ensure one state can resume business without endangering or disenfranchising residents of another state. I think its going to be really important that we all pay attention to what the others are up to and make sure that nobody does anything that puts somebody in a really bad spot, Baker told reporters outside a 94-bed field hospital set up by the Massachusetts National Guard. Tell the Democrat Governors that Mutiny On The Bounty was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2020 When asked if joining the council makes him part of the so-called mutiny, Baker said, If youve learned nothing else about the Baker-Polito administration over the past five years, its that were a lot more interested in the work that we are in the noise. The governors office confirmed Monday afternoon that the Baker administration was joining talks coordinated by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to reopen the Northeast safely and efficiently. The council also includes New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Delaware. A similar multi-state council formed among West Coast governors. On Monday, Trump took aim at the Democratic governors coordinating with each other to reopen their states, saying during a news conference that the decision ultimately lies with him. When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total, Trump said at the White House. The governors know that. Tuesdays tweet is the presidents latest challenge to governors trying to contain the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 600,000 people and killed more than 25,000 in the U.S. The tweet also references a need for supplies. Massachusetts is still waiting on shipments of 1,000 ventilators that the Baker administration requested. So far, the state has received 400 ventilators. When asked whether the delays are due to the president playing politics, Baker avoided the subject of Trump altogether. Instead, he focused on his dealings with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates the distribution of supplies. Weve had a very good working relationship with FEMA on this stuff, and I continue to believe that FEMA is bringing the resources that they have available to these tasks and to these activities, Baker said. Were going to continue to advocate aggressively for Massachusetts because thats our job. We are going to do everything we can to make sure we have the gear that our hospitals need to protect and serve people. Baker told Trump last month he had trouble securing personal protective equipment after the White House said governors had secure the gear on their own because the state and federal governments ended up competing on the same bids. When Massachusetts secured an order of respirators, Baker turned to the New England Patriots for help, using the teams private plane to bring the shipments to Boston. Since the medical masks were distributed, however, some local hospitals have raised concerns that they received KN95 masks rather than N95 masks, the Boston Globe reported. While the KN95 masks are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, they dont meet the standards for health care workers laid out by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. If the federal government doesnt deliver the rest of the ventilators, Baker said hes looking at other options through the private sector. He declined to say what those options are. MassLive reporter Ben Kail contributed to this report. In Pics: Hindu temples in Singapore prepare sweet treats for foreign workers for Tamil and Bengali New Year The Tamil and Bengali New Year falls on April 14, and it is a tradition to have specially made sweets to welcome the New Year. The Inter-Agency Taskforce from the Singapore government has teamed up with the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) to distribute festive goodies to foreign workers, to provide some comfort during this difficult period. A total of 123,000 traditional Indian sweets including laddu, mysore pauk, paal gova, were prepared by 24 Hindu Temples. These were distributed to foreign workers across 22 locations, regardless of race. This is a first of its kind effort by the HEB, bringing temples together to produce traditional sweets on this scale, the Ministry of Manpower said in a press statement. The Taskforce also provided the workers with fast food treats to celebrate the occasion, distributing over 90,000 meals from KFC, including vegetarian pizza, in addition to their daily meals. Here are some snippets from the initiative: Residents of Toh Guan Dormitory donning masks as they went about their daily tasks. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) A total of 123,000 traditional Indian sweets including laddu, mysore pauk, paal gova, were prepared by 24 Hindu Temples and distributed to the foreign workers in celebration of Tamil and Bengali New Year. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) The sweets were distributed to foreign workers across 22 locations, regardless of race. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Workers at Westlite Toh Guan collecting sweets during lunch. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Workers at Westlite Toh Guan queuing up for lunch. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Workers at Westlite Toh Guan queuing up for lunch. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) The initiative is a first of its kind effort by the HEB, bringing temples together to produce traditional sweets on this scale. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Workers dressed up for Bengali New Year. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) The workers also received fast food treats to celebrate the occasion. Photo courtesy: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Price of borsch vegetable set slumps since Apr 6 13:20, 14.04.20 1324 Farmers are rushing to sell off last year's stocks before vegetables of the new harvest emerge in markets. Workers at restaurant chain Carluccio's will be furloughed after a landmark legal ruling. The firm went into administration last month, casting doubt over the eligibility of its 2,000 employees. Doubts about whether companies in administration can access the scheme prompted trade union Unite to seek legal clarification. Restaurant chain Carluccio's went into administration last month, casting doubt over the eligibility of its 2,000 employees for the government's job retention scheme Responding yesterday, High Court judge Mr Justice Snowden said Carluccio's does qualify a ruling that means employees at other companies in administration could also access the job retention scheme. Experts said this provides 'valuable breathing space' to administrators, and may help save jobs that would otherwise be lost. Unite's Howard Beckett said: 'This ensures no one is left behind in a hospitality sector reeling from the shutdown. 'This also offers some hope to other workers [at companies in administration], such as those at Beales and Debenhams.' North Korea fired multiple missiles from its eastern coast Tuesday, in a show of military might ahead of parliamentary elections in South Korea. The projectiles were fired Tuesday morning from sites near Munchon and neighboring Wonsan on the east coast, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. North Korea launched short-range cruise missiles from Munchon that flew more than 90 miles (150 kilometers), the ministry said, while fighter jets conducted exercises with air-to-surface rockets. The exercise comes on the eve parliamentary elections in South Korea, a vote that will shape the remaining tenure of President Moon Jae-in. The South Korean leader, who was elected in 2017 on a pledge to improve ties with North Korea, has had his efforts frustrated by renewed tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. Wednesday is also North Korea's Day of the Sun, a holiday marking the birthday of state founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong Un. The younger Kim test-fired an intermediate-range missile to mark the day in 2017, but the rocket exploded soon after takeoff. North Korea often times its military provocations to coincide with major political events, trying to exert its influence beyond its borders. Elections in South Korea have been no exception, where there has been a divide between conservatives pushing a tough line toward Pyongyang and progressives seeing engagement with their neighbor to the north as a way to reduce tensions. In the weeks before the last round of South Korean parliamentary elections in 2016, North Korea successfully test fired three ballistic missiles, according to data from Japan's Defense Ministry. About a week before 2012 presidential elections where conservative Park Geun-hye was the front-runner, North Korea launched a long-range rocket that moved it closer to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile. Kim entered 2020 by saying he was no longer bound by his pledge to halt nuclear and major missile tests put in place when he engaged in unprecedented nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump. But Kim began testing shorter-range missiles last year when the talks sputtered over relief from sanctions meant to punish Pyongyang for its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and he threatened a new path for his weapons program this year. Kim recently inspected an air base in the country's west, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. North Korea test-launched a record nine short-range ballistic missiles in March, in a sign of more potential provocations in the days ahead. The latest launches were believed to have been part of defense drills being conducted by North Korea, the ministry said. The Edaily news site separately reported that the live-fire exercises started at 7 a.m. and lasted for more than 40 minutes. Some Roosevelt High School students with serious technological chops and a desire to help others have created a free grocery home delivery service for senior citizens nervous to venture to the store because of the coronavirus pandemic. Roosevelt junior Terren Gurule was brainstorming with classmate Miguel OLoughlin when they hit on the idea of creating a call center for seniors and people who cant shop because of underlying health concerns. We wanted to do something beneficial to help the community, Gurule said. Both students belong to the Community Betterment via Engineering and Technology (CBET) Club, which has set up the call center and is taking calls between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The CBET Club partnered with Roosevelts Key Club, which will deliver to homes in North Portland within 72 hours of an order being placed. Spanish speakers are available to take calls. People wishing to use the service will pay by credit card. The students will process it through the Square mobile payment service, which means those using the service dont have to decipher a website. Key Club members wearing masks and gloves will make no-contact deliveries. The Key Club was very enthusiastic to help, Gurule said. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter The Roosevelt students coordinated the project with hours of video conferencing calls. Its in place now, and theyre spreading the word on social media. The CBET Club was set up with the idea of applying technology and engineering to improve our community, Gurule said. We had some other projects we were working on, but as soon as the whole coronavirus thing hit, we switched gears and pivoted to how can we help during this crisis? Aram Ansell, who teaches computer science at Roosevelt, and English teacher Deanna Delgado are helping advise the project. But, Ansell said, this is something the students are driving. These are definitely kids who are aware of the world and have a sense of wanting to help out, he said. The only thing I helped with was to suggest they brainstorm about different areas of the community that are affected. The CBET members come from Ansells advanced computer programming class. Theyre pretty technologically capable, Ansell said. Theyre behind the logistics of setting up the call center and doing all the work. Ansell said the project has been an educational process. With Roosevelt closed and classes going forward online, it should fit in nearly as a part of the curriculum. Its applied learning at its best, with a side order of social consciousness. These are exceptionally good kids, Ansell said, I dont know how to describe it any other way. Theyre highly intelligent, highly motivated to do well and very community focused. Phone number for Roosevelts free service for grocery deliveries: 503-360-0058. -- Ken Goe kgoe@oregonian.com | @KenGoe Loading Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Regulatory News: NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced today that its poster titled "Phase 1/2 study with CXCL12 inhibitor NOX-A12 and pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite-stable, metastatic colorectal or pancreatic cancer" has been selected for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting 2020. The presentation will include a short video and commentary by the first author, Dr. Niels Halama, from National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, Germany, who will present the latest pharmacodynamic, safety, survival and more mature clinical data from the trial. The presentation will be freely available upon registration on the AACR website in the Virtual Poster Session section as of Monday, April 27, 2020, 06.00 p.m. CEST. The abstract will be posted online to the AACR website on Monday, April 27, 2020. On April 6, 2020, the Board of Directors of the AACR had announced that due to the COVID-19 outbreak it would not organize an in-person Annual Meeting in 2020, originally scheduled for April 24-29 in San Diego, California. Instead, the AACR will feature selected program and presentations in Virtual Annual Meetings, on April 27-28 and June 22-24. About NOXXON NOXXON's oncology-focused pipeline acts on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking the tumor protection barrier and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the tumor microenvironment, NOXXON's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses against the immune system and enable greater therapeutic impact. Building on extensive clinical experience and safety data, the lead program NOX-A12 has delivered top-line data from a Keytruda combination trial in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients and further studies are being planned in these indications. In September 2019 the company initiated an additional trial with NOX-A12 in brain cancer in combination with radiotherapy. The combination of NOX-A12 and radiotherapy has been granted orphan drug status in the US and EU for the treatment of certain brain cancers. The company's second clinical-stage asset NOX-E36 is a Phase 2 TME asset targeting the innate immune system. NOXXON plans to test NOX-E36 in patients with solid tumors both as a monotherapy and in combination. Further information can be found at: www.noxxon.com Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp https://www.linkedin.com/company/noxxon-pharma-ag https://twitter.com/noxxon_pharma Disclaimer Certain statements in this communication contain formulations or terms referring to the future or future developments, as well as negations of such formulations or terms, or similar terminology. These are described as forward-looking statements. In addition, all information in this communication regarding planned or future results of business segments, financial indicators, developments of the financial situation or other financial or statistical data contains such forward-looking statements. The company cautions prospective investors not to rely on such forward-looking statements as certain prognoses of actual future events and developments. The company is neither responsible nor liable for updating such information, which only represents the state of affairs on the day of publication. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005742/en/ Contacts: NOXXON Pharma N.V. Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer Tel. +49 (0) 30 726247 0 amangasarian@noxxon.com Trophic Communications Gretchen Schweitzer or Joanne Tudorica Tel. +49 (0) 89 2388 7730 or +49 (0) 176 2103 7191 schweitzer@trophic.eu NewCap Arthur Rouille Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 00 15 arouille@newcap.fr Haiti - News : Zapping... Catastrophic GDP prospects The World Bank forecasts that the GDP of Latin American and Caribbean countries will decrease on average by 4.6% in 2020 due to the Coronavirus. Haiti -3.5%, Dominican Republic 0.00%, Dominica -3.0%, Grenada -7.3%, Jamaica -2.9%, Saint Lucia -7.2% and Saint-Vincent -4.0%.. Kidnappers gang arrested On the night of Sunday, April 12, the National Police of Haiti, in Lamentin 54, (Commune of Carrefour) proceeded to the arrest of fifteen individuals accused of involvement in kidnapping acts and who also allegedly links with armed gangs in Grand-ravine. Salomon market disinfection "The City of Port-au-Prince continues to fight against Covid-19. Firefighters and civil protection joined forces to clean and disinfect the Salomon market on Easter Sunday. We thank the city of Montreal for making this initiative possible," said Mayor Ralph Youri Chevry. Finishing of the RN #3 Monday a videoconference led by the National Authorizing Officer of the EDF, Charles Jean Jacques and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti Ms. Sylvie Tabesse, with the RAZEL-VORBE group in charge of the construction of the National Road #3, funded by the European Union from the 10th EDF and the French Development Agency). The objective of this working session was to take stock of the construction contract, which is in the finishing phase but which requires adjustments due to the Covid-19. Awareness raising agent on the La Coupe market "Heart To Heart International", in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA-Haiti), deployed community health workers in the La Coupe Petion-ville market to educate marketers about the right things to do to protect yourself from the Covid-19. Rara prohibited The Ministry of Culture and Communication once again reminds the general public, cultural operators and Rara in particular, of their obligation, in the context of the state of emergency and preventive measures relating to the Coronavirus pandemic taken by the government, to refrain from organizing activities involving a crowd gathering. HL/ HaitiLibre Chingiz Khan, a scholar of medieval history was first detained on 9 April and subsequently slapped with various sections of the Indian Penal Code which pertain to sedition, promoting enmity, public mischief and criminal conspiracy respectively. The Manipur Police arrested Chingiz Khan on 10 April a research scholar at country's premier Jawaharlal Nehru University on the charges of sedition for writing a piece showing systematic persecution of Pangal Muslims in Manipur. Khan, a scholar of medieval history was first detained on 9 April and subsequently slapped with various sections of the Indian Penal Code 124-A/153-A/505/120-B which pertain to sedition, promoting enmity, public mischief and criminal conspiracy respectively. His six days police custody ends on 14 April after which he would be produced in the court. The article published in Manipur daily, Ichel Express, Political Ploy to Drive Muslims Out is a translated version of the 2019 report in The Pioneer which talked about the eviction of almost 400 Pangal Muslims from Kshetri Bengoon Mamang Awang Ching. The report said, "The villagers settled here in 1970 (in internal migration) but the government claimed that these people illegally encroached reserve forest area. The state used cops for evicting and pulling down the houses, "despite the Manipur High Court's order to delay the process." Muslims settled in Manipur in the first decade of the 17th century by migrating from the western part of Manipur, namely Bengal and Silchar. "Islam came to Manipur before Hinduism," said Thokchom Veewon, a research scholar at Mizoram University, but in the next century, in the 1720s, King Pamheiba, who had another name Gharib Nawaz "introduced Hinduism as the state religion of his kingdom" Kangleipak, and changed its name to Manipur a Sanskrit word which means an abundance of jewel. "Pangal got its name from rhyming Bengal." "The Pangals have been marginalised through constant engagement," said Babloo Loitongbam, a human rights defender from Manipur. However, it is not in isolation, he added, "but, the intersectionality of persecutions of Muslims and shrinking of democratic space" by a government which does not allow criticism. The Pangals are in minority now and the government wants to take away their land in areas such as Mantripukhri, and particularly after the 1993 massacre of Pangals by the majority Meitei in which above 100 Muslims and four Meitei was killed, Pangals feel vulnerable. Ironically, the High Court of Manipur was established in 2013 in Mantripukhri itself. Manipur Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2014 was invoked in the case of "acquisition of homestead patta land belonging to the minority community for the construction of MLA quarters in the Mantripukhri area to evict Muslims from their land. How could an MLA quarter preserve the same paddy ground and the Muslim homestead ruin it? However, particularly the non-Pangal lands remained untouched. In 2018, the state government proposed a billProtection of Manipuri People which would ban the entry of "illegal migrants with an emphasis on Rohingyas, leaving other migrant communities aside". The Pangals were blamed for giving them asylum which created a communally-charged environment against Muslims. The chronicle led to mob-justices including "lynching of Md Farooque Khan from Lilong Mayai Leikai, Thoubal district in Manipur". This led to the passing of the Manipur Protection from Mob Violence 2018 in the state Assembly. Meitei consists of different clans forming a majority and maximum of them seek to revert to their ancient religious beliefs and practices. After the May 1993 massacre of Muslims, there seems to have emerged a distinct gap between the two communities. "Reconstruction of harmony and peace-building initiatives from both sides have not been very fruitful, as if the massacre triggered a chain reaction which could be seen in outlook and perceptions, cultural exchanges and to an extent in traditional labour relations," said another scholar seeking anonymity. Public spheres have shifted in subtle ways. "Different processes of changes in both parties led to the reification of identities and social boundaries. The origin of many of these developments can be traced implicitly or explicitly to the massacre of 1993," he said. The state government granted 4 percent reservation in government jobs and higher education to the Manipuri Muslim community, especially for admission to professional study programs in Manipur. It could be called an acceptance of the Pangal's systemic persecutions. Nevertheless, it was never enforced. Also, after 12 years of affirmative action policy, the number of first-class officials, second-class officials and third-class officials is far below 8.4 percent (the percentage of the Muslim population in Manipur). Manipurs total population in 2011 was 28,55,794, of which 2,39,836 were Muslims (including the non-Pangal migrant Muslims who came in the late 19th century or in the early 20th century to Manipur). "The increase of Manipurs total population around 4.94 times during 1951-2011 was slightly higher than that of the Hindus (3.4 times), lower than the Muslims (6.45 times). The Christians added 17.24 times," Khan wrote. The article also stated that the other parts of society took advantage of the violence of the state against minority Pangal Muslims and forced them to move away from their homes and shops, which violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) principles and particularly Article 3, which said, "Everyone has the right to life, equality and security ...". In fact, Khan also wrote about the custodial death of a policeman in his article Mysterious Death of Policeman in Police Custody. Not just Khan but many people have been arrested in Manipur within the first 10 days of April 2020. A human rights activist Takhenchangbam Shadishkanta was arrested on 1 April for suggesting a quarantine centre in an unused airstrip. Next day, the cops jailed Khangjrakpam Phajaton Mangang, along with Shadishkanta. Later, the chief of Imphal East police told a digital news outlet that, Any X or Y cannot say like that about defence land. Konsam Victor Singh, an employee at a government-run college was jailed for asking, "Does anybody know how much has Chief Minister Biren contributed to the CM COVID-19 relief fund?" in a Facebook post, which he was asked to delete. On 3 April, Laifungbam Debabrata Roy, a rights activist and a public health physician, was jailed for a Facebook post which read: The present Manipur Chief Minister, especially at this time of crisis, should desist from wasting State resources, time and personnel in carrying out any personal political agenda or vendetta. It demeans and belittles the position occupied and the responsibility that entails. While others were released or out on bail, Khan continued to be incarcerated. Many demanded his immediate release including Delhi Association of Manipur Muslim Students. It released a statement quoting S Rangarajan v. P Jagjivan Ram case wherein the Supreme Court of India said, "...open criticism of government policies and operations is not a ground for restricting expression... In democracy, it is not necessary that everyone should sing the same song. Korimayum Joneyziaur Rahman, the general secretary of North East Students' Association of Jamia Millia Islamia said, "There is no seditious or communally inciting element in the article." Baboo said, "curbing freedom of expression" is a tool towards undemocratisation of society and that "sedition is unconstitutional". JNUSU president, Aishe Ghosh tweeted a photo of Chingiz holding a book Genghis Khan, authored by Ralph Winston Fox, the British journalist known for his biography of Genghis Khan. She said in a hashtag "release Chingiz Khan". The All Manipur Muslim Organisations Coordinating Committee also demanded his unconditional release. Change.org drove a campaign seeking his release. Numerous organisations of students around the country condemned his arrests and demanded an immediate release. This is not the first time that a Manipuri scholar or a journalist has been put behind bars. An Imphal-based journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was slapped with the National Security Act for criticising the chief minister. A student leader Veewon Thokchom was slapped with sedition. In his bail, the high court found no sufficient ground to give prima facie for charges slapped against him. Ironically, the current Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh himself was into journalism and began a vernacular daily Naharolgi Thoudang in 1992 and worked as its editor till 2001. Project Baseline, a new website to facilitate screening and testing of people potentially infected with the COVID-19 virus, became available on Sunday. Verily, a company owned by Google parent Alphabet, launched the site. Access requires a Google login, and assistance currently is limited to residents in two counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to administering the website, Verily, which focuses on health and life sciences, is working with state, local and federal authorities to establish testing sites in the Bay Area. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai also announced the companies are partnering with the federal government on a COVID-19 education and prevention, and a local resources website, expected to go live late Monday. The sites focus is on best practices for prevention, with links to authoritative information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as helpful tips and tools for individuals, teachers and businesses. Privacy Concerns Before Verilys testing site was 24 hours old, there were signs it already might be having traffic problems. When I tested it [(Monday], after answering questions in a way that would qualify me in terms of geography and lack of initial symptoms, it said its not accepting any more applicants, said Michael Arrigo, an expert witness in healthcare who lives in the Bay Area. It seems like its not allowing people to be screened in the counties where they could be screened, he told TechNewsWorld. Google did not respond to our request to comment for this story. The Verily website raises privacy concerns, Arrigo noted. Its not clear to consumers that the information Verily is gathering is being given to entities not covered by HIPAA, he explained. A D V E R T I S E M E N T HIPAA, the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, protects the privacy of healthcare information collected in the United States. Verily is interested in capturing a lot of information, Arrigo continued, but there should be more information up front for the consumer. At this point, the benefits of the site are unclear, he said, but one thing thats clear is theres tremendous benefit for Google in collecting data. Google Responds to COVID-19 The new website launches were among a number of things Pichai said the Alphabet companies were doing in response to the spreading coronavirus, including the following: Taking down thousands of dangerous or misleading videos about the virus on YouTube and removing false and harmful information on Google Maps, such as false reviews and bogus information about healthcare locations. Blocking hundreds of thousands of ads attempting to exploit the pandemic, including a temporary ban on ads for medical masks and respirators. Making a commitment of US$50 million through Google.org to the global COVID-19 response. Matching up to $5 million in donations to the WHOs new COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Awarding a $500,000 grant to a team of researchers, epidemiologists and software developers at Boston Childrens Hospital working on HealthMap, a website that provides up-to-date trends of emerging public health threats and outbreaks. Creating COVID-19 public service announcements through the $25 million Google Ad Grants crisis relief program. Establishing a COVID-19 fund to provide paid sick leave to temporary staff and vendors who miss work because they have potential symptoms of the virus or are quarantined. In this unprecedented moment, we feel a great responsibility to help, said Pichai. Well keep doing everything we can to deliver on our mission, and help people take care of themselves and their communities. Free Team Software While few high-tech companies can launch as large a response to the coronavirus as Google has, other companies have found ways to contribute to the cause. Cloudflare, for example, is making its Cloudflare for Teams product which allows employees to collaborate from home free to small businesses for six months. Small businesses are responsible for the creation of two-thirds of net new jobs, noted Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. Unfortunately, they are much more vulnerable to even minor interruptions in their operations. Oftentimes their margins are so thin that any significant new expense or reduction in revenue can cause them to fail, he pointed out. While the impact of the Coronavirus is being felt by businesses large and small, I am worried the impact on small businesses could be especially devastating, Prince added. Small businesses have always been there for us and we want to be there for them during this time of increased strain . In addition to offering its team software for free, Cloudflare has established an online business hub where small businesses can see technology services available to them for free or at a low cost. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Companies operating with an expanded work-at-home workforce should be cautious, said Marty Puranik, CEO of Atlantic.Net, a cloud hosting company in Orlando, Florida. Bad actors will try to take advantage of your situation. Youre going to have a lot of new remote workers, so you need to have policies and procedures in place to make sure they dont fall for phishing scams and wire money where it isnt supposed to be sent, he warned. The security industry should take the lead and educate people on remote worker security, Puranik told TechNewsWorld. Zoom for Kids Employees wont be the only folks hanging around the house during the pandemic. Theres also some 400 million students worldwide, many of them looking for something to do. Among the companies addressing the problem is Caribu, which is offering its video-calling app for free during the virus outbreak. With the app, kids can create virtual playdates where they can read books from the Caribu library of popular titles, play games and color together on screen. Kids are feeling the effects of the outbreak, but dont always understand why grandma cant come visit, why the special family spring break trip may have been canceled, or why theyre out of school for weeks, said Caribu CEO Max Tuchman. Everything we do is about creating more meaningful connections, and thats what we think is most important right now keeping families connected in the most engaging way, he continued. Were like Zoom for kids, Tuchman added. Taking the Lead Technology companies have to take a leadership role in the battle against COVID-19, urged Gene Munster, managing partner at Loup Ventures, a venture capital firm in Minneapolis. Its an ironic leadership position because governments message for the past year has been about breaking up Big Tech. Now we have an example of why its good to have Big Tech, he told TechNewsWorld. Big Tech has some of the best AI talent in the world, and in these situations they can help with everything from understanding how these diseases are transmitted to working on vaccines, Munster added. Big Tech has the potential to reach large numbers of people with information of substantial benefit to them, Julian Sanchez, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank in Washington, D.C., told TechNewsWorld. But it remains to be seen because of all the misinformation weve seen circulating whether theyll be a net positive force as this crisis unfolds. It is rightly said that 'superheroes don't wear capes. Given the situation we are in today, staying at home and staying safe has turned everybody into a superhero. While you are doing your part, &pictures is all set to keep you company along with the neighbourhood superhero as it airs the Hindi Television Premiere of Spiderman: Far From Home. Directed by Jon Watts, the movie showcases how Peter Parker finds himself in a whirlwind of the situation as he uncovers the mystery of the Elementals. Starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Spider-Man, alongside an ensemble cast comprising of Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders and Jake Gyllenhaal, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming will have its Hindi Television Premiere on Tuesday, 14th April 2020 at 11:30 am. Spiderman: Far From Home is considered to be the first highest-grossing Spiderman film worldwide. The movie revolves around Peter who is still reeling with the thought that his mentor Tony Stark is no more, takes a break from his superhero duties and goes on a school trip to Europe along with his classmates. However, his plans are scrapped as a major threat follows him as the Elementals, a group of giant creatures from another dimension of Earth spells destruction across continent. Thinking about what his mentor would do in this given situation, Peter steps up to take on these new threats and join forces with Nick Fury to uncover this mystery and save the world. To see how Spider-man will save the day, tune into &pictures to watch the Hindi Television Premiere of Spiderman: Far From Home on 14th April at 11:30 am. GRAND RAPIDS, MI U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a former Republican turned independent and critic of President Donald Trump, says hes looking closely this week at whether to run for president. Amash, I-Cascade Township, who describes himself as a constitutional conservative and a libertarian, made the comment after criticizing a remark Trump made during a recent press conference. Trump, when discussing his authority, rather than that of individual state governors, to reopen the U.S. economy, reportedly said, When somebodys president of the United States, the authority is total, and thats the way its gotta be. In response, Amash posted a message on Twitter Monday, stating that, Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option. Another Twitter user then urged Amash to run for president, to which Amash replied, Thanks. Im looking at it closely this week. Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option. https://t.co/c7P2vOTyOe Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 13, 2020 Amashs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning. Speculation has swirled for months that Amash, who has represented Michigans 3rd Congressional District since 2011, is preparing for a third-party presidential run. In past interviews, he has not definitively ruled out such a run but said his focus was on winning another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Amash drew national headlines in May when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. He said he made the comments after reviewing U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into 2016 election interference. The congressmans comments drew an onslaught of criticism, and a few West Michigan Republicans announced that they would challenge him in the August 2020 Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District. On July 4, Amash announced he was leaving the Republican Party and would serve out the remainder of his term as an independent. He said Americas two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions. He said he would seek reelection as an independent. To appear on the November ballot, independent candidates for Congress must file a minimum of 3,000 signatures by July 16, according to the Michigan Secretary of States Office. The two leading Republican candidates that are vying for the Republican nomination for Michigans 3rd Congressional District are state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis and Peter Meijer, whose family founded the Walker-based retailer Meijer. Hillary Scholten, an immigration attorney, is the leading Democratic candidate. Michigans 3rd Congressional District includes the city of Grand Rapids and a large portion of Kent County, part of Montcalm County, as well as Ionia, Barry and Calhoun counties. Read more: Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place project $1M deficit because of coronavirus pandemic Planning for the unknown: West Michigan hospital workers brace for coronavirus surge $200k for coronavirus relief approved by Grand Rapids board BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend: The food aid campaign initiated by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia continues, Trend reports citing Georgian media. On April 14, boxes of groceries were delivered to low-income families living in Tbilisi by the embassy representatives led by Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Georgia Dursun Hasanov. In addition, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia delivered humanitarian aid to the Rustavi and Gardabani municipalities in the Kvemo Kartli region on April 11. In total, 200 socially vulnerable families living in these municipalities received food assistance. Kvemo Kartli Governor Shota Rekhviashvili and Gardabani Mayor Ramaz Budagashvili took part in the distribution of the humanitarian aid. I want to once again thank the Azerbaijani people. This is the best example of friendship and mutual assistance. This humanitarian action is accompanied by bilingual leaflets. The inscription reads Its still relevant to stay home, the governor said. Meanwhile, on April 10, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia handed over food packages to needy families of the Bolnisi municipality. Food packages were handed over to over 2,100 socially vulnerable families, people with disabilities, retirees and needy citizens. "The Embassy of Azerbaijan has provided us with food packages for vulnerable groups of different categories. I would like to thank the Azerbaijani side for this initiative. Their support is especially important for us during this period," said David Sherazadashvili, mayor of the Bolnisi municipality. On April 9, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia delivered humanitarian cargo to Marneuli district. As reported, 600 parties with humanitarian aid were distributed to the most needy residents of Marneuli. According to Dursun Hasanov, these steps once again testify to the close friendship between Azerbaijan and Georgia. We have one goal - to fight the coronavirus with all our might, and I know that soon we will overcome this threat. The Georgian government will make every effort for this, the ambassador said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 Two Brazilian state governors who have criticized President Jair Bolsonaro's calls to relax COVID-19 containment measures said Tuesday they had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Governors Wilson Witzel of Rio de Janeiro and Helder Barbalho of the northern state of Para both posted videos to Twitter announcing their diagnoses and urging people to stay home to fight the spread of the virus. Witzel, a leading proponent of closing non-essential businesses and ordering people to stay home, said he had started feeling unwell Friday, with a fever, sore throat and loss of smell, a key symptom of the virus. "Today, the test result came back positive... Now, thank God, I'm feeling better, and will continue working while following my doctors' advice," said Witzel, 52. "I ask you once again to stay home, because this disease, as everyone can see, spreads quickly and doesn't spare anyone." Barbalho, 40, who said he was asymptomatic, made a similar appeal. "This virus is extremely contagious, it doesn't recognize age or class. Everyone is exposed. So please stay home," he said. Social distancing policies have been attacked by Bolsonaro, who accuses them of needlessly wrecking Latin America's biggest economy over a disease the far-right president has compared to a "little flu." Witzel fired back last month that Bolsonaro's defiance of guidelines from the United Nations and World Health Organization could be considered a "crime against humanity." Brazil, the Latin American country hit hardest by the pandemic, has registered 1,532 deaths so far. Rio de Janeiro's Governor Wilson Witzel, pictured in September 2019, has tested positive for coronavirus - Frontliners at PGH had to endure long hours without going to the toilet even to pee while wearing their PPEs - If they do, they need to change to a new set of PPEs in order to avoid any form of contamination - A spokesperson revealed that frontliners have to endure 8 hours straight without any toilet break - He further added that it is difficult for some of them, especially that the PPEs are very hot and could also be tiresome PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Frontliners at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) have to endure an agonizing 8 hours straight without ever seeing the toilet. This was revealed by Dr. Jonas del Rosario, UP-PGH spokesperson in a report for "24 Oras." As per Raffy Tima, frontliners who go to the toilet are required to change into a new set of PPEs so that they can avoid any form of contamination. Dr. del Rosario described the ordeal of frontliners as, "So eight hours straight na hanggat maaari kung mapipigil nila, hindi sila allowed magpunta sa toilet." He also added that it was quite difficult for some because the PPEs are hot. He also said, "syempre kung minsan, nakakapagod din na 'yun ang suot." There are three teams that handle coronavirus patients at PGH. Each team would go on duty for one week and then rest for two weeks while another team would take their place at the hospital. The time given to the frontliners to rest ensure that they are re-energized before returning to duty. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In a previous report by KAMI, frontliners express their fears and the difficulties that they go through at the hospital especially with the ongoing crisis. 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. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Are you also wondering how you can render help to frontliners? One great Filipino, Pio, was able to find ways to help them out. You will see his unique and effective means in the video we created especially for you. Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh US has more known cases of coronavirus than any other country - CNN Reading breathless headlines such as this, one would never know that the on a cases per million population basis, the United States is on par with Germany, often held out as European country with a low incidence of cases, and well below the rates for Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. But wait, this must be because of the USs low testing rate, notwithstanding that our testing rate per million is above that of Spain, France, the UK, and Switzerland. The United States is reporting 20,000 coronavirus deaths, more than any other country - CNN This headline gives no hint that the US has one of the lowest death rates per million when compared to Western European countries. In fact, the rate for Spain is about 6 times the US, with Italy, France, Belgium, and UK, being 5 times, 4 times, 6 times, and 2.5 times respectively. Only Germany has a rate lower, at about half the USs. What California is doing right in responding to the coronavirus pandemic CNN Yes, California does have a low rate per million of cases and deaths. But Texas is lower on both metrics and is little praised. In terms of cases, California is at 572 per million, but Texas, the second most populous state, has an even lower rate of 474. What about the much maligned state of Florida? Yes, its rate is higher at 939, but this is about half the rate in Pennsylvania, and one tenth the rate in New York. The multiples for New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut, Washington, Maryland, Indiana, and Colorado. Of the 16 states with the largest number of cases, Texas, California, and Florida have the lowest numbers of cases per million. How California Has Avoided a Coronavirus Outbreak as Bad as New YorksSo Far: Earlier stay-at-home orders and a less dense population have helped state manage pandemic, but risk remains high, particularly in L.A. - WSJ This reporting on California seems to confuse correlation with causation. Texass stay-at-home order (March 31) came much later than California (March 19), yet, as already noted, its metrics are much better that even Californias. Floridas order came a day later than Texass and as already noted, it has the third lowest case per million. Its deaths per million stands at 22, only somewhat higher than Californias 16. And Texas stands at 10, one of the lowest rates in the country. The facts around California, Texas, and Florida, suggest that stay-at-home orders be unnecessary in these large, less, densely populated states. Social distancing, limits on crowd size, and a focus on vulnerable populations may be a much more sensible solution, one that inflicts much less damage on the economy and economic well-being of most American households. Providing the complete facts to the American people is of the utmost importance as we debate and decide how and when to start reopening the economy and begin some normalization of activities. The data demonstrate that the pandemic has been most severe in 7 states with the highest number of cases per million population: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, and Connecticut. These 8 states account for 67% 0f all cases and, as recently as April 11, accounted for 71% of new cases. With the exception of Mardi Gras plagued Louisiana, 7 of these hard-hit states are in the Northeast and Midwest. The sooner we begin to take measured steps in the weeks ahead to start reopening the economy and begin some normalization of activities, the sooner we will stop inflicting incalculable harm on our economy and American households. Edward J. Pinto is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. I saw people die with my own two eyes and for me once I knew I was alive I was going to fight with everything I had, he said. I realized how serious this virus is. Precious lives are being lost. When you hear in the room next to you at least three or four times them bringing in the paddle boards, there are just no words. Because you know you are in the same state. While the whole country continues to struggle against the COVID-19 crisis, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's name has been added to the list of renowned personalities who have come forward to give the frontline workers a boost to help them in their battle against the deadly infection. The ace actor has contributed 25,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the Maharashtra Health Department for the safety of the doctors and healthcare workers in the State. However, Khan's generous contribution came to light only after the Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope took to Twitter to thank him. "Many thanks, Mr Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 and protecting our frontline medical care team," Tope's tweet on Monday read. Responding to this, Khan thanked the Minister for "sourcing the kits" and added that he stood with all the others in this hour of need. "Thank you, sir, for all your help to source the kits. We are all together in this endeavor to protect ourselves and humanity. Glad to be of service. May your family and team be safe and healthy," Khan's response on Twitter read. Apart from this, a look at the top actor's Twitter profile reveals that he has been active in reaching out to the authorities and contributing in every way he can to boost the fight against COVID-19 in multiple locations across the country. For example, the official Twitter handle of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had a couple of days ago thanked him and his wife, Gauri Khan, for offering their "4-storey personal office space to help expand our quarantine capacity equipped with essentials for quarantined children, women and elderly." Apart from this the IPL-franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner, had also committed to contributing to the PM-CARES Fund and had also donated to both the Maharashtra and West Bengal Chief Minister's Relief Fund. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DENVER, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Appliance, a Denver-based luxury appliance repair company, continues to lead the nation in professional service appliance repair with their latest recognition as the Most Professional Servicer by the United Appliance Servicers Association (UASA). The company is no stranger to this coveted professional award, having been awarded the Most Professional Service Company in 2016. American Appliance was chosen as first runner-up for the Overall Company Presentation and Experience award in the 8+ technician category during UASA's Appliance Service Training Institute conference in St. Pete Beach, FL. Hundreds of companies were evaluated in the categories of technician uniform, service vehicle, company logo, web presence, and overall customer experience during the annual conference, which is attended by more than 1,000 appliance repair professionals. "We believe that our commitment to put the customer first sets us apart and leads to our success," said Scott Baca, president of American Appliance Group. "However, add this to being recognized by our professional industry, and it only reinforces the above-and-beyond attitude that our team works so hard to achieve. It's the cherry on top." As a factory-certified premier partner focused exclusively on Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove and ASKO brands, American Appliance is a standout in providing quality experiences to its growing customer base. The company prioritizes genuine, personal relationships with the 8,000 households it services and more than 10,000 customer requests it receives annually. "Each year, we watch the competition for the Most Professional Servicer award get more and more competitive," said Lance Kimball, president of the United Appliance Servicers Association. "American Appliance is a company that not only leads the industry but redefines it through innovative programs and new technologies. With companies like American Appliance the bar keeps getting higher and higher." American Appliance's approach to innovation in skills training, technology, brand specialization, and marketing are game-changing to customers and the industry. This past year, the company founded American Appliance University to provide a new generation with the tools needed to excel in the industry, including classroom work, infield training, and installation training. Not only does this fulfill a gap within the company as a generation of skills-based workers retires, but American Appliance is also changing career perception overall with higher than industry average salaries. "We are honored to receive this recognition and will continue to provide outstanding customer care while ensuring our service technicians deliver optimal performance and efficiency," added Baca. To learn more about American Appliance and their pioneering approach to service, visit http://americanappliance.biz/. About American Appliance Founded in 1974, American Appliance is the only factory-certified service and parts company for Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove and ASKO brands serving the Front Range and Roaring Fork Valley. Hand selected by Sub-Zero Group, Inc., American Appliance is proud to be recognized as a premier partner servicer for the suite of luxury brands in Colorado. In addition to their exclusive status with the Sub-Zero Group, American Appliance has also been recognized twice by the United Appliance Servicers Association as the Most Professional Servicer. For more information visit www.americanappliance.com. SOURCE American Appliance Related Links http://americanappliance.biz BRUSSELS (Reuters) - With beer sales hit by the coronavirus lockdown, small Brussels breweries are offering a delivery service to the homes of thirsty customers and for some business is booming. All bars in Belgium have been shut since the start of the lockdown a month ago, dealing a blow to smaller brewers such as Brasserie de la Senne, en Stoemelings or La Source Beer, whose products are hard to find in supermarkets, which remain open. To keep business alive, half a dozen of the microbreweries are encouraging their fans to buy online, charging around 50 euros for a case of 24 bottles, bicycle delivery included. Some even offer to donate up to 30 euros or a percentage of such direct beer sales to Brussels hospitals to help fight the pandemic. More than 5,500 people are currently in Belgium's hospitals with COVID-19, the disease casued by the virus. Jeroen Verhoeven, 42, who runs the Bicy KLET beer delivery service for Brasserie de la Senne, said he has been in business since 2013, but that during the lockdown volumes have soared and he sometimes has to ask friends to help, to meet all the demand. Before the lockdown he would deliver about 40 cases a month but now he is delivering that number in just one day, he said. "It is now really taking off, I sometimes deliver 40 cases a day," he told Reuters. As soon as he gets money in his account, he hops on the bike and delivers the beer, depositing the crate on the doorstep to avoid direct contact with the buyer. "It is nicer now in the lockdown because there is far less traffic in the streets," Verhoeven said. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Gareth Jones) Credit: Piedmont Healthcare What-if questions can torment a doctor making coronavirus retest decisions: What if a patient's initial negative test was a false negative, and he or she needs a second test? What if they don't need it, and a retest would use up a scarce test kit and treatments that other patients need? Such challenges led Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta to establish a paper-based decision tree for ordering COVID-19 retests, and researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology turned it into an automated digital tool. Piedmont further developed the tool and has now built it into the hospital's electronic medical record, where it influences the ordering of retests. A user can answer their "ifs" by clicking through questions, and the "if-this-then-do-that" algorithm makes recommendations for best courses of action, ranging from immediately treating a patient for COVID-19 to retesting to consulting a specialist. The final decision remains with the physician. The questions are deceptively simple, but the recommendations are not always obvious. That reflects the algorithm's usefulness to fill gaps in thinking about the new sickness, which can confront clinicians with surprises. "If a patient has not had close contact with positive patients and the first test came back negative, a physician may think the patient does not need to be retested. But actually, the patient may need a second test because they are in intensive care and also have suspicious chest X-rays," said Georgia Tech graduate research assistant April Yu, who converted the decision tree into a digital tool. "One of our big worries in using a brand-new test like the coronavirus test is that it will miss real cases, and this tool helps prevent that," said Dr. Bronwen Garner, who helped develop the original decision tree and is an infectious disease specialist at Piedmont Healthcare. "It also helps reassure physicians when they get a negative result that it is probably a true negative." Suspenseful decision-making A physician's reaction to an initial negative test can mean life or death because the physician not only decides on follow-up testing but also on treatment pathways and quarantine. "If you make a misstep in the thought process, it can lead to cascading impacts not only for the patient but also for healthcare professionals and family members, who may be exposed to the patient," said Pinar Keskinocak, William W. George Chair and Professor in Georgia Tech's Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. "This tool is meant to help doctors easily stay on the decision tree path." Michael O'Toole, executive director of Piedmont Healthcare's quality improvement department, originally pictured doctors getting an automated version of the decision tree to use on their phones. O'Toole called Keskinocak, and she tapped Yu, a member of her research group. "Literally within four hours they had it ready for us. It was incredible," said O'Toole, a Georgia Tech alumnus who studied industrial and systems engineering. "It was a very pleasant surprise," said Dr. Garner, who is also a Georgia Tech graduate. "Automated tools are better than a paper format because they're in the same format as orders in our electronic system. We get notifications in real time instead of having to remember to check a piece of paper." The tool is in place in the system where doctors order retests and is specific to Piedmont's workflow. It may not be directly transferable to other health care systems. Piedmont Healthcare simplified the logic even more, and the hospital built its own custom alerts to guide physicians on retesting. For cases that are more ambiguous, Piedmont Healthcare's final version of the tool also gives physicians inside the hospital guidance to consult with their in-house infectious disease specialists. If-this-then-retest In her original version, Yu had turned the decision tree criteria into a short panel of questions with yes and no answers. It took her six iterations to arrive at her final version. Yu's version asked whether the patient: has a relevant ailment previously tested positive for coronavirus is now in an intensive care unit has worsening lung conditions shows telltale lung damage in imaging has been diagnosed with a different ailment the patient has had contact with someone else who tested positive for coronavirus. On the back end, the algorithm guided the user through risks of coronavirus presence based on the answers. "The steps were easy to follow, and the answers were color-coded for urgency with white, yellow, and red," said Keskinocak, who also directs Georgia Tech's Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems. One bright yellow answer read: "This patient needs re-testing 24 hours after the initial test!" And there were further recommendations on how to handle the case. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Bus driver Christian did not sleep at all last night after Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari ordered an extension to the lockdown in his sprawling home city Lagos to halt the coronavirus. A few hours before the announcement on Monday evening, word spread that over a hundred youths from a criminal gang were swarming through his neighbourhood of Alimosho on a robbing spree. "Everybody was scattering for their lives. We ran away and I locked myself inside the house," he told AFP, refusing to give his surname. "When it was calmer, with the men on my street, we organised ourselves. We didn't sleep all night. We prepared weapons, collected knives, what we could find." The authorities insist that extending the shutdown in Africa's biggest city to one month is vital to stop a virus that has so far caused 343 confirmed infections and 10 deaths in Nigeria. But residents in the usually frenetic economic hub of 20 million, where more then half rely on daily earnings to survive, complain they have been left facing crippling economic hardship and rising crime. 'I was so scared' In recent days, inhabitants in a string of districts across Lagos and neighbouring Ogun state have reported a surge in gang attacks. "The criminals have been taking undue advantage of the lockdown to dispossess people of their valuables," community leader Mufu Gbadamosi told AFP. He has organised people in his Agbado area of Lagos into groups to man checkpoints and screen people coming into their neighbourhood after dark. The city has deployed police to enforce the lockdown but people in some neighbourhoods say there has been a surge in crime. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP) "We shall continue to hold the night vigil until the end of the restriction," he told. Local resident Dotun Alabi said it was the hunger and desperation caused by the lockdown that appeared to be pushing people into crime. "When we arrested two boys, they told us that they took to robbery in order to find something to eat," he said. Inhabitants in the overcrowded neighbourhoods of Lagos' poor -- where millions live squeezed together -- are no strangers to gang violence as criminals frequently fight for upper hand. But Chioma Okoro, who has bunkered down in her home in the Agege district, said insecurity had grown in the past two weeks and ratcheted up dramatically over the weekend. "Now it's three times, 10 times worse," she told AFP. She had tried to go out with her husband to get supplies but dashed back when she saw a group of young men brandishing iron bars, machetes, and homemade firearms. "I was hearing gunshots yesterday evening, I was so scared," she said. 'Going to get bad' Nigeria's police says it has dispatched extra forces to deal with the trouble and arrested some 200 suspects. "A special police squad headed by a deputy inspector general has deployed to ensure security of lives and properties in the affected communities," spokesman Bala Elkana told AFP. But residents complain that there are not enough officers to protect them -- and insist the government needs to do more to support people financially. "Millions of Nigerians observing the COVID-19 lockdown lack the food and income that their families need to survive," Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "The government needs to combine public health measures with efforts to prevent the pandemic from destroying the lives and livelihoods of society's poorest and most vulnerable people." The authorities are handing out food to 200,000 poor households to try to ease the pain of lockdown. By Benson IBEABUCHI (AFP) Lagos state authorities are handing out food to 200,000 households and President Buhari has pledged freezes on loan repayments and expanded welfare payments. For Blessing Asaba those promises have meant nothing. A few days ago she was robbed as she headed to buy produce to sell on her market stall at Obalende on Lagos Island. "I have to pay school fees, I have to pay rent where I am staying -- where will I get the money from?" she asked as she stood by her pile of plantains. "More than 100 million and something Nigerians are living like this -- and now there is robbery everywhere." Student Alice Agbo was tending her mother's stall across the road, trying to earn enough from the customers still out on the streets to make ends meet. "The lockdown is really causing poverty, hunger -- we don't have anything to eat," she said. "It's not fair at all. Things are really going to get bad for people." Donald Trump accused governors of organising a "mutiny" against him over his vow to "soon" issue an order opening the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, but the president has yet to provide a shred of legal evidence he has the power to do so. Mr Trump began Tuesday the way he ended Wednesday, only his tweets came from the White House residence and his brash, Richard Nixon-esque declarations that his "authority is total" came from the briefing room downstairs. The showman in chief added some dramatics to his claim that he and he alone can override state and local orders to allow businesses and school systems now shuttered to reopen. In a message to Democratic governors who are planning to move ahead with their own blueprints for getting their states back to some semblance of normalcy when and if the virus spread slows inside their borders, Mr Trump sounded more like a pirate ship captain on a hijacked vessel than the leader of the free world. "A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain," Mr Trump tweeted. He appeared to suggest he would use federal virus aid to try forcing state chiefs executive into complying with a likely coming order to, as he has put it, "open for business." He even wrote that doing so would be "Too easy!" White House officials did not chase The Independent off the notion that the president is threatening to turn federal assistance into leverage for states' compliance. Doing so could put at risk some of those who have contracted the coronavirus, if their local hospital was limited in its ability to treat that person due to a governor's feud with Mr Trump over refusing to comply with an order he has yet to even legally justify. At the centre of Mr Trump's escalating battle with states' leaders is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. The president has praised Mr Cuomo in recent days, saying the duo is working well together to make sure the Empire State has what it needs to treat patients after becoming the US's leading area for infections and deaths. But the New York chief executive appears to have angered Mr Trump anew after accusing him of acting like "a king." The president accused the governor of "calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state's responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc." before making this contention: "I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won't happen!" Mr Trump did not explain how he might force anything on Mr Cuomo, or if the two New Yorkers were merely engaging in some Big Apple bluster. That came during a call-in interview Monday night following perhaps the president's wildest daily Covid-19 briefing yet. In a remark reminiscent of Richard Nixon's claim that "if the president does it, it's not illegal," Mr Trump told reporters that, in his view, "when somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total." That claim is false, as clearly stated in the Constitution. Mr Trump has vowed this week to produce a document that legally justifies his opening order claims. One hurdle will be the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. It states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." At a recent contentious White House coronavirus taskforce press briefing, president Donald Trump claimed that Joe Biden apologised for accusing him of xenophobia. He also said that the former vice president had sent him a letter of apology. The Biden campaign says that there was no letter, and that there was no apology. He has since apologised and he said I did the right thing, Trump said, referring to an alleged incident on 31 January in which Mr Biden said that Mr Trumps travel restrictions on China to thwart the spread of the coronavirus were xenophobic. When questioned further about the travel restrictions, Mr Trump added: Why did Biden apologise? Why did he write a letter of apology? However, the Biden campaign said that the comments made about Trump were more general, saying he has a history of hysterical xenophobia, and were not about the travel restrictions imposed on China. It is also unclear whether Mr Biden had any knowledge of the decision to restrict travel from China when he made the remarks. The campaign event in Iowa, at which he was speaking, started shortly after the briefing at which announcement was made by Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar. CNNs fact checkers admit: Given the timing of the Biden remarks, its not unreasonable for the Trump campaign to infer that the former vice president was talking about the travel restrictions. Mr Biden never took an explicit position on the China restrictions until April when the campaign declared his support for the decision though he thought it could have been implemented quicker. His January comments about Mr Trumps xenophobia are thought to refer to the 2017 Muslim travel ban. While Trump is correct to say that the former vice president supports the China travel ban, there appears to be no evidence to suggest he ever thought it wrong, nor any evidence that he apologised for saying so particularly in the form of a letter. Emma Pritchett, 78, hold up a broken glass from her kitchen sink the day after a tornado hit on April 13, 2020, in Chatsworth, Ga. (Brynn Anderson/AP) Everythings Gone: Tornadoes Rip U.S. South, Kill at Least 26 Rescue workers and homeowners across the U.S. South on April 13 sifted through what remained of hundreds of structures destroyed by a series of tornadoes that killed at least 26 people, as the deadly weather system churned up the East Coast. Nearly 51 million people from Florida to New England were in the path of the system, with National Weather Service forecasters warning of strong winds, torrential rain, and possibly more tornadoes on April 13 afternoon. The system had already spawned about 60 reported tornadoes that left a path of destruction from Texas to the Carolinas on April 12 and April 13, the weather service reported. Powerful winds in the upper atmosphere combined with a strong cold front to make the system particularly dangerous, said weather service meteorologist Aaron Tyburski. This was very typical of the spring seasondefinitely not something out of the ordinarybut it is very active, he said. At least 11 people were killed in Mississippi, eight in South Carolina, six in Georgia, and one in Arkansas in the storms, local media and state officials reported. Five of the people who were killed in Georgia were in two Murray County mobile home parks that were leveled as tornadoes rolled through the area, Murray County Fire Chief Dewayne Bain told a Fox News affiliate in the region. Among the dead in Mississippi were Lawrence County Sheriffs Office Deputy Robert Ainsworth and his wife, Paula. Robert left this world a hero, as he shielded Mrs. Paula during the tornado, the sheriffs department said on Facebook. Local media across the region showed images and video clips of homeowners and rescue workers picking through piles of rubble as flattened homes, overturned vehicles and downed power lines covered the landscape. It just tore everything. Everythings gone, Latesha Dillon, whose brother was killed in Walthall County, Mississippi, told a local ABC affiliate. Firefighters in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, found a handful of people trapped in two homes on April 13, the Times and Democrat, the local newspaper, reported. In Upson County, Georgia, 65 miles (105 km) south of Atlanta, homeowner Paul McDaniel and his wife raced to an interior part of their home as a reported tornado rolled through their neighborhood early on April 13. I heard it and grabbed her and we ran into the hall and it was something like I never heard before, McDaniel told a Fox News affiliate in the region. Nearly 580,000 million homes and businesses in North and South Carolina, Arkansas, New York, and Virginia were without power on April 13, PowerOutage said. By Brendan OBrien The State Departments designation for the organization, the Russian Imperial Movement, sets up the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control to block any American property or assets belonging to the group. It will also bar Americans from financial dealings with the organization and make it easier to ban its members from traveling to the U.S. Delhi will fully implement the extended lockdown as it is very essential to contain the spread of coronavirus, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted on Tuesday as 51 more cases and two deaths were reported in the national capital The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital increased to 1561, the highest after Maharashtra, and the death toll was 30, according to Delhi authorities. The number of containment zones in the city reached 55. Sources said an Army doctor was among those who tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, the national capital had reported a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in a day with 356 testing positive, taking the tally to 1,510, while four people died of the disease within 24 hours. After hundreds of migrant workers gathered in Mumbai and Surat on Tuesday after extension of lockdown, Kejriwal, in a video message, appealed to the daily wagers from different states that they should not fall prey to rumours of bus arrangements being made to ferry them to their native places. He assured them that the Delhi government has made arrangement of their food and accommodation. To ensure that such incidents do not take place in the national capital, Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev also directed police and district magistrates to not allow "any large gatherings" in the national capital. Earlier, welcoming Modi's decision to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3, Kejriwal urged people to strictly adhere to the restrictions so that the city gets rid of coronavirus. "Delhi will fully implement PM's lockdown measures," he tweeted. Addressing an online briefing, Kejriwal said it is a matter of concern that cases of COVID-19 are increasing in the national capital. "The lockdown is necessary. I am confident that we will succeed in containing the COVID-19 outbreak in Delhi," the chief minister said. Modi on Tuesday announced that the current lockdown will be extended till May 3. The initial 21-day lockdown was to end on April 14. "If we strictly follow lockdown rules, I am very sure that we will get rid of COVID-19," he said. Kejriwal also said that he would visit some COVID-19 containment zones in the city on Wednesday to take stock of the situation. On efforts to strictly enforce the lockdown, Dev in his order said that "any gathering will not be allowed as curfew and lockdown are in force". "There is no question of large gatherings," he directed officers. A Delhi government official said orders have also been issued to the Delhi Transport Corporation and divisional commissioner to ensure that he lockdown is strictly followed. Only buses placed at the disposal of the police and health department will operate and the rest will be confined to depots, the chief secretary said in his order. "Special Commissioners of Police, Joint CPs, DMs and SDMs have been asked to be on ground to monitor situation closely," the official said. In an internal communication, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said travel passes issued by the Delhi Police will continue to be valid till May 3 following the extension of the lockdown. "The police passes were issued with validity up to April 14. Since the lockdown has been extended, passes will remain valid up to May 3 and no separate order reviewing the passes is being issued," Shrivastava said. All guidelines, instructions and orders will continue to be valid till further orders, he stated. "The e-passes issued by the Delhi government shall be honoured by all police personnel on duty, if they are accompanied by the original message on mobile phone and identity proof of the person," he added. Meanwhile, over 200 cases were registered and 3,316 people detained in the national capital for violating government orders during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, police said. A total of 132 cases have been registered against people for stepping out of their houses without wearing masks. Since March 24, as many as 80,557 people have been detained for violating orders under section 65 of the Delhi Police Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) " " No one wants to be Zoom bombed in a business meeting. So how can you end it? SeanShot/Getty Images Like many professors, Karen Wilson (not her real name) was teaching a college class online for the first time in late March, since the COVID-19 outbreak had sidelined in-person classes. She was using the videoconferencing platform Zoom for her presentation. "Ten minutes into my lecture, I started hearing laughter and giggling. Then a voice drops into the classroom asking, 'What class is this?'" she says via email. When Wilson asked what was going on, "a couple of girls answered in unison that they were supposed to be in a high school online class, and they were confused. They asked a few questions and they promptly left." Advertisement But things were just getting started. "A while later, another anonymous person, this time a male, started commenting about smoking marijuana and the kind of great weed he'd found last week. Only the audio was heard and he wasn't seen. I asked him to identify himself. When he would not, I asked him to leave which, thankfully, he promptly did." She says that because she was brand-new to Zoom, the experience was confusing and disorienting. "I wasn't sure where the audio was coming from and thought it might be background noise from one of my students," she says. "If I had been more familiar with Zoom, I would have immediately muted everyone's audio, but I was a newbie using it online. I had never considered other people could get the Zoom number and 'drop into' a classroom." Wilson had just been Zoom bombed. Zoom bombing is shorthand for when strangers intrude on others' meetings on Zoom. Sometimes, these folks might just listen in without anyone knowing they're there. Other times, they totally disrupt the meetings in silly or even threatening ways. Ultimately, Wilson was lucky. Other victims of Zoom bombing have been subjected to hate speech, profanities, threats and pornographic images. But how could someone just "drop into" a private meeting? "Zoom bombing is nothing more than enumerating different URL combinations in the browser," says Dan Desko, a cybersecurity expert from accounting firm Schneider Downs, in Columbus, Ohio. He gives an example: To find a Zoom meeting, you enter the URL Zoom.us/ plus a string of numbers, which serves as the meeting identification number (e.g., https://zoom.us/j/55555523222). "The problem becomes when people don't have their meetings protected by passwords, and just by flipping a couple of numbers," you could potentially get lucky and suddenly enter someone else's meeting, he says. "Now obviously, you'd have to do that at the right time [when] the meeting's taking place," he adds. Just to test the flaw, he tried it himself. Within just a minute or so, he stumbled onto a legitimate meeting ID but the meeting wasn't happening at that particular moment. "It's technically sort of like wiretapping or being able to spy on somebody," says Desko. But why would Zoom have this particular flaw? It was exposed partly because Zoom exploded exponentially in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, going from 10 million daily users in December 2019 to 200 million daily users in March. The company simply wasn't prepared for the rush of people wanting to use it for classes, meetings and virtual happy hours with friends. "Zoom is primarily a corporate collaboration tool that allows people to collaborate without hindrance. Unlike social media platforms, it was not a service that had to engineer ways to manage the bad behavior of users until now," says David Tuffley, a lecturer in Applied Ethics & SocioTechnical Studies at Griffith University in Australia, in an email interview. "Their user base has grown enormously, and there [is] bound to be bad behavior." The sudden traffic surge exposed other security flaws, too, like dark web accounts and lack of encryption. The FBI put out an advisory warning of Zoom bombing on March 30. Some organizations have opted to ban Zoom. Google won't let its employees use it on their laptops. It's all fallout because Zoom failed to address its flaws quickly enough, says Desko. "In information security and cybersecurity, we talk about three things: We talk about confidentiality, integrity and availability," says Desko. People want to keep their meetings (especially in business) extremely confidential. Furthermore, he says, the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto "showed that the encryption technology that Zoom purported to use wasn't as strong as they say [it was]. They're actually using an encryption technology that was fairly crackable." It's something, he says, that will take months to fix. (While Zoom has fixed some security flaws, as of August 2020, there were stillreports of zoom bombing.) And as for integrity? As Zoom has expanded its server capacity, it has begun to use servers based in China, with Chinese employees. "There are a lot of people calling the confidentiality of the tools into question," Desko says. That's one reason the U.S. Senate asked members to refrain from using Zoom. The Pentagon also followed suit on April 10. Stopping Zoom Bombing Since Zoom bombing became a problem, Zoom has changed its default settings so that every meeting is automatically assigned a required password to enter it; also, the "waiting room" feature is now automatically enabled when you set up a meeting. This prevents users from joining a call before they've been screened by you, the host. Finally, the meeting ID code is not shown in the title bar during a Zoom meeting. Desko thinks these measures will go a long way to stopping Zoom bombing. "It's good to keep the meeting ID private so that people can't associate your meeting ID with you or your company," he says. "Or if you are a high-profile person like Boris Johnson, sharing his meeting ID [as he did on a tweet as part of a Zoom screenshoton March 31] was like sharing the address to the bat cave. Even though the bat cave is secure, it is now a specific target. The password is then key to keeping the meeting secure." He adds that "If you want to be super-secure you should change up your meeting ID with every call and password too. There is a setting to generate a new meeting ID automatically and you can also set the password personally as well." At the very least, make sure that Zoom's new security features have actually been enabled on the meetings you're setting up. "If you have a [recurring] meeting set up already that used the old default, you have to go back into Zoom and update those," says Desko. "That's easy enough to do." Another way to prevent outsiders from hijacking your meeting is to make the "share screen" option only available to the host. You also can mute the microphones of everyone but the host or the speaker and lock the meeting when everyone has joined to prevent break-ins. These features can be done on the Zoom toolbar. And finally, don't post a public link to your meeting that may invite unwanted guests to try to enter. NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Zoom has shouldered an incredible amount of bad press for its shortcomings during the pandemic. But other conferencing tools (like Skype, Webex and Google Hangout) have security issues, too so no matter which software you choose, don't make any assumptions about the privacy of your online meetings. Use some of the same tips we gave you for Zoom to make your other types of virtual meetings secure. Advertisement Originally Published: Apr 14, 2020 - Key Companies Covered are Medizinische Universitat Graz, UK Biobank, Shanghai Zhangjiang Biobank, Isenet Biobanking, Hamilton Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., ProMedDx, BBL, Brooks Life Sciences, ASKION, among others PUNE, India, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global biobanking market is set to gain traction from the rising integration of innovative technologies in the pre-existing systems. Besides, the introduction to virtual biobanking is set to revolutionize the system by enabling researchers to conduct their studies smoothly, as well as by lowering the time constraints. This information is published by Fortune Business Insights in a recent study, titled, "Biobanking Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Sample Storage (Blood, Cells & Tissue, and Others), By Application (Regenerative Medicines, Life Sciences, and Others), By Settings (Academic Medical Institutes, and Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026." The study further mentions that the biobanking market size was USD 25.09 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 49.46 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/biobanking-market-102073 An Overview of the Impact of COVID-19 on this Market: The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic. We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future. To get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/biobanking-market-102073 This Report Answers the Following Questions: What are the most significant biobanking market trends, challenges, and opportunities? How many segments will the market consist of? Which region is expected to dominate the market in terms of revenue? Which segment is likely to lead in terms of share in the coming years? What are the new strategies adopted by key players to strengthen position? Drivers & Restraints- Emergence of Cord Blood Stem Cell Biobanking to Accelerate Growth Nowadays, cord blood is considered to be an important source of stem cells that is often processed and conserved for medical research. In the field of biobanking, the conservation of cord blood is gaining more popularity. Also, the upsurging trend of cord blood stem cell biobanking is set to affect the biobanking market growth positively during the forthcoming years. Sweden'sLund University, for instance, unveiled the world's largest stem cell biobanking that would aid researchers in understanding the origin and cause of diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Apart from that, the rising incidence of chronic diseases across the globe would contribute to the market growth. Segment- High Demand for Samples from Pharmaceutical Industry to Augment Blood Segment In terms of sample storage, the market is segregated into cells and tissue, blood, and others. Out of these, the blood segment acquired 79.5% biobanking market share in 2018 and is set to lead throughout the forecast period. This is attributable to the rising distribution, storage, and collection of blood samples backed by the increasing cases of infectious diseases. It is further creating high demand for curative measures. As blood samples contain RNA and DNA, they are considered to be a vital biospecimen and hence, are utilized in conducting several research activities. These are especially demanded by the academic medical institutions, as well as many pharmaceutical companies. Quick Buy - Biobanking Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/102073 Regional Analysis- Europe to Remain at Forefront Backed by Increasing Number of Biobanks The market is geographically divided into the Middle East and Africa, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Amongst these, Europe is likely to remain in the dominant position in the coming years. It had generated biobanking market revenue of USD 8.93 billion in 2018. This growth is attributable to the presence of innovative biobanks in countries, such as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. As per a report by Global Engage, in Iceland, around 40% of the population have contributed their DNA and those specimens are stored safely in biobanks. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is anticipated to exhibit a high CAGR in the coming years fueled by the rising investments by industry giants to develop well-structured biobanks. Additionally, increasing sales of cell and blood samples by the academic medical institutions for conducting research activities would propel growth in this region. Competitive Landscape- Key Players Aim to Open New Biobanks to Aid Researchers with Further Studies Several companies present in the market are engaging in distribution strategies to enhance the market value. They are also investing huge sums for the development of new biobanks so that more researchers and clinicians would be able to conduct R&D activities for helping out the ones in need. Below is one of the latest key industry developments: October 2019 : CureDuchenne, a non-profit provider of unique technologies for enhancing and extending lives of children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy headquartered in California , started developing a biobank for Duchenne. It will enable researchers in conducting extensive studies on Duchenne to find a cure that would be accessible to all. Minimally invasive skin and blood tissue samples will be asked from patients on a voluntary basis. List of the Key Companies Operating in the Biobanking Market. They are as follows: Medizinische Universitat Graz UK Biobank Shanghai Zhangjiang Biobank Isenet Biobanking Hamilton Company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. ProMedDx BBL Brooks Life Sciences ASKION Others Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/biobanking-market-102073 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Others Scope Market Segmentation Others Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Overview: Trends in Biobanking Market Prevalence of Key Diseases - By Key Countries Overview: Number of Biobanks - By Key Countries Key Industry Developments - Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships Global Biobanking Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast - By Sample Storage Blood Cells & Tissues Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast - By Application Regenerative Medicines Life Science Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast - By Settings Academic Medical Institutions Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast - By Geography North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued.! Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/biobanking-market-102073 Have a Look at Related Reports: Blood Screening Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Instruments, and Reagents & Kits), By Technology (Molecular Tests, and Serology Tests), By End User (Independent Clinical Laboratories, Hospital-based Laboratories, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Regenerative Medicine Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Product (Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy, Tissue Engineering, Platelet Rich Plasma), By Application (Orthopaedics, Wound Care, Oncology), By Distribution Channel (Hospitals, Clinics) & Regional Forecast, 2019 - 2026 Genomics Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Type (Products, Services), Technology (Polymerase Chain Reaction, Next-generation Sequencing, Microarray, Sanger Sequencing), Application (Diagnostics, Research), End-User (Research Institutes, Healthcare Facilities & Diagnostic Centers, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnological Companies, Contract Research Organization (CROs)) & Regional Forecast, 2019 - 2026 Immunology Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Drug Class (Monoclonal antibody (mAb), Fusion Proteins, Immunosuppressant, Polyclonal antibody (pAb), Others), By Disease Indication (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Plaque Psoriasis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Prophylaxis of Organ Rejection, Others), By Distribution Channel, and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 Antiepileptic Drugs (AED) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Drug Generation (First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, and Online Pharmacies), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Orthopedic Devices Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Joint Reconstruction Devices, Spinal Devices, Trauma Devices, Dental Implants, Orthobiologic Devices, Arthroscopy Devices, and Others), By End User (Hospitals, Orthopedic Clinic, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Medical Marijuana Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application (Pain Disorders, Cancer, and Others), By Type (Flowers, Concentrates, Edibles and Others), By Distribution Channel (Dispensaries, Online Channel, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters Survey No. 36, Baner Pune-Bangalore Highway Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US :+1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/biobanking-market-9759 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/881202/Fortune_Business_Insights_Logo.jpg Image:https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1155084/Biobanking_Market.jpg T he number of people who have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals has jumped by 717. The latest figures bring the UK death toll to 11,329 as of 5pm on Sunday, the Department of Health said. As of 9am on Monday, 290,720 people have been tested of which 88,621 tested positive for Covid-19. Overall, 367,667 tests have concluded, with 14,506 tests carried out on Sunday. The test figures exclude Northern Ireland. NHS staff wearing protective equipment against coronavirus / Getty Images NHS England announced on Monday that its number of fatalities had jumped by 667, bringing its toll alone to above 10,000. Of the 667 new deaths announced for England, 118 occurred on April 12 while 537 took place between April 1 and April 11. Loading.... The other deaths were from last month, with the earliest on March 26. It can often take days or weeks to report the number of people who have died after contracting coronavirus. This is because of the time needed for people to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 and for post-mortems to take place. Meanwhile Wales has reported 313 more cases of Covid-19, bringing the overall total to 5,610. Loading.... Fifteen more people have died in Welsh hospitals after contracting the virus. 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 Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast A 24-year-old thug who coughed and spat at a policeman on Easter Sunday has been jailed for 17 weeks. Luke Beresford targeted the officer after he was arrested for being drunk in Cheltenham town centre on Sunday, April 12. He had been drinking topless in the sunshine when he got into 'a physical altercation' with someone and was arrested. Beresford was sentenced to 17 weeks in prison at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 122. Prosecutor Rachael Scott told Cheltenham Magistrates' Court yesterday: 'He was handcuffed a taken to a nearby police van with the intention of being taken into custody. 'Beresford was asked by PC Bennett if he had symptoms of Covid-19 while he sat in the rear cell of the police van. 'As he was asked this he deliberately coughed into the face of the officer and then began to bring up the phlegm into his mouth and tilted his head back as if about to spit. 'PC Bennett immediately attempted to slam the van door shut but Beresford stopped it with his foot and the officer resorted to hitting him in the face to stop him spitting at him. 'Beresford then spat phlegm and blood on the van floor.' The court heard that in his interview with police Beresford explained that he was walking to his friend's memorial at Sandford Park in the centre of town on the anniversary of his death. He admitted that he had been drunk and disorderly and that he might have coughed when the officers were talking to him in the van. Beresford pleaded guilty to common assault on PC Bennett, an emergency worker, on Sunday, April 12. Last week at the same court Jonathan Brunsdon, 43, of Mason road, Stroud, was jailed for 20 weeks for coughing in the face of a paramedic and telling him, 'Ha Ha, you got it now.' Beresford targeted the officer after he was arrested for being drunk in Cheltenham Town Centre on Sunday, April 12 Beresford was initially unrepresented at Monday's hearing when he appeared via video link from Gloucester Police's custody suite. He was told by District Judge David Parsons that he was facing a substantial period in custody. Judge Parsons said to Beresford: 'You are at risk of going to prison immediately because the offence is so serious. He adjourned the hearing for a short time to allow the defendant to seek legal advice.' Solicitor Miguel Blanco then represented Beresford at the resumed hearing. He said Beresford had got 'quite drunk' because it was the anniversary of his friend's death and he was suffering from depression. 'This was the first time he had been out since the lockdown began. He is genuinely sorry for what he has done and he states that he only spat out the phlegm after the van door had been shut,' Mr Blanco said. 'The assault itself was the fear of it as he moved his head back. 'He was working until the coronavirus lockdown started, but has since lost that job.' Judge Parsons said: 'These matters of coughing into the faces of emergency workers are taken very seriously by the courts. 'Your actions were disgusting and no doubt caused stress to the police officers during these difficult times. 'The courts will be supporting the emergency workers who are subjected to such actions.' Beresford was sentenced to 17 weeks in prison. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 122. Part of the Spanish military personnel participating in missions to Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali will be sent back home due to the spread of the coronavirus, the General Staff of the Spanish Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a statement MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) Part of the Spanish military personnel participating in missions to Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali will be sent back home due to the spread of the coronavirus, the General Staff of the Spanish Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a statement. "These changes [the reductions] were carried out in coordination with our allies and host countries so that temporary relocation does not affect obligations within various international security organizations of which Spain is a member," the statement said. According to the statement, 150-200 military out of 550 will return from Iraq, 30 out of 70 servicemen will withdraw from Afghanistan, and 85 out of 300 military personnel will return from Mali. The general staff added that after returning to Spain, the military will be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined for 14 days. On March 20, the US-led international coalition announced the reduction of its personnel on several Iraqi bases due to the pandemic, among other reasons. The coalition added that military drills would resume as soon as the epidemiological situation improves. Welcome to a world where the government knows which cities youve visited, who youve taken train journeys with even which films you watched at the cinema. This is China during Covid-19, as it uses every weapon in its powerful technological armoury to combat the deadly pandemic that is now sweeping the globe. But as the country gradually emerges from lockdown, there are questions about how these surveillance tools, employed to address the public health crisis, could be used more widely and more repressively in ways that threaten privacy and curb freedom of expression. And as the UK reportedly invests in similar technology, should Europeans also be concerned about how their data is being used in the name of public health? Most people living in China are used to giving up personal data to access public services, and during the pandemic the governments demand for it has become ever-more intrusive. In February, Chinas top three telecoms companies sent out mass text messages offering to send customers information about the spread of the virus in the cities they had visited (where they had stayed for four hours or longer) in the past 15 or 30 days. The concept is similar to the NHS mobile phone app currently in development. Although the Chinese service was voluntary, and for many people no doubt convenient, the information was soon being used to restrict movement. Many train stations, and even residential neighbourhoods, required passengers and residents to provide such information as a way of verifying whether they had been to areas hard-hit by the virus (such as Hubei Province) before allowing them to enter. Its worth noting that mobile phone roaming or GPS data cant pinpoint where a person has been with 100 per cent accuracy. Many people have complained theyve been reported as roaming somewhere they did not physically go. In a similar move, cities including Shanghai and Shenzhen have started requiring commuters to register for city subway services. Only those declaring their identity on a phone app can take the train. The idea is to track whether people have travelled with someone suspected of being infected, and to then monitor their close contacts. A similar identity verification system has been suggested for cinemas when they reopen, with moviegoers asked to provide their personal details in order to take their seat. Meanwhile, tech giants such as messaging service WeChat and payment platform Alipay have released colour-based QR codes to label how safe a person is. Using a composite of voluntarily surrendered personal data and city municipal data, a three-colour code is generated: green for safe, yellow requiring a seven-day quarantine and red for a 14-day quarantine. In Zhejiang Province alone, more than 50 million people registered for Alipays health codes within two weeks of release. According to a New York Times report, the program appears to send a users location and identifying code number to a server connected to the police. This could allow the authorities to track peoples movements over time. The state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) has also launched a platform called Close Contact Detector, which pulls in traffic, rail and flight information directly from the government. According to state media, the platform can accurately pinpoint a passengers location on a flight or a train to within three rows of a confirmed or suspected virus carrier. Different provinces, districts or even malls often require different software, meaning people have to download multiple apps. Data mining is happening on an unprecedented scale, but its unclear how it will be used by companies and the state after the pandemic. Intrusive surveillance has long been a reality for human rights defenders in China. Li Wenzu, wife of recently-released human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, had numerous surveillance cameras installed outside her apartment by the authorities. Last year, during the Belt and Road business forum, government critics and petitioners across the country were prevented from getting train tickets to Beijing as they were blacklisted in the ticketing system. Authorities have also required certain human rights defenders to wear location-tracking wristbands at all times. Recommended Hostility with China is not going to help solve the coronavirus crisis I fear the government will use the pandemic as an excuse to normalize and push forward a range of surveillance measures. The rapid adoption of stringent policies and tech tools may well accelerate Chinas ability to track citizens whereabouts and further limit freedoms. The Chinese government has spent years developing technologies that facilitate intrusive mass surveillance. During the pandemic, it is using them on a much broader scale in the name of public health and safety. This is repeatedly described as an extraordinary time requiring extraordinary measures. But increased surveillance measures, whether in China or the UK, will be unlawful unless they can meet strict criteria. They must be necessary, proportionate, time-bound and transparent, and they must not do more harm than good. The measures introduced in China do not seem to meet these conditions, and they could be a violation of the right to privacy. Technology should be deployed to save lives, but Chinas human rights record suggests the current climate of unchecked surveillance could well outlast the pandemic. And as other countries follow Chinas lead in combating the virus, that danger spreads. June Ko is Amnesty International's Chinese editor Holiday hotspot Byron Bay could face record levels of tourism once coronavirus lockdowns are lifted as tourists are limited to domestic destinations, researchers say. Small businesses in tourist destinations such as the northern NSW beach town will be the worst affected by stage-three lockdowns, as holiday-makers are barred from leaving their homes. But regional development researcher Professor Andrew Beer from the University of South Australia told Daily Mail Australia the struggle will most likely only be temporary. While there will be a few small business casualties that don't make it through the economic downturn, projections suggest most will come back better than ever. people laying on the sand at a beach at Byron Bay before coronavirus lockdowns were enforced The same beach amid coronavirus lockdowns. Experts say the beach town could see record levels of tourism later this year 'In the long term, the impact will be negligible. Byron Bay will continue to grow and prosper.' The small town could face record tourist levels and replace international destinations such as Bali and parts of South East Asia amid claims that Australians could be blocked from going abroad until at least January 2021. Holidaymakers should avoid booking any international travel during the coronavirus crisis, warned Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham. 'I wouldn't put any guarantees that you could undertake that overseas trip in December,' he told ABC's News Breakfast on Tuesday. 'This is a time where, unfortunately, people can't undertake holidays and they won't be able to go overseas for quite some time to come.' With travel restrictions between states likely to ease in the coming months, people are instead being asked to start 'dreaming' about their perfect Australian getaway. 'Within two months of the ban being lifted, and assuming international travel won't be possible for the remainder of this year, Byron is likely to be booming once again,' Professor Beer told Daily Mail Australia. He also added the strong the strong community and coveted coastlines will likely ensure the town continues to thrive as it has done for the past decade. Other towns that could successfully move past economic hardships as a result of the global pandemic include Airlie Beach and Mount Isa Queensland. People used to flock to the famous lighthouse at Byron Bay before COVID-19 hit Australia One person can be seen at the lighthouse after the federal government urged people to stay home amid the global pandemic Towns most likely to struggle include Cairns and Gladstone in Queensland, and the bushfire-ravaged Gippsland region in Victoria. It comes just weeks after it was announced that the much-loved Bluesfest Byron Bay was cancelled due to the pandemic. The event was due to take place over the Easter long-weekend. It's the first time in 30 years the popular festival has been called off. The iconic Blues & Roots music festival (pictured in 2019) brings more than 100,000 fans to the tourist hotspot each year Devastated organisers were forced to pull the plug after the NSW government enforced a federal directive to cancel mass public gatherings of 500 people or more. The iconic Blues & Roots music festival brings more than 100,000 fans to the tourist hotspot each year. Among the headline acts due to perform April 9-12 were international acts Alanis Morissette, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Matthews Band and Kool & the Gang. CANTON, Mass., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the COVID-19 pandemic surges across Massachusetts, nurses and healthcare professionals on the front lines have identified crucial areas in which healthcare facilities and state officials must improve response, including: Providing safe and consistent personal protective equipment (PPE), including one-time use N95 masks, to every frontline healthcare worker Not placing healthcare workers in the position of being test cases for largely unvetted and unproven mask re-use and decontamination procedures Halting dangerous and inexcusable closures of intensive care units and other essential services Ensuring there are no staff layoffs or cancellations when redeployments can bolster surge capacity and hospitals are receiving more than $800 million in additional state and federal funding "Nurses and healthcare professionals are giving everything they have to combat COVID-19 and save lives," said RN and MNA President Donna Kelly-Williams. "All caregivers on the front lines are at risk, and we do not need to put them further in peril by refusing to provide crucial protective equipment, closing critical services and sending co-workers home when they could be redeployed to help care for patients during the surge." In its sixth letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and the Massachusetts Legislature, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, representing more than 23,000 frontline nurses and healthcare professionals in 85 healthcare facilities and the vast majority of RNs in hospitals statewide, calls on state officials and healthcare employers to immediately apply the experience and expertise of nurses and healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MNA also sent Attorney General Maura Healey a letter on April 13 requesting immediate intervention in three hospital service closures: Steward Health Care indefinitely closed the ICUs at Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Holy Family Hospital's Merrimack campus. Two weeks ago, Cape Cod Health Care announced the permanent closure of maternity and pediatrics at Falmouth Hospital. All were shuttered without the required 90-day notice to state and local authorities, and without the owner's submission of plans and public hearings that are explicitly required under 105 CMR 130.122. "While these actions should not be sanctioned at any time, certainly in the midst of the worst pandemic in 100 years these actions are opportunistic and offensive, and we hope your office will in take immediate action to rectify the situation," Kelly-Williams wrote in the letter to the Attorney General. The April 14 Gov. Baker letter, the AG Healey letter, and a new video of MNA Executive Director Julie Pinkham providing a COVID-19 update, can be found at www.massnurses.org/COVID-19. The MNA previously sent letters on March 14, March 19, March 24, March 31 and April 7. Highlighted Updates in April 14 Letter: Universal N95 Masking. The absolute priority of every nurse and healthcare worker on the front lines of COVID-19 is being able to use proper personal protective equipment (PPE), especially N95 masks. Healthcare facilities are not making N95 masks universally available, even though science shows asymptomatic people can spread the virus. From the MNA April 14 letter: "Dangerous decisions are being made regarding the reuse of PPE as healthcare facilities experiment with decontamination methods not supported by scientific evidence. The acknowledged risks of unproven decontamination methods for masks include a failure of filtration efficiency, reduced breathability, strap failure and ineffective face-fit, and the very real possibility that "reused respirators may not have been effectively decontaminated of SARS-CoV-2 or other pathogens" per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, there is the effect of mask breakdown causing abrasions to the wearer as well as ongoing respiratory effects of off gassing from hydrogen peroxide are only two of the immediate concerns for this unproven method. This is to say nothing of the unknown risks as we rush to employ these unproven methods. Workers are being used as test cases for both the effectiveness of the decontamination method as well as whether the method of decontamination itself will causes the wearer any lasting adverse effects." The absolute priority of every nurse and healthcare worker on the front lines of COVID-19 is being able to use proper personal protective equipment (PPE), especially N95 masks. Healthcare facilities are not making N95 masks universally available, even though science shows asymptomatic people can spread the virus. Additionally, there is the effect of mask breakdown causing abrasions to the wearer as well as ongoing respiratory effects of off gassing from hydrogen peroxide are only two of the immediate concerns for this unproven method. This is to say nothing of the unknown risks as we rush to employ these unproven methods. Halt all bed, unit and facility closures. The surge of a global pandemic is not the time to be closing hospital services. From the MNA April 14 letter: "We reiterate our call for the state to direct healthcare facilities to halt all planned bed, unit and facility closures. This includes the closure of mental health beds at Trinity Health-owned Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, the closure of the Somerville Hospital Emergency Department set to close on April 30 , just as we are expected to see a surge in hospitalizations, the ICU closures at Nashoba Valley Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill and the planned closure of the Maternal Child Health Unit at Falmouth Hospital . In addition to being detrimental to the public's health, these last three closures were also done in violation of the state regulatory process. We cannot allow this current crisis to use as a cover for irresponsible decisions that in normal times would receive more scrutiny and opposition." The surge of a global pandemic is not the time to be closing hospital services. . In addition to being detrimental to the public's health, these last three closures were also done in violation of the state regulatory process. We cannot allow this current crisis to use as a cover for irresponsible decisions that in normal times would receive more scrutiny and opposition." Halt all Staff Reductions. No healthcare facility that receives additional state or federal funding to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic should layoff or cancel staff. Gov. Baker announced a plan on April 7 to send an additional $800 million to healthcare providers. This supplements $840 million in previously announced assistance to the Massachusetts healthcare system. Congress has also approved $100 billion in funding for hospitals in response to the pandemic. From the MNA April 14 letter: "There is no justification for staff reductions considering this money and the crisis at hand. We are concerned that some hospitals are using this crisis as an excuse to shed staffing costs and that this infusion of money is not being used to retain, retrain and/or redeploy staff, but to improve hospital bottom lines." No healthcare facility that receives additional state or federal funding to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic should layoff or cancel staff. Gov. Baker announced a plan on to send an additional to healthcare providers. This supplements in previously announced assistance to the healthcare system. Congress has also approved in funding for hospitals in response to the pandemic. We are concerned that some hospitals are using this crisis as an excuse to shed staffing costs and that this infusion of money is not being used to retain, retrain and/or redeploy staff, but to improve hospital bottom lines." Liability Protection for Frontline Staff and Volunteers. Nurses and other licensed health care professionals, including volunteers and new graduates, are being redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients. This means that many will be working in new or unfamiliar practice areas. We need to be sure they are protected from liability as they respond to this pandemic. From the MNA April 14 letter: "We commend the [Baker] administration for its proactive step in filing comprehensive legislation to address liability issues for licensed healthcare personnel. This legislation should be passed expeditiously to protect those who are on the frontlines of this crisis." Nurses and other licensed health care professionals, including volunteers and new graduates, are being redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients. This means that many will be working in new or unfamiliar practice areas. We need to be sure they are protected from liability as they respond to this pandemic. "We commend the [Baker] administration for its proactive step in filing comprehensive legislation to address liability issues for licensed healthcare personnel. This legislation should be passed expeditiously to protect those who are on the frontlines of this crisis." Frontline Perspective in Ethical Decision Making. Frontline nurses have been excluded from the ethical decision-making processes outlined in guidance from the state last week. From the MNA April 14 letter: "Much like N95 masks, the concept of rationing care has already invaded the thinking and decision-making process, causing extreme strife among for clinicians and families. Assuring that front-line staff is actively part of the communication, input and support during these difficult decisions will help with the lasting effects those decisions will have on the people who will have to make and implement them." Read the full April 14, 2020 MNA letter to Gov. Baker, the Attorney General hospital service closure letter and more information at www.massnurses.org/COVID-19. MassNurses.org Facebook.com/MassNurses Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association Related Links http://www.massnurses.org HOUSTON, April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C-Bond Systems, Inc. (the Company or C-Bond) (OTC: CBNT), a nanotechnology solutions company, today announced the formation of a Medical Advisory Board to advance the breadth and use of products offered by C-Bond Safety Solutions Group, primarily its C-Bond FN Nano Coating , which is used in hospitals and other facilities to reduce the spread of pathogens including COVID-19. The founding members of the Medical Advisory Board include Sergio Moreira, Jr., M.D., and Anil Vaidya, M.D., both recognized global experts in their respective fields. Dr. Moreira is a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology and a member of the Brazilian Medical Association and Brazilian Urologic Society. He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has received numerous awards and scholarships throughout his career and is a member of several professional societies including Special Operations Medical Association and the American Urological Association, among others. Dr. Moreira is extensively published and a frequent guest lecturer. Dr. Vaidya is a multi-organ transplant surgeon with a diversified clinical, translational and academic portfolio. After completion of his surgical/urological residency, Dr. Vaidya went on to undertake an American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) accredited fellowship in multi-organ transplantation at the University of Miami. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, England-Transplant Surgery, and the Co-director of the Intestinal Transplant Service at The Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Dr. Vaidya has authored more than 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals and his rating by Research Gate puts him among the top 3% of the surgeons in the world. We are proud to welcome trusted experts Dr. Moreira and Dr. Vaidya to our newly formed Medical Advisory Board, helping to spread awareness and use of the FN-NANO protective coating, and to rely on their expertise and advice as we look to potentially further broaden our pipeline of nano-products into the healthcare industry, said Scott R. Silverman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C-Bond. Their collective experience, relationships and networks are second to none we strongly believe they will be invaluable assets to C-Bond as we grow the use of these important safety solutions in hospitals and other facilities. About C-Bond Systems C-Bond Systems, Inc. (OTC: CBNT) is a Houston-based advanced nanotechnology company and marketer of the patented C-Bond technology, developed in conjunction with Rice University and independently proven to significantly strengthen glass in key automotive and structural applications. The Companys Transportation Solutions Group sells C-Bond NanoShield, a liquid solution applied directly to automotive windshields, sold through distributors. The Companys Safety Solutions Group sells ballistic-resistant glass solutions and FN NANO Coating directly to private enterprises, schools, hospitals and government agencies. For more information, please visit our website: www.cbondsystems.com , Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbondsys/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBond_Systems . Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release about our future expectations, including the likelihood that the Medical Advisory Board will help advance the breadth and use of our products including FN Nano Coating to combat the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens; the likelihood that we will further broaden our pipeline of nano-products in the healthcare industry; the likelihood that Drs. Moreira and Vaidya will be invaluable assets to C-Bond as we grow the use of these important safety solutions in hospitals and other facilities; constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, C-Bonds ability to raise capital; the Companys ability to successfully commercialize its products; as well as other risks. Additional information about these and other factors may be described in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) including its Form 10-K filed on March 25, 2020, its Forms 10-Q filed on November 14, 2019, August 12, 2019, and May 10, 2019, and in future filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. COLONIE Albany International Airport will receive $15.28 million in federal relief funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) Airport Grant Program, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday afternoon. The support is intended to help the airport as it sees a decline in passengers of as much as 95 percent in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nations airports during this crisis and save workers jobs, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. No sooner had the city of Beaumont released its daily report of coronavirus cases than seven more were confirmed at a local nursing home. With these, the northern part of the county served by Beaumont Public Health was pushed over the 100-case mark. The Port Arthur Health Department on Monday reported no new confirmed cases for the southern part of Jefferson County, keeping it at 41. Southeast Texas reported an increase of 15 cases. This brings the six-county region to 258 officially confirmed cases. Only five of Mondays additional cases were logged outside of the Beaumont area. The official total does not include the seven Beaumont nursing home cases or four cases at the LeBlanc Unit in Jefferson County that have been reported by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. RELATED: SE Texas officials survey options for worst-case coronavirus pandemic Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames in her daily report implored residents to continue to stay home, wash their hands and practice social distancing. The sooner we get positive cases to stop rising and to begin declining, the sooner we can begin the process of going back to normal, she wrote. The more we move around, the more the coronavirus will spread. College Street Healthcare Center said 10 residents were hospitalized late last week with symptoms that are commonly associated with coronavirus, according to a news release from the facility. Nine of those cases have been confirmed two on Saturday and seven Monday. In addition, all of our remaining residents and staff have been tested as well, the release said. We have not yet received the results of these additional tests. RELATED: Two test positive for coronavirus at Beaumont nursing home All residents had been restricted to their rooms or isolation areas for several weeks. However, with the confirmed cases, the facility has moved residents who test positive or have symptoms to be isolated in one part of the center, while those who have tested negative and are asymptomatic will stay in a different area. The release reiterated that no visitors are allowed at the center. Additionally, staff must wear masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment when providing care; undertake multiple screening measures when they enter and exit the center; and closely monitor each resident. We have already contacted some family members and are in the process of contacting the remaining family members, the release said. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox The Newton County Sheriffs Office is waiting for the return of an office employees coronvarius test results before making any major operations changes. Sheriff Billy Rowles said the employee was tested late last week and he anticipates the employee will receive results within the next few days. Rowles said those results could affect whether there will be more drastic changes within the department. Nearly a month after Southeast Texas first confirmed case, in Beaumont, the Southeast Texas Regional Operations Center began including the number of people who have recovered from the virus. At least 16 people have been logged as recovered 10 in Hardin County and six in Orange County. However, not all health departments have reported those numbers to the operations center. RELATED: Photos: SE Texans face pandemic For example, the city of Beaumont recorded one recovered case on its daily report. The regional center logged 121 calls Monday from people inquiring about getting a test. A total of 1,554 patients have been tested at the Hardin and Jefferson county test sites. Also on Monday, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick rescinded bans on outdoor burning and dog grooming with a few conditions. Those conducting outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of the county must do so safely and with proper equipment and water on hand to prevent the fire from spreading out of control. Dog grooming businesses must follow safe distancing protocols, require delivery and return of the animal outside the business, not accept cash, offer services by-appointment so only one animal will be in the business at a time and thoroughly sanitize equipment between each use. Chris Moore contributed. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain One of the most vexing things for both fans and foes of President Donald Trump is that he has a gift for being neither the hero nor the villain people like to cast him as. In 2016, when Trump refused to answer a question about whether he would accept an election defeat, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said: The words that you heard from Donald Trump are what youd expect from a Third World dictator, what youd expect from a military leader about to attempt a coup in a foreign country, not from an American presidential candidate. OTTAWA - Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer fended off criticism Tuesday that they're asking Canadians to do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 than they're willing to do themselves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer fended off criticism Tuesday that they're asking Canadians to do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 than they're willing to do themselves. Both men defended family trips that appeared to flout the physical distancing measures they've spent weeks imploring people to uphold. Trudeau travelled from Ottawa into Quebec over the weekend to meet up with his family at their official country residence of Harrington Lake. Non-essential travel in Canada has been restricted for weeks, and Quebec authorities began earlier this month to implement provincial border checks in a bid to stop recreational travellers into the province. They also asked people to stay away from their cottages. Trudeau's wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, and their three children had gone to Harrington Lake in late March, once she recovered from COVID-19 and their isolation period ended. Trudeau stayed behind in Ottawa. Trudeau dodged questions on how his trip could be considered in keeping with those measures. "After three weeks of my family living up at Harrington, and me living here, I went to join them for Easter," he said Tuesday outside his Ottawa residence at Rideau Cottage. "We continue to follow all the instructions of public health authorities." Scheer travelled with his five kids and spouse onto a government jet from their home in Regina to Ottawa. The plane had been dispatched to ferry Scheer, the Green party's Elizabeth May and Liberal cabinet minister Carla Qualtrough back to Ottawa for an extraordinary sitting of Parliament on Saturday to pass the latest iteration of the government's financial aid package. Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien (right) watch election results in Montreal on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. Both Prime Minister Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer are fighting off criticism they're asking Canadians to do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 than they're willing to do themselves.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick But with extra seats available, the decision to have the rest of the Scheer family join made sense, he said. Parliament is scheduled to resume as a whole on Monday, though whether or not that will actually happen is up for debate. Still, Scheer said the plan is for his family to be in Ottawa for the balance of the spring session. Otherwise, he'd have to commute back and forth. If they turned down the invite for the government flight, they'd have to transit through multiple airports to reach Ottawa. "We took disinfectant wipes, we didn't interact with each other," he said. "We kept to ourselves." May said she thought it would just be the three politicians onboard, but received a call from the Prime Minister's Office saying Scheer wanted to bring his wife and children. 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. May said they told her she could say no, as physical distancing would be impossible. But May said she couldn't imagine Jill Scheer having to cart five kids through airports when they couldn't touch anything. "I can't be the person who says no," she said. May said she felt pretty safe during the flight and was sitting at the front with Qualtrough while the Scheer family sat together in the back. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2020. with files from Mia Rabson. Nearly a thousand positive tests for coronavirus were reported last night, bringing the total number of cases in here to 10,647. 31 more patients have died and six more have died in the North. 527 new cases have been confirmed here and another 465 older cases by a lab in Germany. There have now been 365 Covid-19 related deaths in Irelan Chief medical officer Tony Holohan says until a vaccine is mass-produced, there will still be social distancing. Once we identify an effective vaccine, or a number of effective vaccines, the manufacturing of those and distribution of those - all of that is going to take time," he said. It is going to take time. And for that period of time, we are going to be dealing with restrictions of one kind or another. The work that we are doing, literally at this moment, in these couple of weeks between now and the 5th of May, is to try to identify what in fact those measures might be. Health minister Simon Harris said a briefing yesterday Read More: There isnt going to be a magic point at the start of May where life as we knew it before the coronavirus can resume. I think, being truthful, social distancing is going to remain a very big part of life not just in Ireland but the world over until we get to a vaccine or an effective treatment for the coronavirus, he said. Mr Harris cited modelling which projected that Ireland would have had 120,000 new cases of the virus in just one day next Sunday if the Government had failed to implement severe restrictions on movement. Meanwhile, an online dashboard that tracks the global number of confirmed coronavirus cases, maintained by Johns Hopkins University, Read More: The site was later adjusted to show 1.9 million cases worldwide, with the reasons for the change not immediately clear. Many parts of the world have had heavy restrictions on freedom of movement to combat Covid-19, and officials around the world are worried that halting quarantine and social-distancing measures could easily undo the hard-earned progress. However, there were signs countries were looking in that direction. Spain permitted some workers to return to their jobs, while a hard-hit region of Italy loosened its lockdown restrictions. - additional reporting by PA Before my school adjourned for spring break, I had been following the news closely and sensed a big change was coming. Coronavirus was on the mind and in the classroom. My student-teacher, a Chinese national, had given lessons on the coronavirus. She had also engaged the class in thoughtful discussions about subsequent hate crimes inflicted upon Asians around the world following the outbreak. In the weeks leading up to our spring break, my 4th grade students had enjoyed giving the lower grades presentations on The Five Steps of Proper Handwashing. As I bid farewell to my students on March 13, I wasnt sure what to say to them as they walked out the door for spring break, possibly for the last time as my students. Have a nice break. Stay safe and remember to wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. See you in a week, maybe? Since then, spring break has been extended by four weeks with the situation evolving by the minute. This is truly an unprecedented situation. If you asked me six months ago to imagine a time where I would be mandated to stay home for weeks, away from my students, I would have said youre nuts. And yet, here we are. I found myself bone tired with a sink full of dirty dishes." For me, everything has changed. Previously always in a rush, I have suddenly found myself at home indefinitely with my family. My two daughters regimented schedule of after-school activities ceased to exist. Piano lessons, swimming practice, and tutoring are on hold. My parents upcoming visit to see us in Honolulu has been postponed. My daughters 7th birthday party, which she was desperately looking forward to, has been canceled. And my students, what has changed for them? They are no longer able to greet me every morning at the door of the classroom with a handshake or a hug. They will not anxiously enter the room to find out their weekly job. They will not be taking attendance, lunch count, or reading daily reminders to their classmates. Nor will they be sitting in our classrooms community circle, listening to each other every morning. No longer will they secretly be passing notes to each other during lessons. Horsing around at recess with each other has also come to an end. But I am a teacher. I had been enticed nearly two decades ago to join the profession with romantic slogans such as Teaching is my superpower, whats yours? and Real heroes dont wear capes, they teach. I knew that teachers are selfless heroes equipped with boundless energy, infinite care, and unending optimism. When first embarking on remote teaching during this crisis, I was ready to make everything OK for all my students, because that is what teachers do. Despite the massive changes, it initially seemed that things were going to stay the same in some ways. I was still waking up every morning thinking about my students. I was still eager to see their faces, only in different ways via Padlet or Zoom meetings. I was still spending my days creating activities to keep students excited about learning and interacting with our classroom community. I communicated with their parents via email, text, and phone. I had a classroom with charts, whiteboards, and Expo Markers, except it was in my living room. I was collaborating with my colleagues. I even stepped outside my comfort zone with new technology. Judging from the responses on our classroom chat board, some things stayed the same for students, too. They still looked forward to seeing each other in our virtual meetups. They were as eager to participate as they had been during our in-person discussions. They craved togetherness. Just like me, they missed our community. As I desperately attempted to be a teacher hero and preserve some sense of normalcy for myself and my students, I gradually came to realize that I had underestimated the gravity of the moment. Just a few weeks in, cracks began to surface in my anxious energy and unrelenting optimism. After days of staying up into the wee hours of the night to adapt lesson plans, waking up early for back-to-back Zoom meetings, and then home schooling my two daughters while my husband worked remotely at our kitchen counter, I found myself bone tired with a sink full of dirty dishes. In the course of 24 hours, I would experience joy, stress, fear, boredom, and anxiety. My days were beginning to leave me overwhelmed and just plain exhausted. I began to question how I could maintain normalcy for my students in a time when nothing is normal. My initial urge to swoop in with my superhero teacher cape and make everything better with amazing online resources and innovative ways of connecting was very strong, almost instinctual. However, after several weeks of teaching remotely and staying at home, I have accepted that I cant. For me, living and teaching during the coronavirus pandemic has been a roller coaster of emotions. I realized minimizing them or ignoring them is not healthy. By embracing where I am (or am not), I hope to show my students and my family that I am not a superhero, I am just human. Like many, I am grieving the loss of my freedom. I am fearful for my health and the health of my family. At the same time, I am happy about the new ways I have found to connect with my students. I miss going to school, but I am also grateful for this golden time spent with my own family. As uncomfortable as it feels, I am slowly starting to accept that I have no choice but to sit in this moment with my students. There are no clear solutions or quick fixes. I cant minimize the gravity of this unprecedented crisis for them or myself. For now, the best I can do for my students and myself is to accept that right now, its OK to not be OK. In measures to rejuvenate their crippled economy and livelihood since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some European countries have started easing their earlier imposed lockdown restrictions on human movement and activities. Austria, which was one of the first European countries to follow neighbouring Italy in imposing strict lockdown measures about a month ago, is set to reopen thousands of shops in order to restart its standstill economy. The countrys chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, in an open letter to the people, said Austria has managed to flatten the curve of the ravaging diseases and he cannot wait for the country to come out of this crisis as quickly as possible and fight for every job in Austria. With a little above 14,000 confirmed cases and 384 deaths cases, Austria is among the 15 most affected European countries by the pandemic disease. In a similar development, Spain and Italy, who have suffered the hardest-hit countries in Europe, have also made moves to ease the lockdown restrictions. While Spain has allowed some businesses to return to work, Italy is set to allow a narrow range of firms to resume operations on Tuesday. We are still far from victory from the moment when we will recover normality in our lives. We are all keen to go back out on the streets but our desire is even greater to win the war and prevent a relapse, the countrys Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez said over the weekend. Denmark is reopening schools for younger children while Poland is also making arrangements to lifts restrictions on some sections of the countrys economy by Sunday. Lockdown extension On the contrary, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, has extended the lockdown for another four weeks until 11 May in order to sustain the progress recorded against the pandemic disease so far. The 11th of May will be the start of a new phase. It will be progressive and the rules can be adapted according to our results, Mr Macron told his countrymen as he promised to reopen school after the new extension even though restaurants would remain shut till further notice. READ ALSO: Also in a telecast broadcast on Monday night, the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, announced the extension of the lockdown imposed on Lagos, Ogun and Abuja by 14 days as the countrys confirmed cases currently stand above 340 while 10 death cases have been recorded. Mr Buhari has announced the addition of 1 million households to the controversial National Social Register (NSR) palliatives benefits to 2.6 million households. This pegs the figure of the supposed beneficiaries to 3.6 million households. This is not a joke, it is a matter of life and death, he cautioned as he called on countrys policymakers to draft a COVID-19 working system. Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 01:17:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have released a circular, only allowing outdoor tourist attractions to reopen amid the COVID-19 epidemic. The tourist sites that resume operation should receive no more than 30 percent of their daily visitor capacity, according to the circular jointly released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Health Commission. The reopened tourist attractions should take measures to prevent the number of visitors from exceeding the limit, said the circular, adding that indoor tourist sites should remain closed amid the epidemic. The circular required tourist sites to encourage visitors to reserve visiting slots in advance to control visitor flows and prevent large gatherings of people. While noting some tourist attractions have seen large crowds of tourists after resuming operation, which increased the risk of virus transmission, the circular demanded temperature checking at the entrance of tourist sites and major scenic spots. Shell donates $80K to WTFB Shell has made an emergency donation of $80,000 to help the West Texas Food Bank purchase food for the coronavirus crisis, according to a press release from the nonprofit. Shell has been and will continue to contribute to COVID 19 relief efforts, especially in communities closest to its employees and operations. That includes cash contributions/employee match programs, support for front line workers, in-kind donations and additional assistance to food banks. Shell is also boosting production of and donating products considered critical in flatting the curve of COVID 19: most notably, isopropyl a base component in hand sanitizer. Restaurant fundraiser continues Close to $5,000 has been raised to date for local restaurants impacted by coronavirus, according to an email from Visit Midland. VisitMidland has partnered with the Permian Basin Restaurant Association and The Shimmy Shack to raise funds through the sale of the HospitaliTEE, a T-shirt inspired by The Tall City. HospitaliTEE is $30 each. It can be purchased through May 10 at https://shoptheshimmyshack.com/collections/featured/products/hospitalitees-visit-midland. Delivery or porch pickup options are available to continue the practice of social distancing. Proceeds from the HositaliTEE fundraiser will be given to the Permian Basin Restaurant Association and distributed to restaurants and their employees. The PBRA is indebted to VisitMidland and the Shimmy Shack for organizing the HospitaliTEE campaign to help raise funds for local restaurants and their employees, said Jerry Morales, Permian Basin Restaurant Association president. Groups seek volunteers These select area volunteer opportunities and events are provided by MSS Connections, a program of MSS made possible by the Warren Charitable Foundation. For more information, visit www.mssconnections.org. --Hospice of Midland is in need of facemasks Contact: Deborah Goodman - 682-2855 --Basin Dream for Orphans is in need of volunteers Contact: Abby Whigham - 230-6588 --American Red Cross is in need of virtual volunteers Contact: Stacy Pickett - 425-7637 --Keep Midland Beautiful is in need of volunteers kmb@keepmidlandbeautiful.org --Faith Kitchen Ministries is in need of volunteers Contact: Michelle Evans - 349-7981 MSW initiative to document pandemic The Museum of the Southwest has launched an initiative to collect and preserve images and stories of the regions experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. The museum is asking all residents to participate by submitting digital images or written expressions of their experiences. This is obviously, and unfortunately, a historic event for our communities, Executive Director Daniel Eck said in a statement. ... We believe we should document our collective and individual experiences during this pandemic for future generations. The museum has set up dedicated webpages in English and Spanish that include links to the submission forms. These pages can be accessed from the museums homepage www.museumsw.org or on the museums Facebook page. The museum also is seeking artists to share digital versions of their artwork made in reaction to these circumstances. The museum will periodically share such works online. Grocery store hours during coronavirus --Albertsons Market 7 a.m.-9 p.m. 1002 Andrews Highway For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Monday and Thursday 3317 N. Midland Drive For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday --H-E-B 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Customers 60+ Orders can be called in 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at 833-397-0080. Groceries will be delivered by Favor Delivery. For more information, go to newsroom.heb.com --Market Street: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. For shoppers 60+ 7-9 a.m. Monday and Thursday --Walmart: 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Featured stories Wrong-way driver dies in crash on Ohio Turnpike (WEWS Channel 5) Get used to masks: Dr. Amy Acton said Ohioans might need to wear masks for a year to stop coronavirus (cleveland.com) Does Mike DeWine or Donald Trump decide when to end Ohios coronavirus restrictions? DeWine wont say (cleveland.com) Groups seek release of hundreds of inmates from Ohio federal prison where 3 inmates died from coronavirus (cleveland.com) First Ohio prison inmate dies of coronavirus (cleveland.com) Coronavirus in Ohio This graphic shows the reporting of coronavirus cases by the Ohio Department of Health from the first three on March 9 to 6,975 on Monday, April 13.Rich Exner, cleveland.com 274 dead, 6,975 now infected with coronavirus in Ohio (cleveland.com) Mapping Ohios 6,975 coronavirus cases, updates and trends (cleveland.com) Gov. Mike DeWine facing increasing pressure from state lawmakers to roll back coronavirus closures (cleveland.com) Ohio orders nursing homes to disclose coronavirus cases within 24 hours (cleveland.com) Ohio workers applying for unemployment benefits face delays, 'nightmare bureaucracy: Restaurant industry in crisis (cleveland.com) Can releasing the number of coronavirus cases in a ZIP code identify patients? (cleveland.com) Ohio panel OKs using federal coronavirus funds on tests, ventilators, masks (cleveland.com) University of Washingtons accuracy in forecasting the coronavirus in Ohio likely due to underlying variables, experts say (cleveland.com) Gov. Mike DeWine limits liquor sales in six border counties to Ohio residents to curb coronavirus spread (cleveland.com) Should rural Ohio reopen from coronavirus crisis before urban areas: This Week in the CLE (cleveland.com) Can this 4-inch tool slow the spread of the coronavirus and other germs? (cleveland.com) Crime Man found dead in Clevelands Edgewater neighborhood, police say (cleveland.com) Man killed in shooting in Clevelands Cudell neighborhood (cleveland.com) Three cited in Cleveland Heights for violating Gov. Mike DeWines stay-at-home order after three dozen found house party, police say (cleveland.com) Akron Walgreens robbery suspect returns to store to shoplift, gets arrested, police say (cleveland.com) Elyria man lied about positive coronavirus test in attempt to avoid jail, police say (cleveland.com) 10 arrested, gunshots fired at large party at AirBnb rental in Willoughby Hills, police say (cleveland.com) Cleveland / Cuyahoga County Cleveland reports 2 more deaths from COVID-19 coronavirus, 316 total cases (cleveland.com) Ohio National Guardsman who took his own life in Cuyahoga County Jail was not checked for more than two hours, records say (cleveland.com) Fifth RTA employee tests positive for coronavirus (cleveland.com) RITA tax filing deadline extended to July 15 (cleveland.com) Cleveland Public Library to produce face shields for Cleveland police, fire EMS (cleveland.com) Hospice of the Western Reserve seeks donations of hand-sewn face masks (cleveland.com) Playhouse Square to remain closed at least through May 31 (cleveland.com) Alice Cooper, Joan Jett to perform in televised benefit for Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund (cleveland.com) Local news East Feds approve new mask sterilization process from Mentors STERIS (cleveland.com) Kent State cancels on-campus events through July 4 due to coronavirus concerns (cleveland.com) Going green, again: Cleveland Heights introduces solar power agreement for three city buildings (cleveland.com) Trumbull County shooting suspect dies in jail (Warren Tribune) Local news West Senior residents at Willowood Care Center treated to Honks for Hugs parade in Brunswick (photos) (cleveland.com) Defamation case against former Elyria law director settled (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram) Parma Rib N Rock organizers turn off grill, cancel 2020 event (cleveland.com) Akron / Canton area 44 Akron Zoo keeps the animals fed and healthy Animals stay fed and healthy while the Akron Zoo is closed due to coronavirus (cleveland.com) Medina developers plan for 15 houses off Miller Road in Brecksville faces pushback (cleveland.com) Green company giving employees $50 for good deeds during pandemic (WEWS Channel 5) The Internet and social media are among the most frequently used sources of information today. Students, too, often prefer online information rather than traditional teaching materials provided by universities. According to a study conducted by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Goethe University Frankfurt, students struggle to critically assess information from the Internet and are often influenced by unreliable sources. In this study, students from various disciplines such as medicine and economics took part in an online test, the Critical Online Reasoning Assessment (CORA). "Unfortunately, it is becoming evident that a large proportion of students are tempted to use irrelevant and unreliable information from the Internet when solving the CORA tasks," reported Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia from JGU. The study was carried out as part of the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) alliance. Critical evaluation of online information and online sources are particularly important today Learning using the Internet offers many opportunities, but it also entails risks. It has become evident that not only "fake news" but also "fake science" with scientifically incorrect information is being spread on the Internet. This problem becomes particularly apparent in the context of controversially discussed social issues such as the current corona crisis, but it actually goes much deeper. "Having a critical attitude alone is not enough. Instead, Internet users need skills that enable them to distinguish reliable from incorrect and manipulative information. It is therefore particularly important for students to question and critically examine online information so they can build their own knowledge and expertise on reliable information," stated Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. To investigate how students deal with online information, Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia and her team have developed a new test based on the Civic Online Reasoning (COR) assessment developed by Stanford University. During the assessment, the test takers are presented with short tasks. They are asked to freely browse the Internet, focusing on relevant and reliable information that will help them to solve the tasks within the relatively short time frame of ten minutes, and to justify their solutions using arguments from the online information they used. CORA testing requires complex and extensive analysis The analysis of the results is based on the participants' responses to the tasks. In addition, their web search activity while solving the tasks is recorded to examine their strengths and weaknesses in dealing with online information in more detail. "We can see which websites the students accessed during their research and which information they used. Analyzing the entire process requires complex analyses and is very time-consuming," said Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. The assessments have so far been carried out in two German federal states. To date, 160 students from different disciplines have been assessed; the majority of the participants studied medicine or economics and were in their first or second semester. Critical online reasoning skills should be specifically promoted in higher education The results are striking: almost all test participants had difficulties solving the tasks. On a scale of 0 to 2 points per task, the students scored only 0.75 points on average, with the results ranging from 0.50 to 1.38 points. "The majority of the students did not use any scientific sources at all," said Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, pointing out that no domain-specific knowledge was required to solve the CORA tasks. "We are always testing new groups of students, and the assessment has also been continued as a longitudinal study. Since we first started conducting these assessments two years ago, the results are always similar: the students tend to achieve low scores." However, students in higher semesters perform slightly better than students in their first year of study. Critical online reasoning skills could therefore be promoted during the course of studies. In the United States, a significant increase in these kinds of skills was observed only a few weeks after implementing newly developed training approaches. The study shows that most students do not succeed in correctly evaluating online sources in the given time and in using relevant information from reliable sources on the Internet to solve the tasks. "As we know from other studies, students are certainly able to adequately judge the reliability of well-known media portals and Internet sources. We could build on this fact and foster the skills required to critically evaluate new sources and online information and to use the Internet in a reflected manner to generate warranted knowledge," concluded Professor Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia. In research on this topic, skills related to critically dealing with online information and digital sources are regarded as an essential prerequisite for learning in the 21st century. However, there are still very few training approaches and assessments available for students to foster these skills, especially online. "The RMU study is still in the early stages of development. We have only just developed the first test of this kind in Germany," Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia pointed out. "We are currently in the process of developing teaching/learning materials and training courses and of testing their effectiveness. The analysis of the processing will be particularly useful when it comes to offering students targeted support in the future. Is there anything people with cancer can do to protect themselves? There is no magic immune booster, Winer says. And without a vaccine for the coronavirus, the best advice for someone living with cancer is to do what we're all doing and what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends, he adds. This includes washing your hands often, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and other people when you go out. It's also a good idea to make sure you have adequate supplies of your medications on hand and to clean and disinfect your home regularly. The CDC recommends that people wear cloth face masks or face coverings in public when proper physical distancing is difficult to maintain. But if you are undergoing treatment, your doctor may recommend another type of face mask, to help lower your exposure to germs. The ACS has advice on how to prevent infections in people with cancer, and the National Cancer Institute has tips on how to best prepare for any emergency while living with cancer. ASHEVILLE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / April 14, 2020 / Asheville Hemp Project (AHP), an Asheville, NC-based hemp cultivator, is announcing its new product line. The company is also announcing that it is donating 50% of online sales to the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund. Leslie Hoffman, co-founder of AHP, stated, "We are very excited about our new product offerings that are coming onto the market at this time. We are also very concerned about the fate of our community during the pandemic. Much of the economy of the greater Asheville area relies on the hospitality sector, and with all non-essential businesses closed, most restaurant workers are staying home with no idea of when, or if, they will have their jobs again. For that reason, we are contributing 50% of every purchase to the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund." The AHP tagline is Take a Moment: Look Inward, Look Outward, Look Homeward. Thomas Wolfe wrote Look Homeward, Angel about Asheville in 1929, and we have taken home to reference not only a safe physical place, but also a calm, restful, comfort that we all need. Our CBD products soothe and satisfy and provide an aid in these stressful times. AHP is bringing four new products to market, each designed to fill a niche space in the consumer market. Pre-Rolls: Grown on the AHP farm - premium hemp flower is consistently rolled in unbleached hemp paper with a unique biodegradable crutch. No need to filter out the reason you smoke. Immediate beneficial effect, and also a great way to ease off tobacco and nicotine. This 10-pack always ensures having a soothing and relaxing smoke on hand. 100mg CBD in each pre-roll provides a smoke on hand at all times. AHP Extract: Straight from the AHP farm, this full spectrum hemp extract is in a 1 oz (30ml) tamper-proof bottle with calibrated dropper. The extract is available in 1000 mg and 1500 mg options. The CBD is blended with olive oil to provide a high quality dose of CBD in a pleasing flavor that mixes with food easily. Lip Balm: AHP's Organic Hemp Lip Balm is formulated to be ultra-soothing and nutrient rich. Made with certified organic ingredients, such as hemp oil, sunflower oil, and beeswax, the lip balm provides all-natural protection. THC and CBD free. Gum: AHP gum has been formulated to provide the quickest -- and perfectly dosed -- release of CBD, with increased bio-availability. The convenient sealed package protects freshness and enables the most discreet way to consume at any time. 8 pieces/pk, 10mg CBD in each piece, and THC free. About NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund The NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund has been established and is managed through the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that has provided financial assistance to hospitality employees and students for more than a decade. The goal of the NC Restaurant Workers Relief fund is to provide immediate financial assistance to the tens of thousands of cooks, servers, dishwashers, housekeepers, and others who live paycheck-to-paycheck, and suddenly find themselves in distress. For more information visit the Fund's website at https://www.ncrestaurantrelief.com About Asheville Hemp Project (AHP) Asheville Hemp Project is based on a small farm using organic and regenerative practices just north of Asheville, NC, aka "Land of the Sky", the epicenter of craft cuisine and breweries, as well as health conscious business. The city is celebrated for its creative spirit, connection with nature and progressive ideals which are catalysts for the company. Asheville provides the perfect ecosystem for the mission of AHP - building a hemp-based business to transition tobacco country to the economy of the 21st century. All products and activities at AHP are licensed and federally compliant. For more information about Asheville Hemp Project, go to ashevillehempproject.com or follow us on Instagram @ashevillehemp and Facebook. SOURCE: Asheville Hemp Project View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/585011/Asheville-Hemp-Project-Announces-New-Product-Line-Support-for-NC-Restaurant-Workers-Relief-Fund Soon after the attacks on the World Trade Center and other locations on the morning of September 11th, President Bush declared that the atrocities were an act of war. That statement prompted a call to me from a friend and influential member of Congress from Buffalo, John LaFalce, during which we both concluded that the attacks, those horrific, did not constitute an act of war. At least not in the insurance sense. Of course, Bush was not speaking in terms ofor even thinkingthe war exclusion contained in most property/casualty coverages. That language largely excludes coverage for acts of war by a sovereign. If he had meant it so, that could have meant that the insurance industry would not be on the hook for any of the losses arising from the attack. He surely meant it more figuratively, more to drive a point home and provide a sense of what we were up against. He did not mean that the industry would not have to go on to pay the $30-40 billion or more that they did shell out for everything from the business-interruption claims to the rebuilding of the WTC complex. Over the weekend, our nations current chief executive, President Donald Trump, waded more deliberately into yet another discussion concerning business interruption coverage in times of crisis. As reported in the Claims Journal and elsewhere, the president said that, of course, business-interruption claims should be paid for COVID-19 losses. After all, businesses have paid lots of money into business-interruption policies over the years, so why shouldnt they cover the losses that have arisen in recent weeks? Only if a policy excluded pandemics would they be beyond reach, he opined, even acknowledging the presence of exclusions in typical insurance policies. Just like President Bush, perhaps you would expect nothing less from a president who is a former businessman who has an uncanny ability, critics aside, to actually understand much of what is actually happening on Main Street and to tap into the sentiment surrounding that reality. As a business owner I would want to agree wholeheartedly. My partners and I pay property/casualty insurance premiums, and its always nice to get a return somewhere along the way for all that investment. But as an insurance lawyer, former insurance regulator, and defender of the rule of law and the import of adhering to contracts that are drafted and signed by two parties committing to certain obligations, I am far less agreeable to the Presidents position. As the person who had to tell then-New York governor George E. Pataki that the WTC disaster was one event, not two, I consider myself somewhat practiced in the high art if not science of interpreting insurance contract language notwithstanding the populist pull of giving the people what they want regardless of what the contract might say. The governor, for his part, sought the right answer to the question and not the expedient one, even if it meant that $ 3.5 billion in insurance funds would not be forthcoming to the state. The president, just like President Bush and so many other leaders, is paid to lead the country in times of crisis and they both have done well in that respect. But he is not an insurance contract expert, has not had experience from the other side of the claims table and was not thinking to himself when he said those words that he was providing a dispositive legal opinion on whether longstanding insurance policy language was sufficient to support a claim for business-interruption benefits. He was giving a classically Trumpian opinion as a long-time businessman and champion of Main Street as to what he thinks should be done with these policies. Of course, you would also not want him to opine or articulate that he thought that business-interruption coverage does not apply. That opinion would suffer from the same shortcomingsfrom an insurance perspectiveas well as be seriously politically tone-deaf. His voice is certainly the loudest, but by no means is it the only one in the business interruption coverage debate. Many states have seen the introduction of legislation to virtually re-write business property coverages regardless of years of jurisprudence, regulatory oversight and industry practice. Some have even tried to annex the workers compensation system by presuming exposure to COVID-19 to be an industrial hazard. Lawsuits are already hitting the closed doors of courts around the country like newspapers thrown on ones front stoop. The froth is palpable and the parties highly motivated to continue the drumbeat of a message that insurance is an untapped resource. Of course, if we had adopted this same philosophy to compel insurers to pay for the flood damage of any one of a number of recent storms that is clearly not in the typical property/casualty policy, or asked them to underwrite any war fitting into the exclusion definition within such contracts, this current discussion would be merely academic for there would be no property/casualty industry to target. Ironically, the early recognition of the limitations in business interruption coverage in this crisis is likely to have served as a catalyst for the swift federal response to the burgeoning crisis in the form of the three pieces of relief legislation, including that to deliver relief checks to much of the population, and that to provide payroll protection and a long-term line of credit to businesses. As in other instances, this crisis is likely to lead to changes in the way we cover pandemics. Some of that change may be reflected in new insurance contract language, a federal program like the terrorism or flood insurance programs, or some other special purpose entity. But that is for after the crisis, and not during it. Let the President continue to champion the needs of the public during this time in his speeches and tweets, but lets not go crazy thinking that he is lending anything more to the claims process than President Bush did when he correctly said we were at war. These contracts will continue to be interpreted as they should be, will be upheld by a judiciary largely of Mr. Trumps remaking, and a great many will be seen as not providing the kind of coverage the President might like to think they do. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday decribed allegations blaming China for the outbreak of the new coronavirus as going "beyond any norms of decency." This comes after claims were made against Russia for using the coronavirus outbreak to expand its political influence, which Lavrov angrily rejected, saying that the world needs unity to fight the pandemic. Russia in February provided medical aid to China and later dispatched assistance to Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and various ex-Soviet nations. Russia has registered 21,102 coronavirus cases and 170 deaths as of Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of April as part of a partial economic shutdown to stymie the spread of the virus. Toronto, April 14, 2020 Capital Lending Centre (CLC) one of Canadas fastest growing mortgage brokerage networks announced on April 1, 2020 that Christa Mitchell has joined the company as Managing Partner. Christa brings over 15 years of sales, technology and administrative experience in the mortgage industry to her new role at Capital Lending Centre. In previous roles at Mortgage Alliance Christa succeeded in growing and managing the companys 90 member independently owned affiliate brokerage network and championing the companys enterprise technology platform where she was responsible for sales, education and the support team. Most recently Christa excelled as the companys Vice President of Operations where she directed corporate administration, payroll systems, broker recognition and networking events. Those that have had the pleasure of working alongside Christa in the past will know the level of dedication to our industry and expertise she brings to the table said Shubha Dasgupta. In an example of how quickly and silently the county was moving in its coronavirus response, the Post-Dispatch learned on Monday the county was building a temporary morgue in Earth City to handle a projected surge of COVID-19 infections. There had been no public notice about such a project; there was no information about the rationale for building it, or what it would cost. Council members, who normally would need to vote on appropriating county money, said they had not been consulted and heard about the project secondhand. Some learned about it by reading the Post-Dispatch website on Monday. Were not in the loop at all, Councilman Ernie Trakas, R-6th District, said. A Post-Dispatch journalist saw heating and air conditioning contractors and electrical workers, as well as drywall and insulation installers, working at a light industrial facility in Earth City, under guard by a county police officer. Page spokesman Doug Moore said the facility was expected to open at the end of the week. Jefferson County has reduced its jail population by at least a quarter over the past month by releasing prisoners accused of nonviolent and lower-level misdemeanor offenses and taking in fewer such inmates in an effort to prevent a coronavirus outbreak behind bars. Sheriff Zena Stephens said the number of inmates in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility number has fallen to the range of 550 to 600, down from about 800 four weeks ago. As fewer prisoners are brought in, officials have more more time to medically screen new arrivals and conduct temperature checks on correctional employees while questioning them about whether they might have been exposed. I cant risk anyone being asymptomatic and spreading it to the general population, Stephens said. All incoming prisoners are screened, she said, and are placed in isolated dorms for 14 days, the quarantine period recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regardless of whether they exhibit symptoms. The Jefferson County facility has some cells equipped to contain airborne contaminants. The jail has reported no cases of coronavirus, even as positive tests and deaths continue to rise across Jefferson and surrounding counties. Stephens also noted that criminal trials have been put on hold as part of the broader public containment efforts. On top of it being a health problem, its the cost for the county to house these folks, she said. We have no idea when the criminal-justice system will start back up. If we have people here for contempt, it does not make a lot of fiscal sense. It costs about $100 a day to lock up a suspect who poses little threat, the sheriff said. Its absurd to house a nonviolent offender, she said. Visitation and programs that require outsiders to enter the jail have been canceled, Stephens said. The expanding COVID-19 caseload has sparked concern about the nations incarcerated population and the correctional workers who work with them. In Jefferson County, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported last week that it had received positive coronavirus tests for four inmates and one employee at the Leblanc Unit, which is under a precautionary lockdown. The agency did not elaborate on the cases. There have been no positive and one negative test results, with none pending, at the Larry Gist State Jail, which is also located in the county. But statewide, as of Monday, TDCJ was reporting that the virus had been confirmed in 193 inmates and 85 employees. Prison-reform activists such as Jason Flom say the pandemic exacerbates long-standing problems in correctional facilities. There is no such a thing as social distancing, said Flom, an Innocence Project board member. Its overcrowded to an obscene level. Sanitation is not a priority. Jails are notoriously dirty. Jeremy Desel, spokesman for the state prison agency, said TDCJ is constantly cleaning its facilities. When asked to clarify, Desel repeated, Constantly. In addition to the reported positive cases, TDCJ has 11,283 inmates on medical restriction due to potential exposure to communicable disease, according to figures on the TDCJ website. Recent increases in coronavirus cases have 20 Texas prisons on 14-day lockdown, affecting 26,572 inmates. Two inmates at the Wallace Pack unit, a geriatric prison near College Station, have filed a lawsuit against the prison agency, alleging the department had failed to protect high-risk inmates from potential exposure to the virus. The class-action lawsuit seeks unrestricted access to hand soap, disposable towels, hand sanitizer and enough supplies for hourly cleanings. TDCJ announced April 8 that a 72-year-old inmate at the Telford Unit in New Boston had died after testing positive for coronavirus on April 3. The agency said the man had pre-existing medical conditions and was hospitalized for viral pneumonia The inmates death came two days after a 49-year-old correctional officer of the Estelle Unit in Huntsville died in intensive care in a Houston hospital. The man suffered a cardiac event on April 1 and later tested positive for coronavirus. At the local federal prison complex, no inmates or employees had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons reported five confirmed cases at other facilities in Texas, Nationwide, the bureau said 388 inmates and 201 employees had contracted the virus and 13 inmates had died from it. Flom said it makes sense to release inmates who are not deemed a threat to others. Its the simplest solution imaginable, Flom said. Even if youre a conservative, who is in favor of locking people up, think about the cost. It will save us a ton of money. Take that money that it takes to incarcerate someone and use it to buy ventilators. Think about all the money we can save by releasing people over 60 years old the least likely to commit any new crimes. It will save the lives of those in the prisons but also the lives of those who work in the prisons. jorge.ramos@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/byjorgeramos Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-14 00:03:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned here on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates fast but decelerates much more slowly. "In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up," he told a press briefing. Tedros stressed that control measures must be lifted slowly and it cannot happen all at once. "Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including significant capacity for contact tracing," he said. Some European countries are considering relaxing their restriction measures as they see a slowing trend in the number of COVID-19 infections. Austria, for instance, aims to gradually ease the exit restrictions and reopen shops and businesses from mid-April. Switzerland also suggested "the first relaxations" by the end of April. Manila, Philippines On the day her husband was arrested, Bernadeth Caboboy had 200 Philippine pesos (about $4) in her pocket and her fidgety three-year-old daughter in her arms. The toddler needed milk and they needed food, but had no money to buy either. It had been three weeks since the lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 was declared, and 21 long days since operations at the construction site where her husband worked had stopped. Their neighbourhood of San Roque in Quezon City, the countrys largest metropolis, got neither food nor aid from the government. Caboboys husband, Jek-Jek, decided to meet his foreman to see if he could get his salary. When Jek-Jek went out, he was swept up in a throng of people who were waiting for the rumoured distribution of relief goods. Someone shouted that a charity was going to give away a half-sack of rice, Jek-Jek recalled. People started lining up on the side of the road. The next thing I knew, the police came, telling us to get on the ground. Jek-Jek and 20 other residents of San Roque were arrested on April 1 and charged with violating quarantine protocol, disobedience and illegal assembly. Relief goods arrive at a low-income community in Quezon City for distribution earlier this month [File: Rolex dela Pena/EPA] Footage of police with riot shields and batons violently dispersing the crowd went viral. Concerned citizens put together 367,500 pesos ($7,350) to bail out the San Roque 21 after five days in detention. Critics warn that the Philippine governments heavy-handed approach to the public health emergency is criminalising the poor for violating quarantine protocols that are impossible for them to follow, quashing their legitimate pleas for food and economic aid, and putting them at risk of infection in cramped detention centres. While they were in police custody, there was no social distancing. There were no proper hygiene facilities or supplies. Doesnt their arrest defeat the purpose of stopping the spread of the virus? said Kristina Conti of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL) and lawyer for the San Roque 21. Heavy-handed approach Police data shows that 42,826 arrests were made in the first 11 days of the countrys enhanced community quarantine Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Bernard Banac confirmed to Al Jazeera that the arrests were due to alleged violation of quarantine policies like curfew, mass gathering and social distancing. Police authorities said they had initially decided to be lenient with people who breached the quarantine out of compassion and due to a lack of jail facilities, but they could not continue to be easy-going. Based on our assessment, the number of curfew violators will just continue to rise if we become lenient on them. Our message to the public is clear: we will continue to arrest any person who will violate the curfew, said PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Guillermo Eleazar in a statement. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared the enhanced community quarantine in the main Philippine island of Luzon on March 17. Public transportation was suspended, commercial establishments were closed, and checkpoints set up to seal off city borders. The government announced a 200 billion peso ($3.9bn) economic cushion designed to tide citizens over during the quarantine. But implementation has been bogged down by complicated administrative processes and bureaucratic confusion arising from conflicting and overlapping roles of different government agencies. Now is not the time to fine-tune the criteria of who is deserving of government aid and who is not. During this period of intensified and widespread poverty, they are all deserving, said Maria Victoria Raquiza, a professor of public administration at the University of the Philippines. Similar quarantine measures were implemented in various provinces, leaving everyday life and the economy in limbo. Home quarantine is impossible for people in urban poor communities, said Conti, the San Roque 21 lawyer. Some of their homes are the size of someones bathroom, and more than one family lives there. They mostly work in no work, no pay jobs in construction, transport, and street selling. Without timely government aid, they will go out to look for food or ways to make money, added Conti. Taking advantage In an interview, Rannie Ludovica of the Quezon City police defended the arrest of the San Roque 21 and accused the urban poor group, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY), of having organised a rally that day, blatantly taking advantage of the current crisis and violating the rule prohibiting mass gatherings. Local district workers unload bags of relief goods in a low-income community in Quezon City [File: Rolex Dela Pena/EPA] Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has been criticised for the slow and unequal distribution of food aid to needy communities. Ludovica admitted that only about 2,500 of the 7,000 families in San Roque had been given food aid but said, These things take time. We are doing everything we can. Addressing the nation after the arrest of the San Roque 21, Duterte accused KADAMAY of instigating social unrest and issued a warning to troublemakers. I will not hesitate to have my soldiers shoot you, Duterte said. KADAMAY denied the accusation and said the assembly was spontaneous, caused by the rumour spread that there would be food distribution, which people responded to in their desperation and plain hunger. The president is always boasting about what his police and military can do. Were not scared of him. Hunger and the virus will kill us before bullets will, said Bea Arellano, KADAMAY chairperson. An extension of the quarantine to the end of the month has made the situation even more dire. On April 5, 19 vegetable vendors were arrested for illegal selling. They said they were only selling their goods because they were afraid to go hungry. The day before, a 63-year old man was shot dead after threatening village officials and police with a scythe at a checkpoint in the southern province of Agusan Norte. The incident is the first reported case of the police shooting a civilian for refusing to follow lockdown restrictions. In a press briefing, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Under-Secretary Jonathan Malaya said the police response was in self-defence, and not only because the man was violating curfew. What about health? Experts say that from a security and logistical standpoint, the use of law enforcement during a pandemic may be warranted. The military has the largest, most capable, most flexible assets for the transport of much-needed supplies throughout the country, said defence analyst Jose Antonio Custodio. However, the appointment of former high-ranking military officers to lead the national taskforce for COVID-19 has meant the Philippines is taking a largely punitive approach to address a public health emergency. As the top leadership is staffed by ex-military officers, the tendency to use threats and force to address problems of discontent arising from the quarantine have sometimes backfired. The leadership of the Health Department is sorely missed and is seen as being not in step with the needs on the ground, said Custodio. As of April 13, the Philippines has a recorded 4,932 COVID-19 cases the highest in Southeast Asia and 315 deaths. Thousands are in hospitals awaiting testing or test results. Some test results are released after the patient has died, adding to an underreported number of infections. The Philippines, because of the lockdown, is not experiencing so-called large-scale community outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Director Takesgu Kasai said in an interview. Sceptics say the low number of cases is because of the low rate of testing. The Philippines lags behind its regional neighbours in terms of testing and is only going to roll out a more aggressive programme from April 14. Manila has millions of homeless, some of whom have found shelter during the lockdown with churches and schools [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] The government has maintained that quarantine measures and their extension are necessary to increase testing capacity and prepare quarantine facilities. Our lockdown has been effective in pushing down the curve [of infections] toward a one-month delay. It gave us time to improve our medical services, Secretary Carlito Galvez said in a news briefing. However, aid has not come fast enough to buy time for the estimated 15.6 million workers in the informal economy for whom survival is a daily struggle. And then there are the homeless an estimated 4.5 million Filipinos who might also be working in the grey economy. Close to 70 percent of the homeless population are in Metro Manila and survive by begging, or collecting and reselling plastic and metal scraps. Flavie Villaneuva, a priest with the Society of the Divine Word, has been running a homeless shelter in Manila for years. Two days into lockdown, authorities disrupted its operations, saying it violated quarantine procedures. A cafe in Quezon City that converted into a temporary homeless shelter was also shut down by village officials. COVID-19 has vividly reminded us of the plight of the discarded community of the homeless. What serious government programme do we have for them? asked Villanueva. Villanueva, together with a network of Catholic churches and schools, is housing about 430 homeless people. Last week, a 66-year-old homeless man was found dead on the streets not far from the capital of Manila. Thats only the first one. There will be more, Villanueva said. President of Ukraine suggested stepping up joint efforts between Ukraine and the UAE in the fight against the spread of coronavirus disease Open source On March 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone conversation with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Al Nagayan, The parties discussed combating COVID-19 and resuming the flow of investments in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the President of Ukraine. "Thank you for your humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian physicians in the fight against the spread of coronavirus that will save more than one human life. The United Arab Emirates is showing an example of an effective fight against the pandemic," Zelensky said. He also thanked his talk partner for assisting the return of thousands of Ukrainian citizens from the UAE and other countries. The Ukrainian leader suggested stepping up joint efforts between Ukraine and the UAE in the fight against the spread of coronavirus disease. As we reported earlier, the European Union will allocate another four million euro to Ukraine for support of the volunteers who help to fight against the spread of coronavirus infection. We support volunteers! Everyones efforts are needed to beat COVID-19. Thousands of volunteers taking action to help the most vulnerable people in Ukraine. They deliver food to the elderly, support teachers to go online and are battling disinformation. EU provides 4 million to support these civic initiatives, EU Ambassador Matti Maasika stated. A Mississippi doctor who was fired after raising concerns about her hospitals safety measures in the coronavirus pandemic is now suing. News outlets reported Dr. Samantha Houston was fired from Oxfords Baptist Memorial Hospital after she wrote a Facebook post soliciting donations for equipment to communicate remotely with coronavirus patients. The post caused some confusion and was later edited to clarify that patients were being seen in-person by doctors and nurses, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. Ayoka Pond, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said Houstons assertion that the hospital did not have capability to speak remotely with coronavirus patients was false. She also denied Houstons other accusation, that the hospital did not have enough N95 masks for nurses treating coronavirus patients. Houston filed the suit last week against the hospital, its CEO, and a medical staffing agency that held her contract with the hospital. She is seeking actual damages for lost income. Pond said the lawsuit was fortunate because the hospital will bring the facts about Houstons firing to court instead of trying the case with half-facts through the media as attempted by Dr. Houston. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 Claims Mississippi European markets closed higher Tuesday as investors looked for an exit strategy to the region's coronavirus lockdowns. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed around 0.6% higher provisionally, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory. European countries, among those Italy and Spain that have been some of the worst affected by the coronavirus, are now looking to lift some restrictions on public life as the number of new infections and daily deaths has declined. Spain allowed some construction and manufacturing sites and to reopen Monday and Italy is also allowing some businesses to reopen Tuesday. Meanwhile, Germany is considering how to implement a gradual recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the country's health minister told CNBC on Monday. "We are thinking about step by step, that is important ... going back to a new normal," Jens Spahn said on "Closing Bell." Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday cautioned that the world economy would likely suffer the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. A doctor has warned about the dangers of exercising in busy locations during the coronavirus pandemic. Sydney-based GP Ginni Mansberg appeared on Sunrise on Tuesday, where she urged runners to keep at least 10 metres apart while exercising in public places after a computer simulation revealed how viral droplets can spread. The model, from Ansys, a company based in the the Netherlands, showed how the standard social distancing guidelines of 1.5metres are insufficient when exercising outside as droplets can spread behind you as you run. The model shows that substantially more space is required to avoid droplets from the runner or cyclist in front of you. Dr Mansberg said fitness fanatics should keep at least five metres apart while walking and 10 metres apart while running to avoid infection. A doctor has warned about the dangers of exercising in a busy location during the coroanvirus pandemic (Pictured: A woman running in Rushcutters Bay Park. Sydney) Cyclists should remain about 15 metres apart, she said. 'About 50 per cent of people who exercise vigorously actually get a really runny nose from it and might be doing more sneezing...turns out (sneezes) go behind you, not to the side,' Dr Mansberg said. 'It is concerning...if you run up behind somebody who's done a big cough, you're running straight into those particles. I think you do need to keep your distance.' While outdoor exercise is still allowed, Australians have been told to maintain a 1.5 metre distance from each other at all times to stop the spread of coronavirus. On March 30, the Bay Run, a seven-kilometre path encircling Iron Cove in Sydney's inner west, was flooded with fitness addicts on Sunday despite government advice to stay indoors to slow the spread of coronavirus. Burwood Police Area Command said they had received multiple reports of people ignoring social distancing rules around the bay. The City of Canada Bay Council said it would be forced to shut down the popular path if residents couldn't follow the rules and stay at least 1.5 metres apart. People congregate in large groups in Bondi on march 28, ignoring social distancing laws put in place by the government due to the Coronavirus outbreak th gyms and indoor exercise facilities now closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians are finding ways to maintain their fitness. (Pictured: A man goes for a run in Rushcutters Bay Park on March 31) 'It is vital at this time that our community follow the direction of health authorities to slow the spread of COVID-19,' the council said. 'Similar to other popular recreation sites in Sydney, if the public cannot follow the correct protocols access to the Bay Run may need to be restricted.' Residents in the local area said the amount of activity in the area has recently spiked and needed to be clamped down on. 'I live on the bay run and the pedestrian traffic has increased during our supposed lockdown,' they said. Thousands of runners and cyclists flooded the popular track known as Bay Run, located in Sydney's inner west, on Sunday despite restrictions in places to stop the spread of coronavirus 'Some clear direction and enforcement needs to be done at all similar locations.' Others said they had been exercising in the area and found it difficult to maintain social distancing rules. 'I went very early for a walk on Tuesday and was so mindful of social distancing however there where mums with strollers walking abreast sipping coffee acting like nothing had changed. This has to stop or close it down,' one woman said. Addis Ababa The unexpected arrival of more than 5,000 returnees to Ethiopia over the past two weeks without prior health screenings has added to the challenges the country faces strengthening measures to curb COVID-19. The UN has called for a temporary suspension of flights to give Ethiopian authorities time to safely organize the migrants' repatriation. Cooperation and open dialogue between border management agencies is critical at this time to ensure everything is being done to halt the spread of COVID-19 and that the movements of people are safe, orderly and regular, said Maureen Achieng IOM Ethiopia Chief of Mission. Pre-departure health screenings that are in line with the WHO's recommended best practices are a key aspect of a unified approach to dealing with the pandemic Last week, IOM and other development partners, working with Dire Dawa city administration, received 2,019 Ethiopian returnees from Djibouti who came through the Dewale border entry point. Another group of 331 arrived at Moyale entry point from Kenya, with a significant number of infants, children, and pregnant and lactating women. Close to 2,900 returnees have arrived in Addis Ababa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the enactment of mandatory quarantine, with an average of 250 returns planned every day in the coming weeks. Ongoing negotiations between the two countries are likely to temporarily put these movements on hold. These returns are occurring at a time IOM had scaled down Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) movements due to increased risk of transmission of the coronavirus disease. Ethiopia recorded its first COVID-19 case on 13 March and the latest update issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), on 13 April, confirms 74 cases and two fatalities. A nationwide state of emergency was declared last Wednesday, buttressing a series of enforcement measures announced last month. These include the closing of schools, bars, and nightclubs, regulations on large gatherings and physical distancing, closing land borders, and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving passengers at hotels, and at designated facilities for deportees. The government, working with partners, is also preparing 30 quarantine sites to cater for the returnees, and since last week IOM is assisting to make the four in Addis Ababa ready to host returnees. The arrivals from Djibouti are now accommodated at the University of Dire Dawa, which has been dedicated as a 14-day isolation facility. They were screened for COVID -19 by the Health Bureau, with six suspected individuals now quarantined. We provided food and palatable bottled water for the first four days, hand washing facilities, and sanitary pads for women, said Aaron Manyumbu, head of the IOM sub office in Dire Dawa. IOM will continue to provide bottled water, hygiene kits (clothes inclusive), and onward transportation to respective regions until the end of the 14 days of isolation, he added. Arrivals from Saudi Arabia are currently housed at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University quarantine centre, where IOM donated 2,000 blankets, 1,500 bed sheets and 720 packets of soap. Working with the government and other partners, IOM will continue to provide support at the site, including registering arrivals and identifying vulnerable returnees, such as unaccompanied migrant children, for further assistance after quarantine. IOM Ethiopia's COVID-19 preparedness and response cover interventions in health, WASH and community engagement, site management support, AVRR, and Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reporting. Under health, IOM has seconded medical staff to EPHI, strengthened points of entry and exit (PoE), engaged in Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), and surveillance, including supporting mobility mapping to help identify potential hotspots and mobility routes. WASH activities have included, among others, distribution of 3,750,000 pieces of 120 gm anti-bacterial soap among 625,000 individuals and 500 handwashing buckets and soap at health centres, water points, and other communal locations. 50,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters in Amharic, Oromiffa, Somali, and Tigrigna on COVID-19 awareness and mitigation measures have also been produced and distributed. IOM has also supported the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and EPHI in developing a guideline for COVID-19 outbreak preparedness and response for refugees, IDPs and Returnees in Ethiopia, based on guidelines developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in March 2020. IOM continues to work on a wide range of Covid-19 interventions through its day to day programming and through the UN-system support to the government's preparedness and response capacity. It is also advocating countries, especially members states, to withhold deportations as this seriously threatens Ethiopia's resilience to COVID-19. From Just Security: What follows is a comprehensive timeline of major U.S. policy events related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. We've focused on the U.S. government's preparation for a pandemic, tracking warning signals of COVID-19, and public and internal responses when the outbreak hit inside the United States. In our view, the timeline is clear: Like previous administrations, the Trump administration knew for years that a pandemic of this gravity was possible and imminently plausible. Several Trump administration officials raised strong concerns prior to the emergence of COVID-19 and raised alarms once the virus appeared within the United States. While some measures were put in place to prepare the United States for pandemic readiness, many more were dismantled since 2017. In response to COVID-19, the United States was slow to act at a time when each day of inaction mattered mostin terms of both the eventual public health harms as well as the severe economic costs. The President and some of his closest senior officials also disseminated misinformation that left the public less safe and more vulnerable to discounting the severity of the pandemic. When it came time to minimize the loss of life and economic damage, the United States was unnecessarily underprepared, had sacrificed valuable time, and confronted the pandemic with a more mild response than public health experts recommended. These lapses meant that the United States was ultimately forced to make more drastic economic sacrifices to catch up to the severity of the pandemic than would have otherwise been necessary. When To Start (Photo : Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay ) Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Advertisement KEY POINTS Trump claims he can overrule governors and open states on his own Supreme Court rulings like Printz v. United States prove he does not have this ability This would be a test of what powers the 10th Amendment delegates to the states In response to the growing debate about when to reopen the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump tweeted that he has the legal authority to overrule governors and reopen states if need be. He is not the first president to claim power over states in an emergency. And he is not likely to fare any better. The Supreme Court has routinely come down on the side of states when it comes to this subject. The 10th Amendment awards all powers to states not expressly delegated to the federal government, and this includes the effort to protect public health. In Printz v. United States, the Supreme Court explained that the Founding Fathers "rejected the concept of a central government that would act ... through the States, and instead designed a system in which the State and Federal Governments would exercise concurrent authority over the people." During the Korean War, President Harry Truman asserted Article II powers and attempted to nationalize the steel industry in response to widespread strikes he claimed were disrupting the flow of arms and ammunition. In a 6-3 decision in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, the Supreme Court ruled that the president did not have the constitutional authority to issue such an order, and this case has been cited as precedent in many disputes between the states and federal government. Some Trump allies point to the constitution's Commerce Clause as proof of the president's ability to overrule state policy, but this is a misreading of the law, as it provides Congress, not the executive branch, with the power to "regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes." Despite Trump's attempts to expand the power of the federal government on this issue, the Supreme Court has been steadfast in its interpretation of the 10th Amendment throughout U.S. history, and if this fight were to escalate to their chambers, it is likely Trump would suffer the same fate as Truman and other presidents who failed to challenge the sovereignty of states. The United States is organized by a principle of federalism, where the states retain a "residuary and inviolable sovereignty" over those powers not assigned to the federal government, as stated in The Federalist Papers: No. 39. This sovereignty was fossilized by the 10th Amendment and has been used as the basis of a multitude of court cases throughout U.S. history affirming states rights. Governments across the world should agree a common standard on medical screening at airports, the boss of Heathrow has said. Chief executive John Holland-Kaye claimed a single system for assessing passengers' health will help people travel with confidence when the coronavirus crisis recedes and increase the demand for air travel. He said the measures would be an important boost to Britain's economy. Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye is calling for governments across the world to adopt the same standard of health screening at airports The Heathrow chief executive said the measures would help people feel more confident travelling when the coronavirus crisis recedes and could help boost the British economy. Heathrow was empty during the normally busy Easter weekend Mr Holland-Kaye said: 'Heathrow continues to serve the nation by keeping vital supply lines open and helping people get home. 'Now is the time to agree a common international standard for healthcare screening in airports so that when this crisis recedes people can travel with confidence and we can get the British economy moving again.' Tourists have lambasted the 'shocking' lack of testing upon arriving back in the UK during the pandemic. Some passengers told Press Association other countries appeared to be taking Covid-19 much more seriously with medical questionnaires and health checks at land borders and travel terminals. In the first few weeks of March, at the beginning of the crisis, holidaymakers were arriving back to the UK from countries affected by the pandemic and complained they weren't checked when they landed. Subsequently, leading scientist Neil Ferguson admitted on the Andrew Marr show on April 5 that airport officials only stopped and isolated a third of Britons returning to the UK with coronavirus. Heathrow announced that passenger numbers for March fell by 52 per cent compared with the same month in 2019. Many of the 3.1 million journeys were repatriations as people flew to and from the west London hub to reach their homes. Professor Neil Ferguson said more than two thirds of Britons who had returned to airports from countries affected by coronavirus were missed and were not forced to isolate The airport warned it expects passenger numbers for the whole of April to be down by more than 90 per cent year-on-year with 'lasting and significant industry-wide effects predicted'. The collapse in demand saw the airport move to single runway operations on April 6 and two terminals will be closed in the coming weeks. These measures will 'protect long-term jobs' by reducing operating costs and help Heathrow 'remain financially resilient', the airport added. Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced a sweeping round of redundancies which will hit almost a fifth of its workforce. Wizz Airlines announced redundancies, which will affect a fifth of its workforce, because it is only running three per cent of its capacity. (Picture: Stock) Around 1,000 people will lose their jobs and pilots, cabin crew and office staff will have a 14 per cent pay cut. The airline said it made the decision because it is now only operating three per cent of its pre-coronavirus capacity. Most of its employees are not based in the UK. In New York, people released after an arrest overwhelmingly come back to court, according to recent figures from the New York City Criminal Justice Agency. Eighty-six percent showed up on their scheduled court date and, when adjusted to give people a month to voluntarily clear up a missed court date, fully 93 percent appeared. Two national bail organizations, the Bail Project and the National Bail Fund Network, direct millions of dollars annually toward paying bail. They are now positioned to move thousands of vulnerable people out of dangers way from the coronavirus. They are nonprofit organizations, and donations are tax deductible. As the Marshall Projects Joe Neff and Anna Flagg recently wrote in The New York Times, local jails where people not convicted of a crime await their court date are fertile breeding grounds for disease. Over 200,000 people flow into and out of local jails every week, where they are fingerprinted, escorted by corrections officers and visited by their families. The churn of people moving in and out threatens to accelerate the spread of the disease, endangering the incarcerated, the staff and the larger community, they wrote. Historically, the argument for outsiders providing bail for people awaiting trial has been straightforward: Its a matter of justice. Over 670,000 people sit in our jails and immigrant detention centers, accused but not convicted of a crime, often for long stretches, waiting for their trial or a hearing. In one notable case last year, a transgender woman, Layleen Polanco, died while in restrictive housing at Rikers Island in New York City after being incarcerated for nearly two months. City officials determined that her death was caused by complications from epilepsy. She was unable to come up with $500 bail after a misdemeanor assault charge. Now, with the number of Covid-19 cases mounting among the incarcerated and corrections officers around the country, what began as a criminal justice initiative has become a public health imperative. From the beginning of the pandemic, advocates for the imprisoned have worked to persuade governors, judges and prosecutors to get them out of harms way by granting early release. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, jurisdictions such as Westchester County, N.Y.; Marion, Ind.; and Wayne, Mich., have recently reduced their jail populations by roughly 30 percent. But these jurisdictions are exceptions to the national trend, not the rule. Nick Cannon and his brother, Gabriel Cannon I can't wait to bring my years of experience to the table to help grow Send.It Electronic Business Cards. All those years working for Nick will pay-off! On March 28, 2020, Veteran Business Owners and Partners of Send.It Electronic Business Cards, LLC. located in San Diego, California, partnered with Gabriel Cannon, who signed on with the veteran-owned company as the President of Marketing and Endorsements. Lets get it! said the successful marketing and endorsement representative for The Cannon Foundation and NCredible, the brands that belong to his brother, Nick Cannon. He is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the veteran-owned company and explains, I cant wait to bring my years of experience to the table to help grow Send.It Electronic Business Cards. Gabriel further expressed, All those years working for Nick will pay-off. The newly energetic Marketing and Endorsement President is already making moves by helping the team secure investment for their launch. The excitement is high as Zach said, We have realized that success is based on the teams that you build, and the partnerships you obtain, but setting the standards for what others see as hard work. Thats already proven itself based on the partnership with Gabriel Cannon and Wesley Johnson. We take our commitment very seriously and that is to provide an app that everyone enjoys, and make a difference by planting one tree for every download we receive. Eventually we hope to plant more trees annually than are cut down to make business cards, that is our definition of success." Send.It Electronic Business Cards, LLC was founded by CEO Zach Bostick and COO James Piazza. Both the CEO and COO believe 2020 is their year to be one of the worldwide leaders in electronic business cards for the future. Driven by their slogan, Save money, Save Trees! they offer professional electronic business cards to their consumers via their app which can be downloaded on Apple App Store. Its the new way to do business, it showcases your brand, and allows you to place more information on your profile than you ever could with a paper business card, plus the retention rates are much higher Zach said, 88% of all business cards are lost or thrown away within the first week of being passed out, which attributes to over 5.2 million trees being literally thrown away, its preposterous! Its almost as if you are just watching your potential sales being thrown away and paying to have trees cut down. Zach and James have already made a huge difference within the community, being featured at the Forbes Under 30 Summit and as National Finalists at the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards in Silicon Valley. To download the iOS app, go to https://apps.apple.com/us/app/send-it/id1495385565 For more information on Send.It Electronic Business Cards go to: http://www.sendit.cards You can contact the CEO at zach.bostick@sendit.cards Besiktas have no interest in Niasse | Tuesday, 14 April 2020 The Senegalese striker's disappointing four-plus-year spell at Everton following his 13.5m switch from Lokomotiv Moscow will end at the end of the current season but even on a free transfer, he hasn't yet found a taker for his services. According to Star in Turkey, Niasse was offered to Besiktas but the Istanbul giants weren't interested in signing him. Niasse spent a season with Turkish outfit Akhisar Belediyespor in 2013-14 and has repeatedly been linked with a move back to that country's Super Lig without anything coming of the speculation. With just 34 League appearances for Everton since 2016, Niasse has been a misfit acquisition from the start and has been sent out on loan to Hull City and Cardiff City during his time at Goodison Park. Original Source: Star via Sport Witness Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer About these ads ToffeeWeb COVID-19: No new cases recorded, 3 remain in critical condition Of the 265 confirmed patients in Vietnam, 160 returned from abroad (60.4%), and 105 people contracted the deady virus in the community (39.6%). A total of 72,291 people coming into close contact and returning from epidemic-hit areas are being kept in quarantine for health monitoring. According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, there are 119 cases being treated at 14 hospitals, including three patients No 161, 20, 91 being in a critical condition. Nine cases have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once or and 23 cases have tested negative for the virus twice, it said. Earlier, on April 13 evening, Dixong John Garth, a 74-year-old British man (patient 28) was released from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. He was hospitalised on March 8 after entering Vietnam on March 2. During his treatment period, he tested negative for the virus twice on April 8 and April 10, with his stable health condition. Mr Dixong and his wife, also a COVID-19 patient, who had been treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, fully recovered from the disease earlier. At dawn on April 14, the couple took a home flight, arranged by the British Government for British citizens only. As of April 14 morning, Vietnam recorded a total of 265 cases of COVID-19, including 146 (55%) being discharged from hospital. Notably, nine cases of full recovery are set to be announced by the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases on the afternoon of April 14. Will come back to haunt you: Jaishankar in veiled reference to Pakistan India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar In call with Jaishankar, Irans foreign minister discusses US sanctions International oi-Vicky Nanjappa Tehran, Apr 14: Iran's foreign minister Javaid Zarif has raised the issue of illegal and unilateral sanctions on his country during a telephone call with External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar. Iran has over the past few weeks called on India and others to help defeat the US sanctions that the hampering the fight against COVID-19. Iran's foreign ministry tweeted that Zarif and Jaishankar exchanged views on the latest situation regarding the outbreak of the virus in the region and the world. They also discussed collective ways to cope with the situation. Jaishankar discusses cooperation on COVID-19 with EU, China The ministry also said that both leaders discussed illegal and unilateral US sanctions against the Iranian people. The leaders also discussed the latest political developments in Afghanistan as well. Jaishankar in a tweet said that Zarif and he discussed respective responses to the coronavirus challenge and exchanged views on regional developments. Everyone is thinking about their lives. They dont know what to do anymore because whenever theres a shelling, you cant leave your house. So you just have to sit and wait for your fate. After years of civil war, many Libyans have come to expect the bombings, the airstrikes, the clashes. But now Libya faces the coronavirus pandemic. Now life in this conflict zone that seemed like it couldnt get any worse, suddenly has in just a matter of weeks. The war should stop in order to have a better chance of dealing with the virus. It doesnt mean that we will easily beat it. But the war hasnt stopped. Years of conflict have not only led to conditions that make it easier for the virus to spread, but forces pushing to seize the capital city now seem to be exploiting the pandemic to inflict maximum terror on civilians by shelling areas where people are clearly trapped at home under curfew, and by attacking Libyas already overwhelmed hospitals. There are 25 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Libya as of April 12, but testing is extremely limited, and the number is likely to grow. In the capital of Tripoli, residents face a dire choice: Do they stay in their homes and risk getting hit by shells or do they flee and risk contracting the virus? Everyones worried. They dont know whats going to happen with their lives. Is it going to end because of the coronavirus? Is it going to end because of the continuous shelling? People are just lost. Libyas civil war began six years ago. And the fighting is between two main groups: the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord, based in the capital of Tripoli, and the Libyan National Army led by a military strongman whos based in Benghazi to the east. For the past year, the L.N.A. has been attacking Tripoli on its push to control the country. The front line has moved into the suburbs, sending residents fleeing deeper into the city, crowding closer together. We spoke to one resident whos had to move twice, from this area further and further into the dense city. She asked that we only use her voice. These conditions will likely make it much easier for the virus to spread. When the pandemic began, both sides of the conflict imposed curfews. They readied hospitals and public areas. They put on masks and continued fighting. Eventually they agreed to pause the fighting because of the virus, but the agreement didnt last. The L.N.A. had pledged on Facebook to halt its advance on Tripoli but we found that its forces resumed attacks on the city within minutes. And just one day after the first confirmed coronavirus case was announced, the L.N.A. began its worst shelling on residential areas that anyone could remember, despite the fact that people were clearly stuck in their homes under curfew and self-quarantine. Ive never felt so close to death as I am feeling right now, right here in Tripoli. Youre living in confusion, and you dont know youre just very lost. Its in moments like this, under mandatory curfew and under a rain of shells, that many feel theres no way out. Its not just people at home being hit. Its doctors at work too. The L.N.A. has rarely attacked major civilian hospitals over the past year, but since the pandemic, one hospital complex has been struck three times in less than a week. The hospital was well known for treating coronavirus patients. It was evacuated and forced to briefly close. The international community condemned the hospital attacks, but to little effect. The war continues to rage. One analysis found that violence in Tripoli over the past year has spiked during the pandemic. And the fighters, I mean, you cannot really quarantine them. They are moving from a city to another. Despite the situation that we have, they are going to take their share of the hospitals beds, and that will make dealing with coronavirus patients even harder. Some international aid has reached Libya, but the world at large is mostly focused elsewhere on fighting the pandemic in their own countries. And so, many Libyans are left to fend for themselves as they wait to see just how far the war and the virus will spread. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tue, April 14 2020 It is past due for ASEAN to step up its regional cooperation in the fight against the pandemic. No longer can it rely on its lumbering business-as-usual approach to address a virus that has infected over 18,000 people and killed around 700 in Southeast Asia alone. As all eyes are glued to the emergency ASEAN Summit on Tuesday, collective efforts must be sped up and all underutilized potential mobilized. As a regional organization, ASEAN needs now to dig deep into its reservoir of mechanisms and tap into its rich experience accumulated over the years, as was the case in the response to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. However, it still must learn to cut through red tape to make itself immediately useful. A few weeks ago, the groups humanitarian arm, the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center), was not yet mobilized against COVID-19, with one official saying the agency did not have the mandate to respond. Indonesia, meanwhile, relies on its own National Disaster Mitigation Agency to combat the COVID-19 outbreak at the national level. Such a mentality can no longer be tolerated in a crisis that has deepened in just a few months. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Representative image The Chinese government is looking to muzzle research on the origin of the novel coronavirus, as per a CNN report. The government has issued a directive under which all academic papers on COVID-19 will be subject to extra vetting before being submitted for publication, it reported. Two Chinese universitiesthe Fudan University in Shanghai and the China University of Geoscience in Wuhan, posted the central government notice online before deleting it. The cached version from the geoscience university remained. Follow our LIVE updates on the coronavirus pandemic here The issue has become politically sensitive, the report said. A source told the publication, I think it is a coordinated effort from (the) Chinese government to control (the) narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China. I don't think they will really tolerate any objective study to investigate the origination of this disease." COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. This seems to be a new development as a researcher from Hong Kong who collaborated with two mainland researchers for their paper said they had faced no such diktats in February. The publication has reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for a comment on the story. As per the notice which was removed from the web, the Ministry of Educations science and technology department, "academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly and tightly managed." The papers will now be required to be sent to the ministrys science and technology department, which will forward it to a task force under the State Council for vetting. Only after feedback from this task force can paper be sent to journals for publication. Other coronavirus and COVID-19 papers will also be vetted for academic value of the study and timing of publishing, the report added. The notice said these instructions were issued during a meeting of the State Council task force on prevention and control of COVID-19, held on March 25. Chinese researcher David Hui Shu-cheong - who, with a team of mainland Chinese researchers, published a clinical analysis of COVID-19 cases in the New England Journal of Medicine in February - told the publication there were no such restrictions then. Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations told CNN, It is no surprise that the government seeks to control related scientific research the danger is that when scientific research is subject to the needs of those in power, it further undermines the credibility of the government narrative, making accusations of underreporting and misinformation more convincing." In China, research papers on the coronavirus are already subjected to layers of vetting after they are submitted to Chinese academic journals, according to Wang Lan, the editorial director of the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology. Los Angeles, April 14 : Hollywood ace Phillip Noyce, who is known for his cutting-edge thrillers, has been roped in to direct "Alive Day", which accounts a real-life secret military mission in Iraq. The film is adapted from Samuel Hill's military task-force novel "Six Days To Zeus: Alive Day". It follows the true story of Hill, called Chief in the novel, who led a unit of seven men from the Navy Seals, Green Berets, Army Rangers and Marine Recon. They conducted a secret surveillance mission during the Saddam Hussein regime. The film will be made from the screenplay by Kathleen McLaughlin, reports deadline.com. Talking about the screenplay, Noyce said: "It is part 'American Sniper', part 'Born on the Fourth of July', part 'Coming Home', and part 'Deer Hunter', but different to all of them in that it has an Agatha Christie whodunit sensibility to it. And that is the accused, Chief, legitimately doesn't know if he's the perpetrator of slaughtering his own men. What really happened and what was unearthed is an unbelievable detective story involving the FBI, and the work that they were doing secretly for the Jordanian government." "I've previously made reality based films with Harrison Ford such as 'Clear and Present Danger' and larger than life extreme action thrillers like 'Salt' with Angelina Jolie. In retelling one man's remarkable and uplifting real story, Kathleen McLaughlin's screenplay for 'Alive Day' combines seemingly disparate elements in ways that hopefully all at once reinvent the thriller, war and mystery film genres," he added. The mission depicted on the film was so secretive that they had to change the name of their unit every 30 days. They would enter Baghdad, disguised in burkas or hiding in trucks. An explosion killed all the unit's members except Chief, who ended up wheelchair-bound. He was able to walk due to medical technology. Noyce's filmography as a director includes films such as "The Quiet American", "Salt", "Dead Calm", "Sliver", "The Bone Collector", "Blind Fury", and "The Saint", besides the Jack Ryan adaptations "Patriot Games" and "Clear And Present Danger". Mike Medavoy's Phoenix Pictures and Voyage Media's Nat Mundel will produce the film. Commonwealth Environmental Approval Received Yangibana Perth, April 14, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Hastings Technology Metals Limited ( ASX:HAS ) ( FRA:5AM ) is pleased to advise that Mr Gregory Manning, delegate of the Hon. Sussan Ley MP, Australian Minister for the Environment, has granted the Commonwealth Environmental permit for the Yangibana Rare Earths Project.- Commonwealth Environmental approvals in place for mining Rare Earths at the Yangibana Rare Earths Project.- The Commonwealth Approvals are in place to construct and operate an open pit rare earths mine, processing facility and associated support infrastructure, approximately 270 km east-northeast of Carnarvon, Western Australia.- Commonwealth Government environmental assessment process completed pursuant to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) under sections 130(1) and 133(1).Receipt of the Commonwealth Environmental Permit (EPBC reference 2016/7845) was granted under section 130(1) and 133(1) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.The permit is subject to conditions in Annexure A of the Approval, which has been published on the Department of Environment and Energy website. The conditions require validation of the groundwater model during the construction phase, an ecohydrological model and the development of a groundwater dependent ecosystem monitoring program.The Yangibana Project includes the development of five open pit mines, groundwater abstraction, on-site processing of ore, tailings storage facilities, and supporting infrastructure such as access and haul roads, accommodation facilities, administration buildings and an airstrip.Executive Chairman, Charles Lew commented: "We have now received all material approvals (i.e. land tenure, Native Title Agreement, State and Commonwealth Environmental Permits) required for the development of the Yangibana Rare Earths Project. This environmental permit complements the State approval received in August 2019. Both approvals demonstrate confidence by State and Commonwealth governments that the Project can be implemented in an environmentally sound manner."The rigorous environmental assessment process for the Yangibana Rare Earths Project has lasted over four years and has been conducted with full transparency through Commonwealth and State environmental statutes ensuring both an environmentally and legally robust set of approvals. Hastings, its environmental consultants, and other third parties, have contributed to a significant library of environmental science addressing key environmental factors relating to the Project identified by Hastings, government and via public consultation. Hastings acknowledges the dedicated evidence based environmental assessment undertaken by both the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy and the Western Australian Office of the Environmental Protection Authority and other State agencies.The immediate focus of the Company is the continuing improvement of the economics of the Yangibana Project by progressing a number of mining, metallurgical and process design and research initiatives that expand on the studies completed as part of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) released in November 2017. All work streams are geared to ensure the Project is capable of being financed and brought into production within the current rare earth pricing environment.About Hastings Technology Metals Ltd Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX:HAS) (FRA:5AM) is advancing its Yangibana Rare Earths Project in the Upper Gascoyne Region of Western Australia towards production. The proposed beneficiation and hydro metallurgy processing plant will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite, hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare earth oxides at processing plants overseas. Neodymium and praseodymium are vital components in the manufacture of permanent magnets which is used in a wide and expanding range of advanced and high-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical applications and others. Hastings aims to become the next significant producer of neodymium and praseodymium outside of China. Hastings holds 100% interest in the most significant deposits within the overall project, and 70% interest in additional deposits that will be developed at a later date, all held under Mining Leases. Numerous prospects have been identified warranting detailed exploration to further extend the life of the project. Brockman Project The Brockman deposit, near Halls Creek in Western Australia, contains JORC Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, estimated using the guidelines of JORC Code (2012 Edition). The Company is also progressing a Mining Lease application over the Brockman Rare Earths and Rare Metals Project. Hastings aims to capitalise on the strong demand for critical rare earths created by the expanding demand for new technology products. KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian emergency officials said Tuesday they have extinguished forest fires in the radiation-contaminated area near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, but acknowledged that grass was still smouldering in some areas. Hundreds of firefighters backed by aircraft have been battling several forest fires around Chornobyl for the past 10 days. They contained the initial blazes, but new fires raged closer to the decommissioned plant. Emergencies Service chief Mykola Chechetkin reported to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that rains helped firefighters put out the flames, but acknowledged that it would take a few more days to extinguish smouldering grass. Chechetkin said emergency workers have prevented the fire from engulfing radioactive waste depots and other facilities in Chornobyl. The 2,600-square-kilometre (1,000-square-mile) Chornobyl Exclusion Zone was established after the 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe. The zone is largely unpopulated, although about 200 people have remained despite orders to leave. Ukraines emergencies service said radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the plant, were within norms after the forest fires. President Zelenskiy urged Ukrainians not to panic. We all remember the lessons of April 26, 1986, he said in an online statement Tuesday. No one is hiding the truth from you. Right now the truth is that the situation there is under control. On Monday, activists warned that the blazes were getting dangerously close to waste storage facilities. Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, a member of the public council under the state agency in charge of the closed zone around the plant, said one fire was raging within 2 kilometres (about 1.2 miles) from one of the radioactive waste depots. Last week, officials said they tracked down a person suspected of triggering the blaze by setting dry grass on fire in the area. The 27-year-old man said he burned grass for fun and then failed to extinguish the fire when the wind caused it to spread quickly. On Monday, police said that another local resident burned waste and accidentally set dry grass ablaze, triggering another devastating forest fire. They said he failed to report the fire to the authorities. Blazes in the area have been a regular occurrence. They often start when residents set dry grass on fire in the early spring a widespread practice in Ukraine, Russia and some other ex-Soviet nations that often leads to devastating forest fires. Just like everyone else, Im practicing social distancing and cutting out nonessential trips. The only problem is that I still need groceries. Lately, the choices include lining up for limited access to the store or navigating website queues that make getting a loaf of bread harder than snagging a new release on SNKRS. While Amazon deals with worker safety issues and accusations that its retaliating against whistleblowers, the companys plan to streamline the process at Whole Foods will give delivery customers a virtual place in line. Will that be enough to make the experience smoother and safer for everyone involved? Well find out soon. -- Richard Privacy meets pandemic. Google At the end of last week, Google and Apple announced they would collaborate on Bluetooth technology intended to help alert people if they may have been exposed to COVID-19. But what does that mean, what are the privacy implications and how is the platform supposed to work? Chris Ip dives into the technology and checks in with some experts to get the answers. Continue reading. Razer's Pikachu wireless earbuds are stored in a Poke Ball You'll have to go to China to catch 'em. Razer Yes, youre seeing correctly. The wireless charging case for these earbuds is a faithfully reproduced Poke Ball from the anime. The front button lights up to indicate charge level. Continue reading. How to get the most out of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services Watch more without blowing up your budget. Gone are the days when one or two streaming services were your only options. Now, there are dozens of services that let you watch acclaimed new shows, classic movies and much more. It's hard to keep track of them all, and it's even harder to watch all of the content you want, now everything lives on its own platform. Engadget has tips and tricks for getting the most out of the streaming services you're currently paying for and advice on how to test out new ones. Continue reading. And there are a few new Animal Crossing themed icons for your profile. Engadget Forget having to redownload a game just because you want to store it on an SD card instead of internally. After you update your Switch to 10.0.0, youll be able to move downloadable software, update data and DLC back and forth as you please. Plus, if you need accommodations made to the control scheme, its buttons and sticks are now easily remappable. Continue reading. Motorola will reveal its first high-end phone in years on April 22nd Mark your calendar. Motorola After years of cranking out midrange Z and G branded phones, Motorola finally went upmarket with its experimental Razr and will follow that with a proper high-end flagship. Its scheduled a launch event for April 22nd, and leaks suggest that a bezel-less Edge line of devices will debut there. According to the rumors, we can expect a massive 5,000mAh battery, 108MP rear camera and 6.7-inch screen on the highest-end Edge+ device. Continue reading. But wait, theres more... Apple's next iPhone may look like a smartphone-sized iPad What's new on TV this week: 'Devs' season finale, 'The Last Dance' Astronomers observe the brightest supernova on record Twitter, YouTube TV web apps come to Play Store for Chromebooks Best Buy sale knocks the Pixelbook Go's starting price down to $584 Raspberry Pi will power ventilators for COVID-19 patients 14.04.2020 LISTEN The Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) is warning that Akufo-Addo's 3months relief for electricity consumers will endanger the sustainability of the power sector though they commend the intention of the government. President Akufo-Addo in his sixth national update on governments efforts to fight COVID-19 announced electricity subsidies for Ghanaians as one of the impact-mitigation measures to help the citizenry. The directive is a complete waiver of the electricity bill of lifeline consumers of electricity and 50 percent reduction in electricity bill for all other consumers from April to June using March 2020 bill as the benchmark In a statement from ACEP, it warned that the power sector is reeling in debt already and hence the idea to absorb the bills for consumers could worsen the already unsustainable power sector situation. According to ACEP, the total subsidy that will result from the policy intervention is about GHS3 billion. This constitutes about 2.7 billion in tariffs and about GHS300 million in Value Added Tax (VAT). The Tariff component will have to be paid to the power sector by the government. If the government does not pay, the sectors liquidity situation will worsen." It continued, This policy also further deepens the budget deficit which is estimated to be about GHS9.7 billion. If the government intends to add GHS3 billion from the power sector, it will require another revision of the fiscal numbers presented to Parliament. ACEP adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many businesses and livelihood which require direct support from the government. The Energy Think Tank is therefore pushing for proper targeting to provide the right support and reduce wastage arising from people who may not need the support. In line with that, ACEP is recommending to government make lifeline consumption free for everyone, spend part of the proposed expenditure on electricity consumers to identify and support those most impacted by the pandemic, and additionally summon the creativity of the citizens to find appropriate mitigations strategy for the times. Read full statement below: Joe Biden with Barack Obama. Reuters Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden, in the 2020 election on Tuesday. Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week after Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the 2020 race. Obama held off on endorsing a candidate when the Democratic primary field was more crowded. But several aides told Politico the former president worked behind the scenes to help Biden's campaign when it was trying to clinch more endorsements. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden, in the 2020 election on Tuesday. "I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now," Obama said in a video. "Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And I know he'll surround himself with good people: experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government." The former president, who maintains a close personal friendship with Biden, mentioned a series of major initiatives from the Paris Climate Accord to the federal Ebola response that his former veep helped him manage during their years in the White House. Obama also praised Sen. Bernie Sanders, who dropped out of the presidential race last week and officially endorsed Biden on Monday, calling the Vermont lawmaker "an American original." And Obama argued that Democrats should craft a new forward-looking agenda, rather than judging their nominee based on policies of the past. "The ideas [Sanders] championed and the energy and enthusiasm he's inspired, especially in young people, will be critical in moving America in the direction of progress and hope," he said. The former president also had harsh words for his political opponents. Story continues "The Republicans occupying the White House and running the US Senate are not interested in progress, they're interested in power," Obama said. "They've shown themselves willing to kick millions off their health insurance and eliminate pre-existing conditions protections for millions more, even in the middle of this public health crisis, even as they're willing to spend a trillion dollars on tax cuts for the wealthy." Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week after Sanders dropped out of the 2020 race. In a livestreamed video with Biden on Monday, Sanders announced, "We've got to make Trump a one-term president, and we need you in the White House." Obama held off on endorsing a candidate when the Democratic primary field was more crowded. But several aides told Politico that he worked behind the scenes to "nudge things in Biden's direction when the Biden team was organizing former candidates to coalesce around Biden." Indeed, one Obama adviser described the day Sanders dropped out to Politico as a "very good day!" The former vice president's campaign got off to a rocky start with a series of disappointing finishes in the early primaries and caucuses. But Biden surged to the front of the Democratic pack with resounding victories on Super Tuesday and in later contests as several other centrist Democratic candidates dropped out and endorsed him. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is the only former 2020 Democratic contender who hasn't yet made an endorsement in the election. Biden has leaned heavily on Obama's legacy throughout his 2020 campaign, positioning himself as the candidate best suited to carry the mantle for the Democratic Party. Biden's connection to Obama played a significant role in helping him garner the support of black voters, who make up a huge voting bloc for the party. "Most of America knows Joe Biden as the vice president to the first black president in history. And black voters especially look at President Obama and say if Biden is good enough for Obama to trust, then who am I to sort of question that?" Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, told NPR in March. "And so for an electorate where the most important thing is beating Donald Trump in November and Trump's disapproval rates among African Americans is exceptionally high Biden presents as the person that can do that not just because of his ability to win the African American vote," he added. The former vice president has touted his ties to Obama on numerous signature issues including healthcare, immigration, and trade. Obama also warned last year that Democratic candidates shouldn't confuse actual voters with "left-leaning Twitter feeds," adding that voters "don't want to see crazy stuff" and that the US is "less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement." The remarks raised some eyebrows and prompted speculation that the former president was indirectly knocking Sanders' campaign, which the Vermont senator often described as a "political revolution." Read the original article on Business Insider The number of coronavirus infections in the United States has surpassed 600,000 as the death increased to more than 25,000. Coronavirus cases increased by more than 26,500 in 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 604,270. More than 1,500 Americans died in a day, bringing the death toll from the coronavirus to 25,289. Deaths in hard-hit New York state are now at 10,834 after increasing by 778 in a day. New York state, which remains the epicenter of the US outbreak, has 202,208 confirmed cases. New Jersey follows with 68,824 infections and 2,805 deaths. Massachusetts has overtaken Michigan to become the state with the third highest number of infections with nearly 27,000 cases and 844 deaths. Michigan has just over 25,000 confirmed infections and 1,602 deaths. The tolls come as lawmakers and health officials work on deciding when the US should reopen again. Current social distancing measures in the United States are due to expire on April 30 but health experts are urging for continued social distancing measures to defeat the coronavirus. Top infectious disease Dr Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that a May 1 restart for the economy, which is what President Trump is pushing for, was 'overly optimistic'. It comes as a battle erupted between Trump and state governors over who has the power to lift restrictions aimed at curbing the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Fauci said public health officials must be able to test for the virus quickly, isolate new cases and track down new infections before social-distancing restrictions can be eased. 'We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we're not there yet,' Dr Fauci said in an interview with the Associated Press. Dr Fauci, who frequently appears with Trump at White House coronavirus briefings, has previously contradicted Trump on issues including an unproven treatment touted by the president. Trump on Sunday reposted on Twitter a call by a conservative political figure calling for Dr Fauci's firing but Trump later denied plans to dismiss his adviser. Trump has lashed out at Democratic state governors suggesting they were 'mutineers' after New York's Andrew Cuomo said he would refuse any order by the president to reopen the economy too soon. 'If he ordered me to reopen in a way that would endanger the public health of the people of my state, I wouldn't do it,' Cuomo told CNN early in the day, referring to Trump. At a news conference later, Cuomo said Trump was 'clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue' and that he did not want a partisan battle, but added, 'We don't have a king in this country, we have a Constitution and we elect the president.' The coronavirus restrictions have crippled the U.S. economy, with businesses forced to close and million of Americans becoming unemployed, in a development that could hurt Trump's re-election prospects. Offering an expansive assessment of the powers of the presidency, Trump on Monday asserted he has 'total' authority to decide on reopening the economy even though he earlier had deferred to the governors in putting social-distancing orders in place. Cuomo, a Democrat whose state has been the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, and governors of six other northeastern states have announced plans to formulate a regional plan to gradually lift restrictions. On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington state announced a similar regional approach. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I dont know what happens behind closed doors in the White House. I dont know the true nature of the relationship between Dr. Anthony Fauci and President Trump. I do know when the media blows a story up, making a mountain out of a molehill. Im speaking specifically about the idea that Fauci threw the president under the bus on CNN on Easter Sunday night. This really is a tempest in a teapot. If you dont believe me, watch the actual footage of Jake Tappers interview with Dr. Fauci (see here for my related video commentary). Tapper first contrasts S. Koreas successful response to the virus with Americas, asking if we could have done better. Fauci responds by saying that the situation there was very different than here and so a fair comparison cannot be made. Tapper then asks if more lives could have been saved had we responded more quickly to the warnings. For a second time, Fauci is non-committal, saying there are lots of factors that go into making decisions about how to respond to something like this. Tapper then presses the question a third time, with very little variation. Fauci is still reluctant to say that lives could have been saved had we acted earlier, given all the dynamics that go into making these decisions. But he does admit that, had we taken more radical steps earlier on, then lives could have been theoretically saved. Here are the most relevant parts of the transcript of the interview: TAPPER: Sanjay Gupta said that's this is all because we got started too late in the U.S. Is that right? Do you agree? FAUCI: You know, it isn't as simple as that, Jake. I'm sorry. So, Fauci doesnt take the bait. TAPPER: The New York Times reported yesterday that you and other top officials wanted to recommend social and physical distancing guidelines to President Trump as far back as the third week of February, but the administration didn't announce such guidelines to the American public until March 16, almost a month later. Why? FAUCI: You know, Jake, as I have said many times, we look at it from a pure health standpoint. We make a recommendation. Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes, it's not. But we it is what it is. We are where we are right now. Again, he does not take the bait. TAPPER: Do you think lives could have been saved if social distancing, physical distancing, stay-at-home measures had started third week of February, instead of mid-March? FAUCI: You know, Jake, again, it's the what would have, what could have. It's it's very difficult to go back and say that. I mean, obviously, you could logically say, that if you had a process that was ongoing, and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives. Obviously, no one is going to deny that. But what goes into those kinds of decisions is is complicated. But you're right. I mean, obviously, if we had, right from the very beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different. But there was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then. And that was it. The interview then continued along other lines, including a discussion about the place of faith alongside science. Yet within minutes of the interview, headlines were ablaze, announcing Faucis betrayal of the president. Then, within a day, the internet was abuzz with news that Trump had retweeted a Fire Fauci tweet. Things intensified so quickly that the lead headline on the Drudge Report for much of Monday pictured the face of Trump with a large caption beneath (in red, no less), reading: TRUMP FIRE FAUCI? Fire Fauci for what? There are even memes going around now claiming that Fauci is using demonic hand signals. (See again my video commentary for the graphic in question.) What kind of nonsense is this? Fauci answered Tapper honestly and diplomatically, and he certainly didnt throw Trump under the bus (in contrast with an April 11 article from the New York Times.) And even if Trump could have responded more quickly in some ways, the entire process is highly complex. Sweden is now cracking down after first adopting a more liberal policy, with the prime minister admitting that the initial procedures were not good enough. And Dr. Fauci himself has modified his views, as a Breitbart headline was eager to announce. For example, on January 21, Fauci said, This is not a major threat to the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States should be worried about right now. Then, on February 26, he said, Right now, at this moment, there is no need to change anything that youre doing on a day-by-day basis. Right now the risk is still low, but this could change. He even said on March 9, If you are a healthy young person, there is no reason if you want to go on a cruise ship, go on a cruise ship. Fauci also explained that he and his colleagues initially received false information about how contagious the virus was, perhaps intentionally from China. This colored some of their earliest responses. The bottom line is that this has been a highly volatile situation with lots of moving parts and hundreds of angles to consider. And Dr. Fauci has been an important part of Trumps team, whether or not his advice has always been correct. It is highly dishonest, then, for the media to create some massive rift between them, in particular, based on the Tapper-Fauci interview. That is simply fake news. What is even more regrettable is that millions of Americans, especially ardent Trump supporters, now believe the very worst about Dr. Fauci. Surely, we can do better than this. As people of conscience, not to mention people of Judeo-Christian moral convictions, we must. (For Faucis own rebuke of the media on Monday, see here.) San Antonio police are searching for a man who allegedly attacked a realtor and stole her car during a Northwest Side home inspection. On Wednesday, a realtor was conducting an inspection at a for-sale residence on the 300 block of Freiling, according to Crime Stoppers. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox A pickup truck, driven by a woman, pulled up and a man got out. He asked if he could see the residence. The realtor allowed the man to look around. After the showing, the realtor asked if he had locked the back door. The man said no, so she walked back into the house. When the realtor turned her back, the man pushed her down, police said. The realtor ran outside and saw the man driving away in her vehicle, according to police. Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information which leads to a felony arrest in the case. Anonymous tips can be submitted to 210-224-7867. Mark Dunphy is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy Coronavirus lockdown extension in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the 21-day lockdown that was to end on Tuesday to May 3. The 21-day lockdown came into force on March 25. Modi said the government will review lockdown all across the country on the number of cases per district by April 20 and would ease some restrictions in these areas. The PM thanked the citizens for serving the nation despite facing difficulties and also acknowledged the trouble faced by all the people. He noted that Tuesday was a festive occasion in several parts of India, Bihu in Assam, Vishu in Kerala, Tamil New Year in Tamil Nadu, Baisakhi in Punjab. He also noted that Tuesday (April 14) was the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar. Comparing the condition of India with other countries, he revealed that India followed the integrated approach and today, the country is in a better state than other countries. He added that despite practicing social distancing and other rules and regulations, it is mandatory to come up with strong rules and change in strategy to fight the battle against coronavirus which has not ended yet. He added that till April 20, harsh steps will be taken to curtail the spread of coronavirus. He also announced that strict actions will be taken against people not following the rules. Further, the hotspots will also be surveilled. He added that a proper report referring to all measures about lockdown will be issued tomorrow. Further, new guidelines to be made keeping in mind the interest of all income groups. Moreover, the government will monitor all the areas more strictly until April 20. Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown day 20: Total cases top 9,000 in India with 308 deaths Address to the nation. https://t.co/26sVP2br5n Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 14, 2020 3 , , , , : PM @narendramodi #IndiaFightsCorona PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 14, 2020 PM further urged people to help other people by taking seven steps. Taking care of senior citizens, following the rule of social distancing, taking care of your health and immunity, download the Aarogya Setu app, help people from lower-income groups, helping your co-workers and respecting the coronavirus soldiers who are leaving no stone unturned to serve the country. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Stepping forward in the fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Ordnance Factory Board has begun supplying coveralls as part of an initial order of 1.1 lakh units placed by HLL Lifecare Limited, a government statement said on Tuesday. Also, the Defence Research and Development Organisation has come up with a Covid sample collection kiosk. The OFBs protective suits, which are vital for the safety and well being of healthcare professionals at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic, conform to ISO Class 3 exposure standards. The manufacture of an initial order of 1.10 lakh units from HLL is in full swing. This order will be completed in 40 days, the statement said. The OFB is the countrys main producer of military arsenal and controls 41 ordnance factories engaged in the production of artillery guns, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, bombs, rockets, anti-aircraft guns, parachutes and small arms. The board is ramping up its efforts to help fight the coronavirus. It has already developed and begun supplying special tents that can be used for medical emergency, screening and quarantine. The DRDO has also developed a bio-suit to protect healthcare professionals at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19. In its latest contribution to the fight against the pandemic, the DRDO has designed and developed a Covid sample collection kiosk (COVSACK). This has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad, in consultation with the doctors of Employees State Insurance Corporation. It will reduce the requirement of personal protection equipment (PPE) change by healthcare workers, said another government statement. The kiosk is automatically disinfected without the need for human involvement, making the process free of infection spread. The shielding screen of kiosk cabin protects the health care worker from the aerosols/droplet transmission while taking the sample, the statement said. After the patient leaves the kiosk, four nozzle sprayers mounted in the cabin take 70 seconds to disinfect the chamber. The COVSACK costs nearly Rs one lakh and the identified industry based at Belgaum, Karnataka can support 10 units per day. The DRDO has designed and developed two units and handed over these to ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad after successful testing, the statement added. I call it Alcatraz since we are surrounded by water and we have no place to go, joked Daniel Azoulay, 74, a contemporary art and fashion photographer who has lived on the island for 29 years and has not left it for the past month. He went for his test on Friday, knowing that it would not give him definitive information about any possible immunity: They just let you know if you have any antibodies, and thats it. His housekeeper, who now comes twice a week instead of five days, got tested, too. Fisher Island paid for the tests that had been purchased by the University of Miami health clinic, Sissy DeMaria Koehne, a spokeswoman for the island, said in a statement. More than half of the residents are older than 60 and at high risk, the statement said. The 1,800 tests, made by BioMedomics Inc., cost $17 each, Ms. DeMaria Koehne said. Testing began on April 6, and 1,250 people have been tested so far. She added that a Fisher Island resident has also now committed $200,000 to the Rabinowitz Charitable Foundation to provide blood-prick antibody testing for hard hit areas in Miami. Florida state health data lists five to nine cases of Covid-19 in Fisher Islands zip code. The tests were first reported by The Miami Herald. An investigation is under way into how nearly 100 people who tested positive for the coronavirus were wrongly told by text they were negative. They were told they were in the clear although their test result was "indeterminate". Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he only found out about it yesterday, and it appeared they were part of a batch of the backlog of older tests sent to a German lab which should have been given a second reading. It will be discussed at the meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team today. Earlier HSE chief Paul Reid said the mistake, which happened on Saturday, is currently being investigated. The people involved would have been asked to self-isolate from the point at which they were referred for a test. It is unclear if they had all recovered when wrongly given the all-clear on Saturday and whether they would have come out of self-isolation - which could potentially have led to them being at risk of passing on the virus. The HSE confirmed a large group of people who were positive for the coronavirus were incorrectly contacted by text over the weekend and told they were negative. The HSE said that on Saturday "less than 100 people" had been advised, in error, that their test did not detect Covid-19. On review these patients were, in fact, positive for Covid-19. "This error occurred because, in the case of a small number of lab tests, the initial test result was indeterminate," a spokeswoman said. "Ordinarily such results would indicate that another test is required. "Given that we are dealing with a pandemic and that it was not possible to request another sample in the required time-frame a decision was made to review the initial test results and retest the sample. This was done to maximise the chance of getting a test result for the patient if possible. "The National Virus Reference Laboratory reviewed the detailed test data from the original test result and retested the original sample." As a result they were able to make a determination that some were, in fact, "weakly positive". "Unfortunately these indeterminate cases were initially reported as not detected and consequently were notified to people as such in line with the results communication process. This was picked up by our contact tracing team and remedial action taken immediately," she added. "A team of public health clinicians has contacted or attempted to contact each of the people involved to advise them of the correct outcome of their test, and to provide the appropriate public health advice and support to them. "We are satisfied that no other patient has been impacted by this error. "The HSE apologises for this error, and every effort has been made to ensure that the correct information is communicated to these patients without delay." It comes as Mr Reid said the backlog of 11,000 tests - down from 35,000 - will be cleared by the end of this week. One in five will be read here in more than 20 labs and in hospitals. But he said the testing regime is being ramped up with the use of more laboratories. The average daily number of tests carried out is 2,800 so far, but this rose to 7,800 over the weekend. Around 500 people have appointments to provide a swab sample scheduled. Overall 72,000 tests for the coronavirus have been completed here. Around 500 people are being contacted daily with their test results by doctors. As of last week, the average contacts a newly diagnosed person with the virus had was three. It is expected that from next week more people, outside of the current priority groups, will be offered a test if they meet the criteria. But he said there remains uncertainty over the future volume of testing here because it is unclear if the German lab will continue to take outsourced tests, and the continued adequate supply of a reagent necessary to carry out analysis cannot be fully guaranteed. Meanwhile, Dr Colm Henry, of the HSE, said the statistics to date show that 64 patients have been discharged from critical care after being admitted due to serious complications from the coronavirus. Sadly, 35 patients have died in intensive care, he added. "We saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson say at the weekend that his time in critical care could have gone either way. It could have. It is a peculiar illness. Most of the patients who went to intensive care here are still there but there are also patients leaving critical care. "It is a tribute to our staff who are world-class." CASEVILLE The Caseville Community Food Pantry teamed up with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to host a pop-up food pantry on Tuesday. The food distribution took place at the Caseville Public School parking lot, where organizers estimated more than 200 vehicles picked up food on Tuesday. The pantry was made possible by grants from the federal government and other agencies to provide relief to Huron County families struggling during the coronavirus crisis. Two Brazilian state governors who have criticized President Jair Bolsonaro's calls to relax COVID-19 containment measures said Tuesday they had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Governors Wilson Witzel of Rio de Janeiro and Helder Barbalho of the northern state of Para both posted videos to Twitter announcing their diagnoses and urging people to stay home to fight the spread of the virus. Witzel, a leading proponent of closing non-essential businesses and ordering people to stay home, said he had started feeling unwell Friday, with a fever, sore throat and loss of smell, a key symptom of the virus. "Today, the test result came back positive... Now, thank God, I'm feeling better, and will continue working while following my doctors' advice," said Witzel, 52. "I ask you once again to stay home, because this disease, as everyone can see, spreads quickly and doesn't spare anyone." Barbalho, 40, who said he was asymptomatic, made a similar appeal. "This virus is extremely contagious, it doesn't recognize age or class. Everyone is exposed. So please stay home," he said. Social distancing policies have been attacked by Bolsonaro, who accuses them of needlessly wrecking Latin America's biggest economy over a disease the far-right president has compared to a "little flu." Witzel fired back last month that Bolsonaro's defiance of guidelines from the United Nations and World Health Organization could be considered a "crime against humanity." Brazil, the Latin American country hit hardest by the pandemic, has registered 1,532 deaths so far. English Swedish The shareholders of NIBE Industrier AB (publ) are hereby invited to attend the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 14 May 2020, at 5.00 p.m. in Sparbankshallen, Ola Martens vag 8, Markaryd. Due to restrictions as a result of Covid-19 we cannot offer visits to our exhibitions this year and no food and drink will be served at the Annual General Meeting. We are monitoring the situation carefully and we are continuously updating all changes in relation to the Annual General Meeting on our web site www.nibe.com. Right of attendance A shareholder has the right to attend the Annual General Meeting if the shareholder is both recorded in its own name in the share register kept on behalf of the company by Euroclear Sweden AB (Euroclear) on Friday 8 May 2020, and has registered for attendance of the meeting to the company no later than on Friday 8 May 2020. A shareholder, which has its shares registered in the name of a nominee, must in addition to registration for attendance reregister the shares in its own name at Euroclear. Such a registration can be temporary and shall be made before Friday 8 May 2020. Request for such a registration must be submitted to the nominee in good time before Friday 8 May 2020 in order for the re-registration to be accomplished. The Annual General Meeting will be held in Swedish. Notification Notification of attendance at the Annual General Meeting can be made in writing to the following address: NIBE Industrier AB, Arsstamma, c/o Euroclear Sweden, Box 191, 101 23 Stockholm, by phone +46 433 27 36 00 or by www.nibe.com. When submitting notification of attendance please state name, personal identity number/corporate identity number, address and telephone number, number of shares and class of shares as well as number of advisors. A shareholder which is represented by a representative, should forward a written and dated proxy together with the notification. The proxy may at the time of the meeting not be older than one year if a longer period of validity is not stated in the proxy, however not longer than five years from the date of issue of the proxy. A proxy form for this purpose is provided on www.nibe.com. The proxy form can also be ordered by phone as described above. If requested, the proxy shall be presented in original. A person representing a legal entity shall present a certificate of registration or a corresponding document of qualification showing person(s) authorized to sign for the legal entity. As a confirmation of the notification of attendance NIBE Industrier AB will send an admission card which shall be brought to the meeting and shown at the recording. Proposed agenda 1. Opening of the meeting. 2. Election of chairman at the meeting. 3. Preparation and approval of a voting list. 4. Approval of the board of directors proposed agenda. 5. Election of one or two persons to verify the minutes. 6. Examination if the meeting has been properly convened. 7. The managing directors statement. 8. Presentation of the annual report and the auditors report, the group financial statement and the group auditors report as well as the auditors statement concerning the application of the guiding principles for remuneration to executive employees decided at the Annual General Meeting 2019. 9. Resolution in respect of a) adoption of the income statement and the balance sheet as well as the consolidated income statement and the consolidated balance sheet, b) allocation of the companys profit according to the adopted balance sheet, c) discharge from liability of the board members and the managing director. 10. Determination of the number of board members and deputy board members to be elected by the meeting. 11. Determination of the number of auditors and deputy auditors or registered public accounting firms. 12. Determination of fees to the board members and the auditors. 13. Election of board members, chairman of the board and deputy board members, if any. 14. Election of auditors and deputy auditors, if any, or registered public accounting firms. 15. Resolution in respect of a) the board of directors proposal for change of the articles of association, b) the class A-shareholders proposal for change of the articles of association. 16. Resolution in respect of the board of directors proposal to authorize the board of directors to decide on issue of new shares in connection with acquisitions of companies/business. 17. Resolution in respect of guiding principles for remuneration and other terms of employment for executive employees. 18. Closing of the meeting. Proposed decisions The class A-shareholders of the company, together representing approx. 67 % of the votes in the company, hereby give proposals for decision in accordance with items 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 b) below. The board of directors, on its part, hereby gives proposals for decision in accordance with items 15 a), 16 and 17 below. 2 Proposal for election of chairman at the Annual General Meeting It is proposed that Hans Linnarson shall be chairman at the Annual General Meeting. 10 Proposal for number of board members and deputy board members It is proposed that 6 ordinary board members, without deputies, shall be elected. 11 Proposal for number of auditors and deputy auditors or registered public accounting firms It is proposed that a registered public accounting firm is appointed. 12 Proposal for fees to the board members and the auditors It is proposed that fees to the board of directors shall be paid with a total amount of 2,520,000 SEK, of which 840,000 SEK to the chairman of the board and 420,000 SEK to each one of the other board members elected by the general meeting, who are not employed in the group. It is proposed that fees to the auditors shall be paid in accordance with approved invoices. 13 Proposal for election of board members and chairman of the board It is proposed that the board members Georg Brunstam, Gerteric Lindquist, Hans Linnarson, Anders Palsson and Jenny Sjodahl are re-elected as board members and that Jenny Larsson is newly elected. It is proposed that Hans Linnarson is re-elected as chairman of the board. Helene Richmond, who has been a board member since 2015, was appointed as managing director of Enertech AB on 1 November 2019. Enertech AB is a part of the NIBE group. Under these circumstances, Helene Richmond has declined re-election at the Annual General Meeting. Jenny Larsson is born in 1973 and is an engineer with a Master of Environmental and Water Engineering from the University of Uppsala. Jenny Larsson has great experience of business within the field of energy and solid industrial experience from a number of different positions within Vattenfall and ABB. Since January 2020, Jenny Larsson is managing director of ABB Power Grids Sweden AB. Jenny Larsson is also a board member of Stena Renewable AB and eGain Group AB. 14 Proposal for election of auditors and deputy auditors, if any, or registered public accounting firms For the period up to the end of the Annual General Meeting 2021 it is proposed that KPMG AB is elected as registered public accounting firm. KPMG has announced that if the Annual General Meeting is voting in accordance with the proposal, KPMG will appoint authorized public accountant Dan Kjellqvist as auditor in charge. 15 Proposal for resolution in respect of change of the articles of association a) The board of directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting decides to change 11 in the articles of association regarding time of record day for participation at general meeting as stated below due to proposed changes in the Swedish Companies Act. Present wording 11 Shareholders and advisors right to participate in a general meeting A shareholder wishing to participate in a general meeting, shall on one hand be listed in the printout or other presentation of the full share register concerning the conditions five weekdays before the meeting, on the other notify the company at the latest by 4.00 p.m. on the day stipulated in the notice of the general meeting. Last-mentioned day may not be a Sunday, other public holiday, Saturday, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve or New Years Eve and may not occur any earlier than the fifth weekday prior to the meeting. Advisor of a shareholder may only accompany the shareholder if the shareholder informs the company in the abovementioned way and states the number of advisors, one or two, who will participate in the general meeting. Proposed wording 11 Shareholders and advisors right to participate in a general meeting A shareholder wishing to participate in a general meeting, shall notify the company at the latest on the day stipulated in the notice of the general meeting. Last-mentioned day may not be a Sunday, other public holiday, Saturday, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve or New Years Eve and may not occur any earlier than the fifth weekday prior to the general meeting. Advisor of a shareholder may only accompany the shareholder if the shareholder informs the company in the abovementioned way and states the number of advisors, one or two, who will participate in the general meeting. b) The class A-shareholders of the company propose that the Annual General Meeting decides on change of the first paragraph in 16 in the articles of association regarding post-transfer acquisition right as stated below. The proposal means that the companys long and successful tradition of being independent may continue through the possibility to transfer the companys class A-shares to future generations. Further, it is assessed that the groups independency, just as up to now, will be a vital positive factor regarding future company acquisitions as well as the ability to attract and keep key personnel. Present wording 16 Post-transfer acquisition right If a share of class A (A-share) is transferred from one shareholder to another shareholder in the company, or to someone who is not previously a shareholder in the company (the acquirer), the A-share shall immediately be offered by the acquirer for purchase pursuant to post-transfer acquisition rights to the other holders of A-shares by submission of a written notification to the companys board of directors. The acquisition of the A-share shall then be verified. In this paragraph, the transfer of shares also includes transfer by means of inheritance, a will, gift, division of marital property or other acquisition pursuant to family law. Proposed wording 16 Post-transfer acquisition right If a share of class A (A-share) is transferred from one shareholder to another shareholder in the company, or to someone who is not previously a shareholder in the company (the acquirer), in cases other than when the A-share is transferred to A-shareholders child, grandchild or great grandchild by means of gift, inheritance or a will, the A-share shall immediately be offered by the acquirer for purchase pursuant to post-transfer acquisition rights to the other holders of A-shares by submission of a written notification to the companys board of directors. The acquisition of the A-share shall then be verified. For a valid decision of the meeting in accordance with the proposals above it is required that the decision is supported by shareholders representing at least two thirds of the casted votes as well as of the shares represented at the meeting. 16 The board of directors proposal to authorize the board of directors to decide on an issue of new shares in connection with acquisitions of companies/business The board of directors of NIBE Industrier AB (publ) proposes that the Annual General Meeting decides to authorize the board of directors to decide, on one or several occasions during the time up to the next Annual General Meeting, with or without deviation from the shareholders preferential rights, on issue of new shares of class B in the company. The authorization shall also include right to decide on issue of shares with provision stating payment with non-cash consideration, that shares may be subscribed for with right of set-off or otherwise with conditions referred to in Chapter 13 Section 5 first paragraph 6 of the Swedish Companies Act. Share issue may only be decided if it concerns financing of acquisition of companies, part of a company or businesses. The authorization does not include a right for the board of directors to decide on cash issues with deviation from the shareholders preferential right. The authorization shall be limited to a total issue of shares corresponding to a maximum of 10 % of the total number of outstanding shares at the time of the Annual General Meeting. Further, the board of directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting decides that the managing director, or anyone authorized by the managing director, shall have the right to make such minor adjustments of the meetings decision that may be necessary in connection with the registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office and Euroclear respectively or due to other formal demands. For a valid decision of the meeting in accordance with the board of directors proposal as above it is required that the decision is supported by shareholders representing at least two thirds of the casted votes as well as of the shares represented at the meeting. 17 The board of directors proposal for guiding principles for remuneration and other terms of employment to executive employees The board of directors of NIBE Industrier AB (publ) proposes that the Annual General Meeting decides to adopt the following guiding principles. The subject of the guidelines and the guidelines applicability These guidelines shall apply to the corporate group of NIBEs executive employees, which consist of the managing director/CEO, financial director/CFO and the three business area managers. These guidelines shall also apply regarding remuneration, if any, (for example consultants fee) for work carried out by a board member, in addition to the board assignment, for the corporate group of NIBE or one of its associated companies. Unless otherwise stated below, the guidelines do not include board fees, which are decided by the Annual General Meeting. The guidelines promotion of the companys business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability In short, NIBEs business strategy is to deliver world-class sustainable energy solutions. For more information regarding the companys business strategy, visit www.nibe.com. A successful implementation of the companys business strategy and the procurement of NIBEs long-term interests, including sustainability, rely on NIBEs ability to attract and retain a management that is highly qualified and with the capacity to reach stated goals. Thus, the company needs to be able to offer remuneration terms that are competitive. These guidelines make it possible for the company to offer remuneration to executive employees on market terms and to be competitive in order to attract and keep personnel. Forms of remuneration It shall be possible to pay the remuneration as fixed salary, variable salary, pension and other benefits such as company car. Board fees shall not be paid to executive employees, who are employed in the group. All executive employees, who have not reached the age of 65, shall have retirement benefits corresponding to the defined benefit ITP-plan (supplementary pensions for salaried employees) (SW: ITP-planen), section 2, for salary parts up to 30 income base amounts (SW: inkomstbasbelopp). For salary parts exceeding 30 income base amounts, a premium with a fixed percentage of 30 % shall be paid, in accordance with the same principles as in the ITP-plan with fixed premium, section 1. The retirement premiums may, in total, amount to a maximum of 35 % of the total remuneration. Executive employees, who have reached the age of 65, are not entitled to retirement benefits. Other benefits, e.g. medical insurance, life insurance and a company car, may, in total, amount to a maximum of 5 % of the total remuneration. Criteria for payment of variable remuneration Executive employees shall as incentive be able to have a variable salary part, which is paid if the goals that have been set are met. These goals are set by the board and shall be measurable and predetermined, e.g. percentage growth, operating margin and working capital reduction. The goals are set for one financial year at a time. By rewarding clear and measurable performance linked to the companys financial and operational development, the goals set shall promote to motivate the executive employees to achieve the goals set by the company regarding business strategies, long-term interests and sustainability. The variable salary part shall be limited to four monthly salaries. In addition thereto, an extra monthly salary may be paid as remuneration, provided that the executive employee uses this extra remuneration and an additional monthly salary of his/her variable remuneration for acquisition of NIBE-shares. A condition for the extra remuneration is that the executive employee keeps the annually acquired NIBE-shares for at least three years. If the condition is not met, the company is entitled to recover this part of the remuneration. The purpose of the extra remuneration for acquisition of NIBE-shares is to increase the executive employees long-term interests in the company and hence promoting the companys business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability. Normally, the executive employees acquisition of NIBE-shares will be made once a year in February/March, with regard to applicable market abuse legislation. The managing director shall not be included in any incentive program. Termination of employment An executive employee shall be employed for an indefinite or fixed term. Upon termination by the company, the term of notice for the managing director shall be six months. The managing director shall be entitled to severance payment corresponding to twelve monthly salaries. Other executive employees shall receive salary during the term of notice, which varies between 6-12 months. There shall be no special agreement stating that executive employees may terminate their employment before they have reached retirement age and until then receive a certain part of their salary. Consideration of salary and terms of employment when preparing the guidelines When preparing the boards proposal for these guidelines, the average salary and terms of employment of the employees at the Swedish companies within the NIBE group have been taken into account. This has been achieved by obtaining information regarding the employees average salary and terms of employment as well as the increase and rate of remuneration over time during the employment. A very important additional factor has been the groups growth, with regard to the turnover as well as the result. Moreover, comparison has been made with other Swedish listed companies of the same size. This information has been part of the boards decision-making documentation in order to evaluate the reasonableness of the guidelines. Fees for consultancy services performed by board members. In special cases, the companys board members elected by the Annual General Meeting shall be able to be remunerated for consultancy services within their respective fields of competence, which do not constitute the board assignment, for a limited time. For these services, the company shall offer remuneration on market terms. How these guidelines have been prepared These guidelines have been prepared by the board of directors. The managing director and other executive employees have not participated in the boards preparations and decisions regarding these guidelines. The guidelines are subject to annual review through personal contact by the chairman of the board with the major shareholders. Deviation from these guidelines The board of directors may deviate from the guidelines if there are particular grounds therefor in an individual case and if it is necessary in order to meet the companys long-term interests and sustainability or to ensure the companys financial viability. The proposal for guidelines is essentially in line with the guidelines approved at the 2019 Annual General Meeting. The guidelines have been supplemented due to new requirements in accordance with certain amendments to the Swedish Companies Act. The company has not received any views from the shareholders. Miscellaneous The annual report and the auditors report, complete proposals for decision concerning items 15, 16 and 17, the auditors statement according to Chapter 8 Section 54 of the Swedish Companies Act and other documents will be kept available for the shareholders at the companys premises in Markaryd and on the companys web site, www.nibe.com, as from 23 April 2020 and will be sent to shareholders requesting it and stating their address. The shareholders are informed of their right to request information at the Annual General Meeting concerning conditions that may have an effect on the judgement of a matter on the agenda and conditions that may have an effect on the judgement of the companys financial position. At the time of execution of this notice the total number of shares in the company amounts to 504,016,622, of which 58,532,590 shares of class A and 445,484,032 shares of class B. The total number of votes in the company amounts to 1,030,809,932. Markaryd in April 2020 NIBE Industrier AB (publ) The Board Attachment Open letter on mining communities and coronavirus Civil society writes to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Gwede Mantashe on measures to protect mining-affected communities and workers from coronavirus As the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged in his public addresses that the coronavirus pandemic is a "grave public health emergency" (23 March 2020) and we are "in unchartered territory" (30 March 2020). Mining-affected communities are especially vulnerable due to a number of factors such as their limited, and sometimes non-existent, access to piped water and the prevalence of underlying respiratory illnesses as a result of air pollution from mining activities. We note the inclusion of "gold, gold refinery, coal and essential mining" in the list of essential services during lockdown in the Amendment of Regulations issued in Terms of Section 27 (2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002. Further we note the measures pertaining to mining identified by Minister Gwede Mantashe in his remarks on 25 March and 3 April 2020. While we acknowledge that these measures include important responses to the crisis, clauses in the Ministers remarks such as "for exports, each case will be evaluated on its merits" go against the purpose of the lockdown which is to contain the spread of this deadly virus by restricting the movement of people except when necessary for the production, distribution and accessing of essential goods and services. This and other exceptions risk opening the floodgates for all operations that mine for export applying and reopening their mines, therefore putting the lives of workers and communities at risk for profit. We have already seen the consequences of these exceptions with the reports that many mines are calling workers back to work including Anglo Americans Sishen iron ore mine ("Anglo American at odds with EFF over 'return to work' request during lockdown" Times Live, 31 March 2020) and several mines in the Rustenburg and Sekhukhune Platinum complexes. We therefore call on the department to reconsider this and restrict permissible mining activity to that required for essential goods and services. In this regard we support the stance taken by Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) (see AMCU press release, 6 April 2020). We are especially concerned about the lack of clear measures to protect mining-affected communities, especially in relation to the named sectors such as coal and PGMs where significant movement of people and contact will continue. As reported by the Minister on 3 April, there are already 3 confirmed covid-19 cases of mine workers in the sector in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. The Ministers statement that services being rendered to communities, such as water supply, will continue ignores the reality that for many mining-affected communities a lack of access to services is the status quo. Access to water is a particular challenge in many mining-affected communities, for example in Sekhukhune. The Department needs to work with other departments to ensure that all households in mining-affected communities with no piped potable water are immediately considered for permanent water supply beyond this crisis, and must require mining companies to urgently avail water supply not required for their scaled-down operations. Further, a plan needs to be put in place to ensure mining-affected communities are provided with a mass rollout of soap and sanitiser. As the President has announced, government is rolling out screening and testing for Covid-19. The Department must liaise with the Department of Health, mines and all applicable departments to ensure that mining-affected communities, especially in areas where a significant degree of mining activity is still continuing, are prioritised. Further, companies must test and not merely screen workers as many infected people do not show symptoms. The mine health facilities should be open to community for use. We also require clarity as to what health infrastructure the Minerals Council has put in place in order to support Government efforts. Due to limited access to transport in many mining-affected communities, accessing food and services is a challenge for elderly and ill members of communities in particular. It is essential that mining-affected communities are provided with food aid to ensure constant supply of food for the vulnerable. In this regard, community initiatives such as MACUAs co-ordinated food aid and prevention effort should be financially supported. Support for informal traders in mining-affected communities is critical. Traders should be provided with safety equipment such as sanitiser and gloves to protect both the traders and the broader community. We therefore request that the Department: include social movements, womens organisations, local community organisation, and NGO structures of mining-affected community networks (such as MACUA, WAMUA and MECJON-SA) amongst the stakeholders that the Minister periodically consults with on the crisis; narrow the range of mines allowed to those required for essential goods and services and provide lists of mines remaining open to trade unions, mining-affected community networks and community-based organisations; provide clarity on targeted measures to protect mining-affected communities including in relation to screening and testing, protective equipment, medical facilities, transport, access to food and other basic necessities (including the practicalities on how to access assistance). require companies to make available testing to all employees including returning employees in particular; regularly updates community networks as well as the directly affected communities on prevalence of Covid-19 on particular mines; and in addition to encouraging mining companies to share best practice, require mining companies to share information necessary for safety with communities and engage communities on their needs as a result of the crisis. We await your response and look forward to engaging on urgent measures to safeguard the health of mining-affected communities. Yours Sincerely FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna (Reuters) - Worldwide oil producers, led by OPEC, are expected to cut production by roughly 20 million barrels per day (bpd), roughly equal to 20% of global daily supply, through a combination of mandated cuts, production falls due to poor economics, and purchases into oil reserves. WHO IS CUTTING OIL PRODUCTION? The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, along with allies that include Russia, are cutting production by roughly 9.7 million bpd. This group is known as OPEC+. WHO ELSE IS CUTTING OUTPUT? The OPEC+ countries are being joined by cuts from other major oil producers, many of whom rarely manage production at a national level. Several of those countries, including the United States and Canada, have said their cuts are economic in nature, with private producers reducing output in response to the 50% decline in prices in 2020. Others have announced cuts as well, including Brazil, whose state-run Petrobras is reducing its output by 200,000 bpd. WHEN DID OPEC+ START CUTTING PRODUCTION? The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq and United Arab Emirates, and accounts for about one-third of world oil supply. They, along with Russia, Kazakhstan and several others, are known as OPEC+. In late 2016 the group agreed to reduce output to prevent prices from falling dramatically as U.S. shale oil production grew to record highs, eventually boosting the United States to top global producer. That deal was for a 1.7 million bpd cut - then the deepest cuts for the group. The group since renewed those cuts and applied additional reductions to keep prices higher. WHAT HAPPENED IN MARCH? Saudi Arabia and Russia, the two largest producers in this extended group, were unable to agree to curb output as the coronavirus pandemic worsened. Instead, they canceled the deal, and Saudi Arabia increased daily output to roughly 12 million bpd, boosting exports and lowering prices. That caused prices to fall as low as $23 per barrel for Brent crude , the international benchmark. Story continues HOW ELSE IS INVENTORY BEING REDUCED? Several major oil consuming nations have said they will start buying oil for their strategic reserves, helping take some supply off the market. WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR WORLDWIDE SUPPLY? Most analysts believe that without production cuts, oil prices would fall further and storage would fill in a matter of weeks. Under this deal, that process is still likely to happen, but more slowly. (Reporting By David Gaffen; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Chris Stein (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Tue, April 14, 2020 08:50 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1ab4ee 2 Business Donald-Trump,OPEC,OilProducers,OilPrices,oil-and-gas,oil-and-gas-industry Free Top global oil producers are considering slashing output by 20 million barrels a day under the terms of a deal to boost prices, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. Trump's remarks came after OPEC producers and their allies agreed on Sunday to cut production by 9.7 million bpd, which some analysts feared would be too little to stem the damage from the combination of plunging demand amid the coronavirus pandemic and a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. "People are saying 10 million but we think the number they will actually hit is going to be closer to 20 million barrels a day," Trump said at a press briefing about the coronavirus, referring to how much oil production would be cut. And he said such a deal could protect millions of US jobs. "This historic action will help nearly 11 million American workers who are supported by the US oil and gas industry." Trump had already tweeted about the deal earlier in the day. "Thank you to all of those who worked with me on getting this very big business back on track, in particular Russia and Saudi Arabia," he wrote. Yet traders remained nervous about a supply glut, and the US benchmark WTI oil price finished down 1.5 percent at $22.41 in New York trading, while Brent ended up 0.8 percent at $31.74. OPEC members dominated by Saudi Arabia and other producers led by Russia have been negotiating a deal to cut production and support prices for days. Mexico balked at an agreement on Friday, leading Trump to step in and say the US would help Mexico meet its end of the bargain. After a Sunday videoconference, the top producers agreed to slash daily production by 9.7 million barrels from May, according to Mexican Energy Minister Rocio Nahle, down from the 10 million barrels a day envisioned earlier. The agreement between the Vienna-based Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC producers foresees deep output cuts in May and June followed by a gradual rise in production until April 2022. But with demand down by about 25 million barrels per day and North American producers shutting down their rigs because they don't have space to store their crude, Dan Pickering, chief investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners, told AFP the deal's benefits are likely to be seen only later in the year. "The reality is things are bad. They are going to stay bad for a couple of months," he said. Not enough? Trump cheered the agreement Monday, saying, "It's a very monumental agreement." With countries putting their populations under lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic has caused an economic decline and a global demand slump that has sent oil prices to two-decade lows. Meanwhile, Russia and Saudi Arabia ramped up output in a price war to hold on to market share and undercut US shale producers. Calling Trump's goal "aspiration," analyst Andy Lipow said the market reaction to the OPEC+ deal has been "muted," as uncertainty remains over the degree to which producers will comply with the cuts. "Lots of questions... remain, as far as compliance and ultimately how much oil is actually taken off the market," he said. "Any increase in prices over the next few months is going to encourage producers to keep on producing." Storage tanks have also rapidly filled up, and Lipow said markets are watching major economies like China and India to see whether they will make more purchases for their national reserves to free up capacity. Trump announced last month the US would buy "large quantities of crude oil" for storage in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Producers have resigned themselves to tough times, with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak saying he did not expect oil markets to recover before "end of the year, in the best case," according to Russian news agency TASS. Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman suggested on Monday further cuts could come when OPEC meets in June. "Flexibility and pragmatism will enable us to continue do more if we have to," he told Bloomberg. "We have to watch what's happening with demand destruction or demand improvement, depending on how things evolve." The first 10 police officers to come out of retirement and help during the Covid-19 pandemic have returned to the streets today. Retired officers including a murder detective and a police constable with 30 years experience under his belt are part of a team of former cops that have more than 250 years of experience between them. PC Stuart Hepburn, 53, retired from the Met in 2017 after 30 years of service, on Tuesday he joined the emergency reponse team responding to calls in Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Fulham and Westminster. PC Stuart Hepburn is one of 10 Met Police officers to return to the beat on Tuesday, he will be responding to emergencies across London including Oxford Street, where he started 30 years ago Ten officers including PC Stuart Hepburn, 53, returned to duty on Tuesday, while 17 started training as they come out of retirement to help out during the coronavirus pandemic His Westminster beat also covers Oxford Street, where he first started out as a bobby, before joining the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection team, protecting iconic sites in the Capital. Speaking today PC Hepburn said: 'I had no doubts about returning to help my colleagues and serve London once again. I felt I couldnt sit at home and watch, I wanted to help, so I applied straight away. Im looking forward to seeing old colleagues again and the camaraderie that comes with the job that is really like no other. Detective Sergeant Andrew Yeoman, 48, retired in 2019 after 27 years service Scotland Yard. After starting out in Ilford, he trained as a detective in 1998, going on to work investigative and covert roles with the Homicide Task Force and the Flying Squad. He was later seconded to the National Crime Agency (NCA). DS Yeoman is joining the East BCU, where he will be investigating crime in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Havering. DS Yeoman said: 'I just felt I had to come back and help because that is what I joined to do all those years ago. The process of returning has been quick and I am looking forward to the challenge and the rewards that come with policing in London all over again.' While 10 retired officers returned to the streets today, another 17 began training at Hendon as they prepare to be re-deployed. More than 50 former officers have now applied to return as members of the Special Constabulary where they will be committing to at least 16 hours a week. Other officers are amongst more than 300 people who want to volunteer with the Met. Serving Met Police officers are being asked to delay their retirement during the Covid-19 pandemic. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has asked her officers to delay retiring until after the coronavirus pandemic is over Commissioner Cressida Dick said: 'It is wonderful to see the first of our former colleagues joining us this week. 'Their valuable skills and experience are helping increase the Mets resilience and allow us to be even more flexible in providing the best service we can to London during this unprecedented time as the country and the Capital responds to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. 'I am very grateful to all of them for not hesitating to come back and not surprised they still hold strong the same desire to help people and keep people safe as the very first day they joined. 'I have no doubt they will join their colleagues in displaying the best of British policing values at this challenging time for us all.' Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. The ACLU of Southern California has filed a federal lawsuit against U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demanding the release of detainees at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County due to concerns over coronavirus. The lawsuit was filed Monday along with Latham & Watkins LLP. It says conditions at the 1,940-bed facility make it impossible for people to remain 6 feet apart, and it asks a judge to order the release of enough detainees to allow proper physical distancing. Lawyers say up to eight people are housed together in one cell, with bunk beds just 2 to 3 feet apart; the suit also claims detainees have little to no access to gloves, masks and hand sanitizer. From the suit: "Given the population density inside Adelanto and the practical impossibility of achieving social distancing under current conditions, it is very likely that hundreds of people inside Adelanto, as well as many of the staff who work there, will contract COVID-19." icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy An ICE spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. The spokesperson said that "ICE remains fully committed to ensuring that those in our custody reside in a safe, secure, and clean environment, and that our staff and facility adhere strictly to the National Detention Standards (NDS). Anything contrary to that is simply false, and not reflective of the agency." On its website, the agency said it has limited the intake of new detainees since March. It also said it has identified for release at least 160 detainees nationwide who may be at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Earlier this month, Federal Judge Terry J. Hatter ordered the release of six detainees with underlying medical conditions from Adelanto, and judges around the country have ordered similar releases. In Massachusetts last week, a federal judge has ordered the release of ICE detainees on a rolling basis. As of Tuesday, at least 77 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19 across the country, according to ICE, including 15 at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. None so far have been listed as positive at Adelanto. UPDATES: 1:09 p.m.: This article was updated with a response from ICE. Few hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown will be extended till May 3, hundreds of migrant workers stuck in Mumbai came on streets, tossing away social distancing norms. The daily wage workers were came out on roads demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places. The daily wage workers are hit the worst amid lockdown and are at a loss of employment since the lockdown was announced last month, making their lives a constant struggle. Bandra , Mumbai Those who tweeted in favour of World's Best CM - tag those Bollywood B graders and ask them what the hell is this !! pic.twitter.com/WOoTk60dvv Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) April 14, 2020 Mumbai: A large group of migrant labourers gathered in Bandra, demanding for permission to return to their native states. They later dispersed after police and local leaders intervened and asked them to vacate. pic.twitter.com/uKdyUXzmnJ ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020 This is Bandra in Mumbai right now. Maharashtra Government now has their #TablighiJamat moment. Thousands of migrants protest and clash with Police. Why cant the migrant crisis be handled even after weeks of pandemic in the country? Bizarre. pic.twitter.com/iZ3egnA33F Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 14, 2020 Though authorities and NGOs have made arrangements for their food, most of them want to go back to their native places to escape the hardship brought by the sweeping curbs. According to a police official, daily wage earners, numbering around 1,000, assembled at suburban Bandra (West) bus depot near the railway station and squatted on road at around 3 pm. The video shows that police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The daily wage earners, who reside on rent in slums in in the nearby Patel Nagri locality, were demanding arrangement of transport facilities so that they can go back to their native towns and villages. They originally hail from states like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. A labour, who wished to stay anonymous, said, NGOs and local residents are providing food to migrant workers, but they want to go back to their native states during the lockdown which has badly affected their source of livelihood. Twitter "Now, we dont want food, we want to go back to our native place, we are not happy with the announcement (extending the lockdown)," he said, looking dejected. Asadullah Sheikh, who hails from from Malda in West Bengal, said, We have already spent our savings during the first phase of the lockdown. We have nothing to eat now, we just want to go back at our native place, the government should made arrangements for us. Heavy police deployment was made at the protest site to tackle any untoward incident. Personnel from other police stations were called at the spot to maintain order, the official told news agency PTI. Bernie Sanders on Monday endorsed Joe Biden for president. The Democratic rivals made a joint online appearance Monday afternoon, less than a week after Sanders, a progressive Vermont senator, declared an end to his second White House bid. Sanders threw his support behind the more moderate former vice president, saying he looked forward to working with him in an effort to oust President Donald Trump. I am asking all Americans, Im asking every Democrat, Im asking every independent, Im asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse, Sanders said. Sanders added that weve got to make Trump a one-term president. I will do all that I can to make that happen. Biden, who picked up a string of victories to blunt Sanders momentum in early voting states, enthusiastically thanked Sanders for his support. Weve disagreed, but weve been friends, Biden said. I promise you, I wont let you down. Im excited to do the work with you and your supporters in the weeks and months ahead. I say to your supporters: I see you, I hear you. I hope youll join us. We need to come together. We need to defeat Donald Trump." Leaders cutting across party lines paid rich tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary on Tuesday and urged people to light a lamp at home as mark of respect to the Dalit icon and not venture out. IMAGE: Chaitya Bhoomi wears a deserted look on of B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo In view of the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak, celebrations were subdued as Ambedkar's followers and politicians did not flock 'Chaitya Bhoomi', the Constitution architect's memorial in central Mumbai. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray offered floral tributes in front of a photograph of Ambedkar at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra. Thackeray in a statement said Ambedkar upheld principles of freedom, equality and brotherhood. "We should preserve these principles to keep the country united," he said. State governor B S Koshyari offered floral tributes to Ambedkar in Raj Bhavan, while deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar paid his respects at the Dalit icon's portrait at the state secretariat. Union minister Ramdas Athawale appealed to Ambedkar's followers to stay indoors. IMAGE: Buddhist monks clean the premises of Chaitya Bhoomi . Photograph: PTI Photo "Garland Babasaheb's portrait at 11 am in the morning and in evening light lamp of equality outside your homes," he said in a tweet. The minister said Ambedkar had shown the path of equality to discrimination prevailing in the society. Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar said Ambedkar was a symbol of knowledge. "Let us stay indoors and pay tribute to Ambedkar who was known as a symbol of knowledge. Let us light a lamp for the Constitution of India," he tweeted. Mumbai Congress president Eknath Gaikwad in his message said, "Let us strive together to work towards a just and equal India. Ambedkar was the architect of our Constitution and also the driving force behind our greatest institutions." IMAGE: People pay homage to Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary inside a chawl at Worli. Photograph: PTI Photo The Maharashtra Congress on its Twitter handle described Ambedkar as a "great crusader of social equality". Shiv Sena leader and state Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray in a tweet said, "My humble tributes to the architect of Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar." Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also tweeted his respects to Ambedkar. Mumbai: In a shocking development, around 3000-plus stranded migrants from different parts of India crowded near Bandra railway station demanding that they should be given transportation facilities to return to their native places immediately, in Mum Image Source: PK Mumbai, April 14 : Social distancing went for a toss when over 3,000 stranded, hungry and angry migrants from different parts of India thronged near the Bandra railway station on Tuesday demanding that they should be given transportation to return to their native places immediately. The Mumbai Police, which attempted to cajole them from jamming there in such large numbers, resorted to a mild lathi charge when sections of the restive hordes threatened to go out of control. By 6 p.m., Mumbai Police spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranaya Ashok informed that "the crowd had dispersed" while local police sources said that the "situation is under control, and the entire area would be sanitised" as a precautionary measure. The gathering -- violating strict prohibitory orders enforced throughout the state -- took place barely a couple of km from 'Matoshri', the private residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The incident has sparked a political row. Coming in trickles, the jostling sea of humanity, including women, virtually caught the police unaware and sounded alarm bells among the state health authorities struggling to keep people indoors and avoid crowding in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though the reasons for the sudden crowding were not clear, there were some rumours of food packets to be distributed by local groups and of some long-distance trains being started from Bandra on Tuesday night. Several of the migrants heatedly demanded that they could not continue to live in Mumbai, away from their homes or families in different parts of India with the lockdown getting extended till May 3 following the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning. They asked the police to make arrangements for suitable transportation facilities to enable them to go to their respective towns and villages. Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique tried to calm them down, appealed to them to disperse and promised to take up their issue. In a veiled attack on the Centre, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray said that these migrants have no homes or food and want to return to their native places, but no transport facilities are currently operating. Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh said that Uddhav Thackeray had discussed with Modi the issue of sending the migrants to their homes, but the lockdown has been extended now till May 3. In a sharp reaction, former Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said: "This was bound to happen. People have no food to eat, they are prevented from returning to their native villages. For how long can they remain like this? The government's figures are merely on paper. For how long and to how many people can any government keep feeding freely... Is there no alternative?" Attacking the Centre, Congress state spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that if the PM had given time to the migrants to return to their homes, they would not have come to the streets like in Mumbai, Delhi, Surat and other places. "The state government can provide them food, but cannot send them to their homes in view of the lockdown," Sawant pointed out. The Convenor of the Trade Unions Joint Action Committee, Maharashtra, Vishwas Utagi said there are over two million migrants stuck in Mumbai since the March 25 lockdown, besides 3,000 fishermen stranded at Gholvad in south Gujarat. "They have no food, no work, no homes, no transport to go home. How can they survive? The government machinery is not responding to the challenge and this is a human tragedy in other parts of the country as well," Utagi said. However, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Poonam Mahajan demanded that the state government should make separate planning for the migrants, which it was not doing, resulting in this chaos on Tuesday. The BJP state Vice-President, Kirit Somaiya, asked the government how can such a huge crowd gather flouting Section 144 (the prohibitory orders)? "It's a matter of deep concern. What about intelligence, and why today? The state government must treat this incident seriously and modify its schemes to provide food to the migrants," Somaiya urged. Countering this, Congress' Sawant accused Somaiya of raking up a 'conspiracy' angle without the BJP understanding the plight of the migrants. "Should we say the same (conspiracy) for the Surat and Delhi incidents," he asked. Targeting the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government, BJP leader Nitesh Rane said tomorrow it could be a (migrant) crowd from the Konkan. "It's the angst of the people. Ten people live in a 10x10 hutment in Mumbai. They should be given proper food or be allowed to return home," Rane said. Photo: social.diply.com By Kate Dalton Pregnancy is difficult at the best of times, let alone during an international crisis. They say expectant mothers get this radiant glow, but seven months in I'm still in the "no glow" category. I was sick, morning and night, for the first four months. My body changed and my clothes stopped fitting in the first trimester. My skin and hair look worse, not better. I have indigestion and all the forms of gas your body can produce. There is a sense of lost control over your body that comes with pregnancy, not to mention the restrictions on what you should eat, drink, and participate in. Throw in a pandemic and youre really free falling. What can we control in these challenging times? They say nobody is ever really prepared for parenthood. While that may be true, there are practical things new parents can do to help navigate this strange new world we find ourselves in. Do Your Research While you can easily get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information available to parents these days, having a basic understanding of what you can anticipate leading up to and in the months following labour will help lower your anxiety. Read books, review information from your healthcare practitioner, and ask seasoned parents in your inner circle for their advice. In-person prenatal courses have been cancelled due to COVID-19, but there are online alternatives that offer classes by video conference where you can engage with other participants and ask the instructor questions. Make a List Making a list of the essential items your newborn will require will help you feel more organized and in control. Many of us are feeling uncertain about the stability of our jobs and income in this current climate, so make that list a minimalist. Stick to the essentials you will absolutely need and buy in stages. You dont need a high chair for a newborn, but you will need diapers. Ask people you know if they have items they no longer need. Take advantage of the extra time you may have in isolation to scour second-hand items online and do price comparisons. Strive for Balance Its no secret that more hours spent at home equates to more trips to the fridge and cupboards for the average person. A scroll through social media shows an influx of posts featuring baking sessions to battle boredom and people eating their feelings. While it is OK to indulge your cravings now and then (and goodness knows expectant mothers earn those extra calories), it is also important to remember that what you eat is fuelling the growth of your baby. Take your prenatal vitamins, drink water, and balance out those cookies with whatever nutritious meals and snacks you have access to. Take a (socially distanced) walk or download a prenatal workout to do from home. It will do well for both your body and your mental health. Focus on the Future The state of our world can make it difficult for people to plan and have something to look forward to: Travel arrangements have been cancelled Weddings have been put on hold Sporting events and business conferences are postponed Nobody knows when these things will once again become a possibility but, pandemic or not, your due date will continue to approach. While hospital procedures and policies may evolve while were still in crisis mode, nothing will change the fact that you will soon have a new baby in your arms. And that is something to look forward to. While the rest of the world is at a standstill, you can focus on preparing for parenthood. We are all adjusting to a new normal, but you get to do it with a beautiful little human by your side. Kate Dalton is a professional recruiter who believes people are the greatest asset you can invest in. Email: [email protected] WATERLOO After a monthslong search, Waterloo has a new police chief. Mayor Quentin Hart named Joel Fitzgerald Sr. to lead the citys police force. The choice will go to the City Council for ratification during next Mondays meeting. He is Waterloo's first African-American police chief. Waterloo is honored to have had such high caliber police professionals, both internal and external, seeking to serve and protect our residents, said Hart. Dr. Fitzgerald simply stood out from the group based on his level of education, professional experience, and success in implementing community problem solving, the use of intelligence-led policing, and enacting evidence-based strategies to abate crime. He will be a bridge builder for our community. Pending council approval, he will assume the role June 1. Fitzgerald, who holds a doctorate degree, is currently chief deputy for the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. The Waterloo chiefs job has been vacant since late November when Chief Dan Trelka retired from the force and announced his campaign to run for Black Hawk County Sheriff. Four candidates -- two from within the department and two from other agencies -- were interviewed and presented to the community in public forums in February. Maj. Joe Leibold has been overseeing the department as acting chief since Trelkas departure. I want to publicly thank Major Joe Leibold for his service in the interim as acting police chief. Major Leibold always rises to the call of duty with professionalism and magnanimousness, Hart said. Joe is a credit to the department. Fitzgerald has 28 years of law enforcement experience and headed departments in Pennsylvania and Texas. He started his career as a member of the Philadelphia Police Department and was recently the first African-American police chief for the Fort Worth Police Department, leading one of the nations largest departments with more than 1,700 sworn officers and 500 civilian employees. Under his command, the Fort Worth Police Department became the largest state-accredited department in Texas, and trained all officers in de-escalation, procedural justice and implicit bias, according to city officials. Fitzgerald said he was impressed by the communitys and officers' interest in who would be Waterloos next police chief. In my conversations since the process ended with Mayor Hart, it became clear that integrity was high on his list of prerequisites, and he saw this as an opportunity to bring the department and community closer together with someone who has been tested, and who had success in other jurisdictions, Fitzgerald said. Love 45 Funny 5 Wow 4 Sad 3 Angry 37 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. This job expired on 13 May 2020. In brief: China's semiconductor industry is gearing up to take on established industry players, especially Samsung. YMTC has come up with a NAND chip that will offer comparable qualities at a potentially lower price. For Samsung, the semiconductor business has been doing so well as of late that investors are no longer concerned about the downturn in smartphone sales. The South Korean tech giant announced better-than-expected Q1 2020 earnings guidance earlier this month, mostly hinging on strong memory chip sales. We also know that Samsung is pouring exorbitant amounts of money into upgrading its NAND factories in China, with the ultimate goal of fighting the local competition, namely Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. and the Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Recently, YMTC announced that it has finished the verification stage for its 128-layer QLC 3D NAND chip, the X2-6070. The naming choice is odd, but we're talking about a 1.33 Tb fitting inside a single NAND die - for reference, Samsung's sixth-generation V-NAND chips come in capacities of 256 Gb and 512 Gb. The only other company that has built 1.33 Tb NAND chips is Toshiba. The new X2-6070 chip is based on the second-generation Xtacking architecture, which can deliver 1.6Gbps I/O speeds while using 1.2 V Vccq. Samsung and Toshiba NAND chips can achieve similar power efficiency but lower I/O speeds, so this is an area where the YMTC solution shines. Delivering half the speed of a standard DDR4 DRAM chip is an impressive feat for a NAND chip. YMTC is also planning to make a 128-layer TLC NAND 512Gb chip that can deliver similar speeds and will be better suited for applications where latency is key. There's no indication about when mass production will start, possibly due to the fact that YMTC will use its Wuhan factory, which was re-opened on April 10. The company is part of the Tsinghua Unigroup, which backed by the Chinese government and is currently the largest chipmaker in the country. Notable partners that use YMTC's NAND chips are Silicon Motion and Lite-On Technology. The NAND market is currently split between giants like Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, and Kioxia (formerly Toshiba). Now that YMTC is making advanced NAND flash memory chips, the result could be lower prices for consumers - something that looked unlikely a year ago. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh on Tuesday directed officials to prepare a list of the police personnel who will go to Srinagar for the 'Darbar Move' on May 4. Under the bi-annual 'Darbar Move', the government of Jammu and Kashmir functions for six months each in Srinagar and Jammu. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on Friday ordered the formal opening of the 'Darbar Move'. Singh chaired a high-level meeting with the officers of different wings to finalize the arrangements regarding the 'Darbar Move-2020' at police headquarters. The director general of police asked the officials to take all the precaution and measures in sanitizing and decontaminating the office buildings at Srinagar. He directed that the required accommodation for the employees should be readied well in advance in accordance with the health protocols. The DGP said in view of COVID -19 all the employees who travel from different districts have to be accommodated in the Srinagar city itself in view of the advisories issued in this regard. During the meeting, Singh also reviewed the health safety measures being adopted by the police personnel while performing their duties. He said adequate masks, sanitizers and protective gears are available with all wings of Police. The officers gave a briefing to Singh about the preparations made and precautions taken by their wings and units for the 'Darbar Move'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., said Monday that he's considering a White House run against President Donald Trump, a move that could pose a challenge to the president's campaign for a second term. Amash, who left the Republican Party last year and is seeking reelection to his Grand Rapids-area House seat as an independent, made the comment in a tweet responding to a statement by Trump on Monday night that as president, his "authority is total." "Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option," the libertarian-leaning congressman tweeted. In a follow-up tweet to a supporter, he added, "Thanks. I'm looking at it closely this week." A spokesman for Amash did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Amash's pronouncement came as Trump was making sweeping - and incorrect - claims about his presidential authority during Monday's coronavirus task force briefing. It also came on a day when Democratic support was coalescing around former vice president Joe Biden, the party's presumptive nominee. Hours earlier, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced that he was endorsing Biden's presidential bid, in a carefully choreographed show of support aimed at bridging the ideological divisions within the Democratic Party. The Libertarian Party is planning to nominate a candidate for president on May 25 at its convention in Austin, Texas, but no well-known figures have entered the race. Former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, who joined the party last year, abandoned a bid for the nomination this month. Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, the party's 2016 nominee for vice president, returned to the Republican Party this year to run a protest campaign against Trump. Weld ended his campaign last month. Amash, a vocal critic of Trump, voted for the president's impeachment last year and has repeatedly declined to rule out a White House run. "Is there any better time to have a president who might be not from either party?" he asked reporter Declan Garvey in January. Libertarian Party leaders have urged Amash to run for the nomination, and while they have faced stiff ideological opposition, former Republican elected officials have won the Libertarian nod every time they've tried. BJP MP P N Singh was on Tuesday asked to remain in home quarantine by the Dhanbad district administration after he reached here from New Delhi by road in the midst of the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Dhanbad Circle Officer Prasant Layak and Block Development Officer Uday Razzak told reporters that they went to the BJP MP's residence at Dhansar in the coal city. They asked him to remain in home-quarantine for 14 days, as there is a standing order from the health department to quarantine any person coming from outside the state. Singh had set out from New Delhi on Saturday and reached Dhanbad on Sunday afternoon. Samples of the BJP MP will be taken for testing for COVID-19 and also of those who had come in his contact during the last two days, the officials said. Meanwhile, an aide of the three-time Member of Parliament said Singh has chronic ailments like diabetes. He said the BJP MP was staying alone in Delhi after he went to the national capital to attend the Lok Sabha session before the parliament was adjourned sine die following the nationwide lockdown. The aide said Singh was feeling alone and wanted to stay with his family in Dhanbad due to his chronic ailments. He added that Singh could not return home immediately as he had to take part in an important party meeting, and also he could not get a confirmed flight ticket for March 23. The BJP MP set out from New Delhi on Saturday and reached Dhanbad on Sunday afternoon after covering a distance of over 1,200 km in 17 hours. He showed his health certificate and pass at several points where his car travelled, Singh's aide added. The BJP MP could not be contacted as his mobile phone was switched off. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Senator Bernie Sanders announced on Monday that he supports Joe Biden's bid for the presidency and urged everyone to rally behind the former vice president. "Today I am asking all Americans, I am asking every Democrat, I am asking every independent, I am asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse," Sanders said as he appeared in a webcast together with Biden. Sanders urged voters to make certain that "we defeat somebody who I believe ... is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country." The endorsement comes just days after Sanders suspended his own campaign for the Democratic nomination following a series of defeats in the primaries. Biden thanked Sanders and said he would need his former rival during the campaign and afterwards. "If I am the nominee, which it looks like now you just made me, I'm going to need you - not just to win the campaign, but to govern," he said. The US presidential election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2020. --ANI-- [April 14, 2020] swIDch: Why Numberless Cards Are Not Enough to Tackle Payment Fraud A UK cybersecurity startup, swIDch, announced an alternative technology to overcome the limitations of numberless cards by using dynamic PANs (primary account number), thereby creating a new security environment in the payment process. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005018/en/ A UK cybersecurity startup, swIDch, announced an alternative technology to overcme the limitations of numberless cards by using its Dynamic Virtual PAN (primary account number) technology, thereby creating a new security environment in the payment process. This patented technology is a complete API-driven, CNP security solution that replaces static with dynamic PANs as well as eliminating access points for hackers. (Graphic: Business Wire) Eliminating numbers on payment cards increases security if customers lose their card. However, hackers can exploit weaknesses through online payments. Numberless cards appear to be a new trend in finance combined with a substantial growth of e-wallet services. Apple's (News - Alert) credit card, GrabPay in Asia and a few European Fintechs plan to launch the product with similar benefits. The purpose of numberless cards is to increase security. It reduces the risk of personal information loss when the card falls into the wrong hands. However, when it comes to online payments, customers' credentials are still at risk of being targeted for CNP (Card Not Present) fraud. This is because the customer's card information is static. For online payments, customers are often required to input their card information. For those with numberless cards, they can view their card number in the issuer's App. In this procedure, the static PANs can be exposed to hackers and the cardholders become victims of CNP fraud. Another consequence of using static PANs is BIN (Bank Identification Number) attacks letting cybercriminals know BIN numbers and systematically generate potential valid card numbers. To prevent CNP fraud, e-wallet providers adopt tokenization technology to substitute sensitive data for mobile payment. However, only 35% of online merchants have integrated this technology, leaving the remaining vulnerable to CNP fraud. While some banks use disposable virtual cards as a solution, the costs to maintain this service are prohibitive. What if customers can generate dynamic virtual cards without an internet connection for each online transaction reducing the cost for banks? swIDch has introduced Dynamic Virtual PAN technology for businesses offering a numberless cards solution. This patented technology is a complete API-driven, CNP security solution that replaces static with dynamic PANs as well as eliminating access points for hackers. swIDch is also developing a biometrically enabled 'Digital display cards' that shows a dynamic card number for authentication. The card has no battery and instead uses an energy harvesting system to draw power from NFC devices. The company plans to launch the new digital cards in June 2020 with the collaboration of card manufacturers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005018/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] San Francisco State University officials are going straight to the source to address one of the thorny, emotional byproducts of the coronavirus pandemic: What to do about graduation? That rite of passage, for high school and college seniors alike, counts as another victim of the pandemic, given the public-health risk of large crowds. So San Francisco State sent a survey to graduating seniors Monday, seeking their preference on how to handle this years commencement ceremony. School officials previously postponed the event, originally scheduled for May 22 at Oracle Park. The schools commencement is typically held at the Giants ballpark to accommodate the graduates, their families and friends. Last year, about 8,700 students received their undergraduate and graduate degrees. The survey emailed to students Monday offers three options and asks them to rank their preferences in order: In-person ceremony only, with date and location to be determined by San Francisco Department of Public Health guidelines. Virtual ceremony only, to be held in 2020. Combination of a video recognition this year and an in-person ceremony to be determined based on Department of Public Health guidelines. Commencement is a celebration for and of our graduating San Francisco State University seniors, school President Lynn Mahoney said in a statement emailed to The Chronicle. The university is proud of the hard work, dedication and tenacity they have put into earning their degrees, so it is important to hear how they want to be honored for their accomplishments. For an unforgettable moment like this, it would be a disservice to our seniors if we made a decision without their input. 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. Kerasa Tsokas, a senior journalism major from San Francisco, welcomed the survey. She cringed upon reading an earlier email on April 5, when the school first raised the possibility of a virtual and/or live streamed ceremony. I just think its a slap in the face to any student who worked their ass off to get where they are, Tsokas said Tuesday. Everyone I know was mad when they found out virtual was a possibility. I want a postponement, not virtual. Tsokas voted for the combination, with some sort of online event this year and then an in-person ceremony later. The survey also asks students who prefer an in-person event to choose between one in May 2021 at Oracle Park or one to be held as soon as possible in a smaller venue and with fewer guests (and broadcast live). San Francisco State students have until 2 p.m. Friday to submit the commencement survey. Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick It gives me time to work and complete assignments on my time throughout the day. Rather than sit in school for six hours, I can break up the work throughout the day and use the extra time to work around the house or go outside. Ana, 15, Southbridge, Mass. The positive thing about being home during the coronavirus pandemic is that I get to spend time with my family and share with them what Im learning. I get to involve my parents in activities that I have only done with my friends. I also get to see what my siblings are learning and help them. Miabella Capote, Denver, N.C. I enjoy staying home as long as I dont think too much about why Im not at school. I actually have more time on my hands than I know what to do with. Ive been trying to use that extra time for productive things, like learning how to cook. Charlie, 17, Kirkland, Wash. Samuel: The best thing about being at home is you get to hang around your family more and not being able to be around other people helps you get outside, and do some exercise. Anna: I do like learning from home because I get more work done than I usually do because I have my parents assistance. I dont because I am away from all of my friends and my teachers assistance. It is also difficult to see and do assignments online. But I do get to take breaks, go to the bathroom when I want, eat snacks, go outside, etc. I also dont have to do any homework if I get all my work done for the day. Samuel Rogers, 12, and Anna Rogers, 12, Berea, Ky. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hanoi, Vietnam Tue, April 14, 2020 17:35 637 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd1de059 2 SE Asia ASEAN,video-conference,online,meeting,coronavirus,COVID-19,economic-impact,pandemic,heals Free Southeast Asian leaders warned Tuesday of the crippling economic cost of the coronavirus at a summit held online, calling for trade routes to reopen to protect jobs and food supplies, as well as the stockpiling of medical equipment. Vietnam -- which chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting -- urged leaders to set up an emergency fund to tackle the pandemic, as the virus ravages the region's tourism and export-reliant economies. In opening remarks via video conference, Vietnam premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the work of ASEAN in fighting the virus so far. But he warned the virus "has badly impacted people's lives, their socio-economic situation... challenging stability and social security". Vietnam has so far had some success in containing the virus through extensive quarantines and social distancing. It has recorded 265 infections and no deaths, while Thailand has officially also kept its numbers relatively low with just over 2,500 cases and 40 deaths. The situation is mixed elsewhere across the region, with fears that limited testing in Indonesia has played out into the low caseload -- and under 400 deaths -- for the country of 260 million. Similarly, threadbare health systems from Myanmar to Laos are widely believed to be missing the true scale of infections, while a recent surge in cases in Singapore has raised fears the pandemic could rebound in places which had batted back the initial outbreak. Vietnam used the 10-member summit to propose funding to deal with the pandemic, building emergency medical stockpiles and sharing resources. Both Malaysia and the Philippines said they would welcome a response fund, with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte warning he was "particularly concerned with food security". Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong echoed the group's fears, urging the region's leaders to collaborate "to keep trading routes and supply lines open". The whole region has been hit hard by the virus. In Vietnam many factories are still running, but, in a sign of the ongoing risks, dozens of workers at a Samsung unit in the north were ordered into quarantine after one tested positive for the virus. The Thai economy, the second-largest in ASEAN, is expected to shrink by 5.3 percent this year -- a 22-year low -- with millions left jobless in the politically febrile kingdom. Nearly 22 million people have registered for cash handouts. Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea also joined the summit. Doosan Bobcat's compact tractor / Courtesy of Doosan Bobcat By Nam Hyun-woo Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won Doosan Group is under growing pressure to put its stakes in Doosan Bobcat or Doosan Infracore up for sale as part of an effort to salvage its cash-strapped flagship unit, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. Industry sources said Tuesday the group wants to keep the construction equipment firms' stakes as "a last card" due to their contribution in the group's overall growth, but chances are growing on reshaping the two companies' shareholding structures, as creditors appear to be showing doubt on the group's ability to secure cash. "For Doosan Group, selling its stake in Doosan Bobcat or Doosan Infracore will be the last resort, given their importance in the group's portfolio," Daishin Securities analyst Lee Dong-heon said. "Since unloading the two companies will be like nipping things in the bud for Doosan, creditors will likely give Doosan some time before demanding the sale. However, the problem is not many assets are remaining in Doosan Heavy for liquidation." As a return for emergency financial assistance from the group's main creditors, Doosan Corp., the holding firm of Doosan Group, has submitted a plan on improving Doosan Heavy's financial structure to the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors. The group did not immediately reveal any details regarding the plan, but added "Doosan Heavy is considering all sellable or cashable assets" for its normalization and the improvement of its financial structure. While announcing its submission of a restructuring plan to KDB, Doosan Corp. said "Doosan Heavy will consider selling all cashable assets for normalization." The market interprets this as a sign that Doosan Heavy will unload its own assets along with Doosan Corp.'s sale of Doosan Solus, because Solus is not under Doosan Heavy's control. Some industry officials cited Doosan Engine's sale as a reference for a potential stake unloading of Infracore and Bobcat. Bobcat is considered symbolic of Doosan's commitment to expanding its global footprint. In 2018, Doosan Heavy split its unit Doosan Engine into business and investment companies and sold the former to a PEF. The investment company, which had Bobcat's stake, was merged into Doosan Heavy. KDB said it will "thoroughly verify the feasibility, (Doosan's) ability to redeem debts and whether the plan meets the principle of restructuring," and it will fix the plan after consultation with Doosan Group. Reportedly, the creditors are focusing on whether the plan includes Doosan's efforts for securing cash. KDB, jointly with another state-lender Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank), decided to offer 1 trillion won worth of credit line for the group, to protect the group from a complete fallout. It was suffering a liquidity crunch while being loaded with 4.9 trillion won in debt. Holding company Doosan Corp. is planning to unload its and owners' stakes in cash-cow unit Doosan Solus, and apparently preparing to separate Doosan Infracore and Doosan Bobcat from Doosan Heavy, in order to prevent Doosan Heavy's credit risk spreading to Infracore and Bobcat. Doosan Infracore's articulated dump truck / Courtesy of Doosan Infracore They're in lockdown like the rest of the nation amid the global coronavirus pandemic. And, Daisy Lowe, 31, and Charli Howard, 29, posed in sheer red lingerie as they shared more racy throwback snaps to Instagram on Monday and voiced their sadness at being separated while in self-isolation. The model and her best friend flaunted their sensational physiques in the pretty underwear sets from their Valentine Day's shoot with Agent Provocateur. Wow! Daisy Lowe, 31, and Charli Howard, 29, posed in sheer red lingerie as they shared more racy throwback snaps to Instagram on Monday Daisy captioned the saucy snap: 'Really missing running round my house in our undies @charlihoward.' Showing that the feeling was mutual, Charli shared a snap from the same photoshoot, adding: 'can't wait to walk around your house naked again @daisylowe.' Last Monday, Daisy ensured she marked her pal Charli's 29th birthday in style as she shared other throwback images of the pair's shoot with Agent Provocateur. In the social media post, the model sent temperatures soaring in red underwear as she praised her 'dearest bosom buddy', who celebrated her milestone in isolation. Bosom buddies: Charli shared a snap from the same photoshoot, adding: 'can't wait to walk around your house naked again' 'To my dearest bosom buddy': Last Monday, Daisy marked Charli's 29th birthday in style as she shared another throwback image from their shoot with Agent Provocateur 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 you're 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] Working it: In the social media post, the model sent temperatures soaring in red underwear as she praised her 'dearest bosom buddy', who celebrated her milestone in isolation 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 Plenty to smile about: The brunette bombshell and musician Jack, 35, recently jetted off on their first romantic holiday together, with the couple posting images from Sri Lanka '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'.' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently bid farewell to their status as part of the Royal Family. The two wanted to lead a more more financially independent lifestyle along with their 11 month old son Archie. While one would assume that with the coronavirus situation at large around the world, the couple would have stayed in Canada but surprisingly, the trio moved their base to LA and reportedly are staying at a heavily guarded Malibu mansion.According to a news portal in the US, Harry and Meghan have recently purchased Oscar Winning actor Mel Gibson's five-bed USD 14.5 million Malibu home. Rumours of the deal began doing rounds a while back ever since an estate agent shared a tweet about the same before deleting it. Even though the agent was not connected with the property in anyway, it spread like wildfire. Another US weekly reported that as of now the two are setting up calls and virtual meetings with agents and will make take the plunge in the coming summer or fall. The report also claims that Harry and Meghan moved to the States since they wanted to be closer to the deal makers.Well, heres wishing the lovely duo the best of luck for their new chapter in life. Bengaluru, April 15 : In a rare show of bonhomie, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress celebrated the 129th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna B.R. Ambedkar together amid the lockdown here on Tuesday. "As Ambedkar is the architect of the Constitution, he is one of the country's tallest leaders above party lines and politics. All parties celebrate his birthday every year," a BJP official told IANS here. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and party's state unit President D.K. Shivakumar joined Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Deputy Chief Minister Govid Karjol in paying tributes to Ambedkar and garlanding his statute at the state secretariat in the city centre. Cabinet ministers and BJP leaders and leaders of the Congress were present on the occasion and greeted each other. "JP Naddaji, thank you for accepting my non-partisan suggestion of taking a pledge to uphold the ideals and tenets of the Constitution by reading the Preamble on Ambedkar Jayanti," tweeted Shivakumar in response to the BJP national President's call on Sunday to his party's members to uphold the Constitution. Nadda also directed the ruling party's members to distribute masks and ration kits to the poor to mark Ambedkar's birth anniversary. "Nadda also directed BJP Chief Ministers and party's state heads across the country to release a video message to the public on the Dalit icon, garland his statute or photo and share it on social media," the party's state unit spokesman said. The Congress held a special function at its party office in the city centre where its state leaders and cadres took pledge to uphold the ideals and tenets of the Constitution, drafted under the guidance of Ambedkar in 1949. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Subscriber content preview By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT Interstates and city streets are empty and cars are quarantined in their owners' garages, so consumer advocates argue that it only makes sense for auto insurance rates to reflect that. In the states of Washington and New York, the number of traffic crashes reported to state police fell about 30% in March compared with a year ago, as the states were on lockdown for part of the month to stop the spread of coronavirus. . . . BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijans obligations envisage the reduction of daily crude oil production in May through June 2020 by 23 percent 164,000 barrels, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. The issue of fulfilling the obligations by Azerbaijan assumed within the regulation of the oil market was discussed with the companies involved in the oil production in the country, the message said. "The oil producing companies expressed support for the measures related to ensuring balance in the oil market, the message said. Azerbaijans obligations will be distributed in accordance with the percentage of daily crude oil production, reduced to the level of October 2018 and taking into account the oil production volume by oil producers." This time quotas on the limitation of oil production by OPEC and non-OPEC countries concern only the production volume of crude oil, the volumes of condensate are not taken into account in these obligations. The daily production of crude oil in Azerbaijan amounted to 718,000 barrels in October 2018. Azerbaijans obligations envisage the reduction of daily crude oil production in May-June by 23 percent 164,000 barrels, in July-December - by 18 percent 131,000 barrels, from January 2021 through April 2022 by 14 percent 98,000 barrels. In accordance with its obligations, Azerbaijan must maintain daily crude oil production in May-June 2020 at the level of 554,000 barrels, in July-December 587,000 barrels, from January 2021 through April 2022 620,000 barrels. ---- Follow the author on Twitter:@IsmailovaNargis If the first casualty of war is truth, the second may very well be something the entire world values highly right now: healthcare. Families fleeing conflict, or currently in its crosshairs, know that medical assistance is a rare and precious privilege in war zones. Amid the terror of bombs and bullets, a functioning medical facility is a life-saving oasis, but its a near certainty that medical staff will be overworked and short on supplies. This lack of medical care is what makes COVID-19s inexorable march into conflict zones so terrifying: Its a dramatic threat to life in places where people are often seen as nameless, faceless others. But my organization the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps and gets to know real people, real families, who now lie before a violent storm. As president of the ICRC, Ive come to know the very hard scenes that war victims must confront. We feed the severely malnourished. We listen to survivors of sexual assault. We patch together splintered families, and we sew up grotesque war wounds. In short, we see the world at its worst, which is why I want world leaders and governments to listen carefully: I am scared. I am scared because the coronavirus is overwhelming even the capacities of Western nations advanced medical infrastructure. I am scared that when the virus reaches the worlds under-resourced prisons, already fragile health and low medical capacity will combine to result in widespread sickness. I am scared when COVID-19 reaches the worlds cramped refugee camps and precarious provisional shelters, where social distancing is impossible and medical resources scant. The children, parents and especially grandparents have found that they will soon be left to fend for themselves against the disease, and that is why Im urging governments and humanitarian groups like mine to do as much as they can to help these most vulnerable people. This has been a necessity for a long time. Today, helping those least able to defend themselves from disease is a moral and political imperative, even or especially during the crippling societal and economic effects of a global health crisis. We can and must reduce the suffering this disease will cause those least able to cope. In a 2016 study, the Rand Corporation found that Afghanistan, Haiti, Yemen and 22 countries in Africa make up the 25 countries most vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks. The majority of the 10 most vulnerable countries were conflict zones. The ICRC is currently carrying out a major reorientation in our assistance activities, adapting our existing work to todays viral reality. In the medical facilities we support in countries such as Syria, Somalia and Iraq, we are increasing stocks of essential supplies and reinforcing infection prevention and control measures. In detention facilities in more than 50 countries, the ICRC works with the authorities to strengthen medical screenings and prevention measures for new arrivals, visitors, guards and delivery personnel. We also support disinfection measures and distribute hygiene materials. We have seen such measures prevent the spread of cholera and Ebola into places of detention in Guinea, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We must do the same with COVID-19. These are critical steps right now. But here is another critical step: the ICRC and others must continue to carry out non-COVID-19 work. For example, the hospitals we support in South Sudan have received more than 145 patients with gunshot wounds in recent weeks. They must be helped, too. The sad reality is that for people living amid conflict, COVID-19 may just be one additional mortal threat. Its for a good reason that the UN secretary general has called for a global ceasefire; humanitarian actors need all possible space to respond to the present pandemic. Our double response to conflict and COVID-19 is extra difficult because of the vital measures taken to contain the pandemic. Travel restrictions prevent the collection of humanitarian assistance and block our teams from entering countries or delivering supplies. Well work to overcome these challenges, but we ask decision-makers to make exceptions for health and humanitarian work. If helping is a moral imperative, governments and other armed actors in theaters of conflict must protect a neutral and impartial humanitarian space, not overburden it with regulations and restrictions; everyone must protect human dignity, not marginalize, exclude and stigmatize. Im scared that COVID-19s assault on the worlds most vulnerable will be vicious. Time is already short, but we must work together now to reduce whatever suffering we can. Governments, belligerents and authorities must change their behavior. Viruses know no borders; the impact of a lack of response and resources for detainees and refugees may haunt the entire world. Peter Maurer is president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. The RDF has condemned the recent incident in which some of its soldiers were involved in criminal misconduct. Rwanda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to impose a lockdown. But there are human rights violation concerns as campaigners in several African countries accuse security forces of using heavy-handed tactics to enforce it. Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi reports. Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife US/Brazilian model Camila Alves attend the premiere of "White Boy Rick" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on Sept. 7, 2018. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images) Matthew McConaughey and Wife Camila Donate 80,000 Masks to Key Workers Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey will be donating 80,000 masks to healthcare workers, firefighters, and police officers in Austin and New Orleans amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. According to a Facebook post from the Austin Fire Department, on April 10, the McConaugheys made a surprise visit to the C-shift at Station 32 where they told firefighters that they will be donating several thousand N95 masks soon, as part of their commitment to donate 80,000 masks overall. On behalf of the public safety and healthcare families, a HUGE thank you to the McConaugheys for their generous gift! the Austin Fire Department wrote. McConaugheys wife, a model and designer, also shared the news of her and her husbands donation in an Instagram post last week which was accompanied by a video of the couple delivering boxes to the fire department. Our mission is to protect those who protect us, by providing healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers, and others with approximately 80,000 masks needed to battle the COVID-19 virus, she wrote. Matthew and I, our friends Bill and Tracey Marshall have teamed up with the organization BStrong. We are passionate about helping first responders from our hometown Austin, Texas, Louisiana, and nationwide as we combat this national pandemic. Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves attend the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2019. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images) According to its website, the BStrong program is a disaster relief initiative that provides real time emergency assistance to individuals and their families in crisis, and its mission is to empower people struck with tragedy by providing gift cards, emergency aid, food, and shelter to disaster victims. The initiative was launched by American reality television personality Bethenny Frankel in 2017 and has raised and distributed millions of dollars in cash and supplies for victims of natural disasters around the world, including those in the United States, Puerto Rico, South America, the Caribbean islands, and Australia. In her Instagram post last week, McConaugheys wife added that she hoped the move would inspire others to help too or inspire them to pick a lane to help others, whatever that lane is even if your lane is helping your neighbor, calling people, emotional support, donations, volunteer. Matthew McConaughey has been sharing a number of videos on social media in recent weeks to raise awareness on social distancing during the CCP virus pandemic, including a recent tutorial on how to create your own homemade mask using a bandana, a coffee filter, and two rubber bands. As of April 14, there are 14,277 confirmed cases of CCP virus in Texas and 295 deaths have been attributed to this disease, which originated in Wuhan, China, in December last year. A Delhi Police SHO and his team are feeding hungry birds and monkeys in the city, besides their regular duties amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. It's been more than a week since Kalkaji SHO Sandeep Ghai and his men started feeding the birds and monkeys at Anand Mai Marg and Kabootar Chowk near tony C R Park at around 7 am daily, an senior police official said. "Since people were not able to venture out due to lockdown, many good samaritans who used to often feed birds and animals could not continue. So we noticed hungry monkeys venturing into residential colonies in search of food," he said. Following this, the station house officer of Kalkaji and his team took upon themselves to feed the birds and monkeys with gud' (jaggery) and chana' (chickpeas), the official said. Later, the policemen and ACP KalkaJi also shared the idea with representatives of Kirana Market Association and Mani Ram Aggarwal, the owner of Aggarwal Sweets, who also got involved in the initiative, he said. Now they feed hungry monkeys, birds and cows apart from providing food to poor people. The policemen buy bananas, gud' and Chana' and feed around 400-500 monkeys, 50-70 cows and other animals on Anandmai Marg and Ravi Daas Marg daily, the official said. Police are also encouraging RWAs of colonies in Kalkaji, Govindpuri and Amar colony of the southeast district to feed stray dogs in their area, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On the day of the election, the Karofsky campaign sent more than 125,000 text messages using specialized software that makes it easier to send out thousands of texts, though it still requires a staff member or volunteer to push send for each message. It takes a lot of human energy, and for us it was that human energy that is usually focused on the doors, said Mr. Chheda (pronounced CHED-dah). Mr. Chheda also pointed out that overall behavioral changes caused by the pandemic meant shifting some normal messaging strategies. For Judge Karofsky, that meant holding telephone town halls, an old tactic popular for constituent outreach but not as popular in campaigns. Now, with more people at home, they would regularly get around 6,000 voters on a call. And in smaller campaigns that wouldnt often spend money on pre-roll ads on Hulu or YouTube, the surge in online viewership as more voters are confined to their homes made these digital ads worth the spend. Smaller races, such as city alderman in Milwaukee, faced even greater challenges. The digital tools available to bigger campaigns often have some form of geographic borders baked into them, such as a Facebook ad targeted at a congressional district. There is no option for city alderman. So Mr. Chheda and his team set about making a custom audience that would essentially duplicate those geographic targeting options on Facebook. We uploaded a list of addresses that were in the district, and then we targeted mobile devices that were within 50 feet of those addresses, Mr. Chheda said. We basically created a map of the district, he said. Not at hard connections, but at mobile connections around those latitude and longitude spots. Of course, every state has its own byzantine laws and legal processes for voting, and some dont even offer a no-excuse option to vote by mail. But with election laws changing and primary days shifting amid the pandemic, Wisconsin could provide a road map for some states, according to Mr. Wikler. Italy today reported less than 3,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time in a month. While the number of cases in the coronavirus-ravaged country decreased, the death tally rose for a second consecutive day by 602, up from 566 the day before. Rome ordered the opening of a handful of stores including bookshops and stationery shops in a trial to see how social distancing measures can work after the lockdown, which otherwise remains in force. A patient suffering from COVID-19 is seen in an intensive care unit (ICU) in the Covid department of Rome's San Filippo Neri Hospital today in Rome, Italy A worker in full protective gear including gloves and a mask inspects the stock at a children's clothes store in Rome's Trastevere district this morning, as Italy allowed a limited number of shops to re-open However, some regions have chosen not to take full advantage. Bookshops will not open for another week in Rome and will stay closed altogether in Lombardy. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on 21 February rose to 21,067, the Civil Protection Agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States. The number of officially confirmed cases climbed to 162,488, the third highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain. Nurses in Bari, Italy carry a COVID-19 patient on a high bio-containment stretcher to take him to the Cotugno hospital ward amid the pandemic today A medical worker cares for a patient suffering from COVID-19 in an intensive care unit (ICU) in the Covid department of Rome's San Filippo Neri Hospital today in Rome, Italy There were 3,186 people in intensive care on Tuesday against 3,260 on Monday -- an 11th consecutive daily decline. Of those originally infected, 37,130 were declared recovered against 35,435 a day earlier. The rise in new infections dropped to a new low of just two per cent. But a top Italian infectious diseases expert said yesterday that data was hard to read because new cases showing up now could have occurred up to three weeks ago, given the incubation period. 'The time that passes between the moment of contagion and the moment we receive the data could be 20 days,' the ISS public health institute's Giovanni Rezza told reporters. 'So when you read that there are 300 new cases, these cases were infections acquired 20 days ago.' People wearing face masks and gloves wait to enter a stationery shop in Rome today. Italy ordered the opening of some shops in the capital to test how social distancing will work once the nationwide lockdown, which remains in place across the country, is over The Mediterranean country last week extended its national lockdown until 3 May. The decision has been backed by doctors but opposed by businesses that doubt they will be able to survive standing idle for three more weeks. 'There are positive signs, but the number of deaths is still high,' Rezza said. A study released by the Italian central bank's research institute Monday said a two-month shutdown could shrink the country's annual economic output by up to 11 per cent. Two new Covid-19 cases were reported in Mohali district on Tuesday, taking the count of positive patients to 56 in the district, highest in Punjab. The 38-year-old house help of the 78-year-old Kharar woman, who died on April 7 and tested positive for coronavirus later, was also diagnosed with Covid-19. The second patient is a 56-year-old woman of Jawaharpur village in Dera Bassi, whose sample was sent again and found positive. With this, the village count has gone up to 38. Mohali civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said, We have isolated the Kharar family and teams have been sent to collect samples. Both the women have been admitted to Gian Sagar Hospital in Banur. All patients admitted in various hospitals of the district are responding well to treatment. The lane has been sealed and we have already began the screening of the residents. Asked about the primary source of infection both at Kharar and Jawaharpur, he said, We are yet to ascertain that. The house help could even be the source in Kharar. As for Jawaharpur, we have asked intelligence agencies to trace the mobile location of the panch as he is hiding some information. Six hotspots in district Jawaharpur is the worst hit in the district as it alone has 38 cases out of the total 56. The village located on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, with a population of around 3,000, has been declared a hotspot by the state government along with five others areas in Mohali city Phases 3A, 5 and 9 besides Sectors 69 and 91 which have reported two cases each. Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan said besides Jawaharpur village, the administration has sealed three nearby villages. In other hotspots, we have sealed the respective lanes, which have around 10 to 15 houses each. Every individual in these houses is being screened. Those found symptomatic are being tested for infection, he said, putting emphasis on monitoring, screening and sampling. Reports of all 49 people screened in these five areas have come negative. Mohali civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said Jawaharpur has been declared a containment zone as there are highest number of patients there. The screening exercise is almost complete. We have directed all residents not to step out of their houses and to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Housing the Human and the Sacred will introduce the renowned architecture of Fay Jones to a broader audience through interactive gaming technology, made possible by a $250,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Professors Greg Herman and David Fredrick received the NEH Digital Projects for the Public Grant based on A House of the Ozarks, their current prototype for a touch-based kiosk and interactive website that allows users to experience Jones' architecture virtually, in real time and three dimensions. While A House of the Ozarks provides an interactive, virtual tour of Jones' Fayetteville home, completed in 1956, Housing the Human and the Sacred will expand the prototype to include five additional structures designed by Jones - four more homes and Thorncrown Chapel, the architect's most celebrated building. The grant will also enable the researchers to develop an extended, cumulative experience of Jones' architecture via touch-based kiosks, the internet, and virtual reality headsets. "An Arkansan himself, Fay Jones is one of the most important and most influential American architects," said Herman, principal investigator for Housing the Human and the Sacred. "As Jones himself put it, more eloquently than I could, architects have 'the power and responsibility to shape new physical and spatial forms in the landscape, forms that will sustain and nourish and express ... the human condition at its spiritual best.' Fay certainly achieved this, and a big part of what we're trying to do is ensure more people get to experience what he's talking about." Herman is an associate professor in the Department of Architecture in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. For more than a decade, his teaching and research have focused on Jones' work, and he serves as director of the Fay and Gus Jones House Stewardship, which was responsible for renovating and curating the Jones family home. Since 2017, Herman has collaborated with Fredrick to share the Jones home with a larger audience virtually. Fredrick, co-principal investigator on Housing the Human and the Sacred, is a professor of classical studies in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Tesseract Center for Immersive Environments and Game Design. The Tesseract Center produces video games, interactive visualizations and virtual reality content for teaching and research. For the past three years, Tesseract Center students and staff, with Herman as content expert and Fredrick as design and production lead, have crafted the interactive design, art assets, and programming for A House of the Ozarks. Their work was made possible by an $86,000 grant from the Chancellor's Innovation and Collaboration Fund, which helped the researchers obtain the NEH funding. For Housing the Human and the Sacred, Tesseract Center staff and student interns, working under Fredrick's direction, will create a multilinear, 3D narrative in six chapters, informed by Herman's interpretive guidance. Each chapter will correspond to the houses and Thorncrown Chapel. In addition to the Jones home, where Fay Jones lived with his wife Gus until he died in 2004, the project includes three Fayetteville homes - the Sequoyah Project, Hartman Hotz House and Brothers House - and Stoneflower near Heber Springs. Herman and Fredrick said the project's interactive narrative will feature three key themes through which Jones' work explores the human condition: the sense of one's body in relation to space and design, the effect of architecture on social relations within and beyond the family, and the occupant's relation to the elements and rhythms of nature. "The project will leverage key principles from game design that we feel are consonant with Jones' design approach - multilinear narrative, discovery, surprise and reflection," Fredrick said. "Through the combination of these principles, the user will interact with the natural elements of water, fire, glass, stone and light, triggering 360-degree video clips that will highlight the primal importance of shelter and immerse the user in the landscape of the Ozarks." A U of A alumnus and long-time Fayetteville resident, Fay Jones was a world-renowned architect and recipient of the 1990 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. He was also a long-time architecture professor and first dean of what is now the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, named in his honor 10 years ago. His architectural approach combined simple elements - stone, wood and glass -into an expression of great richness, while retaining the organic principles and simplicity of expression derived from his mentor and early employer Frank Lloyd Wright. Jones' Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, completed in 1980, has been listed by the AIA among the most significant buildings of the 20th century. Several of his designs for houses and chapels have been honored by the architecture profession for the strength of their design and their appeal to a broad audience. "Extending the value and impact of architecture and design by all means possible into the public realm is a central mission of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design," said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. "And to do so through the extraordinary Arkansas legacy of our namesake Fay Jones is a continuing obligation and opportunity. The collaboration between professors Herman and Fredrick, between the Fay Jones School and Fulbright College, between material culture and applied technology, is a powerful example of the university's potential to convert its intellectual and creative strengths into publicly accessible education and cultural value." A podcast of Herman and Fredrick discussing their work on Fay Jones can be found at Research Frontiers, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas. ### (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. is hitting back at activists within its own ranks, terminating three employees who had criticized working conditions in its warehouses. The retailer confirmed on Tuesday that it had fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa for violating company policy. The two employees, who worked at Seattle headquarters, had taken to Twitter recently to voice concerns about the treatment of workers during the coronavirus pandemic; theyve also long been involved in an employee campaign urging Amazon to do more to fight climate change. A third employee, Bashir Mohamed, who worked in a warehouse in Minnesota, was also fired. The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News reported earlier on the firings, which took place last week. U.S. senators, labor leaders and some of Amazons own workers have expressed concern that the company hasnt been doing enough to keep employees safe as Covid-19 cases pop up in dozens of facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Groups of workers have staged walkouts at Amazon warehouses in New York, Illinois and Michigan. Amazon said the two employees at its headquarters had been terminated for violating its policy prohibiting employees from speaking publicly about company matters. We support every employees right to criticize their employers working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies, the company said in an emailed statement. We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating internal policies. The company has also defended its work to keep warehouses safe, saying its following public-health guidance to limit employee contact in its facilities and supporting employees diagnosed with the disease. Amazon has offered temporary raises and more lucrative overtime to warehouse employees working during the pandemic. Cunningham and Costa were outspoken leaders in Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. Cunningham, a user experience designer, spoke on behalf of the group at Amazons 2019 shareholder meeting. Both were also among the workers who in January defied a stricter Amazon corporate policy on employees speaking in public without authorization. Story continues I truly believe Amazon can play an incredibly powerful and good role during COVID-19, Cunningham said in a statement released by the employee group. But to do that, we have to really listen to the workers who are on the front line, who dont feel adequately protected. Who fear getting coronavirus, or giving it to their families and the wider public. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, called the firings outrageous on Twitter. Amazon needs to stop retaliating and start making sure employees are safe, working in sanitary conditions with proper protections, he said. Trumka was among the signatories of a letter that leaders of the largest U.S. labor groups, joined by New York elected officials, sent Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos criticizing the companys decision to fire Chris Smalls, who led a walkout at Amazons Staten Island warehouse. The company says he was terminated for violating a company-ordered quarantine after coming into contact with someone diagnosed with Covid-19. Amazon on Tuesday also confirmed it had dismissed Mohamed. Kristen Kish, a company spokeswoman, said Amazon respected his right to protest. This individual was terminated as a result of progressive disciplinary action for inappropriate language, behavior and violating social distancing guidelines. (Updates with Cunningham comment. ) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the nation-wide lockdown will be extended for 19 more days till May 3. PM Modi announced this decision in his address to the nation. Originally, the 21-day nation-wide lockdown was to end on April 14. The PM said India might have paid a big economic price for the lockdown but there was no alternative to saving human lives. PM Modi said the Centre would come out with detailed guidelines on the extension of lockdown on Wednesday. He assured the country there was adequate stock of medicines and ration. He assured some relaxations might be allowed after April 20 in areas with no hotspot. He added the fight against coronavirus would become more stringent in next one week as new hotspots would create new crisis. PM Narendra Modi said people had gone through hardships to save India. "I know how many difficulties you faced. I respectfully bow to the people of India for their sacrifice," he added. Even when India did not have a single corona patient, India had begun screening passengers from COVID-19 affected countries, the Prime Minister Modi said. Also read: PM Modi speech on coronavirus Live Updates: Lockdown extended till May 3; rules to get tougher PM Modi's 7-point appeal to Indians Care for the elderly at your home, especially the ones who have health issues. We must save them from coronavirus. Please follow the restrictions on lockdown and social distancing. Follow the Ayush guideline to increase immunity. Help in stopping the spread of coronavirus. Download Aarogya Setu app and make others download too. Help the poor and needy as much as you can. Help the ones in your business and do not fire people. Pay your respects to the frontline workers. Most Chief Ministers had suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their video conference last week that the nation-wide lockdown should be extended by two weeks. PM Modi at that time had said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the states on extending the lockdown for two weeks. Earlier, seven states of the country had announced that they will be extending the lockdown beyond April 14 in their respective areas. Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are states were the lockdown won't be ending on April 14 but will go on till April 30. While in Punjab the lockdown will go on till May 1. India has reported 8,988 active cases of coronavirus (as of 8 am, April 14), according to the Health Ministry. Total deaths stood at 339. As many as 1035 patients have been cured or discharged and 1 migrated. Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, deaths, list of testing facilities Turkey has one of the worlds fastest-spreading coronavirus epidemics, with over 52,000 cases and 1,100 deaths since the first case was diagnosed on March 10. A new bill proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its government coalition ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) brings a partial amnesty to some prison inmates. This comes amid fears that Turkeys spiraling epidemic could lead to mass deaths if COVID-19 spreads across the prisons. As many as 90,000 prisoners, roughly one-third of the total, could benefit from the bill, but tens of thousands of political prisoners are excluded, as they have been charged on fraudulent terrorism charges. These detainees, including journalists critical of the government, whose trials continue without any concrete evidence, will not be eligible for the amnesty. The Turkish government is thus taking as an example the British government, which is refusing to release WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as it releases thousands of prisoners. In 1998, as mayor of Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was imprisoned and banned from political activity for four months for inciting religious hatred after he read a poem by Ziya Gokalp. However, he returned to politics in 2002 thanks to a special law supported by the Republican Peoples Party (CHP). Todays amnesty, had it been implemented in 2002, would not have amnestied Erdogan himself. Fearing the constitutional court will annul sentences or apply the amnesty to all prisoners in accordance with the principle of equality in the constitution, Erdogans government insists that the bill is not an amnesty but only an execution arrangement. This arrangement also paves the way for arbitrary prison sentences for articles or social media posts criticizing the government. During the pandemic, Turkish prisons have become very dangerous. Overcrowding, insufficient ventilation, lack of sunlight, common toilets and bathrooms, insufficient access to hygienic products and cleaning of dining halls and kitchens, inadequate medical staff, long waiting times for medical treatment, all make it easy for the virus to rapidly spread across an entire prison population. The crisis in prisons is an international phenomenon. With COVID-19 cases already detected in several Turkish prisons, last week prisoners revolted in the southeastern city of Batman because they are not included in the execution bill. Iran has already released 70,000 in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while prison protests and riots have erupted in Italy and Colombia. The opposition CHPs mild criticisms of the bill have focused on promoting trust in the state. CHP spokesperson Faik Oztrak complained, You arrange a remission on execution because of an epidemic. You keep journalists in prisons, you release the thieves. This is clearly political opportunism. ... With the execution arrangement, those who accept bribes will go out; those who report bribery will go to prison. CHP officials hypocritically criticize the bill under the mask of democracy, but they are complicit in the AKPs police state policies. In 2016, the CHP voted for an AKP-backed constitutional amendment stripping the Kurdish nationalist Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) deputies of parliamentary immunity. As a result, former HDP leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and several former HDP deputies are still in prison. Nonetheless, the HDP unhesitatingly formed an alliance with the CHP in the last years local elections. In a statement, the HDP, together with various smaller petty-bourgeois parties, reacted to the bill as follows: The right to health and life of prisoners is supposed to be secured by the state and the government. However, the new regulation proposed by the government shows that the AKP-MHP bloc only thinks of those close to it in this respect. The rights of the opposition members are openly violated. ... Imprisoned politicians, former members of parliament, mayors, journalists, academics, students and citizens who have used their right to freedom of expression in the social media are excluded from this regulation. This simply covers up the reactionary record of the Kurdish nationalists themselves. The Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the main US proxy force in Syria, holds political prisoners in northern Syria in appalling conditions. Alleged Islamic State (ISIS) fighters and their families are kept in prison camps in horrific conditions, without sufficient food, on the orders of Washington and the other NATO imperialist powers. According to 2020 data, there are a total of 282,703 prisoners in 355 prisons in Turkey. T24 reported that about 37,000 were jailed on terrorism charges, according to the Ministry of Justice statistics. In Turkey, it mostly means non-violent political offences. When Erdogans AKP came to power in 2002, the number of prisoners in the country was just 60,000. While the total population increased less than 20 percent from 65 million in 2002, the prison population almost quintupled. The AKP has built 178 new prisons in this period and 61 new prisons are expected to open in 2020. The turn towards a mass jailing policy is in line with the AKPs long-standing drive toward a police state, authoritarian rule at home targeting the working class, and involvement in imperialist wars across the Middle East. As the WSWS stated in 2017: Erdogans attempt to seize dictatorial powers flows from the war drive with which the imperialist powers responded to the Egyptian Revolution. Under pressure from NATO, the Turkish ruling class abandoned Erdogans zero problems with neighbors policy and backed imperialist wars for regime change in Libya and then in Syria, initially using Al Qaeda forces as proxies. After the defeat of their Al Qaeda proxies in Syria, the imperialist powers settled on working with Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish nationalist groups, instead of the Islamist Free Syrian Army. The AKP government saw this as a fundamental threat to Turkeys territorial integrity and stepped up its offensive against Kurdish nationalist groups, ending the peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). As a result, thousands of Kurdish politicians, including lawmakers, mayors, and journalists, were imprisoned. The Syrian war also led to a major shift by the AKP toward a rapprochement with Russia and China, igniting a bitter conflict with the US administration and its European allies. In July 2016, a section of Turkeys military launched an abortive putsch out of NATOs Incirlik air base, encouraged by Washington and Berlin. After the coup attempt, Erdogan imposed a state of emergency and set about drafting a new constitution to consolidate his power. Some 150,000 public servants and soldiers have been dismissed from their jobs and more than 500,000 people were arrested. More than 30,000 people are in prison, most of whom did not participate in the coup. Hundreds of critical journalists and academics were jailed or forced into exile. According to a recent Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) report, there are 85 journalists in Turkish prisons, though the real number may be well over 100. Class conscious workers will defend the rights of political prisoners and journalists. During the pandemic, measures must be taken to protect all prisoners and other vulnerable sections of society. Political prisoners and imprisoned journalists should be released immediately. Cement manufacturing Company, Diamond Cement Group has presented a cash cheque of GH100,000 to the Covid-19 National Trust Fund to support governments effort in curbing the spread of coronavirus. In addition the Group earlier donated a total of 250 tonnes of cement worth GH150,000 towards the rehabilitation of isolation centres across the country. The donation according to the Group is also to aid the effort of the frontline service providers and more importantly provide support to the vulnerable during this period of the pandemic. A top delegation from the Diamond Cement Group including: the Chairman, Mr. Mukesh Patel, Mr. Himesh Patel, a Director and Mr. BVK Raju, the General Manager were present at the Ministry of Information in Accra on Tuesday to present the cheque. The delegation was accompanied by Rev. Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah, The Executive Secretary of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) who was on hand to endorse the donation as Diamond Cement Group is a member of CMAG. This donation brings to total a whooping GH1.25 million as donations from cement manufacturers in Ghana. Presenting the amount to the Minister of Information, the Chairman of the Diamond Cement Group, Mr. Mukesh Patel said the group saw the need to donate to the fund considering how crucial we all need to work together to help minimize the negative impact of the pandemic on economic activities. Mr. Patel commended the Government for taking giant steps towards preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and urged the entire citizens to follow the protocols outlined by the Government to avoid a possible spread. He hoped the cement donated will be used for its intended purpose to cater for cases recorded/isolation centres for effective management. The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah thanked the Diamond Cement Group and members of the Cement Manufacturers Association for their commitment in supporting the Government to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. He observed this as a patriotic gesture and assured of Governments commitment to fight the pandemic with every resource available. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 00:03:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MAPUTO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique's National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) announced Tuesday the arrest of Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, a Brazilian drug trafficking ringleader wanted for 21 years. The detention was carried out by SERNIC agents on Monday in Maputo, and a result of the cooperation with the Brazilian federal police and Interpol, said Leonardo Simbine, the Head of the Public Relations Department of SERNIC, at a press conference. Simbine said Santos had traveled to several African and South American countries before he entered the country in mid-March. "Gilberto dos Santos, better known as 'Fuminho', was arrested along with two citizens of Nigerian nationality, in a condominium in the city of Maputo," said Leonardo Simbine. "Fuminho" also had multiple cash, 100 grams of marijuana, 15 cell phones, three watches, five bags and a car, according to the briefing. Simbine said that the trafficker will be held responsible at least for crimes he allegedly committed in Mozambique, such as document forgery, the possession and use of drugs. A total of 35 small brokers closed over the 12 months before the end of March, the fastest clip since records began in 2003, according to data from Hong Kong's stock exchange. The exodus has only accelerated in recent months. Fifteen brokers handed back their trading rights to the stock exchange in the first quarter, versus two in the same period last year. In all of 2019, 22 brokers shut down. Lower commission income, higher technology and compliance costs, stricter margin-financing rules as well as a drop in takeover interest from mainland buyers all contributed to the winnowing out of the world's most crowded brokerage market. Many retail investors avoided investing in the market late last year amid anti-government protests. Heightened volatility and the coronavirus pandemic scared more away this year, said some small brokerage firms. "Many small brokers found their commissions were crushed and they could not make ends meet," said Gordon Tsui, chairman of the Hong Kong Securities Association. Compounding their pain, the Securities and Futures Commission has asked brokers to hire more compliance staff in recent years, bumping up operating costs. The watchdog's clampdown on the relatively lucrative margin lending business from October has also pushed many brokers over the edge. "Many small brokers cannot earn enough from brokerage commissions, so they relied on interest income from lending to customers to trade stocks. The ruling slashed their last major source of income," said Tsui. The inexorable rise of electronic trading has crushed brokerage commissions globally over the past decade. Portfolio managers down to retail investors can now buy and sell stocks digitally and expect to pay a fraction of what it would cost to ring a broker to place an order. Technology costs have also spiralled to the point that only the largest brokers can afford to build the platforms able to handle electronic trading. Story continues Single stock electronic trading grew from 37 per cent of cash equities trading volume in Asia excluding Japan in 2018 to 43 per cent last year, according to Greenwich Associates' survey of large institutional investors in the third quarter of last year. The consultancy expects electronic trading to represent roughly half of cash equities volume in the region by 2022. "Ten years ago, electronic trading was under 20 per cent. The overall volume of trading has gone up since then as well," said John Feng a consultant at Greenwich Associates. Last brokers left standing turn out the lights on 126 years of Hong Kong trading To be sure, Hong Kong's market turnover surged by 20 per cent in the first quarter versus the same period a year earlier, but it was the biggest, most sophisticated brokerages who cashed in on this rush of trading activity. Only the larger firms know how to use the short-selling or other derivatives to make the most from market swings, according to lawmaker Christopher Cheung Wah-fung, who represents the financial services sector. Hong Kong's 500 smallest brokerages have a market share of just 7 per cent in terms of stock turnover, compared with 40 per cent in 2000. The top 14 players have a 58 per cent share and 51 mid-tier firms have about 35 per cent of the pie. Hong Kong's small, family-run stockbrokers flourished in the 1980s, swelling to around 900 brokers before the 1987 stock market crash. The number dropped to 413 firms in 2005 then climbed back up to 606 by the end of last year, encouraged by interest from mainland brokers. "These old brokers are well past their retirement age, but they kept going in the hope of selling at a high price," according to Joseph Tong Tang, chairman of Morton Securities in Hong Kong. Mainland buyers scouted the market intensively after Hong Kong and Shanghai launched a trading link in November 2014. Sun Hung Kai & Co sold a 70 per cent stake in its wholly-owned brokerage firm Sun Hung Kai Financial Group to mainland China's eighth-largest brokerage, Everbright Securities, for HK$4.1 billion in 2015. But since then Beijing curbed overseas acquisitions, particularly debt-fuelled expensive purchases. "Many brokers don't earn enough to pay for rent and staff salaries. They kept running a losing business waiting for a buyer. Now there is slim hope they prefer to retire instead," Tong said. The government announced some relief measures last week, paying HK$50,000 for each brokerage excluding the 14 biggest players. The government will also pay half of each staff's salary up to HK$9,000 for six months. "It is not perfect, but at least it can provide some help to prevent more closures," said Cheung, who is also chairman of his own securities firm, Christfund Securities. Sign up now and get a 10% discount (original price US$400) off the China AI Report 2020 by SCMP Research. Learn about the AI ambitions of Alibaba, Baidu & JD.com through our in-depth case studies, and explore new applications of AI across industries. The report also includes exclusive access to webinars to interact with C-level executives from leading China AI companies (via live Q&A sessions). Offer valid until 31 May 2020. 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. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. With the sharpest ever increase of 1,463 new positive COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus cases in India on Tuesday climbed to 10,815, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The COVID-19 figure includes 9279 active cases, while 1190 patients have been cured and discharged or migrated as of Tuesday. The total deaths due to the infection stood at 353.As per the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra with 2337 confirmed cases has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country, followed by Delhi (1510) and Tamil Nadu (1173).Fresh cases on Tuesday were reported from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, among other States and UTs. The highest number of deaths -- 160 -- has also been reported from Maharashtra in the country.At the regular media briefing on Tuesday, Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said coronavirus tests are being done in over 220 labs and there are 602 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals having 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds across the country. He said that PM Modi has asked countrymen to support him by following seven things to defeat coronavirus : Take good care of the old and sick person. Follow COVID-19 guidelines, social guidelines. Increase immunity by following tips by Ayush Ministry. Download AarogyaSetu mobile app. Donate and care to poor people. No layoffs. Respect the doctor, nurses, police.Aggarwal said that the main focus of the government is to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus.Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry informed that over 32 crore people have been given direct cash support of Rs 29,352 crore and 5.29 crore beneficiaries have been given free ration of food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package and Ann Yojana amid the COVID-19 lockdown. In order to provide support to farmers in view of the lockdown, Rs 14, 946 crore have been transferred to 7.4 crore farmers towards first installment of PM Kisan Yojana. Moreover, Rs 9,930 crore have been disbursed to 19.86 crore women, who are Jan Dhan account holders through DBT and Rs 1,400 crore have been disbursed to about 2.82 crore old age persons, widows, and disabled people under social assistance programme.Here's a quick read on the COVID-19 related updates:1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 but hinted at some relaxations post April 20 at places where COVID-19 cases remain under control and no spurt in the cases is reported. He also urged the people to bear with the situation as restrictions were necessary to stop coronavirus pandemic from acquiring monstrous proportions in the country.2. The Prime Minister informed that till April 20, all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions.3. A total of 223 labs comprising a network of 157 government and 66 private laboratories are conducting a rigorous screening process, according to the MoHFW.4. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the capital will fully implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lockdown measures. Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that if three people are found positive for COVID-19 in an area, then that area will be contained and declared as a 'red zone.' 5. The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad has added another product to the portfolio of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) by developing COVID Sample Collection Kiosk (COVSACK), said the Defence Ministry in a statement on Tuesday.6. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has started supply of coveralls conforming to ISO Class 3 exposure standards in the fight against COVID-19 and manufacture of an initial order of 1.10 lakh from HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL) will be completed in 40 days.7. The Indian Railways and the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed that rail services and airline operations (domestic and international flights) will remain suspended till May 3.8. Alcohol production in Haryana has begun at full capacity to ensure a stable supply of the commodity which is used for manufacturing hand sanitisers and that two lakh proof litre is being transported to various states every day, state's Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said. Hand sanitisers are in great demand as the country grapples with coronavirus pandemic. 9. With 71 COVID-19 cases reported from Jaipur, Rajasthan; tally of coronavirus has climbed to 969 on Tuesday. The State government announced that the Jaipur Metro train services will remain suspended till May 3.10. Uttarakhand government has decided to provide 7.5 kilograms of additional food supplies to each ration card holder from April to June under the state's food distribution programme. 11. The Education Department, Chandigarh Administration has declared that it will announce the results of classes 9 and 11 on April 20. In wake of the extension of the lockdown period, the administration has preponed the summer vacation and re-scheduled it from April 15 to May 14. 12. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up 20 control rooms under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) on pan India basis to tackle issues arising out of the COVID-19 crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As India is fighting the Covid-19 crisis with nationwide lockdown, doctors and healthcare workers are working day and night to minimise the damage due to the pandemic with constant checks on the patients, either through phone or video conferencing. The threat of them catching the coronavirus and infecting their own families also looms large, due to which most of the doctors have given up going homes and have shifted to solitary accommodations. "The disease is very contagious and till now we do not have any concrete solutions on how to manage it effectively which for us is ... The former police chief for the town of Guernsey was fired in retaliation for her investigation into local officials involvement in a drug ring, according to allegations made in lawsuits filed last week in federal court. Lawyers for the onetime Chief Terri Van Dam as well as Sgt. Misty Clevenger filed the civil complaints early Thursday afternoon, alleging that town officials earlier this year forced out the two policewomen after they accessed her email and discovered Van Dam had reported the results of her investigation to state and federal law enforcement. Although the lawsuit pertaining to Van Dams allegations does not make clear the nature of her investigation, referring only to malfeasance and corruption, Clevenger makes note in her civil complaint which was filed at the same time and by the same lawyers as those representing the former chief that the investigation was of the alleged drug ring. The lawsuit does not name the people alleged to be involved in the drug use and distribution. Town officials could not be reached late Monday afternoon for comment regarding this story. According to the former police chiefs lawsuit, Van Dam began collecting evidence of non-specified malfeasance in her personal time in 2018, before she was appointed chief of the Guernsey Police Department. Over the course of two years, Van Dam states in the filings, she compiled a list of several dozen people she suspected of involvement in wrongdoing, including town officials and employees. Van Dam states that last year, after her appointment to the role of chief, the town approved hiring an administrator and two more police officers, one of whom was Clevenger. Town Treasurer Kate Farmer whom the former chief has named defendant in the civil action, along with the town itself, Councilman Kellie Augustyn and Mayor Nick Paustian failed to increase the small agencys budget by enough to pay the new hires, Van Dam alleges. The budget was instead increased by only $9,000, according to the lawsuit. In October of the same year, when town officials accused her of exceeding her authorized budget, Van Dam alleges, she found that it was instead not increased to account for the newly authorized hires. In the same month, Van Dam states, she reported her investigatory findings to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. In November she made a report to the FBI, making her disclosures to the agencies via her town email address, as well as meeting law enforcement in person and providing physical documents, the lawsuit states. In December, Paustian reduced the hours of police department employees, according to the lawsuit. The same month, Van Dam provided more information to DCI. It was late in December, Van Dam states, that she found her email had been accessed by another person. According to the lawsuit, Van Dam later discovered that Farmer had accessed her email. In January, the chief told Town Attorney Dana Lent that she thought her emails had been hacked and said in confidence that she had notified the outside agencies of her investigation. Days later, the lawsuit states, Lent announced at a town council meeting that Van Dam had reported misconduct to DCI and the FBI and that an investigation was underway. About a week after the council meeting, Paustian demanded Van Dam resign because she failed to provide a schedule for officers hours, among other reasons. The lawsuit states Van Dam resigned under protest. Although Van Dams references to the nature of the investigation are vague, Clevenger provides more specificity in the lawsuit she filed Thursday. According to the former sergeant, she assisted Van Dam with an investigation into the use, sale and transport of illegal drugs by town residents, including town officials and employees. In the fall, Guernsey police reported their finding to DCI and the FBI, Clevenger states. And, in December, when the plaintiffs allege Farmer used her town position to surreptitiously access the policewomens computers, Farmer reviewed emails between Van Dam and the FBI and DCI, according to Clevenger. Those emails were later shared with people whom Van Dam had recommended the outside agencies investigate as suspects, the lawsuit states. In early February, the mayor fired Clevenger without cause, which the sergeant states in the lawsuit was inconsistent with the terms of her employment. The policewomen allege that town officials violated their constitutional rights to due process and freedom of speech. They ask a judge to find their firings void, reinstate them and provide back pay. Former Deputy Town Clerk Kathy Montgomery also filed a lawsuit against the town on Thursday, alleging she was around the same time improperly terminated from her government position. She, however, does not allege that she was fired in connection with Van Dams investigation. Montgomery states that she was defamed at an internal town meeting and then fired following complaints to superiors alleging that coworkers had falsified their time cards, drank on their lunch hour and used town trucks for personal purposes. In her lawsuit she names the town, Paustian, Farmer and building inspector Matt Allred as defendants. Minutes of a town council meeting on April 7 state that Farmer announced she would resign from her position at the end of last week. Those minutes do not give a reason for the resignation. Chief Dwight McGuire, who was appointed to replace Van Dam, said at the same meeting he brought the agency up to full staffing by hiring two officers, according to the towns minutes. Lent, the attorney, did not immediately respond to a late Monday afternoon voice message left with her law office requesting comment for this story. The towns offices close at 4 p.m. and city officials could not for that reason be reached then by phone. Love 24 Funny 15 Wow 24 Sad 13 Angry 50 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocket Builders today released its eighteenth (18th) annual "Ready to Rocket" lists. These lists profile British Columbia technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the technology sector trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers. Rocket Builders also released results from its 2019 lists, with strong revenue growth across all sectors. As is typical with this list, companies profiled tend to attract investment, partnerships and even get acquired. Last year, greater than half (103) received investment. The annual 2020 "Ready to Rocket" lists provide accurate predictions of private companies that will likely experience significant growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. This year the lists feature 200 companies across 5 different technology sectors: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Cleantech (CT) Life Science (LS) Digital Health (DH) Agri-Food (AF) The "Ready to Rocket" lists are the only predictive lists of its kind in North America, requiring many months of sector and company analysis. "Over the 18 years of the program, the B.C. technology sector has steadily grown each year, and presents a growing challenge to select and identify the most likely to succeed for our Ready to Rocket lists," said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "In recent years, a startup economy has blossomed yielding a rich field of companies for our consideration, with over 600 companies reviewed to make our selections of 200 winners. Our Emerging Rocket lists enables us to profile those earlier stage companies that are well positioned for investment." INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) The 2019 Ready to Rocket list for ICT performed extremely well. The average growth rate on that list was over 40% growth, with 31 companies with double digit growth and 12 exceeding 100% growth. The list as a whole represented the creation of over 500 jobs. 29% of companies on the list received new investment in 2019. Two companies graduated (achieve >20M revenue or over $50 in investment) and two were acquired. "2019 was a great year for ICT in British Columbia as there was significant job creation and many breakthrough companies," said Reg Nordman, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "Despite the economic uncertainty, we foresee great growth potential for many of these companies as they offer leading edge technology that provides transformational capabilities that the world needs." CLEANTECH (CT) The 2019 Ready to Rocket list for Cleantech performed extremely well. The majority of companies on the list had in excess of 50% growth, and the lists together created over 200 jobs in 2019. Four companies graduated (achieve >20M revenue or over $50 in investment) and Ecotagious was acquired. According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, "The Cleantech sector in B.C. continues to see growth. It is an exciting time in cleantech as renewable energy is reaching an economic tilting point and investors are keen on large investments in post-demonstration technologies that are ready to scale." LIFE SCIENCE (LS) The 2019 Ready to Rocket list for Life Science featured many new investments (70% received new investment) and key milestones. There were over 75 jobs created among companies on the list. According to Thealzel Lee, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, "The Life Science sector in B.C. continues to demonstrate interesting and innovative technology, especially in medical devices and genomics. Although the healthcare industry is currently under economic strain, most analysts predict strong growth potential coming out of the current pandemic crisis." DIGITAL HEALTH (DH) 2019 was the third year for the Digital Health sector list, and it continues to show growth. With over 200 jobs created, it was a great year for a developing sector. The earlier stage "Emerging Rockets" are really accelerating, with over 75% of them raising investment last year. "2019 was a great year for Digital Health in British Columbia as there was significant job creation and many breakthrough companies," said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "In the current pandemic crisis, we are seeing a real acceleration in interest in all areas of digital health. In particular, telehealth is observing exponential growth." AGRI-FOOD (AF) 2019 was the first year for the Agri-Food sector list -- it is a sector comprised of technology companies in the agriculture and food value chains. This mix of Agricultural Technology (AgTech), Food Technology (FoodTech), Food Delivery and Cannabis Technology (CannabisTech) is an area of great innovation but still early in mass adoption. Over 125 jobs were created by companies on this list, with about 60% of them racing investment. According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, "The Agri-Food sector in B.C. is making great progress. Each of the sub-sectors in growing with Food Delivery experiencing particularly strong growth for obvious reasons." MORE INFORMATION For details on the "Ready to Rocket" lists, please visit http://www.readytorocket.com Today (April 14th), a webinar detailing the trends and unveiling the launch of these lists. Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12818378 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Rocket Builders [April 13, 2020] Converged Infrastructure Market Segmented by Type, Geographic Landscape, and Forecast 2019-2023 | Technavio Converged infrastructure market research report provides detailed analysis on emerging market trends, regional outlook, competitive landscape, and a comprehensive analysis on different market segments. The converged infrastructure market is poised to grow by USD 25.15 billion during 2019-2023. Request Latest Free Sample Report of Converged Infrastructure Market This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005324/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Converged Infrastructure Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire) The converged infrastructure market report provides detailed analysis of market overview, market drivers, opportunities, and its potential application. Top Key Players of Converged Infrastructure Market Covered as: Cisco Systems (News - Alert), Inc. Dell Technologies Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP NetApp, Inc. Nutanix The converged infrastructure market will be affected by introduction of non-volatile memory express or NVMe and storage-class memory (SCM) in these hyper-converged systems. Apart from this, other market trends include CI solutions optimized for AI workloads and separate compute and storage nodes. In addition, alternative solution to the cloud will aid in market growth. Faster implementation time and reduced costs will augment market growth over the forecast period as well. Have a query before purchasing converged infrastructure market report @ https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30945 Converged Infrastructure Market Split by Type Certified reference systems & integrated infrastructure Hyperconverged systems Integrated platforms Converged Infrastructure Market Split by Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America. The regional distribution of converged infrastructure market industries is considered for this market analysis, the result of which is utilized to estimate the performance of the international market over the period from 2019-2023. The converged infrastructure market research report sheds light on foremost regions: the US, UK, Germany, andFrance. Imperative Insights on the following aspects: What was the size of the global converged infrastructure industry by value in 2019? What will be the size of the global converged infrastructure industry in 2023? What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the global converged infrastructure industry? How has the industry performed over the last five years? What are the main segments that make up the global converged infrastructure market? Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Converged infrastructure market research report presents critical information and factual data about converged infrastructure industry, with an overall statistical study of this market based on market drivers, market limitations, and its future prospects. The widespread trends and opportunities are also taken into consideration in converged infrastructure market study. The product range of the converged infrastructure industry is examined based on their production chain, pricing of products and the profit generated by them. Various regional markets are analyzed in converged infrastructure market research report and the production volume and efficacy across the world is discussed. Why buy? Identify factors affecting growth prospects across markets. Track competitor gains and losses in market share. Assess the financial performance of competitors. Purchase Converged Infrastructure Market report @ https://www.technavio.com/report/global-converged-infrastructure-market-industry-analysis The converged infrastructure market research report gives an overview of converged infrastructure industry by analyzing various key segments of this converged infrastructure market based on the type and geographic landscape. The regional distribution of the converged infrastructure market across the globe are considered for this converged infrastructure industry analysis, the result of which is utilized to estimate the performance of the converged infrastructure market over the period from 2019 to forecasted year. Browse Converged Infrastructure Market related details @ https://www.technavio.com/report/global-converged-infrastructure-market-industry-analysis Table of Content: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis 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 Certified reference systems & integrated infrastructure - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Hyperconverged systems - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Integrated platforms - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by type 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 CI solutions optimized for AI workloads Use of NVMe in hyperconverged systems Separate compute and storage nodes Declining sales of IIS PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Cisco Systems, Inc. Dell (News - Alert) Technologies Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP NetApp, Inc. Nutanix 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/20200413005324/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has outlined his agencys latest advice to countries on Monday, stressing that a mix of social distancing, testing, contact tracing and isolation, will be crucial to further curb the spread of the new coronavirus already devastating much of the globe BELGRADE, Serbia - When Chinas first shipment of coronavirus medical aid landed in Belgrade, the president of Serbia was there to kiss the Chinese flag. In Hungary, officials have played down assistance from the European Union and praised Beijings help. In the Czech Republic, its president says that only China was there during the virus spread. While elsewhere China tries to polish an image tarnished by its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Beijing has no problem maintaining its hard-won influence in parts of Eastern Europe, where it battles for clout with the EU as well as with Russia. China was criticized in the West for its early mishandling of the crisis due to politically motivated foot-dragging while the virus raced through a province and its capital, Wuhan. Now it is seeking to change perceptions through mask diplomacy a mix of soft power policy, political messaging and aid shipments to portray Beijing as a generous and efficient ally. China for years has been increasing its political and economic influence in southeastern Europe through its Belt and Road global investment projects. Its image-polishing after the outbreak found fertile ground in places like Serbia and Hungary, whose populist leaders nurture close ties with Beijing or Moscow. The aid shipments also drew praise in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, although some virus test kits and face masks bought from Chinese companies didnt meet local standards. We must be aware there is a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence, through spinning and the politics of generosity, EUs top foreign policy official Josep Borrell recently wrote in a blog, referring to China. Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors. Chinese officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Beijing seeks political gains by giving the aid, saying the allegations result from deep-rooted misperceptions of Chinas goals in the West. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing is doing what it can to help those countries and people affected ... to save and safeguard peoples lives and health to the greatest extent across the world. In Serbia, a candidate for EU membership, officials and state-controlled media have played down the millions of euros in grants and loans from Brussels while praising Chinese deliveries, donations and sales of supplies. Opposition groups have demanded the Chinese aid be disclosed and stacked up against the EUs apparently much larger assistance, but those calls have been ignored. The pro-China narrative included billboards supporting Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic routinely describes as his brother, as well as suggestions that a monument be erected to honour Belgrades friendship with Beijing. European solidarity does not exist. Only China can help, Vucic said last month while announcing a nationwide state of emergency that gave him expanded powers in the health crisis. The EUs executive arm, the European Commission, has pledged 15 million euros in immediate support for Serbias health sector, plus 78.4 million euros for its social and economic recovery. The EU also has given 2 million euros to help pay for shipping more than 280 tons of emergency medical supplies that Serbia bought. Responding to criticism from some European officials that he praised China while ignoring the EU aid, Vucic insisted in a state TV interview last week that the bloc was not willing to sell or provide breathing machines to cope with the medical crisis. Vucic thanked the EU for the money, but insisted China gave more, without providing details. On Tuesday, Vucics office said he had a phone conversation with the Chinese leader during which he praised Beijing for the brotherly care for the citizens of Serbia. When the first plane landed at Belgrade airport on March 21 with the great Chinese help in medical equipment and material, accompanied by Chinese experts, the Serbs were awakened with the new optimism as they knew that in this fight they will not be alone, the statement said. Serbia and Hungary have been important gateways to Europe for China through its infrastructure and investment projects. Chinas investments in Serbia include an estimated $6 billion in loans for highways, railroads and power plants as well as contracts for a 5-G network and facial recognition surveillance equipment. U.S. officials warned of Beijings debt trap diplomacy that could cost them their sovereignty if they fail to service the loans. Government officials in Hungary repeatedly praised China and other Asian countries, thanking them for supplying masks, breathing machines and other needed equipment. At the same time, Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other ministers have played down EU assistance and have belittled those critical of the extraordinary powers given to Hungarys leadership during the state of emergency amid the pandemic. All of Europe, including western Europe, is always extraordinarily critical and often ready to educate and lecture about the essence of democracy, (but) everyone is standing in line in China for the products needed for health protection, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said last week in Parliament. So, its possible that after the end of the coronavirus, European policies regarding Eastern relations may have to be slightly reassessed. On Tuesday, a cargo plane with 80 tons of protective gear bought from China landed in Warsaw. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki greeted the flight, which followed a donation to Poland from China of masks and equipment last month. CHOICE, a group of experts monitoring Beijings presence in southeastern Europe, warned in a report this month that China has been increasingly active in political, economic and societal domains in the region. Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian and pro-Chinese views, said in a speech March 19 that China was the only country that helped us have the (protective) gear delivered. China expert Martin Hala countered by criticizing what he called a huge propaganda campaign that accompanies the so-called aid from Beijing. He told Czech public TV it wasa normal commercial delivery, not aid. ___ Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade; Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary; Vanessa Gera in Warsaw; Karel Janicek in Prague; Ken Moritsugu in Beijing; and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed. ___ Follow AP coronavirus coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Following the announcement of the inaugural IAB SA Front Row winners, announced online during this year's Bookmarks, we interviewed them on what the initiative means to them and what they hope to get out of it. Front Row winner Mahlatse Moti Congratulations on being announced a Front Row winner! What does this recognition and opportunity mean to you? What are you currently studying and/or where do you work? What course are you thinking of studying at the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business and why? Tell us a bit about your experience. Why the creative industry and your field of interest? Comment on the challenges facing the industry. Comment on the current state of the industry/the impact of the pandemic and current lockdown on the industry. Comment on the power of access, mentorship and collaboration in transforming the industry? What does the future of the industry look like to you? The future of the industry to me looks like a transformed, inclusive space. It looks like exciting, daring creative work that celebrates South Africans, educates them and entertains them. It looks like leveraging technology and innovation in order to keep telling stories in a new way and exciting way. What are you most looking forward to? The aim of the initiative is to create access in terms of events and mentors, as well as career-building opportunities for South Africas creative youth.Veli Ngubane, IAB Transformation Council Head explains the initiative: "We have taken a pragmatic approach to support transformation in the industry this year, concentrating on access as the key focus to this end. Front Row forms part of this approach, in giving free access and support to the front row for IAB events and workshops to black students, entrepreneurs and agency interns between the ages of 18-24, and going forward 18-28."The IAB South Africa serves to empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy. We do this through our connected culture and access to experts and expertise. It is vital that we are always increasing our engagement with the future leaders of our industry while bringing in a fresh, and different, perspective to the IAB SA as a whole, adds Paula Hulley, CEO of the IAB SA. Platforms like the IAB SA Front Row and IAB SA Youth Action Council, aim to provide easier access to information and platforms of engagement while creating valuable collaborative spaces and the opportunity to sit at the table with seasoned industry leaders at the highest level.In addition to being given access to some of our countrys most brilliant digital media and marketing minds, each of the five winners received a R15,000, non-transferable, online-course voucher from The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business to further their digital creative and business studies, as well as a R3,000 voucher from Bookmarks 2020 event partner, G-Star and access to the front row at the IAB SA Insight events Here, our interview with Moti:Thank you. This opportunity means that transformation isnt just a buzzword and that steps are being taken to bring equality into our industry on different levels. It means that our voices as young black creatives are valued and that we are worthy of access and being in the same room as industry leaders.I completed my BA Motion Picture Medium (AFDA) in 2017 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Brand Contact Management (Vega) in 2018. I currently work in channel marketing for an IT company.Im leaning towards the Digital Marketing course. The future is digital and Id like to be well-equipped with the knowledge of how to leverage different digital tools best.Ive always been a storyteller but my journey in the creative industry began in film school. In final year I majored in TV Directing, Producing and Editing. I started working in my third year as a video editor at a digital agency. It was there where I learnt that my interest is broader than just video, and I decided to pursue my postgrad in Branding. I then interned at another agency and at a production company until I got my current job.My biggest challenge in the industry has been the lack of nurture for young talent. It feels like creative leaders arent looking out for juniors, which is why platforms such as the Front Row are imperative. I constantly see posts for mid-level and senior staff but it often feels like there isnt space for graduates and entry-level creatives to plug in and grow.Another challenge is the exploitation of those entry-level creatives once they get their foot in the door. There is nothing that comes easy but it often feels like the odds are stacked against the young black creative.The coronavirus pandemic is going to push us to do things differently. We are forced to keep the wheels of the economy turning and I think that if we are successful, going forward, the way we work is going to change. Companies and agencies may be more open to remote working and flexible hours.Creatively, it is both an exciting and frustrating time. There are obviously limitations with some of the channels that are traditionally used but this means that there is room for opportunity with digital work.I look forward to seeing how brands are going to push the boundaries and find experimental, innovative ways to communicate.The power of access and transformation means that the playing field in the industry is levelled and the work that is produced is more representative of our diverse country. It means that creative work is informed and truly authentic. Mentorship and collaboration are two valuable ways of nurturing talent whilst giving opportunity. It provides perspective when creating work, and it is another chance to learn from one another.Im really looking forward to constantly learning, growing and taking up space in the industry. The journey has its highs and lows but I try to keep pushing myself and being better than I was the day before. I look forward to creating meaningful work and building purposeful brands in the future. Teachers are being given guidelines to prepare a minimum weekly number of hours of school work depending on their grade five for early years, 10 for middle schoolers and at least three hours per course for high school students, respectively. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/4/2020 (637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Teachers are being given guidelines to prepare a minimum weekly number of hours of school work depending on their grade five for early years, 10 for middle schoolers and at least three hours per course for high school students, respectively. 17 online courses available An online high school used to teach summer courses in Manitoba is being added to the list of resources for educators across the province to provide instruction from afar. Grade 11 and 12 courses are provided on a platform called Brightspace, through InformNet, which is operated by Pembina Trails and St. James-Assiniboia school divisions. The courses are now available to all high school teachers free of charge. The best way to learn is face-to-face, but if you have to learn online, Brightspace is great, said InformNet principal Tom Tarrant. (Brightspace by Desire 2 Learn (D2L) Corp. is a popular educational platform used by post-secondary institutes across the country.) There are 17 courses available at present. Teachers will be able to use the content and connect with InformNet teachers for support, as well as staff in the department of education for professional development. These classes are in addition to the provinces 44 other web-based courses on the same Brightspace platform that teachers and students can access. Teachers can also use the platform to upload original content, post timed tests and message students. click to read more An online high school used to teach summer courses in Manitoba is being added to the list of resources for educators across the province to provide instruction from afar. Grade 11 and 12 courses are provided on a platform called Brightspace, through InformNet, which is operated by Pembina Trails and St. James-Assiniboia school divisions. The courses are now available to all high school teachers free of charge. The best way to learn is face-to-face, but if you have to learn online, Brightspace is great, said InformNet principal Tom Tarrant. (Brightspace by Desire 2 Learn (D2L) Corp. is a popular educational platform used by post-secondary institutes across the country.) There are 17 courses available at present. Teachers will be able to use the content and connect with InformNet teachers for support, as well as staff in the department of education for professional development. These classes are in addition to the provinces 44 other web-based courses on the same Brightspace platform that teachers and students can access. Teachers can also use the platform to upload original content, post timed tests and message students. I would really like to see it either complement what the students are missing or reaffirm what was going on before the kids left, Tarrant said. In a Monday press release, the province said upwards of 400 teachers have already signed up to use Brightspace. For students without access to technology, print-based modules will be provided. Last week, the province unveiled the Manitoba Professional Learning Environment (Maple), a network that hosts curriculum-related resources and allows users to connect with consultants and teachers. Upwards of 1,200 teachers across the province have joined the platform since mid-March. Work is underway to address specific needs of French and French immersion teachers and students, according to the provinces latest release. There are currently 12 distance-learning courses available in French. Meanwhile, Brenda Brazeau, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils, said Monday shes concerned about how the province is distributing information about its ever-increasing list of resources. For those parents that arent home with their children, how do they put these (weekly learning hour guidelines) in places? What tools are you giving them to put these in place? Brazeau said, adding shes aware there are tools available, but that many parents are unaware of their existence. Are parents being emailed this information? Maggie Macintosh Close The baselines set for curricular content are among a list of updated expectations for students, educators and families during the indefinite distance learning period. The province sent the document to school divisions late last week; its expected to be made public by the end of the week. "These learning goals set clear expectations for students, families and teachers so students will be ready for next year," a provincial spokesperson told the Free Press Monday. All educators are expected to continue direct learning, work full school days and continue to set goals and assess student progress and at the same time, stay in touch with students via phone, online platform and by mail. The document states that parents have a role in supporting teachers while students are responsible for establishing routines, actively participating in learning and being honest and communicative about challenges. "Its good to have a general guideline so youre not being unrealistic, but at the same time, theyre just guidelines," said Valdine Bjornson, a literacy and educational consultant at the Reading and Learning Clinic of Manitoba. Bjornson said its critical to consider that a task that might take one pupil only one or two hours to complete could take another student 20 hours, depending on learning strengths, technology challenges and support at home. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Its good to have a general guideline so youre not being unrealistic, but at the same time, theyre just guidelines, said Valdine Bjornson, a literacy and educational consultant at the Reading and Learning Clinic of Manitoba. Both an educator and parent, she added the most important thing is communication with classroom teachers to ensure students are "on the right track." In terms of teaching content, instructors who fall into the kindergarten to Grade 8 level category are being tasked with prioritizing literacy and numeracy, with "opportunities" for science and social studies, physical education and health, and the arts through cross-curricular planning. In higher grades, the province has requested teachers prioritize learning outcomes and plan specific curriculum-related tasks. The document sent to divisions states that, for grade 11 and 12 courses, teachers are to "make special efforts" so students have the knowledge and skills required for post-graduation success. The expectations were developed with divisions and other stakeholders to continue student learning while in-person learning is suspended due to COVID-19, according to the provincial spokesperson. These learning goals set clear expectations for students, families and teachers so students will be ready for next year. Provincial spokesperson "Its all about ensuring students are not penalized because of this situation were in and how we can support them," said Christian Michalik, superintendent for the Louis Riel School Division. Michalik said Monday the hope is that these guidelines will allow students to continue to develop their confidence as independent learners but overburdening families with work is a very real concern. Its important to strike a balance, he said, adding hes already heard from parents about work overload. A grade 3-4 teacher in the division, Lesley Girling echoed that sentiment Monday. As the Sage Creek School teacher figures out how to teach from afar, she's found success in constantly communicating with students and families about individual needs. She just started teaching fractions as a new concept in math while she's been promoting both independent and group reading among her students as per the English Language Arts curriculum. While Girling considers the weekly five-hour guideline for her students just that a guideline math teacher Dariusz Piatek said he doesn't believe three hours per week would be nearly enough for his course. A Grade 12 teacher at Maples Collegiate, he estimates his students are completing approximately three hours of pre-calculus content every day to keep up with his online lecture, math problems and test preparation. Its all about ensuring students are not penalized because of this situation were in and how we can support them. Christian Michalik, superintendent for the Louis Riel School Division 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. Piatek expected some students would fall behind, but he's been pleasantly surprised that between 30 and 40 students of 41 students participate daily. Meanwhile, he said Monday he recognizes, "the world doesnt end at pre-calculus" even though it's a critical course for future scientists, doctors and engineers. Many of his students, Piatek added, are heading down those paths next autumn. As promised by Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen, the latest distance learning document reiterates that no student will be held back due to the pandemic while the lowest grade any high school student will receive will be what they had achieved at the time classes were suspended mid-March. In lower levels, report cards will be sent home in June. All marks will be accompanied by an indication of whether the student requires what the province is calling "recovery learning." As Goertzen has made clear, there will be some "catch-up" work to do when classes resume as normal. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Vietnamese agricultural enterprises are promoting the application of high technologies in production and processing to contribute to restructuring the agricultural sector. After six months of launching, Doveco Gia Lai Vegetable Fruit Processing Centre under Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC is operating at peak performance to complete orders from 30 countries around the world, including high demand markets such as Europe, Israel, Japan, and the United States. Doveco Gia Lai is a modern agricultural processing factory complex with three automated production lines, including concentrated and natural fruit juice production lines, a frozen fruit and vegetable production line, and a canned fruit and vegetable production line with a capacity of 20,000, 22,000, and 10,000 tonnes per year respectively. Currently, these lines are supporting each other in producing and processing a large volume of products with diversified lines such as concentrated passion fruit juice, concentrated pineapple juice, frozen and canned fruits, and lots of other fruits and vegetables. The Doveco factory is expected to be a centralised commodity production area under large-scale sustainable value chains, applying high technology in an area of 10,000-15,000 hectares in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. With two major material production areas and two processing complexes equipped with modern technologies imported from Sweden, German, Italy, and Japan, Dong Giao is Vietnams leading agricultural product processing enterprise, and the pioneer in applying and renewing technologies for agricultural sector. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Dong Giao is among many businesses in Vietnam with high-tech production and processing facilities, contributing to the countrys efforts to digitalise its agricultural sector. For example, Masan MEATLife is one of the frontrunners in Vietnam regarding comprehensive integration of meat value chain, including animal feed production, high-tech pig farms, and chilled meat using state-of-the-art European technology. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong told VIR about Masans impressive work, In 20 to 30 years, there was no modern meat processing factory in Vietnam, even though the country is famous for its quality of meat. However, within just 11 months, Masan completed a VND1 trillion ($43.47 million) processing complex, producing goods meeting international standards, said Cuong. One piece of technology that has helped Masan gain such success is oxy fresh, which helps prevent bacteria and retain the quality of meat. Another example of a company actively applying technology to agricultural production is Viet Uc Seafood Corporation. As one of the biggest companies in shrimp farming, Viet Uc identifies tech as a key element in modern agricultural production, particularly when the impact of climate change is being increasingly felt in the Mekong Delta, where the companys farms and factories are based. Normally, the ideal temperature and salt level for shrimp farming is from 28-32C and 15-25 grammes per litre, but salinisation has increased the salt rate to above 30g per litre, said Luong Van Thanh, group general director. The high temperature can be dangerous for shrimp. According to Thanh, to avoid the harmful effects of the environment, his group has used greenhouses surrounding farms along with sedimentation and ultrafiltration ponds, ensuring the cleanliness of the water. The ponds beds are also covered with plastic canvas and installed with a complete fan and oxygen system. All our farms are equipped with automatic feeding lines. Whenever the shrimp get hungry, censors will catch the signal and automatically start feeding lines, Thanh said. Moreover, our bio-handling process helps maintain water temperature and quality. These modern technologies help reduce feed waste and water consumption to the lowest level. He added that carefully monitoring every developmental stage of the shrimp helps the group control the farms operation and original traceability easily. These technologies are transferred to support enterprises and households farming shrimp. We also study solutions to improve the quality of shrimp seedling for shrimp farmers around the country, Thanh said. Along with Doveco, Masan, and Viet Uc, many other small- and medium-sized enterprises have been applying technologies in their farms. With vegetable farms covering over 1,000ha in the northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Vinh Phuc, and Hanois Me Linh district, Vietnam Agricultural Products Ltd., Co has also applied modern technology in its farming activities. Our farms use automated systems for watering and fertilising. Accordingly, the censors will kick off the systems to ensure humidity and nutrition for plants, Tran Thi Thu Hang, director of the company, told VIR. According to her, thanks to the system, her farms can save a lot of money this way. Before, without the technology, we needed dozens of workers, but now, just two or three people are enough. Water and fertiliser expenses have also reduced by half, Hang said. Meanwhile, Pham Tien Sinh, director of Hoa Binh Gap Ltd., Co melon-producing company told VIR about how technology has helped his firm. By using Israeli drip watering system and greenhouse we can create safe products without chemicals while saving a lot of expense. Besides this, with a Japanese technology, we can measure the sweetness and nutritional value of our melons, based on a variety of factors. Thanks to this tech, our product is popular with consumers, and we have plans to export in the near future. Stories of companies applying technologies in farming and processing have shown that Vietnams agriculture is strongly moving towards digitalisation. Minister Cuong highly spoke of their proactiveness: Its clear that businesses are the backbone of the countrys agriculture, and using this technology is an indispensable trend as Vietnam is quickly integrating into the world. VIR Phuong Hao Challenges compel restructuring in agriculture Trade conflicts, climate change and epidemics may at first glance appear to be a hindrance to Viet Nams agricultural sector. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Even as both face the same invisible enemy in the coronavirus pandemic, Iran and the United States remain locked in retaliatory pressure campaigns that now view the outbreak as just the latest battleground. Initially overwhelmed, Tehran now seeks to sway international opinion on U.S. sanctions by highlighting its struggles with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Iran asked for $5 billion from the International Monetary Fund even as it enriches uranium beyond the limits of its 2015 deal with world powers. The U.S., which unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump, insists that aid can reach the Islamic Republic though humanitarian organizations say Washingtons sanctions disrupt even permitted trade. At the same time, the U.S. is now withdrawing troops from Iraqi bases, redeployments it describes as pre-planned even as Trump alleges Iran plans a sneak attack against them. The risk of open conflict between the countries is overshadowed by the pandemic. Yet it persists some say at levels as high as immediately after the January drone strike by the U.S. that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq. After Soleimanis killing, everybody thought there will be war, but nothing happened, said Mahsa Rouhi, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Whereas we were so close to war that its not that nothing happened. And we are not back to normal. ... We are back to a situation where any move could easily escalate into a conflict. The current tensions can seem trivial, compared to the pandemic, which has infected at least 1.9 million people worldwide and killed over 119,000. This perception has been helped by mocking social media posts from the U.S. State Department and a former leader of Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seemingly backing the fringe idea of California seceding from the U.S. The stakes, however, are anything but. The night Iran retaliated for the Soleimani killing, it also accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 people aboard. Allied Shiite militias in Iraq also continue to threaten American forces deployed there in the aftermath of the fight against the Islamic State group. While largely silent in the initial days of the outbreak in Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has begun a concerted campaign targeting American sanctions. Its a way to absolve Irans civilian government of responsibility for an outbreak it hasnt contained. But Zarifs allegations of medical terror by the U.S. also highlight the challenge Tehran faces in accessing some medical supplies. While the U.S. says medical and humanitarian aid remains exempt, Human Rights Watch said American laws as written affect Irans access to crucial equipment, including ventilators, CT scanners, decontamination equipment and full-mask respirators. Meanwhile, international firms remain leery of running afoul of U.S. sanctions even for authorized transactions with Iran. One of the problems for international aid has been to clarify the legal issues related to sanctions to ensure that medical supplies and medicines can be brought into Iran, Olivier Vandecasteele, Relief Internationals country director for Iran, said in a statement This slowed down the health response in the first weeks of the outbreak. A European system called INSTEX did get aid through, as has a Swiss channel. China also has contributed, as have regional Gulf Arab countries, likely worried about Iran further spreading the virus into their own nations. Meanwhile, Iran insists it can produce masks and gloves, something the U.S. has argued undercuts Tehrans $5 billion request to the IMF, which would be its first loan since 1962. All this comes as Iran continues to produce low-enriched uranium with equipment and sites barred by the nuclear deal. Its nuclear program chief recently reiterated a threat that Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, though Iran didnt make a show of its program during its recent annual National Day of Nuclear Energy. That bolsters suspicions of behind-the-scenes talks between intermediaries, particularly over the release of U.S. prisoners and other Westerners. Irans judiciary acknowledged ongoing prisoner-swap discussions on April 6, without elaborating. But overall tensions remain extraordinarily high. Online video and Iranian media reports suggest Iran has deployed Fajr-5 missile batteries on beaches along the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded in the world passes. There have been reported maritime incidents in and around the strait as well. On March 27, two boats with a raised ladder approached a U.S.-flagged container ship, while Revolutionary Guard vessels approached a ship on April 2, according to private maritime security firm Dryad Global. Then Tuesday night, armed men boarded a Hong Kong-flagged tanker ship off the coast of Iran near the strait, holding the ship for a short time before releasing it. Suspicion immediately fell on the Guard, though Iran did not acknowledge the incident. The U.S. Navys Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which routinely has tense interactions with Iranian forces. declined to comment. However, last summer saw a series of tense encounters at sea and on land that included the seizure of oil tankers. The U.S. pressure campaign in part seeks to force Iran into spending at home rather than on its regional allies. Tehran views such groups as part of its defensive deterrence in the region. Meanwhile, people continue to die of the virus in Iran in the pandemic that could spread further into American allies in the region, forcing the world to still work with Tehran, Rouhi said. At the end of the day, its still that bad actor that is governing a country of more than 80 million, she said. You dont have an alternative. ___ Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. 19th century campus pranks Remembering The Days Podcast Episode 6 Painting the college president's horse green, removing wooden steps from the only building on campus, serenading professors with tin pans those were just some of the pranks that students pulled at South Carolina College in the 19th century. Campus archivist Elizabeth West explains why those free-spirited students often rebelled against the puritanical rules imported from New England colleges. Show Notes For more on campus life at the South Carolina College, the precursor of todays University of South Carolina, check out Daniel Hollis South Carolina College, Vol. 1. Transcript 19th century campus pranks When you were in college, did you ever steal a live turkey? Maybe stand outside a professors window at night and bang metal plates and cups? Or did you tie moth balls to a cows tail and oh, never mind, of course you didnt do any of those things because you were not in college in the early 19th century. Im Chris Horn, your host for Remembering the Days, where we amble across the Horseshoe and take a stroll down more than 200 years of memory lane at the University of South Carolina. Today were talking about student pranks in the early 1800s at South Carolina College, the precursor of todays university. Quick history in case you dont already know the college was chartered in 1801, classes started in 1805. And the students back then, well, they didnt always see eye to eye with rules and regulations. West: The students of the 19th century, particularly before the Civil War, were very enthusiastic about challenging the rules at the South Carolina College. Thats Elizabeth West, the university archivist, who can pretty much tell you about everything thats ever happened here on campus. West: When the college opened, it adopted a more Puritanical set of regulations that banned a lot of the things that the students liked to do, and were used to doing as privileged young men of the antebellum society. And so they rebelled against that with things like stealing the wooden steps off of Rutledge College, theyre not wooden now, and when they did not want to go to chapel or class, they would sneak out in the middle of the night and steal the wooden steps and then claim they didnt have to go to class and the faculty would then have to figure out a way to climb up into the building and force the students in. Well, thats one way of getting out of class steal the steps to the classroom building. Good job, guys. West: When they stole the steps from Rutledge it was a way of getting out of class or going to chapel which they were required to attend, and so they got great enjoyment out of watching the older faculty get up into Rutledge College they would have to find a ladder to climb up on to make it into the building and then force the students to attend chapel or whatever lecture was planned for that day. Elizabeth says the students back then also did something called tin-pan serenades. They would take metal plates and cups, then go out around midnight and bang them together under a professors window faculty members lived on campus in those days and generally make enough racket to wake everyone up. But tin-pan serenading wasnt all they did not by a long shot. West: President Thomas Cooper was president in the 1820s and for some reason the students decided it would be a great idea to paint his horse green. They also pulled out a lot of the hair from his tail, which was quite cruel there was a different mindset toward treatment of animals than we have today so I dont know the origins of the green paint or why it was President Coopers horse, but it just seemed to be whatever popped into their heads to antagonize someone, they would do it. So, Ive been trying to get my head wrapped around this. On one hand, you could argue that students of a certain age at any time or place are occasionally going to be rowdy and maybe pull some pranks. But these students 200 years ago seemed out of control I mean, painting the college presidents horse green? Well, at least it wasnt orange! A little context is always helpful, so I asked Elizabeth to explain a little more about why the students acted like this. West: In the early 19th century South Carolina did not have that really church-based emphasis in its society that it developed later on and so for those first couple of decades of South Carolina College, the students were really not used to having to attend chapel or services like that. So that was part of the set of regulations that the college imported from northern schools, which had a more Puritanical bent and required those types of activities, while banning their other more pleasurable activities, like gambling and drinking and cock fighting and horse racing and things like that, which they were used to doing in a rather hedonistic society that these privileged young men came from at that time. OK, so they were used to doing whatever they wanted to do whenever they wanted to do it. Sounds like me when I was a sophomore. But, on my word of honor, I never stole a turkey from anyone. West: One of the most popular pranks that the students would pull would be to sneak into Columbia, usually under the cover of night, and steal turkeys from the yards of Columbia residents and they would often have them cooked up somewhere to consume for a late-night dinner, and sometimes they would actually pluck them and return them alive but featherless to their owners. It was one of the reasons that the trustees decided to finally build a sturdier wall around the campus, not to keep people off the campus but to try to keep the students on the campus. It didnt quite work, but turkey stealing and some of these other activities and late nights in the taverns were big reasons for building the wall. Well talk more about that brick wall around campus in another episode. For now, were going to wrap up our look at 19th century student pranks with a story that might very well be a bunch of bull. I read about this tale in an obscure book that says sometime between 1835 and 1857 when a German-born professor named Francis Lieber was teaching here students managed to coax a cow up the stairs to the top floor of Rutledge College and then they tied it to a bell. The bewildered bovine started bellowing and the bell was clanging. And Francis Lieber, the professor, climbed the stairs to investigate. He found the cow and quickly realized that he himself did not possess the skills of a cowboy he couldnt persuade Bessie to go back down the stairs. Its said that in that moment of complete exasperation, he bellowed out into the night with his thick German accent for all to hear: Mein Gott, All dis for two tousand dollahs! Elizabeth West says shes never heard of that story so, OK, it might be udder nonsense but she has found historic documentation of Lieber shouting out that line about having to put up mischievous students for a measly $2,000 a year. Might explain why he eventually ended up leaving the college. We thought it would be fun to ask a few of todays students what they thought of all that campus pranking two centuries ago. So we headed out to where it all began the Horseshoe. Various student comments So the next time you hear about a campus prank somewhere, remember that long ago students at your alma mater were no slackers in that regard. And remember, too, that we now have the Carolinian Creed, which values integrity and civility and in so many words encourages students to not make a din with their tin, to keep their green paint in art class, and, of course, no plucking around. See you next time on Remembering the Days, a production of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs at the University of South Carolina. Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about (Newser) A Miami high school senior weeks away from graduation was killed last week during what cops say was a botched sale of Adidas Yeezy sneakers. Two men have since been arrested and charged with murder. CNN reports that Andrea Camps Lacayo died April 7 after she accompanied her boyfriend, Sergio Berben, to an abandoned home in Homestead, Fla., to hand off three pairs of the brand-name shoes. Police say the two had arranged via social media to meet up with George Walton and Adrian Cosby, both 19, with Berben hoping to sell the footwear for $935 to Walton, the Miami Herald reports. (WKMG reports a pair of Adidas Yeezy sneakers can cost up to $500 each online.) But once Berben and Lacayo, 18, showed up to the meeting place, Walton said he wanted to try the shoes on first, per a police report; Berben, however, wanted to see the cash. story continues below That's when, police say, Cosby approached the car that Berben and Lacayo were sitting in and fired inside, hitting both. Berben, who reportedly was grazed in the arm, was able to drive to the hospital. Lacayo died in surgery at Miami's Jackson South Medical Center. Cops say Cosby and Walton fled the scene, but after investigators pieced together social media messages between the teens, they were busted Saturday at the residence they share. Police say Lacayo's death has been ruled a homicide via a gunshot wound to the abdomen and pelvis, NBC News reports. TERRA Environmental Research Institute, where Lacayo was set to soon graduate from, posted its condolences online. "The loss is immeasurable," the school tweeted. Per court records, Walton was due to appear in court Monday. Cosby is being held in custody without bond. (Read more murder stories.) Bill Hutchinson Port Arthur police are searching for a man who robbed another man at gunpoint in a parking lot Tuesday morning. The victim had just exited a business in the 3400 block of Gulfway Drive just after 9 a.m. when another man walked up with a handgun and demanded money, according to a news release from the Port Arthur Police Department. Christine McCarthy, a nurse for over 20 years and a palliative nurse for the past year, sits for a portrait on an empty hospital bed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Apr. 2, 2020. Here at the states largest hospital, staff are coping with unprecedented realities in this coronavirus pandemic and deeply worried about what is yet to come. There is an odd juxtaposition inside this normally bustling world-renowned hospital: Expanded intensive care units are packed with COVID-19 patients, while other floors and places such as family waiting rooms are deserted, quiet. Erin Clark | Boston Globe | Getty Images Dr. Rod Hochman said his brother-in-law "was petrified" of going to the hospital for a necessary doctor's appointment, fearing he would catch the coronavirus. Hochman, CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health in the Seattle area, was eventually able to convince his relative to go by suggesting he take the first appointment in the morning and wear a mask. His brother-in-law isn't the only patient afraid to go to the hospital in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Emergency room and other doctor's visits at Providence's 51 hospitals are way down, reflecting a broader trend across the U.S. as people steer clear of hospitals for sometimes necessary and emergency care, even for mild heart attacks. Physicians worry that patients with severe illnesses may suffer permanent damage by avoiding the ER. 'Too good to be true' At Providence, the volume of heart attack patients fell by about 50% in March compared with the same month last year, Hochman said, adding that the notion that people have just stopped having heart attacks is "too good to be true." He and other physicians suspect patients that have mild heart attacks or strokes which would normally have sent them to the ER are seeking treatment from family doctors or outpatient clinics or are forgoing it altogether as Covid-19 patients inundate hospitals across the country. The consequences could last years, he said. "The big question is are we going to see a lot more people that have bad outcomes from heart disease, from stroke, from cancer because they've put off what they should have had done but were too afraid to come to the hospital," he said. Injuries are down Emergency room visits are likewise down by about 50% across New York City Health + Hospital locations, according to data shared with CNBC. The decline isn't just being driven by fear of catching CV-19. The number of injuries across the country has fallen as most people stay home under some sort of quarantine order. There's also public confusion over the cancellation of elective procedures, doctors and hospital administrators told CNBC. "In my almost 30 years of practicing dermatology, I've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Fayne Frey, a dermatologist in Rockland County, New York, about 20 miles north of New York City. New York has the largest Covid-19 outbreak in the country. Since the coronavirus outbreak began to hit the state hard in March, her patients have been flooding her office but not for the usual acne treatments or Botox. She said she's seen a surge of patients who need emergency care but want to avoid going to the hospital. Frey's dermatology practice has remained open as an essential business. As patient visits have dropped, especially for elective procedures, she's seen an unusual uptick in patients who would normally seek treatment at a hospital. Last week, a patient with a deep, six-inch laceration came into her office needing stitches, Frey said, adding that the patient said she didn't want to go to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. Frey has also seen staph infections, shingles, badly infected cuts and rashes that would normally land a patient in the ER, Frey said. Fear "I'm seeing people who don't want to go to the emergency room," she said. "I just think there's an overall fear right now of going near urgent care centers and emergency rooms because that's where people with a cough and fever will go." It's not just fear that's keeping people out of the hospitals, Hochman added, but misunderstanding. On March 19, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered physicians to halt all elective surgeries to free up equipment and personnel for Covid-19 patients. However, there are exceptions, including scenarios where delaying a procedure would cause harm to the patient. Hochman said he's concerned people think hospitals are closed to non-coronavirus patients. "If I have a mass in my groin and I need to have a biopsy, I'm not sure that's elective," he said. He also said preventive care is down, including colonoscopy screenings for cancer and mammograms, which could have long-term public health consequences, such as a jump in cancer rates a year or so down the road. "We're possibly going to see a blip in other disease entities as a consequence of doubling down on Covid-19," he said, adding that it will take years to fully understand the consequences. Stay-at-home orders The drop in non-coronavirus patients is a trend seen all over the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association, which identified stay-at-home orders as the primary cause. The group represents more than 5,000 hospitals and health networks. "Across the country, our members have observed a decline in patients who need non-Covid-19 emergency care," the group said in a statement. "An influencer of this trend is stay-at-home orders, which have resulted in less incidents such as accidents and other injuries." However, stay-at-home orders probably don't account for the entire drop in visits, said Dr. Usamah Mossallam, vice president of Henry Ford Health, which runs five hospitals in Southeast Michigan. It makes sense that such injuries as blunt trauma from car accidents and work-related incidents are down due to such policies, he said. However, Mossallam said he's also observed a major drop in other emergency visits. "We believe a lot of this is fear of coronavirus," he said, adding that he's concerned that people with illnesses such as asthma that require ER attention are staying home instead and that could be causing long-term damage. 'Heart attacks don't stop' Dr. Christopher Freer, director of emergency medicine at RWJBarnabas Health, which has 11 emergency departments across New Jersey, echoed Mossallam's point. "Even with coronavirus, we still have healthy people who get an illness and need to go to the emergency room," he said. "Heart attacks don't stop." RWJBarnabas normally has about 280 emergency visits per day, he said, adding that this past weekend, it was down to about 180 per day. He said the ERs are still seeing the most severe patients, such as stroke victims and appendicitis patients, but people with mild injuries have stopped coming in, for the most part. The drop in emergency visits has one welcome side benefit: It's helping to free up hospital beds that U.S. and state officials have projected will soon be overflowing with Covid-19 patients. Instead of the wartime triage scenarios predicted by U.S. health officials, emergency rooms in some parts of the country are relatively empty. 'Dog that doesn't bark' Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-15 01:03:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Serbia have once again demonstrated their brotherly bond and sincere friendship with concrete actions in the face of the COVID-19 challenge. He made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic. The China-Serbia relationship is the most profound type of relations between countries, Xi pointed out, adding that the Chinese side empathizes with the COVID-19 threat the Serbian people are facing right now. Noting that China has provided Serbia with urgently needed medical and protective supplies and sent high-level medical experts to the European country, he said China will continue to offer help and support for Serbia's fight against the coronavirus disease. Xi said he believes that under the strong leadership of Vucic, the courageous Serbian people will surely overcome the epidemic at an early date. The profound and special friendship between China and Serbia was forged with blood and will, Xi stressed, adding that all risks and challenges, whatever they might be, will only make the two countries' iron-clad friendship even more indestructible. China, he said, is willing to work with Serbia to steadfastly safeguard international morality and push for solidarity and cooperation of the international community. Xi said he is confident that through the test of the joint fight against COVID-19, the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership will usher in a better future. He also expressed his sincere hope that the China-Serbia friendship will flourish forever. For his part, Vucic said he is sincerely glad that China has brought COVID-19 under control at home. China offered a helping hand when the Serbian people were in difficulty, and the Chinese medical team in particular provided great support and help for Serbia's epidemic prevention and control, he said, adding that his country will always remember that. Noting that China has given the Serbian people hope in defeating the epidemic, he stressed that no matter what difficulties and challenges may occur, the Serbian people will always be a sincere and reliable iron-clad friend of the Chinese people. The Serbian president said that his country will do its best to take good care of Chinese nationals in Serbia, and that he is ready to maintain close contact with Xi. He also wished the two countries an everlasting friendship. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) -Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (CSE: SIXW) (OTC Pink: ATURF) (FSE:AHUH) ("Sixth Wave" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has executed a Letter of Intent ("LOI" or "Letter of Intent")) for the acquisition of critical assets and intellectual property of Aurora Analytics, LLC of Baltimore, MD ("Aurora") and the migration of all Aurora's key staff to become employees of Sixth Wave. Under the terms of the non-binding LOI dated April 13, 2020, all prior research, development and intellectual property of Aurora, including intellectual property pertaining to the detection and sequestration of viruses, biogenic amines and their associated markers (the "IP") will be transferred to Sixth Wave upon signing of definitive agreements. Further to the LOI, Aurora's Co-Founder and Managing Member, Aristotle Kalivretenos, will be appointed as Chief Scientific Officer of Sixth Wave ("CSO"), subject to regulatory approval, and key employees of Aurora will transfer to Sixth Wave as Company research staff. "We're excited to expand upon Sixth Wave's already substantial research team with the proposed acquisition of Aurora," said, Dr. Jonathan Gluckman, President & CEO of Sixth Wave. "Dr. Kalivretenos and his staff bring valuable experience in molecular engineering and biotechnology which will serve the Company well as we work to develop fast and effective solutions targeting the COVID 19 crisis and beyond. Sixth Wave's recent patent applications for the use of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers/MIPS for the rapid detection of viruses will leverage a unique skill set that few research organizations could provide. Aurora provides just such a skill set, and fits well with Sixth Wave's vision of leadership in the field of molecular engineering." About Aurora Analytics Founded in 2004, Aurora is an innovative life sciences company, using its expertise in chemical synthesis and analysis for the creation of novel consumer and research diagnostic products for education, food safety and healthcare. Dr. Kalivretenos co-founded and has worked as CEO of Aurora for 16 years, focused on the creation of novel research and diagnostic products based on proprietary solid-phase amine detection technology. His efforts resulted in the commercialization of Si-HOBt products with applications in amine modification and diagnostics, as well as the G-Mark product line of reference standards for alcohol use detection. Before founding Aurora, Dr. Kalivretenos was employed by Senseonics from 1998 until 2004, focusing on the design and development of novel polymer-based fluorescent glucose recognition chemistry as part of the development of an implantable continuous glucose sensor/monitor for diabetics. Prior to this, he was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMBC in 1992 until 1998, Dr. Kalivretenos' research focused on bio-organic studies of channel forming peptides, including the development of solid-phase and solution-phase synthetic methodology for amine/peptide/protein synthesis and modification. A practical outcome of this work has been the ongoing development of diagnostic agents for the detection of biogenic amines. Aurora has worked as a primary sub-contractor in collaboration with Sixth Wave for seven years on multiple projects that have resulted in commercialized MIP technologies for explosives detection, metals extraction and currently the Sixth Wave Affinity technology for cannabinoid processing. At the present time the majority of Aurora's capacity is devoted to the servicing of contracts with Sixth Wave. The senior researchers of Aurora complement Sixth Wave's existing capabilities in detection and sequestration of biological material utilizing MIPs and other chemistry that are critical for the development of Sixth Wave's core technologies. Aurora's experience in biogenic amines, glucose detection, and work in detection of proteins is of particular relevance to Sixth Wave and its proposed development of the Accelerated Detection MIPs ("AMIPs") technology for the rapid detection of viruses such as COVID 19. Aurora does not currently have a technology for the detection of Covid-19. Acquisition Terms Further to the non-binding Letter of Intent, upon signing of definitive agreements, the Company will acquire specific assets of Aurora, including all laboratory equipment, all IP associated with the detection of virus and biogenic amines, and assume certain liabilities of Aurora, property leases for Aurora's laboratory and research centre. Consideration for the acquisition will be USD$145,000 plus 500,000 common shares of Sixth Wave, together with the employment of key individuals currently employed by Aurora. The parties have agreed to negotiate a definitive purchase agreement, with a targeted closing date of June 1, 2020. The purchase price is the result of an arm's length negotiation. AMIPs Technology The proposed AMIPs technology targets the detection and identification of viruses utilizing the specific shape and surface structures of the virus itself. By targeting the virus, AMIPs technology aims to detect the presence of viruses within minutes of exposure to Sixth Wave's proprietary test media. This methodology has a potential advantage over other types of virus detection technologies, which typically rely upon the identification of antibodies, antigens, and DNA/RNA strands, and which have drawbacks in terms of accuracy, development time to market, and flexibility of use in addressing critical testing requirements. The AMIPs technology may allow for improved response to a pandemic/new virus and equally important testing that could allow decision makers to confidently end/ease response measures and allow citizens to return to work and normal activities. In order to provide complete diagnostic capabilities, future AMIPs variants are planned to be compatible with detecting other components unique to a particular virus, including DNA, RNA, proteins, small molecules, and antibodies. This platform would give scientists, clinicians, and decision makers multiple pathways to identify a virus to provide the best performance and diagnostic capabilities. These additional pathways will play an important role as countries begin to shift toward understanding the populations continued vulnerability to Covid-19. The Company aims to develop an initial prototype within six months. "This is a logical step for us as we continue to grow Sixth Wave's capabilities to meet challenges such as Covid-19," said Gluckman. "We have a long history of utilizing Aurora Analytics as a research subcontractor dating back to the development of our Explosive Detection Wipes. The key employees have relevant experience both inside Aurora, and back to their doctoral research. Aurora has been a force multiplier for the Sixth Wave, and we've grown accustom to the professionalism and quality of work that Aurora has brought to the Company." About Sixth Wave Sixth Wave is a development stage nanotechnology company with patented technologies that focus on extraction and detection of target substances at the molecular level using highly specialized molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The Company is in the process of commercializing its AffinityTM cannabinoid purification system, as well as, IXOS, a line of extraction polymers for the gold mining industry. Sixth Wave can design, develop and commercialize MIP solutions across a broad spectrum of industries. The company is focused on nanotechnology architectures that are highly relevant for detection and separation of viruses, biogenic amines and other pathogens, for which the Company has products at various stages of development. For more information about Sixth Wave, please visit our web site at: www.sixthwave.com. The acquisition of the assets of Aurora and the employment of Aurora staff will be subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Jon Gluckman" Jonathan Gluckman, Ph.D., President & CEO For information, please contact the Company: Phone: (801) 582-0559 E-mail: info@sixthwave.com Cautionary Notes This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding the planned features of the AMIPs technology as well as the planned acquisition of certain assets and personnel of Aurora Analytics, LLC. Aurora Analytics does not currently have a technology for the detection of Covid-19. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual events or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, successful development and commercialization of the AMIPs technology are subject the risk that the AMIPs technology may not prove to be successful in detecting virus targets effectively or at all, uncertainty of medical product development, uncertainty of timing or availability of required regulatory approvals, lack of track record of developing products for medical applications and the need for additional capital to carry out product development activities. The value of any products ultimately developed could be negatively impacted if its patent application is not successful. The Company has not yet completed development of a prototype for the product that is subject of its patent application and has not yet applied for regulatory approval for the use of this product from any regulatory agency. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54400 Cassidy Roosen, with Beach Cities Health District, holds up a sign that says, "We're All In This Together," while waiting to direct cars at a drive-through, appointment-only coronavirus testing location, at the South Bay Galleria, in Redondo Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times) With growing signs of progress in the battle against the coronavirus, government officials and public health experts are beginning to talk more openly about the next phase: The gradual, highly targeted lifting of some social distancing restrictions that have devastated the economy. Life is still a long way from returning to pre-pandemic norms, but some scientists believe some parts of the economy could return in the coming months under the right circumstances. Is it wearing masks? Probably. Is it continuing to restrict large gatherings? Yeah, probably, said Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. Is it continuing to have older people stay home more than they would otherwise? Yeah, probably. When we return to work, do we all go back on the same day, or do we stagger that? Rutherford asked. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his counterparts in Washington state and Oregon announced on Monday a regional pact to recovery from the coronavirus crisis and agreed to work together on a plan to reopen economies on the West Coast. They said the timing of the plan was contingent on the region seeing a major drop in the number of infections. The most optimistic models see that occurring in early May, but others, including the state Department of Public Health, predict it happening sometime in summer. We need to see a decline in the rate of spread of the virus before large-scale reopening, and we will be working in coordination to identify the best metrics to guide this, the governors said in a statement. COVID-19 doesnt know borders. The quick action of our states slowed the spread of COVID-19. It's going to take all of us working together to protect that progress. Im glad to have partners like @GavinNewsom and @OregonGovBrown. Our statement: https://t.co/IJFLoKhXgJ Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) April 13, 2020 Absent a vaccine or widespread testing, experts both in California and nationally predict a gradual relaxation of the closures and distancing measures. Story continues A vaccine is not expected for 12 to 18 months, at the earliest. But widespread testing could be up and running in the next couple of months both for the virus and for antibodies to show whether a person has been infected and now has some immunity. Perhaps factories stagger shifts to prevent too many workers mixing with one another. Maybe manufacturing and construction are opened up first, Rutherford said, and then nonessential retail stores, and some time after that, restaurants. If youre going to open the bars, youre going to have to take out every other stool I mean, I dont know what the governor is going to decide, Rutherford said. And then maybe everybody who can telecommute would just sit tight for a while." Big concerts, sporting events and festivals are likely even further off. As restrictions are eased, officials will need to monitor cases to see if coronavirus cases start to dramatically flare up again. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly said the public should be expecting a gradual peeling back of stay-at-home orders. When you say 'get back to normal,' youre really talking about a really clear indication that those areas like New York City, like New Orleans, like Detroit that have big outbreaks with peaks, have not only stabilized in the number of new cases and hospitalizations, but have actually turned the corner and are starting to come down, Fauci said in an interview with The Journal podcast that aired last week. And history with other countries tell us that once you turn that corner and come down, the decline is pretty steep, Fauci said. I dont think that you need to get down to zero before you can start contemplating gradually relieving some of the restrictions. It isnt like a light switch, on and off. One idea might be having a 50-seat restaurant seating a maximum of only 25 diners, he said. Bottom line is, its going to be gradual. Its not going to be all or none. And some changes might be permanent, Fauci said, adding: I dont think we ... should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you. Infectious disease experts say easing out of stay-at-home orders will require four developments: a dramatic reduction in virus transmission; lots of testing capacity; plenty of hospital space; and robust local resources to aggressively investigate new infections to isolate the infected and quarantine close contacts who might get sick. Otherwise, whats going to happen is we will end up in a situation which I would call a smoldering epidemic, in the sense that we will be having cases with us, kind of like seasonal influenza it may wax and wane, said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Kim-Farley says he could see stay-at-home orders persisting toward the end of May or mid-June, as testing for the virus and antibodies rises to full tilt. Then, by early summer, he could envision tailored approaches to return people to work, as long as cases have declined significantly. San Franciscos director of public health, Dr. Grant Colfax, has likened the current coronavirus outbreak to a wildfire sweeping across the city. The goal is to reduce the number of new cases so much that new cases are seen more like smaller spot fires, which can be identified and contained before getting out of control. Keeping disease levels low in the coming weeks and months will also give scientists and doctors more time to identify life-saving drugs that need time to be identified. I think within the next few weeks, were going to have some good knowledge about what those look like based upon clinical, randomized controlled trials, Kim-Farley said. California has endured the coronavirus pandemic with far fewer deaths than other hot spots like New York and New Jersey, which officials attribute at least in part to early rules that forced residents to stay at home. California has recorded more than 24,000 confirmed cases and more than 725 deaths. The number of new coronavirus cases reported daily across California shows signs of flattening. And even in hard-hit Los Angeles County, which saw another 26 deaths on Monday, reported only 283 new cases of the virus Monday, the lowest daily number since March 27. Thats a good thing, public health department director Barbara Ferrer said. Los Angeles County has recorded more than 9,400 coronavirus cases and more than 325 deaths. Newsom said he intends to provide details Tuesday on Californias strategy to lift the restrictions. The governor discussed transitioning back to regular life days after Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the stay-at-home order and social distancing have slowed the spread of the virus, resulting in fewer hospitalizations than estimates predicted. Under a worst-case scenario and without any mitigation efforts, state models predicted a peak of nearly 700,000 hospitalizations from COVID-19, Ghaly said Friday. But he noted that adherence to the stay-at-home order, which Newsom announced nearly a month ago, now suggests the difference between what were seeing today in our hospitals may not be that much different than where we are going to peak in the many weeks to come. The governors made the announcement hours after President Trump tweeted that he, and not governors, will decide when to open up states again. Newsom, who has often commended the Trump administrations efforts to work with California during the pandemic, said he expects to continue that collaboration and cooperation with the federal government. Lin reported from San Francisco, Mozingo from Long Beach and Luna from Sacramento. Services of all passenger trains and flights will remain suspended till May 3, officials said on Tuesday soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus will be extended for another 19 days. In a televised address, Modi said the current three-week-old lockdown, billed as the world's largest, will continue till May 3 and that the restrictions could be reviewed for certain parts of the country on April 20. The current spell of 21-day lockdown was scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday. Following the prime minister's announcement, the Indian Railways extended the suspension of all its passenger services till the end of the lockdown. According to official data, a staggering 20 million people travel daily on nearly 15,000 passenger trains across the country. The Civil Aviation Ministry too said services of all international and domestic commercial passenger flights will remain suspended till midnight of May 3. A number of airlines had taken bookings for passenger travel, hoping to operate flights from Wednesday. On an average, around 500,000 people travel by domestic, and international flights to and from India, daily. The Railways said the movement of goods and parcel trains will remain operational to ensure supply of essential commodities across the country. "In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown, it has been decided that all passenger train services on Indian Railways, including premium trains, mail/express trains, passenger trains, suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway shall continue to remain cancelled till 2400 hours of May 3," a statement from the railways said. The railways further said that all counters for booking of rail journey tickets for reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises shall remain closed till May 3 midnight. The railway board has issued instructions to the zones that full refunds for fares of cancelled trains should be initiated by them. In a tweet, the civil aviation ministry said: "All domestic and international scheduled airlines operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm of 3rd May 2020." Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said there were good reasons for the lockdown to be extended. "We can consider lifting restrictions on both domestic and international flights thereafter. I understand the problems being faced by people who need to travel and request them to bear with us," the minister tweeted. The civil aviation sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, Air Deccan became a casualty of the crisis as it announced indefinite suspension of flight operations and asked all employees to go on sabbatical without pay. As revenues have fallen significantly due to the coronavirus crisis, IndiGo has announced a pay cut of up to 25 per cent for its senior employees and Vistara has announced a compulsory leave without pay of up to three days for its senior employees in March. SpiceJet has stated that its employees' salaries would be reduced between 10 to 30 per cent and Air India has announced a 10 per cent cut in allowances for every employee, except cabin crew, for the coming three months. GoAir has cut salaries of its employees, laid off its expat pilots and introduced leave without pay for employees on a rotational basis. IndiGo said it will resume flight services from May 4 in a phased manner. "Initially, starting with a slightly curtailed capacity, the airline will increase the operating capacity over the subsequent months, also reopening selected international flights, depending on the existing international travel guidelines," the airline said in its press release. SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said that it is the right time to bring about structural reforms in the country's aviation sector. "Bringing aviation turbine fuel (ATF) under GST is a long pending request... Second thing we need to look at this whole structure of airports and the way the airport concessions are given," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Automotive Cockpit Module Market 2019-2023 | Increasing In-cabin Features to Boost Growth | Technavio LONDON--Technavio has been monitoring the automotive cockpit module market and it is poised to grow by USD 21.02 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. 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. Continental AG, Faurecia, Grupo Antolin, Samvardhana Motherson Group, and Visteon Corporation are some of the major market participants. The increasing in-cabin features 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. Increasing in-cabin features has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Automotive Cockpit Module Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Automotive cockpit module market is segmented as below: Application Passenger Cars Commercial Vehicles Geographic Landscape APAC Europe MEA North America South America To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download latest free sample report of 2020-2024: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30989 Automotive Cockpit Module 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 cockpit module market report covers the following areas: Automotive Cockpit Module Market Size Automotive Cockpit Module Market Trends Automotive Cockpit Module Market Industry Analysis This study identifies connected vehicle technology and IoT as one of the prime reasons driving the automotive cockpit module market growth during the next few years. Automotive Cockpit Module Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the automotive cockpit module market, including some of the vendors such as Continental AG, Faurecia, Grupo Antolin, Samvardhana Motherson Group, and Visteon Corporation. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the automotive cockpit module market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Automotive Cockpit Module Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive cockpit module market growth during the next five years Estimation of the automotive cockpit module market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the automotive cockpit module market Analysis of the markets competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive cockpit module market vendors Table Of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Market segmentation by application Comparison by application Passenger 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 APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Europe - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 North America - 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 Automotive gesture recognition system - concept overview Digitalization enhancement to vehicle interiors and USP for OEMs Connected vehicle technology and Internet of Things (IoT) Maturing autonomous vehicles concept PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Continental AG Faurecia Grupo Antolin Samvardhana Motherson Group Visteon Corporation 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, Technavios 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 Technavios 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. This electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows SARS-CoV-2, or coronavirus, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Read more Swathed in protective gear, Dana Redding knelt beside her husband's hospital bed and repeated over and over the only words of which she could think: "I love you. I love you." She reached through the tangle of tubes that were taking the blood from his body and flushing it with oxygen and clutched his limp hand in one of her gloved ones. "I need your help." It had been barely three weeks since Keith Redding, 59, started feeling weary and nauseated. Then came the diarrhea and the hoarse, hacking cough - early symptoms of covid-19, though neither Redding knew it then. By the time Dana, 48, drove Keith to the emergency room on March 11, a week after his symptoms first appeared, some 30 percent of his lungs had been damaged. On a rare three-dimensional CT scan of his chest, the profusion of viral particles and dead cells showed up like scattered bits of broken glass. His condition declined as the disease spread throughout his body, a storm of inflammatory proteins overwhelming his vital organs one by one. Now machines and the medicine were all that kept him alive. And they couldn't function indefinitely. "The doctor has told me I have to make a very hard decision," Dana told her unconscious husband. "I need you to let me know what to do. Because I don't know." Keith was silent and still. Only his chest rose and fell as the ventilator pushed air into his struggling lungs. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. More than a million people worldwide have been diagnosed with covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The majority are able to fend off the infection without hospitalization. But for reasons doctors still don't understand, far too many others have been like Keith. After a week of mostly mild symptoms, their besieged immune systems seem to go into overdrive. Their bodies are bombarded by their own protective cells. Their lungs seize up, their hearts break down. The suddenness of the collapse leaves doctors and loved ones reeling. "There is no parallel that I or other physicians I've been working closely with can compare this to," said Keith Mortman, 51, a thoracic surgeon at George Washington University Hospital, where Redding was treated. And there is still no way of stopping it. Dana was only looking for a new motorcycle when she walked into the Harley-Davidson dealership in Fort Washington, Maryland, in April 2008. But behind the building she found a bear of a man in biker boots and jeans, sitting in front of a barbecue and smiling. She sat down next to him. "We definitely weren't looking to date," Dana recalled. Both were recently divorced. Dana, a Navy veteran who had just moved east from San Diego, was still adjusting to her new life. But Keith, with his easy grin and good-natured sense of humor, was just so easy to talk to. Dana joined his motorcycle ministry at the Fort Foote Baptist Church. They rode together at Rolling Thunder events. That autumn, when Dana's father fell seriously ill, Keith drove her to New York to see him. He stood at her side at the funeral, she said, and "he's been by my side ever since." After the couple married in June 2010, they rarely went more than a few hours without talking. As soon as they arrived at their jobs each morning - Keith as program manager for an FBI contractor, Dana as senior technical assistant for the Internal Revenue Service - they would call to check in. Then again at lunch and once more before they headed home. Dana was on a business trip the first week of March, and it was hard for them to connect the way they usually did. It wasn't until Keith picked her up from the airport that Friday that she realized something was wrong. "This isn't like you," she told her husband. Keith waved her off, thinking his illness - loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue - was simply food poisoning. He insisted on getting dinner with his daughter and grandchildren, who were visiting from New York that weekend. He still went to work Monday morning. That he might have the strange new virus sickening people in places like China and Italy never occurred to the Reddings. Keith hadn't traveled overseas. He hadn't been on a cruise ship. Though there were five confirmed cases in Maryland, state health officials were still telling people not to worry about community transmission. Yet deep inside Keith's cells, the virus was multiplying. Researchers say the diarrhea that plagued Keith and other covid-19 patients may be an indicator that the germ invaded his gastrointestinal tract. Scientists have found coronaviruses can interfere with a person's blood pressure, damage the liver and irritate the digestive system. Over the course of that week, Keith began to cough and couldn't stop. His temperature spiked, and his body was wracked with chills. Dana, too, was exhausted and aching. She went to a Veterans Affairs clinic, where she was given a mask and advice to quarantine for 14 days. Alarmed, Dana grabbed her phone and dialed Keith's number: "You need to call your doctor," she said. "I'm not asking you. I'm telling you." On March 11, they drove together to the emergency room. - - - Within hours of arriving at Fort Washington Medical Center, Keith was ushered into a CT scan machine, which X-rayed his lungs from multiple angles. Mortman would later assemble these images into a three-dimensional model of Keith's airway. The doctor was stunned. Bacterial pneumonia is typically confined to one lobe of the lungs, and many cancers tend to look like solid masses. But in Keith's CT scan, the virus was everywhere - a haze of ravaged tissue engulfing every branch of his lungs. Mortman said Keith had what doctors call "ground glass opacity," a condition named for the way it shows up on scans as a semitransparent scattering of damage. The thousands of tiny air sacs with which the lungs take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide had filled with viral particles, broken cells and other molecular detritus. White blood cells - the foot soldiers of the immune system - swamped the spaces between tissue, causing the entire organ to stiffen. Keith's lungs, Mortman said, had come to resemble an oversaturated sponge - an oppressive, wet weight in his chest cavity. The doctors at Fort Washington hooked the wheezing man up to an oxygen tank via a thin tube that ran through each of his nostrils. Keith's lungs were infected and inflamed, they said, evidence of pneumonia. He would have to be tested for the coronavirus. It was long after midnight when Dana finally left the hospital. At home, she began to pay more attention to the local news. She examined a list of people at high risk from the virus: the elderly and immune compromised, people with asthma or serious heart disease. Keith didn't have any of those problems, except for high blood pressure. He was only 59. "It'll just be a few days," she told herself. When Dana returned to check on her husband the next day, his breathing was still labored, his temperature high. But Keith remained his charming, cheerful self. He'd already learned the name of everyone on staff and knew exactly how to tease them. "When he leaves here, we'd like to hire him," one delighted nurse told her. Yet each day Keith's condition continued to deteriorate. The nasal cannula was replaced with an oxygen mask, which was swapped for a CPAP machine that could push air into his lungs. Then came the worst news: Keith's coronavirus test had come back positive. Dana wouldn't be allowed to return to the hospital. The last time she saw her husband, a tube was being inserted into his throat so he could be hooked up to a ventilator, which would provide him with high concentrations of oxygen. "Are you sure you want to watch this?" a nurse had asked Dana. She was sure. If she couldn't be by his side, she would be as close as she could get. - - - Six days after he arrived at Fort Washington Medical Center, Keith was transferred to George Washington University Hospital and into the care of intensivist Katrina Hawkins. By then he was heavily sedated, his ventilator turned up to the highest setting. His blood oxygen levels remained perilously low, and he couldn't stop shivering. Keith would have to be given extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - a treatment in which catheters take blood from a patient's body, run it through an artificial lung, then return it to the body full of oxygen. And he would have to be paralyzed, to ease the burden on his overtaxed lungs and heart. Rarely had Hawkins seen a disease progress as swiftly and inexorably as this one. Patients like Keith were showing up at the hospital with a cough and ending up on oxygen less than 24 hours later. Doctors had no drugs to fight the virus, no tools to curb the symptoms. All she could do was try to keep Keith alive long enough for his immune system to control the disease on its own. But inside Keith, another storm was brewing. Provoked by the intense damage to his lungs, his embattled immune system had unleashed an army of cytokines - proteins that send signals of an attack. The cytokines coursed through his body, triggering a systemic immune response that left his vital organs inflamed. Keith's heart was faltering. His kidneys failed. "Everything just shut down," Hawkins said. This is the tragedy of the coronavirus. It hijacks the systems that are supposed to protect us. It tricks the body into betraying itself. Thirteen days after Keith was admitted to the ER, George Washington University Hospital called Dana. Come quickly, they said. Keith's doctors feared they were about to lose him. But Dana didn't realize that. "Or maybe I was in denial," she said. She just suited up in protective gear - gloves, gown, mask - and stepped into his room. Dana wanted to imagine that Keith's lungs could still save a life, even if they couldn't save his. There was her exuberant husband, not seeing, not speaking, not able to move. Grabbing his hand, she repeated what would become her mantra: "I love you." "Crystal loves you," she said, naming Keith's daughter. "Janelle and Elijah" - Keith's grandchildren - "love you." When she ran out of names she could remember, she started pulling people from the contacts list on his phone. "Everybody loves you," she said. "Everybody." Before she left that night, Keith's doctors assured her they would phone again if things became dire. It's a small mercy most families of covid-19 victims don't get. George Washington University Hospital no longer allows visitors, even for patients close to death. The call came the next day. This time, Dana knew what it meant. She printed out scriptures to hang on Keith's wall and brought an old clock radio set to a Christian music station. She got permission for Keith's daughter Crystal to join her, and the two of them sat vigil in Keith's room, holding his hands and praying. Dana took in the beep and whir of machinery, the coils of IV tubes that were all that tethered him to life. "You don't have to make the decision tonight," physicians had told Dana. Patients could live on ECMO for weeks. Outside Keith's room, Dana turned to Crystal. "What do you ?" "I'm so angry right now," she recalled the younger woman saying. "I feel so cheated." They were still standing there when a nurse came through the doors to the waiting room. "Mrs. Redding," she said. "Mr. Redding's heart is failing." Later, Dana would beseech God for answers. Why had this happened to her? How could it all happen so fast? How was she supposed to mourn when only two people would be allowed at the funeral, when her family couldn't even comfort her because she had the virus, too? But then Mortman would ask her to make public the images of Keith's lungs. CT scans of covid-19 patients are incredibly rare, he would say; most people are simply too ill for the procedure. The images might help people realize how devastating this disease is. They might help doctors looking for a cure. Dana would agree. She would want to imagine that Keith's lungs could still save a life, even if they couldn't save his. Wife and daughter slipped back into their layers of protective gear. They returned to Keith's room. Dana sat once more beside her husband and placed her hand on his chest, felt it move with each whoosh of the ventilator. "I guess you made the decision for me," she told him. "I guess you want to go home and be with the Lord." A nurse came in to shut down each element of Keith's life support. "I'm so sorry," she said as she unhooked his IV drip and switched off the ECMO instrument. "I'm so sorry," she said again as she stopped the dialysis machine. Finally she came to the ventilator. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said. She turned it off. Underneath her hand, Dana felt Keiths lungs go still. (Newser) Democrats have emerged with a surprise victory out of last week's controversial election. Liberal judge Jill Karofsky easily unseated a conservative member of the state Supreme Court, reports the New York Times. It's the first time in a dozen years that a challenger defeated an incumbent on the high court and only the second time in 50 years, notes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Also pleasing Democrats is that President Trump endorsed the incumbent, Daniel Kelly, three times, including a tweeted plea on Election Day for voters to get out "NOW" and support him. The victory came after Republican lawmakers overcame Democrats' attempts to postpone the election because of the coronavirus and to relax requirements to receive a mail ballot. story continues below "Look, we shouldnt have had the election on Tuesday," said Karofsky in a video message to supporters Monday. "It was an untenable decision (on whether to vote), but the people of the state of Wisconsin rose up." Conservatives still hold a 4-3 majority on the court, but Karofsky's victory means control will be up for grabs in 2023. The AP calls it a "huge win" for Democrats in a battleground state, but it's not clear what the implications are for the presidential vote later this year. The Times notes that strong turnout and mail voting appear to have helped Democrats, but both Democratic and Republican party officials say the circumstances surrounding last week's vote were so unusual that it might be dangerous to read too much into them. (Read more Wisconsin stories.) WASHINGTON It may have taken a once-in-a-century pandemic, but the Democrats are not in disarray. After presidential primary races in 2008 and 2016 that stretched across all 50 states, the 2020 contest ended on an altogether tidy note on Monday as Senator Bernie Sanders appeared on a live stream with Joseph R. Biden Jr. and told him: We need you in the White House. The endorsement was quick in the making, full-throated in nature and offered a vivid illustration of how differently this election is unfolding from the often bitter last two Democratic nominating contests. The way Bernie did this was really helpful, said former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont. There is clearly no animosity between the two of them and this will definitely make it easier for Bernies supporters to vote for Biden. Among those Sanders voters are thousands of young people who are not old enough to remember a Democratic primary that concluded so quickly and quietly. Many of the Generation Z and millennial progressives going to the polls this fall grew up on ideological fights and policy debates that lasted until everyone had a chance to vote in the primaries. Davis, who is president of the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police, said that in responding to a crisis, the suburbs generally lack the resources available to the city of Chicago, and that the south suburbs are at a further disadvantage compared to our northern and western counterparts. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. Sarah Maldoror, a pioneer of Pan-African cinema and activist, died in Paris on Monday, due to complications from coronavirus. She was 91. Sunu Journal, a platform of African Affairs, shared the news of her death on Twitter describing her as an evolutionary cineaste. We are very saddened by the news of the great Sarah Maldorors passing. She was a revolutionary cineaste and her films helped shape and solidify the Pan-African cinematic canon. Rest in peace Sarah Maldoror. Our thoughts are with her family, the tweet read. Born Sarah Durados by immigrant parents from Guadeloupe, the renowned filmmaker was most popular for her themes of political liberation and activism. She was famous for her anticolonialist work and was one of the prominent 1970s/1980s black francophone directors who really started questioning post-colonial black French condition. Maldoror became prominent following the release of Sambizanga, her movie which chronicled the 19611974 war in Angola. She had a fulfilling movie career and bagged several awards including a Tanit dor at the 1972 Carthage Film Festival. He awarded her with the Chevalier dans lOrdre National du Merite for services to culture in 2012. She had contributed to fill the deficit of images of African women in front of and behind the camera, he said. In an interview with American media, the late filmmaker agreed with the need to put women in the spotlight. African women must be everywhere. They must be in the images, behind the camera, in the editing room and involved in every stage of the making of a film. They must be the ones to talk about their problems. In one of her famous interviews, the late filmmaker described her approach to film making, saying, To make a film means to take a position, and when I take a position, I am educating people. I make films so that people-no matter what race or colour they are- can understand them. Tributes have been emerging in praise of Maldorors illustrious career in which she made some 40 films including a number of important documentaries that shone a light on black artists such as the poet Aime Cesaire. Frances former culture minister, Frederic Mitterrand, referred to her considerable contribution not only to the cinema but to history. Sarah Maldoror, who made Sambizanga, one of the best films ever, has died. I've been carrying a picture of her with me for years, as a reminder of what to aim for. pic.twitter.com/E395Lj99WY mark cousins (@markcousinsfilm) April 13, 2020 See some of her Twitter tributes below When you speak about range in cinema dont forget to mention our Antillean queen Sarah Maldoror ! Stills from A Bissau, Le Carnaval (1990) pic.twitter.com/1cNAwRpFAS Amy Sall (@amy_sall) April 13, 2020 Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Sarah Maldoror, immense figure of African cinema, shortly after hearing that of Osange Silou Kieffer, these are terrible times. Sharing a few stills of her first feature, Sambizanga, available here: https://t.co/O7PbLzDLdo pic.twitter.com/AaDkcnAj9s Is that Jazz? (@JazzholeMC) April 13, 2020 Sarah Maldoror died yesterday in Paris. I had no idea when I posted this. An absolute giant of African film. First Black woman to direct a feature film. Assistant director for THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS. Made films for the FLN and PAIGC. A Revolutionary. Descansa em paz. https://t.co/vCmWpVDzfu Erykah Badiu (@CachupaPapi) April 13, 2020 https://twitter.com/injera_plantain/status/1249712984471023620?s=20 Sarah Maldoror married Mario Pinto de Andrade. He was an Angolan anticolonial poet & political figure who founded the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) & part of establishing the Angolan Communist Party a black communist love story!!!! pic.twitter.com/6ItCedNo2h yasmina (@jasminprix) April 13, 2020 As World Grapples with COVID-19, High School Students Around the World Encouraged to Explore the Timely Topic in Original Videos for Chance to Win College Scholarship Contest Open to All Students Ages 13-18; Submission Period Begins Now Through Thursday, June 25 SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Breakthrough Prize Foundation today announced that the sixth iteration of its global video competition for students - the Breakthrough Junior Challenge - will include a special submission section focused on the science of pandemics. The contest - launched in 2015 and returning in 2020 in the midst of the worldwide health crisis - was designed to inspire creative thinking among young people about the fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics. By establishing the new pandemic section, contest organizers are giving students the option of exploring a number of the themes that ring especially relevant today, including epidemiology, virology, modeling a pandemic, the mathematics of exponential growth, the science of pandemics (bubonic plague, 1918 influenza, etc.), immunology, and biostatistics. The submission period opened today and will extend through Thursday, June 25. The challenge will have a presence on the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page, Khan Academy , and the YouTube Learning Channel Learn@Home . STEM activist, model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss narrates a launch video that presents all of the pertinent Breakthrough Junior Challenge details, which can be found here. Kloss, an avid supporter of science education and the founder of "Kode with Klossy," is joined in the video by former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, Khan Academy Founder Sal Khan, and popular YouTube personalities "Physics Girl" Dianna Cowern, and Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown of AsapScience. "Most students are experiencing significant disruptions in their everyday learning as a result of COVID-19," said Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, partner with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. "The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is providing students with a unique new opportunity to more deeply understand pandemics, and to channel their energy for good by creating individual videos that can inform and inspire their peers." The three original topic areas - life sciences, physics and mathematics - will remain eligible, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic category, and submission criteria will follow past guidelines: Students ages 13 to 18 from countries across the globe are invited to participate by creating original videos; Videos must be up to three minutes in length, and illustrate a concept or theory of a student's own selection; Submissions will be judged on the individual students' ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in the most engaging, illuminating and imaginative ways. In addition to creating and producing their own video entries, competitors will participate in a round of peer-to-peer assessment, in which they will score some of their fellow Challengers' submissions. As in years past, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge will also hold an opportunity for the public to vote on their favorite videos during a "Popular Vote" that will run from Saturday, September 5 to Sunday, September 20. The 2020 Popular Vote will produce two top scorers - one representative of the COVID-19 section and another of the overall general science submissions. During the Popular Vote, a total of 40 videos will be posted online to the Breakthrough Junior Challenge Facebook page, YouTube page, and web site. The full group will comprise 10 Special COVID-19 videos and 30 general science videos (including the top two videos from each region listed below), as determined by initial marks from the internal Evaluation Panel. In the Popular Vote, the video that accrues the highest number of combined likes, positive reactions (e.g. "love", "haha", "wow"), and Shares on the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page will be declared top scorer. The seven regions are North America (US / Canada); Central America / Mexico / Caribbean / South America; Europe; Asia (including China); India; Middle East / Africa; and Australia / New Zealand. Both the top-scoring COVID-19 video and the overall top-scoring general science video in the Popular Vote will automatically be placed in the final round of judging for the ultimate Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner. The creator of the top scoring COVID-19 video will also receive a special recognition. Ultimately, one Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner will be recognized and awarded a $250,000 college scholarship. As in previous years, the winner will be announced at the annual Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony in Silicon Valley, details of which will be announced at a later date. In addition, the science teacher who inspired the winning student will win $50,000. The winner's school will also receive a state-of-the art science lab, designed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and valued at $100,000. All students must register at https://breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org and submit complete entries by Thursday, June 25, 2020. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global competition to develop and demonstrate young people's knowledge of science and scientific principles; generate excitement in these fields; support STEM career choices; and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science. The Breakthrough Prize For the ninth year, the Breakthrough Prizes will recognize the world's top scientists. Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. Laureates attend a live televised award ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists. As part of the ceremony schedule, they also engage in a program of lectures and discussions. The Breakthrough Prizes are sponsored by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Ma Huateng, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates in each field choose the winners. Information on the Breakthrough Prize is available at breakthroughprize.org. Partners About Khan Academy Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy's platform is free for students, teachers and parents, and includes thousands of interactive exercises, videos and articles that cover a range of K-12 subjects, as well as the early years of college. We also offer Khan Academy Kids, an award-winning free app for children ages two to seven. Our learning system is mastery based, which allows students to master key concepts at a pace that's right for them before moving on to more challenging content. More than 18 million learners use Khan Academy every month in 190 countries and more than 40 languages. As a nonprofit, Khan Academy relies on donations from foundations, corporations and individuals around the world, as well as earned revenue. For more information, visit khanacademy.org, or join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The Breakthrough Prize Lab for the winning student's school is designed by and in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Established in 1890, CSHL has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education. Its New York campus boasts 1100 faculty, students and employees and hosts over 12,000 visiting scientists each year for world-renowned conferences and courses. CSHL's DNA Learning Center is the world's largest provider of student lab instruction in molecular genetics and teacher training. Materials and methods developed by the DNA Learning Center are accessible for free through more than 20 award-winning educational websites. The Laboratory's education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a science policy think tank and a graduate program in biological sciences. Visit www.cshl.edu . National Geographic Partners LLC National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information, visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com , or find us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , LinkedIn and Pinterest . Contact For more information, including competition rules, video submission guidelines and queries, go to: www.breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org . As part of its action plan to help customers to fight COVID-19, Huawei is providing technological services in artificial intelligence (AI), video conferencing, wireless network coverage and smartphones to nations across Asia Pacific. Huawei has joined hands with countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh and others to address on-ground communication challenges, ensuring connectivity and supporting essential services with innovative technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health systems are the first in line to fight the pandemic. Huawei telemedicine practices have developed on-ground use cases for four key scenarios in the fight against the coronavirus: Live video streaming, Remote collaboration, Remote diagnosis, and Remote protection, all in active use in live scenarios across nations in Asia Pacific. In Thailand, Huaweis Telemedicine Video Conference Solution deployed in hospitals and Disease Control Department has enabled government and medical experts with epidemic prevention, multi-collaboration, online consultations and interactive training that not only enhances diagnosis efficiency but also significantly helps reduce risk of infection for the entire medical team. Thailands Minister of Digital Economy and Society launched Huaweis 5G solution and AI technology assisted diagnosis and treatment system, which equipped with reliable high speed connection and very low latency will greatly improve the countrys efficiency in fighting the pandemic. Philippines Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center installed Huaweis solutions for AI-assisted CT Screening to help doctors detect COVID-19 cases. Bangladeshs Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Directorate General of Health and Services used Huaweis video conference systems, to assist the government in combating the epidemic situation, enhancing the remote collaboration efficiency and reducing the risk of infection for the medical teams. Singapores 7-Network leveraged HUAWEI CLOUDs solutions to provide a daily health check-in platform for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Based on HUAWEI CLOUD platform, Huaweis AI assisted diagnosis solutions significantly reduce diagnosis time, enabling faster identification and confirmation of COVID-19 suspected cases, with accurate detection of early, advanced and severe stages of the disease thus saving time for treatment and reducing backlog. HUAWI CLOUDs Anti-COVID-19 Partner Program, launched as part of the action plan for fighting COVID-19, focuses on five main scenarios: remote office, AI support, enterprise assistance, smart healthcare, and online education. Partners who participate in this program can not only obtain comprehensive business, technological, and market support but will also have the opportunity to obtain free cloud resources worth up to USD $30,000. In the healthcare domain, HUAWEI CLOUD provides EIHealth, which includes services such as viral genome detection, Antiviral drug in silico screening, and AI-assisted CT patient screening service. On the enterprise front, assistance is provided to help enterprises migrate businesses to the cloud to ensure continuous operations while the pandemic continues. In the education sector, HUAWEI CLOUD works with partners to provide online education services for schools and other educational institutions. Indonesias Ulearning worked with HUAWEI CLOUD to launch an online education solution which has been implemented in Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta. Huawei, in partnership with UNESCO IITE and UNESCO ICHEI, recently organized a webinar for online higher education to launch its Learn ON Program that uses innovative ICT technologies to make good education accessible for various groups in different areas during the COVID 19 crisis. 50,000 students are expected to be trained through online self-learning courses, and classes with more than 100 online train the trainer initiatives from April to Dec 2020 that will train 1500+ teachers as part of this program. The Trump administration has notified the Congress of its determination to sell Harpoon air-launched anti-ship missiles and Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes worth USD 155 million to India to enhance its deterrent capabilities against "regional threats" and to bolster its homeland defence. The US recognised India as a "Major Defence Partner" in 2016. This designation allows India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America at par with that of the US' closest allies and partners. The sale of 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles is estimated to cost USD 92 million, while 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes and three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes are estimated to cost USD 63 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Monday in two separate notifications to the Congress. The US State Department made this determination following a request for these two military hardware made by the Indian Government, the Pentagon said amidst China flexing its military muscles in the strategic Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. According to the Pentagon, the Harpoon missile system will be integrated into the P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft to conduct anti-surface warfare missions in defence of critical sea lanes while enhancing inter-operability with the United States and other allied forces. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces," the Pentagon said. While the Harpoon missiles will be manufactured by Boeing, the torpedoes would be supplied by Raytheon, the notification said. The proposed sale, it said, will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems. The MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo will provide the capability to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions. "India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. India intends to utilize MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes on its P-8I aircraft. India will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces, it said. In both the notifications, the Pentagon said that the proposed sale of these equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. According to the Pentagon, this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its manmade islands in the past few years, which it says it has the right to defend. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. In the East China Sea, Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan. The South China Sea and the East China Sea are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Creations by Offaly milliner Denise Casey have turned the international spotlight back on the Ballycumber woman, with her work recently taking pride of place in connection to two of Europe's most prestigious events on the fashion calendar. One of Denise's pieces, her piece that was actually a part of last year's event as it happens, has been chosen to feature on the cover of the PALMA SPANISH HAT WEEK brochure for 2020, which is due to take place in October of this year. And not only that, but in that cover photo Denise's hat is modeled by Countess Judith Kinsky, the curator of Palma Hat week herself. In a further development that truly signals Denise's rise to prominence on the international scene over the last year or so, yet another of her creations was recently selected for participation in the revered catwalk show of Lonon Hat Week's press preview. Speaking about both last weekend, Denise was, as ever, humbled but taking it all in her stride: "Well firstly, I was delighted to have my hat from last year's Palma Spanish Hat week chosen for the front page of their official brochure for this years exhibition. That's such a huge honour, and I'm very grateful that an opportunity like that has come my way. "It's definitely a very proud moment for me. And even more so given that the hat was actually modeled and worn in the photo by Countess Judith Kinsky, who is the curator of Palma Hat week. And I believe the Countess has said it's one of her favourite ever photographs, too. And something like that, as you can imagine, is just so lovely to hear." Palma Hat Week is scheduled to take place between October 19-25, which could make it quite the busy month for the Offaly woman. London Hat Week, originally planned to happen between the 16th and 24th of this month, has been postponed due to the current health emergency surrounding Covid-19, and is now rescheduled for October as well. All being well in the world, Denise is planning on being there to see one of the newest additions to her body of work - 'An Todhchai' - take its place before the eyes of the fashion world. And, with that piece having been among only forty chosen to feature in the prestigious Catwalk Show for the event's press-preview last month, it's certain to garner huge attention from media, industry, and fans alike. "Unfortunately that press-preview took place on March 16, which was just as the Covid-19 restrictions had come in here in Ireland," recalled Denise, "and before restrictions took hold in England. I had hoped to travel to the show, of course, but instead when the time came I just felt it was best to heed Irish health warnings, so I decided to stay at home." The press-preview, which took place at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel at the iconic central London landmark, The Shard, was largely attended by journalists from all over the world, including editors from various fashion magazines, as well as a large number of fashion bloggers and high profile influencers. Such press events are planned to provide an insight into what can be expected for the actual exhibition. London Hat Week traditionally attracts thousands of visitors. "I would have loved to be there," continued Denise, as she began to tell us about her featured piece, "but look, under the circumstances this year, staying at home was the right call, I think. But what actually happened for the press-preview is that XTerrace Fashion chose forty of the best hats and headpieces from 360 qualified International entries - there were hundreds of overall entries - into their Hat week Exhibition. "And I was absolutely thrilled to have been one of that chosen top forty to be included in their prestigious catwalk show. The theme for this year's Exhibition was to be 'To the Future and Back', with milliners like myself from all around the world invited to create their own take on the title, your choice being either futuristic based or vintage." Denise decided to choose future. And, after what she described as "considerable thought," she came up with her design called 'An Todhchai' - the Irish meaning for 'the Future'. "My concept was, perhaps somewhat ironically in these times we now find ourselves, that in order to look to the future we must first 'think outside the box.' My piece is made up of wire sculpture shaped to represent an 'Eye', but when you look through it, the pupil is in the shape of a box. It's covered in a sequin style fabric and iridescent satin, and the eyelash effect is made from goose quills." Anyone asked to name some of the world's most influential fashion hot-spots will invariably list off cities like London, Paris, Milan, and New York in a heartbeat. It's fair to say that Offaly is less likely to roll off anyone's tongue in this regard. Well, up to now, that is. Because it's also fair to say that Denise, with her magical and magnificent millinery, is well on her way to changing all that. You can follow Denise at Denise Casey Design on Instagram. A woman who has lived in the UK for seven years has been ordered to leave the country within days or face deportation, despite the government advising against all travel during ongoing coronavirus pandemic. American-born Katie Collins, 60, said she felt broken and afraid after being told by the Home Office on Monday morning that she must return to US by Saturday or be deported to Thailand the last nation from which she entered the UK. The former cheesemonger, who has been settled in the UK with her Scottish partner since 2013, said she would be unable to live with relatives in the US as they are having to self-isolate and would also struggle to rent other accommodation during the lockdown period. Speaking to The Independent hours after receiving the Home Office call, Ms Collins said: I cant stop crying. It feels like someone is doing their best to make sure I cant have my life. Im usually a very calm person, but this has pretty much broken me. Im being told to take myself through an airport and get on a plane during this pandemic, and go somewhere in the States. Where do I stay? There are people still homeless on the streets who cant find somewhere to go. Whos going to rent at this time? Am I supposed to live at the garage at my sisters house? Its mind-boggling. The UK governments guidance currently advises against all but essential travel to the US, and states that those who are able to enter the country from the UK by air would be asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Hours after The Independent contacted the Home Office on Monday, a Border Force agent called Ms Collins to tell her the date by which she must leave the UK had been pushed back to mid-May. However, she remains fearful of being forcibly separated from her Scottish partner Alan Gibb. The 60-year-old moved to the UK to live in Aberdeen with Mr Gibb in 2013 after the pair met the previous year while he was working at the same venue as her in Houston. She applied for, and was granted, leave to remain in the UK on a partner visa for a five-year period in January 2016, after paying more than 1,700 for the application. A problem emerged when Ms Collins visited the US for 11 weeks in 2018 to care for her younger sister, who had been diagnosed with blood cancer, during which she inadvertently missed the renewal date for her visa. She said she had been told she could still renew it on her return to the UK, but on arriving at Heathrow Airport she was detained for five hours and had a visit visa stamped in her passport, which in effect cancelled her previous partner visa. Katie Collins moved to the UK in 2013 to live with partner Alan Gibb (Katie Collins) The Home Office subsequently refused her application to renew the visa in January 2019, stating that she was not eligible to do so as a visitor. Ms Collins and Mr Gibb have since been fighting to appeal the decision. Mr Gibb, who is now retired but formally worked in the oil and gas industry, said: Im gobsmacked. Its incredulous, the whole thing. Its a completely nonsensical situation from start to finish. I cannot comprehend it, especially under the current circumstances. "Katie has nowhere to go. Its bad enough deporting anyone any time unless theyve committed a heinous crime of course but under the current circumstances it beggars belief. It shows how much is wrong with this system. Were dumbfounded. Stephen Flynn, the couple's local MP, said: You have to seriously question the motivation behind this UK government when it appears willing to deport individuals during the middle of a global pandemic. Ive been in direct contact with Katie and the Home Office and will continue to try and press for this deportation threat to be dropped and for a full review of her case to be undertaken its only fair that this happens. Caroline Coombs, co-founder of Reunite Families UK, a charity which has been supporting Ms Collins, said: Serving a deportation order on Easter Monday is quite frankly unbelievable. We know officials are working every hour God sends at this time, but ministers will surely want their officials to look again at this case. Deporting an innocent 60-year-old woman who has a family in the UK during a global pandemic makes no sense. Especially when the last immigration minister admitted the department had made mistakes. Everybodys time would be better spent if the home office halted this action and not break Kate and Alans hearts over a technicality." A Home Office spokesperson said they did not routinely comment on individual cases, adding: We have been clear that individuals lawfully in the UK will not be penalised for circumstances beyond their control, which is why we are extending their leave until 31 May 2020. NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Constellation ("Constellation"), a provider of catalytic investment capital to investor entrepreneurs, today announced the closing of a strategic partnership with Pollen Street Capital ("Pollen Street"), an independent asset manager focused on the financial and business services sectors in the United Kingdom and Europe with approximately 2.8bn in gross AUM. Constellation has acquired a minority ownership interest in Pollen Street and will provide significant investment capital to support the continued growth of Pollen Street's private equity and credit businesses. "We are thrilled to announce this exciting partnership between Constellation and Pollen Street," said Lindsey McMurray, Managing Partner of Pollen Street. "We believe that we have built a differentiated franchise and team with a deep understanding of our focus industries. The partnership with Constellation endorses the value of strong industry specialization in this complex environment." "We believe Pollen Street's deep expertise within financial services and experience investing across economic cycles uniquely positions them in today's environment," said Russell Valdez, Chief Investment Officer of Wafra and a Founding Board Member at Constellation. "We're excited to partner with Pollen Street as they have demonstrated clear industry leadership and a differentiated investment strategy in both private equity and credit investments." The partnership with Pollen Street reflects Constellation's strategy of providing growth and investment capital for investor entrepreneurs and accelerating business development by promoting peer-to-peer collaboration among leading institutional investors and investment managers. About Pollen Street Pollen Street is an independent alternative asset investment management company focused on the financial and business services sectors across both private equity and credit strategies. The private equity strategy is focused on investing in lower middle market firms which have the capacity to become leaders in their field across Europe. Pollen Street have deployed over 1.2bn capital into this strategy over the last 14 years delivering strong returns throughout. It was established in 2013 and manages 2.8bn gross AUM on behalf of investors including leading pension funds, asset managers, banks and family offices from around the world. Pollen Street Capital has a team of 70+ professionals with offices in London and New York. About Capital Constellation Constellation unites the expertise and capital base of premier institutional investors around the world with next-generation alternative asset managers. By providing strategic and financial support alongside a substantial, stable capital base, Constellation seeks to catalyze investor entrepreneurs and generate consistent, long-term returns for its members, who include the Alaska Permanent Fund ("APFC"), RPMI Railpen, the Kuwait Investment Authority ("KIA"), the Third Swedish National Pension Fund ("AP3"), and the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait ("PIFSS"). Constellation has partnered with six managers since its inception across North America and Europe and a range of asset classes and strategies spanning technology, renewable energy, communications, as well as real estate credit and private credit. Constellation is managed by Wafra, a leading private equity and alternative investment manager. For more information please visit www.capitalconstellation.com About Wafra Wafra and its affiliates invest across a wide range of alternative assets, from private equity and venture capital to real assets and infrastructure. Wafra aims to partner with best-in-class management teams across those sectors in providing flexible and accretive capital solutions, with a focus on forming long-term partnerships. Wafra's investment strategies are supported by professionals headquartered in New York. Wafra and its affiliates manage assets and commitments of approximately $25 billion. For more information please visit www.wafra.com Media Contacts For Pollen Street: Ed Gascoigne-Pees Camarco +44 7884 001949 [email protected] For Wafra & Capital Constellation: Nick Burns Edelman +1 (917) 344-4771 [email protected] SOURCE Capital Constellation Related Links http://www.capitalconstellation.com Queensland education minister Grace Grace says schoolies may be cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus. Ms Grace spoke on Brisbane's Hit105 radio on Tuesday morning and said the annual party will be subject to the advice of experts closer to the date. The end of school party draws thousands of students to Queensland every year and is scheduled to begin on November 21. Bookings are still being advertised for 2020 through schoolies.com, but Ms Grace said the event could be called off due to social distancing and isolation measures. 'I think if things continue the way that they are, depending on where were at, of course schoolies will be cancelled,' she said. Schoolies party at the beach at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in November 2014 'But were talking later on in the year yet, I dont know where were going to be and obviously we will be guided by health advice. Ms Grace clarified confusion for Queensland parents of who should be attending school and who should be home schooled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools are only open for children of essential workers and those who do not have the ability to supervise their family at home or have no other possible care arrangements. Other students will study from home via remote online learning, with the government to provide sim cards for students unable to access the internet. These measures will run for five weeks from April 20 until May 22 and will be reassessed on May 15 for the rest of term two. Ms Grace said parents should consult the Department of Education website for advice on learning structures for home schooling. Police officers stand guard while watching schoolies celebrate on the beach at Surfers Paradise in November 2014 Queensland minister for education Grace Grace said schoolies celebrations will be subject to health experts advice closer to the date 'It's very hard to have one exact definition, everyone is different, but it worked very well during the student free days and we can't see any reason why it shouldn't work well during the first five weeks of term two,' she said. The nation's chief medical officer blamed parents and teachers for effectively shutting down Australia's schools. Brendan Murphy says most state and territory governments did not want to close schools during the coronavirus crisis. 'It was the parents and the teachers who closed the schools,' Professor Murphy told a New Zealand parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said pressure from parents and teachers caused schools to close 'They did have an early school break but I think that we're seeing, you know, in some states only five per cent of children turning up to schools. 'There was a huge fear so the governments had to respond to that.' Medical experts and politicians have consistently said there is no health risk to children by sending them to schools and childcare centres. But most states moved to early Easter holidays and all are planning to have distance education for nearly all students in term two. Teacher unions in Queensland and NSW urged their governments in March to switch to pupil-free days before the official school holidays out of concerns about the health of educators. Get ready for what could be the biggest slate of store closures and retail bankruptcies in recent memory. For every day that retailers are closed during the coronavirus crisis, the chances that they won't survive this pandemic grow larger. While some retailers are flourishing namely chains with major grocery sales like Walmart, Target, Kroger and Costco others are trying to stave off doom. In many cases, these retailers were already in trouble already as Americans shopped increasingly online. Forever 21 and J.C. Penny were hanging by a thread, while Sears and Kmart have been waiting for the final shoe to drop for years. Now these and other chains, including Neiman Marcus, David's Bridal and Ascena Retail Group, are losing cash rapidly while they await the chance to reopen their doors. But theres no guarantee that customers will come flocking back to shop amid serious concerns about their finances and getting exposed to the still lingering virus. When are stimulus checks coming?: Money could roll out to Americans next week Looking for Lysol spray, Clorox wipes? COVID-19 wiped out disinfectants, but heres when you can buy again U.S. retailers have already announced 2,184 permanent closures this year, most of which were announced before the pandemic began, according to retail analytics firm Coresight Research. Papyrus, Modells Sporting Goods and Art Van Furniture announced plans to liquidate all of 635 of their locations.That follows a year in which more than 9,700 stores closed, according to updated data released Friday by Coresight. Will these retailers reopen amid COVID-19? Now, chains like GNC, J. Crew and Rite Aid are fighting for their lives, according to analysts. Camilla Yanushevsky, a retail stock analyst for CFRA Research, said the fallout for retail will be pretty striking after several years of mass closures. Its a battle of whos going to survive, whos just going to close and whos going to need to file for bankruptcy, she said. The companies that are most at risk at the ones that were already distressed before the crisis. Story continues While the federal governments $2.2 trillion stimulus package includes funds to ease the financial impact of the coronavirus on consumers, airlines and small businesses, Yanushevsky said its not likely to help large physical retailers much in the long run. I think a lot of people are going to be more hesitant to go into stores, specifically malls or more closed areas, until a vaccine comes out, Yanushevsky said. Weve already seen a big shift to e-commerce and thats just going to proliferate more for safety reasons. Jim Van Horn, a bankruptcy attorney at Barnes & Thornburg who has handled retail restructuring cases, also predicted a wave of bankruptcies. But he said they wont happen until the pandemic has somewhat ebbed, if only because retailers and their creditors wouldnt want to risk a liquidation until going-out-of-business sales could occur. Once we turn the corner on COVID-19 or when there is some general consensus of when things are going to get back to normal, there will be a tremendous amount of bankruptcy activity, he said. Sarah Wyeth, retail and restaurant sector lead for S&P Global Ratings, said about a quarter of retailers and restaurants tracked by S&P are now rating as having a 50% chance of defaulting on their debts. Failing to pay on time is often a precursor to restructuring or bankruptcy. In 2019, which included the liquidation of chains like Payless ShoeSource, Gymboree and Charlotte Russe, more than 9,700 stores closed. Heres a list of retailers that are trying to avoid the same fate, based on USA TODAY research, public data and analyst reports: Forever 21 Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September with plans to close roughly 100 struggling stores and save the rest of the business. The company then finished a deal on Feb. 19 to sell most of its remaining assets to a group of investors led by Authentic Brands and mall owner Simon Property Group, which had previously used a similar model to rescue fashion retailer Aeropostale. Talk about tough timing. Exactly a month later, while still deciding which stores to liquidate, the buyer temporarily closed all Forever 21 locations due to the pandemic. Now, the investment group has requested court permission for an extension on the deadline to decide which stores to close, according to a bankruptcy court filing. The pandemic disruption threatens to derail Forever 21s comeback before it even gets underway. J.C. Penney The department store chain's stock, which was already trading below 70 cents when March began, closed Thursday at 34 cents. With a total market value of about $108 million, J.C. Penney is running out of time to pull off its turnaround plan. Before the coronavirus, I thought there was going to be some hope for J.C. Penney, Yanushevsky said. It did look like they had some good ideas brewing, but this could be the final straw for them. In 2019, the Texas-based chain closed 27 stores, ended sales of appliances and furniture and placed the company's focus back on its bread and butter: compelling apparel and related merchandise. In 2020, the chain has already announced six additional permanent closures. With a junk credit rating of CCC from S&P Global Ratings and an outlook of negative, J.C. Penney is scrambling to get traction. Sears and Kmart These sibling chains have been out of bankruptcy for about 14 months, but it was hard to envision a return to greatness before the pandemic, let alone after it. Sears and Kmart have closed more than 3,500 stores and cut about 250,000 jobs over the last 15 years. After tumbling into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2018, the chains narrowly escaped total liquidation after a last-minute sale in February 2019 to their parent company's longtime investor and former CEO Eddie Lampert. But time is running out for Sears and Kmart to stabilize their businesses. In February 2020, another 51 Sears and 45 Kmart locations were set to close, leaving some 182 surviving stores. People attend the opening of the Neiman Marcus department store during the opening night of The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, Thursday, March 14, 2019, in New York. Neiman Marcus Group The luxury department store chain completed a debt restructuring plan in 2019 that included what S&P Global Ratings considered to be a "distressed" exchange. After the move, S&P rated the company as a "continued risk of restructuring." That may come to fruition. Reuters reported April 2 that Neiman Marcus, whose stores include the Bergdorf Goodman chain, was preparing a potential bankruptcy filing. Neiman Marcus already announced in March that it would close the majority of its 22 Last Call stores. Now, the company is hoping to avoid the fate of luxury rival Barney's, which liquidated in 2019. Davids Bridal Davids Bridal survived Chapter 11 bankruptcy, emerging from the process in January 2019 and charting plans to cut prices, improve its digital operations and add additional selections. Now, weddings and receptions have been disrupted throughout the country, with many governments limiting the number of people who can attend. While normal weddings will likely resume after the crisis subsides, the economic effects of the pandemic could lead couples to delay plans or spend less on their big day. Davids Bridal has already announced plans for a substantial reduction in expenses, capital expenditures and inventory commitments, as well as pay cuts and furloughs for most store employees and more than half of its corporate workers. Ascena Retail Group Like other apparel retailers with a heavy commitment to shopping malls, Ascenas stores were grappling with declining foot traffic long before the pandemic. The company's brands include Lane Bryant, Justice, Loft and Ann Taylor. Now, hopes of a sudden influx of business in the wake of the pandemic seem especially dim. In 2019, 62% of store closure announcements came in the apparel sector, according to global marketing research firm Coresight Research. Rite Aid Rite Aid was already stuck in an uncomfortable netherworld: not big enough to present a threat to drugstore rivals Walgreens and CVS but not agile or rich enough to reinvent itself. Rite Aid also faces the additional threat of disappointing health care insurance reimbursement rates and generic drug costs, according to CFRA Research. A few bad breaks haven't helped: A merger deal with grocery chain Albertsons collapsed in 2018, leaving the company's path to reinvention unclear. Now, with $3.3 billion in liabilities, Rite Aid has the third most debt of any retailer rated as distressed by Moody's Investor Service, behind only J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus. GNC Holdings Listed by Moody's as among the most distressed retailers, GNC has already announced 304 store closures this year, according to Coresight Research. On March 20, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the nutrition products retailer's credit rating to CC due to the companys likely inability to repay debt. We believe conditions for GNC are deteriorating substantially due to the coronavirus pandemic, the anticipated macroeconomic downturn and the limited access to capital markets, S&P reported. J. Crew With $1.4 billion in debt, J. Crew has the sixth-most debt among distressed retailers, according to Moodys. The long-distressed retailer announced on Dec. 2 that it had agreed to terms to separate its J. Crew stores and Madewell women's apparel business into independent companies. The profitable Madewell brand was in solid shape and was set to be spun out in an initial public offering that will lead to "sustainable capital structures" for both companies, interim CEO Michael Nicholson said in statement Dec. 2. But Bloomberg reported March 20 that the plan has been delayed indefinitely as "J. Crew is no longer considering taking its most profitable brand public in the near future. With J. Crew stores closed indefinitely due to the pandemic like many other retailers, the chains future is becoming cloudier by the day. Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus store closings: Can these 10 retailers avoid bankruptcy? The spate of violence over the holiday weekend, and while residents are under orders to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, frustrated D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham, who said social distancing and covid-19 do not seem to stop the citys most violent assailants. New Delhi, April 14 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the lockdown extension was important but slammed the people spreading hate at such a time. Speaking to the media, Kejriwal said people who are posting hate videos on Twitter are betraying India. "Even when the country is facing such a crisis, people are posting Hindu-Muslim videos and trying to instigate hate. This is against nature and the country. Such people are betraying India. We all have to work together to take the nation and its fight against coronavirus forward." Kejriwal also said the area with three or more coronavirus cases are being sealed and announced as containment zones. So far, 47 areas have been sealed in the city. "Delhi is being sanitised with help of 60 hi-tech machines. We have also made containment zones across the city. I will be visiting some of the containment zones in Delhi on Wednesday to ensure that all essential services are being provided with strict implementation of the precautions," he said. On the jump in positive cases in the city, Kejriwal said he is worried, but contended that it is not community spread. "The cases have increased a lot in the last few days. This is an issue of worry. I am worried. Delhi had an additional burden to deal with the patients coming from abroad. They came to other cities as well. But maximum came in Delhi and so Delhi had most people from abroad --including some of the worst hit countries," he said. He said while the patients traveling from abroad belonged to other states, they were asked to stay in Delhi to avoid further spread of the infection. He also said the cases from the Nizamuddin Markaz also contributed in the numbers. "We are working together in this. The lockdown extension was important. We have to keep following the lockdown for more time." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the countywide lockdown due to coronavirusA till May 3. Delhi has so far reported 28 Covid deaths and 1,510 coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the infection. Ignore any speculation that President Donald Trump is ready to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top White House adviser on the coronavirus. So says former Gov. Chris Christie. I dont think theres any chance he fires Dr. Fauci, Christie said Tuesday on ABCs The View. Donald Trump relies on his opinions. I dont think we have to worry about that one. The issue arose after Trump on Sunday retweeted a comment with the hashtag, Fire Fauci, the nations top epidemiologist. Sorry Fake News, its all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up. Thank you @OANN https://t.co/d40JQkUZg5 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020 Trump on Monday said he wasnt going to dismiss Fauci, who has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. Im not firing," Trump said during the daily White House coronavirus briefing. "I think hes a wonderful guy. Fauci has drawn the wrath of some Trump supporters in part because he has urged caution in reopening the nations economy during the pandemic, even as the president has pushed to resume business as usual as soon as possible. If that, all of a sudden, we decide, OK, its May whatever, and we just turn the switch on, that could be a real problem, Fauci said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. Christie said that medical experts, not economists, will make the call. Science will have more to do with this than economics, he said. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage While Trump on Monday declared that he had the ultimate authority to decide when to reopen the country, Christie said it wasnt that cut and dry. There would be a real battle in court over this because the president does, under a national emergency, have much broader authority than he normally does, Christie said. On the other hand in the beginning, the president abrogated that responsibility to the governors. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that New Jersey and six other northeastern states would develop a joint plan to relax the restrictions imposed on residents and businesses to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The plan does not provide for a federal role in that decision. Christie said that while the governors have the better part of the argument in terms of deciding when to reopen the economy, he expected the two sides to come together. My guess is there will be compromises, Christie said. They need each other. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Two mayors of hard-hit Fairfield County cities joined Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday to stress the need to continue the social distancing and business closures that seem to be flattening the curve in the coronavirus pandemic. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said politicizing the issue does little at a time when the western half of the state has not yet reached its peak of infections. I think theres time for politics later on, said Boughton, a Republican who lost the partys 2018 primary for governor. Right now this is about healing our state, healing our nation, if you will. There is really no value in sniping at each other. I think the governor has struck a solid path. I agree with Mayor Boughton, Rilling told reporters. You know were all in this together. Were part of history. This is something that none of us has ever experienced before. We were the epicenter, Fairfield County. We hit the ground running and I think were leading the charge because we had to do that early on. Boughton said hed love to be able to restart business and schools, but theres too much at stake if the virus gets worse. We cant quit, he said. We want to open. We have to open and we have to do it safely. And thats the most important thing as we look forward together. We cant backslide. Lamont Tuesday announced another 69 fatalities in the coronavirus pandemic, for a total of 671. These are not numbers, Lamont said, haltingly during his daily afternoon news conference in the state Capitol. These are friends and family of our ... here in Connecticut. I ... feel that everyday. Hospital admissions decreased over a few days. Connecticut had a net increase of 19 patients Tuesday for a total of 1,779. That relatively low increase was mostly because discharges are up, Lamont said. Over the last five days, the number of hospital admissions have been decreasing. Thats an indication that perhaps the infection rate was receding a little bit, he said. It popped up a little bit on April 13. The state has not released daily data on hospital discharges. The total number of people testing positive stood at 13,989 as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, up by 608 from Monday. That increase was less than in some recent days but Lamont warned that the number of new tests 1,532 for a total of 45,841 is also down. Boughton, whose city had the states first COVID-19 case about six weeks ago at Danbury Hospital, agreed the pandemic is historic. Look, this is uncharted territory for any mayor, any first selectman. Its been remarkable to watch local government move forward and address a difficult issue, he said. And it shows government works. Boughton said he was surprised at the virulence and contagious nature of the virus, particularly its effect on the elderly and nursing homes. Lamont drew some optimism from the fact that only a net 19-patient increase in hospitalizations occurred since Monday, but he and the mayors agreed that the current course, keeping an eye on the daily hospital caseload while creating a strategy for normalization, is the right course of action. Via video, the two mayors joined the governors daily hourlong news briefing in the state Capitol, answering questions from reporters after voicing support for the governor, who has been a target of criticism from President Donald Trump, some business owners and several in-state Republicans. Boughton noted the formation this week of a council with representatives of the seven-state region makes sense. Danburys proximity to New York state has to be fully considered, Boughton said. He said the strategic partnership Danbury has with Putnam County, just over the border. We have to work closely with New York state, otherwise its just not going to make any sense, the things that were doing, he said during the hour-long event. Lamont has ordered the shutdown of non-essential businesses until May 20, when he expects more test results and personal protective equipment. That will give us a lot stronger indication about who and when and how people can start getting to work, he said, stressing that a lot of federal aid will keep flowing into the state until July 1. Rilling said every one of the 36 deaths in Norwalk affects the entire city. Its a member of your community, he said, noting that the surrounding towns of Westport, Darien, New Canaan and Wilton regularly visit the city to shop. Thousands of city residents are employed in New York and come back home to Connecticut. We know the social or physical distancing is the most-effective way and we have to continue that, Rilling said. The biggest mistake we can make right now is to go back and be complacent and get a false sense of security that this is over. This is not over. I agree May 20 is a date that needs to be looked at, as to what we do going forward. Rilling said the pandemic has no political affiliation. There is no Republican or Democratic way to deal with this pandemic, he said. Its talking to each other, moving forward together, putting aside any differences that we have, listening to each other, and like I said, learning from each other. As you know, President Trump has put out the date of May 1, which I think most of the governors think is very premature, Lamont said. Hospitalizations are going up and infections are going up and this is no time to take our eye off the ball. Hes worried about spring fever possibly distracting people from the need to keep social distancing over the next month. Lamont said that with an emergency budget reserve of $2.5 billion, hes confident that the states annual $21-billion budget will be able to survive the sharp decrease in revenue that will accompany the unemployment surge that is about 15 percent now and could reach 20 percent. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Washington: Former president Barack Obama has broken his silence in the Democratic presidential primary to endorse his former running mate Joe Biden, declaring that America's "future hangs on this election". Obama's endorsement, delivered in a 12-minute online video, came a day after former rival Bernie Sanders backed Biden to defeat President Donald Trump in the November election. Barack Obama has officially endorsed his former vice-president Joe Biden. Credit:AP "Choosing Joe to be my vice-president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend," Obama said in the video. "And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now." Once thought to be a figment of our collective imagination, ASMR (or autonomous sensory meridian response) has taken YouTube by storm. It can be created by sights and sounds ranging from beautiful music to whispering to the clipping of hair, and causes a feeling of well-being and pleasure. It is described as a pleasurable and calming tingling sensation in the back of the head, wrote neurologist Steven Novella on NeuroLogica Blog. It is often called a brain orgasm, or braingasm. To show how mainstream ASMR has become, it now has its major art exhibition called Weird Sensation Feels Good at Stockholms ArkDes. Originally intended to be a live installation prior to the coronavirus pandemic, its s now being presented to the public as a virtual vernissage that can be enjoyed online. The project includes both intentional and unintentional types of ASMR that form a cross-section of the culture. The unintentional pieces include Bob Ross and The Slo Mo Guys, while the intentional sections feature well-known ASMR artists like Life with MaK. Weird sensation feels good Bob Ross The show delves into the pre- and post-internet history of ASMR. The term was coined 2010 by cybersecurity researcher Jennifer Allen as a way to objectively capture how it works on the brain. She also inadvertently coined the name of the exhibition when searching the internet for terms like tingling head and spine in 2009. At one point she stumbled on a forum post titled Weird Sensation Feels Good. As the exhibition illustrates, however, ASMR existed long before the internet. During his long-running TV program, Bob Ross spoke calmly to audiences while creating scratching and brushing sounds that are common triggers for ASMR fans. Now, those calming, everyday sounds are reproduced on YouTube. In the exhibition, ASMRtists like Haircut Harry simply cuts hair and softly chats, while graphic designer ASMRctica hand-draws maps while whispering with a Swedish accent and sucking on a cough drop. As the exhibition curators note, those techniques have also been co-opted by brands like Pokemon and Ikea by adding ASMR triggers like whispering and rustling to ads. Story continues The exhibition delves into some negative aspects of the movement, including the lack of gender parity. However, it largely sees it as a positive thing. ASMR injects the internet with softness, kindness and empathy, according to the curators. As a form of digital intimacy, it offers comfort on demand, standing against the feeling of isolation that constant connectivity can deceptively breed. Anecdotally, ASMR is being used as a form of self-medication against the effects of loneliness, insomnia, stress, and anxiety. This is a cue to its success and to its transcendental appeal. On top of the visual and auditory aspects of ASMR, the exhibition offers Instagram face filters, poetry readings in ASMR format and various installations and paintings. Its now running until November 2020 in a virtual vernissage format. The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), says it has received 80,000 applications on the N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Managing Director of NIRSAL, Abubakar Kure, disclosed at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that CBN had in March announced the release of N50 billion TCF stimulus package to support households and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Kure said out of the number, 40,000 of the applicants that applied for the facility were households. He said the objective of the facility was to allow firms stay in business and ensure people stayed employed to mitigate the harm on the economy. He said the disbursement of the fund would commence next week. The issue of business plan was a requirement for MSMEs applications as stipulated by CBN guideline. At the start of the process, business plans which NIRSAL received from loan applicants were highly substandard and to ensure high standard and efficient processing, an optional, automated business plan was provided by a service provider at a highly discounted fee. This is to avoid applicants being charged excessively by other consultants and to help people during the stay at home period and to make the application process easy. We got a third party service provider to enable applicants to access the business plan through the internet, he said. The managing director said the management of the bank had later resolved that the business plan was no longer a mandatory requirement and the third party provision of a business plan was also not compulsory. He assured that Nigerians were adhering to the guidelines as laid down by CBN and NIRSAL micro finance bank. Mr Kure said the bank would still welcome applications from credible businesses and households affected with COVID-19 with a view to mitigating the effects. The CBN Director of Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor, described reports from some media that the CBN was charging fees for applications as distractions. Mr Okorafor said the negative reports were distractions hence people should disregard such false publications, adding that the loan facility was a relief to help businesses and people in this trying period. We have to work together as a people, the country must win this battle of COVID-19, we must win it, he added. (NAN) Browser does not support frames. KALAMAZOO, MI -- An additional seven people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Kalamazoo County, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 91, according to state data. Additional cases in Southwest Michigan, as well as new deaths tied to the coronavirus in other counties, were reported in data released by state and county officials on Monday, April 13. No additional COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Kalamazoo County since the seventh death was announced on Friday, April 10. All seven deaths have involved patients with underlying health conditions who are age 70 or older, according to the department. The median age of the seven people who have died of COVID-19 in Kalamazoo County is 84, according to data released by the county health department. Of the Kalamazoo County residents who had tested positive as of Monday, 32 were black, making up 35.5% of the countys total confirmed cases. African Americans make up less than 12% of the countys total population, according to the latest census data. RELATED: A timeline of coronavirus in the Kalamazoo area Statewide, the number of cases increased after seeing a slight dip on Easter which has followed a trend of less reporting on Sundays, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan reported 997 new cases Monday, compared to the 645 new cases reported on Sunday. Some of these Sunday decreases have been as high as a 25% reduction compared to the previous day, according to the MDHHS website. The state reports the age ranges of COVID-19 patients to be between 20 and 107 with the median age landing at 75. Statewide, 33% of positive tests have been for black residents. African Americans make up 14% of the Michigans overall population. The state has started to release weekly data on recovered patients. As of Friday, April 10 there have been 433 patients who recovered from the novel virus. RELATED: Black residents affected disproportionately as coronavirus cases inch up in Kalamazoo County St. Joseph County reported its first death on Monday. The county has 21 positive cases. The Barry-Eaton District Health Department on Monday also reported the first COVID-19 death in Barry County a 59-year-old woman who died Sunday, April 12, according to a release from the health department. The department will not release any further details about the patient. In Eaton County, an additional death was reported Monday, bringing the county totals to 74 positive cases and five deaths. Nearby, in Calhoun County, nine additional cases and one new death were reported Monday. In total, the county has 83 positive cases and two deaths. Van Buren County reported one more case bringing its cumulative totals to 22 positive cases and one death. RELATED: Drive-thru coronavirus testing sites coming to Kalamazoo County Bronson Healthcare reported Monday that 16 COVID-19 positive patients are currently being treated at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. There have also been six reported deaths at the hospital that are a direct result of COVID-19, according to the data. Bronson Battle Creek reported Friday that 11 patients are being treated there and one death has occurred at the hospital. The hospital notes on its website that deaths reported do not necessarily reflect a county of residence. Kalamazoos other major hospital, Ascension Borgess, has refused to disclose the number of COVID-19 patients being treated at its facilities, citing privacy reasons. Out of respect for patient privacy, we will not be releasing data on the number of patients who are being tested or treated for COVID-19 at our facilities, Ascension Borgess said in a statement. Cumulative total cases and deaths in Kalamazoo County: Browser does not support frames. More coronavirus coverage on MLive: Kalamazoo gets coronavirus testing site Cluster of COVID-19 identified at Benton Harbor nursing home Parents, we want to hear from you: How is social isolation going for your family? Southwest Michigan nurse heads to New York City to fight coronavirus Kalamazoo hospitals approved to add 405 beds for patient surge during pandemic Law enforcement officials in Georgia last month staged a sting operation on the gay dating app Grindr, arresting nine men on prostitution and drug-related charges. But one of the accused men has challenged the narrative laid out in the arrest warrant from the Dawson County Sheriff's Office, arguing that he did not offer to have sex with an undercover officer in exchange for marijuana. The suspect shared a screenshot of his exchange with Sgt W Dereck Johnson, who was pretending to be a Grindr user, with the Atlanta-based LGBTQ publication Project Q. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office in Georgia arrested nine men as part of an online sex sting targeting users of the gay dating app Grindr (pictured) between March 2-4 According to the conversation, Johnson, who went by the screen name Charlie[looking for]420, contacted the man and offered to meet him at the Quality Inn & Suites in Dawsonville. When the man said he had marijuana, Johnson replied, 'U share?' The man said he would. Johnson then offered to supply rolling paper to smoke the marijuana. 'I want to get high and f***,' the undercover cop wrote. The man replied: 'nothing wrong with that.' The screenshot of the chat provided to the publication purportedly makes no mention of a quid pro quo deal between the two men, but in the March 4 arrest warrant, Sgt Johnson wrote that the suspect 'did solicit' him 'to perform an act of prostitution in exchange for marijuana.' The Grindr user was charged with misdemeanor pandering, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and criminal attempt. The vice operation lasted from March 2-4 and led to the arrests of nine men ranging in age from 23 to 50 years old. Sgt W Dereck Johnson, who went by the screen name Charlie[looking for]420 on Grindr, contacted a man and offered to meet him at this Quality Inn & Suites in Dawsonville, Georgia, then claimed he solicited the cop 'to perform an act of prostitution in exchange for marijuana' A local news outlet published all of the men's names and displayed mugshots for four of them. It also revealed in a March 10 article that one of the suspects was a local middle school teacher, and that he has been suspended in the wake of the sting. DailyMail.com is not naming or depicting the suspects due to the contested nature of the allegations against them. The men were booked on a variety of sex and drug charges, including pandering, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, criminal attempt and use of a communication facility in committing a crime. Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson has not commented on the allegations that gay men were lured on Grindr and then hit with trumped-up charges Greg Nevins, senior counsel at the national LGBTQ legal organization Lambda Legal, told Project Q that the pandering charge is without merit. 'The one thing that you should have before you label something prostitution is a very clear situation where the offer of the item or money is an indispensable part of the transaction,' Nevins said after reviewing the Grindr chat screenshot. 'The supposed sex worker has to basically make it clear that without your paying or giving the item, there will be no sex. Thats not here at all.' Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson defended his agency's handling of the sting operation in an email to DailyMail.com on Tuesday. 'We emphatically deny that any arrests are based on anything less than probable cause,' he wrote. 'The implication that these men were targeted based upon their sexuality is simply false.' Johnson also addressed the screenshot of the Grindr chat, arguing that it does not tell the whole story. 'Please understand that they (the publication) are not privy to any conversation or evidence at the time of, or just preceding, the arrest,' he stated, referring to Project Q. Lastly, the sheriff pointed out that his agency releases the names of everyone who gets arrested at charged. 'We do not pick and choose whose information is released,' he said. by Vladimir Rozanskij Moscow's mayor: "We're not even close to the peak" of infections. All celebrations take place in empty churches, streamed live. Msgr. Pezzi. "It is the time of narrow paths and personal encounter." Msgr. Clemens Pickel of Saratov is well and has tested negative to the virus. The Pilgrimage Year of the icon of Our Lady of Fatima of St. Petersburg as Mother of the Word. Moscow (AsiaNews) - Russia must increasingly deal with the spread of the coronavirus. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobjanin warned: "We are not even close to the peak; in fact, we are at the foot of the climbing curve: let there be no illusions". Even President Vladimir Putin is forced to speak on television every day to partially deny what was said the day before. And after delegating the quarantine decisions to the governors, he reiterated that in any case it is the Kremlin that must dictate the line, and "we must be ready for any development of the situation". Thus Russian Catholics celebrate sacred Easter functions in quarantine. In Moscow, the archbishop of the diocese of the Mother of God, Paolo Pezzi broadcasts the Easter triduum celebrations from the half-empty cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, along with various videos with reflections on the meaning of Easter in the "narrow paths" of the current unease. In his Holy Thursday homily, recalling the words of Pope Francis to the Jesuits in Thailand, he reiterated that "our time is an era in which there are no easy ways and ready-made recipes, and we must open new paths; it is the time of narrow paths, and of personal encounters. In the diocese of St. Clement in Saratov, Bishop Clemens Pickel confirmed that he is well. Previously, news of his having been touched by the coronavirus had appeared on his Facebook site. In fact, the swab was negative. Masses are also streamed in his diocese in southern European Russia. In a message to the faithful, Msgr. Pickel "relieved faithful of the obligation to participate in liturgical functions", also citing the relative canons of the Code of Canon Law, but asking "priests and other leaders of the pastoral service to be available for their parishioners". The diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk, in the heart of Siberia, publishes the indications for daily readings and meditations to the faithful, as well as the solitary masses of Bishop Josif Werth from the cathedral, which bears the same title as the diocese. The celebrations are broadcast via the Russian social channel Vkontakte ("In contact"), which notifies registered users of the start of each function. For Holy Saturday, the ancient homily is quoted, also mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 635): "Today on earth there is great silence, great silence and solitude ... God and His Son go to free from suffering Adam and Eve, who are in prison. " In Irkutsk, near Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia, the ordinary session of the Russian Bishops' Conference (photo 1) was held March 11-12, at which Archbishop Pezzi was elected as president. Bishop Kirill Klimovicz, a native of Kazakhstan, invited the faithful to "celebrate Easter with the family". He also streams the celebrations online from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a place of worship built after the end of communism to commemorate the heavenly protection of Mary for her people. The Russian Bishops' Conference decided to ask the Mother of God to watch over the suffering of the faithful in these difficult days: the Pilgrimage Year of the Icon of Our Lady of Fatima of St. Petersburg as Mother of the Word was opened on March 25. The title is taken from the homilies of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, master of Latin Marian spirituality, which harmonizes well with the Byzantine forms of the icon (photo 2). As the document from the bishops warns, Closeness to Sacred Scripture must be renewed in our communities and parishes, as Pope Francis says: the relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and Sacred Scripture is an indispensable part of our identity of Christians (Aperuit illis, 1) ". New York/ Singapore, April 14 The fight against COVID-19 is at a crucial tipping point, so the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Hackster.io, an Avnet company and the largest online open-source technology hardware community, are taking action. The two organizations have partnered to launch the COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge to create open-source technology that developing countries can leverage in the fight against this global pandemic. The new design challenge is a call to action for all hardware and software developers, product designers, scientists, hackers, makers, innovators and inventors to come up with innovative ideas to cost-efficiently support COVID-19 response efforts in developing countries. There will be prizes and recognition awarded to the top ten solutions, and Avnet will provide support to accelerate the winners time to market by offering business consultation and access to engineering, design and manufacturing resources. The COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge aims to surface innovative solutions that developing countries can immediately use to tackle the pandemic -- that could be everything from new 3D-printable protective equipment to software that can detect future outbreaks, said UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner. Utilising UNDP's global network and the diverse resources of our supporting partners, we will work with the winning creators to disseminate this knowledge and assist those who are hardest hit by the pandemic. UNDPs Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development, Singapore will work with country offices and partner tech companies to meet the needs of countries and regions with lack of resources where COVID-19 could have the greatest impact. UNDP will work with governments to help ensure regulations, procurement procedures, and policies to catalyse and make use of innovations. Through this challenge, our community at Hackster, the UNDP and Avnets technology partners are coming together to provide innovative solutions to get lifesaving technology to some of the worlds most vulnerable areas, said Bill Amelio, CEO, Avnet. We are proud to partner with the UNDP to activate local technology ecosystems to develop, shape and implement open-source solutions that can help detect and protect against COVID-19 around the world. Its a truly global collaboration, with a longer-term and positive multiplier effect. This global challenge builds on exciting initiatives like the 'Global Hack' and others that are galvanizing the broader tech community to find urgent solutions for COVID-19. The challenge is open through the summer of 2020. For more information and to submit your challenge please visit https://www.covid19detectprotect.org . Our Partners in COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge: Hackster, Amazon AWS, NXP, Arduino, Nordic Semi, Microsoft, Edge Impulse, The Things Network, Arm, Google, Soracom, SG Innovate, Adafruit, Balena For any questions that you may have on the COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge please send them to registry.sg@undp.org Media Contacts: UNDP New York: Sangita Khadka, Sangita.khadka@undp.org; +1 212 906 5043 Avnet: Jeanne Forbis; jeanne.forbis@avnet.com; 480-643-7499 Brodeur Partners, for Avnet: Alex Jafarzadeh; ajafarzadeh@brodeur.com; 617-587-2846 About UNDP UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.www.undp.org. About Avnet Avnet is a global technology solutions provider with an extensive ecosystem delivering design, product, marketing and supply chain expertise for customers at every stage of the product lifecycle. We transform ideas into intelligent solutions, reducing the time, cost and complexities of bringing products to market. For nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about Avnet at www.avnet.com and its Hackster community at www.Hackster.io. ONEKAMA The Onekama Consolidated Schools Board of Education took action at Monday evening's virtual meeting to name Gina Hagen as the district's first ever superintendent/principal. Hagen has worked for the district for 19 years and served as principal until this time. She was approved on a 6-0 vote of the board with board members Sally Koon, Chelle Hrachovina, Steve Brooks, Gary Madden, Heidi Wisniski and Nick Dye approving the measure. Board member Sam Catanese was not in attendance at the meeting which was held on Zoom, allowing the public also to view it. The new superintendent/principal will start her position on July 1 and will replace interim superintendent Mark Parsons who informed the board he did not want to go beyond his contract that expires on June 30. Parsons replaced long-time superintendent Kevin Hughes who retired from the district in July 2019. Board members gave Hagen a three-year contract with a starting wage of $115,000 per year for performing the dual role of both principal and superintendent of the Onekama Consolidated Schools. Hagen thanked the board for its support and said she looked forward to her new role with the district. "I appreciate your support and look forward to working with all of you," said Hagen. "I am really excited and we figure out this summer on how we can get together and work out some common goals to move forward. I think it is a going to be a great year and a great future." Board president Sally Koon said Hagen has worked hard to earn the position. She also pointed out that Parsons and Mike Hill of the Michigan Leadership Institute, which represented the district in its superintendent search process, both highly recommended Hagen for the position. Gina has been a wonderful asset to our school system for over 19 years," said Koon. "In this last year she has stepped up to fill in the gaps while only having an interim superintendent two days a week. Gina not only has the support of the board, staff and teachers, but was highly recommended by interim Superintendent Mark Parsons and our consultant Mike Hill. I have total confidence that Gina will continue to excel in her new roll as superintendent/principal and look forward to working more closely with her. Hagen did her undergraduate work at Kansas State University and then received her master's degree at Central Michigan University. She has held several positions in this area over the span of her 25-year career in education. "I have been a classroom teacher, teaching business and computers," said Hagen. "I also was the director of Alternative Education in Benzie and at Manistee Catholic Central I was a classroom teacher for one year, the interim superintendent for one year and principal for a year. It will be 19 years that have been in Onekama starting as the high school/middle school principal and then the K-12 school principal." Being in the district for the past 19 years brings an understanding of the issues and challenges facing the district for the new superintendent/principal. In these times of uncertainty due the COVID-19 pandemic, it brings added challenges that would make it even more difficult for someone coming new into the district. "I know the parents and how the school system has run over the past 19 years," said Hagen. "I know the staff well as we don't have much turnover and the new ones we do have are ones that I hired." The current challenge of handling the distance learning segment due to the COVID-19 pandemic is something that Hagen said is the first major issue that needs to be addressed. "That is huge and it is changing daily," she said. "That is the part that is difficult as you want to think it will be done in two weeks and then it's two weeks more after that." She said the students and parents are wondering about all the activities that usually take place this time of year like the prom, eighth grade trip, graduation and kindergarten round up. She said parents are already dealing with stressful issues in their lives as a result of the pandemic. "All my parents need to know what is going on and so the teachers are contacting them," said Hagen. "Right now we are dealing with educational issues, but we should also be dealing with social emotional issues to make sure our parents are well as are their students, and that they can pay their utilities. That is all part of education, and we need to be there for them and it is just as important as learning their a,b,cs and 1,2,3." Hagen said right now there is a great deal of uncertainty in education in terms of what it will look like when students are allowed to return to the classrooms, be it in September or possibly even later. Board members also inquired about her plans for tackling the responsibilities of two positions. "The IEPs for special education meetings to make sure there is a district representative there can be given to someone else," said Hagen. "We also have child study that is a prelude to IEPs, and we get together once a month to talk about students at risk and come up with alternate learning plans on how we can help them, and that is a full eight hour meeting that can be given to someone else." Other things she touched on from day-to-day discipline up to suspensions and expulsions could be handled by another staff member. She said there also is a plan for the days that she may have to be out of the building, another person can assume some of her responsibilities in her place while she is gone. "Those are huge issues as there are 121 special education meetings a year that takes up a lot of time as does child study," said Hagen. "So discipline and if someone else can take up calling parents for students being tardy, skipping and things like that takes a lot off my plate. We have people in place for things like that, but I prefer not to throw those names out as I would like to talk to them further." Board members were all agreeable to those things. SEE ALSO: Parsons takes over as interim Onekama superintendent Onekama Schools superintendent search in holding pattern A total of 41 people have been arrested by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service at Babile Inland Post in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region for attempting to enter the country illegally. The people, comprising of 39 Ivoirians and two Ghanaians who were traveling on two Sprinter buses with Registration Numbers AW 253-14 and GE 8700-12 through an unapproved route were intercepted on Monday by personnel of the Immigration Service at Babile through intelligence. Upper West Regional Commander of the GIS Assistant Commissioner of Immigration, Peter Nkrumah, disclosed this to the media on Tuesday. He said the two Ghanaians were sent to where they came from while the 39 Ivoirians have been sent to Sampa in the Bono Ahafo Region to be dispatched back to where they came from. He also disclosed that eight others including two Ghanaians and six Burkinabes were also arrested for passing through unapproved route into the country. The Regional Commander disclosed that on Monday, April 13, at about 9:45am, a Malian was also arrested for coming into the country through unapproved route and was picked up by two Ghanaians including a policeman using a Land Cruiser Vehicle. Mr Nkrumah said after briefing the Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih and the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Osei Afreh Kuffuor, they agreed that the Malian be quarantined at the Regional Hospital. We know the economic hardship in the sub region but this is an enemy we are fighting COVID-19 is a giant enemy we are fighting and we must all collaborate to make sure that we defeat the enemy, he said. We the Immigration personnel who are on the ground will make sure that the directive of the President is implemented to the latter; we are not going to accept anybody that passes through unapproved route into the country, he emphasized. Monitoring the event on daily basis, we are realizing that all those crossing through the illegal routes are positive to the virus, said the Regional Commander of Immigration. Mr Nkrumah appealed to residents of the border communities to give out information on all those people trying to use the unapproved routes to enter into the country. We should all know that government is fighting for the safety of all citizens, therefore, this fight should not only be for the security officers alone, he added. ---citinewsroom What can economic history teach us about the lockdown? The coronavirus pandemic is, of course, first and foremost a social crisis. It is testing the limits of the NHS, bringing out the best in our doctors, nurses and carers, and many others on whom we all rely. But it is also a huge challenge for policy makers who are trying to protect businesses, jobs and incomes, so that the economy can quickly reboot once the lockdown is lifted. Long-term benefits: History teaches us that vicious diseases cannot be allowed to run unchecked And while the saving of lives is rightly the priority, the extent and duration of the economic disruption could also have significant impacts on our health. Fortunately, history provides a few pointers. Perhaps the least surprising conclusion is that vicious diseases cannot be allowed to run unchecked. One particularly grim study of the longer-term economic consequences of 15 pandemics, all the way back to the Black Death in the 14th century, found that the fallout persisted for as long as 40 years. More positively, recent history shows that brief falls in economic activity, even large ones, do not necessarily lead to a deterioration in health outcomes. US research suggests a temporary downturn is more often associated with a small improvement in overall mortality rates, due to indirect benefits such as a fewer traffic accidents. Together, these studies suggest that it might be worth taking a large hit to the economy in the short term in order to get on top of coronavirus. That conclusion is supported by a recent analysis (by economists Sergio Correia, Stephan Luck, and Emil Verner) of how US cities responded to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. As you might expect, the cities that suffered the most deaths also saw a sharp and persistent fall in economic activity. But, importantly, this study also looked at the impact of the sort of restrictions that the Government is imposing today, such as banning public gatherings, and closing schools, churches, shops and restaurants. The researchers found US cities where authorities intervened earlier and more aggressively did better in terms of mortality, without doing any worse in terms of the impact on economic activity. If anything, their economies grew faster than others when the pandemic was over. Obviously, none of these studies are exact matches for the current crisis. Economies may now be more vulnerable to some types of shock, for example, because of fragile 'just-in-time' supply chains and less secure forms of employment. We are also more aware of some potential costs of social isolation, such as mental health problems or an increase in domestic violence. Covid-19 itself does not appear to be as severe as the Spanish flu and is certainly less harmful than the Black Death, or the plagues of the 16th and 17th centuries. Mortality rates are also much lower than some more recent coronavirus outbreaks MERS, in 2012, and SARS, in 2002. Nonetheless, the evidence is refuting complacent assumptions made by armchair pundits such as that Covid-19 might not be much worse than 'seasonal flu', or that it would 'only' be a serious risk for older people and those with existing health problems. The prospect of the NHS being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients is something that should worry us all. On the other hand, there are growing concerns that the lockdown is discouraging people from seeking care for other conditions. There are, therefore, no easy answers. Experts, whether in healthcare or economics, have to make a balanced assessment of all the risks and uncertainties, and there are many. But history at least suggests that the lockdown should help save lives and reduce the long-term economic costs. Julian Jessop is an independent economist Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state, will start pool testing of people for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday, strictly enforce the lockdown and will not allow any inter-district travel. Bihar will start door-to-door screening of residents. Telangana will begin doorstep delivery of essentials in Hyderabad, the state capital, to make sure residents stay indoors. Tamil Nadu intends to tighten restrictions on public movement. Those are the plans some state governments intend to implement over the next few days until April 20 when the Centre will assess the effectiveness with which the states have implemented the lockdown to decide on the resumption of necessary activities in some geographies. Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today Prime Minister Narendra Modi held out the hoper of a staggered exit in some areas in an address to the nation in which he announced an extension of the three-week lockdown, which was to end on Tuesday, until May 3. The relaxation in lockdown restrictions will be determined partly by the states effectiveness in preventing the emergence of new coronavirus hotpsots. Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Madhya Pradesh, and others such as Maharashtra said they will prepare their strategies after the Centre on Wednesday releases guidelines for the possible relaxation in restrictions after April 20. States across the country plan to divide their regions into red, yellow and green zones based on high, limited and no cases of Covid-19. Here are some state-specific strategies for the second phase of the lockdown. Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand In Uttar Pradesh, district administration officers and superintendents of police will strictly enforce the lockdown; no inter-district travel will be allowed until April 20. Pool testing of samples, which entails testing for the coronavirus in batches -- a method that can be used to do up to three times as many tests with the same number of kits -- will start from Wednesday. All migrant workers in quarantine will be screened for Covid-19 before they are allowed to leave. Harvesting of the rabi crop and transportation of foodgrains to the farm markets will continue. Uttarkhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat formed a task force to study the impact of Covid-19 on the states economy. He announced a waiver of late payment surcharge on farmers and relaxation in payment of power and water bills. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand Chhattisgarh has formed a task force to suggest measures to manage the second phase of lockdown; it will announce its plans after the Centre makes public the guidelines for relaxation of lockdown measure. Of the 28 districts, the only active Covid-19 patients are in Korba district. The Jharkhand government announced immediate release of additional rations for all the needy in the state and resumption of works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Maharashtra and Goa Maharashtra plans to deploy additional police forces around containment areas for controlling crowds, especially in crowded areas such as Dharavi and Worli Koliwada. The state government formed a task force of specialist doctors to suggest measures to reduce the death rate and for management of Covid-19 patients in Mumbai.A decision on allowing industrial activity and easing of lockdown norms will be made only after the Centre announces its guidelines, officials said. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant vowed that the entire coastal state will be declared a green zone by April 17. Haryana and Punjab Haryanas four Covid hotspots--- Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram and Faridabad -- fall in the National Capital Region (NCR). Eighty percent of the states active Covid-19 cases (114 out of total 143) have been reported from the four districts which are all in the red zone. The remaining districts fall in the green and yellow zones. Chief minister ML Khattar said industrial and economic activity will be started in a phased manner after April 14. Punjab will continue with a strict containment strategy and will come out with detailed guidelines after the Centres notification on Wednesday. Bihar: The Janata Dal (United)-BJP government will start door-to-door screening on Wednesday with plans to cover all villages where migrant workers have returned. Three villages Panjwar, which accounts for 23 of the 29 cases, and Kadirabad and Murgiachak , have been declared red zones. Bihar will do block-wise mapping of the state with primary health care centres as nodal offices, said Sanjay Kumar Bihars principal secretary, health. Out of 38 districts, only 11 have Covid patients. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir :Himachal has one red zone, four orange and one green zone and only five of the 12 districts have reported Covid-19 cases. There will be no relaxation of curfew until May 3, wearing of face masks will be mandatory and essential goods will be provided by the police and local administrations. Jammu and Kashmirs administration will ease lockdown restrictions in line with the Centres directive while maintaining a strict vigil in the hotspots. Also read: Indias Covid fight so far is marked by hits and misses Madhya Pradesh State authorities will completely seal 564 localities in 278 containment areas in 22 districts from where most Covid-19 cases have been reported. Those violating lockdown norms will be booked, said commissioner, health services, Faiz Ahmad Kidwai. Testing of migrant labourers will be expanded.Manual work under the rural job guarantee scheme has been allowed in districts not affected by the coronavirus disease, and workers given homemade face masks. A detailed plan will be decided after the Centres notification. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has batted for an easing of the lockdown, said the state government will follow Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision. Minister for municipal administration Botsa Satyanarayana said directions have been issued to collectors and health department officials to ensure that the Covid-19 does not spread to new areas. The CM directed officials to identify all people who have been taken ill, for whatever the reason and irrespective of whether they had any symptoms of Covid-19 or not, during an ongoing family survey and shift suspected coronavirus patients to hospital. The Telagana government has decided to keep only one route open in containment zones and start home delivery of household supplies in Hyderabad. Any person suspected of carrying the virus will be hospitalised immediately, said KT Rama Rao, minister for municipal administration. Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadus government has appointed 12 senior Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers at the zonal level to monitor and coordinate the management of containment zones across the state. The state has started to impose a fine of Rs 500 on those venturing out without face masks. TN has allowed the opening of bakeries for a few hours a day and eased restrictions on the movement of seafood. Government officials say restrictions on public movement will become tighter in the coming days. Northeast: Assam will wait till Centres guidelines on lockdown relaxations on Wednesday. Meghalaya has decided to track 2,000 contacts of the states first Covid patient. Tripura announced additional benefits for the poor. The northeast now has a total of 38 positive cases with Assam recording 30 of them; Manipur and Tripura have two cases each and Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh one each. Business Entity Search for CARES Act will help lenders ensure compliance and risk mitigation Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions has responded to urgent client needs and established a technology solution specifically designed to help U.S. lenders navigate the influx of business loan applications, and associated compliance and risk mitigation requirements, resulting from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Business Entity Search for CARES Act solution, offered by Wolters Kluwer's Lien Solutions business, conducts bulk/batch corporate identity searches to verify the business status of potential borrowers. The report can be updated multiple times a day and can scale to high levels of loan applications in the coming weeks. The CARES Act is an approximately $2 trillion coronavirus response bill intended to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy. With approximately $377 billion earmarked for small businesses via the Paycheck Protection Program, administered by the Small Business Administration, some banks have already reported tens of thousands of commercial loan applications, each requiring specific due diligence to determine whether the borrower meets loan guidelines outlined under the CARES Act. The Business Entity Search for CARES Act solution allows lenders to outsource complex manual processes at high volume to help them service the rapid increase in applications and maximize their opportunity to lend to businesses that need relief. In addition to offering this solution to meet client requirements, the company is regularly updating lenders about state, county, and department of motor vehicle service interruptions on its dedicated Covid 19 Jurisdictional Update webpage. "Our financial institution clients need to vet borrowers and deliver loans that will keep businesses afloat during this unprecedented situation, and we are on hand to support them," said Raja Sengupta, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions. "The Business Entity Search for CARES Act solution helps streamline the process to access CARES Act funds and keep our economy moving. We are pleased to be able to respond to vital market needs by providing this solution, which also helps ensure the necessary compliance and risk mitigation measures." Business Entity Search for CARES Act is one of several solutions launched by Wolters Kluwer's Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) division in response to the COVID-19 crisis. These include Paycheck Protection Program supported by TSoftPlus, which helps banks and credit unions process loans to support small businesses with payroll funding, and the COVID-19 Noteworthy Developments Bulletins, which aggregates COVID-19 related global regulatory changes, orders, notices and other informational updates for the financial services industry. The division has also launched a COVID-19 resource center to provide businesses and law firms with international, federal and state legislative updates. The Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions product suite includes iLien, a SaaS platform that serves a crucial purpose during this time of social distancing and work-from-home protocols. iLien provides one-stop access to more than 3,000 U.S. jurisdictions at the state and county level. The solution allows bank employees to search electronic records, and retrieve bankruptcy and litigation filings, corporate entity records, judgements, and existing federal and state tax liens. Because iLien is web-based, it can be accessed by any member of a lender's staff and from anywhere. Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions, part of the company's GRC division, is the leading technology and service provider of comprehensive lien management, debtor due diligence, monitoring, and risk management solutions to financial professionals. The iLien suite of products addresses solutions for asset-backed loans, real-estate, and vehicle title processing and management to help simplify complexity in lien lifecycle management, resulting in more confident lending decisions. About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk Compliance Governance, Risk Compliance (GRC) is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance. Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200414005224/en/ Contacts: Media Contacts Paul Lyon Director of Global Corporate Communications, Banking Regulatory Compliance Governance, Risk Compliance Wolters Kluwer Office +44 20 3197 6586 Paul.Lyon@wolterskluwer.com David Feider Corporate Communications Manager, Banking Regulatory Compliance Governance, Risk Compliance Division Wolters Kluwer Tel: +1 612-852-7966 David.feider@wolterskluwer.com On Twitter: @davidafeider Hanoi is chairing an Asean meeting on Covid-19, with the country touting its success so far. Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) addresses a live video conference on the special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Hanoi on Tuesday. (AFP) Hanoi: Vietnam has urged Southeast Asian leaders to set up an emergency fund to tackle the coronavirus at a summit held online on Tuesday, as the pandemic ravages the region's tourism and export-reliant economies. Hanoi is chairing an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting on Covid-19, with the country touting its success so far in containing the virus with extensive quarantines and social distancing. Vietnam has 265 virus cases and no deaths, while Thailand has officially also kept its numbers relatively low at just over 2,500 cases with 40 deaths. The situation is mixed elsewhere across the region, with fears that limited testing in Indonesia has played out into the low caseload -- and under 400 deaths -- for a country of 260 million. Similarly, threadbare health systems from Myanmar to Laos are widely believed to be missing the true scale of infections, while a recent surge in cases in Singapore has raised fears the pandemic could rebound in places which had batted back the initial outbreak. In opening remarks via video conference, Vietnam's premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the work of Asean in fighting the virus so far. But he warned Covid-19 "has badly impacted people's lives, their socio-economic situation... challenging stability and social security". Vietnam will use the 10-member summit to propose funding to deal with the pandemic, building emergency medical stockpiles, sharing resources as well as continuing to stress-test Asean's responses to future outbreaks. Hanoi will also call for an "exit strategy" for the battered economies of Southeast Asia, which rely on open borders to fuel tourism and feed supply chains for their exports. Vietnam has been hit hard by the virus, which forced the cancellation of the country's first Formula 1 race. Many of its factories are still running, but in a sign of the ongoing risks, dozens of workers at a Samsung unit in the north were ordered into quarantine after one tested positive for the virus. The Thai economy, the second largest in Asean, is expected to shrink by 5.3 percent this year -- a 22-year low -- with millions left jobless in the politically febrile kingdom. Nearly 22 million people have registered for cash handouts to help ease the economic pain. Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea also joined the summit. DUBLIN, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "MRO Software Market in Aviation by End User (Operators, OEMs, MROs, Lessors), Solution (Software, Services), Deployment Type (On-premises, Cloud), Function (Maintenance, Operations, Business Management), Pricing Model, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The MRO software market in aviation is projected to grow from USD 6.9 billion in 2020 to USD 8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 2.9% during the forecast period. The increase in demand for reduction in turnaround time of maintenance operations and rise in adoption of software-as-a-service are some of the major factors driving the market for aviation MRO software. However, budget restraints are limiting the overall growth of the market. Based on pricing model, subscription model segment is anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period Users of MRO software widely adopt the subscription model due to its advantages of low cost and flexibility of use. The upfront cost of subscription-based software is typically lower than that of the ownership model. In addition, subscriptions generally are renewed monthly or annually, which encourages the software provider to demonstrate the ongoing value of the software and build a relationship with customers. Based on end-user, MROs segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period MROs share common functionalities, such as line maintenance, base maintenance, and component maintenance. Digitalization is a significant trend in the aviation MRO industry, due to which the demand for aviation MRO software is expected to grow from the MROs in this market. Asia-Pacific is estimated to lead the MRO software market in aviation in 2020 According to Boeing Commercial Outlook 2019, there will be more than 17,390 aircraft deliveries by 2038 in the Asia Pacific owing to the rise in passenger traffic. This will lead to a surge in demand for maintenance technicians in the region. According to Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook, more than 266,000 new maintenance technicians will be required in the Asia Pacific region by 2038. With the rise in demand for maintenance technicians, there will be a rise in demand for MRO software during the forecast period to enhance maintenance operations. Key players in the MRO software market in aviation are HCL Technologies Limited (India), SAP SE (Germany), International Business Machines Corporation (US), Ramco Systems Limited (India), IFS AB (Sweden), Oracle Corporation (US), Boeing (US), Infor (US), Trax (US), Swiss AviationSoftware (Switzerland), IBS Software (India), Rusada (Switzerland), Communications Software Limited (UK), Flatirons Solutions, Inc. (US), Aviation Intertec Services (Canada), BytzSoft Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (India), Tracware Limited (UK), FLY Online Tools (US), Aerosoft Systems Inc. (US), Lufthansa Technik AG (Germany), GE Aviation (US), and Sopra Steria (France). Market Dynamics Drivers Increase in Demand for Predictive, Prescriptive, and Condition-Based Maintenance Through Data Shared by Connected Aircraft Increasing Adoption of Software as a Service Demand for Shift from Legacy Management Information System (MIS) to MRO Software in Aviation Need to Reduce Turnaround Time (TAT) Restraints Limited Budget Restrains Adoption of Integrated MRO Software Suite Lack of Common Data Standards Opportunities Increasing Adoption of IoT, AI, AR, and Big Data Analytics by MROs Challenges Compliance with Stringent Aviation Regulations Use Cases A Leading International Airline Achieves 100% Reporting Compliance Through MRO Software Air Medical Group Holdings Uses MRO Software for Accurate Real-Time Maintenance Forecasting Air Tahiti Deploys One-Stop MRO Software Solution to Gain End-To-End M&E Optimization A Leading Airline Was Able to Integrate Its Business in a Faster, Better, and Cheaper Way Through MRO Software A Leading Helicopter Operator Was Able to Enhance Its Maintenance Management Through MRO Software A Leading Engine MRO Needed On-Premise End-To-End MRO Software Solution One of the Largest Aircraft MROs Required an End-To-End MRO Software Solution to Prevent Cost Leakage and Performance Inconsistency Companies Mentioned Aerosoft Systems Inc. Aviation Intertec Services Boeing Bytzsoft Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Communications Software Limited Flatirons Solutions, Inc. Fly Online Tools GE Aviation HCL Technologies Limited IBS Software IFS (Industrial & Financial Systems) AB Infor International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Lufthansa Technik AG Oracle Corporation Ramco Systems Limited Rusada Sap SE Sopra Steria Swiss Aviationsoftware Ltd. Tracware Limited Trax For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2cnu68 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Former Biden Staffer Files Police Report Accusing Him of Sexual Assault A former staffer for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault in 1993. The complaint, filed last week with police in the District of Columbia, was first reported on by Business Insider. Tara Reade told the outlet that she told police Biden assaulted her in the U.S. Capitol when she was a staffer for him in the early 1990s. Biden, vice president from 2008 to 2016, was a U.S. senator for decades starting in 1973. I filed it because I had been harassed so badly last April, Reade, 56, said, referring to when she first made the allegation against Biden, 77. I also wanted to make it clear that I would be willing to go under oath or cooperate with any law enforcement regarding it, because it did happen. Even if it was 26 years ago, she said. In honor of April Sexual Assault awareness month, I will continue to stand and speak up. 1993 was the year I was sexually harassed and assaulted by Joe Biden, my then boss. The smears and mistruths about me will not take my dignity or change what happened. This was me 1993 pic.twitter.com/mrMnkaenff taratweets ( Alexandra Tara Reade) (@ReadeAlexandra) April 9, 2020 Reade told the Associated Press that Biden pushed her against a wall in the basement of an office building on Capitol Hill before carrying out the assault. I remember wanting to say stop, but I dont know if I said it out loud or if I just thought it. I was kind of frozen up, she said, adding when she pulled away Biden appeared shocked and told her: Come on, man, I heard you liked me. Reade first went public with allegations against Biden last year in an interview with The Union. At the time, she described what happened as sexual harassment, but the report says sexual assault happened. She said she held back details because she was fearful of the reaction to her allegations. Already I was being threatened and kind of smeared, and I just I wasnt ready, Reade told the AP. So I talked about the sexual harassment and what I was comfortable talking about, but I wasnt ready to talk about sexual assault. No former Biden staffers have corroborated Reades story, but a friend said she was told about what happened in 1993. Reade also told Business Insider that she told her mother, who has since died. Reades younger brother Collin Moulton said Reades mother wanted Reade to speak to the police about the matter. Reade says she did not go to the police at the time but did file a sexual harassment report with a Senate office, which has not been confirmed. The Biden campaign did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement sent to other outlets, spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said: 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. Then Sen. Joe Biden, left, speaks to reporters on March 12, 1993. (J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images) Biden in 2018 suggested that women who enter the national spotlight to accuse high-profile men of sexual wrongdoing should be believed. For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, youve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what shes talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not its been made worse or better over time. But nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron, he said. Reade told Business Insider she felt she had to file a police report even if doesnt lead to criminal proceedings. Its very imperative that I think, for me, for my voice to be heard. Ive been silenced and threatened before, in the past, and I feel free now, she said. And after I hung up with that detective, I felt a lift, like okay, my voice was heard and law enforcement has this. And I feel safer. Other women have also accused Biden of sexual misconduct. Biden in April 2019 responded in a video saying that he would pay more attention to not invading peoples personal space. Social norms are changing, Biden said in a Twitter post accompanying the video. I understand that, and Ive heard what these women are saying. Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. General practitioners in Northern Ireland will not be forced to withdraw services due to a lack of personal protective equipment, the chief medical officer has said. Chairs of the north and west GP federations have written to the Department of Health saying there is a shortage of PPE, particularly masks and aprons. The federations, who represent 40 practices and more than 220,000 patients, said the lack of PPE was putting both healthcare staff and patients at risk. This has led to GPs fearing they may have to withdraw services if they cannot protect themselves and their staff from coronavirus. Read More Dr Michael McBride, chief medical officer for Northern Ireland, told Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster that he does not think we will get to the stage where GPs will have to withdraw providing care to patients because of a lack of PPE. He was speaking after Dr Linda Kelly, from the Grosvenor Road Surgery in Belfast, said that her staff have not had paper masks to protect themselves for a week. Dr McBride said: "We have a duty of care. The minister (Health Minister Robin Swann) and I have said this repeatedly, we need to ensure that staff are protected when they are providing care to patients. Wherever that is and whatever the setting. "These are our colleagues, our friends and indeed our family members working in the frontline. "Let me reassure Dr Kelly and other doctors that we are working very closely with the BMA (British Medical Association), with the Royal College of General Practitioners) and business service organisations to make sure we get the right PPE to the frontline." Read More "Getting the right PPE to the right place at the right time is a huge challenge and we are working tirelessly to do that," he added. Dr McBride said that a fresh supply of PPE should be given to GPs on Wednesday and said that he didn't think it will get to the point in Northern Ireland where GPs are forced to withdraw services to the public. Dr Linda Kelly, also speaking on Good Morning Ulster, said her colleagues are working in "unprecedented times" where the role of a GP has changed drastically. "We have had no paper masks for our staff and ourselves for over a week," she said. "Our nurses in our treatment room are performing intimate dressings on patients, taking blood tests, having quite close personal contact. Our reception staff were handing out prescriptions and having face to face contact with the public to do that. "We ourselves are bringing patients in that we felt needed to be seen. We ran a baby clinic where we were not able to provide patients with masks to protect them. We felt very, very uncomfortable that our treatment rooms, nursing staff were being exposed to an unacceptable level." Read More Dr Kelly said that her practice has a supply of aprons and sun visors but that it was three weeks since the last supply of PPE. Asked about the prospect of withdrawing services, Dr Kelly said: "As GPs we have a very unique position where we provide personal care with an ongoing relationship with our patients. So it would be something that would be extremely alien and go right to the core of general practitioners to feel that we could not actually provide a service to our patients. "But we have to feel that we are safe and that we are safely protecting our patients." Dr Kelly added that GPs and their staff are working under "undue stress and anxiety" as a result of a lack of PPE. Donald Trump speaks at a White House briefing on the coronavirus pandemic: AP Donald Trump faced a wave of backlash after declaring he had "total authority" over the United States as president, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo saying: "He basically declared himself King Trump." The president made the controversial comments during a White House press briefing on Monday about the coronavirus pandemic, in which he used a misleading video to tout his handling of the nationwide Covid-19 outbreak and asserted that he could essentially override state governors on when to reopen the country. Multiple people were forced to correct the record after Mr Trump spoke, including a doctor featured in the president's video and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, whose comments were featured out of context. He appeared to walk back those claims on Tuesday and said he's instead planning to speak with governors before "authorising each state individually" to develop plans to "re-open" states "in a time and manner that is most appropriate". States already have authority to re-open or maintain quarantine efforts without the president's involvement. "We will hold the governors accountable ... but we're going to be working with them," he said. The president also announced that the US would suspend financial support for the World Health Organization as Mr Trump appeared to deflect blame for the slow response to the crisis in the US after reports surfaced that he largely ignored warnings from members of his administration for several weeks. He accused the organisation of "severely mismanaging" the coronavirus response, "covering up" the outbreak in China and "pushing misinformation" from China's government. The announcement came a day after an exasperated president aggressively defended the US response, without answering what the administration did in the entire month of February to prepare. The president praised the stock market's upswing as a signal that the economy is recovering despite record unemployment with millions of people out of work as he once again expressed his eagerness to "get the economy roaring once again" as he seeks his re-election in the fall. Barack Obama meanwhile has endorsed Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination in a video message posted to social media, saying the former vice president helped prevent an Ebola outbreak "similar to the one we're seeing now" while condemning the current administration's response to the novel virus. The former president said: "Republicans in the White House and running the US Senate are not interested in progress. They're interested in power." Follow live coverage as it happened Please allow a moment for our live blog to load Read more Trump backs down on claim that only he can give order to reopen US Trump announces WHO funding is suspended Trump claims Biden wrote letter apologising for xenophobia accusation Trump parades recovered Covid-19 patients while attacking Biden New York governor threatens constitutional challenge to Trump By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Chief priest of Kedarnath temple, who is presently stranded in Nanded district in Maharashtra, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking help to reach the shrine before its portals are opened on April 29 morning. According to a centuries-old tradition established at the time of Adi Shankaracharya, the head priest has to be present when the deity is brought in procession to the temple from Ukhimath when the portals are opened in summers. The chief priest (Rawal) has sought special permission to travel by road along with his retinue and also bring the sacred gold crown of the deity which is to be kept in the main temple in Kedarnath when the shrine reopens. "I am expecting for permission for travelling from Nanded to Ukhimath. I hope the permission will be granted soon," said Bhimashankar Ling, the chief priest. Apart from the chief priest, four other staff of the temple shrine is stuck with him too. The state government of Uttarakhand is already mulling an option of airlifting the chief priest along with four others who are stranded there. Meanwhile, the state government has decided to conduct online darshan and not allow pilgrims to visit the four Char Dham shrines. Earlier, Uttarakhand state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said that the portals of the Char Dham shrines - Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - will open as scheduled on April 26, 29 and 30. New Delhi, April 14 : While India's tourism industry stares at a massive loss due to ongoing nationwide lockdown, Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Tuesday said he was optimistic about the future of Indian tourism industry. The minister said the country will emerge as one of the favourite and safest tourism destinations once the pandemic situation was over. He lauded government's ongoing attempts to contain the spread of the deadly virus and claimed the country has gained a reputation as one of the safest countries in the world. This would help in attracting footfall from abroad once the lockdown was over, he said. "Our prompt response to the deadly virus has helped India gain image of the safest nation, I am optimistic that we will soon emerge as one of the favourite international destinations," Patel told IANS in an interview. Speaking about the sharp decline in the medical tourism, Patel said this would also see a sharp rise. He said the Ministry was ready with a plan to help Indian tourism industry recover fast, but any action would come after the lockdown and pandemic situation was over. "Of course, we have a plan to deal with the situation, but for now, it is important that everyone stays home and help in containing the virus spread," Patel said. The Indian tourism industry has taken a hit since January this year after COVID-19 started taking the world into its grip. However, it was in March that the government began to impose certain travel regulations to keep a check on virus' spread in India. Since then the tourism industry has seen a downward journey in India, leaving various daily wagers, guides, traders and others linked to hospitality industry out of business. (Rohan Agarwal can be contacted at Rohan.a@ians.in ) Star Fox and Team Fortress 2 voice actor Rick May has passed away after contracting coronavirus. May is best known for voicing Peppy Hare in Star Fox 64, helping spawn the character's popular 'Do a barrel roll!' catchphrase, and Solider in Team Fortress 2. He also narrated and provided the voice of Genghis Khan in Age of Empires II. Rekindle School, an independent Seattle-based art school where May had been teaching, shared news of his passing and paid tribute to his long and rewarding theatrical career. "Rick directed or appeared in over 300 shows, ranging from Shakespeare to musical comedy," reads an obituary on the Rekindle website. "The long time artistic director of Renton Civic Theatre and Civic Light Opera, Rick worked over many decades as a freelance actor and director. He also toured in the award-winning one man play, Bully! An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt." Rekindle explained that May suffered a stroke in February, and despite pulling through caught COVID-19 when he was moved into a nursing home for rehabilitation. The school is encouraging those who'd like to send condolences to his family to do so through its website. Leaders cutting across party lines paid rich tributes to Dalit icon Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary on Tuesday and urged people to light a lamp at home and not venture out. In view of the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak, the celebration was subdued as Ambedkar's followers and politicians did not flock the Chaitya Bhoomi, the Constitution architect's memorial in central Mumbai. Union minister Ramdas Athawale appealed to people to remain indoors. "Garland Babasaheb's portrait at 11 am in the morning and in evening light lamp of equality outside your homes," he said in a tweet. The minister said Ambedkar had shown the path of equality todiscrimination prevailing in the society. NCP president Sharad Pawar said Ambedkar was a symbol of knowledge. "Let us stay indoors and pay tribute to Ambedkar who was known as a symbol of knowledge. Let us light a lamp for the Constitution of India," he tweeted. Mumbai Congress president Eknath Gaikwad in his message said, "Let us strive together to work towards a just and equal India. Ambedkar was the architect of our Constitution and also the driving force behind our greatest institutions." The Maharashtra Congress on its Twitter handle described Ambedkar as a "great crusader of social equality". Shiv Sena leader and state Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray in a tweet said, "My humble tributes to the architect of Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar." Senior BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also tweeted his respects to Ambedkar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Open source DTEK Energo company decided to suspend the work of Pavlohradvuhillya enterprise and the ore-processing plants due to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine's energy sector. The company's press service reported that on April 14. DTEK specified that the work of ten coal mines and three ore-processing plants (Pavlohradska, Dobropolska, and Kurakhivska) will be suspended. Pervomaisky repairs plant and DTEK Science and Production Center are about to halt their work on April 20. All employees were provided with paid vacations, which is foreseen by the collective agreement. "Systematic crisis in Ukraine's power branch, which has been lasting since last year, led to a disbalance in Ukraine's energy system. Manual regulation of the market, unplanned decisions, the absence of coordination of the work of the branch completely destabilize the work of all coal enterprises. Due to the uncontrolled import of electric power from Russia and Belarus, the demand for domestic electricity dropped - and, as a consequence, so did the volume of consumed coal on stations", DTEK said. The company specified that currently, there are almost three million tons of coal kept in the storage of thermal power plants and mines. At the same time, some 30 coal mines have suspended their work all over the country. That resulted in job loss for almost 40,000 people. Money transferred to women Jan Dhan accounts are safe and an account holder can withdraw it any time, the Finance Ministry said on Monday while rubbishing rumours that it will be taken back if not withdrawn immediately. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month had announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for next three months to run their households and deal with the hardships caused by the nation-wide lockdown. COVID-19 pandemic LIVE updates "We would like to assure that money deposited under the Jan Dhan accounts are safe. The account holder can withdraw the money from the bank branch or ATM at any time. Don't believe any rumour about the safety of the money," the Financial Services Secretary said in a late-night tweet. The rumour that money will not be taken back from accounts if not withdrawn immediately is completely baseless, the Finance Ministry said. Due to this rumour, some part of the country witnessed serpentine queue outside bank branches for withdrawal of the first instalment under the relief package. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here How One of the Eagles Greatest Hits Applies to the Energy Industry Atlanta, GA, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- April 14, 2020 ScottMadden, Inc., one of North Americas leading management consulting firms specializing in energy, will soon release its spring 2020 issue of the ScottMadden Energy Industry Update. For more than a decade, the Energy Industry Update has served as a catalyst for strategic discussion, debate, and decisions. More than 10,000 executive leaders rely on it for the most important trends and thought-provoking insights. Themed, The Energy Industry Update: Take It to the Limit, ScottMaddens upcoming report will share some of the latest industry trends related to: 100% clean energy and net zero emissions goals Power transmission and resilience Issues affecting the future of the gas utility The report will also examine gas resource plans in light of environmental and efficiency objectives, share some lessons learned about a renewables-heavy grid from a recent trip to Hawaii, and explore recent FERC policy changes to power transmission equity returns. So, how does the current state of the energy industry relate to one of the Eagles greatest hits and the energy industry? Factors such as the state-by-state advances in clean energy and net zero emissions standards, proposed moratoria and restrictions on natural gas connections, slow progress on resilience issues, and more may take the utility industry to its limit of financial, regulatory, and operational wherewithal. New and potential technologies, like hydrogen, may challenge the limits of what is possible. And, all of this was happening before COVID-19 hit. Globally, a number of jurisdictions, corporations, and utilities are committing to clean energy goals. Goals such as 100% clean energy and net carbon could radically shift the energy mix in a few decades. But there are some fundamental questions to be answered. What does clean or net zero mean? What technology is needed? What might it cost to make these goals a reality? And what does this mean for the grid? Story continues Resilience challenges can push power systems to their limit. Resiliencethe ability to recover from major events, such as a hurricane or large cyber eventcontinues to be a focus for utilities. But definitions, objectives, planning processes, and cost-recovery mechanisms continue to be debated. This report frames considerations for balancing utility versus other infrastructuregovernment or non-utilityand where the line should be between those investments. We had decided on the theme of this EIU, Take it to the Limit, before COVID-19 changed everything. And, now it is even more trueeverything in this industry will be taken to the limit through these times. So, this EIU focuses on what we see as critical issues, made more so by the fluid world in which we are living today, says Cristin Lyons, partner and energy practice leader at ScottMadden. To receive your copy of this complimentary report, subscribe here, or to download the prior issue, click here. An advance copy of the Update will be available to the media prior to the release date. For more details, please contact us. About ScottMaddens Energy Practice We know energy from the ground up. Since 1983, we have served as energy consultants for hundreds of utilities, large and small, including all of the top 20. We focus on Transmission & Distribution, the Grid Edge, Generation, Energy Markets, Rates & Regulation, Enterprise Sustainability, and Corporate Services. Our broad, deep utility expertise is not theoreticalit is experience based. We have helped our clients develop and implement strategies, improve critical operations, reorganize departments and entire companies, and implement myriad initiatives. About ScottMadden, Inc. ScottMadden is the management consulting firm that does what it takes to get it done right. We consult in two main areasEnergy and Corporate & Shared Services. We deliver a broad array of consulting services ranging from strategic planning through implementation across many industries, business units, and functions. To learn more, visit www.scottmadden.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn. Mary Tew ScottMadden, Inc. 919-714-7628 marytew@scottmadden.com The US military's top general played down North Korea's fresh batch of suspected missile launches on Tuesday, saying the Pentagon did not see them as threatening. "These were short range. These aren't any particularly big, big missiles," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said. While the Pentagon was still analysing its data, "I don't think it's particularly provocative or threatening to us," Milley said. "It may be tied to some celebrations that are happening inside North Korea, as opposed to any deliberate provocation against us." South Korea's Joint Chiefs said the North earlier Tuesday fired what were believed to be short-range cruise missiles from Munchon into the sea, one day before Seoul holds parliamentary elections. The firing also came a day before the nuclear-armed North marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of never giving B R Ambedkar the respect due to the dalit icon but said the Modi government has "fulfilled" his vision and followed the path he showed. Paying rich tributes to the architect of India's Constitution, on his 129th birth anniversary, Nadda contrasted BJP's respect for him with the alleged indifference of the Congress. Despite severe opposition, Ambedkar never compromised with his values and raised issues of social inequality and discrimination, Nadda said, noting that he resigned as law minister while fighting for the rights of women. "It is unfortunate that during the lifetime of Babasaheb when the Congress was in power, it never gave him the respect due to him. What is also unfortunate that he was given the Bharat Ratna four decades after his death," Nadda said in a message to BJP workers. He also asked party workers to follow his ideals. Ambedkar, a crusader for dalit rights and social equality, was given India's highest civilian award in 1990 during the V P Singh-led National Front government, which was supported by the BJP. Nadda noted that the Modi government has elevated five places, including where Ambedkar was born and died, as 'panch tirth' (five pilgrimages), asserting he was and will remain an ideal for the BJP in its efforts to empower the backward sections of society. He asked BJP workers to help the poor in this time of a pandemic, saying this will be the best tribute to Ambedkar. What Ambedkar had envisioned has been fulfilled by the Modi government which, Nadda added, has followed the path shown by him to work for the welfare of all sections of society. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI NEW DELHI: Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha surrendered before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday here after the Supreme Court had refused to extend his plea in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Navlakha, who has been accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for alleged involvement in the Bhima Koregaon riots in 2018, was asked to surrender by the Supreme Court. Editor of Mumbai-based Economic and Political Weekly journal for years, Navlakha was one of the five human rights activists arrested for alleged Maoist links and involvement in the Bhima Koregaon violence on January 1, 2018 but was granted protection from the arrest by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court. He was directed by the Supreme Court on March 16 to surrender within three weeks but he had moved a plea seeking extension of time on the ground that going to jail during the COVID-19 pandemic is "virtually a death sentence". A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on April 8 had said the accused should have honoured its decision of dismissal of the anticipatory bail and the direction to surrender themselves within three weeks. He has denied all charges against him. Planning to become parents for the first time? Here's the checklist!. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, April 14 : Dear parents, if you want your children to have proper sleep, read this carefully. Joining a growing list of studies that tell parents to shun devices at bed-time, researchers say that children who use devices and decide what time they go to sleep, achieve less sleep and feel more sleepier the following day than their peers. The study of children in this age-group (aged 11 to 13 years), published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, found most (72 per cent) of the 163 students interviewed by University of Otago researchers achieved recommended guidelines of an average 9 to 11 hours sleep nightly over one week. "But that also means that almost one in four students did not achieve sleep within these guidelines, which highlights an area for improvement," said study researcher Kate Ford. However, consistent with previous research in 15 to 17-year-old New Zealanders, the study results show less sleep on the nights where devices are used in the hour before bed. According to the researchers, students who used devices before going to sleep were also more likely to report that they felt sleepy the following morning. Watching television before bed had no significant effect on sleep length. There were also some interesting observations over the weekends where students went to bed later but woke later achieving similar sleep length to the school days, the researchers said. A small group of students (six per cent) who reported less than seven hours of sleep, including a small number reporting not sleeping at all, according to the study, "Therefore, while the average across the week of 72 per cent of students reporting adequate sleep is reassuring, it is far from the goal of every child achieving sleep within the recommended guidelines," Ford said. Dr Paul Kelly, head of the Sleep Health Service at Canterbury District Health Board, supervised the study and explained that the foundations for good health are based on proper nutrition, regular exercise and good sleep quality. Sleep quality is often overlooked as a contributory factor to poor health. "The study findings suggest the need for parental guidance around bedtimings and moderation of the use and availability of electronic devices before bed," Kelly said. "Respect and protect your sleep, as good daytime functioning is reliant on adequate sleep," Kelly added. UN sends humanitarian aid to Syrias Idlib 38 more truckloads of aid were sent to the area. Thirty-eight more truckloads of humanitarian aid were sent to Idlib city in Syria by the United Nations (UN) on April 14, 2020. SUPPLIES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO RURAL AREAS The trucks carrying the humanitarian aid passed through the Cilvegozu Border Gate in Turkey's Reyhanli district of Hatay. The supplies will be distributed to people struggling to live in Idlib and nearby rural areas. Ahmedabad: Gujarat chief minister will self-isolate for at least a week after a Congress MLA who attended a meeting with him on Tuesday tested positive for coronavirus later. The chief minister was tested for the virus on Wednesday, and officials said said he has not displayed any symptoms till now. Rupani has cancelled all the meetings scheduled for the next week and will run the state government through videoconferencing, they said. Congress MLA Imran Khedawala had tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday evening, said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Om Prakash Machra. The MLA from the Khadia-Jamalpur seat of Ahmedabad will be admitted to a designated COVID-19 hospital soon, he said. Khedawala, along with some other Congress MLAs, was present in the meeting with Rupani held at the CM's official residence in Gandhinagar. As more and more positive cases are emerging from Ahmedabad's hotspot or cluster areas in the fortified area, health authorities have intensified the surveillance and testing in these areas. The state government on Tuesday imposed a week-long curfew in the area. There are six areas from the fortified city which are come under the hotspot -- Shahpur, Kalupur, Jamalpur-Khadia, Gaikwad Haveli and Dariyapur. Danilii, an area outside Ahmedabad, is also under the curfew. Due to the rapid rise in number of positive cases cropping up in these areas, the local legislators are trying their best to convince the people to co-operate with the health authorities for the surveillance and testing. Khedawala was also in touch with the people in his constituency, trying to convince people to cooperate. Apart from Rupani, Khedawala had also met Minister of State for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja. According to sources, the meetings took place while maintaining social distancing norms. Khedawala had also interacted with the media thereafter. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to extend COVID-19 lockdown till May 3. "Our government will strictly implement the Government of India guidelines, which will be issued tomorrow. Lockdown will be followed more stringently till April 20 as Prime Minister said and the situation will be closely monitored. I appeal to the people of Karnataka to voluntarily cooperate with us to contain this disease," Yediyurappa said. The chief minister urged the people to respect seven major points that Prime Minister Modi raised in his televised address to the nation on Tuesday, while announcing the extension of coronavirus-induced lockdown. "I appeal to people to follow the seven measures Prime Minister advised to follow, such as taking care of elders in the house especially those suffering from chronicle illness; strictly maintaining social distancing; enhancing immunity by following guidelines of Ayush Department; download Arogyasetu app; help the poor and needy; to be considerate about your colleagues and employees and not to sack them; and respect the police, healthcare professionals," Yediyurappa added. The chief minister also assured that there is no scarcity of medicines, essential services and goods. "We will make all efforts to carry out agriculture activities without any hurdle. I make a special appeal to migrant labours to stay wherever they are and be safe... Stay home and be safe," he said. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 247 COVID-19 positive cases in Karnataka including 59 cured, discharged, migrated and six deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two of Staten Islands elected officials continued their push Tuesday to get relief for property owners suffering financially from the coronavirus pandemic. Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo sent another letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio asking for a pause on property tax and water bill collections during the crisis. The pair began calling for the freezes in a letter sent March 17. While we have not received a response to our letter, we have heard you call upon the state to freeze rent, Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) and Matteo (R-Mid-Island) wrote in Tuesdays letter. Homeowners also have expenses they need to pay such as mortgages, property taxes and utilities with small landlords often relying on the income obtained from rent to make those payments. Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) also signed onto the March 17 letter, but has been unable to do so since deploying with the National Guard to help respond to the outbreak, a spokesman for the Congressman said. Major utilities like Consolidated Edison and National Grid have suspended shutoffs during the coronavirus outbreak, and several banks have paused mortgage collections, both of which Malliotakis and Matteo pointed to in their letter. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Like the pair of elected officials, the Advance/SILive did not receive a response to its request for comment on whether the mayor would order an end to property tax and water bill collections. We implore you to keep in mind that some homeowners are also landlords who know their tenants on a personal level and are working with those unable to pay rent or only able to pay reduced rents, Malliotakis and Matteo wrote. When asked about the collection freezes in March, the mayor expressed his hope that a federal coronavirus relief bill would provide aid to cities and states, but the finalized bill did not provide what was necessary. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering 75% of the states costs, unlike the full costs it covered following the 9/11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy. Sen. Chuck Schumer has called for FEMA to cover all of New Yorks costs. As the epicenter of this global pandemic, New York has paid more than any other state when it comes to front line workers, doctors, nurses, and victims. It is imperative that this waiver get approved with all due speed to ensure that New Yorkers are not forced to pay even more," Schumer wrote in a letter to President Trump. A small Missouri city is trying to lure Tesla Inc. with big bucks. The city of Joplin, near Missouris borders with Oklahoma and Kansas, is seeking to tempt the electric-car maker with one billion in incentives and savings to build a new factory for its futuristic Cybertruck. Joplin is offering Tesla a 1,042 acre site at a 50 per cent discount, according to a website its built to court the company led by billionaire Elon Musk. Its also coaxing the carmaker with a 100 per cent tax abatement for 12 years and various other tax breaks and incentives. The city, which is home to a pair of industrial-battery production facilities, has taken its campaign directly to Musk, with Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce President Toby Teeter appealing to the chief executive officer Monday on Twitter. Tesla didnt respond to a request for comment on Joplins proposal. Musk, 48, said in a March 10 tweet that Tesla was scouting locations to build the Cybertruck somewhere in the central U.S. In addition to producing the still in-development pickup, the CEO said the factory will make Model Y crossovers for customers on the East Coast. Part of Joplins appeal is cheaper labour. The median for hourly earnings in the city is $27.86, significantly less than Austin, Texas, or Nashville, Tennessee, which also may be vying for Teslas attention. Joplin says Tesla will be able to save $75 million annually on payroll compared with the manufacturing and engineering wages paid in those other markets. Tesla rose as much as 14 per cent Tuesday after a Credit Suisse analyst upgraded the stock to the equivalent of a hold. The gain extends a seven-day run in which the shares have surged more than 60 per cent. Read more about: This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. The Easter weekend left South Africans wondering whether or not people would stay indoors during the annual holiday. The looting and torching of schools was a big headline. Fifty-five schools have been torched or looted, a number that is higher than Covid-19's death count. The President calling for those that are involved in crime to be swiftly dealt with. Professor Karim addressing the nation last night, and basically taking the DA's #SmartLockdownPlan and saying, "where's your science buddy"? Here are the nation's biggest stories in the last 24 hours, according to Acumen Media's latest report. TV viewers, including Chris Tarrants son, are sharing their thoughts on Michael Sheens performance as the presenter in the new series about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?s coughing scandal. Three-part drama Quiz began last night (13 April), and it stars Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford as Charles and Diana Ingram, the married couple who cheated their way to the 1m prize fund in 2001. Both critics and viewers have been praising the series, with The Independent calling it a brilliant, big-hearted romp through one of the great British scandals of the century in its five-star review. It seems the most praise has been reserved for Michael Sheen, though. Months after ITV released the first photo of the actor in action as Tarrant, who hosted the show from 1998 to 2014. One such fan was Tarrants own son, Radio X DJ Toby, who shared his verdict on Twitter following the first episode. Really enjoyed Quiz tonight, looking forward to the rest of it, he wrote, adding: Michael Sheen as expected is brilliant as Dad. Tarrant then quipped: To be fair, hes so good hed probably be convincing as my Norwegian auntie Tina. Numerous others who watched the show concluded that Sheen souded more like Chris Tarrant than the man himself. Lenny Henry wrote: Michael Sheen as Chris Tarrant is whats happening. Sheen himself provided a DIY re-enactment of the famous quiz show from lockdown on last weeks episode of The Graham Norton Show, leaving viewers in hysterics. Quiz continues tonight (14 April) and concludes tomorrow (15 April) on ITV at 9pm. A house in Lanntara, Ballymena that had all its windows broken during an attack and burglary in the early hours of Tuesday morning. PICTURE BY STEPHEN DAVISON A man has been taken to hospital after being assaulted by three masked men armed with a hammer and a metal bar during an aggravated burglary in Ballymena. Police received a report at around 12.30am on Tuesday that three armed men had entered a property in Lanntara. There were five people in the property, three men and two women. Once inside they assaulted one of the men, aged in his thirties. He sustained injuries to his head and arm and was taken to hospital. Two of the women, aged in their thirties, also received minor injuries during the incident. When leaving, the assailants smashed windows at the property. Two men have since been arrested, aged 35 and 45, on suspicion of aggravated burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm. Detective Sergeant Lenaghan said: "This was a savage attack for which there is no justification and we are working to establish a motive. We believe it also linked to a report at 00:20am where windows of a property in the same area were also smashed. No injuries were reported. I want to appeal to anyone with information which could help our investigation to call us on 101 and quote reference number 59 of 14/04/20. Alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111." A University of Cincinnati ear, nose and throat specialist says your nose may hold a clue in identifying COVID-19. The loss of smell may be a key indicator. Physicians are increasingly recognizing the importance of the nasal cavity in determining the physiology of COVID-19, explains Ahmad Sedaghat, an associate professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and an UC Health physician specializing in diseases of the nose and sinuses. "COVID-19 is not associated with the symptoms that are typically associated with a viral cold such as nasal blockage or mucus production," says Sedaghat. "This distinction is also why it is fairly easy to distinguish COVID-19 from seasonal allergies. "COVID-19 is associated with a fairly unique combination of nasal symptoms: a sudden loss of one's sense of smell, also known as 'anosmia,' without nasal obstruction," said Sedaghat. "The occurrence of sudden onset anosmia without nasal obstruction is highly predictive of COVID-19 and should trigger the individual to immediately self-quarantine with presumptive COVID-19." Most individuals experiencing COVID-19 report symptoms two to 14 days after exposure such as fever, cough and shortness of breath. Medical assistance is needed if individuals have trouble breathing, persistent pressure or pain in the chest or confusion or inability to rouse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For most, recovery comes without assistance. Sedaghat's conclusions are available online in the scholarly journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, where he explains that anosmia without nasal obstruction is "a highly specific indicator of COVID-19." His findings are based on his review of 19 studies which describe the sinus and nasal disorders reported in relation to the current coronavirus plaguing the nation. Sedaghat's published paper also references a recent study led by Paris physicians Dominique Salmon and Alain Corre, which shows that out of a group of 55 patients presenting with anosmia without nasal obstruction 94% were found to test positive for COVID-19 by nasal swabbing and polymerase chain reaction tests. Sedaghat said COVID-19 can be spread when the virus, if present in the body, is produced in the lining of the nose and then released into mucus. "When someone sneezes, this mucus -- which contains the virus -- is aerosolized outwards. Similarly, if someone wipes their nose and then touches surfaces without washing their hands first, that could lead to spread of COVID-19," explains Sedaghat. Loss of smell can occur during anytime an individual is infected with COVID-19, but when this occurs as an initial symptom it is particularly instructive, says Sedaghat. "A sudden loss of one's sense of smell wouldn't trigger most people to think they have COVID-19," explains Sedaghat. "These individuals could continue business as usual and spread the disease as a carrier. The guidelines for when to formally test for COVID-19 remain fluid in the setting of limited tests. But if someone experiences anosmia without nasal obstruction, aside from quarantining, it would not be unreasonable to reach out to one's primary care physician about getting tested." Sedaghat says the nasal cavity is likely the major site of entry and infection by COVID-19 since at least 90% of inhaled air enters the body through the nose. "Nasal virus production is at very high levels and tends to occur early in the disease process while patients are still asymptomatic or having very mild symptoms," he says. ### Other co-authors in the study include Dr. Isabelle Gengler and Dr. James Wang, both residents in the UC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, along with Dr. Marlene Speth from Kantonsspital Aarau in Aarau, Switzerland. None of the study authors have conflicts of interest or financial investments to disclose. Justin Kesler Although there are other painting companies out there, Fresh Coat Painters is unique because the entire brand is built around great customer service and quality work, which can be hard to find in this industry. -Justin Kesler Justin Kesler is pleased to announce the launch of his new business, Fresh Coat Painters of Sandy. This is the first Fresh Coat Painters franchise in Utah. Fresh Coat Painters offers residential and commercial painting services including interior and exterior painting, sealing and staining; pressure washing; popcorn ceiling and wall paper removal; and drywall repair. Fresh Coat Painters of Sandy has a 24/7 receptionist, online scheduling and free detailed quotes, and they only use high-quality materials. Fresh Coat Painters of Sandy serves Draper, Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas along the Wasatch front. As I was considering opening my own business, I knew I wanted to bring something new to this area. Although there are other painting companies out there, Fresh Coat Painters is unique because the entire brand is built around great customer service and quality work, which can be hard to find in this industry, Kesler said. Im excited to be the states first Fresh Coat Painters franchisee I see it as an opportunity to be a trailblazer and to grow the company and the brand in this area from the ground up. As part of the companys commitment to customer service, Fresh Coat Painters offers a 3-3-3 customer service pledge, which means calls will be answered by a live person within three rings, a quote will be delivered within three days (customer schedule permitting) and the job will be started within three weeks. Fresh Coat Painters has a national product partnership with Sherwin-Williams, so products are guaranteed to be high quality. Kesler has a background in sales and marketing, primarily in consumer products. In addition to growing the brand, Kesler is looking forward to growing the companys Fresh Coat Cares program, which encourages franchisees to give back to the community, especially through painting and surface-coating projects. With my on-staff, background-checked painters; my commitment to upholding the companys reputation for quality and service; and my focus on giving back, Im looking forward to raising the bar in the painting industry in Utah, Kesler said. Fresh Coat Painters was founded in 2004 as part of Strategic Franchising Systems. Since 2015, Fresh Coat Painters has been included in the Bonds Top 100 and named to Entrepreneur Magazines Franchise 500 list. Fresh Coat Painters is also part of the International Franchise Association, the Small Business Associations Franchise Registry, VetFran and Minority Fran. All Fresh Coat Painters employees are background checked and Fresh Coat Painters of Sandy is bonded and insured. For more information about Fresh Coat Painters of Sandy, call 1-855-912-6928, email JKesler@FreshCoatPainters.com or visit http://www.FreshCoatPainters.com/Sandy. Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Tunisian Labour Party has strongly criticized the continuation of the countrys debt policy, describing it as barking behind more debts Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif on Monday raised the issue of illegal and unilateral US sanctions on his country during a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. In recent weeks, Irans top leadership has called on India and other countries to help defeat the US sanctions that are hampering the countrys fight against Covid-19. Iran is among the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and has recorded more than 73,000 confirmed case and nearly 4,600 deaths. Irans foreign ministry tweeted that Zarif and Jaishankar had exchanged views on the latest situation regarding the Covid-19 outbreak in the region and the world and the collective ways to cope with it. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage It said they also discussed the illegal and unilateral US sanctions against the Iranian people. Besides, Zarif and Jaishankar also discussed the latest political developments in Afghanistan, especially the peace process in that country. Jaishankar tweeted that he and Zarif discussed respective responses to the #Coronavirus challenge and exchanged views on regional developments. He did not give details or say whether the US sanctions on Iran had figured in the discussions. The Covid-19 crisis also figured in a telephone conversation on Monday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. This was the latest in a string of such conversations the Indian premier has had with world leaders to forge a common approach to the pandemic. The leaders agreed on the potential for bilateral collaboration in fighting Covid-19, including for facilitating supplies of required medical equipment. They also committed to provide necessary support to each others citizens present in their territories, the external affairs ministry said in a statement. Both leaders also stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between India and Vietnam and expressed satisfaction at recent progress on various fronts. They agreed their teams will remain in touch for coordination on the pandemic response measures as well as other aspects of bilateral relations. Saudi Grains Organization (SAGO) has completed procedures for importing 600,000 tons of barley, representing the third tender for 2020, from the European Union, Australia, the Black Sea, North and South America; except Canada. The amount specified in the tender is distributed to 10 shipments; Governor of SAGO Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Fares was quoted as saying in a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report. The shipments include seven shipments with the amount of 420,000 tons for the Kingdoms ports on the Red Sea, and three shipments with the amount of 180,000 tons for the Kingdoms ports on the Arabian Gulf, to be supplied during the period of July -August 2020. The Governor also said that this tender comes as an extension to the efforts of meeting the local demand and maintaining the strategic reserve of imported barley, adding that the organization has contracted this year to import 2.7 million tons. Earlier on January, the alarming findings of China's 'Bat Woman' about the coronavirus research was shut down by Beijing as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to control information that can complicate China's image. It was through this research that experts were able to crack the genetic code of the coronavirus. The work of renowned virologist Shi Zhengli, more popularly known as 'Bat Woman,' has set the stage for further deciphering of the virus. Had authorities heeded Zhengli's warnings earlier, the coronavirus pandemic might not have such disastrous consequences. As of April 14, there have been more than 1,853,155 cases and 114,247 deaths reported worldwide. China's 'Bat Woman' ignored by authorities The center is Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli, one of the world's top researchers on coronaviruses. She discovered many viruses by studying bats, which is how she got her title. Most of the samples of SARS is similar to the coronavirus in December, though speculatively it might have started earlier. While doing gene sequencing, she discovered it was a virus about 96% similar to the horseshoe bats in Hunan. This was the first encounter with the genome of the novel coronavirus. Beijing quickly to shut down the study and ordered Dr Zhengli and her fellows to keep quiet about the novel coronavirus that later became the deadly COVID-19. During this time, the Premier chose to keep the information as Wuhan folks suffered from the highly-communicable disease. China kept the information of Dr Zhengli from the world, and now most corners of the globe are in fear of the pandemic. Europe and America is now neck-deep in COVID-19 cases and deaths as of this writing. Also read: Wuhan Whistleblower Who Regrets Not Revealing Coronavirus Info Early, Disappears Authorities treated breaches of information with threats China is opposed to using the term 'Wuhan Virus' which was spread by Wuhanese and other mainlanders who were allowed to travel, that resulted in the pandemic-stricken world now. The 'coronavirus bat study' is only one of the clampdowns on information withheld knowingly by Chinese authorities. Intent on keeping the world in the dark, Chinese journalists like Gao Yu was arrested in Wuhan, bereft of her rights for two months or more. Shi Zhengli told that her work was being stopped, according to sources from The Mail last Sunday. Gao Yu added that he found out about the gene sequencing with other tests on January 2 but Beijing 'muzzled' the study and kept information from the west. Oddly, the information about the gene sequencing was release under the behest of Beijing, a week later. Strict directives were given by Yanyi Wang, director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, not to pass on the information. In a bid to silence the actual truth, many doctors were punished severely for warning locals about the coming contagion. A week later, a Shanghai study was shut down for publishing online the results of the samples of an infected patient. The lab was shhut down without explanation two days after. Two doctors, Li Wenliang and Ai Fen suffered two fates, one died from the coronavirus and one disappeared, a common connection is they ruffled feathers and things happened later. On December 27, the world found out about the 'novel coronavirus', but by this time, it was already too late. The virus have already spread to many parts of the world. Related article: Chinese Scientists Deny That Coronavirus Originates from Wuhan @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. California governor Gavin Newsom, 52, is being sued by three churches that want to stay open during the coronavirus outbreak. A suit was filed in the federal court for the Central District of California on Monday, the LA Times reported. It also names Attorney General Xavier Becerra and officials of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. California is currently under a strict one-month stay-at-home order in a bid to slow the coronavirus spread, with all non-essential businesses are closed and public gatherings banned. Gavin Newsom gives a daily coronavirus update at the the Governor's Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova, California, pictured here on April 9. Newsom said he was already making detailed plans on how to re-open the state while still stressing the need for people to say at home and stay away from others Places of worship have not been listed among the infrastructure where face-to-face contact is permitted. The suit names three churches in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. They argue they can practice safe social distancing in the same way grocery stores and other places that are considered essential services are allowed to remain open. The suit claims religious services are 'essential for the spiritual health of the congregation so that the congregants can exhort one another during these difficult times', according to TMZ. People line up outside Trader Joe's neighborhood grocery store using social distancing guidelines in Santa Monica, California, on April 13 One of the plaintiffs, James Moffatt, is a senior pastor at Church Unlimited in Indio. The suit claims he was fined $1,000 for holding a Palm Sunday service and violating Riverside County's order. The suit said Moffatt 'believes that scripture commands him as a pastor to lay hands on people and pray for them, this includes the sick.' It added that Moffatt believes he is 'required by scripture to baptize individuals, something that cannot be done at an online service'. Harmeet Kaur Dhillon is is chief executive of the Center for American Liberty. She is the former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, and the National Committeewoman of the Republican National Committee for California The suit also names a parishioner and the head pastor of Shield of Faith Family Church in Fontana, as well as the senior pastor of Word of Life Ministries International in Riverside which usually has 20 to 30 attendees. Harmeet K. Dhillon, chief executive of the Center for American Liberty, a California nonprofit organization that filed the suit said: 'The state does not get to dictate the method of worship to the faithful. 'If a Californian is able to go to Costco or the local marijuana shop or liquor store and buy goods in a responsible, socially distanced manner, then he or she must be allowed to practice their faith using the same precautions.' John C. Eastman, a professor of law and community service at Chapman University in Orange, said he believed the suit had merit. In an email he said: 'Services with only a single family in a pew, and spaced three pews apart, with everyone wearing masks and gloves, would accomplish the government's purpose in a much less draconian way.' Many churches in California now stream services online, and on Easter Sunday several held drive-in services for people to listen from their car radios. A parishioner prays outside the closed doors decorated with Easter lily flowers at the Christ the King Church Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles on Easter Sunday. Many Californians celebrated Easter from their homes and even in their cars as residents endured the fourth straight weekend under statewide orders to stay indoors to slow the coronavirus spread But on Friday a federal judge refused to allow a small church in Campo, Abiding Place Ministries, to gather for Easter Sunday services. The judge rejected a request for a temporary restraining order sought by the church, which has sued San Diego County for banning public and private gatherings on public health grounds. U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, said the right to freedom of religion doesn't 'include the right to expose the community ... to communicable disease.' Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses the acquisition of the Sleep Train Arena for use as a field hospital in Sacramento, California. He announced on April 7 that the state will spend nearly $1 billion to purchase up to 200 million masks per month to boost the state's stockpile of protective equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak, and provide as a supplier to other western states The latest figures show more then 22,000 cases of coronavirus in California, with close to 700 deaths. Across the US the number of confirmed cases is close to 590,000 - the highest in the world - and the death toll is just shy of 24,000. Newsom said he will announce a detailed plan today (Tuesday) for lifting coronavirus restrictions, Time reported. He had previously said the state expects to see a peak in Covid-19 infections in May. MailOnline contacted Gavin Newsom's office for comment. A liberal challenger easily defeated the conservative incumbent for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a key race at the heart of Democratic accusations that Republicans risked voters' health and safety by going forward with last week's elections amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jill Karofsky beat Daniel Kelly, whom then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, appointed to the state's high court in 2016. President Donald Trump endorsed Kelly and on Election Day urged Wisconsin voters "to get out and vote NOW" for the justice. With 99% of returns counted, Karofsky led Kelly by more than 163,000 votes, or nearly 11 percentage points - a substantial victory for Democrats in a state expected to be a key battleground in November. The contest prompted a rancorous partisan debate over whether to proceed with in-person voting April 7, which Democrats opposed and Republicans supported. It was also hard-fought because of potential implications in the November presidential election, with a judicial decision about whether to purge the state's voter rolls hanging in the partisan balance of the court. Gov. Tony Evers, D, state health officials and local election officials had urged the Republican-led state legislature to postpone the election, but lawmakers refused, citing the risk of confusion and widespread vacancies in thousands of municipal seats on the ballot with terms due to expire in April. Democrats accused Republicans of trying to take advantage of the likely low turnout resulting from fear of infection and closed polling locations. The election featured snaking lines in Milwaukee and Green Bay, the result of mass cancellations by poll workers and the closure of polling locations. In Milwaukee, election officials opened just five voting locations, instead of the typical 180. "Tonight, not just Jill Karofsky but democracy prevailed over a politically cynical strategy to weaponize the coronavirus pandemic as a tool of voter suppression," said Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Kelly conceded the race Monday night. "It has been the highest honor of my career to serve the people of WI on their Supreme Court these past four years," Kelly said in a statement. "Obviously I had hoped my service would continue for another decade, but tonight's results make clear that God has a different plan for my future." Democrats took Republican lawmakers to court to postpone the election and allow ballots to be mailed after Election Day, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the effort. Evers, meanwhile, issued an executive order postponing the election, only to be struck down by the conservative-majority state Supreme Court. One lower-court ruling did stand, however - that the results would not be issued until Monday, after local election officials had time to receive and count the surge of absentee ballots mailed this year. Scott L. Fitzgerald, the Republican majority leader in the Wisconsin Senate, told reporters last year that Kelly would have a "better chance" of winning a new term with lower turnout - a statement that fueled accusations from Democrats as to why Republicans wanted to go forward with last week's elections. But heavy mail-in balloting may have upended assumptions about relative advantage; according to statistics issued Monday by the state Elections Commission, nearly 1.1 million Wisconsinites cast ballots that way, nearly as many as total turnout in last year's Supreme Court race - and more than the total turnout in the court races in each of the previous two years. Wikler said GOP maneuvering could ultimately prove to be a miscalculation, especially if a spike in coronavirus infections becomes apparent in the coming days that can be attributed to in-person voting last week. "In the months to come, most Americans might know someone who is hospitalized or has died of covid-19," he said. "What seems like a cynically clever gambit to win election before a wave of deaths will feel morally bankrupt to most Americans by the time we arrive at November." Republicans entered the election with a 5-2 majority on the state Supreme Court, meaning that a Democratic victory still leaves liberals in the minority until 2023, the next time a conservative justice will face voters. But an ongoing legal battle over a voter roll purge raised the stakes of this year's election, with implications for November. Kelly recused himself, and conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with voting rights groups to halt the purge. That left the court deadlocked 3-3 and gave Democrats a shot at stopping the purge, one of their top priorities ahead of the 2020 election. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement that Kelly suffered from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., still being on the ballot and from Evers's late-breaking decision to try to postpone the election. "In November against hapless Joe Biden, President Trump will win Wisconsin again, as he did in 2016," Murtaugh said. The Republican National Committee congratulated the president for winning the state's uncontested Republican presidential primary but made no mention of the court race. Top Democratic strategists, meanwhile, said the chaos in Wisconsin highlighted the need for additional voter protections before November's vote. "Last week, Republicans did everything they could to prevent Wisconsin voters from participating in the election," said Marc Elias, a D.C.-based Democratic elections lawyer. "The RNC literally went to the U.S. Supreme Court to try to stop the counting of mailed ballots. If they were willing to do this to win a state supreme court seat, imagine what they will do in November." Former vice president Joe Biden beat Sanders in the Wisconsin Democratic primary. Sanders dropped out of the race the day after the Wisconsin vote and endorsed Biden earlier Monday. In 2016, Sanders decisively won the Wisconsin primary, carrying seven of the state's eight congressional districts. He also scored an upset victory in Michigan and landslide win in Minnesota's caucuses. Sanders' strength in those states last cycle became part of his argument that he could beat Trump. But the Vermont senator had been struggling in Midwest primaries this year, and a looming loss in Wisconsin helped him decide to end his campaign. A Virginia pastor who defied warnings about the danger of religious gatherings during the pandemic and vowed to keep preaching unless Im in jail or the hospital died over the weekend after contracting Covid-19, his church said. The pastor, Gerald O. Glenn, 66, the bishop and founder of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield, Va., died on Saturday night, according to Bryan Nevers, a church elder. Mr. Nevers announced the death of Bishop Glenn during an Easter sermon, which was posted on the Facebook page of the Richmond-area Pentecostal congregation. He said that Bishop Glenn had transitioned from labor to reward. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 14, 2020) - VERT Infrastructure Corp. (CSE: VVV) ("VERT" or the "Company") announces it has cancelled its previously announced $0.10 unit private placement. The company continues to look for sales opportunities of its real estate assets to reduce its debt obligations. The company's main debt holder has security over all of the company's assets including the company's stock portfolio consisting of shares announced private issuer announced on February 27, 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the company does expect it will be challenging to attract suitable buyers for its assets nor will the company's Canadian management team be able to visit and report on any of the assets which are sitting in default. Due to COVID-19 Pandemic all of our remaining consultants and/or those helping us through what was already a challenging time for the company are currently in self-isolation. The company will continue to work remotely to the best of its ability to look for the sale of its assets. No Pandemic relief the company is aware of is available to the company by either federal governments due to the company's position of being a Canadian small business investing and operating in the US. As such, the company announces that a Director and an officer of the company have resigned effective immediately. The company wishes Abbey Abdiye, CFO and Director Victoria Bostic all the best with the future endeavours and wishes to announce the appointment of Mr. Arif Merali as interim CFO and has appointed Mr. Brendan Mossip Balkwill to the board of Directors. Mr. Mossip is an Ontario native currently residing in Vancouver. Mr. Mossip has played various corporate communications roles as an entrepreneur and private investor across various sectors. Further, the company announces that it has settled a portion of its debt with its former supply agreement partner by the issuance of 1,052,631 shares at a deemed price of $0.095 per share. Company Contact Arif Merali CEO & Director vertlimited@gmail.com www.vertltd.com 604-484-4206 About VERT Infrastructure Corp. Vert Infrastructure is engaged in the business of branding, investing, constructing, owning and leasing infrastructure for certain licenced or permitted specialty agricultural businesses. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this press release related to the Offering, the securities issuable thereunder and the Transaction are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. 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/54443 By PTI KOCHI: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan deputed top cop Vijay Sakhare to the northern district of Kasaragod as a special officer on March 23, when it was emerging as India's biggest COVID-19 hotspot. Three weeks down the line, the district is slowly turning into a safe haven for people, paving the way for a discussion on "Kasaragod Initiative of the Kerala Police"-- a model that could be emulated in other heavily-hit areas in the country. On March 31, the number of COVID-19 cases in Kasargod had touched 106. They became 164 on April 6 and now in the last six days only 14 cases have been reported, a significant drop in the number of cases in the district. "It was possible only because of our containment strategy. Basically our strategy was based on three locks-- Lock 1, Lock 2, and Lock 3 to ensure that the people do not mix up and infection does not spread,"Sakhare, who is the commissioner of Kochi city police told PTI. Taking the charge as special officer, the Inspector General rank officer enforced three locks in the district in line with the lockdown measures taken by the central and state governments to arrest the spread of the deadly virus there. The locks were put as part of a three-pronged strategy to completely isolate the persons who were primary and secondary contacts of the COVID-19 positive persons came from abroad, particularly Gulf countries, Sakhare said. "Lock 1 was implemented doing traditional policing methods like road block and mobile patrolling and all. Through this measure we were able to control the people coming out of their homes", he said. The second strategy was implementation of Lock 2, creating a Geographical Infromation System, mapping all the positive cases, all home quarantined persons, all the expatriates who came from the foreign countries and primary and secondary contacts of the positive persons. "Very interesting picture emerged. We saw that all the positive cases are concentrated only in seven areas of the district spread over five police stations. We isolated those areas by cordoning them off. All roads leading to the areas were blocked and nobody was allowed to go in or come out," the IPS officer said. The police then put the third lock, declaring the seven areas as Covid Containment Zones to isolate the worst-affected places from rest of the district. ALSO READ | Kerala opts for reverse quarantine to flatten Covid-19 curve Based on the inputs that COVID-19 positive persons who came from abroad had stayed at their homes, met their friends and mingled with family members, the police included all of them in the list of primary contacts and secondary contacts. "After identifying these contacts, we put them under the Third Lock. They were locked in isolation using technology as well as traditional policing methods," Sakhare said. "As part of the third lock, we put police guards in front of their homes. We created a beat patrol policing covering 10 to 12 houses of the affected persons. Visiting their homes, the police personnel educated the people on importance of staying their homes", he said. Besides, all the houses, where the primary and secondary contacts resided were brought under the drone surveillance, Sakhare said. He said COVID-19 safety apps were also installed in the phones of the primary and secondary contacts. "If somebody tries to leave his home, then we get an alert. In that case, we go and shift such people to government quarantine facilities besides initiating legal actions against them. Three days after implementing the third lock, we have moved 107 people into government quarantines because their actions were dangerous to the society. The app was installed in the phones of over 10,700 home quarantined people," the officer said. The district police launched home delivery service in COVID containment zones to deliver essential items at the doorsteps of the people to ensure that they remained indoor. The door delivery programme was later extended to all parts of the district. The police also launched a 'Kasargod Suraksha App' to provide telemedicine to those isolated and wanted to consult with doctors for their various ailments. The top police official said after April 14 upto April 21st "we expect 12 to 14 cases only" in the district. It will further come down to single digit by the month end and "four weeks from now I expect the case will be zero. No report of COVID cases," he added. Out of the 166 who were infected in the district, 73 got cured. No fresh cases were reported on Monday. PJS Food Limited has donated 50,000 and rice products with 15 thousand cedis to the Covid-19 Trust Fund. The Indian company which is into the importation of popular red eagle rice and oil products made the contribution at a short ceremony at the Jubilee House. Established 10 years ago, the company employs over 50 Ghanaians and currently exploring avenues to go into local rice production. Presenting the cheque, managing director Sachin Gupta indicated the company confidence in the ability of President Akufo Addo to address the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. We see ourselves as Ghanaians and once our President, Nana Akufo-Addo made the call for corporate organisations to contribute to the Fund. We decided to answer the call and that is why we are here today to donate our quota and we are hopeful it will go a long way to alleviate especially the plight of the needy and vulnerable in society, Mr Gupta indicated. Receiving the cash and items donated, chairperson of the Covid-19 Trust Fund, Sophia Akuffo pointed the Trust exists for the needy and assured every money and items donated to go to alleviate their plight. She added the Fund is in the process of setting up a bank account and other administrative tools to ensure transparent use of the money accrued so far. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video